May 2 - 6, 2005
Monday, May 2
Open Phones On Creative Ways To Relieve Southern California’s Traffic Congestion
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In light of the Mayoral candidates transportation plans for Southern California, Larry Mantle opens the phones to listeners to see how they would reform transportation in the area.
San Diego Mayoral Update
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San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy announced his resignation last week, saying that he will step down on July 15th. Murphy resigned under criticism amid a widening federal investigation into the handling of the city's deficit-riddled pension fund. The San Diego City Council is meeting later this morning to decide whether it will appoint a replacement or hold a special election. Larry talks with Tony Perry, San Diego Bureau Chief for the Los Angeles Times, Ryan Singer, Regional Analyst with the Economic Research Bureau at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, San Diego Councilman Scott Peters who represents San Diego’s 1st District, and Russell Lewis, KPBS reporter.
North Korea Missile Launch
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On Sunday, North Korea apparently fired a guided missile into the Sea of Japan, though South Korean intelligence officials said it was a short-range missile and not the kind able to carry a nuclear warhead. Sunday’s test raises concerns for the Bush administration about North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. Larry Mantle speaks with a North Korea expert about the worrisome state of relations between the US and the North Koreans and the standstill in the nuclear negotiations with the North. Larry talks with Jim Walsh, political scientist and Research Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Gangter To Gangsta: The Romantic Outlaw Of Yesterday And Today
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Larry Mantle discusses the notion that Americans have, for centuries, romanticized, mythologized, and commodified the criminal cultures of the American West. The guests will explore the history of the Western outlaw from the criminal gangs of the nineteenth century, through the Jewish mobsters that helped build Las Vegas, to today’s hip-hop “gangsta” culture, and examine why we’re fascinated with American outlaws. Larry talks with Paul Hutton, Ph.D., University of New Mexico and former President of the
Western History Association, and Raymond Codrington, Ph.D., Assistant Curator and Director of the Julian Dixon Institute of Cultural Studies at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
Tuesday, May 3
Los Angeles/Orange County Freeway Shootings
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In light of the recent slew of freeway shootings, Larry Mantle talks about the real risks of freeway driving. Larry talks with Officer Rick Quintero of the California Highway Patrol, Frank Stoltze, KPCC’s Political Reporter, Joel Best, Professor and Chair of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of Delaware, and author of More Damned Lies and Statistics: How Numbers Confuse Public Issues, and Fairley Washington, Director of Communications for AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
Prescripton Drug Bulk Purchasing Pool For Los Angeles
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Wednesday morning the LA City Council will vote on a measure by Council member Antonio Villaraigosa that takes the first steps toward establishing a prescription drug bulk purchasing pool for the City of Los Angeles. If approved, a steering committee would be formed to verify the feasibility of such a pool and ultimately choose a Pharmacy Benefits Manager (PBM) to administer it. Larry discussed the proposal, which would allow Angelenos to pay a small annual fee to receive a membership card that would allow them to purchase discounted drugs at pharmacies throughout the city. Larry talks with Jerry Flanagan, health policy analyst for the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, Howard Weitzman, Comptroller of Nassau County NY, Mr. Weitzman was behind NassauRX, the prescription drug discount program implemented in July, 2004, and Tom Rice, Professor of Health Services in the UCLA School of Public Health.
Is PBS Too Liberal?
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Kenneth Tomlinson, the Chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, believes PBS is too liberal, and he’s taken measures to make some of its programs more “balanced.” Critics say the Chairman’s involvement is inappropriate, and that his actions represent government interference in PBS programming. Tomlinson says he’s simply trying to correct bias, and to make PBS appealing to a broader constituency. Larry Mantle talks with Common Cause President and CEO Chellie Pingree and Tim Graham of the Media Research Center.
Bob Baker Marionettes
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Author and Southern California nostalgist Charles Phoenix and Master Puppeteer Bob Baker join Larry to talk about Baker’s life and career as the director and creator of Bob Baker Marionettes puppet theater.
Wednesday, May 4
Media Blitz Mars Mayoral Campaign
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Larry Mantle talks with Bob Stern, President Center for Governmental Studies and Shanto Iyengar, Professor of Communications and Political Science at Stanford University about the recent ads in the Los Angeles Mayoral election.
State Of The Los Angeles Schools
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Larry Mantle talks with Roy Romer, LAUSD Superintendent, about the state of the Los Angeles Unified School District, and about the vote by the Los Angeles Board of Education to create its own panel to explore the issue of governance of the schools.
Virtual Charter Schools
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Online charter schools are gaining popularity nationwide. In this higher tech version of home-schooling, students take classes and interact with teachers primarily from their home computers. California Virtual Academy, a state-funded virtual charter school, is growing in popularity, with almost 3000 students enrolled this year. Larry Mantle talks with James Konantz, Head of Schools for California Virtual Academies about how online schooling works, and Tom Conry, member of the California Teachers Association Board of Directors about reservations about the growing trend.
Why The French Dislike Americans
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Larry Mantle talks with veteran journalist Richard Chesnoff about his new book entitled The Arrogance of the French: Why They Can’t Stand Us and Why the Feeling Is Mutual.
Norman Corwin
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Mr. Corwin’s long and distinguished career has included work in nearly every area of media. After ten years as a newspaperman, he moved into radio and served as writer-director-producer for CBS in the network's heyday with memorable series including “26 by Corwin,” “Columbia Presents Corwin,” and “On a Note of Triumph.” “We Hold These Truths,” written and produced by Mr. Corwin in 1941 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Bill of Rights, was recently name as part of to the U.S. Archives’ National Recording Registry.
Mr. Corwin has written and directed stage plays, television dramas, films, and cantatas. He wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay for "Lust for Life," about the painter Paul Gaugin. The author of twelve books, Mr. Corwin is a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the USC’s Annenberg School for Communication. Larry talks with Mr. Corwin who turns 95 yesterday. He is being honored tonight at a sold out event at the Museum of Television and Radio in Beverly Hills.
Thursday, May 5
Minuteman-Type Group At The California Border
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Larry Mantle discusses the new California group that has spun off from the Minuteman Project in Arizona, called “Friends of the Border Patrol Border Watch.” This new group will patrol the San Diego border, locating illegal immigrants and reporting their location to the Border Patrol. Larry talks with Andy Ramirez, Chairman of “Friends of the Border Patrol,” with Salvador Zamora, Assistant Chief of the Border Patrol for the Department of Homeland Security in Washington D.C, and Ranjana Natarajan, staff attorney with the Southern California ACLU.
Orange County Journalist “Roundtable”
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Larry Mantle talks with Orange County Register op-ed column editor Chris Reed, OC Weekly staff writer Gustavo Arellano, and LA Times staff writer Jean Pasco about the latest news events and developments in Orange County.
The British Election
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Most polls indicate that British Prime Minister Tony Blair is certain to win in today’s general election, however the margin of that win could determine his political legacy. 646 seats are contested in the House of Commons where the Labour Party currently enjoys a 161-seat advantage. Blair’s primary opponents are Michael Howard of the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrat candidate, Charles Kennedy. Larry is joined by a panel of experts including John Prideaux, Political Correspondent for The Economist, Shamit Saggar, Professor of Political Science at the University of Sussex, Simon Jenkins, Colunmist with The Times in London, and Michael Mann, UCLA Professor of Sociology specializing in conflict and political systems to discuss the affect of the war in Iraq, the British economy, and the ethnic minority vote on the outcome of the election.
The polls in Britain close at 10pm their time.
Bob Dole
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Larry Mantle talks with Bob Dole, former Republican Senator from Kansas and Senate Majority Leader, and Republican presidential nominee in 1996. Senator Dole’s new book is called One Soldier’s Story: A Memoir.
Friday, May 6
Used Car Buyer Protection Bill
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Larry Mantle discusses AB60, the bill introduced by Assemblywoman Cindy Montanez that would protect consumers who are purchasing used automobiles. Larry talks with Mike Villines, Republican State Assemblyman representing the 29th district, and Jordan Rau, staff writer for the L.A. Times covering Sacramento.
Live From The Huntington Libraryand Botanical Gardens
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AirTalk broadcasts live from The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino. Larry Mantle discusses Isaac Newton’s significant works with historian Mordecai Feingold, guest curator of an exhibition examining Newton’s life and scientific work, currently on display in the West Hall Library at the Huntington. Mantle also speaks with the Botanical and Rose Garden curators, Clair Martin, E.L. and Ruth B. Shannon Curator of the Rose and Perennial Gardens at The Huntington, and James P. Folsom, Director of the Botanical Gardens at The Huntington about the Huntington Gardens, which include 15,000 kinds of plants from all over the world. This is the fifth broadcast in AirTalk’s 20th Anniversary Tour.
FilmWeek
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Larry Mantle and critics
Jean Oppenheimer of New Times
and Andy Klein, film editor and chief critic of both
CityBeat and ValleyBeat
discuss this week's new releases, including Kingdom of Heaven, House of Wax, Crash, Jiminy Glick in Lalawood,
The Leopard, Another Road Home, Happily Ever After
and Los Angeles Plays Itself.
