Puerto Rico, Ageism, Protesting at Sporting Events

Puerto Rico’s Unfolding Disaster Guest: Charles R. Venator-Santiago, PhD, Associate Professor with joint appointment, Department of Political Science and El Instituto: Institute for Latino/a, Caribbean, Latin American Studies, University of Connecticut Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Maria caused major damage to the US territory, much of the island remains without power, running water, fuel or phone service. Puerto Rican officials are pleading daily for more relief from Washington.  Insurers Contribute to the Opioid Epidemic Guest: Leo Beletsky, JD, Associate Professor of Law and Health Sciences, Northeastern University  Drug companies, doctors and even patients themselves have all been assigned some responsibility in the nation’s opioid epidemic. Drug overdose is now the leading cause of death among Americans under the age of 50. More than two million Americans are estimated to be misusing addictive prescription painkillers.  A New York Times/ProPublica investigation found insurance companies are to blame, too. At times, they push people toward addictive opioid medicines that are cheaper than pain treatment that’s less addictive. Getting Older Isn’t the Problem, Ageism Is Guest: Ashton Applewhite, Author of “This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism” When’s the last time you joked about having a “senior moment” or lamented the aches and pains of getting old? How many times have given someone over 40 one of those hilarious birthday cards featuring wrinkly cartoon seniors quipping about sags and bags.  Can we just agree that, for all the jokes, aging is the pits? Well, hang on, says author and activist Ashton Applewhite: It’s not aging that’s our problem, it’s the ageist messages that have convinced us being young is better than being old.   The History of Protesting at Sporting Events Guest: Richard Kimball, PhD, Professor of History, Brigham Young University Fewer pro-football players knelt during the national anthem at NFL games on Sunday. Most teams either stood together, arms linked during the anthem or - in the case of the a few teams - knelt first as a team and then stood for the anthem. When the Baltimore Ravens took a knee before standing for the Star Spangled Banner, the crowd booed. The kneeling began as a protest for racial justice, but President Trump’s tweets reframed it as a question of patriotism – those who fail to stand during the anthem show disrespect for the flag, the country and the military, he says. Let’s have a look at the history of protest by athletes during the national anthem in the US. Movie Reviews With Parent Previews Guests: Rod and Donna Gustafson, Parentpreviews.com Reviews of Flatliners, Battle of the Sexes, and Mully. Tech Transfer: Breakthrough in Cellular Medicine Guests: Dario Mizrachi, PhD, Professor of Physiology and Developmental Biology, Brigham Young University; Mike Alder, Technology Transfer Office, Brigham Young University Our bodies are made up of cells. Have you ever thought about how that works, exactly? Zoom out a bit from the individual cell and how exactly do they congregate to create a solid tissue or an organ? What holds the cells together in their structure?  BYU professor Dario Mizrachi has figured out how to slip molecules between cells that stuck together like super-tight Velcro, which could be a big breakthrough in delivering certain types of medicine.