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January 14 - 18, 2008
Monday, Jan. 14
Carona Quits
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Facing corruption charges, Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona finally threw in the towel and resigned from office to focus on his defense. Patt talks with OC players and watchers about the Sheriff's departure.
Tax Reduction, Tax Hike; Illegal Tax, Necessary Tax: L.A.'s Prop S
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On paper Proposition S looks simple enough: it is a reduction of the tax rate, from 10% to 9%, on a fee levied against cell phone users to fund general municipal services. As anyone who follows the opaque world of Los Angeles politics will attest, nothing is ever as simple as it seems. Proponents of Prop. S claim that even with the reduced rate the tax brings in over $270 million in vital revenues that are used to fund the LAPD, parks and libraries and much more. Opponents of Prop. S claim it's an illegal tax that's about to be tossed out altogether, and also opens inroads to future taxing of internet services. In an era of extra lean budgets and discussed tax increases, the political and pragmatic stakes in Prop. S are unusually high. Nefarious tax or imperative revenue source: you decide.
Step away From the Doughnut! How American Culture Makes us Fat
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Now that the holidays are over, you're probably wondering why your belt is so tight. Some health researchers are arguing that it might not be your fault. The blame may rest with an environment loaded with signs to eat, eat and eat some more. Patt talks to one scientist who calls on governments and community organizations to change this environment by restricting portion sizes at restaurants and placing limits on food advertisements.
Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain
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We know exercise is good for the heart and body, but new research shows it is also great for the mind. Test scores, memory and many other indicators of brain function improve with regular exercise. Patt talks with author John Ratey about his findings.
Tuesday, Jan. 15
A Poll on California Polls: What do KPCC's Listeners Think?
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Clinton leads Obama and McCain polls as the winner on the Republican side, but an L.A. Times/CNN/Politico poll shows that the race remains fluid. Six in 10 Republican primary voters said they might change candidates in the next three weeks. And with the Dems, four in 10 said they could change their minds. Patt reviews the latest polls and then asks KPCC's listeners what they really think of the California primaries.
Polar Bear Waits for Protection
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has delayed until February a decision on whether to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Scientists and environmentalists agree that early melting of spring ice in the Arctic is hurting the bears' ability to forage efficiently, and the U.S. Geological Survey reports the polar bears could go extinct by 2050. Patt takes a look at the process and the politics of getting on the Endangered Species list.
- Bruce Woods, spokesman with the Alaska Regional Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Economist and Author Muhammad Yunus
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Nobel Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus is credited with helping to lift millions out of poverty by granting small loans - called microcredit - to poor people who are ineligible for typical bank loans. After seeing the need for such loans in villages in his home country Bangladesh, the economist and author started a pilot project to grant loans to poor people to start businesses. The project turned into Grameen Bank, which has since issued billions of dollars of microcredit and was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Yunus's recent book, Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism, looks at his theory of social business, which uses economic ideas to tackle social problems.
Muhammad Yunus will be speaking at the Los Angeles Public Library tonight at 7 p.m. The event is already sold out, but standby room is available.
- Muhammad Yunus: Nobel Prize laureate and author, Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism (Public Affairs)
What Writers Strike: American Idol, the $1 Billion Show
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While television networks are scrambling to generate new reality show concepts and to come up with fresh spin on stale reruns, Fox Network couldn't be happier: It's time for a new season of "American Idol," and Fox couldn't be better positioned to extract top dollar from hungry advertisers. While commercial spots on highly rated new show episodes can sell for $250,000 to $400,000, "Idol" has already commanded $750,000 per 30-second spot. With the dearth of new programming due to the writers strike, Fox is now hitting up advertisers for $1 million per commercial and that price will probably increase as the season develops. After pulling in $810 million in ad revenues last year and with an estimated 20% jump in earnings, "American Idol" should easily become television's first $1 billion show this season.
Wednesday, Jan. 16
Cloned Meat - Cloned Meat - Cloned Meat
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The FDA approved the sale of meat from cloned animals without labeling. It may be safe, but would consumers rather know what they're eating? Guest-host David Lazarus asks listeners if they're comfortable with this decision.
Increase the Gas Tax?
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With gasoline prices at record highs, it'd be political suicide to run on a platform that included a Federal gas tax increase. But good politics doesn't equal good policy. The National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission was created by congress in 2005 out of concern that our transportation infrastructure is dangerously out of date, threatening the underpinnings of the US economy. The Commission's report, released yesterday, recommends a large increase in the gasoline tax as the only way to modernize America's roads and transit. But can the US economy stand that kind of a tax? Or would the tax itself help the economy by decreasing oil dependence and driving the US transportation system towards better efficiency? Guest-host David Lazarus talks with a study representative and asks KPCC's listeners if they would tolerate the tax.
Comeback: Conservatism That Can Win Again
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He was the speech writer who crafted the first-draft phrase "axis of hatred," which became "axis of evil." David Frum's was the first insider book about the Bush White House, and now that Bush is nearly out of it, he has written another - called Comeback, about getting the GOP back on track and back into the White House. He joins guest host David Lazarus.
- David Frum, author Comeback - Conservatism That Can Win Again (Doubleday). He is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a former special assistant and speech writer to President George W. Bush
David Frum will be in conversation tonight at 7PM at the Central Library's Mark Taper Forum as part of the Los Angeles Public Library's ALOUD series. For more information visit ALOUD.
The "Filipino Monkey" Strikes Again
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There has been a little-publicized battle raging in the Persian Gulf for 25 years that pits the United States Navy against an elusive, cunning and eccentric foe. No, we're not talking about Iranian president Ahmadinejad or even Osama bin Laden - this enemy of our mighty Navy is known as the "Filipino Monkey" and his main avenue of warfare is sending whacked-out radio communications to U.S. warships on patrol in the Gulf. The recent confrontation between Navy frigates and Iranian patrol boats in the Strait of Hormuz was most likely exacerbated by the goofy radio antics of the Monkey, which almost touched off a naval battle between the two countries. He's been blitzing Navy ships with bizarre signals for years and yet no one knows anything about him. Who is the "Filipino Monkey" and when will he strike again?
- Richard Hoffman, retired Captain in the U.S. Navy
Thursday, Jan. 17
Abortions Decline by 25 percent: What does it really mean?
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Since 1990, the number of surgical abortions fell to 1.2 million per year—a 25 percent decline. Choice advocates point to increased use of the "morning after" pill. Anti-abortion forces say that programs which encourage adoption are making abortions less frequent. Guest-host David Lazarus takes a look at these statistics and tries to decipher what they really say about the abortion debate.
- John Seery, Professor at Pomona College who studies the politics of abortion
Turn Your Head and Cough: The Candidates' Prescriptions for Health Care
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Almost every candidate for president advocates for some sort of universal health care, and that's where the similarities end. While both Republican and Democratic candidates' plans are structured around the private market, Republican plans would rely almost exclusively on individual insurance markets without consumer protections. In contrast Democrats' plans would broadly pool risk to, theoretically, bring down costs and prevent insurers from denying insurance to people in poor health or who are older. The differences grow between candidates in the same party: Hillary Clinton & John Edwards want every American insured, while Barack Obama would require that only children have coverage. California's primary is less than three weeks away: Do you know your candidates' prescription for health care?
Health Care Battle Royal: Single-Payer vs. Free Market
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Now that we have an understand of each candidates' position on health care reform—and we've all agreed that some kind of reform is desperately needed for a system that clearly is not working in its present makeup—the debate over the best is on. In fact, it's been on for some years now with a lot of talk and little action: Massachusetts has adopted a mandated health insurance with mixed results and California is about to consider a similar plan put forward by Gov. Schwarzenegger and Speaker Nunez. What is the best cure to our ailing health care system: relying on the efficient but cruel free market or the universal but expensive and clunky single-payer system?
Sellout: The Politics of Racial Betrayal
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From Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice to current presidential hopeful Barack Obama, prominent members of the black community in America have often been accused "selling out". This raises the question for African Americans on the rise - does success in this country essentially equate to racial betrayal? In his book, Sellout: The Politics of Racial Betrayal (Pantheon), Randall Kennedy examines the stigma of racial discourse and the term "selling out". Beginning with an examination of the "black" community in America, Kennedy dissects the ways in which the term is used by blacks and whites, and clarifies the effects it has on individuals and on American society as a whole.
- Randall Kennedy, Author of Sellout: The Politics of Racial Betrayal (Pantheon Books); professor at Harvard Law School
Save Scrabulous!
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Scrabble...Scrabulous...what's the difference besides a few extra letters. How about copyright and trademark infringement? At least that is what the makers of Scrabble are claiming. So far thousands of members of the social-networking website Facebook have been able to play the look alike game online for free. However Mattel and Hasbro, who own the rights to Scrabble in the U.S. and Canada, are considering actions to protect their product on the internet.
- Stefan Fatsis, Staff Reporter from the Wall Street Journal; regular commentator on NPR's All Thing's Considered; author of Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players
Friday, Jan. 18
A Shot in the Arm for the Economy? Bush Proposes Stimulus Package
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President Bush unveiled his emergency economic package, stressing tax cuts that will cost the government about $140 billion. Will it be enough to avoid a recession? Guest-host Nick Roman asks the experts.
Steven Van Zandt and the Musical Curricula
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Steven Van Zandt is lead guitarist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. He's also an advocate of musical education in public schools. That's why he's formed "Little Steven's Rock and Roll High School," a musical education program designed to trace the history of rock-and-roll. Guest-host Nick Roman talks to Little Steven about the band and his views on music and public schools.
Gov's Political Evolution
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Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger started his political career less than five years ago, and since then he's learned a thing or three about the realities of California politics. Guest-host Nick Roman speaks with Arnold-watcher Joe Mathews about the evolution of a body builder and movie star into a seasoned politician.
- Joe Mathews, LA Times Staff Writer and author of "The People's Machine:
Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Rise of Blockbuster Democracy"
What Happened to Prison Reform?
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A year ago, Governor Schwarzenegger outlined a big problem that California had to solve right away: The state prison system was built to hold 100,000 inmates. It was actually holding 170,000 and if the state didn't do something about that, a panel of federal judges would. So what did the state do? KPCC's State Capitol reporter Julie Small fills Nick in on the latest.
L.A. Voters Get Some Love
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Iowa's down, New Hampshire's down, Michigan's down... we get South Carolina Republicans and all of Nevada tomorrow. California and a tidal wave of big delegate states are two-and-a-half weeks away — it's a good day to talk about not the candidates, but the voters. KPCC Special Correspondent Kitty Felde has been talking to voters for months now. She was at a union-organized John Edwards rally in downtown L.A. yesterday, at a Van Nuys home where a handful of voters got to meet Barack Obama face-to-face on Tuesday, and at a Ron Paul organizing meeting last week.
Can the Writers Direct Themselves to a Deal?
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Now that the Directors Guild of America has reached a tentative deal with the major Hollywood studios, industry-watchers are waiting to see if the writers will follow suit. The studios have proposed new, informal talks with the Writers Guild, with the DGA agreement as a template. But not all of the writers' demands are addressed by the DGA deal, and the WGA's East and West Coast presidents have repeatedly vowed to hold a hard line in negotiations. Still, the WGA membership, now out of work for 11 weeks, is eager for a settlement — and strike morale could drop quickly if this plot takes another dark turn. Are their leaders doing everything they can to forge an agreement?
Steroid Convictions Reach the NFL
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The ongoing steroids-in-sports scandal saw another casualty today as former San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Dana Stubblefield pleaded guilty to lying to a federal agent with his 2003 denial of steroid use. Stubblefield is the first NFL player to plead guilty in a steroid investigation, and as in previous cases, it's not the initial crime but the cover-up that brought him trouble. Stubblefield's sentencing is scheduled for April 25th, and prosecutors say that federal guidelines recommend a relatively light sentence for a first-time offender in this type of case.
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