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What does 2026 hold for indie authors and the publishing industry? I give my thoughts on trends and predictions for the year ahead. In the intro, Quitting the right stuff; how to edit your author business in 2026; Is SubStack Good for Indie Authors?; Business for Authors webinars. If you'd like to join my community and support the show every month, you'll get access to my growing list of Patron videos and audio on all aspects of the author business — for the price of a black coffee (or two) a month. Join us at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn. Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author as J.F. Penn. She's also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. (1) More indie authors will sell direct through Shopify, Kickstarter, and local in-person events (2) AI-powered search will start to shift elements of book discoverability (3) The start of Agentic Commerce (4) AI-assisted audiobook narration will go mainstream (5) AI-assisted translation will start to take off beyond the early adopters (6) AI video becomes ubiquitous. ‘Live selling' becomes the next trend in social sales. (7) AI will create, run, and optimise ads without the need for human intervention (8) 1000 True Fans becomes more important than ever You can find all my books as J.F. Penn and Joanna Penn on your favourite online store in all the usual formats, or order from your local library or bookstore. You can also buy direct from me at CreativePennBooks.com and JFPennBooks.com. I'm not really active on social media, but you can always see my photos at Instagram @jfpennauthor. 2026 Trends and Predictions for Indie Authors and Book Publishing (1) More indie authors will sell direct through Shopify, Kickstarter, and local in-person events — and more companies like BookVault will offer even more beautiful physical books and products to support this. This trend will not be a surprise to most of you! Selling direct has been a trend for the last few years, but in 2026, it will continue to grow as a way that independent authors become even more independent. The recent Written Word Media survey from Dec 2025 noted that 30% of authors surveyed are selling direct already and 30% say they plan to start in 2026. Among authors earning over $10,000 per month, roughly half sell direct. In my opinion, selling direct is an advanced author strategy, meaning that you have multiple books and you understand book marketing and have an email list already or some guaranteed way to reach readers. In fact, Kindlepreneur reports that 66% of authors selling direct have more than 5 books, and 46% have more than 10 books. Of course, you can start with the something small, like a table at a local event with a limited number of books for sale, but if you want to consistently sell direct for years to come, you need to consider all the business aspects. Selling direct is not a silver bullet. It's much harder work to sell direct than it is to just upload an ebook to Amazon, whether you choose a Kickstarter campaign, or Shopify/Payhip or other online stores, or regular in-person sales at events/conferences/fairs. You need a business mindset and business practices, for example, you need to pay upfront for setup as well as ongoing management, and bulk printing in some cases. You need to manage taxes and cashflow. You need to be a lot more proactive about marketing, as you won't sell anything if you don't bring readers to your books/products. But selling direct also brings advantages. It sets you apart from the bulk of digital only authors who still only upload ebooks to Amazon, or maybe add a print on demand book, and in an era of AI rapid creation, that number is growing all the time. If you sell direct, you get your customer data and you can reach those customers next time, through your email list. If you don't know who bought your books and don't have a guaranteed way to reach them, you will more easily be disrupted when things change — and they always change eventually. Kindlepreneur notes that “45% of the successful direct selling authors had over 1,000 subscribers on their email lists,” with “a clear, positive correlation between email list size and monthly direct sales income — with authors having an email list of over 15,000 subscribers earning 20X more than authors with email lists under 100 subscribers.” Selling direct means faster money, sometimes the same day or the same week in many cases, or a few weeks after a campaign finishes, as with Kickstarter. And remember, you don't have to sell all your formats directly. You can keep your ebooks in KU, do whatever you like with audiobooks, and just have premium print products direct, or start with a very basic Kickstarter campaign, or a table at a local fair. Lots more tips for Shopify and Kickstarter at https://www.thecreativepenn.com/selldirectresources/ I also recommend the Novel Marketing Podcast on The Shopify Trap: Why authors keep losing money as it is a great counterpoint to my positive endorsement of selling direct on Shopify! Among other things, Thomas notes that a fixed monthly fee for a store doesn't match how most authors make money from books which is more in spikes, the complexity and hassle eats time and can cost more money if you pay for help, and it can reduce sales on Amazon and weaken your ranking. Basically, if you haven't figured out marketing direct to your store, it can hurt you.All true for some authors, for some genres, and for some people's lifestyle. But for authors who don't want to be on the hamster wheel of the Amazon algorithm and who want more diversity and control in income, as well as the incredible creative benefits of what you can do selling direct, then I would say, consider your options in 2025, even if that is trying out a low-financial-goal Kickstarter campaign, or selling some print books at a local fair. Interestingly, traditional publishers are also experimenting with direct sales. Kate Elton, the new CEO of Harper Collins notes in The Bookseller's 2026 trend article, “we are seeing global success with responsive, reader-driven publishing, subscription boxes and TikTok Shop and – crucially – developing strategies that are founded on a comprehensive understanding of the reader.” She also notes, “AI enables us to dramatically change the way we interact with and grow audiences. The opportunities are genuinely exciting – finding new ways to help readers discover books they will love, innovating in the ways we market and reach audiences, building new channels and adapting to new methods of consuming content.” (2) AI-powered search will start to shift elements of book discoverability From LinkedIn's 2026 Big Ideas: “Generative engine optimization (GEO) is set to replace search engine optimization (SEO) as the way brands get discovered in the year ahead. As consumers turn to AI chatbots, agentic workflows and answer engines, appearing prominently in generative outputs will matter more than ranking in search engines.” Google has been rolling out AI Mode with its AI Overviews and is beginning to push it within Google.com itself in some countries, which means the start of a fundamental change in how people discover content online. I first posted about GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) in 2023, and it's going to change how readers find books. For years, we've talked about the long tail of search. Now, with AI-powered search, that tail is getting even longer and more nuanced. AI can understand complex, conversational queries that traditional search engines struggled with. Someone might ask, “What's a good thriller set in a small town with a female protagonist who's a journalist investigating a cold case?” and get highly specific recommendations. This means your book metadata, your website content, and your online presence need to be more detailed and conversational. AI search engines understand context in ways that go far beyond simple keywords. The authors who win in this new landscape will be those who create rich, authentic content about their books and themselves, not just promotional copy. As economist Tyler Cowen has said, “Consider the AIs as part of your audience. Because they are already reading your words and listening to your voice.” We're in the ‘organic' traffic phase right now, where these AI engines are surfacing content for ‘free,' but paid ads are inevitably on the way, and even rumoured to be coming this year to ChatGPT. By the end of 2026, I expect some authors and publishers to be paying for AI traffic, rather than blocking and protesting them. For now, I recommend checking that your author name/s and your books are surfaced when you search on ChatGPT.com as well as Google.com AI Mode (powered by Gemini). You want to make sure your work comes up in some way. I found that Joanna Penn and J.F. Penn searches brought up my Shopify stores, my website, podcast, Instagram, LinkedIn, and even my Patreon page, but did not bring up links to Amazon. If you only have an author presence on Amazon, does it appear in AI search at all? Do you need to improve anything about what the AI search brings up? Traditional publishers are also looking at this, with PublishersWeekly doing webinars on various aspects of AI in early 2026, including sessions on GEO and how book sales are changing, AI agents, and book marketing. In a 2026 predictions article on The Bookseller, the CEO of Bloomsbury Publishing noted, “The boundaries of artificial intelligence will become clearer, enabling publishers to harness its benefits while seeking to safeguard the intellectual property rights of authors, illustrators and publishers.” “AI will be deeply embedded in our workflows, automating tasks such as metadata tagging, freeing teams to focus on creativity and strategy. Challenges will persist. Generative AI threatens traditional web traffic and ad revenue models, making metadata optimisation and SEO critical for visibility as we adjust to this new reality online.” (3) The start of Agentic Commerce AI researches what you want to buy and may even buy on your behalf. Plus, I predict that Amazon does a commerce deal with OpenAI for shopping within ChatGPT by the end of 2026. In September 2025, ChatGPT launched Instant Checkout and the Agentic Commerce Protocol, which will enable bots to buy on websites in the background if authorised by the human with the credit card. VISA is getting on board with this, so is PayPal, with no doubt more payment options to come. In the USA, ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Free users can now buy directly from US Etsy sellers inside the chat interface, with over a million Shopify merchants coming soon. Shopify and OpenAI have also announced a partnership to bring commerce to ChatGPT. I am insanely excited about this as it could represent the first time we have been able to more easily find and surface books in a much more nuanced way than the 7 keywords and 3 categories we have relied on for so long! I've been using ChatGPT for at least the last year to find fiction and non-fiction books as I find the Amazon interface is ‘polluted' by ads. I've discovered fascinating books from authors I've never heard of, most in very long tail areas. For example, Slashed Beauties by A. Rushby, recommended by ChatGPT as I am interested in medical anatomy and anatomical Venuses, and The Macabre by Kosoko Jackson, recommended as I like art history and the supernatural. I don't think I would have found either of these within a nuanced discussion with ChatGPT. Even without these direct purchase integrations, ChatGPT now has Shopping Research, which I have found links directly to my Shopify store when I search for my books specifically. Walmart has partnered with OpenAI to create AI-first shopping experiences, and you have to wonder what Amazon might be doing? In Nov 2025, Amazon signed a “strategic partnership” with OpenAI, and even though it's focused on the technical side of AI, those two companies in a room together might also be working on other plans … I'm calling it for 2026. I think Amazon will sign a commerce agreement with OpenAI sometime before the end of the year. This will enable at least recommendation and shopping links into Amazon stores (presumably using an OpenAI affiliate link), or perhaps even Instant Checkout with ChatGPT for Amazon. It will also enable a new marketing angle, especially if paid ads arrive in ChatGPT, perhaps even integrating with Amazon Ads in some way as part of any possible agreement, since ads are such a good revenue stream for Amazon anyway. The line between discovery, engagement, and purchase is collapsing. Someone could be having a conversation with an AI about what to read next, and within that same conversation, purchase a bookwithout ever leaving the chat interface. This already happens within TikTok and social commerce clearly works for many authors. It's possible that the next development for book discoverability and sales might be within AI chats. This will likely stratify the already fragmented book eco-system even more. Some readers will continue to live only within the Amazon ecosystem and (maybe) use their Rufus chatbot to buy, and others will be much wider in their exploration of how to find and discover books (and other products and services). If you haven't tried it yet, try ChatGPT.com Shopping Research for a book. You can do this on the free tier. Use the drop down in the main chat box and select Shopping Research. It doesn't have to be for your book. It can be any book or product, for example, our microwave died just before Christmas so I used it to find a new one. But do a really nuanced search with multiple requirements. Go far beyond what you would search for on Amazon. In the results, notice that (at the time of writing) it does not generally link to Amazon, but to independent sites and stores. As above, I think this will change by the end of 2026, as some kind of commerce deal with Amazon seems inevitable. (4) AI-assisted audiobook narration will go mainstream I've been talking about AI narration of audiobooks since 2019, and over the years, I've tried various different options. In 2025, the technology reached a level of emotional nuance that made it much easier to create satisfying fiction audio as well as non-fiction. It also super-charges accessibility, making audio available in more languages and more accents than ever before. Of course, human narration remains the gold standard, but the cost makes it prohibitive for many authors, and indeed many small traditional publishers, for all books. If it costs $2000 – $10,000 to create an audiobook, you have to sell a lot to make a profit, and the dominance of subscription models have made it harder to recoup the costs. Famous narrators and voice artists who have an audience may still be worth investing in, as well as premium production, but require an even higher upfront cost and therefore higher sales and streams in return. AI voice/audio models are continuing to improve, and even as this goes out, there are rumours on TechCrunch that OpenAI's new device, designed by Jony Ive who designed the iPhone, will be audio first and OpenAI are improving their voice models even more in preparation for that launch. In 2026, I think AI-narrated audio will go mainstream with far-reaching adoption across publishing and the indie author world in many different languages and accents. This will mean a further stratification of audiobooks, with high quality, high production, high cost human narrated audio for a small percentage of books, and then mass market, affordable AI-narrated audio for the rest. AI-narrated audiobooks will make audio ubiquitous, and just as (almost) every print book has an ebook format, in 2026, they will also have an audio format. I straddle both these worlds, as I am still a human audiobook narrator for my own work. I human-narrated Successful Self-Publishing Fourth Edition (free audiobook) and The Buried and the Drowned, my short story collection. I also use AI narration for some books. ElevenLabs remains my preferred service and in 2025, I used my J.F. Penn voice clone for Death Valley and also Blood Vintage, while using a male voice for Catacomb. I clearly label my AI-narration in the sales description and also on the cover, which I think is important, although it is not always required by the various services. You can distribute ElevenLabs narrated audiobooks on Spotify, Kobo Writing Life, YouTube, ElevenReader, and of course your own store if you use Shopify with Bookfunnel. There are many other services springing up all the time, so make sure you check the rights you have over the finished audio, as well as where you can sell and distribute the final files. If they are just using ElevenLabs models in the back-end, then why not just do that directly? (Most services will be using someone's model in the back-end, since most companies do not train their own models.) Of course, you can use Amazon's own narration. While Amazon originally launched Audible audiobooks with Virtual Voice (AVV) in November 2023, it was rolled out to more authors and territories in 2025. If your book is eligible, the option to create an audiobook will appear on your KDP dashboard. With just a few clicks, you can create an audiobook from a range of voices and accents, and publish it on Amazon and Audible. However, the files are not yours. They are exclusive to Amazon and you cannot use them on other platforms or sell them direct yourself. But they are also free, so of course, many authors, especially those in KU, will use this option. I have done some for my mum's sweet romance books as Penny Appleton and I will likely use them for my books in translation when the option becomes available. Traditional publishers are experimenting with AI-assisted audiobook narration as well. MacMillan is selling digital audiobooks read by AI directly on their store. PublishersWeekly reports that PRH Audio “has experimented with artificial voice in specific instances, such as entrepreneur Ely Callaway's posthumous memoir The Unconquerable Game,” when an “authorized voice replica” was created for the audiobook. The article also notes that PRH Audio “embrace artificial intelligence across business operations—my entire department [PRH Audio] is using AI for business applications.” And while indie authors can't use AI voices on ACX right now, Audible have over 100 voices available to selected publishing partnerships, as reported by The Guardian with “two options for publishers wishing to make use of the technology: “Audible-managed” production, or “self-service” whereby publishers produce their own audiobooks with the help of Audible's AI technology.” In 2026, it's likely that more traditional publishers — as well as indie authors — will get their backlist into audio with AI narration. (5) AI-assisted translation will start to take off beyond the early adopters Over the years, I've done translation deals with traditional publishers in different languages (German, French, Spanish, Korean, Italian) for some fiction and non-fiction books. But of course, to get these kinds of deals, you have to be proactive about pitching, or work with an agent for foreign rights only, and those are few and far between! There are also lots of languages and territories worldwide, and most deals are for the bigger markets, leaving a LOT of blue water for books in translation, even if you have licensed some of the bigger markets. I did my first partially AI-translated books in 2019 when I used Deepl.com for the first draft and then worked with a German editor to do 3 non-fiction books in German. While the first draft was cheap, the editing was pretty expensive, so I stopped after only doing a couple. I have made the money back now, but it took years. In 2025, AI Translation began to take off with ScribeShadow, GlobeScribe.ai, and more recently, in November 2025, Kindle Translate boosting the number of translated books available. Kindle Translate is (currently) only available to US authors for English into Spanish and also German into English, but in 2026, this will likely roll out to more languages and more authors, making it easier than ever to produce translations for free. Of course, once again, the gold standard is human translation, or at least human-edited translations, but the cost is prohibitive even just for proof-reading, and if there is a cheap or even free option, like Kindle Translate, then of course, authors are going to try it. If the translation gets bad reviews, they can just un-publish. There are many anecdotal stories of indie success in 2025 with AI-translated genre fiction sales (in series) in under-served markets like Italian, French, and Spanish, as well as more mainstream adoption in German. I was around in the Kindle gold-rush days of 2009-2012 and the AI-translation energy right now feels like that. There are hardly any Kindle ebooks in many of these languages compared to how many there are in English, so inevitably, the rush is on to fill the void, especially in genres that are under-served by traditional publishers in those markets. Yes, some of these AI translated books will be ‘AI-slop,' but readers are not stupid. Those books will get bad reviews and thus will sink to the bottom of the store, never to be seen again. The AI translation models are also improving rapidly, and Amazon's Kindle Translate may improve faster than most, for books specifically, since they will be able to get feedback in terms of page reads. Amazon is also a major investor in Anthropic, which makes Claude.ai, widely considered the best quality for creative writing and translation, so it's likely that is used somewhere in the mix. Some traditional publishers are also experimenting with AI-assisted translation, with Harlequin France reportedly using AI translation and human proofreaders, as reported by the European Council of Literary Translators' Associations in December 2025. Academic publisher Taylor and Francis is also using AI for book translation, noting: “Following a program of rigorous testing, Taylor & Francis has announced plans to use AI translation tools to publish books that would otherwise be unavailable to English-language readers, bringing the latest knowledge to a vastly expanded readership.” “Until now, the time and resources required to translate books has meant that the majority remained accessible only to those who could read them in the original language. Books that were translated often only became available after a significant delay. Today, with the development of sophisticated AI translation tools, it has become possible to make these important texts available to a broad readership at speed, without compromising on accuracy.” (6) AI video becomes ubiquitous. ‘Live selling' becomes the next trend in social sales. In 2025, short form AI-generated video became very high quality. OpenAI released Sora 2, and YouTube announced new Shorts creation tools with Veo 3, which you can also use directly within Gemini. There are tons of different AI video apps now, including those within the social media sites themselves. There is more video than ever and it's much easier to create. I am not a fan of short form video! I don't make it and I don't consume it, but I do love making book trailers for my Kickstarter campaigns and for adding to my book pages and using on social media. I made a trailer for The Buried and the Drowned using Midjourney for images and then animation of those images, and Canva to put them together along with ElevenLabs to generate the music. But despite the AI tools getting so much easier to use, you still have to prompt them with exactly what you want. I can't just upload my book and say, “Make a book trailer,” or “Make a short film.” This may change with generative video ads, which are likely to become more common in 2026, as video turns specifically commercial. Video ads may even be generated specifically for the user, with an audience of one, maybe even holding your book in their hands (using something like Cameos on Sora), in the same way that some AI-powered clothing stores do virtual try-ons. This might also up-end the way we discover and buy things, as the AI for eCommerce and Amazon Sellers newsletter says about OpenAI's Sora app, “OpenAI isn't just trying to build a TikTok competitor. They're building a complete reimagining of how we discover and buy things …” “The combination of ChatGPT's research capabilities and Sora's potential for emotional manipulation—I mean, “engagement”—could create something we've never seen before: an AI ecosystem that might eventually guide you through every type of purchase, from the most considered to the most impulsive.” In 2026, there will be A LOT more AI-generated video, but that also leads to the human trend of more live video. While you can use an AI avatar that looks and sounds like you using tools like HeyGen or Synthesia, live video has all the imperfect human elements that make it stand-out, plus the scarcity element which leads to the purchase decision within a countdown period. Live video is nothing new in terms of brand building and content in general, but it seems that live events primarily for direct sales might be a thing in 2026. Kim Kardashian hosted Kimsmas Live in December 2025 with a 45 minute live shopping event with special guests, described as entertainment but designed to be a sales extravaganza. Indie authors are doing a similar thing on TikTok with their books, so this is a trend to watch in 2026, especially if you feel that live selling might fit with your personality and author business goals. It's certainly not for everyone, but I suspect it will suit a different kind of creator to those who prefer ‘no face' video, or no video at all! On other aspects of the human side of social media, Adam Mosseri the CEO of Instagram put a post on Threads called Authenticity after Abundance. He said, “Everything that made creators matter—the ability to be real, to connect, to have a voice that couldn't be faked—is now suddenly accessible to anyone with the right tools.” “Deepfakes are getting better and better. AI is generating photographs and videos indistinguishable from captured media. The feeds are starting to fill up with synthetic everything. And in that world, here's what I think happens.Creators matter more.” It's a long article so just to pick a few things from it: “We like to talk about “AI slop,” but there is a lot of amazing AI content … we are going to start to see more and more realistic AI content.” I've talked to my Patreon Community about this ‘tsunami of excellence' as these tools are just getting better and better and the word ‘slop' can also be applied to purely human output, too. If you think that AI content is ‘worse' than wholly human content, in 2026, you are wrong. It is now very very good, especially in the hands of people who can drive the AI tools. Back to Adam's post: “Authenticity is fast becoming a scarce resource, …The creators who succeed will be those who figure out how to maintain their authenticity [even when it can be simulated] …” “The bar is going to shift from “can you create?” to “can you make something that only you could create?” He talks about how the personal content on Instagram now is: “unpolished; it's blurry photos and shaky videos of people's daily experiences … flattering imagery is cheap to produce and boring to consume. People want content that feels real… Savvy creators are going to lean into explicitly unproduced and unflattering images of themselves. In a world where everything can be perfected, imperfection becomes a signal. Rawness isn't just aesthetic preference anymore—it's proof. It's defensive. A way of saying: this is real because it's imperfect.” While I partially love this, and I really hope it's true, as in I hope we don't need to look good for the camera anymore I would also challenge Adam on this, because pretty much every woman I know on social media has been sent sexual messages, and/or told they are ugly and/or fat when posting anything unflattering. I've certainly had both even for the same content, but I don't expect Adam has been the target for such posting! But I get his point. He goes on:“Labeling content as authentic or AI-generated is only part of the solution though. We, as an industry, are going to need to surface much more context about not only the media on our platforms, but the accounts that are sharing it in order for people to be able to make informed decisions about what to believe. Where is the account? When was it created? What else have they posted?” This is exactly what I've been saying for a while under my double down on being human focus. I use my Instagram @jfpennauthor as evidence of humanity, not as a sales channel. You can do both of course, but increasingly, you need to make sure your accounts at places have longevity and trust, even by the platforms themselves. Adam finishes: “In a world of infinite abundance and infinite doubt, the creators who can maintain trust and signal authenticity—by being real, transparent, and consistent—will stand out.” For other marketing trends for 2026, I recommend publicist Kathleen Schmidt's SubStack which is mostly focused on traditional publishing but still interesting for indies. In her 2026 article, she notes: “We have reached a social media saturation point where going viral can be meaningless and should not be the goal; authenticity and creativity should. She also says, “In-person events are important again,” and, “Social media marketing takes a nosedive… we have reached a saturation point … What publishers must figure out is how to make their social media campaigns stand out. If they remain somewhat uninspired, the money spent on social ads won't convert into book sales.” I think this is part of the rise of live selling as above, which can stand out above more ‘produced' videos. Kathleen also talks about AI usage. “AI can help lighten the burden of publicity and marketing.” “A lot of AI tools are coming to market to lessen the load: they can write pitches, create media lists for you, send pitches for you, and more. I know the industry is grappling with all things AI, but some of these tools are huge time savers and may help a book more than hurt it.” On that note … (7) AI will create, run, and optimise ads without the need for human intervention Many authors will be very happy about this as marketing is often the bane of our author business lives! As I noted in my 2026 goals, I would love to outsource more marketing tasks to AI. I want an “AI book marketing assistant” where I can upload a book and specify a budget and say, ‘Go market this,' then the AI will action the marketing, without me having to cobble together workflows between systems. Of course, it will present plans for me to approve but it will do the work itself on the various platforms and monitor and optimize things for me. I really hope 2026 is the year this becomes possible, because we are on the edge of it already in some areas. Amazon Ads launched a new agentic AI tool in September 2025 that creates professional-quality ads. I've also been working with Claude in Chrome browser to help me analyse my Amazon Ad data and suggest which keywords/products to turn off and what to put more budget into. I'll do a Patreon video on that soon. Meta announced it will enable AI ad creation by the end of 2026 for Facebook and Instagram. For authors who find ad creation overwhelming or time-consuming, this could be a game-changer. Of course, you will still need a budget! (8) 1000 True Fans becomes more important than ever Lots of authors and publishers are moaning about the difficulty of reaching readers in an era of ‘AI slop' but there is no shortage of excellent content created by humans, or humans using AI tools. As ever, our competition is less about other authors, or even authors using AI-assisted creation, we're competing against everything else that jostles for people's attention, and the volume of that is also growing exponentially. I've never been a fan of rapid release, and have said for years that you can't keep up with the pace of the machines. So play a different game. As Kevin Kelly wrote in 2008, If you have 1000 true fans, (also known as super fans), “you can make a living — if you are content to make a living but not a fortune.” [Kevin Kelly was on this show in 2023 talking about Excellent Advice for Living.] Many authors and the publishing industry are stuck in the old model of aiming to sell huge volumes of books at a low profit margin to a massive number of readers, many of them releasing ever faster to try and keep the algorithms moving. But the maths can work for the smaller audience of more invested readers and fans. If you only make $2 profit on an ebook, you need to sell 500 ebooks to make $1000, and then do it again next month. Or you can have a small community like my patreon.com/thecreativepenn where people pay $2 (or more) a month, so even a small revenue per person results in a better outcome over the year, as it is consistent monthly income with no advertising. But what if you could make $20 profit per book? That is entirely possible if you're producing high quality hardbacks on Kickstarter, or bundle deals of audiobooks, or whole series of ebooks. You would only need to sell to 50 people to make $1000. What about $100 profit per sale, which you can do with a small course or live event? You only need 10 people to make $1000, and this in-person focus also amplifies trust and fosters human connection. I've found the intimacy of my live Patreon Office Hours and also my webinars have been rewarding personally, but also financially, and are far more memorable — and potentially transformative — than a pre-recorded video or even another book. From the LinkedIn 2026 Big Ideas article: “In an AI-optimized world, intentional human connection will become the ultimate luxury.” The 1000 True Fans model is about serving a smaller, more personal audience with higher value products (and maybe services if that's your thing). As ever, its about niche and where you fit in the long long long long long tail. It's also about trust. Because there is definitely a shortage of that in so many areas, and as Adam Mosseri of Instagram has said, trust will be increasingly important. Trust takes time to build, but if you focus on serving your audience consistently, and delivering a high quality, and being authentic, this emerges as part of being human. In an echo of what happened when online commerce first took off, we are back to talking about trust. Back in 2010, I read Trust Agents: by Julien Smith and Chris Brogan, which clearly needs a comeback. There was a 10th anniversary edition published in 2020, so that's worth a read/listen. Chris Brogan was also on this show in 2017 when we talked about finding and serving your niche for the long term. That interview is still relevant, here's a quick excerpt, where I have (lightly edited) his response to my question on this topic back in 2017: Jo: The principle of know, like, and trust, why is that still important or perhaps even more important these days? Chris: There are a few things that at play there, Joanna. One is that the same tools that make it so easy for any of us to start and run a business also allow certain elements to decide whether or not they want to do something dubious. And with all new technologies that come, you know, there's nothing unique about these new technologies. In the 1800s, anyone could put anything in a bottle and sell it to you and say, this is gonna cure everything. Cancer — gone. And the bottle could have nothing in. You know, it could be Kool-Aid. And so, the idea of trying to understand what's behind the business though, one beautiful thing that's come is that we can see in much more dimensions who we're dealing with. We can understand better who's the face behind the brand. I really want people to try their best to be a lot clearer on what they stand for or what they say. And I don't really mean a tagline. I mean, humans don't really talk like that. They don't throw some sentence out as often as they can that you remember them for that phrase. But I would say that, we have so many media available to us — the plural of mediums — where we can be more of ourselves. And I think that there's a great opportunity to share the ‘you' behind the scenes, and some people get immediately terrified about this, ‘Ah, the last thing I want is for people to know more about me,' but I think we have such an opportunity. We have such an opportunity to voice our thoughts on something, to talk about the story that goes behind the product. We were all raised on overly produced material, but I think we don't want that anymore. We really want clarity, brevity, simplicity. We want the ability for what we feel is connection and then access. And so I think it's vital that we connect and show people our accessibility, not so that they can pester us with strange questions, but more so that you can say, this person stands with their product and their service and this person believes these things, and I feel something when I hear them and I wanna be part of that.” That's from Chris Brogan's interview here in 2017, and he is still blogging and speaking at writing at ChrisBrogan.com and I'm going to re-listen to the audiobook of Trust Agents again myself as I think it's more relevant than ever. The original quote comes from Bob Burg in his 1994 book, Endless Referrals, “All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like and trust.” That still applies, and absolutely fits with the 1000 True Fans model of aiming to serve a smaller audience. As Kevin Kelly says in 1000 True Fans, “Instead of trying to reach the narrow and unlikely peaks of platinum bestseller hits, blockbusters, and celebrity status, you can aim for direct connection with a thousand true fans.” “On your way, no matter how many fans you actually succeed in gaining, you'll be surrounded not by faddish infatuation, but by genuine and true appreciation. It's a much saner destiny to hope for. And you are much more likely to actually arrive there.” In 2026, I hope that more authors (including me!) let go of ego goals and vanity metrics like ranking, gross sales (income before you take away costs), subscribers, followers, and likes, and consider important business numbers like profit (which is the money you have after costs like marketing are taken out), as well as number of true fans — and also lifestyle elements like number of weekends off, or days spent enjoying life and not just working! OK, that's my list of trends and predictions for 2026. Let me know what you think in the comments. Do you agree? Am I wrong? What have I missed? The post 2026 Trends And Predictions For Indie Authors And The Book Publishing Industry with Joanna Penn first appeared on The Creative Penn.

Welcome to the Atomic Anesthesia podcast hosted by CRNA professor Dr. Rhea Temmermand and Co-Founder Sachi Lord. On this show, you'll hear clear, clinically grounded discussions designed for nurse anesthesia residents and CRNAs who want to feel more confident in complex pharmacology, physiology, and real-world anesthesia decision-making.Topics included in this episode:Academic anchor habits for SRNAs and new CRNAsDeliberate clinical practice, including “one skill per shift” and quick weekly case debriefs.​Mindset strategies like a “wins log” to fight imposter syndrome.​Professional growth through scary-but-safe opportunities, CRNA business basics, and exploring fellowship prerequisites.​Personal boundaries around sleep, non‑anesthesia hobbies, and phone/social media use to prevent burnout.​Early burnout recognition and proactive check-ins with mentors or a therapist.

MCNAMARA'S ACADEMIC BRILLIANCE AND PERSONAL DRIVE Colleague William Taubman. Taubmandetails McNamara's academic brilliance, noting his induction into Phi Beta Kappa at Berkeley and his status as the top student at Harvard Business School, where he sought to combine business with public service. His drive was shaped by a cold father and a mother who pushed him relentlessly to excel, while his wife Margie provided the emotional warmth and cheerfulness his own personality lacked. Despite his intellect, a 1939 trip to Europe, where he witnessed Hitlerspeak, left him surprisingly unaware of the imminent outbreak of war. NUMBER 2 1910

In Part 2 of our series on intellectualls, Daniel Tutt returns to talk  Bourdieu. Start with the feeling that “merit” is natural and fair—and then watch it fall apart. We take Pierre Bourdieu's sharpest tools—habitus, field, cultural capital, symbolic power—and use them to expose how universities, media, and taste quietly reproduce class while insisting it's all about talent. From Homo Academicus to Distinction to the Algeria studies, we clear up the biggest misconceptions: cultural capital is more than style, symbolic violence is more than rude behavior, and habitus is embodied history adapting to shifting fields.Our conversation travels through the crisis of the scholarly habitus—leisure packaged as labor, prestige buffered by adjunct exploitation—and the awkward truth that DEI can deepen stratification when it diverts resources and legitimizes existing hierarchies. We connect Bourdieu's hysteresis to today's culture wars: fields change fast, bodies adapt slow, and the resulting frustration feeds irrationalism. His study of Heidegger becomes a cautionary tale about stalled elites and seductive anti‑rational philosophies. Meanwhile the working class loses a stable habitus in a gigged‑out economy, making organizing harder and resentment easier to weaponize.We balance Bourdieu with a Marxist insistence on production and power. The best use of his map is practical: reveal the hidden rules, rebuild class independence, and design para‑academic and organizing projects that out‑perform the academy on rigor and relevance. Expect clear definitions, concrete examples, and straight talk on credentialism, elite infighting dressed as populism, and why making class legible again is the first step toward changing material life. If you've ever felt the system deny its own history while sorting your future, this conversation will give you language—and a plan—to push back.If this resonates, follow the show, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review with the sharpest insight you took away. Where do you see symbolic power at work today?Send us a text Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to BitterlakeSupport the showCrew:Host: C. Derick VarnIntro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesArt Design: Corn and C. Derick VarnLinks and Social Media:twitter: @varnvlogblue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.socialYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeCurrent Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic,Julian

What do lightning storms on a remote mountain plateau have to do with fungus? Daile Zhang, assistant professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of North Dakota, explores the connection. Daile Zhang is an Assistant Professor at University of North Dakota. Her research focuses on atmospheric electricity and remote sensing. Daile received her PhD degree […]

In this episode, MacKenzie is joined by two leaders on the frontlines of education innovation: Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and national education policy expert Jon Schnur. Jon has worked with presidents across party lines, including Obama, Bush, and Clinton, and is currently the CEO of America Achieves, an organization focused on expanding access to economic opportunity and clear pathways to good jobs.Together, Kevin and Jon share honest insights into the current state of education, drawing from their unique perspectives in government, policy, and on-the-ground reform to explore what it will actually take to create better outcomes for students and communities.

