UC IRVINE LIVER TRANSPLANT CENTER; NISSAN LEAVES GARDENA; QUAKE WARNINGS; CRIPS FOUNDER “TOOKIE” WILLIAMS – EXECUTION OR CLEMENCY?; JORDANIAN BOMBINGS; THE WHALE AND THE SUPERCOMPUTER; ROUTE 66 TURNS 79
UC IRVINE LIVER TRANSPLANT CENTER
Over the last two years, more than 30 people died awaiting liver transplants at UC Irvine Medical Center as the hospital turned down organs that might have saved them, it was reported in today’s Los Angeles Times. More than 100 UCI patients still are waiting for transplants and 28 have joined the roster this year alone, despite a staffing shortage that lower their prospects for a transplant. Larry talks to Tom Mone, CEO of One Legacy.
NISSAN LEAVES GARDENA
Nissan Motor Company has announced that it will move its North American headquarters from Gardena to Tennessee. Larry talks with Jack Kyser, chief Economist of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, about what the loss of nearly 1500 jobs will mean to the economy of the Southland.
QUAKE WARNINGS
Faint signals at the start of a large earthquake can predict a temblor's severity, possibly offering crucial seconds of early warning, according to a study published today. Larry talks to Tom Heaton, professor of engineering seismology at Cal Tech.
CRIPS FOUNDER “TOOKIE” WILLIAMS – EXECUTION OR CLEMENCY?
The founder of the Crips gang, Stanley “Tookie” Williams, is scheduled to be executed on December 13th at San Quentin State Prison. Williams was convicted of committing four brutal murders in 1979, but has always maintained his innocence. He has lost all appeals, and a group of religious leaders and death penalty opponents has just petitioned the Governor to grant him clemency. They believe “Tookie” Williams has been rehabilitated. Larry Mantle speaks with Joe Hicks and Earl Ofari Hutchinson about the case.
JORDANIAN BOMBINGS
Larry checks in with an LA Times correspondent in Amman on the terrorist attacks in that city.
THE WHALE AND THE SUPERCOMPUTER
An adventure story about climate change, The Whale and the Supercomputer explores how Eskimos in Alaska's Arctic cope with a changing world. Larry speaks with the book’s author, lifelong Alaska resident and writer, Charles Wolforth.
ROUTE 66 TURNS 79
Larry Mantle talks with road historians about Route 66, the 2400 mile highway that spans the nation connecting the Midwest to Southern California. By the mid 1980s, Route 66 had become a forgotten highway. Bypassed by several interstates, the towns along the “highway of dreams” died as the traffic moved to faster and safer modes of crossing the country. Today, Route 66 is experiencing a revival with families traveling “The Mother Road” to see and enjoy the journey not just the destination.