AirTalk checks in with the rescue efforts in Oklahoma after the devastating tornado that has taken 24 lives. Then, what kind of germs are beneficial to our health, how have television shows like Arrested Development retained their cult following, and did Apple use "gimmicks" to avoid taxes? Also, Google Glass is raising privacy concerns, and writer Mason Currey tells about the daily rituals of famous artists. Click here to RSVP for AirTalk's live discussion on immigration reform at 6:30 PM on Wednesday
Two dozen killed in massive tornado near Oklahoma City
At least 24 people were killed after a massive tornado pounded an area outside of Oklahoma City yesterday afternoon, according to officials. The suburb of Moore, with a population of over 50,000, bore much of the damage.
Rescue workers have been sifting through the debris and wreckage for survivors since last night and about 100 people have been pulled from under the rubble. The twister, reported to be two mile wide at one point, flattened buildings and destroyed entire neighborhoods.
Officials first put the death toll at 51, but that number has since been revised to 24. Nine of the fatalities are children. President Obama has declared a major disaster in the state, making federal aid available for local and state recovery efforts.
Guests:
Cullen Bieger, was in Moore, Oklahoma when the tornado hit yesterday; he is a native Oklahoman
Kelly Dyer Fry, editor of The Oklahoman and newsok.com
Changing how we think about germs
Most of us have grown up thinking that germs are disgusting. Antibacterial soaps, sprays and detergents have tried to eliminate germs and microbes from our daily lives. But now scientists are starting to convince people that the 100 trillion bacteria that inhabit the human body are actually beneficial. The success of new treatments called fecal transplants and the new citizen-science initiative, the American Gut Project, are highlighting the importance of germs to our health and well being.
Why do germs make us so squeamish? What’s the latest research into the helpful side of germs? Why have they gone from something we want to kill at all costs to something we want to protect and preserve? How can ‘germ management’ affect our health?
Guest:
Rob Knight, biochemist at the University of Colorado at Boulder and lead researcher for the American Gut project
The Cult of Arrested Development (Poll)
Fans may have been late getting on board with the TV series Arrested Development but once they fell, they fell hard. The Fox series was canceled in 2006 after three seasons but a hardcore cult of fans kept demand alive.This Sunday, the show is returning on Netflix for fifteen brand new episodes starring the majority of the original cast, including narrator Ron Howard.
RELATED: There's an 'Arrested Development' banana stand in Los Angeles and a stair car on the loose (PHOTOS)
How did Arrested Development fans manage to convince network executives to give the show another shot? What other TV shows have been revived after disappearing from the airwaves for years? Is there a formula to these “cult classic” TV shows that have such loyal fans?
Guest:
Robert Thompson, professor of radio, film and TV at Syracuse University and Director, Bleier Center for Television & Popular Culture
Tuesday, May 21: The "Arrested Development" banana stand is taking a place at the Grove on Tuesday from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Apple CEO defends company’s tax payments, rallies for corporate tax reform
Apple CEO Tim Cook got a grilling this morning in a hearing called by the U.S. Senate to investigate the tech giant’s paying of its taxes on foreign sales. According to a Senate investigation, Apple Operations International reported $30 billion in income over four years but did not filed an income tax return in any country and has no employees. Similarly, Apple Sales International, based in Ireland, had $74 billion in sales income from 2009-2012 but paid almost no taxes.
Cook told the Senate committee that his company did nothing wrong, and followed tax laws, stating, “We are proud to be an American company, and we are equally proud of our contributions to the U.S. economy.”
Cook went on to criticize the U.S. tax code for not keeping pace with the digital age and called for a simplified corporate tax code that would lower the rate paid on foreign earning, which currently stands at 35 percent and is one of the reasons many large corporations site for using offshore subsidiaries.
Should Apple be required to pay the full tax bill owed for it’s revenue in foreign countries? Should the U.S. government update the tax code to make it less painful for American companies to pay what they owe on sales abroad?
Guests:
Alex Brill, researcher at the American Enterprise Institute where he studies the impact of tax policy in the U.S. economy; former policy director and chief economist of the House Ways and Means Committee; he also served on the staff of the President's Council of Economic Advisers under George W. Bush.
Jared Bernstein, senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; served as the Chief Economist and Economic Adviser to Vice President Joe Biden from 2009-2011
Privacy concerns and the rise of the 'Glassholes'
It’s the hottest tech toy since Apple released the iPhone back in 2007. But while many tech observers think Google Glass – the tech giant’s newest wearable computer in the form of a pair of eyeglasses – would revolutionize the consumer tech industry, privacy advocates and lawmakers are worried about its abilities to record people and map faces.
Last week, eight members of Congress sent an open letter to Google CEO Larry Page detailing their concerns and set June 14 as the deadline for the company to add privacy protections into Glass. Caesars Palace in Las Vegas has banned the use of Glass on its premises, as well as some movie theaters and a watering hole in Seattle.
Google Glass won’t be widely available until later this year at the earliest, but a derogatory term has already been coined to describe those with access to the device who abuse its usage: Glassholes.
How does Google Glass work? What are some of the privacy concerns? Are these concerns overblown?
Guests:
Will Oremus, staff writer at Slate.com
Kurt Opsahl, Senior Staff Attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation
The daily routines and quirks of inspired artists
Many know all too well the feeling of staring at a blank computer screen, cursor blinking, as your hands fidget with nearby objects. Your mind is racing, unable to focus, yet it is absolutely blank at the same time. You type in some words. Delete. And repeat. Well, rest assured that you are not the only writer who has ever suffered from writers’ block.
Writer and former editor Mason Currey found himself in the same dilemma while working on a writing project. His preferred method of procrastination that day was to research what other writers have done to focus, and he ended up discovering strange habits of famous writers. Currey’s new book, “Daily Rituals: How Artists Work” is a collection of 161 routines of famous artists. Ranging from strange habits to helpful ones, Currey joins AirTalk to discuss how he cured his writers’ block.
Are you a writer or artist? How do you force yourself to be inspired? What rituals do you have? What works and what doesn’t?
Guest:
Mason Currey, writer and author of “Daily Rituals: How Artists Work”