Patt Morrison for Tuesday, February 14, 2012

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Tuesday, February 14, 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

Patenting plants and Monsanto’s genetically modified food industry

Biotechnology and agricultural giant Monsanto is responsible for a large percentage of all seeds sold in the U.S., but organic farms have long complained about the agri-giant’s monopolistic approach to farming. The U.S. Patent office ruled that plants were able to be patented in 1982, clearing the way for Monsanto to create proprietary seeds that need to be purchased every growing season. After years of fighting the multinational corporation’s growing control over farming in America, the a Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association’s (OSGATA) filed a law suit in 2011 challenging Monsanto’s right to patent seeds. OGSATA also believes that pollen from Monsanto’s genetically modified seed stock is contaminating organic farms and threatening the entire organic farming industry. Has Monsanto become too powerful in the agricultural industry? Should one company be allowed to patent the majority of seeds grown on American farms? Do humans have the right to choose whether or not they consume genetically modified food?

 

Guests:

TBD

 

2:06 – 2:30

Does reporting about a candidate make them a more viable candidate?
How’s this for a love letter? “Dear Newt,” wrote Washington Post political columnist Dana Milbank in his column a few weeks ago.  “You’re the only thing saving us [journalists, that is] from a long spring of despair, the only person who can, by extending the presidential race, drive up our audience and bring us the revenues we so desperately need.” Milbank spends the column poking as much fun at journalists as he does Gingrich’s candidacy itself, in the process raising questions about the ethics of (potentially) reporting on stories where stories don’t exist. Is politics really a horse race for reporters, and does the reporting influence the outcome? For instance, if Romney is really going to win, as many in the media believe he will, why bother to create such a sense of drama and conflict in his relationship with his contenders?  Is Gingrich right – are the media the problem? 

Guests:

NOT CONFIRMED:

Brooke Gladstone, co host and editor, On the Media

Nate Silver, founder of FiveThirtyEight blog at NYTimes.com

Dana Milbank, political reporter, The Washington Post

 

 

2:30 – 2:39

OPEN

 

2:41:30 – 2:58:30

StoryCorps love stories

Love – you can’t buy it, or, for that matter, control its timing. It might appear in your life out of the blue, like it did for Ruben P. and Rachel P. Salazar in 2007, when an email that was supposed to go to Rachel (in Thailand) went astray and wound up in Ruben’s inbox (in Texas). Ruben and Rachel’s story is one of many recorded by StoryCorps, a nonprofit that works in partnership with the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to help Americans of all backgrounds preserve and share their lives.  Just in time for Valentine’s Day, StoryCorps has released a book of love stories called “All There Is”, and today StoryCorp founder and President Dave Isay joins Patt to share some of the highlights. Do you have a story to share about the love of your life?  Or a favorite you’ve overheard from someone else and been inspired by?

 

Guest:

Dave Isay, founder and president, StoryCorps and editor of All There Is: Love Stories from StoryCorps, a collection of personal anecdotes culled from over 40,000 interviews.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lauren Osen

Southern California Public Radio - 89.3 KPCC

626-583-5173 / 626-483-5278

losen@scpr.org @Patt_Morrison