Armed residents take part in a march for the first anniversary of the citizen's vigilante groups, in Ayutla de los Libres, on January 5, 2014, in the southeastern state of Guerrero, Mexico. Hundreds of civilians armed with rifles, pistols and machetes decided to provide security for the communities of Guerrero, creating a vigilante force, following robberies, kidnappings and murder by gangs. Guerrero, home to the Pacific resort town of Acapulco, has been one of the states hardest hit by Mexico's drug violence, which has left more than 70,000 people killed across the country since 2006.; Credit: AFP/AFP/Getty Images

Growing tension between Mexican police and vigilantes who have challenged the government's authority in Michoacan state is showing no signs of slowing. The vigilante groups held onto their guns on Wednesday as federal authorities struggled to reign in the fast-growing citizen militias.

The groups sprang up in response to heavy violence from the area's drug cartels but have morphed into heavily-armed militants. The government initially tolerated, possibly even encouraged, the groups in their fight to challenge the drug cartels but now that the violence has grown out of control they are now calling for them to drop their arms and go home. How did the vigilante groups grow out of control in the first place? Who are they fighting?

Guests: 

Carrie Kahn, NPR Correspondent based in Mexico City

Photo of the Colby Fire taken from Monrovia. ; Credit: Benjamin Demers/Twitter

A wildfire in the foothills above Glendora Thursday morning was moving into residential neighborhoods and burning out of control in the Angeles National Forest.

At least one home was burned so far, and more homes remain in danger, with evacuations in effect. Officially called the Colby Fire, the fire was centered in the San Gabriel Mountains just north of Glendora, about 25 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. A smoke advisory has been issued by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

RELATED: Air Quality FAQ: How to keep yourself safe from wildfire smoke

People in the area should avoid outdoor activities or even indoor exertion - and keep windows closed, only running air conditioners. Residents unable to avoid smoky areas are advised to wear special N95 or P100 respirator masks.

How have you been affected? What advice do you have for your fellow Angelenos?

Guests:

Phil Currie, Glendora resident who has chosen to not evacuate

Kathy Rudnyk, evacuated from her home during the Colby Fire.

Tony Akins, Inspector  with the LA County Fire Department  

Philip Fine, Ph.D., Assistant Deputy Executive Officer, South Coast Air Quality Management District

View of guns belonging to members of the citizens' self-protection police in Paracuaro community, Michoacan State, Mexico, on January 16, 2014. ; Credit: HECTOR GUERRERO/AFP/Getty Images

 Growing tension between Mexican police and vigilantes who have challenged the government's authority in Michoacan state is showing no signs of slowing.

The vigilante groups held onto their guns on Wednesday as federal authorities struggled to reign in the fast-growing citizen militias. The groups sprang up in response to heavy violence from the area's drug cartels but have morphed into heavily-armed militants.

The government initially tolerated, possibly even encouraged, the groups in their fight to challenge the drug cartels but now that the violence has grown out of control they are now calling for them to drop their arms and go home. How did the vigilante groups grow out of control in the first place? Who are they fighting?

Guest:

Carrie Kahn, NPR Correspondent based in Mexico City.

Chief Phil Lane of the Yankton Dakota and Chickasaw First Nations marches with demonstrators to City Hall during the "Forward on Climate" rally to call on President Obama to take strong action on the climate crisis on February 17, 2013 in Los Angeles, California; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

In Oklahoma last week, Emily Johnson Dickerson passed away at the age of 93.  She was the last monolingual Chickasaw speaker. The number of fluent Chickasaw speakers has been in decline since the 1960s. According to a NPR report there are now only 65 fluent Chickasaw speakers.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural organization estimates that by 2100, half of the more than 6,000 languages spoken on the planet will disappear. What does this mean for cultures around the globe?

The wide reach of the internet has often influenced speakers of indigenous and minority languages to focus on more dominant languages, since most content is in major languages. Increasingly, the internet, social media, and other technologies have become resources for indigenous language speakers to preserve their language.  

Communities are creating online dictionaries. Apps such as FirstVoices Chat, allow users to download keyboards so they can communicate online in indigenous languages. Social media sites like twitter allow speakers and those who wish to speak to connect.

How has social media changed the way people use indigenous languages? Will technology be enough to actually save dying languages, or will it create more of an archive of language?

Guests: 

Gregory D.S. Anderson, Ph.D., Founder and Director of the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages

Kevin Patrick Scannell, Professor of computational lingusitics at St. Louis University and creator of Indigenoustweets.com 

Computer hackers participate in the Wikimania Hackathon at George Washington University in Washington, DC, July 10, 2012. ; Credit: JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images

Students at Corona Del Mar High School could still face expulsion for hacking into a series of computers to access tests and change grades. Newport-Mesa Unified School District has moved away from a zero-tolerance discipline policy in support of  restorative justice.

The victim focused process aims to encourage dialog between the students being disciplined and the person who has been wronged.  Newport-Mesa Unified says it may not use this discipline model for the computer hacking case.

Guests: 
Hannah Fry, reporter with The Daily Pilot (News for Newport Beach, Costa Mesa and Irvine)

David Yusem, Program Manager, Restorative Justice Family, Schools, & Community Partnerships for the Oakland Unified School District

; Credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

The 86th Academy Awards nominations have been announced—and this year’s list has a few notable snubs and surprises.

David O. Russell’s comedy “American Hustle” and Alfonso Cuaron’s 3-D space thriller “Gravity” are among the big winners, with each film earning 10 nominations. Steve McQueen’s “12 Years a Slave earned 9 Oscar nominations.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sandra Bullock, Bruce Dern and Cate Blanchett are among those in consideration for the top acting honors. Notably absent from the list are actors Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson.

What did you find most surprising or disappointing in this year’s selections? Which films, actors and directors were overlooked?

Below is a list of nominations in some of the major categories. For the complete list of Oscar nominees, visit Oscar.com.

Best picture
"12 Years a Slave"
"American Hustle"
"Captain Phillips"
"Dallas Buyers Club”
"Gravity"
"Her”
"Nebraska"
"Philomena"
"The Wolf of Wall Street"

Director
Alfonso Cuarón, "Gravity"
Steve McQueen, "12 Years a Slave"
Alexander Payne, "Nebraska"
David O. Russell, "American Hustle"
Martin Scorsese, "The Wolf of Wall Street"

Lead actor
Christian Bale, "American Hustle"
Bruce Dern, "Nebraska"
Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave"
Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Wolf of Wall Street"

Lead actress
Amy Adams, "American Hustle"
Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine"
Judi Dench, "Philomena"
Meryl Streep, "August: Osage County"
Sandra Bullock, "Gravity"

Guests:

Tom O'Neil, Editor and CEO, Gold Derby.com - specializing in show business awards; has written books on the Oscars, Emmys and Grammys for Variety; and articles for the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Washington Post, and TV Guide, among others

 Lael Loewenstein, KPCC film critic

Actor Chris Pine attends the premiere of Paramount Pictures' "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" at TCL Chinese Theatre on January 15, 2014 in Hollywood, California. ; Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Larry and KPCC film critics Tim Cogshell, Henry Sheehan and Charles Solomon review this week’s releases, including Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Ride Along, The Nut Job and more. TGI-Filmweek!

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Ride Along

The Nut Job

Guests:

Tim Cogshell, Film critic for KPCC and Alt Film Guide

Henry Sheehan, Film critic for KPCC and CriticsAGoGo.com

Charles Solomon, Animation film critic for KPCC and author and historian for amazon.com

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about the National Security Agency (NSA) at the Justice Department, on January 17, 2014 in Washington, DC. President Obama outlined new changes to the agency's most controversial surveillance practices.; Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

The Edward Snowden files have exposed the depth and breadth of U.S. surveillance efforts in the wake of 9/11 domestically and abroad, at the same time casting the heretofore ultra-secretive National Security Agency into the public spotlight.

Almost six months after details of the PRISM cellphone metadata collection program were leaked, President Obama today has announced steps to change several aspects of how the NSA would collect and store phone records and other information that would nonetheless leave the existing programs largely intact.

