SoCal Connected: In the Studio

California is the most poorly run state in the union, according to a new analysis from 24/7 Wall St.

A new survey by the Marist Institute suggests that Alzheimer's is the most feared disease, even though far more people die of heart disease or cancer. Dr. Gary Small, director of the UCLA Longevity Center, has been studying Alzheimer's for more than 20 years. His new book is called "The Alzheimer's Prevention Program." He joins Madeleine to talk about the fear of Alzheimer's and whether that fear is justified.

There has been a lot of talk about the death of manufacturing in the United States, but Los Angeles is still the largest manufacturing hub in the country, especially in the area of apparel. L.A. Magazine Senior Editor Linda Immediato shows that when it comes to fashion, L.A. is the uncontested leader.

Val Zavala talks to Genevieve Riutort of the Westside Food Bank about its work providing UCLA students in need with free food.

The documentary film "High Ground" follows a group of veterans disabled during their military service. Madeleine Brand interviews producer Don Hahn about the inspiring service of men and women who overcome amputations and blindness to scale the most dangerous mountains in the world.

Retired family physician Dr. Ken Murray talks to Val about how doctors choose to approach the end of life differently than most people.

Does your phone do Windows? How tiny is your tablet? And has Nintendo done it again? Tech guru and USC Annenberg Professor Andrew Lih has some of the hottest gadgets for the holidays.

Madeleine Brand calls on radio host and podcaster Luke Burbank to suss out what's Awesome and Not Awesome in current pop culture.

Private emails are at the heart of the ongoing scandal involving former CIA director Gen. David Petraeus and his biographer. If the head of the country's foremost intelligence agency isn't safe from having his emails infiltrated, how safe are yours? Is there really such a thing as digital privacy? Madeleine Brand talks to USC professor of new media Andrew Lih.

The HBO documentary series "Witness" turns the camera on photojournalists as they capture stunning images in some of the most dangerous locations in the world. Val Zavala and Madeleine Brand talk to the series' director and executive producer David Frankham.

Val Zavala talks to two experts about the roots of the current conflict between Hamas and Israel, and what this means for the Mideast reason as a whole. Iran expert Josh Lockman teaches International Law at USC. UCLA Adjunct Professor Russell Burgos is a specialist on international relations and American policy in the Middle East.

TIME's self-proclaimed "sultan of snark" Joel Stein sits down with Madeleine to weigh in on the David Petraeus scandal and have a not-so-earnest talk about irony.

How much could the sea rise here, and what does it mean for real estate on our hundreds of miles of coastline? Val Zavala discusses with Joshua Willis, a climate scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena and an expert on the role of oceans in the world's climate.

Filmmaker Jeff Orlowski discusses his new documentary on climate change, "Chasing Ice," which captures some shocking images of the world's melting glaciers.

You hear them after every election -- the eloquent calls for Americans to come together and put our differences behind us in a new spirit of bipartisanship. Joining Val for a little reality check are senior editor Brian Doherty of Reason magazine, author and "SoCal Connected" contributor John Ridley, and columnist and radio personality Patt Morrison.