Honestly with Bari Weiss - Economist Roland Fryer on Adversity, Race, and Refusing to Conform

A little over two years ago, in the pages of The Free Press, Pano Kanelos announced that he was starting a new university in Austin dedicated to the fearless pursuit of truth. The headline was stark: “We Can't Wait For Universities to Fix Themselves. So We're Starting a New One.” I was one of the founding trustees.


The announcement generated a lot of headlines. As expected, a lot of people dunked on it. They said, “why in a country with thousands of colleges and universities do we need a new one?” They said it was fake; they said we didn’t have real students. They said it was a “cancel culture grift.” 


Two years later, not only is UATX a very real university but in 2024, the school will accept 100 students in the inaugural class—students who won’t just be consumers but founders.


To get a sense of what this school—and this cohort—is all about, there is no better thing to do than to listen to today’s episode: a conversation with Harvard economist Roland Fryer, recorded live last weekend in front of these prospective students.


Roland Fryer is one of the most celebrated economists in the world. He is the author of more than 50 papers—on topics ranging from “the economic consequences of distinctively black names” to “racial differences in police shootings.” At 30, he became the youngest black tenured professor in Harvard's history. At 34, he won a MacArthur Genius Fellowship, followed by a John Bates Clark Medal, which is given to an economist in America under 40 who is judged to have made the most significant contribution to economic thought and knowledge.


But before coming to Harvard, Fryer worked at McDonalds—drive-through, not corporate. 


Fryer’s life story of rapid ascent to academic celebrity status despite abandonment by his parents at a young age, and growing up in what he calls a “drug family” is incredibly inspiring in its own right. Because based on every statistic and stereotype about race and poverty in America, he should not have become the things he became. And yet he did. 


He also continues to beat the odds in a world in which much of academia has become conformist. Time and time again, Fryer refuses to conform. He has one north star, and that is the pursuit of truth, come what may. The pursuit of truth no matter how unpopular the conclusion or inconvenience to his own political biases. He’s also rare in that he isn’t afraid to admit when he’s wrong, or to admit his mistakes and learn from them.


This conversation was inspiring, courageous, and long overdue. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.


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Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - CLASSIC: The Dark Alliance: Did the US government and druglords kill Gary Webb?

Stubborn, determined and tenancious, Gary Webb was the quintessential investigative journalist. In his work for a newspaper called The Mercury News, Gary explored the relationship between right-wing revolutionary Contras in Nicaragua, the crack cocaine epidemic in the United States, and the actions of the Central Intelligence Agency. While the series was published, multiple mainstream newspapers joined together to write editorials criticizing him, and ultimately his own editors turned on him, as well. Gary Webb later died from two gunshots to the head. This was officially deemed a suicide, and there's no wonder people think there's more to the story.

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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CoinDesk Podcast Network - MARKETS DAILY: Crypto Update | Bitcoin Layer 2s Are an Ascendant Narrative for Crypto, Says Alex Thorn

The latest price moves and insights with Jennifer Sanasie and guest Alex Thorn, head of research at Galaxy.

To get the show every day, follow the podcast here.

On "Markets Daily," host Jennifer Sanasie speaks with Galaxy Head of Research Alex Thorn about bitcoin's bump above $50k, spot bitcoin ETF inflows and where layer 2s built on bitcoin might surpass those on Ethereum.

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Consensus is where experts convene to talk about the ideas shaping our digital future. Join developers, investors, founders, brands, policymakers and more in Austin, Texas from May 29-31. The tenth annual Consensus is curated by CoinDesk to feature the industry’s most sought-after speakers, unparalleled networking opportunities and unforgettable experiences. Take 15% off registration with the code MD15. Register now at consensus.coindesk.com.

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This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie. “Markets Daily” is executive produced by Jared Schwartz and produced and edited by Eleanor Pahl, alongside Senior Booking Producer Melissa Montañez. All original music by Doc Blust and Colin Mealey.

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The Commentary Magazine Podcast - America the Evil Dad?

Tucker Carlson went to a conference in a Mideast oil city and announced that America was the dad of the world and was perpetuating evil the way a dad would if he took sides in a fight between his children. We ask some questions about this bizarre notion of proper parenting before raising more questions about what it says in relation to the rising New Right and its attitudes about this country. Give a listen.

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Focus on Africa - What is behind the latest resurgence of fighting in Eastern DR Congo?

There has been a resurgence of fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo involving rebels from the ethnic Tutsi-led M23 movement. Thousands of civilians have fled the violence. What is behind this latest escalation and what do the rebels want?

Nurses and midwives in Nigeria protest new rules for verifying their qualifications to foreign nursing boards.

Why are cases of prostate cancer increasing in South Africa ?

CBS News Roundup - 02/13/2024 | World News Roundup

On this morning's CBS World News Roundup: A major winter storm in the Northeast. President Biden urges Israel to use restraint in Rafah and Sunday's Super Bowl was the most watched broadcast since the moon landing. Correspondent Steve Kathan will have those stories and more:

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CoinDesk Podcast Network - THE MINING POD: BitDigital’s AI Play With Sam Tabar

Sam Tabar, CEO of BitDigital, joins the show to discuss the bitcoin miner’s strategy, its AI investments and how he thinks of the upcoming halving.

Follow along on your favorite podcast player of choice by clicking here.

Will is joined by Sam Tabar, CEO of BitDigital, to discuss the Bitcoin miner’s focus on AI, its asset-light mining strategy and how Sam is thinking about mining post-halving.

Published twice weekly, "The Mining Pod" interviews the best builders and operators in the Bitcoin and Bitcoin mining landscape. Subscribe to get notifications when we publish interviews Tuesday and a news show on Friday! 

Check out our other shows and content by going to Blockspace.media today.

Follow our host on Twitter, @wsfoxley.

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Thank you to our sponsor, CleanSpark, America’s Bitcoin miner!

"The Mining Pod" is produced by Sunnyside Honey LLC and distributed by CoinDesk. Senior Producer is Damien Somerset.

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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - It’s Never Too Late To Learn To Be A FireFighter!

Firefighters are an important part of keeping a community safe. Not only do they literally put out fires, they also help clean up hazardous materials and in some cases, make sure our buildings are up to code. And Skokie Citizens Fire Academy teaches interested residents about all that goes into the job, plus some firefighting skills. Reset learns more about the program from Inspector Timothy Taylor and hears from its oldest graduate, Mort Feldberg.

Up First from NPR - Gaza Ceasefire Talks, Lloyd Austin Health Issues, Jon Stewart Returns

As Israel plans an offensive in Rafah, negotiators are meeting in Cairo to discuss a path towards a ceasefire in Gaza. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's Ukraine meeting with NATO allies with be virtual after cancelling his trip Brussels due to health complications. And after nearly nine years away, Jon Stewart returns to The Daily Show just in time for the presidential campaign.

Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.

Today's episode of Up First was edited by Andrew Sussman, Lisa Thomson, Miguel Macias and Mohamad ElBardicy.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Lilly Quiroz.
We get engineering support from Phil Edfors. And our technical director is Zac Coleman.


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