Podcasts about Statistics

Sociologist and secular studies professor Dr. Phil Zuckerman recently spoke about secular morality at Calgary's We Can Reason conference, and his data would surprise many Christians.SPEECH VIDEOBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/thethinkingatheist--3270347/support.

The BOB & TOM Show – June 1, 2026 6:00 AM Hour Shirtless girl discussion Kristi compared to a Toy Story character Tom talks about getting a black diamond watermelon Kristi recalls a room above a trailer hitch Tom says he started working at age 10 Tom made egg rolls by hand in high school Kristi recalls throwing a party where only one person attended Tom clarifies he rolled egg rolls at parties, not joints Listener letter about frustration with Tom during mid-morning segments Listener letter about inheriting a banjo and recovering from heart surgery Listener letter from a blind teacher about daily routines Listener asks Tom if he got a dipped ice cream cone Listener letter about the importance of nipples Josh discusses favorite anatomical features Listener from Walla Walla discusses a longtime record store Listener who is a police officer says she would like to pull Tom over Discussion of record stores and record crates 7:00 AM Hour Favorite record stores discussion Sports update Strange World Records: largest paper cup collection Jess joins the show in studio Discussion of paper cup dispensers Strange World Records: longest time balancing a running chainsaw on a chin Discussion of a notorious liquor and its taste "Feet juice" discussion 8:00 AM Hour Discussion about rarely hearing the word "telephone" Statistics on households without landlines Tom talks about disliking princess phones Story about a woman arrested after urinating on furniture at a bed-and-breakfast Tom discusses a woodpecker damaging his house Kristi talks about having a woodpecker feeder Discussion of unusual foods from Japan, South Korea, and Canada Canadian terminology for boxed macaroni and cheese Pineapple-flavored drink mix discussion Jess asks Tom whether alcohol was served at his parties Tom says he never had pizza delivered to his house Today in History Josh delivers a joke about past relationships 9:00 AM Hour Tom discusses a treasured back scratcher Story about artificial intelligence companionship technology Zoom interview with Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo Discussion of songs and copyright issues Story about a politician who turned out to be a teenager Frankie Valli cancels concerts to focus on his health Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bobby and Alex discuss the long-anticipated MLB-MLBPA CBA proposals —including the Players Association's "competitive integrity tax," and the owners' hard cap and floor proposal. They debate the merits of a cap in a world where owners have a long, storied history of lying about their finances, and dig below the surface into their desperate attempt at juicing franchise values to further extract value out of a game that they put very little into. Then, they are joined by friend of the show Bradford William Davis to pivot to a conversation about MLB's inconsistently enforced domestic violence policies, opaque investigations, and mixed messaging. This episode features discussion of domestic violence. If you or someone else needs domestic violence support, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or text at 88788.Links:Buy tickets for the Tipping Pitches Brooklyn Cyclones Meetup on June 12Tipping Pitches Rockies Meetup Interest Form⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the Tipping Pitches Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tipping Pitches merchandise ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Call the Tipping Pitches voicemail: 785-422-5881Tipping Pitches features original music from Steve Sladkowski of PUP.

Summary Lt Gen Clint Hinote, USAF (Ret.), and CH(COL) Light Shin, USA, join host Josh Jackson to examine influencer culture through a biblical lens. Hinote brings decades of military leadership experience and is now building a speaking ministry focused on integrating Christian faith and leadership into a single, unified message. Shin serves as an active-duty Army chaplain and father of three daughters, navigating influencer culture's effects on faith and family in real time. Both will be speaking on the theme of influence at OCF's White Sulphur Springs Conference Center this summer. The conversation begins by establishing a biblical framework for thinking about influence—one that applies to all Christians before it applies to military officers specifically. A few key distinctions anchor everything that follows. First, the platform versus the algorithm. Both guests agree that social media platforms are morally neutral—the tool itself is neither good nor evil. Hinote compares them to the Roman road system: the same infrastructure used to carry armies also carried the early gospel across the known world. What man built for one purpose, God can use for another. The YouVersion Bible App is offered as a contemporary example of Christians using technology with vision for gospel purposes. The algorithms driving those platforms, however, are a different matter. They are deliberately engineered not to inform or build up users, but to keep them scrolling—by targeting base impulses, feeding comparison, and manufacturing shame. Hinote frames these as the "flaming arrows" of Ephesians 6, and the first thing you see on social media that triggers envy, comparison, or temptation is an arrow. Recognize it. Raise your shield of faith. Second, influencer versus witness. Shin draws a sharp distinction from Acts 1:8, saying that an influencer seeks to build a following but a witness tells the truth about what they have seen and heard, regardless of the audience's reaction. Both guests agree that Christian influence should be a byproduct of a Christ-centered life—not a goal pursued in its own right. When influence becomes the goal, self replaces God at the center. The framework they offer is simple: know Christ above all things, do what Christ commanded, and become more like Jesus through that ongoing, lifelong process. Influence, rightly understood, flows from that. As Shin puts it, the question worth asking regularly is: "Whose kingdom did I build today—God's or mine?" Third, authenticity over curation. The lie of influencer culture, Hinote argues, is that you have to look like you have it all figured out. In reality, authenticity builds trust, and trust is what creates genuine influence. This is as true in the gospel as it is in personal branding, and the early church wrestled with the same pull toward following personalities over Christ, as Paul addresses directly in 1 Corinthians 1:12. The standard the guests return to throughout is 1 Peter 3:15 (ESV): "Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you—yet do it with gentleness and respect." With that foundation in place, the conversation turns to what this means specifically for Christian officers serving in uniform. Referenced in this conversation: Summer R&R 2 at WSS (Hinote) Summer R&R 6 at WSS (Shin) YouVersion Bible App The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Timothy Keller   Questions answered and themes covered in this interview include:   How is social media affecting the younger generation entering military service? Young people entering the military are increasingly shaped by a worldview centered on self-promotion, curated personas, and metrics of online acceptance. This stands in direct tension with what military formation is designed to accomplish. The foundational goal of basic training is the breakdown of individual ego and the subordination of self to the unit. Shin references Timothy Keller's The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness as the counterpoint to what he observes: recruits arriving not in freedom, but in what he calls "bondage of self-obsession"—more concerned with how they're perceived on a platform than how they're showing up for the person next to them. Hinote adds that this tension isn't new, and that American individualism has always been something the military has had to address. However, the platforms intensify that individualism by continuously reinforcing exactly the self-focused impulses that military culture is trying to dismantle. Character development must be continuous and intentional, not treated as something institutions address only when there's time. Resource: The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Timothy Keller   How do I share my faith as a military officer without it being weird or forced? Start by living the message before communicating it, and know which role you're speaking from at any given moment. Hinote, drawing from his own experience rising through senior military ranks, offers a framework that proved practically useful. When you are on a platform, in uniform, with rank on your shoulders and a flag behind you, you are speaking from a position of institutional authority, and conflating that authority with the authority of Christ risks manipulation and coercion, which is not Christlike leadership. In settings where you have more personal freedom—as a church member, a neighbor, a citizen—you have more latitude to speak openly about your faith. The key is empathy: always consider what role your audience sees you occupying. In either context, when you fail—and you will—own it and apologize. Authenticity builds trust. Trust creates real influence. A practical starting point Hinote recommends for any developing leader is this: keep a journal, write down every role you hold, and identify the through line connecting them all. Then live that through line. The standard throughout is 1 Peter 3:15 (ESV): "Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you—yet do it with gentleness and respect." Statistics and data shared this episode (plus a few extra not included): A working definition of influencer culture: Influencer culture is a social and economic phenomenon created when social media platforms reward people for curating a public identity, performing for engagement, and building an audience around themselves. Influencers use their platform to shape the opinions, lifestyles, and purchasing decisions of their audience. Every generation is influenced in some way by influencer marketing: 55% of Gen Z trust influencer recommendations, compared with 44% of Millennials, 35% of Gen X, and 28% of Baby Boomers (2025 Clutch survey). StoryBox says there are approximately 127 million active social media influencers worldwide—roughly 2.4% of the global social media user base of 5+ billion people. EMarketer breaks that down into 4 tiers of influencers: Nano: 1,000–10,000 followers; Micro: 10,000–100,000 followers; Macro: 100,000–1 million followers; and Mega/celebrity: 1 million+ followers. The vast majority of influencers on TikTok (nearly 88%) are nano-influencers and Instagram follows a similar pattern with nano-influencers representing about 76% of its influencers (eMarketer). According to some reports, military-related content on TikTok alone amassed over 15 billion views in 2023; look up #MilTok. Military.com calls it the rise of soldier influencers. Influencer culture is not just shaping what people buy (or which branch to join)—it's doing three things: It's shaping how an entire generation sees themselves, forms relationships, and decides who to trust. Consider the following: In terms of how they see themselves: Writer and Substack author Freya India, whose book GIRLS was published earlier this year, frames influencer culture this way—girls as young as 12 packaging themselves for Instagram, getting feedback on their appearance, measuring their worth in likes and followers. An adjacent stat is this: 47% of Gen Z often or always feel anxious (Gallup, 2023). That's the self-perception toll. In terms of forming relationships: A Harvard study says 61% of young adults ages 18–25 report profound loneliness—the highest rate of any age group. This is the one that tends to surprise people, because the assumption is that hyper-connected generations would be less lonely or that older generations would be the loneliest. In terms of deciding who to trust: Only 8% of Gen Z say there's a religious leader they can turn to (Springtide Research). And from Edelman—religious and faith leaders rank at 44% trust rate among Gen Z, well below doctors, scientists, and teachers. But here's the flip side: family members rank at 88% trust. The hunger for relational authority is still there and it's real. Instead, it's institutional authority that's taken a hit.

Today's episode includes a discussion on some poorly-trending data from the mortgage and housing markets, an interview with Pineapple's Shubha Dasgupta on the progress and process of mortgages being originated on the blockchain, (and the use cases and benefits to the mortgage and bond markets), and we close by looking back on the week that was.Welcome to The Chrisman Commentary, your go-to daily mortgage news podcast, where industry insights meet expert analysis. Hosted by Robbie Chrisman, this podcast delivers the latest updates on mortgage rates, capital markets, and the forces shaping the housing finance landscape. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just looking to stay informed, you'll get clear, concise breakdowns of market trends and economic shifts that impact the mortgage world.This week's podcasts are sponsored by NFTYDoor, the white-label HELOC platform for banks, credit unions, and  brokers. Close in zero days with warehouse funding. Power your home equity lending with NFTYDoor.

WARNING: This episode of PEP may contain explicit language and graphic descriptions that may upset some viewers.  Chas does 30 minutes of answering your Correspondence, then debuts the figure-skating extravaganza the world has been waiting for: CHAS ON ICE! Timestamps: 0:00 - Introducing: PEP262 Correspondence Extra 1:19 - Virginia Courts 5:01 - Kash Patel 10:48 - Statistics 12:04 - Boat Murders 19:34 - Gold Coast 22:55 - Midterms 25:19 - Gerrymandering 33:33 - Taiwan 35:42 - Dumocrats 37:19 - Slush Fund 40:58 - Nuclear Dust 42:02 - Drawing 43:09 - Immigration: Previously, on Chas On Ice 53:11 - Immigration: Detention Centres 1:26:04 - Immigration: Lack of Standards  1:9:28 - Immigration: New Tech 1:48:38 - Immigration: Legal Development SHOW LINKS: *Chat with the PEPpers on the Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/WxDD2PPvaW THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!!!

