French Protests, Particle Pollution, Internet Pop Culture, Weight Bias

Guest: Charles Hankla, Professor of Political Science, Georgia State University A contrite French President Emmanual Macron said in a televised address to the nation yesterday that he fell short in his response to weeks of violent street protests over his government policies. He promised a minimum wage increase and tax cuts for hourly workers and low-income retirees. It’s unclear whether his concessions will satisfy the demands of the protest movement known as the Yellow Vests.

Guest: Douglas Brugge, Professor of Public Health, Tufts University School of Medicine A committee of the Environmental Protection Agency is meeting this week to review its rules for a type of air pollution that causes more deaths in the US every year than gun violence and car crashes combined. It’s called particulate matter, and scientists have known for decades that it’s dangerous. But the question has always been just how much is too much? And the answer is complicated by the fact that much of the worrisome pollution is microscopic.

Guest: Sara Nelson, Senior Digital Marketing Manager, BYU Broadcasting Check in with one of our internet culture experts. What are the kids up to online?

Guest: Kimberly Gudzune, Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University. One of the consequences of labeling obesity an epidemic in America is pervasive stigma in our society. Overweight people are often judged as lazy or otherwise lacking character. Even their doctors are prone to unconsciously slip into biased thinking about their patients who have obesity.

Guest: Lisa Shulman, Professor of Neurology, University of Maryland, Author of “Before and After Loss: A Neurologist’s Perspective on Loss, Grief, and Our Brain” The symptoms of a traumatic brain injury include confusion, trouble concentrating, moving clumsily, memory loss and changes in sleep and mood. All of that sounded familiar to neurologist Lisa Shulman – not because she’d hit her head, but because her husband had just died of cancer. What if a traumatic loss like that is a form of emotional brain injury, she wondered? The answers she uncovered form the basis of Dr. Shulman’s new book, “Before and After Loss: A Neurologist’s Perspective on Loss, Grief, and our Brain.”

Guest: Rachel Wadham, Host, Worlds Awaiting on BYUradio, Education and Juvenile Collections Librarian, BYU Dr. Seuss gave us the Grinch and his Christmas-detesting ways just over 60 years ago in print. Then came at TV special – which still airs on network TV. And numerous film adaptations, including the one in theaters right now. Why is the Grinch such an enduring part of the landscape this time of year?