Where We Live

When it comes to certain fandom and cosplay communities, getting your costume right is key, or you might get called out for not being 100% accurate. But Steampunk is a little different.

It’s retro, but it’s futuristic. It’s Victorian, but you can also just go vintage. It's corsets, but also cogs, coils and gadgets. Steampunk, a subgenre of science fiction, is all about retro futuristic technology and being as creative as possible. But Steampunk is not just about fashion! 

Today, we dive into the world of Steampunk and hear from the Steampunk Scholar.

Later, we hear from the Connecticut Audubon Society on the 2023 State of the Birds.

GUESTS:

• Mike Perschon: Steampunk Scholar and English Professor at MacEwan University in Alberta, Canada
• Bridgette Rodrigues: Steamposh Admin and Steampunk Event Coordinator
• Tom Anderson: Director of Communications for the Connecticut Audubon Society and the Editor of Connecticut State of the Birds

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Ralph Nader doesn’t often praise big business leaders, but his new book, The Rebellious CEO, profiles a dozen who he says "did it right."

This hour, we hear from the consumer crusader from Connecticut.

In this extended interview, he discusses his new book and the need for visionary business leaders today, as well as his upbringing and recent journalism venture in Winsted.

He also touches on the letter he co-authored to President Biden, urging him to pull back support for Israel; his thoughts ahead of the 2024 election, and the role of third-party candidates; the oversights he'd like to see in various industries, including Big Tech and the pharmaceuticals; his concerns about media consumption and fragmentation; and the importance of carving out time for civic duty.

Reflecting on his legacy, Nader reinforces the importance of civic duty and the power of the individual, asking, "What are we waiting for? It takes a lot less civic power than we think, to turn our country around."

GUESTS:

• Ralph Nader: Consumer Advocate; Former Presidential Candidate; Host, Ralph Nader Radio Hour; Founder, American Museum of Tort Law

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Connecticut is one of 41 states that is suing Meta, the parent company of both Facebook and Instagram. The suit is alleging that Meta is knowingly using addictive algorithmic tactics that are harmful to their users.

Today, we give an update on social media regulation and we hear from an activist and researchers working to make these spaces safer. We hear from Connecticut Attorney General William Tong.

We also hear from Emma Lembke. In February, she testified before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Child Internet Safety. She is the Founder of the Log Off Movement, a youth-led organization committed to helping kids, teens, and young people build healthy relationships with social media and online platforms.

GUESTS:

• Connecticut Attorney General William Tong
• Emma Lembke: Founder of the Log Off Movement, a youth-led organization committed to helping kids, teens, and young people build healthy relationships with social media and online platforms
• Dr. Michael Rich: Director, Digital Wellness Lab at Harvard and the Director of the Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders (CIMAID)
• Kaylee Kruzan: Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and the Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies (CBITs) in Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

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Heart disease has been the leading cause of death in the United States for decades, putting much of the focus squarely and rightly on cardiovascular disease. But what about congenital heart conditions, something affecting your heart since birth?

There are 13 million adults living with congenital heart disease, and that number has grown as treatments advance; survival rates have improved by 75% since the 1940s. But those diagnoses can come later in life, and even with sure signs, the need for specialized, lifelong care is often unmet.

This hour, we're joined by the co-authors of Healing Hearts and Minds: A holistic approach to coping well with congenital heart disease.

Plus, we hear from one of 50 clinics accredited by the Adult Congenital Heart Association in the U.S., right here in Connecticut.

GUESTS:

• Tracy Livecchi: Social Worker; Co-Author, Healing Hearts and Minds: A holistic approach to coping well with congenital heart disease

• Dr. Liza Morton: Psychologist; Co-Author, Healing Hearts and Minds

• Dr. Robert Elder: Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Cardiology) and Internal Medicine (Cardiology); Director, Adult Congenital Heart Program; Director Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Program, Pediatric Cardiology

Cat Pastor contributed to this program which originally aired October 11. 

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Growing up, as a transracial adoptee, Angela Tucker friends, family and even strangers would make comments and assumptions about what her life would have been like if she hadn’t been adopted.

Angela Tucker is the author of the book, You Should Be Grateful": Stories of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption and she is Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society.

Today, we talk about the intricacies of navigating life as a transracial adoptee. For years, adoption stories have been told through the point of view of the adoptive parents. Angela says it’s time to flip the script and let adoptees tell their stories.

Later, we hear from an adoption agency and learn about the type of conversations they have with potential transracial adoptive parents.

If you have a personal experience with adoption, we want to hear from you.

To find more information about transracial adoption, check out the UConn Health Adoption Assurance Program.

GUESTS:

• Angela Tucker: author of the book, You Should Be Grateful": Stories of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption and Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society
• Laura Sullivan: Chief Program Officer at Just Choice, a pro-choice adoption agency

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

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When an error was spotted in the Spanish-language instructions for the capital city’s ballot, just before the November election, officials moved to correct it. Advocates have said the error underscores the language access issues many Connecticut residents face, and the different kinds of Spanish-language mis- and disinformation there are to tackle.

Former Rhode Island Secretary of State and Pell Center senior cybersecurity fellow Nellie Gorbea recently hosted a workshop for Latino elected officials in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts, to address mis- dis- and malinformation.

This hour, we discuss the layered issue of Spanish-language mis- and disinformation, and the efforts to address it.

Nellie Gorbea joins us, along with UConn's Dr. Charles Venator, to discuss the important role state and local governments play, particularly as the 2024 election approaches. Plus, Madeleine Bair is the founding director of El Tímpano, a news outlet that recently trained over 100 Latino immigrants in disinformation defense.

GUESTS:

• Dr. Charles Venator: Faculty Director, UConn's Puerto Rican Studies Initiative; Director, El Instituto: Institute of Latino, Caribbean, and Latin American Studies
• Madeleine Bair: Founding Director, El Tímpano
• Nellie Gorbea: Visiting Senior Fellow on Cybersecurity, Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy; Former Secretary of State, Rhode Island

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate

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Turtles are among one of the oldest reptiles to walk the planet. Although turtles often live long lifespans and are among some of the most resilient animals on the planet, human presence has meant a huge threat to their species. 

In her new book Of Time and Turtles, Sy Montgomery says turtles live “slow.” She spent time working with the people who have dedicated their lives to rehabilitating these fascinating creatures, and she joins us to talk about her book.

And Matt Patterson, fellow turtle lover, illustrator of this book and their accompanying picture book The Book of Turtles, joins us too. He is also a wildlife artist and sculptor.

We'll learn about what’s being done to care for and protect these animals.

GUESTS:

• Sy Montgomery: Author of Of Time and Turtles

• Matt Patterson: Illustrator of The Book of Turtles and wildlife artist

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Cat Pastor contributed to this show which originally aired October 3, 2023.

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The Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History is reopening early next year after four years of renovations.

Celebrated Syrian-American artist and architect Mohamad Hafez just installed a new piece, titled “Eternal Cities,” alongside the museum’s Babylonian collection. 3D-printed replicas of ancient Babylonian artifacts are peppered throughout the piece, bridging the millennia between ancient Mesopotamia and present-day Syria.

"It's a collaboration between educational archaeological museums, and local artists that come from the region that are working and living in the diaspora," says Hafez, "and at the crux of it, it solves a problem of engaging people in a very short attention span times, getting more interest built into these objects beyond just looking at them in a glass vitrine."

This hour, Mohamad joins us along with two of the museum’s curators. The new Peabody aims to position itself as a more community-centered space in New Haven. How can museums include the local communities they serve?

GUESTS:

• Mohamad Hafez: Artist and Architect

• Kailen Rogers: Associate Director of Exhibitions, Yale Peabody Museum

• Agnete Lassen: Associate Curator, Yale Babylonian Collection

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

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The holiday season is a time we all want to enjoy. Maybe that means indulging in more food than usual, buying those special gifts and treats for loved ones, and going all out with decorations in your home.

But with all that indulgence, comes a lot of waste. At the end of the holiday season, an additional 1 million tons of trash enter landfills. According to Stanford University's Waste Reduction, Recycling, Composting and Solid Waste Program, household waste increases by more than 25% from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. This comes from various sources including wrapping paper, Christmas trees and even food waste.

But experts say there are easy ways to reduce your carbon footprint and have a greener holiday season. Today, we talk about ways to reduce holiday waste.

GUESTS:

• Miriah Kelly: Assistant Professor of Environmental Science, Southern Connecticut State University
• Brittney Cavalliere: Senior Director of Strategy Connecticut Food Share, a food bank based in Bloomfield and Bridgeport
• Yasmine Ugurlu: the Founder and Owner of Reboot Eco, a zero waste shop in Middletown Connecticut

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

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From the Mayflower's landing, to the meal shared by English setters and Wampanoag people, much is still widely misunderstood about the Thanksgiving holiday and its history.

Connecticut-based educator Chris Newell recently wrote a book for children that helps to untangle some of the myths and misnomers commonly associated with Thanksgiving. For example, the book clarifies that "the holiday we celebrate today does not have any real connection to the Mayflower’s landing. In fact, the story that links them was not created until two hundred years later."

As Newell notes in his introduction, "The story of the Mayflower landing is different depending on whether the storyteller viewed the events from the boat or from the shore." This hour, Chris Newell joins us.

Plus, how is this topic being reframed in Connecticut classrooms? The Connecticut State Department of Education recently published resources for "Teaching Native American Studies." The materials were developed in a collaboration between the five state-recognized Eastern Woodland tribes: Golden Hill Paugussett, Mashantucket Pequot, Mohegan, Paucatuck Eastern Pequot and Schaghticoke.

Becky Gomez, the director of education for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, and Sam Tondreau, a member of the Mohegan Tribe as well as their director of curriculum and instruction, discuss.

GUESTS:

• Chris Newell: Member of the Passamaquaddy Tribe; Co-Founder and Director of Education, Akowmawt Educational Initiative; Museum Educator; Children's Book Author, If You Lived During
• Rebecca Gomez: Director of Education and Recreation, Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
• Samantha Tondreau: Member of the Mohegan Tribe; Director of Curriculum & Instruction, Mohegan Tribe

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.