The state of our union. Cirque de Soleil’s “whimsical infestation.” What have you done on Google lately? A Middle East update in wake of the Arab Spring anniversary. Celebrity chef and restaurateur Mario Batali has a new book.
The State of our Union
Last night, President Barack Obama gave his last State of the Union address before he has to go back to the American electorate. He used it to distinguish his economic strategy from that of the Republicans. Come November, if voters ask themselves who can lead the economy, the President's answer last night was in his stated goal of creating a level playing field between the richest Americans and the masses below.
As expected, he once again called on wealthy Americans to pay their fair share in the form of higher taxes. To drive the point home, billionaire Warren Buffet's vaunted secretary who pays a higher tax rate than he does, sat in the First Lady’s box. "[Y]ou can call that class warfare all you want ... Most Americans would call that common sense," he said. Obama also pushed for tax breaks in the manufacturing sector, which he said will drive up production and increase jobs in the United States. He called for a significant surge in American-made energy.
In a surprise to his environmental constituency, Obama announced opening "more than 75 percent of our potential offshore oil and gas resources." He defended government investments in green energy. He lauded natural gas development with the caveat of environmental regulations to protect communities from fracking.
Turning to foreign policy, he marked the end of the Iraq war, the killing of Osama bin Laden and the so-called Arab Spring. The President spoke directly of increasing tensions with Iran. He said America has united the world in dealing with Iran's nuclear ambitions, and called for a peaceful resolution if Iran changes course.
The President is known for his oratory skills and didn’t disappoint yesterday. Following his speech, the Republican response was delivered by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels. He criticized Obama for dividing Americans has haves and have-nots. "[E]veryone should contribute to our national recovery, including of course the most affluent among us. There are smart ways and dumb ways to do this: the dumb way is to raise rates in a broken, grossly complex tax system, choking off growth without bringing in the revenues we need to meet our debts," Daniels said.
WEIGH IN:
What's your reaction to the State of the Union? What about the Republican response? Did you hear everything you wanted to from the President? What were the high points of the speech? And, in one of the most divisive years in politics that we’ve seen in a long time, was everyone on their best behavior?
Guests:
Lynn Vavreck, Professor of Political Science, UCLA
Barbara Boxer, Senator, D -California; Chief Deputy Whip of the Senate
Tom Del Beccaro, Chairman of the California Republican Party
Karen Bass, Congresswoman, represents California’s 33rd district which includes parts of Hollywood, Mid-Wilshire, Culver City, Leimert Park and Ladera Heights.
Doyle McManus, Washington Columnist for the Los Angeles Times, covering national and international politics
Cirque de Soleil's "whimsical infestation"
Cirque de Soleil’s current production at the Santa Monica Pier, "OVO," is teeming with insects working, eating, crawling, fluttering, playing, fighting and looking for love in a riotous expression of energy and movement.
The story starts when a mysterious egg appears. The insects are curious about this iconic object that represents mystery and their life cycle. When a gawky, quirky insect arrives in this bustling community, a fabulous ladybug catches his eye and it's love at first sight.
The bug costumes are exquisitely creative and the production blossoms with contrasts revealing the secret insect world “as tender and torrid, noisy and quiet, peaceful and chaotic.”
OVO’s creator Deborah Colker joins Larry to talk about Cirque’s latest innovation.
Guest:
Deborah Colker, director, writer, creator of OVO, Cirque de Soleil’s current production at the Santa Monica Pier. OVE opened on January 20 at the Pier.
What have you done on Google lately?
Can you recall your last Google search? What about who you e-mailed last night? What YouTube video did you watch last week? Well, even if you might not be able to remember, Google does.
Yesterday, Google announced it will be tracking user activity across all of its properties: YouTube, Gmail, its search engine and more. While Google has already been recording some of this information, it is now beginning to cross-reference data from different sites, such as YouTube cross-referenced with Gmail.
