Podcasts about Budapest

Today Tourpreneur host Mitch Bach goes to Budapest!When a video game designer accidentally lands on MasterChef thanks to his partner's prank, he doesn't expect it to change his life. But that twist launched Joseph Szakács into founding Foodapest, one of Budapest's most unique food experiences. In this episode, Joseph shares how he turned a surprise phone call into a purpose-driven business built around cooking, culture, and human connection.The (Hungarian) meat of this conversation focuses on Emotion Design. Joseph reveals how his background in video game development taught him to craft emotional journeys, not just itineraries. We dive deep into his ideas on “vibe guiding,” emotional storytelling, and why frustration and delight both belong on a tour.Visit FoodapestJoin Tourpreneur for TourWeek 2025 in November!

In dieser Folge nehmen euch Jenny und Malte mit ins Kimpton BEM Budapest – ein neues Designhotel in einem historischen Herrenhaus. Zwischen Jugendstil, Glanz und modernen Akzenten erleben sie eine Stadt voller Geschichte und ein Hotel, das Eleganz, Stil und Herzlichkeit perfekt verbindet.

Fluent Fiction - Hungarian: When Love Escapes the Urban Jungle: Finding Peace in Silence Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hu/episode/2025-10-04-07-38-20-hu Story Transcript:Hu: Áron és Zsófi egy őszi délutánon a város szívében találkoztak.En: Áron and Zsófi met one autumn afternoon in the heart of the city.Hu: Sok levél borította az utakat, ahogy a szél vidáman sodorta őket.En: Many leaves covered the roads as the wind cheerfully swept them along.Hu: Mindketten élvezték a hűvös időjárást Budapest utcáin, amikor beléptek az Urban Jungle nevű kávézóba.En: Both enjoyed the cool weather on the streets of Budapest when they entered the café called Urban Jungle.Hu: Amint beléptek, egy sűrű dzsungel fogadta őket.En: As they walked in, they were greeted by a dense jungle.Hu: A falakat zöld növények fedték, és mindenhol indák lógtak.En: The walls were covered with green plants, and vines hung everywhere.Hu: „Imádom ezt a helyet!” kiáltotta Zsófi lelkesen, de Áron alig hallotta meg a mesterséges papagájhangoktól, amelyek a hangszórókból szóltak.En: “I love this place!” exclaimed Zsófi enthusiastically, but Áron barely heard her over the artificial parrot sounds blaring from the speakers.Hu: A kávézó tele volt emberekkel, mind körülöttük foglalták el a székeket és asztalokat.En: The café was full of people, occupying the chairs and tables all around them.Hu: Áron próbált Zsófira mosolyogni, de a zaj egyszerűen elnyomta a szavait.En: Áron tried to smile at Zsófi, but the noise simply drowned out his words.Hu: Leültek egy kis asztalhoz a sarokban, ahol leginkább a majomhuhogás volt hallható.En: They sat at a small table in the corner, where mostly monkey hoots were audible.Hu: Áron próbált figyelni Zsófi történeteire, de a fejében más járt.En: Áron tried to focus on Zsófi's stories, but his mind was elsewhere.Hu: „Hogyan lehetne ezt elviselni?” gondolta.En: “How can anyone stand this?” he thought.Hu: Áron íróember volt, és sokszor mély figyelem és csend kellett neki, hogy dolgozni tudjon.En: Áron was a writer, and he often needed deep focus and silence to work.Hu: Zsófi viszont élvezte a vibráló hangulatot.En: Zsófi, on the other hand, enjoyed the vibrant atmosphere.Hu: Hangosan mesélt arról, hogyan fedezte fel ezt a helyet, és milyen izgalmas itt ülni.En: She spoke loudly about how she discovered this place and how exciting it was to sit here.Hu: „Hallottad, hogy van élő kígyó a hátsó sarokban?” kérdezte izgatottan, de Áron csak bólintott, ahogy próbálta túlélni az újabb gorillakiáltást.En: “Did you hear there's a live snake in the back corner?” she asked excitedly, but Áron just nodded as he tried to endure another gorilla scream.Hu: Áron szorongva kezdte el a kávéját kortyolgatni, és próbálta elmondani Zsófinak az új könyv tervét.En: Áron anxiously began sipping his coffee and tried to tell Zsófi about his new book plan.Hu: De minden próbálkozását elnyomta a zaj.En: But all his attempts were drowned out by the noise.Hu: „Ha tovább maradunk, nem tudok összpontosítani” – gondolta Áron.En: “If we stay any longer, I won't be able to concentrate,” Áron thought.Hu: Ahogy a hangok egyre hangosabbak lettek, és a gorillakiáltások szinte dübörögtek, Áron érezte, hogy elérte a tűréshatárát.En: As the sounds grew louder and the gorilla screams almost thundered, Áron felt he had reached his limit.Hu: Zavartan nézett körül, majd gyengéden megérintette Zsófi karját.En: Looking around in dismay, he gently touched Zsófi's arm.Hu: „Szerintem ideje mennünk. Nem bírom elviselni ezt a zajt” – próbálta megértetni vele.En: “I think it's time to go. I can't take this noise anymore,” he tried to explain.Hu: Zsófi látta, hogy Áron kicsit feszült, ezért bólintott.En: Seeing that Áron was a bit tense, Zsófi nodded.Hu: „Oké, menjünk valahová máshová. Egy csendesebb helyre” – mosolygott rá megértően.En: “Okay, let's go somewhere else. To a quieter place,” she smiled at him understandingly.Hu: Amint kiléptek az Urban Jungle kávézóból, Áron fellélegzett.En: As soon as they stepped out of the Urban Jungle café, Áron breathed a sigh of relief.Hu: „Mit szólnál a Duna-parthoz?” javasolta.En: “How about the Danube riverbank?” he suggested.Hu: Zsófi örömmel elfogadta az ötletet, és kéz a kézben sétáltak tovább a csendesebb, nyugodtabb környezet felé.En: Zsófi happily accepted the idea, and hand in hand, they walked towards a quieter, more peaceful environment.Hu: Ahogy sétáltak, Áron úgy érezte, hogy először sikerült kicsit magabiztosabban kiállnia maga mellett, míg Zsófi kezdte felismerni, hogy néha a csend többet mond minden szónál.En: As they walked, Áron felt that, for the first time, he managed to assert himself a little more confidently, while Zsófi began to realize that sometimes silence says more than any words. Vocabulary Words:autumn: ősziencounter: találkoztakdense: sűrűvines: indákexclaimed: kiáltottacheerfully: vidámanartificial: mesterségesblaring: zúdítottákoccupying: foglaljákaudible: hallhatófocus: összpontosítaniendure: elviselnianxiously: szorongvasipping: kortyolgatnidrowned: elnyomtaconcentrate: összpontosítanithundered: dübörögtekdismay: zavartantouched: megérintettequieter: csendesebbrelief: fellélegzettassert: kiállniaconfidently: magabiztosabbanrealize: felismernisilence: csendenvironment: környezetsignificantly: lényegesenendurance: tűréshatárátsuggestion: javaslatsnake: kígyó

Send us a textIn this episode, Run Your Life Podcast host Andy Vasily sits down with good friend Josh Berghuis for a face-to-face conversation about courage, vulnerability, and finding strength in the face of life's greatest challenges. Recorded live in Budapest, this heartfelt discussion marks the first time Josh shares his journey with chronic lymphocytic leukemia publicly. Together, Andy and Josh explore the emotional realities of receiving a life-changing diagnosis, the lessons learned from Josh's background as an elite swimmer and educator, and the unwavering support he's received from family and close friends.Listeners will discover:The healing power of sharing our story and embracing vulnerabilityHow resilience and adaptability, shaped by Josh's athletic and teaching experiences, have helped him navigate adversityThe difference between optimism and toxic positivity, and why grounded hope mattersThe transformative impact of gratitude in shifting perspective during tough timesThe importance of strong relationships—with family, friends, and colleagues—in building a foundation for well-beingLearning from regret and practicing self-compassion as part of personal growthThe lasting influence of educators and mentors on our livesWhether you're facing your own challenges or supporting someone who is, this episode offers hope, practical wisdom, and a reminder of the strength found in community and self-reflection.Tune in for a moving conversation that will inspire you to face life's uncertainties with courage, gratitude, and optimism.Connect with Josh: Facebook, and Email (jberghuis@aisb.hu)

Ma esti vendégünk Karácsony Gergely, aki egy éve kezdte második ciklusát főpolgármesterként. Sok ügy van a közbeszédben Budapesttel kapcsolatban Rákosrendező és a Nagykörút fejlesztésétől kezdve a most érkezett új és a kigyulladt régi buszokon keresztül a politikai csatározásokig a BKK, a BKV és a fővárosi cégek vezetése körül, de talán a legégetőbb a Főváros anyagi helyzete: az Állami Számvevőszék jelentése szerint, amit a Közgyűlés is elfogadott, már akár ebben a hónapban fizetésképtelenné válhat a Főváros.Minderről részletesen beszéltünk Karácsony Gergely főpolgármesterrel: hogy látja a Főváros túlélési esélyeit, és hogy tud fejlődni Budapest mindennek ellenére?—A közösség lehetőség, a közösség felelősség.Támogasd a Partizánt!https://cause.lundadonate.org/partizan/adomany—Iratkozz fel!Értesülj elsőként eseményeinkről, akcióinkról, maradjunk kapcsolatban:https://csapat.partizanmedia.hu/forms/maradjunk-kapcsolatban—Legyél önkéntes!Csatlakozz a Partizán önkéntes csapatához:https://csapat.partizanmedia.hu/forms/csatlakozz-te-is-a-partizan-onkenteseihez—Iratkozz fel tematikus hírleveleinkre!—Heti Feledyhttps://csapat.partizanmedia.hu/forms/partizan-heti-feledy—Vétóhttps://csapat.partizanmedia.hu/forms/iratkozz-fel-a-veto-hirlevelere—https://www.youtube.com/@Partizanmediahttps://facebook.com/partizanpolitika/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/partizantarsalgo https://www.instagram.com/partizanpolitika/https://www.tiktok.com/@partizan_mediaPartizán saját gyártású podcastok: https://rss.com/podcasts/partizanpodcast/További támogatási lehetőségekről bővebben: https://www.partizanmedia.hu/tamogatas

Fluent Fiction - Hungarian: Hidden Tales and Cardboard Dragons: A Halloween in Budapest Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hu/episode/2025-10-03-22-34-02-hu Story Transcript:Hu: A levegő hűvös volt és titokzatos, ahogy Bence, Eszter és Gergő leereszkedtek a Budapest Vár alatti titkos bunkerba.En: The air was cool and mysterious as Bence, Eszter, and Gergő descended into the secret bunker beneath Budapest's Castle.Hu: Az őszi avar puhán ropogott a lábuk alatt, ahogy leereszkedtek a keskeny lépcsőkön.En: The autumn leaves softly crunched under their feet as they made their way down the narrow steps.Hu: Gergő az elemlámpa fényét ide-oda pásztázta, hogy megvilágítsa a falakat díszítő, régi málló írásokat.En: Gergő swept the flashlight beam around to illuminate the old, crumbling writings on the walls.Hu: „Ez lesz a legjobb Halloween!En: "This is going to be the best Halloween ever!"Hu: ” mondta Bence izgatottan, miközben megpróbált nem mutatni félelmet.En: Bence said excitedly, trying not to show his fear.Hu: Eszter csak mosolygott, mert tudta, hogy Bence próbálja bizonyítani bátorságát előtte.En: Eszter just smiled, knowing that Bence was trying to prove his bravery to her.Hu: Gergő, bár szkeptikusan, beleegyezett, hogy őket vezesse.En: Gergő, though skeptical, had agreed to lead them.Hu: A föld alatti labirintus tele volt sötét zugokkal és szokatlan tárgyakkal.En: The underground labyrinth was full of dark corners and unusual objects.Hu: Nyirkos volt a levegő, és a járatok, mintha suttogtak volna a történelmi titkokról.En: The air was damp, and the passageways seemed to whisper about historical secrets.Hu: Hirtelen neszezést hallottak az egyik folyosóról.En: Suddenly, they heard a rustling from one of the corridors.Hu: „Mi lehet ez?En: "What could that be?"Hu: ” kérdezte Eszter kíváncsian.En: Eszter asked curiously.Hu: Bence közelebb lépett, és a fény körbetáncolta az alagút falait.En: Bence stepped closer, and the light danced around the walls of the tunnel.Hu: „Menjünk, nézzük meg!En: "Let's go check it out!"Hu: ”Ahogy közeledtek a hangok felé, hirtelen kiléptek egy tágasabb terembe, ahol meglepetésükre egy csapat jelmezes ember jelent meg.En: As they approached the sounds, they suddenly stepped into a larger chamber, where to their surprise, they found a group of people in costumes.Hu: Mindannyian középkori ruhákban voltak.En: They were all dressed in medieval clothing.Hu: „Mit csináltok itt?En: "What are you doing here?"Hu: ” kérdezte egy zömök katona jelmezbe bújt hölgy.En: asked a lady dressed as a stocky soldier.Hu: „Ööö… csatlakoztunk a játékhoz?En: "Uh... we've joined the game?"Hu: ” mondta Bence zavartan, majd mosolyogva hozzátette, „Középkori kaland?En: Bence said awkwardly, then with a smile, added, "A medieval adventure?"Hu: ”A jelmezes emberek nevetésbe törtek ki.En: The costumed people erupted into laughter.Hu: „Nos, remek időben érkeztetek!En: "Well, you've arrived at a perfect time!"Hu: ” mondta az egyikük, „A próbák éppen kezdődnek.En: one of them said, "The trials are just beginning.Hu: Vegyétek fel a jelmezeket!En: Put on the costumes!"Hu: ”Bence, bár elsőre vonakodva, úgy döntött, hogy játssza a szerepét, nem akarta, hogy Eszter rajta nevessen.En: Bence, though initially reluctant, decided to play along, not wanting Eszter to laugh at him.Hu: Gergő próbálta figyelmeztetni, de Bence már egy habszivacs karddal hadonászva lépett ki a díszes lovagi ruhában.En: Gergő tried to warn him, but Bence had already stepped out, swinging a foam sword in an ornate knight's outfit.Hu: A következő jelenetben Bencének egy hatalmas habkarton sárkánnyal kellett megküzdenie.En: In the next scene, Bence had to battle a giant cardboard dragon.Hu: A sárkány kerekeken gurult, és legalább annyira komikus volt, amennyire félelmetes.En: The dragon rolled on wheels and was as comical as it was menacing.Hu: Bence habzó lelkesedéssel vetette magát a „csatába.En: Bence dove into the "battle" with foaming enthusiasm.Hu: ”„Vigyázz, Bence!En: "Watch out, Bence!"Hu: ” kiáltotta Gergő, miközben Eszter könnyeit törölgette a nevetéstől.En: Gergő shouted, while Eszter wiped away tears of laughter.Hu: A harc hevében Bence túl messzire lendített, és a sárkány átlendült egy asztalon, amin finom sütemények sorakoztak.En: In the heat of the fight, Bence swung too far, and the dragon toppled over a table laden with delicious pastries.Hu: Egy pill re csend volt, majd hatalmas nevetés tört ki mindenhol.En: There was a moment of silence, then eruptions of laughter echoed everywhere.Hu: „Bátor lovag!En: "Brave knight!"Hu: ” tapsolták meg Bencét, aki zavartan, de boldogan meghajolt.En: they applauded Bence, who, embarrassed but happy, bowed.Hu: Eszter odalépett hozzá, mosolygott, és a szemébe nézett.En: Eszter stepped over to him, smiled, and looked into his eyes.Hu: „Nagyon bátor voltál!En: "You were very brave!"Hu: ” mondta játékosan.En: she said playfully.Hu: Bence mosolyogva állt ott, és nevetett velük.En: Bence stood there smiling, laughing with them.Hu: Később, mikor kijöttek a bunkerból, a sötét égboltra néztek.En: Later, as they emerged from the bunker, they looked up at the dark sky.Hu: Bence megtanulta, hogy néha a legjobb benyomás az, ha egyszerűen csak önmagukat adják és nevetnek együtt az élet meglepetésein.En: Bence learned that sometimes the best impression is simply being yourself and laughing together at life's surprises. Vocabulary Words:mysterious: titokzatosdescended: leereszkedtekbunker: bunkerbacrumbling: mállówritings: írásokatexcitedly: izgatottanprove: bizonyítaniskeptical: szkeptikusanlabyrinth: labirintusunusual: szokatlandamp: nyirkosrustling: neszezéstcorridors: folyosórólcuriously: kíváncsianchamber: terembecostumes: jelmezeketawkwardly: zavartanreluctant: vonakodvafoam: habszivacsornate: díszescardboard: habkartoncomical: komikusmenacing: félelmetesenthusiasm: lelkesedésselevaporates: eltűnikapplauded: tapsoltákbravery: bátorságátimpression: benyomásemerged: kijötteksurprises: meglepetésein

Fluent Fiction - Hungarian: Creative Tastes: A Family's Budapest Market Journey Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hu/episode/2025-10-03-07-38-20-hu Story Transcript:Hu: A piaci forgatagban, ahol az ősz aranyszín fényét megidézve a paprikák és sütőtökök melegednek, Krisztián magában motyogott, miközben Zsófia és Márton oldalt sétált mellette.En: In the bustling marketplace, where the golden light of autumn was evoked by the warm peppers and pumpkins, Krisztián muttered to himself as Zsófia and Márton walked beside him.Hu: A Nagy Vásárcsarnok, Budapest szíve, pezsegve fogadta a vásárlókat egy újabb napra.En: The Nagy Vásárcsarnok, the heart of Budapest, buzzed with life, welcoming shoppers for another day.Hu: Krisztián céllal érkezett: elkápráztatni a családját egy különleges vacsorával.En: Krisztián had a mission: to dazzle his family with a special dinner.Hu: Azonban a pénz csak szűkösen állt rendelkezésre, ami azonnal a romantikus elképzeléseit a valóság talajára rántotta.En: However, funds were limited, which immediately grounded his romantic ideas in reality.Hu: Tudta, hogy Zsófiának szem előtt kell tartania a pénzügyi kérdéseket.En: He knew that Zsófia had to keep the financial issues in mind.Hu: Márton pedig mindenki életét megszínesítette, bár a fókuszt nem mindig tartva erősen.En: Márton, on the other hand, infused everyone's lives with color, though his focus wasn't always steady.Hu: "Talán rizottót csinálhatnék... de az a jó parmezán drága," mormogta Krisztián.En: "Perhaps I could make risotto... but the good Parmesan is expensive," Krisztián muttered.Hu: Zsófia egy sóhajtás kíséretében próbálta nyugalomra inteni.En: Zsófia tried to soothe him with a sigh.Hu: "Ne aggódj annyit! Ha keresgélsz, talán találsz valami más érdekeset."En: "Don't worry so much! If you look around, you might find something else interesting."Hu: Márton, fersen lesve a standok között, felkiáltott. "Nézzétek ezt a gyönyörű póréhagymát! Talán valami franciásat is készíthetnél!"En: Márton, darting looks between the stalls, exclaimed, "Look at this beautiful leek! Maybe you could make something French!"Hu: Krisztián mosolyra fakadt.En: Krisztián smiled.Hu: Frissen a szeme előtt kavarta fel a képzeletét a póréhagyma, de tudta, hogy egyedi megoldásokra lesz szükség.En: The leek stirred his imagination freshly in front of his eyes, but he knew unique solutions would be necessary.Hu: Miközben lassan körbejárták a sorokat, megállt egy idős asszony standjánál.En: As they slowly wandered around the stalls, they stopped at an elderly woman's stand.Hu: A polc szélén egy kis tálkában rejtélyes, furcsa formájú gomba sorakozott.En: On the edge of the shelf, in a small bowl, mysterious, oddly-shaped mushrooms lay.Hu: "Ez mi?" kérdezte Krisztián a kíváncsiságtól fűtve.En: "What is this?" Krisztián asked, driven by curiosity.Hu: Az asszony mosolygott.En: The woman smiled.Hu: "Ez vargánya. Ritka, de most éppen kedvezményes áron van. Isteni finom levesbe."En: "This is vargánya. Rare, but it's on sale right now. Divine in a soup."Hu: Krisztián szíve megdobbant.En: Krisztián's heart skipped a beat.Hu: "Lehet vele valami különlegeset csinálni?" Az asszony bólintott, titokzatos mosolyával tovább csalogatva.En: "Can you do something special with it?" The woman nodded, enticing further with her mysterious smile.Hu: Zsófia és Márton figyelemmel követték Krisztián szemrehányás- és öröm-teli pillantásait.En: Zsófia and Márton watched as Krisztián's looks of reproach and joy unfolded.Hu: Végül döntött: "Megyek vele. Kevesebbe kerül, és kitalálok valami igazán lenyűgözőt."En: Finally, he decided, "I'll go with it. It's cheaper, and I'll come up with something truly impressive."Hu: A piacon tett kóstolások és beszélgetések után Krisztián a következő órákban a konyhában serénykedett.En: After sampling and chatting at the market, Krisztián spent the next few hours bustling in the kitchen.Hu: A gomba gazdag íze, az ötletek kavalkádja, és Zsófia praktikus támogatása hozzásegítették, hogy az este végül jobban sikerüljön, mint valaha is remélte.En: The rich flavor of the mushrooms, the whirlwind of ideas, and Zsófia's practical support helped make the evening more successful than he had ever hoped.Hu: A vacsoraasztalnál a család csak párás szemekkel bólintott elismerően, és Márton csak annyit mondott: "Kellően bolondos és finom, Krisztián.En: At the dinner table, the family nodded approvingly with misty eyes, and Márton said simply, "Perfectly quirky and delicious, Krisztián.Hu: Teljesen hoztad, amit vártunk tőled!"En: You delivered just what we expected from you!"Hu: Ez az este nemcsak egy finom étel köré fonódott, hanem Krisztián önbizalmát is növelte.En: That evening wasn't just about a delicious meal but also boosted Krisztián's confidence.Hu: Rájött, hogy a kreativitás és a gyakorlatias megoldások kéz a kézben járhatnak.En: He realized that creativity and practical solutions could go hand in hand.Hu: Az ősz ízei és a baráti nevetések nyomot hagytak, emlékeztetve őt, hogy a főzés is egy történetmesélés.En: The flavors of autumn and friendly laughter left a mark, reminding him that cooking is also a form of storytelling.Hu: A piaci nap véget ért, de a tanulságok és az ízek világában maradtak megörökítve.En: The market day ended, but the lessons and flavors remained immortalized in the world.Hu: Krisztián tudta, legközelebb még bátrabban fog a fazék mellé állni.En: Krisztián knew that next time, he would approach the pot with even more courage. Vocabulary Words:bustling: forgatagmuttered: motyogottmission: céldazzle: elkápráztatnifunds: pénzgrounded: rántottaromantic: romantikusinfused: megszínesítettesteady: erősensoothe: nyugalomra intenidarting: fersenstirred: kavartawandered: körbejártákelderly: idősenticing: csalogatvareproach: szemrehányásdecided: döntöttsampling: kóstolásokbustling: serénykedettwhirlwind: kavalkádjapractical: gyakorlatiasapprovingly: elismerőenboosted: növeltecreativity: kreativitássolutions: megoldásokcourage: bátrabbanmark: nyomotimmortalized: megörökítveapproach: állnipot: fazék

