Selects: The Skinny on Lyme Disease

Deciding how to share water is pretty important stuff when there isn't much of it around. Today we dive into the Colorado River Compact.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Pretty much everyone agrees that English is a chaotic language. There are nutso rules of grammar and spelling other languages don’t have. More than once, movements have emerged to simplify English and each time they were beaten back with a vengeance. See omnystudio.com/listener f ... Show More

Lots of nations gauge the health of their country by how the middle class is doing. There’s just one issue with that – no one can say exactly what defines the middle class. But even when you take a guess, it seems like the health isn’t so good these days.See omnystudio.com/listen ... Show More

<p>The Industrial Revolution began in Britain in the late 18th century, giving birth to an era that has changed world history. The period was characterised by rapid economic, social and technological growth. Marked by innovation and inventions like the steam engine, spinning jenn ... Show More

Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish American industrialist, who helped build the American steel industry. He became one of the richest men in the world, and also one of its leading philanthropists. But his very first job was as a “bobbin boy” in a cotton factory where he was responsible ... Show More

Father of free market economics, Adam Smith was one of many great philosophers of the 18th century Enlightenment period. His philosophies helped change the economy, putting an end to the long-standing feudal system. But outside of his well-known works, such as The Wealth of Natio ... Show More

This 2013 episode covers the years after the Industrial Revolution and the Civil War when the oyster supply became so scarce that people turned to oyster piracy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Today we’re going to wrap up this talk that we’ve been having on the development of social classes in Anglo Saxon britain. Hopefully, once we’re done, much like our talks on other matters like food, clothing, and warfare… you’ll have a fuller understanding of who these people wer ... Show More

<p>On "Fragment on Machines" (1858). Shouldn't automating work free workers? Not according to Marx, until capitalism is overthrown. Until then, automation actually just makes labor conditions worse and certainly doesn't give people more free time, since the capitalist keeps all t ... Show More

Free time, one of life’s most important commodities, often feels unfulfilling. But why? And how did leisure activities transition from strolling in the park for hours to “doomscrolling” on social media for thirty minutes? Despite the promise of modern industrialization, many peop ... Show More

In the mid-12th century, England was in chaos.  The king of England, Henry I, died without an heir. The country was divided between forces loyal to his daughter, Matilda, and his nephew, Stephen.  For almost two decades, armed conflicts resulted in a breakdown of law and order an ... Show More

<p>Can we construct a society free of state coercion and inequality? Is there a place for Capitalism in that society? &nbsp;</p> <p>Contact us: Mark.Oppenheimer[at]gmail and Jwerbe[at]gmail</p>