Podcasts about empress

Was she a teenage s*x worker or a young woman caught in the crossfire of history?! Let's dive into how Empress Theodora became one of the most powerful women in history. This episode traces Empress Theodora's rise from poverty and the Byzantine Hippodrome to the imperial throne,e and the wave of laws she wrote protecting women-, from anti-rape statutes to marriage rights- that shaped the Western legal system for centuries. We separate the scandal (thanks, Procopius) from the facts, and ask: saint, sinner, or both? Website (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Hi everyone, Jim here. We're taking a short pause on new episodes through the end of August. In the meantime, we're digging out some of our favorite conversations from the archive. This one is from August 2023, with Dr. Julie Gurner. Enjoy. Dr. Julie Gurner is a doctor of psychology and executive performance coach to top percentile executives, primarily in finance and technology. She is also the proprietor of the Ultra Successful newsletter, which delivers a weekly challenge pulled from global business leaders and designed to "help you unleash your power." Dr. Gurner joins the show to discuss the merits of being unreasonable, why your business should not be your identity, why niceness is overrated, and more! Important Links: - Substack - https://drgurner.substack.com - Twitter - https://twitter.com/drgurner?s=21&t=kpNZMw5M-jHHMC0vAkndPg - Website - https://www.drgurner.com/consulting/ Show Notes: 0:00:00 Intro 0:01:24 Main podcast 0:02:20 Dr. Gurner's origin story 0:05:07 How forensic psychology experience can help executive coaching 0:07:11 Leaning into the 1% 0:15:23 Why psychological tests are flawed 0:19:26 The common traits of successful founders 0:29:12 High performance & bottlenecks 0:30:38 Why your business should not be your identity 0:41:01 How Dr. Gurner applies her strategies in her own life 0:44:17 Don't be nice 0:46:48 Be unreasonable 0:51:18 Social validation is not important 0:56:22 How can you improve someone's communication skills 1:01:43 How Dr. Gurner would teach executive coaching 1:03:36 The "no Plan B" mentality 1:06:48 Can high energy be detrimental? 1:10:21 How to unpack charisma 1:15:57 How to turn down work 1:20:01 Dr. Gurner's greatest satisfaction 1:22:31 How has leadership changed in the last 20 years? 1:25:40 Dr. Gurner as Empress of the World 1:31:18 End screen Books Mentioned: - The Art of War; by Sun Tzu

NASA discovers a message reading GOD SAVE THE QUEEN under the ice on Mars' surface. The Doctor, Bill, and Nardole get to Mars and find Victorian Soldiers in a conflict with one of the Doctor's oldest foes.  A group of Victorian soldiers have been brought to Mars by an Ice Warrior that they have named ...

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What if midlife isn't a crisis to survive, but a sacred initiation to step into?In this episode, I sit down with astrologer and coach Raina Elkins to explore how astrology—particularly Saturn and Uranus transits—can help us understand the profound shifts that happen during midlife (ages 35-53). We dive deep into Sabian symbols, a unique astrological tool that adds powerful layers of meaning to your birth chart, creating a personalized blueprint for your soul's journey.Raina shares how women can move from self-abandonment to self-honoring, why everything falling apart might be the universe calling you home to yourself, and how to work with planetary transits instead of resisting them.In This Episode:What Sabian symbols are and how they reveal your soul's storyThe difference between natal charts and solar returnsWhy ages 42-43 are pivotal (hello, Uranus opposition!)Saturn returns at 30 and 60—what they mean for your evolutionMoving from self-abandonment to authentic alignmentHow to navigate midlife transitions without making rash decisionsUsing astrology for relationship readings and understanding your partnershipAbout Raina Elkins: Raina Elkins is an astrologer, coach, and healer specializing in midlife transitions. She blends astrology with coaching and healing work to help women understand major life transits—not as breakdowns, but as initiations into deeper truth and alignment. Raina works with Sabian symbols to add profound layers of meaning to astrological readings, helping clients connect with their soul's blueprint.Special Offer for Listeners: Get 40% off an astrology reading with Raina using code ASTRO40 Visit: rainaelkins.com✨ The deeper work lives on Substack and in my book.Rose Wippich — weekly essays on Remembering, Returning, and Reclaiming the energy, voice, and years that are yours.If you're ready to stop fading and start reigning, meet me there. Substack LinkRose Wippich is an Energy Alchemist, Reiki Master Teacher, qigong and yoga instructor, and author of Empress Rising. She's here for the woman who knows she's ready for something more — the one who feels the pull of her next chapter but isn't quite sure how to step into it.Through her book, podcast, and teaching, Rose inspires and guides women in midlife to reclaim their energy, identity, and voice — and step boldly into their Empress years.

Hey there Voices of the Bench community, this is Trish Jones with Ivoclar. If you've been curious about fast-firing zirconia to improve efficiency but aren't convinced it can deliver predictable, high-quality results, I'd encourage you to connect with us. Our new IPS Emax Zirconia offers multiple fast-fire protocols designed to help save you valuable production time while maintaining consistent results. Time is money in every lab. Don't wait. Reach out to your local Ivoclar rep today and discover how IPS Emax Zirconia can help streamline your workflow. As full-arch dentistry continues to grow, so do the demands on today's dental laboratories. That's why Knight Dental recently launched SimplyARCH Studio, a dedicated production environment built exclusively for full-arch restorations. To support this specialized workflow, Knight invested in an XTCERA milling system and carefully evaluated multiple CAM software solutions before choosing hyperDENT. The decision came down to exceptional milling quality, minimal hand finishing, and impressive production efficiency. But what truly set hyperDENT apart was the implementation process. From the very beginning, the team provided more than software training—they shared the knowledge and experience needed to build an optimized workflow for complex full-arch cases. With proven expertise in advanced milling strategies and laboratory production, hyperDENT helped ensure SimplyARCH Studio was designed for long-term success from day one.Matt Everatt joins Elvis and Barb for a fascinating conversation that takes a deep dive into his journey through the dental laboratory industry and the story behind his book, The Invisible Profession. From discovering dental technology at 16 and specializing in maxillofacial prosthetics and orthodontics to working in hospitals, developing early sleep-apnea appliances, and nearly leaving the profession altogether, Matt's career has taken some seriously interesting turns. Eventually, he helped co-found S4S, building a successful business around sleep-apnea appliances, occlusal splints, orthodontics, and more before eventually stepping away from ownership. This week on Voices From the Bench, we finally sit down with someone we've been wanting to have on the show for a LONG time—Philip Gold! Philip grew up in the dental laboratory, quite literally pulling teeth out of formaldehyde bottles in his father Raymond Gold's lab in Atlanta. His father started the laboratory in 1946, and Philip eventually found himself following in those footsteps, although not without first taking a seven-year detour working for Williams Gold. That experience gave him the opportunity to visit laboratories all over the country, learn from some of the best in the industry, and see firsthand how different labs operated. Philip eventually returned to the family laboratory in 1980 and began the process of taking over from his father. What followed was a career built around learning, adapting, building teams, and—most importantly—relationships. Philip shares what it was like stepping into a leadership role at a young age, earning the respect of experienced technicians, and learning that being a leader isn't about knowing everything yourself, but understanding the work well enough to help the people around you succeed. He also talks about selling the laboratory to National Dentex with the goal of giving the business and its people an opportunity to continue growing, only to eventually find his way back into the laboratory world with By Design Dental Studio alongside his daughter Katie and Denise. And if you know Philip, you know he's never stopped learning. He currently holds six CDT certifications, including ceramics, crown and bridge, partials, implants, dentures, and digital. His story about preparing for the digital practical exam is a perfect example of his determination—his first practice run took seven and a half hours for an exam designed to be completed in just over five. So he reorganized, practiced again, changed his workflow, and eventually got it down to under five hours. And of course, Philip isn't pursuing certifications just for himself. He wants to set an example, motivate the next generation of technicians, and encourage more people in the laboratory to continue learning. We also get into the importance of customer service, why relationships are at the heart of this industry, and why sometimes the best thing a laboratory can do is simply pick up the phone and help. Philip shares his philosophy that when something goes wrong, you drop everything and make it right. We talk about giving back to the industry, the people who helped shape Philip's career, and how the dental laboratory community has always been willing to share knowledge when you're willing to ask. And yes… somewhere along the way we also hear the greatest “okey-doke” story in dental laboratory history. Special Guest: Phillip Gold.

On this week's show, we explore international food icons with humble roots that began right here in the Crescent City. We begin with writer and philanthropist Randy Fertel, who shares stories of his mother, Ruth U. Fertel. She founded Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, now a worldwide establishment, in New Orleans. Both of Randy's larger-than-life parents are the titular subjects of his 2011 memoir, The Gorilla Man and the Empress of Steak. Then, we look back at one of New Orleans' most colorful culinary characters – the late Al Copeland – who built a global fast-food empire with his spicy Popeyes Fried Chicken. This kitchen-rags-to-chicken-riches story is the subject of the book Secrets of a Tastemaker. Al Copeland Jr. relates his father's story with us. Finally, we learn about the legendary public feud between Al Copeland and a local author whose vampire novels became global bestsellers: Anne Rice. Historian Sally Asher of Red Sash Tours takes us to Millionaire's Row in Metairie Cemetery where both of these famous New Orleanians are buried to recount this episode in the city's history. For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

On this week's show, we explore international food icons with humble roots that began right here in the Crescent City. We begin with writer and philanthropist Randy Fertel, who shares stories of his mother, Ruth U. Fertel. She founded Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, now a worldwide establishment, in New Orleans. Both of Randy's larger-than-life parents are the titular subjects of his 2011 memoir, The Gorilla Man and the Empress of Steak. Then, we look back at one of New Orleans' most colorful culinary characters – the late Al Copeland – who built a global fast-food empire with his spicy Popeyes Fried Chicken. This kitchen-rags-to-chicken-riches story is the subject of the book Secrets of a Tastemaker. Al Copeland Jr. relates his father's story with us. Finally, we learn about the legendary public feud between Al Copeland and a local author whose vampire novels became global bestsellers: Anne Rice. Historian Sally Asher of Red Sash Tours takes us to Millionaire's Row in Metairie Cemetery where both of these famous New Orleanians are buried to recount this episode in the city's history. For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

