December 27 - 31, 2004
Monday, Dec. 27
Disaster Relief Efforts to Help Earthquake Victims in Southern Asia
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A 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit Southern Asia on Sunday, causing tsunamis to hit coastal areas from Indonesia to as far away as Somalia. The quake, the largest in the world in over 40 years, killed 22,000 people and counting. Guest Host Patt Morrison speaks with Mike Kiernan, spokesman for Save the Children, and Washington-based Devasish Ray, special correspondent with The India Post and foreign correspondent for The Week in India, about efforts on the ground to help victims of this disaster.
Ukraine Elections
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Patt Morrison speaks with David Holley, LA Times Staff Writer in Kiev, about the latest information from the presidential elections in the Ukraine.
Garment Industry Woes
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Quotas on imports of apparel and textiles will be lifted by the U.S. on January 1st. How will this affect L.A.’s ailing garment industry? Patt Morrison talks with Ilse Metchek of the California Fashion Association, Jack Kyser, Chief Economist for the LA Economic Development Corporation, and UC Santa Barbara sociologist Richard Applebaum.
The Best Books of 2004
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AirTalk guest host Patt Morrison talks with LA Times book columnist Jonathan Kirsch, and New York Times Book review staff editor Dwight Garner, about the best fiction and non-fiction books of 2004.
Tuesday, Dec. 28
Follow-up to South Asian Earthquake Disaster
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Guest Host Patt Morrison talks with Rosalyn Patamakanthin, President of the Thai Association of Southern California, about her family in Phuket and the disaster relief efforts being organized here in the Southland. Patt also talks with Linda North, International Medical Corps country director in Indonesia, Ellen Agler, director of International Operations for the International Medical Corps, about the IMC’s relief efforts on the ground in Asia. Then, Patt discusses tsunamis with Ken Hudnut, US Geological Survey Office in Pasadena, and Rich Eisner, earthquake and tsunami program director for the state office of emergency services.
To help victims of the earthquake:
Money can be sent to the Royal Thai Consul-General’s office:
611 N. Larchmont Blvd., LA 90004
To reach Rosalyn Patamakanthin, call: 213-383-2596
International Medical Corps
1-800-481-4462
International Committee of the Red Cross
1-800-HELP-NOW
Foreign Aid
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Guest Host Patt Morrison talks with Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and special advisor to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, and Paul V. Applegarth, Chief Executive Officer with the Millennium Challenge Corporation, about US foreign aid to developing nations. Patt also speaks with Ed Fox, Assistant Administrator for Legislative and Public Affairs for US AID, and Richard Walden, president and CEO of Operation USA. How is it awarded, for what programs, and is it enough?
Wednesday, Dec. 29
Makeup At Work
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The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Harrah’s right to fire Darlene Jespersen, a female bartender at their casino in Reno, because she refused to wear makeup. The court agreed with Harrah that because the makeup requirement was part of a general grooming standard for all its employees, the firing was non-discriminatory. Henry Weinstein, staff writer for the LA Times, joins guest host Patt Morrison to discuss the story.
LA Times Sues County Supervisors Over Brown Act
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The County Board of Supervisors held two secret meetings in September over the decision to close King Drew Medical Center. Now the LA Times is suing to obtain documents from those meetings, citing Brown Act requirements that government officials allow public scrutiny of their discussions. Guest host Pat Morrison discusses the issue with Susan Seager, lawyer for the LA Times, and Rich McKee, Professor of Chemistry and President of Californians Aware.
Space Tourism
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The Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act was signed into law by President Bush on Dec. 23rd, authorizing the production of the first commercial space craft geared for tourism. Patt speaks with Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (46-R), who sponsored the bill, about what he hopes it will accomplish. She also talks with Mat Kaplan, space enthusiast and host of "Planetary Radio," the weekly radio program from The Planetary Society, and Janice Starzyk, senior analyst with Futron Corporation, a Bethesda, Maryland-based consulting interest that specializes in space-related industries.
Just A Geek
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Wil Wheaton, who played Ensign Crusher on the Paramount hit Star Trek, The Next Generation, talks about his new book Just a Geek (O'Reilly Media). In it, he describes his frustrations with his acting career, his inability to distance himself from the part of Ensign Crusher and the launch of his website, Wil Wheaton.net.
Thursday, Dec. 30
Disaster Relief Update
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Guest Host Patt Morrison gets an update on the disaster in Southern Asia. She speaks with Dr. Jean-Luc Poncelet, head of emergency preparedness and disaster relief for the Pan-American World Health Organization office in Washington, Mohammed Said, program officer working with UNICEF in the Maldives, and Joel MacCollam, CEO of World Emergency Relief.
The War Inside the Arab Newsroom
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The Saudi owner of Al Arabiya satellite news station is working to make it the moderate alternative to Al Jazeera’s Fox News-style, Islamist reporting. According to Zogby International, Al Arabiya still runs second to Al Jazeera in terms of viewers. But, in the short time that Al Arabiya has been on the air, 39% of Arab satellite TV viewers said they watched the station “almost daily.” Patt Morrison is joined by Samantha M. Shapiro, contributing writer to the New York Times magazine. Her article “The War Inside the Arab Newsroom” will appear in this Sunday’s magazine. Patt also speaks with Michael Parks, Director of the USC Annenberg School of Journalism, and Josh Rushing, who gained notoriety in the documentary Control Room, which chronicled his struggles as the United States military's spokesman to Al Jazeera during the invasion of Iraq.
Socially-Conscious Consumers
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Guest host Patt Morrison looks at socially conscious consuming with Amanda Johnson of Co-Op America and Betsy Taylor of New American Dream.
The Banished Word List
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Guest Host Patt Morrison takes a look at the annual “List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness,” compiled by a committee at Lake Superior State University in Michigan. Words on the list include “shock and awe” and “metrosexual.” What words would you like to see banned? Give us a call? Patt is joined by KPCC Reporter John Rabe, whose father started the Lake Superior State University Banned Words list.
Friday, Dec. 31
Rose Parade Security
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Guest Host Jon Beaupre talks with Janet Pope, public information officer for the Pasadena Police, about security for this Saturday's Rose Parade.
2005 Legislative Battles In Sacramento
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Jon Beaupre speaks with Margaret Talev, Political Reporter from the Sacramento Bee about upcoming legislative battles in Sacramento and the challenges facing the governor and legislators in 2005.
The Psychology of Queuing
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Waiting in line is a drag. You stand there, you shuffle along, and then…someone cuts in front of you. What do you do? Guest Host Jon Beaupre talks with Stuart Fischoff, professor emeritus of psychology at Cal State, LA, Bob Levine, professor of psychology at Cal State Fresno, and Dick Larson, professor who studies operations research at MIT, about the psychology of waiting in line, or queuing.
Red Cross at the Rose Parade
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Dereck Andrade, Director of Public Affairs for the San Gabriel Chapter of the American Red Cross, joins Guest Host Jon Beaupre to talk about Red Cross preparations for the Rose Parade.
Top Science Stories of 2004
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Patt Morrison talks with Steven Petranek, Editor-in-Chief of Discover Magazine, and Michael Shermer, founder and publisher of Skeptic magazine and columnist for Scientific American, about the best science stories of the year. They discuss the latest mission to Mars, global warming, intelligent design creationism, Homo floresiensis, and much more.
The Legacy of Susan Sontag
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Guest Host Jon Beaupre talks with Los Angeles Times book review editor Steve Wasserman about the literary legacy of Susan Sontag, who died this week.
