Republican front-runners Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are in Jacksonville today, stumping for votes one day ahead of Florida’s GOP primary. Florida is a crucial swing state in presidential contests because of its 29 electoral votes. But as Republicans campaign, the Democrats in the states are hard at work too, ramping up President Obama’s re-election effort in the Sunshine State. State Represntative Mia Jones of Jacksonville joined us this morning with more about the 2012 Obama campaign.
Tech giant Apple is riding a financial wave right now, with share prices soaring int he first quarter and billions in profits over holiday sales of the company’s popular iPhone and iPad products. But critics say the success comes at a high price. They accuse some of Apple’s suppliers in China of turning out the gadgets at factories driven by hazardous and often brutal workplace conditions. Reports of factory explosions and deaths, worker suicides and tales of grim labor practices abound. Some who have infiltrated the factories claim workers are forced to stand for 16 hours straight assembling iPads. Apple, for its part, denies any wrong doing, and says it holds its Chinese suppliers to a high standard. What are the facts and how should the information affect American consumers? We discussed the issue with David Pimentel, associate professor of law at the Florida Coastal School of Law, Stan Swart, retired UNF professor and Jacksonville labor activist, and WJCT’s own tech expert Ray Hollister.
We also spoke with Michael Feldman, host of the popular public radio show “Whad’Ya Know,” about their upcoming show here in Jacksonville. They will be broadcasting live from the Florida Theater this Saturday, February 4th. For tickets, visit our website at wjct.org
And we took a trip to Wells World as travel expert Judy Wells stopped by with some tips about travelling for Valentine’s Day.
If you missed any portion of today’s program, be sure to check out our podcasts at www.wjctondemand.org or listen to the replay of this program tonight at 8 pm on WJCT Arts.
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Filed under: First Coast Connect, WJCT
