Why are two old, unpopular men the main candidates for the world’s most demanding job? It’s the question John Prideaux, The Economist’s US editor, gets asked the most. And the answer lies in the peculiar politics of the baby boomers.
Since 1992, every American president bar one has been a white man born in the 1940s. That run looks likely to span 36 years - not far off the age of the median American. This cohort was born with aces in their pockets. Their parents defeated Nazism and won the cold war. They hit the jobs market at an unmatched period of wealth creation. They have benefitted from giant leaps in technology, and in racial and gender equality.
And yet, their last act in politics sees the two main parties accusing each other of wrecking American democracy. As the boomers near the end of their political journey, John Prideaux sets out to make sense of their inheritance and their legacy.
Launching July 2024.
To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+: https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus
If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page: https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts
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,News,News & Politics,YC-BK02LzKM,UC0p5jTq6Xx_DosDFxVXnWaQ, Politics,Society, channel_UC0p5jTq6Xx_DosDFxVXnWaQ, video_YC-BK02LzKM,In an interview with Javier Milei (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/11/28/javier-milei-my-contempt-for-the-state-is-infinite?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners), our correspondent probes how far the “anarcho-capitalist” president plans to push his promise to slash spending and reform the state. Can seaweed (https://www.economist.com/business/2024/11/28/could-seaweed-replace-plastic-packaging?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) and other fibrous packaging replace plastic (11:51)? And remembering Celeste Caeiro (https://www.economist.com/obituary/2024/11/28/celeste-caeiros-small-gesture-named-a-revolution?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners), who named the carnation revolution in Portugal in 1974 (18:20).
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,News,News & Politics,i5MIy_3vplE,UC0p5jTq6Xx_DosDFxVXnWaQ, Politics,Society, channel_UC0p5jTq6Xx_DosDFxVXnWaQ, video_i5MIy_3vplE,Donald Trump (https://www.economist.com/topics/united-states?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) had been facing a swathe of lawsuits this year. Now he has won a second term in office, the cases against him are falling away. Why wellness trends may be contributing to iodine deficiency (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/11/06/as-wellness-trends-take-off-iodine-deficiency-makes-a-quiet-comeback?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) (8:02). And the secrets of elevator etiquette (https://www.economist.com/business/2024/11/21/how-to-behave-in-lifts-an-office-guide?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) (13:58).
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,News,News & Politics,QG5WQJXB9vU,UC0p5jTq6Xx_DosDFxVXnWaQ, Politics,Society, channel_UC0p5jTq6Xx_DosDFxVXnWaQ, video_QG5WQJXB9vU,The country’s civil war never ended—it became a fragile stalemate that fell out of the news. A surprise rebel advance (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/11/30/syrian-rebels-sweep-into-aleppo-in-an-embarrassing-rout-for-bashar-al-assad?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) reveals how the war’s international players are busy facing their own challenges. Our correspondent found it so difficult to disappear from the internet that she gave up (https://www.economist.com/1843/2024/11/08/why-i-gave-up-trying-to-delete-myself-from-the-internet?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) (10:30). And who were the stockmarket winners (https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2024/11/22/which-shares-have-done-best-from-the-trump-trade?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) as “Trump trades” fired up again (16:54)?
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,News,News & Politics,dSvc6GCtC5o,UC0p5jTq6Xx_DosDFxVXnWaQ, Politics,Society, channel_UC0p5jTq6Xx_DosDFxVXnWaQ, video_dSvc6GCtC5o,America feared that letting Ukraine use US weapons (https://www.economist.com/topics/ukraine?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) to attack far-off targets in Russia would escalate the conflict. Why has President Joe Biden finally changed his mind? Markets soared (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/11/14/whats-about-to-hit-the-world-economy?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) when Donald Trump was elected, but the longer-term impact of Trumponomics may be less positive (9:42). And why airships are back (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/10/30/airships-may-finally-prove-useful-for-transporting-cargo?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) in our skies (18:12).
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,1,Strangest birds on earth! These are some of the more unusual birds in the world that you may not have ever heard of
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Number 8 - Golden Pheasant
Also called the rainbow pheasant, this bird is recognized for its golden crest, rump, and crimson body. The golden pheasant is also adorned with deep blue tertiary feathers that contrast its otherwise warm color scheme. The female pheasants aren't as bright, with dull brown feathers darker than those of a female common pheasant. Adult male golden pheasants reach up to 41 inches long, with the tail making up about two-thirds of its length, and the females only grow to 31 inches with a much shorter tail. Although these birds can fly, they don't do so very well; so, golden pheasants spend most of their time running around on the ground, only roosting in the trees at night.
Number 7 - Greater Rhea
This large flightless bird is found in South America, and its name, "Rhea ," comes from the Greek goddess of the same title - the daughter of Gaia and Uranus . Adult greater rheas weigh up to 60 pounds and can measure 55 inches from their beaks to their tails. They stand up to an impressive 5 feet 7 inches, easily the size of a person. They have long legs, and their heads and bills are somewhat small. Although they're flightless, greater rheas use their wings to maintain balance while running and to attract females. Their colors are generally dull brown and gray, their plumage is shabby, and the females are lighter in hue than the males. However, some individuals exhibit white plumage and blue eyes from a condition called leucism , and some albino greater rheas aren't unheard of either. Rheas primarily eat the seeds and fruits of broad-leaved foliage but will consume rodents, reptiles, insects, small birds, and scorpions as well. Like other bird species, the greater rhea eats pebbles to assist with digestion and because of this, it is attracted to shiny objects. During the breeding season, male rheas put on displays and mate with females. They lead the female to their nests, where they lay their eggs. Once she lays her eggs with one male, she moves on and continues mating. The males of the species assume all of the incubation duties. Since the females continue mating with various males, each nest can end up containing up to 80 eggs.
Number 6 - Vulturine Guineafowl
Another strange-looking bird is the vulturine guineafowl . This large round-bodied bird has a small head, longer legs and wings, and longer necks and tails compared to most guineafowl. But, other than its odd proportions, this bird is unique because of its colors. Although featherless, the vulturine guineafowl's neck and head are blue and black. From the lower neck downward, shiny blue and white feathers protrude like a spiky scarf, and its breast area is ocean blue. The remainder of the bird's body is black with white spots. The vulturine guineafowl roosts in trees but is mostly terrestrial, spending much of its time walking or running.
Number 5 - Roseate Spoonbill
It is a wading bird found primarily in South America east of the Andes Mountains but also in Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico, and some coastal parts of the US. The roseate spoonbill reaches 34 inches long, has a 52-inch wingspan, and weighs up to about 4 pounds. Its bill grows up to just over 7 inches long. Unlike some of the other birds on this list, the females and males look generally the same. The reason the roseate spoonbill is pink is due to its diet, made up of newts, aquatic insects, frogs, small fish, and crustaceans - which contain the pigments that present themselves throughout the feathers. The spoon-like shape of its bill is what allows it to sift through the mud to find these insignificant prey.
,1,Stephen Wolfram hosts an unscripted Ask Me Anything about the future of science and technology for all ages. Find the playlist of Q&A's here: https://wolfr.am/youtube-sw-qa
Originally livestreamed at: https://twitch.tv/stephen_wolfram
If you missed the original livestream of this episode, feel free to submit a question you would like Stephen to answer in a future Q&A livestream here: https://wolfr.am/12cczmv5J
00:00 Start stream
3:02 SW starts talking
3:21-23:59 What scientific breakthroughs would you like to in 2024?
24:06-26:59 Whatever happened to graphene, is it still a viable product of future technologies?
27:06-32:10 Could we build "bio-vehicles"? e.g. instead of batteries, use synthetic adipose tissue which is ~50-100x more mass efficient per kWh. (is there a future in bio-batteries?)
32:17-33:40 Based on the level of computational advances this last decade, with the trend only showing even more of the same, do you think that traditional engineering disciplines will be relegated to the OpenLLM?
33:44-34:53 Do you think we'll see mass-producible room-temperature super conductors in the next decade?
34:57-37:41 It has been suggested that AI will displace coders/programmers. Do you think AI might also replace many physical and chemical experiments?
37:44-42:04 Any thoughts on "zero knowledge proofs", i.e. the ability to make proofs without revealing details?
42:09-44:05 Given that some of our greatest accomplishments as a species has been when we mimic nature, how important do you think Biomimetics is going forward?
44:08-49:08 Can you see the time when the discovery of new mathematical theorems and axioms will be generated from AIs?
49:20-51:44 When Betelgeuse explodes, will humans be okay?
51:49-53:30 Do you think smart textiles / computing fabrics will take off? Or be viable? Would you wear say a sweater to hear instead of a hearing aid?
53:37-57:32 But things like math, geometry. and especially tessellation have patterns that are universally implicit and can be interpreted to be interesting by their own existence and not just the humanity view upon them.
57:38-1:00:12 Is there a way we can use brownian motion at a molecular scale as a type of fingerprint for nano sensors to create things that are piracy proof?
1:00:17-1:00:53 why are the axioms of mathematics necessarily the ones that are effective at describing things we see as well?
1:00:59-1:04:36 What do things like dreams and "higher states if consciousness" spoken about in eastern philosophies tell us about ourselves as Observers
1:04:46-1:06:09 Would it be easy to have an AI remaster old movies, real ones and cartoons, so we can watch all the old gems in highend graphics?
1:06:16-1:07:38 'Interesting' is defined by a 'coolness' threshold.
1:07:41-1:15:30 Since the scientific paradigm was a major cause for the Enlightenment can we expect the (multi)computational paradigm to kick off a socio-philosophical paradigm of comparable importance?
1:15:32-1:18:51 If someone Invented calculus in the stone age it would probably have not been used for anything...do you think there are some ideas that may be "rediscovered" because they have a better use?
1:19:32 End stream
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,1,Why are two old, unpopular men the main candidates for the world’s most demanding job? It’s the question John Prideaux, The Economist’s US editor, gets asked the most. And the answer lies in the peculiar politics of the baby boomers.
Since 1992, every American president bar one has been a white man born in the 1940s. That run looks likely to span 36 years - not far off the age of the median American. This cohort was born with aces in their pockets. Their parents defeated Nazism and won the cold war. They hit the jobs market at an unmatched period of wealth creation. They have benefitted from giant leaps in technology, and in racial and gender equality.
And yet, their last act in politics sees the two main parties accusing each other of wrecking American democracy. As the boomers near the end of their political journey, John Prideaux sets out to make sense of their inheritance and their legacy.
Launching July 2024.
To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+: https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus
If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page: https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts
Or watch our video explaining how to link your account: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY
