Baby boomers between the ages of 45 and 64 are committing suicide at an increasing rate. What are the factors behind this phenomenon? What can be done to reverse it? Also, two powerful Sacramento lawmakers are proposing that a battery plant for "green" auto manufacturer Tesla be partially exempted from California Environmental Quality Act regulations. Then, drought watch: The case for and against ripping out LA’s public lawns.
Understanding the high rate of suicides among middle-aged baby boomers
Actor Robin Williams' suicide was a surprise to many. But statistically, it's unfortunately not so much of a shock.
According to the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, baby boomers between the ages of 45 and 64 are committing suicide at an increasing rate. From 1999 to 2011, suicide rate for this age group jumped 40 percent.
Julie Phillips, a sociology professor at Rutgers University who has been researching the topic, calls this epidemic a "changing epidemiology of suicide," spurred by a variety of social, cultural and economic factors. But she warns that the boomer generation might just be “the tip of the iceberg” when it comes to being burdened by this troubling trend.
What are the factors behind this phenomenon? What can be done to reverse it?
Guest:
Dr. Christine Moutier, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at the American Federation for Suicide Prevention
Patrick Arbore, Founder and Director of the Center for Elderly Suicide Prevention and Grief Related Services at Institute on Aging in San Francisco.
Need help? Call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at: 1-800-273-825
When it comes to depression, what are the limits of neuroscience?
The vast, complicated nature of the human brain make the intricacies of mental health and mental illness difficult to understand and to treat.
Depression is especially hard to take on -- with an incredibly wide range of symptoms, manifestations, and potential treatments, it’s hard to know what will work and when. The tragic death of renowned actor and comedian Robin Williams underscores how difficult coping with depression can be -- even for those who have every resource at their disposal, who understand their affliction, and who have the support and love of those around them, depression can feel insurmountable.
What do we understand about depression? What is still unknown? What are the neuroscientific limits of therapy, treatment, and understanding? What are the best ways to approach depression for those coping with it directly and for those with a friend or loved one who is suffering?
Guest:
Dr. Andrew Leuchter, professor of psychiatry and director of the Laboratory of Brain, Behavior, and Pharmacology at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA.
How to live and cope with noise in Los Angeles
Noise pollution is an inescapable fact of modern life. In mid-Wilshire, it might take the form of the seemingly incessant noise coming from construction projects in the area. In Hollywood, it could be the muffled beats from late-night dance clubs. In Downtown Los Angeles, it could be the car honks from impatient, gridlocked drivers. If you live close to a freeway, there's of course the blanket of traffic white noise. Even suburbanites aren't spared from unwanted noise, be it the occasional fire truck to the rumblings of your neighbor's lawn mowers.
What kind of noise do you live with? How do you cope with noise in your surroundings? What noise mitigation techniques do you use?
Guest:
Ted Rueter: Director, Noise Free America , a national citizens group opposed to noise pollution. He was a Political Science professor at UCLA and now teaches the subject online at the University of Maryland University College and other schools
Monica Hammer, environmental public health lawyer that works in the area of noise pollution. She is lead author of the paper “Environmental Noise Pollution in the United States: Developing an Effective Public Health Response” published in the February 2014 issue of the journal, Environmental Health Perspectives
California lawmakers negotiate exempting Tesla battery plant from environmental review
Two powerful Sacramento lawmakers are proposing that a battery plant for "green" auto manufacturer Tesla be partially exempted from California Environmental Quality Act regulations, as reported by the L.A. Times.
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) and Senator Ted Gaines (R-Northern California) are working on a package of incentives to lure Tesla's plant along with its 6,500 new jobs and $5 billion in spending. Environmental advocates says CEQA does not apply differently to different companies.
What are the environmental risks associated with a battery plant? Are those risks balanced by the zero-emissions cars manufactured by Tesla? What about the pioneering research? Is this move really an attempt to reform CEQA by lawmakers who in the past have sought changes to the landmark law?
Guests:
Marc Lifsher, business reporter in Sacramento for the L.A. Times
Jennifer Hernandez, attorney with Holland & Knight law firm; Hernandez specializes in CEQA on behalf of developers; she co-chairs Holland & Knight’s National Environmental Team and leads the West Coast Land Use and Environment Practice Group for the San Francisco firm
David Pettit, senior attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council and director of NRDC's Southern California Air Program
Drought watch: The case for and against ripping out LA’s public lawns
L.A. City councilmen Felipe Fuentes and Mike Bonin have had enough. They’re calling on Los Angeles in a motion introduced this week to stop watering the lush green lawns on city property, let them go brown, and eventually replant with native plants.
Their argument is simple: It sets a bad example to be maintaining the city’s turf-grass lawns while residents face mandatory watering restrictions.
Particularly in poor taste, according to their motion, is the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s electricity distribution station in Eagle Rock, which neighbors say gets watered hours on end.
Do you agree Los Angeles should make its city properties showcases for sustainability? Or is there something we just aren’t ready to sacrifice about the stateliness of a green lawn on official city property? And would it really be more sustainable and save resources to rip out those lawns and replace them with native plants, which would still require significant amounts of water in their first few years to establish themselves in new ground?
Guest:
Felipe Fuentes, councilmember of the seventh district, serving the communities of Lake View Terrace, Mission Hills, North Hills, Pacoima, Shadow Hills, Sunland, Tujunga,La Tuna Canyon, Sylmar
Penny Falcon, Water Conservation Manager, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power