MONDAY: Where’s the Beef? (Rebroadcast)
In this country,omnivores ate over 26 billion pounds of beef in 2010. All that meat sold for roughly $74 billion. Of course, some of that was the local, grass-fed stuff that food author Michael Pollan would approve of. A lot of it was the “other” stuff that goes into Big Macs and Whoppers. But even with all those “Billions Served” – times are tough for the beef industry. Overall, sales are down…then there was this year’s Texas drought, which dropped that state’s cattle population by 600,000. And salmonella in ground beef sickened some New England residents last month. Today, we’ll talk with a livestock economist from Texas A&M and we’ll hear from a beef farmer from Connecticut who jumped on the grass-fed train before it ever left the station.

TUESDAY: Measuring the World (Rebroadcast)
Here in America, we take for granted our feet, our inches, our Fahrenheit temperatures…we even watch our pounds. But, leave this country, and it’s pretty clear we’re on an island – an island the rest of the world would measure in meters…an “international standard” that we’re still resistant to. Today we’ll take the measure of the world of weights and scales, yardsticks and stones with philosophy professor Robert Crease. His new book is called “World in the Balance: The Historic Quest for an Absolute System of Measurement.” We’ll find out why we’re still struggling to figure out how to measure our world. We’ll look at wrangling over an international standard…and Robert Krulwich considers the “smoot.”

WEDNESDAY: Homelessness
A report by The National Alliance to End Homelessness says homelessness has decreased by one percent from 2009 to 2011. This drop might be short lived though, as it was likely due to 1.5 Billion dollars in federal aid – part of an economic stimulus package that will run out this year. Coming up, Hartford Courant columnist Susan Campbell will guest host a conversation about homelessness in Connecticut, on the day of Hartford’s “Point in Time Count.”

THURSDAY: Prenatal Genetics
As medical technology continues to improve, expecting mothers are now able to have prenatal genetic testing performed. The tests show potential birth defects, health problems or mental disabilities so parents can decide whether or not to continue the pregnancy. If you knew your child would be born with Down Syndrome, would you continue with the pregnancy? WNPR’s Lucy Nalpathanchil will guest host today’s conversation on the ethics of prenatal genetic testing.

FRIDAY: El Sistema
Venezuela’s music program called El Sistema has produced some of the best musicians in the world. It is free for children in that country and the model has been adapted in communities throughout the United States. Those behind it say it can not only teach kids music but also change the lives of these students. El Sistema inspired programs are popping up throughout Connecticut at a time when many schools face tough budget decisions. Is this a program worth funding and what impact could it have on children? Join the conversation, guest hosted by WNPR reporter Diane Orson.

 Tuesday: Stefan Pryor
Stefan Pryor took over as Connecticut’s Commissioner of Education in October last year. Once again, Connecticut missed out on Race to the Top money last month…it was the third time its application was rejected. As we approach what has been declared “the education session” in the legislature, Pryor joins us in-studio to discuss funding, teachers, testing and more. What changes do you want to see made to Connecticut’s education system?

 Wednesday: Governor Dannel Malloy
Nearly a year ago, Governor Dannel Malloy was inaugurated as the state’s first Democratic governor in 20 years. The governor joins us in-studio to look back at his first year and look ahead to the rest of his term. And to take your phone calls, of course.

 Thursday: Improvisation
Musicians Stephen Haynes and Joe Morris are masters of improvisation – and they are taking their craft to Real Art Ways with a concert series centered on improvised music. And improv acting isn’t always comedy. We’ll hear from improvisational thespians about how the skills translate to real life.

Friday: MLK Magazine
Wait for it…

This afternoon the NHL’s Winter Classic kicks off at 3pm between the Rangers and Flyers. Last year’s game is partially remembered for one of the big hits on Sidney Crosby that forced him to miss the rest of the season (and most of this season).

This has me thinking again about a topic we recently covered on Where We Live: sports and violence. John started off this episode by explaining his own conflicting feelings on this topic as a Pittsburgh sports fan. Here’s the transcript:

If you’ve listened to this show for a while, you know I’m from Pittsburgh. And that makes me a Steelers fan. Steelers fans root for their team in good seasons and bad, and have always had a belief that their players embody the spirit of Art Rooney, one of the founders of the modern NFL. Their players are tough and gritty, without being thuggish. They play hard…and they play right.

Then, you see this.

(high-res version can be seen here)

If you haven’t seen the hit, it’s gruesome – one of many that linebacker James Harrison has leveled on opposing players over the years. He’s gained such a reputation in fact that this hit cost him a game suspension – and about $75 thousand dollars. That’s on top of $125 thousand he was fined last year for blows to the head. Many football players – and Steelers fans – defend Harrison, saying he’s just playing a fast game the way he was taught…and the way fans like.

Detractors say these fines – and others levied by the league in a recent crackdown on hits like this – are essentially meaningless to players who make millions.  They worry that the game will only really change when a player dies on the field.  Or maybe, as in the case of pro hockey – it’ll be the story of Sidney Crosby, an icon for my hometown team, the Penguins.  The best, most skilled player in the league, has missed roughly a year – and is still recovering from concussions received on consecutive, dirty hits.  The NHL is facing enough bad press already, with a groundbreaking profile of “enforcer” Derek Boogaard, who died young after a career of league-sanctioned brawling.

There is no athlete quite like the hockey enforcer, a man and a role viewed alternately as noble and barbaric, necessary and regrettable. Like so many Canadian boys, Boogaard wanted to reach the National Hockey League on the glory of goals. That dream ended early, as it usually does, and no one had to tell him.

But big-time hockey has a unique side entrance. Boogaard could fight his way there with his bare knuckles, his stick dropped, the game paused and the crowd on its feet. And he did, all the way until he became the Boogeyman, the N.H.L.’s most fearsome fighter, a caricature of a hockey goon rising nearly 7 feet in his skates.

Derek Boogaard (NYR) vs. Steve MacIntyre (EDM) 11.14.10 (Photo by Matthew D. Britt, Flickr Creative Commons)

Boogaard was a man who fought his way into the NHL and then to his death. This should be unacceptable in 2012. For as long as I’ve been alive (which admittedly is not very long), athletes have been idolized by people of all ages including children. This idolization will not change anytime soon and leagues and athletes need to accept this responsibility.

We should move past the gladiator mentality of athletes being expected to put their bodies on the line for the sake of sport. Sure, hockey is supposed to be a physical game. But it shouldn’t be as explicitly violent as it is. One of the more troubling aspects is the belief throughout the hockey world that “enforcers” are actually making the games safer. This is from an AP story in December:

(NHL) Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said the league last discussed stronger penalties for fighting from the current 5-minute major penalty at general manager meetings two years ago and there has been little appetite for it recently.

“Fighting is part of our game,” Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said. “It impedes more injuries to happen because of what potentially can happen with people taking liberties they shouldn’t take.”

Here’s an idea: change the rules and train the referees to be stricter. The referees have turned into something like prohibition-era police officers in Chicago. They leave enforcement to the players on the ice and have lost their authority. While there is a fine line between over-regulating the game and turning it into a free-for-all, the current system is not working. The belief that players can police themselves through fighting is damaging to the players involved and the game as a whole.

One listener emailed us after the Where We Live episode and said that highlighting violence in hockey is hypocritical. Richard said, “Compare this to deliberate beaning of your opponent in baseball. Pitcher throws 90+mph at the head of a perhaps unsuspecting, minimally protected batter. Which usually results in the other pitcher doing the same next inning.”

I agree with most of what Richard says, but the one big difference is the league’s response. A pitcher suspected of throwing at a batter is ejected from the game and the pitcher and manager are suspended. Tempers will always flare up in sports but the consequences need to be strict enough to prevent it from becoming a regular occurrence.

Here at Where We Live, the staff have made a few “resolutions”: Tucker has vowed to not trim his beard once in 2012. Dankosky is branching out to start a hip clothing line for “working professionals”  (Lots of tweed jackets/sweater vest combos.) And I hope to reach my life-long goal of making it on Hartford.com’s list of “25 Connecticut Twitter Users you Should be Following.” (@Scuttlebuttt, ahem)

Oh, and of course we’ll continue to bring you the best radio shows every single day.  Here’s what’s coming up:

MONDAY: New Years Special
Majora Carter’s The Promised Land Episode 2: Farm-to-Plate Innovator — Cheryl Rogowski
Where does our food come from? Since we pay close attention to so many aspects of food in the holiday season, host Majora Carter visits the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area, where Cheryl Rogowski, a fourth-generation farmer, grows 200 varieties of fruits and vegetables. In 2004, Cheryl became the first farmer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship. She was honored for her innovative approach to agricultural programs and for reimagining and reinvigorating the American family farm. Farming in the 21st century encompasses agricultural work but also addresses community, social, civic and education needs. “It’s not enough to just ride a tractor today,” states Rogowski. She will give us a tour of her farm, and we’ll hear from people she works with in the many programs she has created — from mentoring migrant farmers to creating low-cost CSAs for senior citizens, from supplying food for soup kitchens to helping with innovative sustainable farming programs in local communities.

TUESDAY: I Do? 
About half of all adults in the United States are currently married. This is a record low, according to a new Pew Research Center study. If current trends continue, the share of adults who are currently married will drop to below half within a few years. Despite this trend, the decline is far less for adults with college educations than among the less educated. If marriage is becoming more concentrated among the more affluent and educated, what does this mean for future generations? Coming up, we’ll look at the issue and what it looks like here in Connecticut?

WEDNESDAY: Where’s the Beef?
In 2010, Americans consumed 26.4 billion pounds of beef. Like many things, not all beef is the same. We’ll speak with the owner of a Connecticut beef farm who was feeding his cattle grass before it was popular. We’ll also discuss the impact of droughts and government regulations on the beef industry as a whole. A recent Texas drought reduced the cattle population by 600,000 in that state and the FDA relaxed antibiotic regulations in beef.

THURSDAY: Cable TV
Today it’s a look at cable companies in Connecticut. A new UMASS study says despite the bad economy, the cable industry added jobs and generated almost a billion and a half dollars in economic activity in 2010. We’ll look at how the cable companies operate in the state – where customers have very little choice on price and provider. And what’s the future for cable TV? We’ll find out.

FRIDAY: Just Checking-In
We’re really checking in on some recent shows, including our fracking and natural gas show from August. Environmental reporter Nick Kusnetz will once again join us for the latest in the fracking debate from Canada to the States. And what’s happening with Hartford’s rebranding campaign?

PinkStock Photos!

Cordey, Creative Commons

The Where We Live team is taking a much needed mental health/catch-up week during the holiday season. We hope you enjoy revisiting some of our favorite BIG conversations from the past few months. And we’ll be back on Friday with a great show that we haven’t yet booked.

MONDAY: Holiday Special: Majora Carter’s The Promised Land
Think Like a Bee — Marla Spivak
When you sit down at your holiday table, thank a bee. A third of the food on your plate is made possible by these pollinators, whose numbers are being decimated by disease and colony collapse disorder. But the bees have a champion in Marla Spivak, a University of Minnesota researcher and MacArthur “Genius” who thinks like a bee. Her intuitive approach — combined with scientific method — has given the world tremendous insight into these fascinating insects. Marla will show host Majora Carter (no newbie herself — Majora is an urban beekeeper) the secrets she’s beginning to uncover about the lives of bees. Marla’s work explores how bees can help themselves become more resistant to modern-day threats — and how bees can help us humans to be more resilient and to build healthier communities.

TUESDAY: Decisions, Decisions (Rebroadcast)
When you make a decision, do you carefully deliberate? Or do you go with your gut? It seems as though those are our choices…but as scientists dig deeper into the human mind, they’re discovering that this is not actually how the brain works. Our best decisions – they find – are a finely tuned blend of both feeling and reason and the precise mix depends on the situation. Today, where we live – decisions, decisions. Scientist Jonah Lehrer joins us to discuss “How We Decide” …And we’ll talk to an author who says that while the idea of freedom of choice is at the core of American thought,that choice might be an illusion. Head or heart, brain or gut – how do you choose? And ow do you live in a world with what seems like limitless choice?

WEDNESDAY: Dr. Steve Perry’s Education Revolution (Rebroadcast)
Principal Steve Perryhas been hailed for his “tough love and high expectations” atCapital Prep Magnet Schoolin Hartford. He’s had success in keeping kids in school in a city that’s struggled with dropout rates for decades. He preaches strict discipline and no excuses. He greets kids every morning at a school right downtown – in a famous former department store. The students wear uniforms – and he says all of them go to college. This has gotten him into the national spotlight, and onto cable TV shows -he’s a regular on CNN. But maintaining success is difficult. As we head back to school, we’ll talk to Perry about what he’s doing to close the nation’s biggest achievement gap.

THURSDAY: Robert Gates (Rebroadcast)
Robert Gates was defense Secretary for two Presidents – one Republican and one Democrat. Gates also oversaw two wars, in Afghanistan and Iraq, getting mixed reviews from defense experts for his handling of those conflicts. He’s also been sharply critical of the types of wars that were left to him, pointing to a Future US strategy that avoids “big land wars” in places like the Middle East. That future may also include a different, smaller military. Today we revisit our conversation with Gates, who has called for cuts to “excessive” military spending, something that may be unavoidable in a Washington primed for budget cutting.

FRIDAY: Checking in
Today we’ll follow up on a few recent shows. Which ones, you ask? Tune in to find out!

