Climate Change, Amazon Coral Reef, Chinese Pipa Virtuosa

Climate Accord and the Clean Power Plan Guest: Tim Profeta, JD, Director of Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions The United States and 170 other nations signed an agreement at the United Nations last week committing to lower greenhouse gas emissions. President Obama’s role in lobbying countries to sign on was bolstered by his own plan to limit emissions from existing power plants in the US  except a Supreme Court ruling recently put that plan on hold, so where does the effort to slow climate change go from here? Amazon Coral Reef Guest: Patricia Yager, PhD, Associate Professor of Marine Sciences at the University of Georgia UN scientists say the most widespread and conspicuous impact of climate change at the moment is coral bleaching. Ninety-percent of the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia has begun turning white because of changes in ocean conditions.  Scientists are reporting a glimmer of good news, though. They’ve discovered an enormous coral reef in a surprising spot – the place where the Amazon River meets the Atlantic Ocean.  Chinese Pipa Virtuosa Guest: Wu Man, Chinese Pipa Virtuosa Long before there was a guitar or a banjo, there was the pipa, a lute-like instrument dating back 2,000 years in China. It has a pear-shaped body, a long neck with four strings and wide-set bamboo frets. When the world’s premier pipa player made a visit to BYU for a concert earlier this year, we asked her into our studio for a demonstration. Her name is Wu Man and she played for us with the body of the pipa cradled in her lap, the neck pointing up over her shoulder.    The Apple Seed Guest: Sam Payne, Host of The Apple Seed Sam Payne shares a story told by Syd Lieberman. How Movies Teach Manhood Guest: Colin Stokes, Public Speaker on The Roles Stories Play in Identity There’s a lot of handwringing about what messages the Disney Princess movies send our girls about their place in the world. But what do the films we show our boys teach them? Take maybe the most popular movie for boys ever – Star Wars. The story of a young hero tasked with saving the universe – using weapons and the magic he was born with.  No disrespect to Star Wars but Colin Stokes is keen to see fewer of these quest-type movies for boys that teach them success comes from going out and fighting alone. In the real world, teamwork and leadership matter a lot more than they seem to in a lot of the films geared toward our children. The Danger of Common Cold Medicines Guest: Shannon Risacher, PhD, Assistant Professor of Radiology and Imaging Sciences at Indiana University School of Medicine Many of the most common over the counter medicines for cold and allergy – along with popular prescription drugs for heart disease and high blood pressure – are known to increase the risk of dementia and reduce brain size in older adults.  See the list of drugs that carry this risk here.