On Monday we talk about the new list of the country's biggest givers in 2013. Also, what is the Dumb Starbucks in Los Feliz and why are people waiting in line so long for it? We'll also talk about what San Diego elections could mean for California. And Boy George tells us about his first album in 18 years and much more.
The man who helped Michael Sam publicly come out
Michael Sam -- a star defensive lineman on the University of Missouri's football team -- has come out. As a prospective NFL draft pick, he could be the first openly gay player in the league.
But the story of him breaking this barrier is a complex one.
How does he balance this part of his life with his future career in football? What are the implications it has for LGBT people in professional sports?
To explain is the man who personally helped make Michael Sam's coming out a national headline -- Howard Bragman, founder of the PR firm Fifteen Minutes.
The Internet demonstrates against NSA surveillance Tuesday
Tuesday, online activists around the world will be participating in what's being called, "The Day We Fight Back."
It's meant to draw attention to the Internet surveillance done on Americans by the NSA, and to call on Congress to act and limit the agency's powers.
David Segal is the executive director of one of the protest organizers, Demand Progress, and he joined Take Two to explain what will be done, and how to measure success.
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
What will be happening Tuesday and why?
We’re planning to drive tens of thousands of phone calls to Congress from activists across the country in support of reforms to the surveillance program and specifically the USA Freedom Act is our flagship concern. It would end the both metadata collection and institute other reforms to the surveillance programs to make them less intrusive and ensure that there are greater protections for Americans’ rights.
Similar protests like the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act were successful and legislation was defeated. How successful do you anticipate this will be?
Those actions were successful after many different pushes over the course of about a year and we think this is equivalent to one of the earlier efforts that drove tens of thousands of emails and phone calls to Congress and helped slow those bills down.
But we’re going to need to be persistent and come back again and again over the course of coming months.
How will people notice this movement Tuesday since major sites aren’t going dark?
Major sites like Reddit and Tumblr will take part in various ways tomorrow, as will dozens of organizations including groups like the ACLU. Together those organizations, though they don’t generate billions of hits every day as Google plus Wikipedia do, they generate tens of millions and it's plenty to drive enough constituents to contact that the powers-that-be will surely take note.
Last week the Obama administration announced that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has approved some of the changes that the President proposed, including that telephone data only be mined after the court deem a situation a true emergency. There’s also limitations on the extent of the data that can be mined. What do you make of these moves, is it enough?
Some of the reforms are legitimate, others are fundamentally cosmetic. For instance, he wants us to shift the warehousing of the telephone records of tens of millions of ordinary Americans from the government to the telephone companies. We want an end to bulk data collection in its entirety.
In order to do its job, the NSA has to access some information so where is the middle ground?
Members of the intelligence committee who have access to information broadly about how these programs operate have indicated that they have seen no evidence whatsoever that these programs have helped prevent terrorist attacks or are necessary to do so.
I’m more inclined to trust them than to trust people operating in secret and obfuscating these powers and claiming them based on a secret interpretation of a law who have been demonstrated to have lied to the Americans time and time again.
Facebook's Zuckerberg tops list of 15 biggest Calif. philanthropists
The list for the top 50 most generous donors in 2013 came out today from the the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
15 of those included in this group are from California:
- #1 Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan
- #6 Charles Johnson
- #8 Irwin and Joan Jacobs
- #9 Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki
- #10 Jeffrey Carlton
- #15 Eli and Edythe Broad
- #16 John Arrillaga
- #17 Charles Munger
- #26 Lawrence Ellison
- #27 John Boruchin
- #31 Stephen and Nancy Grand
- #36 James Clark
- #37 Dale and Sarah Ann Fowler
- #38 Richard and Melanie Lundquist
- #42 David Murdock
Stacy Palmer, an editor at the Chronicle of Philanthropy, joins the show with more on who made the list.
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
First off, what's the criteria for this list?
We're looking for the most generous people in America, so we're looking at total donations throughout the year, so this isn't just one single biggest act of generosity, but everything that they've done in the entire year.
How much money do people have to give?
To get on the list you have to have given at least $37 million and then you have on the very top of the list, a billion dollar gift, so there's quite a range. One of the signs that giving is healthy is that that number at the bottom is still pretty high. During the downturn, it took just about $20 million to get on the list.
Why is California most represented on the list?
California has so much wealth that of course it's expected that many people would be on the list, but we've seen growth over the past few years particularly as Silicon Valley has been producing more fortunes.
What does this say about California?
It absolutely shows that people are interested in changing society in some way and finding a way to give back, and I think when you see how the technology industry has changed society, it goes hand in hand that they would be changing philanthropy as well and thinking about their impact. So it's not surprising that California has played a very leading role.
Who are they?
Most people on the list this year are people who have been on the list for a while. So they are many of the household names. Some people won't have heard of number two on the list, George Mitchell, who made his fortune in fracking, and one of the things he did was leave money to make sure there would be regulation of the fracking industry and set up $750 million in a conservation fund and is really looking at a way to have his legacy extended to be sure that the environment is safe regardless of what happens with the technology.
Young tech guys have been getting a bad wrap for NOT giving back to their communities. Is Mark Zuckerberg an anomaly?
I think Mark Zuckerberg is unusual in that he's given so much at such an incredibly young age. We've never had someone on top of the list who is under 30, although last year in the top five, three out of the five were people who were under 40, so we're certainly seeing a youth surge. And in the technology industry some people are starting to give in pretty serious ways. I think many people will follow Zuckerberg's example. What's notable about him isn't just the amount he's given, but he didn't set up a foundation in his own name, he decided to give money to the Bay Area Foundation, and this wasn't his only gift there; last year he gave another sizable gift, so they have now become the very biggest community foundation in the country.
Which causes are benefiting from these 50 donors?
Colleges and universities hands down won the most gifts, and it was for a wide range of causes. Some went to science, some went to typical areas like building new buildings, dorms, that kind of thing, giving scholarship money and that sort of thing, but that was the biggest recipient on the list. Followed by hospitals and healthcare.
On the issue of income inequality: Are the richest people giving back enough?
One of the things that's interesting is we looked at how many people were on the Forbes 400 list who also made our list, and of the Forbes 400 list, 377 people on Forbes 400 are not on our list, so I think it is a sign that certainly some people don't see a need to give every year, they may be putting money away for a long time commitment, but there isn't as much giving by the very wealthy as you might expect. On the flipside, what's lovely about our list is some people you've never heard of are quietly amassing these very small fortunes and then surprising charities at their death, with incredibly generous bequeaths. There was one donor on the list who gave $20 contributions to the Salvation Army in Seattle and then left them a big share of his $139 million bequest. They had no idea that was coming.
Has giving gone up or down?
Giving was much more generous than living donors on the lost gave as much this year as they have previous two years, so I think that's a sign that the economy is coming back that they felt comfortable about giving and perhaps all of this talk about inequality is spurring them to give more. Giving has been fairly sluggish over the past few years overall in the country, however, and many charities are really struggling to be able to raise as much money this year as they did last year.
How your McDonald's chicken nuggets are made
McDonald's Canada recently released a video tour of its food facilities to show consumers how whole chickens become the famous McNuggets fast food lovers adore.
James Hamblin wrote about this for The Atlantic and joined us to share more on the McNugget.
Gaps in the Affordable Care Act leave many in limbo
The Affordable Care Act was designed to give more people access to health insurance.
And it could solve a number of problems for low income people by giving them better access to care, better health outcomes and less medical debt.
But there are huge gaps in the plan.
In the first of a two part series from the Fronteras Desk, Tristan Ahtone reports on some people who will continue to fall through the cracks.
Hollywood Jobs: Red Carpet Stylist
Judging the outfits of movie stars on the red carpet is like a spectator sport: lots of armchair judges will critique every last detail, and God help you if you're a star who finds out that someone else at the event has the exact same dress.
That's where David Zyla comes in.
During awards season, he's a renowned stylist called in to help people design their complete looks. It's an art form and skill that draws on tricks of the trade, and knowing that what may look great in real life would look terrible in front of the cameras.
"It's not about, 'Oh, it happens to be this label,'" he says. "The clothing has to be thought of as a raw material to showcase that celebrity."
Among the tactics he employs includes taking the dress on a "test run," and photographing it to see how it comes across on film.
"Some colors, for instance some shades of red, hot pinks, and oranges usually go much hotter when they're photographed than in real life," says Zyla. "That can be a good thing, or it can be something that isn't the effect that you want."
Finally, his one piece of advice for the rest of us who aren't on the red carpet: if there's one color you wear that people often compliment you for wearing, don't ignore it. Take mind of it, and find those kind of pieces for your wardrobe.
On The Lot: Lego domination, LaBeouf's downward spiral, LA's new film czar and more
"The Monuments Men" opened this weekend. And even with its all star cast, which includes Bill Murray, Matt Damon, George Clooney and John Goodman, it only pulled in a modest $22 million. Surprisingly, it was "The Lego Movie" that dominated the box office. It raked in more than $69 million, far exceeding expectations and having the biggest opening weekend for any movie in 2014.
Here to talk about the movie's success and other Hollywood news is Rebecca Keegan. She writes about film for the Los Angeles Times and she joins us every Monday for our regular chat about the film biz--On the Lot.
In addition to the news about "The Lego Movie," there are a ton of other things going on.
Yesterday, Woody Allen responded to Dylan Farrow's letter in the Sunday NY Times. Rebecca Keegan followed up with a piece about how younger women have been Allen's most vocal critics.
Two young actors making a splash are Shia LaBeouf and James Franco. Both for very different reasons.
The Berlin Film Fest is underway and LaBeouf is using it as an opportunity to continue his recent streak of odd behavior, walking out of a press conference and appearing on the red carpet with a paper bag on his head.
And Franco is acquiring the rights to a book about the awful cult movie "The Room." Looks like he might make another movie about making a movie, like what he did with "Interior: Leather Bar" last year.
Finally, Mayor Eric Garcetti has named a new film czar. It's Ken Ziffren, who's established himself in Hollywood as a well known entertainment attorney.
Dumb Starbucks: Why is it here and why are people lining up?
Over the weekend, a coffee shop popped up in Los Feliz sporting the Starbucks name and logo. But there's one small difference — the word "dumb" prefaces everything in the shop.
Dumb Starbucks offers drinks like dumb Iced Carmel Macchiatos and dumb Chai Tea Lattes. And an FAQ says the new coffee shop is perfectly legal because it's a work of parody art and therefore protected under parody laws.
But real Starbucks says it's a trademark infringement and they are trying to find out who's behind it. KPCC's Mary Plummer stopped by Monday morning to find out the latest.
"It’s quite a scene out here,” Plummer said live from the crowded Dumb Starbucks.
“Surprisingly it does look fairly similar to a regular Starbucks, of course the name is different, but the logo and everything looks the same.”
The menu and inside of the store also mimicked the mega chain, Plummer noted.
Long lines continued as people came out again for free coffee Monday morning. Plummer spoke with someone who waited an hour and 45 minutes to get coffee, while another woman who waited in line quite a while said she painted her nails specifically to come out and get her Dumb Starbucks coffee and take an Instagram photo.
"They say the coffee’s good, considering the price," said Plummer.
The real Starbucks has said they are trying to get in touch with the owners of Dumb Starbucks and that the store is not affiliated with Starbucks.
“No one out here seems to be taking this too seriously,” said Plummer. “The vibe out here is really fun and festive, people kind of talked about the community feel. And a lot of people are talking about getting the cup and experiencing Dumb Starbucks before the real Starbucks shuts it down.
Though the mystery remains about Dumb Starbucks’ owners and motivation, Take Two co-host Alex Cohen has a theory that perhaps someone in Hollywood is behind it, considering people like Dan Harmon, creator of the television show “Community,” and “The Office” actor Rainn Wilson have talked about it. (
The owner of Dumb Starbucks will be making an in person announcement at our store (1802 Hillhurst Ave) today at 4pm. All are welcome!
— Dumb Starbucks (@dumbstarbucks) February 10, 2014
)
It seems like everyone wants a taste of Dumb Starbucks. Here's what's swirling on social media:
#dumbstarbuckscoffee #dumbstarbucks @KPCC @dumbstarbucks pic.twitter.com/LX3NygsOg8
— Anjh Yap (@anjhyap) February 10, 2014
Folks wait for hours to get inside.
This is the crowd for @dumbstarbucks. Announcement expected at 4. pic.twitter.com/mf1T9XW0zq
— Kevin Ferguson (@KevinFerguson) February 10, 2014
So, this is something that exists in LA! #DumbStarbucks pic.twitter.com/9ToDVkePNh
— Xander Jeanneret (@Xanderrific) February 9, 2014
#DumbStarbucks #dumbto pic.twitter.com/sNNNzmtYNX
— David Wood (@DavidA6992) February 10, 2014
Nobody seems to know why they're waiting for @DumbStarbucks. "It's the hipster thing to do in Los Feliz," a guy said. pic.twitter.com/UYnivzsWAj
— Kenny Holmes (@KHOLMESlive) February 10, 2014
@danharmon I went over a couple hours ago. Their coffee iced mocha was NOT impressive. And their straws kept breaking.
— The Summer INti Turned Pretty (@NtiAning) February 8, 2014
These ladies opted for the "regular Starbucks."
San Diego's new mayor could hinge on Latino voters
Tomorrow San Diego elects a new mayor to replace Democrat Bob Filner.
Filner resigned after a lengthy sexual harassment scandal last summer.
Republicans are keen to retake the seat, but labor unions have spent heavily to avoid that.
As Sandhya Dirks reports from KPBS, a lot depends on whether Latino voters turn out at the polls.
Why San Diego's mayoral election could be a harbinger for California Republicans
You may be wondering why you should care about San Diego's mayoral election if you don't live there. According to Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters, the reason why is that the outcome could be a bell weather of what's to come for California politics.
Can big data be used to raise awareness against bullying?
Governments aren't the only entities which can use and access the digital information we generate online every day.
Corporations use big data to gather information about consumer preferences in order to sell products.
And now a 13-year-old schoolboy from Virginia is hoping to harness its power to tackle bullying, but experts warn that the well-intentioned project could also raise privacy concerns.
The BBC's Jane O'Brien has the report.
Schools can do more to prevent sexual abuse, GAO report finds
Last fall, Miramonte Elementary School teacher Mark Berndt pleaded no contest to charges of lewd acts on children.
Parents were especially devastated because they believe LA Unified should have removed Berndt after earlier allegations of sexual abuse had surfaced.
In 1993, a female student accused Berndt of fondling her, but the case was dropped after investigators determined there was insufficient evidence.
Incomplete background checks, cover ups and a lack of training are just a few of the ways in which schools are failing to protect students from sexual abuse, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office.
For more, we're joined by Kay Brown, director at the GAO's Education Workforce and Income Security Team.
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
How was the report conducted?
We conducted a survey of 50 states and the District of Columbia and the education agencies there and visited six school districts in four states.
What were the report takeaways?
There are a number of things school districts could do to both identify and prevent child sexual abuse by their school personnel and also some support that the federal government can provide them to help them address this serious problem.
How prevalent is sexual misconduct in schools?
We really don’t know the answer to that. A number of federal agencies collect data on different types of crimes in schools and ages of children but none of the data sets we looked at allowed us to get down to the point where we could say the perpetrator of this abuse was school personnel. So that’s one of our recommendations in the report is to take a better look at the data available.
Sometimes staff is not reporting abuse because they are confused as to what to do. Talk about that.
Sometimes there’s a lack of awareness or uncertainty about what actually constitutes abuse and that’s because there are often behaviors by personnel that are signals that they might be intending to develop a relationship of trust with a child and those may not be obvious to a school personnel initially unless they have training that would help them understand that.
What kind of clues can school personnel look for?
Things like teachers developing very close and perhaps inappropriate relationships with students or groups of students. Teachers having interactions with students behind closed doors or locked doors. Teachers inappropriately engaging in social media with students.
What if personnel are worried about falsely accusing someone?
The experts tell us that awareness training is a really important factor here and we found only 18 states are conducting this training. That can help with a couple things: One, who is mandated to report according to state law and that often includes a teacher, who they should be reporting to and what types of behaviors to report.
Often really good training contains scenarios that help teachers identify, “Oh that might be what I’m seeing and it’s not necessarily a good idea.”
What is being done to address sexual misconduct in schools?
When we visited the school districts that had experienced some problems in the past they were tightening up their systems. They were finding different ways to do background checks or more complete background checks. They were relying on codes of conduct that would clearly define inappropriate behavior and the consequences and they were beefing up their awareness training so school personnel could better understand what their responsibilities are.
What can parents do if they suspect a school employee is being inappropriate with their child?
Parents should feel free to speak up and report their suspicions not only to school personnel but also reach out to law enforcement and child protective services in their community.
To access the GAO report, Federal Agencies Can Better Support State Efforts to
Prevent and Respond to Sexual Abuse by School Personnel.
Broad Museum of Contemporary Art opening delayed
The opening of the Broad Museum of Contemporary Art has been delayed.
The Broad, which will be located across from the historic Walt Disney Concert Hall on Grand and 2nd street in downtown, will open sometime in 2015.
But the new plaza that will accompany the museum is set to open this fall.
The public plaza will feature a new restaurant and a wide lawn for outdoor entertainment.
For more, we're joined by Joanne Heyler, founding director of The Broad Art Foundation.
Republicans shift their focus to Asian-American voters
Asian-Americans have made the biggest shift away from the Republican party of any ethnic group.
But the GOP is trying to lure them back and they're doing it from an unusual platform, an alter.
KPCC's Josie Huang reports.
Peter Gallagher heads to the stage
Actor Peter Gallagher has played all sorts of roles in his lifetime, from a temperamental, cheating husband in the film "Sex Lies and Videotape," to the lovable dad Sandy Cohen on the hit TV show, "The OC."
This week, he takes to the stage with a one man show called "How'd All You People Get in My Room?" It runs at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts and runs from Feb. 13 through the 15th.
The show explains how Gallagher got into the business and how he learned from legends like Jack Lemmon, James Cagney and Peter O'Toole.
Peter Gallagher recently stopped by to tell us a bit more about it.
Peter Gallagher's "How'd All You People Get in My Room?" from James Gallagher on Vimeo.