December 11 - 15, 2006
Monday, Dec. 11
Overcrowded L.A. Jails
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A month ago, a federal judge ordered the L.A. County Sheriff's Department to stop overcrowding at the Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles. The judge issued a temporary restraining order that kept the county from placing more than 20 inmates in a small holding cell for 24 hours or more at its Inmate Reception Center. This morning at 11:00, the judge considers whether to extend that order for another three months.
Post Iraq Study Report -- Is Bush Politically Isolated?
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Larry asks: what impact will the Iraq Study Group report have on the Bush Administration and the growing rift in the Republican Party? And how will the Democrats respond? Larry talks with pundits and callers about the political implications of the Iraq Study Group report.
Study Group... Where to Go from Here? (Open Phones)
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Larry asks KPCC's listeners what they would do to fix the problems in Iraq.
America's First Superhero
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Since his death eighty years ago, Harry Houdini's life has been chronicled in books, in film, and on television. Larry talks with William Kalush and Larry Sloman about their new biography, The Secret Life of Houdini, which explores the man behind the myth. Drawing from millions of pages of research, the authors describe in vivid detail the passions that drove Houdini to perform ever-more-dangerous feats, his secret life as a spy, and the work he undertook that brought about daily death threats.
Tuesday, Dec. 12
Network Security Breach at UCLA
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On Tuesday, the University of California, Los Angeles alerted about 800,000 current and former students, faculty and staff that their personal information had been exposed after a security breach to the campus computer system. Chancellor Norman Abrams has sent a letter to affected individuals stating there is no evidence that any data has been misused. Larry discusses the implications of such an intrusion
with Rodney Peterson, Security Taskforce Coordinator for Educause and with
Evan Carter of Setec Security, a computer security firm in Los Angeles specializing in computer forensics.
Immigrant Unionization and Labor Revitalization In Los Angeles
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Larry Mantle talks with UCLA Sociology Professor Ruth Milkman about her new book L.A. Labor: Immigrant Workers and The Future of the U.S. Labor Movement (published by the Russell Sage Foundation).
President Jimmy Carter
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President Carter has remained deeply involved in Middle East affairs since leaving the White House in 1981. He has stayed in touch with major players from all sides in the conflict and has made numerous trips to the Holy Land, most recently as an observer in the Palestinian elections of 2005 and 2006. In his new book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, President Carter shares his intimate knowledge of the region and traces the ups and downs of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, beginning with his presidency and the historic peace accord he negotiated between Israel and Egypt. He prescribes steps that must be taken for the two states to share the Holy Land without a system of apartheid or the constant fear of terrorism.
President Carter's New Book (Open Phones)
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Larry discusses President Carter's new book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, its propositions and ramifications, with AirTalk listeners.
Wednesday, Dec. 13
Should California Employers Pay for Healthcare?
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On Tuesday Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata proposed a plan to cover 4.2 million uninsured Californians, mostly the working poor. Perata's plan would require both employers and employees without health insurance to start paying for it. The plan falls short of the Democratic goal of universal coverage, and other Democrats are expected to go even further. Republican lawmakers and small business owners opposed the plan. Governor Schwarzenegger is developing his own health care reform proposal, and he has opposed making employers pay in the past. Larry talks with a variety of guests about the issue.
Is Race-Based Casting Discriminatory?
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Hollywood casting "breakdowns" often specify a preferred race, ethnicity, or gender for a role - a hiring practice that gives an overwhelming proportion of lead roles to white male actors. A new legal brief from the UCLA Chicano Research Center examines the legality of this practice. It suggests that in some cases, this practice may violate title seven of the U.S. Civil Rights Act. Larry moderates a debate on the topic with UCLA law professor Russell Robinson, casting director Jane Jenkins and Individual Rights Foundation general counsel Manny Klausner.
Should the HPV Vaccine be Mandatory?
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California Assemblywoman, Sally Lieber has introduced a bill that would require girls entering the sixth grade get the vaccination against HPV, the Human Papilloma virus, which can lead to cervical cancer. Although Lieber's bill offers an "opt-out" provision for parents, some conservative groups argue that requiring the vaccine is like giving teens a license to have sex. Larry talks with Assemblywoman Lieber and opens the phones for our listeners to weigh in on mandatory HPV vaccinations.
Bob Miller: "Voice of the Kings"
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The Kings have been playing hockey in Los Angeles for nearly four decades. For 31 of those years Bob Miller has been the "Voice of the Kings" as the play by-play man for more than 2,500 games. Larry talks with the Hockey Hall of Fame broadcaster about his new book, "Tales from the Los Angeles Kings." In it, Miller shares his insight into the teams' history including the Kings' owners, from Jack Kent Cooke to Jerry Buss. He also talks about owner Bruce McNall, who made the deal for superstar Wayne Gretzky and put LA on the hockey map, but who eventually lost the franchise by overspending.
Thursday, Dec. 14
Political Ramifications Of Senator Johnson's Incapacitation
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Larry talks with NPR's political analyst Ken Rudin and neurologist Dr. Ronald Ziman about the political and physical implications of Senator Johnson's cerebral ailment and subsequent surgery.
Orange County Journalists Roundtable
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Larry Mantle talks with William Lobdell, City Editor of the Orange County Edition of the Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register senior editorial writer and columnist, Steven Greenhut, and OC Weekly senior editorial writer and columnist, Gustavo Arellano, about the latest news events and developments in Orange County.
Presidential Poll
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A new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found that Democrats have an overwhelmingly favorable view of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, but she would be soundly beaten if she ran for president against Republican Sen. John McCain. The sample included registered Republicans, who were asked about potential GOP candidates, and registered Democrats, who were asked about their party's hopefuls. Larry talks with Susan Pinkus, Director of Los Angeles Times Polling, about the survey's findings.
The Future of Food
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Warren Belasco adds to his list of books on food with Meals to Come: A History of the Future of Food. He looks at the many ways people have expressed worry about the future of the food supply, from futuristic novels and films to world's fairs, Disney theme parks, supermarket and restaurant architecture, organic farmers' markets, debates over genetic engineering, and more. Larry talks with Belasco about the historical context he uses to understand the future of food today.
Friday, Dec. 15
Homeless Women In L.A. - Providing Services for Their Unique Needs
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AirTalk host Larry Mantle goes to the Downtown Women's Center in Los Angeles to look at what leads to women's homelessness. The DWC was established in 1978 and was the first to serve elderly and mentally ill homeless women on LA's Skid Row. The Center owns and operates a drop-in day facility and permanent affordable housing. Mantle and experts will discuss the unique support services needed to help homeless women achieve self-sufficiency and examine the challenges specific to homeless women living in downtown Los Angeles.
FilmWeek
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Larry Mantle and critics Jean Oppenheimer of New Times, Lael Loewenstein of Variety, and Andy Klein, film editor and chief critic for CityBeat, discuss this week's new releases, including Dreamgirls, The Good German, The Pursuit of Happyness, Charlotte's Web, Inland Empire, Eragon, Breaking & Entering, Home of the Brave, and Wondrous Oblivion. Larry and the critics also discuss the recent award announcements from the Los Angeles Film Critics, New York Film Critics Circle, American Film Institute, and The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures.
