By Catie Talarski
MONDAY: Combating Food Allergies (rebroadcast)
Thirty years ago, food allergy was extremely rare. Today, about 5.9 million U.S. children under 18 suffer from this potentially life-threatening condition. That’s 1 in every 13 children. Or, to look at it another way, one student per classroom has a food allergy. What’s more, nearly 2 out of every 5 affected children suffer from a severe food-allergy. Researchers from Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago conducted a recent online allergy study of almost 40,000 parents, released this month in the journal “Pediatrics.” They found that food allergies are growing more common and more severe. Today, where we live, we revisit a problem that has many parents concerned – including one of our own reporters. And we’ll explore how doctors are using oral immunotherapy to help tame some of the allergic symptoms.
TUESDAY: Sugar Rush
People put sugar in their coffee, cake and cookies. But do we really think about where the sweet stuff comes from? Coming up, we’ll talk about the rise and fall in sugar’s popularity over the years with the author of The Sugar Barons. And some researchers are saying sugar is actually toxic, so are artificial sweeteners the way to go? You might want to hold off on that 2nd spoonful of sugar in your morning cup of joe – until you listen to this show.
WEDNESDAY: City Rebranding
Hartford is talking about the city’s latest effort to “brand” and “market” itself with a snazzy new slogan, logo and signage. But how well do efforts like this work? We’ll hear from other cities who’ve been trying to remake their image – and we’ll get an update on what’s next for “New England’s Rising Star.”
THURSDAY: Cheating Schools
An investigator for the State Department of Education has begun to question teachers and staff at a Waterbury elementary school about suspected cheating on the 2011 Connecticut Mastery Tests. Waterbury’s investigation follows widespread cheating scandals uncovered in the District of Columbia, Baltimore and Atlanta…just this year. Coming up, we’ll talk to a professor who says the rise in cheating by teachers and school staff parallels the rising pressures kids face with high stakes testing. What does this say about our education system, and what does it mean for your child’s education?
FRIDAY: Living with Hypochondria
Our health is all over the news these days: whether it’s the contentious debate on American health reform, the latest study on cell phones and cancer, or advances in genetic testing that can pinpoint who’s at risk for which disease. This focus on health care motivates some people to eat right, exercise, and stay in good medical shape. But others grow to fear everything that could possibly go wrong with their body – and in some cases, they imagine that it already has. Today we’ll hear a documentary on “Living with Hypochondria: The Real Costs of Imagined Illness”
To even comment about a former convict governor and to put him on a radio show, appoint him to a 90 grand job a year is a sad comment on our society. Ignore him.