Rumors are circulating that LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy may resign from his post of the second largest school district in the country. Do you think he should step down? Next, the tech industry still remains a heavily male dominated field. What is it like being a woman in the tech industry? Then, TGIF it's Filmweek with our critics talking about "The Counselor," American Promise," and more! Lastly, we'll talk with author David Thomson about moments that make the movies.
Questions arise about the future of LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy
Yesterday the Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Daily News reported that sources close to Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy said the controversial leader may be considering resigning his position. As head of the second largest school system in the United States, Deasy’s two years as superintendent have been anything but smooth sailing.
“His major initiatives have included revamping teachers evaluations to include the use of students' standardized test scores,” writes Howard Blume at the L.A. Times.
“He also altered the seniority system to limit the effect of job cuts at schools with large numbers of less-experienced instructors, who are generally the first to be laid off. The school system recently embarked on a $1-billion project — led by Deasy — to provide iPads to every student and teacher, using school-construction bonds as the funding source.” Deasy has not confirmed or denied the rumors.
Guests:
Warren Fletcher, President, United Teachers Los Angeles
Yolie Flores, Former LAUSD School Board Member
Bill Ring, Member, Parents Across America, non-profit organization connects parents and activists to improve the country’s public schools.
'Bro-grammer' culture: Is there room for women in Silicon Valley?
Yahoo!'s Marissa Mayer and Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg have proven that women can rise to the top of the tech world but they may not find many young women are following in their footsteps. Even though women have overtaken men at the nation's colleges and universities - the tech industry remains a heavily male dominated culture.
Fewer women are studying computer science and only a tiny fraction of the engineers - 2% to 4% in some cases - are women. Female engineers have fewer role models to encourage them into the tech industry and many face discrimination and harassment once they're there.
Two Australian programmers at a hackathon set up by TechCrunch caused a firestorm on Twitter after they presented an app called Titstare. "Titstare is an app where you take photos of yourself staring at tits," they said. It's an example of the "bro" culture that exists at many tech firms where women are few and far between. Reporter Jessica Guynn wrote about the topic this week in the LA Times.
Should leaders in the tech industry do more to encourage more women? What is it like being a woman in the tech industry? What other industries have improved their gender disparity?
Guests:
Katharine Jarmul, Director of Technology @ HYFN and cofounder of Los Angeles PyLadies, a group which helps more women become coders in the Python programming language
Jennifer Hunt, Chief Economist for the US Department of Labor
Valerie Aurora, software engineer and founder of the Ada Initiative, which supports women in tech
Former Lakers coach Bill Sharman dies at 87
Bill Sharman, the former Lakers coach who led the team to its first championship in Los Angeles, died Friday at his home in Redondo Beach. Sharman suffered a stroke last week.
The Lakers hired Sharman in 1971 and with an all-star team including Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Gail Goodrich, the Lakers won 33 consecutive games, a U.S. professional sports record, during the 1971-72 season.
The Lakers topped it off with the best record in NBA history. That record held for more than twenty years until Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls bested it in 1996.
Sharman worked with the Lakers for more than three decades — as coach, general manager, team president and special consultant.
Sharman is one of only three people elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame twice, as both player and a coach. John Wooden and Lenny Wilkens are the other two.
Before becoming a coach, Sharman was an eight-time all star with the Boston Celtics, helping the team win four championships. In 1996 he was named one of the top 50 players in NBA history.
Guest:
Bill Dwyre, sports columnist for the Los Angeles Times
Filmweek: The Counselor, American Promise, Blue Is the Warmest Color and more
Larry is joined by KPCC critics Peter Rainer and Alynda Wheat to review this week’s releases including The Counselor, American Promise, Blue Is the Warmest Color and more! TGI-FilmWeek!
The Counselor
American Promise
Blue Is the Warmest Color
Guests:
Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and the Christian Science Monitor; author of “Rainer on Film: Thirty Years of Film Writing in a Turbulent and Transformative Era”
Alynda Wheat, film critic for KPCC and People
Moments that Made the Movies
Who can forget the iconic lunch scene in "When Harry Met Sally" when Meg Ryan delivers a fake orgasm. It was a moment that is memorable in the movie. Author and film critic David Thomson focuses on a series of moments in seventy-two films across a 100 year span.
This fully illustrated book captures iconic scenes from movie classics to the unexpected films. This visual book shows photographs from scenes from films like "Sunset Boulevard," "The Red Shoes," and "Burn After Reading."
What are some of your favorite movie scenes?
Guest:
David Thomson, author, “Moments that Made the Movies”