How can we ensure food safety without threatening small organic farmers?

On the next Your Call, we'll look at just what "food safety" means to Congress and the FDA. Senate Bill 510 would create stricter and more extensively enforced rules for produce growers. How would that bill affect small family farms and organic growers? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. The period for public comment on the bill ends in July. How do you want your food grown and handled? It's Your Call, with Sandip Roy and you.

Guest:
Dale Coke--organic farmer, Coke Farms
Jo Ann Baumgartner--director of the Wild Farm Alliance
Ken Kimes--organic farmer, New Natives Organic Sprouts

Click to Listen: How can we ensure food safety without threatening small organic farmers?

How have slavery and racism influenced our penal system?

How have the legacies of slavery and racism influenced our current penal system? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with two authors who've written about the history and modern day realities of the U.S. prison system. The U.S. imprisons more people than any other country in the world--roughly 2.4 million are behind bars on a given day. What do the soaring rates, non-rehabilitative methods, and racist, classist patterns of incarceration in this country say about American society? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. Does mass incarceration put democracy at risk? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guest:
Robert Perkinson--author of Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire
Michelle Alexander--author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

Click to Listen: How have slavery and racism influenced our penal system?

How is corporate power shaping American science?

How is corporate power shaping American science? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with Naomi Oreskes, author of Merchants of Doubt. With corporate dollars driving research agendas, are scientists losing their trust among the broader public? How do you assess the independence of scientists? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. Should the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico make us reconsider partnerships like that between BP and UC Berkeley? And how can truly independent science be funded? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guest:
Naomi Oreskes, professor of History and Science Studies at the University of California San Diego and an author.

Click to Listen: How is corporate power shaping American science?

Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call, it's our Friday Media Roundtable. This week, we'll continue with our coverage of the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and the targeting of immigrants involved in oil clean up. We'll also talk about coverage of the Gaza-bound Flotilla and California election results. We'll be joined by investigative journalist, Max Blumenthal in Tel Aviv, Color Line's Brentin Mock, and journalist Joe Mathews. Where did you see the best reporting this week? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Joe Mathews is a journalist and a contributing writer at the Los Angeles Times.

Max Blumenthal is a senior writer for The Daily Beast and contributor to outlets including The Nation, Al Jazeera English, and Salon.com.

Brentin Mock is a New Orleans-based reporter.

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

What's the state of Iran's democracy movement?

What's the state of Iran's democracy movement? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about what's happening in Iran one year after the disputed presidential election and massive street protests. According to Amnesty International, a widening crackdown on dissent has left many journalists and activists in prisons. Some have been executed. What's left of the democracy movement?

Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. What is the appropriate role of the international community and foreign activists in supporting democratic change in Iran? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Mansour Farhang, professor of International relations at Bennigton College
Kaveh Ehsani, assistant professor of international studies at DePaul
Sahar Sajadi, a women's right activist
Ali Abdollahi, a Hip Hop artist with the revolution of mind

Click to Listen: What's the state of Iran's democracy movement?

How can we live less toxic lives?

How can we live less toxic lives? On the next Your Call, we'll talk about practical ways to avoid the myriad of carcinogens around us. A recently-released President's Cancer Panel report says the environmental causes of cancer have been grossly underestimated. So how can we, as individuals and communities, take steps to reduce the risks posed by chemicals in our lives?

Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. What are simple choices we can make to reduce our exposure to carcinogens? It's Your Call, with Sandip Roy and you.

Guests:
Caroline Cox, research director for The Center for Environmental Health

Cynthia Knowles, residential toxics reduction specialist with the San Francisco Department of the Environment

Click to Listen: How can we live less toxic lives?

How will the BP disaster affect us long-term?

What are the long-term environmental effects of the BP oil disaster? On the next Your Call, we'll talk about the devastation we're seeing, along with the hidden casualties. We're facing months of oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, at a rate now close to 100,000 barrels per day, according to scientist Ira Leifer. How will that affect life above and below the surface in the Gulf and beyond?

Guests:
Richard Steiner, a retired marine conservation professor at the University of Alaska
Shaye Wolf, PhD., staff biologist for the Center for Biological Diversity
Carl Safina, ecologist, marine conservationist, and president of Blue Ocean Institute
Riki Ott, marine biologist, activist, and author of Not One Drop: Promises, Betrayal, and Courage in the Wake of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

Click to Listen: How will the BP spill affect us long-term?

What's the future of public electricity in California?

What's the future of public electricity in California? On the next Your Call, we'll have a debate about Proposition 16 on the June 8th ballot. The PG&E-backed Proposition 16 would significantly raise the bar for cities and counties that want to get into the power business. What's the current state of public power in California? What are the existing democratic checks on the way public power operates? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. What would municipal power offer that private companies don't? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Stephanie Chen, legal counsel for the Greenlining Institute
Robin Swanson, principal of Swanson Communications

Click to Listen: What's the future of public electricity in California?

Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call, it's our Friday Media Roundtable. This week, we'll discuss media coverage of the Gaza-bound flotilla attacked by Israeli commandos, the ongoing oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico -- the oil is now close to Florida -- and the escalation of violence in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We'll be joined by Daily Beast's Rick Outzen and independent journalist Pratap Chatterjee. Join us live at 11 or send us and email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. Where did you see the best reporting this week? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Rick Outzen, publisher and editor of Independent News, the alternative newsweekly for Northwest Florida

Pratap Chatterjee, an investigative journalist and progressive author.

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

Will the Flotilla attack affect Israel?

How will the attack on the "Freedom Flotilla" affect Israel's relations with the world? On the next Your Call, we'll talk about the implications of Israel's deadly raid on Turkish ships carrying international activists and humanitarian aid for Gaza. As many as 10 people on board the flotilla were killed and dozens more wounded; among them were Turkish and American nationals. Will this incident shift world opinion of Israel? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. What should the U.S. do to hold Israel accountable? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
George Bisharat, UC Hastings law professor
Neve Gordon, Ben Guiron University professor, author of Israel's Occupation
Miko Peled, Israeli peace activist living in San Diego
Peter Beinart, associate professor at City University of New York, author of The Icarus Syndrome: A History of American Hubris

Click to Listen: Will the Flotilla attack affect Israel?

Is Prop. 15 good campaign finance reform?

Does Proposition 15 offer a good model for campaign finance reform in California? On the next Your Call, we'll examine Proposition 15 on the June 8th ballot. The proposition would publicly fund just a small part of California's elections: the race for Secretary of State. Does it provide a good model for a broader public funding scheme? Are there better examples outside California?

Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. What does the resistance to Prop. 15 say about the political hurdles for the introduction of any public funding to state campaigns? It's Your Call, with Sandip Roy and you.

Guests:
Trent Lange, campaign chair for Yes on 15, The California Fair Elections Act
Richard Wiebe, spokesperson for StopProp15.com

Click to Listen: Is Prop. 15 good campaign finance reform?

Does California need a Top Two primary?

Would non-partisan primaries make a better democracy in California? On the next Your Call, we'll facilitate a debate on Proposition 14--the proposition on the June 8th ballot that would eliminate party primaries in favor of a "top two" primary in which all candidates participate. Would that set-up make Sacramento more effective?

Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. What kind of candidates and campaigns would be strengthened by a "top two" primary? Where do you stand on Prop. 14? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Richard Winger, editor of Ballot Access News (No on 14)

Brian Brennan, Senior Director of Member Services for the Silicon Valley Leadership Group

Click to Listen: Does California need a Top Two primary?

Has Obama helped veterans?

What has changed for the Iraq War veterans since President Obama took office? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with independent journalist Dahr Jamail and two Iraq War veterans. Out of two million U.S. soldiers who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq, one in three may, at some point, develop post-traumatic stress disorder. What resources are there to support the veterans of United States wars? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar. How do they adapt to civilian life?

Guests:
Dahr Jamail, award winning independent journalist and author of The Will to Resist: Soldiers Who Refuse to Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan

Alejandro Villatoro, Iraq War veteran with the Army Reserve and a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War

Crystal Colon-Ferren, a recent veteran of the Iraq War and a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War

Click to Listen: Has Obama helped veterans?

Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call, it's our Friday Media Roundtable. This week, we discuss coverage of the ongoing oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, rising tensions between North and South Korea and Wall Street Reform. We'll be joined by Washington Independent's Annie Lowrey, Christian Science Monitor's Don Kirk -- he'll be joining us from South Korea -- and Times-Picayune's Chris Kirkham. Where did you see the best reporting this week? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Chris Kirkham, staff writer at the Times-Picayune, covering St. Bernard Parish and coastal issues

Annie Lowrey, economy reporter with Washington Independent

Donald Kirk, Korea Correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor. He is author of Korea Betrayed: Kim Dae Jung and Sunshine

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

How do chemicals in our environment impact our risk of getting cancer?

How do chemicals in our environment impact our risk of getting cancer? On the next Your Call, we'll look at the connections between the parallel explosion of human-made carcinogens and cancer rates. President Obama's Cancer Panel issued a report highlighting the links between the nearly 80,000 chemicals on the market in the U.S. and the incidence of cancer. Given this knowledge, how should chemicals be regulated?

Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. Whose responsibility is it to protect us from environmentally induced cancer? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Michael Green, director of Center for Environmental Health

Dr. Samuel Epstein, professor emeritus of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health and author of The Politics of Cancer

Nancy Beurmeyer, senior policy strategist at the Breast Cancer Fund

Dr. Anila Jacob, senior scientist with Environmental Working Group

Click to Listen: How do chemicals in our environment impact our risk of getting cancer?

What's next for Tibet?

What's next for Tibet? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with the Prime Minister of the Tibetan Government in Exile, Professor Samdhong Rinpoche, and two activists for Tibetan sovereignty. Since fleeing from Tibet in 1959, the Dalai Lama has advocated for a nonviolent relationship with China. But some Tibetans feel this might not be an effective approach. How does an exiled diaspora resist a totalitarian government? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. What's in store for the future of Tibet? It's Your Call, with Sandip Roy, and you.

Guests:
Professor Samdhong Rinpoche, Prime Minister of the Tibetan Government in Exile

Canyon Sam, Chinese-American activist and author of Sky Train: Tibetan Women on the Edge of History

Kunsang Kelden, a Tibetan living in exile, and former board member for Students for a Free Tibet.

Click to Listen: What's next for Tibet?

How has the birth control pill changed women's lives?

On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with Elaine Tyler May, professor of American Studies at the University of Minnesota and author of America and the Pill: A History of Promise, Peril, and Liberation. Around 100 million women world-wide including 12 million women in the United States take a form of regular oral contraceptive. What should we be celebrating as the pill turns 50 this year? What are the Pill's downsides?

Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. What effect has the pill had on your life? Do you think it has been good for society as a whole? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guest:
Elaine Tyler May, professor of American Studies at the University of Minnesota and author of America and the Pill: A History of Promise, Peril and Liberation

Click to Listen: How has the birth control pill changed women's lives?

How is money changing politics?

How is money changing politics? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with Peter Stone, author of Casino Jack and the United States of Money about Washington super lobbyist, Jack Abramoff. In 2009, special interest groups spent more than 3 billion dollars to buy favors. What does Jack Abramoff's case tell us about the role of lobbyists in Washington? How do they affect the average citizen?

Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. What does it take to bring reform to Washington? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guest:
Peter Stone, a journalist covering lobbying and campaign finance issues for National Journal

Click to Listen: How is money changing politics?

Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call, it's our Friday Media Roundtable. This week, we continue with our coverage of the expanding oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, US plans to pursue UN sanctions against Iran, and Midterm Election Primaries. We'll be joined by Huffington Post's Marcus Baram, freelance journalist Reese Erlich and The American Independent News Network's editor John Amick.

Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. Where did you see the best reporting this week? It's Your Call, with Sandip Roy and you.

Guests:
Marcus Baram, a news editor at the Huffington Post
Reese Erlich, an investigative reporter, and broadcast journalist
John Amick, an editor with The American Independent News Network

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

What is the US role in Juarez?

How are US policies towards Mexico impacting the socio-economic landscape in the border town of Juarez? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with Charles Bowden, author of Murder City: the Ciudad Juarez and the Global Economy's New Killing Fields. Ciudad Juarez, across the river from El Paso, Texas, has become the murder capital of the world, three times more violent than Baghdad. So what explains the rise in drug related violence in Juarez and the rest of Mexico?

Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. What should we do on this side of the border to stop the flow of drugs? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guest:
Charles Bowden, author of Murder City: the Ciudad Juarez and the Global Economy's New Killing Fields

Click to Listen: What is the US role in Juarez?