Month: November 2019

The United States is preparing for a potentially dangerous flu season this winter. This is based on data from Australia, as they have experienced one of their deadliest flu seasons on record. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention uses Australia as a predictor for our flu season.

The last severe outbreak that followed an Australian flu pattern was in 2017. Over 48 million people fell ill resulting in 79,400 deaths in the US, according to the CDC. Asthma and diabetes patients are three times more likely to die as a result of flu complications than other patients. Minnesota has already recorded one fatality this flu season.

While there is no official start date for flu season it typically spikes between October and February, petering off in April. The influenza virus causes a highly contagious illness that includes nausea, fatigue, fever, and headaches.

On Thursday’s Smart Talk we’ll discuss flu prevention, minimizing the virus, and the importance of flu vaccinations with Dr. John Goldman, MD., Infectious Disease Specialist at UPMC Pinnacle.

Also, President James Buchanan was the only president from Pennsylvania and the only US President who remained unmarried. Much speculation about Buchanan’s bachelorhood has come into question.

Appearing on Smart Talk is author of Bosom Friends: The Intimate World of James Buchanan and William Rufus King, Thomas J. Balcerski, Ph.D. He looks to a new perspective on their relationship and challenges modern assumptions on past same-sex relationships.

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Even with a booming economy and low jobless rate, many Pennsylvanians are food insecure.

A recent report found that even a large percentage of those working full-time have trouble paying for essentials, like food.

WITF is partnering with the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, the United Way of Pennsylvania and Giant Food Stores to focus on raising money to buy food for those in need.

Appearing on Smart Talk are Joe Arthur, Executive Director, Central PA Food Bank, Kristen Rotz, President of the United Way of Pennsylvania, and Matt Simon, Vice President and Chief Marketing officer with Giant Food Stores.

Today, show your gratitude and help fight hunger in Central Pennsylvania. For every dollar you give to WITF, Giant Food Stores will match it with a one pound donation of food to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank – up to 50,000 pounds for families in need. Help make this holiday season brighter for families across our region with your gift. Every gift makes a difference. Call 1-800-233-9483 to speak to a WITF volunteer.

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November 5 is Election Day, and in Pennsylvania that means along with the slates of judicial and local candidates, there’s a constitutional amendment on the ballot. We’ll kick off Tuesday’s Smart Talk with the latest news on Marsy’s Law, which is intended to help crime victims and is now facing a tumultuous court challenge.

In addition, PA Post’s Emily Previti and Doug Hill, Executive Director of the County Commissioners Association, weigh in on counties’ efforts to install new voting machines, and offer analysis of the changes the legislature recently made to Pennsylvania’s election laws.

In the second half of the show, Senator Maria Collett and Representative Danielle Friel-Otten, both Democrats, explain a legislative initiative to provide free menstrual products in all of Pennsylvania’s public bathrooms—and in particular, those located schools, prisons, and state-funded nonprofits.

Collett, Friel-Otten and other backers of the bills say their idea isn’t much different than requiring bathrooms to provide toilet paper. Plus, they say, it will make a big difference for poor people who need those menstrual products.

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Bucknell University researchers have spent the past three years testing two common vaping products. Their research has found that electronic cigarettes release potentially harmful levels of carbon monoxide – the same common, toxic gas that is found in a car’s tailpipe emissions, and which is also found in cigarette smoke.

Their findings are in sharp contrast to the vaping industry’s claims that electronic cigarettes are less dangerous than smoking.

This study happens to be published at a time that a lung ailment tied to vaping has claimed more than 34 lives across the country. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still warning people to stop vaping – drawing attention to the fact that there’s still a lot we don’t know about the risks of vaping.

Appearing on Smart Talk Monday to offer study details are Bucknell University Professors Dabrina Dutcher,Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry and chemical engineering and Karen Castle, Ph.D, Russell-Childers professor of chemistry.

Also, Applied Behavior Analysis is a type of therapy that can help children with autism and people dealing with things like addiction and PTSD.

But there aren’t enough applied behavior analysts in Pennsylvania to do the work.

Joining Smart Talk to discuss efforts to change that are Dr. Cheryl Tierney-Aves, MD, board-certified behavior and developmental pediatrician with Penn State Health, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Dr. Jonathan Ivy, applied behavior analyst and assistant professor of psychology, Penn State Harrisburg.

 

 

 

 

 

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