The Off-Ramp 2006-09-01T16:05:57Z tag:www.publicradio.org,2008:/columns/kpcc/theofframp/43 Movable Type Copyright (c) 2006, Paul Glickman Calling All Public School Teachers in L.A., Hawthorne, Inglewood and Compton 2006-09-01T16:05:57Z 2006-05-23T22:43:39Z tag:www.publicradio.org,2006:/columns/kpcc/theofframp/43.4577 2006-05-23T22:43:39Z In a perfect world, our public schools would have enough funding to buy sufficient textbooks, supplies, field trips, and other resources for every child in every school. But this is not a perfect world -- too many kids don't have... Paul Glickman pglickman@kpcc.org Education In a perfect world, our public schools would have enough funding to buy sufficient textbooks, supplies, field trips, and other resources for every child in every school. But this is not a perfect world -- too many kids don't have enough basic supplies. Enter DonorsChoose. It was started six years ago by Charles Best, a high school social studies teacher in the Bronx. In a nutshell, it provides a web-based venue for public school teachers to request funds for books, field trips, supplies, etc. Visitors to the website can scan all of the requests and choose those they want to support. It's a simple idea, and it's working: since 2000, visitors to DonorsChoose have donated nearly $7 million to more than 400,000 students around the country. DonorsChoose only serves selected areas, because there are costs involved with expanding to new regions. It expanded into southern California last fall -- teachers in the LA Unified, Hawthorne, Inglewood and Compton School Districts can submit requests. Since DonorsChoose became available in our area, more than $200,000 has been donated to 11,500 students. And check this out: DonorsChoose has collected $500,000 to give away to teachers in the LA Unified, Hawthorne, Inglewood and Compton School Districts above and beyond any individual contributions that may come in. So if you're a public school teacher in one of those districts, check out DonorsChoose and learn how to submit a request for funding. If you know a public school teacher in one of those districts, tell him or her to check out DonorsChoose.

]]> Jeffrey T. Richelson on ALOUD on The Off-Ramp 2006-09-01T16:05:55Z 2006-05-11T23:49:55Z tag:www.publicradio.org,2006:/columns/kpcc/theofframp/43.4448 2006-05-11T23:49:55Z On Thursday, May 11, Jeffrey T. Richelson, a senior fellow at the National Security Archive sat down on the ALOUD stage with NPR foreign correspondent Mike Shuster for an in-depth discussion of Richelson’s new book, Spying on the Bomb: American... ALOUD Nkatz@scpr.org ALOUD On Thursday, May 11, Jeffrey T. Richelson, a senior fellow at the National Security Archive sat down on the ALOUD stage with NPR foreign correspondent Mike Shuster for an in-depth discussion of Richelson’s new book, Spying on the Bomb: American Nuclear Intelligence from Nazi Germany to Iran and North Korea. During the course of the evening, Richelson and Shuster examined the U.S. intelligence community’s efforts to track the nuclear activities of foreign states. After the program, Jeffrey Richelson posed the following question for ALOUD on the Off Ramp:

Do you believe the United Nations Security Council will be successful in curbing Iran's uranium enrichment activities? If not, what should be done?

Click on the comment link below to send us your feedback.

]]> Who Should Run L.A.'s Schools? 2006-09-01T16:05:53Z 2006-05-01T17:35:44Z tag:www.publicradio.org,2006:/columns/kpcc/theofframp/43.4337 2006-05-01T17:35:44Z On May 19 and 22, KPCC will present special coverage of the controversy over Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's plan to take control of the L.A. Unified School District away from the school board. Villaraigosa's proposal would effectively give L.A.'s... Paul Glickman pglickman@kpcc.org Education On May 19 and 22, KPCC will present special coverage of the controversy over Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's plan to take control of the L.A. Unified School District away from the school board. Villaraigosa's proposal would effectively give L.A.'s mayor control over public school policy and budgets. He is asking for a change in state law that would create a council of mayors from L.A.U.S.D. cities that would hire the superintendent and approve the budget. L.A.'s mayor would dominate the council, because Villaraigosa wants representation to be proportional to population. Villaraigosa wants the elected school board's role reduced to overseeing teacher discipline and transfers, creating school "report cards," and surveying parent attitudes.

]]> The school district, the teachers' union, and some cities in the L.A.U.S.D. have criticized Villaraigosa's plan. Governor Schwarzenegger has endorsed it. Some wonder whether it would address the fundamental problems confronting the public schools. Others say a change might bring more accountability. A political battle now looms in Sacramento, where Villaraigosa hopes to get the state legislature to pass a bill implementing his plan.

What do you think? Will mayoral control help improve the public schools? What about some of the mayor's other ideas, such as a longer school day and longer school year?

Paul Glickman
KPCC News Director

P.S. - Visit our Special Coverage page for recent and upcoming stories, the mayor's speech, "School Takeover 101," and other resources.

]]> Win Tickets to Akeelah and the Bee! 2006-09-01T16:05:53Z 2006-05-01T15:44:49Z tag:www.publicradio.org,2006:/columns/kpcc/theofframp/43.4327 2006-05-01T15:44:49Z Was there a mentor in your life who made a difference in who you are today? 89.3 KPCC wants to hear about those special individuals who shaped the lives of Southern Californians. Was your mentor a teacher? A neighbor? A... ALOUD Nkatz@scpr.org Was there a mentor in your life who made a difference in who you are today?

89.3 KPCC wants to hear about those special individuals who shaped the lives of Southern Californians. Was your mentor a teacher? A neighbor? A family member or co-worker? Your submission will qualify you to win special passes to the film Akeelah and the Bee, the story of a young woman from Los Angeles who discovers her inner strength through the help of one special mentor.

Please be sure to include your e-mail address when submitting your entry.

Winners will receive two passes to see Akeelah and the Bee at any Pacific Theatre in Los Angeles (excluding Arclight and The Grove). Passes are good Monday through Thursday.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER. You must be 18 or older to enter. One entry per person. Void where prohibited by law.

]]> Eyal Press on ALOUD on The Off-Ramp 2006-09-01T16:05:52Z 2006-04-27T00:20:44Z tag:www.publicradio.org,2006:/columns/kpcc/theofframp/43.4288 2006-04-27T00:20:44Z Through a special collaboration with 89.3 KPCC, ALOUD on the Off-Ramp extends the insightful discussions of ALOUD at Central Library to allow both audience members and listeners the unique opportunity to engage each other in an informal exchange of ideas... ALOUD Nkatz@scpr.org ALOUD Through a special collaboration with 89.3 KPCC, ALOUD on the Off-Ramp extends the insightful discussions of ALOUD at Central Library to allow both audience members and listeners the unique opportunity to engage each other in an informal exchange of ideas beyond the live lecture and performance series held regularly at the Downtown Central Library.

ALOUD on the Off-Ramp will present thought-provoking questions posed by participating guests from the award-winning series. 89.3 KPCC and ALOUD at Central Library invite you to join in and respond by voicing your own opinions and viewpoints.

Presented by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, in association with the Los Angeles Public Library, ALOUD at Central Library presents over 75 live events a year and provides a public forum for discussion and ideas from some of today’s brightest writers, thinkers, and innovators.

On Wednesday, April 26, award-winning journalist Eyal Press sat down with writer and host Patt Morrison to discuss the economic and social roots of America’s most volatile conflict: the war over abortion. Press, a regular contributor to The Nation, recently published a book, Absolute Convictions: My Father, a City, and the Conflict that Divided America, based on his own family’s experience on the front lines. During the course of the evening, he and Morrison engaged in a compelling discussion of the 1998 threat against the life of Press’ abortion provider father, and the driving passions and beliefs at odds from both sides of the embattled issue. After the program, Eyal Press posed the following question for ALOUD on the Off Ramp:

Is there any room for common ground in the abortion debate, or is it destined to be polarized in light of the deeply-held (or might it be better to say "absolute"?) convictions on both sides?

Click on the comment link below to send us your feedback.

]]> Kevin Philips on ALOUD on The Off-Ramp 2006-09-01T16:05:47Z 2006-04-06T16:26:13Z tag:www.publicradio.org,2006:/columns/kpcc/theofframp/43.4042 2006-04-06T16:26:13Z Through a special collaboration with 89.3 KPCC, ALOUD on the Off-Ramp extends the insightful discussions of ALOUD at Central Library to allow both audience members and listeners the unique opportunity to engage each other in an informal exchange of ideas... ALOUD Nkatz@scpr.org ALOUD Through a special collaboration with 89.3 KPCC, ALOUD on the Off-Ramp extends the insightful discussions of ALOUD at Central Library to allow both audience members and listeners the unique opportunity to engage each other in an informal exchange of ideas beyond the live lecture and performance series held regularly at the Downtown Central Library.

ALOUD on the Off-Ramp will present thought-provoking questions posed by participating guests from the award-winning series. 89.3 KPCC and ALOUD at Central Library invite you to join in and respond by voicing your own opinions and viewpoints.

Presented by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, in association with the Los Angeles Public Library, ALOUD at Central Library presents over 75 live events a year and provides a public forum for discussion and ideas from some of today’s brightest writers, thinkers, and innovators.

On Wednesday, April 5, Kevin Phillips, one of America’s foremost political and economic analysts and the author of The Politics of Rich and Poor, sat down with NPR’s John Powers on the ALOUD stage. Phillips, a former Republican strategist, has been a political and economic commentator for more than three decades and has written several books on the relationship between wealth and politics.

In his latest book, American Theocracy, Phillips examines the problematic axis of ills that have undermined some of history’s greatest world-dominating powers: global over-reach, militant religion, resource problems, and ballooning debt. He and Powers discussed these issues and their impact on the United States. After the program, Kevin Phillips posed the following question for ALOUD on the Off Ramp:

Is there a clear and present danger to the U.S. from radical religion, oil and debt?

Click on the comment link below to send us your feedback.

]]> Sonia Nazario on ALOUD on The Off-Ramp 2006-09-01T16:05:38Z 2006-03-09T03:40:19Z tag:www.publicradio.org,2006:/columns/kpcc/theofframp/43.3497 2006-03-09T03:40:19Z Through a special collaboration with 89.3 KPCC, ALOUD on the Off-Ramp extends the insightful discussions of ALOUD at Central Library to allow both audience members and listeners the unique opportunity to engage each other in an informal exchange of ideas... ALOUD Nkatz@scpr.org Through a special collaboration with 89.3 KPCC, ALOUD on the Off-Ramp extends the insightful discussions of ALOUD at Central Library to allow both audience members and listeners the unique opportunity to engage each other in an informal exchange of ideas beyond the live lecture and performance series held regularly at the Downtown Central Library.

ALOUD on the Off-Ramp will present thought-provoking questions posed by participating guests from the award-winning series. 89.3 KPCC and ALOUD at Central Library invite you to join in and respond by voicing your own opinions and viewpoints.

Presented by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, in association with the Los Angeles Public Library, ALOUD at Central Library presents over 75 live events a year and provides a public forum for discussion and ideas from some of today’s brightest writers, thinkers, and innovators.

On Wednesday, March 8, award-winning journalist Sonia Nazario was joined by writer Marc Cooper on the ALOUD stage to discuss Nazario’s new book, Enrique’s Journey, which is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning series of articles written for the Los Angeles Times. During the evening’s program, Nazario and Cooper examined the human toll of illegal immigration, a subject closely illuminated by Nazario’s narration of 17-year-old Enrique’s harrowing journey from Honduras to America in search of his mother.

After the program, Sonia Nazario posed the following question for ALOUD on the Off Ramp:

Millions of immigrant women have left their children behind in Central America and Mexico to work illegally in the United States and send money home to feed those children. What can or should be done to help address the situation?

Click on the comment link below to send us your feedback.

]]> Wanted: Your Input on Healthcare in Southern California 2006-09-01T16:05:35Z 2006-02-15T00:11:16Z tag:www.publicradio.org,2006:/columns/kpcc/theofframp/43.3301 2006-02-15T00:11:16Z The week of March 6-10, 89.3 KPCC will feature special programming on the state of health care in Southern California. Before we start, we want to hear from YOU. > What is your best health habit? > What's your worst?... webmaster jberman@americanpublicmedia.org The week of March 6-10, 89.3 KPCC will feature special programming on the state of health care in Southern California. Before we start, we want to hear from YOU.

> What is your best health habit?
> What's your worst?
> What health issues do you see being ignored by the health care system in YOUR community?

Your input is crucial to helping us provide you with in-depth news coverage that reflects your daily life in the Southland. We may even feature your comment on the air!

]]> John Hope Franklin on ALOUD on The Off-Ramp 2006-09-01T16:05:34Z 2006-02-14T00:54:10Z tag:www.publicradio.org,2006:/columns/kpcc/theofframp/43.3290 2006-02-14T00:54:10Z Through a special collaboration with 89.3 KPCC, ALOUD on the Off-Ramp extends the insightful discussions of ALOUD at Central Library to allow both audience members and listeners the unique opportunity to engage each other in an informal exchange of ideas... ALOUD Nkatz@scpr.org ALOUD Through a special collaboration with 89.3 KPCC, ALOUD on the Off-Ramp extends the insightful discussions of ALOUD at Central Library to allow both audience members and listeners the unique opportunity to engage each other in an informal exchange of ideas beyond the live lecture and performance series held regularly at the Downtown Central Library.

ALOUD on the Off-Ramp will present thought-provoking questions posed by participating guests from the award-winning series. 89.3 KPCC and ALOUD at Central Library invite you to join in and respond by voicing your own opinions and viewpoints.

Presented by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, in association with the Los Angeles Public Library, ALOUD at Central Library presents over 75 live events a year and provides a public forum for discussion and ideas from some of today’s brightest writers, thinkers, and innovators.

On Monday, February 13, 2006, renowned scholar of American history John Hope Franklin sat down with journalist Tavis Smiley for a lively exchange on race, politics, and the future of America. Franklin, one of the most honored and decorated academics in the U.S., and professor emeritus at Duke University, has devoted his life and career to the pursuit of equality.

In his newly published book, Mirror to America: The Autobiography of John Hope Franklin, the ninety-year-old historian looks back on the events that shaped the 20th century, exploring the issues of race through his own experiences. As both a unique historical document and an intimate, revelatory personal history, Franklin’s book defies traditional categorization.

After the program, John Hope Franklin posed the following question for ALOUD on the Off Ramp:

What is the difference between memoir and autobiography?

Click on the comment link below to send us your feedback.

]]> Reza Aslan on ALOUD on The Off-Ramp 2006-09-01T16:05:32Z 2006-02-03T02:14:29Z tag:www.publicradio.org,2006:/columns/kpcc/theofframp/43.3221 2006-02-03T02:14:29Z Through a special collaboration with 89.3 KPCC, ALOUD on the Off-Ramp extends the insightful discussions of ALOUD at Central Library to allow both audience members and listeners the unique opportunity to engage each other in an informal exchange of ideas... ALOUD Nkatz@scpr.org ALOUD Through a special collaboration with 89.3 KPCC, ALOUD on the Off-Ramp extends the insightful discussions of ALOUD at Central Library to allow both audience members and listeners the unique opportunity to engage each other in an informal exchange of ideas beyond the live lecture and performance series held regularly at the Downtown Central Library.

ALOUD on the Off-Ramp will present thought-provoking questions posed by participating guests from the award-winning series. 89.3 KPCC and ALOUD at Central Library invite you to join in and respond by voicing your own opinions and viewpoints.

Presented by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, in association with the Los Angeles Public Library, ALOUD at Central Library presents over 75 live events a year and provides a public forum for discussion and ideas from some of today’s brightest writers, thinkers, and innovators.

On Thursday, February 2, 2006, scholar of comparative religions and author of No God But God, Reza Aslan, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of GOD: A Biography, Jack Miles, met on the ALOUD stage for a spirited conversation on the coming reformation of Islam. Through the course of the evening’s program, Aslan and Miles discussed the troubling internal conflicts that will have a profound impact on over a billion people worldwide.

After the program, Reza Aslan posed the following question for ALOUD on the Off Ramp:

What role do you think religion should play in modern society? If a democracy is based on the values, opinions, and mores of the majority population, then is it inevitable that the religion of the majority form the moral foundation of the state? Can there even be such a thing as a "religiously based democracy?"

Click on the comment link below to send us your feedback.

]]> ALOUD on The Off-Ramp with Craig Newmark 2006-09-01T16:05:30Z 2006-01-24T20:06:37Z tag:www.publicradio.org,2006:/columns/kpcc/theofframp/43.3135 2006-01-24T20:06:37Z Through a special collaboration with 89.3 KPCC, ALOUD on the Off-Ramp extends the insightful discussions of ALOUD at Central Library to allow both audience members and listeners the unique opportunity to engage each other in an informal exchange of ideas... ALOUD Nkatz@scpr.org ALOUD Through a special collaboration with 89.3 KPCC, ALOUD on the Off-Ramp extends the insightful discussions of ALOUD at Central Library to allow both audience members and listeners the unique opportunity to engage each other in an informal exchange of ideas beyond the live lecture and performance series held regularly at the Downtown Central Library.

ALOUD on the Off-Ramp will present thought-provoking questions posed by participating guests from the award-winning series. 89.3 KPCC and ALOUD at Central Library invite you to join in and respond by voicing your own opinions and viewpoints.

Presented by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, in association with the Los Angeles Public Library, ALOUD at Central Library presents over 75 live events a year and provides a public forum for discussion and ideas from some of today’s brightest writers, thinkers, and innovators.

