NATO is 70. Does the World Still Need It? (0:31)

Guest: Greg Jackson, Assistant Professor of Integrated Studies and Assistant Director of National Security Studies, Utah Valley University, Host of “History That Doesn’t Suck” Podcast

World leaders are in London marking the 70th anniversary of NATO. It’s not been a complete lovefest. There’s been some sniping and backbiting. President Trump called Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “two-faced” and said French President Emmanuel Macron’s earlier comments about NATO experiencing “brain death” were “nasty.” President Trump has been publicly critical of NATO, too, but seems to be warming to it. What exactly is there to celebrate as NATO turns 70?

 

Is it Ethical to Cast Deceased Actors by Using CGI? (18:33)

Guest: Scott Stroud, PhD, Associate Professor of Communication Studies at University of Texas at Austin, Founding Director of the Media Ethics Initiative

James Dean is slated to co-star in a movie about the Vietnam War coming out next year. Except that James Dean has been dead since 1955, shortly after starring in “Rebel Without a Cause”. The studio behind this new movie has acquired the rights to use James Dean’s likeness and they plan to use a combination of real footage, CGI and voice actors to bring him to life in this new role. It’s not totally unheard of. Both Star Wars and the Fast and Furious franchise have done it. But it raises all sorts of ethical questions.

 

The Real Cost of Cheap Clothes (35:07)

Guest: Shawn Bhimani, PhD, Visiting Assistant Professor at Northeastern University, Supply Chain Management Expert

When you’re shopping for clothes on Amazon or Walmart’s online marketplace –or even in a store like TJ Maxx or Ross-you may end up buying something that was made in a Bangladesh factory with collapsing walls, blocked exits and doors that lock from the outside to keep workers in until their shift ends. Conditions like that led to a disastrous factory collapse in Bangladesh in 2013 that killed more than 1,000 people. After that, some of America’s biggest clothing retailers –including Walmart and Target –voluntarily joined a coalition to police the safety of factories that make their products. But Amazon didn’t join. A Wall Street Journal investigation found dozens of items for sale on Amazon that were made in dangerous Bangladeshi factories. Is there anything we can do as shoppers to know where our clothes were made?

 

The Apple Seed (51:10)

Guest: Sam Payne, Host, "The Apple Seed," BYUradio

Sam Payne from The Apple Seed shares a story about Christmas.

 

Landmark Cases That Changed Bilingual and Special Education in America (1:02:24)

Guest: Marty Glick, Litigator, Arnold & Porter, Co-Author of “The Soledad Children: The Fight to End Discriminatory IQ Tests”

A child’s race and income level are strong indicators of the quality of education that child will get in a US public school. Inequality often arises in education today because of how segregated our communities have become –with poor and minority students clustered in schools with fewer resources. In the 1950s, 60s and 70s, the reason poor and minority students got sub-par education was because of overt racism. This was the era of court-ordered desegregation and countless lawsuits brought by civil rights lawyers on behalf of black and brown students. Marty Glick was one of those attorneys. While working for California Rural Legal Assistance in the late 1960s he represented the children of Mexican farmworkers in a landmark case against the California State Board of Education that shaped the future of bilingual and special education in America.

 

Diss on Millennial Coworkers All You Want, but Don’t “Okay Boomer” a Boomer (1:26:07)

Guest: Elizabeth Tippett, Associate Professor of Law, University of Oregon

Videos set to this song are all over TikTok right now. “OK Boomer” is the putdown of choice for youngsters dismissing the outdated views of someone older. Doesn’t even have to be a Baby Boomer. Anyone who’s not cool or “woke” could get Okay Boomer’ed. But watch out, because if you say it to a Baby Boomer at work –even in jest –you could end up with an age discrimination charge on your hands. Feel free to diss on Millennials and Gen-Z’ers all you want, though, cause they’re not protected by the age discrimination laws. How’s that fair?