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December 17 - 21, 2007
Monday, Dec. 17
Health Care on the Assembly Table
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California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez have proposed a fix for the state's healthcare system that would require all Californians to obtain health insurance - either through workplace benefits or through their own pocketbooks. It aims to lower costs to all users by making everyone pay, though opponents of the bill say the plan will only make matters worse by placing an even greater financial burden on those already unable to afford California's cost of living. The state assembly votes today on whether to send the bill on to the Senate.
Late-night Talk Shows to Return to TV — With or Without Writers
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The new year may bring an end to late night reruns as talk show heavyweights Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien have announced that their programs will return to television on January 2, even if writers remain on strike. In different statements, both hosts claimed they continue to support their writers, but rather took into consideration the dozens of non-writing staff who have been unemployed since the strike began seven weeks ago. As ratings continue to drop, other talk show hosts like David Letterman and John Stewart are also searching for interim ways of getting new programs back on air.
Unlock Those Wallets!
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At a one-day conference in Paris, it took a combination of 87 countries and international organizations to gather up the $7.4 billion dollars in aid to Palestinians, almost $2 billion more that what the Palestinian Authority had anticipated. Was it the holiday spirit that made other nations pledge with such generosity? As other charitable organizations around the world consider their fundraising efforts this time of year, Patt Morrison asks what it takes for donors to start writing checks.
Keeping an Eye on the Neighbors: Arizona Gets Tough on Employers of Illegal Immigrants
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Assuming there are no injunctions issued by the courts, on January 1st Arizona will enact the nation's toughest law against illegal immigrants. The Grand Canyon State goes after the heart of the problem by punishing businesses that employ illegal immigrants, encouraging citizens to report anyone suspected of hiring illegals and then revoking the business license of an employer if they are proved to have used illegal laborers. Arizona's commerce groups are claiming the law will wreck the state's economy, and point to Latino workers already quitting jobs and filing out of the state. But this is precisely the desired impact of the law: to flush Arizona of as many illegal immigrants as possible. Will they come to California instead, and will the harsh crackdown work?
Race Relations in the Southland
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A new poll from the San Francisco-based New America Media shows an undercurrent of racial tension and bigotry remains among blacks, Hispanics and Asians. Predominantly immigrant populations--Hispanics and Asians--express great optimism about their lives in America. Both Hispanics and Asians believe that hard work will be rewarded and "the system" works. By contrast, over 60 percent of Blacks polled do not believe the American Dream works for them. However, all groups were hopeful for improved relations in the future. Patt talks with pollsters and pundits about the implications of this new survey.
- Sandip Roy: Editor with New America Media and host of its radio show, Upfront, which airs on KALW in San Francisco
Slang and Unconventional English
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Ever "jones" for homemade cookies and then get food coma after inhaling enough for an entire family? Fo'sho, right? If you're having trouble keeping up, then you need might need some assistance from The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English edited by Tom Dalzell and Terry Victor. This dictionary offers more than 60,000 entries from beats, hipsters, Teddy Boys, mods and rockers, surfers, Valley Girls, dudes, pill-popping truck drivers, hackers, rappers and more. So have no fear parents, the slang dictionary is here. Now when your kids are talking about getting crunk, you can just chillax, and know that they're just excited.
- Tom Dalzell, co-editor of The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (Routledge)
W00t - A Real Word, Let Alone Word-of-the-Year?
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The English language is a constantly evolving thing. Technology is often the biggest driver, but so is entertainment: Stephen Cobert's "truthiness" was last year's word-of-the-year, according to Merriam-Webster. This year's word is W00t (rhymes with hoot), an expression of glee used by online gamers. But is it a real word (the two middle characters are numbers), and does it deserve this special status? We find out with linguist Geoffrey Nunberg.
- Geoffrey Nunberg, linguist and professor in the School of Information at UC Berkeley
His most recent book is Talking Right: How Conservatives Turned Liberalism into a Tax-Raising, Latte-Drinking, Sushi-Eating, Volvo-Driving, New York Times-reading, Body-Piercing, Hollywood-Loving, Left-Wing Freak Show
Tuesday, Dec. 18
SoCal Housing Market: Just When You Think It Can't Get Any Worse, It Does
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Sales of Southern California houses in November fell by 43% from the year before, while median prices fell 10%. According to DataQuick Information Systems, the price decline was the sharpest in 20 years. As more homes come onto the market because of defaults in subprime mortgages, could there be an increasing glut of unsold homes, further depressing the average home price? Or have we finally hit the real estate rock bottom?
