David Lazarus is in for Larry. GM posts $4.3 billion loss. Learning about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness... from Europe? LA's budget crisis threatens department closures. Then, what are the benefits of a 4-day work week? Later, distinguishing between fact and fraud in science.
GM: a sick company finally getting better?
In its first financial report since emerging from bankruptcy protection, General Motors says that it lost $4.3 billion in the last six months of 2009, though it also had a positive cash flow of $1 billion in that period. Excluding one-time charges such as a settlement with the United Automobile Workers union, the company's chief financial officer says it was only $600 million away from breaking even, and that GM expects to make a profit in 2010. Will the automaker be back in the black by the end of the year?
Guest:
James Bell, Vice President and Executive Market Analyst with Kelley Blue Book, formerly of Intelle-choice. And President of the Motor Press Guild.
Is the European way better for America?
Socialists! Elitists! Cowards! Many Americans are quick to criticize political and economic thinking in Europe, calling the Euro Zone trading bloc unjust, outdated or impossible to replicate. But do higher taxes point to Europe’s socialist tendencies—or worse, government-driven infringements on freedom? No way, says the New America Foundation’s Steven Hill. In his book Europe’s Promise, Hill not only defends the EU’s capitalist cred, he argues Europe—not the United States—will lead the way in promoting freedom, equality and prosperity.
Guest:
Steven Hill, author of Europe's Promise: Why the European Way is the Best Hope in an Insecure Age (University of California Press). He is Director of the Political Reform Program for the New America Foundation.
Mayor Villaraigosa to City of LA: close departments amid budget crisis
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says all city departments except police, public safety and those that make money must close two days a week. Villaraigosa has urged the city’s administrative officer to move forward on the plan beginning April 12. City Controller Wendy Greuel has warned that LA will run out of money to pay employees and vendors within four weeks. Meanwhile, the $73-million standoff between city officials and the Department of Water and Power, continues. Is the Mayor’s proposal the right way to deal with LA’s fiscal crisis?
Guests:
Eric Garcetti, President, Los Angeles City Council
Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor, City of Los Angeles
Why does 5 days x 8 hours = full time?
It’s a given: you’re supposed to work eight hours a day, five days a week, for a total of 40 hours—anything less is just not full time. Yet, fissures in this cultural norm are starting to show, accelerated by furloughs for state workers. While public employees were originally horrified by the loss of pay, some are now saying maybe it’s not such a bad thing. Could a four-day work week gain traction with more California businesses? And taking freelancers, telecommuters and workaholics into account, how many of us stick to the old nine to five anyway?
Guests:
Lauren Appelbaum, Research Director, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment at UCLA
John De Graaf, Executive Director of Take Back Your Time
Lloyd Chapman, President of the American Small Business League
On fact and fraud in science
It's not easy to identify fraud in science, says CalTech physicist David Goodstein. In his book On Fact and Fraud, Goodstein examines cases of alleged scientific misconduct, such as Robert Millikan's measurement of an electron's charge; the "discovery" of cold fusion; and the discovery of high-temperature superconductivity- a feat that seemed implausible, but turned out to be genuine. Goodstein outlines ethical principles for conducting scientific research, and distinguishes between what is fraud and what's just bad science.
David Goodstein will talk about and sign On Fact and Fraud as part of the Skeptics Society Lectures at CalTech this Sunday, April 11 at 2pm.
Guest:
David Goodstein, author of On Fact and Fraud: Cautionary Tales from the Front Lines of Science (Princeton University Press). He is a professor of physics at CalTech in Pasadena, CA, and as a former vice provost Goodstein was responsible for investigating allegations of scientific misconduct.