Obesity Study; Who's Reading Your Email?; High Level vs. Back Door Diplomacy; Sperm Counts
Obesity Study
A new study suggests that obesity can be "contagious" and can spread among friends and family. The researchers found that a person's obesity risk increased by 57 percent if a friend put on weight. Larry talks with James Fowler, Associate Professor of Political Science at UCSD, who co-authored the study, about the results and what they could mean for the treatment of obesity. The segment closes with a round of lively listener calls.
Who's Reading Your Email?
Email has become the most important medium for business communication, but it exposes companies to a greater variety of risks. According to the results of an annual survey, nearly a third of companies now employ staff to read or analyze outbound email. Larry talks with Keith Crosley of Proofpoint about the results of the survey and the trends it represents.
High Level vs. Back Door Diplomacy
In this week's CNN/YouTube Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate the question of whether each would meet with dictatorial leaders of foreign counties was raised. Senator Obama offered to meet with the leaders of Cuba, N. Korea, and Iran without precondition; a decision Senator Clinton called naive. Larry talks with former Ambassador to Yemen Barbara Bodine and with Professor Richard H. Kohn of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill about the history and current status of U.S. diplomacy.
Sperm Counts
According to sociologist Lisa Jean Moore, defining the word "sperm" depends on your point of view. Larry talks with Moore about her new book, Sperm Counts: Overcome By Man's Most Precious Fluid (New York University Press), which explores the historic, scientific, and cultural meanings of semen.