Two FCC Votes, Several Angry Senators, One Irritated Cable Company, Pleased Media Conglomerates and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
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It was a relatively confusing day at the offices of the Federal Communications Commission. FCC Commissioners made two controversial and seemingly contradictory votes on issues that will affect the future of media access. First, the Commission voted to loosen restrictions that prevent one company from owning both a newspaper and a television or radio station in the same city. Then Commissioners voted to impose a limit that would prevent the nation's largest cable company, Comcast, from controlling more than 30% of the national cable market. What does it all mean, and why the split personalities from the FCC Commissioners?
Mideast Investment in Maguire Properties
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Dissident investors of Maguire Properties, Inc., are trying to force out their chief executive Robert F. Maguire. In an effort to maintain control of the largest office landlord company in downtown Los Angeles, Maguire has put in a bid for the company, discussing possible financial collaboration with investors from the Persian Gulf and one of the largest investment firms in Los Angeles. If the bid is accepted, the company could become one of the first in Los Angeles to exist under ownership of an oil country. After Dubai World Ports' pitch to purchase management rights at several major American ports last year kicked up a wave of nationalistic protests, will the paranoia of foreign ownership rears its ugly head once more in L.A.?
The Federal Budget Deficit Meets ENRON-Style Accounting
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Younger Americans have heard this mantra for decades: The U.S. must control its annual budget deficit that adds billions of dollars each year to the national debt. Even with the persistent drumbeat of dour warnings, every fiscal year ends on September 30th with a depressing review of the deficit numbers and 2007 was no different. The Bush Administration announced that the budget deficit this year was $162.8 billion, a victory of sorts since it is lower than what was expected. But hold on: with real-world corporate accounting practices, the deficit should be at least $275.5 billion, which would still represent the lowest imbalance in five years. How are the Feds fudging the books, and with a weak dollar, a troubled economy and astronomical oil prices, how has the deficit managed to decrease?
Merger or Marriage?
When the stock in trade isn't love, but money, marriage begins to look more like a merger than a union of two soul mates. According to a new survey by Prince and Associates, a wealth-research firm, currently men and women ask for an average of $1.5 million when marrying for money. And the numbers of people willing to make such a deal are shocking... 74% of women in their 30s and 61% of men in their 40s. Is this just another step to the good life, or a mercenary arrangement doomed to failure?
- Robert Frank: He writes the wealth report for the Wall Street Journal. He is the author of Richistan: A Journey Through the American Wealth Boom and the Lives of the New Rich (Crown).
Punctuation and the Bill of Rights: What Difference Does a Comma Make?
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As the Supreme Court considers the Second Amendment and the wording behind Americans' right to bear arms, advocates and opponents of gun control will be examining a seemingly innocuous, yet powerful, grammatical device, the comma. One sentence from the document, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed" has divided legal scholars over an individual's right to carry a gun. Patt Morrison talks about the science of Constitutional semantics.
San Francisco Mayor: Let Them Drink Milk!
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"The bottom line is that there is a direct nexus between high-fructose corn syrup drinks like colas and Big Gulps and obesity among school kids," says San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom. He wants to do something about it by taxing the big-box retailers and chain drugstores for sales of high-fructose soft drinks - raising money to chip in for his "Shape Up San Francisco" program and for media campaigns to discourage the soda habit.
Wednesday, Dec. 19
The New Head of LAX
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Gina Marie Lindsey is the new executive director of Los Angeles World Airports. She has her work cut out for her: the airport is often criticized for its dilapidated terminals and unattractive public spaces. It's also overcrowded and often backed up at security checkpoints. And while other international destinations such as New York and London are served by two or more large airports, LAX must handle nearly all of LA's air traffic. This has started to drive some international flights north to SFO. Then there's the ground access situation. And the disturbing number of runway incursions. As holiday traveling hits its peak, Patt talks with Lindsey about LAX, the neighboring communities, runway reconstruction, and a number of other complex issues facing Los Angeles World Airports.
