Podcasts about Anthropology

Amazon ‘Fiction': Part 1 The adventure begins. Based on a post by Farmer Jill, in 3 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. It all started with one woman's desire to prove that Amazons existed. Yes, that's right those legendary female warriors. Her name was Sylvia Riesling, the heiress to the Riesling billions. She was completely obsessed with the Amazons. Sylvia had commissioned a big international conference on the Amazons in Frankfurt Germany. I, Nelson James, was the keynote speaker. I am a professor of Anthropology at an Ivy League university. I was nothing special, just another academic in an obscure field toiling away to feed my wife and three sons. My area of interest was the Amazon River basin and the primitive people still living there. Sure, I had heard rumors of Amazon's, but never really was that interested until that blockbuster movie Amazon World came out. Sheer genius it was, a story of how the legendary women warriors got fed up with the patriarchal world and emerged from their self-seclusion to overthrow it. Plenty of women wanted to see it because it had a good plot, of course the defeat of all the male governments. (This was a movie so there were zero female world governments at the time to overthrow) and the lead actresses were all A-list. Men went with their wives and girlfriends because of all the Amazon warriors in their skimpy battledress were former Playboy bunnies or cheerleaders. Another attraction for many was the first-rate special effects. Let's face it action movies with babes sell. I heard about the movie when it started production and knew what I had to do. I was in the running for a full professorship, and this could be my way in. I knew my obscure area of study would have a brief time in the limelight and I had to take full advantage. Immediately I researched an academic paper on the Amazons. It would be published in the usual dull Anthropology Journal. That would provide me with the material to write an article in regular English for the New York Times and any other media outlet that wanted to pick it up. This would get me promoted. One theologian of the nineteenth century proffered a hypothetical from the biblical text of Genesis. He cited a Garden of Eden, but separated from the ‘civilized world' by a global flood. A flood caused by a traumatic shift of the polar rotation, causing seasons, a depletion of hydro shielding of the atmosphere, and a resulting penetration increase in ultraviolet radiation. The major plates of the earth radically broke apart, causing a large ocean between the South American and African plates. The theologian believes it plausible that the Garden of Eden is the Amazon and Ecuadorian South Pacific region. He cites the Galapagos irregularities and species of Tortoises that have perhaps 3 times the lifespan of humans. Could all life forms excel greater, and live longer; in the ‘garden region'? Then the theologian sites the Nephilim giants, offspring of when spirit beings mating with human women. The text of Genesis 6: 4; 4 The Nephilim giants were on the earth in those days, and also afterward; when the spirit beings went to the human women. They seduced the women and had children by them. The offspring became powerful. They were the heroes of old, men of renown human folklore. The biblical references are several, but European civilizations have not seen evidence in many centuries, thus the idea has been discredited as superstition.  The theologian speculates that these mythical Amazons are perhaps superior in body and mind, and irreverent to the creator's order. The original Spirit beings designed to set up a civilization where women perverted the creator's order, and made human males into slaves of women. Whereas in other civilizations the offspring men conquered and terrified the world, in the Amazon regions, their superior intellect and science was used to alter genetics in favor of the females. The offspring females were genetically capable of longer life, superior intellect, and godlike in physical attributes. Male offspring, however; were genetically cursed to the limitations of all other humankind. Academia condemned the theologian's speculations, and it was not allowed to be taught at any credible university. Only bible colleges even entertained it as plausible.  For my academic career's sake, I went with the consensus theories of the leading universities and published a secular research. I called it Amazons: Fact or Fiction. The Times was interested, and I retained the syndication rights after they had the first exclusive release. In order to write the paper though, I had to get access to the journal of Francois Canard. He was the famous 19th century explorer whose journal documented his discovery of the Amazons. Unfortunately, no one believed Francois at the time, and they declared him mad and institutionalized him. He was known to the Amazon crowd as Bizarre Canard. His family detested that name, and what happened to him. They were always trying to rehabilitate his name and this movie, Amazon World, would bring his name to the forefront. I contacted the family and flew to France to meet with the heir, Jean Paul Canard. I promised to set the record straight on Francois. They would have right to reject anything I wrote before publication, and I would give them a portion of any profits I made, to pay legal fees to have the official record changed. ln exchange, I would have full access to his journal and any other records the family held. For some reason, Jean Paul felt I was trustworthy and agreed to my offer. The movie came out and broke records on its first weekend. My article came out on the Saturday of that weekend and on Monday was reprinted and reposted all around the world. The university loved the publicity, and I was given the full professorship. Moreover, the syndication money was greatly appreciated by my wife Connie. She was great at making our money stretch, but it always was tight. This is where Sylvia came in. With all the hype about the Amazons, she held her conference. Since I was acknowledged as a "world renowned Amazon "expert" I was selected keynote speaker. No expense was spared. Sylvia even paid for Connie and the boys to accompany me. We made a holiday of it and Sylvia had one of her staff tour guide us around Germany for a week. It wasn't all altruistic though. She wanted me to go to the Amazon River basin on an expedition she was funding. Again, no expense would be spared, in the quest to prove the existence of the Amazons. However, there was a problem with me going on the expedition. I had promised Connie no more trips to the Amazon until the boys were through their teen years. Connie had not complained about my previous trips when they were younger; when I was building my career but now she now she wanted my help at home. I had the professorship, so I was pretty secure, and I liked staying home. I loved Connie and being a father. Sylvia was tenacious however, at our first meal together before the conference she had mentioned the expedition and my role in it. I had explained that I had made a promise to Connie but would be glad to help with the preparations. Connie was very happy with my response and showed me her appreciation that night. Sylvia however was relentless, and by the end of our trip in Germany Connie had not only released me from my promise but was encouraging me to go! That conversation would replay over and over again in my mind, over the next year. I suspect it haunted Connie as well. Connie had it all figured out, "Nelson I know you made a promise to me, and you keep your promises. You are a great husband and father; I love being married to you. You are a great provider, working hard to give us what we need, and more. Sylvia has offered you an amazing sum to go on this expedition, This is your reward for all your years of hard work. If it is successful you will receive an even larger bonus. This would make us set for life. Sylvia thinks you will be gone a month, maybe two at the outside. I will be fine for that long; both of our parents will help. I really think you should go." I would have stuck to my promise but also I did want to go, it would cement my reputation and place at the university. The money was a stupid amount, one million dollars. I did also want to stay with my family. I could stay home and still milk my expert status at the same time. Yet Connie was pushing me to go so I agreed. Sylvia had no time to waste, a group was assembled and outfitted in a month. The leader of the expedition would be Lori Becker a self-made millionaire. She came from the wrong side of the tracks and had never failed at anything she had tried. Of course, our leader had to be a woman so she could speak on equal terms with the Amazons we hopefully would meet. Francois had mentioned this in his journal. His expedition included some women, and he made one of them the "leader," since the Amazons would not speak to him. Then there was the two security women, Alesha Murray, and Estelle Rodrigues. They were former special forces and from what I could see, the two women were the real deal. There were plenty of primitive locals, robber barons, and other assorted bad guys in the Amazon River basin so we needed protection. Again, women warriors made sense for the obvious reasons. Then there was Paulo and Mateus and their river boat. They would provide the grunt labor for the group as well as run the boat. They both were very handy and knew parts of the river. They also knew many of the main characters, among the legitimate and illegitimate goings on in this part of the basin. Finally, there was me, the expert advisor, and hopefully with the help of Bizarre Canard's journal the navigator. From my previous experience, this was a good size group for an Amazon river exploration. Small enough to be effective, but not too big to be unwieldy and attract too much unwanted attention from anyone. The three women and I would fly into Iquitos and meet up with Mateus and Paulo. We then would head down the river toward Ecuador, as outlined by Canard in his journal. The first few days were uneventful but soon enough we had left the vestiges of civilization behind. We kept a sharp eye out for the indigenous peoples, and others who didn't like outsiders on their turf. It was a beautiful part of creation, with so many vibrant colors and exotic plants and animals. We continued down the river and had the feeling that we were being watched. This increased with every mile. Estelle was convinced attack was imminent. Alesha not so much, the attack was coming but not yet. We were almost into the mountains, and she was sure it would occur then. There was no doubt in anyone's mind however, that we were being watched and that the watchers had changed. Originally it had been the indigenous who were watching us. They were great at camouflage and concealment, but the high-tech gadgets of Estelle and Alesha could pick out their heat signatures among other things. Now someone else was watching us. The high-tech equipment couldn't pick them up and neither could the naked eye. These people were masters of the hunt. Yet Alesha and Estelle were convinced we were still being watched. When we entered the mountains the river increased in speed but decreased in depth and width. We knew that we would soon have to leave the boat and move forward on foot. Then we saw the arch mentioned in Bizarre Cunard's journal. Everyone was excited that we seemed to be on the right path. Soon after that we stopped for the night at what we thought was a secure location. It was a sand bar with the river on one side and sheer mountain walls on the other side. While we set up camp, Estelle was on guard duty, and she was sharp noticing the stranger first. The person was dressed in a wet suit complete with a mask and carried what looked like a bow in their hand. The person had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, but must have come out of the river. Estelle ordered the person to stop moving and identify themselves. It was at this moment I knew that the expedition had succeeded, but would we live to tell the tale? The stranger spoke, "It is you who should not move; any movement will be met with deadly force. You shall identify yourselves and your purpose here immediately." I could not place the voice. It clearly was translated by a machine. I couldn't see the face of the person who had spoken, but I was sure that the translation did not convey the menace of the threat implied. Estelle started to raise her gun, but an arrow flashed out of nowhere and Estelle went down. After a moment to process what just happened, Lori Becker spoke for us, "We have come in peace; we are on an expedition to find the legendary Amazon warriors." Captives The person in the wet suit did not reply immediately. The silence was painful, Estelle was bleeding out from the arrow in her chest. It looked like it had pierced her heart, and she wasn't moving. I think all of us were holding our breaths waiting for a reply. Then we were stunned when it came. "You have found what you are looking for. Now listen very closely, any deviation from these instructions will result in your death." I hoped everyone else took that to heart, after Estelle I certainly did. As she spoke, a door opened up in the sheer mountain. She continued, "Very slowly you will strip naked, then you will enter the mountain, taking nothing with you." Soon enough the five of us were naked and travelling on foot through a mountain tunnel. I never looked back to see if we were being followed by the person in the wet suit. I did hear the door close. I could see light ahead of us and we all just walked toward the light. Once we reached it we could see a valley before us. There also was a woman warrior standing in front of us. She had on a breast plate of some kind of metal, forearm guards and a skirt that also looked like armor. There were sandals on her feet. There was some kind of sword on her hip. She did not look very welcoming. "Stop, look down and you will see some amulets. Put them on, they will allow us to communicate." We picked them up and put them around our necks, Lori was quick to try her's out. "I am Lori Becker, leader of this expedition." Lori's speech was cut off at the knees, "Silence, you are nothing until we decide what you are! Anyone who speaks again without being asked, will die. Follow me." The woman was not wearing an amulet but had raised her left arm to speak into her arm guard. We would learn later that these vambraces were a highly sophisticated smart phone, supercomputer, and weapons system, all in one. She then turned and started walking. Now we had lesson number two, and while processing that we followed her. Loud and clear, do what they say without question and remain silent. After an hour of walking, we entered farmland. There were men working in the fields. The men had on loincloths and sandals, nothing else. No one looked at us and our guide did not speak to anyone. Then we approached a village with a wall around it. There was a guard at an opening in the wall. She was dressed identically to our guide. They nodded a greeting to one another, and we moved into the village. She led us to a nondescript building that look like it was made of some kind of spray concrete. There was what looked like a toilet and sink in one corner. The floor was some kind of flexible material. There were two windows in addition to the opening. There was nothing else in the room. I estimated that it measured about 20 by 30. She stopped in the center of the room and looked us over. "You will remain here until you are summoned." Then she left. As she went through the opening a door materialized. We all looked at one another. Mateus was the first to speak. "I guess we found your Amazons, Nelson. Not a very friendly bunch." Paulo snorted at that and went to use the toilet. Alesha slowly circled the room seemingly taking in every detail. She looked out the windows but touched nothing. Lori put on a brave face and addressed us, "I'm not sure what we are facing here, however they seem to be a people of violence and few words. We just have to hang on and see what happens, eventually they will have to let us speak to them and explain ourselves." I wasn't so sure about that, but I had nothing to add so after also using the toilet I just lay down on the floor to rest. The others did the same and were soon lost in our own thoughts about the predicament we were in. We were surprised when the opening appeared, and two men came in carrying trays of food. They put them down inside the opening and left. No one dared speak to them and they said nary a word. The food was good and once we had eaten, and the sun had gone down outside. I did my Tia Chi forms. This was something I did every day. My parents had met through Tia Chi and all of us kids had grown up doing it. It certainly helped me stay calm and focused. As well it kept me in shape and flexible. Then I went to sleep. Paulo and Mateus sat together speaking in Portuguese before they also went to sleep. Alesha did some stretches and then also went to sleep. Lori just sat there looking forlorn. She had always been in control and now she was lost for what to do. I hoped she would get some rest. I awoke as the sun came through the windows. Alesha, Mateus, and Paulo were already awake. Lori looked like she hadn't moved an inch or slept a wink since last night. We didn't have to wait long for our warrior from the previous day to arrive. She strode into the room, "Follow me." Definitely a people of few words. We followed her to another building made of the same materials. Once inside it was obvious it was a medical building. We were led to a room with two large men and one woman in a lab coat. The men had on the same type of loincloths as the men we saw working in the fields yesterday. The two men advanced on Mateus and grabbed his right arm. The woman then took a blood sample. I immediately just raised my right arm as the men grabbed Paulo. Alesha and Lori did the same as me and the men didn't touch us as our samples were collected. The woman then took the five samples and left. The men also left. We were afraid to move but we didn't have long to wait, and our "doctor" reappeared with the men. The men were pushing a bed that looked like an operating table. They picked up Paulo and strapped him to the table. The doctor sprayed something on his groin. She then used a scapple to cut open his scrotum and remove his testicles. Paulo screamed through the entire process. I suspected that the spray was for healing and to avoid infection. These women seemed to enjoy inflicting pain. Once Paulo was a eunuch she sprayed the incision with something else. The wound never bled and appeared closed, healed even. Paulo was then released from the table. He collapsed to the floor, covered in sweat. Mateus and I also were sweating. Who was next? I didn't see any way to escape this and neither did he, we were stuck awaiting our fate. Mateus was next. It went exactly the same except Mateus tried not to cry out. That didn't make the operation any less brutal and Mateus passed out from the pain. Then it was my turn, and I was forced onto the table. The doctor did something different this time. She sprayed where my incision was for my vasectomy. After our third boy was born Connie and I decided we were done having kids and I had the snip. Well, the doctor proceeded to reverse that operation. I didn't know for sure but that's what it seemed like to me. It hurt like hell, and I also tried not to cry out. After she had finished the operation she sprayed the area she worked on. Then she produced a needle and injected it into my leg. That hurt like hell too. Then she was done, and I was removed from the table. Our guide then took us back to our prison. When we arrived, there was another meal awaiting us. Once we had finished eating, two men appeared to take away the dishes and they gave me what was obviously a sample jar. It was bigger than the one I had been given after my vasectomy. It was pretty obvious they wanted a sample. We had been naked around one another for a day now, and their was no privacy in the room. We were not allowed to speak so the four of them wordlessly turned their backs on me so I could produce the sample. I wondered if I could get it up but as soon as I touched my penis it became hard. It seemed harder then it ever had been, I figured it was just because I hadn't had sex for the last 2 weeks. When I ejaculated into the jar I filled it up. Wow, I never had cum so much in my life. I found out much later the injection I was given was a fast-acting, long-lasting sexual stimulant. It meant I would get hard fast the first and subsequent times as required. I also would produce much more sperm than normal. It even contained fertility drugs to facilitate impregnation. These Amazons sure had some advanced medical technology! The men left and within what seemed like an hour our guide was back. She ordered us to follow her. We ended up in the middle of the village. I immediately recognized the set up. It was prepared for a slave auction. There was a raised platform in the center of the open space with a woman warrior standing on it. There were many other women dressed identically, arriving from the rest of the village. Soon the five of us were all beside the platform waiting as the last of the women warriors arrived. I figured that all the Amazons, a few hundred in the village, were now present. Mateus was prodded onto the platform and the Amazon already on it spoke, "Fresh from the outside, we have a laborer. It is gifted with old mechanical technology knowledge and a strong body. Unsuitable for breeding but useful for service." I guess my blood sample showed I was suitable as a breeder and Mateus and Paulo's were not. I learned late that they like men who had had vasectomy's. As long as there were no hereditary issues the men who'd been snipped made good proven breeders and with their advanced technology it was easy to reverse the operation. Then the bidding began. Soon enough Mateus was bought by one of the Amazon's in the square. The auctioneer then pointed her right arm at Mateus and a laser came out of the vambrace to brand him on the right butt cheek. Mateus was given to his new owner, and Paulo was moved onto the platform. "Also fresh from the outside, another similar type for service. This one is younger but otherwise the same." Paulo was sold, branded, and given to his new owner. Clearly these Amazons were into object lessons. The auctioneer then left the platform, and two men placed a throne on it. What I could only image was the leader of the Amazon's then sat on the throne. She was dressed the same as the others except while the other's armor was silver her's was gold. The two men then used hoes to make a circle in front of the platform. Once they were done the leader addressed Alesha and Lori. "I am queen Zenoba and now we shall see if you two things are warrior women or not." Lori was then prodded into the circle. From the other side of the circle came one of the Amazons. She had removed her breastplate and was now bare chested. Seeing her proud firm breasts had me immediately hard. It was pretty clear to me that Lori was expected to fight this woman to see if she was suitable Amazon material. I wasn't sure how this would go. Lori was a strong confident woman, but I was unsure about her fitness level or of her fighting skills. The woman advance on Lori and threw a fake punch, followed by a leg sweep. Lori went down hard. I heard some of the other Amazon's in the crowd say "one." Lori got up slowly and I think it had now dawned on her that she was in the fight of her life or more aptly the fight for her life. Lori tried to assume a fighting stance. The Amazon advanced on her again going in for a grapple. I wanted to shout out for her not to engage, but we were told to be silent. Lori engaged in the grapple. They locked hands and the Amazon soon had Lori on her knees grimacing in pain and then kicked her square in the chest, knocking her back. I heard the "twos" from the crowd and silently prayed Lori would do better. The Amazon advance again, Lori tried to rush her, and the Amazon side stepped and grabbed Lori's arm. Lori cried out as the Amazon applied pressure. As more pressure was applied Lori started to beg for mercy. The queen then spoke, "Enough." The Amazon immediately let go of Lori's arm and Lori collapsed to the ground. Her shoulder was probably dislocated, and Lori was moaning in pain. A knife was then handed to the Amazon fighter who grabbed Lori by the hair, pulled her head back exposing her neck and slit her throat. More lessons for us. Fight hard to win and don't show pain. The two men dragged the body out of the circle. It now was Alesha's turn. A new Amazon entered the circle also bare chested. Alesha let the Amazon get close and when she tried a feint with a fake punch Alesha stepped into it. She caught the Amazon's fist with her left arm and then brought up her right knee slamming it into the Amazon's thigh. Alesha followed up with a brutal kidney punch. Alesha then let go of the arm and the Amazon went down on one knee. Her eyes narrowed and her face flushed. Alesha had embarrassed her, and hate emanated off of the Amazon. Alesha stepped back and said "one." This caused the crowd to murmur and the Amazon to charge forward at Alesha. Alesha turned to present a smaller target, but the Amazon jumped at her. Alesha was not expecting that move and the Amazon had amazing agility. She flew into Alesha's chest knocking her back. Alesha knew she was going down on her back and reached out for the Amazon's hair. As they hit the ground Alesha pulled the Amazon's hair as hard as she could. She followed up with a punch to the throat as the Amazon pulled her head back. Alesha then rolled away and stood up. Her chest and back was hurting from the landing but the Amazon was in worse shape. Rubbing her throat the Amazon was now so enraged when Alesha said "two" she launched herself again at Alesha. They grappled briefly but Alesha's special forces training was superior to the Amazon's skills and Alesha now had the Amazon in an arm bar. Alesha did not hold back and felt the arm dislocate before looking at the queen. Alesha then applied more pressure to the point of almost breaking the Amazon's arm. "Enough." Alesha let go of the Amazon as the queen spoke. The Amazon had never cried out or even moaned and never fell to the ground either. She stood up and faced her Queen lowering herself to a kneeling position. I thought for sure she was getting her throat slit. However, I was wrong, as I would learn these Amazons respected effort and the ability to tolerate pain. The Queen left her in that position for what seemed an eternity. The defeated Amazon was clearly in pain and discomfort but tried her best not to show it. "Rise Reyana, you fought a warrior and lost. Yet you never gave up or showed weakness. The warrior you fought is clearly a skilled fighter, and now our sister. Learn from her and your loss." Then the queen looked at Alesha who had assumed the same position as the woman she had defeated. "What is your name noble warrior?" "My name is Alesha; how may I be of service?" Although you had to be quick to see it a ghost of a smile appeared on the Queen's face. Clearly Alesha had impressed her. The Queen regarded Alesha as if seeing her for the first time. "Alesha, you have earned the right to be one of us, the Amazons of Fire Valley, do you pledged undying allegiance to your Queen?" Alesha was no dummy. She was quickly figuring out how to survive here. "Yes my Queen, I pledge my undying allegiance to the Queen of the Amazon's of Fire Valley." Then rise my new warrior, go with Reyana, and learn our ways. Then the Queen got up and left the platform. The crowd dispersed, leaving me and my original guide. She gave me a searing look. I was getting the hang of these people too and I did not flinch. I just looked back at her with the blandest look I could muster. After a minute or two she smirked at me, "I'm sure you can find your own way back to your accommodations." I'm sure this was another test, and I wanted to live so I walked the most direct route back to my prison. No one paid any attention to me. As I stared straight ahead I tried to also take in what was happening around the village. Basically, I saw a few men working at various tasks. I also saw a few Amazons, but they were doing nothing of significance. Everything was clean and tidy. When I entered my prison I noticed in the middle of the room was now an operating room table just like back in the medical building. It was complete with plenty of restraints. I could by now begin to guess what it was for. Yet there was no sense in worrying about it and instead I went through my Tai Chi forms. Lunch was brought to me by two large men and once I was done eating they pointed at the table. I climbed onto it laying on my back. They secured me in what I learned was called the Amazon position. I had my knees bent and pulled into my chest. One of them then jabbed me with a needle, another injection. My thoughts went to Connie and the boys. In particular I reflected on Connie and my conversation about joining this expedition. I wonder if Connie would still want me to go if she had of known I would become a sperm donor to a bunch of Amazons. Clearly, they were going to breed themselves on this table. The two men left and one of the Amazons entered my prison. She deftly stripped off her armor and clothing. She looked amazing, if you like athletic women. Firm perky tits and long-toned legs. Her vulva had a trim patch of hair on it that did nothing to hide the fact she was aroused. My arousal was also evident as my cock was hard as granite and she wasted little time impaling herself on it. She then used me for her satisfaction. She must have cum twice before I unloaded into her womb. She then go off and dressed. A few minutes after she left another Amazon entered the room. The exact same thing happened. For the next month or so I would be used by about 100 of these Amazon women. I'm pretty sure it was about one third of the total who lived in the village that took their turn. Obviously, they couldn't all get pregnant, some had to be able to defend the tribe. Neither Alesha nor the Queen came and used me. The routine was the same every day. The two men would arrive with breakfast, when I was done they then secured me to the table and gave me the injection. Amazons would come and go riding me until I came into their wombs. Some were pretty rough about it; none were even remotely loving. I learned later that they came as they entered their fertile times. With the fertility drugs and increased amount of sperm, the odds of pregnancy increased dramatically. If what I learned later was true I impregnated between two thirds and three forths of the Amazons who used me. I wonder what my sons would think of the fact that they would soon have 60 to 75 siblings, mostly girls. Apparently, they had mostly figured how to effect the gender outcome too, but it didn't always work. I knew the day's breeding was over when the men would reappear and release me from the table. They would also bring me another meal. The rest of the time was my own, but I couldn't leave the prison. The door appeared and disappeared for the male servants and the Amazons but not me. I would do my Tai Chi forms and sleep. Then came the day when I was taken out of my prison and brought back to the central square. The Queen was sitting on her throne on the platform, all of the other Amazons were standing around another circle before her. I was placed in the circle. One of the Amazons entered the circle from the other side. She was bare chested but otherwise dressed just like the warriors Alesha and Lori had fought. I was still naked. I had not worn any clothes since the day I was captured. It was pretty clear that I was going to have to fight for my continued existence. I had served my purpose, and I figured this was a test, for what I didn't really know. I was certain however I needed to win to avoid dying. I also knew I was at a serious disadvantage, not only were my balls exposed and vulnerable, but I had received my injection that day and my cock was hard. The Amazon warrior before me I definitely remembered from when she used me. She had been rough, biting, and scratching me. After I had cum in her she had spit in my face. This was not going to be easy. I remembered Alesha's words to me back while we were still free. "Tai Chi is nice, but it has become a sport with rules and traditions. Fights are real but they are not do or die. If you ever get in a fight in this jungle, no rules, no etiquette, fight to win. Do whatever it takes to win. And most of all, all this goes double if you are up against a woman." The Amazon warrior began to advance on me, and I adopted the ready position. She had a look of arrogance about her, I wondered if she ever lost? She advanced on me, and we traded blows. The Tai Chi helped me put up a great defense. I was mostly on the defensive and tried to see if I could get an opening at some point. I also had to protect my vulnerabilities. After a few minutes of sparing, she slightly lost her footing and that was all I needed. I swept her legs out from under her, and she completely lost her balance, but she didn't land hard. She was fit and flexible and recovered in a crouch. I moved back hoping to hear the word "one." It was music to my ears when I heard it from the crowd. Obviously, my opponent was infuriated and charged at me, we traded blows again and it was all I could do to keep her blocked. I made a mistake, and she moved in at that point to grab my balls but luckily I was sweating so hard she couldn't quite get a grip. It gave me an opening to knee her in the crotch. I hit her as hard as possible, and it stunned her. I followed up with a couple of jabs to her breasts. This caused her to lower her defenses for just a moment at this and I punched her hard in the head. She staggered back and I took two formal steps back praying to hear a "two." I almost smiled when I heard it from the crowd. I also heard the murmurs of the crowd; it encouraged me as much as it further enraged my opponent. She pressed in for the attack and she was relentless. I decided to stop trading blows and get mobile moving away from her. Around the circle, we went, her looking for an opening and me trying to survive. Then I made a mistake, I moved too close to the edge of the circle. One of the Amazons in the crowd gave me a shove towards my opponent. She bared her teeth in delight and moved to crush me. I did the only thing I could think of, I used my momentum to drop and roll. The Amazon dodged out of the way and then leapt to pin me on the ground. As I rolled I grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it into her face, hoping to hit her eyes. It worked, and while she was distracted I was able to jump back to my feet. She recovered with almost unbelievable speed and moved in to grab me. I used the opportunity to ram my forehead into her nose. Blood sprayed everywhere as her nose shattered. Yet there was no time to lose, I took her to the ground in a full nelson and pressed my knee into her back. It was an uncomfortable position for me, but it was brutal for her. She tried to get out of it, but I increased the pressure, I fully intended to keep going until I incapacitated her or killed her but then the Queen stopped the match. "Enough." I immediately let go and moved away from the Amazon who struggled to her feet. She then moved in front of the platform and knelt before the queen. I moved into the same position behind and to the right of the Amazon. I guessed that it was the right thing to do but wasn't sure. The Queen made us wait and sweat just like after Alesha's fight. "Deianira, you lost to a man, you have failed your name (Deianira means man destroyer) and your Queen. You are no longer one of us." The Amazon called Deianira was then pulled to her feet by two of the Amazons. Her clothing was stripped from her, and she was led away. I would learn later that she was then banished from the tribe. Expelled from the valley naked and vulnerable likely to die. That left me wondering what was going to happen to me. The Queen let me wait some more before ordering that I be taken to her room. I guess I earned the right to breed the Queen, but it was not quite that easy. Lucky for me the two male slaves that took me to her quarters risked the rath of the Amazons to warn me. In a whisper the one on the left said, "Thank you for beating Deianira, she was evil to us all. To survive mating with the Queen you must fight." Great, out of the frying pan and into the fire! The Queen's bed chamber of all things had a bed in it. Crazy that. After sleeping on the floor for a month a bed would be nice, but something told me that if I survived there would be no sleeping in this bed. There would be no snuggles and a second round in the morning either. I almost laughed out loud at my predicament. Then I remembered my conversation back in Germany with Connie. I wondered if this was the reward that Connie was thinking about when she encouraged me to leave? All thoughts left my mind as the Queen entered the room. She was naked and clearly in amazing shape. Below her proud firm breasts was a six pack any body builder would envy. She had toned thighs and walked with the grace of a panther. The slaves said I had to fight; this woman was going to tear me in half! I wondered if it was like honeybees, the Queen mates with you and then kills you. Oh well I thought at least I will try to give a good showing. The Queen advanced on me, and I assumed the ready position. Again, I was at a disadvantage. My cock was rock hard and my balls were unprotected. I decided to gamble on a move she probably wasn't expecting. It looked like she wanted to grapple so I stepped in, put my arms around her and pulled her face toward mine. She might not have been expecting it, but she reacted like lightning. Instantly her two arms shot up and broke my hold on her head, her knee came up to hit me in the balls. I was anticipating this and twisted my waist to take the blow on my thigh while darting my face forward to give her a kiss. She was clearly surprised by my move and allowed the kiss but at the same time wrapped her arms around me and flung me onto the bed. I rolled to my knees as she dove after me. We grappled and soon she had me pinned to the bed. I could not believe how strong she was. Without releasing my hands that were held by her own she maneuvered herself onto my cock and began to ride me. I did not resist and waited for my chance. As her first orgasm hit her I quickly broke her grip on me and rolled her onto her back. I grabbed her throat with both hands and began pounding into her as my cock had not slipped out during my roll. She hit the side of my head with a right and then the other side with a left. It hurt like hell, and I feared a concussion, but I held on tighter. She then pushed her two hands between my arms and literally ripped them from her throat. I once again could not believe her strength. She then rolled me back over onto my back and grabbed my nipples as she impaled herself on me. The pain was intense, but I quickly reached in and grabbed her nipples. I literally tried to rip them off her tits as I could feel the blood start to flow from her nails digging into the flesh on my chest. As all of this was happening she continued to slam herself down on my cock. It was a battle of wills and as I also drew blood from one breast I could feel my climax building. The Queen increased the amount of force she was using, and it felt like I was going to black out from the pain. I fought the darkness and reached deep down for my own renewed strength and her other nipple started to bleed. At this point we were sweating and grunting. Then she had an orgasm with the force of a tsunami! The Queen's vagina clamped down on my cock as she came and this in turn cause me to erupt. I never knew I was into pain but the orgasm that hit me took my breath away. It seemed to have the same effect on her. We both relaxed our grips on each other's nipples as we rode out the orgasmic ecstasy. I seized the opportunity to pull her down for another kiss. I bit her lip and then snaked my tongue into her mouth. She sent her tongue to meet mine and wrestle it into submission. I used the kiss as a distraction to once again roll her over, so I was on top. My cock was still hard as diamonds, so I slammed it back into her. I had never felt a vagina like hers and the sensations were incredible. However, I was so wrapped up in the moment that I started to lose focus on the fight. She seized the opportunity to then roll me back onto my back and pinned me into the Amazon position. She then rode me hard through two more of her own climaxes before I came again filling her womb. At this point I was exhausted but I knew it wasn't over, so I rolled out from under her and got off the bed. I then went down on one knee and bowed my head. I didn't know what to expect next but what I didn't expect at all was that the Queen would laugh. "Go back to your accommodation worthless man I am done with you." I had survived. I didn't know why she laughed until much later when one of the Amazons explained it to me. Only women were required to assume the position of submission before the Queen. By definition men were only servants so submission was assumed. She had laughed at my attempt to be a woman. I made it back to my prison and found a meal waiting. I ate and then did my forms. I couldn't help but wonder what would happen next. I had finished my meal and was reflecting on two things. Firstly, the immense pain in my chest from Queen Zenoba abusing my nipples. I hoped she was feeling the same discomfort, but I imagine she had some magic spray available to her. It was probably already all healed. Secondly, I was wondering what they were going to do with me. I had been forced to breed about a third of the woman warriors and the Queen. Was I going to be made a eunuch and sold to one of the women, or something else? No sense worrying about it. To take my mind off of the pain I did my Tai Chi forms. My previous instructors might not have been happy with my performance in my fight with Deianeira, but I didn't care. I had won and I thanked my parents for getting me into Tai Chi. Certainly the flexibility and balance had served me well. Obviously, my style had been more Tai Chi/brawler but thanks to Alesha's advice it had won me victory. That was the important part and there was no way I was going to forget it. This made me think about Alesha and the fact I had not seen her since she had won her fight and become an Amazon warrior herself. Then my prison door opened, and a man entered, I assumed to take away the supper dishes. He was there for that, but he also had a can of spray magic and aimed it at my bloody nipples and sore chest. By the time he had gathered up the dishes and left the wounds were healed and the pain was gone. Amazing stuff! The sun had gone down, and I was tired out from the day's exertions, so I lay down and went to sleep. I was awakened early by a man with my breakfast. When I was done one of the Amazons I had not met yet entered my prison. She ordered me to follow her. She led me to the opening in the wall around the village. At the opening we met another Amazon who had what looked like a lap top bag with her. She fell in behind me and the three of us walked down the trail that I figured was to the west. At first we passed farms but soon we left them and the village behind. We walked all day through the rainforest and then we stopped for the night. I was given some travel food. It looked like the rations you get in the army. Yet it was the perfect temperature and tasted delicious. No one had said anything all day. It was no different after our meal. One of the Amazons was clearly on sentry duty and the other one lay down to rest. I followed suit and soon was asleep. It was a quite night and in the morning was shaken awake by one of the Amazons. After another meal and my injection, we were back on the trail. Judging from the sun it was about noon when we apparently reached our destination. It was a large open field carved out of the rainforest. It seemed about the same size as a football field. We were on one of the long ends and there was a post in the ground that they tied me too. I was tied only around my waist with my hands and feet free. Diagonally across from me on the other side was a similar post. Minutes after I was secured, 3 people emerged from the forest on the other side. 2 were clearly Amazons, the only difference in attire from the Amazons with me was a blazing sun on their breastplates. The other person was a man, naked like me and soon tied to the post. One of the Amazons then walked 10 paces from the post to the right and stopped. The other one started walking to toward me. My two Amazon's did the same thing. One walked 10 paces from the post to the left and stopped. The other walked toward the naked man. The Amazons walking toward the tied men had the small bags with them. Once the Amazon with the blazing sun arrived in front of me she produced a needle from the bag and took a blood sample. She then opened the bag up revealing some kind of machine. The blood sample needle was inserted into the side, and she injected the blood into the machine. I could not see any screen or light to show a result, but after a moment she stood up and handed me a sample jar. It was all becoming clear to me what was going on. If I passed the medical tests I was to be traded for the other guy undergoing the same tests. This was a simple swapping of bulls or studs. The injection served it's purpose because I became instantly hard when I touched my cock. I then filled the container. The Amazon took the container and poured the contents into another opening in the machine. After a moment she drew a knife from her belt and turned to face the other side of the field. The Amazon on the other side of the field finished what I assumed was the same process with the other man. She also drew a knife and faced us. At this point, both of the Amazons turned and cut the bindings of the man on the pole in front of them. I didn't need to be told what to do I just followed the blazing sun Amazon back across the field. We met at almost exactly the halfway point of the field, but no greetings were shared. This was obviously a highly ritualized process that I had not read about in Canard's journal. In Canard's journal there had been only one group or tribe of Amazons occupying four valleys. Something definitely had changed. I suspected the four valleys now were occupied by competing factions. This didn't mean Canard was wrong, Canard had been here over 150 years before, it just meant things had changed. So far Canard had been accurate about the arch by the river, as well as the dress of the Amazons we had met. Canard also had reported on the sophistication of the Amazon's technology and that clearly was still true. To be continued in part 2. Based on a post by Farmer Jill, in 3 parts, for Literotica.

