December 20 - 24, 2004
Monday, Dec. 20
Pending State Budget
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Loan payments on next year’s budget alone are projected at $5.5 billion per year, with a new shortfall of $8.1 billion, or $1.3 billion more than projected last month by the legislative analysts office. Including construction projects, the state’s overall credit card bill is now $51 billion. Given the governor’s vow not to raise taxes, where is the money going to come from? Larry talks to H.D. Palmer, Department of Finance spokesman and Evan Halper, staff writer for the Los Angeles Times.
Town Hall Meeting To Address Targeting of Muslims
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Tonight, CAIR-Los Angeles has called for an emergency town hall meeting to discuss what they say is “the unfair targeting of Muslims by the Department of Homeland Security.” Dr. Maher Hatoot, senior advisor of the Muslim Public Affairs Council and Matt McLaughlin, Special Projects Coordinator with the Los Angeles division of the FBI join Larry to discuss relations between the Muslim-American community and law enforcement.
FDA Warning on Celebrex
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The Food and Drug Administration on Friday issued a warning on the popular arthritis drug Celebrex after studies showed that high doses of the drug increases the chance of heart attacks and strokes. This is after a similar drug, Vioxx, was removed from the market in September. Larry speaks with Dr. Sidney Wolfe, Director of Public Citizen’s health research group and Sam Kazman, General Counsel for Competitive Enterprise Institute about this latest warning and to discuss whether the FDA is approving drugs too quickly.
The Incredibles
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Larry Mantle talks with Brad Bird, director of The Incredibles about his film.
Tuesday, Dec. 21
Hearing On Constitutionality of California's Ban on Same-Sex Marriage
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Larry discusses the legalities of the hearing on the constitutionality of the ban on same-sex marriage, scheduled in San Francisco’s Superior Court on December 22nd. He speaks with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom about his decision to allow marriage licenses to be issued to same-sex couples, and the legal and political ramifications of that decision. Larry also talks with Louis Mauro, Deputy Attorney General; Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights; and Randy Thomasson, Executive Director of Campaign for California Families. These guests represent parties who have filed briefs that will be heard in the Superior Court the following day.
The Gay Marriage Debate
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Assemblyman Mark Leno joins the conversation to discuss AB 19, the “Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act,” introduced in the Assembly on December 6th. Larry also discusses the state of the gay rights movement across the country today, as well as strategies pursued by both gay rights activists and groups interested in protecting traditional marriage. His guests for this discussion are Reverend Lou Sheldon, Chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition and Geoff Kors, Executive Director of Equality California.
Wednesday, Dec. 22
Religious Traditions In Schools
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What’s the appropriate way to recognize religious celebrations in schools? Most schools teach about religions from a historical and cultural perspective. But is it okay to also display religious symbols such as Christmas trees and Menorahs? Are religious-themed songs appropriate? Larry opens up this important issue to our listeners.
Prop. 42 Highway Funding Suspended
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In 2002, 70 percent of voters supported Proposition 42, which was to dedicate sales taxes on gasoline to transportation purposes. However, a loophole allowed suspension of the proposition in times of emergency. So far, some $5 billion worth of Prop. 42 funds have been diverted to the general fund. Government, business, labor and transportation leaders have formed the “Save Prop. 42 Coalition” to try and get the funds put back towards road construction, maintenance and transit. Larry's guests are: Chris Murray, chair of the Southern California Legislative RoundTable, Katherine Perez of the Southern California Transportation and Land Use Coalition, and HD Palmer, deputy director of external affairs for the State Department of Finance.
Flying Perks
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As the so-called legacy airlines falter, foreign carriers and some of the newer domestic airlines are striving to provide perks and creature comforts. For example, airlines are providing wireless Internet service, in-seat power for computers and walkmans, multi-channel cable television and even cocktail lounges. Larry's guests are travel-expert Paul Lasley; James Boyd, a vice president at Singapore Airlines; and Todd Burke, director of corporate communications at JetBlue.
A Conversation with Sheldon Epps
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Larry Mantle speaks with Sheldon Epps about the 2005 season at the Pasadena Playhouse and the Next Stage Campaign which seeks to raise money for the expansion of education, outreach programs and facilities at the Pasadena Playhouse.
Thursday, Dec. 23
The Media and the San Diego Mayoral Vote
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Three TV stations and two newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, launched their own investigation into who actually garnered more votes in San Diego’s disputed mayor race. Now critics are accusing the media of acting in a partisan manner by getting so deeply involved in the investigation. Larry asks Tony Perry, LA Times San Diego bureau chief and Bob Ottilie, Mayor Dick Murphy’s lawyer, for their thoughts.
Orange County Journalist "Roundtable"
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Larry Mantle talks with Orange County journalists Chris Reed, Orange County Register op-ed column editor, Jean Pasco, Los Angeles Times staff writer and Gustavo Arellano, Staff Writer for the OC Weekly, about the latest news events and developments in Orange County.
Spirituality in America
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Although 94% of Americans say that they believe in God, about half of them believe of God as a “universal energy or spirit.” Somewhere between 19 and 32% of Americans say they are interested in Eastern spirituality, and around 20% say they are New Age practitioners. According to Robert Fuller, 21% of Americans are “spiritual but not religious.” Larry speaks about the phenomenon of spirituality with three scholars: Edmund Gibbs, Donald A. McGavran Professor of Church Growth at Fuller Theological Seminary, Philip Goldberg, interfaith minister and founder of The Forge Institute, and Jack Miles, Senior Advisor to the President of the J. Paul Getty Trust and a Senior Fellow with the Pacific Council on International Policy.
Friday, Dec. 24
FilmWeek: Two Hour Special
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Larry Mantle hosts our final FilmWeek of the year, a 2 hour show, with critics
Jean Oppenheimer of New Times,
Andy Klein, film editor and chief critic of both
CityBeat and ValleyBeat,
Henry Sheehan of HenrySheehan.com, and
Charles Solomon, animation critic for amazon.com
discussing the new film releases for the rest of the year. The first hour includes
Andrew Lloyd Webber's the Phantom of the Opera, Meet the Fockers, In Good Company, Hotel Rwanda,
The Woodsman, The Assasination of Richard Nixon, and The Merchant of Venice.
The second hour wraps up the films with Fat Albert, Sky Blue, Love Song for Bobby Long, Flight of the Phoenix,
The Chorus (Les Choristes), The Keys to the House, Producing Adults, and the classic On the Waterfront.
Everyone at both AirTalk and FilmWeek hope your holiday season is filled with peace and Joy.
