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With tariffs on a $7500000.00 of European products this week and then there are further tariff increases on China scheduled for later this month and then also in December you just took my whole list of things man I got like that you know that I thought I was giving us a way. To make a mess I'm going to go to you actually and talk about this World Trade Organization ruling on Wednesday that said the United States is authorized under the rules of international trade to levy tariffs on 7 have $1000000000.00 worth of European imports because of subsidies that the Europeans have given to Airbus for damage to counteract damage done to Boeing. This is the way international trade is supposed to work 1st of all right there are rules yes there are rules and this is this is a super different example of tariffs to the rest of the taps that we've seen in the terms of ministration if you think about his tariffs on steel has tariffs on China that's really the u.s. Going it alone saying I don't like what you're doing and I'm going to have send you this is completely different this is the rules based system you've got these judges who've said look we've compared the policy with the rules as they're written and we say look America you are allowed to put these tariffs on the Europeans and and the point is that by doing these things within the system is much less likely to lead to escalation by the Europeans and much less likely to hit back you're much less likely to get the kind of trade that we've seen with China and the retaliation that we saw when when we had the tariffs on steel What are we supposed to do then when. I'm going to pick one parmesan cheese consumers in this country are going to have to pay 25 percent more because their boss got a bunch of subsidies how does that come down or I guess one of the bigger m. Cations right. Yes So so the un the United States does have the express permission of the deputy o. Here but these tariffs are still going to weigh on consumers and in particular it seems like people throwing fancy dinner parties that there were 25 percent tariff on like like us I'm sure 25 percent tariff on French wine Spanish olives German coffee Parmesan scotch whiskey and then also a 10 percent tariff on aircraft so I think there's a lot for you know consumers still to complain about to say that. You know these tariffs might be within the rules but they still weigh on consumers and the economy and there's another case that the United States and Europe should be working together to write new rules surrounding subsidies which is what this case is over and is the main problem with China instead of hitting each other with tariffs and I just you know I just jump in and say that that I you know as as any other if European cheese and very concerned but just just looking at the numbers and we don't have the kind of final final list of what exactly is going to be hit but it looks like the biggest the biggest ticket item as mentioned was was acro so thinking putting this into economic context obviously everyone thinks of promises of promise and it gets very anxious as I do but economically it's for real Acra that it's going to cause the biggest Well and also the I mean $7500000000.00 in a what are we like in $1000.00 trillion dollar economy really is is nothing it's more the principle of the thing right on. Yeah I think it's an irritant but you have other you know issues at play in the us e.u. Relationship as well and as I was saying an action taken within global trading rolls means it's less likely to escalate but there's a lot of other stuff going on between the u.s. And Europe also the potential for car tariffs later this year so you know it is something that can kind of aggravate tensions I was I was actually feeling kind of optimistic on this I really thought oh well if you're giving trump his targets look he's able to put tariffs on French wine maybe have a less interest maybe a piece be persuaded that we've already got tax on the Europeans and so he doesn't need to go and put tariffs on cars and maybe that's an average day and make maybe I don't know I I'm going to get me on that one never one never knows with this administration and trade policies McCain's at the Economist on a Swanson at the New York Times thanks you to how much we can thank you see on Wall Street on this Friday here is one way to think about it wasn't nothing in this morning's jobs report that's going to stage a pal in the Fed from another rate cut when they meet the end of this month and you do know how Wall Street loves its rate cuts right we'll have the details when we do the numbers. C. C. C. C So I gave Jobs a mere 9 up at the beginning of the program because I knew we were going to get to him eventually and here we are the September unemployment report that came out this morning one $136000.00 new jobs 3 and a half percent on the unemployment rate both of which are good to you know pretty impressive actually for as long as this expansion has been going on in the year maybe not so great category was wage growth. Basically wasn't any last month paychecks are up just under 3 percent since last September the slowest that growth has been in more than a year by the way so we sent Marketplace's Mitchell Hartman the Find out what that means for people in their economic data day Carly Johnston and her husband have been pretty happy with how their paychecks have been growing until now she's 40 a lawyer he's in computers they both work for a Fortune 500 companies near Minneapolis last year her husband got a promotion and a big raise but this year his boss told him no raise at all because of what's happening in terms of tariffs and everything else it's affecting their business her company's also struggling and she thinks she won't get a race this year either stand to win it is used to not getting a raise he's 56 and works as a music director at a nonprofit in Long Beach California his pay hasn't gone up since 2014 but health insurance premiums keep going up 12 percent a year the lack of a cost of living adjustment means that it's just getting harder and harder to hang on let alone getting at it can be hard to keep up even with decent pay hikes Victor Ponce is 43 and works in i.t. Security for Los Angeles County he got a 2 and a half percent raise this month and will get another one percent in January under a union contract now we have in l.a. It's never enough. But he says something that helps Brian Mayfield is $35.00 and works in the renewable energy industry in Bend Oregon he's gotten a few promotions over the last 5 years and doubled his salary to about 80000 dollars this year the review process is great and all the stars aligned I was really excited it's kind of like picking out the next toys you know imagine what the phrase buy these and he got 3 point one percent in an economy with lots of openings and low unemployment the best way to get a big raise is often to get a new job on Mitchell Hartman for Marketplace one of the reasons the unemployment rate is so low because 3 and a half percent is crazy low is that people are piling back into the workforce in September just a hair more than 80 percent of Americans 25 to 54 were working that's the biggest chunk of that group since 2007 marketplaces are bearers has more on that one the growing number of Americans in the work force is being driven disproportionately by women in September their participation rate rose to 74 percent the highest since 2001 the Peek a chamber is program director of the California nonprofit women back to work she says it's tough for women who've left the workforce to return because of the ongoing symbiosis that there it is there is to let somebody was taken a break so one has to be determined and focused in order to get back into the workforce chamber knows that from experience she left a career in marketing in 2012 so she could be with her 2 kids full time then after 5 years you know I baited my resume after I did my Lincoln go why I started applying to jobs online I did not hear back even from one company it's a carry year to eventually find a job she has now in April to plan of Hartford Connecticut was laid off from his job as a physician's assistant specializing in ophthalmology he sends out about $75.00 resumes and only got a few calls back it took him 6 months to find a job. It starts next week so Clint says when he hears about the tight labor market I think for certain the field yeah you can go when and dictate your own salary and have people fall over you know that's what happened to Wesley Hamis of Glenview Illinois he never left the workforce when he decided to switch aerospace engineering jobs late last year there recruiters came to him it was pretty similar with all the different job offers they were struggling to find people and so there were a lot of perks The only catch he had to move away from Cincinnati where he'd been working for years America Paris for Marketplace one more quick thing on jobs from yesterday's program this one is we did an explainer on how the Bureau of Labor Statistics gets the employment data that it crunches and then publishes on the 1st Friday of every month as it did this morning I misidentified economist terrace and Claire she's at g.w. George Washington University not the other one with George and the name across town . Medicare we go now because this week President from signed an order expanding benefits in private Medicare plans about a 3rd of the 60 or so 1000000 elderly and disabled Americans on Medicare have joined what are called Advantage plans that are run by private insurers like United Health and. For consumers there are now more data points to consider when deciding what kind of Medicare is best for them it's pretty complicated system to navigate in the 1st place it should be said But as Marketplace's Jack Stewart reports where there is choice like that there is also a business opportunity Medicare Medicare Advantage Medigap a b. C. D. There are a lot of decisions to make when you become eligible at 65 as this t.v. Commercial from ensure a few mama plays on there are lots of people who are confused about which Medicare plan is right for them and that's me I barely know where to start Lindsey Wiley directs the health law and policy program at American University she says when it comes to the advantage plans things get really complicated there's a lot of apples to oranges comparison that happens because they have different packages of services different combinations of co-payments co-insurance deductibles there are plenty of people poised to guide you through it like Danielle Roberts co-founder of Boomer benefits it's an insurance broker but she says agents actually end up doing a ton of education like webinars because people are overwhelmed by the choices when someone has a need we can search through the variety of different carriers and see if we can find one that has a competitive premium or that's a close match for the benefits that the client is wanting. Me and the countless other brokers out I'll paid a commission by the insurer another big player in this field a Oppy works a little differently and punted with United Health Care to offer a co branded health plans if you're of a certain age you'll no doubt getting deluged with mailers and phone calls from health insurance companies Gerri Kaminski is at the u.c.l.a. Center for Health Policy Research He says Advantage plans might limit you to a smaller network of providers but they usually come with something extra one of the big drawing features or attractions of Medicare Advantage plans is that they offer benefits in addition to the standard Medicare coverage that includes things like hearing aid coverage or even gym memberships it's all a lot of decisions to make and open enrollment start some type of 15 text you know for Marketplace. Coming up and I really want a martini in my teens and I say is the best and it's friday have be our prices gang but 1st let's do the numbers. Right here you know the Dell industrials up 372 points today one and 410 percent 26573 the Nasdaq bank 110 points about 1.4 percent 79 to the s. And p. 500 up 41 points also 1.4 percent 29 and 52 there for the week though a little rougher with all that bad data we're talking about with my Cain's 9 tenth's percent the Nasdaq gained 4 tenths percent and the s. And p. $500.00 down 3 tenths percent week on week unemployment is at a 50 year low doesn't mean some companies are still shedding jobs one of them each one of the big losers on Wall Street stocks to nearly 10 percent after the parent company announced its cutting its workforce a report that Apple is boosting production of its new i Phone 11 to meet demand. Said it shares up 2.8 percent the business communications company of via holdings surged today up 30 percent and you're listening to. Marketplace is supported by the Financial Times you can make sense of a fragmented world with the Apple t.v. And lead the way in business and beyond f.t. Dot com slash new agenda and by Sony Pictures Classics presenting Where's my Roy Cohn a new film by Matt chair now are the life and career of Roy Cohn from the execution of the Rosenbergs to McCarthyism to the molding of a young Donald Trump now playing. You're hearing marketplace on k.q.e.d. Public radio support for k.q.e.d. Comes from the vetoes health care hospice brings an individual plan of care to a patient a high acuity patient may require frequent visits continuous care at home and after hours phone support learn more at vi T.A.'s dot com and the Netflix presenting Steven Soderbergh's comedy the laundromat with Meryl Streep Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas a widow's investigation of insurance fraud uncovers exploitation of the world's financial system now playing in theaters coming up in about 13 minutes from now on the California Report magazine will hear the story of a woman who went blind very suddenly at the age of 34 and how she really learned to do everything she loved from beekeeping to photography using the power of Sound The California Report magazine at 43630 and again at 11 o'clock tonight here on k.q.e.d. Public Radio. This is Marketplace I'm doll food is where we go now food how we get it specifically something called ag tech agriculture technology obviously you want to grow crops you need sun soil and water and here in California the agriculture rich Central Valley to be specific you got sun we've got soil the water is the hard part so farmers are figuratively taking to the skies Lawrence Molly wrote about it for the New York Times welcome to the program thank you so much for having me for those who haven't seen it describe for me where just the Central Valley of California what it looks like. So I drove off from San Francisco a couple weekends ago to Yosemite and on the way you go through the Central Valley and one thing that will strike you is this is not a landscape that comes on in stages there's literally a line where there's the 1st row of crops and that is because the whole region is run on you're a geisha in and it's just where they've decided to start your getting the 1st row of crops is where the valley begins and that is the sort of premise of the technology that now these farmers are using to get every last drop where they wanted to be specifically now for your piece aerial imagery this Describe for me how it works and what they're doing. There's this new trend in agriculture called precision agriculture you use just enough water pesticide and fertilizer that single crop needs to have maximum yields and no more and so I was looking at these aerial imaging companies they fly actual fixed wing planes over fields with this fancy imaging machinery they're capturing these wavelength of the light that's being reflected off the crops and all of these things are all of this data is then sent through these algorithms to come up with. A water stress index that shows Ok that line over there needs more water that area over there needs more fertilizer so if I'm a farmer out there in my pickup truck I'm not necessarily going out and you know feeling the dirt with my hands right with a tablet or smartphone and just looking at the data to see what this data tell me about how my trees are known exactly they can get their data like the next day after these flights like you usually within one day and it will show them basically real time information you know at a level that your naked eye could never see and I mean one thing I learned when doing this story is that it's still a very analog in history and that there is just a lot of walking the line scene where you have leaks on here a geisha in lines there's nothing that gives you this intelligence about your field like these aerial images and the the bigger picture here if you'll pardon the aerial imagery pun right the bigger picture is not is not just the Central Valley but it's agriculture worldwide having to produce more food for more people in a warming climate with more scarce water. That is right and the Central Valley is very much a microcosm of the world wide problem here and we've had you know droughts over the last few years and I read actually this u.n. Study while I was doing this story and it was kind of one of those the to steaks that makes you gulp but it was like by 2050 the world's growers need to produce 70 percent more food on just 5 percent more land and technology is widely recognized as the force that will get them there Lauren Smiley reading the New York Times about for Cision agriculture pictures from the air more than thankful for time I really appreciate it thanks so much for having me. Maybe you're thinking if you indulge that it would be nice to stop for a quick drink on the way home I mean you can't beat a happy hour prices right bar and restaurant owners are counting on those special deals to get you in the door also especially in places on the coast they're counting on oysters cheap oysters Marketplace's Justin who has the economics of the dollar oyster happy hour. There's a seafood spot in midtown Manhattan called Crave Fish Bar It serves oysters from the east and west coast that costs $3.00 to $4.00 apiece on the regular menu but get there during happy hour and you can order a number of those oysters or a dollar for $1.50 So Happy Hour tonight we have right here 123-456-7891 extension 011 East Coast. West Coast Brian Owens is the managing partner at crave he says between the restaurants 2 locations they're going through roughly 20000 oysters a week 6000 during happy hour alone player Hurst just finished up a dozen with a work colleague price point it's pretty phenomenal you know and I also wish I think the center actually I don't know about 5 minutes and I stood at the bar Diana Purcell and a friend are working on their 2nd dozen and thinking about ordering a 3rd we came here specifically for the oysters. And I really wanted a mighty mighty the nice This is the best that's the strategy the restaurant isn't making much off the oysters Owen says he buy so he stares at around $77.00 to $0.80 a piece but the hope is they'll rake it in at the bar and that people might stay for dinner and order a whole brand Xeno for $36.00 or the lobster curry for $38.00 crave isn't the only restaurant that's figured this out for other spots are doing oyster happy hours on the same block and everyone from the Irish pub to the cream barbecue to the tavern is all due in dollars is now. We were never seen 10 years ago. About 2 miles south of crayfish bar I met another oyster happy hour in a restaurant called Cole and pistol with me is oyster enthusiastic Julie Chu runs an oyster focused blog called in a half shell with high def photos and guides to finding good oysters just want to give you like a general around the coastline tasting of difference in the ninety's and texture and flavor to says the boom an oyster happy hour is giving people access to a food that used to be pretty pricey but she says all of those cheap oysters have also created the new store she displays people believe that we certainly be cheap and what they were getting out was very normal are good. Places like Poland pistol which specializes in seafood and serves lots of wasters every day but other spots she says Shuckers might not be properly trained and the staff may be less experienced in handling and storing raw seafood you see a series that look like just dried out she says that's not going to be going to sell it sounds just guessing but I've seen it happen where the waster is not alive it's just that it's sad little sweet and sour and it still gets. Eaten but it's costly to produce high quality oysters says Pete Melanau ski who grew up on an oyster farmer off along islands which sells a lot of oysters to restaurants in New York City it's incredibly labor intensive because you're you have to handle those those cages all the time you're sorting yourself by size you're getting rid of other animals that sat on the cages. And it's anywhere from 18 months to 4 years to go from a 2 millimeter oyster to a market size oyster there is an upside to the popularity of oyster happy hours Allan ascii and I are talking on Governor's Island in New York where he runs the 1000000000 oyster Project 75 restaurants around the city give the 1000000000 oyster project their empty shells which the project uses to grow new oysters in New York Harbor we collect about $8000.00 pounds of shell per week. And that's very seasonally. So it's as much as 10000 pounds some time to be here these New York Harbor oysters aren't for eating oysters filter water and the idea is that if the project eventually grows a 1000000000 of them the harbor can filter itself every 3 days in New York and just in how the marketplace. This final note on the way out in which I am thankful my kids have decided it's not cool to listen to this program anymore from the New York Times today this item a survey from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants about allowances for kids 2 thirds of parents give their children an allowance so yes same in my house although we are a bit in arrears to be honest but here's the kicker the average amount weekly for allowances is $30.00 which seems like a lot also it's way up from the survey done in 2016 when the weekly average was $17.00 for kids for a week or a much cheaper. Marketplace is supported by. The small batch bourbon Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey Bardstown Kentucky 47 percent alcohol by volume and finally drink. And. Helping traders find opportunity in currency trading for over 18 years Forex dot com It's your world trade it for x. Training and significant risk for longs and fidelity entertainment and Roadside Attractions presenting Judy featuring Renee Zellweger is Judy Garland in London to perform a run of sold out shows now playing are we got to go the down does rose up $372.00 points the day 1.4 percent the Nasdaq banked on 110 points 1.4 percent the s. And p. 500 up 41 points also you think yes 1.4 percent for the music was composed by b.j. Leiderman marketplace is executive producer is 94. Is the senior vice president and general manager around these parts I'm car result we will see about everybody having So Big 3 weekend all right. This is a pia the California report is about a minute away then at 5 o'clock all things considered right now though Friday afternoon commute check with Peter Finch Mountain View northbound one on one after San Antonio road a big rig lost its load of chicken parts the right lane is closed as they await a cleanup crew Panola eastbound 80 after Pinole Valley Road there's a stalled truck in the left lane it's a slow go San Francisco to Moran you're crawling from the Palace of Fine Arts across the bridge to Robin Williams Tunnel Peter Finch for k.q.e.d. . Thank you Peter his report was brought to us by u p s Jobs dot com support for k.q.e.d. Comes from 8 by 8 offering cloud based communication solutions across voice video meetings chat and contact center on the web at 8 x. 8 dot com 8 by 8 communications transformed and one medical a primary care practice with same day appointments 247 virtual care and new locations around the Bay Area more on membership at one medical dot com. It's $430.00 time for the California report support for the California report comes from Earth Justice a national law organization fighting for the right to a healthy environment taking big polluters and the government to court no matter who's in office Eric and Wendy Schmidt whose fund for Strategic and evasions supports transformative ideas that benefit humanity while protecting the natural world recognizing through science the interdependence of all living systems and the California Health Care Foundation helping low income Californians get the health care they need on the web at c h c av dot o.-r. G. This week on The California Report magazine. Ariel Gilbert has always had a lot of happy she has to make sure we go birdwatching take photographs and she loved beekeeping but at the age of 34 that all changed in an instant it's like getting jettisoned turn other planet Ariel suddenly lost all her vision felt sorry for herself is afraid of everything and I saw on arrival really a long boring life if I don't do something to change this it's been almost 30 years since Ariel lost her sight and in that time she's really learned everything she used to do before she went blind and she did it through the power of sound you're hearing there's all. This little bubbles coming up the from the stern of the. You can hear the dance the dancing that happens like in a little circle on the they you hear. Says. I'm starship coca and this week on The California Report magazine we're going to hear how Ariel Gilbert reclaimed many think so. She thought she'd never have again and along the way we're going to explore what it's like to experience the world using senses beyond. This episode comes to us from a partnership with Sam Harnett and Chris half of the podcast The World According to sound Sam and Chris visited Ariel at her home in Petaluma. Oh you know where I'm Sam let me show you this New Zealander Chris. There are a lot of things I didn't think I'd be able to do again beekeeping being one of them because I didn't have a concept of how could I do it different so you can tell. Yeah yeah I mean your stuff Ok. With these are. There's so much visual information looking at. The Honeycomb the brood now and I didn't think that I could. Be a good beekeeper without being able to see act. That would give it the business Ok I'm going to just you know so we have the smoker up there to take the top off. But it just wasn't the smoker and yeah you just have to understand. And we've got a good amount of smoke coming through so I think you guys are so cool yeah you should be fine priority number one. Or something for tech to protect the talent. That fellow. Says. I can hear how to be easier behaving like if there agitated when there's you know the other bees trying to get in the where it's too crowded and they're too hot or too cold. Or you can hear if they're just there just calm and in general what I'm listening for is calmness you know just normal sounds normal activity it's when they start getting upset and agitated when the volume goes up. Aerials and early sixty's but looks younger has a crop of black hair and an athletic brain she used to be a nurse and with a decisive yet gentle way she moves her hands you can get the sense that she was good at it Ariel doesn't hesitate to open the hives in reached. Into the humming mass of thousands of beat her fingers softly brushed against their bodies and they don't seem to mind she calls the bees her girls Ariel got her 1st 5 of them when she was a teenager I started the keeping when I was a junior in high school and I ordered my 1st piece from Sears and Roebuck and they came in the me all along with a high post man was terrified and had to listen to the bees in the back of the But yeah so he was really anxious to get rid of them I mean he got to the door and my mom was there and he just shoved him interfaces at these u.b.s. Lady. When I 1st started beekeeping I was more afraid of them to get out gloves and definitely when I worked with my b.f. The information that I was paying attention to with fish oil and now it's the other side so. You can hear the dance the dance. It's kind of what happens like in a little circle on me they do you hear. This is this is this is it and it's different patterns depending on how far and. But it's very distinct. Ariel's not the 1st blind person to take an interest in the Swiss entomologist Francoise who bear started losing his sight at 15 in the 18th century he made major discoveries about the lives of beats he proved that bees use their intent to communicate their queens meet in the air and he described how drones were killed at the end of each so. Those who are blind aren't the only ones listening to be researchers like Tom Seeley a corn. University a recording them to make insights into their behavior Tom wrote a book called Honeybee Democracy it's all about the decision making process inside a hive after we met with Ariel We called up Tom He sent us a bunch of very particular piece announce the winner Ok thank you we're going to. The look of the river that high pitched buzz is the sound of worker bees telling the Queen it's time to fly to a new home we were. Very . Short high pitched burst is a be disagreeing with the decision essential boating. And this is the waggle of the it's that's the buzzing sound in that area was here inside the high this beat is using the dance to tell the other bees where the flowers with an after school. Going to. The. READY READY READY READY after spending a day with her. You're listening to The California Report magazine. And today we've been visiting with bee keeper Ariel Gilbert at her home in Petaluma she lost her sight 30 years ago when she was a nurse and she's had to use sound to really learn how to do everything she did before abruptly going. READY READY READY READY READY READY and happen all at once came home from the night shift at the hospital. And my eyes are kind of sore from the air condition environment so I stopped off at the pharmacy. Over the counter eyedrops and the notes to me they'd been tampered with and they had a drain cleaner. And. An immediate life of originally being a nurse I just you know open both eyes when drop drop. If they're family if I know what I was made out. I have to say I didn't handle it well probably for about the 1st 6 months felt sorry for myself is afraid of everything. Kind of close myself down to you. It's like you might as well be dead because I wasn't I I just wasn't doing anything except listening to music and I didn't think I could do anything and. I really literally woke up one day and started projecting out what my life would be like because I had always had a really active life then and. Going on in the direction I was was not working and I thought I'm going to have a really long boring life if I don't know do something to change this 1 1. It was a long process healing and you know thinking then I getting hope from the doctors that. I might get some sight back but. There came a point where you know Ok we've done what we can do and this is what you're dealing with. The best that they can figure out was the factory closed 2 weeks after the ball had been produced and then it was a disgruntled employee because they completely closed the factory and there was another person that lived in Hawaii also was affected by the eyedrops and they pulled them. So as far as I know it's just the 2 of us and if the same time I know it was back in late the late eighty's when this happened and there were Tylenol tamperings going on so they think you know it's also kind of like copycat Tylenol tampering thing. Area last year I said in 1980 and she was 34 years old there isn't much information out there about the incident Ariel settled with the company that made the eyedrops as part of the deal was to go into details with the media about what happened we found one newspaper clipping in the l.a. Times just a short article one paragraph Here's what it says the f.b.i. And the federal Food and Drug Administration are probing an incident in which a nurse was blinded by eyedrops contaminated with a caustic chemical her left eye looks like it melted and her right eye looks like it's covered with white glue said Richard Critchlow an attorney for Ariel van z. Miller 34 of Fairfax in Marin County Critchlow said 80 percent of Miller's left cornea and 60 percent of her right cornea were destroyed and doctors do not know if she will ever recover her sight. Ariel later told us that her marriage at the time ended when she lost her son she also was unable to work as a nurse and rolled hospital gave her a job developing x. Rays she says that was the only place they were comfortable having a blind person work Ariel would sit in an 8 by 8 dark room all day developing film . It's been over 30 years since Ariel lost her sight moving in a single instant from a world with a vision to one without it somebody had violently taken away her vision in turned her entire world upside down at 1st she was in total despair which after 6 months we just a breaking point that was the point for me where I made the decision no more feeling sorry for myself nor more hiding no more being afraid because I don't lowing whoever this person was to still hurt me a lot of it for me was about the transformation and moving on and getting accustomed to a whole new life it's like getting jettisoned turn other planet I knew that black people got around with. Long my canes and guide dogs and so I went to the state school for the blind over in Albany lived there 6 months and learned Braille long white cane how to you know orient myself over and activities of daily living got back into doing exercise learned a lot of basically tricks of being white but those were just the basics they were important for Ariel but she still didn't really feel like herself that all changed when she got the courage to do something she thought he never be able to do again go. So I wrote while I was in college and then I. Got back into rowing pretty quickly because a friend of mine she came by I went and said and take hearing you don't need to see the road and you're not going to argue with me. It was super scary because I can even walk in the house at that point as I hadn't even been blind me maybe for 5 months and. I was afraid to move I was afraid to do everything anything and I got in the boat it didn't take too many strokes few for it went from feeling scary to ha. You know just you know being able to move my body again and you know move through space and you know push against the footboards and it was just such a gift and I never stopped again for the back. Up to be outdoors. And you know being surrounded by salt air. You know will spray off the water Yeah just. All the tactile. Auditory information you hear. You're hearing. This little bubbles coming off the front of the stern of the. It's a complete experience. Her. Her . Her. Her. Her. Rowing was the 1st big step in regaining what she felt like she lost in her life and many more things followed you know as I've been blind things that I had a limited like birdwatching photography things that I thought were Should trickly there will I have circled back and brought them back into my life and found different ways of approaching it and still being able to enjoy getting back to these hobbies was a triumph but there's just a small part of her life Ariel fell in love again and remarried she went back to work and has had a number of positions in a nonprofit called Guide Dogs for the blind she was an active volunteer and has traveled extensively. It's been a full life. How a person goes blind can be a point of morbid fascination for those who are psych is often one of the 1st things someone blind getting asked to focusing on that one detail flattens a person you can distract you from really getting to know them and the richness of how they experience the world we fell into that trap a little bit in this radio story ourselves I mean it was never supposed to be about the boys and eyedrops but about how Ariel Gilbert was used around to become a big. Aerial says when she was sighted she never realized how much information in beauty there was in the sound. So when we mention that we were playing to go to a big commercial aviary in California to make some recordings of millions of bees she was excited and want to come along to listen but aerials not been the best help as of late years ago Ariel donated one of her kidneys to a friend a friend got a kidney recovered but the surgery didn't go well for Ariel there was a rare complication that caused her remaining kidney to start failing she'd been able to manage it for years but now are kidneys taking a sudden turn for the worse Ariel's had to spend a lot of time at home has been kept for many of the things she loves like growing to survive she now needs someone to donate a kidney to her. Since Ariel couldn't come with us to the commercial 8 years here all the bees we wanted to bring the beast to her so we went out and made this recording for her to listen to there were millions of bees that the blanketing the entire matter their tiny bodies floating in and out of the hives it was a beautiful thing to see and a beautiful thing that they're. Going to. Sam her Nat and Chris have bringing us Ariel Gilbert's story Sam and Chris pretty surprised cast called The World According to sound and we're teaming up with them here on the California Report magazine to bring you sounds and stories that explore the rich ways blind people experience California every day Sam And Chris this project is a partnership with the Lighthouse for the blind and visually impaired in San Francisco it's a nonprofit that promotes the independence equality and self-reliance of people who are blind or have low vision we asked the lighthouses director Brian Bashan to listen to Ariel Gilbert's story and their brand. So tell me a little bit about your reaction to Ariel story what you think thought it was powerful I think the story captured some of the more subtle parts of the way blind people live in a way that may not be obvious or known to the general public. Now Ariel story isn't entirely typical right because she lost her sight very suddenly how do most people if their site or most people born blind or do they lose their vision later in life only about 5 percent of people are born blind the great majority of us lose their vision somewhere along in life mostly as adults and it's not from one cause there's probably a dozen causes that make up most of how people lose their sight so yes people are fascinated by how we lose our sight it is important thing at the time that it happens but then what's what's really important to us is what do we do afterwards we live in a world where we want to get good tools and we want to find ways to combat discrimination and we want people to actualize themselves and be the best people they can be how we went blind is a very short moment our lives and what we do with it now there's the real story you know as a culture we are so visual I mean we you can hear that in our language it's the way we say Nice to see you you know show me how to do that look at this how do you show someone who's lost their vision that there is more to the world or more ways of seeing than just that very literal sight Yeah well you start out with the fact that almost everybody who becomes blind doesn't know any other blind people so the key thing about learning how to become an actual wise blind person is just to get contact with capable blind people who are living their lives but it's really about attitude it really is about going into the world saying I don't know how to do this but I'll figure it out I have a right to work support a family to become whoever I want and even though the general culture is completely ignore. And about how we do things and what our solutions are there are people out there who have figured it out that's why there's a lighthouse or other organizations wherever you are in order to make those connections so people can believe in themselves and move forward you know Brian sighted people sometimes have this idea that people who are blind have some kind of super hearing powers are better at listening yeah. If you measured a blind person's hearing they would come out just the same as a sighted person what's different is that I pay attention to it I heard that refrigerator kicking on in the background you may not have and I think probably not a good measure of that because I am a radio person so I'm super. Yes people probably wouldn't I mean I love that about you I don't often have interviews with people where they go I heard the refrigerator kicking on to. Yeah I love sound people that way because they more than anybody else share that. Matrix of presence so I mean not see anything that's going on but why do I like to go in nature because there's a 3 dimensional matrix of inputs there sound smells that the wind there's time as things change appear tension to all of that as I populate my savoring an appreciation of the world. To a sighted person blindness me seem like a loss or a deficit it's not a deficit model. There's so much rich in this in the world that a brain even in blindness experience can't possibly savor what's coming in all the time it's really beautiful I mean it's sort of what's wonderful about Ariel too is you know she can hear the dances of the bee and she can imagine this intricate maze of the hive. Through sound you know and through her other senses through tasting the honey that stuff's all there it's the province of a little bit beyond the direct experience it's the Mehta it's the. Province of poetry sometimes Brian Bashan is the director of the lighthouse for the blind and visually impaired in San Francisco thanks Brian it's my pleasure Stay tuned next week for part 2 of our collaboration with the podcast The World According to sound stories from people around the state who are blind or visually impaired the focus is not so much on how they went blind but on how they experience the world and daily life here in California. Nobody else in my life ever lost sight so they certainly know what to offer we're buying you start to recognize how people walk in their cane taps and so you can recognize the sounds down the hall as somebody else passing by. When I play a concert I hope that people just listen to the music and at some point maybe in the beginning of course they'll be like oh my gosh was blind but then hopefully they'll forget that and they'll just have the sound matter what card deck you get Delta who live there. Now would you go tell them how you are. Plus we'll take a trip around California the only way we know how to win radio entirely through our ears. Thank. You. That's because. When you report magazine for this week Today Show was brought to us by Chris Hoff. With the podcast The World According to you not in partnership with the White House for the blind and visually impaired in San Francisco as well as California humanity. California Report magazine its production of The Public Radio in San Francisco our technical producer is still Mahler with additional engineering from Rob's our director is Susie Rochester Victoria my layout is our senior editor in turn is a solid. Our editorial team also includes Tom Ethan Lindsey and Holly Kernan I'm Sasha coca Thanks for listening. This is The California Report magazine your state your stories support for the California report comes from California Earthquake authority a not for profit offering earthquake insurance to help Californians protect their financial futures for more information go to earthquake authority dot com Erick and Wendy Schmidt who's fun for strategic innovation supports transformative ideas that benefit humanity while protecting the natural world recognizing through science the interdependence of all living systems and the James Irvine foundation committed to a California where all low income workers have the power to advance economically learn more at Irvine dot org. All things considered is just ahead right now let's check traffic with Peter Finch Mountain View northbound want to one no fun right now before shoreline Boulevard 3 cars are in the 2nd lane from the left and then after San Antonio road they've been cleaning up the right lane after a big rig spilled its load of chicken parts Santa Cruz mountains we've got a vehicle off the roadway this is southbound before vine Hill Road Golden Gate Bridge extra heavy traffic right now due to police activity on the walkway I'm Peter Finch more k.q.e.d. His report brought to us by 8 by 8 business phone lines support for k.q.e.d. Comes from the San Francisco Opera presenting Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro a joyous comedy that delivers insight into the heart and soul of everyday life 8 performances only October 11th through November 1st s f opera dot com. This is k.q.e.d. 88.5 San Francisco and k.q. a I n n 1.3 North Highlands Sacramento it's 5 o'clock. President . Other countries to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son today is Friday October 4th. The inspector general for the intelligence community testifies behind closed doors part of the House Democrats impeachment water shortages corruption and new wave of Iraq. Also business leaders in the Bahamas struggle after hurricane. After this news. Live from n.p.r. News and Washington I'm Jack Speer even as House lawmakers were grilling u.s. Intelligence community Inspector General Michael Akon said behind closed doors on Capitol Hill today the impeachment inquiry against President Trump was continuing to gain momentum as N.P.R.'s to mac explains a House committee has now sent a subpoena to banding documents from Vice President Mike Pence about what he knew about Trump's efforts to push Ukraine's president towards launching an investigation of potential political rival Joe Biden Democratic lawmakers are really approaching this inquiry with urgency even while the briefing with actions in was underway House committees put out a demand that expands their inquiry they want documents from Vice President Mike Pence and his office that touch on his role in the story and they've set a mid October deadline Meanwhile the president signaled he'll formally object to the inquiry pending a formal House vote even as the knowledge lawmakers have the votes to proceed Microsoft says a hacker group with ties to Iran is government has targeted u.s. Presidential campaign the hackers also went after the accounts of current and former American government officials journalists and others N.P.R.'s Shannon bond as more in a blog post a Microsoft executive says the company has seen quote significant cyber activity by a group they're calling phosphorous the attacks hit more than 200 e-mail accounts the company did not say which of the 2020 campaigns were targeted the attacks took place in August and September Microsoft says the hackers used personal information to try to penetrate the e-mail accounts they were able to compromise for accounts that none were associated with the presidential campaign or government officials Microsoft says they believe the group is linked to Iran's government although they did not say how they had reached that conclusion intelligence agencies have warned that foreign governments including Iran may try to influence American politics leading up to next year's election Shannon bond n.p.r. News Democratic presidential candidate Alyssa with Warren raised nearly $25000000.00 over the past 3 months about $10000000.00 more than fellow candidate Joe Biden N.P.R.'s Scott.