Should prisoners be able to pay to stay in a nicer cell?; Credit: Vlad Karpinskiy/Flickr

Have you ever stayed in a hotel that seemed more like a jail? Well, revenue-hungry Fremont, California is introducing a jail that’s a little bit like a hotel. ‘Pay-To-Stay’ is a new program that is offered to misdemeanor convicts who wish to avoid the rougher and more crowded county jails in Oakland and Dublin, and a night’s stay will cost you $155 a day.

It's still a jail where inmates are provided a cot, a blanket, and three meals a day. And these rates are not available to anyone with gang affiliations or a history of violent crimes; there is an application and a screening process. The Fremont facility was built in 2002 for $10.6 million, and city officials argue that the program will help the jail pay for itself.  

But the ACLU has other concerns. They argue that there should not be one form of punishment for those who can afford to pay and a different form of punishment for those who cannot.

What do you think of letting non-violent criminals pay to stay separate from the general population in county jail? Is this a program that you would like to take advantage of if convicted?

Guest:
Scott Kernan, Former Undersecretary of Operations, California Corrections Department

Police cars parked outside the Carlton Hotel Sunday in the French Riviera resort of Cannes after an armed man held up the jewelery exhibition 'Extraordinary diamonds.'; Credit: VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images

A masked man broke into a diamond show in Cannes yesterday and snatched $136 million in jewels. Prosecutors in the French Riviera town said he snuck into the Carlton Intercontinental Hotel through French doors brandishing a handgun. He held up participants, including three private security guards and a handful of personnel. It all happened in the space of about a minute and the man fled on foot. Meanwhile in Zurich, Swiss authorities are on the hunt for a jewel thief who broke out of prison last Thursday night. In a dramatic scene at the Orbe penitentiary, a van rammed the entrance of prison and gunman opened fire with weapons. During the melee, 34-year-old Milan Poparic, escaped. Poparic is a member of the so-called Pink Panthers gang of jewelry thieves. He was serving a seven-year sentence for robbing a jewelry store in 2008.

It’s the second prison break of a Pink Panther member in last three months. Is it all connected? How did the lone thief make off with the jewels so readily? How easy or difficult is it to unload stolen gemstones?

Guest:

Jonathan Sazonoff, U.S. Editor, Museum Security Network and an expert on high-value crime

At what age do you remember being happiest?; Credit: Be-Younger.com/Flickr

If you’re still a young college student then rest assured that the best years of your life are just a few more midterms away. And if you’re past the age of 25, then don’t despair because at around retirement age, things will start looking up again.

A new research study from the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics surveyed more than 23,000 people in Germany. Residents between the ages of 17 to 85 were asked how satisfied they were with their current lives and how satisfied they expected to be in five years. This study confirmed the U-shape pattern that similar studies have also discovered.

This U-shape pattern has found that across gender, income and background, people tend to be the most satisfied in their mid-20s. Then, from their mid-20s to mid-50s, life satisfaction declines and hits a low point. But after that low (mid-life crisis?), people start to become more satisfied with their lives and their satisfaction level once again peaks in their late 60s.

In this new study by researcher Dr. Hannes Schwandt, life satisfaction peaks at the average ages of 23 and 69. Schwandt determined to understand why this U-shape occurs and discovered that people become discontent mid-life because of disappointments at unfulfilled expectations. Schwandt says that young people are over-optimistic about their lives and become frustrated when reality proves to be less than ideal. However, when people get past these regrets and have lower expectations, people become more satisfied with their lives.

Does this study hold true in your experience? At what age were you the happiest and why? Is there really a mid-life slump?

Guest:
Hannes Schwandt, Ph.D., research associate at The Center for Health and Wellbeing at Princeton and author of “Unmet Aspirations as an Explanation for the Age U-shape in Human Wellbeing”

A recent CareerBuilder survey found that 43 percent of workers say their office is full of high school-like cliques.; Credit: Victor1558/Flickr

There are people trying to fit in, those who never will, gossiping in the halls and lonely lunch breaks. Sounds like high school right? For some, it’s just another day at the office.

