Will you really catch cold quicker if you go outside with wet hair? Is swimming after a meal really dangerous? This hour on Focus, we talk with Brian Udermann about the answers to these questions and the truth behind other common bits of motherly advice. We welcome your questions this hour!
This hour on Focus, host Jim Meadows talks with author Brain Udermann about his book “25 Ways to Cure the Hiccups: Uncovering the Truth Behind 101 Common Myths and Misconceptions." We’ll talk with him about the validity of common household advice. Sorry to disappoint you, but eating celery does not burn more calories to digest than it’s worth, and feeding a cold and starving a fever aren’t in the “truthful” category during this episode of Focus.
Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… You know how that ends. This hour on Focus, we talk about Superman, the origins of the character and Superman’s place in popular culture
Superman’s character was created in the early 1930’s and has since has appeared or been referenced in pretty much every form of media – comics, books, movies and even in song. During this episode of Focus, host Jim Meadows talks with Larry Tye, author of the book “The High-Flying History of American’s Most Enduring Super Hero.” He talks with Tye about the creators of the character, movie adaptations and of course, the iconic red cape.
We’ll also hear from Karla Ogle, co-chair of the Superman Festival in Metropolis, Illinois. The festival draws more than 30,000 people to Metropolis, population ~6,000 each year. Jim Hambrick, who founded and curates the Super Museum also joins us.
Do you have questions about the history of Superman? Maybe you’re a huge fan… We want to hear from you this hour on Focus!
Lawmakers were tasked with addressing lots of big issues during this spring's legislative session. This hour on Focus we'll talk about the takeaways - what passed, what didn't and what the means for you.
With 100 billion dollars of unfunded pension liability and millions in unpaid bills, we'll talk this hour about what the legislature accomplished during this session to try and solve the state's budget woes. We'll also talk about other big issues from this session - gambling, hydraulic fracturing, same sex marriage and concealed carry. Illinois Public Radio Statehouse Bureau Chief Amanda Vinicky and Tom Kacich of the News-Gazette join us.
Too much screen time is bad news, at least that's how the story goes. But they're getting harder to avoid, especially during summer when kids are home from school. This hour on Focus, we talk about screens, educational media and how much is too much.
In a recent article in the Atlantic, senior editor Hanna Rosin wrote about her experiences as a mother and the pressure she feels to limit her children’s screen time. This hour on Focus, guest host Chris Berube talks with Hanna about her experiences with electronics and educational media as a parent. We’ll also talk with David Bickham, who is a researcher at the Center on Media and Child Health at Boston Children’s Hospital about how much screen time is recommended, how to make the most out of that time and what the dangers are of too much screen time.
Seeing is believing. Or is it? This hour on Focus we talk about perception and perspective with University of Illinois Professor Dan Simons.
It's easy to trick your brain. That's according to Dan Simons, a University of Illinois psychology professor who has built his career on the idea that most people are unaware of their limits. In his most recent book, "The Invisible Gorilla," he and his co-author explain why our intuitions often fail us. While we think we're seeing the world as it is, we're missing quite a bit....
This hour on Focus, host Jim Meadows talks with Simons about the limits of the human mind and about new National Geographic series called "Brain Games" that features his research.
Want to trick your brain? Try this:
The episode of "Brain Games" entitled "Seeing is Believing" airs tonight at 4:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. central time on the National Geographic Channel.
This hour on Focus, host Jim Meadows talks with former WILL meteorologist Ed Kieser about summer storms and tornado preparedness. We welcome your calls and questions!
One of the deadliest tornadoes to come through the Midwest in years has left a trail of destruction and death in Moore, Oklahoma. This hour on Focus, we’ll talk with former WILL meteorologist Ed Kieser about tornadoes, when they form, how they form and when they become dangerous. We’ll also talk with him about the strange weather patterns we’ve been having in the Midwest – from drought to damaging floods and summer weather preparedness.
The fifth edition of the Diagnostics and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders, which is used to diagnose mental illness, has been the subject of much debate. This hour on Focus, we’ll talk with author and psychotherapist Gary Greenberg about the DSM-5 and why it’s so much more controversial than the DSM-4.
The usefulness of the fifth version of the Diagnostics and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders, which has traditionally played a large role in the diagnosis of mental disease, has been a huge point of controversy within the psychological science community lately. The National Institute for Mental Health, the largest funder for mental health research in the US, has officially withdrawn its support for the new version. The NIMH says there is no objective laboratory measure for diagnosis in the new manual and that it “lacks validity.” This hour on Focus, host Jim Meadows talks with author and psychotherapist Gary Greenberg about the controversy over the new manual and why it’s an issue that so many mental health professionals have questions about the manual’s validity.
Are you a twentysomething? Are you the parent or grandparent of a twentysomething? We talked about the prejudice against the young today on Focus.
“Digital Natives,” “Millenials” or twentysomethings are always a focus of discourse in late spring when new classes of graduates flood the labor market. This spring there has been a critical twist to some of the discussion referring to young Americans as “the Dumbest Generation,” branding young people as narcissistic, unprofessional and unemployable. Who are Millenials really? Are they so different from any other generation? This hour on Focus, we’ll talk about what makes a “Millenial” a “Millenial,” how generations view each other and if the criticism of “Digital Natives” should be so different from Generation X, Generation Y, the BabyBoomers or the Greatest Generation.
Where were you when you were 25? Someone who is 25 today is likely in a very different place in their life than many who were that age even a decade ago. Does that make young people lazy, entitled and unmotivated, or should we chalk the differences up to societal change and progress?
We’ll talk it over this hour on Focus with Meg Jay, author of the book “The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter - And How to Make the Most of Them Now” and Jeffrey Arnett who has spent his career studying young people. He’s most recently the co-author of “When Will My Grown Up Kid Grow Up?””
Many consider Joseph Gurney Cannon one of the most dominant speakers of the House of Representatives in U.S. history. This hour on Focus, we’ll talk about the life and legacy of Uncle Joe Cannon.
Uncle Joe Cannon served in the U.S. House of Representatives as speaker from 1903 to 1911 and is considered the second longest serving Republican speaker in history. He was featured on the first cover of Time Magazine and is remembered as one of the more colorful members of Congress.
This hour on Focus, we’ll remember Joe, his Illinois roots, and some of his more notorious moments as speaker in Washington D.C. Host Jim Meadows talks with Matt Wasniewski, a historian for the House of Representatives and Timothy Smith, an amateur historian and long-time Danville resident who is working on a biography about Joe.
This hour on Focus, we listen back to a conversation we had with Illinois Department of Veteran's Affairs Director Erica Borggren and a local veteran about the transition back to civilian life after serving in the armed forces.
Even though the ban on women serving in combat was only officially lifted earlier this year, women were already serving on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan. This hour on Focus, we'll listen back to a conversation Craig Cohen had with Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Erica Borggren about the ban being lifted and about her experiences serving in Iraq.
Then, during the second half of the hour, we'll listen back to a conversation with Elizabeth Ambros, a 26 year old veteran Navy corpsman. She’ll tell us about what it was like to serve as a young woman overseas and about the challenges she’s faced as a veteran transitioning to civilian life. Nicholas Osborne, Assistant Dean of Students in the Office of Veteran Student Affairs at the UIUC and a veteran member of the US Coast Guard also joins us.
