Take blockchain and cryptocurrency, for example. My son convinced me to invest in crypto. Crypto and blockchain are related in the world of digital assets, and despite the naysayers and doomcasters, I’m diving in. I wanna know what bright people in the field are saying about the future of money. I wanna hear their recommendations on securing my personal data (i.e health care files, mobile apps, etc.) as it becomes more widely distributed.

In this episode of CK Unmuted, Karen Hsu, founder of Blockchain for Women, enlightens us on crypto and blockchain. If you’re thinking about investing in cryptocurrency and/or you want to know more about the astonishing promise of blockchain, listen to Karen’s interview above and check out the resources she recommends below. Thank you, Karen, for answering my questions and for being a trailblazer in this exciting new space!

~CK

Resources:

Blockchain by Women: https://blockchainbywomen.com/ (company founded by Karen Hsu to educate and connect people in the blockchain world)

The Block: https://www.theblock.co/ (all about digital assets)

Cointelegraph: https://cointelegraph.com/ (all about the future of money)

Coindesk: https://www.coindesk.com/ (events and information services company for the crypto asset and blockchain technology community)

The Brutal Truth About Bitcoin: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-brutal-truth-about-bitcoin/#:~:text=It%20has%20no%20intrinsic%20value,have%20been%20created%20so%20far).

To pitch an interview idea, contact Cynthia Kreilick at cynthiakreilick@gmail.com.

For Corinne Goodwin, being transgender isn’t a “lifestyle choice.” She knew she was transgender when she was three. She came out when she was 50. New studies strongly suggest that the brains of transgender people are wired differently in utero. There appear to be genetic markers and hormonal variations during pregnancy that predispose a person to being transgender. These prenatal conditions can cause a child born with a penis to identify as female or a child born with a vagina to identify as male.

Transgender people face innumerable challenges. They are often rejected by family and friends, refused service by health care providers, denied employment and turned away by landlords. As a result, they are prone to substance abuse, mental and physical health problems and homelessness.

My interview with Corinne Goodwin is a call to compassion and a call to educate ourselves about the trans community. Thank you, Corinne, for encouraging us to recognize and support trans people striving to create family, meaningful work and good health…just like the rest of us.

~ CK

Resources:

Organizations:

1. Advocates for Transgender Equality: https://transequality.org/
2. GLAD - GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders: https://www.glad.org/
3. Eastern PA Trans Equity Project: http://patransequity.org

Science:

1. https://www.newsweek.com/neuroscientists-brain-sex-gender-1924056
2. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-there-something-unique-about-the-transgender-brain/
3. https://www.newsweek.com/transgender-people-brains-wired-those-gender-they-identify-new-study-shows-939504

Books:

1. Becoming an Ally to the Gender-Expansive Child: a Guide for Parents and Carers by Anna Bianchi
2. Call Me Max, by Kyle Lukoff, Illustrated by Luciano Lozano
3. You Need to Chill, by Juno Dawson, Illustrated by Laura Hughes

To pitch an interview idea, contact Cynthia Kreilick at cynthiakreilick@gmail.com.

It was no hardship for me to mow less and let the clover and wild strawberries overrun my lawn this spring. I’ve been schooled on lawns, you see. I’ve embraced natives and No Mow May and all the other hippy dippy environmental trends that are becoming more and more common place. And for good reason. The fertilized, “pest-free” lawns of today have virtually zero nutrients, food or shelter for birds and other creatures vital to a balanced ecosystem.

This spring, my yard was teaming with bees, birds, chipmunks and spiders. I love them all! (Out of respect for my neighbors, whose lawn aesthetic is more Puritanical than mine, I try to keep their side of the property more conventionally manicured.).

Is your yard a sterile wasteland of emerald green grass, pumped full of pesticide and herbicide? Take a walk on the wild side! Try less lawn. Experiment with native plants. My interview with Heidi Shiver, of Bird Town PA, will inspire you to start building a healthier home for yourself and all the living things around you. Thank you, Heidi, for extolling the virtues of vultures and all of our feathered friends!

~ CK

Bird Conservation Resources:

1. Bird Town PA link: http:/birdtownpa.org
2. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Threats To Birds: https://www.fws.gov/library/collections/threats-birds
3. Audubon Pennsylvania Backyard Habitat Recognition Program

To pitch an interview idea, contact Cynthia Kreilick at cynthiakreilick@gmail.com.