KPCC: Patt Morrison

Happy belated birthday, Charles Dickens

A rare first edition of “David Copperfield” will be on display at the Antiquarian Book Fair; help us celebrate Dickens’ 200th anniversary by talking with author and scholar Jonathan Grossman, whose new book on Dickens investigates the writer’s relationship with one of the first “social networks” ... the public transportation system.

Buffy, Books and Inspector Bucket: The 45th California International Antiquarian Book Fair

What do the Los Angeles Times’ Kenneth Turan, “The Sting” producer Tony Bill, and the-actress-formerly-known-as-Buffy, a.k.a. Sarah Michelle Gellar, all have in common? All three are avid book fiends whose collections will be featured at the 45th California International Antiquarian Book Fair this weekend. Join Patt as she previews the book fair and learn what makes a book valuable (it isn’t always just your emotional attachment).

The NRC approves construction of the first new nuclear reactors in 34 years

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the construction of two new nuclear reactors, which will be built at the Vogtle site south of Augusta, Georgia and will be managed by Atlanta-based Southern Co. Critics say...

James Fallows on President Obama and the value of compromise

Aloof. Inexperienced. A compromiser. President Obama has been called all of these things. And now, as he contends for a second term in office, how are the political winds blowing?

What do you have to do to get the FBI to open a file on you?

Thursday’s release of the FBI’s dossier on Steve Jobs provided some interesting information about Apple’s mercurial visionary and CEO – including past drug use and interviews with people who say he had a penchant to "distort...

Same old story? Santorum worries about women’s presence in the military.

Rick Santorum rubbed an as-yet unclosed wound when it comes to the idea of women as overly-emotional participants in battle on Thursday with his response to new Pentagon guidelines regarding women in the military. If no lawmaker...

Wireless service providers lose $$$ on iPhones, is it time ditch the contracts?

Apple’s iPhone is the most profitable handheld device on the market, right? Wrong, at least for mobile service providers. The iPhone is unquestionably profitable for Apple, but the top three wireless carriers, Verizon, AT...

‘We the (won’t) People’: study says the U.S. Constitution losing appeal worldwide

“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty...

Is a shorter NBA season a better NBA season?

In ’98-’99 – the last time the National Basketball Association faced a lockout – the resulting shortened 50-game season led to a several-year ratings slump. Basketball experts were expecting a similar situation when this...

LAUSD Superintendent Deasy: Union Miramonte claims are 'ludicrous,' 'factually inaccurate'

UTLA's president said he'd been told LAUSD's decision to transfer the entire Miramonte staff was permanent. LAUSD Superintendent Deasy fiercely rebuffed the allegation on KPCC.

Is anyone happy with California’s mortgage settlement?

At last, after 16 months, we have a mortgage settlement between five major banks and the states’ attorneys general. But while it seems like a big number, $26 billion is, relatively, not very much. For perspective, the government...

Internet freedom: Who should govern the net?

The information super-highway, with a few exceptions, is virtually unregulated, but this relatively new frontier may soon be restricted and manipulated by powerful governments and corporations. As a result, a global struggle...

Ask the Chief

LAPD has faced criticism for their policies surrounding the impounding of unlicensed drivers’ vehicles. Immigration rights groups say police polices regarding the impounding of vehicles is merely a way to generate revenue...

Should the media be allowed in children’s courtrooms?

A recent decision by Children’s Court Presiding Judge Michael Nash to open Los Angeles County’s juvenile courtrooms to the media is causing a stir among children’s rights advocates. Nash’s decision to open hearings is limited...

Should President Obama compromise on birth control issue?

President Obama’s Catholic contraception controversy – spurred by his Department of Health and Human Services’ mandate late last month requiring Catholic institutions to offer free access to FDA-approved contraceptives through...

Elizabeth Taylor – an “accidental feminist?”

Elizabeth Taylor was many things: a child actress, an object of desire, a glamorous international superstar, and an anti-AIDS activist. Over the course of nearly sixty years, Taylor played women of all stripes, from haughty...

Un-Fair Campaign to combat racism in Duluth, Minn., focuses on white privilege

The billboards are striking. Splashed across Duluth, Minn., they read “It’s hard to see racism when you’re white.” That message appears over two faces, both white, a blue-eyed woman’s, and a brown-eyed man’s. Named the “Un...

Clint Eastwood’s Chrysler ad – is this America’s halftime?

Legendary actor and director Clint Eastwood has made a career playing tough, no-nonsense characters of few words that inhabit less-than-perfect worlds. But it was his inspirational words in a Super Bowl ad by automaker Chrysler...

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issues ruling on Prop 8, constitutionality of gay marriage

Proposition 8, the hotly-contested and voter-approved proposition banning same-sex marriage in California was ruled unconstitutional by a federal appeals court this morning. The ruling is a pivotal but not decisive turn in...

What separates wellness from illness?

When David Agus was a young and ambitious new doctor, his mentors found his choice to join the oncology field mystifying. Cancer is prevalent in our society – it accounted for over 570,000 estimated deaths in the U.S. in...