AirTalk for Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Contact: Producers Joel Patterson, Jasmin Tuffaha, Anny Celsi & Fiona Ng

626-583-5100

SCHEDULE FOR AIRTALK WITH LARRY MANTLE

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

 

**GUEST HOST IS PATT MORRISON**

11:06 – 11:30
Topic: OPEN
Guest: TBA

11:30 - 12:00
Topic: Should "The Biggest Loser" put struggling kids on national TV? Doctors are raising concerns about featuring children on "The Biggest Loser" reality show. It's the first time the popular weight-loss competition has included overweight teenagers. The producers say it will raise awareness of the epidemic of childhood obesity. Lindsay Bravo, a 13-year old from Fillmore, California, is one of the "Biggest Loser" kids. She said she wants to drop pounds so she can have more friends and stop being bullied. The teens are not being treated the same as adult competitors. They get access to personal trainers, nutritionists and doctors, but will not be subject to elimination as adults are. Still, one doctor was worried by a recent episode showing the 16-year old contestant, Sunny Chandrasekar, celebrating her birthday by eating a mandarin orange instead of any sweets. Is teaching deprivation the best way to achieve long-term health for overweight kids? Should potentially vulnerable teens go through this process on national television? Will it help parents and kids who are dealing with the same issues?

Guest: Dave Broome, Executive Producer & Co-creator, “The Biggest Loser” reality show about weight-loss
Guest: Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, (“YOH-nee”), Medical Director, Bariatric Medical Institute in Ottawa; Board-Certified Physician by the American Board of Bariatric Medicine; Blogs at weightymatters.ca

12:06 – 12:20
Topic: Medals for bravery in drone warfare: There’s a new military medal and it’s getting a lot of flak. Last month, former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta last month approved the new Distinguished Warfare Medal, which is awarded to drone pilots and cyber warfare troops that do not directly engage in ground combat. It would outrank combat-only medals like the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, and veteran organizations and some members of Congress think that’s just not fair. They want the Pentagon to downgrade the new medal, arguing that it shouldn’t take precedence over traditional combat awards, which a soldier has to risk his or her life in order to qualify for. Is the new medal fair? Should Pentagon rethink its designation? Does cyber-warfare carry the same amount of risk as traditional combat?

Guest: Hal Kempfer, retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel and CEO of KIPP knowledge and intelligence program professionals
Guest: Joe Davis, Director of Public Affairs, Veterans of Foreign Wars

12:20 – 12:40
Topic:  Serving time...on a jury: To many people, the most disappointing piece of mail that they can find in their mailbox is the one that reads “JURY SUMMONS.”  It can mean taking a day or more off of work, finding a babysitter, and spending hours sitting in uncomfortable chairs in a boring room.  But are we as Americans taking the wrong approach to serving on a jury?  It can be easy to forget how important jury duty is in America. In his new book, Andrew Ferguson explains why jury duty matters. It is a shared tradition that connects people from all races, classes, and backgrounds. What most people see as an annoyance is the only right that shows up in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. And not everyone dreads it - some find jury service a fascinating peek into the inner workings of our justice system. Have you ever served on a jury? Did you find it a tedious duty, or an enjoyable experience? What will you do next time you’re called?

Guest: Andrew Ferguson, author of “Why Jury Duty Matters: A Citizens Guide to Constitutional Action”

12:40 – 1:00
Topic: Changing sexual mores in the changing Arab world: Writer, journalist, and broadcaster Shereen El Feki spent five years exploring how the Arab world is changing, but she does it in the context of sex. El Feki felt sexual politics permeated the Arab world and affected its religion, politics, economics and culture. Although she focuses on Egypt, El Feki set out to understand public opinion on sex. She found religious laws that restrict nudity during sex, a Saudi Arabian man who was beaten and imprisoned for speaking about sex publicly, and young women with mutilated genitals to suppress sexual desire. The public also disapproves of homosexuality and single mothers, and many believe that husbands may beat their wives if they refuse sex. El Feki wrote her new book, “Sex and the Citadel: Intimate Life in a Changing Arab World” from her perspective as a Muslim woman with a Western education. In her book, she wanted to give voices to Arab women through interviews with virgins, housewives, and activists, and El Feki hopes that political change will eliminate sexual taboos. Are these views concerning sex rooted in history, culture, and religion? Do you think there’s the potential of change? And how does the Arab world’s view of sex compare with the Western world?

Guest: Ms. Shereen El Feki, Author, “Sex and the Citadel: Intimate Life in a Changing Arab World;” Journalist; Vice-Chair, United Nations’ Global Commission on HIV & Law; Ph.D. in molecular immunology

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Joel Patterson

Senior Producer, AirTalk

626-583-5375 office

858-349-2205 cell

@joelerson