Explaining hyper partisanship at a time of record-low party affiliation; tips for coping with college stress; what the end of China's one-child policy means for Southern California & USC's new plans for a louder Coliseum.
Report card: How the Republicans fared in third GOP debate
Debate three of the GOP Presidential candidates went head-to-head with game two of the World Series.
One was a defensive battle until late, the other loaded with offense. The strategies of each of the candidates were clear from early on. But how well did they execute?
Guest:
Aaron Kall, director of the Debate Program and Debate Institute at the University of Michigan
Fear of the other: Explaining hyper-partisanship during record-low party affiliation
GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz has gone after Republican party leaders for backing the bipartisan budget deal, which the House passed earlier this week.
Seventy-nine Republicans voted yes on the proposal, which now heads to the Senate.
Cruz criticized House Republicans for caving into President Obama’s demands. "It is complete and utter surrender," Cruz said. "We now have a GOP Congress, but no one watching this budget surrender would know it."
Cruz’s position bears out the findings of a recent study conducted by two political scientists at Emory College looking at partisanship: how and why it has come to gripped American politics.
Interestingly, they conclude that partisanship is driven not by people’s loyalty to their chosen political parties, but by their hatred of the other party. And because of that, less and less American politicians are encouraged to reach across the aisle to get anything done.
What are the implications of this premise?
Guests:
Alan Abramowitz, a political science professor at Emory College in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the co-author of the paper, “All Politics is National: The Rise of Negative Partisanship and the Nationalization of U.S. House and Senate Elections in the 21st Century”
Kevin Wagner, Associate Professor of political science at Florida Atlantic University and the co-author of the book, “Tweeting to Power: The Social Media Revolution in American Politics” (Oxford University Press, 2013)
5 tips for coping with college stress
More college students are using mental-health services on campus, according to the American Psychological Association, and it is for a range of serious ailments, from eating disorders to chronic stress and anxiety.
This time of year is especially high pressure with essay deadlines and exam prep, so burnout expert Kristen Lee Costa, Ed.D. conducted qualitative research to find the best coping mechanisms for the students she studied. Without them, students' work can suffer.
In her research, Costa found five key lessons to keep in mind when dealing with college-related stress. On AirTalk, she'll delve into them, but here's her shortlist as first published on "The Huffington Post:"
1. Know that education is a privilege.
2. Don't scratch that ridiculous perfectionism itch.
3. Resist the bait of imposter syndrome.
4. Become a time management ninja.
5. Remember you're not alone.
What are your tips for coping with the stresses of school?
Guest:
Kristen Lee Costa, Ed.D., Lead Faculty for Behavioral Sciences at Northeastern University; Author, "RESET: Make the Most of Your Stress"
What the end of China’s one-child policy means for Southern California
China’s era of the single child is coming to an end.
The country first eased its controversial population control practice in 2013, allowing some married couples to have a second child. Today, the Communist Party has announced that it’ll drop the one-child policy altogether to counter the aging of its population.
This is good news for Chinese married couples, but could it also cause a shift in demographics in Southern California? Could we also see an increase in Chinese immigration? How will it affect Southern California’s demographic makeup?
Guests:
Clayton Dube, Director of the U.S.-China Institute at the University of Southern California
Jeremy Goldkorn, founder and editor of Danwei, a Beijing-based research firm that tracks Chinese media, markets, politics and business
Coliseum redesign proposal aims to boost noise of USC football fans
L.A. Memorial Coliseum officials will unveil renovation plans for the historic venue and home of USC football Thursday afternoon.
One proposed goal for the architects is to boost the acoustics to match the competitive pitch of other football stadiums across the country. Acoustical consultant Elizabeth Valmont told the LA Times the Coliseum is too open and exposed to hold on to sound.
Moreover, the graduated seating isn't steep enough and begins too far from the field. Valmont and her colleagues envision building canopies and steepers stands to reflect sound in a way that confuses visiting teams.
What do you think of the decibel levels during Trojans games?
Guest:
Thomas Curwen, Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times
Halloween 2015: Best and worst ideas for topical costumes
Halloween is the time of year when everything is pumpkin spice-flavored, parents let their kids knock on complete strangers' doors requesting candy, and full-grown adults find new, creative, and sometimes offensive ways to turn news events and cultural phenomena from the previous nine months into costumes bound to get hundreds of Instagram likes.
In terms of providing the news events and cultural phenomena upon which to base said costumes, 2015 did a pretty bang-up job. ‘The Dress’ invaded our social media worlds in early 2015, dividing the Internet into two sides at odds over the color of a dress (it’s blue and black, by the way), Pizza Rat captured our hearts in his dogged pursuit of reaching the bottom of the subway stairs with a full slice of pie in tow, and Spokane, Washington NAACP president Rachel Dolezal touched off an Internet-wide conversation about identity after she said she considers herself to be African-American, despite her Caucasian parents claiming she’s white too.
And this is just a sampling of some of the things that are ripe for costuming this year. Other potentially popular get-ups this year could be Caitlyn Jenner, the Minnesota dentist who killed Cecil the Lion, and even (yes, still) ‘Left Shark’ from Katy Perry’s Super Bowl halftime performance.
What do you think are the best topical Halloween costumes for 2015? Are you going out as something topical from 2015? Which cultural phenomena or important events are acceptable to embody in a costume and which ones aren’t? How does one make that distinction?
Vote for your favorites on the list below (created by Ranker user Jacob Shelton) and share your ideas in the comments!
In need of a last-minute costume idea? Check out KPCC's list of costumes you can pull together the day of Halloween and will be sure to impress your news-junkie friends.
The Most Creative & Topical Halloween Costumes for 2015
Guests:
Todd VanDerWerff, culture editor for Vox.com. He tweets