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Linguistic experts explain the best ways to learn a second language in the information age

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Millions of adults who grew up speaking a language other than English are still held back by their language skills.

A blackboard with the Chinese and English versions of "Hello."; Credit: /iStockphoto.com

If you didn’t study any foreign languages in school, picking one up as an adult can be challenging, since the human brain is best-equipped to absorb a new language in the early childhood years.

However, advances in technology and new teaching methods in the last few decades have opened the door for many adults to learn a second or third language without them needing to travel to a country where the language they’re learning is spoken. From the apps for your mobile phone, to software like Rosetta Stone, to classes you can take at your local community college, there are a lot of ways you could learn a language besides your native tongue.

But which way is the best? Statistically, which methods are most successful? Is there any substitute for complete language immersion?

Guests:

Elizabeth Bernhardt, Professor of German Studies and Director of the Stanford Language Center at Stanford University.

Marty Abbott, Executive Director of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, a non-profit organization seeking to improve and expand the teaching and learning of all languages at all levels of instruction.


Allergy doctors explain surprising benefit of peanuts for allergy-prone babies

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American Idol Lee DeWyze To Kick Off Feeding America's Hunger Action Month

Students enjoy the new peanut butter cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory presents American Idol Lee DeWyze to kick off Feeding America's Hunger Action Month at James Hotel on August 28, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois.; Credit: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Feeding America

In unprecedented and delicious findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine, feeding peanut butter and peanut puffs to allergy-prone infants helped prevent a peanut allergy, lowering the risk by as much as 81 percent.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the results “have the potential to transform how we approach food allergy prevention." The study was the largest and most rigorous test of its kind. A major caveat: parents should not try this method until a medical professional administers an allergy test on newborns.

What are the implications for the medical community and how soon might changes filter down? How does this apply to other common allergies such as pollen, shellfish, pet dander, and the like?

Guest:

Dr. Maria Garcia-Lloret, MD, Pediatric Allergy & Immunology Physician at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA

VA Secretary’s Special Forces claim

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Confirmation Hearing Held For Robert McDonald, Nominee To Head Veteran's Affairs Department

Robert McDonald, President Obama's nominee to be the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, is sworn in prior to testifying before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee July 22, 2014 in Washington, DC. ; Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Just over three weeks ago, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald joined us on AirTalk to describe the end of a legal battle over use of the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs facility.

Later that day, McDonald was in Downtown LA taking part in the homeless census. News media surrounded him, including a CBS camera crew. CBS captured an exchange between a homeless man on the street and Secretary McDonald in which McDonald claimed to have been in Special Forces.

You can watch a CBS video on counting the homeless here. 

But it turned out McDonald wasn't in Special Operations, though he completed the Army Ranger training program.

Yesterday, the VA released a statement from Secretary McDonald. It read, "While I was in Los Angeles, engaging a homeless individual to determine his veteran status, I asked the man where he had served in the military.  He responded that he had served in special forces. I incorrectly stated that I had been in special forces. That was inaccurate and I apologize to anyone that was offended by my misstatement."

Was this was a serious effort to deceive, or an offhanded attempt to bond with the man that went awry? Does this compare with the Stolen Valor incidents where people wear unearned military decorations?

Guests:

John Rabe, Host, KPCC’s Off-Ramp, who was with VA Secretary McDonald that night 

Leo Shane III, Military Times, Congressional Reporter who’s been following the story. His latest piece looks at how various veteran groups have reacted to the false claims 

How to make LA buses and subway a safer place for women

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Record High Gas Prices Turn More Commuters Toward Metro Rail

Passengers board Metrolink subway trains during rush hour on June 3, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. Skyrocketing gas prices are driving more commuters to take trains and buses to work instead of their cars. ; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

A new survey from Los Angeles Metro finds that 22 percent of bus and subway riders had experienced "unwanted sexual behavior including, but not limited to, touching, exposure, or inappropriate comments" over a six-month period.

