El Chapo, Cultural Influence of D&D, Hot Houses

What El Chapo’s Imprisonment Means for the Drug War Guest: Gladys McCormick, Associate Professor of History/Jay and Debe Moskowitz Chair in Mexico-US Relations, Syracuse University  Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman–the notorious Mexican drug lord–was sentenced, last week, to spend the rest of his life in an American supermax prison. He’s also expected to forfeit more than $12 billion to the US government –which is roughly the value of the cocaine, marijuana and heroin Guzman trafficked into the US during his violent, decades long career as head of the Sinaloa cartel.  Dungeons and Dragons Continues to Shape Popular Culture After 40 Years Guest: Michael Witwer, Author of “Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons and Dragons” At the start of Stranger Things on Netflix, the nerdy kid stars get their thrills going on imaginary quests in the role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons. When a real monster comes to town, they name it the Demogorgon –from the game. Stranger Things is set in the 80s –peak days for Dungeons and Dragons. Fast forward to 2019, Dungeons and Dragons is as popular as ever –which is weird when you consider how amazing video games have become. When you can adventure as a magical warrior in a virtual reality world, why would anyone choose to sit around a table and do it on paper? We Forgot How to Design Houses to Be Cool in Summer Guest: Lloyd Alter, Adjunct Professor of Sustainable Design, Ryerson University, Design Editor Tree Hugger Magazine Much of the country has been sweltering under a heat wave. Air-conditioners are working overtime. We’re dreading what that’ll mean on the utility bill this month, but it’s not like turning the AC off is an option when it’s 100-plus outside. Is it? It might be. With the right house design, that is. How Music Improves the Brain Just by Listening Guest: Psyche Loui, Assistant Professor of Creativity and Creative Practice, Northeastern University You’ve probably heard that learning a musical instrument can have positive, long-term effects on