As more Americans get vaccinated, the light at the end of the tunnel shines a little bit brighter each day. We discuss the slow return of theater-released movies and some of the future films we’re most excited for.
21-18 Segment 1: Jimmy Stewart: The Hollywood Actor & Fighter Pilot
The late actor, Jimmy Stewart, gave us some very memorable characters during his time in Hollywood – many very funny; others endearing; and some dark and villainous. Perhaps Stewart’s most dramatic role was the one that not many people know about, but that molded his life and his psyche – not to mention his acting – for most of his career: serving as a fighter pilot in World War II. We talk to an author who delved into Stewart’s war service about how flying missions over Europe and seeing his comrades die affected the actor and the types of roles he chose to play post-war.
21-18 Segment 2: Easy Switches For A More Earth-Friendly Diet
As more Americans look to decrease their carbon footprints, what’s one way to make a big difference? Flipping the narrative on the traditional American diet. Beef is more carbon-intensive to produce than chicken, but did you know that cheese is also worse than chicken? It’s this knowledge that can change people’s dietary decisions and decrease greenhouse gas emissions, slowing global warming. Paul Greenberg, a food and science writer, joins Viewpoints this week to share how people can adjust their daily eating habits to make a difference.
Culture Crash 21-18: Literature Tackling Race & Inequality (2021 update)
The perspectives of black authors are vital in understanding why racial bias still plagues our country. We offer up some timely recommendations to add to your 2021 reading list.
21-17 Segment 1: What Happens To The Human Body In Space?
From abrupt changes in gravity to galactic cosmic radiation, astronauts face numerous challenges as they push to explore further into the unknown. Dr. Emmanuel Urquieta, from the Center for Space Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine, joins Viewpoints this week to help us understand some of the health impacts of spending time in space and the hurdles that come with longer missions like sending humans to Mars.
21-17 Segment 2: The Sky-high Cost of College
Today, the average student graduating from a four-year, public university leaves with $28,600 in student loans. On top of this, students owe interest once payments kick in, and this can range from 3 to 5 percent for federal loans and can go as high as 12 percent for private loans. For some, the large sum of these loans plus interest can take several years to pay off and has a big effect on life decisions like when to start a family or if they can afford to leave a toxic job. This week – we cover the student loan crisis in the U.S. and talk about alternative options and resources that can help lower the current cost of higher education.
Culture Crash 21-17: The Second Debut Of Taylor Swift’s “Fearless”
Taylor Swift recently re-recorded and released her hit 2008 album “Fearless”. We discuss the nostalgic vibes we felt while listening to these old Taylor tracks.
21-16 Segment 1: The Role We Each Play In Slowing Climate Change
Despite the pandemic, carbon emissions are at an all-time high, topping records over the past 3.6 million years. For years, scientists have warned of humans approaching a critical tipping point of global warming – and it’s here. Sustainability scientist Dr. Kimberly Nicholas joins Viewpoints this week to break down the current climate landscape and explain why turning things around requires a collective effort.
21-16 Segment 2: The Growing Wealth Of The Billionaire Class
Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg added 41 billion dollars to his wealth over the past year. And that’s nothing compared to what Tesla CEO, Elon Musk raked in: 157 billion. The majority of humans on the planet can’t even fathom earning that amount of money. Yet, for many in the top .01 percent, it’s a never-ending cycle of holding onto and building their wealth for generations to come. As the rich get richer and take up a bigger piece of the pie, what’s left for the rest of us? How can leaders and laws slow this extreme wealth inequality?
Culture Crash 21-16: Oscar-Worthy Foreign Language Films
In recent years, foreign language films have started to be taken more seriously in the top awards categories. Take Parasite winning Best Picture at the Oscars last year. We discuss some of the best international films released over the last twelve months and where to watch them.
21-15 Segment 1: Managing Mental Health In The Medical Field During A Pandemic
Physician burnout is still a very real problem in the U.S. – and the pandemic has only exacerbated these feelings in some of the hardest hit hospitals across the country. We speak with Dr. Greg Hammer at Stanford University about the pandemic’s lasting effects on mental health and systems that have been created to better support people working in medicine or in medical school.
21-15 Segment 2: End-Of-Life Planning: Have You Gotten Your Affairs In Order?
About 60 percent of Americans don’t yet have a written will in place. People spend a lifetime working hard, saving money, building assets, but often never think about what would happen in case they suddenly passed away. Viewpoints speaks with life planning expert, Abby Schneiderman, about the importance of organizing your life both on paper and online.
Culture Crash 21-15: The Latest Album By Band, AJR
The newest musical release by AJR is titled, “OK ORCHESTRA 5”. It’s an energetic, unique collection that you won’t be able to get out of your head this spring.
21-14 Segment 2: Alphabetical Arrangement
Organizing people or items by A to Z is a common method all over the world. It’s used in schools, businesses, libraries and more. But why is this the predominant method today? What are some other systems that people of the past used? Historian Judith Flanders joins us this week to shed some light on the fascinating study of alphabetization.
21-14 Segment 1: Entrepreneurship In The Adult-Use Cannabis Market
New York is the latest to legalize recreational marijuana. This move will create thousands of new jobs and is expected to generate billions of dollars in revenue after a lackluster year in tourism, real estate and business. And New York isn’t alone. Each year, more states are voting to allow both adult-use and medical marijuana sales. But, with this, comes challenges. In a fast-growing industry, how do you ensure that smaller entrepreneurs aren’t left behind? Or those who’ve been systemically affected by the war on cannabis are given greater opportunity?
Culture Crash 21-14: Zack Snyder’s “Justice League”
The new director’s cut of “Justice League” is now out on HBO Max. The action movie clocks in at a whopping four hours. Is it just another overhyped streaming release or something more?
21-13 Segment 2: Modern Adulthood
Whatever age you are, there’s always certain pressures to hit life milestones by set periods. It can mean moving out, getting married, having a family or even retiring by a ‘normal’ age. We discuss why these external pressures shouldn’t feed into personal decisions and how today’s generations and the challenges they face greatly differ from those of their parents or grandparents.
21-13 Segment 1: Siri, Self-Driving Cars and Disinformation on Social Media: The Ups & Downs of Artificial Intelligence
AI software is everywhere these days. It’s built into cars, tech, robotics and used in numerous fields from stock portfolio management to pharmaceuticals. But, what does the future of artificial intelligence hold as this technology expands? How will current problems be exacerbated? AI expert and New York Times journalist, Cade Metz joins Viewpoints this week.
Culture Crash 21-13: A Unique Oscar Year
This year’s awards season looks a bit different due to the pandemic stalling new releases. But, as those in showbiz say, the show must go on.
21-12 Segment 2: The Mental Toll of a Full Work Inbox
On average, its estimated that the typical worker receives one email every six minutes. This constant stream of emails and instant messages throughout the day continuously pulls people away from their main tasks and leads to workout burnout. And the pandemic – with more people working from home – has only made this worse. Computer science and communication expert, Cal Newport joins us this week to break down the main issues and possible solutions.