How we experience an event may change how we remember it. Christopher Baldassano, associate professor of psychology at Columbia University, looks into our past experiences for clues. Christopher Baldassano is an Associate Professor in the Psychology Department at Columbia University. He was an undergraduate in Electrical Engineering at Princeton University, received his PhD in Computer […]

In this episode, Dan Hackner, MD, Chief Clinical and Academic Officer, Southcoast Health, joins the podcast to discuss the role of concurrent data in improving clinical decision-making. He addresses gaps in educating and supporting caregivers, how health systems can anticipate the future affordability of care, and why deeply understanding community needs is essential to driving meaningful innovation in healthcare.

Happy New Year, listeners!  In this Season 5 premiere of the Admittedly Podcast, host Thomas Caleel kicks off the new year by addressing one of the most important questions students and families face: how to take control of the college admissions process instead of leaving outcomes to chance. Drawing on decades of experience in highly selective admissions, Thomas reflects on the lessons of the past admissions cycle and explains why early planning, honest self-assessment, and clear goals matter more than ever in 2026. He breaks down common misconceptions about admissions, the growing emphasis on academic rigor and testing, and why students don't need to reinvent themselves — they need clarity, consistency, and authenticity. This episode is especially relevant for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who want to approach the year ahead with intention, as well as parents looking for a realistic, transparent framework for supporting their students without unnecessary pressure. Key Takeaways:  You don't need a new version of yourself. You need clearer goals. Highly selective admissions reward planning, not last-minute effort. Academic rigor and grades matter more as schools push back on grade inflation. Tutoring, test prep, and support work best when started early — not reactively. Doing fewer things well beats chasing checklists or copying other students. Authenticity and self-awareness are what help students stand out in large applicant pools.   Listeners can continue the conversation and find ongoing guidance by following Admittedly on Instagram and TikTok at @admittedlyco.  Additional free resources (including guides, blogs, and tools designed to clarify the college admissions process) are available at admittedly.co.

On University of Southern California Dornsife Week: What happens in childhood has an impact – especially when it comes to money. Deborah Finkel, research professor at the center for economic and social research and department of psychology, examines why. Deborah Finkel is a research professor (50%) at CESR. She earned her PhD in behavior genetics from the […]

Unclaimed deaths are on the rise. Pamela Prickett, associate professor of sociology at Pomona College, examines how some have come together to honor them. Pamela Prickett is an associate professor of sociology at Pomona College and former journalist. She is the author of two books about Los Angeles, including The Unclaimed: Abandonment and Hope in the City […]

AbstractThis research paper presents a literature review of a textual analysis of a preacher's sermon based on 1 John 4:7-12, focusing on love as a central theme in Christian theology. The analysis delves into the sermon's theological, rhetorical, and cultural elements, drawing connections to biblical exegesis, homiletics, and contemporary cultural issues. The paper employs a combination of historical-critical, rhetorical, and cultural-theological frameworks to assess how the sermon articulates Christian love, its implications for Christian identity, and its relevance to modern social contexts. Findings suggest that the preacher effectively uses rhetorical strategies to convey the transformative power of God's love while challenging congregants to reconsider their role in embodying divine love in a fractured world.Dr. William Anderson Gittens, D.D.Support the showCultural Factors Influence Academic Achievements© 2024 ISBN978-976-97385-7-7 A_MEMOIR_OF_Dr_William_Anderson_Gittens_D_D_2024_ISBNISBN978_976_97385_0_8 Academic.edu. Chief of Audio Visual Aids Officer Mr. Michael Owen Chief of Audio Visual Aids Officer Mr. Selwyn Belle Commissioner of Police Mr. Orville Durant Dr. William Anderson Gittens, D.D En.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifelong_learning Hackett Philip Media Resource Development Officer Holder, B,Anthony Episcopal Priest, https://brainly.com/question/36353773 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifelong_learning#cite_note-19 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifelong_learning#cite_note-:2-18 https://independent.academia.edu/WilliamGittens/Books https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=william+anderson+gittens+barbados&oq=william+anderson+gittens https://www.academia.edu/123754463/ https://www.buzzsprout.com/429292/episodes. https://www.youtube.com/@williamandersongittens1714. Mr.Greene, Rupert

This podcast, a presentation at the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association 2025 conference in Raleigh, North Carolina, explores the intersection of behavioral healthcare in primary care settings through two Integrated Care models: the collaborative care model (CoCM) and the primary care behavioral health model (PCBH). CoCM utilizes a structured interdisciplinary approach to deliver evidence based behavioral interventions alongside medication recommendation and management. PCBH adopts an integrated care approach, embedding behavioral health consultants within the primary care setting, making it easier for patients to receive holistic treatment. We will discuss key components, patient outcomes, collaboration, techniques, and lessons learned in an academic family medicine clinic.

Podcast: ICS Arabia PodcastEpisode: What Does OT Really Mean ? | 58Pub date: 2025-12-26Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationOn the ICS Arabia Podcast

Best Of TP&R As we close out the year, we're resurfacing a small handful of conversations from the Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other archive that best reflect what this show exists to do: create space for thoughtful disagreement, moral seriousness, and the hard work of living together in a pluralistic democracy. This conversation with Jonathan Rauch and Liz Joyner stands out as a true highlight — not just because of the ideas discussed, but because of the spirit in which they're explored: curiosity, generosity, and an insistence that liberal democracy is something we must actively practice. Whether this is your first time hearing it or you're returning to it, I'm really glad you're here.   Why defending viewpoint diversity might be the most radical—and necessary—act in higher education today. What a treat to welcome two leading voices in the fight for viewpoint diversity and constructive civic dialogue: Jonathan Rauch, senior fellow at Brookings and author of The Constitution of Knowledge, and Liz Joyner, founder of The Village Square. Recorded at a moment of rising polarization — and resurfaced now because its insights have only grown more urgent — Jon and Liz unpack the mission of Heterodox Academy (HxA). As board members, Jon and Liz unpack the organization's mission to restore open inquiry and truth-seeking within higher education—and how these values are essential to preserving our democracy at large. With personal stories, sharp analysis, and even a few laughs, they explore what we each can do to counter the ecosystem of illiberalism and strengthen the social fabric. Calls to Action: ✅ If this episode resonates, consider sharing it with someone who might need a reminder that disagreement doesn't have to mean dehumanization. ✅ Subscribe to Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other on your favorite podcast platform. ✅ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen: ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics ✅ Check out our Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com ✅ Watch the full conversation and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion Timestamps & Topics [00:00:00] Intro: What's broken in our democracy and how we fix it [00:01:00] Meet the guests: Jonathan Rauch and Liz Joyner [00:03:00] What is Heterodox Academy and how did it begin? [00:06:00] Rauch on early signs of "wokeness" and Kindly Inquisitors [00:08:00] Joyner's grassroots experience with ideological diversity at Village Square [00:10:00] The "ecosystem of illiberalism" and why liberal principles matter [00:15:00] Can HxA help defend against external political coercion? [00:20:00] Are we headed toward institutional collapse or renewal? [00:25:00] Speech vs. coercion: The cultural and legal frontlines [00:33:00] Personal costs of speaking out: Corey's Chappelle story [00:36:00] What should institutions do to defend free speech? [00:39:00] On the Trump administration's authoritarian tactics [00:45:00] Fears for 2026 and 2028 elections [00:48:00] Signs of progress: Academic reform, FIRE, and HxA programs [00:54:00] How to break the cycle of intolerance [00:56:00] How do we actually talk to people who disagree? [01:01:00] "Love people back into communion with liberalism" [01:08:00] The local vs. national divide—learning from LA's fires & ICE raids [01:14:00] Final reflections: Reclaiming truth, curiosity, and compassion Key Takeaways Liberalism needs defenders: Jon reminds us that truth-seeking demands criticism—and that “criticism hurts, but it's necessary.” Civic spaces matter: Liz underscores the importance of local, respectful dialogue and building trust before crisis hits. The ecosystem is the problem: Illiberalism isn't coming from just one side; it's a reactive spiral we must all help disrupt. Institutions must hold firm: It's not disagreement that's dangerous—it's coercion by powerful entities that silence dissent. Each of us has a role: From book clubs to coffee shops, we can all “love people back into communion with liberalism.” Notable Quotes “We are better together. A diverse people can self-govern—if we protect the institutions that help us do so.” – Liz Joyner “If I'm talking, I'm not learning. If I'm listening, I probably am.” – Jonathan Rauch “What I'd like you to talk about today is how we can love people back into communion with liberalism.” – Quoting Jonathan V. Last (via Liz Joyner) Resources & Mentions Heterodox Academy - heterodoxacademy.org The Constitution of Knowledge - www.brookings.edu/books/the-constitution-of-knowledge Kindly Inquisitors - press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/K/bo18140749.html A University the World Has Never Seen- heterodoxacademy.substack.com/p/a-university-the-world-has-never Jonathan Rauch- jonathanrauch.typepad.com Connect on Social Media: Corey is @coreysnathan on all the socials... Substack LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Threads Bluesky TikTok Our Sponsors Pew Research Center: pewresearch.org The Village Square: villagesquare.us Meza Wealth Management: mezawealth.com Proud members of The Democracy Group May your next conversation make room for disagreement — and still leave space for curiosity, courage, and care.

Send us a textStop Saying "Good Student"! 15 Academic Words for Education (IELTS Band 8+)Education is a core topic in IELTS Writing Task 2 and Speaking Part 3. Instead of simple terms like "good student," use these 15 academic words to discuss pedagogy, curriculum, and learning styles effectively.

In Part 2, MacKenzie breaks down eleven learning science principles that reveal how kids really learn. Covering everything from memory and focus to motivation and mastery, this episode explains what the brain needs to learn faster, retain more, and build real confidence. It's a practical crash course in what makes learning stick and how parents can spot environments that support the brain rather than fight it.

Do you know a co-worker with a side hustle? Jennifer Nahrgang, professor and Henry B. Tippie Excellence Chair of Management and Entrepreneurship at the University of Iowa, discusses how it might affect them at work. Jennifer D. Nahrgang is Professor and Henry B. Tippie Excellence Chair of Management and Entrepreneurship in the Tippie College of […]

https://thecommunists.org/2025/12/01/news/break-academic-zionism-chains-university-college-dublin/ Social Rights Ireland on the Palestine solidarity encampment and the crisis of imperialist analysis in Ireland. The lack of engagement by Ireland's official ‘left' with the encampment at UCD illuminates a fundamental crisis: the abandonment of a revolutionary understanding of imperialism. The refusal to think beyond moral outrage at the genocide in Gaza, to trace the roots of the genocide to imperialism as a global economic system, is a sign of intellectual and political bankruptcy. Subscribe! Donate! Join us in building a bright future for humanity! www.thecommunists.org www.lalkar.org www.redyouth.org Telegram: t.me/thecommunists Twitter: twitter.com/cpgbml Soundcloud: @proletarianradio Rumble: rumble.com/c/theCommunists Odysee: odysee.com/@proletariantv:2 Facebook: www.facebook.com/cpgbml Online Shop: https://shop.thecommunists.org/ Education Program: Each one teach one! www.londonworker.org/education-programme/ Join the struggle www.thecommunists.org/join/ Donate: www.thecommunists.org/donate/

Being an advocate is important; so, what's the most effective process for becoming one? Patrick Barry, clinical assistant professor at the University of Michigan Law School, takes a trip to find the answer. Patrick Barry is a clinical assistant professor and the director of digital academic initiatives at the University of Michigan Law School, as […]

Send us a textStop Saying "Good Job"! 15 Professional Words for Career Success (IELTS Band 8+)Are you aiming for a high score in IELTS General or Academic? Or maybe you want to sound more professional at work? Stop saying "Good Job." Learn 15 professional words tailored for career success and business environments.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but is it also in science? Brandon Vaidyanathan, professor of sociology at the Catholic University of America, takes a closer look. Dr. Brandon Vaidyanathan is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Institutional Flourishing Lab at The Catholic University of America. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees […]

In this episode, Lisa and Brian discuss:Strategies for maximizing college scholarships given by the institutionsThe difference in merit vs. need-based financial aidThe role of GPA and standardized testing, ACT, and SAT, in scholarship awardsColleges with merit scholarship grids where students can know the amount they can earn for good grades and scoresTransparency of college financial aid policiesKey Takeaways: Merit aid is often more predictable than need-based aid because many colleges offer fixed scholarships based on GPA and ACT and SAT scores, making it easier to estimate college costs.Skipping standardized tests can cost students thousands in scholarships, as many schools that are “test-optional” for admission still require test scores for merit aid or reduce the award if applying test-optional.At some universities, it is possible to calculate the number of additional correct answers on the ACT that a student needs to raise their merit aid award, making test prep a highly valuable investment.Over 90% of scholarship money comes directly from colleges rather than private sources, meaning that researching a school's financial aid policies is more effective than chasing small external scholarships. “When the airplane is going down, you put the mask on yourself first—you first, your kids second. The merit aid from the school is the 'putting your mask on yourself'… after that, if a kid has free time, definitely apply to some of the outside scholarships.” – Brian EufingerAbout Brian Eufinger: Brian Eufinger is the President of Atlanta-based Edison Prep and has tutored over 14,000 students for a combined 35,000+ hours on the SAT, PSAT, and ACT over the past two decades.Episode References:Merit Aid Grids: https://meritaidgrids.com/Student Email Template: How to Get Clear Answers About College Merit Aid https://www.flourishcoachingco.com/merit #042 Will grade inflation hurt your teen with Brian Eufinger?  https://www.flourishcoachingco.com/042 Get Lisa's Free on-demand video: How-to guide for your teen to choose the right major, college, & career...(without painting themselves into a corner, missing crucial deadlines, or risking choices you both regret).flourishcoachingco.com/videoConnect with Brian Eufinger:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edisonpreptutoring/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edisonprepWebsite: https://www.edisonprep.com/Email: brian@edisonprep.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eufinger/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EdisonPrepTutoringConnect with Lisa:Website: https://www.flourishcoachingco.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@flourishcoachingcoFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/flourishcoachingco/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flourishcoachingco/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flourish-coaching-co

In this episode, MacKenzie unpacks eleven learning science principles that explain how kids actually learn. From memory and focus to motivation and mastery, this conversation breaks down what the brain truly needs to learn faster, retain more, and build real confidence- both in and out of the classroom. Think of this as a crash course in what makes learning stick, and how parents can spot (and support) environments that truly work with the brain instead of against it.

Marty and Eric talk about ways in which you can plan, organize, execute your digital academic brand.Helpful Tools for Academic Websites & E-PortfoliosWebsite Builders:- WordPress – https://wordpress.com- Squarespace – https://www.squarespace.com- Wix – https://www.wix.com Academic-Focused Platforms:- Google Sites – https://sites.google.com- Notion – https://www.notion.so- Weebly for Education – https://education.weebly.com- About.me – https://about.mePractical Approaches- Start with a one-page website.- Use templates for teaching, research, service, and media.- Embed Google Scholar, ORCID, or Zotero widgets.- Sync updated CV PDFs to your site.- Include professional photos and a consistent color palette. Practical Takeaways- Your website is the public front door to your professional life.- A personal site maintains control of your academic narrative.- Use the site as a centralized hub for your work.- E-portfolios help others understand the breadth of your work.- Search committees expect digital presence.Email: ThePodTalkNetwork@gmail.comWebsite: https://ThePodTalk.netYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TechSavvyProfessor

Fire can prepare soil for new growth, but also leave beyond trauma for those afflicted. Grace Moore, associate professor of English at the University of Otago, considers the literary context. Grace Moore is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Otago. Her research spans Victorian studies, Australian studies, and the Environmental Humanities.  Grace […]

I hear this every single year: “This is a particularly bad year for the PhD job market.”And yes, this year is brutal if you want a tenure track job.But here is my hot take.We need to get off our high horse.Academia trains smart people to believe there is one “real” path. Get the PhD. Get the tenure track job. Anything else is a failure.That story is not just harsh. It is also out of date.Even by the numbers, most teaching jobs are now not on the tenure track. The American Association of University Professors reported that about 73 percent of instructional staff were off the tenure track (in 2016). So when you feel like you “suck” because the market is tight, I want to be blunt.You do not suck.The market is tight.I also want to say this clearly: you should still try. Apply. Swing. Do the best work you can.But do not bet your whole life on one outcome.Here is what I tell my own students and what I try to live myself: 1. Treat tenure track as one option, not your identity. 2. Build a second path on purpose. Industry research. Government. Labs. Startups. Teaching focused roles. 3. Build proof you can show. I have put out about 6,200 YouTube videos over 10 years. I still get nervous every time. But the only way I can build anything real is to show up in public. 4. Find your people. The best PhD students respond in kind. And they make ideas simpler, not more complex.If you are on the market right now and you feel behind, I get it.If this helped you breathe for 10 seconds, share it with one person who needs that.

Show Notes: Noah Feldman,  Harvard Law professor, author, and ethical advisor talks about his career in constitutional law and his experiences in Iraq and Tunisia, sharing stories from his time guiding, and in some cases, establishing, the law of countries in turmoil or collapse. He also talks about the themes explored in his books  and current pursuits. Real World Projects in Constitutional Law Noah describes his academic journey, starting from his early love for school and his decision to pursue academia full-time, with brief interruptions for real-world projects. He shares his experiences as a law clerk for the late Justice David Souter and his role as the senior constitutional advisor to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. Noah discusses his involvement in drafting the Iraqi constitution, starting from scratch, and the unique opportunity it provided to apply his academic knowledge in a real-world scenario. He recounts his work in Tunisia after the Arab Spring, advising the Constituent Assembly on constitutional design.  Oversight on Facebook After writing his book about James Madison, Noah's next step was unexpected involvement with Facebook's Oversight Board, which was inspired by a conversation with Sheryl Sandberg and Mark Zuckerberg. He was in California giving a talk at Stanford. He was thinking about writing a book on free speech in the era of social media. He explained to Sheryl how he had the idea that Facebook would benefit from having a kind of private Supreme Court. And the idea was that all of the companies privately made content moderation decisions could actually be made in a more public and transparent way, according to principles and the doing so would add to the legitimacy of their decision-making process. She loved the idea and introduced him to Mark Zuckerberg, and the outcome was the Oversight Board. Noah explains his ongoing work advising tech companies on governance issues and the complexities of balancing free expression and ethics in the tech industry. A Sideline in Journalism and a Focus on Writing Noah mentions his sideline in journalism, starting with a recommendation from Michael Ignatieff to write for the New York Times. He shares his experience of writing for Bloomberg's opinion section for over a decade. Noah talks about his podcast, Deep Background, which he hosted for three years, and his plans to relaunch it in a slightly different format. He discusses his current book project, The Importance of Being Human, which explores the value of human relationships in the age of AI and technology. Noah elaborates on his book project, focusing on the importance of human relationships in various aspects of life, including work, family, and politics. He expresses his open-mindedness about the potential value of romantic relationships with AI, despite initially holding a different view. Following a Theme of Constitutions When asked about his book choices, Noah explains his organizing theme of constitutions, focusing on Middle Eastern and US constitutional history. Noah outlines his planned book series on the history of the US Constitution, emphasizing the narrative throughline of the people who shaped it. He shares his experiences in Iraq, describing the chaotic and disorganized environment he encountered and the challenges of creating a functioning legal system in the midst of civil disorder. He shares the biggest lesson learned, the importance of order and law, arguing that without de facto control on the ground, it is difficult to establish a functioning legal or constitutional system. He also talks about how militias were formed. Noah discusses his work in Tunisia, highlighting the successful transition to democracy and the role of Islamist political parties in the democratic process. He reflects on the importance of norms and conventions in maintaining a functional constitutional system, using the example of Tunisia's failed Constitutional Court. Norms and Conventions in Maintaining a Constitutional System Noah emphasizes the significance of norms and conventions in the functioning of institutions, including legal systems and constitutional orders. He discusses the role of norms in the US constitutional system, using the example of the impeachment of Donald Trump to illustrate how norms can be changed by actions that challenge them. Noah reflects on the importance of understanding and respecting norms and conventions in maintaining the integrity of legal and constitutional systems. He highlights the need for clear and effective checks and balances to prevent the abuse of power and ensure the rule of law. The Importance of Family Noah shares details about his personal life, including his recent marriage to Julia Allison and his two children, Jamin and Mina, who are pursuing careers in the arts. He describes his relationship with his ex-wife, Jeannie Suk Gerson, and her husband, Jake Gerson, and how they maintain a good working relationship despite being colleagues.Noah reflects on the importance of family and personal relationships in his life, noting the support and encouragement he receives from his family.  Harvard Reflections Noah reminisces about his time at Harvard, highlighting the impact of his mentors and the courses he took. He talks about his mentorship with Robert Nozick and the influence of his work on his current thinking, medieval Islamic and Jewish Studies and his professors there Isadore Turski, Bernard Septimus, and Mohsen Madi. he also mentions Richard Primus, Constitutional Law with H.W. Perry. Noah discusses his involvement with the Program on Jewish and Israeli Law at Harvard Law School and the importance of medieval Jewish and Islamic Studies in his work. He reflects on the value of response papers in developing his skills as a journalist and opinion writer. Timestamps: 03:58: Involvement in Real-World Projects 07:52 Journalism and Media Engagement  13:07: Research and Personal Insights  23:51: Lessons from Iraq and Tunisia  37:46: Impact of Norms and Conventions  42:04: Personal Life and Family  45:08: Influences and Mentorship  Links: Website: https://www.noahfeldman.com/ Email: noah_feldman@harvard.edu @professornoahfeldman Linktree Featured Non-profit The featured non-profit of this week's episode  is brought to you by Anastasia Fernand who reports: "Hi. I'm Anastasia Fernand, class of 1992. The featured non-profit of this episode of the 1992 report is the Rebecca H. Rhodes African Inclusive Literacy Research prize. The African inclusive literacy Research Fund supports African scholars and practitioners undertaking research to identify the best ways of helping children with disabilities become literate as a critical step in reaching their full potential. Rebecca was my roommate throughout college and a member of our class of 1992 Rebecca spent her career proving that every child can learn. Let's make sure her prize keeps proving it for generations to come. And now here is Will Bachman with this week's episode." To learn more about their work, visit: https://www.adeanet.org

Episode Topic: Culture WarIn the fight for Ukraine, the front lines extend far beyond the battlefield. A recent Nanovic Institute panel explored the strategic culture war, where symbols, memory, and art are vital tools of national resilience. Discover how Ukraine leverages soft power to define its identity and secure its independent future.Featured Speakers:Ian Kuijt, Professor of Anthropology, University of Notre DameOlga Filippova, Associate Professor of Sociology, V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National UniversityOlena Kovalenko, Head of the Academic and Research Department, The Ukrainian InstituteKhrystyna Kozak '25 MGA, Researcher, Center for Civilians in Conflict, Ukraine Read this episode's recap over on the University of Notre Dame's open online learning community platform, ThinkND: https://go.nd.edu/31a338.This podcast is a part of the ThinkND Series titled Revolutions of Hope.Thanks for listening! The ThinkND Podcast is brought to you by ThinkND, the University of Notre Dame's online learning community. We connect you with videos, podcasts, articles, courses, and other resources to inspire minds and spark conversations on topics that matter to you — everything from faith and politics, to science, technology, and your career. Learn more about ThinkND and register for upcoming live events at think.nd.edu. Join our LinkedIn community for updates, episode clips, and more.

What is behind the disappearance of the Whip-poor-wills? Jared Del Rosso, associate professor and chair of sociology and criminology at the University of Denver, examines this loss and the meanings behind it. Jared Del Rosso is a cultural sociologist in the Department of Sociology & Criminology at the University of Denver. He is currently writing […]

In this Season 14 review (Part 3) Andrea revisits key insights from Dr. Shane Creado on the critical link between sleep, concussions and performance. The episode explains how even mild or repeated head impacts and sleep deprivation damage the same brain regions that support learning, memory, decision-making and emotional regulation, and how one all‑nighter can reduce hippocampal learning capacity by around 40%. Practical takeaways include treating sleep as neurological recovery (7–9 hours), protecting the brain after head jolts, avoiding late alcohol and screens, and prioritizing consistent sleep routines to restore learning, resilience and long‑term brain health for athletes, students and professionals. Welcome back to SEASON 14 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence training for improved well-being, achievement, productivity and results—using what I saw as the missing link (since we weren't taught this when we were growing up in school), the application of practical neuroscience. I'm Andrea Samadi, and seven years ago, launched this podcast with a question I had never truly asked myself before: (and that is) If productivity and results matter to us—and they do now more than ever—how exactly are we using our brain to make them happen? Most of us were never taught how to apply neuroscience to improve productivity, results, or well-being. About a decade ago, I became fascinated by the mind-brain-results connection—and how science can be applied to our everyday lives. That's why I've made it my mission to bring you the world's top experts—so together, we can explore the intersection of science and social-emotional learning. We'll break down complex ideas and turn them into practical strategies we can use every day for predictable, science-backed results. As we are nearing the end of Season 14 here, it has been about reflection as we have looked back and reviewed past interviews. Our goal has not been about nostalgia, or remembering these interviews, the goal has been about integrating what we have learned. Taking what we know, aligning it with how the brain actually functions, and applying it consistently enough to change outcomes. And if there's one thing this season has reinforced, it's this: Sustainable success isn't built on intensity or focus alone—it's built on alignment. As we move into what's next, (Season 15) the focus shifts from understanding this alignment to bringing this alignment into a tangible, physical form, or embodiment. Not more information—but better execution. After hundreds of conversations with neuroscientists, educators, peak performers, and thought leaders, one truth keeps resurfacing— lasting success is never about doing more. It's about alignment. Alignment between how the brain actually works, how emotions drive behavior, and how daily habits compound over time. Season 14 has been about stepping back—not to reminisce, but to integrate what we have learned into our current life. I knew the minute that I was sent a couple of video clips from our past episodes, that I had forgotten about, that while I thought I had implemented the ideas from our past guests, I had some work to go myself. For this reason, we spent Season 14 and will resume with Season 15 next January, reviewing past episodes, with the goal of noticing what we have now aligned, that's bringing us results in our daily life. Core Reflection When we started this podcast 7 years ago, the goal was simple: bridge neuroscience research with practical strategies people could actually use. What I didn't fully appreciate then—what only became clear through repetition, reflection, and real-life application—is that information alone doesn't create change. Understanding the brain doesn't matter if we ignore what to do with the information we release each week: improving our sleep reducing our stress practicing emotional regulation with consistency that actually changes who we are at the core: our identity Season 14 has been about connecting those dots. Listening again to conversations with voices like Dr. John Medina, Dawson Church, Bob Proctor, Dr. John Ratey, Friederike Fabritius, and so many others, one pattern became impossible to ignore: The brain thrives on simplicity, repetition, and finding emotional safety to implement these concepts—not intensity or a quick fix. We will take the time with each interview review to offer ways for all of us to implement the lessons learned, so that when we finish 2026, we will be able to look back, and see where our changes all began. This week, we move onto PART 3 of our review of EP 72[i] with Shane Creado, MD and his book Peak Sleep Performance for Athletes recorded back in July of 2020. ✔ In PART 1[ii], we covered: How strategic napping, morning brain habits, and even the Silva Method all work together to reset your brain, boost performance, and transform your health from the inside out. ✔ In PART 2[iii] we continued with our review, diving a bit deeper into sleep deprivation and its impact of performance (whether you are an athlete, or just someone looking to improve productivity). ✔ PART 3, we will go a bit deeper into the impacts of concussions and brain injuries on our sleep and performance. Let's go back to 2020 and revisit what Dr. Creado had to say about sleep in this last episode of this season.   VIDEO 1 – Click Here to Watch   In the first clip of this episode, with Dr. Creado, he dives into the connection with concussions and sleep. He says, “Most people who have had a concussion end up with sleep problems. It makes a lot of sense when you think about the brain and how it regulates sleep and wakeful cycles and then it gets jarred. But what people don't realize is that even a mild head injury can really damage your brain. Even if you're not officially diagnosed with a concussion, you don't have to lose consciousness to have a concussion. You don't even need to have any symptoms to have your brain injured in some way. And then the little injuries along the way add up over time. So the brain is as soft as butter and in a hard, bony skull. Anything that jars it, even whiplash can cause your brain to be injured. And it accumulates over time. What's interesting is that the same regions of the brain that are most damaged in head injuries are also damaged in sleep deprivation and also alcohol use. The frontal lobes, the temporal lobes and the parietal lobes at the top of the brain.”

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In this episode of the Crazy Wisdom podcast, host Stewart Alsop talks with Umair Siddiqui about a wide range of interconnected topics spanning plasma physics, aerospace engineering, fusion research, and the philosophy of building complex systems, drawing on Umair's path from hands-on plasma experiments and nonlinear physics to founding and scaling RF plasma thrusters for small satellites at Phase Four; along the way they discuss how plasmas behave at material boundaries, why theory often breaks in real-world systems, how autonomous spacecraft propulsion actually works, what space radiation does to electronics and biology, the practical limits and promise of AI in scientific discovery, and why starting with simple, analog approaches before adding automation is critical in both research and manufacturing, grounding big ideas in concrete engineering experience. You can find Umair on Linkedin.Check out this GPT we trained on the conversationTimestamps00:00 Opening context and plasma rockets, early interests in space, cars, airplanes 05:00 Academic path into space plasmas, mechanical engineering, and hands-on experiments 10:00 Grad school focus on plasma physics, RF helicon sources, and nonlinear theory limits 15:00 Bridging fusion research and space propulsion, Department of Energy funding context 20:00 Spin-out to Phase Four, building CubeSat RF plasma thrusters and real hardware 25:00 Autonomous propulsion systems, embedded controllers, and spacecraft fault handling 30:00 Radiation in space, single-event upsets, redundancy vs rad-hard electronics 35:00 Analog-first philosophy, mechanical thinking, and resisting premature automation 40:00 AI in science, low vs high hanging fruit, automation of experiments and insight 45:00 Manufacturing philosophy, incremental scaling, lessons from Elon Musk and production 50:00 Science vs engineering, concentration of effort, power, and progress in discoveryKey InsightsOne of the central insights of the episode is that plasma physics sits at the intersection of many domains—fusion energy, space environments, and spacecraft propulsion—and progress often comes from working directly at those boundaries. Umair Siddiqui emphasizes that studying how plasmas interact with materials and magnetic fields revealed where theory breaks down, not because the math is sloppy, but because plasmas are deeply nonlinear systems where small changes can produce outsized effects.The conversation highlights how hands-on experimentation is essential to real understanding. Building RF plasma sources, diagnostics, and thrusters forced constant confrontation with reality, showing that models are only approximations. This experimental grounding allowed insights from fusion research to transfer unexpectedly into practical aerospace applications like CubeSat propulsion, bridging fields that rarely talk to each other.A key takeaway is the difference between science and engineering as intent, not method. Science aims to understand, while engineering aims to make something work, but in practice they blur. Developing space hardware required scientific discovery along the way, demonstrating that companies can and often must do real science to achieve ambitious engineering goals.Umair articulates a strong philosophy of analog-first thinking, arguing that keeping systems simple and mechanical for as long as possible preserves clarity. Premature digitization or automation can obscure understanding, consume mental bandwidth, and even lock in errors before the system is well understood.The episode offers a grounded view of automation and AI in science, framing it in terms of low- versus high-hanging fruit. AI excels at exploring large parameter spaces and finding optima, but humans are still needed to judge physical plausibility, interpret results, and set meaningful directions.Space engineering reveals harsh realities about radiation, cosmic rays, and electronics, where a single particle can flip a bit or destroy a transistor. This drives design trade-offs between radiation-hardened components and redundant systems, reinforcing how environment fundamentally shapes engineering decisions.Finally, the discussion suggests that scientific and technological progress accelerates with concentrated focus and resources. Whether through governments, institutions, or individuals, periods of rapid advancement tend to follow moments where attention, capital, and intent are sharply aligned rather than diffusely spread.

65% percent of kids entering elementary school today will work in jobs that don't exist yet. The future is unpredictable and the old formula for success is breaking. Grades, degrees, and linear career paths no longer guarantee anything. In this solo episode, MacKenzie explores four future-proof skills that matter more than ever as technology reshapes the world of work.

A student's ridiculous claim of religious discrimination after flunking a mandatory psychology assignment in Oklahoma reveals the cynical conservative playbook: leveraging academic failure into highly profitable Christian victimhood, turning zeroes into thousands in donor cash. This fabricated outrage, aggressively championed by her conservative "stage mom" and state politicians, targets trans educators and undermines university standards across the nation. We break down how the modern culture war weaponizes religious identity, demonstrating that for the far right, fundamentalist belief is simply a lucrative political tool used only to attack perceived enemies. This brazen spectacle proves that performative hypocrisy is the new currency of the Christian nationalist movement.News Source:

Guest Tim Minella, The Goldwater Institute, joins to discuss latest battle against the woke agenda within academic journals. Discussion of the "Feminist Collective", radical political peer reviewed articles, and the war for the minds of the next generation.  President Trump reclassifies marijuana in the nation. What does it mean? Discussion of new push for medical research on cannabis and the future of the industry.  President Trump addresses the nation, and calls for the reset in focus and goals for the new year. 

Fair warning: this month's episode starts out as a major bummer, what with news of the Netflix/WB merger and the pricing madness around RAM spelling doom for both Hollywood and the gaming industry, topics we dive deep on to make ourselves extremely sad. But once you get past all that, we start having some fun, as Jonathan reviews the flawed but extremely fun Metroid Prime 4: Beyond on Nintendo Switch and Sean talks at length about falling down the Super Robot Wars rabbit hole, which is an absolutely amazing segment. Then we finish things off with a very misanthropic – but very funny – Monthly Ten segment in which Jonathan lists 10 ways to improve Christmas in 2025, most of which involve taking aim at traditions people love. Pa rum pa pum pum. Enjoy! TIME CHART:Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:08:50Netflix/WB Merger: 0:08:50 – 0:26:50Star Wars News: 0:26:50 – 0:35:45Steam Machines: 0:35:45 – 0:51:42RAM Madness: 0:51:42 – 1:14:38Call of Duty and Game Award News: 1:14:38 – 1:54:35Metroid Prime 4: 1:54:35 – 2:38:02Ultraman Cosmos: 2:38:02 – 2:55:00Super Robot Wars: 2:55:00 – 3:24:04Monthly Ten: 3:24:04 – 3:52:10 Read Jonathan Lack's movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.comSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.comRead Jonathan's book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to our YouTube channels! Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcastSupport the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffOriginal Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

While the transition from academia to industry can be brutal for data scientists, academics don't show up in industry empty-handed. They bring powerful transferable skills that many industry-trained data scientists never develop.In this Value Boost episode, Dr. Sayli Javadekar joins Dr. Genevieve Hayes to flip the script on their previous conversation, exploring the valuable skills that academic-trained data scientists bring to industry and how any data scientist can develop these same strengths.You'll learn:The most valuable skills academics bring to industry [01:30]Why the experimental mindset matters so much [03:43]The hidden benefit of extended research projects [04:54]How mentorship can work both ways for mutual benefit [07:06]Guest BioDr Sayli Javadekar is a data scientist at Thoughtworks, with experience at the World Bank and UNAIDS. Before this, she was an Assistant Professor at the University of Bath and holds a PhD in Econometrics from the University of Geneva.LinksConnect with Sayli on LinkedInConnect with Genevieve on LinkedInBe among the first to hear about the release of each new podcast episode by signing up HERE

In this Student Spotlight, MacKenzie chats with a 4th grader who's into quantum physics and not shy about sharing her opinions on school. From her experience in a traditional NYC classroom to what surprised her at Alpha, she drops candid, insightful, and funny truth bombs about learning from a kid's perspective.

Ray Didinger and Derrick Gunn bring you "Birds Weekly" on Inside The Birds in which they break down the Eagles' 31-0 blowout of the Raiders at the Linc on Sunday to snap a three-game losing streak.And also catch the great anecdotes from both veteran reporters!Catch Ray Didinger's new play coming this fall, "Spinner:" https://www.delawaretheatre.org/spinner SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON CHANNEL FOR EXCLUSIVE, BONUS CONTENT NOT SEEN OR HEARD ANYWHERE ELSE!!!: https://www.patreon.com/insidethebirds ► Sign up for our newsletter! • Visit http://eepurl.com/hZU4_n.Support Our Sponsors! ► Simpli Safe Home Alert System: https://simplisafe.com/BIRDS for 60% OFF!► Camden Apothecary: https://camdenapothecary.com/► Soul Out of Office Gummies: https://getsoul.com. Use Promo Code: BIRDS for 30% off► Sky Motor Cars: https://www.skymotorcars.com/Follow the Hosts!► Follow our Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/InsideBirds► Follow Geoff Mosher on Twitter: https://twitter.com/geoffpmosher► Follow Adam Caplan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/caplannfl► Follow Derrick Gunn on Twitter: https://twitter.com/realdgunnHow to access our FULL Podcast:APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/...SPREAKER: https://www.spreaker.com/user/...NFL insider veterans take an in-depth look that no other show can offer! Be sure to subscribe to stay up to date with the latest news, rumors, and discussions.For more, be sure to check out our official website: https://www.insidethebirds.com.

Today, we're joined by a close friend of the podcast (someone some of us personally credit with changing my life forever!), Serge Rey, to talk all things open, open source, and academia. Serge is Professor for Geography at San Diego State University and BDFL for the PySAL project. He's been one of the most outspoken voices advocating for closer adoption of the open source ethos in academia, so we thought who better to unpack the open conundrum.

We're talking with film historian Noah Isenberg, the Charles Sapp Centennial Professor and former Chair of the Department of Radio-Television-Film at The University of Texas at Austin. Isenberg is the author of the Los Angeles Times bestseller, We'll Always Have Casablanca: The Legend and Afterlife of Hollywood's most Beloved Movie, and several other books about film. We talk about why and when we might drop theory from our writing; finding a literary agent; the excitement of finding your audience and readers through community events; making the most of our research through multiple publications; the backlash and stigma academics can face when they “go popular,” and how academics help academic presses by writing more accessible books. Don't forget to rate and review our show and follow us on all social media platforms here: https://linktr.ee/writingitpodcast Contact us with questions, possible future topics/guests, or comments here: https://writingit.fireside.fm/contact

WMAL GUEST: ANDREW KERR (Investigative Reporter at Washington Free Beacon) on Maryland Governor's Academic and Expertise Claims WEBSITE: FreeBeacon.com/Author/Andrew-Kerr BIO: Senior Investigative Reporter Specializing in Political Exclusives Where to find more about WMAL's morning show: Follow Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Audible, and Omny Follow WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" on X: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor, @JGunlock, @PatricePinkfile, and @HeatherHunterDC Facebook: WMALDC and Larry O'Connor Instagram: WMALDC Website: WMAL.com/OConnor-Company Episode: Friday, December 12, 2025 / 8 AM HourSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PREVIEW — Charles Ortel — Western Elites "Bought Off" to Promote China's Global Leadership. Ortel argues that Western academic and publishing elites have been systematically "bought off" through financial incentives and institutional compromises to promote China as the inevitable global leader and future geopolitical hegemon, despite the absence of credible and reliable economic data supporting this characterization. Ortel contends that Western institutions have strategically conceded leadership legitimacy to Beijing based on ideological conviction rather than empirical economic evidence. Ortel emphasizes that China has systematically demonstrated institutional incapacity to fulfill the complex requirements of global leadership, including transparent governance, rule-of-law institutional frameworks, and multi-stakeholder consensus-building necessary for sustainable hegemonic authority.

The shepherd saw everything—watched as El Chalequero dragged an elderly woman toward the Consulado River, pulled a knife from hisEpisode 11 of 15 | Season 36: Serial Killers in HistoryMexico City's first documented serial killer hunted working-class women for nearly three decades. This episode examines the systemic failures that allowed Francisco Guerrero Pérez to operate freely while authorities looked the other way.The Women History ForgotMurcia Gallardo was 47 years old when she died—a market vendor in La Merced who sold chilies and produce from the same corner stall she'd operated for over a decade. Her customers knew her voice calling out prices before dawn. She had three children and six grandchildren. Her daughter worked a stall two rows over. When Francisco Guerrero Pérez offered to help carry her baskets home that evening, she had no reason to refuse. He looked respectable. Spoke politely. Everyone in the market district knew El Chalequero by sight—the well-dressed craftsman in his elegant vests.She became one of at least 21 women murdered along the Consulado River between 1880 and 1908. Market vendors, washerwomen, sex workers—women who worked brutal hours for subsistence wages, who walked to and from work in darkness because they had no choice. Women whose deaths barely registered in police records because the Porfirian authorities considered their lives disposable.Why This Case MattersThe El Chalequero case exposes a stark truth about institutional failure. For eight years, bodies appeared near the same river, bearing the same method—strangulation with the victim's own clothing. Authorities knew the pattern. Neighbors whispered the killer's name. Yet systematic investigation never came because these were poor women from working-class neighborhoods. Their deaths weren't worth resources or urgency. When Francisco Guerrero Pérez was finally convicted in 1888, it was for just one murder despite evidence suggesting at least 20 victims.Content Warning: This episode contains descriptions of violence against women and sexual assault references. Listener discretion advised.Key Case DetailsThe investigation into El Chalequero represents one of the earliest documented serial murder cases in Mexican history, spanning nearly three decades of the Porfiriato era.• Timeline of Terror: Guerrero Pérez began killing around 1880, continued until his arrest in February 1888, was released in 1904 due to a bureaucratic error confusing him with political prisoners, and killed again in June 1908. His final victim, an elderly woman named Antonia, was witnessed by a shepherd and the Solorio sisters.• Pattern and Method: All victims were working-class women from neighborhoods along the Consulado River—Tepito, La Merced, Peralvillo. He used their own clothing, particularly rebozos (traditional shawls), to strangle them. Witnesses reported he would return to crime scenes days later to observe the aftermath.• Justice Delayed: Despite confessing and being sentenced to death twice, Guerrero Pérez never faced execution. His first death sentence was commuted to 20 years imprisonment. He died of natural causes in Hospital Juárez in November 1910—the same month the Mexican Revolution began—while awaiting his second execution.• Survivors Who Testified: Two women—Emilia, a washerwoman left for dead, and Lorenza Urrutía, a sex worker who fought back—survived attacks and later testified. Their courage provided crucial evidence that authorities had long ignored.Historical Context & SourcesThis episode draws on Mexican court records from the 1888 and 1908 trials, contemporary newspaper accounts from the Porfiriato era, and historical research into late 19th-century Mexico City's criminal justice system. The investigation reveals how the rapid industrialization under Porfirio Díaz's regime created stark divides—electric streetlights and European architecture for the wealthy, while working-class neighborhoods along the Consulado River became hunting grounds where women's deaths went largely uninvestigated. Additional insights come from studies of Porfirian-era policing priorities, which focused on protecting elite interests and suppressing political dissent rather than solving crimes against the poor.Resources & Further ReadingFor listeners interested in exploring this case and its historical context further, these sources provide additional perspective:• The Archivo General de la Nación in Mexico City maintains criminal court records from the Porfiriato era, including trial documentation from both Guerrero Pérez proceedings.• Academic studies of crime and policing during the Porfiriato, particularly work examining class dynamics in Mexican criminal justice, offer crucial context for understanding institutional failures.• Historical maps of 1880s Mexico City show the stark geographical divide between wealthy neighborhoods and the working-class districts where El Chalequero hunted.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/foul-play-crime-series/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode, Jennifer Barrett examines the controversy surrounding college student Samantha Fulnecky, who received a zero on an essay. Was it justified or was it religious discrimination?

The $100 Silver Window Is Almost Gone — And This Time It Won't Reopen Watch this video at- https://youtu.be/bXIi8jBSW6Y?si=XOflk-EgU8fzw665 Money Rewind 29 subscribers 788 views Dec 4, 2025 This documentary investigates a recurring four-stage pattern in commodity markets, analyzing its potential application to the contemporary silver market. The central thesis posits that assets historically used as money often undergo a cycle of Establishment, Manipulation, Squeeze, and eventual Break of the paper derivative market. This analysis is contextualized through an examination of current market phenomena, including significant physical silver withdrawals from COMEX vaults, the suspension of silver sales by major international banks, and the presence of market backwardation—a key indicator of acute physical demand. The narrative draws parallels to major historical precedents, including the 1980 silver crisis precipitated by the Hunt brothers, the 1971 "Nixon Shock" which severed the U.S. dollar's final link to gold, and the 2001 palladium supply shock. By dissecting silver's dual role as both a historic monetary asset and an indispensable industrial commodity facing a structural supply deficit, the film argues that the modern silver market is exhibiting classic signs of the "Squeeze" phase, signaling a potential decoupling between the price of physical metal and its paper equivalents. KEY CONCEPTS The Four-Stage Market Cycle (Establishment, Manipulation, Squeeze, Break) Physical vs. Paper Assets (Commodity vs. Derivative) Market Backwardation and Contango The Hunt Brothers & Silver Thursday (1980) The Nixon Shock & The Gold Standard (1971) Silver's Dual Demand (Monetary & Industrial) Commodity Futures Markets (COMEX) Counterparty Risk in Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) Structural Supply & Demand Deficits RESEARCH & REFERENCES GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS The Coinage Act of 1965: Public Law 89-81, which eliminated silver from the United States' circulating dime and quarter-dollar coins and reduced the silver content of the half-dollar. A Study of the Silver Futures Market: A 1982 report by the Division of Economics and Education, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), detailing the events surrounding the 1979-1980 silver market volatility. Stock Exchange Practices: Report of the Committee on Banking and Currency (The Pecora Report), 1934: A landmark investigation into the causes of the Wall Street Crash of 1929, providing historical context on market manipulation. ACADEMIC & HISTORICAL LITERATURE A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960 by Milton Friedman and Anna Schwartz: A foundational text on the history of U.S. monetary policy, providing critical background for understanding the abandonment of commodity-backed currency. The New Case for Gold by James Rickards: Explores the historical role of precious metals as monetary assets and the inherent instabilities of fiat currency systems. INSTITUTIONAL REPORTS World Silver Survey: An annual report published by The Silver Institute, providing comprehensive global data on silver supply, demand, mine production, and investment trends. --------------------------------------------------------------------  Check out our ACU Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/ACUPodcast   HELP ACU SPREAD THE WORD!  Please go to Apple Podcasts and give ACU a 5 star rating. Apple canceled us and now we are clawing our way back to the top. Don't let the Leftist win. Do it now! Thanks. Also Rate us on any platform you follow us on. It helps a lot. Forward this show to friends. Ways to subscribe to the American Conservative University Podcast Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcasts Click here to subscribe via RSS You can also subscribe via Stitcher FM Player Podcast Addict Tune-in Podcasts Pandora Look us up on Amazon Prime …And Many Other Podcast Aggregators and sites ACU on Twitter- https://twitter.com/AmerConU . Warning- Explicit and Violent video content.   Please help ACU by submitting your Show ideas. Email us at americanconservativeuniversity@americanconservativeuniversity.com   Endorsed Charities -------------------------------------------------------- Pre-Born! Saving babies and Souls. https://preborn.org/ OUR MISSION To glorify Jesus Christ by leading and equipping pregnancy clinics to save more babies and souls. WHAT WE DO Pre-Born! partners with life-affirming pregnancy clinics all across the nation. We are designed to strategically impact the abortion industry through the following initiatives:… -------------------------------------------------------- Help CSI Stamp Out Slavery In Sudan Join us in our effort to free over 350 slaves. Listeners to the Eric Metaxas Show will remember our annual effort to free Christians who have been enslaved for simply acknowledging Jesus Christ as their Savior. As we celebrate the birth of Christ this Christmas, join us in giving new life to brothers and sisters in Sudan who have enslaved as a result of their faith. https://csi-usa.org/metaxas   https://csi-usa.org/slavery/   Typical Aid for the Enslaved A ration of sorghum, a local nutrient-rich staple food A dairy goat A “Sack of Hope,” a survival kit containing essential items such as tarp for shelter, a cooking pan, a water canister, a mosquito net, a blanket, a handheld sickle, and fishing hooks. Release celebrations include prayer and gathering for a meal, and medical care for those in need. The CSI team provides comfort, encouragement, and a shoulder to lean on while they tell their stories and begin their new lives. Thank you for your compassion  Giving the Gift of Freedom and Hope to the Enslaved South Sudanese -------------------------------------------------------- Food For the Poor https://foodforthepoor.org/ Help us serve the poorest of the poor Food For The Poor began in 1982 in Jamaica. Today, our interdenominational Christian ministry serves the poor in primarily 17 countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. Thanks to our faithful donors, we are able to provide food, housing, healthcare, education, fresh water, emergency relief, micro-enterprise solutions and much more. We are proud to have fed millions of people and provided more than 15.7 billion dollars in aid. Our faith inspires us to be an organization built on compassion, and motivated by love. Our mission is to bring relief to the poorest of the poor in the countries where we serve. We strive to reflect God's unconditional love. It's a sacrificial love that embraces all people regardless of race or religion. We believe that we can show His love by serving the “least of these” on this earth as Christ challenged us to do in Matthew 25. We pray that by God's grace, and with your support, we can continue to bring relief to the suffering and hope to the hopeless.   Report on Food For the Poor by Charity Navigator https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/592174510   -------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer from ACU. We try to bring to our students and alumni the World's best Conservative thinkers. All views expressed belong solely to the author and not necessarily to ACU. In all issues and relations, we hope to follow the admonitions of Jesus Christ. While striving to expose, warn and contend with evil, we extend the love of God to all of his children. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   

Episode 10 of 15 | Series 36: Serial Killers in HistoryFinland's first documented serial killer terrorized two continents across three decades. This episode traces Matti Haapoja's brutal journey from famine-ravaged Finland to Siberian exile and back—a life defined by escape, violence, and ultimately, one final act of defiance.Victim HumanizationHeikki Impponen was forty-two years old when he walked along that frozen road in December 1867. A farmer with a wife named Kaisa and three children waiting at home, he had known young Matti since childhood—their fathers had worked neighboring fields, they had been boys together in the harsh Finnish countryside. He carried what little money he had, perhaps hoping to buy food during Finland's devastating Great Famine. Maria Jemina Salo was in her early twenties, trying to survive in Helsinki's rougher districts, wearing a silver necklace her mother had given her. Guard Juho Rosted had worked at Kakola Prison for eleven years, with a pregnant wife expecting their fourth child—a daughter who would never know her father.Why This Case MattersMatti Haapoja's crimes fundamentally reshaped Finland's approach to criminal justice and prison security. His four successful escapes from Kakola Prison exposed critical weaknesses in the nation's penal system, earning the facility the mocking nickname "Pakola"—the escape prison. His case prompted a complete overhaul of prison architecture and security protocols throughout Finland. The investigation techniques developed to track him helped establish the framework for modern Finnish police procedures, while the case demonstrated how the Great Famine of 1866-1868, which killed 270,000 Finns, created conditions where desperate violence flourished.Content WarningThis episode contains descriptions of violent murders and suicide. Listener discretion advised.Key Case DetailsHaapoja's criminal career spanned three decades across two continents, leaving eight confirmed victims dead and exposing the limitations of 19th-century criminal justice systems across Finland and Siberia.• Timeline: First murder December 6, 1867, during Finland's Great Famine; sentenced to Siberian exile in 1880; returned to Finland September 1890; final escape attempt October 10, 1894; death by suicide January 8, 1895• Investigation: Haapoja's escapes revealed major security flaws in Finnish prisons; his capture after Maria Salo's murder came when his notorious reputation led to his recognition in Porvoo just days after the crime• Resolution: Sentenced to death in 1891 (automatically commuted to life imprisonment as Finland had abolished capital punishment in 1826); died by his own hand while awaiting trial for murdering Guard Juho Rosted• Historical Context: The puukkojunkkari (knife-fighter) culture of Southern Ostrobothnia shaped Haapoja's violent identity; his skeleton was displayed in the Finnish Museum of Crime for 99 years before burial in 1995Historical Context & SourcesThis episode draws on records from the National Museum of Finland, the National Biography of Finland, and the BiographySampo database. Prison museum collections preserve the tools of Haapoja's escapes—rope, wooden slats, and a floorboard with a drilled hole. Contemporary newspaper accounts from the 1890s, which sensationally compared his crimes to Jack the Ripper's London murders, provide crucial details about his final trial and death. The Circuit Court records of Hausjärvi from 1891 document his arrogant confession and the commutation of his death sentence.Resources & Further ReadingFor listeners interested in exploring this case and era further, these historically significant sources provide additional context:• The National Museum of Finland maintains archival materials on 19th-century Finnish criminal justice and the puukkojunkkari phenomenon• The Finnish National Biography database (Biografiakeskus) contains verified biographical details on Haapoja and his contemporaries• Academic research on the Great Famine of 1866-1868 illuminates the devastating conditions that shaped Haapoja's early crimesCall-to-ActionNext week on Foul Play: Francisco Guerrero Pérez terrorized Mexico City for decades, targeting women the newspapers refused to mourn. Subscribe now to follow Season 36: Serial Killers in History to its conclusion.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/foul-play-crime-series/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

American students are falling behind, earning some of the lowest scores ever in math and reading. At the same time, donor organizations are still pouring millions into pushing ethnic studies programs and woke teacher trainings. In this episode, we sit down with Defending Education President Nicole Neily to discuss. Get the facts first with Morning Wire. - - - Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3 - - - Today's Sponsor: Fast Growing Trees - Get 15% off your next purchase at https://fastgrowingtrees.com when using the code WIRE at checkout. - - - Privacy Policy: https://www.dailywire.com/privacy morning wire,morning wire podcast,the morning wire podcast,Georgia Howe,John Bickley,daily wire podcast,podcast,news podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices