1 00:00:01,080 --> 00:00:02,680 Speaker 1: It's Night Side with Dan Ray. 2 00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:06,320 Speaker 2: I'm telling you peas Boston's news radio. 3 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:10,760 Speaker 3: Over hope we will stick around, and I hope the 4 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:12,920 Speaker 3: entire audience will stick around. We have a great show 5 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:14,560 Speaker 3: lined up for you tonight. We be a great show 6 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:17,160 Speaker 3: tomorrow night. By the way, tomorrow night, we will have 7 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:20,079 Speaker 3: two of the three Republican candidates for governor. We still 8 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 3: hold out the option that the third might join the conversation, 9 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:29,520 Speaker 3: but it'll start at eight o'clock tomorrow night. But tonight, tonight, 10 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:35,880 Speaker 3: we have four guests during our regularly scheduled eight o'clock hour. 11 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:40,280 Speaker 3: We'll talk more about the gubernatorial conversation tomorrow night. But 12 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:42,519 Speaker 3: I want to get right to my first guest. He's 13 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:45,600 Speaker 3: been with us before. He's the president of Brandeis University, 14 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:49,519 Speaker 3: Arthur Levigne. Arthur, welcome back to Nightside. How are you, sir? 15 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:52,360 Speaker 2: It's really good to be with you again. 16 00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:52,680 Speaker 4: Dan. 17 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 2: I'm fine. 18 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 3: Well, thank that is great. You survived the winter up here. 19 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:02,840 Speaker 3: This is the first night that I also have This 20 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:05,320 Speaker 3: is the first night I've had the window open in 21 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 3: my in my at home studio for months ahead. I'm 22 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:14,920 Speaker 3: very happy, very happy tonight, and I think it's going 23 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:18,119 Speaker 3: to be nice tomorrow. But you have a co author 24 00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:23,640 Speaker 3: a book about what it's called from upheaval to upheaval 25 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 3: to action? What works in changing higher education? Do the 26 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:30,800 Speaker 3: nation's colleges have a future? And when I saw that 27 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 3: you had written it with Scott van Pelt, I immediately thought, Gee, 28 00:01:34,319 --> 00:01:36,800 Speaker 3: what is he doing with this guy from ESPN. There 29 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 3: is a Scott van Pelt who covers sports for but 30 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 3: this is a different Scott van Pelt. As I understand. 31 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:47,080 Speaker 2: It, it's all true, a different Scot. 32 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:50,000 Speaker 3: Vampel tell us about the book where I'm dying to 33 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 3: hear more about it. 34 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 2: I mean, what the book says is that the country's 35 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 2: undergoing profound change. We're switching from a national analogue and 36 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:04,040 Speaker 2: duff fuel economy to a global digital knowledge economy. The 37 00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:08,840 Speaker 2: impact on higher education is going to be profound demographic changes. 38 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:12,960 Speaker 2: We have prepared students for a new economy. We're undergoing 39 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:18,359 Speaker 2: a technological revolution, globalization, and the political wins ain't that good? 40 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:21,079 Speaker 3: And other than that, things are pretty much going to 41 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:28,079 Speaker 3: stay the same right exactly? Well, what will great universities 42 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 3: like Brandis and great presidents of universities be able to 43 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:34,600 Speaker 3: do to deal with these changes. What do they say, 44 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 3: The only thing that is constant is changed. And this 45 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 3: is certainly a lot of change that's going on. Some 46 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:43,079 Speaker 3: of it is good, potentially good. What's going on in 47 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 3: the Middle East. I'm very hopeful that maybe iron will 48 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 3: be taken off the nuclear stage once and for all. 49 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:53,799 Speaker 3: But then you have AI coming in. 50 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 4: It is a mind. 51 00:02:55,760 --> 00:02:59,480 Speaker 3: Boggling period of time. In the twentieth century, we had 52 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:02,560 Speaker 3: the we had the Roaring twenties. I have no idea 53 00:03:02,639 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 3: how they will label this century, but maybe it'll be 54 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:09,880 Speaker 3: the century of academic upheaval, the decade excuse me, the 55 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 3: decade of academic. 56 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:12,919 Speaker 4: Upheaval could be. 57 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 2: I mean, what it comes down to is this, the 58 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 2: colleges can't stay the way they are. Twenty to twenty 59 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:23,799 Speaker 2: five percent are going to close. Community colleges and regional 60 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 2: universities are going to become much more online. Research universities 61 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:33,639 Speaker 2: and liberal arts colleges have got to change and have 62 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:38,200 Speaker 2: got it change now. And Scott and I traveled around 63 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 2: the country. We visited lots and lots of universities, and 64 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 2: what we saw was they were talking, they weren't acting, 65 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 2: and frequently what they were doing wasn't working. And you 66 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 2: asked what a schools like brandeis do. Brand Eyes realized, 67 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 2: we don't have the resources to wait, we don't have 68 00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:59,600 Speaker 2: the time to wait. So we concluded we had to lead. 69 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:03,840 Speaker 2: And what we did was, we've reinvented the liberal arts. 70 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:08,760 Speaker 2: We've taken those requirements. All students have general education, and 71 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:12,120 Speaker 2: we've said we can't be the program that parents had. 72 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:16,760 Speaker 2: We're living in this world a persistent and profound change. 73 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 2: We have to prepared them for that. Let's make a 74 00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 2: competency based Let's also re establish the ties of higher 75 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:29,000 Speaker 2: education not only with the history of knowledge, but also 76 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 2: with the street. So we're going to offer all students 77 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:35,520 Speaker 2: is the day they arrive to get two advisors. Once 78 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:39,280 Speaker 2: an academic advisor, one's a career advisor. The other thing 79 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 2: we're doing is we're making sure they have really experiences 80 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:46,800 Speaker 2: in applying the liberal arts to the street. See how 81 00:04:46,839 --> 00:04:49,560 Speaker 2: the liberal arts work out in the real world. And 82 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:53,279 Speaker 2: we're offering them a second transcript, and on the second 83 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:58,640 Speaker 2: transcript where we coord the career line skills that students master. 