Obama Inches Closer to Clinton in California Polls
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According to a new state poll, presidential candidate Barack Obama is catching up to frontrunner Hillary Clinton. The California primaries are only seven weeks away and Senator Clinton's lead has shrunk in half since October. The latest numbers have Clinton ahead at 36 percent of support from Democratic voters compared to Obama's 22 percent. What will this mean for the candidates as they count down to California's February 5 presidential primary?
There Will Be Blood
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The new film, There Will Be Blood, loosely based on the Upton Sinclair novel, Oil, explores California's petroleum boom at the turn of the last century. It's written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and stars Daniel Day-Lewis, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe. But is the California it depicts true to our history?
LAPD Officers Required to Disclose Personal Finances
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The Los Angeles Police Commission will vote Thursday on whether or not LAPD officers who handle drugs and cash should disclose detailed information about their personal finances. The disclosure requirement, an attempt to prevent illegal activity within the department, would affect mostly anti-gang and narcotics officers. Union officials fiercely oppose the measure saying that it invades their privacy and would do little to prevent corruption. Some 500 officers are expected to request transfers or retire if the financial disclosure requirement is implemented.
The Confession Booth is Open
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It's confession time — as KPCC looks at the underground economy in southern California, we ask listeners to call in and fess up about their cash-only contractor or off-the-books nanny.
Thursday, Dec. 20
EPA Denies California Emissions Waiver
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Attorney General Jerry Brown was none too pleased with word from Washington that the EPA denied California a waiver to impose tougher tailpipe emissions standards. He responded to the action by stating that he and the Governor "are preparing to sue at the earliest possible moment." According to the EPA, part of the reason for not granting the waiver was the energy bill that the President signed into law on Wednesday. That bill raises fuel economy standards for all cars and trucks to 35 miles per gallon by 2020 which - according to the EPA - makes the state law unnecessary. California disagrees.
- Mark Melnick, Deputy Attorney General for the State of California
Energy Bill: Path to Energy Independence or Major Short Circuit?
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No one will doubt that the Energy Independence and Security Act, signed into law yesterday by President Bush, is sweeping in its scope and ambition. The bill will mandate an increase in the nation's fleet of vehicles to an average of 35 miles per gallon by 2020; it will phase out inefficient incandescent light bulbs by 2012; the bill requires that the nation use 36 billion gallons of renewable fuel by 2022; and it pours billions of dollars into research and development of new alternative fuels. However, there are also short circuits in this energy bill: Huge government subsidies for the insanely profitable oil companies are continued, and likewise corn growers and ethanol producers won a bounty of federal money for a questionable renewable fuel. Is this bill a true path toward energy independence for the United States?
Energy Bill: Phasing Out Incandescent Bulbs
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Get ready to say goodbye to your classic incandescent light bulbs and hello to cone-shaped spiral florescent replacements (also known as CFLs). By the year 2012 the incandescent bulb will be phased out of the U.S. market with hopes of a complete changeover by 2014. Congress recently approved the bill in hopes of saving energy and consumer dollars. Nations like Australia have already developed a total ban on the bulbs, but are Americans ready to make the change?
Read Marianne Lavelle's FAQ column "The End of the Lightbulb as We Know It."
America's Top Cash Crop is Illegal!
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With an estimated annual value of $35.8 billion - that surpasses the combined value of corn and wheat - marijuana production in the United States is enough to fund the entire operating budget of a small country. Imagine if marijuana were legalized, grown on a massive scale and commercialized just like any other vice product; the tax revenue possibilities are staggering, not to mention the money saved in law enforcement activities against marijuana growers, sellers and users. If policymakers could strip away the moral components of the argument against legalizing drugs, would it make economic sense to decriminalize pot? KPCC's tour of the underground economy continues, this time examining the massive black market for the whacky tabaccy.
TIME Magazine's Person of the Year 2007: Vladimir Putin
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Every December, TIME magazine considers the individuals that made the significant impacts on the world stage for its "Person of the Year" issue. While the main contenders for 2007 included Harry Potter author, J.K. Rowling, former Vice President Al Gore, Chinese leader Hu Jintao, and U.S. commanding general in Iraq David Petraeus, the distinction was given to Russian President, Vladimir Putin. In a nation where headlines were full of stories on global warming, the war in Iraq, and China's rise as a world power, how do the editors decide what makes someone worthy enough to grace the cover of one of its notable issues?
- Nathan Thornburgh, Senior Editor at TIME
Friday, Dec. 21
Let them Out and Save Money?
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Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is considering the early release of more than 20,000 low-risk prison inmates as a way to save money amid a worsening budget crisis. Only nonviolent offenders would be eligible, and the prisoners considered for the program would have less than 20 months to go on their terms. Sex offenders would not be included. The proposal is one of many scenarios under consideration by the Governor as the state seeks to cope with a budget deficit estimated at $10 billion to $14 billion over the next two fiscal years. Patt takes a look at the proposal's prospects.
Ticket Scalpers Go Legit: StubHub Moves in on Ticketmaster's Turf
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The image of a ticket scalper is a seedy-looking guy standing near the entrance to a stadium or arena holding up tickets and yelling out to incoming fans, "I got two tickets up front, great price!" These stadium scalpers might be a dying breed due to the legitimizing of the ticket resale business, which has now moved online. Popular third party sellers like StubHub and RazorGator are signing deals with sports teams and have been responsible for both the gross inflation of tickets (like the $500 price for Hannah Montana tickets) and for some good deals on sporting events. Traditional ticket distributors like Ticketmaster aren't happy to have the competition and teams themselves are considering becoming their own scalpers. Who will take up the mantle of the scalper?
- Gregg Easterbrook, Senior Editor of The New Republic, a contributing editor of The Atlantic, and author of The Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse (Random)
- Greg Bettinelli, Senior Director of Business development for StubHub
Facebook.com: From Social Networking Site to Social Petri Dish
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The site Facebook.com originally started out as a way for college students to contact and keep in touch with each other, and has now become a window for social science researchers to study human behavior. Faculty at UCLA and Harvard are using the site to observe how young people form social relationships and are testing traditional theories on humans and public interaction. The study focuses on one class of students from an unnamed college, and has come under some fire from those who believe it may compromise the privacy of the unwitting subjects. In an online world where users can fake their way through their internet lives, is Facebook.com a true reflection of modern human relationships?
- Jason Kaufman, Associate professor of sociology at Harvard. He is a member of the research team monitoring the Facebook profiles of an entire class of students at one college
The Church of England on the Truth of Christmas
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The Archbishop of Canterbury, England made international headlines this week after attempting to debunk several popular myths about Christmas. In an interview with a British publication, Archbishop Rowan Williams called portions of the Christmas story legend, including the snowy weather, the exact date of Christ's birth, the number of wise men and whether or not they were kings. The comments have sparked a debate among American Christians about the value of fact versus fiction in the story of the nativity.
- Jonathan Kirsch, contributing writer to the L.A. Times Book Review and author of A History of the End of the World: How the Most Controversial Book in the Bible Changed the Course of Western Civilization (HarperOne)
Merry Christmas, Now Go Get Yourself a New Kidney
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Gift cards have become a popular way of giving a versatile yet personalized gift, and one can buy a gift card to just about any kind of business, from Circuit City to your local grocery store. Americans will spend a whopping $26 billion on gift cards this year. But in a sign of the times, the gift card has been elevated to a source of healthcare funds. A company is selling medical gift cards that can be used for doctors' visits or deductibles, prescription co-pays, contact lenses and even elective surgery. It's a sign of the times when a marquee Christmas present is payment for a surgery, but in the era of astronomical healthcare prices could there be a more practical gift?
Asteroid to Hit Mars in the New Year?
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Scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory say there is a 1 in 75 chance that an asteroid may hit Mars on January 30, 2008. Though the asteroid will most likely pass by the Red Planet, researchers at JPL are awaiting the event with great anticipation and will have a view of the crash via the Mars rover Opportunity. If the space rock does collide with Mars, what kind of fantastic damage can astronomers expect to see?
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