71% of independent retailers in the UK are growing or stable. And 9 in 10 shoppers say AI has made them MORE likely to trust your shop over an algorithm. Here is what the data actually says.(Our sponsor Faire are offering 50% off and free shipping on first orders until July 31st. Simply add the code "Resilient50" at checkout) Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdly.Are you tired of reading headlines that make it sound like independent retail is finished? The noise about AI, empty high streets, and big-box competition can feel genuinely frightening if you are running a small business. But what if the data tells a completely different story — and what if that story is one you desperately needed to hear?In this episode, I sit down with Elyse McAvoy from Faire to unpack the Voices of Retail report — a landmark piece of research that surveyed 650 independent retailers and over 2,000 UK consumers. It is the first time a report of this kind has merged the retailer perspective and the consumer perspective into one honest picture of what is actually happening on Britain's high streets. And the findings will surprise you.Once you listen, you will leave with a clear understanding of what is separating retailers who are growing from those who are struggling, a completely new perspective on AI and your business, and three specific actions you can take this month. If you have been feeling uncertain about whether your shop has a future, this is the episode that will give you the data — and the confidence — to move forward.CHAPTERS00:00 — Introduction: Why This Report Matters for Every Independent Retailer02:30 — Key Findings: AI, the 71% Statistic and the Branding Gap07:13 — Consumer Spending Power: What Shoppers Are Ready to Spend With You10:28 — What to Do Now: Three Practical Actions to Take This MonthUSEFUL LINKS

Maynooth University's (MU) has announced the launch of 25 new Faculty of Science & Engineering (FSE) ARDÚ Doctoral Scholarships, marking a major investment in the next generation of research talent and innovation. The FSE ARDÚ Doctoral Scholarships will support 25 PhD research students across three of the University's Research Beacons: Data Science and Digital Transformation, Health and Wellbeing, and Sustainability and Climate Change. The scholarships will fund cutting-edge research projects spanning areas such as health and disease, AI-driven healthcare analytics, and the molecular understanding of advanced materials. MU's FSE has a strong track record of delivering research that combines fundamental discovery with real-world impact. Across the faculty, researchers are addressing major challenges in health, sustainability, and digital transformation through collaborative research. By bringing together expertise from across disciplines, the ARDÚ programme will give doctoral research students the opportunity to work in a dynamic and supportive research environment while contributing to internationally recognised research. The programme reflects the faculty's strengths in computational and data science, advanced materials and physical sciences, and health, psychology, and human-centred research, supporting interdisciplinary approaches to complex real-world challenges. Each scholarship includes: Student stipend: €25,000 per annum Annual tuition fees Full-time Programme Fully funded for up to 4 Years Professor Paul Moynagh, Dean of the Faculty of Science & Engineering at MU, said: "The Faculty of Science & Engineering ARDÚ Doctoral Scholarships demonstrate Maynooth University's commitment to support of research in the Sciences and Engineering. They also provide exciting opportunities for early-stage scientists and engineers to pursue a research PhD under the supervision of world-class researchers who are making significant contributions to addressing some of the major challenges we face today." Dr Robert Elmes, Faculty of Science & Engineering Associate Dean for Research & Engagement at MU, added: "ARDÚ is a really positive development for the faculty and for the researchers who will join us through these scholarships. The projects reflect the breadth of excellent research taking place across Science and Engineering at Maynooth, while also creating space for new ideas, new collaborations and new researchers to develop. We are very much looking forward to welcoming the successful students and supporting them as they build their research careers." For more information visit: https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/graduate-research-academy/scholarships-funding/ardu-scholarships About Maynooth University One of four constituent universities of the National University of Ireland, Maynooth University traces its origins to the foundation of the Royal College of St Patrick in 1795. It was formally established as an autonomous university in 1997. Maynooth University is one of Ireland's fastest growing universities with more than 17,000 students, including over 2,500 postgraduates. Maynooth University Faculty of Science & Engineering The Faculty of Science and Engineering comprises the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Electronic Engineering, Mathematics and Statistics, Physics, Psychology, Sport Science and Nutrition, and the School of Nursing. The role of the faculty is to coordinate the academic activities of individual departments, to oversee the strategic development of departments, and to support interdepartmental and interdisciplinary activities and programmes. See more breaking stories here.

