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En el Caféína de hoy venimos cargaditos:• Familia Guzmán, capítulo mil: Joaquín Guzmán López, otro de los hijos del Chapo, se declara culpable en EE.UU. buscando una pena menor. “Canta” sobre secuestros, alianzas y favores… pero no todo le van a cumplir.• Hong Kong vive horas negras: un incendio en un complejo inmobiliario dejó 151 muertos, 13 detenidos y una lista larga de irregularidades en la construcción. La remoción de escombros podría revelar más víctimas.• Ahora sí va: FKA twigs en CDMX. Después de cancelaciones memorables, la artista británica confirma su show en el Pepsi Center el 23 de abril. Preventa mañana, venta general el jueves. Se rompen los hechizos.• Se termina la era Mejía Barón en Pumas. El maestro renuncia como director deportivo y se lleva a Saracho. La afición lo quiere; los resultados no. Todo apunta a que Efraín Juárez tomará el volante del proyecto.• Golpe duro para el Barça femenil: Aitana Bonmatí, tres veces Balón de Oro, se fractura el peroné y será operada. Su recuperación tomará alrededor de cuatro meses.• Adiós a un pionero: Ludwig Minelli, fundador de Dignitas y figura esencial en la lucha por la muerte digna, falleció a los 93 años al recurrir al suicidio asistido, justo el derecho por el que peleó toda su vida.Todo lo que necesitas saber para no quedarte fuera de la conversación. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The BBC has visited a camp where people are taking refuge after the fall of Sudan's El Fasher - one of the most brutal chapters of the civil war. People fleeing the besieged city described witnessing atrocities by RSF fighters. Also: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asks to be pardoned; an investigation into Georgia's potential use of chemical weapons against anti-government protesters; the US hosts "productive" peace talks to end Ukraine-Russia war; Dignitas founder dies through assisted suicide; the testimony of a woman held captive in Iraq; an update on the rescue operations in flood-hit Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Thailand; the latest from Pope Leo's Lebanon trip; and rage bait is Oxford's word of the year. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk
The Time Riders: Part 16 To further the science. Based on a post by BiscuitHammer, in 16 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. There was a knock at the door and Valentina came in, pushing a silver cart in front of herself. "Thought it might be time for refreshments," she chirped, her cheerful brown eyes not at all fazed by the scene in front of her. She looked at Becky. "I figured you might find some electrolytes handy, so I have green smoothies, strawberry-banana smoothies, coconut water, and OJ. That should fit the bill, right?" "Thank you so much, Val," Becky said, not at all bothered by being naked in front of this girl. Clearly it wasn't out of the ordinary, so she didn't care. Not to mention she'd referred to Mike and Karen as 'Master' and 'Mistress', so there was more to her employment than met the eye. Nanu was staring at Val's outfit again, making Val giggle. She left the cart and approached the tiny Egyptian girl now, smiling. "Watch this, Nanu," she said before pulling her arms into her chest and doing on spin, her short skirt flaring out and twirling around her, revealing her tiny black panties. Nanu clapped excitedly, her eyes wide with delight. "Great, now she'll want to own one of those outfits," Becky sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry for the fib I'm about to tell about you, Val." She looked at Nanu. "It's a pretty outfit, yes, but it's a slave's outfit, darling." The Egyptian girl blinked. "She is a slave?" "Can't you see the collar she's wearing?" Becky pointed out, indicating Val's black lace choker, with the glittering white stone on the front. "She; is a slave to the gods?" Nanu murmured, lapsing into thought about that before looking back at Becky. "Well, that doesn't sound so bad, does it? We should become their slaves." Karen broke down giggling, hiding her face in her husband's massive arm and kicking her feet cutely. Mike just smirked while Becky sighed and rolled her eyes. Valentina had no idea what had just been said, but based on her employers' reactions, whatever it was hadn't panned out as Becky intended. She decided to make herself scarce. "scuse me, servant stuff to do," she chimed, doing a curtsy before leaving and closing the door behind her. Nanu sat up, straddling Mike's waist and trying to figure out why the goddess was laughing. "Really?" Becky groused, giving Nanu a sour look. "I rescue you from slavery, and you decide to volunteer for it because it's these two?" "Do you blame me?" Nanu said with a shrug. "As long as I get fed and fucked, this seems like a good life with pretty clothing." "You do not need to be a slave for us to do that with you, Nanu," Karen pointed out, caressing her arm. "Well, nobody's fucked me yet," Nanu announced, trying to pout rather unsuccessfully. "What good is being a free woman if it doesn't get me cock when I need it?" "I see food and sex are her two primary drivers," Mike mused. "And possibly revenge," Becky added, watching as Nanu reached behind herself and took hold of the currently soft cock and began massaging it. "If you see her whispering into her palm, shit's about to get real. Honey, that might not be a good idea." "They said I don't need to be a slave to fuck them," Nanu replied, still stroking and now fingering herself, as if to get ready. "I want to be fucked." "Let the chips fall where they may, I guess," Becky said, sitting up and moving around the bed to join Karen. Soon, they were in a sapphic tangle, limbs wrapped around one another and kissing deeply. Nanu watched while she stroked the god's cock, slowly bringing him to life. Karen was on top of Becky now, sitting up and straddling with their legs scissored and their wet pussies kissing. She began to squirm her hips, and Becky did the same, groaning in pleasure. "Hmm, missed this too," she murmured. "As did I," Karen sighed, pulling Becky's leg up so that it was braced against her with her toes in the air. They slowly slithered together, nether lips mingling, clits brushing against one another. They were both wet enough that they could hear their lovemaking. The god was hard now, and Nanu was determined to do this right. She moved backward and pushed up as tall as she could on her knees, her cunt directly over the huge cockhead. She pressed against it and moved around, making sure she was good and wet. She felt the tip just push her lips apart slightly, and inched her way down. She bit her lower lip as the pressure increased, feeling a very slow penetration. She gasped and shuddered as the head went inside, stretching her in a way she hadn't felt before, except with a fist. There was an audible, wet and almost gristly 'pop' noise, followed by another from somewhere inside her hips structure as she sank down and sat very still. Becky and the two professors looked at her somewhat curiously. "Nanu?" Becky asked. "You okay, darling?" The tiny girl didn't respond, still staring off into space, her eyes unseeing. Finally, a single tear was trickling down her cheek. "Oh, well done, Ramrod," Karen said rather sarcastically to her husband, still looking at Nanu. "Even if you didn't break her in half, she's still going to have hip dysplasia." "I didn't make her do it," Mike pointed out. "I hope we have a wheelchair around, though." The Egyptian girl finally opened her eyes, slowly, and took several deep breaths, her palms resting on the god's muscular abdomen. She looked up at the ceiling, puckering her lips and making sucking sounds as she tried to center herself. She trembled as she pushed up on her knees, starting to move, and then shook almost violently as she sank back down. She squeaked and then whimpered, going still. Then she repeated the process, taking it slow. "Well, I'll be damned," Becky mused as she watched, still grinding her cunt against Karen's. "She actually did it and didn't kill herself. She'll be trying to sit on fire hydrants next." Nanu didn't make it more than three strokes up and down before she clapped her and over her mouth and screamed into it, her entire body shaking as she came. Once she'd recovered, she began moving up and down again, a little faster, determined to have at least one more orgasm before she died. She straightened her torso and kept moving up and down, her eyes closed and a shameless moaning escaping her lips. She lasted a little longer this time, but still ended up clamping both hands over her mouth and screeching, almost convulsing before she simply wilted, collapsing forward on to the god beneath her, eyes wide open but unseeing, chest heaving as she tried to breathe. "Determined little thing, isn't she?" Karen mused, looking on, even while she made love to Becky. How she'd missed this feeling with her favorite student. "You'd have to be, to survive what she did pretty much her whole life," the blonde replied with a sigh, undulating beneath her teacher. "She's such a sweetheart, but she surprises me sometimes with a brutal mercenary streak. And her morals are; decidedly different from ours." "Noted," Karen said before leaning down and kissing Becky heatedly, squashing their tits together. They were swallowing one another's tongues, grinding and girl-fucking their way to bliss, until Becky wailed into Karen's mouth, cumming hard. Karen followed moments later, bathing Becky's cunt in her sticky essence. They wrapped themselves up in one another, kissing deeply and just enjoying the shared post-orgasm bliss. It had been too long, and Becky would do her damndest to make sure that didn't happen again. She almost giggled through the kiss as she thought about the fact that she had access to a time machine, if she really needed to see to the issue. She and Karen rolled themselves together into Mike's side, snuggling into him while Nanu seemed quite content to simply remain motionless on top of him. Given that she was almost bolted down to his cock, she might not have had much of a choice in the matter, mind. "You okay there, Prof?" Becky asked, smirking up at him while she caressed her other idol. "Might've been a while since I've been in anyone quite this tight," Mike replied, smiling and pretending to wince, as if being clamped inside Nanu was somehow painful. "Excuse you, sir," Karen chimed, trying to sound indignant, but failing as she giggled. "Am I to understand I am not tight enough for you?" "You're the perfect amount of tightness, Gordon, and you know it," the huge blond man said, reaching over and caressing his wife's ass cheeks. Karen purred contentedly at the contact, snuggling into Becky even more. Becky sighed, because she loved watching the profs together. She'd never seen two people more desperately in love, or more perfect for one another. "So is it just you and Nanu in your little arrangement?" Karen asked, looking down at her student and gently poking her nose. "Well," Becky began before offering a weak smile. "It's complicated?" "Given what a hard time you had earlier, perhaps I shouldn't be surprised," mused the older woman, smiling kindly. "Are you hiding another girl from elsewhere in the world?" "No," Becky said, blushing. "I;” If she couldn't tell these two, who could she tell? "There might be an angle with one of my students," she confessed. "Rebecca Nightingale Fischer," Karen said, her smile becoming a smirk. "You and a student? You naughty girl. Not that Michael and I are in any place to judge, of course." "Don't I know it," Becky giggled. "Yeah, there is. Or there will be. I don't know how to explain it." "One of those moments again, clearly," Mike said, his other hand stroking down Nanu's back. She looked positively tiny on top of him, like a kitten gone to sleep. She was stirring and slowly coming back to life. "Don't try too hard, Rebecca." "Yes sir," she said rather reflexively, but she also enjoyed the little tingle she always got from obeying him. "Mark and I, and Nanu, will be a thing by the time summer rolls around." "M-ark?" Nanu mumbled tiredly, almost yawning. Had she fallen asleep? "What about M-ark, Mistress?" "She calls you Mistress, hmm?" Karen observed. "It looks like I'm not the only one with a kitten on my hands." Becky blushed. "She; insists she be allowed. I've tried to break the habit, no dice." She looked at Nanu now. "I was just explaining about waiting until the summer before we will be seeing Mark." "You get to see him all the time at school," Nanu pointed out. "But you say you can't fuck him. I hope they understand, because I sure don't." "Nonlocal measurement," Karen said, listening to the two younger women speak in Latin, although she was talking to her husband. "Low-entropy probability that falls outside the Born System." "And deterministic despite a Dirac constant and equation," Mike said before he chuckled and began sitting Nanu up straight. She shuddered and gasped deeply, seeming to have forgotten that she was speared on him. Her eyes were wide as she stared down at where her cunt was split wide apart by his massive erection. She didn't seem to be able to process anything like that fitting inside her. "Christ," Becky muttered, shaking her head. "I'm supposed to be a physics teacher, and I have no damn clue what you two are talking about." "Ultimately, determinism," Mike replied, letting Nanu try to adjust. "I remember teaching you the concept." "And I remember the lessons," Becky sighed. "Never thought they'd be applied to me personally. I keep forgetting you two are religious." "I think it's pretty much a given that you, my dear, are meant to study quantum crystallography," Karen cooed, stroking the blonde's cheek. "So of course, Michael and I will teach you everything we know, and will help you further on that path. You were, without question, our most gifted student. This is your chance." "What's everyone talking about, Mistress?" Nanu asked, shifting around her hips to make sure they weren't actually fractured. "You're talking in your stupid En-gush." "Nanu, we'll speak Latin so that you're not left out," the goddess said gently, reaching over and stroking the Egyptian girl's thigh. "We were asking Rebecca if she wanted to come and teach with us soon, instead of staying where she is." Nanu considered and then looked at Becky. "Mistress, I think you're very smart, but I'd think you were very stupid if you didn't take this offer. And take M-ark with you, maybe it'll make him less stupid." "I guess that settles it," Becky sighed, shaking her head. "I can't refute those points." "This Mark of yours sounds like a real charmer," Karen teased, finally sitting up and then clambering off Becky. She moved aside while her former student sat upright, rotating her neck and stretching her shoulders. "He must be a demon in the sack if you're willing to put up with his apparent lack of intelligence." "He's not stupid, he's just; he doesn't find applying his brain power all that agreeable, except to get himself out of trouble," Becky explained. "As for him being a demon in the sack, he's not bad, but; well, I'd been going through a dry spell when this all happened." "There is no excuse whatsoever for you to be going through a dry spell, young lady," Mike told her, sitting up and still keeping Nanu in his lap. But she squeaked when he turned her around, still nailed to him by his cock, which felt like it was battering her rib cage from below. Her eyes were wide as she just sat and listened. "You're every bit as attractive as you are intelligent, Rebecca, so if you're experiencing a dearth of sex, that's just you being difficult." "It's hard to find partners who measure up," Becky grumped. "Except for Nanu, of course." Nanu sniffed and nodded righteously, happy to be included in whatever the fuck they were all talking about. She was used to being ignored as a slave, she had no intention of being ignored now that she was a free woman. "You'll come to the housewarmings, yes?" Karen asked. "The third and the fourth weekends of this month." "You're having two housewarmings?" Becky asked. "Why two?" "One is the official housewarming, where I take over as head of the Blackwell elder line and its operations," Karen replied. "The one the following weekend is of a more fun and; well, risqué nature. The invite list for that is much more select. You and Nanu simply must come to both." Becky turned her head to look at Nanu. "Did you understand all that, my love?" Nanu thought about it. "Karen is becoming Mistress of this palace and there are two celebrations, one official, and one that is; naughty. She wants us to come to both." She leaned forward toward Becky now, her look an imploring one. "Can we please, Mistress?" "Of course we can!" Becky laughed gaily. "I wouldn't miss this for all the gold on earth!" More joyous laughter, and they all embraced one another, finding partners and beginning the lovemaking again. Another hour later, the Byron Lounge. "I'm really hoping you like this," Becky said as she poured the wine into her host's glasses. Mike and Karen were sitting on a large chesterfield together while Becky and Nanu were in a smaller loveseat across from them. The table the glasses were on was in the center. "You'll probably find it very unique." "It's potent, I can already tell," Karen remarked, watching her student pour. "The nose is quite powerful from here." "Interesting color for a white wine, too," Mike added, noting the distinct amber tint to the liquid. His wife was right, it was strong. It almost stung the olfactory senses and poured like a syrup. Even Madeira wines were lighter than this. The maderizing process must have been unusually acute. Becky handed each of her companions a glass and then sat down next to Nanu. The three women all looked at Mike, expecting him to lead the toast. He nodded and held up his glass. "Dignitas amicorum pie zeses vivas." Karen nodded and repeated the toast, but in English, the only time Nanu ever considered the language divine and lovely. "Worthy among your friends! Drink that you may live. May you live." The bouquet was sharp, certainly, and Mike guessed the alcohol content was well north of fifteen percent. The wine was clearly meant to be sweet, but the robust body was definitive. This wine must have been aged longer than Becky had been alive. Where had she gotten it from? He glanced over at his wife, who had an even more acute nose and sense of taste than he did, and she was examining her glass quietly. Karen was rolling it around inside her mouth quietly, letting it play over her refined palate. Her eyes caught his, and they knew what the other was thinking. Becky and Nanu watched quietly. It was always fascinating to Becky how these two operated. "That's an Aglianico grape, I'm sure of it, even though I have never had one quite like that," Karen mused. "It's been aged in clay," Mike agreed, nodding. "For a long time. The hangovers must be murder." They both looked at Becky, who smiled hopefully. She wanted them to like it, but also hoped they wouldn't ask more questions she couldn't answer. She was doing her best. "Rebecca, I'd like to have Jordan and Tatyana try this, may I call them in?" Mike asked. She nodded and he bipped his smartwatch, asking the former seneschal of Blackwell Manor and its current one to join them. They came