Patt Morrison Fri, 11/21

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Friday, November 21, 2008

1-3 p.m.

 

1:08 – 1:18

OPEN

 

 

 

1:25 – 1:35

“On the Edge of a Fiscal Cliff”: California’s Worse Off Than You Realize

Assessments of the state of California’s budget from the Governor’s office, legislators and the Legislative Analyst Office have all been bleak, but here’s some really depressing news:  they all may be relatively optimistic on the abysmal state of California’s gaping budget deficits and the state’s economy heading into a deep recession.  A new report issued by California Forward forecasts years of declining income, sales and property tax revenues and job loses that border on the catastrophic.  The combination of the real estate bubble burst, the state government’s woeful management and the recession means that California will need years just to work itself back to the fiscal levels of 2007.  It’s bad out there, and it’s going to get worse. 

 

Guests:

Jon Haveman, founding principal of Beacon Economics and author of “An Economic Backdrop for Fiscal Reform in California”

HE CALLS US:  866#

 

James Mayer, executive director of California Forward

HE CALLS US:  866#

 

 

 

1:43 – 1:53

Paleolithic Park?  Scientists Map Mammoth DNA

In a new study published in the journal Nature, scientists revealed that they have successfully mapped most of the genetic code for the woolly mammoth. This is the first time scientists have re-created the DNA of an extinct species. Researches may attempt similar projects with other ice-age creatures, such as the saber-toothed tiger and the mastodon. And it raises another possibility: scientists may soon be able to construct a mammoth egg and implant it in the womb of an African elephant. So in ten or twenty years, there may be woolly mammoths at the zoo. Patt gets the details.

 

Guests:

Stephan C. Schuster, Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Penn State and one of the study authors.

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2:08 – 2:18

Bank Fees Going Up

Okay. We've all done it. You misplace a decimal point or make a minor error in arithmetic and write a check that's fifteen cents over. But what's this? A $35 overdraft charge? Such annoying--and expensive--charges, it turns out, are a major source of income for banks. But now the same banks that are taking bailout money are increasing these fees, along with ATM fees, teller fees, and all sorts of other transaction charges. Are customers getting bilked at both ends? And what can you do to stop it?

 

Guests:

Mike Moebs [MEBZ], chief executive of Moebs Services, an economic research firm in Chicago

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2:25 - 2:35

After 17 Years, it Better be Good:  “Chinese Democracy” Finally Released

The strange saga of Guns N’ Roses, now a former shell of its once mega-rock-group status, dates back to the early 1990’s when the group was coming off of two of the best selling albums of all time.  Turmoil in the group centered on volatile front-man Axl Rose resulting in all of the founding members, save Axl, abandoning G N’R and a 17-year hiatus while the new group worked on its next album.  “Chinese Democracy” was once one of the most anticipated albums of all time; instead, its glacial progress has made it something of a pop culture joke.  Now “Chinese Democracy” is finally in stores this weekend and we’ll find out if it was worth the wait.

 

Guest:

Ann Powers, pop music editor and critic for the Los Angeles Times

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2:43 - 2:53

Hollywood Vamps It Up

Pop culture’s fascination with vampires is nothing new.  From Bram Stoker to Buffy, Hollywood has long relied on the mythical blood-sucking predators for entertainment.  But there’s a new brand of vampire in town: they’re hipper, sexier and more…human? Twilight, a new film based on the wildly popular vampire novels by Stephanie Meyer, is a teen love story where the vampire isn’t necessarily the bad guy.  In the HBO series True Blood, vampires live openly with humans, fighting for their civil rights. So why is Hollywood humanizing vampires? And what’s up with America’s vamp-y fascination?

 

Guests:

Dominic Patten: Pop Culture Columnist at Examiner.com

IN STUDIO