Episode 46: Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss a recent story by Derek Thompson of The Atlantic in which he outlines the four forces that are propelling the rising rates of depression among young people.

About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 45: A few weeks ago, a Google engineer was placed on administrative leave after he said a chatbot created by his employer had achieved sentience. The company said its systems imitated conversational exchanges but did not have consciousness. It also said the employee violated its confidentiality policy.

The question about whether computers have a soul is still open to debate, but what’s clear is that they’re getting better each year and processing large amounts of data. Rick Kyte and Scott Rada discus how worried should we be about the future of artificial intelligence.

Links to stories discussed during the podcast:

A.I. is mastering language. Should we trust what it says?, by Steven Johnson, New York Times Magazine

Stephen Hawking warns artificial intelligence could end mankind, by Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC

AI could defeat all of us combined, by Holden Karnofsky

Are we living in a computer simulation? I don’t know. Probably., by Sean Illing, Vox

About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 44: With recent polls showing most Americans aren’t happy with the direction of the country, Richard Kyte and Scott Rada debate how much of that is because of the the negative thrust of many of the news reports people see and share on social media.

Links to stories discussed during the podcast:

Why is all COVID news bad news?, by the National Bureau of Economic Research

The media is biased, but not in a way you think, by Eric Weiner

Is the economy actually bad, or does everyone just feel like it is?, by Emily Stuart, Vox

John Malone says WarnerMedia-Discovery getting rid of CNN would be the ‘coward’s way out’, by Matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC

About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 43: Over the past few years, trans issues have gotten much more attention, especially with more children talking about and sometimes questioning their own gender.

In the episode, Richard Kyte and Scott Rada talk about why this topic is so polarizing for many Americans and ideas about how to think about acceptance and treatment.

Links to stories discussed during the podcast:

We need to do better at talking about gender identity, by Richard Kyte

The Battle Over Gender Therapy: More teenagers than ever are seeking transitions, but the medical community that treats them is deeply divided about why — and what to do to help them, by Emily Bazelon of The New York Times

About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 42: In 2020, more than 45,000 people in the United States died from gun-related injuries, but the number of people who die each year from alcohol-related causes is more than twice that. Yet social media and cable news is not filled with debates about how to solve this problem.

Richard Kyte and Scott Rada talk about what can be done to address this problem that is underpinning much of the violence in America today.

Links to stories discussed during the podcast:

Alcohol facts and statistics, from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Drunk driving fatality statistics, from responsibility,org

Alcohol consumption among adults in Europe, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 41: Richard Kyte and Scott Rada talk about why so many gun owners feel like their voices are being drowned out by the extreme positions so many people take on this polarizing issue.

Links to stories discussed during the podcast:

What hunters say about guns might surprise you, by Richard Kyte

Poll finds parents are scared about gun violence in schools, and so are their school-aged children, by Fred Backus, Anthony Salvanto and Jennifer De Pinto, CBS News

The presidential candidate who shot and killed a girl when he was 12, by Justin Peters, Slate

About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 40: According to a story in Fast Company, when the history of the COVID-19 pandemic is written, the disease’s economic and cultural impact will surely include the Great Resignation. Rick Kyte and Scott Rada look at the pros and cons of this recent trend, and they discuss why so many of those people changing jobs seem to have second thoughts.

Links to stories discussed during the podcast:

Mentors are important at every stage of life, by Rick Kyte

Why do so many Americans regret changing jobs, by Rick Kyte

Meet the typical Gen Z worker, who is quitting their job for a better one but probably regretting it later, by Hillary Hoffower, Insider

Quarter of US doctors in survey say they'll quit over COVID stress, by Madeleine List, McClatchy Washington Bureau  

About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 39: A recent poll found that, unsurprisingly, Americans say inflation is their No. 1 concern. Next on the list are worries about political extremism, crime and immigration. In this episode, Scott Rada and Rick Kyte discus why most voters seem to focus more on social issues rather than on policies that might fix the problems they care about the most.

Links to stories discussed during the podcast:

Why Dems ought to take a cue from the GOP and get angry, by Will Stancil, Politico

Explainer: White ‘replacement theory’ fuels racist attacks, by David Bauder, The Associated Press

About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.