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Opting Out: Fewer millennials calling themselves Christians

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Rust-Belt Connecticut City Continues To Struggle With Economic Woes

A woman prays in a Catholic church on May 20, 2013 in Waterbury, Connecticut.; Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

A new study shows that many millennials are choosing to opt out of any kind of religious affiliation.

The study done by the Pew Research Center found that the number of Americans considering themselves Christians has dropped significantly in the past decade. While this is being seen across all religious fronts and demographics, millennials are leading the way in this decline.

Study author of America’s Changing Religious Landscape Gregory Smith joins us to discuss religious shifts among Americans. We’ll also be joined by Kutter Callaway, affiliate professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary to examine faith and contemporary culture.

America's Changing Religious Landscape: Christians Decline Sharply as Share of Population; Unaffiliated and Other Faiths Continue to Grow

Guest:

Greg Smith, Associate Director of Research at the Pew Research Center and the study’s lead author

Kutter Callaway, Affiliate Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary


Who are the new homeless?

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Homeless Los Angeles

Homeless people asleep in the 2nd Street Tunnel in Los Angeles on December 30, 2010.; Credit: Ray From LA/Flickr

According to the new LA County homeless census, after years in decline, LA’s homeless population has surged by 12%.

The number of people living in cars, tents, and larger encampments has nearly doubled. Many experts point to a lack of affordable housing to explain the increase. But the numbers don't tell us how much of the rise is housing prices, and how much are other factors not fully understood.

Who are the newest homeless residents, and how much does rising housing costs explain the trend?

Read the full story here 

Guests:

Peter Lynn, head of the Los Angeles Homeless Authority (LAHSA), which conducted this last homeless count

Christine Margiotta, Vice President of Community Impact, United Way of Greater Los Angeles; She launched Home For Good in 2010, the region’s initiative to end homelessness

Andy Bales, CEO, Union Rescue Mission, the oldest Mission in Los Angeles serving homeless men, women and children

Pillow Talk: Why Millennials are having less sex than their parents did

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Millenials

Millennials are having far less sex than their baby boomer parents had at the same age, according to a survey of more than 33,000 adults led by San Diego State University researchers. ; Credit: Courtney Carmody/Flickr

A new study on generational attitudes toward sex found that twenty-something millennials are having far less sex than their baby boomer parents had at the same age.

Jean Twenge, author of the study Changes in American Adults’ Sexual Behavior and Attitudes and Jeffrey Arnett, author of Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood share how attitudes about sex are changing and why millennials are choosing to have fewer sexual partners and less sex in general than previous generations.

Changes in American Adults’ Sexual Behavior and Attitudes, 1972–2012

Guests:

Jean Twenge, Ph.D., Professor at San Diego State University and Author of study “Changes in American Adults’ Sexual Behavior and Attitudes

Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Ph.D., Research Professor, Department of Psychology, Clark University in Worcester, MA and author of “Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood”

Poll: A proper punishment? Patriots, fans deflated after NFL suspends Brady 4 games

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New England Patriots v Kanas City Chiefs

Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots sits on the sidelines late in the fourth quarter during the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on September 29, 2014 in Kansas City, Missouri. ; Credit: Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

The NFL took the air out of the New England Patriots franchise and fans yesterday, slapping quarterback Tom Brady with a four game suspension, fining the Patriots $1 million, and stripping them of two future draft picks.

This all comes after a 243 page report suggested not only that Brady very likely knew that members of the equipment staff were deflating game footballs below league standards, but also that he refused to cooperate when the NFL asked him to turn over his phone as evidence.

Brady has maintained his innocence, but this entire saga will undoubtedly leave a permanent mark on a career that up to this point, has been untarnished.

Do you think Brady's punishment fits the crime? Vote in our poll below!

Guest:

Christopher Gasper, sports columnist for the Boston Globe and host of Boston Sports Live and Globe 10.0 on Boston.com. He’s also formerly a Patriots beat writer.

The Board of Supervisors considers removing ICE from county jails

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The Men's Central Jail in downtown Los A

The Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles, 10 September 2006.; Credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

The Board of Supervisors is set to vote on a motion today that would remove federal agents from L.A. County jails.

The county partnered with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) nearly a decade ago to expedite the deportation of inmates convicted of certain crimes, who are in the country illegally. As part of the partnership, immigration agents were placed in jails and jail employees were trained to investigate undocumented inmates.

The motion, sponsored by supervisors Hilda Solis and Mark Ridley Thomas, will be opposed by supervisors Don Knabe and Michael Antonovich. Supervisor Sheila Kuehl will likely cast the deciding vote.

The motion has vocal supporters on both sides and the deliberations are expected to take hours.

Should L.A. County put an end to its agreement with ICE? 

Guests:

Chris Newman, legal director for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network

Ira Mehlman, media director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) - a national, nonprofit, public-interest, membership organization seeking to stop illegal immigration

Author David McCullough gives flight to the Wright Brothers’ story

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Wright Family Portrait

American aviation pioneers, the Wright brothers, in a family portrait, circa 1903. Orville is fourth from left; Wilbur stands next to him, fifth from left. ; Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Historian and Pulitzer Prize winning author and historian David McCullough has gained notoriety for his writing on the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and Panama Canal. He tackles the progression to the airplane in his latest book, “The Wright Brothers.”

It’s been a little over 100 years since the Wright Brothers flew for the first time. Through their hardwork and determination, McCullough unfolds practical life lessons of true grit and how to handle failure. The brothers did everything themselves without financial backers or a college education.

Often overlooked in this monumental American story, their sister Katharine Wright is put into the limelight for the first time. Who at one point took a leave of absence from a teaching job to take care of Orville after a terrible crash at Fort Meyer, which ultimately saved his life. From missing teeth, cheating death to dealing with global fame McCullough offers an in depth look into the brothers’ journey of flight.

Guest:

David McCullough, author of “The Wright Brothers” (Simon and Schuster, 2015); two-time Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom

NOVA special examines carbon emission impacts on Earth’s oceans

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Greenpeace Activists Paint Message For UNESCO

In this handout photo provided by Greenpeace, Activists paint the message "Reef in Danger" on the side of coal ship Chou San on March 7, 2012 in Gladstone, Australia.; Credit: Handout/Getty Images

Earth’s atmosphere is seeing historically high carbon emission levels.

Carbon dioxide emissions are released when we breathe, drive cars, or fly in planes. We’re all experiencing the effects of climate change from emissions on land, but what are the effects off land, in our oceans?

PBS’s program NOVA takes a closer look into how carbon emissions have influenced a coral garden in Papua New Guinea, and if new scientific discoveries will be able to reverse damages done by decades of air pollution.

Mark Green, professor in the Natural Sciences Department at Saint Joseph’s College is featured in the upcoming NOVA special Lethal Seas on PBS. Green joins us to discuss his work studying marine life and whether ocean life will be able to endure the long-term effects of carbon emissions.

NOVA’s Lethal Seas premieres tonight (May 13) on KOCE (PBS) at 9 pm.

Guest:

Mark Green, Professor Natural Sciences Department at Saint Joseph’s College in Maine

How to talk to children about weight

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Mayor Gavin Newsom Announces Veto Of Happy Meal Toy Ban

School children at Fairmount Elementary School look at a display showing how much sugar is in soft drinks and juices on November 12, 2010 in San Francisco, California.; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A study published this week by NYU examines the way parents perceive the weight of their children, and how those perceptions have changed over the years.

It turns out that since the 1980s, the likelihood that parents correctly perceive their children as underweight, overweight or just right, has declined by 30 percent. It raises important questions about how we approach the issue of weight with children.

Many believe there’s been a backlash against increased awareness about eating disorders that’s resulted in parents avoiding the topic with young children. On the other hand, years of talk about an obesity problem also cloud the issue. It’s a difficult topic for many families to broach.

Have you had to talk to you child about weight? Or did your parents talk to you about gaining or losing weight, or just making health choice as a child? What advice do you have?

Guest:

Janet Tomiyama, assistant professor of health psychology at UCLA


It’s a generational thing: How millennials are changing the workplace

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A young accountant at a Thai company. © ILO/ Marcel Crozet.; Credit: ILO in Asia and the Pacific/Flickr

A Pew Research study released this week shows that millennials have now surpassed Gen Xers as the largest generation in the U.S. labor force.

This news raises the question of what do millennials want from the workplace and how can businesses better retain their millennial employees? Jamie Gutfreund is the chief marketing officer for Deep Focus, a global marketing agency and a leading expert on millennials. Gutfreund joins us to discuss how organizations can market to the next generation of talent and what they can do to better understand and keep their millennial workforce engaged.

Are you a millennial in the workforce? What do you want? More flex time? Work from home? Better benefits? We want to hear from you.

Guest:

Jamie Gutfreund, Chief Marketing Officer for Deep Focus, a global marketing agency and expert on Gen. Y, Millennials, and Gen. Z

Next steps after peculiar role reversal by Democrats on the Trans-Pacific Partnership

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Senate Legislators Address Reporters After Their Weekly Policy Luncheons

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) answers questions from reporters following the weekly Democratic caucus policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol May 5, 2015 in Washington, DC. ; Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images

President Obama and his party are heading opposite ways over the proposed trade deal with Asia known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Yesterday, all but one Democratic Senator voted against the fast-track authority the White House says is essential to the deal's passage. The vote displayed the growing power of the progressive, anti-free trade, wing of the Democratic party. It also left the President in the odd position of being caught in a dispute between the parties, while standing on the side of Congressional Republicans.

Will a compromise be reached allowing a straight up or down vote on the pact?  Is the deal's only chance for passage the fast-track up and down vote the President wants?

Guests:

Mireya Solis, Philip Knight Chair in Japan Studies and a senior fellow on foreign policy in the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution

Shane Larson, legislative director for the Communications Workers of America, a labor union representing 700,000 workers in telecom, media, airlines, and manufacturing

Nestlé Waters CEO isn't stopping bottling in California, says new tech will save millions of gallons

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Drought Stricken Town Of East Porterville Deals With Severe Water Shortage

Volunteer firefighter, Christian Avalos loads bottled water into the bed of a truck for resident Donna Johnson to distribute as water wells supplying hundreds of residents remain dry in the fourth year of worsening drought on February 11, 2015 in East Porterville, California.; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

“Absolutely not. In fact, if I could increase it, I would.”

This was the answer Nestlé Waters North America CEO Tim Brown gave when Jay Famiglietti, a hydrologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, asked him whether he would ever consider moving his company's bottling operations out of California during an interview with AirTalk's Larry Mantle.

"If I stop bottling water tomorrow," said Brown, "people would buy another brand of bottled water. As the second largest bottler in the state, we’re filling a role many others aren’t filling. It’s driven by consumer demand, it’s driven by an on-the-go society that needs to hydrate. Frankly, we’re very happy [consumers] are doing it in a healthier way.”

As the Golden State wheezes its way through a historic drought, criticism for bottled water companies operating factories here has been harsh. Just over a week after a Mother Jones investigation, Starbucks announced that it would be moving bottling operations for its Ethos Water brand from California to Pennsylvania because of severe drought conditions.

On Tuesday, Nestlé said that it is investing $7 million on technology and upgrades that would turn its Modesto milk factory into a “zero water” by extracting water from the milk production process and using it in factory operations.

“We have these cooling towers [for milk] that use water,” says Brown. “Previously, that would have been fresh water that we would’ve drawn out of the municipal supply. Now, we can use our own water that had come previously from the milk. That water, normally, would’ve gone into the waste stream. Now it can be reused or recycled.”

Brown says Nestlé outfitted its factory in Jalisco, Mexico with the "zero water" technology last year and doing so at the Modesto factory will save almost 63 million gallons of water annually. He added that they've found another 26 million gallons they could save a year at Nestlé USA plants in Bakersfield and Tulare.

"That's adaptation," says Brown. "Regardless of whether we were in the bottled water business or not, we would need to be doing things like this to operate in a water-scarce environment."

Famiglietti, who teaches Earth system science at UC Irvin in addition to being NASA JPL's top water scientist, says Nestlé has a strong reputation when it comes to environmental stewardship. But he's still concerned companies like Nestlé or Starbucks still might be using and bottling thousands of acre-feet of water in California, and warns that while it may not seem like much, it's more than a drop in the bucket.

“An acre-foot [nearly 326,000 gallons] is enough water to supply an entire family for a year. So, in this time when we’re being asked to flush our toilets less and less, we have to ask the question: Is this really an environmentally, ethically correct thing to be doing right now?”

Still, Nestlé’s Brown says being water-conscious extends far beyond the bottled water industry.,

“Everybody in every facet of water in California has to find better design, better use, better ways to be more efficient. We have to look at design and how we touch water in a water scarce environment. There’s been 17 droughts in the last 48 years. We’re in this one, there will be more, and we all have to look at how water is going to move throughout the state.”

The upgrades to Nestlé's Modesto plant are expected to be finished by the end of 2016. Meanwhile, as the drought here in California trickles on, Famiglietti suggests that the greater problem lies not in the bottled water industry or even in the drought.

“I think that we also have, with the greater water crisis here that we face in California, a human behavior problem. We need to change our behavior with respect to water and our understanding of how much water we actually have available to us, not only in California, but around the country.”

Guests:

Jay Famiglietti, hydrologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a professor of Earth System Science at UC Irvine

Tim Brown, CEO of Nestlé Waters North America

Cokie Roberts on the impact of ‘Capital Dames’ past and present

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Michelle Obama And Laura Bush Host Spousal Symposium During US-Africa Summit

Former first lady Laura Bush (C), U.S. first lady Michelle Obama (L) and journalist Cokie Roberts participate in a Spousal Symposium at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on August 6, 2014 in Washington, DC.; Credit: Pete Marovich/Getty Images

Jessie Benton Fremont, Harriet Lane, and Varina Davis.

Although these names may not be as renowned as suffragist Susan B. Anthony, they played a pivotal role in American history, particularly during the the Civil War.

In today’s politics, the names Hillary Rodham Clinton and Carly Fiorina are familiar to those who pay attention to the burgeoning race to cross the 2016 finish line. But it is yet uncertain how these women will influence the race and in what shapes their footprints will land on the ever-changing landscape of American history.

What connections can we make between the women of Washington then and now? How do women from the past affect our understanding of women in the present?

Guest:

Cokie Roberts, commentator for NPR; her latest book is “Capital Dames: The Civil War and the Women of Washington, 1848-1868”

Staples, The Fonda, Hollywood Forever -- LA’s venues with and without soul

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greek theater theatre griffith park

Los Angeles' Greek Theatre named best small outdoor venue in the country.; Credit: Photo by BeverlyHillsPorsches via Flickr Creative Commons

Summer means pulling out the cooler, dusting off the beach blanket, and heading out to your favorite LA venue.

Maybe that’s heading out to the Hollywood Bowl, Orpheum theatre, or Echoplex,  some venues just have a kind of ‘soul’ that makes you want to return every year.

Which LA venues do you love? Share some of your favorite summer venue memories!

Guest:

Dave Brooks, founder and editor of Amplify and ampthemag.com

Gov. Jerry Brown releases CA budget revision

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Jerry Brown Addresses Conference In San Francisco

California Gov. Jerry Brown delivers a keynote address during the 2011 Pacific Coast Builders Conference on June 23, 2011 in San Francisco, California. ; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Governor Jerry Brown has just released his revision of the state’s 2015 operating budget.

In it, he expands the state’s spending plan, giving an extra $6 billion to public schools and community colleges.

The budget expands California’s programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, doubling the previously proposed budget to $2.2 billion.  He also sets aside $1.9 billion to pay down state debt and adds $1.9 billion to the state Rainy Day Fund. In addition, the budget includes a two-year tuition freeze for UC students. 

Are you happy about Gov. Brown’s changes?

California State Budget: 2015-15 May Revision

Guests:

Ben Adler, capitol bureau chief for Capital Public Radio in Sacramento

John Myers, Sacramento bureau chief for KQED

Wait, what? Why you have a shorter attention span than a goldfish

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A Sri Lankan child looks at a fish tank

A child looks at a fish tank in Colombo on October 12, 2010. ; Credit: LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/Getty Images

If a new study by Microsoft is correct, you might be feeling pretty antsy by the end of this sentence.

After surveying 2,000 Canadian participants and measuring the brain activity of 112 more, Microsoft discovered that, since the year 2000, average attention span decreased a whole four seconds. The researchers chose the year 2000 as a starting point because this year marked the unofficial beginning of the “mobile revolution.”

Over the past 15 years, attention spans have dropped from 12 to eight seconds. That bowl-dwelling, glittery housepet? Nine seconds. The study authors theorize that our brains have adapted over time; constant exposure to multiple streams of digital media have resulted in a weaker attention span.

Don’t worry, baby boomers: you probably haven’t gone full goldfish just yet. 77% of respondents between the ages of 18 and 24 said that they reach for their smartphones to stave-off boredom. That number drops dramatically to 10%, among people over the age of 65.

Do you feel like technology has had a negative effect on your attention span? What about the young people in your life?

Microsoft Attention Spans Research Report

Guest:

Sandi Mann, senior psychology lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire


LA is looking at a lot more extreme heat by 2050

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Santa Monica Beach

Beach goers in Santa Monica on June 30, 2008.; Credit: Adan Garcia/Flickr

It’s going to be getting a lot hotter in LA, according to a study released this week by UCLA’s Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.

The study shows that by the year 2050 Southern California could see more than twenty extremely hot days averaging above ninety-five degrees. This is more than double the amount of hot days LA currently experiences.  

J.R. DeShazo, director of UCLA’s Luskin Center for Innovation joins us to discuss what is causing this drastic rise in temperature and which areas of LA will be most vulnerable to these extreme heat waves in the years to come.

Los Angeles County Community Water Systems: Atlas and Policy Guide Volume I - Supply Vulnerabilities, At-Risk Populations, Opportunities for Conservation

Guest:

J.R. DeShazo, Lead Investigator of the study and Director of the Luskin Center for Public Policy and Urban Planning at UCLA  

Former Undersheriff, head of LASD internal investigations facing federal obstruction of justice charges

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Paul Tanaka

LA sheriff's candidate Paul Tanaka answers questions after testifying in a deputy misconduct trial in federal court.; Credit: Frank Stoltze

The man who used to be number two in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is now seeing the criminal justice system from the other side.

Former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka has been indicted by a grand jury for obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice. William Carey, who used to head up internal investigations for the LASD, was also indicted for obstruction of justice as well as perjuring himself on trial.

We reached out to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for comment, but they deferred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has yet to respond to our request for comment.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Guests:

Frank Stoltze, KPCC crime and public safety reporter

Celeste Fremon, creator and editor of WitnessLA.com and an award-winning journalist specializing in gangs, law enforcement and criminal justice. She is the author of“Downfall,” a piece which details the fall of Lee Baca in the March 2014 issue of Los Angeles Magazine.

Peter Eliasberg, legal director for the ACLU of Southern California

Constitutional amendment aims to expand Board of Supervisors in state’s larger counties

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The current seal of Los Angeles County, California, e.g. "L.A. County seal", adopted by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in September 2004.; Credit: via Wikimedia Commons

California could see an increase in the number of elected supervisors in some of its larger counties.

Introduced this week by Senator Tony Mendoza, Senate Constitutional Amendment 8 is intended to help with the lack of representation in some of California’s largest counties.

The amendment would require any county with more than two million residents to add two seats to its board of supervisors. The measure would also maintain funding of the expanded board.

The amendment would have to be approved by a two-thirds vote of the legislature, and then by a majority of Californians during the next statewide general election in 2016.

Senator Tony Mendoza who represents LA’s 32nd district covering parts of Los Angeles County and Buena Park will join us to explain the measure  as well as LA Board of Supervisors Don Knabe to share his opposition of expanding the boards.

We’ll also get a look back at past board decisions with former LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.

Guests:

Tony Mendoza, Senator for the 32nd Senate District

Zev Yaroslavsky, former LA County Supervisor

Don Knabe, Supervisor on LA Board of Supervisors 4th District

What if Angelenos wrote about New York the way The New York Times writes about us?

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EPA Says New York, LA Have Most Polluted Air

Traffic makes its way through Times Square on March 23, 2006 in New York City. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) New York and Los Angeles have the most polluted air in the U.S.; Credit: Michael Nagle/Getty Images

“Southern Californians are overcoming their fears of subway germs, and reversing the American directive to go west. They're finding that New York is more than a capitalist prison that runs on the fumes of the finance industry and nostalgia for CBGB.”

So wrote Ann Friedman in a satirical op-ed for the Los Angeles Times, imagining what it would be like if Angelenos wrote about New York in the way The New York Times has a tendency to write about Angelenos.

What’s behind the notorious east coast bias? And could it ever exist in the reverse?

Guest:

Ann Friedman, a writer in Los Angeles who is not moving to Brooklyn

Filmweek: ‘Mad Max,’ ‘Pitch Perfect 2,’ ‘Good Kill,’ and more

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Mad Max: Fury Road

The Gigahorse from "Mad Max: Fury Road."; Credit: Warner Bros.

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Wade Major and Tim Cogshell review this week’s new film releases, including “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Pitch Perfect 2,” “Good Kill,” and more. TGI-Filmweek!

Guests:

Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC and Alt Film Guide

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

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