Episodes
-
Why more women are freezing their eggs
Editor's note: This segment originally broadcast on April 16, 2021. It’s still too soon to know all the ways the COVID-19 pandemic continues to reshape our decisions about life and family, but one facet is that many women have decided to protect their reproductive future by freezing their eggs. About a decade ago, egg freezing was considered an experimental procedure. Today, it's a relatively common procedure thousands of women choose each year. During the pandemic, the number of women electing to postpone pregnancy by freezing their eggs has surged. Why? And will their choices have a broader impact long term? GUESTS Nina Resetkova, reproductive endocrinologist at Boston IVF John Petrozza, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center Nikki Richardson, former egg freezing patient -
Some Americans are saying no to smart devices and embracing digital minimalism
Americans have intimate relationships with their cellphones. A recent report found 89% of Americans say they check their phones within the first 10 minutes of waking up, and 60% sleep with their phone at night. And during the day, nearly one-third of American adults reported being online "almost constantly" in 2021, up from 21% in 2015. "I remember being attached to [my phone] and when I was texting my girlfriend, I remember the screen just kind of came alive," said Jose Briones, an advocate of digital minimalism. "I get this rush of, 'Wow, like, somebody cares about me.' And I put a lot of my value not on the person necessarily or the notification that I got, but also on the phone, because the phone is the medium through which I receive this amazing, loving text." But its not just phones holding our gaze. Watches, doorbells, even many refrigerators are now "smart." Partly in response to how ubiquitous this technology has become in the fabric of modern life, Joe Hollier co-founded Light, a company that sells minimalist cellphones. "There's no social media, no infinite feed of any kind, clickbait news, and there's no email," Hollier told Under the Radar. "So, really all of the things the phone does — calling, texting, setting an alarm — are just really utilitarian based. And the idea is that you're not pulling out the phone. So, we like to say it's a phone designed to be used as little as possible, because it's about the time and the space that it gives you to not be staring at a screen." Hollier is one of a number of Americans attempting to separate themselves from the seemingly inescapable reach of technology. These digital minimalists are willing to change their habits to go back to a simpler, less technology-centered lifestyle. "We can decide how much technology we embrace, how we embrace it, and how we really find the value in our life," said Andrew Maynard, professor of advanced technology transitions at Arizona State University. "My camera is a fully manual camera and I get joy and pleasure out of that. ... That's a choice I make. And I think a lot of people forget that they can make these decisions for themselves, how much or how little technology they have in their lives. Of course, the difficulty is when we've got tech companies trying to push it down our throats, sometimes it's difficult to pull back from that." GUESTS Joe Hollier, co-founder of Light, a company that sells minimalist cellphones Jose Briones, digital minimalism YouTuber and advocate, moderator of the subreddit, “r/dumbphones” Andrew Maynard, professor of advanced technology transitions at Arizona State University -
Sounds of the city: Boston's first mixtape aims to boost local talent
From hip-hop to folk to jazz, Boston’s musical legacy is alive on a new platform showcasing the talents of local musicians. Mayor Michelle Wu and the city's Tourism, Sports and Entertainment Office debuted "Dear Summer Vol. 1" this July: it's the city's first official mixtape. "I think we did a good job in representing the sound of the city, the cultural diversity of the city, and just really highlighting and boosting up our artists and also our DJs so we can show that there's talent here right in our backyard," Chimel “ReaL P” Idiokitas, co-executive producer and curator of the mixtape, told Under the Radar. Representing a variety of music genres, "Dear Summer Vol. 1" features six DJs and 17 artists from the Greater Boston area for a 1-hour, 39-minute soundscape. The new, annual collaboration aims to “connect residents across neighborhoods through music, and celebrate summer.” "How can we, as the city of Boston, leverage this platform to show artists that they can stay here, that they can make it, that they can bolster their careers?" said John M. Borders IV, Boston's tourism, sports and entertainment director. "I think we have a unique opportunity as the city to champion those folks." GUESTS Chimel “ReaL P” Idiokitas, DJ and co-executive producer and curator of “Dear Summer Vol. 1” John M. Borders IV, tourism, sports and entertainment director for the City of Boston and co-executive producer of “Dear Summer Vol. 1" -
60 years later, the March on Washington continues to shape America's identity
Sixty years ago, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom inspired more than 250,000 people to gather for a public demonstration — at the time, one of the biggest marches in the country's history. The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his now famous speech, “I Have a Dream” at the Lincoln Memorial, just weeks after President John K. Kennedy called civil rights a “moral issue.” "I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to put my feet where my heart was, to speak in support of civil rights, to join all the other thousands of people who wanted to see the United States make some moves toward civil rights," said Jane Bowers, a Boston resident who attended the 1963 March. But the original focus of the March was to be a public stand for jobs and freedom, and a push against a deeply segregated, racist America. "A month after this event, white people blew up a church and killed four children. And so I think it's very important that we make a distinction between the white people," said Byron Rushing, former Massachusetts state Rep. "Never say this [march] had an effect on white people. It had an effect on the moment, it seems. Maybe a majority of white people, but it certainly did not have an effect, except the negative concern by Southern white people." What is the legacy of this seminal event in this moment of continued efforts to roll back civil rights gains, and at a time of increasing violent racial tension? "We now see a determined resistance that's called MAGA, that is trying to go back to where they were again in the sense, which is make America great again for them," Courtland Cox, civil rights activist who helped organize the 1963 march, told Under the Radar. "Making America great depended on racial and economic exploitation of the African American community. ... And the good thing about today is that, while we only could protest in 1960 and '63 and '65, we can now be in power. ... We now have positions of power and we need to be able to really uphold the concepts of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence." GUESTS Jane Bowers, a Boston resident who attended the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom Byron Rushing, former Massachusetts state representative and president of the Roxbury Historical Society Courtland Cox, civil rights activist who helped organize the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom -
A national Latino museum project gets caught in the culture wars
The National Museum of the American Latino may be years away from officially opening, but it's already caught in America's culture wars. The attack has been led in part by Latino Republican Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, having proposed legislation to pull funding for the museum. "I'm okay with you criticizing how you view history. But do you have to vote to defund it?" said, Julio Ricardo Varela, president of Futuro Media Group. "Seriously, like, you can't even stand up for our community? You have to go down the 'woke politics' side?" Diaz-Balart has since said funding would not be pulled, but only after a meeting with Smithsonian leadership: “What we did is we cut the funding, and immediately [the Smithsonian] responded, and then we had a very positive meeting." Gov. Maura Healey announced a state of emergency this August due to the surge in migrant families arriving in the state and in need of shelter. A total of 20,000 people, made up of over 5,000 families with children, are currently living in state-funded shelters. And last month the long debated driver's license law for undocumented immigrants went into effect. The state saw roughly 100,000 requests for learner's permit appointments in the first three weeks of July. "They don't want to be in the shadows. They don't want to work under the shadows. They don't want to have to drive without a license," Marcela García, an opinion columnist at the Boston Globe, told Under the Radar. "What I've noticed is that for immigrants, this has been very symbolic, too, because it is giving them a sense of belonging, a sense of inclusion." That and more on our Latinx News Roundtable. GUESTS Julio Ricardo Varela, president of Futuro Media Group, co-host of the “In The Thick” podcast, founder of Latino Rebels, and MSNBC opinion columnist Marcela García, an opinion columnist and associate editor at the Boston Globe -
Hip-hop turns 50: A look at the past, present and future of the global phenomenon
50 years after its birth, hip-hop has become an integral part of mainstream American culture. With its roots in the voices of marginalized communities, hip-hop is reflected in everything from a rapping Pillsbury Dough Boy to dialogue in movies to speeches on the floor of Congress. "Hip-hop is a culture. It's a far-reaching culture. It's the most dominant youth culture on the planet," said Dart Adams, Boston-based writer and hip-hop expert. "It incorporates DJing, b-boying — or 'breaking,' as it's commonly called — emceeing is one aspect, and of course, you know, there's graffiti art. And all these aspects of the culture come together to form hip-hop. But people's idea of hip-hop is usually relegated just to rap music." What started as Kool Herc’s innovative DJ party groove in 1973 was amplified by new masters of ceremonies, or MCs, spinning and scratching at house and street parties. The new music genre quickly established its signature turntablism, breakbeat deejaying, and scat-style rhyming lyrics. Hip-hop artists would go on to express their tears and triumphs in their songs — they often spoke to political and social oppression. "Hip hop was the way we spread the word. It was the way we let people know that we were in solidarity across time and space," Dawn-Elissa Fischer, co-founder of the Hip Hop Archive and Research Institute at Harvard University, told Under the Radar. "I was actually in a rural area of the United States, the Ozarks in southern Missouri, at the time where there were a lot of various types of lynchings and police killings and other horrible, racist things happening that weren't being covered in the news. And so, to hear 'Public Enemy No. 1' ... and 'Fight The Power' and to see the video, the visual of the parade of people gathered; I felt protected and inspired." In the ’90s, America became the hip-hop nation. And in the ensuing years, hip-hop became the biggest and most influential global music genre in the world. "The hip hop of the '90s really captured the spectrum of Blackness. You go from 'Fight the Power' to 'Juicy,' which is the celebration of the comeuppance, not just of Biggie himself, but of his community who he is able to put on, but also Black people and hip-hop in particular," said Danielle Scott, professor at Berklee College of Music. "And then he says, 'You never thought that hip hop would take it this far.' Now hip-hop is in Harvard. Hip-hop is in Brown [University]. Hip-hop is no longer relegated to the pre-filming of the Grammys, it's on the Grammys' stages. It's in country music. It's all around the world. ... I think what Biggie said in that moment, just in that one little line, was prophetic, you know, in terms of how far hip-hop was going to take it." GUESTS Dart Adams, Boston-based writer and hip-hop expert Danielle Scott, hip-hop MC and professor at Berklee College of Music Dawn-Elissa Fischer, associate director and co-founder of the Hip Hop Archive and Research Institute at Harvard University -
These two humor writers look for comedy in turbulent times
If there ever was a time we all could use a good laugh, it’s now — as, all around us, the world seems to be on fire literally, and figuratively. For this special edition of “Bookmarked: Under the Radar Book Club," we’re delving into the world of humor on the written page — through the musings of contemporary humor essayists — those sharp and witty observers of everyday life who find the funny in the mundane. "I get embarrassed for being a person with basic tastes who does not interrogate things very deeply. A person who needs to be smacked in the face with the subliminal message, because I absolutely will not suss it out for myself," Samantha Irby writes in her book, "Quietly Hostile." "The embarrassment usually leads to my second guessing both myself and my interpretation of whatever it is we're talking about," she continues. "This then devolves into an even more embarrassing apology. I'm so sorry for not understanding what, quote, 'good acting' is. And that continues until I shrivel into a husk and die, vowing with my dying breath to never again publicly express joy or excitement." These authors use their own lived experiences as a lens to deconstruct the serious in service of the silly. "I don't have any original thoughts that are going to break the world open. I really just have my day-to-day life, my own stories," Blythe Roberson, author of "America the Beautiful?" told Under the Radar. "I really just wrote this book to make people laugh. Like, I didn't write it hoping I would change the hearts and minds of America. So, I hope they just enjoy it, really." GUESTS Samantha Irby, author of five books including her latest book of essays, “Quietly Hostile” Blythe Roberson, author of two books of humorous essays, her latest is “America the Beautiful? One Woman in a Borrowed Prius on the Road Most Traveled” Module -
The science and popularity of CBD, explained
Editor's note: This episode originally aired on Feb. 4, 2022. CBD — those three small letters have led to a billion-dollar industry. CBD, short for cannabidiol, is a compound from the cannabis plant that does not produce a high. People can consume it, vape it or apply it to their skin. Manufacturers are putting CBD in everything from lattes to lotions. Proponents say that CBD helps manage many health conditions, especially pain and anxiety. "One of the things that we've found that CBD is wonderful for is bringing your body closer to homeostasis, back to alignment. We know that that affects everything from stress to the ability to sleep, etc.," Malaika Jones, co-founder of Brown Girl Jane, said on Under the Radar. "Especially these days, folks are finding themselves, you know, feeling out of whack. So, our consumers really tell us that it [CBD] has been most helpful with anxiety, stress relief and sleep. ... The brand and the products have really resonated with people who need these everyday solutions to their life," she said. But many researchers insist that the substance may not work, let alone be touted as a cure-all. "One particular formulation of [CBD] was FDA approved in 2018 for the treatment of three types of seizure disorders," said Dr. Kevil Hill, an addiction psychiatrist. "But the reality is that probably 95% or greater of the CBD that people are using is not that formulation and it's not regulated by the FDA. And with that come a host of issues and those issues are related to the risk." Guests: Dr. Kevin Hill, addiction psychiatrist, director of the division of addiction psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is also the author of “Marijuana: The Unbiased Truth about the World’s Most Popular Weed” Malaika Jones, co-founder of BROWN GIRL Jane, a Black woman–owned company that offers broad-spectrum CBD products. She was named one of the most powerful women of 2020 by Entrepreneur Magazine -
Can a healthy diet treat disease? Why some argue food is medicine
Editor's note: This episode originally aired on Feb. 3, 2023. From heart disease to diabetes, chronic illness is the leading cause of death in the United States, and chronic disease is a major reason why the nation spends more than $4 trillion on health care every year. But a growing number of researchers believe reexamining our relationship with food is key to both improving our health and saving money. "When you provide medically tailored meals to people who are experiencing food insecurity and chronic illness, you'll see a 16% net cost savings — and that's monthly," said Jean Terranova, senior director of policy and research at Community Servings. "That's 49% fewer in-patient hospital admissions, 70% fewer emergency department visits, and 72% fewer admissions to skilled nursing facilities." Food is medicine, these advocates argue. But changing your relationship with food can be difficult, says Paul Hepfer, CEO of Project Open Hand: "That's part of why it's so important for us to have our education piece that accompanies the meal. So, it's not just 'Here's your meals for six months or a year. Good luck. See you later.' ... We give people the tools to start cooking that way themselves." Eating more whole foods — including fruits, vegetables and grains — and fewer ultra-processed foods is key to a healthier diet. "I think of it as almost a reintroduction," said Olivia Weinstein, director of nutrition innovation and implementation for Boston Medical Center. "So, this was something that once was and then kind of left our daily living, and we're reintroducing it back in." GUESTS Olivia Weinstein, director of nutrition innovation and implementation for Boston Medical Center Jean Terranova, senior director of policy and research at Community Servings Paul Hepfer, CEO of Project Open Hand -
NAACP's annual ACT-SO competition brings youth talent to Boston
Local Black high schoolers will face off in a special competition at the 114th annual NAACP National Convention in Boston. Young scientists, musicians, dancers, and more will compete in one of 32 categories of ACT-SO, or Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics. ACT-SO's categories are wide ranging, from visual and culinary arts to STEM, and business. "If I see all of these, like, white classical musicians, composers, just writing a bunch of music and we're just always playing that, why can't I just write a piece so that everyone else can play too?" said Sadie Caroll, an ACT-SO cellist participant. "I just had so much fun playing it, and it's great to share my work." The students' work will be on display at the NAACP hub at the Boston Convention Center July 28-30. The awards ceremony on July 29 is free and open to the public. Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as many other political and entertainment headliners, are scheduled to speak at the convention. This year's Olympics will draw participants from across the country. These competitors will be mentored in their selective fields and fight for a medal while being surrounded by supportive but competitive excellence. "When you show up at an actual competition, a national competition, you're being exposed to other young people who are just as bright, just as talented as you are," said Tanisha Sullivan, the president of NAACP Boston. "You are put into an environment where young people across all of the categories are committed to excellence. And when you're in an environment ... where there is rigor, you can't help ... but level up recognizing that there's a standard and that standard is excellence." ACT-SO is meant to uplift and applaud Black high school students for their academic and artistic achievements and is a signature event at the NAACP's convention. It's a competition that allows youth to be challenged, and then take those skills learned from the high-intensity environment and continue to develop them. "This is an opportunity to understand kind of your past and your history and the people that came before you in order to pour into everybody that comes after you," said Janay Trench-Lesley, a former ACT-SO poet participant. "[Understand] that this is bigger than yourself," Trench-Lesley said. "Kind of just [trust] your process, [trust] your talent and [trust] what you know, because that's how you got here in the first place." GUESTS Tanisha Sullivan, president of NAACP Boston Janay Trench-Lesley, ACT-SO former participant, poet Sadie Caroll, 2023 ACT-SO participant, cellist
