Patt Morrison for Thursday, 2/11/10

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Thursday, February 11, 2010

1-3 p.m.

CALL-IN @ 866-893-5722, 866-893-KPCC; OR JOIN THE CONVERSATION ONLINE ON THE PATT MORRISON BLOG AT KPCC-DOT-ORG

1:06 - 1:39

OPEN

1:41 - 1:58:30

Disappointment, loneliness and hype overkill: just some of the many reasons to dread Valentine's Day

It's a manufactured holiday that has, for generations, artificially raised the expectations of couples everywhere and beat down the single and lonely-Valentine's Day, while ostensibly about love and romance, is just as much about bitterness and disappointment. Every year we hope for the best, from our spouses or desired lovers, and every year most of our expectations go unmet. Sure, there are those lucky souls who are swimming in love that will rejoice on February 14th, but for the spurred among us join in the fun of hating Valentine's Day!

OPEN PHONES

2:06 - 2:30

Joe Torre's Safe at Home come to L.A.-are the Dodgers anything but?

Joe Torre has done it all in his extensive baseball career: he's won an MVP award as a player, he coached the New York Yankees to four world championships and he's managed some of the biggest stars in baseball, from Derek Jeter to Manny Ramirez. But he'd be the first to tell you that none of those feats tops the work he's done with his foundation "Safe at Home," which operates a dozen domestic violence resource centers. The Safe at Home Foundation is opening its first office in Los Angeles, expanding to the West Coast in the same manner that Torre did three years ago when he took over the Dodgers. While Safe at Home is growing, the Dodgers had a worryingly passive offseason, failing to make any significant offers to any major free agents. Will the nasty McCourt divorce negatively affect the Dodgers in 2010?

Guest:

Joe Torre, manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers; founder of the Safe at Home Foundation

HE CALLS US

* Torre ranks 5th in all-time Major League Baseball managerial wins. There's little doubt that Torre will be a first-ballot Baseball Hall of Famer upon his eligibility.
* Safe at Home Foundation has opened its first office in Los Angeles, with plans to open its first domestic violence center, Margaret's Place (named for Torre's mother) in L.A. by the Fall.

2:30 - 2:58:30

America's next hundred million

By 2050-and the most conservative estimates-America will add another 100 million people to its population. What will that look like in terms of water rights, home prices, public education and health care? The prospects may seem dim now, but Joel Kotkin says the forecast is pretty sunny. Nourished by mass immigration in a predominantly elderly world mired in ethnic conflict, America will emerge mid-century as the most affluent, culturally rich, and successful nation in human history, thanks to its pro-immigration and capitalist policies...really? Patt and Professor Kotkin discuss.

Guest:

Joel Kotkin, distinguished Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures at Chapman University, he is also the author of "New Geography: How the Digital Revolution is Reshaping the American Landscape," and most recently, "The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050"

IN STUDIO