Patt Morrison for Thursday, January 13, 2011

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Thursday, January 13, 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

Dude, the surf’s electrifying: could wave energy soon power California?

It started with tidal power, the idea of slapping several huge generators on the floor of the San Francisco Bay that would capture the massive energy of the tides as they flowed into and out of the bay.  When that grand scheme became too expensive and too inefficient to prove sustainable, a much simpler idea was considered: what about wave power?  The freshly inaugurated Lieutenant Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, will make green energy the focus of his term and one specific idea that is already in practice in San Francisco is wave power.  Instead of building equipment on the sea floor, wave power uses a system of buoys and power cables that employs the constant wave motion of the ocean to drive a set of pistons.  The result could be power that is more affordable to produce than solar energy and from a reliable source.  There’s a ton of work to be done but several European countries already have wave power farms in operation—could California be next?

 

Guest:

Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor of California

HE CALLS US:

 

Daniel Kammen, chief technical specialist for renewable energy & energy efficiency at the World Bank; he’s on leave as director of the UC Berkeley Renewable & Appropriate Energy Laboratory

CALL HIM:

 

 

1:41 – 1:58:30

We Have Met the Enemy: Self-Control in an Age of Excess

Living in the land of the free can come with a price – each year, close to a million American lives are lost due to, no, not car accidents or disease, but behaviors like over-eating, smoking, and drug and alcohol consumption. That amounts to half of all the deaths in this country annually. In other words, we are our own worst enemies. In, “We Have Met the Enemy,” journalist and author Daniel Akst explores the importance of and battle toward moderation in an age and country in which nearly any desire is instantly at our fingertips. Patt sits down with Akst to discuss his book and thoughts on why moderation can be such a challenge.

 

Guests:

Daniel Akst, journalist who’s written for the LA Times, New York Times, and Slate; author of, Wonder Boy, St. Burle’s Obituary, and most recently, We Have Met the Enemy: Self-Control in an Age of Excess

HE CALLS US

 

 

2:06 – 2:19

The great (unknown) global food crisis of 2011

Food riots are spreading across Algeria; Russia is importing grain to sustain its cattle herds; the price of wheat is at an all-time high in the United Kingdom; China is starting to import food, worrying about food shortages; the Mexican government is worried about corn shortages to make the country’s staple tortillas.  There is a bona fide global food crisis underway, not that most American would know about it.  A strange combination of botched crops, water shortages, economic and population pressures have conspired to drive basic food staples, wheat, grain and corn, to record high prices with potentially significant and lasting consequences.  While the rest of the world looks nervously at food supplies, American companies are reaping the benefits as commodities exporter Cargill reported a tripling of its net profits.  You might not know it yet but 2011 could be the year of a global food crisis—will it impact you?

 

Guest:

UNCONFIRMED

Lester Brown, president of the Earth Policy Institute

 

 

 

2:21 – 2:58:30

OPEN

 

 

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