KUCI: Ask A Leader

The Present is Plastics AND Irvine’s General Plan Update

Two brand new enterprises known as BottleRocket and Closed Loop Plastics are keeping track of, and paring down the waste stream of those polymers that most of you use without even thinking. These titans are recent UCI graduates: CEO Will Amos of Closed Loop Plastics, and Brian Leung COO of BottleRocket. In the second segment, Irvine City Principal Planner Bill Jacobs presents the update on Irvine’s city’s General plan - what goes in the ground where you live, matters folks. We will cover several of the elements, talk trends, kick the tires of a few urban planning assumptions, and offer some ways of registering public comments before the deadline on Monday November 20, 2017. Take the survey at: https://www.peakdemocracy.com/p/185 or call 949-724-6581.

Mother Earth Is One Hot Momma

It’s Halloween, and what can be more unnerving than the non-fiction served up today? Extreme heat and your health; it’s lethal folks. Last week the Natural Resources Defense Council rolled out their report addressing the huge number of Americans suffering from the toll of extreme heat days. Today's guest is a major contributor to the report, Dr. Kim Knowlton, Senior Scientist and deputy director of the NRDC Science Center. Resources for more information include:https://www.nrdc.org/climate-change-and-health-extreme-heat#/map, https://www.weact.org/whatwedo/areasofwork/climate/, and https://www.iseechange.org/

Anaheim’s Sustainability Picture AND ”Our H20use” at Solar Decathlon 2017

On the heels of Sustain OC’s rousing 8th annual Conference and Expo, Anaheim Council Member and Orange County Council of Governments, Kris Murray talks about her work with Sustain OC and what her involvement there brings to municipal governance. From civic engagement in sustainability she then offers a civic lesson about Anaheim's brand new districts after their 159 history of an at large system. In the second segment, Geoffrey (AKA Django) Mangalam has many reveals after competing in his second Solar Decathlon that just wrapped in Denver last week. Details about this among other entries in this year's competition is available at: https://www.solardecathlon.gov/2017/competition-team-uc-davis.html. Take note: the next Solar Decathlon will be scheduled not in 2019, but 2020. The host is yet to be determined.

Bears Ears Sets The Table AND The ICE Pick in OC

Documentary filmmaker Angelo Baca returns to the show on the topic of Native American food sovereignty, along with an update on the Bears Ears National Monument. Watch In the second segment (min 30:35), Patrick Michels reporter with Reveal/Center for Investigative Reporting, brings his definitive account of Orange County's complicated history with immigrant detentions. OC residents: Theo Lacy Jail is in a league of its own nationally. Read his enire article at: https://www.revealnews.org/article/orange-county-california-is-ices-island-of-support-in-sanctuary-state/.

Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Venn Diagram AND Climate Changes, Costs, and Still More Plastic

Political commentator and author, Charles Sykes will take a break from mainstream media and visit college radio to talk about his new book How the Right Lost Its Mind, published by St. Martin's Press. How will the left vs right political Venn diagram look when we’re done? Then in the second segment Min 36:00), climate scientist and blogger Shahir Masri will resume where we left off two weeks ago about climate science: “Eaarth” Bill McKibben’s re-considering the planet in its current state; the spike in post disaster payouts; and the ubiquitous plastic stuff.

UCI DREAMERS In These Times

The full hour is devoted to Oscar Teran, Director of the DREAM Center at UCI’s Center for Educational Partnerships. The current status of Deferred Action for Child Arrivals/DACA, and all the functions that the DREAM Center offers, demands our full attention. This is an administrative coverage, the politics of this program are saved for another program with other guests who have appeared previously on Ask A Leader. Information for upcoming events is available at: http://dreamers.uci.edu/resources/, http://www.law.uci.edu/academics/real-life-learning/clinics/immigrant-rights.html or calling 949-824-6390. Stay tuned for future updates on this website.

Amazon’s A Knockin’ AND Teachable Moments Amidst These Storms

LA Times business columnist and author Michael Hiltzik will join us once again, bringing his inestimable insights about the headwinds that our Irvine faces toward negotiating a deal with Amazon for the firm’s second campus to be located right here. He will cover the project, the pressure, the parties, the package, the properties, the pander, the process, and the picture - as Irvine officials beat back the competition nationwide. Then in the second half (min 28:05), UCI environmental researcher Shahir Masri will return to connect the dots with the latest climate change markers. Teachable moments are in surplus. There just seems to be an urgent need for all the so-called students to be paying attention and step up their game yesterday.

28th Annual Alzheimer’s Conference, ”Elephant in the Room” AND ”Personal Stereo”

Chelsea Cox, Associate Director of Education at UCI MIND, covers this week’s ambitious Alzheimers’ conference and it’s ground-breaking theme: “The Elephant in the Room, Sensitive Subject in Dementia Care.” September 22, 7:30 a.m. til 4 p.m. at the Irvine Marriott, 18000 Von Karman Ave. Irvine, CA. Space is always available for last minute enrollees; register on line at: http://www.mind.uci.edu/events/conference/ or call 949-757-3721. The second guest (min 27:20), is UCI Writer In Residence, Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow with her new book entitled "Personal Stereo," published by Bloomsbury. In this book she traces the history of the Walkman, along with examining its psycho-social impacts, taking us from the analog to the digital and back. Information about where to meet Rebecca, buy your signed copy of her book, and meet Thomas Mullaney author of "Chinese Typewriter," remains to be determined. Details are forthcoming.