Your Call 051508 The Emptying Oceans

Can you still eat seafood for dinner and sleep well at night? On the next Your Call we speak with Taras Grescoe, author of Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood. Grescoe, a travel writer, has sampled the best the world has to offer: bouillabaisse in Marseille, sushi in Tokyo. But he found that his was one mouth among way too many and his book is a wide-ranging survey of failing global fish stocks. Are calamari, oysters and swordfish off the menu forever? Can 6 billion people live well and healthy only at the expense of the seas? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guest:
Taras Grescoe in San Francisco

Author of Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood. Taras is a frequent contributor to the New York Times, the Independent, and National Geographic Traveler.

Click to Listen: The Emptying Oceans

Your Call 051408 Forget Me Not

Are we close to solving the problem of catastrophic memory loss? On the next Your Call we talk with Sue Halpern, author of Can’t Remember What I Forgot: The Good News From the Front Lines of Memory Research. More people fear getting Alzheimer’s than cancer. Why does memory loss frighten us so much? Will drug, surgical and computer-based cures solve the problem of memory loss or do they foretell an era of mental enhancements that will have unpredictable results? It’s Your Call with Ben Temchine and you.

Guest:
Sue Halpern in San Francisco

Author of 8 books including Four Wings and a Prayer and Migrations to Solitude. Her latest book is Can't Remember What I Forgot: The Good News from the Front Lines of Memory Research. She is a former Rhodes Scholar and Guggenheim Fellow, is a scholar-in-residence at Middlebury College and the director of the non-profit Face of Democracy project which teaches documentary journalism to high school students. Mrs. Halpern lives in Vermont and the Adirondacks with her husband Bill McKibben and their daughter Sophie.

Click to Listen: Forget Me Not

Your Call 051308 Guantanamo's Future

The major candidates running for president say if elected, they will close down Guantanamo. Then what? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about the future of U.S. counter terrorism policies with Human Rights Watch's Stacy Sullivan. She recently sat in on a trial in Guantanamo. We'll also talk with Ivan Eland, The Independent Institute senior fellow. What will happen to Guantanamo's 280 prisoners if it shuts down? And what can we expect from the conversation about counter terrorism in the lead up to the Nov. election? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Dr. Ivan Eland is a Fellow with the Independent Institute and the author of The Empire: Has No Clothes: U.S. Foreign Policy Exposed.

Stacy Sullivan is a counterterrorism advisor with Human Rights Watch. She is just back from Guantanamo where she was a court observer.

Click to Listen: Guantanamo's Future

Your Call 051208 Candidates Ralph Nader and Cynthia Ann McKinney

Will third party candidates make a difference this election? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with Ralph Nader who's running for president on the Independent ticket, and former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia Ann McKinney. She is running as a Green. Nader has been an effective crusader for the consumer rights and McKinney has been an outspoken anti-war advocate. But who is listening? What is their platform? Do you think their message can impact the election? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Ralph Nader, renowned advocate for the rights of consumers and Independent presidential candidate

Cynthia Ann McKinney, former Congresswoman from Georgia and Green Party presidential candidate.

Click to Listen: Candidates Ralph Nader and Cynthia Ann McKinney

Your Call 050908 Media Roundtable

What has been missing from this week's news coverage? On the next Your Call, Rose Aguilar, will speak with journalists reporting on national and international issues. What happened to stories on Iraq? What do you think of election coverage? Any reporting that stood out? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
John Nichols, writer at The Nation and blogger

Tina Susman, Bureau Chief of Los Angeles Times, Baghdad

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

Your Call 050808 Author Louise Erdrich

How does a novel mixed with history, magic and mystery get stitched together? On the next Your Call, Rose Aguilar speaks with Louise Erdrich about her latest novel The Plague of Doves which unravels the lynching of three innocent Native Americans after a farming family is brutally murdered. Her novel is based on similar events that occurred in 1897. The perpetrators and the victims of the crime end up intermarrying. Pieces of history are woven throughout her novel. Erdrich's stories focus on native communities in North Dakota similar to her own growing up. Why are these stories important to write? Have you read Erdrich's previous novels or poetry? Join us. It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guest:
Renowned author Louise Erdrich

Click to Listen: Renowned author Louise Erdrich

Your Call 050708 Divided Historical Memory -- A look at the Arab-Israeli war of 1948

Can there be peace between peoples who have such a radically different interpretation of a key moment in their shared history? The war of 1948 has forever shaped the middle east. What do you know about it? On the next Your Call, we'll hear personal stories from survivors from both sides of the conflict. Can getting at the truth of past national conflicts help move both sides toward peace? 60 years later, how can we move towards solutions? It's Your Call with Sandip Roy and you.

Guests:
Dr. Ghada Karmi is an author along with being research fellow at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, Exeter University, and a former consultant to the Palestinian Authority. She was born in Jerusalem but in 1948 was forced along with her family to relocate to London.

Uri Averny is a journalist and author who fought in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. He is also the founder of Gush Shalom, a peace organization based in Israel.

Zeev Maoz is an author and professor of Political Science at the University of California, Davis. He is also director of their International Relations Program.

Event: “Remembering 1948.” Sat., May 31, 7:30pm. (Doors open at 7pm). Personal narratives by Jews and Palestinians about the establishment of the State of Israel, experienced as a liberatory event by many Jews in the wake of the holocaust, and also experienced as a national catastrophe or Nakba by Palestinians. Co-sponsored by Jewish Voice for Peace and Kehilla. Held at 1300 Grand Avenue, Piedmont, CA.

Click to Listen: Divided Historical Memory -- A look at the Arab-Israeli war of 1948

Your Call 050608 How has your relationship with your mother changed over time?

How has your relationship with mother changed over time? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with Deborah Tannen, author of You're Wearing THAT? Understanding Mothers and Daughters in conversation. We'll also speak to William Poy Lee about what he learned after spending six months interviewing his mom about her past. How is your relation with your mom and how has it evolved over time? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Deborah Tannen author of You're Wearing THAT? Understanding Mothers and Daughters in conversation.

William Poy Lee, author of The Eighth Promise: An American Son's Tribute to His Toisanese Mother.

Click to Listen: How has your relationship with your mother changed over time?

Your Call 050508 Healthy San Francisco

What is the status of Healthy California? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about a new plan to provide health care to 82,000 uninsured city residents. So far 700 business representing almost 13,000 employees have signed up. But the Golden Gate Restaurant Association opposes the program, so how does the plan work? Who is paying for it? And is it the best way to provide the uninsured with health care? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Dr. Mitchell Katz, director of San Francisco Department of Public Health

Kevin Westlye, executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association

Click to Listen: Healthy San Francisco

Your Call 050208 Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call, it's our Media Roundtable. The Reverend Jeremiah Wright continues to dominate headlines. Is the coverage justified? The American Prospect's Sarah Posner joins us to discuss religion coverage in general. And the Free Press's Harvey Wasserman will talk about coverage of the Supreme Court's decision to uphold a law requiring citizens to show an ID card before voting. We'll also talk about the coverage of Iraq. Where did you see solid reporting? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Dahr Jamail, an independent journalist and the author of Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq

Sarah Posner has covered the religious right for The American Prospect, The Gadflyer, and AlterNet. Her new book is God's Profits: Faith, Fraud, and the Republican Crusade for Values Voters

Harvey Wasserman, Senior Editor of Free Press

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

Your Call 050108 Where is Labor today?

Where is Labor today? On the Next Your Call, on May Day, we will have a discussion with Fernando Gapasin, co-author of the book Solidarity Divided: The Crisis in Organized Labor and a New Path toward Social Justice. The book examines the changes in U.S. manufacturing and influence of the environment on labor. How important is organized labor today? And what does it mean to you? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Fernando Gapasin, co-author of Solidarity Divided: The Crisis in Organized Labor and a New Path toward Social Justice; A new direction for labor by two of its leading activist intellectuals

Dr. Steven Pitts, a Labor Policy Specialist at Center for Labor Studies at UC Berkeley

Clarence Thomas, co-chair of International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU).

Click to Listen: Where is Labor today?

Your Call 043008 The Vitamin Quandary

Are the vitamins you’re taking helping or hurting? On the next Your Call we’ll talk about recent nutritional research that has shown limited benefits to taking dietary supplements and vitamins. With the FDA not testing the health claims of the manufacturers and peer reviewed studies casting doubt on their efficacy, what do we know about vitamin and mineral supplements? What can they do? Are they ever necessary for people who eat a relatively healthy diet? It’s Your Call with Sandip Roy and you.

Guests:
Dr. Stephen Barrett in Chapel Hill
Retired psychiatrist and co-author and editor of 50 books including the textbook Consumer Health: A Guide to Intelligent Choices. He is the founder and editor of quackwatch.org.
 
Dr. Lisa Bero in San Francisco
Professor of Clinical Pharmacy at UCSF and Co-Director of the United States San Francisco Cochrane Center. Dr. Bero is a pharmacologist with primary interests in how clinical and basic sciences are translated into clinical practice and health policy.

Click to Listen: The Vitamin Quandary

Your Call 042908 The Death of Dr. King

Forty years after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., how relevant is his message today? On the next Your Call, we'll speak with Michael Eric Dyson, author of April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Death and How it Changed America. Dyson tells personal stories about King, specifically how he thought about and prepared for his assassination. He said he went to bed many nights scared to death. How have King's words impacted the political conversation we're having today? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar.

Guest:
Michael Eric Dyson in San Francisco
University Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University and author of sixteen books including April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Death and How It Changed America

Michael Eric Dyson Events:

• Tuesday night in Lafayette


• Wednesday afternoon in San Francisco


• Wednesday night in Oakland

Click to Listen: The Death of Dr. King

Your Call 042808 Controlling Contractors

After years of shocking revelations about their actions in war zones, what roles are contractors playing in America's diplomatic and military efforts? On the next Your Call we'll speak with contractors-turned-whistleblowers and a representative of what they are calling Peace Operation Companies about the laws that have changed, and which still don't apply. Did the bad press about murders, rapes and hefty bills cause a governmental rethink about contractors, or has business returned to normal in the fog of war? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Kevin Lanigan in Washington, DC
Director of the Law & Security Program at Human Rights First. He leads Human Rights First's efforts to ensure a greater understanding of and respect for human rights in U.S. national security policy.

Tara Lee in Reston, VA
Former Navy JAG and former Resident Fellow at the Center for the Study of Professional Military Ethics at the United States Naval Academy. She currently practices law in the National Security Practice Group of a major U.S. law firm.

Jamie Leigh in Texas
Former contractor for KBR, a Halliburton subsidiary, in Iraq who sued KBR after she was allegedly raped by co-workers and imprisoned by her superiors. After two years of investigation, neither the Pentagon nor the Justice Department have filed charges.

Todd Kelley in Texas
Jamie Leigh's Lawyer

Click to Listen: Controlling Contractors

Your Call 042508 Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call it's our Friday media roundtable when we speak with journalists about the differences between what happened and what was reported. This week we'll speak with Dan Froomkin, writer of the column White House Beat on Washingtonpost.com, and Greg Mitchell of Editor and Publisher. This week saw a blockbuster investigative reporting piece in the New York Times exposing the financial and personal web that tied the Pentagon to purportedly independent military analysts. Was this just getting the message out as the Pentagon claimed, or a tax payer supported disinformation campaign? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Dan Froomkin in Virginia
Writer of the column White House Beat on Washingtonpost.com

