The San Francisco Experience

By Jim HerlihyNews News Commentary

The San Francisco Experience episodes

July 20, 2020 Let our kids go back to school !
Over 20 European countries have re-opened their schools but the US lags far behind. Our decentralized and locally controlled as well as politicized schools - school boards are elected and funded with local property taxes - are slow off the mark to re-open. Meanwhile our kids suffer.
22 min
July 17, 2020 The Coming Population Bust
The world's population stands at 7.8 billion today and has increased by 5.8 billion since 1950. But the British medical journal The Lancet and the University of Washington in Seattle have authored a study which posits that the 21st Century will end with a net decline of 1 billion people. 23 countries will see their current populations cut in half and 90 countries will experience net declines. After an unbroken upward trajectory in population trends since 1800, what is the catalyst for such a reversal ? Female education and emancipation is a big driver of falling birth rates, declining fertility and a drop in the net replacement rate of 2.0 children per woman. The numbers of elderly will explode and the global median age will increase to 42 by 2100, versus 31 today. Tectonic demographic changes are already underway.
25 min
July 15, 2020 Urban Hiking: Your Gym Replacement.
With San Francisco"s gyms closed for four months, hiking the urban environment of one of America's most beautiful cities affords lots of opportunities for vigorous exercise. But how is urban hiking different from walking ? We want some physical challenge which is demanding and satisfying at the same time. Listen to today's podcast for some tips on changing your city scape into an exciting outdoor adventure venue,
26 min
July 12, 2020 Facebook: a free speech forum or an advertising surveillance app ?
The Social Media giant is weathering a month long boycott by some of its advertisers, a critical civil rights audit and controversy about political speech. Yet Mark Zuckerberg’s founding principles for Facebook remain: voice and inclusion. How is the company faring ?
24 min
July 10, 2020 Disinformation and Fake News: How to spot it and How to avoid it.
With the 2020 Presidential election less than 4 months away, Social Media and with it Fake News stories will loom large no doubt, much as they did in 2016. The BBC has a dedicated weekly program called BBC Trending which focuses on Disinformation stories. Why would the world's most respected broadcaster want to give any oxygen to conspiracy theories and disinformation stories ? It is a measure of how far the Internet and its' no holds barred culture has impacted how we get our news. In today's podcast, I interviewed Mike Wendling and I share his insights with you.
BBC Trending can be heard on the BBC World Service every Friday at 9.30pm Pacific Daylight Time(PDT). Editor and Co-host is Mike Wendling. Make a point of tuning in, as I do.
29 min
July 07, 2020 Spanish Missions: The Spine of Modern California
35 million Californians live within 50 miles of one of the 21 historic Franciscan Missions: They are a key part of the California identity. But the recent destruction of statues of Father Junipero Serra, have challenged the legacy of the Missions. Urban legend versus a large, detailed historical record. Set the record straight !
25 min
July 03, 2020 Homelessness in the Tenderloin: San Francisco's Shame.
The mushrooming of 443 homeless tents on the sidewalks of the Tenderloin, one of San Francisco's poorest and most disadvantaged neighborhoods, caused a group of neighbors, including the well-connected UC Hastings Law School to sue San Francisco on May 4, 2020. A settlement between the parties was announced on June 12, 2020 which provides for dismantling 300 of the tents and housing each homeless person in a hotel at $200 per night. The Board of Supervisors has legislated to rent 7000 hotel rooms to house the homeless, all while the City faces a huge budget deficit as a result of the Covid-19 economic lockdown. San Francisco has mismanaged its homeless problem for decades and the latest move by the Board looks like a costly mistake at a time when the City can least afford it.
20 min
July 01, 2020 Junipero Serra: the Missions and Presidios of California
The destruction of statues of Junipero Serra in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park and in front of Los Angeles' founding church, Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles, was a wanton act of vandalism. Serra, a Franciscan Friar was canonized a saint by Pope Francis in 2015. As well as being one of California's Founding Fathers, literally and figuratively, he is one of the most if not the most prominent Hispanic and Latino figures in American History. His statue graces the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington D.C. How did this 18th century follower of St. Francis of Assisi come in for such vilification and opprobrium ? Both the Archbishops of San Francisco and Los Angeles have defended his legacy. But will his reputation be tarnished forever ?
31 min
June 29, 2020 Two steps forward and one back: San Francisco and Covid-19.
Cutting edge research coming out of University of California San Francisco (UCSF) in the antiviral field. Are Kinase Inhibitors the magic bullet to kill the Coronavirus ?
24 min
June 25, 2020 The Boogaloo Bois : Extremists or Fantasists ?
When Steven Carrillo scrawled BOOG in his own blood across the hood of his white van, the US Air Force Sergeant cast his fate with the extremist anti government movement, the Boogaloo Bois. Facing two death penalty charges for killing both a federal security officer and a Santa Cruz County Sheriff deputy, his murderous acts have skyrocketed Boogaloo to national prominence. But who are they ? Can their goal of provoking the downfall of the US government be taken seriously ?
We explore the roots of the movement and how Social Media especially during the Covid 19 confinement caused their membership to explode.
22 min

About The San Francisco Experience

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We are a "deep dive" news podcast, for Americans who get their news from the Internet. Our mission is to give the listener succinct, fact based analysis both non-ideological and independent from a California, Silicon Valley perspective.