"The Laura Flanders Show" (25.5 minutes)
If, in the twenty-first century, credit is the new capital , what are the implications for our finances, but also our relationships? This week, Laura talks with IvanAscher, author of a new book on The Portfolio Society, and debt activist Pam Brown, about the implications of a society based on risk rather than labor. And we hear from Mandy Cabot, CEO of Dansko shoes who chose her workers over a corporate buyout. She's joined by Richard Eidlin, co-founder of the American Sustainable Business Council.
"Am I Not Human? A Call for Criminal Justice Reform" (7.5 minutes)
For a crime he committed in his early twenties, the courts sentenced Marlon Peterson to 10 years in prison — and, as he says, a lifetime of irrelevance. While behind bars, Peterson found redemption through a penpal mentorship program with students from Brooklyn. In this brave talk, he reminds us why we should invest in the humanity of those people society would like to disregard and discard.
"2017 High School Scholarship Essay Contest” (1 hour, 23 minutes)
On April 30, 2017, Sacramento area high school students read and defended their essays in response to this quotation from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt: "Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education."
The 10 finalists presented their essays at the contest finals dinner that was attended by more than 200 people. The finalists answered questions about their essays from a distinguished panel of judges from the community, who then choose the First Place ($3,000 scholarship), Second Place ($2,500 scholarship), and Third Place ($2,000 scholarship) winners. Each of the other finalists received a $1,000 scholarship.