Special election upset in New York City a referendum on Obama, GOP says. The doctor is in to answer your questions on how to ensure quality treatment when you visit the doctor. The nuts and bolts of closing state parks. And the soundtrack for social change.
Special election upset in New York City a referendum on Obama, GOP says
New York’s 9th district has been historically dominated by Democrats. But yesterday’s special election to fill the seat left vacant by disgraced Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner – went the other way. Bob Turner, a little-known Republican newcomer, scored an upset win over David Weprin, a Democratic Assemblyman from a prominent political family. Republicans declared the victory a clear referendum on President Obama’s economic policies and his relations with Israel. Turner declared his win a sign of things to come: “I am telling you. I am the messenger. Heed us. This message will resound for a full year. It will resound into 2012.” Democratic leaders have been quick to dismiss the results, saying they’re not reflective of the 2012 campaigns. But it’s definitely a humbling defeat in a district where Dems have a 3-1 registration edge. Meanwhile, in Nevada’s 2nd district, Republican Mark Amodei beat Dem candidate Kate Marshall, with 58 to 36 percent of the vote. That seat was vacated by Democratic Senator John Ensign after he resigned following admissions that he’d had an affair. What will these GOP wins mean for Obama in 2012? Are voters rejecting the Obama agenda? Or is it voter backlash against lawmakers brought down by sex scandals?
Guests:
Steven Greenberg, Pollster, Siena College Research Institute
Azi Paybarah, Political Reporter, Capital New York
The doctor is in
Today, AirTalk continues its semi-regular series looking at the top health stories, fads and frustrations facing patients and doctors. The inimitable Dr. Mark Lachs, a gerontologist at Weill Cornell Medical College, is back to answer all your health related questions. The good doctor has a renamed paperback version of his book, now called “What Your Doctor Won’t Tell You About Getting Older,” and some tales to share from his summer vacation in France, where he spied a topless woman proudly sporting a hip replacement. This isn’t as salacious as it sounds. Dr. Lachs was impressed with the apparent freedom and self-confidence French women of many ages expressed on the beaches of St. Tropez. This got him wondering, what can aging Americans do to feel better in their own skin and to be fabulous and sexy at any age? We’re taught that as we get older, we become frail, forgetful, unattractive – and sexless. But the truth is that the vast majority of folks over 70 still have it going on cognitively and sexually. So, what about you? Are old-fashioned notions of aging getting in your way? Do the French have lessons to teach us about sex, beauty and aging? What can patients do to ensure they get quality treatment from doctors at every age? Dr. Lachs is in to take your questions and calls – no health insurance or appointment necessary.
Guest:
Mark Lachs, M.D., Director of Geriatrics for the New York Presbyterian Health Care System; physician, scientist, and gerontologist at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City; author of What Your Doctor Won’t Tell You About Getting Older: An Insider’s Survival Manual for Outsmarting the Health-Care System
The nuts and bolts of closing state parks
In May, California’s budget woes forced officials to create a plan to close 70 state parks, in hopes of saving $22 million by next July. Now parks officials are faced with the daunting task of figuring out how to do it.
California State Parks Director Ruth Coleman said on AirTalk Wednesday that they must review factors like historical significance, national significance and whether or not it’s physically possible to completely close the park and remove all services.
"We tried very hard to preserve the most iconic parks," Coleman said. "Our whole mission has always been to preserve the best of California forever."
State parks employ less staff now than they did in 1979 and with legal restrictions on corporate sponsorship and naming rights, their options are limited.
Coleman said they've tried multiple fundraisers, special events and benefit concerts to try and generate revenue where they could.
"Our economy is in the tank and the tax revenue's not there," Coleman said.
Of California's 278 state parks, 32 are currently operated by cities and counties. The state owns the actual property but the local governing body manages the park, receives the revenues and incurs the costs. If more cites or counties could take on this responsibility, it could help solve part of the park closure issues.
But realistically, even if the state solves some of the financial issues by incorporating local governments or taking on corporate partnerships, the parks will not be able to run on volunteers alone and there will still be a lot of training needed for new employees.
"Running parks is a very big deal and demands a lot of professional skills," said California State Parks Foundation President Elizabeth Goldstein.
Even the actual logistics of closing a state park aren't always simple. For some like Pio Pico State Historic Park in Whittier, it’s a matter of storing some artifacts and padlocking a couple doors. But others pose serious challenges, like a state beach in Ventura or a stretch of river in northern California.
California State Parks Director Ruth Coleman tells the Los Angeles Times that allowing state parks to go to seed could also have a major environmental impact. Restoration projects will be set back; trails and picnic areas will go untended and invasive plant species can overtake local plant life.
"Unless you have constant maintenance you start losing historic fabric," Coleman said.
There is a limited amount of resources reserved for rangers to monitor closed parks, but they may still face major deterioration, Coleman said.
The reality is that closing a park doesn’t mean it’s impenetrable and officials are worried that invasive species aren’t the only bad element that could move in and take over. Pot growers could run wild and vandals and poachers will think it’s open season on government land.
Coleman said that California's park system represents the best aspects of the state. She also said that preserving parks is a, "philosophical debate we need to have as a state; 'What are we willing to do for our children?'"
WEIGH IN
So how will this work? Can one quarter of California’s parks be closed without causing too much damage to the parks system and the environment? Will we get our parks back if the economy turns around? And a bill is now headed to the governor that would allow non-profit organizations to take over the management of state parks, are non-profits the answer? Or do we need a sustainable, publically funded parks plan?
Guests:
Ruth Coleman, California State Parks director
Elizabeth Goldstein, President of the California State Parks Foundation, a nonprofit state parks advocacy group.
The soundtrack for social change
During the 1963 March on Washington, folk, blues and gospel singer Odetta unleashed her melodic and powerful voice for the cause of civil rights. She is just one of the many artists who have used music as a force for social change. Billie Holiday’s 1939 recording “Strange Fruit” was a groundbreaking statement against the horrors of Jim Crow, decades before the Black Power movement began to take shape. “A change is gonna come,” sang Sam Cooke in 1963, and those words played out throughout the decade. The musical revolution of the sixties mirrored the social revolution happening in the streets, as marchers protested the Vietnam War, women stood up for equality and the Stonewall Riots gave gays and lesbians a cause to rally around. In the 1970’s and 80’s, punk rock and hip-hop carried the torch for social change forward, pointing a finger at all forms of social injustice and oppression. In her new book, Denise Sullivan shows how none of this would have been possible without the explosion of the Black Power movement, and how music helped fuel social change by bringing people together, lifting their spirits and giving them a common voice. But for artists whose bravery inspired a generation, there was often a cost. For many, their controversial stance meant diminished label support and a fading career. Sullivan interviewed dozens of artists, including Len Chandler – who, along with Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, galvanized the crowd at the 1963 March on Washington – Buffy Sainte-Marie, Solomon Burke, Yoko Ono, Janis Ian and Richie Havens. And she asks the question, where have the voices of protest gone in today’s music? What forces – social, political and corporate – have conspired to silence the sounds of freedom, justice and equality?
Guest:
Denise Sullivan, author of Keep on Pushing: Black Power Music from Blues to Hip-Hop
Denise Sullivan will read from and sign her book on September 18, 4:00 pm, at Stories Books & Café.