Podcasts about East Germany

Why your best team only gets noticed when everything breaks — that's the maintenance leadership trap Frank Hess and Tim Staton dig into in this episode. Together, they break down why most organizations only pay attention to maintenance teams when something fails — and why that reactive culture is a leadership failure, not a technical one.   You'll discover: Why "access to data doesn't mean you have the knowledge" Why maintenance is a long-term leadership initiative, not a two-year budget game Why value-creating teams beat cost-cutters — and how downtime and safety risk hit profit and reputation Why AI can surface insights but can't replace human judgment   Frank Hess co-founded T.A. Cook, an asset performance management consultancy later acquired by Accenture, where he led intelligent asset management globally. He's now Chairman of Vysr Performance Intelligence and author of "The Decision," a novel on the origins of operations-centered maintenance, with 30+ years advising capital-intensive industries.   Why Your Best Team Only Gets Noticed When Everything Breaks Frank argues most plants only notice maintenance "when something breaks, right? Then everyone is in trouble." Tim connects this to leadership: teams deserve real leadership everywhere, not just the boardroom. They cover redundancy ("if you have one of something, you have none of something") and planning for "software has always failure" — reliability is a leadership discipline before it's technical.   Maintenance as Value Creation, Not a Cost Block Frank makes the financial case: "reusing it and enlarging the lifecycle time of an equipment is way more profitable... than investing every three or five years in new equipment." High-performing teams avoid the profit losses of unplanned downtime and mitigate safety risks that protect stock price and reputation — yet maintenance is too often "seen as a cost block instead of a value creator," keeping organizations stuck in reactive mode. Maintenance is invisible when it's working — it's the bedrock of operational stability, from utilities to refineries.   Data Without Knowledge, and the Complexity of Decision-Making "Just because you have access to data doesn't mean you have the knowledge." Frank contrasts his early career in East Germany, where scarcity forced creative, manual repairs, with the modern approach favoring replacement over repair — introducing "black box" automation where software failures are harder to diagnose than mechanical ones. Tim and Frank flag a dangerous trend: treating maintenance as a two-year budget game leads to poor long-term asset management, and argue for empowering technicians to decide based on value, not cost-cutting.   Human Judgment and Technology Frank is clear that AI and digital tools surface useful insights but can't replace human intuition and responsibility. Leaders must build environments where technology supports judgment instead of replacing it — people still evaluate recommendations and prioritize safety and long-term reliability over quick fixes. Perfect for plant managers, operations and reliability leaders, maintenance engineers, and any executive who wants to understand why equipment health is a leadership issue, not just technical. Subscribe to Tim Stating the Obvious for more interviews with executives and leaders turning hard-won experience into practical, everyday leadership lessons.   Connect with Frank Hess: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-uwe-hess Book "The Decision" (get it on Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H2QWP25D Vysr Performance Intelligence: https://vysr.io   Connect With Tim: Website: https://timstatingtheobvious.com Professional Reading List: https://timstatingtheobvious.com/products Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timstatingtheobvious YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHfDcITKUdniO8R3RP0lvdw Instagram: @TimStating TikTok: @timstatingtheobvious LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-staton-04b41a271/ SKOOL Community: https://www.skool.com/timstatingtheobvious-9537/about

Peace and Joy: Special Patreon Release with Kay Wyma   “So, as God's own chosen people, who are holy [set apart, sanctified for His purpose] and well-beloved [by God Himself], put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience [which has the power to endure whatever injustice or unpleasantness comes, with good temper];” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:12‬ ‭AMP‬‬   *Transcription Below*   Questions We Discuss: Will you elaborate on this concept of a Soul30? What were your favorite stories from this adventure? How has this peace project changed the way you will live life from this point forward?   Kay Wyma is a mom, blogger, podcaster, and author of four books in which she has tackled, with candor and humor, some of the troubling societal issues that impact us all. Kay's writings have led her to appearances on TODAY, CNN, Hallmark's Home & Family, and more. Before staying at home with her kids, she held positions at the White House and Bank of America. She lives in Dallas, Texas, with her husband and five kids. Connect with Kay at kaywyma.com or on Instagram @kaywyma.   At The Savvy Sauce, we will only recommend resources we believe in! We also want you to be aware: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.   The Peace Project   Thank You to Our Sponsors: Chick-fil-A East Peoria and The Savvy Sauce Charities (and donate online here)   Connect with The Savvy Sauce on Facebook or Instagram or Our Website   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV) Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”   Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”   Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”   Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”   John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”   Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   *Transcription*   Music: (0:00 – 0:09)   Laura Dugger: (0:09 - 2:47) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.   I want to say a huge thank you to today's sponsors for this episode, Chick-fil-A East Peoria, and Savvy Sauce Charities.   If this is your first time here, welcome! You may be wondering what it means to have a special Patreon release, so here's the scoop. Patreon was a platform we used to generate financial support for The Savvy Sauce, and we expressed our thanks to those paying patrons by giving them a bonus episode every month.   But in 2024, we transitioned away from Patreon when we became a non-profit called the Savvy Sauce Charities. The podcast is part of this non-profit, which exists to resource loved ones to inspire growth and intimacy with God and others. So, people used to pay to support us through Patreon, but now they can just donate directly to our non-profit.   We spend thousands of dollars each year to record and produce these episodes, and we do pray that they're beneficial and that God sees fit to use them to be transformational in your life. If that is the case, if you have ever benefited from an episode of The Savvy Sauce, would you consider showing your gratitude through your financial generosity? Any amount is greatly appreciated.   In fact, if every listener gave only $1 per month, it would completely offset our costs. We have all the details on our website, thesavvysauce.com, but feel free to also reach out to our team anytime if you want to partner together. Our email address is info@thesavvysauce.com.   And now I'm pleased to share this episode with you that used to only be available to paying patrons. Kay Wyma is my returning guest today. She is vibrant, and her curiosity sometimes leads to experiments in her life. Her most recent experiment turned into a book, and now she's going to let us in on three areas of focus that added peace and joy to her life. This process is based on Scripture and validated in science. Here's our chat.   Welcome back to The Savvy Sauce, Kay.   Kay Wyma: (2:48 - 2:52) Thank you so much for having me. You're really sweet to put up with me again.   Laura Dugger: (2:53 - 3:07) Well, it was a delight last time, and I'm excited for today as well. And I'm so fascinated by your history of different careers and roles you've had. So, will you tell us a little bit more about all that you've experienced professionally?   Kay Wyma: (3:08 - 5:44) Oh my gosh, it's so funny, Laura, because people will read the bio as they could for any of us that are in our mid-50s, and I'm sitting there going, I'm exhausted listening to that. But the deal is that they didn't happen all at the same time, but I just had a really great opportunity to do some interesting stuff. And one of them, especially in my 20s, I got to work in the George Herbert Walker Bush, so 41 White House, and I was a lead advance for the vice president.   And so, I pretty much got to travel all over the country and a lot of very interesting places in the world during that period. And it was a blast. I got to set up the trips as they would go traveling to these places with the Secret Service and White House Communications. And it just was an amazing way, an opportunity to get to see the world. And then I went on to graduate school and got an MBA and ended up somehow in an international investment banking role, which is laughable because I cannot even help my children with fifth grade math. So, I don't know who that person was that did that.   But I used to be able to do things that way. I can't anymore. And then I had kids, which was such a blessing. I'd met my husband at graduate school when we got married after I'd finished my stint in the White House and had kids right off the bat. And during that time, I really did try to piggyback. That was back in the day when women were allowed to job share, and I just couldn't do it. The more kids that came, the harder it was. And so I stayed at home with my kids, started a couple of businesses here and there, and then found myself in the world of writing. And I didn't plan on it. I kind of say I was an accidental writer, but I don't think anything is really an accident. It's not something that I was educated to do. However, I loved it.   And I look back now and look at the great education that I had gotten and honestly how much I loved writing even as a child. I just didn't know that was something that you could do because back in that day there were, and I'm not that old, but there really were careers that were careers that you sort of went to that made sense from a sensible banking father. It's like, here are your choices for a degree plan. And so, I love how just even gravitating towards what you're gifting a purpose is, which we talked about before, it's just those things are in you, and it's fun to see how they will come out and how fun that it can even come out in a way where it's your vocation. And so here I sit as a writer, crazy.   Laura Dugger: (5:44 - 6:00) Which is so great to hear the journey because you would think the math and the different skills required for international banking and then to become a successful author, that's so interesting. And this is so random and I could be wrong. Were your parents ever on Focus on the Family?   Kay Wyma: (6:01 - 6:54) Well, they could have been. I have the greatest parents. I really do. They're so kind and they're just really terrific people. And so, they became friends, like they're friends with Dr. Dobson. And so, I don't know if they were. That's another really gift they gave us. You just do it in front of you and you don't really make a big deal about anything. And I love that. Everybody puts their pants on the same way, which is one thing I loved even about working at the White House because some of the stuff can look so glamorous and go. But the truth is, we're all just people. And the Lord has put in certain people's paths, things to do that could look really amazing and spectacular. But the amazing and spectacular is around you every single day, even if it might not have something. And for my kids would be like that have a million followers or that has gone viral. But they are there. I'm very blessed, Laura, with very nice parents.   Laura Dugger: (6:55 - 7:03) Well, you've mentioned before that you battled an eating disorder growing up. Do you feel comfortable sharing a little bit more about that journey?   Kay Wyma: (7:04 - 8:39) Absolutely. So, I definitely battled that. And again, I have a wonderful family that I grew up in, a home that I grew up in. But I also grew up in an environment where performance was a big deal, which it is today, too. So many kids are struggling with that. Oh, my gosh, so terribly. And whatever you're struggling with, because it could be for me, it was performance. And the way that I learned, the way that I coped with it was through eating and not eating. And a lot of just getting rid of the food that I had eaten.   And there just came a day when I was in college that thankfully the Lord, the Lord just showed me one night that this is not a good thing. So, I actually left that semester of college to get help. And it changed my life. I was telling one of the girls yesterday, my girls, how grateful I am for that because I had never really understood or even contemplated the concept of grace. I just didn't know that was something I'd heard it, but I didn't know what it was. And I didn't know a whole lot about my worth having been declared by God and my identity having been determined by him. And I will say at 55, I know a lot more about it than I did even then at 19 or 20, but it was going through that journey, asking for help, stopping what was hurting me and reaching for truth that put me on a road to actually learn a lot of just what it means when he says it is for freedom that I have set you free.   Laura Dugger: (8:40 - 9:00) And the reason that I bring up the eating disorder is from a previous podcast. I can't remember which one, but elsewhere I'd heard you say that you stay away from the whole 30 diet, but you were intrigued one day to instead try a soul 30. So, will you share that story with us too?   Kay Wyma: (9:01 - 14:47) I will. And I do, I have to tell you, I, since, since I was 20, I've steered clear of scales and I really do steer clear of diets for me because they don't do good things in my head. And so, one thing that I learned through all of that was that you, you can't change an environment. Often you can't change the environment that you're in, but you can change the way you operate within the environment. Biggest lesson that I learned through all of that, like, please hear that. It was so life altering as I stood going, I can't change this environment, but I can change how I interact with it.   Okay. And so, the whole 30, I do find intriguing, you know, because people, if you're going to do something physically, like to make your diet better, a lot of people do that. And so, for 30 days, they, they exit a ton out of their diet. I don't know everything about it because I am a big chicken. And I think they, if, if I was going to do it, the thing that would be the killer for me is not being able to have cream in your coffee. You know, it's like, that's a deal breaker for me right there.   But the soul 30 it all started one morning. Again, I think I told you on the last one that like, even the experiment with the putting the stuff, like helping the kids with independence started with my rotten attitude. Well, this started with the rotten attitude too. And we aren't always doing experiments in our house, but I just had this bad attitude one morning as I'd come home from carpool. I had women coming over to my house. I leave a Bible study that meets on Tuesdays. And I was just going to the refrigerator to get milk out to be able to serve coffee. And there were two jugs of milk in our fridge. I pull the first one out and it's empty. And I'm like, what? And the second one, I pull it out. It's empty too. Like maybe a drop in it. And quite frankly, I could have put it back going, well, there's a drop of milk in it, but I don't know why people do that. Like in our house, it could be the same with a cereal box. Like you pull the box out, there's nothing in it. And I'm like, just throw it away. Like, please.   And so I was frustrated. I get out into my car to go to the grocery store. And as I drive back out into the street, this big black pickup truck, literally like road routes its way into my face. And I was sort of like, really? And, and I didn't have a choice, but to back down because he was not going to let me go. And so as I started to back up, I looked up and I got to see this beautiful sun like peeking through this cloudy sky. And, and it was so beautiful. I was like, what am I doing? Like why am I in a crabby mood or frustrated by this? I'm in an air-conditioned car on my way to a grocery store where there are refrigerated items and there are people, somebody actually might say hello. Okay. Cause I go in there all the time and I was sort of like; everything is not bad.   And I started to breathe. And I didn't realize in that moment that I was, I was being thankful. Like I just, it just happened. And, and in that I really was breathing. And I like felt better inside of me. I back up and let the guy go legitimately, which again, I did not realize it in the moment, but it was an act of kindness. And I felt even better. And when he drove by, I looked in his window and I was sitting there going, I have, it was a human being first of all. And I recognize that. And just for a moment, I was like, I have no idea what's going on in his day. He could be raced into the hospital. He could be late for work. He could just, you know, be a jerky person and, and life as long as a jerky person. And, and I just was, I wasn't over spiritualizing or anything, but I prayed for him. I was like, please let whatever's going on in his day be okay. Because if he's that intense, something is not great.   And I drove to the grocery store, and I physically felt so good. It was like, like I had been given a joke Cola or something like I, Or some vitamin that was just a blast of energy. And it lasted. By the time ladies got over, I was like, you're gonna believe what happened this morning. It was so weird. And I told them about it the next week they came back and one of the ladies said, can you tell me again? What that story? And I was like, what story? And the lady next to her goes, Oh, I've been doing it. And I was like, doing what? And she goes, your thing. I was like, what is my thing? And she said, Oh, the thankfulness, kindness, and compassion. And as we talked about it again, I was sitting there going, is that something because it had deeply impacted this person that was trying it even for a week.   And I really sat there going, okay, we would do a whole 30 for a physical diet. Something in these practices is impacting the soul. And I was like, what if we tried a soul 30 and for 30 days, proactively practiced thankfulness, kindness, and mercy, because that's what compassion is a part of mercy. What would happen? And so it was sort of like, let's do it. And these very sweet friends were willing to try as were my kids. And so instead of like pulling something away, which is what a fast is that goes with a whole 30, we sort of switched it to this unbelievable soul feast that came with doing these things. It was unbelievable. The joy that came into everyone's life when they started doing this stuff. I mean, it was amazing. And so as I tracked it, I really did track it because I like to know why it was sort of like, why is this happening? What's going on? What is in these things that actually can impact your life at such a deep, deep level to where joy is invited in and peace.   Laura Dugger: (14:49 - 15:00) And so, like you said, you focus on thankfulness, kindness, and mercy in this most recent book, The Peace Project, but will you define and give examples of each of those?   Kay Wyma: (15:01 - 19:08) Yes. And I think that is such a great way to start because it's like, okay, what, what is it even on the soul 30? I was like, here's what you do. Okay. Here is what thankfulness says, because I went to look like, if I'm going to ask, please do these things, here's what they are. So, thankfulness is calling out things for which to be grateful. And for our family, for my kids, I was like, please let it not be the same thing every day. Although now a year and a half out, what difference does it make? It could be the same thing every day. But for them, I was like, don't let it be the same thing. And it can be more than one thing, because the thing with thankfulness, when you start it, it's like, it may take a little effort to go, what do I have to be thankful for? Especially in a situation that's unsettling, which is kind of like when that car drove up on me, that was an unsettling moment.   I was being forced down. And there's so much going on in that conversation that isn't spoken, which I think is important to call out in these things. So even as he's barreling up on me, it makes me feel unseen. It makes me feel like there's no, even though it's not spoken, that action brings with it. What thankfulness does is it instantly, it's like a wake up, like it's a focus shift. And so, and it tends to be looking up in some way, and it gets your eyes off of whatever the situation is. And it allows for truth to come in, which is where thankfulness goes, especially in the unsettling. Cause you can say, as I didn't mean to, but I did even in that moment, I am in an air-conditioned car. It is Texas in the summer, for goodness sake, that is a gift. And it's worth calling out. And there's always something for which to be grateful. So that's what thankfulness is.   Kindness is seeing and loving others. And let me tell you something, loving yourself too, because I've learned through this. We are harder on ourselves than we are on anybody else. So seeing and loving others and yourself in deed or action, this component is so significant because you're taking it. Thankfulness is in your thoughts. So you're walking through in your thoughts and you're doing these things. And kindness is where you're going that extra step. And you're actually putting action on it so that even in your mind, because I learned a lot about neural pathways and how our minds can be transformed by this, which is sort of where we started. If your physical health can be impacted by a diet, can my thought health be impacted by doing things that are good for it? And so kindness takes it from the thought to the action. And so even in that, you know, letting that car go, that is so small. And so kindness doesn't have to be moving a mountain. It can be tiny little things.   I've watched my neighbor one morning picking up newspapers and putting them on everybody's porch. And no one was seeing her do that. I accidentally did. And she even told me that day, you know, it's the small things because it is because when that person opens the door, the neighbor opens their door, they know that someone thought of them that day. Like it gives them, whether it's spoken or not, they get a sense of worth by going, I must matter. Somebody cared enough to put my newspaper on my front porch. Tiny, tiny things, as well as big things can be an act of kindness.   And then mercy, that's the showstopper. And it is a challenge and it is beautiful. And the definition of mercy is compassion or forgiveness shown towards someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm. And again, including ourselves. And so as I started to peel back the layers on mercy, there's more and there's more and there's more. And another one of my favorite definitions of it was from a Jesuit priest whose name is James Keenan. And he called mercy the willingness to enter into someone else's chaos, which I actually found to be the most powerful because willingness plays a central role in this whole process because it actually is centered on our significance having been settled by the Lord.   Laura Dugger: (19:09 - 19:17) What surprising discoveries did you make as you deliberately practiced each of these attitudes? And like you said, you partnered them with action steps.   Kay Wyma: (19:18 - 21:54) Yeah, so I think for everybody, we just did a book club just finished last week, even here. And one of the gals said that she has been struggling terribly with anxiety and worry that stemmed a lot. They moved to Florida before the pandemic. And so, she was living in a new place, basically holed up in her house for a year and a half. And those things of worry and anxiety and fear had crept in and had become, you know, on repeat in her mind. And so just because she had signed up for the book club, came with a friend and she didn't really buy any of it because it doesn't matter whether you buy it or not because these things are not for me. Like that's the number one thing. They aren't mine. These really are woven within the greatest commandment. You know, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind is thankfulness. Your eyes are not on yourself. And love others as you love yourself. And he's not talking about a narcissistic love. He's like genuine caring for others and yourself. There's so much power in that, which includes kindness and mercy.   And so, she simply started doing the thankfulness. She was like, I don't know what the others are, but I know I can track being thankful. I can find a way to be thankful. And she came back after the first week and couldn't believe what it had done to her. Just in practicing thankfulness, which we know through science that there are benefits that occur in your brain just by doing that simple act. And it's clearly proven. You can just Google even the amount of thankfulness journals because it's so good for us. And if you write it down and look at it and see, you're using all these senses. And when you add the kindness and the mercy to it, it's so deeply impactful.   And so, I think the thing that probably surprised me the most is how consistent the piece is and how your neural pathways actually can change. You can actually have your superhighway and your thought process, because we have those ruts in our brain that are highly traveled paths that our thoughts go to. And they tend actually to be along the lines of anxiety or fear or worry, because that's been a part of your life since you were a little kid. And to be able to somehow transition those highest traveled pathways to something that involves kindness and mercy and thankfulness is so significant because your instant reaction is going to a place of peace instead of a place of anxiety. It's like where science meets scripture.   Laura Dugger: (21:54 - 27:25) It's so beautiful. And now a brief message from our sponsor.   Did you know you can go to college tuition-free just by being a team member at Chick-fil-A East Peoria? Yes, you heard that right. Free college education. All Chick-fil-A East Peoria team members in good standing are immediately eligible for a free college education through Point University. Point University is a fully accredited private Christian college located in West Point, Georgia. This online self-paced program includes 13 associates degrees, 17 bachelor's degrees, and two master's programs, including an MBA. 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And I say this is reaching the nations because The Savvy Sauce podcast is downloaded in all 50 United States as well as over 100 countries around the world. Your financial support also supports practical needs such as aiding our team to continue producing helpful content that is practical and uplifting and always pointing to Jesus.   Your financial support, furthermore, will help us continue to expand our reach and secure future projects we have planned for this ministry. If your ears are hearing this message right now, I am specifically asking you to give. We are so grateful for any amount, and our team will continue to seek to be good stewards of the gifts offered to us.   So, if you want to write a check or set up an ongoing payment with your bank that delivers a check to us each month, this is the most beneficial way to give because no percentages are taken out for processing fees. You can make your check out to: Savvy Sauce Charities, P.O. Box 101, Roanoke, Illinois 61561. Additionally, with our new website, we now have a donate  button. There are processing fees that we cover for these donations, but we wanted to offer listeners a seamless way to share their finances with us when we share our content with them. So just visit thesavvysauce.com and find the donate page under the tab support. Another way to find it is simply type in donate to the search bar on our website and just click the first picture shown.   We are all about sharing around here, sharing resources, sharing joy, and sharing the good news about Jesus Christ. We ask that you also will share by sharing financially, sharing The Savvy Sauce podcast episodes, and sharing a five-star rating and review. You can also share any of our social media posts on Instagram or Facebook. We are grateful for all of it, and we just love partnering together with you. Now, back to the show.   You've already shared one piece of scripture that was impactful. Were there any other passages that especially seemed to come to life during this project?   Kay Wyma: (27:26 - 29:11) Oh, yes, and they continue to, Laura, as is always the case with scripture. You know, it really is like, wow. But I love the take your thoughts captive and make them obedient to me, which can sound like it's something that I do, you know, that I'm going to have to make my thoughts obedient to him, but it's really the Lord's power that does that. And it's like these things, you know, I think we talked before about, he isn't doing something to us by saying do these things, it's for us. And it's because when you do these things, naturally it is going to set you free. And so, I love that.   I love in Isaiah where it says, “He will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast in him.” And so when you feel that unsettledness, in that unsettledness, we can go to the places of worry or fear or anxiety, but what if in the unsettledness you can go to the one who says, I see you, who says you are known, who says you are a masterpiece, who says you belong because I chose you, who says, “I see you, you are mine.” And then go to those beautiful verses, even in Isaiah where he says, “you'll go through the water and they will not rise up over you and you will go through the fire, yet you will not be burned.” That's the truth because the one who says it is the one who protects us through all those things. And in the willingness aspect of this, it goes to this place where you're trusting what you can't see. And that is the one who has said these things over us to the point where I'm acting on it in places that can feel very scary. And leaning into his safety actually proves his safety over and over and over and over. And I think that's why the piece comes in.   Laura Dugger: (29:12 - 29:17) Kay, you're such a great storyteller. So, do you have any favorite stories from this adventure?   Kay Wyma: (29:18 - 33:55) There's a couple. So, it's like these practices rehumanize what so much around us has been dehumanizing because people aren't objects. People really matter. We like to compartmentalize everybody based on so many things, our race, our religion, the color of our hair, our vocation. I mean, you name it. And so, it kind of dehumanizes in that. And now we have this cancel culture, which is so weird. Like you could cancel a human being. And so, the rehumanizing comes in all of these practices. And it's so powerful.   So, we were even on our way to the grocery store. There was a person that needed to get over a couple of lanes. And so, I'm with one of my daughters and I was like, let's let that person over. And so, as we did, she crossed over in front of us and made it all the way over three more lanes to go right. I mean, she really was in the wrong place. And my daughter looks at me and said, I'm so glad we did that. And I was like, why? And she said, because if someone had done that for me, it would have made me feel like I was seen and that I had worth. And so, I've never, like that sticks in my head constantly. To be seen and to have worth is what we all need. And the tiniest little things can do that for us.   And so at that grocery store where we were going, a lady honked at me in the parking lot. Like I was walking and she just like blared on her horn, scared the living daylights out of me. And I was like, oh my gosh. But again, in that moment, I was like, wait a second. I can either have that, I'm either gonna fire up and be mad or I'm gonna be like, oh, I really am not seen. Either way, I'm going in a bad path or I can choose willingly to go, no. She's probably stressed out because she's not used to driving or maybe I scared her. She didn't see me. I don't know. And just reacts that way. And so, in that moment, I'm like letting it go, seeing her as a human being going in the grocery store.   And so, I go in, do my shopping. It's super packed in there. I go to the deli line, get my number, stand and wait and stand and wait. And as I'm waiting, who shows up next to me but the lady that honked at me, which if I hadn't let it go in the parking lot, I would have been like, oh, there's that lady in my head. But I wasn't. I was like, oh my gosh, there she is. And the guy calls my number and I feel her next to me and hear her sigh like, oh my gosh. And I look at her and she had forgotten to get her number. And the line was so long. And I was sitting there going, you know what? I've got margin in my day. And I took my number and handed it to her so happily. And she did what we all do. She refused it because kindness is risky. You may be rejected, okay? But again, if you're going into it willingly in the willingness that's based on your settled significance, that kind of rejection doesn't hurt because you're not rejected by the one who has called you by name. Not to over-spiritualize it.   But in that moment, I'm like, okay, no worries. But the deli guy is watching the whole thing. And so, I go to hand him the number and he looks at me and he serves her. And it was, I just can't even tell you how beautiful it was because she accepted it from him. I left because I was like, I don't want her feeling weird. I'm out of here and came back later. And it was so tiny and so beautiful. And it was like the greatest things of humanity were right there at the deli line in the grocery store. And I could tell you others, like even at the checkout, not on this occasion, but another one. Like what the checkers did to give grace to a woman who was so mean to them. And for them, like these two people to look at each other and go, man, she must be having a hard day and err on that. I mean, people are amazing. And it's like, dare we walk alongside each other? Dare we reach for the good? Dare we like just sink into the beauty of all that comes with things like your significance being eternally determined so that we can actually live in the freedom that surrounds you. All these opportunities that are around you every single day to be able to see the people and to treat the people next to you like human beings. It's really freeing and it's so beautiful. And it's a path paved with shalom peace. And it's amazing.   Laura Dugger: (33:56 - 34:22) Okay, that story is so touching. And I think it's because it's so apparent that that was the Holy Spirit and Jesus in you being Jesus to someone else. Because in scripture, we do see that it's God's kindness that leads us to repentance. And I just wonder what the other side of the story is. Your act of willing obedience and kindness. I wonder how that impacted her in a positive way.   Kay Wyma: (34:23 - 35:31) I don't know, but Laura, the coolest part is that I don't need to know. Like this is, again, through these things, that whole part exits. Like it doesn't matter at all. It's like that so much of the unseen is none of, I'll sit there and go, I can't believe he gave me something in that. Because the thing about any of these, when you give them out, it doesn't work like the world's economy where giving is actually a depletion. In God's economy, when you give, you're actually being filled. And so, it's like with a full tank, you walk away going, why did you allow me to be a part of that? Like, why would you have let me do that? Because I can't believe what you gave me through all of that. It's so amazing. Gosh, it just increases your capacity to trust exponentially. And so you have these little things like thankfulness that primes the pump. It's like, well, I'm going to get it going. And then the kindness. And then to be able to go to these places of mercy that involve very, very deep concepts like compassion, like forgiveness, like grace, like letting go of bitterness. These are aspects of God. They are not from us. It's like an invitation to experience God.   Laura Dugger: (35:31 - 35:38) What are some other ways that this peace project has changed the way that you live your life from this point forward?   Kay Wyma: (35:39 - 37:30) You know, almost with a spirit of expectancy and wonder and being able to see so many things that you haven't seen before. It's like it goes from black and white to technicolor. When I was in college, I actually had the opportunity to travel into West Berlin. This was a long time ago before the wall came down because there was the wall between East Berlin and West Berlin. But in order to get to West Berlin, you had to travel through East Germany. And it was so strange because literally on the train and everyone says this that did that back in those days, it was like you would go from colors to black and white. Like it was gray. They're literally the landscaped was gray. And then you would go from that gray into West Berlin that was like all colors and crazy and vibrant.   And that's what I feel like this does. It takes the gray and it makes it, the colors just come out spectacularly. And I think it is because you're choosing to not just believe, but you're acting on the belief which changes something which because you can't do that on your own strength. And so you're getting to experience this very mysterious aspect of God where he says, come to me, I will give you peace. I will give you joy. And I'm going to add that during this period, we probably lived through some of the hardest stuff that we have ever lived through in our life, just with very old past hurt that came and revisited in an extreme way. And it's amazing to me how full our days were on some of the hardest days we've ever experienced simply because these practices allowed us to look beyond and to live in peace and joy that paved even the hardest path.   Laura Dugger: (37:31 - 37:52) Well, I think that points to our good God, even in his timing that he invited you into this and you were willing to step in. And like you've said, it wasn't just something he did to you, but he offered this for you. And even through a hard time, that was such a gift.   Kay Wyma: (37:53 - 39:32) Yeah, which I could never have known that we would even be living that hard time when we started doing this. And it was definitely something that was given to us because I wasn't looking for it. Again, like I said, I had a rotten attitude when all this started and yet he met me there. Somebody said to me, how brilliant that you did this. Like, you know, you did thankfulness, then kindness, then mercy. And I was like, I did not do this. Like, I didn't make this up. This is what literally happened that morning. And for whatever reason, our curiosity was piqued and it was piqued enough to go, hey, you want to try? And what would happen?   And this, the book is the story of us trying and it really is a 30-day experiment where I go through the 30 days of like us doing it as a group and even include the group with these alongside call outs to where even the ladies that were doing it with us. And it was ladies just because it's a ladies Bible study. It doesn't mean that it's a woman thing or a guy, you know, not a guy thing. The consistency of, I can't believe how this has set me free. I didn't know I was entering into these places like this. I can't believe how healthy my mind is. You know, and again, people, if you have any issues with depression or that are deep that you need to get help, get help, please. You know, there is help out there. There are people that are gifted to be able to walk alongside us through very, very challenging situations which we were getting help along the way too. These practices will invite peace into your day on any day. I mean, just try it. Of course, I would love for people to get the book, but more than anything, just try it. I mean, these things are for you as much as they are for me.   Laura Dugger: (39:33 - 39:39) And if someone is willing to give it a try, what suggestions do you have for them?   Kay Wyma: (39:39 - 41:53) Yeah, it's so funny because I think when we hear like, oh, I have to do something for 30 days. I don't know about you, but I'm like, I can't add one more thing to my plate. And then I'm like 30 days. So, the first thing is just do it. Like just try it. And this is not something that you are going to have to give up anything or that it's going to be some burden or that you're gonna be trudging through just a hard journey. It will instantly be a gift to you. That's it. I still struggle with my rotten attitude going, no, it's really stubbornness that I'll go, oh, I'm not doing it. And then I'll think, what is wrong with you? You really know how great this is.   When the Lord was asked, what would you say is the greatest commandment? He instantly said, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and love others as yourself for these sum up all the law and the prophets. That's a pretty big deal. And so why? Because it's so good for you because it gets our eyes off ourselves because it puts into action our effort to believe that what he says is true. The belief, I love you. I see you. I know you. You're safe. I'm provided for you. It's so powerful. I know that to be true.   One of the gals that was in our book club has an eight-year-old daughter that hilariously picked this book up because her mother was reading it. And she called it Kay's Peace Project. She does not know me. She was going into a soccer camp, you know, and it's hot. A little girl that's her friend was being mean to her every day. And so by the last day she was getting out of the car. And that week, you know, she didn't want to get out because she didn't want to deal with this friend of hers that was being mean to her. As she was getting out on Friday, she turned to her mom as she got out of the car and she said, you know, I picked up Kay's Peace Project last night. She had landed on a day about mercy. And she said, I read about mysterious mercy. And she said, it made me realize that something may be going on in her friend's life that she doesn't know. And so, she said, I've decided that that's probably why she's being mean to me. And so, I really want to be nice to her today because I don't know what it is that's going on in her life. Eight years old.   Laura Dugger: (41:54 - 42:07) Wow. And that is so powerful. How it has the power to work in all of us. And so, if somebody wants to grab their own copy of The Peace Project or if they want to find you online, Kay, where would you direct them?   Kay Wyma: (42:08 - 42:49) Well, to KayWyma.com or I do love Instagram, but I'm just telling you, it's set your expectations low, people. Because it is, anything I've got is for whoever would like to participate in it or alongside because I do love living life together. And I would love for anybody to join along in that on those platforms or even through the books. And it's just such a privilege. And I just can't thank you enough for having me on and for your listeners even giving me a few moments to even hear whatever is the Lord has put on my heart today. And please share what's on your hearts with the people that are next to you, too. It's worth it.   Laura Dugger: (42:50 - 43:04) Well, it's been a joy to host you. And you probably remember from last time, we are called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge. And so, as my final question for you today, Kay, what is your savvy sauce?   Kay Wyma: (43:05 - 43:57) Okay. So, for this project is settled significance. And it is the idea to live in your settled significance. You don't have to get significance from anything around you even though the world would tell you that we need to like in whatever capacity is is like ask the question, where am I thinking I have to do this in order to be okay? Because that's this if then equation of the world. If you do this, then blah, blah, blah, blah. Settled significant operates off God's economy that says, because then, because I have declared you righteous, you are seen, you are known, you are whole, you are loved, you are enough, you belong. And to be able to live in those things, we fight for that right now. We really do. And we try to call out those things that are telling us otherwise.   Laura Dugger: (43:58 - 44:15) Well, Kay, thank you for fighting the good fight of faith and for sharing these practical ways to live out these biblical themes that really have eternal value of thankfulness and kindness and mercy. It has been a joy to host you as my guest.   Kay Wyma: (44:15 - 44:23) Oh, my gosh. You're so nice to host me. Thank you so much. And thank you for what you do. You're a huge encouragement to people every day. So, thank you.   Laura Dugger: (44:23 - 47:39) Thanks, Kay. One more thing before you go, have you heard the term gospel before? It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you, but it starts with the bad news.   Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves. This means there's absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own. So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death, and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved.   We need a savior, but God loved us so much. He made a way for his only son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute. This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with him.   That is good news. Jesus lived the perfect life. We could never live and died in our place for our sin.   This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus. We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished. If we choose to receive what he has done for us, Romans 10:9 says, “that if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”   So, you pray with me now. Heavenly father, thank you for sending Jesus to take our place. I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to you.   Will you clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare you as Lord of their life? We trust you to work and change lives now for eternity. In Jesus name we pray.   Amen. If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring him for me. So, me for him, you get the opportunity to live your life for him.   And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason. We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So, you're ready to get started.   First, tell someone, say it out loud, get a Bible. The first day I made this decision, my parents took me to Barnes and Noble and let me choose my own Bible. I selected the Quest NIV Bible and I love it.   You can start by reading the book of John. Also get connected locally, which just means tell someone who's a part of a church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ. I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you.   We want to celebrate with you too. So, feel free to leave a comment for us here. If you did make a decision to follow Christ, we also have show notes included where you can read scripture that describes this process.   And finally, be encouraged. Luke 15:10 says, “in the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” The heavens are praising with you for your decision today.   And if you've already received this good news, I pray you have someone to share it with. You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.

Kate Adie presents stories from Germany on the Alternative für Deutschland party's plans if it takes power in state elections; India's Cockroach party takes on a new fight; inside the factories of China's robotic revolution; how corned beef changed a Uruguayan town and the protesters of the peaceful anti-communist revolution in 1989 who've taken up a new cause.Jessica Parker has followed the campaign of AfD's state leader in Saxony-Anhalt, Ulrich Siegmund, and heard more about the plans to reform the culture and education systems to make them more patriotic - and what locals are making of them.Geeta Pandy has visited rural schools in Faridabad - which are poorly staffed and in a dilapidated condition. It's a situation replicated across India and the subject of a new campaign by the Cockroach Janata Party, as she discovers.In China, Laura Bicker has visited factories in Chengdu, Hangzhou and Beijing - as well as the World Humanoid Olympics - to witness the robot revolution underway. More than two million robots work in the country's factories and she encounters the industrial robots working alongside humans - and the young people being encouraged to embrace the advances.Sara Wheeler has been in the Uruguayan town of Fray Bentos, and learns how corned beef along with other beef products once changed the fortunes of the region and the country.And Anne McElvoy reflects on her time as a student in communist East Germany, and then as a reporter of the anti-communist protests in 1989 - and finds some of those who took to the streets back then have redirected their sense of national pride to embrace a new cause: support for the AfD.Series Producer: Serena Tarling Production Coordinators: Katie Morrison and Sophie Hill Editor: Justine Lang

گردآوری و روایت: ارشیا عطاری تدوین: طنین خاکسا  موسیقی تیترا‌ژ: مودی موسوی (اینستاگرام | توییتر) طراح گرافیک: تارا نباتیان   اینستاگرام چیزکست | توییتر چیزکست | تلگرام چیزکست  وبسایت چیزکست حمایت مالی از چیزکست ارتباط مستقیم: chizcast@outlook.com   منابع این قسمت: Bundesarchiv, Stasi Records Archive, What Was the State Security? Bundesarchiv, The Unofficial Collaborators of the MfS. Bundesarchiv, The Reconstruction of Torn Documents. Berlin Wall Foundation, Victims at the Berlin Wall. Berlin Wall Foundation, The Berlin Wall and Bernauer Strasse historical materials. Chronicle of the Berlin Wall, November 9, 1989 chronology and Harald Jäger materials. Chronicle of the Berlin Wall, biographies of Ida Siekmann, Günter Litfin and Peter Fechter. U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian, The Berlin Airlift, 1948-1949. U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian, The Berlin Crisis, 1958-1961. U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian, Marshall Plan, 1948. U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian, NATO, 1949 and Warsaw Treaty Organization, 1955. U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian, Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe, 1989. U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian, Collapse of the Soviet Union, 1989-1992. U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian, Germany and the Two Plus Four settlement. German History in Documents and Images, Workers' Uprising of June 17, 1953. German History in Documents and Images, GDR Repression and Opposition collection. German History in Documents and Images, Leading GDR Writers Protest the Expatriation of Wolf Biermann, 1976. German History in Documents and Images, Peace Prayers and Monday Demonstrations in Leipzig. German History in Documents and Images, Peaceful Revolution collection, 1989. German History in Documents and Images, Mass Demonstration on Alexanderplatz, November 4, 1989. German History in Documents and Images, Appeal “For Our Country”, November 26, 1989. German Bundestag, The Freely Elected People's Chamber of the GDR. German History in Documents and Images, material on the GDR economy and the 1980s debt crisis. Mary Fulbrook, The People's State: East German Society from Hitler to Honecker. Mary Fulbrook, Anatomy of a Dictatorship: Inside the GDR, 1949-1989. Frederick Taylor, The Berlin Wall: A World Divided, 1961-1989. Hope M. Harrison, Driving the Soviets up the Wall: Soviet-East German Relations, 1953-1961. Timothy Garton Ash, The Magic Lantern: The Revolution of '89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin, and Prague. Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk, End Game: The 1989 Revolution in East Germany. CIA, Origins of the Congress for Cultural Freedom, 1949-1950. Patrick Radden Keefe, Wind of Change podcast, 2020. Interviews with Klaus Meine on the 1988-1989 Soviet concerts and the writing of Wind of Change. Scorpions, Crazy World, 1990, and contemporary release history of Wind of Change.

Judy Dempsey, Senior Scholar in Berlin for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, with co-host Thaddeus McCotter: Dempsey describes European Baltic and Nordic leaders flocking to Kyiv, yet warns that "moral outrage" lacks a cohesive strategic plan to negotiate an end to the war. She highlights the rising prominence of the pro-Russian, far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in state elections. Interestingly, an ideological rift has emerged as radical AfD factions in East Germany sour on MAGA due to Trump's policies on Iran. McCotter delivers a severe critique of the MAGA-AfD relationship, arguing MAGA should never have "played footsies" with neo-Nazis, and asserting the AfD is fundamentally aligned with Vladimir Putin rather than the United States—their temporary embrace of MAGA merely a superficial attraction. Although West Germans have abandoned historical sentiments toward Russiadue to the Ukraine invasion, East Germany remains deeply split, harboring lingering sentimental pro-Russian views and separate post-unification cultural dynamics. (7)

CONTENTS THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 8-25-2026COVER OF FANTASTIC MAGAZINE OCTOBER 1961Liz Peek, columnist for The Hill and Fox News, discusses the surprising resilience of the American economy, noting that small businesses are reporting strong hiring and profitability growth based on broad National Federation of Independent Business and Bank of America data. While consumer spending remains robust, recent data reveals a K-shaped economy, where higher-income homeowners spend extensively on renovations while lower-income consumers trade down at Walmart. Rising interest rates present a critical challenge, slamming the housing market and significantly increasing interest payments on the massive national debt. Lastly, the administration's tariff conflict with Canada is criticized as a major, highly unfortunate, and economically damaging political mistake. (1)Jonathan Schanzer, Executive Director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, evaluates the Treasury's initial tranches of secondary sanctions targeting entities trading with Iran, including firms in China and the UAE. Although these measures stop short of targeting major Chinese banks, they provide President Trump with leverage ahead of his Washington summit with Xi Jinping. Within the Middle East, Schanzer warns that regional powers are hedging their bets. Saudi Arabia may be negotiating a separate peace with the Houthis and Iran, which could undermine US sanctions. Additionally, the US controversially rescinded Syria's state sponsor of terror status following the rapid rise of former al-Qaeda commander Ahmed al-Shara. (2)Mary Kissel, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute and former Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State, analyzes Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran, asserting that its success relies on penalizing large Chinesefinancial institutions. However, Beijing holds significant economic and military leverage over the US, including export controls on critical minerals. Regarding North America, Kissel describes the escalating trade war with Canada as a "loser's game" driven by domestic politics. She stresses that the 50% tariffs on essential materials like Canadianaluminum and auto parts disrupt deeply integrated supply chains. Consequently, this trade conflict severely harms ordinary consumers and threatens Republican control of key Senate seats in critical border states of Maine and Michigan. (3)Colonel Jeff McCausland, US Army (Retired) and Visiting Professor at Dickinson College, warns that the US foreign policy process has collapsed under President Trump, who relies on personal loyalty over expert advice. This is illustrated by Trump's sudden decision to reduce joint US-South Korea military exercises without notifying allies. McCausland argues this undercuts South Korea while offering concessions to a nuclear-armed dictator, Kim Jong-un, who actively supplies weapons to Russia for the Ukraine war. Furthermore, he criticizes the "economic D-Day" against Iran as highly insincere given key delays in sanctioning China, and strongly condemns the trade war against Canada, a loyal ally with a rich military history. (4)Gregory Copley, editor of Defense & Foreign Affairs, argues that the US sanctions regime against Iran is strategic signaling that makes Washington look weak, as it ignores China's trade dominance and threatens relations with India. He also views the Canadian trade dispute as a strategic failure that weakens the NORAD treaty and forces Canada to act independently in the Arctic. This unpredictability has alienated European allies, who are now bypassing the US to negotiate directly on Ukraine. Additionally, Copley analyzes post-Petro Colombia, detailing how the energetic new president faces massive domestic security issues, narco-trafficking networks, and the grounding of critical disaster relief aircraft under sanctions. (5)Thaddeus McCotter, former US Representative from Michigan and columnist for American Greatness, details the severe political and economic fallout of Trump's trade war with Canada, noting that insulting rhetoric like the "51st state" remark has politically boosted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. He explains that border states like Michigan and Maine share deep commercial integration, meaning 50% tariffs will directly harm their local economies. This unvetted policy blindsided senior Republican legislators, including Susan Collins, who openly opposed the tariffs and avoided a campaign rally with Vice President Vance. Ultimately, McCotter warns that these tariffs jeopardize critical Senate seats in highly contested swing states, giving rival Democrats a very major campaign advantage. (6)Judy Dempsey, Senior Scholar in Berlin for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, with co-host Thaddeus McCotter: Dempsey describes European Baltic and Nordic leaders flocking to Kyiv, yet warns that "moral outrage" lacks a cohesive strategic plan to negotiate an end to the war. She highlights the rising prominence of the pro-Russian, far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in state elections. Interestingly, an ideological rift has emerged as radical AfD factions in East Germany sour on MAGA due to Trump's policies on Iran. McCotter delivers a severe critique of the MAGA-AfD relationship, arguing MAGA should never have "played footsies" with neo-Nazis, and asserting the AfD is fundamentally aligned with Vladimir Putin rather than the United States—their temporary embrace of MAGA merely a superficial attraction. Although West Germans have abandoned historical sentiments toward Russiadue to the Ukraine invasion, East Germany remains deeply split, harboring lingering sentimental pro-Russian views and separate post-unification cultural dynamics. (7)Note: segment 7 came with a separate co-host block for McCotter, so I've folded his critique into the single paragraph after Dempsey's material — flag me if you'd rather run his commentary as its own standalone file.

Before stadium tours, platinum albums and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recognition, John Kay was simply a young refugee searching for a better life. Music became his escape, his identity and ultimately the vehicle that carried him from the hardships of post-war Europe to the front of one of the most influential rock bands of all time.In this episode of A Breath of Fresh Air, host Sandy Kaye welcomes the legendary singer, songwriter and founding member of Steppenwolf for a deeply personal conversation about the remarkable life behind one of rock's most recognisable voices.Born in East Prussia during the closing months of World War II, John spent his earliest years amid conflict and uncertainty. His family fled advancing Soviet forces before eventually escaping communist East Germany and building a new life in Canada. Those formative experiences shaped his resilience, independence and determination long before music entered the picture.John recalls discovering rock and roll as a teenager and finding inspiration in the blues, folk and early rock artists who would influence his own distinctive style. He shares how those early musical ambitions led to the formation of Steppenwolf in Los Angeles, where the band quickly became one of the defining acts of the late 1960s with its raw sound, powerful songwriting and unforgettable performances.The conversation explores the creation of timeless classics including "Born to Be Wild," "Magic Carpet Ride," "Rock Me," "The Pusher" and "Monster," songs that helped shape the soundtrack of a generation. John reflects on how "Born to Be Wild" became forever linked with the landmark film Easy Rider, transforming it into a global anthem of freedom, adventure and rebellion. He also explains how the famous lyric "heavy metal thunder" unexpectedly became part of rock music history, helping to popularise a phrase that would define an entire genre.Beyond the music, John offers thoughtful insights into songwriting, creativity and the realities of life in one of the world's biggest rock bands. He discusses the pressures of fame, the changing music industry and why staying true to his artistic principles has always been more important than chasing commercial success.John also speaks passionately about his lifelong commitment to wildlife conservation and environmental causes, revealing another side of the man behind the music. His dedication to protecting the natural world has remained just as important as his musical legacy, demonstrating that his influence extends well beyond the recording studio and concert stage.This conversation is more than a look back at Steppenwolf's extraordinary career. It's the story of perseverance, reinvention and the enduring power of music to transcend borders, generations and cultures. Whether you've been a fan since the 1960s or you're discovering Steppenwolf for the first time, John's remarkable journey is every bit as compelling as the songs that made him famous.If you enjoy hearing the stories behind the artists who created the soundtrack of our lives, subscribe to A Breath of Fresh Air for more in-depth conversations with the legendary musicians who continue to inspire audiences around the world.

This is the 304th episode of my podcast, 'Soccernostalgia Talk Podcast'. For this episode, I interview English Author and Professor of History, Dr. Alan McDougall and Professor Tony Shaw of University of Hertfordshire, as we discuss their book ‘Cold War Football: A History in Ten Matches' (2026).   Dr. McDougall, an English Professor of History at University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada) His books include:The People's Game: Football, State and Society in East Germany (2014)Contested Fields: A Global History of Modern Football (2020)Youth Politics in East Germany: The Free German Youth Movement 1946-1968 (2004)Dreams and Songs to Sing: A People's History of Liverpool FC from Shankly to Klopp (to be released August 28, 2025)  For any questions/comments, you may contact us:You may also contact me on this blog, on twitter @sp1873 and on facebook under Soccernostalgia.https://linktr.ee/sp1873 Mr. Paul Whittle, @real1888letter on twitter and https://the1888letter.com/contact/https://linktr.ee/BeforeThePremierLeague You may also follow the podcast on spotify and Apple podcasts all under ‘Soccernostalgia Talk Podcast'Please leave a review, rate and subscribe if you like the podcast.Dr. McDougall's contact info:Email: amcdouga@uoguelph.caLinks to Mr. McDougall's books:https://www.amazon.com/Cold-War-Football-History-Matches/dp/1009456121https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JXIIEE4/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084HPBHHQ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0199276277/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2https://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Songs-Sing-Peoples-Liverpool/dp/1009340239?ref_=ast_author_dp Listen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts:https://open.spotify.com/episode/0DmoSrtAJe0xUtlIbTH46e?si=iJWfCG43Tg2oGmnTHGEluA&utm_source=copy-link&nd=1&dlsi=d750fef28dbf4a35https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/soccernostalgia-talk-podcast-episode-304-interview/id1601074369?i=1000783035003  Youtube Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0glYF1STNGY&t=6s Blog Link:  https://soccernostalgia.blogspot.com/2026/08/soccernostalgia-talk-podcast-episode_0622119061.htmlSupport the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Brewstilled, we conclude this set of Barrel Aged Mysteries by discussing the Stasi. Known as the shield and sword of the party, the Stasi maintained East Germany's communist regime's power by tracking, spying on, and suppressing the civilian population through a massive network of secret informants and pervasive surveillance. When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, Stasi agents panicked and attempted to destroy their massive surveillance archives to hide the identities of their informants. Because their industrial paper shredders broke down under the immense volume, officers hastily tore millions of files by hand, but the shreds were later recovered and to this day those devoted to uncovering the Stasi's secrets reassemble the documents to discover the secrets of the Stasi. The Stasi puzzle is the monumental, ongoing effort by Germany to reassemble hundreds of million fragments of destroyed surveillance documents. I'll discuss the Stasi here on Brewstilled with a Barrel Aged Imperial Stout as the beer pairing 

What did it mean to train as an officer in the East German Air Force, where technical skill, military discipline and socialist ideology were inseparable? Roland recalls his journey into the air arm of the Nationale Volksarmee, from dreams of flying MiG fighters to the demanding realities of officer training and service with Mi-8 helicopters. He describes the long days, intensive political instruction and constant expectation that war with NATO could erupt at any moment. Behind the impressive aircraft and tightly controlled military routines lay a system shaped by loyalty, surveillance and pressure to conform. Yet everyday life also depended on friendship, professionalism and the determination to keep complex Soviet-built machines flying. Roland offers a rare first-hand view inside one of the Warsaw Pact's most secretive forces, revealing how young East Germans were prepared to defend the GDR—and what happened when Gorbachev's reforms and growing unrest began to challenge everything they had been taught. You'll have to tune in next week for Roland's experiences as East Germany implodes and his subsequent service in the Bundeswehr. Special thanks to Witali Gerber, military historian and curator at the Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr, for his assistance in arranging this interview. Curated episode extras ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/episode468/⁠⁠ Help me preserve Cold War history via a simple monthly donation, You'll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, receive a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank-you, and bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, we also welcome one-off tips via the same link. Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/store/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ CONTINUE  THE COLD WAR CONVERSATION o BlueSky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/coldwarpod.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Threads ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@coldwarconversations⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Twitter/X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Facebook ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Youtube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Podcast, Pipeman sits down with Gunnar and Stefan of the German punk rock band Dritte Wahl at the legendary Wacken Open Air festival. The conversation dives into the band's origins, experiences playing Wacken, brotherhood in music, aspirations for future performances, and the importance of music in Gunnar's life.Main Topics CoveredIntroduction to Dritte Wahl and meaning behind the band's nameThe band's history and roots in the GDRExperiences and evolution of Wacken Open Air festivalThe importance of supportive festival environments for artistsGunnar's journey in music and playing with familyBand lineup changes and longevityAspirations for playing larger stages and international festivalsThe personal significance of music and life outside the stageKey Discussions & StoriesBand Name and Roots:Gunnar explains that "Dritte Wahl" means “third choice” 00:47 and reflects their experiences growing up in East Germany, where making music was challenging.Wacken Through the Years:Gunnar and Pipeman discuss how Wacken started small, with just one main stage and a tent stage, and has now grown into an immense event with impressive organization and a massive, friendly crowd 01:53.Festival Experience:Both speakers agree that the atmosphere at Wacken is unmatched, noting the seamless organization, hospitality toward artists, and positive crowd energy 02:35.The Impact of AC/DC:Gunnar shares that his inspiration to play guitar came from listening to AC/DC and admiring Angus Young's style 04:39.Family in the Band:Gunnar recounted recruiting his brother to be the drummer after seeing him drumming on a pan at the table, and how they've played together for 38 years 05:03.Life on the Road:The balance of family and band life is discussed, including how time apart and touring strengthens their relationship 05:54.Aspirations & Dreams:Gunnar talks about dreaming of playing bigger festivals and main stages, with Rock in Rio mentioned as a bucket list event 06:31.Music Is Life:For Gunnar, music is essential. Even hobbies like hiking and swimming are an aside; music remains the core 07:49.Notable Quotes“[Dritte Wahl] means third choice, third quality... it comes from the time when we grew up in the GDR, and it was a little bit difficult to make music there.” – Gunnar 00:47“Now have a look at it, it's so amazing.” – Gunnar on Wacken's growth 02:02“With a festival this big, with over 80,000 people, I haven't heard of any bad occurrence whatsoever.” – Pipeman 02:48“I have to learn to play guitar because I like this Angus Young style that much.” – Gunnar 04:42“He's my best friend and he's my brother, and it's very good.” – Gunnar on playing with his brother 05:29“Without music, everything is nothing for me.” – Gunnar 07:53Resources & Links MentionedWacken Open Air Festival: https://www.wacken.com/Rock in Rio: https://rockinrio.com/Dritte Wahl: No direct link given, but recommended to search for "Dritte Wahl official" for more info on the band.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-adventures-of-pipeman--941822/support.Click Here to Subscribe for PERKS, BONUS Content & FREE GIVEWAYS!Follow @pipemanradio on all socials & Pipeman Radio Requests & Info at www.linktr.ee/pipemanradioStream The Adventures of Pipeman daily & live Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays at 1PM ET on W4CY Radio & Talk 4 TV. Download, Rate & Review the Podcast at The Adventures of Pipeman, Pipeman Radio, Talk 4 Media, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, YouTube & All Podcast Apps.

In this episode of Podcast, Pipeman sits down with Gunnar and Stefan of the German punk rock band Dritte Wahl at the legendary Wacken Open Air festival. The conversation dives into the band's origins, experiences playing Wacken, brotherhood in music, aspirations for future performances, and the importance of music in Gunnar's life.Main Topics CoveredIntroduction to Dritte Wahl and meaning behind the band's nameThe band's history and roots in the GDRExperiences and evolution of Wacken Open Air festivalThe importance of supportive festival environments for artistsGunnar's journey in music and playing with familyBand lineup changes and longevityAspirations for playing larger stages and international festivalsThe personal significance of music and life outside the stageKey Discussions & StoriesBand Name and Roots:Gunnar explains that "Dritte Wahl" means “third choice” 00:47 and reflects their experiences growing up in East Germany, where making music was challenging.Wacken Through the Years:Gunnar and Pipeman discuss how Wacken started small, with just one main stage and a tent stage, and has now grown into an immense event with impressive organization and a massive, friendly crowd 01:53.Festival Experience:Both speakers agree that the atmosphere at Wacken is unmatched, noting the seamless organization, hospitality toward artists, and positive crowd energy 02:35.The Impact of AC/DC:Gunnar shares that his inspiration to play guitar came from listening to AC/DC and admiring Angus Young's style 04:39.Family in the Band:Gunnar recounted recruiting his brother to be the drummer after seeing him drumming on a pan at the table, and how they've played together for 38 years 05:03.Life on the Road:The balance of family and band life is discussed, including how time apart and touring strengthens their relationship 05:54.Aspirations & Dreams:Gunnar talks about dreaming of playing bigger festivals and main stages, with Rock in Rio mentioned as a bucket list event 06:31.Music Is Life:For Gunnar, music is essential. Even hobbies like hiking and swimming are an aside; music remains the core 07:49.Notable Quotes“[Dritte Wahl] means third choice, third quality... it comes from the time when we grew up in the GDR, and it was a little bit difficult to make music there.” – Gunnar 00:47“Now have a look at it, it's so amazing.” – Gunnar on Wacken's growth 02:02“With a festival this big, with over 80,000 people, I haven't heard of any bad occurrence whatsoever.” – Pipeman 02:48“I have to learn to play guitar because I like this Angus Young style that much.” – Gunnar 04:42“He's my best friend and he's my brother, and it's very good.” – Gunnar on playing with his brother 05:29“Without music, everything is nothing for me.” – Gunnar 07:53Resources & Links MentionedWacken Open Air Festival: https://www.wacken.com/Rock in Rio: https://rockinrio.com/Dritte Wahl: No direct link given, but recommended to search for "Dritte Wahl official" for more info on the band.Pipeman in the Pit is a music, festival, and interview segment of The Adventures of Pipeman Radio Show (#pipemanradio) and from The King of All Festivals while on The Pipeman Radio Tour. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/pipeman-in-the-pit--2287932/support.Click Here to Subscribe for PERKS, BONUS Content & FREE GIVEWAYS!Follow @pipemanradio on all socials &  Pipeman Radio Requests & Info at www.linktr.ee/pipemanradioStream The Adventures of Pipeman daily & live Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays at 1PM ET on W4CY Radio & Talk 4 TV. Download, Rate & Review the Podcast at The Adventures of Pipeman, Pipeman Radio, Talk 4 Media, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, YouTube & All Podcast Apps.