Fluent Fiction - Hungarian: Letters from Autumn: A Journey from Loneliness to Hope Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hu/episode/2025-10-02-07-38-20-hu Story Transcript:Hu: Az ősz Budapest fölé borult sárga és vörös levelekkel.En: Autumn spread over Budapest with yellow and red leaves.Hu: A nagy, régi gyermekotthon ablakain az őszi napfény meleg sugarai átszűrődtek, vidámmá téve az amúgy szürke termeket.En: The warm rays of the autumn sun filtered through the windows of the large, old children's home, brightening the otherwise gray rooms.Hu: Bálint, a tizenkét éves fiú, az egyik ilyen ablaknál ült, gondolkodva bámulta a kint lehulló leveleket.En: Bálint, the twelve-year-old boy, sat by one of these windows, thoughtfully watching the falling leaves outside.Hu: Sok éve élt már itt, az árva gyermekek között, de a szíve mélyén mindig vágyott valami többre.En: He had been living there among the orphaned children for many years, but deep down, he always longed for something more.Hu: Zsófia, a kreatív és vidám önkéntes, szerette volna, ha a gyerekek kitekintenek a világra.En: Zsófia, the creative and cheerful volunteer, wanted the children to have a glimpse of the world.Hu: Ezért indított el egy levélcsere programot.En: That's why she started a letter exchange program.Hu: Bálintnak tetszett az ötlet, de ugyanakkor félt is tőle.En: Bálint liked the idea but feared it at the same time.Hu: Mi van, ha az, akinek ír, nem érti meg őt?En: What if the person he writes to doesn't understand him?Hu: Vagy talán el sem olvassa a levelét?En: Or perhaps doesn't even read his letter?Hu: Egyik nap, gyűjtve minden bátorságát, Bálint leült az íróasztalhoz, és elővette a papírt.En: One day, gathering all his courage, Bálint sat down at the desk and took out a piece of paper.Hu: "Kedves Ismeretlen..." – kezdte bizonytalanul.En: “Dear Stranger...” he began uncertainly.Hu: De aztán írás közben megnyugodott.En: But then, as he wrote, he calmed down.Hu: Elmesélte, hogy milyen az élet a gyermekotthonban, leírta, hogy szeret könyvet olvasni és álmodozni arról, hogy egyszer egy szerető családban élhet.En: He told what life was like in the children's home, described that he loved reading books and dreaming of one day living with a loving family.Hu: Szavait őszinte vágy töltötte meg.En: His words were filled with sincere longing.Hu: Egy hét múlva egy kislányos kék boríték várta őt az asztalon.En: A week later, a girlish blue envelope awaited him on the desk.Hu: Kellemes remegéssel nyitotta ki, és olvasni kezdte.En: He opened it with pleasant trembling and began to read.Hu: A válasz az "idősebb Zsuzsanna" nevű nőtől érkezett.En: The reply came from someone named "elder Zsuzsanna."Hu: Zsuzsanna megköszönte Bálint nyitottságát, elmondta, hogy az őszinte szavai megérintették.En: Zsuzsanna thanked Bálint for his openness and said that his sincere words touched her.Hu: Biztatta őt, hogy soha ne adja fel álmait.En: She encouraged him to never give up on his dreams.Hu: Bálint szíve megtelt melegséggel.En: Bálint's heart filled with warmth.Hu: Soha nem gondolta volna, hogy valaki, akit nem is ismer, ilyen kedvesen válaszolhat.En: He never thought that someone he didn't even know could reply so kindly.Hu: Aznap este, vacsora után, Bálint elmesélte Zsófiának az egészet.En: That evening, after dinner, Bálint told Zsófia everything.Hu: "Tudod, érzem, hogy valami megváltozott bennem" – mondta mosolyogva.En: "You know, I feel like something has changed in me," he said with a smile.Hu: Zsófia boldogan veregette meg a vállát.En: Zsófia patted his shoulder happily.Hu: Bálint most már tudta, hogy nem kell félni kinyitni a szívét.En: Bálint now knew he didn't need to be afraid to open his heart.Hu: Bár még nem talált családot, de a levelezés lehetőséget adott neki, hogy kapcsolódjon másokhoz.En: Although he had not yet found a family, the correspondence offered him a chance to connect with others.Hu: Úgy érezte, ez az első lépés volt egy új élet felé, ahol remélhette, hogy igazán otthonra talál.En: He felt this was the first step towards a new life, where he hoped to truly find a home.Hu: Az ősz, ami először csak egy újabb tavasztól távolodó évszak volt, most a változás és a remény ideje lett.En: The autumn, which was just another season moving away from spring at first, now became a time of change and hope. Vocabulary Words:autumn: őszorphaned: árvavolunteer: önkéntesglimpse: kipillantásexchange: cserecourage: bátorságuncertainly: bizonytalanulsincere: őszintelonging: vágyenvelope: borítéktrembling: remegésopenness: nyitottságtouched: megérintettencouraged: buzdítottkindly: kedvesencorrespondence: levelezésconnect: kapcsolódikotherwise: amúgyfilter: átszűrődikdesk: íróasztalcalm: megnyugszikfilled: megtöltreply: válaszdreaming: álmodoznihope: reményelder: idősebbpat: veregetthoughtfully: gondolkodvacheerful: vidámbrightening: vidámmá tesz

During our 2-week trip to Japan, we visited Nara as a day trip from Kyoto. While there, we had one big goal: to see the Daibutsu of Nara, the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana.  We also saw the deer in Nara Deer Park, loved the Nara National Museum, and really enjoyed the lanterns at the Kasugataisha Shrine. We also had some amazing Japanese curry! Would you enjoy a day trip to Nara in Japan?   Relevant Links (may contain affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through these links, we earn a small commission-at no additional cost to you!): -Kintetsu Limited Express: https://www.kintetsu.co.jp/foreign/english/about/limited_express/ -Nara Line: https://www.kyotostation.com/jr-nara-line-for-tofukuji-inari-uji-nara/   Podcast Episodes/Blogs Mentioned: -Central Europe Christmas Market Trip: https://worldwidehoneymoon.com/european-christmas-market-trip-in-10-days/ -Alsace Christmas Market Trip: https://francevoyager.com/best-alsace-christmas-markets/ -7-Day Finland Itinerary: https://worldwidehoneymoon.com/7-day-finnish-lapland-itinerary/ -Travel to Vienna: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/travel-to-vienna-austria/id1453905777?i=1000472980477 -Vienna Christmas Markets: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-christmas-markets-in-vienna-austria/id1453905777?i=1000501798257 -Travel to Budapest: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/travel-to-budapest-hungary-top-things-to-do-in-budapest/id1453905777?i=1000462547529 -Travel to Prague: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/travel-to-prague-czech-republic/id1453905777?i=1000489802006  -Christmas Markets in Prague: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/best-christmas-markets-in-prague-czech-republic/id1453905777?i=1000502534789  -Cologne Christmas Markets: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-cologne-christmas-market-crawl-you-can-do-in-1-day/id1453905777?i=1000485691386 -Christmas Market Trip Episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ultimate-european-christmas-market-itinerary/id1453905777?i=1000544280457 -Christmas Market Tips: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/top-10-european-christmas-market-tips/id1453905777?i=1000501037386   Traveling to France? Check out our Facebook Group called France Travel Tips to ask/answer questions and learn more! Don't forget to follow along! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worldwidehoneymoon Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/worldwidehoneymoon TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@worldwidehoneymoon World Wide Honeymoon Blog: https://worldwidehoneymoon.com France Voyager Blog: https://francevoyager.com Subscribe to the World Wide Honeymoon blog here for monthly updates and tips + get our FREE trip planning guide: https://www.subscribepage.com/o4e5c2

Fluent Fiction - Hungarian: Mystery of the Danube: A Budapest Adventure Unfolds Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hu/episode/2025-10-01-22-34-02-hu Story Transcript:Hu: Budapest egyik apró, hangulatos kávézójában ült István.En: István sat in one of the small, cozy cafés of Budapest.Hu: Az asztal mellett hullottak az aranysárga őszi levelek, a levegő tele volt frissen főtt kávé illatával.En: Golden autumn leaves fell beside the table, and the air was filled with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.Hu: István izgult.En: István was nervous.Hu: Első randevúja volt Orsolyával, egy szép, okos lánnyal, akit a környékbeli futópályán ismert meg.En: It was his first date with Orsolya, a beautiful and intelligent girl he had met at the local running track.Hu: Szerette volna lenyűgözni.En: He wanted to impress her.Hu: Ahogy várt, egy különös csomag maradt az asztalon, amit egy pillanatra tettek le előtte, majd az illető sietve távozott.En: As he waited, a peculiar package was left on the table, placed momentarily in front of him, after which the person hurriedly left.Hu: István töprengett.En: István pondered.Hu: Mi lehet ez?En: What could this be?Hu: Tekintetével kereste Orsolyát, aki éppen megérkezett.En: He searched with his eyes for Orsolya, who had just arrived.Hu: Barnás haja lágyan hullott vállára, mosolya ragyogott.En: Her brownish hair gently cascaded onto her shoulders, and her smile was radiant.Hu: „Szia, Orsolya!” mondta István, próbálva nyugodtnak tűnni.En: "Hi, Orsolya," said István, trying to appear calm.Hu: „Nézd, valaki hagyott itt egy csomagot.”En: "Look, someone left a package here."Hu: Orsolya érdeklődve nézte a csomagot.En: Orsolya looked at the package with interest.Hu: „Nyissuk ki!” javasolta izgatottan.En: "Let's open it!" she suggested excitedly.Hu: István felbátorodott az ötlettől.En: István was encouraged by the idea.Hu: Óvatosan bontotta fel, és egy kis papírt talált benne, amelyen rejtélyes üzenet állt: „Keressétek a lepkéket, ahol a Duna sugallja az utat.”En: He carefully opened it and found a small piece of paper inside, with a mysterious message: "Look for the butterflies where the Danube suggests the way."Hu: „Ez valami térkép lehet?” kérdezte Orsolya, miközben egy pohár teát rendelt.En: "Could this be a map?" Orsolya asked, as she ordered a cup of tea.Hu: István elmosolyodott.En: István smiled.Hu: „Talán egy kaland!” Most már kíváncsi volt, és érezte, hogy szívdobogása izgalomba váltja a korábbi aggódást.En: "Perhaps an adventure!" He was now curious and felt his heart's pounding turn his previous worry into excitement.Hu: A napfényes főváros utcáin sétáltak, a nyomokat követve.En: They walked through the sunny streets of the capital, following the clues.Hu: István, aki passzívnak és tartózkodónak tűnt elsőre, most teljesen kiengedte magát.En: István, who at first seemed passive and reserved, now completely let himself go.Hu: A Szabadság híd alatt elhaladva megláttak egy pillangót ábrázoló falfestményt az egyik ház oldalán.En: Passing under the Liberty Bridge, they saw a mural depicting a butterfly on the side of a building.Hu: „Ez lehet az!” kiáltotta Orsolya.En: "This could be it!" shouted Orsolya.Hu: A kép alatt újabb üzenet: „Utazzatok a láncra!”En: Under the picture was another message: "Travel to the chain!"Hu: István és Orsolya mosolyogva vette az irányt a Lánchíd felé.En: István and Orsolya smiled and headed towards the Chain Bridge.Hu: Ott, a hídról lenézve, újabb nyomokat találtak, amelyek a híres Gresham palotához vezettek.En: There, looking down from the bridge, they found more clues that led them to the famous Gresham Palace.Hu: Az utolsó üzenet egyszerű volt: „Forduljatok vissza, amikor elérkeztek.”En: The last message was simple: "Turn back when you arrive."Hu: A nap western árnyékai közepette álltak meg végül a Lánchíd lábánál.En: Amid the western shadows of the day, they finally stopped at the foot of the Chain Bridge.Hu: Ott várta őket Gábor, régi közös barátjuk, egy széles vigyorral.En: There waited Gábor, their old mutual friend, with a broad grin.Hu: „Ez mind a te ötleted volt?” kérdezte nevetve István.En: "Was this all your idea?" asked István laughing.Hu: Az idegesség, amit korábban érzett, eltűnt.En: The nervousness he had felt earlier was gone.Hu: Gábor bólintott.En: Gábor nodded.Hu: „Persze, az ékszerász nem hagyja magára a rejtélyeket!” Orsolya elkapta István kezét.En: "Of course, the jewel master doesn't abandon mysteries!" Orsolya caught István's hand.Hu: Mindketten nevettek.En: They both laughed.Hu: A kaland összehozta őket, és István ráébredt, hogy az élet néha meglephet minket, ha csak hagyjuk.En: The adventure brought them together, and István realized that life can sometimes surprise us if we just let it.Hu: A rejtélyek pedig összekapcsolhatják az embereket, ha együtt oldjuk meg őket.En: Mysteries can connect people if we solve them together.Hu: A nap végére nyugodt volt és boldog.En: By the end of the day, he was calm and happy.Hu: Talán pontosan így kellett történnie.En: Perhaps this is exactly how it needed to happen.Hu: Így hát, a naplemente fényével körülölelve, István és Orsolya elindultak vissza a kávézó felé, egy új kaland reményével a szívükben.En: Thus, surrounded by the light of the sunset, István and Orsolya headed back towards the café, with a new adventure in their hearts. Vocabulary Words:peculiar: különöspondered: töprengettcascade: hullradiant: ragyogottencouraged: felbátorodottmysterious: rejtélyessuggests: sugalljapassive: passzívreserved: tartózkodómural: falfestménydepicting: ábrázolóamid: közepettegrin: vigyorjewel master: ékszerászabandon: elhagyjamysteries: rejtélyekcalm: nyugodtexcitedly: izgatottanadventure: kalandtransformed: átváltoztattaprevious: korábbiclues: nyomokatcapital: fővárosdisappeared: eltűntsurrounded: körülölelvefamous: híresapproach: megközelítésplans: tervekconfidence: bizalomsurprise: meglepetés

Five and Jon talk about what drives them to work on Nostr, how to build community software, and how ngit fits into Flotilla. Five runs a bitcoin meetup based in Budapest, and is the creator or satshoot.com and budabit.club.

Tariffs won't save America's economy—but knowledge might. In the third episode of our Trade series, Nick and Goldy sit down with physicist César Hidalgo to explore how prosperity really grows—not through tariffs or trickle-down promises, but through the accumulation of knowledge and know-how. Hidalgo explains why digital exports don't show up in trade data, why tariffs fail, and why the future belongs to countries that invest in research, strategy, and human talent. César Hidalgo is the director of the Center for Collective Learning, with offices at the Toulouse School of Economics and Corvinus University of Budapest. A physicist by training, he is also the founder of Datawheel, a company specializing in data visualization and distribution systems. Hidalgo is the author of Why Information Grows, a groundbreaking book on the relationship between knowledge, innovation, and economic prosperity, and his forthcoming book, The Infinite Alphabet and the Laws of Knowledge, explores the dynamics of how knowledge evolves and diffuses globally. Social Media: @cesifoti.bsky.social  @cesifoti Further reading:  Why Information Grows: The Evolution of Order, from Atoms to Economies The Infinite Alphabet and the Laws of Knowledge Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Threads: pitchforkeconomics Bluesky: @pitchforkeconomics.bsky.social TikTok: @pitchfork_econ Twitter: @PitchforkEcon, @NickHanauer, @civicaction YouTube: @pitchforkeconomics LinkedIn: Pitchfork Economics Substack: ⁠The Pitch⁠

 Despite an impressive chess résumé as one of the U.S.'s top women players, Tatev Abrahamyan has had moments when she questioned whether it was all worth it. After a prolonged slump, she not only considered giving up on ever earning the International Master title, but she nearly quit competitive chess altogether. Fortunately, Tatev persevered. Earlier this year, she unexpectedly finished second in the Woman's American Cup, and then in August, she delivered a standout result that earned her the International Master title at age 37 — more than 10 years after achieving her final required norm!  Remarkably, Tatev's performance was so strong that she also secured her first GM norm. In our conversation, Tatev reflects on: Why a timely vote of confidence from a mentor propelled her toward a $30,000 prize Opening advice and the enduring value of endgame studies What she has learned from this roller-coaster journey — and what she advises others facing slumps Tatev's story is both candid and inspiring, and I look forward to following her next chapter at the 2025 U.S. Women's Championship and beyond. 0:00- Thanks to our sponsors Chessable.com: Check out Tatev's courses here-  and if you sign up for Chessable Pro, be sure to use this link: https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro 0:02- Late last year, after a slump, Tatev was “despondent” with her chess? Did she seriously consider quitting?  0:05- Once she didn't quit, how did she prepare for the American Cup?  0:08- Tatev's tournament routine and mindset Mentioned: IM Kostya Kavutskiy, GM Josh Friedel, Endgame Labaratory by GM Jacob Aagaard 0:11- Why does Tatev think her results turned around at the American Cup? Mentioned: GM Yasser Quesada Perez 0:15- Tatev's next tournaments in Spain and Budapest  0:18- Tatev's approach to openings 0:20- When did Tatev start to think that earning the IM title was becoming realistic?  0:24- Patreon mailbag question: Was there any change to Tatev's mindset leading up to this breakthrough? Mentioned: You can check out Tatev's games from the tournament here: https://www.chess.com/events/budapest-one-week-budapest-one-week-gm FM Mike Klein's article about Tatev's title: https://www.chess.com/news/view/abrahamyan-plays-best-tournament-of-career-earns-im-title-gm-norm 26:00- Meeting up with Judit after the tournament!  34:00- More reflections on Tatev's tournament Mentioned: IM Kostya Kavutskiy's blog post about analyzing with Ivanchuk https://hellokostya.substack.com/p/2025-spring-eurotrip 40:00- The US Women's Championship  41:00- Tatev discusses her Chessable course and her fondness for endgame studies. Mentioned: Chess Studies: Solve to Evolve  https://www.chessable.com/chess-studies-solve-to-evolve/course/300770/ 49:00 Tatev's next projects 51:00- Will Tatev pursue the GM title? Mentioned: Jeanne Sinquefeld prize for a woman earning the GM title  https://www.chess.com/news/view/jeanne-cairns-sinquefield-award-us-female-grandmasters Also mentioned: GM Felix Blohberger https://www.chess.com/news/view/being-a-chess-professional-in-europe-sucks-blohberger 55:00- Thanks to Tatev for joining us!  You can reach her via the Lichess coaches page: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection passed on to humans by infected ticks. Symptoms can range from fatigue, joint pain and a circular shaped rash to facial paralysis and heart arrythmia. According to a British Medical Journal (BMJ) global health review, Lyme disease has likely infected about one in 10 people across the globe. Recently, pop star Justin Timberlake went public about contracting the condition. If treated quickly, most people will recover but there are still issues around diagnosing and treating Lyme disease. And globally, cases are on the rise. In this edition of The Inquiry, Charmaine Cozier explores what's behind the increase and hears about new tests and vaccines currently being developed. Contributors: Dr Sally Mavin, clinical scientist and Director of the Scottish Lyme Disease and Tick-Borne Infections Reference Laboratory, Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, Scotland Dr Armin Alaedini, Chief Scientific Officer, Global Lyme Alliance Dr Gábor Földvári, research group leader, Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Evolution, Budapest, Hungary Dr Alessandra Luchini, Professor, School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, USA. Presenter: Charmaine Cozier Producers: Jill Collins and Emma Forde Researcher: Maeve Schaffer Technical producer: Richard Hannaford Production Coordinator: Tammy Snow Editor: Tara McDermott

Since his election in 2010, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has transformed Hungary from a democracy into a quasi-authoritarian country. In Hungary today, elections, economic policies, and the media are warped to benefit Orbán and his conservative Fidesz Party. Orbán's government, with its consolidation of executive power, Christian nationalist and anit-LGBTQ policies served as inspiration for Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation's plan for Donald Trump's second term. Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts has called modern Hungary “not just a model for conservative statecraft but the model.”A new documentary film, Democracy Noir, shows how Orbán changed Hungarian politics. In the words of Budapest-based journalist Babbett Oroszi, Orbán has “hacked democracy” – quietly using the levers of democracy, rather than a violent revolution, to accomplish his aims.  The film tells the story of modern Hungary through the eyes of three three female members of Hungary's resistance – reporter Oroszi, nurse and activist Niko Antal, and Tímea Szabó, an opposition leader in Hungary's parliament. Our guest, director Connie Field, has followed Hungarian politics since the country's first years as a democracy in the early 1990s. An American progressive and award-winning documentarian, she has a shrewd eye on how Orban's actions are being mirrored in the United States. The episode also includes discussion of a new leader who observers think has a real chance of upending Orbán's hold on power in the 2026 election.LEARN MORE:Watch a trailer for the film, find out where it's being screened, or request a screeningDownload the discussion guide.Connie Field bio ABOUT THE SHOW The Making Peace Visible podcast is hosted by Jamil Simon and produced by Andrea Muraskin. Our associate producer is Faith McClure. Learn more at makingpeacevisible.orgSupport our work Connect on social:Instagram @makingpeacevisibleLinkedIn @makingpeacevisibleBluesky @makingpeacevisible.bsky.social We want to learn more about our listeners. Take this 3-minute survey to help us improve the show!

Fluent Fiction - Hungarian: Turning Fear into Fuel: Gábor's Big Leap in Budapest Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hu/episode/2025-09-30-07-38-20-hu Story Transcript:Hu: Budapest szívében, őszi levelekkel szórt utcák között, a város innovációs központja, egy pezsgő startup inkubátor, tele volt élettel.En: In the heart of Budapest, among streets scattered with autumn leaves, the city's innovation center, a vibrant startup incubator, was full of life.Hu: Az ablakokon keresztül a túlhajtott világítás fénye szóródott, melyek lágy fénnyel ölelték körbe a modern teret.En: Through the windows, the bright artificial lights cast a gentle glow over the modern space.Hu: Az emberek suttogva beszélgettek, fejük tele ötletekkel és reményekkel.En: People whispered among themselves, their heads full of ideas and hopes.Hu: Ebben a forgatagban készült Gábor élete legfontosabb pillanatára.En: It was in this whirlwind that Gábor prepared for the most important moment of his life.Hu: Gábor, a kis csapat fáradhatatlan vezére, újra és újra átfutotta a jegyzeteit.En: Gábor, the tireless leader of the small team, went over his notes again and again.Hu: Az utóbbi hetek minden estéjét azzal töltötték, hogy tökéletesítse a nagy bemutatót.En: They had spent every evening of the last few weeks perfecting the big presentation.Hu: A tárgyaló falai otthonossá váltak számára, és bár szíve tele volt lelkesedéssel, egy titkos félelem nehezítette a szívét: a nyilvános beszédtől való rettegés.En: The meeting room walls had become familiar, and though his heart was full of enthusiasm, a secret fear weighed heavily on him: the dread of public speaking.Hu: Mellette Zsuzsa, az extrovertált üzleti partner, mosollyal figyelte barátja minden mozdulatát.En: Beside him, Zsuzsa, his extroverted business partner, watched his every move with a smile.Hu: "Készen állsz?En: "Are you ready?"Hu: " kérdezte bátorítóan.En: she asked encouragingly.Hu: Gábor csak nagyot sóhajtott válaszul.En: Gábor only sighed deeply in response.Hu: Tudta, hogy a mai napon egy híres befektető, aki korábban sosem jött el az inkubátor versenyeire, váratlan látogatást tesz.En: He knew that today, a famous investor, who had never come to the incubator's competitions before, would make an unexpected visit.Hu: Az információ izgalommal töltötte meg az teret, de Gábor számára a nyomás csak nőtt.En: The news filled the space with excitement, but for Gábor, the pressure only intensified.Hu: Amikor elérkezett az idő, Gábor lépett először a pódiumra.En: When the moment arrived, Gábor was the first to step onto the podium.Hu: Kezében a mikrofon remegett.En: The microphone trembled in his hand.Hu: Összeszedte minden bátorságát, és elkezdte a prezentációját.En: He gathered all his courage and began his presentation.Hu: Ám az első mondatoknál elakadt a szava, a félelem görcsként szorította.En: But with the first sentences, he stumbled, fear gripping him like a cramp.Hu: Egy pillanatra Zsuzsára nézett, aki biztatóan bólintott.En: He glanced at Zsuzsa for a moment, who nodded reassuringly.Hu: Ekkor valami megváltozott.En: Then something changed.Hu: Gábor szeme előtt megjelent az összes átélt éjszaka, a csapatának reményei és a saját álmai.En: Before Gábor's eyes appeared all the nights he'd lived through, his team's hopes, and his own dreams.Hu: Mély levegőt vett, és a szavai lassan folyékonnyá váltak.En: He took a deep breath, and his words slowly became fluent.Hu: Az ötlet iránti szenvedélye legyőzte a félelmét.En: His passion for the idea overcame his fear.Hu: A közönség csendben figyelte, ahogy a projektjéről beszélt, és amikor végzett, hangos taps tört ki.En: The audience listened in silence as he spoke about his project, and when he finished, loud applause erupted.Hu: A befektető, András, felállt a székéből.En: The investor, András, stood up from his seat.Hu: "Lenyűgöző volt, Gábor," mondta mosolyogva.En: "That was impressive, Gábor," he said with a smile.Hu: "Látom az elkötelezettségedet és az ötleted erejét.En: "I see your commitment and the strength of your idea.Hu: Szívesen fektetek be a projektedbe.En: I would be happy to invest in your project."Hu: "Gábor szíve dobogott az örömtől.En: Gábor's heart pounded with joy.Hu: Megtapasztalta, hogy a szenvedély vezérelhette a szavait és megváltoztathatta az életét.En: He realized that passion could guide his words and change his life.Hu: Megdöbbenve realizálta, hogy most egy új út nyílt meg előtte, tele lehetőségekkel.En: Astonished, he realized that a new path had opened up before him, full of opportunities.Hu: A félelmet legyőzve, Gábor megtalálta az önbizalmát a világ elé állni és megosztani álmait.En: By overcoming his fear, Gábor found the confidence to stand before the world and share his dreams.Hu: Ahogy kilépett az épületből, a hűvös őszi szél megcirógatta az arcát.En: As he stepped out of the building, the cool autumn breeze caressed his face.Hu: Most már tudta, hogy bár a kezdet nehéz lehet, az igazi siker a szív mélyéről fakad.En: Now he knew that although the beginning could be difficult, true success comes from the depths of the heart.Hu: A jövőben nem csak az üzlete fog növekedni, hanem az önbizalma is, amelyet soha többé nem veszíthet el.En: In the future, not only his business would grow, but also his confidence, which he would never lose again. Vocabulary Words:whirlwind: forgatagtireless: fáradhatatlanperfecting: tökéletesítsedread: rettegesextroverted: extrovertáltunexpected: váratlanpressure: nyomástrembled: remegettgripping: szorítottareassuringly: biztatóanfluent: folyékonypassion: szenvedélyapplause: tapsimpressive: lenyűgözőcommitment: elkötelezettségastonished: megdöbbenveopportunities: lehetőségekconfidence: önbizalomcaressed: megcirógattasuccess: sikerdepths: mélyérőlmodern: modernincubator: inkubátorscattered: szórtinnovation: innovációswhispered: suttogvaenthusiasm: lelkesedésstumbled: elakadtrealized: realizáltaguiding: vezérelhette

