Podcasts about Amsterdam

Today, we welcome Greig Watts, a powerhouse in songwriting, publishing, and music development. Greig is one-third of the internationally successful songwriting and publishing team DWB, known for selling millions of units worldwide and for pioneering early breakthroughs in markets like Japan and South Korea long before the global rise of J-Pop and K-Pop.Greig's Website @greigwatts on Instagram Greig's Facebook page Greig's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greigwatts/For songwriters who feel stuck, discouraged, or tired of rejection, his mission: help creators overcome setbacks, rediscover joy, and keep fighting for the dream that first sparked their love of music. Greig has captured decades of experience—and the heart of his creative philosophy—in his bestselling book, Keeping the Dream Alive. It's part memoir, part guide, and part rallying cry.He's overseen 16 Eurovision entries in 10 consecutive years, coached dozens of successful writers, spoken at industry conferences from Moscow to Taiwan to Amsterdam, served as a BBC Music Consultant, and mentored songwriters around the world.From Almost Quitting to International SuccessGreig, your book opens with a vulnerable story—by 2003 you almost walked away from music entirely. What helped you turn rejection into fuel instead of failure, and how did that turning point shape the book Keeping the Dream Alive?The Mindset of PersistenceYou say showing up matters more than talent. What does “showing up” actually look like for songwriters—and how can creatives overcome procrastination, self-doubt, and the belief that they're not good enough? What's the secret to finishing songs instead of endlessly rewriting them?Protecting Creativity While Treating Music as a BusinessYou're very honest that loving music isn't enough—you also have to monetize it to keep going. How can songwriters protect their creativity from burnout while still building a viable career in an intensely competitive industry?Finding Success in Unexpected PlacesYou and DWB broke into Japan and Korea long before most UK or US writers even knew those markets existed. You also helped make Eurovision songwriting camps what they are today. How has seeking out “the niche” shaped your creative and business success?Mentorship, Neurodiversity & Keeping the Dream AliveYou've launched courses supporting songwriters—including neurodiverse creatives—and you speak often about defending the underdog. How do you help writers identify their strengths, build a supportive team, and keep the dream alive even when people around them doubt them? Greig, for any songwriter listening who feels like their dream is slipping away—what's the one thing you want them to hear today?”Book link for listeners:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Keeping-Dream-Alive-Songwriters-Overcoming/dp/195725551XThanks to our sponsor, White Cloud Coffee—fueling creative conversations everywhere. Listeners, enjoy 10% off your first order at

Tickets, merch and loads more available on our website! https://haveawordpod.comDan & Carl's Hip-Hop Night || https://www.skiddle.com/e/41781901Tickets for Have A Word Live shows as well as Adam and Dan's tours and previews:Adam's Tickets: https://www.adamrowe.comDan's Tickets: https://dannightingale.comCarl's Stream || https://twitch.tv/senseicarl_Finn's Music & Tickets: https://finnlayk.co.ukAs Adam and Dan said, don't miss out on all of our extra content, we've got one of the best value Patreons in the game. An extra 90+ minute episode every week plus loads of bonus content such as the now infamous Lockdown Lock-ins, the Nashville & Amsterdam specials and our Ghost Hunts! What are you waiting for? Sign up now at https://patreon.com/haveawordpod​Get subscribed to Have A Word Highlights: https://youtube.com/haveawordhighlightsListen to Finn's new EP: https://finnlayk.lnk.to/AllInYourMindThanks to this week's sponsors:Heights | https://heights.com/haveawordEnter code HAVEAWORD20 at checkout for 20% off your first month!Manscaped | https://manscaped.com20% off with promo code: WORD20NordVPN | https://nordvpn.com/haveawordEXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/haveaword Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guaranteeLovehoney | https://lovehoney.co/word_podcastLove how you love and take 20% off sitewide to unlock sexual happiness and discover a happier you with promo code: AFF-WORD20ADAM ROWE and DAN NIGHTINGALE are two award winning comedians from Liverpool & Preston, respectively. They are two of the UK's most highly regarded stand-ups and have both performed all over the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Linktree: ⁠https://linktr.ee/Analytic⁠Join The Normandy For Additional Bonus Audio And Visual Content For All Things Nme+! Join Here: ⁠https://ow.ly/msoH50WCu0K⁠ The latest Notorious Mass Effect segment from Analytic Dreamz examines Harry Styles' electrifying return to music with his new lead single "Aperture," released January 22, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. ET—ushering in his fourth solo studio album Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally., dropping March 6, 2026.The 5-minute-plus disco-techno-dance pop track features throbbing synths, groovy percussion, a strong backbeat, and romantic lyrics like “We belong together” and “It finally appears it's only love,” building from slow-burn intro to percussion-heavy chorus. The official music video, released January 23, adds visual flair with eccentric dance sequences and surprising twists, channeling high-energy vibes.Executive produced by longtime collaborator Kid Harpoon (of Grammy-winning Harry's House fame), the 12-track album signals a dance-floor-focused era after a three-year hiatus since 2022's Harry's House and As It Was dominance.Styles also announced the 2026 Together, Together global residency tour: 50 shows across 7 cities (Amsterdam kickoff in May, London, São Paulo, Mexico City, New York City, Melbourne, Sydney), highlighted by a massive 30-night run at Madison Square Garden from August 26–October 31—his only U.S. dates and one of his largest single-venue commitments.The rollout included months of billboard teases in major cities, a surprise YouTube instrumental “Forever, Forever,” fan site mysteries, and record store previews. Special guests like Robyn, Shania Twain, Jorja Smith, Jamie xx, and others join select shows.Analytic Dreamz breaks down the single's sound, video impact, album details, tour logistics, presale info (artist presale ongoing, general onsale January 30/February 4), and why this disco-infused comeback positions Harry Styles as a top global pop force amid competition from Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, and more.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/donationsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Plus: Uber plans to use AI in customer service. And shares of European arms maker CSG surged on Amsterdam stock-market debut. Julie Chang hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fluent Fiction - Dutch: When Snow Falls: A Café, Friendship, and Finding Strength Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/nl/episode/2026-01-23-23-34-02-nl Story Transcript:Nl: De sneeuw viel zachtjes buiten de grote ramen van het café.En: The snow was gently falling outside the large windows of the café.Nl: Binnen was het warm en gezellig.En: Inside, it was warm and cozy.Nl: Grote lampen hingen aan het plafond en gaven een warm licht.En: Large lamps hung from the ceiling and emitted a warm light.Nl: "De Rustige Gracht" heette het café, gelegen aan een van de vele schilderachtige grachten van Amsterdam.En: The café was called "De Rustige Gracht," situated along one of the many picturesque canals of Amsterdam.Nl: Jazzmuziek klonk zachtjes uit de speakers, waardoor er een ontspannen sfeer ontstond.En: Jazz music played softly from the speakers, creating a relaxed atmosphere.Nl: Aan een tafeltje bij het raam zaten Bram, Liselotte en Sander.En: At a table by the window sat Bram, Liselotte, and Sander.Nl: Bram, een jonge kunstenaar, keek vaak naar buiten.En: Bram, a young artist, often looked outside.Nl: De wereld buiten leek hem meer te interesseren dan het gesprek aan tafel.En: The world beyond seemed to interest him more than the conversation at the table.Nl: Hij had niet veel zin om te praten over zijn recente operatie, een appendectomie.En: He wasn't keen on discussing his recent surgery, an appendectomy.Nl: Hij wilde vooral nadenken over zijn nieuwe serie schilderijen.En: He especially wanted to think about his new series of paintings.Nl: Een grote tentoonstelling stond voor de deur, en Bram wilde dat alles perfect was.En: A major exhibition was approaching, and Bram wanted everything to be perfect.Nl: "Bram, heb je de dokter al gebeld voor je controle?"En: "Bram, have you called the doctor for your check-up yet?"Nl: vroeg Liselotte bezorgd.En: asked Liselotte worriedly.Nl: Haar groene ogen stonden ernstig.En: Her green eyes looked serious.Nl: Ze was Brams goede vriendin en maakte zich zorgen om hem.En: She was Bram's close friend and was concerned about him.Nl: "Nee, nog niet," antwoordde Bram nonchalant.En: "No, not yet," Bram replied nonchalantly.Nl: "Ik voel me prima.En: "I feel fine.Nl: Er is geen haast."En: There's no rush."Nl: Hij wilde zich niet bezig houden met artsen en ziekenhuizen.En: He didn't want to deal with doctors and hospitals.Nl: Hij wilde creatief zijn, schilderen en zijn werk afmaken zonder verstoring.En: He wanted to be creative, to paint, and to finish his work without disruption.Nl: "Je moet echt gaan," drong Liselotte aan.En: "You really need to go," Liselotte insisted.Nl: "Je gezondheid is belangrijk."En: "Your health is important."Nl: Sander, die naast hen zat, keek even op van zijn koffie.En: Sander, sitting next to them, glanced up from his coffee.Nl: Hij wilde zich er niet te veel mee bemoeien.En: He didn't want to interfere too much.Nl: Het was lastig om tussen twee vrienden in te staan.En: It was difficult being caught between two friends.Nl: Plotseling voelde Bram een scherpe pijn in zijn buik.En: Suddenly, Bram felt a sharp pain in his abdomen.Nl: Hij kromp even ineen.En: He flinched for a moment.Nl: Het was alsof zijn lichaam hem vertelde dat Liselotte gelijk had.En: It was as if his body was telling him that Liselotte was right.Nl: Liselotte legde snel haar hand op zijn arm.En: Liselotte quickly placed her hand on his arm.Nl: "Zie je?En: "See?Nl: We moeten nu gaan.En: We need to go now.Nl: Ik roep een taxi," zei ze vastberaden.En: I'll call a taxi," she said resolutely.Nl: "Oké, oké," zei Bram, de pijn negerend.En: "Okay, okay," Bram said, ignoring the pain.Nl: Hij wist dat hij niet langer kon ontkennen hoe hij zich voelde.En: He knew he could no longer deny how he felt.Nl: Samen stonden ze op, met Sander die de rekening betaalde en Liselotte Brams jas aangaf.En: Together they stood up, with Sander paying the bill and Liselotte handing Bram his coat.Nl: In het ziekenhuis bleek het gelukkig een kleine complicatie.En: At the hospital, it fortunately turned out to be a minor complication.Nl: Niets ernstigs, maar het moest wel gecontroleerd worden.En: Nothing serious, but it needed to be checked.Nl: Zodra Bram op het bed lag, besefte hij hoe belangrijk dit bezoek was.En: As soon as Bram lay on the bed, he realized how important this visit was.Nl: Hij had geluk gehad.En: He had been lucky.Nl: Na de controle voelde Bram zich opgelucht.En: After the check-up, Bram felt relieved.Nl: Niet alleen fysiek, maar ook mentaal.En: Not just physically, but also mentally.Nl: Toen Liselotte en Sander hem later terugbrachten naar het café, kon hij ze alleen maar dankbaar aankijken.En: When Liselotte and Sander later brought him back to the café, he could only look at them gratefully.Nl: "Dank je," zei hij zacht.En: "Thank you," he said softly.Nl: "Ik dacht dat ik alles alleen moest doen, maar jullie hebben me laten zien dat het oké is om steun te accepteren."En: "I thought I had to do everything alone, but you showed me that it's okay to accept support."Nl: Liselotte glimlachte.En: Liselotte smiled.Nl: "We zijn er altijd voor je, Bram."En: "We'll always be there for you, Bram."Nl: Bram keek naar de vlammetjes van de open haard in het café en begreep voor het eerst dat onafhankelijkheid niet betekende dat je alles alleen moest doen.En: Bram looked at the flames of the fireplace in the café and understood for the first time that independence didn't mean doing everything alone.Nl: Soms is hulp vragen juist een teken van kracht.En: Sometimes, asking for help is a sign of strength.Nl: Terwijl de avond verder ging, voelde hij zich geïnspireerd en klaar voor de volgende stap, zowel in zijn kunst als in zijn leven.En: As the evening went on, he felt inspired and ready for the next step, both in his art and in his life. Vocabulary Words:appendectomy: appendectomiesurgeon: dokterceiling: plafondpicturesque: schilderachtigeemitted: gavenrelaxed: ontspannenartist: kunstenaarexhibition: tentoonstellingserious: ernstignonchalantly: nonchalantcreative: creatiefdisruption: verstoringinterfere: bemoeienabdomen: buikflinched: krompresolutely: vastberadencoat: jascomplication: complicatiegratefully: dankbaarindependence: onafhankelijkheidstrength: krachttender: zachtcontemplate: nadenkensoftly: zachtjesuninterrupted: zonder verstoringfortunate: gelukkiggratefully: dankbaaranxiously: bezorgdcourageously: moedigflames: vlammetjes

Deze week een mini-vakantie van Chris en Paulien naar Leiden waar ze in het Sieboldhuis een tentoonstelling bezoeken van de prentenmaker Kawase Hasui. In deze podcast aflevering besteden we ook aandacht aan de Nationale Zorgreserve, een landelijk netwerk van (oud-)zorgprofessionals inzetbaar in crisistijd. Heb jij een zorgdiploma en wil je bijdragen aan de maatschappelijke weerbaarheid van Nederland? Meld je aan via nationalerezorgreserve.nl. Dit zijn een paar links uit de aflevering: Info over de tentoonstelling in het Sieboldhuis in Leiden vind je hier. Youtubefilmpje uit de jaren vijftig over de werkwijze van Kawase Hasui vind je hier. Instagram account van ukyo-e maker vind je hier. Dit is het Instagram-account van Man met de microfoon. Wil je lid worden of een eenmalige donatie doen via petjeaf.com dan kan dat: hier Eenmalig overmaken kan ook naar: NL37 INGB 0006 8785 94 van Stichting Man met de microfoon te Amsterdam. Wil je adverteren, dan kun je een mailtje sturen naar: adverteren@dagennacht.nlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 512 / Jasper Hagenaar Jasper Hagenaar is a painter who lives and works in the Netherlands. Evoking the ambience of vintage lifestyle magazines or art book photography there is so much ambience captured in Jasper's carefully framed imagery. Often times portraying still life compositions built from other existing artworks, his paintings feel both contemporary and classic, all while appearing faded and aged and therefore precious. Jasper was a resident artist at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam in 2004 and 2005. He was a recipient of both the jury and public award of the Royal Dutch painting prize in 2012. His works are part of significant Dutch museum collections as the Centraal Museum Utrecht, Dordrechts museum and the Teylers museum. His paintings have recently been shown internationally in group exhibitions at Hive, Centre for contemporary arts, Beijng and Rhodes Contemporary art gallery, London. His works can be found in numerous corporate and private collections in the Netherlands and abroad. He lives and works in Hedikhuizen, the Netherlands and is represented by Althuis Hofland Fine Arts in Amsterdam.

Dat bos in Slovenië: Eef Prins krijgt het er nog warm van. Op uitnodiging van Echt Gebeurd komt Ophira Eisenberg van The Moth dit voorjaar naar de Nederlandse theaters met haar voorstelling Leaving a mark: a comedy show about scars. Op 28 april speelt ze in De Landing in Amstelveen, op 29 april in Amsterdam, op 1 mei in Groningen, op 4 mei in Diligentia in Den Haag en op 5 mei in De Vereeniging in Nijmegen. Wil jij ook een keer een verhaal komen vertellen bij Echt Gebeurd, meld je dan bij ons via het formulier op echtgebeurd.net. De thema's voor alle verhalenmiddagen in dit seizoen vind je hier. Echt Gebeurd is te volgen op Instagram, Facebook, Threads, BlueSky en LinkedIn. Voor mensen die het missen kunnen is er Vriend van de Show. Wil je donateur worden voor € 2,50 per maand of een eenmalige donatie doen, dan kan dat via deze link.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trump zet in Davos de toon met zijn claim op Groenland en harde woorden over Europa, terwijl Mark Rutte achter de schermen een uitweg organiseert via het oude veiligheidsverdrag uit 1951. Bernard Hammelburg en Jan Postma laten zien hoe de vermeende ‘koop’ van Groenland vooral neerkomt op slimme herinterpretatie van bestaande afspraken, en wat dat zegt over de positie van Denemarken, de NAVO en de wankelende naoorlogse wereldorde. Daarna verbreden ze de lens naar het diepere wantrouwen richting Europa binnen de Republikeinse partij, van J.D. Vance tot de MAGA-achterban. Ze laten zien hoe immigratie, veiligheid en populisme aan beide kanten van de oceaan in elkaar grijpen, en hoe Trump Europa gebruikt als decor voor zijn binnenlandse campagne. Ondertussen komen ook de schaduw van het Trumpisme, de rol van ‘Trump-fluisteraars’ als Mark Rutte en Giorgia Meloni en de geopolitieke strijd rond het Arctisch gebied voorbij. Dit allemaal in een aflevering die laat zien hoe dun het ijs onder de westerse alliantie inmiddels is. Over de Amerika Podcast In de Amerika podcast nemen Bernard Hammelburg en Jan Postma het meeste opmerkelijke nieuws uit Amerika door. Het land van hamburgers, sneakers, Donald Trump en Taylor Swift. Van daklozen, miljardairs en de iPhone. Van tegenstellingen. Bernard en Jan nemen wekelijks een kijkje in de Amerikaanse ziel. Elke donderdag in je podcastfeed! Heb je een vraag, opmerking, kritiek of een compliment. Mail dan naar dewereld@bnr.nl of spreek je vraag in op de Amerika Podcast Whatsapp: 06-28135020. En wie weet win je de Amerika Podcast koffiebeker. Over de makers Bernard Hammelburg is buitenlandcommentator en columnist voor BNR Nieuwsradio en het FD, en presentator van BNR De Wereld. Als oorlogsverslaggever was hij o.a. ooggetuige van de Culturele Revolutie in China, de revolutie in Iran en de oorlogen in Vietnam, het Midden-Oosten en Afghanistan. Hij was twintig jaar correspondent in de VS. Het verdeelt zijn tijd tussen zijn woonplaatsen Amsterdam en New York. Jan Postma is Amerikanist en werkt sinds 2009 waar hij meerdere programma's gepresenteerde waaronder BNR Bouwmeesters, Boekenstijn en De Wijk en Zakendoen. Sinds 2018 is hij correspondent in de Verenigde Staten, woonachtig in Washington D.C. Naast de Amerika Podcast maakt hij onder meer Postma in Amerika en is hij regelmatig te horen in de Ochtend‑ en Avondspits. Hij is tevens auteur van het boek De Trump Fluisteraars. Redactie Luc de Klerk Montage Jeanne Heeremans See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan en Kevin bespreken de wedstrijd tegen Villarreal, die zeker niet tegenviel. Daarnaast nemen de heren het laatste transfernieuws door: Moro is onderweg naar Spanje, maar wie moet hem vervangen? Ook komt het aanbod voor Zinchenko ter sprake en de vraag wie de nummer 6-positie gaat invullen. Tot slot hebben ze het over de nieuwe raad van commissarissen en de Ajax-jeugd. (00:00) Intro(04:27) Villarreal - Ajax(28:58) AZ - Ajax(30:08) Ajax - Go Ahead Eagles(38:43) Seizoensbingo 2002/2003(46:39) Nieuwe raad van commissarissen(48:59) Spanjaarden in Amsterdam(53:21) Transfernieuws(1:03:27) Jong Ajax See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us a text166 - Discover the hottest travel trends shaping 2026 and beyond! Join travel agents and best selling authors Rob & Kerri Stuart as they reveal where savvy travelers are heading, from European river cruises to the Galapagos Islands.In this episode, they share their personal 2025 travel highlights—including Alaska land tours, Montana dude ranches near Yellowstone, Danube river cruises, and Disney sailings—plus our exciting 2026 itinerary featuring Amsterdam, Portugal's Douro River, and more.What You'll Learn:Why small ship experiences (200 guests or less) are exploding in popularityHow solo travel is becoming easier with reduced single supplementsThe rise of wellness cruises focused on longevity and healthWhy experiential travel trumps traditional sightseeingMulti-generational and group travel opportunitiesSingle-focus trip planning (building entire vacations around one unique experience)River cruise insider tips for Europe and Southeast AsiaFeatured Destinations: ✈️ European river cruises (Danube, Rhine, Douro River Portugal) ✈️ Alaska cruise tours combining land and sea ✈️ Yellowstone & Montana dude ranch experiences✈️ Galapagos Islands expedition cruising ✈️ Amsterdam, Budapest, Vienna, Marseille ✈️ Antarctica small ship adventuresWhether you're planning a family vacation, romantic getaway, solo adventure, or group trip with friends, this episode delivers actionable travel inspiration and expert tips from professional travel agents who practice what they preach.Ready to travel inspired? Subscribe for weekly travel ideas, destination guides, cruise reviews, and insider travel planning tips. Let's collect passport stamps, not things!Alternative Title Options:2026 Travel Trends: Small Ships, Solo Adventures & Experiential TravelWhere to Travel in 2026: Expert Predictions & Hidden Gem DestinationsTravel Trends 2026: From River Cruises to Wellness Retreats

