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Disney buys Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion

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Spike TV's

Darth Vader and George Lucas (R) onstage during Spike TV's "SCREAM 2011" awards held at Universal Studios on October 15, 2011 in Universal City, California. Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Walt Disney Co. has made another huge gain in its series of large acquisitions over the last decade. Yesterday, Disney announced it has bought Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion, including rights to the “Star Wars” franchise, the special-effects company Industrial Light & Magic, the sound outfit Skywalker Sound and LucasArts, which publishes video games.

While this came us a surprise to the media, it is definitely in line with Disney CEO Bob Iger’s plan to expand Disney’s reach through the acquisition and control of giant pieces of intellectual property. In 2006 and 2009, Disney acquired Pixar Animation and Marvel Entertainment respectively, both multi-billion dollar deals which resulted in Disney controlling some of the biggest franchises in recent movie history, such as “Toy Story,” “Cars” and “The Avengers.”

The only thing more startling than the price tag of the sale is Disney’s assertion that a new “Star Wars” movie will be out in 2015. This comes after George Lucas announced plans to retire and stepped down as CEO of Lucasfilm in June, as well as his public commitment not to make any sequels or prequels to the movie series, as the recent ones were relentlessly panned by hardcore fans.

Are you a “Star Wars” fan who is worried about your favorite franchise and characters? Will you see the movie no matter what, and maybe even enjoy it now that Lucas is no longer involved himself? Or is it time to just stop and let sleeping Ewoks lie?

Guest:

Marc Graser, Senior Writer for Variety


Next president may have to make Supreme Court decisions

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People gather outside the Supreme Court on June 28, 2012. Credit: David Goldman/AP

With four of the nine Supreme Court judges in their 70s, it’s likely that one or more of them will be hanging up their robes during the next administration. Choosing who will fill any seats on the bench will be one of the more lasting legacies of our next president.  And the social, economic and policy repercussions will  shape our country for years to come.

During George W. Bush’s term he appointed judges Samuel Alito and John Roberts; the result was a conservative-heavy court that led to decisions in favor of super-PAC money (Citizen’s United) and gun owners’ rights (Columbia vs. Heller). Barack Obama tried to tip the balance back by naming liberals Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan to the bench; those appointments contributed to Arizona’s immigration law, SB1070, being struck down and the Affordable Care Act being upheld. At the moment, the court consists of five appointees by Republican presidents and four by Democratic presidents, and decisions are often split along those lines.  A notable exception was John Roberts' surprising vote in favor of upholding the health care act.

In the event of a vacancy, a President Mitt Romney would undoubtedly appoint judges who would be in favor of conservative causes such as overturning Roe vs. Wade. On the other hand, if Obama has an opportunity to replace one of the more conservative judges during his term, the court would see a liberal majority for the first time in over 40 years.With so much at stake, it’s surprising that both campaigns have been virtually silent on this important issue.

Who would you like to see on the nation’s highest bench? What important upcoming cases could impact your life, and how will the makeup of the court impact those decisions? Will you consider the next president’s possible Supreme Court appointments when casting your vote next Tuesday?
   

Guests:

 

Erwin Chemerinsky, dean and professor of law at the UC Irvine School of Law.

John Eastman, former dean and professor, Chapman University School of Law, and founding director of the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence

 

What cities can learn from Hurricane Sandy

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Times Square Exteriors Following Hurricane Sandy

Atmosphere in Times Square following Hurricane Sandy on October 30, 2012 in New York City. Credit: John Lamparski/Getty Images

Superstorm Sandy is on the move, leaving a wake of destruction along the East Coast. Some blame the extent of Sandy’s devastation on the craziness of a Frankenstorm, but climate experts say the root cause is climate change – storms like Sandy are predictable, they argue.

Warmer seas and increasingly tumultuous weather patterns have become the norm in recent years. Indeed, scientists did predict that New York City would be hit by a major storm. So why are we still unprepared when disaster strikes? Abstract warnings may not be reason enough for an immediate call to action, especially when risk management solutions and retrofitted protections are so costly, but with the frequency of these incidents, and the high cost of rebuilding and relief, the time has come to weigh preventative options.

Building seawalls along parts of the coast would be expensive, but would it be more expensive than rebuilding an underground transit system damaged by salt water? In Los Angeles, earthquake warnings are the norm, but how should we actually be preparing for the inevitable big shake? What kind of risk management should be employed pre-disaster? Should climate change transform the way we anticipate and prepare for disaster? At what cost?

