On Second Thought For Thursday, November 2, 2017

Amazon's HQ, Adult Swim, Transgender Rights

Atlanta is among many American cities making an aggressive bid for Amazon’s second headquarters. The Georgia city of Stonecrest even offered to de-annex some land and name it Amazon. The company’s first HQ is in Seattle, Washington. And Seattle has some wisdom to share with other cities who might want to attract the retail giant. A new podcast is called “Prime(d): What Happens When Amazon Comes to Your Town?” It’s produced by KUOW, Puget Sound Public Radio. Reporter Joshua McNichols joins us.

Atlanta-based Adult Swim has been an important ally to independent musicians for decades. The music you hear everywhere on the programming block is produced by largely unknown artists. Jason DeMarco, Senior Vice President and Creative Director of On-Air, is man in charge of Adult Swim music. We talk with him about how the program has helped the music industry, and how he selects the perfect soundtracks.

Groups in the South have long sought to secede from the United States. Some 150 years after the Civil War, groups like the League of the South are pushing again to break from the Union. We talk about how serious we should take calls for secession with Roxanne Donovan, Psychology Professor at Kennesaw State University. Trey Hood, Political Science Professor at the University of Georgia in Athens, also joins us.

A debate is unfolding in City of Decatur schools about transgender rights. At a September school board meeting, a parents’ group criticized a policy protecting transgender students in Decatur. Those parents have launched a petition to rescind the policy, put in place by Superintendent David Dude last year. Vernadette Broyles is an attorney representing the parents in the petition. She brings us a commentary explaining their perspective. Then we hear from Linda Ellis, Executive Director of the Health Initiative, an LGBT advocacy group. She brings us a commentary on why those protections should stay in place.