in together some minutes later, while Mike and Karen were still discussing the wine. "You rang, my friend?" Jordan asked, while Tatyana nodded her head respectfully. Jordan saw the bottles on the table, noting the amber color. "Is that a Malvazia wine? Very strong, I can feel it tickling my nose from here." "With Rebecca's permission, we would like for you two to try this," Karen suggested, standing and walking over to a small cupboard from which she retrieved two more glasses. "It's quite unlike anything either Michael or I have tried, and I thought we had a very broad palate by this point." Karen poured two small glasses and brought them over to the pair. Jordan, who had been the Blackwell estate sommelier for decades, and Tatyana, its current sommelier, both examined the amber libation curiously. Jordan put the cup to his lips and sipped it. Tatyana did as well, the only reaction from her being her eyes narrowing slightly. "That is very unique, I must say," the older man said finally. "It reminds me a Sangiovese in some ways, but; more primal somehow?" "It is an Italian wine, I think," Tatyana added. "But unlike any I have tried before." "It's what I imagine a Falernian wine would be like, if the genuine article thing still existed," Karen posited. "But those methods are lost. We only know them from poetry and accounts of Roman historians, such as Galen and Pliny. This is; wondrous to try." Becky sighed slightly, relaxing. She was so worried about running into time lock that it was a relief she'd managed to let them actually taste the wine. The profs knew something was up, that she couldn't help them, and they would just have to figure out as much as they could on their own. Was she meant to have done this? Was it Fating? She banished the thought from her head, she would drive herself crazy. She was here to have fun with the two people who had made her who she was, and to share that joy with Nanu. To her delight, Nanu seemed to be acclimating well, even if she was in awe and fear of these 'gods'. Mike looked at Becky now. "This must have cost you a pretty penny, something this unique." Becky smiled. "I can manage more, if you want. As many bottles as you like. Just don't ask how or why." "Fair enough," Karen said, looking over at her husband. "And we just found our drink of choice for that toga party we discussed." Mike laughed and Becky giggled. Poor Nanu. She escapes slavery from Imperial Rome, only to end up in a time period where dressing like the patricians who enslaved her was the height of chic at a party. Rome was clearly the eternal city in more ways than one. And this one time, wining about it was a good thing. Later that afternoon. "Mistress, look at all these men," Nanu said quietly, as if the portraits and busts they were walking by could hear her. She could've sworn some of them were staring right at her, their eyes following her movements. "They are all rather frightening to me." Becky nodded as she walked hand-in-hand with Nanu down the Hall of Ancestors. "I remember the first time I saw them, my love, and they intimidated me as well. They are the ancestors of my professor, going back almost a thousand years." Nanu seemed rather surprised, and a little wary. "They're all gods?" Shit, how do I explain this without breaking her mind? Becky wondered rather wearily. "They all have the same hair like the god, maybe lighter, and the eyes," Nanu observed, still speaking quietly, so that the numerous men didn't hear her. "I can't tell if they're as big as he is." Okay, extra complication there as well. "No, my love, they are the ancestors of Karen," Becky explained, knowing this wasn't going to get easier. That revelation gave Nanu paused. She stopped and looked up at Becky now, almost frowning. "But they look like him, not her. They have the same straw hair and the eyes the color of the sea." She looked down at the ground now as she tried to parse out what her Mistress was telling her. "But her eyes are the color of his hair; maybe they are brother and sister?" Now Becky's eyes widened. "Well, if Iupiter and Iuno were brother and sister but also husband and wife, why can't these two be?" the Egyptian girl reasoned. "They gave birth to all the gods. But; where are these gods now?" She gestured broadly at the hallway and the gallery of busts and portraits. "Nanu, I; I don't know," Becky confessed, trying not to falter in explaining. "I've never met them, honestly. I met the father of Karen, that was it." She pointed to an imposing portrait of Jonathon Blackwell, Karen's father, which hung on the wall not far from them. "And where is that god now?" Nanu asked. Becky hadn't done herself any favors by mentioning she'd met other 'gods'. She tried distraction now, pointing at a large open space nearby on the wall. "Look, that is where the portrait of Karen will go, once she is officially head of her fa; of the pantheon." Well done, Fischer. Nanu looked at the empty space. "So the goddess will be the supreme ruler? What of the god? She seems to obey him, why will he not be up there?" This was getting harder and harder. Becky squeezed her eyes shut, trying to think of a remotely plausible answer. What a rotten moment for time lock to not interfere. "He is from a different family of gods, my love," she said finally, giving up. She didn't have the mental strength to overcome Nanu's fantasies. "A line of mighty ones, but that doesn't mean that she won't rule her own family. She may obey him, but she is their leader." It was true, just massively out of context. "So we are invited to the festival that sees her become ruler?" Nanu asked in wonder. "We are very important, aren't we?" It was finally a question Becky could answer honestly. She smiled and caressed the younger girl's cheek. "Yes, my love. We are very important to them. That's why they want us there." "What does the goddess' name means, Mistress?" queried Nanu. "Karen. It is so unusual to me." Another smile. Becky knew this tidbit, because she had laughed with her mentor about it so many times over the years they'd known one another. "Her names means 'Purity', my dear." Another wry face from Nanu. "But she fucks like Venus, Mistress. I'm not sure 'pure' is the best way to describe her." Becky restrained a giggle. "And the god? What does his name mean?" Becky happened to know that one as well, since the name was common enough. "His name means 'godlike', or 'like unto a god'." "Well at least that one makes sense," Nanu admitted. They continued walking, with Nanu gaping at just about everything. Mike and Karen were seeing to a small matter, and had suggested that Becky take Nanu for a stroll around the estate. Becky had to think about what might catch her attention, and what she'd even be able to understand. She'd already shown Nanu the service elevator, and the young woman was stunned how the tiny room could bring her to different places at the simple push of a button. Food always interested Nanu, but if they were staying for dinner, she could keep the little glutton out of the chef's way for a few hours. Glenda showed them the garage, with all the exotic and rare cars. Nanu seemed especially taken with the huge jeep and the bright red Countach. They found Ari in what was apparently an arcade (rich people, go figure!), and they watched while he played Street Fighter IV. Nanu looked on in fascination as Ari controlled the little man inside the box, making him beat up another little person. Before she got overstimulated and bloodthirsty (Becky was beginning to suspect that violence and sexual arousal were quite mated in Nanu's psyche), they went to find something else to look at. Soon, they found themselves in the compassion greenhouse. The rather pungent odor hit them the moment they opened the door. Nanu wrinkled her nose and pinched it shut with her fingers. "They grow asterion, Mistress?" she asked, her voice sounding funny before she was keeping her nose pinched shut. "I remember it from the house of my Flavian masters. We made ropes and rugs with it. They would bake the seeds into cakes. The cakes made me feel tired." Becky nodded. "It's a recreational substance in my time. They grow all sorts of things here, some of which will be very new to you." "I will get tired if we stay in here," Nanu said. "Just from the smell of the plants." Tempting, Becky thought, but ultimately decided against it. There was still lots to do, after all. They toured some of the other greenhouses before heading back into the Manor. In the foyer, they ran into two young women. Becky stepped up to greet them. "Hi, I'm Becky, this is Nanu," she said, shaking their hands. The rather buxom brunette seemed very pleasant, although Becky could already tell she was a bit of a space cadet. The other one, a shorter girl with honey-blonde hair in a pixie cut, was lean and athletic, her hazel eyes observing everything. "Hi, I'm Jeanie," the brunette said cheerfully before looking at Nanu. "Oh, wow, look how pretty you are! I'll bet you're a big hit with all the boys, aren't you?" She bent her knees slightly, resting her hands on them so she was closer to Nanu's eye level. "And what grade are you in?" Becky restrained a giggle-snort, declining to translate for Nanu. The Egyptian girl looked up at her, a rather confused expression on her face. "What's the stupid girl asking me?" she wondered. "She just said you're very pretty and all the boys must love you," Becky selectively answered. "Well, she's right about that, at least, so maybe she's not completely stupid," Nanu sniffed. "Sorry, Jeanie," Becky said, turning her attention back to her new associate. "Nanu doesn't speak English, we speak Latin to one another. So unless you speak it too, I'll have to translate for you." "Oh, yeah, no," Jeanie replied, shaking her head. "Fre'n' me barely speak English, so I guess you're on duty for us with the Latin stuff." "Hey now," the pixie-haired girl said, giving Jeanie a look before also stepping forward. She was wearing some chinos and a tank top, her jacket thrown over her shoulder. She shook Becky's hand. "Hello, I am Freja. We have been hearing about you both, I am honored." She smiled at Nanu now. "I am happy to meet you, Nanu." Becky translated, but Nanu didn't seem to hear what she was saying, since she was focused on Freja. The Danish girl was not much taller than her, but also had tiny tits, barely worth mentioning. She was smirking as Freja put out her hand, and instead of shaking it, she simply put her hands on her hips and pushed her chest forward slightly, thrusting out her tits. Freja faltered somewhat at the sight of them on display like that. "Anyhows," Freja said, turning her attention back to Becky, even if her wife was still staring at Nanu's chest. For a tiny girl, she had a huge rack. "Jeanette is my wife, we are pleased to be making your acquaintances. You ams staying for dinner?" Becky nodded, ignoring the fact that Nanu was turning slowly left and right, showing off her bust in profile. "The profs convinced me to come work as a Physics teacher at the uni. Do you two go there?" "Yes," Freja confirmed. "Jeanette is in Health and Nutrition Sciences, and I ams at the Skule." "Ooh, an engineer," Becky breathed, smiling. "Love it! You'll probs end up building a lot of the equipment I need in order to; Nanu, stop that, you brat!" She nudged the smaller woman with her hip since Nanu was cupping her tits and squishing them together. Either one of her tits was much bigger than both of Freja's, and clearly the girl was self-conscious about it. This was no doubt some leftover competition and survival trait in Nanu, finding advantage in whatever form it came. Given how she'd been mocked the other night at the bar, maybe she shouldn't be surprised. Still, she couldn't let her behave that way. "Jeanie, honey," she said, smiling at the other half of the married couple. "Would you mind taking Nanu and finding her a bathroom? I want to pick your wife's brain about something with engineering." "Oh, a hundred p," the brunette said, nodding and taking Nanu by the hand. "How'd you say 'Let's go pee' in Latin?" Becky couldn't believe she was saying this, but obliged. "Eamus mingere." "C'mon, Nanu," Jeanie said to the confused Egyptian girl, leading her off. "Eat a moose lingerie." "Even for her, that was nowhere near the close," Freja sighed as she walked along with Becky now. "I just wanted to get Nanu away from you, she gets competitive," Becky said. "Sorry about that. She was raised as a slave, so she has a survival mode about not being the smallest and weakest." "And my tits, they are smallest and weakest," the Danish girl muttered. "Oh, I think they suit you just fine," Becky said helpfully, taking Freja's hand and giving it a squeeze. "'sides, I kinda want to get a look at the rest of you without Nanu around, you look pretty muscular." Freja smiled. "I works out a lot, I guess. I played fodbold, your soccer, and also field hockey. I do some martial arts as well." "Ooh, tell me!" Becky said, pulling Freja into an unused lounge. "Tell me what you take and I'll tell you what I practice." Freja put down her coat and stood there, letting Becky see her body, although she still had her clothes on. Her shoulder muscles were obvious, but she lifted her tank top enough to show up her segmented and rock-hard abs. "I ams having a black belt in Grace Jujutsu, as well as Kenpo, and I also know Fujian White Crane. What do you practice?" "Krav Maga," Becky replied, lifting her own shirt enough to show off her smooth, firm midsection to her new friend. "Started quite a few years ago, mostly to blow off any sexual frustration, and to deal with guys who get too handsy, you know?" Freja smiled and nodded. "I believe you, for you are very well sexy-built. But we should spar, I would love to try myself against your Krav Maga." "I would love that too, Freja," Becky purred, her smile becoming sensual. "Win or lose, gonna love it. But haven't you tried sparring with the big man before?" "Once," Freja said, shaking her head. "He literally squashed me like a bug. I lasted three seconds and he just squashed me." Becky giggled. "He was the one who began teaching me Krav Maga, and every time I spar with him, I get squashed too. I think of them as sex injuries, you know?" Freja laughed. "Jeanette and I, we fuck the profs occasionally, so yes, I understand. We are lovers to them, and to their son and his wife, Karen's younger sister, Alexandra." "They were telling me about that whole arrangement, but I'm gonna need time to sort it out," Becky admitted. "It sounds like it was a helluva year." "I met my wife and married her because of Alex and Alexandra," Freja said, shucking her tank top now and just leaving her tits exposed. She didn't mind. "And what I can guarantee you, Rebecca, is that when you see Alex and Alexandra together, it will make you very happy." "Honey, I don't doubt that one bit," Becky said, pulling her own shirt off and then unhooking her bra. In a bathroom down the way. "See, this is pretty nice, right?" Jeanie said, sitting on the ornate but comfy chair, her chin on her hand while she looked at Nanu, who was simply sitting on the toilet with her pants around her ankles. She'd already managed to go pee, but apparently this stupid girl hadn't noticed and was still talking to her. "Li'l bit of girl bonding time, right?" "You really are dumb, aren't you?" Nanu said, trying to keep the snide tone out of her voice, in case the stupid girl tattled on her to Mistress. "I'm done going piss, now what?" "Oh, I've got an idea," Jeanie said rather eagerly. She pulled her shirt over her head, and then quickly undid her bra, letting her tits fall out. Nanu's eyes widened for a moment as she stared. They weren't the largest she'd ever seen, the goddess' were certainly bigger, and her Mistress' probably were too. But this dumb girl wore them well, and she clearly didn't mind showing them off at a moment's notice. "Now show me yours," Jeanie said, pointing at Nanu's shirt. The Egyptian girl shrugged and peeled off her shirt, and the stupid bra thing underneath, leaving her as exposed as her companion. Jeanie nodded approvingly as she assessed Nanu's tits. "Nice, we can have a lot of fun with those," Jeanie said, getting up and coming to kneel in front of Nanu now. She put her hands on Nanu's tits and fondled them, feeling around and giving them a good squeeze. "Yeah, these're primo, babe. Well done." Nanu didn't have a damn clue what the dunce was saying, but her tone indicated she liked Nanu's tits, and as a result, Nanu was getting groped. She didn't object at all. "Mind if I?" Jeanie asked, not waiting for an answer before leaning in and starting to swirl her tongue around one of her new friend's nipples. Nanu shivered and gasped, decidedly not objecting to this treatment. She hadn't been fucked in over an hour, so this was a good start. She reached forward and groped the brunette's big tits, liking how heavy they felt in her hand. She could feel herself getting wet, and wanted to do things with this girl now. "Hmm, new and better idea;” Jeanie said, pulling back and standing up long enough to go over to a closet and pulling out a large, plush towel. She remembered they were in there after her unfortunate encounter a few weeks earlier with the neighbor kid, who turned out to be necrotic, or narcosomic, or something. She laid the towel out on the marble floor, and then smiled at Nanu, patting the towel and indicating she should lie down. Nanu got off the toilet and laid down on her back as instructed, looking up at the dumb girl. Jeanie smiled and crawled partially over the smaller girl, her tits now hovering over Nanu's face, the nipples touching her nose. She eased down some more until Nanu could get one of the nipples in her mouth easily. Nanu began licking, tonguing and sucking readily. "Hmm, Jeanie for the win with the good ideas," the larger girl sighed, now craning down and beginning to suck and lick on Nanu's ample tits, the two of them losing themselves in the moment. Neither would feel the need to come up for air any time soon. Back in the other room. Becky grunted and strained, lying on her back and hands flexing against the floor. She was pushing with her hamstrings and her ass muscles, sweat streaming now from her nearly naked form. All she was wearing were her thong panties, and it still felt like she had too much on. Freja was lying opposite her, also just in her thong. They both had one leg in the air, locked against each near the ankle, and they were pushing hard, trying to overpower one another. It had been some time since Becky had engaged in a good bout of (the unfortunately named) Indian leg wrestling. Becky gasped and groaned, wondering if Freja was in as much discomfort as she was. She had the height advantage, a longer leg, so presumably more leverage, but Freja was very strong, her body a little bundle of muscle, which Becky had not appreciated until they'd decided on this little contest and they both stripped down. Whatever she lacked in the tits department, Freja made up for in the powerful ass department. Becky wouldn't be surprised if the little Danish girl could crack walnuts open between those cheeks. She heard Freja moan, taking heart that her opponent was working as hard as she was, although they remained in a deadlock at this point. If she couldn't overpower Freja, she'd simply have to hope to outlast her, until Freja's