11/18/02

LC021118

VAL ZAVALA>> TONIGHT ON LIFE AND TIMES --

JESS MARLOW>> THEY LIVE IN A BEAUTIFUL PLACE, BUT CLAIM THEIR LIVES WERE RUINED BY A RADIOACTIVE MESS AND THEY’RE STILL WAITING FOR SOME STRAIGHT ANSWERS.

BONNIE KLEA>> AND I WAS ASKED ONE TIME BY AN EMPLOYEE OF ROCKETDYNE, WELL, DIDN'T YOU KNOW THAT THESE BIG YELLOW SIGNS WHICH HAD THIS SYMBOL ON IT, DIDN'T YOU KNOW THAT MEANT "RESTRICTED AREA: RADIATION"? I DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE. NO ONE TOLD ME.

VAL>> IT’S THE STUFF THAT MAY WIND UP IN CALIFORNIA GASOLINE: ETHANOL, A CLEAN-BURNING ADDITIVE MADE FROM CORN. CRITICS SAY IT HAS SOME DRAWBACKS, BUT TONIGHT WE’LL MEET AN ETHANOL SUPPORTER WHO CLAIMS IT’S THE CLEAR SOLUTION TO CALIFORNIA’S SMOGGY AIR.

JESS>> AND THEN A STORY OF HEROISM, COURAGE AND BEAUTY STRAIGHT FROM THE DARKEST DAYS OF THE HOLOCAUST. THESE WORKS OF ART ARE AMONG THOUSANDS MADE BY CHILDREN IN A NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMP AND IT’S ALL BECAUSE OF ONE WOMAN. TONIGHT THE STORY OF HOW HER LEGACY SURVIVED THE DEATH CAMPS.

VAL>> IT’S ALL COMING UP NEXT ON TONIGHT’S LIFE AND TIMES.

LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FOLLOWING FOUNDATIONS:

THE L.K. WHITTIER FOUNDATION
DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE BY SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE ENDEAVORS IN THE FIELDS OF MEDICINE, HEALTH, SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.

AND THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT
THE STATE'S LARGEST HEALTH FOUNDATION SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS THAT DIRECTLY IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF CALIFORNIA'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT, A PARTNER FOR HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES.

VAL>> GOOD EVENING, I’M VAL ZAVALA.

JESS>> AND I’M JESS MARLOW. THE COLD WAR HAS FADED INTO THE HISTORY BOOKS, BUT IT MAY HAVE LEFT US WITH A DEADLY SOUVENIR. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT RADIOACTIVE WASTE SCATTERED AT THE SITE OF THE OLD ROCKETDYNE PLANT NEAR SIMI VALLEY.

VAL>> SEVERAL PEOPLE CLAIM THEY’VE GOTTEN SICK FROM BEING TOO CLOSE TO THAT RADIATION AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS PROMISED TO CLEAN IT UP. BUT AS GAY YEE REPORTS, CRITICS ARE WONDERING WHAT THE FEDS HAVE IN MIND.

LYNDON B. JOHNSON>> "WE MUST LEARN TO LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE WE HAVE THE HYDROGEN BOMB AND THE ENEMY OF FREEDOM HAS THE HYDROGEN BOMB."

GAY YEE>> THE 1960'S, THE EARLY YEARS OF THE COLD WAR. BONNIE KLEA WAS A YOUNG MINNESOTA WOMAN WITH DREAMS OF CALIFORNIA IN HER EYES.

BONNIE KLEA>> I CAME FROM MINNESOTA. I WENT TO THE MINNESOTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND GRADUATED AND TOOK A ONE-WAY TRAIN TICKET TO CALIFORNIA.

GAY YEE>> SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WAS AT THE CENTER OF THE DEFENSE INDUSTRY. KLEA GOT A JOB AS A SECRETARY AT ROCKETDYNE'S SANTA SUSANA FIELD LABORATORY. THE COMPANY WAS DEVELOPING ROCKETS FOR THE SPACE PROGRAM AND STILL DOES, BUT BACK THEN, IT WAS ALSO CONDUCTING NUCLEAR RESEARCH FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND THE ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION.

BONNIE KLEA>> THEY WERE DEVELOPING REACTORS IN THE BASEMENT WHERE I WORKED AND I READ LATER THAT THE BUILDING WHERE I WORKED, WHICH WAS BUILDING 59, WAS THE MOST CONTAMINATED BUILDING UP THERE BECAUSE THE NUCLEAR WASTE RADIATION HAD SEEPED INTO THE GROUNDWATER.

GAY YEE>> AS A SECRETARY IN THE HIGH-SECURITY ATOMIC SECTOR, KLEA SAID SHE DID HER JOB AND ASKED NO QUESTIONS, BUT SHE NEVER HAD A CLUE THAT SHE MIGHT BE EXPOSING HERSELF TO RADIATION.

BONNIE KLEA>> THE SECRETARIES HAD NO RADIATION BADGE. WE HAD NO TRAINING. WE WEREN'T TOLD WHAT THE WARNING SIGNS MEANT.