Have you ever wondered if trees could communicate what would they say? I know…it sounds a little unusual. But this week I decided to find out. I gave myself a challenge – I spent time with six different trees, asked each one if it was willing to communicate with me. Then, I listened. What happened next surprised even me. I’ve talked to plants, but never to trees. Whether you believe I was talking to trees, tapping into my intuition, or simply letting nature inspire me, I invite you to keep an open mind. Let’s see where this adventure takes us. What Started This Conversation Idea It all started when I went to the grocery store this week. I parked near the edge of the lot which has a nice evergreen border on the property line. AS I got out of the car, the trees caught my attention. Looking closely, I noticed a ton of little green balls at the end of the needle groups that make up the cypress leaves. Spiky, bright green, and maybe half an inch in diameter. What the heck? Were those going to be pinecones? I posted the picture on Substack and a friend looked it up. Yes! Those are tiny, immature pinecones of the cypress tree. That’s what caught my attention and and started me wondering if they had something to say. Yes, they did. Cypress: Beauty and Being Seen First, I heard these words: “Empress, royal, stately, graceful, beautiful.” Regal as they stand there, creating a tall emerald green border. “I am a mother tree, so I have loads of pinecones. These are like our flowers, to seed the earth and keep our kind going. My babies are full of seeds and offer nourishment to insects and small animals, as well as seeding the ground with new cypress trees. Don’t we make a beautiful border? Look at our auras and our energy fields. What do you see?” I was quite surprised to see little elemental helpers scurrying about between the trees. Gnome-like beings, hats and all, bringing energy and life force, and keeping the flow going. Then strangely, I also saw what seemed to be colorful, snake-like energies in pink and blue, swiftly wrapping around the trunks. Having never encountered anything like it, I did a little research. In Norse mythology, serpents are tied to the World Tree. In Greek mythology, a snake coils around the tree of the Hesperides to protect the golden apples. And in Buddhist tradition, the naga king Mucalinda shelters Buddha beneath the Bodhi Tree. Someone else had this image before me. That was really comforting. The cypress continued: “Trees have great wisdom because of our deep roots into Mother Earth. While our trunks are strong and stable, our branches blow in the breeze. We love this. To flow and move and twist and turn with the wind, dancing to our own lovely tune. We’re happy to mark the property line; it’s the perfect job for us. A strong masculine boundary with a fluid feminine grace. Notice us, be grateful to us, be kind to us. Say hello, acknowledge us. So few people even notice our beauty or the job we do. Thank you for spending time in our presence.” Ornamental Cherry: Abundance and Generosity Next, I approached the ornamental cherry tree. Here’s what I heard, “I am the picture of abundance, filled with tiny cherries. My pink blossoms turn into fruit in a matter of months. I love sitting here on your hill, rooted deeply into the earth, providing shade for the plants below me and a home to the insects and animals. Thank you for taking time with me today, for viewing me, appreciating me, and coming close enough to get to know me.” Russian Olive: Sharing and Spreading I said hello to the Russian olive tree and expressed that I love how it’s leaves go from green to silver in the breeze. They’ve populated so much of our land. I ask if this one would you tell me about itself. “Thank you for coming to talk to me. I have a certain grace, I know this is true. I am prolific and I spread everywhere. I’m not meant to grow big and old because my branches and wood are soft. But I do create shade and I do spread rapidly. I love sharing my presence on your land. I spread my branches wide as they curve down to make a wide top that brings shade to your yard.” Cedar: Resilience Two cedar pines stand as siblings. Planted years ago as one-foot bushes, they are now 12 to 15 feet tall despite the deer chewing at their base. I asked what they’d say about themselves as evergreens. “My leaves are spindly and small, but I am resilient. Regardless of the weather or the animals, I continue to grow. My branches come out from all around my trunk, inch after inch, filled with more branches. This is part of my beauty, strength, and resilience, and protects of my trunk as well. We appreciated being given the space to grow, and we’ve done so beautifully, don’t you think?” Oak: Standing in Your Power The oak was next. It’s such a stately tree. Regal, with a unique split trunk, like twins -two for one. It keeps its curled brown leaves through winter until spring brings new growth. “Thank you for noticing me, for your comments, and kindness. I know you worry that I shadow your garden, but it all works out. Here at the back of your property, I stand making a statement that this is where your property comes to an end. I am strong and I grow straight and tall. Oak is old wisdom, the wisdom of the druids. The small acorn grows the big, tall oak tree. We are mighty, we are wise.” I asked if it would share some oak wisdom. “Oak wisdom is about strength, about growing tall, standing still. It’s about staking a claim and standing in your power. When you stand tall in your power, you are like the oak. That makes us smile and we can see a smile on your face too.” Poplar: Flexibility Last was the poplar tree, tall, with siblings a hundred yards off. Their leaves twist and dance in the wind, the whole top of the tree sways like it’s moving to music. “Thank you for noticing my grace. I love that I sway in the breeze, that my leaves are dancing and twirling. I am flexible and fluid. Okay, the willow is more fluid, but don’t deny me my own grace. I love when a storm comes, so I can sway and dance, my branches reaching tall into the sky. I’m here to show that something tall and firmly rooted can still have delightful movement. You can be grounded and yet move and sway, dodge and hedge, persevere, and continue to grow and expand and experience life. My leaves are often the first to fall in a storm, and small branches snap off, but I heal rapidly. That’s part of my perseverance. Not like oak, standing there tall and firm and unyielding. That’s not me. I move and I have grace. My message to you is that you too can move and be flexible and change with the wind, and you’ll be rewarded for it. Sometimes you need to be firm. Sometimes you need to sway with the wind.” What Do Trees Talk About? As I listened to each tree, I noticed something surprising. None of them talked about themselves for very long. Each one reflected something back to me that we humans needed to hear. They spoke of qualities which humans need to live well. Cypress — Beauty and being seen Cherry — Abundance and generosity Russian Olive — Sharing and spreading Cedar — Resilience Oak — Standing in your power Poplar — Flexibility They seemed to be reminding me of qualities we already have but sometimes forget. Maybe that’s one of the gifts of spending time in nature. Whether you believe the trees were speaking to me, or that my intuition was translating their energy into words, it almost doesn’t matter. The wisdom was real. And every message left me feeling more connected to the living world around me. The next time you walk past a tree, consider being intentional. Stop for a minute. Really look at it. Notice its shape, its bark, its leaves. Say hello. Thank it for the shade it offers, the oxygen it creates, the beauty it brings to the world. Then, if it feels right, ask, “Is there anything you’d like me to know today?” Then simply listen. Maybe nothing happens. Or maybe you’ll be surprised. I started this little experiment wondering if trees had something to say. I ended it wondering something completely different. What if the trees have been speaking all along, and I simply never took the time to listen? FAQs About Trees Communicating Can trees actually communicate with humans? Trees exchange chemical and electrical signals with each other and their environment, which science confirms. Whether a tree can communicate a message to a specific person is a matter of belief and intuition rather than proven fact. Many people report receiving impressions, feelings, or words while sitting quietly with a tree. How do you communicate with a tree? Approach with an open mind, sit or stand near the tree, and quietly observe its shape, bark, and leaves. Say hello, ask a simple question such as “what would you like me to know today?” Then, listen for any words, feelings, or images that surface. Patience and stillness matter more than technique. What is intuitive communication with nature? Intuitive communication with nature is the practice of tuning into subtle impressions, feelings, or inner “words.” These might arise while spending focused, quiet attention with a plant, tree, or natural setting. It relies on inner sensing rather than verbal exchange, and results vary from person to person. Do different trees carry different meanings? Many spiritual traditions assign symbolic qualities to specific trees. Oak for strength and endurance, cedar for resilience, cypress for grace and boundaries. These associations come from folklore, mythology, and personal intuitive experience rather than scientific classification. What The Trees Taught Me Six trees, with six distinct qualities: beauty, abundance, sharing, resilience, personal power, and flexibility Each message pointed back to something we need to remember, not just a fact about the tree itself. Slowing down and paying attention to nature can surface intuitive insight, whether you call it tree communication or simply inspiration. Here’s a small ritual to try. Pause by a tree, notice it, say hello, ask a question, and listen. That’s all it takes to try this yourself. Have fun! { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Can trees actually communicate with humans?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Trees exchange chemical and electrical signals with each other and their environment, which science confirms. Whether a tree can communicate a message to a specific person is a matter of belief and intuition rather than proven fact. 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It relies on inner sensing rather than verbal exchange, and results vary from person to person." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Do different trees carry different meanings?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Many spiritual traditions assign symbolic qualities to specific trees, such as oak for strength and endurance, cedar for resilience, and cypress for grace and boundaries. These associations come from folklore, mythology, and personal intuitive experience rather than scientific classification." } } ] } The post Do Trees Communicate? Here’s What Six Trees Told Me appeared first on Intuitive Edge.

In this month's collective tarot reading on The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, I explore one of my favorite concepts from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): the idea that two seemingly opposite truths can exist at the same time.Inspired by the emotional chaos of Mercury retrograde (but designed to be relevant no matter what's happening in your life) I use my Tension of Opposites tarot spread (below) to explore how we can stop searching for certainty and instead widen our capacity to hold ambiguity, complexity, and contradictions.Throughout this collective, DBT-inspired reading, I weave together tarot, psychology, parts work, and dialectics as I explore how learning to tolerate emotional tensions can become one of our greatest sources of growth and strength - all through the High Priestess, Empress, Ace of Cups, and Three of Cups.Ultimately, this episode is an invitation to stop searching for a single "right" answer. Tarot doesn't always ask us to choose between opposing experiences, it often asks what it can look like to hold opposition with curiosity, compassion, and flexibility. I hope you enjoy this unscripted, nerdy, and compassionate musing of tensions of opposites.Want more of this type of tarot experience?

In this episode we celebrate Lammas which occurs every year around this time.  This year it's on August 1st but the theme is evergreen, really.  Lammas is the first harvest festival on the Celtic Wheel of the Year, and a moment that has Rose thinking about the Empress archetype in Tarot, women over 50, and why so many of us are terrible at receiving what we've already built.In this episode of Chat Off The Mat, Rose shares a childhood memory of making tomato sauce with twenty relatives in a Brooklyn kitchen every September — an unofficial harvest ritual long before she had language for it. She connects that memory to Lammas, a festival not about planting or tending, but about pausing to receive what has already grown.Rose explores the Empress card in Tarot — a woman who sits on her throne surveying her kingdom, looking both back at what she's built and forward to what's still ahead — and explains why "Empress" became her chosen archetype for women in their wisdom years, rather than "crone." She talks honestly about her own struggle to let herself feel finished, the cultural pressure to always ask "what's next," and why quiet harvests — trusting yourself, setting a boundary, healing, choosing your own peace — deserve recognition just as much as visible ones.The episode closes with a Royal Invitation: a short guided practice for sitting on your own throne, reflecting on what's grown in your life, and releasing what no longer fits before planting anything new.In this episode:The Celtic Wheel of the Year and the meaning of LammasWhy Rose chose the Empress archetype over "crone" for women 50+Letting go of what no longer serves youA guided Royal Invitation practice for receiving your harvestFind Rose: rosewippich.com | rosewippich.substack.comThis episode — and everything Rose teaches — grows out of her book, Empress Rising: Own Your Energy, Trust Your Wisdom & Rewrite the Rules of Aging. If the Empress archetype speaks to you, start there. Rose Wippich is an Energy Alchemist, Reiki Master Teacher, qigong and yoga instructor, and author of Empress Rising. She's here for the woman who knows she's ready for something more — the one who feels the pull of her next chapter but isn't quite sure how to step into it.Through her book, podcast, and teaching, Rose inspires and guides women in midlife to reclaim their energy, identity, and voice — and step boldly into their Empress years.

Our July Book Club pick was The Poet Empress by Shen Tao, and we're so glad so many of you enjoyed it! Unfortunately, it didn't quite work for us. While we all agreed the writing was beautiful and poetic, the story itself fell flat. We also share a bit of bookish news in this episode, so even if you didn't read this month's pick, we hope you'll still tune in! Announced in this episode is our August Book Club selection: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn! It's a thriller and a throwback pick we can't wait to discuss.   Currently Reading: Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson Recursion by Blake Crouch The Divorce by Frieda McFadden Dolly All The Time by Annabel Monaghan Every Version of You by Natalie Messier

HFL169 Empress (Shannon Rugari) Interviewed October 2, 2020 Interview released July 28 , 2026 From San Francisco Ballet to Broadway to “Empress”: Shannon on Owning Your Crown Host Larry returns to his Studio HFL interview series and speaks with Shannon, a former San Francisco Ballet dancer who later performed on Broadway in An American in Paris and now releases music under the stage name Empress. Shannon explains how “Empress” reflects taking ownership of her life and encouraging others to “own their crown,” and shares how music led her to dance, composing on piano from age four, singing publicly for the first time at 19, and creating as a “closeted” singer-songwriter during her ballet years. She discusses the physical and mental demands of ballet, career pressures around body image, how a raw foods diet helped her health and longevity, and the value of visualization, mentorship, and positive leadership from choreographers like William Forsythe. Shannon previews new releases starting in November and mentions composing a symphony during COVID. 00:00 Interviews Return 00:54 Meet The Guest 02:24 Empress Stage Name Origin 02:24 Why Empress 06:44 Own Your Crown 10:28 Composing At Four 13:13 Ballet To Broadway 19:59 Nutcracker Origins 23:34 Body Image And Health 23:39 Ballet Career & Body Image 29:34 A Ballerina Day 37:25 Mental Game And Mentors 39:14 Muscle Memory Mastery 40:01 Mentors And The Village 41:00 Dance As Meditation 42:57 Broadway Transition 42:57 Ballerina To Broadway 49:13 Broadway Confidence Vs Ballet 52:15 Building The Empress Empire 52:27 Music Career as Empress 56:15 Favorite Ballet And Leadership 01:00:44 Rite Of Spring And Music 01:03:26 San Francisco Reality Check 01:06:41 Warm Farewell And Next Steps

Genghis Khan is famous for launching the conquest of the largest contiguous empire the world has ever seen. And for fathering enough children that today nearly every person of Asian decent carries his DNA. But he might not have done any of it if not for the love he bore one incredible woman, his Empress, Borte. The couple started their story as a great romance. As it evolved into a saga of war, conquest, and politics, Borte was by her husband's side, ruling in his stead and influencing trade and diplomacy across the Empire. She doesn't even seem to have minded his many other, lesser wives, who we will also meet today. Let's get to know the great Mongol Empress, Borte. Please consider supporting me at https://www.patreon.com/LindsayHoliday Sources: Favereau, Marie. The Horde: How the Mongols Changed the World. Harvard University Press, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%B6rte Illustrations from: https://avid-archer.com/borte-empress-of-mongolia-wife-of-genghis-khan/ Music: Lau Tzu Ehru by Doug Maxwell Join me every Tuesday when I'm Spilling the Tea on History! Check out my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/lindsayholiday Please consider supporting me at https://www.patreon.com/LindsayHoliday and help me make more fascinating episodes! Intro Music: Baroque Coffee House by Doug Maxwell #HistoryTeaTime #LindsayHoliday Please contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on this podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us Fan MailBestselling author. Brand strategist. Publisher. Founder of Empress Editions. Survivor of 14 facial surgeries and one extremely rude grocery store floor. Alisa Kennedy Jones does not do anything halfway, and in this episode she explains why midlife women — who control 85% of household spending and keep being told their voices are "old" — are the most underestimated force in publishing and this economy, if we're being honest.We cover: postmenopausal bliss (yes, really), the salary cliff nobody warns women about, banned-book drama, AI reader companions, taco-truck healthcare activism, and a ghost story involving a Victorian home and a child who was somehow in two places at once.Visibility is activism. This episode is proof.Empress website here.    Empress Substack here.Gotham Girl Substack hereLeave your message for the Speaker Box here.Watch this episode on YouTube here.  For more AGECRAFT content, join the Substack here. To work with Julia and/or learn more about her, go here.  CBDMD website here.Use code julia_g_wellness to get 15% off Episode SponsorBe one of the helpers! SUBSCRIBE to this podcast on APPLE PODCASTS or SPOTIFY and leave us a review on APPLE PODCASTS. 

Westchester Magazine's 2026 Best of Westchester Party brought high energy to the Glen Island Harbour Club last night, delivering a vibrant tribute to the county's standout local talent. Set against a picturesque waterfront backdrop, the celebration treated guests to an evening of award-winning cuisine, live entertainment, chic local boutiques, and creative vendor activations. Westchester Talk Radio was also on hand to capture the excitement and cover the evening's highlights. Overall, it was a lively gathering highlighting the top businesses and creators that make Westchester exceptional, and honoring the dedicated readers whose support makes it all possible.Westchester Talk Radio host Bob Marrone featured Matt Klewan, Senior Market Manager for Empress Gin, who showcased a portfolio of unique spirits including Empress Gin and Dirty Monkey Whiskey. Matt explained the botanical process behind Empress Gin, infused with butterfly pea flower to give it an indigo hue that shifts color when mixed, and introduced Dirty Monkey, an allergen-free, naturally flavor-infused peanut butter and banana whiskey.

Support the podcast on Patreon and be the first to find out what we’re reading next! patreon.com/372pages The very last reading of Norman Boutin’s Empress Theresa DOES NOT DISAPPOINT! But, you ask, what happens to Steve Hartley? Does Jan Struthers become a successful wealth manager? President Martin – does he ever get prosecuted for attempting to murder a United States citizen? Is Prime Minister Blair able to keep his coalition together and maintain his office, or is he voted out? Israel: was their relocation successful? Does Pyongyang think it’s cool to have their country moved out into the ocean somewhere? Does OPEC continue? Does the oil exported from Theresa Isle ever go above five dollars per barrel? Do the thousands of silversmiths in the UK keep their lucrative jobs, or do the many new diamond merchants make them redundant? Last question: does anyone fall asleep for six-hundred years and awake to find that they are going to be ruled by a bunch of 10-year-olds who have their growth stunted but have the equivalent of a hundred college degrees? (If it helps, they’re all wearing multi-colored arm bands…) All these questions are answered, as are many others that no one even asked!

Why do we keep getting triggered by the same thing, over and over, no matter how much therapy or self-help we try? In this episode, Rose sits down with JJ Flizanes — transformational empowerment strategist, best-selling author, and creator of the Empowering Minds Network — to unpack the Core Wound Map, a framework built from Imago Relationship Therapy that identifies the top three wounds and beliefs quietly running your life. JJ and Rose talk about why talk therapy alone often isn't enough, how core wounds like abandonment, devaluation, and control show up in relationships and self-sabotage, the link between chronic pain and repressed emotion, how astrology can be used as a mirror for understanding yourself and the people you love, and why so many women stop themselves right at the edge of investing in their own transformation. This is a conversation about trading guesswork for a map — and finally understanding what you're actually trying to heal.In this episode:What a Core Wound Map is and why identifying your wounds comes before healing work, not afterThe five most common core wounds: abandonment, devalued, controlled, ignored, smotheredWhy anger is almost always a mask for sadness or fearThe difference between "what happened to me" and "what's happening for me" — and why that shift changes everythingHow chronic pain (like back pain) can be a signal of repressed emotion, not just a physical issueAstrology as a tool for understanding yourself and the people closest to youThe four limiting beliefs (from Gay Hendricks' The Big Leap) that keep women capping their own successWhy so many women won't invest in themselves — and what that reveals about self-worthJJ's Rewire program, Date Your Body, and Healing the Mother Wound retreatAbout JJ Flizanes: JJ Flizanes is a transformational empowerment strategist, best-selling author, and creator of the Empowering Minds Network. Drawing on Imago Relationship Therapy, astrology, and mindset work, she helps people identify and rewire the core wound patterns that keep them stuck — in relationships, in self-worth, and in their ability to receive success. Learn more at jjflizanes.com.Topics covered: Core wounds, Imago Relationship Therapy, self-sabotage, limiting beliefs, mindset shifts, astrology and self-understanding, manifestation, chronic pain and repressed emotion, self-worth, women in transition, Empress archetypeConnect with JJ Flizanes ✨ The deeper work lives on Substack and in my book.Rose Wippich — weekly essays on Remembering, Returning, and Reclaiming the energy, voice, and years that are yours.If you're ready to stop fading and start reigning, meet me there. Substack LinkRose Wippich is an Energy Alchemist, Reiki Master Teacher, qigong and yoga instructor, and author of Empress Rising. She's here for the woman who knows she's ready for something more — the one who feels the pull of her next chapter but isn't quite sure how to step into it.Through her book, podcast, and teaching, Rose inspires and guides women in midlife to reclaim their energy, identity, and voice — and step boldly into their Empress years.

Nougatine de Nevers — the small artisan sweet of chopped almonds caramelised in copper, double-coated in orange royal icing and presented in a round tin decorated with portraits of Napoleon III and the Empress Eugénie — is one of the most historically romantic confections in France. Today's Food Tour de France episode starts in Magny-Cours — home of the famous Formula One circuit, just south of Nevers — and tells the full story of a sweet created by a confectioner called Bourumeau in the mid-nineteenth century and launched into French high society at a dinner at the Préfecture of Nevers in 1862, when Napoleon III and the Empress Eugénie paid an official visit to the city. The Empress was presented with a box. She ate one. Then another. Then several more. And by the time she returned to Paris she was placing orders. Within weeks the nougatine de Nevers was being eaten in the grand salons of the capital. The orange colour of the royal icing — as tradition has it — was chosen to match the complexion of the Empress herself.The episode covers the full story of the nougatine de Nevers — from the disputed date of its creation, somewhere between 1840 and 1862 depending on the source, through the extraordinary imperial dinner that launched it into the French consciousness, to the registered trademark it has held since 1960 and the near-disappearance in the twentieth century that was only reversed by a Nevers native called Jean-Hugues Dessenne, who in 2007 decided that something this historically significant to his city was worth rescuing and relaunching. We cover the production process — the almonds caramelised in a copper basin, the cylinders that shape the nougaton, the patient double-coating in royal icing dried slowly in a warming oven that cannot be done by machine — and the connection to the faïence pottery of Nevers, where the nougatine is now sold in hand-crafted ceramic bonbonnières in the famous cobalt blue of the city, exported to the United States and Japan.The Food Tour de France is a daily series running alongside the 2026 Tour de France on Fabulously Delicious — one episode for every stage start and finish. The nougatine de Nevers episode follows directly from yesterday's négus episode — Nevers has given this series two consecutive episodes and two of the most entertaining confectionery origin stories in the whole of the southwest. A press error and an empress who couldn't stop eating. Two sweets. One remarkable city on the Loire. Search Fabulously Delicious on Spotify and Apple Podcasts for the full series.As Fabulously Delicious steps into its sixth year, one thing is clearer than ever: five years of French food culture has taught Andrew that the subject is genuinely inexhaustible. My book Paris: A Fabulous Food Guide to the World's Most Delicious City is your ultimate companion. This is a new 2026 update for the book and you'll find hand-picked recommendations for the best boulangeries, patisseries, wine bars, cafés, and restaurants that truly capture the flavor of Paris. You can order it online at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠andrewpriorfabulously.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can help keep the show thriving by becoming a paid subscriber on substack where you'll also get fabulous extra content. Every contribution makes a huge difference. Join here at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merci beaucoup!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#FrenchFoodPodcast #FabulouslyDelicious #foodpodcast #NougatiNeNevers #FrenchConfectionery #FoodTourDeFrance #TourDeFrance2026 #NeversFood

Empress Royalty is entering a new phase of growth as its portfolio of producing gold and silver royalties continues to generate meaningful cash flow, giving the company the flexibility to expand without returning to the equity markets. CEO Alexandra Woodyer Sherron joins Mining Stock Daily to discuss Empress' differentiated royalty model, how it is evaluating new opportunities across the mining cycle, and why disciplined capital allocation remains central to the company's strategy. The conversation also explores the use of AI to identify new royalty opportunities, the outlook for the royalty sector in a $4,000 gold environment, and what's next as Empress looks to build on its growing revenue base.

Support the podcast on Patreon to hear stuff you won’t hear anywhere else! Mailbags, Choose Your Own Adventure Streams, 280 Mysteries and more! https://patreon.com/372pages Just a few of the ideas this book attempts to tackle: An omnipotent entity transmitted to human beings by a fox. Eternal daylight. Tilting the axis of planet earth, i.e., eternal summer. A new Jewish state. Global price controls. Harvesting precious metals from the sun. Plywood. Purchased with help from butlers named Arthur. It’s nearly impossible to describe the insanity contained in this thing. It’s madness wrapped in delusion surround by lunacy. But somehow Mike still struggles with Real or Fanfic. READING ASSIGNMENT: Finish the book!

ACOFAE Podcast Presents: Curse of the Golden Flower: “What I do not give, you must never take by force.” If you have never heard of this movie, please go watch it now. If it's been a while since you've seen this movie, go rewatch it. If this genre is new to you, welcome you are in for a treat. Laura Marie shamelessly campaigned for this movie to make the pod and here we all are, ready to be immersed in a colorful and political world that requires your full attention. There are plots within plots between the Imperial family, an incestuous relationship here, a coup there. Oh and a youngest son. That's important. Curse of the Golden Flower is a movie that takes you by surprise, and once the plot has you, it's impossible to look away from the Empress, her medicine, and the Emperor. "Crash out." TW / CW: none to our awareness For additional TW/CW information for your future reads, head to this site for more: https://triggerwarningdatabase.com/ Spoilers: Curse of the Golden Flower Mentions: This Poison Heart, Hero, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The Great Wall, Rise of the Phoenixes, The Craft *Thank you for listening to us! Please subscribe and leave a 5-star review and follow us on Instagram at @ACOFAEpodcast and on our TikToks! TikTok: ACOFAELaura : Laura Marie ( https://www.tiktok.com/@acofaelaura) ACOFAEJessica : Jessica Marie (https://www.tiktok.com/@acofaejessica) Instagram: @ACOFAEpodcast https://www.instagram.com/acofaepodcast/ @ACOFAELaura https://www.instagram.com/acofaelaura/

What happens when a successful podcaster walks away at the height of her influence to answer a call from her 19-year-old self holding a paintbrush?In this episode of Chat Off the Mat, Rose sits down with Monica Rodgers — coach, spiritual practitioner, rites of passage guide, and former host of The Revelation Project podcast — who returned to art school at 53 to study medicine painting. That decision cracked open an entirely new way of helping women meet the parts of themselves they've abandoned.Monica and Rose dive deep into feminine archetypes (the Wise Woman, the Empress, the Wounded Maiden, the Muse), the medicine painting process as a mirror for the inner world, shamanic study as a path through shadow work, and why "unbecoming" who the world told us to be is the real work of midlife.Key Topics:Monica's transition from podcasting to studying medicine painting at age 54The revelation project and the power of inner truth and courageHow art serves as a mirror for meeting fractured parts of oneselfArchetypes, including the wise woman and wounded maiden, and their shadow counterpartsThe significance of the heroine's journey versus the hero's journeyIncorporating shamanic practices to deepen shadow work and inner healingBreaking societal rules and stories of scarcity to reclaim personal sovereigntyPractical tools: Women's Bill of Rights and creating new stories with desire workThe importance of community and guides in navigating women's rites of passageTimestamps:In this episode:(01:24) Monica's two-year sabbatical and the revelations that came from finally slowing down(04:26) Returning to art school at 53 — a new adventure, a new identity(04:48) Medicine painting as a mirror: meeting the perfectionist, the exile, the fractured parts of self(08:30) The layered painting process taught by her teacher Shiloh Sophia — from intention to muse(11:20) Archetypes at work: the Wise Woman, the Crone, the Empress(12:38) The Wounded Maiden — the shadow archetype that quietly runs so many women's lives(19:54) The myth of Inanna as a blueprint for the feminine descent-and-return journey(20:39) Monica's shamanic studies — Celtic lineage, indigenous influence, and working with the shadow(26:38) The "story of scarcity" and why true prosperity starts with realizing we are enough(30:27) How Monica works with women one-on-one and in circles like her "Unbecoming" group containerAbout Monica RogersMonica Rodgers is a catalyst, companion, and mentor for awakening women. A seasoned coach, former podcaster, spiritual practitioner, and intentional creativity facilitator, she helps women investigate and transform the conditions keeping them from being seen, heard, and fulfilled.As a seasoned coach, podcaster, spiritual practitioner, and Intentional Creativity™ facilitator, Monica supports women with teachings, tools, and practices that support embodiment, authenticity, and leadership.Through storytelling, timeless wisdom teachings, and creative expression, she interrupts the trance of unworthiness, helping women trust themselves,dismantle limiting beliefs, and reclaim their inner guidance while activating their true potential.Connect with Monica:Instagram: Revelation WomanWebsite & Free Gift: Women's Bill of RightsExtra inspiration:Explore your archetypes, integrate shadow work, and craft your new story—Monica's journey exemplifies the powerful transformation that awaits. ✨ The deeper work lives on Substack and in my book.Rose Wippich — weekly essays on Remembering, Returning, and Reclaiming the energy, voice, and years that are yours.If you're ready to stop fading and start reigning, meet me there. Substack LinkRose Wippich is an Energy Alchemist, Reiki Master Teacher, qigong and yoga instructor, and author of Empress Rising. She's here for the woman who knows she's ready for something more — the one who feels the pull of her next chapter but isn't quite sure how to step into it.Through her book, podcast, and teaching, Rose inspires and guides women in midlife to reclaim their energy, identity, and voice — and step boldly into their Empress years.

Well, it is hot as Hades out there, folx, so what better way to take your mind off of the blazing heat!  Join your favorite witches as they dive back into their betwixt and between tarot series.  This time, it gets really unique - the ladies might not have had a solid vision of this when they began, but the result is super fun and above all, INCLUSIVE!  This was recorded in June but Happy Pride anyway, because Pride should be ALL the months.  Grab the coldest beverage you can find, plop in the AC or sneak into a fancy hotel pool and give a listen!

Throughout history, reports of psychic phenomena, spirit communication, and unexplained experiences have fascinated believers and skeptics alike.In this episode, Doug Owen welcomes Empress Amy Sparkle, a clairvoyant and psychic medium, for an in-depth discussion on spirit communication, intuitive abilities, mediumship, energy work, and the experiences that shaped her spiritual journey.Drawing from her years of experience, Amy shares her perspectives on connecting with spirit, developing psychic awareness, interpreting signs from beyond, and the mysteries that continue to challenge our understanding of the unseen world.Topics DiscussedClairvoyancePsychic MediumshipSpirit CommunicationIntuitionEnergy WorkPsychic DevelopmentSigns From BeyondThe AfterlifeSpiritual AwarenessMediumship ExperiencesParanormal EncountersSpiritual GrowthConnecting With SpiritUnexplained PhenomenaLife Beyond DeathPsychic ExperiencesSpiritual HealingThe Unseen WorldParanormal ResearchPersonal ExperiencesBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/paranormal-uk-radio-network--4541473/support.

Stop sending all your money to Steve in England, support the podcast on Patreon instead! patreon.com/372pages Is it a novel? Is it a manifesto? Is it the written equivalent of “score settling” for past grievances big and small? It's all of these things and so much more! Puzzling, confounding, terribly written, way too long, sure: … Continue reading "372 Pages #208 – Empress Theresa Ep 3 – Plywood and Water Columns. Oh, and a New Jerusalem."

EVEN MORE about this episode!Rose Wippich joins Julie Ryan for an inspiring conversation about intuition, healing, purpose, and the courage to follow your soul's calling. After leaving a successful but unfulfilling career and navigating a life-changing breast cancer diagnosis, Rose discovered that some of life's greatest challenges can become powerful invitations to awaken.Together, Julie and Rose discuss how the body communicates through sensation, how to distinguish fear from true inner guidance, and why the uncertain "in-between" seasons of life often contain our greatest opportunities for growth. Rose also shares remarkable stories of spirit guides, intuitive messages, signs from loved ones, and the practices that helped her trust her path.Whether you're facing a major life transition, seeking greater clarity, or learning to reconnect with your intuition, this episode offers practical tools and spiritual wisdom to help you move forward with confidence and trust.Guest Biography:Rose Wippich is the author of "Empress Rising: Own Your Energy, Trust Your Wisdom, and Rewrite the Rules of Aging", a groundbreaking book that redefines a woman's later years as a time of power, purpose, and sovereignty. An award-winning podcaster and host of *Chat Off The Mat*, Rose is also a certified Reiki Master/Mentor and Qigong teacher and speaker who blends practical tools, ancient wisdom, and personal storytelling to guide women in reclaiming their vitality and stepping into their Empress years with confidence and grace. Through her work, she empowers women to rise from invisible to invincible and embrace aging as their most radiant chapter yet.Episode Chapters:(0:00:00) - Aging as Sacred Initiation and Returning to Self(0:06:17) - Confusion, Soul Transformation, and Divine Guidance(0:14:52) - Liminal Space and the Courage to Trust(0:23:28) - Identity Dissolution and the Breast Cancer Message(0:31:46) - Spiritual Heritage and Intuition Masked in Prayer(0:39:24) - Distinguishing True Guidance from Fear(0:47:12) - The Body as Oracle and Clairvoyant Connection(0:54:38) - Scent as Spiritual Communication(1:00:21) - Stillness, Sacred Practices, and Closing Wisdom➡️ Subscribe to Ask Julie Ryan YouTube➡️ Julie's Intuitive Trainings✏️ Ask Julie a Question!

Leilani and Kimberlyn welcome back Semira (Episodes 112 and 46) to discuss her brilliantly curated playlist of songs illustrating how the Major Arcana resonates for her.Mentioned in the episode:   0    Fool -  Defying Gravity 1.     Magician-  The Greatest Show, Hugh Jackman/Keala Settle/others2.     High Priestess -  Ocean, Billie Eilish3.     Empress -  7 Rings, Ariana Grande4.     Emperor – You Should See Me in a Crown, Billie Eilish5.     Hierophant –  Hallelujah, Jeff Buckley6.     Lovers –  Cry Little Sister, Gerard McCann7.     Chariot – Lose Yourself, Eminem8.     Strength – Roar, Katy Perry 9.     Hermit – The Sound of Silence, Disturbed10.  Wheel – Proud Mary, Tina Turner11.  Justice – Vigilante Shit, Taylor Swift12.  Suspended One - I'm Just Ken, Ryan Gosling13.  Death - Dance in the Graveyard, Delta Rae14.  Temperance - Let It Be, The Beattles15.  Devil – Paint the Town Red, Doja Cat16.  Tower – Skyfall, Adele17.  Star - We Cannot Waste the Light, Delta Rae18.  Moon – Is This Real? lisahall19.  Sun – Walking On Sunshine, Katrina and the Waves20.  Judgment – This Is Me, Keala Settle21.  World – Circle of Life, Tsidii Le Loka/The Lion King Ensemble/Lebo M./Faca       Kulu Get exclusive content and support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WitchyWit Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/WitchyWitPodcast Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/Witchy_Wit  Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/3azUkFVlECTlTZQVX5jl1X?si=8WufnXueQrugGDIYWbgc3A  Apple Podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/witchy-wit/id1533482466 Pandora:https://pandora.app.link/nNsuNrSKneb  Google Podcast:Witchy Wit (google.com)

What if the fear you feel about stepping into your power isn't yours — but something you've inherited, carried quietly in your DNA for centuries?In this Summer Solstice episode of Chat Off The Mat, Rose Wippich sits down with internationally recognized witch, intuitive channeler, and bestselling author Emma Griffin for an unforgettable conversation on healing the witch wound, awakening intuitive gifts, and reclaiming your most sovereign, magical self.In this episode, Emma and Rose explore:

Full Text of Readings Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 94 The Saint of the day is Saint Aloysius Gonzaga Saint Aloysius Gonzaga's Story The Lord can make saints anywhere, even amid the brutality and license of Renaissance life. Florence was the “mother of piety” for Aloysius Gonzaga despite his exposure to a “society of fraud, dagger, poison, and lust.” As a son of a princely family, he grew up in royal courts and army camps. His father wanted Aloysius to be a military hero. At age 7 Aloysius experienced a profound spiritual quickening. His prayers included the Office of Mary, the psalms, and other devotions. At age 9 he came from his hometown of Castiglione to Florence to be educated; by age 11 he was teaching catechism to poor children, fasting three days a week, and practicing great austerities. When Aloysius Gonzaga was 13 years old, he traveled with his parents and the Empress of Austria to Spain, and acted as a page in the court of Philip II. The more Aloysius saw of court life, the more disillusioned he became, seeking relief in learning about the lives of saints. A book about the experience of Jesuit missionaries in India suggested to him the idea of entering the Society of Jesus, and in Spain his decision became final. Now began a four-year contest with his father. Eminent churchmen and laypeople were pressed into service to persuade Aloysius to remain in his “normal” vocation. Finally he prevailed, was allowed to renounce his right to succession, and was received into the Jesuit novitiate. Like other seminarians, Aloysius was faced with a new kind of penance—that of accepting different ideas about the exact nature of penance. He was obliged to eat more, and to take recreation with the other students. He was forbidden to pray except at stated times. He spent four years in the study of philosophy and had Saint Robert Bellarmine as his spiritual adviser. In 1591, a plague struck Rome. The Jesuits opened a hospital of their own. The superior general himself and many other Jesuits rendered personal service. Because he nursed patients, washing them and making their beds, Aloysius Gonzaga caught the disease. A fever persisted after his recovery and he was so weak he could scarcely rise from bed. Yet he maintained his great discipline of prayer, knowing that he would die three months later within the octave of Corpus Christi, at the age of 23. Reflection As a saint who fasted, scourged himself, sought solitude and prayer, and did not look on the faces of women, Aloysius seems an unlikely patron of youth in a society where asceticism is confined to training camps of football teams and boxers, and sexual permissiveness has little left to permit. Can an overweight and air-conditioned society deprive itself of anything? It will when it discovers a reason, as Aloysius did. The motivation for letting God purify us is the experience of God loving us in prayer.Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

The Japanese emperor visits the national war memorial to commemorate the victims of his country's occupation of Indonesia. Over at the World Cup, Oranje do their bit for diplomatic relations by conceding a late equaliser to Japan in their opening game. Police believe a blast that destroyed a gym in Amsterdam was caused by cashpoint robbers making their own bombs. Explosives are also found at the site of a planned refugee centre that has been repeatedly targeted by extremists. And Limburg is struggling to keep out an influx of small furry invaders.

Entre 1533 y 1656, el imperio otomano vivió un periodo un tanto singular que la historiografía turca bautizó como “Kadınlar Saltanatı”, el sultanato de las mujeres. No fue propiamente un matriarcado ni una sucesión de sultanas que ocuparon el trono por herencia, sino algo mucho más sutil. Un grupo de mujeres, nacidas casi todas como esclavas, concentró un poder político inmenso que rivalizaba con el de los propios sultanes y que en ocasiones lo superaba. Dos títulos se convirtieron en auténticas instituciones de Estado, el de “Haseki Sultan”, consorte favorita del soberano, y el de “Valide Sultan”, madre del sultán reinante y cima absoluta de la jerarquía femenina en la corte, una posición desde la que se controlaban las finanzas, los nombramientos y la diplomacia. El momento en el que este peculiar periodo de la historia otomana comenzó tiene nombre propio, el de Hürrem Sultan, conocida en Europa occidental como Roxelana. Capturada en 1520 en Rutenia, la actual Ucrania, Hürrem Sultan llegó al harén como una concubina más, pero su inteligencia cautivó a Solimán el Magnífico. El sultán tuvo con ella al menos seis hijos, la liberó de la esclavitud y la convirtió en su esposa legal en 1533, un gesto muy poco habitual en aquel imperio. Hürrem se trasladó al palacio de Topkapi y colocó el harén en el centro del aparato de gobierno. Una vez allí tejió una tupida red de influencias que iba desde la correspondencia diplomática hasta los conflictos sucesorios. El fenómeno obedecía a causas estructurales. El abandono del fratricidio tras la matanza de sus 19 hermanos ordenada por Mehmed III en 1595, dio paso al “kafes”, la jaula en la que se aislaba a los los príncipes. Los sultanes llegaban al trono sin experiencia, frágiles o perturbados, como el niño Mehmed IV, el inestable Mustafá I, Ibrahim el Loco o Selim II el Beodo. Ante ese vacío de autoridad gobernó una y otra vez la Valide Sultan, aliada con el cuerpo de eunucos negros, que actuaban como brazo ejecutor y enlace con el exterior. Varias figuras femeninas destacaron en esta época. Mihrimah Sultan, hija de Solimán y Hürrem, ejerció de puente entre el harén y gobierno, y dio su nombre dos grandes mezquitas en la capital. Nurbanu y su nuera Safiye convirtieron el sultanato en una potencia diplomática desarrollando unas relaciones privilegiadas con la República de Venecia y con la Inglaterra de Isabel I. Pero, por encima de todas ellas, estuvo Kösem Sultan, de origen griego, que gobernó durante varias regencias a lo largo de casi medio siglo como Valide de Murad IV e Ibrahim I, y abuela regente de Mehmed IV. El periodo concluyó a mediados del siglo XVII de muy mala manera. La rivalidad entre Kösem y su nuera Turhan Hatice por el control del niño Mehmed IV culminó en 1651 con el estrangulamiento de la anciana. Turhan se convirtió en la dueña de la regencia, pero heredó un imperio al borde del colapso. En 1656 tomó una lúcida decisión, cedió el poder al visir albanés Köprülü Mehmed Pasha, al que le dio plenos poderes para que enderezase la situación. Mehmed Pasha lo consiguió y eso posibilitó, entre otras cosas, el segundo sitio de Viena. Para tratar este tema tan interesante como desconocido hoy nos visita Marta Caniego, que presenta el podcast Relatos de la historia y que ya pasó por La ContraHistoria hace unos meses. Bibliografía: “Otomanos” de Marc David Baer - https://amzn.to/4ePMiwi “Empress of the East” de Leslie Peirce - https://amzn.to/4vjHpBo Filmografía: “El Sultán” - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbCDZnipE9mEvzv4z102MGq8JvWMkOTmk “Kosem, la sultana” - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV3gMstfU3lnR_aPDClMAYA · Canal de Telegram: https://t.me/lacontracronica · “Contra el pesimismo”… https://amzn.to/4m1RX2R · “Hispanos. Breve historia de los pueblos de habla hispana”… https://amzn.to/428js1G · “La ContraHistoria del comunismo”… https://amzn.to/39QP2KE · “La ContraHistoria de España. Auge, caída y vuelta a empezar de un país en 28 episodios”… https://amzn.to/3kXcZ6i · “Contra la Revolución Francesa”… https://amzn.to/4aF0LpZ · “Lutero, Calvino y Trento, la Reforma que no fue”… https://amzn.to/3shKOlK Apoya La Contra en: · Patreon... https://www.patreon.com/diazvillanueva · iVoox... https://www.ivoox.com/podcast-contracronica_sq_f1267769_1.html · Paypal... https://www.paypal.me/diazvillanueva Sígueme en: · Web... https://diazvillanueva.com · Twitter... https://twitter.com/diazvillanueva · Facebook... https://www.facebook.com/fernandodiazvillanueva1/ · Instagram... https://www.instagram.com/diazvillanueva · Linkedin… https://www.linkedin.com/in/fernando-d%C3%ADaz-villanueva-7303865/ #FernandoDiazVillanueva #imperiootomano #otomanos Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

Pacific Street BluesSpotlight on Bessie SmithJune 14, 20261. Janis Joplin / Black Mountain Blues2. Bob Dylan & The Band / Bessie Smith (Happy and Artie Traum)3. Dory Previn / (Janis Joplin bought a) Stone for Bessie Smith4. John Coltrane / Bessie's BluesInfluences 5. Ma Rainey / See See Rider Blues (Elvis Presley)6. Ida Cox / Wild Women Don't Have the Blues 7. Albert Hunter / Down Hearted Blues8. Maime Smith / Crazy Blues Duets: Charlie Green of Omaha9. Bessie Smith w/ Charlie Green / Empty Bed Blues10. Jim Croce / Charlie Green Play that Slide Trombone11. Bessie Smith w/ Louis Armstrong (trumpet) / St Louis Blues 12. Clara Smith w/ Bessie Smith / I'm Going Back to My Used to Be James P Johnson, The Invisible Pianist 13. Bessie Smith w/ James P Johnson / Back Water Blues 14. Fats Waller / Ain't Misbehavin' 15. Count Basie / April in Paris 16. Duke Ellington / Take the A Train (Billy Eckstine) Lieber & Stoller 17. Wilbert Harrison / Kansas City18. Kathy Tyree / Hound Dog 19. Elvis Presley / King Creole20. The Rolling Stones / Down Home Girl21. The Beatles / Young Blood John Hammond Sr. Legendary A&R Columbia Records22. Billie Holiday / Gimme a Beer and a Pigfoot23. Aretha Franklin / Soulville 24. Bruce Springsteen / Sandy (4th of July) 25. Lionel Hampton w/ Nat Cole Trio / House of Morgan Covers of Bessie Smith's Music26. Sue Foley / Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair 27. Ella Fitzgerald / Gulf Coast Blues 28. Della Reese / You've Been a Good Old Wagon 29. Etta James / Don't Cry Baby30. Bessie Smith / Tain't Nobody's Business If I Do 31. Rhiannon Giddens / You Put the Sugar in My Bowl 32. Rory Block / I'm Down in the Dumps 33. Kenny Wayne Shepherd / Back Water Blues

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Elena Poniatowska, Mexico's most celebrated journalist and one of the most significant literary voices in the Spanish-speaking world, argues in this conversation that the crisis of contemporary journalism is inseparable from the collapse of critical reading—and that both are symptoms of a deeper cultural abandonment. Born in Paris in 1932 to a French-Polish father and Mexican mother, Poniatowska contends that her formation as a writer was shaped by displacement, by learning to listen to those rendered voiceless by history, and by understanding that journalism must be an act of solidarity before it is anything else. Widely credited with helping to establish the genre of testimonio in Latin American letters, she transformed the voices of the marginalised into literature that forced an entire nation to confront its own silence. She maintains that her landmark work La Noche de Tlatelolco was not a journalistic achievement but a moral obligation, and reflects on her decision to refuse the Xavier Villaurrutia Prize, asking who would award the dead. Poniatowska insists that the greatest threat to literature and journalism today is not artificial intelligence but the disappearance of patience—the willingness to sit with a text, a story, or a life long enough for meaning to emerge. At 94, she affirms her belief in the innate goodness of human beings as not a sentiment but a necessity.Elena Poniatowska, la periodista más célebre de México y una de las voces literarias más significativas del mundo hispanohablante, sostiene en esta conversación que la crisis del periodismo contemporáneo es inseparable del colapso de la lectura crítica—y que ambos son síntomas de un abandono cultural más profundo. Nacida en París en 1932 de padre franco-polaco y madre mexicana, Poniatowska afirma que su formación como escritora estuvo marcada por el desplazamiento, por aprender a escuchar a quienes la historia había silenciado, y por comprender que el periodismo debe ser ante todo un acto de solidaridad. Ampliamente reconocida por haber contribuido a establecer el género del testimonio en las letras latinoamericanas, transformó las voces de los marginados en literatura que obligó a una nación entera a confrontar su propio silencio. Sostiene que su obra emblemática La Noche de Tlatelolco no fue un logro periodístico sino una obligación moral, y reflexiona sobre su decisión de rechazar el Premio Xavier Villaurrutia, preguntando quién iba a premiar a los muertos. Poniatowska insiste en que la mayor amenaza para la literatura y el periodismo hoy no es la inteligencia artificial sino la desaparición de la paciencia—la disposición a permanecer con un texto, una historia o una vida el tiempo suficiente para que emerja el significado. A los 94 años, reafirma su creencia en la bondad innata de los seres humanos no como un sentimiento sino como una necesidad.English transcript:SAVAGE MINDS — Elena PoniatowskaJulian Vigo (00:00:15):Welcome to Savage Minds.Julian Vigo (00:00:26):I am your host, Julian Vigo.Julian Vigo (00:00:30):Today's guest is Elena Poniatowska Amor,Julian Vigo (00:00:33):daughter of a French father of Polish origin, Jean E.Julian Vigo (00:00:37):Poniatowski, and Mexican mother Paula Amor.Julian Vigo (00:00:41):She was born in Paris in 1932.Julian Vigo (00:00:46):She has practiced journalism since 1953 at the newspapers El Día, Excélsior, Novedades, and La Jornada.Julian Vigo (00:00:57):She is the first woman to receive the National Journalism Prize.Julian Vigo (00:01:02):Among her works is La Noche de Tlatelolco,Julian Vigo (00:01:05):a classic since its publication, for which she was awarded the Xavier Villaurrutia Prize,Julian Vigo (00:01:12):which she refused, asking who was going to award the dead.Julian Vigo (00:01:17):Her novels and stories include La Flor de Lis,Julian Vigo (00:01:20):De Noche Vienes and Tlapalería,Julian Vigo (00:01:24):Paseo de la Reforma,Julian Vigo (00:01:26):Hasta No Verte Jesús Mío,Julian Vigo (00:01:28):The Life of a Mexican Soldadera,Julian Vigo (00:01:31):Querido Diego Te Abraza Quiela, Tinísima, winner of the Mazatlán Prize in 1992, La Piel del Cielo,Julian Vigo (00:01:40):winner of the Alfaguara Novel Prize in 2001, and El Tren Pasa Primero,Julian Vigo (00:01:48):about the lives of Mexican railway workers,Julian Vigo (00:01:52):winner of the Rómulo Gallegos International Novel Prize in 2007. Leonora won the Premio Biblioteca Breve Seix Barral in 2011. El Universo o Nada (2013) is the biography ofJulian Vigo (00:02:07):astrophysicist Guillermo Haro. Ondas de la Niña Mala is her first poetry collection, andJulian Vigo (00:02:14):her children's books include Boda en Chimalistac, La Vendedora de Nubes,Julian Vigo (00:02:20):El Burro que Metió la Pata, Sansimonsi, illustrated by Rafael Barajas el Fisgón, and ElJulian Vigo (00:02:27):Niño Estrellero by Fernando Robles, and El Charito Cantor by Osvaldo Hernández.Julian Vigo (00:02:34):Her most recent novel, El Amante Polaco, portrays the last king of Poland, Stanisław AugustJulian Vigo (00:02:41):Poniatowski. Translated into 20 languages. Gabi Brimmer and Las Mil y Una, the story ofJulian Vigo (00:02:48):Paulina,Julian Vigo (00:02:49):address social issues.Julian Vigo (00:02:52):After receiving honorary doctorates from UNAM and UAM,Julian Vigo (00:02:57):she was awarded them from the University of Puebla,Julian Vigo (00:03:01):Sonora, Estado de México,Julian Vigo (00:03:04):Guerrero,Julian Vigo (00:03:06):Chiapas, and Puerto Rico.Julian Vigo (00:03:09):She also received honorary degrees from the New School for Social Research in New York,Julian Vigo (00:03:13):Manhattanville College, and Florida Atlantic University in the United States, and fromJulian Vigo (00:03:19):Paris 8,Julian Vigo (00:03:19):La Sorbonne, and Pau-Pyrénées, as well as the Maria Moors Cabot Prize for Journalism atJulian Vigo (00:03:27):Columbia University, New York, in 2004, and from the Universidad Complutense, Madrid, inJulian Vigo (00:03:32):2015.Julian Vigo (00:03:34):She received the French Legion of Honour at the rank of Officer, the Gabriela Mistral Prize from Chile, and inJulian Vigo (00:03:41):2006, the Courage Award from the International Women's Media Foundation.Julian Vigo (00:03:43):In 2013 she was awardedJulian Vigo (00:03:49):the Miguel de Cervantes Prize for literature in the Spanish language, and she received theJulian Vigo (00:03:55):Belisario Domínguez Medal in 2022.Julian Vigo (00:03:58):This is the highest honour granted by the Senate of the Mexican Republic, along with theJulian Vigo (00:04:05):Carlos Fuentes International Prize for Literary Creation in the Spanish Language in 2023.(00:04:12):I welcome Elena Poniatowska to Savage Minds.Julian Vigo (00:04:19):I wanted to begin with a memory I have of you.Julian Vigo (00:04:22):In 1993,Julian Vigo (00:04:25):I think,Julian Vigo (00:04:27):or 94 —Julian Vigo (00:04:28):one of those two years —Julian Vigo (00:04:29):I was in Puebla,Julian Vigo (00:04:31):Cholula,Julian Vigo (00:04:32):teaching at the Universidad de las Américas.Julian Vigo (00:04:35):Yes.Julian Vigo (00:04:36):And you came to give a talk at an observatory — I believe it was Tonantzintla.Elena Poniatowska (00:04:44):Yes, of course.Elena Poniatowska (00:04:46):Yes, I remember it, andJulian Vigo (00:04:49):you made a great impression on me that day. But I must confess that your entire life's work made a great impression on me — not only on me. I wanted to begin with your formation, your life, because you were born in France andJulian Vigo (00:05:12):how do you remember your childhood in France, and what elements of that world did you bring with you when you arrived in Mexico in 1942?Elena Poniatowska (00:05:21):Well, thank you very much for your interest.Elena Poniatowska (00:05:29):I can tell you that I was born in 1932 in Paris, France, because my mother Paula Amor marriedElena Poniatowska (00:05:42):Juan Poniatowski, who held a noble title — that of prince —Elena Poniatowska (00:05:54):because the last king of Poland was Stanisław Poniatowski, who was, I believe, one ofElena Poniatowska (00:06:07):the lovers —Elena Poniatowska (00:06:09):one of the younger lovers of the Empress of Russia, Catherine the Great.Elena Poniatowska (00:06:21):My mother was a woman born also in Paris, of Mexican origin, who leftElena Poniatowska (00:06:32):France because of the Mexican RevolutionElena Poniatowska (00:06:36):and went to live with her parents — Pablo Amor and Elena Iturbe de Amor — inElena Poniatowska (00:06:49):Biarritz, and they later moved to Paris. My mother always spoke Spanish with a French accent. She had two sisters who also lived in France for a long time,Elena Poniatowska (00:07:07):and they were rather Frenchified. She met my father Jean Poniatowski in Paris andElena Poniatowska (00:07:20):married him, and I was born in 1932 in Paris.Elena Poniatowska (00:07:25):I would like to knowJulian Vigo (00:07:31):more about this experience, because as you probably know — especially Americans and Canadians — they think everyone wants to come to their countries. But something they don't know until they travel is that in Mexico, Honduras, and all of Latin America there is a great deal of immigration, people from every country in the world. Why not?Elena Poniatowska (00:08:01):Her mother was in France; my mother was Mexican, born in France. Her family — she had a grandmother, my mother's great-grandmother, who was Russian, and in general her father was educated in England, so they wereElena Poniatowska (00:08:29):Mexicans — Amor is a Mexican surname — but they were very closely tied to Europe. For my mother, living in Europe was very natural becauseElena Poniatowska (00:08:49):she first attended a boarding school in Switzerland, in Lausanne,Elena Poniatowska (00:08:56):and then was in Paris. At a Rothschild ball she met my father JuanElena Poniatowska (00:09:07):Poniatowski and married him in 1931,Elena Poniatowska (00:09:17):or perhaps at the beginning of 1932, because I was born on the 19th of May 1932.Elena Poniatowska (00:09:29):My sister was born in 1933.Julian Vigo (00:09:34):As a child who spoke French and had to learn Spanish, in what way did language become your first tool for survival?Elena Poniatowska (00:09:47):Well, I also know English and French. Language, for me — learning Spanish in Mexico — was obviously about communicating with people in the streetElena Poniatowska (00:09:56):and with friends at school. But French remained my mother tongue, andElena Poniatowska (00:10:03):later I dedicated myself to speaking Spanish with the people at home, with the MexicansElena Poniatowska (00:10:14):I met at school.Elena Poniatowska (00:10:23):Curiously, I attended an English school called the Windsor School, but I learned SpanishJulian Vigo (00:10:38):in the street — one always learns Spanish better in the street. You learn so much from people in Mexico. I found people very warm and open. On the other hand, for Mexicans in my country, it's not the same at all.Julian Vigo (00:10:59):What was the first moment you felt that writing was the only possible way to understand the Mexico around you?Elena Poniatowska (00:11:11):Well, I would never say it was the only possible way.Elena Poniatowska (00:11:17):I think that at twenty,Elena Poniatowska (00:11:22):twenty-one years old, returning from studying at a convent of nuns, I had theElena Poniatowska (00:11:30):good fortune to be able to start writing at a newspaper called, at that time,Elena Poniatowska (00:11:42):Excelsior.Elena Poniatowska (00:11:43):They asked me to submit a daily article,Elena Poniatowska (00:11:48):an interview,Elena Poniatowska (00:11:51):a chronicle, and I did so with enormous enthusiasm and great pleasure, because it allowed meElena Poniatowska (00:12:00):to know Mexico much better, and also to meet great figures of Mexico such asElena Poniatowska (00:12:09):Diego Rivera,Elena Poniatowska (00:12:11):José Clemente Orozco, actresses like Dolores del Río and María Félix, architects likeElena Poniatowska (00:12:20):Luis Barragán, and writers — even writers of my own generation, or slightlyElena Poniatowska (00:12:31):older than me — such as Juan Rulfo,Elena Poniatowska (00:12:38):Rosario Castellanos, Carlos Fuentes, and of course Octavio Paz.Julian Vigo (00:12:46):What a rich life! María Félix — what a figure!Julian Vigo (00:12:52):How was your experience beginning in journalism in the early 1950s in a predominantly male environment?Elena Poniatowska (00:13:05):Well, I was truly very lucky, because people were very kind andElena Poniatowska (00:13:14):even affectionate towards me. No one ever refused me an interview. I was able to reach Alfonso Reyes, Octavio Paz,Elena Poniatowska (00:13:25):the great architect Luis Barragán, José Vasconcelos the philosopher, and all were veryElena Poniatowska (00:13:40):kind and cordial with me, as were important actors like Ignacio LópezElena Poniatowska (00:13:51):Tarso,Elena Poniatowska (00:13:52):and of course those I already mentioned — Dolores del Río, María Félix — and singers, and also many visitors who came from Europe, the United States, or Latin America to perform in Mexico.Elena Poniatowska (00:14:20):Did you know El Indio Fernández?Elena Poniatowska (00:14:23):Yes,Elena Poniatowska (00:14:24):of course —Elena Poniatowska (00:14:25):I interviewed him,Elena Poniatowska (00:14:26):I knew El Indio Fernández, who by ten in the morning was already offering me a tequila, whichElena Poniatowska (00:14:35):I did not drink, as I'm not accustomed to drinking. And also many otherElena Poniatowska (00:14:47):famous actors of that era, like the comedian Cantinflas, whoseJulian Vigo (00:14:56):real name was Mario Moreno. Cantinflas — I know his work. Wow. And you were in Mexico during the same period as Luis Buñuel?Elena Poniatowska (00:15:06):Yes, I ended up with Luis Buñuel — yes, we had a great friendshipElena Poniatowska (00:15:15):because out of affection he came to have lunch at my house several times, so I saw him on manyElena Poniatowska (00:15:24):occasions. We even went together to the prison of Lecumberri to visit, for example, aElena Poniatowska (00:15:33):Colombian who had committed an offence and was imprisoned — his name wasElena Poniatowska (00:15:42):Álvaro Mutis.Julian Vigo (00:15:45):And you have lived through and narrated great social transformations.Julian Vigo (00:15:51):Do you think that today's digital democratisation of public opinion helps social justice, or does it rather dilute real struggles into mere narratives of identity and likes?Elena Poniatowska (00:16:08):Well, I think the Mexican Revolution,Elena Poniatowska (00:16:15):led by a man like Emiliano Zapata, was extraordinary in redistributing the lands and haciendas of Mexico and in giving all MexicansElena Poniatowska (00:16:32):access to better education, better formation, a better life. I consider thatElena Poniatowska (00:16:46):Emiliano Zapata was one of the great heroes of Mexico, even though he personally took away the haciendas of my grandparents, the Amors and the Iturbes.Julian Vigo (00:17:06):What did you learn from the great intellectuals of your youth?Julian Vigo (00:17:08):You mentioned Juan Rulfo, Alfonso Reyes, and many others.Julian Vigo (00:17:15):What influenced your decision to dedicate your life to letters?Elena Poniatowska (00:17:20):No, they did not influence my decision to dedicate myself to letters.Elena Poniatowska (00:17:26):I met them later.Elena Poniatowska (00:17:30):I began as a journalist, a modest journalist, at the newspaper Excelsior in 1953 —Elena Poniatowska (00:17:42):I think 1952 or 1953. Very young. I had come from an education at a convent of nuns inElena Poniatowska (00:17:53):Philadelphia, and I decidedElena Poniatowska (00:17:57):to write chronicles and interviews to get to know Mexico better. I came to know those figures through my work as a journalist, and because I could question themElena Poniatowska (00:18:14):in the language I knew and had learned as a child — at ten years old — which is Spanish. My other languages until then had beenElena Poniatowska (00:18:22):English,Elena Poniatowska (00:18:27):and French, which is my mother tongue.Julian Vigo (00:18:32):You are known for the testimonio.Julian Vigo (00:18:36):At what exact point did you feel that traditional fiction was not sufficient to capture Mexican reality?Elena Poniatowska (00:18:47):As I mentioned, I began by engaging with many valuable MexicansElena Poniatowska (00:18:54):who received me in their homes, gave me their opinions. At the same time as I received what they wished to give me,Elena Poniatowska (00:19:04):I observed how their homes were, how they treated the people around them — their wives, their children, their servants — and all of that helped meElena Poniatowska (00:19:22):to know Mexico better. I also spent a great deal of time in the streets — that is, with the poorest people, whom I was able to reachElena Poniatowska (00:19:34):through my own nature and also with the help of a great Mexican illustrator, Alberto Beltrán. In the street he made sketches of everything the Mexicans did — the newspaper vendors,Elena Poniatowska (00:19:59):the taco sellers,Elena Poniatowska (00:20:03):the women making corn tortillas by hand,Elena Poniatowska (00:20:12):the bakeries, and then the hardware stores where everything was sold — from nails toElena Poniatowska (00:20:22):cleaning cloths — and all of that was a very vital andElena Poniatowska (00:20:32):generous apprenticeship in learning to see the lives of working Mexicans.Julian Vigo (00:20:40):But it is an art — to be able to listen to people, to their voices.Julian Vigo (00:20:53):How did you learn to listen to the voice of the other?Elena Poniatowska (00:20:58):Well, I think it is a natural inclination.Elena Poniatowska (00:21:03):It is not learned.Elena Poniatowska (00:21:05):It is not forced.Elena Poniatowska (00:21:06):It is a way of being.Elena Poniatowska (00:21:10):I am far more interestedElena Poniatowska (00:21:11):in speaking of what others do, how they do it, and who they are, than in speaking of myself, my sensations, my emotions. And I have done this from a very young age, so it has become a habit — it is part of my daily life.Julian Vigo (00:21:36):Do you believe that the testimonio is essentially an act of political resistance?Elena Poniatowska (00:21:44):I think so.Elena Poniatowska (00:21:45):It helps enormously to know the thinking of those who have no power, who are not in power, who do not consider themselves political, who are not leaders — although I did have the great privilege of interviewing leaders and very important figures in Mexico,Elena Poniatowska (00:22:14):such as, for example, the Spanish refugee of the Civil War, Luis Buñuel.Julian Vigo (00:22:26):And how was the process of gathering the voice of Jesusa Palancares?Julian Vigo (00:22:32):How long did it take you to absorb her story?Elena Poniatowska (00:22:38):Well, it was a privilege. I heard her — she was doing laundry in a popular building, a building where many Mexicans lived who had noElena Poniatowska (00:22:56):economic resources. Everything she said caught my attention enormously. I approached her and asked if I could visit her at her home,Elena Poniatowska (00:23:13):which was a very poor house, obviously far from the area where I lived. And so I went toElena Poniatowska (00:23:26):see her once a week. We became friends, and she began telling me her life. And that is howElena Poniatowska (00:23:36):the novel Hasta No Verte Jesús Mío came about. When it was published,Elena Poniatowska (00:23:43):she asked me to give her ten copies to give to her friends —Elena Poniatowska (00:23:52):the bricklayers or the people she had worked with.Julian Vigo (00:24:00):And why did she choose the testimonial genre for Hasta No Verte Jesús Mío?Julian Vigo (00:24:09):It is one of the testimonial novels because —Elena Poniatowska (00:24:16):She didn't really choose it — she didn't. It was I who gathered her words andElena Poniatowska (00:24:27):assembled them in the best way I could. But she did not choose it.Elena Poniatowska (00:24:34):She could not read or write. She did not know how to read or write. But she asked for the books, and I — the cover of the book, what goes on the outside, is the Santo Niño de Atocha, a small Christ child that she liked.Julian Vigo (00:25:08):And I saw it in the street, and so I put it there so she would be happy. But I was asking you about the testimonial genre — in 1969 it was not a common thing in literature.Julian Vigo (00:25:26):How was this novel received?Julian Vigo (00:25:30):I wonder if people were confused.Julian Vigo (00:25:32):Is it a true story or is it fiction?Elena Poniatowska (00:25:35):No, it was very well received. The book was greatly liked.Elena Poniatowska (00:25:41):Immediately many editions came out and it was translated into English and French.Julian Vigo (00:25:51):And I wonder if at that time — less so today — people were confused because they did not know if it was a completely real story or partly real. Because the novel Hasta No Verte Jesús Mío was categorised as a novel.Elena Poniatowska (00:26:16):Yes, that's right, that is what it was.Elena Poniatowska (00:26:19):It is a novel based on a character — a woman who was in the Mexican Revolution, the life of a soldadera. To what extent is Jesusa an invented character or a real woman? I have said it, I have written it many times: Jesusa is a real character. After that I wroteElena Poniatowska (00:26:49):other books about other women who were also real characters. I had the joy of knowing Jesusa in person, but for example Tina Modotti, the main character ofElena Poniatowska (00:27:08):the novel Tinísima, I did not know. And other novels about other women and other characters I also did not know.Julian Vigo (00:27:22):What lessons about the resilience of Mexican women did you learn from Jesusa that remain relevant today?Elena Poniatowska (00:27:31):All the women in Mexico whom I see and engage with and encounter in the streetElena Poniatowska (00:27:41):and who come to my house — they are women who have known how to struggle and continue to struggle. For example, one woman, Rosario Ibarra de Piedra, whose son was disappeared, and who searched all of Mexico — she is obviously one of the heroines who has most caught my attention.Julian Vigo (00:28:10):And especially in recent years — almost thirty years — the femicides and the disappearances of men and women. You are still fighting for your society, and I think literary words have the power to carry reality forward. I am thinking of La Noche de Tlatelolco — that was the first book of yours I read. It is incredible. I have no words. Thank you. It is one of the best books of the twentieth century, and I teach it. It is astonishing. Can you speak about why you began that work, and also for those listening now who do not know the history of what happened in Mexico?Elena Poniatowska (00:29:03):Well, in general I can tell you that I received letters from a prisoner in the jail — Jesús Sánchez García — and I began going to Lecumberri, which was called the Black Palace of Lecumberri. It was no palace — it was a prison with bars and cells. I asked permission from the prison director — I believe his name was Martín del Campo — and he gave it to me. That is how I went to gather life stories from men, and later, at the women's prison, from women who had nothing to do with my own life, who bore no resemblance to what I hadElena Poniatowska (00:30:03):lived or what I would go on to live.Elena Poniatowska (00:30:16):That was an enormous enrichment for me, and a knowledge of an unknown Mexico that also helped me understand MexicoElena Poniatowska (00:30:31):— a Mexico to which I owe a great deal.Elena Poniatowska (00:30:35):I think that everything I am I owe to the voice, and to the gift of their voice, that the poorest Mexicans gave me — those I was able to approach over years and years,Elena Poniatowska (00:30:52):going to the prison and sometimes going to their own very poor homes, called vecindades, which were located in the very neighbourhoods where the prisons were.Julian Vigo (00:31:11):How did you manage the pain and trauma of the testimonies you heard while assembling the book?Elena Poniatowska (00:31:22):Pain is not managed. To manage something is to seek something. Pain is simply assumed and lived. So the pain is in the words written in the book.Julian Vigo (00:31:46):And why did you choose the technique of a collage of voices rather than a linear, chronological narrative for this book?Elena Poniatowska (00:31:57):I have many other books that speak even of personal stories — books that contain much of biography.Julian Vigo (00:32:13):Yes, but it is very interesting how you wove those narratives together in this book. It is very beautiful, in fact.Julian Vigo (00:32:24):Was there any moment during the writing of La Noche de Tlatelolco when you felt fear or censorship?Elena Poniatowska (00:32:33):Well, there was always the dread of entering terrain unknown to me.Elena Poniatowska (00:32:40):Ultimately, I was educated —Elena Poniatowska (00:32:45):I spent time in the United States at a convent to be educated, not to become a nun — it was called the Sacred Heart Convent.Elena Poniatowska (00:33:03):When I came out I was speaking English. My mother tongue is French. And when I left there, my strongest desire was truly to know Mexico — the country I had arrived in at the age of ten, but in which I had received an educationElena Poniatowska (00:33:30):in both English and French, not in Spanish.Julian Vigo (00:33:36):More than fifty years later, what impact do you think that book has on the collective memory of young Mexicans today?Elena Poniatowska (00:33:48):Well, I think that is a question that should be put to them.Elena Poniatowska (00:33:55):What I can say is that I have receivedElena Poniatowska (00:33:59):a great deal of affection from young people — many come to find me at my home, and I give lectures and talks with some frequency. Remember that I am already 94 years old and have lost the use of my left eye, which prevents me from seeing well. So within my limitations,Elena Poniatowska (00:34:27):I remain in contact with the people who want to see me, which for me produces great enthusiasm and which I experience as great support.Julian Vigo (00:34:42):The book you wrote is something very specific — evidently about Mexico — but it is still a book with which everyone can identify. If we look around today, where there are acts of political repression in almost every country in the world in one form or another — and I know your books are translated into many languages — I wonder whether the power of La Noche de Tlatelolco came from the form of the narration itself, not only from the fact that you confronted the government, the police, and justice. You narrated a story of the people seeking justice, yes, but literature itself was also seeking truth within its pages. There are wars everywhere, there is too much sadness. After the lockdown — which was less bad in Mexico than here in Italy — we are living through a very difficult moment. Do you sometimes think of this book as a model for dialogue, for collaboration, for moving forward together, the people united?Elena Poniatowska (00:36:09):Well, what I love about this book is that it has so many voices — many voices gathered from mothers of families, from children of political prisoners. For me it was a great learning experience to go to the prison in Mexico and see a world I did not know, to be accepted in that world, to go frequently to hear and gather the voices of political prisoners and of young people whoElena Poniatowska (00:36:52):didn't even have strong political ideas but were imprisoned because they had stolen something in a market. It meant entering a world I was completely unfamiliar with,Elena Poniatowska (00:37:13):to which I did not belong. And it was an enormous lesson — a very generous lesson — in how the lives of others can be. That is what I have dedicated myself to over many years, because I remain a journalist and continue writing about disasters such asElena Poniatowska (00:37:39):not only the massacre of the 2nd of October, but what the earthquake of 1985 meant for Mexico and the loss, for many Mexicans, of their families and their homes.Julian Vigo (00:37:59):Yes. You documented the earthquake of ‘85 — a moment when the Mexican government was completely paralysed and it was civil society that took control to rescue the city.Julian Vigo (00:38:15):Do you believe that peoples are still alone in the face of tragedy, or is that organic solidarity you described an invincible force?Elena Poniatowska (00:38:29):Yes,Elena Poniatowska (00:38:29):of course.Elena Poniatowska (00:38:30):I believe — that is why I believe in the invincible force of Mexicans, who help and support each other, who run to answer a cry for help. They are the ones who save themselves by saving others. I believe in that truth. It is a truth I lived, that I witnessed,Elena Poniatowska (00:38:57):and for me it is a lesson, a way of life.Julian Vigo (00:39:03):Does it reflect the structural abandonment of the seamstresses, the inhabitants, those who live in vecindades, and the poorest?Julian Vigo (00:39:13):How did you manage, in the midst of the chaos, the dust, and the mourning of those days, to earn the trust of people so that they would share their most painful and raw testimonies?Elena Poniatowska (00:39:30):Well, I have two physical advantages.Elena Poniatowska (00:39:32):I am small in stature. I frighten no one. No one is afraid of me. I can go anywhere. I am not someone who imposes anything at all, and I know how to listen. So by listening to others' voices, I gather them, I keep them, I memorise them,Elena Poniatowska (00:40:03):and then I put them on paper.Elena Poniatowska (00:40:06):That is the most solitary and difficult moment — writing about what happens to others,Elena Poniatowska (00:40:21):their sorrows,Elena Poniatowska (00:40:22):their joys,Elena Poniatowska (00:40:24):their defeats and also their triumphs —Elena Poniatowska (00:40:28):and making books and articles from them. Because I am also a journalist sinceElena Poniatowska (00:40:38):1953. I am now 94 years old.Julian Vigo (00:40:47):You're listening to Savage Minds.Julian Vigo (00:40:49):If you're enjoying the show, take a second to subscribe at savageminds.co.Julian Vigo (00:40:54):Feel free to comment below or drop us a line to share your thoughts.Julian Vigo (00:40:59):Support independent media today.Julian Vigo (00:41:01):Now, let's get back to it.Julian Vigo (00:41:15):Many consider that the earthquake of ‘85 not only brought down buildings but also toppled the myth of the Mexican State's absolute control — marking the true birth of modern citizenship in the country.Julian Vigo (00:41:33):From your perspective as a chronicler —Elena Poniatowska (00:41:40):I think Mexicans have always had enormous character and enormous capacity to defend themselvesElena Poniatowska (00:41:49):in spite of their own poverty, or in spite of the total absence of outside help.Elena Poniatowska (00:42:02):There was in Mexico a Mexican Revolution,Elena Poniatowska (00:42:08):a country conquered by very cruel conquerors, and yet the country has continued to forge ahead and has continued to demonstrate its bravery and courage in allElena Poniatowska (00:42:28):circumstances — one of which was, for example, the earthquake, in which the neighbours themselvesElena Poniatowska (00:42:37):helped each other before the State or the so-called government did anything.Elena Poniatowska (00:42:46):So I think it is a country with many very brave men, women, and children who save themselves, who know how to look after themselves.Elena Poniatowska (00:43:03):Of course there are people who don't know how to do it, and there are people who sometimes end upElena Poniatowska (00:43:12):in prison or in hospital. But in general Mexico is a country of very solidary people, people who help each other and defend themselves.Julian Vigo (00:43:31):What I love about your books in general is that you give voice — you shed light on the lives that are forgotten.Julian Vigo (00:43:42):Do you feel that in this book, for example, or in Nadie Me Verá Llorar, the author's voice becomes more present or closer to her characters than in your earlier works?Elena Poniatowska (00:43:56):No,Elena Poniatowska (00:43:57):I think that element is present in all my works — in Hasta No Verte Jesús Mío, in the book about the 2nd of October, in the earthquake — and it is always present in everything I still do at the newspaper where I work. I am in a certain way a chronicler and aElena Poniatowska (00:44:21):participant in the lives of other Mexicans.Julian Vigo (00:44:27):And I also notice that many of your works are about women — Tinísima, the life of Tina Modotti, a woman who lived so many lives in one. Leonora. And I wanted to ask — before we get to those books — about Querido Diego Te Abraza Quiela. Why did you choose that subject? Not only Diego Rivera but his first wife.Elena Poniatowska (00:44:59):I was moved to learn that in Paris, Angelina Beloff had gone to Mexico to seeElena Poniatowska (00:45:12):Diego Rivera, whom she had supported in Paris. He had lived with her and had livedElena Poniatowska (00:45:22):off her, because she was the one with a salary. He was a very young painter withoutElena Poniatowska (00:45:33):money, without resources. She helped him. And when she went to Mexico, she had also hadElena Poniatowska (00:45:42):the only male child that Diego Rivera ever had, who died of cold in Paris. And when she decided to go to Mexico — in a sense, to get to know the country of her lover — she decided to go to the Palacio de Bellas Artes because she knew that heElena Poniatowska (00:46:11):would be there. And he walked right past her — past the seat, one of those red velvet seats in the Palacio de Bellas Artes, called butacas, in which she was sitting — he walked past and did not even recognise her.Elena Poniatowska (00:46:40):That story struck me deeply, and that is why I decided to write the small book —Elena Poniatowska (00:46:55):it is not a very long book —Elena Poniatowska (00:46:58):called Querido Diego, Te Abraza Quiela.Julian Vigo (00:47:00):In Tinísima, what was it that drew you to the life of Tina Modotti?Elena Poniatowska (00:47:08):In reality it came from a request to make a film. The cinematographerElena Poniatowska (00:47:17):Gabriel Figueroa told me that a film was going to be made about Tina Modotti, the Italian woman who had been in Mexico. So I began interviewing all the people who had knownElena Poniatowska (00:47:38):Tina Modotti. And even when I was invited to France for a conference, I had theElena Poniatowska (00:47:47):opportunity to go to Udine in Italy to meet and get to know the siblings of Tina Modotti —Elena Poniatowska (00:48:00):to see them, interview them, speak with them.Elena Poniatowska (00:48:05):Then when I was told that the film about Tina Modotti in Mexico was no longer going to be made because there was no money, I — who had gone at my own expense to that conference in France and another writers' conference inElena Poniatowska (00:48:37):Italy — decided to launch into writing the novel called Tinísima, because I hadElena Poniatowska (00:48:48):interviewed many old communists whom I had gone to visitElena Poniatowska (00:48:56):in their various homes — generally very modest, very poor homes.Elena Poniatowska (00:49:03):I did not want to let them down, and so the novel Tinísima was published.Julian Vigo (00:49:10):And to what extent does Tina Modotti represent the struggle of the woman artist in the twentieth century?Elena Poniatowska (00:49:19):To the extent that she commits herself —Elena Poniatowska (00:49:23):she takes photographs of Mexico alongside Edward Weston, and then goes alongsideElena Poniatowska (00:49:33):Commander Carlos of the Fifth Regiment to Spain — she goes to the Spanish Civil War and becomes a nurse, caring evenElena Poniatowska (00:49:52):on the ground for the bodies that had fallen on the earth before taking them to the Red Cross — giving them first aid and dedicating herself to saving lives,Elena Poniatowska (00:50:08):or helping to save lives. I believe that many soldiers did not die thanks to the care of this womanElena Poniatowska (00:50:19):who was in the trench following the doctors.Julian Vigo (00:50:25):You have said that the writer must be a bridge.Julian Vigo (00:50:29):Between what worlds do you think it is most necessary to build bridges — or should we be breaking bridges today?Elena Poniatowska (00:50:38):No, I think one should never break a bridge, for anything.Elena Poniatowska (00:50:42):I think one mustElena Poniatowska (00:50:45):communicate — that the most important thing in the life of any human being is dialogue. Peoples too must dialogue with others in order to know each other. I think Mexico must have a dialogue with the United States, and that many Mexicans who have returned fromElena Poniatowska (00:51:09):the United States because TrumpElena Poniatowska (00:51:12):did not want to receive them, has rejected them — well, they nevertheless had, with another nation or with the inhabitants of another nation, knowledge and dialogue.Elena Poniatowska (00:51:28):And that I believe is what is called,Elena Poniatowska (00:51:34):within Catholicism if you like, or within any religion by whatever name it may be called — that is human fraternity. The otherElena Poniatowska (00:51:50):is the one who exists and who awaits you and whom you must help, because perhapsElena Poniatowska (00:51:58):one day you will need him to extend a hand to you.Julian Vigo (00:52:05):Trump is certainly a character, but I see the situation as too tragic for Americans — the United States, still my country — because the reality is that a large part of the Western world has absolutely no idea of the immense cultural, intellectual, and spiritual richness of Mexico.Julian Vigo (00:52:30):For me, it's not only Trump —Julian Vigo (00:52:32):but Americans, Canadians, etc.Julian Vigo (00:52:35):know nothing about the sharpest chroniclers of this country. If you had to open the eyes of an international audience completely unaware of Mexico's depth, what would you say is the most valuable treasure of Mexican identity that the rest of the world is missing?Elena Poniatowska (00:53:01):Well, I must say that many North Americans have come and written about Mexico — anthropologists and sociologists. We have Oscar LewisElena Poniatowska (00:53:17):and many others who have written about the poorest Mexicans, starting in Tepoztlán, a city near Mexico City, following them to the vecindades in the city where they took refuge and found very modest work. So yes, there have been North AmericansElena Poniatowska (00:53:44):who have written about the richness and beauty of Mexico, and their books areElena Poniatowska (00:53:53):translated into Spanish and are admired and appreciated by Mexicans who are grateful that attention is paid to them. So one cannot say that no one who has come from outside has cared about Mexico — in archaeology, in anthropology, as well as figures like Frances Toor, who was a North American woman who created a magazineElena Poniatowska (00:54:39):called Mexico Today and wrote extensively about Mexican customs and lived in Taxco.Elena Poniatowska (00:54:41):For example, a certain William Spratling enriched himself personally but helped many Mexicans inElena Poniatowska (00:54:51):Taxco to learn how to work silver and sell silver. And still today many foreigners and tourists go to buy silver objectsElena Poniatowska (00:55:10):that come from a mine discovered by foreigners — and clearly alsoElena Poniatowska (00:55:20):plundered, one might say, by foreigners.Julian Vigo (00:55:30):Because not everything is entirely good or entirely bad. But I was referring to the fact that — as you know, having been in the United States and many other countries — Trump and far too many people insufficiently educated about Mexico think that all Mexicans want to invade the United States. But the reality is otherwise. In Mexico there was a great cinematic tradition, for example. Mexican cinema has greatly influenced Hollywood — not only today but throughout history. The Oscar statuette itself was modelled on the body of El Indio Fernández. People do not know the depth of Mexican philosophy. I am thinking of Sor Juana, who contributed so much to poetry, theatre, even science — if we think of her letter to Sor Filotea, who was actually Manuel Fernández de Puebla. That dialogue was very important. Western feminists know nothing of these exchanges between those two figures. But for me Mexico has an enormous and very important force in the history of philosophy, science, and feminism. And I am thinking of Octavio Paz's book on Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, called Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, or The Traps of Faith. You knew Paz closely. Did you have conversations with him about his perspective on this book — especially regarding the power dynamics of the Church and the silencing she suffered as an intellectual woman?Elena Poniatowska (00:58:09):No, but I think you are mixing very many topics into one question, and it isElena Poniatowska (00:58:18):difficult to answer you because you are speaking of very diverse things that evenElena Poniatowska (00:58:27):happened in different centuries.Elena Poniatowska (00:58:30):Sor Juana — there have always been in Mexico,Elena Poniatowska (00:58:34):before Octavio Paz, people who dedicated themselves to reading,Elena Poniatowska (00:58:40):studying, and getting to know Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz.Elena Poniatowska (00:58:45):I will not add more names to those you mentioned, but there are many studies and many Sor Juana scholars in Mexico, as well as at the University of SantaElena Poniatowska (00:59:01):Barbara, California, in Paris, in France —Elena Poniatowska (00:59:04):there are many studies on the great figures of Mexico — not only The Traps of Faith by the Mexican poet Octavio Paz. So these are studies that will continue and do continue. In California, for example, Sara Poot HerreraElena Poniatowska (00:59:32):is dedicated to studying Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, along with many other scholars — I don't know if she is still living — whose name was Rivers. All of these are studies that have been carried out in Mexico and outside Mexico.Julian Vigo (00:59:55):No, I was asking specifically about Paz's book because you knew him and —Elena Poniatowska (01:00:03):I knew him,Elena Poniatowska (01:00:04):I admired him, and I also wrote about him. I have a book about him. I admired him,Elena Poniatowska (01:00:12):I knew him, his poetry dazzled me. And he is a man whom I have admired since getting to know him, and whom I also hold with affection.Julian Vigo (01:00:29):I asked about your relationship with him because sometimes it happens to me too — with other writers — one asks or someone asks me, “Why did you do that?” It is a dialogue. Because that book, The Traps of Faith, had something very important — not only for Mexico but it placed the image of Sor Juana before the world. Many people began to ask who this nun was because it is very important. I was asking about the presentation Paz gave of her — whether you had any dialogues with Paz from your own perspective.Elena Poniatowska (01:01:20):Well, yes, of course. But there were others who also spoke at great length about Sor Juana de la Cruz — other Mexicans before Octavio Paz, other Mexicans who, for example, also concerned themselves with indigenous peoples, such as a priest — Ángel María Garibay — who was also a Sor Juana scholar. So there are many studies on Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and there are Sor Juana scholars in Santa Bárbara, for example, such as Doctor Sara Poot Herrera and others — a woman by the name of Rivers and many more.Julian Vigo (01:02:16):You have dedicated your life to listening and giving voice to those who have none, through the chronicle and literature.Julian Vigo (01:02:26):Today,Julian Vigo (01:02:27):with social media,Julian Vigo (01:02:28):it seems that everyone has a platform for opinions.Julian Vigo (01:02:32):But are we really listening?Julian Vigo (01:02:36):What happens to the power of the word when it becomes a constant noise, as in social media?Elena Poniatowska (01:02:45):I don't know.Elena Poniatowska (01:02:46):I suppose it loses efficacy.Elena Poniatowska (01:02:49):But that depends on the activity of each human being.Elena Poniatowska (01:02:58):There are people — elderly people, for example, people already old — for whom life,Elena Poniatowska (01:03:08):even in institutions, in care homes, means turning the television on from morning until night and being entertained — that is, entertained without making the least effort of criticism or thought in front ofElena Poniatowska (01:03:29):the television.Elena Poniatowska (01:03:31):I have seen that this has been very important in keeping the elderly calm andElena Poniatowska (01:03:41):allowing them to die little by little in institutions called health facilities, where they have thisElena Poniatowska (01:03:52):constant and rather sad entertainment. ButElena Poniatowska (01:03:59):as they say in Mexico: no hay de otra — there is no other option, or no other option has been found, or there are not enough people willing to dedicate themselves to attending to and caring for others. So I see it as an end of lifeElena Poniatowska (01:04:28):for an individual who was once a thinking individual, who knew how to act,Elena Poniatowska (01:04:37):who knew how to elevate himself,Elena Poniatowska (01:04:41):to become a better human being. And I find it sad.Julian Vigo (01:04:46):Today, and for twenty years now, I have noticed as a university professor that students are reading less and less. Today, with so-called artificial intelligence — so-called because intelligence it is not — students are not reading. How can literature or journalism restore the true value and depth of words when we are in a world full of social media, opinions, and videos of a cat doing something funny?Elena Poniatowska (01:05:31):Your question is very difficult because I don't have the answer.Elena Poniatowska (01:05:37):What I can say is that ultimately it depends on the teachers.Elena Poniatowska (01:05:44):It depends on students having a good teacher,Elena Poniatowska (01:05:49):because even I have seen in classes —Elena Poniatowska (01:05:54):in different classes —Elena Poniatowska (01:05:57):that many young people continue looking at their phones while the teacher is writing onElena Poniatowska (01:06:07):the board, or speaking, or giving a class.Elena Poniatowska (01:06:13):So we shall see whether the destiny of young people will depend on what theyElena Poniatowska (01:06:21):learn from their phone. I don't have a phone —Elena Poniatowska (01:06:27):I never bought one,Elena Poniatowska (01:06:28):never got one. Or whether they will be able to go beyond themselvesElena Poniatowska (01:06:37):and beyond above all what the phone wants to give you or teach you or not teach youElena Poniatowska (01:06:46):or distract you from — because ultimately it is a distraction. Yes.Julian Vigo (01:06:53):Writing something to share — in quotation marks — they are sharing nothing in the end. I have noticed that many people are sharing articles they have not read. Young people are embracing identity politics and cancel cultureJulian Vigo (01:07:16):in the absence of any engagement with material reality today.Julian Vigo (01:07:21):That is my fear —Julian Vigo (01:07:23):that the millennials,Julian Vigo (01:07:26):this generation of thirty-year-olds,Julian Vigo (01:07:31):are fixated on pronounsJulian Vigo (01:07:36):but do nothing to help their neighbour.Julian Vigo (01:07:41):They do nothing to fight for living wages.Elena Poniatowska (01:07:46):Well, not all of them.Elena Poniatowska (01:07:49):It's a generalisation, of course.Elena Poniatowska (01:07:54):But I think you are right.Elena Poniatowska (01:07:58):It is a generalisation, because in any case there are human beings who live for others.Julian Vigo (01:08:08):We are in two camps today, because during the lockdown I noticed that many people — even on the right — were fighting for the poor in the United States, where I published. I could not publish a single article questioning the lockdown. That is when I started Savage Minds, because I was asking: what is happening? I no longer recognise this world in which the left is pushing people not to speak. We weren't talking about the lockdown, and the right was speaking very openly. And I see that politically, left and right — there is no longer that dichotomy, so to speak.Elena Poniatowska (01:09:02):Yes,Elena Poniatowska (01:09:03):I thank you greatly for your interest and I thank you enormously for this conversation. I feel animated,Elena Poniatowska (01:09:11):I feel glad to hear what you are saying.Elena Poniatowska (01:09:19):But I do feel that,Elena Poniatowska (01:09:22):as you say,Elena Poniatowska (01:09:23):the speed,Elena Poniatowska (01:09:26):the pace of all events,Elena Poniatowska (01:09:29):the television —Elena Poniatowska (01:09:32):it sets critical thinking and reflection on events to one side,Elena Poniatowska (01:09:41):because everything must be immediate, mustn't it?Elena Poniatowska (01:09:46):That is to say, everything ends in a second. Even the deepest interests sometimes last onlyElena Poniatowska (01:09:56):a few — one might even think, as we say in Mexico,Elena Poniatowska (01:10:01):un ratito — just a little while. There is no continuity in ideas orElena Poniatowska (01:10:12):even in purposes. There is something we all know called habit, and each personElena Poniatowska (01:10:21):lives according to the habits they have established in order to keep going —Elena Poniatowska (01:10:28):to keep existing, if you will. To make it to night, fall asleep, and know that you will wake the following day. Or perhaps you won't wake, because — well, for example, IElena Poniatowska (01:10:45):am a person of 94 years old and I have no certainty that I will see the following morning. ButElena Poniatowska (01:10:55):what I do believe is thatElena Poniatowska (01:10:58):I believe in the innate goodness of every human being.Elena Poniatowska (01:11:03):I have to believe in it, because I need that hope.(01:12:02): Get full access to Savage Minds at www.savageminds.co/subscribe

Today on the Christian History Almanac, we remember the Empress who inaugurated the "Triumph of Orthodoxy." Show Notes: Germany / Switzerland - Study Tour Support 1517 Podcast Network 1517 Podcasts 1517 on YouTube 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts 1517 Events Schedule 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education What's New from 1517: By Water and the Word by Brian Thomas: https://shop.1517.org/products/9781967920013-by-water-and-the-word?srsltid=AfmBOopBUXbtbkYK0o6UHbWQm8_6UA7hG6B4RXYSeMxos6wbtbxX3Hnk Being Family by Dr. Scott Keith https://shop.1517.org/products/9781964419961-being-family?srsltid=AfmBOooZqqK-X8KqD64jZn1qUUrqiRwO-l3S4Z_WtIcfayMLAlTyHgoN A Reasoned Defense of the Faith by Adam Francisco https://shop.1517.org/collections/coming-soon/products/9781964419879-a-reasoned-defense-of-the-faith Stretched: A Study for Lent and the Entire Christian Life by Dr. Christopher Richmannhttps://shop.1517.org/products/9781964419381-stretched The Essential Nestingen: Essays on Preaching, Catechism, and the Reformationhttps://shop.1517.org/products/9781964419121-the-essential-nestingen More from the hosts: Dan van Voorhis SHOW TRANSCRIPTS are available: https://www.1517.org/podcasts/the-christian-history-almanac CONTACT: CHA@1517.org SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts Spotify Stitcher Overcast Google Play FOLLOW US: Facebook Twitter Audio production by Christopher Gillespie (outerrimterritories.com).

Welcome to book three of Mage the Victorian Age! In this episode, the Doves go shopping and Josephine gets tatted out!Thank you to Bookwyrm Games for sponsoring Dork Tales this month! Use code DORKTALES to save 15% at https://www.bookwyrmgames.com! Orders over $100 also enjoy free shipping!#magetheascension #victorianage #magevictorianage #onyxpath #actualplay #worldofdarkness #mage***Kelly Clark as StorytellerStarringAmy Godfrey as Chastity Prudence GoodwinRobin Holford as Darcie HarknessJen Peters as Josephine CarringtonChristine Rattray as Evelyn Taylor ***Visit our website ► https://dorktales.caWatch us LIVE on Twitch ► https://twitch.tv/dorktalesJoin our Discord ► https://discord.gg/zVtE9AbFollow our Twitter ► https://twitter.com/dork_tales/Follow our Instagram ► https://instagram.com/dorktaleschannel/Find us on Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/dorktalescha...Listen to our Podcast ► https://dorktales.podbean.comSupport the show on Patreon ► https://www.patreon.com/dorktales/Buy official Dork Tales Merch ► https://teepublic.com/user/dorktales ► https://dorktalesstore.redbubble.com!***Music credits:Tracks from Joel Steudler Heartwarming Magic Adventure Licensed under a Humble Bundle Collection Music From Dark Fantasy Studio Hidden in the Dark Haunting BridesThese songs are Licensed under a Premium Licensehttp://www.darkfantasystudio.comMusic from Monument Studios: Vision of the Ancients ConsumedThese songs are licensed as part of the All in One Bundlehttps://www.monumentstudios.netLike what you heard? For background ambiance, we used sounds from Tabletop Audio for this session, just like we have for off-camera games for years! Tabletop Audio is a site with a full toolkit of songs, special effects, and soundboards to bring your adventures to life! https://www.tabletopaudio.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the Season 9 finale of Queens, we're back in Russia with Alexandra Feodorovna, the last Tsarina of the Russian Empire. When we last left Alexandra, she had married Tsar Nicholas II and stepped into one of the most powerful—and unforgiving—courts in Europe. Now, the pressure to produce an heir, her son Alexei's devastating hemophilia diagnosis, and the arrival of Grigori Rasputin will change the course of Russian history forever. As Russia faces war, political unrest, and revolution, Alexandra becomes one of the most controversial women of her era. But was she truly the villain history remembers, or a devoted wife and mother caught in an impossible situation? Join us as we explore Rasputin, the Romanovs, the Russian Revolution, and the tragic final chapter of the last Empress of Russia. Time stamps: 00:00 Intro & Patreon shout outs! 03:37 All Daughters No Heir 05:32 Stress and Phantom Pregnancy 08:52 Faith Healer Philippe de Lyon 09:53 IT'S A BOY! Then... uh oh 13:59 Rasputin Enters 21:05 Russo Japanese War 23:43 Bloody Sunday 29:25 War Sparks Suspicion 31:15 Alexandra as Regent 36:02 Rasputin's Murdered... probably not as dramatic as you've heard 38:55 Russia Collapses Into Revolution 41:14 Pulling up to the Abdication Station 44:13 House Arrest 49:53 Execution Night 52:59 Legacy and Remains Found 55:06 Final Toast and Farewell Queens podcast is part of Airwave Media podcast network. Please get in touch with advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Want more Queens? Head to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Trekking Through Time and Space... Hoai-Tran and Jacob tug at the "Tapestry" of their existence on Star Trek: The Next Generation and find the results moving and powerful. Less moving and powerful: Doctor Who's "Empress of Mars." Star Trek: The Next Generation: Aquiel - 1:08 Doctor Who: The Pyramid at the End of the World - 47:18 Episode Rankings - 1:25:05 Logo by David Scaliatine. Send all questions, comments, concerns, suggestions, and complaints to trekkingtimepodcast@gmail.com Support us on Patreon for early access to new episodes, weekly bonus episodes, and more.

