Getty Images

 

--Alex Cohen

In 2003, I did a story for Day to Day about doggie well-being. One of the folks I interviewed for that piece was none other than Cesar Millan -- the Dog Whisperer. This was long before his TV show or his line of pet food and toys...

I remember going out shortly before the break of dawn with Cesar and about 15 large dogs -- an assortment of Rottweilers, Pitbulls and German Shepards. Cesar had these dogs utterly under his control. They were obedient and well behaved. Cesar told me that you had to be the PACK LEADER in order to have control over your dogs. And that seemed to make a lot of sense to me.

But then I picked up Temple Grandin's new book, "Animals Make Us Human". The book looks at the different emotional state of animals and how you can create a better emotional environments for them.

In her chapter on dogs, Grandin points out that Cesar Millan's philosophy of being the pack leader works well in his situation -- where there are more than a dozen dogs of different breeds who may be prone to fighting living together. But, she points out, most dogs aren't living in this sort of situation.

In households where there are just one or two dogs, it may be more appropriate for the human to be a PARENT, not a pack leader. "A good parent sets limits and teaches his kids how to behave nicely," Grandin writes, "and that's exactly what dogs need, too."

Alex's dog Sadie

Rich Dean

Grandin goes on to give a few examples of how to teach manners to your dogs. She recommends teaching your dog patience by making him or her wait a few moments before going out for a walk. I've been trying this out with Sadie, a Golden Retreiver Chow mix we adopted a few months ago. Sadie gets INCREDIBLY excited every time she sees me put on my sneakers because she knows that means it's time for her chance to go out in the world. Lately, I've been making her contain that excitement by sitting and staying for at least 20 - 30 seconds before we head out. And, as Grandin suggests, it does seem to make her much calmer when we head out on a stroll.

Jason DeRose plays with Ajax

Willis Johnson

Temple Grandin suggests that dogs need at least an hour of exercise or play per day. As a rule of thumb, she says 30 minutes of walking, 15 minutes of playing and 15 minutes of learning new tricks. Our editor, Jason DeRose makes sure his dog gets much more than that (though Jason says he's not much for tricks).

"Ajax attends Doggie Day Care near our home in Santa Monica," says Jason.

So, he gets plenty of walks and playtime during the day. He's usually tired after hours with his friends and spends the evenings sleeping on a big leather chair in the living room. But Jason notes that on days when Ajax doesn't attend daycare, he can be a little agitated by nightfall even if he's had several long walks.

"We've found that a little tug-o-war right before bed helps Ajax relax."

 

--Steve Proffitt

On the show today we talked to Chef Julian, who is, we have to figure, the world's youngest celebrity chef.

As promised, a couple of Julian's recipes. Enjoy!

Chef Julian's Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup molasses
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
2 cups grated zucchini
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately, then mix the two together. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until done.

Chef Julian's "Persinnamon" Smoothie

Ice
3 ripe persimmons
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Blend all ingredients in a blender.

And here's a little of the junior chef in action:

Rebecca Skloot

 

--Heather Murphy

This woman isn't driving around with a monkey on her lap just for fun. Richard, a 25-pound bonnet macaque monkey, helps Debby Rose get through the day without debilitating panic attacks. Debby has agoraphobia, a severe anxiety disorder. Until getting Richard four years ago, she required heavy doses of anti-anxiety drugs just to go out in public.

Rebecca Skloot

Beyond just guide dogs for the blind, animals are fulfilling a vast array of needs, reporter Rebecca Skloot tells Alex Cohen on the show this morning. In an article for The New York Times Magazine, Skloot writes about the benefits and complications of using less traditional service animals.

There's Sadie the parrot, who talks down her owner Jim Eggers, when he's on the verge of a psychotic episode with, "It's O.K., Jim. Calm down, Jim. You're all right, Jim. I'm here, Jim."

Jim carries Sadie around with him in a backpack (above) designed to hold Sadie's cage.

Rebecca Skloot

And there's Panda, one of an increasing number of guide-miniature horses being used by blind individuals. Ann Edie relies on Panda to lead her through her daily activities, such as a shopping expedition to Staples (right). Skloot, who spent many hours with the pair, says she was taken aback by the level of care the horse takes with Ann.

"I saw her maneuver around things that I as a sighted person wouldn't have thought of," she explains. Panda taps on the sidewalk with her hooves to signal Ann to step up and to taps a metal pole to help Ann find the crossing button.

"You can hear all these different tones with Panda's hooves. This is something that a dog absolutely couldn't do," Skloot says.

Although individuals often have to fight health ordinances and local laws to live with and enter businesses with a miniature horse, it can be worth it as the animals typically live for decades longer than guide dogs.

Rebecca Skloot

 

You can see additional photos and find out more on Rebecca Skloot's blog.

 

--Alex Cohen

1968 was quite a year -- Martin Luther king and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated, Apollo 8 orbited the moon and the Beatles released "Hey, Jude." All year long NPR has been looking back forty years in a series called Echoes of 68.

But for those of us who weren't around or barely remember it... it's been hard not to feel a little left out this year during all these 40th anniversary celebrations.

So today, we've decided to look back 20 years to 1988. I talked to Russell Scott and Patrick Young, creators of the website Retroland. We traveled down memory lane, remembering hits from 1988 like the uber-saccharine song "Don't Worry, be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin and TV shows like "The Wonder Years" and "A Pup Named Scooby Doo."

In 1988, I was 16 years old and just learning how to drive in Los Angeles. As Patrick noted, you spend so much time in the car when you first get behind the wheel, that the songs on the radio from that era often become permanently imprinted on your brain.

I have very distinct memories of driving from my house in the San Fernando Valley to UCLA where I had a summer job. As I drove over the hills in my Nissan Sentra, I would blast songs like "Every Rose has its Thorn" by Poison and "Red Red Wine" by UB40.

What's funny to me is that some songs that I absolutely detested back then, like the Escape Club's "Wild Wild West" and Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give you Up" bring a smile to my face whenever I happen to hear them now... I guess 20 years can make some things sound a lot better.

What are your favorite things from 1988?

courtesy Politico.com

 

--Jolie Myers

Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich apparently doesn't care what President-elect Obama, members of the United States Senate and his own state's legislatures think about proper behavior when under investigation for corruption. The Rod does what the Rod wants.

Nothing makes this point better than the fact that he went against all sage advice to name his own pick to Mr. Obama's vacated Senate seat: former Illinois attorney general Roland Burris. Blagojevich praised Burris at a press conference yesterday for his distinguished career and devotion to the great state of Illinois.

Well, Roland Burris also has some things to say about Roland Burris. He's emblazoned his accolades upon a burial tomb in Chicago as he achieves them. I assume he will continue to do so until his death, judging by the sizable swaths of stone left un-engraved.

If this is abnormal behavior, consider me weird. Just last week I sent plans to my crypt architect for my monument to myself. It will include a tribute to my time as a waitress at the Cracker Barrel (employee of the year 2003!) and a moving passage on how my latte making skills saved an ailing Starbucks in Santa Monica.

AP Images

 

--Steve Proffitt

Dave Chameides is worried about waste. So he has been saving all his trash this year. In his basement.

We visited Dave early this year when he began stockpiling his refuse, and again, about half-way through to see how his basement - and his marriage - were doing.

Dave's project was personal - he wanted to learn how he could cut down on stuff that ends up in the landfill, or worse. But it's also public. He's kept a blog of his experiences. It's called 365 Day of Trash.

AP Images

Now that he's nearing the end of his experiment, he's inviting others to try it. Not for a year. Just for a week. All the details are at his blog, and if you try it, comment on your experiences here.

Oh, and Dave has a year's worth of recycling and waste minimization tips, including things you can do with, oh, hair that you trim off your head.

Here's a video of Dave Chameides showing off the handy stuff he keeps in his backpack - all things designed to lower his garbage footprint.

Getty Images

 

--Jolie Myers

I've always hated cilantro. Let's just get that out of the way.

But I take great pride in being an evolved diner -- I open mindedly toss back haggis (sheep guts) and will happily munch on raw octopus tentacles.

So there is shame in despising cilantro, a foundation food of Latin American and Southeast Asian cuisine.

This is why I listened with great enthusiasm to producer Josh Kurz' piece today on "supertasters" -- people whose heightened sense of taste ruins certain foods for them, namely cilantro.

Could my secret loathing of cilantro be a good thing, a sign of my superior taste buds?

The test for supertasters involves chewing on a chemical soaked piece of paper. If it tastes like paper, you're of plebian palate. If it tastes like skunk spray marinated in vomit, you're a supertaster.

One chewed up piece of paper and the lingering taste of road kill confirm that I, Jolie Myers, am a supertaster.

Sweet victory in the war on cilantro? I'm not so sure. I can't help but feel, despite the advanced state of my tongue's relationship with food, that I'm actually missing out on one of the finer things. That cilantro lovers are the ones who win.

Now about my hatred of raw tomatoes...

Courtesy Green Mountain College

 

--Steve Proffitt

Some students at Green Mountain College in Vermont are getting an unusual driving lesson. They're learning to handle a pair of 1800 pound oxen, pulling a traditional plow.

It's part of Green Mountain's sustainable agriculture project, and it's a lot of fun, too. On Monday's program, we hear from some of them, who say in spite of the fact that the animals are enormous and sport giant horns, they're actually very gentle.

Still, getting two tons of draft animal to bend to your will requires concentration, training and patience. The final exam consists of the students driving the team around the school's farm, turning left and right, and hollering the standard ox-driving commands - Whoa, Haw, and Gee. (You'll have to tune in to find out about that.)

Dr. Ken Mulder, the manager of the farm, notes that this is not an activity for agricultural students - anyone enrolled at the Liberal Arts college can volunteer to work on the farm.

"I think you would be hard pressed to find another liberal arts college at which students are learning how to drive oxen, organically grow thirty different kinds of fruits and vegetables, raise heritage breeds of livestock and poultry, harvest hay without tractors or diesel fuel, manage an off-the-grid greenhouse, butcher sheep, pigs and chickens, build high-tensile fencing, shear sheep, and produce their own honey, apple cider, pickles, eggs and (soon) milk."

And really, at the end of the day, driving a team of oxen is probably easier than parallel parking a hulking SUV.

Illustration courtesy Madonna Inn

 

--Steve Proffitt

Charles Phoenix

 

Steve Proffitt, NPR

On Christmas Eve, 1958, Alex and Phyllis Madonna opened a little motel in San Luis Obispo, California with 12 rooms. Rather than giving the rooms numbers, they gave them names, and decorated them all differently, each one representing a theme. They wanted to create something different. Boy, did they succeed!

In a style that could be described as Swiss Chalet meets Disneyland, the Madonna Inn was an almost instant hit with tourists, who might stop in San Luis Obispo as they traveled down Highway 101 on their way to Los Angeles or San Francisco. Over the years, Alex and Phyllis added to their labor of love. They hired craftsmen from Europe, local stoneworkers, and a staff that was, according to Phyllis Madonna, "our extended family." By the 1960's the Madonna Inn had over 100 rooms, a coffee shop with a copper-covered bar and and an ornate lobby filled with hand-carved wood and statues.

Courtesy Madonna Inn

The Inn attracted celebrities along with regular folk, and the dining room is lined with pictures of the famous and powerful - actors, singers and politicians who visited. Back in the day, Phyllis Madonna would entertain guests by playing the accordion and singing. Now eighty, she says the big instrument is a little too unwieldy and heavy for her to play.

Steve Proffitt, NPR

But she still sings, as she did for us when I visited the Inn with Americana expert Charles Phoenix. Her husband Alex died four years ago. Now, Phyllis has turned over the day to day operations to her children. But you can still find her most days in her booth in the Copper Cafe, chatting with old friends and visitors.

Charles says the handbuilt quality of the Madonna Inn makes it a unique complex that could never be duplicated today. "No one could afford to pay for all this detail today," he says.

Steve Proffitt, NPR

The Inn is known for it's signature hot pink. The dining room is done up in pink. The big sign out by the highway is pink. And the favorite dessert at the Madonna Inn is the pink champagne cake.

But it's really the theme rooms that make the place special. Take a look here to see a full list of the rooms, and pictures of most of them.

Alex Madonna owned a heavy construction company, and because he loved rocks, many of the rooms feature huge boulders. Some are made entirely out of rock. Every room is different. Every one is a flight of fancy and an expression of the love, care and devotion the Madonna's had for their enterprise.

As it turns 50, the Inn is still going strong, with occupancy rates holding steady, even in the face of a recession. There's a new pool and spa up on the hill, but otherwise, the place remains a slice of mid-century America. And it remains a perfect place to get away from it all for a little while, and just enjoy the outrageous magic and imagination of Alex and Phyllis Madonna.

Joel Rose

 

--Steve Proffitt

This season we asked listeners what they wanted to hear for the holidays, and we responded to their requests with a few "radio gifts."

This one goes out to listener Kathleen Tacelosky.

She wrote us this letter:

Elizabeth Crowley, M.D. is a family practice/primary care physician in New Jersey who is intensely dedicated to her craft and her patients. But healthcare has become an industry in our country, and it is out of whack. She was spending an insane amount of time negotiating with the insurance companies trying to get approvals and trying to get paid.

Joel Rose

Instead of letting her frustration get her down, she has come up with a gutsy, creative solution: As of October 1, she dropped all insurance and Medicare and went all cash. She had a meeting with her patients about it. She's lost some patients, of course, and she's gained new ones. She's keeping a blog about it where she shares what led up to this, her fears, her occasional feelings of guilt, what others are saying to her etc.

She's been writing about her experiences on a blog.

Note that her blog name is "bootscrowley." Some of her patients call her Boots because she wears Doc Martins to work. She's unconventional, determined and has a lot of pluck! I think she'll inspire your listeners as she has me and others who know her.

We sent reporter Joel Rose to visit Dr. Boots, and his story is today's radio gift. Happy holidays to all who wrote us, and thanks for letting us give you a little radio.

As thousands take to the roads, rails and sky this holiday season, we want to hear about your favorite -- or least favorite -- family road trip.

Find out the hard way that little Billy suffers from epic car sickness?

Been trapped at Chicago O'Hare long enough to sample each fast food joints' finest?

Stuffed into a Greyhound seat next to a recently-released murderer with a penchant for Vienna Sausages and grape Kool-Aid (now I'm getting autobiographical)?

Tell us all about it.

 

--Steve Proffitt

You know, it's a lot of money. But really, what is 17 billion? In America, it's 1000 million. Just to confuse things, in Europe a billion often refers to a million millions. Whatever, the number shows up with remarkable frequency in the news. Here's a short sampling:

-- According to a report from Eurostat released this week, the European Union's trade deficit with the rest of the world was 17.1 billion Euros. That's up from 15.3 just last October.

-- CBS News reported last year that in 1983, companies spent $100 million marketing to kids. In 2007, they spent nearly $17 billion.

-- Last year Thompson Corporation paid $17.2 billion to acquire the news wire service, Reuters Group.

-- Microsoft's 2007 version of Excel offers a maximum spreadsheet size of 16,000 columns containing 17 billion cells.

-- Astronomers believe the universe is about 17 billion years old.

-- Last year Princeton University's endowment was estimated to be worth about $17 billion

-- An Egyptian blogger recently estimated the cost of building The Great Pyramid, at today's labor rates: about 17 billion British pounds.

-- The Huffington Post reported this week that Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme may cost the US Treasury $17 billion in lost tax revenue.

-- Assuming a Cadillac budget of $5 million per year, $17 billion would keep Day to Day on the air for more than three millennia, until the year 5409.

Enough with bargain gizmos, how about the gadgets you actually want? We bring you a top-five list that will not only make your friends and family members gadget-happy, they'll look better, feel better and sound better.

Nintendo Wii Fit ($90) -- Perhaps the hottest item under a hundred bucks this year, the Wii Fit with Balance Board is as popular as it is tough to find. Persistence pays off in the form of a fun electronic workout system capable of tracking your fitness progress and comparing your results with others. Jump on the balance board to practice strength training, aerobics, yoga and more. The best part? No need to actually leave the living room!

Flip USB camcorders ($230) -- Flip video cameras revolutionized the video capture world. They made taking, editing, and sharing video clips of family and friends simple. Now the same folks took it to the next level by introducing a high-definition camera: the Flip Mino HD. Capable of 60 minutes of high definition video before downloading, the Flip's a perfect on-the-go high-quality pocket camera.

Nikon D90 Digital SLR ($1150 including lens) -- Digital SLR with live-view and HD video. This is the latest and greatest in the prosumer digital SLR line, those "professional-consumer" cameras with detachable lenses perfect for high-quality family photos. Thanks to the D90's live-action viewfinder, you can watch the action and a high-definition video recording mode. I recommend the 18-200 lens upgrade. It's a versatile lens that travels well.

Sprint LG Lotus Phone ($50) -- It takes quite a bit to stand out in the mobile phone world. Sprint has a cool new phone for the text-savvy with a handy clamshell design. The phone folds flat a fits in your pocket, open to reveal a full keyboard. Now it's not sporting the whiz-bang Smartphone features of an iPhone 3G or even the HTC Touch Diamond, but the LG Lotus -- at around fifty bucks -- is a great upgrade for those still doing the 8, 3-3, 9-9, 8 message shuffle with their old mobiles.

HP Mini 1000 Laptop ($360) -- The latest trend in portable computing is the netbook. With systems weighing just a few pounds or less, and prices under $500 for basic models -- it's no wonder to see why the hand-bag computer is getting lots of attention this holiday season. My favorite, the HP Mini 1000 combines Windows familiarity with an almost-full-size keyboard and a brilliant display. They're cheap and portable, a great on-the-go machine.

In South Los Angeles, forty percent of high school students drop out, unless they are lucky enough to go to Verbum Dei. Verbum Dei High School is an all boys, Catholic school in the heart of South Central. The student body is 50 percent Latino and 50 percent African American and all of the students live in South Los Angeles, a region infamous for gang warfare and poverty.

The young men who attend Verbum Dei pay for their education. Each student works one day during the school week to supplement their tuition. School administrators say it gives them the opportunity to experience the world outside of South Central and take more pride in their education. As I reported on the show this morning, the program seems to be working; every single Verbum Dei student graduates and goes on to college.

Click on the video below to see Verbum Dei student Ramon Quevedo take us through his typical work day. And then let us know how you feel about putting kids to work during the school week. Is it a good idea?

For more on this story, and some other interesting stuff about education, and more, visit our friends at KCET's SoCal Connected.

 

--Steve Proffitt

We got some bad news today.

NPR is canceling our program, along with another program produced here at NPR West, News and Notes.

Here's part of a statement from NPR's acting CEO, Dennis Haarsager:

In late spring, we began to see a decrease in NPR corporate sponsorship, which makes up nearly a third of our operating budget. While we made budget cuts at that time and continued to do so as the economy faltered, all our revenue sources are under pressure. Corporate sponsorship has decreased even more sharply since mid-September. All industries, including the financial, automotive, and media industries, historically our biggest underwriters, are cutting back significantly. Additionally, the philanthropic foundations and major donors who support NPR are cautiously watching the economy and their future giving is uncertain. The manageable $2 million budget deficit we projected in July for Fiscal Year 2009 has now risen to a projected $23 million deficit.

It is clear that this serious financial situation can't be responsibly resolved through short-term or temporary cuts. Rather, we must take measures that provide long-term savings, and that preserve our effectiveness and ability to generate vital income in the years ahead.

Today, we are announcing the cancellation of News & Notes and Day to Day, and significant budget reductions across the organization. These cuts include the elimination of 64 filled and 21 unfilled positions, many of which are associated with the two cancelled programs. Positions have also been eliminated across NPR, including reporting, editorial, and production staffs; station services; digital media; research; communications; and administrative support. Overall, this is a 7% reduction in NPR's current workforce.

It is important for you to understand why we chose to cancel News & Notes and Day to Day, and the implications for programming strategy and commitments. Neither program was attracting sufficient levels of audience or national underwriting necessary to sustain continued production under these tough financial circumstances.

Of course, every day we have been reporting on the downturn in the economy. Now, we can really share that pain.

Our demise will not be immediate. We'll continue producing and broadcasting the program until March 20th. We hope you'll continue to listen, and visit us at Daydreaming.

And a note to Facebook members: A fan has started a group, Save NPR's Day to Day. As of this writing it has more than five hundred members.