muscles were jelly and she gave up. They hadn't really decided on what the prize was for whoever won, but she held no doubt they'd both enjoy it. "Uh, fuck;” Freja rasped, her leg trembling every bit as much as Becky's. "You ams strong, like Alexandra or Andrea." "I'll take that; as a compliment;” Becky panted, her warm skin slick against the floor. She hoped she didn't stain the marble, she'd have a hard time explaining that to the profs. "You're really damn strong too, babe;” After almost two more minutes of straining and groaning, the strength of both women gave out at the exact same moment. Their legs bent and collapsed down, both of them breathing heavily, supremely tired from the contest. They slowly rolled onto their sides, almost going fetal as they tried to catch their breath. "That was; very difficult;” Freja managed to say. "I'm not gonna like walking on that leg for a week," Becky replied, thinking about the amount of grapefruit juice she was going to be drinking to deal with the lactic acid buildup in her leg and ass muscles. She hoped she wouldn't have to chase Nanu anywhere. "I guess it was a tie?" "Next time, we will make it a sexfight," Freja breathed, thinking she'd need a forklift to get her upright. "That will be easier on my body." "You have a deal, Fre;” Becky said wearily, hoping the profs didn't find her like this. Thankfully, the muscle pains subsided relatively quickly and easily, even if she knew she was going to be sore tomorrow. She found Nanu with Jeanie, and they both seemed much more refreshed and cheerful than her and Freja. She had a sneaking suspicion as to why. Nanu hadn't been in Freja's presence more than three seconds before she thrust her chest forward again, making sure the Danish girl knew who the mayor of Titty-Town was, even if she wasn't quite so blatant about it this time. They'd all gone to the kitchen so that Becky and Freja could rehydrate themselves a little. Freja was just drinking bicarbonate in water, whereas Theresa supplied Becky with her grapefruit juice. Nanu and Jeanie were drinking milk, and the two girls giggled at one another while they downed their glasses. Jeanie and Freja excused themselves, needing to get back to their condo. Jeanie hugged Nanu, making sure they squished their tits together, then did the same with Becky, although perhaps not quite as familiarly. Freja hugged Becky and then took a chance on hugging Nanu to say goodbye. Nanu accepted the hug, but made sure she pressed her tits right into Freja's reminding her who was in charge. Freja sighed, and they made their exit. "Miss Fischer, Mr. and Mrs. DeBourne will meet you in the Spencer Study now," Tatyana said, entering the room and nodding. "They apologize for the delay, things are just rather busy right now." "Well, what with finals coming, and the big ol' housewarmings, I'm not surprised," Becky said cheerfully, taking Nanu's hand and allowing Tatyana to take them to the aforementioned Spencer Study. Inside, Mike and Karen were sitting on a long, ornate chesterfield. Becky strolled in and sat down on a loveseat just across from them, joined by Nanu. Once again, the Egyptian girl seemed to be keeping her eyes averted. "I hope you don't mind, Rebecca, I thought we might continue having more of your delightful wine," Karen said, pouring some glasses. "I'm glad you like it, and especially glad that you aren't asking questions," Becky answered, relieved that her mentors seemed to genuinely understand her predicament, even if they couldn't understand her predicament. "I promise, I'll scare up some more for you." They were happily discussing Becky's future employment at the university, with Mike and Karen almost teasing her with tempting tidbits about all the latest research into quantum crystallography. Nanu listened quietly, understanding nothing, but knowing that whatever was being discussed was important. It was about making her Mistress happy, and nothing was more important to her than that. Well, getting fucked was as important, but clearly she could have both, so why quibble? Soon enough, they were joined by another person, whom Becky and Nanu turned to meet. A tall, young, and incredibly handsome blond man strolled in casually, wearing an infectious grin that Becky would recognize anywhere, even if she hadn't met him some years ago. He was so very obviously a DeBourne. Nanu's eyes went wide again, and she trembled in fear. "There you are, child-mine," Karen said as Alex walked into the study. "You remember Miss Fischer, yes?" "Of course," he said, smiling genially as he walked over to where the guest was sitting with another, smaller and exotic-looking girl. She stood up and he shook her hand, which was firm, friendly, and warm. A definite turn-on. "It's good to see you again, Ms. Fischer." "Oh, God, call me Becky, please," she said, trying to not blatantly ogle her professors' son. He was so much like Mike, only distilled into a more human-sized form, with enchanting electric blue eyes that radiated humor. But there was also a cool aloofness beneath, if he cared to let it be seen, and that was something he got from his regal mother. "You've grown up, Alex, and you were a lady-killer when you were just thirteen, I recall." "Well, everyone kept sayin' you were too old for me, so I had a wait a few years," he quipped, making her laugh. "Who's your friend, Becks?" Becky shook her head, since his new name for her reminded her of Mark. Still, it gave her a tingle when Alex said it, so she didn't exactly mind. He was more than free to keep calling her that. "Alex, this is Nanu. She's staying with me for the foreseeable future." Alex was going to shake Nanu's hand, but instead she slipped down to her knees, staring up at him in reverent awe before dropping her head to look at the floor. She began speaking quietly, her voice little more than a mumble. Alex raised an eyebrow before glancing over at his mother and father, who were still sitting on the large chesterfield. "Is she speaking Coptic? That's Coptic, isn't it? I don't speak that one yet." "Maybe if you were an elder of the church and showed a little more liturgical piety," Karen sniffed, holding her wine glass as she watched and assessed her son and his reactions. "Nanu is from very small-town Egypt, but she speaks Imperial Latin." Becky watched on, intrigued as he looked down at her again. "Please get up;” he instructed in the language of Imperial Rome. Nanu stood, but kept her eyes averted, even while he was addressing her. He smiled at her. "Nanu, I'm Alex. My full name is Alexander." She dared to look up at him again. He was a head, shoulders, and half a chest taller than her. She barely cleared his dad's abdomen. But she was certainly stacked for such a small girl. She had the build of a dancer, except with big tits. "The conqueror is named after you," she said in a hushed tone. "Alexander;” Alex looked back at his parents and Becky. "Does she think I'm a god? She's clearly not Muslim or Syriac Christian." "We haven't quite figured out what she makes of us," Mike replied, his deep voice from behind her making Nanu almost shiver and squeeze her eyes shut. This had been quite the day for her, and she'd met three gods now. How many people could say that? "Well, better you guys spend time thinkin' about it than me," Alex concluded, kneeling down so that he was eye-level with Nanu, taking her hands and smiling. She trembled at the touch. "Welcome to my home, Nanu;” he said cheerfully. She looked like she might faint. Her heart was thundering in her chest again, and she felt dizzy. "I hear you're due to get married, Alex," Becky mentioned, taking the pressure off Nanu before she just expired right there on the Persian rug. "Your aunt?" "Yep," Alex said, rising while gesturing for Becky and Nanu to sit again, which they did, Nanu somewhat unsteadily. Becky gave her some water while Alex eased himself onto the chesterfield next to Becky. Half a second later, Valentina brought in more drinks. Becky smirked at the steaming blue beverage waiting for Alex. Apparently it was some nerdy thing called a 'Romulan Ale'. "Mom's sister that I'm named after. "I take it you've heard the whole crazy story?" "Crazy stories seem to be the theme of this past year," Becky agreed. "Damned if I can get into mine, though. I am looking forward to meeting her as well, though. Your mom and dad have mentioned her over the years, the fact that she was missing from your lives. She and your grandmother were gone by the time I knew them." "Speaking of my baby sister, would you happen to know her whereabouts?" Karen asked, looking at her son. "She went with Aunt Jen to the pub while I was in class," he replied, nodding to Val in approval as he tried his drink. "Aunt Jen had a bunch a followers, so she took them all for a drink." "Meaning it'll somehow magically happen on my tab," Karen muttered while Mike patted her shoulder. "When was that?" "Alexa only had a half day, so they're probably almost home by now," he replied. "Aunt Jen really likes Theresa's coq au vin." He looked at Becky and Nanu now. "You two staying for dinner? Theresa makes killer food." "Well, your chef's bologna hasn't had any disastrous effects on Nanu's digestive tract, so I assume fresh poultry ought to be fine," Becky mused. "Nitrates and preservatives are the enemy, eh?" the young man laughed, once again reminding Becky of his father and giving her a tingle. They finished their drinks and Mike and Karen agreed to take them on a small tour. Becky was rather interested in the energy-saving measures, like the solar panels and the thermochromic windows. They were all touring the temperate produce greenhouse (called the 'Orangerie') some while later when two people joined them. "We're back, and we're not even hammered," the tall, gorgeous blonde chimed musically, the air of the room lightening with her presence. Even the resident butterflies of the Orangerie seemed to dance about when she was near them. She walked right up to Becky and hugged her. "You must be Becky! I've heard a lot about you." "I've heard a lot about you too, but I never would've believed anyone could be as stacked as your older sister," Becky replied, happily returning the squishy hug. "Let me introduce Nanu. Unless you speak Coptic, you'll need to speak Latin to her." "Hi, Nanu!" Alex almost sang as she knelt and hugged the shorter girl. Nanu's eyes looked like they might just spring out of her head before she swooned, not even having a chance to get on her knees and avert her eyes. "I'm Alexa!" "A; leks...a;” the Egyptian girl murmured as the tall, blonde goddess finally released her. She didn't go to her knees, she simply gazed at Alexa in quiet awe. This had been quite a day for her, even by her standards recently. "And I'm Jenny, lovey," the countess said, walking over and giving Becky a hug. "Chuffed to have you around. Have the lord and lady of the manor made their proposal to you yet?" "They have, and I've accepted, countess," Becky replied, enjoying yet another squishy, sexy hug. She had no doubt she'd end up fucking these two women eventually, if not Alex. She'd never had sex with a countess before, just a French noblewoman that she was reasonably certain was her own ancestor. "I could use the pay upgrade, certainly. Gotta pay for the classes to keep this bod toned somehow." "Delighted to hear it," Jenny said cheerfully, the two women still holding one another by the waist as they smiled at each other. Mike and Karen looked on, trying not to smirk. "And you're quite lovely, my dear. Certainly it won't hurt to' "Oh my gosh;” Alexa breathed, looking at the floor as an epiphany shivered through her. She looked up at Becky and Jenny. "We've gotta do that." "Do what, darling?" Jenny asked, looking at her but still holding Becky, their hips touching. "Well, look at us," Alexa said, coming over and inserting herself into the small hug, which was now a three-way. "Three tall, gorgeous blondes; we need to form a clique, or a union or something." "I've never belonged to a union," Jenny mused. "I've never not belonged to a union," Becky added. "Don't think I've been in a clique, though." "Yeah, but where's this ever happen?" Alexa said, pointing at each of them in turn. "Three natural blonde goddesses all together, none of us made of plastic or silicone; we're the world's most awesome and exclusive clique." "A Trinity," Alex added rather unhelpfully. "Yes!" Alexa said loudly, turning and pointing at Alex in excitement while Karen favored her son with a sour look for encouraging this. "The Trinity! That's it exactly!" She took Becky and Jenny by the hands and began pulling them out of the Orangerie, confusing the butterflies. "C'mon! We've gotta go take pics to celebrate our formation;” "Take care of Nanu for me," Becky called back, getting pulled along in Alexa's wake, as was the countess. The girl was frighteningly strong when she was exited; Becky would be amazed if even Andrea was stronger than Alexa. "Feed her or something', that'll keep her occupied." Nanu watched her Mistress disappear with the golden-haired goddess with the giant tits, along with the other woman. Seconds later, the three gods she was left with all turned to look down at her. She stared back at them awkwardly for a moment before opening her mouth and pointing at her gullet, then licking her lips and rubbing her belly. She looks like Nibbles the Mouse from those old Tom and Jerry cartoons when she does that," Alex observed. "Well, let's go see if Theresa can scare up some more bologna for her," the golden-eyed goddess named Karen mused, holding out her hand for the Nanu to take. "Ba-lo;” Nanu said eagerly as she followed Karen out of the Orangerie. "Ba-lo;” Soon enough she'd be eating again, and hopefully someone would fuck her. She hadn't anticipated anything like this happening to her, and she owed it all to her Mistress and the god-machine. It was a good day to be Nanu Tehemet. A study on the third floor. "Okay, so," Alexa began, herding the two women into the room and then closing the door for privacy. "This is gonna be awesome, the world's most elite clique." "It would be nice to belong to something Kat cannot dominate," Jenny mused, nodding. "What does our clique do?" "Just exist to show off how wonderful it is to be a blonde goddess," Alexa reasoned, rubbing her hands together and then assessing them both for a moment. "I mean, we're gotta spread the truth, right?" "Good enough for me," Becky declared readily, watching Alexa go over to a closet and pull out an expensive-looking camera and tripod. "Lotsa pics in various states of dress and undress?" &l
"Das Leben ist ein Recht, nicht der Tod, der angenommen werden muss und nicht verabreicht werden darf. Und dieses ethische Prinzip betrifft alle, nicht nur die Christen oder die Gläubigen" (Erklärung Dignitas infinita über die menschliche Würde Nr. 52)Mit Pfarrer Thomas Maria Rimmel und Pater Karl Wallner.Unsere Mission:K-TV steht zu Tradition und Lehramt der katholischen Kirche. Der Sender möchte die katholische Lehre unverfälscht an die Menschen weitergeben und so die Schönheit und Wahrheit des christlichen Glaubens verbreiten. Die Vermittlung von Glaubensinhalten ist zudem ein zentrales Anliegen.Schreiben Sie uns Ihre Anliegen und Fragen per E-Mail an: seelsorge@k-tv.orgHier können Sie K-TV unterstützen: https://www.k-tv.org/spenden Weitere wichtige Links zu K-TV: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KTVKatholischesFernsehen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katholisches_fernsehen/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/K.TV.Fernsehen/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@katholisches.fernsehenPodcasts: https://www.k-tv.org/podcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/k-tv-katholisches-fernsehen/ X: https://x.com/ktv_fernsehen Livestream: https://www.k-tv.org/live-stream/ Mediathek: https://www.k-tv.org/mediathek/Newsletter: https://www.k-tv.org/newsletter/Datenschutzerklärung: https://www.k-tv.org/datenschutz Impressum: https://www.k-tv.org/impressum
Summary In this episode of Inspired Caring, Michele Magner engages in a heartfelt conversation with Erica Baccus about her journey through her husband's Alzheimer's diagnosis and the decision to pursue assisted dying in Switzerland. They explore the complexities of grief, the importance of open conversations about death, and the emotional challenges faced by families navigating these difficult choices. Erica shares her personal experiences, insights on the process of Dignitas, and the significance of making informed decisions about end-of-life care.Keywordsassisted dying, Alzheimer's, grief, decision-making, Dignitas, end-of-life options, medical assistance in dying, emotional support, family conversations, personal storiesTakeawaysErica emphasizes the need for open conversations about death and dying.The decision for assisted dying was made with careful consideration and love.Grief can manifest in complex ways, especially after a planned death.Erica's husband, John, maintained a positive outlook throughout his illness.The process of assisted dying in Switzerland involves thorough documentation and evaluations.Erica found solace in writing and journaling during her husband's decline.Family dynamics play a crucial role in navigating end-of-life decisions.The importance of understanding one's options regarding assisted dying is highlighted.Erica's experience reflects the need for supportive medical communities.Conversations about death should begin long before a diagnosis.Sound bites"I wrote a goodbye letter.""This was a gift.""This isn't for everyone."Chapters00:00 Introduction to the Right to Die01:22 Personal Experiences with Assisted Dying04:20 Navigating the Legal Landscape of Assisted Dying07:27 The Emotional Journey of Decision-Making10:17 The Process of Dignitas and Its Requirements13:04 Traveling to Switzerland for Assisted Dying15:47 The Experience at Dignitas18:57 Reflections on Life and Death Choices30:29 The Process of Assisted Dying34:56 Reflections on Choice and Grief37:35 Navigating Conversations About Death43:19 Communicating with Family About End-of-Life Choices48:02 The Importance of Timing in End-of-Life Decisions52:04 Self-Care for Caregivers53:54 Sharing the Journey: The Book Launch57:23 Navigating Difficult Conversations About Death01:00:05 The Emotional Toll of Caregiving01:02:21 Facing Alzheimer's: A Personal Journey01:05:23 The Importance of Sharing StoriesBuy Erica's Book A PROMISE KEPT: Honoring His Wishes, Embracing Our LoveVisit Erica's Website Buy Amy Bloom's Book In Love Being Mortal by Atul GawandeThe Curious Senior Book Review on Being MortalVisit Dignitas' Website Inspired Caring is THE family support & education program that helps families feel calm and confident to make better decisions faster. Inspired Caring is offered as an annual membership to businesses to provide for the families they work with.Connect with Michele Magner:Website: www.InspiredCaring.comE-mail: hello@inspiredcaring.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inspiredcaring/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michele.magner.90LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michele-magner-60a99089/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@inspiredcaringwithmichelem3138Custom podcast music written and produced by Colin Roberts. He does custom songs for any occasion.
Dr. Josef Bordat https://shop.tredition.com/author/josef-bordat-704 https://www.lepanto-verlag.de/autor/12-bordat-josef
BE WARNED: It's LuAnna, and this podcast contains honest, upfront opinions, rants, bants and general explicit content. But you know you love it! It's time to get TOTALLY EXTRA. Extra chat, extra rants, extra bants, extra stories, nonsense and more.On this week's Totally Extra: Corned Beef - that famous song by Blondie, calling Dignitas about a dead dog, advice for a lady who wants another kid, but her partner doesn't, a lady named Fanny Feast, a cross dressing confession and a would you rather. Remember, if you want to get in touch you can:Email us at luanna@everythingluanna.com OR drop us a WhatsApp on 07745 266947Please review Global's Privacy Policy: https://global.com/legal/privacy-policy/
⚠️ Triggerwarnung oder Tabu? Wir reden darüber, wann Triggerwarnungen sinnvoll sind – und wann sie den Tod und andere wichtige Themen unnötig zum Tabu machen.
This week on The Dive Driven by Kia, solo bolos are back with Patch 25.17 and the squad's raising eyebrows at all the new faces showing up in the jungle like Vayne and Nilah. Which change are you most surprised to see?We also dive into the challenges facing struggling LTA rosters like Dignitas, Team Liquid and LYON from the perspectives of players and coaches. After the break, we break down 100 Thieves' shocking upset over LYON and the heated rematch between Disguised and Dignitas.The LTA returns this Friday at 1PM PT - so don't forget to mark your calendars and tune in for Cloud9's elimination match against Disguised. See you then!Timestamps:0:00 - Intro & LTA returns this FRIDAY!1:11 - Team Environment Challenges26:33 - Patch 25.17: Jungle Vayne and Lane Kayn?48:11 - T1 Worlds Skins Revealed: Gnar, Vi, Yone, Varus, Pyke, Prestige Sylas52:41 - 100 Thieves upsets LYON, Dhokla is back1:07:07 - Disguised takes down Dignitas1:08:11 - Cloud9 vs Disguised Preview1:19:03 - 100 Thieves vs Team Liquid Preview1:34:01 - FlyQuest vs Shopify Rebellion Preview
Welcome to a new episode of Power Spike! This time, we debate the highs and lows of LoL coaching vs. streaming. Plus, we dive into the wild LTA North playoffs! Are you a fan of League of Legends and the strategies pros are employing? Tune in for in-depth insights.
Welcome back to a brand new episode of The Dive Driven by Kia!We saw some wild matches in the first week of Bo5s from the LTA North, including a crazy upset by Shopify Rebellion. If you missed the series, be sure to check out the VODs! The crew also shares their thoughts on the recent online debate surrounding a challenger player and the discussion behind bought accounts and smurfing. Finally, we preview the upcoming Week 5 Bo5 matchups: Disguised vs Dignitas & LYON vs 100 Thieves.Oh, and a show of hands - does anyone still remember the number one rule of League?Timestamps:0:00 - Intro & Race to World First4:24 - Challenger Smurf Convo24:50 - Shopify Rebellion's huge upset over Cloud952:03 - FlyQuest sweeps Team Liquid1:08:59 - Disguised vs Dignitas Preview1:18:38 - LYON vs 100 Thieves Preview
Dr. Josef Bordat https://shop.tredition.com/author/josef-bordat-704 https://www.lepanto-verlag.de/autor/12-bordat-josef
Hey everyone, and welcome back to another episode of The Dive Driven by Kia!The crew is fired up to talk about a bunch of exciting changes coming to League. Doom Bots are back! WASD controls are coming soon to PBE! Sheriff Caitlyn and the dev team are on the hunt for smurfs! Boosters, hitchhikers and botted accounts beware. Meteos's top lane alt account is safe (from the devs, at least).Next, Kobe and Azael respond to Palafox from the latest PROS episode (https://youtu.be/1MTPIylw-80?feature=shared). We also break down the meta shakeup in Patch 25.16 and dive into all the new jungle additions plus their early day one win rates. Which change are you most excited to try out?Finally, we preview the LTA North Week 4 matchups: Shopify Rebellion vs. Cloud9 and Team Liquid vs. FlyQuest. If you're hyped to watch the first set of Bo5s in Split 3, head over to the Riot Games Arena this weekend. Grab your tickets in the link down below!https://www.tixr.com/groups/ltanorthTimestamps:0:00 - Intro & Dev Update7:13 - Doom Bots Return8:12 - Smurfing Changes26:02 - Palafox on PROS34:21 - Patch 25.1657:13 - Disguised vs Dignitas 1:00:56 - Shopify Rebellion vs Cloud9 Preview 1:20:44 - Team Liquid vs FlyQuest
Що таке стратегія, коли завтра може не бути? У четвертому епізоді Rights Now! Podcast говоримо, чи можна будувати довгострокову стратегію в умовах щоденних викликів війни? Як знайти баланс між реалістичним поглядом і оптимізмом? Та чому наш головний ресурс – це не техніка, а люди та культура взаємної довіри? Модератор: Вадим Карп'як, журналіст. Спікери: Євген Глібовицький, директор Інституту фронтиту; Марія Берлінська, керівниця ГО «Центр підтримки аеророзвідки» та проєкту Victory Drones, співзасновниця БФ «Dignitas». Цей діалог – про боротьбу двох філософій: централізованої системи, що звикла до звітів і паперових стратегій, та горизонтальної екосистеми людей, які діють, бо «хочеш зробити добре – зроби сам». Найгірші сценарії можуть стати реальністю. Але навіть тоді ми зберігаємо головне – суб'єктність, здатність думати і діяти. І саме це дає шанс вистояти. Якою ви бачите стратегію України, що допоможе нам вистояти? Що для вас особисто – «вижити» чи «жити»? Поділіться в коментарях, поширюйте, обговорюйте та слухайте на Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud. Спільний проєкт Docudays UA та Radio SKOVORODA, записаний під час 22 Міжнародного фестивалю документального кіно про права людини Docudays UA з подій правозахисної програми Rights Now!
Chalked Cast and chill with the Chalked Squad and Gibbs - Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chalked-cast/support0:00 - Intro / Ascension Protocol Plug2:08 - Chalked Cast vs First Touch Showmatch Recap38:01 - Chalked Cast merch?40:08 - The Gibbs bus incident42:46 - Johnny's EU watchparty and more shoeys...46:57 - Raleigh Major recap56:31 - Were NA disappointing at the Major? Did The Ultimates choke?1:04:51 - OCE lose to APAC AGAIN, more OCE struggles1:07:12 - Dignitas are back, NiP replace Itachi for Radosin for EU LCQ, Rezears Toxiic Tox to MENA LCQ1:11:30 - AJG, Tehqoz and Dorito to compete in MENA LCQ, Senzo tweet1:17:50 - Comm is back for the NA LCQ, Shopify replace Paarth with Wahvey1:24:10 - RLCS 1v1 Major, Nwpo vs Diaz1:30:12 - Ascension Protocol LAN preview and attendees1:32:51 - Patreon Questions
O presidente Lula visitou uma ONG na Favela do Moinho, em São Paulo, que já foi alvo de operação policial por envolvimento com o tráfico de drogas.Segundo denúncia do Ministério Público, o mesmo endereço da ONG já abrigou cocaína, crack e maconha.A operação Salus et Dignitas levou à prisão de "Léo do Moinho", suspeito de comandar atividades do PCC na região. O endereço também consta na agenda oficial do ministro Márcio Macêdo.Ouça os detalhes e as reações dessa visita polêmica.Narrativas analisa os acontecimentos do Brasil e do mundo sob diferentes perspectivas. Com apresentação de #MadeleineLacsko, o programa desmonta discursos, expõe fake news e discute os impactos das narrativas na sociedade. Abordando temas como geopolítica, comunicação e mídia, traz uma visão aprofundada e esclarecedora sobre o mundo atual. Ao vivo de segunda a sexta-feira às 17h. Apoie o jornalismo Vigilante: 10% de desconto para audiência do Narrativas https://bit.ly/narrativasoa Siga O Antagonista no X: https://x.com/o_antagonista Acompanhe O Antagonista no canal do WhatsApp. Boletins diários, conteúdos exclusivos em vídeo e muito mais. https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va2SurQHLHQbI5yJN344 Leia mais em www.oantagonista.com.br | www.crusoe.com.br
Ya en el corazón del verano, proseguiremos en este programa la lectura y el comentario de la Declaración Dignitas infinita que comenzamos el mes pasado, y contaremos con una entrevista que no os va a dejar indiferentes, sobre el testimonio y la iniciativa de un joven español ingeniero industrial que está salvando muchas vidas en el continente africano, concretamente mediante incubadoras sencillas y asequibles para sitios muy desfavorecidos.
Dr. Josef Bordat https://shop.tredition.com/author/josef-bordat-704 https://www.lepanto-verlag.de/autor/12-bordat-josef
Chalked Cast and chill with the Chalked Squad - Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chalked-cast/support0:00 - Intro / Jamesbot x Chalked Cast Ascension Protocol1:18 - Chalked vs First Touch Rocket Rivalry17:15 - RLCS Major preview, can OCE regain?22:47 - APAC preview, how will Virtus Pro go?27:40 - MENA and SAM preview39:55 - Can Firstkiller win his first major?42:52 - EU preview, can Gentlemates make Worlds?49:41 - What's happening to Team Vitality? Dignitas predictions57:16 - NA Predictions, can SSG perform at their first LAN?
Stephen is joined by Rachel, winner of Season 6, to discuss the second half of the seventh episode of Surviving Bloomington Season 7 - Mischief Makers (Chapter 5)! As this is a massive episode, they'll be focusing on the unique structure of the episode and deep diving into the Dignitas tribal council. As always, please note that towards the end there is discussion of gifs. Find out more about Surviving Bloomington here: https://www.survivingbloomington.com/
In this episode of The Dive, Driven by Kia, the hosts discuss Meteos' lead in fantasy rankings and break down recent patch notes, including champion viability and itemization. They explore team dynamics, the importance of communication, and how small mistakes can have a big impact on game outcomes. Lastly, they preview the upcoming super week and what's to come!Timestamps:0:00 Intro & Fantasy3:06 FLY 6-man roster updates from Bwipo21:47 Patch 25.08 notes39:24 FLY vs 100T review49:32 TL & LYON review56:24 SR review1:08:02 DSG & C9 review1:13:14 Promotion Relegation & Near Airport1:18:39 Dignitas review
Chalked Cast and chill with the Chalked Squad - Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chalked-cast/support0:00 - Intro4:59 - GarrettG joins the pod, why Rizzo left the podcast, more Chalked Cast updates!14:35 - Birmingham Major recap32:45 - GarrettG tried out with The Ultimates? Why The Ultimates chose Chronic over Nass37:27 - Did Falcons underperform at the Major, do NRG need to change their playstyle, Are Karmine Corp unbeatable?49:04 - Furia's run at the major, did Team Secret underperform?55:14 - APAC looked amazing, OCE fall short again1:00:48 - Final Birmingham Major thoughts, GenG's run, Dignitas vs Geekay mid-off1:03:00 - Same region match ups, does the format need to change?1:12:03 - Roster Changes, Kofyr to SSG, Frosty to COL, Reysbull back to SAM1:19:30 - Confirmed Changes - Radosin off Gentlemates, Gus replaces Laxin1:20:19 - Jstn to join GenG, Shopify Rebellion replacements1:33:08 - Team BDS to return to Rocket League, NiP to stick, roster wrap-up1:39:58 - Thoughts on Yanxnz vs Mawkzy on LAN
In this deeply moving episode of Therapy Works, Lottie Clark shares the story of her husband James's battle with motor neurone disease. She opens up about the emotional and physical toll of his diagnosis, the challenges of caring for a loved one with a terminal illness, and the difficult decisions their family faced—including James's choice to pursue assisted dying at Dignitas. Lottie speaks candidly about the impact on their children, the process of saying goodbye, and the long road of grief that follows loss. This conversation offers an intimate look at navigating life when faced with unimaginable circumstances. Lottie's story is one of heartbreak but also of deep strength and unwavering love. She reflects on the power of open conversations, the importance of honouring personal choices in end-of-life care, and her ongoing campaign for assisted dying legislation. This is an episode about grief, but also about the extraordinary courage it takes to walk alongside someone through their final chapter. 00:55 Facing a Terminal Diagnosis 04:41 The Emotional Impact and Initial Reactions 06:36 Planning for the Future 13:01 Communicating with the Children 15:11 The Decision for Assisted Dying 26:55 Reflecting on the Impact of Loss 27:26 Honest Conversations with Children 29:32 A Final Family Trip 31:44 Saying Goodbye 33:12 Campaigning for Assisted Dying 36:29 The Journey of Repatriation 39:20 Finding Strength in Love 50:22 The Complexity of Assisted Dying 57:34 The Long Road of Grief If you are looking to campaign, please find out more here: https://www.dignityindying.org.uk/ This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/therapyworks and get on your way to being your best self. Please subscribe and leave a review—it truly makes all the difference! Follow Julia at @juliasamuelmbe for more insights, tips, and conversations on life's challenges and how to improve your mental well-being. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The LTA's very first Americas Stage is here! On this episode of The Dive, Driven by Kia, the crew talks about rumors surrounding Doublelift's new amateur team that Meteos himself may or may not be coaching on their quest to qualify for the LTA. They also review Mel's debut in pro play around the world and in their own solo queue games (Azael is not a fan). Finally, Oddielan from LYON joins the show to give us some insight on the LTA South teams that will face off against the LTA North as the Americas Stage of Split 1 begins this Saturday starting at 11AM PT/2PM ET in São Paulo.Timestamps:0:00 Intro2:28 Doublelift is starting an LTA team?! Meteos and Sneaky are coaching?!8:36 LTA North Week 3 recap: Shopify Rebellion, Dignitas, FlyQuest, Team Liquid36:12 Welcome Oddielan, the LLA GOAT! 39:19 PAIN Gaming vs. 100 Thieves – TitaN, dyNquedo, Quid, Sniper47:37 Lane swaps and macro gaps between LTA North and South 51:47 Leviatán vs. FlyQuest – Cody, Ceo, Inspired, Bwipo1:04:38 LOUD vs. Cloud9 – Robo, Route, Thanatos, Blaber 1:13:50 Isurus Estral vs. Team Liquid – Josedeodo, UmTi 1:21:21 Home field advantage for LTA South? More pressure for LTA North?
A római katolikus egyház Hittani Dikasztériuma 2024 áprilisában adta ki nyilatkozatát az emberi méltóságról Dignitas infinita címmel. Mit jelent az istenképmásiság, és milyen szerepe van az emberi személy méltóságának a keresztény embertanban? Hogyan jelenik meg ez a kérdés az emberjogi vitában és a kultúrharcos kérdéskörök esetében? Milyen méltóságfogalmakat különböztethetünk meg, s milyen kézzelfogható és súlyos megsértésével kell szembenéznünk napjainkban? Ilyen és hasonló kérdésekre keressük a választ a TeoPod adásában:• Dr. Nagypál Szabolcs, jogász, teológus, a Jog és Társadalom Műhely vezetője; és • Fenyves Krisztián, teológus, a Jog és Társadalom Műhely kutatója. Az MCC Podcast adásaiban érdekes emberekkel izgalmas témákról beszélgetünk. Feldolgozzuk a közélet, a gazdaság, a társadalom fontosabb aktuális történéseit, de olyan kérdéseket is napirendre veszünk, mint például a művészet, a család vagy a vallás. Vendégeink között oktatóink, kutatóink, vendégelőadóink kapnak helyet. Mindenkinek kellemes időtöltést és szellemi feltöltődést kívánunk.
When Dame Esther Rantzen told Amol and Nick that she had joined the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland she helped reignite a debate about assisted dying in the UK. Now MPs are preparing to vote on a bill that would legalise it in England and Wales, so in this episode they catch-up with Dame Esther and speak to two MPs, Preet Kaur Gill and Warinder Singh Juss, about how their religion has influenced their thinking.They also discuss the interview Amol did with the Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, whose private members' bill could bring about this colossal social change.The Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson who are both presenters of BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Amol was the BBC's media editor for six years and is the former editor of the Independent, he's also the current presenter of University Challenge. Nick has presented the Today programme since 2015, he was the BBC's political editor for ten years before that and also previously worked as ITV's political editor. To get Amol and Nick's take on the biggest stories and insights from behind the scenes at the UK's most influential radio news programme make sure you subscribe on BBC Sounds. That way you'll get an alert every time we release a new episode, and you won't miss our extra bonus episodes either. If you have a question you'd like Amol and Nick to answer about presenting the Today programme or something they discuss on the podcast, get in touch by sending us a message on WhatsApp to +44 330 123 4346 or email Today@bbc.co.ukThe Today Podcast was made by Lewis Vickers with Nadia Gyane. Research and digital production was by Joe Wilkinson. The technical producer was Dafydd Evans. The editor is Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.
Medically assisted dying is legal in Canada, where over 10,000 people end their lives through euthanasia each year, and over 80% of applications are approved. Robin Farr, from Calgary, watched as her Dad, Mike, developed a rare lung disease that limited his breathing, massively impacting his quality of life. Then he decided to make use of the MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) laws. In this honest, unsparing conversation with Olly, Robin explains how it felt to manage the last couple of days of her father's life - and reveals the flaws in the system that left her and her family unsupported in a time of anticipatory grief... Robin volunteers with Canadian support groups Bridge4You and Bridgec14, and recommends the resources at dyingwithdignity.ca and the Swiss organisations Pegasos and Dignitas. This interview first aired in September 2022, in the episode, 'The Countdown.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Assisted dying could very soon be legalised in the UK, with MPs being given a free vote by Prime Minister Keir Starmer on a bill that's just been introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater. It's a controversial issue with passionate feelings on both sides that has been debated - and rejected -by parliament before, but campaigners think this time they could get it over the line. So, is this bill a humane and logical step to relieve those in unbearable agony, or is it a slippery slope that distorts the value of life in the UK? In this week's episode of the Political Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Conservative MP Danny Kruger, who fronted a documentary on the subject with his mother Prue Leith, Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine, a long-time campaigner for assisted dying, and Channel 4 News' Health and Social Care editor Victoria MacDonald. Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Rob Thomson. If you've been affected by any of the issues raised please contact our support page: www.channel4.com/support
In this intimate conversation, Stephen Chamberlain, a former U.S. Coast Guard officer, small business owner, and writer, candidly discusses his personal struggles and victories. From navigating anxiety disorders to his cathartic discovery of writing and poetry, Steve opens up about his life journey. He delves into the complexities of moral injury, the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, his 40-year relationship with disordered eating and anxiety, and his pursuit of contentment through nomadic living and creative expression.Steve's raw honesty provides a unique lens into the challenges of coping with men's mental health issues while striving for fulfillment. His writing not only serves as a personal outlet but also connects him to a broader community of writers and readers interested healing and self-reflection.Timeline:* 01:28 Background and Early Life* 03:04 Struggles with Disordered Eating, Anxiety, and Joining the Coast Guard* 04:22 Life in the Coast Guard and Personal Challenges* 05:47 Post-Retirement Life and Discovering a Nomadic Writing Journey* 07:35 Exploring New Ventures and Digital Nomadism* 09:50 Writing as a Cathartic Experience* 12:41 Peer Support and Mental Health Advocacy* 17:56 Moral Injury in the Coast Guard* 38:56 Struggles with Weight and Anxiety* 40:00 Understanding Male Anorexia and Its Impact* 40:47 The Battle Between Rational and Irrational Voices* 42:38 Poetry as a Means of Control* 45:14 Exploring Psychedelics for Treatment* 47:28 The Transformative Impact of Psychedelic Experiences* 58:13 Embracing Mortality and Planning Ahead* 01:03:28 Future Plans and Other Pursuits* 01:07:13 Connecting with the AudienceConnect with Steve and his writing @ Steve's Substack Steve's Collections of Poetry: My Raven and My BlackbirdAI Machine Transcription - Enjoy the Glitches!Steve: Right off the bat, anyone who tries to write understands that writing is very difficult, but what I could do is write about my experiences. The things that I find easiest to write about are things I'm most familiar with, and the thing I'm most familiar with is what I'm feeling and thinking inside. This sounds clichéd, but it's true, cathartic and I found that relatability they feel less alone and that just encouraged me to write more. And quite frankly, if I have one person tell me that, "hey, that thing you wrote really resonated with me or helped me," I'm like a score! if I can help somebody, then it was worth putting out there.Even if nobody reads them, it felt good to get them out. And it did feel cathartic to get it out. I've come to the conclusion that, what I want to get out of life in my remaining years is as many moments of contentment and fulfillment as I can.[Music] Leafbox: Good afternoon, Steve. Before we start, I wanted to thank you. Even though you're a smaller publisher and you're just starting off on your journey of writing.One of the things that really stood out to me about your writing is that it feels like it's coming from a very authentic place. And, my own writing and my own efforts across life. That's one of the hardest things to find and be true to so thank you for at least expressing in a way that feels genuine and true and in today's world I think that's a harder thing to do.Before we start, why don't you just tell us, Steve, a little bit about who you are, maybe what you're writing about why you came to writing.Steve: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I'm 57 years old, so I've been around for a little bit and my background is pretty varied.I grew up in a suburb of Boston. Irish Catholic family, first generation to move into the suburbs from South Boston and second generation of my family to actually go to college. I went to a public school, and it, it was a pretty benign suburban existence.I would say right up through my university years, I went to a commuter school, UMass University of Massachusetts in Lowell, Mass, and something I could afford in that day and age by working part time and lived at home and really had no, what I would call significant life experience. Until I left home and went to the Coast Guard's Officer Candidate School after college.But I think it is noteworthy to say that like a lot of typical families of that era, I had, it was dysfunctional, but most people have some sort of dysfunction in their family. Alcoholic dad, very much a perfectionist. Everyone in the family seemed to be driven by anxiety created by their predecessors and I picked that up as well.And it's notable to say that I developed an eating disorder in my high school years, which is a male in the 1980s I think was very eating disorders are stigmatized. Among all genders, even today, but being a guy in the 80s when there was really no infrastructure set up to, to diagnose, recognize, or treat it made it particularly challenging.And I really got into triathlons and long distance running and marathons. Got to a really unhealthy weight. And, my mom did her best to get me in with psychologists and psychiatrists, but none of them really had a handle on how to deal with somebody like me. And it, it caused quite a bit of isolation for me in high school.College was a little bit better simply because it was a commuter school and I would go do my work and come home. So I became quite a loner, but, for reasons that I can't describe other than just being impulsive in my early years, I applied after college to the Coast Guard's Officer Candidate School and somehow got in and spent about four months down in Virginia in basic training and then the next 25 years in the Coast Guard and the eating disorder I somehow managed.Gained some weight was always a little odd with my eating habits, but and very excessive with my exercise habits and very rigid as I am to this day. But those 25 years in the Coast Guard were both fulfilling and beset by a little bit of inertia. I think it's a challenging job, but and as you get more.Responsibility more senior becomes more challenging and more all encompassing, but by the same token, it's a secure job where even though you move every couple of years, the culture remains the same. So for a guy with anxiety and quite frankly, anorexia nervosa is an anxiety disorder when you get right down to it.The Coast Guard was a relatively comfortable place for me. In 2015 I was serving in Alameda and living in San Francisco, which is where you and I met. And I also retired from the Coast Guard that year. At the time I was married, but my anxiety, which demonstrated itself in those days, I think is more of a extreme dedication to work kind of a workaholism, if you would call it that really, destroyed my marriage. And by 2017, 2018, we were divorced, which was really, for me, the point in time in which I think I gained a level of self awareness that A lot of my peers do not seem to have, and I'm not trying to be, I'm not trying to brag or anything like that because I tend to surround myself with friends like you who are self aware and do look inward and do understand they have egos and those egos are rather hard to control.And but having that self awareness. This is really a great way to determine when your ego is getting the better of you. And it was the divorce that kind of opened my eyes to the fact that I had not been a good husband. That my dedication to work was one of these fleeting needs for professional affirmation that came at the expense of any sort of long term personal contentment.And it was that self awareness obtained relatively late in life, my late forties, early fifties, that led me to writing and led me to trying several other Endeavors. I worked a little bit in the wine industry for three years and learned what I could at a small five person wine startup.I impulsively bought Airstream trailer and spent about a year and a half, 2020 at the Covid years. As a matter of fact I launched my digital nomadism, as I called it in March of 2020. No, great plan to do that, but at the same time, the whole country. Pretty much shut down and spent a little over a year place really enjoying that kind of existence.And fortunately with a military pension and a small business running some companies, alcohol compliance operations, I was able to support myself. And not like minutes overhead on the Airstream trailer I had I decided to stop and go back to Massachusetts for a couple of years, rented a small house.And my mom and dad are there. They're older now. They're still in the same town I grew up in. My sisters are there. But I found after about three years there, my eating disorder had I guess I'd say I relapsed a little bit, not full scale after decades of it being more or less managed, but not certainly cured.Realized that I was going to be stuck with that for the rest of my life, but also thinking my time in Massachusetts was a good time to really become introspective, maybe more present, practice meditation investigate psychedelics which you helped me with Three years later, to be honest I didn't do it while I was there, just thought about it a lot and and really work on myself.And quite frankly, after those three years had passed I felt that I honestly, I've been inside my own head so much time that I was feeling worse, not better. And I was also feeling restless, which I did not expect to feel after decades of moving every couple of years. I thought I'd be quite ready to settle and I wasn't.So I very impulsively decided that rather than using a trailer, I'd try and see if I could do the same Nomadic existence with Airbnbs, if I could find Airbnb hosts who would rent long term to me. And right off the bat, I found somebody who gave me a two year lease on a place in Florida.But the writing really started I'd say around the time I launched in the Airstream 2020, where I started a blog about, my trip. And right off the bat, anyone who tries to write understands that writing is very difficult. In all people who write fiction I cannot write dialogue.I it's way too challenging for me. But what I could do is write about my experiences. And I think what you were getting at the beginning of this conversation was that, the things that I find easiest to write about are things I'm most familiar with and the thing I'm most familiar with is what I'm feeling and thinking inside again, something I never could have done before my divorce.But it helped me get to a place where I felt it was almost, and this sounds clichéd but it's true, cathartic to write about things that I was feeling, I was thinking and then publishing them in different venues like Substack and where I am now and Medium where I was before and getting not a lot of feedback, some feedback.And I found that relatability was on one hand, a really good hook for a personal essay because people enjoy reading things that are relatable to them. They feel less alone. I enjoy getting that feedback for obvious reasons. Somebody liked what I wrote, but also because I feel less alone while somebody else feels this way too.And that just encouraged me to write more. And I, I am not particularly skilled at poetry, and I'm really honest, I don't love reading poetry, but I decided I like the structure of poems. And I Picked up a pen and tried to write a few poems. I don't think my poetry is particularly good or particularly musical or the right words, but I do the challenge of trying to find the right words to condense into a particular structure to convey a certain idea.And that idea really shot back to relatability and I started writing some short haiku, some tankas and a couple of other poem forms about my anxiety, about not so much the eating disorder, although I have written a couple of essays about the eating disorder, but just the way I was feeling in the world.And even if nobody reads them, it felt good to get them out. And it did feel cathartic to get it out. And I haven't written poetry in a little while, but for a couple of years it was really an obsession of mine and I did get some good feedback and there were people who could relate to some of the things that I wrote and some of the metaphors that I used for my anxiety.And for, since that. Point in time, I have started a peer support company with a couple of Coast Guard veterans. Even though I've given up on myself in terms of therapy helping, I do feel better just not by not struggling so much to try and get better. That probably made me feel 10 percent better overall, but I do realize there's a need forMore health care, mental health care workers and as a component to any sort of a treatment plan peer support really resonated with me because there's evidence that shows that it works. Look at any. Substance abuse group. That's the strength in it is sitting around with people with shared experience, but it gets back to my writing too, which is relatability.If you don't feel like you're the only one feeling that way, or you're the only one with a, an addiction, or the only one who's experienced sexual trauma, and you can't tell anyone about it, but then you're in a room with people who have stories that are remarkably like yours, who feel remarkably like you do.Who who went through the same journey that you're going through. That in and of itself has a healing aspect. When I had the opportunity to start this company called Mindstrong Guardians earmarked towards the Coast Guard and Coast Guard people fall in the cracks between Department of Defense and first responders.So many folks are traumatized and don't get help. We. We felt we'd found a niche, and that leads me to today. Leafbox: Steve, could I just interrupt you? I want to talk about your poetic forms and your kind of nomadic lifestyle. But I want to go back to when you were after college, why did you just impulsively join the Coast Guard?Was that an escape for you? Or what were you looking for? Were you looking for? I'm just curious. Steve: I think I had romanticized the Coast Guard, Robert. I grew up outside of Austin. The Coast Guard Academy was in Connecticut. And There was nothing complex about it. I got my hands on a Coast Guard Academy bulletin, the front of the bulletin being the kind of booklet that describes the Coast Guard Academy to potential applicants.And the front cover was the Coast Guards has America's tall ship the Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, which is a three masted barb. And it's a sailing vessel. Very old school and it looked really cool to me. And I had spent my summers working. near my hometown in Concord, Massachusetts at a place called Minuteman National Historical Park, the old North Bridge, but they also had the homes of Emerson and Hawthorne and places where Melville had written.And I really got, and Thoreau and I really got into their writings and the idea of this. The ship that looked like it came right out of, to me at that stage, Moby Dick really appealed to me. And that's as deep as it got. I thought to myself, I'm going to go here. This is a cool school.I'm going to have this maritime life by I grew up really enjoying our, the family's annual trip from the suburb to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the seashore. And part of the reason for that is the two weeks a year, my family was on Cape Cod and we were rigid and religious about going there, nothing bad ever happened.My, my aunt and uncle were there. My cousins were there. My dad didn't drink. He hung out with us people didn't fight. They loved it. And I just associated. Even though I wasn't an ocean going guy and didn't have that background, I associated those two, two weeks a year on the beach with a calm serenity that I didn't have the 50 other weeks of the year, the 50 other weeks of the year.I was anxious about, what's my dad going to be like tonight. I don't want to go to school tomorrow. It's one thing or another. And then I'd have this two week long exhale. And for some reason, I taught that to the Coast Guard Academy. So I applied for the Academy and I didn't get in, which was no shocker.I didn't have great grades. But I kept that idea in my head and after graduating from UMass, I thought there must be another way in and there was so I drove myself to a recruiter in Boston and submitted an application and, Lo and behold, they accepted me and the acceptance wasn't a deeply thought out thing.It was just, I'll have a job and I won't have to live at home. And that's that it'll buy me a few years time because there was a three year active duty commitment after you got out. And I thought this is what I need. Otherwise, what am I going to do? Just, live in Boston all my life, or I had no plans, no aspirations, no nothing.So this was something. Yeah. I'm glad I took it, but that's as deep as it went. Leafbox: Steve, one of the essays that I really enjoyed was, maybe I have a bias too, I, I've interviewed