Your Call 053008 Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call it's our Friday Media Roundtable. This week President Bush's former press secretary Scott McClellan just came out with a tell-all book. The U.S. Senate passed a $165 billion war-spending bill with no timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. We'll talk to independent journalist Anna Badkhen who has just returned from Iraq, John Nichols from The Nation and Richard Gizbert from Al Jazeera Television Network. Where did you see the best reporting? It's Your Call with guest host Ben Temchine and you.

Guests:
John Nichols, Washington correspondent for The Nation magazine.

Anna Badkhen, a Massachusetts-based freelance reporter and a former foreign and national reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle.

Richard Gizbert, the host for The Listening Post, Al Jazeera's weekly program that focuses on the media.

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

Your Call 052908 When Big Oil Goes Wrong

When big oil goes wrong, who should be held responsible? On the next Your Call, we'll look at the environmental and human toll of oil exploration in Ecuador and ask where responsibility lies: Is it with San Ramon-based multinational Chevron? The Ecuadorian government? Or those of us who pull up to the pump? It's Your Call, with Sandip Roy, and you.

Guests:
Lou Dematteis, author/photographer of Crude Reflections just published by City Lights

Mitch Anderson, Corporate Accountability Campaigner with Amazon Watch.

Click to Listen: When Big Oil Goes Wrong

Your Call 052808 The Ethics of Fruit Hunting

Is the hunt for new flavors from the far corners of the globe ever going to be consistent with an ethical and sustainable diet? On the next Your Call we'll be joined by two authors who've chronicled the ethics, economics and aesthetics of fruit: Adam Gollner, author of "The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Adventure, Commerce, and Obsession," and Dan Koeppel, author of "Bananas!: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World." There a quarter million fruit-bearing species, and eighty thousand of them are edible. Yet most of the fruit you'll eat in your lifetime comes from only twenty crops. Monoculture is a bad idea, but is hunting for nature's best any better? It's Your Call with guest host Ben Temchine and you.

Guests:
Dan Koeppel, well-known outdoors, nature, and adventure writer. He has written columns for the New York Times Magazine and Popular Science, as well as having written extensively in a variety of mountain biking periodicals.

Adam Leith Gollner has traveled around the globe to report on the fruit underworld. He's written for The New York Times, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, and Good Magazine. The former editor of Vice Magazine, he is also a musician. The Fruit Hunters is his first book. He lives in Montreal and Los Angeles.

Click to Listen: The Ethics of Fruit Hunting

Your Call 052608 Pacific Connections: Burma Edition

What can Bay Area residents do to help Burmese victims of the cyclone and the military junta? On the next Your Call we replay a show recorded May 20th speaking with Burmese exiles across the Pacific Rim. Burma has been under military rule for more than 40 years and last year's Saffron Revolution was brutally crushed. The May 2 landfall of Cyclone Nargis added an unprecedented natural disaster to decades of suffering and neglect. What is the state of the opposition movement after so many years of repression? What forces in and outside Burma could end the decades long nightmare and how can Bay Area residents help? On the Next Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Koko Lay in San Francisco
Koko Lay was one of the organizers behind a popular people's uprising in Burma on August 8, 1988. Known as the 8-8-88 protests, the Burmese military killed more than 3,000 students and civilians. Koko Lay fled first to Thailand and then to the U.S. He is the West Coast director of the National Council of Union of Burma, the government in exile and a Master's student in the Social Change Design and Conflict Resolution program at San Francisco State.

U Kovida in San Francisco
A Burmese monk and leader of last year's Saffron Revolution against the military junta that has ruled Burma for 20 years. U Kovida led a protest march to the house of imprisoned opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. After the military assault on the monks and civilians in September of last year, U Kovida fled first to Thailand and then to the United States.

Debbie Stothard in Thailand
Founder of Altsean, a Burmese advocacy and training organization training based in Thailand.

Dr. Tint Swe in New Dehli
Elected to the Burmese parliament in the May 1990 elections. They were the first since the coup in 1962. The elections were won overwhelmingly by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, winning 392 of the 492 seats.

Click to Listen: Pacific Connections: Burma Edition

Your Call 052308 Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call it's our Friday Media Roundtable where we discuss how the news of the week was covered in the mainstream, alternative and international press. This week West Virginia and Oregon voted. Should a rally in Portland that drew a sixth of the city's population been a bigger story? Also this week, peace talks were simultaneously announced by Syria and Israel. We'll be joined by environment reporter Clare Cummings; Shmuel Rosner from Haaretz and Joe Garofoli of the San Francisco Chronicle. Where did you get the context you needed from this weeks news? It's Your Call with Ben Temchine and you.

Guests:
Clare Cummings, an environmental lawyer and journalist who writes primarily about the environmental and political implications of what we eat and how it is grown and raised. She is the author of Uncertain Peril: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Seeds.

Shmuel Rosner is the chief U.S. correspondent for Haaretz, a center-left Israeli newspaper.

Joe Garofoli writes about media trends, politics and culture for the San Francisco Chronicle.

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

Your Call 052208 What happened to Pat Tillman?

What happened to Pat Tillman? He's the San Jose-raised professional football player turned soldier who was killed in Afghanistan in April 2004. On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with Mary Tillman about her new book Boots on the Ground By Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman. Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire, but the military initially kept the details secret. How did Mary Tillman connect the dots? Why did the government hide the truth? And will anyone ever be held accountable? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Mary Tillman, author of Boots on the Ground By Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman.

Click to Listen: What happened to Pat Tillman?

Your Call 052108 Sanctuary Cities

Does a sanctuary city protect residents in a city or simply make its progressive residents feel good? On the next Your Call we'll look at Mayor Newsom's public awareness campaign educating Chinese, Russians and Latino immigrants about the public services the city will provide and the federal immigration laws they won't enforce. San Francisco has been a sanctuary city for more than 20 years and proponents say that public health and safety are all better in San Francisco for it. What are other sanctuary cities finding? This summer, San Francisco will issue local IDs to otherwise undocumented residents of the city, but municipal sanctuary doesn't protect anyone from federal raids. Are we finding the right balance? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Carolyn Tran in San Francisco
Program Coordinator for the San Francisco Immigrant Legal & Education Network.

Robert Rubin in San Francisco
Legal Director for the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Sheila Chung Hagen in San Francisco
The first Immigrant Rights Administrator for the city and county of San Francisco.

Click to Listen: Sanctuary Cities

Your Call 052008 Redevelopment Props F and G

What's the best way forward for economic development in Hunters Point? On the next Your Call, hear a debate on San Francisco Propositions F & G, which put forward competing visions for the San Francisco neighborhood. Then tune in at 9 p.m. for a special Trans-Pacific edition of the program, as we look at the situation in Burma. How have the disastrous cyclone and the slow response of the military government changed the prospects for democracy in Burma? It's Your Call - Propositions F & G at our usual time of 11 a.m., then a special nighttime program focusing on Burma at 9 p.m. It's Your Call, with me Rose Aguilar, and you.

Guests:
Johnnie Carter, spokesperson for Lennar Corp.

Julian Davis, director of SF Tomorrow and housing activists

Click to Listen: Redevelopment Props F and G

Your Call 051908 Eminent Domain Debate- Prop 98 vs. 99

Where do you stand on Propositions 98 and 99? On the next Your Call, we'll have conversation about the two competing eminent domain initiatives on the upcoming June ballot. Prop 98 supporters say it will defend homes against a takeover through eminent domain. Opponents say it goes much further. They say it would threaten environmental regulations and prohibit any new rent control laws. Who's funding Props 98 and 99? And how would you be impacted? It's Your Call with me, Rose Aguilar, and you.

Guests:
Ted Gullikson, San Francisco Tenants Union Director

Marko Mlikotin, spokesperson for Yes on 98

Click to Listen: Eminent Domain Debate- Prop 98 vs. 99

Your Call 051608 Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call it's our Friday Media Roundtable. This week China suffered one of the worst natural disasters in their recent history. We'll talk with Ted Fishman, author of China Inc. about how America's credit crunch and China's destroyed buildings intersect. We'll also speak with Monika Bauerlein, editor in chief of Mother Jones and Matt Bai, who has the cover story on this week's New York Times Magazine. Where did you see the best reporting? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Monika Bauerlein in San Francisco
Editor in Chief of Mother Jones Magazine. Mother Jones just won the National Magazine Award for General Excellence (circ. 250,000 to 500,000)

Matt Bai in New York
Author of this week's cover story in the New York Times Magazine about Sen. John McCain

Ted Fishman in Chicago
Author of China, Inc.: How the Rise of the Next Superpower Challenges America and the World and an article in this month's China issue of National Geographic.

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

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