What is it that enables someone to face head on the risk of death or serious injury? Also, after the Ashley Madison hack, under what circumstances is it okay for the media to contact victims of a hack that illegally publicizes people’s private information? Then, a study out of the University of Denver finds that people who started dating in high school tend to have more productive romantic relationships later in life.
When it comes to thinking in life or death situations, less is more
Three Californians were given France's highest honor this morning, after their heroic actions foiled an attack aboard a European train. At great risk to themselves, the unarmed men subdued the well-armed would-be attacker, evidently intent on killing passengers aboard a train heading from Amsterdam to Paris.
Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos, and Anthony Sadler received the French Legion of Honor from French President Francois Hollande. British businessman Chris Norman was also honored. Three additional passengers, including one who was shot, will be honored later.
What is it that enables someone to face head on the risk of death or serious injury? Back on 9/11, passengers on United 93, knowing they were dealing with a suicide attacker, were able to force the plane down and save many other lives.
Maybe you've found yourself with having to decide whether to step into a violent situation or not. Probably not a terrorist attack, but domestic violence, street crime, robbery. What did you do? In hindsight, was it the right move, or do you regret how you responded? Did you think before you acted, or did you just act without considering cost to yourself?
Call us at 866-893-5722 with your life or death story!
Is media’s interest in Ashley Madison hack more public interest or prurient?
Under what circumstances is it okay for the media to contact victims of a hack that illegally publicizes people’s private information?
That’s the question being raised in the aftermath of the Ashley Madison hack. News media have been contacting some subscribers to the married dating site Ashley Madison.
The purported reason - to find out if public employees used government resources to pursue dates. Is that media action driven by true public interest, or prurient ones? Are private citizens fair game? Or just government officials, and the like?
In California, dozens of city, county, and state employees email addresses were exposed in the hack. Though it’s unclear if any one of members actually used the site, merely signed up out of curiosity, or had their email address used by someone else.
But if the emails have a government extension, is it within the bounds of journalists to target them, since they’re using government resources and possibly time to, at the very least, explore a site presumably having nothing to do with their line of work?
Tweet us with #AshMadMedia to let us know!
Guests:
Jane Kirtley, professor of media ethics and law at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota
Why carpooling is disappearing and how some apps are trying to bring it back
The rate of carpooling to work has been steadily declining in recent decades, but a crop of apps in the model of Uber is paving the way for a new wave of ridesharing.
Carpool commuting made up 20 percent of all work trips in the 1980s, when the Census began measuring it. That rate has declined every decade since. The most recent surveys say just 9.7 percent of commuters carpool nationally, though in Los Angeles it's a bit higher, at 10.7 percent.
Do you carpool? Why or why not?
Tweet us with #KPCCCommute to let us know!
Read the full story.
Guest:
Meghan McCarty, KPCC reporter covering commuting and mobility issues
Compton pay scandal raises questions about how part-time city leaders should be compensated
The mayor and city council members of Compton have courted local controversy as scrutiny from the DA’s office brought issues of wages and compensation to the fore.
At issue is whether these elected officials should be paid additional public appropriations for their attendance at meetings for commissions of which they are members. The positions of mayor and city council member for Compton are part-time positions that pay $63,000 and $55,800, respectively.
The DA has cited an proliferation of sessions that “are often of very short duration. Many Housing commission meetings last only one minute.” The mayor has been paid thousands of dollars per month for attending commissions on Gaming, Housing Development, Compton Public Finance, and more.
The following is an excerpt of Compton Mayor Aja Brown’s response to the allegations:
The city charter does not state that council members should serve “part-time” which is oftentimes stated in error. Now, in the current city structure, I can only recommend policy changes to the council body. If the city council as a body, does not decide to take action on policy changes that require a charter change, the next option is to bypass the council through a signature-gathering effort (voter petition) to force a special election. Unfortunately, the city council did not support giving voters their opportunity to vote on the reform package in November 2015, which not only addressed reducing council salaries, but included a 1 cent sales tax measure to repave every city street, hire additional firefighters, purchase critical safety equipment, improve street lighting, refurbish city parks, provide dedicated funding for youth programs, gang intervention, and more.
How should local officials be compensated to avoid controversy? Should all local officials be full-time? What benefits, if any, should they be provided?
I made more on my first job out of college than I do as Mayor of Compton and I work twice as many hours.
— Aja Brown (@AjaLBrown)
I made more on my first job out of college than I do as Mayor of Compton and I work twice as many hours. #publicservice
— Aja Brown (@AjaLBrown) August 21, 2015
These are the facts: http://t.co/zFiJ5OU3O9. I don't have authority to change compensation alone, takes 3 votes. I've tried several times.
— Aja Brown (@AjaLBrown)
These are the facts: http://t.co/zFiJ5OU3O9. I don't have authority to change compensation alone, takes 3 votes. I've tried several times.
— Aja Brown (@AjaLBrown) August 21, 2015
Guests:
Bob Stern, Former president of the L.A.-based Center for Governmental Studies and principal co-author of California’s Political Reform Act, passed by 70% of the state’s voters in 1974. Stern was also the first general counsel of the California Fair Political Practices Commission (1975-83)
Karen Foshay, Senior investigative producer, Al Jazeera
Study: Quality high school romance benefits teens
A study out of the University of Denver finds that people who started dating in high school tend to have more productive romantic relationships later in life.
The study followed 200 tenth-graders — half male, half female — from middle- to upper-middle class backgrounds for nine years and found that quality high school romance benefits the psychological and social growth of teens.
The study, “Quality Counts: Developmental Shifts in Associations Between Romantic Relationship Qualities and Psychosocial Adjustment,” was published this month in the journal "Child Development".
Guest:
Wyndol Furman, Professor of Psychology at University of Denver. He is one of the coauthors of the study, “Quality Counts: Developmental Shifts in Associations Between Romantic Relationship Qualities and Psychosocial Adjustment.”
To hear this segment, click on the play button above.
Emmy 2015: 'Deadliest Catch' producers swimming in nominations
The massive success of Discovery Channel's "Deadliest Catch" — 38 Emmy nominations since 2005 — is telling about the genre as a whole: Reality TV began as a kooky trend at the turn of the millennium but is now a staple for audiences and the industry.
AirTalk is taking a deeper look at this year's Emmy category of Unstructured Reality, starting with the nominee that won Outstanding Reality Program last year. The series is set in the bone-chilling Bering Sea, and follows charismatic ship captains and crew as they hunt for valuable, delicious crabs and deal with personal challenges.
It portrays how dangerous the crab hunt is, but filming it can be as challenging. Shooters, producers and their gear endure unpredictable conditions: cold, wet weather and long hours.
What are some of the most dogged challenges they face in the field? What have they learned about human nature from spending so much time documenting the personal lives of the participants? Why do they persevere shooting unscripted shows instead of the more predictable, scripted shows? What do they see as the future of the genre?
Guests:
Jeff Conroy, Emmy-nominated Executive Producer at Original Productions, creators of Discovery’s hit series “Deadliest Catch”
John Gray, Emmy-nominated Executive Producer at Original Productions, creators of Discovery’s hit series “Deadliest Catch”