Patt Morrison

Can a million man march only have 400,000 people? How many people are really involved in crowds of "tens of thousands" that have been reported in recent immigration marches? Accurately estimating the size of crowds is not only a daunting task, but has important implications for crowd safety, law enforcement, and event organizers. Professor Mike Alvarez of Caltech talks to Patt about how estimates are made, and how these numbers can be powerful tools for activists and officials.

The upcoming release of a new Universal film about the passenger revolt on one of the planes hijacked on 9/11 has ignited a national debate about depictions of violence in the media. Patrons in Hollywood and New York complained the movie is too much too soon, and at least one theatre pulled the trailer. We'll discuss the controversy surrounding United 93, as well as public reaction to graphic images in the news. We'll ask why are we drawn to fictional violence, but when faced with real-life suffering, we often recoil. When is real too real? And why? Host Patt Morrison talks with Ted Braun, Senior Lecturer, Division of Writing for Screen & Television USC School of Cinema-Television; Stuart Fischoff, Ph.D, Emeritus Professor of Media Psychology, Cal State University Los Angeles; and Maryanne Golon, Picture Editor, TIME magazine.