What's the value of public libraries?

What's the value of public libraries and what can we do to save them? On the next Your Call, well rebroadcast a conversation we had about what public libraries mean to our communities. How are they being affected by budget cuts? A number of libraries are cutting their hours and services. Two-thirds of us carry library cards. How often do you visit your local library? What can we do to keep libraries open? Its Your Call, with Rose Aguilar.

Guests:
Carol da Silva, Division Manager at San Jose Public Library

Teresa Landers, head of Santa Cruz Public Libraries

Robert Dawson, San Francisco Photographer whose projects examine western American water, global water, American Public Libraries, the legacy of the New Deal

Click to Listen: What's the value of public libraries?

What is the best way to integrate prisoners back into society?

On the next Your Call, we'll rebroadcast a conversation we had recently about re-entry after prison. A recent Supreme Court ruling ordered California to drastically reduce its prison population. It remains to be seen how this ruling will be implemented. Just last year California's recidivism rate was almost 70 percent. What explains that high number? And what does it take to reintegrate people behind bars back into the community in a healthy way? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar.

Guests:
Linda Evans, organizer with All of Us Or None coalition and Legal Services for Prisoners with Children

Susan Burton, founder and executive director of A New Way of Life Re-Entry Project

Ramiro Mejia, resident employee at San Francisco's Delancey Street Foundation

Click to Listen: What is the best way to integrate prisoners back into society?

What happens when sharing becomes big business?

On the next Your Call, we'll talk about car-sharing, work-sharing, cloud computing and the creative commons -- all the ways sharing has emerged as a way to organize economic production. Are you part of the growing economy of sharing? Join us live at 10 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. It's Your Call, with me, Matt Martin and you.

Guests:
Neal Gorenflo, the co-founder and publisher of Shareable Magazine, a nonprofit online magazine about sharing.

Lisa Gansky, author of The Mesh: Why the Future of Business Is Sharing and the founder of Mesh Studios.

Click to Listen: What happens when sharing becomes big business?

What's the role of political satire in tough times?

On the next Your Call, we'll rebroadcast our conversation with three political comedians about the power of humor in a time of crisis. We are faced today with an economic recession, revolutions around the globe, wars, earthquakes, floods and an increasingly divided political landscape. Can political satire help us process the madness? Are there some things we just can't laugh about? Or are we doomed if we can't laugh? Where do you go to get your comic relief? It's Your Call with Holly Kernan.

Guests:
Dean Obeidallah, a comedian, former attorney, and co-creator of the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival

Katie Halper, a comic, writer, blogger, satirist, filmmaker, and founder of Living Liberally

Seth Reiss, a senior writer/associate sports editor at The Onion and a performer with the sketch comedy group, Pangea 3000

Click to Listen: What's the role of political satire in tough times?

Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call, it's our Friday Media Roundtable. This week, we'll discuss coverage of the US Supreme Court decision in Dukes v. Wal-Mart. We'll also talk about President Obama's speech on Afghanistan. How is the media covering US strategy in that country? We'll be joined by Slate senior editor Dahlia Lithwick, Huffington Post's Lila Shapiro and veteran journalist Elizabeth Gould. Where did you see the best reporting this week? Join us live at 10 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. It's Your Call, with Malihe Razazan and you.

Guests:
Lila Shapiro, a Business Writer at the Huffington Post

Dahlia Lithwick is a senior editor at Slate. She writes "Supreme Court Dispatches."

Elizabeth Gould is a veteran journalist and author. She has spent the last thirty years covering Afghanistan.

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

How should US law hold corporations accountable for worker rights?

On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about the Supreme Court's recent decision to throw out the class action suit brought against Wal-Mart by several of its female employes. The plaintiffs jointly claimed widespread sex discrimination on the job, but the Court ruled they had insufficient commonalities to be considered a "class." So, where does that leave workers who want to file class actions? Join us at 10 or send an email to feedback@yourcallradio.org. How could the law change to better protect workers? It's Your Call with Hana Baba and you.

Guests:
Arcelia Hurtado, executive director of Equal Rights Advocates

Liza Featherstone, journalist and the author of Selling Women Short: The Landmark Battle for Worker's Rights at Wal-Mart

Click to Listen: How should US law hold corporations accountable for worker rights?

What are your summer reading picks?

On the next Your Call, we'll open the lines to get your summer reading recommendations. According to the National Endowment for the Arts, the average person between the ages of 15 and 24 spends two hours per day watching TV and just seven minutes reading. What can we do to encourage reading? Join us live at 10 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. What are you reading? Do you have an all time favorite? It's Your Call, with Holly Kernan and you.

Guests:
Kevin Hunsanger, owner of Green Apple Books in San Francisco

David Kipen is owner of Libros Schmibros, a used bookstore and free lending library in Boyle Heights in Southern California.

Click to Listen: What are your summer reading picks?

How has greed contributed to economic ills over the last forty years?

On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with Jeff Madrick, author of Age of Greed: The Triumph of Finance and the Decline of America, 1970 to the Present. He argues greed undermines the way markets should work. So what could government have done to stop greed? Join us live at 10 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. Is greed responsible for our economic outlook? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Jeff Madrick, a Senior Fellow at the Roosevelt Institute and director of policy research at Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis at The New School

Click to Listen: How has greed contributed to economic ills over the last forty years?

What's your definition of a "good" job today?

On the next Your Call, we'll talk about what makes a job good. With public employees and unions under attack, whole sections of the economy shrinking, and the public education system suffering, how do you define (and then get) a good job in today's world? What do you value in the workplace? Join us at 10 or send an email to feedback@yourcallradio.org. Whether it's a living wage, benefits, meaningful work in your field--what do you look for in a good job? And do you feel those jobs are within reach? It's Your Call with Holly Kernan and you.

Guests:
Sylvia Allegretto, labor economist with the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment at UC Berkeley

Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, DC.

Click to Listen: What's your definition of a "good" job today?

Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call, it's our Friday Media Roundtable. This week, we'll discuss coverage of redistricting in California and new voter ID laws. We will also talk about coverage of the brutal suppression of protests in Syria. We'll be joined by independent journalist Brad Friedman, the Ventura County Star's Timm Herdt and Guardian's Martin Chulov joins us from Beirut. Listen live at 10 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. Where did you see the best reporting this week? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Timm Herdt, State Editor of the Ventura County Star

Martin Chulov, The Guardian's Middle East correspondent. He is currently reporting about the Syrian refugees in Turkey.

Brad Friedman, a blogger, journalist and radio broadcaster

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

How is access to healthcare changing?

On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about the future of health care and how the passage of the healthcare bill will affect access. The annual conference of America's Health Insurance Plans is in San Francisco this week discussing how the bill is affecting the insurance industry. But how is it affecting doctors and patients? Join us at 10 or email feedback@yourcallradio.org. How is the bill affecting you and what changes would you like to see in the future? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Patrick Johnston, CEO of California Association of Health Plans
Deborah Burger, president of the California Nurses Association
Julie Appleby, reporter with Kaiser Health News

Click to Listen: How is access to healthcare changing?

What do personal stories reveal about healthcare?

What do personal stories reveal about the state of healthcare and issues of life and death? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with acclaimed actress-playwright Anna Deavere Smith about her one-woman play "Let Me Down Easy." It is based on interviews with doctors, patients and people from all walks of life. Join us live at 10 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. How can art and artists become an engine of social and political change? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Anna Deavere Smith, a prize-winning actress and playwright

Click to Listen: What do personal stories reveal about healthcare?

Where is Mexico heading?

On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with John Gibler, author of To Die in Mexico: Dispatches from Inside the Drug War. During the past four years, more than 30,000 people have been killed in Mexico's drug wars. Join us live at 10 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. How is this crisis impacting the future of Mexico and what role does the U.S. play in Mexico's Drug War? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
John Gibler, a journalist based in Mexico and author of To Die in Mexico: Dispatches from Inside the Drug War

Click to Listen: Where is Mexico heading?

What's your definition of family in the 21st century?

On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with Melissa Fay Greene, author of No Biking in the House... Without a Helmet. Greene, a journalist and writer from Atlanta, Georgia, is the mother of 9 children--4 biological and 5 adopted from Bulgaria and Ethiopia. Her memoir paints a funny and moving portrait of the adoption process and raising a nontraditional family of nine. What does family mean to you? Join us at 10 or send an email to feedback@yourcallradio.org. It's Your Call with Holly Kernan and you.

Guests:
Melissa Fay Greene, journalist, mother of nine, and author of No Biking in the House... Without a Helmet

Click to Listen: What's your definition of family in the 21st century?

Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call, it's our Friday Media Roundtable. This week, we'll discuss coverage of the ongoing unemployment crisis. We will also talk about the economic crisis in Europe and the IMF's restructuring program for Greece and Portugal. We'll be joined by The Nation's William Greider, Huffington Post's Arthur Delany and Globe and Mail's Eric Reguly joins us from Rome. Where did you see the best reporting this week? Join us live at 10 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Arthur Delaney, economic reporter with The Huffington Post

William Greider, national affairs correspondent for The Nation

Eric Reguly, Globe and Mail European Business Correspondent

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

What should be done about human sex trafficking?

