Patt Morrison for Tuesday, April 26, 2011

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Tuesday, April 26, 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 – 1:30

OPEN

 

 

1:30 - 1:58:30

What will the post-recession house look like?

There were no green shoots in February’s home-building industry numbers: the U.S. fell to the slowest home-building pace since the Commerce Department began keeping track in 1963. Home construction isn’t dead, but once the country does start building houses again, is it time to rethink the basic American floor plan? No more McMansions? Different blueprints for different family types? Is it the end of subdivisions and the start of new shelter sizing? For starters, experts predict developers will be thinking about clients not as first-time or move-up buyers, but in life-cycle terms, targeting “empty-nesters” looking to downsize, aging boomers who want single-stories, single women with children, two women who want equal master bedrooms, and more multigenerational families living together. If you’re a potential home buyer, what are you looking for? Or do you think there’s no chance you’ll ever be a home-owner?

 

Guests:

Katherine Perez, executive director, Los Angeles district council of the Urban Land Institute, which studies trends in housing and development  

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Phyllis Alzamora, executive director, Orange County and Inland Empire district council of the Urban Land Institute, which studies trends in housing and development  

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2:06 – 2:19

Can protests in Syria overcome a full-blown military crackdown?

Ugly scenes are emerging from Syria where it’s estimated that hundreds of protesters have been killed by either military or pro-government paramilitary forces have fired on large crowds of demonstrators.  In the southern city of Daraa, which residents had been describing as “liberated Syria,” the Syrian army laid siege to the residents there with a unit of tanks and thousands of soldiers circling the city.  This comes after the government of Bashar Assad had revoked the long-standing “emergency laws” that gave the government broad authority to arrest dissidents.  So far outside groups and countries seem powerless to stop the Syrian crackdown, aside from verbal condemnations.  And there’s a tricky regional political equation in play as well, because as deplorable as the Assad regime might be they have also acted as a bulwark against Islamic extremism.  Will a harsh military crackdown mean the end of a democracy movement in Syria, and what would a Syrian democracy look like?

 

Guest:

Salman Shaikh, director of the Brookings Doha Center & fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy

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2:21:30 – 2:39

One size does NOT fit all – where you shop determines what size you buy

Are you used to walking into a store and selecting a pant or dress in a particular size, taking it into the fitting room and having a good chance of a good fit? Not any more… you can go from store to store and find you’re a size 4 in one, a size 6 in another and a size 10 in still another. Frustration and confusion are the result of an imprecise sizing system though out the retail clothing industry, causing many shoppers to carry bundles of various sized garments into that fitting room or order multiple sizes on line. Some manufacturers are trying to fix the problem, but a solution that works for all isn’t easy. Would you rather know you’re really a size 12, or continue to find a “vanity” size 8 out there that fits?  

 

Guests:

TBD

 

 

 

2:41:30 – 2:58:30

Are you technologically advanced, or just plain confused?

Have you ever wanted to ask an expert whether you should buy a laptop or a desktop, if your cell phone or your ISP (Internet Service Provider) is the best option for Wi-Fi at home, if anyone needs a camcorder or a point-and-shoot camera anymore?  It seems there is a “new” or “improved” something everyday.  First it was 3G, now it’s 4G.  Does it ever feel like you can’t keep up? Is every technological need satisfied by our smart phone and laptop? Is it time to end our love affair with our cable bill? So many questions and Sam Grobart, the New York Time's personal technology editor and author of "Gadgets You Should Get Rid Of (or Not)” will give us some answers.  But should you stream it live from your laptop or your smart phone, or go old school and listen on the radio?

 

Guest:

Sam Grobart, personal technology editor, New York Times

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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