Arctic Refuge, Mugshot Extortion, First Concierge

Drilling May Finally Happen in Alaska’s ANWR, After Decades of Debate Guest: Liz Ruskin, Correspondent for Alaska Public Media A plan to drill for oil in the wild Alaska is Top of Mind today, as the public comment period on the project closes. We’re talking about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge –or ANWR -which politicians, environmental groups, energy companies and Native Alaskan communities have argued about for a generation. Online Public Mugshots Have Become a Controversial Business Guest: Sarah Lageson, Rutgers School of Criminal Justice You know those mugshot websites you see advertised online? We’re so intrigued –for some reason –by seeing how people look in a police camera. Well, just imagine, for a moment, that you or your kid end up arrested. Maybe you’re never even charged with a crime after the dust settles, but your mugshot is now in the public record. And thanks to one of those mugshot websites, it’s now the first thing that pops up when someone Googles you. What a way for a prospective employer to meet you online, eh?  Tom Wolfe, American’s First Concierge Guest: Tom Wolfe, Chief Concierge, The Fairmont The concierge is a fixture in luxury hotels, discreetly recommending a great place to eat or snagging you a seat to sold out show. But it wasn’t until 1974 that concierges even existed in America. That was the year Tom Wolfe opened a concierge desk at The Fairmont in San Francisco modeled on what he’d seen in Europe. Apple Seed Guest: Sam Payne In today's visit, Sam shares a story by Bil Lepp, the storyteller who cut his teeth as the perennial winner of West Virginia's annual "Liar's Contest." Sometimes Bil writes a whole story just so he can say a line he thinks is funny. Today's story is called "Hell's Congress," and it's the most political Bil ever gets.  A Better Way to Track Jumps During Sports Practice, Avoid Overuse Injuries Guest: Dustin Bruening, Professor of Exercise Sciences, Brigham Young University Researchers at BYU have created a device that measures the performance of figure skaters, similar to the way a Fit Bit works. The main goal of the device is to allow skaters to train smarter and more efficiently. It's been difficult to create something like this in the past because of the complex movements of skaters. Researchers focused on the aspect of skating skaters and coaches want to know the most about: jumps. The device focused on three aspects of jumps: count, height, and rotation speed. Measuring jumps allows athletes to avoid overuse injuries, and better understand mistakes their making. The way that athletes work to improve is repetition and having a device to provide more information will help them with technique. Disease Detectives Guest: Brian Amman, Ecologist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention When a mysterious outbreak of a deadly disease like Ebola happens somewhere in the world, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sends in a team of disease detectives. Rather than looking for a criminal, these detectives are looking for the source of the infection.