We are back after a long hiatus, and we’re ready to go!

As before, this is a video and an audio podcast. We’re on Substack at ShapingOpinion.com, YouTube, Rumble, and all of the audio channels, from Apple to Spotify.

If you watch, you’ll notice we have new digs. We’ve moved into the heartland of America and now have a more permanent “studio.” As for format, you’ll notice we’re familiar but streamlined. In terms of content, that’s going to be much more focused, too. But no need to elaborate here. Just stay tuned and the podcast will speak for itself. One thing you can be sure of is, “the guest is the thing.”

That said, our guest this week is Greg Schlueter. He’s an author, a radio host, a movement leader and an opinion writer who focuses on things like restoring faith, family and the culture. He’s the head of communications for the Institute of American Constitutional Thought and Leadership.

I read something he wrote recently and decided to invite him on the podcast to talk about the topic. That topic? The culture of victimhood.

Some links from the episode:

* Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl, (Amazon)

* Institute of Constitutional Thought and Leadership

* Slaying the Giants in Your Life by David Jeremiah

* The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt (Amazon)

One of the nation’s leading trial attorneys Brent Wisner talks about his role in current litigation against several big pharma companies who’ve all been manufacturers of the popular heartburn drug called Zantac, which has been taken off the market amidst concerns over possible cancer diagnoses. Brent is the managing partner and lead trial attorney at the law firm of Wisner Baum. He’s been recognized as one of America’s 50 Most Influential Trial Lawyers by Trial Lawyer Magazine. And he serves as co-lead trial counsel in the Zantac Products Liability Litigation in Delaware.

Chances are if you ever had a serious problem with heartburn, you might have taken a popular drug called Zantac. The generic form of the drug is called ranitidine

In 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requested that manufacturers of the drug withdraw all prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) ranitidine drugs from the market immediately. This was part of an ongoing investigation of a contaminant in ranitidine medications.

Fast forward to May of this year. That was when Pfizer, one of the manufacturers of Zantac, agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug. Still, this company and these lawsuits do not represent the entirety of the problem and the legal woes for manufacturers. That’s what we will be talking about today.

For more information, go to www.ShapingOpinion.com. This is also our Substack hub, where you can subscribe and become a member of our podcast family.

LIKE & SUBSCRIBE for new videos as soon as they are posted: https://www.youtube.com/@shapingopinion/videos

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Links from Our Conversation

Zantac Lawsuit Update: What you Need to Know About The Heartburn Medications, Forbes - https://www.forbes.com/advisor/legal/product-liability/zantac-lawsuit/

Sanofi to Settle 4,000 Zantac Cancer Lawsuits in US State Courts, CNN – https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/05/business/sanofi-to-settle-zantac-cancer-lawsuits/index.html/

Zantac Not a cause of Woman’s Cancer, Jury Says in First Trial Over Drug, Reuters – https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/zantac-not-cause-womans-cancer-jury-says-first-trial-over-drug-2024-05-23/

Judge Appoints Four Attorneys to Lead 77,000 Zantac Cancer Cases in Delaware, PR Newswire – https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/judge-appoints-four-attorneys-to-lead-77-000-zantac-cancer-cases-in-delaware-301827346.html#:~:text=Judge%20Vivian%20L.,of%20the%20State%20of%20Delaware.

One of the co-authors of a groundbreaking academic paper, Michael Hicks, makes the case that “ChatGPT is bullshit.” That’s not only the title of his paper, but a compelling point of view that we dig deep into in this conversation. Michael is one of the three co-authors of the paper, along with James Humphries and Joe Slater. All three are educators at the University of Glasgow.

Michael Hicks is a Lecturer in Philosophy of Science and Technology at the University. He’s mostly interested in the ways we use scientific laws and models to understand what’s possible, and what isn’t. He says he also thinks about conditional reasoning, probability, and explanation.

For more information, go to www.ShapingOpinion.com. This is also our Substack hub, where you can subscribe and become a member of our podcast family.

LIKE & SUBSCRIBE for new videos as soon as they are posted: https://www.youtube.com/@shapingopinion/videos

Follow the Shaping Opinion Podcast on all social platforms: Twitter/X – @Shaping Opinion, Instagram – @Shaping Opinion, on Facebook at Shaping Opinion and don’t forget to join the “Shaping Opinion Podcast Listeners” Group on Facebook.

Links from Our Conversation

* ChatGPT is Bullshit, Springer Link - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10676-024-09775-5/

* Michael Townsen Hicks, website - https://www.townsenhicks.com