iRIP. Who should take control of the LA County Probation Department? History is history. Where do convicted sex offenders go to live after prison?
iRIP Steve Jobs
There’s one less genius in the world today. Steve Jobs, arguably the most innovative, influential American CEO of all time, died yesterday after a long battle with cancer. He was 56.
The tech visionary co-founded Apple Inc. in 1976 and transformed the computer industry and culture to such a degree that his loss is being mourned around the world. Who else could be compared to Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, Elvis Presley and John Lennon?
Jobs was described as "brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world and talented enough to do it," in a statement today from President Barack Obama. Jobs' distinct talent was in giving consumers what they wanted before they could even fathom wanting it.
One of his most renowned strokes of brilliance came in 2001 with Apple's iPod. Its white earphones have become more ubiquitous than wristwatches. In 2007, the launch of the touch-screen iPhone brought the sexiest and smartest "phone" to market. Then in 2010, where all other computers companies had failed, Jobs announced a tablet computer: the iPad. Market analysts gave it a lukewarm reception. Sales have been boiling hot ever since. Apple's cult-like following was always anxious for the latest and greatest to be unveiled by their leader in faded jeans and signature black mock turtleneck.
WEIGH IN:
What have we lost in losing Steve Jobs? What went into making such an incredible thinker and doer? What set him apart in your eyes? What can we learn from him, the empire he created, the inventions he brought to the world?
LA probation department head Donald Blevins calls resignation mutual decision
Former Los Angeles Chief of Probation Donald Blevins says he left the department on good terms: “It was a mutually agreeable decision,” he said speaking on KPCC's AirTalk Thursday. “It was time for me to move on and for the department to head in a different direction.”
Blevins said he left for family reasons and was not forced out because of his performance. His departure came in the midst of the recently launched California prison realignment program — a program that vastly changes the structure of how the state and its counties handle criminal offenders.
County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky confirmed media reports that the supervisors are in the midst of negotiations with Jerry Powers, who currently leads the Stanislaus County Probation Department in Central California, to replace Blevins. Yaroslavsky said Powers will most likely fill the position.
Even while negotiating a replacement, Yaroslavsky praised Blevins for his work and said he “pointed the ship in a more positive direction.”
Blevins said he and Powers began their careers together years ago in San Diego, and called Powers a great replacement.
WEIGH IN:
Is the county failing the kids in juvenile camps? Does anyone have the ability to whip the department into shape? Or should the feds step in?
Guests:
Donald Blevins, Chief Probation Officer, Los Angeles County Probation Department
Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles County Supervisor, Third District
History is history
American students’ worst subject is history, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. After it issued a standardized history test to students nationwide this year, the group found that 20 percent of fourth graders, 17 percent of eighth graders and 12 percent of high school seniors demonstrated a lack of proficiency in American history.
It's not surprising, given that Americans have a reputation for not knowing history well. Although critics contend that the assessment test is problematic, they don't debate its conclusion: history education is deteriorating in the United States, and there are no signs of improvement.
According to history advocates, the 2002 No Child Left Behind act exacerbates the dismal state of affairs. The act requires schools to raise test scores in mathematics and reading comprehension, which compromises time devoted to teaching other subjects like history. In some elementary schools, history has become an elective class. Furthermore, history textbooks are infamous for being utterly boring, which tends to deter students from reading them.
WEIGH IN:
Why are Americans well known for not knowing their own nation’s history? How should we reform our history education? What are the politics behind the social studies curriculum standards and how are they affecting K-12 students? Why are colleges reducing the number of history classes? Who wrote the letter from Birmingham jail?
Guests:
Sam Wineburg, Margaret Jacks professor of education, professor of history at Stanford University
Linda Salvucci, associate professor of history at Trinity University in San Antonio, chair-elect of the National Council for History Education (NCHE)
Where do convicted sex offenders go to live after prison?
While they aren’t typically met with much sympathy, sex offenders face a definite conundrum upon their release from jail. They are forbidden from living within a certain distance of children, so they are pushed out of communities to live on the margins of society.
In Russell Bank’s new novel, "Lost Memory of the Skin," Bank explores the ramifications of this Catch-22 on a particular sex offender, referred to as "The Kid," who is forced to live under bridges and freeway overpasses in colonies with other released criminals. The author also touches on the irony of this situation due to its effects on society. For instance, the very laws that were meant to protect children from heinous criminals help to create a new cadre of disenfranchised molesters, who face an entirely different set of challenges blocking them from assimilation into society.
Banks’ protagonist is one such marginalized criminal who must now reconcile his past with his present and future. How will he survive outside of prison? How are other sex offenders dealing with life outside? What can Banks’ book reveal not only about the darkness in peoples’ souls, but about the communities we live in? In a world that’s so starkly black and white, is it possible for a former criminal to become a victim?
Guest:
Russell Banks, author of "Lost Memory of Skin" and other novels, including "Rule of the Bone," "Affliction" and "The Sweet Hereafter."
Tonight, Russell Banks will be at the Writer’s Bloc in Century City at 7:30 pm.