Experts Matter. Find Yours.

Another Big Short or Better Off? 10 Years Later – Is there Another Financial Crisis Looming?

It was 10 years ago Wednesday that the world changed for just about everyone. It was on that afternoon when BNP Paribas announced it was ceasing activity in three hedge funds that specialized in U.S. mortgage debt. BNP Paribas was the first major bank to acknowledge the risk of exposure to the sub-prime mortgage market, and many look back at those days as the start of the worst financial crisis in American history since the stock market crashed in 1929. For a decade, America has been in a state of recovery. It took trillions of dollars in stimulus and bail outs. The real estate market almost collapsed on itself and millions were left unemployed. Some are still incapable of finding work and income that matched what they made back then. On the outside, America seems to be in complete recovery. Housing prices have bounced back, the DOW is soaring and unemployment rests at just 5.1 percent. However, some are skeptical. Americans are borrowing again at record rates. Credit is once again being offered abundantly and as people spend again – risk is climbing. Add in China’s shaky economy and there’s also talk of a double-bubble bursting. Understanding finance and economics is no easy task. It takes global understanding, a keen eye on micro and macroeconomics and sometimes a crystal ball. But on Wednesday, many people will remember exactly what they were doing when America’s economy tanked. So where are we now? Have we learned our lesson or are we doomed to repeat ourselves? Have the reforms on Wall Street worked or can the actions of a few big banks still derail one of the strongest financial engines in the world? None of these are easy questions to answer or explain. But experts from Missouri State University can help. Dr. David Mitchell is a Professor of Economics and Director of the Bureau of Economic Research at Missouri State. He is also an expert at economic forecasting and understanding market trends and direction. Dr. Mitchell can speak to the anniversary of the financial crisis and what may lie ahead for America’s economy. Click on his icon to arrange an interview. Source:

Baylor Horror Film Expert Comments on Passing of "Night of the Living Dead" Director George A. Romero

James Kendrick, Ph.D., associate professor in Baylor's Film and Digital Media department, is a nationally known expert on horror films. He is available to speak to media about the contributions and legacy of legendary director George A. Romero, who died on Sunday. Kendrick said: "Although he will forever be remembered as the chief architect the modern zombie film with his groundbreaking, low-budget black-and-white thriller 'Night of the Living Dead,' George A. Romero’s impact on both the horror genre and filmmaking in general reached much farther than the lumbering undead. He was an artist with a genuine social conscience, dark sense of humor, and clear understanding of how the current zeitgeist can make horror both more unsettling and socially relevant, which was key to the genre’s reinvention in the late 1960s and early ’70s. He was also a pioneer of American independent cinema, creating some of his most important films—including 'Night of the Living Dead,' the offbeat vampire film 'Martin,' and the shopping-mall-set 'Dawn of the Dead' — largely on his own terms outside the Hollywood studio system." Kendrick teaches classes on film theory/aesthetics, the history of motion pictures, media and society, the films of Steven Spielberg, violence in the media, and horror film. His primary research interests are post-Classical Hollywood film history, violence in the media, cult and horror films, media censorship and regulation, the films of Steven Spielberg, action films, and cinema and new technologies. Source:

Baylor Expert on Founding Fathers Discusses Ben Franklin's Faith in New Book

What the Founding Fathers believed about God and religion has long been a subject of debate and fascination, and Benjamin Franklin’s beliefs in particular may have the widest variety of interpretations among his peers. As multi-faceted as Franklin’s life was — he was a printer, diplomat, scientist and more — his religious beliefs were perhaps even more complex. From his Puritan upbringing to deism, skepticism and more, Thomas Kidd, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of History at Baylor University and Associate Director of the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion, explores the influences and evolution of faith throughout Franklin’s life in the new book: "Benjamin Franklin: The Religious Life of a Founding Father." In a column for The Wall Street Journal, Kidd wrote of Franklin: "In today’s polarized political and religious environment, some pundits seek to remake the Founding Fathers in their own image. Benjamin Franklin’s example reveals that the historical truth is often more complicated." Source:

Baylor Presidential Rhetoric Expert Featured in USA TODAY re: Scalise, GOP shooting

Martin Medhurst, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Rhetoric and Communication, is featured in this USA TODAY story regarding the role of rhetoric in the shooting of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) and four others. Medhurst, a renowned expert on presidential rhetoric and political communication, helped put into historic context the role of violent and divisive rhetoric in American history. "You can go back to the election of 1800 between Jefferson and Adams and find a whole lot of quite outrageous statements made on both sides," he told USA TODAY. "The same is true throughout American political history. We had one guy, [Charles] Sumner, who was caned on the floor of the Senate and almost killed. We have a long history of violence in this country, both rhetorical and otherwise." "I think what has changed in the 21st century is the nature of the different media of communication and especially the rise of social media, where people apparently believe that they can pretty much say anything," he said. Source:

Trump and Paris Accord: Baylor Climate Expert Explains "Catastrophic" Significance of Rising Temperatures

On Thursday, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would abandon the Paris climate accord. During his speech, Trump cited disputed numbers showing that the accord would result in a minimal change in temperature over time. Daniel Peppe, Ph.D., associate professor of geosciences in Baylor University's College of Arts & Sciences, studies ancient terrestrial ecosystems and how they have been influenced by environmental perturbations, such as long- and short-term climate change events. He works to recreate those ecosystems. Peppe argues that one goal of the Paris accord -- developing a strategy to keep the average increase in global temperatures to less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels -- is integral to warding off future disaster. He said: "The Paris Agreement represents a really significant moment in history in which the countries of the world agreed that reducing greenhouse gas emissions was fundamentally important to help reduce the most significant effects of climate change around the world. The agreement developed a strategy to keep the average increase in global temperatures to less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Crossing that threshold of temperature increase is likely the point where warming will push the Earth to a climate state that last existed millions of years ago -- one that is fundamentally different from today. Reconstructions of climate, the Earth, and its biota from the last time Earth was in a similar climate state indicate that sea level was dramatically higher, which would mean that many major cities around the world would be flooded; and many places on Earth were hotter and drier and the distributions of plants and animals on the landscape were very significantly different, which would have catastrophic effects on modern agriculture, water use and society." Source:

Humber Experts Available to Comment on Future of the National Anthem

Professors Bingham and Buote are available to discuss the history and future of Canada's National Anthem. Source:

Our experts are available to talk about the impact of Madrid's banning of the slaughter of stray animals. Source:

Inside the Partnership Between Texas Christian University and Taylor Sheridan’s Four Sixes Ranch

A unique partnership between Texas Christian University and the legendary Four Sixes Ranch is giving students hands-on experience helping shape the future of one of the most recognizable brands in the American West. Recently featured at a major national rodeo event, the ranch’s newly designed retail booth, created by TCU faculty and students, blends heritage-inspired design with modern merchandising, reflecting the ranch’s growing national profile under the ownership of Taylor Sheridan and Nicole Sheridan. “We’re now written into the history of the Four Sixes Ranch.” The collaboration spans fashion merchandising, branding and business strategy, allowing students to contribute directly to product development, retail design and digital marketing initiatives. For students involved, the project offered a rare opportunity to see classroom ideas become real-world products tied to an internationally recognized Texas brand. Faculty members say the partnership reflects TCU’s focus on experiential learning while helping preserve and evolve an important piece of Texas cultural identity. Check out the video TCU and Four Sixes Ranch, and you can read more about this project in the full article below: Looking to connect with Chares Freeman, Kevin Smith, Nicole Bettinger or Rima Shrestha about this exciting project? Simply contact Holly Ellman, Associate Director of Communication, at h.ellman@tcu.edu today.