Where We Live

In 2016, polls in key states underestimated the chances of a Donald Trump victory. This hour, how have pollsters changed the way they measure public opinion? Can we still rely on election polling? 

Coming up, we hear from a pollster and survey researcher and talk about how to understand polling in the days leading up to Election Day. 

Many pollsters are reporting a double digit Biden lead, but how could that change in the next two weeks? Will Election Day results match what’s been predicted right now in the polls? 

We want to hear from you. What questions do you have about polling?

GUESTS:

• Courtney Kennedy - Director of Survey Research at Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C. (@pewresearch)

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Connecticut’s COVID-19 numbers have been rising. And, as the weather gets colder, safe outdoor options for socializing will become more difficult. How worried should we be about a COVID-19 spike, and what can we do to help prevent it?

This hour we talk with Hartford Healthcare’s Chief Clinical Officer, Dr. Ajay Kumar.

Are you worried about a second wave?

First: who are the people in your community that you trust?   The pandemic has taken a huge toll on mental health. But accessing resources can be challenging, and stigma continues to be a barrier.

We hear about an effort in New Haven to recruit trusted community members like barbers or salon owners to help connect residents with mental health resources.

GUESTS:

• Adriane Jefferson - Director of Arts and Cultural Affairs for the City of New Haven
• Dr. Ajay Kumar - Chief Clinical Officer for Hartford HealthCare
• Caroline Chen - Health Reporter for Propublica

To register for the mental health training promoted by the City of New Haven here.

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Every day, Where We Live, we say we want to hear from you. This hour, we really, really do. Next month's election is expected to break voter turnout records with a high number of absentee ballots.

Coming up, residents across the state join us to talk about what’s motivating them to cast their ballot.

Whether you plan to vote in person, or by absentee ballot, we want to hear from you. Join the conversation.

Guests:

• Bishop John Selders - co-founder of Moral Monday CT (@BishopJSelders)
• Aidee Nieves - City Council President of Bridgeport, Connecticut and First Vice President of the Hispanic Elected Local Officials for the National League of Cities
• Molly Shapiro - President of Yale College Democrats and senior at Yale University
  Jacob Marie -Director of Political Engagement of UConn College Republicans and senior at University of Connecticut. He is also a member of the Tolland Board of Education. 

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Extreme heat, crushing air pressure, and toxic clouds. Venus may not seem like a hospitable place.

But the discovery of a certain chemical, phosphine, in that planet’s atmosphere has raised new questions about the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Scientists wonder if a living organism could possibly be creating this unexpected chemical.

This hour, we sit down Martha Gilmore, a Wesleyan professor. She’s a planetary geologist and Venus expert.

What questions do you have about Venus or our solar system?

GUEST:

• Martha Gilmore - Seney Professor of Geology and Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Wesleyan University in Middletown CT

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Love is what most people are looking for in a spouse or life partner. But this hour, we take a look at marriage, an institution that for much of history had very little to do with love at all.

We also talk about the right to end a marriage by divorce. And we want to hear from you, too.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

GUESTS:

• Stephanie Coontz - Author of Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage, and Director of Research and Public Education for the non profit group, Council on Contemporary Families; she also teaches history and family studies at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington (@StephanieCoontz)
• Meghan Freed - Managing attorney at Freed Marcroft, a Connecticut divorce and family law firm (@MeghanFreed)

Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired February 13, 2020.

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It has been over seven years since Sheryl Sandberg’s breakthrough book Lean In'' hit the shelfs and started a conversation about women leading in the workplace. But sexism is far from obsolete in today’s job market. 

The good news is, skills to thrive in the workplace can be taught long before a woman accepts her first job offer. This hour, what can we do to teach young girls confidence and resilience in tomorrow’s world? 

Marisa Porges, author of What Girls Need: How to Raise Bold, Courageous and Resilient Women joins us to talk about how parents and educators can help our children develop grit, audacity and self-confidence.

What about your daughter? We want to hear from you! Join us for this Girl Power conversation and tell us how you are working to build your daughters self esteem!

GUESTS:

• Marisa Porges, PhD - Head of The Baldwin School, and author of the just released book What Girls Need; How to Raise Bold, Courageous and Resilient Women. (@MarisaPorges)

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Although we are in a pandemic, that doesn’t mean we have to miss out on our favorite fall activities. 

This hour, we hear from the Connecticut Historical Society about how Mexican Americans are finding ways to celebrate Día de Muertos this year. 

