What's next for Moca? ; Credit: Getty Images

After months of speculation, the Museum of Contemporary Art is expected to announce the departure of the museum’s director Jeffrey Deitch Wednesday. Deitch’s three year tenure has been a rocky one. With a background as an art dealer and New York gallery owner, Deitch’s appointment was an out-of-the-box pick. Museum gallery directors typically come up through the ranks of academia.

But, MOCA was on the brink of financial collapse when Deitch took over and framed their decision as an adventurous risk.

Deitch began his directorship of MOCA promoting the intersection of visual art and pop culture. His projects included a retrospective on the art of actor Dennis Hopper and a collaboration with actor James Franco. In today’s meeting the board is also expected to announce that it’s close to completing a fundraising drive announced in March to raise the museum’s endowment from $20 million to $100 million.

How did Deitch influence the museum? What was his role in increasing the museum’s endowment? What’s next for MOCA?

Guest:

Christopher Knight, LA Times Art Critic

Is there a stigma with moms drinking?; Credit: Flickr/Visit St. Pete/Clearwater

For many women, wine is an indulgence for busy mothers who want a break, but they are not the only ones indulging. More women are drinking now than anytime in history, according to recent health studies. Women buy the majority of the wine sold in the U.S. annually, according to the wine institute.

Between 1998 and 2007, the number of women arrested for drunk driven rose 30%, while male dropped more than 7%. This is not just limited to young adults and college students, a recent Gallup poll found  10% of women 45 and 64 binge drink.  Groups like, “Moms who Need Wine,” and “OMG, I So Need a Glass of Wine or I’m Gonna Sell My kids,” have thousands of fans on facebook. Drinks are often linked to female targeted shows like the women on ‘Real Housewives.”

But why the massive growth? Some believe the rise in female drinking is due to the changing social role of women. Some social scientists link the growth to the rise in female college attendance, and women then leaving their careers to be at home.

Why are women drinking more?  Is there a greater stigma on male alcoholics than female? Do television shows impact women’s desire to drink? Is there a stigma with moms drinking?

Guests:

Gabrielle Glaser, journalist and author “Her Best Kept Secret, Why Women Drink-And How They Can Regain Control”  

Christine Trice, Founder, OMG I So Need A Glass Of Wine or I’m gonna sell my kids

Is Weiner sabotaging his political career? ; Credit: Getty Images

New York City Mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner vowed to stay in the race after revelations of additional sexual text messages sent after the original sexting scandal two years ago. In a press conference Tuesday, Weiner admitted to sending the messages and apologized for his inappropriate behavior. But unlike his previous sexting press conference, wife Huma Abedin stood by her husband’s side and even spoke on his behalf. She said she’s forgiven her husband and that she believes in him. Abedin was a top aide to former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and pregnant with Weiner’s child when the original scandal broke.

This latest episode leaves many wondering, why Abedin has chosen to stand by Weiner’s side? Why does Weiner continue to sabotage his political career? Does having  Abedin there help save the campaign? Or does it make everyone hate Weiner more? Will his campaign survive this latest revelation?

Guests:
Glenn Thrush, Senior White House Reporter, Politico

Nando Pelusi, practicing clinical psychologist in New York City; Contributing Editor, Psychology Today

A rendering by Millennium Partners of the proposed 55-story Hollywood high-rises; Credit: Millennium Partners

Despite vociferous objections from some people who live in the neighborhood, the Los Angeles City Council Wednesday unanimously approved the Millennium Hollywood development, which will include a pair of skyscrapers flanking the famous Capitol Records building. The vote was 13-0. 

“This project will act as the gateway to Hollywood and brings great economic development,” said City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, who represents the area. The project will produce 2,900 construction jobs, 1,257 full-time permanent jobs, and an estimated $4.3 million in new tax revenue annually for the city, according to O’Farrell.

“It’s a game-changer for Hollywood,” he said. The council’s 15 members often defer to the local councilman when considering projects. Mayor Eric Garcetti, who used to represent Hollywood on the council, said he would sign off on the project.

Some residents urged the council to reject the massive development, which includes one million square feet of office, retail, apartment and hotel space inside two towers 39 and 35 stories tall. They argued it would create more traffic congestion.

“I’m all for the re-gentrification of Hollywood, but not a project of this magnitude,” said Shelley Kiah, who lives in Whitely Heights. Residents of that neighborhood would see their views partially blocked by the towers.

Other opponents urged the council to delay its vote until there is resolution to concerns that the project would sit on an active earthquake fault.

“The developer’s engineers distorted their technical reports to hide the existence of the Hollywood earthquake fault running directly through this property,” said attorney Robert Silverstein, who represents homeowners groups. He pointed to new concerns about the fault raised by a USC professor.

Millennium Partners co-founder Philip Aarons, who came from New York to attend the council vote, said any seismic worries would be addressed.

“We would not, and will not, build a project that puts anyone in any seismic safety issues,” he told reporters. “We expect there to be more studies on the site itself to indicate whether or not there is an earthquake fault there.”

The city has asked the developer to conduct new seismic tests, and the California Geological Survey has begun to examine whether the well-known Hollywood fault remains active.

But officials from the city Department of Building and Safety told the city council they believe the site is safe.

“At this point, we feel like that the approval for the tentative tract is still a valid approval,” said Dana Prevost, chief of the department’s Grading Division. He acknowledged the city has asked the Millennium Partners to conduct more studies “to satisfy the concerns that have been raised.”

“We will address the seismic issues as we move toward the building permit process,” Philips said. “We believe this will be a spectacular project toward the revitalization of Hollywood.”

Labor unions and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce hailed the council’s vote approving the project, which could break ground as early as next year.

Opponents vowed to file a lawsuit to stop the project, citing the earthquake issues. Their attorney said he would allege the developer failed to conduct an adequate environmental impact report under the California Environmental Quality Act. He also said he would accuse the city planning commission of a conflict of interest because one of its members allegedly has performed work for the developer. 

“This is not only a horrific project, but also a horrific abuse of the process,” Silverstein said.

Forbes.com ranked Pomona College second in the nation after Stanford. ; Credit: Russ Allison Loar/Flickr

Forbes.com released their college ranking and two California schools topped the list. Stanford was first on the list and our own Pomona College ranked second. This is the first time two West Coast colleges topped a major rankings list. In 2012, the ranking order was: Princeton University, Williams College, Stanford University, University of Chicago, Yale University, Harvard University, U.S. Military Academy, Columbia University, Pomona College and Swarthmore College.

How did Pomona College climb the list? Why do East Coast school traditionally dominate rankings lists? What methodologies are used to create these rankings?

Photographers take pictures during the presentation of "MIEV" (Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle), the new electric and ecological vehicle for Latin America by Mitsubishi Motors, in San Jose on February 25, 2011. ; Credit: YURI CORTEZ/AFP/Getty Images

The folks at Edmunds.com recently listed the top 10 auto failures of the past decade, using criteria like sales performance, design, and practicality.

They stayed away from the easy task of simply listing the most aesthetically challenged vehicles, instead taking into account sales data from April 2013 to judge which cars didn't quite live up to the hype. Scott Oldham of Edmunds.com says it wasn't difficult to come up with a list of auto failures. 

"Car companies are always trying new things, and in the last 20 years there's been a real trend to try and find some white space in the market and launch a niche car," said Oldham on AirTalk. "It doesn't work out too well. There are a lot of examples of this kind of thing, and ten is really just scraping the tip of the iceberg."

Scroll down for the full list of auto failures and read what Oldham says qualified each for a spot on this the not-so-coveted list. 

10.) Honda Insight (67,128 sold)
"This is an interesting case, the first Insight was sort of a two-seat little hatchback sports car, which prevented it from really catching on despite its high mileage. It was just too impractical to really capture the heart of the market. Then of course the Prius came out and showed the world that there is a market for a hybrid if its in a body style that is also useful, practical and universal.

Then they came out with the second generation Insight that basically mimics that package. But it had other problems and it just wasn't as good as the Prius. Therefore the Insight has been relegated to a very distant second place, and it really isn't a factor anymore." 

9.) Ford Thunderbird (59,200 sold)
"This is a great looking car. If you see one on the freeway they still do look good. The problem with this car was its price, it was expensive, but also the interior didn't really reinforce the retro high style design like the exterior did. Once you got inside it was kind of generic Ford, that just kept it from being desirable. Plus, honestly, it didn't drive very well."

8.) Chrystler Crossfire (52,217 sold)
"This was one of these cars like the Thunderbird that was just really cool to look at, kind of a design exercise that everybody said you've got to build it, so they did. The issue with this car is that it was built on an old Mercedes SLK platform, which meant it was extremely cramped on the inside and it cost a lot of money.

It was a very expensive car, especially with the Chrystler brand on it. And while they never really expected to sell many of these, it was sort of a small, little sporty car product, it did even worse than that. So they moved on pretty quickly and there was no second generation of a Crossfire."

7.) Chevrolet SSR (23,479 sold)
"I always call this the margarita method of car building, where you just throw a bunch of stuff into a blender, you hit puree and hope something that comes out it cool. Some people like the SSRs, but those people probably have never driven one. They are big, heavy, cumbersome. A convertible pick up trucks with two seats is a problem nobody asked for the answer to. One of those things where you wonder what they were thinking."

6.) Lexus HS 250H (20,875 sold)
"This is Toyota saying, 'Everyone wants a Prius, why don't we take the Prius and turn it into a Lexus?' They did that, but in the execution it became one of the worst-driving, hideously ugly vehicles of all time. Surprise, nobody wants one. They sit on dealer lots for quite a while and they've only sold 20,000 of them over several years now. Again, it's an exercise in spreadsheet car design that just didn't really pan out."

5.) Cadillac XLR (13,302 sold)
"It's not a bad-looking vehicle. The problem with this is there's so much better product out in the market, especially the Mercedes SL, which has obviously dominated that luxury two-seat convertible space since the 60s.

Cadillac said how could we make our own so they took a Corvette and they made it into a Cadillac is what they did there. Surprise, when you do something half-in, then you get half the success and it just didn't really work for them."  

4.) Acura ZDX  (5,828 sold)
"They made an incredibly ugly crossover with no utility. You can't fit anything or anyone in it, and its disgusting to look at. I'm pretty sure they don't remember what they were thinking either."

3.) Lexus LS 600h L (2,055 sold)
"This is a hybrid version of the LS 460, it's supposed to compete with the 12-cylinder versions of the BMW 7-series and Audi A8, the problem with this is it doesn't perform as well as them, and it gets worse fuel mileage than the LS 460 without the hybrid. And it costs a ton of money. So this is one of those vehicles that I think the marketing team got ahead of the engineering team and it just didn't turn into a very good product."

2.) Mitsubishi i MiEV (1,420 sold)
"It's actually pronounces "Meev", which is one of the problems. This is a tiny little electrically powered pod that is hard to believe anyone would want it, all you need to do is take a look at a photo of it and it's not hard to figure out why people weren't clamoring to buy these things. Essentially its a little electric car with very little range. It doesn't go very far on a charge and that would make it sales proof regardless of its styling."

1.) Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet (1,078 sold)
"I was up in the San Jose area a month ago and I actually saw one of these driving down the road. I saw the guy that bought one. It was quite a moment. This is a strange vehicle, and its not the first time a company has experimented with a convertible version of a crossover SUV, but it is sort of the latest. There are parts of this vehicle that are actually pretty cool. It drives very well, the interior is beautiful.

What's held it back, besides that it's just an oddity, that you've got to wonder do you really want an SUV with very little utility? It is very unattractive. I don't think anyone would tell you that this is a beautiful car, they obviously took a four-door crossover and turned it into a two-door convertible, and it just didn't work in translation. Worse than that it is very expensive, because they only did plan on selling not that many, it is over $50,000 for one of these things. I don't think anyone at Nissan thought that this was going to be the best selling vehicle in America, but I think they thought they were going to find a little niche for it."

Reknown teacher Rafe Esquith's new book, “Real Talk for Real Teachers: Advice for Teachers from Rookies to Veterans: “No Retreat, No Surrender!” shares his teaching secrets.

AirTalk has recently had LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy and education activist Michelle Rhee on the show to discuss their reform agendas. But, what do teachers have to say about all these new proposals in education reform? Rafe Esquith, a veteran teacher at Hobart Elementary School in Los Angeles with a résumé full of accolades, joins AirTalk to discuss what it’s like working on the ground level for more than 25 years.

In his new book, “Real Talk for Real Teachers: Advice for Teachers from Rookies to Veterans: “No Retreat, No Surrender!” Esquith charges teachers new and experienced to not give up. He sympathizes with teachers who feel like they’re just ready to quit. For new teachers, Esquith warns against falling into the trap of trying to save every child, failing, and then quitting from disappointment.

