The Great Shakeout; More Golden Parachutes?; Gas is Tanking: Should Consumers Celebrate?; Sarah Vowell Talks Pilgrims
The Great Shakeout
This morning Southern California law enforcement, emergency services and millions of others are participating in a regional earthquake drill. Larry checks in with KPCC reporters about the activity and how it is hoped it will prepare us to respond to the real thing.
More Golden Parachutes?
The Bloomberg news agency is reporting that Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have set aside billions of dollars for bonuses at the same time they could be eligible for federal bailout funds. In other words, taxpayers could end up helping finance multi-million-dollar bonuses for captains of industry who sunk their own ships. This has lawmakers furious. Larry follows the money trail with Chris Farrell, Economics Editor of Marketplace Money, and Marek Fuchs, writer for "the street.com."
Gas is Tanking: Should Consumers Celebrate?
Oil prices plunged below $56 a barrel on Wednesday as the global economy waned and demand for gas declined throughout the world. The Department of Energy expects that next year the demand for petroleum will decline more than any time since 1980, with gasoline to drop another 3%. Low gas prices are a boon for cash strapped Americans but do they translate into lower prices for bread and eggs? And are these low gas prices good for the equally cash strapped State of California? Larry Mantle discusses the pros and cons of cheap gas with energy expert Severin Borenstein.
Sarah Vowell Talks Pilgrims
Why does our understanding of early Americans end with pilgrims sitting around a Thanksgiving table with Native Americans? In her new book, "The Wordy Shipmates," Sarah Vowell employs modern day anecdotes to show just how much the lives of the Puritans have influenced our country. Larry speaks with Vowell about her interest in and search for the lives of these people whose legacy still lives on in America today.