Where We Live

What happens to women’s bodies during menopause? This hour, a frank conversation with OB/GYN Jen Gunter about what your mother probably called “The Change.” Dr. Gunter is the bestselling author of The Vagina Bible and most recently, The Menopause Manifesto.

Why is menopause such a mystery? As a culture, we don’t talk about menopause. In fact, women get the message that this normal biological transition is somehow shameful: an ending to vitality and productivity. We dispel myths about menopause. What questions do you have?

• GUEST:
  Dr. Jen Gunter - OB/GYN, women’s health advocate, and New York Times columnist. She’s the author of The Vagina Bible, and her latest book, The Menopause Manifesto was published in May. Visit her webiste for more information about her work. (@DrJenGunter)

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This hour, the state is part of what could be a last-ditch effort to stop Stamford-based Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy plan from being approved in an ongoing court hearing in New York.

“It’s a goal-line stand for families in Connecticut. It’s a goal-line stand for victims, and the 14-hundred families that will have an empty chair over the holidays,” said State Attorney General William Tong.

Tong discusses Connecticut’s legal efforts to seek accountability for the opioid crisis.

Hartford Courant politics reporter Daniela Altimari analyzes the special election in Greenwich, and the implications of the recently-released census numbers.

Guests:

• William Tong -- Connecticut Attorney General
• Daniela Altimari -- Hartford Courant Politics Reporter

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Scientists have found that our brains contain what’s called ‘grandmother neurons,’ which light up when we see a familiar face, like grandmother’s face.

The discovery was made using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that showed a select set of neurons located in the temporal pole of rhesus monkeys lit up each time the monkeys saw photos of their buddies, both monkey and human. The process could help explain how the brain identifies personally familiar faces, and what it could mean in our understanding of Alzheimer’s, dementia, and Autism.

GUESTS:

• Winrich Freiwald - Head of the Laboratory of Neural Systems at Rockefeller University. Credited for the discovery of the ‘grandmother neurons.’
• Dr. Robert Keder - Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician at Connecticut Children's, and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Connecticut
• Brad Duchaine - Chair, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth, and co-founder of faceblind.org
• A.E. Gaupp - West Hartford attorney with prosopagnosia, or face blindness

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How much would you pay for an animation of a flying cat whose body is a poptart?

Earlier this year, an anonymous bidder paid more than half a million dollars to be the “owner” of a unique copy of the internet meme gif, Nyan Cat.

This hour, we dive into the world of NFTs, or nonfungible tokens. They’re a way to own digital art that’s taken the internet and the art world by storm.

We also take a look at cryptocurrency. Digital currencies like Bitcoin are becoming increasingly more mainstream.

But that’s coming at a big cost to our climate.

We want to hear from you, too: Are you crypto-curious?

GUESTS:

• Kelly Crow - Staff reporter covering the art market for The Wall Street Journal
• Nikhilesh De - Managing Editor for Global Policy and Regulation at Coindesk, a crypto-focused news outlet based in New York
• Alex de Vries - founder of Digiconomist, the blog that hosts the Bitcoin Energy Consumption Index

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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will leave office in less than two weeks. His resignation comes after an investigation found he sexually harassed multiple female colleagues.

Sexual harassment prevention training programs are required in most workplaces. But research shows they are actually widely ineffective at preventing sexual harassment.

This hour, we talk about these programs and how they can be improved.

Marcia McCormick, a professor of law from St. Louis University joins us.

Have you done a sexual harassment prevention training at your job? Was it effective?

GUESTS:

• Marcia McCormick - Professor of Law at St Louis University, and the Wefel Center for Employment Law
• Deb McKenna - Attorney and Partner at Hayber, McKenna & Dinsmore, LLC

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College can be a challenging and stressful time for many students, even without a global pandemic.

Covid-19 has taken a toll on college students' mental health, from online classes to family stress. This hour, we look at how some colleges are preparing for students' mental health needs upon returning to campus in the fall.

We hear from students and counselors in Connecticut, and we want to hear from you, too. Are you a college student? Are you ready to return to campus?

GUESTS:

• Dr. Nicholas Pinkerton - Director of Counseling Services at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut
• Jenny Sortini - Student at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, and and Student Wellness Education and Empowerment Team (s.w.e.e.t) peer educator
• Judy Reilly-Roberts - Counselor at Tunxis Community College in Farmington, Connecticut
• Scott Jaschik - Editor of Inside Higher Ed

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Connecticut is the 19th state to legalize recreational use of marijuana. Today, we talk about medical and recreational marijuana use.

Marijuana can be helpful in aiding a lot of ailments, but it’s not a cure all.

We hear from medical marijuana researcher Dr. Rebecca Craft and learn what can and cannot be treated using medical marijuana.

We ask the questions you’ve always wanted to ask in this Pot Power Hour, like why does marijuana give you the munchies? We want to hear your questions too!

GUESTS:

• Andrea Comer - Department of Consumer Protection, chairperson of Social Equity Council
• Luis Vega - CEO of Wepa Farms
• Dr Rebecca Craft - Professor at Washington State University specializing in psychopharmacology

Where We Live

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In Connecticut, residents are more likely to die from unintentional drug overdose than a motor vehicle accident, according to the state Department of Public Health.

Last year, more than 1,300 people died of accidental drug overdose – a 14.6% increase from 2019, and an 88.5% increase from 2015. Through January to June this year, 547 lives were lost to overdose, with additional deaths pending investigation.

This hour on Where We Live, we talk to a peer recovery specialist from Wheeler Clinic about her lived experience with childhood trauma, opioid use disorder, and medication assisted therapy. We discuss with experts the need for state funding for nonprofits offering substance use disorder treatment -- beyond the $60 million in additional dollars that will be allocated for adult and children’s mental health addiction services over the biennium -- at a time when patient demand is continuing to climb.

We also explore ways to invest the $300 million in settlements received by the state from Johnson & Johnson, Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen, and look into how opioid manufacturers and distributors are still pushing physician prescriptions in innovative ways, despite the Sunshine Act.

GUESTS:

• Stephanie Almada - Peer Recovery Support Specialist, Wheeler Clinic
• Sabrina Trocchi - President and CEO, Wheeler Clinic
• Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman - Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology at Georgetown University Medical Center, and Director of PharmedOut

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For much of the pandemic, the place we live and the people we live with have become our entire world.

Almost one in three Americans lives in a “doubled up” household: with other adults who aren’t their partner or college-aged child.

This hour, we talk about sharing living spaces.

Cost is a big factor in housing arrangements, but living with roommates also has social implications.

We want to hear from you. Do you live with roommates, or in a multi-generational household?

GUESTS:

• Kim Velsey - Reporter for New York Magazine’s real estate and design website, Curbed
• Jennifer Molinsky - Senior Research Associate at the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard
• devin michelle bunten - Assistant Professor of Urban Economics and Housing at MIT

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This hour, a challenger emerges in Western Connecticut’s fifth Congressional District, to take on Democratic Congresswoman Jahana Hayes.

What does former state senator George Logan think of a billion dollar infrastructure bill moving through Congress, and the billions of dollars of COVID relief funds already approved? And is Logan familiar enough with the district, since he doesn’t live there?

Guests:

• George Logan — Republican Candidate in Western Connecticut's Fifth Congressional District
• Christine Stuart — Owner and editor in chief of Connecticut News Junkie and a reporter for NBC Connecticut

We want to hear from you!

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