Patt Morrison for Friday, July 29, 2011

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Friday, July 29, 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 – 1:39

“Hobbits...foolish...deceiving…radical Republicans who don’t represent mainstream America”:  nevermind the names, Tea Party is in control

It’s been blasted by the likes of Sen. Harry Reid, the majority leader of the U.S. Senate, to Sen. John McCain, the Republican nominee for president in 2008.  They’ve been called “hobbits,” “foolish,” “deceiving, even bizarre” and un-American.  Call them all of the names that you want but the reality is clear—the Tea Party is firmly in control of the debt ceiling debate.  Using their numbers and influence in Congress to stop any kind of compromise on tax increases and challenging the very notion that the country will collapse without an increase in the debt limit by next week, the Tea Party has dictated the rules of this game.  It could be argued that the Tea Party’s influence has reached all the way up to the commander in chief as President Barack Obama, even while insisting that new revenues must be generated in a balanced approach to reduce the deficit, was ready to inflict deep spending cuts on liberal sacred cow entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security.  As the country creeps closer to the August 2^nd deadline to raise the debt ceiling without going into default and Tea Party members of Congress dig in their heels to resist any kind of compromise on their belief of a smaller government, the cries for compromise and negotiation are increasing.  Tea Party members seem immune to the demands, unconcerned with the political implications of a possible government shutdown and default, determined to follow through on what they see as a mandate from the 2010 election to stop runaway spending and radically reduce the role of government in modern America.

 

Applaud or curse the Tea Party, their influence and power is undeniable.  Being blasted by Senate leadership on both sides of the aisle is just further proof that the Tea Party is now driving the national debate over the debt ceiling, deficit reduction and the size of the government.  Will the Tea Party ultimately be a positive or negative force?

 

Guests:

Mark Meckler, co-founder & national coordinator of the Tea Party Patriots

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1:41:30 – 1:58:30

It’s a bird; it’s a plane; it’s a really loud helicopter: Congressman Berman proposes noise relief act

It turns out that most of the complaints about Carmageddon were about the helicopters hovering above the spectacle of the empty freeway. Near the Hollywood sign, someone has painted a message on the ground, aimed up at the helicopters, reading “Tourists go away.” Hollywood bowl patrons and operators frequently complain about the bowl’s concerts being drowned out by nearby flying aircraft and city officials say they’ve seen an uptick in fresh complaints from residents in recent weeks. Is it time for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to make some rules to stop the chopper noise? A local congressman thinks so and he’s pushing for the FAA to establish rules on flight paths and minimum altitudes for helicopter operations in Los Angeles County residential areas.

The agency requires helicopters to operate "without hazard to persons or property" but does not set minimum altitudes over population areas, like it does for planes. But what about police chases and that audience for copter coverage of high-speed car chases? Is it worse than ever or are helicopter pilots getting an unfair rap?

 

Guests:

NOT FULLY CONFIRMED:

Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Valley Village), introduced the Los Angeles Residential Helicopter Noise Relief Act, which would require the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to establish rules on flight paths and minimum altitudes for helicopter operations in Los Angeles County residential areas

• The House rejected an effort by Berman earlier this year to give Burbank’s Bob Hope Airport and Van Nuys Airport authority to impose nighttime curfews.
• Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) earlier this year won Senate approval for an amendment to an FAA bill requiring the agency to adopt rules to reduce helicopter noise above Long Island.
• The FAA declined comment

 

Esteban Jimenez, a pilot for Hollywood Helicopter Tours

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• Doesn’t believe the Noise Relief Act will get anywhere

 

 

 

2:06 – 2:30

Do you know where your old computer is? Chances are it’s probably in the trash or in India. The effort to clean-up e-waste

Republicans and Democrats don’t agree on much these days, certainly not the budget, but one thing has gotten their attention: e-waste. Americans race to buy the next latest, newest, smartest thing, but often don’t pay much attention to where their old electronic equipment ends up or its impact on the environment. About 80 percent of e-waste winds up in the trash, which is a serious problem because most of it contains toxic chemicals that get released into the environment. The majority of what doesn’t end up in the trash is shipped overseas to developing countries like China, India and Thailand and is not always disposed of safely. E-waste is quickly becoming the largest “waste stream” in the U.S. So a bipartisan group of senators and House members has introduced The Responsible Electronics Recycling Act, which aims to prevent e-waste from being exported to developing nations. The bill seeks to prevent not only environmental damage, but also intelligence risks.  Several years ago retrievable information from some hard drives belonging to the CIA were found in another country. In addition to their bill, others are pushing for strong federal standards, currently 25 states have laws prohibiting disposal of electronics in landfills, but they vary widely. How strict should the national standard be for e-waste disposal and what should consumers do with their old equipment? After all, if it’s easier to throw a keyboard or an old phone in the trash, how effective can any legislation be?

 

Guest:

Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA), serves on the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Intelligence Committee (He represents the 1^st District, which includes Napa, Humboldt and Mendocino County)

ON TAPE

 

Barbara Kyle, national coordinator and spokesperson, The Electronics TakeBack Coalition

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2:30 – 2:39

OPEN

 

 

 

2:41:30 – 2:58:30

Are you gluten intolerant? Probably not.

Walk down any isle at a health food store like Whole Foods and you’ll see “gluten free” written in big letters on a wide range of products from spaghetti to cookies.  The gluten free diet seems to have exploded, but only a relatively small percentage of the U.S. population (about 1 percent) actually has a gluten intolerance, or celiac (SEE-lee-ak) disease.  If you have it, you’ll experience abdominal pain and diarrhea after eating anything with wheat barley or rye such as bread, pasta, cookies, pizza crust.  It can, if left untreated, decrease absorption of nutrients and result in serious vitamin deficiencies that could be lethal.  Then there is what one expert has deemed “celiac lite”, or a gluten sensitivity, which isn’t as severe and does affect more people (5 to 10 percent), but does include some of the symptoms of bloating, gas and abdominal pain. There isn’t a medically approved to test to determine sensitivity to gluten, but a patient can be tested for celiac disease. If you think you may be sensitive, the best test is to simply eliminate it from your diet and see if you condition improves. So with so few people diagnosed with the disease, why are we seeing such a huge marketing push and increase in interest in a gluten free life? Is this just the next diet fad or are more of us become gluten intolerant and insensitive and if so, why?

 

Guests:

Dr. Melina Jampolis, board certified physical, nutrition specialist (she is a medical doctor that specializes in nutrition)

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UNCONFIRMED

Dr. Josephy Murray, professor of medicine and consultant in gastroenterology and immunology at the Mayo Clinic

• He is researching why we are seeing an increase in Celiac disease.

 

Jonathan Serviss
Senior Producer, Patt Morrison
Southern California Public Radio
NPR Affiliate for Los Angeles
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