Wednesday, June 30, 2010

What will today's Supreme Court be remembered for?

What will today's Supreme Court be remembered for? On the next Your Call, as the Senate Judiciary Committee holds hearings on Elena Kagan's nomination, we'll talk about how decisions facing the Court today will impact society in the long term. Where is the law changing most? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. How are technological and social change challenging interpretations of the Constitution? Is there a recent ruling or an upcoming case you think will make a big difference in the years to come? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Rory Little--UC Hastings Professor of Law
Daniel Farber--UC Berkeley Professor of Law and author of Judgment Calls: Politics and Principle in Constitutional Law

Click to Listen: What will today's Supreme Court be remembered for?

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

What has No Child Left Behind done to public education?

On the next Your Call, we'll speak with Diane Ravitch, author of The Death and Life of the Great American School System. Ravitch was a prominent advocate for charter schools and high-stakes testing under the first Bush administration, but she recently had what she calls a radical change of heart. How has No Child Left Behind affected the schools in your area? How can we create a quality public education school system? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar, and you.

Guests:
Diane Ravitch--education professor at NYU and author of The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education

Click to Listen: What has No Child Left Behind done to public education?

Monday, June 28, 2010

Does radical economics matter?

Does radical economics matter? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about the relevance of radical economic analysis today and how radical perspectives could help us understand the global economic crisis. More than 20,000 activists participated in the weeklong U.S. Social Forum in Detroit. What useful tools can activists learn from such gatherings to build alternative models at the grassroots? And as mainstream economics has lost it credibility, have radical economists gained attention? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Costas Panayotakis, associate professor of sociology at the New York City College of Technology at CUNY

Anwar Shaikh, professor of economics at the New School for Social Research

Adrienne Maree Brown, executive director of The Ruckus Society, and National Coordinator of The U.S. Social Forum

Click to Listen: Does radical economics matter?

Friday, June 25, 2010

Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call, it's our Friday Media Roundtable. This week, we'll continue discussing coverage of the expanding oil disaster. Who is writing about vulnerable communities? We'll also discuss coverage of financial reform legislation and the G20 summit in Canada, which is costing Canadian taxpayers more than one billion dollars. We'll be joined by the Washington Independent's Anne Lowery, ColorLines' Brentin Mock and Toronto Star's Olivia Ward. 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 Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Olivia Ward, a foreign affairs writer for the Toronto Star

Brentin Mock, a New Orleans-based reporter who contributes regularly to TheRoot.com and ColorLines

Annie Lowery, an economic reporter with the Washington Independent


Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

Thursday, June 24, 2010

How will global warming change the world?

How will global warming change the world? And how soon? On the next Your Call, we'll speak with Gwynne Dyer, author of Climate Wars, an unflinching look at the potential geopolitical consequences of rising seas and decreasing access to water and food. Is it possible to stop climate change without first changing our over-consumptive lifestyles? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. What are your fears about climate change, and how can we pull back from the brink? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guest:
Gwynne Dyer--author of Climate Wars: The Fight for Survival as the World Overheats

Click to Listen: How will global warming change the world?

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

What does it mean to be transgender or transsexual today?

What does it mean to be transgender or transsexual today? On the next Your Call, we'll speak with activists for gender-queer rights about the cultural and legal issues facing the transgender community. The American Psychiatric Association is deciding whether or not to eliminate "gender identity disorder" as a diagnosis. How should our healthcare system and society support transgender people? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. What is the place of trans people in the broader movement for LGBT liberation? It's Your Call, with Sandip Roy and you.

Guests:
Matt Wood--staff attorney for the Transgender Law Center
Kim Pearson--co-founder and executive director of Trans Youth Family Allies

Click to Listen: What does it mean to be transgender or transsexual today?

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Do you know who makes your electronic gadgets?

On the next Your Call, we'll look at where our technological gadgets are made and the labor abuses that go into their manufacturing. Ten workers at the Foxconn factory in China--where Apple iPhones are assembled--have committed suicide this year. How do labor practices affect your purchasing decisions? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. Do you know where your smart phone is made? Who will be first to offer "fair trade" electronics? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Greg Fay--program coordinator with China Labor Watch
Richard Jones--Freelance journalist and photojournalist

Click to Listen: Do you know who makes your electronic gadgets?

Monday, June 21, 2010

What's the status of the Financial Reform Bill?

What's the status of the Financial Reform Bill? On the next Your Call, we'll continue with our Agenda for a New Economy series. The Senate and the House are meeting to iron out a final financial reform bill. With heavy lobbying by the big banks, what's being debated, what will stay in the bill, and what will be thrown out? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. Where is financial reform? And what's needed to fundamentally change the financial system? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guest:
Jane D'Arista, a research associate at PERI and the co-coordinator of the Economists' Committee for Stable, Accountable, Fair, and Efficient Financial Reform (SAFER)

Heather Booth is the Director of Americans for Financial Reform.

Click to Listen: What the status of the Financial Reform Bill?

Friday, June 18, 2010

Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call, it's our Friday Media Roundtable. This week, we continue discussing coverage of the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico as the BP CEO goes to Washington. We'll also discuss coverage of Afghanistan and the timing of NY Times' reporting of nearly one trillion dollars of untapped minerals in that country. We'll be joined by Wall Street Journal's Stephen Power, Yahoo's John Cook and freelance journalist Anna Badken. She is just back from Afghanistan. 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:
Anna Badkhen, a freelance journalist who has covered wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Chechnya and Kashmir.

John Cook, a senior national reporter/blogger for Yahoo! News

Stephen Power, staff reporter at The Wall Street Journal. He covers the Departments of Energy and Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

Thursday, June 17, 2010

What would a clean energy future look like?

What would a clean energy future look like? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about what a visionary energy bill should include. President Obama's address from the Oval Office made a gesture toward a new way forward, but gave few specifics. What concrete changes would you like to see? What's in the current bill passed by the House? Join us live at 11 a.m. or email feedback@yourcallradio.org. How do we put the message across effectively in this moment of crisis? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Richard Heinberg--senior Fellow-in-Residence of the Post Carbon Institute

Mark Hertsgaard--independent journalist and author

Rose Braz--campaign climate coordinator for the Center for Biological Diversity

Click to Listen: What would a clean energy future look like?

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

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?

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

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?

Monday, June 14, 2010

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?

Friday, June 11, 2010

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

Thursday, June 10, 2010

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?

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

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?

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

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?

Monday, June 7, 2010

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?

Friday, June 4, 2010

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

Thursday, June 3, 2010

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?

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

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?

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

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?