A String Of Earthquakes Rattles SoCal. Is It A Sign Of A Bigger One Coming?

For the last several weeks, a string of earthquakes have rattled SoCal. Ojai, El Sereno and Costa Mesa were all epicenters of not just one but several earthquakes, which is an unusual occurrence. While the quakes weren’t larger than a 3.6, many are still wondering if this series of smaller earthquakes is a sign of a larger one to come. What does the science say?

Joining us today on AirTalk is Christine Goulet, Director of the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Science Center

Why Annual Theme Park Passes Might Be Too Good Of A Deal

Last Wednesday, Disneyland announced it would be indefinitely pausing new sales of its Magic Key annual passes — meaning only current pass holders will be able to take advantage of the program for the foreseeable future.

Disneyland revamped the program in August 2021 to try to combat overcrowding, and since then, each of the annual pass tiers have had varying availability. Even with rising prices and more blackout dates, they might just be too good of a deal for dedicated fans. In the last sale that included all four pass options, the cheapest tier — reserved for Southern California residents in zip codes 90000 to 93599 — sold out in less than nine hours.

But Disneyland isn’t the only park with an annual pass problem — and some think that the programs are no longer serving theme parks or their patrons. Joining to discuss the economics and challenges of annual passes is Dennis Speigel, owner and founder of the Cincinnati-based International Theme Park Services, a global consultant to the leisure and theme park industry.

SoCal History: LA’s Civil Defense Sirens, A Decades-Old Artifact That Still Stands Now

Originally being an alert system for Angelenos following the attack on Pearl Harbor, civil defense sirens were a device that was meant to warn folks of an incoming disastrous event if one were to happen. Going from the angst of World War 2 to the fears of nuclear war during the Cold War, Angelenos saw more than 200 defense sirens across the town hoisted up in neighborhoods and meant to serve as a warning sign. With the sirens having been around for so long, sporting different looks, we thought it’d be worthwhile to discuss how they came to be and how their testing kept Angelenos alert in a way that was unique to the earthquake drills that exist to this day. Kim Cooper and Richard Schave, co-creators of Esotouric, a niche tour company in Los Angeles, are joining us to provide a primer on LA's civil defense sirens.

What Does The Future Of Nuclear Energy Look Like?

Policy experts and even environmentalists are split on what to do about nuclear energy. There’s a lot to this but here are the overarching arguments: We are in a climate crisis. Nuclear energy is an emissions-free form of power that many want to see used to help solve said crisis. But, nuclear energy also produces waste, and there are concerns over nuclear disaster and weapons. Today, we get into what policies could look like with or without nuclear energy and what the implications could be. We ask, what are the biggest pros and cons with nuclear energy? If not nuclear, then what? How do we operationalize alternative sources like wind and solar? What are other tech potentials? Joining to discuss is M.V. Ramana, professor of public policy and global affairs at the University of British Columbia and author of the forthcoming book Nuclear is not the Solution: The Folly of Atomic Power in the Age of Climate Change, and John Parsons, an economist at MIT who focus on energy and climate policy.

Here’s What You Need To Know About Buy Now, Pay Later Plans

If you’ve shopped online recently, you’ve likely noticed the sneaky option to “buy now, pay later” from services like Klarna, Affirm, and Afterpay. These services sell themselves as a quick and easy way to buy the things you want without having to worry about interests or fees. But despite the convenience of paying later, these plans are not without their pitfalls. Today on AirTalk we weigh the pros and cons of “buy now, pay later” plans. Joining us to discuss is Ted Rossman, Senior Industry Analyst at BankRate.

What’s Behind The Steady Decline of Sex in Movies?

You’ve probably heard rumblings about the sexless and chaste nature of recent Hollywood. Now, a new study has found that there’s a lot less sex in the movies of today than there was twenty years ago. The study, which looked at the 250 highest-grossing movies in America, found that sexual content in Hollywood movies has fallen by nearly 40% since 2000. To put that in perspective, in 2000 less than 20% of the highest-grossing films had no sexual content at all. This arrives in the wake of last year’s UCLA study conducted by the Center for Scholars & Storytellers which found that Gen Z is more interested in seeing platonic relationships on their screens than sexual content. But is Gen Z really to blame for this decline?

In recent years, discussion on the subject has heated social media, particularly in consideration of the MeToo movement and the rise of intimacy coordinators on set, with many people asking what actual narrative and cultural purpose sex scenes offer the medium. So what’s truly behind this decline in sex at the movies? Is the culture informing the box office or vice-versa?

Joining us to help us better understand the data and Hollywood’s relationship with sex are Rachel Lloyd, deputy culture editor at The Economist, and Amy Nicholson, film critic for LAist, film writer for the New York Times and host of the podcast ‘Unspooled.’ What are your thoughts on the decline of sex in movies — is it a good thing? Let us know by calling us at 866-893-5722, or email us at atcomments@laist.com