Even though smoking is a legal activity, should employers be allowed to adopt non-smoker hiring practices?; Credit: PABLO PORCIUNCULA/AFP/Getty Images

As if there weren’t enough impediments to landing a job these days.  A growing national trend has some employers – predominantly health care institutions – deeming those who admit to being tobacco users candidates-non-grata. Twenty-nine states, including California, have laws prohibiting discriminatory hiring based on legal activity, and as of this writing, smoking is still legal throughout the U.S.  But in those who don’t, employers are free to cite being smoke-free as a condition of employment.

The latest to adopt the policy is the University of Pennsylvania Health Care System; their website calls it a step “toward a tobacco free future” and lists improving worker health and reducing insurance costs among the reasons.  Candidates are required to attest on their application that they don’t light up, with falsified information grounds for termination. Civil rights advocates call the policy invasive and discriminatory.

What’s next, you might ask? What other potentially harmful yet legal activities could violate future company policies - drinking, swimming, dancing barefoot?  Does a non-smoking workforce really translate into saved costs for employers?  Should people be encouraged to kick the habit with sticks rather than carrots?  Should California amend its current law to allow for a ban on hiring smokers?

Guest:
Lewis Maltby, President, National Workrights Institute

Maceo Parker's new memoir, "98% Funky Stuff: My Life in Music," includes his experiences from playing in soul bands with his brothers to his times with Prince and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.; Credit: 98% Funky Stuff

It was James Brown, exhorting him, “Maceo, I want you to blow!”, who turned saxophonist Maceo Parker from a sideman to a showstopper.  But when Parker blew the doors off James Brown’s “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag,” it was only the beginning. His new memoir takes us from his Southern roots playing in soul bands with his brothers, through his long stint in Brown’s band, the Famous Flames and with George Clinton’s Parliament Funkadelic, Prince, De La Soul, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and others.  Since the 1990’s Parker’s been leading his own band, and at the age of 70 is still jazzing, funking and blowing it up onstage, to the tune of 300 performances a year.

Guest:
Maceo Parker, saxophonist, bandleader and author of  "98% Funky Stuff: My Life in Music" (Chicago Review Press)

Is it a good idea to have a Kings hockey game outside at Dodger Stadium? ; Credit: Julio Cortez/AP

Helene Elliott of the LA Times reports that the NHL is close to finalizing an outdoor hockey game in 2014 between the two SoCal hockey rivals. The NHL has been reticent about hosting an outdoor game in a warm weather city -- in 1991 the Kings played an exhibition game on an outdoor rink outside of Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas amid upper 80’s temperature and the rink was overrun by grasshoppers -- but the plan is to hold the game at night in January, and with improved technology (the NHL has a portable rink they use at outdoor games) the ice should keep a strong game condition.

Is outdoor hockey a fun idea, or a gimmick? Would you like to see the Kings and the Ducks face off at Dodger Stadium?

Guest:
Bob Miller, LA Kings play-by-play announcer since 1973

A Powerball lottery ticket for the estimated record 425 million USD jackpot prize, Powerball's biggest winnings ever, is seen in a convenience store in Washington on November 26, 2012. Today California becomes the 43rd state to join the Powerball lottery. ; Credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

California becomes the 43rd state to join the Powerball lottery today, giving residents the chance to play for a jackpot that starts at $40 million and can rise to hundreds of millions of dollars. Tickets for the Powerball lottery cost $2 instead of the usual $1, and drawings will be held every Wednesday.

This week’s jackpot is estimated to reach $60 million – the odds of winning Powerball are 1 in 175,223,510.California’s entry into the Powerball game is expected to generate $90 million t0 $120 million for the state, some of which would go into education funding.

Is the lottery a fool’s game? Will Powerball money have a significant impact on California schools? Will you play the game?

Guests:
Elias Dominguez, spokesperson for CA Lottery  

Jonathan Kaplan, senior policy analyst at the California Budget Project

A screenshot of the ReDigi website on April 8, 2013.; Credit: ReDigi Screenshot

A federal judge in New York has declared that a website that provides a secondary market for digital music is unlawfully infringing on original copyrights. The ruling is aimed at a company called in ReDigi, which in late 2011 opened a platform for people to upload and resell music files once legally purchased from retailers like iTunes.

The case was a litmus test for whether the first sale doctrine - a legal principle allowing owners of copies of books and music to freely resell them - would apply to digital media. The judge ruled that in this case, an illegal reproduction was still taking place. ReDigi claims that their software does not make a copy of a digital file, and that the original uploaded file becomes unavailable to the seller once the transaction is made.

Will digital resale companies find a way past this ruling? Does reselling digital music infringe on copyrights?

Guest:
Alex Sayf Cummings, assistant professor in Georgia State University’s department of history and author of his soon-to-be released book “Democracy of Sound: Music Piracy and the remaking of American copyright in the Twentieth Century”

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1981. She died Monday, at the age of 87.; Credit: /PA Photos /Landov

Margaret Thatcher, one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century, has died at age 87. As British prime minister in the 1980s, Thatcher's decisive policies altered much of the United Kingdom and rippled around the world. Her conservative agenda reformed England's economy - privatizing major industries and strong-arming unions.

Today, British PM David Cameron credited Thatcher as the greatest British prime minister during peacetime. "[She] didn't just lead our country. She saved our country," Cameron said. President Barack Obama today highlighted her steadfast relationship with the United States in "standing shoulder to shoulder" with President Ronald Reagan during the Cold War. Her partnership with Reagan and Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev helped bring down the Iron Curtain.

Why were Thatcher and Reagan able to forge such a friendship? How did they create and sculpt neoconservative ideology? How did she affect U.S. contemporary politics and policy?

Guests:
Dame Barbara Hay, British Consul-General in Los Angeles; Hay served as a UK foreign service officer in Moscow during the Cold War

Andrew Benton, President of Pepperdine University; teaches constitutional law; Pepperdine presented Thatcher with an honorary doctorate in 2008

In this Jan. 3, 1978 file photo, actress Annette Funicello recalls moments when she played a "Mouseketeer" on ABC's first successful daytime television show,"The Mickey Mouse Club" in Los Angeles, while she was taping an ABC Silver Anniversary Celebration special.; Credit: Lennox McLendon/AP

Original Disney Mouseketeer Annette Funicello died today at the age of 70 from complications of multiple sclerosis.  Funicello was discovered by Walt Disney while dancing in a school production of "Swan Lake" at age 12. She went on to star in "The Mickey Mouse Club" and her own Disney series, "Annette," before becoming an icon of the emerging youth culture with a series of drive-in-bound "beach" movies such as "Muscle Beach Party" and "Beach Blanket Bingo."

After a long career acting and singing, she was diagnosed with MS in 1987, and later became an advocate, raising money for research for neurological disease.

Guest:
Susan King, Los Angeles Times entertainment reporter, writes the Classic Hollywood column

An activist of the women's rights movement Femen is expelled by the police during a topless protest near Tunisia's Embassy in Paris on April 4, 2013.; Credit: MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images

The feminist protest group FEMEN, founded in Kiev in 2008, has been in the news lately with a series of topless protests. The latest was held this week in Hanover, Germany, when Russian President Vladimir Putin was meeting publicly with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.  Protesting the jailing of members of the Russian group Pussy Riot, a FEMEN protestor approached Putin, breasts bared, with anti-Putin slogans painted on her body in Cyrillic script.

FEMEN was and has become known for staging topless protests highlighting women’s issues, including sex tourism, violence against women, religious oppression. According to their website, FEMEN uses “sextremism” to protect women’s rights and attack patriarchy “in all its forms: the dictatorship, the church, the sex industry.”

FEMEN protests have targeted the International Olympic Committee and the World Economic Forum, and recently staged “International Topless Jihad Day” in support of Tunisian student Amina Tyler. Tyler, who came under attack by Islamist groups for posting topless pictures of herself on Facebook, is currently in hiding after reportedly receiving death threats.

FEMEN members have declared that using their bodies is the best way to gain attention for their political message.  But how do other women’s groups feel about their bold tactics?  Are they undermining the cause of feminism by taking such a blatantly sexual stance?  Putin was visibly amused by the sight of a woman baring her breasts; did he totally miss the message? Does getting naked trivialize serious political issues?  Is FEMEN helping or hurting women’s causes?

Guests:
Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett, co-founder and editor of feminist online magazine The Vagenda, blogger for the New Statesman at The V Spot

Edina Lekovic, Director of Policy and Programs, Muslim Public Affairs Council

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) arrives for the weekly Republican policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on April 9, 2013 in Washington, DC. McConnell's campaign office has asked the FBI to investigate the source of a recording of an internal campaign meeting that was recently made public.; Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Mother Jones published on Tuesday a secret meeting between Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and his aides on February 2. Mother Jones said they were given the secret recording by an anonymous source, and the FBI is currently investigating who bugged the Senator’s office. In the meeting, Senator McConnell and his aides discussed how to bring down Democratic opponents, especially actress Ashley Judd. They discussed at length her political views, religious beliefs and her personal struggles with depression.

Also, a Colorado judge yesterday decided to delay his decision about asking Fox News reporter Jana Winter to testify in the James Holmes trial. If Winter takes the stand, she has to reveal her sources or serve time in prison for being in contempt of court. Winter reported that anonymous law enforcement sources told her that Holmes sent his psychiatrist a notebook with details about “how he was going to kill people.” The law enforcement officials who told Winters about the notebook have not come forward, but the judge is also deciding whether or not the notebook’s contents are admissible in court since it may be protected under physician-patient privilege.

Should journalists still be protected from revealing their sources? Is there negative bias towards the media outlets have that covered these stories?

Guests:
Sara Morrison, Assistant Editor of the Columbia Journalism Review

Kelly McBride, Senior Faculty for Ethics, Poynter Institute

California Governor Jerry Brown is in Washington, D.C. for the annual meeting of the nations governors. ; Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Governor Jerry Brown touched down in Beijing today. He’s on a week-long trade mission and told reporters today, “We’re a green state, and we like greenbacks.” Chinese officials see a parade of Western governmental and business leaders keen on finding investors.

So is a trade mission still worth it? What are the compromises California might make for Chinese money? What type of long-term trade office is Brown opening?

Guest:
Rob Schmitz, China Correspondent, Marketplace, American Public Media

Shoppers look over items being offered for sale by a vendor at the century-old Maxwell Street Market on October 12, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois.; Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

The Los Angeles Board of Supervisors is considering a motion today that would clamp down on illegal street vendors. The motion, written by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas who represents the 2nd District, applies to illegal vendors that sell everything from bacon hotdogs on pushcarts to used and new items on the streets in the unincorporated parts of Los Angeles. 

Efren Martinez, executive director of the Florence-Firestone/Walnut Park Chamber of Commerce, says vendors are coming into South Los Angeles to sell because the lack of law enforcement. He notes that you'll find anywhere between 60 and 300 illegal vendors in his community on an average day.

"The worst part about it is that the vendors go ahead and place themselves right in front of another established business," he said. "... They are coming here because they know they can get away with it."

Two possible solutions that have been tabled include coordinating yard sales so they only take place once a month, and giving sheriffs the authority to issue citations to offenders on the spot.

While proponents of the motion say that illegal street vendors are hurting legitimate brick-and-mortar businesses,  Rudy Espinoza, executive director at Leadership for Urban Renewal Now, said these illegal vendors are just trying to make an honest living.

Espinoza points to macro economic issues, such as poverty and chronic unemployment, as the underlying problem: "I think we have to bring everyone to the table ... the issues small businesses are dealing with are the same as what vendors are dealing with."

"Most of the vendors are older women who can't find a job," he said. "They are trying to find a legal way to do it but unfortunately in Los Angeles, there is no legal way for them to vend on the street."

Where do you stand on the issue? Should unlicensed vendors be sent packing? Or do you find their services helpful?

Guests:
Efren Martinez, executive director, Florence-Firestone/Walnut Park Chamber of Commerce

Rudy Espinoza, Executive Director at Leadership for Urban Renewal Now, who has done work with street vendors

"Present Shock," by Douglas Rushkoff

Have you ever been annoyed by someone who answered a text in the middle of the conversation? In Douglas Rushkoff’s new book, “Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now,” Rushkoff believes that this is a symptom of a new way of life.

Rushkoff challenges Alvin Toffler’s 1970s book “Future Shock,” which theorizes that mankind will be unable to cope with rapid change. Rather, with our microwave and smartphone lifestyles, Rushkoff believes that society has adapted to view time in a different way – by living in the “now.” In “presentism,” the top priority is whatever is happening at that moment.

But unfortunately, the consequence is a lack of caring for the future and moving forward towards goals. Is Rushkoff right? Do you feel pressured by the “now”? Do you want immediate results? Are we more impulsive as a society? Have we lost sight of long-term goals?

Guest:

Douglas Rushkoff, Author, "Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now" (Current; March 15, 2013); the prolific media theorist also wrote, "Program or Be Programmed: Ten Commands for a Digital Age" and "Life inc." Rushkoff has written and hosted PBS Frontline documentaries, including “The Merchants of Cool,” which looked at the influence of corporations on youth culture.

Students walk across the campus of UCLA. What does the discrepancy in pay for professors at public and private universities mean for higher education? ; Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The annual economics report from American Association of University Professors reveals that the difficult economic climate is taking a particularly nasty toll on professors at public universities. Tenured professors at private universities received an average of $167,118 last year, while their counterparts at public institutions received an average of $123,393.

According to the report the gap has grown wider in recent years, and state budgets across the country continue to appropriate fewer and fewer funds to higher public education.

Is the gap stretching so wide that it will affect where professors choose to teach in the future? How can public universities continue to compete for top talent?

Guest:

Dr. F. King Alexander, Ph.D., President of California State University, Long Beach

"Bully Nation," by Susan Eva Porter

As the public looks at adolescent development to make sense of violent tragedies, anti-bullying programs and policies are growing. However, an educator and clinician for 25 years asked herself a question: “Why have our views toward aggression changed when the kids haven’t changed?”

Her answer was Columbine. Educator Susan Eva Porter said that the nation considered the shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold as victims of bullying, and the nation quickly and fearfully adopted zero-tolerance policies to prevent future victims of bullying.

In “Bully Nation: Why America’s Approach to Childhood Aggression is Bad for Everyone,” Porter argues that labeling children as bullies is equivalent to calling them “stupid” because it gives them a “fixed mind-set” about how they perceive themselves.

Do anti-bullying programs cause more harm than help? Is bullying in schools a problem? What’s the best way to help victims of bullying? Are children more aggressive today than in the past?

Guest:
Susan Porter, Ph.D, author of “Bully Nation: Why America’s Approach to Childhood Aggression is Bad for Everyone” (Paragon House); Dean of Students at The Branson School in Ross, California; she has worked in schools for 25 years.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa spoke on the deck of USS Iowa on April 3, 2013 to mark the completion of the port's main channel deepening project at Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro.; Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Last night, in his final State of the City address before he ends his term on June 30th, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa touted the advances made during eight years in office: reducing the city’s carbon emissions by almost 30%, a nearly 50% drop in violent crime and homicides, a shiny new overhaul of LAX’ international terminal and the opening of four light-rail lines.  He also cited an increase in police officers, a friendlier and more prosperous business climate, reductions in city worker costs and a national model for gang reduction.

RELATED: Check out KPCC's Dear Mayor project

The mayor has fallen short of some of his lofty goals, however – such as an initative to plant a million trees.  And reactions to his aggressive attempts at school reform have been mixed.

What improvements do you have the mayor to thank for?  Where has he let you down? How will L.A.’s next mayor take his initiatives to the next level?  What’s next for Antonio Villaraigosa?

Guest:
Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles Mayor

Actor/rapper LL Cool J (L) and recording artist Brad Paisley appear backstage during the 2012 iHeartRadio Music Festival.; Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Clear Channel

Combining country music and hip hop in one song may be offensive all its own, but a new song that does just that is drawing criticism for a much deeper reason. The lyrics of "Accidental Racist," by country singer Brad Paisley and hip hop legend L.L. Cool J, are played as a conversation between a regular ol' white Southern white guy and regular ol' African American guy.

It drops conscious, yet prideful, references to the confederate flag, du-rags and saggy pants, along with Abe Lincoln, Robert E. Lee and slavery. Paisley explains why this song and why now: "I'm doing it because it just feels more relevant than it even did a few years ago. I think that we're going through an adolescence in America when it comes to race.... [The song] is two guys that believe in who they are and where they're from very honestly having a conversation and trying to reconcile." It's worth reading the lyrics yourself and perhaps having a listen.

Where do you stand on the intention and execution of this song? Is it inherently racist to portray a southern white man defending his association with the Confederate flag?  Are the sympathetic voices used by both characters a good way to get at the differing world views, or should the white character be presented negatively in the song?  If so, would the song be of any interest?

Guests:
Kelefa Sanneh, staff writer for The New Yorker

Mychal Denzel Smith, freelance writer for The Guardian

Should Pasadena and Arcadia police crack down on "birth tourism"?; Credit: Erika Aguilar/KPCC

The lure of citizenship has brought a number of pregnant women from China to the U.S. to give birth. Their top destination in Los Angeles is the San Gabriel Valley, which has a sizable Chinese population. These expectant mothers typically spend three to four months in the area, staying at maternity wards—typically single-family homes or apartment units that have been converted illegally to house them—until after they give birth.

These women usually leave the country with their babies once they get their documents. Irate residents living close to these maternity wards have long complained about sanitary and noise issues. But safety is another concern. “They’re a moneymaking machine. They’re totally unsafe,” Los Angeles Supervisor Don Knabe, who’s been looking into the issue, recently told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s so obvious that they jeopardise not only the health of the baby, but the mother as well.”

Last week, the City of Arcadia said it’s hiring a full-time detective to look into what options are available to reign in these birthing homes. Should more be done to keep maternity tourists from coming to Los Angeles? Critics say they are just exploiting the system, but there are also those who say they benefit the local economy, both in the short and long run.

Guests:

Don Knabe, member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, serving the Fourth District

Kathleen Brush, a global business, leadership and strategy consultant. Her articles have appeared in the The Washington Post, CNBC, Financial Times China and many other publications. She wrote a piece on The Street looking at the economic benefits of maternity tourism in Los Angeles and New York.

A south-bound train passes farm workers shortly after sunrise in the Coachella Valley near Mecca, California. A tentative senate agreement could bring foreign farm workers to the US. ; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

On Tuesday Dianne Feinstein announced that senators had reached a “tentative” deal between farm businesses and labor groups on the framework of a reformed program to bring foreign farm workers to the US. The issue is a central caveat in the senate immigration bill, and has pitted the concerns of agriculture businesses against labor groups over fair minimums wages for workers and caps to the amount of visas to extend.

Farm businesses have claimed a number of factors -- stronger enforcement of immigration laws, a slow and expensive current H2A visa program, an aversion to farming jobs from current US citizens -- as being responsible for the shortage of farm labor and the need to build a new guest worker program.

Labor groups, meanwhile, are fighting to keep the visa cap low and the base wage to be high to ensure that workers are not mistreated. Are the sides moving closer to an agreement? What will it take to make each side satisfied?

Guests:
Paul Wenger, President of the California Farm Bureau Federation; his group has lobbied legislators to create a better legal guest worker program that deals with shortages of farm workers.

Marc Grossman, Spokesperson, United Farm Workers of America

Senators Pat Toomey (R-PA) (R) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) speak to the press in Washington DC on April 10, 2013 about their proposal to expand background checks to firearms sales at gun shows and on the Internet.; Credit: Allison Shelley/Getty Images

Senators may be close to a compromise on some gun control issues. In the aftermath of the Newtown massacre, President Obama has made gun control a priority of his second term, but has met resistance from pro-gun Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday that he will force a vote on a package of proposals from the Obama administration, despite threats of a filibuster from some Republicans.

Talks involving senators Joe Manchin (D) and Pat Toomey (R) have focused on the compromise of background checks, and senators are optimistic that enough Republicans will vote with Democrats to prevent a filibuster. Senators would then be able to consider individual proposals and measures in the package, including expanded background checks touger trafficking laws, and bans on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines.

Will senators be able to reach a compromise on gun control? Is focusing on individual aspects of the issue the best way to pass legislation? What will happen in the event of a Republican filibuster?

Guests:
Heidi Pryzbyla, Congressional Reporter for Bloomberg News

Adam Winkler, Professor of Law at the UCLA School of Law

Michael Hammond, Legal Counsel for the Gun Owners of America

Instead of a one-on-one doctor's visit, would you share your appointment with a group of strangers that have similar symptoms?; Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Under the Affordable Care Act, a surge of people will need health care, but how will medical professionals be able to accommodate everyone? The Annals of Family Medicine projects that an additional 34 million people will receive health insurance and will need over 51,000 more primary care physicians by 2025 to meet that need.

When Massachusetts law mandated health care coverage for its estimated half a million uninsured, wait times for primary care physicians increased. To solve this problem, some physicians in Massachusetts started practicing “shared medical appointments” (SMA), also known as group visits. In this model, five to 13 patients see the doctor at once for a session that can last up to two hours.

For example, patients with diabetes who have similar difficulties share an appointment. After each patient signs a confidentiality agreement, the doctor and perhaps a team of various medical personnel examine each patient one-by-one. Then the doctor leads a discussion with the entire group about questions and symptoms. In addition to getting more time with a physician, patients are learning from one another’s medical experiences. Doctors are able to see more patients in a day and do not need to repeat general information over and over. Also, instead of waiting for months for an individual appointment, patients would not have to wait as long for a group visit.

There are plenty of concerns about shared medical appointments. Many patients are reluctant to discuss private information with other people, especially information related to illegal drugs and sexual problems. Some doctors also find the group setting to be awkward and prefer the confidentiality of individual appointments.

Have you ever participated in a shared medical appointment? Is this new model a plausible solution to health care needs? If group visits gain popularity, would those unwilling to be in a group visit wait longer for individual visits? Are group visits a step forward in health care reform or an attempt to stretch resources?

Guests:
Evelina Sands, Administrative Director at North Shore Physicians Group in Massachusetts; she has been instituting shared medical appointments for three years.

Wells Shoemaker, M.D., Medical Director of the California Association of Physician Groups, practiced primary care pediatrics for 25 years on the Central Coast and has conducted shared medical appointments. He currently works with medical groups across the state for quality improvement, health disparities, and primary care revitalization. He co-leads Governor Brown’s current task force on Health System Redesign for California.