Fluent Fiction - Hungarian: From Nerves to Triumph: Bálint's Budapest Pitch Adventure Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hu/episode/2025-09-30-22-34-02-hu Story Transcript:Hu: Az őszi Budapest különleges hangulatot árasztott.En: Autumn in Budapest exuded a special atmosphere.Hu: A levelek színes kavalkádként hullottak az Andrássy úton, és a Startup Inkubátor termében sűrűn vibrált a levegő az izgalomtól.En: The leaves fell like a colorful cavalcade along Andrássy út, and in the Startup Inkubátor room, the air was thick with excitement.Hu: Bárki, aki oda belépett, érezhette a fiatal vállalkozók ambícióinak ütemét, ahogy új ötleteikkel próbálták lenyűgözni az érkező befektetőket.En: Anyone who entered could feel the rhythm of young entrepreneurs' ambitions as they tried to impress incoming investors with their new ideas.Hu: Bálint izgatottan készült előadása előtt.En: Bálint was nervously preparing for his presentation.Hu: A zöld szemű, barna hajú fiatalember megigazította az inggallérját.En: The green-eyed, brown-haired young man adjusted his shirt collar.Hu: Mekkorát változott minden, amióta utoljára próbálkozott hasonlóval!En: How much had everything changed since the last time he attempted something similar!Hu: Most itt állt, önbizalommal küszködve, de szikrázóan tisztán maga előtt látva álmait.En: Now he stood here, struggling with confidence, but with a crystal-clear vision of his dreams.Hu: Mellette Zsanett, a szorgalmas asszisztens, gépészkedett a kivetítővel, míg László, a csendes, megbízható társalapító, mögöttük ült és jegyzetelt.En: Next to him, Zsanett, the diligent assistant, was tinkering with the projector, while László, the quiet, reliable co-founder, sat behind them, taking notes.Hu: "Minden rendben lesz," suttogta Zsanett, miközben az utolsó kábeleket csatlakoztatta.En: "Everything will be fine," whispered Zsanett as she connected the last cables.Hu: Bálint mosolygott, bár kissé ideges volt.En: Bálint smiled, although he was a bit nervous.Hu: Tudta, hogy Zsanett szerető támogatása nélkül nem lenne most itt.En: He knew that without Zsanett's loving support, he wouldn't be here now.Hu: Amint beléptek a konferenciaterembe, az asztaloknál különböző befektetők foglaltak helyet.En: As they entered the conference room, various investors were seated at the tables.Hu: Bálint gyomra egy zabszemnyivel lett kisebb.En: Bálint's stomach shrank to the size of a pinhead.Hu: Kedvező benyomást akart kelteni, tudta, hogy az ötlete, az öko-barát háztartási termékek nem találkozik minden üzletember szimpátiájával.En: He wanted to make a positive impression, knowing that his idea of eco-friendly household products might not win every business person's approval.Hu: Az első percek simán alakultak.En: The first few minutes went smoothly.Hu: Az esettanulmány jól sikerült, amíg... egy hirtelen technikai malőr következtében leállt a prezentáció.En: The case study was going well until... a sudden technical glitch caused the presentation to halt.Hu: Bálint az egyik pillanatról a másikra a projektor függésében találta magát.En: Bálint found himself, in an instant, dependent on the projector.Hu: Vérét jeges izzadság váltotta fel, amikor az előadás utolsó diaját is képtelenek voltak megjeleníteni.En: Cold sweat replaced his blood when they couldn't display the last slide of the presentation.Hu: László szeme találkozott Bálintéval.En: László's eyes met Bálint's.Hu: Egy kicsiny, szótlan, támogató gesztus.En: A small, silent, supportive gesture.Hu: Bálint mélyet lélegzett.En: Bálint took a deep breath.Hu: Úgy döntött, most önmagáért beszél, saját hangján, a szívéből.En: He decided to speak for himself now, in his own voice, from the heart.Hu: "Ez az ötlet nem csupán egy termék. Ez az életmódunk jövője," – kezdte magabiztosan.En: "This idea is not just a product. This is the future of our lifestyle," he began confidently.Hu: A befektetők figyelmesen hallgatták, ahogy lelkesen tárta fel előttük a környezettudatosság fontosságát.En: The investors listened attentively as he passionately unfolded the importance of environmental consciousness before them.Hu: Szavai közvetlenek és hitelesek voltak.En: His words were direct and genuine.Hu: Érződött benne a valódi szenvedély és elkötelezettség.En: There was real passion and commitment in them.Hu: Az egyik asztalnál egy idős, tekintélyes befektető mosolyodott el.En: At one table, an elderly, distinguished investor smiled.Hu: "Jó magát végre látni, nemcsak a vállalkozást," jegyezte meg a prezentáció végén.En: "It's good to finally see you, not just the business," he remarked at the end of the presentation.Hu: Elérkezett a pillanat, amikor Bálint rájött, hogy az üzleti siker nem csak számokon és stratégiákon múlik, hanem az őszinte kapcsolódáson is.En: The moment arrived when Bálint realized that business success depends not only on numbers and strategies but also on genuine connections.Hu: Az idős férfi néhány nap múlva visszajelzett, támogatja Bálint terveit és készen áll a befektetésre.En: The elderly man responded a few days later, supporting Bálint's plans and ready to invest.Hu: A Startup Inkubátor továbbra is hangos maradt az ambiciózus álmoktól.En: The Startup Inkubátor remained alive with ambitious dreams.Hu: Bálint pedig újra megérezte az őszi levegő halavány erényeit: a változás szelét.En: Bálint once again felt the faint virtues of the autumn air: the wind of change.Hu: Végül, tudta, hogy bármilyen nehézségeken is megy keresztül, a hitelesség, amit Zsanettől tanult és barátaitól kapott támogatás, mindig iránymutató csillag marad számára.En: In the end, he knew that no matter what difficulties he might face, the authenticity he learned from Zsanett and the support from his friends would always remain a guiding star for him. Vocabulary Words:exuded: árasztottcavalcade: kavalkádambitions: ambíciókdiligent: szorgalmasassistant: asszisztenstinkering: gépészkedettshrug: vállrándításimpress: lenyűgözninervously: izgatottanpresentation: előadásconfidence: önbizalomentrepreneurs: vállalkozókgenuine: hitelespassionately: lelkesencommitment: elkötelezettségdistinguished: tekintélyesauthenticity: hitelességinvestors: befektetőktentatively: óvatosanglitch: malőrenvironmental consciousness: környezettudatosságstrategy: stratégiasupportive: támogatóhousehold products: háztartási termékekatmosphere: hangulatambitious: ambiciózusconfidence: önbizalomprojection: vetítésreluctantly: vonakodvaprofound: mélyreható

durée : 00:17:50 - Disques de légende du mardi 30 septembre 2025 - Cinq grands maîtres de leur époque sont réunis dans cet enregistrement de concert de 1967 dans le quintette pour piano et cordes de Brahms et celui de Schubert, plus connu sous le nom de « La Truite ». Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les autres épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France.

On today's Marc Cox Morning Show, Marc returns from Europe with stories from Prague, Vienna, and Budapest, reflecting on travel, beer, and coffee. In the Buck Don't Give a ____ segment, the Minority Monday feature highlights a Jamaican legal immigrant's support for Donald Trump and her American dream. Ryan Schmelz of Fox News Radio explains the looming government shutdown and its impact on services. Hans von Spakovsky and Gregg Jarrett provide legal analysis on James Comey, perjury, statutes of limitations, presidential pardons, and accountability across administrations. Nichole Murray covers concert ticket pricing and National Coffee Day, while “In Other News” highlights Ryder Cup sportsmanship and Bad Bunny's 2026 Super Bowl halftime role. Tom Ackerman joins in studio for sports, breaking down Mizzou, Illinois, and Indiana football, MLB wild card races, the Cardinals' farm system, and postseason predictions. The show also features commentary on Charlie Kirk shirts, local news updates, and broader reflections on freedom of speech, immigration, and U.S. politics.

In Hour 3, Marc Cox returns from vacation with stories from Prague, Vienna, and Budapest, reflecting on travel preferences and jet lag. The show covers a shooting in Michigan and dives into political analysis with Gregg Jarrett on James Comey, Donald Trump, and presidential pardons. Marc critiques socialized housing proposals in New York City and compares U.S. and European airports. The hour also highlights minority voices on social media supporting MAGA, including a Jamaican-American woman's perspective. Upcoming segments include the government shutdown, sports, and more political commentary.

In Hour 1, Marc Cox shares his travel experiences in Central Europe, visiting Prague, Vienna, and Budapest. He compares media coverage in Europe with the U.S., including reporting on the Charlie Kirk memorial. The conversation covers the government shutdown, James Comey's indictment, and the broader question of accountability. Marc and Dan Buck also debate income inequality, social mobility, and socialized medicine in Europe versus America. The Buck Don't Give a ____ segment highlights critiques of DEI initiatives, personal stories of legal immigration, and the importance of freedom of speech.

Plongée dans l'underground : un gamin qui vole les métro à NYC, des contrôleurs déjantés à Budapest, des conseils d'écoute de podcast et une news pour le 4 octobre.Le train du podcast de Fuzi fait tous les arrêts: embarque avec nous !Vous pouvez nous soutenir via⁠⁠⁠ la boutique⁠⁠⁠ ou ⁠⁠⁠Patreon,⁠⁠⁠et venir échanger avec nous sur⁠⁠⁠ le forum.Notre insta c 'est @FUZI_PODCASTOff the Rails: The Darius McCollum Story (2016) Documentaire de Adam Irving (Canada/USA)Kontroll (2003) Film de Nimród Antal (Hongrie)Podcast SO FRESH #20Junky TJS – “The Junky Spray”Podcast LSD, la série documentaire (France Culture)“Héroïne, le temps des seringues”

Fluent Fiction - Hungarian: Finding Home: The Magic of Autumn in Buda's Hills Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hu/episode/2025-09-28-07-38-20-hu Story Transcript:Hu: Buda egyik dombjánál kezdődött az őszi kaland.En: The autumn adventure began at one of the hills in Buda.Hu: A levelek élénk vörös, narancs és sárga színben pompáztak.En: The leaves were vibrant in red, orange, and yellow colors.Hu: Eszter kinézett a városra, és mélyet lélegzett a friss, fenyőillatú levegőből.En: Eszter looked out over the city and took a deep breath of the fresh, pine-scented air.Hu: "Emlékszel a régi kirándulásokra?" kérdezte Balázs vidáman.En: "Do you remember the old excursions?" asked Balázs cheerfully.Hu: Mellette Kata mosolyogva bólogatott.En: Next to him, Kata nodded with a smile.Hu: Eszter most is a barátai körében volt, de gondolataiban messze járt.En: Eszter was still among her friends, but her thoughts were far away.Hu: Külföldön élve gyakran hiányzott neki a hazája, a családja, a magyar szavak és illatok.En: Living abroad, she often missed her homeland, her family, the Hungarian words and scents.Hu: A mai kirándulást nemcsak a természet miatt szervezte; Szent Mihály Napját is meg szerette volna ünnepelni, hogy közelebb érezze magát a gyökereihez.En: She organized today's trip not only for nature's sake; she also wanted to celebrate Saint Michael's Day to feel closer to her roots.Hu: Ahogy haladtak a kanyargós ösvényen, történeteket meséltek, nevetgéltek, és megosztották egymással a régi élményeket.En: As they moved along the winding path, they shared stories, laughed, and shared old memories with each other.Hu: Eszter szíve mégis nehéz volt.En: Yet, Eszter's heart was heavy.Hu: Vajon túl messzire került már?En: Had she moved too far away?Hu: Elvesztette a kapcsolatot a gyökereivel, vagy csak másként élte meg őket?En: Had she lost her connection to her roots, or was she just experiencing them differently?Hu: A csúcsra érve a lenyugvó nap fénye varázslatos fénybe vonta a tájat.En: Upon reaching the summit, the setting sun cast a magical light over the landscape.Hu: Eszter úgy érezte, hogy gyermekkorának egy darabja éledt fel újra a természet lágy ölén.En: Eszter felt that a piece of her childhood had come alive again in the gentle embrace of nature.Hu: A város fényei táncoltak Budapest égboltján, varázslatos hátteret adva a pillanatnak.En: The city lights danced across Budapest's sky, providing a magical backdrop to the moment.Hu: "Most kezdjük a szertartást!" javasolta Kata lelkesen.En: "Let's start the ceremony now!" suggested Kata enthusiastically.Hu: Gyertyákat gyújtottak, és mindannyian körbeálltak, Eszter pedig végre nemcsak néző, hanem aktív résztvevő is volt.En: They lit candles and all stood around, and Eszter was finally not just a spectator but an active participant.Hu: A kis ünnepség közben Eszter érezte, hogy nem kell választania a régi és az új élete között.En: During the small celebration, Eszter felt that she didn't have to choose between her old and new life.Hu: Megengedhette magának, hogy egyszerre legyen kalandvágyó és kötődő.En: She could allow herself to be both adventurous and attached.Hu: A gyertyák fénye megvilágította barátai arcát.En: The candlelight illuminated her friends' faces.Hu: Eszter boldogan nézett körül: igen, otthon van.En: Eszter looked around happily: yes, she was home.Hu: Mert a hova tartozás érzése több, mint egy hely, egy ünnep.En: Because the feeling of belonging is more than just a place, a celebration.Hu: Ez a megértés mély melegséggel töltötte el.En: This understanding filled her with deep warmth.Hu: A kirándulás a barátokkal és a gyertyák fénye visszaadta Eszternek a kötődést a kultúrájához és a régi emlékekhez.En: The trip with friends and the candlelight restored Eszter's connection to her culture and old memories.Hu: Végül rájött, hogy az identitása nem vész el, csak gazdagabbá válik.En: She finally realized that her identity isn't lost, just enriched.Hu: A nap végére a hegyek mögött a nap is lement.En: By the end of the day, the sun had also set behind the mountains.Hu: Eszter tudta, hogy bármilyen távolságban is legyen, van visszaút.En: Eszter knew that no matter how far away she was, there was a way back.Hu: Bármelyik pillanatban visszatalálhat saját gyökereihez.En: At any moment, she could find her way back to her roots.Hu: Mindig lesz, ami visszamagához vonzza.En: There will always be something drawing her back to herself.Hu: És ez elég volt.En: And that was enough. Vocabulary Words:adventure: kalandvibrant: élénkscent: illatexcursion: kiránduláscheerfully: vidámannod: bólogatthoughts: gondolatokabroad: külföldönhomeland: hazacelebrate: ünnepelniwinding: kanyargóssummit: csúcslandscape: tájgentle: lágyembrace: ölceremony: szertartásparticipant: résztvevőadventurous: kalandvágyóattached: kötődőbelonging: hova tartozásidentity: identitásenriched: gazdagabbásetting: lenyugvócandles: gyertyákilluminated: megvilágítottaconnection: kötődésrealized: rájöttdraw: vonzsummit: csúcsrarestored: visszaadta

Fluent Fiction - Hungarian: Quinoa Salad and Sausage Toast: A Vegan's Family Dinner Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hu/episode/2025-09-27-07-38-20-hu Story Transcript:Hu: A levelek a fákon már sárgára és vörösre váltottak, és a kesernyés ősz illata belengte a budapesti levegőt.En: The leaves on the trees had already turned yellow and red, and the bitter smell of autumn filled the air in Budapest.Hu: Az Eszter lakásába vezető lépcsőház nyíló ajtaja mögött egy vidám, ugyanakkor kicsit feszült hangulat fogadta a vendégeket.En: Behind the opening door leading to Eszter's apartment, guests were greeted by a cheerful yet slightly tense atmosphere.Hu: A konyhából nehéz húsos ételek illata szivárgott, klasszikus pörkölt és töltött káposzta készült az asztalra.En: The scent of hearty meat dishes wafted from the kitchen, where classic stew and stuffed cabbage were being prepared for the table.Hu: „Sziasztok!” – kiáltott fel Zoltán, miközben a bejáratnál lerakta a cipőjét.En: “Hi everyone!” exclaimed Zoltán as he placed his shoes by the entrance.Hu: Kezében egy nagy tál volt, ami kihívóan díszítette a klasszikus, poros barna paprikás asztalterítőt.En: In his hand was a large dish, provocatively decorating the classic, dusty brown paprika tablecloth.Hu: Eszter mosolygott, de a homlokán ráncok jelezték, hogy picit aggódik a délután kimenetele miatt.En: Eszter smiled, but wrinkles on her forehead indicated she was a bit anxious about the outcome of the afternoon.Hu: „Mi van itt?” – mutatott Bence nevetve a tálra.En: “What do we have here?” Bence asked, laughing, pointing at the dish.Hu: Közelebb hajolt, és kihúzta a vegán étel illatát.En: He leaned closer and drew in the scent of the vegan dish.Hu: „Ezt eszi a nyuszikám?” nevetett fel, majd hátba veregette unokatestvérét.En: “Is this what my bunny eats?” he laughed, then patted his cousin on the back.Hu: „Ez egy quinoa saláta, Bence,” válaszolt Zoltán higgadtan.En: “This is a quinoa salad, Bence,” Zoltán replied calmly.Hu: „Egészséges, és tele van ízzel!”En: “It's healthy and full of flavor!”Hu: Elhatározta, hogy ma este elmagyarázza a családnak a vegán életmód előnyeit.En: He resolved that tonight he would explain the benefits of a vegan lifestyle to the family.Hu: Az asztal körül helyet foglalt a család.En: The family took their places around the table.Hu: Eszter próbálta békíteni Zoltánt és Bencét az asztal körüli kisebb viták közepette.En: Eszter tried to mediate between Zoltán and Bence amidst the minor table disagreements.Hu: A vacsora kezdődött.En: Dinner began.Hu: Az asztal közepén trónolt a húsos ételek sorozata, mögötte Zoltán táljával, mely szinte elveszett a nagy tömegben.En: A series of meaty dishes reigned in the center of the table, with Zoltán's dish almost lost behind the large array.Hu: Amikor már mindenki evett, Zoltán tisztította meg a torkát, hogy elmondhassa a beszédét.En: Once everyone was eating, Zoltán cleared his throat to give his speech.Hu: „Család! Szeretném, ha meghallgatnátok,” kezdte.En: “Family! I would like you to listen,” he started.Hu: „A vegán életmód nem csak az egészségemnél tesz jót, hanem a környezet védelméért is fontos!”En: “The vegan lifestyle is not only good for my health but is also important for protecting the environment!”Hu: Mindenki figyelt, még ha néhányan mosolyogtak is.En: Everyone listened, even if a few were smiling.Hu: Zoltán lelkesedése egy pillanatra átkelt a szkeptikus tekinteteken.En: Zoltán's enthusiasm momentarily crossed the skeptical glances.Hu: Ekkor Bence felemelt egy nagy kolbászt a tányérjáról, és játékosan felszólította: „Szóljunk egy koccintást a kolbászok tiszteletére!”En: At that moment, Bence raised a large sausage from his plate and playfully proposed, “Let's toast in honor of the sausages!”Hu: A család nevetett, a feszültség oldódott.En: The family laughed, and the tension eased.Hu: A végén Eszter odafordult Zoltánhoz, és barátságosan megszorította a kezét.En: In the end, Eszter turned to Zoltán and squeezed his hand kindly.Hu: „Köszönöm, hogy hoztál valami újat. Megkóstolom a salátádat!” mosolygott.En: “Thank you for bringing something new. I'll try your salad!” she smiled.Hu: Zoltán elgondolkodott, majd visszamosolygott.En: Zoltán thought for a moment, then smiled back.Hu: Tudta, hogy a változás lassú, és talán apró lépésekkel kezdődik.En: He knew that change is slow and perhaps begins with small steps.Hu: Az este végén, bár a család nem változtatta meg azonnal a hozzáállását, Zoltán megértette, hogy a legfontosabb a türelem és nyitottság.En: By the end of the evening, even though the family didn't immediately change their attitude, Zoltán understood that the most important thing is patience and openness.Hu: És Eszter ígéretével közelebb került, hogy talán egyszer megváltozik a világ.En: And with Eszter's promise, he felt closer to the idea that maybe one day the world might change. Vocabulary Words:bitter: kesernyéshearty: nehézwafted: szivárgottprovocatively: kihívóanwrinkles: ráncokquinoa: quinoamediating: békíteniamidst: közepettereigned: trónoltsceptical: szkeptikusglances: tekintetekproposed: felszólítottatoast: koccintásease: oldódottpatience: türelemopenness: nyitottságtransformed: megváltozikstairs: lépcsőházgreeted: fogadtaatmosphere: hangulatclassic: klasszikusstuffed: töltöttcabbage: káposztaanxious: aggódikoutcome: kimeneteledraw in: kihúztaleaned: hajoltspeech: beszédétbenefit: előnyeitenthusiasm: lelkesedése

What does it take to adapt as a professional athlete across Europe's top water polo leagues? In this episode, our guest Tamás Sedlmayer — a seasoned player with international experience — reflects on his career in Germany, Italy, and now back home in Hungary. He shares a behind-the-scenes look at the competitive landscape of each league: from Germany's top-heavy structure, to Italy's grueling travel schedule and tough matches, to Hungary's intense but logistically smoother setup. Beyond the pool, Tamás compares life in Berlin, Trieste, and Budapest — and reveals why Trieste remains his favorite city. He also opens up about pre-game rituals, his love for Italian cuisine, and the toughest opponents he's faced over the years. For young athletes, his advice goes far beyond sport: resilience, mindset, and finding light in difficult moments. Finally, Tamás discusses the challenges and ambitions of his current season — leading one of Hungary's youngest teams through a rebuilding phase, with the goal of breaking into the top eight and pushing even higher.

Alex Moss and Burton DeWitt are back with a new episode of your go-to darts podcast! The boys start this week's show with a look back at the Hungarian Darts Trophy and discuss where Niko Springer could finish in the rankings at the end of the season after winning his maiden PDC senior title, before also sharing their thoughts on Danny Noppert's run to the final in Budapest. Thomas Lovely (22:37) sits down with Alex at the Unicorn 2026 launch to look back on almost a decade playing PDC darts, from his first events on the Development Tour in 2016 to winning his first PDC tour card Q-School at the start of this year, following in his dad Eddie's footsteps to gain a tour card, his experiences of playing on the European Tour, signing for Unicorn and much more. Russ Bray (28:29) also joins us to chat all things darts, from being inducted into the PDC Hall of Fame at the start of 2024, taking on his new role as a PDC ambassador, the global reach of darts and refereeing the PDC Asian Tour, the upcoming ANZ Premier League, being a part of Unicorn for 20+ years and much more. Our very own Korean correspondent Andrew Sinclair (36:06) also calls in live from Korea to give us the lowdown on the WDF World Cup, a look back at the tournament so far, some surprise packages reaching the semi-finals in both the open and women's singles, countries returning to the event after long absences and much more. Join the Darts Strava King group on Strava *** This podcast is brought to you in association with Darts Corner - the number one online darts retailer! Darts Corner offers the widest selection of darts products from over 30 different manufacturers.  Check out Darts Corner here: UK site US site  Check out Condor Darts here: UK site Set up an account and enjoy a flutter on the darts by opening an account on the  kwiff website or via their app (iOS / Android). 18+. Terms and conditions apply. Begambleaware.org – please gamble responsibly. *** Sponsorship available! Want your business advertised on the show? Email weeklydartscast@gmail.com for more details and a free copy of our new sponsor brochure! *** Enjoy our podcast? Make a one-off donation on our new Ko-Fi page here: ko-fi.com/weeklydartscast Support us on Patreon from just $2(+VAT): patreon.com/WeeklyDartscast Thank you to our Patreon members: Phil Moss, Gordon Skinner, Connor Ellis, Dan Hutchinson

Fluent Fiction - Hungarian: Lost in Laughter: Navigating Autumn Adventures in Budapest Zoo Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hu/episode/2025-09-26-07-38-20-hu Story Transcript:Hu: Bálint nagy léptekkel haladt előre a Budapesti Állatkert ösvényein.En: Bálint walked forward with large strides on the paths of the Budapesti Állatkert.Hu: "Zsófi, nézd meg ezt a szép parkot!En: "Zsófi, look at this beautiful park!Hu: Nézz a színes falevelekre, milyen gyönyörű ősszel!En: Look at the colorful leaves, how beautiful they are in autumn!"Hu: " - mondta, ujjával a távoli lombkoronára mutatva.En: he said, pointing with his finger at the distant canopy.Hu: Zsófia mögötte lépkedett, kezében szorongatva egy térképet.En: Zsófia walked behind him, clutching a map in her hand.Hu: "Talán hasznos lenne néha a térkép," jegyezte meg Zsófia, kissé ironikusan.En: "Maybe the map would be useful sometimes," Zsófia remarked, somewhat sarcastically.Hu: "Nem kell, Zsófi.En: "We don't need it, Zsófi.Hu: Én mindent tudok az állatkertről," válaszolt Bálint magabiztosan.En: I know everything about the zoo," Bálint replied confidently.Hu: Ő volt az önjelölt idegenvezető, és büszke volt erre a szerepre.En: He was the self-appointed tour guide and proud of that role.Hu: Ahogy haladtak, az ősz színei élénken ragyogtak körülöttük.En: As they progressed, the colors of autumn shone brightly around them.Hu: A fák alatt vastag levélszőnyeg borította a földet, és az állatkert hangos volt a majmok nevetésétől és a szarvasok kiáltásaitól.En: Under the trees, a thick carpet of leaves covered the ground, and the zoo was loud with the laughter of monkeys and the calls of deer.Hu: "Egy pillanat, keresek egy mosdót," mondta Bálint majd hirtelen irányt váltott.En: "One moment, I'm looking for a bathroom," said Bálint and suddenly changed direction.Hu: Zsófia követte, bár kételkedett abban, hogy Bálint tényleg tudja, merre menjenek.En: Zsófia followed, although she doubted Bálint really knew where they should go.Hu: Egy idő után a jól ismert ösvények helyett egy keskenyebb, kevésbé használt útvonalra tévedtek.En: After a while, instead of the well-known paths, they wandered onto a narrower, less-used route.Hu: "Bálint, biztos vagy benne, hogy erre kell mennünk?En: "Bálint, are you sure we should go this way?"Hu: " kérdezte Zsófia.En: asked Zsófia.Hu: "Persze!En: "Of course!Hu: Tudom, hogy mit csinálok.En: I know what I'm doing.Hu: A térkép csak bonyolítaná a dolgokat," mondta Bálint.En: The map would only complicate things," Bálint said.Hu: Ahogy előrébb haladtak, a környezet egyre szokatlanabbá vált, és Bálint is kezdte érezni, hogy valami nem stimmel.En: As they moved forward, the surroundings became increasingly unusual, and Bálint also started to feel that something was off.Hu: Hirtelen megálltak, amikor megláttak egy táblát: "Pingvin ház.En: They suddenly stopped when they saw a sign: "Penguin House."Hu: " "Talán nem itt lesz a mosdó," mondta Zsófia mosolyogva, de mielőtt bármit is reagálhattak volna, beléptek a helyiségbe.En: "Perhaps the bathroom won't be here," Zsófia said with a smile, but before they could react, they stepped inside the facility.Hu: Egy pár pillanattal később már a pingvinek közé tartozó, hűvös területen álltak.En: A few moments later, they were standing in the cool area among the penguins.Hu: A pingvinek érdeklődve nézték őket, vidáman totyogtak körülöttük.En: The penguins looked at them with interest, waddling happily around them.Hu: Bálint megpróbált hősiesnek látszani.En: Bálint tried to appear heroic.Hu: "Nos, talán ez is egy mód a tájékoztatásra," mondta nevetve.En: "Well, maybe this is also a way of getting oriented," he said laughing.Hu: Zsófia csatlakozott a vidám megszólaláshoz.En: Zsófia joined in the cheerful comment.Hu: "Egyedi élmény," válaszolta.En: "A unique experience," she replied.Hu: Miután kiszabadultak a pingvinkarámból, mindketten sokkal közelebb érezték magukat egymáshoz.En: After freeing themselves from the penguin enclosure, they both felt much closer to each other.Hu: "Talán a térkép mégis jó ötlet lenne," Bálint elismerte, halvány mosollyal arcán.En: "Maybe the map would be a good idea after all," Bálint admitted, with a faint smile on his face.Hu: "Lehet, hogy nem tudok mindent.En: "I may not know everything.Hu: De legalább jól szórakoztunk, igaz?En: But at least we had fun, right?"Hu: "Zsófia nevetett, és a nap további részét együtt tervezgették.En: Zsófia laughed, and they started planning the rest of the day together.Hu: Bálint megfogadta, hogy legközelebb figyelmesebben hallgat Zsófia tanácsaira, ami már most is egy fejlődés volt számára.En: Bálint promised that next time he would listen more attentively to Zsófia's advice, which was already a development for him.Hu: Az állatkert pompázatos őszi színei között úgy döntöttek, hogy néha a térkép hasznos lehet, és elhatározták, hogy a nap hátralevő részét a mosdók keresése helyett az állatok látogatásával töltik.En: Amid the zoo's splendid autumn colors, they decided that sometimes the map could be useful and decided to spend the rest of the day visiting the animals instead of searching for bathrooms.Hu: Az állatkert élménye így nemcsak egy vidám történetté, hanem tanulsággá is vált számukra.En: The zoo experience thus became not only a funny story but also a lesson for them. Vocabulary Words:strides: léptekkelcanopy: lombkoronaclutching: szorongatvasarcastically: ironikusanconfidently: magabiztosanappointed: önjelöltcarpet: szőnyeglaughter: nevetéswandered: tévedteknarrower: keskenyebbsurroundings: környezetunusual: szokatlansign: táblafacility: helyiséginterest: érdeklődvewaddling: totyogtakoriented: tájékoztatásraenclosure: karámsplendid: pompázatosadvice: tanácslesson: tanulságprogressed: haladtakadmitted: elismerteattentively: figyelmesenplan: tervezgettékdevelopment: fejlődésexperience: élménydoubted: kételkedettreact: reagálhattakheroic: hősiesnek

