Does a candidate's personal wealth matter in politics? And summer means it's time for sunscreen, but is it effective or even safe? President Obama calls for an oceans stewardship initiative. Then, a look at the psychological benefits of getting angry- could blowing your top be good for you? Plus the latest news.
Filthy rich candidates: how’s it play in politics?
Personal and campaign wealth has lately been highly publicized in California’s Senatorial and Gubernatorial races. But, does winning the money race equal winning the election? It’s no secret that Republican Senate candidate Carly Fiorina is a multimillionaire and Meg Whitman, Republican gubernatorial candidate, is a billionaire who’s already spent more than $90 million of her own money in her campaign – she’s even been attacked by Jerry Brown for her unprecedented spending. While Democratic candidates Brown and Boxer have significantly fewer assets than their opponents, they are still wealthy compared to the average voter. Do well-off candidates turn you on or off? And, does financial prosperity factor into who you’ll vote for?
Guests:
Carla Marinucci, Political Writer, San Francisco Chronicle
Mark Barabak, Political Correspondent for the L.A. Times
Sunscreen: is it safe?
It’s summertime and it’s HOT. As we broil away, the beach beckons. But hanging out at the beach comes at a cost: the harm of prolonged exposure to the sun is now well documented--skin cancer, premature aging. So the answer, it seems, is to slather on the sunscreen. But what if the sunscreen is not as effective as we’d like to think? And, worse yet, what if the sunscreen itself causes skin cancer? In fact, Senator Charles Schumer of New York is calling on the FDA to search for a possible cancer link with a sunscreen ingredient, retinyl palmitate. Got you worried? Step into the shade and tune in.
Guests:
Michael Hansen, Senior Scientist at Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports
John Bailey, Chief Scientist at the Personal Care Products Council
Kerry Hanson, Senior Research Scientist in the chemistry department at UC Riverside
Obama to establish oceans initiative
President Obama today is expected to announce a national stewardship initiative for the country's oceans and Great Lakes that would regulate offshore drilling, fishing, and other marine activities. Plans call for creating a National Ocean Council that would manage waters through zoned areas for activities such as drilling, shipping, and conservation. What's in the president's oceans plan and what will it mean for how we use our waters?
Guests:
Molly Peterson, KPCC Environment reporter
Beth Lowell, Federal Policy Director, Oceana
Peter Lehner, Executive Director, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
Angry? The benefits of blowing your top
Who could forget Peter Finch as Howard Beale and the famous “mad as hell” speech from the 1976 dark-comedy classic Network? But was Howard Beale really on to something? Psychologists are finding more and more evidence that there really is a benefit to getting mad as hell. And there are even societal expectations that, sometimes, it’s just good to get angry. Think of President Obama, who has come under criticism for seeming too detached and distant from the BP oil spill. Some say an overt display of anger helps people communicate which things they truly care about. What do you think? Is it better to stay cool, or is there an appropriate time to blow one's top?
Guest:
Stefan Hofmann, professor of psychology at Boston University