We'll announce updates on the manhunt for Dorner and discuss media ethics of releasing his manifesto. Also, LAX is being accused of monopolizing air traffic and groups are calling for locals to take over Ontario airport from LAWA. Then, who might be the next pope? Plus, we'll look at a book on visualization and last night's Grammy winners.
The manhunt for Dorner continues
With a $1-million reward out for Christopher Dorner, hundreds of tipsters have called police. One such call over the weekend led police to evacuate and search large hardware store in the San Fernando Valley, but no evidence was found that Dorner had ever been there. Also over the weekend, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck announced his department would review the firing of Christopher Dorner from the LAPD. Why did Beck make this decision? What do you think of the racial aspect of the current Dorner case?
Also, how should media cover Dorner's manifesto?
Guests:
Connie Rice, civil rights attorney and co-director of The Advancement Project
Tim Maher, Professor, Criminology & Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis, former police officer, expertise on policing, polce deviance and police policy
Kelly McBride, Senior Faculty, Ethics, Reporting, and Writing, The Poynter Institute
Is LAX monopolizing air traffic from local airports?
The chief executive of Los Angeles County has determined that Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) has not fully complied with the result of a 2006 court settlement. At the time, LAX faced trouble in the court due to its expansion plans, and was so ordered to make an effort to better distribute air traffic to other airports in the area, such as Ontario International and the now defunct L.A./Palmdale Regional Airport.
William Fujioka, the L.A. County Chief Executive Officer, found that LAX failed to do just that, and any attempts made were superficial at best. The airport was ordered to regionalize air traffic to counteract negative environmental implications due to expansion and pollution from air traffic, as well as to bolster business at local airports. The failure to do just that is considered by most to be the reason Palmdale’s airport shuttered in 2009.
To prevent a repeat of Palmdale, several groups in the Inland Empire are stepping up and calling for locals to take over Ontario’s airport from LAWA’s control. They agree with Fukioka’s report, and are saying enough is enough. They’ve seen passenger volume drop a staggering 2.9 million people in five years, and want to turn the airport around before it’s too late.
Should Ontario be released from LAWA’s control? What efforts have been made to regionalize on LAWA’s behalf? What would be the benefits of Ontario being under local control? What effect would that have on the local communities?
Guests:
Jess Romo, General Manager of LA/Ontario International Airport
Steve Pontell, President of Ontario Airport Business Alliance
Pope Benedict XVI to retire
In a stunning announcement today, Pope Benedict XVI said that he would be resigning at the end of the month. It’s rare for a pope to retire (the last one to do so was 600 years ago), and only nine have done so in the entire history of the Catholic church. Pope Benedict cites his age and health as his reasons for retirement. George Ratzinger, his brother, supports that claim and says the Pope was discouraged from taking transatlantic flights by his physician and that simply walking had started to become increasingly difficult.
While this move comes as a surprise to the Vatican and the rest of the world, Pope Benedict himself nodded to such an exit in an interview when he said, “If a Pope clearly realizes that he is no longer physically, psychologically, and spiritually capable of handling the duties of his office, then he has a right and, under some circumstances, also an obligation to resign.” In retrospect, it appears as if he was merely heeding his own advice. Some experts in the Catholic world, however, suspect that this is an effort on Pope Benedict’s behalf to indirectly address the problem of popes serving long into their elderly years, oftentimes after suffering from debilitating illnesses.
Will this make a change to how the Catholic church chooses a pope? Who are the potential successors? What does this mean going forward? If you’re Catholic, how are you processing this news?
Guests:
John Thavis, author of “The Vatican Diaries: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Power, Personalities and Politics at the Heart of the Catholic Church” (Viking Adult, 2013)
Cathy Grossman, USA TODAY's reporter on religion, spirituality and ethics, she wrote the paper’s cover story on Benedict XVI’s announcement today.
Father Allan Figueroa Deck, Charles S. Casassa Chair of Catholic Social Values at Loyola Marymount University
Making meaning in the mind’s eye
Visualization has long been known to be a useful tool – for improving athletic performance, practicing the piano, memorizing a speech or planning your route to the grocery store, to give just a few examples. Visualizing a loved one or recalling a childhood memory are pleasures we take for granted.
But visualization itself is somewhat of a mystery to most people. What goes on in our brains when we think, read, listen to music? Just how do we turn abstract ideas and words – “left hook, “Martian invasion,” “driving lesson” – into pictures in our minds? How do your mental pictures – built from your unique memories and experiences – differ from those of someone of a different generation, culture or time zone? How did the human brain evolve to be able to visualize our thoughts in such complex and distinct ways? Cognitive scientist Benjamin Bergen’s new book explores these questions, which bring up fascinating ideas about language, behavior, learning and meaning.
What pictures fill your mind on a daily basis, and how do they help you navigate your life? What would they look like in the mind’s eye of another? How do we use our imagination to turn clouds into circus animals, dreams into reality?
Guest:
Benjamin K. Bergen, author of "Louder Than Words: The New Science of How the Mind Makes Meaning"; Associate Professor, Cognitive Science, University of California San Diego
Pop is king at the 2013 Grammy Awards
Last night’s Grammy Awards featured performances from some of last year’s big winners and this year’s new stars. Mumford & Sons picked up the coveted Best Record award, while rock group The Black Keys won four awards for their seventh album, El Camino. R&B star Frank Ocean won two of the six awards he was nominated for, while pop group fun. took home Best New Artist.
Who cleaned up at this year’s Grammys? Who deserved their awards, and who was snubbed? Rolling Stone’s Patrick Doyle joins us to discuss music’s biggest night and weigh in on the winners and losers.
Guest:
Patrick Doyle, Associate Editor, Rolling Stone Magazine