After two hikers were found after an extensive search in Trabuco Canyon, another five are reportedly lost in Eaton Canyon. Should there be more signs or other deterrents for hikers? Also, should Obama cut Medicare and Social Security budgets to reduce the federal deficit, and should birth control be over-the-counter for all women, regardless of age? Later, our critics join us to review this week's films and remember Roger Ebert and his influence on film criticism.
How can we prevent the need for wilderness rescues?
Two lost hikers have been found alive in Trabuco Canyon. But the five-day search involved hundreds of personnel and led to the hospitalization of one rescuer, seriously injured in a 60-foot fall. This morning, five hikers that were reportedly missing overnight in Eaton Canyon were found.
Why do hikers ignore warning signs not to leave the trail and strike out into dangerous areas? Should there be more signs, fences and other deterrents, or would that ruin the pristine beauty of our natural wilderness areas? Should we continue to deploy rescuers at taxpayer expense, or should those who venture into the wild be forced to take their chances at survival?
Guests:
David Whiting, Columnist, The Orange County Register; and an avid hiker
John McKinney, Renowned Trailmaster; Author of numerous hiking guides including “Hike Smart”
Obama proposes budget that both Dems and Republicans don’t like
In a continuing effort to reach consensus on a way to reduce the federal deficit, President Obama has come up with a set of proposals that has managed to annoy both sides of the aisle. His budget, to be released next week, includes cuts to Medicare and Social Security achieved by lowering the cost-of-living adjustment – so-called “chained CPI” – along with revenue increases to come via changes in the tax code aimed at the wealthiest Americans.
Not surprisingly, GOP leaders have rejected the tax hike plank. And Democrats are equally vocal in objecting to entitlement cuts, including a change in the consumer price index. The result of that change would be to shave a small amount off the checks of veterans, seniors and other groups, resulting in an estimated $390 billion in savings over the next 10 years.
The presidential budget is non-binding and is largely seen as symbolic, leading Hill-watchers to speculate that this proposal is an opening gambit on Obama’ part, a sign that he’s willing to take on any and all sacred cows for the sake of budget consensus. Does the president have any chance of having his budget pass?
Guest:
David Mark, Editor-in-Chief of Politix, former Senior Editor of Politico.com
Birth control for all, says federal judge
Since 2011, only women over 17-years-old can get Plan B One-Step—what’s commonly known as the morning-after pill—without a prescription. That’s quickly about to change, after today’s ruling from a federal judge in New York ordering the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make the pill available to any woman over-the-counter, regardless of age. It’s taken more than a decade for the morning-after pill to be available to all women.
In 1999, the FDA approved the drug as a prescription emergency contraception. Seven years later, the FDA revised its decision to allow the drug to be sold without a prescription to women 18 or older. A decision made by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in 2011 limited over-the-counter sales of the drugs to women 17 or older, despite FDA’s push to make the drug available over-the-counter to all women.
Judge Edward Korman this morning called Sebelius’ decision at the time, "politically motivated, scientifically unjustified and contrary to agency precedent." Is today’s federal court ruling the right one? Should teens have access to the pill?
Guests:
Donna J. Harrison, M.D. Executive Director and Director of Research and Public Policy at the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Dr. Malcolm Potts, Bixby Professor at UC Berkeley, obstetrician and reproductive scientist who has studied oral contraceptives since the 1960s
FilmWeek: Trance, The Company You Keep, Evil Dead, and more
Larry is joined by KPCC film critics Tim Cogshell and Claudia Puig to review this week’s releases, including Trance, The Company You Keep, Evil Dead, and more. TGI-FilmWeek!
Trance
The Company You Keep
Evil Dead
?
Neighboring Sounds
Guests:
Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC and Alt Film Guide
Claudia Puig, film critic for KPCC and USA Today
Remembering Roger Ebert: The movie critic who was a star
Influential film critic Roger Ebert died yesterday at age 70 after a public battle with cancer that lasted a decade. His friend and iconic filmmaker Martin Scorsese said it's a personal loss for him and for many more, "[Ebert's death is] an incalculable loss for movie culture and for film criticism."
The Chicago Sun-Times writer rose to national popularity in the early 1980s as co-host of "Siskel & Ebert" - a weekly, movie-review television show. His counterpart at the Chicago Tribune, Gene Siskel, was the perfect co-star. As the Sun-Times obituary illustrates, "the trim, balding Siskel, perfectly balanced the bespectacled, portly Ebert."
Still it was really his passionate and prolific writing on film that won respect. He wrote hundreds of reviews a year. After his cancer diagnosis, he scheduled treatments around film premieres and screenings. His energy never seemed to flag until earlier this week when he announced a leave from regular writing due to further cancer illness.
On AirTalk, we'll remember Ebert's life and work and also talk with our film critics about their major influences as critics, as well as the different schools of film criticism pioneered by icons like Pauline Kael, Andrew Sarris and others.
What did Ebert and his on-screen partner, Roger Ebert, bring to the genre? What influence did he have on movies and movie reviews?
Guests:
Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC and Alt Film Guide
Claudia Puig, film critic for KPCC and USA Today
Henry Sheehan, film critic for KPCC and dearhenrysheehan.com
Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and for the Christian Science Monitor