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July 3 - 7, 2006
Monday, July 3
Disclosing HIV
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A divided California Supreme Court ruled today that people who lead high-risk sexual lifestyles are responsible for informing partners about possible exposure to HIV. Four justices that formed the court's majority wrote that society has an overriding policy of preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases like HIV. The state's court was ruling on a case where a woman accused her ex-husband of giving her H-I-V on their honeymoon.
Cross Controversy
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The Supreme Court intervened Monday to stop, at least for now, the removal of a large cross from city property in southern California. A lower court judge had ordered the city of San Diego to remove the cross or be fined $5,000 a day. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, acting for the high court, issued a stay while supporters of the cross continue their legal fight.
The Road Story and the Rebel
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America's fascination with road trips and adventures has been documented throughout the decades in famous novels like On the Road, movies like Easy Rider and Thelma and Louise, and even television shows like MTV's Road Rules. In her new book The Road Story and the Rebel (Southern Illinois University Press), Katie Mills traces the evolution of stories of what she calls automobility - autonomy and mobility - from the Beat's postwar literary adventures to today's postmodern reality television shows and digital interactions. Mills joins Patt to discuss how rebels on the road have influenced and changed American culture.
Doing Nothing - and Loving It!
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Just because deep down you're lazy... yes - admit it!...doesn't mean you don't work hard or meet deadlines. It just means you don't like the idea of work, or you put things off, or...whatever your excuse. In his new book, Doing Nothing: A History of Loafers, Loungers, Slackers, and Bums in America (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), Tom Lutz looks at the anti-work ethic proponents that have held a central but under-recognized place in our society.
BBQ and Fireworks - Unintended Consequences
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Before you fire up the grill or set off those fireworks this 4th of July, there are some facts that may surprise you about the pollutants they release into the air. Sam Atwood, of the South Coast AQMD, joins Patt with the facts about emissions and some recommendations for a healthier holiday.
Tuesday, July 4
The First Scientific American - Dr. Joyce Chaplin
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Dr. Joyce Chaplin reveals Benjamin Franklin as founding father of much more than America in her book, The First Scientific American (Perseus). Chaplin has written a detailed account of Franklin's scientific achievements, helping readers appreciate Franklin's ability to fashion credibility as a scientist into standing as a powerful diplomat in soliciting support for America's war. Patt talks with Dr. Chaplin to commemorate Franklin's multidimensional accomplishments and scientific endeavors beyond the lightening bolt.
Sons of Providence - Charles Rappleye
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Rhode Island, one of the first States to declare independence from English rule, was also home to John and Moses Brown whose legacy prevails through institutions such as their namesake university. Their history somewhat parallels that of America during a time when ideals such as liberty and freedom were juxtaposed with the horrors of the slave trade. Charles Rappleye joins Patt to talk about his book, Sons of Providence: The Brown Brothers, the Slave Trade, and the American Revolution (Simon & Schuster), which chronicles the lives of these two brothers, their entrepreneurial successes and ideological differences over slavery during the founding era of America.
Wednesday, July 5
House Immigration Hearing
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A House subcommittee met this morning at a San Diego Border Patrol station to discuss the vulnerability of the nation's borders to terrorists. Today's hearing is one of several planned by House members over the summer to play up their version of the immigration bill. Democrats initially considered boycotting the hearings, but instead are using the opportunity to criticize an enforcement-only approach to immigration reform. Patt speaks with two attendees of the hearings, Republican Congressman Ed Royce and Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman as well as Andy Ramierz, Chairman of Friends of the Border Patrol a witness called by the Republicans.
Civil Lawsuit: Businesses go after Businesses over Hiring Illegal Immigrants
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David Klehm, an attorney in Southern California, is opening another front in the war on illegal immigration. He says he'll soon file lawsuits against employers who hire undocumented workers. Patt talks to David Klehm, attorney and founder of Illegal Employers.Org which plans to begin filing suit this summer against employers, Michael Shaw, Assistant State Director with the National Federation of Independent Business and Jim Flanigan, former business and economics columnists for LA Times and a contributor to The New York Times.
Mexico Election Update
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The presidential elections in Mexico are too close to call. The nation is in limbo and tensions are mounting as election officials began a massive recount of the votes this morning. There are scattered protests on the streets of Mexico City as supporters of the center right candidate Felipe Calderón and the left of center candidate Andés Mauel López Obredor are squaring off in anticipation of the final results. Monica Campbell Correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor is in Mexico City, she joins Patt with the latest.
Celebrity Laws
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The Lindberg baby kidnapping in the 1930s led to the Lindberg Law, which made kidnapping a federal offense if the victim is taken across state lines. This is just the most famous example where the presence of a celebrity resulted in a change in the law. More recently, legislation was passed in response to Tom Cruise's purchase of an ultrasound machine to perform exams on Katie Holmes. From privacy restrictions to palimony, what happens to celebrities often lays down the law for the rest of us. Patt chats with Assemblyman Ted Lieu , John Nockleby, professor of law and director of the Civil Justice Program, Loyola Law School, and Bela Lugosi, Jr., attorney and son of actor Bela Lugosi.
Thursday, July 6
Calderón Wins
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After meticulous recounting of votes in the Mexican presidential elections, the official tally gives the victory to the right of center candidate Felipe Calderón. But the limbo is not over as the opposing side vows to challenge in court. Monica Campbell of Christian Science Monitor is in Mexico City with the latest.
Crimes in Iraq: The Response to Mahmoudiya and Haditha
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Last Friday, twenty-one-year-old Steven Green was arrested and charged with conspiring with three other soldiers in the rape and murder of a woman, and her family, last March in the town of Mahmoudiya, Iraq. Thirty soldiers were implicated in the November massacre of 24 men, women and children in the town of Haditha. These events have disastrous repercussions for the US military as it tries to win the sympathies of average Iraqis. The military is adapting training in response to the evolving situation in Iraq, including ethical training on the use of force and training commanders to recognize the danger signs in soldiers who might commit atrocities. Patt talks to John Wagstaffe, a spokesman for Fort Irwin, retired Marine instructor Mike Zacchea, Lawrence Korb, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and a Senior Advisor to the Center for Defense Information, and Sergeant Patrick Campbell, who spent a year in Iraq as an army medic.
Getting the Biggest Picture
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Photographers at the closed El Toro Marine Base are creating the largest pinhole camera in the world. The photographers turned a jet hanger into a camera and are fashioning the Olympic-pool-sized developing tray from swimming pool lining. Photographer Douglas McCulloh is one of six artists working on the project, he speaks with Patt about this massive endeavor. Photos by Douglas McCulloh.
The Loh Life
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Sandra gambles on family fun in Los Vegas...and wins!
Friday, July 7
Build More Prisons?
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It has been a year since the Department of Corrections tacked Rehabilitation to the end of their name, but has anything changed? California leads the nation with the highest rate of parolee failures and the system is busting at the seams. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to build more prisons, but is that solution, or should the state focus more resources on rehabilitation? As more details of the Governor's plan come out, Patt talks with KPCC Sacramento reporter Tamara Keith, Barry Krisberg, president of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, and California Assemblymembers Rudy Bermudez and Sally Lieber about how best to handle California's prisons.
Gender, Genes and how they Act Differently in Men and Women
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The same gene can act totally different in the organs of men and women, and UCLA researchers have started to figure out exactly how and why. This holds great promise for the treatment of diseases, such as heart conditions, which seem to strike the two genders in very different ways. Dr. Arthur Arnold, UCLA professor and chair of the department of physiological science and co-investigator of the study, joins Patt to talk about this fascinating discovery.
Mapping Southern California
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The Thomas Brothers Guide to the streets of California is a staple for southland drivers. Ever wonder how they came up with that amazing grid system or where they get the updated information every year? Gary Jones, director of Geographical Information Systems at Rand McNally, the makers of the Thomas Bros. Guide joins Patt along with Chris Moradian at Navteq whose job it is to drive the streets of Southern California and provide mapping companies with the very latest.
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