Podcasts about Estonian

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Latest podcast episodes about Estonian

Paranormal Activity with Yvette Fielding
JUNE LISTENER SPECIAL: The Colonel, The Conductor & The Woman at the Foot of the Bed

Paranormal Activity with Yvette Fielding

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2025 31:07


It's time for another Listener Special, and Yvette is back with a spine-tingling lineup of your real-life paranormal encounters — and this month's stories might just be the most chilling yet.In this June edition, we begin with a confession years in the making from Susie, who shares a behind-the-scenes revelation from a Most Haunted investigation at the Royal Marines Museum — involving a coin, a ghostly colonel, and a perfectly timed spectral throw!Next, Rachel brings us into a deeply personal and extraordinary final chapter in her stepfather's life, where the veil between worlds seemed to lift, revealing music, movement, and messages from beyond in the hours before his passing.Daniel then takes us to a forgotten railway station in the north of England, where an eerie steam train from the past glided silently into his lens — followed by a ghostly figure in uniform that still haunts his memories.We travel to a quiet library in rural Oxfordshire with Sam, who uncovers something (or someone) hidden behind the walls — a spirit that may not want to stay forgotten.And finally, Juliana recounts a harrowing night in an Estonian hotel room, where sleep paralysis gave way to an encounter so vivid, so terrifying, it still lingers in her mind — and left a handprint behind as proof.Grab your headphones, dim the lights, and hold someone's hand… if you dare.

Statecraft
What Can We Learn From Estonia?

Statecraft

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2025 46:18


What can we learn from Estonia? It's not a question you hear often — the nation of under two million residents doesn't mean much to many. But for good governance advocates, it's long been a touchpoint for its “e-government” model. The New Yorker wrote in 2017 that, “apart from transfers of physical property, such as buying a house, all bureaucratic processes can be done online.” Wired called Estonia “the world's most digitally advanced society.” On its “e-Estonia” site, the country itself brags, in a mod font, “We have built a digital society and we can show you how.”The Estonian model has a lot going for it from the perspective of a citizen. For example: Taxes take a few minutes to file, you can see every time the government looks at your data, and you never have to give the government a piece of information more than once. And it makes governance easier: the bureaucracy is leaner, information is shared across agencies, and data is more secure.But how much of this model could be adopted here in the US, or in the rest of the West? And how much is reliant on a cultural and societal context we just don't have here? To get answers, I talked to Joel Burke, author of the new book Rebooting a Nation: The Incredible Rise of Estonia, E-Government and the Startup Revolution. Joel is an American who worked with the Estonian government, and I learned a lot from his book.For the full transcript of this conversation and others, visit www.statecraft.pub. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.statecraft.pub

Gresham College Lectures
From Thin Air: Minimalist and process music from Africa to Arvo Pärt - Milton Mermikides

Gresham College Lectures

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2025 52:28


Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/3ntebbsM4HwThis lecture delves into musical forms which rely on the most economical of materials and concepts. From Steve Reich's adoption of rhythmic cycles and phasing in Ewe drumming to the expressive power of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt's music, we explore how profound effect can emerge from such apparent simplicity. This lecture unpacks the processes behind celebrated minimalist works and reveals the quiet and elegant mechanisms underpinning their musical power. This lecture was recorded by Milton Mermikides on 1st May 2025 at Rich Mix, London.Milton Mermikides  is Gresham Professor of Music.He is Associate Professor in Music at the University of Surrey, Professor of Guitar at the Royal College of Music and Deputy Director of the International Guitar Research Centre.The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website:https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/minimalist-processGresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-todayWebsite:  https://gresham.ac.ukTwitter:  https://twitter.com/greshamcollegeFacebook: https://facebook.com/greshamcollegeInstagram: https://instagram.com/greshamcollegeSupport Us: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-todaySupport the show

Estonian Football Podcast
Ivan Stojković Interview

Estonian Football Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2025 44:21


Reece & Nate sit down with former Paide & Levadia head coach Ivan StojkovićWe talked about his 3 years in Estonian football, from youth football up to the mens game.His time with Levadia, Paide, future plans to return to Estonia?The dreaded Narva pitch

HC Audio Stories
Questions for Candidates: Philipstown Town Board

HC Audio Stories

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2025 15:13


There are four Democratic candidates for two open seats on the Philipstown Town Board - Ben Cheah, John Maasik, Nat Prentice and Ned Rauch. They will compete in a primary on June 24 for the two Democratic lines on the general-election ballot in November. Cheah and Rauch, who were endorsed by the Philipstown Democratic Committee, also filed independent nominating petitions and will appear on the November ballot on the Philipstown Focus party line regardless of the primary outcome. There are no candidates from other parties. We asked each candidate to answer four questions in a total of 500 words or less. The responses are below, presented in alphabetical order by last name. For information on voting and a link to reader endorsements, see below. What in your background makes you the best candidate? Ben Cheah: I believe that a great board member brings passion, dedication, teamwork and expertise - and I'll bring all of that to the Philipstown board. Ten years ago, my wife Megan and I chose to raise our two sons in Philipstown. We love this community and feel lucky to call it home. Both of us have always been active volunteers. I've served on the Philipstown Recreation Commission, Cold Spring Planning Board (current), as Cub Scouts Pack 137 treasurer and on the Putnam County Industrial Development Agency board. Running for Town Board feels like a natural next step - one I'm genuinely passionate about. I'm especially focused on the challenges of rising costs and tightening budgets. I plan to be hands-on with budgeting and long-term planning to help keep costs and taxes under control. I bring to the table an MBA in finance from New York University's Stern School of Business; 25 years of project management and executive experience in the film and TV industry; and a strong creative background in sound design for film, with credits on Men in Black, The Big Lebowski, The Birdcage and The Wire. John Maasik: I've lived in Philipstown for over 20 years: 10 in Cold Spring and 10 in Garrison, where my wife and I raised our two sons. I've spent thousands upon thousands of hours volunteering with community-based organizations, including the Philipstown Recreation Commission, Philipstown Soccer Club, Friends of Philipstown Recreation and Scouting America, in addition to participating in the Haldane turf field effort and the Garrison School Safety Committee. I also helped launch events such as the Castle-to-River Run and Winter Carnival, raising thousands in non-taxpayer dollars and donations for town programs. These efforts have helped me build strong relationships across Cold Spring, Continental Village, Garrison and Nelsonville. Professionally, I've led large teams and managed multimillion-dollar budgets in the private sector, experiences that have shaped my ability to listen carefully, act with integrity and lead without ego. The values that guide me most deeply come from my family's story. My parents were Estonian refugees who fled Soviet occupation after my grandfather was killed by the Russians. My grandmother brought her three children to the U.S. in search of safety, freedom and a new beginning. I was raised with a deep respect for civic responsibility, community and the promise of American democracy. Nat Prentice: Experience, experience, experience. I have had a career in finance and investments. I grew up in Garrison and moved back here 25 years ago. Since moving back, I have attended most of the Town Board's monthly meetings, so I know the commitment that is required to address Philipstown's challenges and opportunities. I helped create the Town's 2007 Comprehensive Plan, and in 2018 I was appointed chair of the Comprehensive Plan Committee that published an update adopted in 2021. Working on the plan meant partnering with a multitude of people from the North Highlands to Continental Village. I know the town's goals and priorities really well. In addition, I work with emergency services (commissioner, Garrison Fire District; me...

Estonian Football Podcast
The Monthly Rewind: May 2025

Estonian Football Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2025 101:04


The #1 English speaking podcast on Estonian football is back!Reece & Nate are once again joined by Martin Käos to discuss the month of May in Estonian football. We discuss all 10 teams, as well as players who have impressed us in May.

StoryJam | Hindi Urdu Audio Stories
Ladkiyon ke Baap | Vishnu Khare | बेटियों के बाप | विष्णु खरे

StoryJam | Hindi Urdu Audio Stories

Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2025 6:36


Vishnu Khare  was a poet, translator, literary and film critic, journalist and scriptwriter. He was a polyglot, proficient in several languages, including Hindi, English, German, and other European and Asian languages. He wrote and translated extensively in both Hindi and English, and his translations included works from German, Finnish, Estonian, and other languages. He also translated modern Hindi poetry into English and GermanKhare was a recipient of many awards and honours, including an Order of the White Rose of Finland for his Hindi translation of the national epic of Finland, Kalevala. He was also awarded Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, IV Class by the Government of Estonia for his Hindi translation of the national epic of Estonia, Kalevipoeg.विष्णु खरे एक कवि, अनुवादक, साहित्यकार और फिल्म समीक्षक, पत्रकार और पटकथा लेखक थे। वे बहुभाषी थे और हिंदी, अंग्रेजी, जर्मन और अन्य यूरोपीय और एशियाई भाषाओं सहित कई भाषाओं में पारंगत थे। उन्होंने हिंदी और अंग्रेजी दोनों में बड़े पैमाने पर लिखा और अनुवाद किया, और उनके अनुवादों में जर्मन, फिनिश, एस्टोनियाई और अन्य भाषाओं की रचनाएँ शामिल थीं। उन्होंने आधुनिक हिंदी कविता का अंग्रेजी और जर्मन में अनुवाद भी किया। खरे को कई पुरस्कारों और सम्मानों से सम्मानित किया गया, जिसमें फिनलैंड के राष्ट्रीय महाकाव्य कालेवाला के उनके हिंदी अनुवाद के लिए फिनलैंड के व्हाइट रोज़ का ऑर्डर भी शामिल है। एस्टोनिया के राष्ट्रीय महाकाव्य कालेविपोएग के उनके हिंदी अनुवाद के लिए उन्हें एस्टोनिया सरकार द्वारा टेरा मारियाना के क्रॉस का चतुर्थ श्रेणी का ऑर्डर भी दिया गया था।

Statecraft
How to Run the Treasury Department

Statecraft

Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2025 51:03


 Santi: Hi, this is a special episode of Statecraft. I've got a wonderful guest host with me today. Kyla Scanlon: Hey, I'm Kyla Scanlon! I'm the author of a book called In This Economy and an economic commentator. Santi: Kyla has joined me today for a couple reasons. One, I'm a big fan of her newsletter: it's about economics, among many other things. She had a great piece recently on what we can learn from C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters, which is a favorite book of mine.Kyla's also on today because we're interviewing Wally Adeyemo, who was the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury in the Biden administration. We figured we each had questions we wanted answered.Kyla: Yeah, I've had the opportunity to interview Wally a couple times during the Biden administration, and I wanted to see where he thinks things are at now. He played a key role in implementing the Inflation Reduction Act, financial sanctions on Russia, and a whole bunch of other things.Santi: For my part, I'm stuck on Wally's role in setting up the IRS's Direct File program, where you can file your taxes for free directly through the IRS instead of paying TurboTax a hundred bucks to do it. “Good governance types” tend to love Direct File, but the current admin is thinking of killing it. I wanted to understand how the program got rolled out, how Wally would respond to criticisms of the program, and what he learned from building something in government, which now may disappear.Kyla, you've talked to Wally before. How did that conversation go? Kyla: I actually was able to go to his office in D.C., and I talked to a couple of key people in the Biden administration: Jared Bernstein, the former chair of the CEA, and Daniel Hornung, who was at the National Economic Council.We're talking to Wally on the day that the House passed the one big beautiful bill. There's also so much happening financially, like the bond market is totally rebelling against the US government right now. I'm really curious how he thinks things are, as a key player in the last administration.Santi: Wally, you've spent most of your career in Democratic Party institutions. You worked on the Kerry presidential campaign in 2004. You served in the Obama admin. You were the first chief of staff to the CFPB, the president of the Obama Foundation, and, most recently, Deputy Treasury Secretary in the Biden admin.30,000ft question: How do you see the Democratic Party today?My view is that we continue to be the party that cares deeply about working-class people, but we haven't done a good job of communicating that to people, especially when it comes to the things that matter most to them. From my standpoint, it's costs: things in America cost too much for a working-class family.I want to make sure I define working class: I think about people who make under $100,000 a year, many of whom don't own homes on the coast or don't own a significant amount of stocks (which means they haven't seen the asset appreciation that's led to a great deal of wealth creation over the last several decades). When you define it that way, 81% of Americans sit in that category of people. Despite the fact that they've seen their median incomes rise 5-10% over the last five years, they've seen the cost of the things they care about rise even faster.We haven't had a clear-cut agenda focused on the standard of living, which I think is the thing that matters most to Americans today.Santi: There are folks who would say the problem for Democrats wasn't that they couldn't communicate clearly, or that they didn't have a governing agenda, but that they couldn't execute their agenda the way they hoped to in the time available to them. Would you say there's truth to that claim?Most people talk about a communications issue, but I don't think it's a communications issue. There are two issues. One is an implementation issue, and the second is an issue of the actual substance and policy at the Treasury Department. I was the deputy secretary, but I was also the Chief Operating Officer, which meant that I was in charge of execution. The two most significant domestic things I had to execute were the American Rescue Plan, where $1.9 trillion flowed through the Treasury Department, and the Inflation Reduction Act. The challenge with execution in the government is that we don't spend a lot on our systems, on making execution as easy as possible.For example, the Advanced Child Tax Credit was intended to give people money to help with each of their children during the pandemic. What Congress called on us to do was to pay people on a monthly basis. In the IRS system, you pay your taxes mostly on an annual basis, which meant that most of our systems weren't set up to pay a monthly check to Americans. It took us a great deal of work to figure out a way to recreate a system just to do that.We've underinvested in the systems that the IRS works on. The last time we made a significant investment in the IRS's digital infrastructure was the 1960s; before we had an ATM machine, before we sent a man to the moon, before we had a personal computer. So that meant that everything was coded in a language called COBOL.So execution was quite hard in the American Rescue Plan. People were left out and felt that the government wasn't working for them. If you called the IRS, only 13% of your calls were being answered. We got that back up to 85% before we left. Ultimately, I think part of this is an execution challenge. In government we want to spend money coming up with new policies, but we don't want to pay for execution, which then means that when you get the policy passed, implementation isn't great.When Jen Pahlka was on your show, she talked about the need to focus on identifying the enablers to implementation. Direct File was one of the best examples of us taking implementation very seriously.But also, on some policy issues that mattered most to Americans, we weren't advancing the types of strategies that would've helped lower the cost of housing and lowering the cost of medicine. We did some things there, but there's clearly more that we could have done, and more we need to do going forward to demonstrate that we're fighting to bring down those costs. It's everything from permitting reform — not just at the federal level, but what can we do to incentivize it at the state and local level — to thinking about what we can do on drug costs. Why does it cost so much more to get a medicine in America than in Canada? That is something that we can solve. We've just chosen not to at the federal level.At the end of the year, we were going to take action to go after some of the middlemen in the pharmacy industry who were taking out rents and large amounts of money. It dropped out of the bill because of the negotiations between the Republican Congress and then President-elect Trump. But there are a lot of things that we can do both on implementation, which will mean that Americans feel the programs that we're passing in a more effective way, and policy solutions that we need to advance as a party that will help us as well.Kyla: Some people think Americans tend to vote against their own self-interest. How can your party message to people that these sorts of policies are really important for them?Ultimately, what I found is that most people just understand their self-interest differently, and for them, a big part of this was, “Who's fighting for me on the issues that I care most about?”From my standpoint, part of the problem we had with Direct File, which I think was an innovative solution, was that we got to implementing it so late in the administration that we didn't have the ability for it to show the impact. I'm hoping future administrations will think through how to start their implementation journey on things like Direct File sooner in the administration, when you have a great deal of political capital, so people can actually feel the impact over time.To your question, it's not just about the messaging, it's about the messenger. People tend to trust people who look like them, who come from the places they come from. When it came to the Child Tax Credit and also to Direct File, the biggest innovation wasn't the technology: the technology for Direct File has been used by the Australians, the British, and other countries for decades.The biggest innovation was us joining that technology with trusted people in communities who were going out to talk to people about those programs and building those relationships. That was something that the IRS hadn't done a great deal of. We invested a great deal in those community navigators who were helping us get people to trust the things the government was doing again, like the Child Tax Credit, like Direct File, so that they could use it.We often think that Washington is going to be able to give messages to the country that people are going to hear. But we're both in a more complicated media environment, where people are far more skeptical of things that come from people in Washington. So the best people to advocate for and celebrate the things that we're doing are people who are closer to the communities we're trying to reach. In product advertising today, more companies are looking to influencers to advertise things, rather than putting an ad on television, because people trust the people that they follow. The same is true for the things that we do in government.Santi: I've talked to colleagues of yours in the last administration who say things like, “In the White House, we did not have a good enough sense of the shot clock.” They point to various reasons, including COVID, as a reason the admin didn't do a good enough job of prioritization.Do you think that's true, that across the administration, there was a missing sense of the shot clock or a missing sense of prioritization? No, because I'm a Lakers fan. These are professionals. We're professionals. This is not our first rodeo. We know how much time is on the shot clock; we played this game. The challenge wasn't just COVID. For me at Treasury — and I think this is the coolest part of being Deputy Secretary of the Treasury — I had responsibilities domestic and international. As I'm trying to modernize the IRS, to invest all my time in making the system work better for customers and to collect more taxes from the people who owe money, Russia invades Ukraine. I had to turn a bunch of my attention to thinking about what we were going to do there. Then you have Hamas attacking Israel.There was more we should have done on the domestic end, but we have to remember that part of the presidency is: you get to do the things you want to do, but you also have to do the things you have to do. We had a lot of things we had to do that we weren't planning for which required all-of-the-administration responses.I think the most important lesson I've learned about that is that it comes down to both being focused on the things that matter, and being willing to communicate to the American people why your priorities have to change in light of things that happen in the world.But the people I'm sure you've talked to, most of them work on domestic policy alone, and they probably never have been in a National Security Council meeting, where you're thinking about the risks to the country. The president has to do both of those things. So I get how difficult it is to do that, just given where I sat at the Treasury Department.Santi: Looking back from an implementation perspective, are there things you would've done differently during your time at Treasury?The most important thing that I would've done differently was to immediately set up a permanent implementation and delivery unit in the Treasury Department. We always like to pretend like the Treasury Department is just a policy department where we make policy, we collect taxes. But in any crisis the country ever has, a great deal of responsibility — for execution or implementation of whatever the response is — falls to the Treasury Department. Think about the financial crisis, which is clearly something that's in the Treasury's domain. The vast majority of money for COVID flowed through the Treasury Department. You think about the IRA, a climate bill: the vast majority of that money flows through the Treasury Department.And Treasury doesn't have a dedicated staff that's just focused on implementation: How do we do this well? How do we make sure the right people are served? How do we make sure that we communicate this well? We did this to a degree by a team that was focused on the American Rescue Plan. But it was only focused on the American Rescue Plan. If I could start again, I would have said, “I want a permanent implementation structure within the Treasury Department of people who are cross-cutting, who only think about how we execute the policies that we pass through Congress and that we put together through an executive order. How do we do that extremely well?”Kyla: What you're talking about is very people-centric: How do we get an implementation team, and how do we make sure that the right people are doing the right jobs? Now we have DOGE, which is less people-centric. How do you reconcile what Doge is doing relative to what you would've done differently in this role that you had?As you would suspect, I wasn't excited about the fact we had lost the election, but initially I thought DOGE could be helpful with technology. I think marrying technology with people — that's the key to success for the government. We've never really been great at doing technology in the government.Part of the reason for that is a procurement process that is very slow because of how the federal acquisition rules work. What we are trying to do is prevent corruption and also waste, fraud, and abuse. But what that does is, it leads to slowness in our ability to get the technology on board that we need, and in getting the right people.I was hoping DOGE would bring in people who knew a great deal about technology and put us in a position where we could use that to build better products for the American people. I thought they would love Direct File, and that they would find ways to improve Direct File and expand it to more Americans.My view is that any American in the working class or middle class should not have to pay a company to file their taxes. We have the ability in this country, and I think Direct File was proving that. My goal, if we'd had more time, was to expand this to almost any American being able to use it. I thought they'd be able to accelerate that by bringing in the right people, but also the right technology. We were on that path before they took those two things apart.My sense is that you have to reform the way that we hire people because it's too hard to hire the right people. In some cases, you don't need some of the people you have today because technology is going to require different skills to do different things. It's easier to break something, I found, than it is to build something. I think that's what they're finding today as well.Santi: When I talk to left-of-center folks about the DOGE push, they tend to be skeptical about the idea that AI or modern technology can replace existing federal workers. I think some of that is a natural backlash to the extreme partisan coding of DOGE, and the fact that they're firing a lot of people very quickly. But what's your view? After DOGE, what kinds of roles would you like to see automated?Let me say: I disagree with the view that DOGE and technology can't replace some of the things that federal workers do today. My view is that “productivity enhancing” tech — it's not that it is going to make employees who are currently doing the job more productive. It is going to mean you need fewer employees. We have to be honest about that.Go to the IRS, for example. When I got there, we had a huge paper backlog at the IRS because, despite what most people think, millions of people still file their taxes by paper, and they send them to the IRS. And during the pandemic, the commissioner, who was then working for President Trump, decided to shut down the IRS for public health reasons — to make sure employees did not have to risk getting COVID.There were piles of paper backing up, so much so that they had filled cafeterias at the IRS facilities with huge piles of paper. The problem, of course, is that, unlike modern systems, you could not just machine-read those papers and put them into our systems. Much of that required humans to code those papers into the system by hand. There is no need in the 21st century for that to happen, so one of the things that we started to do was introduce this simple thing called scanning, where you would scan the papers — I know it sounds like a novel idea. That would help you get people's tax returns faster into the system, but also get checks out quickly, and allow us to see if people are underpaying their taxes, because we can use that data with a modern system. But over time, what would that mean? We'd need fewer people to enter the data from those forms.When we get money for the IRS from Congress, it is actually seen as revenue-raising because they expect it to bring down the debt and deficit, which is completely true. But the model Congress uses to do that is reliant on the number of full-time employees we hire. One challenge we have with the IRS — and in government systems in general — is that you don't get credit for technology investments that should improve your return on investment.So whenever we did the ROI calculations for the IRS, the Congressional Budget Office would calculate how much revenue we'd bring in, and it was always based on the number of people you had doing enforcement work that would lead to certain dollars coming in. So we got no credit for the technology investments. Which was absolutely the opposite of what we knew would be true: the more you invested in technology, the more likely you were to bring in more revenue, and you would be able to cut the cost of employees.Santi: If the CBO changed the way it scored technology improvements, would more Congresspeople be interested in funding technology?It is just a CBO issue. It's one we've tried to talk to them about over the last several years, but one where they've been unwilling to move. My view is that unlocking this will unlock greater investment in technology in a place like the IRS, because every dollar you invest in technology — I think — would earn back $10 in additional tax revenue we'd be able to collect from people who are skipping out on their taxes today. It's far more valuable to invest in that technology than to grow the number of employees working in enforcement at the IRS. You need both, but you can't say that a person is worth 5x their salary in revenue and that technology is worth 0. That makes no sense.Kyla: When we spoke about Direct File many months ago, people in my comment section were super excited and saying things like, “I just want the government to tell me how much money I owe.” When you think about the implementation of Direct File, what went right, and how do you think it has evolved?The thing that went right was that we proved that we could build something quite easily, and we built it ourselves, unlike many technology projects in government. We didn't go out and hire a bunch of consultants and contractors to do it. We did it with people at the IRS, but also with people from 18F and from GSA who worked in the government. We did it in partnership with a number of stakeholders outside the government who gave us advice, but the build was done by us.The reason that was important — and the reason it's important to build more things internally rather than hiring consulting firms or other people to build it — is that you then have the intellectual capital from building that, and that can be used to build other things. This was one product, but my view is that I want the IRS home page to one day look a lot more like the screen on your iPhone, so that you can click on the app on the IRS homepage that can help you, depending on what you need — if it's a Direct File, or if it's a tax transcript.By building Direct File internally, we were getting closer to that, and the user scores on the effectiveness of the tool and the ability to use it were through the roof. Even for a private sector company, it would've been seen as a great success. In the first year, we launched late in the filing season, mostly just to test the product, but also to build stakeholder support for it. In the limited release, 140,000 people used it. The average user said that before Direct File, it took them about 13 hours to file their taxes, and with Direct File, it took them just over an hour to file their taxes.But you also have to think about how much money the average American spends filing their taxes: about $200. That's $200 that a family making under $100,000 could invest in their kids, in paying some bills, rather than in filing their taxes.Even this year, with no advertising by the Trump administration of Direct File, we had more than 300,000 people use it. The user scores for the product were above 85%. The challenge, of course, is that instead of DOGE investing in improving the product — which was a place where you could have seen real intellectual capital go to work and make something that works for all Americans — they've decided to discontinue Direct File. [NB: There has been widespread reporting that the administration plans to discontinue Direct File. The GOP tax bill passed by the House would end Direct File if it becomes law. At the time of publication, the Direct File has not been discontinued.]The sad part is that when you think about where we are as a country, this is a tool that could both save people money, save people time, improve our ability to collect taxes, and is something that exists in almost every other developed economy. It makes no sense to me why you would end something like this rather than continue to develop it.Santi: People remember the failure of healthcare.gov, which crashed when it was rolled out all at once to everyone in the country. It was an embarrassing episode for the Obama administration, and political actors in that administration learned they had to pilot things and roll them out in phases.Is there a tension between that instinct — to test things slowly, to roll them out to a select group of users, and then to add users in following cycles — Is there a tension between that and trying to implement quickly, so that people see the benefit of the work you're doing?One of my bosses in the Obama administration was Jeff Zients, the person who was brought in to fix healthcare.gov. He relentlessly focused on execution. He always made the point that it's easy to come up with a strategy to some degree: you can figure out what the policy solution is. But the difference between good and great is how you execute against it. I think there is some tension there, but not as much as you would think.Once we were able to show that the pilot was a success, I got invited to states all over the country, like Maryland, to announce that they were joining Direct File the next year. These members of Congress wanted to do Direct File events telling people in their state, “This product that's worked so well elsewhere is coming to us next.” It gave us the ability to celebrate the success.I learned the lesson not just from Zients, but also from then-professor Elizabeth Warren, whom I worked for as chief of staff at the CFPB. One challenge we had at the CFPB was to build a complaint hotline, at that point mostly phone-operated, for people who were suffering. They said it would take us at least a year to build out all the product functions we need. We decided to take a modular approach and say, “How long would it take for us to build the system for one product? Let's try that and see how that works. We'll do a test.”It was successful, and we were able to use that to tell the story about the CFPB and what it would do, not just for mortgages, but for all these other products. We built user interest in the complaint hotline, in a way that we couldn't have if we'd waited to build the whole thing at once. While I think you're right that there is some tension between getting everyone to feel it right away and piloting; if the pilot is successful, it also gives you the opportunity to go out and sell this thing to people and say, “Here's what people who did the pilot are saying about this product.”I remember someone in Texas who was willing to do a direct-to-camera and talk about the ways that Direct File was so easy for them to use. It gets back to my point on message and messenger. Deputy Secretary Adeyemo telling you about this great thing the government did is one thing. But an American who looks like you, who's a nurse, who's a mom of two kids, telling you that this product actually worked for her: That's something that more people identify with.Healthcare.gov taught us the lesson of piloting and doing things in a modular way. This is what companies have been doing for decades. If it's worked for them, I think it can work for the government too.Santi: I'm a fan of Direct File, personally. I don't want this administration to kill it. But I was looking through some of the criticism that Direct File got: for instance, there's criticism about it rivaling the IRS Free File program, which is another IRS program that partners with nonprofits to help some folks file their taxes for free.Then there's this broader philosophical criticism: “I don't want the feds telling me how much I owe them.” The idea is that the government is incentivized to squeeze every last dollar out of you.I'm curious what you make of that, in part because I spoke recently to an American who worked on building e-government systems for Estonia. One of the things that has allowed Estonia to build cutting-edge digital systems in the government is that Estonia is a small and very high-trust society. Everybody's one degree of separation from everybody else.We're a much bigger and more diverse country. How do you think that affects the federal government's ability to build tools like Direct File?I think it affects it a lot, and it gets back to my point: not just the message but the messenger. I saw this not just with Direct File, but with the Advanced Child Tax Credit, which was intended to help kids who were living in poverty, but also families overall. What we found initially in the data was that, among families that didn't have to file taxes because they made too little, many of them were unwilling to take advantage of Direct File and the Advanced Child Tax Credit because they couldn't believe the government was doing something to just help them. I spent a lot of time with priests, pastors, and other community leaders in many of the communities where people were under-filing to try and get them to talk about this program and why it was something that they should apply for.One of the challenges we suffer from right now in America, overall, is a lack of trust in institutions. You have to really go local and try to rebuild that trust.That also speaks to taking a pilot approach that goes slower in some cases. Some of the criticism we got was, “Why don't you just fill out this form for us and then just send it to us, so that Direct File is just me pressing a button so I can pay my taxes?”Part of the challenge for us in doing that is a technology challenge: we are not there technologically. But the other problem is a trust problem. If I were to just fill out your taxes for you and send them to you, I think people, at this stage, would distrust the government and distrust the technology.Direct File had to be on a journey with people, showing people, “If I put in this information, it accurately sends me back my check.” As people develop more trust, we can also add more features to it that I think people will trust. But the key has to be: how do you earn that trust over time?We can't expect that if we put out a product that looks like something the Estonian government or Australia would put out, that people would trust it at this point. We have to realize that we are on a journey to regain the trust of the American people.The government can and will work for them, and Direct File was a part of that. We started to demonstrate that with that product because the people who used it in these communities became the spokespeople for it in a better way than I ever could be, than the Secretary or the President could be.Everyone knows that they need to pay their taxes because it's part of their responsibility living in this country. The things that make people the most upset is the fact that there are people who don't pay their taxes. We committed that we were going to go after them.The second frustration was: “Why do you make it so hard for me to pay my taxes? Why can't I get through to you on the phone line? Why do I have to pay somebody else to do my taxes?” Our goal was to solve those two problems by investing money and going after the people who just decided they weren't going to pay, but also by making it as easy as possible for you to pay your taxes and for most people, to get that tax refund as quickly as possible.But doing that was about going on a journey with people, about regaining their trust in an institution that mattered to them a great deal because 90 something-percent of the money that funds our government comes in through the IRS.Kyla: You have a piece out in Foreign Affairs called “Make Moscow Pay,” and what I found most interesting about that essay is that you said Europe needs to step it up because the United States won't. Talk through the role of Treasury in financial sanctions, and your reasons for writing this piece.People often think about the Treasury Department as doing a few things. One is working with Wall Street; another one is collecting your taxes. Most people don't think about the fact that the Treasury Department is a major part of the National Security Committee, because we have these tools called financial sections.They use the power of the dollar to try and change the behavior of foreign actors who are taking steps that aren't consistent with our national security interests. A great example of this is what we did with regard to Russia — saying that we're going to cut off Russian banks from the US financial system, which means that you can't transact in US dollars.The problem for any bank that can transact in dollars is that the backbone of most of the financial world is built on the US dollar. It increases their cost, it makes it more difficult for them to transact, and makes it harder for them to be part of the global economy, nearly impossible.And that's what we've done in lots of cases when it comes to Russia. We have financial sanction programs that touch all over the world, from Venezuela to Afghanistan. The US government, since 9/11, has used sanctions as one of its primary tools of impacting foreign policy. Some of them have gone well, some of them I think haven't gone as well, and there's a need for us to think through how we use those policies.Santi: What makes sanctions an effective tool? Positions on sanctions don't line up neatly on partisan lines. Sanctions have a mixed track record, and you'll have Republicans who say sanctions have failed, and you'll have Democrats say sanctions have been an effective tool, and vice versa.The way I think about sanctions is that they are intended to bring change, and the only way that they work is that they're part of an overarching foreign policy strategy. That type of behavior change was what we saw when Iran came to the table and wanted to negotiate a way to reduce sanctions in exchange for limits on their nuclear program. That's the type of behavior change we're trying to accomplish with sanctions, but you can't do it with sanctions alone. You need a foreign policy strategy. We didn't do it by the United States confronting Iran; we got our allies and partners to work together with us. When I came into office in 2021, Secretary Yellen asked me to do a review of our sanctions policies — what's worked, what hasn't — because it had been 20 years since the 9/11 attacks.And the most important lesson I learned was that the sanctions programs that were the most effective were the ones we did on a multilateral basis — so we did it with our friends and allies. Part of the reason for this is that while the dollar is the most dominant currency around the world, oftentimes if you can't do something in dollars, you do it in a euro, or you do it in a Japanese yen, or pound sterling.The benefit of having allies all over the world is that the dominant, convertible currencies in the world are controlled by allies and partners. When we acted together with them, we were more effective in curtailing the economic activity of our adversary, and our pressure is more likely to lead to them changing their behavior.We had to be very cautious about collateral damage. You might be targeting an individual, but by targeting that individual, you might make it harder for a company they're affiliated with to continue doing business, or for a country that they're in to get access to banking services. Let's say that you're a huge bank in America, and you're worried about sanctions risk in