Stem Cell Breakthrough; Los Angeles City Officials' Pay Increase; AIDS Losing Momentum Worldwide; The Rise of Starbucks and the Coffeehouse Movement
Stem Cell Breakthrough
Scientists from two labs, one in Kyoto and one in Wisconsin, have succeeded in turning human skin cells into what appear to be embryonic stem cells without using or destroying human embryos and thus avoiding the ethical pitfalls inherent in stem cell research that results in the destruction of human embryos. This new method to create stem cells involves adding reprogrammed genes to ordinary skin cells to transform them into cells having the potential of becoming 220 different kinds of human body cell types. Larry discusses this breakthrough in stem cell research with Dr. Bruce Conklin of the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, and Tadeusz Pacholczyk of the National Catholic Bioethics Center.
Los Angeles City Officials' Pay Increase
Last week many of LA's 18 elected officials received a pay raise; their fourth since 2005. Six of them said they would not accept the raise and 8 said they would. Larry talks with Kerry Cavanaugh of the LA Daily News, and asks our listeners to weigh in on the pay raises that LA's City Council, Attorney, Controller, and Mayor have received.
AIDS Losing Momentum Worldwide
Global health officials says there are 6 million fewer AIDS cases reported this year, compared to last year. Although the decline is largely due to revised numbers, U.N. officials still say the figures show the AIDS pandemic is losing momentum and that AIDS deaths have declined for the first time. While the global AIDS numbers are falling, there are huge regional differences. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the epicenter of the epidemic. There were more than 33 million AIDS cases in 2007, down from almost 39.5 million last year. Larry talks with Dr. Kevin De Cock, of the World Health Organization's Department of HIV/AIDS, and Dr. Roger Detels of the UCLA School of Public Health.
The Rise of Starbucks and the Coffeehouse Movement
Larry talks with Taylor Clark, the author of the new book Starbucked (Little, Brown and Company). Clark's book explores the incredible rise of the Starbucks Corporation and tells the story of how the coffeehouse movement changed our everyday lives, from our evolving neighborhoods and workplaces to the ways we shop, socialize, and self-medicate.