With Good Reason

Yoko Ono is best known for her marriage to John Lennon and was vilified by the press in the 1960s for her perceived role in the breakup of the Beatles. Kevin Concannon (Virginia Tech), an expert on Ono’s work, notes she was an accomplished and innovative artist long before she met Lennon. Plus: A new novel by Fred D’Aguiar (Virginia Tech) tells the story of a mother and daughter caught up in the tragic Jonestown mass suicide of 1978.

Later in the show: Americans have been getting their kicks from Route 66 since John Steinbeck labeled it “The Mother Road” in The Grapes of Wrath. Michael Lund (Longwood University) is fascinated by the nostalgic small town life found along “America’s Main Street.” Lund is the author of a series of Route 66 novels. And: Jack Kerouac wrote about his travels along Route 66 in On the Road, the novel that made him a literary success. Gordon Ball (Virginia Military Institute) says Kerouac’s novel about the Beat Generation is as relevant today as it was in the 1950s.

When Shenandoah National Park was built, hundreds of families were forced off their land. Margaret Marangione (Blue Ridge Community College) says new information has emerged suggesting that some of those displaced people were sent to state colonies and sterilized. Plus: Veterans of the Revolutionary War collected the nation’s first pensions for wounded soldiers. But Benjamin Irvin (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities) says claiming a pension was difficult and threatened the pride of many veterans. And: Aging baby boomers are beginning to influence the funeral industry. Rhonda Pleasants (John Tyler Community College) says more are now opting for “green” burials and there is a trend toward more personalized funerals that reflect the hobbies and passions of the person who died.

Later in the show: Too many young people imagine old age as a time when we become no longer useful or interested in the world around us. But Terry Lee (Christopher Newport University) has been challenging these kinds of ageist stereotypes. He’s spent hours behind a camera, documenting the lives of elders and their caregivers. And he says older people have an important job to do. Also featured: As we age, we all experience changes in our brains that make our memories less sharp than they used to be. But some older people actually have a condition called Mild Cognitive Impairment, or MCI, which is different from Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Rosemary Blieszner (Virginia Tech) was instrumental in a study that looked at how patients and their family members cope with MCI.

When Shenandoah National Park was built, hundreds of families were forced off their land. Margaret Marangione (Blue Ridge Community College) says new information has emerged suggesting that some of those displaced people were sent to state colonies and sterilized. Plus: Veterans of the Revolutionary War collected the nation’s first pensions for wounded soldiers. But Benjamin Irvin (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities) says claiming a pension was difficult and threatened the pride of many veterans. And: Aging baby boomers are beginning to influence the funeral industry. Rhonda Pleasants (John Tyler Community College) says more are now opting for “green” burials and there is a trend toward more personalized funerals that reflect the hobbies and passions of the person who died.

Later in the show: Too many young people imagine old age as a time when we become no longer useful or interested in the world around us. But Terry Lee (Christopher Newport University) has been challenging these kinds of ageist stereotypes. He’s spent hours behind a camera, documenting the lives of elders and their caregivers. And he says older people have an important job to do. Also featured: As we age, we all experience changes in our brains that make our memories less sharp than they used to be. But some older people actually have a condition called Mild Cognitive Impairment, or MCI, which is different from Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Rosemary Blieszner (Virginia Tech) was instrumental in a study that looked at how patients and their family members cope with MCI.

When it comes to love, jealousy is sometimes thought of as “natural” or even desirable. But a recent survey led by Mindy Erchull (University of Mary Washington) suggests that women who see jealousy as a positive thing may be more likely to find themselves in abusive relationships. Also: Tragedies like the Newtown shootings dominate the debate over gun ownership. But in an average year, suicides outnumber homicides by 3 to 1 and most are by firearm. Alex Tabarrok and Justin Briggs (George Mason University) say a causal relationship is clear: more gun ownership means more suicides.

Later in the show: Michael Jones McKean (Virginia Commonwealth University) is an artist whose work is a simple, but phenomenal visual event: he creates rainbows that can arc up to 400 feet in height. For over two weeks, his rainbows in downtown Omaha, Nebraska could be seen from a thousand feet away. Also featured: If you’ve ever watched a bee dance near a flower patch, you’ve probably seen an element of “bee democracy.” Christian Gromoll (University of Virginia) says from collecting nectar to choosing a new home, bees follow an intelligent set of rules that keep the colony in tact.

When it comes to love, jealousy is sometimes thought of as “natural” or even desirable. But a recent survey led by Mindy Erchull (University of Mary Washington) suggests that women who see jealousy as a positive thing may be more likely to find themselves in abusive relationships. Also: Tragedies like the Newtown shootings dominate the debate over gun ownership. But in an average year, suicides outnumber homicides by 3 to 1 and most are by firearm. Alex Tabarrok and Justin Briggs (George Mason University) say a causal relationship is clear: more gun ownership means more suicides.

Later in the show: Michael Jones McKean (Virginia Commonwealth University) is an artist whose work is a simple, but phenomenal visual event: he creates rainbows that can arc up to 400 feet in height. For over two weeks, his rainbows in downtown Omaha, Nebraska could be seen from a thousand feet away. Also featured: If you’ve ever watched a bee dance near a flower patch, you’ve probably seen an element of “bee democracy.” Christian Gromoll (University of Virginia) says from collecting nectar to choosing a new home, bees follow an intelligent set of rules that keep the colony in tact.

American-invented hip hop music is now an international phenomenon with rappers in countries like Japan and Senegal. Kevin Kosanovich (College of William and Mary) traces hip hop’s roots, focusing on how it is expressed in different regions of our country, from California to New York, and even in Virginia. And: Rapper Tupac Shakur was gunned down in 1996, but his influence can still be felt in rap culture today. Poet Nikki Giovanni (Virginia Tech) shares her poem “All Eyez on U,” a tribute to the artist.

Later in the show: For teenagers dealing with substance abuse issues, talking about what they’re feeling can be a challenge. So music therapist Jim Borling (Radford University) uses rock and metal music to help them externalize their internal struggles. It may not sound like medicine, but Jim says music therapy is a powerful healing practice. Also featured: John Adam (Old Dominion University) is the author of a new book called X and the City, an entertaining romp through the urban landscape using mathematical modeling as a way to understand how cities work. John uses math to explain aspects of urban life from population growth to something called “taxi cab geometry.”

American-invented hip hop music is now an international phenomenon with rappers in countries like Japan and Senegal. Kevin Kosanovich (College of William and Mary) traces hip hop’s roots, focusing on how it is expressed in different regions of our country, from California to New York, and even in Virginia. And: Rapper Tupac Shakur was gunned down in 1996, but his influence can still be felt in rap culture today. Poet Nikki Giovanni (Virginia Tech) shares her poem “All Eyez on U,” a tribute to the artist.

Later in the show: For teenagers dealing with substance abuse issues, talking about what they’re feeling can be a challenge. So music therapist Jim Borling (Radford University) uses rock and metal music to help them externalize their internal struggles. It may not sound like medicine, but Jim says music therapy is a powerful healing practice. Also featured: John Adam (Old Dominion University) is the author of a new book called X and the City, an entertaining romp through the urban landscape using mathematical modeling as a way to understand how cities work. John uses math to explain aspects of urban life from population growth to something called “taxi cab geometry.”

In her book Bible Babel: Making Sense of the Most Talked About Book of All Time, Kristin Swenson explains what the Bible is, where it comes from, and how it’s relevant today. Also featured: Edward Neukrug (Old Dominion University) has collected oral histories of colleagues and former patients of some of the great psychologists of our time, including B.F. Skinner and Carl Rogers.

Later in the show: Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald had a celebrity marriage during the Jazz Age of the 1920s. From 1930 until her death in 1948, Zelda was in and out of mental hospitals. Karen Tatum (Norfolk State University) is exploring the possibility of a link between the medication Zelda took for eczema and her debilitating mental illness. Also featured: Hermine Pinson (College of William and Mary) is a poet and singer who found herself fighting for her life after she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Her book Promises to Keep: A Memoir of Healing explores writing as therapy after recovering from serious illness.

In her book Bible Babel: Making Sense of the Most Talked About Book of All Time, Kristin Swenson explains what the Bible is, where it comes from, and how it’s relevant today. Also featured: Edward Neukrug (Old Dominion University) has collected oral histories of colleagues and former patients of some of the great psychologists of our time, including B.F. Skinner and Carl Rogers.

Later in the show: Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald had a celebrity marriage during the Jazz Age of the 1920s. From 1930 until her death in 1948, Zelda was in and out of mental hospitals. Karen Tatum (Norfolk State University) is exploring the possibility of a link between the medication Zelda took for eczema and her debilitating mental illness. Also featured: Hermine Pinson (College of William and Mary) is a poet and singer who found herself fighting for her life after she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Her book Promises to Keep: A Memoir of Healing explores writing as therapy after recovering from serious illness.

Today when we vote, we enter a private space, secretly make our choice, and go about our day. Don Debats (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Fellow) explains that early voting wasn’t just public; it was a raucous, drunken community festival. Plus: It’s hard to find a smile in a 19th century photograph—instead, you’ll see stern faces and stiff poses. Historian Richard Straw (Radford University) tells the story of one early photographer who broke the formal rules and took candid shots instead.

Later in the show: During the Civil War, the residents of Winchester witnessed some of the bloodiest battles of the conflict—for control of the Shenandoah Valley—and suffered under Union occupation. Jonathan Noyalas (Lord Fairfax Community College) tells how the return of Union veterans to the Valley in 1883 sparked a spirit of reconciliation between former enemies. Also: Spencer Crew (George Mason University) looks back at the “Underground Railroad” and makes a connection to activism in the modern world. And James Robertson (Virginia Tech) lists many modern conveniences that have their origin in the Civil War.