America Trends

 “Dear Machine” writes Greg Kieser, author of the book of the same name and founder of Supersystemic.ly, ‘we know you’re coming so can we just get along’.  These super aware/intelligent machines(SAIMs) may seem like science fiction but as they get closer to reality the question is how will humans respond when, or if, we are … Continue reading EP 244 Super Aware/Intelligent Machines

It’s on its way. The fifth generation of wireless technology, called 5G, promises to grow the world’s economic output, add millions of new jobs and create breakthroughs in driver less cars, smart homes and even remote surgery sure to change our lives in ways we cannot yet fully imagine. Can you fathom speeds that are … Continue reading EP 243 5G–Whizz!!

It seems as if midsize cities in America are having their moment.  While the nation’s largest metro areas lost residents to smaller ones for the first time since the Great Recession, the new middle is thriving.  And this according to Mick Cornett, the four term mayor of Oklahoma City, who has presided over a virtual … Continue reading EP 242 The Next American City

 Black and Hispanic children see TV ads for sugary drinks, unhealthy snacks, and fast foods far more than anything else and it’s no accident.  They are targeted by the food companies that know the addictive qualities of their ‘food products’. According to the latest study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at … Continue reading EP 241 Junk Food Ads Target Black and Hispanic Kids

Americans are having fewer and fewer babies.  In fact, we are not having enough babies simply to replace ourselves.  The total fertility rate has been declining for seven years and last year represented the biggest drop in recent history. There are so many factors involved–cultural and economic–and we explore them in this podcast.  Perhaps, more … Continue reading EP 240 America’s Baby Bust

While this podcast has done a number of episodes on the financial crisis over a decade ago, because its effects are still felt on our politics today, none of our previous episodes explained the crisis in such global terms as the one you will hear today.  Adam Tooze, author of ‘Crashed: How a Decade of … Continue reading EP 239 How America Helped Crash the World Economy and Then Save It

The impact of the opioid epidemic in America has twin tentacles in the legal dispensing of prescription painkillers and the the cheap and illegal flow of heroin, as well as synthetics, like fentanyl, into this country.  Underlying the use of these drugs is a country awash in emotional pain, often many years in the making. … Continue reading EP 238 American Fix: Inside the Addiction Crisis

 America, the country, has amassed more debt than any nation in history.  How that reality isn’t cause for screaming front pages headlines daily is something of a mystery, except for the ‘full faith and confidence’ the world has in the creativity of the American economy to grow over time and correct its imbalance.  How else … Continue reading EP 237 Can America Keep Social Security and Medicare from Going Broke?

 Vaccines have literally erased some diseases from the face of the earth, but in most cases they can reoccur if populations ignore the concept of ‘herd immunity’ and begin to doubt their value.  It turns out that the very success of these immunizations makes it harder to see their value to some–‘what me worry’? And … Continue reading EP 236 False Information Can Travel as Fast As Viruses: Ask the Anti-Vax Movement

As our society has gotten angrier and more frustrated, our music has reflected that as the soundtrack of our discontent.  Researchers have analyzed lyrics in best selling songs from the 1950’s to 2016 and found that expressions of anger and sadness have increased, while words about joy have dropped.  The study analyzed the lyrics of … Continue reading EP 235 Scientific Fact: Pop Songs Have Become Angrier and Sadder and That’s No Accident

The concept of a jury of our peers is one of the most sacrosanct in our American system of justice.  Yet, it’s astonishing how few trials ever get to a jury in the first place. And when they do, you may be rocked by what you learn about the process of deliberation in the jury … Continue reading EP 234 What’s Wrong With Jury Trials?

The decline in brick and mortar retail stores is a real trend that threatens a lot in the way of jobs which are dependent upon this sector, but also the great memories of what a joy we experienced getting to know  shopkeepers in our downtown’s, for example,who influenced our thinking about fashion, books, music and … Continue reading EP 233 Why Are All My Favorite Stores Closing?

One third of all the land in America is public. Protected?  Well, that’s another question altogether. In his book, ‘Grand Canyon For Sale’, Stephen Nash makes a compelling case that it is less so than we might suspect or want.  As his fulsome description of the beauty, majesty and awe inspiring sweep of this natural … Continue reading EP 232 Can We Put a Please Do Not Disturb Sign on the Grand Canyon?

You do get the feeling that America’s coming apart, don’t you?  In political terms, we either talk past each other or, in this period, don’t talk to each other at all.  So, how did we get here and is there any way to repair the divide? Julian Zelizer, our guest on this podcast and a … Continue reading EP 231 America’s Living Dangerously on Its Fault Lines

  Can you imagine telling many of the nine justices on the U.S. Supreme Court that you were interviewing them for a book that was focused on their overreach on many issues that should be resolved by the people’s representatives and not these unelected, lifetime appointees?  David Kaplan, author of ‘The Most Dangerous Branch’, did just … Continue reading EP 230 Why is The Supreme Court America’s Most Dangerous Branch of Government?

Is your job making you sick?  There seems to be an epidemic of bad practices in the modern American workplace that, quite literally, may be killing people.  And don’t think you have to be a coal miner or work on an oil rig in the middle of the Atlantic to find those conditions. Through OSHA … Continue reading EP 229 Why Are So Many Americans Dying For A Paycheck?

While smoking is at an all time low in America, many are concerned that nicotine addiction through vaping and e-cigarettes may provide a gateway for a new generation of puffers.  Dr. Joel Nitzkin is a strong advocate for tobacco harm reduction and a Senior Fellow for tobacco policy at the R Street Institute and feels … Continue reading EP 228 Why Is Smoking At An All Time Low In America?

We hear it all the time.  The disruption of this digital age is the greatest in history.  And, perhaps, we take comfort in knowing that the obstacles we face are not of our own making.  Tom Wheeler, of the Brookings Institution, and former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, argues through the lens of history … Continue reading EP 227 From Gutenberg to Google: A History of the Future

Americans may have thought that we discarded a class system when we threw a tea party in Boston many years back.  If we did, Joan Williams is here to report–it’s back. And much of it revolves around the fact that our self image as a country with a large and growing middle class, with steady … Continue reading EP 226 The White Working Class In America

Was America really ever supposed to have parties, or factions, as some called them at the founding of the republic?  Yale political scientist, Ian Shapiro, first answers that question as a predicate to making the case that what our democracy really needs are stronger parties, primarily with more cohesion in Congress.  Parties are designed for … Continue reading EP225 Are Stronger Political Parties The Cure For What Ails American Democracy?