another author who was a Coast Guard vet, and they're the forgotten branch, like you said, of the military, but one of the things you wrote about was your concept of moral injury in the Coast Guard and across I guess government employees and all branches of, employees across all groups and organizations. Could you expand on what you mean by moral injury and maybe some of the personal experiences you had during the Coast Guard? Steve: Absolutely. I'm glad you brought up moral injury because.Moral injury in general is not something that most people think about when they think about trauma. And when they do think about it, they think about the most obvious examples of moral injury. Moral injury is basically having to do something that is counter to your personal values. And having to do it, when I say that, as A matter of carrying out your responsibilities, which in public service can happen quite often.So the first place you go with that is you teach people. And I think people inherently know that killing other people or hurting other people is wrong. And suddenly you train somebody, whether they're in the army or the Marine Corps. Maybe whatever to kill other people and you put them in a position where they are, that's their job to kill other people and they end up killing other people.They have done something essentially at cross purposes with their internal values and that creates a conflict which in and of itself can develop into trauma. There are other ways that moral injury can occur, and the one I've seen most often with Coast Guard veterans is search and rescue, and my role was not being out on a boat, pulling people out of the water.My role was basically planning searches, approving search areas, figuring out What resources to send, but most of all figuring out when you had to suspend or end a search, not having found the person you're looking for and to tell the family that you're suspending the search which I've had to do three times in my career.And I've, plenty of people who have done it much more frequently than that, but you remember every time. And that there's a huge vulnerability to moral injury in. In that sort of work, because you feel like I am in a life saving organization, I joined the organization because I want to save lives, at least that's part of what the Coast Guard does.And here I am telling somebody that not only have I not saved their loved one's life, but I'm giving up.People obviously don't react well to that. That really, Increases that feeling that I have fundamentally failed at my job. I have fundamentally violated one of my core values. I would not want somebody to give up looking for my best friend, my brother, my sister, my parent, and this guy here is telling me he's given up.Now, when we suspend a search, we don't do it lightly. We keep them informed throughout the search process and prepare them for the possibility. But, we look at how long can somebody survive in water at that temperature? What are the odds of finding them? This search area expands every hour and on.So you reach a point where continued searching really isn't going to yield results. You are damn near confident that you're not going to find that person. My essay was a little bit different and surprised me because it was nothing like that and just to touch on the area that really saying it scarred me or it definitely created moral injury for me, but it was such a relatively benign event that two decades later, I still scratch my head and say, why did, why does this to this day?still make me feel emotional. And essentially, I was the, working in the U. S. Embassy in the Bahamas, which I was the Coast Guard's liaison officer there. So my job was to interact with Bahamian officials when we had essentially cross border operations going on or interdictions of smugglers and that sort of thing.And in one particular case a U. S. Coast Guard vessel intercepted a raft of Cuban refugees in Bahamian territorial seas, so we returned those people to the Bahamas. And my job was to meet the Coast Guard ship at the pier in the Bahamas to make sure there was an orderly transfer of the Cuban refugees from the U.S. Coast Guard to the Bahamian immigration officials. Thank you very much. This particular group of refugees came in on a Christmas morning. So I was in my uniform on the pier waiting for the Coast Guard ship. Coast Guard ship comes in Coast Guard. Immigration authorities are there with their vans.And I knew they would take these people to a detention center in the center of new Providence Island, where Nassau Bahamas is located. And eventually transport them back to Cuba. I'd done this before and it was routine, but there were, I remember there were 26 people and I, they came off the gangway of Coast Guard ship to the pier and there was a little girl, maybe five or six who had a doll and.I was on the gangway, and she was struggling to get up on the gangway, so she just looked at me and handed me the doll, and then I helped her up, and then walked her over the gangway and got her to the pier, and she looked at me and put her arms out again for the doll, and I gave her the doll back, and then she and the rest of the people got in the van and went to the detention center, and I never saw them again.I went home that day after that, and 20 years later, that still makes me feel sad, and I still wonder about that girl, and I feel like this isn't what I signed up to do. I didn't sign up to take this person whose family had placed her on this unsafe raft, pushed her into the water, to head to the U.S. with an unknown outcome. And suddenly she's in the Bahamas, not even her family's intended location for her and going to a detention center at age of five or six. And it wasn't a brutal detention center, but it wasn't pleasant. I had been there several times. It was barracks, basically, in the middle of the island with razor wire around it.And then back to Cuba, where she may or may not be. Reintroduced to whatever family she had, and it just felt so out of line with any reason I had to have joined the Coast Guard or any personal value. I felt at the time and throughout my 25 years, I compartmentalize things and. desensitize myself to things like this, but that one I was never able to do it.And like I said, I've done Mexican notifications that haven't bothered me that much. Yeah I wrote my essay on that, but I think the Coast Guard really does, as you said, is the forgotten service because people assume that, hey, if you're not being shot at, what do you have to complain about?And I see Coast Guard veterans all the time with untreated PTSD from doing the things that Coast Guard people do which are very similar to things first responders do. And often they're 18, 19 year old people out there in the front lines, and they're either, shooting an engine out of a smuggling vessel to stop it, or they're trying to find somebody that they don't end up finding, or they find somebody after they passed away, or they find somebody after a horrible boating accident and, all of these things are traumatic in their own right, but when When you say that, Hey, I didn't sign up to come out and shoot people.I signed up to save people and I didn't save this person. I guess that's where my story comes home to roost is I didn't save this person. I just made life a lot worse for this person and it doesn't feel good. I just didn't expect it to not feel good. 20 years later. Leafbox: Does the Coast Guard now have the same culture? You wrote another essay about I think it's called mental personal protective equipment, the mPPE. What's the current state of like when you talk to vets at your officer level, are you finding the same kind of Moral injury and trauma that's manifesting. How are they expressing it? Or are they, alcoholism? What are the issues that other vets are really facing now? Steve: Yeah, that's a great question. Because I think culturally there have been incremental changes, but the Coast Guard, like the other services is very much suck it up type environment always has been. It's a little less. So now the Coast Guard has created a cadre of mental health providers that are accessible.Mental health is a little less stigmatized, but it's far from where it needs to be. And I think it's worth noting that particularly an officer in the military, and that includes the Coast Guard, we all know and refer to our careers as zero defect environments. And I knew that, and that just stokes up anxiety that you're going to make a mistake.And a mistake is, hey, my search pattern was wrong and somebody drowned. You start to become more worried about your career than somebody drowning. The slightest mistake can end your career. And it really is your defect. So when it comes to the stigmatization of mental illness, no officer wants to acknowledge it.And what the Coast Guard has done is created a little more access. to mental health support, but has done nothing substantial about changing the culture. So if I were in the Coast Guard right now I would never acknowledge having a high level of anxiety, never acknowledge having an eating disorder.I never acknowledge any sort of mental illness as an officer in the military, because that is a career ender in most cases. Less so now, but still culturally, there is a fear. I'm going to lose my security clearance if I go to see, seek help. If I go to a therapist, I know a lot of what they do now, Robert and have done for years is go out privately and pay out of pocket.And yeah, I have a good friend who is an excellent Coast Guard lawyer, but he suffers from severe depression. And the Coast Guard doesn't know this. He is on SSRIs, and the Coast Guard doesn't know this. And he has, in his particular case, SSRIs, antidepressant drugs, pharmaceuticals, and therapy.He views them as having been life saving. For him knowledge to the Coast Guard that he is receiving therapy or using this medication because real or not, he is fearful that it would end his career and so that's one way of coping with it. And that's probably the healthiest way of coping with it. Outside of the Coast Guard, I've met veterans who are alcoholics or use alcohol as a crutch.And simply don't seek help because we fall into that trap too, where we feel like we're sucking resources away from some young combat vet in the army. If I see a therapist at the veterans administration, and I may be entitled to do that, I am. Because I'm one of the five, six armed services now, but most Coast Guard people I've talked to when we were developing our company, our peer support company felt like I don't want to steal resources from, from the army, from the Marines, from these people who really deserve it when I don't deserve it.And that's, and as a result, they're untreated. And when you're untreated and you've suffered trauma, you live a life of suffering. That is in many cases, unnecessary if you the right treatment. So I think in the Coast Guard, this is particularly acute, but I think across all the services, when you look at the suicide rate of military veterans in general there's no argument that something isn't happening here and it's not just.I was in a combat area and I saw really bad things. It's that you have to move every couple of years that families are always under strain. That, it's hard enough to maintain a marriage when you're in a more stable environment. It's really challenging when one person's At home and unable to start a career because you're moving every couple of years for your career and deployments are extremely stressful where you don't see your family for, 12, 15 months at a pop.It's a stressful existence in general. It's worthwhile and fulfilling in many ways, but from a personal standpoint it's, it can be. That's the best answer I can give. And then Steve, you didn't do any writing when you were in service, right? So this became a post divorce liberation escape?Steve: Yeah. It, I couldn't have done it, Robert. I utterly lacked the introspection that I needed to do. I, that I needed to sustain my marriage. I didn't, I realized that my being a workaholic was not good for my marriage, but it was a blind spot for me. I thought in the future.And I, I don't think I would have it's funny because had we stayed married, I'd still be rather obtuse when it came to introspection. I probably never would have started writing. So it's the divorce spurred the self awareness and the self awareness spurred the writing. Leafbox: And then what's the response? You're writing a Medium and Substack. Have you shared essays and poems and other writing with vets or how are they responding to writing as a release? Steve: There are some vets who see my writing and it's funny because on Substack they usually come to me via email directly if they like something or something resonated with them rather than say anything on Substack directly.But it hasn't really resonated in particular with veterans. Some of the things I write about, anxiety is universal in, in our culture anyway. It, I would say extreme anxiety, anxiety over things that you look at and you're like, why am I anxious over this, that I had to do this today when this is relatively easy to get time.But I've also found that, if you eliminate and avoid the big things, then the anxiety is just as intense with the little things. So that's some of the stuff that I write about. But I will say I really hesitated to put anything out there about the eating disorder because of the stigma associated with men.And eating disorders. I only recently put something out on Substack because I just got to a point where I'm like, you know what, if it helps somebody, great. If a few folks didn't know about it haven't come across it, then they can ask me questions about it. But I do feel awkward. I feel embarrassed.I'm a guy, I'm not supposed to have an eating disorder. I even feel that way. And I've had it for 40 years. But I also realized that, you know what, if I live another 20, 30 years I'm going to have it. It's not going away. So I think I just have to come to some sort of accommodation. An acceptance of that. I'm not saying it's untreatable. It is treatable. It's tough to treat anorexia, but I've just decided that, therapies I've tried for anxiety haven't been particularly effective for me. So that's just a personal choice I've made. Leafbox: I think, all the writers I gravitate towards and I interviewed, I think one of the main things I appreciate is when they're truly honest.And even though you have these issues of shame and anxiety, I think it resonates that it's coming from a place that feels very genuine. So thank you. For listeners, can you give us, I don't know much about male anorexia. What does that manifest as? Is that kind of like an Adonis complex similar to bodybuilders or what does this mean? . Steve: Yeah, that, that was spot on. There is. Another disorder, and I don't know the name of it, for young male adolescents who want to get big, so to speak. They're obsessed with getting large. For me, it was more insidious than that. And in my teens, I saw my dad as an alcoholic.Now I look back at my dad and I'm like, wow, we're exactly the same. He was a highly anxious perfectionist like me. And like most anxious people, he didn't like uncertainty and like it's full of uncertainties and he would self medicate with alcohol. And I thought, I don't want to be anything like that.I want to be the opposite. Right at the beginning of the running craze in the U S I decided I don't know. I was maybe 15, 16 I was gonna start running. And I started running and the reason was, so I, cause I didn't want to be like my dad. I wanted to be healthy. And then that kind of transitioned into, I'm going to eat healthier too.And I'm going to make my own food. And then I got very strict about what I ate, not with an intent to lose weight just to with, I'm not going to eat junk anymore. In the 70s and the 80s, that was particularly tough. Everything was processed and prepackaged. But I found so I became very choosy.And because of the running and the desire to eat healthy, which were honest and good and benign at first. I lost weight for some reason. As I lost weight, Robert, I found it anathema to, I just didn't want to gain it again. I didn't even think of it as a disorder. It was like, no, if I'm losing weight and I'm out participating in triathlons, which were evolving in the eighties as a thing.And, I was doing five or six triathlons a summer up in Massachusetts and I was 19 by the time I really hit my peak triathlon years. And I ran Boston marathon in 1990 in two hours and 40 something minutes. And that was walking a lot the last six miles. And I thought I could really do something here.And the weight loss, while I don't think contributing to it, probably undermining my performance. I looked at that as. Helping me excel. I'm like if I'm losing weight and I'm running sub two Boston marathons, what could I do if I lost more weight and trained more? So that is how it came on. I didn't even really think of it as an eating disorder, and it wasn't really discussed in those days.But when I look at some of the I've destroyed every photograph I could find of myself in those days because I looked emaciated. I saw my high school yearbook picture and Honestly, Robert, I was, I'm six foot tall. I think I had gotten down to about 128, 127 pounds. I was obviously malnourished, but I didn't think of it that way.I thought this is the path to better performance, more exercise. More strictness with my food. And of course all my triathlon heroes were eating this way. And I thought this is the way I got to go. The Coast Guard interrupted that. And somehow I got up to by my thirties, about 170 pounds.I was happy with that. I was okay with it. I even wanted to gain more, I felt healthy. I felt good. And then. As I gained more responsibility in the Coast Guard I my anxiety drove me less or drove me away from strength training, which was the only thing really maintaining my, my, my physique to just endurance training, which eased my anxiety.And, my weight dipped a little bit, but it was okay when I left the Coast Guard. And then, COVID comes along and I'm in the airstream and starting to feel really weak and never weighing myself because I had anxiety about getting on scale. It was either too heavy or too light, one or the other.But I sat for a year in the airstream when I went to see the doctor about why I felt so exhausted all the time that I dropped I don't know, 12, 13 pounds from the time I started the airstream and that just re sparked the whole thing in my head. So the thing that I thought I was at least managing, I wasn't managing, but anorexia to answer your question, because I straight away from that is it's the same.It's, bulimia is where you purge anorexia is got its purge element, but the purges exercise and calorie control. And I it's the same in men as it is in women. It's a control thing. It's an anxiety disorder. It is the, I've got no control over what's happening in the world. I can't control what's happening in my body, but it's not articulated that way.And I think the best way to articulate it every man or woman I've talked to with anxiety with anorexia. Has, and I've written about this. I don't know if I've published the most recent one yet as two voices in their head, and I call it a rational voice, which knows what I should be doing to live a healthy life.And the fact that I am undernourished even to this day and the irrational voice, which is. Hey you're doing fine. You're surviving like this. Why would you want to gain any more weight? It's irrational, but it wins every time. It, my metaphor is the irrational voice always ends up with it.It's booed on the neck of the rational voice. And I, I don't know how to overcome that, but I have found that to be universal with anorexia sufferers, and they have the two voices in their head, and the irrational voice always seems to win and people who don't have it, they don't win.Can't understand how I can look in the mirror or anyone who's under nurse can look in the mirror and feel that they are overweight. Even when your rational voice is there, you screaming at you that you are fine. In fact, you need to gain a few pounds that living a life where you're under 6 percent body fat every day.Maybe that's why you're cold all the time. Steve, is not a healthy way to live. I have osteoporosis now. If I had been a smoker or had been somebody who ate bad foods and had a heart disease, I'd do something. But with the osteoporosis, the irrational voice just argues it away. And I'm like, no, but that came because I've been undernourished and over exercising.And that's going to be a problem as I age. It's an irrational disease that's born of anxiety and control. And unless you're there, you can't really get it, but I will say it. It's got the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, I think even more so than depression. Leafbox: Steve going back to your poetry, I just, do you see a parallel?I was surprised by all the poems have very structured, you have haikus, tankas, minkas, something called the cinquain , which I've never heard of before. But all these very structured. So is that a release? How does it interact with your control issues? Steve: It's, it's a manifestation of control issues.It's; I'm glad you brought that up. You're the first person to actually see that. As I said earlier, I'm not a poet. I don't, I'm not particularly creative from my perspective. What attracted me to poetry and in particular to very structured poems, haiku is simple, but I'm like, wow, you have to say as much as you can say using that 5, 7, 5 syllable structure.I like that. It's, it feeds that desire to be in control. It's a challenge and it is spot on. A manifestation and one could say you're not doing anything to, do some free verse. And it's now I don't want to do free first. I, that scratches my itch to do a haiku or a tanka and yeah, you're spot on.It's. You call it OCD, call it anxiety, call it what you will. That's what it is. But I, I honestly don't, I've accepted it. I'm like, fine. It gives me a moment of fulfillment to get that out there. It gives me, however long it takes me to generate the poem a period of contentment. And I've come to the conclusion that, what I want to get out of life in my remaining years is as many moments of contentment and fulfillment as I can.Because what else is there, and I, struggling to fix myself wasn't working. So writing a haiku and spending a couple of hours on it or whatever it takes does that for me. And I'm like, fine, I'll take it. If my OCD, pursuing my OCD and straightening up the picture on the wall gives me a feeling of contentment, I'll take it.Because. Time is finite, and you really begin to realize that when I think for me, when you get close to 60, you're like, wow, there, there's a window of time here, just be as content as possible for as often as possible and accept the discontent is just a contrast. So you appreciate the contented periods, Leafbox: Steve, maybe we could talk about, I wanted to see how you would. Free flow for prose, but maybe we can talk about your experience with psychedelics and how that maybe was the opposite of control. Steve: Yeah, absolutely. I became interested in psychedelics during my period in Massachusetts that affixed me period as a potential cure for anxiety, OCD, is like many people you're watching documentaries about the effectiveness of psychedelics for certain mental health conditions.But when I got to that point where I'm like, you know what, I'm just going to accept myself as I am, I still was interested in psychedelics as an experience, but I didn't want to hang my head on the idea that I'd come out of a, a trip and be suddenly cured of anxiety. That to me would have just led to disappointment.It's unrealistic. And I actually talked to you and my big concern was trying to sort a good guide. Who would provide me with good support. I didn't want a therapist at this period of time with, because the psychedelic trip to me was about preparation. It's about set and setting.It's about being self aware. It's about being a lot of things and not just taking some mushrooms and, wherever you happen to be and saying, wow, that was a great trip. Like you would drink a beer or something. So I found you helped me find a location in Oregon. And I hired a good guide and we did a lot of preparation and a lot of attention setting, and because I was flying from Florida to Portland, I decided to have two trips during a 10 day period.And I self prepared, the location, the setting was incredible. And that, that was huge. I couldn't have done this in an improper location. It was quiet, it was peaceful. It was a port Portland craftsman house and the room was comfortable and safe. And my guide was with me the whole time.And the first.I, and it became this battle with me. It was a moderate dose of psilocybin. It was it was for, therapeutic dose, but not extreme. And I just, For some reason went into it, not really having expectations, but thinking as soon as it hit me, I'm like, I'm, it was Steven anxious, Steve, they're saying, I'm not going to let something control.I'm not going to let it control me. I flexing and unflexing my muscles the whole time. And while I felt it was a significant event, I certainly didn't get the most out of it. So three days later, I go back. We agree on a much larger dose and I had really focused on not fighting it. The most significant experience I ever had in my life, Robert, why I couldn't articulate it to you.It's like I was saying about anorexia. If you haven't been there, you don't get it. People who have experienced psychedelics will get it. It wasn't easy for it, but it was definitely ecstatic. It was unifying, but not in a blissful way. It was, if I had to describe it physically, it was a series of fever dreams that would start and stop with the guide's soundtrack, every new track would end one fever dream and start another, I don't even remember a lot of what was going on, but I do remember feeling so gratified that I hadn't tried to fight it, that I did feel this unification, this oneness that I.I had what you call an afterglow for several days. On my flight home, I was talking to people at the airport bar while waiting for my flight. I don't do that. I was had striking up conversations with people. I'm a good flyer, but I don't like turbulence. When the plane hits turbulence, I get anxious about it.Plane hit a lot of turbulence in the way home. It didn't. latest, it was just this acceptance. What happens for the next week. I would say I was more clearly not just, I think I'm more empathetic. It was, I was more empathetic and a nicer person. Did it wear off? Yeah. But, Oh my God. The fact that a week after this experience.I still feel this glow is just incredible. And I would say coming out of the trip that afternoon I felt exhausted and it's like finishing a marathon, if you ask me as I'm just ending the run, if I'm going to do it again, I'm going to tell you, no, never, that's, it was horrible.Never. But if you ask me two hours later, I'm going to be like, yeah, absolutely. Yeah. That this is the most significant experience of my life. I could go into detail about what I experienced, but there's nothing really to tell that would knock anybody's socks off. I think it's just, if you've done it you get what I'm saying.And if you haven't done it I look around at people, my peers, ex military guys who I know will never try it. I feel bad for them. I'm like you're never going to get to, wow. And I want to do this. It's something I don't want to do frequently, but I want to do it regularly. And did it cure my anxiety?No, but I wasn't trying to cure my anxiety. It was to this day, I will be, I am grateful that I did it. And I'm interested in trying, ketamine or, Nor am I a PTSD sufferer who might benefit from MDMA, which I think shows great promise, but psilocybin and hallucinogenics strike me as just very cliché and mind opening and they are.Leafbox: Steve, when you came back from your trip, how has it affected your creativity in writing? You keep saying that you're not creative, but you're sharing and producing. So did you feel more free? Steve: Yeah, I think I've always felt free and open with my writing. And I think I was self aware enough that some folks said did you have any revelations when you were dripping?And I thought, no, not really. I, I kind of have explored all that stuff, but I wasn't expecting that. Yeah, there was this I did, I wrote a poem or two about the experience. I was exuberant and excited about the world of psychedelics. I think I even talked to you about what more can I do in this field?It, my, my writing has always been open, but I think done it, and then I wrote an essay about it on Substack Ever. I don't think, for example, I would have published. A piece on my eating disorder. Had I not just gone through that and thought, why not? Again if the idea is somebody may benefit from it.And a few people may think less of me because of it, then it's worth putting it out there. And I don't think I would have done that had I not had the psychedelic experience. I think there is an element of a psychedelic trip that kind of, I don't want to say green lights you to be more expressive and more open, but reveals to you the fact that there's minimal downside and a lot of upside to being more open and honest.And quite frankly, if I have one person tell me that, hey, that thing you wrote really Resonated with me or helped me. I'm like, if there were 10 haters out there, I've written some things on white privilege, and there are a lot of haters who have gotten back to me on that. But 10 haters to one person saying that you helped me.I'm like a score, if I can help somebody, then it was worth putting out there. So I think it just pushed me over the edge, Robert, where I felt comfortable on that. In writing about the eating disorders and putting it out there. Leafbox: Do you also, I think, some of your writing I'm curious about, you have a lot of animals in your poetry.Do you ever think about that? Or, there's a psychedelic parallel. Some of the the tropes of psychedelics, the coyote. So I'm curious if there's any, what's the use of animals in your poetry and writing? Steve: The animals and the most frequent one I use are actually just literary metaphors that resonate with me. That that no one would be surprised that, a coyote, even if it's a relatively benign animal. It's it's, it implies a threat. For me, the raven and the blackbird are the animals I go to the most in part, because I do the of Edgar Allen Poe. And of course, he's, most famous for the raven, but the raven struck me as the perfect metaphor for anxiety, a raven circling over your head and digging its talents into you the blackbird.Struck me as a perfect metaphor for depression. I can't tell you why, not really, the origins of these metaphors are not in, in psychedelics as much as they are in just starting out with a literary interest that I fancy in terms of being great ways in my head to articulate an abstract idea. And I don't know if everybody gets it, the Raven being a metaphor for anxiety is a way to make anxiety physical and real.And they'reobviously a good way to to express anxiety. But the raven, I think works and it works for me. And I've often wondered, Robert, I'm like, I wonder if anybody even understands what I'm putting out, not because it's particularly complex, but just because it's particularly personal and people may not, I think the poem you referred to with the coyote was serenity, where I was describing a benign, serene walk or something like that.And then the coyote appears. I'm like it's, That's the uncertainty of anxiety, even butting into that moment and always around the bend, like what's going to happen now, Leafbox: What's paradoxical is all of those animals are also quite free, right? And then going back to what you said about joining the Coast Guard, there's an element of that freedom in the ocean, the sailing, the kind of, And I think you have another poem that I enjoy called Quietus this about good sailing.Yeah. Yeah. And it seems like there's a, you're always, I don't want to personalize it or psycho Freudian read it, but there seems to be an element of desire for freedom and exploration. And the coyote itself is an animal that's quite stoic and free from exploring the West, and the Raven as well.Steve: They are. And you're, Your insightfulness is pretty remarkable because throughout my period of time working with a therapist several years ago, I kept telling the therapist, I'm like, the guy I want to be is the guy who just, I want to put on some weight. I want to relax a little bit.I want to smoke an occasional cigar, a little vice that I like. I don't want to worry about everything. I ride a motorcycle now. Why? Because I feel a sense of freedom on that motorcycle, a sense of happiness and contentment on that motorcycle that I don't get any other time of the day. While I say I've accepted my anxiety, I have because I'm tired of struggling against it.You're spot on and I hadn't really thought of the freedom of the animals that way, but the guy I want to be is, I, you look at motorcycle culture and yeah, there's the outlaw motorcycle culture, but there's also this, Motorcycle clubs originated not to break the law, but just this people who just didn't want to be tethered.The way I live now, I can pack all my belongings in a Subaru hatchback. I don't own stuff and that's by choice. But there's an element of, I'm struggling to be this guy who is that freak coyote, but also burdened with this anxiety that, that lashes me to a routine that is predictable and secure.Leafbox: You know what? It's a contradiction. Yeah. One of the freeing things that interests listeners is that you told me the story about grave buying and how that might be an act of freedom. Steve: Yeah. Yeah. This is something that most people don't understand. I referring back to earlier in our conversation when I say Cape Cod was our vacation place where nothing bad ever happened.There is that town on the Cape that we. We always visited Brewster, Massachusetts. I got it in my head that, I want a green burial. I articulate this to family and friends who I brought into the conversation as I just don't want to be a burden. I'm a single guy with no kids.And if something happens to me, I don't want it to be a pain in the neck for anybody to have to deal with it. So that's why I'm doing this. But the real reason I'm doing it is because I'm picking my place. And I bought a, the only real estate I own is a 10 by 10 plot in an old sea captain's cemetery in Brewster, Massachusetts on Cape Cod.And it gave me such a feeling of happiness to do it and they're like what that's, we don't talk about that in, in our society. But for me, it's no I went out this summer, I was up visiting and I went to see it. And it made me happy to know I had it. And the gentleman who I who's on the cemetery commission said, if there's a stone cutter in town, this is Cape Cod's old school stone cutter who can, do a tombstone for you if you want it.And I'm like sure. I, why not design my own tombstone? And I hate to admit, I paid a lot of money, like 10, 000 bucks for an old colonial slate tombstone. And I am in a joking way, using an image from Poe's poem the Raven on that tombstone. And a Raven. And the word nevermore, which anyone who's read the poem will understand.And, then my information and this stonecutter is going to put it up for me. I've told very limited people that because people really think it's over the top. But again, my, my family members who would be left handling it. I'm like this way, exactly where it is and you can, it just makes it easier for you.But you, I am serious in that. I'm going to have a small celebration of life party, for myself at that location next year with that tombstone up. It might be just me and my sisters or my niece, or, the folks who gather down there every year.But I thought what's the point of not being there for that? It, there is it's a place to rest and I don't mean this. And I tell people this, I look at death as a. When I'm feeling particularly anxious as there'll be an end to it, just like I opened my eyes during the psychedelic experience when I was getting fatigued.I'm ready for it. And then I saw my guide there. And I'm like, we talked about this. It does end. Don't panic. It will end. And right now you want it to end because you've been at it for six hours or so. And I look at death the same way. There's an end. I don't look at it. It's not a suicidal ideation.And that's, if I tell anybody that, Robert, that's straight, that's the place to go. Is or you're gonna hurt yourself. I'm like, no, I'm not gonna hurt myself. It just calms me down to know that there's an end. You And I don't want to struggle like this forever. So yeah I'm a member of a Swiss organization called Dignitas, which performs assisted suicide.My fear is Alzheimer's, like if that hits me and I'm still cognizant, but diagnosed that to me is a relief. I'm like, okay, I feel better. And I am, as I said earlier, trying to find ways to feel more contented. And I'm like, I've taken care of these things. Part of it is I'm on planner.That's what anxiety does. But there is an element of fulfillment in doing these things that is indescribable. And I it's just so out of bounds for what we can talk about in our culture that it's hard to really describe that to people without them thinking, Oh, you bought a grave and a tombstone and you signed up for this Dignitas company and assisted suicide and people just assume the worst.And it's no, this is the best. This is the best. I hope I live another 30 years if I'm not lucky. That's my plan. But if something intervenes, I'm okay with this. I guess the way I put it is I'm terrified of dying, but I have no fear of death. If that makes sense. The moment itself is.Creates some anxiety as it should. But the after part of it, I'm like, no, it's, call it what you want, call it a Buddhist Nirvana. But yeah, that's I've done that. And I'm just waiting to see what the stone cutter comes up with. Leafbox: Steve, you said for positive reformation that you want to live in another 30 years, what do you imagine filling the next 30 years with? You have your peer support group you've started and what other projects do you want to focus your attention on more writing, less writing, more trips. So what do you imagine for the next 30 years? Steve: And I'm just putting that out. So I know one thing I learned when I left the coast guard, which might be a surprise is I will never see that my schedule was very structured there, and I think that was helpful.To me in anybody's schedule at work, you've got to be a place from this hour to that hour. And then if you lose that structure, a lot of people are lost. I thought I'd be one of them, but I'm really, I'm not I will not cede my schedule to anybody else, but what. And, but I think I did struggle a little bit with when I left the winery, which was a full time job I was in the airstream.So that occupied a lot of my time, but there was this notion of, what are you going to do for the rest of your life? But I've resolved that. And I think I'll write about the same. I'll be at that same level of productivity that I am right now, but I dabble in a variety. You and I've talked about this small businesses that I think matter.I've done some venture capital in areas that are meaningful to me. Climate and healthcare. I am always looking for opportunities to do work. That's interesting to me. I'm helping a buddy in town with a brewery startup, a distillery. Didn't have to do that. I just find these opportunities to occupy myself and I don't get so hung up on having to leave some sort of a legacy.It's just what I pursue, the things that make me curious right now. And the things that make me curious right now may or may not make me curious in a couple of years. I've got motorcycle trips planned. I might go back to the Airstream thing when I can't ride motorcycling. I've got these things laid out that will occupy me, but none of them are of the traditional.I gotta go back and get a job, so I'm not bored all the time. I seem to find an endless number of things that are of interest to me. And I'm not really thinking out that I glance at it every now and again, 20 to 25 years, but my days seem pretty full and I just don't worry about it. I think I'll be in this house in St.Augustine for the next two years. Where am I going to go after that? What's the next Airbnb going to be? And. And that's, in fact, I was out in Portland for the psychedelic experience and I thought how it is freeing knowing I could come up with Portland. I want to. Nothing's binding me to any particular place.And these it's future thinking. Yes. But not 20 to 25 year future thinking. I don't have a 20 to 25 year plan. And that to me is way less overwhelming. It's just a loose structure for the next couple of years. And I think the thing I just occurred to me as I was saying that is there are elements in my life that are so controlled that it's, calcified my daily routine.And then there are areas of my life that are so impulsive that it's it's 180 degrees from my calcified day. And I'd be at a loss to explain why except one is a reaction to the other. Leafbox: It's just coming back to the animals. I just keep thinking of the coyote. Steve, how can people find you? What's the best way for them to read your essays and connect with you? Steve: I would love more free subscribers on Substack. I have no intention of making any money on Substack. And I think you just have to type in my name which, Is Steven with a P H and Chamberlain C H A M B E R L I N. And do a search for a guy with a beard was my photo.And I would also love anyone who subscribes to be open and free about commenting or criticizing or starting a conversation I'd like. Some more engagement on some stack for no other reason than I like to engage with people that way. And I'd like to know I'm helping people or what I could do better.So sub stack is really the predominant location for me. And the easiest way to find me and DM me if you're a bit interested in that. Leafbox: Great. And Steve, anything else you want to share? Steve: Gratitude that you asked me to do this, Robert, I've always looked up to you and considered you a role model and a mentor and so appreciate.And I'm honored that you felt it was something worth taking your time today to talk to me. Leafbox: No, no, I really appreciate the like raw and honest writing that you're doing. And everyone's on a journey, so I appreciate your struggle. Get full access to Leafbox at leafbox.substack.com/subscribe
IWDominate, MonteCristo, and dGon discuss the terrible LCS Playoff performances of Dignitas and NRG, compare Gen.G and BLG, pick their global and western All-Pro teams, and more! Thank you to our sponsors for this episode! Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @shop.mando and get $5 off off your Starter Pack (that's over 40% off) with promo code SPIKE at https://www.shopmando.com! #mandopod Get 50% off FACTOR meals at https://www.factormeals.com/powerspike50 with code powerspike50. High-quality, never-frozen meals delivered to your home!
As Lord Falconer launches a private members' bill to make assisted dying legal in the House of Lords, Kamal and Camilla catch up with him about why now is the right time to reignite one of the most controversial debates in the UK.The bill, which was first brought to the House of Lords in 2013, has been given a second chance after Dame Esther Rantzen reignited the debate. The broadcaster disclosed her plan to travel to Dignitas alone after her stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis last year. Currently, the laws in England and Wales around assisted dying mean her family could face criminal charges if they help her with euthanasia.In this Daily T Special, we speak to Dame Esther about what it means to have a ‘good death' and why she thinks the bill should pass. Plus Paralympic legend Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson argues the case against the bill, sharing her concerns about what it would mean for vulnerable disabled people.And Camilla and Kamal consider the Netherlands, where assisted dying is legal for people with mental health issues as well. We ask: is it a slippery slope?Share your feedback on The Daily T podcast by taking our survey (here). To thank you for taking part, you'll be entered into a prize draw to win one of four £50 John Lewis vouchers. £50 John Lewis voucher prize draw terms and conditions: Open to residents of the UK, ROI, Channel Islands and Isle of Man. 18+only. Entrants must complete and submit the survey before 23:59 on 25/08/24. [Terms and conditions]Producers: Georgia Coan and Lilian FawcettSenior Producer: John CadiganExecutive Producer: Louisa WellsPlanning Editor: Venetia RaineyVideo Producer: Luke GoodsallStudio Operator: Meghan SearleSocial Media Producer: Niamh WalshEditor: Camilla TomineyOriginal music by Goss Studio Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hello and welcome back to another episode of The Dive Driven by Kia! Kobe, Azael, and Meteos discuss Patch 14.14 balance changes, poro-sized Phreaks, pet champions, and the LCS returning from the mid-season break. Week 4 of the LCS RETURNS July 20th at 1pm PT/4PM ET with Dignitas taking on Team Liquid - don't miss it! See you next time, and thanks for listening! Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro, Shopify Roster Change, Immortals / Inero Discussion 4:48 - Rookies in the LCS and roster / player development 10:12 - Tomio Roster Swap discussion / League impact of team roster swaps 13:13 - Fan question: Team Liquid roster changes + Impact impact 21:58 - Patch discussion 41:45 - Fan question: Overall level of play 49:02 - Fan question: Revive one LCS team? 57:42 - Phreak discussion - Azael vs. Phreak 1:01:02 - Up and coming LCS challenger rookies? Srtty discussion and high expectations 1:03:12 - Things that work in Solo Queue vs. Things that work in Pro play 1:09:47 - Fan question: Character archetype that isn't in League you'd like to see? 1:16:33 - Upcoming LCS matchups - DIG vs. TL, IMT vs FLY
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes.We hear the story of the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world and the creation of one of the most recognisable characters on the planet.Plus, an amazing first hand account of the expulsion of German-speakers from Czechoslovakia at the end of the Second World War, the man behind Dignitas, the assisted dying organisation in Switzerland, and the son of a Guatemalan president who was overthrown in an American-backed coup in the 1950s.Contributors: Mark Burry - architect, who was part of a team trying to piece together Gaudí's vision for the Sagrada Família. Madeleine Kessler - architect from Madeleine Kessler Architecture. Yuko Shimizu - the artist who designed Hello Kitty. Helmut Scholz - a Sudeten German, who was expelled from Czechoslovakia after the Second World War. Ludwig Minelli - the lawyer behind Dignitas, the assisted dying organisation. Juan Jacobo - the son of the former Guatemalan president Jacobo Árbenz.(Photo: The Sagrada Família, in Barcelona. Credit: Getty Images)
In 1998, the assisted dying society, Dignitas was set up in Switzerland by lawyer Ludwig Minelli.It was the first end-of-life organisation in the world to help foreigners - non-Swiss citizens - to die.Since then around 4,000 people from 65 different countries have ended their lives with help from the group, which operates under the full name 'Dignitas - To live with dignity. To die with dignity.'But while 10 countries have legalised assisted dying, most have not. Critics say it can weaken respect for human life, put pressure on the terminally ill to die and lead to worsening end-of-life care.Ludwig Minelli tells Jane Wilkinson why he believes freedom of choice is so important.(Photo: Ludwig Minelli in 2012. Credit: Sebastien Bozon/AFP/GettyImages)
MonteCristo and Thorin discuss controversy around Faker's Ahri skin for the Hall of Legends, changes coming to the LCS, Fearless Draft in the NACL and LPL, roster moves at Dignitas and Shopify Rebellion, how the Esports World Cup has affected pro teams' marketing exercises during LGBT+ Pride Month, and more!
Diana Williams lived a rich life by any measure. She was a wife, a mother, a traveler, and the founder of a job training organization at San Quentin prison in California. But for three decades, Williams was plagued by mysterious symptoms. These included exhaustion, night sweats, brain fog, and throbbing headaches and chills that left her bedridden for days. Specialists diagnosed her with a series of maladies such as multiple sclerosis, Lyme disease, and toxic mold exposure. They prescribed grueling treatments that took up time, money, and ultimately proved unsuccessful. Williams eventually decided enough was enough. In January of this year, she traveled to Dignitas, a “death with dignity” group in Switzerland, and ended her life. In December 2023, just weeks before her “death date,” Williams joined Diane for a conversation about her agonizing choice and why she felt it was so important to tell her story of “a life well lived, a death well planned.”You can read more about Diana Williams's story in her posthumously published memoir, “Traveling Solo.”
Questions Covered: 37:07 What's the difference from myself as a Baptized Catholic to someone who isn't Catholic, but living a similar type of life? …
El Padre Pedro Núñez nos acompaña en vivo desde el Estudio 1 en EWTN Radio Católica Mundial con extraordinarios y conmovedores testimonios de fe, oración y la Palabra de Dios.
Mother Miriam Live - April 22, 2024 A Crisis Magazine article regarding Dignitas Infinita and the Idolization of Man For one who is struggling with severe anxiety, do you think it is better to pray on it and offer that up to the Lord, or to seek actual medical help and possibly medications? Is it true that the Bible never mentions a concrete obligation to attend Mass on Sundays? If so, how did the church land upon Sunday as the mandatory day for Mass attendance? My 16 year old daughter has expressed interest in religious life. What order do you belong to and what is a day in your life like? Is there a right and wrong way to correct others' behaviors out of fear for their salvation? Answering questions about the reception of the Body and Blood of Christ from a lay minister
What IS and ISN'T Wrong w/ Dignitas infinita.Support the show
We welcome back Dr. Anne Hendershott of Franciscan University of Steubenville to begin our week-long discussion on Dignitas Infinita. What is moral mumbling, and what ought to have been highlighted in the document? Is this all the Church can say about human dignity? Show Notes Declaration of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith “Dignitas Infinita” on Human Dignity Hiring for Mission at Catholic Colleges and Universities - Crisis Magazine Yes, Some Moral Acts Are Disordered—Here's Why – Catholic World Report The Politics of Envy - Dr. Anne Hendershott Status Envy: The Politics of Catholic Higher Education The Politics of Deviance: Dr. Anne Hendershott Real Philosophy for Real People: Tools for Truthful Living - Audiobook Now Available! What's Catholic about Catholic Higher Education? (Dr. Anne Hendershott) 3/6/24 Read Fr. McTeigue's Written Works! Listen to Fr. McTeigue's Preaching! | Herald of the Gospel Sermons Podcast on Spotify Visit Fr. McTeigue's Website | Herald of the Gospel Questions? Comments? Feedback? Ask Father!
On this week's episode, Bishop Burbidge: Implores the faithful to unite in prayer with Pope Francis to pray unceasingly for peace in the Middle East Highlights some of the diocesan schools honored for their outstanding commitment to military families within this Month of the Military Child Explains more about the recently released declaration by the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on human dignity, Dignitas Infinita; click here to read Bishop's statement and the document Speaks of Catholic Charities Christ House as one of the treasures of the diocese in its service to the poor in Alexandria for the last 50 years; read his April column on this great work here Attributes the recent quality and quantity of vocations in our diocese to the grace of God, the prayers of the faithful, the leadership of Bishop Welsh, and the Poor Clares Offers encouragement for how to maintain Easter joy despite so much darkness in our world He also answers the following question from the faithful: Can you comment on the oxymoron of “Christian nationalism”? Is it consistent with our faith?
Mother Miriam Live - April 15, 2024 The strengths and weaknesses of Dignitas Infinita How should we react to a Catholic apologist's stating that Judas might not be in hell? Should I keep donating to my parish, which seems to already have an abundance of money coming in that may even be misused or wasted? Do you know of a good Catholic book from a saint or priest regarding holy marital intimacy that is pleasing to God? The number of faithful is rising, but the number of priestly vocations is lowering. Discussing this trend and what we can, or should, do about it Can we be encouraged by Pope Francis' recent speaking out against gender affirming surgeries, or is it all just a smoke screen? Should we be praying for Republican Presidential candidates like Donald Trump to speak out against things like abortion in their campaigns, even if it might have a negative affect on their polling numbers and ultimately lead to a Democratic candidate winning the election? If we were to do this, couldn't we ultimately be contributing to the re-expansion of abortion across the United States and therefore hurting our own cause in a roundabout way?
The Vatican released a document on human dignity this week with sections denouncing what it calls “gender theory” and “sex change.” In this special round table episode of “Inside the Vatican,” America's Editor-in-Chief Fr. Sam Sawyer, S.J. and the Executive Director of Outreach, America's LGBT Catholic resource, Michael O'Loughlin, join host Colleen Dulle for a discussion on the document “Dignitas Infinita” and the pastoral challenges it presents in the guests' ministry to LGBT Catholics. Find full show page and links for further reading here. Please support this podcast by becoming a digital subscriber to America Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In the 6 AM Hour: Larry O'Connor and Julie Gunlock discussed: At International Al-Quds Day Rally in Dearborn, Michigan Protesters Chant “Death to America!”; Speakers at the Rally: America Is One of the “Rottenest Countries” on Earth; Israel Is ISIS, Nazis, a Cancer Anti-Israel protesters chant ‘Death to America' and ‘Death to Israel' at rally in Michigan Public safety group finds FBI violent crime data is higher than initially reported Pope Francis condemns surrogacy, “gender theory” and transgender sex change in new document, “Dignitas infinita”. Vatican blasts gender-affirming surgery, surrogacy and gender theory as violations of human dignity FLASHBACK: MARCH 14: Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin says he won't support recently passed budget that includes tax hike FLASHBACK: MARCH 27: Governor Glenn Youngkin Acts on 67 Bills, Vetoing 30 That Would Punish Law-Abiding Gun Owners, Violating Their Constitutional Rights Youngkin unveils budget amendments, strips tax increases from budget Where to find more about WMAL's morning show: Follow the Show Podcasts on Apple podcasts, Audible and Spotify. Follow WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" on X: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor, @Jgunlock, @patricepinkfile and @heatherhunterdc. Facebook: WMALDC and Larry O'Connor Instagram: WMALDC Show Website: https://www.wmal.com/oconnor-company/ How to listen live weekdays from 5 to 9 AM: https://www.wmal.com/listenlive/ Episode: Tuesday, April 9, 2024 / 6 AM Hour O'Connor and Company is proudly presented by Veritas AcademySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
BREAKING! NEW Papal Document "Dignitas Infinita"!Support the show
Michael Lofton covers the new document from the Vatican Dignitas Infinita about human dignity. It covers topics like abortion, surrogacy, transgenderism, sex surgeries, euthanasia and much more! He also covers the press release by Cardinal Fernandez given upon release of the document.
Hour 2 of the Drew Mariani Show 4-8-24 Chaplet of Divine Mercy and the Fr. Robert Gahl shares his thoughts on the new Vatican document "Dignitas Infinita" Fr. Robert Gahl also talks about what former President Trump had to say about abortion and state's rights.
Dame Esther Rantzen reignited the debate on assisted dying in the UK after she shared the news she had joined the physician assisted dying clinic Dignitas in Switzerland. The services offered by Dignitas are illegal here in the UK, but recently some countries have been relaxing their laws in this area. The argument goes, modern medicine has given many of us the gift of much longer lives, so should it also give us the option of a more dignified death? In this episode of the Naked Scientists, James Tytko speaks with those with a personal stake in this debate, medical professionals, and a legal... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists