|
February 26 - March 2, 2007
Monday, Feb. 26
Can LAX Remain Competitive?
(Listen)
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and City Council members held a news conference this afternoon announcing a $575 million plan to renovate Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX. The money is in part a response to a shift in international air service away from crowded LAX to newer facilities in other cities like San Francisco, Las Vegas and New York. With more options for carriers, can LAX manage to remain competitive in the international market?
Inside Iran
(Listen)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadenijad is declaring himself at odds with the United States, Israel and other powerful nations as he trumpets his nation's advances with nuclear technology. But what are the priorities of the Iranian people he serves and have these stances made him more popular?
Helen Mirren
(Listen)
Patt interviewed the winner of the Academy Award for best actress in October, just as "The Queen" was opening in theaters.
Made for Each Other
(Listen)
The Oscars were awarded last night in Hollywood, and while some people are talking about the winners and losers, many are gossiping about the fashions worn down the red carpet before the show. Some gowns are timeless and unforgettable, think Marlene Dietrich at the awards in 1930 or Cate Blanchett in 1999; others become infamous - such as Bob Mackie's Oscar design for Cher in 1986. In an historical account that meticulously explores the relationship between famous designers and their actress muses, Made for Each Other: Fashion and the Academy Awards (Bloomsbury USA), is enough to satisfy the interests of fashionistas and film buffs alike.
Tuesday, Feb. 27
Stocks Plunge Across the Pacific
(Listen)
Stocks plummeted today, briefly hurtling the Dow Jones industrials down nearly 550 points as Wall Street succumbed to a global market plunge sparked by growing concerns
that the U.S. and Chinese economies are cooling and that equities prices have become overinflated.
Postpartisanship Heads East
(Listen)
Gov. Schwarzenegger made the rounds on Capitol Hill today, seeking help for his universal health care plan and lecturing Washington lawmakers about cooperating on immigration, infrastructure and other issues.
All the President's Pages
(Listen)
In addition to kissing babies, shaking hands and meeting voters, presidential candidates are now turning themselves into book authors. This season, books from the contenders range from John Edwards' sappy coffee table tome about life at home to Hillary Clinton's update of It Takes A Village. We'll look at what these books are worth politically, and financially.
Billy Connolly
(Listen)
Scottish-born comedian Billy Connolly - best known for his 1980s role in the sitcom "Head of the Class," opposite Dame Judi Dench in Mrs. Brown, and his role in the documentary The Aristocrats - will appear onstage for "Billy Connolly Live!" next month in Los Angeles. He joins Patt to speak about his career as a television star turned movie actor turned international comedian.
BILLY CONNOLLY LIVE! plays the Brentwood Theatre from March 6 to 24. To buy tickets, click here.
Wednesday, Feb. 28
Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire
(Listen)
From teaching in the classrooms of inner-city Los Angeles to being the only teacher to receive the President's National Medal of the Arts, Rafe Esquith knows how to get students excited about Shakespeare and Algebra. In a book that gives details into the workings of his own classroom and with motivational tips for other teachers, Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire (Viking Press), Esquith proves exactly why he's been praised by both Oprah Winfrey and the Dalai Lama. Also joining the conversation is Michael York, who has taught several of Esquith's classes.
Thursday, March 1
Inmates to Fill Migrant Shortage in Colorado
(Listen)
After Colorado began implementing some of the nation's toughest laws against illegal immigration, many migrants have left the state and their agricultural jobs behind. Colorado is now facing a significant labor shortage in its fields and in order to combat this problem, officials have proposed using convicts from state prisons to replace migrant laborers. While the Department of Corrections will begin sending inmates to harvest crops and perform other jobs later this month, many farmers are wary of criminals working in their own backyards but will participate in the program as their livelihoods are at stake.
Labor Unions Get Boost from House
(Listen)
In a move that will make it easier for workers to start labor unions against their employers wishes, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would take away the right of employers to demand secret-ballot elections by workers. Labor groups have argued that the secret-ballot elections are often used by employers as a means to intimidate workers into rejecting unions while opponents say that this measure will deprive employees from their basic right to a private ballot election.
What Threat, North Korea?
(Listen)
This week, Bush Administration officials backed off previous claims about the extent to which North Korea is able to make nuclear weapons. In 2002, the White House confronted Kim Jong Il over his nuclear ambitions and worked to alienate him diplomatically. In comments on Capitol Hill, U.S. officials backed off previous intelligence estimates that North Korea was developing a program to enrich uranium. Is this part of a mea culpa combined with a new, softer diplomatic approach? What does this latest turn in U.S. intelligence of an insular country say about our intelligence apparatus.
Friday, March 2
Bruce Feiler
(Listen)
Bruce Feiler's past three best-selling books have taken him on a 10,000-mile journey to retrace the five books of Moses; on an investigation to determine what he considers to be the common ancestral link between Muslims, Jews and Christians; and through the frontlines of Israel, Iraq and Iran to revisit the Bible's roots. In his latest book, Where God was Born: A Daring Adventure Through the Bible's Greatest Stories (Harper Collins), Feiler visits the site where David may have battled Goliath and searches for the Garden of Eden in Iraq. He speaks with Patt about his journeys through the myths, history and current events shaped by the major religions of the world.
- Bruce Feiler, Author, Where God was Born: A Daring Adventure through the Bible's Greatest Stories (Harper Collins)
|
