Iraq Update; Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003; Our Love Affair With Falling
Iraq Update
Larry Mantle discusses the latest news about the U.S. troops in Iraq, including General Tommy Franks stepping down, soldier morale, and daily guerilla attacks. Lt. Col. Hal Kempfer, Strategic Risk Management Consultant, Analyst for ABC 7 and a Reserve Lt. Colonel in the United States Marine Corps, joins Larry for the update.
Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003
HR 1904, introduced by Representative McInnis, passed the House and is now in debate on the Senate floor. It is a forest management bill that would either protect, or grossly mismanage, America's forests from fire. But, it all depends on whom you ask. Joining Larry Mantle to discuss the Healthy Forests Restoration Act, as well as forest vulnerability, is Monica Bond, staff biologist with the Center for Biological Diversity, Chad Hansen, director of the John Muir project, and Phil Aune, Vice President for public resources, CA Forestry Association. Larry also gets an update on the state of fire vulnerability here in Los Angeles from John R. Todd, Chief in the Forestry Division with the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Our Love Affair With Falling
Many people like to fly, but some love the sensation of falling. About two centuries ago, humans began a love affair with falling, defying gravity for a thrill. The first parachutist jumped in 1797; then came roller coasters, the flying trapeze and the tightrope walker. Writer Garrett Soden joins host Larry Mantle to discuss his new book, Falling: How Our Greatest Fear Became Our Greatest Thrill (W.W. Norton). Soden soars through the history of falling, from early rituals to extreme sports. He looks at the idea of falling, the notion of "the fall," as something negative, and traces how we use the word "falling" in everyday language.