Podcasts about Duopoly

Boeing is back in the spotlight following the release of Netflix's new documentary Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing. But beyond the safety failures and scandals, there's another important story: how does Boeing actually work as a business?In this episode of the Market Maker Podcast, we break down the economics behind one of the world's most important companies. How does Boeing make money? Why can selling aircraft be loss-making while servicing them generates huge margins? Why is its $700bn+ order backlog so important? And how have Boeing and Airbus ended up controlling more than 90% of the commercial aircraft market?We also explore the decisions that changed Boeing: the McDonnell Douglas merger, the shift from engineering excellence towards shareholder returns, billions spent on share buybacks, the development of the 737 MAX and the financial consequences that followed.If the Netflix documentary tells the story of what happened at Boeing, this episode helps explain the business behind it and why the decisions made decades ago still matter today.(00:00) The Business of Boeing(01:32) How Boeing Became an Icon(05:29) How Boeing Makes Money(11:33) Boeing's Hidden Profit Engine(16:06) The Accounting Behind Boeing(21:43) Boeing's $55bn Debt Problem(26:24) Boeing vs Airbus(29:45) Can China Break the Duopoly?(33:16) When Boeing's Culture Changed(38:18) The 737 MAX Disaster(41:52) Boeing After the Crisis(43:43) Boeing Today

The crew breaks down Sensor Tower's big H1 2026 report, digs into why downloads keep falling while nobody seems to want new games, and asks whether ad revenue was ever going to save anyone. Plus a Warframe live service masterclass and the arrow craze that Kress would very much like everyone to stop talking about.Topics Covered:• Disney Solitaire cannibalizing Solitaire Grand Harvest • Where the diligence went on the SuperPlay deal and who is left • Washington State suing Playtika and Aristocrat over social casino• Sensor Tower H1 2026 with downloads down 12% • The 4X surge stalling out while puzzle keeps compounding• The D2C debate and whether the market ishealthier than it looks• AppLovin and AdMob running two-thirds of gaming ad revenue and what that consolidation does to CPIs• Why the top ad revenue games are smaller than anyone expected• Warframe as the live service masterclass Destiny never pulled offCHAPTERS:00:00 – Intro & welcome (Jen, Kress, Phil, Mishka)01:00 – Mishka's Greece trip & DoF event updates (Seattle Roundtables, Gamescom, Grand Slam, Supper Club)08:00 – Playtika update: Solitaire Grand Harvest cannibalized by Disney Solitaire12:00 – M&A Masterclass callback (Chris Petrarca) & licensing math on Disney deal14:00 – Washington State's gambling lawsuit vs. Playtika — social casino legal risk17:00 – Sensor Tower H1 2026 report: overview & app discovery is "broken"20:00 – Direct-to-consumer (D2C) web shops: how big is the impact really?23:00 – D2C by genre: 4X, social casino, Marvel Strike Force example25:00 – Genre trends: strategy down, puzzle up, Block Blast highlight26:00 – The "Arrow" hyper-casual craze — Block Blast install decline29:00 – UA costs spiking: ad spend up, downloads down30:00 – AppLovin & AdMob's growing duopoly over UA33:00 – Social casino's steepest genre decline & D2C revenue shift36:00 – Top publishers by ad revenue (King, Easy Brain, Huuuge)39:00 – Sensor Tower report wrap-up & praise42:00 – Warframe/Digital Extremes: Destiny comparison & live-service execution44:00 – Warframe monetization model breakdown45:00 – Digital Extremes' mobile SKU built with Finland's Nitro Games46:00 – Warframe mobile growth numbers (PC halo effect)48:00 – Squad RPG/gacha mechanics critique — mobile "solved this years ago"50:00 – Why no Western studio has cracked mobile shooters (Fortnite, Roblox Rivals)51:00 – Warframe's marketing-driven themed content drops52:00 – Shoutout: Christopher Dring's podcast52:00 – Outro & next week preview (Castle Clashers, Capcom)

Stories:* ⭐ Israel's US Influence Operations: Targeting Media Outlets, Merging w/ Military, Targeting Candidates* ⭐ Israel's Global Influence Operations: War Crimes in Lebanon, Targeting Cyprus, Vietnam, UK* ⭐ Eyes on Gaza: Nothing Started in 2023, 70% Control, Rebuild to Cost 7X More, New Campaign* ⭐ Consequences of Supporting the Duopoly: Free Speech, ICE, Dark Money, SpaceX SCAMFor the links to all the articles & videos shown on the show plus the links to watch/share on every other platform, click here: https://www.indiemediatoday.com/p/indie-news-now-live-links-07-28-26?r=539iuHelp fund the media you want to see! Indie Media Today and Indie News Network operate on a “Value for Value system.” Everything we do is free to all. We don't paywall our content, but we do need - and deeply appreciate - your support in order to keep running. One way to do that is with a monthly or annual subscription here.A $5/mo subscription here or on Ko-Fi.com helps us continue to produce quality content that challenges mainstream corporate funded narratives & amplify independent voices.Please support your favorite Indie Media creators!IndieNewsNow LIVE! covers stories corporate media doesn't want to tell, and from an angle they would NEVER tell it. Each episode, we showcase the work of dedicated independent reporters, researchers, and grassroots news outlets who are digging deeper on issues that matter, free from advertiser and corporate influence. Break free from the media focused on the duopoly and discover the news you're not supposed to see.Perfect for viewers who:* Are skeptical of corporate-controlled news narratives* Want to be more deeply informed on critical issues* Believe in supporting independent journalism* Feel like there's always more to the storySubscribe to IndieNews Network (INN) and hit the bell

Are we really trapped in a permanent political doom loop, or is the two-party duopoly actually more vulnerable than it looks? We often look at heavily gerrymandered, "safe" districts and hyper-partisan outrage and assume nothing can change until we get massive, far-off structural reform. But what if the major parties have aggressively optimized the system for a zero-sum, two-player game—and that very optimization has left them completely exposed to independent challenges? This week, David sits down with political campaign consultant Nathan Smolensky to break down the raw, data-driven mechanics of the independent landscape. Looking past the national presidential spectacle, Nathan explains why local and state races are a completely different playground for independent success, how candidates can flip the "spoiler effect" narrative on its head, and how scalable new campaign technologies are dismantling the traditional fundraising barrier to entry.Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, DavidSupport the showShow Notes:https://outrageoverload.net/ Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email outrageoverload@gmail.com. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.comHOTLINE: 925-552-7885Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episodeIf you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That's the best way to support it.Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverloadAlso check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, is part of The Democr...

Don’t you think it’s time for New Zealand to have more supermarket options? The Government's announced a new guide for international chains wanting to set up shop here. It’s all in the hope of luring overseas investors to break up our duopoly grocery sector. Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has said the guidelines are like rolling out a red carpet for those looking here to invest – but, the question is, will anyone actually want to walk it? Today on The Front Page, Grocery Action Group chair Sue Chetwin is with us to explain why the option and ownership problems go deeper than new rules, and whether this could really change what’s on Kiwi dinner tables. Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network. Host: Chelsea DanielsEditor/Producer: Richard MartinProducer: Jane YeeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode the mates discuss Grok 4.5 vs GPT-5.6, Apple Suing OpenAI, and China catching up to Elon. Get access to metatrends 10+ years before anyone else - https://qr.diamandis.com/metatrends   Peter H. Diamandis, MD, is the Founder of XPRIZE, Singularity University, ZeroG, and A360 Salim Ismail is the founder of Open ExO, a GP at Exponential Venture Capital/The Organizational Singularity Fund and a sought after global speaker and thought leader. Dave Blundin is the founder & GP of Link Ventures Dr. Alexander Wissner-Gross is a computer scientist and founder of Reified – My companies: Apply to Dave's and my new fund:https://qr.diamandis.com/linkventureslanding      Go to Blitzy to book a free demo and start building today: https://qr.diamandis.com/blitzy   Your body is incredibly good at hiding disease. Schedule a call with Fountain Life to add healthy decades to your life, and to learn more about their Memberships: https://www.fountainlife.com/peter  _ Connect with Peter: X Instagram Substack Website Xprize A360 Connect with Dave: Web X LinkedIn Instagram TikTok Connect with Salim: LinkedIn X Join Salim's 10X Shift Subscribe to Salim's YouTube channel Exponential Venture Capital Connect with Alex Website LinkedIn X Email Substack  Spotify Threads Listen to MOONSHOTS: Apple YouTube – *Recorded on July 11th, 2026 *The views expressed by me and all guests are personal opinions and do not constitute Financial, Medical, or Legal advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He carved it himself, from a bigger spoon NRLW State of Play (01:11) 'What About This Bloke?' (18:26) NRL Preview (32:02) NRLW Preview (01:00:55) TV rights (01:31:04) Bonus World Cup/Chili Festival chat (01:36:55) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Commerce Commission has found supermarket competition hasn't improved despite years of reforms. Alice Hume, Head of Groceries at the Commerce Commission spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Half of all U.S. e-commerce dollars flow through Amazon and Shopify. That's not just a stat — it's a wake-up call for every seller. Neil Twa dives into what this means for your business strategy. Whether you're just starting out or hitting $1M+ a month, the game has changed. Marcus, a seller with a private label kitchenware brand, saw firsthand how platform dependency can impact growth. He was doing $250K a year, but the consolidation of power between these two giants forced him to rethink his strategy. Neil breaks down three actionable moves you can make right now to audit your platform dependency and future-proof your brand. Sellers at every level need to know where their revenue is really coming from. The High Voltage Business Builders Podcast is here to help you navigate this new landscape. Ready to audit your AI readiness? Take the free 5-question assessment — voltagedm.com/aiquiz?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep277

In a historic shift for Tamil Nadu politics, Joseph Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has shattered the 50-year-old duopoly of the DMK and AIADMK. Emerging as the single largest party with 108 seats, the TVK still faces a deadlock as it shores up support to reach the majority mark needed to form the government. In this episode, we break down the high-stakes manoeuvring involving the multiple meetings between TVK's Vijay and TN Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, and TVK's request for support to the smaller parties. Discover why the Dravidian model is facing its greatest challenge yet and what the next 24 hours could hold for the future of Tamil Nadu.

The 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election has delivered a verdict few anticipated. A political landscape long defined by the alternating dominance of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has been decisively disrupted. At the centre of this churn is the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, led by C. Joseph Vijay, which has emerged as the single largest party in its electoral debut, falling short of a majority, but clearly ahead of both Dravidian majors. The scale of the upset is hard to overstate. The sitting Chief Minister, M. K. Stalin, has lost his own seat. The AIADMK has ceded ground even in its traditional western strongholds. And the Bharatiya Janata Party, despite its national prominence, has seen its presence in the State shrink dramatically. What we are witnessing is not just a reshuffling of seats, but a deeper churn in voter preferences, one that appears to cut across caste, region, and established party loyalties. So how should we read this verdict? Is this simply a wave election driven by anti-incumbency and a charismatic new entrant, or does it signal a more fundamental realignment in Tamil Nadu's politics? Are we looking at the weakening of identity-driven mobilization that has long underpinned Dravidian parties, or its reinvention through a new political vehicle? And what does this mean for the future of the State's political order? Guest: R. Kannan, political analyst and author of MGR: A Life, The DMK Way, and The Life and Times of C. N. Annadurai Host: Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cat - Robo - Bojack - Naveen have a very open and honest conversation about 2026 TN Election Results. The 'Vijay Wave' & what DMK missed seeing? -(0:10:00) - Where it went wrong and right?(00:15:28) - What was the change which Vijay promised?(00:26:49) - Problem with Anti-Incumbency with party in power(00:31:19) - Transparency and Accountability(00:43:00) - Where did DMK go wrong while fighting TVK?(00:53:00) - How to reach out and have a conversation with a TVK Core voter?(00:59:14) - What should we talk today during the modern times?(1:21:05) - Postal Votes Impact(1:23:53) - The oppotunity to politicize TVK Voters(1:24:15) - ADMKs Vote % all these years(1:27:28) - What happened in Kolathur?(1:35:37) - How social media users hopped on Vijay's bandwagon(1:37:44) - What did brand vijay reap in this election?(1:41:06) - What happened in Tuticorin constituency?(1:42:46) - Edappadi constituency(1:44:49) - How Whistle Logo reached people?(1:50:18) - Should Udhayanidhi be promoted as Deputy CM later?(1:58:12) - Was Vijay very relevant at the right place & right time?(2:00:00) - What happened to the 'Left' party?(2:07:18) - What should 'Left' do to address modern day problems?(2:16:56) - Populist and Welfare schemes(2:25:35) - The impact of Swing Voters(2:39:00) - What you are expecting from TVK these 5 years?-Binge Listen to all Tea Kada Benchu episodes with this

The Classic Learning Test is disrupting the standardized testing status quo. Michael Torres, CLT's Director of Legislative Strategy, explains how this fast-growing exam is quietly challenging the SAT/ACT duopoly, offering a rigorous alternative with longer reading passages, no-calculator math, and a focus on true college readiness. He traces CLT's 10-year rise from a niche option […]

I formed The Base Movement because Kennedy Agyapong's ideas are too big to go to waste. He must become president to bring it to fruition — George Oti Bonsu

New Zealand First's made a campaign promise to break up the country's supermarket duopoly in a bid to lower grocery prices. It said Woolworths and Foodstuffs dominate more than 80 percent of the market, driving up costs and squeezing suppliers. The party's plan is to split Foodstuffs into two competing cooperatives and ramp up enforcement powers and fines. Earlier this month, Harvest Market, a new independent grocery store opened in East Christchurch. Owner Elliott Booth spoke to Lisa Owen.

The Finance Minister has raised some concerns over NZ First's bid to break up the supermarket duopoly. NZ First has announced that if re-elected, it will split Foodstuffs into two nationwide co-operates: one for New World and Four Square, and the other for Pak'nSave. Nicola Willis says it's good idea, but it needs to be carefully implemented. "That's why I've been taking my time working through proposals, looking very carefully at costs, very carefully at benefits, reviewing that, thinking about implementation - because I agree with Winston that the margins in our supermarket sector are very high." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First is heading into the election with a plan to break up the supermarket duopoly. If re-elected, the party's promising to split Foodstuffs into two nationwide co-operatives - one for New World and Four Square, and the other for Pak'nSave. Consumer NZ says the current Government's efforts to encourage a third player into the market have largely been unsuccessful. Head of Advocacy and Research, Gemma Rasmussen, has raised questions over this plan - and indicated it might not be the best solution to rising food prices. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First is heading into the election with a plan to break up the supermarket duopoly. If re-elected, the party's promising to split Foodstuffs into two nationwide co-operatives - one for New World and Four Square, and the other for Pak'nSave. Consumer NZ says the current Government's efforts to encourage a third player into the market have largely been unsuccessful. Head of Advocacy and Research, Gemma Rasmussen, has raised questions over this plan - and indicated it might not be the best solution to rising food prices. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yesterday New Zealand First announced a campaign policy to break up New Zealand's supermarket duopoly. Woolworths and Foodstuffs currently control over 80 percent of the grocery market. NZ First leader Winston Peters told Mike Hosking he isn't pursuing this now because, "the National Party is not for it, the ACT Party is not for it. I mean, they've got their policies which are to stagger on with the Commerce Commission that's not working." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First has announced they will be campaigning on a new policy to end the supermarket duopoly. The policy would give the Commerce Commission powers to enforce increased penalties for breaches and reform the role of the Groceries Commissioner, which the party says is currently toothless. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, Rapido launched Ownly, its zero commission food delivery app and went straight for Swiggy and Zomato's throat.This is the same company that dismantled the Uber-Ola duopoly with just a simpler model, cheaper rides, and a very different idea of what India actually needs.Their weapon this time is zero commission. They're betting on restaurants that are fed up, customers who want cheaper food, and a rider fleet that's already in place.So we got Kunal Khattar, the investor who backed Rapido from day one and made 88x on that bet to break down whether lightning can strike twice. We also have Gautam Balijepalli, who runs one of the largest cloud kitchen operations in India and tells us what it looks like from the restaurant side.Along with our guests, Rahel Philipose and Praveen Gopal Krishnan discuss, can Rapido steal a bite from Swiggy and Zomato? Or is food delivery a completely different beast?_________This episode of Two by Two was produced by Uddantika Kashyap and mix and mastered by Rajiv CN.If you liked this episode, please share it with your friends and family who would be interested in listening to the episode. And if you have more thoughts on the discussion, we'd love to hear your arguments as well. You can write to us at twobytwo@the-ken.com.

In the world of political commentary, especially for those of us who lean center-left, the modern Republican party often feels like an impenetrable monolith of rhetoric and “four-dimensional chess”. But every so often, a conversation comes along that forces you to tilt your head and look at the landscape from a different angle.I recently sat down for the fifth time with Michael Maxsenti, a man who has spent fifteen years in the political reform sector. Michael isn't your typical partisan hack; he's a veteran of the Common Sense and Forward parties who has reached a sobering conclusion: the only way to fix the system is to get inside the gates. Now, he's running for Congress as a Republican in a D+4 district, and his rationale is as provocative as it is unsettling for those of us comfortable in our ideological bubbles.The Myth of the Two-Party WarThe most striking part of our conversation was Michael's dismissal of the traditional Republican-versus-Democrat narrative. To him, the “duopoly” we see on the news is a convenient distraction designed to keep us from noticing the real struggle.“The real duopoly is the people, the populist, the people—eighty plus percent of Americans—against those global corporatist, those political economic elites who see themselves above our humanity.”This isn't just populist fire-breathing; it's a critique of a “closed-loop system” where corporate interests like Vanguard and BlackRock pull the strings regardless of who holds the gavel. Michael argues that both parties have “sold us out” over the last forty years, hollowing out the middle class and offshoring jobs for the sake of corporate margins.The “Art of the Deal” DefenseAs someone who grew up valuing integrity and “character matters” as a political slogan, I find it difficult to reconcile the current leadership of the GOP with those traditional values. I challenged Michael on the chaos and the apparent lack of precision in the current administration's implementation of policy—from tariffs on bananas to the “flamethrower” style of governance.His response was a common pattern I've seen in congressional Republicans in pragmatic reframing. He urged the audience to look past the abrasive style and view it as a series of tactical maneuvers.“What appears to be things that are opposite, opposed to... you've got to think of it in those broader terms of tacking into the winds, of navigating around those valleys and cliffs and stuff to get to your goal.”To Maxsenti, the tariffs aren't just economic tools; they are a strategic necessity to “rebuild our country” in an era where AI is stripping away swaths of traditional employment. It's a vision of “America First” that he traces back to the founding principles of Abraham Lincoln—the very principles he claims are buried in the modern party's DNA.Making America Healthy Again: A Radical Common Ground?Perhaps the most surprising area of alignment for a center-left audience is Maxsenti's focus on the “Make America Healthy Again” movement. He pointed out a sobering reality: Americans pay more than double what other developed nations pay for healthcare, yet we have lost six years of longevity compared to Europe over the last two decades.I critiqued the current system as a “fee-for-service” model that motivates providers to treat you only after you get sick. His solution? A radical overhaul of food standards and a focus on “healing” that transcends mere pharmaceutical intervention.“It's about healing, but on the medical level alone... taking away government dollars that is allowing people to, forcing people into poor choices. It's about freedom and it's about giving people healthier options.”While he supports Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s focus on chronic disease, Maxsenti wants to go further by codifying changes in pesticide laws and farming practices to ensure that the next administration can't simply “flip it back” because they've been bought off by lobbyists.Can an Independent Mind Survive the Machine?The central question for voters in his district—and for nerds like us watching from afar—is whether a man who claims to “only take a knee to God and our Constitution” can actually remain independent once he's inside the Congressional machine.Michael is running against Dave Min, whom he describes as a “prototypical career politician” who “rubber stamps every one of the democratic machine”. In a district where 30% of the voters are independents who left both parties out of dissatisfaction, Maxsenti is betting that his deep roots—as a business leader, coach of eighteen sports teams, and non-profit board member—will carry more weight than a party label.“We need people to go to congress who have proven credibility and skills to bring people together and create solutions to problems, who are not there to make a win; they're there to make a solution.”He admits that the execution of certain policies, like the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and ICE operations, has been “unfortunate” or “tragic” in its delivery. Yet, he remains committed to the core objective: a total system audit and a return to national sovereignty.Final ReflectionsWhether you find Michael's shift to the GOP a pragmatic necessity or a bridge too far, his perspective highlights the deep fractures in our political soul. He isn't offering the usual partisan comfort food. Instead, he's presenting a choice: continue the “downhill slide” of the last few decades, or take a gamble on an “insider-outsider” who believes the system can be reclaimed from the globalist elites.“At my age I'm obviously not going there to do anything other than help change the rules... so that we can have the long term results that the people can see and feel in their lives.”It's a sobering analysis for anyone who cares about the future of this republic. As we navigate the coming months, the question won't just be which party wins, but whether the people we send to Washington have the courage to stop “taking a knee” to anyone but the people they serve.If you enjoyed this deep dive and want to support the work we do here, please consider becoming a YouTube channel member. Your support helps cover the operating costs for the Nerds for Humanity livestream and keeps these independent conversations going. Plus, as a thank you, you'll get a shout-out on every livestream!Bye nerds. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nerdsforhumanity.substack.com

Matt Britton thinks OpenAI's ad moves could reshape the entire industry. Meta Platforms (META) and Alphabet (GOOGL) are a duopoly in the ad space, with Amazon (AMZN) the likeliest retail destination, he says. However, ChatGPT's ad model could break up the entire space. AI models' paid user base also allows them to have a more “balanced” approach to ads because it's not their entire revenue stream, he argues.======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day.Options involve risks and are not suitable for all investors. Before trading, read the Options Disclosure Document. http://bit.ly/2v9tH6DSubscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about

This week, the great Nils Gilman joined Damir Marusic and Samuel Kimbriel on the pod to unpack the complexities of American foreign policy and its implications for Europe — and beyond. The conversation starts by trying to make sense of Trump's latest National Security Strategy as a jumping off point, before pivoting into a discussion of populism. Why do some causes, projects — and people — provide meaning while others fall flat? For example, why is Trump's nationalism more politically effective than calls to global climate action? And is there a better way to create meaning in an increasingly fragmented world?Required Reading:* Nils Gilman, “Climate Leviathan” (Substack).* Nils Gilman, “The Duopoly of Doom” (Substack). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wisdomofcrowds.live/subscribe

Infinite Plane Radio Broadcast: November 23rd, 2025This broadcast provided an analysis of current media narratives and political events, framing them as components of the broader Psyop Entertainment Complex designed to maintain a controlled worldview through a media duopoly, predictive programming, and reinforcement messaging.The Media Duopoly and Controlled OppositionThe media operates via a duopoly: "Mainstream and alt-mainstream. But the two are triangulated against one another".Pundits like Candace Owens, despite having the "number one podcast in the world", are seen as "controlled opposition".Her role is to serve as a bridge, redirecting followers from questioning media (red pill) into specific political narratives (J pill)."No, she got her start with Project Veritas. I mean, this is all just controlled opposition.""She's a bridge from red pill to J pill where, yeah, these conspiracies aren't really true. The real truth is this.""Candace Owens is leading people down well-paved rabbit trails."Charlie Kirk (CK) Event as a Staged PsyopThe purported assassination of Charlie Kirk (CK) is viewed as a "staged Psyop" or "magic show".The CK event was "likely planned, at least scheduled... in the mid-90s".The narrative structure involves three phases: "predictive programming", "concurrent programming" (e.g., Charlie Sheen discussing JFK assassination on Joe Rogan just before the CK news), and "reinforcement programming" (Candace Owens dominating the topic)."I think that politics... needs to be looked at as part of the Psyop entertainment complex.""The assumption that people die in Psyops" is described as a "guardrail" that prevents people from viewing media fakery in its entirety. Predictive Programming and Monolithic SymbolismHistorical events are forewarned through "predictive programming," acting as "product placement for future fake events".This manipulative worldview is described as "monolithic," drawing parallels to the monolith in 2001 Space Odyssey. The monolith represents "the ubiquitous worldview that is a merging of real and fake. Hyper-reality...".The concept of a "design authority" or "Saturnian presence" is linked to figures like the Man in Black in Westworld and Ed Harris's character in The Truman Show, who controls time and space."I look at it as product placement for future fake events.""I think what he's giving away with that movie is that we are being moved into this space odyssey.""The design authority, the meta-scripters, they are the Saturnian presence here.""If you can plot a timeline and plan in advance 30 years prior to major historically significant events, you control time."Color and Archetypal Symbolism (Green/Joker)The color green is frequently associated with class warfare and left-wing revolutionary archetypes.The Wicked Witch in Wicked is described as "100 antifa coded", rebelling against a "fascist wizard of oz".The Joker archetype is highlighted as a "class warrior" linked to "kill the rich" themes."So the Joker is accosted by some rich guys on a subway, and he kills them. And he's now a hero.""The green beret, the Joker, kill the rich, kill the CEOs. This is like a building theme..."

Infinite Plane Radio Broadcast: November 23rd, 2025This broadcast provided an analysis of current media narratives and political events, framing them as components of the broader Psyop Entertainment Complex designed to maintain a controlled worldview through a media duopoly, predictive programming, and reinforcement messaging.* The Media Duopoly and Controlled Opposition* The media operates via a duopoly: “Mainstream and alt-mainstream. But the two are triangulated against one another”.* Pundits like Candace Owens, despite having the “number one podcast in the world”, are seen as “controlled opposition”.* Her role is to serve as a bridge, redirecting followers from questioning media (red pill) into specific political narratives (J pill).* “No, she got her start with Project Veritas. I mean, this is all just controlled opposition.”* “She's a bridge from red pill to J pill where, yeah, these conspiracies aren't really true. The real truth is this.”* “Candace Owens is leading people down well-paved rabbit trails.”* Charlie Kirk (CK) Event as a Staged Psyop* The purported assassination of Charlie Kirk (CK) is viewed as a “staged Psyop“ or “magic show”.* The CK event was “likely planned, at least scheduled... in the mid-90s”.* The narrative structure involves three phases: “predictive programming”, “concurrent programming” (e.g., Charlie Sheen discussing JFK assassination on Joe Rogan just before the CK news), and “reinforcement programming” (Candace Owens dominating the topic).* “I think that politics... needs to be looked at as part of the Psyop entertainment complex.”* “The assumption that people die in Psyops“ is described as a “guardrail” that prevents people from viewing media fakery in its entirety.* “So now the dominant narratives on this topic are saturated with the alt media perspective clashing with the mainstream. And that's it.”* “But the assumption that they're dead is sort of a, it's a guardrail.”* Political Theater and Societal Control* The entire political system is characterized as “bread and circuses” designed to give “subjugated populations” an “illusion of power”.* The political horseshoe split maintains division, enforced by provocateurs.* QAnon is described as a “cult” involving a “syncretic blend of Christianity and politics”.* “I think MAGA's on the way out. I think it served its purpose.”* “It's clear to me... that there's such a heavy-handed control over worldview that it constitutes a monopoly...”* “I mean, you have to recognize the effectiveness of this systemic media fakery and manipulation of worldview through the fabrication of historic events.”* Predictive Programming and Monolithic Symbolism* Historical events are forewarned through “predictive programming,” acting as “product placement for future fake events”.* This manipulative worldview is described as “monolithic,” drawing parallels to the monolith in 2001 Space Odyssey. The monolith represents “the ubiquitous worldview that is a merging of real and fake. Hyper-reality...”.* The concept of a “design authority” or “Saturnian presence” is linked to figures like the Man in Black in Westworld and Ed Harris's character in The Truman Show, who controls time and space.* “I look at it as product placement for future fake events.”* “I think what he's giving away with that movie is that we are being moved into this space odyssey.”* “The design authority, the meta-scripters, they are the Saturnian presence here.”* “If you can plot a timeline and plan in advance 30 years prior to major historically significant events, you control time.”* Color and Archetypal Symbolism (Green/Joker)* The color green is frequently associated with class warfare and left-wing revolutionary archetypes.* The Wicked Witch in Wicked is described as “100 antifa coded”, rebelling against a “fascist wizard of oz”.* The Joker archetype is highlighted as a “class warrior” linked to “kill the rich” themes.* “So the Joker is accosted by some rich guys on a subway, and he kills them. And he's now a hero.”* “The green beret, the Joker, kill the rich, kill the CEOs. This is like a building theme...”* The Nature of Reality and Disbelief* The mainstream perspective often equates to the information provided by systems like “Wikipedia or chat GPT”.* True skepticism is based on “informed disbelief,” achieved by examining all sides, rather than “low information belief”.* Psychological operations are only effective because “empathic people weren't being triggered and emotionally manipulated”.* “The reason she's number one is she's propped up. I don't think it's organic.”* “If your sole frame of reference is your seat and what the magician tells you to look at, you cannot deconstruct the magic trick from that seat.”The relationship between predictive programming and manufactured historical events is like an architectural blueprint. Just as a builder uses a detailed plan drawn decades in advance to construct a building, the “design authority” uses media (movies, news, podcasts) as early blueprints and subsequent construction materials to shape historical occurrences and ensure the eventual public perception aligns perfectly with the pre-written script. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit infiniteplanesociety.substack.com/subscribe

**Infinite Plane Radio Broadcast: November 23rd, 2025**This broadcast provided an analysis of current media narratives and political events, framing them as components of the broader **Psyop** Entertainment Complex designed to maintain a controlled worldview through a media duopoly, predictive programming, and reinforcement messaging.* **The Media Duopoly and Controlled Opposition** * The media operates via a duopoly: "Mainstream and alt-mainstream. But the two are triangulated against one another". * Pundits like Candace Owens, despite having the "number one podcast in the world", are seen as "controlled opposition". * Her role is to serve as a bridge, redirecting followers from questioning media (red pill) into specific political narratives (J pill). * "No, she got her start with Project Veritas. I mean, this is all just controlled opposition." * "She's a bridge from red pill to J pill where, yeah, these conspiracies aren't really true. The real truth is this." * "Candace Owens is leading people down well-paved rabbit trails."* **Charlie Kirk (CK) Event as a Staged Psyop** * The purported assassination of Charlie Kirk (CK) is viewed as a "staged **Psyop**" or "magic show". * The CK event was "likely planned, at least scheduled... in the mid-90s". * The narrative structure involves three phases: "predictive programming", "concurrent programming" (e.g., Charlie Sheen discussing JFK assassination on Joe Rogan just before the CK news), and "reinforcement programming" (Candace Owens dominating the topic). * "I think that politics... needs to be looked at as part of the **Psyop** entertainment complex." * "The assumption that people die in **Psyops**" is described as a "guardrail" that prevents people from viewing media fakery in its entirety. * "So now the dominant narratives on this topic are saturated with the alt media perspective clashing with the mainstream. And that's it." * "But the assumption that they're dead is sort of a, it's a guardrail."* **Political Theater and Societal Control** * The entire political system is characterized as "bread and circuses" designed to give "subjugated populations" an "illusion of power". * The political horseshoe split maintains division, enforced by provocateurs. * QAnon is described as a "cult" involving a "syncretic blend of Christianity and politics". * "I think MAGA's on the way out. I think it served its purpose." * "It's clear to me... that there's such a heavy-handed control over worldview that it constitutes a monopoly..." * "I mean, you have to recognize the effectiveness of this systemic media fakery and manipulation of worldview through the fabrication of historic events."* **Predictive Programming and Monolithic Symbolism** * Historical events are forewarned through "predictive programming," acting as "product placement for future fake events". * This manipulative worldview is described as "monolithic," drawing parallels to the monolith in *2001 Space Odyssey*. The monolith represents "the ubiquitous worldview that is a merging of real and fake. Hyper-reality...". * The concept of a "design authority" or "Saturnian presence" is linked to figures like the Man in Black in *Westworld* and Ed Harris's character in *The Truman Show*, who controls time and space. * "I look at it as product placement for future fake events." * "I think what he's giving away with that movie is that we are being moved into this space odyssey." * "The design authority, the meta-scripters, they are the Saturnian presence here." * "If you can plot a timeline and plan in advance 30 years prior to major historically significant events, you control time."* **Color and Archetypal Symbolism (Green/Joker)** * The color green is frequently associated with class warfare and left-wing revolutionary archetypes. * The Wicked Witch in *Wicked* is described as "100 antifa coded", rebelling against a "fascist wizard of oz". * The Joker archetype is highlighted as a "class warrior" linked to "kill the rich" themes. * "So the Joker is accosted by some rich guys on a subway, and he kills them. And he's now a hero." * "The green beret, the Joker, kill the rich, kill the CEOs. This is like a building theme..."* **The Nature of Reality and Disbelief** * The mainstream perspective often equates to the information provided by systems like "Wikipedia or chat GPT". * True skepticism is based on "informed disbelief," achieved by examining all sides, rather than "low information belief". * Psychological operations are only effective because "empathic people weren't being triggered and emotionally manipulated". * "The reason she's number one is she's propped up. I don't think it's organic." * "If your sole frame of reference is your seat and what the magician tells you to lo

In this episode of the Predictable Revenue Podcast, Collin Stewart interviews Jeffrey Kohn, co-founder and CEO of TopFan. They discuss Kohn's journey from working with tech giants to creating a platform that empowers artists to connect directly with their fans. The conversation delves into the challenges posed by Ticketmaster's monopoly, the importance of data ownership for artists, and innovative strategies for fan engagement.  Kohn emphasizes the need for artists to build direct relationships with their fans to enhance revenue and improve the concert experience. Highlights include: Understanding the Direct-to-Fan Model (08:05), Artists' Struggles with Ticket Scalping (17:47), Challenging the Duopoly of Ticketing (20:44), Empowering Artists Through Data (25:54), and more... Stay updated with our podcast and the latest insights on Outbound Sales and Go-to-Market Strategies!

There are growing concerns around a possible duopoly forming in our primary health sector. General practice owners are calling out what they see as bloated bureaucracy, and are moving to form a breakaway nationwide Primary Health Organisation (PHO). GenPro chair Dr. Angus Chambers told Mike Hosking that doctors, 'see that we're heading towards the supermarket-like situation.' He said that some PHOs are good, but they are usually more local, community-driven groups. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The following is a summary of the podcast excerpts, incorporating the requested format and terminology changes:The speaker, currently looking for an ideal location to paint landscapes on horizontal canvases, reflects on connections between personal experience and media narratives.The speaker recounts a "weird coincidence" involving finding the perfect painting location after thinking about the name Virgil:While driving and listening to a podcast through a single earbud, the speaker was focused on Jungian psychology—specifically, descriptions of life events as an "alchemical process to trigger psychic integration".The calm voice in the ear felt like a guide, perfectly describing the processes the speaker was concurrently experiencing, similar to how Virgil guides Dante through Hell in the Divine Comedy.The speaker realized this connection after having recently thought about the Divine Comedy cycle (Hell, Purgatory, Paradise).As soon as the speaker thought the name "Virgil," they saw a cross on the side of the road with the name Virgil on it, marking the location that turned out to be the "ideal spot for this painting".The speaker plans to return later, closer to sunset, when the mountains "turn red" for optimal lighting.The speaker provided updates on the 24-hour live stream initiative, noting that the focus is currently the "recruitment phase":The speaker has replayed 11 hours and 9 minutes, and is currently uploading a 4-hour live stream, bringing the total content to 15 hours, with the goal of reaching a full 24 hours by the end of the week.The live stream is intended to work out bugs before heavy promotion.It will always be live on X (pinned on the IPS thinktank account) and comments will be relayed into a separate Discord live chat thread.New content, including archived group chats and "10-minute videos where I break down specific components, you know, world stage, meta script, history bending," will be added to the 24/7 stream.The core of the discussion involves challenging the limitations of mainstream and alternative media views, which the speaker defines as a duopoly and a "closed system".The Failure of Skepticism:The speaker argues that critical examination of presented evidence is routinely avoided:Default responses to connections are "canned responses" used by those defending the "matrix" against "mind viruses"—ideas like the premise of fake staged events.True skeptics would create a "steelman argument" based on the best evidence presented and then attempt to destroy it.Instead, critics rely on ad hominem fallacies like claiming the speaker is "crazy," has a "tin foil hat on," or is in an "internet echo chamber". The World Stage Model and "Parallel Media":The speaker frames the media landscape using several metaphorical models to explain how systemic fakery and Psyops are concealed:Duopoly and Control: The duopoly (mainstream and alternative) are passive receivers of content; the "alternative is a subset of the mainstream". The speaker's work offers "parallel media," questioning the infrastructure that creates narratives for both sides.Seekers vs. Believers: The duopoly produces believers who accept conclusions from chosen sources, while the speaker and colleagues are seekers who confront "known unknowns" and become the "informed disbeliever". Conspiracy theorists, by contrast, rush to fill knowledge gaps with "alternative facts".Plato's Cave: The world stage is a modern interpretation where mainstream media displays "shadows on the wall," and alternative media provides an "adjacent cave on the way out with alternative shadows". Those who exit the entire cave system are deemed crazy by the "Plato's cave dwellers".Westworld Syndrome: People who refuse to confront "long-term media manipulation, how systemic it is and evidences for it" suffer from Westworld syndrome. Their programmed response to evidence that would deconstruct their false model is, "That doesn't look like anything to me".

Send us a textLeftist responses to the current moment range from rejecting engaging the state at all to grudgingly accepting centrist Democrats as a lesser evil. In an interview between LBS's Dayvon Love and Lawrence Grandpre, Love urges the Left to intentionally chart a middle course. Using examples from concrete legislative victories in Maryland, he advocates for intentionally delivering on concert improvements to quality of life for Black masses as a way to build a base for more progressive reforms, while continually expanding the political terrain by pushing radical demands. Rather than this being a typical reformist path, Dayvon concludes by explaining the role of strategic engagement with 3rd party politics can have the put pressure on Democrats to deliver or face real material consequences, using Andy Ellis's potential Green Party run for governor in Maryland in 2026 as an example. Support the showIn Search of Black Power is a Black-owned internet show and podcast. This podcast is sponsored and produced by Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle (LBS). The internet show is published in collaboration with Black Liberation Media (BLM)

Ben sits down with author Giri Nathan for this episode, to go deep into his new book, Changeover, and the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry at its focus.  This episode was recorded during the U.S. Open, but these two players remain the overwhelmingly obvious story in men's tennis, including this week as Sinner won Beijing while Alcaraz won Tokyo.  We discuss the process of writing this book--which hopefully is particularly interesting to media folks--and also the ways in which Sinner and Alcaraz's dominance might be taking suspense out of the sport right now. Slightly condensed versions of this interview are also up on Bounces. Thank you for listening! Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D. And please check out Ben's new writing home, Bounces! And buy Giri's book!!

In the past week, we've seen several noteworthy legislative moves across sectors.  First, the government is seeking to address New Zealand's supermarket duopoly as the cost of groceries for kiwi remains high across the motu.  Economic Minister Nicola Willis announced numerous legislative changes that she hopes will improve supermarket competition in New Zealand. Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee has also shared some proposed changes to the Alcohol Sale and Supply Act, including limiting barriers to the approval of liquor licenses and making it easier to provide alcohol in special circumstances. Finally, Defence Minister Judith Collins has approved changes that make it easier for the Defence Force to cover the operations of striking workers. 

Anduril opened a solid rocket motor factory in Mississippi with plans to produce up to 6,000 tactical motors annually by 2026, aiming to become the third major U.S. supplier alongside two established defense contractors. The facility has already tested over 700 motors. Rising global demand for advanced weaponry has led the U.S. Department of Defense to fund new entrants like Ursa Major and X-Bow Systems, but all manufacturers depend on ammonium perchlorate, currently supplied at scale by only one U.S. company, American Pacific. Northrop Grumman's efforts to establish a second production line have been slow due to certification requirements. AMPAC is investing $100 million to expand production capacity by 50 percent, targeting completion next year. Industry and government leaders highlight the need for additional suppliers and long-term procurement commitments to address supply chain vulnerabilities.Learn more on this news by visiting us at: https://greyjournal.net/news/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elon Musk jumping into the third-party game? Buckle up. Building a party from scratch is a brutal, Kafkaesque nightmare, and the duopoly hates it. Yeah, he's got money—big money—but money alone won't save him from the legal jungle and political vultures circling. If Musk does this right, it could seriously screw up the GOP and maybe mess with the Dems too. If he does it wrong? Well, he'll just flush a fortune down the drain with a bunch of clowns running around. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ACT Party leader David Seymour announced plans to address the supermarket duopoly at the party summit on Sunday. Seymour proposed that international competitors haven't begun operations in New Zealand due to restrictive approval processes.  Seymour says that while his opponents have proposed breaking up the duopoly or imposing taxes, his solution of introducing a third competitor would be the only truly effective answer.  Wire host Castor spoke to Emeritus Professor of Economics, Tim Hazledine, about his thoughts on Seymour's proposal and alternative solutions to break up the New Zealand supermarket duopoly.

Meesho, Rapido, and Zepto have managed to challenge what seemed like firmly established duopolies, such as Amazon and Flipkart, Uber and Ola, and Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart, respectively.The third-place player trying to break the duopoly with its ‘challenger DNA' came in and caught up with the incumbents by targeting the unserved or underserved markets they overlooked, innovation, be it through providing a zero commission platform for sellers, delivering groceries in minutes or connecting drivers to riders based on a subscription model.But what other factors cause this disruption in these duopolies?A critical factor enabling these new entrants is often incumbent complacency combined with venture capital pressures in India, which push established players towards short-term profits over broader market expansion.In episode 48 of Two by Two, we discuss how these disruptors came about, and based on their journey, can we observe other such disruptive third players in India?Joining hosts Rohin Dharmakumar and Praveen Gopal Krishnan was Professor Rajendra Srivastava, former dean at the Indian School of Business and presently the executive director at the ISB Centre for Business Innovation.–Additional reading:Does your company have an India strategy – https://hbr.org/2023/06/does-your-company-have-an-india-strategyWhy Indigo Airlines may be India's best export to the world after cricket and bollywood? – https://medium.com/@rks_72086/why-indigo-airlines-may-be-indias-best-export-to-the-world-after-cricket-and-bollywood-5beb92182343Market-based assets and shareholder value – https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/002224299806200102Peripheral Vision: Detecting the Weak Signals that Will Make or Break Your Company written by George S. Day and Paul J. H. Schoemaker (recommended by Professor Shrivastava)The Rule of Three: Surviving and Thriving in Competitive Markets written by Jagdish Sheth and Rajendra Sisodia (recommended by Professor Shrivastava)Additional listening:Is Zepto a gold medallist or a bronze medallist? – https://the-ken.com/podcasts/two-by-two/is-zepto-a-gold-medalist-or-a-bronze-medalist/Vidit Aatrey on building a problem-first mindset into Meesho's culture – https://the-ken.com/podcasts/first-principles/vidit-aatrey-on-building-a-problem-first-mindset-into-meeshos-culture/–This episode of Two by Two was produced by Hari Krishna. Rajiv CN, our resident sound engineer, mixed and mastered this episode.If you liked this episode of Two by Two, please share it with your friends and family who would be interested in listening to the episode. And if you have more thoughts on the discussion, we'd love to hear your arguments as well. You can write to us at twobytwo@the-ken.com.

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast is a reader-supported publication (and my full-time job). To receive new posts and to support independent ski journalism, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.WhoJoe Hession, CEO of Snow Partners, which owns Mountain Creek, Big Snow American Dream, SnowCloud, and Terrain Based LearningRecorded onMay 2, 2025About Snow PartnersSnow Partners owns and operates Mountain Creek, New Jersey and Big Snow American Dream, the nation's only indoor ski center. The company also developed SnowCloud resort management software and has rolled out its Terrain Based Learning system at more than 80 ski areas worldwide. They do some other things that I don't really understand (there's a reason that I write about skiing and not particle physics), that you can read about on their website.About Mountain CreekLocated in: Vernon Township, New JerseyClosest neighboring public ski areas: Mount Peter (:24); Big Snow American Dream (:50); Campgaw (:51) Pass affiliations: Snow Triple Play, up to two anytime daysBase elevation: 440 feetSummit elevation: 1,480 feetVertical drop: 1,040 feetSkiable Acres: 167Average annual snowfall: 65 inchesTrail count: 46Lift count: 9 (1 Cabriolet, 2 high-speed quads, 2 fixed-grip quads, 1 triple, 1 double, 2 carpets – view Lift Blog's inventory of Mountain Creek's lift fleet)About Big Snow American DreamLocated in: East Rutherford, New JerseyClosest neighboring public ski areas: Campgaw (:35); Mountain Creek (:50); Mount Peter (:50)Pass affiliations: Snow Triple Play, up to two anytime daysVertical drop: 160 feet Skiable Acres: 4Trail count: 4 (2 green, 1 blue, 1 black)Lift count: 4 (1 quad, 1 poma, 2 carpets - view Lift Blog's of inventory of Big Snow American Dream's lift fleet)Why I interviewed himI read this earlier today:The internet is full of smart people writing beautiful prose about how bad everything is, how it all sucks, how it's embarrassing to like anything, how anything that appears good is, in fact, secretly bad. I find this confusing and tragic, like watching Olympic high-jumpers catapult themselves into a pit of tarantulas.That blurb was one of 28 “slightly rude notes on writing” offered in Adam Mastroianni's Experimental History newsletter. And I thought, “Man this dude must follow #SkiTwitter.” Or Instabook. Of Flexpost. Or whatever. Because online ski content, both short- and long-form, is, while occasionally joyous and evocative, disproportionately geared toward the skiing-is-fucked-and-this-is-why worldview. The passes suck. The traffic sucks. The skiers suck. The prices suck. The parking sucks. The Duopoly sucks. Everyone's a Jerry, chewing up my pow line with their GoPro selfie sticks hoisted high and their Ikon Passes dangling from their zippers. Skiing is corporate and soulless and tourist obsessed and doomed anyway because of climate change. Don't tell me you're having a good time doing this very fun thing. People like you are the reason skiing's soul now shops at Wal-Mart. Go back to Texas and drink a big jug of oil, you Jerry!It's all so… f*****g dumb. U.S. skiing just wrapped its second-best season of attendance. The big passes, while imperfect, are mostly a force for good, supercharging on-hill infrastructure investment, spreading skiers across geographies, stabilizing a once-storm-dependent industry, and lowering the per-day price of skiing for the most avid among us to 1940s levels. Snowmaking has proven an effective bulwark against shifting weather patterns. Lift-served skiing is not a dying pastime, financially or spiritually or ecologically. Yes, modern skiing has problems: expensive food (pack a lunch); mountain-town housing shortages (stop NIMBY-ing everything); traffic (yay car culture); peak-day crowds (don't go then); exploding insurance, labor, utilities, and infrastructure costs (I have no answers). But in most respects, this is a healthy, thriving, constantly evolving industry, and a more competitive one than the Duopoly Bros would admit.Snow Partners proves this. Because what the hell is Snow Partners? It's some company sewn together by a dude who used to park cars at Mountain Creek. Ten years ago this wasn't a thing, and now it's this wacky little conglomerate that owns a bespoke resort tech platform and North America's only snowdome and the impossible, ridiculous Mountain Creek. And they're going to build a bunch more snowdomes that stamp new skiers out by the millions and maybe – I don't know but maybe – become the most important company in the history of lift-served skiing in the process.Could such an outfit possibly have materialized were the industry so corrupted as the Brobot Pundit Bros declare it? Vail is big. Alterra is big. But the two companies combined control just 53 of America's 501 active ski areas. Big ski areas, yes. Big shadows. But neither created: Indy Pass, Power Pass, Woodward Parks, Terrain Based Learning, Mountain Collective, RFID, free skiing for kids, California Mountain Resort Company, or $99 season passes. Neither saved Holiday Mountain or Hatley Pointe or Norway Mountain or Timberline West Virigina from the scrapheap, or transformed a failing Black Mountain into a co-op. Neither has proven they can successfully run a ski area in Indiana (sorry Vail #SickBurn #SellPaoliPeaks #Please).Skiing, at this moment, is a glorious mix of ideas and energy. I realize it makes me uncool to think so, but I signed off on those aspirations the moment I drove the minivan off the Chrysler lot (topped it off with a roofbox, too, Pimp). Anyhow, the entire point of this newsletter is to track down the people propelling change in a sport that most likely predates the written word and ask them why they're doing these novel things to make an already cool and awesome thing even more cool and awesome. And no one, right now, is doing more cool and awesome things in skiing than Snow Partners.**That's not exactly true. Mountain Capital Partners, Alterra, Ikon Pass, Deer Valley, Entabeni Systems, Jon Schaefer, the Perfect Clan, Boyne Resorts, Big Sky, Mt. Bohemia, Powdr, Vail Resorts, Midwest Family Ski Resorts, and a whole bunch more entities/individuals/coalitions are also contributing massively to skiing's rapid-fire rewiring in the maw of the robot takeover digital industrial revolution. But, hey, when you're in the midst of transforming an entire snow-based industry from a headquarters in freaking New Jersey, you get a hyperbolic bump in the file card description.What we talked aboutThe Snow Triple Play; potential partners; “there's this massive piece of the market that's like ‘I don't even understand what you're talking about'” with big day ticket prices and low-priced season passes; why Mountain Creek sells its Triple Play all season long and why the Snow Triple Play won't work that way (at least at first); M.A.X. Pass and why Mountain Creek declined to join successor passes; an argument for Vail, Alterra and other large ski companies to participate on the Snow Triple Play; comparing skiing to hotels, airlines, and Disney World; “the next five years are going to be the most interesting and disruptive time in the ski industry because of technology”; “we don't compete with anybody”; Liftopia's potential, errors, failure, and legacy; skiing on Groupon; considering Breckenridge as an independent ski area; what a “premium” ski area on the Snow Triple Play would be; why megapasses are “selling people a product that will never be used the way it's sold to them”; why people in NYC feel like going to Mountain Creek, an hour over the George Washington Bridge, is “going to Alaska”; why Snow Triple Play will “never” add a fourth day; sticker shock for Big Snow newbs who emerge from the Dome wanting more; SnowCloud and the tech and the guest journey from parking lot to lifts; why Mountain Creek stopped mailing season passes; Bluetooth Low Energy “is certainly the future of passes”; “100 percent we're getting more Big Snows” – but let's justify the $175 million investment first; Big Snow has a “terrible” design; “I don't see why every city shouldn't have a Big Snow” and which markets Snow Partners is talking to; why Mountain Creek didn't get the mega-lift Hession teased on this pod three years ago and when we could see one; “I really believe that the Vernon base of Mountain Creek needs an updated chair”; the impact of automated snowmaking at Mountain Creek; and a huge residential project incoming at Mountain Creek.What I got wrong* I said that Hession wasn't involved in Mountain Creek in the M.A.X. Pass era, but he was an Intrawest employee at the time, and was Mountain Creek's GM until 2012.* I hedged on whether Boyne's Explorer multi-day pass started at two or three days. Skiers can purchase the pass in three- to six-day increments.Why now was a good time for this interviewOkay, so I'll admit that when Snow Partners summarized the Snow Triple Play for me, I wasn't like “Holy crap, three days (total) at up to three different ski areas on a single ski pass? Do you think they have room for another head on Mount Rushmore?” This multi-day pass is a straightforward product that builds off a smart idea (the Mountain Creek Triple Play), that has been a smash hit at the Jersey Snow Jungle since at least 2008. But Snow Triple Play doesn't rank alongside Epic, Ikon, Indy, or Mountain Collective as a seasonlong basher. This is another frequency product in a market already flush with them.So why did I dedicate an entire podcast and two articles (so far) to dissecting this product, which Hession makes pretty clear has no ambitions to grow into some Indy/Ikon/Epic competitor? Because it is the first product to tie Big Snow to the wider ski world. And Big Snow only works if it is step one and there is an obvious step two. Right now, that step two is hard, even in a region ripe with ski areas. The logistics are confounding, the one-off cost hard to justify. Lift tickets, gear rentals, getting your ass to the bump and back, food, maybe a lesson. The Snow Triple Play doesn't solve all of these problems, but it does narrow an impossible choice down to a manageable one by presenting skiers with a go-here-next menu. If Snow Partners can build a compelling (or at least logical) Northeast network and then scale it across the country as the company opens more Big Snows in more cities, then this simple pass could evolve into an effective toolkit for building new skiers.OK, so why not just join Indy or Mountain Collective, or forge some sort of newb-to-novice agreement with Epic or Ikon? That would give Snow Partners the stepladder, without the administrative hassle of owning a ski pass. But that brings us to another roadblock in Ski Revolution 2025: no one wants to share partners. So Hession is trying to flip the narrative. Rather than locking Big Snow into one confederacy or the other, he wants the warring armies to lash their fleets along Snow Partners Pier. Big Snow is just the bullet factory, or the gas station, or the cornfield – the thing that all the armies need but can't supply themselves. You want new skiers? We got ‘em. They're ready. They just need a map to your doorstep. And we're happy to draw you one.Podcast NotesOn the Snow Triple PlayThe basics: three total days, max of two used at any one partner ski area, no blackouts at Big Snow or Mountain Creek, possible blackouts at partner resorts, which are TBD.The pass, which won't be on sale until Labor Day, is fully summarized here:And I speculate on potential partners here:On the M.A.X. PassFor its short, barely noted existence, the M.A.X. Pass was kind of an amazing hack, granting skiers five days each at an impressive blend of regional and destination ski areas:Much of this roster migrated over to Ikon, but in taking their pass' name too literally, the Alterra folks left off some really compelling regional ski areas that could have established a hub-and-spoke network out of the gate. Lutsen and Granite Peak owner Charles Skinner told me on the podcast a few years back that Ikon never offered his ski areas membership (they joined Indy in 2020), cutting out two of the Midwest's best mountains. The omissions of Mountain Creek, Wachusett, and the New York trio of Belleayre, Whiteface, and Gore ceded huge swaths of the dense and monied Northeast to competitors who saw value in smaller, high-end operations that are day-trip magnets for city folks who also want that week at Deer Valley (no other pass signed any of these mountains, but Vail and Indy both assembled better networks of day-drivers and destinations).On my 2022 interview with HessionOn LiftopiaLiftopia's website is still live, but I'm not sure how many ski areas participate in this Expedia-for-lift-tickets. Six years ago, I thought Liftopia was the next bargain evolution of lift-served skiing. I even hosted founder Evan Reece on one of my first 10 podcasts. The whole thing fell apart when Covid hit. An overview here:On various other day-pass productsI covered this in my initial article, but here's how the Snow Triple Play stacks up against other three-day multi-resort products:On Mountain Creek not mailing passesI don't know anything about tech, but I know, from a skier's point of view, when something works well and when it doesn't. Snow Cloud's tech is incredible in at least one customer-facing respect: when you show up at a ski area, a rep standing in a conspicuous place is waiting with an iPhone, with which they scan a QR code on your phone, and presto-magico: they hand you your ski pass. No lines or waiting. One sentimental casualty of this on-site efficiency was the mailed ski pass, an autumn token of coming winter to be plucked gingerly from the mailbox. And this is fine and makes sense, in the same way that tearing down chairlifts constructed of brontosaurus bones and mastodon hides makes sense, but I must admit that I miss these annual mailings in the same way that I miss paper event tickets and ski magazines. My favorite ski mailing ever, in fact, was not Ikon's glossy fold-out complete with a 1,000-piece 3D jigsaw puzzle of the Wild Blue Gondola and name-a-snowflake-after-your-dog kit, but this simple pamphlet dropped into the envelope with my 2018-19 Mountain Creek season pass:Just f*****g beautiful, Man. That hung on my office wall for years. On the CabrioletThis is just such a wackadoodle ski lift:Onetime Mountain Creek owner Intrawest built similar lifts at Winter Park and Tremblant, but as transit lifts from the parking lot. This one at Mountain Creek is the only one that I'm aware of that's used as an open-air gondola. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

This week, we've seen Reform UK trounce Labour and the Conservatives across England in local elections. Nigel Farage's party has secured a fifth MP, clinched two mayorships and seized control of at least seven councils.In response, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is vowing to go harder and faster with his reforms, while Kemi Badenoch's leadership of the Conservative party is coming under scrutiny.Host Lucy Fisher is joined by podcast regulars George Parker, Robert Shrimsley and Stephen Bush to dissect what the results mean for the government, the opposition and traditional two-party politics in the UK.Have a question for our panel? Drop us a line at politicalfix@ft.com. Record a voice note with your name and question, and email it to us. Follow Lucy on Bluesky or X: @lucyfisher.bsky.social, @LOS_Fisher; Robert @robertshrimsley.bsky.social, @robertshrimsley,Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social, @stephenkb and George Parker @GeorgeWParker @georgewparker.bskyb.socialWant more? Free links: Reform UK sweeps English councils in local election routNigel Farage shakes British politics with election surgeMulti-party politics heightens danger for muddled LabourReform wins first UK council in local election surgePlus: The final State of Britain newsletter from Political Fix regular Pete Foster reflecting on his five or more years as the FT's public policy editor, covering Brexit and its impact on UK government and business. Post-Brexit UK: stuck between an unreliable US and a mercantilist EUSign up here for 30 days free of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 ‘Best Newsletter' award. Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Clare Williamson. The executive producer is Flo Phillips. Original music and mix by Breen Turner. The FT's head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What Punter are you? Take the Quiz!Konrad and James speak with former Triple J host Alex Dyson and marathon runner Erchana Murray-Bartlett about their journey from everyday punters to independent candidates challenging Australia's broken two-party system. Buy Punters Stickers & T-shirts Support We the Punters on PATREONSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Sunday, Finance Minister, Nicola Willis, announced plans to combat the supermarket duopoly between Foodstuffs and Woolworths. This could include breaking-up or restructuring the current chains, with Cabinet also announcing a formal request for information, or RFI, into the matter. For our weekly catch up, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel,  spoke to Te Pāti Māori's Takutai Kemp about this announcement, and whether she, and the party, thinks this will be enough to address food accessibility in Aotearoa. We also discussed the comments made by Green MP, Tamatha Paul, about the police, and whether she believes these comments have become sensationalised. Finally, we discussed the party's calls for mandatory police body cameras. But first, they started off by asking Kemp about how the party are feeling about Nicola Willis' most recent announcements into the supermarket duopoly.

As briefly touched on earlier, changes to how the supermarket duopoly in the country have been put forward by Finance Minister, Nicola Willis. Currently there are only two major supermarket chains in the country: Woolworths and Foodstuffs, with this move aiming to establish alternative options to how these companies operate. News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the Chief Executive of Consumer NZ, Jon Duffy, about these developments, and how the organisation are feeling about them. They started off by asking him how much of a concern the current duopoly is.

A key player in the 2007 break-up of the telecom sector says he's optimistic for the first time that change is coming for the country's supermarket duopoly. Tex Edwards spoke to Alexa Cook.

Uber and Lyft own the rideshare space and that's led to less than satisfactory rates for drivers. Not anymore. Some drivers are looking towards driver cooperatives to gain new ground themselves. So what are the details and will it work? Plus: The EU slaps back at tariffs and Americans are ending work earlier than ever. Join our hosts Jon Weigell and Juliet Bennett as they take you through our most interesting stories of the day. Get our Side Hustle Ideas Database: https://clickhubspot.com/thds Follow us on social media: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thehustle.co Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehustledaily/ Thank You For Listening to The Hustle Daily Show. Don't forget to hit Subscribe or Follow us on Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode! If you want this news delivered to your inbox, join millions of others and sign up for The Hustle Daily newsletter, here: https://thehustle.co/email/  Plus! Your engagement matters to us. If you are a fan of the show, be sure to leave us a 5-Star Review on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hustle-daily-show/id1606449047 (and share your favorite episodes with your friends, clients, and colleagues).

Did the Lakers save the NBA season?, Charles Barkley vs Kendrick Perkins, the NBA race, Caitlin vs Angel, LeBron vs MJ, Lakers vs Celtics, Cam vs Shedeur, & more. We certainly won't agree so let's argue ... oops, we mean debate! #BallHogSportsTalk!

When people hear Luke 8:18, they assume it is talking about stuff.But Luke, like the Book of Job, is not about stuff.It is about darkness and light.When people evaluate others—their first mistake is that they evaluate at all—they measure what others have. That is how the Duopoly assesses Job. They love him because he was rich, pity him because he was poor, judge him because he was self-righteous, or cheer him because he did not give up.They experience the full range of human suffering, not through their own trials, but by observing and evaluating others.They think they are something when they are nothing—wolves in sheep's clothing.Women and men who glory in the flesh; who glory in the suffering of others.They are the Duopoly—the "both-sidesies" people.Thus says the Lord: There is only one side; my throne in the heavens. It is mine, my kingdom rules over all, and I am not mocked.Even what they think they have is already gone, fading before they can grasp it—lost in their foolish desire to measure it.There is only one thing needful.And it cannot be counted as loss, because it does not come from them.That is why they think it has no meaning—because it is not of their making.Those who think like them, who act like them, will become like them.This week, I discuss Luke 8:18.Show Notesἔχειν (to have) and δοκεῖ ἔχειν (thinks he has)1 Corinthians 8:2οὐδεὶς θεὸς εἰ μὴ εἷς “There is no god except one.” (oudeis theos ei mē heis)لَّا إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ “There is no god but him.” (lā ilāha illā huwa; common phrase, e.g., Surah Al-Baqarah, 255)שְׁמַע יִרָאֵל יְהוָה (אֲדֹנָי) אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה (אֲדֹנָי) אֶחָד “Hear O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” (shamaʿ yisra'il, yahweh [adonai] eloheinu, yahweh [adonai] aḥad; Deuteronomy 6:4)Galatians 6:3δοθήσεται (it will be given)Romans 12:31 Corinthians 4:7ἀρθήσεται (it will be taken away)Romans 11:21-22ἐκκόπτω (ekkoptō) “cut off, cut down” כ-ל-ה (kaf-lamed-he)To complete, finish, or bring to an end. Destruction, annihilation, perishing.2 Corinthians 13:5Luke makes 2 Corinthians functional in 8:18, reinforcing “the light” in 8:17 as an implement of testing. See my comments on the previous verse: φανερός / ב-ח-ן (bet-ḥet-nun) / م-ح-ن (mīm-ḥāʾ-nūn)In Latin, “en-” and “ex-” are prefixes with distinct meanings:The word “encounter” comes from the Old French “encontre,” which means “meeting” or “opposition,” and is derived from the Latin “in-” (meaning “in” or “on”) and “contra” (meaning “against” or “opposite”). At its root, “encounter” literally means “to meet against” or “to face.”In contrast, the anti-biblical term “experience” signifies “going through a test” or “emerging from a trial.” It emphasizes the personal involvement and subjective perception of events, where meaning is drawn from one's own reference point. This internalized perspective distinguishes experience from encounter, as it places the self at the center of interpretation, making it inherently self-referential.I appreciate Father Paul Tarazi for highlighting this distinction and Matthew Cooper for further exploring the Latin etymologies with us—over coffee. ☕ ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Niko is a content creator and political commentator.https://x.com/realnikohouse   / channel  PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING ONCE OR MONTHLY!https://app.redcircle.com/shows/5bd95...Follow me everywhere:https://linktr.ee/KyleMatovcikTiger Fitness! Use code "KYLE" at checkout!https://www.tigerfitness.com/KyleMFox N' Sons Coffee!Https://www.foxnsons.comUse code KYLE at checkoutGet DEEMED FIT clothing! Use code "SARAHM25" at checkouthttps://deemedfit.co/?ref=bihbnoap&fb.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/in-liberty-and-health/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this deep dive, we explore the booming business of online sports betting, a multi-billion-dollar industry reshaped by a landmark 2018 Supreme Court ruling. From the dominance of FanDuel and DraftKings to the untapped potential in states like Texas and California, we uncover the winners, the risks, and the financial toll on bettors. Plus, we draw a surprising link between sports gambling and investing habits and discuss how instant gratification fuels high-stakes decisions. Whether you're a fan, a bettor, or just curious, this episode unpacks the big bets shaping the future of gambling.

Wouldn't we be better off if the Democrat and Republican parties each split in half and we had four candidates vying for the presidency instead of two? How is that even imaginable? Bradley talks to Rob Richie, co-founder of FairVote, a group that champions Ranked Choice Voting, about electoral reforms that promise to restore genuine democracy, as opposed to whatever it is we have now.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City's only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today's episode: info@firewall.media.Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.

Verizon Fees, AI Translations, Microsoft Hack The panel talks about the Apple Vision pro The Apple Google Duopoly Verizon To Keep Charging Controversial Fee Despite $100 Million Settlement Javier Milei Special Address WITH AI Sam Altman says ChatGPT will evolve in "uncomfortable" ways Sports Illustrated Thrown Into Chaos With Mass Layoffs Origins and definition of "Ensh*ttification" Beeper users say Apple is now blocking their Macs from using iMessage entirely The Quiet Death of Ello's Big Dreams Microsoft 'senior leadership' emails accessed by Russian SolarWinds hackers Amazon's Dark Secret: It Has Failed to Protect Your Data Among Linguists, the Word of the Year Is More of a Vibe Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Cory Doctorow, Iain Thomson, and Alex Lindsay Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: meraki.cisco.com/twit www.stamps.com - promo code: TWIT mintmobile.com/twit paloaltonetworks.com/ot-security-tco drata.com/twit ziprecruiter.com/twit