A Christmas terror threat targeting Westerners has forced officials in China to put parts of the country’s capital on lockdown; Claremont United Methodist Church has passed on its political nativity scene this year; best and worst D.I.Y. gifts of the season and discussing the political and recreational use of Yiddish slang.
Terror threat puts Westerners on alert in Beijing as parts of city go on lockdown
A Christmas terror threat has forced officials in China to put parts of the country’s capital on lockdown and to warn Westerners that the threat has targeted them.
The U.S. Embassy in Beijing said it received intel about possible threats to Americans and other Westerners. Armed guard units have been placed on street corners and in public plazas, and a yellow security alert - the lowest level on a three-tiered system - that will last through the Christmas weekend.
The threat targeting Westerners could be the first of its kind for Beijing, according to Yang Shu, a counter-terrorism expert at Lanzhou University in China. Patt Morrison discusses the threat with terrorism expert, Erroll Southers, and its implications for Westerners as a growing target of terrorism.
Guest:
Erroll Southers, managing director of Counterterrorism and Infrastructure Protection at TAL Global Corporation and USC terrorism expert
Jeremy Goldkorn, Founder and director of Danwei, a research firm on Chinese media and economy, and longtime China observer
Away goes the manger; The message behind an unconventional nativity scene
Claremont United Methodist Church usually steps outside the norm at Christmas.
Instead of displaying farm animals, three wise men and baby Jesus resting in a manger, Claremont United disrupts the nativity scene by inserting a political statement — but they're not making as provocative a statement this year.
This year, the display on Foothill Boulevard has been replaced by a banner declaring "Peace on Earth" in multiple languages. The artist who installs the nativity scene each year, John Zachary, said that the church decided not to move forward with his design themed around gun violence.
Read the full story here.
Guests:
Rev. Mark Wiley, Pastor at the Claremont United Methodists church. The church has an annual tradition of unconventional Nativity Scenes
David Allen, Reporter for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin who reported on this story earlier in the week
Find yourself giving better directions
If you want to give good directions for traveling, mind the order to your words.
The School of Psychology at the University of Aberdeen may have found the easiest way to give directions, and they found it by using a popular children’s picture book series.
The study finds that starting with a noticeable landmark and then ending it with the destination will make it easier for others to understand and follow the instructions.
To test this, the researchers showed participants an image from “Where’s Waldo?” and asked them to explain how to find the man wearing stripes among the variety of distractions on the page. When the subjects mentioned an obvious nearby landmark, those listening to them needed less time find Waldo for themselves.
Researchers believe that people start processing directions before others have finished conveying them; offering a waypoint immediately allows listeners to conceptualize where they need to be much easier.
Guests:
Alasdair Clarke, Ph.D, School of Psychology at the University of Aberdeen and lead author of the study
Micha Elsner, Assistant professor at the Department of Linguistics, Ohio State University and co-author of the study
Substance abuse researcher on how kids are using drugs and alcohol in 2015
Teens are smoking more pot than cigarettes these days, and drinking and illicit drug use are down as well.
That’s the word from this year’s Monitoring The Future report, an annual look at substance abuse among teens. Cigarette and alcohol use are at their lowest points since the report was first published in 1975 and there’s also been a steady decline in the use of drugs like heroin, MDMA, and methamphetamines.
The one thing that teens are still using? Pot.
Marijuana use remained more or less level compared to last year. The report showed 12 percent of 8th graders, 25 percent of 10th graders, and 35 percent of high school seniors had used marijuana in the last 12 months. It also notes that the number of teens who see carrying marijuana as a big risk has declined dramatically. Ease of access and social perception could be a contributing factor to this.
The study reports a steady increase in peer disapproval of binge drinking since the year 2000 as well as a drop in the number of teens who say it’s easy to get alcohol, which the researchers suggest is an indication that efforts to reduce teen drinking are working.
What do you think is contributing to the decrease in alcohol use and the leveling out of marijuana use? What about other illicit drugs? Are anti-drug and alcohol efforts really working or is it just a matter of what teens can most easily acquire? How are teens’ perceptions of drugs, alcohol, and the risks that come along with them changing? What should we expect to see in years to come?
Guest:
Lloyd Johnston, distinguished senior research scientist at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research and principal investigator of the Monitoring The Future study since it began in 1975
‘Really, you shouldn’t have’: Best and worst DIY holiday gifts
With the rise of YouTube and blogs, do-it-yourself gifts have gained popularity, especially for the holiday season.
But as thoughtful as they are, D.I.Y.’s aren’t always welcome. Not everyone shares an appreciation for jean pocket potholders or crocheted barefoot sandals.
For those who can’t seem to part with the thought of gifting homemade art or their latest macramé creation, AirTalk is here to help D.I.Y.-ers stay on-point for the holidays. Do-it-yourself expert, Kristen Turner, talks with Patt Morrison today about the best and worst D.I.Y. ideas, tips and tricks to get it right and quick and easy last-minute gifts you can make at home.
Guest:
Kristen Turner, D.I.Y. expert and creator of the lifestyle blog, Miss-Kriss
Oy vey, let’s stop kvetching and start talking about the allure of Yiddish words
When presidential hopeful Donald Trump used the action version of "schlong" to disparage Hillary Clinton this week, many news outlets bleeped out the Yiddish vulgarity.
But as with many New Yorkers, it's arguable Trump's vocabulary has been enriched by Yiddish slang. It's almost a shock he hasn't called every one of his competitors a schlub, schmuck, or shlemiel - many of whom think him a shmendrik.
Even though it's not a yontef today, AirTalk and guest host Patt Morrison will try to make some bubbes smile and help you up your Yinglish game.
Guest:
Jonathan Kirsch, Book Editor at the LA-based the Jewish Journal. He is the author of many books, including his latest, “The Short, Strange Life of Herschel Grynszpan: A Boy Avenger, a Nazi Diplomat, and a Murder in Paris” (Liveright, 2014)
John Henry Faulk’s 'Christmas Story'
A Christmas encore of story-teller and radio host John Henry Faulk reading his “Christmas Story.”