U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder hopes for major changes to the criminal justice system. In an ABA meeting today, Holder advocated that low-level, non-violent drug offenders shouldn’t receive minimum mandatory sentences. Also, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under two shouldn't have any screen time, but are iPads the best new pacifiers? Then, are cow growth hormones harming cows and driving up the cost of beef? Later, Princeton Review ranks the top party schools, and author David Robertson explains how Legos built their empire.
Holder looks to make changes to the punishments of convicted drug offenders
Nearly half of the 219,000 inmates in federal prisons are there on drug-related convictions, and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is hoping to put a dent in that number. Today at the meeting of the American Bar Association in San Francisco, Holder is pitching the idea that low-level, non-violent drug offenders shouldn’t receive minimum mandatory sentences, which typically keep people in prison for a disproportionate length of time in relation to the crimes they’ve committed.
“We need to ensure that incarceration is used to punish, deter and rehabilitate, not merely to convict, warehouse and forget,” is a line from his prepared speech that was shared with the media ahead of his appearance at the meeting.
Holder would rather divert non-violent offenders to drug treatment and community service programs. Holder sees the problem as a societal one, with some people cycling through the criminal justice system.
Is Holder right? Do we need to find more humane solutions to the ills that keep people returning to prison? Or is his proposal too soft on lawbreakers who will be encouraged to commit further crimes? How would you solve the problem of a prison system that’s running 40 percent over capacity?
Guests:
Josh Gerstein, White House Reporter for POLITICO
Ezekiel Edwards, director of the ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project and primary author of the marijuana report
John Malcolm, Director of the Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation
Using the iPad as a parenting tool
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents keep their children under the age of two from having any screen time--that’s television as well as gadgets like mobile phones and tablets.
But what we should do and what we actually do are two different things, as parents discover the world over just how well their iPhones or iPads work as a pacifier for their kids. Experts all seem to think that children learn better with traditional activities like drawing or playing, but the reality is that it is getting harder and harder to ensure kids stay “screen free.”
While it seems like an inevitability, how young is too young to expose a child to a device? Is there any educational value to phone or tablet apps that target toddlers?
Guests:
Dr. Ari Brown, a pediatrician in Austin, Texas, and author of Baby 411: Clear Answers & Smart Advice For Your Baby's First Year
Sharon Rechter, executive vice president of business development and marketing at BabyFirst TV
Caroline Knorr, parenting editor at Common Sense Media
Susan Linn, director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
Tyson Foods bans using cattle with Zilmax growth hormone
Last Thursday market traders noticed cattle prices rise sharply. It was in response to news that Tyson Foods - a major meatpacker - quietly had sent letters to cattle feedlots indicating Tyson would no longer buy cows fed Zilmax. That's a supplement designed to bulk up cows before slaughter.
Tyson cited the health of animals as reason for the change. They said experts have anecdotal evidence of cows becoming lame as a side effect of the growth-inducing drug. Such supplements are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. If market prices are up on the news, consumers can expect supermarket prices to rise, too. Industry watchers are calling this a game-changer. Some also question Tyson's true motivation.
Is it because they're trying to gain access to foreign markets that ban growth hormones? Is the export market becoming more important than domestic shoppers for agriculture companies? Will other meatpackers follow suit? Will feedlots be forced to halt using Zilmax and similar drugs?
Guests:
Mike Callicrate , Cattle producer based in St. Francis, Kansas; Proprietor of Ranch Foods Direct which markets farm to table beef
Tom Talbot, Cattle producer and Veterinarian from Bishop, California; Past Chairman, Cattle Health and Well-Being Committee, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
Dennis Smith, Livestock Industry Analyst and Commodities Broker, Archer Financial Services
Top party schools unveiled: did your alma mater make the list?
The University of Iowa is ranked the number one party school in the country as part of the latestPrinceton Review rankings. Last year, Princeton Review ranked West Virginia University number one, but this year WVU dropped to fourth place. University of California, Santa Barbara, is ranked number two. On the other end of the spectrum, the Princeton Review also ranked the top sober schools, with Pepperdine University coming in at number 17.
Princeton Review's Top 10 "Party Schools" for 2013-2014
1. University of Iowa
2. University of California at Santa Barbara
3. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
4. West Virginia University
5. Syracuse University
6. University of Florida
7. Ohio University at Athens
8. University of Wisconsin at Madison
9. Pennsylvania State University at University Park
10. Lehigh University
If you’re a parent, would you care if the school your son or daughter went to a school on the top party schools list? Is your alma mater a party school? Do rankings like this help or hurt a school’s reputation? How much do these rankings matter?
Guest:
Rob Franek, publisher, The Princeton Review
How Lego went from being a cute toy to a play-time empire
The iconic LEGO brick was built in 1958, and since has captivated fans everywhere becoming the world's most valuable toy company. But just 10 years ago the company faced bankruptcy, failing in profits. It started with a Danish carpenter who created toys, and through innovation created hit toys for the next four decades. The book, “Brick by Brick: How LEGO Rewrote the Rules of Innovation and Conquered the Global Toy Industry” delves into the key strategies of the company, its most popular inventions and what nearly ruined the company. This is an insiders story that gives a glimpse into the brand that has reinvented itself through designers, company leadership and loyal fans.
Guest:
David Robertson, professor of Innovation and Product Development at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and the author of “Brick by Brick: How LEGO Rewrote the Rules of Innovation and Conquered the Global Toy Industry”