And later, Connecticut has many historic houses to tour - some of which have a spooky backstory! A coordinator from the Buttolph Williams House joins us. 

Connecticut really blooms in fall from apple picking to visiting your local pumpkin patch. A local 4H director joins us to talk about educating the next generation about farming.

It’s our Fun Fall Friday show! Tell us what activities you’re looking forward to doing this season.

GUESTS

• Carlos Hernandez Chavez - artist, musician and educator from Connecticut
• Kate Schramm - director of the Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program at Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford, Connecticut  
• Katie Sullivan - a staff member at the Buttolph Williams House in Wethersfield, Connecticut
• Erica Fearn - Executive Director of the 4H education center at Auer Farm in Bloomingfield, Connecticut

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Do you know how to make an Election Cake? What about the history of the Connecticut Witch Hunters

This hour, state historian Walt Woodward joins us to talk about his new book Creating Connecticut: Critical Moments That Shaped a Great State and answer all your questions about the Nutmeg state, starting with why do we call Connecticut the Nutmeg State? 

We’ll talk about the origins of the Pequot War, Connecticut’s long history of immigration, and Walt might just give us the recipe for the Connecticut Election Cake - it only requires 10 pounds of butter! 

What questions do you have about the Connecticut State Historian?  We want to hear from you.

GUESTS:

• Walt Woodward - State Historian of Connecticut (@waltwould)
• John Lyman - Executive Vice President of Lyman Orchards (@LymanOrchards)

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After the first presidential debate last week, Americans have a lot of questions about absentee ballots and how to make sure their vote is counted. 

This hour, Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill joins us to answer our questions and yours.

Coming up, where can you drop off your ballot? When do absentee ballots need to be mailed or dropped off to make sure they are counted? 

What questions do you have for Secretary Merrill about casting your vote this election? We want to hear from you.

GUESTS:

• Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill (@SOTSMerrill)
• Anna M. Posniak - Windsor Town Clerk and President of Connecticut Town Clerks Association
• Sue Larsen - Registrar of Voters in South Windsor and President of Registrars of Voters Association of Connecticut.

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Do you worry about how you’re everyday actions contribute to climate change? You may think about the carbon gas-burning cars are putting into the atmosphere, or coal-powered electricity in your houses.

But what about the food you eat?

This hour we talk about the role of the livestock industry on putting carbon into the atmosphere. Are our carnivorous habits contributing to the climate crisis?

We talk with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization about how the meat industry worldwide can reduce its carbon footprint. And we hear from a Connecticut beef cattle farmer about an innovative type of grazing that may reduce the environmental impact of raising cattle.

And how should we as consumers here in Connecticut think about lessening the carbon footprint of our dinner plates...especially if going full-on vegan is not on the table?

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

GUESTS:

• Dr. Anne Mottet - Livestock expert at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (@Anne_Mottet)
• Dr. Joe Orifice - Connecticut beef farmer & owner and operator of “Hidden Blossoms Farm” in Union, CT. He’s also the Director of Forest and Agriculture Operations at Yale School of Forestry
• Allison Johnson - Sustainable Food Policy Advocate with the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC)

READING LIST

New York Times: The Meat Question, by the Numbers (January 2018)- “Worldwide, livestock accounts for between 14.5 percent and 18 percent of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. The percentage is lower in the United States in part because our overall greenhouse gas emissions are so much higher than other countries”

FAO: Tackling climate change through livestock: A global assessment of emissions and mitigation opportunities (2013) – “With emissions estimated at 7.1 gigatonnes CO2 -eq per annum, representing 14.5 percent of human-induced GHG emissions, the livestock sector plays an important role in climate change. Beef and cattle milk production account for the majority of emissions, respectively contributing 41 and 20 percent of the sector’s emissions. While pig meat and poultry meat and eggs contribute respectively 9 percent and 8 percent to the sector’s emissions. The strong projected growth of this production will result in higher emission shares and volumes over time.”

Washington Post: How we can make beef less terrible for the environment (May 2018)– “Though little known to the public, silvopasture is currently practiced on an estimated 15 percent of the world’s grazing land. Yet scarcely a word about the method is found in key climate change documents and agreements. When it is mentioned, it is lumped in with other “agroforestry” practices that integrate trees with crops and sometimes livestock. Cropland agroforestry has recently been shown to have a much greater climate impact than previously believed.”

Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired on October 5, 2018.

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