Patt Morrison for Tuesday, April 10, 2012

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Tuesday, April 10, 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 – 1:50

What is the legacy of Thomas Kinkade?

Thomas Kinkade – the next great American artist à la Edward Hopper and Currier and Ives, or just one more banal landscape artist among many, who happened to strike it rich with a combination of non-offensive and ready-to-hang living room oils? Besides paintings and lithographs, after his death last Friday, the self-named Painter of Light™ has left behind a shockingly polarized reputation – shocking, that is, for an artist who specialized in such seemingly innocuous imagery, like cottages and bucolic villages, often bathed in the pink glow of sunset. Kinkade built himself a multi-million dollar business, with equally vociferous fans and detractors. If you own a Kinkade, what do you find moving about the work? Or, if you can’t stand to think of him as an artist, what do you find so offensive?

 

Guest:

Alexis L. Boylan, Assistant Professor in Residence, Women's Studies and Art History at the University of Connecticut; editor of “Thomas Kincade: The Artist in the Mall,” an anthology of writings about Thomas Kincade in relation to American art

1:50– 1:58:30

Facebook buys Instagram – a picture app is worth a thousand words and a billion dollars
For those without smart phones, Facebook’s Monday purchase of the Instagram photo sharing application is nearly incomprehensible given the astounding selling price of $1 billion dollars. That’s ‘billion’ with a ‘B’ - making the acquisition the largest in Facebook’s history by a wide margin. For those with smart phones, the deal may be just as staggering considering that the app has yet to turn a profit, features no advertising and the team that created it has a scant 13 employees. Instagram debuted in Apple’s App Store in 2010 as a free application that allowed people to use the camera on their iPhone to shoot, edit and share pictures within the app and across a panoply of social networking websites. The app’s popularity grew quickly as users shared millions of pictures tweaked with a filter that gave the images a classic, almost Polaroid-esque look that harkened back to the days of grainy film and yellowed prints. The week before the Facebook purchase, Instagram became available in the Android app store and racked up 1 million new users in 12 hours – for current a total of 30 million users and counting.  Tech experts are looking into their digital crystal balls to try and see what Facebook might do with their new acquisition. What gives a commodity like Instagram such value? Will Facebook integrate Instagram functionality into their site, shut it down or simply let it continue to be one of the most popular apps available?

Guest: Mike Isaac, contributor to Wired.com

 

2:06 – 2:19

*EMBARGOED – DO NOT PROMOTE UNTIL 9 AM* BLURB WILL BE UPDATED w/ DATA TOMORROW

When and why should students be suspended? New numbers beg the question

Should students be suspended for eye rolling at the teacher? Evidently they are; suspension rates for nonviolent offenses now account for more than 40 percent of suspensions in California and critics say it disproportionately targets black and Latino boys and keeps out the student who need most to stay in school. A U.S. Department of Education report last fall found black students comprise 18 percent of public school enrollment nationwide, but 35 percent of suspensions and 39 percent of expulsions. What’s going on here? Are students acting out more than ever, or are minor misbehaviors that used to be handled by a school principal or guidance counselor now resulting in more suspensions?

 

Guests:

Castle Redmond, program manager, The California Endowment, former Oakland school discipline hearing officer

NOT CONFIRMED:

Daniel Losen, report co-author and director, Center for Civil Rights Remedies at UCLA’s Civil Rights Project

TBD, LAUSD

 

2:30-2:39

Sarah Brown, woman of the 21st century

She may be best known as wife to Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister of Great Britain, but Sarah Brown has her own set of credentials, specifically in the realm of women’s health. And this week, the Women’s Guild, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for the Women's Lung, Breast and Heart Centers at Cedars-Sinai, will honor her at their annual luncheon with their “Woman of the 21^st Century” award for her dedication and commitment to women's health and well-being. Brown is currently CEO of the Office of Gordon and Sarah Brown, where her main focus is promoting quality education for children and safe motherhood for women worldwide. Additionally, during her husband’s time as Prime Minister, she addressed several world leadership organizations, including the United Nations, on matters of women’s health. Sarah Brown joins Patt to discuss the award, her work, her book, and her thoughts on the state of Great Britain.

 

Guest: Sarah Brown, former First Lady of Great Britain, founder and president of PiggyBankKids, CEO of the Office of Gordon and Sarah Brown, and author of Behind the Black Door

 

2:41:30 – 2:58:30

Feeding the hungry city

As every athlete and teenage boy knows, the higher your metabolism, the more energy you need to consume.  The same is true for cities.  Cities with a high energy metabolism – that is, those that need large amounts of energy in order to function – will find themselves increasingly hungry in the years to come. In his new book, Austin Troy shows how, as population increases, urban sprawl continues and global demand for energy grows, each city’s viability will be closely tied to its energy consumption.  Cities face diverse challenges tied to their energy needs, whether they’re pumping water into a desert metropolis, supplying air conditioning to millions of buildings, or fueling miles of freeway travelers – at one person per car.  Troy outlines the problems, which are complex and enormous.  But he also offers solutions, gleaned from cities throughout the globe that have made energy efficiency and affordability a priority – without sacrificing quality of life.  How can Los Angeles prepare for an energy famine? 

 

Guests:  Austin Troy, author of “The Very Hungry City” (Yale University Press)

VIA ISDN FROM VERMONT

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lauren Osen

Southern California Public Radio - 89.3 KPCC

626-583-5173 / 626-483-5278

losen@scpr.org @Patt_Morrison