|
December 25 - 29, 2006
Monday, Dec. 25
History in the Making
(Listen)
In his new book, History in the Making: An absorbing look at how American History has Changed in the Telling Over the Last 200 Years, Kyle Ward shows how history is reshaped in its retelling. By comparing school textbooks, he sees how generations of students have been learning different accounts of U.S. history over the last two centuries.
- Kyle Ward, Author, History in the Making
Swimming with a Gray Whale
(Listen)
How does one find a mother whale in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean? One woman made this her personal quest when she found herself swimming with a lost baby gray whale along the California coast. Lynne Cox, champion swimmer and author of the new book, Grayson (Knopf), joins Patt to talk about her experience.
- Lynne Cox, Author, Grayson(Knopf)
John Henry Faulk's Christmas Story
(Listen)
In a narrative that focuses on making room for all at the table during the holiday season, renowned story teller and former radio broadcaster John Henry Faulk tells the tale of two families coming together to celebrate. Set in rural Texas during the Great Depression, he recounts a child's story about the true spirit of Christmas. Faulk originally recorded his story in 1974.
Tuesday, Dec. 26
The Very First Stars?
(Listen)
A new analysis of images from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope suggests that astronomers may have tracked down the very beginnings of our universe. The telescope has detected light from objects that are more than 13 billion light-years away. Following the "Big Bang" theory, these objects would be the infants of the universe. They began their journey just as space matter spread and began to cool, after our universe was born.
Regifting
(Listen)
It's the day after Christmas - time to dump the egg nog, take down the mistletoe and begin sifting through the presents. Undoubtedly, there will be some gems. But what to do with the duds? Self-acknowledged re-gifter Alina Tugend joins Patt to discuss not the gifts that keep on giving, but the gifts that can be given again.
Gone Tomorrow: The Secret Life of Garbage
(Listen)
As the holidays come to an end, Americans all around the nation are confronted with the problem of disposing extra garbage. Whether it's the old Christmas tree, mounds of wrapping paper and excess packaging, or the remains of last night's dinner, people often find their trash bins overflowing at this time of year. But after it's been hauled out to the curb, where does it all go? Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage (New Press), answers this question and more by examining the alarming history and economics of garbage along with the science of waste management in the U.S.
- Heather Rogers: Author, Gone Tomorrow: The Secret Life of Garbage (New Press)
Wednesday, Dec. 27
Ask the Chief
(Listen)
It's Ask the Chief, Patt's monthly talk with LA Police Chief William Bratton. Patt talks with Chief Bratton about the 2006 LA Police Commission evaluation, new tasers, 2006 crime statistics and LAPD recruiting efforts. Plus she'll hear from callers.
Gerald Ford - A Family Man
(Listen)
Former President Gerald Ford leaves behind a strong and active family, whose members seem to be able to live normal all-American lives while in the spotlight of public life.
-
John Robert Greene, Author of The Presidency of Gerald R. Ford and Betty Ford: Candor and Courage in the White House. He is also a Professor of history and government at Cazenovia College in New York.
- The Reverend Dr. Robert Certain, Pastor to the Ford family and Rector of St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Palm Desert.
Thursday, Dec. 28
Something Rotten In Apple?
(Listen)
New details from a federal probe into Apple Computer's stock options practices are raising questions about Steve Jobs, the company's CEO. The Financial Times is reporting that Jobs received seven-and-a-half million stock options in 2001 without the required board authorization. The paper also reports that meeting records were falsified to conceal the grant. We'll look at the new evidence and what Jobs means to the company. Today, its stock has dropped more than two percent.
- Richard Waters, Financial Times Reporter
- Jacob Frenkel, former SEC attorney, now leads Securities Enforcement and White-Collar Crime Practice Group for Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker in Maryland
FDA Approves of Food from Cloned Animals
(Listen)
Today the FDA released guidelines that are the first step towards clearing farmers to use cloned animals to breed livestock and produce milk that would eventually end up in American super markets. The idea is that when a farmer produces an exceptional pig, cow or goat, it could be cloned and bred, and then its offspring could be used for meat and milk. This has the potential to greatly enhance animal breeding, since copies of exceptional animals could be sold to farms throughout the country. But the recommendations have raised concern among consumers and animal rights activists.
The FDA is currently seeking comments from the public on three documents for the next 90 days. Visit www.accessdata.fda.gov and click on the "Submit Comments" link at the bottom of the page.
For more information, visit www.fda.gov
The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived
(Listen)
The list begins with the Marlboro Man and ends with Paul Bunyon. Other names include Barbie, Batman and Rosie the Riveter. What links these dolls and do-gooders together is they all appear in the new book The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived (HarperCollins). Today Patt speaks with the authors of this entertaining look at the iconic characters who have shaped our culture and our lives.
- Dan Karlan and Jeremy Salter, co-authors with Allan Lazar of The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived (HarperCollins)
Friday, Dec. 29
Saddam's Final Hours
(Listen)
Iraqi officials said they had prepared the last legal notice necessary before Saddam Hussein's execution, which will take place tonight in Baghdad. The U.S. military is set to hand over Hussein to Iraqi authorities, moments before the execution occurs. The hand over of Hussein isn't the only obstacle to this long awaited execution; this weekend marks the end of Haj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. Patt brings us voices from the inside of what's going on in Baghdad and what the leader's impending death means to the country.
- Mark Kukis, Baghdad correspondent, Time Magazine
- Michael O'Hanlon, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
- Wayne White, former Deputy Director of State Department's Middle East Intelligence Office
- Borzou Daragahi, Baghdad Bureau Chief, Los Angeles Times
Now in Theaters Everywhere
(Listen)
Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan reviews cinema from high brow to low, indie to blockbuster. He says the most endangered genre of all is not the edgy low-budget film, but the intelligent and original big-budget Hollywood movie. In his book Now in Theaters Everywhere: A Celebration of a Certain Kind of Blockbuster (PublicAffairs), Turan celebrates the best of big Hollywood and today he shares his favorites-just in time for the holiday weekend.
- Kenneth Turan, Author and Film Critic for The Los Angeles Times and NPR's "Morning Edition." His latest book is, Now in Theaters Everywhere: A Celebration of a Certain Kind of Blockbuster (PublicAffairs).
|