What does it mean to see oneself as free? And how can this freedom be attained in times of conflict and social upheaval? In this ambitious study, Moritz Föllmer explores what twentieth-century Europeans understood by individual freedom and how they endeavoured to achieve it. Combining cultural, social, and political history, this book highlights the tension between ordinary people's efforts to secure personal independence and the ambitious attempts of thinkers and activists to embed notions of freedom in political and cultural agendas. The quest to be a free individual was multi-faceted; no single concept predominated. Men and women articulated and pursued it against the backdrop of two world wars, the expanding power of the state, the constraints of working life, pre-established moral norms, the growing influence of America, and uncertain futures of colonial rule. But although claims to individual freedom could be steered and stymied, they could not, ultimately, be suppressed. Moritz Föllmer is Associate Professor of Modern History at the University of Amsterdam. He is particularly interested in Weimar and Nazi Germany, and in concepts of individuality and urbanity in twentieth-century Europe. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube channel. Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Coming at you LIVE from Benny Frank's! Where we are joined by Food Network's ‘Chopped' Champion Chef Enrique where he gives us some incite to being a chef, his speciality menu at Benny Frank's and the perks of being Chef Enrique. Plus Voo hits us with 21 questions where things get a little spicy. Follow us on social media @AaronScenesAfterParty

Luister heel de podcast: https://www.vi.nl/pro/pak-schaal-podcast-extra-hoop-doet-leven-in-amsterdam Ajax-abonnement! vi.nl/vi-ajax Freek Jansen en Arco Gnocchi hebben het in de deze Pak Schaal Podcast Extra over de zege van Ajax bij Villarreal. De Amsterdammers mogen na de overwinning nog hopen op het behalen van de tussenronde in de Champions League.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well known for his viral Wukileaks and Beats I Can't Release edits, Wuki delivered one hour of pure fun on board WaterWays. Delivering fresh house, dance, and tech house sounds layered over iconic vocals and dancefloor weapons, it was a big floating party!

Fluent Fiction - Dutch: Whispers of Love in Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/nl/episode/2026-01-20-23-34-02-nl Story Transcript:Nl: De winter had Amsterdam in zijn koude greep, maar het Van Gogh Museum was warm en levendig.En: Winter had Amsterdam in its icy grasp, but the Van Gogh Museum was warm and vibrant.Nl: Winterlichten schenen door besneeuwde ramen en verlichtten meesterwerken zoals "De Sterrennacht" en "Zonnebloemen".En: Winter lights shone through snowy windows, illuminating masterpieces like "The Starry Night" and "Sunflowers."Nl: In die drukte werkten Sven en Lotte als gidsen voor een speciale tentoonstelling.En: In that bustling environment, Sven and Lotte worked as guides for a special exhibition.Nl: Sven liep door de marmeren gangen, zijn ogen vaak op zoek naar Lotte.En: Sven walked through the marble halls, his eyes often searching for Lotte.Nl: Hij kende elk werk van Van Gogh bijna uit zijn hoofd.En: He knew almost every work of Van Gogh by heart.Nl: Zijn liefde voor kunst was groot, maar zijn liefde voor Lotte nog groter.En: His love for art was great, but his love for Lotte was even greater.Nl: Ondanks zijn kennis en enthousiasme vond hij geen woorden om zijn diepste gevoelens aan haar te uiten.En: Despite his knowledge and enthusiasm, he couldn't find words to express his deepest feelings to her.Nl: Lotte was altijd bezig met een groep bezoekers.En: Lotte was always busy with a group of visitors.Nl: Haar liefde voor geschiedenis en kunst straalde af op iedereen om haar heen.En: Her love for history and art radiated to everyone around her.Nl: Samen met Sven vormde ze een geweldig team.En: Together with Sven, she made a great team.Nl: Voor haar was Sven een goede vriend, iemand die altijd daar was, maar niet meer dan dat.En: To her, Sven was a good friend, someone who was always there, but nothing more than that.Nl: Vandaag was het museum drukker dan ooit.En: Today, the museum was busier than ever.Nl: Bezoekers stonden geduldig in de rij voor beroemde schilderijen.En: Visitors patiently stood in line for famous paintings.Nl: Tijdens hun korte pauze besloot Sven dat het tijd was.En: During their short break, Sven decided it was time.Nl: Zijn hart klopte in zijn keel toen hij Lotte uitnodigde voor een kop koffie in het kleine café van het museum.En: His heart pounded in his throat as he invited Lotte for a cup of coffee in the museum's small café.Nl: Zittend aan een hoektafel, vertelde Sven een verhaal.En: Sitting at a corner table, Sven told a story.Nl: "Wist je dat Van Gogh verliefd was op zijn nicht, Kee Vos?", zei Sven zacht.En: "Did you know that Van Gogh was in love with his cousin, Kee Vos?" Sven said softly.Nl: Lotte keek hem nieuwsgierig aan.En: Lotte looked at him curiously.Nl: "Hij schreef haar brieven, maar zij wees hem af.En: "He wrote her letters, but she rejected him.Nl: Het was... een moeilijke liefde." Sven stopte even, zijn ogen keken diep in de hare.En: It was... a difficult love." Sven paused for a moment, his eyes looking deeply into hers.Nl: "Soms... soms voel ik me een beetje zoals Van Gogh," zei hij voorzichtig.En: "Sometimes... sometimes I feel a bit like Van Gogh," he said cautiously.Nl: Lotte's ogen verbreedden zich.En: Lotte's eyes widened.Nl: Ze legde zacht een hand op zijn arm.En: She gently placed a hand on his arm.Nl: "Bedoel je dat je...?" vroeg ze onzeker, maar met een sprankje hoop.En: "Do you mean that you...?" she asked uncertainly, but with a glimmer of hope.Nl: Sven knikte, zijn gezicht rood.En: Sven nodded, his face red.Nl: "Ik bewonder je niet alleen om je kennis, Lotte.En: "I don't just admire you for your knowledge, Lotte.Nl: Ik... ik voel meer voor je."En: I... I feel more for you."Nl: De stilte tussen hen was gevuld met de zachte geluiden van het café.En: The silence between them was filled with the soft sounds of the café.Nl: Lotte glimlachte eindelijk, een warme, begripvolle blik in haar ogen.En: Lotte finally smiled, a warm and understanding look in her eyes.Nl: Weet je, Sven, ik dacht altijd dat we gewoon vrienden waren.En: "You know, Sven, I always thought we were just friends.Nl: Maar nu je het zegt... Misschien voel ik ook meer."En: But now that you mention it... Maybe I feel more too."Nl: Zij lachte, en Sven voelde zich alsof een groot schilderij eindelijk tot leven kwam.En: She laughed, and Sven felt as if a great painting had finally come to life.Nl: Zijn angst was verdwenen en er was iets nieuws in de plaats gekomen: vertrouwen.En: His fear was gone, replaced by something new: confidence.Nl: Vertrouwen dat misschien, net zoals Van Gogh's penseelstreken, dingen niet altijd perfect beginnen, maar groeien in iets prachtigs.En: Confidence that maybe, just like Van Gogh's brushstrokes, things don't always start perfectly, but grow into something beautiful.Nl: De winter buiten leek minder kil.En: The winter outside seemed less cold.Nl: Ze liepen samen terug naar de tentoonstelling, hun toekomst gevuld met kunst, geschiedenis en iets heel bijzonders: elkaar.En: They walked back to the exhibition together, their future filled with art, history, and something very special: each other. Vocabulary Words:icy: koudegrasp: greepvibrant: levendigmasterpieces: meesterwerkenbustling: druktemarble: marmerenadmire: bewonderenthusiasm: enthousiasmepatiently: geduldigthroat: keelcautiously: voorzichtigcuriously: nieuwsgieriggently: zachtunderstanding: begripvolleconfidence: vertrouwenperfectly: perfectbrilliant: prachtigsilluminate: verlichtenguide: gidsenheartened: verblijdenvironment: omgevingexpress: uitenwrap: wikkelenoverlook: overzienimmerse: onderdompeleninvite: uitnodigenpause: pauzeuncertainly: onzekerfill: vuldenenveloped: omhulden

Fluent Fiction - Dutch: Heating Up the Classroom: Creative Warmth Amid Winter Chill Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/nl/episode/2026-01-20-08-38-19-nl Story Transcript:Nl: Het was een koude winterochtend in Amsterdam.En: It was a cold winter morning in Amsterdam.Nl: De lucht was helder en er lagen dunne laagjes ijs op de grachten.En: The sky was clear and there were thin layers of ice on the canals.Nl: De leerlingen van de Amsterdamse Openbare Hogeschool liepen rillend naar binnen, hun adem als wolkjes in de ijskoude lucht zichtbaar.En: The students of the Amsterdamse Openbare Hogeschool walked shivering inside, their breath visible as clouds in the icy air.Nl: De oude bakstenen school met zijn echoënde gangen en grote ramen voelde die ochtend meer aan als een oude vrieskist, want de verwarming was kapot.En: The old brick school with its echoing hallways and large windows felt more like an old freezer that morning, because the heating was broken.Nl: Jeroen, een slimme en avontuurlijke jongen, zat in zijn klaslokaal te bibberen.En: Jeroen, a smart and adventurous boy, sat shivering in his classroom.Nl: Naast hem zat Sven, zijn beste vriend, die net zo avontuurlijk was.En: Next to him sat Sven, his best friend, who was just as adventurous.Nl: “We kunnen toch niet de hele dag zo zitten?” fluisterde Jeroen naar Sven.En: "We can't just sit like this all day, can we?" whispered Jeroen to Sven.Nl: “Marieke zal wel zeggen dat we gewoon moeten wachten en ons warm kleden,” antwoordde Sven met een glimlach.En: "Marieke will probably say we just have to wait and dress warmly," Sven replied with a smile.Nl: Marieke, de verantwoordelijke klassenvertegenwoordiger, liep de klas binnen met een serieus gezicht.En: Marieke, the responsible class representative, entered the class with a serious face.Nl: “Iedereen! Laten we onze jassen en sjaals aanhouden.En: "Everyone! Let's keep our coats and scarves on.Nl: We moeten gewoon geduld hebben totdat de verwarmingsmonteur het probleem heeft opgelost.En: We just need to be patient until the heating technician solves the problem.Nl: Tot die tijd zitten we dicht bij elkaar.En: Until then, we'll sit close together."Nl: Jeroen zuchtte.En: Jeroen sighed.Nl: De sfeer was miserabel en saai.En: The atmosphere was miserable and boring.Nl: Hij voelde het kriebelen om iets te doen.En: He felt the urge to do something.Nl: Toen kreeg hij een idee.En: Then he got an idea.Nl: “Laten we wat creativiteit gebruiken om warm te blijven, Sven,” stelde hij voor.En: "Let's use some creativity to stay warm, Sven," he suggested.Nl: Ze slopen het lokaal uit onder het wakend oog van Mr. van Hoof, hun strenge docent.En: They sneaked out of the classroom under the watchful eye of Mr. van Hoof, their strict teacher.Nl: In de gangen vonden ze een oude, lege prullenbak en een doos vol oude kranten.En: In the halls, they found an old, empty trash can and a box full of old newspapers.Nl: Sven lachte.En: Sven laughed.Nl: “Wat ga je doen, Jeroen?”En: "What are you going to do, Jeroen?"Nl: Jeroen begon te knutselen.En: Jeroen began to craft.Nl: Hij stopte de kranten in de prullenbak en zette deze in een hoek van de klas, ver weg van brandbare materialen.En: He stuffed the newspapers into the trash can and set it in a corner of the class, far away from flammable materials.Nl: “Dit is onze kampvuur-kachel,” grapte hij.En: "This is our campfire stove," he joked.Nl: Terug in de klas maakten Jeroen en Sven vuur met hun creatie.En: Back in the class, Jeroen and Sven made a fire with their creation.Nl: De anderen, inclusief Marieke, keken verbaasd maar geïnteresseerd toe.En: The others, including Marieke, watched surprised but interested.Nl: “We hebben geen echte warmte, maar het ziet er warm uit,” zuchtte Sven tevreden terwijl de papieren vlammen dansten.En: "We don't have real warmth, but it looks warm," Sven sighed contentedly while the paper flames danced.Nl: Plotseling verscheen Mr. van Hoof in de deur.En: Suddenly, Mr. van Hoof appeared in the doorway.Nl: Zijn wenkbrauwen schoten omhoog.En: His eyebrows shot up.Nl: “Wat gebeurt hier?” vroeg hij streng.En: "What's happening here?" he asked sternly.Nl: Jeroen nam een stap naar voren.En: Jeroen stepped forward.Nl: “Het is gewoon voor de lol, meneer.En: "It's just for fun, sir.Nl: We wilden iets positiefs doen met de kou.”En: We wanted to do something positive with the cold."Nl: Marieke knikte instemmend, bang dat ze in de problemen zouden komen.En: Marieke nodded in agreement, afraid they might get into trouble.Nl: Tot ieders verrassing lachte Mr. van Hoof.En: To everyone's surprise, Mr. van Hoof laughed.Nl: “Wel, als het de moraal op deze ijskoude dag verhoogt, laten we er dan een educatief project van maken.En: "Well, if it boosts morale on this freezing day, let's make it an educational project.Nl: Maar ik wil wel dat het veilig blijft.”En: But I do want it to remain safe."Nl: Iets later die dag werd de verwarming gemaakt.En: A little later that day, the heating was fixed.Nl: Het echte warme lucht voelde als een zegen, maar de leerlingen hadden al geleerd dat een beetje warmte ook van binnen kon komen.En: The real warm air felt like a blessing, but the students had already learned that a little warmth could also come from within.Nl: Jeroen glimlachte breed terwijl ze aan het eind van de dag de school verlieten.En: Jeroen smiled broadly as they left the school at the end of the day.Nl: De kou was voorbij en de sfeer was veranderd.En: The cold was over, and the atmosphere had changed.Nl: Samen waren ze erin geslaagd om iets positiefs te maken van een lastige situatie, zelfs met een strenge leraar als Mr. van Hoof aan hun zij.En: Together, they had succeeded in making something positive out of a difficult situation, even with a strict teacher like Mr. van Hoof by their side.Nl: Jeroen had geleerd dat creativiteit en samenwerking soms voor verrassend veel warmte kunnen zorgen.En: Jeroen had learned that creativity and collaboration can sometimes provide surprisingly much warmth. Vocabulary Words:icy: ijskoudshivering: rillendechoing: echoëndeadventurous: avontuurlijkewhispered: fluisterderepresentative: vertegenwoordigerpatient: geduldtechnician: monteurmiserable: miserabelurge: kriebelcreativity: creativiteitwatchful: wakendstrict: strengeempty trash can: lege prullenbakflammable: brandbarecampfire: kampvuurcontentedly: tevredensternly: strengmorale: moraalfreezing: ijskoudeblessing: zegenbroadly: breedpositive: positiefscollaboration: samenwerkingsurprisingly: verrassenduproar: opschuddingscarf: sjaalhallway: gangsolve: oplossencraft: knutselen

Fresh worries about Federal Reserve independence highlight how immutable economic laws can limit policy extremes. Nicholas Fawcett, Senior Economist at the BlackRock Investment Institute, explains the implications for markets.General disclosure: This material is intended for information purposes only, and does not constitute investment advice, a recommendation or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any securities, funds or strategies to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. The opinions expressed are as of the date of publication and are subject to change without notice. Reliance upon information in this material is at the sole discretion of the reader. Investing involves risks. BlackRock does and may seek to do business with companies covered in this podcast. As a result, readers should be aware that the firm may have a conflict of interest that could affect the objectivity of this podcast.In the U.S. and Canada, this material is intended for public distribution.In the UK and Non-European Economic Area (EEA) countries: this is Issued by BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered office: 12 Throgmorton Avenue, London, EC2N 2DL. Tel:+ 44 (0)20 7743 3000. Registered in England and Wales No. 02020394. For your protection telephone calls are usually recorded. Please refer to the Financial Conduct Authority website for a list of authorised activities conducted by BlackRock.In the European Economic Area (EEA): this is Issued by BlackRock (Netherlands) B.V. is authorised and regulated by the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets. Registered office Amstelplein 1, 1096 HA, Amsterdam, Tel: 020 – 549 5200, Tel: 31-20- 549-5200. Trade Register No. 17068311 For your protection telephone calls are usually recorded.For Investors in Switzerland: This document is marketing material.In South Africa: Please be advised that BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited is an authorised Financial Services provider with the South African Financial Services Board, FSP No. 43288.In Singapore, this is issued by BlackRock (Singapore) Limited (Co. registration no. 200010143N). This advertisement or publication has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. In Hong Kong, this material is issued by BlackRock Asset Management North Asia Limited and has not been reviewed by the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong. In Australia, issued by BlackRock Investment Management (Australia) Limited ABN 13 006 165 975, AFSL 230 523 (BIMAL). This material provides general information only and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation, needs or circumstances. Before making any investment decision, you should assess whether the material is appropriate for you and obtain financial advice tailored to you having regard to your individual objectives, financial situation, needs and circumstances. Refer to BIMAL's Financial Services Guide on its website for more information. This material is not a financial product recommendation or an offer or solicitation with respect to the purchase or sale of any financial product in any jurisdictionIn Latin America: this material is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice nor an offer or solicitation to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any shares of any Fund (nor shall any such shares be offered or sold to any person) in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities law of that jurisdiction. If any funds are mentioned or inferred to in this material, it is possible that some or all of the funds may not have been registered with the securities regulator of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay or any other securities regulator in any Latin American country and thus might not be publicly offered within any such country. The securities regulators of such countries have not confirmed the accuracy of any information contained herein. The provision of investment management and investment advisory services is a regulated activity in Mexico thus is subject to strict rules. For more information on the Investment Advisory Services offered by BlackRock Mexico please refer to the Investment Services Guide available at www.blackrock.com/mx©2026 BlackRock, Inc. All Rights Reserved. BLACKROCK is a registered trademark of BlackRock, Inc. All other trademarks are those of their respective owners.BII0126-5135643

