How Do We Fix It?

Would Britain face lasting economic and political harm if it votes to quit the European Union in June 23rd's referendum?  Our show looks at the case for Brexit. Steve Hilton, one of David Cameron's closest friends and a former senior political advisor to the Prime Minister, is a leading member of the Vote Leave campaign.  He tells us in this episode that a bureaucratic, over-centralized EU has become far too entangled in British life and is incapable of reform.   Richard and Jim disagree on the best outcome for Britain and Europe.  They discuss some of the arguments for and against.   Note: This episode was recorded shortly before Thursday's tragic murder of British MP, JO Cox. Several campaign events were cancelled after the attack.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How many times have heard somebody say that the political campaign has reached a new low?  How much worse is the 2016 race compared to previous elections?We asked Princeton University Professor, Sean Wilentz, to give us a history lesson. In his latest book, "The Politicians and the Egalitarians" Sean makes the case for pragmatism, arguing that politicians serve the country best through the art of compromise.On this episode, he tells us that "nasty, slimy stuff" is nothing new in Presidential campaigns, using the wild rhetoric of 1828 and 1860 as examples.But what is new this year, Sean argues, is hyper-partisanship, "where you cannot imagine the other side even existing. You want to obliterate them. You want to wipe them off the face of the earth." The SOLUTIONS start with us.
- How we talk about those we disagree with.  Are you gleefully vilifying the opposition?- Go beyond our information silos.  Read and listen to those we disagree with. allsides.com has daily examples, looking at the news from the left, right and center. Follow journalists who cover solutions.- Revitalize civil discourse. If you have a strong disagreement with friends or neighbors, consider setting up a living room conversation.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This podcast is all about how to have better habits and use them to be more productive in our projects, careers and everyday lives.   We talk about to-do lists, email, mental models and making the most of our time with best-selling author,Charles Duhigg.  His latest book is "Smarter, Faster, Better:  The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and In Business."  Charles is also the author of "The Power of Habit." "Keeping your eye on that thing that matters most to you is the secret to success," Charles tells us.  "We need a mental model: a story we tell ourselves about how we expect our day to unfold."   Whether it's the importance of stretch and smart goals or our need to get out a rut or shed bad habits, this fun episode has smart solutions for all of us. Building on cutting-edge science and deep reporting, Charles uses storytelling to explain how productivity relies on making smart choices.    Just one example: "We can turn a to-do list from a memory aid into a device that forces us to think a little bit more deeply about our priorities." Find more on this episode.    Cynicism is a poverty of curiosity and imagination and ambition. -- Maria Popova. of BrainPickings   During their conversation in this episode, Richard and Jim mention the inspirational commencement address byMaria Popova - curator of brainpickings.org -  on the soul-sustaining necessity of resisting self-comparison and fighting cynicism.     possible tabs: habits, author, solutions journalism, podcasting Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Medical errors are America's third largest cause of death. Only heart disease and cancer have a higher body count.    A new report estimates that about 250,000 Americans die each year because of screw-ups in hospitals, doctors' offices and other medical settings.  In 2013, research by NASA's chief toxicologist put the number at as many as 440,000.   In this episode of "How Do We Fix It?", Pittsburgh-based lawyer James Lieber brings a passion for practical solutions to a widespread problem. James has spent more than a decade researching medical errors after his friend and mentor died from a prescription overdose following a lung transplant. Last month, his provocative and practical op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, "How To Make Hospitals Less Deadly", caught our attention. (Note: readers can get behind the Journal's paywall by pasting the link at news.google.com).   His recent book is "Killer Care: How Medical Error Became America's Third Largest Cause of Death, And What Can Be Done About It"    Solutions:    Standard medical records.  All medical information about a patient should be available in the exam room with a few clicks. Despite efforts by Congress and the Obama Administration to reach this goal, many online medical records are on closed systems, unavailable to hospitals and doctors when they need them most.    Structured handoffs. Miscommunication can happen during shift changes in hospitals or when a patient is transferred to a new room or different section of the hospital. A study in The New England Journal of Medicine suggested adverse events could be reduced 30% by structured handoffs.   Bring in pharmacists. In many cases, they have more up-to-date knowledge than doctors about how drugs interact with diet, age, disease and each other.   Get serious about infections. Adopt guidelines from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the CDC, more than 700,000 patients become infected while hospitalized each year.   Reduce diagnostic error.  Improve communications between doctors, surgeons, nurses, pathologists and radiologists.       Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the biggest issue of the Presidential campaign that the candidates are not talking about: bloated government and the poor delivery of services.   From very long TSA airport security lines to the dysfunction at your local DMV, our interactions with government can be extremely frustrating.  Exceedingly complex rules and laws make things even worse.    For decades, Philip K. Howard has been a leading voice on how to streamline government and make it work for all of us. His latest book is "The Rule of Nobody: Saving America From Dead Laws and Broken Government." He's the founder of the good government group, Common Good.   In this 12-minute episode of "Fix It Shorts," Philip gives alarming examples of how regulations have programmed officials and politicians of both parties to follow rigid rules that often leave very little room for human judgement.   Solutions:  Rules and regulations need to be radically simplified.  Laws based on principles and goals rather detailed rules. Sunset provisions for laws: they can be re-examined every five or ten years. Founding father James Madison's warning about laws should be heeded. They must not be "so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood."   "Four Ways to Fix A Broken Legal System." Philip K. Howard Ted Talk.     Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With technology in overdrive, self-driving cars are no longer a fantasy. The first autonomous cars and trucks made by major auto manufacturers could be on the road within several years. But "Fix It" guest Eddie Alterman, Editor-in-Chief of Car and Driver magazine says not so fast. "It's a scary concept anyway you look at it," he tells us.  "The autonomous car is a very inelegant, very complex and a very fraught solution to the problem of texting while driving... and of information coming into the car when people should be driving." For Google, Apple, Microsoft and other big data companies, autonomous cars are a big opportunity. Instead of keeping their eyes on the road, motorists could use their driving time to consume more digital media.  But Eddie Alterman says a mix of self-driving and traditional vehicles on the road would create danger. "People will deal with or accept flawed humans crashing into each other. I don't think people will accept supposedly fail-safe machines crashing into each other" Solutions:Encourage the use of background technology to make driving safer with improved cruise control, vehicle stability, lane departure warning systems and other innovations.Pursue a cautious path with the use of autonomous vehicles in "closed" environments such as industrial sites.Encourage car-sharing and other initiatives to reduce commute times. Resist the temptation to encourage drivers to surrender control of their time behind-the-wheel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The numbers are alarming.  A 2015 Gallup poll found nearly 70% of U.S. employers say they're either bored or disengaged at work.   The cost to employers has been put at more than $500 billion in lost productivity. The cost to workers is incalculable - in human misery, unnecessary stress and lost opportunity.   Workplace psychologist Ron Friedman is the author of "The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace." Ron says there's an astonishing gap between the latest science and most the modern workplace.  He has some great tips for both employers and employees.    Ron's solutions for employers: An engaged workforce is more creative, focused and stay with their company for a long period time. This saves money. Employees need to be competent and connected to one another, yet they need to have autonomy - feeling they have choice in how they go about doing their work. Invite employees to share their ideas. Encourage learning: give your employees a quarterly reading budget. Establish an office library. Invite employees to take their vacation time and switch off from work at night, so they can live a balanced, healthy life. Workplace design and hiring a diverse workforce play a very important role in creating a better workplace. Ron's solutions for employees: Reframe the way you look at your job. Present a case that could add value to your employer. Get out of your comfort zone. Greater variety often leads to more work satisfaction.   Look for ways to re-create your job to allow yourself to do more of the things you enjoy doing more often.  Regular exercise. It makes you smarter, more focused and creative at work.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Stuff happens," says homeland security expert and mom of three, Juliette Kayyem.   The government has got to find a better way to talk about the threat of terrorism and natural disasters. Most of us need to have a better plan to prepare.  "We talked in a way when people would either tune out or freak out," says Juliette of her time as a top official at The Department of Homeland of Homeland Security. "We are all in this together," she tells on this episode of "How Do We Fix It?" Her new book is "Security Mom: An Unclassified Guide to Protecting Our Homeland And Your Home." The book is packed with common-sense ways to think about positively about a difficult subject. Juliette's solutions: The government shouldn't scare, but prepare. Pretending that America is invulnerable is both unrealistic and unhelpful to citizens. Homeland security is not just about tragedy or terror, it's what all of us can do every day to keep ourselves strong, safe and prepared.  Families should have a "72 on you" plan. If you call 9-1-1 in an emergency, don't assume help will come quickly.  Have 72 hours of vital supplies, including non-perishable food, water, first-aid kit, flashlights and batteries. Talk to your kids about how the family should stay in touch in an emergency. Copy important personal documents and put them on the cloud. "You can get yourself prepared for almost any eventuality in a very small amount of time," says Juliette. "You're going to feel better being prepared for something rather than nothing."  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"At the end of the day everybody is biased," says our guest,John Gable, founder CEO of AllSides. "You're biased by what youknow. You're biased by what you know and you're biased by yourentire human existence before then."AllSides is unique in how it covers the news - displayingstories on its front page - from different points of view. It urgesreaders to "engage in civil dialog and discover a deeperunderstanding of the issues."The left-hand column at AllSides has stories fromliberal-leaning sites (New York Times, Huffington Post, Salon), theright column features conservative-leaning media coverage of thesame event (Fox News, The Blaze). The centrist column plays thingsdown the middle (USA Today, Christian Science Monitor)."Part of what we do is help people understand that they arebiased as well," says John.With deep experience in technology and his former involvement inpolitical campaigns, he understands how so many of live in a bubble- only listening to those we agree with. And why that's a threat toour democracy.Solutions:Take the "doyou live in a bubble?" quiz. Learn why left or right are not our only political options. John Gable urges us to read Neil Postman's ground-breaking 1985book, "AmusingOurselves to Death." The book looks at the impact of televisionand mass entertainment on our perceptions of politics andculture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Too often, news coverage is all about clashes, controversies andcontests.  The way the media cover major events can have aprofound impact on our view of the world. In this episode, Jim and Richard - both journaliststhemselves - are joined by DavidBornstein, who writes for theFixes blog of The New York Times and is co-founder of SolutionsJournalismNetwork.org. "The news tends to focus far more on what's wrong than onthe credible efforts around the world of people who are trying tofix things, whether they are successful or not." David tellsus.  "I think the main thing is that the problems scream andthe solutions whisper. The problems are always clamoring forattention. Solutions, you really do have to be proactive and golook for them." David says that solutions journalism focuses not just onwhat may be working, but how and why it appears to be working, oralternatively, why it may be stumbling. Using the best availableevidence, it delves deep into the how-to’s of problem solving,often structuring stories as puzzles or mysteries that investigatequestions like: What models are having success reducing the dropoutrate in public schools? How do they actually work? What are theydoing differently than others that are resulting in a betteroutcome? Solutions Journalism network goes into newsrooms aroundthe country, and trains editors and reporters on the imperatives ofthe "now what" aspect of reporting.  Solutions journalismhelps news organizations play a stronger role in the communitiesthey serve. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.