Could Sabre-Rattling Escalate to War with Iran?

Guest: Aaron David Miller, Distinguished Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center, Former State Department Middle East Advisor and Negotiator

President Trump yesterday announced the first phase of his administration’s plan to broker peace between Israelis and Palestinians. It will start with an economic workshop next month in Bahrain to recruit investment in Palestinian businesses and infrastructure. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration has lately been moving toward a more aggressive stance with Iran. President Trump tweeted yesterday: “If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran.” To which Iran’s foreign minister retorted –also on Twitter –“#Economic Terrorism and genocidal taunts won’t ‘end Iran.’”

 

The Race to Develop 5G Wireless is On

Guest: Jessica Rosenworcel, Member of the Federal Communications Commission

5G is all the talk in wireless right now. President Trump mentioned at the White House press conference in April that we’re racing South Korea and China to be the first with a nationwide 5G network. Here in the US, wireless companies are racing each other to be the first to build it. 

 

Mickey Mouse -- An Enduring American Icon

Guest: Garry Apgar, Art Historian, Author of “Mickey Mouse: Emblem of the American Spirit, and A Mickey Mouse Reader”

For more than 90 years, youngsters have known exactly what those two round ears symbolize. Joy, optimism, adventure, belonging. Weird how a cartoon character can make people feel warm-fuzzy, isn’t it?

 

Treating Traumatic Brain Injuries in the Criminal Justice System

Guest: Kim Gorgens, Professor of Psychophysiology, Clinical Neuropsychology and Psychology of Criminal Behavior, University of Denver

Among the millions of people currently incarcerated in America, mental illness and substance use disorders are common. So, too, are traumatic brain injuries, it turns out. Research conducted by neuropsychologist Kim Gorgens at the University of Denver suggests up to 80 percent of all inmates and people on probation have suffered a traumatic brain injury. Gorgens believes the “revolving door” in our prisons and jails is driven, in part, by the prevalence of brain injuries among offenders.

 

The Story Behind the 3-D Recreation of a Giant Sloth Skeleton

Guests: Polly Root Sturgeon, Outreach Coordinator, Indiana Geological and Water Survey; Gary Motz Assistant Director for Information Services, Indiana Geological and Water Survey

Walking into a museum or science classroom, skeletons are often a centerpiece for learning. But ancient bones haven’t always been so appreciated –a giant sloth from the ice age was tossed out like garbage at Indiana University back in 40s. Now researchers are bringing that skeleton back to life to show the impact of natural history collections and make them more accessible. 

 

Messy, Mixed-Up English

Guest: David Eddington PhD, Spanish Philology and Linguistics, Brigham Young University

English doesn’t even crack the top ten list of most difficult languages to learn. But it has quirks that make it hard for non-English speakers to master. Why does the word wrong start with a w? And the word knight – like “knight in shining armor” – has three silent letters. There’s actually a really good reason why English has so many strange spellings. We’ve got BYU linguistics professor Dave Eddington in studio to fill us in. 

 

Best Kitchen Strainer Ever

Guests: David Morgan, Professor of Industrial Design, BYU; Spencer Rogers, BYU Technology Transfer Office

If you’ve had a small kitchen with limited storage space, you know there are some tools you absolutely need and some you can live without. A kitchen strainer fits into the “must have” category for me. Which is annoying, because it’s bulky and doesn’t stack well with other bowls. But trying to drain pasta or steamed veggies by just holding the lid of the pot a little askew over the sink just never works well. The steam burns your hand, pasta sneaks out with the water and it’s still too runny once you’ve drained it.