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We the People: What led to the Cold War? Fear of nuclear weapons annihilating all life on Earth, for one thing

By Pip Cawley, PhD, political science

There are two official answers to this question. One is that the U.S. was concerned about the spread of communism. The other is that the U.S. was concerned with the possibility of nuclear war. The myriad ways the fear of communism influenced the United States are too numerous and complex for this brief article.

The Cold War, so named because the two major powers, the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, never “heated up” or fought open war in Europe, lasted from 1945 to 1990.

Some historians argue the Cold War started during the end of World War II and that the use of the first nuclear weapons on Japan was intended, among other things, to intimidate the Soviets.

While fear of nuclear war no longer influences our daily lives, as it did during the Cold War, it remains a real concern in international relations.

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The Spokesman-Review

Elson S. Floyd Cultural Center presents Schubert’s ‘Winterreise’

The School of Music and the Elson S. Floyd Cultural Center present an immersive concert experience of Franz Schubert’s landmark song cycle Winterreise (Winter Journey) on Friday, Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.

Yoon Wah Roh.
Roh
Aaron Agulay.
Agulay

This performance will feature WSU faculty Aaron Agulay (baritone) and Yoon-Wha Roh (piano) and the artwork of Walla Walla-based artist Keiko Hara. It will be followed by an artist meet and greet.

This performance will be the first of its kind on the WSU Pullman campus and will kick off a series of cultural events that amplify the work of local artists and support a more welcoming WSU campus culture and climate.

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WSU Insider

Sometimes, what counts for a boy is just hanging out with a guy who cares

Sometimes, it’s about two guys putting together a gingerbread house kit. At age 11, a boy like Heaven Lowe is soaking up all those new experiences.

A gingerbread house needs frosting, and to make frosting, a guy needs to know how to separate the egg white from the yolk, his “big brother” says.

Big Brothers Big Sisters sets up matches like this all around the region, working with 1,200 children — almost evenly divided between boys and girls — who have mentors.

Heaven’s mom, Miranda Cady, 31, has three sons in the mentoring program. The boys’ father provides child support, but isn’t very involved in their daily lives, she says. She receives financial aid while taking online classes at Washington State University’s Global Campus, studying psychology and human resources management.

“A lot of my family never went to college,” she says. Cady’s goal is to open up a group home for foster children. With her background, she says about being a foster child, “I know how bad it can be.”

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Omaha World-Herald

Ask Dr. Universe: Why does the sky turn darker in winter?

As winter gets underway here in North America, you may notice we don’t feel the sun’s rays for quite as many hours as we did in fall and summer.

Vivienne Baldassare.
Baldassare

To find out why this happens, I talked with my friend Vivienne Baldassare, an astronomer at Washington State University.

“Earth isn’t perfectly straight up and down,” Baldassare said. “It’s a bit tilted on its axis, more like a spinning top.”

The top half of the planet, which is known as the Northern Hemisphere, is tilted more toward the sun when it is summertime. But when it’s wintertime, that means Earth’s Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the sun. This can make the days feel shorter, and the shortest day of the year is just around the corner.

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Ask Dr. Universe

Jeremy Lessmann appointed director of Office of Undergraduate Research

Jeremy Lessman.
Lessman

Washington State University has appointed Jeremy J. Lessmann, chemistry associate professor, as the director of the Office of Undergraduate Research (UR).

“Jeremy brings to his new position a wealth of knowledge about, and experience with, the office and undergraduate research, in general, and we are excited to have him on board as its leader,” said Mary Sánchez Lanier, assistant vice provost.

Lessmann said, “I am excited to serve all WSU students and the university in this new capacity, and I look forward to helping to advance students’ high-impact learning activities associated with research, scholarship, and creative activities across all majors.”

Lessmann’s own research interests include novel spectroscopic techniques in inorganic and bioinorganic spectroscopy, and chromatographic characterization and quantification of small molecule metabolites of lactobacillus strains in the quest to reduce foodborne illness, especially from poultry.

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WSU Insider