Holiday Conflicts, Ethical Shopping, St. Lucia, Man’s Best Friend, Hero Rats

Guest: Emily de Schweinitz Taylor, Conflict Mediator, Author of "Raising Mediators" You’re going to be with a lot of family and friends at holiday gatherings in the coming weeks. And maybe you’re dreading what will happen when your uncle brings up that politician you disagree with, or your mother-in-law starts giving you parenting advice. A lot of us are in the habit of walking away from those conversations just to keep the peace, maybe hiding out for a bit and venting on Facebook, right? But what if you didn’t walk away? What if there were a way to have that disagreement without ending in hurt feelings or broken dishes?

Guest: Emmanuel Teitelbaum, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University For more than 20 years, Americans clothing companies have been under pressure to make sure their shoes and shirts and jeans aren’t being sewn in dangerous sweatshops by child laborers in Asia. All the big brands have divisions dedicated to doing things in a socially responsible way. Has any real progress been made? What about those two tragedies that happened in Bangladesh a few years ago where one factory caught fire and another collapsed entirely? Hundreds of workers were killed and logos for some big American brands were found in the rubble. How much progress have we made since that tragedy?

Guest: Christopher Oscarson, Professor of Scandinavian Studies, Brigham Young University December 13 is Saint Lucia Day. Saint Lucia is especially big in Sweden. And it’s a little ironic because this song and the saint herself both come from warm sunny Sicily. Now it’s biggest devotees are in the dark, cold north. How did that happen?

(Originally aired September 25, 2018) Guest: Kristyn Vitale, Researcher at Oregon State University’s Human/Animal Interaction Lab Dogs have a reputation for being social and smart and helpful. Cats, on the other hand, are aloof and only interested in humans as a source of food. But research being done by Kristyn Vitale at Oregon State University’s Human/Animal Interaction Lab suggests those stereotypes are wrong. Cats are social. Many seek out interaction with humans. And – get this – they can be trained.

(Originally aired August 20,2018) Guest: Emily Sanford, Student in Psychology and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University People often feel a strong emotional connection to their dog. But does the dog feel the same way? Can a dog sense when its owner is in distress - and will it actually come to the rescue, like Lassie in the old TV show? Some researchers at Johns Hopkins University think so.

(Originally aired July 2, 2018) Guest: Kate Sears-Webb, Behavioral Research Technician, APOPO APOPO is a global non-profit organization based in Tanzania that has pioneered the training-rats-to-save-lives thing. Their African pouched rats have cleared more than 100,000 landmines from former war zones and can screen mucus samples for tuberculosis way, way faster than traditional methods. Now the rats are being grained to find illegally trafficked African hardwoods and pangolins, which are scaly anteaters.