Burkini Bans, Divorce, Nordic Theory, Juan Gabriel

Burkini Bans and the Law Guest: Elizabeth Clark, JD, Associate Director of the International Center for Law and Religion at BYU Until a French court intervened last week, dozens of cities and towns in France had banned full-body bathing suits called “burkinis” on public beaches. Many of these beaches allow topless sunbathing, but women covered head-to-toe were the ones being cited by police for offending public sensibilities. The burkini bans laws typically refer to them as inappropriate displays of religious affiliation and a risk to public order at a time when France has been the target of terror attacks. Divorce Is Causing More Americans to Stay Put Guest: Thomas Cooke, PhD, Geography Professor at the University of Connecticut Over the last fifty years, Americans have done a lot less moving from one state to another – about half as much, in fact. That’s a big decline and one that demographers have puzzled over. Is the economy limiting people’s willingness to move? Is it the aging baby boomers who hit retirement and settle in? The Nordic Theory of Everything Guest: Anu Partanen, Finnish Journalist and Author of “The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life” For many Americans, the idea of being truly free includes being free from too much government intervention in our lives. We abhor the “nanny state” and recoil at policy recommendations that are “socialist.” But what if people who live in countries with big governments that provide free health care, education and such, are actually more free than we are? Focus on Bringing Kids Up to Grade Level Holds High Achievers Back Guest: Jonathan Plucker, PhD, Education Policy Scholar and Professor of Talent Development at Johns Hopkins University More than a decade of education policies in the US have been focused at making sure kids perform at their grade level. We want to leave “No Child Left Behind,” ensure that “Every Student Succeeds.” There’s been little or no focus on what’s happening at the other end of the spectrum – how many kids a