Episodes

California legalized involuntary sterilizations in 1909. Between 1919 and 1952, 5500 such procedures were performed, representing 25% of the involuntary sterilizations which occurred in California. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

Arson arrests in California were up to 120 in 2020 versus 70 in 2019. To paraphrase our guest, the wildland arsonist is the most dangerous criminal in the country and can burn down a whole town in one hour. Yet such cases are not considered in the same destructive category as a weapon of mass destruction. Why not ? And what makes an arsonist tick ? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

Carol Lynley had a remarkable 40 year career in films, TV and on the stage. And who could ever forget The Poseidon Adventure ? She was a hardworking actress who graduated from model to teen actress to adult roles during the turbulent 1960s when social and cultural norms were changing. But she adapted to the times. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

Three recent arson cases in Northern California's forests, during our dangerous annual wildfire season, have raised the fear that deliberately set fires are on the rise and contributing to the megafires plaguing the Golden State. Cal Fire says that arson arrests jumped from 70 in 2019 to 120 in 2020. How can we stop this trend ? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

Liverpool is located 178 miles North West of London. A port and a city of colorful history, it has produced two Premier League Soccer Teams, The Beatles, countless actors and artists and has always been an immigrant melting pot. A key transportation artery during the Industrial Revolution, it played a role in the American Civil War facilitating the cotton trade, hosting a Confederate consulate and overseeing the building of a Confederate warship. Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth is rumored t...

Measure 2 is on the Minneapolis ballot November 2. It would remove the Police Department and Chief from the city charter. A new Department of Public Safety would be set up driven by public health considerations. Would police officers even be recruited in the future ? And if it passes, will other cities around the country follow suit ? If so, what impact would a national police department revamp have on the 2022 mid-term elections ? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/mes...

Michael Dobbs was Moscow Bureau Chief for the Washington Post. He has written seven books. King Richard and several others deal with presidential crises. For King Richard he listened to the Nixon tapes at the presidential library in Yorba Linda for a first hand account of how the coverup that forced the President's resignation unfolded. The book zeroes in on the first 100 days of 1973 after the January 20th second inaugural. This was the timeframe when the fate of the Nixon presidency was seale...

Covid 19 fueled a 2.2 year decrease in US white male life expectancy and over 3 years for black and latino men. That was the largest drop in 75 years. While other Western European countries saw a drop also, the US decline was the largest. Why ? In today's podcast we will explore the treasons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

The rise of the Mexican American community in California is notable in many fields. But back in the middle of the 20th Century until the 1970s, The future was littered with struggle, poverty and lack of opportunity. Frank Barajas takes us through that period when giants like Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta were laying the groundwork for the emergence of Mexican Americans as a political, social and economic force to be reckoned with. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/me...

Male College enrolment in 2020 was 40.5% male and 59.5% female. Since the mid-1980s women have earned more bachelors degrees than men. The good news is that women have excelled in higher education. But men have become disillusioned with the college experience and fewer are enrolling. So how will our society change if that trend continues for another 10 or 20 years ? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

Award winning author J.L. Torres, discusses his critically acclaimed collection of short stories, Migrations. The Puerto Rican journey back and forth between the island and New York is the locus of the strong women and men he profiles. Inaugural winner of the Tomas Rivera Prize, this is a book which brings us to the heart of being Puerto Rican --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

The second Gubernatorial recall in California's 171 years history as a state failed. Governor Gavin Newsom handily saw off the challenge to oust him, 64% to 36%. Does his victory mean a renewed mandate to solve the state's big problems like homelessness, wildfires and healthcare ? Or was it a one off victory ? Veteran political opinion columnist for Cal Matters Dan Walters, joins us to analyze the results --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

Amsterdam, the capital of The Netherlands, with a population of 870,000 is a cosmopolitan city known for its artistic heritage, commerce, 165 canals, and the legacy of its' 17th and 18th Century Golden Age. City resident Marcel shares with us his impressions and insights of his hometown, Amsterdam. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

The Evangelical Right has played a prominent role ensuring its agenda is part of the national debate especially during the presidential elections of 2016 and 2020. But is that agenda soundly based in scripture as they would have us believe ? Dr. Obery Hendricks a biblical scholar, social activist and one of the foremost commentators on the intersection of religion and politics, debunks that agenda as not being based in scripture. And argues that it is largely antithetical to Christ's teaching. ...

The second recall election of a California Governor in 171 years of statehood takes place tomorrow, Tuesday September 14. The polls are predicting a landslide victory for Gavin Newsom. But the seasoned political scientist Professor David McCuan breaks down the meaning of the race and its' impact on national politics. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

Escape to the Stars is a work of science fiction, but with an African American protagonist and hero. All too often the science fiction genre and space travel/adventure stories leave out people of color, and author Mark Sneed rectifies that shortcoming and gives us a unique and new perspective in his sixth novel. Christian Drake the protagonist unlike most space adventurers seems to have a live and let live tolerance for the aliens he encounters - another singular characteristic in science fictio...

While the Governor's management of California's response to the Covid pandemic has been an issue in the Recall, he has earned praise and criticism. Angela Hart frames the issues around his handling of Covid and further previews some major MediCal reforms coming in January which will transform the state's healthcare programs especially for the homeless. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

With less than two weeks left before the historic Recall Election of Governor Gavin Newsom, the tide of opinion polls seems to be turning in his favor. But are there potential minefield issues like raging wildfires and increasing crime that could ambush his ride to victory ? Alexei Koseff, The Chronicle's Capitol reporter in Sacramento who follows the Governor and the Legislature shares his insights. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

Tina Martin joined the Peace Corps in 1969 and served for two years in Tonga, a Polynesian Kingdom in the South Pacific. At times funny and other times moving, she learned the language and lived like a Tongan in a hut teaching English. Her memoir, entitled "Everything I should have learned I could have learned in Tonga", is based on the 28 notebook/diaries she kept of her adventure 50 years ago. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

The Economist Intelligence Unit has recently published The Global Liveability Index which ranks the top cities in the world by five criteria, Stability, Healthcare, Culture and Environment, Education and Infrastructure. It is the first time that the full brunt of the Covid 19 pandemic was factored into the equation, and just as Covid has upended our lives, so too the global City rankings were significantly changed. Auckland, New Zealand ranks as the #1 most liveable city in the world. --- Send ...