Sections
The Gospel According to Anne
Anne Rice has a rabid following; readers who've come to love her tales of vampires, witches and others 'outsiders'. But her days of writing about them are over. Rice is embarking on a new direction -- one that some think is a departure for the author. Rice talked with WBHM's Rosemary Pennington about the shift.
Special Education
Walk into any classroom in America - and chances are there'll be at least one special education student. You may not be able to pick him or her out of the crowd. His disability could range from dyslexia or attention deficit disorder to cerebral palsy. It used to be these students were segregated from the general school population, but legal changes beginning in the mid-1970s brought special education students into regular classrooms. It used to be called 'mainstreaming', but today's buzzword is 'inclusion.' Parents fought hard for it, but as WBHM's Tanya Ott reports - despite significant gains they say it's still a battle.
Overcoming Schizophrenia
These days, doctors who treat mental illness have an unprecedented variety of effective new medications from which to choose. That's the good news. The bad news is that finding just the right medication, and the right dosage, for each patient often involves a frustrating period of trial and error. But once that perfect combination is found, the improvement can be both sudden and dramatic, as in this story by reporter Dale Short.
Anne Fadiman
The Hmong population have been emigrating to the United States for decades, basically forced to leave Laos after the Vietnam War because of their anti-Communist stand with the West. Over the years, they settled in different pockets around the country -- mainly northern California and the upper Midwest. And that's caused a culture clash in some communities, a clash that author Anne Fadiman describes in the book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. WBHM's Steve Chiotakis spoke with Fadiman about the book and the little known-Hmong people and why many were forced to come to America in the first place.
Super Outbreak of ’74
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
Remembering Rosa Parks
She's being remembered as the 'mother of the civil rights movement.' Rosa Parks died at her home in Detroit of natural causes at the age of 92. Fifty years ago, while living in Montgomery, she defied an order to give her seat up for a white man. She was arrested and a bus boycott ensued. WBHM's Steve Chiotakis spoke with the Reverend Abraham Woods, president of the Birmingham chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He says Parks deserves her place in history for standing up by staying seated.
Teen Depression Study
It is a puzzle many mental health professionals are working to solve: What comes first in teenagers — depression or risky behavior? The findings of a new study show the two certainly go hand-in-hand, but depressed teens may not be using drugs to self-medicate. In fact drug use and sex may actually be causing depression […]
Young Zombies in Love
Zombie themes are very popular right now - and not just because of Halloween. There's been a resurgence in Zombie movies, including the locally produced hit Hide & Creep. And this weekend, Birmingham Southern College takes the genre to the stage, with a play called Young Zombies in Love. WBHM's Tanya Ott spoke with BSC's Theater director Michael Flowers about the play.
Poverty
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
Lemony Snicket
For several years now fans have followed the story of the Baudelaire orphans. The latest and 'last before the last installment' in the Lemony Snicket 'Series of Unfortunate Events' has just hit bookstore shelves. There's been a lot of speculation as to the fate of the Baudelaires. WBHM's Tanya Ott spoke with Lemony Snicket's 'handler' -- Daniel Handler -- in hopes of clearing up some of the mystery. Judge for yourself whether it worked!
Birmingham: Open for Business
Thousands of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita evacuees have made their way through Birmingham in the last month, and now the city is considering rolling out the welcome mat even more aggressively. WBHM's Tanya Ott reports.
Asperger’s Syndrome: Nathan’s Story
In 1944, researcher Hans Asperger published findings of a study of several young boys who demonstrated normal intelligence, autistic-like behaviours, and marked deficiencies in social and communication skills. The condition came to be known as Asperger's Syndrome, and after the original study was translated and re-published in 1994, more and more people began being diagnosed with Asperger's. In the latest installment of our Making Sense of Mental Health series, Reporter Donna Francavilla examines what Asperger's Syndrome is and takes us to one of the newest facilities in nation to treat the condition..
Boarding Home Inspections
Hundreds of people with mental illness live in boarding homes scattered across the Birmingham metro area, and starting this week, there's effectively no inspection program to make sure those homes are clean and safe. As part of our continuing series, Making Sense of Mental Health, WBHM's Tanya Ott spoke with Shannon Weston, executive director of NAMI Alabama and Dr. Tom Hobbs, co-chairman of the blue ribbon committee tasked with finding a solution to the problem.
Hurricane Ruins Convention Business
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
Black Belt Poverty
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
Post-Herald Last Edition
Afternoons in Birmingham just won’t be the same anymore — that’s because the Birmingham Post-Herald is no more. Publisher E-W Scripps Company says it just can’t afford to keep the paper running. In a letter to Post-Herald staff Scripps CEO Kenneth Lowe says, quote “Paid circulation of the Post-Herald has declined to … a level […]
Birmingham Post-Herald
Friday's edition of the Birmingham Post-Herald will be the newspaper's last. The owner of the afternoon daily, E-W Scripps, says the economics were --quote-- 'no longer favorable' to keep publishing. The company says it's developed a severance package for the Post-Herald's 43 editorial department employees. Post-Herald editor and president Jim Willis tells WBHM's Steve Chiotakis it's been a heart-breaking day for employees.
The Last Days
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
Shelter Closing
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
AIDS Evacuees
Thousands of Gulf Coast residents were displaced by Hurricane Katrina, forced to leave behind not only homes but sometimes entire lives. They're slowly picking things back up, but it may be easier for some hurricane evacuees than others.
Katrina-Alabama schools
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
No Child Left Behind
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
Hurricane Banking Troubles
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
Teacher Shortage
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
Animal Assisted Therapy
Nearly three-quarters of Americans have at least one pet. In the United States, more money is spent on dog and cat food than on baby food. And for centuries, doctors and researchers have tried to harvest this intangible love for animals in the healing process. Animals have been used to help patients recover from all kinds of ailments, diseases and surgeries - to lift spirits and bring a smile, to make patients feel better. Some studies show a more profound benefit: that animals help people become less anxious and perhaps even respond better to mental health therapy. As part of our yearlong Making Sense of Mental Health series, WBHM's Steve Chiotakis reports that for kids undergoing mental health treatment, the healing often begins on all fours.
Teen Diary: Story of a Cutter
Some two million Americans intentionally injure themselves to cope with emotionally overwhelming feelings or situations. It's often called self-injury, or self-mutilation, or just 'cutting.' The Crisis Center in Birmingham says it's seen an increase in the number of middle-school-aged kids calling the crisis hotline to talk about cutting. We've got on 'cutter's' story...
One Stasi Victim’s Story
During the Communist era in East Germany dissonance was not allowed. Those who questioned the regime often found themselves behind bars, guests of the Stasi, East Germany's secret police. WBHM's Rosemary Pennington recently returned from Germany where she met one such man.
Teen Diary: Brittany Labrake’s Story
This month we're airing a special series as part of our year-long mental health project. This series is called Raise Your Voice: Stories from Teens . Public radio producer David Sommerstein gave recorders to three young women in New York and asked them to document their daily lives. Today, we hear from Brittany laBrake. For a lot of kids in high school, the opportunity to live in your own apartment is like a dream come true, a long awaited chance for independence and freedom. That's what Brittany thought. She was living in a foster home for five years; but, a month before her 18th birthday, while she was still in high school, she signed herself out of foster care to live on her own. Brittany moved into an apartment with her boyfriend, Gary. She wanted to live her life independently, but she found out it's not that easy.
Teen Diary: Brittany Chase’s Story
This month we're airing a special series as part of our year-long mental health project. This series is called Raise Your Voice: Stories from Teens . Public radio producer David Sommerstein gave recorders to three young women in New York and asked them to document their daily lives. Today, we hear from Brittany Chase. Brittany is 16 years old. She lives in a foster home. Strife and substance abuse in her biological family landed her in the foster care system. Brittany says it saved her life. One note: these are teenagers, so the language is, at times, rough.
Help for Honduras
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
Mental Health: Small Business Coverage
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
SciGirls
Research shows that by the time girls enter high school their interest and self-confidence in scientific pursuits has dropped dramatically. One Alabama summer camp aims to spark an interest in science among girls. Amanda Shaw reports.