The August 2, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated carried the headline "She Stole the Show" on its cover, with 14-year-old Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci as the unmistakable star of that week's Olympic coverage out of Montreal. The issue captured the sensation of Comaneci's historic performance — the first perfect 10 ever awarded in Olympic gymnastics — alongside a broader recap of a Games still reeling from political boycotts by Taiwan and more than two dozen African nations, even as competition itself produced record-breaking swimming performances from the U.S. men's team and a dominant yet controversial showing from East Germany's women. Also woven into that week's coverage were Edwin Moses' world-record run in the 400-meter hurdles and Lanny Bassham's gold-medal moment in rifle shooting — capturing a magazine issue that, much like the Games themselves, balanced political tension with breakout athletic stardom. Bassham's path to that gold began with heartbreak in Munich in 1972, where he won silver in the small-bore three-position rifle event, a result that left him searching for what had separated him from gold. Rather than simply refining his technique, Bassham concluded that the difference was almost entirely mental — as he put it, in 1972 he'd been "standing on sand," while by 1976 he needed to be "standing on concrete." He spent the next four years developing a self-built mental training program, focused on controlling nerves, breathing, and concentration with the same precision shooters use to control a rifle, and by his own admission, he wasn't technically much better in Montreal than he'd been in Munich — the transformation was almost entirely psychological. That mental discipline paid off in dramatic fashion: after tying exactly on score with teammate Margaret Murdock, Bassham won gold on a tiebreaker, then made headlines by inviting Murdock to stand beside him on the top step of the podium, calling the tiebreaker rule unfair even in his moment of triumph. Following that triumph, Bassham channeled the mental training program that had carried him from Munich silver to Olympic gold into a broader philosophy he called Mental Management, formalized in his book "With Winning in Mind." The book distills the psychological framework Bassham developed as a competitive shooter — techniques for controlling nerves, building self-image, managing pressure, and maintaining consistency under the intense demands of elite performance — into principles applicable far beyond the rifle range. It became a foundational text not just for Olympic and professional athletes, but for a strikingly wide range of high performers, from PGA Tour golfers and Miss USA contestants to members of the FBI, Navy SEALs, and Fortune 500 executives, cementing Bassham's legacy as much for his post-competitive teaching career as for the medals he won on the range. Lanny Bassham joins us on Past Our Prime to revisit that Montreal tiebreaker in his own words — a rule he still calls unfair decades later, even as it handed him the gold, which is why he invited Murdock up to stand beside him on the podium so she could share in that moment as an equal. He'll also tell us about the turning point that shaped everything after Munich: rather than seeking out a sports psychologist to teach him how to live with finishing second, Bassham set out to learn how to win, a decision that led him to build his own mental training system from scratch. And in a twist that speaks volumes about what really matters to him, Bassham reveals that it's actually his 1972 silver medal — not the gold — that changed his life the most. All of that on this weeks Past Our Prime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many thanks to SRAA contributor Dan Greenall, who shares the following recording and notes:Broadcaster: Deutsche Welle and Radio Berlin International 1970'sDate of recording: Circa 1971Reception location: Ancaster, Ontario, CanadaReceiver and antenna: Hallicrafters S-52 using a longwire antennaNotes: During the height of the Cold War, shortwave broadcasts from both West and East Germany could be heard here in southern Ontario, Canada.Deutsche Welle, the Voice of Germany from Cologne in the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). Heard here with their familiar interval signal and sign on in English circa 1971. Deutsche Welle (Interval Signal): Circa 1971 Dan Greenall Download

Between the blockbuster successes of Airplane! and The Naked Gun!, Jim Abrahams and the Zucker Bros. took a more scattershot satirical turn with Top Secret!, which parodies everything from Cold War spy thrillers to Elvis rock and roll musicals to WWII espionage dramas to '60s beach party movies to an entire flashback remake of The Blue Lagoon. Skillfully surfing these crashing waves of colliding genres is none other than an impossibly young, beautiful, and charming Val Kilmer in his film debut, deftly demonstrating he can do pretty much anything with dazzling aplomb, including a show-stopping oner shot backwards. Kilmer plays Nick Rivers, an anachronistic American rock star on a cultural exchange to East Germany who gets caught up with an inexplicably still-active French Resistance to rescue an imprisoned scientist forced to build a diabolical doomsday weapon. Join Javi, Paul, and the cunningly clandestine Producer Brad as they go skeet surfing through this tsunami of sight gags that includes a giant pooping pigeon, an underwater saloon fight, and the greatest on-screen performance ever by a cow wearing boots. Show Notes: US Theatrical Release Date: June 22, 1984Weekend Domestic Box Office Chart for June 22, 19841984 Top-Grossing Movies (Inflation-Adjusted) - The NumbersAFI|Catalog - Top Secret!Roger Ebert's Top Secret! movie review & film summaryFILM: 'TOP SECRET!', PARODY OF SPY MOVIES - The New York Times1984 Sears Christmas Wish Book (with Fred Savage modeling)The First Giant Restaurant Chain: Howard Johnson's: Rise and FallThe Most Unsung Leading Man of His Generation: Val Kilmer (1959-2025)Pinto Madness – Mother JonesTheme music by Mike McGuillAdditional voicework by Russell BentleySummer of '84 voiced by Colby ElliottFollow us!InstagramBlueskyemail: Multiplexoverthruster@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many thanks to SRAA contributor Dan Greenall, who shares the following recording and notes:Broadcaster: Deutsche Welle and Radio Berlin International 1970'sDate of recording: Circa 1970Reception location: Ancaster, Ontario, CanadaReceiver and antenna: Hallicrafters S-52 using a longwire antennaNotes: During the height of the Cold War, shortwave broadcasts from both West and East Germany could be heard here in southern Ontario, Canada.Radio Berlin International, the Voice of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) signing on with their interval signal and ID for their English language program to Great Britain and Ireland circa 1970. Radio Berlin International (Interval Signal): Circa 1970 Dan Greenall Download

Thanks to a US-led boycott, the first Olympics hosted by a communist country has long been a big black hole in our knowledge of the Olympics -- until now.  On this episode, we're joined by author Tommy Phillips, who wrote The 1980 Moscow Olympics: A Day-by-Day History. His book captures all of the major happenings at these Olympics, which were dominated by the USSR and East Germany. These countries' athletes dominated with skill and athleticism....and also maybe thanks to doping and some clever help along the way.  We talk with Tommy about some of the wilder hijinks at play during the Games, as well as which nations benefitted from the US and its boycott allies not being at these Olympics. Get your own copy of Tommy's book at our bookshop.org storefront (affiliate link).   For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.   Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!     *** Keep the Flame Alive: Obsessed with the Olympics and Paralympics? Just curious about how Olympic and Paralympic sports work? You've found your people! Join your hosts, Olympic aunties Alison Brown and Jill Jaracz for smart, fun, and down-to-earth interviews with athletes coaches, and the unsung heroes behind the Games. Get the stories you don't find anywhere else. Tun in weekly all year-round, and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics. We're your cure for your Olympic Fever! Call us: (208) FLAME-IT. ***     Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod Become a patron and get bonus content: http://www.patreon.com/flamealivepod Buy merch here: https://flamealivepod.dashery.com Hang out with us online: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod Insta: http://www.instagram.com/flamealivepod Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod Newsletter: Sign up at https://flamealivepod.substack.com/subscribe VM/Text: (208) FLAME-IT / (208) 352-6348      

With a nationwide hosepipe ban looming, Christy Moore has been “ruminating” about curtain-twitching neighbours, garden snitching, and the fear of living like it's East Germany in 1973.So what does a legend do when the country's under water restrictions? He writes a song, of course.From dirty jiggly bits to patriotic one-flush tactics, have a listen to Christy's brand-new hosepipe-ban ballad.

https://linktr.ee/hackedoffpodcastTHE GREAT RAVAGING: What Women Should Fear the MostHacked Off Podcast – Episode 10with CS Joseph & Gary Skarzynski (Yuri)This is the most important episode we have ever recorded.Society is collapsing under the weight of Subconscious Developed (SD) men. When the nanny state fails, the police disappear, and the military refuses to act… 80% of men (the SD strong-silent-cuck majority) will turn into Fallout-style Raiders. They will ravage every woman they can get their hands on. History has already shown us this (East Germany 1945, Rome, Weimar, Nineveh). The manosphere and red-pill grifters are accelerating it.In this episode we destroy:• Fresh & Fit + The Whatever Podcast (OnlyFans marketing machines)• Rollo Tomassi (can't even define “high value man”)• Myron Gaines, Sneako, Andrew Tate orbiters, Pearl Davis, Devon Stack (“the Black Klansman”), and the entire simp-to-plate-spinner pipeline• The entitled SD older brother leeching off his 100% disabled UD veteran brother• Why “don't criticize fathers” is pure SD cope• The real definition of a high-value man (the ability to change your life circumstances on a whim)The solution? Lock max. Get Unconscious Developed (UD). Build brotherhoods of iron-sharpening-iron men. Outbreed the SD bloodlines. Women: stay the fuck away from SD men and get with UDSF men before the Great Ravaging begins.Timestamps / Chapters:00:00 – Intro & Welcome00:31 – Discord, Linktree, Skool.com/csjoseph & upcoming Lock Maxing school02:58 – Comments: Fresh & Fit / Whatever Podcast called out for degeneracy06:49 – YoloJ8D: “Stop disrespecting fathers” (everyone is fair game)09:58 – Devon Stack the Black Klansman + Rebecca14:37 – John Sutton's 15-paragraph SD word salad + No More Mr. Nice Guy24:10 – Anecdote: SD older brother leeching off disabled UD veteran brother (rent, toilet paper, tobacco, sugar-mama dreams)30:06 – Cuban kid who sold his Mercedes, lived in a Sienna, and forced his SD parents to respect him33:31 – What is a High Value Man? Rollo Tomassi destroyed by Sneako38:18 – Fresh & Fit, Rollo, Myron, Sneako, Mystery, Tom Leykis & the entire manosphere grift exposed53:35 – THE GREAT RAVAGING explained – why women should be terrified55:45 – Historical proof: Hellstorm, Rome, Weimar, Elijah vs Jezebel, Book of Jonah / Nineveh63:25 – Solution: Fight Club, lock maxing, UD brotherhoods, outbreed the SD64:43 – Malthusianism, Georgia Guidestones, Planned Parenthood, why red pill = eugenics acceleration73:46 – Outro & final warningJOIN THE COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW:• Discord (Hacked Off channel): https://discord.gg/egohackers• Everything you need (links, merch, contact): https://linktr.ee/hackedoffpodcast• Full Octagram + Type Grid + Season 42 compatibility: https://skool.com/csjoseph (29$/mo)• Upcoming Lock Maxing school: coming soon at skool.com/lockmaxingIf you have a penis and you're still SD or harmonious… this episode is your rite of passage. Watch it. Share it. Lock the fuck in.#HackedOff #GreatRavaging #SDMen #UDMen #LockMaxing #CSJoseph #ManosphereExposed #RedPillExposed #RolloTomassi #FreshAndFit #OnlyFansGrift #SocietalCollapse #JungianPsychology #PersonalityTypes #UnconsciousDeveloped #SubconsciousDeveloped #FightClub #HighValueMan #IronSharpensIron #UDSFHacked Off Podcast with CS Joseph & Gary SkarzynskiNew episodes every week. We don't sell out. We don't protect grifters. We tell the truth.

In this episode of What is a Good Life, host Mark McCartney sits down with Ralf Wetzel - a leadership scholar who has taught at leading European business schools, and a clown and mask performer whose solo show Absolutely Reliable! has played the Edinburgh Fringe. This episode is built around one question: what does it mean to have a good relationship with fear? Ralf grew up under surveillance in communist East Germany, in a family where fear was something you lived with, not something you spoke about. He spent years trying to work through it - through therapy, yoga, and psychedelics, and eventually through improv and clown theatre. Along the way, we get into a teaching moment that tested everything he'd learned, and why a plastic clown nose turned out to teach him more about truth than theory ever did.This episode is for anyone who wants to reconsider their relationship with fear.For more from Ralf Wetzel:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralf-wetzel-3a742011/For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@whatisagoodlife3875⁩

He changes the environment so completely that the original attack almost becomes irrelevant.And that's why his opponents always look like they're one move behind.They're not one move behind.They're reading yesterday's notes.Trump never had a playbook.He's writing the next page while they're still highlighting the last one.The Soviet Union wasn't defeated because Americans invaded Moscow.East Germany didn't collapse because somebody delivered a really angry tweet.Authoritarian systems eventually begin eating themselves. They become so obsessed with controlling everyone else that they forget to maintain themselves.It's political auto-cannibalism.I've never seen political opponents spend so much money marketing somebody else's brand.It's like Coca-Cola buying Pepsi commercials.Thank you for your contribution.Foreign adversaries make another interesting mistake.They assume America is divided enough that we won't defend ourselves.History suggests otherwise.Americans argue constantly.We debate taxes.We debate spending.We debate who ruined Thanksgiving.But when somebody outside decides America should lose?That conversation changes.Very quickly.The people betting against America usually discover they've mistaken cable television for national character.Those are not the same thing.Here's the larger lesson.Strength isn't about wanting conflict.Strength is convincing the other guy that conflict would be the dumbest decision he'll make all year.That's deterrence.It's cheaper than war.It's faster than war.And it usually prevents war.As for the Democratic Party, they're facing a different problem.They're discovering that the American people have become much harder to frighten.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Two Worlds, One Me, I speak with Corina Goetz, founder of Star-CaT, a consultancy helping Western executives and companies understand how business really works across the Gulf region.Originally from East Germany and now based in London, Corina's story is one of curiosity, courage and worlds opening up. She grew up in a country where travel was restricted, where even oranges, bananas and Western music felt like glimpses of another life. Books, television and her father's stories became her first passports to the wider world.At 22, Corina moved to London with two suitcases, a job at The Dorchester and no fixed plan,  only a strong feeling that there was more to discover. Her career in luxury hospitality introduced her to people from across the Gulf, and what began as genuine curiosity, grew into deep cultural understanding, trusted relationships and eventually her life's work.We talk about East Germany, London, the Gulf, identity, belonging, stereotypes, hospitality, trust, motherhood and what it really means to become a bridge between cultures.This is a conversation about not accepting the limits of the world you were born into and staying open enough to let new worlds change you.Thanks for listening!Music thanks to John Bartmann

The Democratic Socialists of America are taking over NYC and winning elections in other parts of the country. They are becoming the animating force in the Democratic Party, promising greater equity, social justice, and abundance…but what do they REALLY want, and what does history tell us about their movement?-----SPONSOR: Good RanchersJuly is National Grilling Month, and Good Ranchers delivers 100% American meat sourced directly from local farms and ranches. Most grass-fed beef in grocery stores is imported, so choosing Good Ranchers means supporting American ranchers and knowing exactly where your food comes from. Use code NICK for $50 off your first order and free meat for life at https://www.GoodRanchers.com/discount/NICK ----- GET YOUR MERCH HERE: https://shop.nickjfreitas.com/ BECOME A MEMBER OF THE IC: https://NickJFreitas.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickjfreitas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NickFreitasVA Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickJFreitas YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Nickjfreitas TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nickjfreitas3.000:00:00 - Introduction: Is Democratic Socialism Different?00:00:26 - What Is Communism?00:01:26 - Socialism vs. Communism00:02:38 - What Is Democratic Socialism?00:04:45 - The Core Idea Behind Socialism00:06:24 - Have Socialist Economies Ever Worked?00:08:49 - Soviet Union & The Gulags00:10:23 - Mao's China & The Great Leap Forward00:12:08 - Cuba Under Castro00:13:35 - North Korea00:14:58 - Cambodia Under Pol Pot00:15:53 - East Germany & The Berlin Wall00:17:46 - Poland, Czechoslovakia & Hungary00:19:32 - Albania00:20:35 - Ethiopia, Zimbabwe & Mozambique00:22:47 - Venezuela00:23:57 - Voices From Survivors of Communism00:27:04 - Why Central Planning Leads to Control00:28:27 - Critique of Democratic Socialism00:32:47 - Modern Democratic Socialists00:35:26 - Why People Flee Socialist Countries00:37:15 - Free Markets vs. Socialism00:41:02 - Final Thoughts

Anna Funder is one of Australia's most successful and accomplished writers. She has used her craft to explore power abuse and people's response, whether through stories about life under the Stasi in East Germany, the rise of Hitler, or by giving voice to the agency of Eileen O'shaughnessy - the wife of George Orwell. In telling new stories about power she has challenged the narratives of the powerful.In this conversation we explore how her writing is an act of change making, but also what the perspective of a writer might offer to those who seek to make change. Its a celebration of the power of all of us - our ordinary extraordinariness. She also shares how the kind of everyday outrage that we all experience has effected her in particular, driving her to advocate for writing and against the wanton content stealing that is enabling AI and the Tech Bros to make money.Photo credit: Michele Aboud.Anna will be part of an Australian speaking tour in August 2026, dates and tickets can be found here: https://thinkable.events/tours/an-evening-with-anna-funder.You can find out more about Anna's books here:https://www.annafunder.com/Anna's closing address at the 2025 Writers Festival, that we mention in the podcast, is here.For more on ChangeMakers check us out:Via our Website - https://changemakerspodcast.org (where you can also sign up to our email list!)Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChangeMakersPodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/changemakerspodcast/Threads: https://www.threads.com/@changemakerspodcastBlue Sky: https://www.threads.com/@amandatattersall.bsky.socialFor more on the books and Amanda's writing, have a look at:Amanda's website - https://amandatattersall.com/ Conscious Tribes: thinking differently about making a difference - here and via Hardie GrantPeople Power in Cities - here and via Oxford Uni PressOn Substack - https://substack.com/@amandatattersallOn Medium - https://amandatatts.medium.com/And - her much earlier book about coalition building - Power in Coalition and via Cornell Uni PressAmanda is on Socials here:On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandatattersall/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amanda.tattersallBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amandatattersall.bsky.socialThreads: https://www.threads.com/@amandatattersallTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amanda.tattersall Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Frank Shorter landing on the cover of the July 5, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated was perfectly timed — the Montreal Olympics were just weeks away and Shorter was heading back to defend the gold medal he had won in Munich four years earlier in one of the most memorable moments in American track and field history. He had crossed the finish line in Munich in 1972 to a roar from a crowd that had spent the week living through the horror of the Munich massacre — and it was a roar he almost never heard, thanks to an imposter who entered the stadium ahead of him and tried to steal the race and steal his glory. His victory had done something unexpected — it ignited a running boom in America that was still going strong four years later. Now, with Montreal on the horizon, Shorter was the face of American distance running, the defending champion, and the man the entire track world was watching, making him the perfect cover subject for a magazine that understood better than anyone what was at stake when the greatest runners in the world lined up to race 26.2 miles through the streets of a Canadian summer. He won gold in '72 and silver in '76 — but that silver comes with an asterisk that history has since validated. Shorter always believed something was wrong with the man who beat him, Waldemar Cierpinski of East Germany, who had improved his marathon time by five full minutes in a single year — what Shorter called a "leapfrogger." Years later, after the Berlin Wall came down, documents surfaced showing two members of the East German Stasi corresponding about who was procuring and taking performance enhancing drugs, confirming what Shorter had suspected all along. It didn't give him back the gold medal. But it gave him something else entirely. It gave him a mission. Shorter got the attention of President Bill Clinton and Senator John McCain, enlisted the support of U.S. Army General Barry McCaffrey, and helped found the United States Anti-Doping Agency — an organization he has been fighting for and through for over fifty years. The man who won Munich and was robbed in Montreal became the most important voice in the war for clean sport, and that fight has defined as much of his life as any finish line he ever crossed. And in a conversation that goes well beyond the track, Frank also shares what it meant to take the experience of being a child abuse victim and turn it into a lifetime of child abuse awareness advocacy — because it turns out the most important race Frank Shorter ever ran had nothing to do with a stopwatch. This is the kind of conversation Past Our Prime was built for. For the second time, the great Frank Shorter joins us on the podcast. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Content Warning: This episode contains sex references. In the second season of Brief Histories, True Spies producer Joe Foley is your guide to the shadowy side of the world's espionage capitals. In Berlin, we'll meet a 19th century innovator in political policing, follow the little-known spy origins of the 20th century's most hated dictator, and follow an elite British unit into hostile East Germany. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets and skills. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Assistant Producer: Albert Genower. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed!This week we're taking a look at buildings which have had an interesting second life in Germany's capital; East Germany's Palast der Republik, what became of Albert Speer's New Reich Chancellery and lastly the Museumsinsel or Museum Island.Elsewhere, there's lots of chat about chapped lips and final poses (Oh What A Pose?) for archaeologists this week. If you want to add to the conversation: hello@ohwhatatime.comAnd from now on Part 1 is released on Monday and Part 2 on Wednesday - but if you want more Oh What A Time and both parts at once, you should sign up for our Patreon! On there you'll now find:•The full archive of bonus episodes•Brand new bonus episodes each month•OWAT subscriber group chats•Loads of extra perks for supporters of the show•PLUS ad-free episodes earlier than everyone elseJoin us at

In this episode, Anja Schaer shares her journey from East Germany to the United States and explains how her innovative hybrid rental strategy combines short-term and mid-term rentals to create both stability and profitability. She also discusses building scalable property management systems, leveraging AI, and growing a successful real estate business through strong leadership, delegation, and strategic partnerships.   Professional Real Estate Investors - How we can help you: Investor Fuel Mastermind:  Learn more about the Investor Fuel Mastermind, including 100% deal financing, massive discounts from vendors and sponsors you're already using, our world class community of over 150 members, and SO much more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/apply   Investor Machine Marketing Partnership:  Are you looking for consistent, high quality lead generation? Investor Machine is America's #1 lead generation service professional investors. Investor Machine provides true 'white glove' support to help you build the perfect marketing plan, then we'll execute it for you…talking and working together on an ongoing basis to help you hit YOUR goals! Learn more here: http://www.investormachine.com   Coaching with Mike Hambright:  Interested in 1 on 1 coaching with Mike Hambright? Mike coaches entrepreneurs looking to level up, build coaching or service based businesses (Mike runs multiple 7 and 8 figure a year businesses), building a coaching program and more. Learn more here: https://investorfuel.com/coachingwithmike   Attend a Vacation/Mastermind Retreat with Mike Hambright: Interested in joining a "mini-mastermind" with Mike and his private clients on an upcoming "Retreat", either at locations like Cabo San Lucas, Napa, Park City ski trip, Yellowstone, or even at Mike's East Texas "Big H Ranch"? Learn more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/retreat   Property Insurance: Join the largest and most investor friendly property insurance provider in 2 minutes. Free to join, and insure all your flips and rentals within minutes! There is NO easier insurance provider on the planet (turn insurance on or off in 1 minute without talking to anyone!), and there's no 15-30% agent mark up through this platform!  Register here: https://myinvestorinsurance.com/   New Real Estate Investors - How we can work together: Investor Fuel Club (Coaching and Deal Partner Community): Looking to kickstart your real estate investing career? Join our one of a kind Coaching Community, Investor Fuel Club, where you'll get trained by some of the best real estate investors in America, and partner with them on deals! You don't need $ for deals…we'll partner with you and hold your hand along the way! Learn More here: http://www.investorfuel.com/club   —--------------------

This week we're taking a look at buildings which have had an interesting second life in Germany's capital; East Germany's Palast der Republik, what became of Albert Speer's New Reich Chancellery and lastly the Museumsinsel or Museum Island.Elsewhere, there's lots of chat about chapped lips and final poses (Oh What A Pose?) for archaeologists this week. If you want to add to the conversation: hello@ohwhatatime.comAnd from now on Part 1 is released on Monday and Part 2 on Wednesday - but if you want more Oh What A Time and both parts at once, you should sign up for our Patreon! On there you'll now find:•The full archive of bonus episodes•Brand new bonus episodes each month•OWAT subscriber group chats•Loads of extra perks for supporters of the show•PLUS ad-free episodes earlier than everyone elseJoin us at

On today's episode we sit down with Max from International Research Centre DDR (IFDDR) to discuss their excellent study on land reform and socialist agriculture in the German Democratic Republic (known globally by it's German acronym the DDR - Deutsche Demokratische Republik):The Land to Those Who Work It: From Land Reform to Socialist Agriculture in the DDRStudy description:Within just 45 years, the conditions in the East German countryside changed fundamentally. This transformation took place in several stages.The first stage (1945–1948) instituted a land reform that broke up the centuries-old land ownership structures in the countryside. This process of democratisation created the first framework for new relations of production based on cooperation. The second stage (1952–1960) was characterised by the Genossenschaftsbewegung (the cooperative movement), which was able to resolve the contradictions between modern technology and small-scale production in the interests of farmers and agricultural workers, without ruining, displacing, or subordinating them to the interests of big business, as occurs under capitalism. By the same token, the agricultural cooperatives also provided the rural population with previously unattained social and cultural rights and opportunities. The third and final stage (1970s–1980s), built on this foundation and saw the development of large agricultural production complexes and deepening cooperative relationships between the various stages of production, from primary production to processing and distribution.Of all the changes in East Germany's forty-year socialist history, the most revolutionary developments occurred in agriculture, as they were the most comprehensive.International Research Centre DDR (IF DDR) is a research collective tht investigates the history of the German Democratic Republic (DDR) and the societal changes it achieved. The DDR's 40-year commitment to progress, peace, anti-fascism, anti-colonialism, and internationalism stands in sharp contrast to the history of capitalist West Germany and represents a wealth of knowledge for progressive movements seeking to tackle social challenges today.IFDDR's objective is to enrich current debates with historical experience. To do so, it examines and analyses the functioning of key sectors of the DDR's socialist society: the planned economy, the health care system, the legal system, agriculture, education and so on. A critical appraisal of this history offers a deeper perspective on the fundamental possibilities and difficulties that arise when constructing alternative social, economic, and political models.Read more about IFDDR hereCheck out their studies hereEpisode music:შავი პრინცი და ბაბე - “დაკარგული გული”

Australian author and intellectual Anna Funder specialises in telling the stories of people forgotten or ignored by official histories. She began her writing career with Stasiland, detailing the state surveillance of the people of the former East Germany, which was followed by her prize-winning novel, All That I Am, telling the previously untold story of early resisters to the Nazis. In her most recent work, Wifedom, Funder shifted her lens to the unexamined life of author George Orwell’s wife, Eileen O’Shaughnessy, whose contribution had – until then – been obscured. The recently-appointed professor in creative writing at the University of Sydney is about to embark on a national speaking tour – live conversations exploring history, power, and the stories that shape public life. In this episode, she joins The Sydney Morning Herald senior writer and columnist Jacqueline Maley for a chat about everything from the dangers of AI to the livelihood of creatives.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the main intelligence and security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991, the KGB instilled fear across Russia and sought to sow discord abroad. This network of government spies was notorious for the often brutal methods it used to keep enemies, loyalists and common people under the thumb of the state. And far from fading as the USSR old guard fell from power, the operatives, methods and networks of the KGB remain at the heart of the Russian state today. Putin himself was a KGB officer for 16 years, including six years as a foreign intelligence officer stationed in Dresden, East Germany. In May 2026, veteran security correspondent and Rest is Classified co-host Gordon Corera joined us to unveil the inner workings of the KGB and the hidden power struggles that shaped modern Russia. Corera explored the real-life stories of those on the inside; from the spies who lived and died enforcing its rule, to those who were brave enough to resist it. --- If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events  ...  Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. ⁠https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the main intelligence and security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991, the KGB instilled fear across Russia and sought to sow discord abroad. This network of government spies was notorious for the often brutal methods it used to keep enemies, loyalists and common people under the thumb of the state. And far from fading as the USSR old guard fell from power, the operatives, methods and networks of the KGB remain at the heart of the Russian state today. Putin himself was a KGB officer for 16 years, including six years as a foreign intelligence officer stationed in Dresden, East Germany. In May 2026, veteran security correspondent and Rest is Classified co-host Gordon Corera joined us to unveil the inner workings of the KGB and the hidden power struggles that shaped modern Russia. Corera explored the real-life stories of those on the inside; from the spies who lived and died enforcing its rule, to those who were brave enough to resist it. --- This is the first instalment of a two-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events  ...  Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

BALL LIGHTNIING, 12min., USA Directed by Catriona Trina Baker Ball Lightning is the true story of a refugee who fled the personal and social effects of Soviet run East Germany after the end of WWII and immigrated to the United States in the 1960s. The story is told through the eyes of the surrogate daughter that she raised after she was forced to give away her own infant daughter as the iron curtain rose. Gusta serves as an example of survival, kindness and the fortitude of human resilience. The film is dedicated to her lost daughter, Esther, a reminder that the children separated from families because of war are never forgotten by those who love them. https://www.instagram.com/ball.lightning_film https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-ball-lightning —— Subscribe to the podcast: https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod —— Love for for you to try the Indy Film Festival AP. • Daily new film festival of the best new films from around the world. New archived festival to watch anytime. • Library of over 500+ award-winning films to watch anytime. Go to https://www.wildsound.ca and sign up for the free 3-day trial. Check out the daily film festival (and previous ones from last month) at https://www.wildsound.ca/browse Always an amazing lineup of films. Inspiring for storytellers.

Katja Hoyer is a German-British historian who has made a career out of explaining Germany to the world—and, just as importantly, to Germans themselves. Born in East Germany in 1985 and now based in Britain, she has written acclaimed histories of the German Empire, the GDR, and most recently the Weimar Republic. Tyler and Katja discuss why communism made East Germans more loyal to the system while it bred dissidents in Poland and Hungary, how happy or unhappy life in the GDR actually was, Tyler's own bleak day-trip to East Berlin in 1984, the underrated literature of the GDR (Christa Wolf, Brigitte Reimann), whether Good Bye, Lenin! got the era right, why it's no coincidence that Richter and Polke came from the East, the strange coexistence of communist prudishness and Germany's nudist culture, what Merkel's East German background did and didn't give her as a chancellor, why East Germans remain dramatically underrepresented in leadership positions today, what makes Weimar the cultural and spiritual heart of Germany, why relatively few Jews ever settled there, how much the citizens of Weimar knew about Buchenwald, what actually killed the Weimar Constitution, how she'd rewrite the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler's citizenship problem, underrated German thinkers, the complacency behind Germany's current economic decline, which side of the Weißwurstäquator she'd choose to live on, and much more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video on the new dedicated Conversations with Tyler channel. Recorded March 30th, 2026. Other ways to connect Follow us on X and Instagram Follow Tyler on X Follow Katja on X Sign up for our newsletter Join our Discord Email us: cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts here. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:05:34 - East German Artistic Creations  00:10:55 - Angela Merkel's East German Background 00:14:08 - East German Underrepresentation Today 00:17:02 - East Germans vs. West Germans 00:20:32 - Goethe and Weimar's Cultural Heritage 00:27:09 - What Weimar Knew About Buchenwald 00:31:10 - Why the Weimar Constitution Failed 00:35:21 - Prussia, Bavaria, and Where Nazism Took Root 00:38:23 - Rewriting the Treaty of Versailles 00:39:59 - Historical Antisemitism in Germany 00:42:27 - Hitler's Citizenship problem 00:45:14 - Weimar's Best Cultural Creations 00:47:02 - The Most Underrated German Thinker 00:49:07 - Improving Weimar 00:52:58 - Germany's Economic Malaise 00:55:38 - Living in Britain as a German Historian 01:00:49 - Outro

Berlin wasn't blockaded — and that changes everything you think.Was Berlin really “blockaded” in 1948? Or have we been repeating a Cold War myth for nearly eighty years?In this explosive episode of History Rage, cultural historian and author Joseph Pearson dismantles one of the most entrenched narratives of the early Cold War. We all know the story: Stalin sealed off West Berlin, starving its people, and the West heroically saved the city through the Berlin Airlift. But what if Berlin was never truly blockaded at all?Drawing on deep archival research and firsthand accounts from Berliners, Pearson argues that the term “blockade” is historically misleading. While ground and rail access from West Germany was restricted, movement between East and West Berlin continued. Civilians crossed borders. Food flowed in. Even Soviet authorities offered rations. The airlift was real — and extraordinary — but the idea of a city completely sealed off is far more myth than fact.We explore:What a “blockade” actually means — and why the word mattersHow ordinary Berliners experienced the airliftThe women who built Tegel Airport in just 90 daysThe terrifying near-misses that could have sparked World War IIIThe propaganda war that turned former enemies into alliesWhy the Berlin Airlift remains a masterclass in geopolitical brinkmanshipJoseph Pearson, originally from Canada and now based in Berlin, specialises in everyday history — the lived experience behind the headlines. His latest book examines the Berlin Airlift through the eyes of civilians and pilots, revealing a more complex, human and politically charged story.Guest Details:Joseph Pearson is a cultural historian and author based in Berlin.Book: The Airlift: Victories, Myths, and the Berlin BlockadeBuy here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10120/9781803998220Follow Joseph on Instagram @writing_josephIf you care about Cold War history, post-war Germany, the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, or how propaganda shapes memory — this episode will challenge what you thought you knew.Episode recommendations:Episode 219 – Giles Milton on Post War Berlin - https://pod.fo/e/2f6bc6Episode 103 – Katja Hoyer on East Germany - https://pod.fo/e/21793e Follow & Support History Rage

The conductor Klaus Tennstedt was born on June 6, 1926. After his arrival from East Germany to the West, he held chief conductor posts with the NDR Symphony Orchestra in Hamburg (1979-81), and with the London Philharmonic Orchestra (1983-87), with whom he recorded extensively, including a Mahler symphony cycle (of which No 8 won a Gramophone Award back in 1987). To mark the anniversary Warner Classics has issued a 41-CD set of all of the conductor's EMI recordings. Additionally, there is a substantial Tennstedt catalogue on the LPO's own label as well as numerous off-air performances on YouTube and various other record labels. A century on, we celebrate Tennstedt's artistry with a special Gramophone podcast in which the critic and broadcaster Edward Seckerson – who interviewed the conductor, attended recording sessions and heard him live many time – talks to James Jolly about what made him such an admired musician. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Filthiest Village in Europe: Grassroots Ecology and the Collapse of East Germany (Cornell University Press, 2026) traces how a community shrouded by "industrial fog," at the brink of gaping coal pits, became a symbol that galvanized grassroots ecology—campaigns by diverse local actors that exposed environmental and economic crises East Germany's political system could not resolve. Notoriously known by the late 1980s as "the filthiest village in Europe," Mölbis suffocated downwind from the massively polluting carbochemical Espenhain plant. Applying a myriad of private collections, interviews, and untapped archival sources, Andrew Demshuk reveals how pastors, parents, officials, inspectors, workers, and spies negotiated ossified party structures whose inability to reform was showcased by ever-worsening environmental conditions. After peaceful protests a few kilometers north in Leipzig triggered a revolution, pre-1989 grassroots players launched innovative reconstruction programs with financial and organizational expertise from West Germans. Together, they transformed Europe's filthiest village into a healthy place to live and imbued it with new symbolism, turning it into a sign of hope. The political will and social engagement that saved Mölbis and rejuvenated the surrounding wasteland can inform how to revitalize other postindustrial "filthy places" in our world today. Andrew Demshuk (he/him) is a Professor of History at the American University in Washington D.C. His research focuses on post-1945 German and Polish history with an emphasis on how grassroots human stories can help to explain big political developments. Jenna Pittman (she/her), is a PhD student in the Department of History at Duke University. She studies modern European history, political economy, and Germany from 1945-1990. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

The Filthiest Village in Europe: Grassroots Ecology and the Collapse of East Germany (Cornell University Press, 2026) traces how a community shrouded by "industrial fog," at the brink of gaping coal pits, became a symbol that galvanized grassroots ecology—campaigns by diverse local actors that exposed environmental and economic crises East Germany's political system could not resolve. Notoriously known by the late 1980s as "the filthiest village in Europe," Mölbis suffocated downwind from the massively polluting carbochemical Espenhain plant. Applying a myriad of private collections, interviews, and untapped archival sources, Andrew Demshuk reveals how pastors, parents, officials, inspectors, workers, and spies negotiated ossified party structures whose inability to reform was showcased by ever-worsening environmental conditions. After peaceful protests a few kilometers north in Leipzig triggered a revolution, pre-1989 grassroots players launched innovative reconstruction programs with financial and organizational expertise from West Germans. Together, they transformed Europe's filthiest village into a healthy place to live and imbued it with new symbolism, turning it into a sign of hope. The political will and social engagement that saved Mölbis and rejuvenated the surrounding wasteland can inform how to revitalize other postindustrial "filthy places" in our world today. Andrew Demshuk (he/him) is a Professor of History at the American University in Washington D.C. His research focuses on post-1945 German and Polish history with an emphasis on how grassroots human stories can help to explain big political developments. Jenna Pittman (she/her), is a PhD student in the Department of History at Duke University. She studies modern European history, political economy, and Germany from 1945-1990. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/german-studies

The Filthiest Village in Europe: Grassroots Ecology and the Collapse of East Germany (Cornell University Press, 2026) traces how a community shrouded by "industrial fog," at the brink of gaping coal pits, became a symbol that galvanized grassroots ecology—campaigns by diverse local actors that exposed environmental and economic crises East Germany's political system could not resolve. Notoriously known by the late 1980s as "the filthiest village in Europe," Mölbis suffocated downwind from the massively polluting carbochemical Espenhain plant. Applying a myriad of private collections, interviews, and untapped archival sources, Andrew Demshuk reveals how pastors, parents, officials, inspectors, workers, and spies negotiated ossified party structures whose inability to reform was showcased by ever-worsening environmental conditions. After peaceful protests a few kilometers north in Leipzig triggered a revolution, pre-1989 grassroots players launched innovative reconstruction programs with financial and organizational expertise from West Germans. Together, they transformed Europe's filthiest village into a healthy place to live and imbued it with new symbolism, turning it into a sign of hope. The political will and social engagement that saved Mölbis and rejuvenated the surrounding wasteland can inform how to revitalize other postindustrial "filthy places" in our world today. Andrew Demshuk (he/him) is a Professor of History at the American University in Washington D.C. His research focuses on post-1945 German and Polish history with an emphasis on how grassroots human stories can help to explain big political developments. Jenna Pittman (she/her), is a PhD student in the Department of History at Duke University. She studies modern European history, political economy, and Germany from 1945-1990. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/environmental-studies

The Filthiest Village in Europe: Grassroots Ecology and the Collapse of East Germany (Cornell University Press, 2026) traces how a community shrouded by "industrial fog," at the brink of gaping coal pits, became a symbol that galvanized grassroots ecology—campaigns by diverse local actors that exposed environmental and economic crises East Germany's political system could not resolve. Notoriously known by the late 1980s as "the filthiest village in Europe," Mölbis suffocated downwind from the massively polluting carbochemical Espenhain plant. Applying a myriad of private collections, interviews, and untapped archival sources, Andrew Demshuk reveals how pastors, parents, officials, inspectors, workers, and spies negotiated ossified party structures whose inability to reform was showcased by ever-worsening environmental conditions. After peaceful protests a few kilometers north in Leipzig triggered a revolution, pre-1989 grassroots players launched innovative reconstruction programs with financial and organizational expertise from West Germans. Together, they transformed Europe's filthiest village into a healthy place to live and imbued it with new symbolism, turning it into a sign of hope. The political will and social engagement that saved Mölbis and rejuvenated the surrounding wasteland can inform how to revitalize other postindustrial "filthy places" in our world today. Andrew Demshuk (he/him) is a Professor of History at the American University in Washington D.C. His research focuses on post-1945 German and Polish history with an emphasis on how grassroots human stories can help to explain big political developments. Jenna Pittman (she/her), is a PhD student in the Department of History at Duke University. She studies modern European history, political economy, and Germany from 1945-1990. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/european-studies

When an American rock n' roll singer is invited to East Germany in order to distract from a plot to destroy NATO submarines, he accidentally becomes involved in a resistance plot to rescue an imprisoned scientist.  It's as wacky as it sounds in this comedy spoof called Top Secret! We also discuss our upcoming appearance at Comicpalooza, talk some things we watched this week and played, plus much more!  Next week: Spy Game!

What can an art exhibition, a concert hall and Classical town tell us about twentieth century German history? On Radio 4's weekly discussion programme, setting the cultural agenda every Monday, Samira Ahmed leads a conversation exploring what inter-war Weimar, the Nazi's obsession with so-called 'degenerate art' and the programming of German music at the Wigmore Hall in London reveal about the course of German history and our responses to it. Katja Hoyer's last book, Beyond the Wall was a history of East Germany which concentrated on the consequences the Nazi rule and the Second World War. Now the Anglo-German Historian has turned her attention to Weimar, the town that gave its name to the ambitious republic whose failure paved the way to Nazism. Looking at the stories of a series of varied individuals, she asks how a nation that prided itself on its culture and civility enabled Nazism and why it haunts us to this day because we fear a repeat. Weimar: Life on the Edge of Catastrophe is BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week for a fortnight.Art historian John-Paul Stonard's new book is The Worst Exhibition in the World: Degenerate Art, 1937. The exhibition of Entartete Kunst ('degenerate art') was held in the Hofgarten arcade in Munich in the summer of 1937. Just a few weeks earlier, the same paintings and sculptures by modern German artists had been on display in some of the most prestigious museums in Germany. An extensive propaganda campaign of confiscation and defamation by the Nazis saw the condemnation of works by Jews, Bolsheviks and the enemies of the German Reich. It remains one of the most visited exhibitions ever - and it shaped views of modern art well into the second half of the twentieth century.Julia Boyd's There is Sweet Music Here: The World of Wigmore Hall tells the story of London's privately run music venue. During the Second World War it was possible for audiences to hear exiled German and Austrian Jewish musicians playing Beethoven among a wide range of recitals. Other concerts programmed included Entartete Musik (forbidden or so-called 'degenerate Music'), including the banned composer Gustav Mahler. Producer: Ruth Watts

Pius Sprenger has a PhD in mathematics and spent twenty-five years on Wall Street. He was hired to Deutsche Bank in 2004 and ended up on Greg Lippmann's derivatives desk — the desk Ryan Gosling's character runs in The Big Short. In February 2007 he co-built the ABX index with Goldman Sachs and Bear Stearns. He held his short position for nearly three years while senior management told him he was wrong. He was right. He left Wall Street in 2020. Today he is a founding member of the Scientific Bitcoin Institute alongside Giovanni Santostasi and Steven Perino — peer-reviewed researchers applying the power law to Bitcoin's growth. Their math says $1M per Bitcoin in 8–9 years. $7–8M in 17 years. Falsifiable. Scientific. Not a guess. And he is sounding the alarm again. Wall Street is now packaging Bitcoin into structured products the way it packaged subprime in 2007. Pius has seen this movie. He has the receipts. If you've heard "$1M Bitcoin" and dismissed it as hyperbole — this is the conversation to send to whoever you're trying to convince. We discuss: The Bitcoin Power Law explained — adoption to the power of 3, network value to the power of 2 — and why the math gives you $1M in 8–9 years What it actually felt like to short subprime from inside Deutsche Bank for three years while conference rooms full of PhDs laughed him out The pattern Pius sees in Wall Street's Bitcoin entry — Strategy, STRC, the ETFs — and what negative price convexity means for the paper market One week in East Germany in 1985 — the Stasi, the whispering — and what a former Deutsche Bank trader recognizes in Western banking surveillance today Subscribe so you never miss an episode. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Gruβ Gott!Believers today need to rediscover their Christian history, as well as lessons learned from their persecuted spiritual family. Such context provides critical help for Christians to process the pressures building day by day. And this encore episode provides help in both ways.“Johannes” grew up under Communism as a Christian in East Germany. As a kid, he faced ostracism and limited opportunities. These pressures followed him into adulthood. He refused to compromise his conscience or “go along to get along.” Instead he stood for what he believed in. But these actions came at a price. And it was not him alone who had to paid it. It also affected his wife and his kids.What was life like in East Germany before the Iron Curtain fell? What helped Johannes through the challenges of living faithfully under an anti-Christian, authoritarian regime? And how do you go to a church infiltrated with spies reporting on believers? Listen in and find out on today's episode of the Christian Emergency Podcast. To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.Christian Emergency Alliance: https://www.christianemergency.com/Follow the Christian Emergency Alliance on Twitter: @ChristianEmerg1Follow the Christian Emergency Alliance on Facebook: @ChristianEmergencyThe Christian Emergency Podcast is a production of the Christian Emergency Alliance.Soli Deo Gloria

10. GUEST: Michael Bernstam. Michael Bernstam explains Russia's suspension of Kazakh oil flows to a Germanrefinery. This political maneuver is designed to punish Berlin for supporting Ukraine and influence upcoming regional elections in former East Germany. 102019

SCHEDULE THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 4-22-26.1910 HALLEY'S COMET1. GUEST: Professor Jim Holmes. Professor Jim Holmes discusses the Strait of Hormuz standoff between the US and Iran. He notes the US advantage due to energy independence while highlighting the role of maritime insurers in the conflict. 12. GUEST: Rick Fischer. Rick Fischer warns of China's militarization of the moon, describing how spent propulsion modules could be weaponized to strike US bases. He emphasizes the current lunar race as a high-stakes territorial land grab. 23. GUEST: Alan Tonelson. Alan Tonelson analyzes new Chinese regulations aimed at preventing foreign companies from decoupling. He warns that Beijing may hold foreign executives hostage to protect its manufacturing sector and counter US-led supply chain reshoring. 34. GUEST: Alan Tonelson. Alan Tonelson argues for viewing China as an economic enemy rather than a rival. He advocates for increased tariffs and US government intervention to successfully move critical manufacturing and supply chains out of China. 45. GUEST: Cliff May. Cliff May discusses historic Lebanon-Israel peace talks mediated by the US. He cautions that progress is limited as long as Hezbollah remains an armed Iranian proxy effectively turning Lebanon into an imperial colony. 56. GUEST: Ivana Stradner. Ivana Stradner explains Iran's use of AI-generated Lego videos for information warfare against the US. She encourages the American government to abandon risk aversion and launch its own offensive psychological influence operations. 67. GUEST: Una Schneck and Charlie Detelich. Researchers Una Schneck and Charlie Detelich discuss modeling wind-driven waves on Titan and exoplanets. They explain how factors like low gravity and varying liquid properties create towering, slow-moving waves unlike those on Earth. 78. GUEST: Una Schneck and Charlie Detelich. Una Schneck and Charlie Detelich outline future Titan exploration plans. With an unlimited budget, they would deploy weather stations, buoys, and submarines to study the moon's methane lakes and complex hydrological cycle. 89. GUEST: Michael Bernstam. Michael Bernstam analyzes the decline of Russia's economy, noting that its manufacturing sector is contracting. He details how the Kremlin is exhausting gold and currency reserves to finance its ongoing budget deficit. 910. GUEST: Michael Bernstam. Michael Bernstam explains Russia's suspension of Kazakh oil flows to a Germanrefinery. This political maneuver is designed to punish Berlin for supporting Ukraine and influence upcoming regional elections in former East Germany. 1011. GUEST: Peter Berkowitz. Peter Berkowitz critiques a Harvard Business School case study for presenting anti-Israel bias as established fact. He argues this reflects deep institutional prejudice and a failure to incorporate competing academic or historical viewpoints. 1112. GUEST: Joel Kotkin. Joel Kotkin examines California's gubernatorial race and the state's economic challenges. He highlights how the massive energy requirements of AI data centers clash with the state's restrictive environmental policies and high taxes. 1213. GUEST: Simon Constable. Simon Constable reports on rising commodity prices and the energy impacts of the Hormuz crisis. He also discusses Lord Robertson's warning that Britain must increase defense spending rather than relying on America. 1314. GUEST: Simon Constable. Simon Constable analyzes Prime Minister Keir Starmer's credibility crisis and the Lord Mandelson scandal. He also previews King Charles III's visit to the United States to help repair and maintain critical diplomatic relations. 1415. GUEST: Bob Zimmerman. Bob Zimmerman reports on the failure of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket upper stage. This significant setback delays NASA's Artemis lunar landing timeline, leaving SpaceX as the primary provider for moon missions. 1516. GUEST: Bob Zimmerman. Bob Zimmerman updates on Voyager 1's power-saving measures as it nears fifty years in space. He also discusses a private startup's rescue mission for the Swift telescope and new observations of Martiandust. 16

Juli begins by recounting her early years in East Berlin, a time marked by the tragic loss of her father. Drafted into the army just days before her birth, her father continually deserted to see his family, ultimately leading to his untimely death. This early loss left Juli and her mother to navigate a harsh landscape in East Germany alone. Life in East Berlin was a world of contrasts. Juli describes the indoctrination she experienced in school, where lessons were steeped in socialist propaganda. The Berlin Wall, a symbol of division and oppression, loomed large in her family's life, cutting them off from relatives in the West. Despite the regime's efforts to control information, Juli's family found ways to glimpse the outside world through Western television channels, fuelling her desire for freedom. As Juli grew older, she became increasingly aware of the regime's lies and the oppressive nature of the state. The revolutionary movements of the late 1980s, sparked by events like the Tiananmen Square massacre, galvanised her. Juli joined the Monday demonstrations in Leipzig, risking her safety to demand change. Juli's story doesn't end with the fall of the Wall. She moved to Ireland, where she built a new life and family. She speaks candidly about the challenges of adapting to a new way of life and the lingering impact of her upbringing. Due to some last-minute production problems, this episode is a repeat of a brilliant episode from 18 months ago. It's well worth hearing again! Episode extras here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode452 Go to ⁠⁠⁠https://surfshark.com/coldwardeal⁠⁠⁠ or use code COLDWARDEAL at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!  Help me preserve Cold War history via a simple monthly donation, You'll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, and receive a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank-you, and you'll bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, we also welcome one-off tips via the same link. Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/store/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ CONTINUE  THE COLD WAR CONVERSATION o BlueSky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/coldwarpod.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Threads ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@coldwarconversations⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Twitter/X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Facebook ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Youtube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

4. FAR-RIGHT GAINS IN EAST GERMAN ELECTIONS. JUDY DEMPSEY. Dempsey analyzes the AfD's momentum in East Germany, where pacifist sentiment and economic resentment drive support. The far-right party now contests Chancellor Mertz's coalition in upcoming regional state elections. (4)1606 PERSIAN EMPIRE

JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW SCHEDULE, TUESDAY 4 -7-2026.1521 HORMUZ STRAIT.1. FEDERAL RESERVE'S LIMITED ROLE IN INFLATION. ELIZABETH PEEK. Elizabeth Peek explains that the Fed cannot control supply-shock inflation caused by the Strait of Hormuz closure. She warns that upcoming reports will reflect soaring diesel prices currently affecting Europe. (1)2. REPUBLICAN MIDTERM STRATEGY AND THE ECONOMY. ELIZABETH PEEK. Voter focus has shifted from the border to cost-of-living issues that skyrocketed under current leadership. Peek notes Republicans struggle with messaging despite initiatives to lower healthcare costs and prescription drug prices. (2)3. EUROPE'S ENERGY CRISIS AND THE TRANSATLANTIC RIFT. JUDY DEMPSEY. Judy Dempsey reports on soaring German and French energy costs necessitating diesel subsidies. She highlights European distrust of the American administration and the fraying of traditional multilateral institutions. (3)4. FAR-RIGHT GAINS IN EAST GERMAN ELECTIONS. JUDY DEMPSEY. Dempsey analyzes the AfD's momentum in East Germany, where pacifist sentiment and economic resentment drive support. The far-right party now contests Chancellor Mertz's coalition in upcoming regional state elections. (4)5. DIPLOMATIC STRATEGY IN GLOBAL CONFLICTS. MARY KISSEL. Mary Kissel outlines the State Department's roles in economic diplomacy and humanitarian coordination during global crises. She emphasizes the necessity of consistent messaging between the White House and international allies. (5)6. THE EBB TIDE OF SOCIALISM IN SOUTH AMERICA. MARY KISSEL. Kissel discusses right-of-center political shifts in Venezuela and Chile, crediting Marco Rubio for fostering regional economic growth. She calls for a transition of power to benefit the Cuban people. (6)7. ESCALATION AND IRAN'S REFUSAL TO NEGOTIATE. JONATHAN SCHANZER. Schanzer details the five-man collective governing Iran and their commitment to revolutionary martyrdom. He describes US strikes on infrastructure while questioning if Pakistan is acting as a Chinese proxy. (7)8. THE IDF CAMPAIGN TO DEFANG HEZBOLLAH. JONATHAN SCHANZER. Jonathan Schanzer reports on Israel's efforts to establish a buffer zone in southern Lebanon to prevent rocket attacks. He reveals that the IDF has already destroyed roughly 80% of Hezbollah's arsenal. (8)9. GERMAN ECONOMIC REFORM AND LARS KLINGBEIL. JOSEPH STERNBERG. Joseph Sternberg profiles the Finance Minister's supply-side proposals, including tax reforms and labor law flexibility. These initiatives aim to revive the German economy and reclaim voters from the far-right. (9)10. UK POLITICAL INSTABILITY AND THE KING'S VISIT. JOSEPH STERNBERG. Sternberg discusses Keir Starmer's unpopularity and the upcoming royal visit to America. He suggests the visit offers an opportunity to repair the special relationship despite deep strategic differences over Iran. (10)11. CHINESE ESPIONAGE AND THE ROBOTICS THREAT. DAVID SHEDD AND JACK BURNHAM. Experts examine the Schumer-Cotton bill targeting Chinese robotics, warning that these technologies contain software egress points for data theft. They argue this follows a long-standing pattern of intellectual property larceny. (11)12. AI SMUGGLING AND CIVILIAN-MILITARY FUSION. DAVID SHEDD AND JACK BURNHAM. The guests detail illicit efforts to smuggle Nvidia chips and steal American AI models through "adversarial distillation". They highlight China's strategic plan to acquire Western innovation without the investment. (12)13. Headline: The Gulf Standoff: UN Vetoes, Asymmetrical Tactics, and Iran's Ruling Council (13)Guest: Gregory Copley (14)Summary: John Batchelor and Gregory Copley discuss the Gulf standoff following Russian and Chinese UN vetoes,. They analyze Iran's asymmetrical warfare, use of human shields, and the influence of five uncompromising hardliners currently steering the conflict,,,. (15)14. THE IRANIAN STANDOFF AND STRATEGIC DEADLOCK. GREGORY COPLEY. Gregory Copley compares the conflict to a Korean-style stalemate where Iranian leadership refuses to provide a face-saving exit. Russia and China continue supporting Iran by providing missile propellant and equipment. (16)15. VIETNAM WAR LESSONS FOR MODERN CONFLICT. GREGORY COPLEY. Copley warns that alienation from the government and a lack of defined victory objectives could lead to strategic catastrophe. He notes Trump has alienated allies who previously supported US endeavors. (17)16. KING CHARLES AND THE ANGLO-AMERICAN ALLIANCE. GREGORY COPLEY. Gregory Copley discusses the King's role in mending rifts between unpopular US and UK leaders. The visit celebrates American independence while offering the King a platform to improve diplomatic relations. (18)