Both the working poor and job-seekers have surpassed children and the elderly to become the largest group of food stamp recipients. Should working age Americans have access to food stamps? We continue our discussion on gifted education programs, taking a closer look at the Southern California perspective. Then, new technology is tapping into human resource needs. How is technology impacting the job interview process?
More of the working-poor and job-seekers are receiving food stamps
American adults ages 18 to 59 have surpassed children and the elderly to become the largest group of food stamp recipients for the first time in history. Higher unemployment, stagnant wages and a loosening of eligibility requirements have driven more working-age adults into the program, officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
The largest group of food stamp recipients now covers both unemployed Americans and the working poor who struggle to bridge the widening gulf between low-wage and high-skill jobs.
The increase brings up the question of whether the government's $80 billion-a-year food stamp program will start shrinking anytime soon. Congress is debating making cuts to the program that could take $4 billion out of the budget each year.
Should working age Americans have access to food stamps? Should having a job in today's economy guarantee you can afford to buy food? What can be done to address the root problems of unemployment and income inequality?
Guests:
Kerry Birnbach, Nutrition Policy Advocate at the California Food Policy Advocates, a statewide public policy and advocacy organization dedicated to improving the health and well being of low-income Californians by increasing their access to nutritious, affordable food.
Michael Tanner, Senior fellow at the Cato Institute, a think tank that describes itself as focusing on individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace.
James Ziliak, Economist and Director of the Center for Poverty Research at the University of Kentucky, who did the analysis for the AP report
Tarini Parti, Agriculture Reporter at POLITICO
Captain and Tennille split up at 70. Boomer divorce is on the rise
It turns out that love actually couldn’t keep them together and after nearly 40 years of marriage the 70s music duo known as ‘Captain and Tennille’ are getting a divorce.
The 73 and 71 year old singers aren't alone in seeking out new loves later in life. While the divorce rate among younger Americans is dropping, the baby boomer crowd is splitting up in even greater numbers. The divorce rate for over 50s has surged 50 percent in the past 20 years.
What's behind the increasing rate of divorce among boomers? Is there something particular about the boomer mentality that makes them more likely to divorce? What's the dating pool like for the over 50 crowd? Will younger generations follow suit or are more likely to stick to till death do us part?
Guest:
Pepper Schwartz, PhD, Professor of Sociology at the University of Washington and author of ‘Dating After 50 for Dummies’
The SoCal perspective: Are 'gifted' students being hurt by a race to the middle?
The U.S. routinely comes in well below other world leaders when it comes to ranking kids' abilities in reading, science and math. Now a decades-long study that started in 1971 tracks some of our country's best and brightest students.
It's found that these 'gifted' kids, who went on to become successful professionals in a wide range of fields, succeeded despite their education. The researchers argue that these students received less time and attention than kids who were in remedial classes, and therefore were more or less 'ignored' by their teachers.
The controversial No Child Left Behind law did help low-achieving students do better in the classroom, but a 2008 report found that it actually caused teachers to pay even less attention to high achieving students.
On Friday, we explored the topic with one of the researchers behind the longitudinal study on gifted children.
In part 2 of our series today, AirTalk goes hyperlocal and talks to coordinators of gifted and talented student programs from various school districts in SoCal.
Guests:
Debbie Dillard, District coordinator of the Gifted / Talented Program at the Los Angeles Unified School District
Pam Lovett, Gifted and Talented Education coordinator at the Long Beach Unified School District
Linda Tenno, Ed.D., Principal, Victoria Elementary School and GATE coordinator of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District
Famous fabricator Stephen Glass tests our capacity for redemption
Former journalist Stephen Glass has lost an appeal before the California Supreme Court to practice law in California. Glass fabricated dozens of stories for the New Republic and other publications in 1998 before being discovered.
Glass has since studied law and taken the bar exam in New York and California. He was denied the right to practice law in New York for ethical and moral reasons, and the California court has reaffirmed the decision, siding with the State Bar.
Glass’s lawyers claim he has be rehabilitated, citing years of work as a paralegal, a steady relationship, and votes of confidence from his psychiatrists, employer, and even his former New Republic editor as proof that he has changed.
Can former liars be redeemed? In the world of business and legal ethics, has Glass crossed a line? What compels people to falsify information and cheat in their professional lives?
Guests:
Scott Wiltermuth, Assistant Professor of Management and Organization, USC Marshall School of Business
Earthquake-vulnerable buildings get mapped for City of LA, what about other LA County locales?
The Los Angeles Times has obtained a copy of a list compiled by researchers at the University of California of nearly 1,500 older concrete buildings across the City of Los Angeles vulnerable to collapse in the event of a major earthquake.
Buildings on the list still need to undergo more extensive testing to determine their safety. The list only covers concrete structures in the City of Los Angeles.
Are other cities outside of Los Angeles putting together a similar catalogue of at-risk buildings?
Guests:
Mary Comerio, Professor Emeritus of Architecture, UC Berkeley; Lead scientist of the concrete buildings study
Thalia Anagnos, Professor of Engineering, San Jose State University; Researcher of the concrete buildings study
New tech taps into human resource needs
Human resources is expensive. The process of hiring new employees, or replacing old ones, is costly and frequently inefficient.
According to MIT economist Erik Brynjolfsson, there’s currently a trillion dollar market for moving human capital into new work positions. That may be easier said than done. The length of the hiring process has doubled since 2009, and now includes a slew of new factors -- phone and Skype interviews, face-to-face meetings, tests, puzzles and more.
Some new tech companies have started to address the effectiveness and cost of human resources. Video games have become a larger part of job interviews. Companies like Knack, which makes a game called Wasabi Waiter, partner with companies who are looking to hire employees.
Knack works with Shell, Stacked restaurants, and several medical groups to optimize the search for high-potential employees who will fit in well.
But are these games really effective? Is it possible to measure interpersonal qualities as well as you might during a face-to-face interview? Who benefits from new hiring methods?
Guests:
Guy Halfteck, founder and CEO of Knack, whose games are being used by Shell, UC Irvine, and others
John Boudreau, Ph.D., Professor and Research Director at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business and Center for Effective Organizations; co-author of 'Beyond HR: The New Science of Human Capital'
AirTalk Live Event: Is there bias against Asian-Americans in university admissions?
Studies suggest that Asian-American students at highly selective universities have mean SAT scores considerably higher than their classmates yet are rejected at a disproportionate rate. Enrollment at the Ivies remains stagnant as the number of Asian students in the US has more than doubled in that period.
Is there a benign explanation for these numbers? Rumors of discriminatory quotas abound -- what’s really happening?
Join us for an AirTalk special event on Wednesday February 12, 2014. 6:30 PM-8:00 PM at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy downtown (Across the Plaza from the Japanese American National).