Podcasts about ben how

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you considering fostering but are concerned about how it impacts the kids already living in your home? Join us for a conversation with Michelle Snyder, a foster, adoptive, and bio mom, and her son, Ben, to hear their stories of fostering and how it impacted their family. They are co-authors of Beyond Blood: How Being a Foster Brother Shattered My World and Rebuilt It.In this episode, we discuss:Ben - How old were you when your parents sat you down to talk about fostering?Do you remember how it felt to consider that a child could not safely live with his or her family?What do you remember about the time when your family was preparing, taking classes, getting licensed, etc.?Michelle - When you and your husband felt the desire to begin fostering, what were your biggest concerns?What considerations about fostering gave you pause, considering you had two young kids already in your home?How did you and your husband handle those concerns or issues?Ben - Can you briefly share the story of your family's first placement? We'd love to also hear how you think it impacted you and what you took from that experience for the coming placements. Ben - What are some of the benefits or advantages you have seen in your development to young adulthood that you can directly trace to being part of this fostering and adoption journey?Character traits your family developed as you faced those challenges. Can you share a short example for a couple of them?Compassion PerseveranceAbility to Adapt/ChangePerspectiveBen's diagnoses (“twice exceptional”):What did you learn about yourself in that process?How do you feel your unique combination of diagnoses equipped you well for being a foster brother? Saying no to a placementLearning how to say no when you know it's not the right time or circumstance to say yes to a foster placement? How did you develop that skill?Ben, what did you learn from your parents over the years about the value of knowing when to say yes, and when it's okay to say no?The value of respite for your family and offering it to other foster familiesWhat practical tips can families implement to prepare for a new placement of a foster, newly adopted, or relative child in their home?Support the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Episode 128:  Healthy Lifestyle Challenge Kick-offIn this episode, Stef and Ben get us excited to kick off 2024 with a challenge. We want to make 2024 the best year yet so we are helping everyone have better habits.  Check out all the highlights  below: Stef is too cool for Ben How we are kicking 2024 with a challenge Building healthy habits  How our challenge is the best The fun and accountability of the challenge Who should do the challenge? How you can win prizes Fitness bingo card fun How pull-ups make you more fit How we measure body composition When is the challenge?  Come to the kick-off meeting Saturday 6 January at 10 am Hopefully, this podcast gets you excited to join our healthy habits challenge. If you want to learn more about the challenge, then reach out to your favorite coaches. See you at the kick-off meeting Have a listen, and as always give us some feedback and ask us questions!

Highlights from the conversation:How Ben's podcast came to be (8:31)Using Notion to take notes (11:18)Scripting a podcast episode (14:52)The future of Ben's podcast (19:00)The best outcomes of content creation (21:08)Content trends (28:00)Links & Resources:Content Is for Closers YouTube ChannelKeep up with Ben:How to Take Over the World podcast: https://www.httotw.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenWilsonTweets* Want to be featured in a future episode? Drop your question/comment/criticism/love here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/content-is-for-closers/id1280589855* Support the pod by spreading the word. Use this link to share: www.contentisforclosers.com* Have you joined our private email group yet? Go to https://getheard.substack.com/ and join 300+ other content marketers & entrepreneurs scheming up ideas.

Welcome to another episode of "Ask Gary Anything." This is where you, the audience, get to send in your questions about anything, and I will answer them. That is right, you heard it... anything, because that is how I roll! On a fairly regular basis I pick questions sent to me from my ever growing list, and answer them on this podcast.   Want LIVE videos, early access to my podcasts and 100% ad free recordings? Only $4.99/mo! Become A Member Join Now – INstant access! https://vimeo.com/705206762 If you want to have your question (s) considered, simply fill out the contact form on my website www.thesimplelifenow.com, or better yet become a member of "The Simple Life Insider's Circle" link is at the bottom of the show notes. Today, we have some great questions: (Ben) How does "wild fermentation" (kraut, pickling, kimchi, etc) fit into a paleo/primal lifestyle? Do you have any endorsement or critique of the nutritional claims of the typical fermentation enthusiast?(Kristy P) What is one band you wish you could have seen in concert? (any reason…you were too young/weren't born, the band is broken up, they are still around but past their prime…)(Tom G) What are some of your favorite exercises you do to stay in shape? Episode Resources: * Support The Simple Life Podcast and enjoy it ad free by being a member and subscriber at: https://thesimplelifenow.com/register/the-simple-life-membership/ Show Sponsors which helps keep this show free! *Use special promo code WATPVT15 with link below for We The People Holsters and get 15% off your order!  * Use special promo code AFFILTRX15 with the link below for TRX Training Systems and get 15% off your order! https://thesimplelifenow.com/wethepeople/https://thesimplelifenow.com/mitoredlight/https://thesimplelifenow.com/relaxsaunas/https://thesimplelifenow.com/mypatriotsupply/https://thesimplelifenow.com/trx-training/https://thesimplelifenow.com/acre-gold/https://thesimplelifenow.com/berkeyfilters/https://thesimplelifenow.com/wholelattelove/https://thesimplelifenow.com/kuiu/ * Or you can see all the show sponsors in one convenient place here: https://thesimplelifenow.com/sponsors/ * See what Gary is reading and his recommended reading list here: https://thesimplelifenow.com/reading/ Donate to The Simple Life cause: https://thesimplelifenow.com/product-category/consulting/#donateWhere to send your questions: contact@thesimplelifenow.com The Simple Life Rumble page: https://rumble.com/user/TheSimpleLifeThe Simple Life Website: https://www.thesimplelifenow.com Make sure to signup and be a member of The Simple Life Insider's Circle at: https://www.thesimplelifenow.com/the-simple-life/

Joe Kinder is one of the hardest-working route developers in North America. We talked about his recent ascent of ‘Kinder Cakes' 5.15a in Rifle, CO,  putting up routes in mediocre rock, leaving a legacy through route development, his love of projecting, current training approach, fashion influences, creating LOV, and his experience with cancellation and rebuilding a new life.Check out Chalk Cartel:charkcartel.comUse code "NUGGET" at checkout for 20% off your next order!Support the Podcast:thenuggetclimbing.com/supportWe are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Bryan Fast, Leo FranchiBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/joe-kinderNuggets:6:50 – Clipping chains, Joe's goals for his trip to Rifle, and the Wicked Cave11:01 – Putting up routes in mediocre rock14:54 – The responsibility and reward of putting up routes, and leaving a legacy18:16 – Establishing vs. FAing a route, and keeping routes open vs. red-tagging22:14 – “It's a case-to-case scenario.”24:55 – Putting up hard vs. moderate routes, giving back, and being surprised by the difficulty of new lines27:33 – The emotional rollercoaster of projecting, how Joe and I met, and his love of climbing33:04 – Climbing as a drug addiction34:57 – My “addicty” behavior, and why Joe finds Jonathan Siegrist fascinating38:31 – The ebbs and flows, breaks, and comebacks43:59 – Embracing the plan B's of life44:56 – Lessons from finger injuries49:18 – The Skull Cave, and how ‘Diarrhea Mouth' got its name52:29 – ‘Kinder Cakes', proposing grades, and picking limit projects in your style58:20 – Breakdown of ‘Kinder Cakes', the send, and those special moments1:03:46 – The days after ‘Kinder Cakes', and needing to work1:06:16 – Sushi celebration1:07:25 – How ‘Kinder Cakes' stacks up against Joe's other hardest routes, and “we do what we can”1:09:05 – Joe's early climbing in New England, and the project-focused approach1:11:18 – Joe's first experience with training, and planning his year around the Rifle project1:13:39 – Getting training ideas from Eric Horst, Patxi Usobiaga, and developing his own program1:16:37 – ‘Activator', watching Cam repeat ‘Bone Tomahawk', and Joe's year leading up to ‘Kinder Cakes'1:23:47 – Purchasing strength, Joe's outdoor vs. indoor balance, and more about the ‘Goonies' project1:28:29 – The ‘Bone Tomahawk' extension project1:31:47 – How Joe trained for ‘Kinder Cakes' (month 1)1:41:31 – Training as a callus, and taking your time to build it up1:41:46 – How Joe trained for ‘Kinder Cakes' (month 2)1:44:55 – Thoughts about in-season strength maintenance1:46:37 – Keeping an open mind, dropping the ego, and lessons from the Spaniards1:50:10 – “Always try shit.”1:50:39 – Who Joe looks up to in climbing1:53:38 – The current era of pro climbing, and how pro climbing has evolved1:57:01 – Stories, podcasting, and creating balance2:00:25 – Joe's movies, LOV as a creative outlet1:04:55 – How LOV (Life of Villains) got its name, and rooting for the villains in movies2:07:25 – More about LOV (the brand), and collaborations with non-profits2:12:07 – Patron Question from Devon: How do you pick athletes for the LOV shirts, and can you make a replica of the Bruce Lee shirt that Josune is wearing in her photo?2:14:57 – Fashion influences, confidence, my bleached hair, and Joe's nicknames for me2:20:42 – Patron Question from Ben: How does Joe's experience climbing on established routes differ from FA's?2:23:02 – Patron Question from Simon: Who has Joe drawn inspiration from outside of the sport of climbing?2:25:05 – Graffiti2:28:03 – Joe's experience with cancelation2:42:09 – My thoughts about Joe and him rebuilding a new life2:47:45 – Thanks and an apology2:48:07 – Gratitude and appreciation2:50:01 – Support mode, then on to the next

