Patt Morrison for Tuesday, October 11,2011

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

1-3 p.m.

 

 

1:08:00 – 1:38 OPEN

 

 

[PITCH BREAK] 1:38:00 – 1:44:00

 

1:44:00 – 1:54:00

Is art only for the elite?

A new report by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy raises some important questions about the way we fund the arts. Traditionally, foundations give billions to elite and well-established institutions like the symphony and major museums that serve a mostly white and affluent audience. This funding model continues despite the fact that the audience for those institutions is declining. The research shows that big budget arts organizations collect about 55 percent of foundation funding even though they represent “only 2 percent of the nonprofit arts and culture sector.” By contrast, about 10 percent goes to fund arts programs in underserved and poor communities.  The goal isn’t about withholding funding from some of our nation’s most prestigious art institutions says the author, but rather it’s about sharing the wealth.  The study warns that without a more equitable distribution of resources a “pronounced imbalance restricts the expressive life of millions of people.” Should we expand our support and understanding of what art is, where it comes from and where it’s going? Do major foundations have an obligation to support artistic diversity found in less traditional places, or is there some value in being a “starving artist?”

 

Guests:

Aaron Dorfman, executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy

 

UNCONFIRMED

Representative, The Kennedy Center, or The Ford Foundation, or The Nathan Cummings Foundation

 

 

2:08:00 – 2:20:00

You want to make some extra cash? How about renting your car by the hour?

A lot of things can be rented by the hour, and now General Motors wants your car to be one of them. GM is teaming up with a small San Francisco based company, RelayRides, to offer peer-to-peer, short-term car rentals. Here’s how it works: starting next year, GM owners who subscribe to OnStar post their vehicle for “rent” on RelayRides’website. The owner sets the price and the supplies the gas. A renter uses OnStar’s global positioning technology to locate the vehicle and then he or she uses a smartphone “app” to unlock the car and get the key hidden inside. RelayRides takes a 35 percent cut and offers a $1-million dollar insurance policy. If the things goes well, the program may be expanded to other cities.  What’s in it for GM? The auto manufacturer hopes the program will give them a bit more visibility and market share in California.  The big question is, will it work? GM’s vice chairman for corpoate stategy, Stephen Girsky, admits that “peer-to-peer car sharing is in its infancy.  We don’t know if it’s going to work or not.” What about you? Do you leave your car sitting in the parking lot at work for eight hours or more a day? Would you be up for making a little extra cash renting it out by the hour, or does the thought of someone driving around in your car make you a little queasy?

 

Guests:

Representative from General Motors

Representaive from RelayRides

 

[PITCH BREAK] 2:20:00 – 2:27:00

 

2:27:00 – 2:54:00

Reconsidering U.S. ban on gay men’s blood donation

Should men who have sex with other men be allowed to donate blood? They’re currently banned from doing so for life in the U.S., a policy the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) implemented in 1983, after an estimated 10,000 people became infected with HIV through transfusions of HIV-tainted blood. But now, advocates argue that scientific advances render the risk obsolete and are demanding an end to what they see as an unnecessarily discriminatory policy. Just weeks ago, the United Kingdom lifted its ban, joining 12 other developed countries that now allow such donations after deferral periods of six months to five years. Despite support from the Red Cross for ending the ban, the FDA last year rejected one such proposal. Opponents of lifting the ban argue men who have sex with men still pose a heightened risk of contracting HIV and that even that small increased threat to the blood supply isn’t worth it. Patt talks with two doctors about their views on the issue and what the time line could be for a shift in policy.

 

Guests:

OPPOSES THE CURRENT BAN:

Dr. James AuBuchon,  president of the AABB (formerly the American Assn. of Blood Banks), chief executive of the Puget Sound Blood Center and a professor of laboratory medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle

 

NOT CONFIRMED:

SUPPORTS THE CURRENT BAN:

Dr. Jay Brooks, director of blood banking and transfusion medicine at University Hospital in San Antonio and a professor of pathology at the University of Texas Health Science Center