RE: Patt Morrison for Thursday, January 19, 2012

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Thursday, January 19, 2012

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 OPEN

 

1:41:30 – 1:58:30

Heal the Bay president, Mark Gold, steps down after 23 years with the group

One of California’s most prominent environmental advocacy groups, Heal the Bay, is saying goodbye to its president, Mark Gold, after his 23 years of service. Gold is leaving the Santa Monica-based nonprofit to take a position as associate director of the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, where he has taught as an adjunct professor and serves on its board. Heal the Bay is primarily known for its Beach Report Card that issues letter grades to hundreds of beaches in California, Oregon, and Washington based on water quality. The group also promotes environmental education, marine habitat conservation, and operates the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. Gold joined Heal the Bay as a volunteer in 1986 and was hired as its first employee in 1988. Since becoming president in 2006, Gold has been the public face of the organization as he pushed for coastal protection laws. Gold earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology and his doctorate in environmental science and engineering at UCLA and said he was excited to return to his alma mater and try something new and different. In what ways are you inspired by Mark Gold’s dedication to Heal the Bay and its causes? What more can be done to protect and preserve the western coastline?

 

Guests:

Mark Gold, outgoing president, Heal the Bay

IN STUDIO

 

 

2:06 – 2:30

Mitt Romney pays 15 percent, should you too?

Republican presidential frontrunner and multimillionaire Mitt Romney sparked political backlash this week when he revealed that he pays federal taxes at a rate of about 15 percent.  But the hoopla over Romney’s lower tax rate points to a more complicated issue, that the 15 percent figure is based not on earned income, but rather income that “comes overwhelmingly from investments made in the past,” Romney said Tuesday. Under Bush-era tax cuts supported by many Republicans, investment income is subject to significantly lower tax rates. Still, 15 percent is the tax bracket for those earning about $34,000 a year, while the maximum marginal U.S. income tax rate of 35 percent applies to those with taxable income of more than $388,500 in earnings. According to The Associated Press, President Obama and his wife paid federal taxes of just over 25 percent of their 2010 income of $1.7 million, mostly from book royalties and a $400,000 presidential salary. Romney’s Republication rival Newt Gingrich said Wednesday he himself paid 31 percent of his income in taxes for 2010. “My goal is not to raise Mitt Romney's taxes but to let everyone pay Romney's rate,'' said Gingrich, pointedly mentioning his proposed plan giving Americans the option of paying a 15 percent flat tax. With pressure building, Romney now says he will release tax filing information for 2011 in April, as the Republican nominee race comes to a head. How do you feel about Romney’s tax rate? Should he pay more, or should everyone pay 15 percent, regardless of whether income comes from earnings or investments?

 

Guest:

Selwyn Gerber CPA managing partner and founder of Gerber & Co., Inc., located in Century City 

UNCONFIRMED

Representative from the Cato Institute

 

 

2:30 – 2:39

Let the Sundance Indie Film Dance Begin

Park City, Utah, is engulfed, once again, by the annual Sundance Film Festival frenzy. Organized by Robert Redford's Sundance Institute, this year’s festival includes 117 feature-length films, chosen from 4,000 submitted from around the world. The festival is meant to focus on and promote independent films, but Hollywood A-listers in attendance often attract attention as well. Robert De Niro, Danny Glover, and rap star Common are among the performers with movies being screened this year. Many of the films that will be shown at the festival do not have distribution deals yet, but a considerable amount of deal-making is anticipated. Documentaries often capture audiences at the event and those being shown this year include “Queen of Versailles,” “Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare,” and “Love Free or Die.” Other films that are highly anticipated include “Celeste and Jesse Forever” about a divorcing couple, “Red Lights with Cillian” about a legendary psychic, and “Filly Brown” about a young hip-hop artist from Los Angeles. The Sundance Film Festival runs from Thursday, January 19 through Sunday, January 29.

What films from this year’s Sundance Film Festival are you most interested in? How vital is the festival for the promotion of independent films? Has the festival maintained autonomy or has it been tarnished by Hollywood?

 

Guest:

Shirley Jahad, KPCC reporter at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah

 

 

2:41:30 – 2:58:30

What can we learn from gay men about being happy?

Sometimes life can feel mundane, but there are those among us who somehow manage to maintain exuberance in their lives. Gay men, according to author Simon Doonan, are experts in fabulous living and he is determined to share this expertise with the world. In his book “Gay Men Don’t Get Fat,” Doonan discloses why gays know how to work, play, and dress better than anyone else. The author colorfully educates readers, gay and straight, about how they can learn and benefit from the exemplary stereotypical gay lifestyle in terms of work, culture, diet, trends, and self-image. Doonan emphasizes that everyone can profit from the happy trail blazed by gay men. After all, the word “gay” isn’t just a sexual term; it is also synonymous with the word “happy.” How has gay culture impacted mainstream society? Has the gay lifestyle become more widely accepted? How have you been inspired by the gay men in your life?

 

Guest:

Simon Doonan, creative director, Barneys; author of “Gay Men Don’t Get Fat”

IN STUDIO