Have you ever said YES to a dinner, event or coffee meet up when you absolutely do NOT want to go? You literally regret the word YES before you even finish the sentence. Why is that? Why do we allow ourselves to commit to things we have 0 interest in being at? Is it that hard to say the word “no”? If so - what's holding us back from saying it more often than not? Are we afraid to let people down? Are we afraid of the all mighty FOMO? Today I was to discuss the importance of learning to say NO when or gut resists an opportunity. By doing so, we create space for ourselves to say YES to opportunities that truly do excite us. Our time is limited, there are only so many hours in the day and we must be cautious with how we spend our time. Let's stop dishing out our precious, valuable time to anyone & everyone and lets instead be extremely mindful with where we spend it. Four principles for saying NO (1) Say YES Only If It Excites You : We must learn to say NO to events & opportunities that don't excite us so that we have the space to say YES to the ones that do. (2) Create Space For Yourself : We must learn to say NO so that we can create space to have our alone time to relax, reset & reflect. (3) We're The Manager Of Our Time : Nobody controls where we spend our time except for us. (4) Excuses Are Not Needed : When we say NO to something, we don't need to provide any excuse as to why. If people pressure us, simply tell them you're busy focusing on yourself.   Challenge for the listeners What have you committed to recently that you should have said NO to? If there's something & it's coming up, I want you to back out of the plans immediately. Text / call the person and let them know something has come up and you can't make it. As simple as that. If your plate is clear as of now, I really challenge you from this moment moving forward to only say YES to events + opportunities that truthfully excite you. Questions from the Stay Dialed In Community Dasha : The importance of boundaries + Alyssa : Work boundaries Ben : How do you tell family no & that you need to focus, when you are usually relied on for so much? Elsa : How to say no to my friend when they ask me to go out without looking like an annoying person? Manu : The difference between being assertive and being aggressive Pod review of the week Swammer123   Want to add fuel to the rocket? Help support this podcast by contributing $5 per month to our Patreon page! Patreon.com/Bobbbaaay   Got a topic / question you want me to cover? Hit me UP on IG @Bobbbaaaay Sign up for the Stay Dialed In Newsletter! You wanna help blow this podcast up? GREAT! Here's how: Leave a 5 star review on the podcast app with your hot take of the show Share out the episode on your IG story tagging me @Bobbbaaaay —- Follow The Bearded Man! Instagram : @Bobbbaaaay YouTube : @BobbyHobert Twitter : @Bobbbaaaay Website : ItsTheBeardedMan.com

Ben: Hey let's talk about some like celebrities you like, or someone you know.Hana: Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah. My favorite singer is Taylor Swift.Ben: Really?Hana: Mm-hmm.Ben: Wow, why do you like Taylor Swift?Hana: First I like her songs, but mainly I like her look you know. That red lips and white skin and blonde hair. Kind of typical American.Ben: Albino, yeah.Hana: When I saw her for the first time I was like, "Wow, she's gorgeous."Ben: Wait you mean, you saw her picture on the internet or in the news or you saw her in concert?Hana: No, I think it was on YouTube. Again, YouTube.Ben: YouTube, okay.Hana: Yes she was, at that time she was still singing like country music but yeah I thought she's amazing.Ben: I have an interesting fact about her actually.Hana: What?Ben: So apparently, she is from right outside of my hometown actually.Hana: Oh wow.Ben: Yeah that's where she was born and then she was doing music around there first and she got kind of big somehow. I don't know how. I'm not really interested in her.Hana: Okay.Ben: She's cute but I don't really like her music. But yeah that's where she got started somewhereby my hometown apparently.Hana: I mean she's like the typical woman figure you know? Girly style and nice skin and her movement and her songs is like girl, all American girl.Ben: That's true.Hana: So that's why I like her. How about you?Ben: I have a lot of bands that I like but I recently saw this movie that I really like. Do you know the actor, Edward Norton.Hana: No.Ben: He's getting really popular. He's been popular for awhile. He does all different types of movies like crime dramas, like action, thrillers, science fiction. He's very, how would you say, he can do many different types of roles.Hana: Right.Ben: So I recently saw, it's an old movie of his but it's called Fight Club. It's him and Brad Pitt. Have you heard of it?Hana: Maybe.Ben: Fight Club, yeah.Hana: I think I've seen it. I don't really remember.Ben: It's old. It's from like 1998, 1999 but it's still a really good film I think. I think if I was to talk about a celebrity that I liked definitely Edward Norton. His acting is really good I think.Hana: Is he English or is he American? Where's he from?Ben: He's from the U.S. Yeah he's American for sure. Yeah what about you? Do you have any actors or actresses that you like?Hana: Yes, my favorite actor is, oh gosh, I can't remember his name. You know the guy from-Ben: Maybe I can help you.Hana: Notting Hill. The guy from the Love Actually.Ben: Oh, he's that British guy.Hana: The British guy with you know the eyes.Ben: Hugh Grant.Hana: Hugh Grant yes. That's the guy. Yeah, I like him.Ben: Why? Can I ask? He's kind of like a romantic comedy star but why do you like his acting?Hana: He looks sweet.Ben: Okay so he looks sweet.Hana: I'm like Brad Pitt or other celebrity male celebrities, he's not like super handsome. He looks kind of ordinary guy and kind of makes me feel like nice.Ben: Okay.Hana: The clothes I guess.Ben: Yeah, yeah that's true. I don't think I've ever seen a movie with him.Hana: Have you ever seen? No?Ben: No, I'm just not like a ... You said he's in Love Actually, he's like a romantic comedy guy, right?Hana: Yes, yeah. I like-Ben: Romantic comedies. Oh really? What's your favorite romantic comedy?Hana: I can't think of any now. Probably romantic, yeah, Love Actually. Okay I can't think of anything now but how about you?Ben: How about me what?Hana: Do you like romantic comedies?Ben: No, not really. But there is one I do like it's called My Best Friend's Wedding.Hana: Okay.Ben: I believe Julia Roberts is in that one.Hana: Yeah.Ben: Do you know who she is?Hana: Yeah. She is famous, yeah.Ben: Yeah that's kind of a good ... That's like a 90's classic romantic comedy I think. Have you seen it?Hana: I think I have.Ben: Okay.Hana: Yeah, yeah I think so.

Ben: Hey let's talk about some like celebrities you like, or someone you know.Hana: Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah. My favorite singer is Taylor Swift.Ben: Really?Hana: Mm-hmm.Ben: Wow, why do you like Taylor Swift?Hana: First I like her songs, but mainly I like her look you know. That red lips and white skin and blonde hair. Kind of typical American.Ben: Albino, yeah.Hana: When I saw her for the first time I was like, "Wow, she's gorgeous."Ben: Wait you mean, you saw her picture on the internet or in the news or you saw her in concert?Hana: No, I think it was on YouTube. Again, YouTube.Ben: YouTube, okay.Hana: Yes she was, at that time she was still singing like country music but yeah I thought she's amazing.Ben: I have an interesting fact about her actually.Hana: What?Ben: So apparently, she is from right outside of my hometown actually.Hana: Oh wow.Ben: Yeah that's where she was born and then she was doing music around there first and she got kind of big somehow. I don't know how. I'm not really interested in her.Hana: Okay.Ben: She's cute but I don't really like her music. But yeah that's where she got started somewhereby my hometown apparently.Hana: I mean she's like the typical woman figure you know? Girly style and nice skin and her movement and her songs is like girl, all American girl.Ben: That's true.Hana: So that's why I like her. How about you?Ben: I have a lot of bands that I like but I recently saw this movie that I really like. Do you know the actor, Edward Norton.Hana: No.Ben: He's getting really popular. He's been popular for awhile. He does all different types of movies like crime dramas, like action, thrillers, science fiction. He's very, how would you say, he can do many different types of roles.Hana: Right.Ben: So I recently saw, it's an old movie of his but it's called Fight Club. It's him and Brad Pitt. Have you heard of it?Hana: Maybe.Ben: Fight Club, yeah.Hana: I think I've seen it. I don't really remember.Ben: It's old. It's from like 1998, 1999 but it's still a really good film I think. I think if I was to talk about a celebrity that I liked definitely Edward Norton. His acting is really good I think.Hana: Is he English or is he American? Where's he from?Ben: He's from the U.S. Yeah he's American for sure. Yeah what about you? Do you have any actors or actresses that you like?Hana: Yes, my favorite actor is, oh gosh, I can't remember his name. You know the guy from-Ben: Maybe I can help you.Hana: Notting Hill. The guy from the Love Actually.Ben: Oh, he's that British guy.Hana: The British guy with you know the eyes.Ben: Hugh Grant.Hana: Hugh Grant yes. That's the guy. Yeah, I like him.Ben: Why? Can I ask? He's kind of like a romantic comedy star but why do you like his acting?Hana: He looks sweet.Ben: Okay so he looks sweet.Hana: I'm like Brad Pitt or other celebrity male celebrities, he's not like super handsome. He looks kind of ordinary guy and kind of makes me feel like nice.Ben: Okay.Hana: The clothes I guess.Ben: Yeah, yeah that's true. I don't think I've ever seen a movie with him.Hana: Have you ever seen? No?Ben: No, I'm just not like a ... You said he's in Love Actually, he's like a romantic comedy guy, right?Hana: Yes, yeah. I like-Ben: Romantic comedies. Oh really? What's your favorite romantic comedy?Hana: I can't think of any now. Probably romantic, yeah, Love Actually. Okay I can't think of anything now but how about you?Ben: How about me what?Hana: Do you like romantic comedies?Ben: No, not really. But there is one I do like it's called My Best Friend's Wedding.Hana: Okay.Ben: I believe Julia Roberts is in that one.Hana: Yeah.Ben: Do you know who she is?Hana: Yeah. She is famous, yeah.Ben: Yeah that's kind of a good ... That's like a 90's classic romantic comedy I think. Have you seen it?Hana: I think I have.Ben: Okay.Hana: Yeah, yeah I think so.

Ben: Hana, I'm currently teaching English as a Second Language, and I love for my students to get confident in producing English or increasing their listening ability. I know that you speak English as a second language, but you do such an amazing job and it's inspiring to me, so I love my students to improve and like it, and so because you're a perfect example, what are some strategies you have for my students so I could tell them?Hana: Firstly, I worked on listening, and there are so many websites that are designed for English learners, like here you're listening to, and YouTube or any, you know, so many sites that you can check on. Yeah, like that. I'll probably start with the listening first.Ben: You said, firstly, listening. Why is listening so important?Hana: It's because when you want to communicate, of course, the English as a tool, communication tool, first, you have to understand what the speaker say, so first, I worked on listening. By listening to audio, or the sound, then you can learn vocab and also spelling, and you know the meaning, of course. Eventually, you can move on to the next English skill. That's why I start working on listening first.Ben: What about anything else that you ... have any other strategies?Hana: Personally, I found that learning vocab, and especially idioms, help me a lot.Ben: Yeah, idioms are tough.Hana: Yes, because often I found it difficult to understand what the speaker say. I could hear, I could understand what the single words they say. But sometimes it was hard to sort of grasp the meaning what they're actually saying, so learning idioms or vocab helped me a lot, yeah.Ben: When you learn the idioms, you can understand them. Did you ever use them yourself, when you, like, tried it out in the wild, so to speak, using the idioms you learned.Hana: Yes, I did it gradually. I mean, when I was in high school, I started speaking ... I started studying English when I was in high school. First thing I did was visiting those websites that, like, designed for English speakers, English learners. At the same time, I start watching like American TV dramas and, in that sense, you can sort of understand in what situation you can use those particular phrases or idioms. By learning the idioms and vocab and the settings or the environment, the situation you can use, then you can sort of actually try to use them. At the beginning I was so nervous, but ...Ben: I'm sure. Yeah. I mean it's really difficult to use idioms in any language, but English has so many, I think. Another thing I wanted to ask you about production skills in English is writing. I try to give my students opportunities to write it in class, but in order to be a proficient and excellent English speaker, you need to practice outside of class. What do you recommend to improve student's writing abilities, besides just taking it for a test or for an assignment? What do you recommend?Hana: Yes. They are difficult. I myself have trouble still writing because I'm not a good writer in my native language.Ben: Oh, no.Hana: But I guess just reading will help you, at the start. Reading something, reading text or some passages will help you.Ben: So if you know how to read, it can help you write.Hana: Yes, definitely.Ben: All right.Hana: To learn sort of the template, how will things go and how you make paragraph and stuff. Probably if you want to get better at writing, I would start reading first, reading lots of passages, different kinds of materials first.Ben: That's true, and I agree with that. One thing I wanted to have my students do is actually do like a journal, actually.Hana: Yes,.Ben: Did you ever keep an English journal to help with your writing?Hana: Yes, I did.Ben: Oh, you did?Hana: I did, yeah.Ben: How do you feel that helped you? Was that good, a good idea?Hana: Yes. Because, first, when you write, unlike speaking or talking to somebody, it gives you time to really think about what you want to do, what you want to write, and you can focus on grammar more. That helps to actually talk to somebody maybe a day, right, next day, or you have to write something else in the class, that would help you. So keeping the journal will help you definitely, I think.Ben: Okay. Thank you very much for the tips. I really appreciate it.Hana: You're welcome.

Ben: Hana, I'm currently teaching English as a Second Language, and I love for my students to get confident in producing English or increasing their listening ability. I know that you speak English as a second language, but you do such an amazing job and it's inspiring to me, so I love my students to improve and like it, and so because you're a perfect example, what are some strategies you have for my students so I could tell them?Hana: Firstly, I worked on listening, and there are so many websites that are designed for English learners, like here you're listening to, and YouTube or any, you know, so many sites that you can check on. Yeah, like that. I'll probably start with the listening first.Ben: You said, firstly, listening. Why is listening so important?Hana: It's because when you want to communicate, of course, the English as a tool, communication tool, first, you have to understand what the speaker say, so first, I worked on listening. By listening to audio, or the sound, then you can learn vocab and also spelling, and you know the meaning, of course. Eventually, you can move on to the next English skill. That's why I start working on listening first.Ben: What about anything else that you ... have any other strategies?Hana: Personally, I found that learning vocab, and especially idioms, help me a lot.Ben: Yeah, idioms are tough.Hana: Yes, because often I found it difficult to understand what the speaker say. I could hear, I could understand what the single words they say. But sometimes it was hard to sort of grasp the meaning what they're actually saying, so learning idioms or vocab helped me a lot, yeah.Ben: When you learn the idioms, you can understand them. Did you ever use them yourself, when you, like, tried it out in the wild, so to speak, using the idioms you learned.Hana: Yes, I did it gradually. I mean, when I was in high school, I started speaking ... I started studying English when I was in high school. First thing I did was visiting those websites that, like, designed for English speakers, English learners. At the same time, I start watching like American TV dramas and, in that sense, you can sort of understand in what situation you can use those particular phrases or idioms. By learning the idioms and vocab and the settings or the environment, the situation you can use, then you can sort of actually try to use them. At the beginning I was so nervous, but ...Ben: I'm sure. Yeah. I mean it's really difficult to use idioms in any language, but English has so many, I think. Another thing I wanted to ask you about production skills in English is writing. I try to give my students opportunities to write it in class, but in order to be a proficient and excellent English speaker, you need to practice outside of class. What do you recommend to improve student's writing abilities, besides just taking it for a test or for an assignment? What do you recommend?Hana: Yes. They are difficult. I myself have trouble still writing because I'm not a good writer in my native language.Ben: Oh, no.Hana: But I guess just reading will help you, at the start. Reading something, reading text or some passages will help you.Ben: So if you know how to read, it can help you write.Hana: Yes, definitely.Ben: All right.Hana: To learn sort of the template, how will things go and how you make paragraph and stuff. Probably if you want to get better at writing, I would start reading first, reading lots of passages, different kinds of materials first.Ben: That's true, and I agree with that. One thing I wanted to have my students do is actually do like a journal, actually.Hana: Yes,.Ben: Did you ever keep an English journal to help with your writing?Hana: Yes, I did.Ben: Oh, you did?Hana: I did, yeah.Ben: How do you feel that helped you? Was that good, a good idea?Hana: Yes. Because, first, when you write, unlike speaking or talking to somebody, it gives you time to really think about what you want to do, what you want to write, and you can focus on grammar more. That helps to actually talk to somebody maybe a day, right, next day, or you have to write something else in the class, that would help you. So keeping the journal will help you definitely, I think.Ben: Okay. Thank you very much for the tips. I really appreciate it.Hana: You're welcome.

bengreenfieldfitness.com/shadeofgreen Let's face it: Christians don't seem to be very good environmentalists. We have been shockingly bad at using our Bibles and our brains when it comes to conservation and the environment. Unhinged environmentalism is not the answer, but neither are ignorance and apathy. It's time for something different, and my guest on today's podcast - Dr. Gordon Wilson - feels that Christian responsibility for the natural world goes back to the very beginning, when God commanded us to "fill the earth and subdue it." This so-called "Dominion Mandate" is an authoritative alternative to both environmental activists and to those who think "conservation" is a word progressives made up. So what does "dominion" mean for us, living in a world of constant reports about impending global meltdown; of oils spills, pollution, and strip-mining; of extinction threats both real and imagined? Gordon and his new book  contains a compelling Christian approach to biodiversity, conservation and other environmental issues, offering solutions and correcting errors while teaching us how to give thanks for and rule over all of creation. is currently a Senior Fellow of Natural History at . Before coming to NSA he was a faculty member at Liberty University from 1991 2003.  He has also taught on a part-time basis at the University of Idaho and Lynchburg College. Gordon received his Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Public Policy from George Mason University in 2003, and also earned his M.S. in Entomology (1989) and B.S. in Education/Biology (1984) at the University of Idaho. He has published his dissertation research on the reproductive ecology of the Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene Carolina Carolina) in Southeastern Naturalist and The Herpetological Bulletin. He regularly writes popular natural history articles for Answers Magazine and has recently published a biology textbook called . He is also the narrator of a two part nature documentary series called by the same name. During this discussion, you'll discover: Opening remarks from Ben -How we've lost our perception of the intelligence of plants...10:00 by Stephen Buhner Christianity began process of removing sacred intelligence of all life after the fall of the Roman Empire "Dominion mandate" Nature is created by God for people; views creation as a mere resource rather than part of the creation Protestantism reduced sacredness to only Jesus Eastern Orthodox Christianity Movement within Christianity to renew an understanding of the sacred elements of the planet Human inventions has limitations: design flaws, human biases, etc. Reductionism: we examine systems by taking them apart This is not sufficient to fully understand the planet -Biophilia, and perceiving all of nature with the emotional bond we have with family and pets...14:30 by Stephen Buhner Loss of biophilia aggravated by: Not growing up in nature leads to a lack of appreciation for it The idea that Earth and nature is not "alive" Public school curriculum by and large have this loss of biophilia by David Orr Television has deleteriously affected imagination, creativity, storytelling, dreaming Television is to dreaming what junk food is to real food We've lost our connection to the sacredness of the universe with the advent of modern media and technology Two barriers to our understanding of our environment: Indoor television (video games to a lesser extent) Reductionistic scientism in a public school scenario Indigenous peoples will say their understanding of plants and plant medicine came from the plants themselves Ayahuasca supposedly revealed to people by the plants themselves Christians and scientists should spend more time in nature and perceive the sacred intelligence in plants Interview with Gordon Wilson -Life as a biologist and a Christian...35:25 Being a creationist is tantamount to being a heretic in the biology field at large (evolution is the cardinal doctrine) Wanted to learn the theory of evolution the way it was taught to prove he knew what they believed This approach more or less assuaged any animosity that may have existed between himself and his peers, superiors, etc. University deans and what not feared losing federal funding because a creationist is merely speaking, even if it's not his own views by John Ashton Isaac Newton, Louis Pasteur were notable biologists who held to the creationist theory of the world -The pressing need Gordon saw in writing his book...43:15 Two contrarian views within the Christian community: Use of resources with little concern for the future Being influenced by environmentalist propaganda, governmental overreach, etc. Understanding God's "mind" in creating the world, life on it, etc. What is the Christian's proper use of creation within that context Humans as "image bearers" are tasked with preserving and enhancing the environment Gordon wanted the book to be readable and enjoyable for all -The "dominion mandate": What it is and what it has to do with environmentalism...47:00 "God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.'" You can't have dominion over things that don't exist It's not for us to choose which creatures are useful and which are not "Rule" over creatures is not a tyranny Christ the head of the church, to present the church as a spotless bride; the church is to be beautified by his headship Dominion can be beautiful or bad, depending on the mindset of the one to whom authority is given Parable of the talents () -Common stereotypes among Christians when it comes to the environment...54:05 Anti-Green Andy: the environment is there for the taking, little concern for the future Apathetic April: Goes to church, gives zero purposeful thought to the environment at all Pre-Mil Pete: Christ is coming any day, so we shouldn't concern ourselves with the state of the planet; evangelize, evangelize, evangelize Green Greta: Loves the environment, but has drunk the secular, progressive Kool-Aid -The ideal "stereotype" of an environmentally-conscious Christian...59:45 William Wilberforce founded the first animal rights organization in England Work within your own sphere of influence Gordon's book is not a "how-to" guide, but an instruction in principles Guiding principles: Love God, Love thy neighbor (The Golden Rule) "A righteous man has regard for his beast." Animals should not suffer because we're lazy Make your home beautiful with plants If it's ugly, don't do it, even if it doesn't cause a huge tragedy Not polluting the air Comply with regulations because it's right, not simply to be in compliance Working at turning around the Titanic Government mandates may not be necessary if more people take a conscious mindset toward the environment -How fossil fuels have been unnecessarily demonized...1:09:05 More an indictment on "green" or "alternative" energy CO2 is not an "evil gas" There are healthy and unhealthy emissions Alternative energies are prohibitively expensive, but made affordable because of government subsidies Nuclear energy has received a similarly bad rap by Alex Epstein by Michael Shellenberger -Concerns over the ability to feed a growing world population...1:14:53 Alarmist projections have not come to pass Humans do not behave like animals (caring capacity); we're innovators Some parts of the world are encouraging younger people to have more children Regenerative farming is key to sustainability in the food supply Can't expect all problems to be solved overnight -Practical and moral ways to affect lasting change in the environment...1:23:00 "Christian conservationist" rather than an "environmentalist" Easy to become self-righteous by having certain practices that promote the environment Encourage innovation among the producers, versus guilting the consumer The solution to environmental problems is the solution to sin by Francis Schaeffer textbook by Dr. Gordon Wilson -And much more... Resources from this episode: - :  by Gordon Wilson textbook by Dr. Gordon Wilson - Podcasts: - Other resources: by Stephen Buhner by David Orr by John Ashton by Alex Epstein by Michael Shellenberger by Francis Schaeffer Episode sponsors: - - - - - - Do you have questions, thoughts or feedback for Gordon Wilson or me? Leave your comments at  and one of us will reply!

