USC students on their way to attend a memorial service on April 18, 2012 in Los Angeles, California, for the two Chinese graduate students who were shot to death near campus.; Credit: Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images

The Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles issued a statement asking authorities to take more measures in protecting Chinese students in the United States following the death of 24-year-old Xinran Ji, who was killed near his USC apartment early Thursday.

Ji is the latest victim of violence at USC, following two other Chinese graduate students who were gunned down two years ago near the campus. Six month later, a gunman opened fire at a Halloween party near the university.  

The consulate has reminded students “to be more alert and take further protection steps.” However, 40% of the international student body comes from China, composing one of the largest percentages of any campus in the country. Will this latest act of violence deter enrollment from Chinese students to USC? How can USC meet the consulate’s demands to make the campus safer?

Guests:

Daniel Deng, a lawyer based in Rosemead, California. He represented the parents of Ming Qu and Ying Wu – the two Chinese graduate students who were shot to death in their car in 2012. Deng is now working with the parents of Xinran Ji, who was killed outside his apartment complex last week, to secure their visas to come to the US. 

David Carlisle, Deputy Chief of the Department of Public Safety at USC

Kate Mather, LA Times staff writer covering crime and breaking news

“A Chinaman’s Chance: One Family’s Journey and the Chinese American Dream,” by Eric Liu.

In “A Chinaman’s Chance: One Family’s Journey and the Chinese American Dream,” Eric Liu redefines what it means to be Chinese-American in contemporary times.

Liu argues that the molding of Chinese Americans began with the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act forbidding admittance to Chinese immigrants into the United States. Despite racism and xenophobia, Liu writes that Chinese American’s success grew in parallel with the rise of China, redefining what constitutes as success, virtue and identity in uncertain times.

As an author, columnist for Time.com, contributor to the Atlantic and former speechwriter for President Bill Clinton, Liu draws on his professional and personal life experiences as well as essays and history to explain the Chinese-American experience.

Guest:

Eric Liu, author of “A Chinaman’s Chance: One Family’s Journey and the Chinese American Dream.” Liu is a contributor for The Atlantic, columnist for Time.com, and former speechwriter for President Bill Clinton.

The Airbnb app is displayed on a smartphone on April 21, 2014 in San Anselmo, California. ; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Airbnb and Uber both announced this week that they would be partnering with Concur, a business travel and expense reporting company.

Airbnb’s collaboration with Concur is part of the launch of its business travel site, which includes partnerships with Lyft, Eventbrite, and Facebook, and is intended to streamline business travel for professional groups.

Easing the process of expense reports may add credibility to sharing startups like Airbnb and Uber -- for Concur, who might receive the reports anyway as business consumers continue to utilize these companies, the partnership is more about good customer service and keeping pace with the changing market.

Does teaming up with a large professional service company legitimize companies like Airbnb and Uber? How does the sharing economy’s breakthrough into the professional market compare to other shifts in that direction? Would you use Airbnb, Uber, or other sharing startups as part of business travel?

Guest:

Ryan Lawler, staff writer at TechCrunch

; Credit: YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images

While people across California are lathering on sunblocks and tanning lotions to step into the summer sun, some are concerned solely with how not to get tan. For many people of color, especially women, light skin is a large part of looking beautiful. In countries like China, Korea, Japan, and India, skin whitening is a normal part of beauty routines.

Dermatologists and other health experts come down on different sides of the issue -- while some argue that the ingredients in skin lightening products are dangerous and should be banned, others say that these creams are less toxic than hair dyes, and that people with naturally dark skin should have access to treatments which may be used to help fade a scar or dark mark.

Are skin whitening products dangerous? Should they be banned?

Guests:

Eric Li, Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of British Columbia in Canada. He has researched extensively on the cultural phenomenon of skin whitening cream in Asian cultures

Virginia Lee, senior research analyst at Euromonitor, a global market research firm. Lee has followed the skin whitening cream market

; Credit: Chris Livingston/Getty Images

A federal appeals court ruled last week that Florida legally can discourage physicians from asking patients about their gun ownership. Florida passed the law in 2011 that cautions against such a question "when doing so would be irrelevant to patients' medical care" and doing so could lead to disciplinary measures. The law was challenged by several doctors organizations who argue gun safety is a medical issue. Statistics show 80 percent of unintentional firearm deaths of children under the age of 15 happen in a home. 

The National Rifle Association lobbied for the law and applauded the recent ruling, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. "It is not a physician's business whether his or her patient chooses to exercise their fundamental, individual right to own a firearm," said Chris Cox, executive director of the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action.

Will the NRA pursue similar laws across the land? If you own a gun, would you be offended or okay with your doctor speaking about it with you?

Guests:

Dr. Mobeen H. Rathore,  MD, Practicing Physician and President of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics

Sam Paredes, Executive Director and Chief Lobbyist, Gun Owners of California

Water covers the court inside the Pauley Pavilion after a broken water main flooded the UCLA campus.; Credit: Benjamin Brayfield/KPCC

UCLA’s busted water main is the water cooler talk of today. The 30-foot geyser sent 10 million gallons of water into the streets of Westwood and UCLA’s campus in the course of the 3 hours it took the DWP to shut off the valves. UCLA is the big story of the day, but this is actually the 4th water main break of this month, after ones in Koreatown, Venice and Highland Park.

Could they all be related? We’ll take a deeper look at the region’s antiquated water system and also try to answer the question on many water-conserving angelenos’ minds: just how much water is 10 million gallons? We’ll put that in some perspective.

Guests:

Mike Miller, District Superintendent for DWP

Yazdan Emrani, Vice President / Principal at Hall & Foreman, an engineering and land planning services firm in Valencia, California. As part of the American Society of Civil Engineers, he helped launch the first ever comprehensive infrastructure report card for California

Ellen Hanak, economist with the Public Policy Institute of California and author of the recent report “Paying for Water in California”

Jon Christensen, assistant professor at the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA and editor of Boom: A Journal of California

HitchBot stopped in to visit its "family" in Toronto this morning, decked out in souvenirs from travelers it has met along the way. ; Credit: Courtesy hitchBot

Last week, hitchhiking robot, hitchBot departed on a trip across Canada, relying on the kindness of strangers. The little robot has its thumb permanently out, asking for a ride, and has so far met and made conversation with an interesting collection of drivers and passengers. So far, hitchBot has traveled a winding route from Nova Scotia to Montreal.

Armed with a programmed vocabulary and a pair of sturdy rainboots to protect itself against the weather, hitchBot tells those who pick it up for a ride its story and mission. Humans are increasingly connected to technology -- already there are stories about people who name their Roombas and soldiers who grow attached to bomb-detecting robots -- a cute robot in rainboots is unlikely to raise alarm, but the project does bring up questions of human-machine trust.

Can humans can trust robots as technology becomes “smarter” and more autonomous? Can robots “trust” humans? Will hitchBot make it all the way across Canada?

Guest:

David Harris Smith, assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies at McMaster University, co-creator of hitchBot

"Travels with Casey: My Journey Through Our Dog-Crazy Country" by Benoit Denizet-Lewis

When it comes to pets, the world could be divided between cat people and dog people. New York Times Magazine writer Benoit Denizet-Lewis's new book is the latest addition to the canon of literature devoted to the latter category.

In 'Travels With Casey,' Denizet-Lewis writes about the 13,000-mile road trip he took with his beloved Labrador-mix and the motley cast of dog-loving people they met on the road, from homeless dog owners to celebrity dog lovers to K9 cops to dog psychics. These encounters provide a prism through which the country's oftentimes complicated relationship with Fido is explored.

Guest:

Benoit Denizet-Lewis, author of "Travels With Casey: My Journey through Our Dog-Crazy Country" (Simon & Schuster, 2014) and New York Times Magazine writer 

Gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari channels the jobless man in latest campaign video; Credit: Benjamin Brayfield/KPCC

The GOP candidate for governor in California apparently spent a week posing as a  homeless, jobless man to look for a job in Fresno. His campaign produced a video documenting his travails and has released it on YouTube. Along with the video, the multibillionaire Laguna Beach resident also published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal elucidating his intention this morning.

The video shows an unkempt Kashkari getting off a Greyhound bus in Fresno with $40 to spend for the week and striking out looking for work. He ended up sleeping on park benches and in a homeless shelter.

“I was committed to finding a job. It was my top priority, but halfway through the week my priority was forced to change: I barely had any money left and needed to find food. Fortunately, kindhearted homeless residents in Fresno pointed me to a shelter, Poverello House, which provides services to the homeless. I had no choice but to join the hundreds of men, women and families who go to the shelter for food. As the shelter did not have any beds for me I slept on the streets all six nights. I had only one shower during that time,” Kashkari wrote in the Wall Street Journal.

Kashkari has made combating poverty and job creation a central plank in his campaign. How effective is this latest campaign move? Does it potentially turn away voters? Does his intention come across?

Guest:

Lisa Gritzner, President of Cerrell Associates, a public affairs and political consulting firm in Los Angeles

U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) answers questions during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol July 24, 2014 in Washington, DC.; Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images

The GOP majority in the House passed a measure to launch a campaign-season lawsuit against President Barack Obama, accusing him of overstepping his constitutional authority. Democratic House members call the move a first step to impeachment procedures and say it is all a ploy to motivate the Republican base in the upcoming mid-term elections. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) asked members, "Are you willing to let any president choose what laws to execute and what laws to change?" He has argued Obama is picking and choosing which parts to implement of the Affordable Care Act.

What could be the fate of this lawsuit? How will each party spin it during campaigns?

Guests:

Ken Rudin, Host of Ken Rudin’s Political Junkie podcast; you can find his weekly podcast at krpoliticaljunkie.com - that’s all one word

Josh Gerstein, senior White House reporter for POLITICO

Grilled Lamb Hearts and Liver with Spicy Chimichurri from the Paleo Foodie Cookbook.; Credit: Paleo Foodie Cookbook

Noshing on bread, pasta, potatoes and pancakes is so out of fashion that even having a slice of toast is thought of as "committing carbocide." The Atkins Diet started the trend towards high protein, even high fat, nutrition - and scared off Americans from consuming insulin-raising starches and sugars. Of late, the meat-centric diet is called "paleo" because proponents say our Paleolithic-era ancestors could not properly digest today's bagels and Oreos, and neither can we.

The New Yorker's Elizabeth Kolbert recently experimented on her family with a solid week of paleo. Beyond finding it tough to create recipes, she notes: "Pound for pound, beef production demands at least ten times as much water as wheat production, and, calorie for calorie, it demands almost twenty times as much energy." Recent research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows beef cattle need 28 times more land and 11 times more irrigation water than pork, poultry, eggs or dairy.

How do those findings impact your dietary choices?

Guest:

Elizabeth Kolbert, Staff Writer, The New Yorker

; Credit: Kristian Dowling/Getty Images

A popular restaurant on a touristy wharf in Monterey has doubled down on an effective ban on children.

The restaurant, Old Fisherman’s Grotto, has a policy against high chairs, strollers, booster seats, crying, and loud noises. Some families who visit the restaurant are peeved with what they call unfriendly rules -- parents who were turned away because the restuarant wouldn’t accommodate their infants or toddlers say it’s rude for an establishment to ban babies.

Parents of older children argue that their kids won’t learn how to behave while eating out if they aren’t allowed into restaurants. Other diners say that a lack of screaming kids and immature behavior is a good thing -- they prefer to eat undisturbed.

Is it fair for restaurants to ban kids? Should families accommodate restaurants, or vice-versa? Is there a way to compromise?

Guest:

Emily Yoffe, contributor at Slate, author of their Dear Prudence column

Actress Allison Williams attends the Variety Studio powered by Samsung Galaxy on May 28, 2014 in West Hollywood, California. William was just cast as Peter Pan in NBC’s Peter Pan Live.; Credit: Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Variety

This week, NBC announced its upcoming "Peter Pan" production will continue the tradition of casting an actress in the lead, this time it's Allison Williams of HBO's "Girls." The gender-bending role is akin to the recent decision by Marvel Comics to turn the new Thor into a female superhero. 

Few modern-day productions experiment with crossing gender lines. It was a bold move when Ridley Scott gave Sigourney Weaver the iconic role of Ripley in the "Alien" franchise, a strong, persevering character that the studio and script envisioned originally as a man.

What are some famous roles that could go either way? Who would you cast as a Luka Skywalker? Or a Ms. Tibbs to rival Sidney Poitier?  

Imagine these iconic roles played by actors of the opposite sex. Who would you cast? Tell us more in the comments!

Guests:

Kerry Barden, Casting Director of "Boys Don’t Cry," "Dallas Buyers Club," this week’s "Get On Up" and so many more;  Board member of the Casting Society of America

Rich Delia, Casting Director of "Dallas Buyers Club," "Short Term 12," and more.

Andrew Fosworthy waits for friends before a Dodgers game at Sunset Beer Co. on Tuesday, July 29.; Credit: Maya Sugarman/KPCC

Healthvana is an app borne from an awkward moment: founder Ramin Bastani was in the middle of a promising hookup when his date slapped him and stormed out because he couldn’t prove he had a clean bill of health. He created Healthvana as a reaction -- the app helps users find clinics or healthcare providers where they can get tested for STDs and keeps a verified record of the latest results so that users can share information in intimate moments.

Tech-savvy daters aren’t just using Healthvana in the heat of the moment, they’re also posting results to dating sites like OKCupid, Tinder, and Grindr. It could have a big impact, especially for online daters, who sometimes enter a more promiscuous and less safe pool of mates.

What impact will testing and disclosure apps have on the spread of STDs? Will giving people an easy and accessible way to prove they are STD free encourage more people to ask about safe sex? Would you use Healthvana?

Guest:

Rebecca Plevin, health reporter for KPCC

Single serving containers of cereal made by General Mills sit on the shelf at a grocery store September 23, 2009 in Berkeley, California.; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The assumption is that we all know what processed food is, but a recent paper put out by the American Society for Nutrition featuring an updated definition of the term is drawing a lot of flak from those in the public health community.  

In the paper, the definition of processing is expanded to mean "the alteration of foods from the state in which they are harvested or raised to better preserve them and feed consumers.” So foods that have been washed, packaged, or frozen—like frozen strawberries or chopped-up lettuce—would thus be qualified as processed.

The new definition isn’t sitting well with a lot of nutritionists. They say that the American Society of Nutrition is backed by manufacturers of processed foods and that the new delineation is essentially just industry propaganda. The American Society for Nutrition says it’s time for critics to accept that processed foods make up an important part of the American diet.

Guests:

Connie Weaver, Ph.D, head of the Department of Nutrition Science at Purdue University, co-author of the study

Dr. David Katz, founding director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, Editor-in-Chief of Childhood Obesity Journal

An American flag flies at the U.S.-Mexico border on February 26, 2013 near Sonoita, Arizona; Credit: John Moore/Getty Images

As House Republicans push for their slimmed down border security bill in Congress today, militias are deploying armed, masked men in towns across Texas. The groups have grown to more than 10 active “teams” from El Paso to the Rio Grande Valley, according to the San Antonio Express-News.  

The news outlet was given photos showing men in fatigues with tactical gear and semi-automatic weapons. Texas Democrats urged their Attorney General to rein in the groups.

“These lawless militias could worsen an already difficult situation by promoting violence against minors who are seeking refuge and fleeing violent situations in their home countries,” the Democrats wrote in a letter this week. “Furthermore, the actions of these militia groups perpetuate the stigma that the border is a war zone, which is certainly not the case, and only continues to hurt the economic potential of an important area of our state.”

