Patt Morrison for Monday, 6/13/2011

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Monday, June 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

 

 

FROM THE MOHN BROADCAST CENTER

 

1:00 – 1:40

OPEN

 

 

1:40 – 2:00

For-profit colleges promise a new lease on life—but does that include a job?
We’ve all seen the ads during midday talk shows and soap operas for DeVry University, ITT Tech, and University of Phoenix. One of DeVry’s ads quotes a young woman saying, “I got jobs like that! I mean, right away!” Echoing the promise of private colleges across the country, DeVry’s motto is “We major in careers.” Now the federal government is demanding that these colleges deliver on that promise of jobs. President Obama recently announced that if a vocational school cannot prove it is providing bang (jobs) for the hefty buck it charges, it will lose eligibility for federal aid funding to its students. Consumer advocates argue that these colleges prey on vulnerable, low-income individuals and that taxpayer money, in form of student loans that aren’t paid back almost 50% of the time, is keeping alive these colleges that would otherwise go bankrupt. For-profit schools say that all colleges—not just for-profit colleges—produce students strapped with loans who have trouble finding jobs and that vocational schools take at-risk students, often first generation, and provide them with a higher degree that they wouldn’t otherwise have. Republicans, who have been calling for less regulation from Obama since he’s been in office, have said they will introduce legislation to remove the regulations. Do for-profit colleges provide a needed service or rip off their students? Should the government regulate this industry? 

 

Guests:

REP. OF FOR-PROFIT COLLEGE INDUSTRY

Harris Miller, CEO and president of the Association of Private Colleges and Universities, a voluntary membership organization of accredited, private, postsecondary schools, institutes, colleges and universities that provide career-specific educational programs

HE CALLS

 

CRITIC OF FOR-PROFIT SCHOOLS

Barmak Nassirian (BAR-mak nah-SIHR-ih-an), associate executive director, External Relations for the American Association of Collegiate Registrars & Admission Officers
HE CALLS US:

2:00 – 2:20

United Nations peacekeeping: a closer look at the Blue Berets

United Nations Peacekeeping was born in 1948, with the goal of preserving the armistice between Israel and its Arab neighbor states. 63 years later, the forces continue their efforts to keep peace in troubled regions, though political, economic and social relations within and between countries have changed. With 15 current peace operations on four continents, peacekeepers—known colloquially as “Blue Berets”—face a myriad of challenges, from monitoring disputed borders, to eliminating landmines, to protecting civilians in areas with limited resources. Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Middle East are among their existing missions. What difficulties do UN peacekeepers face in these volatile areas, and how do they interact with local governments and populations? How can peacekeepers adapt to the sometimes dangerous changes in international policy?

 

Guest:

Susana Malcorra, United Nations Under-Secretary-General of the Department of Field Support

ON TAPE

 

2:20– 2:40

Walmart—in miniature?

Walmart, one of America’s most controversial public multinational corporations and infamous star of documentary Walmart Nation, is trying out a new business strategy. At the start of this month, the company announced the opening of the first “Walmart Express” in Gentry, Arkansas, a novel type of small store that will carry grocery products and be contained in 15,000 square feet of space. Will Walmart Express reach into cities that have previously opposed its superstores, like New York and Los Angeles? Why does Walmart want to do business on a small scale, and how do local grocers feel about their new competitors? And what could this mean for California retail? Weigh in with your Walmart-related questions or comments.

 

Guests:

TBD

 

2:40 – 3:00

Somebody call Peter Singer! The development and ethics of meat in a tube

Before the discovery of mice stem cells in 1981, the idea of meat that could be grown in a laboratory seemed outlandish to the greater scientific community, and to others, downright crazy. But in recent years, researchers have made major breakthroughs, managing to grow bovine muscle tissue from just a couple of cells in a nutrient mixture. An interesting coalition of proponents—ranging from stem cell researchers, to environmentalists, to animal rights supporters—has emerged, citing greater medical understanding, the reduction of greenhouse gases, and the absence of animal abuse as reasons to welcome the mass-produced meat that could someday appear in our grocery stores. Along with them, however, have come serious ethical questions that do not yet have concrete answers. What does it mean to be “alive”? And can we really call the product of a test-tube “beef”? Somebody call Peter Singer!

 

Guests:

Michael Specter, science writer with the New Yorker magazine. He recently traveled to laboratories in the Netherlands and North Carolina to survey the progress scientists are making in developing in vitro meat.