RE: Patt Morrison for Thursday, January 26, 2012

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Thursday, January 26, 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 –1:30 OPEN

 

1:30 – 1:58:30

Should grief be included in a diagnostic list of disorders?

Part of the human condition, for everyone, is loss, and the normal grief following loss of a loved one, called bereavement. The current definition of depression in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), an industry standard of reference, excludes bereavement. But the taskforce reviewing criteria for the DSM’s upcoming fifth edition, its first since 1994, has recommended taking out the “bereavement exclusion,” broadening the definition of depression to include grieving due to loss. The issue has sharply divided the psychiatric community. On one hand, supporters of the new definition say depression definitely occurs in the wake of bereavement, and can be debilitating, potentially requiring more attention, including drug treatment, to those who suffer from it. On the other hand, supporters of the current, longtime DSM depression definition include New York University psychiatry and social work professor Jerome Wakefield, co-author of a new report on a study arguing “bereavement exclusion” is accurate and should be kept to prevent false positive diagnosis and unnecessary treatment of grief-stricken people. Do you think grief should be included as part of a definition of depression in the newest edition of DSM? Have you had personal experience with grieving and loss that felt beyond “normal” feelings of sadness, requiring further treatment?

 

Guests:

PRO NEW DEFINITION

Dr. Sid Zisook (ZIHZ-zuhk), M.D., professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego and advisor to the DSM-5 development process.

 

ANTI NEW DEFINITION

Jerome C. Wakefield, professor of social work and psychiatry at New York University, co-author of a new report on a study supporting “bereavement exclusion,” and co-author of the 2007 book on grieving “The Loss of Sadness.”

 

 

2:06 – 2:30

G-rated GPS: Microsoft’s GPS patent dubbed the “avoid ghetto” app draws ire

Safety or racism? That’s the question when it comes to Microsoft’s newly granted patent for a GPS feature media-dubbed the “avoid ghetto” app. The app, as yet unnamed and not yet available, was created as a way for pedestrians to avoid “traveling through an unsafe neighborhood or being in an open area that is subject to harsh temperatures,” according to its patent. Information would be taken from crime statistics, weather reports, demographics and maps to create directions taking users through areas below a certain crime threshold. Yet critics across the online stratosphere have cried foul, claiming the app promotes racism and classism, and would reinforce assumptions about violent crime occurring in non-white neighborhoods. What do you think of a GPS app geared toward guiding you away from high crime neighborhoods? Is the very idea prejudiced, or is the emphasis on safety race and class blind?

 

Guests:

ANTI APP

Sarah E. Chinn, English professor at Hunter College in New York and author of the book “Technology and the Logic of American Racism.”

 

- Her work explores questions of race, sexuality, and gender in U.S. literature and culture.

-She has spoken out against the app, telling NPR the GPS feature will reinforce assumptions about violent crime that aren’t true, that “there’s an assumption that criminality and being poor and not white go hand in hand.”

 

PRO APP

Rob Enderle (END-early), a technology analyst and president of San Jose-based Enderle Group, providing guidance for regional and global companies.

 

-Supportive of the app, saying it’s part of an effort to make navigation systems more intelligent to keep users out of danger by car or foot

 

2:30 TO 2:40 OPEN

 

2:41:30 – 2:58:30

The extra-special life of the sisters Mulleavy – aka, Rodarte

It’s as close to fairytale as you can get these days: in just five short years, sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy have gone from designing clothing on their parents’ kitchen table to being collected by LACMA and designing costumes for the film “Black Swan.” Their “Fra Angelico Collection,” a series of nine, flowing dresses in soft pastels inspired by the Italian Renaissance painter, literally look like they could have been worn by Mary, or perhaps the angel, at the Annunciation. LACMA bought the dresses last year after they were used in a site-specific installation at Pitti Imagine, an apparel trade show in Florence, Italy. They’re on view through February 5^th. On top of this, it was recently announced that the sisters Mulleavy would join Frank Gehry and Gustavo Dudamel on the creative team of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” coming up at the Los Angeles Philharmonic in May. Not bad for an English major and an Art History major who never studied fashion. How did they do it? Join Patt today to find out.

 

Guests:

Laura Mulleavy, designer, Rodarte