France: An unlikely ally for military action in Syria; How severe drought has worsened the conflict in Syria; What's behind the latest humid SoCal heatwave?; Fire's crucial role in seed dispersal; Apple and Samsung's war for the smartphone market; Etiquette Lesson: Advice for parents and kids navigating a new school year; Northern California county hopes to become the State of Jefferson
California prison officials say inmate hunger strike is over
California prison authorities say inmates have ended a lengthy hunger strike. The strike began on July 8, and initially involved more than 30,000 inmates.
For more on this we're joined now by reporter Michael Montgomery, reporter with KQED and the Center for Investigative reporting.
France: An unlikely ally for military action in Syria
After being the butt of jokes for two centuries, the French military recently scored big, putting down an Islamic insurgency in Mali.
Now, President Francois Hollande says French troops are ready to strike against Syria. This while Italy, Germany and Britain all say they won't be part of a military action.
We talk with Donald Morrison, Time Magazine correspondent and author of "The Death of French Culture."
How severe drought has worsened the conflict in Syria
There are many factors that led up to the unrest in Syria: political, religious, and maybe some environmental reasons, too.
Over the last decade, Syria has been gripped by severe drought. A 2009 United Nations report found that more than 800,000 Syrian farmers had been forced off their land and into cities because of a lack of water.
Recently released satellite images of the region from NASA highlight just how dry Syria has become.
That has prompted political scientists to consider the environmental factors that may have contributed to the beginnings of this current conflict.
For more on the drought, we're joined now by hydrologist James Famiglietti, director of the UC Center for Hydrologic Modeling.
What's behind the latest humid SoCal heatwave?
In L.A. we've come to expect perfect weather all the time. So when we get a week like this one, with unbearable heat and East Coast-like humidity,we have to ask, "what gives?"
Here to talk us through it is KPCC's Science Reporter Sanden Totten.
Apple and Samsung's war for the smartphone market
This year's battle for the smartphone market has begun. On Monday Apple is expected to unveil a new iPhone, but it was Samsung that fired the first shot yesterday. They released a new phone as well as something a bit unexpected, a smart watch.
Here to talk about the smartphone wars is Dan Ackerman, editor at CNET.
Etiquette Lesson: Advice for parents and kids navigating a new school year
Most kids are back in class, and for many families, that means a new school. New friends and new teachers can be exciting, but the situation can also mean new conflicts.
What to do if you're being pressured to volunteer at your child's school? How should you handle bad behavior by your kids' classmates? And what about the touchy subject of college admissions?
To help us navigate the new school year is Slate's Emily Yoffe, best known for her Dear Prudence advice column.
Interview Highlights:
If you're feeling pressure to volunteer at your child's school, but you feel you just don't have the time, how can you decline without feeling guilty?
"I don't understand what's happened. I remember in 5th grade, it was raining. Eddie Shilder's mother came in with a pair of galoshes for him. This is stuck in my memory...It was 'Oh my God, someone's mother showed up? This is the most mortifying thing that can happen to you.' I think this whole thing is way out of control. Of course you've got to show up occasionally. I just think more parents need to say, "I'm sorry I can't do it." If you have a two-year-old, you're paying for this. I remember at my daughter's school saying I can't earn a living if I'm supposed to be at school all the time."
If there are kids in your child's classroom who are behaving poorly, how do you address the situation?
"This is a very delicate situation. You've got to look at these really case by case. If you've got a kid in the class who is absolutely disrupting, the teacher doesn't have control of the classroom. This is the kind of thing you can gently bring up with the teacher. If your child is being bullied or can't handle some kind of situation, you really have to carefully talk to your kid and see what's going on. There are times when you absolutely have to intervene, but I think sometimes we're maybe too quick to do that and the best thing is to give your kid tools to handle things themselves, but not if they're being slammed against lockers or threatened. There's whole continuum of behavior that might be of concern to you, but you just can't intervene in every situation.
What are some situations that may arise around kids going off to college?
"This is so touchy. Not my daughter's school, but she has friends who go to a school who say it is absolutely verboten to acknowledge the children are looking at and applying to colleges. Never say anything to them about, 'So have you seen any schools you like?' 'Do you have a first choice?' I think that's a little overdoing it. You have to be really delicate about it. Some parents have this zero-sum game feeling about it and don't want anyone to know where their kid's applying, as if everyone hasn't heard of the same schools. But I think you have to know the other kids...Let the kid lead the conversation and don't push. These kids, their egos are on the line in a way they've never been in their entire lives. They're about to be rejected by a lot of places, so its very hard."
What should an atheist parent do if their child is feeling pressured at school to become religious?
"Obviously there's separation of church and state. You have to see what happens with the teacher, if she is just bringing her personal feeling about how she's going to convey Christ's love through her to the children and doesn't talk about Christ, that's fine. If we're talking about introducing Creationism into biology class, you've got to do something. If its Christmas carols, I just think go, the music's lovely, you've got to pick your battles, you can't make a stink about everything...oftentimes if the parents intervene, the kid's lives get much more difficult."
State of Affairs: Prison strike, political families and more
Its time for State of Affairs, our look at politics throughout California with KPCC's political reporters Alice Walton and Frank Stoltze.
Let's start off with the big news this morning: the California prison strike has ended.
Its hard to believe but people already are politicking for the next L.A. City election, even though it's almost two years away.
When it comes to politics, there's a long tradition of kids following their parents into the family, and two the children of two L.A. political heavyweights run for office. Who are they, and what are their chances?
The City of L.A. is considering a ban on the controversial practice of tracking. This comes as the state considers stiffer regulations on fracking.
The California legislature has approved a bill that would allow local prosecutors to charge simple possession of cocaine and heroin as a misdemeanor, a significant change in state drug sentencing laws, according to supporters. How many defendants would this affect?
Elsewhere on the criminal justice front, the Board of Supervisors wants the state to enact tougher penalties for men who hire child prostitutes. How widespread is this problem?
The tiny southeast L.A. city of Cudahy is coming under more scrutiny from state auditors.
The San Diego mayor's race is on. Who is running and is there an early frontrunner to replace the disgraced Bob Filner?
Why speaking Spanish can be tricky for politicians
With America's growing Latino voting bloc, more and more politicians are trying to speak Spanish with varying degrees of success.
On the one hand, you had Kevin Faulconer announce his run for San Diego mayor earlier this week, first in English, and then in Spanish. People on Twitter called it a, "nice touch" and an "unexpected treat."
So what's a politician to do?
Syndicated columnist Rubin Navarette has some insight on this topic, and some advice for politicians hoping to appeal to the Latino population.
On why it doesn't make sense for some politicians to speak Spanish:
"I would argue that it really doesn't make a lot of sense for Kevin Falcouner to speak Spanish in his announcement. Statistics and demographics show that 80 percent now Latinos speak English exclusively or English and Spanish in combination. The figure of Spanish dominance is down to about 18 percent. But the other reason is, if you have a thin record up until now of doing anything or saying anything to help or serve Latinos, its kind of phoney for him to come forward and try to sprinkle in some Spanish as if that's going to be a substitute for any policy that will impact the Latino community in San Diego."
On why its different for Latino candidates:
"There is a double standard here. If you are a white politician, Republican or Democrat, you will get credit for trying to speak Spanish. If you are Latino and you don't speak Spanish, people will come down harder on you. So there is this expectation that those of us who are third or fourth or even fifth generation Mexican Americans should have preserved our Spanish somehow."
On the possibility of alienating English-only constituents:
"I think Democrats deal with this more often than Republicans do. In the Democratic Party you have African Americans and labor members, most of them are white, a lot of them have done a lot for the Democratic Party and really can make a strong argument that the democratic party should be taking better care of them. Every time they see an overture to Latinos, there's a natural pushback to say 'Hey what about us?' It's a very solid point that those groups are making and the Democratic Party is sometimes at its wits' end over how to do both. How do you go after Latinos without alienating your base?"
On how Democrats can get away with Spanish flubs easier than Republicans:
"When Barack Obama greeted the Fifth of May by calling it Cinco de Cuatro, instead of Cinco De Mayo. He got a pass and mostly he would get a pass not just from Latinos, but from the press, because he's a Democrat. If a Republican does that, George Bush would continuously flub words in Spanish as well as in English, and they pounced on him for it. So if you're a Democrat I think you can get away with it, but if you're a republican you dare not."
On how using Spanish way get you further depending on your location:
"It depends on the region. In Texas, Colorado, Arizona and California, we have higher standards here for Spanish. If you're going to run for Mayor of Los Angeles and you say that you speak Spanish, we want to hear your Spanish and see how good it is."
Advice to politicians hoping to reach out to Latino voters:
"You've got to be more sophisticated in your approach. So don't get hung up on the Spanish and thing that somehow that if you sprinkle in a little bit of Spanish that's going to carry you through. You really have to devise some policy. What about having in your inner circle of advisors some number of Hispanics? That's probably a good idea and a good start."
Second HIV diagnosis refuels call for mandatory condoms in porn
Yesterday on the program, we told you about two adult film performers who have allegedly tested positive for HIV in recent weeks. This news has fueled the push to mandate the use of condoms and other protective barriers on the set of porn productions.
That mandate is something that our next guest supports. Assemblyman Isadore Hall is a Democrat who represents California's 64th district. He joins the show with more.
Dinner Party Download: Net obsession, 'Just Salad' and more
Every week we get your weekend conversation starters with Rico Gagliano and Brendan Newnam, the hosts of the Dinner Party Download podcast and radio show.
On tap this week:
Wasting Time on the Net? Here's An Electrifying Solution:
MIT students have created two ways to prevent social media addiction. One is a mousepad that shocks you if you spend too much time on certain sites, and the other is a program that will pay someone to call you up and shout at you if you spend too much time on Facebook.
An App for Single Salad-Lovers:
New York salad restaurant Just Salad launched a dating app called "Salad Match."
While the income gap is generally shrinking, in healthcare it has grown: Female doctors earn 56,000 less a year than male doctors.
What to do along California's Highway 1
Summer officially ends on September 21st, so you definitely have enough time for one last road trip. If you're looking for places to go, may we recommend California's Highway 1?
The writers at Sunset Magazine have devoted September's issue to the iconic coastal route. Joining the show with what to see and where to go is Sunset's editor-at-large Peter Fish.