Governor's May Revision; Dodger Dogs; Jerry Falwell's Legacy; Global Automotive Industry Update; The History, Science and Meaning of Auditory Hallucinations
Governor's May Revision
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday released a $145.9 billion revised spending plan for the budget year beginning July 1. In his proposed budget of nearly 104 billion dollars of general fund spending for the year, Schwarzenegger backed away from claims he could balance the state's operating budget next year. The governor is forecasting a deficit of 1.4 billion dollars for the next budget year but without additional revenue or more cuts, the deficit is expected to reach $3.4 billion by 2009, according to recent estimates by the state's nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office.Joining Larry to talk about the plan are HD Palmer, of the California Department of Finance, political analyst Sherry Bebitch-Jeffe, Jean Ross of the California Budget Project, Assemblyman Roger Niello, Assemblyman John Laird, Mike Herald of the Western Center on Law and Poverty, and Mark Litman of the Metropolitan Transit Agency.
Dodger Dogs
Dodger Dogs may be a culinary tradition at Dodger Stadium, but animal rights activists said today the Major League Baseball team should cut ties with its meat supplier, citing concerns over the treatment of pigs. The Animal Legal Defense Fund sent a letter to Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, notifying him that Farmer John, which supplies hot dogs to Dodger Stadium, and its meat supplier, Corcpork Inc., are being sued for allegedly raising pigs in confined spaces. Joining Larry to talk about the controversy are Joyce Tischler, founding director of the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and Dr. Paul Sundberg, Vice President of Science and Technology for the National Pork Board.
Jerry Falwell's Legacy
Jerry Falwell was found unconscious and later pronounced dead at Liberty University in Lynchburg Virginia today. Falwell founded the Christian college Liberty University and later became a politically influential figure when he founded the Moral Majority, galvanizing conservative voters into a new force. Talking with Larry about Reverend Falwell's life and legacy is Dennis Dirks, Dean of the Talbot School of Theology at Biola University.
Global Automotive Industry Update
Daimler-Chrysler announced yesterday that it is selling 80 percent of its Chrysler unit to Cerberus Capital Management for nearly 7.5 billion dollars. Daimler bought Chrysler for 36 billion dollars in 1998. Larry gets an update from David Welch, Detroit Bureau Chief for Business Week magazine and James Bell, Publisher of IntelliChoice.com on this plus other recent activities in the global automotive industry.
The History, Science and Meaning of Auditory Hallucinations
Author Daniel Smith joins Larry Mantle to talk about his new book Muses, Madmen and Prophets: Rethinking the History, Science and Meaning of Auditory Hallucinations (Penguin Press) in which he explores auditory hallucinations though history, literature, anthropology, psychology and neurology to explain voice-hearing and reevaluate today's popular interpretations of the phenomenon.