Uber And SoCal Taxi Companies Reach A Deal To Combine Forces
After many years of squaring off against each other, Uber and Los Angeles Yellow Cab and its partner fleets have announced a partnership that will see taxi drivers accepting rides through the Uber platform. Both parties see the move as mutually beneficial: Uber gets more riders, and taxis get more drivers. The integration will come in phases with taxi dispatch systems eventually interfacing directly with Uber. How will the partnership work? And what led to this thaw in relations? Joining us today on AirTalk is Sergio Avedian, senior contributor at The RideShare Guy.
Full-Body MRIs: An Improvement On Preventive Medicine Or A Path To Unnecessary Tests And Procedures?
Some companies are beginning to offer full-body MRI scans for a flat out-of-pocket rate, and they’re saying it will revolutionize preventive healthcare. The scan takes about an hour and can find early signs of problems within the body, including cancer. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian are touting the results, saying the scans have saved people’s lives. But some medical experts say the costly scans could send patients down a rabbit hole of unnecessary procedures and tests. The American College of Radiology released a statement in April saying the organization doesn’t see enough evidence to recommend full-body MRIs either. Today on AirTalk, we learn more about full-body MRIs, how they compare to traditional scans and what the effect could be on preventive medicine. Joining to discuss is Dr. Daniel Sodickson, chief of innovation in the department of radiology at New York University and an adviser to Ezra AI, a company that provides full-body MRIs, and Dr. Rebecca Smith-Bindman, professor of epidemiology and biostatistics and director of the Radiology Outcomes Research Laboratory at UCSF. If you have thoughts, call 866-893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com
Why The True History Of Black Civil Rights Must Be Traced Back To The Days Of Slavery
The story of Black civil rights that many of us are familiar with begins in the Deep South in the 1940s, but a new book by UC Berkeley Professor Dylan C. Penningroth traces this history back to the era of slavery. It might seem counterintuitive that Black Americans during slavery had any interaction with the law other than to be ignored, exploited or even brutalized by it, but as Penningroth explains in “Before the Movement: The Hidden History of Black Civil Rights,” African Americans were aware of and active with the law even in the days of slavery, making property, contract and other claims that Penningroth says whites respected because, as he wrote in a recent essay on his book for the Wall Street Journal, “slaves’ privileges stood upon the same widely shared understandings about law that white people’s rights did.”
Today on AirTalk, Professor Penningroth joins us to talk about his new book, which is part history lesson and part personal reflection on his own family’s history, and explain why the full picture of African Americans’ lives both during and past slavery doesn’t come together unless we examine the origins of their legal lives in America.
CA Water Update: New Study Finds Central Valley Groundwater Wells Are Running Low Quickly
A recent study published in Nature found that at the current rate of groundwater usage in California that 9,000 domestic wells would be negatively impacted in the state’s Central Valley. Researchers found that within this number, some wells could go completely dry while others would surpass minimum thresholds that would leave them dewatered. So what can be made of this issue, particularly as the state’s 2014 law cracking down on minimum thresholds and overpumping won’t take full effect until 2040?
Joining us for this discussion on California’s ongoing groundwater situation is Felicia Marcus, visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Water in the West Program, and Linda E. Mendez Barrientos, assistant professor of International Studies at the University of Denver who co-authored the study.
Ozempic Is Red-Hot – Behind The Off-Brand Versions Flooding The Market
Weight loss medications Ozempic and Wegovy are in extraordinarily high demand, with shortages becoming the norm. As a recent piece by Daniel Gilbert in the Washington Post outlines, the clamor for these drugs has given rise to a market that exists in a legal gray area. Through legal loopholes, compounding pharmacies are producing approximations of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, and online services are distributing these drugs, often labeled “not for human consumption” or “research use only” to customers. How is this allowed to happen? And what is the unique role compounding pharmacies are playing? Joining us to discuss are Daniel Gilbert, reporter at the Washington Post who covers the business of medicine and Eunjoo Pacifici, chair & associate professor of the Department of Regulatory and Quality Sciences at the USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Deciding Whether To Have Kids Can Overwhelming. Here’s What To Consider If You’re Considering
Any parent will tell you that having kids will change your life, and that it’s not a decision you make lightly. There’s a lot to consider -- personal sacrifice of time, cost, medical implications…the list goes on. And there’s no test or indicator that will tell you whether you’re ready. So, what should we consider when making the decision? What pushes people over the edge to go for it, and what makes others decide it’s not something they want?
Today on AirTalk, we want to hear from you -- how did you ultimately decide it was time to have kids, or how did you arrive at the decision not to do so? Join our live conversation by calling 866-893-5722, or by emailing atcomments@laist.com.
