Autism at Home, Star Wars and Eastern Religion, Bacteria Test

Mental Illness and Law Enforcement Guest: Michael Woody, President of CIT International, Retired Akron Police Lieutenant When police fatally shoot someone in the United States, there’s a one-in-four chance the person is mentally ill. Over the last three decades, a shift in how mental health is treated in America has filled jails, emergency rooms and homeless shelters with people suffering from mental illness. And police are the de facto first responders. But without specialized training, the standard procedures officers learn at police academy can backfire with someone who has a mental illness. The end is too often tragic.  Law enforcement agencies are increasingly turning to a training program developed by police in Memphis a few decades ago and lauded by the White House as an ideal model for getting officers up-to-speed on mental illness. It’s called Crisis Intervention Team. Designing Spaces for People with Autism Guest: Sherry Ahrentzen, PhD, Professor of Construction Management at the University of Florida, Co-Author of “At Home with Autism”; Kim Steele, Director of Urban and Health Initiatives for The Elemental Group, Co-Author of “At Home with Autism” For a person with autism, a squeaky ceiling fan, splashing faucet or cluttered room can be more than just annoying – it can be debilitating. Parents go to great lengths to minimize those kinds of stimuli that can be so problematic for an autistic child.  A new book called “At Home with Autism” offers design tips, but it’s also intended as a guide for building homes and communities where people with autism can thrive beyond the relative safety of a parent’s home.  Star Wars and Eastern Religions Guest: Julien Fielding, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Author of “Discovering World Religions at 24 Frames Per Second” Star Wars is almost a religion unto itself. Devotees quote Yoda and Obi Wan and Darth Vader like scripture, fraught with symbolic meaning. Ever since Luke, Leia and their droids first arrived on screens