Should the city of Los Angeles sue Occupy LA? Fact Checkers: seekers of truth or peddlers of partisan politics? These Amazing Shadows.
Should the city of Los Angeles sue Occupy LA?
According to a spokesperson from the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office, the city is being sued by Occupy L.A. protestors. The city of Los Angeles may now counter-sue the group for damages caused during their two-month stay on City Hall grounds, including graffiti and needed repairs to the fountain, and for overtime pay for the Los Angeles Police Department.
The cost of to the city runs over $1.7 million, adds to the growing pool of red ink in the municipal budget and increases an anticipated $72 million shortfall over the next six months, according to City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana.
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Occupy L.A. is accusing the city of making the movement a scapegoat and says the intense police response, including November 30’s sweeping eviction and arrest of 300 protestors, was unnecessary. Did the city go too far in clearing the encampment? Are Occupiers within their right to sue? Who should be on the hook for the cleanup?
Guest:
Dennis Zine, City Councilman from District 3
Carol Sobel, Executive Vice President, National Lawyers Guild
Fact Checkers: seekers of truth or peddlers of partisan politics?
According to the old saying, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not to their own facts. But with all the vitriol in political discourse these days, it’s harder than ever to distinguish facts from fiction – even for those who try. In recent weeks, organizations like PolitiFact, FactCheck.org and The Fact Checker have been hit with a torrent of criticism.
Conservative critics argue that so-called fact checkers are actually liberals trying to control the political discourse. And when PolitiFact awarded its “Lie of the Year” trophy to Democratic claims that the GOP “killed” Medicare, lefties seemed to take it as a personal attack.
If you ask Glenn Kessler, who writes The Fact Checker column for the Washington Post, there’s little difference between how much Democrats and Republicans twist the truth. They all do it, to serve their own political purposes.
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So, fact checkers may be imperfect, but are they an essential part of our political process? Are they really impartial seekers of the truth? Or peddlers of partisan fiction? Who’s guilty of the tallest tales – Republicans or Democrats? And what are the biggest Pinocchios of 2011?
Guest:
David Folkenflik, Media Correspondent for NPR News
Brooks Jackson, Director of FactCheck.org, a project of the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center, University of Pennsylvania
Holiday retail sales are up, is consumer confidence?
We won’t get the final numbers for another couple weeks, but it looks like this has been an excellent Christmas season for retailers. The National Retail Federation even upped their original projection from a rise of 2.8% to 3.8%.
It all started with November’s Black Friday with more shoppers spending more this year than last. And shopping frenzy hasn’t stopped. Yesterday and today are shaping up to be some of the biggest shopping days of the year.
Retailers are doing whatever they can to keep the customers in the stores. They’re staying open for days on end (Toys R Us stayed open for 112 hours straight) and offering unbelievable discounts, especially now that Christmas is over. Today some retailers are offering 75 to 90% off regular prices. And that’s a trend that we’ve seen all season. Retailers are sharply discounting goods, which attracts customers but may affect their bottom line.
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So, who are the winners this season? Retailers who got customers to the stores? Or consumers who benefited from great prices? What do these numbers really mean? Is consumer confidence up? Is YOUR consumer confidence up? Did you spend more this holiday season? If so why?
Guest:
Lynn Franco, Director, The Conference Board Consumer Research Center
"These Amazing Shadows" documentary
What do the films Casablanca, Blazing Saddles and West Side Story have in common? Besides being popular, they have also been deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and listed on The National Film Registry.
A new documentary film, “These Amazing Shadows,” tells the history and importance of the Registry, a roll call of American cinema treasures that reflects the diversity of film, and indeed the American experience itself. The Registry was created thanks to the National Film Preservation Act, passed in 1988. Twenty-five films are chosen to be added each year. The current list of 550 films includes selections from every genre - documentaries, home movies, Hollywood classics, avant-garde, newsreels and silent films.
The Zapruder footage of Kennedy’s assassination can be found there, as can Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Many of those films have deteriorated with age and repeated viewings. The documentary offers a fascinating peek into the processes of restoration and preservation, and even recovery of lost footage excised by The Hayes Code.
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Why are movies so much a part of America’s story? What do they tell us about ourselves, what we think, feel and aspire to as a nation? What films do you think belong in our national registry?
Guests:
Paul Mariano, Co-Director/Writer/Producer of These Amazing Shadows
Kurt Norton, Co-Director/Writer/Producer of These Amazing Shadows
George R. Willeman, Nitrate Vault Manager, Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation, Library of Congress
"These Amazing Shadows" will air as part of the PBS series “The Independent Lens”on Sunday, January 1st at 5:00 p.m. on PBS SoCal.