AirTalk for Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Contact: Producers Joel Patterson, Jasmin Tuffaha, Fiona Ng

626-583-5100

SCHEDULE FOR AIRTALK WITH LARRY MANTLE

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

11:06 –11:30

OPEN

 

11:30 -12:00

Topic: LAPD Chief answers questions on restraining orders, tba, tba (temp head)

Guest: Charlie Beck, Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department

IN STUDIO

 

12:06 – 12:20

Topic: Should the US be engaging with the Taliban? Peace talks between the US and the Taliban are set to resume Thursday after being suspended for more than a year. The talks will take place in Qatar and aim to avert civil war once combat troops from the U.S.-led coalition withdraw from Afghanistan in 2014. President Obama described the talks as "an important first step toward reconciliation, although it is a very early step." Afghan President Hamid Karzai is expected to follow up with his own talks with the Taliban a few days later. The top US commander in Afghanistan, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, said the only way to end the lengthy war was through a political solution but should the US be negotiating with the Taliban? Will there be any political repercussions? Will peace talks give more power and legitimacy to the Taliban? If the US doesn’t engage the Taliban, is there any chance of a peaceful withdrawal in 2014?

Guest:  Michael Rubin, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. He joins us from Kirkuk, Iraq.

BY PHONE

2^nd Guest: TBA

 

12:20 – 12:40

Topic: Distracted Driving: Voice-activated technology more risky than cellphones, study says: The most desirable upgrade packages for new cars may be the most dangerous, according to auto safety experts. Voice-command programs in cars allow you to make a phone call, listen and respond to texts and emails, ask for directions and more. It was thought to be safer than using your hands to fumble through menus and buttons. However, safety experts for the American Automobile Association compared listening to the radio, talking on the phone and using voice-command technology. They found stunning results. On a scale out of five, music or phone calls were rated a category "1" and "2" - minimal risk and moderate risk, respectively. Voice-activated technology used so much of your mental workload, researchers ranked it at a "3" - extensively risky. This is in sharp contrast to recent legislation passed in California. Last year, AB 1536 (Miller) specifically okayed “hands-free, voice-operated texting while driving.” This year, a bill seeking to repeal 1536 died in committee (AB 313 - Frazier). Where is the law headed on this issue? What about manufacturers? How will they take this research into account? Does the study show that distraction differs from one driver to the next? What's your experience using voice-command technology?

TENTATIVE

Guest:  Jacob Nelson, Director of Traffic Safety Advocacy and Research, American Automobile Association

REQUESTED

Guest: TBD, Automobile Manufacturers Association

 

12:40 – 1:00

Topic: Only children and ‘having it all’: Can you tell if someone is an only child? Are you a parent who had a second child for the sake of your firstborn? In Lauren Sandler’s new book, “One and Only: The Freedom of Having an Only Child, and the Joy of Being One,” Sandler set out to prove that “only child syndrome” is a myth and such stereotypes don’t exist. As an only child and mother of one child herself, she wondered why society frowned upon having only one child. Her new book cites international studies showing only children are not lonely and going to school provides sufficient companionship and social skills. Sandler argues that societal views need to shift. With a struggling economy, less financial stability, and more women with established careers, the American ideal of two children and a dog is not the happiness formula. Rather, with just one child and therefore fewer costs, Sandler believes parents really can “have it all.” Is she right? What’s your experience as an only child? Are you a parent with only one child? What are your considerations about having more children?

Guest: Lauren Sandler, author of “One and Only: The Freedom of Having an Only Child, and the Joy of Being One;” reported and offered commentary for Time, The New York Times, and Slate.

VIA ISDN

 

Warm regards,

Jasmin Tuffaha    office: 626.583.5162 

Producer, “AirTalk with Larry Mantle” 

 

89.3 KPCC 89.1 KUOR 90.3 KVLA
A Southern California Public Radio station
SCPR.org | Facebook | @AirTalk