Navigate the Site

About KPCC
About KUOR
About KPCV
KPCC Home
KPCC News
KPCC Programs
Broadcast Schedule
Support KPCC
Jobs at KPCC
Listen Live
Pledge Now
Calendar
Contact KPCC
Volunteer

May 25 - 29, 2009

Monday, May 25

Stem Cell Therapies: From a Laboratory to a Pharmacy Near You [ Listen ]

Research on the amazing healing properties of stem cells, from their ability to regenerate tissue to their potential for correcting genetic defects, has been going on for decades with the long-held promise of revolutionary therapies for the masses. The game-changing stem cell therapies aren't quite ready for the commercial market yet but they're closer than they've ever been and the promise of a medical revolution is real. Patt talks with two of the leading researchers and shapers of stem cell policies about the first therapies that will hit the market and the ethical questions that come with employing stem cells on a massive scale.

• John McNeish, executive director of regenerative medicine for Pfizer
• Alan Trounson, president of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine

The Dangerous World of Butterflies [ Listen ]

Organized crime, black-market smuggling, environmental disasters – these aren't things you would normally associate with tiny, delicate butterflies. But award-winning journalist Peter Laufer exposes the dark side of the butterfly business and proves that it is a dangerous world. Laufer's research on the subculture of butterflies took him around the world from butterfly breeding businesses in Nicaragua across borders to Los Angeles and New York City. Along the way, he found out how far people are willing to go to smuggle unique, hard-to-find butterflies – and how much people are willing to pay for them. The subculture of butterflies includes criminals, collectors, conservationists, and more.

• Peter Laufer, journalist, broadcaster, and author of The Dangerous World of Butterflies

Silver Screen Sinatra/Sticks and Stones May Break Your Bones... But Words Indeed Can Hurt You [ Listen ]

Silver Screen Sinatra

An Oscar-winning actor, acclaimed director, and recipient of the Golden Globe Award for lifetime achievement in film, Frank Sinatra created one of the biggest careers in the history of Hollywood, and yet his screen legacy is often overshadowed by his achievements as a singer. Author Tom Santopietro is here to highlight Sinatra-the-actor, with his new book, Sinatra in Hollywood.

• Tom Santopietro, author of Sinatra in Hollywood, The Importance of Being Barbra, and Considering Doris Day

• Geoffrey Nunberg, Linguist Professor and NPR contributor. His latest book is called, The Years of Talking Dangerously.

Tuesday, May 26

Prop 8 Upheld [ Listen ]

The decision is in. The State’s Highest Court decided today to uphold the voter approved proposition 8. Gay–rights advocates are rallying all over the state in protest while supporters of the proposition are celebrating the Court’s decision. This ruling does not invalidate the 18,000 same–sex marriages that took place in California after the State Supreme Court declared prop 22 to be unconstitutional in March of 2008. What steps will the supporters of same–sex marriages take now? Join us as we discuss the ramifications of today’s ruling with the lead council from both sides of the argument.

• Richard Hasen, professor of law at Loyola Law School
• Andrew Pugno, co-counsel for the argument that Proposition 8 is the will of the people and should be upheld. He was general counsel for The Yes on 8 campaign.
• Shannon Minter, lead counsel who presented the oral arguments to the California Supreme Court against upholding Prop 8. He is legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights in San Francisco
• Mark Solomon, Marriage Director for Equality California
• Ron Prentice, chair of ProtectMarriage.com
• Stuart Gaffney, plaintiff with his partner John Lewis in the same sex case. They married on June 17th.

POTUS picks SCOTUS [ Listen ]

President Barack Obama announced his pick to replace Justice David Souter: Judge Sonia Sotomayor of the U.S. appeals court of New York. She’ll be the first Latina on the bench and one who came from humble beginnings: the daughter of Puerto Rican parents; she was raised in the Bronx. The President stressed the qualification of empathy. What kind of a confirmation process is in store for this veteran of the federal bench?

