During the Great Depression, the proliferation of local taxpayers’ associations was dramatic and unprecedented. The justly concerned members of these organizations examined the operations of state, city, and county governments, then pressed local officials for operational and fiscal reforms. These associations aimed to reduce the cost of state and local governments to make operations more efficient and less expensive."Mr. Taxpayer versus Mr. Tax Spender": Taxpayers’ Associations, Pocketbook

Dr. Michael F. Maniates is a leading scholar in environmental politics and sustainability studies whose work has fundamentally reshaped how researchers and policymakers understand consumption, responsibility, and power in environmental change. In this current book, The Living-Green Myth (Polity Press, 2025), he identifies recurring paradoxes in the sustainable-consumption agenda: the tendency to propose modest behavioral solutions for immense systemic problems, to depoliticize governance, and to

What happens when the search for truth leads you past the point of no return?In the first episode of Cosmosis: Origins, Kelly and Jay step out of the studio and back into the field—returning to the places where their lives first collided with the unknown. Through moments of honesty and reflection, they revisit the experiences that shattered their understanding of reality and the friendship that was forged in the fire of shared initiation. From childhood encounters with luminous beings to

Louise Nyholm Kallestrup joins Jana Byars to talk about her new book, The Construction of Witchcraft in Early Modern Denmark, 1536-1617 (Routledge, 2025) This book examines how the experience of witchcraft developed and evolved from the Lutheran Evangelical Reformation of Denmark 1536 to the celebration of the Lutheran centennial of 1617. As well as exploring witchcraft, this volume is a portrait of Denmark and how religion and politics in the 16th and 17th centuries were impossible to separate. It

Content moderation on social media has become one of the most daunting challenges of our time. Nowhere is the need for action more urgent than in the fight against terrorism and extremism. Yet despite mass content takedowns, account suspensions, and mounting pressure on technology companies to do more, hate thrives online. Safe Havens for Hate: The Challenge of Moderating Online Extremism (Princeton University Press, 2025) looks at how content moderation shapes the tactics of harmful content

It's easy to despair with another government shutdown. But this hour, three speakers argue that simple upgrades are key to restoring faith in the American experiment. Guests include venture capitalist and political consultant Bradley Tusk, political advisor Jennifer Pahlka and e-governance expert Anna Piperal.TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to

In this conversation, Dr. Diana Diaków shares her extensive experience working with displaced populations, particularly children and families in refugee camps. She discusses her journey from studying applied developmental psychology to focusing on resilience in displaced children. Diana emphasizes the importance of understanding cultural dynamics, community support, and the need for culturally responsive interventions in mental health practices. She highlights the challenges faced in humanitarian

In The Influence Economy: Decoding Supplier-Induced Demand (Oxford UP, 2025), Maxim Sytch reveals how professional services--consulting, marketing, banking, and legal firms--create demand for unnecessary and potentially harmful products and services. Such supplier-induced demand can take many forms, including superfluous reorganizations, frivolous lawsuits, and ill-conceived acquisitions. These actions may not only fail to produce positive outcomes but can also inflict detrimental consequences on

Making a Grade: Victorian Examinations and the Rise of Standardized Testing (U Toronto Press, 2025) takes historiographic and sociological perspectives developed to understand large-scale scientific and technical systems and uses them to highlight the standardization that went into "standardized testing."Starting in the 1850s achievement tests became standardized in the British Isles, and were administered on an industrial scale. By the end of the century more than two million people had written

Su chats with Dr. Yuan Chang (YC) Leong. YC is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago. He is the director of Computational Affective and Social Neuroscience Lab, which is a part of the Department of Psychology, a member of the Institute of Mind and Biology and the Neuroscience Institute, and an affiliate of the Data Science Institute. His research explores the neural and computational mechanisms underlying how goals, beliefs, and emotions influence human cognition, ...

Ep 289: Reconsidered: 36 - Wendy TrapagaOriginal Airdate: 01/12/21 Four days after her wedding, this beautiful, loving, young 21-year-old newlywed, was murdered. Was this a brutal murder by a stranger or did someone else, closer to home, have a motive for this murder? Women & Crime: Reconsidered is where we revisit our episode catalog and bring new insights, behind the scenes or updates. Credits: • Written and Hosted by Amy Shlosberg and Meghan Sacks • Produced & Edited by James Varga •

Order my book here - https://geni.us/AtlasOfUFOsIn this special episode, I share my thoughts and experiences from the Sol Symposium 2025, held at Lake Maggiore, Italy. I discuss the event’s highlights, my interactions with well-known speakers, and feature two exclusive interviews — with Dr. Iya Whiteley and Jeff Nuccetelli. Join me as I provide insights into the Symposium’s most notable talks, networking opportunities, and the overall atmosphere of this significant UFO conference. Check out the

It’s Halloween, and fittingly, our stories take a dark and eerie turn. We begin with the unsettling accounts of a psychiatrist whose faith is tested by cases of possession, patients climbing walls with unnatural strength, resisting sedatives, and channeling violent entities. From there, we delve into reports of demonic warfare waged by a modern exorcist and explore the harrowing case of a woman whose kundalini awakening spiraled into years of spiritual battle. Then, for our Plus+ Members, we

What if admitting “I don’t know” is the most powerful leadership move you can make? We sit down with innovation consultant and author Alan Gregerman to unpack the “wisdom of ignorance” and why certainty can quietly sink companies while curiosity keeps them alive. From Kmart and Blockbuster to the next disruptor waiting in a garage, we trace how organizations lose relevance—and how to build the habits that keep you learning faster than the market shifts. Alan shares practical scripts leaders ...

(00:00:00) Trans 101: Trans Kids & the Reality of Youth Transition(00:03:52) Meet Maya (00:08:39) Understanding Puberty Blockers (00:12:20) Are Kids Too Young to Know? (00:16:07) Do Trans Kids Change Their Minds? (00:20:24) Risks to Puberty Blockers (00:21:54) Maya's Journey (00:27:59) What Happens Without Care (00:31:17) Advice for Parents (00:33:41) Conclusion The right says doctors are mutilating children. The left says nothing permanent is happening. They're both oversimplifying, but they're

Hooters has no male waiters. Isn’t that discrimination? Or could it be that men just don’t want to work there? The answer is no to both questions. Listen as I explain the answer and why it is perfectly legal. https://www.businessinsider.com/how-can-hooters-hire-only-women-2015-9 How do some people manage to get tables at “fully booked” restaurants, snag concert tickets that sell out in minutes, or get their child into the right school? It’s not always luck — it’s knowing how to access hidden

Do competitive elections secure democracy, or might they undermine it by breeding popular disillusionment with liberal norms and procedures? The so-called Italian School of Elitism, comprising Vilfredo Pareto, Gaetano Mosca, and Robert Michels, voiced this very concern. They feared that defining democracy exclusively through representative practices creates unrealistic expectations of what elections can achieve, generating mass demoralization and disillusionment with popular government.The Italian

A series of market-related crises over the past two decades – financial, environmental, health, education, poverty – reinvigorated the debate about markets and social justice. Since then, counter-hegemonic movements all over the globe are attempting to redefine markets and the meaning of economic enterprise in people’s daily lives. Assessments of market outcomes tend toward the polemical, with capitalists and socialists, globalization advocates and anti-globalization movements, those on the

In an age when digital media permeates every aspect of our lives, understanding its influence is more critical than ever. Algorithmic Saga: Understanding Media, Culture, and Transformation in the AI Age (Atique Mindscape Publishing, 2025), serves as a compass, guiding readers through the complexities of our interconnected world. From the moment we wake to a flurry of notifications to the late-night scrolling that often accompanies our downtime, we find ourselves enmeshed in a digital landscape that

This week, my guest is Carter Buschardt — a seasoned field investigator and author who’s spent years collecting and documenting firsthand encounters with Bigfoot. Carter’s work goes far beyond campfire stories; he’s interviewed hundreds of credible witnesses and uncovered patterns in behavior, family groups, and even intergenerational sightings that suggest something far more complex than folklore.Beliveing they're intelligent, elusive, and possibly even capable of limited telepathic or energetic