How Do We Fix It?

“Vision Zero” is the highly ambitious plan put in place two years ago by New York's Mayor Bill de Blasio. The goal: no traffic deaths by 2024.  America's largest city is nowhere near reducing fatal crashes to zero, but great progress has been made since 1990.  "The good news is that we've gone from 701 deaths back then to an average of 245 deaths a year under the de Blasio Administration," says urban economics and transportation researcher Nicole Gelinas in this "Fix It" episode. Nicole is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. She writes for City Journal, The Washington Post, LA Times and a bunch of other publications. In...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Electile Dysfunction (is), “a terrible pun plus insightful commentary" is how TV host and wit Seth Myers describes" the new book by Professor Alan Dershowitz. Dershowitz became a professor at Harvard Law when he was 25 years old. In his long and distinguished career, Newsweek described Dershowitz as "the nation's most peripatetic civil liberties lawyer and one of its most distinguished defenders of individual rights." We recorded this episode of "How Do We Fix It?" at his Manhattan home. "Electile Dysfunction" is his 35th book.   Voters are anxious, frustrated and they feel impotent. In this show we look at the strangest political campaign of our lifetime and what can be done to improve the way we elect Presidents. We are not alone in facing a threat to our democracy.  "I'm afraid of what's going on in Europe today and what's going in the United States may reflect a trend rather than a pendulum swing," Alan Dershowitz tells us. "A trend toward extremes and we have to fight...  See acast.com/privacy

Too often, migrants and refugees are viewed as "other" - not like us. In recent days Donald Trump Jr. compared the Syrian refugee problem to a bowl of Skittles In this episode, Leonard Doyle of the International Organization for Migration walks us through the worldwide crisis of tens of millions of displaced people, from families fleeing from war and terrorism to young men and women who overstay their visas in search of a better life.  We look at the definitions of these terms - so often glossed over in our discussions of the crisis. Using personal stories and speaking from years of experience working with migrants, Leonard makes a powerful case for all of us to see migrants as people like ourselves. This is the first small step we can take in responding...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Get ready for slower economic growth and de-globalization, says investor and writer Ruchir Sharma. Ruchir invited us to his New York office, where he is the head of emerging markets and chief global strategist at Morgan Stanley Investment Management. He is also the author of "The Rise and Fall of Nations: Forces of Change in the Post-Crisis World." Our interview looks at Ruchir's rules for spotting political, economic and social change. They include: The depopulation bomb: If the working population shrinks, so does the economy. Good versus bad billionaires: Wealth inequality is exploding, but some types of tycoons are viewed very differently than others. The curse of the cover story: Ruchir looked at every Time Magazine cover on the economy going back to 1980. If the...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On New Year's Eve, journalist and former Parade Editor-in-Chief Janice Kaplan made a promise to herself to be grateful during the coming year and look on the bright side of whatever happens. As we find out in this episode, it made a big difference to her life. Janice discovered that how she feels has less to do with events than with her own attitude and perspective on life. Her recent book "The Gratitude Diaries" began after a survey she had done found that 94% of Americans thought people who are grateful live richer lives.  But less than half those surveyed say they practiced gratitude on any regular basis.  "It struck me that we have this great big gratitude gap," Janice tells us on "How Do We Fix It?" If we change our attitude, she says, "we're going to be a lot happier." Solutions: - Say thanks to someone you love. It's easy to forget to appreciate your partner and your family. But the daily practice of saying something positive can transform almost any...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and

How much do you know about money?  Many of us make simple mistakes that cost us hundreds, if not thousands of dollars a year. According to a recent study by The FINRA Investor Education Foundation, only 37% of Americans have high financial literacy. 29% of 18-34 year-olds with a mortgage have been late with a monthly payment and more than one in four people use high-cost forms of borrowing like pawn shops and payday loans.       And even worse, many of us think we know much more about personal finance than we do.   In this episode we have simple fixes for money mistakes.  Our guest, ABC News Chief Business, Technology and Economics Correspondent

From "nap-time activists" and mommy bloggers to a "stroller march" on Washington, Moms Clean Air Force is using creative and highly effective ways to advance their cause to get dangerous pollutants out of the air.  In this "How Do We Fix It?" episode we speak about solutions with the group's National Field Director, Gretchen Dahlkemper, a Pennsylvania mom who became an activist - fired up about the threat to her children's health.  Her daughter has asthma. So for her this campaign is personal.  "I think the more that we connect the average citizen with their elected officials, the better off our entire system is going to be," says Gretchen. "We have forgotten that we can pick up the phone and call our elected officials." Moms Clean Air Force fights back against climate change, fossil fuel, methane leaks...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Following on from our recent episodes about high schools and  playdates, this week we explore children's learning, technology and play with three "How DO We Fix It?" guests.  Science evangelist Ainissa Ramirez explains why all young kids are fascinated by science.  But school often gets in the way of exploration and curiosity. Ainissa explains how parents and other caregivers can spark interest in science. Psychology professor Abigail Baird shares insights and tips for parents about a healthy balance between computers, mobile devices and children's play.  Toy industry and play consultant Richard Gottlieb has creative and - yes - playful ideas about technology, behavior and learning.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The obesity rate is 52% in Brownsville, Texas - far higher than the national average.  Nearly one in three residents has diabetes - three times the rate elsewhere.  Brownsville also has a very high rate of poverty where more half the residents are not covered by health insurance. This city and other largely hispanic communities along the U.S. - Mexico border are facing a health emergency. Brownsville decided to tackle the crisis head on, with an innovative mix of public initiatives - including a new farmer's market, many miles of bike lanes, changes to zoning regulations, and a community-wide health challenge.  Our guest is obstetrician-gynecologist, Rose Gowen, a City Commissioner in Brownsville. We hear her personal story and what Brownsville is doing to transform itself into a more active, prosperous and healthy community. "We have found here...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Remember when kids were allowed to play, usually without supervision, when did that change? When did play turn into a playdate? Today many parents organize playdates. Play is arranged, supervised and has the parental seal of approval.  "I think we could add more diversity into how our children play with other children,"says our guest, Tamara Mose, Associate Professor of Sociology at Brooklyn College.  Tamara is the author of the new book "The Playdate: Parents, Children and the New Expectations of Play"   In this episode we look at how the shift to structured playdates reflects changes in parenting and class.   "Let's listen to our children's desires," Tamara urges parents. "I think we've lost the ability to do that because we're so afraid of everything our children interacts with.' We discuss other solutions...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The release of nearly 19,000 e-mails from the Democratic National Committee rocked party leaders and forced the resignation of DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. We look at how this happened, why Russia was probably involved and how many other organizations, businesses and government agencies are at risk of cyber break-ins. Adam Levin, co-founder of Credit.com and the online security firm IDT911 says the power grid and financial system are at risk.  He warns of a possible "Cyber-geddon." In this episode of "Fix It Shorts" Adam tells Richard and Jim how all of us can reduce our threat of identity theft and hacking attacks. Adam Levin is a well-known expert on identity theft and credit and the author of "SWIPED: How to Protect Yourself in a World Full of Scammers, Phishers and Identity Thieves."  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Improving America's high schools is an exceptionally complex and difficult task. But all across the country the most enlightened educators are working to narrow the gap between student achievement and the needs of an evolving workplace.   Our guest, Liz Willen, is editor-in-chief of the groundbreaking  Hechinger Report. Using solutions journalism, data, stories and research from classrooms and campuses, Hechinger looks at how education can be improved and why it matters.   "The best high schools, whether they're charter or public, to me have a sense of purpose: A central idea and a team working together," Liz tells us in this episode of "How Do We Fix It?"   But there are scores of barriers to providing children with the education they need to succeed in later life.  This learning gap between where we are and where the country needs to be is one reason why so many Americans feel disillusioned about the future.    "Kids are coming out of the high schools...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-

When is the last time that you called a big company or government agency and a human being answered the phone?   From big data, complex algorithms and giant corporations to massive government bureaucracy, the everyday life can seem increasingly impersonal.     Our guest, Steve Hilton, argues for radical change.  The former senior policy advisor to ex-British Prime Minister David Cameron has written "More Human: Designing a World Where People Come First."  The book is a clarion call for reform of government, law, education, welfare and business systems.    "I think one of the most destructive and damaging words in the entire world right now both in government and the private sector is efficiency, " Steve tells us in this episode. "In the name of efficiency really stupid and inhuman things are often done."   Find out what he's talking about and what fixes he has in mind...   We also interviewed...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Are opinion polls accurate?  Did they miss the rise of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders?  Do they properly measure America's increasingly sharp political and cultural divisions?  What's the difference between a well-designed poll conducted with careful methodology and a sloppy opt-in online survey? Our guest is Gary Langer, an internationally recognized opinion researcher and longtime director of polling at ABC News. He has overseen and analyzed more than 750 surveys on a broad range of topics. Gary has a passion for numbers and explains what listeners should know about polls.  He tells us that surveys taken at least a year ago - when many pundits dismissed Trump as an outlier - clearly showed that his views on banning oversees Muslim visitors and building a wall along border with Mexico had substantial support among Republican voters. Trump led the  GOP field throughout the lead-up...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This show may very well save you money, boost your career and help you make smarter decisions.   It's about risk.   Our guest is Karen Firestone - author of the new book “Even The Odds - Sensible Risk Taking in Business Investing and Life."  She is President and CEO, of Aureus Asset Management, an asset management firm she cofounded after 22 years as a fund manager and research analyst at Fidelity Investments. Karen is a contributor to the Harvard Business Review blog.   "I think that sensible risk taking is something that we should all think more about," says Karen. She argues that most of us are too gullible.  "It's more fun to be enthusiastic and positive about the outcome of something that involves...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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...

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...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.