U.S. Economy – New Jobs for the New Year?! Warning: the surgeon general doesn’t want you to hear these old cigarette ads. How friends can prevent friends from driving drunk – get the keys. Rewinding 2010- the year in music. Plus, the latest news.
U.S. Economy – New Jobs for the New Year?!
Will 2011 be the year the economy really starts to turn around? New numbers from the Labor Department show a sharp drop in first-time claims for unemployment benefits last week, putting jobless numbers at the lowest in two years. Good news? Or is it just that there’s so much snow on the East Coast that people can’t get to the unemployment office? Meanwhile, the National Association of Realtors says more people are signing contracts to buy homes. Good news? Probably. On the other hand, with gas prices pushing $4, is all the economic progressing going to end up filling our gas tanks? As we finish off 2010, what do these conflicting numbers mean for next year?
Guests:
Neil Irwin, National Economy Correspondent for The Washington Post
Severin Borenstein, co-director of the Energy Institute at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley
Warning: the surgeon general doesn’t want you to hear these old cigarette ads
Next week marks the 40th anniversary of the end of televised cigarette commercials. The Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act, signed into law by Richard Nixon in 1970 and first enforced on January 2, 1971, required stronger health warnings on cigarette packages and also banned cigarette ads on radio and television. Since then, cities and states have passed laws against smoking in public, the government has stopped handing out packs to military personnel and ads have been modified to lessen their appeal to minors (bye-bye, Joe Camel!). Fewer Americans are smoking than ever – less than 25 percent of those 18 and older, down from more than 40 percent in the mid-1960’s. Can the decrease in smoking over the past four decades be attributed to the ban on advertising? And if so, should the same be done for other products thought to be unhealthy: junk food, soda pop, alcohol? Parents’ groups, concerned about ads aimed at children, have lobbied to retire Ronald McDonald and eliminate toys in Happy Meals – yet those same parents advocate using Disney and Muppet characters to sell fruits, vegetables and other healthy snacks. How does advertising affect our lifestyle choices? Should the government be allowed to regulate the ads we see? And with the viral power of the net to market every new poison, what’s the point of banning television ads?
Guest:
Andrew Rohm, Associate Professor in the Marketing Group at Northeastern University
Greg Beato, Columnist for Reason.com
How friends can prevent friends from driving drunk – get the keys
Everyone knows drinking and driving don’t mix. But many of us do it anyway – especially during the holidays. According to new data released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, one in ten drivers admitted having driven when they thought their blood alcohol level “might have been close to or possibly over the legal limit.” The good news is, drunk driving deaths are down in California. But car accidents – many involving drunk drivers - remain the leading cause of death for people age 1-34. And the risk of alcohol-related crashes spikes at New Year’s. So what’s the best way to prevent drunk driving? There are designated driver programs, free ride options, and of course, cabs. Another option is to call the cops. That’s what a 25-year old driver in Iowa did this past Christmas. He called 911 to report a drunk driver – himself. But what if you’re in the uncomfortable position of trying to stop a tipsy friend from getting behind the wheel – what interventions work best?
Guest:
Erin Meluso, President of RADD, The Entertainment Industry’s Voice for Road Safety
Rewinding 2010 - the year in music
What was the big music news in 2010? Major collaborations between legendary artists: Elton John & Leon Russell, Neil Young & Daniel Lanois, Brian Wilson and – would you believe – George Gershwin? Big box set releases commemorated Lennon’s 70th birthday, Springsteen’s Darkness on the Edge of Town and everything The King ever recorded – nearly 800 tracks of solid gold Elvis. Meanwile, facing triple-digit ticket prices, many music fans decided to stay home with their iPods this summer. So who rocked the world with the biggest tours of 2010?
Guest
Randy Lewis, Music Critic, Los Angeles Times