What is the current state of the National Park Service?
The Trump administration has fired about 1,000 newly hired National Park Service employees who maintain and clean parks, educate visitors and perform other functions as part of its broad-based effort to downsize government. The firings come amid what has been a chaotic rollout of an aggressive program to eliminate thousands of federal jobs. The plan is led by billionaire Elon Musk and the new Department of Government Efficiency, a Trump administration effort to slash federal spending. Park advocates say the permanent staff cuts will leave hundreds of national parks — including some of the most well-known and most heavily visited sites — understaffed and facing tough decisions about operating hours, public safety and resource protection. Experts say that visitors to the parks should expect trash to pile up, restrooms to go uncleaned, guided tours to be cut back or canceled and, in the worst cases, public safety to be at risk. Joining us to discuss is Neal Desai, Pacific Regional Director for the National Park Conservation Association, and Benji Jones, environmental correspondent for VOX. We also want to haer from you! What do the National Parks mean to you? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
With files from the Associated Press.
Why we need nostalgia, especially in the hard times
Nostalgia is a term that we all have a relationship with, of some kind. For some of us it’s even a personality trait, like extroversion. For others, it’s a kind of tool that we use to curate our style or inform how we move through the world. Take Gen Z for example, who are drawing upon the aesthetic of the 90s and early 2000s as creative inspiration and even guidance in how they interact with technology. Even though nostalgia is ubiquitous, there are still a lot of misconceptions around what nostalgia is and how it’s used. Is it used to escape the present moment? Why do we idealize the past? And why do we tend towards nostalgia during particularly trying times?
Joining us today on AirTalk is Clay Routledge, psychologist and author of the book Past Forward: How Nostalgia Can Help You Live a More Meaningful Life (Sounds True, 2023); joining us from Arkansas.
Exploring the cultural hub of the Caribbean through food
The Caribbean is a collection of different countries and cultures. With so many melding influences, the region has given way to some delicious cuisine. Today on AirTalk, we are taking a trip down to the equator with Mercedes Squires, co-owner of Caribbean Soul Kitchen LA. She and her husband offer traditional Panamanian dishes with some Jamaican flair. After starting out of their apartment during COVID, they now have a full-service restaurant located in Mid-Wilshire.
