BP will proceed with test to stop Gulf oil flow. California Chief Justice Ron George will not seek reelection. Will Congress renew Bush tax cuts set to expire? Should cash-strapped Social Security make you wait to retire until age 70? Later, Hamlet's Blackberry: a philosophy for managing electronics addiction.
BP’s critical Gulf oil well test
After making repairs on a new containment cap, BP plans to proceed with tests that could stop the gush of oil from its well in the Gulf of Mexico. BP delayed yesterday’s planned pressure test of the oil well so that industry and government scientists could review test procedures. The critical test will seek to measure the well's interior pressure and determine whether leaks are coming from shallow or deep parts of the well. If the test is successful, BP will move ahead with affixing a cap to shut off all oil leaking into the Gulf. What's at stake with the tests and stopping the oil spill?
Guest:
Dave Pursell, Managing Director, head of the macro-research department at Tudor, Pickering and Holt, an Energy Investment Banking Company in Houston, Texas
Chief Justice on California Supreme Court retires
California Chief Justice Ronald George has announced that he will retire in January after a 38-year career in the state court system. George wrote the majority ruling that allowed same-sex marriage in California, and later also wrote the ruling that upheld Proposition 8's ban on gay marriage. Larry Mantle talks with George about his career and future plans.
Guest:
California Chief Justice Ron George
Tax men cometh?: to renew or not to renew Bush-era tax cuts
Tax cuts implemented under President George W. Bush are set to expire January 1. President Obama wants Congress to extend middle class tax cuts, and many Dems in the House agree—but only for a year or two. Meanwhile, Republicans and some centrists want all the Bush tax cuts extended, including for those with incomes above $250,000 per year, saying their supply-side effects will stimulate growth and provide relief to small businesses. But some economists say, that’s bunk. Should Congress let tax cuts expire? Who should benefit—and who will?
Guest:
John McKinnon, Wall Street Journal reporter
Happy birthday, Social Security. Near retirees, keep counting your candles
A House subcommittee meets today to examine the impact of Social Security 75 years after it was signed into law by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Elsewhere on the Hill, the program is also being weighed, as lawmakers on both sides of aisle consider raising the Social Security retirement age to 70 in order to draw down the national debt. Who would benefit from the change, and who would be harmed? Would you favor a proposal to trim the Social Security budget? And if you’re 50 or younger, do you think you’ll ever see a dime?
O that this too too solid flesh would— o look, a text!: why turning off your phone will make you smarter and happier
If you’re dependent on your BlackBerry or iPhone, or addicted to the internet in general, join the club. In this “too-much-information age,” it seems that we are overloaded with distractions that are just one click away. In his new book, Hamlet’s Blackberry, former Washington Post staff writer William Powers warns that such “digital maximalism” not only hinders our ability to think clearly, but also interrupts our relationships with friends and family, and gets us hooked on a steady stream of incoming information. Powers pleads with us to escape and disconnect from our impulses in order to regain self-control and find happiness. But can we find enjoyment in disconnectivity? Or, is turning off the BlackBerry at dinner time a lost cause?
William Powers will be talking about Hamlet’s Blackberry tonight at 7pm at the Los Angeles Central Library in downtown Los Angeles as part of the Aloud series.
Guest:
William Powers, author of Hamlet’s Blackberry: A Practical Philosophy for Building a Good Life in the Digital Age (Harper); former staff writer, Washington Post.