Lorenzo Orozco es stuntman, entrenador y ahora “stunt actor” boricua con más de una década en Hollywood. Ha doblado a Nicolas Cage, Ben Affleck, Sean Bean y Michael Madsen, y ha trabajado en Spider-Man: No Way Home, Black Adam, Daredevil: Born Again, The Walking Dead: Dead City, The Night Agent, FBI: Most Wanted, Zero Day y The Equalizer (donde en la temporada 5 actúa como IKAL).Además, entrenó a figuras como Holt McCallany, Chris Noth, Pablo Schreiber, peloteros de MLB y hasta Donatella Versace. Aquí habla de cómo se llega a ser stuntman, las coreografías reales detrás de Marvel y DC, la relación con Nicolas Cage (y cómo terminó en Budapest en plena pandemia), seguridad en set, CGI/IA y SAG-AFTRA, la industria en Puerto Rico (tax credits, stages), la representación boricua (“El verdadero Superman es él”), y su próxima meta ligada a Récord Guinness.Si te gustan el cine de acción, los superhéroes y las historias de disciplina, este episodio es para ti.

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome back to The Joy of Cruising Podcast Ilana of Life Well Cruised. Ilana is one of my best friends in the cruising blogosphere, having been featured in my second cruise book, Cruising Interrupted http://amzn.to/3seFU8y, and on the podcast twice before. Life Well Cruised was the second episode ever of The Joy of Cruising Podcast Episode 2, Life Well Cruised; Life Well Cruised was also on Episode 95, Ilana, Life Well Cruised. Let me be clear, all my guests are great. However, I think I would be remiss, if I didn't acknowledge that both of Ilana's episodes are firmly entrenched in the top five The Joy of Cruising Podcast episodes all-time! That really should come as little surprise as Life Well Cruised is in the top five of cruise YouTube channels along with a massive presence on Instagram and Facebook. I am proud to welcome back one of the most influential cruise brands in the world. And I am especially eager to hear Ilana's thoughts on her first river cruise.Do you have a dream car?Support the showSupport thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/newSupport Me https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drpaulthContact Me https://www.thejoyofcruising.net/contact-me.htmlBook Cruises http://www.thejoyofvacation.com/US Orders (coupon code joyofcruisingpodcast)The Joy of Cruising https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingCruising Interrupted https://bit.ly/CruisingInterruptedThe Joy of Cruising Again https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingAgainIntl Orders via Amazon

Fluent Fiction - Hungarian: Brews of Trust: A Café's Journey Through Balance and Bonds Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hu/episode/2025-09-25-22-34-02-hu Story Transcript:Hu: A kávézó pörkölt szaga töltötte be a levegőt, mint minden reggel a pesti kis pörkölőben, ahol István dolgozott.En: The smell of roasted coffee filled the air, just like every morning at the little roasting café in Pest, where István worked.Hu: A fényesen világító, meleg fabútorok és a falakon lógó régi kávéplakátok egyfajta otthonos hangulatot adtak a helynek.En: The brightly lit, warm wooden furniture and the old coffee posters hanging on the walls gave the place a cozy atmosphere.Hu: Az őszi levelek színes szőnyeget terítettek a pesti utcákra, mindeközben a puha párák még nem szivárogtak vissza a nappali fénybe.En: The autumn leaves covered the streets of Pest like a colorful carpet, while the soft mists still hadn't seeped back into the daylight.Hu: István, a pörkölő mestere, az őrlőgép mellett állt.En: István, the master roaster, stood by the grinder.Hu: Szemmel tartotta a kávébabokat, miközben Katalin, a hű alkalmazott, mosolygós arccal készítette a eszpresszókat a pult mögött.En: He kept an eye on the coffee beans while Katalin, the faithful employee, made espressos with a smiling face behind the counter.Hu: Katalinnak minden vendéghez volt egy kedves szava.En: Katalin had a kind word for every customer.Hu: Ezért szerették őt.En: That's why people liked her.Hu: De István gondolatai máshol jártak.En: But István's thoughts were elsewhere.Hu: A fejében folyton kattogott egy probléma: a könyvelés, az új keverék kigondolása és Judit, a nővére, aki most már állandó hívásaival szintén nagy szerepet játszott a napi rutinjában.En: A constant problem clicked in his head: bookkeeping, devising a new blend, and Judit, his sister, whose constant calls now played a significant role in his daily routine.Hu: Juditnak nehéz időszaka volt, és István szerette volna segíteni neki, de egyensúlyoznia kellett a saját élete kötelességei között.En: Judit was going through a tough time, and István wanted to help her, but he had to balance the obligations of his own life.Hu: Miközben a kávéillat hömpölygött a helyiségben, Judit újra felhívta őt.En: As the coffee aroma wafted through the room, Judit called him again.Hu: "Szükségem van rád, István" - kezdte a bús hangján.En: "I need you, István," she started in her sorrowful voice.Hu: István szíve összeszorult.En: István's heart tightened.Hu: A két világ között elveszett, a munka és a család között feszült kötélhúzásban próbált egyensúlyozni.En: Lost between two worlds, in the tense tug-of-war between work and family, he tried to find balance.Hu: Aznap úgy döntött, hogy korábban zárja a boltot.En: That day he decided to close the shop early.Hu: "Itt most átveszem" - szólt Katalin, ahogy észrevette István habozását.En: "I'll take over here," said Katalin as she noticed István's hesitation.Hu: "Nyugodtan menj, és segíts Juditnak."En: "Go ahead and help Judit."Hu: István hálásan bólintott, megérezve Katalin elhivatottságát és kitartását.En: István nodded gratefully, sensing Katalin's dedication and perseverance.Hu: Tudta, hogy rá számíthat.En: He knew he could rely on her.Hu: Amíg a pörkölőség egyre tele lett vendégekkel, Katalin ügyesen kezelte a helyzetet.En: As the café became increasingly filled with guests, Katalin skillfully managed the situation.Hu: István sietett Judithoz.En: István hurried to Judit.Hu: Együtt töltöttek egy délutánt, teával és hosszú beszélgetésekkel, ahol Judit végül megnyugodott.En: They spent an afternoon together, with tea and long conversations, during which Judit finally calmed down.Hu: István úgy érezte, segített neki megtalálni a szükséges érzelmi egyensúlyt.En: István felt he had helped her find the necessary emotional balance.Hu: A következő héten a pörkölő egész jól ment; Katalin meg is jegyezte, hogy a vendégek imádják az új ízeket.En: The following week, the roastery went quite well; Katalin even noted that the guests loved the new flavors.Hu: István hátulról figyelte, ahogy Katalin eladja az első zacskókat az új keverékből.En: István watched from the back as Katalin sold the first bags of the new blend.Hu: A vásárlók elismerő szavai és Katalin képesítése biztosította Istvánt.En: The customers' words of appreciation and Katalin's competence reassured István.Hu: István megtanulta, hogy néha másokra is támaszkodnia kell.En: István learned that sometimes he too needs to rely on others.Hu: A bizalom és a család iránti elköteleződés mindig segít áthidalni a nehézségeket.En: Trust and commitment to family always help bridge difficulties.Hu: Ahogy az őszi naplemente bearanyozta Budapest utcáit, István megnyugodva feltartotta fejét.En: As the autumn sunset gilded the streets of Budapest, István held his head up high with a sense of peace.Hu: Katalin mellett látta, hogy a pörkölő immár jó kezekben van, és ő maga is békében volt a döntéseivel.En: Seeing Katalin next to him, he realized that the roasting café was now in good hands and he was at peace with his decisions. Vocabulary Words:roasted: pörköltgrinder: őrlőgépcozy: otthonosseeped: szivárogtakroutine: rutintug-of-war: kötélhúzástightened: összeszorultatmosphere: hangulatperseverance: kitartásdedication: elhivatottságskillfully: ügyesenhumbled: meghajtottmaster: mesterappreciation: elismeréssorrowful: búscompetence: képesítésfaithful: hűobligations: kötelességeiresilient: ellenállócommitment: elköteleződéswafted: hömpölygöttflavors: ízekbustling: nyüzsgődevise: kigondolnisorrow: bánatfaithful: hűségesbalance: egyensúlygilded: bearanyoztafilled: megteltblend: keverék

Fluent Fiction - Hungarian: From Dreams to Reality: László's Café Quest in Budapest Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hu/episode/2025-09-25-07-38-20-hu Story Transcript:Hu: László Budapest felé tartott a vonaton.En: László was heading towards Budapest on the train.Hu: Kilátott az ablakon, a színes őszi tájat nézte.En: He looked out the window, watching the colorful autumn landscape.Hu: Vége volt a nyári szünetnek, és vissza kellett térnie a városi élethez.En: The summer break was over, and he had to return to city life.Hu: László gondolatai a saját kávézóról álmodtak, de a félelem és a bizonytalanság elbizonytalanította.En: László's thoughts were dreaming of his own café, but fear and uncertainty made him doubtful.Hu: Bátorságra volt szüksége, hogy valóra váltsa ezt az álmot.En: He needed courage to make this dream come true.Hu: Amikor megérkezett, elhatározta, hogy elmegy kedvenc kávépörkölő üzemébe, ami a Duna partján található Budapesten.En: When he arrived, he decided to visit his favorite coffee roasting plant located on the banks of the Danube in Budapest.Hu: A levegő hűvös volt, de a helyiség melegséget árasztott.En: The air was cool, but the place emanated warmth.Hu: A frissen pörkölt kávé illata betöltötte a teret, ahogy belépett.En: The smell of freshly roasted coffee filled the space as he entered.Hu: A roastery ablakából a város nyüzsgése látszott, a Dunán csillogott a napfény az őszi lombok közt.En: From the roastery window, the hustle and bustle of the city could be seen, and the sun glistened on the Danube through the autumn leaves.Hu: László rendelt egy kávét, és leült egy kis faasztalhoz.En: László ordered a coffee and sat down at a small wooden table.Hu: A hely nyugodt volt, és az emberek csendben beszélgettek.En: The place was calm, and people were conversing quietly.Hu: Ekkor lépett be Eszter, régi barátja.En: That's when Eszter, his old friend, entered.Hu: Meglepődött, hogy látja, de örömmel köszöntötték egymást.En: She was surprised to see him but greeted him with joy.Hu: - László!En: "László!Hu: De régen láttalak!En: It's been so long since I've seen you!"Hu: – mondta Eszter.En: Eszter said.Hu: - Szia Eszter, igen, nyáron vidéken voltam – válaszolta László.En: "Hi Eszter, yes, I was in the countryside during the summer," replied László.Hu: Beszélgetésük hamarosan a jövőbeli tervekre terelődött.En: Their conversation soon turned to future plans.Hu: László megosztotta régi álmát Eszterrel: szeretné megnyitni a saját kávézóját, de az aggályai visszatartják.En: László shared his long-held dream with Eszter: he wanted to open his own café, but his concerns were holding him back.Hu: - Tudod, László – mondta Eszter mosolyogva –, az emberek sokszor félnek a kudarc miatt, de a siker sosem jön kockázat nélkül.En: "You know, László," Eszter said with a smile, "people often fear failure, but success never comes without risks.Hu: A tehetséged, a szenvedélyed sokkal fontosabb ennél.En: Your talent and passion are much more important than that.Hu: És ha szívből csinálod, az emberek szeretni fogják.En: And if you do it from the heart, people will love it."Hu: Ezek a szavak mélyen megérintették Lászlót.En: These words deeply touched László.Hu: Belegondolt, milyen boldog lenne, ha a saját helyén főzhetne kávét a vendégeknek.En: He thought about how happy he would be if he could brew coffee for guests in his own place.Hu: Eszter bátorítása új fényt hozott a gondolataiba.En: Eszter's encouragement brought new light to his thoughts.Hu: Miután elbúcsúzott Esztertől, László úgy érezte, mintha új energiát kapott volna.En: After saying goodbye to Eszter, László felt as if he had gained new energy.Hu: Tudta, hogy ideje lépéseket tenni az álma felé.En: He knew it was time to take steps toward his dream.Hu: Kilépett a kávépörkölőből, és a Duna csillogó vizére nézett.En: He stepped out of the roastery and looked at the shimmering waters of the Danube.Hu: Az őszi levelek lassan hullottak az égből, olyan volt, mintha a természet is bátorítaná őt.En: The autumn leaves were slowly falling from the sky, as if nature itself was encouraging him.Hu: Most már készen állt.En: Now he was ready.Hu: László eltávozott azzal az elhatározással, hogy bármilyen kicsi is legyen az első lépés, mégis megteszi.En: László left with the resolve that no matter how small the first step might be, he would take it.Hu: Aznap este, a város hosszú árnyai között, László egy új, bátor utazás felé indult – saját kávézójának megnyitása felé.En: That evening, among the long shadows of the city, László set out on a new, courageous journey—towards opening his own café. Vocabulary Words:colorful: színeslandscape: tájuncertainty: bizonytalanságcourage: bátorságroasting: pörkölőemanated: árasztottglistened: csillogottautumn: őszihustle and bustle: nyüzsgéseconversing: beszélgettekencouragement: bátorításashimmering: csillogóresolve: elhatározásjourney: utazásbrewing: főzhetneventure: vállalkozásfailure: kudarcfragrance: illatacalm: nyugodtpassion: szenvedélyforesee: terelődöttconcerns: aggályaicontemplate: belegondoltencouragement: bátorításashadow: árnyaiinitiate: megteszifriend: barátjaestablished: visszatartjákadventure: bátorenvironment: helyiség

