Apparently Toyota has had enough—after being attacked on the news, by consumer protection groups and most viciously by members of Congress on Capitol Hill, Toyota has launched a PR counterattack to push back against the increasing reports that its cars are fundamentally dangerous to drive. Commissioning its own research group to investigate its accelerator problems, Toyota is seeking to shoot down testimony by one automotive expert who feels that the sudden and unintended acceleration in Camrys and other popular Toyota models is an electrical or software malfunction rather than anything directly related to the gas pedal, or floor mats. Meanwhile there are at least 80 unconfirmed reports of sudden acceleration in Toyota models that were already fixed under the recall program. Are there much bigger issues with Toyotas than the company wants to admit?
Just before Vice President Joe Biden arrived in the country, Israel, against President Obama’s wishes, announced plans to build an additional 1600 settlements in a neighborhood of Jerusalem that Palestinians claim as part of their future state. That’s just the latest complication in relations between the US and Israel, which Biden begins attempting to patch up on his five-day tour of the region. Calling their ties “unshakeable” and denying any distance between Israeli and American safety concerns, can Biden assure Israel that he shares the country’s fears of an Iranian nuclear weapons program while pushing back on new Israeli settlements?
It’s not a new argument: that staying on unemployment benefits for too long actually encourages people to stay unemployed rather than to be out pounding the pavement for a new job. The debate was brought back into the spotlight last week as Kentucky Sen. Jim Bunning single-handedly held up an extension of the latest extension of unemployment benefits, objecting to the $10 billion price tag of the extension. About 11.4 million unemployed people now collect unemployment payments—half of them have been received payments for more than six months, the usual limit. But under multiple extensions enacted by Congress, workers can now collect unemployment for as long as 99 weeks in state with the highest unemployment rates. Are these out-of-work people gaming the system a little too much?
If you’re from Los Angeles, chances are you’ve seen countless news stories about gang violence and activity. One Jesuit priest, Father Gregory Boyle, has devoted decades of his life to gang intervention in Los Angeles, the so called “gang capitol of the world.” Father Boyle founded Homeboy Industries in 1986 to offer support, job training, tattoo removal, and rehabilitation to gang members around the greater Los Angeles area. Today, Homeboy Industries is the largest gang intervention program in the country. In his new book, Tattoos on the Heart, Father Boyle offers first hand accounts of some of his interactions with “the homies” and “homegirls” and the lessons and miracles he’s encountered through the years.
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.
