Bagging Plastic; FCC's Broadcast Indecency Rules In Legal Limbo; Is There Enough Oil To Go Around?
Bagging Plastic
Today the Los Angeles City Council will consider a policy to ban the use of plastic bags at all supermarkets and retail stores in Los Angeles beginning January 1, 2012. If approved, the ban would only go into effect if state plastic bag legislation fails. The state proposal, sponsored, by Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, would impose a 25 cent per-bag fee on plastic bags if supermarkets fail to meet certain recycling requirements by 2011. Larry discusses the pros and cons of the different approaches with Dave Heylen, Vice President of Communications for the California Grocers Association, and Ed Reyes, Los Angeles City Councilman, 1st District.
FCC's Broadcast Indecency Rules In Legal Limbo
A federal appeals court on Monday threw out a half-million dollar indecency fine against CBS for the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show that ended when Janet Jackson's breast appeared briefly. The three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Federal Communications Commission "acted arbitrarily and capriciously" in issuing the fine. The Supreme Court is set to hear a similar case this fall regarding the FCC's "fleeting expletives" policy. In light of these legal challenges, how are broadcasters to know where to draw the line? Larry talks with Tim Winter, President of the Parents Television Council, and Jonathan Taplin, Professor of Communication at USC's Annenberg School of Communication, about the future of the of the FCC's indecency standards.
Is There Enough Oil To Go Around?
Gas and oil prices are already at record highs, yet experts are predicting they're still going up. They say the problem is not the oil speculation market but a growing global demand that is quickly out running peak supply. Will increased drilling lead to lower prices or will it actually cost more because of new technologies? Or is it time acknowledge that the oil peak is here and turn to alternative energy sources? Larry talks with Elizabeth Douglass, Energy Writer, LA Times, Robert Hirsch, Senior Energy Advisor, for Management Information Services Inc. (MISI), and Joe Sparano, President of the Western States Petroleum Association, about the oil crunch and prospects for expanding supplies.