A new investigation shows that retailers skew online prices based on your location. Plus, the fiscal cliff is coming up quickly, first-person shooter games may have neurological benefits, politicians in Washington, D.C. have taken issue with the depiction of waterboarding in "Zero Dark Thirty" and much more.
Report shows stores skew online prices based on user information
Retailers are predicting another uptick in online shopping this holiday season. Of course, it's convenient, you can shop in your jammies, and you can browse the whole Web for the best deal out there.
At least that's the idea. A Wall Street Journal investigation found that online shops are pricing products differently for different people. WSJ reporter Jennifer Valentino-Devries joins the show with more.
Fiscal cliff deadline looms amid year-end holidays
It's beginning to look a lot like a Fiscal Cliffmas!
With the President in Hawaii for the holiday and Congress not due back in Washington until Thursday, time is running out to come up with a deal before 2013. So will the New Year be rung in with streamers and champagne or tax hikes and spending cuts?
To help us answer that question is Dominic Rushe, U.S. Business Correspondent for the Guardian.
First-person shooter video games may have neurological benefits
The National Rifle Association, or NRA, says violent video games are partly to blame for the mass shootings in Newtown. Last week the NRA's chief lobbyist, Wayne LaPierre, singled out some of those games during a press conference.
It's not a new argument: for years, parents have been concerned about the potential effects of violent video games on children. However, a large body of research over the past decade suggests that first-person shooter games may have some neurological benefits.
Lydia Denworth explores this theory in her article "Brain-Changing Games," in the new issue of Scientific American Mind.
Senators take issue with torture depictions in 'Zero Dark Thirty'
"Zero Dark Thirty," the Kathryn Bigelow directed film about the hunt for Osama bin Laden, is under attack from politicians in Washington. Michael Morrell, the acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency, says it creates the false impression that the use of enhanced interrogation techniques helped the agency find bin Laden.
Three members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Diane Feinstein, Carl Levin and John McCain, have also taken issue with the film. Will the discontent in D.C. have any effect on the box office?
Here to help us answer that question is Rebecca Keegan, entertainment reporter for the Los Angeles Times.
Book critic David Kipen offers last-minute gift advice
It's only one more day until Christmas, so many people are panicking about what to buy. It's no question what book critic David Kipen might suggest for a present.
Books! We'll talk to him and get his recommendations:
- "The (Library of America) Anthology of 1950's Science Fiction"
- "Dodgers from Coast to Coast"
- "Magic Hours" by Tom Bissell
- "Far From the Tree" by Andrew Solomon
- "The One, a biography of James Brown" by RJ Smith
- "Hollywood Cinema and the Real Los Angeles" by Mark Shiel
- "Piecing Together Los Angeles: An Esther McCoy Reader"
- "Masha'allah and Other Stories"
- "The Thief and the Dogs" by Naguib Mahfouz's
One mom explains which toys not to buy for her kids
As you race to the store looking for that perfect gift for your adorable nephew or your prized granddaughter, please bear in mind, these kids have parents. What might be a terrific toy for a 10-year-old could be sheer hell for that child's mother and father.
"My house is full of toys that are taking over that just make me want to kill myself every day," said Karen Alpert, mother of two and writer of the blog 'Baby Sideburns.' Alpert recently wrote a blog post warning family and friends which toys are definitely off limits this year.
Among the items she warns against gifting her kids include anything living, even fish. "Somebody was nice enough to give us a goldfish at a birthday party this summer," said Alpert. "It lasted about five days and all hell broke loose when the fish croaked."
Talking dolls are also off limits in Alpert's household. "I grew up with the movie 'Chucky,' and talking dolls scare me to death," said Alpert. "All these talking dolls say the stuff I hear all day, 'Mommy feed me,' 'Mommy I wet myself.' I don't need another set of lips telling me these things."
Lastly, Alpert says she likes to avoid stocking stuffers. "I call them crapola. Once in a while we have to go to McDonald's and we walk away with a cheap plastic toy that I feel like its just going to give my kid cancer anyway," said Alpert. "I just don't need more of that stuff."
Update on outcome of Egyptian elections
Egypt appears to have voted in a new Islamist-backed constitution on Saturday, preliminary results indicate that the draft constitution passed with 64 percent of the vote. But overall turnout over the two-day election was low, just over 30 percent.
Critics decry the constitution as a betrayal of the revolution which deposed former President Hosni Mubarak, while supporters claim it will usher in stability and democracy to the nation, after weeks of political strife and violence
The "yes" vote mandates that parliamentary elections will follow within three months.
Cairo-based journalist Noelle King joins the show with analysis.
Many suffer through excessive wait times at US-Mexico border crossing
For anyone who crosses the U.S.-Mexico border, long wait times are a constant source of frustration. That's especially true during the holiday season.
But the port of entry between Tijuana and San Diego is being expanded. From the Fronteras Desk in San Diego, Adrian Florido reports.
Jacki Weaver of 'Silver Linings Playbook' talks Philly, DeNiro and show biz
The new film "Silver Linings Playbook" has already pulled in a slew of Spirit Award nominations for best indie film, as well as early Oscar buzz from the New York Times blog and others.
Bradley Cooper stars as Pat Solitano, a man suffering from bipolar disorder who was just released from a mental hospital into the care of his parents, played by Robert DeNiro and Jacki Weaver. He meets an equally troubled woman, Tiffany, played by Jennifer Lawrence, and the two develop a rocky friendship as she tries to help him reconnect with his estranged wife.
Weaver is somewhat of a new face in Hollywood, but the veteran Australian actress has spent 50 years in front of the camera. She's perhaps best known for her performance as a Mafia matriarch in the film "Animal Kingdom," which garnered her a Best Supporting Actress nomination.
Weaver joins the show to talk about "Silver Linings Playbook," working with Robert DeNiro and how she mastered the Philly accent.
Interview Highlights:
On her role as Dolores in "Silver Linings Playbook":
"I think she's living in such a volatile household that part of her function is to keep the peace and keep everybody calm. With a husband who is obsessive compulsive and a son who's bipolar, and both of whom have serious anger management problems. I think she treads on eggshells and she's the peacemaker."
On how she mastered the Philly accent:
"That was what concerned me most. Being Australian, being able to be authentically Philadelphian. I had a great coach...who's a Philadelphian, plus the advantage of having Bradley Cooper a genuine Philadelphian. I met his uncle and I met his real-life mother, Gloria, from Philadelphia, so I had quite a bit of research going for me, plus the crew as well."
On working with Robert DeNiro:
"Acting with Robert DeNiro is nothing to be sniffed at. It's not that it wasn't a picnic, it was absolute joy, but he is an icon to not just my generation but everybody's generation. So there was a certain apprehension, but that disappeared within a few minutes because he's such a gentleman and so generous and sweet, and such a great actor. You're there acting with him and he's just another actor, but then you finish the take and you think, 'I just acted with Robert DeNiro!' You know they should have knighthoods in America, he would certainly be Sir Robert DeNiro, Lord of Greenwich Village."
On her acting style and working with director David O. Russell:
"Now and again actors aren't sure if I'm looking at them because I'm a little cross-eyed, so there's a terrible secret I've given away. David O. Russell is a very unusual character. He likes ensemble work, he had a handheld camera spinning around the room at all time so you cannot afford to relax. It's like being on stage you can't relax the whole time. To work with David O. Russell is to really step out of your comfort zone, not just for the young actors, but for the ones who have been around for years. It's terrifying, but its also brilliantly stimulating because its like being on stage and you're not quite sure what's going to happen next."
On how she uses her personal experiences to develop a character:
"In a love story and I think 'Silver Linings Playbook' is a very odd sort of love story on several levels, I think David O. Russell kept emphasizing that the Robert DeNiro character and my character, Dolores, are still very much in love after 40 years of marriage, and they're still very affectionate and sleep together and adore each other. The mother just loves her son so much and wants him to be well. So, everything that has happened in my life probably has contributed to my understanding and how I go about making a character work."
On what's next for her:
"I've just made a suspense thriller called 'Haunt' which is very scary. I also did another suspense thriller last year with Nicole Kidman and Mia Wasikowska, two other Australians. Then I'm about to play another mother in a film called 'Parkland.' I'm playing Lee Harvey Oswald's mother, which is such an honor to be playing such an American role again. It's a story of JFK's assassination, told from the point of view of the doctors and staff in Parkland Hospital in Dallas, which in the space of 36 hours saw JFK come in and then Lee Harvey Oswald…At this really late stage in my career a whole lot of different things are happening to me, I can't believe my luck. 50 years last week I've been a professional actor."
Trailer for "Silver Linings Playbook:"
Families go into debt to keep the quinceañera tradition alive
Even on a crowded dance floor, where everyone’s pretending to ride an invisible pony, it only takes a few seconds to spot the birthday girl. Cassandra Austin is practically floating on a frothy cloud of yellow tulle and sparkling sequence. She’s the quinceañera.
"When I saw the dress, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I look like Belle from Beauty and the Beast,'" said Austin.
This party, at the Green River Golf Course in Corona, California is all for her 15th birthday. Similar to the Bat Mitzah, a debutante ball, or a Sweet 16 party, the quinceañera is a rite of passage from girlhood to, well, young lady-hood.
That transition includes a formal dinner, a waltz, a DJ, a photo booth, a cupcake table, a candy spread, and a light set up worthy of Studio 54. What did it all cost?
"I think seriously with all the decorations and everything, I would say between $13,000-15,000," said Cassandra's mom, Marcela Austin. "Yeah … I would say at least $15,000.
She says their original budget was set at $9,000, though Cassandra’s dad had a different number in mind.