Should these surveillance programs be scrapped altogether? Should they be left untouched and intact?

Guests:

Rebecca Sinderbrand, Deputy White House Editor for POLITICO

Adam Schiff, Democratic Congressman representing the 29th District, which include Atwater Village, Burbank and West Hollywood

Robert Turner, Associate Director of the Center for National Security Law at the University of Virginia

A car rests in the midst of a collapsed house in the hills north of Los Angeles, January 18, 1994, one day after Northridge earthquake. ; Credit: VINCE BUCCI/AFP/Getty Images

Today, we mark the 20th anniversary of the Northridge Earthquake - a 6.7 magnitude quake that killed at least 57, injured more than 9,000 and rendered about 125,000 people homeless.

This week, Los Angeles Mayor announced a plan to make LA "earthquake resilient." Chosen to lead it is long-time seismologist Lucy Jones. She recently gave a presentation entitled "Imagine America without Los Angeles." She's long been warning that the more complex our city and society become, the more vulnerable we are.

How long will it take to create “earthquake resilience strategies” for LA? What about neighboring communities? Fault line maps of Hollywood and Sierra Madre faults have been released recently by California Geologic Survey – how should those be used? An early warning system is in development? Is there enough funding and political will to make it happen? What’s the timeline?

Guest: 

Lucy Jones, Ph.D., Seismologist, U.S. Geological Survey & Caltech - who was a critical resource during the Northridge Quake in 1994; Jones is working with the City of Los Angeles to develop earthquake resilience strategies

U.S. Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA) makes a statement announcing he will not seek re-election and that he will retire from the House of Representatives, in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill, January 16, 2014 in Washington, DC. The 75-year-old McKeon has served California's 25th congressional district since 1993 and has been the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee since 2011. ; Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

California Representative, Howard "Buck" McKeon, has announced that this will be his last term in Congress. The Republican from Santa Clarita choked back tears as he made the announcement in Washington yesterday.

McKeon, 75, has served the state of California since 1993 and has chaired the House Armed Services Committee since 2011. That put him in a powerful position to make decision about military spending, a position which he used to fight against deep spending cuts at the Pentagon.

McKeon's retirement will make a big dent in California's clout on Capitol Hill and will no doubt set off a fierce race to succeed him. Will California be able to retain strong influence in Washington? What does McKeon's retirement mean for the future of California Republicans? Can the state keep a strong voice in military affairs and spending?

Guest: 

Austin Wright, Defense reporter for POLITICO

Jennifer Lawrence holds the trophy for Best Actress in the press room during the 85th Annual Academy Awards on February 24, 2013 in Hollywood, California.; Credit: JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images

This week, Meryl Streep made Academy Award history with an epic 18th Oscar nomination for her role in August: Osage County. The movie veteran has scooped the top prize three times, for Best Supporting Actress in Kramer vs. Kramer and Best Actress gongs for Sophie's Choice in 1982 and The Iron Lady in 2011.

But in years to come, who will be the next big thing gaining almost annual recognition from the Academy? The likes of Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook), Zoe Saldana (Avatar), Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis) and Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale) are names often found on 'ones to watch' lists - who would you add?

Guests: 

Jenelle Riley,  Associate Editor of Features at Variety

Tim Cogshell, Film critic for KPCC and Alt Film Guide

Henry Sheehan, Film critic for KPCC and CriticsAGoGo.com

File: Martin Luther KIng (C) waves to supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial August 28, 1963.; Credit: AFP/Getty Images

As we mark what would have been the 85th birthday of civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. we look at the state of black leadership in Los Angeles.

What impact has the Obama presidency had on the work of black leaders locally? What are the current issues for African Americans? And who are the next generation of leaders?

Guests: 

Joe Hicks, Vice President, Community Advocates,  a civil rights and social criticism organization  

Dallas Fowler, Commisioner, Commission on the Status of Women

Rev. Mark Whitlock, Executive Director, Cecil Murray Center for Religion and Civic Culture

Shani Byard, Founder of Message Media Ed, School of Black Leadership in the Digital Age

Actor Joaquin Phoenix attends the premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures "Her" at DGA Theater on December 12, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. ; Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Spike Jonze’s ‘Her’ is set in future-L.A., an unspecified decades-away version of the city with a more dense skyline and a sprawling public transit system. Jonze’s version of Los Angeles isn’t particularly dystopian or retro.

New York architects helped redesign the skyline, adding tall buildings far beyond the borders of modern downtown. The city’s new look borrows from Shanghai, where many of the film’s street scenes were shot.

The new L.A. seems car-less -- people rely instead on large walkways in the city center and an expansive train system that protagonist Theodore Twombly takes to and from work and, presumably, to a few area beaches and other city locations.

How did the production team design the new Los Angeles? Is this the future of the city? How might things change in the next few decades? What inspired the architecture and design for the film? Los Angeles Times’ architecture critic explores these issues in his analysis of the film. 

Guest: 

Christopher Hawthorne, architecture critic for the Los Angeles Times

A blogger participating in the "Republica 2010" uses his computer on the final day of the three-day event at the Friedrichstadtpalast in Berlin on April 16, 2010. The conference, attended by 2,500 participants, focused on blogs, social media and digital culture. ; Credit: AFP/AFP/Getty Images

Online bloggers are allowed the same freedom of speech and protections against defamation that traditional reporters do, a court ruling declared on Friday.

The case at hand involved a blogger named Crystal Cox who wrote several posts accusing an Oregon attorney and his company, Obsidian Finance Group LLC, of fraud, corruption, money-laundering and other illegal activities.They sued Cox for defamation and originally won until the case made its way to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The court declared Friday that Cox should be afforded the same free speech protections as a traditional journalist. In the ruling, the judge said that jury could not find Cox liable for defamation unless it found that she acted negligently.

Should bloggers and non-traditional journalists be allowed to make false statements under protection of freedom of speech? How do you prove ‘negligence’? What type of speech can be considered defamatory online?

Guest: 

Eugene Volokh, Professor of Law at UCLA. He represented blogger Crystal Cox in the case

Picture dated 22 October 1991 of legendary jazz and blues singer Nina Simone in concert at the Olympia music hall in Paris.; Credit: BERTRAND GUAY/AFP/Getty Images

The impact artists, writers and other cultural workers had on the civil rights movement is a well-trodden topic, but what about the influence black women performers exercised on the movement?

In her new book, “How It Feels to Be Free,” Rutgers history professor Ruth Feldstein looks at the careers of six people—Lena Horne, Miriam Makeba, Nina Simone, Abbey Lincoln, Diahann Carroll and Cicely Tyson--between 1950s to the 1970s, to ask how these black women performers helped shaped the discussion around empowerment and forged social changes.

Guest:

Ruth Feldstein, Associate Professor in History and American Studies at Rutgers University and author of “How It Feels to Be Free: Black Women Entertainers and the Civil Rights Movement” (Oxford University Press, USA, 2013)

Director Michael Bay is greeted by Samsung Electronics America Executive VP Joe Stinziano on stage at the Samsung press event at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center for the 2014 International CES on January 6, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bay abruptly walked off the stage after a teleprompter malfunctioned and Bay was unable to ad-lib to continue the presentation.; Credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

Have you ever spoken with someone who relies on vocal crutches to get through everyday conversation?  Chances are, you have. Many people rely on vocal crutches without even realizing it.

Common vocal crutches include relying on filler words such as “um”and “like, “ya know?” Up-talking is another common vocal tic which occurs when someone ends statements with the intonation of a question. Vocal crutches can be annoying and can even distract listeners from what is actually being said.  

Can vocal tics impact a person’s image? Can vocal crutches hold individuals back in a professional environment?  What is the best way to identify a vocal crutch? How can you stop yourself from relying on vocal tics?

Guest: 

John K. Bates, CEO and Founder at Executive Speaking Success

One of the Olympic torches rises in front of a poster with the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic logo just outside the Red Square in Moscow, on October 7, 2013, during a ceremony to kick off the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic torch relay across Russia.; Credit: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images

New reports of terrorism threats are casting a shadow over the upcoming Winter Olympics that are set to start in Sochi in just a few weeks. A video has surfaced threatening attacks on the games and sightings of "black widow" terrorism suspects have security experts on edge.

Security forces have reportedly circulated fliers to hotels around the Russian city warning that several women were suspected of plotting to carry out terrorism attacks during the games. The US military is taking the threats seriously and has even put together a plan to evacuate Americans in case of an attack on the Olympics.

CNN is reporting that the Pentagon will have two warships and a number of C-17 aircraft nearby to help Russian security services respond to an attack. How serious are these reports coming out of Russia? What is the US military's plan for keeping Americans safe? Is the threat keeping American spectators at home?

Guests: 

Brian Michael Jenkins, Senior adviser to the president of the RAND corporation and author of a number of books on terrorism including ‘Will Terrorists Go Nuclear?’

Erroll Southers, Security Expert & Associate Director of Research Transition at the Department of Homeland Security National Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE) at USC

A Chinese policeman stands guard on the Tiananmen Square which is shrouded with heavy smog on January 16, 2014 in Beijing, China. Beijing Municipal Government issued a yellow smog alert this morning. ; Credit: ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images

A new study out of UC Irvine measuring the movement of pollution from China to the United States has found that Chinese emissions are more heavily affecting domestic air. The study tracked toxins carried on a major wind path from China around the Northern Hemisphere.

While it is not out of the ordinary for any pollution to travel by wind from one country to another, Chinese emissions, which are not as regulated as those in the U.S. have a larger impact, partly because of the more lax restrictions and partly because of the wind paths that bring Chinese pollution to U.S. air.

What are the social and ethical implications of traveling pollution? What are the best ways to keep air clean and regulate emissions, both foreign and domestic?

Guest: 

Steve Davis, assistant professor of Earth System Science at UC Irvine

Aerial view of the Las Vegas boulevard, the Strip, in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 10, 2011. The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately 4.2-mile (6.8 km) stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada, adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper; Credit: GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images

The number of applications to film adult movies in Los Angeles has decreased by an estimated 95% following the passage of a law requiring actors to wear condoms in pornography. The law, which went into effect in 2013, has caused a flight of adult filmmakers from L.A. County to Las Vegas.

While Los Angeles law mandated health checks and charged hundreds of dollars for permits, Clark County, where most films are currently being made, charges only a nominal fee for filming and does not require health permits. Critics of the condom law say that the ban will cause a loss of revenue for L.A. County. How has the condom law changed the adult film industry in Los Angeles and Las Vegas? What will the continued financial trends be?

Guest: 

Mark Kernes, writer for Adult Video News

Steven Hirsch, founder and co-chairman, Vivid Entertainment

The rim of a wheel on VW Beetle is seen at German car maker Volkswagen's headquarters during the company's annual press conference on March 14, 2013 in Wolfsburg, northern Germany. ; Credit: DAVID GANNON/AFP/Getty Images

A Volkswagen plant in Tennessee plans to introduce more robust labor employee participation modeled on the company’s German structure. In Germany, labor relations include bodies called work councils that exist within businesses. The councils coordinate and negotiate with management, and are intended to foster the idea that employees are not adversaries, but rather valued participants.

The closest analogous groups to German work councils in the U.S. are unions, which have the ability to negotiate within an enterprise, but are often at odds with management. U.S. companies with more elaborate unionization, like Southwest Airlines and Kaiser Permanente, have seen financial growth and maintenance of high quality service.

Will Volkswagen benefit from the implementation of a German model in its U.S. plant? What is the best way to accommodate labor groups? Which practices make the most successful businesses?

Guest: 

Matt Finkin, Professor of Law at University of Illinois

Stan Greer, Senior researcher for the National Institute for Labor Relations Research, an advocacy group described as analyzing and exposing the inequities of compulsory unionism.