What does your average billionaire do for fun? In many ways, the world's wealthiest people are just like anyone else -- except, of course, that they can pour ungodly amounts of money into their hobbies. In tonight's solo episode, Ben Bowlin dives deep into the strange world of billionaire hobbies... and why these hobbies can be much, much more dangerous than we might assume.
We bring you reaction to the Senegalese authorities banning TikTok, which activists have been using to coordinate a string of recent protests. Tensions are high in the country, with repeated protests over legal cases against opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, whose PASTEF party was dissolved by the government this week.
Plus, ahead of Zimbabwe’s elections later this month, we speak to democracy activist Namatai Kwekweza about the state of politics in the country.
And we break down the story behind the viral video of the slow Somali runner competing in the 100m at the World University Games in China.
James B. Meigs joins today's podcast to talk about what a D.C. jury might think of the fraud charge against Donald Trump, what's really happening with all this UFO stuff, and what's significant about a new commercial nuclear reactor in Georgia. Give a listen.
Imagine spending six months of every year living in total shade. That’s what life is like for residents of the Norwegian town of Rjukan, set so low in a valley that they see no direct sunshine at all from October to March. Marnie Chesterton heads there to hear about an ingenious solution: giant mirrors that beam rays down into the town square, where locals gather to feel the reflected heat. The man behind the project was motivated by a need for winter sun – but how much difference does it really make to our health and happiness? That’s the question posed by this week’s CrowdScience listener Michael, who has noticed living in the rainy Australian city of Melbourne is taking its toll. Many pensioners claim sunshine relieves achiness as well as conditions like arthritis but one of the biggest scientific studies found temperature actually has no impact on reported pain levels, while factors like air pressure and humidity may play a role. When it comes to our mood, it seems that spending time outside is more important than feeling the heat and the optimum temperature for wellbeing is around a cool 19 degrees centigrade, while excessive warm weather has been linked to an increase in violence and crime.
Contributors:
Dr Anna Beukenhorst, University of Manchester
Professor Oscar Ybarra, University of Illinois
Professor Solomon Hsiang, University of California, Berkeley
Martin Andersen, artist
(Image: Man with smoke coming out of ears. Credit: Getty Images)
Former President Trump defiant after pleading not guilty to charges he tried to overturn the 2020 election. Two sailors charged with espionage. Surge in gas prices. CBS News Correspondent Steve Kathan has today's World News Roundup.
We dig into the a new investigation on the exponential growth of Starlink – Elon Musk’s satellite internet communication network – its geopolitical centrality to the war in Ukraine and international telecommunication policies, and the immense power this grants Musk as the man who has singular control over a private global infrastructure system that everyone from the Pentagon on down has grown dependent upon.
••• Elon Muskʼs Unmatched Power in the Stars https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/07/28/business/starlink.html
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Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (www.twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.twitter.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (www.twitter.com/braunestahl)
Chicago is one of 18 communities across the country to participate in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s project to train citizen scientists to measure and map the hottest parts of cities, known as urban heat islands. Reset learns how this data will help the city of Chicago reduce the health impacts of extreme heat with Kyra Woods, project manager for the Office of Climate and Environmental Equity, Karen Weigert, director of Loyola University Chicago’s Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise and Responsibility and Dulce Garduño, volunteer with Heat Watch program.
As the tech giant approaches its 25-year anniversary, there are questions of just how much more it can possibly grow. Investors are used to stratospheric returns. Is it time to manage expectations? Nested behind the appearance of social discontent in France is an economy that is actually thriving (10:51). And, a tribute to a true man of the woods (19:02).
For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer
Amazon just announced stellar earnings, sending the stock to a 1-year high — But Amazon’s Achilles Heel is your grocery order. Bank of America will stop saying “Recession” because the economy is far from it — But certain parts of the economy can still feel recession-ish. And Starbucks’ biggest growth market is China… which is a tea country — So Starbucks turned into a caffeine missionary, converting anyone from matcha to espresso. Our weekly TBOY quiz: go.tboypod.com $AMZN $SBUX $BAC Want merch, a shoutout, or got TheBestFactYet? Go to: www.tboypod.com Follow The Best One Yet on Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok: @tboypod And now watch us on Youtube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
