November 25 - 29, 2002

Monday, Nov. 25

Tentative Agreement Between the Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (Listen)
A tentative labor deal was announced Saturday night, that may bring dock workers a measure of security and wage increases over the next six years. Joining host Larry Mantle are Steve Sugerman, spokesperson for the Pacific Maritime Association, a group that represents about 80 shipping lines and terminal operators, and Jack Kyser, executive director of the Economic Development Corporation of Los Angeles.

The Ford Motor Company, Innovation, and the History of the Automobile (Listen)
Larry Mantle talks with journalist and author Russ Banham about his new book The Ford Century: Ford Motor Company And The Innovations That Shaped the World (Artisan). In it, Banham chronicles the histories of the Ford Motor Company and automotive transportation.

Registered Nurse-to-Patient Staffing Law (Listen)
Larry Mantle discusses the RN-to-Patient Staffing Law that would provide more registered nurses per patient in California hospitals. Joining him are Jill Furillo, R.N., director of Government Relations for the California Nurses Association, and Jim Lott, Executive Vice President, Department of Policy Development and Communications, Hospital Association of Southern California.

The Coffee Market (Listen)
Congress recently passed a referendum urging President Bush to deal with the “global coffee crisis.” Coffee is more abundant than ever, but quality is arguably worse than ever. Wholesale prices have dipped so low, and coffee plantation workers are in a state of worsening poverty, yet retail prices in the U.S. remain high. What’s happening with the coffee market? Larry Mantle talks with Mark Pendergrast, author of Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How it Transformed Our World (Basic Books), Ted Lingle, Executive Director of the Specialty Coffee Association of America and Robert Nelson, Executive Director of the National Coffee Association.

Tuesday, Nov. 26

School Discipline (Listen)
Recent news reports of high school students' out-of-control behavior has focused attention locally on the difficulty of dealing with students who refuse to behave in school. Larry Mantle talks about how to discipline kids who are misbehaving in school with guests Jerry Cradduck, Principal of Eliot Middle School in Altadena and Jaana Juvonen, Professor of Developmental Psychology in the Department of Psychology at UCLA.

Caltech Edition (Listen)
In October, Caltech launched a campaign to raise $1.4 billion to fund the most cutting-edge research in science and technology. The money will provide for dozens of project initiatives, including the construction of a telescope three times larger than any in existence, the exploration of the brain while in action and the study of the structure of proteins. Provost Steve Koonin joins Larry to discuss the goals of this ambitious campaign.

The Birth of Modern Golf (Listen)
Larry Mantle talks with local author Mark Frost about his new book titled The Greatest Game Ever Played: Harry Vardon, Francis Ouimet, and the Birth of Modern Golf (Hyperion)

Wednesday, Nov. 27

The Central Industrial Redevelopment Project (Listen)
The Community Redevelopment Agency’s new project will focus on the industrial zone of downtown, from the LA River to the edge of Little Tokyo and to the Santa Monica Freeway. This is the part of town with produce markets, fish processing businesses and many small companies that have been in the Central Industrial zone for two, and sometimes three, generations. This zone used to be “downtown Los Angeles” before the flight to the suburbs and rezoning after WWII. The area has never been updated and revamped, and the businesses want to grow, but have nowhere to expand and few ways to update their service areas. The Central Industrial Redevelopment Project addresses a century of neglect in an attempt to update this precious industrial zone and keep businesses in Los Angeles. Joining host Larry Mantle are Len Betz, project manager for the Central Industrial Redevelopment Project, Tracey Lovejoy, chairperson of the Central Industrial Citizen’s Advisory Committee and Bill Fulton, President of Solimar Research Group.

William H. Macy (Listen)
Larry Mantle talks with actor William H. Macy about his new play “The Guys,” in which he co-stars with Felicity Huffman. “The Guys” runs November 26th-December 21st at the Actors’ Gang Theater. Larry will also talk with Macy about his career in theater and in Hollywood, succeeding in both television and film roles.

Thursday, Nov. 28

Carol Channing (Listen)
Larry Mantle talks with Carol Channing about her new memoir Just Lucky I Guess: A Memoir of Sorts (Simon & Schuster). In it, Channing highlights her illustrious career, delving into her personal life as well as some of the setbacks that she has encountered along the way. Channing’s many starring roles include “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” “Hello Dolly,” as well as her film appearance in “Thoroughly Modern Millie” that earned her an Academy Award nomination.

Peter Sellers (Listen)
He has been called one of the few comic geniuses of the 20th century. Fellow actors found Sellers so funny, they often had difficulty finishing scenes without bursting into fits of laughter. Yet he had a sad, strange and deeply troubled personal life, one few people knew about, and even fewer understood. Larry talks with author Ed Sikov about his new, exhaustively-researched biography of Peter Sellers, Mr. Strangelove: A Biography of Peter Sellers. (Hyperion).

Friday, Nov. 29

FilmWeek (Listen)
Larry Mantle hosts a special two-hour edition of FilmWeek. In the first hour critics Peter Rainer, Andy Klein, F.X. Feeney, and Charles Solomon discuss the week’s new releases. Then, in the second hour, Larry and the critics will talk about film-related holiday gifts including DVDs, videos and books.