In this episode of Skip the Queue, Andy Povey sits down with Jérôme Giacomoni, co-founder and Chairman of AEROPHILE, the world leader in tethered gas balloons and immersive aerial experiences. Jérôme shares the story of how AEROPHILE began with a simple idea, to “make everybody fly” and grew into a global company operating in multiple countries, including France and the U.S.Tune in to hear about the company's signature attractions, including tethered balloon flights, the innovative Aerobar concept, and high-profile projects such as how you can experience flying the Olympic cauldron in Paris. Jérôme also shares how AEROPHILE has leveraged its unique platform to explore scientific initiatives like air-quality and climate-change monitoring and how he Integrates unique revenue streams from sponsorship and advertising.Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is Paul Marden, with co host Andy Povey and roving reporter Claire Furnival.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website SkiptheQueue.fm.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on LinkedIn. Show references:  https://www.aerophile.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerome-giacomoni-3074b7/Jérôme Giacomoni is co-founder of Groupe AEROPHILE and Chairman of AEROPHILE SAS. Since 1993, he has led the company to become the world leader in tethered gas balloons and balloon flights, operating iconic sites in France, the U.S., and Cambodia, and flying over 500,000 passengers annually. He also pioneered “flying food-tainment” with the Aerophare and Aerobar. Jérôme is a member of IAAPA, serves on the board of SNELAC, and is a Team France Export ambassador, earning multiple awards for entrepreneurship and innovation. Plus, live from the Day 2 of the IAAPA Expo Europe show floor, we catch up with:Rheanna Sorby –Marketing & Creative Director,  The Seasonal Grouphttps://theseasonalgroup.co.uk/https://www.linkedin.com/in/rheanna-sorby-seasonal/Sohret Pakis – Polin Waterparkshttps://www.polin.com.tr/https://www.linkedin.com/in/sohretpakis/Thomas Collin – Sales Manager, VEX Solutionshttps://www.vex-solutions.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-collin-18a476110/Peter Cliff – CEO // Founder, Conductr.https://conductr.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-cliff/Laura Baxter – Founder, Your CMOhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-baxter-4a756466/Josh Haywood – Resort Director, Crealy Theme Park & Resorthttps://www.crealy.co.uk/https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-haywood-68463630/ Transcriptions:  Paul Marden: Welcome to Skip the Queue, the podcast about the world's best attractions and the people that work in them. I'm your host Paul Marden, and with my co-host Andy Povey and roving reporter Claire Furnival, we're here at IAAPA Expo Europe. In today's episode, I go on a trip on Santa's Enchanted Elevator with the Seasonal Group, and Claire meets Peter Cliff from Conductr. But before all that, let's head over to Andy.Andy Povey: Good morning, everybody. I'm joined today by Jerome Giacomoni from AEROPHILE for our French listeners. I hope I've got that right. Jerome is the chief exec of AEROPHILE and has been the co-founder and president of AEROPHILE. And AEROPHILE supply helium-based balloon observation opportunities. I probably got the marketing on that completely wrong, Jerome. So please, can you share with our listeners what AEROPHILE is all about?Jerome Giacomoni: So AEROPHILE is a company I created with Mathieu Gobbi, my partner, 32 years ago, with a very simple idea, make everybody fly, you know, and we use a balloon to fly. So we have a tethered balloon. We have a huge, big balloon inflated with helium, a gas lighter than air. And we go up to more or less 150 meters high. up to 30 passengers. So we are linked to the ground with a cable, and the cable is linked to a winch. So you have to imagine that you have a winch that— when we go up—pulls when we go down. This is the exact opposite of an elevator because the balloon wants to go higher and higher. We have a lifting force of four tons.Andy Povey:Wow.Jerome Giacomoni:Yes, it's a big one. And so we need a cable to keep it. And thanks to this lifting force, we can fight against the wind.Jerome Giacomoni: And so the balloon can swing when you have some wind because the balloon is just pulled by the cable itself.Andy Povey: And trust me, listeners, they look absolutely spectacular. Just before we started recording, I was admitting to Jerome that I'm scared of heights. So I've stood and watched. The dining balloon, Futuroscope, never managed to pluck up the courage to try it myself.Jerome Giacomoni: This is another concept, Andy. So we have built two concepts. One is a tethered balloon, a real one with helium, with a cable, with a winch, and we fly by ourselves. The balloon flies by itself, okay? We did another concept 20 years after we created our company, so 10 years before now, in 2013, which is what we call the aero bar. It's a flying bar, and you have an inflatable balloon. to cover the gondola, but it's a fake. This is a real elevator, and you have a gondola with some winches and a metallic structure, and you go up and down. So what you saw in Futuroscope is not a balloon. It's a real elevator.Jerome Giacomoni: And the one you can see in Disneyland Paris, Disney World, Orlando or San Diego Zoo are a real balloon named a tethered balloon. So I'm glad you fell down into the trick. You caught me. Yes, I'm glad about that. But we have really two different concepts.Andy Povey: But the concept, the thing that the guest is experiencing, isn't really related to whether it's a balloon or a lift.Jerome Giacomoni: No. i think it's very different okay i think the aerobar is fun and you have the feet in the sky you feel the thrill of height and everything but you stop at 35 meters it's it's quite high for a ride but it's not a real flight And I think the balloon is a real flight. We have a balloon in Paris. We have a balloon in Budapest, Berlin. And you see the city from the sky at 150 meters high, which is very high. So you really experience a flight. With the aerobar, you have a ride, okay? So both of them are related to the sky, are related to the view, but one is really a flight, the other one is really a ride.Andy Povey: That makes absolute sense.Andy Povey: It doesn't reassure me on my fear of heights anymore, that I would like to go up three times, four times taller, higher than the one I saw first. Very interesting. So, listeners, we're often talking about technology and attractions. There's a huge amount of talk about augmented reality, about AI, about motion simulators. The reason, Jerome, we asked you to come and talk to us is because you don't do any of that. No—your experience is fantastic and it's new and it's unique, but there's no technology or very little obvious technology.Jerome Giacomoni: Yes, quite little. You know, it's amazing because we do this for now 32 years, as I told you. The first balloon was inflated in 1994. We have sold 120 balloons in more than 40 countries. And each time with the balloon, you have a magical effect, you know, because the balloon itself is very nice— because the balloon itself is a show from people looking at it from the ground. And because... The flight experience is amazing because you are really in the sky. You are really looking at the ground, at the landscape. You have no noise, you know, when you take a helicopter or plane. You have a lot of noise. You are in an enclosed airplane or helicopter. Here you are outside. You are on a balcony flying at 150 meters. And wherever we are, always we have like a magical effect of the flight. And with the flying bar, we decided to do something different— where we say, 'Why drink on ground where you can drink in the sky?'Jerome Giacomoni: So we add the drink to the ride, you know. So you are on a table and you have what we say in French conviviality. So we share a drink. We go at 35 meters and you have the thrill of the view of the height and also the conviviality of drinking. So this is another concept, but both of them are universal. And wherever we do it, we have sold 20 aero bars worldwide.Jerome Giacomoni: Everybody is very happy to have this kind of ride. I would say we are on the side of the main market. You know, we have two niche products. The balloon is a niche product. And the AeroBar is a niche product where we have another experience than a normal ride, like a roller coaster or a flume or a spinning coaster.Andy Povey: You say you're a nice product, but the balloon in Paris for the Olympics, where you lifted the cauldron, had phenomenal numbers of visitors watching. That wasn't something you could go on.Jerome Giacomoni: Yes, it was an amazing opportunity. You know, sometimes life gives you some presents.Jerome Giacomoni: And imagine that we were contacted by the Olympic Organisation Committee one day, and we believed it was a joke. And they said, 'We need to talk to you.' And then we discovered that instead of flying humans, they asked us to fly a cauldron. So the Olympic cauldron. And we have like one year and a half of design and manufacturing.Jerome Giacomoni: And then, at 11 pm, 25, the balloon has to fly in front of everybody. I can tell you it was a very stressful time. But so nice and so amazing to have experiences. So, yes, the balloon suddenly was visible by everybody. And that's back now in Paris, isn't it? Yes. First of all, the balloon has to stay only twice— 15 days. You know, you have the Olympics and the Paralympics. So we were open only 30 days in total. And the success was so huge that every night, you have dozens of thousands of people coming to look at it. That's why the mayor of Paris and the French president decided to keep it.Jerome Giacomoni: And just after the deflation of the balloon, they call us back and say, 'Jerome and Mathieu, we would like to have the balloon back.' So we work again with the city of Paris and the French presidency, and we agreed to put the balloon.Jerome Giacomoni: Three times, three months. So from June 21st, in France, this is a music event, you know, the Day of Music. To September 14th, which is a day of sport. So every year until the Olympic game of LA, we will operate the balloon for three months in the summertime. Fantastic.Andy Povey: So, Jerome, you operate in lots and lots of different countries all over the world. I think it's 14 countries that you've been.Jerome Giacomoni: No, we sold, but we operate only in the US and in France.Andy Povey: Ah, okay. Interesting.Jerome Giacomoni: We own ourselves, we operate ourselves, six balloons in the 120 we have sold. So we operate three in Paris region. One, the Parc André Citroën, where we have the Generali balloon since 1999. One in Disneyland Paris since 2005. So we are in Disneyland Paris for now 20 years. Time is flying. And the last one, the Cold Run, which is a very specific event that we operate now for one year and for the next two years. And in the US, we operate Disney World Orlando in Disney Spring since 2009, and San Diego Zoo Safari Park since 2005, and Irvine. South of LA since 2007. So we operate now six balloons for a long, long time, except the cold run. And we keep selling balloons.Jerome Giacomoni: We sell more or less five to six balloons every year.Andy Povey: And how do you find the differences between the French culture and you're on either side of America, so the differences between the different coasts of America and France?Jerome Giacomoni: Yes, we... We are in the US, but we are also in Mexico, in a lot of countries in Asia. In the Middle East, we have a beautiful balloon in Dubai. We have a beautiful balloon in Seoul. So we work a lot with very different cultures. You know, it's very interesting to sell the same product to different cultures. So I would say... The main difference probably lies in the contract. It's very funny when you make the contract. I would say a 'yes' is not the same 'yes' depending on the culture. But everybody is, you know, you... You love people when you work worldwide. You learn a lot, you discover a lot. You have to learn with different cultures. And I have the chance in my professional life to experience that and to meet people from all over the world. And, you know, my job is to go on site, and discuss with someone, and see if it's possible or not to have a balloon at this place.Jerome Giacomoni: So it's always a beautiful job because I travel in a lot of countries in beautiful spots.Jerome Giacomoni: We don't succeed a lot because, if not, I would have sold thousands of balloons. We have always constraints with local authority, with food traffic, etc. But always, it's a pleasure to meet people. And once... The balloon is accepted by the local authority when the customer has a finance for it. Then start more or less a one-year work together between installation, work on site, inflation, and training of the team. And after... They fly with their own wings, even if we have no wings with our balloons.Andy Povey: Very good. And I imagine that you don't put balloons into ugly places.Jerome Giacomoni: We did, sometimes for specific contracts. Ugly, I won't use this name, but not very obvious, logical site. But it has happened. Sometimes we do for small events or for specific needs.Jerome Giacomoni: But yes, most of the time, the sites are very interesting.Andy Povey: So there are other things you're doing with the balloons. So the air quality messaging that you have above Paris. Tell us more about your opportunities to influence in other areas.Jerome Giacomoni: Yes, you know, the balloon is not only a ride, a passenger ride, but it's also an amazing opportunity for communication and for advertisement. So in the city center, like Paris, Berlin, or Seoul, the balloon is used also as a giant advertising billboard. So you have two revenues. You have the revenue of the passenger, but you have also the sponsor revenue.Jerome Giacomoni: When we started the balloon in Paris, it was extremely difficult to get the authorisation to have a balloon in Paris centre. We are two kilometres south of the Eiffel Tower. But you remember, we had the famous Millennium, the Y2K. uh and and so the mayor faris was looking for a new idea and we propose a balloon And they gave us only a one year and a half contract. And the investment was quite huge. And we told him, OK, we can do it, but we cannot do it for only one year and a half. Except if you accept that we have a name on the balloon, a naming and a sponsor on the balloon. And the mayor say yes. And we start another business where we put sponsor on the balloon. And this is a very good business because it makes a... activity immediately profitable so we did that in Paris in 1999 and in 2008 the balloon was like 10 years old because when you fly you have your the balloon is huge we talk about a 32 meters high balloon we talk about like a 12-story building.Jerome Giacomoni: So everybody knows the balloon in Paris. Everybody can see it. And so, when we fly, we have 400,000 people who immediately see us. So we decided to give citizen aspect. And we start— pour changer le couleur de la balle selon la qualité de l'air. C'était en 2008. Et parce que nous l'avons fait, nous avons des scientifiques... coming to us and say, 'Hey, this balloon is a wonderful platform to measure air quality because you make like a carrot of the air from zero to 150 meters. Jerome Giacomoni:  Can we bring some scientist instrument on the gondola? And we say yes. And then we start to make science. And then we start to make scientific publications, scientific publications. And then we start a new business where the balloon is not only a tethered gas balloon for passenger, it's only... advertising billboard and now it's only a scientific platform and so this is very interesting and the last things we have done in 2024 no this year in 2025 is to use the balloon for global climate change. As you know, we have two main gas pollutants for the climate change, CO2 and CH4. And the balloon is a perfect platform to measure evolution on CO2 and CH4. So we are working with a European group named ICOS. gathering all the best laboratories in Europe, who are making a huge study on how CO2 and CH4 how they are in each city.Jerome Giacomoni: And Paris has been chosen as a pilot city. So we are very glad to work with them. And so now the Balloon is also working on climate change. And we will have big, big, big LED screen. So we make some technology sometime, as you said, to inform people on the temperature elevation in Europe and in the world. And the news are very bad, as everybody knows.Andy Povey: But that's fascinating. I love the integration you've been able to take from this unique proposition and apply it to different markets, different problems.Jerome Giacomoni: You know, Andy, I think we have to exit from the box. My message to... all people who are listening to us.Jerome Giacomoni: Okay, passenger rides is very important. It's a key market for many of us. But sometimes we can use... another way to find new flow of revenue, like advertising, and we can be also helpful to our other citizens, like working freely for scientists to make measurements on pollutants of the air. This helps with both air quality and also climate change.Andy Povey: It's a beautiful concept, Jerome. I love it. Love it.Andy Povey: So, final question. Your experiences are obviously very unique. What advice would you have for a venue and possibly a smaller venue that doesn't have the resources to be able to build something 150 metres high or put something 150 metres into the air? What advice would you give them on how to make a compelling experience for visitors?Jerome Giacomoni: I really believe that you have to stick on your roots, okay? I mean that people want authenticity.Jerome Giacomoni: And as you know, we are very keen on balloons, as you can imagine. So we make in our, you know, Paris, it's in Paris where you have the first flight. Yeah. In 1783. Montgolfier, brothers. Yes, with the Montgolfier brothers, with Charles, the scientist. So we really stick on our roots. And I think where you are in Brittany, where you are in Japan, you have to follow your own road and your own path. By feeling what could be the good idea, but also what is your feeling inside you. You need to have something different that you feel very confident with.Andy Povey: Beautiful final thought, Jerome, I like it a lot. So listeners, stay authentic and be passionate.Jerome Giacomoni: Exactly, the right word is passionate.Paul Marden: Next up, let's get some soundbites from the show floor.Rheanna  Sorby: My name's Rheanna. I'm Marketing and Creative Director for the Seasonal Group. We are curators of Christmas magic all year round. Wow, wow.Paul Marden: So you make Christmas special?Rheanna  Sorby: We're the Christmas elves.Paul Marden: Awesome, awesome. I can see you've got such a great set of stands. What have you got here that you're exhibiting for the first time?Rheanna  Sorby: We have Santa's Enchanted Express, which is a three-minute experience that transports customers and guests from a very festive train station to the North Pole in just under three minutes. So it's quite a Christmas miracle. And it also transports on nine pallets. So it's a great return on investment for customers there if it's 24 people on. We also have our elevator experience, which went viral last year. And then we have VR, animatronics, and a lot of our famous items, like the snowman here, just dressed as a little, it's some sort of operator.Paul Marden: Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. So we don't have a lot of luck with lifts at the moment because the team got stuck in a lift yesterday for about 45 minutes. Stop it. We got rescued by the... Well, I didn't get in the lift. I walked because there wasn't enough room. But two of them had to be rescued by the fire brigadeRheanna  Sorby: Okay, so this might be triggering. Well, you know.Paul Marden: Oh, no, I found it hilarious.Paul Marden: I was hugely supportive on the outside, yelling into them.Paul Marden: But Santa won't let me get stuck in a lift today, will he? Absolutely not.Rheanna  Sorby: No, there's an emergency exit. Excellent.Paul Marden: So what's new and innovative then about the Santa Express? What are you bringing to market?Rheanna  Sorby: So a lot of our clients, we sell business to business. They're struggling to get people into shopping centres and we're finding that we need to create retail theatre. So that is something I see as a massive trend moving forward. People want nostalgia. They want an experience, something memorable. But also our customers need a way to return investment as well. So they hopefully will spend something with us and then ticket the experience. So that's something that we're pivoting our business towards. Trying to create a brand new experience every year. A lot of people are struggling nowadays, cost of living.Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely.Rheanna  Sorby: It's difficult, so we're trying to find a way that brings the Christmas magic to people's doors.Paul Marden: We are, where are we at the moment? We're in September, so we've still got a couple of months left before Christmas 2025, but that must be over for you.Rheanna  Sorby: No, the quality of the street is on the shelves. It's already happening. The install season starts literally on Monday for us. Really? Yes. When we get back, we land and then we start installing.Paul Marden: And so this is the busy time. So let's talk about Christmas 2026. What are the trends that you see coming along at that point?Rheanna  Sorby: Whimsical, whimsical. So we've got Wicked number two coming out. And we've also had all like the Whoville, that sort of style, the Grinch. So imagine pastels, furry trees, things that don't quite make sense, a lot of whimsical wonderland, I would say, trend-wise. But equally immersive experiences and how we can bring magic to you.Paul Marden: Wonderful, wonderful. Thank you ever so much. Rheanna, it's been lovely to meet you. Thank you for coming on the podcast. And let's go and visit Santa in his lift, shall we? Yeah, excellent.Paul Marden: And here it is. So we are surrounded by suites in an old-fashioned lift. And there's our doors closed.Paul Marden: Oh, how amazing is this? We're going up.Paul Marden: Ice like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The Great Glass Elevator. This is amazing. We're up over the clouds. Just stunning. There's a train there. I think we're going to follow into the tunnel after the train. Yes.Paul Marden: Got cold, now we're underground. Now we're in the tunnel.Paul Marden: And I think this might be Santa's factory.Paul Marden: Let's get ready.Paul Marden: Merry Christmas. The big man's chair as well. Can I take a seat in the big man's chair? Ho, ho, ho.Sohret Pakis: Hi, Paul. My name is Shorhet Pakis. I'm the brand ambassador for Polin Waterparks.Paul Marden: What are you launching this year at IAAPA? What's new for you?Sohret Pakis:Last year, we have won two big awards for a themed water slide, which is... Stingray it was in Nantes in France and it was something big because you know it was like Europeans best water slide number one and I have a brass ring award winner about two million number one but last night in Porta Ventura Stingray has won the second time best water slide of Europe award. But we have something new about it. Last year when I was telling about Stingray, it was an eight-person slide. This year we have something new. Now the capacity went up to 10, especially when we're talking about all these queue management issues. So that's something wonderful. And also, you ask, what is new? This year, we have something very exciting. A parrot-themed stingray. It's the same slide, but it's parrot-themed.Sohret Pakis: It's coming to Dubai by January. It's going to be open.Paul Marden: So can I ask you, what makes that innovative? What's new about that?Sohret Pakis: Actually, it's a very specifically themed waterslide. You know that POLIN has been pioneer in RTM manufacturing and U-texture. It's kind of a composite material technology which we can make waterslides look.  Look like a character, actually. We are the company who did this first because we said that storytelling is very important. Yes, but you know, slides are just slides. So we just wanted the slides look like the characters in that story. Of course, behind that, there is huge material technology, composites technology, design technologies. Actually, that's the time when we introduced King Cobra years ago. And now with Stingray, we took it much further. So actually, the team looks perfectly like a Stingray, but at the same time, it's a water slide with so many features. It has two big towers and between the towers, there's a bridge. From each tower, two slides start with a very special mist roofing and very special bridge where you can just see what's happening all over the slide.Paul Marden: So the queuing experience is enriched so it doesn't feel quite so long and boring because you can watch what everyone is doing.Sohret Pakis: It is, yes.Paul Marden: Super impressive. So we have been asking everybody to think about what are their predictions for 2026?Sohret Pakis: Everybody is talking about AI. Everybody is talking about immersive. So AI, of course, will make a huge difference in operation, especially.Paul Marden: In what way?Sohret Pakis: Actually, in guest satisfaction, because personalisation is very important in our industry. Whoever comes to the park, they are the heroes at the park. And so actually, if the park can make them feel that they are the heroes, truly— if that's their birthday, if that's their wedding anniversary, so whatever. If the park can make you feel that you're special, and thanks to technology, now it's possible.Paul Marden: Absolutely. That's so interesting. Thank you so much for your insights and for joining us on Skip the Queue. Thank you.Thomas Collin: I'm Thomas, I'm from VEX Solutions, so we are a VR company at the start, and now we're going to the arcade with mixed reality as well. Okay, so that's a nice link. What are you launching here at IAFA? So here for the first time we are introducing VEX Party Dash. The Party Dash is a mixed reality arcade machine. So automated, people can go on it, play on it. You have two huge screens that are really highly interactive. You can walk on the screen, you can touch the screen. The goal is really to make you moving. So that's what we want to do with the Dash.Paul Marden: That's amazing, isn't it? So we're watching people at the moment. You can see lights up on the floor that they're stepping on and on the wall.Thomas Collin: What is really the key aspect of this product is that it's highly attractive. People, they just go around, they stop by it, they want to try it. Actually, we can say, 'Hey, come and try it,' because we watch you, we see you. So we can say, 'Hey, come and try it.' And people stop by, they play it. It's highly immersive, but also highly active. Yes. You're just not standing on an arcade, sitting down. No, you're really moving around. So, this is really good for kids and families. Absolutely. That's what we see.Paul Marden: So, where do you see this being used? What sort of attractions will take this?Thomas Collin: Actually, with this product, it can go either in the attraction side or either at the arcade side. So, you can play it as one game, and you can play a three-minute game like an arcade, or you can actually book for 15 minutes. Since there is not a single game, but multiple games, you can play different games, you can play different levels inside the main gate. So you have a high replayability. Because we want you to come back, we want to attract the gamers, and then make them come back.Paul Marden: 15 minutes with this much activity sounds like quite a tall order. It's a workout.Thomas Collin: It's a workout. It's a workout. Yeah, yeah, yeah.Peter Cliff: Hi, my name is Pete Cliff. I'm from Conductr. We're here in Barcelona and it's so exciting to be back at IAAPA. Now, what we're super excited about this year is talking about our collaboration with Norwegian Cruise Lines on Great Stirrup Cay. It's their new water park. It's a great project. We're excited to talk to people about it. It's also lovely to be back in Barcelona. It's been, I think, about six years since we were last back here, and it's always one of my favourite European cities for IAPA. It's great to meet with people from the industry, reconnect with old colleagues and friends, and really see what's happening. There's a huge amount of innovation and special projects that are launching all over the show floor. So yeah, great to be back, and can't wait to see what the future of the themed entertainment industry has to offer.Laura Baxter: My name is Laura Baxter. You may know me as the girl with the purple jumpsuit on LinkedIn. I am the head of marketing for Black Gang Shine, but have most recently just announced that I've gone into freelancing and I've launched your CMO.Paul Marden: And I have to say, the jumpsuits work because I was about 50 metres behind you earlier on and I spotted the Your CMO logo on the back of the jumpsuit, so well done for that. We've talked to a lot of suppliers with stands that are exhibiting. From your perspective, this is your first time stepping over to the dark side and coming to an IAPA. What's the experience like for you? What are you here to get out of the show?Laura Baxter: I'd say it's twofold. Mainly it is for networking. Obviously anybody who's anyone in the industry is here. But also, it's inspiration because I want to be able to talk about new and exciting stuff with... Potential clients that I may have and ideas still for Black Gang as well. So, when you walk around show floor, which is just so vibrant and there's so much going on everywhere—you turn, you can draw inspiration from so many of the suppliers here.Paul Marden: What have you seen that's innovative?Laura Baxter: There's a huge amount of stuff being done with tech and it's very interesting because I think that's where a lot of people are going to think that they need to go, because that's the way of the world now, and the next generation don't know life off of a screen and they're expecting to have these incredible digital experiences.Laura Baxter: I'm not convinced that is the way to go. But yes, it's still impressive tech. So for me, there are things that I stand back out and look at and I'm like, 'Whoa, that's really, really cool.'Laura Baxter: I'm not so sure it's potentially what consumers want, though, controversially.Paul Marden: It's really hard, isn't it? Because as a parent of young kids, you want them off the tech as much as you possibly can. But you need a hook. To be able to attract them, don't you? So there's been some amazing stuff here that bridges that gap between the real world and the tech world. So, summer season 2025 is over. What are your predictions about summer 26 and what operators should be thinking about right now?Laura Baxter: It's a really tough market, we all know that. Budgets are tight for households, so there is an awful lot more thought going into their spending and what they're doing and where they're choosing to take that little bit of disposable money that they do have. Therefore actually I don't think next year operators should be thinking about huge innovations or new attractions. I think they need to strip back to basics and nail their customer service. I think guest expectations now are so high. because they're parting with money that is a little bit more precious to them than perhaps if they don't leave at the end of that day having had a good experience they feel ripped off they're going to go straight to review platforms they're going to let it all out and actually you need to be focusing on making sure that every single touch point with that customer is bang on and we're talking pre-visit as well from the your website journey to buying it to the follow-up emails to the pre-visit emails to that first person they meet on front of house to the ride operators to the events team if you have that kind of entertainment on park if you are not nailing your experienceLaura Baxter: You are going to lose out well.Paul Marden: I think we should end it right there. That there is a nugget of gold.Paul Marden: So I am here with co-host Andy Povey and our good friend Josh Haywood from Crealy down in Devon.Josh Haywood: Hello.Paul Marden: It's the end of day two. What have you seen, Josh? What's blown your socks off?Josh Haywood: Good couple of days so far. We're probably into 40,000 steps, which is great. I think technology is the thing that struck me this week so far. Just the small changes that some of the operators and some of the manufacturers are putting into their existing kits. So, for example, I attended a seminar this morning about bowling. and normally temping bowling is temping bowling. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But now there's augmented reality, and they've got features on the lanes, and it's not about just taking all the pins down, it's taking pin one and six out, and all those things they're trying to do to reinvent older, more traditional attractions, which I think I find really interesting. Yeah. I think some of the seasonality stuff, the Christmas and Halloween stuff has been really good. We sat on a train and went on a journey and the seats rumbled and the sound and the visual effects, they were great.Paul Marden: I saw that. There was no room for me to go and sit on that train. It was amazing.Josh Haywood: I thought that was really good. And, you know, I've been really impressed with generally the show. I think you can get around it all as well. It feels really friendly. I think the sun shining always helps as well. It's not too tough, is it?Paul Marden: I mean, the last time we were in Barcelona, we were all wearing face masks. Absolutely, yes. So it's really refreshing to be back here. And not have that.Josh Haywood: Absolutely. And not have to queue to get in as well. I think that was interesting on the first day.Paul Marden: Oh, did they see you and then just wave you through?Josh Haywood: Red carpet was up for, of course, award-winning theme park and resort. Paul Marden: Mr. Hayward. Did you say award? Winnie and obviously you're on the back of your two awards in the theme park awards last week. How was that? And then we've got some really exciting news from Creeley.Josh Haywood: I saw it at the press this morning. Yes, so a couple of things happened last week. So first of all, we had our anniversary 25 years of Maximus the Coaster. The Vekoma Coaster, 25 years. The first coaster in Devon. It was Devon's first coaster, over half a million riders later. It's done 2 million miles around the track. It's great. So we did a sort of event for that, and we used it to sort of make some announcements about future attractions, which I'll tell you about in a minute. But then we went to the Theme Park Awards last week at Wickste Park, where... We've been the recipients of a few bronze and silvers, and we go being little old us and hope for the best. And then the award I really wanted to win was one of two: the best for families and the best for value. And when the family award came up, they said, 'In bronze is such and such, in silver.' And I was like, 'Well, there you go.' That's all that's left for another year. And then when they said the win at gold was cruelly for best for families, we were delighted. I got a bit emotional about it. I think we would just work so hard over the years to be the best in the Southwest, certainly. And certainly since we put Sootyland in as well. We won the award for Toddlers.Josh Haywood: So it was a double wham. And within 10 minutes as well. It wasn't separated. Within 10 minutes, I just got my breath back from the first one. And then we were up on stage again taking that second award. Oh, it's tough, isn't it? Which was great, yeah. Multi-award winning. Multi-award winning theme parking resort. Devon's finest. Most right in Devon. We're just going to... absolutely bleep the hell out of this for the next 12 months because who knows we may not win it again so we'll just shout from the treetops about this and then we also won thanks to martin rose and rose events uh silver for best entertainment event for the city show It's still very popular, the legacy brand. People love the Sooty show. And as I said at the awards, we sell loads of those puppets. People love a Sooty and a Sweep. So it's been a really good collaboration for us.Paul Marden: We were at our first away day for our Merak team back a few months ago down at Creeley, and I found a little sooty puppet underneath the lectern. I was absolutely chuffed to bits. And there he was, just sitting at the front of the away day, watching everything going on with Sue next to him.Josh Haywood: He's still popular. We understood when we put Cityland in, it wasn't going to be Peppa Pig. world and we didn't think for a minute we'd even sort of get to those heights of Thomas Land at Drayton Manor but it certainly hit a chord with the older market certainly the nannies and the granddads who remember such from when they were kids and you know it's a legacy brand and it works but what we have done really well is sort of corner that market for younger children and toddlers and we Sort of took some comments over the last 12 to 18 months that we may be missing the mark when it comes to the 8 to 12-year-olds, which we were pretty good at five or six years ago. So we've decided this year that we're going to invest in some thrill attractions. So we've just launched news that we've got two new rides going in next year. One, I can't tell you exactly because we're still going under. Got some planning issues, but we're going to have the Southwest tallest ride and the Southwest first inverted ride. So a multi-million pound investment going in and hopefully that will give us another boost that we need to kick on again. We've still got new accommodation going in. We'll still be doing new events and shows for next year.Josh Haywood: So it's going to be a bumper year for Crealy. Absolutely.  I really look forward to that.Paul Marden: I look forward to you being on the launch ride.Paul Marden: Me down on the ground watching and videoing.Josh Haywood: What they have said, which is really interesting, we spoke to an operator, there's only one other ride like it in the UK, and that operator said, whatever you do, make sure when you put the ride in, you fit a hose pipe and a tap right in. Because you may be washing the seats down more than you would usually on your current ride. So, yeah, it certainly will add that next level of ride experience to our family market.Paul Marden: Yeah, I think that's super important, isn't it? Mr. Povey, what have you seen today that has blown your socks off?Andy Povey: I'm really looking for the place to go and get some more soft, comfortable socks. I've walked so much. I've stood around and listened to so many fantastic talks, had so many brilliant conversations. I'm done. My feet hurt. I need to sit down and have a beer.Paul Marden: Well, I hate to break it to you, but there's another day left. And there's still more interviews to do. Still more opportunities for us to get some interesting stories on Skip the Queue.Andy Povey: Look forward to that.Paul Marden: Gentlemen, I think we're about done. So thank you ever so much. It has been a joy. And Mr. Povey, see you back here tomorrow. Josh, wonderful as always.Josh Haywood: Maybe see you at OrlandoPaul Marden: Oh. Absolutely, yeah.Josh Haywood: We'll do it againPaul Marden: Thanks for listening to today's episode. If you liked it, leave a comment in Spotify or Apple Podcasts. If you didn't, let us know on hello@skipthequeue.fm. Today's episode was a team effort for Sami and Emily from Plaster, Steve from Folland Co., as well as Claire and Wenalyn from Skip the Queue HQ. We're back again tomorrow for more fun from IAAPA, including Andreas Andersen from Liseberg, one of Scandinavia's most visited parks. See you all tomorrow. The 2025 Visitor Attraction Website Survey is now LIVE! Dive into groundbreaking benchmarks for the industryGain a better understanding of how to achieve the highest conversion ratesExplore the "why" behind visitor attraction site performanceLearn the impact of website optimisation and visitor engagement on conversion ratesUncover key steps to enhance user experience for greater conversionsTake the Rubber Cheese Visitor Attraction Website Survey Report

In questa puntata:- Focus: abbiamo intervistato Giovanni Costantino, attuale allenatore dell'FC Bishkek e tecnico giramondo- Tunnellissimo: "Atlante delle micronazioni" di Graziano Graziani

So where exactly is Trump's America? According to the Brookings fellow Jonathan Rauch, the world's largest economic, military and cultural power is “half way to Hungary” - the small, landlocked Central European country run by an equally small and landlocked man called Viktor Orban. For Rauch, this suggests that America is on its way to becoming the sort of pathetically petty patrimonial state that the wannabe dictator Orban is trying to establish in Hungary. But the idea of the world's dominant superpower being “halfway to Budapest” sounds more like the title of a characteristically absurd central European novel. It suggests that Trump's America is, in fact, currently lost in the mid-Atlantic. It's nowhere. And if making America great again really does require borrowing anything from a country as small and landlocked as Hungary, then I fear for the historical significance of both Trump and his MAGA movement. Surely they could come up with a more original playbook than that?1. America is Following the “Hungarian Playbook” of Modern Authoritarianism Rauch warns that Trump is deploying Viktor Orbán's four-part strategy: sue critics into bankruptcy, use regulatory power to threaten licenses, buy out media outlets, and intimidate advertisers. This represents a new form of authoritarianism that doesn't require tanks or military coups.2. The Rise of the “Woke Right” - Postmodern Tactics Adopted by Conservatives The right has borrowed from postmodern philosophy the idea that there's no objective truth, only power and narrative control. This creates a “postmodern right” that focuses on winning stories rather than establishing facts - exemplified by claims about vaccine dangers or election fraud.3. Constitutional Crisis is Already Underway, Not Coming Rauch argues we're not heading toward a constitutional crisis - we're already in one. He points to executive orders targeting political enemies and the “naked politicization” of prosecutorial systems as evidence that democratic norms have already been breached.4. 2028, Not 2026, Will Be the Real Test While Rauch expects the 2026 midterms to be relatively fair (70-80% likelihood), he's deeply concerned about 2028. The administration won't have enough time to fully implement election interference by 2026, but 2028 could see systematic attempts to rig the democratic process.5. Resistance Requires Slowing Down Authoritarian “Shock and Awe” The most effective resistance strategy is to slow down Trump's rapid implementation of authoritarian measures through litigation and civil society pushback. Early capitulation doesn't work - it only invites more demands. The key is preventing the normalization of antidemocratic behavior.Keen On America is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

