Kristen Meinzer

During last week’s tech segment, we explored military technology that’s being developed for use in the near future and the far-off future. Among the inventions that had a lot of us on the edge of our seats was the telepathic helmet, which will eventually make it possible for soldiers in the field to communicate without making a sound, as well as think more cohesively as a unit.

Of course, this kind of technology makes a lot of us afraid that the government and regular folks will eventually be able to read our minds. But Brad Allenby - Chair of the Consortium on Emerging Technology, Military Operations, and National security - assured us that that day is a long ways off.

Today’s guests, however, say that, when it comes to machines reading our minds and emotions, the future is now.

According to the White House, 23.5 million Americans currently live in what are known as 'food deserts.' Food deserts are essentially nutritional wastelands that lack reasonable, affordable access to grocery stores. They exist primarily in urban and rural areas of the country, but can be found just about anywhere. And the people who live in them, more often than not, are forced to stock their cupboards with food from the convenience store, or even the drug store.

Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” anti-childhood obesity initiative has set the goal of eliminating all America’s food deserts in the next seven years. But if you’re living in a food desert, you might be wondering what you’re supposed to do until then to stay healthy and eat right.

Janine Whiteson, author of “Cooking Light: What to Eat,” has some ideas. She's a nutritionist who’s visited convenience stores and drug stores in some of New York’s poorest neighborhoods, and she’s found that it’s actually possible to eat healthily in a food desert if you have some practical guidelines.

Inspired by "Prince of Persia," Rafer and Kristen discuss the long history in the movies of white actors playing non-white characters.

In many states, it's against the law for your employer to deny you a lunch break. But lunch breaks seem to be getting rarer all the time. Tell us your situation: Do you feel like it's possible to take a lunch break any more?

For this week's work segment, Justin Jones-Fosu of WEAA's Listen Up! explains why so few of us are taking lunch breaks these days. And Connie Thanasoulis-Cerrachio, of career-advice site Vault.com, explains how not taking lunch may be hurting our careers.

According to the latest census numbers, the number of interracial marriages is up 20 percent since the year 2000, to about 4.5 million. That means that eight percent of all marriages in the U.S. are now between people of different races. 

Carrie and "the girls" are back in 'Sex and the City 2.' There's shopping, there's sex, there's Mr. Big, and there's expensive fashion in the latest chick-flick from the SATC franchise, which women have been patiently awaiting for two years. But, is this movie good or bad for the women who are watching it?

This week, thousands of book industry retailers, agents, authors, and hangers-on have been gathering in New York for the annual BookExpo America conference.

Patrik Henry Bass, senior editor of Essence magazine, is among those attending the show. And what he’s noticed is that the enormous popularity of graphic novels is continuing to grow even bigger.

He explains why graphic novels are so huge right now, and walks us through some of his favorite titles from the past year.

The American love affair with military technology has stretched out for decades - from the walkie talkies of the post-WWII era to the GPS systems that are used in our cars today. But as military technologies become more sophisticated and information technologies grow more complex, will we continue to love the high tech gizmos the military invents, or want to escape them?  

This month, our friends at Serious Eats are kicking off a new series, in which they look at the most emblematic foods from all fifty of our United States. Their first edition focuses on the Northeast states – from Maine to West Virginia. Subsequent editions, which we’ll be featuring in the coming months, will focus on the rest of the country.

Inspired by Vanessa Redgrave's inexplicable presence in "Letters to Juliet," Kristen and Rafer talk about good actors in bad, bad movies.

Everyone knows that looks matter. But should the law be involved when it comes to discrimination on the basis of appearance? Stanford law professor Deborah Rhode thinks it should. She explains why in a new book about how much we're affected by how people look, "The Beauty Bias: The Injustice of Appearance in Life and Law." What do you think? Should the law protect people who aren't attractive?

Last week, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study stating that approximately ten percent of new dads experience postpartum depression.

We speak with the author behind that study, Dr. James Paulson of the Eastern Virginia Medical School. He explains how postpartum depression in men differs from the same condition in women, whether hormonal fluctuations play a role in how it manifests itself, and what treatment options are available.

In honor of “MacGruber,” which hits theatres nationwide today, we look at the best and worst movies based on Saturday Night Live sketches – from "The Blues Brothers" (quite successful) to "It's Pat" (called "shockingly unfunny") and ask: What makes for a good SNL movie? The story? The characters? The acting?

Facebook executives are preparing for a ‘privacy summit’ to discuss the site’s controversial new default privacy settings (which do little to protect users’ privacy). But in a world of over-sharing online, does privacy even matter anymore? And have our notions of public and private changed so dramatically that we couldn’t reverse things if we wanted to?

Talk to someone sharing their information. Take part in our "TMI" experiment!

For this week’s food segment, we talk with Manny Howard, a man who turned his tiny New York City backyard into a farm, complete with produce and livestock.

Twenty years ago this week, the World Health Organization ceased to categorize homosexuality as a pathology, but is it still considered one socially in the workplace?

For this week's work segment, we look at the issue of being openly gay at work. Takeaway contributor Beth Kobliner explains the current laws and trends. And Jeff Barnes, a gay manager at an IT outsourcing company in Colorado, tells us why he keeps his orientation a secret from most of his colleagues.

We want to know from you, Is it acceptable to be gay in YOUR workplace? Text TAKE to 69866 and send your response. (Message and data rates may apply.) You can also just leave a comment below.

Kristen and Rafer look at rappers-turned-actors and the movies they pick to bridge those two roles.

As Elena Kagan prepares for her confirmation hearings, we are wondering: What should she read? Essence Magazine senior editor Patrik Henry Bass came up with some suggested reading for the nominee as she awaits her confirmation hearings.

Do you have recommended reading for her? Share your suggested book list in the comments.

Here's Patrik's list:

• "The Eyes of Willie McGee: A Tragedy of Race, Sex and Secrets in the Jim Crow South" by Alex Heard
• "Blue Orchard" by Jackson Taylor
• "Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet" by Bill McKibben

After decades of inflexible TV schedules, American home entertainment is swiftly shifting from something we watch live, at a scheduled time, to something we watch on-demand, whenever we choose. And the changes are visible almost everywhere. Our gaming consoles now offer us ESPN-on-demand. Netflix allows us watch movies instantly. This week, the FCC announced that they'll be paving the way for home viewers to watch theatrical film releases on opening day, and Comcast announced yesterday that they’ll be tripling the number of films they make available on-demand.

But how do all these on-demand technologies work, and how will they affect our entertainment options outside the home?

Over the past three years, the popularity of unpasteurized milk – or raw milk, as it’s sometimes called – has grown across the country. Advocates say heat-treating milk destroys enzymes and nutrients, while detractors say it's necessary to keep people from getting sick. Battles over how milk is sold and regulated have exploded. 

Ten states, including Maine, Connecticut, and New Hampshire, have made it legal to sell unpasteurized milk in stores. Meanwhile, other states are fighting to make it easier to purchase. In Wisconsin, Governor Jim Doyle indicated last month that he’ll sign a bill – already passed by the senate and assembly - legalizing and regulating the sale of raw milk between farmers and consumers. In Massachusetts, raw milk supporters this week protested the fact that they ONLY have this right. They’d like to be able to buy milk from more places than the state’s 27 regulated farms. And in many states like New Jersey, raw milk supporters secretly run unpasteurized milk across state lines.

If you’re not part of the milk wars, you might be wondering: Why are people fighting so hard to drink milk that’s not pasteurized? And is it safe?