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This episode we'll be looking at a bunch of different references referring to the various provinces, particularly those on the far edges of the archipelago. For more, check out:  https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-144   Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua, and this is episode 144: On the Edge The ships sat low in the water, bobbing gently against the docks at Naniwa.  The captain eyed them warily as the officials went over the manifest.  The Seto Inland Sea was generally calm and smooth sailing—at least compared to the open ocean, anywhere else -- and yet, as he looked, he could only think of how sluggish these ships would be.  They were laden down with cargo—silk, cloth, thread, and of course provisions for the men accompanying them.  But more than that, they were laden down with iron.  Tons of iron ingots, destined for the far reaches of the archipelago.  First to Suwa, but then on to the Dazai on Tsukushi, no doubt to be forged into weapons for the defense of Yamato. But that wasn't the captain's concern.  He just needed to make sure that the ships weren't weighed down too much:  as long as they remained buoyant, they would make the journey, even if they had to travel at a snail's pace to do it.  But if the ships sat too low in the water, then all it would take was some uncooperative waves and the ships, crew, and cargo, would be sent straight down to the palace of the dragon king, beneath the waves. Fortunately, with enough ships, it looked like that wouldn't be too much of a problem, as long as the goods were properly spaced out.  Now to just hope that the weather cooperated.  Even in the relatively safe waters of the Seto Inland Sea, you never know what could happen…     So last episode we talked about two large projects that Ohoama is said to have started.  First was the history project, which likely led to the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki.  Second was the start of a brand new capital.  This episode, we are going from the macro, down to the micro—smaller events that just weren't covered in previous episodes.  For the most part the next few episodes are going to be a grab bag of various items, but I'm going to try and put some semblance of cohesion to this.  Next episode we'll be looking at some of the laws that they made, including the law code and examples of the kinds of punishment—and forgiveness—that the court could bestow.  This week, however, we are going to cover a bunch of stories focused on the areas outside of the Home Provinces.  We'll look at the Dazai in Tsukushi—and elsewhere.  We'll talk about how the provinces were governed, and what concerned them.  Granted, a lot of what concerned them, at least from the Chroniclers point of view, were taxes and economic production.  So we see recorded concern with taxes and with what was there—the land and the people that worked it.  Also with natural events, like droughts and tsunami, which would affect that same economic production.   We're starting off with the Dazai, and the person in charge there.  The Viceroy, as it is often called in English. The Dazai appears to have started off with something of a military purpose.  It was a gathering place before ships would sail off to the Korean peninsula, raiding up the rivers, or trading with their allies.  As the archipelago began to be more embroiled in the wars of the peninsula, it was that much more important.  And when Yamato's ally, Baekje, fell, and it looked like Silla and the Great Tang might turn their attention to the islands that had been a thorn in their side for so long, it became a bulwark against potential invasion. However, it also had another function.  It was the jumping off place for warships, but also for embassies and trading missions.  It was also the primary destination for most ships approaching Yamato.  They would take a route through Tsushima island, and then Iki island, and continue to the main coast of Tsukushi—Kyushu, and up and around to the sheltered waters of Hakata bay.  At some point they would even move that initial contact farther out, to Tsushima island itself.  Ships would dock on one side of the island, and transport their goods to a Yamato ship on the other side, with a pilot who knew the waters.  The local island officials could then send word ahead to the Dazai that they were coming.  No surprises, and nobody jumping the gun thinking that a fleet of warships was on their way. The Dazai played a key role in defense, trade, and diplomacy.  When the embassies arrived, they were entertained at the Dazai while word was sent to the court.  If the court deemed it appropriate, then they might have the ambassadors take the journey the rest of the way.  Otherwise, the court at the Dazai would stand in for the sovereign, and receive the messages, and various diplomatic gifts that were sent along. This was a powerful and also highly lucrative position, and it is reflected in the people who were granted the title.  This was the Dazai no Sochi, or Oho-mikoto-mochi no kami. We see the post held by Soga no Himuka in  649, during the Taika era.  Then we see Abe no Hirafu in the reign of Takara Hime, 655-661.  Hirafu would go on to become the Minister of the Left.  Then we see Prince Kurikuma. We talked about Prince Kurikuma before—he was Ohoama's ally in Tsukushi who refused the Afumi court's request for troops during the Jinshin no Ran.  He is one of the few figures that we have more than just a bit of information on.  For one thing, we have two different appointments to his position as viceroy in Tsukushi—there is one in 668, and another in 671, with Soga no Akae being given the post in between.  There are some questions about whether or not those were different people—the first one might have been someone named "Kurisaki" or "Kurimae", but it is generally assumed that was just misspelled, and it may be that there were just some questions as to when he was appointed.  We also know that he was a friend to Ohoama.  The Afumi court said as much, and in the Jinshin no Ran, when he and his sons stood up  to the Afumi court's request for troops, he came down heavily on Ohoama's side.  It is no wonder that he would have still been in such a powerful position.  His sons, by the way, are named as Prince Mino and Prince Takebe; we've seen what appears to be different Princes named Mino, but it is possible that this is the Prince Mino mentioned elsewhere in this part of the record. Sources suggest that Kurikuma was a descendant of the sovereign Nunakura, aka Bidatsu Tennou, and that he was an ancestor of the Tachibana clan.  There were stories about him in Tsukushi, beyond those in the Nihon Shoki, and while he isn't always named explicitly, one can infer that he hosted a number of embassies and ambassadors in his time.  In fact, in his position as head of the Dazaifu in Tsukushi, he was in what was perhaps the most lucrative post outside of Yamato.  In addition to being in charge of trade, diplomacy, and military readiness, the Dazaifu oversaw all of Tsukushi—the island of Kyushu, and was like a miniature representation of the central government. I suspect it is the military responsibilities that saw Kurikuma being appointed to the post of Director of Military Affairs—Tsuwamo-no-Tsukasa-no-Kami, or Heiseikan-cho. That was in the 3rd lunar month of 675, just a few years into Ohoama's reign. This would later be known as the Hyoubu-shou, or Ministry of War.  The appointment would not last long, however.  A year later, Kurikuma would pass away from disease.  Prince Kurikuma is one of those enigmatic and yet somewhat exciting individuals that exists beyond just the Nihon Shoki.   The Shoku Nihongi and later sources give us additional details, which may or may not be accurate.  Even moreso, there are stories in modern Nagasaki prefecture about Prince Kurikuma helping to regulate the animals that lived in the waters surrounding Kyushu.  According to the Shoku Nihongi record, he was reportedly granted the 2nd princely rank upon his death—which, if true, would seem to say a lot about how he was viewed at the time. Moving into the year 676, we see an edict that restricted governorships to individuals of the rank of Daisen and below.  The exceptions to this were the Home Provinces, Michinoku, and Nagato, and let's explore why these areas were excepted. Home Provinces make sense, as that is where the capital is and this more prestigious area was therefore deserving of a higher ranked noble.  Michinoku was the opposite geographically: it was the general wilderness of Tohoku, and the land of the Emishi.  It was also the farthest east of the capital, so I suspect they wanted someone of rank to handle that.  The governor of Nagato, however, is interesting.  Nagato is part of Honshu, the main island, just north of Kyushu, across the Shimonoseki strait.  Similar to Michinoku, Nagato was one of the most remote provinces on Honshu.  It was also an important province for potential defense and trade, and often coordinated with the Dazaifu in Tsukushi, to the south.  As such, it was also considered a more prominent posting than other governorships. It is somewhat interesting that the Dazaifu is not mentioned, but I suspect this is because the head of the Dazaifu was not, in fact, a governor, but more akin to a viceroy.  After all, they had to be entrusted with a certain amount of authority to be able to conduct military, trade, and diplomatic business without constantly sending back to the Yamato court for instruction.  We've already seen that there were Princes and other men of wealth and status who had been given that posting. Interestingly, in this reign we see at least one other viceroy—one other Dazai, or Ohomikotomochi—and that is in Kibi, of all places.  From what we can tell Kibi was one of the main rivals for power and authority in the prior centuries.  It has come up again and again in the stories.  Unfortunately, most of the stories only hint at what we think actually happened.  Today, when we talk about *the* Dazaifu we are almost exclusively talking about the one in Kyushu.  Besides being far flung from the center of power, it had huge responsibilities. Comparatively, though perhaps not as directly involved with trade, the rulers of Kibi were important figures, as demonstrated by the amount of manpower they were able to leverage for building their large, kingly tombs.  We talked somewhat about that back in Episode 48, looking at Tsukuriyama Kofun, one of the largest in the archipelago.  Furthermore, Kibi was well-placed on the Seto inland sea to be able to control the passage of ships.  The Kibi Dazai appears to have been established around the time of the Taika reforms, though it is only mentioned once in the Nihon Shoki, and I don't see any other examples of it.  There is also evidence that it was given authority over not just Kibi, but also the neighboring province of Harima.  Eventually, however, Kibi would be broken up into the three provinces of Bizen, Bitchu, and Bingo, and it would no longer need to be aggregated under a single administration.  Rather, each province would get its own governor, overseeing a much smaller part of the whole.  From this I can only assume that there may have been other, similar situations, prior to the various provinces being broken up like that. A couple months later, in the 5th month of 676, we are once again discussing governors.  First was a decree about governors who weren't paying their commuted taxes on time.  Aston goes on to note that non-rice taxes were due in the middle of the 8th month—at least for the home provinces.  Near provinces—a little farther away—taxes had to be received by the end of the 10th month, and for those a bit farther away—in the middle distance—they had to be there by the 11th month.  Finally,  the taxes from the farthest provinces were due by the end of the 12th month.  This would have given officials time to collect the taxes and to transport them all the way to the capital.  So when the chronicles talk about governors not paying on time, not keeping to this schedule may have been what the court was getting at—or at least some kind of similar schedule with deadlines, since it might have been modified over time.    Another record, that same month—actually a few days later—concerns specifically the governor of Shimotsukenu—or Shimotsuke, on the other side of Honshu.  He sent in a report that that province had been hit pretty hard that year with a poor harvest.  In fact, it was so bad that many peasants were seeking permission to sell their children.  The court ultimately denied the request, but this does speak to a rather disturbing—yet not exactly uncommon—cultural practice.  I don't think we need to get into the different nuances here, beyond a look at the fact that this was likely not a new practice, but it does seem that the appeal to the government for permission to sell one's children was something new.  Perhaps this came with all of the records and registrations that the government had undertaken to know who was in what household.  Regardless, one can hardly imagine that most parents would willingly take this option unless they had no other choice, and I suspect that it is meant to show both the desperation of the people in Shimotsuke, as well as the harsh benevolence of the sovereign, who would not permit the children to be separated from their families.  Of course, we aren't told how the court otherwise ameliorated the situation, since moral righteousness is tremendous, but doesn't suddenly fix the problems with the harvest or cause food to appear out of nowhere.  One hopes that the court at least sent some amount of rice or other provisions to help the people. Although it was Shimotsuke in the 5th month, in the 6th month we see a more general report of a large drought.  Messengers were sent throughout the land to get people to donate cloth, and make prayers to the kami, while Buddhist Priests called upon the power of the Three Precious Things.  It was all to no avail—the usual rains didn't come, so the wugu, the five grains didn't grow, and peasants starved.  The five grains per se are  rice, soybeans, wheat, and two types of millet, but in this case the term is just a stand-in for all types of agricultural produce. Possibly unrelated, but somewhat telling, two months later we see a record of the court granting sustenance-fiefs of all Royal princes and princesses down to the high ministers and female officials at the palace down to the rank of Shoukin.  So only two months after the peasants of Yamato were apparently starving, the court is handing out stipend increases to the elite.  So… yeah…. We do see a focus in the 8th month on an Oho-barai, or Great Purification.  I'm going to talk about this more in a future episode, though, so just noting here that they seem to have been working to purify the land and that may have been part of ongoing spiritual attempts to request the support of the kami in what appear to be difficult times.  There were also plenty of examples of attempts to make merit by demonstrating righteousness and reading various sutras. Moving on to the events of 677, things seem to have been going better than the previous year, so maybe all that merit-making had an effect?  Either way, we don't see any mention of droughts or famines this year, and we make it to the ninth month, when we see a notice that any vagabonds who returned after being sent back to their hometown would be set to forced labor.  Vagabond, in this case, is "furounin", or "person who floats on the waves".  This appears to be the origin of the term "Rounin", which would later refer to masterless samurai.  At this point it seems to refer mostly to commoners who were expected to work the land—and when workers abandoned the land that had implications for the government's tax base system.  So the State was invested in ensuring that people didn't just move somewhere else—at least without asking permission and being properly registered.  This does seem different from an actual fugitive, such as someone who was banished who tries to leave their place of banishment. The following month, the 10th month of 677,  we see that Kawabe no Omi no Momoye was appointed head of the Minbukyo, the Minister of the Interior.  In addition, Tajihi no Kimi no Maro was made a Daibu, or high official, of the province of Settsu.     The term "daibu" could just refer to high ministers of the court, but the "daibu" of a province appears to be similar to a governor, but with more expansive and comprehensive authority.  Settsu is one of the five home provinces, and as such an important part of the geographical heart of Yamato.   So we have the local chieftains, the governors, the viceroys at the Dazai, and also, apparently, a "high official" in some regions, each with what appear to be overlapping but slightly different portfolios. The next month we see that the Viceroy of Tsukushi—whoever had taken the place of Prince Yagaki—had his officials present a red crow to the court.  The person who caught the crow was granted five steps in rank—not a small reward.  Also, local officials had their own rank raised, and taxes were remitted to the peasants of that district for a year.  Finally, a general amnesty was announced across Yamato. We talked in Episode 141 how something like a red crow would have likely represented either the three-legged crow in the sun or the legendary Suzaku, the fiery bird of the south.  Either way, it was clearly an auspicious discovery.  It is interesting that we don't see any names at all associated with this event.  We do, however, see that people were no doubt incentivized to report such things up to the court.  Whoever found such a curiosity would likely have been celebrated by all of those around given the court's broad show of appreciation.  No doubt the local officials were more than pleased given that they were also likely to receive some of the benefits that accrued if the court was well pleased. As far as the type of events I'm focusing on this episode, there isn't much recorded between the red crow of 677 and a few years later in 682. Picking up in the 3rd month of that year, we get a record of the Emishi of Michinoku being granted court rank, incorporating them further into the growing Yamato polity.  As I talked about a little earlier, Michinoku on the other side of the archipelago, so this event really shows expansion of Yamato and solidification of its power over the rest of Honshu.  It is easy to forget that much of the Tohoku region was not firmly under Yamato control at this time.  They may have claimed it, but the people and culture there were still considered distinct and not a part of Yamato, proper.  But they were making inroads. In the following month, the 4th lunar month of the same year, 682, we are back on the west coast and see Tajihi no Mabito no Shima as the latest Viceroy of Tsukushi, sending as tribute a large bell.  It is somewhat interesting that, compared to the past few viceroys, Shima is actually a member of a noble family and *not* a Prince.  Of course, there was no requirement that the Dazaifu be overseen by a Prince—that certainly wasn't the case for Soga no Akaye, but it is interesting given how Ohoama had been making appointments, so far.  Even if they weren't princely, it is clear that this was an important posting, which says a lot for Tajihi no Shima, even if we didn't know anything more about him.  Fortunately, there are a few clues. For one thing, there are records that claim he was descended from one of the previous sovereigns, but he did not hold the title of "Prince".  That is reflected in his family's kabane of "Mabito", however, or "True person", which seems to indicate at least a nominal descent from a previous ruler.  Shima would continue to rise in the government, and would eventually serve as the Minister of the Right and then Minister of the Left, and at one point he would be the highest ranking noble in the government—though that was still a ways off.  All of this speaks to the importance of the position of viceroy, and probably gives us a clue as to why the Chroniclers were so interested in someone sending a bell, large as it might be, to the government. A day after the bell tribute arrived, Emishi of Koshi, including Ikokina and others, requested 70 households of prisoners of war to create a new district.  While we've talked about the Emishi of Koshi, before, what is particularly interesting is the request for prisoners of war—captives.  Were these Wajin, or Japanese, who had been captured by the Emishi and they were requesting permission to resettle them?  Were they asking for 70 households of people being held captive by the Yamato government?  It isn't clear.  It also isn't clear if "Ikokina" is the name of an individual or of multiple individuals.  Aston originally translated it as Itaka, Kina, and others, while Bentley's more recent translation suggests it is one name.  However, given that this is an Emishi name, being transliterated in Kanji through a Japanese translator, it is hard to know without further sources. From the fourth month to the 7th month of 682, we see a small entry that presents were given to men from Tanegashima, Yakushima, and Amami no Shima.  This simple entry is important mostly just because of its mention of continued contact with these islands south of Kyushu.  This helps us maintain some idea of the extent of Yamato's influence. In the late summer of 683, we once again see a drought.  It began in the 7th lunar month and lasted until the 8th.  A priest named Douzou prayed for rain and eventually obtained it. Douzou is said to have been a monk from Kudara, or Baekje.  Aston suggests that this means he was a priest of Kudaradera, but it isn't really clear to me.  In the early 8th month, we also see that there was a general amnesty ordered throughout Yamato, which I suspect was connected with the disaster of the drought and an attempt to help build merit and otherwise strengthen the state in the face of natural disaster and potential unrest. At the end of 683, we see a survey team being sent out.  The sovereign sent Prince Ise along with Hata no Kimi no Yakuni, Ohoshi no Omi no Homuchi, and Nakatomi no Muraji no Ohoshima with clerks and artisans to tour the realm and determine the border of the various provinces, but they were unable to determine them all in a year. This really must have been quite the task.  Certainly, the provinces were the ancient lands which people had been living in for some time, but there was never really a need for political lines on a map to determine where the boundaries were.  People generally knew if they were in one or the other, and unless there was a very contentious piece of property, mostly you didn't worry about which exact land or province you were in.  Now, however, the court was in the midst of trying to lock down all of the data about the land, including what was where and how much there was.  After all, their entire tax base was built on arable land, so they had to know where it was and what to expect.  There is no way that such a project was going to be completed in a single year. I would also note that Aston has this particular record misplaced.  He seemed to think it was on the 23rd day of the month, but it is then followed by the 17th.  It seems that Aston just got his dates wrong, and can you blame him?  There was a lot that he was dealing with. We do see, almost a year later, in the 10th month of 684, Prince Ise and others are once again sent to determine the boundaries of the provinces.  Second time's the charm, maybe?  Evidently not, because we then see another mention in the 10th month of 685, where the court gave them gifts of robes and trousers as they headed back out to the Eastern Countries one more time. In the 11th month of 684 we are given a small report of a huge disaster.  The governor of Tosa reported that a great tide had risen high, with an overflowing rush, and destroyed many of the ships used to convey tribute. Tosa is on Shikoku, facing out to the Pacific Ocean.  It is the first piece of dry land just past the continental shelf.  As such, a quake just off shore could create conditions not dissimilar to the 2011 disaster in Fukushima, and send a tsunami wave flooding the coastline.  It looks like that is what happened, which would have devastated the fleet.  Since Shikoku was an island, they relied on those ships to get taxes and tribute conveyed up to Yamato.  So this was Tosa letting the court know that the "sea ate my homework." I can't help but wonder if this tsunami wasn't related to an earthquake recorded for the month earlier, which we mentioned back in Episode 139.  It was a huge earthquake that seems to have had a tremdous impact.  Much of it was mentioned as being focused on the Toukaidou region, but that region still lies along a related fault line all the way down through Shikoku.  It may be that it took a while for the two events to be reported, and there may not have been an understanding that the event in one place could have had an impact elsewhere. I don't know if they had yet connected that earthquakes could cause tsunami or not.  On the other hand, it could be that it was a separate, but related quake, or even an aftershock, which caused the tsunami. Overall, the year 684 does not appear to have been the best.  We are told that in the lower district of Katsuraki, there was reported a chicken with four legs.  Then, in the district of Higami, in Tanba province, there was a calf born with twelve horns.  These don't sound like great omens, and given the tsunami, and the earthquake, and other such things, I can perhaps understand why the court focused on trying to do some merit-making towards the end of the year.  For instance they pardoned all criminals except those guilty of capital crimes.  And we are also told that Iga, Ise, Mino, and Wohari were notified that in future years, if they were paying commuted taxes—that is taxes other than rice, in lieu of service—that force labour would be remitted, and vice versa.   That is, if it was a year where they would pay in corvee labour, the commuted taxes would be remitted instead.  In other words, they didn't need to do both in one year.  Similarly , in the 7th lunar month of 685, we are told that the Provinces on the Tousandou, east of Mino, and the Toukaidou, east of Ise, were all exempted from sending in conscript laborers as part of their taxes. We aren't told exactly why any of this was done, but I suspect that it had something to do with either construction going on in those regions, or just needing to have people to work the fields.  Labor could always be remitted just because of something good like a good omen, but in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake, I wonder if there wasn't a lot of rebuilding that had to take place, and maybe the court just wanted to make sure those regions had the people they needed for those projects. The Tousandou and the Toukaidou were just two of the 7 official circuits around the archipelago.  In this case, the Toukaidou hugged the coastal areas, heading from Ise out to modern Tokyo.  Meanwhile, the Tousandou would have cut through the mountains in the middle of that area of Honshu, passing north of Fuji and through modern Gunma.    The other circuits were the San'youdou, the San'indou, the Nankaidou, the Hokurikudou, and Tsukushi, which was considered its own "circuit".  The San'youdou and San'indou were the Yang and Yin roads, going through the western part of Honshu. The San'youdou was along the Seto Inland Sea, while the San'indou was along the Japan sea.  The Nankaidou, or South Sea Road, was the Kii peninsula and Shikoku.  The Hokurikudou went north on eastern Honshu, through the Koshi region. Finally, Tsukushi, which would also be known as the Saikaidou, or Western Sea Road, was its own circuit In the 9th lunar month of 685 we see Commissioners or Royal Messengers appointed to six of the seven circuits, the Hokurikudou being the one left out.    The commissioners were to tour and inspect the provincial and district offices and make sure they were good.  Each person took a facility manager and a secretary to assist them.  Bentley notes that there is, in later legal codes, a role of "Inspector", who was similarly expected to tour and inspect the various provinces – but these were assigned on an as needed basis, so it wasn't a permanent position. Along with the inspection of the government offices, there was one other edict that same day in the 9th month of 685: the court ordered that male and female singers, as well as pipers/flute-players should pass down their skills to their descendants and make them practice singing and the flute.  Thus they effectively created hereditary musicians which, at the time, was how you made sure that you had the different professions and skillsets you needed to run the State. Then, in the 11th month of 685, we see a bunch of iron sent to the General Magistrate of Suwa.  How much is a bunch?  10,000 kin, which is thought to be equivalent to roughly 6.6 tons.  That is a huge amount of iron, assuming the record is true.  At the same time, the viceroy of Tsukushi requested 100 bolts of coarse silk, 132 pounds of thread, 300 bundles of cloth, 4000 feet of labor tax cloth, 6.6 tons of iron, and 2,000 sets of bamboo arrows.   And by all accounts, the court sent it all out.  No idea why—but there we go.  Presumably it was to make things—probably clothing and weapons. We see something similar in the 12th month, when the ships carrying the newest border guards out to Tsukushi were battered by bad seas and, eventually, they were left adrift in the water.  They were rescued, but lost all of their clothing, so rather than sending clothes, the court sent cloth.  450 bolts of cloth were sent, to be made into new sets of clothing for the soldiers.  Sending raw materials makes sense.  After all, there were likely artisans all over the place who just needed them.  Furthermore, that way you could customize the equipment to the people who would be using it, rather than shipping off finished goods. And with that, I think we are going to call it.  Next episode will be a similar overview, but we'll take a look at some of the laws that were passed, as well as how they dealt with law and order in the archipelago. Until then, if you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  

with last week's passing of longtime New Jersey cable fixture Florio Vivino aka Uncle Floyd, there's been much said about Vivino's comedic chops, his many celebrity patrons (including but not limited to David Bowie and Howard Stern) and the countless appearances by iconic musicians including but not limited to Adrenalin OD, Rupert Holmes, NRBQ and Blue Oyster Cult.  Comparatively little has been written about the two appearances by Genöcide (featuring the late Bobby Ebz) and even less about the stylistic transitions that took place between said appearances (see above). Given the rather tense state of affairs in the USA presently, I can understand why some of you are not ready for a full and frank discussion of this topic (indeed, I'm told that even mentioning this band's name on this platform virtually guarantees a limited audience), but that's why you listen to this show — in the vain hope I will actually discuss what's been touted in the program synopsis.  Maybe it will happen one of these weeks.  In the meantime, I trust that Uncle Floyd and Sir Ebz are both hanging in some heavenly version of Rutt's Hut (or at least Floyd). 

Welcome to episode nine of Dragon Sanctuary! In this episode, I discuss pain & how intricate it can be to navigate. Comparatively, how forgiving it can be to release. Let's remember to stay curious, ground ourselves in humility, and build community! I hope you enjoy listening. With gratitude, Vick *The views expressed in this podcast are solely my own*

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* If you're a Never Fly Coach subscriber, remember that you get to watch the video version of this episode! * The morning after pill and Roy Campanella's glove* Why does Moynihan look like late-stage Nick Nolte?* Have a SoCal venue suggestion for a Fifth live show?* Comparatively, Alex Jones isn't that bad (Ed. note: Spoke too soon! Immediately following this rec…

With its original investment thesis proven accurate, Nutrabolt has decided to expand its strategic partnership with Bloom Nutrition. So, this content will provide you with the legitimate “insider” deep dive insights needed to really understand the nuance behind why Nutrabolt and Bloom Nutrition both decided to expand their strategic partnership, what it unlocks for Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP), and how it could impact the energy drinks market going forward. So, why is this such big news? Comparatively speaking, there isn't a single (early stage) brand (in my opinion) currently displaying the same level of beverage industry upside potential…especially within such an important large category like energy drinks. And while that original strategic growth capital obviously fueled and accelerated many key areas like (most notably) product innovation…I can say with complete confidence that the record-setting explosive growth year of Bloom Sparkling Energy (or the initial breakout success of Bloom Pop) would not have happened without Nutrabolt. Also, I'm not even referencing any impact from the Nutrabolt and KDP strategic partnership either…as the biggest value Nutrabolt provided to Bloom was ensuring “Icarus” didn't fly too close to the sun. The truth is…Bloom already had the vision, but it needed that trusted “big brother” to help with the recent brand evolution. But the expanded investment strengthens the commercial partnership between Bloom and Nutrabolt, thus by proxy also strengthens the commercial partnership between Bloom and KDP (which has played a valued role in the Bloom retail strategy). And for those living under a rock…let me backtrack and mention that KDP acquired a significant minority equity stake in Nutrabolt about three years ago. Similarly, I can say with complete confidence, whether in terms of new categories, expanding usage occasions, attracting a broader consumer base…or just indirectly providing Nutrabolt with a much-needed kick in the ass around brand marketing, the “powerful step-change growth opportunity for Nutrabolt,” would not have happened without Bloom. The truth is…Nutrabolt already had the strategic discipline, but it needed that passionate energetic “little brother” to help with the recent company evolution. Nutrabolt is now on pace to exceed $1 billion in annual revenue on a consolidated basis…and has transformed into one of the fastest-growing and most talked-about global active health and wellness companies. But where does that take Nutrabolt next? Does becoming the majority owner of Bloom (strengthen or weaken) my Nutrabolt IPO prediction from several years ago? I've always felt Nutrabolt becoming a public company would be advantageous for KDP as well…as I've been mentioning this proxy strategic investment vehicle concept for years. Obviously, the recent CELSIUS, Alani Nu, Rockstar Energy, and PepsiCo transaction further confirmed the importance of this “strategic category captain” structure. So, my conviction should be stronger than ever around KDP utilizing Nutrabolt as the “active nutrition” category captain, but that would require me turning a blind eye to the recent announcement that KDP would acquire JDE Peet's (and subsequently separated into two separate independent companies…currently given generic “Global Coffee Co.” and “Beverage Co.” placeholder names). And while KDP streamlining itself doesn't necessarily diminish the chances of a Nutrabolt IPO, it likely complicates the beforementioned idea of being the “KDP Beverage Co.” active nutrition category captain.

Sakamoto Days -- TMS Entertainment's anime adaptation of Yuto Suzuki's hit action-comedy manga -- is currently one of Shonen Jump's most popular next-generation IPs. However, it is now consistently being overtaken in the anime streaming war by Science Saru's Dandadan series.Per Netflix's streaming report for Aug 4-10, Sakamoto Days is currently the platform's 10th most-watched "Non-English" show worldwide, with over seven million watch hours accrued over 1.1 million views. Comparatively, third-place winner Dandadan has amassed 6.2 million watch hours from 2.5 million total views. Moreover, unlike Sakamoto Days, Dandadan is available on other platforms for international viewers, making its high Netflix ranking even more impressive. The only other anime to earn a spot in Netflix's Top 10 is Studio Hibari's supernatural dark fantasy series Tougen Anki, which sits at a modest seventh place. Cour 2 (or Part 2) of Sakamoto Days premiered on July 14 -- roughly one week after Dandadan's Season 2 debut.Support The Podcast!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/roose366/subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow For More Content &Streams!Science Podcast: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/5nFXe9dPeWrMpyObyAlrnF?si=7358d1cf32cb45b7⁠Youtube Gaming: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@RooseJp/videos⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tiktok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@podcastonanime⁠

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 3: 5:00pm- While speaking with Kaitlan Collins on CNN, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett baselessly accused Donald Trump supporters of being “low IQ.” 5:10pm- In response to Texas's redistricting attempt, Governor Gavin Newsom has pledged to redistrict California—presumably removing several Republican congressional seats. Interestingly, Republicans currently hold just 17% of the congressional seats in CA—despite nearly 40% of the state voting for Donald Trump in 2024. Doesn't that suggest the state is already heavily gerrymandered? Comparatively, Democrats currently hold 32% of the House seats in Texas (with one vacant seat in a district that is reliably blue—so, the real number is closer to 34%). Kamala Harris won 42% of the Texas statewide vote in 2024. 5:30pm- From the White House on Tuesday, President Donald Trump—alongside Apple CEO Tim Cook, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick—announced that Apple will invest an additional $100 billion in domestic manufacturing, assuring that more of the company's supply chain will be based in the United States. Cook and Apple now plan to invest a total of $600 billion in U.S. manufacturing.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Show (08/06/2025): 3:05pm- Breaking News: In a unanimous decision, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court has ruled that former Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney's 2021 executive order replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day is invalid—noting that the order amounted to lawmaking without input from Philadelphia City Council and, consequently, violated the City Charter. 3:10pm- According to multiple reports, SiriusXM will not renew Howard Stern's show when his contract concludes at the end of 2025. According to The Daily Mail, Stern found out via a Google Alert during a “team building” party with staff. Some estimates suggest Stern was making as much as $120 million per year. 3:30pm- Press Conference: Five soldiers were shot at Fort Stewart in Georgia—the shooter is in custody. 3:40pm- During an interview with Laura Ingraham on Monday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard called out legacy media outlets for promoting the Russiagate hoax—explaining that they operated as a “propaganda arm of the deep state.” 3:55pm- Rich had a wardrobe malfunction while at Fox News—but don't worry, it wasn't quite as bad as Janet Jackson's Super Bowl disaster. 4:05pm- Michael O'Neil—Vice President of Legal Affairs at Landmark Legal Foundation—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss his latest article for The Washington Examiner, “Don't Appoint a Special Counsel to Investigate the Russia Collusion Hoax.” Read the full article here: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/aug/4/dont-appoint-special-counsel-investigate-russia-collusion-hoax/. 4:30pm- During an interview with Laura Ingraham on Monday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard called out legacy media outlets for promoting the Russiagate hoax—explaining that they operated as a “propaganda arm of the deep state.” 4:45pm- George Bochetto—Attorney & former U.S. Senate Candidate—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss his tireless fight to protect Columbus Day in Philadelphia. In a unanimous decision earlier today, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruled that former Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney's 2021 executive order replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day is invalid—noting that the order amounted to lawmaking without input from Philadelphia City Council and, consequently, violated the City Charter. 5:00pm- While speaking with Kaitlan Collins on CNN, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett baselessly accused Donald Trump supporters of being “low IQ.” 5:10pm- In response to Texas's redistricting attempt, Governor Gavin Newsom has pledged to redistrict California—presumably removing several Republican congressional seats. Interestingly, Republicans currently hold just 17% of the congressional seats in CA—despite nearly 40% of the state voting for Donald Trump in 2024. Doesn't that suggest the state is already heavily gerrymandered? Comparatively, Democrats currently hold 32% of the House seats in Texas (with one vacant seat in a district that is reliably blue—so, the real number is closer to 34%). Kamala Harris won 42% of the Texas statewide vote in 2024. 5:30pm- From the White House on Tuesday, President Donald Trump—alongside Apple CEO Tim Cook, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick—announced that Apple will invest an additional $100 billion in domestic manufacturing, assuring that more of the company's supply chain will be based in the United States. Cook and Apple now plan to invest a total of $600 billion in U.S. manufacturing. 6:05pm- Jimmy Failla—Fox News Host & Author of Cancel Culture Dictionary—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss Lizzo vs Sydney Sweeney, Howard Stern's show being reportedly canceled by SiriusXM, and loincloths! Failla will be performing at SoulJoel's in Montgomery County, PA on August 9th. You can find information about tickets here: https://radio.foxnews.com/fox-news-talk/fox-across-america-with-jimmy-failla/. 6:30pm- Steve Grillo—former Howard Stern Show Inte ...

