The White House issues a report card on Afghanistan. Kobe Bryant's advertising deal with Turkish Airlines outrages Armenian Americans. Obama's drug czar Gil Kerlikowske argues that "smoked marijuana is not just medicine." Theatre critics review major stage productions in So Cal.
President Obama says U.S. is “on track” in Afghanistan
One year ago, President Obama ordered a “surge” of 30,000 additional troops in a build up designed to stop Taliban and al-Qaeda momentum in Afghanistan. An assessment of America's strategy in Afghanistan released today concludes that the strategy is “showing progress” but that the challenge is to make it “durable and sustainable.” President Obama wanted to reduce the size of U.S. forces, which number around 100,000, in July of 2011. Is this still possible? And are we really making progress or are all gains dependent on the continued presence of American troops?
Guest:
Bill Roggio, Editor, The Long War Journal a blog that follows the war in Afghanistan
Lawrence Korb, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and a Senior Advisor to the Center for Defense Information. Mr. Korb served as Assistant Secretary of Defense from 1981-1985.
Jim Phillips, Senior Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs with the Heritage Foundation
Kobe Bryant Turkish Airlines deal angers Armenians
Armenian Americans in Los Angeles and across the nation are outraged over a 2-year advertising endorsement deal between Los Angeles Lakers’ star Kobe Bryant and Turkish Airlines. Many of Southern California’s large concentration of Armenians have been staunch Lakers fans and are threatening a boycott of Bryant unless he cancels the contract. The origin of the heightened tensions is based on Armenian Americans’ long running pressure for the U.S. government to acknowledge the early 20th century genocide, during which the Ottoman Empire killed an estimated 1.5 million Armenians. The Turkish government denies such claims. Does this affect your allegiance to Kobe Bryant or the Lakers? Are sports figures accountable for international relations?
Guests:
Rostom Sarkissian, Organizational Director of Armenian National Committee of America, Western Region
Andrew Rohm, Associate Professor in the marketing group at Northeastern University; former Director of Marketing at Reebok
More high school students are smoking pot
New results from the annual “Monitoring the Future” study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse shows that marijuana use by teens increased in 2010, reversing a 10-year decline. Some 21 percent of high school seniors said they had smoked marijuana in the last 30 days, while 19.2 percent reported smoking cigarettes – the first time pot use has eclipsed tobacco since 1981. Anti-drug activists warned of the detrimental effects on teenagers’ memory and developing brains. The silver lining? Alcohol use by teens continues to decline. How do you address marijuana use in your family? And why are more teens smoking marijuana?
Guests:
Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, AKA Obama's "Drug Czar"
Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institutes on Drug Abuse
Dr. Joseph Haraszti, Psychiatrist and addiction-ologist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at USC
Southern California theater round-up
Theatre critics Don Shirley of LAStageBlog.com, Paul Hodgins of the Orange County Register, and Steven Leigh Morris of the L.A. Weekly review the major stage productions around Southern California and re-cap the year’s best in theatre.
Guests:
Don Shirley writes the LAStageWatch column for LAStageTimes.com
Steven Leigh Morris, critic at large for the L.A. Weekly
Paul Hodgins, theater critic, Orange County Register
Veteran writer-director Blake Edwards dies
Blake Edwards, the comic genius behind Peter Sellers' "Pink Panther" character, passed away Wednesday evening at the age of 88. The filmmaker is well known for a slew of other comedies including "10," "Victor/Victoria" and "S.O.B." -- the last of which were collaborations actress Julie Andrews, his wife of 41 years. Edwards had a more serious side, directing Audrey Hepburn in 1961's adaptation of Truman Capote's "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "Days of Wine and Roses.” Edwards will live on in fans’ hearts as long as cinematic detectives continue to bumble.
Guests:
Henry Sheehan, film critic for KPCC and henrysheehan.com