Fluent Fiction - Hungarian: The Forest's Whisper: A Journey to Inner Peace Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hu/episode/2025-09-24-22-34-02-hu Story Transcript:Hu: A Pilis-hegység levelei sárga, narancs és barna árnyalatokban játszottak.En: The leaves of the Pilis-hegység played in shades of yellow, orange, and brown.Hu: Az őszi szél a szellem megnyugvását, a természet lomha suttogását hozta.En: The autumn wind brought a calming of the spirit, the languid whisper of nature.Hu: Az erdő csendje belopta magát az emberek lelkébe, akik a spirituális visszavonuláson vettek részt.En: The silence of the forest crept into the souls of the people who were participating in the spiritual retreat.Hu: Zoltán, egy budapesti újságíró, a fákkal körülölelt vendégházban üldögélt.En: Zoltán, a journalist from Budapest, sat in the guesthouse surrounded by trees.Hu: Egyik szemében ott égett a kíváncsiság, másikban pedig a keserű csalódás.En: In one eye burned curiosity, in the other, bitter disappointment.Hu: Egy cikk kedvéért utazott ide, de szíve mélyén remélte, hogy itt békére lel.En: He traveled here for the sake of an article, but deep down, he hoped to find peace.Hu: A világ dolgai már nem úgy érdekelték, mint azelőtt.En: The affairs of the world no longer interested him as they once did.Hu: Réka, a visszavonulás karizmatikus vezetője, elmagyarázta a meditációs gyakorlatokat a csoportnak.En: Réka, the charismatic leader of the retreat, explained the meditation exercises to the group.Hu: Mosolya meleg és bátorító volt, ám valami titok rejtőzött a tekintetében.En: Her smile was warm and encouraging, yet something mysterious lurked in her gaze.Hu: Mintha a múltja összefonódna a hely varázsával.En: It was as if her past intertwined with the magic of the place.Hu: A meditáció alatt Zoltán hirtelen furcsa érzést tapasztalt.En: During meditation, Zoltán suddenly experienced a strange sensation.Hu: Mintha az erdő hívta volna.En: It was as if the forest called to him.Hu: Amikor kinyitotta a szemét, Réka arcáról eltűnt a gondtalanság, és Rámpa nézett vissza rá – egy jeges figyelmeztetés.En: When he opened his eyes, Réka's carefree look had disappeared, and Rámpa stared back at him—a chilling warning.Hu: Aznap este János, az erdő titkait ismerő törzsvendég, közel húzódott Zoltánhoz.En: That evening, János, a regular guest who knew the secrets of the forest, drew close to Zoltán.Hu: „Ne menj túl messze a fák közé” – mondta, majd elhallgatott, mintha egy nyitott ajtót hagyna maga mögött.En: “Don't wander too far into the trees,” he said, then fell silent as if leaving an open door behind him.Hu: A rejtély hívogató volt.En: The mystery was inviting.Hu: Zoltán elhatározta, hogy másnap felfedezi az erdőt, bízva a tényekre szomjazó ösztönében és talán saját szívében is.En: Zoltán decided that the next day he would explore the forest, trusting his instinct that thirsted for facts, and perhaps even his own heart.Hu: A fák között járva végül egy ősi rituális helyre bukkant.En: Walking among the trees, he eventually stumbled upon an ancient ritual site.Hu: A szikla körül druidák szellemei mintha velük beszéltek volna.En: Around the rock, the spirits of druids seemed to speak with them.Hu: Egy látomás lepte meg: Réka, fiatalon, a fák között, ahogy a természet szellemeivel társalog.En: A vision overwhelmed him: Réka, young, among the trees, conversing with the spirits of nature.Hu: Visszatérve a táborba, Zoltán szembesítette Rékát azzal, amit látott.En: Returning to the camp, Zoltán confronted Réka with what he had seen.Hu: A nő nem tagadott.En: She did not deny it.Hu: Elmondta, hogy a visszavonulás célja a természethez való kapcsolat visszaszerzése.En: She explained that the goal of the retreat was to reclaim a connection with nature.Hu: Zoltán tisztelettel tekintett rá.En: Zoltán regarded her with respect.Hu: Megértette a hely szellemiségét, Réka történetét és talán saját veszteségét is másképp látta már.En: He understood the spirit of the place, Réka's story, and perhaps saw his own losses in a different light.Hu: Ahogy Zoltán a hegyről lefelé sétált a buszhoz, úgy érezte, mintha részben hátrahagyta volna csalódását.En: As Zoltán walked down the mountain to the bus, he felt as if he had left part of his disappointment behind.Hu: Az erdő titkai maradtak, de ő könnyebb szívvel indult el.En: The secrets of the forest remained, but he set out with a lighter heart.Hu: A Pilis továbbra is mesélt, de ő már egy másik fejezetet írt saját életében.En: The Pilis continued to tell its stories, but he had already begun to write a different chapter in his own life. Vocabulary Words:languid: lomhacalming: megnyugvásátretreat: visszavonulássurrounded: körülöleltcuriosity: kíváncsiságdisappointment: csalódásaffairs: dolgaiencouraging: bátorítómysterious: titokintertwined: összefonódnaexercise: gyakorlatoksensation: érzéstcarefree: gondtalanságchilling: jegesritual: rituálisstumbled: bukkantspirits: szellemeioverwhelmed: lehetconversing: társalogconfronted: szembesítettedeny: tagadottconnection: kapcsolatregard: tekintettlosses: veszteségétlighter: könnyebbremained: maradtaksoul: lélekjournalist: újságíróinstinct: ösztönvision: látomás

Ez az adás hat napnyi moziélményt mesél el a Budapesti Klasszikus Film Maratonról: vetítésről vetítésre rohantam, a szünetekben pedig dumáltam Baski Sándorral, Czirfusz Vikivel, Gyárfás Dorkával, Gyenge Zsolttal, Gyöngyösi Lillával, Incze Katával, Madarász Istivel, Moskát Anitával és Pozsonyi Jankával.Közben háromszor futottam össze David Cronenberggel, kétszer Atom Egoyannal, végighallgattam három zseniális Varró Attila-felvezetőt, és ismét bebizonyosodott számomra, hogy a mozizás az egyik legnagyobb öröm az életben.00:00 - Bevezető01:49 - Külön banda után (Gyöngyösi Lilla)07:50 - Showgirls előtt (Baski Sándor)10:13 - Showgirls után (Czirfusz Viki)13:39 - Showgirls után (Baski Sándor)18:27 - Kelenföld21:55 - Pozsonyi Janka nagy bejelentése24:48 - Johnny Mnemonic előtt (Moskát Anita, Madarász Isti)29:17 - Johnny Mnemonic után (Moskát Anita, Madarász Isti)31:39 - Rohanás a Lánchídon32:30 - Szamuráj, Két angol lány és a kontinens (Gyöngyösi Lilla)37:28 - Cronenberg-mesterkurzus után (Gyöngyösi Lilla)43:14 - Eljövendő szép napok után (Gyárfás Dorka)50:20 - Elemi ösztön előtt (Gyenge Zsolt)52:15 - Elemi ösztön után (Gyenge Zsolt)56:28 - Felvonó a vérpadra előtt58:20 - Felvonó a vérpadra után (Moskát Anita, Madarász Isti)1:00:23 - eXistenZ előtt (Baski Sándor)1:02:01 - eXistenZ után (Moskát Anita, Madarász Isti)1:05:50 - Fény és árnyék (Gyöngyösi Lilla)1:09:49 - Eastern Promises után, búcsú1:13:07 - Karambol (Incze Kata)Készítette: Varga FerencZene: Hegyi Olivér, Kristóf NorbertEz az adás a Budapesti Klasszikus Film Maraton támogatásával jött létre.

Fluent Fiction - Hungarian: From Rain to Resonance: A Serendipitous Meeting at the Café Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hu/episode/2025-09-21-22-34-02-hu Story Transcript:Hu: A Cozy Cabin Café, Budapest csendes utcájában bújik meg.En: The Cozy Cabin Café is nestled in a quiet street of Budapest.Hu: A kávézó meleg és hívogató, fa berendezés és nagy ablakok jellemzik, ahonnan jól lehet látni, ahogy az őszi levelek esnek.En: The café is warm and inviting, characterized by wooden furnishings and large windows from which one can watch the autumn leaves fall.Hu: Egy esős őszi délutánon Attila ült a kedvenc sarkában.En: On a rainy autumn afternoon, Attila sat in his favorite corner.Hu: Zenetanár volt, aki minden nap ide látogatott inspirációért, de ma különösen nehéz napja volt.En: He was a music teacher who visited this place every day for inspiration, but today was an especially tough day.Hu: Néhány napja nem talált ihletet az új dallamához, és emiatt csendesen aggódott.En: He hadn't found inspiration for his new melody for a few days, and because of this, he was quietly worried.Hu: Ugyanakkor Emese is belépett a kávézóba, kezében egy esernyővel.En: At the same time, Emese also entered the café, holding an umbrella.Hu: Sosem járt itt korábban, és általában kerüli a visszatérő látogatásokat.En: She had never been here before and generally avoided frequent visits.Hu: Művészként folyamatosan új élményekre vágyott, félt, hogy a megszokott helyek megfojtják kreativitását.En: As an artist, she constantly craved new experiences, fearing that familiar places would stifle her creativity.Hu: Ahogy belépett és körbenézett, a meleg légkör azonnal magával ragadta.En: As she entered and looked around, the warm atmosphere immediately captivated her.Hu: Attila csak bámészkodott ki az ablakon, mígnem tekintete találkozott Emesével.En: Attila was just gazing out the window when his gaze met Emese's.Hu: Emese közvetlen és kíváncsi lélek volt, így mosolyogva intett a barátságos tekintetű férfinak.En: Emese was a direct and curious soul, so she smiled and waved at the friendly-looking man.Hu: Attila eleinte zavarba jött, de úgy érezte, itt az alkalom nyitni.En: Attila was initially embarrassed, but he felt this was an opportunity to open up.Hu: Mindketten meglepődtek, amikor egy heves eső zúdult le hirtelen.En: Both were surprised when a sudden downpour began.Hu: Az eső dobolása az ablakokon különös hangulatot adott a délutánnak.En: The drumming of the rain on the windows added a peculiar mood to the afternoon.Hu: Nem volt hova menniük, ezért mindketten leültek egy asztalhoz.En: With nowhere else to go, they both sat down at a table.Hu: Attila csendesen mesélt a zenéről, és hogy most milyen nehéznek érzi az alkotást.En: Attila quietly talked about music and how difficult he found creating at the moment.Hu: Emese figyelmesen hallgatta.En: Emese listened attentively.Hu: Inspirálta őt Attila szenvedélye a zene iránt.En: She was inspired by Attila's passion for music.Hu: A beszélgetés során Emese saját félelmeiről is megnyílt.En: During the conversation, Emese also opened up about her own fears.Hu: Elmondta, hogyan retteg attól, hogy az állandóság elveszi tőle a kreativitást.En: She shared how she feared that constancy would take away her creativity.Hu: Attila mosolyogva elmondta, hogy néha a komfortzóna is lehet alkotóerejű hely.En: Attila smiled and mentioned that sometimes the comfort zone can be a creative space.Hu: A beszélgetés serkentő volt mindkettőjük számára.En: The conversation was stimulating for both of them.Hu: Attila kezdte felismerni, hogy az ő zenéjében is van egyedi szépség, és Emese pedig rájött, hogy néha egy hely újra felfedezése is termékeny lehet.En: Attila began to recognize the unique beauty in his music, and Emese realized that sometimes rediscovering a place can also be fruitful.Hu: Amint az eső alábbhagyott, készülték elhagyni a kávézót.En: As the rain subsided, they prepared to leave the café.Hu: De mielőtt kiléptek volna az ajtón, megígérték egymásnak, hogy találkoznak újra a Cozy Cabin Caféban.En: But before stepping out the door, they promised each other to meet again at the Cozy Cabin Café.Hu: Ezentúl nem csak egy hely lesz számukra.En: From now on, it would not just be a place for them.Hu: Attila újra bízni kezdett magában, Emese pedig eldöntötte, hogy a stabilitás nem mindig ellenség.En: Attila started to regain confidence in himself, and Emese decided that stability isn't always an enemy.Hu: Ahogy léptek a járdára, az eső utáni friss levegő készülődés egy új alkotói kalandra.En: As they stepped onto the sidewalk, the fresh post-rain air prepared them for a new creative adventure.Hu: Attila és Emese barátsága így kezdődött el, egy esős délutánon, ami létrehozott valami újat mindkettejük életében.En: Thus began the friendship of Attila and Emese, on a rainy afternoon that created something new in both their lives. Vocabulary Words:nestled: bújik megcharacterized: jellemzikfurnishings: berendezésgaze: tekintetpeculiar: különösdrumming: dobolásaattentively: figyelmesenpassion: szenvedélyconstantly: folyamatosancraved: vágyottinviting: hívogatócaptivated: magával ragadtadownpour: heves esőcomfort zone: komfortzónastimulating: serkentőrecognize: felismernirediscovering: újra felfedezésefruitful: termékenystability: állandóságcreativity: kreativitásembarrassed: zavarba jöttopportunity: alkalomprepare: készülődésespecially: különösenfearing: féltsubside: alábbhagyottfriendly-looking: barátságos tekintetűcaptive: magával ragadtamelody: dallamáhozconstant: állandóság

Paul Lendvai verkörpert den Journalismus wie kaum ein anderer. Auch mit 96 Jahren schreibt er noch regelmässig Kolumnen für die österreichische Tageszeitung «Der Standard». Gleichzeitig ist er als Holocaustüberlebender und Opfer des Stalinismus Zeitzeuge der dunkelsten Phase des 20. Jahrhunderts. Paul Lendvais Geschichte ist so aussergewöhnlich wie beispielhaft. 1929 in Budapest als Sohn jüdischer Eltern geboren, erlebt er den institutionalisierten Antisemitismus der ungarischen Horthy-Jahre. 1944 wird er verschleppt und auf einen der sogenannte Todesmärsche geschickt, auf denen die ungarischen Juden in die österreichischen KZs gebracht wurden. Mit viel Glück gelingt ihm die Flucht, doch die Verfolgung hört nicht auf. Als junger Journalist im mittlerweile kommunistischen Ungarn gerät er in die Mühlen des Stalinismus und wird interniert. Erst nach dem Aufstand von 1956 und dessen Niederschlagung durch sowjetische Truppen gelingt ihm die Flucht nach Wien und damit der Start in ein neues Leben. Von seinen dunklen Jahren und dem Glück der Befreiung, von seiner Ankunft in Wien und seiner beispiellosen Karriere als Journalist, von seinem Kampf für Demokratie und seinem Engagement für Meinungsfreiheit, von seiner Abscheu gegen Antisemitismus und seinem Ärger über die derzeitige israelische Regierung und natürlich von seinem intensiven Bezug zur Musik erzählt der 96-jährige kerngesunde Paul Lendvai im Gespräch mit Michael Luisier. Die Musiktitel: 1. Richard Strauss – Der Rosenkavalier: «Die Zeit, die ist ein sonderbar Ding» Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Amsterdam / Marc Albrecht, Dirigent / Camilla Nylund, Sopran 2. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Don Giovanni: Arie (Leporello). Madamina, il catalogo è questo Mahler Chamber Orchestra / Luca Pisaroni, Bass / Yannick Nézet Séquin, Dirigent 3. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Così fan tutte: Ouvertüre (Andante) Scottish Chamber Orchestra / Sir Charles Mackerras, Dirigent 4. Kurt Weill – Die Dreigroschen Oper – «Die Moritat von Meckie-Messer» Roger Bean und sein Orchester / Lotte Lenya, Gesang 5. Gustav Mahler – Das Lied von der Erde: Der Abschied Philharmonia Orchestra / New Philharmonia Orchestra / Christa Ludwig, Mezzosopran / Fritz Wunderlich, Tenor / Otto Klemperer, Dirigent

Sarah Pedlow was enjoying an artist's residency in Budapest when a museum visit changed the course of her artwork and her career. In the Ethnographic Museum, displays of traditional clothing and dowry goods from Hungarian villages showed an extraordinary variety of skills. Many of the intricately embroidered pieces spoke to an earlier time—although some had been created not that long ago. One type of embroidery, írásos, particularly captured Sarah's imagination. Using a straightforward open chain stitch in bold, graphic lines, the style was distinctively Hungarian, with Turkish-influenced motifs reflecting the region's history. Although she didn't speak Hungarian (a notoriously difficult language) and had no previous background in fiber art, Sarah was drawn to learn more about the embroidery. She eventually made several trips to an ethnically Hungarian region of Romania, where she met some of the few embroiderers still working in the technique and learned the stitch for herself. Within the community, this style is called “written” embroidery, and writing the patterns is respected as a distinct skill. After years of traveling in the region and studying with traditional embroiderers, Sarah decided to bring others to experience what she had learned. Working with a local guide, she began leading tours to visit the museums, shops in the markets, and learn directly from the villagers who still practice the art daily. Sarah's fine-art work has come to incorporate stitching and textiles. Her interest in traditional fiber arts has also grown beyond írásos to include the Arraiolas stitch practiced in Portugal, another destination for her textile tours, and explorations in the embroidery of Estonia, Bulgaria, and Spain—with more destinations capturing her eye. Our conversation made me eager to pack and needle and thread and go explore the world—you may get textile wanderlust, too. Links ThreadWritten website (https://threadwritten.com/) ThreadWritten Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/threadwritten/) Sarah's studio (https://www.instagram.com/sarahpedlowstudio/) Instagram Néprajzi Múzeum/Museum of Ethnography, (https://www.neprajz.hu/en) Budapest This episode is brought to you by: Treenway Silks (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/index.php) is where weavers, spinners, knitters and stitchers find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at TreenwaySilks.com (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/). You'll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway's array of wild silks provide choices beyond white. If you love silk, you'll love Treenway Silks, where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed. Learning how to weave but need the right shuttle? Hooked on knitting and in search of a lofty yarn? Yarn Barn of Kansas (https://www.yarnbarn-ks.com/) has been your partner in fiber since 1971. Whether you are around the corner from the Yarn Barn of Kansas, or around the country, they are truly your “local yarn store” with an experienced staff to answer all your fiber questions. Visit yarnbarn-ks.com (https://www.yarnbarn-ks.com/) to shop, learn, and explore. Peace Fleece began in a small Maine town with a mission: to produce a yarn that brings together parties from areas of historic conflict, transcending boundaries through the commerce of wool. From Russian farmers to the Navajo Nation, the original owners set the foundation for meaningful trade. Today, the spinning mill at Harrisville Designs continues the tradition of sourcing fine wool from Navajo farmers, combining it with US wool and a touch of mohair to create the unique Peace Fleece blend. Visit our website at peacefleece.com (https://peacefleece.com/) to learn more. Eucalan is your go-to delicate wash for the fibers you love. Whether you're blocking a shawl, freshening up handspun, or preserving a vintage knit, Eucalan's no-rinse formula with lanolin keeps your work clean, soft, and cared for. Biodegradable, gentle, and available in five lovely scents—because your craftsmanship deserves the best. Learn more at eucalan.com. (https://eucalan.com/)

Notre invité ce matin est le triple sauteur burkinabè Hugues Fabrice Zango. Il a disputé hier à Tokyo aux Championnats du monde d'athlétisme le dernier concours de sa carrière. Il n'a pris que la septième place de la finale, loin du niveau qui l'avait porté au titre mondial il y a deux ans à Budapest lors des derniers Mondiaux. Mais l'essentiel est ailleurs, à 32 ans, Hugues Fabrice Zango qui est aussi docteur en ingéniérie électrique se retire des sautoirs l'esprit serein, déjà tourné vers l'avenir avec la volonté de faire profiter la jeunesse burkinabè de son expérience de champion Il répond aux questions de Frédéric Suteau. 

Bienvenidos a nuestro último capítulo de la serie. Hoy vamos a adentrarnos en uno de los conflictos más determinantes de nuestro tiempo: la guerra entre Rusia y Ucrania. Estos dos pueblos comparten una historia en común, desde la Rus de Kiev y el Imperio Ruso hasta la Unión Soviética y su disolución en 1991. Vamos a recorrer cómo esa historia común se convirtió en ruptura, cuáles son las posiciones y argumentos de cada bando, y cómo esta guerra no sólo redefine a Europa del Este, sino también a la Unión Europea, la OTAN y, en general, al mundo entero en un momento de multipolaridad. Porque lo que ocurre en el Donbás y en cualquier escenario de este conflicto influye en la economía global, la energía, la alimentación y el futuro de la geopolítica planetaria. Notas del episodio: Este episodio fue traído a ustedes gracias a Boston Scientific La historia milenaria en común de Ucrania y Rusia La Ucrania soviética en pocas palabras El memorándum de Budapest: un acuerdo para dejar las armas nucleares 2014: el año de explosión del conflicto entre Rusia y Ucrania Los acuerdos de Minsk: el fracaso de las negociaciones entre los dos países Guerra y paz entre Ucrania y Rusia: un análisis de Mira Milosevich-Juaristi Sigue mis proyectos en otros lugares:  YouTube ➔ youtube.com/@DianaUribefm  Instagram ➔ instagram.com/dianauribe.fm Facebook ➔ facebook.com/dianauribe.fm Sitio web ➔ dianauribe.fm Twitter ➔ x.com/DianaUribefm  LinkedIn ➔ www.linkedin.com/in/diana-uribe    Gracias de nuevo a nuestra comunidad de patreon por apoyar la producción de este episodio. Si quieres unirte, visita www.dianauribe.fm/comunidad

Join Chris Chavez, Eric Jenkins, Anderson Emerole and Mitch Dyer as they recap all the highlights from Day 7 at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. Some of today's highlights include champions holding their ground as Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Femke Bol, Noah Lyles, Pedro Pichardo, and Rai Benjamin each struck gold.Jefferson-Wooden completes sprint double- Five days after her 100m win, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden added the 200m title in a world-leading PB of 21.68, becoming the eighth-fastest woman of all time.- She outran defending champ Shericka Jackson and a late-surging Amy Hunt (GBR), who earned silver in 22.14. Jackson held on for bronze in 22.18.Bol defends 400m hurdles title- Femke Bol ran a commanding race to defend her 400m hurdles world title in 51.54, the fastest major championship time of her career.- USA's Jasmine Jones grabbed silver with a PB of 52.08.- Emma Zapletalova (SVK) took bronze in a national record of 53.00 — just the second Slovak woman to ever win a world medal.Pichardo strikes gold in final triple jump leap- Pedro Pichardo (POR) delivered gold with his final jump of 17.91m, a world lead, to reclaim the crown he first won in 2022.- Italy's Andrea Dallavalle had taken the lead moments before with a PB of 17.64m. Lazaro Martinez (CUB) won bronze with a season's best 17.49m.Lyles takes fourth straight 200m world title- Noah Lyles held off a packed field to win his fourth consecutive world 200m title, clocking 19.52 in a historically deep final.- Teammate Kenny Bednarek earned silver in 19.58. Bryan Levell (JAM) ran a PB of 19.64 for bronze. Letsile Tebogo (BOT) and Zharnel Hughes (GBR) also dipped under 19.80.Benjamin adds world 400m hurdles title- After silvers in Doha and Budapest, Rai Benjamin finally claimed world gold in the 400m hurdles, winning in 46.52 despite clipping the final barrier.- Alison dos Santos took silver (46.84) and Abderrahman Samba bronze (47.06).- Ezekiel Nathaniel set a Nigerian record of 47.11, beating Karsten Warholm, who faded to fifth.Women's 800m semifinals- Lilian Odira led the fastest semi (1:56.85), followed by Audrey Werro (1:56.99).- Jessica Hull rebounded from her heat fall, running 1:57.15 (Oceania record) to sneak into the final.- Keely Hodgkinson and Mary Moraa won their respective semis.- Medal contenders Tsige Duguma and Halimah Nakaayi were eliminated.Men's 5000m heats- Isaac Kimeli and Biniam Mehary won their respective races.- Final will include: Jimmy Gressier, Grant Fisher, Cole Hocker, Jakob Ingebrigtsen (snuck in after 1500m elimination)- Out: Andreas Almgren (fastest outdoor time this year) and Niels Laros (stepped off track)____________PRESENTED BY ASICSFor the third consecutive year, CITIUS MAG is proud to partner with ASICS for our global championship coverage. With their support, we're able to bring you the best coverage of the 2025 World Athletics Championships. Support our sponsor and check out ASICS's latest including the MegaBlast and SonicBlast. Shop at ASICS.com____________Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Mac Fleet |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠@macfleet on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Eric Jenkins | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠_ericjenkins on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Anderson Emerole | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@atkoeme on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Mitch Dyer | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightatit_ on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Paul Hof-Mahoney | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@phofmahoney on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠@jasminefehr on Instagram

Budapest is a terrific foodie city with famous dishes and ingredients like Goulash and Paprika. But, there's lots more like the delicious street food called Langos, fresh cheeses, and a great market. Gabor Banfalvi, founder of Taste Hungary tells me all about all these dishes as well as the Jewish community's contributions to the cuisine of Budapest. Plus, why Paprika is ground to order in Budapest. [Ep 355] Show Notes: Destination Eat Drink foodie travel guide ebooks Destination Eat Drink videos Taste Hungary food and wine tours Tasting Table wine tastings

Operaspymaster you may ask? Read on and listen to this episode. In this powerful and multifaceted episode of Unstoppable Mindset, we welcome Kay Sparling, former opera singer, PTSD survivor, and now debut novelist—as she shares her incredible life journey from international stages to the shadowy world of espionage fiction. Kay talks about the creation of her first novel, Mission Thaw, a gripping spy thriller based on her own real-life experiences volunteering with refugees in post-Cold War Europe. Kay and Michael discuss the inspiration behind her protagonist, CIA agent Caitlin Stewart, and how real-world trauma and service led Kay to use fiction as both a vehicle for healing and a call to action on the modern crisis of human trafficking. This is a conversation that transcends genres—music, espionage, activism, and resilience—all converging through the unstoppable spirit of a woman who refuses to stay silent. About the Guest: Kay Sparling was raised in the Midwest. At the age of seven, she began her professional singing career as Gretl in “The Sound of Music” and she continued to perform through high school. After graduation Kay attended University of Kansas and earned a BME in music education and a minor in Vocal Performance. She then attended graduate school in opera voice performance for one year at UMKC Conservatory of Music. She was awarded a grant to finish my graduate studies in Vienna, Austria. From there she won an apprenticeship at the Vienna State Opera. After moving to NYC to complete her second apprenticeship, Kay lived in Germany, Austria, and Italy for many years. In 1999 Kay returned to NYC and continued singing opera and became a cantor for the NYC diocese. After 9/11, she served as a cantor at many of the funeral and memorial masses for the fallen first responders. In 2003, Kay moved from NYC to the upper Midwest and started a conservatory of Music and Theatre where her voice students have been awarded numerous prestigious scholarships and won many competitions. In 2020, the pandemic shut down her conservatory, so she began training to be a legal assistant and now works in workers compensation. Back in 2013, Kay had started writing a journal as a PTSD treatment. She was encouraged to extend the material into a novel. After much training and several drafts, Mission Thaw was published in 2024. Kay is currently writing the second book in the Kaitlyn Stewart Spy Thriller Series. Ways to connect with Kay: Website: https://www.kaysparlingbooks.com X: https://x.com/MissionThaw/missionthaw/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/missionthaw.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/505674375416879 Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kay-sparling-8516b638/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missionthaw/ Litsy: https://www.litsy.com/web/user/Mission%20Thaw About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:16 Well, hi everyone. Welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset. I'm your host, Mike hingson, and our guest today is a very fascinating individual. I was just teasing her a little bit about her email address, which is operaspy master@gmail.com I'm telling you, don't cross her. That's all I gotta say. Anyway, we'll, we'll get into all of that. But I really am glad that she is with us. Kay Sparling is a fascinating woman who's had an interesting career. She's written, she's done a number of things. She's used to be an opera, gosh, all sorts of stuff. So anyway, we'll get to all of it and we'll talk about it. I don't want to give it all away. Where would the fun in that be? Kay, welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Kay Sparling ** 02:11 Well, thank you. I'm glad to be here. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 02:13 we're glad you're here. You're from up in Wisconsin. We were going to do this a couple of weeks ago, but you had all the storms, and it stole your internet and your power away, didn't   Kay Sparling ** 02:23 it? It sure did. Yeah, that was a terrible storm we had.   Michael Hingson ** 02:28 Yeah, that's kind of no fun. I remember years ago, I was talking to somebody on the phone. We were doing a sales call, and he said, I might not be able to stay on the phone because we're having a really serious storm, and he said it is possible that the lightning could hit the phone lines, and if it does, it could come in the house. And we talked for a few minutes, and then he said, I'm going to have to hang up, because I just felt a small shock, because the lightning obviously hit the phone line, so we'll have to talk later. And and he was gone. And we did talk later, though he was okay, but still, wow, yeah, there's a lot of crazy weather going on, isn't there? And we were just talking about the, we were just talking about the Canadian wildfires. They're No fun.   Kay Sparling ** 03:15 No, no. Just everywhere is having crazy weather.   Michael Hingson ** 03:20 Well, tell us a little bit about you growing up and all that sort of stuff, and telling me about the the early K   Kay Sparling ** 03:32 Well, growing up, I grew up in a farm community in the in the central Midwest, just you know, right in the middle of the bread basket, you might say, not near where you are now. No no, no further south and in very much agriculture time, I mean skipping ahead. I remember talking to a famous opera conductor when I was an apprentice, and I made some reference, and he goes, Well, how would you know that? And I said, because I grew up on a farm. And he went, Oh, get out here. Nobody makes it, you know, to a major European opera house from a farm. And I went, Well, I did. And later, I asked my mom to send me a picture, because we had had an aerial view taken of our homestead, and it was obvious for miles, all the way around the house and the barn and all, it was just corn fields and soybeans. You know what they showed   Michael Hingson ** 04:40 Illinois, Illinois, and so you showed it to him, yeah,   Kay Sparling ** 04:44 I showed it to him, and he was like, well, doggone, you're not lying. Like, No, I wasn't kidding you. I really did.   Michael Hingson ** 04:51 It shows how good I really am. See how far I progressed.   Kay Sparling ** 04:55 Well, you know, I was one of these kids. I. At five years old, I my parents took me to see sound and music at the theater, and during the intermission. Now I'm five years old, it's pretty late for me, right? But when we're in the concession stand, I tug at my mom's skirt, and I say, Mom, that's what I want to do. And she looks at me kind of funny, and she's kind of funny, and she's kind of confused. Well, what do you want to do work in a theater? You know, a movie theater? No, no, I want to do what those kids are doing on that on the movie screen. And she was like, Well, honey, you know, that's that's really hard to get somewhere like that. So that was when I was five. And then when I was seven, she just, you know, the all the school and the church were telling her, this kid's got a great voice, and they kept giving me solos and stuff. And so when I was seven, she put me in the Sangamon County Fair Little Miss competition. And of course, my talent was singing, so I just sang away. I really can't remember what I sang, but afterwards, a fellow came up to my parents and introduced himself, and he said that he was there, he had family, not, you know, in the area, and that he had grown up there, but since then, he he was in St Louis, and he said, we are, I'm a scout, and I'm looking, I'm an entertainment Scout, and I'm actually looking for, you know, the von trop children. We're going to do a big production, and we'd love to audition your daughter. Well, we were about, think it was an hour and a half away from St Louis, so my parents are like, wow, that'd be quite a commitment. But long story short, I did it, and that started my professional career. I was the youngest Bon Troy. You know, over cradle, yeah. And so it just went from there. And, you know, it was all Broadway, of course, and I did a lot of church singing, you know, it got to be by the time I was, you know, in high school, people were hiring me for weddings, funerals, all that kind of thing. And so I was a Broadway and sacred singer. Went to college. My parents said, you can't depend on a vocal performance degree. What if things don't work out? You have to have something fall back. So I went into vocal music ed at a very, very good school for that, and also music therapy, and, you know, continue being in their shows. And when I when I graduated, continued the Broadway, and one night I was also singing a little bit of jazz in Kansas City, where I was living, someone approached me. She was a voice teacher at the conservatory there, and that conservatory had an apprenticeship with the Kansas City Lyric Opera. And she said I knew you was an undergrad. My husband works where you, where you went to school, and I have been watching you for a long time. And I wish you quit this nonsense of singing Broadway and jazz and rock and everything and get serious, you know, and try opera. So I thought she was crazy to bring that up, but it wasn't the first time it had been brought up. So I have been teaching for a year, and at the end of that school year, I announced everyone I was going to graduate school and I was going to study opera. And so   Michael Hingson ** 08:55 what were you teaching?   Kay Sparling ** 08:57 I was teaching high school choir, okay, at a very big high school, very, very good choir department.   Michael Hingson ** 09:03 Now, by the way, after doing Gretel, did you ever have any other parts as you grew older in Sound of Music?   Kay Sparling ** 09:11 Okay, that's a very cool question. I am one of the few people that I know that can say I have sang every major role in Sound of Music sometime in my life. Ah, okay, because it was so popular when I was Oh, yeah. And as I would grow older, well now you're going to sing, you know, you just kept graduating up. And then pretty soon I sang quite a few Marias. And then after I was an opera singer. During covid, I was asked to sing Mother Superior. Mother Superior. Yeah, literally, have sung, you know, in a decades long career, I've sung every role in Sound of Music.   Michael Hingson ** 09:56 Cool. Well, that's great.   10:00 Yeah, so, so, anyway, so   Michael Hingson ** 10:02 you said that you were going to go study opera,   Kay Sparling ** 10:07 and I did a graduate school, and then I got the chance to get an international grant over to Europe, and so I decided to not finish my masters at that time and go over there and finish it, and most of all, importantly, do my first apprenticeship in Europe. And so I thought that was a great opportunity. They were willing. They were going to willing to pay for everything. And I said I would be a fool to turn this down. Yeah, so off I went, and that's kind of the rest of the story. You know, got a lot of great training, left Europe for a while, moved to New York City, trained best coaches and teachers in the world at the Metropolitan Opera and then, you know, launch my career.   Michael Hingson ** 11:04 So you Wow, you, you've done a number of things, of course, going to Europe and being in Vienna and places like that. Certainly you were in the the right place.   Kay Sparling ** 11:16 Yes, yes, definitely. You know, at that time in the in the middle 80s, United States was we had some great opera houses Iran, but we had very few. And it just wasn't the culture that it was in Europe, in Europe. And so, yes, there was a lot more opportunity there, because there was such a culture established there already.   Michael Hingson ** 11:44 So you went off and you did Europe and saying opera, what were you a soprano? Or what were you that sounds like a way a little high for your voice?   Kay Sparling ** 11:59 Well, you have to remember, I'm a senior citizen now. So this is the way it worked for me, because we're talking decades from the age 27 and I quit singing at 63 so that's a very long time to sing opera. So I started out, as you know, there is a voice kind of category, and each one of those, we use a German word for that. It's called Foch, F, A, C, H, and you know, that is determined by the kind of vocal cords you have, and the kind of training and the literature you're singing, and hopefully that all meshes together if you have good coaches and a good agent and such. And I literally have seen so many different Fox lyric, lyric mezzo, then to, very shortly, lyric soprano, and then for a long time, spinto soprano, which would be the Puccini and a lot of them really popular things. And then I was, I felt I was quite lucky that my voice did have the strength and did mature into a Verdi soprano, which is a dramatic soprano, not many of those around. And so that was, that was an endeavor, but at the same time, that was a leg up. And so most of the time in my career, I sang the bigger Puccini, like, let's say Tosca, and I sang a lot of Verdi. So I was an Italian opera singer. I mostly sang in Italian, not to say that I didn't sing in German or French, but I did very little in comparison to the   Michael Hingson ** 13:56 Italian Well, there's a lot of good Italian opera out there, although mostly I don't understand it, but I don't speak Italian well.   Kay Sparling ** 14:07 The great thing about most houses now is, you know, you can just look at the back of the seat in front of you, and there's the translation, you know, yeah, that   Michael Hingson ** 14:18 doesn't work for me. Being blind, that doesn't work for you. Yeah, that's okay, though, but I like the music, yeah. So how long ago did you quit singing?   Kay Sparling ** 14:32 Um, just about, well, under, just a little under three years ago, okay?   Michael Hingson ** 14:38 And why did you quit? This was the right time,   Kay Sparling ** 14:42 senses or what I had a circumstance, I had to have throat surgery. Now it wasn't on my vocal cords, but it was on my thyroid, and unfortunately, the vocal cord nerve. They had to take out some Cyst On. My right thyroid, and then remove it too. And unfortunately, my vocal cords were damaged at that time, I would have probably be singing still now some you know, I mean, because dramatic sopranos just can go on and on and on. One of my mentors was Birgit Nielsen, famous singer from Sweden, and she was in my grandmother's generation, but she didn't, I went to work with her, and she demonstrated at 77 she could still pop out of high C. And I believe, I believe I would have been able to do that too, but you know, circumstances, you know, changed, but that's okay. Yeah, I had sung a long time, and at least I can speak. So I'm just very happy about that.   Michael Hingson ** 15:51 So when you did quit singing, what did you decide to go do? Or, or, How did, how did you progress from there?   Kay Sparling ** 16:01 Well, I had already made a transition where I had come in 2003 to the Midwest. I came back from New York City, where I lived many, many years, and I started a conservatory of music and acting, and then that kind of grew into a whole conservatory of music. So I was also a part time professor here in Wisconsin, and I taught voice, you know, one on one vocal lessons, so high school and college and graduate school, and so I had this huge studio. So when that happened, I wasn't getting to sing a whole lot, because I was much more focused on my students singing me at that point, especially the older ones, professional ones, and so, you know, I just kept teaching and and then I had started this book that I'm promoting now, and so that gave me more time to get that book finished   Michael Hingson ** 17:10 and published. What's the name of the book?   Kay Sparling ** 17:13 The book is called Mission, thaw.   Michael Hingson ** 17:16 Ah, okay, and what is it about   Kay Sparling ** 17:22 mission thaw is feminist spy thriller set at the very end of the Cold War in the late 80s, and the main protagonist is Caitlin Stewart, who it who has went over there to be an opera singer, and soon after she arrives, is intensely recruited by the CIA. They have a mission. They really, really need a prima donna Mozart soprano, which is what Caitlin was, and she had won a lot of competitions and won a grant to go over there, and so they had been vetting her in graduate school in the United States. And soon as she came to Europe, they they recruited her within a couple weeks of her being there, and she, of course, is totally blindsided by that. When they approach her, she had she she recognized that things were not exactly the way they should be, that people were following her, and she was trying to figure out who, are these people and why are they following me everywhere? Well, it ends up being young CIA agents, and so when the head chief and his, you know, the second chief, approach her, you know, she's not real happy, because she's already felt violated, like her privacy has been violated, and so she wasn't really too wonderful of listening to them and their needs. And so they just sort of apprehend her and and throw her in a car, in a tinted window Mercedes, and off they go to a park to talk to her, right? And so it's all like crazy movie to Caitlin. It's like, what is going on here? And, you know, she can tell they're all Americans, and they have dark suits on, even though it's very, very hot, and dark glasses, you know? So everything is just like a movie. And so when they approach her and tell her about what they need her to do, you know, and this would be in addition to the apprentice she is doing that, you know, she just gets up and says, I'm sorry I didn't come over and be in cloak and dagger. A, you know, ring, I'm getting out of here. And as she's walking away, the chief says, Well, what if you could help bring down the Berlin Wall? Well, now that stops her in her tracks, and she turns around. She goes, What are you kidding? I'm just a, you know, an opera apprentice from the Midwest grew up on a farm. What am I gonna do? Hit a high C and knock it down. I mean, what are you talking about?   Michael Hingson ** 20:28 Hey, Joshua, brought down the wealth of Jericho, after all. Well, yeah, some   Kay Sparling ** 20:34 later, someone tells her that, actually, but, but anyway, they say, well, sit down and we'll explain what we need you to do. And so the the initial job that Caitlin accepts and the CIA to be trained to do is what they call a high profile information gap. She has a wonderful personality. She's really pretty. She's very fashionable, so she can run with the jet set. And usually the jet set in Europe, the opera jet set is also where all the heads of states hang out, too. And at that time, the the Prime Minister was pretty much banking the Vienna State Opera where she was apprenticing. So he ends up being along with many other Western Austrian businessmen in a cartel of human trafficking. Who they are trafficking are all the the different citizens of the countries that USSR let go. You know, when you know just got to be too much. Remember how, oh yeah, we're going to let you go. Okay? And then they would just pull out. And there was no infrastructure. There was nothing. And these poor people didn't have jobs, they didn't have electricity. The Russian mafia was running in there trying to take, you know, take over. It was, it was chaos. And so these poor people were just packing up what they could to carry, and literally, sometimes walking or maybe taking a train into the first Western European country they could get to. And for a lot of them, just because the geographical area that was Austria. And so basically, the Austrians did not want these people, and they were being very unwelcoming and arresting a lot of them, and there was a lot of lot of bad behavior towards these refugees. And so the Catholic church, the Catholic Social Services, the Mennonite Relief Fund, the the UN and the Red Cross started building just tent after tent after tent on the edge of town for these people to stay at. And so the businessmen decide, well, we can traffic these people that have nothing over to the East Germans, who will promise them everything, but will give them nothing. But, you know, death camps, basically, just like in World War Two. So you have work camps, you have factories. They they don't feed these people correctly. They don't they don't give them anything that they promise to them in in the camps. And they say, Okay, be on this train at this time, this night. And then they stop somewhere in between Vienna and East Germany, in a very small train station in the middle of the Alps. And they have these large, you know, basic slave options. And unfortunately, the children in the older people get sent back to the camp because they don't need them or want them. So all the children get displaced from their families, as well as the senior citizens or anyone with a disability. And then, you know, the men and the women that can work are broken up as well, and they're sent to these, you know, they're bought by these owners of these factories and farms, and the beautiful women, of course, are sold to either an individual that's there in East German that just wants to have a sex aid, pretty much. Or even worse, they could be sold to an underground East Berlin men's club. And so terrible, terrible things happen to the women in particular, and the more that Caitlin learns. As she's being trained about what's happening, and she interviews a lot of these women, and she sees the results of what's happened, it, it, it really strengthens her and gives her courage. And that's a good thing, because as time goes through the mission, she ends up having to be much, much more than just a high profile social, you know, information gather. She ends up being a combat agent and so, but that that's in the mission as you read, that that happens gradually and so, what? What I think is really a good relationship in this story, is that the one that trains her, because this is actually both CIA and MI six are working on this, on this mission, thought and the director of the whole mission is an very seasoned mi six agent who everyone considers the best spy in the free world. And Ian Fleming himself this, this is true. Fact. Would go to this man and consult with him when he was writing a new book, to make sure you know that he was what he was saying is, Could this really happen? And that becomes that person, Clive Matthews become praying, Caitlyn, particularly when she has to start changing and, you know, defending herself. And possibly, you know,   Michael Hingson ** 26:38 so he becomes her teacher in   Kay Sparling ** 26:42 every way. Yes. So how   Michael Hingson ** 26:45 much? Gee, lots of questions. First of all, how much of the story is actually   Kay Sparling ** 26:50 true? All this story is true. The   Michael Hingson ** 26:53 whole mission is true. Yes, sir. And so how did you learn about this? What? What caused you to start to decide to write this story?   Kay Sparling ** 27:08 So some of these experiences are my own experiences. And so after I as an opera singer, decided to be a volunteer to help out these refugees. I witnessed a lot, and so many years later, I was being treated for PTSD because of what I'd witnessed there. And then a little bit later in Bosnia in the early 90s, and I was taking music therapy and art therapy, and my psychiatrist thought that it'd be a good idea if also I journaled, you know, the things that I saw. And so I started writing things, and then I turned it in, and they had a person that was an intern that was working with him, and both of them encouraged me. They said, wow, if, if there's more to say about this, you should write a book, cuz this is really, really, really good stuff. And so at one point I thought, Well, why not? I will try. So this book is exactly what happened Caitlin, you know, is a real person, and everyone in the book is real. Of course, I changed the names to protect people and their descriptions, but I, you know, I just interviewed a lot of spies that were involved. So, yes, this is a true story.   Michael Hingson ** 29:06 Did you do most of this? Then, after your singing career, were you writing while the career, while you were singing?   Kay Sparling ** 29:13 I was writing while I was still singing. Yeah, I started the book in 2015 Okay, and because, as I was taking the PTSD treatment and had to put it on the shelf several times, life got in the way. I got my my teaching career just really took off. And then I was still singing quite a bit. And then on top of it, everything kind of ceased in 2018 when my mother moved in with me and she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, but Louie body Alzheimer's, which is a very, very rough time, and so I became one of her caretakers. So I quit singing, put that on hold, and I. I had to really, really bring down the number in my studio I was teaching and spend time here at home. And so I would take care of her, but then after she would go to bed, and she'd go to bed much earlier than I wanted to, that's when I write, and that's when I got the lion's share of this book written. Was during that time, it was a great escape from what I was dealing with, believe it or not, you know, even though there's some real graphic things in the book and all it wasn't, it was a nice distraction.   Michael Hingson ** 30:36 Wow, so you, you lived this, needless to say,   Kay Sparling ** 30:41 Yes, I did, and yes.   Michael Hingson ** 30:45 So you've talked a little bit about what happened to these countries after the collapse of the USSR and communism and so on, these eastern companies, companies, countries. Has it changed much over the years.   Kay Sparling ** 31:03 Oh, yeah, for instance, one, you know, I went to Budapest after they were freed, I guess is what usr would say. Stayed in a five star hotel, and we were lucky if we had running water and electricity at the same time. And every time you went down on the streets, all you'd see is lines, you know, I mean, just because there'd be all like, Red Cross, etc, would be there, and they'd have these big trucks they drove in every day, and it just got to be because they had nothing. If you saw a truck, you'd start running towards it and get in line. You didn't care what it was, you know, and it was. And then fights would break out because they wouldn't have enough for everyone. And then, like, you know, maybe someone's walking away with a bag of rice, and some of us knock them over the head and take, you know, and it was very hard, you know, I was a volunteer there, and it was very, very hard to see this, you know, desperation, one story that I'd like to tell, and I put it in the book. I was riding my bike, you know, on a Friday afternoon to get some groceries at the nearest supermarket where my apartment was, and at that time, they still had the European hours, so they were going to close at five o'clock, and they weren't going to open until seven or eight on Monday morning. So you had to make sure you got there to get your weekend supply. So I was on my way, and I was parking my bike, and this woman, refugee woman, runs up and she has two small children with her, and she's carrying a baby, and she's speaking to me in a language I did not know. I do speak several languages, but I don't know Slavic languages and so, but I'm getting the gist of it that she has nothing to eat, neither do her children, and so I'm patting her on the shoulder, and right when I do that, a policeman that was guarding the door of the supermarket came up to me and, like, grabbed me really hard, and told me in German that I was not To speak to them, and I was not to help them, because if you help them, they'll stay. And I said to him in German, I'm an American. I am not Austrian. I am here on a work visa, and I can do whatever the hell I want to do. Well, he didn't like that. And so I just walked away from him, and I went in the store. And so I got up everything I get. Think of the big need, you know, I never had a baby, so I was trying to kind of figure that out, yeah, and I had to figure it out in German, you know, looking at labels now. And so finally I got, I got some stuff, you know, the stuff I needed, and, and, and the stuff that I got for the family, and I checked out, and I'm pushing the cart, you know, towards them. And he runs up beside me and stops me, and he says, I am going to arrest you if you bring that. I told you not to help them. And I said, again, I don't think I'm breaking any laws. And he said, Oh yes, you are. And I said, Well, I didn't read that in the papers. I didn't see it on TV where anyone said. That you cannot help a refugee. And so we're going back and forth. And so, you know, I'm pretty strong, so I just keep pushing it towards it. Well, she's kind of running down the park, and I'm like, wait, wait, you know, because she's getting scared of this guy, you know, he has a gun, he has a nightstick. Of course, she's scared, and so, you know, I would say, No, no, it's okay, because I can't speak for language, right? And so I'm just trying to give her body language and talk. Well, finally she does stop, and I just throw I give the one sack to the little boy, and one second little girl, they just run and and then, you know, I'm talking to her and saying, you know, it's okay, it's okay. And he grabs me, and he turns me around and he spits in my face.   Michael Hingson ** 35:53 Wow. Talk about breaking the law. But anyway, go ahead.   Kay Sparling ** 36:00 Welcome to Austria in the late 80s. You have to understand their Prime Minister Kurt voltheim won on the Nazi ticket. Mm, hmm. At that very time, if you got on a bus and you saw these businessmen going to work, at least 50% of them were reading the Nazi paper. Okay, so we kind of know what, where his affiliations lie. You know, this policeman and, you know, and I was very aware, you know, of of that party being very strong. And so you have to watch yourself when, when you're a foreigner. And I was a foreigner too, just like her. And so after wiping my face, I mean, I really, really wanted to give him a kick or something, yeah, and I do, I do know martial arts, but I was like, no, no, gotta stay cool. And I just told her to run. And she did and caught up with the children, and, you know, kept running. So that was the first experience I had knowing how unwelcome these people were in Austria. Yeah, so I got involved, yeah, I got involved because I was like, this is absolutely not right.   Michael Hingson ** 37:31 And so the book is, in part, to try to bring awareness to all that. I would think   Kay Sparling ** 37:36 absolutely there are, there are bits of it are, they're pretty darn graphic, but it's all true, and it's all documented. Sometimes people about human trafficking, they think, oh, it's not in my backyard. I'm not going to think about that. Well, I live in a very small college town, around 17,000 people, and two months ago, on the front page of this small paper here in town, there were seven men that were arrested for many counts of human trafficking of underage women and prostitution. So guess what, folks, it is in your backyard. If it's in this little town, it's probably in yours too. And we have to be aware before we can do anything. So we have to open our eyes. And I hope this book opens the eyes of the reader to say, Oh, my God, I knew things were bad, but I didn't realize that torture, this kind of thing went on. Well, it does, and I the International Labor Union estimates that 21 million people are being you. You are victims of human trafficking right now, as we speak, throughout the world, that's a lot of people, a lot of people. So most likely, we've all seen some hint of that going on, it didn't register as it at the time. You know, if you're just walked out of a restaurant, and you're walking to your car that's parked on the street, and you happen to go by an alley and there's restaurants on that row, and all of a sudden you see people being kind of shoved out and put in a truck. That's probably human trafficking, you know? And you know, a lot of people don't pay attention, but like, if they stop and think that doesn't look right, and if those people look like they may be from another country, yeah. And all you have to do is call the authorities, you know, and other ways that you can help are by you know, that that you can get involved. Are, you know, donate to all the different organizations that are finding this now.   Michael Hingson ** 40:19 Was the book self published, or do you have a publisher?   Kay Sparling ** 40:25 I self published, but it's more of a hybrid publishing company that's kind of a new thing that's going on, and so I cannot learn all those different facets of publishing a book, right? It just wasn't in my, you know, skill set, and it also wasn't even interesting to me. I don't want to learn how to do graphic illustration. Okay? So what I did is I hired a hybrid company that had all these different departments that dealt with this, and I had complete artistic control, and I was able to negotiate a great deal on my net profits. So I feel that, after looking into the traditional publishing world and not being exactly pleased with it to say the least, I think that was the right business choice for me to make, and I'm very happy I did it.   Michael Hingson ** 41:46 How do you market the book then?   Kay Sparling ** 41:48 Well, that was, that was the tricky part that that publisher did have some marketing they started, but obviously now they agreed it wasn't enough. So at that point, I attended a virtual women's publishing seminar, and I really paid attention to all the companies that were presenting about marketing. And in that time, I felt one that I just was totally drawn to, and so I asked her if we could have a consultation, and we did, and the rest is history. I did hire her team and a publicist, Mickey, who you probably know, and, yeah, it's been going really great. That was the second smart thing I did, was to, you know, hire, hire a publicity.   Michael Hingson ** 42:50 Well, yeah, and marketing is one is a is a tricky thing. It's not the most complicated thing in the world, but you do have to learn it, and you have to be disciplined. So good for you, for for finding someone to help, but you obviously recognize the need to market, which is extremely important, and traditional publishers don't do nearly as much of it as they used to. Of course, there are probably a lot more authors than there used to be too. But still,   Kay Sparling ** 43:19 yeah, their their marketing has changed completely. I remember I had a roommate that became a famous author, and just thinking about when he started, you know, in the 80s, how the industry is completely changed. Mm, hmm, you know. So, yeah, it's, it's really tricky. The whole thing is very tricky. One thing that I also did is one of my graduate students needed a job, and so I've known her since, literally, I've known her since eighth grade. I have been with this student a long time, and she's done very well, but she really is a wiz at the social media. And so she made all my accounts. I think I have 12 altogether, and every time I do something like what I'm doing tonight, soon as it's released, she just puts it out there, everywhere and and I have to thank her from again that that's probably not my skill set.   Michael Hingson ** 44:37 Well, everyone has gifts, right? And the the people who I think are the most successful are the people who recognize that they have gifts. There are other people that have gifts that will augment or enhance what they do. And it's good that you find ways to collaborate. I think collaborating is such an important thing. Oh, yeah. All too many people don't. They think that they can just do it all in and then some people can. I mean, I know that there are some people who can, but a lot of people don't and can't.   Kay Sparling ** 45:12 Well, I've got other things. I've got going, you know, so maybe if I only had to do the book, everything to do with the book, that would be one thing, but I, you know, I have other things I have to have in my life. And so I think that collaboration is also fun, and I'm very good at delegating. I have been very good at delegating for a long time. When I started my school. I also started a theater company, and if you know one thing, it's a three ring circus to produce an opera or a musical, and I've done a lot of them, and yeah, I would have not survived if I didn't learn how to delegate and trust people to do their own thing. So what are you   Michael Hingson ** 45:58 doing today? What are you doing today? Besides writing?   Kay Sparling ** 46:04 Well, during covid, everything got shut down, and I didn't have an income, and I had to do something. And one of, believe it or not, one of my parents, of one of my students, is an attorney for the state of Wisconsin, and she was very worried. I mean, it looked like I might lose my house. I mean, I literally had no income. And so, you know, I was a small business person, and so she offered me very graciously to come work in the department of workers compensation in the legal Bureau at the state of Wisconsin. So I never have done anything like that in my life. I have never sat in a cubicle. I've never sat in front of a computer unless it was in its recording studio or something like that. So it was a crazy thing to have to do in my early 60s, but I'm a single woman, and I had to do it, and and I did, and it put me on solid ground, and that was one reason I couldn't finish the book, because I didn't have to worry about a live cookie. And so I am continuing to do that in so as in the day, that is what I do. I'm a legal assistant, cool.   Michael Hingson ** 47:32 And so when did mission thought get published?   Kay Sparling ** 47:38 Mission thought almost a year ago, in August of 2024 it launched, yes, okay, yeah. And it was very scary for me, you know, because my hybrid publishers up in Canada, and they were telling me, Well, you know, we're going to get you some editorial reviews and we're going to have you be interviewed. And you know, those very first things where my editor at at the publisher had told me it was one of the really a good book, and that was one of the cleanest books she ever had to edit. And so that kind of gave me some confidence. But you understand, look at my background. I I didn't go to school to be a writer. I had never studied writing. I hadn't done any writing up until now, and so to that was my first kind of sigh of relief when the editor at the publisher said it was really a good book, and then I started getting the editorial reviews, and they were all stellar, and they continue to be. And I'm, I'm still a little shocked, you know, because it takes time, I guess, for a person to switch gears and identify themselves as an author. But you know, after a year now, I'm feeling much more comfortable in my shoes about that. But at first it was, it was trying because I was scared and I was worried, you know, what people were going to think about the book, not the story, so much as how it was crafted. But it ends up, well,   Michael Hingson ** 49:15 it ends up being part of the same thing, and yeah, the very fact that they love it that that means a lot. Yeah, so is, is there more in the way of adventures from Caitlin coming up or what's happening?   Kay Sparling ** 49:30 Yeah, this is hopefully a trilogy, um of Caitlin's most important standout missions. And so the second one is set in the early 90s during the Bosnian war. And this time, she cannot use opera as a cover, because obviously in a war zone, there's no opera. And so she has to. To go undercover as either a un volunteer or Red Cross, and this time, her sidekick is not the Clive Matthews. He has actually started a special squad, combat squad that's going in because, of course, we, none of us, were really involved with that war, right? But that's what he's doing. And so, believe it or not, her, her sidekick, so to speak, is a priest that very early, goes on and sees, you know, this absolute ethnic cleansing going on, you know, massacres and and he tries to get the Catholic Church to help, and they're like, no, no, we're not touching that. And so he goes AWOL. And had been friends in Vienna with the CIA during the first book. He goes to the CIA and says, This is what's going on. I saw it with my own eyes. I want to help. And so he becomes Caitlin's sidekick, which is a very interesting relationship. You know, Caitlin, the opera singer, kind of, kind of modern girl, you know, and then you know, the kind of staunch priest. But they find a way to work together, and they have to, because they have to save each other's lives a couple times. And this is my favorite book of the three. And so basically what happens is called Mission impromptu, and I hope to have that finished at the end of this month. And the reason we call it impromptu is because her chief tells her to just get the information and get out, but her and the priest find out that there is a camp of orphaned boys that they are planning to come massacre, and so they they they basically go rogue and don't follow orders and go try to help the boys. Yeah. And then the third book, she has actually moved back to New York, and she's thinking, well, she does retire from the CIA, and it's the summer of 2001 and what happened in September of 2001 911 and so they call her right back in she literally had been retired for about three months.   Michael Hingson ** 52:35 Well, to my knowledge, I never met Caitlin, so I'm just saying Mm hmm, having been in the World Trade Center on September 11, but I don't think I met Caitlin anyway.   Kay Sparling ** 52:43 Go ahead. No, she wasn't in the towers, but no, I was in New York. And yeah, so they called her back right away. And so the third one is going to be called Mission home front, because that's been her home for a very long time. She's been living in New York.   Michael Hingson ** 53:01 Are there plans for Caitlin beyond these three books? I hope so.   Kay Sparling ** 53:08 I think it would be fun for her to retire from the CIA and then move back to the Midwest. And, you know, it turned into a complete fiction. Of course, this is not true stuff, but, you know, like kind of a cozy mystery series, right, where things happen and people can't get anyone to really investigate it, so they come to Caitlin, and then maybe her ex boss, you know, the chief that's also retired, they kind of, you know, gang up and become pi type, you know, right? I'm thinking that might be a fun thing.   Michael Hingson ** 53:46 Now, are mostly books two and three in the mission series. Are they also relatively non fiction?   53:53 Yes, okay,   Michael Hingson ** 53:57 okay, cool, yes. Well, you know, it's, it's pretty fascinating to to hear all of this and to to see it, to hear about it from you, but to see it coming together, that is, that is really pretty cool to you know, to see you experiencing have the book, has mission thought been converted by any chance to audio? Is it available on Audible or   Kay Sparling ** 54:21 anywhere it has not but it is in my plans. It's there's a little bit of choice I have to make do. I use my publisher and hire one of their readers you know to do it, someone you know, that's in equity, that type of thing. Or you know, my publicity, or people are also saying, well, because you're an actor, and, you know, all these accents, it might be nice for you to do to read your own book. Well, the problem is time, you know, just the time to do it, because I'm so busy promoting the book right now. And really. Right writing the second one that you know, I just don't know if I'm going to be able to pull that off, but I have my own records, recording studio in my voice studio downstairs, but it's just and I have all the equipment I have engineers. It's just a matter of me being able to take the time to practice and to get that done. So it's probably going to be, I'll just use their, one of their people, but yes, yeah, it's coming. It's coming. Well, it's,   Michael Hingson ** 55:29 it's tough. I know when we published last year, live like a guide dog, and the publisher, we did it through a traditional publisher, they worked with dreamscape to create an audio version. And I actually auditioned remotely several authors and chose one. But it is hard to really find someone to read the book the way you want it read, because you know what it's like, and so there is merit to you taking the time to read it. But still, as you said, there are a lot of things going on,   Kay Sparling ** 56:09 yeah, and I have read, you know, certain portions of the book, because some podcasts that I've been on asked me to do that, and I and I practiced and that, it went very well. And of course, when people hear that, they're like, Oh, you're the one that has to do this. You know Caitlin. You can speak her, you know her attitudes and all. And then you also know how to throw all those different accents out there, because there's going to be, like, several, there's Dutch, there's German, there's Scottish, high British and Austrian. I mean, yeah, yeah, Austrians speak different than Germans. Mm, hmm,   Michael Hingson ** 56:53 yeah, it's it's a challenge, but it's still something worth considering, because you're going to bring a dimension to it that no one else really can because you wrote it and you really know what you want them to sound like, Yeah, but it's a it's a process. I and I appreciate that, but you've got lots going on, and you have to have an income. I know for me, we started live like a guide dog my latest book when the pandemic began, because I realized that although I had talked about getting out of the World Trade Center and doing so without exhibiting fear, didn't mean that it wasn't there, but I realized that I had learned to control fear, because I learned a lot that I was able to put to use on the Day of the emergency. And so the result of that was that, in fact, the mindset kicked in and I was able to function, but I never taught anyone how to do that. And so the intent of live like a guide dog was to be a way that people could learn how to control fear and not let fear overwhelm or, as I put it, blind them, but rather use fear as a very powerful tool to help you focus and do the things that you really need to do. But it's a choice. People have to learn that they can make that choice and they can control it, which is kind of what really brought the book to to mind. And the result was that we then, then did it. And so it came out last August as well.   Kay Sparling ** 58:27 Oh, well, if you read my book, you'll see Caitlin developing the same skills you were just talking about. She has to overcome fear all the time, because she's never been in these situations before, and yet she has to survive, you know?   Michael Hingson ** 58:44 Yeah, well, and the reality is that most of us take too many things for granted and don't really learn. But if you learn, for example, if there's an emergency, do you know where to go in the case of an emergency? Do you know how to evacuate, not by reading the signs? Do you know? And that's the difference, the people who know have a mindset that will help them be a lot more likely to be able to survive, because they know what all the options are, and if there's a way to get out, they know what they are, rather than relying on signs, which may or may not even be available to you if you're in a smoke filled environment, for example, yeah,   Kay Sparling ** 59:22 yeah, you should know ahead of time. Yeah, you know, I know the state where I work. I I mostly work at home. I'm able to do that, but we do have to go in once a week, and we just changed floors. They've been doing a lot of remodeling, and that was the first thing, you know, the supervisor wanted us to do was walk through all the way for a tornado, fire, etc, and so we did that, you know, and that's smart, because then you're like, you say you're not trying to look at a chart as you're running or whatever,   Michael Hingson ** 59:56 and you may need to do it more than once to make sure you really know it. I know for me. I spent a lot of time walking around the World Trade Center. In fact, I didn't even use my guide dog. I used a cane, because with a cane, I'll find things that the dog would just automatically go around or ignore, like kiosks and other things. But I want to know where all that stuff is, because I want to know what all the shops are down on the first floor. Well, now that that is the case anymore, but it was at the time there was a shopping mall and knowing where everything was, but also knowing where different offices were, knowing who was in which offices, and then knowing the really important things that most people don't know about, like where the Estee Lauder second store was on the 46th floor of tower two. You know, you got to have the important things for wives, and so I learned what that was. Well, it was, it was, those are important things, but you'll learn a lot, and it's real knowledge. Someone, a recent podcast episode that they were on, said something very interesting, and that is that we're always getting information, but information isn't knowing it. Knowledge is really internalizing the information and making it part of our psyche and really getting us to the point where we truly know it and can put it to use. And that is so true. It isn't just getting information. Well, that's great. I know that now, well, no, you don't necessarily know it now, until you internalize it, until you truly make it part of your knowledge. And I think that's something that a lot of people miss. Well, this has been a lot of fun. If people want to reach out to you, is there a way they can do that?   Kay Sparling ** 1:01:40 Yeah, the best thing is my book website, K, Sparling books.com spelled and it would K, a, y, s, p, as in Paul, A, R, L, I N, G, B, O, O, K, s.com.com, okay, and you can email me through there. And all the media that I've been on is in the media section. The editorial reviews are there. There's another thing that my student heats up for me is the website. It's it's really developed. And so lots of information about the book and about me on on there. And one thing I want to mention is, just because of my background and all the all the people that you know, I know, a friend of mine is a composer, and he wrote a song, a theme song, because we do hope that someday we can sell this, you know, yeah, to for movie and, or, you know, Netflix, or something like that. And so he wrote a theme song and theme music. And I just think that's fun. And then I wanted my students saying, saying it. And then, you know, it's with a rock band, but it's, it's very James Bond, the kind of with a little opera, you know, involved too. But, you know, not a lot of authors can say that on their website, they have a theme song for their books.   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:16 And where is   Kay Sparling ** 1:03:18 it? It would be under, it's going to be about the author. And there's a nice one of my other students is a graphic artist. She She did a graphic a scene of Caitlin with her ball gown, and she's got her foot up on a stool, and she's putting her pistol in her thigh holster, in I think, you know, it's kind of like a cartoon, and it quotes Caitlin saying, I bet you I'm going to be the only bell at the ball with this accessory pistol. And then right underneath that, that song, you can click it and hear it. We also are on YouTube mission. Thought does have its own YouTube channel, so you can find it there as well.   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:05 So well, I want to thank you for being here and for telling us all the stories and especially about mission. I hope people will get it and read it, and I look forward to it coming out in audio at some point. Yes, I'll be lazy and wait for that, I I like to to get books with human readers. You know, I can get the print book and I can play it with a synthetic voice, but I, I really prefer human voices. And I know a lot of people who do AI has not progressed to the point where it really can pull that off.   Kay Sparling ** 1:04:38 Well, no, it cannot. Yeah, I totally agree with you there.   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:42 So Well, thank you for being here, and I want to thank all of you for listening and watching us today. This has been fun. And as some of you know, if you listen to many of these podcasts, we have a rule on the podcast, you can't come on unless you're going to have fun. So we did have fun. We. You have fun? Yeah. See, there you go. I was gonna ask if you had fun. Of course, yes. So thank you all for listening. Love to hear from you. Love to hear what your thoughts are about today's episode. Feel free to email me at Michael H, i@accessibe.com that's m, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I at accessibe, A, C, E, S, S, i, b, e.com, also, please give us a five star rating. We appreciate it. K, I'll appreciate it. And when this goes up, when you hear it, we really value those ratings and reviews very highly. If you know anyone else who ought to be a guest and KU as well, love to hear from you. Please introduce us. Kay, you'll have to introduce us to Caitlin, but But seriously, we always are looking for more guests. So if anyone knows of anyone who ought to come on and tell a story, we'd love to hear from you. But again, Kay, I want to thank you one last time. This has been great, and we really appreciate you being here.   Kay Sparling ** 1:05:59 Well, thank you for having me.   Michael Hingson ** 1:06:04 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