On Tuesday, January 24, 2006, as part of the WIRED Speakers Series presented by ALOUD, Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist.org, sat down with WIRED Magazine Articles Editor Thomas Goetz to discuss the implications and future of the community-run website. Newmark, a self-professed “nerd,” started craigslist in early 1995 as a means of better connecting people by letting them know about cool or useful events happening around San Francisco. The site rapidly grew and flourished into one of the Internet’s most popular destinations, a large online community, used to find anything from a house to a job, a wheelbarrow to a French teacher.

Craig Newmark posed the following question for ALOUD on the Off Ramp:

Given the increasing importance of Internet-based news and information sites (think Wikipedia, About.com, Web-MD, etc.), how do we counter disinformation attacks that use fraudulent information?

Click on the comment link below to send us your feedback.

]]> Wilfandel 2006-09-01T16:05:30Z 2006-01-20T20:00:51Z tag:www.publicradio.org,2006:/columns/kpcc/theofframp/43.3107 2006-01-20T20:00:51Z Thought you might like to see the house and some of the ladies of Wilfandel. This oldest African-American women's club in Los Angeles just celebrated its 60th anniversary.... Kitty Felde kfelde@kpcc.org Thought you might like to see the house and some of the ladies of Wilfandel. This oldest African-American women's club in Los Angeles just celebrated its 60th anniversary.

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]]> Citizens Assembly 2006-09-01T16:05:30Z 2006-01-18T01:58:13Z tag:www.publicradio.org,2006:/columns/kpcc/theofframp/43.3082 2006-01-18T01:58:13Z Today on "Talk of the City" we discussed a proposal from a pair of Sacramento lawmakers for a Citizens Assembly -- average Jane and Joe citizens who would be invited to meet every other weekend to come up with better... Kitty Felde kfelde@kpcc.org Today on "Talk of the City" we discussed a proposal from a pair of Sacramento lawmakers for a Citizens Assembly -- average Jane and Joe citizens who would be invited to meet every other weekend to come up with better ideas for redistricting, term limits and other issues of governing.

Your thoughts?

Oh, and here's a picture from our Sacramento conversation with Assemblymen Keith Richman and Joe Canciamilla.


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]]> Alito Hearings 2006-09-01T16:05:29Z 2006-01-10T01:44:20Z tag:www.publicradio.org,2006:/columns/kpcc/theofframp/43.3020 2006-01-10T01:44:20Z It's truly a week for legal wonks! The Senate Judiciary Committee Hearings on the nomination of Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court have begun. Today on "Talk of the City" we asked listeners to give us the questions THEY... Kitty Felde kfelde@kpcc.org It's truly a week for legal wonks! The Senate Judiciary Committee Hearings on the nomination of Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court have begun.

Today on "Talk of the City" we asked listeners to give us the questions THEY would ask if they were a member of that committee. What about you? What would you ask? What do you think of the quality of the discussion? How would you vote?

]]> Sacramento Here We Are!!! 2006-09-01T16:05:28Z 2006-01-06T05:14:43Z tag:www.publicradio.org,2006:/columns/kpcc/theofframp/43.2993 2006-01-06T05:14:43Z It's been a long day here in the state capitol. Or is it capital? I can never remember. At any rate, producer Aimee Machado and I had our first interview in the State Senate Majority Leader's office at 8:30. It's... Kitty Felde kfelde@kpcc.org It's been a long day here in the state capitol. Or is it capital? I can never remember. At any rate, producer Aimee Machado and I had our first interview in the State Senate Majority Leader's office at 8:30. It's a different place now that the curmudgeony John Burton has left office. I guess with term limits, lawmakers have less time to gather trinkets. But Senate President Pro Temp Don Perata is a frank talker and it was a good way to start the day.

The rest of the morning flew by -- more interviews, trying to remember how to get from the old part of the building to the new wing, dodging the dozens of tour groups, taking a side trip to the vestibule where the new painting of former Governor Gray Davis is on display. (I personally still like the modern version of Jerry Brown. Remind me to replace my staff photo with something in a similar vein...)

Nice weather up here. And the state Christmas tree (holiday tree?) is still up, though a bit dried out at this point. It's quite a sight tonight -- the evergreen on one lawn, a white circus tent on another. That's where we, the press corp watched the Governor's State of the State address and waited till every lawmaker in town paraded through for an "availability." We gathered a few more interviews for tomorrow's discussion on infrastructure before our chilled fingers froze.

Tomorrow? Another day of watching the state's business being made before our very eyes. Check us out at 2.

Meanwhile, here's a few pictures from today's adventures.

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Inside the Media Tent


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Kitty Interviews Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez

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