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May 10 - 14, 2004
Monday, May 10
Truckers Update
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This weekend, KPCC reporter Frank Stoltze sat in on a meeting of around 300 independent truck drivers who met to discuss the possibility of a strike. About 10,000 independent truckers haul in and out of the LA/Long Beach Complex. He joins Kitty Felde to talk about what happened and the complexity of orchestrating a strike for independent truckers.
Polystyrene out of Laguna Beach
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About eight years ago, the city of Laguna Beach banned the use of polystyrene in city restaurants. The city has extended the ban to include all city events and is considering banning the use of polystyrene citywide. Kitty Felde speaks with Mayor Cheryl Kinsman.
Bill Moyers
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Kitty sits down with journalist Bill Moyers to talk about his weekly PBS series "NOW with Bill Moyers" and his latest book, Moyers on America: A Journalist and his Times (New Press).
The Call of the Mall
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If you think Victoria's Secret, the Gap, Mrs. Field's Cookies, and the MoviePlex --you've got the local mall – the center not only of shopping, but also dining, entertainment, people-watching, and just passing time. In Call of the Mall (Simon and Schuster), retail anthropologist Paco Underhill, the author of Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping (Simon and Schuster), presents his observations of his over 300 major mall visits in the U.S. and overseas. Why do malls matter, how do they impact our culture, and how they can do better?
Longevity of Writers
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The literary world has long had its share of tortured, depressed souls, but poets have shorter life expectancies than other writers, according to Dr. James Kaufman, director of The Learning Research Institute at Cal State San Bernardino. Kitty explores the facts and reasoning behind his findings, which were published in a recent study.
Tuesday, May 11
Possible Water Rights Deal
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The Metropolitan Water District and the Palo Verde Irrigation District are expected to approve a landmark water deal today. Farmers in the district, which includes Riverside and Imperial Counties, will be paid for land they let lay fallow. The water previously slated for irrigation would be diverted to urban dwellers in Southern California. Kitty Felde gets the full story from LA Times Staff Writer, Marc Lifsher.
New Minority Leader Dick Ackerman
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State Senate Republicans have selected Dick Ackerman of Fullerton as the new minority leader to succeed Jim Brulte of Rancho Cucamonga. The former Fullerton mayor and city councilman who has served in the legislature since 1995 joins Kitty for a look at his new responsibilities and challenges ahead.
Walter Russell Mead: Part II
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Last week, foreign policy scholar Walter Russell Mead spoke with Kitty Felde about the Bush administration's explosive foreign policy. He continues his discussion today on how the U.S. can extract itself from Iraq, the United Nations, and more.
E.L. Doctorow
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Kitty welcomes writer E.L. Doctorow, author of Ragtime, City of God, and Billy Bathgate (among others) to talk about Sweet Land Stories (Random House), his latest collection of short stories, and about the art of writing.
E.L. Doctorow will be reading and signing from his book tonight at a writers block event at 7:30 pm at the Skirball Cultural Center. For tickets, call 310-335-0917.
Rex Morgan, M.D. promotes Cover the Uninsured Week
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Rex Morgan, M.D. is a serious man. This week, the comic strip that bears the main character's name addresses a serious topic, the 20 million working Americans who do not have health insurance. Kitty Felde speaks with Woody Wilson, writer of Rex Morgan M.D., about tackling this important issue in comic strip format.
Check out Cover the Uninsured Week (May 10-16).
Wednesday, May 12
US Policy on War Crimes
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Are the alleged abuses in Iraqi prisons going to be prosecuted as war crimes? How does the US military procedure for war crimes compare with the policy of the International Criminal Court (ICC)? Prof. Edwin Smith, professor of Law and International Relations at USC explores these questions and more with Kitty.
King Drew Update
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King Drew Medical Center has been given yet another reprieve; it passed the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations inspection and will maintain its full accreditation. However, a more stringent inspection by federal inspectors is just around the corner. That inspection will determine if the hospital will get Medicare and Medicaid money. KPCC reporter John Rabe shares the latest with Kitty Felde.
Sylvia Poggioli
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The daughter of Italian anti-fascists who were forced to flee Italy under Mussolini returned to Europe as an adult with a critical reporters eye. Sylvia Poggioli is NPR's Foreign Desk Senior European Correspondent. She's covered many important stories for the network, ranging from the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, the Yugoslavian civil war to the recent terrorist attacks in Spain. She joins Kitty Felde in discussion.
Light Motion and Dreams
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Kitty brings LA philosopher DJ Waldie on a tour of the Natural History Museum's ambitious exhibition which attempts to explore the relationship between humans and the environment here in Southern California. Curator Jonathan Spaulding and director Jane Pisano show them around.
Indomitable LA
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In spite of the earthquakes, riots, and economic and political turmoil over the decades, people keep coming to Los Angeles. Why are they attracted and why do they stay? Historian Abe Hoffman sheds light on these questions.
Abraham Hoffman presents a free lecture "Indomitable LA: Why People Come & Stay" at the Los Angeles Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium on Sunday, June 20, at 2:00 pm. For more information call 213.228.7400.
Thursday, May 13
State Spending Plan Revised
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As promised by the Governor, today's release of the state spending plan is both on time and involves no new taxes. Kitty gets a preview of the May revise - scheduled for release today at 3 pm - with Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters.
Bruce Herschensohn on Iraq
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Talk of the City continues its discussion of how best to get out of Iraq with conservative commentator and Pepperdine Professor of foreign policy, Bruce Herschensohn. His latest book is called Passport (Simon and Shuster).
Fighting Malaria, one of the leading killer diseases in Africa
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A lack of resources is affecting the fight against malaria in Africa, where at least one million children die each year from the disease. Doctors Without Borders has partnered with the World Health Organization and others to bring attention to this problem and to advocate for more effective treatments and preventative measures. Brigg Reilley from Doctors Without Borders and Dr. Ron Waldman, of the Mailman School of Health at Columbia University, will discuss new medicines and the need for global involvement in eradication of this threat.
Angelenos Dance in the Streets
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Alfie Martin, the founder and director of the Tango Festival in NoHo happening this weekend, joins Kitty to share the libidinous origins of Tango, how it matured into an art form, and how you can dance in the streets joined by some of the biggest stars of tango.
The Carlos Gardel Tango Festival is this Sunday May 16 from 3pm-5pm on Lankershim Blvd between Chandler and Magnolia in North Hollywood.
Friday, May 14
Protesting Cuts to Higher Education
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Organizers met at Cal State Los Angeles this morning to protest the cuts to higher education as outlined in the Governor's state spending plan. Guest host Jon Beaupre went to the rally where he heard from Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg and Lillian Taiz, Vice President of the California Faculty Association.
Special T-Rex Fossil Auction this Weekend
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An auction of Tyrannosaurus bones this weekend in Los Angeles may unite the specimens with those of a dinosaur uncovered more than 100 years ago. Scientists believe both sets of bones are from the same dinosaur, but that fact has yet to be proven. Tom Lindgren, of Bonhams and Butterfields, the auction house handling the sale, will talk about the issues surrounding the auction of rare and one-of-a-kind scientific materials to the public.
Energy Crisis: Is It Really Over?
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With the high heats last Tuesday and the corresponding surge in demand for energy, the operator of the state's power transmission grid declared an emergency. With the promise of a hot summer, the declared emergency is a haunting specter for the imminent future. Although the fabled long-term contracts brokered by former Governor Gray Davis make a repeat of the energy crisis of 2000-2001 unlikely, many argue it is a temporary band-aid to ongoing problem. What is the solution? Jon Beaupre asks Severin Borenstein, director of the UC Energy Institute at Berkeley, and Mike Florio, senior attorney at The Utility Reform Network.
Slanguage
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The troupe known as the Universes' comes to the LA stage with a blend of hip-hop, gospel, and street wisdom as presented in their play Slanguage. Guest host Jon Beaupre speaks with the Director of New Play Development at the Mark Taper Theater, Luis Alfaro, about the play.
Slanguage is on stage at the Ivy Substation (9070 Venice Boulevard, Culver City) through May 23rd. For tickets and more information call 213.628.2772.
Where Do Pamphlets Come From?
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In an election year, we may take for granted all the voter guides and other political pamphlets we receive by mail. But where and when did pamphlets come into being? According to Clementine Oliver, post-doctoral scholar in medieval history at CalTech, its genesis is earlier than we think. She'll share her findings and their modern implications with Jon Beaupre.
Clementine Oliver will expand on this topic: "Where Do Pamphlets Come From? Political Writing in Late Medieval England" as the William Bennett Munro Memorial Seminar this afternoon at CalTech, 25 Baxter Hall at 4 pm. For more information, please call 626-395-4652.
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