Online Security, Foreign Policy, Law School Grads, Brains
World Events (1:04) Guest: Eric Jensen, teaches The Law of Armed Conflict, International Criminal Law, and National Security Law at BYU’s J. Reuben Clark Law School The strategically-important city of Ramadi in Iraq has fallen to Islamic State forces, igniting new criticism here in the United States over President Obama’s strategy to fight the terror group also known as ISIS and ISIL. Thus far, US involvement has been limited to air strikes, training and support—rather than sending in American forces to fight on the ground. All the while, Congress has yet to give the President official authorization to wage the war and in the last few days, Republican House Speaker John Boehner cast even more doubt on whether that approval will ever come. Also over the weekend, what’s being called a “battle” between rival biker gangs broke out in Waco, Texas. Nine bikers were killed, 18 others wounded and more than 150 people were arrested and charged with engaging in organized crime linked to capital murder. There is a migrant crisis going as tens of thousands of people flee violence and poverty in parts of the Middle East and Africa and attempt a treacherous journey by boat across the Mediterranean in hopes of finding refuge in Europe. Migrant deaths have surged to more than 1,800 people this year. Meanwhile European countries have wrestled with what obligation they have to accept the migrants—they’re loathe to do so. And so, on Monday, the European Union decided on a different approach to the crisis, they’ve approved the use of military force against the smugglers responsible for bringing many of the migrants out of North Africa. Online Payment Security (40:33) Guest: Dale Rowe, IT Professor and head of the BYU’s “cyber security lab” Nobody writes checks anymore. It’s even rare to find people carrying cash now that debit cards are so ubiquitously accepted. Even small merchants and food trucks can take them. And now we’re moving into the era where carrying a card is becoming passé. Banks have apps that allow you to pay bills with a single click. Square and VenMo have apps that link to your debit card or bank account and send cash to a friend, so you don’t have to hit the ATM for twenties when you’re divvying up the tab for a night out. PayPal is the granddaddy of these services. They’re simple, fast, and convenient, but are they secure? American Heritage: Foreign Policy (52:26) Guest: Grant Madsen, BYU history professor We follow along as BYU history professor Grant Madsen brings his introductory American History course to us. We get a college history lesson—and we don’t have to don’t have to worry about the grades! Each week features a new topic and a deeper understanding of significant milestones American history. Struggling Law School Graduates (1:18:01) Guest: Deborah Merritt, professor in The Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law As the Class of 2015 leaves campus and heads into the job market, we’re going to zoom in on one field—law school graduates. Deborah Merritt from the Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University has just completed an analysis of the state of the legal profession post-recession and finds lingering effects that seem to have fundamentally altered a field that had been unchanged for decades. Law school grads today are still burdened by large student debt, but they’re less likely to land a high-paying, partner-track job at a prestigious law firm. An increasing number of law grads end up in jobs that don’t even require them to pass the bar exam. Brain-Machine Interface Controls Prosthetic Hand (1:35:17) Guest: Jose Luis Contreras-Vidal, teaches in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department of the University of Houston Scientists are making great strides in prosthetic limbs that are more functional and lifelike than ever. The Holy Grail, so to speak, in their quest is to make a limb that responds to the thoughts of its wearer and reach out to grasp a cup, say, as effortlessly and naturally as a biological hand. Researchers at the University of Houston are getting closer using something called a ‘brain-machine’ interface and the really amazing thing is that it’s non-invasive. Meaning they’re not implanting electrodes in a person’s brain.