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April 9 - 13, 2007
Monday, April 9
Gaming Compacts to be Reviewed by the CA. Legislature
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Last August, Governor Schwarzenegger negotiated a series of compacts with five of the wealthiest gaming tribes. This week, the California Legislature -- which has the authority to ratify or reject these deals negotiated by Schwarzenegger -- begins its review with Senate hearings.
How We Make Decisions
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Have you ever wondered why some people prefer vanilla ice-cream over chocolate? Or how humans choose which clothes to wear, what music to listen to, or who to marry? According to neuroscientist Read Montague, our brains function like computers that are slow, small, fuzzy, and cheap. In Why Choose This Book? How We Make Decisions (Dutton), he dissects the mind's decision making machinery and offers a cutting-edge look into human behavior.
Dodgers Home Opener
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Patt Morrison is out today attending the Dodgers home opener. Terrence checks in with her for an update on all the off-season changes - the new all-you-can-eat section, the revised parking plan, the return of names on the back of player jerseys, and of course...the score.
- Patt Morrison, Host of Patt Morrison
Tuesday, April 10
Plastic Bag Consumption
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Recently, the city of San Francisco approved a ban on plastic bags. This morning, LA County supervisors voted to open a study on Angelenos' plastic bag consumption. Would a similar measure work for Los Angeles? And what are the repercussions of introducing compostable bags into the recycling system? Patt Morrison asks these questions and more.
The Soul of the Commuter
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Commute got you down? You are not alone. About one in six American workers commutes more than forty-five minutes each way. And 3.5 million people travel an hour and a half each way. New Yorker writer Nick Paumgarten explores the soul of the commuter and studies the social and material trade-offs in the lives of American workers in transit.
- Nick Paumgarten, staff writer, New Yorker
Storm Runners
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Tustin native and author T. Jefferson Parker, returns with his 14th California crime novel, Storm Runners (William Morrow). In a tale of tragedy and redemption, Parker tells the story of an Orange County detective whose wife and son are killed in a bomb plot, which was orchestrated by his former best friend and leader of the Mexican mafia. Parker joins Patt to talk about his new novel and how some of the characters were influenced by people he knew in his own life.
Wednesday, April 11
Skid Row Dumping
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Another hospital patient was dumped on Skid Row today, and while preliminary reports have not identified which hospital is responsible, LAPD officers are currently at the scene investigating. The LAPD and the City Attorney's office have been cracking down on the hospitals implicated in these cases, but these illegal dumpings still continue. Patt speaks with guests about what this means for the city's sick and homeless.
Schwarzenegger in D.C.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger met with the Environmental Protection Agency today to pick up the state's long battle for an EPA federal waiver that would allow California to require car manufacturers to cut down on carbon emissions. This meeting follows the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling last week that the EPA does have the authority to regulate carbon emissions from cars. San Francisco Chronicle reporter Carla Marinucci joins us.
- Carla Marinucci, political writer, San Francisco Chronicle
Google Earth's "Crisis in Darfur"
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Users scanning Google Earth's 3-dimensional satellite map can now view statistics, pictures and video clips of the genocide happening in the Darfur region in Sudan. Google and the U.S. Holocaust Museum yesterday announced a new interactive "Crisis in Darfur" feature, which they hope will draw more attention to the destruction in that area. We speak with Google consultant Andria Rubin McCool, who first started this project.
- Andria Ruben McCool, advisor for Google
The (Near?) Future of TV and Movies
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Remember the 8-track music tape? The beta video? The myriad technologies that went the way of all things Jurassic? You may one day be adding your DVD player to that list...systems and programs that will make your computer the home entertainment center and the focal point of movie and television watching are already in the works. Ready to turn your DVD collection into coasters?
- Nancy Miller, senior editor, Wired
- Steve Wildstrom, Technology and You columnist, BusinessWeek Magazine
Thursday, April 12
Imus Not At All
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It's confirmed, shock radio jock Don Imus has been fired from CBS. Shock jocks have said many worse things than 'nappy headed hos' and they're still employed, not to mention the much more offensive lyrics of many popular rap songs... what makes the case of Don Imus any different? Why Imus? And why now?
LA's Olympic Chances
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The USOC meets on Saturday to pick either Los Angeles or Chicago as the U.S. candidate for the 2016 games. Which city has the upper hand? Patt gets the inside scoop on LA's chances from the man responsible for LA's bid.
The Olympic announcement is expected to take place around 1 p.m., Saturday. Beginning at 11:30, there will be a gathering hosted by the SCCOG in the stage area at The Grove in Los Angeles, which will be decked out with LA 2016 signage and more. To participate or for more information please contact the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games.
High Def from Both Sides of the Screen
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While most viewers applaud at the sight of high-definition TV and movies, actors are more likely to cringe. When every little flaw and follicle is magnified into IMAX proportions, performers, whether it's TV networks' august news readers or adult pornography stars, are understandably a bit camera-shy. We take a look at the complications of high-definition technology and how it has changed the industry on both sides of the camera.
- Marie Del Prete, Makeup Artist
- David Ono, News anchor for ABC7
- Ernest Green, Producer/Director/Writer, Executive Editor Hustler's Taboo and Co-author of Nina Hartley's Guide to Total Sex (Avery).
Friday, April 13
Small City Politics
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Two Lynwood City Council members and three former councilmen were indicted Thursday for using hundreds of thousands of dollars of public funds improperly. All five men have been taken into custody and are being held on $150,000 bail. Patt talks with one of the prosecutors in the case and Hector Becerra, Staff Writer for the LA Times, about corruption in Lynwood and other small cities in the Southland.
- Gary Nielsen, Deputy District Attorney in the Public Integrity Division of the LA County DA's office. He is one of the two prosecutors on the Lynwood case.
- Hector Becerra, Staff Writer, LA Times
Infusion for Blood Supplies?
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A new scientific discovery could help end blood shortages. Researchers have found an efficient and affordable way to convert blood types A, B and AB into the universal-donor blood type O. Host Patt Morrison talks science with Douglas L. Clibourn, Chief Executive of ZymeQuest, the company developing the technology, and Dr. Ross Herron, Chief Medical Officer for American Red Cross Blood Services in Southern California, about the implications this breakthrough could have on blood supplies.
Driving Out the Devil
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Thought exorcisms just happened to little girls in horror movies? Think again. In many countries with large Catholic populations, the controversial ritual is still frequently sought out by many believers. And the home of the Vatican remains the center of the exorcist community. Two decades ago, Italy was home to 20 priests who were known to perform exorcisms. Today, the nation has 350 clergymen whose duties include driving demons out from the souls of the possessed - and the supply can't keep up with the demand. The Vatican's Exorcists: Driving Out the Devil (Fenn), attempts to explain why Pope John Paul the II was the first Vatican authority to revise the ritual since the 17th Century and why the practice is becoming more commonplace in modern Italy.
- Tracy Wilkinson, Author, The Vatican's Exorcists: Driving Out the Devil (Fenn) and Los Angeles Times' Rome Bureau Chief.
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