America Trends

America loves its cars but the romance may be cooling a bit as the increasingly urban society recognizes that the ‘internet of motion’ can provide them with many options for living the life previously available only to someone who had a car.  Our guest, Tom Standage, the author of ‘A Brief History of Motion’ takes … Continue reading EP 512 A New Era in the Car Culture is Emerging

When I worked for my state Commissioner of Education in Connecticut in the early 1980’s the educational establishment was abuzz with the concept of ‘equity and excellence’.  Yet nearly 50 years later, despite lots of money and resources thrown at our old model of education, one reformer John Dewey in the early twentieth century would … Continue reading EP 511 Reinventing Schools More Crucial In Wake of the Pandemic

Amid a wave of police shootings in 2016, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick began a series of quiet protests on the field, most notably refusing to stand and taking a knee during the national anthem.  Much controversy ensued in the wake of his action and while he has found himself, despite a strong showing on the … Continue reading EP 510 Taking a Knee For Racial Justice

Once a little regarded niche of the investment world, private equity has grown into a juggernaut, with impacts on a wide range of industries as well as financial markets. While most pension funds and endowments rely to a large degree on publicly traded securities and bonds, the portfolios of many of these funds add private … Continue reading EP 509 Do Private Equity Investments Outperform Publicly Traded Ones?

It takes a lot of knowledge, research and time to write 500 pages on the way that infectious disease has intersected with the history of humanity on this planet. Kyle Harper, our guest and author of ‘Plagues Upon the Earth’ does a masterful job of breaking it down for us on this podcast.  If you … Continue reading EP 508 This Pandemic Will Not Be the Last

The friendly car salesman is still waiting for you at the showroom to take you for a test drive, but you are now entering what was a lose/lose battle with a lot more information and many more choices.  Just as we previously did a podcast on the changing nature of purchasing a home, our second … Continue reading EP 507 Buying a Car Going Forward Puts You in the Driver’s Seat

Much attention has been paid to the plight of young girls in American society as we attempt to knock down barriers to their dreams and build more protections from predatory practices often visited upon them.  What about the boys?  Much research tells us that they are falling short in academic performance, suffering greater rates of … Continue reading EP 506 To Raise a Boy in 21st Century America

We all watched as America accomplished a very messy end to the twenty year Afghanistan War, the longest in our history.  So what was it like on the ground for those who fought in it and how did they view the withdrawal, given their sacrifice?  Was it all in vain?  Scott DeLuzio, author of ‘Surviving … Continue reading EP 505 A Soldier Reflects on His Afghanistan Experience

It’s a dirty job but someone has to do it.  We are not talking about the third shift at a factory in this podcast  We are focusing on ethically challenging positions that many ‘respectable’ citizens will not do and yet avoid considering the consequences for those who, for one reason or another, are required to … Continue reading EP 504 Who Gets Assigned the Dirty Work in Our Society?

Thanks to an interim policy put forward by the NCAA, student athletes in college are now allowed to benefit financially from the use of their name, image and likeness.  The policy is shorthanded as NIL.  That’s appropriate, really, because its impact on most athletes in Division I, the large schools, will be almost that and … Continue reading EP 503 Are College Scholarships for Athletes Really Enough?

While we all can recall the fierce response America had to the horrific events of 9-11, 2001 in prosecuting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the passage of the Patriot Act, the development of the Homeland Security Department and the use of torture and black sites against those who came to be called enemy combatants.  And … Continue reading EP 502 The Response to 9-11 Takes on a Permanent, Subtle Tone Throughout Government

Section 230 is part of a set of policies passed in 1996 to protect the internet and encourage innovation within its developing framework.  These 26 words of the Communications Decency Act paved the way for Facebook, Google and Twitter.  Section 230 states that internet platforms–considered ‘interactive computer services’ in the law-cannot be considered publishers or … Continue reading EP 501 Consensus Grows to Regulate Social Media Platforms–But For Different Reasons

In 1492, Columbus landed in…Cuba. Surprised?  There’s much about the island 90 miles to our south that ties its history to ours.  In recent years, we have been at odds with Cuba over its Communist regime.  In defiance of that regime we give Cuban immigrants the fastest track the government provides to citizenship status. We … Continue reading EP 500 Cuba and America Intertwined Through Time

While science denial is a precursor to reality denial on many fronts in our society, it can result in impacts as serious as life and death.  For instance, if enough people don’t get the COVID vaccine, allow it to hang around and mutate, even the vaccinated may be at great risk.  So, while philosopher of … Continue reading EP 499 Is It Worth Having a Discussion With a Science Denier?

Since 9/11, America has found itself embroiled in endless war, little discussed and rarely debated, either in barrooms or Congress.  We just are.  It is interesting how little attention conflicts of various forms get given the trillions of dollars we spend on defense and the fact that we have Special Forces in more than three … Continue reading EP 498 How America Abandoned Peace and Reinvented the Concept of Humane War

Will over the horizon technological responses cut it in places, like Afghanistan, where American boots on the ground have been replaced with eyes in the skies?  That’s the gist of the conversation we have with Ben Coes, author of ‘The Island’, a story of terror in Manhattan as seen through the imagination of a novelist … Continue reading EP 497 Terror Threat in the Wake of Afghanistan Pull Out

America is country that values hard work, almost above all else.  When you meet a stranger, one of the first questions is ‘so what do you do’?  Our occupation is often how we are defined and our value established in this culture.  It then makes it all the more difficult and painful to find yourself … Continue reading EP 496 The Toll of Being Unemployed in America

Over 60 court challenges were dismissed relating to voter fraud and irregularities in the 2020 presidential election, but that has not deterred former President Trump in mounting a crusade to undo many ballot access initiatives that came about in the wake of the hotly contest 2000 presidential campaign.  No excuse absentee ballot, early voting, mail-in … Continue reading EP 495 Voter Suppression Efforts Gaining Traction Across the United States

America has a nursing shortage’ scream the headlines.  And that’s true and will be for the foreseeable future.  Is the reason all to do with COVID?  No, but clearly it has had a dampening impact on the numbers of nurses and their perception of whether they want to stay in the field going forward.  Given … Continue reading EP 494 Nurses Are in Short Supply

In most states, the Department of Motor Vehicles is the poster child for government inefficiency.  New systems are touted and yet the lines and the bureaucracy often grind down the citizen interacting with it.  This is especially notable in a society where private companies know so much about us that the interaction with them is … Continue reading EP 493 When Will Technology Be Applied to Government Administration?