One popular motto of the US Military is "To Win Hearts and Minds." Though the phrase make smack of war propaganda, it is practiced by the military. Throughout the history of warfare, the US has a long tradition of taking care of the citizens of occupied or invaded countries. Author Richard Reeves tells one such story in his book "Daring Young Men: The Heroism and Triumph of the Berlin Airlift," which tells the tales of the military men who delivered supplies and lifelines to the people of West Berlin. In a campaign that was supposed to last 30 days and lasted more than a year, these brave service men battled harsh conditions and the remnants of war to help those who were previously trying to kill them. Reeves wrote the book in response to the reports of military behavior during the Abu Ghraib scandal. Tune-in to hear this fascinating and not widely known story of post World War II Berlin.
Town Hall Speaker: Richard Reeves, author of “Daring Young Men: The Heroism and Triumph of The Berlin Airlift”
Town Hall Vault Speakers:
General Henry H. Shelton, Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff (2000)
General Richard Myers, Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff (2001)
General Anthony Zinni (Retired) (2006)
Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (2008)
To prepare this country’s 21st century workforce, our schools need to go full ‘STEAM’ ahead. That means science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Studies show that students need these vital subjects to develop real-world creativity and innovation – the essential skillset of tomorrow. But recent trends in federal legislation have prioritized core subjects over the kind of wholistic learning that educators advocate. And in a down-turned economy, even the most passionate teachers feel stifled by lack of resources. Can big business help? This week, we reprise the second of two programs based around a recent Town Hall Los Angeles conference in which educators and business leaders convened to talk about creative solutions – and how both teachers and businesses can profit from them.
“What Do Teachers Want from Business?”
Town Hall Speakers:
Dean Gilbert, Science Consultant, LA County Office of Education
Tara Chklovski, Founder & CEO, Iridescent Learning
Dr. Kadhir Rajagopal, California Teacher of the Year, Grant Union High School
Dr. Kichoon Yang, Executive Director, National Council of Mathematics Teachers
“What Does Business Want from Teachers?”
Town Hall Speakers:
David Baia, Global Resources Industry Capability Development Lead, Accenture
Nan Bouchard, VP Program Management – Defense, Space & Security, The Boeing Company
Teresa Hoffman, SVP – Manager of Recruitment, City National Bank
Joseph Rivera, Director of Engineering, The Gas Company
Town Hall Vault Speaker:
Chris Whittle, Founder, Edison Schools (1995)
Today’s economy – and our nation’s future – depends on the next generation of minds. Creativity and critical thinking skills will be essential tools for that generation, but are our schools equipped to prepare them? And how best to measure success – with standardized tests, or with the sight of enlivened classrooms, filled with engaged, productive students? Town Hall Los Angeles recently brought together some of the brightest minds in education and business for a two-day summit on the future of education. Tonight’s program presents a compelling conversation between Dr. Bill Smoot, author of Conversations with Great Teachers, and MacArthur Fellow Amir Abo-Shaeer, whose radical approach to teaching physics has high school students designing and building robots. And we’ll hear from the late Jaime Escalante, whose belief in his students was key to his recipe for success.
Town Hall Speakers:
Dr. Bill Smoot, Author, ‘Conversations with Great Teachers’
Amir Abo-Shaeer, Director and Teacher, Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy and, MacArthur Foundation Fellow
Town Hall Vault Speaker:
Jaime Escalante, Educator (1990)
Health care – how to improve it, how to deliver it, how to pay for it – has been at the forefront of the nation’s conversation for the past several years. As debate over policy, technology and cost-efficiency rages on, those in the medical profession stay focused on one goal – patient care and how to make it better. Dr. Benjamin Chu, president of Kaiser Permanente Southern California, applauds recent advances in technology and efficiency, but warns they may have come at the cost of the doctor-patient relationship, which he feels is vital to life-long wellness. Long-term, preventive care, he says, will save more lives – and dollars – than piece-meal patch-ups, specialist visits and emergency-room treatment. But with insurance costs skyrocketing and the dream of universal health care becoming more elusive, how can Americans afford the medical care they need?
Town Hall Speaker:
Dr. Benjamin Chu, President, Kaiser Family Foundation, Southern California
Town Hall Vault Speakers:
Dr. Nancy Dickey, President, American Medical Association (1998)
Dr. William Weil, Chairman, Los Angeles County Medical Association (1986)
We all want to do the right thing when it comes to the environment. But when does doing right mean doing wrong? As Heather Rogers found when researching her book Green Gone Wrong, many aspects of our growing “green economy” have created an economic vs. environmental dilemma for those whom it’s meant to benefit. One example? The market for bio-fuels, which has led to clear-cutting of the Indonesian rain forest. This week on Town Hall Journal, we reprise a 2010 visit from author Heather Rogers, who asks: can we go green without causing the blues?
Speaker:
Heather Rogers, Author: Green Gone Wrong: How Our Economy is Undermining the Environmental Revolution
Vault:
Andrew Card, President & CEO, American Automobile Manufacturers’ Association
Interview with Ed Begley, Jr., actor and environmental activist
In the mid-70’s, with rising prices wreaking havoc on the economy, President Gerald Ford urged us to “Whip Inflation Now.” Prior to that, Richard Nixon instigated Wage and Price Control in an effort to stem the raging tide of inflation. Today, experts tell us we’re headed out of our two-year recession. Unemployment is down, consumer spending is up – but so are prices, and we’re feeling the crunch, at the gas pump and the supermarket. Are we looking at another bout with runaway inflation? Is it time to whip out those old “WIN” buttons? The head of San Francisco’s Federal Reserve Bank has some reassuring projections – but he’ll also give a hint of the Fed’s “exit strategy” should inflation once again hit double digits. Will it be too little, too late? And how will fears about the economy affect Obama’s chances at the polls next year?
Town Hall Speaker:
Dr. John C. Williams, President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
Town Hall Vault Speaker:
Dr. William Ford, President, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (1980)
Interview:
Nina Easton, Washington Columnist for Fortune Magazine
Since October 2001, over 1.6 million U.S. troops have been deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Many of these veterans suffer from the so-called ‘invisible wounds of war,’ which include Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, depression and homelessness. In fact, Los Angeles is home to the nation’s largest population of homeless veterans. Are we as a society doing enough to help our service men and women get back on their feet? This Memorial Day weekend, we share highlights from a 2010 Town Hall Los Angeles panel discussion of the challenges faced by 21st century veterans. Our Vault segment takes us back to World War II, when Americans were urged to help returning soldiers by creating prosperity at home. And we’ll hear from a former commander in Iraq who has found solace by helping others cope.
Town Hall Panelists:
Lt. Colonel Julian Bond, Battalion Commander, 40th Brigade Support Battalion, California National Guard
Rocky J. Chavez, Undersecretary of Veterans Affairs, California Dept. of Veterans Affairs
Jeremiah Michaels, Vocational Development Advisor, New Directions, Inc.
Toni Reinis, Executive Director, New Directions, Inc.
Terry Schell, Behavioral Scientist, Rand Corporation and co-author of Invisible Wounds: Summary and Recommendations for Addressing Psychological and Cognitive Injuries
"Destination Tomorrow" - CBS Radio Series (1944)
Interview: Colonel David Sutherland, former Commander of the American Combat Brigade in Iraq
Who’s to blame for the high cost of health care? Doctors? Insurance companies? Wall Street? Or is it us, and our unhealthy lifestyles? No doubt there is plenty of blame to go around, and everyone is pointing fingers at everyone else. Uninsured patients strain the resources of hospitals and clinics. Doctors overbill insurance companies and order unnecessary procedures to make up the difference. Insurance companies? They just keep raising their premiums, all the while dropping policy holders and cutting back on payouts in an effort to satisfy shareholders. With 51 million Americans uninsured, where do we begin if we want to fix the system? This week on Town Hall Journal, we’ll hear some possible solutions from an insurance company insider. And we’ll talk with a former insider who’s made it his mission to pull back the curtain on corporate insurance practices he says are costing us all money.
Town Hall Speaker:
Pam Kehaly, President and General Manager, Anthem Blue Cross California
Interview:
Wendell Potter, author of ‘Deadly Spin: An Insurance Company Insider Speaks Out on How Corporate PR is Killing Health Care and Deceiving Americans’
Town Hall Vault Speakers:
Samuel Kaplan, President, U.S. Administrators (1984)
Max Fine, Health Benefits Consultant (1986)
The War on Terror – A Long Look Back
The death of Osama Bin Laden has pushed the ‘war on terror’ back into the headlines. But while there are still many unanswered questions about what’s next for the United States in Afghanistan, it could be instructive to remember how we got there in the first place. This week, Town Hall Journal takes a look back through its vast archives at ten years of speakers. Pre-9/11, the advisor to the head of the Taliban in Afghanistan warned that U.S. aggression was turning heroes into terrorists. A post 9/11 panel questioned the wisdom of treating that event as an act of war, rather than an international crime, and responding as such. And a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence shed light on the misinformation that led the U.S. into war with Iraq. Now that Bin Laden has been taken out of the picture, can retracing the long road to his hideout prevent us from repeating the same mistakes? Can we expect retribution from Al Qaeda? Have we finally ended the war on terror – or is there more to come?
Town Hall Vault Speakers:
Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi, advisor to Taliban leader Mullah Omar (2001)
Tad Daley,visiting scholar, UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations (2001)
Michael Intriligator, Director, UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations (2001)
Steven Spiegal, Associate Director, UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations (2001)
Khaled Abou El Fadl –Professor of Law, expert in Islamic law and terrorism (2001)
Condoleeza Rice, National Security Advisor to President George W. Bush (2003)Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) (2004)
Last year, as co-owners Frank and Jamie McCourt launched into a bitter divorce and legal battle for control of the LA Dodgers, Town Hall Journal took a look back at the couple’s high hopes for what they called a “family adventure.” But the McCourt’s family saga turns out to be more like the Carringtons than the Waltons. Now, after over a year of feuding ownership, financial mismanagement and plummeting attendance, Major League Baseball Commissioner, Bud Selig, has called a time-out on the McCourts. Citing “deep concerns” over the operations of the team, Selig appointed former Texas Rangers president Tom Schieffer to restore some law and order until, presumably, a new owner takes the reins. This week, we once again visit the Town Hall Vault for batting tips from Tommy Lasorda, team-building insight from Casey Wasserman, and stories from LA’s long romance with the Dodgers. And we’ll ask the question on everyone’s mind – what’s next for our boys in blue?
Town Hall Vault Speakers:
Al Downing, former pitcher, L.A. Dodgers (1981)
Tommy Lasorda, former manager, L.A. Dodgers (1996, 1997)
Fred Roggin, Sports Director, NBC-4 (2004)
Robert Graziano, President, L.A. Dodgers (2004)
Casey Wasserman, Owner, L.A. Avengers (2004)
Jamie McCourt, Co-owner, L.A. Dodgers (2005)
Interview:
Jeff Fellenzer, USC Professor in Sports, Business & Media
TOWN HALL Journal is a lively, informative radio magazine, hosted by Emmy and Peabody award-winning broadcast journalist Judy Muller, and presented by Town Hall Los Angeles, Los Angeles’ premier platform for public speaking. Each week, the program draws upon Town Hall speakers past and present for an in-depth look into political, economic and cultural issues affecting the daily lives of Angelenos.
