Trump Tested, Altitude Sickness, Dangers of Being a Farmer

Harvey Response Is One of Many Tests for Trump Guest: Ambassador Lincoln Bloomfield, Chairman Emeritus, Stimson Center, Washington D.C. The President travelled to Texas on Tuesday to demonstrate his support for people dealing with the effects of Hurricane Harvey and assess the federal recover effort. It’s just one of the almost-daily tests President Trump faces. Another came overnight with North Korea’s launch of a missile right over Japan. President Trump has repeatedly warned North Korea to knock it off, or else. “All options are on the table,” said Trump in response to this latest missile. Recognizing and Preventing Altitude Sickness Guest: Colin Grissom, MD, Critical Care Physician, Intermountain Medical Center, Murray, UT, Professor of Medicine, Clinical Track, University of Utah Less than two weeks ago, a Pennsylvania woman was hiking near Aspen, Colorado when she got violently ill and soon died from what is suspected to be altitude sickness. Just a couple weeks earlier, a boy scout backpacking trip to the High Uintas mountains here in Utah also ended in tragedy when a young athlete and Boy Scout died in the mountains from presumed altitude sickness. Both hikers died before medical professionals could reach them. Altitude sickness is a condition that can be very tricky to diagnose and fatal if left untreated. Almonds May Help Boost Cholesterol Clean-Up Guest: Claire Berryman, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine You’ve probably had your cholesterol tested in the last year or so and got the report about good and bad cholesterol in your blood? Some new nutritional research finds that eating almonds as a snack can help boost good cholesterol levels and get rid of the bad. A two-for-one! Farming Doesn’t Come with Insurance Benefits Guest: Shoshanah Inwood, PhD, Assistant Professor of Community Development and Food Systems, The Ohio State University When you think about the most dangerous jobs in America, does farming come to mind? Flipping tractors, unpredictable animals, chemical exposure and dangerous machinery make agriculture one of the most hazardous industries in the country. Little wonder that finding affordable health insurance is one of the most significant concerns facing American farmers, who are often self-employed. A survey funded by the US Department of Agriculture also found that concern deters young farmers from embracing the career. STEM Degrees Don’t Mean More Inventions Guest: Nicola Bianchi, PhD, Assistant Professor of Strategy, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University A degree in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) is seen these days as a ticket to career success. STEM graduates are sought after from Silicon Valley to Wall Street, but do they end up doing the kind of innovation that really fuels an economy? Logging Town Becomes Tech Hub Guest: Abe Streep, Contributing Editor, Outside Magazine Facebook and Apple have recently set up shop in rural Prineville, Oregon, with a population of less than 10,000 people. The town is closer to two national forests than it is to any interstate highways. And an influx of newcomers drawn by the new industry, or by the allure of nearby recreational opportunities, means that, on the weekends, you can now either rent mountain bikes or attend the rodeo. Maybe both. The story of Prineville raises questions small towns across the US have to wrestle with.