The Conversation Piece

Exploring Alzheimer’s

Amy — Fri, 06 May 2011 00:16:53 +0000

Alzheimer’s Disease is one of the most costly diseases in the developed world. Join Hillary and Amy (by clicking the audio link below) as they discuss characteristic behaviors of Alzheimer’s patients, how the disease is diagnosed, the dangers of wandering, and even what Britney Spears can tell us about this heartbreaking, degenerative disease.

References:

“Alzheimer’s disease“, Wikipedia.org.

“Alzheimer’s: Understand and control wandering,” Mayo Clinic, mayoclinic.com.

“Alzheimer’s and Wandering“, Alzheimer’s Reading Room, January 27, 2011.

“Strategies to Deal With an Alzheimer’s Patient Who Wanders“, by Dennis Thompson, Jr., EveryDayHealth.com, December 23, 2008.

“What Britney Spears Can Reveal About Alzheimer’s” by Alice Park, TIME magazine, August 26, 2009.

Are Chinese Mothers Really Superior?

Amy — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 05:42:38 +0000

Amy Chua

Amy Chua, a Yale Law Professor and mother of two daughters, published an article in the January 8, 2011 Wall Street Journal titled “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” that previews her new book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Join Hillary and Amy as they discuss Chua’s controversial article as well as Western rebuttals and commentary. What can we learn from Chinese parenting, and where do Westerners have it right?

References:

“Why Chinese Mothers are Superior” by Amy Chua, The Wall Street Journal, January 8, 2011.

“In Defense of the Guilty, Ambivalent, Preoccupied Western Mom” by Ayelet Waldman, The Wall Street Journal, January 15, 2011.

“Tiger Moms: Is Tough Parenting Really the Answer?” by Annie Murphy Paul, TIME, January 31, 2011.

How to Bully-Proof Your Daughter

Amy — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 04:59:51 +0000

While in a classic sense many of us think of bullying as a boy issue, it is very prevalent among young girls. Join Hillary and Amy as they discuss research and their own experiences pertaining to the forms of girl bullying, warning signs you can watch for in your daughter, and how you can help (and what NOT to say).

References:

“The Changing Face of the Class Bully“, The Cleveland Clinic, December 5, 2006.

“How to Bully-Proof Young Girls” by Andrea Sachs, TIME Magazine, August 25, 2010.

“What To Do About the Mean Girls” by Shannon Hutton, RadicalParenting.com.

Happy Birthday – The Pill Turns 50

Amy — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 04:35:44 +0000

May 9, 1960 marked 50 years since the birth control pill was approved by the FDA. Join Hillary and Amy as they discuss the paradoxes of the pill, its history (including several surprises), and its relationship to the sexual revolution and women’s movement.

What Happens When Girls Don’t Count

Amy — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:24:57 +0000

What happens when a society has an unnaturally high ratio of baby boys to baby girls? Join Hillary and Amy as they discuss the gender disparity (or unnatural sex ratios of baby boys to baby girls) in China and other Asian countries; whether this is due to government policy or a preference for sons; how this phenomenon is occurring; the consequences for having more men in society than women; and how this trend can hopefully be reversed.

References:

“Gendercide: The Wordwide War on Baby Girls“, The Economist, March 4, 2010.

“One-Child Policy” from Wikipedia.com.

What is Borderline Personality Disorder?

Amy — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 02:37:30 +0000

What is borderline personality disorder? What are the characteristics of this mental illness, the causes, and treatments? Join Hillary and Amy as they discuss BPD, how Hillary says she can relate, the breakthrough success Dr. Marsha Linehan from the University of Washington is having in treating patients with BPD.

References:

“The Mystery of Borderline Personality Disorder” by John Cloud, TIME, January 8, 2009.

Should Pain Be Treated with Marijuana?

Amy — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 05:06:32 +0000

Should pain be treated with marijuana? Join Hillary and Amy as they discuss marijuana’s medical uses; where it is legal; who it’s being prescribed for; and its level of safety and side effects.

References:

“Is Marijuana Good Medicine?” by Anna Wilde Mathews, The Wall Street Journal, January 18, 2010.

“Cannabis (drug)” from Wikipedia.org.

Are there irreconcilable differences in marriages?

Amy — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 06:24:03 +0000

Join Hillary and Amy as they discuss the number one sign that a marriage is in trouble according to Malcolm Gladwell’s description from his book “Blink” of Dr. John Gottman’s marital research. Is marriage counseling effective, and if not, what steps can we take to keep our relationships positive, uplifting, and lasting? Happy Valentine’s Day!

References:

“Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell, Chapter 1, 2005.

“Want a Happy Marriage? Be Nice, Don’t Nitpick.” by Jeanie Lerche Davis, WebMD.

Should Bible Courses Be Allowed in Public Schools?

Amy — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 05:46:13 +0000

In 1948 the Supreme Court ruled in McCollum v. Board of Education that the divide between church and state extends to public education. Does this mean that teaching courses about the Bible in public schools is unconstitutional, or is it in fact constitutional? Join Hillary and Amy as they discuss two landmark Supreme Court decisions regarding the divide of church and state in public education and the case for and against elective Bible courses being taught in public schools.

References:

“The Case for Teaching the Bible” by David Van Biema, TIME, March 22, 2007.

“McCullom v. Board of Education” from Wikipedia.org.

Can France Fight Anorexia with Fine Print?

Amy — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 08:47:16 +0000

In an attempt to fight anorexia and bulimia and help young girls distinguish reality from the virtual, French Parliamentary member Valerie Boyer is proposing legislation that would require all Photoshopped photographs in France used in press photographs, political campaigns, art photography, and advertisements to include the disclaimer, “Photograph retouched to modify the physical appearance of a person.”

Join Hillary and Amy as they discuss whether the proposed disclaimer would be effective; whether we really want truth in advertising; and whether women are, in fact, scrutinizing their bodies more critically now than women in history.

References:

“Beauty Talk: Photoshop Disclaimer, Pardon Moi?” by eudie_tuesday, BlogHer.

“France Floats Law Requiring Photoshopped Images Carry a Warning“, September 25, 2009, Yahoo! TECH.

“France Uses Fine Print to Fight Anorexia” by Ciara O’Rourke, October 2009, TakePart.com.

“Photoshop Health Warning Proposed for Retouched Photos“, September 29, 2009, Neatorama.com.”

“Women Protest Ralph Lauren’s Ridiculous Photoshop [Photoshop of Horrors]“, December 21, 2009, NewsCred.com.