Patt Morrison for Friday, January 14, 2011

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Friday, January 14, 2011

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

Mama Grizzly begets Tiger Mother, or why Chinese mothers are superior

Remember sleepovers? Playing hide and seek with your friends? Learning to play the guitar? Well that’s why you’re a deadbeat today. At least, that’s according to Yale Law Professor and Chinese mother Amy Chua, who argues in her much talked about new book, “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother,” that strict, uncompromising values and discipline are what make Chinese parents and their children superior achievers. Not surprisingly, that thesis has roiled parents’ groups and book clubs across the country. Sprinkled with anecdotes like the one about the time she rejected her daughter’s hastily hand-drawn birthday card or when she threatened to burn her daughter’s stuffed animals unless she returned to the piano to practice, Chua’s opus unabashedly takes tough love to the extreme. She argues against tenets of “western parenting”—parents coddling their children’s individualism; worrying about their self-esteem; and supporting their choices. What is the best way to prepare children for the future in a “me generation?” And does Chua’s examination of what she calls the “Chinese parenting model” dare to speak a parenting truth or simply reinforce old stereotypes?

 

Guest:

Wendy Grolnick, professor of psychology at Clark University and author of the book Pressured Parents

CALL HER @

-         the view of Chinese parenting Chua presents is quite stereotypic and not all that in line with what research has found

-         Some of the strategies she advocates such as humiliation and threats have been found to be very destructive -- if children do comply it is with a sense of compulsion and anger that hurts them in the long run

-         she has two daughters who followed their own passions (with their parents supporting them from behind) one of whom is at Harvard and the other who is a ranked tennis player!

 

 

 

1:41 – 1:58:30

Brown’s budget brings state spending in line - but will it pass legislative and voter muster?

Finding a solution to California’s budget crisis is the foremost problem Jerry Brown faces as our new governor, and he took a big step toward a solution this week when he unveiled his budget plan that slashes spending by $12.5 billion and calls for extending tax increases already in place. But is this new plan really a solution?  The state legislative analyst thinks it’s a good starting place, but there are inherent risks. And will Democratic and Republican lawmakers find common ground? 

 

Guests:

Mac Taylor, California Legislative Analyst

WILL CALL IN:

 

NOT CONFIRMED

Sen. Bob Huff, (R- CA’s 29^th District), which includes portions of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties.  He is Vice-Chair of the Senate Budget Committee.

WILL CALL IN:

 

NOT CONFIRMED:

Asm. Bob Blumenfield, (D – CA’s 40^th District), which covers the San Fernando Valley.  He is Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee.

CALL HIM:

 

 

2:06 – 2:30

President Eisenhower’s farewell address turns 50: does his warning against a “military industrial complex” apply to us today?

On January 17^th, 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered to the nation his farewell address. Up to 1961, America had participated in three major wars during the 20^th century and subsequently built up a large armament and military establishment. Because of this, President Eisenhower warned against, amongst many other things, the misplacement of power and unwarranted influence abroad coining the famous term “military industrial complex.” So 50 years later, in a new century and at a time that our country is engaged in two wars abroad, does President Eisenhower’s warning still hold true, or have we moved past what would classify as a military industrial complex? What do you think?

 

Guests:

Valoise Armstrong, preservation archivist at the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum under the National Archives and Research Administration

CALL HER:

• She will discuss the history leading up to the speech – wars, Eisenhower’s presidency, and military career
• She processed the 21 drafts of Eisenhower’s speech just received by the library
• They were found in the corner of a cabin in Minnesota and had pine cones, pine, and other debris on them
• Evidently survived a fire, because some drafts were singed on the edges
• “military industrial complex” appeared early on in drafts
• One very interesting draft, dated about a week before the actual speech, includes Milton Eisenhower’s (Ike’s younger brother) extensive annotations

 

Charles Dunlap, visiting professor and Associate Director, Center on Law, Ethics, and National Security at Duke University School of Law; former deputy judge advocate general of the United States Air Force; retired Air Force major general

HE CALLS US:

• He will discuss the speech as it applies to our current state of affairs

• Recently wrote a magazine article about Eisenhower’s speech – agrees with its sentiments for the time, but says that during our era, it’s outdated. If anything, the military industrial complex doesn’t exist, because of the way expenditures have changed
• Expert on national security, international law, civil-military relations, cyberwar, and military justice.

 

 

 

2:30 – 2:50

Playoffs, lockouts & head injuries: interesting times ahead for the NFL

The first week of the 2010 NFL playoffs produced some exhilarating games, close & competitive with major upsets.  While the NFL appears to be at the height of its success and popularity, bolstered by competitive franchises and high-profile players, there are potentially dark days ahead for what is arguably the true American pastime.  The collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and its players union expires after this season and the two sides are far apart.  Talk of a lockout or a strike is becoming louder and both sides seem to distrust the other, with owners claiming financial hardship and players crying foul in the wake of huge ticket sales and media deals.  There are other pressing matters to NFL players that are even more important than finances, namely their health.  With increasing evidence that head trauma suffered during their playing careers leads to serious health consequences for aging players, the league is expected to do more to take care of their gridiron warriors.  Will any of the dark clouds on the NFL’s horizon affect how you watch this weekend’s playoffs?

 

Guests:

Nolan Harrison, senior director of former player services for the NFL Players Association

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2:50 – 2:58:30

Award season series:  Blue Valentine

 

 

Guests:

Derek Cianfrance, co-writer and director of “Blue Valentine”

CALL HIM:

• Blue Valentine is nominated for two Golden Globes for best actor (Ryan Gosling) and best actress (Michelle Williams).
• It was nominated for best film at the Gotham Awards and Michelle Williams was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.
• Cianfrance co-wrote the film with Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis.  The script took 12 years and there were 67 drafts. He credits Ryan and Michelle with helping him write the script. 
• The actors used improvisation in the film--the scene where Michelle tap dances, for example.  The two actors lived together in the house before they starting shooting. 

 

 

 

 

Jonathan Serviss
Senior Producer, Patt Morrison
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
www.scpr.org