Episodes
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On this episode of With Good Reason, Technical Director Jamal Millner hosts and we explore how some musicians interact with the communities they inhabit. The inspiration, support and motivation these artist’s receive from their families, friends and fans.
CJ Colston is a millennial Evangelical Preacher and Singer that performs proselytizes in Southwestern Virginia area churches regardless of the race of the congregations. And: Filmmaker and VH Fellow Alicia Aroche discusses her upcoming documentary 32 Blocks. We discuss her film about a few of the great and internationally recognized musicians that grew up in the Church Hill area of Richmond VA. Lonnie Liston Smith and Wah Wah Watson are just a couple of the musicians featured in the film.
Later in the show: Alternative Hip Hop artist geonova from Big Stone Gap tells us about the struggles and triumphs of being an LGBT artist in rural Virginia. Plus: Jazz Trumpeter and Composer John D’earth is the final guest on this episode. We discuss his upcoming retirement as Director of Jazz Studies at UVA, stories of his interactions with some of jazz histories masters and his latest projects. -
NASA recently announced they’re preparing to send humans to Mars as early as 2035. It’ll be a huge undertaking that will require a big budget and massive collective effort. But Joel Levine is focused more on the small stuff. He’s working with NASA on sterilization methods to prevent the cross-contamination of microbes between Earth and Mars. And: It’s around a 7 month trip to go from Earth to Mars. That’s a long time to be in outer space. And we’re just now learning how it’ll affect the body. Hank Donahue says extended space travel can cause serious bone density loss and other health issues.
Later in the show: Stargazers rejoice! Any day now the night sky will welcome a new star. Justin Mason says it’s a NOVA called the T-Corona Borealis, and when it explodes it’s brightness will rival the North Star. Plus: What’s rubber, a must-have at every birthday party, and can fly to the highest reaches of the atmosphere? Why, balloons of course! Wendy Hinton launches high-altitude balloons with her students to get them hands-on experience outside the classroom. -
Episodes manquant?
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The borders of Jordan have changed over and over in the last century. And each time they shift, Jordanian immigration policy–officially or unofficially–shifts as well. Lillian Frost takes us deep into the history of the region to understand how Jordanian officials have interpreted the same immigration laws differently depending on what’s going on in the nations around them. And: In the US, more than 80% of survey respondents say they want to see immigration reduced. Researchers find similar numbers in Europe. Megan Roosevelt explores what drives these anti-immigrant attitudes.
Later in the show: Applying for a spousal visa to the U.S. means navigating a whole system of unwritten rules. Gina Longo explores how informal online communities navigate this U.S. immigration system. Plus: When Sophia Sexton first came to the United States as an immigrant from Afghanistan, she recognized the importance of language and communication. Today, she teaches students at Northern Virginia Community College, many of whom are immigrants themselves, how to share their own stories through writing. -
Could a centuries-old curse be to blame for Will Smith’s infamous slap of Chris Rock at the Academy Awards? Amanda Kellogg uncovers the long history of a superstition known as Macbeth’s curse. And: Anna Beecher first encountered the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tale, The Boy Who Went Forth to Learn to Shudder, as a young kid and was thoroughly frightened. She based her play, Skin of the Teeth, on that same Grimm’s fairy tale.
Later in the show: Halloween and Scream are two of the goriest slasher movies. But they’re more than just jump-scares and frights. Jennifer McLawhorn says slasher movies actually open a window into important social anxieties around gender. Plus: The first horror movies like Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari came out in the 1920’s, during the silent film era. Jenny Taylor says the roots of the horror movie genre can be traced back to Germany’s Weimar Republic. -
In America, presidential primaries don’t officially begin until February of the election year. But we all know that presidential campaigns go on for years before that. In mid-August, the Democratic Party announced Vice President Kamala Harris as their nominee after incumbent President Joe Biden stepped down. Voters didn’t choose this. The party did. Caitlin Jewitt wonders how this will impact the way that political elites nominate future presidential hopefuls. Plus: Presidents have to know how to take a joke. And how to tell one about themselves. Steve Farnsworth says that many young people are finding their way into understanding the political landscape one joke at a time.
Later in the show: Gen Z is exceptionally active in protests and rallying people around causes that matter to them. But surveys show that they’re not quite as active at the polls. Xiaowen Xu says this might be because they don’t feel heard or represented by current presidential candidates. And: Political party identification is the unmoved mover. It rarely changes. Except when it does. Daniel Reed says that some things can affect how we show up at the polls. -
We usually reserve the word “wicked” for the worst things in life. But at Radford University, being a wicked student is a badge of honor. Every year, Paige Tan and Meg Konkel help students come up with creative solutions to life’s messiest problems for the Wicked Festival. And: What if you could get 500 dollars for free? Only catch is, you have put it toward something that does good - something that leaves a positive impact. How would you spend the money? That’s the challenge Chris Tweedt brought to his business ethics students.
Later in the Show: From the long list of expenses to endless paperwork, starting a business can be a headache. That’s where Norfolk State’s Innovation Center comes in. Established in 2019, Akosua Acheamponmaa says the Innovation Center is all about helping early entrepreneurs in underserved communities make their business dreams come true. Plus: When Meg Michelsen was a kid, she used to collect fragrance samples from department stores and magazines. Now she studies sensory marketing, focusing on how brand names and product scents influence our buying habits. -
There’s an AI arms race. And anyone can compete. But AI doesn’t have moral judgment; it only sees patterns. Atin Basu says that military education needs to emphasize the humanities to ensure that the people behind the machines have moral center and judgment that the machines will never have. And: For one reason or another, doctors and nurses don’t have a lot of time to talk to patients. The AI chatbot Florence is here to help. Haipeng Chen hopes to train Florence to be as smart as a human nurse.
Later in the show: Water is essential to life. And hackers know that. Floridian and Hawaiian water systems have been hacked in the past year. Some of that damage cannot be undone. Feras Batarseh and his colleagues are working to ensure that water in the nation’s capital is not hacked. Plus: Sachin Setty says that the future of work requires us to coexist with AI. So we have to learn how to trust it. -
If you’re looking for new music, you might turn to youtube, spotify, social media–basically, the internet. In Cuba, internet access is so limited that music is passed through a USB network called Sneakernet. Mike Levine explains how Sneakernet helps spread the rhythms–and politics–of reparto music. And: What does it sound like when trees sing? Or rocks? Or a city waterworks? Sara Bouchard is a sound artist who often works with data from objects and nature to make music.
Later in the show: As a young kid, music brought meaning to Donald Sorah’s life–and it kept him in school. Now as a teacher, he brings the joy of music making to students, particularly the ones who don’t think of themselves as musicians. Plus: There’s nothing quite like sharing your favorite songs with the people you love. But Kevin Caffrey says that kind of shared musical experience can also be a way to connect with strangers. -
In the early 20th century, terrapins–a kind of turtle–were a culinary delicacy. Then humans nearly hunted them to extinction. While Americans don’t eat much turtle these days, terrapin populations are still in danger–from crab traps. Randy Chambers is working to perfect a device for crab traps that will help protect terrapins. And: Learning about learning is a lot easier if you’ve got hands on practice. That’s what inspired the first ever Wise-minster Dog Show at the University of Virginia College at Wise. Robert Arrowood’s psychology of learning class put theory to practice by training shelter dogs. Through the project, UVA Wise students helped dozens of dogs find their forever homes.
Later in the show: Lab rats have a pretty cushy life. And if you measure their stress levels compared to wild city rats, it shows. But what about wild country rats? Molly Kent’s research asks questions about stress in rats, but along the way she’s learning about human stress, too. Plus: Are undiscovered animals lurking in plain sight? Tara Pelletier says that even if animals look the same to our human eyes, they can have genetic differences that make them different species. -
Failure is a key part of the scientific process. But Gertrude Fraser says women in STEM aren’t often given the same leeway to fail as their male colleagues. Plus: Ken Ono applied his mathematics research to help swimmer, Kate Douglass, shave 4 tenths of a second off her breastroke. He says it took countless failures to save just a tiny fraction of time, but it ultimately proved to be the difference between winning and losing. Kate won gold at the Paris Olympics in the women’s 200 meter breaststroke.
Later in the show: When Mona Danner was a kid, her father used to say: if you don’t A-S-K you won’t G-E-T. Now she’s paying that wisdom forward. She teaches seminars on the art of negotiation to help women in STEM break through the gender pay gap. And: Josephine Rodriguez says talent alone isn’t always enough for students to succeed in STEM. They need outstanding teachers and opportunities to develop. She’s dedicated much of her career to broadening participation in STEM. -
There’s a parasite inhabiting the bodies of crabs and making them infertile. Amy Fowler says that if that parasite entered the Chesapeake Bay, 90% of our crabs would be inedible. America is littered with battlefields, and abandoned forts. They’re often some of the most pristine sites of Virginia ecosystems. Plus: Todd Lookingbill is a SCHEV winner for his research on the ecological value of battlefields.
Later in the show: Scientists first noticed coral reefs disappearing in the late nineties. Now, it’s getting worse as underwater temperatures continue to rise. Researchers Nastassja Lewinski and Liza Rogers are busy testing and developing solutions to coral bleaching. And: Deer enjoy forest edges. They’re away from the predators in the heart of the forest, and there’s less competition for food. But Matthias Leiu says that the lone star ticks love the forest edge, too. -
Sitting in a doctor’s office, trying to understand medicalese, is familiar for most of us. And really frustrating. Suzanne Makarem found forty women who pursue nontraditional medical professionals after years of feeling unheard by traditional care providers. Many of these women now only see their traditional doctors for blood tests, vaccines and annual check ups. Plus: The United States and New Zealand are the only countries that allow pharmaceutical companies to advertise directly to consumers. So ever since the late 90s, American cable stations are littered with direct-to-consumer drug ads that urge people to ask their doctor today if a certain drug is right for them. Staci Defibaugh says that these ads are not just promoting drugs to patients. They’re showing people how to be an “activated patient.”
Later in the show: It’s baffling to think that by and large, African-American men have a shorter life expectancy than most other groups of people in America. There are many factors involved in that. But Alton Coleman says that being perceived as a threat in public spaces plays a huge role. And: There are many barriers to accessing good healthcare in Appalachia. Troy Makal was shocked to find that the greatest barrier wasn’t transportation, money or insurance, but a fundamental distrust in medical providers. -
Babies come into the world ready to learn and all those coos and grunts that they make–and that their parents make at them–are stepping stones to fluency. Rory DePeolis and Shiree Harbick are studying baby babble to better understand how babies learn language. And: Too often when it comes to helping minority kids succeed in school, families are seen as part of the problem to solve. Instead, Melissa Wells recognizes the strengths that families bring. She shares her favorite kids books that help invite families into schools and celebrate their cultural strengths. Melissa was named an Outstanding Faculty member by The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Plus: There’s a lot of discussion of teachers who are worried about how ChatGPT and other AI tools will affect their classrooms. But some teachers, like Jinhee Kim, are embracing ChatGPT as a lesson-planner, a discussion coordinator, and even a sympathetic ear for stressed out students.
Later in the show: In the early months of Covid, kids were sent home with packets for Zoom school. This was tough on all parents, but for parents with limited English language skills, it was particularly hard. Katherine Barko-Alva and her students started holding bilingual office hours for parents to call for help in Zoom-schooling. Today, the community that came from that meets monthly for Spanish-language parenting support. And: The relationships young children have with their teachers early in school make a big difference in later years. Kathleen Rudasill says that a child’s individual temperament can really affect how that relationship forms. -
Many pipelines have been protested, but few have been defeated. Jonathan Mingle says the cancellation of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in 2020 is a story of collaboration between local activists and the Southern Environmental Law Center. And: Oil was first discovered in Louisiana at the turn of the 20th century. Suddenly, even the most unassuming plots of land could be worth millions. But Henry Wiencek says not everyone with oil on their property got rich.
Later in the show: In the 1970’s, Rae Ely fought tooth and nail to protect her bucolic hometown from developers. Brian Balogh says Rae wasn’t well versed in politics, but she stood up to powerful politicians and business leaders to stop plans for a prison facility and vermiculite mine in her community. Plus: Palm oil is the distinct flavor of Afro-Brazilian cooking. It’s used in all kinds of traditional dishes and even as an offering to religious deities. Case Watkins says the Afro-Brazilian relationship to palm oil has a lot to teach us about environmental and climate justice. -
In the '80s and '90s, many Puerto Rican poets who lived in the contiguous United States wrote within a fixed aya and aca/mainland vs. island story. The island was home. Jane Alberdeston Coralin and other contemporary Puerto Rican poets approach their selves, memories and bodies as home. And: Latin American literature of the 60’s was complex and required active readers. By the 70s and 80s, the literature had conformed to the demands of the marketplace: it was localist, exotic and saturated with magical realism. Tomás Regalado-López says that the 1996 Crack Movement transformed the marketplace for Latin American writers. It shifted things from a narrow stereotype to a land of endless possibilities.
Plus: In the 1950s, a Californian poet named Jack Spicer did something wonky. He wrote the introduction to his book in the voice of long deceased poet Federico Garcia Lorca. And he took liberty to translate Lorca’s work as he wished. Scott Challener says that this inspired a generation of poets to approach translation as correspondence. -
What makes a court a court? Most people might answer something like this: there’s a judge with legal training, who makes a judgment, and if you don’t follow their judgment, you get punished. David Law says that, actually, none of that is required for a court. That’s how the American courts work, but all over the world there are courts that operate very differently. And: Five years after getting federal recognition, the Upper Mattaponi tribe in Virginia has started operating their own courts. Chief Frank Adams and Savannah Baber explore what tribal justice looks like in Virginia.
Plus: Building a court system is difficult under any circumstances. There’s a lot to decide. In communities that have suffered intense violent conflicts–like Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, or Kosovo after the war of the 1990s–creating a court system is both essential and particularly fraught. Christie Warren has worked all over the world as a facilitator helping post-conflict zones design legal and justice systems. -
In 1979, the US government commissioned a fictional account of the aftermath of nuclear war…set in Charlottesville, Virginia. George Perkovich says the report inspired The Day After - one of the most popular made for TV movies of all time. And: Remember when fears of the Y2K computer bug sent everyone into a frenzy at the turn of the year 2000? Matthew Gabriele (Virginia Tech) says a similar apocalyptic panic took place at the end of the first millenia. He studies how early Christians thought about the end of the world. Also: Matt Pryal watched live as NASA successfully completed the DART mission back in 2022. DART stands for Double Asteroid Redirection Test. He says it was a massive undertaking that may help save humanity in the distant future.
Later in the show: During the Cold War, tensions between the US and Russia were at an all time high. A kind of existential fear seeped into many aspects of society - including the silver screen. Todd Sechser charts the shifting anxieties over nuclear war reflected in movies from the 1960’s to the 80’s. Plus: Heat waves, flooding, drought and other extreme weather have become the norm. It sometimes feels like we’re in the throes of a climate apocalypse. But Frances Flannery says we should avoid using that word - apocalypse - when we talk about the climate crisis. -
The Soulmasters was a 1960’s interracial soul band from Danville, VA. Jerry Wilson and John Irby were the two African-American lead singers and the other band members were white. Jerry reflects on what it was like touring the South during the height of segregation. And: We all have that one song that soothes our soul. This ability to escape through music was a lifeline for American troops during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Later in the show: Meet Folklorist Katy Clune! Her passion for diverse folklife traditions stems from growing up all over the world as the child of a parent in the foreign service. Plus: Back in the early 1980’s, Grace Toney Edwards developed Radford University’s first Appalachian Folklore class and when she retired, Ricky Cox took over the class. They reflect on some of their favorite student projects - which have all been digitized at Radford’s Appalachian Folklife Archive. -
Much has been said about the golden age of gospel music in the 1940s and 50s. But what about the gospel music that came later when hip-hop and soul were dominant? Claudrena Harold’s in her book, When Sunday Comes, takes us to the Black record shops, churches, and businesses that transformed gospel after the Civil Rights era and nurtured the music that was an essential cultural and political expression for African Americans.
Later in the show: Historian Lauranett Lee shares the history of the Juneteenth holiday. She says in this country we have parallel histories, with Black and white Americans knowing about and acknowledging different pasts. But local historians are elevating the stories of African Americans so that those parallel histories are brought together. One of those is Wilma Jones, who grew up in the mostly Black community of Halls Hill in Arlington, Virginia. Now the neighborhood is rapidly gentrifying and Black families like hers have been pushed out. Jones says it’s too late to save Grandma’s house, but it’s not too late to save her history. -
Citizens quickly took Fidel Castro up on his offer to leave Cuba from the Port of Mariel if they had someone to pick them up. From Spring to early Autumn of 1980, over one hundred thousand Cubans emigrated to America by boat. They arrived raw and tender-hearted, trying to reconnect with family members. Terry Marsh recalls the great attempts FEMA made to reconnect families and determine who was going to go where. And: People who live in hurricane and flood prone areas are often unreceptive to advice about evacuation or even flood insurance. Dan Richards has learned that trust and transparency are central to communicating flood risk.
Later in the show: There’s not much tree canopy in formerly redlined neighborhoods. People often seek medical attention for heat related illnesses. Steve Woolf and his colleagues found that this heat costs the United States approximately $1 billion in health care costs every summer. Plus: In 1973, The Endangered Species Act was created to protect animals and plants and their habitats. Matthias Leu says that species have always competed with human interests to make the list. - Montre plus
