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September 20 - 24, 2004
Monday, Sept. 20
Foreigners for President?
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Last week U.S. Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R-46th) from Huntington Beach introduced a Constitutional amendment to allow foreign-born citizens of at least 20 years to run for President. The time seems right as our nation has become increasingly diversified with talented and loyal naturalized citizens. But amendments to the Constitution are difficult to accomplish and it's certainly not the first time a proposal like this has come forward. Kitty asks Congressman Rohrabacher what prompted him to act now and how optimistic is he that it will pass this time around?
Iraqi-American Women: Perspectives on the Election
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Zainab Al-Suwaij and Ban Al Wardi share a common heritage, but they have very differing opinions about the effectiveness of the US military actions in Iraq. Kitty spoke with Al-Suwaij, executive director of the American Islamic Congress, at the Republican National Convention, where she delivered an address that strongly supported the Bush administration's policy in her native country. Ban Al Wardi, an immigration lawyer and President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, is against the war in Iraq and is concerned about the toll the war is taking on the Iraqi people.
Journey from the Land of No
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Roya Hakakian was twelve years old when the revolution swept through Tehran, and writing sustained her through the worst of times. In her memoir, Journey from the Land of No (Crown), Hakakian tells the story of the Iranian revolution from her perspective, that of a secular Jew, who as an ordinary Iranian teenager got swept up by the Ayatollah Khomeini and the promise of a free and more prosperous Iran. She shares with Kitty her story, as well as her special perspective of the Middle East: parallels she sees between today's Iraq and post-revolutionary Iran, as well as why she believes a better understanding of the Iranian revolution is key to understanding the Middle East today.
What effect will the closing of King Drew’s trauma center have on other facilities?
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Dr. Thomas Garthwaite, chief medical officer of the health department, and medical experts from the county and private hospitals, discuss how the department plans to redistribute the trauma load among other hospitals.
L.A. County Fair Food Queen
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When you get hungry wandering the LA Country Fair this year, fear not; there will be fare for you. From the healthier sweet roasted corn or steamed artichokes to the more traditional funnel cakes, butter toffee peanuts, or even steak on a stick, the fair truly offers something for everyone. Kitty gets to sample some of the offerings, while learning the ingredients for successful fairgrounds food and beverage service from Rey O'Day, general manager of Cornucopia Foods.
The LA County Fair runs through September 26, 2004.
Catch Kitty snacking on her favorite food from the LA County Fair, the BBQ Turkey leg.
Tuesday, Sept. 21
South Gate reacts to E. coli bacteria scare
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About 70,000 South Gate residents were advised today to boil their drinking water, as the city continues to test to determine if there is a risk for E. coli bacteria. Gary Milliman, City Manager for the city of South Gate, gives Kitty the latest news.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger launches a marketing campaign encouraging employers to bring jobs to California
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Governor Schwarzenegger recently unveiled a national billboard advertising campaign sponsored by the California Jobs and Economic Growth Commission. The billboards feature an image of the Governor and declare that "California Wants Your Business". The campaign is part of the Governor's economic recovery plan, designed to promote California as the greatest place in the world to vacation, do business and live. His goal is to spread the word that negative trends in California's business climate, caused by years of government over-spending and over-regulation, are being reversed.
Vince Sollito, the Governor's deputy press secretary, joins Kitty to talk about the various plans to encourage growth.
A Good Place to do Business?
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Last Saturday Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed a measure to boost the State's minimum wage to $7.75 an hour, the nation's highest, from its current $6.75, the lowest on the West Coast. He also refused to sign legislation that was to require big-box retailers such as Wal-Mart to finance studies to evaluate the impact of new stores on local traffic and neighborhood economies. Together, these two moves highlight the governor's belief that excessive costs are driving business – and jobs – out of California. Is it really that expensive to open shop in our state? Kitty asks Daniel J. Mitchell, Ho-Su Wu Chair of Management at UCLA's Anderson School of Business.
Kitty also hears from actual business owners. Casey Loyd, president of Cal Spas in Pomona was poised to move to Nevada but changed his mind. On the other hand, Bruce Cowan, co-owner of Acclaim Electronics did move his company to Nevada from Calabasas last year. We'll find out the deciding factors for each of these entrepreneurs.
Independent filmmaker John Sayles looks at the state of the Union
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John Sayles' new film, Silver City, looks at the state of the Union on the eve of the 2004 Presidential election. During the taping of an environmental political ad, Silver City's charming if linguistically-challenged Dickie Pilager reels in a corpse. The gubernatorial candidate's ruthless campaign manager jumps to action, hiring a private detective to investigate potential links between the corpse and the Pilager family's enemies. The film is both a political lampoon and a neo-noir detective story, starring Chris Cooper as candidate Pilager, plus Richard Dreyfus, Michael Murphy, Darryl Hannah, Thora Birch, and others. Kitty fishes for more details with director John Sayles.
Silver City opened Friday, September 17.
Urgent & Confidential
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We've all gotten them; we've all wondered about them. Now writer Dean Cameron has staged a play about conning the con artists who created the Nigerian spam emails. In the name of theater, Dean Cameron went undercover as a crazy Florida millionaire willing to participate in the scam. The result is his comedy, Urgent & Confidential: Dean Cameron's Nigerian Spam Scam Scam. He joins Kitty for a preview of the play and for the behind the scenes of dealing with the scammers.
Urgent & Confidential: Dean Cameron's Nigerian Spam Scam Scam is on stage Tuesday and Wednesday nights 8 p.m. through October 13 at the Sacred Fools Theater, 660 N. Heliotrope Drive in Hollywood.
Wednesday, Sept. 22
Decision on March Air Reserve Base
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Riverside County officials are poised to approve a controversial, round-the-clock air cargo hub at March Air Reserve Base today, the latest battle in Southern California pitting backers of expanded commerce against residents concerned about noise and air pollution. Adam Eventov, assistant business editor of the Riverside Press-Enterprise, gives Kitty an update on the issue.
Fire Warning Extended
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For the second day in a row, the National Weather Service and firefighters warned of a high danger of fire today in wind-swept valley and mountain areas of the Southland. Late this morning, the weather service's Red Flag Warning, which was set to expire about 2 p.m., was extended through 8 p.m. LA County Fire Depts' Inspector Ron Harrelson joins Kitty to talk about their preparations.
Kevin Starr on Richard Calderon
Kitty speaks with the former state librarian on the loss of a leading Chicano activist who made his mark on the state by changing the way Los Angeles apportioned its City Council districts.
Kevin Starr on Richard Calderon
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Kitty speaks with the former state librarian on the loss of a leading Chicano activist who made his mark on the state by changing the way Los Angeles apportioned its City Council districts.
The Harry Potter for Adults
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While the Harry Potter series and The Lord of the Rings were becoming blockbusters, author Susanna Clarke was quietly working on her novel of the same genre, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (Bloomsbury). Clarke spent the last 10 years working on her novel, and admits that "the world kind of changed in my favor" during that time. The genre is now big business. Clarke sits down with Kitty to talk about her novel for adults and about the phenomenon of fantasy literature.
Susanna Clarke will be reading and signing from her book tonight at 7 p.m. at Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd.
Lawrence Weschler
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Lawrence Weschler's new book, Vermeer in Bosnia: Cultural Comedies and Political Tragedies (Pantheon Books) is a compilation of twenty pieces written over twenty years on topics such as the Yugoslav War Crimes Tribunal and painter Johannes Vermeer as well as on his native town of Los Angeles. He joins Kitty for a stimulating discussion.
Lawrence Weschler will be speaking at the Los Angeles Public Library on Thursday, September 23rd at 7pm.
Farewell to Russ Meyer
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Known as the "king of the nudies," Russ Meyer leaves us but not without a legacy of films that have titillated and teased like, "Faster Pussycat, Kill Kill," and "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls." Kirk Honeycutt, chief film critic of The Hollywood Reporter, joins Kitty Felde to discuss the life of a pioneer and master of sexploitation films.
Thursday, Sept. 23
Governor vetoes immigrant license bill… what’s next?
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Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday vetoed legislation that would have made California's 2 million illegal immigrants eligible for driver's permits. But the veto did little to put to rest one of the state's most emotional and enduring issues. Fernando J. Guerra, associate professor of Political Science at Loyola Marymount University, joins Kitty to discuss the issue and its future.
Writers Guild votes to retain Daniel Petrie as its president
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Daniel Petrie Jr. has been elected president of the Writers Guild of
America West by a landslide. He defeated challenger Eric Hughes by a nearly three to one margin to retain the presidency of the writers union, which represents some 9-thousand film and television writers. Among Petrie's credits is the 1984 film "Beverly Hills Cop." He joins Kitty today to talk about the issues facing the Guild.
Proposition 66
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Kitty kicks off the election season by taking a look at Proposition 66, a measure on the November ballot that would amend the three strikes law. In collaboration with Adelphia channel, Kitty hosts a debate between Jim Benson, vice-chairman for Citizens Against Violent Crime and a proponent of Proposition 66 and Lael Rubin, Special Counsel, Los Angeles County District Attorney.
Baseball v Religion
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Shawn Green is still deciding between playing in the upcoming Dodger games scheduled during Yom Kippur or to sit out for religious reasons. Kitty talks with Dodger Senior Vice President Tommy Lasorda about the pending decision.
Sandra Tsing Loh
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In her continuing search for affordable, quality education, Sandra contemplates life in La Canada.
Friday, Sept. 24
Giuliani Stumps for Bill Jones
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Former NY mayor Rudy Giuliani is bringing some star power to Bill Jones' campaign for U.S. Senate. The two join Kitty for a look at the race.
New Bills
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Averaging 50 bills a day, Governor Schwarzenegger is working overtime to sign or veto the stack of bills on his desk before the end of the month. Kitty checks in with Sacramento Bee political columnist Dan Walters for a review of the Governor's actions on recent bills and to discuss the remaining bills on his desk.
30-Year Anniversary of Tommy John Surgery
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Thirty years ago this weekend, Dr. Frank Jobe performed surgery on Dodger pitcher Tommy John who had a tear in his left elbow. By transplanting a tendon from John's right forearm and placing it in his left elbow, Dr. Jobe was able to save the pitcher's career. Today the surgery - which has come to be called Tommy John surgery - has saved the careers of hundreds of pitchers. Kitty takes a look back at the revolutionary surgery with Dr. Frank Jobe.
The Ten Commandments
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Hollywood's Kodak Theatre will host the United States debut performances of The Ten Commandments. The musical chronicles the story of Moses leading the Hebrews from captivity out of Egypt and into a journey of happiness, life, and rebirth. Val Kilmer stars as Moses, leading a cast of 50. The pop musical, in its United States premiere, opens Mon., Sept. 27 at the Kodak Theatre. Kitty gets a sneak peek behind-the-scenes with producer Charles Cohen.
Opens Monday, Sept. 27. Ticket are available through Ticketmaster (213-480-3232, 714-740-7878), or in person at Kodak Theatre Box Office, 6801 Hollywood Blvd.
For more information, visit The Ten Commandments
Be Good Smile Pretty wins Emmy
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Last week the documentary "Be Good Smile Pretty" won an Emmy for best documentary. This weekend, the news and documentary Emmy awards will be telecast on several digital cable channels. Kitty sat down with director Tracy Tragos when the film first came out. Today, we reprise a portion of the interview.
The News and Documentary Emmy Awards will be telecast Sept. 25 on the Discovery Times, a digital cable channel located at Channel 225 on Time Warner Cable, 111 on Comcast and 427 on Everest.
Rock is Art in Eagle Rock
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Christo, wrapper of the Reichstag and Niagara Falls, was booked. So Jenny Krusoe, executive director of the Center for the Arts in Eagle Rock, opened a contest for local artists for public art installation proposals that would mark Eagle Rock as the "gateway to northeastern Los Angeles from the San Gabriel Valley." The southern face of the giant rock namesake of the community of Eagle Rock will be lit up for the first time in history during the evening "The Rock is Art" on September 25; the evening includes a performance by Lisa Sandoval and an original choral piece by Grant Gershon. Kitty speaks with Krusoe to learn more about the rock's history and its significance to the community.
The "Rock is Art" will take place 7-11PM September 25. Opening ceremony 6PM at the Alatorre-Eagle Rock View Park: Scholl Canyon Road/Figueroa Blvd. just north of the 134 Fwy. For more information, visit The Center for the Arts in Eagle Rock.
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