This, according to a recent survey from CareerBuilder, which claims that 43 percent of workers say their offices are populated by cliques just like you’d find in a typical American high school.

The nationwide survey, put out by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder, asserts that cliques impact office culture in various ways. 20 percent of the 3,000 private workers polled, said they’ve done something they weren’t really interested in or didn’t want to do just to fit in with co-workers. 21 percent reported having watched a TV show or movie just to talk about it at work the next day and 19 percent admitted to having made fun of someone else or pretended not to like them.

The survey is by no means serious science, but for some, office cliques can be serious business. What’s the vibe at your workplace? Are you your authentic self or do you behave differently in order to get ahead? Does the “in crowd” still rule the world? Can refusing to participate in office politics be bad for one’s career?

Guest:

David Couper,Executive Coach and Consultant on Human Resources

What kind of impact do you think the Manning verdict has on Edward Snowden?; Credit: Getty Images

Bradley Manning, the 25-year-old Army private accused of leaking more than 700,000 documents to WikiLeaks, has been found not guilty of aiding the enemy, the most serious charge against him. But he has been convicted of multiple other counts.

Manning has said that the leak was meant to expose what was happening in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to the public. His supporters label him a whistleblower. But detractors call him a traitor. 

What kind of impact would the Manning verdict has on Edward Snowden, the NSA contractor who leaked classified information about the government's surveillance programs to the Guardian UK and the Washington Post? In 2011, the cyber-activist collective Anonymous launched an attack against the Department of Defense for holding Manning in prolonged solitary confinement. Should we expect similar retaliatory efforts from the group after the verdict?

Guests:

Kim Zetter, senior reporter at Wired covering cybercrime, privacy, security and civil liberties. She is currently writing a book on the Stuxnet virus.

Brian Knappenberger, director of the documentary, “We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists;” he is currently working on a documentary on political activist Aaron Swartz.

The sudden popularity of assisted living facilities in the U.S. left a gap in the regulation of the industry. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, there are more than 31,000 assisted living homes in the country that house nearly 750,000 people.

The federal government regulates nursing homes, but not these assisted living facilities. That’s the job of the states that often aren’t prepared to regulate such rapidly expanding industries. With more and more people choosing to live in these facilities, in “Life and Death in Assisted Living,” FRONTLINE and ProPublica looked into how much regulation there is and whether or not these homes are actually safe.

Watch Joan's Story on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

Emeritus Senior Living responded by saying that Frontline covered rare "isolated incidents" and presented a "skewed and misleading depiction" of Emeritus. For Emeritus's full statement, click here.

Guest:
A.C. Thompson, ProPublica reporter and co-writer of the Frontline special “Life and Death in Assisted Living,” which airs tonight on PBS

The Oscar Statue production display at the Meet the Oscar Exhibit at Grand Central Terminal in New York City.; Credit: Jemal Countess/Getty Images

Today, the 48 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' board of governors will vote on a new president. Current president Hawk Koch is stepping down because of term limits.

Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-Chairman Rob Friedman and studio publicity executive Cheryl Boone Isaacs have emerged as the frontrunners. The incoming leader of the Oscars is going to have a lot to contend with, from sustaining audience interest in the yearly broadcast to increasing ethnic diversity in the organization.

Who is Rob Friedman and Cheryl Boone Isaacs? What are the challenges facing the new president?

Guest:
Nicole Sperling, film reporter, Los Angeles Times

San Diego Mayor Bob Filner said he won't resign. ; Credit: Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images

We've learned more today about why prominent radio personality Eddie "Piolin" Cotelo is no longer on the air. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, a colleague, Alberto "Beto" Cortez, has accused Piolin of sexual harassment and a laundry list of other offenses.

