In the span of six weeks, the Sony breach has turned into a story about national security, cyber-terrorism, and creativity freedom. We’ll look at the cultural, political and business implications of the breach. Also, two-thirds of the superintendents of the 30 largest school districts in California have been in their roles for three years or less. What can be done about it? Then, Bruce Feiler searches for meaning in "Sacred Journeys."
Future tense: Impact of Sony hack on the future of commerce, policy and culture
The Sony breach started off as a piracy story. Five new movies from the studio were stolen by hackers and shared on the internet. The purloined films, including Brad Pitt’s “Fury” and the then still-unreleased “Annie,” were downloaded hundreds of thousands of times. The true extent of the hack would only be felt weeks later. Along with the films, hackers also leaked troves of documents, including Sony work emails, salary history, employee data.
The North Koreans were rumored to be behind the attack, allegedly in retaliation for being made fun of in the Sony comedy “The Interview.” In mid-December, theater chains in North America announced that they won’t carry the Seth Rogen film after hackers threatened violence. The FBI were called in, which identified North Korea as the culprit of the attack Dec. 19. Sony, which earlier cancelled the Dec. 25 release of “The Interview” announced today that it has secured a limited release for the film.
In the span of 6 weeks, the Sony breach has turned into a story about national security, cyber-terrorism, and creative freedom. In this hour of AirTalk, we’ll look at the cultural, political and business implications of the breach.
Guest:
Tatiana Siegel, Senior Film Writer, The Hollywood Reporter;
THR: Executives Now "Afraid" to Send Emails
Stewart Baker, a partner at the law firm, Steptoe & Johnson. He is the former first Assistant Secretary for Policy at the Department of Homeland Security where he set cybersecurity policy
Kim Zetter, senior reporter at WIRED and author of the book, “Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon” (Crown, 2014)
Scott Borg, Director and Chief Economist of The United States Cyber Consequences Unit, which was founded at the request of senior government officials, who wanted an independent, economically-oriented source of cyber-security research
Stowe Boyd, Social Analyst for GigaOm Research - which provides analysis of emerging technologies for individual and corporate subscribers; also dubbed as a Web Anthropologist and Futurist
High superintendent turnover plagues California public schools
One of the biggest stories in education this year is the resignation of former LAUSD superintendent John Deasey. Deasey was on the job 3 ½ years, which according to an analysis done by the education news site Ed Source, was in keeping with the average length of the tenure of a school superintendent in California.
EdSource finds that two-thirds of the superintendents of the 30 largest school districts in California have been in their roles for three years or less. Ten have been on the job for less than a year. Only three California school superintendents have a tenure of more than 5 years – from Long Beach Unified, Fresno Unified, and Chino Valley Unified.
What are the challenges that school superintendents face? How has high turnover impacted public education in the state? What can be done about it? How has the job of the superintendent changed over the years?
Guests:
Louis Freedberg, executive director of EdSource a nonprofit organization based in Berkeley that provides data tools and research on education issues
Christopher Steinhauser, Superintendent of Schools, Long Beach Unified School District. He has been in the post since 2002
PBS's Sacred Journeys travels on pilgrimages to Lourdes, the Ganges, Jerusalem, Mecca and more
For many, the holidays are a time for reflection and faith and what better way to gain perspective than the sweeping documentary series from PBS, "Sacred Journeys." Respected scholar and writer on spirituality Bruce Feiler went on six pilgrimages over the course of a year. He takes viewers on his travels alongside U.S. pilgrims on their search for meaning in Jerusalem, Mecca, Kumbh Mela, Shikoku, Lourdes (France) and Osun-Osogbo (Nigeria).
Last week's episode focused on U.S. Wounded Warriors looking for healing in Lourdes. He also met up with Buddhists trekking several hundred miles to 88 temples in Japan. In tonight's back-to-back episodes, we meet Jews at the Western Wall who bring modern technology to ancient prayer ceremonies, then Muslims in Mecca helping videotape the intense, hard-to-traverse once annual passage known as the Hajj.
What does it mean that pilgrimages are on the rise? Why are they so popular? If you're religious or spiritual, have you taken a pilgrimage? How did it influence your faith?
Guest:
Bruce Feiler, Host of "Sacred Journeys" on PBS; columnist for the New York Times and the author of five consecutive New York Times bestsellers, including "Walking the Bible," "Abraham."
Watch episodes online here (link).
Airing tonight at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal, "Sacred Journeys" will travel to Jerusalem and then to Mecca. The last installments air next Tuesday.