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (08/05/2025): 3:05pm- At least fifty-one Texas House Democrats fled the state as part of an effort to deny the Texas House a quorum—effectively preventing a vote on redistricting while also prolonging a vote on providing financial relief for families impacted by last month's devastating floods that killed more than 120 people. In response, Governor Greg Abbott has argued that fleeing the state to prevent the legislative process simply because you don't like the expected outcome of an upcoming vote amounts to an “abandonment or forfeiture of an elected state office.” 3:15pm- Fun Fact: Did you know that the total number of House members briefly expanded from 435 to 437 in 1959 when both Hawaii and Alaska became states. Congress temporarily approved of the expansion to prevent any existing state from losing a seat immediately upon the Hawaii/Alaska admission. 3:40pm- While appearing on CNBC, President Donald Trump said of Texas redistricting efforts: “We are entitled to five more seats.” 3:45pm- In response to Texas's redistricting attempt, Governor Gavin Newsom has pledged to redistrict California—presumably removing several Republican congressional seats. Interestingly, Republicans currently hold just 17% of the congressional seats in CA—despite nearly 40% of the state voting for Donald Trump in 2024. Doesn't that suggest the state is already heavily gerrymandered? Comparatively, Democrats currently hold 32% of the House seats in Texas (with one vacant seat in a district that is reliably blue—so, the real number is closer to 34%). Kamala Harris won 42% of the Texas statewide vote in 2024. 4:05pm- Hans von Spakovsky—Senior Legal Fellow at the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at the Heritage Foundation—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss the Department of Justice launching a grand jury investigation into the “Russiagate” hoax. 4:20pm- Rich saw the new Naked Gun movie with Liam Neeson—and it was surprisingly good! 4:35pm- Patricia Posner—Journalist & Author of the book, “The Pharmacist of Auschwitz”—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss her latest piece for The New York Post, “Zohran Mamdani's NYC could look like Sadiq Khan's far-left London and New Yorkers should be terrified.” You can read the full article here: https://nypost.com/2025/08/02/opinion/zohran-mamdanis-nyc-could-look-like-sadiq-khans-far-left-london/. 4:50pm- From the White House, President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a task force for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. 5:05pm- From the White House, President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a task force for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. Following the EO signing, Trump took questions from the press—including on the war between Russia and Ukraine, supplying food to the people of Gaza, transgender athletes competing in the Olympics, halting illegal border crossings, redistricting efforts in Texas, and the possibility of the Trump Administration paying Americans a “dividend” using some of the money saved via DOGE's government waste cuts. Plus, who does he think will be the Republican presidential nominee in 2028? He hinted at a potential JD Vance-Marco Rubio ticket! 5:40pm- Earlier today, President Donald Trump toured construction projects he's funding at the White House—including a quick stroll on the roof! 5:45pm- At least fifty-one Texas House Democrats fled the state as part of an effort to deny the Texas House a quorum—effectively preventing a vote on redistricting while also prolonging a vote on providing financial relief for families impacted by last month's devastating floods that killed more than 120 people. In response, Governor Greg Abbott has argued that fleeing the state to prevent the legislative process simply because you don't like the expected outcome of an upcoming vote amounts to an “abandonment or forfeiture of an elected state office.” 5:50pm- Sen. Eli ...

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 1: 3:05pm- At least fifty-one Texas House Democrats fled the state as part of an effort to deny the Texas House a quorum—effectively preventing a vote on redistricting while also prolonging a vote on providing financial relief for families impacted by last month's devastating floods that killed more than 120 people. In response, Governor Greg Abbott has argued that fleeing the state to prevent the legislative process simply because you don't like the expected outcome of an upcoming vote amounts to an “abandonment or forfeiture of an elected state office.” 3:15pm- Fun Fact: Did you know that the total number of House members briefly expanded from 435 to 437 in 1959 when both Hawaii and Alaska became states. Congress temporarily approved of the expansion to prevent any existing state from losing a seat immediately upon the Hawaii/Alaska admission. 3:40pm- While appearing on CNBC, President Donald Trump said of Texas redistricting efforts: “We are entitled to five more seats.” 3:45pm- In response to Texas's redistricting attempt, Governor Gavin Newsom has pledged to redistrict California—presumably removing several Republican congressional seats. Interestingly, Republicans currently hold just 17% of the congressional seats in CA—despite nearly 40% of the state voting for Donald Trump in 2024. Doesn't that suggest the state is already heavily gerrymandered? Comparatively, Democrats currently hold 32% of the House seats in Texas (with one vacant seat in a district that is reliably blue—so, the real number is closer to 34%). Kamala Harris won 42% of the Texas statewide vote in 2024.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 1: 3:05pm- A new American Eagle clothing advertisement features Hollywood star Sydney Sweeney bragging about her “great jeans.” Far-left social media users, however, are ridiculously saying that the commercial is secretly promoting eugenics—insisting the ad's “great jeans” line really means “great genes.” 3:15pm- A new poll from Fairleigh Dickinson University shows Republican Jack Ciattarelli trailing Democrat Mikie Sherrill by only 8- points with over 3-months left before election day. 3:30pm- Brooke Singman—Political Correspondent & Reporter for Fox News—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss her latest report, “FBI's controversial Trump-Russia actions predicted with 'alarming specificity' by foreign actors.” She writes that CIA Director John Ratcliffe is preparing to declassify intelligence which shows U.S. intelligence received credible tips from foreign sources predicting, with what they now deem "alarming specificity," that the FBI would eventually play a central role in a Trump–Russia collusion narrative, before Crossfire Hurricane was even launched. If the new documents reveal prior awareness that foreign actors would anticipate FBI involvement, it strengthens arguments that the Russia collusion narrative was at least partially orchestrated. You can find the full article here: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fbis-controversial-trump-russia-actions-predicted-alarming-specificity-foreign-actors-sources 3:40pm- A new survey from John Anzalone and Tony Fabrizio shows that 63% of voters have an unfavorable view of Democrats—giving them a net favorability of -30%. Comparatively, President Trump and Republicans have net negative favorability ratings of only 7% and 11%.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 4: 6:05pm- A new American Eagle clothing advertisement features Hollywood star Sydney Sweeney bragging about her “great jeans.” Far-left social media users, however, are ridiculously saying that the commercial is secretly promoting eugenics—insisting the ad's “great jeans” line really means “great genes.” 6:20pm- A new survey from John Anzalone and Tony Fabrizio shows that 63% of voters have an unfavorable view of Democrats—giving them a net favorability of -30%. Comparatively, President Trump and Republicans have net negative favorability ratings of only 7% and 11%. 6:40pm- While meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his trip to Scotland, President Donald Trump railed against windmills—noting: “If you shoot a bald eagle in the U.S., they put you in jail for five years. And yet, windmills knock out hundreds of them.”

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (07/29/2025): 3:05pm- A new American Eagle clothing advertisement features Hollywood star Sydney Sweeney bragging about her “great jeans.” Far-left social media users, however, are ridiculously saying that the commercial is secretly promoting eugenics—insisting the ad's “great jeans” line really means “great genes.” 3:15pm- A new poll from Fairleigh Dickinson University shows Republican Jack Ciattarelli trailing Democrat Mikie Sherrill by only 8- points with over 3-months left before election day. 3:30pm- Brooke Singman—Political Correspondent & Reporter for Fox News—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss her latest report, “FBI's controversial Trump-Russia actions predicted with 'alarming specificity' by foreign actors.” She writes that CIA Director John Ratcliffe is preparing to declassify intelligence which shows U.S. intelligence received credible tips from foreign sources predicting, with what they now deem "alarming specificity," that the FBI would eventually play a central role in a Trump–Russia collusion narrative, before Crossfire Hurricane was even launched. If the new documents reveal prior awareness that foreign actors would anticipate FBI involvement, it strengthens arguments that the Russia collusion narrative was at least partially orchestrated. You can find the full article here: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fbis-controversial-trump-russia-actions-predicted-alarming-specificity-foreign-actors-sources 3:40pm- A new survey from John Anzalone and Tony Fabrizio shows that 63% of voters have an unfavorable view of Democrats—giving them a net favorability of -30%. Comparatively, President Trump and Republicans have net negative favorability ratings of only 7% and 11%. 4:05pm- A new American Eagle clothing advertisement features Hollywood star Sydney Sweeney bragging about her “great jeans.” Far-left social media users, however, are ridiculously saying that the commercial is secretly promoting eugenics—insisting the ad's “great jeans” line really means “great genes.” 4:30pm- Mayor Eric Adams revealed that the gunman responsible for killing four people in a Manhattan office building on Monday had intended to target the NFL headquarters—though, he went to the wrong floor. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) called for new gun control measures. 5:05pm- Susan Crabtree—RealClearPolitics National Political Correspondent & Author of the book, “Fools Gold: The Radicals, Con Artists, and Traitors Who Killed the California Dream and Now Threaten Us All”—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss her latest report of a security breach on President Donald Trump's Scotland trip. Crabtree writes, “A Dallas USSS special agent tried to smuggle his wife on a Secret Service car plane accompanying President Trump's security detail to Scotland.” 5:20pm- While speaking in Canton, Ohio, Vice President JD Vance addressed a viral video clip featuring several people being beaten by mobs during a Cincinnati music festival. Vance stated: "Take the thugs who engaged in that violence and throw their asses in prison." 5:40pm- Is Matt a coward for not showing the entire Cincy fight on YouTube? The audience votes “yes!” 6:05pm- A new American Eagle clothing advertisement features Hollywood star Sydney Sweeney bragging about her “great jeans.” Far-left social media users, however, are ridiculously saying that the commercial is secretly promoting eugenics—insisting the ad's “great jeans” line really means “great genes.” 6:20pm- A new survey from John Anzalone and Tony Fabrizio shows that 63% of voters have an unfavorable view of Democrats—giving them a net favorability of -30%. Comparatively, President Trump and Republicans have net negative favorability ratings of only 7% and 11%. 6:40pm- While meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his trip to Scotland, President Donald Trump railed against windmills—noting: “If you shoot a bald eagle in the U.S., ...

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (07/28/2025): 3:05pm- A new survey from John Anzalone and Tony Fabrizio shows that 63% of voters have an unfavorable view of Democrats—with a net favorability of -30%. Comparatively, President Trump and Republicans have net negative favorability ratings of only 7% and 11%. 3:10pm- In a new report, Fox News correspondent Brooke Singman writes that CIA Director John Ratcliffe is preparing to declassify intelligence which shows U.S. intelligence received credible tips from foreign sources predicting, with what they now deem "alarming specificity," that the FBI would eventually play a central role in a Trump–Russia collusion narrative, before Crossfire Hurricane was even launched. If the new documents reveal prior awareness that foreign actors would anticipate FBI involvement, it strengthens arguments that the Russia collusion narrative was at least partially orchestrated. You can read the full article here: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fbis-controversial-trump-russia-actions-predicted-alarming-specificity-foreign-actors-sources. 3:30pm- While appearing on Fox News with Maria Bartiromo, CIA Director John Ratcliffe did not rule out that indictments could be coming for John Brennan, James Comey, and Hillary Clinton over the Russia collusion conspiracy. 4:05pm- Did the state of California misappropriate roughly $100 million raised by the FireAid benefit concert? According to reports, the money raised by Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Olivia Rodrigo, and other performers was distributed to 188 non-profits—instead of directly given to victims of the devastating CA wildfires. 4:30pm- What's the secret to getting hot crispy fries from McDonald's every time? Ask for your fires unsalted? Request a receipt and make the employees think you're from corporate? Or you can just do what Rich does—go through the drive-thru a second time and ask for better fries! 4:40pm- While meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a trip to Scotland, President Donald Trump answered questions about the Jeffrey Epstein files—noting that he “never went to the island” and even banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago. 4:50pm- A serial butt-sniffer was arrested in California. Rich jokes that this weirdo should just be locked up indefinitely—do we really need him in society? 5:05pm- Bill D'Agostino—Senior Research Analyst at Media Research Center—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to breakdown some of the best (and worst) moments from corporate media: flashback to 2017 when networks like CNN, MSNBC, and NBC insisted that there “was no doubt” that “Russia hacked” the 2016 presidential election. Plus, only 20 people showed up to a scheduled protest designed to save Stephen Colbert's late-night show. 5:30pm- Woke cancel culture takes several big losses: Sydney Sweeney becomes the face of American Eagle jeans, Paramount pays $1.5 billion for new South Park content, and Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbough shoots down a reporter trying to insult President Trump. 5:50pm- On Sunday, President Donald Trump—alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen—announced a new trade deal with the European Union. As part of the agreement, the EU will buy $750 million of U.S. energy and will invest an additional $600 billion into the U.S. economy. There will be a 15% tariff placed on most EU goods. 6:05pm- In a new report, Fox News correspondent Brooke Singman writes that CIA Director John Ratcliffe is preparing to declassify intelligence which shows U.S. intelligence received credible tips from foreign sources predicting, with what they now deem "alarming specificity," that the FBI would eventually play a central role in a Trump–Russia collusion narrative, before Crossfire Hurricane was even launched. If the new documents reveal prior awareness that foreign actors would anticipate FBI involvement, it strengthens arguments that the Russia collusion narrative was at least partially orchestrated. You can read the full ar ...

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 1: 3:05pm- A new survey from John Anzalone and Tony Fabrizio shows that 63% of voters have an unfavorable view of Democrats—with a net favorability of -30%. Comparatively, President Trump and Republicans have net negative favorability ratings of only 7% and 11%. 3:10pm- In a new report, Fox News correspondent Brooke Singman writes that CIA Director John Ratcliffe is preparing to declassify intelligence which shows U.S. intelligence received credible tips from foreign sources predicting, with what they now deem "alarming specificity," that the FBI would eventually play a central role in a Trump–Russia collusion narrative, before Crossfire Hurricane was even launched. If the new documents reveal prior awareness that foreign actors would anticipate FBI involvement, it strengthens arguments that the Russia collusion narrative was at least partially orchestrated. You can read the full article here: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fbis-controversial-trump-russia-actions-predicted-alarming-specificity-foreign-actors-sources. 3:30pm- While appearing on Fox News with Maria Bartiromo, CIA Director John Ratcliffe did not rule out that indictments could be coming for John Brennan, James Comey, and Hillary Clinton over the Russia collusion conspiracy.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 4:6:05pm- In a new report, Fox News correspondent Brooke Singman writes that CIA Director John Ratcliffe is preparing to declassify intelligence which shows U.S. intelligence received credible tips from foreign sources predicting, with what they now deem "alarming specificity," that the FBI would eventually play a central role in a Trump–Russia collusion narrative, before Crossfire Hurricane was even launched. If the new documents reveal prior awareness that foreign actors would anticipate FBI involvement, it strengthens arguments that the Russia collusion narrative was at least partially orchestrated. You can read the full article here: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fbis-controversial-trump-russia-actions-predicted-alarming-specificity-foreign-actors-sources. 6:30pm- While appearing on Fox News with Maria Bartiromo, CIA Director John Ratcliffe did not rule out that indictments could be coming for John Brennan, James Comey, and Hillary Clinton over the Russia collusion conspiracy. 6:40pm- A new survey from John Anzalone and Tony Fabrizio shows that 63% of voters have an unfavorable view of Democrats—with a net favorability of -30%. Comparatively, President Trump and Republicans have net negative favorability ratings of only 7% and 11%.

Jurassic World: Rebirth For a franchise that started with a single book and then a begrudging sequel, the fact that we are now 7 Films, two sub-titles, two Netflix animated shows and numerous games deep, tells us a lot about the state of the entertainment industry… (rather than the quality of that first book.) We have moved past the Jurassic park, beyond even the Jurassic World… we are now living in a post Jurassic planet. So if this film a true rebirth of a franchise, or the should this egg have been left in the incubator a bit longer. Dion and Jill have seen this weeks film, but Quinny is definitely here for emotional support and colour commentary. https://youtu.be/1AGTMry5nSc As always, a gigantosaursus sized thank-you to the dinosaurs and the mercenaries who love them, who join in with the conversation on the Twitch stream, live each Tuesday (or wednesday) night at 7:30pm AEDT. And an especially huge thanks to any of the slutty glasses wearing scientists who are kind enough to support us by leaving thier fossils in our jar via Ko-Fi, or subscribing on twitch… every bit helps us to keep the fences electrified and the boat fueled up… or it just pays for hosting…) If you feel so inclined drop us a sub we really love them, The more subby mc-sub-faces we get, the more Emotes You get! https://youtu.be/jan5CFWs9ic?si=wCPlEDf35P3owkWB WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK! Send in voicemails or emails with your opinions on this show (or any others) to info@theperiodictableofawesome.com Please make sure to join our social networks too!  We're on: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TPToA/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/TPToA Facebook: www.facebook.com/PeriodicTableOfAwesome Instagram: www.instagram.com/theperiodictableofawesome/   Full text transcript Quinny  RRRraawr. You don’t wait to see the transcription of this.  Dion  Uh, uh hello going to the table. Listen, tonight we’re talking. Billy and the Montessori. Yes, that’s right. Jurassic World rebirth. Let’s go and say hello. Tell me your dinosaur name, Connie.  Quinny  Rusty, Durkins, Liam and someone else asaurus.  Dion  Rusty jerkins. You didn’t think about this hard enough, Jill, do you have a dinosaur name?  Quinny  I don’t know.  Jill  I’m a jealous sore.  Dion  I’m jealous, though. There you go very simply done.  Quinny  Ohh OK I thought I was trying to do the actual like thing. No, right. OK, I’m just I’m.  Dion  A Quinn playdon.  Quinny  Hang on.  Jill  Like it?  Dion  That’s where I gotta.  Quinny  Call Quinn flygon. I’m down for being a Quinn flygon.  Dion  Yeah. Or Quinn Claudon or something.  Quinny  Quinn play.  Dion  Docus yeah, yeah.  Quinny  Yeah, I I like being a quintillus.  Speaker  Yep.  Jill  Phenolic quinoa. Quinoa.  Quinny  Quinolines quinolines Rex. But not locusts cause **** locusts cause that was stupid, yeah.  Dion  ******** cause. Yeah.  Quinny  Sorry, I I. Love that we tonight we’re talking about Jurassic World rebirth. Yeah, the chat is currently just concerned about the Superman shit that we watched. Last night.  Speaker  Usually.  Speaker 7  We’ll get to that next week.  Dion  Yeah. Yeah, next.  Quinny  Week we will we will talk. About Superman and the real dog. Yeah. Next week? Yeah.  Dion  We’re not, we’re. Talking about the other summer blockbuster of the season by Universal Pictures. That’s right, Jurassic is not finished yet. We’re having another crack at it. The 7th ******* film in the franchise is out. And for your watching viewing Dino pleasure.  Quinny  Hmm. And Speaking of a real dog, let’s talk about this.  Dion  Donald, pleasure.  Speaker  oh Wow. Wow.  Dion  Yes, it kind of does.  Quinny  Yeah, I I I I’m gonna have to. Sorry, you go down.  Dion  No, no, you’re on, Gifford.  Quinny  I was just gonna say I have to put my hands up to it. I haven’t been able to watch this film. I have seen clips of it I have. I have been given a a wonderful description from Dion as to what the film essentially was about.  Dion  A rapid fire blow by blow.  Quinny  Yeah. Yeah, but yeah, I I haven’t been able to watch the film yet, so I’m at a certain point in time. I may even have to skip out for spoilers, or I may not bother. I don’t know.  Dion  Don’t even bother. I won’t even go there. It can’t be that sort of thing. Yeah.  Quinny  Right.  Dion  And I mean, if you’re not for anyone in the chat, and who? Casper. Casper. Hello, Casper. You. We. You. You’re like. I haven’t seen Dominion. Guess what? Don’t worry. This is a brand new. Yes. Because it went. No, no. We’ve finished those stories now, and we’re gonna start a whole new thing with a whole new team of lovable people that may or may not get eaten.  Quinny  I guess.  Speaker 7  Doesn’t matter. Yeah.  Quinny  Yes, this, this, this new reboot trilogy thing. I don’t know if it’s gonna be a trilogy. Who knows? Is entirely Chris Pratt bless.  Dion  Unfortunately, it seems to have done fairly good bank, so there’s probably gonna be a sequel.  Quinny  How many Jurassic films? Until they just completely have run out of anything interesting to say about dinosaurs.  Speaker  Right.  Dion  Yep.  Quinny  I understand. I mean, we have hit the bottom of the.  Dion  Well, what? Well. They seem to be they see they seem to. Be re digging the well.  Quinny  Well, this is Jurassic World.  Dion  Just next door. Yeah, look. OK.  Quinny  Like I don’t know how to. Do this anymore. Todd.  Dion  It’s difficult. I’m trying actually trying to think, OK, what sort of, uh, freaking accent does queen have to do this opposite? Because we got to get the synopsis out of the way. What is like in Jurassic World rebirth all about? You know, is it Scarlett Johansson giving birth to a dinosaur? No, it’s not. It’s got nothing to.  Quinny  OK, it’s not that right? No, because that would have been a very interesting and strange film.  Dion  Do with.  Speaker  Dion  Is it Ian Malcolm waking up to a Velociraptor in his bed? Allah Jurassic World 3. Or was it 2? I can’t remember. There was literally that bit. Where’s Malcolm? Malcolm.  Jill  Three, it was him and the daughter that went back to.  Dion  Yeah, I think. 3.  Jill  The.  Dion  Island in the circle? That’s right. But that could have been anyway. Yeah, anyway.  Quinny  Sorry, just to go back, Dominion was the one that included most of like a bunch of the original Jurassic Park cast, wasn’t it? Yes.  Dion  Yes.  Jill  That is the crossover 1.  Quinny  Yeah, right, that was.  Speaker  Yeah.  Quinny  The the X-Men that is the future 1st.  Speaker 7  Yes, yes it was.  Dion  Yeah, yeah, the old and the new coming together to fight dinosaurs again. Yeah. Fight, ******* Jurassic locust.  Quinny  Locusts. Yeah, not even dinosaurs. ******* locusts. I remember that part about Dominion being really ****.  Dion  But this one.  Jill  Yeah. And I had the evil Tom Cook that was. Selling the dinosaurs or something, right?  Dion  Ohh look, there’s always an evil scientist trying to profit from the dinosaurs. That’s the that’s the whole point. And in this one guess what? You’re not alone. It’s evil scientist trying to profit from the dinosaurs through corporate.  Speaker  Right.  Quinny  So you don’t need me to do this anymore.  Dion  Hey, go right ahead, man. I don’t even have any background music for you. I just have. I can just do dinosaur. Creams in the background.  Quinny  Hey. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. So, Zora Bennett. Yeah. Like she leads a team of skilled operatives to the most dangerous Wow place on Earth. I’m not. That’s meant to be a, me and Malcolm and it’s. Feeling miserable.  Dion  I know I was kind of like.  Speaker 7  Sure. That’s what you were doing.  Quinny  Yeah, I was like, yeah, no, I I realized I was not in a gold blooming of enough. No, couldn’t do it just so I’m just gonna do it as me moves to Christian.  Dion  Christopher Walken for fun. Why not?  Quinny  It was heading towards Christopher Morgan. Well, Dinos. He’s a team. No, I’m. I’m apparently not in a place where I could do stupid voices right now. Something has broken in me. Thanks to COVID, I’m pretty sure 15 of my 27 elves that live inside me. Are dead.  Jill  No.  Dion  This is just becoming horrifying. Please continue this, not this. As quickly as that.  Quinny  Yes, it is. OK. Zora Bennett. Yeah, zora. That is her name. Leads a team of skilled operatives to the most dangerous place on Earth. An island research facility for the original Jurassic Park. 1 of 27,000 island research. Facilities for the original Jurassic Park, apparently. Yeah. Their mission is to secure genetic material from dinosaurs, not in the way you’re thinking. Whose DNA can provide life saving benefits to mankind as the top secret expedition becomes more and more risky, they soon make a sinister, shocking discovery that’s been hidden from the world for decades. There you go.  Dion  I I love that synopsis. I still have no idea what the sinister and shocking discovery that’s been hidden.  Quinny  Yeah.  Dion  From the world for.  Jill  Decades is that was the Montessori US, and it wasn’t decades. It was 17 years.  Dion  Yeah, which is very nice decades, but also like, is that a shocking thing? No, it’s like, OK, they’re hidden.  Jill  Set at the start of the movie.  Dion  It’s like. It’s kind of like it’s kind of like, wow, would Jurassic World have progressed into that? Ohh, you come to see the dinosaurs in the cages too. Come see the freak show. Freak show dinosaurs come. See. The freak show.  Jill  Yeah, it was definitely giving phantom of the opera dinosaur vibes. It was like I showed the whole thing. Just. Yeah, we’ll wait until the end. Yeah.  Speaker  Yeah.  Speaker 7  It’s just like. Yeah.  Speaker  Yeah.  Quinny  I’m speaking Elephant Man and dinosaurs.  Dion  Yeah. Yeah, really. And also I. Love that they just played into the tropes right at the start there of the. Hapless idiot scientist who can’t do things right. Who does the little critical mistake even though they work in literally a research *******. Place and it’s their mistake that unleashes absolute hell across that. And I’m like, wow, if that was the security problem, like, that thing that that person did, they had way bigger problems. You know, at least they at least they had an actual corporate self sabotage moment in Jurassic Park. The first one where it’s like, ah, I’m doing this for money. It’s like, yeah, great. I understand that.  Speaker 7  Yeah.  Jill  Yeah, where was BD Wong in this one?  Quinny  Yeah. Or or Dennis medrick.  Dion  Yeah, yeah. Surprising lack of BD Wong. In all of this, too, yeah, yeah.  Quinny  It’s. I’m pretty sure he died at. The end of the last one, didn’t he?  Jill  Probably. Maybe.  Dion  You’re not like, are you? Are you? Are you seriously telling me that that character would not have cloned himself about 53 billion times because he’s the master of the cloning stuff and has been doing all of that? And he’s like, you’re gonna make like 50 of.  Jill  Yeah, exactly.  Quinny  Yeah, I have. I’m not entirely sure that may or may not have been an actual plot point from. The animated series. Like like I I’m the the Jurassic nerd who has gone and watched all of Camp Cretaceous and all of ******* chaos theory. The two Jurassic animated series. So yeah, yeah, I mean very well aware of how stupid the ******* storylines are.  Dion  Someone else?  Quinny  I’m.  Dion  The movie is this movie, this movie, not the movie. This movie established itself in the Jurassic World world by becoming a direct continuation from the Jurassic World Movie World. I know right where the dinosaurs have escaped from their captivity, which we saw in Dominion, and they’re kind of populating themselves out across and the and to causing chaos to the humans like humans have to deal with dinosaurs as a thing. But then I love that it did a smart thing in my brain which was to pull it all back towards the equator. Because they’re basically like, oh, dinosaurs are dying and they’re becoming a real pain in the **** like a dead dinosaur is quite annoying and everyone’s bored with them because they’re just a pain. They just cause traffic gridlock when they die, and they can only really exist around the equator, where it’s a more oxygen rich and kind of prehistoric era like like area where it. There. More sustainable life. Expectancy. So dinosaurs basically exist around the yeah, dinosaurs basically exist around the equator and and you know people kind of forgotten about them except for the corporations which want to make drugs, drugs, drugs from dinosaurs, even though technically no one’s allowed to go near the dinosaurs.  Quinny  It does vaguely make sense.  Dion  It’s like great. It’s like a no go zone. Is there any patrols or anyone managing that? No, we just say don’t go.  Speaker  And people will not go.  Quinny  Wait a minute. Like if it’s the entire ring of the equator, that’s quite a lot of travel, like space to try and. Manage. Yeah, but I mean.  Dion  There’s not lots of stuff there. A little bit.  Speaker  You know.  Quinny  Like I don’t know how long the equator is, but I imagine that it’s quite mountain.  Jill  And it goes right around the middle of the. World. Yeah, covers land and sea.  Dion  Well, anyway, there’s lots of, you know, research islands and stuff like extra research islands. I also love that it’s like, oh, we have thousands of these islands around the equator. Cool. There’s more research places. I’m like, really.  Speaker  Yeah.  Jill  They gave themselves a problem and they gave themselves a very easy way to solve it.  Quinny  Yeah.  Dion  Yeah, it’s like and. But I looked at this, this island, and I’m like, man, that that looks even more like more technology and infrastructure went into that island than the park. So now I understand, I feel like ohh, that’s why they got out of the park cause they just didn’t give a ****. Whereas in this one, I was like, oh, this feels like it was. It had more money as could you said. To me, yesterday spared no expense, but we didn’t see that in Jurassic Park in the 1st. No, we didn’t see the spared no expense. It felt like it was, but it wasn’t. And now look at this one. I was like, wow, they’ve they’ve done so much more. There’s, like, helipads and geothermal energy and a whole bunch of things in there. But it’s a bit of a cop out.  Quinny  I really like. That that whole thing that the first one, you know, we’ve made a a park and we everybody understands theme park. OK, cool. Second film, it’s like AH, but there’s a site B.  Dion  Yeah.  Quinny  And you’re like, OK, fine by the time you get to 7 ******* films later, it’s like there’s sight 274B/3.  Dion  And that sure research area.  Quinny  Yeah. So what’s so cool about this research?  Dion  Where? Where do we keep over?  Quinny  Area I don’t get. It why? Why? Why should we care?  Jill  It’s the lab where they were doing the genetic experiments, so they were trying to cross breed dinosaurs with DNA. To make more exciting and terrifying dinosaurs, Allah the Dominus racks that we saw in the First Jurassic World. Except I think there were a few failures.  Dion  Yes, it’s where they kept all of the the the ones that went wrong. Yeah. Yeah, they’re like, oh, we cloned one. Ohh. It’s got an extra leg. Well, well, we can’t get rid of it. It costs a lot of money. So we’ll just see what we can get out.  Jill  Little bit.  Dion  But. At the end. Right. Yeah. So like it’s kind of like, oh, you have your, your, your your site B where you raise things that you kind of work because you did standard stuff and then you have your as you said, what was it, the Indominus Rex or whatever which was there. But where did all of the bits that came up to that go? Oh, they were at this other site which specialized in ****** dinosaurs.  Jill  Yeah. Where did the unaborted fetuses go?  Dion  Yeah.  Quinny  OK, right. See there, there is a concept there that I like, if only because one of my favorite bits out of alien for.  Dion  You mean the bit?  Quinny  Where there’s the multiple clones of Ripley that they got. Wrong.  Speaker 7  Yeah, right. Yeah. Yeah, it’s.  Dion  Yeah, like that, yeah.  Quinny  Yeah, that that kind of horror of like, yeah, we tried multiple times and **** got real messy.  Speaker 7  But father, why?  Dion  Queen.  Quinny  Yeah, yeah. Yeah, exactly.  Dion  But quinnie, I’m sorry in terms of movie making, that’s not going to happen because we only have the models that we could control C Control V and if every model is distinct and individual. That has different limbs or other things we we can’t do that that is too expensive. Plus we have this really great Tyrannosaurus Rex, one that we’re just going to keep using no matter what. We just reskin it. Another one.  Quinny  Yep, control Z control V.  Dion  Yeah, I mean, I’m I’m really into the island of Doctor Moreau. Dinosaur Island too, like, you know, everything is ******. Like if every dinosaur has had some something that was wrong with it in this, I would have been like, this is an interesting thing. Like, if everything like a Tyrannosaurus Rex with really. Really.  Quinny  Moret.  Dion  Tiny legs and huge arms that would be. I would love watching that. UM, but yeah.  Quinny  I would have loved to have seen like the T Rex. That actually still. Had its feathers and they’re like, yeah, this is actually what came out when we genetically did it. But yeah, nobody wanted to see that. And it looked stupid. So we just had to have that on site. ******* 27 B wouldn’t because.  Jill  That would have been. A better deep cut than just putting a school bus that said Creighton High School on it in. The opening thing like.  Dion  Yeah, I.  Jill  Know the taste levels in this film were non active.  Quinny  Sure. I I did see a sequence where they like they were walking into a a what you would call it like a museum. And they were literally dropping the banner of when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. And I was like, **** me.  Dion  The banner.  Quinny  Really, that’s a bit on the nose.  Jill  Quinny, I will tell you, I will tell you now that is not the first time they exactly ripped off the first film.  Quinny  Ohh dear.  Dion  Yeah. Yeah, but. I was written by the same guy who wrote the first film based on the Michael Crichton book. That’s OK, but I do feel. Like. Yeah, it’s a.  Jill  Is it OK to not do anything original that you have to completely lift sequences?  Dion  Bit.  Quinny  Right. Yeah, yeah.  Dion  Maybe he’s just using. ChatGPT to really he’s like, here’s the story outline. Fill it out.  Jill  Remember, remember the the fun kitchen sequence with the velociraptors. You wanna see that again?  Quinny  Yeah, but with a different. Yeah. Excellent. Sweet.  Jill  Cool, you’ve got it. Yeah. Do you wanna see the sequence well?  Speaker 7  Kids.  Jill  Yeah, yeah, yeah. You got that done alright. Do you wanna see another sequence where someone’s trying to lead a dinosaur away from a?  Quinny  Wait, OK.  Jill  Group of people with a flair. Yeah, because you got that.  Quinny  Too, I love Jurassic.  Dion  Your thing?  Quinny  Park. Yeah. The first film. Yeah.  Speaker  Yeah, like I mean.  Dion  Sorry, it’s it’s it’s interesting because the ideas that are purported from some of the concepts that presented to us in this. Film I were talking about, you know, interesting, different, distorted kind of things. Like, you know, you’ve got established law like they added amphibian DNA to fill out the chains when they got there. And Can you imagine seeing a Tyrannosaurus Rex or even, you know, some sort of Velociraptor that has a tongue that can fire out? And grab like a frog, like that kind of **** is.  Quinny  I still want the the ******* thing that’s in the book. The the The Lost World Book, the sequel book.  Speaker  Uh. That.  Quinny  Is one of the creepiest bits of the novel that they’ve never adapted to the screen. Probably so.  Dion  Which was that? Tell tell me of that news.  Quinny  So there there’s a bit where they’re they’re they’re running away and that’s much like the Lost world film. They’re running away from dinosaurs and suddenly they’re being chased by Raptors and the Raptors **** ***. And they’re, like, hang on, what the **** makes Raptors turn around and run? No way. And they’re like, well, we’ve gone into something else’s territory. We’re in deep ****. We don’t know what it is, and I think it. I think it was a Spinosaurus or something like that, that they patched some of the DNA of of that with a a. Ohh ****. What are the ones that. You can see through.  Dion  Ohh jellyfish Daniel.  Jill  The cuttlefish.  Quinny  No, no. Like the the little gecko, like a gecko. But what are the ones that change? Chameleon. Chameleon. Yeah. So it was like this perfect chameleon dinosaur and everything was scared ******** of it because they could never see it.  Speaker  Thing.  Jill  Well, they did that with the Indominus. They put the the cuttlefish DNA in the Indominus and it was camouflage.  Dion  Yeah.  Quinny  Ohh I didn’t even remember it being that camouflage. I always think of the Indominus as being kind of just white and dumb looking.  Jill  No, it was camouflage.  Dion  Could also and and change its heat signature. And it was, yeah, like they had a whole bunch of weird ****. And it had Velociraptor. DNA.  Speaker  Yes.  Dion  And it had everything, and it was linked to the child that was made.  Speaker  Yeah.  Quinny  Yeah, that was ******* stupid. OK. So, so yeah. Like it was a cool idea. Yeah. Yeah. That you know something that perfectly camouflaged itself. Yeah. But also is is still a normal looking dinosaur.  Dion  I mean, yeah, look. This film has it all. It has all of the greatest dinosaurs that you wanted to see kind of. I don’t know. They tell you in the film what the ones that they’re going to go for and then they do that they go to the ones that they’re going for. It has, you know, a great person to hate straight away. It’s got a great team of mercenaries who also had.  Quinny  Scarlett Johansson was quite pleasant. I don’t. Know what you’re talking.  Dion  Has a great team of mercenaries that all had distinct personalities and the back story. Yeah, yeah, that was the I was there. I’m like, I’m down for this. This is great. This is gonna be a fun adventure. We’re gonna go to the island and get the things. And I’m like, OK, they got, you know, sluty glasses guy. He was gonna be the person you follow. And then they added a family.  Jill  Yeah. How Red shirt gang.  Dion  For no ******* reason.  Jill  Yeah, that you’ve. Never seen the trailer? There’s just a random. Family got added.  Dion  Yeah. If it’s just like, oh, we need more people now. It’s like, do, do we. We had the team, we had the team which we could grow to love. And then when they got eaten by a dinosaur, we would feel something.  Jill  Yeah.  Dion  In this one, we just get to watch, you know, Ed screen get eaten within the first, like, completely wasted within the first time. Like ohh cool. He’s a military. That was. Yeah, he’s the military guy who’s got the only gun that they seem to have. And then he gets eaten and everyone’s like, cool. So you didn’t pack any other ******* guns.  Jill  Yeah.  Quinny  The. Even though you’re going to an island full of deadly dinosaurs.  Dion  None. And you pack 1 gun. That’s a **** gun anyway. Like.  Speaker 2  I don’t.  Quinny  Understand this. The reason they’re going there is for what? What’s the magnuson?  Jill  OK, so the pharmaceutical Rep wants to get blood samples from dinosaurs that had the largest hearts because that’s going to cure heart disease.  Dion  And they could make a **** ton of money. At least they’re open about that straight away, but then also.  Jill  Yeah, yeah, but it doesn’t work if you only get 1 sample from one large hearted dinosaur, you have to collect three. You have to get the air 1 and the water one and the land one. And together with their powers combined. Will cure heart disease.  Quinny  I’m Captain dinosaur planet. Yeah.  Dion  Exactly. And then if you if you use the fire from a flare.  Quinny  Wow.  Dion  It all goes together and also, you know, hey, let’s just let’s just throw in. Rupert, Friends standing there going and also didn’t your dad die of heart disease? Don’t you want to do something about that? And it’s like what? OK, it’s fine. We’ll just go.  Quinny  And heart.  Jill  Yeah, OK, well, now this is a cause that’s closer.  Dion  Yeah, yeah, it’s closer to. It’s closer to my heart, but like, ohh, holy ****, you already had us with money.  Jill  To my heart. So yeah, that will help.  Dion  Because she was like, that’s real dumb. It’s like, well, here’s a bunch of money. And she’s like, yeah, OK, I can do money. I love money. We’ll do money like that was fine. And then. But, you know, I was on board for that anyway, you know.  Jill  Done.  Dion  I also love how what’s his name? Jonathan Bailey’s Henry Loomis. That paleontologist was like. I’m really conflicted about going. To this island that I’ve been like consulting to this pharmaceutical company about how they can make drug and actually like they like he was the one who came up with like no you have to get it from. The heart of a. Living animal while it’s alive and they have to be the biggest. I came up with this idea. It’s like, OK, we’re going the island to do your idea. He’s like, oh, I don’t know if I can go.  Jill  Yeah, it’s like I’ve just dedicated my life to dinosaurs, and I might have the opportunity to see them in real life, but I don’t.  Dion  I mean.  Jill  Think I could.  Dion  Do it, but I’m slightly morally. Conflicted by it, it’s like.  Speaker  Wait. Really.  Dion  Yeah. Anyway, and then there’s an additional family which is just useless. They add nothing to the plot. Nothing. They’re not there for anything. They’re there for different sequences with different dinosaurs.  Quinny  What are they there for?  Jill  They literally add nothing to any of the context of the plot.  Dion  The mercenary team would have been better off not rescuing them.  Quinny  Right.  Jill  Yeah.  Quinny  So they probably would have been better off too.  Jill  Oh, and the whole family subplot. So it’s not like they were even there for. Fodder.  Dion  The survival rate in the.  Quinny  Ohh ****, I thought this. I thought they were gonna be like, you know, the another red shirt but a red shirt that maybe we’re a little bit more invested in because they’re kids or whatever.  Dion  No. The survival rate in this ******* film is way too high.  Jill  Yeah, out of like, all of the characters, I’m pretty sure it was like 4 that died, tops. And there was, I gotta say, like 10 or 12 characters in the movie that were on the island.  Quinny  Right. OK.  Jill  Yeah.  Dion  There were 11. There were 11 people on that island. I just counted them up quickly in the car. There were 11 people and out of it like 3.  Jill  There you go. You go.  Speaker  And it.  Jill  Was 4, three or four? Yeah.  Dion  Died. 33 died.  Jill  Ohh and it was all in the first like action sequence.  Dion  Well, no there was. There was.  Jill  Ohh wait, no there was one later. Two in the first action secrets and.  Dion  Yeah, there was. There was 2 and then one at the end and yeah. And even someone who did a heroic thing of sacrificing themselves to it, like, you know, to to let everyone get out didn’t die for no explanation. Absolutely no explanation. Yeah.  Jill  Then one later. Yeah, didn’t I?  Dion  You explain how that happened, no? You’re gonna explain where the monster. Where did the Montessori’s go? That was literally going to eat him when you went back to pick him up.  Quinny  And wave it. Away.  Jill  Yeah, they’re not the swords. Like, as terrifying as it was, was very slow.  Dion  No idea. The Montessori was.  Speaker 7  Didn’t move very quickly at.  Quinny  I was going to say you may have to help me a.  Speaker 7  All.  Quinny  Little bit. What’s the Montessori, especially as Jill.  Jill  What the source was like is the Phantom of the opera, so he’s the one that.  Speaker 7  Like.  Jill  Kills the scientists in the lab at the start, but you never really see it until the very end, where it reveals itself. But.  Quinny  Oh, he’s he’s.  Dion  Jill, you came up with the greatest explanation of it. This is the special needs dinosaur. Oh, dear. I’m sorry to say it because say that. Yeah, it is. It is the special needs dinosaur because it’s it’s it looks all ******.  Quinny  You can’t.  Dion  It is all ****** **. Yeah, but it’s also like it just makes it makes decisions in there, which is like, are you OK, buddy? Are you a special little dinosaur? Ooh, shiny thing. You know, kind of like, that’s the kind of level you get it. It’s supposed to be big and scary and kind of weird.  Jill  It’s giving Timmy for himself.  Dion  Then OK, you get that. But like by the end of it, you’re like, you could probably distract this thing with a rock.  Speaker  Like.  Dion  Shiny thing? It’s not hunting anyone in particular, it’s.  Jill  Yeah.  Speaker 7  Just yeah, a laser pointer like a.  Speaker  There.  Dion  Cat. Yeah, yeah, he’s a laser pointer. It should be. Like ohh over. Here. OK, alright. Don’t worry about him. He’s just. A.  Quinny  ********. I am looking at the design of it like I’ve found a. Toy of it.  Dion  Right.  Jill  Ohh yeah, they made a toy that was a toy.  Dion  Its official name is Distortus Rex.  Jill  Yeah. That was just because they. Couldn’t call it the R word. Don’t cancel me.  Dion  Restore restores Rex.  Quinny  Yeah. I’m going. I’m just trying to work out why. It has 6 legs.  Jill  Because it’s an abomination. Quitting.  Dion  Why not?  Quinny  Yeah. And a giant alien looking ahead. Actually, you know what it reminds me of doing? It reminds me. Of. Dion  A duback it reminds me of a. Rancor. What did you call me? Easy. It reminds me of of like a. A a a not quite a right rancor.  Quinny  Ohh yeah, but like the tail of the.  Jill  Rankle from Team who, didn’t we?  Speaker 7  Say.  Quinny  Yeah. Yeah. Rank. God, it does have rankle from Teemo, doesn’t it? Yeah, with a little bit of dew back in there as well. But but dewback with with tiny little dumb **** little baby legs at the front. But then giant *******.  Dion  Got removed.  Jill  Excuse me.  Quinny  Clothes as well. Wow. Yeah, terrible design.  Jill  And it was very slow.  Dion  Yeah. Comparatively, yes. Yes. Casper was asking you.  Speaker  Are.  Quinny  There any other cool dinosaurs in?  Dion  There is there is product placement in this which is also funny. OK, here’s the thing. No, there are not really any cool dinosaurs in this.  Jill  They’re all the stock standard ones that we’ve seen before. There was iguanodons. There was a Tyrannosaurus, there was a.  Dion  Spinosaurus.  Jill  Resource resource source. We saw a really fuzzy blurry shot of a couple of loose wrapped.  Dion  Agodon or whatever they want to call it, Moses areas.  Jill  There’s there’s flexicoil and.  Speaker  Oh oh.  Dion  That, that, that game that gave me the sheets. OK, I need to explain. That one. What? What is in every single?  Speaker  And.  Jill  There was a Ankylosaurus, but it was like for 1/2 little second as they’re like rushing through the jungle I’m like. No. Give me ankylosaurus. What? What?  Quinny  Is the.  Dion  What is the staple dinosaur across all of the other Jurassic Park movies? What is it?  Speaker 7  Yes, velociraptor. Yeah.  Dion  It’s a velociraptor. How dare you in this one? Only show a Velociraptor or two velociraptors out of focus.  Jill  Out of focus.  Dion  Stalking the character you want to die like there’s a character that you want that character to die because it’s just a.  Speaker  Yeah.  Dion  Person that didn’t need to be in the field, but also you’re like, yeah, get rid of that, that character that that character’s ******. And then it gets killed. Like they get killed off screen like in the kind of. Behind things so you don’t need to see what happens like. They’re not even. In the frame like ohh we we put lots of Raptors in there.  Jill  It was supposed to be a comedy beat, but.  Quinny  Yeah. Anyway, OK, I I will point out that there is a toy of Zora Bennett with the Velociraptor.  Dion  No, no, no, no, no, they’re well, they kind of I I did look it up. They were like a different kind of Velociraptor that had been engineered. And I’m like, no, that’s just a Pelican with no feathers.  Quinny  OK, right. So.  Speaker  You want to be.  Jill  Hold that one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was. It looked more like a Pokémon.  Dion  At the end, which was Kinder? Yeah, but you know my favorite dinosaur of this whole movie?  Speaker 2  Wow.  Dion  Merchandising. Dinosaur. That’s right. We’re going to give the little we’re going to give a kid the war merchant door. Yeah, merchant hours.  Jill  Baby Diner Deloris the baby dinosaur.  Dion  Yeah, Mercer hours because ******* rogu the dinosaur. All right. OK. Yeah.  Jill  That’s it.  Dion  Yeah, groger the dinosaur. Who who manages to to to look. It’s almost like Dora the Explorer. Yes, because that’s what it is. The little girl with the backpack is.  Jill  Yes, giving Dora. And boots.  Dion  From from like a Latina background has like adopted. ******* dinosaur. For some reason, even though they’ve been trying to eat her for the whole time, whatever.  Quinny  And and doesn’t. She say early on that she hates dinosaurs. Yeah.  Jill  Well, yeah. She just had a traumatic experience with one, and then all of a sudden, she befriends the baby. 1. Because marketing they.  Dion  I can’t wait for the next one. Jurassic World Re Rebirth, where it’s grown up a little bit and it’s just causing terror around their household because it’s gotten too big. I know, right?  Jill  Yeah, they should get James Gunn to direct that one.  Quinny  I mean, you’ll at least make it fun. Maybe Jill. OK.  Dion  Jill, that’s next week.  Speaker  Look.  Jill  You guys know that I love wanton dinosaur destruction as much as the next, but there was 0 in this movie. This was the most this.  Quinny  And she’s wanting dinosaur destruction.  Jill  Is the biggest. Let down of my life for a Jurassic film.  Quinny  Wow. Yeah, yeah.  Dion  Ohh great it was.  Jill  Not even any of the scenes with dinosaurs were exciting. Was none of them very mediocre?  Dion  I I really liked 1 scene which also did not pay. Off at all. Point of the scene.  Jill  Uh-huh.  Dion  So, and I’ll say because I don’t really feel like it’s not really a spoiler anyway, they they, their boat crashes, they get they have to swim to the beach. The Moses all can’t get in there, but there’s these other like is it Spinosaurus that are like the sail the sail ones yeah I don’t know the ones are the sail Finn on their back they have been kind of swimming around and you know smartly.  Speaker 7  Slide on some things.  Speaker  Yeah.  Dion  The dinosaur expert goes. Like, don’t stop at the beach. They’re amphibious, like keep moving. He keeps running like everyone else is like, oh, finally, we made it to the beach. There’s no more dinosaurs, and he just keeps running. Going. Nope. Nope. And phebus amphibious, like and keeps running into there. And I like that. And someone kind of takes a beat on the beach. And you’re looking at the back, and it’s kind of rocks.  Speaker  Hmm.  Quinny  Yep.  Dion  Everywhere and stuff. And then suddenly one of those ones rolls over. Because it’s been lying on the beach flat. So you didn’t see this? The big sail, Finn. And it’s terrifying because you realize. Ohh ****. They’re on the beach already and everyone’s just kind of relaxing and like breathing heavy and going. Oh my God, I can’t. And one rolls over and kind of like slides around. And you’re like. Holy ****, that’s gonna get that person that’s right there. And then they take a beat and it doesn’t for some reason. Another one comes from somewhere. Else to do it and. Then they just **** ***. Yeah, like they see a person dying like ohh no, that happened anyway. Alright, that’s very sad. We should go. And it’s like they would be hunting you.  Jill  There were a couple of moments that were giving like ohh this is alien vibes. This would work perfectly if they just let into the horror aspect and then they completely swerve the other direction and.  Dion  Yeah. Yeah, this is.  Jill  Basically, make a really kid friendly film.  Dion  Yeah, there’s there’s no horror in this and I think that’s one. Of. The things Queen you’re saying Camp Cretaceous was a. A good TV show. It feels like they they wanted that audience to come and see and they couldn’t get too scary.  Quinny  Yeah. Well, and the and the stupid thing is in in Camp Cretaceous and chaos theory, they do, you know, have enough actual threat in there like dinosaurs do, eat people and ****. You just don’t see it. Like you don’t see big bodies being munched in half, but.  Jill  That was the beauty of the first one. That was the beauty of Jurassic Park. They’re terrified. 8 year old me, but I still went back to keep watching. I’m like, this is ******* terrifying. Must watch more here.  Quinny  Dinosaur leaping. Sir. Absolutely.  Speaker  Yeah.  Dion  They don’t. They do. They hate that guy on the toilet, like the lawyer.  Jill  Yes, snapped him up, chewed him, gobbled him.  Quinny  Down. Yeah, exactly.  Jill  Getting electrified on fences.  Dion  As a.  Quinny  Yeah, and and the, the, the.  Jill  Joke ******** your pants in the kitchen. Yeah, yeah.  Quinny  The Raptors were ******* scary because they were smart, yes.  Speaker 7  Jello.  Speaker  Yeah. Give me.  Quinny  That I mean. Come on. There’s a girl.  Dion  This is this is a like Jurassic Park, is it?  Jill  I ohh Dion, did I tell you or did I not tell you that I wanted them to say clever girl in this movie?  Dion  Is it what?  Jill  And it didn’t happen all the.  Dion  Exactly. We’re waiting for regrets. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Especially considering you’ve got a female lead.  Jill  Of all the things.  Speaker  Yeah.  Dion  Like you know, and.  Jill  Yeah, straight female characters. Yeah, that 41 got eaten, but still.  Dion  Yeah, only it’s it’s one of those. It’s one of those things that I was like. Jurassic Park. The first one is great because you take two kids, you terrorise them with an attack and then the first thing that Ian Malcolm. Sorry. No. Ian. Malcolm. Sam. Meals. Thing is, is also scare them is to make them like.  Speaker 7  Oh yeah, with the color and the.  Dion  No, no, not no, no, the the like the electrified fence. I forgot about that. They’ve just gone through gold.  Jill  Yeah, that’s the first moment he met them. He shows them the the talent and he’s like that. Rip your guts. Out like this?  Dion  No, that was the kid. That was a shift head at the archaeological view.  Quinny  Oh no, I’m pretty. The to the little kid as well, really.  Jill  It doesn’t terrified a kid. Oh.  Dion  Yeah. Ohh yeah, yeah. But like also, I love that like it’s traumatic experience. We should terrorise them a little bit more. I’ll play that joke and then they get terrorized again. Like it is about scaring kids. And this one is not about scaring kids. This one is about making. You know who’s scared in this?  Jill  It wasn’t. There wasn’t even jump scare in this I don’t think.  Dion  No.  Quinny  And yet it’s been very popular and made.  Jill  Why? But why? Why?  Quinny  A lot of.  Speaker  Money.  Quinny  That was my question. That’s my question. Why?  Jill  I think it’s all the people with chat. Deputy brain rot.  Quinny  Who would? Just like yay dinosaur fan?  Dion  It’s it’s, it’s it’s a movie. Like it’s a movie from a pitch deck. It’s like, here’s this action scene. Here’s this action scene. Here’s this action scene. Here’s this action scene. Right. Write it all together for some reason and do it also you. Let’s throw in a message there which I think is Gareth Edwards touch like he’s I feel like Gareth, who’s a good director like I don’t, I don’t think his films are bad. He he wanted to tell a message in it, but he had to do it. In such a. Way, which is like corporations are bad and we should like work together with each other and it just feels ham fisted because he’s been handed a bunch of scenes that he has to put in this movie that don’t make ******* sense. Also, yes again, you mentioned that the other thing quinny the magical blow up boat that seems to be the only thing that can stop dinosaur bites. Yeah. Yeah, because they’re 2 rubbery.  Jill  Completely imperceptible to teeth.  Dion  Yeah. Can’t Pierce a a blow up boat.  Quinny  Oh, we’re OK.  Dion  Which is also done in the stupidness.  Quinny  I’d I’d only read about it and I was like, ohh OK. Magical rubber dingy. Cool, yeah.  Speaker  Sticky.  Dion  Magical rubber, sweet, but also dumb. I mean that whole sequence which was specifically design. Mind for just the T Rex attack was not particularly scary, thrilling or interesting. It was just like they’re gonna get away. Everyone and no one dies.  Quinny  Is is the is the T Rex still even remotely scary?  Jill  No, not in comparison to anything else these days.  Speaker  Yeah.  Quinny  Yeah, right. Because when that. When it first shows up in that first film and you know you don’t see it for a while, it eats a goat off screen and you’re. Like oh ****.  Jill  Yeah.  Quinny  And then it finally shows it up. And it’s this ******* magnificently terrifying thing in the dark.  Jill  Yeah.  Quinny  It was incredible, was there.  Jill  Yeah.  Speaker  That.  Jill  The scariest thing, but like since Jurassic World, he’s just been good guy T Rex. He’s like he’s our pet.  Speaker  Yeah.  Quinny  And that is a problem, isn’t it? Like if you’re now a good guy, we can rely on T Rex to always come through for us.  Jill  Yeah. Again, another slow dinosaur. How how are people in a dinghy outgrowing a Tyrannosaurus Rex?  Dion  Yeah. Or is swimming like, how is a river at both times deep enough for a Tyrannosaurus Rex to swim and then?  Quinny  It’s funny.  Speaker 7  But also the stick. It’s like that Godzilla thing where he’s in the ocean. It’s like his legs go all the way.  Dion  But also to stand in.  Quinny  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.  Speaker 7  Down. They can still serve.  Dion  I’ll stand there and go. Oh, no. I’ve been foiled by my one weakness. A small gap in rock.  Quinny  Casper, I think has hit the absolute nail on the head there. Have the solution. We give the Dinos lasers. I also agree that they should have lasers and should have people riding them. I know riders.  Dion  Yeah. Yeah.  Quinny  I mean, it’s not that ******* hard, guys.  Dion  I mean, come on, there are plenty of islands. There’s gotta be some Indigenous tribe there that’s been left with. And also has domesticated them and now is using them to, you know, fight battle. Why not?  Quinny  Yeah, I’m down for that. Yeah.  Dion  Yeah, yeah. I mean the rest of Hollywood is bankrupt, so why not this one? Hi, Amy.  Quinny  I love the fact that they they go into all of the effort of going OK in the previous films. We’ve now set dinosaurs out into the world and the the whole idea of Jurassic World is that yeah, we are now living in a Jurassic.  Dion  It’s the world. Yeah, yeah.  Quinny  World, where there’s dinosaurs and **** like that. And it’s like, yeah, no undo all of that. Take them out of society so that society just doesn’t care about them and we’re going to put them in a small band in the middle of the of the planet.  Dion  Yep, we’ve gone across the world to come all the way back around. No back to islands in the Pacific. Yeah, yeah.  Speaker  Yeah.  Dion  Cool.  Quinny  Is Scarlett your handsome good.  Jill  She’s adequate.  Dion  You know what I gotta say, all the cast is great because, like they, they are trying very hard. Like they’re all likable. I liked. Wait. OK, let me separate this out. All of the cast from the mercenary side. Like the the you get introduced straight away. They’re all actually quite likable, you know. They’re stereotyped out, so you know who’s who to follow. You know, you got the boat, captain. You got the the mercenary. You got the evil creepy guy. Like it’s very aliens. Easy to follow. It’s like predator. I think I explained that one. It’s like. In the first predator film, by the time they’re on the helicopter going out to the mission, you have identified exactly the difference between all of them and how they work. So yeah, it’s a good way to introduce a cast of different people. Same kind of thing here, here’s all the cast and then they. Had. A boat full of family. That you hate. Like all of them are *****, pretty much or. Bless.  Jill  Yeah, they were pointless, they.  Dion  They’re all.  Jill  Were fine, but they were. Pointless.  Dion  Yeah, fine. But they’re pointless. And then they mix them up. And I was like, this is just irritating and the most irritating thing I think I found about it was after they, their boat crashes, they split them up again to the exact same groups. And that is dumb. Like I mean you presented you, you could have at least given half the mercenaries to the family and half the family to the mercenaries.  Speaker  Hmm.  Jill  If you had mixed them up. Then it’s like, OK, how do we now work with what we’ve got to complete the mission that we have to do, but also get you back safely to get?  Dion  Because the family’s just trying to get off the island and the mercenaries just default back to Ohh well, they’re dead. We’ll.  Speaker 7  And leave the island.  Dion  Just go and get the blood we need.  Jill  Yeah. They’re like, oh, maybe they’ll need us at that helipad that we told. Them about who knows.  Dion  Yeah, yeah.  Jill  And then when they do, they’re like.  Quinny  Oh my God, you made it.  Dion  My God, we never thought we’d see you again.  Speaker 8  Yeah, that’s.  Speaker 7  The grey.  Dion  Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Quinny  The Quetzalcoatlus thing, the the big flying one, is there anything called with?  Speaker  What?  Jill  I mean, no, they’re raiding its nest and then it comes back and it eats one of them.  Dion  No.  Speaker  Oh.  Dion  Do you know what was scarier in the previous films?  Jill  Ohh yeah, they’ve wait, but Joe Bailey fell off a Cliff and survived.  Dion  Because everyone survives, you can’t not survive, right? Also getting up the Cliff is hilarious because, like, we have to make it up there by, like, you know, in the next few hours.  Speaker  Yeah.  Dion  And then they’re just. There. Yeah. Like how how no one can climb that fast. You couldn’t even take an escalator. Fast, but like OK, the the the flying dinosaur like that, the terradon that was in the in the second one. No third one in justified. Well, they went to the Avia and they were like, Oh my God, there’s an aviary. That was scary. And then the eating people off the off the, the the resort in Jurassic World that’s also terrifying. In this one it’s just kind. Of like.  Quinny  Ohh Margarita man being picked up. I love that. It was great.  Dion  Yeah, like all of that kind of stuff. That was this one just kind of felt like ohh no, they got their thing for the thing and now they’ve got their thing, OK. Then they disappear. It’s like, great, now bird is gone and then have to.  Speaker  Yeah.  Dion  Worry about bird anymore.  Jill  Yeah. Yeah, they’re. Like, oh, so once we complete that mission, how do we get off the island? And Scarjo says, Ohh well, there’s a helicopter that I prepared earlier. It would be here at dusk on the second day and it will hover for two minutes precisely. So we must be there at the appointed time so we can leave.  Dion  Yes. And then leave.  Quinny  Here’s one I.  Dion  Prepared, yeah, exactly 100%.  Jill  Precisely.  Quinny  Yeah. I’m sorry. Just wanna wanna call out something Karina has just said in the chat that there’s a mystery temple that they never explain.  Jill  So they’re like. Yeah, because they’re on some random ******* island where a lab has been set up. But here’s like this main looking temple. That are, you know, aptly named Quetzal cottis’s nesting in and they’re like, oh, yeah, whatever.  Quinny  Oh no worse. Yeah, just and wave that away. Yep. Yeah, cool.  Dion  Yeah. Yeah, it’s. There’s a lot of hand waving this way. Actually, there’s a fun one. I know that we’re. We haven’t even got to like ratings or spoilers. I don’t really care. I don’t. Want to play the clip anymore?  Speaker 7  We’re kind of really spoiling this whole movie right now, but it’s not a particularly good movie, I’m afraid, guys.  Quinny  Yeah, I’m feeling like I didn’t I.  Dion  Didn’t even want to play the clip of the family. No, I really enjoyed the weird threesome that was. That was the unintended.  Jill  Oh yeah, what? Joe Bailey in the ****. Chair.  Speaker 7  yeah  Dion  When they’ve when they’ve finally come across. Yeah, what are they called? They’re like. Big the big they’re not brontosaurus or whatever. They’re gigantosaurus whatever they’re like. They’re kind of cool, but.  Speaker  Gig gig addon Adam.  Dion  Gigaton.  Quinny  Giga Dong, well done.  Jill  We didn’t get sleep, got no pain, there was no diesel pain. It just kind of made out for a bit. Now see it.  Speaker  We.  Dion  We said we supposedly supposed to get to this really beautiful moment where these two gigantic gigantosaurus are titanosaurs or whatever it is are like mating. And they go like, oh, my God, we’ve stumbled onto this field where all these things are and they’re mating and we need to get that.  Jill  Titanosaurus Higdon this course. Oh my God. Wait, wait. Can I just say they’re in a field with absolutely nothing, and then they turn slightly and here are these big **** *** dinosaurs, and then they turn around just a little bit more. And then there’s like 100 of them.  Speaker  Why?  Speaker 8  It is cold.  Dion  Yeah, I mean it plays. It plays exactly into that thing which has been established in the previous ones. It’s like do not go into the long grass. That’s where the velociraptors hunt. And you go in, they’re walking in there like, oh, great. We’re finally getting to the action edit. And it’s just ******* giant ones. It just happened to be there.  Jill  Yeah, there’s nothing. Ohh, this is fantastic. Ohh wait. Hang on. Ohh, look at that big one.  Speaker 7  Another big one. I’ll be right on top of.  Speaker 8  Us. What the?  Dion  It’s. *******. It’s supposed to. Yeah, it’s supposed.  Jill  Thing.  Speaker 7  Wait, what? There’s a hundred more over there? Yeah.  Dion  It’s supposed to be this really beautiful moment for Jonathan Bailey’s character as the paleontologist to go, Oh my God, I’m watching this happen in real life and I can see this, and he gets too close to them and touches them. But it is just the fact that there are these two titanosaurus and they just curl like twist sort of twist their necks like ******* snakes. They just do that.  Jill  Yes, they’re just making it out. They’re making.  Quinny  Out they’re making.  Dion  And he’s and. And he’s putting his hand on it. And I’m like, that is the worst part of the reason right there. There is the awkward guy just trying. To get involved. Well, these two are like, what are you doing?  Speaker 7  Getting in the middle of the.  Jill  Well, just I’m just gonna get scratching here. Oh, no. OK.  Dion  Yeah, yeah, yeah. So do I just do an intro or just leave my hand here? Meanwhile, the dinosaur kind of looks down and goes. What are? You doing yes.  Speaker 7  Like is this working for you?  Dion  Stop looking at me.  Quinny  So he’s in the Cockfield exactly.  Dion  Yeah. And then Sky Joe shoots it with a dart for blood for blood and that kind of thing. And that’s how you go.  Jill  And then they’re like. 2 down, one to go.  Dion  I also love how they celebrate every time they get a vial they have they have a they’re like a, a a briefcase full of like, which has space for three vials of blood that that they kind of are using as the as the the progress meter for the game that is this movie. And they all get really excited about harvesting this blood and it’s. Like. You know that you’re the bad guys, right? You’re the bad people. You’re like in Jen from the second movie. You.  Quinny  Know. So is there a point where like and and this is me not having seen it. OK, thank you. Is is there a moment where the the the obviously not great.  Jill  There’s no point.  Speaker 1  There is no point.  Quinny  And the guy at the start turns on them. And of course, OK, just I just just checking. Of course he’s.  Speaker 7  Ohh yes, very early. Very early in the movie.  Dion  He’s established as a complete **** **** the very start, like when.  Quinny  He kind of books them just like that.  Dion  When they’re in, when they’re in the the the water. But like, you know, and then of course he finds.  Speaker 7  Yeah, they’re like.  Jill  No, you’re not a good dude. But we’re just gonna. Look over here.  Dion  Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But we you have money and we do that. And then eventually, of course, he makes.  Jill  Until the moment when they’re like. I think we can get rid of this. Guy, if we just do nothing.  Dion  Yeah. Yeah. And then you’re. You’re right, Kenny. He he does. Carter Burke himself. He he tries to escape him. Leave them all for dead while he tries to get away. And that’s the Carter Burke, you know, right. Not even a satisfying death for him. Just a boring death.  Jill  Yeah. It’s not getting eaten on a toilet.  Speaker  Yeah.  Dion  That’s for sure. No, it is not. And anyway, they all get out and they live happily ever after in only to time to come back now and.  Jill  And we never find out what they did with the.  Quinny  Samples. Ohh really. Nope.  Dion  They kind of say what they plan on doing.  Speaker 7  Jay, just leave the island and that’s it.  Dion  But they don’t say what. There’s no post thing that’s kind of like M we should agree to do this. Yeah, maybe end of film. Ohh alright.  Speaker 7  Yeah.  Dion  Sure.  Quinny  Should we have a clip? And then do our ratings? Do you want to do it the? Other way around I don’t get. I didn’t wanna I. Speaker 7  Whatever works.  Dion  Don’t even wanna play the clip. It’s so dull.  Quinny  Oh.  Dion  Because it’s just the family.  Quinny  Oh, OK.  Dion  No, **** it. I’ll just play the.  Quinny  Clip and the the clip I want to I. On. Want to? I want to see the clip.  Speaker 7  What happened, Dad, where is?  Speaker  He I don’t. Know.  Speaker 8  I’ll go back down. I’ll keep looking.  Speaker 2  Speaker 8  Right.  Speaker 2  What?  Speaker 3  Come on, come on, come on.  Speaker 7  Are you?  Dion  Ohh thank God they all live and no one dies and there are no consequences for anyone in this whatsoever.  Jill  Yeah.  Dion  Yeah, yeah, yes, I know. Karina. How was he? Out. Swim. The mosa saw. We don’t answer these questions. We just watched the films.  Jill  How were they able to outrun a Tyrannosaurus? How was Kincaid able to outrun the? Montessori’s.  Dion  Rex, why was the mosasaur in the open ocean? Also hunting slash, swimming around with the the with the.  Jill  Spinosaurus that we’re in. The middle of nowhere.  Dion  In the middle of nowhere and those just, they just disappear.  Jill  In the middle of nowhere, an amphibious dinosaur was in the middle of the Atlantic helping a mosasaur hunt. Yep. And then where did it go?  Speaker  Yes.  Dion  They just ****** off. We don’t know. Why?  Jill  Where did it go?  Dion  And then, sorry and then?  Jill  We’re doing spoilers right now, yeah.  Dion  And then and then wait.  Quinny  Right and pretty, Kanga says I have to ask is?  Jill  It really called the Montessori. No, it’s just a really monted looking dinosaur.  Dion  No, we just call it the Montessori. Exactly.  Quinny  Like Distorters Rex, but let’s go with yeah, yeah.  Dion  That’s what we say, like, not Billy and the connoisseurs, Billy and the Montours. The the other thing is that that mosasaur like knocks the boat over that they’re on because it’s it’s whatever, ******* territorial. Who cares. And then right after that. Scene where it kind of just misses the guy getting on the boat. Then it just goes. No, pull it. Now go **** ***. Yeah, and it just ***** off like.  Jill  Yeah.  Dion  But it wouldn’t. What? Why? You know.  Jill  This was the stuff that was missing. If they had completely trashed the boat and eaten the family. Would have loved it.  Dion  Fine. Yeah, it could have just been nameless family gone because also as they said it, it just ***** off and then they pick the people up and then the Moses source decides actually, no, the the other boat, that’s the power boat full of mercenaries. That’s the one I’m going to buck up and run aground onto the island. You’re like, wait, it it it could easily funked up a a A. Sailboat, but it knew it had stuff on, and yet it decided to take on the heavily armoured boat.  Jill  Catamaran.  Speaker  Yeah.  Dion  No good reason.  Quinny  I’m in one of the artworks for this that that like also just want to put it out there the the the art, the thing that first indicated to me that perhaps this movie was a bit **** is that all of the posters and everything that I could find looked like the worst *******.  Speaker  Yes.  Quinny  Photoshop jobs that I’ve ever seen. Like it, it’s pictures of like clearly CGI body with its gullet. Your Hansen’s face just kind of pasted onto it halfway up a Cliff or something like that. Not footage, not shots, anything like that. And there is a design in one of them that I went. The **** is that? It has a beaky kind of face, but it looks a bit like a Raptor.  Jill  Yeah, that’s the new kitchen. Dinosaur. Except we’re doing it in a convenience store, but it’s the exact same secret.  Dion  Yeah, yeah, yeah, the the convenient. The convenient dinosaur.  Jill  Yeah, that’s the Pokémon looking one.  Dion  Yeah, that’s the.  Quinny  Right.  Dion  One is like if you took a. Pelican and you took all the feathers off it. Yeah, kind of.  Jill  Thing it’s a little bit flying. It’s a little bit water tight, but.  Dion  It it’s I I called it the goiter dinosaur because it’s got the big kind of flopped up neck that it kind of does, but it’s just it’s just dull.  Speaker  Yeah.  Dion  Right. It does. Yeah, it has no problem. Like there’s there’s no real reason to do it.  Quinny  Dion  It was just there to be like, oh, this is scarier than a Raptor is like, is it because it’s not? You could have just had a Raptor.  Quinny  Right. OK.  Dion  You could have you could you could have made a Raptor with the plates of a stegosaurus. Or imagine you’re a Raptor with the the the horns with horns like you could have done. Yeah. Yeah, you’re ******* with genetics and stuff too. That ****. Make a Raptor with horns so it could impale people.  Quinny  Like a tricera wrapped. Yeah, or.  Dion  That would be ******* scary.  Quinny  Or what?  Jill  How come when I’m trying to think of that that one?  Quinny  Looked like and I get an anklyosaurus. What? What’s the ones that the the head butting ones they? Ankles, horses or.  Jill  No, that’s the. The.  Dion  I think it’s a goto asaurus.  Quinny  I’ll wait for you.  Jill  Was in the last one. He was in Dominion. I can’t remember.  Quinny  Yeah, yeah, I I know. Karina will be able to say Pachycephalosaurus. Yeah, yeah. You know, get a *****. But give that, like, a crown of thorns of of horns or something like that, you know, go for something really ******* out there and mutant and weird. And I’ll be like, OK.  Speaker  Hey.  Speaker 7  Sure.  Quinny  Cool. It sounds like we’re not not weird enough.  Dion  Yeah, I I feel like they’re like, oh, we’re going to do the island of meat and dinosaurs. It’s like, cool. So we don’t really have models that we can do that with because they cost more money. So where do you want to focus on? Is that do we have to keep the other cast of the family with the boat in? Right? It’s like, no, can we get rid of them? No, they have to stay. No, weird dinosaurs. Just use the dinosaurs you already got. It’s it’s a. It’s a bit, yeah. It’s weird, right? So ratings.  Quinny  Yeah, I was gonna say drop some numbers at me like and and if you’ve seen it in the chat, which I know Karina has. You know, drop some of that with with a number after it, so I know what’s gone on.  Dion  25-O Jesus just ******.  Speaker  Wow.  Dion  It’s it’s annoying on both sides. It it? It neuters the dinosaurs and their effectiveness and their scariness, and it also neuters the really good cast you had. And the smart things you could have done and the director, I feel. I feel like everyone kind of. Got. Castrated by this, for whatever reason, I don’t understand why I didn’t like it that much, and I would probably no, I can’t really defend. I’m thinkin

Welcome to another installment of Fratello On Air. This week, we respond to a listener's request for a strap episode. Today's show covers how to choose, which brands we enjoy, and pairing specific watches. Enjoy it! For our listeners, the watch content begins after approximately 21 minutes.There's no other way to put it — Balazs is a strap monster! His Watch Strap Review articles are legendary and quite literally span the globe, as far as covering different makers. Comparatively speaking, Mike is a novice, but he's learned a few tricks from the master. Today, we address the topic from many angles.HandgelenkskontrolleWe kick off the show with some news about local London watch events from Fears and Vacheron Constantin. Regarding TV, Your Friends & Neighbors has started well and offers some watch-related content. For the Handgelenkskontrolle, Mike is wearing his trusty Patek Philippe Calatrava 570 after forgetting to wear a watch during a recent watch event. Balazs is sporting his bulletproof G-Shock GW-B5600-2ER with Bluetooth.Picking the right strap and more!Our listener Alex asked many questions about one of the most important accessories, the watch strap. In this episode, we discuss our favorite brands, including GLC, Gabarro, Delugs, Atelier Romane, and more! Different leather types, styles, and buckles also surface during the conversation. We mention that there's no such thing as a good, dirt-cheap leather strap, but that a good accompaniment doesn't have to cost a fortune. Finally, we respond to Alex's question about pairings with the Tudor Submariner 94010 "Snowflake" and a modern 42mm Zenith Chronomaster.We hope you enjoy today's show and look forward to bringing you more content next week. As always, if you have ideas for future episodes, please let us know!

HT2193 - The Best Glass You Can Get Your Hands On The number of camera reviews to be found on YouTube and the internet is mind-boggling. The minute a new camera is announced, the usual suspects are in a panic race to post their observations of the new camera and it's capabilities and shortcomings. Comparatively speaking, lens reviews are almost non-existent. Curious, in that a bad lens ruins all photographs made with it where even the worst cameras can be used to make good photographs.

Shoot us a Text.Today is our fearless leader Paul J Daly's birthday! So we gave him the morning off and tapped in producer Nathan Southwick. We're talking all about the new Canada and Mexico tariffs that put pressure on the automotive supply chains, plus the top depreciating cars and how Google is pushing to achieve artificial general intelligence.Show Notes with links:The U.S. has enacted 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, throwing the highly integrated North American production network into turmoil.The tariffs, effective today, March 4, apply to all imports except Canadian energy products, which face a lower 10% duty. Canada and Mexico both responded with their own tariffs.Industry experts predict vehicle prices could rise between $4,000 and $10,000, with Ford CEO Jim Farley cautioning that prolonged tariffs could "blow a hole in the U.S. industry that we have never seen."Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association said that there is potential for U.S. and Canadian auto production to revert to "2020 pandemic-level idling and temporary layoffs within the week.”Key auto models at risk include the Toyota RAV4, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Chevrolet Equinox and Blazer, and the Honda Civic and CR-V, while European automakers with manufacturing in Mexico, including Volkswagen, Stellantis, and BMW, saw their stocks drop sharplyThe STOXX Europe 600 Automobiles and Parts index fell 3.8% and Continental AG, a major supplier, saw an 8.4% drop in shares.Used Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles saw the steepest depreciation of any cars in 2024, according to Fast Company's analysis of CarGurus data.Model Y prices dropped 25.5%, while Model 3 prices fell 25% from January 2024 to January 2025.Comparatively, the Nissan Maxima only dropped 5.2%, and the Ford Mustang declined 5%.Full Top 10: Tesla Model Y, Tesla Model 3, Land Rover Range Rover, Jeep Wrangler 4xe, Chevrolet Express Cargo, Ford Transit Connect, RAM ProMaster, Land Rover Range Rover Sport, Chevrolet Bolt EV, and Ford Expedition, all with over 19% depreciationGoogle co-founder Sergey Brin is back and pushing Google DeepMind (GDM) teams to accelerate their progress toward Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). In a newly released memo, Brin outlines the urgency and expectations for Google's AI teams.Brin emphasizes the need for 60-hour work weeks, daily office attendance, and faster execution by prioritizing simple solutions, code efficiency, and small-scale experiments for faster iteration.He calls for a shift away from “nanny products” and urges teams to “trust our users” more.Brin, who has no formal role at Google beyond a board seat, stepped in over the head of Google DeepMind, Demis Hassabis, signaling the urgency of the AGI race."I think we have all the ingredients to wHosts: Paul J Daly and Kyle MountsierGet the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/ JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/ Read our most recent email at: https://www.asotu.com/media/push-back-email

Companions, History and Heroism.By FinalStand. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.There are two distinct phases of falsehood. In the first, you realize you can lie to those closest to you. In the second, you realize you shouldn't.(And the stars continue to shine forth)"Stop trying to save me," Pamela remarked, once she was sure we were alone once more."Ask me to do something I'd at least consider doing," I sighed. "Let's go back to the party, I'm not sure where we are.""You've been walking in one big circle, Dummy," she chided me.Why was she letting me off the hook for walking off with the Grand Villain in the scheme of things? Well, if she started hitting me, she probably wasn't sure she could stop."One of these days I'm going to screw up and not get out of it," I noted sadly."That is the epitaph of anyone who has ever taken up a weapon and a cause," Pamela smiled.Maybe she wasn't angry with me."Why aren't you more pissed off?" I wondered."You are a good guy, Cáel," Pamela enlightened me. "That means you are going to reach out to people you think you can save. Personally, I don't think Alal can be, but then I'm biased.""Guy coming back from the dead?" I inquired."Damn right. No more surefire way to anger an assassin than to come back from the dead," she related. "Did you take note of his body?""Not really. What did I miss?" I requested."It didn't look right," Pamela shook her head. "Nothing more specific than that. I was hoping, since you touched him, you might have picked something else up.""Nope. I was too busy slipping a GPS locator on him," I grinned."You don't have one and the technology doesn't work that way, ya numbskull," she play slapped my left bicep."Wouldn't it be cool if it did?" my grin broadened."Laugh it up, Monkey-boy," Pamela countered. "Buffy would have you tagged like a mule deer in Yellowstone.""Eek," I gasped. "Point taken.""Well, " Pamela huffed."He's going to kill my soul," I observed. "Now I'm sure of it. All of that discussion was just gauging my personality so that when he offs me, he can become Cáel Nyilas / Wakko Ishara." Pause."Good for you," Pamela let go of a tense breath. She didn't have to ask."The whole Condottieri situation is a scam," I passed on that bit of information I'd first put together with the Vizsla. "It never left Granddad's control. Currently he's going to use various other factions to kill off the Condottieri and Illuminati leadership that oppose him, then it is Unity Time.""If he takes your place, that gives him leverage on the Amazon Council plus your appeal to the 9 Clans and the Earth  and  Sky," Pamela helped me work things through. "He couldn't get his hooks into the Egyptians because they knew too much about him. Matters of race stymied his efforts with the Earth  and  Sky and Seven Pillars.""Except I saved Temujin and he's been supplying them with weapons and tech for over fifty years," I told her. "Even when he was dead, his plan was working, he had predicted the path that warfare would take, invested wisely and left orders to implement his plans. When the time came, they were ready to take out the Seven Pillars.""Without you saving Temujin, the E and S wouldn't have cared, but you," Pamela nodded. "If it comes down to his coalition of Illuminati, Condottieri, Amazons and 9 Clans, the Egyptians will join him, Global Unification has been their goal all along," she continued. "Besides, you made one hell of a positive impression on them the only time you've met. Bang up job, Stud.""Temujin will join as well. He's anything but suicidal," I finished the roll call of my fate. We were almost back to the rave by this time. "You know, you could kill me and short-circuit all of this mess," I reminded her."No way. I plan to win, damn it," Pamela patted me on the back. "Save the Dum-sel in Disrepute, slay the Evil Warlord and re-retire with a boatload great-grandbabies to spoil.""I gave the Vizsla a clue," I let Pamela know the possible complications to her plan. "In 1847, one General of the Condottieri tried to have the Italian Black Hand kill another. Unfortunately, the victim in question was a puppet for Grandpa and the assassin team attacked them both. Because they saw his face, he hunted them back to their base and slaughtered the entire Verona Chapter house of the Wolf.""He must have fucked up a few other times as well," Pamela assured me. Speaking of miscalculations, Anya, Katalin and Orsi broke from the thrashing mob and ran up to me."Your crazy ex-girlfriend called," Anya seemed steamed. "She insisted must she talk to you." At first glance, it would be 'which crazy ex-GF', except only one had Anya's phone number. I took her phone."Bonjour, ma petite amie méchante ," I greeted Anais, the Mountie, in French. Yes, I was calling her a 'meanie'."Cáel, how are you? Where are you?" she was truly concerned. I didn't doubt her sincerity. I also didn't doubt she was convinced she knew what was best for me, as well."I've talked with the Hungarian Police too," I let my pique come through. "You screwed me over. I asked you to let me handled this and you didn't.""You are still a Jerk," she snapped. "I've been trying to help. And from the sounds of it, you are at a party.""It's a rave. It is a rave brought about by the police keeping people penned up in the town all afternoon. Now, if you would stop treating me like a freaking child, you would realize that I'm actually safer in a crowd than I am alone, holed-up in some room without a weapon because you've made it so that the TEK is now keeping a sharp eye on me," I retorted."Can't you tell I'm trying to help you?" she got loud, on the cusp of becoming enraged."Yes. I called you, asking for help. I also called to apologize, without making it sound like some lame stupid stunt to get you back. I'm in real trouble here and I've put other people in danger at the same time," I told her. And yes, I planned to get some 'Anais' when I got back to North America."I'm telling you," she persisted, "let Hungarian law enforcement help you.""I'm trying to make you understand," I countered, "that this is a situation that the police can't help me with. I called you because I believed I could trust you, even though you hate me.""I'm angry with you, Cáel. I don't hate you," she grumbled. "I am trying to help.""If I didn't believe that, I wouldn't still be talking to you, Anais," I allowed. "What did Timothy tell you?""Is that all you care about?" she grumbled."Actually, this is me trying not to be a selfish jackass," I said. "People are in danger because of me and I need to make sure they are safe before I take care of myself.""That's, very unlike you," Anais sounded unsure."I've been doing some growing up since graduation," I replied. "I only wish I'd grown smarter.""I, I'm sorry about your Papa," she quieted down."They gunned him down in his own home," I told her. "Dad never touched a gun in his life and they shot him with an assault rifle.""Oh, well, I understand your Federal Justice Department is investigating the matter," Anais tried to comfort me. "I talked with your Prosecutor Castello. She wouldn't tell me much.""Pity," I mumbled. "I know they are having difficulties.""It is an American problem," she noted."Not really," I sunk in my hooks. "We've been working with MI-6 and the CIA. They are all part of that international task force I told you about {see last chapter}.""Yes, how did you get Irish diplomatic status? That doesn't make any sense," she perked up. Anais liked puzzles. Actually, she liked solving conundrums. It made her a great cop."We are missing the party," Monika protested, in German."That's right. Tell your EX-girlfriend good-bye, Cáel," Anya insisted loudly."Who is that?" Anais groused."It is Anya, the Bulgarian mechanical engineer. We've had sex since you and I last talked and I think she's feeling a tad possessive," I explained.Pause."Bastard," Anais seethed. I was sure her cunt was twitching already. "Fine. I talked with your roommate, he says you have my uniform in a dress bag and my boots in a sealed box, so I forgive you. Anyway, he said Odette called, and she gave him a number to give to you."Since it didn't have 555 in it, I had hopes it was genuine. This was not the time to give Anais the quick kiss-off."I appreciate it, Anais," I sighed with relief. "Have you decided which restaurant you want to go to when I get back?""I haven't given it much thought, Cáel," I could feel her defrosting further. "How can I keep in touch with you?""Ugh, I don't have my own phone right now. Tomorrow I'm going to steal some means of conveyance and, " I grinned."Don't tell me that," Anais complained. "I'm still an officer of the law.""Well, the new 'me' is trying to be more honest with you, Anais. I've got to get out of town tomorrow. Would you rather I lied to you, again?" I confounded her."Well, no. Try to be careful, prends soin de mon amour," she sighed."I will call you as soon as I'm able. Thank you again," I signed off."I still say, 'that one' is confused about her 'ex' status," Orsi teased me."Do you know what is worse than having one woman save your soul?" I tossed out to them. They could not divine an answer. "Having three women do it at the same time, for different reasons. Now I believe we have a party starving for our attention."(Reunions)Pamela had convinced me the motorcycle driver who belonged to our newly acquired BMW K1600 GT would be at least four hours regaining consciousness and getting himself untied. We had stopped at a petrol station along the 431, between Kiszombor, Hungary and the Romanian border. She wanted to fuel up before the border crossing, in case things didn't work out, you know, with our guns and this stolen vehicle.She was already peeved that I'd stopped in Szeged to pick up a few pounds of paprika. Rumor had it that the fields around that stretch of the Tisza produced the highest quality of that spice on the planet, especially the sweet kind. Pamela pointed out I knew 'jack' about cooking. I agreed. What I did know was cooks, the female variety.Fresh spice from the 'source' was way better than a dozen roses, even with a box of chocolates added. Did I have a cook lined up in New York? No, but I was sure I could find one. Wait! Yasmin, my Brazilian, ex-Super Cop, hottie should be back in town by now. If she didn't cook, she'd definitely have a friend I could seduce.Honest to Ishara, I was starting to believe this constant 'work-work-work' was ruining my normally poor judgment where sex and fidelity were concerned.Pamela was getting some lunch for us while I gassed up my crotch-rocket. My luck kept being, exceptional. Two Hungarian motorcycle troopers showed up; both were women and they apparently had decided that I was worthy of attention. Hey, I'm good-looking, and I was wearing a ballistic vest. (The durability of my long coat wasn't so obvious.) "Nice bike," the first one, the one directly confronting me, said. "Thanks. It is a KT1600 GT, 2009," I smiled. "What are you two on?" "Yamaha FJR1300A's," she answered. I put up the nozzle, capped the tank and walked over to her conveyance. It was a really sweet ride. "You have a gun," she noted calmly. She and her partner both had their hands on their holstered weapons. Since the flaps were still down, I wasn't panicking. "Yes. More than one in fact," I kept pretending to look over her bike while I was really scoping her out. I'd nailed all six boat girls and then had the Macedonian babe for breakfast. So I still had three good sexual bangs in me before dusk and these two were nice and pleasant enough. "Do you have permits for those?" she asked. Her partner was calling something in. "Are we still in Hungary?" I mused. The question was a joke. "I believe we are," she smiled. Sure, I may have been a dangerous felon, but I was a nice looking and engaging one."Nope. I'm afraid not," I sighed. She understood my English. "Why are you so armed?" she kept calm. "Are you law enforcement somewhere?" "Does a secretive, non-governmental, paramilitary organization count?" "No," she sighed. "That sounds rather criminal. So, what are you carrying?" That was a nice way of saying 'give me your gun'."Left, right, back, or ankle?" I replied. "Which one do you want first?" "Let's try this again. Can I see some form of ID?" she remained rather comfortable despite this having to be the most bizarre traffic stop of her career."I'm reaching around to my right rear jean pocket for it," I related. Something dating Anais had taught me was that you always tell an on-duty cop what you are doing before you do it.She nodded, so I pulled out my NY Driver's license, my US passport and my Irish Diplomatic ID. She began looking them over. "You are Cáel Nyilas?" she looked over my documents. "If that who it says I am, then yes," I grinned.For a second, she was P-O'ed, then she realized I was playing with her. She snorted in amusement and returned to looking over my stuff.   "Nyilas is a Hungarian name," she hummed. "Székely," I clarified. "My family emigrated to America at the end of World War II. I've actually come back here to look over the homeland." "You couldn't land in Bucharest?" she handed me my ID back. "What?" I feigned an insult to my intellect. "Hungarian women are far prettier.""You don't appear to be Dortmund Schuyler," her partner looked me over.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (01/27/2025): 3:05pm- After the first week of his second term as president, Donald Trump mandated employees of the federal government work in-person, withdrew the nation from the Paris Climate Agreement, withdrew the nation from the World Health Organization (WHO) citing their willingness to cover-up China's COVID-19 transgressions, delayed enforcement of a national ban of TikTok, recognized two genders—male and female, pardoned 1,500 Americans arrested for their actions on January 6th, 2021, expanded domestic energy production, shut down the U.S. Southern border and began deportations of dangerous illegal migrants, and guaranteed free speech on social media. Trump also fulfilled a long-term campaign pledge to focus on meritocracy and pivot away from the prioritization of far-left policies like diversity, equity, and inclusion (D.E.I.) within the federal government. Rich wonders, was this the most consequential first week in modern presidential history? 3:15pm- On Sunday, the Trump Administration arrested nearly 1,000 illegal migrants who have been accused of serious crimes. Comparatively, the Biden Administration averaged 310 arrests per day, according to Axios. The New York Post reports that in a raid over the weekend, federal agents arrested 50 members of the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua in Denver, Colorado. 3:30pm- CIA Says Lab Leak the Likely Origin of COVID-19: Michael R. Gordon and Dustin Volz of The Wall Street Journal write: “The Central Intelligence Agency has now concluded that the deadly Covid-19 pandemic most likely arose from a laboratory leak, lending credibility to a view that has been the focus of sharp debate among scientists and politicians for years. In doing so, the CIA has now joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Energy Department in identifying a laboratory mishap in Wuhan, China, as the probable source of the Covid virus. It has killed more than 1.2 million Americans and over seven million people worldwide.” You can read the full article here: https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/cia-now-favors-lab-leak-theory-on-origins-of-covid-19-eff4e67c. 3:40pm- After initially rejecting deportation flights containing Colombian citizens who entered the U.S. illegally, Colombian President Gustavo Perez reversed course—even providing the U.S. with his own presidential plane to assist in the process. After Perez's refusal, President Donald Trump announced he would slap Colombia with a 25% tariff, with the promise it would quickly increase to 50%. The United States is Colombia's largest trading partner. 4:00pm- Robert Bork Jr.—President of the Antitrust Education Project & President of the Bork Communication Group—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss the Federal Trade Commission in the Trump Administration. Will antitrust concerns persist over Microsoft's $13 billion investment in OpenAI? Could hypothetical overregulation of artificial intelligence harm American innovation—potentially allowing for foreign adversaries to better compete in the emerging industry? Plus, Bork reacts to Nvidia stock falling 17%, wiping out nearly $600 billion in market value. 4:30pm- Last week, prior to the NFC Championship game, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker misspelled “Eagles” while leading a chant to support the hometown team. Yesterday, the Eagles dominated the Washington Commanders, 55 to 23. But today, Parker spelled the team's name properly—did she just jinx the whole city right before the Super Bowl? 4:40pm- While appearing on NPR, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner stated that he is exploring the possibility of filing local charges against Pennsylvanians who unlawfully entered the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021 despite President Donald Trump's recent pardons. But how does Krasner have jurisdiction over federal offenses that were already reversed? 5:00pm- Last week, prior to the NFC Championship game, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Park ...

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 1: 3:05pm- After the first week of his second term as president, Donald Trump mandated employees of the federal government work in-person, withdrew the nation from the Paris Climate Agreement, withdrew the nation from the World Health Organization (WHO) citing their willingness to cover-up China's COVID-19 transgressions, delayed enforcement of a national ban of TikTok, recognized two genders—male and female, pardoned 1,500 Americans arrested for their actions on January 6th, 2021, expanded domestic energy production, shut down the U.S. Southern border and began deportations of dangerous illegal migrants, and guaranteed free speech on social media. Trump also fulfilled a long-term campaign pledge to focus on meritocracy and pivot away from the prioritization of far-left policies like diversity, equity, and inclusion (D.E.I.) within the federal government. Rich wonders, was this the most consequential first week in modern presidential history? 3:15pm- On Sunday, the Trump Administration arrested nearly 1,000 illegal migrants who have been accused of serious crimes. Comparatively, the Biden Administration averaged 310 arrests per day, according to Axios. The New York Post reports that in a raid over the weekend, federal agents arrested 50 members of the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua in Denver, Colorado. 3:30pm- CIA Says Lab Leak the Likely Origin of COVID-19: Michael R. Gordon and Dustin Volz of The Wall Street Journal write: “The Central Intelligence Agency has now concluded that the deadly Covid-19 pandemic most likely arose from a laboratory leak, lending credibility to a view that has been the focus of sharp debate among scientists and politicians for years. In doing so, the CIA has now joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Energy Department in identifying a laboratory mishap in Wuhan, China, as the probable source of the Covid virus. It has killed more than 1.2 million Americans and over seven million people worldwide.” You can read the full article here: https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/cia-now-favors-lab-leak-theory-on-origins-of-covid-19-eff4e67c. 3:40pm- After initially rejecting deportation flights containing Colombian citizens who entered the U.S. illegally, Colombian President Gustavo Perez reversed course—even providing the U.S. with his own presidential plane to assist in the process. After Perez's refusal, President Donald Trump announced he would slap Colombia with a 25% tariff, with the promise it would quickly increase to 50%. The United States is Colombia's largest trading partner.

Allen County, Kansas is not a place most people will be familiar with, but the story is one you've probably heard before. Located in southeast Kansas, an hour and a half from the nearest major city, it features much that's typical of rural America. Iola, the county seat, is a city of 5,300 people. It has a classic town square and lies at the junction of a couple of state highways. The beautiful Flint Hills and its majestic cattle ranches are not far away.But after the community lost its hospital in the early 2000s, the usual questions emerge - is Iola, and the whole county on the verge of permanent decline?Out of this tragic circumstance was born Thrive Allen County Jared Wheeler, their Economic Development Director, joins me to talk about the path that Iola, Humboldt and the whole county have taken since that time. And, the remarkable successes they've achieved. Humboldt, for example, was featured in 2024's “15 Best Small Towns to Visit” in Smithsonian Magazine.You might not know much, or even care much, about rural Kansas. But I think you'll still find this to be an inspiring conversation and story. Jared and I cover a lot of ground, talking about rural community development, place-making, a culture of experimentation, and even bike paths.Find more content on The Messy City on Kevin's Substack page.Music notes: all songs by low standards, ca. 2010. Videos here. If you'd like a CD for low standards, message me and you can have one for only $5.Intro: “Why Be Friends”Outro: “Fairweather Friend”Text Transcript:Kevin Klinkenberg (00:01.158)Welcome back to the Messy City Podcast. This is Kevin Klinkenberg joined in studio today by a special guest from Central, what did you call it? Central Kansas? Southeast Kansas. Southeast Kansas, yeah. Southeast Kansas, all right. Well, shout out to my buddy Jason Carter-Solomon who hooked us up. He said, you know, just was out in Iowa, Kansas and I met this guy doing really cool stuff and it's like, you've got to talk to him.And it sounded intriguing and here we are. So welcome to the show for Jared Wheeler. You got it. Jared Wheeler. I am economic development director for a nonprofit in Southeast Kansas called Thrive Allen County. So I'm thrilled to be to be here today. Well, it should be a lot of fun. I have I've been through the area a little bit, have not stopped in Humboldt, which I know is like the big.tourist draw now. Right, right. Who would have thought that a community of 2,500 people would be in the Smithsonian magazine, New York Times, all these national publications saying you got, you have to come check this place out. Yeah. So why don't we start a little bit by just talking about, first of all, what thrive Allen County is, and how you came to be a part of it. So thrive Allen County.was initiated when the hospital in Iola, Kansas was closing. And as part of the agreement, anytime a hospital closed at that point, the idea that assets would be sold and then the money put it into the, with the intention of creating a 501c3 nonprofit, specifically dedicated towards public health initiatives. So Thrive Allen County was born out of really a crisis. So it's kind of birth from a crucible.the hospital in a small town closes. If you speak rural life fluently at all, that is a recurring theme that the hospital in town closes and you are left with some amalgamation of clinics or some specialty shops or just a general practice with limited beds, no overnight stays, that sort of thing. So the hospital closes, thrive, Allen County is born.Kevin Klinkenberg (02:20.988)And its initial mandate is to improve the community health. Just to interrupt for just a sec. So give people perspective. How big is Iowa? Yeah. Iowa, Kansas is about 5,200 people. Relatively small. It's the county seat of Allen County, Kansas. The next largest community is humble of 2,500 people. So the entire county's population is 12,000. Right. So for those of you who are in urban context, you are.probably struggling to imagine that sort of lack of population density, population scarcity. It's funny. It reminds me. So I went to high school in a small town in central Missouri. That was about 12,000 people. Okay. But when I hear you say, you know, Iowa is 5,200, it just reminds me that like when you're in a smaller town, like the hundreds matter. my. Saying 5,200 versus like 5,600, that's like a big deal. Right. It's the same way, you know,parents of young children still measure their kids age in months. It's like, is it about 27 months? It's the same situation for those of us who are doing our best work in rural communities, like 5,200. Because if I say, it's about 5,000 people, somebody out there is listening going, my graduating class was 5,000 people. That makes no sense. So Thrive, that's our context in which we work. And for the last,17 years Thrive has existed to enrich the health of citizens in Allen County. And that was initially in specifically related to physical health. So we have healthcare navigators that try and make sure that as many people as possible are insured. We operate vaccination clinics throughout the county, especially in even more rural and remote context. And thenabout halfway through the lifespan of Thrive, economic development was added. And economic development is really pursued from the perspective of community health. What is going to be a source of good, benevolent disruption? That's my approach constantly is what is going to disrupt the systems that are in place that contribute to the lack of health?Kevin Klinkenberg (04:45.788)for our community members through economic development. So that's my role and I am part of, technically I'm a one man department, but we all work together at Thrive and with our partners, both public and private partners in the communities. So how big is the organization overall? We have just under 30 employees right now. Yeah, and so we're fortunate in that some of those employees are in a transition period because we operate Allen Regional Transit.which is a public transportation organization in a rural context, which I know some of y'all out there are picturing like covered wagons. That's not exactly what's going on. But so we operate a public transit organization. And then we also have within our organization, the seed of another nonprofit that will probably spin off called Thrive Kansas, which is working for the same sort of rural community health goals.that we do in Allen County, but is trying to create statewide networks to do that. And how did you, are you from the area? Man, my rural bona fides are legit. I am, I am from a town of 500 people originally called Thayer, Kansas and in the same region, Southeast Kansas again, born and raised there. And really, so you have to remember I grew up in the nineties, early two thousands. So my experience of the wider world.was purely through pop culture. We didn't go anywhere. I was as hasty as they come. I knew what sushi was. did not eat. I had not had a bite of sushi until probably when I was on my honeymoon. And my cousin and I had a wonderful time. I'm just kidding. And so that's my baseline understanding of the world. But then I...I lived and worked in churches and schools after that. Did my grad school in Portland, Oregon. And so I did intensive weeks out there. So I was spending time in Portland in the Pacific Northwest for a couple of weeks at a time for four or five semesters. And so I've experienced a lot of different contexts. And then we moved back to Southeast Kansas, my wife and family and I from Kansas City actually. And so we lived up here.Kevin Klinkenberg (07:12.294)and then moved back about nine years ago with the choice to locate our family in a rural context. that's my route towards economic or community development is incredibly circuitous. And I really, I've found that that was a point of embarrassment for me initially when I took the job, because I just thought, everybody knows this stuff better than I do. And now I'm learning more and more about our conversation off mic before that.You were in architecture school before you got into community development. And I think that's, that is true for so many people that the reason they end up in community development, economic development, especially in a rural context is because they love the place. They love the place. They are invested in it and they have lived it. And again, bear the burden of what could be, or they have lived it and they are so quintessentially formed by it.that they believe other people should benefit from that formation as well. And the same is true for me in both directions. So, really the only experience I have with your area has been driving back and forth between Kansas City and Tulsa, which is kind of like the most direct route, really. Maybe not the fastest route, it's hard to say, but it's more interesting anyway, a little more scenic.been through Iowa. don't think I actually have driven through Humboldt yet. Humboldt, as you mentioned, has been a place that's gotten a lot of attention in recent years and it's kind of on the radar for, you know, like glamping and for cycling and everything else. Why don't you talk a little bit about like how and why has the area started to get the level of attention that you mentioned before?I think there's two categories I should speak to. The first is material and then maybe the second is going to sound a little weird, but it's mythological. So materially, one of the reasons that the area has gotten attention is because quite frankly, it's cost effective to develop and to try things in Allen County. The economic ecosystem in rural Kansas has typically been one of either extraction or exploitation historically.Kevin Klinkenberg (09:35.81)It is a wildcatting pioneering economy since my goodness, since the 19th century. And so the, industries that boomed the turn of the 20th century into the 19th century were extraction based businesses. Let's pull things as pull natural resources out. mean, my goodness, near Iola, Kansas, there is literally a city called gas and it is called gas because you, you made your bones.as part of a natural gas business there, that that's the way you made it so that the name stuck and in Humboldt and Iola there, there were massive, concrete businesses. there are these huge firms that, mined a mineral from that area and then use it to turn it into cement and concrete. So it's one that's still an operation monarch cement company in Humboldt, Kansas, butThat is the case. either you're pulling a resource from the landscape and when that is exhausted, you leave. And so that that also funnels into that exploitation idea. It's extraction or exploitation. So there's a sense amongst the folks who live and this may be true if you're a real person listening, you might be nodding along or you might want to fight me either way. WhereThere's an idea, the scarcity mindset that blends in that says, well, everybody who could have left did. Everyone who had the chance and the means and the capacity to leave when it was time to leave did, and we are what remains. I don't think that's accurate. I think that's sometimes, unfortunately, the way that small communities understand themselves. They either become bitterness factories or hope factories. That's very rarely.in a community that is somewhat remote and rural, is it in between those two extremes. You're either a community of hope or you're a community of bitterness. What could have been and what might be. So those are your two extremes. And I'd love to talk to people if they feel like they live in a community that exists right in the middle of those.Kevin Klinkenberg (11:51.238)So the first reason why the community, the area is getting more attention is because materially it's more cost effective to try something new there. That economic ecosystem of extraction or exploitation is given way to one of experiment. Let's try something new. And so there are people who are either coming back to the area or they are relocating from other parts of the country.because they have an idea that is impossible due to the cost constraints of where they live. I am assuming even for our folks who are listening in Kansas City, that if I started doing cost analysis comparison between opening a storefront business of some sort in Prairie Village compared to Iola, Kansas, you will not get the population density for traffic or tail lights, butfor your permit cost, you might be able to buy a building in Iola. So that's really at end of the day, it's more cost effective in our area just because things are cheaper. I don't mean to be crass, but that's what it comes down to. That's the material side. The second one, the one that I'm maybe even more interested in is the mythological side. Why are people so interested in that area? And I wanna ask this question as I hold this off in my head.How do you think people from non-rural contexts experience or how is their perception of the rural world formed by what pop cultural artifacts, so to speak? in the fifties and sixties, I would say it's probably Mayberry, you know, it's the Andy Griffith show. And what's the essence of the rural experience? Well, everybody knows you, you're not going to get away with anything because you'reyour mom's hairdresser's aunt saw you do that. And so they're going to report back. And then as it moves forward, what there's kind of this, it's dearth of pop cultural artifacts that have, kind of monolithic effect, except I believe there is now a new pop cultural phenomenon that everyone at least is aware of that is giving people a lens to look through.Kevin Klinkenberg (14:16.988)and see the rural context. And this is going to be absolutely ridiculous to most people, but stay with me. If you're familiar, if you, if you are familiar with the incredible pieces of art, they're known as hallmark movies. You have had a rural experience because those movies never take place in urban settings. Or if they do, it's only momentary because they're trying to escape it to getto the rural place in which you are going to fall in love, achieve your dreams and feel your stress melt away. And that's silly, it's ridiculous. But at the same time, I believe there is a, I think that is a very kitschy way of seizing on a groundswell ofCollective emotion right now where people are looking for something that is more simple. Our lives are incredibly hectic. We know they're hectic. We know that we are addicted to everything and anything. So how can I simplify? And then how can I take charge of my life and do what I want to do and have some agency? And with a little bit where your dollars go a little bit farther and maybe the pace of life slows down, people feel like they have a little bit more agency.And then finally, where can I still access some version of the American dream, whatever that is? And I think that is a piece of mythology that has been so twisted and turned, but there's, it's still baked in somewhere to us. And I think at the end of the day, part of that dream in a rural context is can I be known by people and can I know other people? I'm sure you are aware of thethe emphasis and the buzzwords of, you know, quality spaces, place making third spaces. mean, we are, we are addicted to those. And in a rural context, I think the perception is when you look through the lens of an artifact, like a hallmark movie, that the entire community is a third space because you're going to bump into the person you work with elsewhere. You're going to see someone.Kevin Klinkenberg (16:38.764)at one of the three restaurants in town that you saw yesterday crossing the street or so on and so forth. So I think that's one reason why the community has been so, or the area has been of interest is because mythologically, it provides an avenue towards some essential thing that we want out of living life in community that may be a little bit more difficult.in, if not an urban context, certainly a suburban context. So if I were to put a dot in Iowa and then draw like a circle 100 miles around it, there's an awful lot of small towns within that circle. Right. What has distinguished Iowa and Humboldt that you see more positiverebound and attraction than maybe some other towns that are within that context. One thing that has really helped so much are collectivist approach to problem solving. for example, my organization Thrive Island County, especially in the area of economic development, we would be completely inept and ineffective if we didn't haveclose and active partnerships with local government and local business leaders and confederations of industry leaders as well. So that's one of the first reasons that Iola Allen County has been successful is because it's taken a collectivist approach to problem solving without any sort of political machinations behind that, or sometimes even completely devoid ofpolitical ideology, just because, something needs to change. What do we do about it? Another reason is because folks who have been successful in Allen County have taken it upon themselves, even though there isn't a whole lot of philanthropic infrastructure, or they don't see philanthropic models that you might see in a larger community. you start a foundation, that foundation does this, this is the way in which you...Kevin Klinkenberg (18:59.088)you know, are able to recoup some of what you've given away through tax breaks and so on and so forth. That infrastructure doesn't really exist in Southeast Kansas and small communities, but successful individuals have taken it upon themselves to think critically about the complex issues that their communities face, identify the areas in which they can have an impact and aggressively pursue that impact. So, andI'll be somewhat discretionary simply because the individual in question is not a huge fan of publicity, but there's an individual, a family in Humboldt, Kansas, that at the time of the pandemic redirected a considerable amount of its workforce towards making community improvements as opposed to laying off workers at their industry. That's turned into almost a parabolic story.but it is exemplary of this individual and this company's approach to community improvement. And even without a model that said, is how you do this. There's no, there's not a Carnegie library in Humboldt, Kansas, even serving as a beacon of what philanthropy looks like. This individual became a quintessential philanthropist to solveproblems and it's in his small community again, because he loves it. And that example has had a profound impact throughout the region where there are more and more folks who have been successful and have realized that their success has resulted because someone else made a provision for them and they've turned around and said, okay.How do I address the complex issues? Not merely I'm gonna endow a scholarship, which by the way, we love that, keep doing that everyone, but we need new curb and gutters in the road. I bet I could do something with that. I bet I could have an effect in that direction. So we've been very beneficial through collectivist solution making and then also,Kevin Klinkenberg (21:19.676)the inspired philanthropy of successful folks. mean, that's so interesting. It kind of hits on a broader topic. know Aaron Wren on his podcast has he's talked about this as well. But like one of the real differences today versus in communities, say 100 years ago, is that 100 years ago, the bank in town was locally owned. Right. The department store was locally owned.Right. You know, most of the, and this is true in cities of towns of almost all sizes, that your local leadership class were people who owned prominent businesses in the town. Right. And that is something that has been lost in an awful lot of communities because of, you know, just changes in the economy and so muchSo much of a shift towards sort of larger corporate owned Businesses that then just have branches in places and you just never have the same buy-in right you're like if you're like the branch manager of a bank that's got 500 Locations right you're gonna have a different buy-in than if you're like the owner of the bank. Yeah and and the same goes for for a lot of industry so I think that's it's really interesting what you mentioned that you sort of start starting from a kernel of somebody who ownedan important business and lives in the town and says, just like you said, I'm not going to just do a scholarship fund, but I'm going to invest in things that make, improve quality of life where I am. Right. And I guess that's, as you were, as you were talking about that, I, I couldn't help but wonder, and I'll, I'll ask you directly if you, do you think a community can outsource its self identity? no. Okay. Okay. So, but that's, that's the tug.When so many things are operated or owned remotely is what happens is this, I really think an existential crisis for a community to go, then what are we and who are we? And if you don't have a thing to point to that provides an place of orientation for your community, it gets really hard to then invite people to invest in that community.Kevin Klinkenberg (23:44.63)And so I think that's, I think you're exactly right. That when, when that autonomy evaporates, then you do have a, identity crisis, so to speak. And so that's one thing that's been really interesting in both Iola and Humboldt is, you know, the businesses that are added, we have some community investment, groups and, some microloan groups andso on and so forth. The businesses that have been added are not, mean, there is no retailer that's saying we'd love to drop a branch in your town of 5,000 people. It doesn't make sense for them. So what's added is homegrown. It's local entrepreneurs who we claw to find capital for them and then they take a swing and we're fortunate in that. I sit on a board of what we call a entrepreneurial community.a lending group, micro loans. although, you know, to us, they're not micro to other folks. might be, we have over 25 loans on the book right now and 99.9 % of them are making their payments with regularity. And we have businesses that are crossing that year to five to year six, year six threshold, which is enormous for anybody in the entrepreneurial world. And we've just been fortunate because, there's nobody coming to rescue us.think that is, that is a shift in mindset for small communities. That's so important and it requires a bit of, I mean, you, have to be brutally honest with yourself that you, you need to empower the folks who are there to ask why not instead of why here. Yeah. AndIf something else comes along, if something locates itself in your community, that is an extra. But if you can empower the folks who are local to take a chance, then I think you're onto something that could be sustainable. Yeah. I wonder if you can talk a little bit more, maybe some specific examples of like the homegrown approach. The reason I ask that is I'm old enough to rememberKevin Klinkenberg (26:09.818)that the standard approach to rural economic development for a long, time was go plat an industrial park on the edge of town, put the infrastructure in, and try to attract what basically were like low wage industrial jobs from big companies. that's how you will save your community. what you're describing is a really different sort of a bottom up approach to working with people who are already there.I wonder if you could talk more about like some of the successes or some of the other couple of stories you can share. Absolutely. and we still do that. I mean, I, got, I got two industrial parks right now that are planning and ready to rock. So if you're out there listening and you, and you want to, know, you need a spot for your biofuel company, hit me up. Cause I am ready to talk. so we're not, we're not opposed to that approach. I just think that, charting that as the only course is, really risky.And to be honest, I don't know how much, how reliable it is. I think it's a part of a solution model. But so for example, we have a coffee shop in Iola, Kansas. Every community has got a coffee shop at this point. It doesn't matter how small you are. This coffee shop, shout out Wild Bloom Coffee in Iola. And this coffee shop got started as alower level commercial space on the square. Like every other cute coffee shop in a small town bought the bare minimum square footage that they could afford as just one half of a building, one half of the lower level of a building. And the coffee shop has been so successful and it's been able toapply for and receive grant funding. It's been able to benefit from a neighborhood revitalization program that's a tax rebate program when they made improvements to the space. It works considerably with our organization in small business coaching and in capital pursuit through our micro loan program. And this coffee shop has now purchased the entire building that they're in. They offerKevin Klinkenberg (28:29.468)kind of a subscription based bourbon taste in nights and cigar bar evenings. And they're going to expand to catering and they they serve brunch now. And in our little coffee shop in Southeast Kansas, the other day I had the best ramen I've had in years. we have, they're really talented folks who are owning and operating that shop, but it's been able to expand consistently.due to again, these collectivist approach because there's so many people, it's not only that they serve a great product, they do. It's not only that they provide a great customer experience, which they do, but it's also because they have been willing to not only want help, but ask for help. And that's an enormous difference. Wanting help is just the awareness that you need something. Asking for help is putting your hand in the air,I said, okay, I'm willing to reach out and grab whomever is going to help out, but I'm asking for it. And so that's an example that we've had in Iola. In Humboldt, Kansas, and I can take no credit for this, there's a group known as a Boulder Humboldt. And that is a confederation of business owners, entrepreneurs, movers and shakers who have added businesses throughout Humboldt. So the best...And from my money, the best little honky tonk in Kansas is the Hitching Post in Humboldt, Kansas. And they have live music every night, every weekend night, excuse me. Probably the most expansive collection of whiskeys that you could want or need. And it is an incredibly successful business and an incredibly successful gathering place. And again, was started.by an individual who moved to Humboldt who had connections with people who had multiple generations of their family within Humboldt. And they were able to continue to build that business and be patient as it was built. they live, to your point earlier, they live and work in the community. The gentleman who owns that business is a city council person in Humboldt, Kansas. And...Kevin Klinkenberg (30:48.88)is really devoted towards overall community health and community growth. those are, and those businesses are now moving beyond. So Hitching Post is moving towards, I think it's third year of operations. So kind of living past that initial start at birth. Wild Bloom, I believe is to year four and five in Iola. So we have some wonderful businesses that are outside of what people would expect in a small community.again, because there've been collectivist approach. So hitching posts exists because of the collective that is a bold or humble and humble. Wild Bloom exists because of multiple collective groups within Iola that were, had a vested interest in these success stories. So the one, I confess the one business I remember from going through Iola is I stopped at the butcher shop right off the highway, which was a pretty incredible operation.And I think at the time I was kind of thinking about, we're not very far from ranch country. I had a cooler with me. want to buy some steaks or whatever and take them home with me. And of course the selection was incredible. The prices were way better than when I get in the city. And it's pretty much like fresh off the ranch. Right. I mean, you might have driven by cattle that were lamenting that their buddy was gone and ended up in your cooler instead.Yeah. So one of the thing I definitely I know about the area is you have this north south bike trail. Yeah. That comes through that goes for, I don't know, 100 miles or something. Yeah. Is that the Prairie Spirit? Prairie Spirit Trail. Yeah. What impact has that had on the area? So one, we have a very high rate of folks who bike or walk to work. Comparatively, I just pulled that data.We are higher than the state average, I think almost twice as high as the state average and people that walk or bike to work. So to me, that signifies two things. is it's pedestrian or bike traffic is built into the community. think part of that is because of the trails. There's 60 miles of trail in Allen County alone.Kevin Klinkenberg (33:09.622)so that's around the, what will become the new state park, Lehigh Portland state park. That's going to be on the edge of Viola. let's say it was a lake that was publicly owned and privately owned and then was deeded over to the state of Kansas and, Kansas department of wildlife and parks is turning that into a new state park. So there's a lot of trails around that and people have access to those trails for a while. Thrive Island County, maintenance is those trails on behalf of KDWP right now.we have trails though, that also we, we think of in, in rural communities, you think of your trails as out somewhere out towards the woods. I mean, you're go ride around and walk around, but there's also dedicated trails in Iola, that go to the hospital. spoiler alert, we did get a new hospital. I started the story talking about the, this, closing of the hospital, new hospitals added, to the elementary school, a new elementary school and to the high school, middle school, and also to around.Not to, we're working on getting trails all through the main thoroughfares in town, but there's also trails around Allen Community College in Iowa as well. So we are addicted to trail building and maintenance because we have a population that in many respects is income challenged. And an automobile, even though to most of us is an automatic purchase to a lot of our neighbors and friends, it's a luxury.And so if you do not have an automobile, but you need to get to work or you need to make your appointment or you need to get to school, you need to have a safe way to do so. And so I think that that trail system is. It's part of a wider, pedestrian and bike travel understanding and folks in our community are not embarrassed to do so. And it's because there's not.There's not the income stratification that exists. I mean, in some communities, if you see someone that is riding their bike to work, there's three categories either, they're, they're a granola type that just wants to show us that they're more fit and better than the rest of us. They are too poor to purchase a vehicle or they get a DUI and they can't drive right now. I mean, that is the truth in, our community because the, because of the prevalence of the trail system.Kevin Klinkenberg (35:35.002)If someone is walking or biking to work, it's really hard to codify them. I wonder if they fall into this category or that category just because it's the norm. So we're very fortunate that those trails exist and they do. It also affects, as you mentioned, the glamping outdoors, outdoor recreation, infrastructure and commercialization that exists in our area. That's very helpful. So again, in Humboldt, there is a camping, kayaking,and BMX riding facility known as Base Camp. And it is located at a trailhead. And so you can jump off Prairie Spirit or Southwind Trail. You can go into Base Camp. The, again, the state park is full of trails and also on Prairie Spirit and connect to Southwind Trails as well. Yeah. And then if you ride it far enough, you'll connect to the Flint Hills Trail. Yeah, exactly. Which is.over a hundred miles East West trail. Right. Exactly. My wife and I have ridden a few times. Okay. Cool. Yeah. we, we, one of our favorite events of the years, we go to the symphony and the foothills. Yeah. which is, I almost hate to talk about it because I don't want, I don't want it to become too popular. You don't want people to show up. Yeah. I really don't want people from the coast flying in and, and, making this, you know, too expensive, but my God, it's an incredible thing. Right.just one of the coolest events that we do on a regular basis with where the Kansas City Symphony goes out onto a active cattle ranch in the Flint Hills and performs a concert. But we've made a habit of going and writing a different section of the Flint Hills Trail every year, which is really a fun experience as well. But haven't done the Prairie Spirit, so I'm...Interested to do that. You absolutely should. mean, we, we talked to cyclists who do the same thing, who are connected using the Prairie Spirit to get to the Flint Hills. We're doing a major ride and they're always impressed with the quality of the trails. the Prairie, I, I can only say I only ride or have ridden a portion of it. so, and if you happen to see me riding, can, you can, guess a, is it.Kevin Klinkenberg (37:46.192)Poverty is a DUI or is it granola? one? What's the reason? But no, we're very fortunate that that trail system exists and fortunate that we are the custodians of that trail system. And that's one thing that I would say to, if you're in a rural context and you're just trying to think of something that you could add that would improve quality of life, would be a quality of life amenity, which by the way is an absolute necessity now.That's reason people are choosing to locate themselves in different places. Obviously housing matters, obviously childcare matters, obviously the possibility of earning a comfortable income matters. But if those three things are satisfied, they're making decisions about where to land based on, you know, is there a quality of life, amenity that I can connect myself with? You have, you have space and you have dirt. You are almost there. You are almost to the, to having a trail.or a system of trails in your community on the edge of your community. Please, please talk to Thrive Allen County. We have a lot of experience of doing trail work. We have blown it and messed it up in different places so we can help you avoid those problems as well. But that is a way in which you can activate your community and you can also contribute to the overall health of your community as well. So I want to talk a little bit more about the place making aspect of this.Like I mentioned before, went to high school in a small town in central Missouri and before that I did first through eighth grade in a small town in southern Minnesota.things that were memories that really stick out for me was, know, if you live in a small community and you're a kid, like riding a bike is a normal thing. Yeah. And I used to ride my bike everywhere. And it was accepted. It was normalized. It was easy to do and safe. There's very little traffic on most of the streets. But as soon as you hit 16 years old, like it is theKevin Klinkenberg (39:54.78)uncoolest thing in the world. You've got to have a car. You've got to be cruising around. there, one of the things that has really interested me that I've tried to, I've tried to articulate, I haven't done a great job of it, but I've thought a lot about, which is most small towns are absolutely natural places for the sort of walking, biking lifestyle that.quote unquote urbanists talk about all the time. it's actually, they were built for that originally. But it also bumps up against like the, there's a culture aspect, which seems to not embrace that in most small towns. And I experienced that. I still see it all the time. And I've often thought like really, I guess maybe I want your reaction to this. One of the things I've thought is thatone of the best economic development approaches for a lot of small towns is to be the antithesis of the big city and the big city, people think of it as urban with all this cool stuff to do. But the reality is most people are spending a ton of time in a car, getting from place to place, commute, whether not just commuting, but going shopping, kids activities, et cetera. Looking for a parking spot. Looking for a parking spot. but in a small town,those, it almost ought to be like, that's the place where you could really sell this idea of a lifestyle where you get on your bike and get to a lot of places. You could walk to the town square and that should be a real competitive advantage. wonder if you could, you think that's. Yeah. So why does that not happen? No, I think that's a, I think that is such an insightful question. and one that we struggle with a lot. so I want to, I want to tackle it in a couple of different ways.One is back to the mythology. What's a marker of success? Marker of success is to be able to have your preferred automobile and typically multiple automobiles. And that doesn't end just because you're in a small town. People still want to virtue or virility signal with their automobiles. And because of the work and the terrain in which people live in small towns in rural Kansas, automobiles are typically bigger. Automobiles are bigger anywhere.Kevin Klinkenberg (42:13.868)Always constantly. that again, back to the American dream model, excess is our love language as a culture. so at the same way you got, you have a lot of big vehicles and we need, we're going to signal that we're doing well via this big vehicle, especially if you struggle with multi-generational poverty. Here's a purchase you can make that is a signal that does not require the type of overhead as a home.So I'm going to buy this vehicle. It's going to show everyone that I'm doing okay. The only way to show everyone that is to use said vehicle until I can't make the payments on it anymore. that's not a, that's not a purely rural experience, but it's one that shows up a lot, especially in socioeconomically, depressed areas. Yeah. Here's my $50,000, vehicle in front of my $40,000 house. Sure. Sure. yeah. So that, that, that occurs a lot. There's still,There's still status signaling through via vehicles. That's the first one. Second one is it costs communities more to provide the infrastructure necessary for safe pedestrian and bicycle traffic. If you have X amount of dollars in your county budget or in your city budget to build roads and it's going to take, you know, 5 % more to add a bike lane.to change the width of your sidewalks and you have to decide either we do the project without those things or we don't do the project at all because everyone is clamoring for those things. In most cases, they're going to choose to add the infrastructure without these dedicated spaces. Part of my organization's efforts is to educate communities that you can do that in a cost effective way. You can add those things in a way that's cost effective. So,I think we're moving the needle in that direction. I think that that's still a big issue. we have some, so there's some cultural status signaling. We have some infrastructure cost challenges there. And then also the antithesis of the big city idea is very interesting because typically when people see adults riding their bikes, if you are from a rural community,Kevin Klinkenberg (44:34.576)You only see that when you go to larger communities. I remember having, again, I did grad school in Portland and Portland is an incredibly bike friendly community. If you talk to people who drive in Portland, who do not also cycle there, they lament how bike friendly it is. But if you are a person traveling in a large city, from a rural context to a large city, you see for the first time.city infrastructure that has bike lanes, has bike crossing, pedestrian cross, a lot more foot traffic, a lot more bike traffic. And it can be really alarming to your sensibility of what it is to get from place A to place B. And so, man, did we have a scare, I almost hit that person on a bike. Do I really want to deal with that back home? In a place where you're sharing literal traffic lanes as opposed to driving next to a bike lane.so on and so forth. So I think you're right. think there there is a sense in which, you do want to be the antithesis of the big city. But where you say that and you go, so make yourself more walk walkable and bikeable. There are folks in smaller towns who go, yeah, man, there's a lot of cyclists in that big city that I that I visited. And it was really difficult to navigate. I think that's shifting. We're very fortunate in that even in our town of five thousand people, there are folks who are interested in.making a transition from predominantly using their vehicle, their automobile to get around to using their bike or just walking again, twice as high as the state average of folks who getting to work that way. So I think we're seeing that, that shift. And I think that is a selling point for why we're inviting people to spend time in our area or consider moving to our area. Because if that is a lifestyle change you would like to make or that you've already embraced, thenThere's probably a way in which you can get everywhere you need to go in Iola or Humboldt or elsewhere in Allen County on your bike or on your own two feet.Kevin Klinkenberg (46:38.566)Another thing that has been really interesting the last few years, in the wake of COVID and all of the policies and changes that happened, there's been an awful lot written and talked about in regards to like people moving. People leaving cities, looking for smaller towns. Sometimes they're leaving the city and moving to the suburbs. Sometimes they're maybe moving from the suburbs to a small town or an exurb.And obviously, I don't need to rehash all of that, but there's been a lot of conversation about that for the last few years. And it feels a little bit like there's been a shift in perception in the culture about small town living in a positive way. What have you noticed the last four or five years? First, a little bit of a, I don't want to dampen that.that exuberance for small town living. But I think the data is starting to show us that people dip their toe into rural life and then they have went back to the cities or to the suburbs or so on and so forth. But in some cases, that's that's true. Just people have chosen a city, a new city, and they've left. So Austin's a great example. Austin boomed post pandemic and now their vacancy rate in particular apartments, condos, things like that.is astronomical because people are like, well, this was cool. And now I'm ready to go back to where my job is or where I lived previously. And so I think that's happening. The shuffling of the deck is resettling itself, so to speak. I do think you're right that there is a more positive perception of rural living than there used to be. I think it's because COVID taught us that everything could be truly remote.And if you can survive and maybe even thrive, and you talk to some folks and the best years of their life, with all due respect to people who lost loved ones during COVID or struggled with that, or still dealing with the health effects following COVID, there are some people who will tell you that COVID changed my life. I was at home with my family. I was taking more, more direct self-care. I was making efforts toKevin Klinkenberg (49:00.964)identify some things in my character that I want to change. It changed my life. So being remote was a positive. And so I think, what if I did that geographically as well? What if I did that socially as well? And I located myself in someplace a little more remote. Would that also be advantageous to me? And I think COVID also reminded us of the power of knowing people and being known by people.I think that is probably the primary reason in which people are choosing, if they're not business owners or entrepreneurs, people are choosing to live in smaller communities or move to smaller communities, even if the numbers aren't as great as they were immediately post-COVID, because they see an opportunity to be known by their neighbors and to know their neighbors. Because when that was taken away from us, for so many of us,that was relationally cataclysmic. And it made us, it gave us all, but it also gave us time to go, okay, how well do I really know the folks that I'm not seeing anymore? And does that bother me that I don't know them? And could I know them better? And I think in a rural context, there's still that capacity to know the people that live on your street and to really interact with them. And not that it's impossible.in an ex-urban or suburban or urban context, but it might be a little less immediate than it is in a rural context. Yeah, it kind of reminds me of the joke that the best thing about living in a small town is everybody knows everybody. The worst thing about living in a small town is everybody knows everybody. For sure. That's absolutely true. I think maybe COVID reminded us though.The worst thing isn't as bad as the best thing could be good. doubt. What are, what are some of the things that your communities need to get better at? like what, if you were to chart a positive course or continue the improvement, what, what do you need to do better? What are you trying to work on now? So one thing we need to do is accentuate a positive that I mentioned earlier, more firm and reliable collective approaches to problem solving.Kevin Klinkenberg (51:22.138)So that's one thing. A second thing that we need to get better at is our anchor institutions need to position themselves as irrepressible agencies for good. So, for example, our school districts, our community college in Iowa, Kansas, and then the city governments and county governments, they need to, we need to work together to see ourselves as innovation agents.and benevolent disruptors as opposed to status quo maintenance agencies. And again, I think that's applicable in most rural contexts and probably applicable in a lot of community contexts, because again, you are either moving towards becoming a hope factory or bitterness factory and status quo will lead you to bitterness because those who don't achieve it will become in bitter that they didn't achieve it.or those that you're trying to force feed it to as the end result of their life will wonder why you didn't chart a more hopeful course for them. So we need our anchor organizations to see themselves as agencies of good and do so without shame. And I think that is obviously a difficult thing to map out or reverse engineer, but what it requiresis leadership that is constantly in pursuit of not utilitarianism or what works, but what is going to have the best long term effect on the quality of life of the people that work for the organization or that the organization serves. those are two things that I would say even more collective approaches to problem solving. So housing is a great example.Everybody's struggling with housing right now, whether you're in an urban context or a rural context. And the old ways of solving that, just, you know, here's a here's a platable era, you know, several plaits, plaited land that the city owns. And we want a developer to come in and you can build a subdivision. And we're going to give you these tax breaks. We're going to incentivize this in so many different ways. I think that's still maybe possible in certain contexts and rural contexts. It's just not possible.Kevin Klinkenberg (53:44.828)One, because the city typically doesn't own that much land. And two, a developer then has to say, can I, what are the margins going to be? Because I'm going to have to bring a crew down here. I'm going to get supplies down here. Are there already contractors down here? There's already people. There's master craftsmen and so on and so forth. But there's not a contractor and there's not a readily available crew. So, for example, the state of Kansas right now, the Department of Commerce has offered the frame grant.that is going to give capital to community colleges that have a building trades program, construction program to help identify the gap in the housing ecosystem and address it. And I think things like that, ideas like that are going to be so important moving forward because they're going to be necessary for everyone to get on the same page. In Humboldt, Kansas, the most reliable developer, with the exception of maybe in the past year,was the school district. High school built one house every two years or so. And it was a guaranteed reliable development. One house in Kansas City, who no one will notice, in a community of 2,500 people, a new house is, I guarantee you, is the talk of the town. So I think that is something that's going to be necessary is that we continue to embrace and expect collective solutions.collaborative solutions to complex problems. And then that our anchor agencies, and this could even include our anchor institutions and maybe even our industrial partners, see themselves with a responsibility to be benevolent disruptors.One thing kind of as part of that conversation, I might be reading a little bit into this, but I certainly know from my experience that oftentimes in rural communities, there is more of an acceptance of just status quo. It is what it is. I don't mean to say this like an insulting way to anybody, but.Kevin Klinkenberg (55:58.22)not necessarily a push for excellence or striving. Maybe the better way to say it is not as much striving to achieve. And I think part of that's because it's more comfortable and easy to live in a smaller town, costs are less, et cetera, et cetera. In a big city, you find a lot more people who really striving for something. Is that an aspect at all of kind of like, as you think aboutthe next phases are achieving more in your county? No. I'll elaborate. No, if you don't, if you don't believe that striving for excellence is part of the rural expectation, you have not been to a county fair. So if you go to a county fair and see the effort that people put into things that will neverbe recognized outside of a three day event and the sweltering heat at the end of July in rural Kansas, then I don't know what to you. if it's speak with, communicate with folks who are trying to grow the best stand of wheat that they have in their life every year, speak with people who aredo not care about commodity prices, but are proud of the way that they're being fields look, or the person that is growing the best beef you've ever eaten in your life. and I think that pursuit of excellence is still there. I understand what you're saying that, and I think the, what you're, what you're actually articulating is something that's present in rural communities, which is the reluctance to be disruptive. I don't, I don't want.to in any way rock the boat because rocking the boat will, could potentially bring shame on myself. And they still on the honor and shame, social economy and small towns is still very real because most people are multiple or are part of a multiple generation. you know, family tree it's been in that area. So my gosh, if you mess up, then the shame that bring on your family.Kevin Klinkenberg (58:21.628)it moves up and down that family tree. It's not isolated to just yourself. If you are an entrepreneur in Atlanta and you have no connection to the community, you just landed there, and you try a business and it flops, but then you're able to go somewhere else. There's no shame involved in that. You, you are.a pioneer. You are, you know, you're an entrepreneur and everyone is going to be impressed by you because you had a great big idea that just didn't work. And here's 18 reasons it didn't work that you had no control over. If you're an entrepreneur in Iowa, Kansas and your business flops and you still have to live in that community and everybody's going to ask your aunt when she goes to church on Sunday, well, you know.We saw that he started that your, your nephew started that auto body place. Is this, is it still open? Didn't seem like there were many cars there. Didn't seem, didn't seem like he's doing, is he doing okay? he's, they had to close. that's terrible. And your aunt's the one who has to answer that question for you. And so I think, I don't think it's a reluctance to pursue excellence. I think it is a fear that they will somehow.do something that will be shameful. Interesting. And I think that that's very real. And that burden of failure sits heavy in a rural community. failure in a rural community historically is very obvious. It is driving by a field that is fallow. It is driving by a farmhouse that's in disrepair.because there's not money to take care of it. So it is so much louder than it can be in other places. Interesting. I appreciate that. last thing I wanted to ask about, as I've looked before at coming to Humboldt in particular, I was really impressed by just the amount of activity that is programmed in the town on a regular basis.Kevin Klinkenberg (01:00:33.979)That's something that most small towns don't do much of. I wonder if you could speak to a little bit. So like, I always think about that, like in a community there's hardware and there's software and that's like the software side and talk a little bit about what Humboldt has been doing and what that has meant for the overall success of the place. And the credit again goes toward Boulder Humboldt, that group, and then also theirCity Administrator Cole Herder, shout out Cole Herder. Listen, if you want to know what it is to be a good City Administrator in a small town, which is part PR Director, part Public Works Director, part Ombudsman and Accountant and everything else, Cole Herder and Humble Matt Rader in Iowa, those are dues that you need to put on your radar and have a coffee with.In Humboldt, that software analogy is so perfect because that directly connects to their sense of self. And so all of these events take place. For example, they brought back an event called Water Wars in the summer in which the municipal fire department is involved and it's a part parade, part massive citywide water balloon fight, part public water sports.events on the town square. And there is, it is pure frivolity, but they have embraced it because it is a spectacle of joy for the community. And in that capacity as a spectacle of joy, it ceases to be frivolous because again, if you are driving or trying to move your community toa becoming a hope factory, you need spectacles of joy. You need reasons that people can revel in the fact that they live in that place, because so often we are told as rural people, it's a shame you live there. Gosh, wouldn't it be great if you just moved somewhere else? So these spectacles of joy in which people can fully embrace, my gosh, I'm so proud or even because we don't have to defend it.Kevin Klinkenberg (01:02:54.96)And that's typically what a small town person is told they have to do. Defend why you want, why do you live there? No, I'm just going to be happy that I'm here right now. Iola just had their Christmas block party on the square in which, you know, Santa visited and kids played games and the businesses served hot chocolate. And it's, mean, it's, it is very Hallmark movie. By the way, one of the, one of the largesttown squares in Kansas. So come and visit if town squares are your thing. First of all, you and I probably aren't going to hang out at parties, but if that's what you love, come to the Iowa block party for Christmas and you will get a taste of Americana that you have been hankering for. But again, it's just a spectacle of joy and communities need those things.They need those spectacles of joy. And I think that's also to your point earlier about why people are choosing to locate themselves in rural communities, because they can do it in an unabashed way. They don't have to defend why they're doing it. doesn't have to be cool. It doesn't have to be on trend. It can just be a thing that's fun that you can revel in. And in in Humboldt and in Iowa, in Humboldt especially, there have been a group of folks who have sought to addto the community calendar, these spectacles of joy that have become a collective experience of hopefulness and celebration. And I don't know that you need to defend that. And I think we would probably all live in healthier communities if we engaged in those things without the need to qualify why they exist.Jared, I think that's a great place to wrap. Very, very, very interesting. This was a lot of fun. I think at some point down the road, I might like to have you on again and talk some more. There's probably four or five more questions that I still have in my head. I'd love to talk about. But this is super interesting. If people are trying to find you and find your communities, what's the best way to do it?Kevin Klinkenberg (01:05:09.084)ThriveAllenCounty.org. You can find out everything about the organization that I work for and you can connect with all of my colleagues there. You can email me at Jared, J-A-R-E-D at ThriveAllenCounty.org. And that's the best way to get in touch with me. I'm on LinkedIn because I'm trying to be a grownup right now. But other than that, I am willfully disengaged from social media.beyond that, for minutes, not because I'm a rural lead, but because I'm trying to protect my peace in that way. So shoot me an email, find my phone number on, on the internet. And I'd love, I'd love to talk to you. If you are rural and you want to argue with me about this stuff, please, if you are a person living in a different context and you want to chat more about this, I would love to do so. Fantastic. Jared, thanks so much.Good luck with everything and I'll definitely make a point to bring the family down and come visit one of these days. Sounds great. Thank you so much Kevin. Thanks Get full access to The Messy City at kevinklinkenberg.substack.com/subscribe