Robots and automata have been with humans in one form or another for thousands of years. From ancient Egyptian illusionary statutes to Ancient Greek steam or air powered birds, even programmable carts and theatrical figures, up to near-modern mechanisms like the Digesting Duck in 1739 France, the 1770 Austrian chess robot, the 1773 Silver Swan in England, the 1795 Tipu's Tiger of India and the many robots of far east Asia. As early as the 8th century BC, the Chinese were using wooden mechanisms for burial objects, centuries before the Greek myth of a giant mechanical Talos. Long before European machines that are hardly remembered today, the Japanese had mechanical dolls called Nashiki karakul, which served tea and entertained every level of Edo society. None of this history is hidden, and part of the problem in deciphering what it means is our definition of words like robot, machine, giant, myth etc. However, as with technology today where glorified search engines are believed to be sentient intelligence, there were probably many in the ancient world who saw these devices as supernatural. The vast majority probably saw them for what they were though - entertainment. Although the value in such mechanisms has largely been lost today, or simply evolved or transitioned into something more contemporary, our modern use of similar technologies will likely be looked at by a future generation in the same way that we look back on an apparently lost part of human history. The modern popular culture, and conspiracy, perception of the past is that anything considerably advanced must be part of a lost civilization or alien, perhaps Tartarian specifically. But the printing press dates to 1440 and the cotton gin to 1793, two inventions that mechanically revolutionized the world in a way equal to modern phones, and yet few would dispute the modern-human-civilization origin of these devices.  *The is the FREE archive, which includes advertisements. If you want an ad-free experience, you can subscribe below underneath the show description.WEBSITEFREE ARCHIVE (w. ads)SUBSCRIPTION ARCHIVE-X / TWITTERFACEBOOKINSTAGRAMYOUTUBERUMBLE-BUY ME A COFFEECashApp: $rdgable PAYPAL: rdgable1991@gmail.comRyan's Books: https://thesecretteachings.info - EMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / rdgable1991@gmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-secret-teachings--5328407/support.

Amy reads from The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island. Chapter 1: The War Widow In 1997, Amy moved to a small island of just 950 people in Japan's Seto Inland Sea. She rented an akiya (empty house) from a widow whose soldier-husband had died in WWII. Six years later, when the widow dies, Amy purchases her home and must finally clear out the old woman's possessions. This is when Amy becomes fascinated with the woman, her life of hardship, and her will to overcome the past. The mystery of this woman's life prompts the author to set out on a year-long journey around the Shiraishi Island to interview the villagers who knew her best.  The Books on Asia Podcast is co-produced with Plum Rain Press. Podcast host Amy Chavez is author of The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island. and Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.The Books on Asia website posts book reviews, podcast episodes and episode Show Notes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to the Books on Asia newsletter to receive news of the latest new book releases, reviews and podcast episodes.

En este episodio hablamos del origen literario y folclórico de los vampiros. Desde antes de Drácula hasta después de Drácula, los origines históricos, su relación con la historia de la medicina y sorprendemente cómo los vampiros son fuentes históricas.----

If you've been dragging some of last year around with you, or you've been feeling that strange mix of excitement and pressure that shows up every January, this episode is calling your name. Closing out the year, the POTC cohosts are bringing you a conversation about how creativity can be a lifeline, a mindset shift, and a really enjoyable way to start 2026 feeling more like yourself.Walking you through simple ways to reflect on the past year, we share some creative exercises that spark real insight and explore how tuning into your creative side can help you make meaning, connect with people, and better handle the tough stuff life throws at you. If you're craving more joy, connection, or just a new angle on the year ahead, you're bound to find something that resonates.So settle in, and join us in starting the year with intention, curiosity, and a little touch of creativity.Listen and Learn: Reflection Exercises, including: Finding Meaning: Reflecting on the past year, where were you last New Year's, and what were your biggest highs and lows since thenMeaningful Moments: Reflecting on two or three meaningful moments from the past year and vividly recalling the sights, sounds, and feelings of each experienceLessons, Wins and Moving Forward: Reflecting on your past year to uncover lessons from mistakes, celebrate achievements, and clarify what truly matters to you as you move into 2026Vision for the Year Ahead: Reflecting on what you truly want, the areas you've neglected, and the values you want to prioritize in the year aheadHow incorporating creative, life-affirming activities can boost your well-being and help you navigate life's challengesPractical exercises and tips to spark more creativity in your life in the new yearResources: Access the New Year's Reflection Questions from this episode (.pdf or editable MS Word versions available) Debbie's Guided Journaling Substack with writing prompts and a 30-day journaling challengeYear Compass worksheets: https://yearcompass.com/Word of the Year and Unravel Your Year worksheets by Susannah Conway: https://www.susannahconway.com/unravel Creative Mornings: https://creativemornings.com/ Jill | Betrayal Weekly: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jill-betrayal-weekly/id1615637724?i=1000726003078 If you have a story connected to trauma, crime, or someone who's caused harm—and you feel ready to share it—Jill would love to hear from you. You can book a free 30-minute consult at:https://jillstoddard.com/contact-us About the POTC CoHosts: Debbie Sorensen, PhD, Co-hostDebbie (she/her) is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Denver, Colorado with a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Anthropology from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a Ph.D. in Psychology from Harvard University. She is author of the book ACT for Burnout: Recharge, Reconnect, and Transform Burnout with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and co-author of ACT Daily Journal: Get Unstuck and Live Fully with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. She loves living in Colorado, her home state, with her husband, two daughters, and dog. When she's not busy working or podcasting, she enjoys reading fiction, cooking, traveling, and getting outdoors in the beautiful Rocky Mountains! You can learn more about Debbie, read her blog, and find out about upcoming presentations and training events at her webpage, drdebbiesorensen.com.Jill Stoddard, PhD, Co-hostJill Stoddard is passionate about sharing science-backed ideas from psychology to help people thrive. She is a psychologist, writer, TEDx speaker, award-winning teacher, peer-reviewed ACT trainer, bariatric coach, and co-host of the popular Psychologists Off the Clock podcast. Dr. Stoddard is the founder and director of The Center for Stress and Anxiety Management, an outpatient practice specializing in evidence-based therapies for anxiety and related issues. She is the author of three books: The Big Book of ACT Metaphors: A Practitioner's Guide to Experiential Exercises and Metaphors in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy; Be Mighty: A Woman's Guide to Liberation from Anxiety, Worry, and Stress Using Mindfulness and Acceptance; and Imposter No More: Overcome Self-doubt and Imposterism to Cultivate a Successful Career. Her writing has also appeared in The Washington Post, Psychology Today, Scary Mommy, Thrive Global, The Good Men Project, and Mindful Return. She regularly appears on podcasts and as an expert source for various media outlets. She lives in Newburyport, MA with her husband, two kids, and disobedient French Bulldog. Michael Herold, Co-HostMichael (he/him) is a confidence trainer and social skills coach, based in Vienna, Austria. He's helping his clients overcome their social anxiety through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and fun exposure exercises. (Though the jury is still out on whether they're mostly fun for him). He is also a certified therapeutic game master, utilizing the Dungeons&Dragons tabletop roleplaying game to train communication, assertiveness, and teamwork with young adults. Or actually, anyone ready to roll some dice and battle goblins in a supportive group where players want to level up (pun!) their social skills. Michael is the head coach of the L.A. based company The Art of Charm, running their confidence-building program “Unstoppable” as well as workshops on small talk, storytelling, vulnerability, and more. He is the scientific advisor and co-producer of their large podcast with more than 250 million downloads. As a member of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS), Michael is the current President of the ACT Coaching Special Interest Group with nearly 1,000 coaches worldwide, and the co-founder of the ACT in Austria Affiliate of ACBS, a nationwide meetup for ACT practitioners in Austria. He's a public speaker who has spoken at TEDx, in front of members of parliament, universities, and once in a cinema full of 500 kids high on sugary popcorn. In a previous life, he was a character animator working on award-winning movies and TV shows such as “The Penguins of Madagascar” and “Kung Fu Panda”. That was before he realized that helping people live a meaningful life is much more rewarding than working in the film business – even though the long nights in the studio allowed him to brew his own beer in the office closet, an activity he highly recommends. Michael grew up with five foster kids who were all taken out of abusive families. His foster sisters showed him how much positive change is possible in a person if they have the love and support they need.Emily Edlynn, PhD, Co-HostEmily (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in pediatric health psychology who works in private practice with children, teens, and adults. She has a BA in English from Smith College, a PhD in clinical psychology from Loyola University Chicago, and completed postgraduate training at Stanford and Children's Hospital Orange County. Emily spent almost ten years working in children's hospitals before pivoting to private practice, which allowed her to start a writing career. Emily has written her blog, The Art and Science of Mom, since 2017 and a parenting advice column for Parents.com since 2019. Emily's writing has also appeared in the Washington Post, Scary Mommy, Good Housekeeping, Motherly, and more. She recently added author to her bio with her book, Autonomy-Supportive Parenting: Reduce Parental Burnout and Raise Competent Confident Children and has a Substack newsletter. Emily lives with her husband, three children, and two rescue dogs in Oak Park, IL where she can see Chicago's skyline from her attic window. Yael Schonbrun, PhD, Co-hostYael (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist who wears a number of professional hats: She has a small private practice specializing in evidence-based relationship therapy, she's an assistant professor at Brown University, and she writes for nonacademic audiences about working parenthood. She has a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis, a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and completed her postgraduate training at Brown University. In all areas of her work, Yael draws on scientific research, her clinical experience, ancient wisdom (with an emphasis on Taoism), and real life experiences with her three little boys. You can find out more about Yael's writing, including her book, Work, Parent, Thrive, and about her research by clicking the links. You can follow Yael on Linkedin and Instagram where she posts about relationship science or subscribe to her newsletter, Relational, to get the science of relationships in your email inbox!Related Episodes: 410. Creativity and Making Things with Kelly Corrigan and Claire Corrigan Lichty345. Writing for Personal Growth with Maureen Murdock211. Subtract with Leidy Klotz73. Essentialism with Greg McKeown257. The Gift of Being Ordinary with Ron Siegel 37. Post-Traumatic Growth with Diana and Debbie375. Midlife: From Crisis to Curiosity with Meg McKelvie and Debbie Sorensen 285. What Do You Want Out of Life? Values Fulfillment Theory with Valerie Tiberius 351. You Only Die Once with Jodi Wellman 138. Exploring Existence and Purpose: Existentialism with Robyn Walser 329. The Power of Curiosity with Scott ShigeokaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, Nick Caverly talks about his new book, Demolishing Detroit: How Structural Racism Endures (Stanford UP, 2025). For decades, Detroit residents, politicians, planners, and advocacy organizations have campaigned for the elimination of empty buildings from city neighborhoods. Leveling these structures, many argue, is essential to making space for Detroit's majority-Black populace to flourish in the wake of white flight and deindustrialization. In 2013, the city set out to demolish more than twenty thousand empty buildings by the end of the decade, with administrators suggesting it would offer an innovative model for what other American cities could do to combat the effects of racist disinvestment. Drawing on extensive ethnographic research with city residents, demolition workers, and public officials, as well as analyses of administrative archives, Demolishing Detroit examines the causes, procedures, and consequences of empty-building demolitions in Detroit. Contrary to stated goals of equity, the book reveals how racism and intersecting inequities endured despite efforts to level them. As calls to dismantle racist systems have become increasingly urgent, this book provides cautionary tales of urban transformations meant to combat white supremacy that ultimately reinforced inequality. Bridging political analyses of racial capitalism, infrastructures, and environments in cities, Nick Caverly grapples with the reality that tearing down unjust policies, ideologies, and landscapes is not enough to end racist disparities in opportunities and life chances. Doing so demands rebuilding systems in the service of reparative futures. Nick Caverly is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Elena Sobrino is Lecturer in the Science, Technology, and Society program at Tufts University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies

It's Worldview Wednesday, so let's talk about Anthropology—what it means to be human. We're going to compare and contrast biblical Christianity with atheism in five key areas: (1) The superiority of humanity(2) The inferiority of humanity(3) The moral status of humanity(4) Humanity's objective nature(5) Humanity's subjective self-perceptionWe'll see why the two views aren't just contradictory to each other, but how Christianity is coherent and atheist anthropology (view of humanity) ends up defeating itself.=================Men, get real accountability and knowledge to help you become the worldview leader your family and church need. Try out the Hammer & Anvil Society FREE. Learn more ➡️ https://hammerandanvil.circle.so/c/join/join-the-hammer-anvil-societySupport The Think Institute: https://thethink.institute/partner⚡ CHURCH TRAINING: Bring an IMPACTFUL weekend training event to your church or ministry ➡️ https://thethink.institute/forchurches

In this episode, Nick Caverly talks about his new book, Demolishing Detroit: How Structural Racism Endures (Stanford UP, 2025). For decades, Detroit residents, politicians, planners, and advocacy organizations have campaigned for the elimination of empty buildings from city neighborhoods. Leveling these structures, many argue, is essential to making space for Detroit's majority-Black populace to flourish in the wake of white flight and deindustrialization. In 2013, the city set out to demolish more than twenty thousand empty buildings by the end of the decade, with administrators suggesting it would offer an innovative model for what other American cities could do to combat the effects of racist disinvestment. Drawing on extensive ethnographic research with city residents, demolition workers, and public officials, as well as analyses of administrative archives, Demolishing Detroit examines the causes, procedures, and consequences of empty-building demolitions in Detroit. Contrary to stated goals of equity, the book reveals how racism and intersecting inequities endured despite efforts to level them. As calls to dismantle racist systems have become increasingly urgent, this book provides cautionary tales of urban transformations meant to combat white supremacy that ultimately reinforced inequality. Bridging political analyses of racial capitalism, infrastructures, and environments in cities, Nick Caverly grapples with the reality that tearing down unjust policies, ideologies, and landscapes is not enough to end racist disparities in opportunities and life chances. Doing so demands rebuilding systems in the service of reparative futures. Nick Caverly is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Elena Sobrino is Lecturer in the Science, Technology, and Society program at Tufts University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In this episode, Nick Caverly talks about his new book, Demolishing Detroit: How Structural Racism Endures (Stanford UP, 2025). For decades, Detroit residents, politicians, planners, and advocacy organizations have campaigned for the elimination of empty buildings from city neighborhoods. Leveling these structures, many argue, is essential to making space for Detroit's majority-Black populace to flourish in the wake of white flight and deindustrialization. In 2013, the city set out to demolish more than twenty thousand empty buildings by the end of the decade, with administrators suggesting it would offer an innovative model for what other American cities could do to combat the effects of racist disinvestment. Drawing on extensive ethnographic research with city residents, demolition workers, and public officials, as well as analyses of administrative archives, Demolishing Detroit examines the causes, procedures, and consequences of empty-building demolitions in Detroit. Contrary to stated goals of equity, the book reveals how racism and intersecting inequities endured despite efforts to level them. As calls to dismantle racist systems have become increasingly urgent, this book provides cautionary tales of urban transformations meant to combat white supremacy that ultimately reinforced inequality. Bridging political analyses of racial capitalism, infrastructures, and environments in cities, Nick Caverly grapples with the reality that tearing down unjust policies, ideologies, and landscapes is not enough to end racist disparities in opportunities and life chances. Doing so demands rebuilding systems in the service of reparative futures. Nick Caverly is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Elena Sobrino is Lecturer in the Science, Technology, and Society program at Tufts University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology

In this episode, Nick Caverly talks about his new book, Demolishing Detroit: How Structural Racism Endures (Stanford UP, 2025). For decades, Detroit residents, politicians, planners, and advocacy organizations have campaigned for the elimination of empty buildings from city neighborhoods. Leveling these structures, many argue, is essential to making space for Detroit's majority-Black populace to flourish in the wake of white flight and deindustrialization. In 2013, the city set out to demolish more than twenty thousand empty buildings by the end of the decade, with administrators suggesting it would offer an innovative model for what other American cities could do to combat the effects of racist disinvestment. Drawing on extensive ethnographic research with city residents, demolition workers, and public officials, as well as analyses of administrative archives, Demolishing Detroit examines the causes, procedures, and consequences of empty-building demolitions in Detroit. Contrary to stated goals of equity, the book reveals how racism and intersecting inequities endured despite efforts to level them. As calls to dismantle racist systems have become increasingly urgent, this book provides cautionary tales of urban transformations meant to combat white supremacy that ultimately reinforced inequality. Bridging political analyses of racial capitalism, infrastructures, and environments in cities, Nick Caverly grapples with the reality that tearing down unjust policies, ideologies, and landscapes is not enough to end racist disparities in opportunities and life chances. Doing so demands rebuilding systems in the service of reparative futures. Nick Caverly is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Elena Sobrino is Lecturer in the Science, Technology, and Society program at Tufts University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/public-policy

In this episode, Nick Caverly talks about his new book, Demolishing Detroit: How Structural Racism Endures (Stanford UP, 2025). For decades, Detroit residents, politicians, planners, and advocacy organizations have campaigned for the elimination of empty buildings from city neighborhoods. Leveling these structures, many argue, is essential to making space for Detroit's majority-Black populace to flourish in the wake of white flight and deindustrialization. In 2013, the city set out to demolish more than twenty thousand empty buildings by the end of the decade, with administrators suggesting it would offer an innovative model for what other American cities could do to combat the effects of racist disinvestment. Drawing on extensive ethnographic research with city residents, demolition workers, and public officials, as well as analyses of administrative archives, Demolishing Detroit examines the causes, procedures, and consequences of empty-building demolitions in Detroit. Contrary to stated goals of equity, the book reveals how racism and intersecting inequities endured despite efforts to level them. As calls to dismantle racist systems have become increasingly urgent, this book provides cautionary tales of urban transformations meant to combat white supremacy that ultimately reinforced inequality. Bridging political analyses of racial capitalism, infrastructures, and environments in cities, Nick Caverly grapples with the reality that tearing down unjust policies, ideologies, and landscapes is not enough to end racist disparities in opportunities and life chances. Doing so demands rebuilding systems in the service of reparative futures. Nick Caverly is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Elena Sobrino is Lecturer in the Science, Technology, and Society program at Tufts University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Gable hosts Ground Zero (Friday - December 22, 2025)*The is the FREE archive, which includes advertisements. If you want an ad-free experience, you can subscribe below underneath the show description.WEBSITEFREE ARCHIVE (w. ads)SUBSCRIPTION ARCHIVE-X / TWITTERFACEBOOKINSTAGRAMYOUTUBERUMBLE-BUY ME A COFFEECashApp: $rdgable PAYPAL: rdgable1991@gmail.comRyan's Books: https://thesecretteachings.info - EMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / rdgable1991@gmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-secret-teachings--5328407/support.

It is that time of the year again, mainly that of the winter solstice, ghost riders, the wild hunt, Krampus, Belsnickel, Befana, Joulupukki, and, of course, Santa and baby Jesus. Few have probably ever considered how much like Halloween the Christmas season really is: from ghosts and monsters to the contractual obligations set forward in both the trick-or-treat agreement and the Santa “clause,” otherwise known as the naughty-or-nice list. The lights, ornaments, gifts, botanicals, and evergreen vegetation serve many roles in decorating for the holiday, or holy day, season. From real characters to mythological monsters; from folklore to modern religious celebrations; and from natural cyclical changes to interpretations of nature as the end-times apocalypse, it is certainly beginning to look a lot like Krampus. *The is the FREE archive, which includes advertisements. If you want an ad-free experience, you can subscribe below underneath the show description.WEBSITEFREE ARCHIVE (w. ads)SUBSCRIPTION ARCHIVE-X / TWITTERFACEBOOKINSTAGRAMYOUTUBERUMBLE-BUY ME A COFFEECashApp: $rdgable PAYPAL: rdgable1991@gmail.comRyan's Books: https://thesecretteachings.info - EMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / rdgable1991@gmail.com*The is the FREE archive, which includes advertisements. If you want an ad-free experience, you can subscribe below underneath the show description.WEBSITEFREE ARCHIVE (w. ads)SUBSCRIPTION ARCHIVE-X / TWITTERFACEBOOKINSTAGRAMYOUTUBERUMBLE-BUY ME A COFFEECashApp: $rdgable PAYPAL: rdgable1991@gmail.comRyan's Books: https://thesecretteachings.info - EMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / rdgable1991@gmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-secret-teachings--5328407/support.

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Kyle Wiley, Assistant Professor of Sociology & Anthropology at the University of Texas at El Paso, about how social and traumatic stressors during pregnancy become biologically embedded and shape maternal and infant health. Kyle shares his path into biological anthropology and discusses his biosocial research on perinatal health disparities in the United States and Brazil. We explore his work on interpersonal violence during pregnancy in São Paulo, Brazil, focusing on how trauma affects maternal and infant cortisol regulation and what this means for fetal programming and intergenerational health. We also discuss his recent research on pica among Latina pregnant women, which takes a novel approach by examining stress hormones and inflammation rather than micronutrient deficiencies. The episode closes with a look at Kyle's new faculty role at UTEP, his current projects, and how he maintains work–life balance as an early-career scholar. ------------------------------ Find the work discussed in this episode: Wiley, K. S., Gouveia, G., Camilo, C., Euclydes, V., Panter-Brick, C., Matijasevich, A., Ferraro, A. A., Fracolli, L. A., Chiesa, A. M., Miguel, E. C., Polanczyk, G. V., & Brentani, H. (2025). A Preliminary Investigation of Associations Between Traumatic Events Experienced During Pregnancy and Salivary Diurnal Cortisol Levels of Brazilian Adolescent Mothers and Infants. American Journal of Human Biology, 37(2), e70004. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.70004 Kwon, D., Knorr, D. A., Wiley, K. S., Young, S. L., & Fox, M. M. (2024). Association of pica with cortisol and inflammation among Latina pregnant women. American Journal of Human Biology, 36(5), e24025. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.24025 ------------------------------ Contact Dr. Wylie: kwiley@utep.edu ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Chris Lynn, Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: cdlynn@ua.edu, Twitter:@Chris_Ly Courtney Manthey, Co-Host, Website: holylaetoli.com/ E-mail: cmanthey@uccs.edu, Twitter: @HolyLaetoli Cristina Gildee, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow Website: cristinagildee.com, E-mail: cgildee@uw.edu,

This week Dr. Hettie V. Williams is in conversation with Dr. Lewis F. Thomas, III about education, Black men, and mentoring. Williams is a professor of history in the Department of History and Anthropology at Monmouth University and the director of the African Diaspora Studies (ADS) program at Monmouth. Thomas has more than thirty years of experience in the field of education working in several urban environments including in Philadelphia and New York. This week we focus on his extensive career as a teacher and administrator in various locales as well as his work specifically on the development of Black men in society with such initiatives as the Black Fathers Institute a research-to-practice hub that amplifies the voice of Black fathers and advances radical hope and healing for families. Thomas has through his extensive experience as an educator implemented mentoring programs focused on data informed, culturally responsive, restorative justice approaches. 

In this episode of The Great Plains Archaeology Podcast, host Carlton Shield Chief Gover is joined by Dr. Madeline Mackie, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Michigan State University, to explore the archaeology of mammoth kill sites in the Northwest Plains.Dr. Mackie walks us through what makes a site a “kill site” and how archaeologists determine whether mammoths were hunted by humans or died naturally. She shares insights into the types of tools, bone modifications, and site features that point to deliberate human activity—offering a glimpse into the complex and skilled lifeways of Paleoindigenous peoples.The discussion also highlights what these mammoth kills reveal about how early humans adapted to shifting environments at the end of the Ice Age, providing crucial context for understanding the transition into the Archaic period. Dr. Mackie closes with a call to action: the Plains needs more archaeologists dedicated to uncovering and interpreting the Archaic period—one of the most understudied and dynamic chapters of Indigenous history.Great Plains Archaeology PodcastLinks:The Archaeology of the North American Great Plains by Douglas B. Bamforth (2021)Archaeology on the Great Plains Edited by W. Raymond Wood (1998)Carlton's KU Anthropology Faculty BioContact:Instagram: @‌pawnee_archaeologistEmail: greatplainsarchpodcast@gmail.comBlogs and Resources:Bill White: Succinct ResearchDoug Rocks-MacQueen: Doug's ArchaeologyChris Webster: DIGTECH LLCAndrew KinkellaKinkella Teaches Archaeology (Youtube)Blog: Kinkella Teaches ArchaeologyArchPodNetAPN Website: https://www.archpodnet.comAPN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnetAPN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnetAPN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnetAPN ShopAffiliatesMotion Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode Topic: Culture WarIn the fight for Ukraine, the front lines extend far beyond the battlefield. A recent Nanovic Institute panel explored the strategic culture war, where symbols, memory, and art are vital tools of national resilience. Discover how Ukraine leverages soft power to define its identity and secure its independent future.Featured Speakers:Ian Kuijt, Professor of Anthropology, University of Notre DameOlga Filippova, Associate Professor of Sociology, V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National UniversityOlena Kovalenko, Head of the Academic and Research Department, The Ukrainian InstituteKhrystyna Kozak '25 MGA, Researcher, Center for Civilians in Conflict, Ukraine Read this episode's recap over on the University of Notre Dame's open online learning community platform, ThinkND: https://go.nd.edu/31a338.This podcast is a part of the ThinkND Series titled Revolutions of Hope.Thanks for listening! The ThinkND Podcast is brought to you by ThinkND, the University of Notre Dame's online learning community. We connect you with videos, podcasts, articles, courses, and other resources to inspire minds and spark conversations on topics that matter to you — everything from faith and politics, to science, technology, and your career. Learn more about ThinkND and register for upcoming live events at think.nd.edu. Join our LinkedIn community for updates, episode clips, and more.

In this essay, Livia K. Stone discusses the origins of the concept of autogestion/self-management, generally associated with anarcho-syndicalism. Often described as emerging from Yugoslavia in the 1950s, Stone argues that the origins of the term actually lie in the Algerian independence movement in the 1960s and represented a defining shift in twentieth century social movements. Livia K. Stone is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Illinois State University. She is the author of Atenco Lives!: Filmmaking and Popular Struggle in Mexico (2019), and "Autogestion: Correcting the History of Self-Management" (2024) Anarchist Essays is brought to you by Loughborough University's Anarchism Research Group and the journal Anarchist Studies. Follow us on Bluesky @anarchismresgroup.bsky.social Our music comes from Them'uns (featuring Yous'uns). Artwork by Sam G.

Michael Masters, PhD, is an associate professor of anthropology whose research examines human origins, future human evolution, and interpretations of anomalous experiences. In discussions surrounding claims of humans implanted with mind-control chips, Dr. Masters approaches the topic through a critical, scholarly lens—exploring how such reports may arise from psychological factors, sleep paralysis, trauma, cultural narratives, advanced technology speculation, or misinterpreted physiological sensations. Rather than promoting fear-based conclusions, his perspective encourages careful analysis, scientific skepticism, and compassion for experiencers, while asking deeper questions about consciousness, identity, and how emerging technologies influence human perception and belief.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-x-zone-radio-tv-show--1078348/support.Please note that all XZBN radio and/or television shows are Copyright © REL-MAR McConnell Meda Company, Niagara, Ontario, Canada – www.rel-mar.com. For more Episodes of this show and all shows produced, broadcasted and syndicated from REL-MAR McConell Media Company and The 'X' Zone Broadcast Network and the 'X' Zone TV Channell, visit www.xzbn.net. For programming, distribution, and syndication inquiries, email programming@xzbn.net.We are proud to announce the we have launched TWATNews.com, launched in August 2025.TWATNews.com is an independent online news platform dedicated to uncovering the truth about Donald Trump and his ongoing influence in politics, business, and society. Unlike mainstream outlets that often sanitize, soften, or ignore stories that challenge Trump and his allies, TWATNews digs deeper to deliver hard-hitting articles, investigative features, and sharp commentary that mainstream media won't touch.These are stories and articles that you will not read anywhere else.Our mission is simple: to expose corruption, lies, and authoritarian tendencies while giving voice to the perspectives and evidence that are often marginalized or buried by corporate-controlled media

Matthew Restall is an historian and author of over forty books, focusing on the Spanish Conquest era in the Americas; on Aztec and Maya history; on the history of colonial Mesoamerica, primarily Yucatan but including Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize; on the historical African diaspora in the Americas; and on the history of popular music. Matthew is most recently the author of The Nine Lives of Christopher Columbus, the topic of and inspiration for this conversation. Finally, he is Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of History and Anthropology, and Director of Latin American Studies, at Pennsylvania State University. We discussed the phenomenon of “Columbiana,” the vast mythology that has befogged the history and biography of Christopher Columbus, the man, almost entirely for purposes that he himself would not have understood.  His book, which I quite recommend, addresses nine such “lives” and the historical mysteries around them.  We touch on the four of those that I thought would most appeal to longstanding and attentive listeners – his early life and his pitching for the funding for the “Enterprise of the Indies” – which are the first two lives, and the curious resurrection of Columbus in the 19th century as the founding “grandfather” of the United States, followed by his last “life” – so far – as the great hero of Italian-Americans. This last leads to a discussion of the perception of Columbus today.  Along the way we go down numerous rabbit holes, including that there is, even today, a direct descendant of Columbus who bears the title “Admiral of the Ocean Sea.” Other relevant links Matthew Restall, The Nine Lives of Christopher Columbus History Impossible Podcast, “War for the Frontiers of History and America (w/ Jack Henneman of The History of the Americans)”: Apple and Spotify Samuel Eliot Morison, Admiral of the Ocean Sea: A Life of Christopher Columbus X – @TheHistoryOfTh2 – https://x.com/TheHistoryOfTh2 Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/HistoryOfTheAmericans

Ryan Gable hosts Ground Zero (Monday - December 19, 2025)*The is the FREE archive, which includes advertisements. If you want an ad-free experience, you can subscribe below underneath the show description.WEBSITEFREE ARCHIVE (w. ads)SUBSCRIPTION ARCHIVE-X / TWITTERFACEBOOKINSTAGRAMYOUTUBERUMBLE-BUY ME A COFFEECashApp: $rdgable PAYPAL: rdgable1991@gmail.comRyan's Books: https://thesecretteachings.info - EMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / rdgable1991@gmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-secret-teachings--5328407/support.

இந்தியாவின் கர்நாடகா மாநிலத்தின் முன்னாள் காவல் துறை உயரதிகாரி (Inspector General of Police) கே. ஆர்கேஷ் அவர்கள். மிகவும் கடினமான, சவாலான பகுதிகளில் முப்பது ஆண்டுகளுக்கும் மேலாக சேவை செய்துள்ளார். வடகிழக்கு மாநிலங்கள் மற்றும் காஷ்மீர் கிளர்ச்சி ஒழிப்பு நடவடிக்கைகளுக்கு தலைமையேற்று செயல்பட்டவர். சந்தனக் கடத்தல் வீரப்பனை தேடும் நடவடிக்கையில் முக்கிய பங்காற்றியவர். அவர் ஒரு கல்வியாளரும் கூட. மனிதவியல் (Anthropology) துறையில் முதுகலைப் பட்டமும், நாட்டுப்புறவியல் (Folklore) துறையில் முதுநிலைப் பட்டமும் பெற்றவர். மெல்பனில் நடைபெற்ற Fourth International Humanists Conference யில் கலந்துகொண்ட அவரை SBS ஒலிப்பதிவு கூடத்தில் வைத்து சந்தித்து உரையாடியவர் றைசெல்.

​ @CalNewportMedia  Is It Finally Time To Fight Back Against Technology? (This Bestseller Says “Yes”) | Cal Newport https://youtu.be/IV4c_VOv1e8?si=YLxNN1KkcRRNRgKX  @actoninstitute  Abraham Kuyper's Principles for Christian Liberalism with Matthew Tuininga https://youtu.be/gNgdItCGMUc?si=tZkrW_kQ-I1HSEmW  @WhiteStoneName  The Unending Hell debate, also information v meaning, scale, institutions vs bodies https://www.youtube.com/live/W5C4AXpK9eI?si=VPS_jA55IrL5v1Rw    https://www.livingstonescrc.com/give Register for the Estuary/Cleanup Weekend https://lscrc.elvanto.net/form/94f5e542-facc-4764-9883-442f982df447 Paul Vander Klay clips channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX0jIcadtoxELSwehCh5QTg https://www.meetup.com/sacramento-estuary/ My Substack https://paulvanderklay.substack.com/ Bridges of meaning https://discord.gg/mQGdwNca Estuary Hub Link https://www.estuaryhub.com/ There is a video version of this podcast on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/paulvanderklay To listen to this on ITunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/paul-vanderklays-podcast/id1394314333  If you need the RSS feed for your podcast player https://paulvanderklay.podbean.com/feed/  All Amazon links here are part of the Amazon Affiliate Program. Amazon pays me a small commission at no additional cost to you if you buy through one of the product links here. This is is one (free to you) way to support my videos.  https://paypal.me/paulvanderklay Blockchain backup on Lbry https://odysee.com/@paulvanderklay https://www.patreon.com/paulvanderklay Paul's Church Content at Living Stones Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh7bdktIALZ9Nq41oVCvW-A To support Paul's work by supporting his church give here. https://tithe.ly/give?c=2160640 https://www.livingstonescrc.com/give

Ladies and gentleman, we did it. Or should I say, she did it - this week's guest, Avery Trufelman that is. *Glass ceiling shatters*. We use the latest season of her podcast, Articles of Interest, titled "Gear", as a jumping off point to talk about everything from light topics like how she somewhat accidentally became a podcaster and geeking out about camouflage and Frank Lloyd Wright, to the more serious - and sometimes sinister - underpinnings she's uncovered in her search for how our "American Legacy", the way we dress - particularly in menswear - has come to be.

Eric Cline, professor of Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies and of Anthropology at The George Washington University and author of 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed, joins the show to break down the collapse of the Bronze Age civilization and why it matters today. ▪️ Times 02:57 Writing History for All 04:51 The Three Age System 10:32 Tin: The Oil of the Ancient World 11:37 Archeology in the Future 13:22 Bronze Age Society 21:02 The Beginning and End of History 26:07 The Sea Peoples 32:36 The Collapse  35:00 The Mystery of the Exodus 40:53 Resilience and Regeneration Post-Collapse Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find more content on our School of War Substack

What's more Christmas-y than celebrating one's birthday? Brian just so happens to share the same birthday with someone else we might know, on Christmas Day, many, many moons ago. It seems almost to explain what this film is, because who hasn't seen this and enjoyed it? I mean, it was controversial upon its release and was banned by many councils, even to this day, but who hasn't heard or seen LIFE OF BRIAN at this point? Regardless, you've heard of MONTY PYTHON, and this is easily their best film. This film gave us "big nose", the "ex leper", and "what have the Romans ever done for us?" Do yourself a favor and watch this. It's an absolute treat for this Festive Season!

The widespread use of substances like peyote, blue water lily, poppy, mushrooms, herbs, ergot, soma, and tobacco appears to be related to the worldwide building of pyramid and temples, many of which are connected to sacred springs, caves, mountains, or the heavens above, and all which relate to some ancient mystery of the spirit realm. The idea of a world Navel can be found in structures connected to the underworld and the heavens, but can also be found in numerous mythologies around the world. Caves are natural wombs and pyramids serve the same purpose. Volcanos and mountains are sacred as preservers of death and resurrection, something clearly at the core of human spiritual practices dating back to an unknown time. For as important as the stars are in regard to the afterlife, focus on the mysteries of birth may play a an equally signifiant role in these traditions. As old paradigms are being overthrown for new truly shocking ones it is important to refrain from disregarding the latter in favor of increasingly outlandish claims about the past such as Tatara, which appears to be a counter narrative to the unraveling of human history. *The is the FREE archive, which includes advertisements. If you want an ad-free experience, you can subscribe below underneath the show description.WEBSITEFREE ARCHIVE (w. ads)SUBSCRIPTION ARCHIVE-X / TWITTERFACEBOOKINSTAGRAMYOUTUBERUMBLE-BUY ME A COFFEECashApp: $rdgable PAYPAL: rdgable1991@gmail.comRyan's Books: https://thesecretteachings.info - EMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / rdgable1991@gmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-secret-teachings--5328407/support.

In this podcast episode, we speak with Dr. Jessi Gold. Jessi Gold, MD, MS is the Chief Wellness Officer of the University of Tennessee System and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.  This inaugural leadership position encompasses all five University of Tennessee campuses and includes over 62,200 students and 19,0000 faculty and staff.  In her clinical practice, she sees healthcare workers, trainees, and young adults in college. Dr. Gold is also a fierce mental health advocate and highly sought-after expert in the media on everything from burnout to celebrity self-disclosure. She has written widely for the popular press, including for The New York Times, The Atlantic, InStyle, Slate, and Self.  Her first book, HOW DO YOU FEEL? One Doctor's Search for Humanity in Medicine is a national bestseller and available now. Dr. Gold is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. and M.S in Anthropology, the Yale School of Medicine, and Stanford University Department of Psychiatry, where she served as Chief Resident.

On this very special episode, Razib talks to paleoanthroplogists John Hawks and Chris Stringer. Hawks is a paleoanthropologist who has been a researcher and commentator in human evolutionary biology and paleoanthropology for over two decades. With a widely read weblog (now on Substack), a book on Homo naledi, and highly cited scientific papers, Hawks is an essential voice in understanding the origins of our species. He graduated from Kansas State University in 1994 with degrees in French, English, and Anthropology, and received both his M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Michigan, where he studied under Milford Wolpoff. He is currently working on a textbook on the origins of modern humans in their evolutionary context. Hawks has already been a guest on Unsupervised Learning three times. Chris Stringer is affiliated with the Natural History Museum in London. Stringer is the author of African Exodus. The Origins of Modern Humanity, Lone Survivors: How We Came to Be the Only Humans on Earth and Homo Britannicus - The Incredible Story of Human Life in Britain. A proponent since the 1970's of the recent African origin of modern humans, he has also for decades been at the center of debates around our species' relationship to Neanderthals. In the 1980's, with the rise to prominence of the molecular model of "mtDNA Eve," Stringer came to the fore as a paleoanthropological voice lending support to the genetic insights that pointed to our African origins. Trained as an anatomist, Stringer asserted that the fossil evidence was in alignment with the mtDNA phylogenies, a contention that has been broadly confirmed over the last five decades. Razib, Hawks and Stringer discuss the latest work that has come out of Yuxian, China, and how it updates our understanding of human morphological diversity, and integrate it with the newest findings about Denisovans from whole genome sequencing. They talk about how we exist at a junction, with more and more data, but theories that are becoming more and more rickety in terms of explaining the patterns we see. Hawks talks about the skewing effect of selection on phylogenetic trees, while Stringer addresses the complexity of the fossil record in East Asia.

A digital world in relentless movement—from artificial intelligence to ubiquitous computing—has been captured and reinvented as a monoculture by Silicon Valley "big tech" and venture capital firms. Yet very little is discussed in the public sphere about existing alternatives. Based on long-term field research across San Francisco, Tokyo, and Shenzhen, Common Circuits: Hacking Alternative Technological Futures (Stanford UP, 2025) explores a transnational network of hacker spaces that stand as potent, but often invisible, alternatives to the dominant technology industry. In what ways have hackers challenged corporate projects of digital development? How do hacker collectives prefigure more just technological futures through community projects? Luis Felipe R. Murillo responds to these urgent questions with an analysis of the hard challenges of collaborative, autonomous community-making through technical objects conceived by hackers as convivial, shared technologies. Through rich explorations of hacker space histories and biographical sketches of hackers who participate in them, Murillo describes the social and technical conditions that allowed for the creation of community projects such as anonymity and privacy networks to counter mass surveillance; community-made monitoring devices to measure radioactive contamination; and small-scale open hardware fabrication for the purposes of technological autonomy. Murillo shows how hacker collectives point us toward brighter technological futures—a renewal of the "digital commons"—where computing projects are constantly being repurposed for the common good. Mentioned in this episode: "Political Software: Mapping Digital Worlds from Below" Project Website here Luis Felipe R. Murillo is Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Faculty Fellow at the Notre Dame Technology Ethics Center at the University of Notre Dame. His work is dedicated to the study of computing from an anthropological perspective. Liliana Gil is Assistant Professor of Comparative Studies (STS) at The Ohio State University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

A digital world in relentless movement—from artificial intelligence to ubiquitous computing—has been captured and reinvented as a monoculture by Silicon Valley "big tech" and venture capital firms. Yet very little is discussed in the public sphere about existing alternatives. Based on long-term field research across San Francisco, Tokyo, and Shenzhen, Common Circuits: Hacking Alternative Technological Futures (Stanford UP, 2025) explores a transnational network of hacker spaces that stand as potent, but often invisible, alternatives to the dominant technology industry. In what ways have hackers challenged corporate projects of digital development? How do hacker collectives prefigure more just technological futures through community projects? Luis Felipe R. Murillo responds to these urgent questions with an analysis of the hard challenges of collaborative, autonomous community-making through technical objects conceived by hackers as convivial, shared technologies. Through rich explorations of hacker space histories and biographical sketches of hackers who participate in them, Murillo describes the social and technical conditions that allowed for the creation of community projects such as anonymity and privacy networks to counter mass surveillance; community-made monitoring devices to measure radioactive contamination; and small-scale open hardware fabrication for the purposes of technological autonomy. Murillo shows how hacker collectives point us toward brighter technological futures—a renewal of the "digital commons"—where computing projects are constantly being repurposed for the common good. Mentioned in this episode: "Political Software: Mapping Digital Worlds from Below" Project Website here Luis Felipe R. Murillo is Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Faculty Fellow at the Notre Dame Technology Ethics Center at the University of Notre Dame. His work is dedicated to the study of computing from an anthropological perspective. Liliana Gil is Assistant Professor of Comparative Studies (STS) at The Ohio State University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology

A digital world in relentless movement—from artificial intelligence to ubiquitous computing—has been captured and reinvented as a monoculture by Silicon Valley "big tech" and venture capital firms. Yet very little is discussed in the public sphere about existing alternatives. Based on long-term field research across San Francisco, Tokyo, and Shenzhen, Common Circuits: Hacking Alternative Technological Futures (Stanford UP, 2025) explores a transnational network of hacker spaces that stand as potent, but often invisible, alternatives to the dominant technology industry. In what ways have hackers challenged corporate projects of digital development? How do hacker collectives prefigure more just technological futures through community projects? Luis Felipe R. Murillo responds to these urgent questions with an analysis of the hard challenges of collaborative, autonomous community-making through technical objects conceived by hackers as convivial, shared technologies. Through rich explorations of hacker space histories and biographical sketches of hackers who participate in them, Murillo describes the social and technical conditions that allowed for the creation of community projects such as anonymity and privacy networks to counter mass surveillance; community-made monitoring devices to measure radioactive contamination; and small-scale open hardware fabrication for the purposes of technological autonomy. Murillo shows how hacker collectives point us toward brighter technological futures—a renewal of the "digital commons"—where computing projects are constantly being repurposed for the common good. Mentioned in this episode: "Political Software: Mapping Digital Worlds from Below" Project Website here Luis Felipe R. Murillo is Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Faculty Fellow at the Notre Dame Technology Ethics Center at the University of Notre Dame. His work is dedicated to the study of computing from an anthropological perspective. Liliana Gil is Assistant Professor of Comparative Studies (STS) at The Ohio State University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/science-technology-and-society

The discussion covers the evolving role of debt as an instrument of empire, the emergence of sovereign wealth funds, and the ways financial instruments and flows of money subtly shape political realities and people's lives in the region. Professor Elyachar discusses her latest book "On the Semicivilized: Coloniality, Finance, and Embodied Sovereignty in Cairo" and how she challenges the notion that global finance originated solely in the West. The conversation delves into the history of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and their role in economic development, particularly in "pushing debt as a form of development". A Professor of Anthropology at Princeton University whose work examines the intersection of finance, political economy, and the Arab world, Elyachar also shares her family's history as sarrafs (bankers/brokers) in Ottoman Palestine, and how this tradition sparked her interest in finance and economics. She also explains the historical legal category of the "semicivilized," a term used in international law to describe the Ottoman Empire and other non-European powers who were recognized as legitimate sovereigns. 01:13 Introduction 03:31 A Family History of Finance in Ottoman Palestine06:52 Fieldwork in Cairo: Informal Economy and Debt10:15 The Problem of NGOs and "NGOification"15:53 Debt As an Instrument of Empire23:28 Defining "Semicivilized"37:57 The Central Question: Finance and Violence50:12 The Rise of Sovereign Wealth Funds56:11 Turning Debt Into Assets Julia Elyachar is an anthropologist, political economist, and award winning author. She was trained in anthropology, economics, history of political and economic thought, political economy, social theory, Middle Eastern Studies, and Arabic language. She is an associate professor of anthropology at Princeton University, and associate professor at the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies. She is a Faculty Researcher with the Dignity and Debt network and serves on the Executive Boards of the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies, and the Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies. She has published the books "Markets of Dispossession: NGOs, Economic Development, and the State in Cairo" and "On the Semicivilized: Coloniality, Finance, and Embodied Sovereignty in Cairo" (2025).Connect with Julia Elyachar

BEST OF: With a reportedly historical peace agreement made in the Middle East war has been averted and the world will finally be a harmonious place to live for all people. Sure, if you believe in the framing of that narrative. Reality is much different. The so-called “peace” deal was only agreed upon for two major reason: one, the President had to ensure Israel would not break it, because this is all they have ever done to such agreements; and two, because Jared Kushner was the architect, the same guy who wants to build, with Trump, a resort in Gaza. At home it was Stephen Miller who is credited as the architect of a militarized police state, the same guy behind White House policy who said the President is now operating with “plenary authority,” total authoritarian rule. How naive are we? Within hours of the peace announcement, Israel was claiming its enemies were simply regrouping and that soon an American city may be in the crosshairs of a nuclear attack from Iran. This is just days after we were told that terrorists were going to dress like the Village People and bomb hospitals in the US. Since the President has been labeled a “savior” and “messiah” of the Jewish people by Mariam Adelson, it appears the plan is set. The peace will not last long and will be violated in a way that triggers a larger war. The nihilists will be unleashed, Christianity and Islam will go to war, and the Jewish state will fulfill their Talmudic prophecy about the antichrist; about non-Jews becoming servants of Jews. The push for Armageddon optics is so obvious and yet Christians tend to go along with it because what it implies for their own belief. The notion that America should invest only in Israel, ban other religions, and create a Judeo-Christian theocracy is a growing cancer. In this way, it appears that Jesus himself is the reason for the treason. Otherwise, one does not need Jesus or Christianity to have a safe, clean, high-trust, advanced society. When Jesus is weaponized, he becomes a destructive tool of conquest and control. *The is the FREE archive, which includes advertisements. If you want an ad-free experience, you can subscribe below.WEBSITEFREE ARCHIVE (w. ads)SUBSCRIPTION ARCHIVE-X / TWITTERFACEBOOKINSTAGRAMYOUTUBERUMBLE-BUY ME A COFFEECashApp: $rdgable PAYPAL: rdgable1991@gmail.comRyan's Books: https://thesecretteachings.info - EMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / rdgable1991@gmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-secret-teachings--5328407/support.

Ryan Gable hosts Ground Zero (December 12, 2025)*The is the FREE archive, which includes advertisements. If you want an ad-free experience, you can subscribe below underneath the show description.WEBSITEFREE ARCHIVE (w. ads)SUBSCRIPTION ARCHIVE-X / TWITTERFACEBOOKINSTAGRAMYOUTUBERUMBLE-BUY ME A COFFEECashApp: $rdgable PAYPAL: rdgable1991@gmail.comRyan's Books: https://thesecretteachings.info - EMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / rdgable1991@gmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-secret-teachings--5328407/support.

In this episode, hosts Chris and Mecca interview Dr. Cindi SturtzSreetharan about language decoding, why inclusive language matters for better science, the importance of clearly defining the terms we use, and how ethnographic methods help contextualize research. Dr. SturtzSreetharan is a President's Professor at the School of Human Evolution & Social Change at Arizona State University. She has a bachelor's degree in international relations from Willamette University, a master's in Asian studies from the University of Oregon, and a doctorate in Anthropology from the University of California at Davis. Her research interests center on a language-in-interaction approach to the construction of identities, including masculinity. Much of her earlier work focused on how Japanese men use language as a resource for creating, maintaining, or refuting a masculine identity. She has also worked on language use in reality TV shows, serial dramas, and film, focusing specifically on language and fatherhood. For the past decade, Dr. SturtzSreetharan has turned her attention to the intersection of language, the body, and medicine. Her current work is an investigation of metabolic syndrome in Japan, a so-called lifestyle condition that affects more men than women. She is particularly interested in the way that everyday, mundane language interactions contribute to the production of felt shame and stigma around body size, shape, and care. ------------------------------ Find the papers discussed in this episode: SturtzSreetharan, C.L & Shibamoto-Smith, J. It's not the language, it's us: Recommendations on what language can do and on what we as writers can do. American Journal of Human Biology 37(6): e70079 https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.70079 (2025) SturtzSreetharan, C.L., DuBois, L.Z., & Brewis, A. 2025. Defining and deploying gender/sex in human biology: Where are we? Where should we be? American Journal of Human Biology 37(6):e70093 https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.70093 (2025) ------------------------------ Contact Dr. SturtzSreetharan: cindi.sturtzsreetharan@asu.edu ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and the Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Chris Lynn, Co-Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: cdlynn@ua.edu, Twitter:@Chris_Ly Mecca Howe, Co-Host, HBA Fellow Email: howemecca@gmail.com, Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mecca-howe-phd-22a48173/

In episode four of ALGOpod, Gabriele de Seta welcomes Nick Seaver, Associate Professor in Anthropology and Director of the Science, Technology & Society program at Tufts University, to catch up on his recent ethnographic research on algorithms, computing and automation.

Exploring the entangled relationships between food, culture and society in India, this edited collection Food, Culture and Society in India: Social, Political, Economic and Cultural Perspectives (Berghahn Books, 2025) brings together empirically grounded research across diverse regions and contexts. Organised into four sections – Food, Culture and Identity; Food, Memory and Migration; Food, Livelihood and Nutrition; and Food, Consumption and Media – it highlights the complex role food plays in shaping identity, mobility, labour and representation. Drawing from a range of disciplinary perspectives, the volume contributes to broader conversations in sociology, social anthropology, international development, geography, cultural studies and food studies, offering a textured account of contemporary foodways and their significance in everyday Indian life. Dr. Tiatemsu Longkumer, Senior Lecturer in Anthropology at Royal Thimphu College, Bhutan, researches indigenous religion and Christianity among the Nagas, Buddhism in Bhutan, and Generative AI in education. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Exploring the entangled relationships between food, culture and society in India, this edited collection Food, Culture and Society in India: Social, Political, Economic and Cultural Perspectives (Berghahn Books, 2025) brings together empirically grounded research across diverse regions and contexts. Organised into four sections – Food, Culture and Identity; Food, Memory and Migration; Food, Livelihood and Nutrition; and Food, Consumption and Media – it highlights the complex role food plays in shaping identity, mobility, labour and representation. Drawing from a range of disciplinary perspectives, the volume contributes to broader conversations in sociology, social anthropology, international development, geography, cultural studies and food studies, offering a textured account of contemporary foodways and their significance in everyday Indian life. Dr. Tiatemsu Longkumer, Senior Lecturer in Anthropology at Royal Thimphu College, Bhutan, researches indigenous religion and Christianity among the Nagas, Buddhism in Bhutan, and Generative AI in education. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/food

A handful of videos on social media depict a recent gathering, reportedly in Georgia, where a group of people were gathered to chant “Atlanta” is “Atlantis.” Supposedly they were there to create an “energy vortex” in order to summon the spirit of Atlantis and reclaim the city for black people. What exactly is this supposed to mean?Atlanta was founded in 1837 as a railroad terminus originally named "Terminus,” because the city marked the end of the Western & Atlantic Railroad. It was renamed "Marthasville" in 1843 and then changed to "Atlanta" in 1845. Some believe the city name is a shorthand for “Atlantica,” as in the Atlantic Ocean. Others believe the city was named after Atalanta, a mythologized heroin known for her speed and independence (the wild boar hunt and race against her suitors) which were qualities of the growing rail hub that is Atlanta. The mythical land and concept of Atlantis in some ways even predates Plato, though he is credited with its story. Writing in his Timaeus and Critias Plato derived the Atlantis story from Solon, an Athenian lawmaker who learned of the same from an elderly priest in the land of Egypt at the Temple of Sais. At the time, around 630-560 BC, the records were already at least 8,000 years old. Reportedly a global cataclysm destroyed Atlantis sometime between 9,600 to 11,600 years ago. Later on Francis Bacon termed his ideal city the New Atlantis or Platonopolis. The timeframe noted by Plato places the destruction within the window of the Younger Dryas, 12,900 to 11,700 years ago (10,900-9,7000 BC). It's one thing to be unaware of seemingly lost, drowned or buried history, but another to be so shockingly unaware of basic mythology and recent local history. It is understandable so many are disenfranchised by the lies and ego of mainline historical narratives, but the turn to Q-Anon, Flat Earth, Tataria, and World Fair conspiracies appears to be another layer of disinformation rather than the truth. The “Atlanta is Atlantis” video exemplifies a growing stupidity about human history. *The is the FREE archive, which includes advertisements. If you want an ad-free experience, you can subscribe below.WEBSITEFREE ARCHIVE (w. ads)SUBSCRIPTION ARCHIVE-X / TWITTERFACEBOOKINSTAGRAMYOUTUBERUMBLE-BUY ME A COFFEECashApp: $rdgable PAYPAL: rdgable1991@gmail.comRyan's Books: https://thesecretteachings.info - EMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / rdgable1991@gmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-secret-teachings--5328407/support.

Ryan Gable hosts Ground Zero (December 8, 2025)*The is the FREE archive, which includes advertisements. If you want an ad-free experience, you can subscribe below underneath the show description.WEBSITEFREE ARCHIVE (w. ads)SUBSCRIPTION ARCHIVE-X / TWITTERFACEBOOKINSTAGRAMYOUTUBERUMBLE-BUY ME A COFFEECashApp: $rdgable PAYPAL: rdgable1991@gmail.comRyan's Books: https://thesecretteachings.info - EMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / rdgable1991@gmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-secret-teachings--5328407/support.

******Support the channel******Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenterPayPal: paypal.me/thedissenterPayPal Subscription 1 Dollar: https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuyPayPal Subscription 3 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9lPayPal Subscription 5 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpzPayPal Subscription 10 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9mPayPal Subscription 20 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao ******Follow me on******Website: https://www.thedissenter.net/The Dissenter Goodreads list: https://shorturl.at/7BMoBFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/Twitter: https://x.com/TheDissenterYT This show is sponsored by Enlites, Learning & Development done differently. Check the website here: http://enlites.com/ Dr. Peter Turchin is Emeritus Professor at the University of Connecticut in the departments of ecology and evolutionary biology, anthropology, and mathematics. He is a project leader at the Complexity Science Hub Vienna and a research associate at the School of Anthropology at the University of Oxford. He is a complexity scientist who works in the field of historical social science that he and his colleagues call cliodynamics. He is the author of books like War and Peace and War, Ages of Discord, Ultrasociety, End Times, and The Great Holocene Transformation. In this episode, we start by talking about what causes political communities to cohere, and what causes the collapse of complex societies. We discuss the phenomenon of elite overproduction, its social and political consequences, and modern elite overproduction since the late 1970s. We talk about social unrest in the US and Western Europe in the current decade. Finally, we discuss whether violence is inevitable, and how we can solve elite overproduction in a non-violent way.--A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: PER HELGE LARSEN, BERNARDO SEIXAS, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, COLIN HOLBROOK, PHIL KAVANAGH, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, FERGAL CUSSEN, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, ROMAIN ROCH, YANICK PUNTER, CHARLOTTE BLEASE, NICOLE BARBARO, ADAM HUNT, PAWEL OSTASZEWSKI, NELLEKE BAK, GUY MADISON, GARY G HELLMANN, SAIMA AFZAL, ADRIAN JAEGGI, PAULO TOLENTINO, JOÃO BARBOSA, JULIAN PRICE, HEDIN BRØNNER, FRANCA BORTOLOTTI, GABRIEL PONS CORTÈS, URSULA LITZCKE, SCOTT, ZACHARY FISH, TIM DUFFY, SUNNY SMITH, JON WISMAN, WILLIAM BUCKNER, LUKE GLOWACKI, GEORGIOS THEOPHANOUS, CHRIS WILLIAMSON, PETER WOLOSZYN, DAVID WILLIAMS, DIOGO COSTA, ALEX CHAU, CORALIE CHEVALLIER, BANGALORE ATHEISTS, LARRY D. LEE JR., OLD HERRINGBONE, MICHAEL BAILEY, DAN SPERBER, ROBERT GRESSIS, JEFF MCMAHAN, JAKE ZUEHL, MARK CAMPBELL, TOMAS DAUBNER, LUKE NISSEN, KIMBERLY JOHNSON, JESSICA NOWICKI, LINDA BRANDIN, VALENTIN STEINMANN, ALEXANDER HUBBARD, BR, JONAS HERTNER, URSULA GOODENOUGH, DAVID PINSOF, SEAN NELSON, MIKE LAVIGNE, JOS KNECHT, LUCY, MANVIR SINGH, PETRA WEIMANN, CAROLA FEEST, MAURO JÚNIOR, 航 豊川, TONY BARRETT, NIKOLAI VISHNEVSKY, STEVEN GANGESTAD, TED FARRIS, HUGO B., JAMES, JORDAN MANSFIELD, CHARLOTTE ALLEN, PETER STOYKO, DAVID TONNER, LEE BECK, PATRICK DALTON-HOLMES, NICK KRASNEY, RACHEL ZAK, DENNIS XAVIER, CHINMAYA BHAT, AND RHYS!A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, TOM VANEGDOM, BERNARD HUGUENEY, CURTIS DIXON, BENEDIKT MUELLER, THOMAS TRUMBLE, KATHRINE AND PATRICK TOBIN, JONCARLO MONTENEGRO, NICK GOLDEN, CHRISTINE GLASS, IGOR NIKIFOROVSKI, AND PER KRAULIS!AND TO MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS, MATTHEW LAVENDER,SERGIU CODREANU, AND GREGORY HASTINGS!

Rae and Mark Davis are historians/presenters who give talks on Civil War Surgeon Jonathan Letterman, the "Father of Modern Military Medicine," known for revolutionizing battlefield care with organized ambulance corps and triage systems, a topic they've presented on at historical venues like the Gold Hill Hotel & Saloon. Their presentations highlight Letterman's innovations, such as the triage system and field hospitals, which are still relevant in modern emergency medicine. Their Work and Expertise Lectures and Presentations: The Davises give presentations at various historical venues, discussing how Letterman's Civil War achievements continue to influence modern civilian emergency medicine. Exhibits: Their talks often feature displays of original and reproduction Civil War medical instruments, medicines, and weaponry. Documentary: They are currently producing a documentary film about Surgeon Letterman's life and impact. Background: Rae Davis has a B.A. in history and extensive experience in Civil War living history groups, while Mark Davis has a degree in Anthropology; both are long-time residents of Calaveras County, California. About Jonathan Letterman Jonathan Letterman (1824–1872) was the Medical Director of the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. He implemented groundbreaking changes to the medical system that saved countless lives, including: Establishing the first organized ambulance corps. Developing a functional field hospital system and a method of triage for casualties. Pioneering hygiene and diet standards to improve troop health and readiness. His system for battlefield care remains the foundation for modern military and emergency medical services. After the war, Letterman moved to San Francisco, where he served as the chief coroner. A large military hospital at the Presidio in San Francisco was later named Letterman General Hospital in his honor. This episode, and all of our work, is made possible by our Patrons. Become one today and make us work more! www.patreon.com/addressinggettysburg

In this episode of the Mad Rush Podcast, host Trisha Addicks interviews Stephanie Troxler, a self-taught watercolor artist and pattern designer. Stephanie shares her journey from working as a dental hygienist to becoming a full-time artist, a transition fueled by the pandemic. Stephanie explains how she began her art career with hand-painted champagne bottles, launched Little Blue Designs in 2021, and achieved significant milestones like partnering with major brands such as Southern Tide and Anthropology. The episode also delves into Stephanie's experiences with the alumni initiation program of Pi Beta Phi and her dynamic approach to balancing professional growth with family life. A must-listen for anyone interested in creative career pivots and the power of connections.

Amy is joined by author Naima Brown to discuss her newest novel, Mother Tongue, exploring the consequences of change, finding our authentic selves, motherhood, right-wing radicalization, and the importance of fiction in our fight against patriarchy.Donate to Breaking Down PatriarchyNaima Brown holds degrees in Middle Eastern Studies, Anthropology and Religious Studies. Her essays have appeared in Vogue Australia, the Guardian Australia, and more. She wrote, along with Melissa Doyle, the non-fiction book How to Age Against the Machine. She has spent over a decade working in news, current affairs and documentary - save for her brief stint in reality TV, which inspired her first novel, The Shot. She was born and raised in Northern California before living and working in Yemen and Afghanistan, and now lives in New South Wales with her husband and her dog. Her second novel, Mother Tongue, was published in March 2025.

As global powers double down on militarism and defense, Daniel Zoughbie argues that the most transformative force in the Middle East has always come from citizen diplomacy. A complex-systems scientist and diplomatic historian, Zoughbie joins Mark Labberton to explore how twelve U.S. presidents have "kicked the hornet's nest" of the modern Middle East. Drawing on his work in global health and his new book Kicking the Hornet's Nest: U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East from Truman to Trump, Zoughbie contrasts the view from refugee camps and microclinic networks with the view from the Oval Office, arguing that American security rests on a three-legged stool of defense, diplomacy, and development. He explains why Gerald Ford stands out as the lone president who truly leveraged diplomacy, how the Marshall Plan model of enlightened self-interest can guide policy now, and why nationalism, not mere economics, lies at the heart of Gaza's future. Throughout, he presses listeners toward "citizen diplomacy" that resists pride, militarism, and fatalism. Episode Highlights "We've constantly ignored diplomacy." " You don't have to be enemies with people to get them to do what is in their own self-interest." "You can build skyscrapers in Gaza. You can build the Four Seasons in Gaza and it's not going to work. You're just going to have another war until you address that core issue of nationalism." "These three Ds defense diplomacy development are the three legged stool of American security and we know how important diplomacy and development are." "From Truman to Trump, only one president, and that is Gerald Ford, surprisingly the only unelected president, gets this right." "Pride—national pride, the pride of any one individual—is toxic. It's toxic to the individual. It's toxic to the nation. It's toxic to the world." "Foreign policymaking is not just something for secretaries of state and those in power. All of us in a democracy have a role to play." Helpful Links and Resources Kicking the Hornet's Nest: U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East from Truman to Trump https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Kicking-the-Hornets-Nest/Daniel-E-Zoughbie/9781668085226 American University of Beirut (founded as Syrian Protestant College), a key example of long-term educational diplomacy https://www.aub.edu.lb Al-Ahli Arab (Gaza Baptist) Hospital in Gaza City https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Ahli_Arab_Hospital Max Weber, "Politics as a Vocation" https://open.oregonstate.education/sociologicaltheory/chapter/politics-as-a-vocation About Daniel Zoughbie Daniel E. Zoughbie is a complex-systems scientist, historian, and expert on presidential decision-making. He is associate project scientist at UC Berkeley's Institute of International Studies, a faculty affiliate of the UCSF/UCB Center for Global Health Delivery, Diplomacy, and Economics, and principal investigator of the Middle East and North Africa Diplomacy, Development, and Defense Initiative. He is the author of Kicking the Hornet's Nest: U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East from Truman to Trump and of Indecision Points: George W. Bush and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. His award-winning research has appeared in journals such as PLOS Medicine, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and Social Science and Medicine. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of UC Berkeley, he studied at Oxford on a Marshall Scholarship and completed his doctorate there as a Weidenfeld Scholar. Show Notes Middle East Background and Microclinic Origins Daniel Zoughbie recalls visiting the Middle East as a child—"frankly horrified" by what he saw UC Berkeley protests over the Iraq War and post-9/11 U.S. policy in the region Metabolic disease and type 2 diabetes as an overlooked "greatest killer in the region." Neighbors in the West Bank sharing food, medicine, and blood-pressure cuffs—leads to the "micro clinic" concept Good health behaviors, like bad ones and even violence, can be contagious through social networks Social Networks, Anthropology, and Security Social anthropology, political science, and international relations Medical problems as simultaneously biological and sociological problems Understanding Middle East security demands attention to decisions "at the very bottom" as well as "the view from above" October 7 and 9/11 illustrate how small groups of people can "change the world with their decisions." Complex Systems and Foreign Policy Complexity is always increasing, and diplomacy and development exist to slow it down. Definition of "complex system": as one where many inputs produce outcomes that cannot be reduced to single causes. "We almost have a new law here, which is that complexity is always increasing in the universe. And the role of diplomacy and development, as I see it in international relations, is to slow things down. It's to stop complexity from advancing so that people have time to cool their tempers and to solve major security crises." Type 2 diabetes as a model for thinking about how city planning, economics, relationships, and habits interact He applies that lens to international relations: nations, leaders, institutions, and history form a "cascade of complexity." From Refugee Camps to Presidential Palaces George Shultz and Tony Blair: decision-makers as "real human beings," not abstractions Theological and ideological forces—such as certain apocalyptic readings of scripture—that shape U.S. foreign policy Gnosticism and eschatology within American right-wing Christianity Painstaking global health work on the ground and sweeping decisions made in Washington, Brussels, or New York Twelve Presidents and One Exception Kicking the Hornet's Nest: analysis of twelve presidents from Truman to Trump through the lens of Middle East decision-making Core claim: Only Gerald Ford truly rebalanced the three Ds of defense, diplomacy, and development. U.S. policy in the Levant: heavy reliance on militarism, coups, and covert actions while underinvesting in diplomacy and development Claim: "Far better alternatives were on the table" for every administration, yet consistently passed over. Gerald Ford, Kissinger, and the Path to Peace Daniel contends that the 1967 and 1973 wars were both preventable and nearly became global nuclear catastrophes. Ford inherits the presidency amid Watergate and national division, but keeps Henry Kissinger at State. Ford presses Israel and Egypt toward serious negotiations, empowering Kissinger's shuttle diplomacy and personal ties. A sharply worded letter threatening to "reconsider" the U.S.–Israel relationship Ford's diplomacy and the development of Camp David and the enduring Egypt–Israel peace based on "land for peace." Pride, Personality, and Presidential Failure Did Ford's temperament keep him from making himself the center of the story? In contrast, many presidents and other leaders write themselves "thickly" into the narrative of the conflict. Pride—personal and national—as a toxic force that repeatedly undermines U.S. policy The Iraq War and democracy-promotion agenda and the self-defeating nature of moralistic, militarized crusades Marshall Plan and Enlightened Self-Interest George Marshall and harsh punishment after World War I helped produce Nazi Germany The Marshall Plan models an "enlightened way of viewing the American self-interest": rebuilding Europe and Japan to secure U.S. security. He contrasts that with the neglect of the Levant, where aid and institution-building never matched military activism. Marshall's genius lies in locating the intersection between others' deepest needs and American capabilities. Militarism, Iran, and Nuclear Risk Recent U.S.–Israel–Iran confrontation as an "extremely dangerous moment"—with 60 percent enriched uranium unaccounted for JCPOA as an imperfect but effective diplomatic achievement, but dismantled in favor of militarism Claim: Bombing Iran scattered nuclear material and increased complexity rather than reducing the threat. He warns that one nuclear device could be delivered by low-tech means—a boat or helicopter—endangering civilians and U.S. forces in the Gulf. The only realistic path forward: renewed multilateral diplomacy between U.S., Israel, Iran, Russia, China, Pakistan, India, and regional actors Ethical Realism and Max Weber "Ethical realism"—Max Weber's distinction between the ethic of the gospel and the ethic of responsibility Statespeople bear responsibility for using force, yet the greatest can still say "here I stand and I can do no other." Claim: True leadership seeks a higher ethic where national interest aligns with genuine concern for others. Gaza, Nationalism, and Two States Welcoming the end of active war between Israel and Hamas and critiquing reconstruction plans that ignore politics Conflict is fundamentally nationalist: a struggle for self-determination by both Jewish and Palestinian peoples Claim: Economic development without a credible political horizon will not prevent "another October 7th and another terrible war." In his view, only partition of mandatory Palestine into two states can meet legitimate self-determination claims. For example, "You can build skyscrapers in Gaza… and it's not going to work" without addressing nationalism. Citizen Diplomacy and a Better Way Foreign policy is not only the work of secretaries of state; democratic citizens have responsibilities. American University of Beirut and the Gaza Baptist Hospital as fruits of citizen diplomacy Claim: Educational and medical institutions can change lives more profoundly and durably than military campaigns. Redirecting resources from bombs to universities and hospitals to reduce the need for future military interventions An invitation to citizen diplomacy: informed voting, sustained attention, and creative engagement for a more just peace Production Credits Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment Magazine and Fuller Seminary.  

Dr. Adam Gamwell returns to Trending in Education to explore the evolving collision of anthropology, artificial intelligence, and the human experience. Since his last appearance in 2019, the technological landscape has seen seismic transformations—from the pandemic to the explosion of generative AI. Host Mike Palmer and Adam discuss why the anthropological imagination is more critical than ever for navigating these changes. Adam details his transition from predicting trends to actively building AI tools with his organizations, Anthrocurious and Clueful. He argues that anthropologists must move beyond critique and become makers to ensure human context remains central to technological development. The conversation spans the fragmentation of modern culture, the "Prometheus moment" of AI adoption, and the challenge of maintaining epistemic security in an era of digital exhaust and "AI slop." Mike and Adam also tackle the personal side of the equation: parenting and education. They discuss the atrophy of critical thinking skills, the insights Western parents can learn from Maya and Inuit child-rearing practices, and the importance of designing "socio-petal" technologies that bring people together rather than driving them apart. Key Takeaways: Anthropologists as Builders: Adam emphasizes the need for social scientists to get their hands dirty with code. By moving from pure critique to "vibe coding" and software development, anthropologists can bake human context and ethics into AI tools from the ground up. The Fragmentation of Culture: The internet and algorithmic feeds have fractured the monoculture into isolated microcultures. Understanding this landscape requires using the very tools—AI and large-scale data analysis—that helped create the fragmentation in the first place. Critical Thinking as Muscle Memory: Just as language acquisition changes after age five, critical thinking is a skill that can atrophy without practice. Over-reliance on generative AI in education risks weakening the cognitive muscles students need to evaluate truth and context. Ancient Wisdom for Modern Parenting: Adam and Mike discuss the book Hunt, Gather, Parent and how indigenous practices of patience and autonomy offer a counter-narrative to the high-control, high-anxiety style of Western parenting in a digital age. Why You Should Listen: This episode offers a refreshing departure from the standard "robots will take our jobs" narrative. Instead, it provides a grounded, human-centric framework for understanding how we co-evolve with our tools. Whether you are an educator worried about AI plagiarism, a parent navigating screen time, or a tech enthusiast interested in how "thick data" can improve large language models, Adam's insights bridge the gap between high-level academic theory and the practical realities of daily life. If you enjoy this conversation, please like, follow, and share Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts. Timestamps: [00:00] Intro and welcome back to Dr. Adam Gamwell. [02:40] From predicting the future to building software: Anthropology meets AI. [07:45] Robots, agentic AI, and keeping humans in the loop. [11:00] Taste, community, and the human elements AI cannot automate. [13:30] Cultural fragmentation and the challenge of sensemaking. [21:10] The atrophy of critical thinking and the "training wheels" problem. [27:00] Parenting in the digital age: Lessons from Hunt, Gather, Parent. [34:00] "Socio-petal" vs. "Socio-fugal" technologies: Designing for connection. [36:00] Mindshare and Klu: Making academic research accessible to business. [41:00] Conclusion and takeaways.

CW: abortionMary B is joined by Dr. Sara Moslener to discuss her new book After Purity: Race, Sex, and Religion in White Christian America. Moslener traces her journey from a high school defender of purity culture to a scholar with a nuanced understanding of how the myth of purity has helped mask elements of white supremacy as Christian values. She reflects on the power of myth as a storytelling tool that — depending on its intent — can yield positive or harmful results. Mary B relates this to the ways myths are being used by the most powerful in this country to attack trans folks. Moselener urges that although much of her research is from the point of view of white women, sexual purity must be considered in an intersectional way. Sara J. Moslener (she/her) is a lecturer in the Department of Philosophy, Anthropology, and Religion at Central Michigan University. She is the author of Virgin Nation: Sexual Purity and American Adolescence and creator of the podcast Pure White: Sexual Purity and White Supremacy. She lives in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, with her best friend and soulmate, Gibson the Chug.You can get After Purity wherever you buy books. Follow Sara on Substack at afterpurity.substack.com. Join the Found Family crew over on Substack and get your free copy of the Found Family Cheat Sheet! Support the show

This weekend was the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack, an event few call a "surprise" anymore considering the evidence it was provoked and desired to launch the U.S. into WWII. Interestingly, according to Popular Mechanics, UAP czar Luis Elizondo was investigating the UFO subject to "prevent another... Pearl Harbor." This reminds us of the PNAC report on Rebuilding America's Defences, which was thought to be unlikely fulfilled short of a "catastrophic and catalyzing event - like a new Pearl Harbor." Then, President Bush wrote in the White House daily log, "The Pearl Harbor of the 21st Century took place today." Could the "threat" of the UAP be used as an excuse to reorder society again? If there is any “alien” technology, perhaps it is hidden behind a veil of confusion; perhaps it is AI, something its engineers can build but not fully understand?*The is the FREE archive, which includes advertisements. If you want an ad-free experience, you can subscribe below.WEBSITEFREE ARCHIVE (w. ads)SUBSCRIPTION ARCHIVE-X / TWITTERFACEBOOKINSTAGRAMYOUTUBERUMBLE-BUY ME A COFFEECashApp: $rdgable PAYPAL: rdgable1991@gmail.comRyan's Books: https://thesecretteachings.info - EMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / rdgable1991@gmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-secret-teachings--5328407/support.