The People Factor

In this episode, Ohio State college of Engineering Equity Coach Donnie Perkins shares his thoughts on what equity is and how, as a society, we might go about building equity in our institutions.  Also included is the very moving and thought-provoking speech given by LBJ on the eve of signing the 1964 Civil Rights Act.  See the videos at https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/engrtechcomm/chapter/employment-access/.

We hear about diversity, equity and inclusion a lot these days.  But what do these words actually mean?  How do we respond?  Join me for this and the next couple of episodes as we look at the connections between equity, poverty, racism and the ability to be a provider.

We all know of people who have been born into poverty, rose up and have become financially very successful. But for every one of these success stories, there are hundreds of people who didn’t move out of poverty. Hundreds of children who were once sponges for learning and building new skills and abilities, but hit that age of comparison and find that they didn’t measure up to what our society says is success. This is our societies fault, not the kids.  Join us to explore how poverty impacts a students educational journey.

Choice is critical for populations to flourish and thrive.  The Supreme Court's reversal of Roe vs. Wade will have severe, negative impacts on communities all across America.  And, it sets a dangerous precedent for repealing other rights that Americans have come to depend on in order for safety and well-being.  Join host Jane Turville as she shares THE PEOPLE FACTOR's response to this ruling.

Why does the amount of money we have influence how we approach education? In this episode, we revisit ShoMari Payne's TedTalk about his experience growing up poor and how his attitudes toward education changed throughout his educational career.

Today we start our exploration of the link between well-being, education and poverty.  Should be an interesting ride!  

I'll be posting this week's episode on Friday, June 3rd.  Until then, have a wonderful week!

There's so much more to dig in to when looking at the connections between health and poverty.  Today, we take a quick look back and sum up what we've discovered so far.

Please let me know which city in America had the most homeless people per capita in 2021.  I'll give you the answer and share other's guess with you next Wednesday.  Have a great week!

In order to feed the current entire global population a diet similar to that of Western cultures would take 21 billion acres of arable land.  It is estimated that planet Earth has 7.9 billion acres of arable land.  Join host Jane Turville to explore just how much land is needed for everyone currently on the planet to eat a brain healthy diet.  

If you think food insecurity equals hunger, think again.  And if you think that food insecurity is about lack of food, please join host Jane Turville to take a deeper dive into the realm of food insecurity in our modern world.

How much does it cost to eat the foods that support brain function?  Depending on your income and where you live, it can be almost impossible.  Join host Jane Turville as she explores the cost of purchasing the foods that maintain cognitive health in Portland Oregon.

So excited to have you join me for this second season of THE PEOPLE FACTOR.  This year we're focused on the link between population growth and economics.  Money is the number one reason people tout population growth.  As we'll see, that's a myth built in a tradition of poverty for many and wealth for a few.  Join us as we dive into the deep end of population growth!!!

Thank you for a great first year!!  Looking forward to the Second Season of THE PEOPLE FACTOR!!!  Join us next week for Episode 1!!!

In this holiday episode, please join me to take a look at how our attitudes about poverty and the poor shape our ability to take action to help, hinder or just plain ignore.

As we wrap up looking at scarcity, taking a look at how those living in abundance view those living in poverty seems pretty important.  Traditional attitudes are both ungenerous and unfair.  Where did they come from and who or what, in reality needs to change?

Note:  Due to scheduling issues, THE PEOPLE FACTOR will scale back to one podcast per week for the next few months.  Thank you so much for listening and please continue to join us every Wednesday for a new episode.

Figuring out how to provide programs and services to lift people out of poverty is complex.  In the book SCARCITY:  WHY HAVING TOO LITTLE MEANS SO MUCH, the authors outline two particular things to consider when designing programs to help the poor - slack and bandwidth.  Join us to explore how these simple considerations could change the course of people's lives and greatly reduce poverty world-wide.

How can poverty be alleviated?  There are so many out there trying to help.  Yet, without an understanding of how scarcity impacts our minds, these programs are doomed to fail.  Join host Jane Turville to examine how this plays out in our world today.

The bandwidth tax is an enormous burden for those living in poverty.  Learn more as we continue our journey through SCARCITY; WHY HAVING TOO LITTLE MEANS SO MUCH.

Join us to learn why getting out of the scarcity trap is so very difficult.

Join me to look at how behavior, influenced by the scarcity mindset, actually increases scarcity.  We'll look at how borrowing leads to juggling ever and ever increasing network of commitments and debts.

How does scarcity change the way we see the world?  Check out this episode of THE PEOPLE FACTOR to find out!

The conclusion to my interview with Dr. Warren Miller.  Please visit www.tfri.org to see more of Dr. Miller's work at the Transnational Family Research Institute.  Additionally, check out SCARCITY:  WHY HAVING SO LITTLE MEANS SO MUCH.  We'll be taking a look at the concepts posed in this book over the next few episodes.  Enjoy!

This episode sets the groundwork for our exploration of how poverty impacts our individual and community well-being as well as the interconnection between poverty and overpopulation.

In my opinion, of all the episodes I've posted on The People Factor, this last part of my interview with Dr. Rachel Nugent provides the best conversation about the confluence of population, poverty and economics and provides some examples of how some nations have successfully addressed population by empowering women socially and economically.  

In the conclusion to our investigation of tribalism, we take a look at how this very basic component of human nature intersects with human overpopulation, how we discuss it (or don't) and how we might shift the stories we tell each other to create a more tolerant and just world for everyone living here now as well as future generations.

Join us for this last reading from HIVEMIND and then on Friday to learn how the stories we tell ourselves influence our ability to address human overpopulation.

Join us to explore the power of stories and how they shape us, our societies and our culture.

Today, using excerpts from Dr. Sarah Rose Cavenaugh's book HIVEMIND, we start looking at how our tribal natures and our social natures combine to create the social norms by which we live our lives. 

Join Jane to take a look at the "tribes" who, for better or worse, are willing to address population.

Using a house on fire as a metaphor, Jane examines how two tribes, fear and empathy, can unite as one to address forced migration.

A brief clip from my 2015 interview with Dr. Sally Augustin focused on migration to cities and the factors that impact the experience different people may have because of their personal and social identities.

We revisit Part 2 of Dr. Sally Augustin's previous interview and then consider how our sense of self is intertwined with place and our tribal natures.

A revisit to Episode 8 and our interview with Dr. Sally Augustin reveals the nuanced connections between place and our tribal tendencies.

In this episode we revisit Austin, Texas to look at the changes facing the East Austin community through the lens of tribe.  As "community" becomes something we seek in cyberspace, looking at our physical communities - places where we don't share ideologies with everyone but still have connection through proximity - may help us see each other in a different light.  To listen to our section on Austin, please visit Episodes 15 through 18.

To link into our discussion on human tribalism, this episode revisits our conversation with film producer Stephanie Welch as she talks about her film A DANGEROUS IDEA:  GENETICS, EUGENICS AND THE AMERICAN DREAM.

Part 3 explores some of the points made by Dr. Cory Clark regarding tribalism as we begin to explore how tribalism weaves into migration and why it's often so hard for humans to deal with.

To learn more about our guest today, please visit www.coryjclark.com

I was so honored to have Paul Ehrlich join me as we look toward World Population Day this weekend.  Please give a listen to Paul's comments and a very important message regarding the choices we have in addressing human overpopulation.

I’m very excited and honored to have none other than Paul Erhlich, author of The Population Bomb and founder of Population Connection join me to celebrate focusing on July 11th - World Population Day.

In Part 2 of this interview, we talk with Dr. Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg about loneliness and how technology can help us boost all important social connections that feed our mental and emotional well-being.  To hear our first interview with Dr. Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, please listen to Episode 20, Parts 1 & 2.