Also, it seems like teachers today are not battling difficult students, they’re battling the administration. Although Esquith believes reform does need to happen, he thinks tests cannot be truly standardized. And when test scores are low, students should not feel like their worth is their test score and the teachers should not be thrown under the bus.

What are the secrets to Esquith’s classroom success? What makes a good teacher? Is the role of teachers changing? What should teachers be accountable for in the classroom? How do teachers feel about the Common Core? What is the best way to assess students and teachers?

Guest:
Rafe Esquith, a teacher at Hobart Elementary School in Los Angeles for more than 25 years; he has been awarded the National Medal of the Arts, the American Teacher Award, Parents magazine’s As You Grow Award, the Compassion in Action Award from the Dalai Lama, the Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award, and was made a Member of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth; author of “Real Talk for Real Teachers: Advice for Teachers from Rookies to Veterans: “No Retreat, No Surrender!”

Rafe Esquith will be at a book signing at 7 P.M. tonight in Vroman’s in Pasadena. Click here for more information.

Also, Rafe Esquith will also be at KPCC’s Crawford Family Forum on Tuesday, August 27th, at 7 P.M. Esquith will share more of the ideas behind his battle cry for teachers – “No Retreat, No Surrender!” Click here for more details and to RSVP.

Democratic minority leader Nancy Pelosi voted against the amendment. ; Credit: Getty Images

A House amendment to curb the NSA’s collection of phone records came just 12 votes shy of being passed yesterday despite a strong lobbying effort from the White House against the bill. To many NSA critics this narrow vote signaled a major tide in Congress that favors protecting privacy, and the way the votes came down indicates that, at least on this issue, the political spectrum is all out of whack.

Democratic minority leader Nancy Pelosi voted against the amendment along with rivals like Tea Party Republican Michelle Bachman and House Speaker John Boehner. Meanwhile the amendment was pushed through by a Republican Congressman, Justin Amash, and found supporters on both the extreme right and the extreme left.

Just about the most consistent thing we seem to get from Congress these days is partisanship and gridlock, so a convergence of the left and right is refreshing, and perhaps begs the question: are left-right alliances really so unusual? Extreme voices on both the political right and left have seen eye to eye on issues like military spending, Wall Street reform, and trade relations.

Why do we so often latch on to a binary political narrative when it’s not always the case? Is there a new political paradigm brewing underneath traditional party lines? Or is this false optimism, a blip on the screen?

Guests:

Jake Sherman, Congressional Reporter at POLITICO

Sam Husseini, communications director for the Institute for Public Accuracy and founder of VotePact.org, an organization focused on bringing progressives and conservatives together on important issues

Do you think college rankings are useful?; Credit: Flickr/The Consortium

Forbes.com released their college ranking and two California schools have topped the list.

Stanford was first on the list and our own Pomona College ranked second. This is the first time in the six years Forbes has produced the list that two West Coast colleges topped the list. Pomona came in ahead of well-known institutions like Yale (#4) and Harvard (#8). 

RELATED: Pomona College comes in 2nd in Forbes' list of best colleges

In 2012, the ranking order was: Princeton University, Williams College, Stanford University, University of Chicago, Yale University, Harvard University, U.S. Military Academy, Columbia University, Pomona College and Swarthmore College.

It's not going to dramatically change us...I certainly anticipate that there will be some buzz that will spread and word will get out and the name will get better known," said Pomona College President David Oxtoby. "It's not as well known as we'd like it to be."

Pomona College is a small, private liberal arts school with fewer than 1,600 students and an 8-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio. 

Built in 1887, Pomona is the founding member of the Claremont Colleges group, including Harvey Mudd College, which came in at #52 on the list. Students are free to take classes at any of the affiliated colleges. 

Forbes took into account the following criteria to reach the 2013 rankings:

1. Post-graduate success: What salaries students are making five and 10 years out of school.
2. Student satisfaction: What are students getting on campus as far as teach and general campus experience. 
3. Debt: How much debt are students graduating with. 
4. Graduation rate: High priority put on number of people who graduate in four years rather than five or six years. 
5. Nationally competitive awards: How many former students have won awards like Rhodes, National Science Foundation and Fulbright. 

"We don't rank on reputation, and we don't rank on peer review, we rank very specifically on government data that the schools give to the US Dept. of Education," said Caroline Howard, Forbes Senior Online Editor. "When we're talking about success, we're not only talking about pay we're talking about who's a leader. Who's a success in their field."

How did Pomona College climb the list? Why do East Coast school traditionally dominate rankings lists? What methodologies are used to create these rankings?

Guests:

David Oxtoby, President of Pomona College

Caroline Howard, Forbes Senior Online Editor

Reza Aslan's new book, “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth”

Christian-turned-Muslim Reza Aslan’s new book on Jesus of Nazareth presents the life of Jesus within his historical context. Aslan chose to study the life of Jesus from a historical perspective because Aslan has always had a “fervent” interest in Jesus. At the age of 15, Aslan heard the Christian gospel for the first time and became a Christian. After reading the Bible and studying historical accounts, he concluded that the Bible’s record of Jesus was biased and could not be considered a pure biographical text. While still considering himself a follower of Jesus, Aslan converted back to Islam.

His new book, “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth,” attempts to portray Jesus as a man, living as a Jew in a Roman government. In “Zealot,” Aslan’s Jesus was a revolutionary.

Aslan writes, “The Jesus that is uncovered in the process may not be the Jesus we expect; he certainly will not be the Jesus that most modern Christians would recognize.”

Who was Jesus? How does Aslan’s perspective differ from the traditional Christian view? How does Aslan’s faith affect his interpretation? Will this book impact the Christian community? How is Jesus’s life and story relevant today?

Guest:
Reza Aslan, author of “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth” and international bestseller “No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam” (Random House, 2005)

Should students in special education centers be transferred to traditional schools?; Credit: woodleywonderworks/Flickr

Four special-education centers are scheduled to merge with nearby mainstream schools. According to Daily News Los Angeles, this affects about 300 disabled students who have to be integrated in August 2013 into traditional schools.

Parents of these students yesterday protested against LAUSD's move. The parents say many of their children are not ready to be transferred and that the decision to place them in a traditional school is a parental decision, not the district's. 

“It’s not a one size fits all,” says Dr. Frances Stetson, director of the Inclusive Schools Network. "Way back in Brown v. Board of Education, we ruled that there is no such thing as separate but equal. I believe that same principle applies to children with disabilities.”

Stetson went on to add that those students are missing peer-to-peer relationship opportunities, like communication and interpersonal skills. On the other hand, Rhonda Berrios, parent of an autistic child attending Leichman Special Education Center, says that merging the schools would be a disservice to special needs students.

“These are kids who have seizures all day long. They’re on very heavy medication. They’re all in wheelchairs … These are kids where 911 is called on a regular basis," she said. Berrios was among other parents at the protest yesterday, calling for parental involvement regarding the merge.

 “What parents want is the right to choose,” Berrios said.

Special needs students will continue to have classroom lessons tailored to their level of learning, and those who need it will be accompanied by aides and nurses as they have in the past. However, physical education, arts classes and library time will be spent with the general school population. 

 Guests:

Dr. Frances Stetson, President of Stetson and Associates, an education consulting firm in Houston, Texas. She is also the Director of the Inclusive Schools Network

Rhonda Berrios, parent of autistic child attending Leichman Special Education Center

Nuran Alteir contributed to this web article

“The Act of Killing” looks at a bloody chapter of Indonesian history that is seldom discussed outside of the country.

The documentary “The Act of Killing” looks at a bloody chapter of Indonesian history that is seldom discussed outside of the country. Starting in 1965, paramilitary groups that would eventually put General Suharto in power systematically murdered an estimated half-a-million people who were considered communists--which a lot of times meant ethnic Chinese and anyone the coup deemed an enemy. These death squads also enlisted common thugs and local gangsters to carry out its dirty work.

In “The Act of Killing,” first-time director Joshua Oppenheimer follows a few of these so-called “theater gangsters” who participated in the mass murder and who talked shamelessly about what they did and how they did what they did. Their recollection went beyond verbal descriptions; Oppenheimer had the men re-enact and restaged the killings in any movie genre--Westerns, gangster films, musicals--they chose. The resulting scenes are as disturbing as they are absurd.

Guest:
Joshua Oppenheimer, director of “The Act of Killing.”

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 16: Hugh Jackman attends the UK Premiere of 'The Wolverine' at Empire Leicester Square on July 16, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images); Credit: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Larry and KPCC critics Tim Cogshell and Wade Major review this week’s releases, including The Wolverine, Blue Jasmine, The Time Being and more. TGI-Filmweek!

The Wolverine

 Blue Jasmine

 The Time Being 

Guests:

Tim Cogshell, film critic, KPCC, Alt Film Guide

Wade Major, film critic, KPCC, boxoffice.com

Will we see a real shift in religious politics in the future?; Credit: Getty Images

A new survey from the Public Religion Research Institute highlights an interesting trend that predicts religious progressives will far outpace religious conservatives in the future. The research tracked four generations of Americans and surveyed them on their religious and political affiliations. While people who consider themselves non-religious have more than doubled over four generations, 78% of millennials (18- to 33-year-olds) still consider themselves religious. And within that group, religious conservativism has dropped nearly 300% across the four generations, while religious progressivism has doubled.

Considering the real and symbolic power of the religious right in America, these trends might cast some doubts upon just how much longer that political paradigm will hold, and whether religious groups might align themselves with more progressive causes going forward. It doesn’t seem that far fetched, considering that the tenants of Christianity seem to support progressive causes, like providing healthcare and social welfare.

But does the evidence actually point to a larger trend toward progressivism among Christians, or does the generational gap also suggest that millennials might bend more conservative in the future? Or are times really changing, and will we see a real shift in religious politics in the future?

Guests:  

Robert Jones, Founder and CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute

Morley Winograd, Senior Fellow at the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy. Co-author of Millennial Momentum: How a New Generation is Remaking America

Many are calling for San Diego Mayor Bob Filner to resign after less than a year in office amid allegations that he sexually harassed women. ; Credit: Greg Bull/AP

More women have come forward accusing San Diego Mayor Bob Filner of sexual harassment, bringing the total to seven women, with more expected. Among the recent victims to come forward are retired Navy rear-admiral Veronica Froman, who claims Filner once blocked the door in front of her after a meeting and stroked her face while asking if she was in a relationship. Also Joyce Gattas, a dean at San Diego State University, has come out with accusations that Filner has held her tightly, kissed her cheek and touched her knee.

The amount of women to come forward is now only expected to increase -- in fact the city of San Diego has established a hotline specifically for allegations regarding the mayor -- and it begs the question: why did it take so long for the first accuser to come forward?

Is there a certain level of sexual harassment that many women just feel resigned to stomach? Could it be that some of these women just didn’t want to deal with the fallout of making an accusation, which would include a blitz of legal work and media attention and potentially distracting from their careers? Is there a degree of fearing retribution for making such claims?

Guest:

Louise Fitzgerald, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Psychology, and Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

When you go to the beach or a summer getaway, do you take your work with you?; Credit: Grand Velas Riviera Maya/Flickr

You've taken a week off of work. For this year's summer vacation, perhaps you've chosen to get away and relax in an exotic resort. Perhaps you've decided to venture off to new cities, new places. Or maybe you're just spending some quality time with the family or taking it easy at the beach. However you've chosen to spend your vacation, do you take your work with you?

A new survey by Harris Interactive shows that 61 percent of Americans plan on working during summer vacation. Many of those surveyed unhappily work during vacation because they feel like they can't afford to fall behind at work.

Do you work during vacation? Why or why not? Is there the stress of falling behind at work? Are smartphones your lifeline to the office or the enemy?

Is this too close for comfort? Do long distance relationships work better?; Credit: Flickr/BaileyRaeWeaver

An estimated three million married couples in the U.S. live far away from each other, even though they rather live together. But a recent study published in the Journal of Communications, found that the  separation actually doesn’t have a negative impact on their relationship. In fact, the study found that long distance relationships are deeper and more intimate than relationships where the couple is geographically close. The researchers, L. Crystal Jiang of City University of Hong Kong and Jeffrey T. Hancock of Cornell University found that even though long distance couples interacted less, each interaction was more meaningful. The couples apart revealed more about themselves, and essentially tried harder to maintain the relationship.

Do you think long distance relationships work? Are they actually more meaningful? Does technology like video chat and texting make it easier? Are people in geographically close relationships more apt to take it for granted?

Guest:

Tina Tessian, licensed psychotherapist, author of 13 books including: “The Commuter Marriage”

Are societal views towards single people changing?; Credit: Gavin Clabaugh/Flickr

Author and social psychologist Bella DePaulo boldly and happily declares that she is single. As a woman in her late 50s, she says that being single is not just her marital status but that she is “single at heart” and being married would be “a step down.”

As more Americans are marrying later or choosing to not get married, DePaulo advocates for the rights of single people in the workforce. She believes that federal benefits and protections should not be given only to married couples. And in the workplace, it’s not fair that co-workers with children get more attention.

In her new book, “Singlism: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Stop it,” DePaulo believes that single co-workers should not have to cover for their married colleagues because a single’s life is just as important and meaningful as someone with a family. As women no longer need to be married to sustain a living, DePaulo believes societal views towards single women need to change. “Singlism” advocates that single women should be able to have sex without stigma or shame and not be pressured to be married or be mothers.

Are you single? What’s your experience? Do you feel that married people have more privileges in the workplace? Are societal views towards single people changing? Or are there certain stigmas towards singles? Are women still under the pressure of getting married? Have you deliberately decided to not get married?

Guest:

Bella DePaulo, Ph.D., psychology professor at UC Santa Barbara, author of “Singlism: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Stop it” and “SINGLED OUT: How Singles Are Stereotyped, Stigmatized, and Ignored, and Still Live Happily Ever After” (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2007); she coined the term “singlism.”

What are the best ways to make sure your children learn multiple languages?; Credit: sean dreilinger/Flickr

Studies have long touted the benefits of bilingualism. It has been proven to make you smarter, more creative, and even more socially adept. And in our increasingly globalized world, speaking more than one language also provides a big leg-up in finding a job.

Making sure that their kids grow up bilingual and bicultural is a concern of many first-generation immigrant parents. Linguistic experts say three methods work best when it comes to raising a bilingual kid: 1) one parent is designated as the English speaker, while the other parent only speaks another language. 2) speaking a language other than English at home exclusively. 3) parents designate a specific time and place where a language other than English is spoken. There are other ways, of course. Rupert Murdoch and wife Wendi Deng (who's going through a divorce now), for example, hired a Mandarin-speaking nanny for their two daughters.

What do you do to make sure your child grow up bilingual? What are the challenges? The issue is also playing out on a city ordinance level. In Monterey Park, where Asian Americans make up a large part of the population, lawmakers recently gave preliminary approval to a measure that would require businesses there to put up bilingual signs. It's something the the City Council of Monterey Park tried and failed to do almost 20 years ago. Should Monterey Park businesses be banned from putting up monolingual signs?

For a look at the science, options and dilemma of bilingual learning, visit KPCC.org/language. You'll find a series of web and audio stories, profiles and a map of bilingual schools in southern California.

Guests:

Barbara Pearson, Co-director of the Language Acquisition Research Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. And author of the book, “Raising a Bilingual Child) (Living Language, 2008)

Roxana Soto, co-author of “Bilingual Is Better: Two Latina Moms on How the Bilingual Parenting Revolution is Changing the Face of America” (Bilingual Readers, 2012)

Pope Francis Celebrates Mass On Copacabana Beach; Credit: Getty Images

On a flight back to Rome today, Pope Francis said he wouldn't judge priests for their sexual orientation.  "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will,” he said, “Who am I to judge?" Pope Benedict, his predecessor, signed a document in 2005 that said men with deep-rooted homosexual tendencies should not be priests.

Francis was much more conciliatory, saying gay clergymen should be forgiven and their sins forgotten. The Pope was heading home after a week-long pilgrimage to Brazil, the world’s largest Catholic country. He was welcomed by enormous crowds, including an estimated 3-million who gathered on the Copacabana beach for a prayer vigil Saturday night, culminating in Sunday’s final Mass.

Despite a dramatic drop in the number of Brazilians who identify as Catholics, the pope’s focus on poverty, political activism and social justice, seemed to go over well with the cheering crowds. But is his message enough to rebuild a church that has suffered such a dramatic decline in Latin America and beyond?

Will the Catholic Church be more welcoming to women and gays? Can the pope’s populist help him reform the troubled Vatican? Or might he face a backlash from conservatives?

Guest:
Cecilia Gonzalez-Andrieu, Associate Professor of Theological Studies, Department of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University