GAY YEE>> A FEW YEARS AGO, A UCLA STUDY CONCLUDED THAT WORKERS AT THE SITE LOCATED IN THE HILLS ABOVE SIMI VALLEY HAD AN INCREASED RISK OF CANCER FROM RADIATION. ROCKETDYNE IS IN THE MIDST OF A $258 MILLION DOLLAR CLEANUP THAT'S EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE YEAR 2008, BUT KLEA IS WORRIED IT WON'T BE ENOUGH.

BONNIE KLEA>> NOW WE'RE AT THE CROSSROADS OF WHAT'S STANDARD. IT'S EITHER THE STANDARD OF ONE CANCER IN FIFTY OR IT'S THE STANDARD OF ONE CANCER IN ONE MILLION.

GAY YEE>> THERE'S A CONFLICT RIGHT NOW OVER WHETHER THE SITE SHOULD BE SCOURED TO A DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY STANDARD OR TO A MORE STRINGENT GUIDELINE SET BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY. U.S. SENATOR, BARBARA BOXER, RECENTLY WROTE THE EPA ASKING FOR THE TOUGHER STANDARD AND A FULL ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW OF THE SITE.

RIGHT NOW, ROCKETDYNE AND ITS PARENT COMPANY, BOEING, SAY THEIR MAIN OBJECTIVE IS TO COMPLETE THE CLEANUP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, BUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW THAT PEOPLE ARE ASKING FOR COULD DELAY THEIR EFFORTS BY THREE TO FOUR YEARS. ROCKETDYNE SPOKESMAN, DAN BECK, OFFERS THIS RESPONSE: "WE'RE JUST TRYING TO GET OUR CLEANUP DONE IN THE TIMELIEST AND MOST COMPLETE WAY POSSIBLE IN A WAY THAT IS PROTECTIVE OF PUBLIC HEALTH. IT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING AND IT'S WHAT WE WANT TO KEEP ON DOING."

BUT IN RECENT YEARS, KLEA HAS DISCOVERED ANOTHER REASON FOR STRICTER CLEANUP. IN 1995 SHE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH BLADDER CANCER. KLEA LIVES IN THIS CUL-DE-SAC IN WEST HILLS LOCATED WITHIN A FIVE-MILE RADIUS OF THE ROCKETDYNE SITE. SHE NOTICED OTHERS HAD SUFFERED FROM CANCER TOO AND SHE BEGAN TRACKING DOWN HER OLD NEIGHBORS.

BONNIE KLEA>> SO WE HAD A BRAIN TUMOR HERE, BLADDER CANCER THERE, COLON CANCER OVER HERE AND THEN, ACROSS THE STREET OVER THERE, WE HAD ANOTHER BLADDER CANCER.

GAY YEE>> THIRTEEN INCIDENTS OF CANCER WITHIN FIFTEEN HOUSES. KLEA BELIEVES IT'S NO COINCIDENCE AND SHE SAYS THE GOVERNMENT HAS A MORAL OBLIGATION TO CLEAN THINGS UP, BUT ONE WONDERS WHY DOES SHE STAY?

BONNIE KLEA>> I'M A THORN IN THEIR SIDE. THEY DON'T LIKE IT. THEY'VE ALREADY ASKED ME AND TOLD ME WHY DON'T I GET ON WITH MY LIFE AND GIVE THIS UP? BUT I'M STAYING.

JESS>> GAY JOINS US NOW. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM. WHAT HAPPENED TO BARBARA BOXER’S BILL?

GAY YEE>> WELL, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF BILLS BOTH AT THE STATE AND THE FEDERAL LEVEL AND ALL OF THEM WERE KILLED, SO THEY --

VAL>> -- AND THESE BILLS WOULD HAVE DONE WHAT?

GAY YEE>> WOULD HAVE BROUGHT THE STANDARDS TO THE EPA STANDARD, WHICH IS A MUCH STRICTER CLEANUP. IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN MUCH LONGER AND BEEN MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE.

VAL>> BUT THE RESIDENTS WOULD HAVE BEEN SATISFIED WITH THAT?

GAY YEE>> SOME RESIDENTS ARE SATISFIED WITH IT. THERE ARE SOME WHO ARE NOT AND FEEL THAT THEY MUST GO FOR THE STRICTER STANDARD, AND THERE ARE LAWMAKERS WHO ALSO AGREE, THAT THEY FEEL THAT IT MUST BE THE HIGHEST STANDARD POSSIBLE AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE. IT’S REALLY ONE OF THOSE SITUATIONS WHERE IT DEPENDS ON WHO YOU TALK TO. IF YOU TALK TO ROCKETDYNE, IT’S SAFE ENOUGH.

VAL>> BUT REGARDLESS, THOSE BILLS BOTH FAILED ON BOTH LEVELS, SO WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO NOW?

GAY YEE>> THEY MORE THAN LIKELY WILL RENEW THE FIGHT. BOXER WILL RE-INTRODUCE, YOU KNOW, LEGISLATION AGAIN, WILL TRY AGAIN, OR THEY MAY TAKE IT TO THE COURTS.

JESS>> IS THERE CONTINUING EVIDENCE OF A POSSIBLE CANCER CLUSTER?

GAY YEE>> YOU KNOW, THAT IS ALWAYS, ALWAYS A VERY DIFFICULT THING TO PROVE. MY UNDERSTANDING -- WE MENTIONED IN THE PIECE THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL UCLA STUDIES THAT COMPARED DEATH RECORDS WITH CANCER REGISTRY RECORDS. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT UCLA MAY RENEW THAT RESEARCH AND LOOK AGAIN TO SEE IF THERE IS SOME SORT OF CONNECTION.

VAL>> GAY, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

TOMORROW ON LIFE AND TIMES, AN INSIDE LOOK AT ONE OF L.A.’S BEST-KEPT SECRETS. IT’S AN ART DECO SHOWCASE NESTLED IN A CANYON IN MALIBU. THE HOME ONCE BELONGED TO BARBRA STREISAND. NOW IT’S OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. WE’LL GIVE YOU A BEHIND-THE-SCENES PREVIEW OF THIS GORGEOUS HISTORIC GEM. THAT’S TOMORROW ON LIFE AND TIMES.

JESS>> CALIFORNIA IS ON THE VERGE OF GETTING A BRAND NEW BLEND OF GASOLINE. GONE WILL BE THE ADDITIVE KNOWN AS MTBE, REPORTEDLY CAUSING CANCER. IN ITS PLACE WILL BE ETHANOL, A NATURAL PRODUCT MADE FROM CORN.

VAL>> THE WHOLE IDEA OF PUTTING ADDITIVES INTO GASOLINE IN THE FIRST PLACE IS TO MAKE THE FUEL BURN CLEANER AND GENERATE LESS AIR POLLUTION, BUT SOME CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS OPPOSE THE IDEA OF USING ETHANOL SINCE IT COULD LEAD TO HIGHER GASOLINE PRICES. MEANWHILE, THE STATE HAS ABOUT A YEAR TO MAKE UP ITS MIND AND TONIGHT WE GET THE CASE FOR ETHANOL FROM A LEADING ADVOCATE OF THE PRODUCT, TREVOR GUTHMILLER.

JESS>> SO ETHANOL IS THE FUEL ADDITIVE OF THE FUTURE?

TREVOR GUTHMILLER>> DEFINITELY. WE BELIEVE SO. IT’S GOING TO DOUBLE IN USE OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS AT LEAST.

VAL>> WHAT’S GOING TO CAUSE THAT DOUBLING?

TREVOR GUTHMILLER>> GROWING DEMAND, CLEAN AIR REGULATIONS, DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL, PEOPLE WHO WANT TO SEE THAT ECONOMIC ACTIVITY STAY IN THE UNITED STATES.

VAL>> NOW HERE IN CALIFORNIA, WE HAVE THE LARGEST CAR MARKET, WE GUZZLE MORE GAS THAN IN ANY OTHER STATE IN THE COUNTRY. HOW MUCH IS ETHANOL A PART OF OUR FUEL USAGE HERE RIGHT NOW?

TREVOR GUTHMILLER>> ETHANOL IS A SMALL PART OF YOUR FUEL USAGE, BUT IT’S A GROWING PART. MOST ALL THE PETROLEUM BLENDERS HAVE INDICATED THAT THEY’RE GOING TO SHIFT FROM MTBE TO ETHANOL WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS, SO YOU’RE GOING TO START TO SEE IT AT A LOT OF DIFFERENT PLACES. WE’RE ALREADY SEEING IT AT OVER A THOUSAND UNOCAL CIRCLE K GAS STATIONS AROUND CALIFORNIA AND MOST EVERY REFINER IS GOING TO SHIFT FROM MTBE TO ETHANOL PROBABLY WITHIN THE NEXT THREE OR FOUR MONTHS.

JESS>> TO WHAT EXTENT HAS THE ADDITION OF ETHANOL CAUSED GASOLINE PRICES TO INCREASE IN THE FAR WEST?

TREVOR GUTHMILLER>> IT HASN’T CAUSED THEM TO INCREASE AT ALL. IN FACT, IF YOU DRIVE AROUND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND YOU LOOK AT THE PLACES THAT ARE SELLING ETHANOL, LIKE THE UNION 76 STATIONS, IT’S THE SAME PRICE AS GASOLINE WITH MTBE. SO IT HASN’T CAUSED GAS PRICES TO INCREASE AT ALL.

JESS>> AND IF WE ELIMINATE MTBE AS WE ARE REQUIRED TO DO OR ABOUT TO DO, ETHANOL IS THE SUBSTITUTE?

TREVOR GUTHMILLER>> YES, AS LONG AS THE REFORMULATED GAS PROGRAM REQUIRES OXYGEN, YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO USE ETHANOL TO MEET THAT FEDERAL REQUIREMENT.

VAL>> AND SO FAR, IT DOES REQUIRE OXYGEN ALTHOUGH OIL INDUSTRY EXPERTS SAY WE CAN PRODUCE A FORMULATED CLEAN GASOLINE FOR CALIFORNIA THAT DOESN’T REQUIRE ETHANOL OR MTBE.

