Ep.413 Every Day: Civility and Compassion for Community

Texas Impact's Weekly Witness

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Understanding the Elegant Math Behind Modern Machine Learning 1:14:43

3 days ago1:14:43

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1:14:43

Artificial intelligence is evolving at an unprecedented pace—what does that mean for the future of technology, venture capital, business, and even our understanding of ourselves? Award-winning journalist and writer Anil Ananthaswamy joins us for our latest episode to discuss his latest book Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI . Anil helps us explore the journey and many breakthroughs that have propelled machine learning from simple perceptrons to the sophisticated algorithms shaping today’s AI revolution, powering GPT and other models. The discussion aims to demystify some of the underlying math that powers modern machine learning to help everyone grasp this technology impacting our lives, even if your last math class was in high school. Anil walks us through the power of scaling laws, the shift from training to inference optimization, and the debate among AI’s pioneers about the road to AGI—should we be concerned, or are we still missing key pieces of the puzzle? The conversation also delves into AI’s philosophical implications—could understanding how machines learn help us better understand ourselves? And what challenges remain before AI systems can truly operate with agency? If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Sign up for our newsletter at techsurgepodcast.com for exclusive insights and updates on upcoming TechSurge Live Summits. Links: Read Why Machines Learn, Anil’s latest book on the math behind AI https://www.amazon.com/Why-Machines-Learn-Elegant-Behind/dp/0593185749 Learn more about Anil Ananthaswamy’s work and writing https://anilananthaswamy.com/ Watch Anil Ananthaswamy’s TED Talk on AI and intelligence https://www.ted.com/speakers/anil_ananthaswamy Discover the MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellowship that shaped Anil’s AI research https://ksj.mit.edu/ Understand the Perceptron, the foundation of neural networks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perceptron Read about the Perceptron Convergence Theorem and its significance https://www.nature.com/articles/323533a0…

about a year ago 23:39

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Many of us are consuming lots of news running up to the election, and many are feeling anxious about what will happen. We need to emotionally and spiritually prepare ourselves for what happens when we wake up on Wednesday, November 6th. And, this week we are joined by someone who can help us prepare for that as we have long-time friend of Texas Impact, Rev. Ann Helmke, who serves as the Faith Liaison with the City of San Antonio, on the show.

As always, Texas Impact has tools to help you engage with Texans this election season and with fellow advocates throughout the state. Learn more about all of it at texasimpact.org.

122 episod

#Religion #News #Politics #Texas Impacts

Ep.413 Every Day: Civility and Compassion for Community

Texas Impact's Weekly Witness

published about a year ago

Kongsi

MP3•Laman utama episod

As always, Texas Impact has tools to help you engage with Texans this election season and with fellow advocates throughout the state. Learn more about all of it at texasimpact.org.

122 episod

#Religion #News #Politics #Texas Impacts

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Texas Impact's Weekly Witness

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Ep. 425 "Do Something to Show You Care:" Perspectives from the Gun Sense Majority 31:24

2 days ago31:24

31:24

This week, we are joined by several of the speakers and participants in the Preventing Gun Violence Advocacy Day. First we talk with Jasir Rahman, a student at Rice University and Texas Youth Advocacy Coordinator with Team ENOUGH. Later in the episode we hear from Nicole Golden, Director of Texas Gun Sense, and Rev. Stephen Sanders from Oak Hill United Methodist Church shortly after the rally for gun violence prevention was held on the Texas Capitol steps on February 27th. Gun violence is always such a hard topic. Because so many of the folks who show up have traumatic stories to explain what brought them to this work. We heard stories from Uvalde families. We heard from people who had family members take their lives or who had friends involved in accidental deaths. And, while we marched to the Capitol with about 1,000 other advocates from across the state to rally on the South steps, we passed by over 1,000 t-shirts with the names of Texans who needlessly lost their lives to gun violence as part of a giant Vidas Robadas display. I want to give props to Texas Impact’s Gun Violence Prevention team for their work on this event and to the Texas Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence for their work. If you want to learn more about Texas Impact’s involvement or how you can get involved check out Action Center at texasimpact.org . Find out more about the work of Team Enough and Texas Gun Sense: https://www.bradyunited.org/take-action/join-movement/team-enough https://txgunsense.org/…

Texas Impact's Weekly Witness

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Ep. 424 This is Not Done: The Fight to Stop School Vouchers 20:50

9 days ago20:50

20:50

This week we are excited to bring you content from Texas Impact’s Public School Defenders’ Lobby Day. We are joined by State Representative Gina Hinojosa, House District 49, while walking back to the Capitol after she addressed the Public School defenders to discuss voucher plans and how Texans of faith can push back against SB 2 and other voucher bills. Later in the program we are joined by Texas Impact’s Public Education Policy Advocate, Grace Bonilla, to talk about the lobby day and the work of the PSDs. You can learn more about the Public School Defenders and Texas Impact’s other issue teams, and see our weekly action alert, in the Action Center at texasimpact.org . Watch a clip from Scott's interview with Representative Hinojosa on our Youtube Channel. https://youtu.be/-7b-1RC-o08…

Texas Impact's Weekly Witness

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Ep.423 Voucher Pop Quiz with Sen. Sarah Eckhardt 20:59

16 days ago20:59

20:59

This week we have an exciting episode for you as we are recording live from the Capitol office of Senator Sarah Eckhardt. Last week, the Senate passed SB 2, a school voucher bill that would give a $10,000 voucher to students to attend private schools. What is not shocking is that the Senate passed SB 2 so quickly while legislators are usually still in the relationship-building part of the session. They did pass a version of a voucher bill four times in 2023. But, every time it failed in the House, which is where SB 2 now finds itself. So, we are talking today with Sen. Eckhardt about the bill and what Texans of faith can do to help stand up for public schools and oppose this bill—all of this just days after she voiced strong opposition to the bill on the Senate floor . We might even give her a test on the bill, so listen closely and see how she does. If you are interested in learning more, or joining other advocates who care about the issues you care about, check out texasimpact.org and click on the Action Center . We would love to see you in our weekly Public School Defender Zooms, in the Marching Orders Monday calls with the Rapid Response team or one of our other teams.…

Texas Impact's Weekly Witness

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Ep. 422 Reconciliation and Respect 36:58

23 days ago36:58

36:58

This week we are going back to back with United Methodist Bishops as we welcome Bishop Ruben Saenz from the Horizon Texas Annual Conference—formerly the North, Central and Northwest Texas Conferences. We thought this was a timely conversation as Bishop Saenz and other United Methodist Bishops in the South Central Jurisdiction wrote a pastoral letter addressing how we treat our immigrant neighbors. Immigration is an issue that is front and center in response to the opening days of the Trump Administration, but we also expect it to be a hot topic during the Texas legislative session. It is important that faith leaders and Texans of faith clearly state our desire to live out our faith principles. If you are interested in working on immigration during the legislative session, Texas Impact has a team for you. Check out the Action Center at texasimpact.org and sign up for Texas Impact’s Immigration team–or one of the other teams to work on issues important to you. Read the letter signed by UMC Bishops here: www.txcumc.org/beyondbordersletter…

Texas Impact's Weekly Witness

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Ep. 421 Anointed with Hope 26:41

4 weeks ago26:41

26:41

This week we are bringing you content from the United Women in Faith Legislative Event. This is typically Texas Impact’s biggest event of the year—and this year the UWF had record participation with 350 registrants from United Women in Faith and various other faith groups participating over the three day event with hundreds making Capitol visits to their Legislators. In this episode we share Bishop Cynthia Harvey’s keynote address from Sunday evening–although Bishop Harvey notes that she doesn’t do keynote addresses… she preaches. Bishop Harvey is the Bishop of both the Texas Annual Conference and the Rio Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, and previously served as the President of the United Methodist Council of Bishops. Bishop Harvey joins a chorus of faith leaders calling Texans of faith to action… to care for our neighbors and engage in the work of justice And, Texas Impact has tools and resources for you to do that work. Check out texasimpact.org and click on the Action Center to find out how you can get involved. Join the Rapid Response team to get updates on actions you can take and join our weekly Zoom on Mondays to learn more.…

Texas Impact's Weekly Witness

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Ep. 420 (Don't) Forget Paris 21:04

5 weeks ago21:04

21:04

This week, we are excited to welcome Texas Impact’s Climate Action Fellow, Rev. Dr. Becca Edwards, to talk about the President’s recent executive action, once again, removing the US from the Paris Climate Agreement. There has been a lot happening in the last two weeks. The opening of the Texas legislative session, MLK Day, a presidential inauguration, a snow day or two and all of the news that comes from it—it has been a lot. And, the Texas Impact team will be covering it all. Learn more about how you can get involved on our website at texasimpact.org . Make sure to check the Action Center to sign up for a team and bookmark the Events Page to take advantage of opportunities to come see us in Austin.…

Texas Impact's Weekly Witness

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Ep. 419 Reflections from the Celebration of Public Witness for the 89th Legislature 19:55

6 weeks ago19:55

19:55

Since 1973, Texas Impact has hosted a service or celebration of public witness on the south steps of the Texas Capitol in conjunction with the opening of the Texas Legislature. This year, the Texas Legislature convened Tuesday, January 14, and so the Texas Impact crew, along with Texas faith leaders and elected representatives, gathered on the steps for a Celebration of Public Witness before the Legislature convened at noon. The representatives were ready to get to work, and the faith leaders hopefully set a tone for a session that could celebrate justice, diversity and working together for the common good. We decided to talk with some of the leaders from that service about their reflections and hopes and share that for our podcast today. You can watch the full services, or highlights on Texas Impact’s YouTube channel or head to txfaith.org/cpw2025 for more content from the Celebration of Public Witness 2025 Special thanks to: Representative Salman Bhojani, House District 92 Rev. Leslie Jackson, Sr. Pastor, St. Peter United Church of Christ, Houston Maha Iskandar, Baha'i Faith, Irving Rabbi Nancy Kasten, Faith Commons, Dallas Saranjeet Singh, Sikh Faith, Central Texas Abel Vega, Rio Texas Conference, United Methodist Church, San Antonio…

Texas Impact's Weekly Witness

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Ep. 418 New Year, New Resolve 32:20

8 weeks ago32:20

32:20

We hope you all had a meaningful and relaxing holiday season and a great start to the new year; it is about to get busy and your advocacy will be critical in the next few months. We know a lot of attention will be paid to what is happening in Washington with the new administration, but the Texas Legislature convenes next Tuesday, January 14 and will be meeting for 140 days. They have a lot on their plate that will impact you, people in your congregation and your community. So, now is the time to get organized and lock in to try to make some progress on issues we care about. Here with us to talk about all of that and more, to kick off the new year right, is Texas Impact’s Executive Director, Bee Moorhead. Join an Issue Team and get involved by heading to the Legislative Action Center on our website.…

Texas Impact's Weekly Witness

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Ep. 417 Meanwhile in Washington: Looming Federal Medicaid Cuts 15:11

11 weeks ago15:11

15:11

Last week, Diana Forester and her colleague Alec Mendoza joined us to talk about health policy in Texas. It is such a big topic, and so much of it is driven by federal policy, that we are joined again this week by Diana to continue the conversation about how actions by Congress could impact health in Texas–and how you can help protect Texans' access to healthcare in the coming weeks. This will be our last episode before the new year, so on behalf of the entire Texas Impact team, we hope you have a meaningful holiday season and that you are able to connect with family and loved ones and find some joy and peace. When we come back, Congress will have convened, and the Texas Legislature will be preparing to come to town, so I hope everyone comes back from the holiday ready to get to work! Find out more about Texans Care for Children and their work at txchildren.org Be a part of our fall Membership Drive by donating or, better yet, becoming a member at texasimpact.org/donate…

Texas Impact's Weekly Witness

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Ep. 416 Start with the Good News: Opportunities and Challenges for Families and Kids in the Upcoming Session 23:02

12 weeks ago23:02

23:02

We know the holidays are just around the corner and on behalf of the entire Texas Impact team, we hope you have a meaningful holiday season and that you are able to connect with family and loved ones and find some joy and peace. But the Texas Legislature comes to town January 14, so we hope you spend some time over the next few weeks mentally preparing for what’s to come. So, soak up all of the joy and peace you can now and hopefully those good vibes continue into the next year as we work together for justice and equity in Texas. So, to help us prepare for the Legislature coming back to town, we are joined today by Diana Forester, Director of Health Policy for Texans Care for Children and her colleague, Senior Policy Associate, Alec Mendoza. They are going to talk to us about health policy in Texas and the opportunities to make substantive progress to make life better for Texans. This is an issue that isn’t getting a ton of attention in the press, but will definitely have an impact on people in our families and, for sure, our congregations and communities. Find out more about Texans Care for Children and their work at txchildren.org Be a part of our fall Membership Drive by donating or, better yet, becoming a member at texasimpact.org/donate…

