Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors have discovered gravitational waves; California's solutions to the state's teacher shortage and with Charles Lester outed, the search is on for a new director of the California Coastal Commission.
Physicists on why discovery of gravitational waves is earth-shattering for scientific community
For the first time ever, scientists can actually hear the universe.
A team of physicists announced Thursday that they were able to detect and record the sound of two black holes a billion light-years away colliding with one another. A hundred years ago, Albert Einstein posited that gravitational waves existed, but until now these ripples in the fabric of space-time were undetectable. Now, thanks to the twin Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors and the team that worked on them, the final piece of Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
What does the universe sound like? The LIGO team says it was a faint tone that was the result of a collision about 1.2 billion years ago that rose to the note of middle C before stopping. It signifies the warping of space-time itself.
Until now, scientists haven’t been able to measure that sound over the other noises of our planet, but in September 2015, the LIGO antenna were able to measure vibrations from a gravitational wave in The discovery is being likened by some to the night Galileo first pointed a telescope toward the sky and observed the planets.
Just how important is this discovery to the scientific community?
Guests:
Alan Weinstein, professor of physics at Caltech
Lawrence Krauss, theoretical physicist and Foundation Professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration and Physics Department at Arizona State University
The great teacher shortage: what is the cause? What are the solutions?
A report released in January by the Learning Policy Institute warned of an impending teacher shortage in California.
Three bills have been introduced in the state Legislature to address the problem, hoping to replenish a pipeline that has been left dry by a variety of reasons including funding cuts.
It is not an issue facing only the Golden State, many districts and cities in America also find themselves having to deal with finding and retaining qualified educators to staff their schools.
A panel of education experts joins Larry to look at the reasons behind the shortage, and solutions going forward.
Guests:
Angela Minnici, Director of the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders at the American Institutes for Research (AIR), a behavioral and social science research and evaluation organization. AIR recently held a forum looking at the issue of teacher shortage
Linda Darling-Hammond, a professor emeritus at Stanford University and president of the Learning Policy Institute. She is the lead author of the recent report, “Addressing California’s Emerging Teacher Shortage: An Analysis of Sources and Solutions”
Catherine Brown, Vice President of Education Policy at the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning thinking tank in DC. It released a report last year looking at how to address teacher shortage in America
Eric Scroggins, Chief Strategy Officer for Teach for America, that works to increase the number of recent college graduates to go into teaching. He is also the acting executive director at the Bay Area chapter of the nonprofit
Another battle brews as Coastal Commission looks to hire new director
The search for a replacement for Charles Lester promises to be contentious, after last night's firing of the top executive of the California Coastal Commission.
The powerful agency that manages development on California's coastline voted 7-5 to oust Lester - after an impassioned hearing of nearly 12 hours. Environmentalists say Lester was fired because of pressure from development interests. Critics of Lester say his management of the office was plagued with delays and that decisions lack transparency.
Who are some contenders to replace Lester? What qualifications and sensibilities will she or he need to bring to the job?
Guests:
Steve Kinsey, Chairman, California Coastal Commission
Fred Gaines, a Calabasas councilman and attorney who has represented developers and property owners before the commission for 25 years
Sarah Sikich, Vice President, Heal the Bay - nonprofit environmental organization based in Santa Monica
Bernie and Hillary vie for union endorsements in Nevada and beyond
The Nevada caucuses are fast approaching this month, and the Culinary Union -- the most powerful union in the state with over 60,000 members -- has yet to endorse a Democratic candidate for president.
Our guests weigh the issues that matter to the Culinary Union and where its endorsements landed historically. We also take a look at the most powerful national unions and federations such as the teachers unions, AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations), UAW (United Auto Workers), SEIU (Service Employees International Union), and AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees).
Where do they stand when it comes to their endorsements for Democratic presidential candidates?
Guests:
Nicholas Riccardi, AP West political reporter; he tweets from
John Nichols, National Affairs Correspondent, The Nation; he tweets from
The fight to #BringDatingBack on college campuses
The Love and Fidelity Network is running its campaign, #BringDatingBack, on college campuses this Valentine’s Day.
The campaign’s goal is to promote dates without sexual contact as an opposition to what could be described as the college hook-up culture.
The Love and Fidelity Network’s director, Caitlin La Ruffa, has said that young people feel obligated to “hook-up” and she wants to change that. As a proponent of abstinence before marriage, La Ruffa hopes the campaign will encourage students to engage in a chaste form of casual dating, such as asking someone out for a cup of coffee or a burger.
While La Ruffa isn’t alone in her opposition to the casual sex that is widely accepted as dating on college campuses, some see hooking up as a form of sexual freedom and a form of empowerment, especially for women who don’t want to derail their career paths with short-term relationships.
So what do you think of the college hook-up culture? Is it damaging or empowering? Should the promotion of casual, sex-free dating be more prominent on campuses?
Guests:
Caitlin La Ruffa, executive director of the Love and Fidelity Network, a pro-abstinence organization which started the #BringDatingBack campaign
Kathleen Bogle, Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice, La Salle University; and author of "Hooking Up: Sex, Dating and Relationships on Campus" (NYU Press, 2008)