The Guy Benson Show 05-27-2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This show has been flagged as Clean by the host. 01 This is the fourth episode in a four part series on simple podcasting. 02 Introduction In this episode we will discuss alternatives to Audacity when it comes to analyzing audio spectrums to find the sources of unwanted noise. I previously promised some gratuitous hackery, and we will get into that in this episode. 03 Recall that with Audacity you first import the audio file, then select the part of the audio you wish to analyze (or ctrl-A for all), and then select analyze > plot spectrum. This is in fact the only feature of Audacity that I know how to use. I am definitely not an audio expert. I do however have some background in processing and analyzing other signals, so some of the basics are familiar to me. 04 We can accomplish the same thing that Audacity does in this instance provided we can do the following. First, we need to get the data out of the audio file and into a form which we can import into other software. Second, we need to perform certain mathematical operations on this data. Finally, we need to be able to plot the results of these calculations on a chart. -------------------- 05 Fourier Transforms First though, we need a bit of mathematical background. What Audacity is doing when it shows a plot of frequency versus amplitude is that it is showing the results of a Fourier Transform. A Fourier Transforms is a mathematical operation that converts the time domain into the frequency domain. Any complex signal, audio or otherwise, can be broken down into a collection of sine waves of various frequencies. For example, a simple square wave signal of say 100 hertz can be represented as a sine wave of frequency 100 hertz plus a collection of higher frequency sine waves which add together to give the sharp corners. 06 A Fourier Transform finds these sine waves and sorts them out into separate bins, with each bin representing an individual frequency or a collection of closely related frequencies, depending on how fine grained the sorting is. 07 This is exactly what we want when we are trying to figure out how to filter out noise. Recall that earlier in this series we had to solve a problem with a high pitched background noise which was originating in my cheap microphone. Analyzing this audio by frequency showed that it was a series of individual tones at 1 kHz intervals. We were then able to use filters targeted at those frequencies to get rid of that noise. 08 There are several optimized versions of the Fourier Transform algorithm. A very common one is the Fast Fourier Transform, common abbreviated to just "FFT". This is so common that the term "FFT" is often used to simply mean any Fourier Transform even though this is not technically correct. 09 Typical FFT algorithms require that the number of data samples is exactly a power of two. So the number of samples we need may be something like 4096, 8192, or 65536, to give a few random examples. When we transform from the time domain to the frequency domain, each sample becomes a single frequency "bin". So the more samples we have, the finer the resolution we get in terms of frequency. 10 If we assume we are dealing with flac files recorded at a 44.1 kHz sample rate, that is, 44100 samples per second, then if we have 32768 samples, each "bin" represents slightly more than 1 hertz. If we have 65536 samples, then each "bin" represents a fraction of a hertz. For our purposes we will pick 65536 samples. That means we need 1.48 seconds of data. For simplicity's sake we will record at least 2 seconds of data and then just discard the samples that we don't need. 11 There is a further complication here. Fourier Transforms normally work with complex numbers. Recall from your school days that as well as integers and real numbers there are complex numbers. Each complex number consists of two parts, a real component and an imaginary component. I won't go into the details of this, just accept that each sample needs to have two components. Fortunately, if we don't have complex number data we can just set the imaginary component to zero and use that. This is enough talking about the theory, let's get into the practical details. -------------------- 12 Extracting Data from Audio Files First we will look at how to extract the data from the audio files. Fortunately, one of the programs which we have already been using can do this. To do this we will use Sox. I am not aware of an equivalent feature in ffmpeg. 13 Sox calls itself "SoX - Sound eXchange, the Swiss Army knife of audio manipulation" Sox is free software and is licensed under the GPLV2 or later. In this case we want to use a feature which allows us to convert a binary audio signal file to a text data file. To convert the file to text data we just give the output file a ".dat" file extension and Sox will do this for us. 14 Here is a command example. sox inputfile.flac tdata.dat 15 This gives us a file in the following format, assuming this is a mono audio recording. ; Sample Rate 44100 ; Channels 1 0 0.045471191406 2.2675737e-05 0.055023193359 4.5351474e-05 0.048217773438 6.8027211e-05 0.053192138672 etc. The first line states the sample frequency The second line states that the data is for channel 1. The data starts on the third line. Column 1 is the time in seconds. Column 2 is the waveform data point. 16 To analyze the data we want a subset of these samples. When we convert from the time domain to the frequency domain, our resolution will be determined by the number of samples. We would like therefore to have at least as many samples as the sampling rate. We also want the samples size to be an even multiple of two. The number of points we want to have is equal to the next even multiple of two above our chosen sampling rate, 44,100 Hz. This number would be 65536. 17 To extract this data from the file we can do the following. tail tdata.dat -n+3 | head -n65536 | awk '{printf "%sn", $2}' > tdata.csv 18 We use tail to skip over the first three lines. We use head to take the next 65536 lines and discard the rest. We use awk to extract the second column which we will use as the real component. We now have this data as a csv file in one column. -------------------- 19 Analyzing the Data To analyze the data we need software which can calculate FFTs. I will now show two examples of this, a very simple case using Libre Office Calc, and a more complex but more complete one using GNU Octave. 20 Using Libre Office We can do fourier analysis and plot charts using Libre Office. Take the csv file of data that we previously created. For this example I used data from a recording of silence so that I could see what internal noise was being generated by the headset. Open the csv file and import it into Libre Office Calc. 21 Now select all 65536 rows of column A. The Fourier function will automatically fill the imaginary component with zeros if we don't provide an column of imaginary numbers, so we don't need to provide a column of zeros. Then select Data > Statistics > Fourier Analysis. 22 A window will open allowing you to select various parameters. For Results to:, enter "D1". Grouped by Columns. Select OK. 23 New data should now appear starting in cell D1. The first line will say " Fourier Transform" The second line will state the input range. The third line will state "Real" in column D, and "Imaginary" in column E. The data will start in row 4. 24 For our simple example we will ignore the imaginary data and just use the real data, which will form our Y component when we plot it on a chart. We now need to create the X axis data. 25 Each cell is a "bin" of frequencies. Each cell therefore represents (sample frequency) / (Number of samples) Hz. 26 To create the X axis data showing frequency, enter the following formula in to column C to the left of each D column number. =((44100/65536) * (ROW() - 4) 27 We can now create an XY chart showing the frequency analysis. You may need to exclude the first couple of dozen rows as very low frequency components which cannot be heard may otherwise overwhelm the data we are interested in. Also, you only need the first half of the chart. The FFT mirrors the data from the first half of the array into the second half. 28 Because characterizing a sine wave requires a minimum of 2 points, although we have a sample frequency of 44.1 kHz, we really only have sound waves up to a maximum of half that, or 22.05 kHz. Create the chart with lines only. If you followed the above instructions, you should see something resembling what we saw in Audacity, except with each bin more sharply defined. 29 In the data that I had from a recording of unfiltered headset noise, I could see a distinct noise spike every 1000 hertz. 30 However, we have taken several shortcuts. First, the imaginary component of the data was ignored. Second, the magnitude (that is, Y axis) has both positive and negative peaks. Third, the data is not scaled to dB sound units, so we just have a relative measure. However, that by itself is enough to tell us where the frequencies are that we need to construct filters to deal with. 31 We could refine this spreadsheet a bit more to deal with the above issues, but I think we have demonstrated the basic principle, and working with a spreadsheet can be a bit awkward. However, if working with a spreadsheet is what you want to do, then you can add more columns and more formulae to improve on it. -------------------- 32 Other Analysis Software I will go on to GNU Octave in a moment, but I want to get a few other alternatives out of the way first. I won't go into any detail on them other than to point them out to people who want to have a go at trying these themselves. 33 Grace There is math and plotting software called Grace. This is free software, released under the GPL V2. According to the documentation, it seems to have the features we need, including an FFT function. However, I could not get it to work properly on Ubuntu 24.04. I could not get it to load a data file and plot data. 34 The error messages were vague and unhelpful. The file navigation system didn't work. There was no obvious path to success, and if it isn't easy to use then there is no point to it. This is fairly old software, designed for X Window and Motif. I gave up on it as not suitable for this series as I am looking for some fairly low effort things for people to try themselves. If someone else can get it to work on their PC, perhaps they could do an HPR episode on this themselves. 35 Command Line FFT Packages There are several command line FFT packages. They will read data from std in or from a file and output the FFT. However, these are not packaged for Ubuntu and appear to be distributed as C source code which you would download and compile. You can experiment with those if you wish, but I felt they were a bit out of scope for discussion here as I am looking at common tools that are ready to use. 36 Here are two examples. One is Command-line Fast Fourier Transform utility https://github.com/gregfjohnson/fft Another is cli-fft https://github.com/jonolafur/cli-fft 37 I have not tried these and cannot say whether they are any good or not. Similarly, there are a number of FFT packages that are libraries for languages such as Python. If you want to take the time to write a short program to go with them, you can create a dedicated FFT command line program. However, I felt that this too was out of scope for what I was trying to do here. 38 Doing it the Hard Way Hypothetically, it may be possible to write an FFT function in bash bc, which is the arbitrary precision calculator language which is part of the standard shell package. I say hypothetically, because I have not tried it. I think it would be an interesting challenge, but I don't have the time at the moment to try it. If anyone feels motivated to give it a try, they're welcome to give it a go and then do a podcast episode on it. -------------------- 39 GNU Octave We have seen that as well as using features built into Audacity to analyze the audio spectrum to see the frequencies of undesired noises, we were able to do the same using a Libre Office spreadsheet. 40 Now we'll look at another bit of software, GNU Octave. GNU Octave is free software, licensed under the GPL V3 or later. It is a mathematical scripting language, very similar to Matlab. People use it for mathematical, engineering, and scientific work. It can be found in most Linux distros and is available for some other operating systems as well. 41 Octave has two features built in that we need for our purposes. It does FFTs, and it has a plotting system built in to produce graphs. -------------------- 42 We will take the same audio test file that we used with Audacity and Libre Office and use it here as well. The bash script to convert the flac file to text data is essentially the same, with the exception that file extension on the output file as is ".txt" instead of ".csv". This latter change was an arbitrary decision on my part. 43 As a quick review, this bash script uses sox to convert a flac file to a text ".dat" file. Then it uses tail, head, and awk to extract the first 65536 rows of data, skipping over the header information and ignoring the first column of time data. This script will be in the show notes. -------------------- #!/bin/bash # This version is for use with the GNU Octave script. sox hsnoisemono.flac hsnoisemono.dat tail hsnoisemono.dat -n+3 | head -n65536 | awk '{printf "%sn", $2}' > hsnoisemono.txt -------------------- 44 We now have a 1.1 MB file containing 65536 samples of data in text format. Now the next thing we need to do is to create a short Octave script file. I will just give a brief overview of the script here, the full script will be in the show notes. 45 I put the script in a file called "octavespectrum.m". I have never used Octave before now, but the convention seems to be to give the script a ".m" ending. The "she-bang" line is "#!/usr/bin/env octave". If you make the file executable you can run it like any other script, or you can type "octave" and then the name of the script to run. 46 I won't read out the script in detail, as that would be too hard to following along in a podcast. However, I pass several arguments to the script including the name of the data file, and then two integers that I use to limit the display area in the Y and X axes so I can have the chart focus on the areas of interest that I want to see. I also pass a string containing the name of the graphic file that I want the chart exported to. This was an arbitrary decision on my part and you can just hard code these values in if that is what you want to do. 47 The arguments are accessed by calling the "args()" function, which returns an array of strings. Next, it reads in the specified file using the "dlmread()" function. This reads all of the data into an array. 48 Next, it performs a hamming windowing function on the data. I'll explain that briefly. It is standard practice when doing FFT signal processing to "window" the signal. Since the signal sample is of finite length, it will stop at each end of the array. 49 Unless you were lucky enough for this to happen exactly at a zero crossing, this would produced an abrupt transition in the data which looks like "noise" to the FFT. The solution is to taper the signal off gradually towards the ends so that when it gets cut off the signal is fairly small at that point anyway. There are a variety of different windowing functions, but "hamming" seems to be the most commonly used. 50 Next, it does an FFT using the "fft()" function. 51 This gives us real and imaginary outputs. These are combined by summing the squares of each corresponding real and imaginary element and then taking the square root of each and storing that in a new array. This gives a single array of the same length as the originals, but combining the two output components. If anyone wants to tell me that this isn't how things are done in the audio world, they're welcome to make an HPR episode telling us all the right way to do things. 52 Then it does some scaling and selection of subsets of data so we get the X axis in hertz and just the number of samples that we wish to look at. If you are looking at the script, the thing to keep in mind is that Octave will work on entire arrays of data in a single operation. You don't need to write explicit loops for this. The looping is handled implicitly as part of the syntax. 53 It also does various other things that make the chart easier to read. The comments in the script describe these in more detail. Since this is a script it's easier to add these sorts of refinements than is the case for a spreadsheet so I have made the effort to add them. Finally it calls the "plot()" function. If an output graphics file name was provided, it also creates a PNG file containing the same image using the "saveas" function. 54 We now see the chart, and it looks more or less as expected. However, this chart is interactive. You can zoom and pan the data, something that you can't do with either Audacity or Libre Office. The chart window doesn't have a function for exporting the resulting chart to a "png" file, it will only save to an ".ofig" file. The ofig file is not a standard graphics file, it is a serialization of the chart data that can only be looked at using the Octave chart viewer. 55 Alternatively, you can just take a screenshot of the chart after you have interactively zoomed and panned to a point of interest. At the bottom left of the chart window is a pair of x-y coordinates which tell you the current position of the mouse pointer in chart units. This is very handy as it can be used to get the exact (or close to exact) frequency of each noise spike. 56 The Y axis is not scaled in any particular units such as dB, as I'm not sure how to do that according to audio industry conventions. On the other hand, I'm not sure that it's really necessary, as I don't know what dB means in tangible terms anyway. It does show relative sizes, so it helps to determine whether you have one noise frequency or multiple frequencies to worry about. 57 If anyone is familiar with how to scale the raw data from a flac file as exported by Sox into dB units according to audio industry convention, then they are welcome to create an HPR episode telling us how to do it. -------------------- 58 Comments on GNU Octave I had never used GNU Octave before this, although I had heard of it and it is quite a significant piece of software for a specific segment of users. 59 The syntax is a bit odd especially in how it deals with array operations, but I was able to google various examples and answers to eventually get this working. A few other peculiarities are that it uses the percent "%" character to denote a comment, and leaving out the semi-colon at the end of the line causes it to print the answer to the console after executing the statement. 60 The GNU Octave solution was harder to get working than the Libre Office method. However, once it was working it is easier to use repeatedly. If I were to want to automatically generate audio files with different filtering or other options and wanted to script the creation of a large number of images showing the results, this would be the way to do it. 61 When your run the Octave script you may get a warning which says something like "QSocketNotifier: Can only be used with threads started with QThread". This is apparently a routine warning message from the Qt graphics system which has no real significance in this context and can be ignored for our purposes. -------------------- 62 We now have a bash script which will use sox to extract the data from a flac file, and a GNU Octave script which can be used to display the resulting frequency spectrum. This does more or less the same thing as "Plot Spectrum" does in Audacity, but allows for zooming and panning to get a more detailed look at the data. 63 However it doesn't give you an absolute reading of the sound levels in dB, something that Audacity does provide. What I wanted it for though was to find the frequencies of the audible noise in the signal, something that it does quite well. -------------------- #!/usr/bin/env octave % Perform an FFT on the data in a file and plot the results. % ====================================================================== % The sampling frequency. This must be changed to accommodate the % actual sampling frequency if it was something else. samplefreq = 44100; % Thickness of line on plot. linewidth = 2; % ====================================================================== % The name of the data file is passed as a argument. args = argv(); if length(args) < 3 quit endif % File name. fname = args{1}; % Clip the peak values. peakclip = str2double(args{2}); % How much data to show, in kHz. rbound = str2double(args{3}) * 1000; % The optional file name to save a chart image to. if length(args) > 3 chartfile = args{4}; else chartfile = ""; endif % ====================================================================== % Read the data in from the file. sampledata = dlmread(fname); % Number of samples. samplecount = length(sampledata); % ====================================================================== % Window the data. This helps deal with the discontinuity of data at % each end of the array and the effects this has on introducing apparent % noise into the signal. windoweddata = (hamming(samplecount) .* sampledata); % ====================================================================== % Do the actual FFT. fftresults = fft(windoweddata); % Get real component. r = real(fftresults); % Get the imaginary component. i = imag(fftresults); % Combine the real and imaginary. In order to square each element of each % array, we must use the ".^" operator, not just "^". rfft = sqrt(r.^2 + i.^2); realfft = rfft(1:samplecount); % ====================================================================== % Scale factor for frequency. fscale = samplefreq / samplecount; % X axis scale, scaled to frequency. f = (0:samplefreq/2) * fscale; % Take a subset of the data if specified. rbound has to be re-scaled % from kHz to array increments. freq = f(1:min(rbound / fscale,length(f))); % y axis. We take the absolute value and then limit (clip) the peaks % so that a few large peaks don't obscure the smaller ones. mag = min(abs(realfft(1: length(freq))), peakclip); % Plot the results. figure; whandle = plot(freq, mag, 'LineWidth', linewidth); title(["Audio Spectrum of ", fname]); xlabel("Frequency (Hz)"); ylabel("Unscaled Magnitude"); grid on; % If the appropriate optional argument was specified, save the chart % to a file of that name. if length(chartfile) > 4 saveas(gcf, chartfile, "png"); endif % Need this so the plot window stays open. waitfor(whandle); % ====================================================================== -------------------- This is the shell script used with the above Octave script. The arguments are 1 - the file name for the input data file. 2 - The value to clip the peaks at. 3 - The upper frequency bound in kHz. 4 - The output graphics file name. #!/bin/bash octave octavespectrum.m hsnoisemono.txt 10 12 hsnoisemono.png -------------------- 64 Episode Conclusion In this episode we covered the following topics. What Fourier transforms are. Extracting data from audio files using Sox. Analyzing the data using Libre Office. Analyzing the data using GNU Octave. And, several alternative analysis methods. 65 Series Conclusion This is the end of a four part series on simple podcasting. In the first episode, we covered a simple podcast recording method. This first episode is all you really need to make a podcast. 66 In the second episode we covered basic filtering and a few other simple topics. The methods discussed in that episode provide basic improvements to your audio if you feel the need for it. 67 In the third episode we covered how to analyze audio noise problems using Audacity and additional filtering techniques to deal with specific problems that we may find. We also covered command line recording, playback, and getting information about an audio recording. 68 In the fourth episode we engaged in a bit of gratuitous hackery for the fun of it and showed how to use alternative software methods to analyze audio signals. 69 I hope that this series has been both useful and entertaining and that you will use the knowledge gained here to create and submit your own HPR podcast episodes. -------------------- -------------------- Provide feedback on this episode.

Nikki Beauchamp shares how trust, boundaries, market knowledge, and genuine relationships helped her build a lasting luxury career while staying human in an increasingly automated business world.See article: https://www.unitedstatesrealestateinvestor.com/true-trust-is-the-real-luxury-in-high-value-business-with-nikki-beauchamp/(00:00) - Introduction to The REI Agent Podcast and Nikki Beauchamp(00:28) - Nikki Opens the Conversation with Gratitude(00:33) - Mattias Reflects on Languages and Real Estate Conversations(00:46) - Nikki Shares Her Interest in German, Russian, and Client Connection(01:59) - Nikki's Caribbean, European, and Multilingual Upbringing(02:36) - Nikki's Early Language Exposure, Russian Studies, and Music Background(03:46) - Mattias Connects Language Learning to Market Resilience(04:43) - Nikki's Biggest Lesson from Multiple Market Cycles(05:59) - Nikki Breaks Down Market Data, Location, and Timely Conversations(06:47) - Mattias Asks How Nikki Entered the Wild World of Real Estate(06:54) - Nikki's Journey from Philosophy, Tech, Finance, and Statistics to Real Estate(10:23) - Nikki Explains Why She Has Clients, Not Past Clients(11:48) - Mattias Introduces Nikki's Multilingual Advantage in NYC Luxury(12:20) - Nikki Explains How Her International Buyer Network Grew Naturally(14:05) - Nikki Reveals Why Trust Travels Across Countries and Markets(15:54) - Mattias Asks Which Other Cities Her Clients Consider(16:03) - Nikki Connects Client Interests to Cities, Arts, Education, and Lifestyle(17:08) - Mattias Asks How Nikki Chooses the Right Brokerage Position(18:03) - Mattias Asks About Teams, Partnerships, and Career Structure(19:52) - Mattias Notes the Referral Power of High-Touch Service(19:59) - Nikki Describes Partner-Level Service and Trusted Professional Referrals(20:41) - Mattias Asks How Nikki Maintains Boundaries as a Solo Practitioner(24:48) - Mattias Talks About the Hard Lesson of Firing a Client(24:57) - Nikki Shares How a Broken Client Relationship Was Rebuilt with New Terms(26:24) - Mattias Asks How Nikki Stays Centered and Balanced(26:37) - Nikki Shares Walking, Central Park, Her Dog, Spin, Pilates, and Phone-Free Workouts(29:50) - Nikki Discovers Boxing as a Powerful Stress Release(30:16) - Mattias Reacts to the Demands of Boxing Workouts(30:25) - Nikki Shares Her Boxing Routine and Office Workout Kit(31:12) - Mattias Asks for Nikki's Golden Nugget(32:10) - Nikki Explains How AI Can Create More Time for Human Connection(37:51) - Mattias Asks for Nikki's Favorite Book Recommendation(38:02) - Nikki Recommends The Speed of Trust and the Power of Trust-Based Language(39:57) - Mattias Thanks Nikki for Joining the Show(40:00) - Nikki Thanks Mattias and Closes the InterviewContact Nikki Beauchamphttps://nikkisellsnyc.com/https://www.facebook.com/narbeauchamp/https://www.instagram.com/nikkibeauchamp/https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolebeauchamp/https://youtube.com/@nicolebeauchamp Nikki Beauchamp reminds every agent and investor that trust is not built by chasing people, flooding inboxes, or trying to be available every second of the day. It is built by knowing your market, protecting your energy, showing up with intention, and becoming the kind of professional people naturally want in their corner. When relationships stay at the center, business becomes more than a transaction. It becomes a path to lasting freedom, deeper service, and a life that actually feels worth building. For more powerful conversations like this, visit https://reiagent.comIs success destroying your peace? Most pros grind until they break. Download The Investor's Life Balance Sheet: A Holistic Wealth Audit to see if you are building a legacy or heading for burnout. Presented by The REI Agent Podcast & United States Real Estate Investor® https://sendfox.com/lp/m4jrl

Let us know your thoughts. Send us a Text Message. Follow me to see #HeadsTalk Podcast Audiograms every Monday on LinkedInEpisode Title:

Bobby and Alex banter about what NYC subway stations would make the best baseball player names, before eulogizing the gone (but not forgotten) Draftkings sports book at Wrigley Field. Then, they analyze what John Henry's quotes about bargaining signal about the state of CBA negotiations, before closing by recapping some small news stories about the Rays new stadium project.Links:Buy tickets for the Tipping Pitches Brooklyn Cyclones Meetup on June 12Tipping Pitches Rockies Meetup Interest Form⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the Tipping Pitches Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tipping Pitches merchandise ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Call the Tipping Pitches voicemail: 785-422-5881Tipping Pitches features original music from Steve Sladkowski of PUP.

This podcast has returned to modern slavery three times now. Lisa Kristine showed us its face through her photography. Bruce Ladebu described what it actually takes to pull children out. And Matthew Friedman, in Episode 76, gave us the architecture: thirty-five years working across Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, the UN, and eventually the Mekong Club. That first episode opened with the story of an 11-year-old Nepalese girl in a Mumbai brothel who ran across the room, wrapped herself around Matt, and begged him to save her. He couldn't, that day. He came back with police and she was gone. This second conversation picks up in a deglobalising world. The USAID cuts have gutted sixty years of global anti-trafficking infrastructure. The $400 million available to address modern slavery has been halved. HIV clinics, maternal health programs, girls' education initiatives are all gone. And as Matt makes clear, the line from those cuts to a new trafficking victim is not abstract. It runs through hospitals, through debt, through desperation.This episode also goes somewhere I'm afraid I didn't communicate that well, the points of cultural judgement and critique. There's a story of a sixteen-year-old Bangladeshi girl, rescued after two weeks in a brothel, who was turned away at her own front door by a father who loved her because the shame she carried would make her siblings unmarriageable. That story sits at the centre of the hardest question in this conversation: when the cultural machinery enabling trafficking runs this deep, what can the outside world actually do about it? It's a delicate subject, I regret not treating it as such. $238 billion modern slavery generates annually flows through the same offshore plumbing this podcast has covered with Oliver Bullough and John Christensen. Matt explains how banks are already tracking it and how the Mekong Club is working with Interpol, crypto companies, and social media platforms to find it and cut it off.It's a pleasure to welcome Matt Friedman back to the podcast. ResourcesWalk Free Foundation's Global Slavery Index - https://www.globalslaveryindex.org/U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report - https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/Makon Club - Anti-Human Trafficking Organization - https://makonclub.org/USAID Human Trafficking Programs - https://www.usaid.gov/what-we-do/gender-equality-and-womens-empowerment/human-traffickingInterpol Human Trafficking Unit - https://www.interpol.int/en/How-we-work/Operations/Operation-ScorpionChapters00:00 The Impact of Deglobalization on Modern Slavery02:50 Statistics and Resources in the Fight Against Modern Slavery05:54 Consequences of USAID Cuts on Global Health and Safety08:38 Understanding Human Trafficking and Legal Responses11:40 Cultural Attitudes and Enforcement Challenges14:12 The Role of Vulnerability in Exploitation17:23 Identifying the Most Egregious Examples of Modern Slavery20:02 Cultural Change and the Role of Awareness23:22 Internal vs. External Approaches to Addressing Modern Slavery33:12 The Impact of Fiction on Awareness36:24 Taking Responsibility: Individual Actions Against Human Trafficking38:27 Creating Compelling Content: The Role of Film in Activism40:47 Cultural Sensitivity in Addressing Trafficking43:28 The Urgency of Addressing Human Trafficking50:08 Financial Institutions and Their Role in Combatting Trafficking57:47 The Power of Business in Addressing Human Trafficking59:52 Finding Hope: The Starfish Parable

Jon Harris sits down with journalist and author Megan Basham to discuss her journey of faith amid cancer. While her book Shepherds for Sale climbed the New York Times bestseller list, Megan was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation for stage 3 colon cancer (later upgraded to stage 4). She opens up about the fear, the fight, the deep spiritual lessons learned in the valley, and how God has drawn her closer to Him through suffering. Megan shares candidly about family, motherhood, processing mortality, the difference in how men and women face terminal illness, rejecting fear through providence, and the surprising peace God has given her. This episode is a moving testimony of leaning on Christ when everything is uncertain. If you're walking through illness, loss, or uncertainty, Megan's story will encourage you to trust that no molecule — including every cancer cell — is outside of God's sovereign control. 0:00 - Introduction & Welcoming Megan Basham2:10 - Megan's Impact, Shepherds for Sale & Sounding the Alarm5:30 - The Surreal Year: NYT Bestseller While Fighting Cancer8:45 - Stage 3 Colon Cancer Diagnosis & Attacks During Treatment11:40 - Learning Dependence on God & Hidden Blessings15:20 - Comparing Journeys with Ben Sasse19:10 - One-on-One Trips with Daughters & Facing Mortality23:50 - Deepened Prayer Life & John MacArthur's Encouragement27:40 - Obsession with Statistics & Releasing Control29:50 - God's Peace, Providence & Gospel Invitation#MeganBasham #Cancer #Faith #ChristianPodcast #ShepherdsForSaleOur Sponsors:* Check out Mars Men and use my code Mengotomars.com for a great deal: https://mengotomars.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/conversations-that-matter8971/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

