Apple Seed

Guest: Quinn Mecham, Professor of Political Science at BYU  Everyone is paying attention to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today. His address to both chambers of the US Congress was televised internationally and offered sharp criticism of the Obama Administration’s ongoing nuclear talks with Iran.  “Prime Minister Netanyahu is running as a security candidate—someone who is trying to stand up for Israel’s security issues,” says Mecham.  “Since the year 2000, Russian democracy has been on the decline,” says Mecham on Putin’s terms as president and prime minister.

Guest: Emily Lindsay, graduate student at Carnegie Melon and co-author of a new report on the effects of meditation on the brain  Meditation and mindfulness have, for centuries, been known to improve mental and physical well-being. It can alleviate stress and even loneliness. But only recently have researchers begun to understand why.  “Meditation is a pretty broad and mindfulness meditation is a specific type of meditation. The point is to bring your attention to something and you can choose what that thing is. You can focus on thoughts, your emotion. You are letting these emotions rise and pass. You are really just observing what is happening in the present moment,” says Lindsay.  “The idea here is that eventually this feeling of emptiness can become a sources of quiet and comfort,” says Lindsay on loneliness and mindfulness training.

Guest: Michael Hiltzik, Columnist for the LA Times 

Guest: Frank Riggs, CEO of the nonprofit, nonpartisan Joe Foss Institute, former U.S. Congressman, and a national education leader  Some 650,000 became naturalized citizens of the United States last year, and in doing so, passed a civics test that would stump most natural-born citizens.  “We think that the civics test is just a floor, a baseline way to gauge that fundamental teaching and learning is occurring,” says Riggs.  “I believe the fundamental responsibility of education,” says Riggs, “is to prepare young people for citizenship.”  The principles found in the Constitution “are what unite us as Americans. They are the inspiration and the pathway to liberty, prosperity, and opportunity in our society,” says Riggs.