America Trends

Leading politicians in both parties, including the President, rockers who still fill stadiums and cultural icons in business, technology and the arts are at a stage of life we are hard pressed to describe.  Are they senior citizens or perennials? We have a hard time defining this generation in the process of aging because they … Continue reading EP 205 BABY BOOMERS DISRUPT AGING

Over the last 40 years, China has changed beyond recognition, becoming a world power following economic reforms made by Deng Xiaoping and others.  President Xi Jinping, perhaps the most powerful leader in China since Mao Tse Tung, has inherited this more prosperous, and complex, economy. Yet, George Magnus, of the China Centre at Oxford University, … Continue reading EP 204 RED FLAGS FOR CHINA

We’ve all held fast to the notion that in America there exists ‘one man, one vote’, thus we are all equal in our system of representation.  Yet, when you really think about it, the voices of those who invest money, time and energy in the political conversation often count for more than someone whose civic … Continue reading EP 203 HOW LOUD IS YOUR POLITICAL VOICE?

At the end of the Cold War, America stood alone in the world as the supreme economic and military force. We were finally a unipolar giant with decent relations with present adversaries, like Russia and China.  What went wrong? Stephen Walt, a professor of international affairs, at Harvard University and author of ‘The Hell of … Continue reading EP 202 FOREIGN POLICY ELITE CLINGS TO FAILED NOTIONS

Years back, Ivan Eland wrote a book with this title.  He traced this country’s steady expansion of its military footprint all over the world and the dangers inherent in this trend.  We decided to catch up with him several years later to determine if this military intervention, on the whole, has been positive for America … Continue reading EP 201 The Empire Has No Clothes

As an addendum to the conversation with Mark about the skills gap EP199, Peter Murphy of the Invest in Education Coalition, talks about one approach to closing it: the USA Workforce Tax Credit. http://investineducation.org/about-the-coalition/

If they are led to believe that there is no other path to a successful future than a four year, liberal arts degree then the answer is no, according to Mark Perna, CEO of TFS Results and author the book, ‘Answering Why’.  He’s very concerned that while there are six million open jobs in America … Continue reading EP 199 ARE MILLENNIALS PREPARING FOR THE WORLD THAT AWAITS THEM?

That’s what Bruce Nagy, author of ‘The Clean Energy Age’ reminds us.  So, while we wait for policymakers and businesses to do their part to avoid calamity, he reminds us that there is much we can do.  In his concise and neatly constructed guide, he tells us that there are concrete steps we can take–action … Continue reading EP 198 NO INNOCENT BYSTANDERS TO CLIMATE CHANGE

Have you had reason to visit an urgent care center for a medical service such as the flu, asthma or a sprain? You’re certainly not alone  It seems that they are popping up on every main street and retail cluster. We’re talking about an urgent care center. We wanted to find out why this phenomenon … Continue reading EP 197 URGENT CARE: AMERICA’S HOTTEST MEDICAL DELIVERY MODEL

Jarl Jensen, a writer and inventor who, at 16 sixteen years of age, contributed with his father to a successful patent that led to the launch of a wound care company called Euromed.  As a result, he has been successful the whole of his adult life and can step back and assess how the economic … Continue reading EP 196 IS AMERICA’S ECONOMY RIGGED FOR THE WEALTHY?

Now, we offer another perspective on the financial crisis of 2008 from Attorney John Dellaportas.  He is the co-chair of Kelley Drye’s Securities Litigation and Enforcement practice. He defends clients in shareholder class action suits and in civil enforcement proceedings brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission .https://www.kelleydrye.com/Our-People/John-Dellaportas

Now how did that happen?  It was then President George W. Bush, who asked that question of his Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson. So, if he didn’t know the financial collapse was coming, how could you have known?  We just commemorated the 10th anniversary of the collapse of the investment firm Bear Stearns an event that … Continue reading EP 194 THE FINANCIAL CRISIS TEN YEARS ON: DESTINED TO BE REPEATED? Pt.1

About a decade ago, it was believed that the generation after generation growth in cigarette smoking might come to an end.  Young people were beneficiaries of much scientifically valid information about its harmful effects and not bombarded with marketing by big tobacco.  Then, e-cigarettes came along. The goal espoused by many in the public health … Continue reading EP 193 E-CIGARETTES: HARMFUL OR HELPFUL?

It depends who you talk to.  America dropped out of the Obama Administration derived nuclear freeze pact with Iran and tougher sanctions have been placed on Iran unilaterally by America.  And while many of the partners to the pact are still signed on, questions are emerging about their continuing willingness to trade with Iran. All … Continue reading EP 192 ARE THE U.S. AND IRAN ON THE VERGE?

We might imagine that circumcision is common practice in America, if not across the globe.  The truth of the matter is that those rates are falling in our country and are only 1 percent in Europe.  Worldwide, about one in three men is circumcised. So, we explore whether the practice is considered medically necessary and … Continue reading EP 191 WHY ARE CIRCUMCISION RATES DROPPING IN THE U.S.?

Dr. Paul Levinson, of Fordham University, joins Larry and a live audience to discuss his concerns about the fake news industry and the ability to decipher real ‘fake news’ from fake ‘fake news’.  Sadly, we are there given our President’s masterful ability to obfuscate on this topic. It’s a compelling listen. The podcast was recorded … Continue reading EP 190 Fake News in Real Context

William Egginton poses the provocative question in his new book: ‘Are we in danger of losing our civic culture’? As the head of a humanities institute at Johns Hopkins University, he sees the goal of our higher educational system–to strengthen community–slipping away. And while he supports the inclusion of previously dispossessed groups, he wonders whether … Continue reading EP 189 HUMPTY DUMPTY POLITICS MAY FRACTURE OUR UNIVERSITIES AND OUR FUTURE

n the first of a two-part series, we look at the subject of free speech on college campuses. Why are speakers being barred or, if allowed on campus, to be shouted down? Doesn’t a liberal arts degree imply that some of the material you will read and discuss will be new, in opposition to that … Continue reading EP188 THE CODDLING OF THE AMERICAN MIND

If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you think you’re getting a great deal.  Have you factored in your piece of the $1.5 billion in state and local taxpayer subsidies that Amazon has received since 2000?  Or the costs of government benefits, like Medicaid, provided to their under-paid workforce? The Free & Fair Markets Initiative(FFMI) has … Continue reading EP 187 IS AMAZON ON WELFARE?

Plastics is the future or so Benjamin was lectured in the movie ‘The Graduate’.  Now they may actually be seen as part of our past. Environmentalists are making a strong case that the convenience of  ‘single use’ plastics, like straws and bags, isn’t worth the environmental damage they can do, particularly to the world’s oceans. … Continue reading EP 186 WE SUCK ON PLASTIC STRAWS…AND NOW WE REALIZE THAT THEY SUCK FOR THE ENVIRONMENT