EP 147 Free Range Kids

EP 147 Free Range Kids

About a decade ago Lenore Skenazy was labeled the worst mom in America after news accounts across the country depicted her as derelict in letting her then nine-year-old son, Izzy, ride a New York subway alone. Since then she has been a clarion voice for giving children more independence and trusting that you have given …

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EP 146 FREE THE BEACHES

EP 146 FREE THE BEACHES

We all recall the civil rights struggles regarding lunch counters, buses and other public accommodations, yet many have overlooked the fences and barricades that have blocked the public right to ocean access to many. Beachfront property owners, wealthy towns and private homeowners’ associations have put up a range of physical and legal barriers to restrict …

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EP 145 Saudi, Inc.

EP 145 Saudi, Inc.

  America is now an oil exporter. Saudi Arabia has been one for the better part of a century, first in partnership with Standard Oil of Southern California(now Chevron)and over time on their own. The history of Saudi Arabia is inextricably linked to the business acumen of the ruling family and their ability to make …

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EP 144 THE FUTURE OF CUBA AFTER THE CASTROS

EP 144 THE FUTURE OF CUBA AFTER THE CASTROS

  Ninety miles from Florida’s southern tip lies the intriguing political story of Cuba. Long-time enemies, trying to spread Communism in our sphere of influence, once a client state of the former Soviet Union, we must consider what kind of risk or opportunity the island holds for us today. With Fidel Castro dead and Raul …

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EP 143 It’s Better Than It Looks

EP 143 It’s Better Than It Looks

FDR reminded us of this many years ago.  And, according to author Gregg Easterbrook it’s never being truer than today.  So while we dwell on small details the big picture for the world is that whatever indices you use–disease, poverty, resource depletion, crime, food supply, world war–the world has never been better off.  Mr. Easterbrook …

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EP 142 Life on Mars

EP 142 Life on Mars

Astronomist, David Weintraub, completes our mini-series on current space exploits by explaining the historical fascination with the red planet and present day efforts to get there in his book ‘Life on Mars: What to Know Before You Go’.  It’s all the rage and the pioneers are lining up to jump aboard the first manned spaceship …

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EP 141 The Space Barons

EP 141 The Space Barons

Remember when we would watch in awe as Americans were lifted into space?  What pride we all had in NASA and our country’s scientific greatness.  While we still send astronauts to the International Space Station, courtesy of the Russian government(imagine that), but as Neil DeGrass Tyson said ‘going where man has gone many times before’. …

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EP 140 FAKE NEWS: IS IT REAL? Part Two

EP 140 FAKE NEWS: IS IT REAL? Part Two

  The panel discussion continues. Description is available below With the term being bandied about as a weapon of mass distraction, you probably are confused by what the term ‘fake news’ really means. It’s for that reason that America Trends brings you a two-part series culled from a panel discussion which Larry Rifkin moderated in …

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EP 139 FAKE NEWS: IS IT REAL? Part One

EP 139 FAKE NEWS: IS IT REAL? Part One

With the term being bandied about as a weapon of mass distraction, you probably are confused by what the term ‘fake news’ really means. It’s for that reason that America Trends brings you a two-part series culled from a panel discussion which Larry Rifkin moderated in Connecticut recently. The panel included three Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists. …

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EP 138 IS THE NUMBERS GAME MEASURING OR BETRAYING AMERICAN PROGRESS?

EP 138 IS THE NUMBERS GAME MEASURING OR BETRAYING AMERICAN PROGRESS?

‘What gets measured gets done’, according to management experts like Tom Peters. But does it get done at the expense of other–more important–things? That’s the central question of the book ‘The Tyranny of Metrics’ by Jerry Z. Muller. He joins us for a discussion of whether all goods and services in our society can be …

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