December 23 - 27, 2002

Monday, Dec. 23

Trent Lott Steps Down As Senate Majority Leader (Listen)
Host Larry Mantle talks with Professor Alfred Balitzer about Senator Trent Lott’s resignation as Senate Majority Leader. They will also discuss who will be the heir apparent, and what this will mean for the Republican Party.

Colorado River Water Negotiations (Listen)
The deadline for a water transfer deal between Imperial Irrigation District and San Diego County is December 31st. If a deal cannot be struck, the Department of Interior will immediately cut off up to eight hundred thousand acre feet of water per year to Southern California – enough water for about 1.6 million households. Host Larry Mantle talks with Bennet Raley, Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Ron Gastelum, President and CEO of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Maureen Stapleton, General Manager of the San Diego County Water Authority, and Andy Horn, Director of divisioin 1 of the Imperial Irrigation District.

Sweets: A History Of Candy (Listen)
There’s a history of just about everything, and now we have a history of the sweetest thing—CANDY! Author Tim Richardson has been a connoisseur of sweets since his grandfather fed him Turkish delight as a small boy, starting a life-long love of candy. Richardson made it his mission to find out everything he could about sweets for his new book Sweets: A History of Candy. It was a tough job, but somebody had to do it. Tim Richardson joins host Larry Mantle to talk all about candy.

Tuesday, Dec. 24

Christian Social Activism (Listen)
Host Larry Mantle talks with Reverend Ed Bacon, Rector at All Saints Church in Pasadena, Reverend Leonard Jackson, Minister of Transportation and Outreach at First AME Church, and Father Michael Mandala Pastor at the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Hollywood about the evolution of Christianity as a movement for social activism and a force for social justice.

The Singing Mancini Family (Listen)
Larry Mantle speaks with Monica and Ginny Mancini, the daughter and wife of the great composing legend Henry Mancini about his musical legacy, Monica’s singing career, and the Mancini Institute.

Wednesday, Dec. 25

Book-Collecting In The 21st Century: A Conversation (Listen)
Bibliophile Nicolas Basbanes joins host Larry Mantle to share his passion for collecting books, chronicled in Among the Gently Mad: Perspectives and Strategies for the Book-Hunter in the Twenty-First Century. Basbanes shares his knowledge of book-hunting on the Internet, --at flea markets, the importance of dust covers and more.

Opera 101: How To Understand And Appreciate Opera In Five Easy Lessons (Listen)
Opera is a spectacle that can be glorious and delightful or a painful bore depending on how you approach it and how much background you have to appreciate it. Larry Mantle talks with opera and music educators Stacy Brightman, Los Angeles Opera’s Director of Education and Community Programs and Eli Villanueva, Stage Director for Los Angeles Opera’s In-School Opera Outreach, about how to unlock the secrets of understanding and taking pleasure in the operatic experience.

Thursday, Dec. 26

California Budget (Listen)
Patt Morrison discusses the California budget crisis – a deficit currently estimated at $35 billion over the next 18 months -- with state Assembly members John Campbell and Dario Frommer from Southern California.

The Year of the Whistleblower (Listen)
This has been an extraordinary year for whistleblowing, with even Time Magazine’s Person of the Year edition featuring three women whistleblowers. Patt Morrison discusses all this with Kris Kolesnik, executive director of the National Whistleblower Center in Washington, D.C., a nonprofit that supports and represents employee whistleblowers.

Landmark L.A (Listen)
Citizens of Los Angeles created a Cultural Heritage Commission in 1962 to recognize and preserve the heritage of our city. You’d be surprised at what gets designated as a “cultural-historic landmark”--over 700 places--buildings, bridges, even trees! Join guest host Patt Morrison as she and Jeffrey Herr take a walk through Los Angeles’ cultural-historic places. Mr. Herr is the editor of LANDMARK L.A.: Historic-Cultural Monuments of Los Angeles (Angel City Press).

Friday, Dec. 27

The Culture Of Youth Sports (Listen)
At the YMCA in Boyle Heights, the swim team known as the East Los Angeles “Sharks” has been disbanded due to alleged parental verbal abuse and quarreling with the YMCA staff members. Guest Host Patt Morrison discusses the culture and psychology of youth sports as well as parental involvement and behavior within various youth sports programs with George A. Selleck, Ph.D., author of Raising a Good Sport In An In Your Face World also co-author of From The Bleachers With Love: Advice to Parents With Kids In Sports.

Filmweek (Listen)

Larry Mantle and critics F.X. Feeney of the L.A. Weekly, Jean Oppenheimer of New Times, and Henry Sheehan of HenrySheehan.com discuss this week's new film releases, including Catch Me If You Can, Chicago, The Hours, Max, and The Pianist among others.


Be sure to visit Henry Sheehan's website, HenrySheehan.com, for a selection of his past reviews and commentaries.