Luciano Benetton rose from poverty in postwar Italy to found a chain of 7,000 high street fashion stores and create some of the most controversial advertising campaigns in history, becoming a billionaire along the way. Journalist Zing Tsjeng and BBC business editor Simon Jack discover how it all started for Luciano Benetton with a yellow sweater knitted by his sister, on a journey that takes in Benito Mussolini, Dolce Vita, Formula One, and Princess Diana. But Benetton wasn’t just about fashion; with photographer Oliviero Toscani, the entrepreneur launched a series of highly controversial ad campaigns that tackled race, religion, AIDS, and the death penalty, that made the fashion brand infamous. Good Bad Billionaire is the podcast that explores the lives of the super-rich and famous, tracking their wealth, philanthropy, business ethics and success. There are leaders who made their money in Silicon Valley, on Wall Street and in high street fashion. From iconic celebrities and CEOs to titans of technology, the podcast unravels billionaire stories of fortune, power, economics, ambition and moral responsibility to explore how they achieved financial success, before asking the audience to decide if they are good, bad, or just billionaires. Some of the people we've featured previously on Good Bad Billionaire include Tyler Perry, Evan Spiegel, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Henry Ford, LeBron James, Selena Gomez and Martha Stewart. Every episode is available to listen wherever you get your BBC podcasts. To contact the team, email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com or send a text or WhatsApp to +1 (917) 686-1176. Find out more about the show and read our privacy notice at www.bbcworldservice.com/goodbadbillionaire
The Economics of Everyday Things - 116. Cobblers
Shoe repair shops are a dying breed — but for those that remain, demand is higher than ever. Zachary Crockett goes in for a shine.
- SOURCES:
- Jim McFarland, owner of McFarland’s Shoe Repair in Lakeland, Florida.
- RESOURCES:
- "Shoe cobbler becomes unlikely TikTok star," (NBC News, 2024).
- "Cobblers face extinction - and are busier than ever," by Diana Nelson James (AP, 2019).
- Shoe Service Institute of America.
- EXTRAS:
- America's Cobbler (Jim McFarland), (YouTube).
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PBS News Hour - World - Peace remains elusive for Lebanese Christians as Pope Leo visits war-torn country
PBS News Hour - World - News Wrap: Netanyahu asks Israel’s president for pardon amid corruption trial
PBS News Hour - World - The story behind one man’s historic descent of Mount Everest on skis
Newshour - Will Netanyahu be pardoned?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked the country's president, Isaac Herzog, for a pardon over corruption cases he has been battling. We speak to an opposition member of the Israeli Knesset who opposes a potential pardon for Mr Netanyahu.
Also on the programme: local media in Hong Kong report that police have arrested a university student who was part of a group petitioning for an independent inquiry into the huge, deadly fire at a housing complex; and the musical featuring Britain’s most beloved bear, Paddington.
(Photo: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a meeting with US Vice President JD Vance at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, October 22, 2025. Credit: Reuters)
Consider This from NPR - Is MAHA influencing health policy?
At the recent Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA, summit - which was attended by the U.S. Secretary of Health and the Vice President - the agenda showed a shift toward alternative medicine, wellness and nutrition and away from conventional medication. Most of the speakers were not academic researchers or doctors. To discuss what happens when government guidance moves away from scientific consensus, Miles Parks speaks with Dr. Sandro Galea, a Distinguished Professor in Public Health, and Dean of the Washington University School of Public Health in St Louis, Missouri.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Avery Keatley and Jordan-Marie Smith. It was edited by Ahmad Damen. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
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Lex Fridman Podcast - #486 – Michael Levin: Hidden Reality of Alien Intelligence & Biological Life
Michael Levin is a biologist at Tufts University working on novel ways to understand and control complex pattern formation in biological systems.
Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep486-sc
See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.
Transcript:
https://lexfridman.com/michael-levin-2-transcript
CONTACT LEX:
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EPISODE LINKS:
Michael Levin’s X: https://x.com/drmichaellevin
Michael Levin’s Website: https://drmichaellevin.org
Michael Levin’s Papers: https://drmichaellevin.org/publications/
– Biological Robots: https://arxiv.org/abs/2207.00880
– Classical Sorting Algorithms: https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.05375
– Aging as a Morphostasis Defect: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38636560/
– TAME: https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.10346
– Synthetic Living Machines: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.abf1571
SPONSORS:
To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts:
Shopify: Sell stuff online.
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MasterClass: Online classes from world-class experts.
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OUTLINE:
(00:00) – Introduction
(00:29) – Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections
(10:09) – Biological intelligence
(18:42) – Living vs non-living organisms
(23:55) – Origin of life
(27:40) – The search for alien life (on Earth)
(1:00:44) – Creating life in the lab – Xenobots and Anthrobots
(1:13:46) – Memories and ideas are living organisms
(1:27:26) – Reality is an illusion: The brain is an interface to a hidden reality
(2:13:13) – Unexpected Intelligence in sorting algorithms
(2:38:51) – Can aging be reversed?
(2:42:41) – Mind uploading
(3:01:22) – Alien intelligence
(3:16:17) – Advice for young people
(3:22:46) – Questions for AGI
Audio Poem of the Day - On Hurricane Jackson
By Alan Dugan
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Motley Fool Money - Interview with Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck
Aerospace company Rocket Lab has produced big returns for long-term investors. Motley Fool co-founder and CEO Tom Gardner and analyst Seth Jason recently talked with Rocket Lab Founder and CEO Peter Beck about business, engineering, and entrepreneurship.
Host: Tom Gardner, Seth Jason
Guest: Peter Beck
Producer: Bart Shannon, Mac Greer
Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. The Motley Fool and its affiliates (collectively, "TMF") do not endorse, recommend, or verify the accuracy or completeness of the statements made within advertisements. TMF is not involved in the offer, sale, or solicitation of any securities advertised herein and makes no representations regarding the suitability, or risks associated with any investment opportunity presented. Investors should conduct their own due diligence and consult with legal, tax, and financial advisors before making any investment decisions. TMF assumes no responsibility for any losses or damages arising from this advertisement.
We’re committed to transparency: All personal opinions in advertisements from Fools are their own. The product advertised in this episode was loaned to TMF and was returned after a test period or the product advertised in this episode was purchased by TMF. Advertiser has paid for the sponsorship of this episode
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