Results from a new Washington Post-ABC poll indicate a partisan divide on climate change, should the Planned Parenthood shooting be classified as domestic terrorism and Lakers legend announces retirement in the form of a poem.
As UN talks begin in Paris, poll suggests partisan divide on seriousness of climate change
With the hopes of getting the entire world on the same page when it comes to averting climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, world leaders began gathering in Paris today for the 2015 U.N. Climate Change Conference.
President Obama met with Chinese and Indian officials earlier today, while the entire summit is expected to feature stakeholders from over 150 countries. As the summit begins, however, it also appears there’s still a partisan disagreement in the U.S. about just how serious the issue of climate change is.
A new Washington Post-ABC poll finds almost half of Americans say the feds should be doing more to mitigate climate change, but that number is down 14 percent from the last year of George W. Bush’s presidency. Just over half of those surveyed said that there’s still disagreement in the scientific community over the existence of climate change. But the partisan divide on global warming doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.
The poll found eight in 10 Democrats say climate change is a serious problem while only six in 10 Republicans think so.
Guests:
Eric Roston, Sustainability Editor, Bloomberg Business Week; contributor to Bloomberg Businessweek’s feature issue on the Paris climate talks this week.
Challenges of tracking, prosecuting Planned Parenthood shooting as 'domestic terrorism'
Planned Parenthood and Republican presidential hopeful, Mike Huckabee, have labeled Friday’s Colorado clinic shooting as an act of domestic terrorism.
Others, like Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul, have chosen to view suspected gunman Robert Lewis Dear’s five-hour shooting spree as a “mental crisis” instead. The spree resulted in three deaths and nine injuries.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the sole difference between terrorism and domestic terrorism is the location in which the act occurs -- domestically or beyond U.S. borders.
If found guilty of the murders, will Dear be charged with domestic terrorism? Should he be charged with domestic terrorism given that the shooting was clearly an act of violence?
Guest:
Brian Levin, Director, Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino
Lawrence Rosenthal, professor of law at Chapman University School of Law; former federal prosecutor
You are what you stare at: How screen time impacts our behaviors IRL
People spend many hours staring at screens. Between smartphones, laptops and smartwatches, the impact that all of this technology has had on everyday life is clear.
What’s less obvious, according to behavioral economist Shlomo Benartzi, is the visual biases and behavioral patterns that influence that people’s thinking when we’re using all of these screens.
In his new book “The Smarter Screen: Surprising Ways to Influence and Improve Online Behavior,” Benartzi describes the little ways that our technology affects our decision-making. This includes everything from how we read e-books to the things that we purchase from our phones.
How much are we really paying attention to the things that come across our phones? Which company websites are the biggest culprits when it comes to disengaging viewers? What needs to change to help us make better decisions through our screens?
Guest:
Shlomo Benartzi, author of “The Smarter Screen: Surprising Ways to Influence and Improve Online Behavior,”(Portfolio/Penguin Books 2015). He is a professor and co-chair of the Behavioral Decision Making Group at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. He tweets at
Black Friday recap: In-store sales slump while online shopping soars
This holiday shopping season is predicted to be a busy one.
Between Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday more than 135 million shoppers were expected to hit the stores or shop online. While we saw a slight downward trend in sales for brick-and-mortar stores, online sales were up by double digits. Some analysts say it's a sign that Black Friday is becoming less important to holiday shoppers.
We’ll take a look at the money spent this holiday weekend, shopping trends and whether more people are ditching the in-store sales for online deals.
Guests:
Sucharita Mulpuru, e-commerce analyst at Forrester Research, a technology research and advisory firm based in Cambridge, MA
Kit Yarrow, consumer research psychologist and professor at Golden Gate University in San Francisco and author of the forthcoming book “Decoding the New Consumer Mind: How and Why We shop and Buy” (March 2014, Jossey-Bass)
Silicon valley job perks get perkier
Los Angeles: about 350 miles north of us lies a land offering employee lifestyle perks that might exceed your wildest expectations.
For example, at Blueboard, you can be James Bond for a day -- the experience includes skydiving lessons, a tux and a lesson in making the perfect martini. We’re talking about Silicon Valley, where tech companies are trying to attract employees and keep them from leaving.
College loans relentlessly nip at the heels of workers who might jump ship quickly after being hired, to pursue a higher pay rate elsewhere.
Companies, aware of that restlessness, are offering exotic benefits that go beyond, let’s say, free daily food. At Tilt, employees that stick around for a year, get a free plane ticket to anywhere in the world. Zillow offers free overnight shipping of breast milk from nursing mothers away on business trips.
How sustainable are these perks? Are they serving their purpose of keeping and attracting talent? Angelenos, do you have any benefits rivaling what that NorCal valley is offering?
Guest:
Meg Virick, Professor of Business at San Jose State University
Quoth the Mamba 'Nevermore': Why Kobe wrote a poem announcing his retirement
Kobe Bryant announced on Sunday that this season would be his last in the NBA.
Kobe, who has always been known for his flair for the dramatic, broke the news to the world not at a press conference or through a team spokesperson, but rather in written verse.
In a poem posted to The Players’ Tribune, the Lakers legend writes a heartfelt goodbye to basketball, saying “this season is all I have left to give” and professing his passion for the game that he says drove him to play through the sweat, the hurt, and the jeers of his critics. Everyone who attended Sunday night’s game at the Staples Center against the Indiana Pacers also received signed letter from Kobe, thanking them for helping him become the player and man he is.
The Lakers’ guard has always had a flair for the dramatic, whether it’s his trademark fadeaway jumper, his storied love-hate relationship with the media, or his often logic-defying buzzer-beaters. While his place among the greatest players ever could be debated, it’s hard to argue his numbers: five NBA Championships, third all-time for points scored, and owner of the second-highest scoring game in NBA history from his 81 point effort in 2006 against Toronto.
In the spirit of poetry, we’re asking you to write us a haiku about Kobe. Tweet us your best using #KobeHaikus and we’ll share the best on air!
Guests
Carol Muske-Dukes, former poet laureate of California
A Martinez, co-host of KPCC’s Take Two and host of Lakers Line on 710AM KSPN after Laker games