Today on Boston Public Radio:
We opened the show by taking our listeners’ calls to ask if they miss a traditional New England winter as we experience a lighter season.
Dr. Robert Waldinger, a pyschiatrist and reseracher at Harvard University, came on to dicsuss the findings from the longest-ever study on happiness. The study found that investment in relationships with friends, partners and coworkers paid dividends for long-term feelings of happiness and fulfillment.
Callie Crossley talked about a GBH News story featuring a man who says that Worcester police officers have pulled him over in his car more than 70 times. She also weighed in on the mixed reactions to The Embrace statue one week after its unveiling, and criticized the decision by Florida's state education department to ban the teaching of an advanced placement course on African American history. Crossley is the host of Under the Radar, which airs Sunday nights on 89.7 at 6 p.m. She’s also the host of Basic Black, which airs Fridays at 7:30 p.m. Her “Callie commentaries” can be heard on Monday mornings on GBH’s Morning Edition.
Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez is the comic book artist behind "La Borinqueña," the bestselling series about a Puerto Rican superhero who battles climate doom. He explained the reason for launching her story, and how he broke through some resistance in mainstream publishing to centering stories around characters of color. He also talked about his close friendship with Rosario Dawson. Miranda-Rodriguez's work is now on display at Boston University.
Sue O’Connell discussed the reports that Republican Rep. George Santos used to be a drag queen in Brazil, and how his denial adds to the mountain of his existing lies. She also talked about the prosecutorial strategy behind charging Alec Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter for allegedly shooting and killing a crew member on set of "Rust" with a prop gun he says he didn't know was loaded with live rounds. Then she commented on the media treatment of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern following her announcment that she won't be seeking reelection. O’Connell is the co-publisher of Bay Windows and South End News, and contributor to Current, on NBC L-X and NECN.
Patricia-Maria Weinmann and Greg Smucker, the co-artistic directors behind the Boston Opera Collaborative, joined to discuss their new "Opera Bites" series. The program offers seven brand new, 10-minute opera performances to provide an entry point for people unfamiliar with the medium. Then some members of their company performed a few songs.
Then we ended the show by having a call-in segment where we asked our listeners how they feel about drivers who travel too slowly in the fast lane. The discussion comes after South Carolina considers a law that could raise the financial penalties for people who don't move out of the fast lane.