84 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:03,360 Speaker 2: And the first transcroup tells what courses they took and 85 00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:08,040 Speaker 2: what grades they got. The second transcript tells what they 86 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:11,240 Speaker 2: know and what they can do, and it's designed for 87 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:16,880 Speaker 2: employers and to help students enter the job market and 88 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:19,839 Speaker 2: end up with good jobs for the skills and knowledge 89 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:22,440 Speaker 2: they need to get them as any other. Finally, we 90 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:25,920 Speaker 2: reorganize the entire university. But that's too long to described. 91 00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:28,039 Speaker 3: Well, let me say there's any other university. It sounds 92 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:30,920 Speaker 3: to me like this is a dramatic I don't want 93 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:33,560 Speaker 3: to say radical, but it's a dramatic change of what 94 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:38,120 Speaker 3: I knew and you knew when we were undergraduates. It 95 00:05:38,279 --> 00:05:45,040 Speaker 3: sounds to me like a terrific change. Philosophically, Brandize is 96 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:48,760 Speaker 3: leading the way. Have any other university's begun to fall 97 00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:52,080 Speaker 3: in line and offer a sort of a dual path 98 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:53,840 Speaker 3: to graduation here? 99 00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:57,720 Speaker 2: No, I don't know. We're the only ones that are 100 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:01,280 Speaker 2: doing this at the moment. I think others will follow 101 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:05,000 Speaker 2: us suit. The Educational Testing Service decided to work with 102 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:09,960 Speaker 2: us on developing the assessment of student competencies because they 103 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:13,400 Speaker 2: really think this is the future. The best thing that 104 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:17,480 Speaker 2: happened for us was we discussed this for three months 105 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 2: and at the end of the three months, eighty eight 106 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:24,240 Speaker 2: percent of the faculty voted in favor of this, I 107 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:26,800 Speaker 2: can't get eighty eight percent of the faculty to agree it. 108 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:27,680 Speaker 2: Day's Tuesday. 109 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:34,120 Speaker 3: Yes, Look, I can remember my days as an undergraduate 110 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:37,960 Speaker 3: at a state college. I had really no idea. I 111 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:41,359 Speaker 3: thought I'd become a teacher. That was what I was thinking. 112 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:44,920 Speaker 3: And then my life sort of took off in a 113 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:47,480 Speaker 3: different direction and I've ended up as a journalist. So 114 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:50,920 Speaker 3: I had no idea. I took one course in college 115 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:55,240 Speaker 3: that was a quasi journalism course from one professor, and 116 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:57,520 Speaker 3: I will always remember his name. His name is Professor 117 00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:01,400 Speaker 3: John Lurch L E. Rch. And I think that that 118 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:07,400 Speaker 3: one professor had more impact on my thinking and certainly 119 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:10,560 Speaker 3: on my direction, than most of all of the other 120 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 3: professors combined, all of whom were great, great professors. I 121 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:21,680 Speaker 3: studied Shakespeare, which was wonderful and challenging, and did physics 122 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 3: and chemistry and some French and all of that. Those 123 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:30,000 Speaker 3: skills have not necessarily helped me. They gave me a 124 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 3: broad education, a liberal, liberal arts education, which is also 125 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:36,080 Speaker 3: very important. 126 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:38,280 Speaker 2: But I. 127 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:43,320 Speaker 3: Immediately when I left college had to do some military time. 128 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:46,840 Speaker 3: Then I did some banking, and I took a lot 129 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:50,000 Speaker 3: the bar exam because I thought, well, maybe I'll become 130 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:53,240 Speaker 3: a lawyer. So it was a lot self directed. I 131 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:57,960 Speaker 3: wish that the universities back then provided more guidance. And 132 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:00,040 Speaker 3: it sounds like to me, you've hit upon something. I 133 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:03,280 Speaker 3: really mean that. I'm not saying it because yeah, no, 134 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:05,840 Speaker 3: I think it makes all the sense in the world. 135 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:12,040 Speaker 3: And obviously with AI and chat Box and Claude and 136 00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:15,320 Speaker 3: all of these things coming along that are also going 137 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 3: to dramatically change our world going forward. Maybe not yours 138 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:23,080 Speaker 3: in my world, but the world that's come the group 139 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:25,920 Speaker 3: that's coming behind us, gen X and gen Z and 140 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:32,360 Speaker 3: all of that. This thinking is really important. The book 141 00:08:32,880 --> 00:08:35,719 Speaker 3: is called from up people to action? What works in 142 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:39,720 Speaker 3: changing higher education? Do the nation's colleges have a future? 143 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:43,400 Speaker 3: That book, I assume is now out, mister President. 144 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:47,000 Speaker 2: Yes, that book came out of March third. 145 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:51,640 Speaker 3: Perfect timing, perfect timing, and obviously available. I'm sure places 146 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:55,559 Speaker 3: like Amazon and great bookstores. Are you going to be 147 00:08:56,080 --> 00:08:59,400 Speaker 3: traveling around the country talking about this book? You should 148 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:03,319 Speaker 3: be on some of the morning talk shows. I mean this, 149 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:07,160 Speaker 3: you explain it so well. I hope that your people. 150 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:09,880 Speaker 3: I appreciate that you're with me tonight, but I want 151 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:12,800 Speaker 3: you to reach even different audiences in different parts of 152 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:14,520 Speaker 3: the country, because this is a story that has to 153 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:20,719 Speaker 3: be told. It's futuristic and it's challenging, but I think 154 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:21,760 Speaker 3: it's what has to be done. 155 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:26,559 Speaker 2: Dan. I can't thank you enough for that. It means 156 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:27,599 Speaker 2: a lot coming from you. 157 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:30,160 Speaker 3: Well, I mean it from the bottom of my heart. 158 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:34,640 Speaker 3: And maybe what we can do at some point later 159 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:38,480 Speaker 3: on before the academic year ends, maybe even later this month, 160 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:41,760 Speaker 3: let's do an hour program and let's have people join 161 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:46,040 Speaker 3: the conversation and ask you questions and give my audience 162 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:47,960 Speaker 3: a chance to interact with you. I think that would 163 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:51,880 Speaker 3: be very, very important. Even I've really enjoyed that. Okay, 164 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:55,839 Speaker 3: we'll make it happen. Arthur Levine, President of Brandeis University. 