The Joy Cardin Show

The idea that bacteria and germs are essentially bad is a widespread belief. But, according to our guest, that notion is "dangerously wrong." We talk with him about microbes and the role they play in children's health and development as they grow to adulthood.

Retirement may be a time for taking it easy after a lot of hard work during the career. However, instead of enjoying leisure, some may find themselves bored. We talk with guests from the blog, Retiree Rebels, about the effects of boredom. We also get their thoughts about how ageism affects our health and address what to do about ‘elder orphans.’

The State Capitol Report continues when we discuss a Republican proposal to relax restrictions on wineries and craft brewers. Rep. Dale Kooyenga discusses why he says today’s liquor laws are out of date and how he says his plan would boost tourism. Our next guest explains why he says the measure would make it harder for small taverns to compete.

It’s the State Capitol Report. An Assembly committee may vote this week on the state’s incentives package for Foxconn. WPR’s State Capitol reporter Laurel White bring us up to speed on where the legislation sits today, recaps last week’s public hearing and shares perspectives from various political players in the state.

Writing is an ability that involves skill, feeling, imagination, and much more. However, the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress reports that three-quarters of both 12th and 8th graders lack proficiency in writing. Our guest explains the history and the root problem of poor writing and effective approaches to become confident writers.

A state Assembly committee held a hearing on a $3 billion tax incentive package that’s part of an agreement to bring a mammoth Foxconn electronics factory to Wisconsin on Thursday, but not all legislative leaders agree that Foxconn should be prioritized over the stalled state budget. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump signed what he called a 'seriously flawed' measure with bipartisan support into law with sanctions for Russia and made headlines when he threw his support behind a proposal that would limit legal immigration. Join us as our two guests of differing political perspectives explore this and other top political news during the Week in Review.

Distrust in American government remains near historic lows, according to a recent Pew survey, and many predict this trend won’t be changing any time soon. But what does that mean for our democracy, and just what can be done? Our guest says our government must earn the trust of its citizens, and lays out some ideas for repairing the broken relationship.

78,000 people are expected to pack Lambeau Field this weekend for the Green Bay Packers’ annual Family Night scrimmage. We celebrate Packers fandom with a discussion of why people love the team, how they show their pride for the green and gold and share their favorite memories of the team.

Like ‘em or not, emojis are becoming an increasingly important part of our digital conversations, with more than six million sent via text message every day. While some worry that the rise of the emoji is having a negative impact on written language, our guest says they can actually make us better communicators. We take a deeper dive into the world of emojis and what we can learn about language, linguistics and ourselves from them.

Officials in the Justice Department are planning a new project to take a look at affirmative action policies in college admissions and could potentially sue those that they determine discriminate against applicants based on their race, according to reporting by The New York Times. Meanwhile, the agency is pushing back, calling the report "inaccurate" and saying that this was a call for volunteers to work on a single complaint, not a policy change. Our guest columnist analyzes this news plus explores the state of affirmative action and the challenges associated in bringing the college admission process into the 21st Century.

The number of honeybees in the United States is on the rise while deaths attributed to colony collapse disorder is on the decline, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Our guest discusses what's going on behind the numbers, the threats facing honeybees and what people can do to help bees thrive.

For musicians, instruments aren’t just objects or a tool of their craft -- they’re also beloved friends. Our guest spent eight years photographing professional musicians and collecting the stories of their favorite instruments for his book, “A Perfectly Good Guitar.”

Conservationists are raising concerns about the relaxed environmental standards for Foxconn as it prepares to build a massive facility in southeastern Wisconsin. They’re also worked up about the speed at which the state’s incentive package is moving through the Legislature. We talk with former Democratic state lawmaker and Sierra Club Vice President Spencer Black about why he’s troubled about the Foxconn plan.

Cholesterol lowering drugs, known as statins, can be life-saving for many patients, but a growing movement online is questioning the safety and effectiveness of these drugs. That’s leading to pushback from some in the medical community, including our guest, who makes the case that denying the benefits of statins is a threat to public health, and it’s time to crack down on the “pseudoscience” that may be scaring patients away from these drugs.

Financial planner Kevin McKinley joins us for another installment of On Your Money. We discuss why wages aren’t getting much of a boost despite the improving economy, why he says you should make or at least review your will, and some tools to help you see the big solar eclipse this month.