2/6/03

LC030206

VAL ZAVALA>> TONIGHT ON LIFE AND TIMES --

JESS MARLOW>> LOOKING FOR A WAY TO SAVE A ONE-OF-A-KIND HOSPITAL. IS A FINANCIAL SAVIOR FINALLY COMING TO THE RESCUE?

JACK SHAKELY>> I HAVE NERVOUS NIGHTS THAT WE’RE NOT GOING TO PULL THIS OFF. THE REASON, HOWEVER, THAT I COME BACK EVERY DAY STRONG IS THAT I KNOW THAT EVERY OTHER OPTION IS DEAD ON ARRIVAL.

VAL>> AND THEN A REMARKABLE RELIC FROM ONE OF THE GREAT DISASTERS AT SEA. WE’LL VISIT THE NEW TITANIC EXHIBIT IN LOS ANGELES AND GET A LOOK AT WHAT’S ON DISPLAY THERE.

JESS>> PLUS, AN HONORARY MEMBER OF THE NASA FAMILY WITH STORIES ABOUT SOME OF AMERICA’S FIRST SPACE PIONEERS.

VAL>> IT’S ALL STRAIGHT AHEAD ON TONIGHT’S LIFE AND TIMES.

LIFE AND TIMES 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>> THEY’VE REPAIRED SHATTERED LIVES AND GIVEN NEW HOPE TO SCORES OF CRITICALLY ILL PATIENTS.

JESS>> RANCHO LOS AMIGOS IS FAMOUS AS ONE OF THIS NATION’S TOP CENTERS FOR PUTTING THE SICK AND INJURED BACK ON THEIR FEET. AS PHILIP BRUCE REPORTS, THAT LOFTY REPUTATION WILL NOT SAVE THE HOSPITAL, BUT A RESCUER WITH DEEP POCKETS JUST MIGHT.

PHILIP BRUCE>> A BICYCLE ACCIDENT LEFT HIM PARALYZED FROM THE WAIST DOWN. THAT WAS JUST OVER A YEAR AGO. HE HAD SURGERY AT UCLA, BUT THEN CAME THE NEED FOR EXTENSIVE REHABILITATION THERAPY AND THAT’S WHEN YORK WAS TRANSFERRED TO RANCHO LOS AMIGOS HOSPITAL IN DOWNEY.

YORK>> WHEN I WENT THROUGH REHAB HERE, I DIDN’T KNOW HOW MUCH I WAS LEARNING, BUT IN COMPARISON WHEN I’VE GONE OUT WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE ALSO IN CHAIRS AND WHO REHAB SOMEWHERE ELSE, IT’S AMAZING HOW MUCH MORE I KNOW ABOUT HOW TO GET AROUND, HOW TO GO DOWN STEPS, HOW TO CARE FOR MY BODY, IN COMPARISON TO PEOPLE WHO REHABILITATED OTHER PLACES. IT’S AMAZING.

PHILIP BRUCE>> RANCHO LOS AMIGOS IS NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FOR ITS WORK WITH PATIENTS FOLLOWING CATASTROPHIC INJURY OR STROKE. U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT RANKS IT AMONG THE TOP TEN HOSPITALS FOR REHABILITATION.

>> OKAY, NOW, TAKE A STEP WITH YOUR LEFT.

PHILIP BRUCE>> BUT NO MATTER HOW IMPRESSIVE THE CARE MAY BE, LOS ANGELES COUNTY SUPERVISORS HAVE VOTED TO CLOSE RANCHO BY THE END OF JUNE. OF ALL THE CUTS THE COUNTY MAY BE FORCED TO MAKE IN HEALTHCARE, THIS ONE COULD HURT THE MOST.

ZEV YAROSLAVSKY>> IT’S A PIECE OF A MUCH BIGGER PUZZLE AND NONE OF IT’S PRETTY, NONE OF IT IS ANYTHING WE WANT TO DO. IN FACT, IN THE CASE OF RANCHO LOS AMIGOS, WE DO WANT TO SAVE IT AS AN ENTITY, BUT IT CAN’T BE ON OUR BUDGET AND IT CAN’T BE ON OUR NICKEL.

PHILIP BRUCE>> ZEV YAROSLAVSKY SAYS THE COUNTY IS FACING SUCH A MASSIVE BUDGET SHORTFALL THAT THERE’S NO WAY TO KEEP ALL THE HOSPITALS AND CLINICS OPEN. THE COUNTY WILL CONTINUE TO PAY FOR INDIGENT PATIENTS WHO NEED BASIC REHAB SERVICES, BUT THE CARE WILL COME FROM OTHER FACILITIES, NOT FROM RANCHO.

ZEV YAROSLAVSKY>> WHAT WE CAN’T DO IS CONTINUE TO FUND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT RANCHO DOES. AS WONDERFUL AS IT IS -- AND IT IS -- AS LIFESAVING AS THE WORK IS THERE -- AND IT IS -- IF WE CONTINUE TO FUND THAT, SOME OF OUR OTHER LIFESAVING WORK LIKE TRAUMA CENTERS AT HARBOR UCLA, LIKE EMERGENCY ROOMS FOR HEART ATTACKS AND STROKES AT OUR FOUR HOSPITALS, WOULD BE JEOPARDIZED AND PERHAPS FATALLY JEOPARDIZED.

PHILIP BRUCE>> BUT NOW RANCHO MAY HAVE A SAVIOR IN THE FORM OF A PRIVATE PHILANTHROPIC ORGANIZATION.

JACK SHAKELY>> IT’S A GEM. IT’S ONE OF THE GREATEST REGIONAL HOSPITALS FOR REHABILITATION ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY AND I THINK WE CAN AND WILL SAVE IT, BUT I DO ADMIT THAT IT’S A HORSE RACE.

PHILIP BRUCE>> JACK SHAKELY IS PRESIDENT OF THE CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION. HE BELIEVES THAT, IN THE RIGHT HANDS, RANCHO COULD HAVE A BRIGHT FUTURE.

JACK SHAKELY>> IF IT BECOMES A FREESTANDING TAX EXEMPT ORGANIZATION, WE BELIEVE THAT IT NOT ONLY COULD HAVE SURVIVED, IT MIGHT VERY WELL THRIVE. THERE ARE SO MANY SPECIALTY HOSPITALS ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT RAISE A LOT OF MONEY FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR, BUT BECAUSE RANCHO LOS AMIGOS HAS BEEN RUN BY THE GOVERNMENT, PRIVATE PHILANTHROPY CAN’T TOUCH IT. WE THINK WE CAN CHANGE THAT.

>> I’M GOING TO LISTEN TO YOUR HEART NOW.

PHILIP BRUCE>> BESIDES RECEIVING BIG DONATIONS, SHAKELY SAYS A PRIVATELY RUN RANCHO COULD OPERATE MORE EFFICIENTLY AND HE SAYS IT COULD BRING IN MORE PRIVATE, MEANING MORE PAYING, PATIENTS. SHAKELY HAS ALREADY RAISED $12 MILLION DOLLARS IN DONATIONS TO HELP PAY FOR SOME OF THE COST OF CONVERTING THE FACILITY.

JACK SHAKELY>> WE PUT TOGETHER -- ALTHOUGH MUCH OF THIS MONEY IS HANDSHAKE MONEY, I DON’T HAVE A CHECK FOR IT YET -- WE PUT TOGETHER MORE THAN $12 MILLION DOLLARS AND WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET TO $20 MILLION DOLLARS.

PHILIP BRUCE>> THE SUPERVISORS SAY THEY HOPE THAT RANCHO CAN BE SAVED, BUT NOT WITH COUNTY DOLLARS.

ZEV YAROSLAVSKY>> I MEAN, TO BE VERY BLUNT ABOUT IT, WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO KNOW THAT THE MONEY IS IN HAND, NOT A HANDSHAKE, NOT A PROMISE, NOT A WINK AND A NOD, BUT THAT THERE’S FUNDING THERE IN ORDER FOR US TO KEEP IT GOING AND DOWNSIZING IT AND SPINNING IT OFF.

JACK SHAKELY>> THE MAIN RISK IS THAT WE WON’T BE ABLE TO RAISE ENOUGH MONEY. IT’S AS FLAT AS THAT. WE ARE ALSO HAVING TO FIGURE OUT AS WE ARE RAISING MONEY EXACTLY HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO RUN RANCHO LOS AMIGOS. NO ONE SEEMS TO BE ENTIRELY SURE.

PHILIP BRUCE>> THE ONE COUNTY SUPERVISOR TO VOTE AGAINST CLOSING RANCHO IS DON KNABE. THOUGH HE ALSO SUPPORTS THE CONCEPT OF A PRIVATE HOSPITAL, KNABE FEARED THAT A VOTE TO CLOSE RANCHO WOULD DRIVE AWAY THE EXPERT STAFF, AND KNABE ALSO DOUBTS SOME OF THE COUNTY’S FINANCIAL FIGURES.

DON KNABE>> I THINK THE NUMBERS THAT WERE PRESENTED THEM BY THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT I FELT WERE INACCURATE.

PHILIP BRUCE>> KNABE HAS LONG BEEN A RANCHO BOOSTER. WHEN HE WAS ON THE CERRITOS CITY COUNCIL, A FELLOW COUNCILMAN WAS PARALYZED IN AN AUTO ACCIDENT.

DON KNABE>> SO I WAS OVER THERE EVERY DAY WITH HIM AND THROUGH HIS WHOLE HEALING PROCESS AND THEN ALL HIS FIRST TIME SITTING UP, FIRST TIME TRANSFERRING FROM A WHEELCHAIR TO A CAR, SO I JUST HAD HIS PASSION OF NEVER EVER THINKING THAT I WOULD BE, AT SOME POINT, HAVING SOME IMPACT OR ASSIST RANCHO.

PHILIP BRUCE>> ZEV YAROSLAVSKY SAYS THE DECISION TO CLOSE RANCHO WAS TROUBLING FOR EVERYONE.

ZEV YAROSLAVSKY>> MAKE NO MISTAKE, RANCHO IS A VERY UNIQUE FACILITY AND, IF IT CLOSES, THERE WILL BE A LOSS OF SERVICE, QUALITATIVELY AND QUANTITATIVELY, THAT WON’T EASILY BE REPLACED.

PHILIP BRUCE>> AND IT’S THAT CHALLENGE THAT DRIVES JACK SHAKELY.

JACK SHAKELY>> I HAVE NERVOUS NIGHTS THAT WE’RE NOT GOING TO PULL THIS OFF. THE REASON, HOWEVER, THAT I COME BACK EVERY DAY STRONG IS THAT I KNOW THAT EVERY OTHER OPTION IS DEAD ON ARRIVAL.

PHILIP BRUCE>> AND SHAKELY REALIZES THERE’S PROBABLY NO GROUP ROOTING FOR HIM MORE THAN RANCHO’S PATIENTS.

YORK>> WELL, I ACTUALLY MOVED FROM THE VALLEY WHEN I GOT HURT TO TWO BLOCKS AWAY FROM HERE IN ORDER TO BE CLOSE TO RANCHO. IT WOULD BE PRETTY DEVASTATING FOR THIS PLACE TO CLOSE. ALL MY CARE IS HERE, I REHAB HERE, AND THEY’RE EXPERTS IN PARALYSIS. THEY KNOW WHAT THEY’RE DOING.

JESS>> A NEW ROUND OF FEDERAL FUNDS WILL SAVE TWO OTHER LOS ANGELES COUNTY HOSPITALS, BUT NOT RANCHO. MEANWHILE, JACK SHAKELY, THE HEAD OF THE CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, HAS SET UP A BOARD TO MAKE RANCHO A PRIVATE FACILITY IF THE MONEY TURNS UP.

VAL>> TOMORROW ON LIFE AND TIMES, ADOPTED CHILDREN FROM CHINA AND THEIR NEW PARENTS. THEY’VE GOT A SPECIAL REASON TO CELEBRATE THE CHINESE NEW YEAR.

>> FIRST OF ALL, WE SORT OF HAVE THIS GREAT FEELING THAT WE WERE MEANT TO BE TOGETHER, THAT THIS WAS THE DESTINY OF ALL OF US. WE HAD TO TRAVEL HALFWAY AROUND THE WORLD TO FIND EACH OTHER, BUT WE’RE A FOREVER FAMILY.

JESS>> THE SHUTTLE TRAGEDY GAVE US ALL A REASON TO PAY TRIBUTE TO THE NATION’S BRAVE AND OVERLOOKED, OR AT LEAST TAKEN FOR GRANTED, ASTRONAUTS. OUR NEXT GUEST HAS KNOWN MANY OF THEM VERY WELL. IN THE LATE 1960’S, HER JOB WITH LIFE MAGAZINE GAVE HER ACCESS TO THOSE AMERICAN HEROES AND IT LITERALLY MADE FIFI BOOTH AN HONORARY MEMBER OF THE NASA FAMILY.

VAL>> FIFI WAS LIFE’S DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS. NOW THE MAGAZINE HAD AN EXCLUSIVE CONTRACT WITH THE ASTRONAUTS FOR THEIR STORIES AND FIFI WAS HERE WITH RON EVANS, TOM STAFFORD AND GENE CERNAN. SHE WOUND UP AS THE ASTRONAUT’S WRANGLER. THAT’S HER WORD FOR THE ROLE THAT SHE TOOK ON AS THE MAIN COORDINATOR OF THEIR STORIES. TODAY SHE LIVES IN BEVERLY HILLS AND SHE’S HERE TO RECALL THOSE GOLDEN DAYS OF AMERICA’S SPACE PROGRAM. WELCOME TO LIFE AND TIMES.

FIFI BOOTH>> THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

JESS>> GOLDEN DAYS THEN, BUT THE RECENT TRAGEDY -- HOW DID YOU RESPOND TO THE NEWS OF THAT?

FIFI BOOTH>> VERY BADLY, VERY BADLY. IT WAS SUCH DE JA VU. IT MADE ME THINK CERTAINLY OF CHALLENGER, BUT ALSO WHEN GUS GRISSOM AND ROGER CHAFFEE AND ED WHITE DIED. IT WAS VERY, VERY SAD.

JESS>> YOU DESCRIBED YOURSELF AS A WRANGLER FOR THE ASTRONAUTS, BUT IN TRUTH, LIFE MAGAZINE HAD THEM ALL UNDER EXCLUSIVE CONTRACT AND YOU WERE THERE SORT OF TO FEND OFF EVERYBODY ELSE.

FIFI BOOTH>> WELL, THEY SAID I WAS THEIR PR DEN MOTHER (LAUGHTER).

VAL>> (LAUGHTER) SO WHAT DID THAT ENTAIL? YOU MUST HAVE GOTTEN TO KNOW BOTH THE ASTRONAUTS AND THEIR FAMILIES AND THE CHILDREN VERY WELL?

FIFI BOOTH>> I DID. AFTER THE FLIGHTS, I WOULD GO FROM FLORIDA BACK TO HOUSTON TO THE HOME OF WHATEVER FAMILY HAD GONE UP IN SPACE AND STAY WITH THEM UNTIL THEY LANDED. BASICALLY, I FENDED OFF THE REPORTERS WHO WERE CAMPED OUT ON THE GRASS TRYING TO GET INTO THE HOUSE AND PROTECTING THEM AND GETTING TO KNOW THEM.

VAL>> THEY MUST HAVE APPRECIATED THOSE SERVICES, ACTUALLY, BECAUSE THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN SWAMPED.

FIFI BOOTH>> THEY DID. THEY WERE UNDER EXCLUSIVE CONTRACT TO LIFE, SO THEY HAD NO CHOICE (LAUGHTER). THEY HAD TO PUT UP WITH US.

JESS>> YOU NOT ONLY HAD ACCESS TO THE ASTRONAUTS AND TO THEIR FAMILIES, BUT TO THEIR WORKPLACE, WHICH MUST HAVE BEEN A FASCINATING PLACE TO BE.

FIFI BOOTH>> YES, IT WAS.

JESS>> THE MISSION CONTROL. WE ALL HEAR ABOUT IT. YOU WERE THERE. YOU SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN MISSION CONTROL.

FIFI BOOTH>> I DID, BECAUSE I SPENT TWO YEARS PUTTING TOGETHER A TRIP FOR WHAT WE WOULD SAY THE BILL GATES OF TODAY TO LET THEM KNOW WHERE THEIR SPACE DOLLARS WERE GOING, THE TAX DOLLARS WERE GOING. SO I SPENT THREE DAYS A WEEK IN HOUSTON AND THREE DAYS A WEEK IN FLORIDA EVERY OTHER WEEK FOR TWO SOLID YEARS PUTTING THIS THING TOGETHER.

JESS>> AND THOSE WERE EXCITING TIMES IN THE SPACE PROGRAM.

FIFI BOOTH>> VERY EXCITING, AND I FIGURED THAT, IF THE ASTRONAUTS COULD DO IT, I COULD DO IT.

VAL>> YOU ALSO GOT ACCESS TO SOME PLACES THAT LAYMEN NORMALLY DO NOT. DESCRIBE THAT TO US. THERE WERE SOME AREAS THAT WERE RESTRICTED, BUT YOU, BEING THE INSIDE PERSON, GOT TO SEE THEM?

FIFI BOOTH>> WELL, ONE OF THE ASTRONAUTS -- WHO I PROMISED I WOULD NEVER TELL WHO -- MADE ARRANGEMENTS FOR ME TO GO INTO THE TRAINING CENTER IN HOUSTON.

JESS>> AND THIS IS THE UNDERWATER TRAINING FACILITY? YOU WERE THERE?

FIFI BOOTH>> YES, I WAS THERE --

JESS>> -- YOU WENT UNDERWATER?

FIFI BOOTH>> YOU SEE THE PICTURE OF THE FROGMAN OVER AT THE LEFT?

JESS>> YES.

FIFI BOOTH>> OKAY. THAT’S WHAT GOT ME OUT BECAUSE I GOT TERRIFIED (LAUGHTER). I WENT IN THERE AND THEN I DID THE CENTRIFUGE WHERE -- YOU CAN SEE THAT --

VAL>> -- YOU ACTUALLY SPUN AROUND LIKE THAT?

FIFI BOOTH>> NOT THE WHOLE WAY. IT’S VERY FAST AND IT’S VERY, VERY SCARY, BUT I SURVIVED THAT. THEN I WENT INTO THE COMMAND MODULE AND I TRIED TO DOCK THE LIMB.

VAL>> HOW DID YOU DO?

FIFI BOOTH>> I DID VERY BADLY (LAUGHTER). THE ASTRONAUT WHO WAS THERE SAID, “IF YOU WERE IN CONTROL, NEIL AND BUZZ WOULD BE GOING AROUND AND AROUND AND AROUND THE EARTH” (LAUGHTER).

JESS>> (LAUGHTER) BUT THAT GAVE YOU AN UNDERSTANDING OF SOME OF THE STRESS THESE MEN AND THEIR FAMILIES WERE UP AGAINST, TOO?

FIFI BOOTH>> OH, YES.

JESS>> SO IT WAS RESEARCH YOU WERE DOING. IT WASN’T JUST PLAYING AROUND.

FIFI BOOTH>> WELL, IT WAS RESEARCH, BUT I MUST TELL YOU THAT WHAT HAPPENED IN THE LAST WEEK SHOWS HOW IMPORTANT NASA IS TO THE FAMILY. THEY ARE A FAMILY. THEY HAVE A SUPPORT SYSTEM THAT’S UNLIKE ANYTHING I’VE EVER SEEN BEFORE. THEY TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER. THE WIVES TAKE CARE OF THE OTHER CHILDREN. THEY’RE VERY, VERY CLOSE-KNIT. FROM THE MINUTE A CREW IS NAMED, THAT BECOMES A FAMILY. NOT JUST THE CREW, BUT ALSO THE BACKUP.

JESS>> AND YOU’RE CONVINCED THAT THE SPACE PROGRAM MUST GO ON?

FIFI BOOTH>> ABSOLUTELY, BECAUSE OF THE RESEARCH.

JESS>> YOU HAD TO DEFEND IT TO AMERICA’S CEOS TOO WHEN PEOPLE WERE CONCERNED THAT WE WERE SPENDING AN AWFUL LOT OF MONEY. YOU SPENT A COUPLE OF YEARS, YOU SAID, ARRANGING A NASA TOUR FOR THOSE CEOS OF AMERICAN CORPORATIONS. LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE. WHO ARE WE SEEING HERE?

FIFI BOOTH>> WELL, YOU SEE AL SHEPARD AND PETE CONRAD AND WALT CUNNINGHAM. THEY WERE OUR TOUR GUIDES. WHAT --

JESS>> -- AND TWO OF THOSE THREE ARE NO LONGER LIVING.

FIFI BOOTH>> YES. AL SHEPARD AND -- THAT PICTURE WAS TAKEN AT THE VEHICLE ASSEMBLY BUILDING. WE ALL HAD HARD HATS BECAUSE YOU COULDN’T BE IN THE BUILDING WITHOUT THEM BECAUSE THERE WERE SO MANY THINGS FALLING DOWN.

VAL>> IS THAT YOU IN THE MIDDLE?

FIFI BOOTH>> YES.

VAL>> NOW THIS AREA IS VERY HARD TO GET INTO. YOU HAD ACCESS INTO THIS.

JESS>> NOW THIS IS YOU AND THAT’S THE CLEAN ROOM, HUH?

FIFI BOOTH>> THAT’S THE CLEAN ROOM. ONCE YOU GOT INTO THAT ROOM, YOU HAD TO BE COVERED FROM HEAD TO TOE IN WHITE, YOUR HANDS, YOUR FEET, EVERYTHING BECAUSE IT WAS SUCH A STERILE ATMOSPHERE.

JESS>> AND HERE’S THE END PRODUCT.

FIFI BOOTH>> THAT IS THE LAUNCH PAD. WE DID NOT LET THEM GO OUT THERE, BUT I DID (LAUGHTER).

VAL>> WHAT AN EXPERIENCE. I MUST SAY, ALSO, THERE WERE PROBABLY NOT MANY WOMEN AT THE TIME WHO HAD ACCESS TO WHAT YOU HAD ACCESS TO.

FIFI BOOTH>> NO, THERE WEREN’T.

JESS>> AS I RECALL FROM SOME OF THOSE EARLY SPACE SHOTS, THERE WEREN’T MANY FACILITIES FOR WOMEN AT CAPE CANAVERAL EITHER.

FIFI BOOTH>> NO (LAUGHTER).

JESS>> GOING OFF INTO THE PALMETTO TO DO WHATEVER IT IS YOU HAVE TO DO IN A PALMETTO. THEY HAD SNAKES TOO, DIDN’T THEY?

FIFI BOOTH>> THEY HAD SNAKES, BUT THEY HAD ALLIGATORS. IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE SPACE PROGRAM, BECAUSE OF THE HEAT BEING SO INTENSE, THE BUNKERS WERE UNDERNEATH THE GROUND. MISSION CONTROL WAS IN THE BUNKER UNDER THE GROUND.

JESS>> FIFI, YOU’VE HAD QUITE A LIFE.

FIFI BOOTH>> YES, I HAVE. VERY LUCKY.

VAL>> WHAT A GREAT EXPERIENCE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING A LITTLE BIT WITH US TONIGHT. WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT.

FIFI BOOTH>> THANK YOU.

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.

JESS>> IT’S ONLY NATURAL THAT PARENTS WANT THEIR CHILDREN TO SPEAK PROPERLY, BUT PATT SAYS THEY’D BETTER KEEP THE KIDS AWAY FROM THOSE STRAIGHT-TALKING POLITICIANS. THAT’S TONIGHT’S INFINITELY MORRISON.

PATT MORRISON>> THE ECONOMY, AS THEY SAY, IS IN THE TANK. WELL, WHAT THEY ACTUALLY SAY IS A LITTLE CRUDER THAN THAT, BUT THIS IS PUBLIC TELEVISION AND WE WON’T GO THERE. SO I TRIED TO THINK OF A WAY TO RAISE MONEY AND THE LEVEL OF PUBLIC DISCOURSE AT THE SAME TIME. EUREKA! NOT A USER FEE, BUT A MIS-USER FEE. WITH ALL THE RADIO AND TV POLITICAL TALK SHOWS AND THE SCORES OF TALKING HEADS, FINING THE MIS-SPEAKERS WOULD GUARANTEE AN ECONOMIC UPTURN.

I SAT IN THE GALLERY DURING THE STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH AND, AT LEAST A HALF DOZEN TIMES, HEARD PRESIDENT BUSH MANGLE “NUCLEAR” AS “NUCULEAR”. SO DID JIMMY CARTER, BUT TO QUOTE RICHARD NIXON ABOUT ANOTHER OFFENSE, “WE COULD DO IT, BUT IT WOULD BE WRONG.” THE WORD “REPUBLICAN”, LIKE LIBERTARIAN, IS BOTH A NOUN AND AN ADJECTIVE, BUT “DEMOCRAT” IS A NOUN. “DEMOCRATIC” IS ITS ADJECTIVE. REPUBLICANS WHO’D RATHER BE RIGHT THAN CORRECT HAVE BEEN CONTORTING THE LANGUAGE TO SUIT THEIR POLITICS, SO WE CONSTANTLY HEAR ABOUT THE “DEMOCRAT PARTY”. A HUGE FINE FOR THAT ONE BECAUSE IT’S DELIBERATE.

NOW THIS ISN’T REPUBLICANS’ EXCLUSIVE PURVIEW. I THINK IT WAS SENATOR JOHN KERRY, A DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT, WHO MADE ME CRINGE WITH “BETWEEN HE AND I”. BETWEEN YOU AND ME, THAT’S APPALLING. AND IT SHOULD COST $10,000 TO REFER TO YOURSELF IN THE POMPOUS THIRD PERSON, AS IN “BOB DOLE WOULDN’T SUPPORT THAT” OR “JESSE JACKSON BELIEVES THAT’S WRONG”. WELL, THAT MAKES FOUR OF THEM.

I’VE HEARD OUR ELECTED ELITE SAY “CALVARY” INSTEAD OF “CAVALRY”, THE HORRIFYING “SNUCK” INSTEAD OF “SNEAKED” AND ALL MANNER OF MODIFIERS TO THE WORD “UNIQUE”. UNIQUE MEANS ONE OF A KIND. IT CAN’T BE SORT OF A ONE OF A KIND OR PRETTY DARN NEAR ONE OF A KIND. LIKE NUMBERS, IT IS WHAT IT IS. JUST AS YOU CAN’T SAY RATHER FOUR OR VERY ELEVEN.

BUT DON’T STOP AT POLITICIANS. THE BIGGEST OFFENDERS ARE THE SUPPOSED PROFESSIONALS, THE MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR ANCHORMEN MOUTHS WHO DON’T BOTHER WITH THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “FLAUNT” AND “FLOUT” OR “AVERSE” AND “ADVERSE”, WHO DON’T CARE THAT IT’S “ASTERISK” AND NOT “ASTERIKS” AND “ETCETERA”, NOT “EXCETERA”. START FINING THOSE BIG-HAIRED, BIG-SALARIED FOLKS AND YOU WILL SEE THE DAWN OF INCOME REDISTRIBUTION IN AMERICA OR THE REVIVAL OF GOOD GRAMMAR, IF NOT GOOD SENSE.

VAL>> IT WAS ONCE BILLED AS THE UNSINKABLE TITANIC. NOW ITS VERY NAME IS SYNONYMOUS WITH DISASTER.

JESS>> A NEW EXHIBIT IN LOS ANGELES PROVIDES A TRUE FEEL OF THE TITANIC. HUNDREDS OF OBJECTS, ONCE PART OF THAT GREAT SHIP, HAVE BEEN HAULED UP FROM THE OCEAN’S FLOOR AND THEY’RE ON DISPLAY AT THE CALIFORNIA SCIENCE MUSEUM. THERE YOU CAN ALSO WALK THROUGH RECREATIONS OF PASSENGER CABINS, THE SHIP’S DINING AREA. YOU CAN EVEN TOUCH AN ICEBERG.

VAL>> AND JOINING US NOW WITH MORE ON THE TITANIC EXHIBIT IS MARK LACH. WELCOME TO LIFE AND TIMES.

MARK LACH>> THANK YOU. GREAT TO BE HERE.

JESS>> THERE IS A FASCINATION WITH THE TITANIC THAT GOES NOWHERE ELSE.

MARK LACH>> IT’S REAL EXTRAORDINARY. AFTER NINETY YEARS, YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD THINK THAT WE’D GET TIRED OF THE STORY. HOLLYWOOD HAS DONE SO MUCH AND WE’VE HEARD SO MUCH ABOUT THE TITANIC. BUT I THINK BECAUSE IT STARTS OUT AS SUCH A HOPEFUL, OPTIMISTIC, ENERGIZED STORY ENDING SO TRAGICALLY, IT’S SOMETHING I THINK WE ALL CAN RELATE TO. ALL AROUND THE WORLD WE BRING THIS EXHIBIT, YOU SAY THE WORD TITANIC AND THERE’S AN INTEREST IN PEOPLES’ EYES.

JESS>> AND PEOPLE ALSO WANT TO SEE WHAT WAS THERE. DO THEY GET TO TOUCH OR FEEL?

MARK LACH>> WELL, IN THE EXHIBITION, IN THIS EXHIBIT AT THE CALIFORNIA SCIENCE CENTER, THERE ARE THREE HUNDRED PIECES OF THE SHIP AND, IN SOME CASES, PIECES OF PEOPLES’ LIVES, ARTIFACTS, OBJECTS RECOVERED FROM THE OCEAN FLOOR. THERE IS ONE SPECIAL PIECE, A SECTION OF THE HULL, THAT THE VISITORS TO THE EXHIBIT ARE INVITED TO TOUCH SO THAT THEY CAN TOUCH A PIECE OF HISTORY.

VAL>> NOW WE’RE GOING TO TAKE A LOOK AT HOW YOU GET THESE THINGS OUT FROM THE TITANIC, WHICH IS TWO AND A HALF MILES BENEATH THE OCEAN’S SURFACE.

MARK LACH>> THAT’S RIGHT. 12,500 FEET. THIS IS THE MIR SUBMERSIBLE THAT --

JESS>> -- YOU WENT DOWN IN THIS?

MARK LACH>> I WAS INSIDE OF THIS AND IT WAS QUITE THE ADVENTURE, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE. YOU MAKE THIS TWO HOUR AND FIFTEEN MINUTE JOURNEY, TWO AND A HALF MILES DOWN --

VAL>> -- SO YOU HAVE TO BE IN THAT THING FOR TWO HOURS BEFORE YOU CAN GET TO THE TITANIC?

MARK LACH>> YES, AND IT’S ABOUT THE SIZE OF A VERY SMALL CAR AND YOU’RE IN THE FRONT SEAT WITH TWO OTHER PEOPLE FOR THOSE TWO HOURS. BUT WHEN THOSE LIGHTS COME ON AND YOU SEE THE BOW OF THE TITANIC JUST LIKE THAT AND SEE THE DEBRIS FIELD WITH ARTIFACTS THAT ARE ON THE OCEAN FLOOR, IT’S NOT ONLY AN ADVENTURE FOR ME, BUT A VERY EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE.

VAL>> NOW HOW DO THEY ACTUALLY GO OUT AND GET THE OBJECTS? IS THERE LIKE ROBOTIC ARMS?

MARK LACH>> THERE ARE. ON THE FRONT OF THAT SUBMERSIBLE, THERE ARE ROBOTIC ARMS AND THEY HAVE PINCHERS THAT WILL PICK THINGS UP. THE MORE DELICATE PIECES LIKE THE CHINA OR CRYSTAL, THERE ARE SUCTION CUPS THAT WILL REACH OUT AND PICK THOSE PIECES UP.

JESS>> BUT THERE HAVE BEEN SOME LARGE PIECES. IN FACT, ONE OF THEM IS EXHIBITED.

MARK LACH>> THE LARGEST PIECE THAT’S EVER BEEN RECOVERED, NOT RECOVERED BY SUBMERSIBLE, ACTUALLY USING LIFT BAGS, BIG AIRBAGS, IF YOU WILL, THAT ARE ANCHORED DOWN, BROUGHT DOWN TO THE OCEAN FLOOR, TIED ON TO THE PIECE AND THEN THIS LARGE PIECE, IN THIS CASE, THE LARGEST PIECE EVER RECOVERED, FIFTEEN TONS OF TITANIC’S HULL IS LIFTED TO THE SURFACE. THAT WAS AN EVENT JUST GETTING IT TO THE OCEAN’S SURFACE, BUT GETTING IT INTO THE SCIENCE CENTER WAS QUITE THE EVENT TOO.

JESS>> HOW DID YOU DO THAT?

MARK LACH>> WELL, WE TOOK OUT A SIDE OF THE BUILDING REALLY AND EXTENDED WITH A CRANE. IT WAS QUITE THE DAY WHEN WE GOT IT INTO THE SCIENCE CENTER. IT’S REALLY AN EXTRAORDINARY PIECE BECAUSE WE REALLY KNOW RIGHT WHERE IT CAME FROM. THE CABINS IN THE INTERIOR, CABIN C79 AND C81, WE KNOW RIGHT WHERE IT WAS FROM.

VAL>> NOW WE SHOULD REMIND PEOPLE IN CASE THEY HAVEN’T HEARD THAT THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST FAMOUS SHIPWRECK IN HISTORY. 1912, CORRECT?

MARK LACH>> THAT’S RIGHT.

VAL>> HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE ONBOARD?

MARK LACH>> 2,200 PASSENGERS AND CREW. SHE SAILED ABOUT TWO-THIRDS FULL.

JESS>> HOW MANY SURVIVORS?

MARK LACH>> WELL, 1,500 WERE LOST, SO ABOUT 700 SURVIVORS. THE NUMBERS ALWAYS FLUX A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE OF PEOPLE TRAVELING UNDER ALIASES. THIS IS A SHOT OF WHEN SHE LEFT THE BELFAST SHIPYARDS ON HER WAY TO SOUTHAMPTON AND CAPTAIN SMITH ON WHAT HE WAS CALLING HIS LAST VOYAGE. HIS WIFE DID NOT WANT HIM TO GO ON THIS VOYAGE. HE WAS GOING TO RETIRE, BUT THE WHITE STAR LINE TALKED HIM INTO HAVING ONE FINAL. TRAGICALLY, OF COURSE, HE WAS LOST IN THE SINKING.

VAL>> WHAT’S SO FASCINATING IS THAT, JUST A FEW YEARS EARLIER, A NOVEL HAD COME OUT AND TOLD THE STORY OF A BIG SHIP THAT HAD CRASHED NAMED THE TITAN.

MARK LACH>> ISN’T THAT SOMETHING? AND THE PARALLELS ARE EXTRAORDINARY.

VAL>> THE PARALLELS ARE AMAZING. THIS AUTHOR WAS ALMOST PRESCIENT.

MARK LACH>> YEAH, YOU’RE RIGHT.

JESS>> THIS WAS THE MOST LUXURIOUS VESSEL EVERY BUILT TO THAT TIME, WASN’T IT?

MARK LACH>> IT WAS AND IT REALLY WAS BILLED AS THE LUXURY SHIP OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS, AND THE RICH AND FAMOUS OF THE DAY, THE CELEBRITIES OF THE DAY, WERE ONBOARD. BUT I THINK, MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT STILL WAS AN IMMIGRANT SHIP. THERE WERE MORE THIRD-CLASS PASSENGERS COMING TO THIS COUNTRY TO START THEIR LIVES ANEW. YOU CAN IMAGINE THEIR EXCITEMENT BOARDING THAT SHIP.

JESS>> SOME OF THE ARTIFACTS ARE REALLY FROM THE FIRST-CLASS. YOU GET A FEEL FOR WHAT THAT WAS.

VAL>> WHAT ON EARTH SURVIVED?

MARK LACH>> WELL, EVERYTHING IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER. THE EXTRAORDINARY THING, YOU CAN UNDERSTAND STEEL AND METAL AND PIECES OF THE SHIP. THIS IS THE BIG PIECE THAT WE TALKED ABOUT.

VAL>> NOW THE STAIRCASE DIDN’T SURVIVE (LAUGHTER).

MARK LACH>> DIDN’T SURVIVE, BUT THE EXHIBIT, AS YOU CAN TELL, IS A VERY THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE. THIS IS A FULL-SCALE RECREATION OF THE GRAND STAIRCASE. THESE ARE SOME OF THE CRYSTAL AND CHINA, SILVERWARE, THAT SORT OF THING, ON DISPLAY. YOU’LL WALK DOWN A THIRD-CLASS CORRIDOR AND LOOK INTO THOSE CABINS. MANY TIMES, A CABIN LIKE THAT, FOUR STRANGERS WOULD HAVE BEEN MAYBE SHARING A CABIN TOGETHER FOR THE VOYAGE. THEN OUR ICEBERG, WHICH IS ACTUALLY A PIECE OF ICE THAT YOU’RE INVITED TO WALK UP AND TOUCH. THE REASON FOR THAT, ACTUALLY, THE WATER THAT NIGHT WAS COLDER THAN THE ICE THAT YOU’RE TOUCHING, SO THOSE UNFORTUNATE PEOPLE WHO WERE NOT IN THE LIFEBOAT, SALTWATER FREEZING AT A LOWER TEMPERATURE, COLDER THAN THE ICE THAT YOU TOUCH IN THE EXHIBIT.

JESS>> THAT WAS ONE OF THE PIECES OF CHINA AND THIS IS THE FIRST-CLASS CHINA THEN?

MARK LACH>> THIS IS THE FIRST-CLASS CHINA, A REPRODUCTION OF THE CHINA, AND IT WAS MADE BY SPODE, THE CHINA MAKER OF THE TIME.

VAL>> SO THAT’S WHAT YOU WOULD EAT OFF OF IN THE FIRST-CLASS DINING ROOM?

MARK LACH>> IN THE FIRST-CLASS DINING ROOM, BUT EVERY CLASS HAD ITS OWN CHINA. THE THIRD-CLASS, OF COURSE, WAS MORE HUMBLE THAN THE FIRST AND THE SECOND. ONE OF THE GREAT STORIES OF TITANIC IS THE CLASS DISTINCTION THAT WAS PREVALENT AT THE TIME.

VAL>> VERY PREVALENT, WHICH YOU’LL SEE IN THE EXHIBIT, I IMAGINE.

MARK LACH>> THAT’S RIGHT. WE REPRESENT IT THAT WAY.

VAL>> WELL, MARK LACH, IT’S FASCINATING. I COULD TALK TO YOU FOR MANY, MANY MORE MINUTES, BUT WE’RE OUT OF TIME. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING BY.

MARK LACH>> OH, THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

JESS>> TITANIC, THE ARTIFACT EXHIBIT, RUNS THROUGH THE SUMMER AT THE CALIFORNIA SCIENCE CENTER. FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO THE WEBSITE ON YOUR SCREEN OR YOU CAN CALL THE MUSEUM DIRECTLY.

[CASCIENCECTR.ORG]
[323-SCIENCE]

VAL>> RONALD REAGAN, BY THE WAY, TURNED NINETY-TWO TODAY. WE’RE TOLD THAT A PRIVATE CELEBRATION WAS AT THE REAGAN HOME IN BEL AIR. BY ALL ACCOUNTS, THE FORMER PRESIDENT’S HEALTH CONTINUES TO DECLINE, BUT HIS LEGACY MAY BE AS STRONG AS EVER.

JESS>> NOT LONG AGO, BIOGRAPHER LOU CANNON TOLD US TERRORISM WAS THE THING THAT FRUSTRATED RONALD REAGAN MOST AND THE WORST EPISODE WAS THE BOMBING OF THE U.S. MARINE BARRACKS IN BEIRUT.

RONALD REAGAN>> THESE DEEDS MAKE SO EVIDENT THE BESTIAL NATURE OF THOSE WHO WOULD ASSUME POWER IF THEY COULD HAVE THEIR WAY AND DRIVE US OUT OF THAT AREA.

LOU CANNON>> REAGAN HAD A PROBLEM DEALING WITH IT BECAUSE HIS ADVISOR TOLD HIM THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN GO OUT AND BOMB BEIRUT. YOU'RE GOING TO KILL A LOT OF CIVILIANS. THEY SETTLED FOR A RAID, YOU MAY REMEMBER, ON THE SYRIAN BARRACKS, HEZBALA IN THE VALLEY. I THINK IT KNOCKED OUT A RADAR EMPLACEMENT AND WE LOST TWO PLANES.

THE THING ABOUT REAGAN IS THAT, WITH EVERY TEST -- I MEAN, WE HAD SERVICEMEN KILLED IN EL SALVADOR, WE HAD THE WEST BERLIN DISCO BLOWN UP, WE HAD THE ACHILLE LAURO, WE HAD THE TWA HIJACKINGS -- WITH ALL THESE TESTS, WHEN REAGAN WAS ASKED TO RETALIATE, HE WOULD ASK THE QUESTION OF HOW MANY CIVILIANS’, YOU KNOW, LIVES WOULD BE LOST. HE DIDN'T RETALIATE UNTIL LIBYA BECAUSE EACH TIME HE WAS TOLD THAT THERE WEREN'T -- YOU KNOW, THESE TERRORISTS WEREN'T OUT THERE IN A CAMP MARKED "TERRORIST, HIT ME". THEY WERE AMONG THE PEOPLE OF LEBANON OR WHATEVER COUNTRY THEY WERE IN.

JESS>> WHAT WILL RONALD REAGAN’S LEGACY ULTIMATELY BE?

LOU CANNON>> I GUESS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF HIS LEGACY IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE THAT HE AND GORBACHEV TOGETHER BROUGHT AN END TO THE COLD WAR. REAGAN REALLY CAME INTO OFFICE -- HE SAID BEFORE HE WAS IN OFFICE, HE SAID WHEN HE VISITED THE WASHINGTON POST AND WE ASKED HIM THE QUESTION ABOUT ISN'T THERE GOING TO BE THIS INTENSE ARMS RACE BECAUSE OF YOUR BUILD-UP? RONALD REAGAN SAID, "THAT'S OKAY, BECAUSE THE SOVIET UNION WON'T BE ABLE TO COMPETE WITH US AND THEY'LL COME TO THE BARGAINING TABLE." NOW WE ALL KNOW NOW THAT WAS TRUE, BUT IN 1980, I DON'T KNOW HOW REAGAN KNEW IT, BUT HE DID.

VAL>> RONALD REAGAN, NINETY-TWO TODAY. YOU CAN FIND TRANSCRIPTS AND AUDIO OF OUR RECENT PROGRAMS ON OUR WEBSITE AT KCET.ORG.

JESS>> AND THAT’S OUR PROGRAM. NOW FOR ALL OF US HERE AT LIFE AND TIMES, THANK YOU FOR WATCHING. GOOD NIGHT.

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