"Ideally I was thinking $5,000. I was hoping $5,000," said Cassandra's dad Fernando. Even though they could afford it, their combined income exceeds $130,000 a year, the final bill still caused bit of strife in the family.
And the struggle over what’s the right amount of money to spend on a coming of age party is common as an informal survey of the guests reveals:
Laura: "I think my parents spent about, anywhere from $8,000-10,000. And we’re from a family of five."
Cynthia: "15 years ago, maybe more. I’m aging myself."
Laura: "It was very difficult for my parents because my dad was the only one working."
Letty: "Oh mine? $15,000, I clearly remember."
Patty: "Mine was in Mexico cause my parents wanted to save."
Cynthia: "Can you actually believe that my parents spent more on my quinceañera than on my college education? You talk about college and they’re like, uh, community college.
Financial adviser Louis Barajas has helped Latino families plan for the one-night events for decades.
"One of the things that I love to do is when I’m guiding a family, is, I sit down and I’ll take a look at what I call 'life defining moments,'" said Barajas. "So I don’t put all the focus on a quinceañera."
He says these can be anything from getting a first car, going to college, a wedding, and maybe buying a first home. And when you look at these in perspective, he says, suddenly a quinceañera doesn’t seem as important anymore. And usually, that helps keep parents within budget.
When you don’t do that, Barajas says, you get the horror stories. Wives taking their wedding rings to pawn shops and never going back for them, or families refinancing their homes.
"Here’s the worst case scenario: taking money from their 401k, and again, they don’t have a lot of money in their retirement plan, but they borrow money from the 401k to use the money for the quinceañera and they can’t afford to pay it back," said Barajas. "Eventually it ends up being penalized and they have to pay taxes on it."
Cassandra’s parents, Marcela and Fernando, did go over budget. Though they didn’t cash out their retirement accounts they did put $6,000 on the family credit card. The debate in their house was particularly drawn out because the quinceañera tradition only comes from one side of the family.
Marcela is Mexican-American and had her own quinceañera in the mid-'80s. Fernando is African-American, and he thought the splendor of it was indulgent.
"And I’m like, are you kidding me? In my mind, you know, I’m like there is no way that we’re going to do this. It’s too much, way too much," said Fernando Austin.
"We don’t really have this in the black culture. We didn’t do that," said Sally, Cassandra's grandmother. "We might have done a 16th birthday party but not anything like this."
She and her husband Chauncy still aren’t convinced it’s a worthwhile expense.
"When I came here and they were going through the plans, I said, this is going to get a little on the expensive side. First thing I said, I don’t have any money," said Chauncy.
Despite their misgivings, they admit it’s a beautiful party and their granddaughter does look like a Disney princess in the $150 poofy dress they paid for. At the end of the night Marcela, Fernando and Cassandra pose for a family picture. Fernando says it’s perfect.
"What I would say to people who think we’re crazy, I think it’s just like, like I‘ve always said from the beginning: it was just tradition, whether it was going to be a backyard party, or a party like this. It’s just tradition. You have to have a quinceañera." said Marcela
Where you can find Santa Claus in LA
Santas in Los Angeles aren't all rosy-cheeked. L.A. actually offers a number of ethnic Santas for people of color.
KPCC's Ashley Alvarado has been travelling throughout the L.A. area, mapping out where to find your nearest mall, theme park, or pet-friendly Santa. But despite a concerted effort, she just could not find an Asian Santa.
'The Cat Behind the Hat' uncovers the lesser-known works of Dr. Seuss
It's been more than two decades since children's literature lost the great Theodore Geisel, more commonly known as Dr. Seuss.
Since his death in 1991, his mini-empire of books has netted more than $10 million. His work is well-known by generations, from "Yertle the Turtle" to "Green Eggs and Ham" to the holiday favorite "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas."
Lesser known is the life he led beyond his children's books. Geisel worked several decades in advertising, he served in World War II, and he even won a few Academy Awards. He also kept a vast collection of his own private artwork.
Now a new book, "The Cat Behind the Hat," reveals many of Seuss' darker, and intensely personal paintings for the first time. Published Bob Chase joins the show to tell us about Seuss's career and his experience putting the book together for publication.
Interview Highlights:
On the discovery of Geisel’s affinity for collecting hats and where they have been stored for seventy years:
"In an actual secret chamber. And the only thing that’s in that chamber that is really interesting is his hat collection. He collected hats. He traveled to 30 countries in the 1930s, if you can imagine that. Thirty countries in the 1930s. And in those travels, he collected hats. So his private hat collection as well as the artwork was stashed in this closet. It was amazing.”
On Geisel’s early life impact in Springfield, Mass. where his father was involved in the Springfield Zoo expansion:
On Geisel’s sculptures:
On the La Jolla Birdwomen series of paintings:
On what Geisel, and Dr. Seuss, can inspire in us for the upcoming new year: