Podcasts about Bulgaria

If you're in Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria or several other countries in southeastern Europe today, be careful and keep your wits about you. This is when Christmas goblins are on the loose again. Plus: if you've ever just wanted to sit for a bit with a nice hot cup of coffee, we have a moment in patent history for you. Kallikantzaroi: Tree-Chopping Christmas Goblins (The Atlas of Christmas by Alex Palmer, via Google Books) James H. Mason (Franklin Historical Museum)Legend has it that one way to stop the Christmas goblins is to back a really good podcast on Patreon

Grace Gymnastics Academy in Morrisville placed fifth in the world at a competition in Bulgaria next month. The studio has international roots--and plans on competing globally in the coming year. WRAL' s Grace Holland learned more about the growing sport of aesthetic gymnastics.

Rachel Maddow shares a look at how outrage over government corruption in Bulgaria prompted massive protests and eventually the resignation of the prime minister and his government. And in the United States, for all of Donald Trump's unpopular policies being protested across the country, the self-dealing and corruption that has become his administration's hallmark may ultimately be what leads to Trump's downfall. Julie K. Brown, investigative reporter for the Miami Herald who first exposed the scandal of how the Jeffrey Epstein case was handed, talks with Rachel Maddow about feedback she is receiving from survivors of Epstein's abuse about finding their own names in released documents despite heavy redactions that appear to make a greater priority of protecting the identities and information of people involved with Epstein than to protect his victims as the law instructs.Rep. Jamie Raskin joins to discuss how an ownership change and recent editorial decisions by CBS News is raising concerns that Donald Trump and the billionaires who support him are making progress on building state media. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

He was a disciple of Saints Cyril and Methodius (May 11), and traveled with them on their missionary journey to the Slavs. With them and their other companions, he endured many trials, including several imprisonments at the hands of the Latin Franks, who were seeking to seize control of the region of Moravia in order to impose the Latin language and to spread the heresy of the filioque. For a time their troubles were relieved by Pope Hadrian II, who supported the mission and made St Methodius Archbishop of Pannonia, with jurisdiction over the Eastern European Slav lands. But when St Methodius died, St Nahum and his companions were imprisoned once more, then sent into exile, where they finally found shelter in the Orthodox Kingdom of Bulgaria. There they were able to continue their work of evangelization in the Slavonic language. Saint Nahum founded the Monastery that bears his name on the shore of Lake Ochrid. After his repose his relics were brought there for burial, and are venerated there today.

In this episode of the Becoming Unshakable podcast, I sit down with Neri Karra Sillaman, and this conversation stayed with me long after we stopped recording. I first met Neri at the Thinkers50 event in London, where she was recognized as a Radar Award winner. The moment she spoke about her work and her life, I knew I had to learn more. This episode is the result of that instinct. Neri shares her powerful journey as an immigrant entrepreneur and refugee, forced to leave Bulgaria at the age of eleven with her family and only two suitcases. She takes us inside what it means to rebuild life from a refugee camp, to navigate shame, loss, faith, and survival, and to carry those experiences into adulthood. What struck me most was how she reframes being unshakable, not as being unbreakable, but as being flexible, grounded in truth, and willing to live authentically even when life does not go as planned. We talk deeply about faith, worthiness, and the unseen forces that carry us through moments when the future feels impossible to imagine. Neri opens up about the scars that never fully heal, the role of self-awareness in leadership, and how community and compassion can serve as the foundation for both personal healing and business longevity. Her story behind writing Pioneers: Eight Principles of Business Longevity from Immigrant Entrepreneurs reveals how sometimes the work we resist is the work we are meant to do. This conversation is about resilience, but it goes beyond pushing through. It is about receiving as much as giving, about understanding your own worth, and about how early hardship can shape a deep capacity for connection, storytelling, and leadership. It is also a reminder that even in chaos, we can hold a vision for something greater. As you listen to Neri's story, I invite you to reflect on this. What part of your own story, especially the parts shaped by struggle, might actually be pointing you toward the life and leadership you are meant to live?  

Hace unas semanas, el Gobierno de Bulgaria dimitió en bloque tras protestas masivas de la ciudadanía contra la corrupción. Este golpe ocurrió a las puertas de que el país entre en la moneda única, y en una Unión Europea con problemas de credibilidad. Incluso los búlgaros que quieren ampliar la influencia de Europa en sus vidas tienen miedo de perder poder adquisitivo cuando desaparezca el lev. Sus temores, aunque la coyuntura es distinta, recuerdan a los que se vivieron hace 24 años en España.En este episodio, hablamos con la escritora Eminé Sadk, búlgara de origen turco, que representa a la generación joven que pide más Europa y rechaza el discurso eurófobo alentado desde Moscú. Escuchamos también a Miguel Roán, balcanólogo.Para rememorar lo que supuso la entrada de España en la moneda única hace dos décadas, visitamos la Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre de Madrid con los responsables de despedir a la peseta. Y analizamos lo que supone incorporarse a un club como el del euro con Claudi Pérez, corresponsal de asuntos globales de EL PAÍS y exreportero en Bruselas. CRÉDITOS: Realiza y presenta: Ana Fuentes Edición: Ana Ribera Diseño de sonido: Nicolás Tsabertidis Dirección: Ana Alonso Sintonía: Jorge Magaz

What is a call? How does a person know if God is calling them to mission service? Join in a discussion as these and other questions are addressed.

Your daily news in under three minutes. At Al Jazeera Podcasts, we want to hear from you, our listeners. So, please head to https://www.aljazeera.com/survey and tell us your thoughts about this show and other Al Jazeera podcasts. It only takes a few minutes! Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

We've curated a special 10-minute version of the podcast for those in a hurry. Here you can listen to the full episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/kristalina-georgieva-leading-the-imf-navigating/id1614211565?i=1000741623513&l=nbWhat does it take to keep the global economy stable in times of crisis? Nicolai Tangen sits down with Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, to discuss the IMF's role in maintaining financial stability across 191 member countries. They explore debt levels, AI's impact on labor markets, and climate as a financial risk. Kristalina shares her journey from Bulgaria to leading the IMF, emphasizing her philosophy of curiosity, courage, and compassion. With $1 trillion in lending capacity, the IMF supports countries through economic crises worldwide. In Good Company is hosted by Nicolai Tangen, CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management. New full episodes every Wednesday, and don't miss our Highlight episodes every Friday. The production team for this episode includes Isabelle Karlsson and PLAN-B's Niklas Figenschau Johansen, Sebastian Langvik-Hansen and Pål Huuse. Background research was conducted by Une Solheim. Watch the episode on YouTube: Norges Bank Investment Management - YouTubeWant to learn more about the fund? The fund | Norges Bank Investment Management (nbim.no)Follow Nicolai Tangen on LinkedIn: Nicolai Tangen | LinkedInFollow NBIM on LinkedIn: Norges Bank Investment Management: Administrator for bedriftsside | LinkedInFollow NBIM on Instagram: Explore Norges Bank Investment Management on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when curiosity, resilience, and storytelling collide over a lifetime of building something meaningful? In this episode, I welcome Nick Francis, founder and CEO of Casual Films, for a thoughtful conversation about leadership, presence, and what it takes to keep going when the work gets heavy. Nick's journey began with a stint at BBC News and a bold 9,000-mile rally from London to Mongolia in a Mini Cooper, a spirit of adventure that still fuels how he approaches business and life today. We talk about how that early experience shaped Casual into a global branded storytelling company with studios across five continents, and what it really means to lead a creative organization at scale. Nick shares insights from growing the company internationally, expanding into Southeast Asia, and staying grounded while producing hundreds of projects each year. Along the way, we explore why emotionally resonant storytelling matters, how trust and preparation beat panic, and why presence with family, health, and purpose keeps leaders steady in uncertain times. This conversation is about building an Unstoppable life by focusing on what matters most, using creativity to connect people, and choosing clarity and resilience in a world full of noise. Highlights: 00:01:30 – Learn how early challenges shape resilience and long-term drive. 00:06:20 – Discover why focusing on your role creates calm under pressure. 00:10:50 – Learn how to protect attention in a nonstop world. 00:18:25 – Understand what global growth teaches about leadership. 00:26:00 – Learn why leading with trust changes relationships. 00:45:55 – Discover how movement and presence restore clarity. About the Guest: Nick Francis is the founder and CEO of Casual, a global production group that blends human storytelling, business know-how, and creativity turbo-charged by AI. Named the UK's number one brand video production company for five years, Casual delivers nearly 1,000 projects annually for world-class brands like Adobe, Amazon, BMW, Hilton, HSBC, and P&G. The adventurous spirit behind its first production – a 9,000-mile journey from London to Mongolia in an old Mini – continues to drive Casual's growth across offices in London, New York, LA, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Sydney, Singapore, Hong Kong and Greater China. Nick previously worked for BBC News and is widely recognised for his expertise in video storytelling, brand building, and corporate communications. He is the founding director of the Casual Films Academy, a charity helping young filmmakers develop skills by producing films for charitable organisations. He is also the author of ‘The New Fire: Harness the Power of Video for Your Business' and a passionate advocate for emotionally resonant, behaviorally grounded storytelling. Nick lives in San Francisco, California, with his family. Ways to connect with Nick**:** Website: https://www.casualfilms.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@casual_global  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/casualglobal/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CasualFilms/  Nick's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickfrancisfilm/  Casual's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/casual-films-international/  Beyond Casual - LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=6924458968031395840 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  01:21 Well, hello everyone. I am your host, Mike hingson, that's kind of funny. We'll talk about that in a second, but this is unstoppable mindset. And our guest today is Nick Francis, and what we're going to talk about is the fact that people used to always ask me, well, they would call me Mr. Kingston, and it took me, as I just told Nick a master's degree in physics in 10 years to realize that if I said Mike hingson, that's why they said Mr. Kingston. So was either say Mike hingson or Michael hingson. Well, Michael hingson is a lot easier to say than Mike hingson, but I don't really care Mike or Michael, as long as it's not late for dinner. Whatever works. Yeah. Well, Nick, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're Nick Francis  02:04 here. Thanks, Mike. It's great to be here. Michael Hingson  02:08 So Nick is a marketing kind of guy. He's got a company called casual that we'll hear about. Originally from England, I believe, and now lives in San Francisco. We were talking about the weather in San Francisco, as opposed to down here in Victorville. A little bit earlier. We're going to have a heat wave today and and he doesn't have that up there, but you know, well, things, things change over time. But anyway, we're glad you're here. And thanks, Mike. Really looking forward to it. Tell us about the early Nick growing up and all that sort of stuff, just to get us started. Nick Francis  02:43 That's a good question. I grew up in London, in in Richmond, which is southwest London. It's a at the time, it wasn't anything like as kind of, it's become quite kind of shishi, I think back in the day, because it's on the west of London. The pollution from the city used to flow east and so, like all the kind of well to do people, in fact, there used to be a, there used to be a palace in Richmond. It's where Queen Elizabeth died, the first Queen Elizabeth, that is. And, yeah, you know, I grew up it was, you know, there's a lot of rugby played around there. I played rugby for my local rugby club from a very young age, and we went sailing on the south coast. It was, it was great, really. And then, you know, unfortunately, when I was 10 years old, my my dad died. He had had a very powerful job at the BBC, and then he ran the British Council, which is the overseas wing of the Arts Council, so promoting, I guess, British soft power around the world, going and opening art galleries and going to ballet in Moscow and all sorts. So he had an incredible life and worked incredibly hard. And you know, that has brought me all sorts of privileges, I think, when I was a kid. But, you know, unfortunately, age 10 that all ended. And you know, losing a parent at that age is such a sort of fundamental, kind of shaking of your foundations. You know, you when you're a kid, you feel like a, you're going to live forever, and B, the things that are happening around you are going to last forever. And so, you know, you know, my mom was amazing, of course, and, you know, and in time, I got a new stepdad, and all the rest of it. But you know, that kind of shaped a lot of my a lot of my youth, really. And, yeah, I mean, Grief is a funny thing, and it's funny the way it manifests itself as you grow. But yeah. So I grew up there. I went to school in the Midlands, near where my stepdad lived, and then University of Newcastle, which is up in the north of England, where it rains a lot. It's where it's where Newcastle Football Club is based. And you know is that is absolutely at the center of the city. So. So the city really comes alive there. And it was during that time that I discovered photography, and I wanted to be a war photographer, because I believe that was where life was lived at the kind of the real cutting edge. You know, you see the you see humanity in its in its most visceral and vivid color in terrible situations. And I kind of that seemed like an interesting thing to go to go and do. Michael Hingson  05:27 Well, what? So what did you major in in college in Newcastle? So I did Nick Francis  05:31 history and politics, and then I went did a course in television journalism, and ended up working at BBC News as a initially running on the floor. So I used to deliver the papers that you know, when you see people shuffling or not, they do it anymore, actually, because everything, everything's digital now digital, yeah, but when they were worried about the the auto cues going down, they we always had to make sure that they had the up to date script. And so I would be printing in, obviously, the, you know, because it's a three hour news show, the scripts constantly evolving, and so, you know, I was making sure they had the most up to date version in their hands. And it's, I don't know if you have spent any time around live TV Mike, but it's an incredibly humbling experience, like the power of it. You know, there's sort of two or 3 million people watching these two people who are sitting five feet in front of me, and the, you know, the sort of slightly kind of, there was an element of me that just wanted to jump in front of them and kind of go, ah. And, you know, never, ever work in live TV, ever again. But you know, anyway, I did that and ended up working as a producer, writing and developing, developing packets that would go out on the show, producing interviews and things. And, you know, I absolutely loved it. It was, it was a great time. But then I left to go and set up my company. Michael Hingson  06:56 I am amazed, even today, with with watching people on the news, and I've and I've been in a number of studios during live broadcasts and so on. But I'm amazed at how well, mostly, at least, I've been fortunate. Mostly, the people are able to read because they do have to read everything. It isn't like you're doing a lot of bad living in a studio. Obviously, if you are out with a story, out in the field, if you will, there, there may be more where you don't have a printed script to go by, but I'm amazed at the people in the studio, how much they are able to do by by reading it all completely. Nick Francis  07:37 It's, I mean, the whole experience is kind of, it's awe inspiring, really. And you know, when you first go into a Live, a live broadcast studio, and you see the complexity, and you know, they've got feeds coming in from all over the world, and you know, there's upwards of 100 people all working together to make it happen. And I remember talking to one of the directors at the time, and I was like, How on earth does this work? And he said, You know, it's simple. You everyone has a very specific job, and you know that as long as you do your bit of the job when it comes in front of you, then the show will go out. He said, where it falls over is when people start worrying about whether other people are going to are going to deliver on time or, you know, and so if you start worrying about what other people are doing, rather than just focusing on the thing you have to do, that's where it potentially falls over, Michael Hingson  08:29 which is a great object lesson anyway, to worry about and control and don't worry about the rest Nick Francis  08:36 for sure. Yeah, yeah, for sure. You know, it's almost a lesson for life. I mean, sorry, it is a lesson for life, and Michael Hingson  08:43 it's something that I talk a lot about in dealing with the World Trade Center and so on, and because it was a message I received, but I've been really preaching that for a long time. Don't worry about what you can't control, because all you're going to do is create fear and drive yourself Nick Francis  08:58 crazy, completely, completely. You know. You know what is it? Give me the, give me this. Give me the strength to change the things I can. Give me the give me the ability to let the things that I can't change slide but and the wisdom to know the difference. I'm absolutely mangling that, that saying, but, yeah, it's, it's true, you know. And I think, you know, it's so easy for us to in this kind of modern world where everything's so media, and we're constantly served up things that, you know, shock us, sadness, enrage us, you know, just to be able to step back and say, actually, you know what? These are things I can't really change. I'd have to just let them wash over me. Yeah, and just focus on the things that you really can change. Michael Hingson  09:46 It's okay to be aware of things, but you've got to separate the things you can control from the things that you can and we, unfortunately aren't taught that. Our parents don't teach us that because they were never taught it, and it's something. That, just as you say, slides by, and it's so unfortunate, because it helps to create such a level of fear about so many things in our in our psyche and in our world that we really shouldn't have to do Nick Francis  10:13 completely well. I think, you know, obviously, but you know, we've, we've spent hundreds, if not millions of years evolving to become humans, and then, you know, actually being aware of things beyond our own village has only been an evolution of the last, you know what, five, 600 years, yeah. And so we are just absolutely, fundamentally not able to cope with a world of such incredible stimulus that we live in now. Michael Hingson  10:43 Yeah, and it's only getting worse with all the social media, with all the different things that are happening and of course, and we're only working to develop more and more things to inundate us with more and more kinds of inputs. It's really unfortunate we just don't learn to separate ourselves very easily from all of that. Nick Francis  11:04 Yeah, well, you know, it's so interesting when you look at the development of VR headsets, and, you know, are we going to have, like, lenses in our eyes that kind of enable us to see computer screens while we're just walking down the road, you know? And you look at that and you think, well, actually, just a cell phone. I mean, cell phones are going to be gone fairly soon. I would imagine, you know, as a format, it's not something that's going to abide but the idea that we're going to create technology that's going to be more, that's going to take us away from being in the moment more rather than less, is kind of terrifying. Because, I would say already, even with, you know, the most basic technology that we have now, which is, you know, mind bending, compared to where we were even 20 years ago, you know, to think that we're only going to become more immersive is, you know, we really, really as a species, have to work out how we are going to be far better at stepping away from this stuff. And I, you know, I do, I wonder, with AI and technology whether there is, you know, there's a real backlash coming of people who do want to just unplug, yeah, Michael Hingson  12:13 well, it'll be interesting to see, and I hope that people will learn to do it. I know when I started hearing about AI, and one of the first things I heard was how kids would use it to write their papers, and it was a horrible thing, and they were trying to figure out ways so that teachers could tell us something was written by AI, as opposed to a student. And I almost immediately developed this opinion, no, let AI write the papers for students, but when the students turn in their paper, then take a day to in your class where you have every student come up and defend their paper, see who really knows it, you know. And what a great teaching opportunity and teaching moment to to get students also to learn to do public speaking and other things a little bit more than they do, but we haven't. That hasn't caught on, but I continue to preach it. Nick Francis  13:08 I think that's really smart, you know, as like aI exists, and I think to to pretend somehow that, you know, we can work without it is, you know, it's, it's, it's, yeah, I mean, it's like, well, saying, you know, we're just going to go back to Word processors or typewriters, which, you know, in which it weirdly, in their own time, people looked at and said, this is, you know, these, these are going to completely rot our minds. In fact, yeah, I think Plato said that was very against writing, because he believed it would mean no one could remember anything after that, you know. So it's, you know, it's just, it's an endless, endless evolution. But I think, you know, we have to work out how we incorporate into it, into our education system, for sure. Michael Hingson  13:57 Well, I remember being in in college and studying physics and so on. And one of the things that we were constantly told is, on tests, you can't bring calculators in, can't use calculators in class. Well, why not? Well, because you could cheat with that. Well, the reality is that the smart physicists realized that it's all about really learning the concepts more than the numbers. And yeah, that's great to to know how to do the math. But the the real issue is, do you know the physics, not just the math completely? Nick Francis  14:34 Yeah. And then how you know? How are the challenges that are being set such that you know, they really test your ability to use the calculator effectively, right? So how you know? How are you lifting the bar? And in a way, I think that's kind of what we have to do, what we have to do now, Michael Hingson  14:50 agreed, agreed. So you were in the news business and so on, and then, as you said, you left to start your own company. Why did you decide to do that? Nick Francis  14:59 Well, a friend of. Ryan and I from University had always talked about doing this rally from London to Mongolia. So, and you do it in an old car that you sort of look at, and you go, well, that's a bit rubbish. It has to have under a one liter engine. So it's tiny, it's cheap. The idea is it breaks down you have an adventure. And it was something we kind of talked about in passing and decided that would be a good thing to do. And then over time, you know, we started sending off. We you know, we applied, and then we started sending off for visas and things. And then before we knew it, we were like, gosh, so it looks like we're actually going to do this thing. But by then, you know, my job at the BBC was really taking off. And so I said, you know, let's do this, but let's make a documentary of it. So long story short, we ended up making a series of diary films for Expedia, which we uploaded onto their website. It was, you know, we were kind of pitching this around about 2005 we kind of did it in 2006 so it was kind of, you know, nobody had really heard of YouTube. The idea of making videos to go online was kind of unheard of because, you know, broadband was just kind of getting sorry. It wasn't unheard of, but it was, it was very, it was a very nascent industry. And so, yeah, we went and drove 9000 miles over five weeks. We spent a week sitting in various different repair yards and kind of break his yards in everywhere from Turkey to Siberia. And when we came back, it became clear that the internet was opening up as this incredible medium for video, and video is such a powerful way to share emotion with a dispersed audience. You know, not that I would have necessarily talked about it in that in those terms back then, but it really seemed like, you know, every every web page, every piece of corporate content, could have a video aspect to it. And so we came back and had a few fits and starts and did some, I mean, we, you know, we made a series of hotel videos where we were paid 50 quid a day to go and film hotels. And it was hot and it was hard work. And anyway, it was rough. But over time, you know, we started to win some more lucrative work. And, you know, really, the company grew from there. We won some awards, which helped us to kind of make a bit of a name for ourselves. And this was, there's been a real explosion in technology, kind of shortly after when we did this. So digital SLRs, so, you know, old kind of SLR cameras, you know, turned into digital cameras, which could then start to shoot video. And so it, there was a real explosion in high quality video produced by very small teams of people using the latest technology creatively. And that just felt like a good kind of kick off point for our business. But we just kind of because we got in in kind of 2006 we just sort of beat a wave that kind of started with digital SLRs, and then was kind of absolutely exploded when video cell phones came on the market, video smartphones. And yeah, you know, because we had these awards and we had some kind of fairly blue chip clients from a relatively early, early stage, we were able to grow the company. We then expanded to the US in kind of 2011 20 between 2011 2014 and then we were working with a lot of the big tech companies in California, so it felt like we should maybe kind of really invest in that. And so I moved out here with some of our team in 2018 at the beginning of 2018 and I've been here ever since, wow. Michael Hingson  18:44 So what is it? What was it like starting a business here, or bringing the business here, as opposed to what it was in England? Nick Francis  18:53 It's really interesting, because the creatively the UK is so strong, you know, like so many, you know, from the Beatles to Led Zeppelin to the Rolling Stones to, you know, and then on through, like all the kind of, you know, film and TV, you know, Brits are very good at kind of Creating, like, high level creative, but not necessarily always the best at kind of monetizing it, you know. I mean, some of those obviously have been fantastic successes, right? And so I think in the UK, we we take a lot longer over getting, getting to, like, the perfect creative output, whereas the US is far more focused on, you know, okay, we need this to to perform a task, and frankly, if we get it 80% done, then we're good, right? And so I think a lot of creative businesses in the UK look at the US and they go, gosh. Firstly, the streets are paved with gold. Like the commercial opportunity seems incredible, but actually creating. Tracking it is incredibly difficult, and I think it's because we sort of see the outputs in the wrong way. I think they're just the energy and the dynamism of the US economy is just, it's kind of awe inspiring. But you know, so many businesses try to expand here and kind of fall over themselves. And I think the number one thing is just, you have to have a founder who's willing to move to the US. Because I think Churchill said that we're two two countries divided by the same language. And I never fully understood what that meant until I moved here. I think what it what he really means by that is that we're so culturally different in the US versus the UK. And I think lots of Brits look at America and think, Well, you know, it's just the same. It's just a bit kind of bigger and a bit Brasher, you know, and it and actually, I think if people in the US spoke a completely different language, we would approach it as a different culture, which would then help us to understand it better. Yeah. So, yeah. I mean, it's been, it's been the most fabulous adventure to move here and to, you know, it's, it's hard sometimes, and California is a long way from home, but the energy and the optimism and the entrepreneurialism of it, coupled with just the natural beauty is just staggering. So we've made some of our closest friends in California, it's been absolutely fantastic. And across the US, it's been a fantastic adventure for us and our family. Michael Hingson  21:30 Yeah, I've had the opportunity to travel all over the US, and I hear negative comments about one place or another, like West Virginia, people eat nothing but fried food and all that. But the reality is, if you really take an overall look at it, the country has so much to offer, and I have yet to find a place that I didn't enjoy going to, and people I never enjoyed meeting, I really enjoy all of that, and it's great to meet people, and it's great to experience so much of this country. And I've taken that same posture to other places. I finally got to visit England last October, for the first time. You mentioned rugby earlier, the first time I was exposed to rugby was when I traveled to New Zealand in 2003 and found it pretty fascinating. And then also, I was listening to some rugby, rugby, rugby broadcast, and I tuned across the radio and suddenly found a cricket game that was a little bit slow for me. Yeah, cricket to be it's slow. Nick Francis  22:41 Yeah, fair enough. It's funny. Actually, we know what you're saying about travel. Like one of the amazing things about our Well, I kind of learned two sort of quite fundamentally philosophical things, I think, you know, or things about the about humans and the human condition. Firstly, like, you know, traveling across, you know, we left from London. We, like, drove down. We went through Belgium and France and Poland and Slovenia, Slovakia, Slovenia, like, all the way down Bulgaria, across Turkey into Georgia and Azerbaijan and across the Caspian Sea, and through Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, into Russia, and then down into Mongolia. When we finished, we were due north of Jakarta, right? So we drove, we drove a third of the way around the world. And the two things that taught me were, firstly that human people are good. You know, everywhere we went, people would invite us in to have meals, or they'd like fix our car for not unit for free. I mean, people were so kind everywhere we went. Yeah. And the other thing was, just, when we get on a plane and you fly from here to or you fly from London, say to we, frankly, you fly from London to Turkey, it feels unbelievably different. You know, you fly from London to China, and it's, you know, complete different culture. But what our journey towards us, because we drove, was that, you know, while we might not like to admit it, we're actually quite, you know, Brits are quite similar to the French, and the French actually are quite similar to the Belgians, and Belgians quite similar to the Germans. And, you know, and all the way through, actually, like we just saw a sort of slowly changing gradient of all the different cultures. And it really, you know, we are just one people, you know. So as much as we might feel that, you know, we're all we're all different, actually, when you see it, when you when you do a drive like that, you really, you really get to see how slowly the cultures shift and change. Another thing that's quite funny, actually, was just like, everywhere we went, we would be like, you know, we're driving to Turkey. They'd be like, Oh, God, you just drove through Bulgaria, you know, how is like, everything on your car not been stolen, you know, they're so dodgy that you Bulgarians are so dodgy. And then, you know, we'd get drive through the country, and they'd be like, you know, oh, you're going into Georgia, you know, gosh, what you go. Make, make sure everything's tied down on your car. They're so dodgy. And then you get into Georgia, and they're like, Oh my God, you've just very driven through Turkey this, like, everyone sort of had these, like, weird, yeah, kind of perceptions of their neighbors. And it was all nonsense, yeah, you know. Michael Hingson  25:15 And the reality is that, as you pointed out, people are good, you know, I think, I think politicians are the ones who so often mess it up for everyone, just because they've got agendas. And unfortunately, they teach everyone else to be suspicious of of each other, because, oh, this person clearly has a hidden agenda when it normally isn't necessarily true at all. Nick Francis  25:42 No, no, no, certainly not in my experience, anyway, not in my experience. But, you know, well, oh, go ahead. No, no. It's just, you know, it's, it is. It's, it is weird the way that happens, you know, well, they say, you know, if, if politicians fought wars rather than, rather than our young men and women, then there'd be a lot less of them. Yeah, so Well, Michael Hingson  26:06 there would be, well as I tell people, you know, I I've learned a lot from working with eight guy dogs and my wife's service dog, who we had for, oh, gosh, 14 years almost, and one of the things that I tell people is I absolutely do believe what people say, that dogs love unconditionally, unless they're just totally traumatized by something, but they don't trust unconditionally. The difference between dogs and people is that dogs are more open to trust because we've taught ourselves and have been taught by others, that everyone has their own hidden agenda. So we don't trust. We're not open to trust, which is so unfortunate because it affects the psyche of so many people in such a negative way. We get too suspicious of people, so it's a lot harder to earn trust. Nick Francis  27:02 Yeah, I mean, I've, I don't know, you know, like I've been, I've been very fortunate in my life, and I kind of always try to be, you know, open and trusting. And frankly, you know, I think if you're open and trusting with people, in my experience, you kind of, it comes back to you, you know, and maybe kind of looking for the best in everyone. You know, there are times where that's not ideal, but you know, I think you know, in the overwhelming majority of cases, you know, actually, you know, you treat people right? And you know what goes what goes around, comes around, absolutely. Michael Hingson  27:35 And I think that's so very true. There are some people who just are going to be different than that, but I think for the most part, if you show that you're open to trust people will want to trust you, as long as you're also willing to trust Nick Francis  27:51 them completely. Yeah, completely. Michael Hingson  27:54 So I think that that's the big thing we have to deal with. And I don't know, I hope that we, we will learn it. But I think that politicians are really the most guilty about teaching us. Why not to trust but that too, hopefully, will be something we deal with. Nick Francis  28:12 I think, you know, I think we have to, you know, it's, it's one of the tragedies of our age, I think, is that the, you know, we spent the 20th century, thinking that sex was the kind of ultimate sales tool. And then it took algorithms to for us to realize that actually anger and resentment are the most powerful sales tools, which is, you know, it's a it's something which, in time, we will work out, right? And I think the problem is that, at the minute, these tech businesses are in such insane ascendancy, and they're so wealthy that it's very hard to regulate them. And I think in time, what will happen is, you know, they'll start to lose some of that luster and some of that insane scale and that power, and then, you know, then regulation will come in. But you know whether or not, we'll see maybe, hopefully our civilization will still be around to see that. Michael Hingson  29:04 No, there is that, or maybe the Vulcans will show up and show us a better way. But you know, Nick Francis  29:11 oh, you know, I'm, I'm kind of endlessly optimistic. I think, you know, we are. We're building towards a very positive future. I think so. Yeah, it's just, you know, get always bumps along the way, yeah. Michael Hingson  29:24 So you named your company casual. Why did you do that? Or how did that come about? Nick Francis  29:30 It's a slightly weird name for something, you know, we work with, kind of, you know, global blue chip businesses. And, you know, casual is kind of the last thing that you would want to associate with, a, with a, with any kind of services business that works in that sphere. I think, you know, we, the completely honest answer is that the journalism course I did was television, current affairs journalism, so it's called TV cadge, and so we, when we made a film for a local charity as part of that course. Course, we were asked to name our company, and we just said, well, cash, cash casual, casual films. So we called it casual films. And then when my friend and I set the company up, kind of formally, to do the Mongol Rally, we, you know, we had this name, you know, the company, the film that we'd made for the charity, had gone down really well. It had been played at BAFTA in London. And so we thought, well, you know, we should just, you know, hang on to that name. And it didn't, you know, at the time, it didn't really seem too much of an issue. It was only funny. It was coming to the US, where I think people are a bit more literal, and they were a bit like, well, casual. Like, why casual, you know. And I remember being on a shoot once. And, you know, obviously, kind of some filmmakers can be a little casual themselves, not necessarily in the work, but in the way they present themselves, right? And I remember sitting down, we were interviewing this CEO, and he said, who, you know, who are you? Oh, we're casual films. He's like, Oh, is that why that guy's got ripped jeans? Is it? And I just thought, Damn, you know, we really left ourselves open to that. There was also, there was a time one of our early competitors was called Agile films. And so, you know, I remember talking to one of our clients who said, you know, it's casual, you know, when I have to put together a little document to say, you know, which, which supplier we should choose, and when I lay it on my boss's desk, and one says casual films, and one says agile films, it's like those guys are landing the first punch. But anyway, we, you know, we, what we say now is like, you know, we take a complex process and make it casual. You know, filmmaking, particularly for like, large, complex organizations where you've got lots of different stakeholders, can be very complicated. And so, yeah, we sort of say, you know, we'll take a lot of that stress off, off our clients. So that's kind of the rationale, you know, that we've arrived with, arrived at having spoken to lots of our clients about the role that we play for them. So, you know, there's a kind of positive spin on it, I guess, but I don't know. I don't know whether I'd necessarily call it casual again. I don't know if I'm supposed to say that or not, but, oh, Michael Hingson  32:00 it's unique, you know? So, yeah, I think there's a lot of merit to it. It's a unique name, and it interests people. I know, for me, one of the things that I do is I have a way of doing this. I put all of my business cards in Braille, so the printed business cards have Braille on them, right? Same thing. It's unique completely. Nick Francis  32:22 And you listen, you know what look your name is an empty box that you fill with your identity. They say, right? And casual is actually, it's something we've grown into. And you know it's we've been going for nearly 20 years. In fact, funny enough for the end of this year is the 20th anniversary of that first film we made for the for the charity. And then next summer will be our 20th anniversary, which is, you know, it's, it's both been incredibly short and incredibly long, you know, I think, like any kind of experience in life, and it's been some of the hardest kind of times of my entire life, and some of the best as well. So, you know, it's, it is what it is, but you know, casual is who we are, right? I would never check, you know? I'd never change it. Michael Hingson  33:09 Now, no, of course not, yeah. So is the actual name casual films, or just casual? Nick Francis  33:13 So it was casual films, but then everyone calls us casual anyway, and I think, like as an organization, we probably need to be a bit more agnostic about the outcome. Michael Hingson  33:22 Well, the reason I asked, in part was, is there really any filming going on anymore? Nick Francis  33:28 Well, that's a very that's a very good question. But have we actually ever made a celluloid film? And I think the answer is probably no. We used to, back in the day, we used to make, like, super eight films, which were films, I think, you know, video, you know, ultimately, if you're going to be really pedantic about it, it's like, well, video is a digital, digital delivery. And so basically, every film we make is, is a video. But there is a certain cachet to the you know, because our films are loved and crafted, you know, for good or ill, you know, I think to call them, you know, they are films because, because of the, you know, the care that's put into them. But it's not, it's, it's not celluloid. No, that's okay, yeah, well, Michael Hingson  34:16 and I know that, like with vinyl records, there is a lot of work being done to preserve and capture what's on cellular film. And so there's a lot of work that I'm sure that's being done to digitize a lot of the old films. And when you do that, then you can also go back and remaster and hopefully in a positive way, and I'm not sure if that always happens, but in a positive way, enhance them Nick Francis  34:44 completely, completely and, you know, it's, you know, it's interesting talking about, like, you know, people wanting to step back. You know, obviously vinyl is having an absolute as having a moment right now. In fact, I just, I just bought a new stylist for my for my record. Play yesterday. It sounded incredible as a joy. This gave me the sound quality of this new style. It's fantastic. You know, beyond that, you know, running a company, you know, we're in nine offices all over the world. We produce nearly 1000 projects a year. So, you know, it's a company. It's an incredibly complicated company. It's a very fun and exciting company. I love the fact that we make these beautifully creative films. But, you know, it's a bit, I wouldn't say it's like, I don't know, you don't get many MBAs coming out of business school saying, hey, I want to set up a video production company. But, you know, it's been, it's been wonderful, but it's also been stressful. And so, you know, I've, I've always been interested in pottery and ceramics and making stuff with my hands. When I was a kid, I used to make jewelry, and I used to go and sell it in nightclubs, which is kind of weird, but, you know, it paid for my beers. And then whatever works, I say kid. I was 18. I was, I was of age, but of age in the UK anyway. But now, you know, over the last few 18 months or so, I've started make, doing my own ceramics. So, you know, I make vases and and pictures and kind of all sorts of stuff out of clay. And it's just, it's just to be to unplug and just to go and, you know, make things with mud with your hands. It's just the most unbelievably kind of grounding experience. Michael Hingson  36:26 Yeah, I hear you, yeah. One of the things that I like to do is, and I don't get to do it as much as I would like, but I am involved with organizations like the radio enthusiasts of Puget Sound, which, every year, does recreations of old radio shows. And so we get the scripts we we we have several blind people who are involved in we actually go off and recreate some of the old shows, which is really a lot of fun, Nick Francis  36:54 I bet, yeah, yeah, sort of you know that connection to the past is, is, yeah, it's great radio. Radio is amazing. Michael Hingson  37:03 Anyway, what we have to do is to train some of the people who have not had exposure to old radio. We need to train them as to how to really use their voices to convey like the people who performed in radio, whatever they're doing, because too many people don't really necessarily know how to do that well. And it is, it is something that we're going to work on trying to find ways to get people really trained. And one of the ways, of course, is you got to listen to the old show. So one of the things we're getting more and more people to do when we do recreations is to go back and listen to the original show. Well, they say, Well, but, but that's just the way they did it. That's not necessarily the way it should be done. And the response is, no, that's not really true. The way they did it sounded natural, and the way you are doing it doesn't and there's reality that you need to really learn how to to use your voice to convey well, and the only way to do it is to listen to the experts who did it. Nick Francis  38:06 Yeah, well, it's, you know, it's amazing. The, you know, when the BBC was founded, all the news readers and anyone who appeared on on the radio to to present or perform, had to wear like black tie, like a tuxedo, because it was, you know, they're broadcasting to the nation, so they had to, you know, they had to be dressed appropriately, right, which is kind of amazing. And, you know, it's interesting how you know, when you, when you change your dress, when you change the way you're sitting, it does completely change the way that you project yourself, yeah, Michael Hingson  38:43 it makes sense, yeah, well, and I always enjoyed some of the old BBC radio shows, like the Goon Show, and completely some of those are so much fun. Nick Francis  38:54 Oh, great, yeah, I don't think they were wearing tuxedo. It's tuxedos. They would Michael Hingson  38:59 have been embarrassed. Yeah, right, right. Can you imagine Peter Sellers in a in a tux? It just isn't going to happen. Nick Francis  39:06 No, right, right. But yeah, no, it's so powerful. You know, they say radio is better than TV because the pictures are better. Michael Hingson  39:15 I agree. Yeah, sure, yeah. Well, you know, I I don't think this is quite the way he said it, but Fred Allen, the old radio comedian, once said they call television the new medium, because that's as good as it's ever going Nick Francis  39:28 to get. Yeah, right, right, yeah. Michael Hingson  39:32 I think there's truth to it. Whether that's exactly the way he said it or not, there's truth to that, yeah, but there's also a lot of good stuff on TV, so it's okay. Nick Francis  39:41 Well, it's so interesting. Because, you know, when you look at the it's never been more easy to create your own content, yeah, and so, you know, and like, in a way, TV, you know, he's not wrong in that, because it suddenly opened up this, this huge medium for people just to just create. Right? And, you know, and I think, like so many people, create without thinking, and, you know, and certainly in our kind of, in the in the world that we're living in now with AI production, making production so much more accessible, actually taking the time as a human being just to really think about, you know, who are the audience, what are the things that are going to what are going to kind of resonate with them? You know? Actually, I think one of the risks with AI, and not just AI, but just like production being so accessible, is that you can kind of shoot first and kind of think about it afterwards, and, you know, and that's never good. That's always going to be medium. It's medium at best, frankly. Yeah, so yeah, to create really great stuff takes time, you know, yeah, to think about it. Yeah, for sure, yeah. Michael Hingson  40:50 Well, you know, our podcast is called unstoppable mindset. What do you think that unstoppable mindset really means to you as a practical thing and not just a buzzword. Because so many people talk about the kinds of buzzwords I hear all the time are amazing. That's unstoppable, but it's really a lot more than a buzzword. It goes back to what you think, I think. But what do you think? Nick Francis  41:15 I think it's something that is is buried deep inside you. You know, I'd say the simple answer is, is just resilience. You know, it's, it's been rough. I write anyone running a small business or a medium sized business at the minute, you know, there's been some tough times over the last, kind of 1824, months or so. And, you know, I was talking to a friend of mine who she sold out of her business. And she's like, you know, how are things? I was like, you know, it's, it's, it's tough, you know, we're getting through it, you know, we're changing a lot of things, you know, we're like, we're definitely making the business better, but it's hard. And she's like, Listen, you know, when three years before I sold my company, I was at rock bottom. It was, I genuinely thought it was so stressful. I was crushed by it, but I just kept going. And she's just like, just keep going. And the only difference between success and failure is that resilience and just getting up every day and you just keep, keep throwing stuff at the wall, keep trying new things, keep working and trying to be better. I think, you know, it's funny when you look at entrepreneurs, I'm a member of a mentoring group, and I hope I'm not talking out of school here, but you know, there's 15 entrepreneurs, you know, varying sizes of business, doing all sorts, you know, across all sorts of different industries. And if you sat on the wall, if you were fly on the wall, and you sit and look at these people on a kind of week, month to month basis, and they all present on how their businesses are going. You go, this is this being an entrepreneur does not look like a uniformly fun thing, you know, the sort of the stress and just, you know, people crying and stuff, and you're like, gosh, you know, it's so it's, it's, it's hard, and yet, you know, it's people just keep coming back to it. And yet, I think it's because of that struggle that you have to kind of have something in built in you, that you're sort of, you're there to prove something. And I, you know, I've thought a lot about this, and I wonder whether, kind of, the death of my father at such a young age kind of gave me this incredible fire to seek His affirmation, you know. And unfortunately, obviously, the tragedy of that is like, you know, the one person who would never give me affirmation is my dad. And yet, you know, I get up every day, you know, to have early morning calls with the UK or with Singapore or wherever. And you know, you just just keep on, keeping on. And I think that's probably what and knowing I will never quit, you know, like, even from the earliest days of casual, when we were just, like a couple of people, and we were just, you know, kids doing our very best, I always knew the company was going to be a success act. Like, just a core belief that I was like, this is going to work. This is going to be a success. I didn't necessarily know what that success would look like. I just but I did know that, like, whatever it took, we would map, we'd map our way towards that figure it out. We'd figure it out. And I think, you know, there's probably something unstoppable. I don't know, I don't want to sound immodest, but I think there's probably something in that that you're just like, I am just gonna keep keep on, keeping on. Michael Hingson  44:22 Do you think that resilience and unstoppability are things that can be taught, or is it just something that's built into you, and either you have it or you don't? Nick Francis  44:31 I think it's something that probably, it's definitely something that can be learned, for sure, you know. And there are obviously ways that it can there's obviously ways it can be taught. You know, I was, I spent some time in the reserve, like the Army Reserve in the UK, and I just, you know, a lot of that is about teaching you just how much further you can go. I think what it taught me was it was so. So hard. I mean, honestly, some of the stuff we did in our training was, like, you know, it's just raining and raining and raining and, like, because all your kits soaking wet is weighs twice what it did before, and you just, you know, sleeping maybe, you know, an hour or two a night, and, you know, and there wasn't even anyone shooting at us, right? So, you know, like the worst bit wasn't even happening. But like, and like, in a sense, I think, you know, that's what they're trying to do, that, you know, they say, you know, train hard and fight easy. But I remember sort of sitting there, and I was just exhausted, and I just genuinely, I was just thought, you know, what if they tell me to go now, I just, I can't. I literally, I can't, I can't do it. Can't do it. And then they're like, right, lads, put your packs on. Let's go and just put your pack on. Off you go, you know, like, this sort of, the idea of not, like, I was never going to quit, just never, never, ever, you know, and like I'd physically, if I physically, like, literally, my physical being couldn't stand up, you know, I then that was be, that would be, you know, if I was kind of, like literally incapacitated. And I think what that taught me actually, was that, you know, you have what you believe you can do, like you have your sort of, you have your sort of physical envelope, but like that is only a third or a quarter of what you can actually achieve, right, you know. And I think what that, what the that kind of training is about, and you know, you can do it in marathon training. You can do it in all sorts of different, you know, even, frankly, meditate. You know, you train your mind to meditate for, you know, an hour, 90 minutes plus. You know, you're still doing the same. You know, there's a, there's an elasticity within your brain where you can teach yourself that your envelope is so much larger. Yeah. So, yeah, you know, like, is casual going to be a success? Like, I'm good, you know, I'm literally, I won't I won't stop until it is Michael Hingson  46:52 right, and then why stop? Exactly, exactly you continue to progress and move forward. Well, you know, when everything feels uncertain, whether it's the markets or whatever, what do you do or what's your process for finding clarity? Nick Francis  47:10 I think a lot of it is in having structured time away. I say structured. You build it into your calendar, but like, but it's unstructured. So, you know, I take a lot of solace in being physically fit. You know, I think if you're, if you feel physically fit, then you feel mentally far more able to deal with things. I certainly when I'm if I'm unfit and if I've been working too much and I haven't been finding the time to exercise. You know, I feel like the problems we have to face just loom so much larger. So, you know, I, I'll book out. I, you know, I work with a fan. I'm lucky enough to have a fantastic assistant who, you know, we book in my my exercise for each week, and it's almost the first thing that goes in the calendar. I do that because I can't be the business my my I can't be the leader my business requires. And it finally happened. It was a few years ago I kind of, like, the whole thing just got really big on me, and it just, you know, and I'm kind of, like, being crushed by it. And I just thought, you know what? Like, I can't, I can't fit other people's face mask, without my face mask being fit, fitted first. Like, in order to be the business my business, I keep saying that to be the lead in my business requires I have to be physically fit. So I have to look after myself first. And so consequently, like, you know, your exercise shouldn't be something just get squeezed in when you find when you have time, because, you know, if you've got family and you know, other things happening, like, you know, just will be squeezed out. So anyway, that goes in. First, I'll go for a bike ride on a Friday afternoon, you know, I'll often listen to a business book and just kind of process things. And it's amazing how often, you know, I'll just go for a run and, like, these things that have been kind of nagging away in the back of my mind, just suddenly I find clarity in them. So I try to exercise, like, five times a week. I mean, that's obviously more than most people can can manage, but you know that that really helps. And then kind of things, like the ceramics is very useful. And then, you know, I'm lucky. I think it's also just so important just to appreciate the things that you already have. You know, I think one of the most important lessons I learned last year was this idea that, you know, here is the only there. You know, everyone's working towards this kind of, like, big, you know, it's like, oh, you know, when I get to there, then everything's going to be okay, you know. And actually, you know, if you think about like, you know, and what did you want to achieve when you left college? Like, what was the salary band that you want? That you wanted to achieve? Right? A lot of people, you know, by the time you hit 4050, you've blown way through that, right? And yet you're still chasing the receding Summit, yeah, you know. And so actually, like, wherever we're trying to head to, we're already there, because once you get there, there's going to be another there that you're trying to. Head to right? So, so, you know, it's just taking a moment to be like, you know, God, I'm so lucky to have what I have. And, you know, I'm living in, we're living in the good old days, like right now, right? Michael Hingson  50:11 And the reality is that we're doing the same things and having the same discussions, to a large degree, that people did 50, 100 200 years ago. As you pointed out earlier, the fact is that we're, we're just having the same discussions about whether this works, or whether that works, or anything else. But it's all the same, Nick Francis  50:33 right, you know. And you kind of think, oh, you know, if I just, just, like, you know, if we just open up these new offices, or if we can just, you know, I think, like, look, if I, if I'd looked at casual when we started it as it is now, I would have just been like, absolute. My mind would have exploded, right? You know, if you look at what we've achieved, and yet, I kind of, you know, it's quite hard sometimes to look at it and just be like, Oh yeah, but we're only just starting. Like, there's so much more to go. I can see so much further work, that we need so many more things, that we need to do, so many more things that we could do. And actually, you know, they say, you know, I'm lucky enough to have two healthy, wonderful little girls. And you know, I think a lot of bread winners Look at, look at love being provision, and the idea that, you know, you have to be there to provide for them. And actually, the the truest form of love is presence, right? And just being there for them, and like, you know, not being distracted and kind of putting putting things aside, you know, not jumping on your emails or your Slack messages or whatever first thing in the morning, you know. And I, you know, I'm not. I'm guilty, like, I'm not, you know, I'm not one of these people who have this kind of crazy kind of morning routine where, like, you know, I'm incredibly disciplined about that because, you know, and I should be more. But like, you know, this stuff, one of the, one of the things about having a 24 hour business with people working all over the world is there's always things that I need to respond to. There's always kind of interesting things happening. And so just like making sure that I catch myself every so often to be like, I'm just going to be here now and I'm going to be with them, and I'm going to listen to what they're saying, and I'm going to respond appropriately, and, you know, I'm going to play a game with them, or whatever. That's true love. You know? Michael Hingson  52:14 Well, there's a lot of merit to the whole concept of unplugging and taking time and living in the moment. One of the things that we talked about in my book live like a guide dog, that we published last year, and it's all about lessons I've learned about leadership and teamwork and preparedness from eight guide dogs and my wife's service dog. One of the things that I learned along the way is the whole concept of living in the moment when I was in the World Trade Center with my fifth guide dog, Roselle. We got home, and I was going to take her outside to go visit the bathroom, but as soon as I took the harness off, she shot off, grabbed her favorite tug bone and started playing tug of war with my retired guide dog. Asked the veterinarians about him the next day, the people at Guide Dogs for the Blind, and they said, Well, did anything threaten her? And I said, No. And they said, there's your answer. The reality is, dogs live in the moment when it was over. It was over. And yeah, right lesson to learn. Nick Francis  53:15 I mean, amazing, absolutely amazing. You must have taken a lot of strength from that. Michael Hingson  53:20 Oh, I think it was, it was great. It, you know, I can look back at my life and look at so many things that have happened, things that I did. I never thought that I would become a public speaker, but I learned in so many ways the art of speaking and being relaxed at speaking in a in a public setting, that when suddenly I was confronted with the opportunity to do it, it just seemed like the natural thing to do. Nick Francis  53:46 Yeah, it's funny, because I think isn't public speaking the number one fear. It is. It's the most fit. It's the most feared thing for the most people. Michael Hingson  53:57 And the reality is going back to something that we talked about before. The reality is, audiences want you to succeed, unless you're a jerk and you project that, audiences want to hear what you have to say. They want you to be successful. There's really nothing to be afraid of but, but you're right. It is the number one fear, and I've never understood that. I mean, I guess I can intellectually understand it, but internally, I don't. The first time I was asked to speak after the World Trade Center attacks, a pastor called me up and he said, we're going to we're going to have a service outside for all the people who we lost in New Jersey and and that we would like you to come and speak. Take a few minutes. And I said, Sure. And then I asked him, How many people many people were going to be at the service? He said, 6000 that was, that was my first speech. Nick Francis  54:49 Yeah, wow. But it didn't bother me, you know, no, I bet Michael Hingson  54:54 you do the best you can, and you try to improve, and so on. But, but it is true that so many people. Are public speaking, and there's no reason to what Nick Francis  55:03 did that whole experience teach you? Michael Hingson  55:06 Well, one of the things that taught me was, don't worry about the things that you can't control. It also taught me that, in reality, any of us can be confronted with unexpected things at any time, and the question is, how well do we prepare to deal with it? So for me, for example, and it took me years after September 11 to recognize this, but one of the things that that happened when the building was hit, and Neither I, nor anyone on my side of the building really knew what happened. People say all the time, well, you didn't know because you couldn't see it. Well, excuse me, it hit 18 floors above us on the other side of the building. And the last time I checked X ray vision was fictitious, so nobody knew. But did the building shake? Oh, it tipped. Because tall buildings like that are flexible. And if you go to any tall building, in reality, they're made to buffet in wind storms and so on, and in fact, they're made to possibly be struck by an airplane, although no one ever expected that somebody would deliberately take a fully loaded jet aircraft and crash it into a tower, because it wasn't the plane hitting the tower as such that destroyed both of them. It was the exploding jet fuel that destroyed so much more infrastructure caused the buildings to collapse. But in reality, for me, I had done a lot of preparation ahead of time, not even thinking that there would be an emergency, but thinking about I need to really know all I can about the building, because I've got to be the leader of my office, and I should know all of that. I should know what to do in an emergency. I should know how to take people to lunch and where to go and all that. And by learning all of that, as I learned many and discovered many years later, it created a mindset that kicked in when the World Trade Center was struck, and in fact, we didn't know until after both towers had collapsed, and I called my wife. We I talked with her just before we evacuated, and the media hadn't even gotten the story yet, but I never got a chance to talk with her until after both buildings had collapsed, and then I was able to get through and she's the first one that told us how the two buildings had been hit by hijacked aircraft. But the mindset had kicked in that said, You know what to do, do it and that. And again, I didn't really think about that until much later, but that's something that is a lesson we all could learn. We shouldn't rely on just watching signs to know what to do, no to go in an emergency. We should really know it, because the knowledge, rather than just having information, the true intellectual knowledge that we internalize, makes such a big difference. Nick Francis  57:46 Do you think it was the fact that you were blind that made you so much more keen to know the way out that kind of that really helped you to understand that at the time? Michael Hingson  57:56 Well, what I think is being blind and growing up in an environment where so many things could be unexpected, for me, it was important to know so, for example, when I would go somewhere to meet a customer, I would spend time, ahead of time, learning how to get around, learning how to get to where they were and and learning what what the process was, because we didn't have Google Maps and we didn't have all the intellectual and and technological things that we have today. Well intellectual we did with the technology we didn't have. So today it's easier, but still, I want to know what to do. I want to really have the answers, and then I can can more easily and more effectively deal with what I need to deal with and react. So I'm sure that blindness played a part in all of that, because if I hadn't learned how to do the things that I did and know the things that I knew, then it would have been a totally different ball game, and so sure, I'm sure, I'm certain that blindness had something to do with it, but I also know that, that the fact is, what I learned is the same kinds of things that everyone should learn, and we shouldn't rely on just the signs, because what if the building were full of smoke, then what would you do? Right? And I've had examples of that since I was at a safety council meeting once where there was somebody from an electric company in Missouri who said, you know, we've wondered for years, what do we do if there's a fire in the generator room, in the basement, In the generator room, how do people get out? And he and I actually worked on it, and they developed a way where people could have a path that they could follow with their feet to get them out. But the but the reality is that what people first need to learn is eyesight is not the only game in town. Yeah, right. Mean, it's so important to really learn that, but people, people don't, and we take too many things for granted, which is, which is really so unfortunate, because we really should do a li

Ngày 18/12 đã diễn ra Lễ Tổng kết Dự án “Thúc đẩy hợp tác với thị trường EU và khuyến khích triển khai mô hình phát triển bền vững trong doanh nghiệp Việt Nam” do Bộ Ngoại giao Bulgaria tài trợ. Dự án trực tiếp góp phần thúc đẩy việc hiểu biết và thực thi Hiệp định EVFTA.

Okay - EVERYONE has been asking me "what do we do?" and "how will we beat them?" - well here you go - THIS is more like it - people who are doing it, and winning! You can donate any amount to the "Patriots for Bulgaria" Foundation and support the education of Bulgaria's future leaders, battling the injustice and moving towards victory of the Resistance! https://buy.stripe.com/cNi7sK0yJ91maK69CF5Ne0eFollow them here: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RIvanovTogether/ Telegram:https://t.me/radoslavivanovtogether and WATCH/subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp6KUm_e7yEIMPORTANT: Secure yourself and your family against the Reset - by talking to the best experts who cater for clients in USA, Europe and many other regions: https://thepuregoldcompany.co.uk/ivor-cummins/

Historically, the celebration of Christmas and Carnival could overlap, and there is some reason to believe that customs associated with the former were inherited by the latter. A clue to this calendrical shift is offered by the Christmas song, “Carol of the Bells,” which uses the melody of an old Ukrainian New Year;s carol, one which dates back to the era in which New Year was celebrated in March (hence the springtime imagery of its original Ukrainian lyrics). Ukrainian postcard commemorating the folk song”Shchedryk” source of “Carol of the Bells” After a brief look at the variable date chosen to celebrate the New Year throughout European history, we take some time to rethink our modern understanding of what constitutes the Christmas season.  The common notion that the season ends on December 25 or January 1, possibly including the weeks leading up to those dates, in historical understanding, was reversed, with Dec. 25 representing the start of Christmastide, which at the very least ran until Epiphany (Jan. 6) or Candlemas (Feb. 2). The merger of Christmas and Carnival is not only aided by the historically later end date of Christmastide, but also the variable start date for Carnival. A number of regional dates preferred for those festivities are discussed with Germany’s initiation of festivities on November 11 being the earliest. Another reason to suspect that Carnival inherited some of its customs from Carnival is the carnivalesque quality of the Christmas Feast of Fools celebrated anywhere from Dec. 26 to January 6.  The wild, and sometimes dangerous revels celebrated on those days (and discussed in Episode 100) were ended by local bishops at roughly the same time that Carnival celebrations in France and Germany emerged, suggesting  re-channeling of anarchic impulses and customs. Our discussion then turns to the Roman New Year, the January Kalends, which likely inspired chaotic elements around the Feast of Fools. Of particular interest here are accounts of celebrants dressing in animal hides and horns. a custom that seems to have survived in certain Carnival traditions, including a number discussed in my Carnival book.  One of these, the Kurent of Slovenia, who happens to be rather similar to the Austrian Krampus across the country’s northern border. In Western Bulgaria too, another Carnival figure, the Kuker, in western regions also makes  use of animal hides and horns (as well as bells).  Bulgaria also provides us with an interesting 20th-century case study of the merger of the traditions of Christmas (or “Surva,” the Bulgarian New Year) merging with springtime fertility customs of Carnival, both strands being associated with the Kuker. We wrap up with a brief look at Slavic celebrations of the Christmas cycle as Koliade (various spellings), a name for Christmastide and the customs associated with it, particularly door-to-door “good luck visits” incorporating short plays and songs, kolyadka in Ukrainian, the original of “Carol of the Bells” (Shchedryk/”Bountiful Evening”) being one of these songs “New Year’s Carols” (Kolędnicy noworoczni) from “A Polish Year in Life, Tradition and Song” (1900). The sources for this show are Mr. Ridenour’s books The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas and A Season of Madness, Fools, Monsters, and Marvels of the Old-World Carnival.

How Gen Z-led protests toppled the Bulgarian government, a close look at Denmark's hardline asylum policies, and what should be done about the Dutch housing crisis. Then: A Scottish island castle for sale, Vilnius' bid to become Europe's biggest start-up hub, exhumations of political prisoners in Prague, and how the French Post Office tries to stay relevant.

This week we look at the Bondi massacres and the rise of anti-semitism in Australia and the Western world;  Amsterdam; Belgium; Germany; France; England;  Country of the Week - Bulgaria; Chile turns Conservative; The unelected EU President argues for elected democracies;  Tommy Robinson's Carol Service;  with music from Annie Lennox; Joshua Aaron; Mystery of Bulgaria Voices;  Booker T and the MGs;  The Ramones;  and Dave Henderson 

Send us a textFor a treat today the Batt Cave has two stories to share about Golden Apples.First Tanya tells Batt Lamb all about the Ancient Greek story of Paris and the Golden Apple... of Gods and choices and all that great mythical stuff.Then Tanya tells the first part of a long Wonder Tale from Bulgaria about three brothers and a golden apple tree. Follow this exciting tale  and then join us next month for the final instalment.Support the showYou can find our audios and books to purchase at https://imagined-worlds.net/story-shopOr join the live monthly Batt Cave storytelling club at https://ko-fi.com/tanyabatt0027/tiers Or if you are an educator for children 0 - 8 years subscribe to 'Batt on the Mat' - a monthly online, professional development storytelling and arts programme https://imagined-worlds.net/batt-on-the-matAnd finally, if you enjoyed our podcast, please share with friends and write a review. Or make a donation to support what we do here https://ko-fi.com/tanyabatt0027Kia Ora!

For review:1. President Trump Orders Blockade of Sanctioned Venezuelan Oil Tankers.2. Speaking at an annual meeting with top military officers, Russian President Putin said Moscow would prefer to achieve its goals and “eliminate the root causes of the conflict” by diplomatic means, but he added that “if the opposing side and its foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive dialogue, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means.”3. Six Countries Join (Gaza) Board of Peace. The US has secured commitments from Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany to have their leaders join US President Donald Trump on the Board of Peace.4. The United States Central Command hosted a conference in Qatar on Tuesday with dozens of partner nations to discuss plans for an International Stabilization Force for the Gaza Strip.Egypt, Indonesia, Qatar, Jordan, the UAE, Italy, France, the UK, and Azerbaijan were among the attendees. Other countries at the summit included Cyprus, Georgia, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Jordan, Japan, Greece, Singapore, the EU, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kuwait, Morocco, Bahrain, Bosnia, Finland, Kosovo, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Spain, and Yemen.5. Senators voted 77-20 on a bipartisan basis to send this year's National Defense Authorization Act to the desk of President Donald Trump, who has indicated he will sign the bill. The 2026 NDAA authorizes $900.6 billion in defense funds, or about $8 billion more than the White House's request. 

“Life is short, and I spent 11 years of my life doing something that I found interesting, like software development and project management. And this is all wonderful and interesting, but there is an opportunity cost to that. These are 11 years that I didn't write my books, and I don't want that to happen to me again.” – Katerina Stoykova Today's featured bestselling author is a mom, award-winning bilingual poet, editor, speaker, teacher, translator, and the founder and Senior Editor of Accents Publishing, Katerina Stoykova. Katerina and I had a fun on a bun chat about her books, journey from growing up in communist Bulgaria to moving to the U.S., her unexpected leap into acting, and more!!Key Things You'll Learn:What inspired Katerina to become a poet and publish multiple written worksHow her accent inspired her to start her own radio show and publishing companyOne way to deal with resistance when it comes to writingHer advice for aspiring writers to get to the finish line with their workKaterina's Site: https://www.accents-publishing.com/Katerina's Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BZJPP6F6/allbooksKaterina's Podcast,” Accents”: https://www.wuky.org/podcast/accentsThe opening track is titled, “Unknown From M.E. | Sonic Adventure 2 ~ City Pop Remix” by Iridium Beats. To listen to and download the full track, click the following link. https://www.patreon.com/posts/sonic-adventure-136084016 Please support today's podcast to keep this content coming! CashApp: $DomBrightmonDonate on PayPal: @DBrightmonBuy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dombrightmonGet Going North T-Shirts, Stickers, and More: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/dom-brightmonThe Going North Advancement Compass: https://a.co/d/bA9awotYou May Also Like…Ep. 311 – “Works of Urban Mythopoeia” with Cat Rambo (@Catrambo): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-311-works-of-urban-mythopoeia-with-cat-rambo-catrambo/Ep. 574 – “Light Skin Gone to Waste” with Toni Ann Johnson (@toniannjohnson): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-574-light-skin-gone-to-waste-with-toni-ann-johnson-toniannjohnson/Ep. 856 – The Bestselling Planner Pivot with Dr. Nicole Janz (@drnicolejanz): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-856-the-bestselling-planner-pivot-with-dr-nicole-janz-drnicolejanz/229 – “Unbroken” with Tajci Cameron (@TajciCameron): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/229-unbroken-with-tajci-cameron-tajcicameron/Ep. 1003 – From Orphan to United Nations Peacekeeper with Christine Sadry: https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-1003-from-orphan-to-united-nations-peacekeeper-with-christine-sadry/Ep. 824 – From the Dojo to the Ballroom with Charlotte Friborg (@CFriborgInt): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-824-from-the-dojo-to-the-ballroom-with-charlotte-friborg-cfriborgint/Ep. 960 – The Power of the Actor with Ivana Chubbuck (@ivanachubbuck): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-960-the-power-of-the-actor-with-ivana-chubbuck-ivanachubbuck/Ep. 884 – How to Go From Stuck to Unstoppable with Murielle Marie Ungricht: https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-884-how-to-go-from-stuck-to-unstoppable-with-murielle-marie-ungricht/Ep. 647 – “Making It Happen In Showbiz & In Life” with Sabine Kvenberg, DTM (@SabineKvenberg): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-647-making-it-happen-in-showbiz-in-life-with-sabine-kvenberg-dtm-sabinekvenberg/Ep. 851 – How To Be Future-fit and Lead With Relevance with Louise Mowbray (@louisemowbray): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-851-how-to-be-future-fit-and-lead-with-relevance-with-louise-mowbray-louisemowbray/Ep. 898 – From Tech to Tales with Dr. Afarin Bellisario (@afarin_afarina): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-898-from-tech-to-tales-with-dr-afarin-bellisario-afarin_afarina/

