Checking-In: Grain Brain, Insect Eating, Malala Yousafzai & Wealthy Feelings

It's Thursday! Our Friday host Piya Chattopadhyay joined Anna Maria in studio to check in with your thoughts of the week that was on The Current.

Wealth & Compassion: Yesterday we heard how wealth and generosity ... often don't go hand in hand. New research suggests that as people get richer, empathy and compassion decline. Whether it's stopping their cars at a crosswalk, or taking candy from a child - wealthier people feel more deserving and less connected to others ... and that is reflected in their choices.

Lots of you concurred with the results.

Susan Carter of Aylesford, Nova Scotia sent us this:

When I spent time with a Salvation Army kettle, the best dressed people never seemed to stop. People who looked like they could barely afford to give, donated ... and often told me stories about the Salvation Army's generosity when they needed it!

Someone who posted as R and E Manager, tweeted this:

"I learned at age 13 going door to door, that the nicer the car the less you would get".

Anton Norbert commented:

"As U.S. President Obama said, the Americans have an empathy deficit".

And here's one more thought from Norman Bourassa of Fair Oaks, California who says:

"I would be interested to know the method that rich people have obtained their wealth and if that is a factor in the observed poor empathy traits. Is there a difference between high wage earners and those who have live on financial investments? I suspect that this could be a strong factor".

Malala Yousafzai: Last week we had a conversation with Malala Yousafzai, the 16 year old woman who was wounded by a bullet to the head from the Taliban. Yesterday, Malala was honoured by Ottawa by giving her an honourary Canadian citizenship.

Adam Ellick is a video journalist with The New York Times. He spent a lot of time with Malala Yousafzai. He first met Malala in 2009, when he travelled to Pakistan to make a documentary about girls' education in the Swat Valley.

Since the attack on Malala last October, Alex Ellick has been struggling with a question he says many journalists often confront -- did giving Malala a platform play a role in her shooting?

Earlier this month, he tried to come to terms with this conflict in a New York Times video documentary, called The Making of Malala. We reached Adam Ellick in New York City.

Grain Brain: It seems as if we are inundated with doctors and nutritionists advising us on how to eat for our health.

Tuesday on The Current, we heard one doctor's advice on how to eat for a healthy brain. And in a nutshell, neurologist David Perlmutter says dump the carbs.

Dianne Cook was not so easily convinced. She sent this from Kingston, Ontario:

"We have had so much contradictory advice ... but no one will ever convince me of the need to eliminate grains. I fall more into the 'everything in moderation' crowd".

Most of what we heard was anecdotal evidence affirming this kind of diet. Yvonne Azuelos of Ottawa shared this:

I was diagnosed with a gastric ulcer and prescribed medication. Four months ago, I went gluten free. I am pain free and no more ulcer medication!

Morgan Dickson is a former personal trainer and writes from Ottawa:

"A high fat, low carbohydrate diet that avoids grains and gluten produces the best athletic performance results. Carbohydrates aren't evil, but earn them through activity first".

Rob Heighinton lives in Canmore, Alberta and says he takes medications for a major depressive disorder. He writes:

"A friend suggested reducing my carbohydrate intake and in doing so I have reduced deep depression and less over all mood swings. But the biggest improvement is less aggression and anger. The hard part is changing my habits which are clearly addicted to sugar and fresh baked wheat products".

Phubbing: We've probably all had it done to us at some time ... you're in mid conversation when you lose your audience to an incoming text message. But snubbing others while using your phone has a name now - phubbing. And on Monday's program, we asked whether we need to adjust to phubbing as the new norm.

And if our inbox is any indication, most of you do not approve. On Facebook, Madeline Rainey simply said this:

"I can't believe people actually need to be told that it's rude. Seems pretty obvious to me".

And Jackie Nelson of Winnipeg offered this comment:

"Parents communicating with children is an important exception. While being on call is required as part of some work situations, to be picking away at your phone while your companions are ignored tends to be a complete denial of the value of their social connection".

Doug Sayer lives in Castlegar, BC and he offered this comparison:

"I liken the use of smart phones during meetings or conversations to pulling a newspaper out of your back pocket and starting to read it".

And here's one more comment from Marylouise Guest of Gibsons, BC who says:

"Can you fub yourself? My neighbour fell down onto his back, and broke his ribs when walking down a slippery slope while texting. After the laughter died down, we tried to think of a word to describe that..... phubbing says it all".

Bug Eating: It's hard to get past the ick factor ... but adding insects to a diet can be an inexpensive way to add protein. Last week on The Current, we heard about insect farming and a woman who raises crickets, mealworms and beetles for human consumption.

Well we heard from a few listeners about bug eating experiences. Larry Seminoff of Edmonton writes:

"In Thailand, I have eaten deep fried bugs that I picked up at the local night market. The bamboo worms tasted like shoe string potato chips. The grasshopper and locust were crunchy and would go well with a beer. After the initial bug, the rest went down well ... they were even tasty ... although I did not have the courage to try the large water beetles".

We also heard from Paul Wilson of Toronto. Paul spent two years in a small village in southeastern Nigeria where termites were on the menu. We reached Paul Wilson, a retired teacher, at his home in Toronto.

We love hearing from you and we have a multitude of methods for you to share your thoughts on The Current.

Tweet us @thecurrentcbc. Follow us on Facebook. Or e-mail us through our website. Call us toll-free at 1 877 287 7366. And as always if you missed anything on The Current, grab a podcast.

This segment was produced by The Current's Lara O'Brien and Carole Ito.

Last Word - Cheetah Conservation Fund

Tomorrow on The Current, you likely haven't thought much about cheetahs lately... but unless people start thinking about the big cats soon, there may not be any left.

We'll speak with Laurie Marker who believes the world's fastest land animal is on a fast track to extinction. It's already vanished from about twenty countries and only about ten thousand animals remain.

Laurie Marker founded the Cheetah Conservation Fund to help preserve the cats. She gets today's Last Word.