Despite initial truce negotiations, violence in Ukraine is escalating. We'll bring you the latest. Then, a look at what types of experiences bring us the most happiness and debate over ethnic studies requirements at Cal State LA. Next, obstetricians are urging new guidelines for C-sections. Will doctors and patients listen? Later: financial infidelity--how secret spending impacts couples.
Violence in Ukraine escalates despite initial truce negotiations
Despite initial truce negotiations between Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s regime and opposition leader, both protesters and riot police officers used firearms in the deadliest day of the three-month political crisis.
Escalating violence in Kiev has ignited fear that President Yanukovych may deploy military forces. Reports from municipal health authorities say that at least 39 people have been killed on Thursday, bringing the three-day death toll up to 67. Unconfirmed reports of hundreds injured and more dead from the opposition’s lead medical staff suggest that the violence may be even more intense.
The European Union has agreed to impose sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, on Ukrainian officials deemed “responsible for violence and excessive force.” The EU’s decision follows the announcement that the United States will impose sanctions against 20 civilian and political leaders in Ukraine.
What would a state of emergency mean for the protesters in Kiev? How will negotiations with foreign diplomats impact the Ukrainian government’s dealings with the opposition? What steps are necessary to reduce violence, death, and injury in Kiev?
Guests:
Matt Rojansky, Kennan Institute Director at the Wilson Center and former Deputy Director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Hellmuth Tromm, Bloomberg News Editor in Kiev
Ordinary or extraordinary experiences, what makes you happiest?
A new study from professors at UPenn’s Wharton School and Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business has found that as people age, ordinary experiences are more meaningful.
The study gave participants examples of ordinary and extraordinary experiences and asked them to rate their happiness after each. While both the young and the old seem to enjoy extraordinary experiences (like a tropical vacation, or watching a cat give birth to kittens), older participants were happier after ordinary experiences, like a good, long conversation, or a hot cup of coffee.
So are bucket lists for the young? Have ordinary experiences become more enjoyable to you as you age? What makes you happiest, and why?
Guests:
Cassie Mogilner, Assistant Professor of Marketing at The Wharton School, UPenn
Amit Bhattacharjee, Visiting Assistant Professor at Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College
Cal State Los Angeles debates the meaning of 'diversity' in its GE curriculum
Cal State Los Angeles has been working to the revise its general education curriculum for the past few years. One of the stick points that have emerged recently is how to best teach students about diversity, and what that term means.
CSULA currently requires all students to complete two GE courses that are approved as diversity courses. That requirement would remain the same under a new proposal. But at issue is what exactly constitutes a diversity course? That question has divided the campus.
Right now, these are criteria for determining what qualifies as a diversity course:
1. Diversity courses should deal with both theoretical and practical issues of race, ethnicity, gender, and class and provide a comparative treatment of no fewer than two internationally, nationally or regionally significant cultures.
2. Diversity courses should provide for a consideration of special needs, sexual orientation, language, religion, and age when appropriate.
Under the newly proposed criteria, students who successfully complete diversity courses will be able to:
1. Demonstrate understanding of theoretical and practical factors of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, socioeconomic class, disability, sexuality, religion or age.
2. Demonstrate understanding of the intersectionality of these factors, with particular attention paid to race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic class.
3. Demonstrate understanding of the diversity of intercultural and intracultural relationships.
4. Demonstrate civic literacy and an awareness of social justice that would enable effective participation in a diverse society.
Ethnic studies supporters want the school to make one of two required diversity classes be in Asian/ Asian American studies, Chicano studies, Latin American studies or Pan-African studies. CSULA voted down that proposal earlier this week.
Should CSULA reconsider their vote? Is the vote tantamount to diluting the importance of ethnic studies, as opponents to the vote claim?
Guests:
Rita Ledesma, Chair of Child and Family Studies at CSULA and Vice Chair of the Academic Senate at Cal State Los Angeles
Melina Abdullah, Chair and Professor, Department of Pan-African Studies at Cal State Los Angeles.
New guidelines urge reduction in C-sections, but will doctors and patients listen?
Concerns over skyrocketing rates of cesarean sections across the country have prompted a new guidelines encouraging doctors and pregnant women to be more patient during labor. One in 3 American women now delivers via C-section, a rate more than 60 percent higher than just 15 years ago.
In response, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine released a new report on Thursday saying doctors should let low-risk women spend longer in the early part of labor before assuming that labor has stalled.
C-sections can be lifesaving in emergencies but there are concerns that the surgical procedure is being used too often on otherwise healthy women. A C-section requires major surgery and complications such as heavy bleeding and infection are far more likely than with natural deliveries. The maternal death rates for C-sections are three times higher than women who deliver vaginally with 13 deaths per 100,000 women.
There also can be health concerns for babies who are delivered surgically because the birth process helps squeeze extra fluid from the lungs that can cause breathing problems after birth. The labor and delivery process is often confusing and intimidating for women who might not feel comfortable questioning their doctors advice.
How can women be more encouraged to speak up during the birth process? What sort of non-surgical interventions can help women deliver naturally?
Guest:
Jeanne A. Conry, MD, PhD, President, The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
OC Sheriff eases access to concealed weapons permits
Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchins is easing requirements needed to obtain a concealed-weapon permit. The move comes one week after a federal appeals court ruled that urban communities in California were too strict in issuing such permits.
RELATED: Federal court strikes down Calif. concealed gun ban
Now, local residents only have to say they need the permit for self-defense or personal safety. Before the ruling, applicants needed to show "good cause," such as the need to carry large sums of cash or valuables, or people who could show proof of a mortal threat.
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling highlighted the differing practices in issuing permits between urban and rural areas. According to the Associated Press, the Sheriff's office has received several inquiries from people interested in getting permits since the February 13 court ruling.
San Diego County, the defendant in the case, has until February 27 to appeal the decision.
Guest:
Lieutenant Jeff Hallock, Spokesperson for Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens
‘Financial infidelity’ - when secret spending comes between couples
Do you keep financial secrets from your spouse or significant other? If you do, you are not alone.
A recent survey by the National Endowment for Financial Education found that 1 in 3 couples with combined finances admit to lying to their partner about money. According to the NEFE, the percentage of couples cheating financially has increased from 31 percent in 2010 to 33 percent.
From hidden purchases and secret credit-card spending to undisclosed bank accounts, financial deception can be damaging to a couple. Of the survey respondents who admitted to financial cheating, 76 percent said it affected the relationship.
Have you ever lied to your significant other about finances? What impact does financial cheating have on a relationship? How can you avoid financial infidelity? How can a couple resolve financial dishonesty?
Guest:
Tina Tessina, licensed psychotherapist, author of 13 books including: “The Commuter Marriage”