Trump, Ukraine & Whistleblowers, Ostracism, Empty Nesters

President Trump, Ukraine, a Whistleblower and Impeachment Guest: Ryan Vogel, JD, Director of the Center for National Security Studies, Utah Valley University House Democrats have begun a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump, stemming from a phone call the president had with the newly elected president of Ukraine on July 25th. The White House has released a rough transcript of the call. It shows President Trump asking Ukraine’s president to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and offering the US Attorney General’s help in that. It’s illegal for a US politician to solicit campaign support from a foreign country. That seems to be the reason a whistleblower raised the alarm about this phone call with Ukraine’s president. Research Shows How Ostracism Can Lead People to Extremism Guest: Andrew Hales, Postdoctoral Researcher in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia Being excluded and left out never feels good. It didn’t feel good as a kid on the playground and, it doesn’t feel good when you get left out of a lunch with coworkers or old friends. The question is, so what? Does being ostracized lead people to behave in worrisome ways? Sure, parents, teachers and bosses care about the answer. But, so do leaders of nations where whole groups of people are ostracized because of their race, religion or immigrant status. Adapting to Life as an Empty Nester Guest: Jeffrey Arnett, Research Professor of Psychology at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts and Co-Author of “Getting to 30: A Parent’s Guide to the 20-Something Years” A lot of parents dropped off their 18-year-old kidat college in the past few weeks. Sending off that child is a moment of excitement and pride, but it can also be really sad for parents who don’t have any children left at home anymore. Some of those “empty nesters” now face loneliness and a bad marriage, but for others, it means freedom with their spouse. In the Surprisingly Organized World of Kidnapping for Ransom, Insurance Companies are Key Guest: Anja Shortland, Professor in Political Economy, King’s College London, and Author of “Kidnap: Inside the Ransom Business” You’ve probably got a bunch of insurance –for your house, your car, your health, maybe even your life. Ever heard of kidnap insurance? There’s a surprisingly organized industry built around kidnapping people for ransom globally. The companies that provide insurance against the possibility that you’ll get kidnapped for ransom play a strange and important role, according to research of Anja Shortland. Students with Schitzophrenia Guest: Cecilia McGough, CEO and founder of Students with Schizophrenia  The first indication of schizophrenia often appears in young adulthood. That’s also when many are experiencing the stresses of college life. The combination can be lethal. It nearly was for Cecilia McGough who attempted suicide her freshman year in college. She was finally able to get a diagnosis and treatment for her schizophrenia. And then she turned to helping other young people overcome the stigma. Cecilia McGough is founder of the nonprofit advocacy group Students with Schizophrenia. Why Kids from Homes with Lots of Books Do Better in School Guest: Rachel Wadham, Host, Worlds Awaiting on BYUradio, Education and Juvenile Collections Librarian, BYU In a recent research report, written by sociologists, the phrase, Family Scholarly Culture, was used to describe the quality of life inside homes where books regularly serve as levers for inserting new ideas and experiences into the ongoing family conversation. This research was conducted in 27countries (of every economic level and every political persuasion) over a 20 year period. These scientists made comparisons of families using a range of criteria and then statistically matched those up with the records of school success of the family’s children. As it turns out, the single best predictor of school success was the number of books in the home. The authors however, divined that the presence of books altered the kind of conversation that goes on in the home.