July 2003
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First Week (July 5 through July 11)
The Obesity Epidemic
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Since 1980, the number of obese adult Americans has doubled. And
the number of overweight adolescents has tripled. Psychiatrist
Cindy Bulik (VCU/MCV) is researching the role genetics plays
in who gains weight and who stays thin. Also featured: Pediatrician
Nancy McLaren (UVa) tells us how obesity in children poses a
major problem for the nation's public health care system.
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Second Week (July 12 through July 18)
Widows of the Titanic
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"Women and children first!" was the cry aboard the HMS
Titanic as it broke apart and sank that cold April night in 1912.
Many women boarded lifeboats fully expecting their husbands would
come soon behind them. But surviving crew members later blamed the
women for refusing to let them row back and rescue those struggling
for life in the icy Atlantic. Deborah Welch (LU) tells the
story of the Titanic widows. Also featured: The Southwest Virginia
coal mining town of Dante turns 100 this week, though the real celebration
came a few years ago with the publication of the book "Memories
from Dante." David Rouse (UVa-Wise) says the village
is typical of many coal camps where most aspects of life were controlled
by mining companies before unionization.
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Third Week (July 19 through July 25)
The Crystal Desert
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The future of civilization could depend on the environmental health
of the bottom of the world. The mean temperature of the Antarctic
Peninsula has risen by eight degrees Fahrenheit over the past fifty
years, and many meteorologists say weather patterns are more turbulent
as a result. The National Science Foundation has invested in three
increasingly busy research stations on Antarctica. Hugh Ducklow
of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (W&M) and
graduate student Jill Peloquin (W&M), discuss the difficulties
and rewards of studying in one of the world's most remote locations.
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Fourth Week (July 26 through August 1)
The Health Insurance Crisis
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The 41 million Americans without health insurance cost the nation
between $65 and $130 billion dollars a year. A study by the Institute
of Medicine concludes that people without health insurance are less
likely to receive preventive care, and when care is provided, it
comes with a higher price tag. The medical centers at Virginia Commonwealth
University and the University of Virginia provide the majority of
comprehensive health care to the state's uninsured. Arthur Garson
(UVA) and Sheldon Retchin (VCU) explain how a lack of
affordable health insurance can leave people in financial ruin while
straining the nation's health care networks.
For listings of past shows visit
the WGR Archive
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