It seems Univision Communications Inc. - which broadcasts the popular Spanish-language program - did not want to go the route of rehabilitation, the favored choice of recent disgraced public figures. San Diego's Bob Filner, New York's Anthony Weiner and Eliot Spitzer are all attempting to redeem themselves with the public after sex scandals.

Is it possible? Are some crises too much for the public to forgive?

Guest:
Lisa Gritzner, President of Cerrell, a public relations firm in Los Angeles

Mayor Eric Garcetti called for peaceful protests after George Zimmerman's verdict. Garcetti was joined by LAPD Charlie Beck (far left), City Attorney Mike Feuer, and County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas (far right).; Credit: Frank Stoltze/KPCC

Chief Charlie Beck joins AirTalk to discuss LAPD's accountability towards recent issues. In addition to increased car break-ins in North Hollywood, Los Angeles has also faced pedestrian robberies in the form of “bash mobs.” How can the LAPD allow peaceful protests but watch out for bash mob robberies?

And while we’re discussing peaceful protests, how did the LAPD handle the protests after George Zimmerman’s not guilty verdict? Although most of the protests were without incident, police were in riot gear. Does the LAPD prepare for the worst?

Also, LA Weekly has been covering hit-and-runs in Los Angeles. They ran an article in December on “L.A.’s Bloody Hit-and-Run Epidemic.” More recent articles say that the L.A. City Council has been pushing the police to treat these crimes more seriously.

Newly elected City Attorney Mike Feuer is also looking into crime rates. Feuer is proposing a gang injunction in Echo Park to reduce gang violence. Would it work? What is the LAPD’s current strategy to deal with gang violence?

And are officers trained to deal with animals? Chief Beck weighs in on the dog shooting by the Hawthorne police officer.

What questions do you have for the Chief? Post them below.

Guest:
Charlie Beck, Los Angeles Police Department Chief of Police

Actress Sissy Spacek scored an Oscar nomination for her role in the 1976 Carrie. Will the upcoming remake of the movie be as successful?

This segment will air Friday, August 2.

Because Hollywood never tires of remakes, you may have seen trailers for the reimagining of "Carrie," in theatres in October, of course.

Back in 1976, Brian De Palma first directed the screen adaptation of Stephen King's creepy tale of a sweet, meek and tortured teen with the power of telekinesis. Lead actress Sissy Spacek scored an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Carrie, a rare recognition for a horror flick.

This year, young Chloe Grace Moretz is cast as Carrie. The 16-year-old actress doesn't have the same haunting looks as Spacek, but Moretz is not a lightweight, having worked with directors Tim Burton and Martin Scorsese.

Still, when reprising a role, the comparisons are inevitable. Could you imagine a new actress taking on Diane Keaton in Annie Hall? Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski? What about Marlon Brando in, well, anything? Which movie characters are owned outright by the actors who originally played them? How tough is it for casting directors to overcome such a challenge?

We want to hear from you: Which film characters do you think could never be played by another actor? Tell us in the comments!

Carrie (1976)

Carrie (2013)

An oil drilling platform in the Santa Barbara Channel. Could methane hydrate be what's drilled for next as we continue to search for alternative energy sources? ; Credit: Mike Baird/Flickr

Scientists in the U.S. and Japan are moving closer to utilizing a new form of energy called methane hydrate, a crystallized form of natural gas found at the bottom of the ocean. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, methane hydrate garnered its nickname “fire in ice” because it gives off tremendous heat at room temperature.

According to scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey, there is an estimated 700,000 trillion cubic feet of methane hydrate across the world, containing potentially more energy than discovered oil and gas combined. But the actual production of this potential energy source could take a decade, and no single approach to harvest the gas has been perfected.

In the U.S, scientists searched the Gulf of Mexico to map out methane hydrate cultures believed to be underwater, but more tests and research drilling need to be done to confirm. There are concerns that methane hydrate is unstable, and drilling it could set off a landslide. Others worry there isn’t a way to make it economically viable. The cost of developing new energy can cost up to $60 per million British thermal units, while for natural gas, its just $4 per BTU.