165 00:09:55,920 --> 00:09:59,400 Speaker 3: I'm a huge fan in this book. From Upheople to Action, 166 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:03,280 Speaker 3: What Work and Changing higher Education. Do the nation's colleges 167 00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:07,079 Speaker 3: have a future with you. I believe they have a 168 00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:07,960 Speaker 3: very bright face. 169 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:11,720 Speaker 2: We are a mutual admiration society. 170 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:15,319 Speaker 3: Well I feel that way, I really do. You're a 171 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:18,439 Speaker 3: thinker and you're a doer, and you've ident you not 172 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:22,960 Speaker 3: only identified the problem, but you propose a solution. I'm 173 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:27,240 Speaker 3: so frustrated with people who identify problems and only identify problems, 174 00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:30,640 Speaker 3: but don't propose solutions. And that's why I admire what 175 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:33,000 Speaker 3: you've done here so much. And I mean that again 176 00:10:33,960 --> 00:10:37,000 Speaker 3: completely and totally, and we will have you back. I'll 177 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:39,760 Speaker 3: talk to Jazz, your assistant, Jasmine, who I spoke with 178 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:44,000 Speaker 3: earlier tonight, and we'll make it happen. Okay, thanks so much, Arthurlivia, 179 00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:47,360 Speaker 3: president of Brandeis University, a great university. Thanks so much. 180 00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:49,680 Speaker 2: Be well, my friend. 181 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:51,959 Speaker 3: Absolutely right back at you. We get back on to 182 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:54,800 Speaker 3: talk about the Declaration of Independence. Why I was so 183 00:10:54,960 --> 00:10:58,559 Speaker 3: crucial to this country. If only Iran could draft a 184 00:10:58,720 --> 00:11:02,240 Speaker 3: declaration of independence or copy ours, we would be a 185 00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:04,920 Speaker 3: better world. We're going to talk to doctor John G. West. 186 00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:08,600 Speaker 3: He's a political scientist, Senior Fellow, Managing director and vice 187 00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:12,400 Speaker 3: president of the Discovery Institute. We'll be back on Nightside 188 00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:15,760 Speaker 3: right after the break. That was a great interview, a 189 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:18,679 Speaker 3: great guest for that first interview, and I hope that 190 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:22,000 Speaker 3: the other guests will we'll match we'll match up with that. 191 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:23,400 Speaker 3: We've got a great show for you tonight. 192 00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:24,160 Speaker 4: Stay with us. 193 00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:30,959 Speaker 1: Night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's News Radio. 194 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:34,240 Speaker 3: Delighted to welcome doctor John G. 195 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:34,760 Speaker 2: West. 196 00:11:34,800 --> 00:11:37,679 Speaker 3: He's a political scientist. He's a senior Fellow, Managing Director 197 00:11:37,679 --> 00:11:40,839 Speaker 3: of Vice President of the Discovery Institute, which is a nonprofit, 198 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:46,680 Speaker 3: nonpartisan organization focused on research, education, action, and cultural renew renewal. 199 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:52,120 Speaker 3: He has written a book Endowed by our Creator, words 200 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:55,319 Speaker 3: that were taken right out of the Declaration of Independence, 201 00:11:55,400 --> 00:11:57,679 Speaker 3: the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of which would be 202 00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:02,680 Speaker 3: celebrating later this year. Endowed by our Creator, The Bible, Science, 203 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:07,640 Speaker 3: and the Battle for America's Soul. Doctor West, Welcome to Nightside. 204 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:09,599 Speaker 4: Sir Dan, Thanks for having me. 205 00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:12,520 Speaker 3: I must tell you that I suspect you and I 206 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:15,679 Speaker 3: are a very similar mind. I happen to be a 207 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:20,040 Speaker 3: journalist of a long time, nearly fifty years, also a 208 00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:23,599 Speaker 3: lawyer of nearly fifty years, and those words in the 209 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:26,679 Speaker 3: Declaration of Independence, that we hold these truths to be 210 00:12:26,800 --> 00:12:29,640 Speaker 3: self evident, that all men are created equal, and they 211 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:33,800 Speaker 3: are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that 212 00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:36,800 Speaker 3: among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 213 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:40,920 Speaker 3: To me, the most important words in the Declaration of Independence. 214 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:44,559 Speaker 3: I have had many arguments on this program with my 215 00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:51,400 Speaker 3: listeners about the religious values of the Founders. I find 216 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:57,200 Speaker 3: that there were religious values amongst the Founders, although many 217 00:12:57,280 --> 00:12:59,240 Speaker 3: will try to play it down and say, well, they 218 00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:02,599 Speaker 3: really weren't real, they were merely deists. I'd love to 219 00:13:02,679 --> 00:13:05,520 Speaker 3: have it. I'd love to have you address that comment first, 220 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:07,600 Speaker 3: and then we can get into the book a little 221 00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:08,520 Speaker 3: bit more deeply. 222 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:14,200 Speaker 4: Sure, yeah, I actually the Founders were quite religious, even 223 00:13:14,240 --> 00:13:16,400 Speaker 4: those who were deists. You know, there was a mixture, 224 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:18,599 Speaker 4: but even the deists believed that there was actually a 225 00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:22,000 Speaker 4: God who created us and who gave us rights, so 226 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:24,200 Speaker 4: their rights didn't come from government. And if you read 227 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:27,600 Speaker 4: their private writings, say like Benjamin Franklin, who was known 228 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:31,199 Speaker 4: as a deist, he had a private prayer life where 229 00:13:31,240 --> 00:13:34,920 Speaker 4: he talked about God and read books about how God's 230 00:13:34,960 --> 00:13:38,080 Speaker 4: evidence was in nature. He thought that was an objective truth. 231 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:39,360 Speaker 4: And then, of course you have a lot of other 232 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:44,120 Speaker 4: people who were, say, actually devout Christians, like Reverend John Witherspoon, 233 00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:49,640 Speaker 4: who signed the Declaration of Independence, or Charles Carroll, the 234 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:52,760 Speaker 4: only Catholic who signed the Declaration of Independence, were both 235 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:56,240 Speaker 4: very devout in their beliefs. So you had a mixture, 236 00:13:56,320 --> 00:13:58,719 Speaker 4: but they all actually thought that there was a God 237 00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:02,439 Speaker 4: who created us who made us equal fundamentally as humans, 238 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:07,280 Speaker 4: and that our rights come from God, not from government, 239 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:10,760 Speaker 4: so they can't rightfully be taken away from us by 240 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:12,840 Speaker 4: government or other people, no question. 241 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:16,640 Speaker 3: But I have so many of my friends who view 242 00:14:16,720 --> 00:14:23,520 Speaker 3: themselves as humanists or different different descriptions, and they want 243 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:28,800 Speaker 3: to eliminate whenever possible, starting with Madeline Mario Hare obviously 244 00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:33,600 Speaker 3: getting rid of prayer in public schools, even non denominational prayer. 245 00:14:34,480 --> 00:14:36,400 Speaker 3: And of course we all know the story of Madeline 246 00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:40,160 Speaker 3: Mario here that she came to regret being part of 247 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:44,720 Speaker 3: the lawsuit and died. I think a very unhappy, unhappy person. 248 00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:50,480 Speaker 3: Why is there, in your opinion, an animus to any 249 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:54,520 Speaker 3: remnant of religiosity in the public square, whether it's a 250 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:59,840 Speaker 3: menora or a Christmas tree or a crash. It's almost 251 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:04,120 Speaker 3: if my friends, who I like to call them, they 252 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:10,120 Speaker 3: are evangelical atheists because they their beliefs are religious. In 253 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:16,640 Speaker 3: there's no their religion is atheism, and they are so 254 00:15:16,880 --> 00:15:21,520 Speaker 3: evangelistic they don't want anyone else's point of view present 255 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:25,920 Speaker 3: in the so called public square. Can you identify I'm 256 00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:26,400 Speaker 3: talking about? 257 00:15:26,640 --> 00:15:29,800 Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. I think there are many different reasons. 258 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:33,440 Speaker 4: But I think one reason is that if God exists, 259 00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:37,680 Speaker 4: then maybe not all things are permitted. There may be 260 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:40,520 Speaker 4: an absolute right or wrong, and there may be some 261 00:15:40,720 --> 00:15:43,680 Speaker 4: things that even governments aren't permitted to do, and that 262 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:46,880 Speaker 4: we aren't supposed to do, and that a lot of 263 00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:51,160 Speaker 4: people don't like that idea, that we're not necessarily free 264 00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:54,440 Speaker 4: just to do whatever we want and in our lives, 265 00:15:54,480 --> 00:15:56,360 Speaker 4: and that there may be an ultimate purpose out there, 266 00:15:56,440 --> 00:15:59,840 Speaker 4: And that's an interesting thing. The Founders, regardless of whether 267 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:04,160 Speaker 4: they were Christians or Unitarians or deists, they all pretty 268 00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:07,240 Speaker 4: much believed and they thought as an objective reality because 269 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:10,280 Speaker 4: they thought nature actually pointed toward a creator, that a 270 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:14,160 Speaker 4: creator existed, and that provides the basis for the moral law, 271 00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:18,720 Speaker 4: and that provides the basis for society. And they were 272 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:21,400 Speaker 4: pretty much agreed on that. And I think in sort 273 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:24,320 Speaker 4: of our modern postmodern times, we want to think that 274 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:26,360 Speaker 4: we're just the masters of our own fate and we 275 00:16:26,440 --> 00:16:30,120 Speaker 4: don't want any limits. And those who want expansive government 276 00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:32,680 Speaker 4: don't want any limits on government. But of course the 277 00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:35,680 Speaker 4: Founders thought, you know, God placed limits on government too. 278 00:16:35,880 --> 00:16:37,960 Speaker 4: That's the whole thing is unalienable rights. 279 00:16:38,240 --> 00:16:41,320 Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, last Friday night I had on as 280 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:44,000 Speaker 3: a brief guest. I'm going to have him on much longer. 281 00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:48,400 Speaker 3: I don't know if you remember doctor Michael Gien. He 282 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:52,040 Speaker 3: was the science reporter on ABC for ABC yeah, about 283 00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:56,240 Speaker 3: twenty years. He has written a book in which which 284 00:16:56,440 --> 00:17:01,600 Speaker 3: says that modern physics, modern physics points to the existence 285 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:06,640 Speaker 3: of God, and if you have not been in touch 286 00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:10,840 Speaker 3: with him, you should be, because I think that he 287 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:16,040 Speaker 3: is very consistent with what I believe. You believe when 288 00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:20,000 Speaker 3: I fundamentally believe when my friends who are the atheists, 289 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:23,600 Speaker 3: and I'm most atheists are very laissez faire, and I 290 00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:27,880 Speaker 3: have no beef with atheist agnostics. But it's the evangelical atheist, 291 00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:30,760 Speaker 3: the people who want to get religion out of the 292 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:34,159 Speaker 3: public square, that they somehow have this interpretation of the 293 00:17:34,240 --> 00:17:38,360 Speaker 3: First Amendment, despite the clear language of the First Amendment, 294 00:17:39,359 --> 00:17:44,119 Speaker 3: that they are evangelical. And you can you can steal 295 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:48,280 Speaker 3: that phrase from me if you would like, because it 296 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:51,720 Speaker 3: drives the evangelical atheist crazy. 297 00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:53,080 Speaker 2: You know. 298 00:17:53,240 --> 00:17:55,159 Speaker 4: Part of the folks of my book is actually how 299 00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:57,880 Speaker 4: both first the Founders thought that the science of their time. 300 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:01,280 Speaker 4: This included Thomas Jefferson pointed to forward the exquisite design 301 00:18:01,359 --> 00:18:03,359 Speaker 4: and purpose of nature, so it points to the creator. 302 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:06,680 Speaker 4: And then how science today is actually pointing back to 303 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:09,040 Speaker 4: the same thing. You're exactly right. The laws of physics 304 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:12,560 Speaker 4: are fine tuned so that life can exist. The very 305 00:18:12,680 --> 00:18:15,560 Speaker 4: fact that you know, one hundred years ago most physicists 306 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:18,560 Speaker 4: thought that there was no beginning to the universe. But 307 00:18:18,760 --> 00:18:21,440 Speaker 4: now they have good evidence think, well, there was a 308 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:24,960 Speaker 4: time before which there was no matter, time, or energy. 309 00:18:25,080 --> 00:18:29,600 Speaker 4: Well that requires a cause that's outside time, matter and energy. Well, 310 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:33,479 Speaker 4: that's what typically people will call God or even inside us. 311 00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:36,600 Speaker 4: The codes and you know DNA and the codes within 312 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:39,359 Speaker 4: codes that are like that have been referred to by 313 00:18:39,440 --> 00:18:42,480 Speaker 4: scientists that either the DNA is a code and it 314 00:18:42,560 --> 00:18:45,880 Speaker 4: has gives purposeful instructions. Well, usually when you have code, 315 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:48,560 Speaker 4: you have a coder. So I would agree with Michael 316 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:52,920 Speaker 4: Gillan that, you know, modern science is actually pointing back 317 00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:54,879 Speaker 4: to the very truth that at the time of the 318 00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:58,320 Speaker 4: American Founding, they thought the science of their time pointed 319 00:18:58,359 --> 00:19:00,920 Speaker 4: to this exquisite design in nature, and in fact, people 320 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:04,000 Speaker 4: like dun Franklin and Thomas Jefferson actually wrote letters about this, 321 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:06,440 Speaker 4: so they actually thought there was objective evidence in nature 322 00:19:06,640 --> 00:19:08,280 Speaker 4: that established that there was a creator. 