It’s not a problem unique to Los Angeles. From New York to New Delhi, public transport officials have had to deal with sexual harassment issues facing passengers. What could be done to address the problem? If you ride the bus or the subway, have you ever been a target of unwanted sexual behavior?

Guests:

Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, Professor of Urban Planning at UCLA. Her research focuses on public transportation and women’s safety issues

Genevieve Berrick, founder and site leader of Hollaback L.A., which brings attention to harassment of women in public spaces

Updating the Metrolink train crash in Oxnard

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Train Truck Crash

Firefighters and other officials walk near cars from a Metrolink passenger train that derailed Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, in Oxnard, Calif. Three cars of the Metrolink train tumbled onto their sides, injuring dozens of people in the town 65 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Metrolink spokesman Scott Johnson told the Los Angeles Times that at least 30 people were injured. ; Credit: Mark J. Terrill/AP

Three cars of a Southern California Metrolink commuter derailed and tumbled onto their sides after a collision with a truck on tracks in Ventura County northwest of Los Angeles this morning.

Twenty-eight people have been transported to hospitals, according to Captain Mike Lindbery, Ventura County Fire Department PIO.

Read more here.

Guests:

Brian Watt, KPCC reporter at the scene of the crash

Scott Johnson, assistant public affairs officer for Metrolink

Joe Garces, fire investigator and assistant public information officer for the Oxnard Fire Department. He’s been on scene since shortly after the wreck this morning.

‘Father of cognitive neuroscience’ explains two brains, one body research

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Professor Michael S. Gazzaniga, author of "Tales from Both Sides of the Brain: A Life in Neuroscience"

The patient sits in front a partitioned screen so that only the left eye can see the word "car" and only the right eye can see the word "key." When asked to say what he can see, the patient says, "car." When asked to choose the object, the patient picks up the key with his right hand. What is going on here?

Welcome to the world of split-brain patients.

Almost entirely discontinued except for extraordinary cases, neurosurgeons in the mid-20th century split the corpus callosa (singular: corpus callosum) of patients who suffered from severe epilepsy in order to stop the seizures from spreading to both sides of the brain. By cutting this section of the brain, the left and right hemisphere of the brain could no longer communicate with each other as they used to. The operation, while almost always successful in lessening the severity of the patient's epilepsy, had an unintended consequence: it created two functionally independent brains in one head.

In his new book, "Tales from Both Sides of the Brain: A Life in Neuroscience," Professor Michael Gazzaniga recounts his lifelong study of split-brain patients. Part layman's guide to split-brain patients and part memoir, Gazzaniga merges life with scientific inquiry to tell the story of split-brain research. His discoveries over half a century of studies cover the ways that one hemisphere can "self-cue" the other to help it find answers it otherwise would not know to demonstrating that the left hemisphere has a propensity to act as an "interpreter" for the events one experiences throughout life.

As seen by the complexity of split-brain patients, can we ever fully understand the brain? Is there something about split-brain patients that makes you question how you view your subjective experiences?

Professor Gazzaniga will be at Vroman's tonight at 7pm for a discussion and book signing

Guest:

Michael Gazzaniga, author of “Tales From Both Sides of the Brain: A Life in Neuroscience (Ecco, 2015) and director of the SAGE Center for the Study of the Mind at the University of California, Santa Barbara

Handicapping the field for Senator Boxer’s seat

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Congressional Showdown As Government Shutdown Looms

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) concludes a press conference highlighting measures in the House version of a government shutdown bill that would deny women affordable contraception and other health care benefits that are provided under the Affordable Care Act. ; Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is out, former California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro has formed an exploratory committee, and other Republicans are hoping against hope that Condoleezza Rice will throw her hat in the ring.

Would that make a difference in California’s top-two primary system? And will any other Democrats step up to challenge Kamala Harris?

Guest:

Carla Marinucci, Senior Political Writer, San Francisco Chronicle

Understanding the burden of proof for insanity claim in American Sniper trial

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"American Sniper" Murder Trial Begins In Texas

Former Marine Cpl. Eddie Ray Routh appears in court on the opening day of his capital murder trial at the Erath County Donald R. Jones Justice Center on February 11, 2015 in Stephenville, Texas. Routh, 27, of Lancaster is charged with the 2013 deaths of former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield at a shooting range near Glen Rose, Texas. ; Credit: Pool/Getty Images

Former Marine and Iraq War vet Eddie Ray Routh was found guilty of killing “American Sniper” author Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield. The jury took less than three hours to reach its verdict. The case highlights how difficult it is for the “reason of insanity” defense to work in court.  

What is the threshold for the determination of “legal insanity” in Texas? Is it different in California? Would the outcome of the so-called “American Sniper” case be different if it was tried in California?

Guest:

Laurie Levenson, Professor of Law, Loyola Law School


As office space shrinks, workers make do with less... privacy

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New Office; Credit: Phil Whitehouse via Flickr

Hiring is finally picking up in California seven years after the Great Recession, and one problem facing companies wanting to expand is where to put all the new bodies.

Instead of moving to a new and bigger office, some employers have opted to squeeze more people in an existing space. In the 1970s, 500 to 700 square feet per employee was thought to make an ideal office environment. That number, according to a projection from 5 years ago, would shrink to about 50 square feet in 2015.

What kind of office environment do you work in? How do you deal with noise and distraction?

Guests:

Peter Miscovich, Managing Director of Strategy and Innovation at JLL, a professional services firm that manages over 1 billion square footage of commercial real estate globally

Christine Congdon, Director of Research Communications at Steelcase, an office design firm. She is based in New York City.

Debating Supreme Court case against Abercrombie & Fitch over religious attire

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Supreme Court Hears Case Involving Abercrombie & Fitch And Religious Wardrobe Discrimination

Samantha Elauf (C), her mother Majda Elauf (2nd R) of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission General Counsel David Lopez (R) leave the U.S. Supreme Court after the court heard oral arguments in EEOC v. Abercrombie & Fitch February 25, 2015 in Washington, DC. ; Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Lawyers for Abercrombie & Fitch were grilled today by both liberal and conservative justices during arguments before the Supreme Court.

The case involves a Muslim woman who wasn't hired by the clothing retailer because she wore a black headscarf to her job interview. The company says that conflicted with the company's dress code, which doesn't allow employees to wear anything black. The court is being asked to decide how far an employer must go to accommodate the religious beliefs of a job applicant or worker. Legal scholar Ilya Shapiro of Cato Institute says labor law "[leaves] it to the employee to determine when a company policy conflicts with his or her religious practice and then to request an accommodation," and the young woman Samantha Elauf failed to state her needs.

Michael Helfand, Pepperdine University law professor, points out that the company's hiring manager testified she believed Elauf wore a headscarf for religious reasons. Helfand believes "to establish artificial distinctions that place obstacles before those who seek to bring their religion into the commercial sphere is to fundamentally misunderstand the comprehensive nature of religious experience." Who has a more convincing argument? Should employers accommodate employees with religious garb?

With files from the Associated Press.

Guest: 

Michael Helfand, Associate Professor of Law, Pepperdine University;  Associate Director , Diane and Guilford Glazer Institute for Jewish Studies, Pepperdinel; USA Today "Religion & Commerce Can Co-Exist" by Professor Helfand.

Ilya Shapiro, Senior Fellow in Constitutional Studies at the Cato Institute and Editor-in-Chief of the Cato Supreme Court Review; Shapiro joined an amicus brief filed with the Court in support of Abercrombie & Fitch, details here (link).

California’s plastic bag ban on hold

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Los Angeles City Council Votes On Plastic Bag Ban

A clerk bags groceries in plastic grocery bags on June 18, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. ; Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

California’s soon-to-be statewide ban on plastic bags won’t be taking effect unless voters endorse it on the ballot in November 2016.

That’s because plastic bag manufacturers represented by the The American Progressive Bag Alliance have gathered enough voter signatures to force a statewide vote via referendum at the next general election. The referendum won’t affect citywide laws already in effect in places like Los Angeles and Long Beach, but it could permanently put the brakes on the nation’s first ever statewide ban on plastic bags. Supporters say surveys show strong support for banning plastic bags.

 

Guest:

John Myers, Senior Editor of the California Politics & Government Desk at KQED

Laying out safety lessons learned from Oxnard Metrolink crash

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At least 30 Injured As California Commuter Train Strikes Tractor Trailer

Workers clean up the street near the burned remains of a truck and trailer at the site where a Los Angeles-bound Metrolink train derailed in a fiery collision on the tracks on February 24, 2015 in Oxnard, California. ; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

A day after the Metrolink crash in Oxnard that turned a passenger train into a twisted, mangled pile of metal, we’re looking into the latest on what we know about the driver of the truck that was on the tracks at the time of the accident, the safety implications from the collision, and what might be done to make this particularly dangerous rail crossing in Ventura County less prone to accidents.

To read the full story, click here.

 

Guest:

Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village), Congresswoman representing California’s 26th district, which includes Oxnard and most of Ventura County.

Keith Millhouse, member of the Metrolink Board of Directors and the Mayor Pro Tem of the city of Moorpark, CA.

Peter Goelz, former Managing Director of the NTSB and currently is the Senior VP with the lobbying firm O’Neill and Associates.  

Assembly Speaker’s bill aims to pump hundreds of millions into affordable housing development

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US-ECONOMY-HOUSING

Pedestrians cross the street as construction workers work on the exterior of a commercial and residential building going up in Hollywood, California on January 22, 2014. US housing starts dived almost 10 percent in December from a five-year high but maintained robust growth for the year as the housing market recovers, government data showed last week, as new residential construction fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 999,900 in December.; Credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

In the hopes of tackling an issue that has plagued California metropolitan areas for years, Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins announced a plan to pump hundreds of millions of dollars a year back into local housing development.

It's been hurting since Governor Brown created a $1 billion annual hole when he dissolved redevelopment agencies four years ago.

For the full story, click here.

Guests:

Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), Speaker of the California Assembly

Senator Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar), Republican leader of the California State Senate, representing District 29, which stretches from Anaheim to Diamond Bar

Chris Thornberg, Founding Partner, Beacon Economics

Debating Charter Amendments 1&2: How to increase voter turnout in the upcoming election

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US-VOTE-MIDTERMS

A voter casts his vote at a polling station in Pasadena, California, on November 4, 2014.; Credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

Angelenos’ abysmal voter turnout has become somewhat of a running joke, so perhaps it’s with some irony that two charter amendments in the upcoming election hope to change that.

Charter Amendments 1 & 2 would  sync L.A.'s election dates with state and federal elections. Supporters say this will increase participation, while they admit it’s still only a bandaid for a much larger underlying problem of political disengagement. But opponents argue the charter amendments are not even likely to fulfill higher turnout in every city election.

Guests:

Dan Schnur, Director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC and adjunct faculty at USC Annenberg School; he’s a supporter of Charter Amendments 1 & 2

Hans Johnson, Spokesperson, Save Our City Elections, a group that opposes Charter Amendments 1 & 2

Jessica Levinson, professor at Loyola Law School and vice president of the L.A. Ethics Commission

Corporate America’s new recruitment tactic: Selling a greater good

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Lyft Co-founder, John Zimmer and Lyft drivers attend the Lyft driver rally at Siren Studios on January 27, 2015 in Hollywood, California. ; Credit: John Sciulli

A job isn’t just a job for many in the millennial generation. In addition to earning a paycheck, younger workers also want to know that they’re helping to make the world a better place.

And businesses are tailoring job descriptions to appeal to this desire for loftier goals. In her piece for the Wall Street Journal, reporter Rachel Feintzeig looks at what some companies are doing to sell the job.

Guest:

Rachel Feintzeig, reporter who covers corporate management for the Wall Street Journal 


Exploring the practical and moral sides of striking on student debt

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Activist Demonstrate Against High Cost Of College Education In U.S.

Students protest the rising costs of student loans for higher education on Hollywood Boulevard on September 22, 2012 in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles, California. ; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

Some former college students say they're boycotting repaying their student loans.  

These 15 students of the for-profit education giant Corinthian, which runs schools like the Everest Institute, WyoTech, and Heald College, say they’ve got low incomes, lots of debt, and they’re accusing Corinthian of misleading them about their schools’ programs and graduation rates. But, the consequences of not paying are also big.

AirTalk looks at the practical and moral sides of refusing to pay back student loans.

Guest:

Ric Edelman, Chairman,Ceo of Edelman Financial Services, who has written numerous books on personal finance

Star Trek’s next generation remembers Leonard Nimoy

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Leonard Nimoy as Spock (L) and William Shatner as Captain Kirk on the TV series "Star Trek." ; Credit: Paramount Television

Leonard Nimoy, the ever-logical Mr. Spock in "Star Trek'' on TV and the big screen, died this morning at his Bel-Air home. He was 83. Nimoy had been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchitis and emphysema. Nimoy revealed last year he was ill and blamed years of smoking. He was hospitalized last week. Today on AirTalk, we remember Leonard Nimoy. (You can read KPCC's full story on Nimoy here.)

Guests:

Ronald D. Moore, Writer & Producer of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Battlestar Galactica" among many other science fiction credits.

Armin Shimerman, actor who played the Ferengi bartender Quark on various Star Trek programming

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on life, basketball and new book 'Stealing the Game'

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Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabar at a book signing.; Credit: Peter Hedlund/Flickr

He’s a best-selling author, a film documentarian, a cultural critic and oh, he also won six NBA championships, six MVP awards, and is NBA’s all-time leading score.

In the realm of basketball, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is royalty. Since leaving the game in 1989 at the age of 42, “Captain Skyhook” has devoted his life to other pursuits, one of which is to bring education opportunities to kids from economically-disadvantaged backgrounds.

Larry speaks with Abdul-Jabber about his new pre-teen book, “Stealing the Game” (Disney / Hyperion Books, 2015), is second in the two-part “Streetball Crew” series Abdul-Jabbar has co-written with longtime collaborator and writer Raymond Obstfeld, and his ongoing work with his Skyhook Foundation.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be signing copies of “Stealing the Game” tonight from 6:00-8:00p at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena. For more information, click here

Guest:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lakers great and co-author of the new book,“Stealing the Game,” (Disney / Hyperion Books, 2015)

Filmweek: 'Focus,' '71,' 'The Lazarus Effect' and more

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71

Jack O'Connell stars in ’71.

; Credit: Dean Rogers

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Wade Major and Andy Klein review this week’s releases, including "Focus," "'71," "The Lazarus Effect," and more. TGI-Filmweek!

Guests:

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

Andy Klein, film critic for KPCC and the L.A. Times Community Papers chain

Gauging the effectiveness of Facebook’s new suicide prevention feature

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Social Networking Sites May Be Monitored By Security Services

In this photo illustration the Social networking site Facebook is displayed on a laptop screen on March 25, 2009 in London, England. ; Credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Online chat has proven to be a surprisingly effective tool for suicide prevention. Now social media site Facebook wants to do one better, by offering resources to users who express potential suicidal thoughts.

The social media giant announced Wednesday that they've put together a team of mental health professionals to review posts that indicate their authors might want to harm themselves. The site asks users to report content they deem troubling and will send out notifications and suicide prevention resources, like hotline information, to the posters.

What kind of niche does this program fill? How effective would it be?

Guests:

Sandri Kramer, crisis line director at the Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center in Los Angeles

Dr. Nancy Rappaport, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and she’s a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Cambridge Health Alliance. She is an expert in teen depression and suicide

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