How viable is methane hydrate as an energy source? What are the risks in production? How crucial is it to develop a new form of energy?

Guest:
Ben Lefebvre, Energy Reporter, Wall Street Journal

NPR host Scott Simon shared the experience of his mother's death with his 1.2 million Twitter followers in real time. ; Credit: KCTS 9 Public Television/Flickr

Everyone grieves differently. For some, the loss of a loved one is a sacred, private matter. For others, it helps to share the pain. Two nights ago, NPR host Scott Simon’s mother died and he chose to share the experience with his 1.2 million followers on Twitter – in real time.

One tweet read:

Heart rate dropping. Heart dropping.

— Scott Simon (@nprscottsimon) July 29, 2013

And then,

The heavens over Chicago have opened and Patricia Lyons Simon Newman has stepped onstage.

— Scott Simon (@nprscottsimon) July 30, 2013

She will make the face of heaven shine so fine that all the world will be in love with night.

— Scott Simon (@nprscottsimon) July 30, 2013

In an interview yesterday, Simon said “I don’t think it’s any less sacred because it was shared with a lot of people. And it must be said, you know, there was a lot of stuff that I didn’t share.” As the host of NPR’s Weekend Edition, Simon is a public figure.

Simon has written about his mother and interviewed her on the air, so she too is a public figure, to a certain degree. But Simon’s very public sharing of his mother’s final days has been greeted with mixed emotions. To some, it was a poetic, son’s farewell, a beautiful tribute that resonated. For others, it was too intimate, exploitative even. Just as social media is changing how we live, it’s also changing how we deal with death.

What do you think of Simon’s 21st century farewell to his mother? Was sharing his mother’s suffering and his own grief a positive thing? Does tweeting about death make it less – or perhaps more – sacred? And if these weren’t public figures we were talking about, what difference would that make?

Guests:

Karen North, Director of the Annenberg Program on Online Communities at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

Alan Regenberg, the Bioethics Research Manager at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics

David Isay, StoryCorps founder and president

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (C) makes a statement with Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni (L) and Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat (R) during a press conference on the Middle East Peace Process Talks at the Department of State.; Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Palestinian and Israeli negotiators agreed to another round of peace talks after meeting in Washington on Tuesday. Secretary of State John Kerry said that the two sides were committed to “sustained, continuous and substantive negotiations on the core issues” that divide them. U.S. officials had previously said the negotiations would continue for a minimum of nine months without setting that as a time frame for reaching a deal.

Kerry said he was aware of the deep skepticism surrounding the new push for peace and acknowledged that the road ahead would be difficult. President Obama invited negotiators to the White House on Tuesday morning for a brief meeting with him and Vice President Joe Biden to show his support. But he made no public comments.

We’ve seen these peace talks before, what is different this time around? Does the unrest in the Middle East help or hurt peace talks? Does having the two sides in the U.S. for talks help or hurt the process?

Guest:
Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor diplomatic correspondent

How can you be sure that your aging relatives are receiving quality care?; Credit: Province of British Columbia/Flickr

In our interview with journalist A.C. Thompson yesterday, you heard about the investigation into Emeritus, a national chain of assisted living centers. PBS Frontline and ProPublica detailed the deaths of Emeritus residents and found documentation and lawsuits citing reckless care. Long-term care is a rapidly growing industry and Emeritus is just one company serving aging Americans.

So when the time comes to find help in caring for your elderly loved ones, how do you know where to turn? What are the right questions to ask? If your relatives are in care already, how do you know what they're experiencing? Who can advocate for your needs? AirTalk speaks with two experts in the field.