Comparison between our response to climate change and to overpopulation underlays our conversation with Dr. Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg as he joins us to describe his research on the importance of social connection and mental/emotional well-being.

This week, we’ll take a moment to ask ourselves “So what?”  How does what we’ve been talking about help build a case for including overpopulation as a serious challenge humans are facing?

In this episode we again join Dr. Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg to discuss stress and how stresses in our environment impact brain function. 

Stress changes the way the brain functions.  In this episode, we talk with Dr. Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg about his research into brain function and change as a result of urban stress.  It is a fascinating dive into how our environments shape who we are and how we respond the the world around us.

Join me in talking with my great friend Marcio Alves as we take a quick overview of migration to cities and the impact cities have on our psychological well-being.

Episode 18, Part 2 wraps up my 2015 interview in Austin Texas.  My goal in conducting these interviews was to try and understand experiences of people who moved by choice and how they compared to those who moved by force.  While there are as many stories and experiences as there are individuals moving, I wanted to see if some basic generalizations could be sifted out of these stories.  This interview with Pastor Joseph Parker of East Austin's David Chapel Missionary Baptist Church does a great job of encapsulating these experiences and explores strategies for smoother facilitation of migration into a community.

Hi all.  Due to unforeseen circumstances, I am not able to post the conclusion to my interview with Pastor Parker today.  Please enjoy this previous Episode on migration and I'll be back next week with Part 2 of Episode 18.  Have a great weekend.

In this episode, I’ll wrap up the interviews that I did during my April 2015 trip to Austin by sharing my interview with Pastor Joseph Parker.  The thing that I enjoyed most about talking with Pastor Parker was that, unlike my other interviews, Pastor Parker’s focused on changes in Austin from a community leader perspective rather than a personal story of migration. As the Senior Pastor at David Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, located in the heart of East Austin’s Chestnut Neighborhood, Pastor Parker has worked at the policy level to try and ensure that the culture of community in East Austin is preserved. And he shared with me the community’s vision, his disappointments and his hope for the future of his beloved community.

Today we’re going to hear from someone whose migration experience encapsulates both migration by choice and a move that was definitely forced. In fact, the forcing of this family from their business because of gentrification made the national news.  Join me for this 2015 interview with Sergio.

Join host Jane Turville in the conclusion of her interview with LaShonda as we take a look at connection to place in Central East Austin.

Please join in the conversation by email - jane.peoplefactor@gmail.com - or by leaving a message or a question on the People Factor page at Anchor.

In this continuation of a 2014 interview with long-time Austin resident Red (who first coined "Keep Austin Weird") we explore migration from the viewpoint of those already living in place as more affluent migrants move in.

In Part 2 of this episode, we talk with Red, a native of Austin who moved back home.  Red is locally famous in Austin for coining the phrase Keep Austin Weird. Born in Austin, Red migrated quite a bit in his youth because he wanted to experience new places. But once that itch was scratched, Red decided to come home and at the time of our interview in 2014, he had made Austin his home for 30 years.

Red’s always been active in keeping an eye on changes in Austin. And, for our exploration, Red presents a very interesting dichotomy. He is both the new incomer as well as someone who strongly identifies with the place of his birth.

In this episode, host Jane Turville explores migration by choice in a 2014 interview with Jessica, who had recently moved from Brooklyn, NY to Austin, Texas.  While there are many, many reasons for someone to move by choice, Jessica's story represents the processes and experiences one might go through when moving to a place where personal and social identity have strong ties through past exposure and experience.

In this episode I share my 2015 interview with Dr. Joshua Long, author of Weird City:  Sense of Place and Creative Resistance in Austin, Texas.  In our interview, Josh explains the changes growth is bringing to Austin as new wealth moves in and traditional Austin lifestyles are threatened. 

We're off on a great new segment starting with Episode 15!  Migration is the third component of population growth and while it doesn't add people to the planet, migration patterns can significantly impact the places where it grows population as well as the places where migration shrinks population.  It's a fascinating subject and we'll be doing a very deep dive into the many facets and impacts of people on the move! 

In this episode, Jane goes over Place, Population and Politics, her poster which she presented at the 2018 American Psychological Association International Conference.  

The Concept:  Political rhetoric combined with continued news of refugees fleeing war, poverty and the impacts of climate change, continually bombards citizens in all nations, leaving no room for a more thorough examination of the links between traumatic psychological impacts experienced by migrants and the less traumatic, but equally important psychological impacts of changes to place.  Neither do we spend time examining how political identification influences how we experience changes to the environment that has formed our own sense of place.

In this non-empirical study: (a) the importance of sense of place in developing our personal and social identities is defined, (b) two over-arching migration motivators – choice and force – are compared, and (c) attachment to place as an influencer of political response to place change due to migration is investigated.

The relationships between these subjects are explored in order to better understand how linking place, human psychological identity, human migration and political response can open doors to how we understand ourselves and each other in changing socio-physical environments.

Join us as we kick off our first ever People Factor Earth Day celebration with a wonderful talk about individual advocacy for decreasing population.  Population activist Alexandra Paul joins us to inspire individuals to speak out and start important conversations that are left out of larger environmental events.  Send questions or comments to Jane at jane.peoplefactor@gmail.com.

We are honored to rebroadcast Part 1 of Confronting Crisis 2050. On September 17, 2020, PMC President and Founder, Bill Ryerson, led an online event titled Confronting Crisis 2050. The event was a panel discussion of experts inspired by the recent film, ENDGAME 2050 which addresses the dire state of the planet including six key areas: the sixth mass extinction, ocean acidification, fish-less (plastic-filled) oceans, human population growth, climate crisis, and actions the public can take. Panelists included the creator of the film, Dr. Sofia Pineda Ochoa, Paul Ehrlich, author of The Population Bomb; Reverend Itang Young, Faith-based Environmental Activist; and Professor Yael Wolinsky-Nahmias of Environmental Studies and Political Science at USC. Their discussion centers on the challenges Endgame 2050 exposed, including the current ecological and existential crises facing the planet; predictions of what the world will be like by 2050; and the roles human can play in slowing the environmental breakdown.

Join host Jane Turville to sum up the relationship between our need for intangible natural resources and human overpopulation.

Part 3 of this episode concludes my interview with Dr. Susan Clayton.  In this final part, we examine environmental attitudes and how they do or don't manifest themselves in our actions toward nature.  We'll also explore how behavioral change can be encouraged in order for our environmental identities and attitudes to incite environmental stewardship.

Part 2 continues my interview with Dr. Susan Clayton.  In this part, Susan and I discuss the different responses humans experience regarding natural vs built or man-made environments. We’ll also look on of my all time favorite subjects, sense of place and touch on the immigrant experience of losing place. 

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Susan Clayton, Whitmore-Williams Professor of Psychology at the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio to explore why our intangible relationship with nature is vital.  Like all humans before us, we need nature just as much for mental and emotional survival as physical survival.  Dr. Clayton explains why.

In Part 4, host Jane Turville examines how the content of the film Endgame 2050 adds to the building of inclusive, comprehensive understanding of overpopulation by referring back to the information given in previous episodes.  Jane also introduces the important concept of exposure, experience and education in leading to systemic change.  At the heart is always those two important questions - Who am I? How do I fit in?

In Part 2 of our discussion on aging, host Jane Turville and Dr. Lisa Hollis-Sawyer discuss how attitudes toward death influence attitudes toward aging.

In this second part of my interview with filmmaker Stephanie Welch, we explore how racism is embedded in American policy and the role Eugenics has played and continues to play in maintaining racist attitudes throughout modern American society.