We'll discuss the federal complaint USC students filed over how the school handled sexual assault cases. Then, the ongoing debate over oil drilling at Hermosa Beach continues, what do you think are the benefits of drilling? Next, geothermal plants are causing more tremors at the San Andreas fault, could this trigger a larger earthquake? Then, we're talking baby names for the newest addition to the royal family. Next, MLB player Brewer Ryan Braun was suspended for drug use, is this punishment too harsh? Last, how long can women really wait to have a baby?
USC students file federal complaint over school’s handling of sexual assault cases
The Federal government is investigating the University of Southern California over how it handled alleged sexual assault cases that were not properly dealt with by school administration. Two current students told reporters at a news conference that many more cases were reported to the school and handled improperly, in their opinions. The investigation is being carried out by the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights, and it's just the latest in a series of investigations into colleges about how they're complying with Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in education.
Why have some schools run into problems implementing Title IX? Should USC reopen the cases?
Guests:
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, Reporter, KPCC
Linda Fairstein, Senior Advisor, K2 Intelligence, a corporate investigations firm
Hermosa Beach residents battle oil companies over drilling ban
The battle over oil drilling is mounting in Hermosa Beach. In close to a year, the city will hold an election to decide whether or not oil drilling should return to the South Bay beach town.
It’s been nearly 80 years since Hermosa Beach residents voted to ban oil drilling. Bakersfield-based oil company E & B Natural Resources is now asking Hermosa voters to overturn the ban. The oil company contends that the city stands to gain up to $500 million over the next 30 years.
Proponents of drilling say Hermosa Beach could resume delayed public works projects, shore up the police force and fund schools. Opponents of oil drilling, however, say the health and environmental risks of drilling are just too great.
This debate is pitting neighbor against neighbor. E&B Natural Resources wants to use the slant drilling technique.
Weigh In:
Is this a safer alternative to drilling through the sea floor? What are the benefits of drilling? Does Hermosa need the funds oil drilling will supply?
Tell us your thoughts in the comments!
Guests:
Stacey Armato, Committee Chair of Stop Hermosa Beach Oil and an attorney
Michael Finch, Vice President of Health, Safety and Environment at E&B Natural Resources
Salton Sea geothermal plants causing the San Andreas fault to tremor
There are over 10 geothermal energy plants around the Salton Sea and the vast amount of electricity they generate is making the Imperial Valley a renewable energy hub in the state. Turns out, though, power might not be the only thing these plants are producing. A paper published in the online journal Science found that geothermal production in the Imperial Valley inadvertently increased seismic activities around the San Andreas fault. The Los Angeles Times reports that between 1981 and 2012, some 10,000 earthquakes over a 1.75 magnitude were registered in the area.
Could these smaller earthquakes trigger larger ones that could really rock Southern California? As we learn more about the tradeoffs involved with the use of alternative energy sources, should we rethink our adoption and reliance?
Guests:
Emily Brodsky, Professor of Earth & Planetary Sciences at UC Santa Cruz and the lead author of the paper
Timothy Kelley, President and CEO of the Imperial Valley Economic Development Corporation
Announcing, Prince....?
The future prince of England and potential heir to the throne still remains nameless. Britain eagerly anticipated the birth of Prince William and his wife Kate’s first child by wagering on the gender. Those bets ended yesterday when Kate gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Now, the country is once again at odds about the name of the baby. Right now, the odds are in favor of George.
How important is a royal baby name? How have royal names been used as historical reference points? Which name would you put your money on?
Also, if you think you’re tired of hearing about the royal baby, imagine if you were in Britain. The Guardian decided to allow their website users turn off all the royal baby news. Just click, “Not a royalist.” Should U.S. press take note and also allow users to opt-out of celebrity news? Would you opt-out?
Guest:
Autumn Brewington, Editor of The Washington Post’s Op-Ed page; she has written about the royal family for the Washington Post and anchored the Post’s Royal Wedding Watch blog.
Milwaukee Brewer Ryan Braun suspended for remainder of season for use of performance enhancing drugs
Major League Baseball has suspended Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun without pay for the rest of the season, which equates to 65 games and an estimated $3.8 million. MLB commissioner Bud Selig made the announcement yesterday. It is the first punishment doled out in the wake of the league’s investigation into Biogenesis, the Miami-based clinic accused of supplying performance-enhancing drugs to baseball players.
Braun had repeatedly denied using performance-enhancing drugs before this latest scandal caught up with him. The 2011 MVP has deep Southern California roots, having played for Granada Hills High and was named a three-time All-City player.
"I realize now that I have made some mistakes. I am willing to accept the consequences of those actions,” Braun said in a statement. Braun is among 20 players, including the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez, who will face disciplinary actions from MLB.
Guest:
Lance Williams, co-author of “Game of Shadows; Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroids Scandal that Rocked Professional Sports” (Gotham, 2007). He is also Senior Reporter at the Center of Investigative Reporting.
Baby panic averted?
Suppose you’re a woman of a certain age and you’d like to have children. Chances are you’re concerned about your ability to conceive naturally.
Most headlines on the topic and well-meaning grandparents don’t help ease the anxiety. Their advice is generally to pop those kids out while you’re still young, or risk never being able to. But is the fertility news really that bad for women in their 30s?
No, argues Jean Twenge in her recent Atlantic Magazine article, “How Long Can You Wait to Have a Baby?” According to Twenge, “the statistics on women’s age and fertility—used by many to make decisions about relationships, careers and when to have children—were one of the more spectacular examples of the mainstream media’s failure to correctly report on and interpret scientific research.”
For example, Twenge argues, the widely cited statistic that one in three women ages 35 to 39 will not be pregnant after a year of trying is based on French birth records from 1670-1830.
“In other words,” Twenge writes, “millions of women are being told when to get pregnant based on statistics from a time before electricity, antibiotics, or fertility treatment.”
Is the science used to educate women outdated and alarmist? Do modern studies paint a more optimistic picture? How much does fertility truly decline with age and what’s the takeaway for women in their 30s and 40s? How loud is that biological clock ticking for you?
Guests:
Jean Twenge, author of the Atlantic Magazine article “How Long Can You Wait to Have a Baby” and the book “The Impatient Woman's Guide to Getting Pregnant” (Atria Books)
Dr. Marcelle Cedars, MD, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of Division of Reproductive Endocrinology at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF)