Your Call 021508 Friday Media Roundtable

On the Next Your Call it's our Friday Media Roundtable. This week we'll speak with Anand Naidoo from Al Jazeera English about global coverage of the American primary and American coverage, or lack of coverage, of the attacks and counterattacks in walled in Gaza. We'll also speak to Aamer Madhani of the Chicago Tribune about coverage of Guantanamo and torturer's justice and Becky O'Malley, publisher of the Berkeley Daily Planet about being the life cycle of an online and on-air media firestorm. What was the best reporting you saw this week? It's Your Call with me, Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Anand Naidoo in Washington DC
Anchor and correspondent for Al-Jazeera English

Aamer Madhani
Staff writer in Washington DC where he covers national security and defense issues

Becky O'Malley in San Francisco
Publisher of the Berkeley Daily Planet.

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

Your Call 021408 The FEC is AWOL

Who keeps our elections fair? On the next Your Call we look at the dismal state of the Federal Election Commission. The FEC assesses fines years late in the best of times but right now four of six seats on the FEC board are vacant. Candidates have already spent more than half a billion dollars and the election is still 9 months away. What don't we know about where that money comes from? What is at risk with no one watching and which non-profits are filling the void? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Paul S. Ryan in Washington DC
FEC program director and associate legal counsel with Campaign Legal Center, a non-partisan non-profit organization working on campaign finance, elections and governmental ethics.

Massie Ritsch in Washington DC
Communications director for the The Center for Responsive Politics, a non-partisan, non-profit research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics, and its effect on elections and public policy.

Click to Listen: The FEC is AWOL (Audio not available)

Your Call 021308 Cell Hell

Why are American cell phones so lousy? On the next Your Call we look at the spotty reception, incomprehensible service plans, and crippled phones Americans live with. The rest of the world doesn't live this way, why do we? How did US cell service end up so inferior to what they have in Europe and Japan? What tools do we already have to get a good phone and a good contract and how do we get politicians behind reform that would improve the lives of nearly every American over age 12? It's Your Call with Sandip Roy and you.

Guests:
Bill Nusbaum in San Francisco
Telecommunications attorney for the Utilities Reform Network, based in San Francisco.

Tom Klein
President/Co-Founder of Phonedog.com, an online resource for information about the cell phone world.

Tom Merritt in San Francisco
Editor with CNet, the San Francisco based online journal of technology and culture.

Click to Listen: Cell Hell

Your Call 021208 How should we preserve biodiversity?

What is being done to protect our biodiversity? On the next Your Call, we continue our series on the commons by focusing on our ecosystem. California is one the most biologically diverse areas in the world with 30,000 species of insects, 8,000 plants, 563 birds, and 190 mammals. Globally, as many as 50,000 species disappear every year, mostly from human activity. How will global warming affect efforts to protect biodiversity? And what can we do to protect our natural resources? It's Your Call, with Sandip Roy, and you.

Guests:
Stuart Pimm, Professor of Conservation Ecology at Duke Univ.

Dr. Healy Hamilton, Director of Center for Biodiversity Research and Information at California Academy of Sciences

Peter Brastow, Founding Director of Nature in the City

Click to Listen: How should we preserve biodiversity?

Your Call 021108 Evangelicalism after the Christian Right

What's in store for the political future of the Christian Right? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about the history behind the growing influence of the Christian Right with Sarah Posner, author of God's Profits, and AM talk show host Eric Hogue. In 2004, 78 percent of all evangelicals voted for President Bush, making them the largest single voting bloc in the Republican Party. How did they become so powerful? How have they retained their influence? And with the Republican Party in disarray, what are their future strategies? It's Your Call, with me, Rose Aguilar, and you.

Guests:
Sarah Posner, author of God's Profits: Faith, Fraud and the GOP Crusade for Values Voters.

Eric Hogue, radio talk show host of KFIA 710 AM.

Click to Listen: Evangelicalism after the Christian Right

Your Call 020808 Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call it's our Friday media roundtable when we discuss how the media covered the news. This week we'll be talking about the stories you might have missed while all eyes were on Super Tuesday. Juan Cole, editor of Informed Comment will tell us what we missed in Iraq and who is still prominently placing stories on the occupation. We'll also be joined by a reporter in Louisiana talking about New Orleans's role in their coming primary. What was the best reported story you saw this week? It's Your Call with me, Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Betsy Reed in New York
Executive editor of The Nation. She is the editor of Unnatural Disaster: The Nation on Hurricane Katrina, a collection of the magazine's coverage of the storm and its aftermath

Peter Waldman in San Francisco
Senior Writer with Conde Nast Portfolio

Click to Listen: Friday Media Roundtable

Your Call 020708 In Defense of Food

Why is it so hard to figure out what we should eat? On the next Your Call we welcome back Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food. In his celebrated book The Omnivore's Dilemma, Pollan traced what it was we were eating. In his new book, he lays out his theory why a country obsessed with eating healthy is failing so utterly at the task. Could eating for pleasure be the key to a healthy body and a healthy environment? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guest:
Michael Pollan
Author of In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto.

