How Los Angeles catapulted Billy Graham to success, a guide to spotting bots on social media, Gen Z comes together against guns.
Generation Z just might transform America
It's been just one week since a grisly shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, left 17 students and staff dead. Since then, there have been protests, Facebook fights, debates between TV pundits — all the stuff we've come to expect after such a tragedy.
But there's a new voice in the national dialogue this time around: a younger generation has started speaking out against gun violence, demanding change from lawmakers. You may call them high schoolers; they're also known as Generation Z. President Trump will meet with some today. Earlier this week, you might have seen them staging a die-in in front of the White House, or protesting in Pershing Square.
So who is Generation Z, and how might they help shape the country?
Jonah Stillman is one of them. He's the author of the book "Gen Z @ Work."
He says Generation Z is realistic, digitally connected, and hungry for social change.
I think we have a generation of change makers, and we're willing to take things into our own hands. Looking at the progression of gun laws, we have seen very little [change], so I think we're ready to take action and that's why you're starting to see the voice of Gen Z really take the main stage. If anything, I think it's just going to become more prominent. It's one of the first times that the young generation is starting to take charge and I'm very excited to see what our generation has the power to accomplish.
(Answer has been edited for clarity.)
How to tell if a social media post is from a bot account
If you've been paying attention to the news lately, you've probably heard about bots, those software programs that infiltrate social media to promote certain ideas. Some are harmless, but many are trying to create disagreement and discord around an issue, whether it's an election, kneeling NFL players or -- most recently -- gun control.
It's all pretty disturbing, so to get a better understanding of these Internet robots, we reached out to Karen North. She directs the digital social media program at the University of Southern California.
How bots work
The algorithms behind these bots started out as a way to target ads to social media users with relevant interests, North said. But now the bot accounts are using this technology to target users with content that is specifically tailored to influence or anger them, based on their interests on social media.
These accounts make users believe they are seeing content from someone with similar beliefs, North said. But then the accounts lead these people astray, and it's hard to say why they do it.
"Everybody's analysis of the situation is that there are people in different parts of the world who would like to create discord and disrupt our sense of democracy here in the United States, and the best way to do that would be to destabilize our trust in systems, thus the elections and our ability to compromise with each other."
What we can do about it
North said there's no sure fire way to spot a post from a bot account, but she does have some best practices:
- Look out for 'sponsored content.' These posts are purchased and shown to users based on their interests.
- Be wary of content that isn't from a source you trust, like a reputable news organization.
- Don't hit the 'dislike' button or share a bot's post with a message about how it's untrue. Algorithms see all interaction with a post as a good thing that shows the post is popular.
Popping the hood at the new BMW training program at Camp Pendleton
Cold temperatures pave the way for pile burns this week
If you've looked towards the east recently, you may be seeing smoke, but don't be alarmed. It isn't another wildfire. It's firefighters conducting prescribed burns in the San Bernardino National Forest.
These so-called pile burns are when vegetation is rounded up, put into piles, dried out and then burned in a controlled way to provide protection to communities adjacent to the forest. Three of them are currently taking place within the forest.
Big Bear Lake: The Lake Williams project (780 piles/78 acres), southeast of the lake, runs along Highway 38 for approximately two miles.
A good first day of pile burning at Lake Williams along Highway 38 near Big Bear Lake. We plan to be back Wednesday. #rxfire pic.twitter.com/hB0jEqFPsq
— San Bernardino National Forest (@SanBernardinoNF) February 21, 2018
Highway 330: Five acres' worth of piles to be burned at the City Creek Fire Station, which is between Running Springs and Highland.
12 piles were completed today at the City Creek Fire Station on Highway 330 between Running Springs and Highland. #rxfire pic.twitter.com/t9x71qQqRq
— San Bernardino National Forest (@SanBernardinoNF) February 21, 2018
Idyllwild: The Pine Cove Fuel Break (2,000 to 3,000 piles/234 acres) is a large project to the west of Idyllwild.
48 acres worth of piles were burned at the Pine Cove Fuel Break today. We plan to continue ignitions on Thursday. #rxfire pic.twitter.com/2zGbDLGZbB
— San Bernardino National Forest (@SanBernardinoNF) February 21, 2018
Marc Stamer is a district ranger of the mountaintop where one of the burns is being conducted within the San Bernardino National Forest. He spoke with A Martinez about why these types of pile burns are necessary and how the cold weather helps.
"You can say it's the proactive approach to helping with wildfires. We know fires are a natural part of our ecosystem, and introducing it in a responsible way with these pile burns is really the best tool we have to manage the landscape...
This winter has been fairly dry for us, so we're actually pretty excited to get some snow and rain across the district and that's enabled us to get out and do some good work."
The cold temperatures and moisture give the firefighters more control over the pile burns, which makes it prime weather to conduct the work.
Introducing the LA Angels' newest player - Shohei Ohtani, the Babe Ruth of Japan
You'd be forgiven if you're not familiar with Shohei Ohtani. But Ohtani could soon become a household name.
Ohtani is the newest player for Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels, after being one of the most sought-after free agents in the off season.
At age 23, Ohtani is already a Japanese baseball legend. He was a star for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon, in that country's pro baseball league. What makes him so special is that he's an adept pitcher, recording the fastest pitch by a Japanese pitcher in NPB history, as well as a powerful slugger, once lodging a baseball through the roof of the Tokyo Dome.
And that's why people are referring to him as the Babe Ruth of Japanese baseball. Here are some highlights of his superb pitching/hitting skills.
Angels superstar Mike Trout took some time out of his schedule to tale a look at Ohtani as he was in the batting cage.
. enjoying the Sho.
— Angels (@Angels)
We talk about Ohtani and the Angels, and what fans should expect with our regular sports contributors Andy and Brian Kamenetzky.
Late evangelical leader Billy Graham rose to stardom in Los Angeles
Evangelical leader Billy Graham passed away Wednesday morning at his North Carolina home. He was 99.
But his rise to stardom in the Christian world began right here in 1949 on the outskirts of downtown L.A. Graham launched a tent crusade that lasted eight weeks, and he drew 350,000 people to hear his sermons.
"He brought evangelicalism from what many thought was a backwater, no-account faith, to a leading political and religious force," says Diane Winston, head of the USC Annenberg Knight Program on Media and Religion.
Graham was known for reaching out to the youths of his day, including counter-culture hippies who other faith leaders wrote off.
While in L.A., he also caught the attention of media magnate William Randolph Hearst, whose newspapers plastered Graham on their front pages.
"Hearst knew that Billy Graham was staunchly anti-Communist," Winston says. "He told his editors to 'puff' Graham – in other words, promote Graham."
That attention helped propel Graham's profile to the front of America's consciousness.
His impact on L.A.'s religious life extends to this day.
"If you look at Fuller Seminary, for example, that very much bears the hallmarks of Graham's influence," she says. "They're open, they're seeking to win people over through compassion and through positive outreach."