Ben is a divorced dad of 2 living in New Hampshire that started the blog and podcast FIafter40 in early 2020.  We start off with a brief discussion on the reality that divorce and money is often a topic people don’t talk about.  Money itself can be taboo, but throw in divorce and it’s a tough topic for many.  We believe talking about money can improve your life, and this is the case before, during, and after a divorce also.  We discuss a number of topics with Ben:How he is earlier on his path to financial independence because he got a later start in life.  As a child, Ben didn’t talk about money much.  He remembered his parents avoiding opening mail because of bills and he himself learned to avoid conflict and just not talk about money as it could be a contentious topic.  Ben shares how he didn’t really take a hard look at his financial habits and situation until he went through his divorce.  He shares that sometimes you have to go through certain experiences to really learn this stuff.  He’s learned over the years he can tend to avoid conflict.  This self-reflection and awareness is important for creating new habits around money and moving forward productively.  In Ben’s first marriage his wife was actually better with money than he was, but their entire marriage was paycheck to paycheck.  It was a slow build.  And he admits he was likely the bad influence on her financially.  They got to a place in their marriage where they were treading water and that felt like a good thing.  He did not want to fight about money so he would just avoid the topics.  He would shut down the discussion if things got at all difficult, and just say don’t worry I’ll deal with it.  But he didn’t really deal with it.   Around the time Ben got divorced, Ben was at a point in his life where he felt like everything should be peeking financially, but instead it was falling apart.  He couldn’t change that relationship or what happened, but he could improve things financially.  Going through a divorce triggered some good behavior changes for Ben.  Some good things and bad things came out of it financially.  On the positive side, they had to sell their home which gave them back a lot of equity and they had to review all of their assets which gave them a hard dose of reality on their finances.  On the harder side, he now had the burden of child support and alimony which can put a significant drain on his finances.  Ironically, the first time he and his then wife sat down and had legitimate conversations about finances was when they were going through a divorce after 12 years of marriage.  They were in denial about what they were doing with their money.  This is the stuff they should have been talking about the whole time.His FIafter40 blog first came about as a way to personally document this journey he was going on.  Ben discusses talking about finances as you’re entering a new relationship post-divorce, and shares that the blog and podcast definitely create a more transparent environment to discuss money.  We each share some insights on our relationships and how we’ve talked about money and brought each other along.  We discuss pre-nups.  Ben’s never considered on, and Maggie tries to convince Ben why they are so important and valuable.  We make some comparisons between wills and prenups.  Our top 3 takeaways for this episode:Be open and communicative with your partner about money.  Talk about the specifics of your net worth, financial specifics, and what’s important to you financially in life.  If you’re living paycheck to paycheck and just barely getting by, spend some time assessing what you’re spending your money on.  Improving your finances together with your spouse can have a positive impact on your relationship.  Though divorce can be tough financially, it can also be the trigger you may need to do some self-reflection and improve your finances.  You can take a tough situation and turn it into a positive.  ---Show ReferencesFIafter40 WebsiteFIafter40 on InstagramFIafter40 on Twitter---Follow friends on FIRETwitterInstagramFacebookLinkedInLeave us a voicemail or text us: 404-981-3370eMail us at:  friendsonfiremm@gmail.comVisit our website: www.friendsonfire.org---Other LinksMaggie’s Blog: Mostly Minimal LifeMike’s Book: Your New Relationship with Money

I present to you Heather Rose folks !  If you haven't listened to the first 2 parts of this series you are going to want to listen to those first. Questions you might have for Heather. How did you handle yourself when Ben told you the life changing news? Why did you stay with Ben? How did you recover and heal? How were you able to forgive him? We answer all of these questions and more today in Part 3. A huge thanks to Ben and Heather for coming on This Topical Life and being so transparent and spreading the hope that your marriage carries so well.

Daniel Cortez is a Primal Health and Movement Coach, Wim Hof Master Instructor, and Psychedelic Integration Specialist. After tirelessly seeking answers to overcome his own 15-year health struggle, he now guides others along the same path. From his home in Cusco, Peru, he coaches and leads retreats using the power of breath, movement, cold, and plant medicines.  On this podcast, Daniel shares his personal story of chronic pain and cognitive dysfunction, and the events surrounding his whole-body transformation. He discusses the power of evolutionary science, modern psychology, and ancestral wisdom for restoring health, and describes how psychedelic plants play a critical role in healing. Here’s the outline of this interview with Daniel Cortez: [00:01:14] Daniel's health journey. [00:03:48] Wim Hof. [00:04:04] Chris Kresser. [00:04:15] CIRS Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome; Ritchie Shoemaker, MD. [00:04:56] Buck Institute for Research on Aging; Dale Bredesen, MD. [00:06:03] Cholestyramine for mold; Podcast: NBT People: Mark Alexander. [00:06:31] Mycometrics testing. [00:10:34] Lucy Mailing; Podcast: How to Optimise Your Gut Microbiome, with Lucy Mailing. [00:10:46] Dr. Michael Rose; Interview on Dan Pardi's podcast: Is the Paleo Diet Good or Bad for Aging? Podcast with Professor Michael Rose. [00:11:23] Trader Joe's Paleo. [00:13:18] Bruce Parry’s documentary on the Matis. [00:17:10] Psychedelics for altered states. [00:19:27] Microdosing LSD increases neuroticism; Study: Polito, Vince, and Richard J. Stevenson. "A systematic study of microdosing psychedelics." PloS one 14.2 (2019): e0211023. [00:19:45] Researcher James Fadiman; Interview on the Tim Ferriss podcast; Book: The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide.  [00:21:08] Jessica Bertram. [00:23:04] Book: Keep the River on Your Right, by Tobias Schneebaum. [00:24:07] Ayahuasca. [00:27:30] Plants and animals are indistinguishable by some criteria; Diana Rodgers, RD interviews Andrew Smith on the Sustainable Dish Podcast. [00:31:08] Books by Russ Harris: The Happiness Trap and The Confidence Gap, plus his training courses. [00:39:38] Stephanie Welch; Podcast: The Need for Tribal Living in a Modern World. [00:44:12] Mircea Eliade. [00:45:00] Separation from the identity of having an illness. [00:48:35] Sam Harris; Waking Up app. [00:50:36] San Pedro cactus. [00:54:25] Movement coach Ido Portal; Book: The Sports Gene, by David Epstein. [00:55:31] John Ratey, MD; neuroplasticity through movement. [00:56:14] A Book of Five Rings, by Miyamoto Musashi. [00:59:14] Book: 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, by Jordan Peterson. [01:04:00] Are psychedelics necessary? [01:05:10] Carl Jung; Collective unconscious. [01:17:32] Ben House, PhD; Flo Retreat Center; Podcasts with Ben: How to Manage Testosterone and Estrogen in Athletes, and Ben House, PhD on Strength Training: a Discussion at the Flō Retreat Center in Costa Rica. [01:23:06] Find Daniel on his website, Facebook and Instagram.

SPEEDZ is back to help the #StatsOverBeats Cipher WIN THEIR LEAGUES & WIN THAT CASH! This episode makes meaning of Week 2 of the #NFL and #FantasyFootball Season. What did the Spittin Statistician get right & wrong? Who are the Diamonds & Fugazis on the waiver wire? What do you do if you lost Brees or Ben? How can you finish the week strong betting Monday Night Football? Fantasy Freestyle lets you know all while putting the FUN in FUNctional Sports content! NFL News/Notes/Injuries Week 2 Takeaways Waiver Wire Diamonds/Fugazis MNF Preview - CLE/NYJ FUN in FUNctional Sports Content - #GameofInches + #StatsOverBeats Cipher League + More Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

On October 16th, Gruff Rhys joined our broadcast of Eclectic Kettle. We abridged the interview for airtime, but here's the full version, along with a transcript. Remember, you can win tickets for Gruff's October 23rd show at The Chapel in San Francisco here. Enjoy! Thank you to Leslie Hampton at The Owl Magazine for co-ordinating this interview with us.Ben Ward: Hi everyone, this is Ben Ward of BFF.fm's Eclectic Kettle. You're listening to a special extra release that we're putting out this week, which is my full interview with Gruff Rhys. Lead singer of Super Furry Animals and currently on tour promoting his new album “Babelsberg”.He'll be playing here in San Francisco on October 23rd; this coming Tuesday. We played parts of this interview on Eclectic Kettle on October 16th. This is the fuller version where we discuss his tour, the recording of the album and the efforts that went into the product that really defines the sound. We reminisce about his previous appearance at The Chapel which he remembers well. We also discuss his recent more politically pointed songs about Brexit and the National Health Service in the UK, touching on his songwriting philosophy and motivations, and inevitably get a bit stuck in on Brexit as we despair.I want to say a huge thank you to Leslie Hampton, who's guest -DJ'd on Eclectic Kettle before with me. She's over at The Owl Magazine and was instrumental in helping us put this interview together. Check out theowlmag.com for their show previews and other coverage.Finally, BFF.fm has two pairs of tickets for Gruff's October 23rd show to give away. Check out BFF.fm for giveaway details. It's trivially easy for you to enter! I hope you enjoy the interview, I hope you enjoy his show. Remember, the album is Babelsberg it's out now.And you can listen to listen to more great community radio here from the heart of San Francisco at BFF.fm.[Sample of Oh Dear! by Gruff Rhys, from Babelsberg.][Phone ringing…]Gruff Rhys: Hello?Ben: Er hello, Gruff?Gruff: Hello!Ben: Hi! It's Ben Ward from BFF.fm here. Is now still a good time to talk?Gruff: Yes! Sorry, I completely forgot but it's great!Ben: Oh, good! [laughs]. I'm British, obviously, but I'm calling you from San Francisco. Because you're playing here on the 23rd, I think that's right.Gruff: Yeah, yeah. Ah, great!Ben: And you're in DC now?Gruff: Yeah, we're on the way to DC. We've just driven past Baltimore, and I'm sat in the van and we're headed down the road to Washington. And we were just discussing the Washington antique grid system.Ben: How long have you been on tour now? About a week over here?Gruff: Yeah, we've been in North America, but we did a couple of Canadian shows and we're just heading down the east coast, and then we're going to start to go west after tonight.It was particularly memorable at The Chapel. It was so much fun, people really got involved. I think there were quite a few people on stage by the end.Ben: Wonderful. I was looking at the dates and you've got the San Francisco show and then LA and then that's the end of the tour. Are you even thinking about that much at this point? Or do you just take every date as it comes?Gruff: No, it's very exciting to hit the west coast, and y'know the set will be… I can't wait to see how the set will have developed. We've been rehearsing some new material on the road and it's quite exciting and it's changing every night.Ben: Ah, that's great.Gruff: Yeah, we're looking forward to bringing it to The Chapel.Ben: Yeah, and you played The Chapel last time you played solo. The Super Furries were in town a couple of years ago. Actually, Super Furries played on my birthday two years ago, which I appreciate very much…Gruff: Oh wow! Amazing.Ben: That was a nice present for me. But you toured American Interior two years before that, also at The Chapel. Do you have particular memories of the venue?Gruff: Yeah, it was my favourite show of that tour. I started introducing historical re-enactments into my shows and I think that was the high point of that endeavour. It was particularly memorable at The Chapel. It was so much fun, people really got involved. I think there were quite a few people on stage by the end.Ben: Yes, there were the two people performing with …the puppet, I remember.Gruff: Yeah. They were taking the role of various historical characters from the 1790s.Ben: [laughs] Is there anything… because I guess you're only going to be in town for a day is there anything you're looking forward to seeing in San Francisco when you make it here?Gruff: Yeah, I usually, in the Mission, err, I'll be trying out probably lots of good galleries and stuff. [inaudible] is up there. And erm, I'll go see if they've got something on. And err, yeah, there's lots of interesting things in that area. I've never been to the LSD Museum, I might do that.Ben: I wanted to chat to you a little about the new record, which obviously is why you're here. I've listened to it a lot, I really love it. One of the things that really struck me is that you've got a very recognisable voice and songwriting style. Something I really admire is that each of your solo records over the years has a pretty unique vibe. They really seem to stand out from one-another. This one's been really widely praised for the string arrangements and evocative sounds of the 60s like Serge Gainsbourg, Scott Walker and Lee Hazlewood, all wrapped up in that production. Do you approach each project with an intention to find something that's so new and different?I'm worried about writing the same song over and over again. I want every album to have a distinct character. I try to find a way of keeping it new, for myself at least.Gruff: Um, yeah inevitably. It's something I, I want every album to have a distinct character. I suppose my ambition with this record is to try and make a whole album out of the same structured palette and try to stick to that, and try not to go off on too many tangents in a way. That's my downside in the studio; I get overexcited! By the end it was very disciplined… I mean… I suppose songwriting's quite a slow-moving medium. I'm worried about writing the same song over and over again. I try to find a way of keeping it new, for myself at least. It's not a particularly experimental record but I hope lyrically it engages a bit with the present day so there is some relevancy to exist today [laughs].Ben: Yeah. It has these darker, bleaker lyrical themes throughout it than have jumped out of your previous records. I was actually back home in the UK a few weeks ago and I caught a little of your interview on the BBC [BBC 6Music] with Mark Radcliffe.Gruff: Ah yeah…Ben: And he, um… You remarked there, talking a little bit about how he sort-of said it's a darker record. And you pointed out that actually with the arrangements — with the strings — it comes out sounding actually quite uplifting and optimistic.When you started, did you have any idea you wanted it to end up like that? Was it working with Stephen McNeff that revealed that to you? Did you have to be persuaded to go in that direction?Gruff: Yeah, I mean when I was recording it I didn't have… err… I just got a call from a producer called Ali Chant in Bristol, who I'd recorded with previously, he said “if I wanted to make any records, the studio's being knocked down in a few weeks”. So I'd played some of this material with Kliph and Steve who play on the record and the previous tour. Osian has played piano on my previous two albums now and I, we rehearsed a bunch of songs we'd been putting together and went into the studio for a few days and it was always my intention to add a certain amount of arrangement but, coincidentally I was working with a composer called Stephen McNeff. I was writing some lyrics for him for a different project and I sat in on one of the recording sessions which was incredible. So I immediately passed him on the files of the sounds I was working on.But anyway, because there was no studio pressure I just kinda pursued the record until it was finished rather than rush it. It took a couple of years.Ben: So it gave you space to explore that bigger sound?Gruff: Yeah. The songs are intimate, but they're pretty much live takes for the most part. I spent time on vocal, but not to an extreme. And then Stephen arranged the orchestral element and they played live to the previous recordings.Ben: Oh, interesting…Gruff: So, although there's a lot going on it was fairly simply recorded in a way and not particularly polished. There's still some damage there!Ben: That's really interesting because I was going to ask, erm, and this might not be much of a question now, but given that you're back on tour and you're not going to fit a 72 piece orchestra into The Chapel — although I would like to see that — whether there's been any change to the music or evolution of what you're doing scaling it back down to tour. Because you're touring with a band this time, right?Gruff: Yeah, it's the same band who played on the record. It's Kliph Scurlock on drums, Osian Gwynedd on piano, Steve Black on bass, and that's the core of the album and they've allowed this thing to remix. And I suppose the challenge with mixing the album was fitting a symphony orchestra into what are very intimate songs, intimately recorded songs. So we had to kinda tone down the scale of it. So, it sounds remarkably full. Osian's piano parts kind of fill the space to the point where we don't need any kinda “canned” orchestral stuff. And it's continuing to evolve. We're stretching out different bits.I've rarely been able to play my studio albums live immediately after recording them. But because of the live nature of the recording, [this one] really lends itself to playing live. There wasn't much studio trickery on this particular record, as opposed to my other records that have a lot of studio experiments.Ben: That makes sense. So do you feel that the live sound goes back to more resemble some of those original sessions or is this something altogether new?Gruff: No, they're very similar to the original sessions. I think we're going to try and release those early versions at some point in the future. They sound great and completely different.And now and again we're able to do some orchestral shows. We have the scores and whenever and orchestra is interested we can do an orchestral version.Ben: Right, because you played it in Manchester no long ago, right?Gruff: Yeah, we're done a version in Cardiff with the full symphonic orchestra and then we've played with some smaller orchestras in London and Manchester. We have the manuscripts now, so if anyone's got an orchestra, call us up! [laughs]Ben: [laughs] We'll put out the call.I wanted to ask you about a couple of other pieces of music you've put out fairly recently. One of the things that over your career and history with the Super Furries as well you've grown into writing songs with clearer and clearer social commentaries. I've been thinking a lot about Presidential Suite [from Super Furry Animals album “Rings Around The World”] recently, with Brett Kavanaugh and Ken Starr in the news. But in the last couple of years you've written I Love EU and recently you put out No Profit in Pain which strike me as being a step into writing songs with a really overt political message. Was there something that drew you into that specifically, or artists that inspired you to be more direct? Did that just happen?Gruff: Erm, with I Love EU, I just happened to write the song. I mean, it's a really bad play on words. But I felt there was a song there. Sometimes when you have a simple lyrical idea the song almost writes itself in a very short amount of time if you run with an idea. It's just one of those stupid songs that I was able to write in a few minutes and then… I kinda had no intention of writing it. Y'know, there's a lot of downsides to streaming services, obviously, but one of the more interesting aspects of it is that you're able to release music almost immediately. There was a referendum going on and very little engagement in the referendum from my peers, I think. Because it was a kind of referendum whose agenda was being set by conservative politicians and right wing politicians and understandably a lot of sane people didn't want to touch it! So I was also worried that there was very little engagement…I felt there was nobody making a cultural argument [for the EU].Ben: The thing I really appreciated about you recording that song… Because, I watched the referendum living over here in the US. I went and registered to vote, I voted in it, my constituency is back in Cambridge.Gruff: YeahBen: But, it was really brutal watching that happen from so far away and feeling even more disconnected from… y'know… trying to stand up for, y'know… standing up for the principal of being in Europe and for all of its… it has some flaws as an institution and so on and so on but…Gruff: Absolutely, yeahBen: …Actually being closer to our continental neighbours is actually a good thing. Watching the campaign, the thing which really upset me was you had all these voices who were anti-Europe and angry and active and then you had a whole load of voices that were just, sort of passive. And there were very few people standing up to actually say: “Europe is good.” It was this idea of “we should leave” or “we should just shrug our shoulders”. There were very few people saying let's actually be proactive about this.Gruff: Yeah. I felt there was nobody making a cultural argument and that the set tone by people leading the remain campaign was playing alone with the kind-of anti-European xenophobia to the point that the song seems almost confrontational to say something as daft as “I love EU!” [laughs] Pathetically confrontational. When I've sung it live I've been singing “I love EU …with caveats.”Ben: [laughs]Gruff: You know, everyone has different views on what the EU should be. It needs to be democratised. It could become a socialist EU, it depends on what scale your ambitions are. I've got a lot of time for the left-wing argument for leaving the EU but I don't think the tone or the terms of the referendum were set by the left. They were kind-of led by the hostile right-wing media, in a time of crisis in Europe. With a big crisis in movement of people from war-zones in the Middle East and northern Africa that were partly caused by European intervention in the first place.Ben: Yeah…Gruff: I kinda feel it's a really bad time to be leaving the EU.I don't think I'm a protest song writer in particular. I'm motivated by melody and rhythm and word-play.Ben: Yeah, I agree completely. With that song and with the NHS song, was it cathartic to put together those songs? Is it more motivated by trying to spread that message? Do you think of them as protest songs in that classical sense?Gruff: I mean, I don't think I'm a protest song writer in particular. I'm motivated by melody and rhythm and word-play. And occasionally politics affects my daily life and they'll creep into song.I was commissioned to write a song to celebrate the 75th [anniversary] of the NHS and, you know, it's had a profound impact on my life. It's a kind of commission request that would be impossible to turn down. Y'know, to not agree to help celebrate it would be… it wasn't an option for me. But having said that I only wanted to do it if a decent idea came of it. I played around with some ideas and something came quite naturally. So I was happy to do it and I thought the song was valid, in fact I think I would have written it anyway. It would have been slightly less explicit maybe but it felt justified… just some kind of justification of existing.Ben: Yeah…Gruff: But again I like these kind of flippant songs that I can release.Ben: In “No Profit in Pain”, I love the little set of lyrics that calls out Richard Branson and Virgin Health. Because there's something in… the lyrics jump with recognisable words so you're like “wait, what?”. But it's the fact you're referring to this nuanced and not very well known, not well publicised threat to the NHS with the shadow privatisation, and the fact that you managed to highlight that there in a lyrically playful way, I admire that a lot.Gruff: [laughs] Weirdly we've just passed an ambulance here in DC that's broken down. And it's been picked up by one of those — what do you call them pick-up trucks? — by a tow-truck. Kliph to my left is just commenting that I hope there's no-one in the ambulance. The sirens were still flashing…Ben: Oh…Gruff: I hope they're OK.Ben: Yeah. That's calamitous.I'm conscious that I don't want to take up too much more of your time but if I could just ask a couple more things just to sign off. Going back to Babelsberg, is there a particular favourite track on the album that you'd like us to play on the radio show on Tuesday night?Gruff: Yeah, I dunno… I haven't heard “Oh Dear!” on the radio. I'd be intrigued to hear what the third track “Oh Dear!” sounds like.Ben: All right. Would you be kind enough to introduce it?Gruff: OK. My name is Gruff, and I'm going to introduce you to this song from the LP “Babelsberg”. It's called “Oh Dear!”.Ben: That's great, thank you so much. It's been a real pleasure to talk to you.Gruff: Thank you.Ben: Thank you so much for taking the time.Gruff: No! Thank you.Ben: I wanted to… it means a lot to me. Super Furry Animals was the very first live show I ever went to in my life. I was sixteen. My Dad took me.Gruff: Oh wow. Wow.Ben: It would have been the Guerrilla tour at the Cambridge Corn Exchange. And, um, one it was a really good first show, but I feel like I owe a great deal of my love of music to you and your band.Gruff: Wow.Ben: So to get to talk to you is a real honour for me. So, thank you so much.Gruff: Ah, thank you very much. Ah, that's mind blowing. Thank you very much. And yeah, I love the Corn Exchange in Cambridge.Ben: Yeah. For a small city I saw so many good shows there growing up.Gruff: Yeah.Ben: It punched above its weight.Gruff: Yeah, I think we played there three or four times.Ben: Well, thank you again. I hope you have a great show in D.C.Gruff: Thank you.Ben: I will try to come and say hi when you're here in SF; try and catch you at the merch table.Gruff: Ah, thanks so much. I'll check out the show if it's on the internet. Amazing.Ben: Well, great to talk to you. Have a great day. Have a great show.Gruff: And you, ta. Thanks so much. OK, take care.Ben: Thank you, bye now.Gruff: Bye!Ben: That was Gruff Rhys in conversation with me, Ben Ward from BFF.fm's Eclectic Kettle. His record “Babelsberg” is out now, his show at The Chapel here in San Francisco is on October 23rd. You can check out BFF.fm to win one of two pairs of tickets that we're giving away for that show.Thank you again to Leslie Hampton at The Owl Magazine for helping set this up. And you can tune in to more episodes of Eclectic Kettle by swinging by BFF.fm/shows/eclectic-kettle to listen to the archives, or we're broadcasting live at 8pm every Tuesday night.Tune into BFF.fm, streaming online any time for great, local community music radio here from the heart of San Francisco. Thank you very much for listening, have a great day. Enjoying the show? Please support BFF.FM with a donation. Check out the full archives on the website.

In this week's show, I discuss the Bloodline novel by Claudia Gray and where Leia is in her journey post Original Trilogy. Where does she stand with Han and Ben? How does she cope with being the daughter of Darth Vader? And more!

Question from listener Ben: How to invest excess business funds, without distributing to yourself first? There are many types of investments, but in this episode I focus on business-related options for investing (and "investing") excess cash. Disclaimer: No tax, legal, or financial/investment advice on this episode. Talk to a professional!

2016-05-29 / Anthony & Ben / How’s Your Heart? (Vision Day)/ Heart / Ivy Kingsway by Ivy Church

Panel Jaim Zuber (twitter Sharp Five Software) Ben Scheirman (twitter github blog NSSreencast) Andrew Madsen (twitter github blog) Charles Max Wood (twitter github Teach Me To Code Rails Ramp Up) Discussion 00:45 - iOS vs OS X UIViewController NSViewController 06:09 - NSWindowController 08:18 - Layered Views 09:48 - Bindings Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X by Aaron Hillegass Debugging 14:51 - Navigation NSPathView NSTableView NSScrollView NSCell 18:52 - Auto Layout 19:44 - Carbon 22:32 - Objective-C 24:44 - NS Classes Next Step 25:54 - Customization The Hit List Things NSOutlineView NSSplitView NSTabView 30:12 - Mac vs iOS Development Picks Mastering Modern Payments Using Stripe with Rails (Ben) The Doomsday Key: A Sigma Force Novel by James Rollins (Ben) The Art of the Screenshake (Ben) objc.io Issue #7: Communication Patterns (Jaim) The Snow Shark (Jaim) FastSpring (Andrew) objc-run (Andrew) Andrew's CocoaSlopes2013 Slides (Andrew) Disneyland (Chuck) New Media Expo (Chuck) Next Week Subscription APIs for Recurring Revenue with Manton Reece Transcript CHUCK: I'll turn this podcast right around.   CHUCK: Hey everybody and welcome to episode 38 of the iPhreaks Show. This week on our panel we have Jaim Zuber. JAIM: It's 10 below, my car won't start, and I'm not even mad. CHUCK: Ben Scheirman. BEN: It's 35° and I'm also cold, but not quite as cold. [Chuckles] CHUCK: Andrew Madsen. ANDREW: 25° in Salt Lake City. CHUCK: I'm Charles Max Wood from DevChat.tv. Last week it was like 70-something degrees where I was at, so, very nice. This week we're gonna be talking to Andrew; he's kind of our guest, I guess. We're gonna be talking about OSX programming. It's kind of interesting after learning some of the techniques and tools for building things for iOS, I haven't really looked at what's different with OSX. Do you want to kind of get us started on some of the things we have to know or do differently? ANDREW: Sure. Well I think the first thing to know is that iOS and OSX are sort of siblings, or you might even say that iOS is OSX's kid, but iOS was obviously Apple's chance to sort of do-over things that they wanted to do differently without the whole legacy baggage that kept them from doing that on OSX. In many ways, iOS is the more modern of the two – I wouldn't say ‘operating systems,' but the APIs are certainly more modern in a lot of places. There are things on OSX that are just more difficult if your coming from an iOS background you're sometimes left thinking, “Man, if I were in iOS this would be super easy, but it's not so easy on OSX.” Fortunately there are also a few places where the opposite is true. OSX still makes things easier than they are on iOS. I'm not exactly sure where to start ‘cause there are quite a few differences. BEN: How about just the, maybe the [inaudible] example. The first thing I notice when I create a new Mac app is I'm used to just getting a view controller for free and that is kind of absent. You got a .NIB and that gives you a main window but there's really nothing else it gives you, right? ANDREW: Right. Well that's actually a great place to start. So on iOS, if you've done iOS programming, you know that UIViewControllers are sort of like the main class, almost, in iOS. Every single time you have a view onscreen, it has a UIViewController controlling it. On OSX, there is actually an NSViewController class, but that was introduced in 10.5, so relatively recently in the history of OSX, and what that means is that you can write an entire app without using NSViewController. It's not sort of the vital class the UIViewController is on iOS, and that sort of gives you a lot more flexibility in terms of how you structure your application, but these days I've actually started using NSViewController more like UIViewControllers used on iOS.

Panel Jaim Zuber (twitter Sharp Five Software) Ben Scheirman (twitter github blog NSSreencast) Andrew Madsen (twitter github blog) Charles Max Wood (twitter github Teach Me To Code Rails Ramp Up) Discussion 00:45 - iOS vs OS X UIViewController NSViewController 06:09 - NSWindowController 08:18 - Layered Views 09:48 - Bindings Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X by Aaron Hillegass Debugging 14:51 - Navigation NSPathView NSTableView NSScrollView NSCell 18:52 - Auto Layout 19:44 - Carbon 22:32 - Objective-C 24:44 - NS Classes Next Step 25:54 - Customization The Hit List Things NSOutlineView NSSplitView NSTabView 30:12 - Mac vs iOS Development Picks Mastering Modern Payments Using Stripe with Rails (Ben) The Doomsday Key: A Sigma Force Novel by James Rollins (Ben) The Art of the Screenshake (Ben) objc.io Issue #7: Communication Patterns (Jaim) The Snow Shark (Jaim) FastSpring (Andrew) objc-run (Andrew) Andrew's CocoaSlopes2013 Slides (Andrew) Disneyland (Chuck) New Media Expo (Chuck) Next Week Subscription APIs for Recurring Revenue with Manton Reece Transcript CHUCK: I’ll turn this podcast right around.   CHUCK: Hey everybody and welcome to episode 38 of the iPhreaks Show. This week on our panel we have Jaim Zuber. JAIM: It’s 10 below, my car won’t start, and I'm not even mad. CHUCK: Ben Scheirman. BEN: It’s 35° and I'm also cold, but not quite as cold. [Chuckles] CHUCK: Andrew Madsen. ANDREW: 25° in Salt Lake City. CHUCK: I'm Charles Max Wood from DevChat.tv. Last week it was like 70-something degrees where I was at, so, very nice. This week we’re gonna be talking to Andrew; he’s kind of our guest, I guess. We’re gonna be talking about OSX programming. It’s kind of interesting after learning some of the techniques and tools for building things for iOS, I haven’t really looked at what's different with OSX. Do you want to kind of get us started on some of the things we have to know or do differently? ANDREW: Sure. Well I think the first thing to know is that iOS and OSX are sort of siblings, or you might even say that iOS is OSX’s kid, but iOS was obviously Apple’s chance to sort of do-over things that they wanted to do differently without the whole legacy baggage that kept them from doing that on OSX. In many ways, iOS is the more modern of the two – I wouldn’t say ‘operating systems,’ but the APIs are certainly more modern in a lot of places. There are things on OSX that are just more difficult if your coming from an iOS background you're sometimes left thinking, “Man, if I were in iOS this would be super easy, but it’s not so easy on OSX.” Fortunately there are also a few places where the opposite is true. OSX still makes things easier than they are on iOS. I'm not exactly sure where to start ‘cause there are quite a few differences. BEN: How about just the, maybe the [inaudible] example. The first thing I notice when I create a new Mac app is I'm used to just getting a view controller for free and that is kind of absent. You got a .NIB and that gives you a main window but there's really nothing else it gives you, right? ANDREW: Right. Well that's actually a great place to start. So on iOS, if you’ve done iOS programming, you know that UIViewControllers are sort of like the main class, almost, in iOS. Every single time you have a view onscreen, it has a UIViewController controlling it. On OSX, there is actually an NSViewController class, but that was introduced in 10.5, so relatively recently in the history of OSX, and what that means is that you can write an entire app without using NSViewController. It’s not sort of the vital class the UIViewController is on iOS, and that sort of gives you a lot more flexibility in terms of how you structure your application, but these days I've actually started using NSViewController more like UIViewControllers used on iOS.

It's great to have Survivor back, and Brazil in HD is magnificent. We certainly ended up changing our first impressions of several of the new castaways during this first episode. What do you think Sandy's chances are after getting to see how she handled herself in the first episode? Do you think Sierra made any progress in changing Timbira's minds? What about Ben? How do you think he will fare when his tribe has to go to Tribal Council the first time? How did your first impressions change? Here are tribes after the first episode: Jalapao: Joe, JT, Sandy, Spencer, Stephen, Sydney and Taj Timbira: Benjamin, Brendan, Candace, Debra, Erinn, Jerry, Sierra and Tyson Here's the clip from Next Time on Survivor that made Stacy laugh so much. Check out Sandy's rodeo skills! This challenge in episode 2 is going to be a awesome! We're both guessing that Timbira well get a turn at Tribal Council next. Jo Ann thinks Erinn will be the next to be voted out. Stacy thinks Ben will rapidly follow in Carolina's footsteps. Who do you think will be voted out next? We've got several ways you can reach us. You can call and leave a voicemail at 206-350-1547. You can record an audio comment and attach it or just type up a quick text message and send it to us via email at joannandstacyshow@gmail.com. Lastly, there's a link for comments on the web page here. You can click that link and post your thoughts out there for everyone to see. We're hoping to hear from Russ Landua soon about when the soundtrack for Survivor 18 will be available. Until then, we chose a couple tunes from Survivor Borneo to get things started. Survivor Season 1 Soundtrack at Amazon.com 00:02 Date 00:13 Ancient Voices by Russ Landau 01:08 Introductions 41:38 Next Time on Survivor 45:08 JSFL Update 50:14 The Strong Will Survive by David Vanacore Links for Today's Show Paul's Visual Roster for Survivor Tocantins Rules for Survivor Tocantins JSFL Results from the Survivor Tocantins JSFL Contact Info: Voicemail: 206-350-1547 Email: joannandstacyshow@gmail.com Survivor Fans Podcast P.O. Box 2811 Orangevale, CA 95662 Enjoy, Jo Ann and Stacy