On Second Thought

The holidays can be an especially lonely time for some people. One day of sadness isn’t so bad, but chronic loneliness can have adverse health effects and be just as bad for you as smoking, obesity, and sitting too long. University of Georgia professor Kerstin Gerst-Emerson says more needs to be done to address loneliness as a public health hazard. She joins us along with Agustin Fuentes, who chairs the anthropology department at the University of Notre Dame, to talk about loneliness, social

Voters in Georgia shot down a proposal by Governor Nathan Deal on Election Day. Deal's plan for the state to take over "chronically failing schools" was first introduced in last year's legislative session. The Opportunity School District was designed to let the state intervene where there is historically low student performance. What happens to those failing schools now that the public has decided against Deal's plan? Atlanta Journal-Constitution Education Reporter Maureen Downey is back with us

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal had a plan to fix failing schools across Georgia. The Opportunity School District would have intervened in chronically inadequate schools and either work to remedy their problems or replace them. Many critics felt the plan gave too much power to the state, and took away too much local control. The amendment was rejected by voters on November 8. So what happens next? We invite Atlanta Journal-Constitution Education Reporter Maureen Downey to discuss what will likely

Fifty-five years ago, the University of Georgia accepted its first African-American students. It was the kind of progress Bill Shipp had demonstrated for years earlier. Shipp was a young student editor for the campus newspaper who resigned the position after a black student was denied entry to UGA's law school. Shipp went on to cover some of the biggest stories of the civil rights era, from the integration of Ole Miss to the murder of a Georgia Army reservist by Ku Klux Klan days after the

There’s a social theory in which individuals make choices to benefit the self, but ultimately harm themselves and the greater community. A new study published by researchers at Georgia Tech provides methods to combat what’s known as “tragedy of the commons.” We speak with lead researcher and Georgia Tech Professor Joshua Weitz to talk about the implications of his counter-theory. Georgia State University sociology professor Dan Pasciuti also joins us to put the theory into a societal context.

There’s a social theory in which individuals make choices to benefit the self, but ultimately harm themselves and the greater community. A new study published by researchers at Georgia Tech provides methods to combat what’s known as “tragedy of the commons.” We speak with lead researcher and Georgia Tech Professor Joshua Weitz to talk about the implications of his counter-theory. Georgia State University sociology professor Dan Pasciuti also joins us to put the theory into a societal context.

The next time the you open your kitchen cabinets, consider this: a lot of the processed food we eat today started off as food for soldiers. The Army has a long history of culinary innovation that’s trickled down to our homes. We listen back to our conversation with writer Anastacia Marx de Salcedo, author of the book "Combat-Ready Kitchen: How the U.S. Military Shapes the Way You Eat." We also hear from Georgia farmer Matthew Raiford, who's an Army veteran. They tell us about the military’s

The United States has the lowest college completion rate in the developed world. It's not easy to fix, but what if schools knew early which students might drop out? A new report from the New America Foundation says at least 40 percent of schools try to gauge student performance by comparing past students to current ones. It's called predictive analytics, but how well does it work? We talk with Manuela Ekowo of the New America Foundation and vice provost Tim Renick of Georgia State University.

President-elect Donald Trump says he plans to crack down on people living in the country illegally by deporting or jailing those with criminal records. A recent Southern Poverty Law Center report shows undocumented immigrants in Georgia are already deported and denied bond at rates higher than the national average. GPB’s Sean Powers followed the case of one man stuck in a Georgia detention center as he seeks political asylum.

Every Friday, it’s time to hang out in The Breakroom. Guest host Adam Ragusea and this week’s panel talk about whether the electoral college should be scrapped, how Facebook and Google say they’re trying to stop the spread of “fake news,” and Oxford’s word of the year: “post-truth.” This week’s guests: Natalie Pawelski, Vice President and Senior Writer at Cater CommunicationsKalena Boller, Co-host of the Reel Snobs PodcastHector Fernandez, Director of the Center for Latin American and Latino/a