What does it take to keep the global economy stable in times of crisis? Nicolai Tangen sits down with Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, to discuss the IMF's role in maintaining financial stability across 191 member countries. They explore debt levels, AI's impact on labor markets, and climate as a financial risk. Kristalina shares her journey from Bulgaria to leading the IMF, emphasizing her philosophy of curiosity, courage, and compassion. With $1 trillion in lending capacity, the IMF supports countries through economic crises worldwide. In Good Company is hosted by Nicolai Tangen, CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management. New full episodes every Wednesday, and don't miss our Highlight episodes every Friday. The production team for this episode includes Isabelle Karlsson and PLAN-B's Niklas Figenschau Johansen, Sebastian Langvik-Hansen and Pål Huuse. Background research was conducted by Une Solheim. Watch the episode on YouTube: Norges Bank Investment Management - YouTubeWant to learn more about the fund? The fund | Norges Bank Investment Management (nbim.no)Follow Nicolai Tangen on LinkedIn: Nicolai Tangen | LinkedInFollow NBIM on LinkedIn: Norges Bank Investment Management: Administrator for bedriftsside | LinkedInFollow NBIM on Instagram: Explore Norges Bank Investment Management on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get ready to deck the halls with the penultimate episode of the WOAFM99 Christmas Special! Join your host, Billboard Top 10 artist, award-winning producer, and former MTV VJ Oliver Sean, alongside the WOA Team, as we continue our global search for the finest independent holiday music. On today's show, we unveil the 13 breakthrough Indie artists who have earned the title of Certified Indie Holiday Songs of the Week. We also take a trip down memory lane with featured tracks from the Independent No.1's Christmas Special 10th Anniversary album, and showcase hits from this year's massive Christmas Special Vol. 11, which is currently storming the charts in the US, UK, Bulgaria, and beyond! Today's Certified Indie Playlist: Oliver Sean – Merry Christmas Everyone Neil Patrick – All I'll Ever Need Joseph Pagano – Silent Night Crooner Ed – Jesus is my Friend B Thomas – Christmas Time For Love Danni Stefanetti – Christmas in New York Andrew Kay – A Christmas Miracle Zsel – 2 Snow Angels and Second Chances Fabian A Feliciano – Christmas is Here Again The Cautious Arc – A Little of That Never Hurt No One Demi McMahon – Santa Doesn't Like Me, He Loves Me Juice Tha Black Beethoven – Meet Me at the Mistletoe Jacques Péna – Je Suis Jaloux Don't Miss the Finale! The holiday season is reaching its peak! Make sure to tune in next week for the grand conclusion of our festivities: The WOAFM99 Christmas Show Finale. We'll be wrapping up the year with the biggest indie hits and festive cheers you won't hear anywhere else. Listen Now: Available on all major podcast platforms and at www.woafm99.com.

What does it really mean to be a rainbow family in the European Union? In this episode of Europe Talks Back, we explore the promise and the shortcomings of the European Certificate of Parenthood, a regulation meant to ensure that parenthood rights are recognised across all 27 EU countries. From Spain to Bulgaria, Italy to Poland, we look at what's happening when same-sex families cross borders, only to find that their legal status doesn't always travel with them. To unpack the legal grey zones, the clash between national sovereignty and EU law, and what all this means for the children caught in between, we spoke with Professor Alina Tryfonidou, an expert in EU law and a leading voice on LGBTIQ+ rights. Despite hopeful rulings from EU courts, many rainbow families remain in limbo, a stark reminder that equality on paper doesn't always mean equality in practice.Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Union.Production: By Europod, in co-production with Sphera Network.Follow us on:LinkedInInstagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send Bidemi a Text Message!In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde connects the dots between a sudden Cambodia–Thailand border flare-up and fresh signals of accountability and diplomacy: from an ICC Darfur war-crimes sentence to prisoner releases in Belarus and political fallout in Bulgaria. What do these seemingly separate headlines reveal when you view them through the lens of hybrid warfare? Bidemi closes with a simple, practical security habit you can apply immediately, plus a mental model for spotting the next inflection point before it hits the mainstream.Support for The Bid Picture Podcast comes from Black Rifle Coffee Company, a veteran-founded coffee brand roasting premium beans for people who love a strong start to the day. From bold blends to convenient ready-to-drink cans, Black Rifle Coffee keeps you fueled for whatever's ahead. Check them out at blackriflecoffee.com.Support for The Bid Picture Podcast comes from GymShark, performance apparel designed for people who take their training seriously. With gym-ready fits that move with you, GymShark helps you stay focused from warm-up to cooldown. Explore their latest drops at gymshark.com.Support for The Bid Picture Podcast comes from Uncommon Goods, an online marketplace filled with unique, independently made gifts. From clever gadgets to handcrafted home goods, Uncommon Goods helps you find something thoughtful for everyone on your list. Learn more at uncommongoods.com.Support the show

Here's a fresh way to choose the right “money-and-meaning” help: this conversation maps the entire financial therapy spectrum as a simple two-axis quadrant: financial to psychotherapy and shallow to deep, then shows where options like books, coaching, financial planning, CBT, IFS, and psychoanalysis actually sit, and how to know what you need; with guest Vessy Tasheva, Rick explores why credentials matter less than the therapeutic alliance, how identity and safety (gender, culture, lived experience) shape fit, and why histories like Bulgaria's hyperinflation can drive powerful money scripts today, offering clear, human guidance for finding a professional who supports both your numbers and your nervous system. #FinancialTherapy #MoneyAndMeaning #MoneyMindset #TherapyAndFinance #FinancialWellness #MoneyHealing #MoneyPsychology #MoneyCoaching #FinancialGuidance #TherapeuticAlliance #MoneyScripts #MoneyIdentity #FinanceAndMentalHealth #MoneyAwareness #FindYourFit A podcast that blends the nuts and bolts of financial advice with the emotions that drive our money decisions. Join Rick Kahler, CFP®, CFT™, as he blends practical financial wisdom with the emotional insights that shape our choices. Discover how financial therapy can help you make money decisions that truly align with your values..

We're back to break down all the action from last Thursday's Europa & Conference League bonanza. We start in Bulgaria and Romania, where Ludogorets and FCSB played host to two extraordinarily entertaining goal fests, with the former taking down struggling Feyenoord. We also take a stop in Greece to discuss why AEK Athens is in such good form and why they have a real shot at challenging for the UECL grown. Then we move on to the BIG BOYS in both competitions, stopping along the way to marvel at Aston Villa's ability to pull out close wins, laud Vincenzo Italiano for the work he's doing at Bologna, and pile on Fiorentina, Mainz, and Nice , who are all experiencing the worst of times. Of course, we still have time to talk Lincoln Red Imps' historic second win in the league phase, plus examine Wilfried Nancy's rocky start to life at Celtic. All that, and a look ahead to what's at stake on the Conference League league phase's final day on December 18. Cheers to Marko Nikolić!

On today's episode, we discuss the shocking murder of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, how little is still known about the case, and why the hosts insist on speaking of the dead with restraint while they wait for facts. From there the conversation turns to politics abroad, highlighting Chile's decisive vote to oust a Marxist-leaning leader using paper ballots and Bulgaria's similar populist turn away from communist-style parties, both framed as part of a broader global backlash against left-wing governance. The hosts also cover the Bondi Beach terror attack in Australia, praising the untrained Muslim shopkeeper who tackled a gunman under strict gun-control laws, and contrasting this with armed self-defense norms and church security practices in the American South. Finally, they unpack U.S. security and legal issues: thousands of known or suspected terrorists admitted under Biden-era policies, questions about the missing J6 pipe-bomber video, and whether Trump's pardon of Colorado clerk Tina Peters can lawfully reach a state conviction for alleged election-related crimes against the American people. Don't miss it!

We see the diversification mirage – one of our 2026 Outlook themes – playing out in real time with a sharp spike in global bond yields. Natalie Gill, Portfolio Strategist at the BlackRock Investment Institute, explains. FOR PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION IN THE U.S., CANADA, LATIN AMERICA, AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, DENMARK, FINLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, IRELAND, ISRAEL, ITALY, LIECHENSTEIN, LUXEMBOURG, NETHERLANDS, NORWAY, PORTUGAL, SOUTH AFRICA, SPAIN, SWEDEN, SWITZERLAND, THE UNITED KINGDOM, HONG KONG, SINGAPORE AND AUSTRALIA. FOR INSTITUTIONAL, PROFESSIONAL, QUALIFIED CLIENTS/INVESTORS IN OTHER PERMITTED COUNTRIES. General disclosure: This document is marketing material, is intended for information and educational purposes only, and does not constitute investment advice, a recommendation or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any securities or any investment strategies. The opinions expressed are as of [DATE] and are subject to change without notice. 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VOV1 - Ngày 1/1/2026, Bulgaria sẽ chính thức gia nhập khu vực đồng euro-một cột mốc lịch sử đánh dấu sự hội nhập sâu hơn vào Liên minh châu Âu. Tuy nhiên, các chuyên gia hàng đầu Bulgaria cảnh báo, việc chuyển đổi sang đồng euro có thể dẫn đến tình trạng tăng giá, ảnh hưởng trực tiếp đến người dân.

Hoy comenzamos hablando sobre las manifestaciones masivas en Bulgaria debido a la corrupción del Gobierno y los ajustes que ha debido aplicar para conseguir la entrada en el euro. El Gobierno búlgaro ha dimitido en bloque después de varias semanas de concentraciones y movilizaciones y la entrada en el euro se encuentra en riesgo. Por otro lado, la Unión Europea debate sobre si confiscar los activos rusos para financiar la guerra contra Rusia, quien ha vuelto a afirmar que lo consideraría un casus belli. Mientras tanto, los Estados Unidos han decidido delegar la presión sobre Rusia en Europa. Con Íñigo Molina, Toni Hernández y Carlos García. Conduce Juan Carlos Barba. Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

