February 21 - 25, 2005
Monday, Feb. 21
George Washington
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Pulitzer prize-winning author Joseph Ellis draws on the newly catalogued Washington papers at the University of Virginia to craft a richly detailed biography of George Washington which illuminates the difficulties the first executive confronted as he worked to keep the emerging nation united in the face of adversarial factions. Joseph Ellis joins Larry Mantle to talk about George Washington’s life and career. His new book is called His Excellency: George Washington (Alfred A. Knopf).
Abraham Lincoln
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Lincoln scholar Ronald White examines the public writings of Abraham Lincoln to better understand the man and his political style. His new book contains many excerpts of Lincoln's writings. They illustrate the development of his rhetorical style and illuminate the role faith played in his life. Ronald White joins Larry to talk about his new book The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln Through His Own Words (Random House).
Tuesday, Feb. 22
Legislative Round-Up
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Today is the final opportunity for California lawmakers to propose new legislation. Larry talks with Mike Montgomery, of Capitol Public Radio, and political analyst, Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, about many of the proposals and the highly charged social issues raised by some.
Central Valley Project Water Contracts Renewed
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Over 200 water contracts negotiated with San Joaquin Valley farmers decades ago have been renewed by the federal government. Farmers will continue to buy water at rates well below market value for at least the next 25 years. Environmentalists are outraged, saying that more water should have been allocated to environmental projects. They also fear farmers may sell their water to cities rather than use it. The federal government says the contracts had to be renewed by law, and that checks and balances are in place to prevent farmers from getting rich on water sales. Jeff McKracken, Public Affairs Director for the Central Valley Project, Bennett Raley, Former Assistant Secretary of Water and Science for the Department of Interior, and Barry Nelson, Senior Policy Analyst for the NRDC, join Larry to discuss the new water contracts.
Israel to Evict Settlers in Gaza and West Bank
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On Sunday the Israeli cabinet voted to remove over 18,000 settlers from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank. Residents have 5 months to leave. This would be the first withdrawal of Jewish settlers in these areas since the lands were taken from Palestinians in 1967. Israeli police plan to disarm settlers prior to the eviction deadline, expecting resistance. Larry Mantle talks with Christian Science Monitor correspondent Ben Lynfied, and David Makovsky, senior fellow and director of the Project on the Middle East Peace Process at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, about what this means for peace in the region.
The Other Hollywood
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The adult film industry is a $10 billion-per-year business that has infiltrated the American mainstream with porn stars like Jenna Jameson and Traci Lords becoming household names. What most people don’t know is how the industry got started --- with a $22,000 mafia investment in a film called "Deep Throat" --- or how it mushroomed over the next quarter century, despite efforts by the FBI, politicians and others to bring it down. Larry Mantle speaks with Legs McNeil and Jennifer Osborne, co-authors of The Other Hollywood, a history of the porn film industry. Joining the conversation also is Jane Hamilton, AKA "Veronica Hart", producer/director at VCA pictures, and Dr. Sharon Mitchell, Executive Director of AIM Healthcare, the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Center/Foundation.
Wednesday, Feb. 23
The Weather!
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Host Larry Mantle discusses the recent wave of storms to hit the Southland. They have brought mudslides, sinkholes, falling boulders and a raging LA River. Do people continue to build on unstable ground? Are we equipped to handle all this rainfall? And what kind of coverage does insurance provide home- and business owners? Larry speaks with Joseph Cassmassi, Senior Meteorologist for the South Coast Air Quality Management District; Mark Pestrella, principal engineer of Building and Safety, LA County Department of Public Works; Paul Jennings, PhD., Caltech Provost and Professor of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics; Ed Harp, a geologist for the US Geological Survey; John Garamendi, Insurance Commissioner for the State of California; Judy Gish, spokeswoman for CalTrans; William Robertson, Director of Bureau of Street Services for the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works; Pete Muraga, spokesman for the Insurance Information Network of California, IINC; David Fukutomi, Federal Coordinating Officer for FEMA, and Jill Wicke, Water System Operations group manager at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
Eminent Domain
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The Supreme Court heard a case yesterday about the rights of property owners vs. the rights of a city to purchase property to make way for business development. Seven Connecticut homeowners have refused to sell their homes to the City of New London, making way for commercial development, and tax revenues for the city. What does this case mean for the rights of property owners nationally? How do cases of eminent domain play out in California? Tim Sandefur, Attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation, a public interest legal organization dedicated to defending private property rights, and Joe Pannone, senior partner with the law firm of Kane, Ballmer & Berkman, join Host Larry Mantle to discuss the topic.
The Musical Heritage of Los Angeles
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Ken Marcus, Associate Professor of History at the University of La Verne, discovered that the early music of Los Angeles reflects the city’s very diverse beginnings. His new book Musical Metropolis: Los Angeles and the Creation of a Music Culture, 1880-1940 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2004), traces the cultural history of Los Angeles through World War II. There was no particular center of music, thus diverse music flourished all over the city. Professor Marcus joins Host Larry Mantle to share the musical history of Los Angeles, with musical excerpts from early groups like the Jose Arias Troubadour, the LA Philharmonic, Kid Ory’s Sunshine Orchestra and more.
Thursday, Feb. 24
Bernard Parks
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Los Angeles city councilman and former LAPD chief Bernard Parks joins Larry Mantle to talk about his candidacy for Mayor of Los Angeles.
Quality of Life Bills
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State Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata has proposed a package of legislation addressing quality of life issues, specifically encouraging the construction of affordable housing in high-density areas. Larry speaks with Alan Lowenthal, Republican State Senator representing California’s 27th district (Long Beach), Dick Ackerman, Democratic State Senator representing the California’s 33rd district (covering the eastern portion of Orange County), and Mark Pisano, Executive Director of SCAG, the Southern California Association of Governments.
Conservative Shiite Nominated to be Iraqi Prime Minister
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Ibrahim Jafari, a top leader of the Islamic Dawa Party, was unanimously nominated yesterday as Prime Minister of Iraq. Confirmation by the National Assembly is expected. The selection of Jafari, a religous scholar with ties to Iran, has put the United States in a difficult position. How much of an Islamist is Ibrahim Jafari? How close is he to Iran? And what does this mean for the fledgling democracy in Iraq? Larry is joined by Basam Al-Husseini, Spokesman for the Future of Iraq Group and national trainer for the Iraqi elections in the U.S., Michael O’Hanlon, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies, Brookings Institution, and Danielle Pletka, Vice President, Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, to discuss the nomination.
Secret Negotiations Between the U.S. and Iraqi Insurgents
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According to a new Time magazine report, U.S. intelligence officers are in secret negotiations with leaders of the Iraqi insurgency in an attempt to end the conflict. Larry Mantle talks with Time magazine State Department Correspondent Elaine Shannon and Juan Cole, Professor of Modern Middle East and South Asian History at the History Department of University of Michigan, about the details of the negotiations, and the possible implications.
Friday, Feb. 25
FilmWeek at The Egyptian: Oscar Preview
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FilmWeek's second annual two hour Oscar© preview edition was taped Thursday night before a live audience
at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. Larry Mantle and critics
Ella Taylor of the L.A. Weekly;
F.X. Feeney of the L.A. Weekly;
Charles Solomon, animation critic for amazon.com;
Jean Oppenheimer of New Times;
Andy Klein, film editor and chief critic of both
CityBeat and ValleyBeat;
Peter Rainer, past president of the National Society of Film Critics;
Lael Loewenstein of Variety;
and Henry Sheehan of HenrySheehan.com, discussed both
the deserving, and the overlooked, performances of 2004.