Guests:
Dr. Laura Mosqueda, M.D., Professor and Chair of Family Medicine & Co-Director, Center of Excellence on Elder Abuse & Neglect, UC Irvine School of Medicine

Patricia L. McGinnis, Executive Director, California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform - a non-profit organization focused on advocacy in long-term care

Helpful links are listed below. You can also call the consumer hotline for California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform at 1-800-474-1116.

Lew Irwin's "Deadly Times" tells the story of the 1910 bombing of the LA Times building.

Lew Irwin’s “Deadly Times” chronicles a dark period of American history that many know little about. Between the years of 1907-1911 more than 200 bombings were carried out in the United States.

On October 1, 1910, the Los Angeles Times building was bombed killing at least 20 employees, a crime Irwin calls the worst ever committed in California. In “Deadly Times,” Irwin examines the reasons for the bombings and the history of this violent era as he reports on this little-known piece of California history.

Guest:

Lew Irwin, author, “Deadly Times”

How do we refer to race?; Credit: LyndaSanchez/Flickr

How we talk about race has changed over the years. The same thing goes for how we talk about ourselves and other people. Instead of “Negroid,” the term we now use is black or African-American. Instead of “Mongoloid,” the political correct term to use is now Asian.

As we strive for accuracy and cultural sensitivity, one group of people have kind of been left out in the cold: Caucasians. The word has become a favorite to describe people who are white. The problem is, it’s not at all accurate. Caucasian, literally, refers to people who are from Caucasus, a region at the border of Europe and Asia. The term “white” also isn’t the most ideal, as some Hispanics consider themselves white.

How do you talk about race in your everyday life? Do you say black or do you use African American? Do you say white or Caucasian? Does it depend on the situation?

Guests:

Nell Painter, Edwards Professor of American History, Emeritus at Princeton University. She is the author of the book, “The History of White People.” (W. W. Norton & Company, 2010)

Jennifer Hochschild, Professor of Government and African and African American Studies at Harvard University

US Federal Reserve Vice Chair Janet Yellen speaks at a international monetary conference in Shanghai on June 3, 2013.; Credit: PETER PARKS/AFP/Getty Images

Replacing Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke is arguably the most important economic decision President Barack Obama is facing this year. Who can shape and shepherd a fragile recovery? And give jittery markets continuity of leadership?

One favored contender is Janet Yellen, currently the Fed's vice chairwoman. Her brilliance and likeability are major reasons. Her keen predictions were recently noted in analysis by The Wall Street Journal (Of the 14 Fed policy makers, Yellen proved to be most accurate forecaster).

Despite her laurels, recently a fellow Fed chair suggested the choice of Yellen may be driven by gender above all else. It's also been reported that a "whisper campaign" is focusing on her so-called female attributes of being "soft-spoken" and "passive." Those attributes are non-existent in Larry Summers, the other top contender for the position - known for his aggressive temperament. President Obama is said to favor Summers because he'll be able to keep inflation low and employment high and is said to have credibility across political aisles. As is the case with any job opening, top candidates will have pluses and minuses.

So what role should candidates' gender play? Is it high time to include more female leadership in the old boys' club of finance? Or is injecting gender a distraction, and, moreover, a disservice to Yellen's CV?

Guest:

Heidi Moore, Finance and Economics Editor for The Guardian

A reef off the coast of Florida in the Atlantic Ocean.; Credit: Phil's 1stPix/Flickr

In a new article in the journal "Science," UC San Diego paleo-biologist Richard Norris and his colleagues report on findings that suggest our current ocean ecosystems may soon resemble the oceans of 50 million years ago. Norris, a researcher at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, studies fossils from deep sea sediment to help reconstruct a picture of an “ancient greenhouse world”. He says that world might be history’s closest analog to an environment that we should soon anticipate if humans continue to burn fossil fuels at their current pace.

In that ancient world, CO2 concentrations reached 800 to 1000 parts per million, and polar oceans reached 2°C (53°F) -- similar to current ocean temperatures offshore San Francisco. Subsequently, those ancient oceans contained very few coral reefs, the tropical surface waters were like a hot tub, and food webs could not sustain nearly as many large sea animals as we have now.

For the past million years the earth hadn’t seen CO2 levels in the atmosphere anything like those of 50 million years ago, but the report says that human activities have pushed CO2 levels back to alarming measures, higher than ever in human history. According to the research, at its current pace Earth could recreate the CO2 content of the ancient world in just the next 80 years. But Norris also says that if humans curb their fossil fuel activities now, it could significantly curb the amount of environmental instability expected in the coming years.

What’s new in this research that focuses on the state of oceans? What kinds of things does the world stand to lose if coral reefs and large marine animals drop out of the oceans? How does this intense climate warming compare to other climate changes in the planet’s history?

Guest:
Dr. Richard Norris, Paleo-biologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego

Kyle Rudolph #82 of the NFC's Minnesota Vikings with the Pro Bowl MVP Trophy after the 2013 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl on January 27, 2013 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii.; Credit: Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

Professional football’s all-star game, the Pro Bowl, got a shot in the arm Wednesday when the NFL announced changes to the contest. The AFC vs. NFC format that has been around since 1970 is out and a new fantasy football type draft will be in place. This year two Hall of Famers, Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders, will choose teams based on a a pool of players chosen by the fans. Conference affiliation will no longer be a factor. The actual game will also undergo some pretty big changes.

• Game within the Game -- A two-minute warning will be added to the first and third quarters and the ball will change hands after each quarter. This will increase the opportunities for quarterbacks to direct "two-minute drills," which are especially exciting for fans.

• No Kickoffs -- The coin toss will determine which team is awarded possession first. The ball will be placed on the 25-yard line at the start of each quarter and after scoring plays.

• Rosters -- The rosters will continue to consist of 43 players per squad. The kick return specialist will be replaced by an additional defensive back.

• Cover Two and Press Coverage -- The defense will be permitted to play "cover two" and "press" coverage. In previous years, only "man" coverage was permitted, except for goal line situations.

• Stopping of the Game Clock -- Beginning at the two-minute mark of every quarter, if the offense does not gain at least one yard, the clock will stop as if the play were an incomplete pass. This rule will make the team with the ball attempt to gain yardage toward the end of each quarter.

• Game Timing -- The game clock will start after an incomplete pass on the signal of the referee, except inside the last two minutes of the first half and the last five minutes of the second half.

• Play Clock -- A 35-second/25-second play clock will be adopted instead of the typical 40-second/25-second clock.

• Sacks -- The game clock will not stop on quarterback sacks outside of the final two minutes of the game. Currently, the game clock stops in these situations outside of two- minutes of the second and fourth quarters.

While the NFL itself continues to grow and draw record television audiences, the Pro Bowl has been criticized by fans and even the players themselves. Do you think these changes will make the game more interesting to watch? Do you tune in for the Pro Bowl each year, or does a game with no actual consequences not interest you? How would you change the Pro Bowl to make it more relevant?

Guest:
Mike Pesca, national correspondent for NPR who frequently reports on sports

Cheryl Boone Isaacs is the first African-American to become Academy President; Credit: Getty Images

Tuesday night at a meeting of the leadership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the governing body that runs the Oscars, the group of 48 board members selected Cheryl Boone Isaacs to be the organizations next president. Isaacs will be the first-ever African American leader, and the first woman to lead the organization in more than 30 years.

A historical appointment for sure, but the honeymoon will end quickly, as Isaacs will immediately need to dive into the Academy’s many challenges, including heavy criticism of recent Oscar nights, the opening of a museum, the diversification of the Academy’s voting membership...oh yeah, and signing a host for the 2014 Oscars would be a good idea.

How will she tackle these challenges? What can she do to broaden the mostly white, male Academy?

Guest:
Cheryl Boone Isaacs, newly elected president of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences