GOP candidates debate foreign policy. Los Angeles shopping for a new bank? New Dodgers trainer adds fresh perspective to troubled team. Military violence sparks second Egyptian uprising. Forget finding yourself; find a job. We are thankful for StoryCorps’ National Day of Listening tomorrow.
The GOP's latest debate stirs up immigration and foreign policy issues
Last night, Republican candidates for president gathered at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., for yet another televised debate.
Each of the eight hopefuls on stage did their best to convince a nationwide audience that he or she is the answer to the question, "Which presidential candidate will best protect our nation and amplify American leadership, and how will they do it?"
U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum sparred on issues foreign and domestic and illuminated the uncertain state of the Republican Party as primary season draws nearer.
Jeopardizing his current position on top of several polls, Gingrich provided the most controversial moment of the debate by voluntarily wading into the murky immigration issue, stating "The party that says it's the party of the family is going to adopt an immigration policy which destroys families that have been here a quarter century?" I'm prepared to take the heat for saying, 'Let's be humane in enforcing the law.'"
Governor Perry has been dealing with the fallout over similar comments he made at a recent debate. Foreign policy and national defense issues also provided plenty of ammunition for the candidates with more policy experience to distinguish themselves from the crowded field.
WEIGH IN:
Was there a clear winner in this latest Republican debate? Which candidate has the best shot at challenging President Obama next November?
Guests:
Jonathan Wilcox, Republican Strategist; former speech writer for Governor Pete Wilson
Dan Schnur, Director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California
Los Angeles shopping for a new bank?
Early this week City Council debated the Responsible Banking Ordinance. The measure would compel the city to do business with socially responsible banks.
Los Angeles Chief Administrative Officer Miguel Santana said he recommends modeling the program after what other cities have done throughout the country; collect lots of information. Report cards would grade banks on certain criteria.
"What they do is essentially act as smart consumers," Santana said. "They add to the various requests of information when they select a bank for commercial purposes. Not just on financial aspects of that bank, but they also ask information on how well they’re doing, in terms of their responsibility in the specific cities, so we're asking for the same thing."
Santana went on to say that they'll also ask for specific information regarding foreclosure prevention and the number of small business loans issued in Los Angeles. They would also look into which banks provide services in disadvantaged neighborhoods. The goal is to provide ample information for the Mayor and the council to be able to make proper monetary investments.
The city has nearly $30 billion in cash and investments (including pension funds), making it a valuable customer. But many local governments face restrictions on where they can put their money.
"What the obligation should be first and foremost of the municipalities is, number one, safety of their funds – which is why they should be insured accounts, or collateralized accounts," banking consultant Bert Ely told NPR last week, adding, "then second of all, trying to earn the best interest rate they can."
Santana supports the idea of questioning bank practices, but said the city doesn't have the resources or expertise to grade banks. However, he also said that collecting information would essentially be cost-free.
Richard Alarcón, Los Angeles city councilmember of the 7th district, told Larry that he believes the council will approve the ordinance.
"I think that it's our fiduciary responsibility to gather as much information when making these transactions as possible, just as somebody would when they're buying a [used] car. You're not just going to look at the color, you're going to want to know the history," he said.
Alarcón said the discovery of a wrongdoing bank will be occasional, and the focus is stimulating reinvestment. According to Alarcón, Cleveland, Ohio has enacted a similar regulation for 20 years, and the city has claimed they've generated $10 billion in additional reinvestments, two to three times more than cities of similar size in that region of the United States.
"Most people view this as a way to ding banks for bad performance, but I actually view the banking responsibility ordinance as an incentive program to encourage banks in order to be more competitive for the application process," he said.
Banks would only be disqualified from investment consideration if they choose not to provide the city with information. Chief Administrative Officer Santana said that not one institution in the banking community has said they would refuse to comply.
WEIGH IN:
How complicated would it be to change banks? What if a bank is associated with a plethora of foreclosures, but is also a good steward to local businesses – would the two cancel each other out? Do you care where your city does its banking? What should be the priority in rating a bank's performance?
Guests:
Richard Alarcón, L.A. City Councilmember, 7th District - Covering the northeast section of the San Fernando Valley, the 7th City Council District includes the communities of Pacoima, Lake View Terrace, Panorama City, Mission Hills, North Hills, and Sylmar.
Miguel Santana, Chief Administrative Officer, City of Los Angeles
New Dodgers trainer adds fresh perspective to troubled team
The Los Angeles Dodgers haven't had a lot of good press lately. Between last April's brutal beating of a Giants fan and the ongoing McCourt saga, it's been a rough year.
But in late October, the team's management made a groundbreaking choice to hire Sue Falsone as their new head trainer. Falsone has been on the training staff for a number of years but she is the first woman in any major league sport to crack the top spot.
She has said in interviews that being with the team has been an amazing experience from the start and the players immediately made her feel welcome, although finding a place to change into her uniform has occasionally been an issue.
Falsone brings a lot to the table. In addition to working with the Dodgers she's also the vice president of performance and physical therapy and team sports at Athlete's Performance, a training facility in Phoenix, Arizona.
Team management hopes she'll bring some fresh and innovative ideas on treatment plans for injured players as well as evaluate their current training methods. We’ll find out more about Sue Falsone's training philosophy and learn how she plans to keep our star players healthy.
Guest:
Sue Falsone, new trainer for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Military violence sparks second Egyptian uprising
For nearly a week Egyptians have been rallying in protest of the military government that took control of the country after Hosni Mubarak stepped down in February. This time, the protests are more explosive and violent than those in January and February.
Many Egyptians feel as though the revolution has been undermined by the armed forces because of a military-led initiative that would have allowed elections to forward as planned but would also leave the civilian government reporting to the military. Protesters feel that the move is a step backward from the democracy that they fought so hard for, and smack of the old Mubarak regime.
More than 100,000 protesters have gathered in Tahrir since Saturday, demanding an immediate transfer of power. Egypt's prime minister and Cabinet members submitted their resignations Monday night after the military's violent crackdown on demonstrators.
But yesterday, Field General Hussein Tantawi, the de facto ruler of Egypt, gave a speech in which he accepted the resignations of the cabinet and made some concessions to the rallying public. But he went on to praise the violent actions of the Egyptian military.
Since then protests have increased in size and the military crackdown has continued apace. There have been reports of tear gas and brutal beatings in cities around the country. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights has urged military leaders to end what they call “clearly excessive force” against protesters.
AirTalk speaks with local Egyptian Americans on their reactions to the events in Egypt.
WEIGH IN:
Are they confident in Egypt’s potential for a bright future? Are you an Egyptian American with dashed hopes or optimistic sentiments? Will the military council hand over power to the people? How effective can people power be in making this revolution successful?
Guests:
Dr. Maher Hathout, senior advisor, Muslim Public Affairs Council
Osama Shabaik, local Egyptian-American with family on Cairo, hold a double bachelors in international studies and economics from UC Irvine
V-J Um Amel, Media artist and critic, also runs R-Shief.org, a website that collects and analyzes internet content from the middle-east. Also a PhD student at USC studying media arts and practice.
Nile El-Wardani, works in public health and development here in Los Angeles, holds duel American and Egyptian citizenship
Father Gregory Bishay, Priest with the Coptic Orthodox Christian Center in Orange
Forget finding yourself; find a job
If you listen to the general message of most graduating college seniors, there are no jobs to be had. And that isn't just the English majors talking. On the whole, unemployment for those with a college degree was at 4.4 percent in October.
However, recent data gathered in a study by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workplace shows that there are some areas where job prospects may be more positive.
In fact, several majors even have a whopping zero percent unemployment rate: Actuarial Science, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Educational Administration and Supervision, Geological and Geophysical Engineering, Pharmacology and School Student Counseling. But what do the numbers actually mean?
While it may be surprising to learn that those with an education degree are nearly 100 percent employed, the reason is simple: many of those graduates have given up and are working in other fields, such as retail.
Student Counseling majors, facing a dearth of jobs in the school system, may be using that psychology degree in other growing areas, such as health care. By contrast, those who graduate with an expensive and specialized degree in, for example, architecture, are less likely to take a lower-paying job outside of their field. Not only that – newly minted architects are also competing with older workers for a shrinking pool of jobs.
And a relatively low number of graduates, coupled with high demand from the military sector, translates into a high percentage of employment among astrophysics and nuclear engineering majors. The major you’ve chosen, the cost of your degree and the size of your graduating class all factor into your chances of putting that sheepskin to use.
WEIGH IN:
So what does this mean for our students and the future of our work force? Which degrees will yield the best chance of getting a job in one’s chosen field? Do students who over-spend on their education risk ending up with a dearth of career choices? How is your major treating you?
Guest:
Anthony Carnovale, Director, Center on Education and the Workplace at Georgetown University
We are thankful for StoryCorps’ National Day of Listening this Friday
Make this Thanksgiving holiday an especially happy one for a teacher in your life. Use StoryCorps to send a special ‘thank you’ to an educator who made an impact on you.
Yesterday, StoryCorps founder, Dave Isay wrote, "I just moments ago sent an email to my 11th grade English teacher Mrs. Moustakis – who I haven't talked to in 30 years – to thank her for, among other things, turning me on the James Baldwin."
This year, StoryCorps is asking the country to take at least a few minutes to say 'thanks' to a beloved teacher. Paying tribute on the day after Thanksgiving can range from posting a memory on Facebook (@storycorps), to sending a Tweet (@storycorps, #thankateacher), to taping a video tribute on YouTube (the videos will make it to the YouTube homepage on Monday). Or in proper StoryCorps fashion, you can record an interview with teach, using the do-it-yourself guide at nationaldayoflistening.org.
WEIGH IN:
Who is the teacher you most loved and why? How did s/he influence your life? Would s/he appreciate hearing from you?
Guest:
Dave Isay, Founder & Presidents, StoryCorps