Guests:

 

Molly Peterson, KPCC’s environmental reporter

Robert Puentes, Senior Fellow with the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program where he also directs the Program's Metropolitan Infrastructure Initiative.

Adam Rose, research professor, coordinator for economics, Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events, Sol Price School of Public Policy, USC.

Chinese think tank calls for China’s ‘one child’ policy to be eliminated

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This picture taken on September 13, 2012 shows a family riding an electric-tricycle along a street in Tianjin. China's elderly face increasing uncertainty three decades since the one-child policy took hold, with no real social safety net, the law has left four grandparents and two parents with one caretaker for old age -- and bereaved families with none. Credit: AFP/AFP/Getty Images

For over thirty years, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has enforced a  controversial family planning policy also known as the one-child policy.  But that rule may soon be changed to a two-child policy as a result of a new report from a PRC-affiliated research group.

The China Development Research Foundation has recommended that the policy should be amended to allow two children per family by 2015 and that all birth limits should be dropped by 2020. The think tank points to China’s plunging birth rate and multitude of demographic imbalances as a sign that the one-child policy has outlived its usefulness.

In recent years, China has eased restrictions on the unpopular policy, allowing for two children in rural areas and among minority populations.  But such alleviations may not be enough to avoid dangerously low fertility rates.

Chinese family planning authorities credit the one-child policy with preventing around 400 million births, but is China better off as a result? Why should China consider eliminating birth limits?

Guests:

 

Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Chancellor's Professor of History and Chair of the History Department at UC Irvine.  He is the author of four books, including China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford University Press, 2010) and the editor or co-editor of several others, including Chinese Characters: Profiles of Fast-Changing Lives in a Fast-Changing Land (University of California Press, 2012).  

Robert Walker, president, The Population Institute, where he directs the organization's advocacy and public education activities, including its work on issues related to health, economic development, sustainability and the environment.

POLL: When political punditry turns Facebook friends into foes

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Tea Party Express Holds Demonstration In Albany

A participant at a Tea Party Express rally displays a sign critical of the Obama administration on April 13, 2010 in Albany, New York. The Tea Party Express will head to Boston on Wednesday where the headline speaker at an afternoon rally will be Sarah Palin. The group will conclude its national tour in Washington, D.C. Thursday with a Tax Day rally at the Washington Monument. Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

It doesn’t matter if you consider yourself to be political or not, in today’s world, it is basically impossible to escape the political discussion. Even if you turn off the radio or TV to avoid the chattering class, you can’t escape the bumper stickers and yard signs. In the digital era, now Facebook has become the premiere haven for political commentary.

But that doesn’t mean individuals are engaging in civilized discourse and enlightening each other’s perspectives; instead it seems that people are mainly trumpeting their own opinions or blatantly attacking opposing views. Some users get so heated that they actually “unfriend” anyone who is on the other side of the political aisle.

Then, while the demagogues duke it out in the digital arena, there are the poor folks forced to watch all this on their newsfeed. When it seems like the entire country is trapped in partisan gridlock, this eternal war can be exasperating for those who are going online simply to check up on their friends or look at pictures from a family member’s wedding.

Has this happened to you? Are you one of the people posting your political agenda, or rallying against someone else’s? Does the whole thing just turn you off completely? Is Facebook as fun as it used to be? Have you gone so far as to block or unfriend someone for their political opinions? Why exactly? Were they posting incorrect facts, blatant lies, or just extreme viewpoints?

Let us know what gets your red (or blue?) blood boiling online.

<a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/6653990/">Have you unfriended someone on Facebook because of his/her politically charged posts?</a>

 

Guest:

Aaron Smith, Research Associate for the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, which has been tracking trends in social networking sites and politics in the months leading up to the election

POLL: When political punditry turns Facebook friends into foes

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Tea Party Express Holds Demonstration In Albany

A participant at a Tea Party Express rally displays a sign critical of the Obama administration on April 13, 2010 in Albany, New York. The Tea Party Express will head to Boston on Wednesday where the headline speaker at an afternoon rally will be Sarah Palin. The group will conclude its national tour in Washington, D.C. Thursday with a Tax Day rally at the Washington Monument. Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

It doesn’t matter if you consider yourself to be political or not, in today’s world, it is basically impossible to escape the political discussion. Even if you turn off the radio or TV to avoid the chattering class, you can’t escape the bumper stickers and yard signs. In the digital era, now Facebook has become the premiere haven for political commentary.

