Patt Morrison schedule for Thursday, August 23, 2012

1:06 – 1:39  - OPEN

 

 

1:41:30 – 1:58:30

[PLACEHOLDER BLURB]
Author Bob Spitz writes about the enduring and endearing influence of Julia Child

It’s rare for someone to emerge in America who can change our attitudes, our beliefs, and our very culture. It’s even rarer when that someone is a middle-aged, six-foot three-inch woman whose first exposure to an unsuspecting public is cooking an omelet on a hot plate on a local TV station.  And yet, that’s exactly what Julia Child did.  The warble-voiced doyenne of television cookery became an iconic cult figure and joyous rule-breaker as she touched off the food revolution that has gripped America for more than fifty years. Now, in Bob Spitz’s definitive, wonderfully affectionate biography, the Julia we know and love comes vividly — and surprisingly — to life.  In Dearie, Spitz employs the same skill he brought to his best-selling, critically acclaimed book The Beatles, providing a clear-eyed portrait of one of the most fascinating and influential Americans of our time — a woman known to all, yet known by only a few.

 

Guests:
Bob Spitz, author of “Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child”

2:06 – 2:39 - OPEN

 

 

2:41:30 – 2:58:30

Country music superstar returns with a new album, “Three Pears”
Dwight Yoakam is best known as a country artist, and his credentials back this up. With his boots and signature cowboy hat pulled low over his eyes, he scored numerous number one albums, played countless shows and sold more than 25 million albums. But Yoakam is far from a one trick pony. After finding it hard to break through in with his traditionalist honky-tonk in Nashville’s ‘urban cowboy’ early 80s period, he headed west to Los Angeles and starting sharing bills with punk bands. This unorthodox career move eventually led him to stardom with his debut album, “Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc,. Etc.” Since then Yoakam’s ability to endear himself to country music listeners as well as appeal to fans of rock and roll has made brought him near-legendary status. Cinema fans have also seen his work as an actor in films like “Slingblade,” “Panic Room,” and 2000’s “South of Heaven, West of Hell,” which he also co-wrote and produced. Yoakam’s newest album, “3 Pears” arrives on September 18^th and on it he collaborates with genre-hopping performer Beck and rock star Kid Rock. What are your favorite Dwight Yoakam songs or movie roles? How do artists like Yoakam maintain such high artistic standards in an industry where selling out seems to be the norm?

 

Guests:
Dwight Yoakam, musician, songwriter, actor, writer and producer; Yoakam’s new album, “3 Pears” will be released on September 18^th, 2012
IN STUDIO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Producer - Patt Morrison
89.3 KPCC - Southern California Public Radio
213.290.4201 – mobile/SMS
626-583-5171  – office
474 South Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA  91105
jarmstrong@kpcc.org

 

Patt Morrison schedule for Wednesday, August 22, 2012

1:06 – 1:39

OPEN

 

1:41:30 – 1:58:30

Cell phones know where you’re going before you do
Was your 3 p.m. appointment in downtown L.A. or near the beach? Maybe your phone can remind you. A group of computer scientists from the University of Birmingham in England have developed a formula that, through analyzing cell phone data of a person and their closest friends, could predict where a person would be in the next 24 hours within 60 feet. Though attempts to predict locations based on individual’s cell phone in the past were not very accurate, by including data from friends, results markedly improved. That way, if two people were driving towards a coffee shop where they frequently met, the formula would be able to predict they were heading there. The better ability to track an individual could lead to advertising opportunities to track customers and efforts by law enforcement to track criminals, but privacy concerns are also a large part of the issue.

Guest:
Mirco Musolesi, computer science researcher at the University of Birmingham

 

2:06 – 2:39

OPEN

 

2:41:30 – 2:58:30

The Chinatown war that shaped LA

Seeking prosperity and wealth, Chinese immigrants poured into California in the early part of the 19^th century. Los Angeles’ Chinatown was one of the communities that grew from the influx of immigration, but racial tension soon erupted in the area. Patt talks with historian Scott Zesch about what life was like in that part of town and the violence that eventually erupted in the tragic Massacre of 1871.

 

Guests:

Scott Zesch, author, THE CHINATOWN WAR: Chinese Los Angeles and the Massacre of 1871

 

Patt Morrison schedule for Tuesday, August 21, 2012

1:06 – 1:19

OPEN

 

1:21 – 1:39

Cell phones know where you’re going before you do

Did you forget which restaurant your 3 p.m. appointment is at? Maybe your phone can remind you. A group of computer scientists from the University of Birmingham in England have developed a formula that, through analyzing cell phone data of a person and their closest friends, could predict where a person would be at any given time within 60 feet. Though attempts to predict locations based on individual’s cell phone in the past were not very accurate, by including data from friends, results markedly improved. That way, if two people were driving towards a coffee shop they frequently met at, the formula would be able to predict they were heading there. The ability to track an individual could lead to advertising opportunities to track customers and efforts by law enforcement to track criminals, but privacy concerns are also a large part of the issue.

 

Guest:

UNCONFIRMED

Mirco Musolesi, computer science researcher at the University of Birmingham

 

 

1:41 – 1:59

Why are former MLB players dying earlier than their NFL counterparts?

When it comes to the effects of athletics on life-spans, most would expect physical sports like football or mixed martial arts could lead to shorter lives. Despite the rigorous athletic training and proper nutrition these sports require, the substantial hits athletes take in these sports could theoretically mean a shorter life after retirement compared to less physical sports. But in a recent story by Grantland, Bill Barnwell found that athletes who had played in the MLB were more likely to die than their NFL counterparts. 

 

Guests:

Daniel Engberg, columnist for Slate

 

UNCONFIRMED

Bill Barnwell, contributor to Grantland

 

2:06 – 2:39

OPEN

 

2:41:30 – 2:58:30

The prevalence of misquoting: what we think they said isn’t what they really said
In the classic movie Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart’s character never says “Play it again, Sam.” Really.  Look it up. What Bogey’s American expatriate, Rick Blaine, really said is "If she can stand it, I can. Play it."  The latter may be correct, but the former sounds better to our ears and therefore has been repeated in our society until it sounds right. The human brain’s penchant for order and consonance is also to blame, so it is not uncommon for famous quotes such as these to get tweaked over time. The information superhighway doesn’t discriminate; incorrect information can travel just as far and as fast as the truth on the Internet. Oft quoted sources like Shakespeare, Mark Twain, political figures, books, songs and countless movies all fall victim to our collective selective memories. So, why do misquotes become real quotes when released into the wild? How can we help ourselves from perpetuating something someone never said or wrote?

 

Guests:

TBD

 

 

Patt Morrison schedule for Monday, August 20, 2012

GUEST HOST IS ALEX COHEN

1:06 – 1:30 - OPEN

1:30 – 1:50

Propublica investigates

EMBARGOED UNTIL SUNDAY AFTER MIDNIGHT

Propublica investigates how dark money nonprofits actually operate. What do they tell the IRS & FEC they’re doing and what do they actually do? 

 

Guest:

UNCONFIRMED

Kim Barker, reporter, ProPublica

 

 

 

1:50 - 1:58:30

Bryshon Nellum’s unorthodox path to an Olympic medal

After sprinter Bryshon Nellum was shot three times in the legs while leaving a restaurant near the University of Southern California in October ‘08, doctors told the sophomore his athletics career was likely over. Police found the incident was likely a case of mistaken identity by a gang, and Nellum not only lost his ability to continue sprinting, but almost lost his life as well. After three surgeries to fully recover, Nellum continued training, despite the unlikelihood of regaining his past ability. On August 9, Bryshon won a silver medal in the London Olympic Games as part of the U.S. 4x400 meter relay team, and was selected by his fellow U.S. Olympians as a flag bearer during Olympic closing ceremonies.

 

Guests:

Bryshon Nellum, Olympic medalist

 

 

2:06 – 2:19 - OPEN

 

 

 

2:21:30 – 2:39

New findings from the old Stanford marshmallow experiment: delayed gratification is linked to weighing less

Between 1968 and 1974, researchers from Stanford University studied delayed gratification in 650 four-year-olds by offering them a single marshmallow. Once given the marshmallow, the children were told they could eat it immediately or wait a few minutes and receive two instead. Then they were left alone in the room. On average, most children didn’t wait for more than three minutes, but close to 30 percent managed to wait 15 minutes for the researcher to return with their second marshmallow. As the children have grown up, follow up studies have been conducted yielding some interesting results: the children who were able to delay gratification when they were four generally scored higher on the SAT, exhibited more social competence, and were better at planning and handling stress. But the latest research, conducted by researchers from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, has found that the children who waited are less likely to be overweight or obese as adults. For each minute the subjects delayed gratification as children, there was a 0.2 point decrease in their body mass index. While the difference was not astonishingly large, University of Wisconsin researchers said the presence of such a correlation after so many years should be noted. Other research has also indicated that delayed gratification can be taught, meaning children can actually learn to have more willpower. How can these lessons be applied to children today? Does this means there’s light at the end of the tunnel that is America’s obesity epidemic?

 

Guest:

Tanya Schlam, Ph.D., Assistant Scientist at the Unviersity of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention; co-researcher on the Stanford marshmallow follow up study, “Preschoolers’ Delay of Gratification Predicts their Body Mass Index 30 Years Later”

 

 

 

2:41:30 – 2:58:30
“Hello goodbye hello” stitches together 101 meetings into one clever story
Imagine a game of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon that winds through a series of interlinked connections between hundreds of historical figures and you start to get a picture of Craig Brown’s clever new book “Hello Goodbye Hello: A Circle of 101 Remarkable Meetings.” Brown’s premise references a series of actual meetings between people in which the second person in the meeting is the first in the next, creating an interconnected circle of encounters that skips around decades and across continents. Along the way all manner of intrapersonal connections are made and every meeting has a story; songwriter Leonard Cohen shares an intimate moment with Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley meets Richard Nixon at The White House and Marilyn Monroe meets Frank Lloyd Wright to convince the famed architect to design a mansion that never gets built. To add another element of inspired literary prowess, Brown wrote every chapter to fit into a neat numerological pattern – the circle begins with Adolf Hitler, progresses through 101 meetings, with each chapter composed of exactly 1001 words that winds its way back to Adolf Hitler to close the circle 101,101 words later. Have you ever wondered how many degrees you are from your heroes?

Guest:
Craig Brown, author of “Hello Goodbye Hello: A Circle of 101 Remarkable Meetings”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Producer - Patt Morrison
89.3 KPCC - Southern California Public Radio
213.290.4201 – mobile/SMS
626-583-5171  – office
474 South Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA  91105
jarmstrong@kpcc.org

 

Patt Morrison schedule for Friday, August 17, 2012

GUEST HOST IS DAVID LAZARUS FROM THE L.A. TIMES

1:06 – 1:39 - OPEN

 

 

 

1:41:30 – 1:58:30

The state that made film and TV great continues to hemorrhage production jobs

How long will it take before the Hollywood exodus is complete?  Los Angeles has been losing film industry jobs for years, but recent data about the number of television dramas produced in the city has raised new concerns. According to the Los Angeles Times, only two of the twenty-three new shows this fall will be shot in Los Angeles County, which means a loss of approximately 20,000 jobs and hundreds of thousands of dollars in income. In 2005, 80% of network dramas were based in L.A.; this year, only 10%. While plenty of half-hour comedies and reality shows are still shot here, it’s hour-long dramas that industry insiders consider the real prize, due to their bigger budgets, crews, and eight- to nine-month shooting schedules. Is there something city officials can do to help the hemorrhaging? What are the potential long-term effects on the city and the state if the business is lost permanently? And what do we lose culturally when the state that made film and TV great no longer has any influence?

Guests:

Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles City Councilmember, 13^th district

 

Kevin Klowden, director of the California Center at the Milken Institute

 

 

 

2:06 – 2:30
In God we trust? Atheism in America has increased fivefold in seven years
The belief in God, or gods, is changing over time and some new research show the practice in decline. According to a new poll by WIN-Gallup International the percentage of Americans who identify as “religious” dropped 13 points - from 73 to 60 percent since 2005. The number of Americans who identify as atheists jumped from one percent to five percent in the same period. The poll posed the same question to 50,000 people in 57 countries and five continents: “Irrespective of whether you attend a place of worship or not, would you say you are a religious person, not a religious person, or a convinced atheist?” Critics of the study say that the changes took place too rapidly to be taken seriously; for example, Ireland saw a decline of 22 percent in just seven years – the second biggest drop and only a point behind Vietnam’s 23-point dip.  Although 60 percent of Americans still consider themselves to be religious atheism has been getting a lot of headlines since the last time the poll was conducted 2005. Authors like Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and the late Christopher Hitchens have sold a lot of books that indicted religion’s benevolence and a ‘Reason Rally’ in Washington D.C. drew thousands of nonbelievers to the National Mall on a rainy Saturday in late March. So what accounts for the shift? Are human beings losing their need for God or have they just lost their way?

Guests:
Daniel C. Dennett, professor of philosophy and co-director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University

Dan Barker, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Wisconsin-based organization that promotes the constitutional principle of separation of state and church and to educates the public on matters relating to nontheism



2:30 – 2:39 - OPEN

 

 

 

2:30 – 3:00

Do we brag more because of social media?

Why does it always seem like all of your Facebook friends are doing something more interesting than you are? Social networking was supposed to allow us to stay connected to our loved ones, but more recently it seems like the online trend is less about connecting and more about... bragging? It might not be social media’s fault, however - a difficult economy, a competitive job market and the daily pressures to excel make it clear that people must do well and show others their success. But at what point does demonstrating success become braggadocio? Does the freedom of the Internet make it easier to fall into the showboating pattern?

 

Guest:

Elizabeth Bernstein, writer of the Bonds column for the Wall Street Journal, where she explores human interactions at home, at work, and among friends

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Producer - Patt Morrison
89.3 KPCC - Southern California Public Radio
213.290.4201 – mobile/SMS
626-583-5171  – office
474 South Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA  91105
jarmstrong@kpcc.org

 

Patt Morrison schedule for Wednesday, August 15, 2012

 

1:06 – 1:30  - OPEN

 

 

1:30 – 1:39
Officials have proof that there is a mountain lion in Griffith Park
Los Angeles’ unique topography with mountains, oceans and deserts can bring residents into close proximity with nature, and that is most certainly the case for P-22, a 3-year old male mountain lion who is currently residing in Griffith Park. Residents near the park have long told stories of big cats in the area but until a remote-controlled camera got a picture of P-22 in February there was no definitive proof. National Park Service biologists suspected that to get to Griffith Park, the 140-pound cat would had to have crossed freeways and traversed populated areas. Recently, officials trapped the big cat, placed a radio collar on him and ran preliminary genetic analysis that determined that he is related to big cats in the nearby Santa Monica Mountains. P-22 is still young and experts believe that Griffith Park’s eight square miles do not provide a large enough habitat for an animal of his size and that he will likely try to leave the park in search of better hunting and mating opportunities. To leave, P-22 will have to cross more freeways, putting him in danger of being hit by traffic. How should the Park Service deal with wildlife like mountain lions in our urban environment? 

Guest:
Joanne Moriarty, biologist for the National Park Service

 

 

1:41:30 – 1:58:30 – OPEN

 

2:06 – 2:19
Expensive cars aren’t faring well in crash tests
Some of the fanciest cars on the market are flunking a new crash test. BWM, Mercedes, and Lexus received poor marks on a new type of safety test, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Only three of the 11 2012 luxury brand models tested passed the new test, which is designed to simulate an off-center, head-on collision with an object such as a pole or a tree. Some experts think that if luxury cars perform poorly, the more modestly priced models are also likely to suffer from bad results. Is your high-end car not the safety investment you thought it was when you signed on the dotted line? With over 10,000 reported deaths from head-on collisions each year, does this new test expose a safety flaw in cars that could ultimately result in thousands of lives saved?

PENDING GUESTS:
Dan Neil, automotive columnist for the Wall Street Journal

 

 

 

2:21:30 – 2:39  – OPEN

 

 

 

2:41:30 – 2:58:30

‘The Honest Truth’ about why we lie

Does the chance of getting caught affect how likely we are to cheat? Under what conditions are you most likely to cheat? Does working with others make us more or less honest?  These are questions that behavioral economist Daniel Ariely dove into with over 30,000 people. He learned that most of us think of ourselves as honest, but in fact, we all cheat. With his research he also disproved the general assumption that cheating, like most other decisions, is tied to some rational cost-benefit analysis. According to Ariely’s findings, it's actually much more dependent on irrational forces—like whether we’re tired or hungry, or we’re suffering from “ego depletion”—that often determine whether we behave ethically or not. He also found that once we start cheating, it’s more difficult to stop. 

 

Guests:

Dan Ariely, a professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University; his latest book is “The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone-Especially Ourselves”

 

 

 

 

Producer - Patt Morrison
89.3 KPCC - Southern California Public Radio
213.290.4201 – mobile/SMS
626-583-5171  – office
474 South Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA  91105
jarmstrong@kpcc.org

 

Patt Morrison schedule for Monday, August 13, 2012

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Monday, August 13, 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

 

1:00 – 1:20 OPEN

 

1:20 – 1:40

Sexual harassment claims by men on the rise

Reports of Washington, D.C.-based sexual harassment scandals aren’t hard to come by, but the lawsuit filed last week against Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano flips many stereotypes associated with such suits on their heads. The complainant in this case is male; the supposed perpetrators, female. Surprisingly, the number of discrimination and harassment lawsuits men filed post-2008 are on the rise. According to a Wall Street Journal article, while in the past male victims of harassment might have “voted with their feet,” the same option doesn’t fly in today’s economy. Regardless of whether the accusations against Napolitano are true, what does this lawsuit mean when it comes to perceptions surrounding sexual discrimination? Are men finding it easier to come forward when they’re harassed by women, or other men?

 

Guests:

 

UNCONFIRMED

 

Justine Lisser, a senior attorney and adviser at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

 

1:40 – 2:00 OPEN

 

Guests:

 

Patt: We’re finished here, but the conversation continues on the Patt Morrison page at KPCC-dot-org and on our Facebook page. You’re listening to 89.3 KPCC – Southern California Public Radio. When we come back …

 

2:00 – 2:40 OPEN

 

 

2:40 – 3:00

Oxford Dictonaries Online adds bibimbap, jeggins, and whatevs

Affogato, doughnut hole, and bibimbap: just three new words to enter the Oxford Dictionaries Online. The ODO adds new words every three months; this last batch took place in May, and, for culture watchers, is mostly significant because it confirms our obsession with food, including where it comes from (both locavore and frankenfood also made the cut). Don’t worry, there’s also fodder for those of you ready to bemoan the degrading quality of the English language. Whatevs, obvs, and jeggins are now legal Scrabble options, provided you play with the ODO as your dictionary of choice. How are these decisions made?

 

Guests:

 

UNCONFIRMED

 

TBD, Oxford Dictionaries Online

 

John McWhorter, linguist and political commentator

 

 

Patt: We’re finished here, but the conversation continues on the Patt Morrison page at KPCC-dot-org and you can follow us on Twitter. You’re listening to 89.3 KPCC – Southern California Public Radio.

 

FROM THE MOHN BROADCAST CENTER, I’M PATT MORRISON