Teacher Shortage, Leisure and Health, Women Live Longer

Guest: Ross Brenneman, Assistant Editor at Education Week Teacher  In many districts around the country, they’re in short supply of teachers, even as school is back in session. The New York Times recently noted large urban districts including Louisville, Nashville, Oklahoma City and Providence, Rhode Island are scrambling to fill spots. Charlotte, North Carolina had more than 200 vacancies as of last week.

Guest: Matthew Zawadzki, Ph.D., Professor at University of California, Merced  "Take it easy." "Lighten up." "Chillax."  Most of us see the wisdom of a little leisure from time to time, right? A balance of work and play makes for better health and happiness in the long run – but it turns out that leisure activity also has immediate and measurable effects on the mind and body.

Guest: Caleb E. Finch, Ph.D., Professor of Gerontology at the University of Southern California  How many women do you know who have outlived their husbands? The world over, women can expect to live longer than men. The difference in life expectancy is a relatively recent phenomenon. Some have hypothesized smoking or a tendency toward risky behavior causes men to die earlier. But new analysis of mortality data from the turn of the century suggests the culprit is far more mundane – it’s the heart.

Guest: Bryan McCann, Ph.D., History Professor at Georgetown University  By this month next year the 2016 Summer Olympics will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—the first South American city in history to host the Olympic games. After hosting the World Cup last summer, you can say that the past few years have been both exciting and busy for the country. Before the World Cup, Brazil scrambled trying to finish last minute preparations, resulting in unfinished stadiums and hotels for it attendants, and it seems that history might be repeating itself for next year’s Olympic games.

Guest: Jonathan Lynch, Ph.D., Professor of Plant Nutrition, Genetics and Physiology at Penn State University  The world’s population is outpacing our ability to feed everyone with current agricultural practices, says Penn State plant scientist Jonathan Lynch. During a visit to BYU’s campus, Lynch spoke with BYU Radio’s Marcus Smith about the struggles facing in countries like Africa, where water is scarce, erosion is degrading the soil, cheap sources of phosphorous for fertilizer are running out and farmers lack the expertise to improve the output of their crops. Lynch says agricultural “business as usual” will not suffice to feed Earth’s billions in the coming decades.

Guest: Rod Gustafson, Critic at parentpreviews.com  Rod Gustafson of Parent Previews joins us to discuss the latest movies.  Stylish is the word I’d use to describe the weekend’s big new movie, “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” It’s a period spy film based on the popular 1960’s TV series.  Then, Gustafson offers his insights on "Ricki and the Flash".  The movie stars Meryl Streep as an aging rock musician with a lot of regrets about her family life.

Guests: Bill Baker, Ph.D., Retired Professor of Organizational Leadership and Strategy at BYU; Ken Meyers, CEO of goreact.com; Mike Alder, Director at BYU's Technology Transfer Office