Ukraine’s New President Played One on TV

Guest: Celeste Beesley, Professor of Political Science, BYU

A TV Star elected President is Top of Mind today. Sure, America did it in 2016. But the people of Ukraine just went one further. They’ve elected a comedian famous for starring in a hit sitcom as a school teacher who unexpectedly becomes president. So now we’ll see whether “playing a President on TV” is enough experience to cope with Ukraine’s flagging economy, government corruption and simmering conflict with Russia.

Long Before New York, There Was Mannahatta

Guest: Eric Sanderson, Senior Conservation Ecologist at the Wildlife Conservation Society

t’s hard to picture New York City as anything other than a bustling metropolis. But hundreds of years ago, Manhattan island was actually smaller and covered in trees and animals instead of asphalt and skyscrapers. The native people called it Mannahatta, meaning “Island of Many Hills.” What might the natural history of the island tell us about how a city should grow?

Vocal Training and the Speaking Voice

Guest: Laura Verdun, Speech Pathologist at Voicetrainer LLC

When you hear someone speak and you think, “Wow, I really like that voice.” Why do voices differ so dramatically and, if you want to have a more pleasing one, is it possible to learn?

What Happens When Healthcare is 100% Free?

Guest: Jonas Dahl, Former Member of Danish Parliament, CEO of Randers Regional Hospital

There is a fundamental disagreement in this country about how involved the government should be in providing healthcare. But there’s widespread agreement that the system we’ve got right now is broken. Drug prices, hospital expenses and insurance premiums are all too high and rising too quickly. As a result, America spends twice as much per-person on health as other wealthy countries do, on average. Places likes the UK, Germany or Denmark. How do those countries do it?

Apple Seed

Guest: Sam Payne of the Apple Seed

Sam Payne shares a story by Willy Claflin.

Reading the Bones and What Stories They Tell

Guest: David J. Johnson, PhD, Associate Teaching Professor, Department of Anthropology, BYU

Do you ever think about your skeleton? You can’t see it (except your teeth in a mirror), but your bones do a lot more than you might think. You can flex your muscles against them to move. And thanks to three tiny bones in your ears, you can hear my voice. You might think that we all look basically the same under an X-ray, but your skeleton is a unique record of your life that will endure long after you leave it.