Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Dr. Pepper pledged that they would decrease the amount of calories in their drinks 20 percent by 2025. Also, are sitcoms dead? Audiences for sitcoms continue to shrink, and this year, with big anniversaries of sitcom royalty from the past (20 years for Friends, 30 for The Cosby Show), the comparisons look especially gloomy. Then, author Benedict Carey explains how we learn.
Soda companies promise fewer calories at Clinton Global Initiative as profits fizz out
Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Dr. Pepper pledged at the 10th annual Clinton Global Initiative to decrease the amount of calories in their drinks 20% by 2025, with pilot programs beginning in Los Angeles and Little Rock, Arkansas. The multinational corporations, which account for a combined net worth over $335 billion, say they'll push change through a variety of approaches, including promoting low- and zero-calorie drinks and selling drinks in smaller portions. Coca-Cola alone spent over $3.3 billion in advertising during 2013, and prior to this announcement, already committed to spending an additional $1 billion in the next three years.
In a nation where heart disease, obesity, and diabetes are rampant, soda manufacturers have taken economic hits as various consumer groups and health analysts have decried the ubiquitous "liquid candy." Some critics see this announcement as simply an attempt by these companies to regain public approval and/or consumer interest as soda consumption decreased 12% from 2000 to 2013.
Will changes by the largest soda manufacturers and distributors stem 21st century health issues? Why do you think these corporations are now changing their products and advertising? What is the role of soda and other drinks in your own life?
Guests:
Susan Neely, President and CEO of the American Beverage Association
Howell Wechsler, CEO of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation
Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, M.D., Medical Director, Bariatric Medical Institute in Ottawa; Author, “The Diet Fix” (March 2014); Board-Certified Physician by the American Board of Bariatric (Obesity) Medicine; Blogs at weightymatters.ca
Should cameras be allowed at the James Holmes trial?
The judge presiding over the James Holmes trial will decide this week if he will allow cameras in the courtroom during the trial.
The Associated Press, the Denver Post, as well as other media organizations have asked the judge to allow both still and video cameras in the courtroom. Prosecutors in the case want cameras banned, saying that they would place too much harmful attention on victims who testify and that television coverage would alter the way witnesses behave. Defense lawyers in the case also want cameras out of the courtroom.
According to the Denver Post, prosecutors plan to summon 70 people who survived the July 2012 movie theater shooting in Aurora to testify.
Holmes is scheduled to stand trial in December on charges of killing 12 people and injuring 70 in the shooting. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Guests:
Christine Ward, Executive Director of Crime Victims Action Alliance
Steven Zansberg, Partner at Levine, Sullivan, Koch & Schulz, a law firm in Denver. Zansberg is representing the AP and the Denver Post in their request to have a photographer in the courtroom
How young is too young for a smart phone?
Slick advertisements for the new iPhone 6 are enticing for all age demographics, especially children, tweens and teens who want the latest, greatest toys. As Rachael Myrow found on The California Report, opening up the world of smart phones to kids introduces an entirely new aspect of parenting. What is the right age to explore that brave new world? What's it like to be the kid whose parents cannot or will not buy a smartphone?
Guest:
Betsy Brown Braun, child development and parenting expert; best selling author of Just Tell Me What to Say: Sensible Tips and Scripts for Perplexed Parents (HarperCollins);
Why sitcoms are apparently dead, long live sitcoms
This fall plays host to a new lineup of sitcoms and the return of some favorites. Viewers will reliably tune in to Modern Family, cling to the end of Parks and Rec, and search for a new hit in the network’s newest offerings, which include Red Band Society, The Mysteries of Laura, black-ish, and more.
Audiences for sitcoms continue to shrink, and this year, with big anniversaries of sitcom royalty from the past (20 years for Friends, 30 for The Cosby Show), the comparisons look especially gloomy. Friends regularly attracted 25 million viewers per episode -- NBC’s current Thursday night favorite, Parks and Rec, hovers in the 4 million range. Even the highly praised and highly syndicated Modern Family couldn’t hold its own compared to sitcoms from the glory days.
Where are viewers turning now? What makes for a beloved sitcom? Is there too much good TV and a too widely-scattered audience, or not enough?
Guest:
Willa Paskin, television critic at Slate
'How We Learn' - the scientific case for freeing your inner slacker
Grit, grind and grueling work have been espoused by everyone from your taskmaster piano teacher to the omnipresent Tiger Mom as the keys to learning and success.
In "How We Learn," award-winning science correspondent Benedict Carey challenges that thinking, arguing that daydreams, distraction and nap-times are necessary strategies to ace tests, create ideas and retain information and knowledge. Carey recommends new routines to make learning more enjoyable and strategies for successful slacking.
What's the right balance of the two approaches to learning - discipline versus permissiveness? What has worked for you?
Guest:
Benedict Carey, Science Reporter, The New York Times; Author, “How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens” (Random House; September 2014)