Missouri Governor Jay Nixon lifted the curfew in Ferguson, but confusion over restrictions on protests only seemed to fuel frustrations and confusion. Also, New CEO of the Los Angeles Times talks future of the paper, media. Then, farmers, redheads, Jews and microhome-owners: The very big world of niche dating.
Continuing chaos in Ferguson despite National Guard presence
Violence and protests persisted in Ferguson, Missouri last night despite the presence of National Guard troops. Peaceful protests turned into violence, including gunshots, as civilians and authorities attempted to reign in the outbursts from a small group.
Two men were shot, and 31 people, some from out of state, were arrested. Tear gas and orders to leave followed. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon lifted the curfew in Ferguson, but confusion over restrictions on protests only seemed to fuel frustrations and confusion. Police urged peaceful protesters to limit their demonstrations to daylight hours, saying that nighttime protests give cover to “violent agitators” -- protests continued and anger grew when crowds were asked to disperse around midnight, the time of the revoked curfew.
How will the situation in Ferguson continue to develop? What are the best tactics for protesters to use to truly further their cause? What are the best approaches for keeping people safe?
Guest:
Durrie Bouscaren, reporter for St. Louis Public Radio, has been in Ferguson during nighttime protests
Jason Rosenbaum, reporter for St. Louis Public Radio, on the ground in Ferguson
California business groups warn of impending 'hidden gas tax'
Californians are seeing and hearing a blitz of advertisements warning of a looming "hidden gas tax." The price increase is expected to take effect in the new year because California's cap-and-trade program will expand to include fuel, meaning oil refiners will have to buy permits for the greenhouse gas pollution tied to gasoline and diesel sales.
Organizations opposed to that plan are throwing their support behind Assembly Bill 69 (Perea), which would delay the cap-and-trade extension to fuels. Assemblymember Henry Perea (D-Fresno) has said a delay would give time to consider expanding cap-and-trade "in a way that doesn't impact the working class," according to the Sacramento Bee.
However, UC Berkeley energy experts say the average Californian will see $4 per month added to their cost of living due to the gas price hike. Other says you would need a crystal ball to know how energy spending will change for Californians.
Why is there a wide variation in the economic impact analysis? Who supports delaying the coming extension on cap-and-trade, and why?
Guests:
Jay McKeeman, Vice President of Government Relations and Communications, California Independent Oil Marketers Association
Gary Gero, President of Climate Action Reserve, a carbon offset registry based in Los Angeles
New CEO of the Los Angeles Times talks future of the paper, media
Austin Beutner, the former Wall Street investment banker and philanthropist, accepted the position last month to become the new CEO and publisher of the Los Angeles Times despite decreasing sales of its print editions.
And he’s here to talk about it. According to the LA Times, Beutner addressed employees in a full auditorium, asking for individuals to “explore new revenue streams” and to embrace new technologies. The former Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles, and former candidate for mayor, is looking to raise advertising and digital revenues after Tribune Co., the newspaper’s parent company, which reported profit declines of 43% this past March.
Beutner's got a reputation as a concise but out-of-the box thinker, who was once interested in buying the Los Angeles Times and running it as a nonprofit. Now that he’s in charge, what should Beutner do differently to successfully run the historical newspaper? And how will he strike a balance between "Civic booster" and publisher of a paper that's supposed to be holding the city accountable?
Guest:
Austin Beutner, publisher and CEO of the Los Angeles Times
New LAUSD disciplinary policy to focus on counseling, not criminalization
The Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest district in the nation, will announce a major change in its disciplinary policy against students who commit minor offenses today. Under the new policy, campus police will no longer issue citations for campus fights, vandalism, and most other minor infractions. Instead, student who are caught will be referred to counseling and other services.
According to the Community Strategy Center, an LA-based human rights organization that has been working with LAUSD, the law firm Public Counsel and others to usher in the change, some 33,000 citations were given to students for committing minor crimes between 2009 and 2011. Many of the students ended up in the juvenile justice system.
LAUSD also plans to hire a number of restorative justice counselors for its schools, funded by a $4 million grant from the Local Control Funding Formula.
Guests:
Zoë Rawson, Legal Advocate, Community Rights Campaign, the nonprofit organization that’s worked with LAUSD and other organizations on developing the policy
Judith Kafka, Associate Professor of Educational Policy and History of Education at Baruch College and The Graduate Center, which is part of City University New York. She is also the author of “The History of ‘Zero Tolerance’ in American Public Schooling” (Palgrave Macmillan; Reprint edition, 2013)
Farmers, redheads, Jews and microhome-owners: The very big world of niche dating
The stigma of Internet dating has faded to nearly nothing, with hordes of couples meeting on sites like OkCupid, Match and eHarmony. Finding your perfect mate can prove incredibly difficult, especially if you’re looking for something specific.
Enter the niche dating site, covering every interest under the sun for people looking for someone who meets particular (sometimes very particular) criteria. Some niche dating is huge — JDate and ChristianMingle (both owned by the same company, Spark) have huge pools of online daters. Smaller sites cater to several races and religions, and some more niche subsets: farmers, redheads, microhome-owners, dog lovers, the list goes on, and on, and on.
What kinds of traits are important enough to base an entire romantic relationship on? Are you more likely to see sparks fly on niche dating sites, or can compatible partners come from all walks of life? Would you use niche criteria to find your match, online or off?
Guests:
Jessica Carbino, PhD. Candidate in Sociology at UCLA, Online Dating Expert, Huffington Post Contributor
Karen North, Ph.D., Director, Annenberg Program on Online Communities, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism; psychologist specializing in online communities
To hear this segment, click on "Listen Now" above.