We visit the second edition of the design conference in the Hungarian capital. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fluent Fiction - Hungarian: From Serene Waters to Friendship: A Budapest Bath Tale Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hu/episode/2025-09-18-22-34-02-hu Story Transcript:Hu: A késő nyári nap sugara lágy fényben fürdette Budapest híres termálfürdőjét.En: The late summer sun's rays bathed Budapest's famous thermal bath in soft light.Hu: A víz lassan hullámzott, az emberek békésen lebegtek a medencében.En: The water gently rippled, and people floated peacefully in the pool.Hu: A gyógyító víz melege nyugtatólag hatott mindenkire, aki belépett.En: The healing warmth of the water had a calming effect on everyone who entered.Hu: Zoltán, egy szorgalmas könyvelő, a hétköznapok stresszét feledte el a vízben.En: Zoltán, a diligent accountant, forgot about the stress of daily life in the water.Hu: Szerette a csendet és a nyugalmat, amit a fürdő nyújtott.En: He loved the silence and tranquility that the bath offered.Hu: Az egyik medencében egy másik látogató élvezte a napsütést.En: In another pool, another visitor was enjoying the sunshine.Hu: Júlia, egy életvidám utazási író, lelkesen merült el a fürdő atmoszférájában.En: Júlia, a lively travel writer, eagerly immersed herself in the bath's atmosphere.Hu: Szívesen beszélgetett az emberekkel, hogy inspirációt gyűjtsön következő cikkéhez.En: She loved talking to people, gathering inspiration for her next article.Hu: A sors úgy hozta, hogy Zoltán és Júlia egymás mellett foglaltak helyet a sekély medencében.En: Fate had it that Zoltán and Júlia took seats next to each other in the shallow pool.Hu: Eleinte mindketten a saját gondolataikba merültek.En: At first, both were lost in their own thoughts.Hu: Júlia azonban hamar megszólította Zoltánt: „Szép idő van ma, igaz?En: However, Júlia soon spoke to Zoltán: "It's a beautiful day today, isn't it?"Hu: ”Zoltán egy pillanatra megrettent.En: Zoltán was momentarily startled.Hu: Nem volt hozzászokva ahhoz, hogy idegenekkel beszélgessen.En: He wasn't used to chatting with strangers.Hu: De valami Júlia vidámságában arra késztette, hogy válaszoljon: „Igen, tényleg ideális.En: But something about Júlia's cheerfulness prompted him to respond: "Yes, it really is ideal.Hu: A víz is csodálatos.En: The water is wonderful too."Hu: ”Júlia kíváncsian folytatta a beszélgetést: „Gyakran jössz ide?En: Júlia curiously continued the conversation: "Do you come here often?"Hu: ” Zoltán egy kicsit habozott, majd megnyílt: „Igen, próbálok minden hétvégén eljönni.En: Zoltán hesitated a bit, then opened up: "Yes, I try to come every weekend.Hu: Jó itt kikapcsolódni a munka után.En: It's a good place to unwind after work.Hu: És te?En: And you?"Hu: ”„Csak most látogatok ide először.En: "It's my first time visiting here.Hu: Az újságomnak írok egy cikket Budapest fürdőiről.En: I'm writing an article for my newspaper about Budapest's baths.Hu: Szeretem megismerni az itteni embereket és történeteiket” – válaszolta Júlia mosolyogva.En: I love getting to know the people here and their stories," Júlia replied, smiling.Hu: A beszélgetés kezdetben kissé akadozott, de hamar folyamatosabbá vált.En: The conversation was initially a bit stilted, but it soon became more fluid.Hu: Zoltán lassan megnyugodott, és élvezte Júlia társaságát.En: Zoltán slowly relaxed and enjoyed Júlia's company.Hu: Egy váratlan pillanatban egy kicsit ügyetlenül csúszott meg a medence lépcsőjén, és mindketten hangosan felnevettek.En: In an unexpected moment, he slipped a bit clumsily on the pool steps, and they both laughed out loud.Hu: Ez a közös nevetés oldotta a maradék feszültséget.En: This shared laughter eased the remaining tension.Hu: Beszélgetésük több órán át tartott, megosztották egymással munkájuk és életük apró történeteit.En: Their conversation lasted for hours, sharing little stories of their work and lives.Hu: Júlia ígérte, hogy elküldi Zoltánnak a cikk tervezetét, mielőtt publikálná.En: Júlia promised to send Zoltán the draft of the article before publishing it.Hu: A nap végén, ahogy elhagyták a fürdőt, telefonszámot cseréltek.En: At the end of the day, as they left the bath, they exchanged phone numbers.Hu: Még integettek egymásnak, mielőtt más irányba indultak.En: They even waved to each other before heading in different directions.Hu: Zoltán úgy érezte, mintha újra megszínesedett volna az élete.En: Zoltán felt as if his life had been brightened again.Hu: Júlia boldogan nyugtázta, hogy nemcsak inspirációt kapott, hanem egy új barátságot is találhatott.En: Júlia happily noted that she had not only gained inspiration but also found a new friendship.Hu: Az aznapi fürdőzés többet adott, mint a megszokott relaxációt.En: That day's bath provided more than the usual relaxation.Hu: Két különböző életút találkozott és barátságot hozott létre, amit mindketten örömmel fogadnak majd vissza a jövőben.En: Two different life paths met and created a friendship, which both will gladly welcome back in the future. Vocabulary Words:bathed: fürdetterays: sugarathermal: termálrippled: hullámzottcalming: nyugtatólagdiligent: szorgalmastranquility: nyugalmatimmersed: merülteagerly: lelkesenfate: sorsshallow: sekélystartled: megrettentcheerfulness: vidámságunwind: kikapcsolódnihesitated: habozottatmosphere: atmoszférájábanconversation: beszélgetésstilted: akadozottclumsily: ügyetlenüllaughter: nevetéstension: feszültségetshared: megosztottákdraft: tervezetétrelaxation: relaxációtgathering: gyűjtsöninspiration: inspirációtnoted: nyugtáztabrightened: megszínesedettpaths: életútwelcomed: fogadnak

Watching the three women representing Team USA and Brooks put it all on the line over the weekend at the World Championships here in Tokyo on Sunday, September 14, was absolutely wild. Had the awesome opportunity to catch up with Erika Kemp, Jess McClain, and Susanna Sullivan on Monday after the race at the Brooks Hyperion House. We get into it all: The highs, lows, debrief the entire race, and the lessons they learned from a tough 26.2 that they'll bring into their running moving forward.IN THIS EPISODE(3:30) How the women are doing really after their performance over the weekend(6:14) How the temperatures really felt—with humidity above 90%(8:34) How Erika felt to see Jess and Susanna leading the race when she wasn't having the day she hoped for(10:54) How Erika handles a disappointing day and navigates shifting her mindset(13:23) How Susanna's training set her up for the best case scenario on Sunday(17:00) Jess details the benefits of the way the course was laid out in Tokyo(17:46) Jess talks about how she got to be at a place where she felt more comfortable racing and "became her own best friend."(21:58) What it meant to "work" the entire marathon and what tools and fuel were available on the course to try to cool off in the heat(37:05) What does the post-race debrief look like?(39:04) Susanna reflects on an awful race in Budapest at the last World Championships on how she bounced back to stellar performances(45:00) What it looked like post-race in the stadium(52:43) What the girls are all looking forward to nextSOCIAL@jesstonn@susannasullivan4@imtinyrik@emilyabbate@hurdlepodcastJOIN: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Daily Hurdle IG Channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SIGN UP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Weekly Hurdle Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ASK ME A QUESTION: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email hello@hurdle.us to ask me a question!⁠⁠⁠⁠

Actress-turned-documentarian Marta György-Kessler joins Best in Fest to share her fascinating transformation from the stages of Budapest to uncovering untold spiritual journeys through film. In this episode, Marta dives into the backstory of her award-winning documentary Hannah: Buddhism's Untold Journey, her deep connection to Buddhist icon Hannah Nydahl, and her current film chronicling the life of the 16th Karmapa—one of Tibetan Buddhism's most revered figures.Host Leslie Lippa explores Marta's unique path from the post-communist struggles of Hungary to discovering lost archival footage in basements, building a multi-continent documentary team, and navigating festival circuits and Netflix distribution. Marta also unpacks the challenges women face in the film industry, the emotional depth of true storytelling, and how Buddhist philosophy continues to shape her creative process.If you're a filmmaker, spiritual seeker, or documentary lover—this episode is a must-listen.

Welcome back to another episode of Fratello On Air. We've been on hiatus for the last month during the summer, but we're back in action! In this installment, we detail some of the places we've been and what we've seen. Cars and watches have been high on the list!Yes, it's been a while, but we're back together. This week's podcast is primarily about cars and watches at events in major cities. Next episode, we'll be back with a more hardcore topic, which will likely cover one of our listener suggestions. For now, settle in as we recall our travels and experiences.HandgelenkskontrolleBefore we get into watches, we begin our discussion about Ferrari's latest reveal. The 849 Testarossa is already proving to be controversial. It sparks a conversation about the difference between comments in social media about cars and watches. Regarding television, we discuss Mobland, Only Murders In The Building, Dexter: Resurrection, and The Sopranos. Then, Balazs mentions the recent sale of a Michael Jordan / Kobe Bryant basketball card that set a record at $12.9 million! For the Handgelenkskontrolle, Balazs is wearing the new Albishorn 1958 Marinagraph Paraíba Racing. Stay tuned for an upcoming hands-on review. Mike is wearing his Seiko SLA019, a 2018 release that marked the first ceramic bezel and sapphire crystal for the beloved Marinemaster 300.Watches and carsWe kick off our main topic on recent travels that included cars and watches with a recap of Geneva Watch Days. Sadly, Balazs didn't attend, but the releases were well-covered. Overall, the mood was somber because of the US tariff scenario. Brands were questioning the need and the expense related to two shows. The reveals were positive, especially from the smaller brands, but it was a quieter show overall despite more brands in attendance. Next, we discuss the 2025 Balkan Rally, which Balazs attended. The event kicked off in Budapest and ended five days later in Dubrovnik. Classic cars and watches were all part of the festivities. Finally, we head back to London, where Mike attended the Concours of Elegance hosted by A. Lange & Söhne. Once again, several of the attendees wore intriguing watches, but the cars were incredible. Of note was a lovely Singer Porsche. It was the first time Mike saw one in person, which followed his first visit to the Singer Reimagined headquarters in Geneva just two days earlier.We hope you enjoyed our return to the airwaves, and we look forward to coming back regularly. As always, if you have ideas for future shows, feel free to let us know.

Join Chris Chavez, Eric Jenkins, Anderson Emerole, Mitch Dyer and Paul Hof-Mahoney as they recap all the highlights from Day 1 at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.Among the top stories: