The Week in Philly from KYW Newsradio

Latest Episodes:

Slavery and the American Revolution: What the history books don't tell you about Yorktown Feb 02, 2022

Show notes

There are two sides to every story, including history. We're taught that the Battle of Yorktown was a great victory for the American Revolution, but it also played a role in embedding slavery into the groundwork of the new nation that came after. Dr. Gregory Urwin, Professor of History at Temple University, wrote about this in the Journal of the American Revolution. He joins us to explain what he learned about the famous battle and why these parts of history are so often overlooked. We discuss the contradiction of revolutionary heroes fighting for freedom while owning slaves, how our understanding of history has evolved, and why the resistance against critical race theory could derail our progress.

Read Dr. Urwin's article here: https://allthingsliberty.com/2021/10/the-yorktown-tragedy-washingtons-slave-roundup/

Expert Wordle tips from Villanova Linguist Dr. Grant Berry Feb 02, 2022

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What are the best starting words in Wordle? How do I get better at solving the word every day? What are Wordle pitfalls that even experts fall for every day? We asked Villanova University Linguist Dr. Grant Berry for his Wordle pro-tips, and his take on what the game's acquisition by the New York Times means for the future of daily word puzzles.

Me Me Me! Are we more narcissistic than ever? Let's look at the data Feb 02, 2022

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We're so great! Just let us tell you about it! Odds are, you've come across a narcissist or two in your life. And in the age of social media, who knows? You might even have some narcissistic tendencies yourself. According to West Chester University Assistant Professor of Psychology Dr. Michael Roche, narcissism in a vacuum isn't necessarily a bad thing; it's all about whether people use it in adaptive or maladaptive ways. On this episode of KYW Newsradio In Depth, Roche looks at different manifestations of narcissism, and how people can be more attuned to it.

Who survives? A look at the fallout from the NCAA's new constitution Jan 31, 2022

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For the first time in about 25 years, the NCAA is adopting a new constitution. Dr. Karen Weaver, an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania, explains the constitution's key features and how they will affect member schools. Attention mid-major fans: you'll want to give this a listen!

Why Major League Baseball is being sued by former minor league teams Jan 28, 2022

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There's an interesting lawsuit in the pipeline brought by four former minor league baseball affiliates that is challenging major league baseball’s anti-trust exemption. We wanted to talk about the lawsuit and the exemption so we reached out to Ken Jacobsen, Practice Professor of Law at Temple University Beasley School of Law.

What's the big deal with NFTs? Jan 27, 2022

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As our world becomes more and more digital, people are finding new ways to adapt. For artists, NFTs - or non-fungible tokens - are one way. But for many of us, they don't quite make sense yet. So what is an NFT? We asked Dr. Bora Ozkan, Associate Professor of Finance at Temple University’s Fox School of Business. He explains where NFTs came from, how their value is determined, their place in the metaverse, and how to get started if you're interested in investing in this new crypto world.

Doomsday Scenarios, ep. 2: The glacier actually nicknamed 'Doomsday' Jan 27, 2022

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This episode of KYW Newsradio In Depth is part two of a mini series called Doomsday Scenarios, where we ask very smart people if this, that, or the other thing could destroy life as we know it. Today: Have you ever heard of the Thwaites Glacier in Antartica? If not, you will soon enough and won’t like why. It's massive, it's collapsing, and when it goes - sea levels are going to rise by a significant amount. We asked Dr. Amanda Grannas, Villanova University chemistry professor and the vice provost for research and chief research officer to come on the podcast and talk about why the Thwaites Glacier is important.

The Justice Stephen Breyer retirement deep dive podcast Jan 26, 2022

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Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is set to retire from the Supreme Court. We wanted to examine his legacy, and then talk about the top candidates to replace him on the highest court in the land. Will Republicans try to fight a Biden nominee, and is there anything they can do? Dr. Lisa A. Tucker, Associate Professor of Law at Drexel University's Thomas R. Kline School of Law is on the podcast to break down what Breyer's retirement means and examine his legacy.

How Vladimir Putin is 'trying to rewrite the end of the Cold War' in Ukraine Jan 26, 2022

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There are major tensions between Russia and Ukraine heading quickly towards a boiling point right now. And with Russian troops active near Ukraine, Ukrainians are fearing for the worst but hoping the military threat won't turn into armed conflict. So how is this going to end? To understand what's happening and what could happen next, we need to dive into the roots of the conflict and try to understand Vladimir Putin's goals and objectives. It's a story that goes back decades. We asked two experts from Saint Joseph's University to help us make this make sense: Dr. Lisa Baglione is a Professor of Political Science and member of the International Relations Program, and Dr. Melissa Chakars is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of History.

Kobe Bryant's rise: from Lower Merion to NBA legend Jan 26, 2022

Show notes

January 26th, 2022 marks two years since Kobe Bryant's shocking death in a helicopter crash. The eight other passengers on board, including Bryant's teenage daughter, Gianna, were killed as well. Soon after the tragedy, the Philadelphia Inquirer's Mike Sielski set out on a reporting deep dive into Bryant's origin story. The outcome was a comprehensive look at the NBA Hall of Famer's early years - from Italy to Lower Merion - chronicled in a new book, The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality (https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250839701/therise). As Sielski tells KYW Newsradio's Dave Uram (https://twitter.com/MrUram), Bryant's upbringing in suburban Philadelphia had a major influence on his life, and put him on the path to becoming a transcendent icon.