TREVOR GUTHMILLER>> WELL, THAT’S WHAT THEY SAY. YOU KNOW, FRANKLY, WE’RE A LITTLE SKEPTICAL OF THAT. THEY’RE THE COMPANIES THAT BROUGHT US MTBE IN THE FIRST PLACE, YOU KNOW, AND THEY SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT THAT WAS GOING TO CAUSE SOME OF THE PROBLEMS THAT IT HAS CAUSED. I THINK, AS TAXPAYERS, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO LOOK AT WHAT WE’RE PAYING TO CLEAN UP MTBE POLLUTION AND WHAT WE’RE PAYING FOR OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL AND THE ANSWER TO THAT IS ETHANOL.

JESS>> NOW CLEARLY, ETHANOL IS BEING PUSHED BY THE CORN BELT, OBVIOUSLY. LET’S LOOK AT THE PROCESS A LITTLE BIT. ETHANOL, IN EFFECT, IS CORN WHISKEY, HUH?

TREVOR GUTHMILLER>> THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT IT IS, YEAH. I MEAN, IT’S GOT A FANCY NAME. WE CALL IT ETHANOL, BUT IT IS ESSENTIALLY CORN ALCOHOL.

VAL>> AND, IN FACT, WE HAVE TO ADD SOMETHING SO PEOPLE WON’T DRINK IT, IS THAT RIGHT?

TREVOR GUTHMILLER>> THAT’S RIGHT. WE HAVE TO DENATURE IT. WE HAVE TO POISON IT SO YOU CAN’T SELL IT AS A BEVERAGE.

JESS>> SO THESE ARE CORN SQUEEZINGS. NOW THIS IS CORN THAT ORDINARILY WOULD BE USED AS CATTLE FEED. ONCE YOU’VE TAKEN THE LIQUID OUT OF IT, OR THE STARCH OUT OF IT, WHAT HAPPENS TO THE BYPRODUCT?

TREVOR GUTHMILLER>> WELL, THAT’S KIND OF THE BEAUTY OF IT. IT’S REALLY A NO-WASTE PROCESS. ABOUT HALF THE CORN GROWN IN THIS COUNTRY GOES TO LIVESTOCK FEED, TO RAISE CATTLE, POULTRY, HOGS. WHAT WE DO WITH ETHANOL IS WE TAKE, LIKE YOU SAID, TAKE THE STARCH OUT OF IT, TURN THE STARCH TO SUGAR AND THE SUGAR TO ALCOHOL. ALL THE NUTRIENT COMPONENTS OF THAT CORN, THE PROTEIN, THE FAT, THE FIBER, ALL COME OUT IN A CONDENSED FORM CALLED DISTILLER’S GRAIN WHICH MAKES AN EXCELLENT LIVESTOCK FEED BECAUSE IT’S HIGH IN PROTEIN. IN FACT, A LOT OF THAT GETS SHIPPED OUT TO DAIRIES IN CALIFORNIA BECAUSE IT’S A GREAT FEED FOR THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

VAL>> SO WHEN ETHANOL GETS INTO OUR GASOLINE AT VARIOUS PERCENTAGES, ANYWHERE FROM FOUR PERCENT PROBABLY UP TO AS MUCH AS, WHAT, FIFTEEN PERCENT OR TEN?

TREVOR GUTHMILLER>> TEN PERCENT, YES.

VAL>> IS IT THAT IT MAKES THE GASOLINE CLEANER OR DOES IT MAKE THE MILEAGE MORE EFFICIENT?

TREVOR GUTHMILLER>> MOSTLY IT’S ADDED TO MAKE GASOLINE CLEANER. REALLY, STANDARD ETHANOL BLEND DOESN’T REALLY AFFECT MILEAGE ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.

JESS>> BUT POLITICALLY, THE REAL BENEFIT OF ALL THIS IS TO HELP REDUCE OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL?

TREVOR GUTHMILLER>> THAT’S ONE OF THEM, YEAH. I MEAN, I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT ALL THE DIFFERENT ISSUES OUT THERE WITH GASOLINE AND OIL USE, ONE, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE GASOLINE IS AS CLEAN-BURNING AS POSSIBLE, BUT, TWO, WE’D MUCH RATHER SEE IT COME FROM THE UNITED STATES VERSUS COME FROM FOREIGN SOURCES. WE GET THE MAJORITY OF OUR OIL USED IN THE UNITED STATES FROM FOREIGN SOURCES. MTBE IS MOSTLY IMPORTED INTO THE UNITED STATES. SO ETHANOL KIND OF STANDS IN CONTRAST TO THAT.

VAL>> AND RIGHT NOW, ANY CAR CAN RUN ON GASOLINE THAT HAS A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF ETHANOL, BUT NO CAR CAN RUN PURELY ON ETHANOL, CORRECT?

TREVOR GUTHMILLER> WELL, ANY CAR CAN RUN ON THE TEN PERCENT ETHANOL, WHICH IS THE MOST THAT THE GOVERNMENT ALLOWS TO BE BLENDED, BUT THERE ARE EXAMPLES OR THERE ARE CARS OUT THERE THAT ARE CALLED FLEXIBLE FUEL VEHICLES, OR E-85 VEHICLES, THAT CAN RUN ON ANY BLEND OF FUEL UP TO EIGHTY-FIVE PERCENT ETHANOL. I THINK WE’LL SEE MORE OF THOSE IN THE FUTURE AS WELL.

JESS>> WHEN THE PUSH FOR ETHANOL CAME FIRST, IT WAS BECAUSE WE HAD THESE ENORMOUS GRAIN SURPLUSES. WE STILL HAVE SIGNIFICANT GRAIN SURPLUSES, BUT WHAT HAPPENS IN A DROUGHT PERIOD?

TREVOR GUTHMILLER>> WELL, I THINK THE ETHANOL INDUSTRY HAS GOTTEN GOOD ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT IT HAS ITS SUPPLIES LOCKED UP. FOR INSTANCE, A LOT OF THE ETHANOL PLANTS THAT ARE OPERATING RIGHT NOW ARE FARMER-OWNED COOPS WHERE FARMERS HAVE INVESTED IN THESE PLANTS. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY DO WHEN THEY INVEST IN THESE PLANTS IS THEY PLEDGE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF THEIR CORN EVERY YEAR, SO THESE PLANTS KNOW THAT THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE ACCESS TO THAT SUPPLY.

BUT EVEN IN A DROUGHT YEAR, FOR INSTANCE, THE LAST FOUR OR FIVE YEARS, WE’VE GROWN BETWEEN NINE AND TEN BILLION BUSHELS OF CORN IN THE UNITED STATES. EVEN IF WE GET, YOU KNOW, A TWENTY OR THIRTY PERCENT REDUCTION IN THAT CORN CROP, WE’LL STILL HAVE ENOUGH FOR ETHANOL BECAUSE WE GENERALLY EXPORT ABOUT TWO BILLION BUSHELS OF CORN EVERY YEAR WHICH WE DON’T HAVE A USE FOR IN THE UNITED STATES, SO THERE’S STILL PLENTY OF CORN.

VAL>> NOW HOW ABOUT PEOPLE WHO SAY THE ONLY REASON ETHANOL IS AROUND IS BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN HEAVILY SUBSIDIZED BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OVER, I GUESS, PROBABLY TEN OR TWENTY YEARS. ALSO APPARENTLY THE HEAD OF THE CAL EPA SAYS THAT GETTING IT HERE WOULD BE IMPRACTICAL AND WOULD CREATE LOGISTICAL NIGHTMARES.

TREVOR GUTHMILLER>> AND THAT’S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I’M OUT HERE BECAUSE THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT ETHANOL AND WHAT IT’S GOING TO CAUSE OR WHAT IT’S GOING TO DO OUT HERE ON THE WEST COAST. FRANKLY, WE HAVE NO PROBLEM GETTING ETHANOL FROM THE MIDWEST TO CALIFORNIA. IT’S A LOT EASIER TO GET ETHANOL FROM NEBRASKA AND SOUTH DAKOTA TO CALIFORNIA THAN IT IS TO GET MTBE FROM SAUDI ARABIA TO CALIFORNIA. THE TRANSPORTATION COSTS ARE PENNIES PER GALLON AND GENERALLY ETHANOL IS LESS COSTLY THAN GASOLINE, SO IF ANYTHING, IT MIGHT LOWER YOUR COST OUT HERE. BUT A LOT OF THE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SAYING, WELL, ETHANOL IS GOING TO DOUBLE GAS PRICES IN CALIFORNIA AND THAT’S JUST RIDICULOUS. IT’S NOT BASED ON ANY, YOU KNOW, RATIONAL LOGIC AT ALL. IN FACT, IT MIGHT LOWER GAS PRICES A FEW CENTS.

VAL>> WELL, I CAN ONLY EXPECT THAT THOSE TRUCKS TRUCKING OUT ETHANOL ARE RUNNING ON --

JESS>> -- WITH SIGNS THAT SAY “CORN IS KING” (LAUGHTER).

VAL>> (LAUGHTER) THERE WE GO.

TREVOR GUTHMILLER>> AND WE HOPE THAT, EVENTUALLY, WE’LL SEE SOME ETHANOL PRODUCTION IN CALIFORNIA AS WELL. IT’S NOT JUST A MIDWEST ISSUE.

VAL>> WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OF PLANTS, BUT THEY’RE VERY SMALL. TREVOR GUTHMILLER, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING IN AND INFORMING US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ETHANOL.

TREVOR GUTHMILLER>> HEY, VAL AND JESS, THIS WAS FUN. I HOPE TO BE ABLE TO COME BACK AGAIN SOMETIME.

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VAL>> THEY LIVED IN TERRIBLY GRIM SURROUNDINGS AND NEARLY ALL OF THEM WOULD SOON DIE AT AUSCHWITZ. BUT FOR THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN IN NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMPS, ONE REMARKABLE WOMAN WAS ABLE TO CREATE A BRIEF RESPITE FROM THE HORRORS.

JESS>> HER NAME WAS FRIEDL DICKER-BRANDEIS. HAD SHE LIVED, EXPERTS SAY SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ARTISTS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. HER LEGACY LIVES ON IN THE ARTWORK OF HER STUDENTS, ALL OF THEM CHILDREN IN A CONCENTRATION CAMP IN NAZI GERMANY. SHE TAUGHT THEM TO PAINT AND DRAW AS A FORM OF THERAPY. A NEW BOOK, "FRIEDL", TELLS THE STORY OF BOTH THE WOMAN AND THE CHILDREN SHE HELPED. IT ALSO FEATURES SOME OF THE BEAUTIFUL WORKS THEY LEFT BEHIND. JOINING US IS THE AUTHOR, REGINA SEIDMAN MILLER. ALSO HERE IS LIEBE GEFT, DIRECTOR OF THE MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE, WHICH IS CURRENTLY SHOWING SOME OF THE ARTWORK. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

REGINA SEIDMAN MILLER>> THANK YOU. ALSO, ELENA MAKAROVA, THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK, IS MY PARTNER ON THIS EXPEDITION AND GUEST CURATOR OF THE EXHIBITION AT THE MUSEUM.

VAL>> NOW TELL US JUST THE BASIC FACTS BECAUSE PEOPLE MAY HAVE NEVER HEARD ABOUT THIS WOMAN. HOW DID WE EVEN ENCOUNTER THE CHILDREN'S ART, HER ART? HOW DID WE DISCOVER IT?

REGINA SEIDMAN MILLER>> IT'S ALL A BIT OF A DETECTIVE WORK STORY BECAUSE I'VE BEEN RESEARCHING FRIEDL FOR MY OWN POINT OF VIEW. MY MOTHER IS A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR AND TOLD ME ABOUT FRIEDL WHEN I WAS YOUNG. ELENA MAKAROVA, THE GUEST CURATOR OF THE EXHIBITION, WAS RESEARCHING FRIEDL. SHE'S FROM THE FORMER SOVIET UNION FOR MANY, MANY YEARS AND WE MET UP IN PRAGUE IN 1996. I TOLD HER ABOUT THE SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER'S COLLECTION OF ART, BOTH CHILDREN'S DRAWINGS AND THE ARTWORK OF FRIEDL DICKER-BRANDEIS, THAT WAS AN AMAZING DISCOVERY THAT WAS IN CALIFORNIA. WE RESEARCHED IT AND THE LIFE OF FRIEDL DICKER-BRANDEIS REALLY CAME TO LIFE. WE DISCOVERED THAT NOT ONLY WAS SHE THE TEACHER TO THESE CHILDREN, SHE WAS ALSO --

VAL>> -- IN FACT, HERE'S A PAINTING.

REGINA SEIDMAN MILLER>> YES, THIS IS HER SELF-PORTRAIT. SHE WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY BAUHAUS ARTIST WHO WORKED WITH KINDINSKY AND CLAY AND SCHLEMMER AND WALTER GROPIUS. THIS WAS DONE IN 1940, I THINK, AFTER HER INTERROGATION WHERE SHE JUST WAS VERY DISTURBED FROM BEING ARRESTED IN VIENNA AND THIS IS HER DRIVING IN A CAR -- IT'S CALLED "LADY IN A CAR" -- GOING FROM VIENNA TO PRAGUE.

VAL>> AND THEN THE NEXT PIECE OF ART IS "VIEW FROM A WINDOW IN THERESIENSTADT"

REGINA SEIDMAN MILLER>> YES. THIS PIECE I LOVE BECAUSE I OWN THIS PIECE AND IT WAS GIVEN TO ME BY ONE OF FRIEDL'S FRIENDS DURING MY RESEARCH. FRIEDL LOVED TO LOOK OUT OF THE WINDOW. SHE LOVED THE VIEWS AND NATURE AND FLOWERS. THAT'S WHAT WAS SO UNIQUE ABOUT HER ARTWORK. SHE WAS NOT A TYPICAL -- SHE DIDN'T DRAW THE HORRORS OF THE HOLOCAUST. SHE PAINTED WHAT SHE HOPED THE WORLD WOULD BE.

LIEBE GEFT>> AND THE CAPTURE TO TWELVE OF THESE CHILDREN WHO WERE PRIVILEGED, OF COURSE. THERESIENSTADT WAS RATHER DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER CONCENTRATION CAMPS AND HAD AN UNUSUALLY HIGH NUMBER OF ARTISTS AND INTELLECTUALS, BUT FOR THOSE CHILDREN WHO WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO COME UNDER FRIEDL'S WING, SHE SHELTERED THEM FROM THE HORRORS OF THAT EXPERIENCE AND ACTUALLY TAUGHT THEM TO ENJOY THEIR DREAMS AND TO HAVE HOPE AND TO DRAW PROMISE AND TO --

JESS>> -- WAS IT FALSE PROMISE? FALSE HOPE? FALSE DREAMS?

REGINA SEIDMAN MILLER>> I DON'T THINK SO BECAUSE FRIEDL BELIEVED -- AND WE HAVE HER LETTERS WHERE SHE SAID, IF YOU HAVE ONE DAY, THEN YOU HAVE TO LIVE IT. THE ONLY WAY TO ESCAPE DEATH IS SIMPLY BY LIVING. SO SHE COULD NEVER TELL THEM AND SHE NEVER DID THAT THE FUTURE IS GLORIOUS AND HOPEFUL AND WONDERFUL. ALL SHE SAID IS, WE HAVE TODAY. LET'S DEAL WITH TODAY, AND TODAY WE'LL DO IT THROUGH ART.

IF THE CHILD WAS EXPERIENCING SOME SORT OF TRAUMA, SHE WOULD HELP THEM DISCUSS IT. IF THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE LANGUAGE TO VERBALIZE IT, THEY EXPRESSED IT THROUGH ART. IF A CHILD WANTED TO HOLD ONTO A SENSE OF HOPE AND THEY LOVED TO DRAW FLOWERS, SHE ENCOURAGED THEM TO DRAW FLOWERS. SHE'S REALLY ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF ART THERAPY, OF HOW TO USE ART AS A WAY TO DEAL WITH YOUR SURROUNDINGS.

JESS>> THE MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE WOULD SEEM TO BE AN APPROPRIATE PLACE FOR THIS.

LIEBE GEFT>> IT IS THE PERFECT PLACE FOR THIS. IT REALLY RESONATES WITH ALL OF THE MANY THEMES NOT ONLY OF THE HOLOCAUST, WHICH IS THE CONTEXT FOR THIS, BUT ALSO THE JUXTAPOSITION OF THE TRIUMPH OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT, THE IMPERATIVE OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, OF MORAL COURAGE, OF SPIRITUAL FORTITUDE AND OF HOPE AND MESSAGES, THE VALUES, THE DIGNITY OF EVERY HUMAN LIFE. THIS EXHIBITION IS COMING HOME AFTER HAVING TRAVELED SUCCESSFULLY IN TWELVE OTHER CITIES AROUND THE WORLD AND, WHEREVER IT HAS BEEN, IT HAS CAPTURED THE IMAGINATION AND THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE.

VAL>> NOW WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE ARE DRAWINGS THAT WERE DONE BY THE CHILDREN IN AUSCHWITZ UNDER FRIEDL'S TUTELAGE.

REGINA SEIDMAN MILLER>> CORRECT, AND THIS IS FROM THE SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER COLLECTION. FRIEDL DID A LESSON WITH THE CHILDREN TO DRAW SELF-PORTRAITS OF THEMSELVES SO THAT IT WAS A WAY TO NOT JUST BE A NUMBER, THAT THEY WOULD HOLD ONTO A SENSE OF WHO THEY WERE. IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO FRIEDL THAT THE CHILDREN ALL SIGN THEIR NAMES AND DATED THEM. THIS WAS ALSO A WAY TO HOLD ONTO SOME SENSE OF DIGNITY. WE HAVE A WHOLE SERIES IN THE EXHIBITION AND IN THE BOOK OF CHILDREN'S FACES.

VAL>> THIS IS BEAUTIFUL. THIS IS FROM A FADER.

REGINA SEIDMAN MILLER>> YES, THIS IS FROM THE JEWISH MUSEUM OF PRAGUE AND IT'S ONE OF THE LESSONS FRIEDL WANTED THEM TO DRAW, A FOND MEMORY, SO YOU'LL SEE A SERIES OF DRAWINGS FROM THE CHILDREN OF CHRISTMAS AND FADER AND CHANUKAH AND IT'S JUST REMARKABLE.

JESS>> SHE LEAVES A REMARKABLE LEGACY, BUT FRIEDL COULD HAVE ESCAPED AUSCHWITZ, COULD SHE NOT?

REGINA SEIDMAN MILLER>> YES, THAT'S THE TRAGEDY --

VAL>> -- IN 1939, SHE HAD A CHANCE TO LEAVE EUROPE?

REGINA SEIDMAN MILLER>> YES, SHE WAS OFFERED A SPECIAL VISA BECAUSE SHE WAS SUCH AN EXTRAORDINARY ARTIST AND MANY ARTISTS WERE OFFERED SPECIAL VISAS. SHE REJECTED IT BECAUSE IT WAS ONLY FOR HERSELF AND SHE WAS TERRIBLY IN LOVE WITH HER HUSBAND, PAVEL, AND SHE THOUGHT HOW COULD I SAVE MYSELF AND LEAVE MY HUSBAND BEHIND? ALSO, AT THAT TIME, SHE STARTED WORKING WITH THE CHILDREN AND SHE FELT THAT HER PLACE WAS THERE. AGAIN, SHE ALWAYS HAD THIS FEELING THAT SHE COULD NOT ESCAPE. SHE HAD TO REALLY STAY AND FIGHT. SHE WAS NOT SOMEONE THAT WAS JUST GOING TO LEAVE. SHE WAS GOING TO TRY TO CHANGE THINGS.

VAL>> NOW ARE THESE ALSO WORKS BY THE CHILDREN?

REGINA SEIDMAN MILLER>> YES.

VAL>> THAT IS AMAZING.

REGINA SEIDMAN MILLER>> YES. HE WAS A VERY TALENTED LITTLE BOY. HIS NAME IS MILAN EISLER AND HE CURRENTLY LIVES IN PRAGUE. HE SURVIVED AND WE HAVE ACTUALLY HIS WHOLE FOLDER OF CHILDREN'S DRAWINGS IN THE EXHIBITION. FRIEDL WOULD OFTEN BRING IN SOME OF HER FRIENDS TO SIT FOR THE CHILDREN BECAUSE SHE HAD THEM PAINT ALL OF HER FAVORITE FRIENDS. ALSO, AS A WAY TO KEEP THE LEGACY OF WHO PEOPLE WERE, SHE LOVED TO PAINT PORTRAITS.

VAL>> THIS ONE IS CALLED "SAILBOAT AND CANDLE". GORGEOUS. NOW SO MANY OF THESE CHILDREN, OR A FEW OF THEM, SURVIVED, IS THAT CORRECT? DID THEY TAKE THEIR ARTWORK WITH THEM OR WAS IT FOUND IN THE CONCENTRATION CAMP?

REGINA SEIDMAN MILLER>> I THINK THE ANSWER IS IN TWO PARTS. ONE IS HOW THE ART WAS FOUND, WHICH IS ANOTHER EXTRAORDINARY PART OF THE STORY. FRIEDL'S BEST FRIEND IN THE CAMP, WILLY GROVE, DID SURVIVE AND SHE SAID TO HIM, IF I DON'T COME BACK, THE CHILDREN'S ART IS HIDDEN IN THE ATTIC. PLEASE COME BACK AND SAVE IT. SO HE SURVIVED AND PAVEL SURVIVED, FRIEDL'S HUSBAND.

THEY CAME BACK AND THEY TOOK THE CHILDREN'S DRAWINGS AND PUT IN TWO SUITCASES AND GAVE IT TO THE PRAGUE JEWISH COMMUNITY WHICH BECAME THE JEWISH MUSEUM OF PRAGUE, IN EXHIBITION OF THE BOOK, "I NEVER SAW ANOTHER BUTTERFLY". PAVEL HAD FRIEDL'S ART IN HIS HOME AND HE REMARRIED AND THEN HE HELD ONTO AND LOVED THIS ART. WHEN HE PASSED AWAY, HIS SONS THEN CAME BACK AND MOVED TO SIMI VALLEY AND THAT'S HOW THE WIESENTHAL CENTER GOT THE COLLECTION BECAUSE THEY SAVED IT.

LIEBE GEFT>> IN TERMS OF NUMBERS, VERY FEW ACTUALLY SURVIVED. PROBABLY AROUND THE NUMBER OF ABOUT A HUNDRED, NOT ALL OF THEM IN THERESIENSTADT AT THE TIME OF LIBERATION. SOME HAD ALREADY BEEN DEPORTED AND WERE IN OTHER PLACES. THOSE WHO WERE FRIEDL'S STUDENTS WHO SURVIVED, TO THEIR DYING DAY, ATTRIBUTED TO THEIR WONDERFUL TEACHER ALL OF THE STRENGTH AND THE COURAGE THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO MUSTER TO GET ON WITH THEIR LIVES.

VAL>> WELL, WHAT STRIKES ME ABOUT THIS ART IS THAT I EXPECTED TO SEE SCENES FROM THE CONCENTRATION CAMP, BUT NOT NECESSARILY SO. SHE TALKED ABOUT MEMORIES, SHE TALKED ABOUT --

REGINA SEIDMAN MILLER>> -- AND THERE ARE DEFINITE SCENES. YOU SEE SOME CREMATORIUM SCENES, YOU SEE CARTS OF DEAD BODIES --

JESS>> -- AND FRIEDL'S WORK, TOO, DETAILS SOME OF THAT?

REGINA SEIDMAN MILLER>> WELL, NO, FRIEDL DIDN'T DRAW ANY OF THAT. SHE ALWAYS --

JESS>> -- THE INTERROGATION?

VAL>> OH, THAT WAS BEFORE THE CONCENTRATION CAMP.

REGINA SEIDMAN MILLER>> THAT WAS BEFORE THE CAMP. THAT WAS IN 1934. BUT IN THE CAMP, IT'S AS FREDA KRAMER, WHO'S ONE OF FRIEDL'S PUPILS WHO IS CURRENTLY ONE OF THE TOP ART THERAPISTS IN THE WORLD, SAID THAT SHE FELT THAT FRIEDL FOUND HER PEACE IN THERESIENSTADT, ALMOST LIKE SHE WANTED TO PAINT THE WORLD AS SHE FINALLY WANTED IT TO BE, WITH FLOWERS AND VIEWS.

JESS>> LIEBE GEFT OF THE MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE, REGINA MILLER, THANKS FOR BEING WITH US TO PROFILE THE BOOK. THE BOOK, AGAIN, IS ENTITLED "FRIEDL: VIENNA 1898, AUSCHWITZ 1944". BY THE WAY, THE EXHIBIT AT THE MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE RUNS THROUGH SEPTEMBER OF NEXT YEAR. THERE'S MORE INFORMATION ON THEIR WEBSITE, WIESENTHAL.COM, OR CALL THE NUMBER ON YOUR SCREEN.

[310-553-9036]

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