Texas Impact's Weekly Witness

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Ep. 415 COP and Go: Updates from the Global Climate Summit 15:53

15 weeks ago15:53

15:53

This week we turn our attention to the other side of the globe as we welcome Texas Impact’s Climate Action Fellow, Rev. Dr. Becca Edwards to the program. Becca recently returned from the 29th UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP), the global climate negotiations held this year in Baku, Azerbaijan. She will talk to us about the priorities being discussed on the world climate stage and what people of faith in our own communities can do. We will also discuss concerns over the federal climate response over the next few years. But, climate is like many other issues, where we can make substantive progress, even when positive federal policy outcomes seem less likely. We have steps we can take at the state level, local level, and in our own congregations and communities. Keep an eye on our website at texasimpact.org for content from COP29 Baku and ways you can get involved, or to join our Climate Action Team to connect with advocates from throughout the state who care about these issues.…

Texas Impact's Weekly Witness

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Ep. 414 Turn, Turn, Turn 34:16

16 weeks ago34:16

34:16

Well... we had an election… and we know folks have lots of feelings, and we are going to talk about feelings today. But, in addition to that, we are going to talk about how the election impacts Texas, and we are going to talk about what Texans of faith can do. All of that with Texas Impact’s Executive Director Bee Moorhead. This isn’t a time to hide, because our communities, our neighbors, our democracy needs us. What’s clear in this divided political sphere is that we all need to be more willing to engage in conversations. To listen. To learn. And then yes, to advocate. Hopefully after finding and developing some common ground in our own communities. As always, Texas Impact has tools and teams for all of this and more on our website at texasimpact.org…

Texas Impact's Weekly Witness

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Ep.413 Every Day: Civility and Compassion for Community 23:39

17 weeks ago23:39

23:39

Election day is almost upon us! You have heard us talk for years about Texas’ low voter turnout and how that impacts public policy. If you are listening to this before election day, you have a chance to do something about that. Many of us are consuming lots of news running up to the election, and many are feeling anxious about what will happen. We need to emotionally and spiritually prepare ourselves for what happens when we wake up on Wednesday, November 6th. And, this week we are joined by someone who can help us prepare for that as we have long-time friend of Texas Impact, Rev. Ann Helmke, who serves as the Faith Liaison with the City of San Antonio, on the show. As always, Texas Impact has tools to help you engage with Texans this election season and with fellow advocates throughout the state. Learn more about all of it at texasimpact.org .…

Texas Impact's Weekly Witness

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Ep.412 "It's Who We Are" Rev. Richie Butler and Congregational Civic Engagement 28:25

18 weeks ago28:25

28:25

We are about a week away from election day, and joining us for today’s conversation is Rev. Richie Butler, Senior Pastor at the historic St. Luke Community United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas. We are going to talk about their civic engagement work and the importance of voting, but also about their work in bringing people together for conversations that focus on the importance of coming together as a community after the election-and the important role faith leaders will play in that. Find out more about Project Unity at projectunity.net…

Texas Impact's Weekly Witness

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Ep. 411 Many Strategies, Shared Goals: Stories from Houston Faith Votes 23:53

19 weeks ago23:53

23:53

By the time you hear this, early voting will either have already started or will be kicking off soon. It is getting real. So, it seems like the perfect week to hear some stories from some congregations who have been doing some incredible civic engagement work this election season. Last week you heard from Texas Impact’s Houston Faith Votes Project Manager, Rebecca McIlwain, and this week we will hear from three leaders from her cohort of congregations doing civic engagement work as we welcome Mattie Thomas, a member of Missouri City Church of Christ working with Bridges 2 Empowerment, Cathy Reinhold, Area Missioner of the Galveston Convocation of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas working with St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church, and Juanita Jackson of Trinity East UMC. Find more about Houston Faith Votes and ways you can still get engaged on our Texas Faith Votes page on our website.…

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