KQED's Forum

Exploring the rise of homelessness in suburban areas of the Bay Area, discussing the impact of gentrification, poverty, and available resources. The podcast addresses the challenges faced by Bay Area suburbs in addressing homelessness and the need for prevention, interim shelter options, and permanent supportive housing. The importance of collaboration between public, private, and community-based organizations is emphasized in addressing homelessness effectively. The disparity between minimum wage and housing costs is discussed, emphasizing the need for funding and urgent action to address the rising homelessness crisis.

Each week we bring you a selection of interviews we don't want you to miss - in 30 minutes or less! This week Mina Kim speaks with comedian Keegan-Michael Key and writer/director Elle Key about the couple's new book "The History of Sketch Comedy: A Journey Through the Art and Craft of Humor," and we hear Alexis Madrigal's conversation with Oakland-based graphic novelist, Daniel Clowes on his new book "Monica." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Romantic crushes: we’ve all experienced that feeling of intense yearning for someone we know we’d never end up with. But while crushes may bring heartache, they also carry benefits, according to Atlantic editor Faith Hill, author of the article “A Crush Can Teach You a Lot About Yourself.” Hill says crushes can offer a happy escape from reality, help us figure out what we like in our partners and make us feel more alive. We’ll talk about crushes and the biology that underlies them, and we’ll hear about the crushes you’ve had, and what you’ve learned from them.Guests:Faith Hill, senior associate editor, The Atlantic; author of the article "A Crush Can Teach You a Lot About Yourself"Helen Fisher, biological anthropologist and senior research fellow, The Kinsey Institute at Indiana University. Her books include "Why We Love" and "Anatomy of Love" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The hushed thrum of the womb. The warble of the last living species of a now-extinct bird. The fury and thrust of a jet engine in flight. These are some of the sounds that populate filmmaker Sam Green’s immersive documentary “32 Sounds.” The movie is not just a collection of sounds, but rather a meditation on the strange power that sound has on us, whether it is voices, music, the natural world or sounds that we are trying to tune out. Watching the movie, even on a tiny screen, can be a full-body experience in which you’re encouraged by Green, who narrates the film, to feel the sound. We’re bringing this segment out of the Forum archives as 32 Sounds returns to Bay Area theaters later this month for more screenings at:Roxie Theater, San Francisco, Oct. 28Rialto Cinemas Elmwood, Berkeley, Oct. 29Rialto Cinemas Sebastopol, Sebastopol, Oct. 30Guests:Sam Green, filmmaker, "32 Sounds"Mark Mangini, Sound designer, "32 Sounds." Magini has won two Oscars in sound design for his work on the movies "Dune" and "Mad Max Fury Road. He has received multiple Academy Award nominations for his sound design work on films including, "Blade Runner 2049" and "Star Treks I, IV and V." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it really mean biologically to be a woman? That’s one of the central questions Cat Bohannon explores in her new book “Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution.” Bohannon makes the case that until recently scientists have effectively ignored women: the majority of subjects in clinical drug trials are male, and too many researchers still mistakenly assume that sex differences are mainly about sex organs, rather than a panoply of biological and physiological features that evolved in the female body over millions of years. We talk to Bohannon about her new book, at once an evolutionary history and a call to action to “tear down the male norm and put better science in its place.”Guests:Cat Bohannon, researcher; author, "Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers in five states —including 22,000 in the Bay Area — went on strike Wednesday after the company and unions failed to resolve a dispute over wages and staffing levels. The union says the strike, set to last three days, is the largest in the healthcare sector in U.S. history. We’ll look at how the walkout is affecting patient care and how it fits into the recent trend of labor actions targeting a range of industries across the country.Guests:Jeannifer Key, licensed clinical social worker at Kaiser Oakland; member, SEIU-UHWKen Jacobs, chair, Center for Labor Research and Education at UC BerkeleyFarida Jhabvala Romero, reporter, KQEDDr. Robert Pearl, former CEO, The Permanente Medical Group; author, "Uncaring: How the Culture of Medicine Kills Doctors and Patients" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most histories of social media focus on Big Tech: the inventors, the investors and the innovations they made. But Washington Post columnist Taylor Lorenz writes in her new book “Extremely Online” that “tech founders may control the source code, but users shape the product.” Providing a “social history of social media,” Lorenz looks at how influencers — the content creators, bloggers and uploaders who amassed followings just from their online posts — drove change on the platforms we use and guide how we post today. We’ll talk with Lorenz about the influence of influencers.Guests:Taylor Lorenz, columnist covering technology and online culture, The Washington Post; author, "Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The podcast explores San Francisco's slavery reparations plan, including recommendations such as a dedicated city office, support for black-owned businesses, and cash payments. It discusses the historical injustices towards African Americans, the systemic racism they face, and proposals for reparations in areas like healthcare, housing, and education. The chapter also highlights the importance of comprehensive assistance and prioritization, as well as the challenges of researching ancestral history and finding housing in the Bay Area. The episode features guests from the California Reparations Task Force and San Francisco's African-American Reparations Advisory Committee.

Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Democratic strategist Laphonza Butler to the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by Dianne Feinstein, who died on Thursday. Butler is the president of Emily’s List, a political action committee that helps elect women who support abortion rights. She’s also a former labor leader, advisor to vice-president Kamala Harris, and University of California regent. When she is sworn in, Newsom will have fulfilled his promise to appoint a Black woman, and Butler will be the first openly LGBT senator from the state. We’ll learn more about Butler – who tweeted Monday that she is “ready to serve” – and what her appointment means for the U.S. Senate race currently underway.Guests:Aimee Allison, founder and president, She the People - A national organization dedicated to building the political power of women of colorMarisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host, KQED's Political Breakdown showMelanie Mason, senior political correspondent covering California politics, Politico Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Steinhart Aquarium in the California Academy of Sciences turned 100 this fall. It’s just eight years older than Methusaleh, the 92-year-old lungfish that arrived in 1938. The aquarium is home to 60,000 animals representing 1,000 species. Steinhart was the first public aquarium to display flashlight fish and coconut octopuses and found innovative ways to showcase the ocean’s mysterious “twilight zone.” As the Steinhart celebrates its century mark, questions remain about the role aquariums play in wildlife research, conservation, and education. We’ll talk to the aquarium’s director about its history and future. And we hear from you: what’s your favorite aquarium memory?Guests:Bart Shepherd, senior director, Steinhart Aquarium at the California Academy of SciencesRebekah Kim, head librarian, California Academy of Sciences Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices