“Pffft, English. Who needs that? I'm never going to England.”

"Sensitive love letters are my specialty. 'Dear Baby, Welcome to Dumpsville. Population: you.' "

"D'oh!"

The Simpsons has delivered enough humor, satire, great writing and insight during its 30 years on TV to have attracted serious attention (and sites devoted to its funny quotes, like these from main character Homer Simpson). Karma Waltonen, an instructor at UC Davis whose expertise ranges from Margaret Atwood to stand-up comedy, teaches a class on the Fox network cartoon series at the University of California, Davis, and recently published her second book on the show, The Simpsons' Beloved Springfield: Essays on the TV Series and Town That Are Part of Us All (co-edited with Denise Du Vernay). On Davisville today she talks about The Simpsons, why the program matters, why students want to study it, and similarities between Springfield and Davis.

Biotechnology is changing lives, products and expectations, creating both possibilities and risks. The changes are enormous, and more are ahead. My guest today is Jim DeKloe (pictured), founder and director of the Industrial biotechnology program, and a professor of biological sciences and biotech, at Solano Community College. We talk about the center in Vacaville, its unusual (for a community college) bachelor’s degree, biotech, the creation of a ”life sciences corridor” between Sacramento and the Bay Area, the need for ethics and laws to keep up, and how a product he knew from his time at Genentech saved his 4-year-old son’s life.

This show was a blast and totally awesome - what a great way to end 2019. 

Broken Glass, formed in December 2018, are 8th-graders who practice in their drummer’s garage. Performing at small gigs and school events, the band started by playing cover songs, and was soon creating originals. They play a variety of genres, but most often stay within the wider rock style. The members are Alexander (keyboard/vocals/guitar), Alden (guitarist),  Everett (bass), and Oscar (drums)

See playlist for details of the songs that inspired the individual members.