On the next Your Call, we'll talk about how people end up in the human sex trafficking industry. Three to five hundred thousand children are victims of commercial sexual exploitation in the U.S. each year. So what happens to them once they're inside it? And how do they get out? Join us at 10 or send an email to feedback@yourcallradio.org. What are alternatives to criminalizing exploited youth in the sex trafficking industry? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Antonia Balkanska Lavine, vice president of Standing Against Global Exploitation (SAGE) Project, Inc.

Denise Tejada, Youth Radio reporter who worked on the Trafficked series

Click to Listen: What should be done about human sex trafficking?

How should we make end of life decisions?

On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about end of life care for the terminally ill. Dr Jack Kevorkian, who passed away on Friday, sparked a heated debate about assisted suicide, but he also raised awareness about end of life and hospice care. What kind of support is available to patients and their family? Join us live at 10 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. What does it mean to die with dignity? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Robert Brody, chief of the Pain Consultation Clinic and former chair of the Ethics Committee at San Francisco General Hospital and member of the board of directors for Compassion and Choices, an organization focusing on end of life care.

Robb Miller, Executive Director, Compassion & Choices of Washington,

Donald Schumacher, President and CEO National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

Click to Listen: How should we make end of life decisions?

Is this the Palestinian moment?

With the Arab Spring changing the political dynamics in the Middle East and North Africa, is this the Palestinian moment? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about how "Arab Spring" has changed the balance between Israel and the Palestinians. Join us live at 10 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. Hamas and Fatah have decided to join forces and push for UN recognition of a Palestinian state. Would UN recognition of a Palestinian state make a difference for Palestinians and their future? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Beshara Doumani, professor of history at UC Berkeley

Jeff Halper, founder of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD)

Click to Listen: Is this the Palestinian moment?

How effective are gang injunctions in dealing with urban crime?

On the next Your Call, we'll talk about gang injunctions, or court orders that prohibit alleged gang members from activities--including associating with one another--inside a proscribed area. Proponents say injunctions make communities safer from gang violence. Opponents say they perpetuate police repression at inordinate cost to the city. Do you live in an area affected by gang violence or gang injunctions? What do you think is the best solution? Join us at 10 or send an email to feedback@yourcallradio.org. It's Your Call with Holly Kernan and you.

Guests:
Ali Winston, reporter for "The Informant" at KALW News

Whitney Walton, organizer with Oakland's Stop the Injunctions Coalition

Pat Kernighan, Oakland City Councilperson for District 2 and chair of the Public Safety Committee.

Click to Listen: How effective are gang injunctions in dealing with urban crime?

Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call, it's our Friday Media Roundtable. This week, we'll discuss coverage of attempts to slash Medicare and cut Planned Parenthood funding at the state level. Funding has already been cut in Indiana. We'll also talk about freedom of the press in Egypt post-Hosni Mubarak. We'll be joined by Columbia Journalism Review's Trudy Lieberman, RH Reality Check's Jodi Jacobson, and Ahram Online's chief editor Hani Shukrallah joins us from Cairo. Where did you see the best reporting this week? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Hani Shukrallah, Chief editor of Ahram online in Egypt

Jodi Jacobson, Chief editor of RH Reality Check

Trudy Lieberman, contributing editor of Columbia Journalism Review

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

What is the best way to reintegrate prisoners into society?

On the next Your Call, we'll talk about what it takes to help people transition from the inside to the outside. A recent Supreme Court ruling ordered California to reduce its prison population. This may mean more inmates are released on parole in the near future. But just last year California's recidivism rate was almost 70 percent. What explains that high number? Join us at 10 or send an email to feedback@yourcallradio.org. What does it take to reintegrate people behind bars back into our communities? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Linda Evans, organizer with All of Us Or None coalition and Legal Services for Prisoners with Children

Susan Burton, founder and executive director of A New Way of Life Re-Entry Project

Ramiro Mejia, resident employee at San Francisco's Delancey Street Foundation

Click to Listen: What is the best way to reintegrate prisoners into society?

Can Mother Earth hold the same rights as people?

Is it possible to grant Mother Earth the same rights as people? And what does that mean? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation on a new law in Bolivia, which redefines natural resources as blessings and gives nature the same rights as human beings. How does it translate into policy? Join us live at 10 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. Is it possible to curtail climate change and environmental destruction by giving Mother Earth the same rights as humans? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Dr. Wilma Subra, founder and president of the Subra Company of New Iberia and an accomplished environmental scientist who has been on the frontlines fighting for the rights of local communities in Louisiana following the Gulf Spill.

Pablo Solon, Bolivia's Ambassador to the United Nations.

Martin Wagner, the managing attorney at Earth Justice, an organization that works through the courts on behalf of citizen groups, scientists, and other parties to ensure government agencies and private interests follow the law.

Click to Listen: Can Mother Earth hold the same rights as people?