I think the switch to all-news is a good one that will allow more focus for the station. I don't ever listen to the station after it "goes classical" in the evening and am sure there are other outlets where one can hear classical music, including the proposed web stream. News at all hours is great for people who have off-peak hours, too. I did like These Days at 9am and am generally out and about at noon, so will probably miss it now, but this is by no means a reason for me to stop supporting KPBS. Thanks for providing reliable and objective news, and relevant, interesting stories.
The relationship that exists between a victim and an abuser is more complex than "asking for it" or "romantic blinders." Women have the mental skills and common sense necessary to avoid dangerous situations when immediately presented with them. (Teenage girls are another story entirely; basing any assumptions about how the real world works based on high school politics is irrelevant) Many domestic violence situations, like the horrible deaths discussed on the show, do not start out violent or exhibit major warning signals until well into the relationship. If we all got punched in the face on the first date, this stuff would be a lot easier to avoid. The abuse does not come on the first date, the first week, the first year - most of the time it is after life situations are settled and intertwined; there is a life together, various property and monetary commitments - things that cannot easily be undone; just try breaking a lease because you're being beat up. You're not dead yet, so you can't. Many times the abuse starts because the woman expresses a desire to end the relationship, and the man chooses that point to start instilling fear in her so that she will not leave. There is an ENORMOUS amount of shame, likely because of the social stigma already demonstrated on this page's comments against women in general and especially women in domestic violence situations. "she chose the situation." "it's her fault." she's just asking for drama, she's just seeking attention, etc. Abusers will make it impossible or dangerous for women to try to seek help, monitor phone lines and internet access, physically prevent a woman from leaving, or in the worst case like we heard this morning, kill her. Instead of shunning women who (for whatever reason) are in an abusive relationship, HELP THEM. The minute women begin to withdraw socially from close friends and family is the minute there is a problem. We do not need to bring more shame and blame into these situations. No woman ever expects to end up in an abusive relationship; no woman chooses to stay in an abusive relationship, but the way out is not as simple as walking out of the house if there is a lease or home ownership or children in the picture. If the sex roles were reversed I'm sure we would have laws in place to prevent things like that, but as it is, women have the lowest position, abusers know that. No woman wants to admit that she is trapped in an abusive relationship and many women think they can fix the situation if they just keep quiet about it and try to find their own way out. This is everyone's problem, and denying it will only make it a bigger problem in the lives of more families. The victims are your sisters, your mothers, your daughters, and they deserve respect and dignity. We need to address the problem of abuse as an "acceptable" problem; stop blaming women and start to attack the system that condones abuse and murder of women and children.
I came here to comment something similar to Rick -- if the goal is to stop tooth decay, start with the diet!!! I grew up in a city with fluoride water and plenty of kids still got plenty of cavities, so what was the point of the fluoride? The refined carbohydrate-heavy standard American diet is not one that is nutritionally sufficient, and so we have all sorts of health problems arising from nutritional deficiencies and absences including bone and tooth problems. Trying to make up for nutritional deficiencies with more chemicals and drugs does not solve, help, or even address the real problem; rather this only benefits the chemical companies marketing the products.
Additionally it's really difficult to find toothpaste that does NOT contain fluoride, so as far as obsessing over fluoride for dental prevention is concerned, the problem is already solved. There is already fluoride where it needs to be to help teeth, so why risk adding more fluoride to the water that people drink all day long? I understand its a certain parts per million, but how does this stack up if someone is drinking 64+ ounces of water per day every day? I do drink tap water. I would want to know what is going to happen to me in 20 or 30 years with added fluoride.
I was also disappointed that this segment was so one-sided and hope that the next time fluoride is discussed there is a speaker willing to discuss the risks and valid reasons why the water should stay as-is.
I frequently walk, run, or bicycle across the current bridge and think that the problem is the amount of traffic crossing the bridge. People drive very fast for the amount of pedestrians on the bridge and don't seem to acknowledge the fact that they are driving through a park, not a freeway. It would be nice if the parking structure was on the other side of the bridge, and visitors to the park could walk over the bridge to the park. In a car, the view is irrelevant. As a pedestrian you can really take in the whole park and the view in debate. We have wonderful, walkable weather year-round and it's honestly silly to encourage traffic in a park.
I started riding my bicycle to work a few times a week (about a 14 mile round trip) after making the decision to move closer to my downtown job. If I'm going to spend 40 minutes getting to work...why not get some exercise and fresh air instead of getting ragey in a car? Cycling on the road has made me a more cautious driver - there are things you just cannot see when you're driving a car, and now I'm always checking my blind spots and much more aware of the area around my car. It's also made me aware of how hard it can be to see cyclists in too bright or too dark conditions. Sometimes everyone just needs to slow down.
There are some careless cyclists out there (just as there are careless drivers), but please don't let that ruin your perception of people on bicycles. Most of us (mostly, the ones with helmets and lights, using signals) are just trying to get to or from work. Thank you for covering this on These Days - there are a lot of improvements that need to be made to accomodate cyclists if San Diego really would like to have more bicycle commuters and less auto traffic; I think the guests on the show and the callers brought up a lot of good points and hope to see some of the improvements happen.
I think a lot of you getting your panties in a wad would find it interesting to trace your family tree and find out how many of your ancestors were "undocumented." My sneaky Polish great-grandmother was undocumented, should we kick the three or four generations she spawned back to Poland? Lighten up. Nobody's stealing your million dollar homes, and you don't even have to cut your own million dollar lawn.
I was also disappointed that so much information was crammed into a half hour. The information was good, but like others have mentioned it was more of a lecture than something that can really help us when shopping. I do hope that KPBS continues to cover food on the radio and tv, because it is a very important issue. It affects all of us directly, three or more times a day.
I've only been living in the city for a year and a half and just recently visited the central library. I've been following the discussion about the new library for a few months, and to be honest haven't wanted to walk into the current branch because I didn't want to see what shape it was in. I had a chance recently to do some volunteer work for Special Collections at the central library. The inside of the current building did not look that cluttered or over-capacity to me, so I can almost see why people think the small, outdated facility is adequate. But as part of my volunteering, we got to tour the basement levels. Most of the books are in the basement, closed off to the public! The basement levels are dark and hard to navigate; even the hundreds of shelves in the basement are full and overflowing onto carts. Most of the library's collection, as well as a number of pre-1900 newspapers and periodicals and local history records are not browseable or easily used by the public; I'm sure a lot of the collection is in poor shape from being stored like this. The library, both in staff and in holdings, outgrew its current building DECADES ago. I'm honestly ashamed to live in a city that would allow this. Our branch libraries are important for circulation but if we do not support our central library, we lose all of this history and we lose the organization and cataloging that keep the branches alive. Free the books (and the librarians!!) from the book warehouse!!
The money "would be put to better use paying off the outstanding debt on the ballpark and the convention center?" Aren't the ballpark and the convention center supposed to be producing their own revenue?
The city definitely need a new central library...not sure if it needs to be this exorbitant or as ugly as the plans are, but the current central library is a joke. Even if you yourself don't use the central library, all of the material in the branches goes through the central library first for processing. There would be no branches without the central library.
62° Partly Cloudy
KPBS Strengthens News Service
I think the switch to all-news is a good one that will allow more focus for the station. I don't ever listen to the station after it "goes classical" in the evening and am sure there are other outlets where one can hear classical music, including the proposed web stream. News at all hours is great for people who have off-peak hours, too. I did like These Days at 9am and am generally out and about at noon, so will probably miss it now, but this is by no means a reason for me to stop supporting KPBS. Thanks for providing reliable and objective news, and relevant, interesting stories.
May 12, 2011 at 2:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Two Mothers Tell Of Two Daughters Lost To Domestic Violence
The relationship that exists between a victim and an abuser is more complex than "asking for it" or "romantic blinders." Women have the mental skills and common sense necessary to avoid dangerous situations when immediately presented with them. (Teenage girls are another story entirely; basing any assumptions about how the real world works based on high school politics is irrelevant) Many domestic violence situations, like the horrible deaths discussed on the show, do not start out violent or exhibit major warning signals until well into the relationship. If we all got punched in the face on the first date, this stuff would be a lot easier to avoid. The abuse does not come on the first date, the first week, the first year - most of the time it is after life situations are settled and intertwined; there is a life together, various property and monetary commitments - things that cannot easily be undone; just try breaking a lease because you're being beat up. You're not dead yet, so you can't. Many times the abuse starts because the woman expresses a desire to end the relationship, and the man chooses that point to start instilling fear in her so that she will not leave. There is an ENORMOUS amount of shame, likely because of the social stigma already demonstrated on this page's comments against women in general and especially women in domestic violence situations. "she chose the situation." "it's her fault." she's just asking for drama, she's just seeking attention, etc. Abusers will make it impossible or dangerous for women to try to seek help, monitor phone lines and internet access, physically prevent a woman from leaving, or in the worst case like we heard this morning, kill her. Instead of shunning women who (for whatever reason) are in an abusive relationship, HELP THEM. The minute women begin to withdraw socially from close friends and family is the minute there is a problem. We do not need to bring more shame and blame into these situations. No woman ever expects to end up in an abusive relationship; no woman chooses to stay in an abusive relationship, but the way out is not as simple as walking out of the house if there is a lease or home ownership or children in the picture. If the sex roles were reversed I'm sure we would have laws in place to prevent things like that, but as it is, women have the lowest position, abusers know that. No woman wants to admit that she is trapped in an abusive relationship and many women think they can fix the situation if they just keep quiet about it and try to find their own way out. This is everyone's problem, and denying it will only make it a bigger problem in the lives of more families. The victims are your sisters, your mothers, your daughters, and they deserve respect and dignity. We need to address the problem of abuse as an "acceptable" problem; stop blaming women and start to attack the system that condones abuse and murder of women and children.
February 16, 2011 at 11:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Feds Urge Fluoride Levels Be Watered Down
I came here to comment something similar to Rick -- if the goal is to stop tooth decay, start with the diet!!! I grew up in a city with fluoride water and plenty of kids still got plenty of cavities, so what was the point of the fluoride? The refined carbohydrate-heavy standard American diet is not one that is nutritionally sufficient, and so we have all sorts of health problems arising from nutritional deficiencies and absences including bone and tooth problems. Trying to make up for nutritional deficiencies with more chemicals and drugs does not solve, help, or even address the real problem; rather this only benefits the chemical companies marketing the products.
Additionally it's really difficult to find toothpaste that does NOT contain fluoride, so as far as obsessing over fluoride for dental prevention is concerned, the problem is already solved. There is already fluoride where it needs to be to help teeth, so why risk adding more fluoride to the water that people drink all day long? I understand its a certain parts per million, but how does this stack up if someone is drinking 64+ ounces of water per day every day? I do drink tap water. I would want to know what is going to happen to me in 20 or 30 years with added fluoride.
I was also disappointed that this segment was so one-sided and hope that the next time fluoride is discussed there is a speaker willing to discuss the risks and valid reasons why the water should stay as-is.
January 18, 2011 at 5:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Balboa Park Parking Plan Draws Fire
I frequently walk, run, or bicycle across the current bridge and think that the problem is the amount of traffic crossing the bridge. People drive very fast for the amount of pedestrians on the bridge and don't seem to acknowledge the fact that they are driving through a park, not a freeway. It would be nice if the parking structure was on the other side of the bridge, and visitors to the park could walk over the bridge to the park. In a car, the view is irrelevant. As a pedestrian you can really take in the whole park and the view in debate. We have wonderful, walkable weather year-round and it's honestly silly to encourage traffic in a park.
January 6, 2011 at 9:20 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Shepard Fairey's Mural In Hillcrest Gets Tagged - PHOTOS
if "selling out" means being able to make art all day sign me up and boot me out of my actually-am-a-sellout job. honestly...wtf.
August 6, 2010 at 4:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Share The Road, It's Bike To Work Day
agree with zach, carmella, & smiller!
I started riding my bicycle to work a few times a week (about a 14 mile round trip) after making the decision to move closer to my downtown job. If I'm going to spend 40 minutes getting to work...why not get some exercise and fresh air instead of getting ragey in a car? Cycling on the road has made me a more cautious driver - there are things you just cannot see when you're driving a car, and now I'm always checking my blind spots and much more aware of the area around my car. It's also made me aware of how hard it can be to see cyclists in too bright or too dark conditions. Sometimes everyone just needs to slow down.
There are some careless cyclists out there (just as there are careless drivers), but please don't let that ruin your perception of people on bicycles. Most of us (mostly, the ones with helmets and lights, using signals) are just trying to get to or from work. Thank you for covering this on These Days - there are a lot of improvements that need to be made to accomodate cyclists if San Diego really would like to have more bicycle commuters and less auto traffic; I think the guests on the show and the callers brought up a lot of good points and hope to see some of the improvements happen.
May 20, 2010 at 11:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Protests Against Arizona's Immigration Law To Spread Across California
I think a lot of you getting your panties in a wad would find it interesting to trace your family tree and find out how many of your ancestors were "undocumented." My sneaky Polish great-grandmother was undocumented, should we kick the three or four generations she spawned back to Poland? Lighten up. Nobody's stealing your million dollar homes, and you don't even have to cut your own million dollar lawn.
May 14, 2010 at 8:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Food: A Project Envision Documentary
I was also disappointed that so much information was crammed into a half hour. The information was good, but like others have mentioned it was more of a lecture than something that can really help us when shopping. I do hope that KPBS continues to cover food on the radio and tv, because it is a very important issue. It affects all of us directly, three or more times a day.
November 18, 2009 at 3:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
What's In The New Downtown Library Design?
I've only been living in the city for a year and a half and just recently visited the central library. I've been following the discussion about the new library for a few months, and to be honest haven't wanted to walk into the current branch because I didn't want to see what shape it was in. I had a chance recently to do some volunteer work for Special Collections at the central library. The inside of the current building did not look that cluttered or over-capacity to me, so I can almost see why people think the small, outdated facility is adequate. But as part of my volunteering, we got to tour the basement levels. Most of the books are in the basement, closed off to the public! The basement levels are dark and hard to navigate; even the hundreds of shelves in the basement are full and overflowing onto carts. Most of the library's collection, as well as a number of pre-1900 newspapers and periodicals and local history records are not browseable or easily used by the public; I'm sure a lot of the collection is in poor shape from being stored like this. The library, both in staff and in holdings, outgrew its current building DECADES ago. I'm honestly ashamed to live in a city that would allow this. Our branch libraries are important for circulation but if we do not support our central library, we lose all of this history and we lose the organization and cataloging that keep the branches alive. Free the books (and the librarians!!) from the book warehouse!!
November 18, 2009 at 12:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Library Dream Moves Forward
The money "would be put to better use paying off the outstanding debt on the ballpark and the convention center?" Aren't the ballpark and the convention center supposed to be producing their own revenue?
The city definitely need a new central library...not sure if it needs to be this exorbitant or as ugly as the plans are, but the current central library is a joke. Even if you yourself don't use the central library, all of the material in the branches goes through the central library first for processing. There would be no branches without the central library.
October 27, 2009 at 11:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )