John Kerry’s life poignantly reflects the life of America. We discuss his latest book, this time a memoir, in which Kerry shares some of his toughest moments as a diplomat. We also take a look at the ensuing backlash from a Brown University study; examine the future of the URL; and more.
After ‘Hollywood Ghost Ship,’ we look at challenges of maintaining abandoned buildings
More than 60 people were detained at Hollywood's iO West comedy theater during a raid Wednesday morning.
The vacant building had been under investigation for two months for potential drug and gun sales. Squatters took over the abandoned site after the most recent tenant left earlier this year. Some residents told the Times that they paid roughly $400 a month for rent.
Cities across California have been cracking down on illegally converted spaces following the death of 36 people in a fire during an unlicensed concert at a dilapidated Oakland warehouse known as the “Ghost Ship.”
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Ben Thompson, senior lead officer for the Los Angeles Police Department in the Hollywood entertainment district, who led the investigation into the Hollywood abandoned building
Kerry Morrison, executive director of the Hollywood Property Owners Alliance
After 50 years of public service, John Kerry shares revealing new memoir
His political resume is anything but dull: five-term U.S. Senator, 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, 68th U.S. Secretary of State, and on top of that, a decorated Vietnam War veteran with three Purple Heart Medals — among others.
John Kerry’s life poignantly reflects the life of America. In his latest book, this time a memoir, Kerry shares some of his toughest moments as a diplomat, including his negotiations and decisions made on Syria, the Iran nuclear deal and Paris climate agreement.
He also writes movingly about close colleagues such as the late Senator John McCain and then President Barack Obama, and opens up about recovering his personal faith while serving in the Senate.
Kerry is vocal about his disdain for today’s chaotic, partisan climate as well, and doesn’t shy away from criticizing American leadership.
Secretary Kerry will be speaking about his book at an event at The Theatre at Ace Hotel on Saturday, Sept 15 – at 7:30p.
Correction: An earlier version of this story noted that Secretary Kerry's event was happening Friday instead of Saturday. It has been updated to reflect the event's true date.
Guest:
John Kerry, former United States Secretary of State (2013-2017); former U.S. Senator of Massachusetts (1985-2013) and Democratic nominee in the 2004 presidential election; author of the new memoir, “Every Day Is Extra” (Simon & Schuster 2018) and he tweets
Save the date: Verizon 5G is coming to Los Angeles Oct 1
On Tuesday, Verizon announced that Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Sacramento will be the trial locations for what it deems “the first 5G deployment in the World.”
Installation is set to begin October 1, with service beginning soon after. Not everyone in those cities will be able to participate, but residents can check if their area is eligible by going to Firston5G.com.
But, as CNET indicated in a recent article, critics point out that Verizon’s launch uses non-industry standard technology, so even though wireless speeds are faster they are technically not 5G. Verizon has stated that as it expands its program, it plans on upgrading to industry standard technology.
So what is 5G and how is it different from what we are used to? How do the speeds work? What is industry-standard vs. non-industry standard 5G?
We discuss these questions and more.
Guests:
Roger Cheng, executive editor for CNET News, he has been following the story about Verizon’s 5G network; he tweets
Theodore Rappaport, founding director of NYU Wireless, a research center focused on theories and techniques for next-generation wireless devices; he is also a professor of electrical and computer engineering at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering
We look at the future of the internet as Google wants to kill the URL and Chrome continues to dominate browser market
Ten years ago, Google revealed the Chrome browser, a freeware web browser for Microsoft Windows that was later ported to Linux, macOS, iOS and Android.
Google Chrome quickly moved ahead of the pack and now accounts for 60 percent of browser usage. Today, about 1 billion people are using Chrome each month with 2 billion copies of the web browser installed. Google services like YouTube, Gmail and Google Maps gained enormous popularity. Meanwhile, Chrome led an industry effort to build the modern web, from popularizing auto-updates to aggressively promoting HTTPS web encryption.
To continue their pattern of radical changes, Google is considering doing away with URLs altogether. How will that work? And what could possibly be used in place of URLs? Industry analysts join us to explain.
We asked Google to join the show but they declined to be interviewed at this time.
Guests:
Lily Hay Newman, security reporter at Wired who recently wrote an article on the state of URL’s; she tweets
Joe Balestrino, consultant and independent search-engine-optimization expert; author of the book, "The Definitive Guide to Local Search" (Joe Balestrino, 2011); he tweets
Criticism of methodology or censorship? We look at Brown University professor’s gender dysphoria study and ensuing backlash
A study on gender dysphoria published last month in scientific journal PLOS ONE has sparked controversy among both among conservative and progressive circles.
Conducted by Brown University Professor Lisa Littman, the descriptive study looks at “rapid-onset gender dysphoria,” which is described as gender dysphoria experienced for the first time during puberty in the context of “multiple, or even all of the friends have become gender dysphoric and transgender-identified during the same timeframe.”
It was based on anonymous survey responses from 250 parents of teenagers and young adults who expressed gender dysphoria, and raised questions about whether social pressures can influence a child’s gender identity. Following backlash to the study, Brown rescinded a news story on the research and PLOS ONE issued a statement saying it was looking into the criticisms.
Some have criticized Brown University’s decision to not stand by Professor Littman’s study, saying this was an example of a university suppressing scientific inquiry because of pressure from trans activists and idealogues. Critics from the other side have said that the study was illegitimate because of its flawed methodologies -- for example, that it interviewed parents and not the kids themselves and that the pool of parents used was biased.
We hear from both sides. Plus, we talk to a clinician about the protocol for screening a child who says they are experiencing gender dysphoria.
We reached out to Professor Lisa Littman. She declined our request for an interview.
PLOS ONE’s Statement:
PLOS ONE is aware of the reader concerns raised on the study’s content and methodology. We take all concerns raised about publications in the journal very seriously, and are following up on these per our policy and COPE guidelines. As part of our follow up we will seek further expert assessment on the study’s methodology and analyses. We will provide a further update once we have completed our assessment and discussions.
Guests:
Jillian Kay Melchior, editorial page writer at The Wall Street Journal; she wrote the piece “Peer Pressure and ‘Transgender’ Teens”; she tweets
Aydin Olson-Kennedy, licensed clinical social worker and executive director of the Los Angeles Gender Center, a nonprofit that provide identity affirming mental healthcare for the trans and gender non-conforming communities and their families
Aron Janssen, M.D., clinical director of the Gender and Sexuality Service at NYU Langone’s Child Study Center, a mental health clinic that services gender diverse youth; he is also an associate professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at NYU Langone