Are local residents in Texas happy to see the militias, or worried that tensions will be heightened? Would a National Guard deployment appease the groups?

Guests:

Robert Churchill, Associate Professor, American History, University of Hartford in Connecticut. He has written about the early history of the U.S. militia movement.

Doris Meissner, former Commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (1993-2000); Senior Fellow, Migration Policy Institute - an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank in Washington, D.C. dedicated to analysis of the movement of people worldwide.

James Gunn, Zoe Saldana, Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan and David Bautista attends the "Guardians of the Galaxy" photocall on July 25, 2014 in London, England. ; Credit: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images

Host Patt Morrison and KPCC film critics Wade Major and Tim Cogshell review this week’s releases, including “Guardians Of The Galaxy,” "Calvary," “Get On Up” and more. TGI-Filmweek!

Guardians Of The Galaxy

Calvary

Get On Up

Guests:

Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and producer and host for IGN’s DigiGods.com

Tim Cogshell,film critic for KPCC and Alt Film Guide

Two grizzly bears fighting; Credit: Dani Pozo/AFP/Getty Images

Despite being on the state flag, but grizzly bears are all but extinct in California. Some 10,000 grizzlies lived in the state when European immigrants first landed, but within 75 years, they had been hunted and killed. Fresno County in 1922 was the place and time a grizzly was last killed in the state, according to the Valley Center History Museum in San Diego County. There were a couple sightings in Sequoia National Park in 1924, but after that, nothing.

Now, an environmental group wants the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to bring the grizzly back to California. The Center for Biological Diversity is asking federal officials to carve out some 11,00 square miles in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado for 300 to 400 bears, according to the LA Times.

Even if the US Fish and Wildlife grants the petition, it’d be years before any action could happen. But given the grizzly’s fearsome reputation, should they be place so near to humans?

Guest:

Noah Greenwald, Endangered Species Director, Center for Biological Diversity, the environmental group behind the petition

A Yelp sticker on the window of a business. ; Credit: Steve Rhodes via Flickr Creative Commons

Angelenos know a culinary trend when they see it. L.A. chefs and diners are consistently on the cutting edge of food innovations, whether it’s Roy Choi’s food-truck fusion or an almond-macadamia nut milk latte.

Yelp has developed its own way to rack the rise and fall of food trends. Search for cupcakes and you’ll see craze grow and fade out. According to the site, cold-pressed juice popularity has shot up, donuts are the pastry of the moment, and everyone really is drinking IPAs.

How do trends get started? How do restaurateurs and chefs adapt their menus to accommodate popular foods? What’s the key to staying innovative and ahead of the market?

Guest:

David Sax, Author of "The Tastemakers: Why We're Crazy for Cupcakes but Fed Up With Fondue"

; Credit: CHARLES DHARAPAK/AFP/Getty Images

The Israeli military says it has resumed its attacks on the Gaza Strip, ending a self-declared, seven-hour cease-fire that was in effect for much of the day.

The Israeli military announced it resumed its attacks Monday night.

Israel said it declared the cease-fire to allow humanitarian supplies to enter Gaza. The seaside territory has been battered by a nearly monthlong war between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers.

Previously, four humanitarian cease-fire truces have failed in the current violence between Israel and Hamas militants from Gaza.

Palestinian officials say more than 1,880 people have been killed, most of them civilians. Sixty-seven people, including three civilians, have been killed on the Israeli side.

Who are the brokers working on the talks? With the disparate groups in Gaza, how can its leadership sustain an across-the-board  truce?

Guests:

Rashid Khalidi, Professor of Modern Arab Studies, Columbia University; Author, newly published "Brokers of Deceit: How the U.S. has Undermined Peace in the Middle East" (Beacon); former advisor to the Palestinian peace negotiators

Robert Danin, Ph.D, Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations; Danin headed the Jerusalem mission of the Quartet representative, Tony Blair, from April 2008 until August 2010.