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In this powerful and wide-ranging episode of Gangland Wire, host Gary Jenkins sits down with Ken Behr, author of One Step Over the Line: Confessions of a Marijuana Mercenary. Behr tells his astonishing life story—from teenage marijuana dealer in South Florida, to high-level drug runner and smuggler, to DEA cooperating source working major international cases. Along the way, he offers rare, first-hand insight into how large-scale drug operations actually worked during the height of the War on Drugs—and why that war, in his view, has largely failed. From Smuggler to Source Behr describes growing up during the explosion of the drug trade in South Florida during the 1970s and 1980s, where smuggling marijuana and cocaine became almost commonplace. He explains how he moved from street-level dealing into large-scale logistics—off-loading planes, running covert runways in the Everglades, moving thousands of pounds of marijuana, and participating in international smuggling operations involving Canada, Jamaica, Colombia, and the Bahamas. After multiple arrests—including a serious RICO case that threatened him with decades in prison—Behr made the life-altering decision to cooperate with the DEA. What followed was a tense and dangerous double life as an undercover operative, helping law enforcement dismantle major trafficking networks while living under constant pressure and fear of exposure. Inside the Mechanics of the Drug Trade This episode goes deep into the nuts and bolts of organized drug trafficking, including: How clandestine runways were built and dismantled in minutes How aircraft were guided into unlit landing zones How smuggling crews were paid and organized Why most drug operations ultimately collapse from inside The role of asset seizures in federal drug enforcement Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” Subscribe to the website for weekly notifications about updates and other Mob information. To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent ‘Brothers against Brothers’ or ‘Gangland Wire,’ the documentaries click here.  To purchase one of my books, click here. Transcript [00:00:00] well, hey, all your wire taps. It’s good to be back here in studio of Gangland Wire. I have a special guest today. He has a book called, uh, title is One Step Over the Line and, and he went several steps over the line, I think in his life. Ken Bearer, welcome Ken. Thanks for having me. Thanks for having me. Now, Ken, Ken is a, was a marijuana smuggler at one time and, and ended up working with the DEA, so he went from one side over to my side and, and I always like to talk to you guys that that helped us in law enforcement and I, there’s a lot of guys that don’t like that out there, but I like you guys you were a huge help to us in law enforcement and ended up doing the right thing after you made a lot of money. So tell us about the money. We were just starting to talk about the money. Tell us about the money, all those millions and millions of dollars that you drug smuggler makes. What happens? Well, I, you know, like I said, um, Jimmy Buffett’s song a pirate looks at 40, basically, he says, I made enough money to to buy Miami and pissed it away all so fast, never meant to last. And, and that’s what happens. I do know a few people that have [00:01:00] put away money. One of my friends that we did a lot of money together, a lot of drug dealing and a lot of moving some product, and he’s put the money away. Got in bed with some other guy that was, you know, legal, bought a bunch of warehouses, and now he lives a great life, living off the money he put away. Yeah. If the rents and stuff, he, he got into real estate. Other guys have got into real estate and they got out and they ended up doing okay. ’cause now they’re drawing all those rents. That’s a good way to money. Exactly what he did. Uh, my favorite, I was telling you a favorite story of mine was the guy that was a small time dealer used to hang out at the beach. And, uh, we en he ended up saving $80,000, which was a lot of money back then. Yeah. And then put it all, went to school to be a culinary chef and then got a job at the Marriott as a culinary chef and a chef. So he, you know, he really took the money, made a little bit of money, didn’t make a lot Yeah. But made enough to go to school and do something with his life. That’s so, um, that’s a great one. That’s a good one [00:02:00] there. That’s real. Yeah. But he wasn’t a big time guy. Yeah. You know what, what happens is you might make a big lick. You know, I, I never made million dollar moves. I have lots of friends that did. I always said I didn’t want to be a smuggler. ’cause I was making a steady living, being a drug runner. If you brought in 40, 50,000 pounds of weed, you would come to me and then I would move it across the country and sell it in different, along with other guys like me. Having said that, so I say I’m a guy that never wanted to do a smuggling trip. I’ve done 12 of them. Yeah. Even though, you know, and you know, if you’ve been in the DEA side twelve’s a lot for somebody usually. Yeah. That’s a lot. They don’t make, there’s no longevity. Two or three trips. No. You know, I did it for 20 years. Yeah. And then finally I got busted one time in Massachusetts in 1988. We had 40,000 pounds stuck up in Canada. So a friend of mine comes to me, another friend had the 40,000 pounds up there. He couldn’t sell it. He goes, Hey, you wanna help me smuggle [00:03:00] this back into America? Which, you know, is going the wrong direction. The farther north it goes, the more money it’s worth. I would’ve taken it to Greenland for Christ’s sakes. Yeah. But, we smuggled it back in. What we did this time was obviously they, they brought a freighter or a big ship to bring the 40,000 pounds into Canada. Mm-hmm. He added, stuffed in a fish a fish packing plant in a freezer somewhere up there. And so we used the sea plane and we flew from a lake in Canada to a lake in Maine where the plane would pull up, I’d unload. Then stash it. And we really did like to get 1400 pounds. We had to go through like six or seven trips. ’cause the plane would only hold 200 and something pounds. Yeah. And a sea plane can’t land at night. It has to land during the day. Yeah. You can’t land a plane in the middle of a lake in the night, I guess yourself. Yeah. I see. Uh, and so we got, I got busted moving that load to another market and that cost, uh, [00:04:00] cost me about $80,000 in two years of fighting in court to get out of that. Yeah. Uh, but I did beat the case for illegal search and seizure. So one for the good guys. It wasn’t for the good guys. Well the constitution, he pulled me over looking for fireworks and, ’cause it was 4th of July and, yeah. The name of that chapter in the book is why I never work on a holiday. So you don’t wanna spend your holiday in jail ’cause there’s no, you can’t on your birthday. So another, the second time I got busted was in 92. So just a couple years later after, basically I was in the system for two years with the loss, you know, fighting it and that, that was for Rico. I was looking at 25 years. But, uh, but like a normal smuggling trip. I’ll tell you one, we did, I brought, I actually did my first smuggling trip. I was on the run in Jamaica from a, a case that I got named in and I was like 19 living down in Jamaica to cool out. And then my buddies came down. So we ended up bringing out 600 pounds. So that was my first tr I was about 19 or [00:05:00] 20 years old when I did my first trip. I brought out 600 pounds outta Jamaica. A friend of mine had a little Navajo and we flew it out with that, but. I’ll give you an example of a smuggling trip. So a friend of mine came to me and he wanted to load 300 kilos of Coke in Columbia and bring it into America. And he wanted to know if I knew anybody that could load him 300 kilos. So I did. I introduced him to a friend of mine that Ronnie Vest. He’s the only person you’ll appreciate this. Remember how he kept wanting to extradite all the, the guys from Columbia when we got busted, indict him? Yes. And of course, Escobar’s living in his own jail with his own exit. Yeah. You know, and yeah. So the Columbian government says, well, we want somebody, why don’t you extradite somebody to America, to Columbia? So Ronnie Vest had gotten caught bringing a load of weed outta Columbia. You know, they sent ’em back to America. So that colo, the Americans go, I’ll tell you what you want. Somebody. And Ronnie Vests got the first good friend of mine, first American to be [00:06:00] extradited to Columbia to serve time. So he did a couple years in the Columbian prison. And so he’s the one that had the cocaine connection now. ’cause he spent time in Columbia. Yeah. And you know, so we brought in 300 kilos of Coke. He actually, I didn’t load it. He got another load from somebody else. But, so in the middle of the night, you set up on a road to nowhere in the Everglades, there’s so many Floridas flat, you’ve got all these desolate areas. We go out there with four or five guys. We take, I have some of ’em here somewhere. Callum glow sticks. You know the, the, the glow sticks you break, uh, yeah. And some flashing lights throw ’em out there. Yeah. And we set up a, yeah, the pilot came in and we all laid in the woods waiting for the plane to come in. And as soon as the pilot clicks. The mic four times. It’s, we all click our mics four times and then we run out. He said to his copilot, he says, look, I mean, we lit up this road from the sky. He goes, it looks like MIA [00:07:00] behind the international airport. But it happens like that within a couple, like a minute, we’ll light that whole thing up. Me and one other guy run down the runway. It’s a lot, it’s a long run, believe me. We put out the lights, we gotta put out the center lights and then the marker lights, because you gotta have the center of the runway where the plane’s gonna land and the edge is where it can’t, right? Yeah. He pulls up, bring up a couple cars, I’m driving one of them, load the kilos in. And then we have to refuel the plane because you don’t, you know, you want to have enough fuel to get back to an FBO to your landing airport or real airport. Yeah. Not the one we made in the Everglades. Yeah. And then the trick is the car’s gotta get out of there. Yeah, before the plane takes off. ’cause when that plane takes off, you know you got a twin engine plane landing is quiet, taking off at full throttle’s gonna wake up the whole neighborhood. So once we got out of there, then they went ahead and got the plane off. And then the remaining guys, they gotta clean up the mess. We want to use this again. So we [00:08:00] wanna clean up all the wires, the radios. Mm-hmm. Pick up the fuel tanks, pick up the runway lights, and their job is to clean that off and all that’s gonna take place before the police even get down the main road. Right? Mm-hmm. That’s gonna all take place in less than 10 minutes. Wow. I mean, the offload takes, the offload takes, you can offload about a thousand pounds, which I’ve done in three minutes. Wow. But, and then refueling the plane, getting everything else cleaned up. Takes longer. Yeah. Interesting. So how many guys would, would be on that operation and how do you pay that? How do you decide who gets paid what? How much? Okay. So get it up front or, I always curious about the details, how that stuff, I don’t think I got paid enough. And I’ll be honest, it was a hell of a chance. I got 20 grand looking at 15 years if you get caught. Yeah. But I did it for the excitement. 20 grand wasn’t that much. I had my own gig making more money than that Uhhuh, you know, but I was also racing cars. I was, there’s a [00:09:00] picture of one of my race cars. Oh cool. So that costs about six, 7,000 a weekend. Yeah. And remember I’m talking about 1980s dollars. Yeah. That’s 20,000 a weekend. A weekend, yes. Yeah. And that 20,000 for a night’s work in today’s world would be 60. Yeah. Three. And I’m talking about 1985 versus, that was 40 years ago. Yeah. Um. But it’s a lot of fun and, uh, and, but it, you kind of say to yourself, what was that one step over the line? That’s why I wrote the book. I remember as a kid thinking in my twenties, man, I’ve taken one step over the line. So the full name of the book is One Step Over the Line Con Confessions of a Marijuana Mercenary. That’s me actually working for the DEA. That picture was at the time when I was working for the DEA, so the second time I got busted in 1992 was actually for the smallest amount of weed that I ever got, ever really had. It was like 80, a hundred pounds. But unfortunately it was for Rico. I didn’t know at the [00:10:00] time, but when they arrested me, I thought, oh, they only caught me with a hundred pounds. But I got charged with Rico. So I was looking at 25 years. What, how, what? Did they have some other, it must have had some other offenses that they could tie to and maybe guns and stuff or something that get that gun. No, we never used guns ever. Just other, other smuggling operations. Yeah, yeah. Me, me and my high school friend, he had moved to Ohio in 77 or 78, so he had called me one time, he was working at the Ford plant and he goes, Hey, I think I could sell some weed up here. All right. I said, come on down, I’ll give you a couple pounds. So he drives down from Ohio on his weekend off, all the way from Ohio. I gave him two pounds. He drove home, calls me back. He goes, I sold it. So I go, all right. He goes, I’m gonna get some more. So at that time, I was working for one of the largest marijuana smugglers in US History. His name was Donny Steinberg. I was just a kid, you know, like my job, part of my [00:11:00] job was to, they would gimme a Learjet. About a million or two and I jump on a Learjet and fly to the Cayman Islands. I was like 19 years old. Same time, you know, kid. Yeah, just a kid. 19 or 20 and yeah. 18, I think. And so I ended up doing that a few times. That was a lot of fun. And that’s nice to be a kid in the Learjet and they give me a million or two and they gimme a thousand dollars for the day’s work. I thought I was rich, I was, but people gotta understand that’s in that 78 money, not that’s, yeah. That was more like $10,000 for day, I guess. Yeah. You know? Yeah. It was a lot of money for an 18, 19-year-old kid. Yeah. Donnie gives me a bail. So Terry comes back from Ohio, we shoved the bale into his car. Barely would fit ’cause he had no big trunk on this Firebird. He had, he had a Firebird trans Am with the thunder black with a thunder, thunder chicken on the hood. It was on the hood. Oh cool. That was, that was a catch meow back then. Yeah. Yeah. It got it with that [00:12:00] Ford plant money. And uh, by the way, that was after that 50 pounds got up. ’cause every bail’s about 50 pounds. That’s the last he quit forward the next day. I bet. And me and him had built a 12 year, we were moving. Probably 50 tons up there over the 12 year period. You know, probably, I don’t know, anywhere from 50 to a hundred thousand pounds we would have, he must have been setting up other dealers. So among his friends, he must have been running around. He had the distribution, I was setting up the distribution network and you had the supply. I see. Yeah. I was the Florida connection. It’s every time you get busted, the cops always wanna grab that Florida connection. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. You gotta go down there. I there, lemme tell you, you know, I got into this. We were living in, I was born on a farm in New Jersey, like in know Norman Rockwell, 1950s, cow pies and hay bales. And then we moved to New Orleans in 1969 and then where my dad had business and right after, not sure after that, he died when I was 13. As I say in the book, I [00:13:00] probably wouldn’t have been writing the book if my father was alive. Yeah. ’cause I probably wouldn’t have went down that road, you know? But so my mother decides in 1973 to move us to, uh, south Florida, to get away from the drugs in the CD underside of New Orleans. Yeah. I guess she didn’t read the papers. No. So I moved from New Orleans to the star, the war on where the war on drugs would start. I always say if she’d have moved me to Palo Alto, I’d be Bill Gates, but No. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was so, uh, and everybody I knew was running drugs, smuggling drugs, trying to be a drug deal. I mean, I was, I had my own operation. I was upper middle level, but there were guys like me everywhere. Mm-hmm. There were guys like me everywhere, moving a thou, I mean, moving a thousand, 2000 pounds at the time was a big thing, you know? That’s, yeah. So, so about what year was that? I started in 19. 70. Okay. Three. I was [00:14:00] 16. Started selling drugs outta my mom’s house, me and my brother. We had a very good business going. And by the time I was got busted, it was 19 92. So, so you watched, especially in South Florida, you watched like where that plane could go down and go back up that at eventually the feds will come up with radar and they have blimps and they have big Bertha stuff down there to then catch those kinds of things. Yeah. Right, right. Big Bertha was the blimp. Uhhuh, uh, they put up, yeah. In the beginning you could just fly right in. We did one trip one time. This is this, my, my buddy picked up, I don’t know, 40 or 50 kilos in The Bahamas. So you fly into Fort Lauderdale and you call in like you’re gonna do a normal landing. Mm-hmm. And the BLI there. This is all 1980s, five. You know, they already know. They’re doing this, but you just call in, like you’re coming to land in Fort Lauderdale, and what you do is right before you land, you hit the tower up and you tell ’em you wanna do a [00:15:00] go around, meaning you’re not comfortable with the landing. Mm-hmm. Well, they’ll always leave you a go around because they don’t want you to crash. Yeah. And right west of the airport was a golf course, and right next to the golf course, oh, about a mile down the road was my townhouse. So we’re in the townhouse. My buddies all put on, two of the guys, put on black, get big knives, gear, and I drive to one road on the golf course and my other friend grows Dr. We drop the guys off in the golf course as the plane’s gonna do the touchdown at the airport. He says, I gotta go around. As he’s pulling up now, he’s 200 feet below the radar, just opens up the side of the plane. Mm-hmm. The kickers, we call ’em, they’re called kickers. He kicks the baskets, the ba and the guys on, on the golf court. They’re hugging trees. Yeah. You don’t wanna be under that thing. Right. You got a 200, you got maybe a 40 pound package coming in at 120 miles an hour from 200 feet up. It’ll break the bra. It’ll yeah. The [00:16:00] branches will kill you. Yeah. So they pull up, they get out, I pull back up in the pickup truck, he runs out, jumps in the back of the truck, yells, hit it. We drive the mile through the back roads to my townhouse. Get the coke in the house. My buddy rips it open with a knife. It’s and pulls out some blow. And he looks at me, he goes, Hey, let’s get outta here. And I go, where are we going? Cops come and he goes, ah, I got two tickets. No, four tickets to the Eddie Murphy concert. So we left the blow in this trunk of his car. Oh. Oh, oh man. I know. We went to Eddie Murphy about a million dollars worth of product in the trunk. Oh. And, uh, saw a great show and came back and off they went. That’s what I’m trying to point out is that’s how fast it goes down, man. It’s to do. Yeah. Right in, in 30 minutes. We got it out. Now the thing about drug deals is we always call ’em dds delayed dope deals because the smuggling [00:17:00] trip could take six months to plan. Yeah. You know, they never go, there’s no organized crime in organized crime. Yeah. No organization did it. Yeah. And then, then of course, in 1992 when I got busted and was looking at Rico, a friend of mine came up to me. He was a yacht broker. He had gotten in trouble selling a boat, and he said, Hey, I’d you like to work for the DEA. I’d done three months in jail. I knew I was looking at time, I knew I had nothing. My lawyers told me, Kenny, you either figure something out or you’re going to jail for a mm-hmm. And I just had a newborn baby. I just got married three weeks earlier and we had a newborn baby. I said, what are you crazy? I mean, I’m waiting for my wife to hear me. You know, he’s calling me on the phone. He goes, meet me for lunch. I go meet him for lunch. And he explains to me that he’s gonna, he’s got a guy in the, uh, central district in Jacksonville, and he’s a DEA agent, and I should go talk to him. And so the DEA made a deal with the Ohio police that anything that I [00:18:00] confiscated, anything that I did, any assets I got, they would get a share in as long as they released me. Yeah. To them. And, you know, it’s all about the, I hate to say this, I’m not saying that you don’t want to take drugs off the street, but if you’re the police department and you’re an agent, it’s about asset seizures. Yeah. Yeah. That’s how you fund the dr. The war on drugs. Yeah. The war begets war. You know, I mean, oh, I know, been Florida was, I understand here’s a deal. You’re like suing shit against the tide, right? Fighting that drug thing. Okay? It just keeps coming in. It keeps getting cheaper. It keeps getting more and more. You make a little lick now and then make a little lick now and then, but then you start seeing these fancy cars and all this money out there that you can get to. If you make the right score, you, you, you hit the right people, you can get a bunch of money, maybe two or three really cool cars for your unit. So then you’ll start focusing on, go after the money. I know it’s not right, but you’re already losing your shoveling shit against the tide anyhow, so just go after the goal. [00:19:00] One time I set up this hash deal for the DEA from Amsterdam. The guy brought the hash in, and I had my agent, you know, I, I didn’t set up the deal. The guy came to me and said, we have 200 kilos of hash. Can you help us sell it? He didn’t know that I was working for the DEA, he was from Europe. And I said, sure. The, the thing was, I, so in the boat ready to close the deal, now my guy is from Central. I’m in I’m in Fort Lauderdale, which is Southern District. So he goes, Hey, can you get that man to bring that sailboat up to Jacksonville? I go, buddy, he just sailed across the Atlantic. He ain’t going to Jacksonville. So the central district has to come down, or is a northern district? I can’t remember if it’s northern or central. Has to come down to the Southern district. So, you know, they gotta make phone calls. Everybody’s gotta be in Yep. Bump heads. So I’m on the boat and he calls me, he goes, Hey, we gotta act now. Yeah. And I’m looking at the mark, I go, why? He [00:20:00] goes, customs is on the dock. We don’t want them involved. So you got the two? Yeah. So I bring him up, I go, where’s the hash? He goes, it’s in the car. So we go up to the car and he opens the trunk, and I, I pull back one of the duffle bags I see. I can tell immediately it’s product. So I go like this, and all hell breaks loose, right? Yeah. I could see the two customs agents and they’re all dressed like hillbillies. They, you know. So I said to my, my handler, the next day I called them up to debrief. You know, I have to debrief after every year, everything. I goes, so what happened when customs I go, what’d they want to do? He goes, yep. They wanted to chop the boat in threes. So they’re gonna sell the boat and the 2D EA offices are gonna trade it. Yeah. Are gonna shop the money. Yeah. I remember when I registered with the DEA in, in, in the Southern district, I had to tell ’em who I was. They go, why are you working for him? Why aren’t you working for us? I’m like, buddy, I’m not in charge here. This is, you know? Yeah. I heard that many [00:21:00] times through different cases we did, where the, the local cop would say to me, why don’t you come work for us? Oh yeah. Try to steal your informant. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So how about that? So, can you get a piece of the action if they had a big case seizure? Yeah. Did they have some deal where you’d get a piece of that action there? Yep. That’s a pretty good deal. Yeah. So I would get, I, I’d get, like, if we brought down, he would always tell everybody that he needed money to buy electronics and then he would come to me and go, here’s 2000. And to the other cis, he had three guys. I saw a friend of mine, the guy that got me into the deal. Them a million dollar house or a couple million dollar house. And I saw the DEA hand him a suitcase with a million dollars cash in it. Wow. I mean, I’m sorry, with a hundred thousand cash. A hundred thousand. Okay. I was gonna say, I was thinking a million. Well, a hundred thousand. Yeah, a hundred thousand. I’ve heard that. I just didn’t have any experience with it myself. But I heard that. I saw, saw Open it up, saw money. I saw the money. It was one of those aluminum halla, Halliburton reef cases and Yeah, yeah. A [00:22:00] hundred thousand cash. But, uh, but you know, um, it’s funny, somebody once asked me out of, as a kid I wanted to be a cowboy, a race car driver, and a secret agent. Me too. Yes. Yeah. I didn’t want, I wanted to be a, I grew up on a farm, so I kind of rode a horse. I had that watched Rowdy, you got saved background as me, man. Yeah. You know, we watched, we watched, we grew up on westerns. We watched Gun Smoke, rowdy. Oh yeah. You know, uh, bananas, uh, you know, so, um. So anyway, uh, I got to raise cars with my drug money, and I guess I’m not sure if I was more of a secret agent working as a drug dealer or as the DEA, but it’s a lot of I, you know, I make jokes about it now, but it’s a lot of stress working undercover. Oh, yeah. Oh, I can’t even imagine that. I never worked undercover. I, that was not my thing. I like surveillance and putting pieces together and running sources, but man, that actual working undercover that’s gotta be nerve wracking. It’s, you know, and, and my handler was good at it, but [00:23:00] he would step out and let, here’s, I’ll tell you this. One day he calls me up and he goes, Hey, I’m down here in Fort Lauderdale. You need to come down here right now. And I’m having dinner at my house about 15 minutes away. Now he lives in Jacksonville. I go, what’s he doing in Fort Lauderdale? So I drive down to the hotel and he’s got a legal pad and a pen. He goes, my, uh, my, my seniors want to, uh, want you to proffer. You need to tell me everything you ever did. And they want me to do a proffer. And I go, I looked at him. I go, John, I can’t do that. He start, we start writing. I start telling him stuff. I stop. I go, I grew up in this town. Everybody I know I did a drug deal with from high school, I go, I would be giving you every single kid, every family, man, I grew up here. My, I’m gonna be in jail, and my wife and my one and a half year old daughter are gonna be the only people left in this town, and they’re not gonna have any support. And I just can’t do this to all my friends. Yeah. So he says, all right, puts the pen down. I knew [00:24:00] he hated paperwork, so I had a good shot. He wasn’t gonna, he goes, yeah, you hungry? I go, yeah. He goes, let’s go get a steak. And right across the street was a place called Chuck Steakhouse, which great little steak restaurant. All right. So we go over there, he goes, and he is a big guy. He goes, sit right here. I go, all right. So I sit down. I, I’m getting a free steak. I’m gonna sit about through the steak dinner, it goes. Look over my shoulder. So I do this. He goes, see the guy at the bar in the black leather jacket. I go, yeah. He goes, when I get up and walk outta here, when I clear the door, I want you to go up to him and find a talk drug deal. See what you can get out of him. I go, you want me to walk up to a complete stranger and say, he goes, I’m gonna walk out the door. When I get out the door. You’re gonna go up and say, cap Captain Bobby. That was his, he was a ca a boat captain and his nickname, his handle was Captain Bobby. And he was theoretically the next Vietnam vet that now is a smuggler, you know?[00:25:00] Yeah. And so he walks out the door and I walked out and sat with the guy at the bar and we started, I said, hi, captain Bobby sent me, I’m his right hand man, you know, to talk about. And we talked and I looked around the bar trying to see if anybody was with him. And I’m figuring, now I’m looking at the guy going, why is he so open with me? And I’m thinking, you know what? He’s wearing a leather jacket. He’s in Florida. I bet you he’s got a wire on and he’s working for customs and I’m working for the DEA, so nothing ever came of it. But you know, that was, you know, you’re sitting there eating dinner and all of a sudden, you know, look over my shoulder. Yeah. And, you know, and I’m trying to balance all that with having a newborn that’s about a year old and my wife and Yeah. Looking at 25 years. So a little bit of pressure. But, you know, hey and I understand these federal agencies, everybody’s got, everybody is, uh, uh, aggressive. Everybody is ambitious. And you just are this guy in the middle and right. And they’ll throw you to the [00:26:00] wolves in a second. Second, what have you done for a second? Right? It’s what have you done for me lately? He’s calling me up and said, Hey, I don’t got any product from you in a minute. I go, well, I’m working on it. He goes, well, you know, they’ll kick you outta the program. Yeah. But one of the things he did he was one of, he was the GS 13. So he had some, you know, he had level, you know, level 15 or whatever, you know, he was, yeah. Almost at the head of near retirement too. And he said, look, he had me, he had another guy that was a superstar, another guy. And we would work as a team and he would feed us all the leads. In other words, if David had a case, I’d be on that case. So when I went to go to go to trial or go to my final, he had 14 or 15 different things that he had penciled me in to be involved with. The biggest deal we did at the end of my two years with the DEA was we brought down the Canadian mob. They got him for 10,000 kilos of cocaine, import 10,000 kilos. It was the Hell’s Angels, the Rock something, motorcycle [00:27:00] gang, the Italian Mafia and the, and the Irish mob. Mm-hmm. And the guy, I mean, this is some badass guys. I was just a player, but. The state of Ohio, they got to fly up there and you know, I mean, no words, the dog and pony show was always on to give everybody, you know. Yes. A bite at the apple. Oh yeah. But I’ll tell you this, it’s been 33 years and the two people that I’m close to is my arresting officer in Ohio and my DEA handler in Jacksonville. The arresting officer, when he retired, he called to gimme his new cell phone. And every year or so I call him up around Christmas and say, Dennis, thank you for the opportunity to turn my life around, because I’ve got four great kids. I’ve started businesses, you know, he knows what I’ve done with my life. And the DEA handler, that’s, he’s a friend of mine. I mean, you know, we talk all the time and check on each other. And, you know, I mean, he’s, [00:28:00] they’re my friends. A lot of, not too many of the guys are left from those days that will talk to me. Yeah, probably not. And most of them are dead or in jail anyhow. For, well, a lot of ’em are, maybe not even because of you, I mean, because that’s their life. No, but a lot of them, a number of ’em turned their lives around, went into legal businesses and have done well. Yeah. So, you know, there really have, so not all of ’em, but a good share of ’em have turned, because we weren’t middle class kids. We were, my one friend was, dad was the lieutenant of the police department. The other one was the post guy. We weren’t inner city kids. Yeah. We weren’t meeting we, the drug war landed on us and we just, we were recruited into it. As young as I talk about in my book. But I mean, let’s talk about what’s going on now. Now. Yeah. And listen, I’m gonna put some statistics out there. Last year, 250,000 people were charged with cannabis. 92% for simple possession. There’s [00:29:00] people still in jail for marijuana doing life sentences. I’ve had friends do 27 years only for marijuana. No nonviolent crimes, first time offender. 22 years, 10 years. And the government is, I’ve been involved with things where the government was smuggling the drugs. I mean, go with the Iran Contra scandal that happened. We were trading guns for cocaine with the Nicaraguans in the Sandon Easterns. Yeah. Those same pilots. Gene Hassen Fus flew for Air America and Vietnam moving drugs and gun and, and guns out of Cambodia. Same guy. Air America. Yeah. The American government gave their soldiers opium in Civil War to keep ’em marching. You know, I mean, we did a deal with Lucky Luciano, where we let ’em out of prison for doing heroin exchange for Intel from, from Europe on during World War II and his, and the mob watching the docks for the, uh, cargo ships. So the government’s been intertwined in the war on drugs on two [00:30:00] sides of it. Yeah. You know, and not that it makes it right. Look, I’ve lost several friends to fentanyl that thought they were doing coke and did fentanyl or didn’t even know there was any. They just accidentally did fentanyl and it’s a horrible drug. But those boats coming out of Venezuela don’t have fentanyl on ’em. No. Get cocaine maybe. If that, and they might be, they’re probably going to Europe. Europe and they’re going to Europe. Yeah, they’re going, yeah. They’re doubt they’re going to Europe. Yeah. Yeah. And so let’s put it this way. I got busted for running a 12 year ongoing criminal enterprise. We moved probably 50 tons of marijuana. You know what? Cut me down? One guy got busted with one pound and he turned in one other guy that went all the way up to us. So if you blew up those boats, you know, you’re, you need the leads. You, you can’t kill your clients. Yeah. You know, how are you gonna get, not gonna get any leads outta that. Well, that’s, uh, well, I’m just saying [00:31:00] you right. The, if they followed the boat to the mothership Yeah. They’d have the whole crew and all the cargo. Yeah. You know, it’s, those boats maybe have 200 kilos on ’em. A piece. Yeah. The mothership has six tons. Yeah. That’s it. It’s all about the, uh, the, um, uh, optics. Optics, yeah. That’s the word. It’s all about the optics and, and the politic, you know, in, in some way it may deter some people, but I don’t, I I, I’ve never seen anything, any consequence. In that drug business, there’s too much money. There is no consequence that is really ever gonna deter people from smuggling drugs. Let me put it this way, except for a few people like yourself, there’s a few like yourself that get to a certain age and the consequence of going to prison for a long time may, you know, may bring you around or the, all the risk you’re taking just, you know, you can’t take it anymore, but you gotta do something. But no, well, I got busted twice. Consequence just don’t matter. There is no consequence that’s gonna do anything. Here’s why. And you’re right. [00:32:00] One is how do you get in a race car and not think you’re gonna die? Because you always think it’s gonna happen to somebody else. Exactly. And the drug business is the same. It’s, I’m not, it’s not gonna happen to me tonight. And those guys in Venezuela, they have no electricity. They have no water. Yeah. They got nothing. They have a chance to go out and make a couple thousand dollars and change their family’s lives. Yeah. Or they’re being, they’re got family members in the gar, in the gangs that are forcing them to do it. Yeah. It’s the war on drugs has kind of been a political war and an optics war from the seventies. I mean, it’s nobody, listen, I always say, I say in my book, nobody loved it more than the cops, the lawyers and the politicians. No shit. In Fort Lauderdale, they had nothing, and all of a sudden the drug wars brought night scopes and cigarette boats and fancy cars and new offices. Yes. And new courthouses, and new jails and Yep. I don’t have an answer. Yeah. The problem is, [00:33:00] you know what I’m gonna say, America, Mexico doesn’t have a drug problem. Columbia doesn’t have a drug problem. No. America has a drug problem. Those are just way stations to get the product in. In the cover of my book, it says, you don’t sell drugs, you supply them like ammunition in a war. It’s a, people, we, how do we fix this? How do we get the American people? Oh, by the way, here’s a perfect example. Marijuana is legal in a majority of states. You don’t see anybody smuggling marijuana in, I actually heard two stories of people that are smuggling marijuana out of the country. I’ve heard that. I’ve heard that. Yeah. They’re growing so much marijuana in America that it’s worth shipping to other places, either legally or illegally. Yeah. And, and, and you know, the biggest problem is like, what they’ll do is they’ll set up dispensaries, with the green marijuana leaf on it, like it’s some health [00:34:00] dispensary. But they, they just won’t it’ll be off the books. It just won’t have the licensing and all that. And, you know, you run that for a while and then maybe you get caught, maybe you don’t. And so it’s, you know, it’s, well, the other thing is with that dispensary license. It’s highly regulated, but you can get a lot of stuff in the gray. So there’s three markets now. There’s the white market, which is the legal Yeah. Business that, you know, you can buy stocks in the companies and whatnot. Yeah. There’s the black market, which is the guy on the street that Kenny Bear used to be. And then there’s the gray market where people are taking black market product and funneling it through the white markets without intact, you know, the taxes and the licensing and the, the, uh, testing for, you know, you have to test marijuana for pesticides. Metals, yeah. And, and the oils and the derivatives. You know, there’s oil and there’s all these derivatives. They have to be tested. Well, you could slide it through the gray market into the white market. So I know it’s a addiction, you know, whether it’s gambling or sex or Right. Or [00:35:00] there’s always gonna be people who are gonna take advantage and make money off of addiction. The mafia, you know, they refined it during the prohibition. All these people that drink, you know, and a lot, admittedly, a lot of ’em are social drinkers, but awful lot of ’em work. They had to have it. And so, you know, then gambling addiction. And that’s, uh, well here’s what I say. If it wasn’t for Prohibition Vegas, the mob never would’ve had the power and the money to build Vegas. No, they wouldn’t have anything. So when you outlaw something that people want, you’re creating a, a business. If, if somebody, somebody said the other day, if you made all the drugs legal in America, would that put out, put the drug cartels in Mexico and Columbia and out of business? Yeah, maybe. How about this statistic? About 20 to 30,000 people a year die from cocaine overdose. Most have a medical condition. Unknown unbe, besides, they’re not ODing on cocaine. Yeah. Alright. 300,000 people a year die from obesity. Yeah. And [00:36:00] another, almost four, I think 700, I don’t know, I might be about to say a half a million die from alcohol and tobacco. Mm-hmm. I could be low on that figure. So you’re, you probably are low. Yeah. I could be way more than that. But on my point is we’re regulating alcohol, tobacco, and certainly don’t care how much food you eat, and why don’t we have a medical system that takes care of these people. I don’t know that the answer if I did, but I’m just saying it, making this stuff more valuable and making bigger crime syndicates doesn’t make sense. Yeah. See a addiction is such a psychological, spiritual. Physical maldy that people can’t really separate the three and they don’t, people that, that aren’t involved and then getting some kind of recovery, they can’t understand why somebody would go back and do it again after they maybe were clean for a while. You know, that’s a big common problem with putting money into the treatment center [00:37:00] business. Yep. Because people do go to treatment two and three times and, and maybe they never get, some people never, they’ll chase it to death. No, and I can’t explain it. And you know, I, I’ll tell you what, I have my own little podcast. It’s called One Step Over the Line. Mm-hmm. And I released a show last night about a friend of mine, his name is Ron Black. You can watch it or any of your listeners can watch it, and Ron was, went down to the depths of addiction, but he did it a long time ago when they really spent a lot of time and energy to get, you know, they really put him through his system. 18 months, Ron got out clean and he came from a good family. He was raised right. He didn’t, you know, he had some trauma in his life. He had some severe trauma as a child, but he built one of the largest addiction. He has a company that he’s, he ran drug counseling services. He’s been in the space 20 or 30 years, giving back. He has a company that trains counselors to be addiction specialists. He has classes for addiction counseling. He become certified [00:38:00] members. He’s run drug rehabs. He donates to the, you know, you gotta wa if you get a chance to go to my podcast, one step over the line and, and watch this episode we did last night. Probably not the most exciting, you know, like my stories. Yeah. But Ronnie really did go through the entire addiction process from losing everything. Yeah. And pulling himself out. But he was also had a lot of family. You know, he had the right steps. A lot of these kids I was in jail with. Black and brown, inter or inner city youth, whatever, you know, their national, you know, race or nationality, they don’t have a chance. Yeah. They’re in jail with their fathers, their cousins, their brothers. Mm-hmm. The law, the war on drugs, and the laws on drugs specifically affect them. And are they, I remember thinking, is this kid safer in this jail with a cement roof over his head? A, a hot three hot meals and a bed than being back on the [00:39:00] streets? Yeah. He was, I mean. Need to, I used to do a program working with, uh, relatives of addicts. And so this mother was really worried about her son gonna go to jail next time he went to court. And he, she had told me enough about him by then. I said, you know, ma’am, I just wanna tell you something he’s safer doing about a year or so in jail than he is doing a year or so on the streets. Yeah. And she said, she just looked at me and she said, you know, you’re right. You’re right. So she quit worried about and trying to get money and trying to help him out because she was just, she was killing him, getting him out and putting him back on the streets. This kid was gonna die one way or the other, either shot or overdosed or whatever. But I’ll tell you another story. My best friend growing up in New Orleans was Frankie Monteleone. They owned the Monte Hotel. They own the family was worth, the ho half a billion dollars at the time, maybe. And Frankie was a, a diabetic. And he was a, a junk. He was a a because of the diabetic needles. [00:40:00] He kind of became a cocaine junkie, you know, shooting up coke. You know, I guess the needle that kept him alive was, you know, I, you know, again the addict mentality. Right, right. You can’t explain it. So he got, so he got busted trying to sell a couple grams. They made it into a bigger case by mentioning more product conspiracy. His father said, got a, the, the father made a deal to give him a year and a half in club Fed. Yeah. He could, you know, get a tan, practice his tennis, learn chess come out and be the heir to one of the richest families in the world, all right. He got a year and a half. Frankie did 10 years in prison. ’cause every time he got out, he got violated. Oh yeah. I remember going to his federal probation officer to get my bicycle. He was riding when he got violated. Mm-hmm. And I said, I said, sir, he was in a big building in Fort Lauderdale or you know, courthouse office building above the courthouse. I go, there’s so many cops, lawyers, [00:41:00] judges, that are doing blow on a Saturday night that are smoking pot, that are drinking more than they should all around us. You’ve got a kid that comes from one of the wealthiest families in America that’s never gonna hurt another citizen. He’s just, he’s an addict, not a criminal. He needs a doctor, not a jail. And you know what the guy said to me? He goes but those people aren’t on probation. I, I know. He did. 10 years in and out of prison. Finally got out, finally got off of paper, didn’t stop doing drugs. Ended up dying in a dentist chair of an overdose. Yeah. So you, you never fixed them, you just imprisoned somebody that would’ve never heard another American. Yeah, but we spent, it cost us a lot of money. You know, I, I, I dunno what the answer is. The war on drugs is, we spent over, we spent 80, let’s say since 1973. The, the DEA got started in 73, let’s say. Since that time we’ve, what’s that? 70 something years? Yeah. We’ve done [00:42:00] no, uh, 50, 60. Yeah. 50 something. Yeah. Been 50. We spent a trillion dollars. We spent a trillion dollars. The longest and most expensive war in American history is against its own people. Yeah. Trying to save ’em. I know it’s cra it’s crazy. Yeah, I know. And it, over the years, it just took on this life of its own. Yeah. And believe me, there was a, there’s a whole lot of young guys like you only, didn’t go down the drug path, but you like that action and you like getting those cool cars and doing that cool stuff and, and there’s TV shows about it as part of the culture. And so you’re like, you got this part of this big action thing that’s going on that I, you know, it ain’t right. I, I bigger than all of us. I don’t know. I know. All I like to say I had long hair and some New Orleans old man said to me when I was a kid, he goes, you know why you got that long hair boy? And this is 1969. Yeah, 70. I go, why is that [00:43:00] sir? He goes, ’cause the girls like it. The girls didn’t like it. You wouldn’t have it. I thought about it. I’m trying to be a hippie. I was all this, you know, rebel. I thought about it. I go, boy, he’s probably right. Comes down to sex. Especially a young boy. Well, I mean, I’m 15 years old. I may not even how you look. Yeah. I’m not, listen, at 15, I probably was only getting a second base on a whim, you know? Yeah. But, but they paid attention to you. Yeah. Back in those days you, you know, second base was a lot. Yeah. Really. I remember. Sure. Not as, not as advanced as they are today. I don’t think so. But anyway, that’s my story. Um, all right, Ken b this has been fun. It’s been great. I I really had a lot of fun talking to you. And the book is 1, 1, 1 took over the line. No one, no, no. That’s a Friday slip. One step over that. But that was what I came up with the name. I, I believe you, I heard that song. Yeah. I go, I know, I’m, I’ve just taken one step over the line. So that’s where the book actually one step over the line confessions of a marijuana mercenary. [00:44:00] And I’ll tell you, if your listeners go to my website, one step over the line.com, go to the tile that says MP three or the tile that says digital on that website. Put in the code one, the number one step, and then the number 100. So one step 100, they can get a free, they can download a free copy. Yeah, I got you. Okay. Okay. I appreciate it. That’d be good. Yeah, they’ll enjoy it. Yeah. And on the website there’s pictures of the boats, the planes. Yeah. The runways the weed the, all the pictures are there, family pictures, whatever. Well, you had a, uh, a magical, quite a life, the kinda life that they, people make movies about and everybody watches them and says, oh, wow, that’s really cool. But they didn’t have to do it. They didn’t have to pay that price. No. Most of the people think, the funny thing is a lot of people think I’m, I’m, I’m lying or I’m exaggerating. Yeah. I’m 68 years old. Yeah. There’s no reason for me to lie. And you know, the DEA is, I’m telling that. I’m just telling it the way it [00:45:00] happened. I have no reason to tell Phish stories at this point in my life. No, I believe it. No, no, no. It’s all true. All I’ve been, I’ve been around to a little bit. I, I could just talk to you and know that you’re telling the truth here I am. So, it’s, it’s a great story and Ken, I really appreciate you coming on the show. Thank you for having me. It’s been a very much a, it is been a real pleasure. It’s, it’s nice to talk to someone that knows both sides of the coin. Okay. Take care. Uh, thanks again. Thank you, sir. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.

Tickets, merch and loads more available on our website! https://haveawordpod.comDan & Carl's Hip-Hop Night || https://www.skiddle.com/e/41781901Tickets for Have A Word Live shows as well as Adam and Dan's tours and previews:Adam's Tickets: https://www.adamrowe.comDan's Tickets: https://dannightingale.comCarl's Stream || https://twitch.tv/senseicarl_Finn's Music & Tickets: https://finnlayk.co.ukAs Adam and Dan said, don't miss out on all of our extra content, we've got one of the best value Patreons in the game. An extra 90+ minute episode every week plus loads of bonus content such as the now infamous Lockdown Lock-ins, the Nashville & Amsterdam specials and our Ghost Hunts! What are you waiting for? Sign up now at https://patreon.com/haveawordpod​Get subscribed to Have A Word Highlights: https://youtube.com/haveawordhighlightsListen to Finn's new EP: https://finnlayk.lnk.to/AllInYourMindThanks to this week's sponsors:Heights | https://heights.com/haveawordEnter code HAVEAWORD20 at checkout for 20% off your first month!Manscaped | https://manscaped.com20% off with promo code: WORD20NordVPN | https://nordvpn.com/haveawordEXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/haveaword Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guaranteeADAM ROWE and DAN NIGHTINGALE are two award winning comedians from Liverpool & Preston, respectively. They are two of the UK's most highly regarded stand-ups and have both performed all over the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Consistency is Key.   Most people spend weeks overthinking their first LinkedIn post, waiting for the perfect idea or brand. Jessie Van Bruegel believes that the approach is backwards. As a content strategist and creator who's posted daily on LinkedIn for nearly four years, he's built a business helping experts productize their knowledge into scalable info offerings, backed by purple-branded visuals that are hard to miss. In this episode of Rising Tide Startups, host Kevin Prewett talks with Jessie about quitting a tech unicorn job in Amsterdam during the pandemic and becoming one of LinkedIn's most recognizable voices. After struggling to monetize on Twitter despite building 10,000 followers, Jessie committed to a 30-day LinkedIn streak in April 2022. He's still going, and that consistency has helped drive millions in revenue for his clients. Jessie breaks down why the hook matters most, how he separates ideation from creation to keep content sustainable, and why “the things only you can say” will be the differentiator in 2026. He also shares his Monday scheduling routine, his authority-content formula, and what's behind his lead magnet posts, including how 40% now hit 1,000+ comments. Plus, why he calls himself the “ultimate guinea pig,” testing AI workflows and YouTube growth before teaching what works. Key Takeaways: Say the Things Only You Can Say. Generic content is a commodity. Specificity, personal experience, and a unique perspective create markets where you have no competition. Focus on Inputs, Not Outputs. You can't control views, likes, or shares. You can control how often you post, how deeply you research, and how consistently you show up. Separate Ideation From Creation. Use different parts of your brain for different tasks. Collect ideas continuously, then schedule dedicated time to write and produce. The Hook Is Everything. If the first two lines don't create a curiosity gap, nobody reads the rest. Spend 80% of your effort on the hook and visual. Build Systems, Not Habits. Entrepreneurs aren't content creators—they're business owners. Marketing should be a scheduled task, not an all-day activity. Volume Negates Luck. Compress six months of work into three weeks. Post more, learn faster, and identify what works through rapid iteration. Listen to the full conversation here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@risingtidestartups Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rising-tide-startups/id1330525474 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2eq7unl70TRPsBhjLEsNZR   Connect with Jessie: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessievanbreugel/  Authority Figures: https://authority-figures.com/    Closing thought: "In 2026, if there's one content lesson I want to give everyone: say the things only you can say. If you remove your name and profile picture from a post and someone else can copy it word-for-word, it's not specific enough." Please leave us an honest rating on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Podcasts. Shoutout to our Great Sponsors: Naviqus Virtual Services - Hassle-free administrative support services that are efficient, affordable, and tailored to your needs. Check out https://naviqus.com now to jumpstart your business for 2026! Podbrand Media - Have you ever considered starting your own podcast for your company or brand? Podbrandmedia.com can help. Affordable and effective content creation and lead generation!  

Welcome to this week's episode of the PEBCAK Podcast!  We've got four amazing stories this week so sit back, relax, and keep being awesome!  Be sure to stick around for our Dad Joke of the Week. (DJOW) Follow us on Instagram @pebcakpodcast   Please share this podcast with someone you know!  It helps us grow the podcast and we really appreciate it!   Simple 6 signup link https://simple6.co/r/CFUR98   Flock surveillance cameras leak license plates https://www.404media.co/police-unmask-millions-of-surveillance-targets-because-of-flock-redaction-error/  https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/01/ftc-finalizes-order-settling-allegations-gm-onstar-collected-sold-geolocation-data-without-consumers   Apple selects Gemini AI to power Siri https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/apple/apple-confirms-google-gemini-will-power-siri-says-privacy-remains-a-priority/   Hacker gets 7 years in jail for hacking Amsterdam ports https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hacker-gets-seven-years-for-breaching-rotterdam-and-antwerp-ports/   Stubborn boycotts https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/1j62za5/is_it_ok_to_send_ripped_up_junk_mail_back_to_the/   Dad Joke of the Week (DJOW)   Find the hosts on LinkedIn: Chris - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chlouie/ Brian - https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandeitch-sase/ Glenn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/glennmedina/ Ben - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamincorll/

Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine - This Is How It Feels (Live at Kilburn 7.12.91) Prince - Purple Rain (Live in Minneapolis 3.8.83) Air - Maggot Brain (Live at Paradiso, Amsterdam 31.10.98) Anna von Hausswolff - The Mysterious Vanishing of Electra (Live at Montreux 7.7.18) Sinéad O'Connor – Troy (Live at PinkPop Festival, Neatherlands 23.5.88) E.M. - Country Feedback (feat. Guest Neil Young Live at Shoreline Theatre California 18.10.98) Elvis Presley - An American Trilogy (Live in Honolulu 14.1.73) ריטה – חיה לי מיום ליום (לייב בסינרמה 12.8.95)

Fluent Fiction - Dutch: Threads of Compassion: A Merchant's Heartfelt Journey Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/nl/episode/2026-01-19-23-34-02-nl Story Transcript:Nl: Tussen de oude gebouwen van Amsterdam, glinsterend in de winterzon, rook men de geur van versgebakken broodjes en warme kruiden.En: Amidst the old buildings of Amsterdam, glistening in the winter sun, one could smell the scent of freshly baked rolls and warm spices.Nl: Het was een drukte van belang op de middeleeuwse markt, met vrolijke inwoners die zich warm hadden ingepakt.En: It was bustling on the medieval market, with cheerful locals bundled up warmly.Nl: Maarten, de jonge handelaar, stond trots bij zijn kraam vol zeldzame stoffen.En: Maarten, the young merchant, stood proudly by his stall full of rare fabrics.Nl: Zijn droom was om zijn zaken uit te breiden, verder dan Amsterdam.En: His dream was to expand his business beyond Amsterdam.Nl: Vandaag was een belangrijke dag.En: Today was an important day.Nl: Niet ver van hem stond Femke.En: Not far from him stood Femke.Nl: Ze was bekend vanwege haar kennis over kruiden en haar veelzijdige remedies.En: She was known for her knowledge of herbs and her versatile remedies.Nl: Al hoewel ze meestal stil was over haar hartconditie en de uitdagingen daarmee, genoot ze van de sfeer op de markt.En: Although she was usually quiet about her heart condition and the challenges that came with it, she enjoyed the atmosphere at the market.Nl: Ze was vastbesloten haar onafhankelijkheid te behouden en de dag zonder problemen door te komen.En: She was determined to maintain her independence and get through the day without problems.Nl: Vandaag was bijzonder koud.En: Today was particularly cold.Nl: De adem van de mensen vormde wolkjes in de lucht.En: People's breath formed little clouds in the air.Nl: Terwijl Maarten aan een potentiële klant zijn prachtige lila zijde demonstreerde, merkte hij Femke aan de overkant van het marktplein op.En: While Maarten was demonstrating his beautiful lilac silk to a potential customer, he noticed Femke across the market square.Nl: Ze leek plots te wankelen.En: She suddenly seemed to wobble.Nl: Haar gezicht werd bleek.En: Her face turned pale.Nl: Maarten aarzelde, maar slechts een fractie van een seconde.En: Maarten hesitated, but only for a fraction of a second.Nl: Hij rende naar haar toe, de kleuren van zijn stoffen wervelend achter hem.En: He ran towards her, the colors of his fabrics swirling behind him.Nl: Femke viel op haar knieën.En: Femke fell to her knees.Nl: Haar adem was kort.En: Her breathing was short.Nl: Maarten knielde naast haar, onzeker over wat te doen.En: Maarten knelt beside her, uncertain of what to do.Nl: Maar hij kon haar duidelijk niet alleen laten.En: But he clearly couldn't leave her alone.Nl: De markt om hen heen leek plotseling veel lawaaieriger en ver weg.En: The market around them suddenly seemed much noisier and far away.Nl: De stemmen mengden zich tot een vaag geroezemoes.En: The voices blended into a vague murmur.Nl: Op dat moment verscheen Jeroen, de sterke smid en trouwe vriend.En: At that moment, Jeroen, the strong blacksmith and loyal friend, appeared.Nl: Zijn handen, sterk van het smeden, namen Femke's slappe pols voorzichtig vast.En: His hands, strong from forging, gently took Femke's limp wrist.Nl: Met kalmte stelde hij vast wat er moest gebeuren.En: With calmness, he determined what needed to be done.Nl: "Hier, Femke, gebruik je eigen kruiden," zei hij terwijl hij snel in Femke's tas rommelde.En: "Here, Femke, use your own herbs," he said as he quickly rummaged through Femke's bag.Nl: Maarten en Jeroen werkten samen om Femke weer op haar voeten te krijgen.En: Maarten and Jeroen worked together to get Femke back on her feet.Nl: Ze gaven haar de kruiden en wachtten.En: They gave her the herbs and waited.Nl: Langzaam kwam de kleur terug op haar wangen.En: Slowly, her cheeks regained color.Nl: "Dank jullie," fluisterde Femke, nog licht in het hoofd, maar al sterker.En: "Thank you," Femke whispered, still a little lightheaded but already stronger.Nl: Met Femke stabiel op een bankje en onder de zorgzame blik van Jeroen, keerde Maarten haastig terug naar zijn kraam.En: With Femke stable on a bench and under the watchful eye of Jeroen, Maarten hurried back to his stall.Nl: Hij verwachtte zijn klanten kwijt te zijn.En: He expected to have lost his customers.Nl: Maar, in plaats daarvan, trof hij een verrassing aan.En: But, instead, he found a surprise.Nl: De mensen die hem hadden gezien, opmerkten zijn bereidheid om zijn zaken even te laten liggen voor zijn vriendin.En: The people who had seen him noted his willingness to set aside his business for his friend.Nl: Het gerucht verspreidde zich door de markt dat Maarten een man met een groot hart was.En: The rumor spread through the market that Maarten was a man with a big heart.Nl: De marktkooplui en bezoekers verzamelden zich rond zijn kraam, nieuwsgieriger dan ooit naar zijn stoffen.En: The market vendors and visitors gathered around his stall, more curious than ever about his fabrics.Nl: Het werd een drukke middag, maar Maarten glaande van vreugde.En: It became a busy afternoon, but Maarten beamed with joy.Nl: Zijn bezoekers waren niet alleen getroffen door zijn producten, maar ook door zijn verhaal.En: His visitors were not only impressed by his products but also by his story.Nl: Uiteindelijk leerde Maarten dat echte rijkdom niet altijd in goudstukken gemeten wordt, maar in de banden tussen vrienden en de gemeenschap die men opbouwt.En: Ultimately, Maarten learned that true wealth is not always measured in gold coins but in the bonds between friends and the community one builds.Nl: Die avond vertrok hij van de markt, met meer verkopen dan hij had durven dromen en een hernieuwd respect voor de kracht van vriendschap en medemenselijkheid.En: That evening, he left the market with more sales than he had dared to dream and a renewed respect for the power of friendship and humanity.Nl: Maarten voelde zich rijker, en niet alleen maar door zijn handelswaar.En: Maarten felt richer, and not just through his merchandise. Vocabulary Words:amidst: tussenglistening: glinsterendscent: geurbaked: gebakkenspices: kruidenbustling: druktemedieval: middeleeuwsemerchant: handelaarexpand: uitbreidenremedies: remediesversatile: veelzijdigeindependence: onafhankelijkheidwobble: wankelenswirling: wervelendpale: bleekmurmur: geroezemoesblacksmith: smidforging: smedenlimp: slapperummaged: rommeldelightheaded: licht in het hoofdloyal: trouwevendors: marktkoopluibonds: bandenhumanity: medemenselijkheidmerchandise: handelswaarstalled: kraamrejuvenate: hernieuwencheerful: vrolijkedetermined: vastbesloten

[REDIFFUSION] Nous sommes le 15 octobre 1917, au fort de Vincennes. Il est 6h15. Le temps est brumeux, le silence règne. Une femme arrive dans une voiture cellulaire. En sortant, elle se dirige vers son poteau d'exécution. Elle refuse le bandeau qu'on lui tend. Son avocat, autrefois son amant, l'embrasse avec passion… Pour une dernière fois. La femme se tient fièrement, et lance un dernier baiser en direction des soldats qui assistent à cette scène. Pourtant, cette femme ne méritait pas vraiment sa peine… Son nom : Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, qui deviendra la célèbre Mata Hari. Entre danse de charme, et espionnage, découvrez son Fabuleux destin.  Une passion pour la danse Margaretha est une belle jeune femme au teint hâlé. En 1895, elle répond à une annonce matrimoniale d'un capitaine de vaisseau de l'armée royale des Indes "Officier de retour des Indes cherche jeune femme affectueuse pour mariage". Alors qu'elle n'a pas 20 ans, elle épouse Rudolf, l'homme en question, de 19 ans son aîné. Le couple s'installe à Amsterdam. Rapidement, Margaretha et Rudolf mettent au monde leur premier enfant, Norman. Pour que Rudolf reprenne du service, ils partent tous les deux vivre sur l'île de Java en Indonésie, colonie hollandaise. Ils donnent naissance à une fille. Là bas, Margaretha apprend la danse orientale qu'elle apprécie particulièrement, et prend le surnom de Mata Hari, qui signifie “Oeil du jour”, un nom aujourd'hui mondialement connu. Mais, au bout de quelques années, Margaretha se lasse de la vie javanaise... Une production Bababam Originals  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest: Marcus MachadoEpisode DescriptionGuitarist Marcus Machado joins host Steve Roby to discuss his journey from childhood prodigy to genre-blurring artist. Dubbed "the next young gun" by Rolling Stone, Machado has toured and recorded with Anderson Paak, Robert Glasper, and Jon Batiste, while his film scores have appeared in award-winning documentaries, including Mr. Soul and Apollo. In this episode, he shares stories about his early influences, his approach to blending rock, funk, hip hop, and jazz, and what audiences can expect from his upcoming intimate performances at SF Jazz. Featured Songs"Get By" – An instrumental track recorded during the pandemic, offering a message of hope and resilience during difficult times."Black Psychedelic Funk" – A spontaneous groove that started in Amsterdam in 2007-2008, featuring Daru Jones on drums and Jermaine Holmes (from D'Angelo and The Vanguard) on backing vocals.Episode HighlightsMarcus's incredible origin story: picking up a guitar at age 2, playing electric by age 4.His first musical memory: hearing Jimi Hendrix's "EXP" from Axis: Bold as Love.Performing "The Wind Cries Mary" at his kindergarten graduation.The influence of the Band of Gypsys as the first true funk-rock band.His philosophy of staying hungry and remaining a student of the guitar. Gear talk: analog pedals, Vox amps, Barons fuzz faces, and keeping it simpleWhat to expect from his intimate trio performances at SF JazzShow DetailsMarcus Machado at SFJAZZ Center – Joe Henderson LabDate: Thursday, January 22ndSets: 7:00 PM & 8:30 PMFeaturing: Uriah Duffy (bass) and Damon Jamal Taylor (drums) – all Bay Area musiciansTickets: https://www.sfjazz.org/tickets/productions/25-26/marcus-machado Limited edition vinyl available at the show, including Aquarius Purple and Blue Diamonds – each with a mystery color variant! LinksMarcus Machado's Website: https://www.marcusmachado.comBackstage Bay Area: https://www.backstagebayarea.comBackstage Bay Area is hosted by Steve Roby

Fluent Fiction - Dutch: The Case of Anne Frank's Vanished Diary: Mystery in Amsterdam Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/nl/episode/2026-01-18-08-38-20-nl Story Transcript:Nl: Het was een koude winterdag in Amsterdam.En: It was a cold winter day in Amsterdam.Nl: De sneeuwvlokken dwarrelden zachtjes naar beneden, bedekkend de straten met een witte glans.En: The snowflakes gently drifted down, covering the streets with a white sheen.Nl: Binnen in het Anne Frank Huis, was het warm en rustig.En: Inside the Anne Frank Huis, it was warm and quiet.Nl: Bezoekers stapten voorzichtig door de smalle gangen, hun stemmen gedempt uit respect voor het verleden.En: Visitors stepped carefully through the narrow corridors, their voices hushed out of respect for the past.Nl: Bastiaan, de toegewijde museumconservator, liep bezorgd door de tentoonstellingsruimte.En: Bastiaan, the dedicated museum curator, walked worriedly through the exhibition room.Nl: Zijn ogen zochten voortdurend naar het belangrijkste object in de collectie: het dagboek van Anne Frank.En: His eyes constantly searched for the most important object in the collection: Anne Frank's diary.Nl: Tot zijn schrik ontdekte hij dat het verdwenen was uit de vitrine.En: To his shock, he discovered that it had disappeared from the display case.Nl: Maartje, een oplettende bezoeker met een scherpe blik, merkte Bastiaans bezorgdheid op.En: Maartje, an observant visitor with a keen eye, noticed Bastiaan's concern.Nl: Ze was al gefascineerd door het verhaal van Anne Frank en voelde een prikkel van nieuwsgierigheid.En: She was already fascinated by Anne Frank's story and felt a twinge of curiosity.Nl: Ze besloot Bastiaan te benaderen.En: She decided to approach Bastiaan.Nl: "Is er iets mis?"En: "Is something wrong?"Nl: vroeg ze rustig.En: she asked quietly.Nl: Bastiaan zuchtte en legde de situatie uit.En: Bastiaan sighed and explained the situation.Nl: "Het dagboek is verdwenen, en met het beveiligingssysteem onderweg met een upgrade, weet ik niet zeker wat er is gebeurd."En: "The diary is missing, and with the security system undergoing an upgrade, I'm not sure what happened."Nl: Maartje's ogen glinsterden van interesse.En: Maartje's eyes sparkled with interest.Nl: "Misschien kan ik helpen," bood ze aan.En: "Maybe I can help," she offered.Nl: Ondanks zijn aanvankelijke aarzeling, stemde Bastiaan in.En: Despite his initial hesitation, Bastiaan agreed.Nl: Hij had hulp nodig en misschien kon Maartje iets zien dat hij over het hoofd had gezien.En: He needed help, and maybe Maartje could see something he had overlooked.Nl: De twee begonnen hun onderzoek.En: The two began their investigation.Nl: Bastiaan nam Maartje mee langs de werkplekken van het personeel, terwijl ze met elkaar stille hints en indrukken uitwisselden.En: Bastiaan took Maartje along the staff work areas, as they exchanged subtle hints and impressions with each other.Nl: Maartje's aandacht werd getrokken door tegenstrijdige verhalen van medewerkers.En: Maartje's attention was drawn to conflicting stories from staff members.Nl: Ze ontdekte dat sommige niet overeenkwamen.En: She discovered that some of them didn't match up.Nl: "Er is iets vreemds aan de hand," fluisterde ze aan Bastiaan.En: "There's something strange going on," she whispered to Bastiaan.Nl: Ze besloten om de minder bezochte delen van het museum te onderzoeken.En: They decided to investigate the less frequented parts of the museum.Nl: In een stoffige opslagruimte, troffen ze een medewerker die zich vreemd gedroeg aan.En: In a dusty storage room, they encountered a staff member behaving oddly.Nl: Met een beetje speurwerk vonden ze het dagboek, zorgvuldig verborgen.En: With a bit of detective work, they found the diary, carefully hidden.Nl: De medewerker had het plan om het te verkopen.En: The staff member had planned to sell it.Nl: Bastiaan voelde zowel woede als opluchting.En: Bastiaan felt both anger and relief.Nl: Ze hadden hun man.En: They had their culprit.Nl: Het dagboek werd veilig teruggebracht naar zijn rechtmatige plaats.En: The diary was safely returned to its rightful place.Nl: Bastiaan realiseerde zich dat hij anderen kon vertrouwen en voelde een last van zijn schouders vallen.En: Bastiaan realized he could trust others and felt a weight lift off his shoulders.Nl: Hij beloofde de beveiliging te verbeteren en leerde te vertrouwen op de inzichten van anderen.En: He promised to improve the security and learned to rely on the insights of others.Nl: Maartje voelde een sprankeling van trots.En: Maartje felt a spark of pride.Nl: Ze had het mysterie opgelost.En: She had solved the mystery.Nl: Deze ervaring gaf haar de moed om haar nieuwsgierigheid verder te volgen, misschien zelfs in een carrière in de recherche.En: This experience gave her the courage to pursue her curiosity further, perhaps even into a career in detective work.Nl: Zo hielp een ijverige curator en een oplettende bezoeker elkaar niet alleen een museum te beschermen, maar ook om te groeien in hun persoonlijke reizen.En: Thus, a diligent curator and an observant visitor not only helped protect a museum but also grew in their personal journeys.Nl: Terwijl de sneeuw bleef vallen op Amsterdam, schitterde het dagboek weer veilig achter glas, klaar om de wereld opnieuw te inspireren.En: As the snow continued to fall on Amsterdam, the diary shone securely behind glass again, ready to inspire the world anew. Vocabulary Words:gently: zachtjessheen: glanscorridor: ganghushed: gedemptcurator: conservatorexhibition: tentoonstellingshocked: geschrokkendisplay case: vitrineobservant: oplettendtwinge: prikkelsituation: situatieundergoing: onderwegupgrade: upgradesparkled: glinsterdeninitial: aanvankelijkehesitation: aarzelingsubtle: stilleimpressions: indrukkenconflicting: tegenstrijdigestrange: vreemdsfrequented: bezochtestorage: opslagoddly: vreemddetective work: speurwerkculprit: daderrightful: rechtmatigeinsights: inzichtenresolved: opgelostcourage: moedinspire: inspireren

Bob Weir's journey from youngest member of the Grateful Dead to American Musical Master...Featured show on Weir's 34th Birthday, 10-16-81 Amsterdam...The Grateful Dead's last acoustic set...Breakout versions of Hully Gully, Gloria, and Love Light...RIP Bobby, thanks for sixty years of loving inspiration.

Fluent Fiction - Dutch: Tulips and Serendipity: An Urban Market Encounter Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/nl/episode/2026-01-17-08-38-20-nl Story Transcript:Nl: De winterzon scheen bleek over de drukke markt van Amsterdam.En: The winter sun shone pale over the busy market of Amsterdam.Nl: Het was een koude ochtend, maar de warmte kwam van de mensen die haastig van kraam naar kraam slenterden.En: It was a cold morning, but the warmth came from the people who hurriedly strolled from stall to stall.Nl: De lucht was gevuld met de geur van versgebakken brood, pittige kazen en de bittere prik van koffie.En: The air was filled with the scent of freshly baked bread, spicy cheeses, and the bitter touch of coffee.Nl: Tussen de geluiden van kwebbelende mensen en de zachte muziek in de achtergrond, stonden Bram en Anouk bij dezelfde bloemenkraam.En: Among the sounds of chattering people and soft music in the background, Bram and Anouk stood at the same flower stall.Nl: Bram, een grafisch ontwerper aan het begin van de dertig, had besloten zijn zaterdag anders te besteden.En: Bram, a graphic designer in his early thirties, had decided to spend his Saturday differently.Nl: Weg van de computer, op zoek naar echte interacties.En: Away from the computer, in search of real interactions.Nl: Anouk, een journalist met een passie voor duurzaam leven, struinde de markt af op zoek naar nieuwe ideeën voor haar artikel.En: Anouk, a journalist with a passion for sustainable living, was scouring the market in search of new ideas for her article.Nl: Hun handen strekten zich gelijktijdig uit naar de laatste bos tulpen.En: Their hands simultaneously reached out for the last bunch of tulips.Nl: "Oh, pardon!"En: "Oh, pardon!"Nl: zei Bram, terwijl hij zijn hand terugdeinsde.En: said Bram, as he withdrew his hand.Nl: Hij keek verlegen naar Anouk, die zijn blik opving en glimlachte.En: He looked shyly at Anouk, who caught his gaze and smiled.Nl: "Geen probleem," antwoordde Anouk vriendelijk.En: "No problem," Anouk replied kindly.Nl: Ze keek naar het smeltende sneeuwdek op de bladeren van de tulpen.En: She looked at the melting snow cover on the leaves of the tulips.Nl: "Tulpen zijn zo mooi, zelfs in de winter."En: "Tulips are so beautiful, even in winter."Nl: Bram knikte.En: Bram nodded.Nl: Hij wilde graag meer zeggen, maar woorden vond hij lastig.En: He wanted to say more, but found words difficult.Nl: Uiteindelijk, na enkele seconden van aarzeling, waagde hij een poging.En: Finally, after a few seconds of hesitation, he ventured a try.Nl: "Ik probeer mijn leven buiten het internet om te verrijken.En: "I'm trying to enrich my life outside of the internet.Nl: Ik werk veel met digitale beelden, maar niets kan de schoonheid van de natuur vervangen."En: I work a lot with digital images, but nothing can replace the beauty of nature."Nl: Anouk keek hem nieuwsgierig aan.En: Anouk looked at him curiously.Nl: "Ik schrijf over duurzaamheid en tuinieren in stedelijke omgevingen.En: "I write about sustainability and gardening in urban environments.Nl: Misschien hebben we wel meer gemeen dan we denken."En: Maybe we have more in common than we think."Nl: Bram voelde een warme gloed in zijn buik.En: Bram felt a warm glow in his stomach.Nl: Hier was iemand die zijn interesse begreep.En: Here was someone who understood his interest.Nl: "Ik werk samen met een gemeenschapstuin niet ver van hier," zei hij, zijn moed verzamelend.En: "I work with a community garden not far from here," he said, gathering his courage.Nl: "Als je wilt, kun je een keer langskomen.En: "If you'd like, you could come by sometime.Nl: Het is echt inspirerend."En: It's truly inspiring."Nl: Anouk dacht even na.En: Anouk thought for a moment.Nl: Ze had een eerste indruk gehad van Bram, een van scepticisme, maar nu zag ze dat hij oprecht was.En: She had a first impression of Bram, one of skepticism, but now she saw that he was sincere.Nl: Misschien konden ze elkaar helpen.En: Maybe they could help each other.Nl: "Ik zou het heel graag willen zien," antwoordde ze oplucht.En: "I would love to see it," she answered with relief.Nl: "Het kan me zeker helpen met mijn volgende artikel."En: "It can definitely help me with my next article."Nl: Samen liepen ze de markt uit, de tulpen tussen hen in.En: Together they walked out of the market, the tulips between them.Nl: De lucht was fris en hun adem wolkjes in de koude lucht vormde kleine plukjes rook.En: The air was fresh and their breath formed small puffs of smoke in the cold air.Nl: Bram voelde dat hij iets had overwonnen in zichzelf.En: Bram felt that he had overcome something in himself.Nl: Anouk besefte dat openheid soms de mooiste kansen bracht.En: Anouk realized that openness sometimes brought the most beautiful opportunities.Nl: Ze hielden pas halt bij de uitgang van de markt, lachend en pratend over plannen om de tuin te bezoeken.En: They came to a stop at the market's exit, laughing and talking about plans to visit the garden.Nl: De dag begon met een onverwachte ontmoeting en eindigde met het vooruitzicht van iets moois.En: The day began with an unexpected encounter and ended with the prospect of something beautiful.Nl: Hun handen, die de tulpen stevig vasthielden, markeerden het begin van een nieuwe vriendschap, klaar om te bloeien als de bloemen die ze bij zich droegen.En: Their hands, tightly holding the tulips, marked the beginning of a new friendship, ready to bloom like the flowers they carried with them.Nl: In het leven van de stad, tussen het geroezemoes en de geuren van de markt, vonden Bram en Anouk elkaar.En: In the life of the city, amidst the buzz and aromas of the market, Bram and Anouk found each other.Nl: Wat begon als een simpele koop van tulpen eindigde als een stap in een nieuwe richting, persoonlijk en gezamenlijk, om samen iets moois te laten groeien.En: What began as a simple purchase of tulips ended as a step in a new direction, personally and collectively, to grow something beautiful together. Vocabulary Words:pale: bleekhastily: haastigstrolled: slenterdenstall: kraamchattering: kwebbelendecuriously: nieuwsgierighesitation: aarzelingventure: wagenenrich: verrijkensustainable: duurzaamscouring: struinde afsimultaneously: gelijktijdigwithdraw: terugdeinzenskepticism: scepticismesincere: oprechtprospect: vooruitzichtglow: gloedovercome: overwonnenopenness: openheidbuzz: geroesemoesaromas: geurentightly: stevigwonder: verlangeninteractions: interactiesdigital: digitalegarden: tuininspiring: inspirerendrealize: besefmarket: marktencounter: ontmoeting

Fluent Fiction - Dutch: Inspiring Journey of a Young Artist's Resilience in Amsterdam Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/nl/episode/2026-01-17-23-34-02-nl Story Transcript:Nl: In het hart van Amsterdam, op een koude winterse middag, was het gemeenschapscentrum gevuld met leven.En: In the heart of Amsterdam, on a cold winter afternoon, the community center was filled with life.Nl: Mensen liepen rond, bewonderden schilderijen en spraken met elkaar over kunst.En: People wandered around, admired paintings, and talked with each other about art.Nl: De lucht was gevuld met het zachte geluid van klassieke muziek.En: The air was filled with the soft sound of classical music.Nl: Tussen de menigte bevond zich Sander, een jonge kunstenaar met hoop in zijn hart en zweet in zijn handen.En: Among the crowd was Sander, a young artist with hope in his heart and sweat in his hands.Nl: Sander stond in een hoek en keek naar zijn schilderij.En: Sander stood in a corner and looked at his painting.Nl: Het was zijn meest persoonlijke werk, een explosie van kleuren en emoties.En: It was his most personal work, an explosion of colors and emotions.Nl: Zijn vriend Bram stond naast hem.En: His friend Bram stood next to him.Nl: "Maak je geen zorgen, Sander," zei Bram, kloppend op zijn schouder.En: "Don't worry, Sander," said Bram, patting his shoulder.Nl: "Je hebt talent.En: "You have talent.Nl: Ze zal het zien."En: She will see it."Nl: Maar Sander twijfelde.En: But Sander doubted.Nl: Maartje, de bekende curator met een oog voor talent, liep door de zaal.En: Maartje, the well-known curator with an eye for talent, was walking through the hall.Nl: Haar aanwezigheid was intimiderend.En: Her presence was intimidating.Nl: Sander haalde diep adem.En: Sander took a deep breath.Nl: Hij wilde zijn werk aan haar laten zien, maar voelde zich klein naast de ervaren artiesten om hem heen.En: He wanted to show her his work but felt small next to the experienced artists around him.Nl: De tijd verstreek en Sander wist dat Maartje dichterbij kwam.En: Time passed, and Sander knew that Maartje was coming closer.Nl: "Dit is het moment," mompelde hij tegen zichzelf.En: "This is the moment," he muttered to himself.Nl: Hij stapte naar voren, rechtte zijn rug en probeerde zijn onrust te verbergen.En: He stepped forward, straightened his back, and tried to hide his unease.Nl: Maartje stopte voor zijn schilderij.En: Maartje stopped in front of his painting.Nl: Ze keek lang en aandachtig.En: She looked long and attentively.Nl: De menigte om hen heen werd stil, nieuwsgierig naar haar reactie.En: The crowd around them grew silent, curious about her reaction.Nl: Er gingen gefluisterde discussies door de zaal; sommigen vonden het werk te gedurfd, anderen waren nieuwsgierig.En: Whispered discussions took place in the hall; some thought the work was too bold, others were intrigued.Nl: Na wat een eeuwigheid leek te duren, draaide Maartje zich om naar Sander.En: After what seemed like an eternity, Maartje turned to Sander.Nl: "Je hebt iets unieks," zei ze.En: "You have something unique," she said.Nl: Haar stem was rustig en bemoedigend.En: Her voice was calm and encouraging.Nl: Ze legde een hand op zijn schouder.En: She placed a hand on his shoulder.Nl: "Je stijl is anders en dat is precies wat we nodig hebben.En: "Your style is different, and that is precisely what we need.Nl: Hoewel ik nog niet klaar ben om je werk in de volgende tentoonstelling op te nemen, wil ik je graag helpen groeien."En: Although I'm not yet ready to include your work in the next exhibition, I would like to help you grow."Nl: Sander voelde een golf van opluchting en opluchting.En: Sander felt a wave of relief and reassurance.Nl: Niet het antwoord dat hij had verwacht, maar misschien wel wat hij nodig had.En: Not the answer he had expected, but perhaps what he needed.Nl: Hij glimlachte en knikte, dankbaar voor het perspectief dat Maartje hem bood.En: He smiled and nodded, grateful for the perspective Maartje offered him.Nl: Bram gaf hem een duim omhoog.En: Bram gave him a thumbs up.Nl: "Zie je wel, je bent op de goede weg," zei hij.En: "See, you're on the right track," he said.Nl: En zo realiseerde Sander zich dat het pad naar succes geen rechte lijn is.En: And so Sander realized that the path to success is not a straight line.Nl: Hij zag in dat met elke stap, elke kans om te leren en te groeien, hij dichterbij zijn dromen zou komen.En: He understood that with every step, every opportunity to learn and grow, he would come closer to his dreams.Nl: Sander verliet het gemeenschapscentrum die avond met een hernieuwd gevoel van vertrouwen.En: Sander left the community center that evening with a renewed sense of confidence.Nl: Hij was klaar om dingen te leren, te verbeteren en zijn passie te volgen, vertrouwend op de belofte dat zijn tijd zou komen.En: He was ready to learn, improve, and follow his passion, trusting in the promise that his time would come.Nl: De winterlucht was fris, maar zijn hart was warm.En: The winter air was crisp, but his heart was warm. Vocabulary Words:wandered: liepen rondadmired: bewonderdenclassical: klassiekeexplosion: explosiepresence: aanwezigheidintimidating: intimiderendstraightened: rechteattentively: aandachtigsilent: stilwhispered: gefluisterdebold: gedurfdintrigued: nieuwsgierigeternity: eeuwigheidencouraging: bemoedigendexhibition: tentoonstellingreassurance: opluchtinggrateful: dankbaarperspective: perspectiefpromise: beloftecrisp: friscurator: curatorincluded: opgenomentrusting: vertrouwendbeneath: onderunease: onrustrenewed: hernieuwdcommunity: gemeenschapyoung: jongecurious: nieuwsgierigencouraging: bemoedigend

Waarin we vanop een spectaculaire wereldtentoonstelling een laatste keer terugblikken op ons verhaal van de lange negentiende eeuw, Parijs als een stad van extremen leren kennen en een zenuwachtige internationale concurrentiestrijd met argusogen volgen.WIJ ZIJN: Jonas Goossenaerts (inhoud en vertelstem), Filip Vekemans (montage), Benjamin Goyvaerts (inhoud) en Laurent Poschet (inhoud). MET BIJDRAGEN VAN: Laurens Luyten (kroniek, programmaboekje expo, getuigenis expo). WIL JE ONS EEN FOOI GEVEN? Fooienpod - Al schenkt u tien cent of tien euro, het duurt tien seconden met een handige QR-code. WIL JE ADVERTEREN IN DEZE PODCAST? Neem dan contact op met adverteren@dagennacht.nl MEER WETEN? Onze geraadpleegde en geciteerde bronnen:- Boeken:Altena, D. (2003). Vrijheid en rede. Geschiedenis van de westerse samenlevingen (1750-1989). Uitgeverij Verloren. Hilversum.Blom, P. (2008). De duizelingwekkende jaren. Europa 1900-1914. De Bezige Bij. Amsterdam.Evans, R. J. (2016). De eeuw van de macht: Europa 1815–1914. Hollands diep. Amsterdam.Draye, G. (e.a.) (2009). De negentiende eeuw. 1815-1914. Uitgeverij Averbode. Averbode. Ginderachter, Van, M. (2025). Arm Vlaanderen. Honger, ziekte en globalisering in het midden van de 19de eeuw. Horizon. Antwerpen.Kalifa, D. (2021). The Belle Époque: A Cultural History, Paris and Beyond. Columbia University Press. New York, NY. Mabire, J.-C. (2000). L'exposition universelle de 1900. L'harmattan. Parijs.Mandell, R.D. (1967). Paris 1900. The great World's Fair. University of Toronto Press. Toronto.Osterhammel, J. (2022). De metamorfose van de wereld. Een mondiale geschiedenis van de 19de eeuw. Atlas Contact. Amsterdam.Palmer, R. R., Colton, J., & Kramer, L. (2013). A History of Europe in the Modern World. McGraw Hill Higher Education. Columbus, Ohio. - Websites:The Exposition Universelle of 1900. The Eclectic Light Company. https://eclecticlight.co/2020/06/04/finale-the-exposition-universelle-of-1900-1/? (Geraadpleegd op 16/01/2026.)Van fictie naar werkelijkheid. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.nl/geschiedenis-archeologie/a63219344/jules-verne (Geraadpleegd op 16/01/2026.)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new coalition leaders signal a break from unstable political experiments by forming a minority government that depends on the support of parties they turned down as partners. Greenland breathes a sigh of relief as the Dutch dispatch a lone naval officer to defend it against the US army. Contrasting fortunes in Amsterdam as the AEX soars past 1,000 points while Ajax crash to their worst cup defeat in 99 years. And art experts find two huge Easter eggs concealed in one of the Mauritshuis's best known paintings.

Fluent Fiction - Dutch: Poker Night Misunderstandings: How Laughter Won the Game Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/nl/episode/2026-01-16-08-38-20-nl Story Transcript:Nl: Het was een ijskoude avond in Amsterdam.En: It was a freezing evening in Amsterdam.Nl: De straten waren verlicht door de warme gloed van de lantaarns, maar binnen in Café De Molen voelde het behaaglijk en gezellig.En: The streets were illuminated by the warm glow of the lamps, but inside Café De Molen it felt cozy and comfortable.Nl: De geur van vers gezette koffie hing in de lucht terwijl Sven en Anouk zich naar een hoekje van het café begaven.En: The scent of freshly brewed coffee hung in the air as Sven and Anouk made their way to a corner of the café.Nl: Sven, met zijn onuitputtelijke enthousiasme, had Anouk uitgenodigd voor een avondje poker.En: Sven, with his boundless enthusiasm, had invited Anouk for a night of poker.Nl: Zij was niet bekend met het spel, maar nieuwsgierig naar deze typisch Nederlandse ervaring.En: She wasn't familiar with the game, but was curious about this typically Dutch experience.Nl: Sven, zelfverzekerd en charmant, wilde graag zijn vaardigheden aan Anouk laten zien.En: Sven, confident and charming, was eager to show off his skills to Anouk.Nl: "Het is heel simpel," begon Sven terwijl hij de kaarten schudde.En: "It's very simple," Sven began while shuffling the cards.Nl: "Je moet gewoon de beste hand hebben."En: "You just need to have the best hand."Nl: Anouk knikte en voelde zich nerveus.En: Anouk nodded and felt nervous.Nl: De regels leken eenvoudig, maar al snel zouden ze in een humorvolle chaos belanden.En: The rules seemed simple enough, but they would soon find themselves in a humorous chaos.Nl: Na het eerste rondje besloot Sven om alles interessanter te maken.En: After the first round, Sven decided to make things more interesting.Nl: "We spelen de Amsterdamse variant," kondigde hij aan met een brede glimlach.En: "We're playing the Amsterdam variant," he announced with a broad smile.Nl: Anouk durfde niet te vragen wat die variant inhield, bang om dom over te komen.En: Anouk didn't dare to ask what that variant involved, afraid of coming across as foolish.Nl: Dus speelde ze mee, terwijl ze probeerde Sven in de gaten te houden.En: So she played along, trying to keep an eye on Sven.Nl: Plotseling riep Sven met een glinstering in zijn ogen: "Dubbel of niets, als je durft!"En: Suddenly, Sven exclaimed with a twinkle in his eye, "Double or nothing, if you dare!"Nl: Anouk voelde een golf van spanning.En: Anouk felt a wave of excitement.Nl: Ze had geen idee wat dit betekende, maar wilde Sven niet teleurstellen.En: She had no idea what this meant, but she didn't want to disappoint Sven.Nl: Ze glimlachte voorzichtig en legde haar kaarten op tafel.En: She smiled cautiously and laid her cards on the table.Nl: "Ha!En: "Ha!Nl: Gewonnen!"En: Won!"Nl: riep Anouk zelfverzekerd.En: Anouk said confidently.Nl: Ze had een paar azen.En: She had a pair of aces.Nl: Sven kreeg de slappe lach.En: Sven burst into laughter.Nl: "Oh nee, dat werkt zo niet," lachte hij bij het zien van haar verbijsterde gezicht.En: "Oh no, that's not how it works," he laughed at the sight of her bewildered face.Nl: Het was een moment van hilariteit toen ze zich beiden realiseerden dat de regels helemaal niet duidelijk waren.En: It was a moment of hilarity as they both realized the rules were not clear at all.Nl: "Waarom zei je dat dan niet eerder!"En: "Why didn't you say that earlier?"Nl: riep Anouk, half lachend, half beschaamd.En: Anouk exclaimed, half laughing, half embarrassed.Nl: Ze lachten samen luid, alle ongemakkelijkheid verdween.En: They laughed together loudly, all awkwardness vanished.Nl: Iedereen in het café keek verbaasd op, maar het moment was te mooi om te stoppen.En: Everyone in the café looked up in surprise, but the moment was too beautiful to stop.Nl: Ze besloten een pauze te nemen om op adem te komen en spraken af om volgende keer een spel te spelen met volkomen heldere regels.En: They decided to take a break to catch their breath and agreed to play a game next time with completely clear rules.Nl: Anouk begreep nu dat het soms beter was om vragen te stellen dan om in de war te blijven.En: Anouk now understood that sometimes it's better to ask questions than to stay confused.Nl: Sven leerde dat indruk maken niet altijd betekent dat je de beste moet zijn.En: Sven learned that impressing someone doesn't always mean being the best.Nl: Communicatie was belangrijker.En: Communication was more important.Nl: In dat gezellige café op die ijzige winteravond vonden Sven en Anouk een band.En: In that cozy café on that icy winter evening, Sven and Anouk found a connection.Nl: Ze genoten van die kleine misverstanden die een simpele pokeravond onvergetelijk maakten.En: They enjoyed those little misunderstandings that made a simple poker night unforgettable.Nl: De kaarten waren weggelegd, maar hun vriendschap was net begonnen.En: The cards were put away, but their friendship had just begun. Vocabulary Words:freezing: ijskoudeilluminated: verlichtcozy: behaaglijkboundless: onuitputtelijkeenthusiasm: enthousiasmecurious: nieuwsgierigcharming: charmantskills: vaardighedenshuffling: schuddehumorous: humorvollechaos: chaosvariant: variantexclaimed: rieptwinkle: glinsteringdare: durftbewildered: verbijsterdehilarity: hilariteitawkwardness: ongemakkelijkheidbroad: bredelaughed: lachteembarrassed: beschaamdsurprise: verbaasdmoment: momentbeautiful: mooiebreath: ademconfused: verwardimpressing: indruk makenconnection: bandmisunderstandings: misverstandenunforgettable: onvergetelijk

Fluent Fiction - Dutch: Monopoly Money Mishap: Poker Night's Unforgettable Twist Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/nl/episode/2026-01-16-23-34-02-nl Story Transcript:Nl: In het hart van Amsterdam, op een koude winteravond, verzamelde zich een groep vrienden in een gezellig café genaamd "De Knusse Hoek."En: In the heart of Amsterdam, on a cold winter evening, a group of friends gathered in a cozy café named "De Knusse Hoek."Nl: Het café was druk en warm, perfect schuiloord tegen de kille wind buiten.En: The café was busy and warm, the perfect refuge against the chilly wind outside.Nl: De geur van vers getapt bier en knapperige snacks vulde de lucht terwijl mensen om hen heen lachten en verhalen deelden.En: The scent of freshly tapped beer and crispy snacks filled the air as people around them laughed and shared stories.Nl: Maar in de hoek, bij een imposante eikenhouten tafel bij het knetterende haardvuur, vond een intense pokergame plaats.En: But in the corner, at an impressive oak table by the crackling fireplace, an intense poker game was taking place.Nl: Aan de tafel zaten Jeroen, Kees en Piet.En: At the table sat Jeroen, Kees, and Piet.Nl: Ze waren oude vrienden die regelmatig bijeenkwamen om te kaarten.En: They were old friends who regularly gathered to play cards.Nl: Jeroen, met zijn glimlach en half opgerolde mouwen, was vandaag vastberaden om te winnen.En: Jeroen, with his smile and half-rolled-up sleeves, was determined to win today.Nl: Hij wilde eindelijk die felbegeerde titel van beste pokerspeler onder hen veroveren.En: He wanted to finally capture that coveted title of the best poker player among them.Nl: Maar Jeroen, altijd gretig om erbij te horen, had een klein geheimpje dat niemand wist: hij was kleurenblind.En: But Jeroen, always eager to fit in, had a little secret that no one knew: he was colorblind.Nl: Vandaag, ongezien voor zijn vrienden, had hij per ongeluk wat Monopoly-geld in zijn portemonnee gestopt.En: Today, unseen by his friends, he had accidentally put some Monopoly money in his wallet.Nl: De avond vorderde en de rondes werden gespeeld.En: The evening progressed and the rounds were played.Nl: Jeroen hield zijn kaarten dicht bij zich en gooide met zelfvertrouwen zijn fiches in de pot.En: Jeroen kept his cards close and confidently tossed his chips into the pot.Nl: Zijn vrienden, Kees en Piet, volgden zijn inzetten met nieuwsgierige ogen, niet wetende dat Jeroens "geld" eigenlijk speelgoed was.En: His friends, Kees and Piet, followed his bets with curious eyes, not knowing that Jeroen's "money" was actually toy money.Nl: Zijn fouten bleven ongezien, vooral omdat hij alle kleuren als variaties van grijs zag.En: His mistakes went unnoticed, particularly because he saw all colors as variations of gray.Nl: Toen de spanning toenam, besloot Jeroen alles op een groot spel te zetten.En: As the tension increased, Jeroen decided to bet everything on a big hand.Nl: Hij schoof met een zelfverzekerde blik de stapel fiches en zijn 'biljetten' naar het midden van de tafel.En: He pushed the stack of chips and his 'bills' to the middle of the table with a confident look.Nl: Kees en Piet keken elkaar even verbaasd aan.En: Kees and Piet exchanged surprised glances.Nl: De stilte hield even aan voordat Kees hakkelend zei: "Jeroen, ik denk dat je speelt met...En: The silence lingered for a moment before Kees hesitantly said, "Jeroen, I think you're playing with...Nl: Monopoly-geld!"En: Monopoly money!"Nl: Jeroen's ogen werden groot van verbazing.En: Jeroen's eyes widened in surprise.Nl: Hij keek naar de tafel en begon te lachen, zijn wangen rood van schaamte.En: He looked at the table and began to laugh, his cheeks red with embarrassment.Nl: Het was zo'n moment dat alleen echte vrienden kunnen creëren, luidkeels lachen en de absurditeit van de situatie omarmen.En: It was a moment that only true friends can create, laughing loudly and embracing the absurdity of the situation.Nl: Kees en Piet konden hun lachen niet inhouden en stootten elkaar aan terwijl ze de lach met hem deelden.En: Kees and Piet couldn't hold back their laughter and nudged each other as they shared the laugh with him.Nl: Op dat moment realiseerde Jeroen zich dat het niet het winnen van het spel was dat ertoe deed, maar het plezier en de vriendschap die ze samen deelden.En: At that moment, Jeroen realized that it wasn't winning the game that mattered, but the fun and friendship they shared together.Nl: Hij schudde zijn hoofd en lachte hardop mee, blij dat hij zulke vrienden had.En: He shook his head and laughed out loud, grateful to have such friends.Nl: In deze warme hoek van het café, met hun kaarten en grapjes, was het duidelijk dat hun vriendschap het belangrijkste was.En: In this warm corner of the café, with their cards and jokes, it was clear that their friendship was the most important thing.Nl: Vanaf die dag keek Jeroen naar elke volgende pokernacht als een kans om te genieten, en hij accepteerde dat zijn fouten gewoon deel waren van wie hij was.En: From that day on, Jeroen looked at every subsequent poker night as an opportunity to enjoy himself, and he accepted that his mistakes were just part of who he was.Nl: En zijn vrienden hielden van hem precies daarom.En: And his friends loved him for exactly that. Vocabulary Words:cozy: gezelligrefuge: schuiloordchilly: killeimpressive: imposantecrackling: knetterendedetermined: vastberadencoveted: felbegeerdeeager: gretigcolorblind: kleurenblindaccidentally: per ongelukconfidently: zelfvertrouwentoy money: speelgoedunnoticed: ongezienvariations: variatiessubsequent: volgendeembracing: omarmenabsurdity: absurditeitopportunity: kansmistakes: foutenshared: deeldenlinger: aanhoudenhesitantly: hakkelendimperceptible: onopgemerktsubsequently: vervolgensintense: intensecapture: veroverenhesitant: aarzelendgestures: gebarenopportunity: gelegenheidcheeks: wangen

Krakow .  Welcome back to the  Dr. Mary Travelbest Guide podcast. A few weeks ago, I returned from a 90-day journey around the world, and I'm excited to connect with fellow travelers and share experiences.   Today, we will discuss Krakow, Poland, and when to admit you are not ready for a trip. We will discuss passports and then my travel mistakes. Get ready now, as we are starting.   The FAQ is:  Marcia, who recently returned from a solo trip to Antarctica, asked: "At what point does a destination become a bad match for my solo senior travel — and how do I admit that early?"    Answer: I emphasize empowerment. I permit you to change course, leave early, or say "this isn't for me" without framing it as failure. A destination isn't "wrong" because it challenges you — but it is wrong if it consistently drains your energy, confidence, or sense of safety. If you find yourself constantly anxious, overly fatigued, or forcing yourself to "push through," just listen to your mind or body. Changing plans, leaving early, or choosing a different destination next time is not failure — it's wisdom. The goal of solo travel isn't endurance; it's fulfillment. And knowing when to pivot is one of the strongest travel skills you can develop. In Amsterdam, I had to change my destination frequently, which was challenging, but I managed to do so. One day, when I had some flexibility in my schedule, I scheduled a massage. I searched for "massage near me" and was delighted with the results. Sometimes that's all it takes for a new perspective.   60-second confidence challenge Your challenge today is to check your passport. That's right, take it out and open it up.   Do you have at least six months left on your passport? If not, you need to renew it.   If you like today's Confidence Challenge, my book series delves deeper into passport documents and solo travel for women. You can find the series at the link in the description.    See Book A for addressing this concern..  Find it on the website​​ at https://www.5stepstosolotravel.com/ or on Amazon. It's a multiple-part series. Today's special destination is Krakow, Poland   First, I'll talk about the things to see as a tourist, and then I'll share some 'off the regular' tourist ideas for you. It's interesting to learn that Poland is roughly the size of Texas. Historical tensions persist among Polish communities in neighboring Kazakhstan, Russia, and Germany. I've also heard about soldiers being sent from Siberia to Ukraine. The country underwent a significant change in 1989 when the Solidarity movement overthrew the socialist government. I reflected on the historical gravity of Auschwitz, where many lives were lost. Kraków, Poland, is one of Europe's most enchanting cities, renowned for its history, charm, and culture. Kraków offers a welcoming mix of walkable streets, accessible attractions, and heartfelt hospitality. Let's Explore the Old Town and Wawel Hill https://krakow.travel/en/55-krakow-main-market-square Start your morning in Rynek Główny, the Main Market Square — one of the largest medieval squares in Europe. It's mostly flat with smooth pathways, though some cobblestones can be tricky; use a slower pace or roll along the outer edges, which are more level, for those with mobility issues. In the center stands the Cloth Hall, filled with stalls selling amber jewelry, handmade crafts, and souvenirs. Elevators are available to reach the upper gallery, which houses the 19th-century Polish Art Museum. Nearby, the St. Mary's Basilica is famous for its hourly trumpet call from the tower. Inside, ramps and wide aisles make it accessible for most visitors. https://mariacki.com/en/   https://visitkrakow.com/kazimierz/   https://visitkrakow.com/guide-to-oskar-schindlers-enamel-factory-museum/     https://www.catholicapostolatecenter.org/blog/st-faustina-and-the-catholic-heritage-of-poland?   Travel Mistake to Avoid in Kraków included Eurail reservations.     Connect with Dr. Travelbest 5 Steps to Solo Travel website Dr. Mary Travelbest X Dr. Mary Travelbest Facebook Page Dr. Mary Travelbest Facebook Group Dr. Mary Travelbest Instagram Dr. Mary Travelbest Podcast Dr. Travelbest on TikTok Dr.Travelbest on YouTube In the news  