This week we're re-releasing one of our most powerful and memorable episodes of the year - a conversation that many of our new listeners may have missed when it first came out. Dr Alia Bojilova is the former Lead Psychologist of the New Zealand SAS, a United Nations peacekeeper, bestselling author of The Resilience Toolkit, and one of the most remarkable humans we've ever had on the show.In this episode, Alia takes us inside the extraordinary story of the time she was taken hostage by Syrian rebels while serving with the UN, and how she used curiosity, composure and human connection to survive an ordeal with almost no chance of escape. But this conversation goes far beyond the hostage event. We explore her upbringing in post-communist Bulgaria, elite athletic career, the science behind resilience, her relationship with her husband Jamie (an SAS soldier and former BTB guest), motherhood, leadership, identity, and the psychology of navigating adversity.It's an episode that has stayed with listeners long after they finished it - and with so many new followers discovering Between Two Beers, we wanted to bring it back into the spotlight.If you're new to the show, this is one of the most compelling stories we've told. If you heard it the first time, it's well worth revisiting. Enjoy this special re-release with Dr Alia Bojilova.This episode is brought to you by our proud sponsors TAB - and Steve and Seamus are proud to be dressed by Barkers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Catherine (Katie) Ulissey, wife and research partner of geologist Dr. Robert Schoch, found her early years shaped by dance. Conservatory trained, she turned professional at the age of 16, performing with classical ballet and contemporary dance companies, and later transitioning to musical theater, performing on Broadway in a number of productions including the original cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera". Her early childhood in Saudi Arabia sparked a lifelong fascination with ancient mysteries. Katie and Dr. Schoch met at a conference on the topic in 2007 and married on Easter Island in 2010. Together, they have co-authored works exploring ancient civilizations and their connections to cosmic events. Katie has contributed significantly to her husband's research, including connecting Easter Island's previously undeciphered rongorongo script to global “plasma petroglyphs” first identified by renowned physicist Dr. Anthony Peratt of Los Alamos National Laboratory. This discovery shifted her husband's research toward our Sun as the probable cause of the end of the last ice age. Related to this, she noticed giant Lichtenberg patterns emanating from beneath the Great and Second Pyramids on the Giza Plateau (dendritic patterns would be consistent with plasma ejected during massive solar outbursts). More recently, she has offered an hypothesis regarding the potential “Ancient and Intentional Burial of Ancient Egypt” (in similar fashion to Göbekli Tepe). She holds a B.A. from Emerson College (2002) and stays connected to her dance roots by teaching ballet at Wellesley College. She is the author of a children's book, “Adriana and the Ancient Mysteries: The Great Sphinx”, published in German, Italian, and English (revised edition).Dr. Robert M. Schoch, a full-time faculty member at the College of General Studies at Boston University since 1984, and a recipient of its Peyton Richter Award for interdisciplinary teaching, earned his Ph.D. in Geology and Geophysics at Yale University in 1983. He also holds an M.S. and M.Phil. in Geology and Geophysics from Yale, as well as degrees in Anthropology (B.A.) and Geology (B.S.) from George Washington University. In recognition of his research into ancient civilizations, Dr. Schoch was awarded (in 2014) the title of Honorary Professor of the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Varna, Bulgaria. In 2017, the College of General Studies at Boston University named him Director of its Institute for the Study of the Origins of Civilization (ISOC).In the early 1990s, Dr. Schoch stunned the world with his revolutionary research that recast the date of the Great Sphinx of Egypt to a period thousands of years earlier than its standard attribution. In demonstrating that the leonine monument has been heavily eroded by water despite the fact that its location on the edge of the Sahara has endured hyper-arid climactic conditions for the past 5,000 years, Dr. Schoch revealed to the world that mankind's history is greater and older than previously believed. The subsequently excavated 12,000-year-old megalithic site of Göbekli Tepe in Turkey confirmed these assertions.Dr. Schoch's more recent research has focused on the cataclysmic events that ended Earth's last ice age, circa 9700 BCE, simultaneously decimating the high civilizations of the time. The overwhelming evidence drawn from varying disciplines, put forth in his book Forgotten Civilization: New Discoveries on the Solar-Induced Dark Age (2021), points to enormous solar outbursts as the cause.Dr. Schoch has been quoted extensively in the media for his work on ancient cultures and monuments around the globe. His research has been instrumental in spurring renewed attention to the interrelationships between geological and astronomical phenomena, natural catastrophes, and the early history of civilization. He has appeared on numerous radio and television shows and is featured in the Emmy-winning documentary The Mystery of the Sphinx, which first aired on NBC in 1993.The author and coauthor of books both technical and popular, Dr. Schoch's works include Phylogeny Reconstruction in Paleontology (1986), Stratigraphy: Principles and Methods (1989), Voices of the Rocks (1999), Voyages of the Pyramid Builders (2003), Pyramid Quest (2005), The Parapsychology Revolution (2008), Forgotten Civilization: The Role of Solar Outbursts in Our Past and Future (2012), Origins of the Sphinx (2017), and the 2nd edition (revised and expanded) of Forgotten Civilization, subtitled New Discoveries on the Solar-Induced Dark Age (2021), among others. Dr. Schoch is also the coauthor of an environmental science textbook used in universities across the United States, and he has contributed to numerous magazines, journals, and reviews on geology, ancient civilizations, parapsychology, and other topics. His works have been translated into a number of languages and distributed around the world.Besides his academic and scholarly studies, Dr. Schoch is an active environmental advocate who stresses a pragmatic, hands-on approach. In this connection, he helped found a local community land trust devoted to protecting land from harmful development, serving on its Board of Directors for many years. And despite acknowledging that our Sun is a major driver of climate on the planet, Dr. Schoch takes an active part in “green” politics; for over a decade he served as an elected member of his local city council.In 1993, an extinct mammal genus was named Schochia in honor of Dr. Schoch's paleontological contributions.It was at the instigation of the late John Anthony West (1932—2018) that Dr. Schoch first began studying the age of the Sphinx. The chamber beneath the Sphinx's paw, which Dr. Schoch, working with Dr. Thomas Dobecki, discovered in the early 1990s and which many people believe is an ancient archive or "Hall of Records" remains unexplored.In 2010 (and grateful to the dignitaries who made it possible), Dr. Schoch married former ballet and Broadway dancer Catherine Ulissey in both civil and traditional Rapanui ceremonies on Easter Island.Dr. Schoch's website is www.robertschoch.com.- - - - -Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/earth-ancients--2790919/support.

//The Wire//2300Z December 12, 2025////ROUTINE////BLUF: BULGARIAN PM RESIGNS AMID MASS PROTESTS AND CIVIL UNREST. WARTIME PREPARATIONS CONTINUE IN CARIBBEAN. MULTIPLE VIOLENT ATTACKS REPORTED AROUND THE UNITED STATES.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Caribbean: Wartime preparations continue as before on all sides. The United States continues to bolster forces throughout the region, slowly increasing the military presence at US installations on islands adjacent to Venezuela. Maduro's forces continue to fortify and harden defensive positions as best they can, which is mostly taking the form of defensive exercises and the widening of a slightly more organized Civil Defense effort to arm the populace to fight the United States in the event of invasion.Analyst Comment: A few days ago, one of Maduro's main political opponents, María Corina Machado, was smuggled out of the country secretly to attend the ceremonies accepting the Nobel Peace Prize. This also had many side benefits: One of Maduro's opponents being thrust back into the international limelight by the United States is a necessary step in regime change. And also, having a prospective replacement for Maduro physically out of the country when the shooting starts is quite convenient.United Kingdom: A community Christmas Tree was vandalized after the tree lighting ceremony in Shotton Colliery last night. Local authorities state that someone cut down the tree with a chainsaw a few hours after the annual tree lighting ceremony in the common area adjacent to St. Saviour's Anglican Church. Analyst Comment: The assailants have not been caught, however locals have a list of suspects in mind as the same "youths" were observed throwing objects at passing cars in the same general area over the past few days. The tree itself is also not a temporary tree brought in for the holidays, it's actually a WW1 Memorial that was planted years ago and is typically decorated for the holiday season.Bulgaria: Yesterday evening the government collapsed as Prime Minister Zhelezaykov resigned after months of protests. Last night a vote of no-confidence was scheduled to be held in Parliament (which also triggered widespread protests in the streets), however a few minutes before the vote the Prime Minister resigned.Analyst Comment: This effectively makes Bulgaria the latest government to fall to the Zoomer Uprising, the global trend of mostly younger citizens uprooting the old-guard from the seats of power. Where things head for Bulgaria right now is anyone's guess, but considering that Bulgaria is consistently labeled as the most corrupt nation in the EU (often by a wide margin), there will certainly be a lot of incentive to make radical changes over the next few months.-HomeFront-Georgia: Last night an chemical attack was conducted in Savannah, wounding one woman who was walking on the sidewalk near Forsyth Park last night. Ashley Wasielewski suffered 3rd degree burns when a man approached her from behind and poured an unidentified chemical on her. The suspect remains unknown and at large. Authorities have provided an extremely low resolution photo of the suspect, a black male who was last seen in the vicinity of the attack site. No further details have been provided on the attacker.New York: Yesterday a stabbing was reported at Macy's in Herald Square which involved a woman being attacked in a changing room by a random assailant. The woman was attending to her infant in the restroom on the 7th floor of the store, when the attacker (who was also in the restroom at the time) stabbed her multiple times. The victim's husband, who was waiting outside, entered the restroom and reports vary regarding what happened next. Some sources claim the husband detained the assailant until authorities arrived, whereas other sources claim the attacker egressed from the area before being

Conciertos de Bad Bunny dejarán más de 3 mmdp a la CDMX Ocho heridos por explosión de pirotecnia en iglesia de ChiapasRenuncia el primer ministro de BulgariaMás información en nuestro podcast 

The U.S. plans to intercept more Venezuelan oil tankers. The U.S. Senate shuts down two competing healthcare bills as Obamacare tax credits near their expiration date. Bulgaria's government resigns in the face of mass anti-corruption protests. And Walt Disney will allow OpenAI's Sora video generator to use its characters.    Listen to Morning Bid podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Find the Recommended Read here. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

El oro ha fascinado a la humanidad desde siempre por su brillo eterno y sus inigualables propiedades: no se oxida, no se corrompe y es muy dúctil. También es relativamente escaso. El oro se creó con el mismo universo. Al formarse la Tierra hace 4.500 millones de años, la mayor parte del oro se hundió en el núcleo. El que es accesible en la corteza llegó después con el “bombardeo tardío” de asteroides. Una serie de procesos hidrotermales lo concentraron en vetas y la erosión lo depositó en algunos ríos que es donde se empezó a extraer. El oro más antiguo conocido apareció en la necrópolis de Varna, en la actual Bulgaria. Data de la edad del cobre, de hace más de seis mil años, y consiste en ajuares funerarios reservados a la élite y asociados al poder y al más allá. Desde entonces su función pasó a ser simbólica, no utilitaria, ya que era demasiado blando para emplearse en la fabricación de herramientas. En el Antiguo Egipto creían que la carne de los dioses estaba hecha de oro. Se usaba en estatuas y en máscaras funerarias como la de Tutankamón. Pero los egipcios no tenían minas propias, lo tenían que importar de Nubia. Las cartas de Amarna muestran como en el segundo milenio antes de Cristo su uso ya estaba muy extendido y viajaba de un lado a otro. En la América prehispánica los incas lo llamaban “sudor del sol” y lo reservaban para ciertos rituales. Los muiscas de la actual Colombia crearon la tumbaga (una aleación oro y cobre) que empleaban en un ritual que originó la leyenda de El Dorado. En China, aunque el jade se consideraba superior, el oro formaba parte de los trajes funerarios de los emperadores. En Roma el oro se convirtió en la sangre de la economía. Los romanos se hicieron con grandes yacimientos en Hispania y Dacia, donde desarrollaron la minería a gran escala. Con ese oro acuñaron monedas como el aureus y el solidus, cuyo valor se mantuvo estable durante siglos. Pero era escaso, así que, desde la antigüedad fueron muchos los que intentaron fabricarlo transmutando metales viles como el plomo en oro. Nunca lo consiguieron, pero con sus repetidos fracasos estos alquimistas sentaron las bases de la química moderna. El descubrimiento y conquista de América abrió un nuevo capítulo en la historia del oro al tiempo que se globalizaba el comercio. La llegada de metales preciosos a España provocó inflación, pero también permitió que las monedas españolas de oro, los doblones de a 8, se convirtiesen en una suerte de divisa aceptada en cualquier parte del mundo por su abundancia y la fiabilidad de su peso y su ley. El siglo XIX vino acompañado de las grandes fiebres del oro. La de California en 1848 atrajo cientos de miles de aventureros que, en unos pocos años, extrajeron unas 800 toneladas transformando para siempre aquel Estado. Tras la de California hubo otras fiebres similares en Australia en 1851, en Sudáfrica en 1886 y a orillas del río Klondike, en Canadá, en 1897. En esa misma época el patrón oro posibilitó la expansión del comercio mundial y financió la revolución industrial. Ese patrón se reajustaría tras la segunda guerra mundial hasta que Richard Nixon lo eliminó por completo en 1971, inaugurando de paso la era del dinero fiduciario. Hoy el oro es, aparte de valor en sí mismo, una materia prima importantísima en sectores como el de la electrónica, la medicina y la exploración espacial. Desde el origen de los tiempos se han extraído poco más de 200.000 toneladas y cada año se extraen unas 3.000 toneladas. El oro sigue siendo escaso y deseado. Si hay oro en los fondos marinos o en los asteroides podemos estar seguros de que alguien irá hasta allí a buscarlo. En El ContraSello: 0:00 Introducción 4:16 Oro, el divino metal 29:46 “Contra el pesimismo”… https://amzn.to/4m1RX2R 1:15:57 La guerra de la independencia 1:19:03 El concilio de Constanza y la nación hispánica Bibliografía: “Historia del oro” de Alejandro Navarro - https://amzn.to/452PPBY “Oro y patrón oro” de Walter Edwin - https://amzn.to/4iQJzDb “The secret history of gold” de Dominic Frisby - https://amzn.to/3KOUkcx “A history of gold and money” de Pierre Vilar - https://amzn.to/44XzsGX “Power of gold” de Peter L. Bernstein - https://amzn.to/4rNwyi1 #FernandoDiazVillanueva #historia #oro Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

Help us reach our goal of 75 podcast patrons! Join us at www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope.Adam and Alexandra open this episode with the latest news from the region. They look at the importance of the mass protests in Bulgaria and later discuss Czechia's new/old prime minister and balloons over Lithuania. They also briefly discuss the latest developments surrounding the peace process aimed at ending Russia's invasion of Ukraine.For the main interview, Adam is joined by Georgian activist Mariam Japaridze to discuss a turbulent year of mass protests and growing authoritarianism after the Georgian Dream government halted the country's EU integration in 2024. She describes the dramatic escalation of repression, from rigged elections to the use of violence and even chemical agents against demonstrators as uncovered recently by the BBC. Despite the challenges, she shares why activists remain determined and what international support Georgia urgently needs.  Read more on the Bulgarian protests in this week's Brief Eastern Europe: https://briefeasterneurope.eu/p/december-8-2025Read "One year of Georgia's unbreakable resistance, as told by its prisoners of conscience" https://neweasterneurope.eu/2025/12/05/one-year-of-georgias-unbreakable-resistance-as-told-by-its-prisoners-of-conscience/To learn more about the political prisoners in Georgia you can visit a site set up by the IliaUni Student Movement: https://politpatimrebi.ge/?lang=en

Listen to Daily Global #News from Grecian Echoes WNTN 1550 AM - Trump signals willingness to work with Democrats on health care - Indiana Republicans rejected redistricting plans - Bulgaria's government resigned - Dow set to extend record

** This episode was recorded on Thursday morning, shortly before the resignation of the Bulgarian government **How is the euro fuelling unrest in Bulgaria? Has Syria changed, a year on from its revolution? And why are humans (mostly) monogamous? Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Jamie Timson, Felicity Capon and Harriet MarsdenImage credit: NurPhoto / Getty Images

Decine di migliaia di persone hanno manifestato a Sofia e in altre città della Bulgaria causando le dimissioni dell'esecutivo che, in carica da un anno, aveva già subito sei voti di sfiducia. Per gli osservatori l'instabilità politica pesa ora sull'ingresso del Paese nell'area della moneta unica. Ne parliamo con Francesco Martino di Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso.Dopo le notizie fatte trapelare da Le Monde, poi smentite da Kiev, la trattativa sulla pace in Ucraina sembra essere in stallo. Ne parliamo con l'ambasciatore Michele Valensise, presidente di Iai, e con Roberto Bongiorni, inviato de Il Sole 24 Ore a Odessa.

Bulgaria's government resigns amid mass protests, Thailand's Prime Minister dissolves parliament, Former Bolivian President Luis Arce is detained in a corruption investigation, Ghana deports three Israelis in a retaliatory move, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faces calls to resign at a House hearing, The U.S. House passes a $900 billion defense bill, Pentagon war games suggest that U.S. could lose a Taiwan war, The Supreme Court hears an Alabama death row IQ threshold case, Time names the “Architects of AI” as its 2025 Person of the Year, and researchers discover the earliest evidence of human fire-making in the U.K.  

Neri Karra Sillaman joins Travis to unpack why immigrant entrepreneurs are disproportionately likely to build enduring, billion‑dollar businesses. Drawing on her journey from refugee child expelled from Bulgaria, to founder of a 25‑year‑old leather goods company, to PhD and entrepreneurship expert at Oxford University, Neri shares the eight principles from her book Pioneers: Eight Principles of Business Longevity from Immigrant Entrepreneurs and how any founder can apply them. On this episode we talk about: Neri's family being expelled from Bulgaria with two suitcases, becoming refugees in Turkey, and how that shaped her obsession with education as a path to a better life Coming to the University of Miami at 18, discovering that the Intel chip in the computer lab was created by a refugee, and how that reframed her identity as an immigrant Launching a sustainable leather goods brand by repurposing surplus luxury Italian leather, and eventually manufacturing for houses like Prada and Miu Miu Why nearly half of Fortune 500 companies and the vast majority of billion‑dollar startups have immigrant founders or executives, and what she calls the eight “pioneer” principles behind that success How cross‑cultural bridging, future‑back vision, deep community orientation, humility, and a lack of entitlement help immigrant entrepreneurs spot opportunities and build companies that last Top 3 Takeaways Immigrant founders often win because they blend cultures, see problems from multiple vantage points, and design solutions informed by their past while building toward a very clear future vision. A strong sense of non‑entitlement—expecting to earn every opportunity—and humility in leadership (inviting employees, suppliers, and communities into the solution) are core to long‑term business resilience. Treating your company as part of an ecosystem, not the center of the universe, leads to healthier relationships with suppliers, employees, institutions, and even the environment, which supports business longevity. Notable Quotes “Being an immigrant is not something to hide; it can be the very source of the ideas and resilience that build great companies.” “You are not a star operating alone—your company is only as healthy as the ecosystem it's a part of.” “You can't have ego in this game; you can't take rejection personally when you're building something that matters.” Connect with Neri Karra Sillaman: https://nerispeaks.com ✖️✖️✖️✖️

El Tesoro de EEUU anuncia nuevas sanciones contra varios buques petroleros venezolanos y también contra miembros de la familia de Nicolás Maduro. Es una nueva vuelta de tuerca y un aumento más de la presión de Washington sobre el régimen venezolano.Hoy se han reunido el secretario general de la OTAN, Mark Rutte, y el canciller alemán, Friedrich Merz. Consideran que no se están tomando suficientemente en serio la amenaza rusa. Hablaremos de ello.Vamos a estar en Afganistán, donde el recorte de fondos en la ayuda internacional sigue haciendo estragos. También en Gaza, cuya situación es aún más límite con las inundaciones debido a las fuertes lluvias de los últimos días. En Portugal, donde se ha convocado una huelga general por primera vez en los últimos 12 años; en Bolivia porque el expresidente Luis Arce ha sido detenido por presuntos delitos de corrupción; y en Bulgaria, tras la dimisión del primer ministro.Además estará con nosotros Pilar Requena, presidenta de la Red de Periodismo de Investigación de la Unión Europea de Radiodifusión para hablar de las amenazas híbridas.Escuchar audio

The European Broadcasting Union held their Winter General Assembly with two consequential votes promised, and somehow, only one vote happened. We discuss the countries that are returning this year, the countries who have dropped out as a response to the vote, and what exactly happened with regards to this year's General Assembly.This week's companion playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/22ZrVhSGLJLYUqDzLxCF8SIsrael's delegation lobbying against expulsion: https://www.ynetnews.com/culture/article/rjx22d1mwgKnesset advances vote to privatize KAN: https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-next-threat-to-israel-at-eurovision-is-coming-from-inside-the-house/ The Eurovangelists are Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya and Dimitry Pompée.The theme was arranged and recorded by Cody McCorry and Faye Fadem, and the logo was designed by Tom Deja.Production support for this show was provided by the Maximum Fun network.The show is edited by Jeremy Bent with audio mixing help was courtesy of Shane O'Connell.Find Eurovangelists on social media as @eurovangelists on Instagram and @eurovangelists.com on Bluesky, or send us an email at eurovangelists@gmail.com. Head to https://maxfunstore.com/collections/eurovangelists for Eurovangelists merch. Also follow the Eurovangelists account on Spotify and check out our playlists of Eurovision hits, competitors in upcoming national finals, and companion playlists to every single episode, including this one!

Survey : https://s.surveyplanet.com/5id5z6x1World news in 7 minutes. Friday 12th December 2025Today : Thailand Cambodia displaced. Japan drunk cycling. Myanmar hospital. Australia thieves. US Venezuela tanker. Bolivia Arce arrest. DRC M23 advance. Ethiopia TikTok arrests. Ukraine elections? British soldier. Bulgaria PM. Iseland Eurovision. France Picasso raffle.SEND7 is supported by our amazing listeners like you.Our supporters get access to the transcripts and vocabulary list written by us every day.Our supporters get access to an English worksheet made by us once per week.Our supporters get access to our weekly news quiz made by us once per week.We give 10% of our profit to Effective Altruism charities. You can become a supporter at send7.org/supportContact us at podcast@send7.org or send an audio message at speakpipe.com/send7Please leave a rating on Apple podcasts or Spotify.We don't use AI! Every word is written and recorded by us!Since 2020, SEND7 (Simple English News Daily in 7 minutes) has been telling the most important world news stories in intermediate English. Every day, listen to the most important stories from every part of the world in slow, clear English. Whether you are an intermediate learner trying to improve your advanced, technical and business English, or if you are a native speaker who just wants to hear a summary of world news as fast as possible, join Stephen Devincenzi, Juliet Martin and Niall Moore every morning. Transcripts, vocabulary lists, worksheets and our weekly world news quiz are available for our amazing supporters at send7.org. Simple English News Daily is the perfect way to start your day, by practising your listening skills and understanding complicated daily news in a simple way. It is also highly valuable for IELTS and TOEFL students. Students, teachers, TEFL teachers, and people with English as a second language, tell us that they use SEND7 because they can learn English through hard topics, but simple grammar. We believe that the best way to improve your spoken English is to immerse yourself in real-life content, such as what our podcast provides. SEND7 covers all news including politics, business, natural events and human rights. Whether it is happening in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas or Oceania, you will hear it on SEND7, and you will understand it.Get your daily news and improve your English listening in the time it takes to make a coffee.For more information visit send7.org/contact or send an email to podcast@send7.org

Franchises collide this week in a battle bound for the bad cg hall of fame...in Lake Placid vs Anaconda!! Star ratings help us build our audience! Please rate/review/subscribe to us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen, and share us with your friends from your hospital days! Email us at sequelrights@gmail.com with feedback or suggestions on future franchises!

This session will examine key considerations for leaders, senders, and international travelers/workers in the areas of duty of care, risk assessment, contingency planning, security, and common pitfalls ("lessons learned") in international mission work.

Welcome to another special edition of our Buzz's Book Club week where Buzz shares top recommendations of new books on music, just in time for your holiday shopping. Join Buzz Knight on “Takin’ A Walk” for an extraordinary conversation with legendary music producer and author Joe Boyd, whose new book “And the Roots and Rhythm Remain: A Journey Through Global Music” chronicles decades of discovering and championing world music. From producing Pink Floyd’s first singles and Nick Drake’s timeless albums to founding Hannibal Records and bringing global artists to international audiences, Boyd’s career reads like a roadmap of modern music history. In this episode, Boyd takes us on a sonic journey across continents, sharing stories from his groundbreaking work with artists like Toumani Diabaté, Ali Farka Touré, and the Incredible String Band. The conversation explores how traditional music from Mali, Brazil, Bulgaria, and beyond has influenced contemporary sounds, and why these ancient roots and rhythms continue to resonate in today’s music landscape. Boyd discusses the cultural and political forces shaping world music, the challenges of preserving traditional sounds in a globalized world, and his experiences documenting music from remote villages to major concert halls. From his early days at the UFO Club in 1960s London to recent field recordings in Africa and South America, Boyd offers insights into what makes music transcend borders and generations. Listeners will discover behind-the-scenes stories from Boyd’s legendary production work, his philosophy on authentic music preservation versus commercial adaptation, and why he believes the roots and rhythm of traditional music hold keys to understanding our shared humanity. Whether you’re a world music enthusiast, a student of music history, or simply curious about sounds beyond the mainstream, this episode offers a masterclass in listening deeply and thinking globally.Support the show: https://takinawalk.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The boys return for another week to discuss the latest in Greek football, the gift that keeps on giving.SLGRPAOK see off Aris in the derbyPanathinaikos held by AELOlympiakos stay top with a win against OFIAEK thrash AtromitosGreek Cup resultsUEFA CompetitionOlympiakos travels to Kazakhstan for a must-win gamePanathinaikos host Viktoria PlzenPAOK go away to Bulgaria to face LudogoretsAEK play Samsunspor in TurkeyOther newsKaretsas and Mouzakits drawing interest from European giants.Injury setback for TzimasGiannoulis in form for FC AugsburgTzvellas leaves his role at PAO, with Zeca replacing himGive us a follow on:X: https://twitter.com/HellasfootyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellasfooty/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/@HellasFootyRead our blogs on: https://hellasfooty.blogspot.com/Intro music credit to George Prokopiou (Ermou Street)

Welcome to another special edition of our Buzz's Book Club week where Buzz shares top recommendations of new books on music, just in time for your holiday shopping. Join Buzz Knight on “Takin’ A Walk” for an extraordinary conversation with legendary music producer and author Joe Boyd, whose new book “And the Roots and Rhythm Remain: A Journey Through Global Music” chronicles decades of discovering and championing world music. From producing Pink Floyd’s first singles and Nick Drake’s timeless albums to founding Hannibal Records and bringing global artists to international audiences, Boyd’s career reads like a roadmap of modern music history. In this episode, Boyd takes us on a sonic journey across continents, sharing stories from his groundbreaking work with artists like Toumani Diabaté, Ali Farka Touré, and the Incredible String Band. The conversation explores how traditional music from Mali, Brazil, Bulgaria, and beyond has influenced contemporary sounds, and why these ancient roots and rhythms continue to resonate in today’s music landscape. Boyd discusses the cultural and political forces shaping world music, the challenges of preserving traditional sounds in a globalized world, and his experiences documenting music from remote villages to major concert halls. From his early days at the UFO Club in 1960s London to recent field recordings in Africa and South America, Boyd offers insights into what makes music transcend borders and generations. Listeners will discover behind-the-scenes stories from Boyd’s legendary production work, his philosophy on authentic music preservation versus commercial adaptation, and why he believes the roots and rhythm of traditional music hold keys to understanding our shared humanity. Whether you’re a world music enthusiast, a student of music history, or simply curious about sounds beyond the mainstream, this episode offers a masterclass in listening deeply and thinking globally. Takin’ A Walk: In-depth music interviews exploring the stories and music history behind the songs. Check out our other shows Music Saved Me hosted by Lynn Hoffman Comedy Saved Me hosted by Lynn Hoffman Takin A Walk Nashville hosted by Sarah Harralson Part of IHeartpodcastsSupport the show: https://musicsavedme.net/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.