Mothers, Markets and Migration In this week’s episode, we take a look at how over six decades after the Korean War, South Korea processed the most international adoptions in history and how the demand for a “domestic supply of (adoptable) infants” may be playing a role in increasing threats to autonomy over pregnancy in the US. This show first aired in November 2024.

Trudy Lynn is featured this week. Rod Evans of living Blues wrote of Trudy Lynn, “with a voice that easily transitions from barroom growls to uptown sass and sophisticated soul, her special blend of blues, R&B and soul has won crowds from sweaty Houston juke joints to massive European festivals. Lynn talks about her music and her decades of joy performing blues music.

Economics of Happiness.Helena Norberg Hodge envisions a future where communities thrive through collaboration and a return to nature. She tells of how her years spent in Tibet, witnessing firsthand the effects of globalization, shaped her worldview. She argues economic globalization is a threat to the environment, to local communities, and is at the root of young people’s unhappiness in modern society. ● Helena’s latest book, Local Is Our Future, Steps to Economics of Happiness, traces many of modern society’s problems to the globalized economy, advocating for a shift to the local. ● She emphasizes the human need for connection and the power of localized systems to foster well-being and resilience. ● Empowering women is essential for creating sustainable communities, the majority of local initiatives are started by women. ● Local systems can be the foundations for larger systems that emphasize connection, cooperation, and community well-being over profit.