TUESDAY: Magazine
Today we hear from UConn president Susan Herbst on tuition hikes, and Uconn economist Steven Lanza about the “CT Economy” publication recently released. And since the war on terror started more than 10 years ago, one question has remained: What should we do with the detainees? We’ll talk with a Captain and professor at the United States Coast Guard Academy, who recently wrote about this challenge in an op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle.

WEDNESDAY: Alzheimer’s Disease
As baby boomers age, Alzheimer’s disease could become the nation’s greatest health care crisis. Is there an effective treatment on the horizon? Might the disease be prevented? Will we provide enough funding for Alzheimer’s research, and to care for those stricken by the disease? An in-depth series of reports from station WBUR looks for answers to these questions. We’ll present a special: “Fade to Darkness: The Age of Alzheimers.”

 THURSDAY: Ian Ayres
 The ratio of the average income of the nation’s richest 1% to the median household income has skyrocketed since 1980 – from 12.5 times the median income to 36 times greater. Yale economist and law professor Ian Ayres wrote a recent New York Times op-ed suggesting that we’ve reached a tipping point. He says it would be bad for our democracy if 1-percenters started making 40 or 50 times as much as the median American, and he proposes that Congress reform our tax law to put the brakes on further inequality – a tax that would limit the after-tax incomes of the 1% club to 36 times the median household income. Ayres says, this will tax the inequality – not the wealth. Join our conversation with Ayers as he calls for an economy where a rising tide really does lift all boats.  

 FRIDAY: Where We Celebrate the Holiday
As we head into a little Christmas break, we’ll listen back to a few Where We Live segments from Christmas’ past…including one about the Christmas entertainment staple, A Christmas Carol. We’ll also hear from an author who wrote a book on Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn’t Buy Presents for the Holidays. But we’ll end with the happier side of Christmas: a couple who teaches Santa how to be a good…well, Santa.

It’s Christopher by the way. It does not take any longer to say it…

That was followed by a question about what you get when you cross a Unitarian with a Jehovah’s Witness. And if you want to know the punch line you’ll have to listen in.

And of course not long after his appearance on our show, the author was part of the Connecticut Forum’s conversation God: Big Questions… Bigger Questions.

Reflecting this morning, Dankosky wrote “We want the people among us who are the smartest and sharpest to also be the nicest. We want to believe that our superstar brains, athletes and musicians are also excellent, approachable and kind. We are then regularly disappointed when they are not. Hitchens never purported to be anything other than a pain in the ass. Even the people who knew him and have eulogized him admit that. How refreshing…to know oneself. Good for him.”

The New Yorker also has a lovely  remembrance written by his friend Christopher Buckley.

 TUESDAY: Stalin Archives
It’s been nearly 80 years since a famine killed millions of Ukrainians. Now, a new digital archive at Yale may provide some additional insight into the man behind the famine, Joseph Stalin. We’ll talk with someone with the new archive and other experts on this complicated figure from World War II. Are you part of the Ukrainian community? Were your ancestors affected by Joseph Stalin?

WEDNESDAY: Healthcare Advocate
Connecticut’s new healthcare advocate, Victoria Veltri is tasked with helping residents through the maze of health care laws, regulations and roadblocks. Today, Where We Live, Veltri talks about solving problems with insurance companies and medical providers, and helps to clear up confusion over state and federal health care reform.

THURSDAY: TBA

FRIDAY: Mates of State
Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel are Mates of State, a husband and wife duo that recently released a new album Mountaintops. Today, the Connecticut musicians join us in the WVOF studios to talk about the album, touring with two kids, and being an NPR favorite.

TUESDAY: Youth Media
Today we’ll talk to organizations that use multi-media to reach young people. We’ll talk to folks from Youth Rights Media in New Haven and the Yale World Fellow who founded The Remix Project.

WEDNESDAY: TBA

THURSDAY: Science Magazine
A new PBS film “Journey of the Universe” invites viewers to become travelers on a journey that explores the origins of the universe, the emergence of life, and the rise of humans. Coming up, we’ll talk to producer Mary Evelyn Tucker about the human connection to the Earth and the cosmos. And we’ll talk to a Fairfield University Professor who just got a grant to study “chaos theory.” Could the gentle flap of a butterfly wing in China set off a tornado in Texas? He’ll study the evolution of systems that change over time and attempt to understand their stability and predictability.

FRIDAY: Heart Show
Each year, more than 325,000 Americans die from sudden cardiac arrest. One of the keys to survival is CPR. The other is a portable device called an “automated external defibrillator” or AED. AED’s are easy to use, and have saved many lives – so why aren’t they accessible in all public places? Coming up, a conversation on cardiac arrest, and the accessibility of these lifesaving devices.