Like the never-ending war on terror, the drugs war is a multi-billion-dollar industry that wont go down without a fight.The war on drugs has been official American policy since the 1970s, with the UK, Europe, and much of the world following suit. It is at best a failed policy. Its direct results have included mass incarceration in the US,...
For decades, New York Times best-selling author John Allen Paulos has enlightened readers by showing how to make sense of the numbers and probabilities behind real-world events, political calculations, and everyday personal decisions. Who's Counting? features dozens of his insightful essays-original writings on contemporary issues like the COVID-19...
Facebook tried to disrupt the world - and the world says "no." Facebook launched Libra in June 2019. Libra would be an international currency and payment system. It would flow instantly around the world by phone. It could even "bank the unbanked." But Libra would also make Facebook too big to control- and lead the way for Facebook's Silicon Valley...
This episode is one of the first podcasts I ever recorded, and also one of my favorites that I am re-uploading. Lyle May called in from death row to answer questions about his experiences and what his researched has told him about our prison systems. Also a part of the interview, Tessie Castillo published her book Crimson Letters: Voices From...
A growing number of Americans don't trust drinking our tap water. Manny Teodoro came on the show to discuss this phenominon.Bio: My research stands at the nexus of politics, public policy, and public management. I work mainly on American environmental policy design, evaluation, and implementation. This line of research includes explorations of...
In warzones, ordinary commercially-available drones are used for extraordinary reconnaissance and information gathering. They can also be used for bombings - a drone carrying an explosive charge is potentially a powerful weapon. At the same time asymmetric warfare has become the norm - with large states increasingly fighting marginal terrorist...
Marc Polymeropoulos worked for 26 years at the CIA before retiring at the Senior Intelligence Service level. He was one of the CIA's most highly decorated operations officers who served in multiple field assignments for the U.S. government. He specialized in counterterrorism, the Middle East and South Asia, including extensive time in Iraq and...
The first attempt on Everest took place in 1922 by a British team led by George Leigh Mallory. What happened is an extraordinary story full of controversy, drama, and incident, populated by a set of larger-than-life characters straight out of an adventure novel. I spoke with Mick Conefrey about this story. Bio: For thirty years I've made...
