Author: jplucas

Noted: Bob Norton, professor emeritus from the University of Wisconsin and author of “The Hunter: Developmental Stages and Ethics.”

Over the six-and-a-half years she?s been teaching at UW-Madison, Amy Barber has developed a following for her classes on gender and women?s studies. In the past year-and-a-half, Barber, 31, has amassed another following as a Thursday night DJ for the 18-and- over crowd at Madison?s Plan B nightclub, where she?s known as Professor Shame.

Noted: Holidays don?t cause domestic violence, but family gatherings and increased financial problems can lead to abusers feeling like they?ve lost control, said Darald Hanusa, who has a Ph.D. in clinical social work, is employed at the Midwest Domestic Violence Resource Center in Madison and lectures part time at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Quoted: Inflammation, which produces that good kind of soreness weekend warriors are familiar with, ?also damages a lot of healthy tissue around it,? notes Li Li Ji, an exercise physiologist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. ?That?s why I usually discourage older people from being too ambitious.?

Quoted: What you touch: Signs encouraging customers to touch the merchandise are far less common in stores than signs imploring them not to. But research shows that retailers may be missing a rather lucrative boat. “There are three ways that touching an object can make you willing to pay more for it,” says Joann Peck, an associate professor of marketing at the Wisconsin School of Business in Madison who has conducted a number of studies analyzing the role of touch in shopping behaviors.

Quoted: There is such a thing as holiday sales fatigue, said Cynthia Jasper, a professor of consumer science at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Quoted: Deborah Mitchell, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business, said this latest marketing tactic is catching on, and more stores are opting to open their doors when they?re traditionally closed for business. The point is to drive customers in during this very important time of year when there?s minimal competition.

Interest in sustainable foods continues to increase and some Wisconsinites will be filling Thanksgiving tables with them. Sean Cash, a professor of Consumer Science at UW-Madison, says some shoppers like to support local farmers and producers. Others look to these alternatives believing the food is healthier or the animals used are treated more humane.

Quoted: By making followers and friends feel they?re getting a deal that?s not widely available, stores increase the likelihood that customers will bite, says Deborah Mitchell, executive director of the Center for Brand and Product Management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. ?This time of year, it?s almost a sport to brag about the deals you got,? she says. ?They?re playing on that feeling.?

It?s last call for Timothy Allen, professor of UW-Madison?s “beer course.” Allen ? flamboyant, colorful, and beloved by students ? is retiring when this semester ends after 40 years of teaching at the university. The course that made him a legend is technically called Botany 240: Plants and Man, but it?s known as the “beer course” because one of the optional assignments is to brew beer.

Isthmus editor Bill Lueders made a splash the other day first by quoting famous UW-Madison political scientists Charles Franklin as saying the election proves that voters are ?pretty damn stupid.?

It got noticed nationally, as well it might: Franklin often gets quoted by national media, and now his known contempt for you can usefully attenuate whatever credence the country might lend him.

Quoted: Russ Castronovo, a UW-Madison English professor who mainly deals in 18th and 19th century American literature but happily admits he?s read all the Potter books.

CALLER:  Thank you.  You talked about the professor from the University of Wisconsin, and he wrote a whole paper on voter stupidity. RUSH:  Right. (Transcript making reference to Charles Franklin, professor of political science.)

Program assessment information from Joanne Cantor, speaker and workshop presenter at Your Mind on Media in Madison, Wisc., indicates a possible emerging trend away from multitasking. Cantor, who is professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and continues as Outreach director, Center for Communication Research, finds that some young adults are willing to reduce the cyber-overload in their lives.