The FAA relaxes its policy on the use of gadgets on planes. What do you think of the new regulations? Then, a woman received a citation for driving while wearing Google Glasses. Should Google Glass be banned from the car? Next, are Halloween costumes getting a little too gory and racy? Then, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But, have corporate sponsors and stunts derailed the message of Breast Cancer Awareness? A new report found that helmets don't necessarily reduce injury risk for young athletes. What can be done to ensure greater safety for kids? Lastly, we'll talk with author Stephen Jimenez about the murder of Matthew Shepard.
FAA changes policy on use of in flight devices
Get your iPad and get ready for take off! The Federal Aviation Administration announced Thursday that passengers will now be able to read, play games and watch movies on their approved electronic devices from gate-to-gate, without turning them off for takeoff and landing.
The devices will still have to be in airplane mode and anything heavy like a laptop will still have to be stowed. The changes won’t happen overnight. Each airline will be able to implement the new changes on their own schedule in order to make sure the transition is done safely.
The FAA has also issued guidelines for airlines to follow to help with the process. The Portable Electronic Devices Aviation Rulemaking Committee, which is made up of pilots, passengers, and flight attendants, examined safety issues with mobile devices on airlines. They issued a report last month giving detailed guidelines for airlines to follow to ensure their planes are within regulations.
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants called the news a “win-win” and said flight attendants won’t have to be “hall monitors”during takeoff and landing anymore.
What do you think of the new regulations? Will flight attendants now be required to check if each device is in airplane mode before takeoff? Are we one step closer to being able to use cell phones on planes? What changed to make the FAA approve this?
Guest:
Julie Frederick, Government Affairs Representative for Association of Professional Flight Attendants
Can driving with Google Glass get you a traffic ticket?
They may look just like a pair of glasses but driving while wearing Google Glass may actually get you a traffic ticket. An early adopter of Glass in San Diego found this out when she was pulled over for speeding and the officer cited her for wearing the tiny computer.
Cecilia Abadie told the officer her Google glasses were switched off but she was given a ticket anyway under California Vehicle Code 27602 that makes it illegal to "drive a motor vehicle if a television receiver, a video monitor, or a television or video screen, or any other means of visually displaying a television broadcast or video signal that produces entertainment or business applications is operating and is located in the motor vehicle at a point forward of the back of the driver's seat, or is operating and the monitor, screen, or display is visible to the driver while driving the motor vehicle." She posted a copy of the ticket to Google + .
Abadie’s post has more than 500 comments, mostly from tech savvy sympathizers who were shocked to hear wearing Glass while driving can get you a ticket.
Does the law meant to prevent people from watching TV while driving be applied to Google Glass? How does the officer know if it’s switched on or not? If GPS screens are allowed, will users be allowed to access GPS on their Google Glass? Should Google Glass be banned from the car if it leads to distracted driving?
Guest:
Mitchell Mehdy, San Diego attorney who goes by “Mr Ticket”
Are Halloween costumes getting too racy and too gory?
Oh Halloween – a night of dress up, fun and unleashed imagination. But as anyone who has perused a Halloween costume website can attest, costumes for women and girls are getting sexier and baring more skin than ever. Not only can you now be a sexy nurse, a sexy police woman, a sexy princess. You can also be a variety of sexy food items if you so choose.
Is Halloween becoming too sexualized for women and girls? For parents out there, how do you deal with it?
Guest:
Adele Saidy, owner of Adele’s of Hollywood on Hollywood Blvd
Do corporate sponsorships derail the message of breast cancer awareness?
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM), in case all the pink ribbons everywhere aren’t enough of a reminder. BCAM was started in 1985 by Astra Zeneca, a pharmaceutical company that sells cancer drugs. In the 18 years since, BCAM has ballooned into one of the most successful awareness-raising campaigns the country has seen.
Corporations from Coca Cola to General Mills are all participants, donating a percentage of profits to breast cancer research. Even the NFL is in on the action, with players, coaches and referees playing in pink game apparel and more. But there also have been some less than reverent tributes.
Case in point: the folks at Simple Pickup, the YouTube channel dedicated to peddling pick up advice, went around asking women to let them motor-boat them on camera, in exchange for a $20 donation to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The site ended up raising close to $7,000.
Is breast cancer, as a cause, in danger of being co-opted? Have corporate sponsorships and stunts such as the one perpetrated by Simple Pickup derailed the message of breast cancer awareness?
Guests:
Samantha King, Ph.D., Author, “Pink Ribbons, Inc.: Breast Cancer and the Politics of Philanthropy;” Assoc. Professor and Acting Director, School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Queen’s University (Kingston, Ontario, Canada)
Kimmy McAtee, VP of Communications, Keep a Breast Foundation creator of “i love boobies!” campaign
Sporting equipment may not be living up to claims that it prevents concussions in young athletes
We know playing contact sports like football and ice hockey can increase the risks of concussions and brain injury, especially in young athletes. But a report out Wednesday from the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council found that helmets and protective gear don’t necessarily reduce that risk of injury.
The report found that in 2009, 250,000 athletes aged 19 or younger were treated for concussions and visits to the emergency room for that demographic increased 57 percent from 2001.
The report also discussed a “culture of resistance” in which young athletes feel discouraged from disclosing their injuries.
Is that “culture of resistance” a legitimate concern, particularly for young people? What can be done to ensure the safety of younger athletes? Are there some sports kids just shouldn’t play?
Guest:
Fred Rivara, vice chair of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington, founding president of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention
Book of Matt tells a different story about the murder of Matthew Shepard
The story of Matthew Shepard’s brutal murder in Laramie Wyoming 15 years ago caught the world’s attention and brought about a national conversation about gay hatred in the U.S. Stephen Jimenez’s book, “The Book of Matt: Hidden Truths About the Murder of Matthew Shepard” tells a bit of a different story about the circumstances surrounding Shepard’s murder.
Jimenez researched the incident for over a decade and uncovered a story that was less about homosexuality than drug dealing and a methamphetamine epidemic in the Midwest.
Guest:
Stephen Jimenez, author, “The Book of Matt”