Statewide Test Scores: Some Gains, Some Concerns; Lawsuit Damage Awards And The Media; Dwp Customers To Be Charged More For Using Less Power; Gaza Update; Mirror Neurons
Statewide Test Scores: Some Gains, Some Concerns
California public school students showed gains in Math and English tests last spring. However, less than half were proficient in the two subjects and unable to meet the achievement goals set by the federal government. Patt Morrison talks with Marlene Canter, LAUSD Board President, Rick Miller, Communications Director for the California Department of Education, and Russlynn Ali, director of the Education Trust-West, an advocacy organization in Oakland devoted to closing the achievement gap.
Lawsuit Damage Awards And The Media
Media coverage of high profile lawsuits and the huge damage awards that accompany them may be driving the political crusade for tort reform. Does such coverage give a distorted view of a legal system and send a message that frivolous lawsuits are on the rise and jury awards are out of control? Patt Morrison talks with Myron Levin, staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, and Victor Schwartz, General Counsel for American Tort Reform Association, located in Washington, DC about the coverage of mega-verdicts and how it may skew the public perception of the civil justsice system.
Dwp Customers To Be Charged More For Using Less Power
According to the Los Angeles Daily News, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will soon charge some large customers a fee for generating their own electricity. The DWP also gives the Los Angeles Unified School district a reduced rate for postponing its alternative energy program. Patt Morrison talks with Mary Nichols, newly appointed DWP Board member, and Director of the UCLA Institute of the environment and former CA Secretary of Resources, Scott Tomashefsky, Senior Adviser to the Chairman of the CA Energy Commission, and John White, Director of the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technology.
Gaza Update
Patt Morrison talks with Laura King, staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, about the latest news regarding the Israeli pullout.
Mirror Neurons
Mirror neurons are cells that fire in our brains not only when we perform a particular action, but when we observe others performing the same action. They're the reason we cry during movies and cringe when strangers are suffering. Dr. Marco Iacoboni of UCLA is one of the foremost researchers in the field of mirror neurons, and the author of the new book, "Mirroring People." Larry talks with him about how this research is changing the way scientists understand human interaction and the implications it has to fields as varied as health, parenting, and politics.