Today on the show, we have two episodes from our daily podcast, The Indicator, about things we spend a lot of time thinking about this time of year: food and drink.

First up, we explore how changes in economic conditions led to one of the U.K.'s iconic (and affordable) staple foods becoming a luxury.

Then, the story of one Indigenous woman whose small business went head-to-head with Coca-Cola over a trademark dispute.

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Today on the show, hosts from Planet Money and The Indicator debate the economic indicators of this year and next year.

First up, we try to identify the figure that best captured the essence of 2023. The contenders: the possible soft landing, consumer sentiment, and the housing market.

And looking ahead to 2024, what will the economic indicator of next year be? Interest rates, Bidenomics, or junk fees?

Listen to our hosts make their case, and then tell us who won by submitting your vote via Planet Money's Instagram or email us with "Family Feud" in the subject line. Voting ends on December 31st.

This episode was hosted by Jeff Guo, Kenny Malone and Wailin Wong. It was produced by Julia Ritchey and Willa Rubin with engineering help from Valentina Rodriguez Sanchez. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Kate Concannon edits The Indicator.

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Music: Universal Music Production, "Terry And Mildred," "Decked Out For The Holidays." Audio Network - "Counting Down Seconds," "Tijuana Choo Choo."

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On today's show, we look at two indicators of the economic disruptions of the war in Gaza and try to trace how far they will reach.

We start in the Red Sea, a crucial link in the global supply chain connecting to the Suez Canal, with around 15% of the world's shipping passing through it. This includes oil tankers and massive container ships transporting everything from microchips to furniture. With Houthi rebels attacking container ships in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, shipping lines are re-routing, adding time and cost to delivery. We look at how ocean shipping is a web more than a chain of links, and try to see which parts of the web can take up more strain as the Red Sea and the Suez Canal become too dangerous to pass.

Then, we'll consider what escalation could mean for the region's most important export: oil. Five steps of escalation each mean a ratcheting up of costs that knock on to other industries, like food. Some prices are likely to rise faster than others, though.

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The Department of Defense's proposed budget for 2024 is $842 billion. That is about 3.5% of the U.S.'s GDP. The military buys everything from pens and paper clips to fighter jets and submarines. But the market for military equipment is very different from the commercial market.

On today's episode, we're bringing you two stories from The Indicator's series on defense spending that explore that market. As the U.S. continues to send weapons to Ukraine and Israel, we first look at why defense costs are getting so high. Then, we dive into whether bare-bones manufacturing styles are leaving the U.S. military in a bind.

The original Indicator episodes were produced by Cooper Katz McKim with engineering from Maggie Luthar and James Willetts. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and Angel Carreras. They were edited by Kate Concannon and Paddy Hirsch. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.

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The wind power business is a bit contradictory right now. It's showing signs of boom and bust seemingly all at once.

The story of wind energy markets in two acts today. First, the Gulf of Mexico saw its first-ever auction of leases for offshore wind this summer. It was another sign of the Biden administration's desire to get more renewable energy online as fast as possible. Expectations were high, but results did not deliver. Two of the three patches of sea didn't get any bids at all. Hidden in the flop for this auction are some keys to what it takes to spark a whole new market, quickly.

Then, the booming side of wind power: the job that's projected to be the fastest-growing in the U.S. is wind turbine service technician. Is it a "good" job? Reporter Darian Woods suits up to see a green-collar job above the clouds for himself.

Today's episode is adapted from episodes for Planet Money's daily show, The Indicator. Subscribe here.

The original Indicator episodes were produced by Cooper Katz McKim and Julia Ritchey with engineering by Valentina Rodriguez Sanchez and James Willetts. They were fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and edited by Dave Blanchard and Kate Concannon.

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What's going on with consumers? This is one of the trickiest puzzles of this weird economic moment we're in. We've covered a version of this before under the term "vibecession," but it's safe to say, the struggle is in fact real. It is not just in our heads. Sure, sure, some data is looking great. But not all of it.

What's interesting, is exactly why the bad feels so much worse than the good feels good. Today on the show, we look into a few theories on why feelings are just not matching up with data. We'll break down some numbers and how to think about them. Then we look at grocery prices in particular, and an effort to combat unfair pricing using a mostly forgotten 1930's law. Will it actually help?

Today's episode is adapted from episodes for Planet Money's daily show, The Indicator. Subscribe here.

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Why do video game workers offer labor at a discount? How can you design a video game for blind and sighted players? Does that design have lessons for other industries?

These and other questions about the business of video games answered in todays episode. The Indicator just wrapped a weeklong series decoding the economics of the video game industry, we're excerpting some highlights.

First, we meet some of the workers who are struggling with the heavy demands placed on them in their booming industry, and how they are fighting back.

Then, we check in on how game developers are pulling in new audiences by creatively designing for people who couldn't always play. How has accessibility become an increasingly important priority for game developers? And, how can more players join in the fun?

You can hear the rest of our weeklong series on the gaming industry at this link, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode was hosted by Wailin Wong, Darian Woods, and Adrian Ma. Corey Bridges produced this episode with help from James Sneed. It was edited by Kate Concannon, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez, and engineered by Robert Rodriguez with help from Valentina Rodríguez Sánchez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.

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On today's show, we have two stories from The Indicator, Planet Money's daily podcast. They just launched Love Week, a weeklong series exploring the business and economic side of romance.

First, hosts Wailin Wong and Adrian Ma fire up the gas logs and pour a mug of cocoa to discuss the made-for-TV rom-com machine, and how television executives learned to mass produce seasonal romance.

Then, Wailin and host Darian Woods discuss another romance medium: the romance novel. Once relegated to supermarket aisles, these books are now mainstream. And authors, an often-maligned group within publishing, have found greater commercial success than many writers in other genres. We find out how romance novelists rode the e-book wave and networked with each other to achieve their happily-for-now status in the industry.

This episode is hosted by Erika Beras, Wailin Wong, Adrian Ma, and Darian Woods. These episodes of The Indicator were originally produced by Julia Ritchey and engineered by Kwesi Lee. They were fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Kate Concannon is The Indicator's Editor.

You can listen to the rest of the series at The Indicator's feed, or at npr.org/love

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Frontman BJ Barham talks about working with producer Shooter Jennings and tackling the complexity of Southern identity on the band's new album.

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Conflict is a part of life. But in a polarized world, reaching a resolution is harder than ever. This hour, TED speakers explore creative and extraordinary ways of approaching conflict. Guests on the show include authors Shaka Senghor and Ebony Roberts, zoologist Lucy King, and radio journalist Jad Abumrad.

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Conflict is a part of life. But in a polarized world, reaching resolution is harder than ever. This hour, TED speakers explore creative and extraordinary ways of approaching conflict. Guests on the show include authors Shaka Senghor and Ebony Roberts, zoologist Lucy King, and radio journalist Jad Abumrad.

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Original Broadcast Date: September 4, 2020. Conflict is a part of life. But in a polarized world, reaching a resolution is harder than ever. This hour, TED speakers explore creative and extraordinary ways of approaching conflict. Guests on the show include authors Shaka Senghor and Ebony Roberts, zoologist Lucy King, and radio journalist Jad Abumrad.

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Original Broadcast Date: September 4, 2020. Conflict is a part of life. But in a polarized world, reaching a resolution is harder than ever. This hour, TED speakers explore creative and extraordinary ways of approaching conflict. Guests on the show include authors Shaka Senghor and Ebony Roberts, zoologist Lucy King, and radio journalist Jad Abumrad.

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The UCLA graduate student is helping ensure that Native ecology drives the region’s land management for centuries to come.

The composition was performed at the “Prelude to Juneteenth Day Celebration” event held earlier this year at Royce Hall.

Toronto, ON – The Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto has announced the recipients of their 2017 awards, which will be presented at a gala ceremony at Hart House in Toronto on April 26. “This year’s Bonham Centre Awards recipients have been chosen to highlight the history and leading […]

Experiment launched aboard SpaceX CSR‑9 mission to International Space Station should deliver answersToronto, ON – U of T Engineering researchers are launching an experiment that aims to solve the longstanding myster of how water behaves in space. Their experiment will launch at 12:45 am on Monday, July 18 aboard SpaceX CRS‑9 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, headed […]

A quantum change in our understanding of how much of Earth’s crust may be habitableTORONTO, ON — A team of scientists, led by the University of Toronto’s Barbara Sherwood Lollar, has mapped the location of hydrogen-rich waters found trapped kilometres beneath Earth’s surface in rock fractures in Canada, South Africa and Scandinavia. Common in Precambrian […]

TORONTO, ON – The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto has received a $5‑million gift from an anonymous donor to strengthen Indigenous education research in Canada. The gift, which is the largest donation ever made to a Canadian faculty of education for Indigenous education research, will establish a prestigious […]

TORONTO, ON– Despite the political challenges regarding Ontario’s publicly funded education system, there remains general satisfaction among the public as a whole, and parents more specifically. This is according to the 19th OISE Survey of Educational Issues, the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education’s bi-annual survey of public attitudes towards education, released today. “A majority […]

Other findings: Non-perpetrators in the home act as a buffer and “youngest old” experience most severe forms of abuseToronto, ON – A new study examining elder abuse–released today by researchers at the University of Toronto, Cornell University, and Weill-Cornell Medical College–has found that older adult victims living alone with their abuser were up to four times more likely to endure more […]

World Health Organization Launches Collaborating Centre for Governance, Accountability and Transparency in the Pharmaceutical Sector at University of TorontoToronto, ON – The University of Toronto and the World Health Organization are proud to launch the WHO Collaborating Centre for Governance, Accountability and Transparency for the Pharmaceutical Sector with a policy workshop and celebration at the Leslie […]

Writers and human rights experts call on India to repeal laws that threaten free expression in world’s largest democracyToronto, ON – Earlier this year, India’s Ministry of Home Affairs used an extensive arsenal of vague and overbroad laws to muzzle the world’s largest environmental watchdog, Greenpeace International.  Using seemingly innocuous provisions in the Indian Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act […]

Toronto, ON – An inefficient legal system and what amounts to unchecked abuse of vague and overbroad legislation have contributed to a chilling effect on free speech within India’s society and throughout its public sphere according to a report released today by PEN International, PEN Canada and International Human Rights Program (IHRP) at the University of […]

On this week’s episode, we take a look back at 1999, to the origins of the Moth’s community program. We’ll have a story about The Mets, and one about life after prison. This episode is hosted by Larry Rosen.

Storytellers:

Marie Hershkowitz

David Gaskin

We find our pride through stories. This episode is hosted by Travis Coxson.

If you’d like to see a photo of Tomas Davila looking fabulous as he told his story at the Moth Ball, check out themoth.org/extras

Storytellers:

Tomas Davila and his father finally connect.

Ingrid Ebbesen goes dancing and finds herself.

In this special episode, we celebrate the 55th anniversary of the moon landing with some of our favorite stories all about space. Hosted by educator, storyteller, and astronaut Leland Melvin, we'll visit NASA training camp, the Hubble telescope, Pluto, and everywhere in between.

Host:

Leland Melvin

Storytellers:

Mike Massimino details his high stakes mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.

Cathy Olkin must troubleshoot a problem more than 4 billion miles away.

Leland Melvin suffers a devastating injury that seemingly cuts short his dream of flying in space.

Podcast: 876

Real inclusion means your employees feel included, involved and accepted at work. (3 of 3)

Many diversity and inclusion efforts in the workplace fall short of helping employees feel like they belong — and why this matters. (1 of 3)

Diversity does not always translate to inclusivity. How to ensure that your efforts are making your employees feel like they belong. (2 of 3)

“Perfection isn’t a prerequisite for self-trust... It’s consistency in another form: knowing that I do my best, learn from my mistakes, practice honesty, and pull through most of the time. Understanding my version of ADHD has transformed my ability to trust myself.”

One of the most critical performance factors for hiring teams is time to hire. Only 30% of organizations can fill a position within 30 days. The remaining candidates take anything from one to four months to get hired. Why should you try to shorten the hiring process? Taking too long to fill a ...

Every candidate on the job market is looking for the perfect position — and that's harder than it sounds. Looking for a job is a full-time job of its own. Job seekers head into the market every single day to ensure they'll get the role they truly desire. Even though it's a very tiring and time-consuming process, candidates put up with it because they know they will be rewarded in the end. On the flip side, employers are doing a very similar ...

Many companies are looking ahead for ways to reskill their current workforce and retain their top talent.

Indiana's employers are investing heavily in automation and manufacturing efficiency.

Traditional measurement methods struggle with complex geometries and modern plastic parts. Advanced vision measuring systems offer advantages for automotive manufacturers, but traditional tools are still preferable in some areas.

Manufacturers of products ranging from military airplanes to lawnmowers all have something in common; each needs to be confident that their product can withstand the environmental conditions that their materials and components might be exposed to.

Reverse engineering is the process of taking apart a product to understand its design and functionality. This knowledge is helpful for creating similar products or improving existing designs.

In our 21st Annual Spending Survey, we’ve looked into who will be buying what and when. Despite the economic upset resulting from COVID-19, equipment budgets look to be steady, if not growing, for the next fiscal year.

NDT certification is essential for professionals in industries where material and structural integrity is critical. It demonstrates expertise and professionalism, benefiting individuals and organizations by improving career prospects, quality control, and compliance with industry standards.

ABB has launched its new OmniVance™ Collaborative Machine Tending Cell, providing a complete integrated solution for automated machine tending that is easy to program, install and use.

The L.S. Starrett Company announced the introduction of its No. W4900 Wireless Digital Electronic Indicator innovation, a precision measurement gage featuring touchscreen technology, multiple resolution and color settings, digital and analog readouts in the same indicator, seven languages, wireless output and many other unique features.

Would it shock you to learn that spending on artificial intelligence is on the rise? According to respondents of our Annual Quality Spending Survey, 55% of companies expect to increase their spending on AI for 2024.

AS9100 is a quality management system standard tailored for the aviation, space, and defense industries. It addresses the unique challenges of aerospace operations and was created to improve quality and reduce costs in the industry by the International Aerospace Quality Group.

What exactly is an audit? An audit is essentially a health check for your business processes. Picture a doctor’s visit, but for your company

Manufacturing ERP software impacts every aspect of a business and enables automation and data-driven planning for operational efficiency, which is crucial for maintaining profitability in today's market.

The most frustrating moment in problem-solving is fixing an error only to see it reappear the next day. Until the root cause is identified and addressed, the issue will persist.

In-process verification uses high-tech tools like 3D scanners and laser trackers on the factory floor to monitor products as they're made, allowing instant analysis and immediate problem-solving.

LITHO Finding Fish by James Christensen HAND COLORED PRINT by James Christensen is a(n) Limited Edition. The Edition is Limited to Limited Edition of 150 pcs

Splendid Elegance by Brian Davis is a(n) Limited Edition. The Edition is Limited to 5 pcs