• Jami Floyd, anchor of "Jami Floyd: Best Defense" on the Legal Network In Session
• Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, a conservative public interest group

North Korea Tests Nuclear Bomb…...And a Few Missiles [ Listen ]

North Korea reportedly tested two more shortndash;range missiles Tuesday, a day after detonating a nuclear bomb underground, pushing the regime further into a confrontation with world powers despite the threat of U.N. action. What next?

• Gordon Chang: Author of "Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes on the World" and a columnist at Forbes.com
• Paul Carroll, program director, Ploughshares Fund, a foundation that seeks to stop the spread and use of nuclear weapons

Wednesday, May 27

Billions in new cuts await California [ Listen ]

Gov. Schwarzenegger released a budget plan yesterday that would eliminate welfare, drop 1 million poor children from health insurance, cut off new grants for college students and shut down 80 percent of state parks, and would make California the only state with no welfare program. Are these cuts unavoidable?

• H.D. Palmer, deputy director of external affairs for California’s Department of Finance

The Fight for UC Oversight [ Listen ]

Fed up with "exorbitant salaries and perks" going to University of California executives in a budget crisis, California Republicans and Democrats are reaching across the aisle today to amend the state constitution and strip the University of California of its immunity from regulation by the state Legislature. The Board of Regents opposes the oversight, arguing the state is in no position to take on the UC system. We hear from amendment supporter Senator Leland Yee of San Francisco about the UC regents and executives, who he considers to be "absolutely above the law."

• Leland Yee, D–Senator, San Francisco

Obama Rides West [ Listen ]

Barak Obama arrives in Beverly Hills today fresh from a smash appearance at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. His western victory tour continues tonight at a Democratic fundraiser slated to bring in millions with ticket prices topping out at $30,400 per couple. His visit is pure political theater, but with anti–war protesters promising to rally outside the venue and rancor about Prop 8 in the air, will it all be California sunshine and bliss?

• Carol Lee, White House Reporter for POLITICO

The Toll of Texting [ Listen ]

They do it in the classroom, in restaurants, while crossing busy streets, and under their covers well into the night. In 2008, the average American teenager sent and received 2,272 text messages per month—double the 2007 average. And now psychologists and physicians are beginning to take stock of texting’s health effects—anxiety, falling grades, stress injuries, and even an inability to psychologically separate from one’s parents and grow into autonomous adults. Is texting affecting a generation’s health?

• Katie Hafner, New York Times reporter who recently wrote about texting’s potential health toll on a generation
• Reina Hardesty, Orange County 13–year–old who racked up 24,000 texts in one month
• Greg Hardesty, Reina’s father and reporter for the OC Register, who wrote about his daughter’s voracious texting

Big Man on Campus [ Listen ]

It’s hard to say which set of numbers is worse — LAUSD’S budget or its ranking among the state’s urban school districts — and at least on the budget front, it’s only going to get worse before it gets better. Ramon Cortines, the superintendent of the nation’s second largest school district is here for his once–a–month visit to answer Patt’s questions and yours.

• Ramon Cortines, Superintendent, LAUSD

Sending Problem Banks to Time-out Corner [ Listen ]

The euphemistically characterized "green shoots" of economic recovery are sprouting in various aspects of the nation’s economic soil, and even banks could be seen as getting healthier. Data released this morning by the FDIC shows that the banking industry turned a profit in the first quarter of this year but that’s where the good news ends. The list of "problem banks" rose 152 at the end of 2008 to 205 in the beginning of this year; 21 banks failed in the first quarter;and the FDIC insurance fund fell from $19 billion to $13 billion. If the country’s banks continue to suffer the effects of bad loans, how healthy can the broader economy be?

• Richard Brown, chief economist & associate director for risk analysis at the FDIC
• Christopher Whalen, senior vice president and managing director of Institutional Risk Analytics

Thursday, May 28

House of Pain: Detailing Cuts to CA Budget [ Listen ]

After last week's defeat of the budget propositions, which boosted the expected state deficit from $15 billion to over $21 billion, Gov. Schwarzenegger's office was informed today that the new deficit figures will be even worse. Thanks to the continuing recession we're now looking at a $24.3 billion deficit hole that needs closing, and if you believe the Governor and leading legislators, that hole will be largely closed on the backs of the neediest Californians. CalWorks program, which assists poor single mothers, will be gone; Cal Grants, which go to low income college students, will be gone. What kind of bare bones government can we expect?

• Diana Fuentes-Michel, executive director of the California Student Aid Commission, which oversees the Cal Grant program
• Dr. Stuart Heard, executive director, California Poison Control System
• Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California, a state-wide health advocacy coalition
• Phil Ansell, assistant director of L.A. County Department of Public Social Services; oversees L.A. County's CalWORKs Division
• Roy Stearns, deputy director of communications, California State Parks, California State Parks

SAG Ballots Are Out—Internal Battles Continue [ Listen ]

While SAG members decide how to vote on their contract with Hollywood producers, leadership is sharply divided in a bitter internal battle over the merits of the deal, with the rancor spilling into the public eye through personal appearances, blogs, and videos on YouTube. Does the vitriol change anybody's mind about their vote, and can the union be made whole again when the ballots are counted?

• Alan Rosenberg, national president of the Screen Actors Guild; he's urging SAG members to vote against the contract
• Ned Vaughn, board member for SAG; he's a leader of Unite for Strength, a faction within SAG that is urging members to vote for the contract.
• Tess Harper, actor, SAG and AFTRA member supporting the deal; her films include "Tender Mercies," "Silkwood," and "Crimes of the Heart"
• Scott Wilson, actor, SAG member opposing the deal; he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor; his films include "In Cold Blood," "Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon," and "Monster."
• Alex Ben Block, editor-at-large, Hollywood Reporter

He's the Queen [ Listen ]

When Sergio Garcia ran for prom queen at Fairfax High School, one might assume it was part of a stunt. Actually, the 18-year-old, openly gay young man had designs on contesting cultural gender roles. He won—and gave a speech supporting the gay community. Is this a shining example of tolerance or diversity run amuck?

• Sergio Garcia, Fairfax High School Prom Queen

Friday, May 29

Stop That Drip! [ Listen ]

New mandatory conservation measures to cut water use by 15% go into effect Monday. How can you avoid a rate increase? Do the rules cover drip irrigation? And can your neighbors rat on you? David Nahai, DWP's CEO and head water cop, answers your questions.

• David Nahai, CEO & general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power"

Green-friendly Green Thumbs [ Listen ]

Just because we're in a drought doesn't mean we can't have beautiful gardens, just green-friendly ones. The state has set up websites with lists of "water-friendly" plants and has even established a rebates system for business and home owners that retrofit their landscapes to be "water-wise." Will the trend catch on, or are Californians too attached to their cinematically green gardens to make the switch?

• Lili Singer, special projects coordinator, Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers & Native Plants, Inc.

Call for a New Cyber Czar [ Listen ]

President Obama stopped short of calling his newly created position today on cyber security a "cyber czar," but anyone taking on the task of securing the nation's digital infrastructure will have an immense job to do. Why is this necessary, what will the new position entail, and how might this affect the ordinary U.S. citizen?

• Dave McIntyre, director, Integrative Center for Homeland Security, Texas A & M University; former Dean of the National War College

Science on the Back of Your Hand [ Listen ]

Bacteria have colonized us inside and out and—a new study shows—that might not be such a bad thing. It may even be what keeps our bodies functioning properly. Science publishes a new study today that explores this understudied area and lays groundwork for a $115 million NIH venture, the Human Micro biome Project, aimed at cataloging the bacteria and organisms on our skin. What's on you and why should you be happy?

• Maria Turner, senior clinician, Dermatology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health and senior clinician for the Science study

Too Much Hugging? [ Listen ]

Hugging...it used to mean something, and now everyone does it, everywhere, and all the time...at least that's what it looks like from the halls of your average high school. Are today's youth chucking off America's Puritanical yoke by frequently embracing one another? Patt speaks with a sociologist about the reasons for this generational shift and what it means. Are you a "hugger"?

• Karen Sternheimer, professor of Sociology at USC