There are never any dull moments when it comes to the Los Angeles Unified School District, but the past two months have been particularly hectic. President Obama’s changes to No Child Left Behind, charter schools, the removal of ineffective teachers, redesigned school report cards—Patt talks to LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines about the latest developments in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
5.5 hours this Sunday, screaming fans, the most heated annual competition where competitors dish it out—no, it’s not the Super Bowl, it’s Bocuse d’Or, the world’s most prestigious cooking competition where the pressure and stakes could not be higher. The USA has never placed among the top three and the qualifying competition is underway right now. Patt checks in with an expert for the update.
Whether Carly Fiorina’s campaign intended for their new attack video against Tom Campbell to become an internet sensation or not, the now infamous “demon sheep” ad has gone viral. The bizarre metaphor that the video attempts to set up is of many politicians, or sheep, labeling themselves as fiscal conservatives but in reality being “fiscal conservative in name only”—the obviously memorable acronym of FCINO, and that’s where the demon sheep come in. Mr. Campbell, playing the role of demon sheep, is portrayed dancing around in a field with red eyes and horns. Has California politics sunken to a new low, or does this ad make perfect sense?
LA Times reported that LA Child Protective Services will no longer make an effort to reunite families due to several children's deaths, but the LA CPS says it isn't true. We talk to them about the alleged change in protocol and how the LA Times would report this, if it is so far off base. So what's the deal? Is anything changing?
Part of the territory of being an attorney is being unpopular, but John Yoo might possibly be the most well known, unpopular attorney of our generation. The former Bush justice official who was behind the infamous Bybee “torture” memo, turning P.O.W’s into “Enemy Combatants,” and giving the legal backing to unconstitutional wiretapping, to name just a few, has released the book “Crisis and Command: A History of Executive Power from George Washington to George W. Bush.” Yoo traces the development of Presidential power through history, showing how each President shaped his powers to meet specific, extraordinary challenges that no constitutional founder could have imagined, demonstrating that, sometimes, the toughest decision to make might not be the most popular one.
Patt Morrison is known for its innovative discussions of local politics and culture, as well as its presentation of the effects of national and world news on Southern California.