Chris ging op atelierbezoek bij kunstenares Wendelien Schönfeld. Haar expositie 'De Eilanden' is te zien in het Vierwindenhuis in Amsterdam. Opening Zondag 25 januari 2026 om 16.30 uur. De Westhal van het Vierwindenhuis is bereikbaar via de rode ingang, huisnummers 70 tot 94, op het Windroosplein en daar het nummer 114 en daarna het belletje in te toetsen. Geopend op donderdagavond na 21:30 uur en zondagmiddag van 17:00 u tot 19:00 u. Buiten deze tijden is bezichtiging mogelijk op afspraak, westhal@vierwindenhuis.nl. De tentoonstelling duurt tot 23 april. Dit is het Instagram-account van Man met de microfoon. Wil je lid worden of een eenmalige donatie doen via petjeaf.com dan kan dat: hier Eenmalig overmaken kan ook naar: NL37 INGB 0006 8785 94 van Stichting Man met de microfoon te Amsterdam. Wil je adverteren, dan kun je een mailtje sturen naar: adverteren@dagennacht.nlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No Agenda Episode 1834 - "Swarm Forge" "Swarm Forge" Executive Producers: Erik Jan Houben Kate Dietrich - Katedietrich.net Sir FatDad Ara Derderian Sir Cucaracha Sir Jan the innkeeper of Amsterdam. travis moore Dame Girl Kyle & Sir T.G. Sir Joshua Associate Executive Producers: Sir Nate the Rogue Linda Lu, Duchess of jobs & writer of winning résumés Dana Brunetti Become a member of the 1835 Club, support the show here Boost us with with Podcasting 2.0 Certified apps: Podverse - Podfriend - Breez - Sphinx - Podstation - Curiocaster - Fountain Title Changes Sir FatDad of the BMXicans > Baronette Knights & Dames Erik Jan Houben > Sir Erik, Knight of Big Beautiful Bahia Troll mech_gui > Sir Eugene of the Tulip stems Bryan Bellon > Sir Bryan of Asbury Art By: End of Show Mixes: Baron Noah Watenmaker the Sierra Batholith EOS 47 NA.m4a Bonald Crabtree EOS recyclingHistory.mp3 MVP EOS Greenland Green Again.mp3 Mark van Dijk - Systems Master Ryan Bemrose - Program Director Back Office Jae Dvorak Chapters: Dreb Scott Clip Custodian: Neal Jones Clip Collectors: Steve Jones & Dave Ackerman NEW: Gitmo Jams Sign Up for the newsletter No Agenda Peerage ShowNotes Archive of links and Assets (clips etc) 1834.noagendanotes.com Directory Archive of Shownotes (includes all audio and video assets used) archive.noagendanotes.com RSS Podcast Feed Full Summaries in PDF No Agenda Lite in opus format Last Modified 01/15/2026 17:01:01This page created with the FreedomController Last Modified 01/15/2026 17:01:01 by Freedom Controller

Our guest today is Trixi Symonds, the founder of Sew a Softie, a global initiative that encourages adults—especially parents, teachers, and community leaders—to teach children how to sew. As Sew a Softie celebrates 10 years in 2026, the movement has grown into an international creative community that has helped tens of thousands of kids discover the joy of making something with their own hands.Trixi is a former primary school teacher who has spent more than three decades introducing children to sewing through classrooms, workshops, books, and softie patterns designed specifically for young makers. Through Sew a Softie, she created a simple, welcoming way for families and educators to pass on sewing skills while building confidence, creativity, and problem-solving in kids.Her work has been featured in Simply Sewing Magazine, Country Living, Homespun, Handmade, Casa Creativa, Patchwork & Quilting, and major publications including The Herald Sun, The Daily Telegraph, The Chicago Tribune, Parade, and Uppercase Magazine. Trixi has also designed softie characters for the Ugly Dolls Movie and the beloved children's book series Piranhas Don't Eat Bananas, bringing her playful designs to an even wider audience.She has taught and led workshops in Kyoto, Amsterdam, Melbourne, and throughout her home city of Sydney, Australia, and she continues to inspire families around the world through Sew a Softie's annual Global Kids Sewing Party, books, and online community.Today, Trixi joins us to talk about how Sew a Softie began, what she's learned from kids over the years, and why teaching children to sew is really about much more than just fabric and thread(1:56) How did Trixi Learn to Sew?(3:34) Why did Trixi's family relocate all the way to Australia(4:16) Who influenced Trixi's  sewing?            (7:05) Sew-A-Softie turns 10 this year. What was the moment that it clicked for her to start this movement? And what's a Zenki?(12:48) What inspires Trixi's Softie designs?(14:37) Trixi shares a few stories about people in the Sew A Softie program(16:58) What's the Global Kids Sewing Party and how did it come to be?(22:13) How many softies have been created over the years?(23:10) What surprises her most about Sew & Softie?(24:05) What have the kids taught her over the years?(26:23) How does living in Sydney, Australia influence her and her work?(26:30) Trixi talks about her new book Sew A So Softie Workbook #3.(26:10) when not sewing or teaching, how does Trixi like to spend her time?(29:40) What's next for her and what's her dream?(30:12 ) Is there a question we didn't ask?(30:35) Want to reach out to Trixi? You can find her at trixi@sewasofti.com, Instagram and Facebook Be sure to subscribe to, review and rate this podcast on your favorite platform…and visit our website sewandsopodcast.com for more information about today's and all of our Guests.

We take a deeper look at two extraordinary MachineGames titles, the adventure straight from the silver screen Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Wolfenstein: The New Order, which features simply some of the best writing in video games. We also turn to two puzzle platformers, the classic time-bending of Number None's Braid, and the co-op joy of LEGO Voyagers from Light Brick Studio, the only game that feels like playing with plastic bricks. Over on the tabletop there's a good amount of time spent on the bright and punchy Tag Team from Le Scorpion Masqué and I-cut-you-choose cosy set collection of Agent Avenue by NerdLab. All that, and trending shakers, on Ep239. 00:00 - Amsterdam's best kept secret 07:56 - Braid 11:01 - Indiana Jones and the Great Circle 16:00 - Wolfenstein: The New Order 30:14 - Agent Avenue 40:33 - Tag Team 48:16 - LEGO Voyagers On this episode were Dan (@ThisDanFrost), Kris (@DigitalStrider), Peter (@XeroXeroXero), and Sam (@MrSamTurner). Our Spotify Playlist brings together lots of great thematic music inspired by the stuff we talk about, our Steam Curator page collects every video game we've ever reviewed available on the platform, and our BoardGameGeek page does the same for every boardgame. And if you'd like to see what we're up to between podcasts, your best bet is our Instagram page. Links to where you can find us - StayingInPodcast.com Note: sometimes we'll have been sent a review copy of the thing we're talking about on the podcast. It doesn't skew how we think about that thing, and we don't receive compensation for anything we discuss, but we thought you might like to know this is the case.

This week on Drumcode Live we have a live mix from HI-LO recorded at Dockyard Festival in Amsterdam, Netherlands.    

What does it mean to see oneself as free? And how can this freedom be attained in times of conflict and social upheaval? In this ambitious study, Moritz Föllmer explores what twentieth-century Europeans understood by individual freedom and how they endeavoured to achieve it. Combining cultural, social, and political history, this book highlights the tension between ordinary people's efforts to secure personal independence and the ambitious attempts of thinkers and activists to embed notions of freedom in political and cultural agendas. The quest to be a free individual was multi-faceted; no single concept predominated. Men and women articulated and pursued it against the backdrop of two world wars, the expanding power of the state, the constraints of working life, pre-established moral norms, the growing influence of America, and uncertain futures of colonial rule. But although claims to individual freedom could be steered and stymied, they could not, ultimately, be suppressed. Moritz Föllmer is Associate Professor of Modern History at the University of Amsterdam. He is particularly interested in Weimar and Nazi Germany, and in concepts of individuality and urbanity in twentieth-century Europe. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube channel. Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

Hello and welcome to episode 129 of the Still Spinning Podcast. We hope your new year is going well so far and we thank you for joining us. Dan starts things off by fueling Nicole's fear of self driving cars. A Waymo in Arizona got off track (or on track, might be a better description) causing the passenger to have to make a split second decision. Would YOU get in a self-driving car?? The team discusses this along with a few other things that have happened with these cars.  There are times in life where Nicole needs Dan's knowledge and she found herself in a situation this week where she needed to know the correct thing to do involving a clear traffic distraction. Was this a 911 situation? Tune in to hear what happened and what Dan's thoughts were on on the best course of action. There are MONKEYS loose in St. Louis and no one seems to know why or where they came from. Imagine going to your car and seeing a monkey! What would you do?? And AI has made the situation even harder to manage, can you guess why? And finally, an answer to urinal messiness coming our of Amsterdam. Flies in the urinals to give the boys something to aim for! This tactic has reduced cleaning costs by 8%, which is pretty substantial. Also, Dan has an amazing idea for some gas station to pick up, this might be his best idea to date. You can watch the live taping next Monday at 7 PM on Facebook, YouTube or Instagram OR wait until the official podcast release on Wednesday morning. Visit your usual podcast subscription service to add us to your list. Visit our website for more details on becoming a sponsor and buying merch. All of this at stillspinningpodcast.com. Thanks for tuning in!

In this episode, Chuck Thuss sits down with Charles Van Kessler for a deeply moving conversation about survival, faith, resilience, and purpose. Born in Amsterdam during World War II, Charles survived the horrors of the Holocaust, losing his family, enduring abuse in a state-run orphanage, and spending years alone on the streets as a child. Against all odds, Charles's life became a story of hope. Through faith, perseverance, and an unshakable belief that his life had meaning, he found his way to America, rebuilt his life, and devoted himself to helping others live healthier, more empowered lives. At 84 years old, Charles shares wisdom forged through unimaginable hardship and a lifetime of service. This is an episode about the darkest chapters of history, the power of faith during despair, and what it truly means to keep going when everything has been taken from you. Guest Bio Charles Van Kessler was born in Amsterdam during World War II and survived the horrors of the Holocaust. After losing his family and enduring abuse, homelessness, and deep emotional pain as a child, Charles rebuilt his life through faith, resilience, and a commitment to helping others. Today, alongside his wife Linda, he is the founder of Passion 4 Health and Passion 4 K.I.D.S., organizations dedicated to improving health and supporting abused, neglected, and disabled children. Charles's life is a testament to perseverance, purpose, and the power of giving back.   You'll hear About Charles's childhood during World War II and surviving the Holocaust Life inside a state-run orphanage and years spent alone on the streets How faith helped him survive suicidal thoughts and unimaginable loss His journey to America and rebuilding life from nothing Turning pain into purpose through health innovation and children's charities   Chapters 00:00 Welcome and Introduction 01:40 Charles's Birth During World War II and Family Separation 04:10 Life in a State-Run Orphanage and Childhood Abuse 06:45 Living on the Streets and Surviving Alone as a Child 09:20 Faith, Prayer, and Making a Deal With God 12:10 Loss of Family and Choosing Not to Live in the Past 14:40 Returning to the Netherlands and Reflecting on History 16:50 Coming to America and Starting Over From Nothing 19:10 Suicidal Thoughts and Finding Strength Through Faith 21:30 Discovering Nutrition and Creating a Liquid Vitamin 24:00 Turning Success Into Service Through Children's Charities 26:45 Helping Families, Orphans, and Disabled Children 29:00 Charles's Message to Anyone Struggling in the Dark 31:10 Chuck's Reflections and Episode Closing Chuck's Challenge This week, if you're feeling lost or overwhelmed, pause and reflect. Speak openly from your heart, ask for guidance, and trust that your story is not finished. Even in the darkest moments, purpose can still be unfolding.   Connect with Charles Van Kessler Website: https://passion4lifevitamins.com Passion 4 kids: https://passion4kids.com/   Connect with Chuck Check out the website: https://www.thecompassionateconnection.com/ Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-thuss-a9aa044/ Follow on Instagram: @warriorsunmasked   Join the Warriors Unmasked community by subscribing to the show. Together, we're breaking stigmas and shining a light on mental health, one story at a time.  

'Start by lighting a candle every morning.' In other words, pray. That's the advice on one social media platform to those looking for a rented property in the Netherlands. The pressure on housing is immense: an estimated shortage of 400,000 homes. It was the number one issue in the recent Dutch general election, with the winning D66 party promising to build '10 new cities'. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Squatting was made a criminal offence over a decade ago, but with an estimated 90,000 homes standing empty, the squatters – krakers – are back. And there are thousands of people breaking the law by living year-round in holiday or recreation parks deep in the Netherlands' countryside. The authorities are trying to change the dynamics. The city of Amsterdam is cracking down on second homes and owners who leave a property vacant. And last year, in an effort to cool an overheated market and limit the exploitation of tenants, the national government strengthened rent controls. But this has only encouraged landlords to throw in the towel and put their properties up for sale. There's also a question mark over plans to build thousands of homes - and new cities - because of an obstacle few seem to have foreseen... Electricity. The Netherlands has enough power, but it doesn't have the infrastructure to transport it to proposed new developments. The Dutch are known for innovation – especially in their management of water. Could floating apartment blocks be one of the answers? Linda Pressly meets both those at the sharp end of the Dutch housing crisis, and those working to mitigate its fallout.Presenter: Linda Pressly Producer: Tim Mansel Production coordinator: Katie Morrison Studio Mix by: Duncan Hannant Editor: Penny Murphy

'Start by lighting a candle every morning.' In other words, pray. That's the advice on one social media platform to those looking for a rented property in the Netherlands. The pressure on housing is immense: an estimated shortage of 400,000 homes. It was the number one issue in the recent Dutch general election, with the winning D66 party promising to build '10 new cities'. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Squatting was made a criminal offence over a decade ago, but with an estimated 90,000 homes standing empty, the squatters – krakers – are back. And there are thousands of people breaking the law by living year-round in holiday or recreation parks deep in the Netherlands' countryside. The authorities are trying to change the dynamics. The city of Amsterdam is cracking down on second homes and owners who leave a property vacant. And last year, in an effort to cool an overheated market and limit the exploitation of tenants, the national government strengthened rent controls. But this has only encouraged landlords to throw in the towel and put their properties up for sale. There's also a question mark over plans to build thousands of homes - and new cities - because of an obstacle few seem to have foreseen... Electricity. The Netherlands has enough power, but it doesn't have the infrastructure to transport it to proposed new developments. Of course, the Dutch are known for innovation – especially in their management of water. Could floating apartment blocks be one of the answers? For Assignment, Linda Pressly meets both those at the sharp end of the Dutch housing crisis, and those working to mitigate its fallout.This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.

In this episode we are joined by Wassila Abboud to discuss her essay, "The Dining Table and the Drone." Our conversation begins with her meditations on grief in Lebanon. We explore how people often name today's grief through the language of past griefs — and what this transference between past and present reveals about the psyche under domination. From there, we turn to Walter Benjamin's "angel of history" and why Abboud argues this analogy fails to capture Lebanon's relationship to catastrophe. We discuss why so many returns cluster around 1982, how that year fractured grief itself, reshaping collective memory, political imagination, and the vocabulary of resistance. We examine the paradoxical meaning of ceasefire, the choreography of repeated displacement, and the temporal logic of domination that ensures catastrophe is always waiting just beyond its declaration. Our conversation also situates Lebanon's grief in relation to Gaza's present devastation, asking what it reveals about the impossibility of stability in a regional order sustained by capital accumulation and the extraction of life. We trace the sequence of events between 1978 and 1982 — from Operation Litani to the Camp David Accords and Israel's full-scale invasion of Beirut — not simply as military maneuvers but as the crystallization of a regional order that fractured Lebanon's political landscape and redefined resistance. Wassila Abboud is a cultural worker and writer researching between Beirut and Amsterdam. Her work engages with critical theory, philosophy, and culture and takes on both a speculative and materialist approach, examining the conditions of past and present historical struggles. (Follow her on IG: @wassila_) If you like what we do and want to support our ability to have more conversations like this. Please consider becoming a Patron. You can do so for as little as a 1 Dollar a month at patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism  

Two Dutch tour guides help us get the picture on what's new on Amsterdam's eclectic exhibit scene. Then a Blue Badge guide lets us in on where to go in London to see the exciting ways the venerable city is reinventing itself. And a journalist delves into the inexact science of borders and ponders the complicated relationship between physical geography and national identity. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Born into the Unification Church, Laurel candidly discusses growing up in a cult, mass weddings, and why she eventually left to protect her children. This is Part 1 of 2. Go tubeless with Omnipod 5 or Omnipod DASH * Dexcom G7 CONTOUR NextGen smart meter and CONTOUR DIABETES app Get your supplies from US MED  or call 888-721-1514 Tandem Mobi  twiist AID System Free Juicebox Community (non Facebook) Eversense CGM Medtronic Diabetes Drink AG1.com/Juicebox Touched By Type 1 Take the T1DExchange survey Type 1 Diabetes Pro Tips - THE PODCAST Use code JUICEBOX to save 40% at Cozy Earth  Apple Podcasts> Subscribe to the podcast today! The podcast is available on Spotify, Google Play, iHeartRadio, Radio Public, Amazon Music and all Android devices * Omnipod Wilmot E, et al. Presented at: ATTD; March 19-22, 2025; Amsterdam, NL. A 13-week randomized, parallel-group clinical trial conducted among 188 participants (age 4-70) with type 1 diabetes in France, Belgium, and the U.K., comparing the safety and effectiveness of the Omnipod 5 System versus multiple daily injections with CGM. Among all paid Omnipod 5 G6G7 Pods Commercial and Medicare claims in 2024. Actual co-pay amount depends on patient's health plan and coverage, they may be higher or lower than the advertised amount. Source IQVIA OPC Library. Disclaimer - Nothing you hear on the Juicebox Podcast or read on Arden's Day is intended as medical advice. You should always consult a physician before making changes to your health plan.