Can you believe it's our second anniversary episode? And our fiftieth? We're celebrating both, and we have a very special guest who makes an appearance. We're discussing our namesake movie, TapeHeads, a fairly obscure 1988 cult classic film starring John Cusack and Tim Robbins as two guys who want to get into the business of making rock music videos. It also stars Sam Moore and Junior Walker as their musical idols the Swanky Modes. The soundtrack is fantastic (Todd owns it on vinyl, CD, and cassette), and the score is by Fishbone, who appear in a scene as a country band. Comparatively few people have seen this underdog of a movie, and we're thrilled to be able to share it with you. Am I crying? Well, it wouldn't surprise me if I was. Let's get into trouble, baby! (TapeHeads fact checker here: Bird is the movie about Charlie Park, obviously. The Dexter Gordon movie is 'Round Midnight.) Connect with us a tapeheadspod.com RELATED LINKS: TapeHeads, at IMDB The excellent TapeHeads soundtrack, on YouTube

In this episode, host Michael Barnard engages in an enlightening conversation with Michael Raynor, co-author of The Innovator's Solution and an expert in carbon reduction strategies. Raynor shares his personal journey into sustainability, the evolution of his focus on decarbonization, and his current work developing innovative solutions for addressing corporate carbon challenges. A key topic in the discussion is the Raynor's new firm, S3 Markets, which emphasizes the need to decarbonize upstream commodities to meet net zero commitments. Rayner highlights the difficulty corporations face in managing Scope 3 emissions and suggests shifting from traditional carbon offsets to “insets,” where companies pool small investments to make a meaningful impact. This approach targets the 80-90 high-emission commodities responsible for the bulk of industrial emissions, which make up 15% of global GDP.The conversation takes a practical turn as Raynor discusses Mississauga's hydrogen bus pilot program. He recounts how he identified potential issues with the initiative and reached out directly to the city's mayor and council. His insights led to an invitation to present his findings to the Mississauga City Council on October 30th. The conversation turns to Barnard's dive into the CUTRIC (Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium) in advancing urban transit decarbonization through research and policy recommendations, as well as some red flags.Barnard and Raynor explore the financial and environmental trade-offs between hydrogen and battery-electric buses. Barnard provides a critical analysis of data from California and the EU's JIVE program, showing that hydrogen buses come with significant costs for refuelling infrastructure and maintenance. Comparatively, for the cost of five hydrogen buses, municipalities could procure twelve battery-electric buses, making the latter more attractive both financially and environmentally.The episode wraps up with a closer look at CUTRIC's recent report for Brampton, where Barnard identifies questionable assumptions about hydrogen system costs. One factor alone, the cost assumption for gray hydrogen could have a $200 million swing, dwarfing the $10 million variance called out justifying a blended hydrogen + battery electric fleet instead of a battery electric only fleet.Raynor examines the varying carbon costs of different hydrogen types—gray, blue, and green—and emphasizes the importance of carefully choosing technologies based on actual benefits. The battery-electric buses offer superior emissions reduction per dollar spent. 

EXCERPT:  Florida, which famously wore the mantle of a swing state in previous elections, has recently been experiencing a more definitive sway towards the Republican camp. By Friday afternoon, early voting tally revealed an impressive lead for the Republicans, with nearly 800,000 more votes cast than their Democrat counterparts. Early and mail-in ballots amounted to a sum of 7,090,301 registrations, demonstrating a fervent engagement from the electorate. Delving into the particulars, the Republican representation constituted a remarkable 44.39 percent of the tally, with 3,147,542 ballots posted. Comparatively, Democrats found themselves composing a less significant, yet substantial part of the picture, peppering the ballot boxes with 32.78 percent amounting to 2,323,954 votes in total. The remaining 20.51 percent emerged from voters choosing not to affiliate with either party, tallying at 1,454,566. When focusing on the approach of casting ballots, conspicuous trends emerge. Early in-person voting was a favored method for Republicans, with nearly 2.2 million choosing to exercise their vote in this way. Democrats seemed more cautious, with a mere 1.2 million making their selection in person. On the other hand, Democrats found solace in voting remotely, turning to postal services for their electoral contribution. Their tally through mail-in voting was marginally higher, standing at approximately 1.1 million, compared to the Republican count of 948,000. These figures signify the varying levels of comfort and preference in voting methodology among parties. Read more on Real News Now: https://realnewsnow.com/florida-early-voting-surge-republicans-lead-with-800k-more-votes-than-democrats/  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To receive, to give, to experience. With him and with others. Maybe we should shift our focus there for a deep breath from the tough stuff that is attempting to hold us down. SUBSCRIBE to our sister podcasts:Your Daily Prayer: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-prayer/Your Daily Bible Verse: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/ Full Transcript Below Finding Relief in the Focus of What Matters Most By Keri Eichberger Bible Reading Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” - Matthew 22:37-39 It was a song I hadn't heard in years. Until a recent quick drive across town when my phone connected to CarPlay, and somehow the shuffle function turned to an old familiar Carrie Underwood tune. The words I'd once sung without so much as a second thought, suddenly captivated me with an “aha” moment. It was this sweet line: “When you figure out love is all that matters after all, it sure makes everything else seem so small.” I had been facing some hard life challenges. An unforeseen financial downfall that had hit our circumstances like a freight train, causing all sorts of difficult decisions, suffocating setbacks, and loads of comfort-cuts so to speak. Yet, this whole mess followed a major close call of loss of a loved one, fell in the midst of others in my intimate circle dealing with devastating health declines, and all surrounded by a swelling sense of God‘s presence and loving hand over it all. So when these lyrics grazed my heart, it hit me. Comparatively half of what's been holding me down in the dumps is vastly unimportant. But the loves of my life–love, is what really matters. People are what matter most. Our love for God and others–love from God and others–all of this is what actually matters. And as I become more aware and acknowledge this truth, everything else does seem much smaller. Is there some stuff going on in your world right now, clogging up the joyful halls of your heart too? Cares that, if you're being honest, have less to do with a focus on God‘s love, or love for his people, and more to do with worldly gain or a concern with the lack thereof. Maybe consumption with a job search, details of some project, our country's political state, or uncertainty of your financial future? You know, the lines of Carrie's song definitely aren't directly out of the Bible, but I think we could agree that love might matter most to God too. Hence his greatest commandments mentioned in Matthew Chapter 22, to love God and others.  Not that he doesn't care about all the other things you're struggling through right now. Because quite the opposite is true—he most certainly sees and cares for it all. But, if you're anything like me, you may gladly welcome this perspective shift for a moment. Because becoming consumed with anything of the world can absolutely start to drive us all crazy.  If you think about it—the other stuff we get all worked up over that starts to seem to matter so much. What is it that we are really wanting with, and from, it all? I think deep down we are wanting and reaching for relief. And we seek relief because we long for the comfort it brings. And how do we ultimately receive and experience true comfort? I think it's from love. The fullness of love that only God can give. And here's what's beautiful—something also reflected in the chorus of the same song, “What you've been out there searching for forever is in your hands.” God's love is in our very hands. We already have it. To receive, to give, to experience. With him and with others. Maybe we should shift our focus there for a deep breath from the tough stuff that is attempting to hold us down. Intersecting Faith & Life: Think for a minute about the people in your life that you love. And those God has graced you with their love. You know they matter more than anything else the world wants to weigh you down with, don't you? I pray you can find some precious relief you've been praying for at this very moment as you set your eyes and focus on them, on him, on what matters most. This, this love, is at your fingertips, in your hands, and in your heart. Always with you. God, God's love, God's people, and the blessing of being able to love them all back. Thank you, Lord. Amen. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

David Klein is the Director of Business Development for ConsulTV. David began his advertising journey running his own business doing print advertising and Google Adwords. Comparatively, the shift to programmatic advertising will be to traditional media as pay per click advertising was to the Yellow Pages. He is glad to be in a position to partner with agencies and help them maximize this enormous opportunity.  ConsulTV's platform serves paid media advertising with a focus on streaming TV ads and OTT. Because of buying volume and 100's of private placement deals, we reduce our clients' CPMs and provide more robust targeting and reporting.Connect with David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkleinsalesleader Visit ConsulTV: https://www.consult.tv/ On This Episode, We Discuss…The Seismic Shift from Traditional TV Ads to Streaming PlatformsHow Brands Can Adapt to the New Age of Digital MarketingTargeted Advertising in Streaming TVOptimizing Campaigns with Web Lift Pixels

This series is sponsored by Mira and Daniel Stokar, and this episode is sponsored by dailygiving.org.In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to musician Matisyahu Miller—known as “Matisyahu”—who has publicly re-embraced his Judaism and Zionism since October 7.Matisyahu's public persona has long been subject to scrutiny and analysis. Comparatively few people, though, have listened to his story in depth. In this episode we discuss:How has the public expression of Matisyahu's Jewish identity ebbed and flowed throughout his life?Is there anything Matisyahu would change about the Orthodox community?How has the inwardness of Matisyahu's Jewish identity guided him throughout his life?Tune in to hear a conversation about what it means to be, in Matisyahu's words, “a pnimius Yid.”Grammy-nominated artist Matisyahu is a singer, songwriter, rapper, and alternative rock musician. He's known for his skill in blending reggae and hip hop as he provides a raw expression of his spirituality. His long and winding career consists of seven albums including chart-topping Light, Youth, Spark Seeker, Akeda, and Undercurrent with hits such as "One Day", "Sunshine", and "King Without A Crown". Through his lyrics, Matisyahu develops a personal, artistic, and sophisticated way to express the yearning for deep spiritual meaning, and as his own beliefs opened up to find more variety and depth, the desire for his performances to match the unpredictable flow of life developed as well. References:The Office Light by MatisyahuAkeda by MatisyahuHoly Brother: Inspiring Stories and Enchanted Tales about Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach by Yitta Halberstam MandelbaumThe Sabbath by Abraham Joshua HeschelPolitics Of Experience by R.D. Laing"Spiritual Schadenfreude: The Case of Matisyahu's Beard" by David BashevkinBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Against all better judgment, David refuses to give up on Ian!Yes, the guys are back to review another new movie that the persistent and persuasive Mr. Fowlie hopes will make a believer out of our resident sourpuss.Unfortunately, the film at hand is the latest Netflix actioner, Rebel Ridge! Aaron Pierre stars as a stoic martial arts badass whose bike trip through Redneckville becomes a week-long gauntlet of extortion, corruption, revenge, and more tough-guy glowering than a thousand furrowed brows.It's not surprising that Ian didn't respond to this one; what is shocking is that Rebel Ridge was directed by one of his favorite filmmakers, Jeremy Saulnier Blue Ruin, Green Room). The new movie represents a departure for the indie visionary, whose blood-drenched, off-the-wall crime operas made him one of the new century's most exciting young voices. Comparatively squeaky clean in its presentation, Rebel Ridge is so lacking in Saulnier's hallmarks as to be more of a dare than a sensical film.Watch as the guys talk Rambo, rural Internet, "factoid screenwriting", and the inherent magical properties of coconut water!Subscribe, like, and comment to the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel, and check out kickseat.com for multiple movie podcasts each week!Show LinksWatch the Rebel Ridge trailer.Follow David Fowlie's film criticism at Keeping It Reel.Plus! Listen to Ian and David's other recent (and very raucous) reviews of:Duchess (2024)The Old Oak (2024)What Remains (2024)Plus! Plus! Listen to previous Kicking the Seat reviews of Jeremy Saulnier's movies!Murder Party and Blue RuinGreen Room and Hold the Dark

In PnA tradition, one of your hosts has bought a new car, Guild Wars 2 has a new expansion, and we talk a bunch about WoW. Finally, the post-show turns out to be expensive for Chris.   Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds WoW: The War Within Season 1 Overview Stream Deck Stuff Pedal Stream Deck+ XLR Dock USB Hub

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 1: 3:05pm- As we approach the 3-year anniversary of the Biden Administration's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan—which resulted in 13 U.S. soldiers being killed—a clip has resurfaced of Vice President Kamala Harris stating she was the “last person in the room” with President Joe Biden before the decision was made. Will voters hold her accountable for the Biden Administration's foreign policy failures? 3:15pm- On Wednesday, vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance spoke at a campaign rally in Kent County, Michigan—where one local trucker explained that Biden-Harris economic policies, which have led to rampant inflation, made financial life difficult for him and his community. 3:30pm- Rich will be on Fox News Saturday with Jimmy Failla this weekend. Will Matt FINALLY tune in?   3:40pm- While interviewing Michael Tyler—Communications Director for the Harris-Walz campaign—CNN host Jim Acosta hilariously asked: “Would it kill you guys to have a press conference?” 3:50pm- Will the 2024 presidential race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris be the shortest in modern U.S. history? Joe Biden made his decision to drop out of the race on July 21st. Comparatively, Lydon Banes Johnson announced his decision not to seek reelection much earlier in the election cycle: March 31st. 3:55pm- Kamala's Economic Message is Purposefully Light on Detail: Jim Tankersley and Andrew Duehren of The New York Times write, “Vice President Kamala Harris's sudden ascent to the top of the Democratic ticket has generated a host of questions about her economic agenda, including how much she will stick to the details of President Biden's positions, tweak them, or chart entirely new ones. When she begins to roll out her policy vision this week, Ms. Harris is likely to answer only some of those questions. During an economy-focused speech on Friday in Raleigh, N.C., Ms. Harris will outline a sort of reboot of the administration's economic agenda, according to four people familiar with Ms. Harris's plans. She will lay out an approach relatively light on details, they said.” You can read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/14/us/politics/kamala-harris-economy-north-carolina.html

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (08/14/2024): 3:05pm- As we approach the 3-year anniversary of the Biden Administration's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan—which resulted in 13 U.S. soldiers being killed—a clip has resurfaced of Vice President Kamala Harris stating she was the “last person in the room” with President Joe Biden before the decision was made. Will voters hold her accountable for the Biden Administration's foreign policy failures? 3:15pm- On Wednesday, vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance spoke at a campaign rally in Kent County, Michigan—where one local trucker explained that Biden-Harris economic policies, which have led to rampant inflation, made financial life difficult for him and his community. 3:30pm- Rich will be on Fox News Saturday with Jimmy Failla this weekend. Will Matt FINALLY tune in?   3:40pm- While interviewing Michael Tyler—Communications Director for the Harris-Walz campaign—CNN host Jim Acosta hilariously asked: “Would it kill you guys to have a press conference?” 3:50pm- Will the 2024 presidential race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris be the shortest in modern U.S. history? Joe Biden made his decision to drop out of the race on July 21st. Comparatively, Lydon Banes Johnson announced his decision not to seek reelection much earlier in the election cycle: March 31st. 3:55pm- Kamala's Economic Message is Purposefully Light on Detail: Jim Tankersley and Andrew Duehren of The New York Times write, “Vice President Kamala Harris's sudden ascent to the top of the Democratic ticket has generated a host of questions about her economic agenda, including how much she will stick to the details of President Biden's positions, tweak them, or chart entirely new ones. When she begins to roll out her policy vision this week, Ms. Harris is likely to answer only some of those questions. During an economy-focused speech on Friday in Raleigh, N.C., Ms. Harris will outline a sort of reboot of the administration's economic agenda, according to four people familiar with Ms. Harris's plans. She will lay out an approach relatively light on details, they said.” You can read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/14/us/politics/kamala-harris-economy-north-carolina.html 4:05pm- After several days of Rich complaining about his upcoming trip to the DNC Convention in Chicago, Illinois, Barrett Media hilariously wrote a piece documenting the dreaded trip. “At this point, I don't even care. I can care less. You go to these things and you see (Dan) Bongino has like 50 people with him. Clay (Travis) and Buck (Sexton) have like 50 people helping them, 37 different assistants in person getting coffee and water…We can barely plug in our equipment on our own. Sean Hannity and all the Fox News personalities are treated like royalty. I don't mind.” You can read the full article here: https://barrettmedia.com/2024/08/14/rich-zeoli-im-not-excited-in-the-least-to-broadcast-live-from-democratic-national-convention/ 4:10pm- Democrats Flee Philly, But Take Their Far-Left Policies to the Suburbs: According to a story featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer, more and more Democrats are fleeing Philadelphia—many citing high crime rates and failing public schools—and opting instead to live in the suburbs. However, despite the obvious policy failures in Philly, these new suburbanites are taking their far-left policies with them! 4:15pm- Speaking from Asheville, North Carolina on Wednesday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump highlighted his proposed economic policies—including ending taxes on tips and Social Security payments. During the event, Trump said of his political opponents: “MAGA is make America great again. Why would you want to stop that?” He also pledged to “make American affordable again” and blamed the Biden-Harris administration for adopting policies that are killing the American dream—noting that credit card debt is higher than it has ever been 4:45pm- During a CNN 2020 presidential town hall, Kamala Harris proudly declared she would ban fracking as president. Her 2024 campaign now claims a fracking ban is no longer part of her agenda. Can Pennsylvanians trust her? 5:00pm- Dr. Wilfred Reilly— Professor of Political Science at Kentucky State University & Author of “Lies My Liberal Teacher Told Me”—joins The Rich Zeoli Show. Did a racist “Southern Strategy” really cause the south to vote Republican? Dr. Reilly debunks the popularized myth. Plus, cancel culture attempted to ruin Kansas Chief Harrison Butker—now he is the highest paid kicker in the NFL. You can purchase Dr. Reilly's newest book here: https://a.co/d/7aYtYwN 5:40pm- CNN polling analyst Harry Enten explains that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump likely has greater support than polls currently show—noting that in 2016 and 2020 pollsters consistently underestimated his support, particularly in swing states. 5:50pm- Democrats Throw RFK Jr. Off the Ballot in NY: Rebecca Davis O'Brien, Jesse McKinley, and Jay Root of The New York Times write: “Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s independent presidential campaign was dealt a blow on Monday when a judge ruled that his petition to appear on New York's ballot was invalid, saying Mr. Kennedy had used a “sham” address to maintain his New York residency. The ruling, if it stands, would keep Mr. Kennedy off the ballot in a state where he lived for much of his adult life and could endanger his efforts to be placed on the ballot in dozens of other states. He has three days to appeal the decision, handed down by a judge in Albany, N.Y. A group of New York residents—backed by Clear Choice, a Democrat-aligned political action committee—had challenged Mr. Kennedy's New York residency, arguing that his campaign had used a false address on the tens of thousands of nominating petitions it circulated and submitted to place him on the ballot.” You can read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/12/nyregion/robert-f-kennedy-jr-new-york-residency.html 6:05pm- In a recent interview with The Washington Post, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was quoted as telling Republicans: “We're out to get you, you're dead.” The outlandish rhetoric comes one month after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was nearly assassinated while speaking in Butler, PA. You can read the article here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/10/nancy-pelosi-memoir-trump/ 6:20pm- In several recently unearthed clips, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz can be heard exaggerating his military record. In one instance Waltz states: “We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is the only place where those weapons are out.” Walz has never seen combat—retiring from the National Guard before he would have deployed to Iraq. 6:30pm- Why does Donald Trump keep talking about Hannibal Lecter? The Washington Post investigated why Trump has referenced the fictional serial killer in some of his recent speeches—answering a question that literally no one ever asked. Why did they waste their own time on this? You can read the article (if you really want to) here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/14/why-trump-keeps-talking-about-fictional-serial-killer-hannibal-lecter/ 6:50pm- During a CNN 2020 presidential town hall, Kamala Harris proudly declared she would ban fracking as president. Her 2024 campaign now claims a fracking ban is no longer part of her agenda. Can Pennsylvanians trust her?

Welcome to this special mini-episode of Hort Culture, where your hosts Alexis and Ray dive into the world of bokashi composting. Today, Alexis shares her fascination with this Japanese method that ferments organic waste, including items typically not compostable. She's intrigued by its efficiency and how it enriches soil without the foul odors associated with traditional composting. Comparatively, bokashi is quicker and can handle a wider variety of waste, making it a superb option for urban gardeners. Join us as we explore this sustainable practice that's revolutionizing composting in small spaces!Bokashi methodQuestions/Comments/Feedback/Suggestions for Topics: hortculturepodcast@l.uky.eduCheck us out on Instagram!

Which creatures living in the ocean are the biggest? Do we know them well? Everyone's talking about the Meg saying it's the biggest shark ever. but the question is: is it that big? Or there're other inhabitants of the ocean depth way bigger? Spoiler: there are! It might be difficult to imagine but Megalodon could grow to a maximum total length of about 15 to 18 meters. Comparatively, the great white shark typically measures more than 6 meters in length. Also, according to researchers, megalodon could be counter-shaded to better blend into its surroundings fro both above and below when on the hunt.   Music by Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com/ Subscribe to Bright Side : https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook:   / brightside   Instagram:   / brightgram   5-Minute Crafts Youtube: https://www.goo.gl/8JVmuC Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Part 3 of our Gishiwajinden Tour--following the route of the Wei embassy through the land of Wa and looking at the various locations along the way.  So far we've looked at the old land of Gaya, as represented at Gimhae, the site of the old Geumgwan Gaya, and the island of Tsushima, on the border.  This episode we look at the next island:  Iki. It might be easy to overlook Iki--it was neither the center nor exactly the periphery.  From the point of view of those in the court or those outside it was rather "mid", in a literal sense.  However, it was certainly at the center of its own vibrant history, which was certainly important to everyone there, and hosted a thriving community. It is also a great place to visit in the modern day: something of a hidden gem for anyone looking for a slightly more out of the way place to visit, with a slower pace than cities like Tokyo. For more, see our blog page:  https://www.sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/iki-koku Rough Translation: Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this is Gishiwajinden Tour Part 3: Iki-koku. As regular listeners know, we are currently taking a break from the Chronicles.  With the Isshi Incident of 645—see Episode 107—we are about to get into the time known as “Taika” or “Great Change”.  Spoiler alert: This is the rise of Naka no Oe, aka Tenji Tennou; Nakatomi Kamako, aka Nakatomi Kamatari, the progenitor of the Fujiwara family; and more.  It is the beginning of what is known as the Ritsuryo System, the idea of a state governed by laws and punishments similar to what we see on the continent, based largely on Confucian principles, but mixed with a healthy dose of local tradition.  There is a lot there, and I want to do it justice.  And so for now I have a little bonus content for you. Earlier this year, Ellen and I took a trip based on the account in the Gishiwajinden, the Wa section of the Weizhi, the section in the Wei Chronicles regarding the trip to visit Queen Himiko of Wa.  In Part 1 we talked about our trip to Gimhae, formerly known as Geumgwan Gaya, a part of the old Gaya—or Kara—confederacy, with close ties to the archipelago.  Part 2 we talked about our next stop, the island of Tsushima.  But we didn't just talk about it in the 3rd century, because if you visit there is so much more to see from an historical perspective. This episode we are talking about the island of Iki, aka Ikijima, though in the Weizhi it is known as its own country:  Iki-koku. Relative to Tsushima, Iki island is much smaller—about one fifth the overall landmass.  However, it is much flatter as well—the highest point is only 212 meters above sea level, compared to Tsushima, which rises to about 649 meters at Mt. Yatate.  This makes Iki an island with a lot of flat land or rolling hills—perfect for the kind of wet rice paddy agriculture that created the population boom in the Yayoi period, which we will talk about here in a minute.  However, I will note that even today the population of Iki is similar to that of Tsushima despite having much less space. The flora and fauna of the island is much closer to that of the rest of the archipelago—in fact, it is nearly identical to what you would find in southwest Kyushu.  This is not surprising given how close it is.  For reference, Hitakatsu, on Tsushima is under 50km from Busan, Korea, and about 147 km to Hakata port in Fukuoka, or 138 km if you depart from Izuhara port instead.  Comparatively, it is about 76 km from Hakata to Iki, and even less—just about 42km—from Iki to Karatsu, south of Fukuoka, and these routes are dotted with islands along the way.  At its closest point, Iki is probably only 20km from Kyushu, but the ferries only stop at certain ports.  Tsushima to Iki, on the other hand, is around 68 km, from Izuhara to Iki.  Iki is about as close to Karatsu as Tsushima is to Pusan, and they are both further away from each other than from their respective larger landmasses.  That makes this leg – Tsushima to Iki - the longest leg in the trip, realistically. Today, both Iki and Tsushima, along with the Goto islands to the south, are all part of Nagasaki prefecture, despite the fact that they are both closer to Saga and Fukuoka prefectures.  This is in part because Iki came under the jurisdiction of the Hirado domain, which also was heavily involved with foreign trade through Nagasaki. Today, Iki is broken up into roughly four areas.  This includes Katsumoto, Ashibe, Indoji, and Gonoura, based around the four main port towns on the island.  Three of these ports, Ashibe, Indoji, and Gonoura, have ferries that regularly travel to either Tsushima or Kyushu. And all of them have various boats to take people out the islands around Iki, one of the major draws for many people coming to the island being to see the natural beauty of its coastline and surrounding waters.  There is also a small airport. Although Iki is small—you can drive from one end to the other in 40 minutes or less—I highly recommend renting a car, much like Tsushima.  This will be helpful to get to various sites, although be aware that while the main roads are well cared for, there are plenty of roads where it is better to go on foot rather than get stopped by fallen trees and branches in a less well maintained area.  Taxis can be had, but aren't always convenient, and that adds cost and time.  A car will give you much more freedom to get around. Iki is a popular tourist destination, with more people coming during the summer months.  We were there in the off-season, which was somewhat nice, but also meant that many restaurants and the like were closed.  Also, similar to Tsushima, there isn't a konbini—a convenience store—on every street corner.  You can certainly find them, but just be aware.  That said, we never really had a problem finding what we needed. Iki is known for several things.  One, perhaps unsurprisingly, is the squid, and you can see the squid boats in the harbor or out at night.  They have arrays of lights set up, to help draw the squid to the surface, a common technique around the world that makes squid fishing quite distinctive. In addition, Iki island is quite proud of its beef, a much more recent addition.  The flat land allows them to raise cattle, and the Iki raised wagyu cattle, known as Iki-gyu, is highly prized.  You can find several yakiniku restaurants around the island, that particular Japanese style of Korean barbecue where you grill up thinly sliced beef on a hot skillet or even an open grill at your table. An older product is the barley shochu.  Iki island is said to be the birthplace of barley shochu, developing it in the 17th century.  Back then, taxes from the island had to be paid in rice, and there wasn't enough left to make much alcohol, such as traditional sake.  As such, the local farmers started using barley and koji, instead, to make the base alcohol that they then distilled into shochu.  Shochu itself goes back to at least the 16th century, as distilling techniques reached southern Japan via either the Ryukyu kingdom or via the Korean peninsula—records are unclear, as these techniques reached both places before Japan, and Kyushu had connections to each.  That said, early shochu was made with rice, and later it would be made with cheaper ingredients, such as barley, in the case of Iki, or sweet potato, in Satsuma, modern Kagoshima.  These methods spread to other parts of Japan. There are plenty of other food options available on the island as well, and I don't think we had a bad meal anywhere we went. And so we left Izuhara port, on Tsushima, early in the morning and arrived at Ashibe port around lunchtime.  We had arranged a car to meet us at the port, and after grabbing a bite at a locally renowned yakinikuya, we decided to start getting our historical bearings on the island.   Our main objective on Iki island was to see the Yayoi site of Harunotsuji and the Iki-koku Museum, the museum of the country of Iki. Quick note for anyone looking this up:  The “Haru” in “Harunotsuji” is typically pronounced “Hara” outside of Kyushu and Okinawa.  This affects a lot of placenames in Kyushu, including Iki, and likely comes from remnants of an old dialect of Japanese spoken in this area.  Whatever the reason, if you look up the site in Japanese you may want to type “Hara-no-tsuji” to help find the right kanji. Harunotsuji site is an incredible find in regards to the Yayoi period.  It was a large settlement built on flat land in the interior of the island.  Today it is surrounded by rice fields, and fortunately nobody else seems to have built up on the raised hills where the settlement once stood, allowing the site to remain for us to find years later.  This is one of the better preserved sites from the Yayoi period, and is often touted as the likely center of activity in Iki during that period.  Of course, as with other sites, like Yoshinogari, we can only see those sites  that were preserved—those that were built upon in later generations may not have left any trace.  However, in this case there's clear evidence that there was a thriving community here.  And because of that, and the tremendous effort they've put into reconstructing the site, as well as the excellent museum, we wanted to make sure that we gave Iki a visit. There aren't many museums on Iki island, but the Iki-koku museum ranks up there with some of the best we've visited.  The building itself is built to blend into the landscape, and from the observation tower you can look out over the Harunotsuji site.  The museum provides an automated introduction to the area, with a small film depicting what they believe life was probably like back in the Yayoi period.  From there you travel down a hallway that takes you through the history of Iki, but eventually deposits you in a room focused on the Yayoi period.  Here they show a reconstructed boat, as well as a large diorama of the Harunotsuji site. One of the major finds at Harunotsuji is what appears to be a dock, reinforced with rocks, similar to what they find on the continent.  This dock was at a small stream that was once larger, and was likely used to ferry goods and people from Harunotsuji to a settlement or outpost on the shore.  It gives greater insight into what trade and life looked like. Speaking of which, props to the museum for their excellent use of often comical figures in their diorama, which is clearly made to appeal to young and old alike.  They help humanize the figures, and each part of the layout that they created of the site tells a story about what was going on. In addition to the diorama of the site, and what it may have looked like, there were also actual Yayoi era pots that were there which you could pick up and handle yourself.  I have to admit that I did this with some trepidation, even knowing that these were not particularly special, and that there are many pots and shards that are found at sites like these.  Still, it was something to actually handle a pot that was made back in that time—something that was made by an actual person living back then and used for whatever purpose before it was discarded or lost, only to be found centuries later.  Besides the room on the site, there is another side to the museum in that it is a working archaeological center.  You can see the lab where people are working, and they also have a room where you can see the stacks—the giant shelves with all of the historical and archaeological bits and bobs that weren't on display for one reason or another.  That is something that many people don't always appreciate:  For many museums, only a portion of their collection is actually on display.  It was really great to see all of that out in the open. The museum also has a café and some function rooms, as well as a giant observation tower, from which it feels like you can see the entire island, and beyond.  You could definitely look down and see the site, but you could also see some of the more distant islands as well. From the museum we went down to see the actual Harunotsuji site.  There is another museum there, which was a little less impressive but still quite informative, and it was where you park and then walk over to the site itself.  And here I admit that it was getting late, so we came back to it another day, but it doesn't really take that long to see the site itself. Most of the site sits on a rise of land that sits just a little higher than the surrounding fields, with a gentle slope to it.  It is oddly shaped, likely because they used the natural contours of the land rather than explicitly building up a terrace.  There is another rise towards one end of the settlement, with what may have been a fence around the area, indicating that the buildings in that area were set aside as special.  There are also ditches that appear to have been purposefully dug to separate a part of the rise from the area of the settlement, as buildings were apparently found on one side but not the other.  What was found was a small area surrounded by a moat, generally thought to have been used for some kind of ritual. At the site today are reconstructed buildings of multiple kinds, based on the archeological findings.  There are pit buildings, buildings sitting flush on the ground, as well as raised buildings, all based likely on the arrangements and size of post-holes and the like.  There also appears to have been some kind of gate or barrier structure, also based on postholes, which they have physically reconstructed. It is always tricky to interpret what a building looked like other than guessing at its general shape and size.  Extremely large post-holes likely held larger posts, which would make particular sense if they were for a tall structure, like a watchtower, but exact architectural features such as doorways, roof structure, etc. are derived based on other examples as well as Shinto shrine architecture, which seems to originate from some of the early Yayoi buildings. There were also some finds in the surrounding areas, including what appears to have been a stone-lined dock for boats to pull up, some kind of guard post to inspect people entering or leaving the settlement, and moats, which likely surrounded the settlement as well. Harunotsuji is not the only Yayoi site that has been excavated on Iki island, but nothing else is quite so large.  Put in context with other archaeological sites from the same time period, Harunotsuji is thought to have been the most powerful, and therefore where the ruler, or the quote-unquote “King”, of Iki would have lived. Here I'd note that the interpretation of Harunotsuji as a kingly capital is quite prevalent in the local literature, but what exactly was a “king” in this sense isn't fully explored.  As we talked about two episodes back with Gimhae and the quote-unquote “Kingdom” of Gaya, Iki-koku probably better fits the English term of a large chiefdom, rather than a kingdom.  However, that would also likely apply to Queen Himiko, as well—even if her chiefdom dwarfed Iki-koku by comparison. That said, there certainly appears to be a social stratification of some kind going on at the site, especially with a special area clearly set aside at one end of the settlement.  Was that where a shaman-king—or queen—similar to Himiko carried out private, arcane rites on behalf of the entire settlement?  Perhaps the entire island?  Or is it something else? Unfortunately, we can't really know, at least not right now.  However, we do know that it was an important part of the trade routes from the continent out to the archipelago.  This isn't just because of the Weizhi, or the common sense that this is the clearest route between the two, but also because of artifacts found at the site, which include abundant goods from the continent.  In addition we found evidence of dogs, armor, shields, and various pots. One thing I didn't see evidence of was a large funkyubo, like at Yoshinogari, where they buried people in pots on a large, communal cemetery mound.  Here the highest elevations appear to have been used for living structures.  There were graves discovered, and some of these were the pot-style burials found at Yoshinogari and the continent, and others were rectangular, stone-lined coffins, similar to those used on the Tsushima kofun:  they are lined with large, flat slabs that define a rectangle, into which the body is placed, and then flat slabs of stone are used to cover it back up. Harunotsuji shows signs of habitation from the start of the Yayoi period to the beginning of the Kofun period.  After that, though, the trail grows a bit cold. We do know, however, that people were still living on Iki through the Kofun period—we assume they didn't just pack up their bags and leave—and that is thanks to the many kofun found across the island.  There are some 280 kofun preserved today, and Edo period accounts had that number at more like 340.  Indeed, Iki has one of the largest and best preserved collection of kofun of all of Kyushu.   Many are smaller kofun, but there are plenty of groups of large kingly kofun.  A group of the larger kingly kofun can be found in the border area between Katsumoto-cho and Ashibe-cho, due west of Ashibe port.  This includes the large Soroku Kofun, Oni-no-iwaya Kofun, the Sasazuka Kofun, as well as the Kakegi kofun and the Yurihata Kofun-gun.  Soroku kofun, a large, keyhole shaped tomb, boasts a length of 91 meters, making it not only the largest on the island, but the largest in all of Nagasaki prefecture.   Kofun culture on the island differed slightly from elsewhere.  For instance, there is evidence of multiple burials in the same tomb, suggesting that they were viewed more like family mausoleums than  simply a single tomb structure. The earliest kofun found on Iki so far can be dated to about the latter half of the 5th century, with most of them being built in the 6th to 7th centuries.  Many are stone chambers with a horizontal entryway, which in the case of the Kakegi and Sasazuka kofun, are open to those who want to get in and explore.  Be aware, though, as many signs tell you, various local residents have also made these tombs their homes, including bats, centipedes, snakes, and more.  Most of them are relatively harmless, but it is always good to know what you are getting into. With the earliest kofun on the island dating to about the 5th century, this does pose a slight question yet to be answered by the archaeological record:  Where were people living in the century between the end of Harunotsuji and the start of the kofun building period?  Heck, where were people living on the island at all?  We certainly know where the dead were buried. Looking at a map, one probably assumes that many of the kingly kofun would have been built somewhat near a population center.  After all, you don't build giant burial mounds just to hide them—these would have likely been visible to people in some way, shape, or form.  I would note that modern roads, likely built on earlier pathways, wind in between the kofun, even today. Personally, I can't help but notice that the Iki Kokubunji temple, the Provincial temple built in the 8th century, was quite close to some of the kingly kofun in Katsumoto.  It is said that this temple was originally built as the family temple of the Iki clan.  As one might guess from the name, the Iki were the traditional rulers of Iki, officially appointed by Yamato as the “Agata-nushi” or district lord, and later as “Shima no Miyatsuko”—the island equivalent of a “Kuni no Miyatsuko”.  Various biographies trace the Iki back to various lineages close to or intertwined with the Nakatomi.  However, this is not without some debate, and it is entirely possible that any such ties were fabricated to give the Iki clan greater clout and stature.  It is possible, and even likely, that the Iki clan grew out of the ruling elite on Iki island. In addition, we have the old Tsukiyomi Jinja, said to be the oldest on the island, and the Kunikatanushi shrine built right next to the Kokubunji site.  The Tsukiyomi shrine is dedicated to the moon god, who is said to be the god of navigation, among other things, and this is the clan shrine of the Iki clan. It is unclear, but seems plausible that the center of the Iki polity may have shifted north, to the modern Kokubun area.  If so, and if this continued to be the area of the regional government headquarters through the Nara period and beyond, then it is possible that any earlier settlements would have simply been covered up and even erased by later buildings and structures.  I don't think we'll ever truly know, though, unless something significant is uncovered. We do have some historical records of later Iki, quite understandable as it was where many of the envoys and expeditions to and from the mainland would have stopped. In the 11th century, Iki, along with Tsushima, was attacked by pirates from the mainland, thought to be of Jurchen descent, in an event called the Toi Invasion, which caused quite a bit of destruction.  After that we see the rise of the Matsura clan.  They arose in the Matsura area of Hizen province, just a little ways over from Karatsu.  That name may be related to “Matsuro”, but we'll talk more about that when we get to Karatsu. The Matsura largely came to power thanks to their navy—which was a navy to some and pirates to others.  They ended up gaining a foothold in Iki island. Whatever plans they had, however, met with a giant setback in 1274.  As we discussed last episode, that was when the first Mongol invasion hit Japan, and after steamrolling through Tsushima they began a bloody conquest of Iki.  The video game, Ghosts of Tsushima, which we talked about fairly extensively last episode for, well, obvious reasons, actually has an expanded Iki island area for those who want to try fighting off this invasion for themselves.  There are numerous reminders across the island of the invasions, both in 1274 and 1281.  The death toll was catastrophic, and even today parents will often tell their children that if they don't behave the Mongols will come back and take them away. In 1338, soon afer the Ashikaga shogun came to power, Ashikaga Takauji and his brother, Tadayoshi, directed the erection of temples in all 66 provinces, including Iki, to pray for the repose of those who died in battle during turbulent times, including the Mongol invasions and the later civil war.  That temple is still there, just a little ways north from the Harunotsuji site. The temple building itself only dates from the Edo period, as it burned down multiple times, but it is still said that it is the oldest extant temple building on the island.  There is a large cedar tree thought to be over a thousand years old, which may have even been there during the Toi and Mongol invasions.  There are also signs of Christian activity in some of the artwork, if you know what to look for. When Europeans arrived in Japan in the 16th century, they brought not only guns, but also a new religion:  Christianity.  Priests were given permission to set up churches and convert people.  Some daimyo converted—whether out of true faith or simply to get more lucrative trading deals with Europeans—and they often made their entire fief convert as well.  When Christianity was eventually outlawed, many Christian communities went underground, becoming known as “Hidden Christians.”  A lot of these communities continued, especially in the Iki and Goto islands, which were a little further away from shogunal authority.  They continued despite the lack of priests and Bibles, often using iconography that could be plausibly passed off as Buddhist or Shinto in nature.  Many remained in hiding throughout the Edo period, only revealing themselves after the Meiji government came in and issued a law protecting the freedom of religion, including Christianity.  Around Iki you will occasionally find little hints of such communities' existence. The 16th century saw more than just European traders and new religions.  The Matsura clan retained control over the island from their base in Hirado, even during the tumultuous era of Warring States.  Last episode we talked about how Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the new Taiko, came out of that time and declared war on the Joseon court, in Korea. To start with he built Nagoya castle on Kyushu and moved himself and all of his retainers out to it.  And before you ask, no, this probably isn't the Nagoya castle you are thinking of.  Similar name, but different kanji characters Anyway, from Nagoya on the coast of Kyushu, supply lines were run out to Tsushima, and then across to Busan.  To defend against a counterattack by Joseon forces, they built castles along the way as well.  In Iki, this meant building several, including Katsumoto-jo, at the northern end of the island, under the command of Matsura Shigenobu. Later, Tokugawa Ieyasu, eager to restore good will with the peninsula, would have the castles intentionally ruined, often by removing key stones so that they could no longer be considered defensible.  Today you can climb up to the Katsumoto-jo castle site and see the stones of the main gate and get a tremendous view from the observation platform. Katsumoto Castle isn't the only thing in Katsumoto that still remains from that time.  There is a local shrine, the Shomogu Shrine, which has a gate donated by Kato Kiyomasa, one of the generals who led troops on the invasion of Korea.  They also hold a cup that he is said to have donated. This shrine is certainly interesting and worth a visit.  Traditionally, they say that it was built on the site where Jingu Tennou departed from Iki during her legendary conquest of the Korean peninsula.  According to at least one source, at that time she called the place Kazamoto, the place where the wind comes from, and when she returned she changed it to Katsumoto, the place where her victory came from.  Of course, as we know, that whole narrative is rather suspect.  It is possible that the area was known as Kazamoto and that changed to Katsumoto. It also doesn't help that this is also where the Mongol army came ashore back in the 13th century, and I suspect that not much remained from before.  Still, there is a stone that is said to have the print of Jingu's horse's foot as she left, and it was at least connected to the ocean, given its location. There is a contention that this shrine may have once been known as “Nakatsu” shrine, literally “Middle port” shrine, one of the shrines listed in the Engi Shiki.  However, there is another Nakatsu shrine that also claims this distinction, also in Katsumoto-cho.  The Shomogu shrine theory holds that this was a branch shrine of Shomogu shrine, then known as Nakatsu.  This makes some sense as the current Nakatsu shrine is more inland, not exactly lending itself to being the “Middle Port” Shrine.  Then again, it would have referred to “Nakatsumiya”, meaning the “middle shrine” or “middle palace”, which puts us back at square one. More important than the actual history of this shrine, at least in the 16th century, is the fact that those generals heading off to conquer the Korean peninsula definitely would have appreciated praying to the spirit of Jingu Tennou before heading off to try it a second time.  Shomogu Shrine clearly had a link with her by then. By the way, slight side note, the “Shomo” of “Shomogu” literally means “Holy Mother”.  In this case it is referencing the “Holy Mother” Jingu Tenno, who was pregnant when she left Japan and didn't give birth until she came back—not quite a virgin birth.  “Shomo” was also the term that Christians, particularly hidden Christians, used to reference the Virgin Mary.  While I cannot find any evidence that Shomogu Shrine was connected with Christianity—its existence and worship there predates that religion coming to the archipelago by some time—it is still one of those things that the Hidden Christians could have used to their advantage, hiding their worship of the Virgin Mary and her holy child behind the name for Jingu Tenno. Now the town of Katsumoto, although only briefly a castle town, was still quite important through the Edo period, and the main street certainly recalls a time long past.  We stayed in a ryokan there that was over 100 years old, and there is both a sake brewery, and a craft beer brewery inside an old sake brewery, just down the street.  It isn't a big town, but it has character. In the Edo period, many of the Joseon envoys stopped in Katsumoto on their way to or from the archipelago.  These envoys typically had around 400 to 450 of their own people from Korea, but by the time they reached Iki they were joined by about 800 quote-unquote “guides” from Tsushima who were there to help them with whatever they needed.  Technically it was up to the Matsura daimyo, in Hirado, to provide for their needs, but it seems that more often than not that role more immediately fell to the wealthiest family on the island, the Toi family. The Toi family—not to be confused with the Toi invasion—made their money from capturing whales; a lucrative but dangerous enterprise, especially given the state of the boats at the time.  The stone wall of their mansion can still be seen in Katsumoto, though it is now wedged in between other buildings, as the mansion itself is otherwise long gone.  They may not have been daimyo, but they were apparently the rough equivalent for the people of Iki, and certainly Katsumoto. The envoys ended up calling at Katsumoto about 19 times between 1607 and 1811—11 times on the outbound trip and 8 times going the other direction.  For one mission, in the 18th century, we are even provided the amount of food that they required, which included 1500 sweet potatoes, 15,000 eggs, 7 and a half tons of abalone, 3 tons of squid, 7 and a half tons of rice, and 15 koku of sake, equaling about 1500 standard bottles, today.  A drawing of the 1748 envoy showed parts of Katsumoto that you can still visit, today, including the old boat launch, the Shomogu shrine and nearby streets, Shigayama, and what is today “Itsukushima Shrine”, related to the worship of Susano'o's three daughters, as are the Munakata shrines and the Itsukushima shrine on Miyajima with the famous torii in the water. Besides the historical sites, Iki island offers a plethora of other activities and attractions.  The famous monkey rock, or Saruiwa, is a famed natural feature, as are many others.  There are also beaches that people appear to enjoy—though we were there in the winter, so not great—or just getting out in a boat and seeing the natural beauty of the island.  There are also many more shrines and temples to visit; Iki has its own 88 temple pilgrimage based on the 88 temple pilgrimage of places like Shikoku.  You can also do a pilgrimage of the many Shinto shrines, some of which are mentioned in historical documents like the Engi Shiki and others that are more modern.  While many of the buildings are often newer, and things have of course changed over the centuries, these sites often still contain connections to history, and may even have historical treasures in their storehouses or on the grounds. We only had a limited time, so tried to keep our trip focused on more of the Yayoi and Kofun era stuff.  We both agreed we would gladly go back again in a heartbeat. Next up, we caught the ferry from Indoji on Iki over to Karatsu port on Kyushu, what is thought to be the site of the old Matsuro kingdom.  While others might point to the modern Matsuura city area, this region is may be more likely, and we'll talk about that next episode.  In addition, we'll talk about Karatsu, which literally means “Chinese port”, and about the nearby castle ruins of Nagoya castle—an area that was, for about seven brief years, in the late 16th century the de facto capital of Japan. But that will be next time. Until then, thank you for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website, SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to us at our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.

Today’s daf is dedicated by the Hadran Women of Long Island in honor of the birth of twin grandsons to our friend and co-learner Cindy Dolgin. "May the parents, Maya Dolgin and Or Shaked, as well as the extended family and the entire Jewish people see much nachat from the new arrivals, and may they be a source of blessing to all. תזכו לגדלם לתורה לחופה ולמעשים טובים!"  Today’s daf is sponsored by the Hadran zoom family in celebration of our friend, Adina Hagege, and her husband, Eric, becoming grandparents. "May Shahari Moshe grow up surrounded with love and peace, and may he bring his grandparents much joy." If someone lends coins to another person, or returns a loan of coins, and the recipient discovers more coins than originally agreed upon, the question arises: must they return the surplus, or can it be presumed that the excess was intended as a gift? This hinges on various factors. When small gourds are typically sold at ten for a zuz, and a seller undertakes to provide the buyer with ten large gourds for a zuz, Rav ruled that this arrangement is permissible only if the seller possessed large gourds at the time of the transaction. However, some argue that Rava dissented, allowing it even if the seller didn't currently have large gourds, since small gourds naturally mature into larger ones. Comparatively, how does this scenario differ from selling milk to be milked from a goat, wool to be sheared from a sheep, or honey to be harvested from a hive? Abaye maintains that one can pre-purchase wine at a set price, even if the seller assumes the risk of the wine turning into vinegar, provided the buyer agrees that a decrease in value won't alter the price. One who has lent money cannot reside in the borrower's house for free or at a discounted rate, as it resembles usury. Rav Yosef bar Manyumi, citing Rav Nachman, extends this prohibition even to a house that the borrower isn't utilizing or leasing. However, there is a different version of Rav Nachman's statement, forbidding it only if the rental arrangement is connected with the loan agreement. In another case, Rav Yosef bar Chama would seize the slaves of his debtors, employing them for his benefit. His son Rava raised concerns about this practice, citing the lack of compensation for their labor and the appearance of engaging in usury. While Rav Yosef initially justified his actions, he eventually ceased the practice due to the latter concern.

There's a first for everything, yet this is one President Biden would not pride himself on. When it comes to approval ratings, Biden's report card shows a discouraging 38.7 percent, as recorded by Gallup. This is a newfound low, marking a historic dip in approval in the preliminary term of a president since polling commenced. Looking back through history, none of the first-term presidents post Dwight Eisenhower era managed to score lower than Biden on their 13th-quarter average. This data comes straight from Gallup, covering the time frame from January 20th to April 19th. Comparatively analyzing the same period across presidencies, former President George H.W. Bush had the second most dismal record, standing at 41.8 percent. Following him come President Obama with 45.9 percent and President Trump with 46.8 percent. These figures were reported by none other than the Washington Times, who utilized Gallup's rich data resources. Biden has seen a consecutive decline in his approval ratings in recent months. Nevertheless, the shock emerged when this gradual descent took a steep drop among his own supporters—Democrats—due to a standpoint he chose regarding Israel during an assault on the country by the terrorist group Hamas. In October, a sudden and destructive attack on Israel by Hamas, saw Biden extend his support towards the Jewish state. This decision, however, resulted in an alarming drop of 11 percentage points in a single month among Democrats, amounting to an unprecedented low of 75 percent.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are so many things in Scripture that teach us the significance of the priestly garments, especially the garments of the High Priest, who is Yahusha now. As we walk through Episode 13, I hope that you will be able to see how, just the like Tabernacle, how these garments also point to the priesthood of our Messiah! How is this relevant to His new priesthood (us) today? Well, one of the most significant pieces was the turban of the High Priest. In Exodus 28:36, we read that there was a gold plate sewn on the front of the turban of the High Priest with the engraving “QODESH LA YAHUAH,” which means “SET APART TO YAHUAH.” Yahuah's name was to always be placed on the forehead of the High Priest. This was a sign of how the High Priest was set-apart to Yah. And through the blessing pronounced by the High Priest (because he was the appointed mediator between Yahuah and the children of Israel), Yahuah also placed His Name on the children of Israel. Numbers 6:24-27 - “Yahuah bless you, and keep you. Yahuah make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. Yahuah lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.This was a priestly blessing.Yahusha, our new High Priest, is authorized to mediate this blessing, just as the Levitical High Priest was. To be blessed by Yahuah is to have His NAME placed on you. It is more than just a name—it is to be identified with and be a representation of who He is.The High Priest carried Yahuah's name and he also carried the names of the 12 tribes as 12 stones were put on the breastplate of his garment. The High Priest was always Yahuah's representative to Israel and Israel's mediator before Yahuah.Comparatively, Israel carried Yahuah's name into the world and represented the Most High to the nations. What made Israel set apart from everyone else is that they had commandments that showed the world who they worshipped. We are to be representatives of who our Creator is, to be a light to the world, and to be in covenant with Him means that we have commandments that help us to be successful in our calling.When Yahuah was revealing His Name to me, I read the passage in Exodus 28 about how the gold plate which had Yah's Name on it was placed on Aaron's forehead, and the Ruach literally took me straight to the Book of Revelation.Revelation 14:1 - Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads.Revelation 22:4 - They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. Our new High Priest is authorized to mediate this blessing now, to place the Father's name on His children. He said He “came in His Father's Name” for a reason.2 Timothy 2:19 - Nevertheless the solid foundation of Elohim stands, having this seal: “The Master knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Messiah depart from iniquity.”“Yahusha” means “Yahuah is salvation.” Every time the Messiah's Name departs from your lips, you are confessing that Yahuah is your salvation. And Yahusha was sent to do the will of the Father. The priestly garments teach us how important the Father's Name is. And if you didn't already know, the woman riding on the beast in Revelation 17 had a name on HER forehead too:And on her forehead a name was written: “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”Let's study. Episode 13 TranscriptContact me: stephanie@promise-perspective.comVisit my website: www.promise-perspectivSupport the show

Ron DeSantis, the Governor of Florida, voiced strong criticisms towards the Democrats in a recent interview, following the unfortunate passing of NYPD's officer Jonathan Diller. He primarily held the Democrats responsible for seemingly favoring unlawful elements and continuously detaching themselves from law enforcement agencies. Officer Jonathan Diller, 31 years young, lost his life in a tragic incident that occurred during a routine traffic stop. The alleged perpetrator of this crime was a 34-year-old man named Guy Rivera. Rivera was instructed by Diller to disembark from his vehicle, in response to which he supposedly drew out a handgun and attacked Officer Diller. According to reports, the fatal shot was aimed and landed on the officer's stomach. The background check of the assailant revealed a significant criminal history; Rivera had a record of 21 past arrests and was recently freed from incarceration in the year 2021. The reason for Rivera's previous imprisonment for half a decade was the illicit possession of a controlled substance. The threat posed by such individuals looms large over society, argues DeSantis, largely due to the alleged inadequate support from Democrat politicians for law enforcement. DeSantis further elaborated in his interview with Newsmax's Eric Bolling, focusing on the difference between the responses of former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden to the devastating incident. Trump's empathy and responsiveness contrasted sharply with Biden's reaction, he noted. According to DeSantis, the Democrats are faltering in their support towards law enforcement officers. 'In the past, police officers, many of them used to identify as Democrats. That's no longer the reality,' commented DeSantis. This, he suggests, is a reflection of how the Democratic Party has allegedly shifted its allegiance away from law enforcement. DeSantis went on to evoke a picture of a Democratic party that has adopted an uncomfortably cozy relationship with the criminal class. This questionable stance, he suggests, allows those who break the rule of law to operate with gusty errors, damaging the very fabric of our society. The brunt of these misguided policies, according to DeSantis, is borne by those who fall within the ambit of what may be called the 'working class' and 'middle-income Americans'. DeSantis points out that the policies enacted by Democrat politicians are benefiting the elites, while simultaneously adversely affecting these segments of the population. He held that the Democratic party has lost touch with these corners of American society, accusing it of being transformed into 'the party of the elites'. It's a dynamic he finds lamentable, marking a significant shift from the party's traditional base. A clip circulating on media platforms shows the Florida Governor, reputed for his bold remarks, making sharp criticisms against the Democrats for their perceived disdain for law enforcement. He readily associated the party with a damaging 'pro-crime' stance in his remarks. The disappointment that formed the underpinning of DeSantis' commentary was fueled by Joe Biden's alleged absence from the wake for the fallen NYPD officer, Jonathan Diller. Comparatively, Biden was reported to be attending a celebrity fundraiser a few miles away from the location. This, the Governor opined, was an act of gross indifference and a testament to the ruling party's altered priorities. As the nation mourned the loss of a brave officer, it expected unity and consolation from its leaders, embodying a shared sentiment of grief that did not seem to fully materialize. The pivotal issue of tending to the safety and honor of law enforcement members has once again been cast into the national spotlight. Despite the significant risks involved in their duty, the perceived lack of support from influential players does little to assuage their apprehensions. Governor DeSantis continues to advocate for stricter punitive measures against criminals, and a return to respecting law enforcement, as he perceives it as the bedrock of a secure society. His comments signal a call for a reshaping of current party stances and policies to redefine the values held by their representative politicians. Real News Now Website Connect with Real News Now on Social Media Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RealNewsNowApp/ X Twitter: https://twitter.com/realnewsapp Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realnews/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realnewsnowapp Threads: https://www.threads.net/@realnews/ Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/realnewsnow Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@RealNews YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@realnewsnowapp End Wokeness: https://endthewokeness.com #realnewsnow See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Show Notes:  https://wetflyswing.com/585 Presented By:  Waters West, Northern Rockies Adventures, Togens Fly Shop, FishHound Expeditions Have you heard of the Gaspé Peninsula and thought maybe it was out of your reach for a trip? Are you worried that your spey game isn't at a high enough level to hook a salmon? Today, we have David Bishop to share tips for success and three key takeaways that will ensure you not only can do this trip but have a chance at hooking an Atlantic Salmon. Learn about fly speed, when to use dry flies versus wet flies, and uncover a fly pattern you may not have seen before. Discover how to recognize a take and why David recommends using 6lb and 8lb tippets. Show Notes with David Bishop on Gaspe Peninsula Atlantic Salmon.  01:38 - David Bishop delves into the unique challenge of fishing for Atlantic salmon and why it's often seen as an intimidating species: Species Specificity: Atlantic salmon are highly dependent on water conditions and fish behavior, unlike other species that may feed more readily. Success Rate: Internationally, the success rate for catching Atlantic salmon can be challenging, with an average of about one salmon per three days of effort. Enigmatic Nature: The mystery surrounding why Atlantic salmon take flies adds to the allure and complexity of fishing for them. Exploring the Diverse Rivers of Gaspe Peninsula 4:00 - Rivers in the Gaspé Peninsula vary in fish population and size, with some rivers known for smaller but abundant fish runs, while others like the Caspapedia River boast large, genetically healthy fish. The Gaspé Peninsula is hailed as the most accessible salmon fishing destination globally, thanks to the democratic draw system implemented by the Quebec government. 9:00 - Gaspe Peninsula offers a plethora of rivers for salmon fishing, and anglers can also explore nearby areas like the St. Lawrence River and New Brunswick for additional fishing opportunities. Compared to other international destinations, fishing in Gaspe is affordable, with daily ticket costs ranging from $60 to $180. David Bishop's Fly Fishing Journey 14:17 - David Bishop shares his early memories of fly fishing, tracing back to childhood experiences with his father and grandfather behind Simsbury High School. At the age of 10, David caught his first Atlantic salmon. Then at age 14, David worked at a fly shop and later ventured into guiding. Access to Fishing in the Gaspe Peninsula 17:00 - David elaborates on the democratic access system in the Gaspe Peninsula. Unlike some regions with exclusive and elite fishing practices, Gaspe's model ensures public access while balancing private interests. The lottery-based system ensures that a percentage of water remains open to the public each day, with clear guidelines on pricing. Comparatively, regions like the UK and Norway maintain a more privatized approach, limiting access based on wealth and waiting lists. 24:00 - There are two main ways to access the rivers: purchasing a daily access permit for non-reserved waters or participating in the draws organized by the FQSA. Saumon Quebec provides information on river access, draws, and permits. 27:00 - David Bishop discusses various lodging options for anglers visiting the Gaspe Peninsula. Choosing the Best Time for Atlantic Salmon Fishing in the Gaspe Peninsula 36:00 - For hardcore spey anglers, early June or late September are ideal for fishing gin-clear waters with fewer competitors. However, the prime time for dry fly fishing is from late June through August into early September when water temperatures are optimal. Dry Flies vs Wet Flies  45:00 - David explains the transition from wet fly to dry fly fishing based on water conditions and visibility. He distinguishes between rivers with clear visibility and those with stained waters. Clear Rivers (e.g., Bonaventure, Petite Cascapedia): Optimal for site fishing and dry fly opportunities. Stained Rivers (e.g., Cascapedia, Dartmouth): You can switch to dry flies if no action with wet flies is observed. 46:00 - When not fishing dry flies, David Bishop describes his typical setup and approach for different months and water conditions: In June with higher water, he uses larger flies ranging from size 2 to 3.0 for swinging traditional salmon flies. Some favorite flies include John Olin Longwing, Picasse, and Paul Caron's Stonefly. Fly Speed and Presentation David stresses that fly presentation plays a massive role, comprising about 90% of the success in fly fishing. He also mentions that fly selection is only about 5% of the game, debunking the idea of a "best fly". He explains that using floating lines allows him to manipulate fly speed effectively. By adjusting casting angles and mending downstream, he can control how fast the fly moves across the water, which is crucial for enticing strikes. His strategy involves covering as much water as possible to find fish that are actively taking the fly. He prefers this approach over repeatedly casting in the same spot, focusing on quality fish rather than sheer numbers. Spey Fishing Gear and Technique 59:00 - David recommends using a 12.5-foot rod ranging from 450 to 540 grain weights, with a preference for 480 or 450. He emphasizes using long leaders of 15 to 20 feet for better fly tracking and action. David also highlights the importance of tapered leaders for efficient casting and fly presentation. Show Notes:  https://wetflyswing.com/585

It's the fourth Friday in March with one still to go as we talk about a new EV brand entering the US market. We also discuss the surprising cheapest lease in America right now, as well as a smooth stop for online retailer Vroom. Show Notes with links:There's going to be yet another new EV brand in town as Volkswagen Group's sporty, electric vehicle-focused Cupra brand is set to enter the U.S. by the end of the decade, debuting with two utility vehicles and leveraging VW Group's Mexican assembly plants for production.Cupra plans to introduce an electric Formentor crossover and a larger, unnamed electric crossover SUV to the U.S., using a new distribution model the company didn't articulateIn 2023, Cupra's sales surged by 51%, with Germany as its largest market, yet it eyes the U.S. for a bigger global footprint.Focused on "young, progressive customers," Cupra will target selected states, especially on the East and West coasts and the Sun Belt, using a novel distribution model.Current vehicles include the Tavascan, Born, Formentor, Leon, Leon Sportstourer, and AtecaCupra CEO Wayne Griffiths, emphasized readiness and market fit for their U.S. venture saying"We know it's always been a matter of being well prepared and doing it right if you go to the U.S.Hyundai's Ioniq 6 SE is now America's cheapest lease deal, offering a no-money-down lease for just $239 per month for 12k miles per yearHyundai has rolled out an unadvertised lease offer to dealers for the 2024 Ioniq 6 SE, making it available until April 1, 2024.Comparatively, the Ioniq 6 SE's effective cost of $249 a month undercuts the lease cost of vehicles like the 2024 Toyota Corolla LE in Southern California by over $100 monthly.While the offer applies to a 24-month lease with a 12,000-mile annual limit, it requires only the first month's payment upfrontCost of ownership may still have a few surprises for lessees as lessees as insurance costs for Ionic 6 might be higher than expectedIt looks like our friends at Vroom are coasting to a stop as they navigate the final lap of their ecommerce operations. Vroom's journey through the used-car retail market is drawing to a close, with the company anticipating a complete wind down by the end of Q1.Vroom has successfully sold off nearly all its used vehicle inventory as part of its strategy to wind down ecommerce operations and exit the used-car retail sector.Following the sell-off, Vroom has cleared its floorplan facility debt with Ally, boasting about $94 million in cash reserves as of February's end.The company is reducing its workforce to align with its scaled-down activities.CEO Tom Shortt expressed pride in the team's professionalism during this transition, focusing on an efficient and cost-effective wind-down process. Vroom now aims to leverage its remaining entities, United Auto Credit and CarStory, to enhance stakeholder value.Hosts: Paul J Daly and Kyle MountsierGet the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/ JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/ Read our most recent email at: https://www.asotu.com/media/push-back-email

Hey there, Rainmakers! This week, we're diving deep into the heart of Amazon selling - addressing the burning questions that crop up time and again. Whether you're in the midst of our live challenge or simply curious about the ins and outs of selling on Amazon, this episode is for you! As we peel back the layers of starting an Amazon business, we're here to quell your curiosities and set the record straight on how accessible and impactful this venture can be. First off, let's tackle the elephant in the room: Amazon's already bustling marketplace. It's a haven for entrepreneurs, offering a built-in customer base that's hard to find anywhere else. Imagine not having to worry about the ins and outs of email marketing or social media growth from the get-go. That's the beauty of Amazon. It's a platform where the customers are already waiting for you, ready to buy. And when it comes to logistics, Amazon's got your back with its all-encompassing fulfillment services. No more cluttered garages or late-night packing sessions. It's all about freeing up your space and your time. Our journey into Amazon selling began with a simple goal: to launch a product. What started as a venture into selling a quirky fidget toy evolved into a profound realization of Amazon's potential to transform our lives. The platform's ability to handle the heavy lifting of customer service and logistics was a game-changer for us. It opened our eyes to the possibility of running a business without the traditional hassles of inventory management and shipping. But what about those of you sitting there, thinking, "I'm not an inventor. I don't have a groundbreaking product idea." Good news! That's actually a great place to start. Amazon's marketplace thrives on data-driven decisions, not just innovative product ideas. By leveraging the wealth of data Amazon provides, you can identify high-demand niches and fill them with quality products. It's not about reinventing the wheel; it's about finding a wheel that's slightly better than the rest and making it your own. Of course, the question of investment is inevitable. "How much does it cost to start?" you might wonder. While the figures can vary, we're here to demystify the financial aspect of launching an Amazon business. Comparatively speaking, the potential return on investment with Amazon can far outweigh the traditional routes of entrepreneurship, such as franchising or starting a brick-and-mortar business. With a strategic approach and a focus on calculated risks, your Amazon venture can start on a solid foundation without breaking the bank. So, if you're feeling a spark of curiosity or even if you're on the fence about the whole Amazon business model, we encourage you to hit play and explore no further. Follow the link below and dive into our Family Freedom Challenge to get a comprehensive look at what it takes to make it on Amazon. This might just be the opportunity you and your family have been searching for. The potential is vast, and the time to start carving out your slice of the Amazon pie is now. Let's make it rain, together!   Connect with us: The Rainmaker Challenge: https://rainmakerchallenges.com ► Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/33EdgBs ► Website: therainmakerfamily.com ► Facebook: www.facebook.com/diazfamilylegacy ► Instagram: instagram.com/chels_diaz instagram.com/steezdiaz instagram.com/therainmakerfamily ► Get Free Stuff On Amazon: stephensfreestuff.com/sfs Episode: minute by minute  00:04 Introduction to the Top Questions We Get About Selling on Amazon 00:47 Why Amazon for Business? 02:00 The Benefits of Amazon's Infrastructure 03:30 The Power of Partnering with Amazon 04:17 Understanding Amazon's Customer Base 05:27 Product Ideas and Innovation 06:22 The Importance of Data in Product Selection 06:38 The Amazon Grocery Store Analogy 07:34 The Rainmaker Method Explained 10:01 The Financial Aspect of Amazon Business 12:37 Creative Ways to Fund Your Amazon Business 18:45 Understanding Profit Margins 20:54 The Value of Building an Amazon Business 23:34 Conclusion and Next Steps  

We hope you have your evacuation plan ready, because Godzilla Minus One has landed hard, and we are boots on the ground!  Comparatively, Shin Kamen Rider is about as big as a, um, grasshopper. #godzillaminusone #godzilla #gojira #kamenrider #shinkamenrider #shinmaskedrider

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17Ken Boa is a pastor and founder of Reflections Ministries. Russ Crosson is executive vice president and chief mission officer of Ronald Blue Trust. This is the second of our interviews about a book they co-authored, titled Leverage: Using Temporal Wealth for Eternal Gain. [1:35]WHAT IS BIBLICAL LEVERAGE AND IS GIVING TO CHURCH AND MINISTRIES CONSIDERED BIBLICAL LEVERAGE?(Biblical leverage is the concept of using one's financial resources in ways that align with God's will, rather than accumulating wealth for its own sake.)It's about seeking guidance from the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit to determine how much to give and where to give.The act of giving is a way to counteract the idolatry of money and wealth, avoiding the search for security and significance in financial accumulation.Biblical leverage involves sacrificial giving that transcends mere monetary value and reflects a faithful trust in God's provision. [2:35]HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS DECIDE HOW MUCH TO GIVE?In the New Testament, the principle of giving is focused on cheerfulness and proportionality, not a mandated amount.The more one has, the greater the challenge to give proportionally and the greater the potential impact of their generosity.Sacrificial giving for the wealthy may involve forgoing personal luxuries to contribute more significantly, acting as a test of faith. [4:04]WHAT DOES SACRIFICIAL GIVING LOOK LIKE FOR THOSE WITH SIGNIFICANT WEALTH?(Sacrificial giving for the wealthy is characterized by a deliberate choice to give up something valuable or desired for the sake of contributing to God's work.) Even if the wealthy can easily afford their desires, choosing not to indulge in something and giving instead can be a form of sacrifice.The faith aspect comes into play when one decides to do without something they normally would do and contributes that resource instead.This act of giving serves as a faith test and an opportunity to grow one's faith through the conscious act of generosity. [7:06]WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW ABOUT SACRIFICIAL GIVING ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE?Scripture invites us to focus on the eternal rather than the temporal, and the unseen rather than the visible.The challenge lies in whether wealth or God's Word defines us, our security, and our significance.The Bible instructs those with wealth to not be conceited or to place their hope in wealth but in God, referencing 1 Timothy 6:17-19: "Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches but in God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy." [8:20]WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN DECISION-MAKING ABOUT GIVING?The Holy Spirit should guide our decisions about where and how much to give, involving a more radical and deep approach than we might imagine on our own.This guidance is part of a relationship with the Holy Spirit, who is not just a force but a person who illuminates God's Word.A wise person applies scripture to their life, such as 1 Timothy 6:17-19, and actively chooses to be generous, setting aside wealth for eternal benefit.Comparatively, the Bible contrasts the wise with the 'fool' who is not rich towards God, referring to the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12. [9:50]WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS TO GIVING AND HOW DOES ACCOUNTABILITY FIT INTO STEWARDSHIP?Giving can be hindered by financial, spiritual, relational, or visionary barriers, and accountability is crucial to overcome these.Having someone to challenge and ask hard questions is important since God promises to meet our needs, as mentioned in Philippians, enabling us to be generous. [10:45]WHAT DEFINES GOOD STEWARDSHIP?Good stewardship is applying biblical principles to life and welcoming accountability, preparing to give an account of our stewardship to God.Since we will all account for our actions before God individually, it's crucial to have others who can speak into our lives and help us aim for the affirmation of a job well done by God. [11:14]HOW DOES THIS DISCUSSION REVEAL THE FALSEHOOD OF THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL?The prosperity gospel wrongly applies Old Testament promises made to a theocratic Israel to New Testament believers, suggesting a direct correlation between righteousness and financial prosperity.True New Testament teaching focuses on the fruit of the Spirit rather than material wealth and encourages us to leverage temporal possessions for eternal impact. [12:30]WHAT IS ‘REVERSE COMPOUNDING?'Reverse compounding refers to the idea that delaying generosity reduces the potential eternal impact of our giving, as our time to influence God's Kingdom is limited.It emphasizes the urgency of starting to give generously now rather than waiting, as our actions on earth have eternal significance. [13:10]WHAT PRIVILEGE DOES GIVING OFFER TO BELIEVERS?Giving is a privilege that allows us to participate in God's work, requiring us to choose gratitude and contentment, which are perspectives rather than emotions.By focusing on eternal truths over temporal wealth, we can leverage the latter for God's kingdom, living out Jesus' teaching from Luke 16:9: "Make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings." Ken Boa and Russ Crosson have been our guests today. They're authors of Leverage: Using Temporal Wealth for Eternal Gain.  On today's program, Rob also answers listener questions: How can I start fresh financially after a divorce, with $100,000 in debt, a paid-off house, and a retirement account to be split?Unsure about taking on a mortgage to buy out my ex-husband's share of the house and how to manage our debt and retirement funds post-divorce.As a special education teacher, I'm torn about how to handle my $50,000 401(k) and future retirement planning given that my husband has a government pension. RESOURCES MENTIONED:Christian Credit CounselorsFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network as well as American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.comwhere you can join the FaithFi Community, and give as we expand our outreach. Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17Ken Boa is a pastor and founder of Reflections Ministries. Russ Crosson is executive vice president and chief mission officer of Ronald Blue Trust. This is the second of our interviews about a book they co-authored, titled Leverage: Using Temporal Wealth for Eternal Gain. [1:35]WHAT IS BIBLICAL LEVERAGE AND IS GIVING TO CHURCH AND MINISTRIES CONSIDERED BIBLICAL LEVERAGE?(Biblical leverage is the concept of using one's financial resources in ways that align with God's will, rather than accumulating wealth for its own sake.)It's about seeking guidance from the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit to determine how much to give and where to give.The act of giving is a way to counteract the idolatry of money and wealth, avoiding the search for security and significance in financial accumulation.Biblical leverage involves sacrificial giving that transcends mere monetary value and reflects a faithful trust in God's provision. [2:35]HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS DECIDE HOW MUCH TO GIVE?In the New Testament, the principle of giving is focused on cheerfulness and proportionality, not a mandated amount.The more one has, the greater the challenge to give proportionally and the greater the potential impact of their generosity.Sacrificial giving for the wealthy may involve forgoing personal luxuries to contribute more significantly, acting as a test of faith. [4:04]WHAT DOES SACRIFICIAL GIVING LOOK LIKE FOR THOSE WITH SIGNIFICANT WEALTH?(Sacrificial giving for the wealthy is characterized by a deliberate choice to give up something valuable or desired for the sake of contributing to God's work.) Even if the wealthy can easily afford their desires, choosing not to indulge in something and giving instead can be a form of sacrifice.The faith aspect comes into play when one decides to do without something they normally would do and contributes that resource instead.This act of giving serves as a faith test and an opportunity to grow one's faith through the conscious act of generosity. [7:06]WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW ABOUT SACRIFICIAL GIVING ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE?Scripture invites us to focus on the eternal rather than the temporal, and the unseen rather than the visible.The challenge lies in whether wealth or God's Word defines us, our security, and our significance.The Bible instructs those with wealth to not be conceited or to place their hope in wealth but in God, referencing 1 Timothy 6:17-19: "Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches but in God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy." [8:20]WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN DECISION-MAKING ABOUT GIVING?The Holy Spirit should guide our decisions about where and how much to give, involving a more radical and deep approach than we might imagine on our own.This guidance is part of a relationship with the Holy Spirit, who is not just a force but a person who illuminates God's Word.A wise person applies scripture to their life, such as 1 Timothy 6:17-19, and actively chooses to be generous, setting aside wealth for eternal benefit.Comparatively, the Bible contrasts the wise with the 'fool' who is not rich towards God, referring to the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12. [9:50]WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS TO GIVING AND HOW DOES ACCOUNTABILITY FIT INTO STEWARDSHIP?Giving can be hindered by financial, spiritual, relational, or visionary barriers, and accountability is crucial to overcome these.Having someone to challenge and ask hard questions is important since God promises to meet our needs, as mentioned in Philippians, enabling us to be generous. [10:45]WHAT DEFINES GOOD STEWARDSHIP?Good stewardship is applying biblical principles to life and welcoming accountability, preparing to give an account of our stewardship to God.Since we will all account for our actions before God individually, it's crucial to have others who can speak into our lives and help us aim for the affirmation of a job well done by God. [11:14]HOW DOES THIS DISCUSSION REVEAL THE FALSEHOOD OF THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL?The prosperity gospel wrongly applies Old Testament promises made to a theocratic Israel to New Testament believers, suggesting a direct correlation between righteousness and financial prosperity.True New Testament teaching focuses on the fruit of the Spirit rather than material wealth and encourages us to leverage temporal possessions for eternal impact. [12:30]WHAT IS ‘REVERSE COMPOUNDING?'Reverse compounding refers to the idea that delaying generosity reduces the potential eternal impact of our giving, as our time to influence God's Kingdom is limited.It emphasizes the urgency of starting to give generously now rather than waiting, as our actions on earth have eternal significance. [13:10]WHAT PRIVILEGE DOES GIVING OFFER TO BELIEVERS?Giving is a privilege that allows us to participate in God's work, requiring us to choose gratitude and contentment, which are perspectives rather than emotions.By focusing on eternal truths over temporal wealth, we can leverage the latter for God's kingdom, living out Jesus' teaching from Luke 16:9: "Make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings." Ken Boa and Russ Crosson have been our guests today. They're authors of Leverage: Using Temporal Wealth for Eternal Gain.  On today's program, Rob also answers listener questions: How can I start fresh financially after a divorce, with $100,000 in debt, a paid-off house, and a retirement account to be split?Unsure about taking on a mortgage to buy out my ex-husband's share of the house and how to manage our debt and retirement funds post-divorce.As a special education teacher, I'm torn about how to handle my $50,000 401(k) and future retirement planning given that my husband has a government pension. RESOURCES MENTIONED:Christian Credit CounselorsFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network as well as American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.comwhere you can join the FaithFi Community, and give as we expand our outreach.   Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach.

From 'Breaking Boston' (subscribe here): Fitzy and Hart are taking their typical Tuesday trot around the NFL Neighborhood to see how brown the Patriots' grass really is compared to the other side of the fence. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a bad weekend of press, Team USA and Austin Reaves bounced back on Tuesday with a blowout win over Italy to advance in the World Cup. The backlash against the team, and Austin Reaves along with it, disappeared for a day, at least. And for this game, Reaves wasn't the story. He played well, no question, but Tyrese Halliburton and Mikael Bridges combined for 42 points on 14-20 from the floor, and 10-14 from 3-point range.Comparatively, Reaves (12/4/3) was just hanging out.But he continues to shine in ways that reflect some of the commentary from a recent story at The Athletic from Jovan Buha, in which he reports the Lakers, always searching for that third star, wonder if Reaves could become that guy, in one form or another. They've also, though, reportedly looked at more conventional names, including Atlanta's Trae Young, a name a that always seems at least tangentially tied to the Lakers, chatter wise.But is Young a good idea, literally or figuratively, before even discussing what it might take to get him? He's a name that leads to a larger discussion about what kind of "star" the Lakers should next pursue, whether now or after LeBron retires.From there, LeBron has played in an era of incredible media scrutiny. And as Rich Paul explained to Gilbert Arenas on his podcast, a level of attention and immediacy that no other star has seen through the course of his career. Certainly not Michael Jordan, or even Kobe. The combination of 24/7 traditional media combined with the explosion of social media? It's a different animal.How much credit does he deserve for moving through it basically free of controversy?HOSTS: Andy and Brian KamenetzkySEGMENT 1: Reaves bounces back, and are the Lakers still looking for a star?SEGMENT 2: Is Trae Young a good idea? (Literally or figuratively?)SEGMENT 3: Rich Paul on LeBron and the media era in which he's played.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!BirddogsGo to birddogs.com/LOCKEDONNBA or enter promo code LOCKEDONNBA for a free water bottle with any purchase. You won't want to take your birddogs off we promise you.FanDuelThis episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook, Official Sportsbook of Locked On. Right now, NEW customers can bet FIVE DOLLARS and get TWO HUNDRED in BONUS BETS - GUARANTEED. Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a bad weekend of press, Team USA and Austin Reaves bounced back on Tuesday with a blowout win over Italy to advance in the World Cup. The backlash against the team, and Austin Reaves along with it, disappeared for a day, at least. And for this game, Reaves wasn't the story. He played well, no question, but Tyrese Halliburton and Mikael Bridges combined for 42 points on 14-20 from the floor, and 10-14 from 3-point range. Comparatively, Reaves (12/4/3) was just hanging out. But he continues to shine in ways that reflect some of the commentary from a recent story at The Athletic from Jovan Buha, in which he reports the Lakers, always searching for that third star, wonder if Reaves could become that guy, in one form or another. They've also, though, reportedly looked at more conventional names, including Atlanta's Trae Young, a name a that always seems at least tangentially tied to the Lakers, chatter wise. But is Young a good idea, literally or figuratively, before even discussing what it might take to get him? He's a name that leads to a larger discussion about what kind of "star" the Lakers should next pursue, whether now or after LeBron retires. From there, LeBron has played in an era of incredible media scrutiny. And as Rich Paul explained to Gilbert Arenas on his podcast, a level of attention and immediacy that no other star has seen through the course of his career. Certainly not Michael Jordan, or even Kobe. The combination of 24/7 traditional media combined with the explosion of social media? It's a different animal. How much credit does he deserve for moving through it basically free of controversy? HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: Reaves bounces back, and are the Lakers still looking for a star? SEGMENT 2: Is Trae Young a good idea? (Literally or figuratively?) SEGMENT 3: Rich Paul on LeBron and the media era in which he's played. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Birddogs Go to birddogs.com/LOCKEDONNBA or enter promo code LOCKEDONNBA for a free water bottle with any purchase. You won't want to take your birddogs off we promise you. FanDuel This episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook, Official Sportsbook of Locked On. Right now, NEW customers can bet FIVE DOLLARS and get TWO HUNDRED in BONUS BETS - GUARANTEED. Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices