Segments / Patt Morrison Show / 89.3 KPCC Southern California Public Radio
Anthony Bourdain, Medium Raw
What do you get when you give a chef a pen? Sorry no crème brûlée. Instead of the traditional cookbook, Anthony Bourdain took us into the “masochistic” and intense world of a cook in his first memoir, “Kitchen Confidential.” Now, a famous author and star of “No Reservations,” Bourdain takes another look into professional cooking in his memoir “Medium Raw: a bloody valentine to the world of food and the people who cook.” From television cooking stars to world-renowned chefs, Bourdain lays out his heroes and villains and critiques food trends, relishing in his past experiences with a perfect meal.
Niall Ferguson “High Financier: the lives and times of Siegmund Warburg”
It might be a little controversial to say that Britain should have never joined WWI, even if it meant Germany would have won. But then again, most of what the famed economic historian Niall Ferguson says is pretty controversial. Ferguson is the leading academic on counterfactual history, a new type of history that asks “what if,” and he tackles the many outcomes if a different course was taken in history. His numerous books, which include “The Pity of War,” “The Ascent of Money” and “The Cash Nexus,” all revolve around the historical influence of money. But his new book “High Financier: the lives and times of Siegmund Warburg” looks into the life behind a man who changed the course of the economy and banking.
Kevin Starr “Golden Gate: the life and times of America’s greatest bridge”
The Golden Gate Bridge. It’s a symbol of the rise of the west coast and of the strength of the American worker. Built during the Great Depression, the Golden Gate Bridge became a California and United States landmark. But its rich history is widely unknown, as most people just recognize it on a postcard. Historian Kevin Starr chronicles the engineering, construction and life behind that golden (well, red) bridge in his book “Golden Gate: the life and times of America’s greatest bridge.”
Bottled & Sold: the story behind our obsession with bottled water Peter H. Gleick
Our love for bottled water is becoming an unhealthy obsession, for both people and the environment. Kids are getting more cavities because they’re not drinking the fluoride-enriched tap water. Landfills, oceans and sidewalks house the millions of bottles used once and thrown out. Companies market tap water as ‘poison.’ But why this sudden war on tap? Is it really that bad for us compared to all the chemicals leaching from the plastic into your precious bottled water? Water expert Peter H. Gleick exposes the evil behind the fancy veil of bottled water.
An actual bipartisan agreement?! A movement to reduce military and Pentagon spending
With heated tea party protests and a slew of budget and spending reforms coming from left and right, both literally and figuratively, it seems extremely difficult to make a bipartisan decision in Congress. But a new proposed spending decrease by the Sustainable Defense Task Force may just be the answer to the country’s mounting financial woes and the bipartisan ticket to budget reform. The plan: reduce military spending by $1 trillion while still keeping us safe. But there’s a catch. There would be a reduction of 200,000 military personnel and cuts in research and other programs. Is this the best way to reduce spending and kick up our economy? Should job loss be the sacrifice for our fiscal woes? Patt talks with Rep. Barney Frank and Rep. Ron Paul, the two seemingly different congressmen who’ve pushed for this bipartisan budget reform. Is this the ticket to economic turn-around and will the military even agree to this?
The virus-like tendencies of divorce: new studies show how splitting up may be contagious
Divorce, the once taboo marital act, has become more prevalent and mainstream over the last 50 years. But is it contagious? Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, Brown University and Harvard University seem to think so. ‘Divorce clustering,’ as it’s called, creates a domino effect, as you begin to question your marriage as friends and siblings break up with their spouses. Can it be that your choice to end your marriage can influence your friends just as your choice to buy a new car or purse can? The study finds that if someone you know gets divorce, you’re 75 percent more likely to break up with your spouse. Can the influence of these degrees of separation actually lead to… separation?
Many more fishes in the sea… or are there?
Choosing salmon over steak may seem like the healthier, greener choice. There isn’t all the baggage that comes with one cow because, hey, there are millions of fish in the sea. Americans love fish-it’s even in fancy cat food! It seems that the all-you-can-eat sushi days are numbered, as many are worrying about whether seafood is actually sustainable. The L.A. based public forum Zócalo paired up with food critic Jonathan Gold and others to wrangle with how we can still enjoy fish, but at a more environmentally friendly level. Maybe Jesus should get those baskets out again.
One fish, two fish… no fish—why our reliance on four fish types may be hurting the environment
Overfishing, intensive and cramped ‘fish farms’ and cages: why can’t fish be free range, like those chickens or how they normally live? As humans demand mass production of everything, it seems like our diet is one of those, as we breed and kill millions of cows, chickens, pigs and fish. Do we really need to go to all these hazardous lengths just to get salmon and snapper to every restaurant and market? Actually no, says author Paul Greenberg in his new book “Four Fish: the future of the last wild food.” Just as we’ve selected only a few meat sources for widespread consumption, we’ve done the same with fish in choosing salmon, sea bass, cod and tuna for every menu. But all those farms and cages won’t keep up with the demand for these four fish, unless we change our mainstream diets, expand our fish choices and find better ways to catch and farm the ‘last wild food.’
