March 7 - 11, 2005
Monday, March 7
Primary Election Preview
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The election is on Tuesday, and the race for mayor is still a toss-up. Larry Mantle talks with the LA Business Journal’s Howard Fine; Occidental College political science professor Peter Dreier; Fred Balitzer, Professor of Government and Senior Research Fellow at Claremont Graduate University; Tom Hollihan, Professor and Associate Dean at USC’s Annenberg School of Communication, and Martha Groves, staff writer for the LA Times about the mayoral race, including the recent negative campaign ad blitz, as well as other interesting initiatives and races to be decided on in the Southland.
Consumption Tax
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Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said recently that the US should consider transitioning from an income-based tax system to a one based on a consumption tax. Larry Mantle talks with USC Professor Elizabeth Garrett and Ed McCaffery, Professor of Law at USC School of Law and Caltech, about how this system would work.
A Park Ranger's Patrol in the Sierra
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In his new book Nature Noir: A Park Ranger’s Patrol in the Sierra (Houghton Mifflin), author and former U.S. Park Ranger Jordan Fish Smith reveals some startling truths about what park rangers actually do on America’s public lands, giving us an astonishing account of the less than pristine inhabitants who lurk amidst the American great outdoors at the crossroads where nature and mankind collide.
Tuesday, March 8
The Mayoral Primary Election
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Larry checks in with KPCC reporters John Rabe and Rachael Myrow, and with KPCC listeners about their voting experiences, and about voter turnout in Los Angeles.
School Nutrition
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In light of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s comments about junk food in school vending machines, Larry discusses school nutrition. Should junk food in schools be banned? Larry talks with Lisa Katic, nutrition advisor for the Snack Food Association, and a registered dietician, and Harold Goldstein, Executive Director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy.
Child Witnesses
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The Michael Jackson trial brings up the issue of child testimony once again. USC law Professor and child testimony expert Tom Lyon joins Larry to discuss the issue.
Were the Neo-Conservatives right?
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Were the neo-conservatives right in their approach to "spreading democracy" in the Middle East? Whatever the catalyst, there can be no doubt that change is afoot, with a real challenger to Mubarak in the next elections in Egypt, with Syria getting out of Lebanon, with democratic elections in the Palestinian Authority and limited municipal elections in Saudi Arabia, and an election in Iraq. Some writers are saying that the neo-conservatives were right in going into Iraq and in working for change in the Middle East. Larry Mantle talks with Bret Stephens, member of the Editorial Board of the Wall Street Journal and former editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, Steven Cook, Next Generation Scholar at the Council on Foreign Relations, Ahmed Younis, National Director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution, and Zvi Vapni, Deputy Consul General of Israel at the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles.
Wednesday, March 9
Primary Election Results
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Voters in Los Angeles went to the polls yesterday to choose candidates for mayor and to decide on various ballot measures. Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, Political Analyst and Senior Scholar at USC’s School of Policy Planning and Development, and Jaime Regalado, Executive Director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State, Los Angeles, join Host Larry Mantle to discuss the election results. Larry also hears from Jose Huizar, Los Angeles Unified Board Member and President, Harvey Englander, campaign consultant for Measure A, and John Tran, Council-member elect to the Rosemead City Council.
The New S-A-T
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On Saturday, March 12, over three hundred thousand potentially college bound kids will be taking the new SAT test which has undergone the broadest revision in its 80 year history in order to emphasize written skill rather than analytical. Critics of the revised test contend that it makes the college selection process even more difficult than before. Larry Mantle speaks with educational consultant Toby Waldorf about the revised SAT and how it will influence college preparation.
The National Children's Study
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The National Children’s Study is a long-term national research project that will examine environmental influences on children's health and development. It involves tracking 100,000 children from before birth to 21 years of age. The study will look for information about topics such as obesity, diabetes, physical development, injuries, asthma, and mental health. Dr. Peter Scheidt, Director of the National Children's Study, joins Host Larry Mantle to discuss this ambitious longitudinal cohort study.
Thursday, March 10
Bankruptcy Reform Legislation
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The Senate is about to pass bankruptcy reform legislation that the credit industry has been lobbying Congress to pass for years. The legislation will then go to the House. President Bush has said that he will sign it. The reform will make it more difficult for Americans to file for personal bankruptcy. It will create an income-based test to ascertain a debtor’s ability to repay debt, require credit counseling, and make it more costly to file for bankruptcy. Proponents say that this reform is long-overdue, but opponents say that changes in the law will hurt low-income earners. Christopher Cox, U.S. Congressman representing California’s 48th district, Xavier Becerra, U.S. Congressman representing California’s 31st district and Mark Markus, an attorney practicing exclusively bankruptcy law in Los Angeles, join Larry to discuss the bankruptcy reform legislation.
The Incredibles
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Larry Mantle talks with Brad Bird, director of "The Incredibles" about his film. Also joining the conversation is Charles Solomon, animation historian and animation critic for amazon.com, and animation critic for KPCC.
Friday, March 11
Consumer Credit Data Stolen . . . Again
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Just last month, thousands of customers were notified by consumer information company ChoicePoint that their credit information had been compromised by a fraud ring. Now, in the latest incident, identity thieves have obtained personal data such as names, addresses, social security numbers and drivers license numbers from companies like Lexis-Nexis and Designer Shoe Warehouse. Experts Beth Givens, founder and director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, and Robert O’Harrow, staff reporter for the Washington Post and author of No Place to Hide published by the Free Press, join Host Larry Mantle to discuss what people can do to repair their credit, if it has been compromised, and how such information can be kept secure in the first place.
FilmWeek
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Larry Mantle and critics
Scott Foundas of Variety
and the L.A. Weekly,
Jean Oppenheimer of New Times, and
Charles Solomon, animation critic for amazon.com
discuss this week's new releases, including Robots, Hostage, In My Country, The Upside of Anger, dot the i,
Millions, Off the Map, Mail Order Wife,
Monsieur N and Sometimes in April.
