World Health Administration is still debating on the destruction of the last smallpox virus. ; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

The deadly infectious disease smallpox was eradicated over 30 years ago by the World Health Organization, but the virus isn’t quite dead -- samples of variations of pathogens that cause smallpox are still held under high security at the CDC in the U.S. and in Russia.

The WHO is currently revisiting a topic that has divided scientists and epidemiologists for decades -- should the remaining samples be destroyed? The immunology and biosecurity communities are split on the issue.

Those who think the virus should be destroyed argue that in the wrong hands, smallpox poses an immense threat as a weapon of bioterror. Since smallpox was eradicated in 1980, vaccinations for the disease have stopped, leaving large populations vulnerable. Those who want the samples preserved argue that more research could help develop increasingly effective treatments and vaccines, and could aid in eradicating any future strains of smallpox that may emerge.

Should the smallpox virus be preserved for research, or is it too dangerous? How should the WHO decide the best course of action?

Guest:  

Dr. D.A. Henderson, Distinguished Scholar at the Center for Health Security of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, former Director of the Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness, professor emeritus at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Philip Alcabes, Ph.D, professor of public health at Adelphi University; author of "Dread: How Fear and Fantasy have fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to Avian Flu"

Hand guns are displayed at Firing-Line July 22, 2012 in Aurora, Colorado. ; Credit: Joshua Lott/Getty Images

The Armatix iP1 is a new .22-caliber smart pistol that requires users to wear a watch in order to fire it. It's the first smart gun available in the country, but manufacturers and gun shop owners across the nation are finding out just how difficult it is to bring the new technology to the market, as first reported by The Washington Post.

Case in point: the Oak Tree Gun Club, a gun shop in Newhall, Calif., which decided to sell the gun. The backlash was so swift that owner James Mitchell took the item off its shelves within weeks.

There's also the experience of Belinda Padilla, who heads the Los Angeles division of Armatix, the manufacturer behind the iP1. Her personal cellphone number and address was posted online by a pro-gun activist.

Opposition of new smart gun technology comes mainly from the gun rights activists and gun owners, who fear that the innovation would lead to stricter regulation. A decade-old New Jersey law requires that once smart gun technology is available in the country, any guns sold in the state would have to be "smart" within three years. A similar bill has been proposed in California. On the other hand, some gun owners feel that the technology would make people on the fence more comfortable with gun ownership.

After the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, smart gun technology has been touted as a viable way to reduce gun violence. Silicon Valley angel investor Ron Conway has launched a $1 million contest for smart-gun technology.

Guest: 

Mike Rosenwald, The Washington Post reporter who has been following the story

"A More Beautiful Question" by Warren Berger explores how companies can inspire inquiry. ; Credit:

Instead of following your company's mission statement, what if you had to answer to a mission question?

Innovation expert Warren Berger argues the most exceptional businesses of our time - Google, Netflix, IDEO and Airbnb - have inquiry baked into their organizations’ DNA. But the process of inquiry should not be reserved for technology-innovation companies.

In 1965, a University of Florida assistant coach wanted to knew why his players were being affected by heat and heat-related illnesses. The answer led to the creation of Gatorade and the entire sports-drink industry.

How can organizations encourage and inspire inquiry? How do you craft the key questions? And what is the process that follows?

Guest:

Warren Berger, Author, “A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas”  (Bloomsbury, 2014); Previous book was “Glimmer: How Design Can Transform Business and Your Life (Penguin; 2009); Berger also writes for Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, and was a longtime contributing editor at Wired magazine.

A view of the death chamber from the witness room at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility shows an electric chair and gurney August 29, 2001 in Lucasville, Ohio. Is there a humane way to execute criminals?; Credit: Mike Simons/Getty Images

Today, the Constitution Project, a bipartisan group consisting of criminal justice system experts, has released a report recommending 39 policy changes regarding the administration of capital punishment in the United States.

One significant recommendation suggests using a large dose of a single drug instead of a three-drug cocktail for executions. It was a three drug cocktail used to execute Clayton Lockett in Oklahoma last week. His death is said to have taken over forty minutes, with Clayton writhing in pain. Some say this kind of dying violates the U.S. Constitution's protection against cruel and unusual punishment.

Is there a humane way to execute criminals? What is the definition of “humane”?

