Internet poker could boost California budget coffers. Coliseum panel approves deal to transfer control of venue to USC. FAA guidelines allow law enforcement to use drones with government permission. Should a child be labeled a psychopath? Eli Broad and the art of being unreasonable. Plus, the latest news
Internet poker could boost California budget coffers
With further budget cuts on the horizon for California, funds could be generated for the state with the legalization of Internet poker. Senate leader Darrell Steinberg and state Senator Roderick Wright have co-authored a bill which, if it gets the go ahead, could raised $200 million a year for cash-strapped California.
The proposal received a boost from the U.S Department of Justice last year which stated that federal law does not prevent states from allowing some forms of Internet gambling. Other bills to legalize online poker have also been introduced in Hawaii, Mississippi, Florida, New Jersey, Iowa and Nevada. Critics of the bill say that legalizing online gambling would create further problems for those battling addiction.
Should Internet poker be legalized? If you are a gambling addict or live with one, are you concerned that legalization could make it easier to feed that addiction? Given that California is low on funds, should all options be considered to generate revenue?
GUEST
Rev. James Butler, Executive Director of the California Coaltion Against Gambling Expansion
John Pappas, ED of the Poker Players Alliance
LA Coliseum panel approves deal to transfer control of venue to USC
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission on Monday voted 8-to-1 to give day-to-day control of the Coliseum to the University of Southern California, thus essentially ending the public’s stewardship of the historic venue.
The vote is considered controversial for a number of reasons. For one, the 88-year-old stadium in South Los Angeles was built with public money to honor World War I veterans. Critics say handing it over to a private entity such as USC, which has called the property physically unfit for the university’s Trojan football team that plays there, is an admission of failure on the part to the scandal-ridden Coliseum Commission to efficiently manage the asset.
The facility needs expensive upgrades and USC has pledged $70 million towards a remodel, and will assume the $1 million annual rent payment to the state. The new lease would give USC the right to control the facility until 2054, when the assets are set to be transferred to the state, but the university wants the state to extend the lease through 2111. Coliseum Commissioner Bernard C. Parks was Monday’s only dissenting vote, saying the deal does not account for taxpayer money towards constructing and fixing the venue since it opened almost 90 years ago, in 1923.
Is the L.A. Memorial Coliseum Commission’s decision to give daily control of the Coliseum to USC a bad move?
FAA guidelines allow law enforcement to use drones with government permission
Drones, otherwise known as unmanned aircraft, have been used by the CIA in Pakistan and by other American military agencies elsewhere in the world. Soon, surveillance drones could fly over the skies of Los Angeles and cities across the United States.
Police, sheriff’s departments and other government public safety first responders have been given permission to fly drones that weigh up to 25 pounds, from a previously allowed 4.4 pounds, and swoop up to 400 feet in the air, according to new Federal Aviation Administration guidelines announced Monday.
These law enforcement agencies will be allowed to fly drones for training. However, agencies need to demonstrate proficiency before they are given an operational permit.
President Obama signed a reauthorization bill in February directing the FAA to hasten the process police departments must go through to operate drones. Monday’s new guidelines extend operational permits from 12 to 24 months and require the pilot handling the drone to be able to see the small aircraft, which cannot be flown within five miles of an airport.
The new guidelines also allow the federal government to grant immediate temporary permission to a first responder agency if an unmanned aircraft is being used for humanitarian or disaster relief.
Should pilot-less aircrafts, already used within the world of warfare abroad, be allowed to be used by government public safety agencies in the U.S., even within a training capacity, and especially if 25 pounds?
GUESTS
Erika Aguilar, KPCC’s crime and safety reporter
Bob Osborne, commander with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Office Homeland Security Division
Amie Stepanovich, associate litigation counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a public interest research center in Washington D.C. focusing on emerging civil liberties issues and privacy, First Amendment and constitutional values.
Should a child be labeled a psychopath?
Children of all ages are known to "act out," throwing tantrums or sulking to get their own way. But when should a parent become concerned that these actions mean something more sinister? And how would you feel if your child was diagnosed as a psychopath?
Studies conducted by psychologists into the minds of "callous-unemotional" children have found a lack of remorse or empathy, with some deemed at risk of becoming psychopathic adults. Evaluation methods include the use of psychological exams such as the Child Psychology Scale and the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits.
The issue is examined in a recent New York Times Magazine article, with psychologists unable to agree on a standard method of testing, or if children should be labeled as psychopaths at all.
Is it possible to accurately diagnose young children as psychopaths when they are still developing? As a parent, if you received this diagnosis for your child, would you tell him or her and try to work with the child to change the behavior? Could there be a self-fulfilling prophecy if children are labeled as psychopaths at a young age, and then "act out" this label as adults?
Vote below and leave your thoughts in the comments:
GUESTS
Dan Waschbusch, professor of psychology at the Center for Children and Families in the psychology department at Florida International University
Laurence Steinberg, professor of psychology at Temple University
Eli Broad and the art of being unreasonable
As one of the most well known philanthropists and entrepreneurs nationwide, Eli Broad has worked with U.S. presidents and world leaders. His new book “The Art of Being Unreasonable: Lessons in Unconventional Thinking,” written with former Los Angeles Times staffer Swati Pandey, explores his forays into business, philanthropy and the art world, from founding two Fortune 500 companies, KB Home and SunAmerica, to a role in creating cultural and civic institutions in Los Angeles including the Walt Disney Concert Hall, designed by Frank Gehry, and the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Broad’s own name adorns multiple institutions, from the Broad Contemporary Art Museum at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard to The Broad, a new contemporary art museum he and his wife Edythe are building in downtown L.A. Join Larry as he speaks to Eli Broad about his successes, mistakes and advice such as the value of being second, staying unemotional and disciplined, doing one’s homework and motivating employees with money and higher expectations, not just praise.
What can you learn from Eli Broad and his path to wealth and a philanthropic legacy?
GUEST:
Eli Broad, Author of “The Art of Being Unreasonable: Lessons in Unconventional Thinking;” entrepreneur, philanthropist, and the founder of two Fortune 500 companies, KB Home and SunAmerica; Broad is also well known for his role in the creation of Los Angeles cultural institutions including the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Broad Contemporary Art Museum at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and The Broad, a new contemporary art museum he and his wife Edythe are building in downtown Los Angeles.
Broad is set to speak at the Los Angeles Public Library’s Central Library in downtown Los Angeles for its ALOUD series on May 22.