New research led by Trinity College Dublin's AI Accountability Lab pinpoints the growing threat posed by the influence AI companies have over the rule of law, and people's lives, as well as outlining how society can stem the tide. The international team behind the work, which comprised researchers based in Ireland, the United States, Scotland and The Netherlands, mapped the growing and outsized influence that the "Big AI" industry exerts on the capture and control of the narrative, and of the regulatory measures related to AI and its ever-growing use in society. Growing risks of Big AI's control of narrative and regulation After taking a deep dive into literature and media reports, the multi-disciplinary team identified 27 established patterns of "corporate capture", a process by which regulation and public bodies come to act in the interest of corporations rather than people. Applying their classification to a dataset of 100 articles, specifically published around four critical events between 2023 and 2025 (the EU AI Act trilogues and the global AI summits in the UK, South Korea and France), they found 249 cases fitting capture patterns. Of these instances, the most prevalent relate to: 1) Narrative capture, dominated by narratives such as "regulation stifles innovation" and "red tape" whereby regulation is portrayed as unnecessary, excessive, or obsolete; and 2) Elusion of law, pertaining to violations and contentious interpretations of antitrust, privacy, copyright and labour laws. How does Big AI exert such influence? Growing evidence, outlined in the research, suggests that Big AI has undermined and resisted regulation, oversight and enforcement in a variety of ways, such as lobbying; retaliated against whistleblowers, researchers and law-makers; and benefited in some cases from a "revolving door" model where former policymakers go on to advise or take employment with major AI companies. There are also many examples of Big AI making significant donations to political parties, public officials owning equity in regulated companies, while some governments and political leaders have also set the stage to undermine existing rules. For example, after previously calling for "simplification", in October 2025 EU Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen explicitly advocated for deregulation. Dr Abeba Birhane, Director of Trinity's AI Accountability Lab, based in the ADAPT Research Ireland Centre and Trinity's School of Computer Science and Statistics, led the new research. She said: "In addition to 'narrative capture' and the violations and contentious interpretations of antitrust, privacy, copyright and labour laws that were most recurrent, we also found that Big AI frequently uses the notion that 'regulation stifles innovation' and that 'red tape can stymy national interest' to rationalise their control of the overall narrative." Zeerak Talat, one of the co-authors from the University of Edinburgh, added: "The regulatory and oversight structures and processes that govern the industry deeply impact everything from fostering public trust in systems marketed as AI to the credibility of scientific knowledge, and from educational and healthcare services to information ecosystems, the environment, rule of law and even the integrity of democratic processes." What is the potential impact of this research? Over the past decade, the AI industry has come to exert an unprecedented economic, political and societal power and influence. And that continues to grow. This work: 1) provides a new framework for understanding and identifying the many different ways in which Big AI controls the narrative and influences associated regulatory measures; and 2) categorises the most prevalent mechanisms in which the industry does that. Riccardo Angius, PhD Researcher in the AIAL at Trinity, added: "This work provides policymakers and other researchers with rigorous context to comprehend the extent and depth of the pervasive and multifaceted capture of ...

The phrase “toxic masculinity,” deployed ad nauseum over the past decade, now borders on cliché, but the fact that men are in some kind of crisis feels beyond dispute. Statistics on boys' prospects are bleak, showing falling graduation rates, diminished employment opportunities, and dismal mental-health outcomes. Meanwhile, the manosphere has fanned the flames of these discontents. The question of what's to be done is more pressing than ever. On this episode of Critics at Large, Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz consider a new wave of texts that aims to diagnose men's ills, and to offer a path forward. The men in these works fall, broadly, into two lanes: the damaged, sometimes violent types who are front and center in such series as Richard Gadd's “Half Man,” and the softer, more emotionally attuned protagonists of shows like “Heated Rivalry” and “DTF St. Louis.” But this tidy schematic falls apart in real life—and, as looksmaxxers have taught us, obsessing over models of manhood may only compound the problem. “Usually, if I'm thinking about being a man, it is in a self-reproving or self-indicting way that is not helpful to the situation,” Cunningham says. “When you're asking how to be a man, often the real answer is just how to be a person.”Read, watch, and listen with the critics:“Half Man” (2026)“Magnolia” (1999)“Fight Club” (1999)“Heated Rivalry” (2025—)“‘Heated Rivalry,' ‘Pillion,' and the New Drama of the Closet” (The New Yorker)“Adolescence” (2025)“DTF St. Louis” (2026)“The New Masculinity of ‘DTF St. Louis,' ” by Alexandra Schwartz (The New Yorker)“Lord of the Flies” (2026)“Lord of the Flies,” by William Golding“Can Starting from Scratch Save ‘Vanderpump Rules'?” by Naomi Fry (The New Yorker)Clavicular's appearance on “Impaulsive”“Why So Many Guys Are Obsessed with Testosterone,” by Azeen Ghorayshi (The New York Times)“Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere” (2026)“The Pitt” (2025—)New episodes drop every Thursday. Follow Critics at Large wherever you get your podcasts.Critics at Large is a weekly discussion from The New Yorker which explores the latest trends in books, television, film, and more. Join us every Thursday as we make unexpected connections between classic texts and pop culture. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

As you reach the end of a long day with an excess of stress how do you recharge? Have you found that a long stroll in the sun or through the woods can provide this renewal? Walking in nature is the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories with guest Dr. Altea Lorenzo-Arribas. Dr. Altea Lorenzo-Arribas is a socio-economic statistician at Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland (BioSS) working in collaboration with researchers at the Scottish Environment, Food and Agriculture Research Institutions. She is an elected council member of the Royal Statistical Society and secretary of the History of Statistics Section, as well as a member of the Women Committee of the Spanish Society of Statistics and Operations Research, and the Spanish Biostatistics Network (Biostatnet). She is passionate about uncovering the hidden stories of women in the history of statistics, and firmly believes in the need for a more equal, diverse and inclusive discipline.

Your home life? It's a business. Really. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed with all the stuff and responsibilities and endless task lists, Lisa Woodruff of Organize365 is here to help! She joins AllMomDoes host Julie Lyles Carr with a fresh perspective on how much time it actually takes of run a home and family, why analyzing those jobs through a business lens brings greater clarity, and how you can equip yourself to get out of the quicksand of modern life.Show Notes: https://bit.ly/4d3UkzDKey Topics:Household management as an economic engineStatistics on household spending and timeMental models for household organizationStrategies to reduce overwhelm and increase productivityTakeaways:Households are a $68 trillion industry in the US economy.On average, 28 hours a week are spent on household chores.Applying business principles to household management can increase efficiency.Planning and contingency strategies improve goal attainment.Small, intentional changes can significantly reduce overwhelm.Sound Bites:"Small, intentional changes can significantly reduce overwhelm.""Planning and contingency strategies improve goal attainment.""Households are a $68 trillion industry in the US economy."Chapters:00:00 Introduction and Lisa's origin story02:05 Household management as an economic engine04:26 Statistics on household spending and time07:24 Applying business principles to household management11:11 Strategies to reduce overwhelm and increase productivity14:25 The importance of planning and contingency strategies19:20 Self-care and rethinking priorities in midlife28:51 Escaping quicksand: the metaphor for overwhelm34:54 Resources and where to find Lisa WoodruffResources:The Sunday BasketEscaping Quicksand Book

Statistics show that there's no shortage of people pitching their expertise and services, but no one's really paying attention to them. Dan Sullivan and Gord Vickman explain why so many pitches are getting ignored and how to actually engage with the people you're talking to. Show Notes: We can only truly pay attention to only one thing at a time. Instead of thinking about a marketplace, focus on relationships. Our eyes only see and our ears only hear what our brain is looking for. People who work in highly competitive organizations often keep their future aspirations a secret. The more technological the communications become, the greater the technological reach. People have developed pitch filters, as well as content and entertainment filters. There's a crisis growing in the technological and marketing worlds where it's taking more effort and more money to not get a result. Having questions that get another person to think about their future is 100 times more powerful than any answer you could give them about their future. Resources: Your Life As A Strategy Circle by Dan Sullivan Article: The 4 Freedoms That Motivate Successful Entrepreneurs Walter Payton Anything And Everything Podcast with Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff

Cum încearcă Chișinăul să reintegreze economic regiunea transnistreană? Republica Moldova încearcă să rezolve problema transnistreană înainte de aderarea la UE, un obiectiv asumat public pentru 2030. Autoritățile au început realizarea unor măsuri economice și fiscale comune pentru ambele maluri ale Nistrului, în timp ce Bruxellesul transmite că problema transnistreană nu va bloca parcursul european al țării. Totuși, opiniile locuitorilor din regiune sunt împărțite: unii văd viitorul alături de Uniunea Europeană, alții continuă să privească spre Rusia, chiar dacă aceasta nu mai alimentează regiunea separatistă cu gaze gratuite. În paralel, Moscova își consolidează influența în regiune prin facilitarea acordării cetățeniei ruse. Cât de realistă este reintegrarea Republicii Moldova în următorii ani, ce rol joacă Uniunea Europeană și Rusia în acest proces și care sunt provocările ce pot decide viitorul regiuni? Un reportaj realizat de Liliana Barbăroșie în comun cu colegii noștri de la Deutsche Welle. Iată temele ediției: - Maia Sandu a fost decorată cu Ordinul European de Merit și a fost aplaudată în picioare după ce a vorbit în Parlamentul de la Strasbourg. - Odată cu schimbarea dinamicii războiului din Ucraina, tot mai mulți experți vorbesc despre o posibilă „fereastră de oportunitate” pentru a găsi o soluție la problema Transnistriei. La o conferință de la București dedicată securității la Marea Neagră, experți din Republica Moldova, Ucraina, România și Statele Unite au analizat viitorul regiunii separatiste susținute de Moscova. Mădălina Șerban a sintetizat discuțiile. - Regiunea separatistă Transnistria se pregătește de două evenimente majore: Așa-numitele alegeri prezidențiale și începerea acordării în masă de cetățenii rusești locuitorilor din stânga Nistrului. Despre reacțiile la aceste două evenimente ne vorbește Vitalie Cojocari în ”Cronica lui Vitalie”. - Președinta Parlamentului European, Roberta Metsola, spune că Moldova este parte a Europei. - Maia Sandu declară, în contextul controversei legate de scorul mic oferit de jurul moldovean României la Eurovision că cetățenii din Republica Moldova și România nu ar trebuie să lase nimic să deterioreze relația dintre cele două state.  - UE rămâne principalul partener comercial al Republicii Moldova. Iar România este principala destinație a exporturilor moldovenești, cu aproape o treime din volume. Știrile zilei: Maia Sandu a fost decorată marți cu Ordinul European de Merit și a fost aplaudată în picioare după ce a vorbit în Parlamentul de la Strasbourg. Noua distincție a UE a fost creată pentru personalitățile care au contribuit la integrarea, unitatea și democrația europeană. „Ordinul European aparține cetățenilor Republicii Moldova, cei care votează de decenii pentru apropierea de Uniunea Europeană, a declarat Maia Sandu. Acest merit trebuie să fie recompensat, astfel încât Moldova să meargă înainte în procesul de integrare europeană”, a subliniat președinta de la Chișinău atât în plenul parlamentului, cât și la conferința de presă pe care a susținut-o ulterior cu președinta legislativului european, Roberta Metsola. „Suntem gata să deschidem negocierile pe toate capitolele. Atât Comisia, cât și Consiliul afirmă că suntem pregătiți. Moldova își respectă angajamentele asumate, pas cu pas. Un proces de aderare credibil, bazat pe merite, necesită eforturi din partea ambelor părți. Iar Moldova își respectă partea sa de angajament”, a declarat Maia Sandu. La rândul său, președinta Parlamentului European, Roberta Metsola, a subliniat că Moldova este parte a Europei. „Locul Moldovei este în Uniunea Europeană, iar în acest demers puteți conta pe Parlamentul European ca pe un aliat puternic care va contribui la transformarea acestui vis în realitate. Astăzi este, de asemenea, o onoare pentru noi să vă recunoaștem leadershipul prin Ordinul de Merit al Uniunii Europene. Am avut onoarea de a vă vedea curajul, claritatea și statornicia de-a lungul anilor. Angajamentul dumneavoastră nu doar modelează Moldova, ci și restul Europei. Vedem cum se creează un impuls acum și nu putem lăsa ca acesta să se oprească. Poporul moldovean a ales Europa. Vă îndreptați cu determinare spre aderare și, în ciuda interferențelor constante ale Rusiei și a încercărilor de a vă destabiliza țara, rămâneți ferm ancorați în valorile noastre democratice comune. Acest lucru se datorează rezilienței poporului dumneavoastră și conducerii dumneavoastră calme, clare și bazate pe principii. Așadar, mesajul meu de astăzi este, în cele mai clare cuvinte posibile, că Parlamentul European va continua să sprijine Moldova în toate modurile posibile”, a mai declarat la Strasbourg președinta PE, Roberta Metsola *** În cadrul conferinței de presă a de la Strasbourg, Maia Sandu a comentat și controversa legată de scorul mic oferit de jurul moldovean României la Eurovision. „Cetățenii din Republica Moldova și România nu ar trebuie să lase nimic să deterioreze relația dintre cele două state. «Cel mai important» este că publicul din Republica Moldova a oferit punctaj maxim. Aceasta este cea mai importantă parte”, a declarat Maia Sandu. *** UE rămâne principalul partener comercial al Republicii Moldova. Potrivit datelor Biroului Național de Statistică, citate de Delegația UE în Republica Moldova, ponderea exporturilor moldovenești către piața europeană a depășit anul trecut 68,1% din totalul exporturilor. Valoric, exporturile în statele membre ale UE au depășit 2,55 miliarde de dolari. Evoluția confirmă tendința ascendentă din ultimii ani, cu creștere constantă acumulând 10% în ultimii trei ani. Printre principalele categorii de produse exportate de Republica Moldova se numără echipamentele electrice, produsele agricole, mobilierul, grăsimile și uleiurile, precum și vinurile și băuturile. Principalele destinații au fost România, unde merg aproape o treime din exporturile moldovenești, cu o pondere de 29,2%, urmată de Italia și Cehia, cu puțin sub 10 la sută fiecare, și Germania și Bulgaria, cu o cotă de aproximativ 4 la sută. *** Șeful pretinsului minister al securității din Transnistria, Valeri Ghebos, s-a plâns într-un interviu presei ruse că administrația constituțională de la Chișinău ar intenționa să se implice în alegerea noului lider al regiunii. Așa-numitul scrutin urmează să aibă loc în decembrie. Acesta a declarat că autoritățile de la Chișinău ar planifica să exercite presiuni, șantaj și să intimideze membrii pretinsei comisii electorale din regiunea separatistă. „Declarații speculative și lipsite de credibilitate”, așa a calificat afirmațiile Tiraspolului Serviciul de Informații și Securitate (SIS) de la Chișinău, la solicitarea portalului realitatea.md. „Instituțiile competente ale statului își desfășoară activitatea exclusiv în baza legii și în interesul Republicii Moldova”, au precizat reprezentanții autorității de la Chișinău. *** O premieră în R. Moldova: elevii au susținut evaluarea națională la limba și literatura română în format digital. Aproximativ 150 de elevi au testat noul sistem și au susținut evaluarea utilizând o platformă digitală. Pilotarea testării online va continua și în perioada următoare. Pe 21 mai, elevii din instituțiile implicate în proiectul pilot vor susține, tot în premieră și în format digital, evaluarea la disciplina Științe.

According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, there are nearly 170 Million employed civilians in the American workforce. However, that number may be an undercount because it does not include kids working at BizTown.   Junior Achievement’s BizTown gives kids in fourth, fifth and sixth grade the chance to experience working in a simulated city in various fields, including healthcare, construction, food service, journalism, banking and more. Kids are given jobs based on interviews they’ve done and BizTown money to purchase various goods and services in their make believe city.   Host Dave Miller and producer Rolie Hernandez spent a day at Biztown recently, talking to students at Boring's Hood View Adventist School and Vancouver's Columbia Valley Elementary to find out what a day of adulthood was like for students. They also spoke to the actual adult responsible for the exercise: Barbara Smith, CEO of Junior Achievement's BizTown.

Bill Beach is the former commissioner of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and the current executive director of the Fiscal Lab on Capitol Hill. In Bill's first appearance on the show he discusses a career in and around public service, the important niche his new organization fills, the frightening fiscal outlook of the United States, exactly how long we have before Social Security runs out, why he believes it will take lots of small changes instead of a big one to fix our fiscal outlook, the important role of the BLS, why our statistical methods needs reform, the most underrated economic statistical indicators, and much more. Watch the full length video on our new YouTube Channel! Check out the transcript for this week's episode, now with links. Recorded on April 15th, 2026 Subscribe to David's Substack: Macroeconomic Policy Nexus Follow David Beckworth on X: @DavidBeckworth Follow Bill Beach X: @BeachWW453 Follow the show on X: @Macro_Musings Check out our Macro Musings merch! Timestamps 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:25 - Bill's Career 00:10:11 - Fiscal Lab on Capitol Hill 00:17:23 - Fiscal Challenges of the United States 00:30:05 - Surveys from Bureau of Labor Statistics 00:43:12 - Challenges to Survey Work 00:52:13 - Outro

Bobby and Alex discuss Noah Syndergaard's lackluster right-wing grift, including whether or not it's “hard” to be conservative in MLB. Then, they acknowledge that MLB and the MLBPA met for their first official bargaining session ahead of the expiration of the current MLB CBA, discussing whether there's anything that can be gleaned from the tone and tenor of bargaining this early in the process. Next, they assess the legacies of two huge figures in the baseball world who passed away over the last few weeks: Ted Turner, the larger-than-life owner of the Atlanta Braves, and John Sterling, the iconic Yankees radio broadcaster. Finally, they chat about the idea of a “Wokes” vs. “Chuds” All-Star Game, and whether it would actually be way closer than one might first assume.Links:Buy tickets for the Tipping Pitches Brooklyn Cyclones Meetup on June 12⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the Tipping Pitches Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tipping Pitches merchandise ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Call the Tipping Pitches voicemail: 785-422-5881Tipping Pitches features original music from Steve Sladkowski of PUP.

Kids and teens are experiencing less independence than in the past — whether due to screen time, parents' fears of letting them roam freely, or other factors. It's a problem. But why? And what can be done? In this episode, host Dr. Delaney Ruston discusses this important topic with journalist Lenore Skenazy, who was labeled "America's Worst Mom" after letting her 9-year-old take the New York City subway home alone. Skenazy has spent years sounding the alarm on the harms of decreased youth autonomy, including co-founding Let Grow with psychologists Jonathan Haidt and Peter Gray. This episode explores the factors contributing to decreased independence and offers tools for parents and schools to combat this trend. It also examines the role of technology and tracking devices in this context, addressing both their benefits and potential pitfalls. This episode is intended for adult and teen audiences.   Featured Expert Lenore Skenazy   Books Free Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy   Research References Mott Poll Report: Promoting children's Independence: What parents say vs do Media violence, physical aggression, and relational aggression in school age children: a short-term longitudinal study. (Aggressive Behavior)    Additional Resources Lenore Skenazy's blog LetGrow.Org   Time Code 00:00 Introduction 00:20 The Decline of Children's Autonomy 01:02 Challenges in Encouraging Independence 01:22 Parental Concerns and Media Influence 02:00 Exploring Solutions with Lenore Skenazy 02:39 Lenore's Controversial Parenting Decision 08:21 The Birth of Free Range Kids Movement 10:07 Statistics and Parental Fears 18:05 Let Grow Initiative and School Programs 22:34 Technology's Role in Children's Independence 32:44 Conclusion and Resources

Introducing FOCUS (Fraud Oversight through Careful Use of Statistics).  The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched a new initiative in response to the surge in False Claims Act qui tam filings by data miners.Today, roughly 45 percent of DOJ cases involve FCA data miners. You and your team will learn the inside story of this new initiative along with news of two significant data miner-initiated cases: a $6.73 million settlement against a California vascular physician who billed Medicare for unnecessary stent procedures at 30 times the national average; and a $300,000 settlement against three Illinois skilled nursing facilities that billed Medicare for unnecessary and inflated rehabilitation services.Reporting this dramatic story will be whistleblower attorney and a partner in the New York office of Whistleblower Partners, Hamsa Mahendranathan. Broadcast segments will also include these instantly recognizable features:·      Monday Rounds: Ronald Hirsch, MD, vice president of R1 RCM, will be making his Monday Rounds. ·      The RAC Report: Healthcare attorney Knicole Emanuel, partner at the law firm of Nelson Mullins, will report the latest news about auditors. ·      Risky Business: Healthcare attorney David Glaser, shareholder in the law offices of Fredrikson & Byron, will join the broadcast with his trademark segment.·      Legislative Update: Adam Brenman, senior legislative affairs liaison for Zelis, will report on current healthcare legislation.

You've no doubt heard of Babe Ruth, who set a record for most number of home runs in his baseball career– seven hundred and fourteen. But here's a statistic you probably haven't heard– Babe Ruth's total career strikeouts. One thousand three hundred and thirty. That's right– he struck out far more than he hit homers.When it comes to your own son, of course you want him to hit all the proverbial “home runs” in life. But don't forget to let him fail, too. It can be hard for us parents to watch, but failure can actually build resilience and be more beneficial for our children than success. Just ask Babe Ruth, who said– “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” For more ideas on raising boys to be godly men, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.

Summer creates feelings of joy and relief from hectic school schedules for most, but for about 30 percent of school-aged children, it causes feelings of dread or even fear. Statistics show that for high-risk students receive more than an education during the school year. Schools are their safe place where they are fed and feel safe each day. Part of becoming trauma-informed means moving beyond awareness to practical steps. This episode covers 5 ways to hedge against childhood adversity in the summer, whether or not you are an educator.

China's value-added industrial output, a key economic indicator, increased 5.6 percent year-on-year in the first four months, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Monday.国家统计局周一发布数据显示，作为一项重要经济指标，我国前四个月规模以上工业增加值同比增长 5.6%。In April alone, industrial output grew 4.1 percent year-on-year, and rose 0.05 percent compared to the previous month, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics.国家统计局数据显示，仅 4 月当月，工业增加值同比增长 4.1%，环比增长 0.05%。The industrial output is used to measure the activity of large enterprises each with an annual main business turnover of at least 20 million yuan (about $2.92 million).工业增加值用于衡量年主营业务收入不低于 2000 万元人民币（约合 292 万美元）的大型企业生产经营活动。In terms of sectors, the value added output of the mining sector increased by 5.5 percent year-on-year in the first four months of the year, while that of the manufacturing sector grew by 5.8 percent. The value-added output of the electricity, heat, gas and water production and supply sectors went up by 4.5 percent, the data showed.数据显示，分行业看，今年前四个月采矿业增加值同比增长 5.5%，制造业增加值增长 5.8%，电力、热力、燃气及水生产和供应业增加值增长 4.5%。China's retail sales of consumer goods, a major indicator of the country's consumption strength, expanded 1.9 percent year-on-year in the first four months of 2026, official data showed Monday.官方数据周一显示，作为衡量我国消费活力的重要指标，2026 年前四个月我国社会消费品零售总额同比增长 1.9%。During the January-April period, the total retail sales of consumer goods reached about 16.49 trillion yuan. Excluding automobiles, retail sales grew by 3.1 percent to 15.2 trillion yuan, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics.国家统计局数据显示，1—4 月，社会消费品零售总额约达 16.49 万亿元；剔除汽车品类后，零售额增长 3.1%，达 15.2 万亿元。Urban retail sales totaled 14.29 trillion yuan in the January-April period, up 1.8 percent year-on-year, while rural retail sales posted faster growth of 2.8 percent, reaching 2.2 trillion yuan.1—4 月，城镇消费品零售额达 14.29 万亿元，同比增长 1.8%；乡村消费品零售额增速更快，同比增长 2.8%，达 2.2 万亿元。Retail sales of services grew by 5.6 percent year-on-year in the first four months, accelerating by 0.1 percentage points from the first quarter. Fast growth was recorded in telecommunications and information services, tourism and rental services, cultural and recreational services, and transportation and travel services, the data showed.数据显示，前四个月服务类零售额同比增长 5.6%，较一季度加快 0.1 个百分点，通信信息服务、旅游租赁服务、文化娱乐服务、交通出行服务均实现较快增长。From January to April, total online retail sales of goods and services reached 6.53 trillion yuan, up 6.6 percent year-on-year. Online goods sales rose 5.7 percent to nearly 4.12 trillion yuan, accounting for 25 percent of total retail sales of consumer goods. Online services sales grew at an 8.3 percent rate, reaching 2.41 trillion yuan, according to the data.数据显示，1—4 月，实物商品和服务网上零售额总额达 6.53 万亿元，同比增长 6.6%。其中实物商品网上零售额增长 5.7%，近 4.12 万亿元，占社会消费品零售总额的 25%；服务类网上零售额增长 8.3%，达 2.41 万亿元。In April alone, total retail sales edged up 0.2 percent year-on-year. On a monthly basis, the volume went down 0.48 percent from March.4 月当月，社会消费品零售总额同比微增 0.2%，环比 3 月下降 0.48%。indicator /ˈɪndɪkeɪtə(r)/n. 指标；标志turnover /ˈtɜːnəʊvə(r)/n. 营业额；成交量retail /ˈriːteɪl/n. 零售 v. 零售accelerate /əkˈseləreɪt/v. 加速；加快

Consumption pricing puts pressure on the forecast in places traditional SaaS models rarely exposed. Total usage may be easier to model from the CFO's seat, but the field still has to answer harder questions: which customer, which channel, which rep, and when. In this replay segment, Devavrat Shah explains how AI can help teams learn across cohorts, spot patterns in uneven data, and create more trust in a forecast that would otherwise depend on isolated judgment calls.  Devavrat Shah is an MIT professor, director of MIT's Statistics and Data Science Center, and co-founder and CEO of Ikigai Labs. He brings a data science and operator's perspective to forecasting, consumption pricing, and enterprise AI. Connect with Devavrat: LinkedIn Listen to the full episode here: Understanding AI Through History and Practical Application with Devavrat Shah Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results. This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale. Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

President Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics in August 2025, claiming without evidence that the agency's data were "rigged." One consequence of the firing was an erosion of trust in data that businesses, investors, and policymakers depend on. A recent paper (https://www.nber.org/papers/w35135) quantifies the cost of this erosion of trust, estimating that Commissioner McEntarfer's firing shrunk GDP by almost $20 billion, and reduced payroll employment by over 30,000 jobs. Two of the paper's co-authors, Erica Groshen and Michael Strain, join EconoFact Chats to discuss their findings, and more broadly, to highlight why it's extremely difficult for agencies to "rig" statistics, as well as what happens when elected officials undermine public trust in data. Erica served as Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2013 to 2017 and is currently Senior Economics Advisor at the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Michael is Director of Economic Policy Studies and the Arthur F. Burns Scholar in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute.

After covering Organized Konfusion last week & Pharoahe Monch the week before, we finish our OK explorations with the other half of the duo: The unsung Prince Po. TIMESTAMPS:Weekly Music Roundup - (0:59)Ben:Action Bronson - Planet FrogKneecap - FENIANCookin soul x Estee nack - AL-ANDALUSTiga - Hot LifeLittle Simz- Sugar GirlFoo Fighters - Your Favourite ToyCharlie:Blue Lab Beats - The Blue Lab Beats ShowLittle Simz - Sugar GirlMr. Williamz & Reggae Roast (not Toast!) - We Run The SceneJWords - Sound TherapyDenzel Himself - NeighbourhoodAction Bronson - Planet FrogAZ - Doe Or Die IIIRADIOHOP - HARD TO HANDLETopic Intro/Ben's Research House - (14:24)The Slickness - (19:57)(Couldn't find Prettyblack online unfortunately)Saga of the Simian Samurai - (30:13)Animal Serum - (39:15)Lighter Note - (47:24) Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved.Music - "Pizza And Video Games" by Bonus Points (Thanks to Chillhop Music for the right to use)HHBTN (Twitter & IG) - @HipHopNumbers5E (Twitter & IG) - @The5thElementUKChillHop (Twitter) - @ChillhopdotcomBonus Points (Twitter) - @BonusPoints92Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:"What's Good?" W/ Charlie TaylorIn Search of SauceBlack Women Watch...5EPN RadioThe Beauty Of Independence

There is so much content in Warcraft! Yet some are not satisfied. Is it that our lobster is too buttery, our steak is too juicy, or is there only sizzle in the 12.0.5 meal? A returning Lex_Rants discusses keeping up with the content in the Midnight mid-season patch.

In this episode of Breaking Math, Autumn and Noah speak with Ron Wasserstein, Executive Director of the American Statistical Association, about what statistics means in a world increasingly shaped by AI, misinformation, and fragile public trust. Wasserstein argues that statistics is not merely a “bag of tools,” but a way of thinking: asking where data comes from, what it leaves out, how uncertainty should be communicated, and when numbers are being used to illuminate rather than manipulate.Chapters00:00 The Golden Age of Statistics02:36 AI's Impact on Statistics08:16 Data as Fuel for AI10:55 Bias in AI and Statistics14:01 Preparing Future Statisticians16:58 Bridging the Gap: Academia and Industry22:58 The Misconception of Statistics23:08 The Role of Statistics in Public Discourse26:20 The American Statistical Association's Mission32:18 Statistics and Politics: A Historical Perspective36:02 Addressing Misinformation and Misuse of Data39:51 The Importance of Statistical Literacy44:01 Misconceptions About Statistics and Expertise46:57 The Essence of Statistics47:22 Statistics as a Way of ThinkingFollow Ron WassersteinLinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-wasserstein/)Follow Breaking Math onSubstack (https://breakingmath.substack.com/)Twitter (https://x.com/breakingmathpod)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/breakingmathmedia/)Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/breakingmath.bsky.social)Website (https://www.breakingmath.io/)YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@BreakingMathPod)Follow Noah onInstagram (https://www.instagram.com/profnoahgian/)Twitter (https://x.com/ProfNoahGian)Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/profnoahgian.bsky.social)Follow Autumn onTwitter (https://x.com/1autumn_leaf)Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/1autumnleaf.bsky.social)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/1autumnleaf/)Substack (https://substack.com/@1autumnleaf)email: breakingmathpodcast@gmail.com

What counts as cheating when no one else is technically in the room?In this episode of Girls Gone Gritty, Farley and Jennifer get honest about boundaries, secrecy, sex, technology, and the conversations many couples avoid. They start with lighter updates, from graduation season and family milestones to NCAA eligibility changes and Elizabeth Smart's powerful reinvention through bodybuilding. Then the episode shifts into a bold and uncomfortable question: where is the line between personal privacy and betrayal?The hosts talk through emotional affairs, porn, sex toys, masturbation, and how technology has changed intimacy, trust, and access. They question whether secrecy is the real issue, why emotional connection outside a relationship can feel more painful than physical cheating, and how couples need clearer conversations around what feels respectful or hurtful. The episode also honors Lulu Gribbin with the Got Grit Award for turning trauma into a safety initiative, then closes with a reminder to trust your gut, speak up, and keep communication honest.Episode Highlights:(0:00) Intro(1:06) Celebrating graduations and family milestones(2:40) Top three stories of the week(5:08) NCAA changes athlete eligibility rules(8:14) Elizabeth Smart's bodybuilding comeback(10:07) Setting up the cheating conversation(11:49) Statistics around men, women, and infidelity(13:26) Why emotional affairs can hurt deeply(15:16) Do sex toys and porn cross a line?(18:50) Technology, porn, and blurred boundaries(22:17) The 80-20 rule of infidelity(23:13) Sex toys, privacy, and personal choice(28:11) Protecting innocence in a digital world(30:16) Got Grit Award: Lulu Gribbin(32:47) Song of the week: “Madeline”Send us Fan MailSupport the showFollow us:Web: https://girlsgonegritty.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlsgonegritty/More ways to find us: https://linktr.ee/girlsgonegritty

In order to promote the economic and social development of countries, you have to be clear about what economic and social development even means and how you'll measure these concepts. This is where official statistics excels. Many nations continue to build the capacity of their statistical systems to address the needs of their countries. Our episode today focuses on official statistics and statistical capacity development with guest Oliver Chinganya. Oliver Chinganya is the chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Zambia statistical agency, and co chair of the advisory board for Digital Earth Africa. He was recently appointed a senior advisor at the International Growth Center at the London School of Economics. Formerly, he was chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Zambia Statistical Agency and co-chair of the advisory board of the Georgia Africa until January 2025. Chinganya served as director of the African Center for Statistics and chief statistician at the UN Economic Commission for Africa, also known as UNICA. Until October 2025, he was vice president of the International Statistical Institute. His career also includes senior roles at the African Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Zambia Statistical Office. He is a fellow chartered statistician and chartered scientist of the Royal Statistical Society and is widely recognized for advancing statistical capacity and driving digital innovation across Africa.

This week's Word On The Street is a PHENOMENAL chat with former professional road racing cyclist, Imogen Cotter. She chats through her crash in 2022, which statistically should have killed her, getting back on the bike, and transitioning from professional racing into advocacy, social media, and more. Imogen chats to us as an ambassador for Cycling Ireland's Cycle Fest, a free, family-friendly festival taking place in Dublin Docklands this Sunday. The festival will feature a full programme of cycling events around Grand Canal Square, including family rides, BMX and polo bike demonstrations, and Cycling Ireland's National Criterium Championships. Registration is still open now at Eventmaster.ie. Tune into WOTS every Thursday, free, on Off The Ball

Eric Metaxas, Sidney Powell- The Fight for Justice and Election Integrity, Leonarda is Funny.com, John Stossel- FBI Caught LYING About Gun Statistics   Sidney Powell The Eric Metaxas Show  May 04 2026   Today On The Eric Metaxas Show, Eric talks with Sidney Powell about fake news surrounding a rumored administration role, the fight for justice inside the DOJ, James Comey, the Southern Poverty Law Center, lawfare, election integrity, and why she believes America still must confront the corruption exposed after 2020. Eric also shares updates on ongoing fight to free slaves through Christian Solidarity International. Subscribe for clips from The Eric Metaxas Show to hear politics and culture from a Christian perspective.⭐ PRE-ORDER TODAY:Revolution: The Birth of the Greatest Nation in the History of the World

Despite our having more wealth and access to information than ever before, we are experiencing record high depression rates, declining life expectancy, and declining educational outcomes. Seth references philosopher Eric Hoffer's book "The True Believer" and Eric Hanushek's research on the impact of school closures during the Coronavirus pandemic. Seth also touches on the importance of teaching civics and history, citing former Secretary of Education William Bennett's quote on the value of knowing who we are and our country's history. We're joined by John Dombroski, founder and president of Grand Canyon Planning Associates. Listener call-in commentary on media manipulation and church attendance statistics in America. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the Modern Direct Seller Podcast, we're diving into one of the most underutilized growth strategies in direct sales: referrals. We're breaking down why most direct sellers are sitting on a goldmine of untapped referrals, and what it actually takes to turn willing customers into a steady stream of new leads. From the psychology behind why referrals work to two practical strategies you can start using right away, this episode lays out a simple, systematic approach to making referrals a reliable part of your business.Looking to set up your own referral system, build a lead capture form, or automate your follow-up sequences? Explore examples, templates, and trainings inside the Modern Direct Seller Academy. You can also check out Oh My Hi for website tools built specifically for direct sellers, and Project Broadcast for text marketing automation that pairs perfectly with a referral program.Time-Based Notes:2:09 - The Psychology & Statistics of Referrals5:04 - Identifying Your Best Referral Partners8:20 - Invite a Friend: Strategy for Events11:42 - Referral Palooza: Your Always-On System14:43 - The Value of Referred Customers17:09 - Marketing & Promoting Your Referral Program20:01 - Action StepsShow sponsored by CinchShare: The number one most trusted social media scheduling tool for direct sellers. Start your 60 day trial today with coupon code KEYBOARD60 and spend less time posting and more time socializing!Get the full show notes at https://moderndirectseller.com/episode288

Bobby and Alex have returned for the third installation of the Tipping Pitches Power Hour (AKA Power Hour III AKA Tre Power, Tre Hour AKA Power Hour Part Trois), and this time it's bigger and better than ever. In a frankly absurd investment of time, energy, and liver enzymes, Bobby has built a 30-question personality quiz to determine what MLB team your vibe most closely matches, and he has spent approximately 4 hours proctoring it to Alex and reviewing the methodology on this two-part extravaganza. TAKE THE TIPPING PITCHES MLB PERSONALITY QUIZLISTEN TO PART TWO, LIVE RIGHT NOW ON PATREONLinks:Buy tickets for the Tipping Pitches Brooklyn Cyclones Meetup on June 12Vote on where the Tipping Pitches MLB meetup occurs⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the Tipping Pitches Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tipping Pitches merchandise ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Call the Tipping Pitches voicemail: 785-422-5881Tipping Pitches features original music from Steve Sladkowski of PUP.

One of the most common and sensitive questions is: Should I date someone with a sexual past or heavy emotional baggage? With online dating apps making everyone's history more visible, many believers wrestle with grace, wisdom, purity, and forgiveness. The short answer is yes — but it requires biblical discernment, honest conversation, and Christ-centered boundaries. If you're a Christian single navigating this, you're not alone. Statistics show that the majority of adults today enter relationships with some form of sexual history […] The post Dating Someone with a Sexual Past or Other Baggage appeared first on Christian Singles Advice | Christian Dating Advice Tips. Related posts: How to Deal With Emotional Baggage as Single Christians How to Let Go of Past Relationship Trauma Sexual Feelings of Christian Single Women Should Christian Single Dating Couples Who Fall into Sexual Sin Break Up? Should You Confess Past Sexual Sins to Your Christian Dating Partner?

After exploring Pharoahe Monch last week, we now get into his pre-solo life with Prince Po as the duo Organized Konfusion. Three albums with unfaltering production, dexterous lyrics and flows that need to be heard to truly understand how good these two were as a rap duo.TIMESTAMPS:Weekly Music Roundup - (1:01)Ben:Isaiah Rashad - IT'S BEEN AWFULBilly Danze - The AnswerNEMS - I Should Boom YouCharlie:India Shawn - Subject To ChangeTiara Thomas - Make It Make SenseCurren$y, Wiz Khalifa & Harry Fraud - Roofless Records For Drop Tops: Disc 1Curren$y, Wiz Khalifa & Harry Fraud - Roofless Records For Drop Tops: Disc 2Oddisee & Heno. - From Takoma With LoveOpek - TRAFOIsaiah Rashad - IT'S BEEN AWFULKehlani - KehlaniTopic Intro/Ben's Research House - (19:17)Organized Konfusion - (20:25) Stress: The Extinction Agenda - (39:41) The Equinox - (51:46) Lighter Note - (1:05:31) Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved.Music - "Pizza And Video Games" by Bonus Points (Thanks to Chillhop Music for the right to use)HHBTN (Twitter & IG) - @HipHopNumbers5E (Twitter & IG) - @The5thElementUKChillHop (Twitter) - @ChillhopdotcomBonus Points (Twitter) - @BonusPoints92Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:"What's Good?" W/ Charlie TaylorIn Search of SauceBlack Women Watch...5EPN RadioThe Beauty Of Independence

Associate Editor Lindsey Knuth came across some very interesting and concerning headlines that she decided to investigate further. Both studies of the concerning stories Lindsey found came out of the Pew Research Center and were authored by Jonathan Evans, senior researcher at Pew, and Laura Silver, associate director of Pew's global attitude research. They dive into the differences between Democrat and Republican responses to these findings, how much partisanship plays a role in US finding and which American qualities US citizens are most proud of. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up!You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.This podcast was hosted by Lindsey Knuth and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bobby and Alex discuss a legendary media figure's subtweet of the Tipping Pitches podcast, before engaging in a philosophical discussion of what a strike really is. Then, they spend the rest of the podcast filling out an MLB survey on the current state of the game, its stars, how it's consumed, and more.Links:Buy tickets for the Tipping Pitches Brooklyn Cyclones Meetup on June 12Vote on where the Tipping Pitches MLB meetup occurs⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the Tipping Pitches Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tipping Pitches merchandise ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Call the Tipping Pitches voicemail: 785-422-5881Tipping Pitches features original music from Steve Sladkowski of PUP.

In this episode of Status Check with Spivey, Mike has a conversation with Vincent Sheu, an attorney and AI startup founder with a JD and a Master's in Computer Science from Stanford (in addition to degrees in Statistics, Molecular and Cell Biology, and Bioengineering).Mike and Vincent discuss how he uses AI in his legal work today (19:20, 22:20), how he expects to be using AI in legal work in the future (37:23), how important his human contributions are vs. the contributions of AI (25:32), whether AI will be able to learn EQ (27:12), the sorts of AI tooling skills that employers are (and will be) looking for (29:19, 42:45) and how they screen for those skills (33:39), the benefits of using AI for legal work as well as the risks (24:04, 31:21, 44:23), how the next generation of lawyers will be advantaged and disadvantaged in the new landscape of legal practice (30:03), whether Vincent would hire a new lawyer who was brilliant and likable but has no familiarity with AI (32:52), Vincent's recruiting process out of law school (14:03) and what his hours looked like in biglaw vs. as an in-house general counsel (19:36), how Vincent went 23 for 25 during his law school admissions cycle as a “super splitter” (3:32), and more.Near the beginning of the episode, Mike and Vincent chat about a viral video from 2014 in which Vincent rapidly completed a Rubik's Cube at a college basketball game. While the original video is now private, you can find the referenced SportsCenter article here.Mike also mentions the recent case of a defendant attempting to use an AI avatar to make their opening argument in court. You can find that video here.You can listen and subscribe to Status Check with Spivey on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠. You can read a full transcript of this episode with timestamps here.

John Graunt was a shopkeeper in 17th-century London who followed his own curiosity to a rather grand result. His work gave rise to the fields of demography and epidemiology. Research: Berke, Olaf, et al. “Celebration day: 400th birthday of John Graunt, citizen scientist of London.” Environmental Health Review. 63(3): 67-69. 2020. https://doi.org/10.5864/d2020-018 Britannica Editors. "John Graunt". Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Apr. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Graunt Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Sir William Petty." Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Apr. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/money/William-Petty Clark, Andrew. “Aubrey’s ‘Brief Lives.’” Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1898. https://dn790003.ca.archive.org/0/items/briefliveschiefl01aubruoft/briefliveschiefl01aubruoft.pdf Connor, Henry. “John Graunt F.R.S. (1620-74): The founding father of human demography, epidemiology and vital statistics.” Journal of medical biography 32,1 (2024): 57-69. doi:10.1177/09677720221079826 Eschner, Kat. “People Have Been Using Big Data Since the 1600s.” Smithsonian. April 24, 2017. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/people-have-been-using-big-data-1600s-180962949/ Glass, D.V., et al. “John Graunt and His Natural and Political Observations [and Discussion].” Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, Vol. 159, No. 974, A Discussion on Demography (Dec. 10, 1963), pp. 2-37 Published by: The Royal Society Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/90480 Graunt, John. “Natural and political observations mentioned in a following index, and made upon the Bills of mortality.” Oxford : Printed by William Hall, for John Martyn, and James Allestry, printers to the Royal Society MDCLXV [1665]. http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/2356017R KARGON, ROBERT. “John Graunt, Francis Bacon, and the Royal Society: The Reception of Statistics.” Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, vol. 18, no. 4, 1963, pp. 337–48. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24621352 Kelsey, Holly. “Sovereign and the Sick City in 1603.” Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Aug. 23, 2016. https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/blogs/sovereign-and-sick-city-1603/ Lewin, C. G. "Graunt, John (1620–1674), statistician." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. August 08, 2024. Oxford University Press. https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-11306 Pepys, Samuel. “The Diary of Samuel Pepys.” GEORGE BELL & SONS. London. 1893. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/4200/pg4200.txt Smith, R.M. (2008). “Graunt, John (1620–1674).” The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95121-5_758-2 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jon Harris examines the state of the American church in 2026 — a time of spiritual interest among Gen Z, rising Bible sales, and public figures talking about Christianity, yet mixed with confusion, pastoral failures, and the risk of counterfeit revival. Drawing from statistics, personal reflections, and Scripture, Jon calls Christians to stand faithfully with the true church, prioritize the gospel, and focus on making disciples rather than platforms or politics. A sober yet hopeful message for believers navigating this cultural moment. 0:00 Introduction & Prayer1:40 Convictions: The Church Will Prevail4:20 Suspicions: Spiritual Awakening or Counterfeit?7:15 What Confuses Me – Loss of Key Leaders10:45 Statistics on Gen Z & Religious Interest13:50 Signs of True Revival – Church Growth, Pastors, Giving16:40 The Pastor Problem & Political Temptation22:30 Celebrity “Conversions” & Cultural Christianity27:15 Dangers of Theological Softening32:40 Real Hope – People Are Open to the Gospel37:50 Practical Pastoral Wisdom43:20 The Road to Emmaus – Walking by Faith49:30 Closing: Next Steps for the Church Our Sponsors:* Check out Mars Men: https://mengotomars.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/conversations-that-matter8971/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy