Access Utah

Most of us think there’s nothing new to say about nuclear weapons. Yes, they’re horrible, possibly immoral, and definitely dangerous, but they feel necessary. If force is the final arbiter between nations, and nuclear bombs are the most powerful weapons, then we’re basically stuck with them. In his new book, “Five Myths About Nuclear Weapons.,” Ward Wilson says that much of what we believe about nuclear weapons is based on emotion and exaggeration.

Edward Schumacher-Matos is the Ombudsman for NPR, dealing with issues of ethics, fairness and accuracy, media and society, and language. He joins Tom Williams to talk about some of the issues he has addressed recently: the patriotism of NPR and its sponsor Al Jazeera; questions of bias in NPR coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian divide; and whether NPR should use the term “Obamacare.” He will also talk about immigration, the fragmentation of media, the future of newspapers, the goals of NPR News, and relationships between NPR and its member stations.

Cache Valley has some of the worst air in the nation a few days out of the year, typically in the winter time. Even short-term exposure to air pollution can cause long-term health effects according to studies conducted at Utah State University. Today on the program, Utah State University toxicologist Dr. Roger Coloumbe joins us to discuss the Cache Valley air pollution studies and how it impacts our health.

It's been estimated that nearly 40,000 Utahns have been furloughed because of the government shutdown, programs like the Women’s Infant Care (WIC) are struggling to provide their services to mothers and their children, all six of Utah’s National Parks are closed, leaving surrounding businesses and towns fearful.

From October 2 to October 3, Park City hosted the Extension Sustainability Summit. The event brought in extension educators on sustainability from all across the nation, to discuss what major environmental sustainability programs are currently being delivered through Cooperative Extension and began talking about future goals.

What is it about the aspen tree that captures our imagination? The pleasant sound and sight of quaking leaves? Maybe aspen trees remind us of favorite mountain retreats? Perhaps it’s the fact that many aspen “groves” are really a single organism, sharing a massive root system. One such aspen, Pando, is one of the world’s oldest living organisms and lives in Fishlake National Forest in Utah. School children from Monroe have proposed that the aspen be named Utah’s state tree. Today on Access Utah we’ll explore all things aspen, from the scientific to the metaphorical.

Dr. Marcella Runell Hall is a social justice scholar and author specializing in Diversity Education/Training, Spirituality/Religion, Race/Ethnicity, Hip-Hop Education, Social Justice and Critical Pedagogy.

“Underground,” a new play by award-winning Utah playwright (and University of Utah Law Professor,) Debora Threedy, will have its World Premiere in Southern Utah, October 3-5 in the Kayenta Outdoor Theatre in Ivins. “Underground” addresses an especially important topic for many Utahns: the moral and spiritual dilemma of excavating Ancient Native American ancestral grounds and selling the excavated artifacts for financial gain. A similar scenario occurred a few years ago in Blanding, where many local residents were indicted for selling stolen Native American artifacts on the black market.

Wednesday is World Reading Day. It’s one day, held once a year, where people of all ages are encouraged to turn off the TV, log off the net, put away the video games & ignore all the other myriad distractions of modern life and enjoy the simple pleasure of reading a book instead.

21 years ago in St. Louis, six correctional centers and juvenile detention centers began a program featuring incarcerated adults and children called Prison Performing Arts. Hardened criminals performing classic plays have provided fascinating insights into theater and life. As “This American Life” said of the Prison Performing Arts’ production of Hamlet in a St Louis penitentiary, “It’s a play about murder and its consequences, performed by murderers, living out the consequences.”

In his book, “The Republic of Nature: An Environmental History of the United States,” Mark Fiegere-frames the canonical account of American history based on the simple but radical premise that nothing in the nation's past can be considered apart from the natural circumstances in which it occurred. Among the historical moments he revisits under this new framework: a revolutionary nation arises from its environment and struggles to reconcile the diversity of its people with the claim that nature is the source of liberty.

For decades, politicians and business leaders have told us that today’s challenge is growing the economy, and that environmental protection can be left to future generations. Amy Larkin, in her book “Environmental Debt: The Hidden Costs of a Changing Global Economy,” says that in the wake of billions of dollars in costs associated with Hurricane Sandy, wildfires across the West, and groundwater contamination from drilling, it’s clear that yesterday’s carefree attitude about the environment has morphed into a fiscal crisis of epic proportions. She argues that the costs of global warming, extreme weather, pollution and other forms of “environmental debt” are wreaking havoc on the economy.

Based on David Abrams’ own experiences serving in Iraq and the diary he kept there, his new novel, “Fobbit,” takes us into the chaotic world of Baghdad’s Forward Operating Base Triumph. The Forward Operating Base, or FOB, is like the back-office of the battlefield—where the grunts eat and sleep between missions, and where a lot of Army employees have what looks suspiciously like an office job. The FOB contains all the comforts of home, including Starbucks and Burger King, but there’s also the unfortunate possibility that a mortar might hit you while you’re drinking your Frappucino. A lot of what goes on at the FOB doesn’t exactly fit the image of war that the army and the government feed us:

There has been a lot of debate recently about how to get the right health care for you and your family, but what about one of the most important members of the family, your pet? Dr. Melinda Hillegass from Mountain View Veterinary Health Center in Logan will answer your pet health & care questions. We’re also inviting you to share a picture and message about your pet on our Utah Public Radio Facebook page. We’ll share your message during the program and invite listeners to view your picture on Facebook.

Photojournalist Paola Gianturco says that an unheralded grandmothers' movement is changing the world & that insurgent grandmothers are using their power to fight for a better future for grandchildren everywhere. Her book, “Grandmother Power: A Global Phenomenon” features 120 activist grandmothers in 15 countries on five continents. Grandmothers in Canada, Swaziland, and South Africa are collaborating to care for AIDS orphans. Grandmothers in Senegal have convinced communities to abandon female genital mutilation. Grandmothers in India are becoming solar engineers to bring light to their villages while those in Peru, Thailand, and Laos are sustaining weaving traditions.

In the inaugural Leonard J. Arrington Mormon History Lecture, Arrington himself was the speaker. His topic: “Faith and Intellect as Partners in Mormon History.” Joining us today is the 2013 lecturer, Dr. Gregory Prince, who adapts Arrington’s title, calling his lecture “Faith and Doubt as Partners in Mormon History.” A scientist by profession, Prince is also a published historian of Mormonism.

Ivan Doig, acclaimed author of “This House of Sky” & “English Creek” is out with a new book, “Sweet Thunder,” the third novel in a trilogy of tales following the life of wordslinger Morris Morgan. With the backdrop of a conflicted America during the roaring Twenties, Morrie finds himself back in the brawling city of Butte in the middle of a conflict between miners and the Anaconda Copper Mining Company.

Education reform is a hot topic right now from congress to communities across the country. On today’s show we will be discussing new solutions and ways of thinking about education with three guests who are at the forefront of education research.

Nicole Walker, writing about her new book “Quench Your Thirst With Salt,” says that “Utah is a strange place, especially Salt Lake City. A dominant culture encloses the valley in a kind of protective and paternalistic bubble. A sharp and active subculture attempts to pop that bubble...My father tried to single-handedly subvert the dominant, abstinent, culture by drinking a lot. With every drink, he banged his head against the Mormon granite. With every drink, he hurt his head, never making a crack in that granite. Sometimes the mountains win.

Today we revisit one of the most popular programs from our archives. Mother George was a black midwife who practiced her art in a small southeastern Idaho town for 40 years. When she died around 1919, the women dressing her for burial discovered that she was man.