Guests:

Madeline Cohen, Assistant Federal Public Defender; Cohen is the long-time attorney for Charles Warner - who was supposed to be executed by the state of Oklahoma last week for his crime of sexual assault and murder of an infant

Kent Scheidegger, Legal Director, Criminal Justice Legal Foundation - a public interest foundation supporting the rights of crime victims

ANAHEIM, CA - AUGUST 21: General view of the exterior main entrance of Angel Stadium of Anaheim prior to the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on August 21, 2011 in Anaheim, California. ; Credit: Jeff Golden/Getty Images

Reporters covering the OC beat join Larry to discuss the latest news concerning Orange County residents including the backlash facing Corona Del Mar High School after a group of students rented a venue and held an NFL-style “prom draft” to select prom dates.  

We’ll take a look at the ongoing negotiations between the Angels owner Art Moreno and the city of Anaheim over the Angels Stadium lease extension.  The Anaheim City Council voted to approve plans to keep the Angels in Anaheim for the long-term nearly six months ago.

Larry and the reporters also discuss how the Kelly Thomas case may impact Laura’s Law, legislation to create a veterans cemetery in Orange county, and more.

Guests:

Ed Joyce, KPCC Orange County Reporter

Norberto Santana, Editor-in-Chief of the Voice of OC, a non-profit investigative news agency that covers Orange County government and politics

Teri Sforza, Columnist for the Orange County Register’s OC Watchdog blog

A quadrocopter drone equipped with a camera stands on display at the Zeiss stand on the first day of the CeBIT 2012 technology trade fair on March 6, 2012 in Hanover, Germany. CeBIT 2012, the world's largest information technology trade fair. The use of drones for newsgathering is supported by media organizations in the U.S.; Credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Newspaper companies are joining the growing group of people calling on the Federal Aviation Administration to allow the commercial use of drones.

The new York Times, Washington Post, AP, and others say that the FAA is restricting free speech by not allowing commercial drones in U.S. airspace. The FAA has been engaged in an ongoing legal battle with Raphael Pirker, who was fined $10,000 for using a drone to shoot a commercial at the University of Virginia.

The news organizations filed a brief in support of Pirker after the case was dismissed by a lower court and then reignited by the FAA. News outlets would ideally use drones to expand coverage of events, particularly those that might be unsafe to report on the ground or by helicopter, such as natural disasters. The FAA is scheduled to introduce new rules about commercial drone operation in August.

Should news organizations and other parties interested in using drones commercially be able to operate without restriction? Does free speech protect drone use in U.S. airspace? How should the FAA handle creating a set of rules for commercial drones?

Guest:

Mickey Osterreicher of Counsel, Hiscock & Barclay. LLP;  General Counsel, National Press Photographers Association (NPPA); the NPPA is one of the news organizations challenging the Federal Aviation Administration’s position on commercial drones; Mickey is a former journalist.

A close up of a 401k investment portfolio. Are current 401k regulations for the withdrawal of funds too severe?
; Credit: iStockPhoto

When people struggle financially, the temptation to take out early withdrawals can be strong. But, early withdrawals result in both a tax and a penalty. Nonetheless, in 2011, early withdrawals were at a record high, with the government collecting $5.7 billion in penalties.

Early taps of retirement funds have replaced home refinancing and second mortgages since the housing collapse in 2008. Loans taken out against a retirement fund aren’t always a viable option for those who most desperately need the money.

Critics of the penalties argue that the taxes and penalties on early withdrawals unfairly affect those most in need. Other economists and financial advisors say that these retirement accounts shouldn’t be accessible at all, and that the penalties correctly deter people from taking away from their retirement savings, which should be used only for retirement.

If people feel they have nowhere to turn, should the government loosen up restrictions on early withdrawal? Or, make the penalties for early withdrawal less onerous? Or, should people strictly adhere to not touching their 401K accounts, so a future financial cushion is better secured?

Guests:

Meir Statman, is the Glenn Klimek Professor of Finance at Santa Clara University and the author of “What Investors Really Want”

John Lieberman, Managing Director at Perelson Weiner LLP, longtime member and spokesperson for the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants

LOS ANGELES - APRIL 5: A woman prays in Nuestra Senora Reina de Los Angeles Catholic Church which was founded in 1781 and is currently attended primarily by Latino immigrants. However, the number of Hispanic catholics is drastically dropping in size. ; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

Hispanics in the country are increasingly turning away from the Catholic faith, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center.

The poll, done in 2013, found that 55 percent of the 1,023 Hispanic adults surveyed identified themselves as Catholic. In 2010, 67 percent said they were Catholic. Many of them either converted to evangelical Protestants or became religiously unaffiliated.

At the same time, the survey found that U.S. Catholic church members have become increasingly Hispanic, fueled by immigration trends.

Guests:

Cary Funk, senior researcher at the Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project who worked on the report

Father Thomas Rausch, T. Marie Chilton Professor of Theology at Loyola Marymount University

Should parks such as Yosemite National Park, in California adapt Canadian policies and provide wireless signals? ; Credit: Scott Rinckenberger

A California parks advocacy group is calling for the Parks Department to ensure wireless internet access in all state parks. The Parks Forward report was presented to John Jarvis, the head of the National Park Service, last week.

For his part, Jarvis said the NPS is moving forward with making more WiFi accessible in national parks. All this comes as Canada's national parks department announced WiFi hotspots will be installed in more than a dozen remote parks areas.

The reaction has been mixed. Some folks see the wildnerness as a respite from laptops and smartphones. Others say more people will visit parks if they can stay connected.

What do you think?

KPCC's online polls are not scientific surveys of local or national opinion. Rather, they are designed as a way for our audience members to engage with each other and share their views. Let us know what you think on our Facebook page, facebook.com/kpcc, or in the comments below.

Jon Christensen, Adjunct assistant professor in the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA; Jon is collaborating on a project visualizing social media in California parks at http://parks.stamen.com.

Actor/producer Seth Rogen (L) and actor Zac Efron pose at the after party for the premiere of Universal Pictures' "Neighbors" at The Armand Hammer Museum on April 28, 2014 in Los Angeles, California.; Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Larry and KPCC film critics Tim Cogshell, Peter Rainer, and Charles Solomon review this week’s releases, including “Neighbors,” “Mom’s Night Out,” “Legends of Oz; Dorothy’s Return,” and more. TGI-Filmweek!

Neighbors

Mom's Night Out

Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return

Guests:

Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC and Alt Film Guide

Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and the Christian Science Monitor; author of “Rainer on Film: Thirty Years of Film Writing in a Turbulent and Transformative Era”

Charles Solomon, animation film critic for KPCC and Indiewire animation scoop. 

Honoree Mel Brooks attends the 41st AFI Life Achievement Award Honoring Mel Brooks at Dolby Theatre on June 6, 2013 in Hollywood, California.; Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for AFI

Considered one of the greatest American comedies, the film "Blazing Saddles," is having its 40th anniversary. Juxtaposing toilet humor and a genuine critique on racism and prejudice, the satire was a box office smash when it opened in 1974.

Directed and written by Mel Brooks, the story is about a corrupt politician, who appoints a black man as sheriff, thinking his presence will run people out of town. Instead, the sheriff becomes his greatest adversary.

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An iconic fart scene, repeated use of the “n” word, and even breaking the “fourth wall” all contribute to making "Blazing Saddles" both a trailblazer, and as Mel Brooks put it, “...the most real belly laughs of any movie ever made."

The 40th anniversary Blu-Ray edition of Blazing Saddles is now available. The release includes new commentary and interviews from Mel Brooks as he reflects on his own film legacy.

Guests: 

Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC and Alt Film Guide

Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and the Christian Science Monitor; author of “Rainer on Film: Thirty Years of Film Writing in a Turbulent and Transformative Era”

Charles Solomon, animation film critic for KPCC and Indiewire animation scoop

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 09: House Minority leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks answers questions during a press conference May 9, 2014 in Washington, DC. Pelosi discussed issues relating to a largely partisan House vote to establish a 12-person committee to further investigate the Obama administrations response to the September 2012 attacks in Benghazi. ; Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Democrats are debating whether the party should participate in a special panel on Benghazi organized by Republicans in the House. After a vote yesterday established the panel, Democrats are at odds over whether to participate, citing the fact that the 7-5 panel isn’t evenly split along parties as a reason to potentially boycott.

Democrats argue that the multiple House committee investigations into the September 2012 attacks have put the issue in the past, and that this committee was established to keep the controversy in play during midterm elections.

All but seven Democrats voted not to establish the panel, but the majority vote ruled -- all 232 Republicans in the House voted aye. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi has called the panel partisan, and several prominent Democrats have expressed concerns about the panel’s equity, since the party was offered only five of the 12 seats.

Those in favor of a boycott say that refusing to join the panel carries minimal risk, and may send a more powerful message. Others argue that full participation is necessary to speak out against Republicans, while some say sending a single representative may be the most effective way to monitor the panel while still making a symbolic gesture of nonparticipation.

What’s the best options for Democrats when it comes to the special panel on Benghazi? Is it possible for an unevenly split panel not to be partisan? How will Congress handle future dealings with Benghazi -- is the issue already resolved?

Guest:

Jim Manley, director of the communications practice at QGA Public Affairs, is a former aide to Sens. Harry Reid and Edward Kennedy

Matt Rodriguez, Democratic strategist; founder of Rodriguez Strategies; former senior Obama advisor in 2008

OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 27: Shelly Sterling (C), the wife of Donald Sterling owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, watches the Clippers against the Golden State Warriors in Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2014 NBA Playoffs at ORACLE Arena on April 27, 2014 in Oakland, California. ; Credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

The Clippers are playing the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals tonight at home. The series is tied 1-1, and is arguably the most-contested matchup in the playoffs. Off the court, another battle has been raging. Since the NBA issued a lifetime ban on Clippers co-owner Donald Sterling, everyone from Oprah to Floyd Mayweather Jr. have expressed interest in buying the club.

It remains to be seen, of course, whether Sterling would concede to a sale of the team, which the league is forcing him to do. Adding another wrinkle to the saga is Sterling's estranged wife, Shelly, who has hired a lawyer seeking to retain her 50 percent stake of the Clippers.

Does Shelly Sterling has the legal right to keep the Clippers? Regardless, a NBA source has told Forbes that it is not an outcome the league wants to entertain. Would you like to see Shelly Sterling retain ownership of the team?

Guest:

Howard Wasserman, writer for Sports Law Blog; Law Professor, Florida International University

Study shows that sibling order has an impact on education and ambition. ; Credit: Frank Martin/Getty Images

Can success in education be linked to your sibling order? A new study has found that firstborns are more ambitious than their fellow brothers and sisters.

Researchers at the University of Essex’s Institute for Social and Economic Research surveyed 3,553 individuals and 1,503 groups of siblings. They found that firstborns not only have higher aspirations, but also higher levels of education.

Gender also plays a crucial role in the study as they also suggested that firstborn girls are far more successful than their younger male counterparts. The New York Times reported that by kindergarten, girls score an average of 58 percent in behavioral and social skills, in comparison to an average of 42 percent scored by kindergarten boys.

How can birth order impact someone’s success? Do firstborns have higher aspirations that push them to become higher achievers?

Guest:

Frank Sulloway, Adjunct Professor, Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley; Author, “Born to Rebel: Birth Order, Family Dynamics, and Creative Lives” (1997) - which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year

The 'Wikipedia' logo is seen on a tablet screen on December 4, 2012 in Paris.; Credit: LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/Getty Images

The internet is no stranger to medicine -- a study from Pew says that 72 percent of people use online resources to look up medical conditions. Sites like WebMD and the Mayo Clinic allow users to self-diagnose and research illnesses, and many turn to Wikipedia to read up on medical issues.

A bit more surprising is the revelation that doctors use Wikipedia just as avidly as their patients. Medical studies frequently cite Wikipedia as a source, and several studies have shown how accurate and appropriate Wikipedia is in various fields. But is the information accurate?

It depends on the condition, but new research published this March in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association indicates that Wikipedia has a ways to go before it catches up to peer reviewed journals.

Many medical professionals argue that the solution to this problem isn’t to stop using Wikipedia and crowdsourced medicine, but to fix it. Wikiproject Medicine aims to attract doctors and medical professionals to edit and elaborate on current Wikipedia medical articles.

Some of the doctors already editing Wikipedia say that it’s part of a doctor’s ethical responsibility to reach out to people online to assure that they aren’t being misinformed.

Should doctors use Wikipedia in their research or practice? How can the medical field help improve existing online resources? Will Wikipedia ever be a credible source of medical knowledge?

Guest:  

Dr. Amin Azzam, associate clinical professor at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at UCSF

Taken at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Los Angeles is currently making the bid to host the 2024 Olympic games. ; Credit: Photo by Shawn Carpenter via Flickr Creative Commons

Los Angeles is one of seven U.S. cities vying to host the 2024 Olympic Games. Details of the L.A. bid were revealed last month.

As reported in Inside the Games:

“[T]here would be three main clusters with, at its heart, a primary cluster based in downtown LA containing 12 venues, hosting 19 sports, and potentially the Olympic Village and the International Broadcast Centre. The main stadium would again be the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the centrepiece of the 1932 and 1984 Olympics.The revitalised LA River forms the "spine" of the plan..."

As Angelenos "root root root!" for the Ducks, Kings, Clippers, Dodgers and Angels, are you also rooting for LA Olympics? Numerous studies show Olympics Games are very costly for the cities which host them. What are the benefits of hosting the Games? What are the details of the bid? How does it compare to bids from other cities in the U.S. and around the world?

Guest:

Barry A. Sanders, the chairman of the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games

Is this too close for comfort? Do long distance relationships work better?; Credit: Flickr/BaileyRaeWeaver

Long-distance relationships are losing their stigma. What was once seen as a last, reluctant resort has now gained wider acceptance, thanks to the prevalence of internet dating, the plethora of communication tools available to stay in touch at all hours of the day, and just how time-crunched and spread-out we constantly feel. Just who has time for a traditional relationship when there are so many things you have to simultaneously juggle, the thinking goes.

Research has shown relationship-satisfaction levels for long-distance and non-long-distance couples to be virtually the same, including in the realm of sex.

For those who embraced long-distance dating, what has worked for you and your significant-other, and what has not? Call in and let us know.

Guest:

Jessica Carbino, PhD. candidate in sociology at UCLA whose research focuses on online dating and she hosts and produces a weekly radio show on UCLA Radio called "Hook up With Dr. Jess"

Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling attends the NBA playoff game between the Clippers and the Golden State Warriors, April 21, 2014 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said April 26 that the NBA is investigating Sterling for alleged racist comments; Credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

The Clippers won a hard-fought Game 4 in the Western Conference Semifinals yesterday at the Staples Center, defeating the Thunder 101 to 99 in a nailbiter of a contest. Over the weekend, it appears that the NBA has been working to come up with a legal strategy to bar Donald and Shelly Sterlings from keeping ownership of the team.

Two weeks after the Sterling recording emerged, Donald and estranged wife Shelly have both given interviews to big media outlets. Shelly Sterling was on ABC News, telling Barbara Walters that she intends to fight to keep her 50 percent stake in the Clippers. Donald Sterling, meanwhile, has recorded an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, apologizing for what he said and asking for forgiveness. That interview airs tonight.  

Guests:

Kevin Arnovitz, ESPN.com's NBA Editor; cofounder and publisher of ClipperBlog, a blog devoted to the Clippers

Geoffrey C. Rapp, Co-Editor, The Sports Law Blog; Harold A. Anderson Professor of Law and Values, The University of Toledo

California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye is an advocate to increase the budget for judicial courts in California. ; Credit: commonwealth.club/Flickr

Cutbacks to California’s court system have created logistical problems felt at every level. Courthouses statewide have closed, and those that remain are hard hit.

Cases face growing delays -- it can take much longer for civil and traffic cases to make it to a courtroom. People traveling to the courts must cope with longer commutes, longer lines, and longer waits.

California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye says that case filings have dropping by about 2.5 million in the past few years as a result. Governor Jerry Brown has a budget proposed scheduled for tomorrow in which he has allocated a $105 million increase  for the courts, but judicial leaders argue that it’s not enough to prevent more closures and cutbacks.

How will the courts fare? Have cutbacks to the judicial system put California in a place they can’t come back from? Are other areas of the government suffering more, or are they more deserving of state money?  

Guest:

Laurie Levenson, professor of law and David W. Burcham Chair in Ethical Advocacy at Loyola Law School

H.D. Palmer, Deputy Director of External Affairs at the California

Night falls in the mountains of Angeles National Forest on October 2, 2013 in the San Gabriel Mountains, northeast of Los Angeles, California.; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

Until a recent ruling in late April, in order to enter the Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres and San Bernardino national forests, nature lovers had to purchase an Adventure Pass, no matter if they parked in a paved parking lot, or near a trailhead.

This pass costs $5 a day, and $30 annually and is purchased online or in a sporting goods store. Now, that pass is no longer required for visitors who park near a trailhead.

US District Court Judge Terry Hatter Jr. said that, “the Forest Service is prohibited from charging a fee solely for parking.”

In other words, the ruling ensures that people who do not use the park facilities have free access to federal land. This is great for nature lovers, annoyed by having to buy the pass.

But, the pass generated millions of dollars to help maintain the public land and facilities for the public to enjoy. Without this flow of income, how will the US Forest Service be able to maintain facilities like bathrooms, picnic tables, and paved parking lots?

How can it be assured that people who enter the park for free, don’t use the facilities? On the other hand, might more people now visit the forests, inspiring more appreciation of the open space?

Guest:

John Karevoll, Co-Plaintiff against “Adventure Pass” fee   

Char Miller, Director of the Environmental Analysis Program at Pomona College; Author "Public Lands, Public Debates: A Century of Controversy"