Political Climate, History of the Beach, Detecting Lies

Why American Voters Are So Angry Guest: Stephen Walt, PhD, Professor of International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Columnist for “Foreign Policy” Magazine If you’ve been paying even the slightest bit of attention to the Presidential election, you know American voters are angry. Republican Donald Trump makes a point of channeling it among his supporters. The most popular chant at his rallies isn’t “Make America Great” or “U.S.A.” it’s “Lock Her Up” -  referring to Democrat Hillary Clinton, of course.  Democrat Bernie Sanders tapped the anger, too, appealing to voters fed up with the political process and a “rigged economy.” Americans aren’t the only angry ones, by the way. Anger and fear fueled the British vote to leave the European Union and is helping anti-immigration politicians win election victories across Europe. Elite Climber Turns to Wildlife Photography Guest: John Sherman, Wildlife Photographer and Elite Rock Climber Wildlife photographer John Sherman’s specialty is birds, which he captures in remarkable color and grace. I’m looking at one he’s taken of a California Condor – which is a notoriously difficult bird to photograph. It’s nestled in the branches of a tree, bathed in evening sun that makes the orange flesh on its face glow brilliantly. And the condor seems to be just casually looking over its shoulder at the camera.  But then you stop for a second and thing – hang on, how did he capture this picture? Did he scale a cliff? Is he up in a neighboring tree? Don’t put any of those options past him. How the Beach Became Popular Guest: Helen Rozwadowski, PhD, Professor of History at the University of Connecticut and Author of “Fathoming the Ocean” Just about everyone considers a trip to the beach to be the ideal summer vacation. The sand and the surf equate to play and relaxation in modern culture. But that’s a fairly recent thing. Go back a hundred years and beachgoers were there for either medicinal benefits or serious study. And before that, the beach wasn’t a place where a respectable person would even venture. Detecting a Lie Guest: Amy-May Leach, PhD, Associate Professor and Assistant Dean in the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology In some countries it is against the law to testify in court with your face covered, which can pose a problem for Muslim women who wear face veils. Even judges in the US, Canada and the UK have occasionally insisted a Muslim woman remove her veil before testifying. The thinking behind is that a judge or jury will be better at detecting a lie if the witness’s face is clearly visible. But according to new research, it may actually be easier to tell if someone is lying when that person wears a veil. Income Based Tuition Guest: Sajay Samuel, PhD, Professor of Accounting at Penn State University College graduates with an early childhood education degree will have a starting salary of about $30,000. Whereas a student with a degree in petroleum engineering can plan on making about $100,000 right out of college. Yet, if both of them graduated from the same school, they’ve paid the same tuition and incurred the same debt. Is that really fair? What if, the cost of tuition was tied to the projected earnings of a chosen major? How Useful Are Online User Ratings? Guest: Bart de Langhe, PhD, Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Leeds School of Business Many of us have made a purchase on Amazon or Ebay driven largely by the customer comments online. There’s something about scrolling through a bunch of five-star reviews and customer raves that gives someone the confidence go ahead and click “Add to Cart.” On the flip side, a particularly critical customer comment may slow you down, make you look for an alternative, because now there’s a lingering worry you, too, might end up disappointed.  But apparently, it’s a waste of time. New research in the “Journal of Consumer Research” that shows customer reviews are simply not a good indication of a product’s quality.