Happiness Initiative
Co-founder of the Happiness Initiative and Executive Director of Take Back Your Time, both in Seattle, Washington; writer and documentary-maker whose books include Take Back Your Time: Fighting Overwork and Time Poverty in America, Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic and What's the Economy for, Anyway?: Why It's Time to Stop Chasing Growth and Start Pursuing Happiness
Bhutan, the United Nations, and Gross National Happiness Forty years ago, the King of Bhutan, a Himalayan country of less than a million people, suggested that "happiness" should replace economic output as a measure of human advancement. Last week, his grandson – the current king – led a UN conference on " Happiness and Wellbeing : Defining a New Economic Paradigm." Which are the "happiest" countries? Who decides? What are the obstacles to reaching the UN's new goal?
Gross National… Happiness? "Happiness" is a right enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. Is it a better measure of human "progress" than "Gross National Product?" The king of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan proposed the idea 40 years ago, and last week, his grandson -- the current king -- led a UN conference on " Happiness and Well-Being ." Canada, France and Britain are among the countries agreeing that measuring economics is not enough. But how can "happiness" be measured? Can it be achieved through government policy? Does Bhutan itself offer a good example? What about the United States?
How Much Does Vacation Matter? Members of the Senate and Congress are on summer breaks all over the world, visiting war zones as well as ancient ruins and sunny beaches. President Barack Obama is doing his best to get a much-need break from the burdens of office, taking his family to Martha's Vineyard. But less than half the American workers entitled to vacations are taking their full time. Many say there's just too much to do, or they're afraid of losing their jobs. Whatever happened to “mental health days?” Doesn't time off help prevent burnout and increase productivity? Would requiring vacations be a kind of healthcare reform, in addition to boosting the tourist economy?
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.
Trump's 'America First' goes missing abroad In the Middle East, President Trump is changing some policies of the Obama Administration—and reversing his own campaign attacks on Islam as a religion that "hates us." We hear about his visit to Saudi Arabia and what's at stake for the rest of his foreign excursion.