It’s Down to Just Two: Biden and Bernie (0:30)

Guest: Chris Karpowitz, PhD, Professor of Political Science, Co-Director of the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy, BYU; Grant Madsen, PhD, Professor of History, BYU

The Democratic field for President has narrowed to Senator Bernie Sanders and Vice President Joe Biden. Elizabeth Warren has just dropped out, but hasn’t endorsed either of the frontrunners. Michael Bloomberg dropped out after a poor showing on Super Tuesday and endorsed Biden. Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg dropped out the night before Super Tuesday and also endorsed Biden. The dramatic reconfiguration feels rather sudden.

 

Brazil’s President Aims to Open Indigenous Land in the Amazon to Mining and Farming (22:10)

Guest: Robert T. Walker, Professor of Latin American Studies and Geography, University of Florida

The Amazon rainforest is rich in gold, diamonds and rare earth minerals. It’s also a coveted resource for logging and land for farming – once you cut down the trees, that is. Getting access to those resources was a major campaign promise of Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro and now he’s followed through with a measure in the country’s Congress. The catch is, the land he’d like to open for farming and mining in the Amazon is indigenous territory, and the tribes on that land are generally not interested in the development Bolsonaro proposes.

 

The Mounting Risks of Summiting Mount Everest (35:52)

Guest: Dr. Pasang Yangjee Sherpa, Nepalese Anthropologist, Expert on the Sherpa People and Mount Everest, Pacific Lutheran University 

The peak season for climbing Mount Everest is about to start, and there’s a lot of concern about how safe it will be. Last year, was among the deadliest on record: 11 people died and shocking photos circulated of crowds backed up dangerously near the summit. The government of Nepal has proposed limiting the number of Everest climbing permits it offers and restricting them to people who can prove they have the skills and money to attempt the climb safely. The lucrative climbing industry on Everest could not exist without Sherpas who live and work on the mountain, guiding climbers, carrying supplies. They’re increasingly upset about conditions on the mountain – and their own unfair treatment by the industry.

 

How Phyllis Schlafly Stopped the ERA's Momentum (50:38)

Guest: Anne Schlafly Cori, Chairperson, The Eagle Forum

Historians agree that Phyllis Schlafly was key to stopping the ERA’s momentum. She was so effective, that even when Congress extended the deadline for states to ratify the amendment, it still came up three states short. Schlafly opposed all efforts to revive the Equal Rights Amendment until her death in 2016. Her daughter Anne Schlafly Cori is continuing that legacy with the current push to ratify the ERA.

 

The ERA Is a Relic of the 70s. Why Are Women Still Trying to Pass It? (1:12:24)

Guest: Martha Davis, Professor of Law, Northeastern University

The deadline to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment expired almost 40 years ago. So why are we talking about it now? Because about a month ago, Virginia’s state legislature became the 38th state to ratify it – that’s the threshold Phyllis Schlafly and her “STOP ERA” campaign managed to prevent in the 1970s. But again, there was a deadline to meet the threshold...which is why, just a few weeks ago, the US House passed a resolution to remove that deadline. So, maybe it’s not too late to add it to the Constitution?

 

Happy, Sad, Flirtatious, Jealous. Here’s How Scientists Study Expressions. (1:28:37)

Guest: Suzy Scherf, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology, Principal Investigator of the Laboratory of Developmental Neuroscience, The Pennsylvania State University

I work with the toddler class at my church on Sundays and we sing that song about turning a frown upside down. Even before kids can speak fluently, they somehow become fluent in facial expressions – at least the basics like happy and sad. Researchers at Penn State University have created a database of what more complex expressions like jealous or flirtatious look like to help scientists study them, too.