Trump's Border Wall, The Mighty Baker, Middle East Panel

Trump's Border Wall, The Mighty Baker, Middle East Panel

Top of Mind with Julie Rose

  • May 18, 2017 11:00 pm
  • 1:44:18 mins

A Look at the Border Wall and What It Could Be Guest: Ronald Rael, Associate Professor and the Chair of the Graduate Committee, Department of Architecture, UC Berkeley, author of “Borderwall as Architecture” President Trump reiterated his promise to build a wall along the US-Mexico border today during a press conference with the president of Colombia. We need the wall to prevent drugs and criminals from crossing into the US, Trump said. What he didn’t point out – and what many people don’t realize – is that roughly one-third of the 2,000 mile border between the U.S. and Mexico already has some form of wall or fence for that very purpose. A closer look at how well that structure has worked offers important lessons as Trump struggles to convince Congress to fund his $20-billion wall.   Ronald Rael’s new book, “Borderwall as Architecture” explores the existing barrier and offers some fascinating thoughts on what it could be, if designed carefully. The Mighty Baker Guest: Peter Tidwell, two-time winner of Food Network’s “Cake Wars,” owner of The Mighty Baker Twice, baker Peter Tidwell has won Cake Wars on the Food Network. Most recently he beat out a bunch of other champions on the show, and he did it with a couple Power Rangers themed cakes—one having Ketchup in it. He’s been known to put blue cheese in frosting, too. Crazy combos are his thing, and so are colorful, playful cake sculptures that look too amazing to eat. Hair Inspires Better Body Armor Guest: Marc Meyers, PhD, Profess of NanoEngineering, University of California San Diego Think of all the ways we abuse our hair: we brush it, dye it, shave it, twist it, curl it, and more. It’s flexible, resilient and, actually, as strong as steel. In fact, researchers at the University of California San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering are wondering if the structure of a human hair can inspire scientists to build stronger synthetic fabrics.  Middle East Panel Guests: Steven Lobell, Professor of Political Science, University of Utah; John Macfarlane, Professor of Political Science, Utah Valley University; Fred Axelgard, Senior Fellow at Brigham Young University’s Wheatley Institution This week the Trump administration made an important move on Iran – it renewed a waiver on sanctions, which keeps the Iranian nuclear agreement in place. But Trump has been very critical of the Iranian nuclear deal—we discuss why he would keep sanctions lifted.  U2 30th Anniversary Joshua Tree Tour (originally aired Jan. 18, 2017) Guest: Quint Randle, PhD, Professor of Communications, BYU U2’s iconic album, “The Joshua Tree” turns 30 this year and the band is headed out on a commemorative tour.  “The Joshua Tree” wasn’t U2’s first album, but it was its first US chart-topper and made the group into a global phenomenon, capable of filling football stadiums. So, why is U2 – one of the biggest bands of the 1980s – still such a big deal? Why have their fans never quit them? Why do songs like “With or Without You” still have the power to make entire stadiums sway rapturously?

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