Greg Mitchell in New York
Editor of Editor and Publisher and author of So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits--and the President--Failed on Iraq

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

Your Call 042408 The Beginning of the End

Why is the American Dollar doing as badly as it is? On the next Your Call we speak with Kevin Phillips, author of Bad Money: Reckless Finance, Failed Politics, and the Global Crisis of American Capitalism. Phillips has been chronicling the effects of imperial America and political religiosity since the beginning of the Bush Administration. As the sun sets on the Bush years, Phillips sifts through the wreckage of our economic system and a legacy built on oil wars, easy credit and financial volatility. Are we losing the American way of life? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guest:
Kevin Phillips in San Francisco
Former aid to President Nixon and author of Bad Money: Reckless Finance, Failed Politics, and the Global Crisis of American Capitalism and 13 previous books including American Theocracy and the critically acclaimed The Emerging Republican Majority

Kevin Phillips is speaking tonight at the World Affairs Council in SF at 6:00 pm

Click to Listen: The Beginning of the End

Your Call 042308 McMafia

How do the international black market and national governments collude and cooperate in the black market? On the next Your Call we speak with journalist Misha Glenny, author of McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld. Glenny was correspondent in South-eastern Europe and chronicled the rise of the criminal gangs that prospered during the post-Soviet chaos. The World Trade Organization now estimates that 20 percent of global trade is now controlled by criminal enterprises. Where does the line between illegal arms and drug dealing cross into official state policy? It's Your Call with Sandip Roy and you.

Guest:
Misha Glenny in San Francisco
Author of McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld.

Click to Listen: McMafia

Your Call 042208 EPA's Environmental Policies

What's the current status of the Environmental Protection Agency? On the next Your Call, on Earth Day, we'll take a look at how environmental policies have changed under the Bush administration. Since its inception in 1970, the EPA has monitored air, water, land and human health but according to critics, the Agency has put politics and money over science. What's it going to take to get the EPA to do its job? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Dr. William Hirzy, a senior EPA scientist and Ph.D., executive vice president of National Treasury Employee Union Chapter 280.

Kurt Gottfried, co-founder and chair of the Union of Concerned Scientists, is emeritus professor of physics at Cornell University.

EPA representative to be confirmed

Click to Listen: EPA's Environmental Policies

Your Call 042108 What caused the global food crisis?

What's behind the current global food crisis? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved: Markets, Power and the Hidden Battle for the World Food System. Since 2007, there has been a 40 percent rise in food prices worldwide, making rice, corn, and wheat unaffordable for many people. As a result, food riots are on the rise. How did this crisis happen? Who's been impacted? And where should we look for solutions? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guest:
Raj Patel, visiting scholar in the Center for African Studies at the University of California at Berkeley

Click to Listen: What caused the global food crisis?

Your Call 041808 Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call it's our Friday media roundtable. This week saw the worst series of suicide bombings in Iraq in months. We'll talk with the Independent's Iraq correspondent and author of the new book, Moqtada, Patrick Cockburn. This week also saw what is likely to be the final debate between Clinton and Obama. Anything of substance go on there? We'll talk with Danny Schechter of the News Dissector. What was the best reporting you saw this week? It's Your Call With Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests

Will Bunch in Philadelphia

Will is the Pulitzer Prize winning senior writer for the Philadelphia Daily News, its former political writer and the author of Daily News' blog, Attytood.

Patrick Cockburn in Great Britain

Author of Muqtada: Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shia Revival, and the Struggle for Iraq, and the UK Independent's correspondent, Cockburn has spent about half of the last five years reporting, unembedded, around Iraq, a country he's been visiting since 1977.

Danny Schechter

Founder and executive editor of MediaChannel. His work has been honored with Emmy awards, the IRIS award, the George Polk Award, the Major Armstrong Award, and honors from the National Association of Black Journalists.

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable