Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made a last-ditch appeal for votes just hours before polling stations close in a tight election by pledging that no Palestinian state would be established under his rule. Also, fearing future head trauma, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland told ESPN’s Outside the Lines on Monday that he would retire from the NFL. Then, a plan proposed by Maine Governor Paul LePage would make his state the first in the U.S. to tax nonprofit organizations.
Israeli elections fateful day for Mideast Peace
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a last-ditch appeal for votes just hours before polling stations close in a tight election.
He says the gaps between his hawkish Likud party and the center-left opposition need to be narrowed. Yesterday, Netanyahu appealed to Likud hardliners by pledging that no Palestinian state would be established under his rule.
The Zionist Union party, led by Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni, is the leading challenger. Its platform includes resuming negotiations with Palestinians, boosting the domestic economy, and repairing ties with the White House. The Joint List, a coalition of Arab political parties, is expected to drive up chronically low voter turnout among Arabs living in Israel (also known as Palestinian Citizens of Israel).
Even if Likud loses, is there a chance Netanyahu would become part of a coalition? How has Washington reacted to Netanyahu’s statements on a Palestinian state?
With files from the Associated Press.
Guests:
Neri Zilber, Visiting fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy a think tank described as advancing U.S. interests in the Middle East.
Yousef Munayyer, Executive Director of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation - a coalition of organizations founded in 2002
49ers linebacker Chris Borland retires at 24 due to head trauma concerns
Fearing future head trauma, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland told ESPN’s Outside the Lines on Monday that he would retire from the NFL.
Borland said, in part, that he wants to do what’s best for his health, and that based on his experiences and research, the risk isn’t worth it. His choice to retire at the young age of 24, just one season into what looked like it would be a promising NFL career, surprised his team, the league, and fans. The 49ers took Borland in the third round of the 2014 NFL draft out of Wisconsin, and he was being groomed to take over the 49ers middle linebacker spot after veteran Patrick Willis announced his retirement last week, which was not related to concerns of head injury.
Is Borland’s retirement a sign of things to come in the NFL? Will we start to see more players retiring at younger ages because of concerns about head trauma? Is football safe enough or could the NFL do more to make players feel confident that they are safe when playing?
Guest:
Matt Barrows, covers the 49ers for the Sacramento Bee. He has a blog on the team as well, which you can find at SacBee.com
Four-leaf clover, rabbit’s foot, is there really science to superstition?
Spilling salt and walking under a ladder are said to bring bad luck, while finding a four-leaf clover and carrying a rabbit’s foot somehow ensure good fortune.
During playoffs, we’ve all heard of the playoff beard and the lucky charm an athlete use to help secure the next win. Even the most rational of us are susceptible to superstition.
What is the science of superstition? Is there a special ritual you go through before an important exam, say? Or something you wear to a job interview? What are some of your personal superstitions?
Here's what AirTalk listeners had to say:
no whistling backstage at the theatre! Just don't do it.
— Falcon Theatre (@Falcon_Theatre)
@AirTalk no whistling backstage at the theatre! Just don't do it.
— GarryMarshallTheatre (@GMTheatre_org) March 17, 2015
A child's game turned lifelong belief: hold your breath in a tunnel and your wish comes true. I still do it on my way to Malibu!
— Pauline (@ahhelga)
@AirTalk A child's game turned lifelong belief: hold your breath in a tunnel and your wish comes true. I still do it on my way to Malibu!
— ahhelga (@ahhelga) March 17, 2015
Celina in Inglewood: "There's a superstititon in Hawaii that ancestors live in the stones in Hawai'i. I realize this isn't true but when I moved from Hawaii, I left my stones there (I'm a massage therapist)."
Conrad in Santa Ana: "A friend of mine bought a magnetic bracelet for his son who plays basketball with my kid. I made fun, but he says, "If he believe it works it will work." Which I thought was very interesting."
Gigi in Pasadena: "I was born on Dec. 13, my daughter was born on Jan. 13, and my only grandaughter was born on March 13, and she just celebrated her 23rd birthday this past Friday the 13th. I'm the antithesis to superstition, we've led great lives because of it."
Beth in Burbank: "Mercury retrograde is a HUGE one. In our family, if you take a trip on a plane or train you have to take your first step with your right foot first. If you don't you have to take a step back and do three clockwise spins and do it again, for safety."
Lawrence in Hollywood: "When I lived in New Mexico, people take their hats off and hold them upside down so that luck collects in it."
What are your personal superstitions? Tell us by posting in the comments below!
Guests:
Matthew Hutson, science writer whose latest piece, “The Science of Superstition” appears in this month’s The Atlantic Monthly; author of the book, “The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking” (Hudson Street Press; 2012)
Drop in drug courts and rehab may be unintended consequence of Prop 47
Since passing in November, Prop 47, which reclassified most drug possession and lower value property crimes as misdemeanors, has helped empty out California’s overcrowded jails and prisons, but it may also have led to a decline in the number of drug possession defendants choosing court-ordered drug treatment.
With shorter sentences in county jails, there's one less incentive for addicts to do rehab. In Orange County, about half the numbers of addicts are signing up for treatment as were before Prop 47. Without the threat of a felony conviction, how can courts get more addicts to go to treatment?
Guests:
Lenore Anderson, executive director of Californians for Safety and Justice, which coordinated the campaign to pass Proposition 47, and before that, she was Chief of Policy at the San Francisco District Attorney's Office
Michael Ramos, District Attorney, San Bernardino County; he opposed Prop 47
To tax or not to tax? Maine mulls property tax on non-profits
A plan proposed by Maine Governor Paul LePage would make his state the first in the U.S. to tax nonprofit organizations.
The proposal has started a contentious debate about the effectiveness of non profits in their communities and whether nonprofits should have to foot the bill for receiving municipal services. LePage’s plan argues that nonprofits should have to pay for services like police, fire, and snow removal. Opponents like hospitals and colleges say it would force their organizations to lay off employees or raise costs.
Should nonprofit organizations have to pay for municipal services? Are there specific issues that arise from taxing nonprofits?
Guests:
Scott Walter, Vice President of Capital Research Center, nonprofit think tank specializing in Washington DC specializing in the nonprofit world
David Thompson, Vice President of Public Policy, National Council of Nonprofits based in Washington DC