How workplaces and communities deal with sudden workplace trauma, a journalists reexamines the 'gay gene,' a Yosemite ranger celebrates 50 years.
How to handle sudden workplace trauma
No one could have been prepared for the on-air shooting of Alison Parker and Adam Ward, a reporter and photographer at WDBJ7 in Roanoke, Virginia, on Wednesday.
The two were gunned down by former colleague, Vester Lee Flanagan, who went by the name Bryce Williams. He was fired from the station in 2013.
Flanagan fired 15 shots before turning the gun on himself later in the day.
The incident has given rise to a workplace and a community that is coming to terms with the violence and trauma.
But how do people go back to work after such a horrific event? Joseph Davis, is a core faculty member in the Crime and Intelligence Analysis Program at California State University, Fullerton. He said many people struggle with how to make the workplace normal again.
"It's not normal, it's the new normal. It's a catastrophic event that's had a far reaching effect," he said.
Compared to natural occurring events like hurricanes or earthquakes, Davis said man made events like the shooting in Roanoke are much more difficult to understand.
"When it's a senseless act of violence people have trouble coming to terms with it and recovery is a much longer process," he said.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
Covering criminal suspects who seek media attention
Someone claiming to be Vester Flanagan, the man suspected of shooting dead two WDBJ journalists, sent a 23-page suicide note to a news network following Wednesday's killings.
It's not unusual for extreme acts of violence to be accompanied by narratives, like manifestos or Flanagan's alleged note, for the media to soak up. But how should the media handle this kind of information, and why is this a consistent trait among certain suspects?
Kelly McBride, an ethicist for Poynter says there are few easy choices when it determines what to broadcast.
“Journalists were faced with two really critical decisions: one around rebroadcasting the live broadcast, and then the other decision of what to do with the killer’s self-made video.”
While it’s now commonplace for shooters to make their own media package, she says there is little precedent for Wednesday’s slaying. McBride notes, whether or not outlets decide to broadcast the footage, the macabre video will still be viewed online.
“A psychologist once explained to me that we have this biological urge to look at violence -- and it’s a self-preservation -- like a, ‘I don’t want that to happen to me.’ And so it’s really important for journalists not to exploit that."
Psychologist Brian Van Brunt trains other experts to spot violent threats online. He says it’s become increasingly common for killers to seek publicity.
“More commonly, what we’re seeing is what’s called a ‘legacy token.’ People are creating media packages, almost like a press kit prior to the attack, and this goes back to Virginia Tech … More recently the Isla Vista shooter in California …”
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
The science behind homosexuality: A journalist revisits a decade later
The science behind homosexuality is a topic that continues to vex scientists. But much more is known now than 10 years ago.
That was when Boston Globe magazine staff writer
wrote an acclaimed piece on the subject, pulling together then-cutting edge research showing homosexuality had a genetic origin. It became one of the most-read online pieces in the newspaper's history.
Skip ahead to 2015, and he's done a similar deep dive, talking to researchers to discover what new theories have emerged.
Swidey has found that sexual orientation, in general, is no longer seen as binary (straight/homosexual) but fluid, and that a complex interplay of genetics, the environment of the mother's womb and fraternal birth order all seem to play a part in determining whether an individual will be attracted to their own sex later in life.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above
Wheel Thing: Rethinking the world of electric vehicles
Electric cars are being hailed as a great, sustainable alternative to gas-powered vehicles.
There are plenty of options these days, from the peppy little Fiat to the pricy Tesla. But are passengers cars really the right place to be focusing on electric alternatives?
Maybe not. We might do better to focus on bigger vehicles, like trash trucks. OC Register auto critic
explains more on this edition of the Wheel Thing.
The Wheel Thing is our regular segment about the things that move us. To hear this week's installment, click on the blue audio player above.
How the creators of 'The Last Man on Earth' made the apocalypse funny
When Phil Lord and Chris Miller were working on their show "The Last Man on Earth" there were a lot of things to consider.
