Crosscurrents

Is the Bay Area 'Book Smart?' An annual roundup published by Central Connecticut State University offers mixed results. San Francisco scored higher than Oakland and San Jose in terms of educational degrees, number of booksellers, and newspapers per capita, but in general, the Bay Area and California did not rank as highly as one might hope. In terms of Internet access, though, the three cities tied for third place...

A documentary on egg donors, and local musician The Broun Fellinis.

President Barack Obama gave education a fair share of attention during the State of the Union address last night.

The talking points:

As a growing number of American women delay childbearing into their thirties and forties, the use of assisted reproductive technology such as in vitro fertilization, sperm banks, and egg donation has gone through the roof. In the growing world of egg donation, there’s a lucrative market for healthy young ovaries – not to mention the emotional value to infertile couples.

A new study shows that getting rid of old diesel trucks has helped cut gas emissions around the Port of Oakland in half. For years, the neighborhoods around the port have been known for extremely high air pollution that can cause health problems. KALW took a look at the effectiveness of these new state air regulations earlier in the month and also found that pollution has decreased near the port…