Worldview

Worldview and Jerome McDonnell have been on the air for a quarter century. During that time, the world has witnessed some of the biggest history ever being made. Often, Jerome and his guests were prophetic in their understanding of the world. One of the big stories in the middle of Worldview's run was the Iraq war. Listen for the conversations Jerome had in 2002, 2003, and 2005 about the Iraq war. In this segment: John Mearsheimer, Katrina vanden Heuvel, Ron Paul, Les Roberts, and members of the audience who called in.

In a time of skyrocketing costs for healthcare, college and home ownership, traditional markers of success for Americans are getting further out of reach. Colin Beavan is the author of "How to be Alive," a book exploring how to mitigate desire, live a fulfilling life and do right by the planet while you're at it.

Lewis Ziska worked as a plant scientist at the United States Department of Agriculture for more than two decades, studying how climate change impacts plant biology. When he published a paper last year on how carbon dioxide emissions are making rice crops lose nutritional value, he was surprised to find that the USDA not only questioned his findings, but pulled media coverage of the paper and asked partner institution the University of Washington to do the same. He quit the USDA in protest, and told Politico that “You get the sense that things have changed, that this is not a place for you to be exploring things that don't agree with someone's political views.”Worldview’s food, health and culture contributor Monica Eng chats with him for this week’s installment about Food Mondays. They’ll talk about Ziska’s research and the findings he says the USDA didn’t want the American public to hear about.

Following the indigenous-led protests at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation against the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline, oil and chemical companies including Koch Industries and Marathon Petroleum have successfully lobbied several state legislatures to making such protests a felony offense. Indiana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas passed laws last year criminalizing trespassing near pipelines and other “critical infrastructure.” These laws build upon legislation passed in Oklahoma and other states last year, and similar bills are under consideration in Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The laws aren’t all the same when it comes to how they treat the offenses, but include sentences of as much as five years and fines of as much as $10,000.In audio recordings obtained by The Intercept from this year’s Energy & Mineral Law Foundation conference in Washington, D.C., members of the lobbying group American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers which represents clients including Koch Industries and ExxonMobil admitted their efforts to push through the legislation in various states and listed their successes in states with both Republican and Democrat-controlled legislatures.Dallas Goldtooth, “Keep it in the Ground” organizer for the Indigenous Environmental Network, joins us today to talk about the effect that these measures could have on current and future movements to protest pipeline construction, especially on indigenous lands.

Live from the Chicago Botanic Garden, we explore the benefits of nature and how to make it more accessible for everyone. We'll hear about everything the garden has to offer, including spaces accessible to people with disabilities, yoga in the garden, and a partner project bringing affordable, healthy food to Lawndale. 

The Trump Administration has announced several changes to environmental policies. On Monday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it would consider a plan to ease restrictions on corporations petitioning to get animals delisted from the Endangered Species List. The government is planning to make lost profits a legitimate claim to remove protection from threatened animals and vulnerable land. The change to the Endangered Species Act comes just months after a United Nations report that said human activity is likely to cause the extinction of one million species. Meanwhile, the National Forest Service also announced a plan to create loopholes in the National Environmental Policy Act that would effectively eliminate public comment periods on extraction rights on public lands. To discuss these interconnected issues, we’re joined by Rebecca Riley, Legal Director for the Nature Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Adam Cramer, Executive Director of the Outdoor Alliance, a Washington DC-based nonprofit that unites natural recreation organizations for the conservation of public lands.

American oak trees are under threat. Several native species are directly affected by climate change and human activities. A new analysis by The Morton Arboretum, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, and the U.S. Forest Service, entitled “Conservation Gap Analysis of Native U.S. Oaks,” shows where researchers, land managers and conservationists can focus their efforts immediately to achieve the most urgently needed conservation actions. We hear about the report from Murphy Westwood, director of global tree conservation at The Morton Arboretum, and Lydia Scott, director of the Chicago Region Trees Initiative and manager of Community Trees Program at the arboretum.This week, we’re broadcasting from the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, sharing the beauty and science of the world around us with our listeners.

Trees tell stories about our environment — and especially about climate change. Differences in timing from year to year of blooms and fall color, for example, provide insight into how future climate change will affect trees. Morton Arboretum forest ecologist Christy Rollinson and Matthew Lobdell, curator of living collections at the arboretum, share how trees are responding to climate change and what needs to happen to ensure not only how trees can survive, but also how we can help them thrive. This week, we’re broadcasting from the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, sharing the beauty and science of the world around us with our listeners.

Since Mexico launched its war on drug cartels in 2006, the number of "disappeared" people in the country has risen to above 40,000. Cartels are directly implicated in many of these disappearances, which sometimes turn out to have been killings, though the state is also implicated in unsolved cases like that of the missing 43 student activists in the state of Guerrero in 2014. Rosalva Aida Hernandez is a feminist activist, researcher and journalist aiming to address these and other human rights abuses in Mexico. As a journalist with the Central American Press Agency, where she worked for over 20 years, and as a professor and researcher at the Center for Research and Advanced Studies in Social Anthropology in Mexico City, she has worked with the families of disappeared persons and with indigenous communities in several Mexican states to shed light on unsolved crimes and to advocate for women’s and indigenous peoples’ issues. On Tuesday night, Rosalva spoke about gender violence, the occupation of indigenous territories, the impact of the war on drugs and disappeared persons in militarized regions at the Social Justice International Women’s Speakers’ Series, hosted by the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Social Justice Initiative. She joins the show today to discuss disappearances, political violence and her own forensic and advocacy work.

Every Friday, our global citizen, Nari Safavi, joins Worldview to show listeners how to travel the world over the weekend without ever leaving Chicago. Today, Nari offers up a number of ways to learn about Asian American communities, including at the 24th Annual Asian American Showcase at the Gene Siskel Film Center. We are joined by Kulap Vilaysack, a child of Lao refugees whose debut documentary Origin Story is playing in the showcase.The film chronicles a road trip into Vilaysack’s complicated past and the aftermath of a traumatic family fight. She explains how that trauma is her basis for comedy. Vilaysack has also acted in a number of TV shows, including The Office and Parks and Recreation, and she co-hosts the podcast Who Charted?

In 2003, VaxGen, a San Francisco-based biotechnology company, announced that its AIDSVAX vaccine trial had not reduced HIV infection rates among those who were vaccinated. On April 4 of that year, Worldview spoke to Bob Elliot, a college student who co-founded the Student Global AIDS Campaign. The Campaign still exists and last year launched a campaign called "PrEP for the Future," which aims to increase the accessibility of pre-exposure prophylaxis. They also advocate for the U.S. to increase its funding contribution to the AIDS programs PEPFAR and the Global Fund.Special thanks to the WBEZ Archives Team for cataloging 25 years of Worldview and making this segment possible.

She is one of only 149 people, and one of very few women in the Americas, with the designation of master sommelier. The aptly named Emily Wines visits Worldview for the “Wines Report.” The segment lead us on global journeys, teaching us about the cultural anthropology of wine and other alcoholic beverages. In this segment, Emily takes us to Japan. These days, cocktail bars around the world are stocking Japanese alcohols and copying the Japanese bartending style. In addition to discussing the ever-popular Japanese sake, Emily shares her knowledge of Japanese beers and whiskeys, as well as wine culture. Emily is vice president of wine and beverage experience for the Chicago-area winery Cooper’s Hawk.

“Why is an exposed female nipple considered pornographic, while an exposed male nipple is not”? Free expression advocates have asked this, and similar questions since the social media platform, Tumblr, earlier this month, announced a sitewide purge of adult content. The decision came after the Apple App Store banned Tumblr for allegedly hosting child pornography. Verizon, which owns Tumblr, saw its stock value plummet after it announced that as of December 17th, the site will permanently delete blogs it deems inappropriate. Critics have concerns over Tumblr’s method for flagging unsuitable content. Rather than use humans to manage and filter such content, Tumblr will leave it to artificial intelligence to decide what is inappropriate. Critics also state that while banning “adult” content, Tumblr allows White supremacists, and other hate groups, to remain active and vocal. Joining us to discuss content management, tech cultures, and who gets to decide what’s inappropriate, is Indira Neill Hoch, a visiting assistant professor of communications at UIC. Her forthcoming co-edited volume is titled A Tumblr Book Platform and Cultures.

On Saturday, leftist leader and social activist Andrés Manuel López Obrador, known as AMLO, was sworn into office as Mexico’s 58th President. Following a cleansing ritual by indigenous elders symbolizing purity and liberation, AMLO dived into his speech attacking free-market policies that he feels have devastated Mexico’s economy and citizens. AMLO also vowed to keep his election promise to end corruption. He said, “I will not lie, I will not steal or betray the people of Mexico.” Joining us to discuss this new transition of Mexican politics is Milena Ang. She’s collegiate assistant professor of Social Sciences at the University of Chicago.

Ever wish you had a pal to guide you through stores like Rich’s Fresh Market or Andy’s Deli? Look no further.

.offset{ background-color: #aed6d8; border-color: #607D8B; } .article_copy .offset .inline_image { max-width:200px; margin:auto; } Cruising the aisles of a Filipino grocery store offers a history lesson in the colonizers, traders, and neighbors who passed through different parts of the Philippines over the centuries.But sorting through the influence of Americans, Chinese, and Spanish on more than 7,000 islands can easily confuse a newbie shopper. Luckily, Worldview had Filipino Kitchen co-founders Sarahlynn Pablo and Natalia Roxas as guides on a recent journey to Seafood City, Chicago’s biggest Filipino grocery.The two writers and cooks said smaller mom-and-pop stores (sometimes called sari saris) had served Chicago’s 100,000 Filipinos well for decades, but the community’s grocery landscape changed forever with the arrival of this enormous store in 2016. “The sari saris are so important in our community, but the bigness of (Seafood City) is so impactful,” Pablo said. “It almost acts like an ad hoc community center.” This story is a part of the Worldview-Chicago Sun-Times “Hungry For Home” series, which helps newbies navigate the many international groceries in the Chicago area. Find out how to cook the Filipino dish pancit guisado and the seafood soup sinigang at the Chicago Sun-Times. With four restaurants, two bakeries, weekend street food-style vendors, and an enormous grocery store, this complex can be overwhelming to even a well-versed foodie. Shoppers are greeted by mounds of tropical produce, shelves of fermented fish and shrimp products, aisles of vinegar, oodles of Filipino noodles, special brands of processed cheese, spice packets, purple yam baked goods, and more.Really understanding this place could take months, but for a beginner’s shortcut, we asked Pablo and Roxas to suggest ingredients to buy (and some dishes to try from the bakeries and food courts in the building.) We also threw in a few favorites of our own. Vegetable packages: Shrink wrapped packages of assorted vegetables for dishes like pinakbet, a vegetable dish seasoned with bagoong (fermented shrimp paste), or sinigang, a Filipino sour soup flavored with tamarind or guava. “(With these packets) the shopper would only need some condiments in order to complete the dish. Contrary to popular belief, Filipino cuisine is very vegetable and fruit centric,” Pablo said. “If your market offers these, just choose the package that looks the freshest; if none look satisfactory, pick the items yourself.” Malunggay: Known as moringa in English, these teardrop-shaped leaves were recently designated a "superfood" by nutritionists. “It’s nice to see our grandmothers’ wisdom confirmed by modern science,” Pablo said. “It’s a common ingredient in soups and made into tea. I’ve even had it applied to skin abrasions and inflammations with a bandage. This can be found fresh or frozen.” Noodles: The Philippines has tons of noodle dishes, called pancit, in varieties that include luglug, miswa, bihon, and canton. “Pancit dishes are typically served for birthdays to signify long life, and are common party food,” Pablo said. “Pancit canton or bihon seem to be the most well-known outside of Filipino communities, but luglug (seafood based) and miswa (noodle soup) are also very good. Typically, the dishes will vary by the type of noodle required ... and the sauces, broth, and/or other ingredients required. Select one according to the dish you will make. Most Filipinos have an opinion as to the brand — we’re very brand loyal.” Bangus (milkfish): A boney, silvery catch considered the Filipino national fish. “Bangus, or milkfish, is a very commonly available fish, either fresh, fresh from frozen, smoked ... (Most Filipino grocery stores) will clean and cut the fish to order and even deep fry it for you. No clean up,” Pablo said. Jackfruit: A huge, versatile, tropical fruit. “The green, unripe fruits are a perfect meat substitute in dishes like adobo, bistek, kare-kare, and more. And the yellow, ripened fruit are very tasty on their own — a little like pineapple. You can use them in a host of Filipino desserts, like turon and halo halo. You can find either version canned in Filipino grocery stores and sometimes fresh.” Vinegar: From palm and cane vinegars to coconut and wine vinegars, this is a Filipino staple for dipping and cooking. “It’s used in the national dish (adobo), and more importantly, most every Filipino dish can be modified slightly to one’s individual palate with a dunk into sawsawan, a general term for dipping sauce,” Pablo said. “There are tons of vinegars to choose from: sweeter ones (cane vinegar) to spicy ones (with Thai chilis).” Packets: Spice packets that give you a head start on traditional Filipino dishes. “These might be a little controversial, but many working Filipinos use packets to give their second-generation kids a taste of the homeland that is quick, convenient, and delicious,” Pablo said. “Others rail against packets for their low nutritional value, high sodium content, industrialized food, and inauthenticity -- whatever that means.” Bagoong: A fermented seafood paste. “Bagoong is the best! It’s a key ingredient and condiment made from various types of seafood. … This is an ingredient that definitely brings the funk.” (You can mix it into a hot bowl of rice or on slices of green mango.  Here’s Sarahlynn’s recipe for Bagoong. Patis: A liquid made from fermented fish. “While Filipinos in the diaspora here in the U.S. have become accustomed to pork-based Filipino dishes, fish is really the main source of protein,” Pablo said. “This is another must-have condiment for anyone cooking Filipino food. It can be used as a substitute for salt or to give an extra bump of savory umami to a dish. It doesn’t taste ‘fishy’ or foul, but it’s strong so be careful not to drop or spill it.” Tender Juicy hotdogs: Bright red hot dogs from the Philippines with a saltier punch. “One popular way to eat these bright red hot dogs is with banana ketchup,” Roxas said. “Or, at kids’ parties, it’s popular to serve them on a skewer with Tutti Frutti marshmallows.” Filipino ice creams: Sweet creamy treats in flavors including purple sweet potato, herbal pandan leaf, and sweet corn. “You find a lot of unusual flavors. I love the buko pandan with coconut and this herb with a very subtle vegetal flavor,” Pablo said. “But you can also get one called quezo primero (processed American cheese) flavor because we love our processed cheese.” A snack before shopping Most Filipino grocery stores also have little stalls, bakeries, or prepared food sections where you’ll find delicacies by and for Filipino palates, including sweet spaghetti, fried pigs feet, noodles, grilled foods, and more.   Other top picks from the food court and bakeries Red Ribbon mamon cake: Small chiffon cakes that come in flavors including mocha, cheesy, butter, and purple sweet potato. Cheese balls from Valerio’s Bakery: This is a sweet bread filled with orange processed cheese and a little cream cheese that delivers that signature sweet and salty combo. (Roxas recommends popping it in the microwave for a few seconds before eating.) Chickenjoy from the Jollibee restaurant in Seafood City: This pairing of fried chicken and spaghetti may seem like a Southern-U.S. and Italian mashup, but Roxas and Pablo insist it’s quintessentially Filipino. They both recommend dipping your chicken in the mushroom-based gravy that comes on the side. Crispy pata from the Crispy Town stand at Seafood City: There aren’t a lot of grocery stores where you can chow down on a whole deep fried pig foot dipped in vinegar. But this is one of them. Choose a pata (foot) you like, and the staff will chop it up with a cleaver for you. Fried chicken skin from the Crispy Town stand at Seafood City: This is a guilty pleasure dipped in white vinegar, and you can get a whole bag of the stuff here without anyone judging. More Filipino grocery shopping in the Chicago area: Uni-Mart: This medium-sized grocery chain has been serving Chicago’s Filipino community for decades with prepared foods, catering, a bakery, and dry goods. You can still find four locations in the city and suburbs.

Ever wish you had a pal to guide you through stores like H Mart, Assi, or Joong Boo? Look no further.

Since the end of the Cold War the United States has sought to remake the world in its own image. To this end successive administrations have promoted the concept of liberal hegemony, based around the principles of democracy, human rights, free trade, and multilateralism. But preserving this global order has been costly, leading the US into war or to act in ways that run counter to its values. And as the election of President Trump has shown, sections of the American public have begun to grow weary of this approach. Is liberal hegemony doomed to fail and, if so, what objectives should drive US foreign policymaking? To answer these questions, Worldview will join John Mearsheimer before a live audience at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Mearsheimer is R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago and author of the new book The Great Delusion: Liberal Dreams and International Realities.

The pangolin is the world’s most trafficked mammal, according to a statement from the Pangolin Consortium.More than a million of the scaly anteater-like animals have been poached over the past 10 years — for food in the illegal bushmeat trade, for Asian medicines, and for jewelry — across Africa and Southeast Asia. In response, the Chicago Zoological Society at Brookfield Zoo, along with five other American zoological institutions, created a consortium dedicated to protecting the pangolin in 2014.

Senator John McCain, a perennial voice for interventionist foreign policy in the Senate and two-time presidential candidate, has died after a yearlong struggle with brain cancer. He was 81.McCain was elected to the Senate in 1986, succeeding Barry Goldwater in representing Arizona. The Vietnam War Veteran and POW was known for his role on several Senate committees that set the tone for American foreign policy. McCain often led groups of lawmakers to other countries and was outspoken against the U.S. use of torture.