Culture Crash: Guillermo Del Toro Finally Meets “Frankenstein”

Welcome to Culture Crash, where we examine American culture – what’s new and old in entertainment… Guillermo del Toro is a legendary filmmaker, with movies like Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water, and The Devil’s Backbone under his belt. For years, he spoke of his affection for Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a story he fell in love with as a child and was actively working to direct as a film for over 20 years. In 2025, he was finally able to […]

December 31, 2025 1

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Viewpoints Explained: A Global Threat That’s Slowly Fading

This is Viewpoints Explained… Sometimes it feels like the news is one long string of hard headlines. From political drama to rising costs to economic uncertainty, it can feel like everything is moving in the wrong direction. But there’s good things happening too, and in 2026, we want to highlight more of these positive stories. One example? The o-zone layer is repairing itself. And much faster than expected. Scientists now estimate that parts of the protective layer have stabilized and […]

December 31, 2025

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Locked Out Of Work: Women, Criminal Records & The Fight To Rebuild

Coral reefs are home to 25 percent of all marine life – approximately 800,000 species. But these vibrant, colorful landscapes are more than just a home for aquatic life. Coral reefs are animals themselves. Two ocean experts join us this week to share some interesting facts about these unique creatures and why people should care about their declining existence. Helen Fox, conservation science director, Coral Reef Alliance; Juli Berwald, ocean expert, author, Life on the Rocks: Building a Future for […]

December 28, 2025 2

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The Hidden Labor Gap In Modern Families

Even as dual-income households become more of the norm across America, women often still shoulder more of the work at home. We explore why this imbalance persists and what real equity moving forward could look like. Kate Mangino, gender expert, author of Equal Partners: Improving Gender Equality at Home. Links for more info: How Gender Equity Begins at Home – Harvard Business Review Kate Mangino – Instagram Kate Mangino Website Why Women Do the Household Worrying – The New York Times […]

December 28, 2025 3

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Culture Crash: Is King Sorrow Worth Reading? Inside Joe Hill’s Newest Novel

Welcome to Culture Crash, where we examine American culture – what’s new and old in entertainment… Author Joe Hill is known for his creepy tales of horror and discontent. He wrote the source material for the Netflix show Locke & Key, the 2013 movie Horns, and the Black Phone movies starring Ethan Hawke. He’s been publishing his work for decades now, but Joe Hill’s newest novel, King Sorrow, may just be his best work yet. King Sorrow is an 896-page […]

December 24, 2025 1

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Viewpoints Explained: The Holiday Leftover Mistakes Many Of Us Make

This is Viewpoints Explained… For many, the holidays are when our fridges hit maximum capacity. Leftovers pile up left and right, pies rotate in and out – and, meanwhile, everyone’s quietly debating what really needs to be go back in the fridge. But here’s the twist: some of the dishes we often treat as “Safe” this time of year really aren’t. Take pumpkin pie. Many of us assume you can leave it out, but food experts say it really needs […]

December 24, 2025

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The Human Cost Of Inflation: One Mother’s View From The Financial Edge

Christina Kuhn’s life is a daily race against rising prices, stagnant wages and the constant fear that one unexpected expense could cause her family to lose everything. In this intimate portrait of a Michigan family stretched to their limit, we explore what it really feels like to live without a safety net in today’s economy. Christina Kuhn, Michigan resident, mother Links for more info: How to Receive Federal Financial Assistance Getting Help Through 211 America’s Affordability Crisis – Time Magazine […]

December 21, 2025

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The One-Hunded Year Anniversary Of Mount Rushmore

It’s one of the most photographed landmarks in America, but behind the four stone faces lies a story of abandoned visions, a sculptor with a controversial legacy and a mountain long sacred to Native Americans. A century after the project was approved, we have a conversation about the landmark’s lesser-known history and who gets to shape the story of America. Matthew Davis, author, A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore Links for more info: A […]

December 21, 2025

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Culture Crash: Train Dreams Is Netflix’s Newest Cinematic Masterpiece

Welcome to Culture Crash, where we examine American culture – what’s new and old in entertainment… The new film Train Dreams, which is now streaming on Netflix, is a powerful meditation on the American dream, life in the early 1900s, and grief. The film is based on a novella of the same name by Denis Johnson; it revels in the visual splendor of the Pacific Northwest and settles in to document the fictional life of character Robert Grainier, a railroad […]

December 17, 2025