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Life & Times Transcript
8/15/07 Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times -- The idea was to sell special license plates to fund anti-terrorism programs. Why isn't it working? Herb Wesson>> They bought these license plates in record numbers and that money is still sitting in a locked box doing nothing. Lou Baglietto>> And I was just absolutely surprised because, if there's anything that Sacramento is good at doing, it's spending money. Val Zavala>> And then, stunning images from a master of his craft, the artistry of photographer Edward Weston. It's all straight ahead on tonight's Life and Times. Announcer>> Life and Times is made possible through the generous support of 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 by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Val Zavala>> You may have noticed those special 9/11 commemorative license plates. Did you realize that people pay extra for those and the money goes into a special anti-terrorism fund? But you may not realize that, although they're pretty popular and they've raised nearly eight million dollars, hardly any of it has been spent. Why is that? Roger Cooper has our story. [Film Clip] Roger Cooper>> Even after six years, images of the 9/11 attacks can be painful. [Film Clip] Roger Cooper>> But after the shock came the many efforts that brought the nation together. One of the responses came from the California Assembly where Democrat Herb Wesson joined Republican Dave Cox to introduce a bill. They created a special 9/11 license plate in California. Herb Wesson>> He and I were a little frustrated with the fact that people wanted to show their patriotism, but didn't have a substitute way in which to do it. So this idea, believe it or not, was given to me by a young lady named Brenda who worked with my wife. Roger Cooper>> The bill offered Californians an opportunity to pay an extra fifty to ninety dollars for a 9/11 memorial plate. Some of the proceeds would then go to scholarships for families of California victims killed in the attack. But most of it, eighty-five percent, was to be used to help fight terrorism. Herb Wesson>> It's the fastest growing license plate in the country. Roger Cooper>> But fast-forward six years and you'll find people who are upset. People like Lou Baglietto. Lou is one of the nearly seventy thousand Californians who bought a 9/11 license plate. Now he's learning that, after all this time, the vast majority of the money has not yet been spent. That's right. Of more than eight million dollars raised to fight terrorism, seven million of it still sits idle. Lou Baglietto>> I was actually very surprised. I was talking to Assemblywoman Karnette's staff and I was just absolutely surprised because, if there's anything Sacramento is good at doing, it's spending money. Terrorism and homeland security is probably one of the top issues in the public mind right now. You think they would be doing everything possible to try to prevent the next 9/11. Roger Cooper>> For Lou, this issue of funding to fight terrorism is a little more than academic. He comes to work each day here in San Pedro. His firm is right in the heart of the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex, always on the list of potential terrorist targets. Lou Baglietto>> We know that the ports are one of the major terrorist targets out there right now, so anything that could be done to kind of help contribute to that effort is important. Roger Cooper>> So why is the plate money going unused? Well, over the years, lawmakers and the governor have put suggestions forward, but they haven't been able to agree on how to spend it. Herb Wesson>> My last year in the Assembly, I tried to spend what we had collected up to that point. So I had devised a plan to give money to law enforcement throughout the state of California. Unfortunately, the bill was vetoed by the governor at that point. Roger Cooper>> In his veto, Governor Schwarzenegger said Wesson's bill would have allocated the anti-terrorist funds to certain cities and counties arbitrarily without determining the areas of greatest need. The delay and the disagreements don't surprise this motorist waiting at the DMV. Kathleen McMahonschmitt>> That sounds about right for the state of California. What can I say? We allot it and we don't spend it correctly, or we misspend it when it's not even allotted (laughter). Roger Cooper>> But Republican Assembly member, Chuck DeVore of Irvine, says there's good reason to proceed cautiously. He told the Sacramento Bee that he doesn't believe people who bought the plates wanted to see teeny, tiny amounts of money going to communities all over the place. He says that would have wasted the funds before enough accumulated to make a real difference. Still, Wesson, the sponsor of the bill, thinks it should have been spent by now. Herb Wesson>> What good is it to sit on a pot of seven million, ten million, twenty million dollars and then all of a sudden there's some terrorist outbreak? Whereas, if you could take a portion of this money and help train some of our cops so that they could be a little more perceptive to pick up acts of terrorism, I would spend the money now. Roger Cooper>> And that's just what a new bill by Democratic Assembly member, Betty Karnette of Long Beach, would do. Betty Karnette>> I think it should be spent on first responder training for firefighters and for law enforcement. Roger Cooper>> Karnette's bill would spend two million dollars on anti-terrorism training for local firefighters and another two million to train local police. The bill is in the Assembly and awaits action in the State Senate. Betty Karnette>> And that's what I think we should be looking at. We should be training people in the local areas because they're the ones we're going to depend on in any emergency. Lou Baglietto>> There are unmet needs for homeland security everywhere. Roger Cooper>> Lou agrees that the money should go to local responders. Lou Baglietto>> My sister has served on several committees on medical response to bio-terrorism in Orange County and I know funding is one of their major issues. Betty Karnette>> There are other funds. The federal government gives us money, the state has other money going into other funds for homeland security, and this money for training first responders. There's no other source. Roger Cooper>> The design for California's memorial plate was chosen in a competition among high school students. Students also came up with the slogan, "We Will Never Forget", and people haven't. Herb Wesson>> I was just told to turn on the television, turn on the television. So it just stunned me. Roger Cooper>> Herb Wesson says it's the sense of unity of six years ago that officials need to keep in mind when deciding how to use this money. Herb Wesson>> The slogan during our campaign was, "Be a Patriot. Help Your State". They rallied to that cry. They bought these license plates in record numbers and that money is still sitting in a locked box doing nothing, so I think we owe it to them. Roger Cooper>> And Lou feels that time is of the essence. Lou Baglietto>> Essentially, we have until the next terrorist incident in the United States to spend that money and I hope it's not soon. Roger Cooper>> Meanwhile, California's 9/11 memorial license plates continue to sell briskly. The DMV says about five hundred people a month still sign up for them, adding more and more to the millions in anti-terrorism funds that have yet to be spent. I'm Roger Cooper for Life and Times. Val Zavala>> So what do you think of the anti-terrorism fund? We'd love to know your opinion. Just go to kcet.org and click on the Life and Times Blog. Announcer>> Kcet.org is the place to look for the very latest on Life and Times. You'll find previews of upcoming stories, plus transcripts and audio of past episodes and links to some of our most interesting features. Just go to kcet.org, scroll down the page and click on "Life and Times". Val Zavala>> The list of problem products from China just keeps on growing. This time, it's toys. The Mattel Corporation has announced a recall of almost ten million toys, including a popular Barbie and the Polly Pocket play sets. The Mattel Corporation based in El Segundo has recalled more than fifty models of the Polly Pocket play sets and several Doggie Day Care toys and a couple of Barbies. The problem? Tiny magnets contained in the toys, magnets that the children could swallow. Mattel has also recalled some Sarge toy cars as well as some Batman action figures because the paint on the toys contains lead. To find out more about these dangers, I talked with Dr. Robert Adler of Children's Hospital Los Angeles. He's a pediatrician and was Medical Director of the California Lead Prevention project. So why is this so dangerous to children? Dr. Robert Adler>> I think we know a lot about lead exposure over the years and one of the things we know is that, although kids need a lot of vitamins and minerals to grow strong, lead is one of those that you don't need at all. Their body doesn't use lead at all, so any lead exposure has some potential danger. The problem is, it can be cumulative. So although the amount of lead in many of these toys seems very small and the opportunities for children to actually get the lead from the toys has to be them licking or sucking it vigorously before it comes off or swallowing the toys which could cause a danger. Most of our concern is for the possibility that the lead will accumulate in the body from other exposures. So I think just the exposure from the toys is unlikely to cause a problem unless the child actually swallows the toy. Val Zavala>> Of course, we don't know how long these toys have been in the marketplace, so it's hard for us to gauge how much of a hazard they are. Dr. Robert Adler>> Right. It depends on how often they're tested. I think what we're learning is that other countries don't regulate the amount of lead they have in either the paint or in some of the other products they use. So we're not sure of how many exposures there have been in the past. All we do know is that the ones that have been tested that have shown positive like the toys from Mattel are concerning, again, because of accumulated burden on the kids. As we know, kids put everything in their mouth. Val Zavala>> Now the most recent recall from Mattel deals with these tiny little magnets that are in these toys. Do the magnets have lead? Dr. Robert Adler>> No. Usually they don't. I think the lead danger is very different because what they're worried about is, if you swallow two of the magnets, if they're swallowed in close timing of each other, they can pinch some of the tissue internally together, they can cause both the blood flow to that area or it can cause some blockage to the intestines that can cause some problems. Val Zavala>> That's a separate hazard. Dr. Robert Adler>> It's a very separate danger to the child, but it really has to do with the two magnets pinching tissues together or causing some kind of blockage, so it's not with the lead. Val Zavala>> Do you have any idea how many children in southern California have been exposed to lead or have dangerous levels of lead in their systems? Dr. Robert Adler>> I think what's surprising to people who know about the lead in the paint, they think that that's a problem back east because of all the old housing. It turns out that Los Angeles has a lot of housing that was built many years ago, especially during and around the Second World War where we had a great influx of population as people came to the West Coast especially preparing for the Pacific war. A lot of that housing that was built at the time used paint that was by weight. Fifty percent of the white paint was made out of lead. A lot of the housing here in Los Angeles and most of us, I think, know the areas that are more affected. Certainly we think of the areas like South Central Los Angeles and many of the other areas that have old housing. But I think what people don't appreciate is that there are a lot of homes that are even in the more affluent areas which were built many years ago, classic homes, whether it's in the Pasadena area or in Beverly Hills. Val Zavala>> 1920s, 1930s? Dr. Robert Adler>> In the 1920s and 1930s and they're beautiful homes. They most likely used lead paint. Now what we are looking for is deterioration of the paint. If the house is kept in good condition, there's no chipping of the paint and there are no areas that are broken down, then it's a lead-safe home. What we're concerned about is the lead in the paint that chips off and chips off on the ground, especially around windows, and the kids are crawling on the floor putting their hands not only on the lead, but then putting their hands in their mouth and then they ingest the lead. Val Zavala>> So if parents suspect that their children might have been exposed to lead, what kind of symptoms should they look for? Dr. Robert Adler>> It's very unlikely for the child to show any symptoms of lead poisoning, again, unless they suspect that the child swallowed the toy. Most of that would be in the neurological area. The kids might become irritable. They might become very fussy. With very high lead levels, the kids can even become more and more lethargic to the point of even going into a heavy sleep or even coma-like episode. But that's very rare unless they get a large exposure. Most of those have been from swallowing lead-containing material. But I think, if there's any concern on the parents, the test for lead in the body is a simple blood test. They should contact their doctor and they can do it in the office. I think, if there's any concern, there's no reason for them not to contact their doctor and request a lead test. Val Zavala>> So if a child does show high or dangerous levels of lead, then what do you do? How is it treated? Dr. Robert Adler>> Oftentimes, the most important thing is to remove lead from the environment. It may be that, by doing lead testing, they might find other sources of lead in the environment which then they need to take out. Again, the most common cause is still the lead in the old paint. If that's discovered, they have to find different techniques and hire qualified professionals who know how to remove lead from the household. Mostly what we're looking for nowadays is really just to make the house lead-safe, not necessarily to remove all the lead which is very difficult and very expensive. But once we know how much lead is in the body, by removing the lead, oftentimes that's all we need to do. The body then eliminates the lead over a period of time. Val Zavala>> Oh, really? Just naturally? Dr. Robert Adler>> Just naturally. It excretes the lead through the urine, but it takes a long time. The natural process of eliminating from the body is what we rely on. Val Zavala>> So if lead is so terrible for adults and children, why is it more dangerous for children? Dr. Robert Adler>> For children who are very young, especially under the age of two, it has a much greater impact on their developing brain and their developing nervous system than it does on adults whose nervous system has already formed. But it has a profound effect on children which is life-long and that's our big concern. As it affects the brain as it's developing, it's a permanent effect and it affects them for the rest of their life. Val Zavala>> Dr. Robert Adler, thank you very much. It's really important information. Dr. Robert Adler>> Well, thank you for the opportunity to talk about the issues. Val Zavala>> For a full listing of the Mattel toy recall, consumers can go online to www.service.mattel.com and click on Recall Information. Announcer>> To send a comment or a question to our program, you can reach us by mail at this address: Life and Times 4401 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90027 You can also call our viewer comment line (323) 953-5555) or contact us the fast way by e-mail at kcet.org. Val Zavala>> His photographs are stunning and famous. It's the work of master photographer, Edward Weston. But did you know that Weston lived for seventeen years in southern California in what is now Glendale? Although you wouldn't see much influence of southern California in his work. He was fascinated by other places. Hena Cuevas went to the Getty where there's a major exhibition of Edward Weston's work. She talked with assistant curator, Brett Abbott, about the evolution of this photographer's work. Brett Abbott>> Well, Weston was one of the most important photographers in the history of photography, probably among America's most prominent twentieth-century photographers. He began his career in Los Angeles, so it's particularly relevant to have a collection of his work at the Getty. Hena Cuevas>> Born in Illinois, Edward Weston's career began in Glendale just north of Los Angeles. The exhibition of more than a hundred fifty photographs covers forty years of his work. Brett Abbott>> He builds his career as a portrait photographer and he began with very controlled studio portraits of his friends and his family and also of clients that came in off the street. That's how he made his money as a photographer. Hena Cuevas>> One of the things that's mentioned is that he left Los Angeles and somehow wanted to break all ties with the city. How come? Brett Abbott>> Well, we'll have a lecture on that in which Beth Gates Warren explores that topic. But I think it had to do with the reception of his work, that in California his work wasn't as well as received as it was in Mexico which really excited him. That's why he went to Mexico. Hena Cuevas>> What kind of influence did Mexico have on his work? Brett Abbott>> Mexico provided him with a whole new scenery, so you see his first attempt at large-scale landscapes. In Mexico, he developed an entirely new way of looking at portraiture. He moved people outside into the sunlight and began photographing them from a low vantage point. Hena Cuevas>> One example is seen in a photograph Weston took of Tina Modotti. Weston left his wife and three youngest sons and moved to Mexico with Modotti. Brett Abbott>> Here we see a portrait of her in 1921 shortly after they first met and you really get this sort of tender connection that existed between the photographer and the subject. She is gazing directly into the camera. Her hand is up against her chest in this intimate embrace. Half of her face is shrouded in darkness. Hena Cuevas>> She was also the subject of a lot of the nudes that he took as well? Brett Abbott>> She was, yes, and she served as an interpreter for him and introduced him to a number of the artists that were working in Mexico at the time. Hena Cuevas>> Weston spent two and a half years in Mexico. There he started taking pictures not only of landscapes, but also of inanimate objects. Brett Abbott>> He comes back to Glendale in 1926 and spends about a year or two in Glendale, moves to San Francisco and then to Carmel, which is a place that he is traditionally associated with in about 1930. It's in Glendale and San Francisco and Carmel that he begins making these signature images, the pictures of peppers, the nudes that you see on this wall, other still-life subjects like shells and fruits and vegetables arranged meticulously against a neutral background. Hena Cuevas>> What would you say is the significance of the nudes that he took? Brett Abbott>> Well, what he was really interested in his nudes was the relationship of the form of the nude to the form of other objects in the world. So he is making relationships between the forms of the nude and the forms of sand dunes, vegetables, peppers, shells. Hena Cuevas>> So this dune photo matches a lot of the similar style that you see on the nudes with the shadows and the light. Brett Abbott>> Right. There are a lot of nice relationships between the pictures of the landscape and the pictures of the body, the deep blacks, the curving forms of the sand dunes and the way the light plays off the crests of the rolling hills. Hena Cuevas>> Weston was never able to publish a book about his nudes because the material was too controversial for the time. Sixty years later, the Getty Museum has put together a compilation showing Weston's favorite photographs. Brett Abbott>> The mock-up found its way into our collection in 1985 and we have published it for the first time in coordination with this exhibition. Hena Cuevas>> Well, thank you very much, Brett Abbott, co-curator at the Getty Museum, for the information. Brett Abbott>> Thank you for having me. Val Zavala>> The exhibit, "Edward Weston: Enduring Vision", is on display at the Getty through November 25. For details, you can go to their website at getty.edu. Val Zavala>> It's a stunning gift from overseas given to America on its two hundredth anniversary and it's perched on a beautiful hill overlooking the Pacific. Yet most Angelenos don't even know it's there, maybe because it's only rung four times a year. And one of those times was today, August 15, Korean Independence Day. The ceremony and bell-ringing took place on a hill in San Pedro, a spot where the public can enjoy a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean. This is the Korean Friendship Bell in Angels Gate Park, a stunning twelve foot bell under an elaborate pagoda. The bell was a gift of the Republic of Korea to the United States on America's two hundredth birthday. I talked with Steve Cho from the California State Military Reserves and Phil Orland with the City Parks and Recreation Department about this unusual gift. Steve Cho>> I think this facility is to have not only friendship, but keep our freedom throughout the world. Phillip Orland>> It's a symbol of freedom, it's a symbol of friendship and, you know, just like the Liberty Bell. Steve Cho>> They wanted to have Statue of Liberty and statue of oppression. There is big philosophy in the bell, whoever designed it. I mean, I wasn't involved, but this is what it represents. Val Zavala>> The bell was made in Korea, patterned after a bell cast back in 771 by King Seongdeok. Not since the eighth century had such a large bell been cast in Korea. The seventeen-ton bell was then shipped across the ocean along with more than thirty Korean craftsmen. For six months, they lived and worked at Port MacArthur in Angels Gate Park building the pagoda that would house the bell. Steve Cho>> Back in 1976, we had about a four thousand audience at the dedication event. Back in 2002, the first anniversary of 9/11, James Hahn wanted to start with the city of Los Angeles all the way out here to commemorate those people that were lost, so we had a big event here. Val Zavala>> A ceremonial ringing of the bell only happens four times a year. Phillip Orland>> One is Fourth of July, one is New Years Eve, one is Korean Independence Day and then the Daughters of the American Revolution have a ceremony for Constitution Day. Val Zavala>> We were lucky. They made an exception for us and, in a moment, you'll get to hear what the twelve-foot, seventeen-ton Friendship Bell sounds like. The bell doesn't have a clapper. Instead, it is struck by a large wooden log. The bowl underneath the bell and the opening at the top create a reverberating sound that they say can be heard over a wide area and lasts for several minutes. Steve Cho>> And whoever rings, they have white gloves. Only white gloves. That's a tradition. So three people on one side, three people one side. The reason I limit that to three is because we don't want somebody to get caught in fingers and get hurt. Val Zavala>> We all got in place for the big moment. Steve Cho>> Are you ready? Okay, this is what we're going to do. One, two, ---, now we shake hands like that (laughter). Val Zavala>> Oh, that's the friendship (laughter). Steve Cho>> So we have three Korean community leaders, three Los Angeles citizens, to symbolize. Val Zavala>> I can feel it still going. Steve Cho>> Oh, yeah. >> It's still resonating. Val Zavala>> I could feel the deep vibrations still resonating in the metal. [Film Clip] Val Zavala>> Los Angeles was chosen as the site of the Friendship Bell because it is the gateway to the Pacific and home of the largest Korean community in the United States. Steve Cho hopes it will become as well known on the west coast as the Statue of Liberty is on the east coast. Steve Cho>> This facility is not only for friendship. It's for everything. Peace, freedom, such as we stand strong to maintain our culture strong and keep the peace in the rest of the world. I think that's what it is. [Film Clip] Val Zavala>> If you'd like to learn more about the Korean Friendship Bell, just go to the website at sanpedro.com. And that's our program. I'm Val Zavala. For everyone at Life and Times, thanks for watching. We'll see you next time. Announcer>> Life and Times was made possible through the generous support of 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 by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Sponsored in part by:  | |
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