Click to Listen: In Defense of Food

Your Call 020608 Pundit for a Day

What do yesterday's election results mean for California? On the next Your Call you play pundit for a day and give us your take on the election results. On Tuesday's Your Call we asked you to make your best pitch for your candidate, now make your best analysis. Who turned out and what does it tell us about the mood of the state? Which candidates surprised your expectations? What do you make of California's experiment in election relevance? It's Your Call with Sandip Roy and you.

Guests:
Jonathan Wilcox in Los Angeles
Republican analyst and Adjunct Professor at USC's Annenberg School for Communication

Lakshmi Chaudhry in San Francisco
Staff writer for the Nation.

Click to Listen: Pundit for a Day

Your Call 020508 Who are you voting for and why? How did you decide?

Who are you voting for on "Super Tuesday"? On the next Your Call, we want to hear from you. It's been decades since California voters actually have had a say in a closely contested presidential primary. According to pollsters, the symbolic nature of who carries California will ring throughout the nation. Voter turnout is expected to be huge. 5.5 million requested absentee ballots. That's a record! 20 percent are still undecided, so whom are you voting for and how did you decide? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle reporter
Possible guest from Univision (to be confirmed)

Click to Listen: Who are you voting for and why? How did you decide?

Your Call 020408 Prez. Candidates' Positions on Military Spending & Global Trade

How do the presidential candidates differ on military spending, the global economy and trade? On the next Your Call, one day before the California primary, Chalmers Johnson will give us his take on the similarities and difference between the candidates; and Public Citizen Todd Tucker joins us to discuss their views on trade. What changes should we expect, once we get a new president? Do you have pressing questions before you go to the polls? It’s Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Todd Tucker, research director with Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, based in Washington, DC.

Chalmers Johnson, president of the Japan Policy Research Institute.

Click to Listen: Prez. Candidates' Positions on Military Spending & Global Trade

Your Call 020108 Friday Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call it's our Friday Media Roundtable, where we discuss how the news of the week was reported in the mainstream, alternative and international press. This Friday is the last media roundtable before Super Duper Tuesday; We’ll speak with John Hockenberry, host of PRI’s new morning program and co-host of a national broadcast Tuesday night with KALW, WNYC in New York and KPCC in Los Angeles. We’ll also talk with Frank Russo of the California Progress Report about coverage of all of California's voting constituencies and Nick Gillespie, editor of Reason Magazine about the FISA law and the crumbling economy. What was the best reported story you saw all week? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Frank Russo in Berkeley
Founder and publisher of the California Progress Report.

Nick Gillespie in Washington
editor of Reason Magazine and

John Hockenberry in New York City
Multiple Emmy and Peabody award winning journalist, formerly with NPR and now the co-host of PRI’s new Morning Show, which will launch in April(ish). He will also be co-hosting election night coverage on Tuesday from WNYC with KALW and KPCC in Los Angeles.

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

Your Call 013108 Is there a Pacific Rim Community?

Is there a Pacific Rim Community? On the next Your Call we replay a show we recorded Tuesday launching a new series creating connections across the ocean. First up, Australia. For the first time in 11 years, conservatives are out of power in Australia. Tuesday night we spoke with a panel of journalists about the issues, challenges and aspirations that influence Australian politics. New Prime Minister Kevin Rudd repudiates Australias involvement in the Iraq war but promises continued close ties to the US. Are closer ties between the two sides of the Pacific in the cards? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Click to Listen: Is there a Pacific Rim Community?

Your Call 013008 Debate about California community colleges

Should California change the constitution to increase funding for community colleges?  On the next Your Call we continue our coverage of the February 5th ballot by considering Proposition 93.  Prop 93 would lower fees and increase funding for community colleges and change the way the state distributes education funds.  Is this the best way to do that?  How do we balance K through 12 with college education and if we have the balance wrong, is the new proposition the right solution?  It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Edward Murray in SF
English as a Second Language instructor at City College of San Francisco for 28 years. He is the current president of American Federation of Teachers, Local 2121, which represents all faculty at CCSF, including teachers, counselors, health care professionals, and researchers.
 
Egon Terplan in SF
Economic Development and Governance Policy Director for SPUR, the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association, a good government think tank based in the city. 

Click to Listen: Debate about California community colleges

Your Call 012908 The Indian Gaming Propositions

Are the Indian gaming propositions good for California? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about Prop's 94 through 97. Next Tuesday, Californians get their say on deals that allow four southern California tribes to triple their slot machines in return for more money for the State’s General Fund. Are the deals any good? And if they are voted down, what leverage does the state have over sovereign states to get a better deal? It’s been ten years since Californians approved Indian gambling; has it worked out the way you had hoped? It’s Your Call, with guest host Ben Temchine, and you.

Guests:
Nelson Rose, professor of law & attorney
James P. Sweeney, reporter with the San Diego Tribune

Click to Listen: The Indian Gaming Propositions

Your Call 012808 How to decipher a poll

How reliable are Political Polls? On the next Your Call, we’ll have a discussion about the history of polling. The first straw poll was taken in The Harrisburg, Pennsylvanian in 1824. But it was not until the 1960’s that pollsters came up with what today is called “scientific polling”. So, how are the polls funded? How are they conducted? And more importantly, how accurate are these polls? It’s Your Call, with guest host Ben Temchine, and you.

Guest:
Michael Schwartz, professor of sociology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook

Charles Franklin, professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin

Click to Listen: How to decipher a poll

Your Call 012508 Friday Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call, it’s our Friday Media Roundtable. This week, Arab Media & Society’s Lawrence Pintak joins us from Cairo to discuss coverage of the explosions that brought a sudden end to the blockade on Gaza. Amy Gluckman of Dollars and Sense joins us to talk about what is being left out of economic coverage. And the Black Agenda Report’s Glenn Ford gives us his take on how race is being covered in the lead up to the South Carolina primary. Where did you find solid reporting this week? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar.

Guest:
Lawrence Pintak,
editor and co-publisher of Arab Media & Society,

Amy Gluckman
co-editor of Dollars and Sense,

Glen Ford
editor of the Black Agenda Report.

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

Your Call 012408 What is the state of Iraqi government?

What is the current state of Iraqi government? On the next Your Call, we’ll discuss the internal political situation in Iraq. Earlier this week, a suicide bomber walked into a school in downtown Baquba, wounding 20 students and teachers. As the United State is claiming victory with its so-called surge, Iraq is marred with daily violence. What has changed in Iraq? And what role is the Iraqi government playing to keep the country together? It’s your call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guest:
Yanar Mohammed, an Iraqi activist and the director of the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq.

Nabil Al-Tikriti, an assistant professor of history at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Click to Listen: What is the state of Iraqi government?

Your Call 012308 Celebrating Simone de Beauvoir’s 100th Birthday

French writer Simone de Beauvoir was born 100 years ago this month. Does her message still resonate today? On the next Your Call, we’ll have a conversation about de Beauvoir’s life and work. One of the most preeminent French existentialist philosophers and writers, her seminal work, The Second Sex, has become a classic in feminist literature. What is the significance of her work today? How far have women come since the publication of her book in 1949? It’s Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guest:
Nancy Bauer, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Tufts University in Boston. She is the author of Simone de Beauvoir: The Making of an Intellectual Woman.

Toril Moi, James B. Duke Professor of Literature and Romance Studies at Duke University. She is the author of Simone de Beauvoir, Philosophy, and Feminism.

Click to Listen: Celebrating Simone de Beauvoir’s 100th Birthday

Your Call 012208 Can Business End Poverty?

Is a new business model the key to ending poverty? On the next Your Call we welcome Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank to discuss how business will beat poverty. The Grameen Bank made small loans to the very poor and freed millions of people from the bonds of abject poverty. In his new book, Creating a World Without Poverty, Yunus lays out his vision for a global marketplace that values the whole human being, not just profits. How can we harness the dynamism of the free market to end poverty? It's Your Call with Sandip Roy and you.

Guest:
Muhammad Yunus
Nobel Prize winning founder of the Grameen Bank and author of Creating A World Without Poverty: Social Business And The Future Of Capitalism

Click to Listen: Can Business End Poverty?

Your Call 012108 How do we maximize voter turnout?

Click to Listen: How do we maximize voter turnout?