323 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:11,399 Speaker 3: And so I always point out to my friends that 324 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:15,119 Speaker 3: that big yellow ball that we see out there about 325 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:19,119 Speaker 3: ninety three to ninety million miles way, if it was 326 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:22,080 Speaker 3: ten miles closer, we'd burn up. If it was ten 327 00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:25,919 Speaker 3: miles further away, we'd freeze to death. But it stayed 328 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:30,359 Speaker 3: up there in that ninety to ninety three million mile orbit, 329 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:35,280 Speaker 3: which is the which is the ultimate energy for our exams. 330 00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:38,560 Speaker 4: And even even the temperatures on our planet, which are 331 00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:40,480 Speaker 4: not the temperatures you have the most planet is within 332 00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:43,480 Speaker 4: a tiny range that allows carbon based life to actually 333 00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:47,200 Speaker 4: live and function. The properties of water that allow that 334 00:19:47,560 --> 00:19:51,400 Speaker 4: when it when it actually freezes it floats, actually allows 335 00:19:51,480 --> 00:19:55,240 Speaker 4: our life to exist. There's this condition after condition after 336 00:19:55,359 --> 00:19:58,400 Speaker 4: condition to make our lives possible. 337 00:19:58,840 --> 00:20:01,560 Speaker 3: Well, doctor West, I hope well many of my listeners 338 00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:05,680 Speaker 3: will read your book. It's entitled Endowed by Our Creator, 339 00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:09,400 Speaker 3: The Bible, Science and the Battle for America's Soul. I'm 340 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:11,800 Speaker 3: looking forward to reading it. It is available, I assume 341 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:12,720 Speaker 3: Amazon dot. 342 00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:14,320 Speaker 4: Com find out ere. 343 00:20:14,920 --> 00:20:18,840 Speaker 3: Well, look, I really enjoyed talking with you, and there 344 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:22,040 Speaker 3: are a lot more people, do you know, doctor Mary 345 00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:25,000 Speaker 3: Neil by any chance. She's the orthopedic surgeon out of 346 00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:29,760 Speaker 3: Jackson Hole, Wyoming, who wrote a book about twenty years 347 00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:32,920 Speaker 3: ago in which she is convinced that she went to 348 00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:35,240 Speaker 3: heaven and was sent back. The name of the book 349 00:20:35,320 --> 00:20:39,400 Speaker 3: is to Heaven and Back. She's a great guest. Check 350 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:42,840 Speaker 3: her out, Doctor Mary neil em She was under water 351 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:48,600 Speaker 3: for seventeen minutes in a kayak and she couldn't get 352 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:51,240 Speaker 3: the get out of the kayaks. She was upside down 353 00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:56,120 Speaker 3: underwater and she somehow survived. There's a lot of good 354 00:20:56,160 --> 00:20:58,119 Speaker 3: people out there. Dr West, thank you very much for 355 00:20:58,240 --> 00:20:58,639 Speaker 3: joining us. 356 00:20:59,359 --> 00:21:01,160 Speaker 4: Thank you. Okay, have good evening. 357 00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:02,919 Speaker 3: All right, We've got the news coming up here at 358 00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:04,560 Speaker 3: the bottom of the hour and write an actual a 359 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:06,480 Speaker 3: little bit past the bottom of the era. And after 360 00:21:06,560 --> 00:21:09,280 Speaker 3: that we're going to talk with doctor Joey Skelton, pediatrician 361 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:13,360 Speaker 3: and obesity medicine specialist, author of a new book, Your 362 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:16,920 Speaker 3: Child Is Not Their Weight, Parenting in a size obsessed world. 363 00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:20,479 Speaker 3: The book has is coming out on March seventeenth. If 364 00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:23,879 Speaker 3: you have children who are having some eating issues, you 365 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:26,000 Speaker 3: want to listen to. Doctor Joey Skelton should be with 366 00:21:26,119 --> 00:21:26,480 Speaker 3: us next. 367 00:21:28,359 --> 00:21:30,080 Speaker 1: It's night Side with Ray. 368 00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:33,000 Speaker 2: Boston's News Radio. 369 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:36,879 Speaker 3: Thank you by partner Ben Parker. Now I'd like to 370 00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:41,879 Speaker 3: introduce doctor Joseph Joey Skelton. He is a pediatrician, an 371 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:45,720 Speaker 3: obesity medicine specialist, author of the book Your Child Is 372 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:49,080 Speaker 3: Not Their Weight Parenting in a Size Obsessed World, and 373 00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:51,800 Speaker 3: this book comes out on St. Patrick's Day, appropriately enough, 374 00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:54,800 Speaker 3: March seventeenth. Doctor Skelton, Welcome to Nightside. 375 00:21:56,040 --> 00:21:57,080 Speaker 1: Great, thank you for having me. 376 00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:00,520 Speaker 3: What will my listeners who get you a book, and 377 00:22:00,560 --> 00:22:04,760 Speaker 3: I hope they do, what will they learn about parenting 378 00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:07,160 Speaker 3: in a size obsessed world? 379 00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:12,200 Speaker 1: I think oftentimes for parents, they you know, every parent 380 00:22:12,359 --> 00:22:16,760 Speaker 1: wants to raise kids to be healthy, and this book 381 00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:19,240 Speaker 1: really sort of takes you down the middle way where 382 00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:23,280 Speaker 1: you're not overly focused on your child's nutrition to the 383 00:22:23,320 --> 00:22:26,480 Speaker 1: point you're controlling everybody they take, making them concerned about 384 00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:29,400 Speaker 1: calories and their weight, but also not the other extreme 385 00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:33,040 Speaker 1: where you're scared to implement any changes within your home 386 00:22:33,200 --> 00:22:35,000 Speaker 1: or you're scared to even talk about these things. So 387 00:22:35,040 --> 00:22:37,359 Speaker 1: it's kind of given parents a little bit of a 388 00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:40,320 Speaker 1: pathway of how can I raise the healthy kids without 389 00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:43,399 Speaker 1: them being obsessed about calories and the numbers on the scale. 390 00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:46,840 Speaker 3: What First of all, when you talk about parenting, you're 391 00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:50,640 Speaker 3: talking about kids from what is the danger age where 392 00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:54,359 Speaker 3: weight becomes a problem? I mean, I assume with most 393 00:22:55,040 --> 00:23:00,240 Speaker 3: kids before kindergarten it doesn't present too often. But give 394 00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:03,159 Speaker 3: us an idea or is it literally a problem that 395 00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:06,960 Speaker 3: can exist from birth until they leave the home at 396 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:08,600 Speaker 3: twenty one or at eighteen? 397 00:23:08,880 --> 00:23:11,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, you're exactly right. It could be sort of all 398 00:23:11,960 --> 00:23:14,280 Speaker 1: over the place, and for different reasons. You know, some 399 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:18,760 Speaker 1: kids experience you know, early weight gain below age six, 400 00:23:18,920 --> 00:23:21,000 Speaker 1: which and you're going to handle that differently as a 401 00:23:21,119 --> 00:23:23,960 Speaker 1: parent versus a teenager where you know you need to 402 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:26,720 Speaker 1: handle very gently, where the kids have a lot of autonomy, 403 00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:30,320 Speaker 1: they're much more self conscious about things, and you know, 404 00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:33,639 Speaker 1: you and some of the principles will continue across the 405 00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:37,160 Speaker 1: whole age spectrum, but it can really vary by age. 406 00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:38,879 Speaker 1: And of course as kids get older, I think we 407 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:41,800 Speaker 1: see a higher prevalence of weight problems, but it can 408 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:43,600 Speaker 1: be across the whole age range. 409 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:47,720 Speaker 3: So what's the history. I don't recall when I was young, 410 00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:53,160 Speaker 3: way back in the last century, people being as conscious 411 00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:57,280 Speaker 3: of weight generally and certainly not about kids we had 412 00:23:57,640 --> 00:23:59,720 Speaker 3: were kids who were fat kids, and kids who were 413 00:23:59,760 --> 00:24:02,760 Speaker 3: scared kids, and kids who were tall, lanky kids, and 414 00:24:03,080 --> 00:24:06,600 Speaker 3: kids who weren't you know, who hadn't caught their growth yet. 415 00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:10,960 Speaker 3: When did we as a society start to become obsessed 416 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:14,160 Speaker 3: with this weight, particularly as it relates to kids. 417 00:24:15,359 --> 00:24:17,760 Speaker 1: Well, I think one thing that you just said, We've 418 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:21,080 Speaker 1: always had people and to this day, and that's normal 419 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:24,720 Speaker 1: of all different shapes and sizes. I'm thinking of a 420 00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:28,080 Speaker 1: picture of three Olympians. One was a gymnast, one was 421 00:24:28,119 --> 00:24:30,840 Speaker 1: a basketball player, and one was a rugby player, and 422 00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:33,120 Speaker 1: they're all different shapes and sizes, but they're all sort 423 00:24:33,119 --> 00:24:34,840 Speaker 1: of at the top of their game. So people naturally 424 00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:37,639 Speaker 1: do come in all different shapes and sizes. But to 425 00:24:38,359 --> 00:24:40,600 Speaker 1: answer your question sort of when did that's become an issue? 426 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:42,800 Speaker 1: You know, really started back in the nineties and there 427 00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:46,680 Speaker 1: was a statistician at the CDC that started to put 428 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:50,520 Speaker 1: out to illustrate what they were seeing year over year 429 00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:54,600 Speaker 1: in these in these nationwide surveys, was increasing weight and 430 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:56,880 Speaker 1: so actually put it on a map to show how 431 00:24:56,920 --> 00:24:59,760 Speaker 1: this was changing over the years. So it started and 432 00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:02,680 Speaker 1: then nineteen nineties and really into the two thousands and 433 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:06,080 Speaker 1: to present day seeing the sort of rapid increase in 434 00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:09,520 Speaker 1: weight across the spectrum we've always had, like I said, 435 00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:11,840 Speaker 1: always had kids in different sized bodies, but there has 436 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:15,080 Speaker 1: been some change over the past couple of decades seeing 437 00:25:15,119 --> 00:25:16,280 Speaker 1: a rapid increase in weight. 438 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:22,560 Speaker 3: So is your goal to basically make parents less anxious? 439 00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:26,280 Speaker 3: I assume that's your goal. And how is your book? 440 00:25:26,320 --> 00:25:27,359 Speaker 3: How's your book going to do that? 441 00:25:28,640 --> 00:25:30,199 Speaker 1: Yeah? I think, you know, I think there's a lot 442 00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:33,399 Speaker 1: of this, a lot of parent when we act in fear, 443 00:25:33,560 --> 00:25:36,200 Speaker 1: when we do stuff out of fear, we tend to 444 00:25:36,240 --> 00:25:40,080 Speaker 1: not make very good choices with things and so and 445 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:43,000 Speaker 1: that's always my message to healthcare providers is, you know, 446 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:46,800 Speaker 1: trying to scare you know, your pace, or scare a 447 00:25:46,960 --> 00:25:49,680 Speaker 1: parent into trying to make changes is usually going to 448 00:25:49,720 --> 00:25:52,680 Speaker 1: result in them making changes that aren't going to be 449 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:54,600 Speaker 1: very healthy. And so, you know, we definitely don't want 450 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:56,639 Speaker 1: parents to be scared. And there's a big fear that 451 00:25:56,760 --> 00:25:58,800 Speaker 1: parents have that their kids are getting weight or their 452 00:25:58,880 --> 00:26:01,119 Speaker 1: kids are in bigger bodies, that you know, they're always 453 00:26:01,119 --> 00:26:02,520 Speaker 1: going to have this problem. So part of this is 454 00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:05,359 Speaker 1: to reassure you know, you still need to love your children, 455 00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:07,199 Speaker 1: you need to make your of course, you always love 456 00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:09,800 Speaker 1: your children. Parents don't stop loving their children because of 457 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:14,240 Speaker 1: their weight. However, because of that fear, sometimes parents do 458 00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:16,760 Speaker 1: things that can make children not feel loved. You know, 459 00:26:16,840 --> 00:26:19,520 Speaker 1: if you're making comments to a child while they're eating, 460 00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:22,600 Speaker 1: if they go for seconds of their favorite food, if 461 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:25,760 Speaker 1: they're watching TV and not being physically active. Sometimes parents, 462 00:26:25,840 --> 00:26:29,080 Speaker 1: out of that fear, will can say things trying to help, 463 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:32,080 Speaker 1: and unfortunately it can sometimes have the opposite effect that 464 00:26:32,680 --> 00:26:36,440 Speaker 1: it can make kids feel bad about themselves, that their 465 00:26:36,480 --> 00:26:39,399 Speaker 1: self confidence, make them overly concerned about their body and 466 00:26:39,480 --> 00:26:42,080 Speaker 1: their weight. And so this book is hopefully providing them 467 00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:44,240 Speaker 1: with some tools on how to talk to their kids 468 00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:46,840 Speaker 1: about it, or in some senses, as we have one 469 00:26:46,840 --> 00:26:48,960 Speaker 1: of the chapters, not talk to the kids about it. Sometimes, 470 00:26:49,040 --> 00:26:52,240 Speaker 1: especially older kids, they don't necessarily want their parents to 471 00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:54,240 Speaker 1: bring these things up. But how you can still do 472 00:26:54,320 --> 00:26:56,200 Speaker 1: things in your household to build healthy habits. 473 00:26:56,560 --> 00:26:58,560 Speaker 3: Yeah, so that sounds to me like the equivalent of 474 00:26:58,720 --> 00:26:59,840 Speaker 3: unintentional shame. 475 00:27:01,320 --> 00:27:04,239 Speaker 1: Yes, it absolutely can be. With and again, parents are 476 00:27:04,280 --> 00:27:06,120 Speaker 1: loving their kids, but they still need to make sure 477 00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:09,080 Speaker 1: any concerns about their weight or any efforts they're making 478 00:27:09,160 --> 00:27:11,840 Speaker 1: to change behaviors does not end up making children feel 479 00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:12,680 Speaker 1: bad about themselves. 480 00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:16,399 Speaker 3: Doctor Skelton, The book comes out in March seventeenth. That 481 00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:17,760 Speaker 3: I assume people can pre order it. 482 00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:20,800 Speaker 1: If they would like, Yes, sir, and I don't. I 483 00:27:21,240 --> 00:27:23,600 Speaker 1: you know, I'm not sure there's nothing special about Saint 484 00:27:23,640 --> 00:27:24,920 Speaker 1: Patrick's Day that it's coming out. 485 00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:25,520 Speaker 4: Oh no, no, I. 486 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:27,480 Speaker 3: Understand that it's another day of the week, but we 487 00:27:27,640 --> 00:27:30,560 Speaker 3: celebrate Saint Patrick's Day quite a bit here in New England. 488 00:27:30,560 --> 00:27:31,359 Speaker 3: I want you to know that. 489 00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:34,639 Speaker 1: Okay, No, I definitely can appreciate that. Have a lot 490 00:27:34,680 --> 00:27:37,280 Speaker 1: of friends in Boston and so hopefully that won't dissuade people. 491 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:40,199 Speaker 1: So yes, exactly said, please pre order so you can 492 00:27:40,240 --> 00:27:42,439 Speaker 1: then focus on the festivities of the day. You can 493 00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:46,800 Speaker 1: find this through all major outlets, through Amazon, Barnesable, through 494 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:50,040 Speaker 1: the American a Chademy Pediatric's website, all available for pre order. 495 00:27:50,840 --> 00:27:53,560 Speaker 3: Again, the book is Your Child Is Not Their Way 496 00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:58,480 Speaker 3: Parenting in a size obsessed world. Doctor Skelton really enjoyed 497 00:27:58,520 --> 00:28:00,760 Speaker 3: the conversation. Thank you very much much for joining us. 498 00:28:01,720 --> 00:28:03,640 Speaker 1: Thank you for having me in a happy Saint Patrick's 499 00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:04,879 Speaker 1: Day and happy book release day. 500 00:28:05,520 --> 00:28:08,440 Speaker 3: Same thing right back at you. Thank you much better. 501 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:11,440 Speaker 3: We get back, We're going to talk about another real need, 502 00:28:11,600 --> 00:28:13,359 Speaker 3: and that is a blood shortage. We're going to talk 503 00:28:13,440 --> 00:28:16,680 Speaker 3: with Kelly Eisner, director of communications for the Red Cross 504 00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:20,879 Speaker 3: of Massachusetts, and we have a deal here. You're going 505 00:28:20,960 --> 00:28:22,520 Speaker 3: to get if you give some blood, you're going to 506 00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:25,359 Speaker 3: get a fifteen dollars gift card and an A one 507 00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:28,639 Speaker 3: C testing. We'll get all of that information for you. 508 00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:31,159 Speaker 3: Given blood is a good, good idea anyway, even if 509 00:28:31,160 --> 00:28:33,360 Speaker 3: you're not being rewarded for it. But Kelly Eisner will 510 00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:35,920 Speaker 3: bring us up to date right after this break, and 511 00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:39,360 Speaker 3: then we will get to the major topics of the night. 512 00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:41,520 Speaker 3: And we're going to first guest is going to be 513 00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:44,480 Speaker 3: Brian Kin, the executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board. 514 00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:48,840 Speaker 3: He's going to talk about all things MBTA, all your questions, 515 00:28:48,880 --> 00:28:51,840 Speaker 3: your concerns, you can make recommendations, a little bit of 516 00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:55,720 Speaker 3: a focus on improving the ride, which is a which 517 00:28:55,840 --> 00:29:01,040 Speaker 3: is a critical program that I think perhaps needs to 518 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:03,440 Speaker 3: be tuned up a little bit. I will explain. We're 519 00:29:03,480 --> 00:29:05,000 Speaker 3: coming back on Nightside right after this. 520 00:29:07,600 --> 00:29:12,040 Speaker 1: It's night Side with Dan Ray on w Boston's news. 521 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:17,160 Speaker 3: Radio Good Lighting to welcome back from the Massachusetts Red Cross. 522 00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:21,920 Speaker 3: Dear friend who married one of the camera guys that 523 00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:24,360 Speaker 3: I work with at Jennel four a few years ago, 524 00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:26,040 Speaker 3: Kelly Eisner, Hi, Kelly, how are you? 525 00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:27,280 Speaker 1: Hi? 526 00:29:27,440 --> 00:29:27,640 Speaker 2: Dan? 527 00:29:27,800 --> 00:29:29,600 Speaker 5: Thank you so much for having me own. 528 00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:32,120 Speaker 3: Well, welcome back. I know that whenever we have you on, 529 00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:35,240 Speaker 3: there's a bit of a blood shortage or a blood 530 00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:39,680 Speaker 3: supply here in Massachusetts. What's the status now We've come 531 00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:43,360 Speaker 3: through all of these couple of blizzards and a very 532 00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:46,000 Speaker 3: cold month of February. I guess a lot of people 533 00:29:46,040 --> 00:29:48,840 Speaker 3: have not been getting out to the Red Cross centers 534 00:29:48,880 --> 00:29:49,360 Speaker 3: to donate. 535 00:29:50,840 --> 00:29:55,400 Speaker 5: Yeah, incredibly so. I can't believe. It was seventy degrees 536 00:29:55,480 --> 00:29:58,600 Speaker 5: on my car this afternoon when I left my office. 537 00:29:58,800 --> 00:29:59,440 Speaker 4: I was loving it. 538 00:30:01,480 --> 00:30:06,000 Speaker 5: I know, I'm not complaining, but what the Red Crost saw. 539 00:30:06,200 --> 00:30:09,840 Speaker 5: You know, we right around Thanksgiving we started to see 540 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:12,400 Speaker 5: sort of a dip in the supply at the same 541 00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:15,920 Speaker 5: time an increase in demand, which created the shortage condition. 542 00:30:16,160 --> 00:30:18,600 Speaker 5: That was how we started the new year. And then, 543 00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:21,000 Speaker 5: of course, you know, to your point you mentioned those 544 00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:25,160 Speaker 5: two big two storms where we all thought we would, 545 00:30:25,360 --> 00:30:27,880 Speaker 5: you know, never see our front yards again as well, 546 00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:32,040 Speaker 5: and because of that, you know, Obviously, the Red Cross 547 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:34,760 Speaker 5: always tells people when there's snow and the ground, if 548 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:37,160 Speaker 5: it's not safe to drive, you know, follow the instruction 549 00:30:37,360 --> 00:30:40,680 Speaker 5: stay off the roads. But then when you can get 550 00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:43,320 Speaker 5: back out, please consider donating blood. 551 00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:46,959 Speaker 3: How much as it's a can you quantify for us 552 00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:49,240 Speaker 3: how much are we down now? Is it a certain 553 00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:51,320 Speaker 3: and again if you can't, that's okay. Is it a 554 00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:53,920 Speaker 3: certain number of pints that we're down or are we 555 00:30:54,040 --> 00:30:56,480 Speaker 3: down ten fifteen percent where we should be. 556 00:30:57,720 --> 00:31:00,760 Speaker 5: I don't have the numbers right at this moment. At 557 00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:02,720 Speaker 5: the height of it, we were down about thirty five 558 00:31:02,800 --> 00:31:06,960 Speaker 5: percent nationwide, which is a pretty big number. Okay, I 559 00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:09,160 Speaker 5: don't think we're at that point. Now, we're sort of 560 00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:12,360 Speaker 5: you know, people heed this message, they hear what we're saying, 561 00:31:12,520 --> 00:31:15,720 Speaker 5: and they do come out. So right now we're just telling, 562 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:18,800 Speaker 5: you know, we're just encouraging people to continue to do that. 563 00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:23,120 Speaker 3: And I understand that at this time of years, maybe 564 00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:26,440 Speaker 3: it's always like this, Well maybe it isn't. People who 565 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:30,600 Speaker 3: give blood will receive a fifteen dollar gift card and 566 00:31:30,760 --> 00:31:32,280 Speaker 3: also a one seed testing. 567 00:31:33,640 --> 00:31:37,840 Speaker 5: Yes, the fifteen dollar gift card to Amazon is something 568 00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:41,680 Speaker 5: that we're fortunate to do as a thank you for donors, 569 00:31:41,840 --> 00:31:44,920 Speaker 5: but that a one C test really can be life changing. 570 00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:47,600 Speaker 5: I just heard about a donor the other day in 571 00:31:47,720 --> 00:31:50,160 Speaker 5: for month that the last time we did a free 572 00:31:50,240 --> 00:31:52,800 Speaker 5: round of a one C testing, he had donated blood. 573 00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:56,560 Speaker 5: He saw his results, he had no symptoms of diabetes, 574 00:31:56,600 --> 00:31:59,120 Speaker 5: but it turns out he was diabetic. And because he 575 00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:02,800 Speaker 5: got this you know, result from a blood donation that 576 00:32:02,920 --> 00:32:07,480 Speaker 5: happened between annual physicals, it was able to he made 577 00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:09,960 Speaker 5: a special point with his doctor and really got some 578 00:32:10,080 --> 00:32:13,560 Speaker 5: great health information. So the gift card is fun, but 579 00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:15,960 Speaker 5: the a one C test really can change your life. 580 00:32:16,520 --> 00:32:21,640 Speaker 3: So let's talk about we talk about the supply resupplying 581 00:32:21,720 --> 00:32:25,840 Speaker 3: the supply. Has the demand been especially great or is 582 00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:29,200 Speaker 3: it mostly the fact that the demand has stayed fairly normal, 583 00:32:29,800 --> 00:32:34,000 Speaker 3: and yet the blizzards and the really tough winter we've 584 00:32:34,120 --> 00:32:37,760 Speaker 3: had has adversely impacted the flow. 585 00:32:37,560 --> 00:32:42,640 Speaker 5: Of donors a little bit of everything. Unfortunately, demand really 586 00:32:42,800 --> 00:32:45,880 Speaker 5: spiked right before the holidays, which is a bad time 587 00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:48,680 Speaker 5: of the year for it to go up because that's 588 00:32:48,760 --> 00:32:52,720 Speaker 5: when people are busy doing everything else. So we saw 589 00:32:52,840 --> 00:32:55,360 Speaker 5: high demand at the end of last year. Coming into 590 00:32:55,440 --> 00:32:58,000 Speaker 5: this year, the demand did level off a little bit, 591 00:32:59,680 --> 00:33:03,400 Speaker 5: but you know, the supply was also down, so just 592 00:33:04,160 --> 00:33:07,840 Speaker 5: it got into some really icy kind of situations where 593 00:33:07,880 --> 00:33:09,000 Speaker 5: we just don't want to ever. 594 00:33:09,440 --> 00:33:12,200 Speaker 4: Oh sorry, how do we do is reasion? 595 00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:16,520 Speaker 3: I mean, we're in New England and I don't know 596 00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:20,440 Speaker 3: if you work with I assume surrounding states, and then 597 00:33:20,560 --> 00:33:24,440 Speaker 3: if the six New England states are are in sort 598 00:33:24,440 --> 00:33:27,800 Speaker 3: of a relationship with maybe other Northeastern states, so if 599 00:33:27,880 --> 00:33:31,280 Speaker 3: the supply in New York and Pennsylvania really drops and 600 00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:33,440 Speaker 3: we're in good shape, we can help them. How much 601 00:33:33,560 --> 00:33:36,800 Speaker 3: you know, interaction is there between the states up in 602 00:33:36,840 --> 00:33:38,040 Speaker 3: this part of the country. 603 00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:42,520 Speaker 5: More than you might think. Actually, for example, our medical director, 604 00:33:42,560 --> 00:33:44,480 Speaker 5: who works out of the same building that I work 605 00:33:44,520 --> 00:33:47,760 Speaker 5: out of in Denham, is the medical director for Northern 606 00:33:47,800 --> 00:33:50,560 Speaker 5: New England as well, so he's not just working with 607 00:33:50,680 --> 00:33:55,040 Speaker 5: Massachusetts hospitals, he's working with Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine hospitals 608 00:33:55,560 --> 00:33:59,920 Speaker 5: as well. You know, I always say I'm a Red Sox, 609 00:34:00,360 --> 00:34:02,800 Speaker 5: I'm a Celtic Stan, I'm a Patriots Stan. So I 610 00:34:03,160 --> 00:34:05,960 Speaker 5: happen to think that Massachusetts blood donors are the best 611 00:34:06,200 --> 00:34:08,080 Speaker 5: blood donors. But that's just me. 612 00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:12,400 Speaker 3: Yeah, No, I do understand the other thing that people, 613 00:34:12,760 --> 00:34:15,080 Speaker 3: I think, and if I'm wrong here, correct me. But 614 00:34:15,400 --> 00:34:18,399 Speaker 3: just in terms of getting information out, blood doesn't when 615 00:34:18,680 --> 00:34:22,040 Speaker 3: blood is donated or plasma is donated, I don't think 616 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:24,239 Speaker 3: that they can sit on the shelf forever. Isn't there 617 00:34:24,360 --> 00:34:26,560 Speaker 3: sort of a better You've got to use it by 618 00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:27,279 Speaker 3: a certain date? 619 00:34:28,320 --> 00:34:31,560 Speaker 5: Absolutely, you know your stuff. So for whole blood, which 620 00:34:31,600 --> 00:34:35,440 Speaker 5: is sort of the most common type of blood donation, 621 00:34:36,080 --> 00:34:40,560 Speaker 5: it lasts for forty five days. So red blood cells 622 00:34:40,719 --> 00:34:43,920 Speaker 5: can be frozen, but you know, it's like anything a 623 00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:46,120 Speaker 5: perishable product, is just that you can't really keep it 624 00:34:46,200 --> 00:34:48,920 Speaker 5: past its expiration date. And then when you were asking 625 00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:52,320 Speaker 5: about platelets, platelets can't be frozen. So let's have a 626 00:34:52,360 --> 00:34:55,600 Speaker 5: shelf life of five days. And that's where it gets 627 00:34:55,719 --> 00:34:59,960 Speaker 5: really tricky, is that that five day clocks starts immediate 628 00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:02,879 Speaker 5: at the time of donation, but that those platelets still 629 00:35:02,920 --> 00:35:04,520 Speaker 5: have to go back to our lab, they have to 630 00:35:04,600 --> 00:35:08,600 Speaker 5: be tested, they have to be packaged and distributed to hospitals. 631 00:35:08,640 --> 00:35:12,240 Speaker 5: So by the time hospitals get a platelet from a donor, 632 00:35:12,600 --> 00:35:15,120 Speaker 5: there's about three days left, so they have to use 633 00:35:15,160 --> 00:35:16,160 Speaker 5: it within those three days. 634 00:35:16,440 --> 00:35:19,640 Speaker 3: A couple of procedural questions which I think are important, 635 00:35:19,680 --> 00:35:23,359 Speaker 3: particularly for our listeners who are regular donors. How much 636 00:35:23,440 --> 00:35:28,000 Speaker 3: of a space has to be exist. But between the 637 00:35:28,120 --> 00:35:33,520 Speaker 3: day you give blood and your most recent donation, you have. 638 00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:37,279 Speaker 5: To wait fifty six days in between blood donations. So 639 00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:40,480 Speaker 5: that works out for whole blood. That works out so 640 00:35:40,520 --> 00:35:42,400 Speaker 5: about six times a year. If you start right at 641 00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:44,919 Speaker 5: the beginning of the year, platelets, you can give every 642 00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:45,520 Speaker 5: seven days. 643 00:35:46,120 --> 00:35:49,200 Speaker 3: Yeah, so fifty six days, so that's really two months. 644 00:35:49,280 --> 00:35:52,920 Speaker 3: Is fifty yes days, okay, and that works out? Okay, 645 00:35:53,640 --> 00:35:58,120 Speaker 3: And then what's the easiest way. How many blood donation 646 00:35:59,160 --> 00:36:02,120 Speaker 3: locations are there? How can people find them? And how 647 00:36:02,200 --> 00:36:04,480 Speaker 3: can do people? I think most people have to sign 648 00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:06,080 Speaker 3: up and make an appointment in advance. 649 00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:09,759 Speaker 5: Correct, We do encourage that. It just it helps us 650 00:36:09,880 --> 00:36:12,640 Speaker 5: take better care and manage the donors start coming through 651 00:36:12,719 --> 00:36:14,759 Speaker 5: the door when we know exactly how many people are 652 00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:16,920 Speaker 5: going to be here. You can the easiest thing. You 653 00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:19,480 Speaker 5: can call one eight hundred Red Cross to make an appointment. 654 00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:23,120 Speaker 5: You can go on our website and find blood drives 655 00:36:23,239 --> 00:36:27,040 Speaker 5: or donor centers that are near you. One of the 656 00:36:27,080 --> 00:36:30,799 Speaker 5: things in Massachusetts we have ten we call them six 657 00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:33,320 Speaker 5: sites that they're you know, like brick and mortar blood 658 00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:38,160 Speaker 5: donor centers across the state, which a lot of you know, 659 00:36:38,239 --> 00:36:40,919 Speaker 5: I'm not sure how many other states have that many. 660 00:36:40,960 --> 00:36:46,040 Speaker 3: I think it's great give us the just the website 661 00:36:46,080 --> 00:36:48,320 Speaker 3: so that people can get to that quickly and figure 662 00:36:48,320 --> 00:36:49,759 Speaker 3: out what they were going to be able to do 663 00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:51,360 Speaker 3: in the next few days. What's the website? 664 00:36:52,360 --> 00:36:55,279 Speaker 5: Sure, it's Redcross Blood dot org. 665 00:36:56,239 --> 00:37:00,880 Speaker 3: That's from that's from Massachusetts. That's a matt It doesn't 666 00:37:00,920 --> 00:37:03,120 Speaker 3: have to have a Massachusetts designation there. 667 00:37:03,840 --> 00:37:06,080 Speaker 5: It doesn't because you end up just searching by your 668 00:37:06,160 --> 00:37:08,719 Speaker 5: zip code and it'll bring up everything that's close to you. 669 00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:14,240 Speaker 3: Perfect redcrossblood dot Org. Kelly, thanks very much, as always, 670 00:37:14,239 --> 00:37:15,279 Speaker 3: say hi to my pell Nate. 671 00:37:15,320 --> 00:37:20,480 Speaker 5: Okay, I will thank you so much. Dan toodnight you too. 672 00:37:20,960 --> 00:37:23,040 Speaker 3: Hope, we hope it helps. We come back on to 673 00:37:23,120 --> 00:37:26,160 Speaker 3: talk about all things MBTA with Brian Kane, the executive 674 00:37:26,160 --> 00:37:29,200 Speaker 3: director of the MBTA Advisory Board. He's a great guest. 675 00:37:29,280 --> 00:37:31,719 Speaker 3: He will take whatever questions you have, if you have 676 00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:37,320 Speaker 3: questions about the MBTA service, about MBTA trains, about particularly 677 00:37:37,320 --> 00:37:40,719 Speaker 3: the MBTA Ride. This is a program that was requested 678 00:37:40,760 --> 00:37:43,959 Speaker 3: by one of our listeners, and I promised I would 679 00:37:43,960 --> 00:37:46,000 Speaker 3: do it, and we're gonna and Brian Kane is kind 680 00:37:46,120 --> 00:37:48,640 Speaker 3: enough to spend the next hour with us here on 681 00:37:48,800 --> 00:37:51,400 Speaker 3: night side, so stay with us, Get those phones lines 682 00:37:51,520 --> 00:37:51,960 Speaker 3: lit up.