Why ozone levels exceeded federal health standards every day but one in July; racial tensions are high at the Claremont Colleges after a roommate-wanted posting requested "[people of color] only; "plus, Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Lael Loewenstein, Tim Cogshell, and Charles Solomon review this week’s new movie releases, including Seth Rogen's raunchy animated comedy "Sausage Party." TGI-FilmWeek!
State audit slams gang database as erroneous, badly managed
The CalGang database is one of the sources police departments rely on to check a suspected gang member’s affiliations, but a state audit released on Thursday has found the system riddled with mistakes and has called for a drastic overhaul.
The database contains over 150,000 names of suspected gang members. But the review finds numerous instances of inaccurate information, and names that should have been taken out but have nonetheless remained.
Furthermore, the report questions whether some of the information included might violate the privacy of those individuals.
Guests:
Peter Bibring, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Southern California and director of police practices for the ACLU of California
Wes McBride, A retired sergeant at the LA County Sheriff’s Gang Unit who co-founded the CalGang database. He is currently the executive director of the California Gang Investigators Association.
What you need to know about the air you’re breathing
Angelenos who've lived in the area for many years probably remember the “smog days” of the ‘70s and ‘80s, when air quality was a regular topic of discussion. Now, unless there’s a wildfire, the L.A. Basin is a place where folks feel free to breathe easy. On Wednesday however, the L.A. Times reported that the Southland has more than 2,000 people dying early every year from breathing polluted air.
But what exactly is causing Southern California’s air to be the most polluted in the nation?
Southern California has the nation’s highest levels of ozone, the corrosive gas in smog, according to the Times. The region doesn't meet federal standards for fine particles, harmful soot and chemical-laden specks of pollution that can negatively affect lungs — especially for people living in the Inland Empire.
In the past, the drought affected particulate matter levels, the South Coast Air Quality Management District's Phillip Fine said — but ozone is summertime's smog problem. High temperatures and stagnate weather contribute to elevated levels of the gas.
“Our biggest issue over the last month or two has been the ozone levels,” he said.
Though most SoCal residents tend to overlook the constant haze that looms over the city, Bonnie Holmes-Gen of the American Lung Association of California said it’s important to remember that it’s more than just brown air — it poses risks to our health.
“Breathing ozone and particle pollution or soot, as we call it, can literally shorten lives and create emergencies,” Holmes-Gen said.
The corrosive gas in smog can cause burns in lung tissue, which paired with the effects of particle pollution can contribute to asthma attacks, heart attacks and strokes, she said.
Fine said the levels of pollution are nowhere near those in the ‘70s and '80s — they’re more similar to those in 2009 — but the district still issues advisories when there’s going to be elevated levels of air pollutants.
You can download the South Coast Air Quality Management District smartphone app here to be kept up to date on the air quality in your area.
Guests:
Tony Barboza, L.A. Times reporter covering air quality and the environment
Phillip Fine, Deputy Executive Officer, South Coast Air Quality Management District
Bonnie Holmes-Gen, Senior Policy Director for the American Lung Association of California (ALAC) in Sacramento; her organization puts out a yearly air quality report, which you can check out here
Is it discriminatory to want to live with a roommate of the same race as you?
The Claremont Colleges are once again facing racial and ethnic discord, this time over an incident at Pitzer College.
You might recall last year's heated exchanges at Claremont McKenna, in which some African-American and Latino students claimed they felt excluded from the campus community. The Pitzer incident stems from a posting on the Class of 2018 Facebook page. It highlighted three students who were looking for a fourth to join them in renting an off-campus house. The posting added "POC only," that stands for Person of Color.
Needless to say, the racially-limiting posting was extremely controversial and led to condemnation from across the country. Two days ago, Pitzer President Melvin Oliver sent a message to the campus community describing the post as "inconsistent with our Mission and values." But there've also been defenders of the post. They hold to a view that whites can't understand what non-white students go through, making them less desirable as roommates.
Is it understandable, and acceptable, that three non-white students would want to limit the pool of roommates to another non-white student? The Pitzer President who questioned the posting is African-American. If a white college President offered the same critique, would that be tolerated by students of color? If you feel under siege, as it sounds like these students are, is it in their best interests to avoid living with white people?
Share your thoughts with us at 866-893-5722
FilmWeek: ‘Pete’s Dragon,’ ‘Sausage Party’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Lael Loewenstein, Tim Cogshell, and Charles Solomon review this week’s new movie releases including Disney’s “Pete’s Dragon” that blends animation with live-action; another summer raunchy comedy, but animated, called “Sausage Party;” Meryl Streep as a laughable opera singer in “Florence Foster Jenkins,” and more.
TGI-FilmWeek!
Charles' Hits
Lael's Hits
Tim's Hits
- "Pete's Dragon"
- "Emily & Tim"
- "Little Men"
- "Joshy"
Mixed Reviews
- Charles: "Pete's Dragon"
- Lael: "Front Cover"
- Tim: "Florence Foster Jenkins"
- Tim: "Sausage Party"
This Week's Misses
- Charles and Lael: "Sausage Party"
- Tim: "Anthropoid"
- Tim: "Blood Father"
- Tim: "Making a Killing: Guns, Greed, and the NRA"
- Tim: "Ghost Team"
Guests:
Tim Cogshell, Film Critic for KPCC and Alt-Film Guide; Tim tweets from
Charles Solomon, Film Critic for KPCC and Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
Lael Loewenstein, Film Critic for KPCC
The benefits and challenges of working with method actors
After the recent release of DC Comics’ latest superhero flick “Suicide Squad,” some unsettling stories surfaced about just how far one of its stars went to embody the character he was playing.
In addition to director David Ayer reportedly having his cast punch one another to get invested in their roles, Oscar-winning actor Jared Leto apparently went even farther in trying to get into character. Leto, who has been known to immerse himself deeply into character, sent the cast a dead pig during their first table read. On set, he apparently refused to go by his real name and insisted on being called “Mistah J,” the pet name that the character Harley Quinn calls The Joker.
Leto’s immersion in his character may be the latest instance, but it’s certainly not the first in which an actor has gone to great lengths to embody someone on screen.
Others like Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christian Bale, and Marlon Brando have also embodied characters they play by essentially becoming the character.
But when you go to lengths like Jared Leto did to become a character, at what point does method acting like that stop serving the film and become about serving the actor? How has method acting evolved in Hollywood, and is it the same now as it was originally taught? Who comes to mind when you think of method actors, and who are some of your favorites? Are there any you think went too far in trying to become a character?
Guests:
Sasha Krane, actor, director, and an instructor at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, where he teaches method acting for the camera
David Strasberg, creative director and CEO of The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, where he teaches method acting