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Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University pays tribute to Mikhail Gorbachev, explaining his great historic importance. He discusses how Saudi Arabia is seizing the diplomatic opportunity presented by the energy crisis. And he looks at the economic woes of the free world which could lead to an economic meltdown, arguing that the UK's new Prime Minister will have to be very radical not to play into Putin's hands.

Hardly a day goes by without yet more evidence of our approach to empowering the next generation being wholly dysfunctional; the gap between Baby Boomer and Millenial wealth is reaching record proprtions. Meanwhile, as President Biden made his bold move last week to cancel student debt, it provoked an explosive eruption of criticism from Wall Street Journal readers. Here in the UK, another initiative to help the young, the Child Trust Fund, has over £1 billion waiting to be claimed by young adults, almost all from low-income backgrounds, due to a lack of focus from Government. It's hard to avoid the conclusion that we are a selfish and short-sighted generation of ‘Baby Boomers’ — we need to stand back and take stock of our failure to empower coming generations. Background music: 'Future Glider' by Brian Bolger Please visit Webpage for charts and links: https://www.shareradio.co.uk/thinkingaloud/newsletters/comment-wc-2022-08-30/

Strong words from Federal Reserve chairman Powell sent stocks down on Friday. Jason Moser and Emily Flippen discuss why long-term investors should not be surprised by Powell's comments, Snowflake's strong week, Zoom Video shares falling to a 2-year low, Ulta Beauty's strong 2nd-quarter sending shares close to an all-time high, Amazon making headlines for what it is NOT planning to do, and the latest from Peloton, Electronic Arts, Nvidia, Salesforce, and Intuit. Also, at 19 minutes in, Maria Gallagher talks with Harvard Business School professor Ranjay Gulati about key insights from his book 'Deep Purpose: The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies'. And, 29 minutes in, Emily and Jason answer listener questions about Quidelortho Corp. and Berkshire-Hathaway, and share two stocks on their radar: Doximity and Autodesk. Our annual investing conference is free for Motley Fool members! For more details go to http://Fool.com/FoolFest. Stocks discussed on the show: SNOW, ZM, PTON, ULTA, AMZN, EA, NVDA, CRM, INTU, ETSY, QDEL, BRK.A, BRK.B, ADSK, DOCS. Host - Chris Hill; Guests - Emily Flippen, Jason Moser, Maria Gallagher, Ranjay Gulati

How would you react if the first company you bought shares of went bankrupt within three years? Matt Argersinger discusses the rise and sudden fall of Wang Laboratories, why his search for "the next Warren Buffett" ended badly, Amazon and The Home Depot sharing discipline as a common business trait, and how he overcame the challenge of adding to his winners. Stocks mentioned: BH, SAM, AAPL, AMZN, HD, MELI, EBAY. Host - Chris Hill; Guest - Matt Argersinger

Inflation is soaring and if predictions are correct, it would result in the Consumer Prices Index measure hitting 13% this autumn. That could result in a state pension rise of around £1,000 a year to £10,900 while even at the current level of 10.1% it would be upped to £10,600. However, last year, the triple lock was scrapped. Would a new Prime Minister dare do the same this time around? Lee Boyce, Tanya Jefferies and Georgie Frost discuss. Inflation is hitting those with pensions in different ways, we explain how and Tanya unearths yet more errors at the DWP. She explains why – if you, or someone you know, was refused a state pension or given an unexpectedly low award when you turned 66 – it could be worth challenging. Data also suggests that some workers are opting out of private pensions or reducing contributions thanks to the rise in the cost-of-living. Is that a wise decision? Outside of pensions, we had calculations this week that inflation predictions are undercooked and could actually peak at 18.6% early next year, with base rate having to reach 7% to stop it. It comes as the energy price cap is now forecast to reach £5,500 in April 2023. And finally… the number of homes available to rent has halved in two years pushing prices through the roof. According to research, tenants are effectively losing a bedroom if they spend the same amount of money today on a property compared to two years ago. What next for the rental market?

Adam Cox is joined by Professor Andy Lockey, President of Resuscitation Council UK, to discuss the new heart-shaped QR Code being released to expand the number of people who know the basic principles of CPR and defibrillation. Andy explains why it is so important for people to learn CPR skills, in addition to explaining the new QR code and how it aims to help. www.resus.org.uk

Adam Cox is joined by Alexa Polidoro, from Learn French with Alexa, to discuss new research from the brand which reveals some interesting trends about Brits learning another language. She explains the benefits of learning another language, why French is such a useful language to know and how the Learn French With Alexa courses run. www.learnfrenchwithalexa.com

Adam Cox is joined by seasoned journalist and independent mortgage specialist, Paula John, to discuss new research from Pepper Money that demonstrates the impact the current rise in interest rates has had on Brits. She provides some advice to listeners on how to improve their finances, and what it means to consolidate debt. www.pepper.money

Adam Cox bases this episode on the 2010 movie 'Eat, Pray, Love' starring Julia Roberts. The story tells how, following a dramatic life change, she travels in order to re-connect with her true self. It's not necessary to have seen the film to draw real benefit from this episode; the story line and metaphors will help you through change, and to discover who you really are. Image: Wikipedia

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University looks at the importance of qualifications in an increasingly complex economy, so different from that of students' parents' generation and earlier. He discusses why relatively little advantage has so far been taken of the UK leaving the EU and remarks that big changes often come out of a time of crisis. And, six months on, he looks Ukraine and how Russia has lost ground since mid-March, wiping out its military's high reputation with the conflict coming more to resemble WW1's trench warfare.