The company claims this is to create a better composite image of their users, primarily to more effectively tailor ads to them. But Google also claims this data will help the user, as a better understanding of each individual using Google and its various sites will lead to more reliable search results and the possibility for Google to interact more fully with the human being.
Experts say this could lead to a backlash amongst users, who might not have even been aware this information was being collected in the first place. Also, the more advanced techniques Google uses to analyze its data might invite attention from federal regulators concerned with the privacy of their citizens, as there is no feature to opt out of this new policy.
WEIGH IN:
Did you know Google was amassing such records? Are you fine with such information being used in this way? How do you feel being explicitly marketed and sold to based on your search history? Is it any different from the numerous ads we see elsewhere every day? How can Google get away with making this mandatory?
Guest:
Matt DeBord, senior reporter and business blogger for KPCC. He writes The DeBord Report for KPCC.org
Arab Spring’s first anniversary marked by promise and protest
Today marks a year since the revolution started in Egypt, which ultimately overthrew longtime dictator President Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak had implemented a series of emergency laws to maintain enforcement of a police state, including limiting gatherings in public to five people, imprisonment without holding a hearing and declaring subjects as enemies of the state in order to silence them.
Yesterday, the military leader in power, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, announced that a majority of these laws would be repealed. Most activists in Egypt look at this decision as merely a symbolic gesture, as they are still vocally upset about the military’s handling of power during the transition to democracy.
But Egypt is not the only country in this position, as the revolution a year ago sparked the Arab Spring, in which several Middle Eastern countries have made repeated calls for democracy. In Syria, dueling protests have been taking place in the capital, with one camp joyously supporting President Bashar Assad’s government, while protestors are being hunted by militiamen in back alleys. Revolutionaries in Libya, with some outside assistance, eventually overthrew Moammar Gaddafi, who ruled Libya with an iron fist for four decades.
WEIGH IN:
How is the movement progressing across the region? What is the current political state of countries like Egypt, Syria, Yemen and others? Are the dreams of the revolutionaries being realized? Is the Arab Spring a success, a failure or is it too early to tell?
Guests:
Steven A. Cook, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations; Author of The Struggle for Egypt: From Nasser to Tahrir Square (Oxford)
Qamar-ul Huda, Senior Program Officer, Religion and Peacemaking Center of Innovation, United States Institute of Peace (USIP); editor of "The Crescent and Dove: Critical Perspectives on Peace and Conflict Resolution in Islam"
Celebrity chef and restaurateur Mario Batali has a new book
For 15 years, Mario Batali has been cooking his unique brand of rustic Italian dishes on the Food Network, but his life in food extends far beyond the airwaves. He’s one of the busiest chefs in New York City. He opened his first restaurant, “Babbo,” in 1998 and was immediately awarded Best New Restaurant by the James Beard Foundation. Other restaurants followed in quick succession with all garnering major honors from critics, restaurant organizations and even his fellow chefs.
Batali, along with several partners, now own seven restaurants in New York, several more in Las Vegas and even a couple here in Los Angeles. He’s part owner of Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza on the corner of Highland and Melrose avenues.
Batali is also actively involved in philanthropic work. He has his own foundation that supports education and nutrition efforts for children and he’s one of 10 celebrity chefs that have signed on to Food and Wine Magazine’s “Chef’s Make Change,” an effort to raise a million dollars for various charity organizations. He’s also seen on “Iron Chef America,” and a new daily talk show on ABC called “The Chew.”
We’ll talk to Batali about his new book, “Molto Batali: Simple Family Meals from My Home to Yours,” his busy family and work life, and the possibility that he’ll be cutting off his trademark ponytail for charity!
Guest:
Mario Batali, celebrity chef, restaurateur, cookbook author.
Batali will be signing “Molto Batali: Simple Family Meals from My Home to Yours” on Friday, January 27th at 1pm at Mozza 2 Go (6610 Melrose Avenue).