In the Loop

Views on sex have ebbed and flowed in the U.S. even before we became a country. The Puritans in the 17th Century tried to legislate sex and morality, punishing those who deviated from the prescribed sexual mores. Things loosened up somewhat in the mid-18th Century during the time of the American Revolution. This pattern followed for the next 200 years and always at the center was the role of government in regulating sex. In his new book Sex and the Constitution: Sex, Religion, and Law from America's Origins to the Twenty-First Century, scholar and University of Chicago Law Professor Geoffrey Stone takes a deep dive into the social, political and religious history of attitudes towards sexual behavior. Stone talks about the links between Ancient Greek and today’s views on sex. And the role the Constitution has played in more recent times. 

Views on sex have ebbed and flowed in the U.S. even before we became a country. The Puritans in the 17th Century tried to legislate sex and morality, punishing those who deviated from the prescribed sexual mores. Things loosened up somewhat in the mid-18th Century during the time of the American Revolution. This pattern followed for the next 200 years and always at the center was the role of government in regulating sex. In his new book Sex and the Constitution: Sex, Religion, and Law from America's Origins to the Twenty-First Century, scholar and University of Chicago Law Professor Geoffrey Stone takes a deep dive into the social, political and religious history of attitudes towards sexual behavior. Stone talks about the links between Ancient Greek and today’s views on sex. And the role the Constitution has played in more recent times. 

Netflix’s new series 13 Reasons Why tells the fictional story of a teenage girl who leaves behind 13 cassette tapes after killing herself. Each tape is addressed to someone in her life she says played a role in her death. While the show is popular among viewers, it’s raised some eyebrows with critics who say it romanticizes suicide and can pose a health risk to vulnerable teens. Others say the show provides an opportunity to bring discussion of teen suicide to the forefront. Morning Shift talks to Variety TV critic Maureen Ryan, Columbia College television and youth professor Sharon Ross and youth suicide prevention expert Jonathan Singer. 

Netflix’s new series 13 Reasons Why tells the fictional story of a teenage girl who leaves behind 13 cassette tapes after killing herself. Each tape is addressed to someone in her life she says played a role in her death. While the show is popular among viewers, it’s raised some eyebrows with critics who say it romanticizes suicide and can pose a health risk to vulnerable teens. Others say the show provides an opportunity to bring discussion of teen suicide to the forefront. Morning Shift talks to Variety TV critic Maureen Ryan, Columbia College television and youth professor Sharon Ross and youth suicide prevention expert Jonathan Singer. 

Comedian Demetri Martin has made a career out of one-liners, wordplay jokes and standup and sketch comedy that incorporates music and props. After graduating from Yale and dropping out of New York University’s School of Law, he worked as a staff writer for Late Night with Conan O’Brien and contributed to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. In his directorial debut, Dean, Martin stars alongside Kevin Kline and Gillian Jacobs. It's out June 2. Morning Shift talks to Martin about his unlikely trajectory from law school to comedy and his new film.

Comedian Demetri Martin has made a career out of one-liners, wordplay jokes and standup and sketch comedy that incorporates music and props. After graduating from Yale and dropping out of New York University’s School of Law, he worked as a staff writer for Late Night with Conan O’Brien and contributed to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. In his directorial debut, Dean, Martin stars alongside Kevin Kline and Gillian Jacobs. It's out June 2. Morning Shift talks to Martin about his unlikely trajectory from law school to comedy and his new film.

This May, Chicagoans will get a chance to hear from Dr. B.J. Miller when he’s in town as part of a series of medical lectures. Miller is a palliative care physician at the University of San Francisco’s Cancer Center and past executive director of the Zen Hospice Project, and he’s focused on making more emphatic palliative care available to all. It’s something he spoke about in his 2015 TED Talk “What Matters Most At the End Of Life” and something he continues to speak about publicly.

This May, Chicagoans will get a chance to hear from Dr. B.J. Miller when he’s in town as part of a series of medical lectures. Miller is a palliative care physician at the University of San Francisco’s Cancer Center and past executive director of the Zen Hospice Project, and he’s focused on making more emphatic palliative care available to all. It’s something he spoke about in his 2015 TED Talk “What Matters Most At the End Of Life” and something he continues to speak about publicly.

For the 2016-2017 school year, U.S. poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera has been working with dozens of 9th grade teachers from public schools across Chicago. Their mission was to create new and exciting ways to teach young people how to write and appreciate poetry. We find out how they’ve done, plus ask how the U.S.’s first Chicano poet laureate — and the son of migrant farm workers — views what’s happening in today’s America

For the 2016-2017 school year, U.S. poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera has been working with dozens of 9th grade teachers from public schools across Chicago. Their mission was to create new and exciting ways to teach young people how to write and appreciate poetry. We find out how they’ve done, plus ask how the U.S.’s first Chicano poet laureate — and the son of migrant farm workers — views what’s happening in today’s America