LA has seen its deadliest August since 2007 with 39 homicides, but crime remains near a historic low. Also, Rand Paul is trying to accomplish something his father couldn’t: become President of the United States. Then, is the explosion of great TV actually hurting the industry?
What’s really behind LA’s crime increase and how does it fit into the national picture
LA has seen its deadliest August since 2007 with 39 homicides, but crime remains near a historic low.
There once were nearly 1200 annual murders in the city of LA alone - now there are about 300 a year. Among the reasons the experts have cited for an uptick in violent crime are gang activity, an increase in homelessness and the gentrification of downtown LA, which saw the most drastic increase in crime.
But it’s difficult to draw causation between those correlations and even more challenging to discern which part of the increase in crime in LA is due to factors driving an increase in violent crime across the nation, versus which might be local drivers, such as Prop 47.
Guests:
Captain Jeffrey Bert, acting commanding officer for media relations and community affairs for the LAPD
Alex Alonso, a gang researcher at Cal State Long Beach and founder of streetgangs.com, an informational website focusing on Southern California gang culture
Frank Zimring, Professor of Law at UC Berkeley and the author of "The City That Became Safe: New York's Lessons For Crime and Its Control."
GOP 2016: Popular among younger Republicans, Rand tries to be his own Paul
Following in your father’s footsteps can be tricky, especially when your father is arguably one of the most respected and influential politicians in recent history. And while his intent may not have been to walk the same career path his father did, Rand Paul is trying to accomplish something his father couldn’t: become President of the United States.
A physician like his dad, Rand Paul started practicing ophthalmology in Kentucky after completing his medical residency in 1993, and opened his own practice in 2007. Several years later, in 2010, he put medicine on the back burner and turned his focus to politics, running for and eventually winning now-former Senator Jim Bunning’s seat.
He describes himself as a “Constitutional conservative,” supports a flat tax, is a huge advocate for privacy reform, and is pro-life. His stance on same-sex marriage is nuanced; he has said in the past that he does not agree with same-sex marriage personally, but believes it’s an issue that should be decided by the states.
Who is Rand Paul, the candidate? What is his platform? How has he made an effort to create his own name and identity, rather than simply being associated with his father?
Guests:
Al Cross, associate professor in the School of Journalism and Telecommunications and director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the University of Kentucky. Prior to his professorship, Cross was a reporter and eventually chief political writer for the The Courier-Journal in Louisville
Spotify’s 'data alchemist' on how he's changing how you listen to music
The days of paying 99 cents per song are all but a thing of the past, and streaming services like Spotify are the wave of the future.
Gone, too, are the days where music could only be classified by genre. More and more audiophiles are starting to look for music that fits their mood rather than a specific genre, and it’s driving the streaming music industry to adapt.
If you’ve ever used Spotify, you know that that in addition to streaming music based on genre, you can also download playlists that have been mixed based on what the listener is doing or feeling while listening.
Take working out, for instance. In a Washington Post article from last week, author Brian Fung explains how Spotify noticed that users were making lots of workout or running playlists, so they started researching running and exercise. They found that higher beats per minute (BPM) did have a positive effect on workout music, so they created a feature that allows users to set a minimum BPM, and Spotify will only play music at or above that level. However, they then realized they didn’t have enough music at high BPM levels, so they turned to DJs and composers to create it.
How do you use mood playlists in your daily life? Are you more likely to listen to something that fits your mood rather than a specific music genre that you like? How do these playlists help enhance your daily life?
Guest:
Glenn McDonald, data alchemist for The Echo Nest at Spotify
What will come of LA's $30M proposal for big cat bridge?
The Santa Monica Mountains are a rare juxtaposition of nature and urban development — a place where millions of humans can walk the same paths used by wild animals such as mountain lions.
That coexistence has not been balanced, however, and resident wildlife populations have become increasingly genetically isolated — cut off from access to other wild lands by highways and housing. Inbreeding is widespread within the population of Santa Monica Mountain cougars, which are now among the most genetically isolated in the country.
Conservationists have long called for a safe passageway for animals to cross into and out of the mountain range. Several attempts have been made to plan a tunnel under the 101 Freeway. All have failed.
Now, an even more grand-scale idea for a crossing has captured public and political support and has made it the furthest of any proposed project yet. Project leaders on Thursday released initial plans and cost estimates for a 165-foot wide and 200-foot long overpass that would cross the 10 lanes of the 101 Freeway at Liberty Canyon in Agoura Hills.
READ STORY HERE
Guests:
Seth Riley, Wildlife Ecologist, National Park Service and Adjunct Associate Professor, University of California, Los Angeles Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Lauren Wonder, Chief of Media Relations & Public Affairs at Caltrans District 7
Robert Rock, Senior Associate, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc., a landscape architecture firm based in New York. The firm is working with several different agencies in Canada and the U.S. on similar wildlife crossings
Is the current ‘golden age’ of television actually hurting the industry?
From “Mad Men” to “Empire” to “Game of Thrones,” television hasn’t seen scripted shows as engaging and smart as those in many years. But is this explosion of great TV actually hurting the industry?
The chief executive of FX Networks, John Landgraf, answered in the affirmative earlier this month at a Television Critics Association event. Landgraf said that the crowded field makes it hard for shows to “cut through the clutter and create real buzz” nowadays.
Is this “golden age of television” cannibalizing the industry? As a TV watcher, are there just too many good TV shows out there for you to watch?
Guests:
Dominic Patten, Chief TV critic and Legal Editor at the entertainment industry news website, Deadline, who’s been following the story. He tweets
Faith film ‘War Room’ makes big dent at the box office, highlights niche industry
Religious movies have long proved to be big money makers at the box office.
The movie ‘The Passion of the Christ’ was considered a game changer for the faith based film industry grossing more than $600 million when it was released in 2004. And since then, many other faith based films have had similar success.
Just last weekend an independent Christian film called ‘War Room’ did better than expected, bringing in $11.4 million in its opening weekend, nearly four times the cost of creating the movie.
It also ranked 2nd in ticket sales to the hip-hop biopic ‘Straight Outta Compton.’ What drives ticket sales for religious based films? How do small indie Christian films differ from big Hollywood productions? And how are they marketed to the general public?
Guest:
, the Director of Church Relations and an Associate Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary