Patt Morrison for Tuesday, May 18, 2010

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Tuesday, May 18, 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 – 1:19

OPEN

 

 

1:21 – 1:39

A spoon (un)full of sugar: small victory in the war on childhood obesity

First Lady Michelle Obama won a major victory in her crusade against childhood obesity.  She got some major players in the food and beverage business to agree to reduce the calories in their products, offer lower calorie options, and reduce the portion size of some of their products.   Kellogg Co., General Mills Inc, Pepsi Co and others agreed to cut 1.5 trillion calories by the end of 2015.  The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has signed onto support an independent evaluation of how these companies are doing and whether their efforts have lead to any significant progress. Is your child ready for a little less coco in his Coco Puffs?

 

Guests:

Lisa Gable, the Executive Director for the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation

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• The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation is an unprecedented partnership between more than 80 of the nation’s largest retailers, non-profit organizations, food and beverage manufacturers and trade associations aimed at helping to reduce obesity.

 

UNCONFIRMED: DO NOT PROMOTE

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

David Mackay, president & CEO, Kellogg Co.

Indra Nooyi, vice chair, Pepsi Co.

Representative, General Mills Inc.

 

 

1:41 – 1:58:30

The Secret life of the grown up brain

If you’re middle-aged, you might not be able to find your keys or remember the name of the person you met yesterday, but in spite of those shortcomings, the middle-aged brain might be the best positioned to deftly cut through muddled problems to find a solution. That’s largely because myelin, the fatty white coating of neurons that enables our brain to make connections, actually keeps growing through middle age, so with 40+ years of wisdom and the ability to continue to expand one’s mind, middle age looks like a time of happiness and relatively lower stress.  And it doesn’t stop there: those who continue to flex their frontal cortex, whether by learning a new language, or even just arguing with someone, increase their “cognitive reserve”—thought to be a buffer against the effects of aging and possibly even Alzheimer’s.  Patt checks in with an expert for the science and a how-to guide.

 

Guests:

Barabara Strauch, deputy science editor and health and medical science editor at the New York Times and author of “The secret life of the grown-up brain: the surprising talents of the middle-aged mind.”

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2:06 – 2:19

Political harbingers or one-offs: primaries & special elections preview November

The hotly contested primaries going down today across the country are not limited to one party or one particular issue, but there is one similar theme among the races:  incumbents beware.  In Pennsylvania hard-luck Senator Arlen Specter, who switched parties earlier because he feared for his future as a Republican, faces a tough Democratic primary against Rep. Joe Sestak, as the two are locked in a virtual tie.  A bigger race in Pennsylvania might be the special election to fill the seat of the late John Murtha, a conservative-leaning Democrat in a conservative-leaning district.  In Kentucky the Tea Party movement faces its biggest test in the Republican Senate primary featuring Tea Party darling Rand Paul; in Arkansas moderate Democratic incumbent Sen. Blanche Lincoln has been feeling the anger of the left-wing as unions and liberal activists fight against her.  Will the outcomes of these races prove a harbinger for November?

 

Guest:

Chris Cillizza, PostPolitics.com Managing Editor and Author of The Fix blog at WashingtonPost.com

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2:21 – 2:39

An impartial look at CA’s budget pain: Legislative Analyst picks apart the May revise

Governor Schwarzenegger’s May budget revision on Friday was the first act of the multi-part drama that is about to unfold in Sacramento as the Legislature begins to grapple with closing a $19 billion budget deficit.  Today the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Office takes its turn pulling apart the governor’s budget proposal and is sure to look at the short-term savings versus the long-term costs of some of the more drastic cuts proposed by the governor.  For instance, will completely eliminating the CalWORKS program, scheduled to save the state about $1.1 billion, come back to haunt the state government in the form of higher unemployment and lower tax revenues?  Will the cuts to in-home care programs and mental health services result in great costs in the state’s emergency rooms?  The LAO weighs in on what is sure to be a protracted fight over California’s budget.

 

Guest:

Michael Cohen, Deputy Legislative Analyst at the LAO

WILL CALL IN

 

 

2:41 – 2:58:30

Tell – All by Chuck Palahniuk

He is the author of nine best selling novels and has a reputation for causing some to faint at his readings – the one and only Chuck Palahniuk. Is it possible write about career comebacks and cosmetic surgeries with the moxie and pluck that engrained the first rule of Fight Club into the frontal lobe of a generation? I mean really, what could be so foul about fame. The cult-master of high-concept fictional subversion joins Patt in-studio to discuss his latest work, “Tell All.”

 

Guest:

Chuck Palahniuk, author of Tell-All

IN STUDIO

• Palahniuk is also the author of “Fight Club” and “Choke,” among many other popular titles.

 

Jonathan Serviss

Producer, Patt Morrison Program

Southern California Public Radio

NPR Affiliate for Los Angeles

89.3 KPCC-FM | 89.1 KUOR-FM | 90.3 KPCV-FM

626.583.5171, office

415.497.2131, mobile

jserviss@kpcc.org / jserviss@scpr.org

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