With Good Reason

You can’t finish something you haven’t started. Francis Bush (Virginia Military Institute) started running late in life and has now completed more than 60 marathons. Plus: Women’s soccer coach Corey Hewson (University of Mary Washington) shares advice for new runners and those training for a half-marathon. Also: In American religious life, east often meets west, evidenced by the still growing interest in religions like Buddhism and Hinduism. Kenneth Rose (Christopher Newport University) looks at spiritual seeking and mysticism in our society. Later in the show: The link between obesity and health problems is evident, but how to get healthy and lose weight isn’t always so clear. Cathy Roy (Longwood University) says it’s not necessarily the fat making people sick. Her research suggests a lack of physical activity might be more to blame. And: Water might help you lose weight. The latest research shows that drinking two 8 oz. glasses before each meal helps decrease calorie intake. Brenda Davy (Virginia Tech) investigates lifestyle strategies that prevent obesity, and her latest studies about the role of water in diets are making a huge splash. Also featured: Don’t let the economy get you down this year. Psychologist Holly Schiffrin (University of Mary Washington) suggests that lifestyle changes brought on by the recession might actually be better for our well-being. She says one of the surest ways to find happiness doesn’t have to cost a nickel: spending time with friends and family.

The fear of public speaking can be debilitating. For some, it’s the stuff of nightmares, and so many of us avoid doing it altogether. Molly Bishop Shadel (University of Virginia) and Robert N. Sayler (University of Virginia) are the authors of Tongue Tied America. They say the art of verbal persuasion can be taught and there are tried and true techniques that can make one a better public speaker. Also: It’s a highly debated approach to improving workplace relations: emotional intelligence training. But there’s a reason EI, as it’s called, is growing in popularity. Ronald Humphrey (Virginia Commonwealth University) says emotionally intelligent people—those with an ability to understand the emotions of themselves and others—make better workers, which is good for business. Later in the show: The election of Abraham Lincoln as President touched off a secession crisis in the South. In his book Showdown in Virginia, Bill Freehling (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities) focuses on turning points in Virginia’s months-long, bitter battle over whether to secede from the Union. Also: Historians estimate that of the nearly 5,000 pirates who terrorized America’s Atlantic coast in the early 1700s, 25-30% were of African descent, many of them freed slaves. Cassandra Newby-Alexander (Norfolk State University) argues these black pirates experienced more freedom on their outlaw ships than on ‘civilized’ dry land.

During and despite the Great Depression, the entertainment industry produced what some consider the greatest era of popular music. Elliot Majerczyk (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities) looks at the songs that became the soundtrack of the ‘lost generation’ and helped pull America through hard times. Also: Nigel Sellars (Christopher Newport University) explains that Roosevelt’s New Deal originally focused on regulation and stimulating the industrial economy. It was not until 1935, when the Second New Deal began putting millions of people to work, that most Americans felt relief from the Great Depression. Later in the show: Give peace a chance. Teaching kids about peace might be just as important as reading, writing, and arithmetic. Elavie Ndura-Ouedraogo (George Mason University) believes peace-building should be a part of school curricula and is using her country of Burundi to show how such programs can work. Also featured: A game that encourages students to change the world. Elementary school teacher John Hunter has created what he calls his “World Peace Game,” and it asks students to solve everything from oil spills to insurgencies and border disagreements. With Good Reason visits a class. And: Refugees founded this country, but historically America has had a complicated relationship with its refugee population. The Displaced Persons Act of 1948 codified our commitment to help refugee populations – from Cuba, Vietnam, and elsewhere. But since then, David Haines (George Mason University) says, the American people have been both generous in their welcome but at times also disinterested and hostile. Haines has three decades of experience in refugee research and policy and is the author of a new book, Safe Haven? -

Whether it’s a traditional hymn or a holiday song from our childhood, many people say Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without the music that marks this season. The sense of joy, comfort, or spiritual uplift comes in all kinds of music at this time of year. From a Charlie Brown Christmas to Donny Hathaway and carols from the 15th century, Inman Majors (James Madison University), Hermine Pinson (College of William and Mary), and Rob Vaughn (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities) share their favorite holiday music and memories. Later in the show: Christmas may conjure images of bourbon mixed in eggnog or hot buttered rum drinks, but biologist Lytton Musselman (Old Dominion University) is making his own cordials and spirits from wild roots, berries, and mushrooms. Musselman loves the distinct differences in flavor each plant brings to the liquor because, he says, “we are reminded of the glens, marshes, prairies, lakes, and forests where they live, who they hang out with, and their seasons of life.” Also featured: Delores Phillips (Old Dominion University) researches how multicultural families deal with holiday foods that will be on the table at this time of year. She speaks from personal experience as an African American married into a Vietnamese-American family with inlaws from both cultures.

At the end of the month, President Obama will deliver his annual State of the Union address. Two Virginia scholars say that the vast majority of Americans are terrified at the thought of giving a speech. Kelley Libby reports some of their advice on how to claim the spotlight.

Post offices around the nation bear the mark of the Great Depression in the form of murals. Nearly eight decades ago, President Roosevelt used public works projects to get unemployment rates down, but the New Deal also accomplished broad cultural goals. Allison Quantz reports some of those New Deal cultural efforts are still in evidence in Virginia.

Holiday celebrations often come with classic drinks like eggnog and mulled wine. One Virginia biologist is putting his own twist on cheerful spirits with homemade liquors. Allison Quantz has the story.

Saxis, a tiny fishing community off the east coast, has lost so much shoreline it’s almost an island now. Russell Burke (Christopher Newport University) is using oysters as part of what he calls “living reefs” as a buffer against the encroaching waters. Also featured: It’s a mystery to scientists why there is a string of relatively young volcanoes along the eastern side of North America. Elizabeth Johnson (James Madison University) examines rocks from the depths of extinct volcanoes to unearth what really caused these baffling eruptions. Plus: Researchers are experimenting with radar as a means of tracking the migration patterns of flocks of songbirds. Eric Walters and Andrew Arnold (Old Dominion University) have teamed up with NASA and environmental groups to study one of the major flyways in the United States. Later in the show: Bats aren’t so scary—but they are mysterious. Scientists are only just beginning to unravel how bats navigate and hunt in the dark using echolocation. Paul Moosman (Virginia Military Institute) has developed a device that he can strap onto bats to record their night journeys. And biologist Rick Sherwin (Christopher Newport University) joins the conversation to talk about a bat species that depends on access to abandoned mines for survival. Plus: Baby chimpanzees in the mountains of Tanzania are at risk of contracting human diseases. Taranjit Kaur (Virginia Tech) lived with her family on the shores of Lake Tanganyika and used an innovative eco-friendly field lab to learn how to protect the chimps. - See more at: http://withgoodreasonradio.org/2013/12/digging-deep-for-eruptive-evidence/#sthash.jXDnvqJw.dpuf

As the holidays approach, the pressure’s on to find perfect gifts for your loved ones. Marketing professor Kim Weaver (Virginia Tech) says if you’re thinking about adding a candy bar in with that fancy cashmere sweater you’re sending Mom—think again. Plus: Sometimes translating difficult scientific research to the public is all about presentation. Jenifer Alonzo (Old Dominion University) teaches special acting classes to help researchers and scientists learn to communicate. And: Management professor Danylle Kunkel (Radford University) says there are business lessons to be learned at the movies. From Pitch Perfect to Ocean’s Eleven, stars can teach us how to manage—and how not to manage—others. Later in the show: Studies show that women in academia are often relegated to lower-ranked positions while their male counterparts ascend to the top. Khadijah Miller (Norfolk State University) says finding a balance between work and home life can be stressful. So she helped form the Sistah Colleague Circle to give women encouragement, support, and a collaborative work environment. Also featured: Despite her background in psychology, Winx Lawrence (University of Virginia) was shocked at the loss of confidence her daughters experienced when they entered middle school. She co-founded the Young Women’s Leadership Program, where college women pair with middle school girls to help them reach their potential academically, socially and emotionally. The program, now in its 16th year, has emerged as a national model.

Best-selling business writer Jim Collins (Batten Institute at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business) believes the special factors that lie at the heart of rare and truly great businesses are the same factors that make for the most successful organizations in the non-profit world—talented directors skilled at recruiting excellent staff who work for more than just their salary. Whether it is the best of the nation’s corporate giants, an elite symphony orchestra or an inner city school with a record of excellence, Collins’ research team found the most effective leaders are humble rather than charismatic and most came from within the organization itself.

In May of 2012, Harvard and MIT announced a partnership to provide free courses to anyone, anywhere, sparking an intense debate about the future of a bricks and mortar education. With Good Reason shares highlights from University of Mary Washington’s Open and Digital Learning Resources Conference, sponsored by the State Council for Higher Education, including a panel moderated by Jeffrey McClurken (University of Mary Washington) where experts weighed in on the future of higher education. Also featured: Gardner Campbell (Virginia Commonwealth University) argues that the pursuit of wisdom should be the teaching aim in all higher education. Colleen Taylor (Virginia State University, John Tyler Community College) is seeing improvements among her chemistry students after adopting the so-called “flipped classroom,” where students watch her recorded lectures online and reserve classroom time for working on problems together in groups. Plus: We’ll talk with author Ron Berler, who spent a year inside an elementary school deemed “failing” by No Child Left Behind. His experience is chronicled in the new book Raising the Curve: A Year Inside One of America’s 45,000 Failing Public Schools. -

In May of 2012, Harvard and MIT announced a partnership to provide free courses to anyone, anywhere, sparking an intense debate about the future of a bricks and mortar education. With Good Reason shares highlights from University of Mary Washington’s Open and Digital Learning Resources Conference, sponsored by the State Council for Higher Education, including a panel moderated by Jeffrey McClurken (University of Mary Washington) where experts weighed in on the future of higher education. Also featured: Gardner Campbell (Virginia Commonwealth University) argues that the pursuit of wisdom should be the teaching aim in all higher education. Colleen Taylor (Virginia State University, John Tyler Community College) is seeing improvements among her chemistry students after adopting the so-called “flipped classroom,” where students watch her recorded lectures online and reserve classroom time for working on problems together in groups. Plus: We’ll talk with author Ron Berler, who spent a year inside an elementary school deemed “failing” by No Child Left Behind. His experience is chronicled in the new book Raising the Curve: A Year Inside One of America’s 45,000 Failing Public Schools.

With its rolling green hills and its nearly 400,000 graves, Arlington National Cemetery is one of our nation’s most impressive military tributes. What’s also impressive is the work that goes on behind the scenes to create a meaningful experience for visitors. Debra Lattanzi Shutika (George Mason University) and Kerry Kaleba (George Mason University) spent a month observing the inner workings of Arlington as part of the Field School for Cultural Documentation. Also featured: There are countless books on gardening and tree care. Joe Murray (Blue Ridge Community College) says some of the advice does more harm than good. Plus: From international competitions like the Van Cliburn to battles of high school marching bands, competition in music has become a way of life for aspiring musicians. Wayne Gallops (Radford University) says too much competition can stifle a young musician’s growth. Later in the show: The Victorians photographed their dead before burial. Abraham Lincoln’s death might have popularized embalming. Some people today have their ashes made into diamonds. Bernard Means (Virginia Commonwealth University) studies how and why we bury our dead—and how that’s changed over the last few centuries. Plus: a trip to some orphan graveyards—forgotten places where we’ve buried our dead. Also featured: They’re called Lost Communities—the places on the map that have lost their original industry or way of life. Sometimes they’re still struggling to survive; other times they no longer exist at all. Terri Fisher (Virginia Tech) has visited the general stores, schools, train depots, and post offices of towns along Virginia’s back roads and interviewed longtime residents and brought those places back to life in her new book, Lost Communities of Virginia.

Mom’s home cooking, wives’ infidelities, and slaves dining with white families—Jonathan White (Christopher Newport University) says you can write a whole history of the Civil War through the dreams of people who lived through it. Also featured: Jesse James was a thief and a cold-blooded killer who gunned down unarmed civilians. So why did newspapers at that time portray him as a folk hero? Cathy Jackson (Norfolk State University) looks at the myth and the reality of one of America’s most notorious outlaws. Plus: Michael Spencer’s (University of Mary Washington) historic preservation class has taken up the cause of a tiny church in Falmouth, Virginia. Later in the show: 1619 was the year the first Africans arrived on the North American continent. There were at least 20 of them and they came as slaves from Angola. But what’s often overlooked is the culture they brought with them. Many were Christians with European names like Jean Pedro and Angela, and some came from cities. Scholars Linda Heywood and John Thornton recently discussed the lives of these first Africans at Norfolk State University’s 1619: The Making of America conference. Also featured: When we think of colonial American essayists, New Englanders like Cotton Mather and Ben Franklin come to mind. But recently discovered essays by an anonymous writer who called himself “The Humourist” are now being hailed as some of the best in America’s colonial period. Brent Kendrick (Lord Fairfax Community College) recently discovered the real identity of their author.

Enjoy a lively introduction to the great heroes of Medieval literature. Kat Tracy (Longwood University) reacquaints us with the popular characters—like Gawain, Robin Hood, and Richard the Lionheart—and the lesser-known heroes, like Hengist and Horsa and Havelok the Dane! Also featured: Dan Brown, the author of the wildly popular thriller The Da Vinci Code, has released his newest book, Inferno, which draws from Dante’s masterpiece Inferno. Husband and wife scholars Mark Parker (James Madison University) and Deborah Parker (University of Virginia) have come out with a companion book, Inferno Revealed: From Dante to Dan Brown, to provide readers of Brown’s Inferno with an engaging introduction to Dante and his world. Later in the show: When Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray was first published in 1891, it was a substantially altered version of Wilde’s original text. Material considered scandalous for its day had been cut out. Nicholas Frankel (Virginia Commonwealth University) is the editor of a new edition that restores Oscar Wilde’s famous novel to its original form—a form that has never before been published. Frankel asserts that this is the version Wilde would have wanted us to read today. Also featured: During the Cold War era, screenwriters, playwrights, and actors who criticized American foreign policy were brought into hearings chaired by Senator Joseph McCarthy and then often blacklisted. Andrew Falk (Christopher Newport University) says, though silenced back home, many of these artists had successful careers in Europe and became cultural ambassadors for the United States. - See more at: http://withgoodreasonradio.org/2013/10/dantes-hell/#sthash.GdoRYkvK.dpuf