Dear sir Philadelphia June 1. 1776 Your favours of May 14. and 22d. are now before me. The first I shewed to Mr. Morris, as soon as I received it. The last contains Intelligence, from Hallifax of the Streights to which our Enemies are reduced, which I was very glad to learn. I am very happy to learn from you and some other of my Friends that Boston is securely fortified; but still I cannot be fully satisfied untill I hear that every unfriendly Flagg is chased out of that Harbour. Cape Ann, I am sensible is a most important Post, and if the Enemy should possess themselves of it, they might distress the Trade of the Colony to a great Degree. For which Reason I am determined to do every Thing in my Power to get it fortified at the Continental Expence. I cant be confident that I shall succeed but it shall not be my Fault if I dont. I am very glad you gave me your Opinion of the Utility of that Harbour and of the Practicability of making it secure, because I was not enough acquainted with it before to speak with Precision about it. Your Observations upon the oppressive severity of the old Regulations of Trade in subjecting Ships and Cargoes to Confiscation for the Indiscretion of a Master or Mariner, and upon the Artifice and Corruption which was introduced respecting Hospital Money, are very just: But if you consider the Resolution of Congress, and that of Virginia of the 15th. of May, the Resolutions of the two Carolinas and Georgia, each of which Colonies, are instituting new Governments, under the Authority of the People; if you consider what is doing at New York, New Jersey, Pensilvania, and even in Maryland, which are all gradually forming themselves into order to follow the Colonies to the Northward and Southward, together with the Treaties with Hesse, Brunswick and Waldeck and the Answer to the Mayor &c. of London; I believe you will be convinced that there is little Probability 2of our ever again coming under the Yoke of British Regulations of Trade. The Cords which connected the two Countries are cutt asunder, and it will not be easy to splice them again, together. I agree with you, in sentiment, that there will be little Difficulty in Trading with France and Spain, a great deal in dealing with Portugal, and some with Holland. Yet by very good Intelligence I am convinced, that there are great Merchants in the United Provinces and even in Amsterdam, who will contract to supply you with any Thing you want, whether Merchandize or military Stores by the Way of Nieuport and Ostend, two Towns which are subject to the Empress of Austria, who has never taken any public Notice of the Dispute between Britain and Us, and has never prohibited her Subjects from supplying us with any Thing. There is a Gentleman, now in this City, a Native of it, and a very worthy Man who has been lately in those Towns as well as Amsterdam, who informs me that he had many Conversations there, with Merchants of figure, and that they assured him they should be glad to contract to furnish us with any Supplies, even upon Credit, for an Interest of four Per Cent.1 Other Intelligence to the same Purpose, with Additions of more Importance, has been sent here. But the Particulars may not be mentioned. Europe seems to be in a great Commotion; altho the Appearance of a perfect Calm is affected, I think this American Contest will light up a general War. What it will end in, God alone knows, to whose wise and righteous Providence I chearfully submit, and am with great Esteem and Respect for the Family, your Friend & servant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“You stare at him, and he just stares right back…” Our rebels, plus two, make their way to the secret entrance to the shrine of Sarenrae under the Silver Star, but must first get past the Empress of Slime and her minions! Support us on Patreon to access our actual play of the Tyrant's Grasp [...] The post Hell's Rebels Episode 161: Erubdiya appeared first on Find the Path Ventures.

Kail and Becky still in sunny California with podcast reviews, tour updates, and plenty of chaos. From audiobook narration and listener feedback to relationship independence, personal space, trust, and keeping your own identity in a partnership, they get into what it really looks like to balance love and autonomy.Plus, they react to wild stories about phrogging, a controversial surrogacy story involving a late son's sperm, child support debates, Ted Lasso, movies that make them feel not smart enough, Brianna Chickenfry lore, and one Karma or Chaos submission about raising a troubled teen after a complicated family history.Get your Fatherless Behaviour Tour Tickets hereFor full videos head to patreon.com/kaillowry Follow Becky at Hayter25 and subscribe to For The HaytersThank you for supporting the show by checking out our sponsors! Veracity: For up to 65% off your order, head to VeracityHealth.co and use code KARMA.Tempo: Tempo is offering our listeners 60% your first box! Go to tempomeals.com/karmaShopify: to sign up for your one dollar a month trial period head to shopify.com/karma Progressive: Try Progressive's AutoQuote Explorer® today at progressive.comBooking.com: Head over to Booking.com and start your listing today. Get Seen. Get Booked on Booking.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We would love to hear from you. Send us your thoughts or suggestions. Eric and Andrea are reviewing The Way Home Season 4 Episode 4, and they are not on the same page. Eric calls this his favorite episode of the season so far, while Andrea is still only halfway into the pond. Nick time travels to the 1920s, someone wants Kat dead, and the tarot cards Tessa steals might actually mean something.What you'll hear:• Why Nick singing with the Augustine brothers at the speakeasy might be the best Nick moment of the entire series• Eric's take on why Kat and Elliott's relationship feels more like siblings or toxic friends than romantic partners• The tarot card breakdown: Knight of Cups and the Empress, and what they could actually mean for Tessa's future• Del's concussion visions of Colton, and whether she and Jacob were both running parallel delusions• Andrea's standout scene: Evelyn showing real compassion when Colton tells her about the miscarriage• The drowning scene cliffhanger: Kat was the target the Augustine brothers were told to "get rid of" — but by who?• Grayson Goodwin: good guy or bad guy? Eric and Andrea don't agree• Why Elliott stealing Kat's keys is giving "like mother, like son" energyChapters:0:00 – Intro: Eric's Favorite Episode, Andrea's Dipping Her Toe2:15 – Nick Time Travels & Golden Retriever Energy5:30 – Elliott and Kat: Crazed People Belong Together8:45 – The Tarot Cards Tessa Stole (Knight of Cups & Empress)11:20 – Standout Scene: Evelyn's Compassion for Del14:10 – The Drowning: Who Wants Kat Dead in the 1920s?17:30 – What We're Hoping Happens Next18:52 – OutroDid you catch that Hallmark actually showed smoking in the speakeasy scene? Drop your reaction in the comments

This isn't the first book we've covered about an attractive young woman who gets implanted with a dark matter / alien / ancient lifeform by a visiting fox, survives an assassination attempt (via atomic bomb) by the president of the United States, is rescued by UK sailors, befriends Prime Minster Blair, goes hat shopping with … Continue reading "372 Pages #207 – Empress Theresa Ep 2 – Emperor Steve"

When Russia's Dowager Empress was pregnant with the future Tsar Nicholas II in 1868, she dreamed that a peasant would one day kill her son. The idea terrified her, and for the rest of her days she lived under the fear of this prophecy. It may have come true with the arrival at court of a mysterious, barely literate wandering monk from Siberia, Grigori Rasputin. He had a pale face, long hair and penetrating eyes gave him an almost hypnotic quality. Though he had no official position at court, Rasputin’s hold over the Romanovs became the stuff of legend. Exaggerated accounts of political and financial corruption swirled around him, to say nothing of the stories of his debauchery with the Empress and even her daughters. The consequences of the rumor and conspiracy theories were devastating—when the February revolution broke out in 1917, hardly a sword was raised in the Tsar’s defense. Today's guest is Antony Beevor, author of Rasputin: The Downfall of the Romanovs. We look at how Rasputin was able to wield such power, mostly by tricking the Royal Family into thinking he could heal Tsarevich Alexei’s hemorrhages. We also look at his legendary assassination, in which conspirators allegedly fed him cyanide-laced cakes, shooting him twice, and throwing him into the freezing Neva. Despite his death, nothing changed, as the Romanov dynasty collapsed three months later in the February Revolution and the entire family was murdered by Bolsheviks a year after that. We see that Rasputin was less the cause of the Romanov collapse than its most visible symptom, explaining that when a government is ruled by an isolated royal family, it creates a vacuum that only a swindler or visionary can fill.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Narrator: Jessika Downes-Gössl

How did a woman rise to power, and keep it, in the fiercely male-dominated Habsburg Empire?From her distrust of the Enlightenment to her religious intolerance, and from family strategy to imperial power, Maria Theresa was a remarkable ruler driven by discipline, faith, dynastic ambition, and political will.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger to discover how Maria Theresa held together a fractured empire, confronted war and court politics, and reshaped Europe.MOREHabsburg Women: Matriarchs of PowerListen on AppleListen on SpotifyWhen Women Ruled the Low CountriesListen on AppleListen on SpotifyPresented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcastSign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.