KQED's Forum

It’s no secret that American beauty culture, driven by Hollywood and social media, preys on our insecurities and promotes unattainable standards around the world. But another country is giving the U.S. a run for its money. In her new book Flawless, journalist Elise Hu explores the global rise and influence of K-beauty, or South Korean beauty culture, now a $10 billion industry. Hu, NPR’s former Seoul Bureau chief, reveals how that city became the plastic surgery capital of the world. And she examines how other countries, including the U.S., are now embracing South Korean beauty products and practices like double cleansing and snail mucus face masks. We’ll talk with Hu about how K-beauty standards both empower and constrain women, and about what it means to be “beautiful” in the 21st century.Guests:Elise Hu, NPR host-at-large and the host of TED Talks Daily; former Seoul bureau chief, NPR. Author of the new book "Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If Lake Tahoe was a national park, it would be the second-most visited, according to a recent analysis. The area has double the annual visitors of famously crowded Yosemite, but is only about a third of the size. Although outdoor recreation and tourism drive much of Tahoe’s economy, local residents are concerned about a visitor boom that started during the pandemic and is overburdening nearby communities and the lake’s ecosystem. Earlier this month, community leaders released the Lake Tahoe Destination Stewardship Plan, a comprehensive report with dozens of recommendations to help the region grow its economy and maintain the natural resources it’s known for. We’ll talk about the challenges that Lake Tahoe is facing and efforts to reimagine tourism in the region.Guests:Greg Thomas, lifestyle and outdoors editor and host of the Wild West podcast, San Francisco ChronicleCarol Chaplain, executive director, Lake Tahoe Visitor AuthorityHeidi Hill Drum, executive director, Tahoe Prosperity CenterTony Karwowski, president and CEO, North Tahoe Community Alliance Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The GOP presidential race is heating up, with more than a dozen hopefuls vying to take on former president and frontrunner Donald Trump. On the Democratic side, President Biden is talking up the economy, hoping it will lift his dismal approval ratings. In this hour, we’ll break down the latest on the presidential campaign and how issues like the economy, abortion, the war in Ukraine and Trump’s legal woes could shake up the race.Guests:Joe Garofoli, senior political writer, San Francisco Chronicle; host of the podcast “It’s All Political on Fifth and Mission”Carol Leonnig, investigative reporter, Washington Post Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thien Pham’s new graphic memoir, “Family Style”, tells the story of his family’s journey, when he was a young kid, from Vietnam, to a refugee camp in Thailand, to making a home in San Jose. It’s a story told through his memories of the meals he ate along the way. In our latest edition of All You Can Eat, our regular series on Bay Area food cultures with KQED food editor Luke Tsai, we talk with Thien Pham about his life, his art and his food infused memories. And we want to hear from you: tell us about a dish that will always be associated with a particular time in your life.Guests:Luke Tsai, food editor, KQED Arts & CultureThien Pham, comic artist and author, graphic novel "Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Noise can take years off your life. The louder the environment, the higher the risk of cardiac disease and death. We have long known that loud noises can affect our hearing, but studies have shown that it can impact our mental health, our ability to learn, and our chance to live longer lives. California has made inroads in combating noise pollution — in 2024, gas- powered leaf blowers will be banned, and the state has laws to restrict car exhaust noise. But as the world gets noisier, noise is becoming a public health problem. We talk to experts and hear from you: how do you quiet the world around you?Guests:Erica Walker, assistant professor of epidemiology, Brown University School of Public HealthEmily Baumgaertner, national health correspondent, New York Times - She was part of the team on the project "Noise Could Take Years Off Your Life. Here's How."Les Blomberg, founder and executive director, Noise Pollution Clearinghouse, a nonprofit focused on creating a quieter world Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A bill moving through the California Legislature would require CalSTERS and CalPERS, the nation’s largest pension funds, to pull billions of dollars they have invested in companies that produce fossil fuels. Some experts say divestment is an effective tool to force some of the largest-scale emitters to reduce emissions and move the economy away from fossil fuels. The movement is gaining momentum and plenty of opposition, including from CalSTERS, CalPERS and labor unions. For our next installment of Climate Fix, our monthly series examining global warming solutions, we’ll talk about how divestment works and what it could mean for California.Guests:Laura Klivans, reporter, KQEDAnaya Sayal, campaign coordinator and lead circle member, Youth Vs Apocalypse, a youth-led climate justice group based in the Bay AreaMarilyn Waite, managing director, Climate Finance Fund - a philanthropic platform that helps to mobilize capital for climate solutions.Marcie Frost, chief executive officer, CalPERS - the retirement system for more than 1.9 million California public sector workers and their families with roughly $160 billion in assets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If it’s wrapped in plastic and has at least one ingredient that you wouldn’t find in your kitchen,” it’s an ultra-processed food, writes infectious disease doctor Chris Van Tulleken. Your McDonald’s and cardboard freezer meals also fit the bill — and so do your so-called health foods and your splurge on a $20 vegan chicken sandwich. Addictive by design, widely available and relatively cheap, ultra-processed foods, or UPFs, make up to 60 percent of the food Americans eat overall, and Van Tulleken says they’re wreaking havoc on our bodies and the planet. We talk to Van Tulleken about his new book “Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn’t Food.”Guests:Chris van Tulleken, scientist, doctor, award-winning BBC broadcaster and author, "Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind the Food That Isn't Food" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At a United Nations water conference in March, amid increasing global water conflicts and climate crises, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres sounded an urgent alarm. “All of humanity’s hopes for the future depend, in some way, on charting a new course to sustainably manage and conserve water,” he said. But what would a new course look like? Renowned water expert and scientist Peter Gleick seeks to answer that question in his latest book “The Three Ages of Water”. The book explores the complex relationship between humans and water throughout history, from ancient civilizations to the modern, scientific “Second Age of Water” when we “learned to manipulate the natural hydrologic cycle” but also did great harm to the planet. We’ll talk with Gleick about his call for a revolutionary “Third Age” of responsible water stewardship.Guests:Peter Gleick, senior fellow and co-founder, Pacific Institute; author, "The Three Ages of Water" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Supreme Court radically changed the country in just three days last June when it eliminated Americans’ constitutional right to an abortion and weakened popular gun laws. That’s according to Brennan Center for Justice president Michael Waldman, who says the Court is poised to do so again this term by employing its own extreme version of originalism. We’ll talk to Waldman about major cases on voting and affirmative action and the political forces that empower the Court’s hard right faction. Waldman’s new book is “The Supermajority: How the Supreme Court Divided America.”Guests:Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice, NYU School of Law; author, "The Supermajority: How the Supreme Court Divided America" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“School’s out for the summer!” is a rallying cry for students everywhere. But for working parents, summer poses a whole set of challenges, starting with – who is going to watch the kids during the day? For many, summer camps are the answer. Camps offer the promise of exploration, adventure, and a chance to make new friends and acquire new skills. And if you have a specific hobby or interest – needlework, videography, chess – there is likely a camp for you. But getting a spot in a camp, managing the constellation of choices and conflicting schedules, and, especially, paying for a summer’s worth of camps can present major problems for families. Why is summer camp such a mess? Why aren’t there more affordable options for childcare when school is out? And how can you hack summer to find a spot for your child if you didn’t sign up for one in January? We’ll talk summer camp and hear from you: What’s your child doing this summer?Guests:Lydia Kiesling, journalist and author. Kiesling's most recent piece for Bloomberg is "How Summer Camp Became Such a Hot Mess for Parents"Eduardo Caballero, co-founder and executive director, EDMO, a summer camp in the Bay AreaJessica Calarco, expert on inequalities in education and family life; associate professor of sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices