Catalan Independence, Smart Helmet, Improv Children's Theater

Catalonia’s Separatist Threat to Spain and the EU Guest: Mònica Clua-Losada, PhD, Professor of Global Political Economy, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Imagine if a state – say Texas – gets serious about seceding from the US and holds a vote about it. And the federal government sends soldiers to polling places to stop Texans from voting. Hundreds of people get hurt in the melee. And then imagine the vote goes ahead anyway and the result is a resounding “yes” for Texas independence. And then the Governor of Texas tries to have his state legislature formalize the vote, but the US Supreme Court says he can’t and then imagine a week of protests for and against independence in the streets of Texas while the rest of the world watches in disbelief.  That is what’s gone on in a region of Spain called Catalonia over the last week. Tourists know Catalonia for its beautiful capital, Barcelona. As early as tomorrow, Catalonia’s leader could follow through on his threat to declare independence from Spain. What happens next will have serious consequences for Spain and the rest of the European Union. Smart Foam Detects Concussion Risk Guest: Jake Merrell, President, XOnano Smartfoam, Mechanical Engineering student, Brigham Young University A few weeks ago, researchers at Boston University announced they may have found a way to detect the degenerative disease CTE in football players while they’re still alive, which is a big deal because right now the only way to know if someone has it is by slicing up their brain after death. Which is obviously way too late to help the player. The focus on preventing concussion in football may also be of limited help in preventing CTE, because the latest science suggests it’s not those big bell-ringers that are the main culprit. Rather, it’s a lifetime of repetitive hits to the head that don’t even register as a problem for the player or coaches on the sideline.  But now those hits can register on the sidelines, if the player is wearing a helmet outfitted with sensors developed at BYU. From the Vaults: The History of the Charity Bazaar  Guest: Leslee Thorne-Murphy, Associate Professor of English at BYU, Co-Editor of the forthcoming “Philanthropic Discourse in Anglo-American Literature, 1850-1920,” Curator of “Welcome to our Charity Bazaar,” an exhibit in the Harold B. Lee Library, runs through June 2018.  Soon the holiday bazaars will begin – you’ll be able to get handmade tree ornaments and jewelry, plus artisan jams and honey - all a bit overpriced, to be sure. But it’s usually for a good cause. The charity bazaar has a great origin story we’re going to explore for this month’s installment of From the Vaults—where we go inside the BYU library’s Special Collection. The library is currently hosting an exhibit called “Welcome to our Charity Bazaar,” and we’ve invited one of its curators to join us in studio.   Children’s Theater Meets Improv Guest: Patrick Livingston, Improv Comedy Actor, Director, “The Glorious Story Emporium,” Young Company, Adjunct Professor of Theatre and Media Arts, Brigham Young University Improvisational theater is a like a high-wire act coming up with dialogue, characters and laughs on-the-spot, never sure if the thing that pops into your mind will be a hit or miss with the audience. Improvising an entire play in front of a restless bunch of kids raises the wire a few feet higher and yanks out the safety net. Which is why it’s not done often. But they’re doing it at BYU right now. Parent Previews: "The Mountain Between Us" and "My Little Pony" Guest: Donna Gustafson, ParentPreviews.com Both of these movies show teamwork and trust, but in very different ways.  Women’s Rights in the Muslim World Guest: Azza Karam, PhD, Senior Advisor on Culture, United Nations Population Fund The King of Saudi Arabia has declared that, starting next summer, women will be allowed to drive. Women in Saudi Arabia have been campaigning for the right to get behind the wheel for decades, so the king’s announcement got quite a bit of attention. But is it an important change? What is the status of women in the Arab world today?