But that doesn’t mean individuals are engaging in civilized discourse and enlightening each other’s perspectives; instead it seems that people are mainly trumpeting their own opinions or blatantly attacking opposing views. Some users get so heated that they actually “unfriend” anyone who is on the other side of the political aisle.

Then, while the demagogues duke it out in the digital arena, there are the poor folks forced to watch all this on their newsfeed. When it seems like the entire country is trapped in partisan gridlock, this eternal war can be exasperating for those who are going online simply to check up on their friends or look at pictures from a family member’s wedding.

Has this happened to you? Are you one of the people posting your political agenda, or rallying against someone else’s? Does the whole thing just turn you off completely? Is Facebook as fun as it used to be? Have you gone so far as to block or unfriend someone for their political opinions? Why exactly? Were they posting incorrect facts, blatant lies, or just extreme viewpoints?

Let us know what gets your red (or blue?) blood boiling online.

<a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/6653990/">Have you unfriended someone on Facebook because of his/her politically charged posts?</a>

 

Guest:

Aaron Smith, Research Associate for the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, which has been tracking trends in social networking sites and politics in the months leading up to the election

Sandy leaves cell companies with no answers and customers with no bars

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East Coast Begins To Clean Up And Assess Damage From Hurricane Sandy

People recharge their cell phones and computers at a police supplied generator in Rockaway Beach after Superstorm Sandy swept through on October 31, 2012 in the Queens borough of New York City. At least 50 people were reportedly killed in the U.S. by Sandy. New York City was hit especially hard with widespread power outages and significant flooding in parts of the city. Credit: Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images

Superstorm Sandy has come and gone, however, its effects are only now being calculated and studied. Dollar estimates in terms of damage are now in the tens of billions. Transportation and utility infrastructures have been ravaged leaving many stranded and in still in the dark. These difficulties are to be expected when it comes to storms and hurricanes.

One service that was decimated by the storm which no one saw coming was cell phone carriers. All three major cell phone companies had claimed to be prepared for the storm earlier in the week by topping up fuel for backup generators. Despite whatever steps the companies took, fierce winds downed power lines and flooding destroyed underground network equipment taking out twenty percent of cell tower sites in ten states. This has left millions with no cell reception in the affected areas.

With so many people who have and are dependent on their cell phones to communicate with others, this crisis has put many in the region muted. Was this whole situation avoidable? Are the equipment and infrastructure to cell phone companies that fragile and susceptible to damage? What steps can these companies take to avoid these problems in the future?

Guests:

David Cay Johnston, investigative journalist and author; winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting;  distinguished visiting lecturer, Syracuse University College of Law and Whitman School of Management

Chris Guttman-McCabe, vice president, regulatory affairs for CTIA - The Wireless Association

 

Measure J aims to start the engines on public transportation

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Measure J hopes to extend half-cent transportation sales tax passed by Measure R last year. Credit: Corey Moore/KPCC

In 2008, Los Angeles County voters approved Measure R, a half-cent sales tax earmarked to fund light rail transportation and scheduled to expire in 2039. Now, the proponents of Measure J want to extend that tax for another 30 years to accelerate those projects.

Business leaders and organized labor see the measure as a way accelerate jobs and the economy as well – if the measure passes, Metro officials say, wheels could hit the ground on about 15 transit projects approximately 15 years ahead of schedule. But there’s plenty of opposition: county supervisors Mike Antonovich and Don Knabe have said the continuation of the tax mortgages our future; city councilman Bernard Parks says it strains the budgets of an already struggling population.

Various neighborhood groups, from Crenshaw to Boyle Heights, object to the planned transit routes, which would impact low-income areas. And the powerful Bus Riders’ Union, which is fighting Measure J, has criticized Metro for underserving routes that carry minority riders to and from work.

Do you mind the extra half-cent you’ve been paying in sales tax? Do you support continuing the tax if it means revving up public transportation? How would extending the Gold Line, the Green Line and the Westside Subway impact your neighborhood?

Guest:

Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles County Supervisor

Sunyoung Yang, lead organizer for the Bus Riders' union and spokesperson for the Coalition to Defeat Measure J


What happens if the election is a dead heat?

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Early Voting Begins In Iowa For Presidential Election

Liz Poole, whose first experience with politics was campaigning for President Franklin D. Roosevelt as a child, fills in her ballot during early voting at the Black Hawk County Courthouse on September 27, 2012 in Waterloo, Iowa. Early voting starts today in Iowa where in the 2008 election 36 percent of voters cast an early ballot. Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

As election day approaches and the race between President Obama and Mitt Romney tightens in crucial swing states, a flurry of media attention is focused on the wild, if unlikely ways that the race might stray from the norm.

This swirl of what ifs are fueled by extremes: could if superstorm Sandy delays the election? How will people in storm-stricken areas vote? And by reflections on the past: what if the race is so close it needs a recount? What happens if there’s a tie in the Electoral College? What will happen if it ends up in the Supreme Court, like Bush v. Gore?

While it’s nearly impossible that the election would be postponed beyond November 6, the storm and recovery on the East Coast post-Sandy may still impact the race. With key electorates still inconvenienced by the weather, states like Pennsylvania, the Carolinas, and Virginia may demonstrate the storm’s influence when it comes time to vote.

In the much discussed event of a tie? Pollsters and newspapers agree that this is improbable, but it hasn’t stopped rampant speculation about the ways that a tie in the Electoral College could lead to a Romney/Biden administration, or an even more unlikely Biden presidency.  

Should the election be postponed? Would you trust the House of Representatives or the Senate to choose the president? How about the Supreme Court? What should the role of the Electoral College be?

 

Guest:

 

Doyle McManus, Washington Columnist, LA Times

Richard Hasen, Chancellor's Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of California, Irvine. Author, "The Voting Wars: From Florida 2000 to the Next Election Meltdown" (Yale University Press, 2012); Blogs at electionlawblog.org/

Candidates feeling the heat in swing state of Florida

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Obama And Romney Spar In Final Debate Before Presidential Election

U.S. President Barack Obama (R) stands on stage with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney (L) and moderator Bob Schieffer of CBS at the Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center at Lynn University on October 22, 2012 in Boca Raton, Florida. The focus for the final presidential debate before Election Day on November 6 is foreign policy. Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The race for the White House couldn’t be much closer and with 29 electoral votes at stake, Florida is the biggest of all of the swing states.

Both candidates are making a last minute push in the Sunshine State to get voters to the polls.Bill Clinton, Michelle Obama, Mitt Romney and President Obama will all be making stops up and down the state this week. The Latino vote is sure to be a determining factor in deciding Florida. But unlike other battleground states like Colorado and Nevada, Florida’s predominant groups are Cuban-American and Puerto Rican, not Mexican-American.

With the 2000 election in the not so distant past, not to mention incredibly tight polls and talk of a possible electoral college and popular vote split, all eyes are sure to be on Florida.

Guest:

Marc Caputo, political writer, Miami Herald

Los Angeles moves forward on four new tax proposals

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Los Angeles City Hall

Los Angeles City Hall Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The Los Angeles City Council is one step closer to putting a half-cent sales tax proposal on the March 2013 ballot. Council President Herb Wesson is pushing the tax hike, which he says would help avoid further cuts to city services. Other proposals aimed at raising money for cash-strapped Los Angeles include raising taxes on parking, property and real estate transactions.

Wesson says his proposal will raise about $215 million a year for the general fund. That’s about how much L.A.’s budget shortfall will be for the next fiscal year. But given the blizzard of tax hike proposals facing voters in November, many of which seem doomed to fail, do Angelenos have the stomach for more tax measures? If not, are there alternatives the council members should be pursuing to address the budget shortfall?

BREAKING NEWS
AEG and opponenents to the proposed Farmers Field project have reached an agreement. The Play Fair at Farmers Field Coalition had launched a lawsuit against the project. That suit has been dismissed. The coalition says its concerns have been resolved and a settlement has been reached.

Guest:

Alice Walton, KPCC reporter

Frank Stoltze, KPCC reporter

Southern California power companies help restore East Coast grid after Superstorm Sandy

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East Coast Begins To Clean Up And Assess Damage From Hurricane Sandy

Police gather to tell a man to put out the road flare he found and was using as an impromptu flashlight while walking with friends in front of a darkened Flatiron Building in a section of Manhattan still in a blackout following Hurricane Sandy on October 30, 2012 in New York City. The storm has claimed at least 40 lives in the United States, and has caused massive flooding across much of the Atlantic seaboard. US President Barack Obama has declared the situation a 'major disaster' for large areas of the US East Coast including New York City. Credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Americans really do pull together in times of crisis. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Southern California Edison will send crews to the East Coast to help with the recovery effort from Superstorm Sandy.

The L.A. City Council passed an emergency motion on Wednesday to allow LADWP workers to help restore power for the millions of residents who still have no electricity more than two days after the storm occurred. SoCal Edison is expected to send a fleet of more than 70 utility trucks and at least 120 personnel to affected areas. Crews who first responded to repair storm-ravaged power systems have been putting in 17-hour days and are in need of the additional support and resources.

Pacific Gas & Electric and San Diego Gas & Electric will also send volunteers to help with the recovery.

Guest:

Don Boland, executive director, California Utilities Emergency Association

Brian Rokos, staff writer, The Press-Enterprise

Follow the candy: some families prefer to relocate for Halloween

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Pavle Matic, age 3 from Washington, DC,

Pavle Matic, age 3, hugs the pumpkin carved by his father. Credit: TIM SLOAN/AFP/Getty Images

 For most of us as kids, Halloween meant fanning out into the nearby streets to pester our neighbors for candy. But some neighborhoods are more conducive to trick or treating than others – the houses are scarier, the streets are safer, and most importantly – the treats are better quality.

So if you’re the parent of a little ghost or goblin, what are you to do? Many parents find themselves driving to more family friendly neighborhoods to go trick or treating. And some houses choose to “go dark” rather than supply candy to kids from across town.

If you live in one of those areas, do you welcome families from other areas on your street? Do you believe in sharing the Halloween spirit, regardless of geography? Did you pack the family up last night to commute to another neighborhood?

 

Jeff Goldblum leads an onstage 'Seminar' at the Ahmanson

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Actor Jeff Goldblum, known for films like Jurassic Park and Independence Day, visited the KPCC studios on Thursday. Credit: Maya Sugarman/KPCC

Lovers of literature and the inner workings of the minds that craft it can revel in the wordfest that is “Seminar.” The play, written by Pulitzer Prize finalist Theresa Rebeck, stars Jeff Goldblum in the role originated by Alan Rickman on Broadway.  

Goldblum, under the direction of Sam Gold, plays a brilliant but unconventional literary luminary teaching a private course to four young aspiring writers. Despite having lived with the play for the past seven months, Goldblum says he is continually exploring his character, the mesmerizing, manipulative Leonard, and making new discoveries on an almost daily basis.

Smart, sexy, and provocative, the comedy explores the depths of what it means, and what it costs, to be an artist. Goldblum joined Larry in studio to talk about the play and what's next for him once the production wraps on November 18.

Interview Highlights: 

 

On how he prepared to fully embody his character, Leonard:
"I love this material, Theresa Rebeck is a brilliant playwright. This piece of material is wonderful and its challenging and needed all my studying. I like to study anyway, so I got some students and some teachers that I work with and I started to work with it every day and we started to put it on. I've got a guest house in my backyard and I made a little set like the set and we put it on and showed a couple of people once a week who had never seen it before and had focus groups. I've been studying it…So its a great class for me, you rarely get a piece of material like this that's so juicy and beautifully written."

On how much he's learned about his character during the play's run:
"I'm still challenged, I am going to eat up these last couple of weeks that we've got because its so complicated and mysterious and poetical, that at least for me to fill it all in is a very delicious little assignment. There are references to the character's past and what happened exactly. You finally find out that I'm wounded and sabotaged myself in some ways. To make that real and to make it personal and invent in a detailed way about it, it's just challenging to me. I love it and like I said I woke up this morning thinking about that one element about this stuff that I'm teaching them and it started to make a little more sense to me, and that's not for lack of trying I've done this every day for the last seven months, since I found out I got the job. So I'm going to be sad to see it go."

On what he's working on after they play wraps:
"I do a couple of movies the day after I finish this. I go off to Paris to do this movie that Rorer Michele is directing who I worked with in "Morning Glory," who did "Notting Hill," and a couple independent movies that I've seen, "Venus" with Peter O'Toole…Then I come back and I play with my Jazz band here, the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, we have a gig at Crustacean on New Year's Eve, please come you're heartily invited to that. I'm a pianist I sing a little bit and I've got great musicians who play with me, so we're going to play that and then I go off and I do Wes Anderson's next movie the Grand Budapest Hotel in Germany in January."

On his side gig as a Jazz pianist:
"I'm from Pittsburgh, my dad was a doctor, but they were fans of theater and bring home Errol Garner records and Jazz records and they gave us piano lessons and it kind of took with me, especially when I discovered jazz and I started to play around Pittsburgh in cocktail lounges when I was 15, 16. I always wanted to be an actor, but I've kept a piano with me and started to play out and about here in L.A."

For ticket information visit the Center Theater Group website.

Guests:

Jeff Goldblum, actor currently starring in Seminar at the Ahmanson

Theresa Rebeck, playwright, television writer, novelist; her play "Seminar" is playing at the Ahmanson Theater through November 18

Detroit firefighters feel the 'Burn'

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NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 22: (L-R) Detroit Fire Commissioner Don Austin, firefighter Brian Crowder, Fire Chief Craig Dougherty, Sergeant Jeff Urbas, firefighter Christopher Palm and firefighter Charles Pruitt attend the "BURN" Premiere during the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival at the AMC Lowes Village on April 22, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images) Credit: Jemal Countess/Getty Images

Ever since 9/11, Americans have been well aware of the intrinsic connection between a city and its firefighters. In no city is this relationship more dramatic and indicative of a town’s character than in Detroit. Since 1950, the population of Detroit has dwindled from an original level of 1.8 million citizens.

Today, it’s half that size, and racial tensions, social problems, struggling businesses and abandoned houses are on the rise. The conflation of all these different aspects results in quite a bit of fires, as Detroit has one of the highest rates of arson in the entire world. For some comparison, Los Angeles’s population of 4 million experiences about 11 structure fires each day, while Detroit’s 713,000 see 30 such fires.

Tasked with the job of handling these fires fall to fire crews like Engine Company 50, one of the country’s busiest firehouses and the subject of a new documentary from filmmakers Tom Putnam and Brenna Sanchez. “Burn: One Year on the Front Lines of the Battle to Save Detroit,” is an in-depth look at the lives of firefighters who put their health on the line every day for Detroit. They receive a modest pay, and haven’t seen a raise in 10 years. Their stories are as tragic as they are inspiring, and provide a frank and raw examination of real American heroes.

Guests:

 

Brenna Sanchez, Co-Producer & Co-Director, “Burn”; Sanchez is a Detroit native, based in Los Angeles

Tom Putnam,
Co-Producer & Co-Director, “Burn”

Brendan Milewski  aka “Doogie”
, firefighter from Engine Company 50 in Detroit featured in the movie 


FilmWeek: Flight, Wreck-It-Ralph, This Must Be the Place and more

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Credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

Larry is joined by KPCC film critics Henry Sheehan from dearhenrysheehan.com, Lael Loewenstein from Variety and Charles Solomon from amazon.com to review the week’s new film releases including Flight, Wreck-It-Ralph, This Must Be the Place and more. TGI-FilmWeek!

Flight:

 

Wreck-It-Ralph:

 

This Must Be the Place:

Guest:

Lael Loewenstein, film critic for KPCC and Variety

Henry Sheehan
, film critic for KPCC and dearhenrysheehan.com

Charles Solomon
, film critic and animation historian for KPCC, author for amazon.com

California schools skip federal grants due to lack of union support

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Credit: Getty Images

The Los Angeles Unified School District is going ahead with their application for federal grant money from Race to the Top, without the essential support of the teachers union. Race for the Top grants give up to $40 million to public schools.  But unions who oppose the grants argue that the program’s test score-based teacher evaluations and strict guidelines stifle creativity and are bad for both students and teachers.

Several districts in California and nationwide have not applied for the grants because their teachers’ unions refuse to support the program. Some districts have gone ahead with the application process without the required signatures from union representatives, while others have withdrawn completely.

Supporters of Race to the Top grants argue that the millions of dollars in federal funding is crucial for students and schools in need of a boost, and that the teachers unions are doing their students a disservice to protect their own jobs. Opponents say that the program’s score-based evaluations and the long-lasting effects of implementation make for less creative, less productive classrooms, and the wrong kind of learning.  They also point out that the grants require districts to commit their own funds to the program and to continue to maintain them past the four-year grant period - which could be unsustainable for strapped schools.

Should the unions sign on to support the grant applications? How should grants like Race to the Top measure success? How would your child’s school benefit from Race to the Top money -- would you rather they had  the funds, or do you trust the teachers?

Guest:

 

Tami Carlson, president, Glendale Teachers’ Association

Tim Martin, president, Riverside City Teachers’ Association

Peter Cunningham, Assistant Secretary of Education

Bloomberg Businessweek boldly claims, 'It’s Global Warming, Stupid'

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Global Warming Activists Demonstrate In High Tide Flooding Area

Jacquie Ayala (L) and Amanda Lawrence stand in a flooded street as they and others call on the presidential candidates to talk about their plans to fight climate change on October 18, 2012 in Miami Beach, Florida. Some of the streets on Miami Beach are flooded due to unusually high tides that the protesters felt are due to rising seas, which are connected to global warming and climate change. Published reports indicate that Florida ranks as the most vulnerable state to sea-level rise, with some 2.4 million people, 1.3 million homes and 107 cities at risk from a four-foot rise in sea levels. Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

This election cycle, climate change has been mostly ignored – Mitt Romney has avoided the topic except to joke about it, while President Obama has shied away from his contributions to alternative energy resources.

The presidential candidates haven’t been the only ones to ignore global warming and climate change issues – the topic seems to have slipped from the forefronts of American minds. But with Sandy sweeping the Eastern seaboard and leaving a trail of destruction in her wake, the climate change debate is back, leaving many wondering whether global warming influenced the storm.

Bloomberg Businessweek is answering with an emphatic yes, and other publications are following suit. Devastating natural disasters are not new to the modern age, but human impact is worsening their impact – an already-powerful hurricane combined with global warming is a perfect storm.

What kinds of adaptations are necessary to prevent and protect against future climate change disasters? Should the government be investing more in this issue?

Guest:

 

Paul Barrett, Assistant Managing Editor, Bloomberg Businessweek

Election 2012 intensifies in its final day

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Early Voters In Miami Facing Long Lines

Voters prepare to cast their ballots at the North Miami Public Library after standing in line on November 1, 2012 in North Miami, Florida. Voters are complaining about hours long waits in line to cast their ballots and former Florida governor, Charlie Crist, as well as state Democrats, have asked Florida Governor Rick Scott to extend early voting hours for all the state’s counties. Rick Scott authorized a law limiting voting days to 8 from 14. Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

In the final hours before election day, the Obama and Romney campaigns are making a final push towards victory, holding rallies in key battleground states. Though both candidates’ teams are insisting that they’re set for victory on Tuesday, behind the scenes actions tell a different story.

RELATED: Customize your ballot with KPCC's voter guide

Adjustments to early voting hours and processes have the campaigns in a frenzy of get out the vote mania. Although Obama has a lead based on early votes, turnout this year was significantly less than in 2008. Obama and Romney are hurrying to reach the swing states that will decide the election, like Ohio, Florida, and Virginia. Although they’re presenting an optimistic front, both campaigns are lawyered up and ready for a fight over electoral votes.

How will changes to early voting measures impact the election? Do you think the election will be decided on November 6, or do you anticipate post-election legal action?  

Guests:

Mark Barabak, Political Correspondent, Los Angeles Times

Julie Davis, Political Reporter, Bloomberg News

OC election roundtable

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US-VOTE-2012-EARLY

Credit: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images

The GOP has long held the lion’s share of registered voters in Orange County, but, as in all of California, that number is declining.  The OC is now 41% red, 31% blue, with the number of unaffiliated voters rising to just over 22%. There are a number of key issues and races for Orange County voters on this year’s ballot.

The highly contested Anaheim City Council race has racked up nearly $1 million in campaign expenditures, much of it funded by political action committees representing labor and business interests.  Disney alone has reportedly funneled nearly $190,000 to PACs supporting their favored candidates, Steve Chavez Lodge and Jordan Brandman.  

Tomorrow will bring to a finish hotly contested races in Anaheim, Costa Mesa and Irvine as well.  We’ll take a peek behind the Orange polling booth curtain with our OC roundtable journalists.

Guests:

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

Julie Gallego, government & politics editor, Orange County Register

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