Cognitive Aging

With some studies showing that mental exercise, such as crossword puzzles and playing chess, can help individuals stave off the sort of cognitive decline that comes with normal aging. It may not seem so far-fetched. Timothy Salthouse, a Brown-Forman Professor of Psychology at UVA says not so fast…

Are you looking for something to stimulate your mind? Are you having those conversation blahs? Then join me, Jacob Canon, for The Oscar Show. Airing every Wednesday at 11:55 AM, this weekly program will focus on research and studies from the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Virginia. Topics will vary from Physical Sciences to Psychology to Medical Research to Current Events including the Decision to Vote and Motherhood Timing. So join me, Jacob Canon, here anytime or for the latest show at 91.1 WTJU, Wednesdays at 11:55 AM for the Oscar Show. Stimulate your MindGuv,!V| Your FriendsGuv,!V| Your Life.

This edition was originally broadcast on October 17, 2007

Click here for more episodes of The Oscar Show.

Rivanna candidate Marcia Joseph talks with Coy Barefoot

Marcia Joseph is chair of the Albemarle County Planning Commission, and the Democratic candidate for the Rivanna seat on the Board of Supervisors. She joins Coy Barefoot on WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” to talk about her campaign to unseat Republican incumbent Ken Boyd.G,V Boyd has been invited to appear on a future program.

For complete coverage of the 2007 Board of Supervisors race, and the Charlottesville City Council race, visit Charlottesville Tomorrow’s Election Watch page for candidate interviews, video and audio of candidate forums, and

Motherhood Timing

In her study “The Effects of Motherhood Timing on Career Path,” U.Va. economist Amalia Miller examines the effects of motherhood delay on the career earnings of women in their 20s and early 30s. Her study brings several interesting and exciting new points to the discussion.

For more information about the show or to see the full text, visit the Oscar Show’s blog.

Virginia politics update with Bob Gibson of the Daily Progress

Bob Gibson, political reporter for the Daily Progress, joins Coy Barefoot every Monday on WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” to talk about Virginia politics. This week starts off with a discussion of Governor Kaine’s ban on open-air fires, and continues with a plug for Bob’s recent conversation with Delegate David Toscano on WNRN’s Sunday Morning Wake-Up Call. Bob and Coy also discuss the scarcity of contested General Assembly races in the Charlottesville area, pressing of Democrats to institute bi-partisan redistricting if they gain legislative power, the three-way race in the 24th Senate, and other stories leading up to the November 6 election. There’s also special notice of WUVA’s 60th birthday.

How are the parties preparing for the election?

Jesse Ferguson is the Chief of Staff for Delegate Brian Moran (D) and Shaun Kenney is Communications Director for the Republican Party of Virginia. They join Coy Barefoot on WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” to talk about how Virginia Republicans are preparing for the election in two weeks. Will they retain their majorities in the Senate and House of Delegates? That and more on this podcast.

February 2005 Public Hearing on new reactors at Lake Anna

One of the very first things posted on the Charlottesville Podcasting Network was a 27-minute long documentary compiled from my interviews at a public hearing on Virginia Dominion Power’s application to build two new nuclear reactors at Lake Anna. I recorded it in February 2005.

Tomorrow night, October 24, there’s another public hearing on the same issue, again at Louisa Middle School. I won’t be able to cover it, but I hope reposting this piece will at least inform a few folks about this week’s public hearing.

You Can Never Be Too Clean

University of Virginia Chemistry Professor Kevin Lehmann, who has created a spectroscope that utilizes continuous wave lasers to perform Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy or CRDS. Lehmann’s contribution to the field demonstrated that these lasers can be used instead of the costly, cumbersome pulsed lasers formerly used for CRDS. His advancement in the technology has been utilized in healthcare, manufacturing and his own field chemistry.

For more information about the show or to see the full text, visit the Oscar Show’s blog.

NASA expert charts the orbital debris in our atmosphere and beyond

Nicholas Johnson, NASA’s chief scientist for orbital debris, spoke on the
history and present state of orbital debris policy. Orbital debris are
objects in space unintentionally left behind by human space exploration.
They are one of the key obstacles to the future of space endeavors because
of the risk they pose. Most are no bigger than a finger nail and by
travelling at speeds up to 5 miles/second they are a potent danger to any
man or man made object in space. Mr. Johnson recounts the history of orbital
debris policy and acknowledges that very little can be done about them with
present day technology. The militarization of space, most recently evidenced
by the Chinese destruction of a weather satellite, only exacerbate the
problem for future space travel and Mr. Johnson concludes his presentation
by highlighting the efforts of international organizations to better monitor
and prevent the spread of this phenomenon.

Brian Wheeler of Charlottesville Tomorrow on local elections, transportation updates

Brian Wheeler is the executive director of Charlottesville Tomorrow, an organization dedicated to covering local government on the issues of land use, transportation and community design. Brian is a regular guest on WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” to talk about what’s happening in the area.

In this pre-election installment, Brian has updates on various transportation projects in the area such as the Hillsdale Connector and the Eastern Connector. Additionally, Charlottesville Tomorrow is covering the races for the Charlottesville City Council and the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors. Brian breaks down the candidates. Visit their Election Watch page for complete coverage of the races, including audio and video podcasts. In this podcast, Brian also plays clips from the City Council candidates forum recently held by the Greenbrier neighborhood association. There’s also an update on the Board of Supervisor’s recent deliberation and stalemate over rural protection ordinances, and of course, Brian has the audio.

Rivanna Rambler #63: Hiking Smith Roach Gap unearths questions about land ownership

A walk along the trail at Smith Roach Gap in Shenandoah National Park in Greene County provides food for thought about who really owns this corner of high country in the Rivanna watershed.

Guv,!E”The Rivanna RamblerGuv,!Vkj airs weekly from 11:55 am-noon on WTJU 91.1 and is produced and recorded by Leslie Middleton. This episode (#63) originally aired on October 18, 2007. Read the story on the Rivanna RamblerGuv,!v,,us blog.