As heard on January 14 - January 18, 2002 on AirTalk

Monday, January 14
Rancho Mission Viejo
Larry Mantle talks about the tension between landowners and environmentalists over the last large piece of undeveloped land in Orange County. The owner of Rancho Mission Viejo wants to build 14,000 homes and 5 million square feet of commercial office space on the land, leaving two-thirds alone. Environmentalists say that�s not enough, and that several endangered species will be threatened by the project. AirTalk invites Dan Silver from the Endangered Habitats League and San Clemente City Councilmember Jim Dahl to talk about the development.

Travel Segment
Larry Mantle talks with KPCC travel experts Paul Lasley and Elizabeth Harryman about a variety of travel issues including airline baggage screening effective January 18th, the ten best travel experiences for 2002, and new hotel services and amenities.

Tuesday, January 15
Pat Buchanan
Controversial author and political candidate Pat Buchanan joins Larry Mantle to talk about his new book, The Death of the West (Thomas Dunne Books).

Missile Defense
Larry Mantle looks at the history, politics, and future of missile defense with Bradley Graham, a longtime military and foreign affairs reporter for the Washington Post.

Wednesday, January 16
Impact of California Budget Cuts
Faced with a 12 billion dollar budget shortfall, Governor Gray Davis has targeted his deepest cuts at some of California�s most vulnerable residents, from welfare recipients to low-income working parents to the mentally ill. Larry Mantle looks at the budget proposed by Governor Gray Davis with Jean Ross, Director of the California Budget Project.

Managed Care Update
Larry Mantle speaks with consumer activist, Jamie Court, from the Santa Monica based Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, and Walter Zellman, President of the California Association of Health Plans, about the latest news on cases pending against managed care organizations, how to reform health care, and more.

Caltech Edition: American Astronomical Society Meeting
Larry Mantle gets an update on last week�s American Astronomical Society meeting in Washington D.C. with Caltech postdoctoral scholar, Christopher Conselice. They discuss NASA�s x-ray telescope that helps opens the invisible aspects of the universe, as well as new spectra research of the entire universe, and more.

Caltech Edition: In Search of Life
Larry Mantle looks to the stars with Millikan Postdoctoral Scholar in Astronomy at Caltech, Dr. David Charbonneau. Dr. Charbonneau shares findings from his recent work using the Hubble Telescope to chemically identify distant atmospheres. His research could lead to finding distant planets that can sustain life.

Thursday, January 17
CityBeat with New Times L.A. Columnist Jill Stewart

Orange County Edition
Host Larry Mantle talks with Chris Reed of the Orange County Register about the latest news in Orange County. Topics include: Dave Garofalo, Felon; The 2% Solution; Irvine Gun Proposal; Teen Con Artist; and, Power Plant Deemed �Ugly.”

The Symbionese Liberation Army
Larry Mantle takes a look at the counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s with Peter Braunstein, editor of Imagine Nation (Routledge), and explores the dubious legacy of the SLA.

Plane Insanity
Larry Mantle talks with Elliot Hester, a flight attendant for 16 years with a major airline, about his new book, Plane Insanity (St. Martin�s Press), that chronicles the misadventures of both passengers and flight crews in a collection of scathingly funny stories about bad trips, peculiar co-workers, first-class stowaways and outrageous in-flight behavior.

FilmWeek
Host Larry Mantle together with critics F.X. Feeney of the L.A. Weekly and Henry Sheehan of the Orange County Register discuss the week's latest film and video releases. This week's selections include: Black Hawk Down, The Shipping News, What Time Is It There?, and Italian for Beginners.

The critics also discuss American Cinematheque's Stanley Kubrick double feature to take place on Friday, January 18, 7:30 PM at the Egyptian Theatre. F.X. Feeney is scheduled to speak. For more information, visit American Cinematheque. The critics also review the Palm Springs Film Festival. Visit www.psfilmfest.org or call 760.322.2930 for more information.

Friday, January 18
Khaled Abou El Fadl
Larry Mantle talks with UCLA Law Professor and Muslim scholar Khaled Abou El Fadl, who shares his views about why Islamic �Puritanism” has risen in popularity over the last few decades. Mr. El Fadl was once a militant Muslim himself, and his outspoken criticisms of Islamic militancy have brought him death threats.

FilmWeek
Host Larry Mantle together with critics F.X. Feeney of the L.A. Weekly and Henry Sheehan of the Orange County Register discuss the week's latest film and video releases. This week's selections include: Black Hawk Down, The Shipping News, What Time Is It There?, and Italian for Beginners.

The critics also discuss American Cinematheque's Stanley Kubrick double feature to take place on Friday, January 18, 7:30 PM at the Egyptian Theatre. F.X. Feeney is scheduled to speak. For more information, visit American Cinematheque. The critics also review the Palm Springs Film Festival. Visit www.psfilmfest.org or call 760.322.2930 for more information.

© 2000 Southern California Public Radio