US-Japan Relations, Campus Art, Basque Culture

US and Japan Relations in a Trump World Guest: Toshihiro Nakayama, Professor of American Politics, Foreign Policy in the Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University; Adjunct Fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs Over the weekend, leaders of China, Russia, Mexico, Japan and several Asian countries met in Peru for a trade summit that was to be a victory lap for President Barack Obama and his Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. But that deal appears dead now, given President-elect Trump’s strong opposition to it.  On his way to that meeting, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a stop in New York to be the first world leader to have a face-to-face with Donald Trump since the election. Abe said he wanted to “build trust” with the incoming US president. His eagerness to be the first from the region to sit down with Trump carries some important symbolism, too. College Art Museums Expanding Their Role Guest: Jacoba Urist, contributing writer for The Atlantic This time of year, the arms race going on among university athletic departments is on full display: Non-stop television coverage of college football and basketball games gives a close-up look at the latest-and-greatest in stadium and arena construction, lighting and digital signs universities are installing to attract talented athletes, sell tickets and keep boosters happy.  There’s similar rush to upgrade and outshine going on across campus at the college museum. You could call it an “arts race,” as Jacoba Urist does in her recent article for The Atlantic titled, “Why Do Colleges Have so Much Art?” Benefits of Thanksgiving Rituals Guest: Barbara Fiese, PhD, Director of the Family Resiliency Center, Professor of Human Development & Family Studies, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign I think it’s fair to say a lot of us are anticipating Thanksgiving with a mix of excitement and dread, which Saturday Night Live captured perfectly in this spoof of a Target commercial over the weekend.  Given how stressful these holiday gather