The show, which is about life for one guy after the apocalypse, had to address questions like: Where on Earth should he end up? (Tucson) What should he do with his new found freedom? (Live in a fancy house and smash things) But there was another unique consideration.
"There was also this big question which was, where are all of the dead bodies?" said Lord.
Click on the full segment audio embedded at the top of the post to find out what their dead body solution was.
The show's been nominated for four Emmys, with one of those going to Lord and Miller, who were nominated for "Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series."
The duo recently sat down with Take Two host Alex Cohen to talk about creating their version of a post-apocalyptic world, what it was like when "The Lego Movie" was snubbed for an Oscar and how they've managed to work so well together as a duo all of these years. They also talk about the ton of projects that the pair have coming down the line.
Just to give you an idea of their dominance over the past 10 years or so, these are some of the film and TV projects that they have their names on:
- "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"
- "The Lego Movie"
- "21 Jump Street" and "22 Jump Street"
- "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"
- "The Last Man on Earth"
And many others. Coming down the pipe, they have the followup to "The Lego Movie," "23 Jump Street" and an upcoming film about Han Solo.
The chat is definitely worth a listen, so click on the link at the top of the post to check it out.
State of Affairs: Will he, or won't he? Joe Biden's possible presidential bid
Will he, won't he? That is of course the question everyone is talking about in the world of politics. He is Vice President Joe Biden. All sorts of folks are chiming in, including Gov. Jerry Brown, who said, when asked about Biden's possible run on Meet the Press earlier this week,"If I were If I were Hillary I would say, don't jump in. If I were Biden, I would probably give it very serious consideration."
For State of Affairs, our weekly look at news and politics in the Golden State, Carla Marinucci, senior political writer for the San Francisco Chronicle and Professor Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of USC's Sol Price School of Public Policy weigh on the Biden buzz and how his run might effect Hillary Clinton's hold on California's democratic voters.
Additionally, Alex Cohen talks to them both about the decline of women, especially Democrats, in the state legislature and whether Donald Trump could be bumped from the 2016 ballot in California.
Please click on the link above to listen.
'Super lice': Here are 3 ways to tackle the new nits in town
A new study from Southern Illinois University has found head lice have become resistant to the active ingredient in most over-the-counter drug treatments.
These super tough lice have been detected in 25 states -- and yes, sadly, California is one of them.
Frank Campos, owner of Lousey Nitpickers in Los Angeles, says overuse is the problem.
"There are four major products on the market," Campos said. "What happens is people are overly-using the product, so the product has become inefficient. So it does kills the weaker ones, but leaves the stronger ones behind."
Campos is here to help. But before you resort to paying him a visit, he shared these three tips:
1. Don't overuse head lice treatment: Campos said the second round of head lice treatment should be done 7 to 14 days after the first application. Most parents who visit his shop, however, followed up three to four days after first use.
2. Look for lice at home: Campos recommends starting by parting your child's hair at the crown area, and then looking for nits 1 inch from the scalp. "Nits are usually laid between the hair shaft and an inch away from the crown," he said.
3. Wash all clothes and bedding: If you discover your child has lice, wash all clothing and bedding in soap and hot water. He also recommends tossing these items in the dryer on the hot cycle -- 120 degrees Fahrenheit is the standard temp for most dryers -- for at least 30 minutes.
To hear the full interview, click on the blue audio player above
50 seasons later, a Yosemite ranger still loves his job
It's easy to see why anyone would love Yosemite National Park: Half Dome, giant sequoias, gushing waterfalls (well, in the right season).
One man who knows Yosemite better than most is Fred Koegler. This summer, he's celebrating his 50th season as a park ranger there.
Koegler's history with the park goes back to the summer of 1965, when needed a summer job in college. He later became a school teacher and coach at Verdugo High School. But, he kept ranger role at Yosemite on the side. It eventually progressed to the position he holds today: Horse ranger.
"It's just great to be in the outdoors and patrol the campground, and talk to many, many people from all over the world and the United States, and some kids that have never seen a horse in their life," he said. "To see their smile after they pet my horse, King, and it's just a thrill to be here every summer."
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.