a small country where you do little business. Why not pull out, rather than having to put in place a huge compliance program? One of the challenges that we have is that the people who make the decisions about whether to extend sanctions don't necessarily spend a lot of time thinking about some of these economic consequences of the sanctions approach.Whenever I was around the table and we were making a decision about using weapons, there was a process that was very elaborate that ended up with something going to the president. You'd often think about kinetic force very seriously, because you were going to have to get the president to make a decision. We didn't always take that kind of rigor when it came to thinking about using our sanctions policy, but the impact on the lives of people in these countries was just as significant for their access to not only money, but to food and to the resources they needed to live.Santi: What do you make of the effectiveness of the initial sanctions on Russia after the invasion of Ukraine? I've heard mixed reviews from folks inside and outside the Biden administration.Sanctions, again, to my point, are only a tool. They've had to be part of a larger strategy, and I think those sanctions were quite effective. I think the saving grace for the Russians has been the fact that China has largely been able and willing to give them access to the things they need to continue to perpetuate.There was a choice for Ukraine, but when you think about Russia's economy today vs. Russia's economy before the sanctions were put in place, it's vastly different. Inflation in Russia still runs far higher than inflation anywhere else in the world. If you were a Russian citizen, you would feel the impacts of sanctions.The challenge, of course, is that it hasn't changed Vladimir Putin's behavior or the behavior of the Kremlin, largely because they've had access to the goods and supplies they need from China, Iran, and North Korea. But over time, it means Russia's economy is becoming less competitive. They have less access to resources; they're going to struggle.I think everyone hoped that sanctions would immediately change the calculus of the Kremlin, but we've never seen that to be the case. When sanctions are effective, they take time, because the economic consequences continue to compound over time, and they have to be part of a larger strategy for the behavior of the individual. That's why I wrote the article, because while the Kremlin and Russia are under pressure, their view is that ultimately the West is going to get tired of supporting Ukraine, financially and politically, because the economic consequences for us — while not as significant as for Moscow or for Kiev — have been quite significant, when you think about the cost of living issues in Europe.I think it's important to write this now, when it appears that Russia is stalling on negotiations, because ultimately, US financial support is waning. We just know that the Trump administration is not willing to put more money into Ukraine, so Europe is going to have to do more, at a time when their economic situation is quite complicated as well.They've got a lot to do to build up their economy and their military-industrial base. Asking them to also increase their support for Ukraine at the same time is going to be quite difficult. So using this money that Russia owes to Ukraine — because they owe them compensation at this moment — can be quite influential in helping support the Ukrainians, but also changing Russia's calculus with regard to the ability of Ukraine to sustain itself.Kyla: On CNBC about a month ago, you said if we ever have a recession over the next couple of months or so, it would be a self-inflicted one. Do you still resonate with that idea? To build on the point I was making, the economy has done quite well over the course of the first few months of the year, largely because of the strength of the consumer, where our balance sheets are still quite strong. Companies in America have done well. The biggest headwind the US economy faces has been self-inflicted by the tariffs the president has put on. Part of what I still do is talk to CEOs of companies, big and small. Small businesses feel the impact of this even more than the big businesses. What they tell me is that it's not just the tariffs and the fact that they are making it more expensive for them to get the goods that they need, but it's the uncertainty created by the off-again, on-again, nature of those tariffs that makes it impossible for them to plan for what supplies they're going to get the next quarter. How are they going to fulfill their orders? What employees are they going to need? It's having a real impact on the performance of these companies, but also their ability to hire people and plan for the future.If you go to the grocery store, you're going to start seeing — and you're starting to see already — price increases. The thing that Americans care most about is, the cost of living is just too high. You're at the grocery store, as you're shopping for your kids for the summer, you're going to see costs go up because of a self-imposed tax we've put in place. So I still do think that if we do find ourselves in a recession, it's going to be because of the tariffs we've put in place.Even if we don't enter a technical recession, what we're seeing now is that those tariffs are going to raise the cost for people when they go out to buy things. It's going to raise the cost of building homes, which is going to make it harder for people to get houses, which is ultimately going to have an impact on the economy that isn't what I think the president or anyone wants at this point.Kyla: Is there anything else we haven't asked about? I think the place where we continue, as a country, to struggle is that, given the federal system we have, many of these problems aren't just in Washington — they're in state and local governments as well. When you think about the challenges to building more housing in this country, you can't just solve it by doing things at the federal level. You have to get state and local governments unified in taking a proactive approach. Part of this has to be not just financial or regulatory from the federal government, but we have to do more things that force state and local governments to get out of the way of people being able to build more housing. I think that the conversations that you've had on your show, and the conversations we're having in government, need to move past our regular policy conversations of: “Should we do more on LIHTC? Should we try to fix NEPA?” Those, to me, are table stakes, and we're in the middle of what I'd say is a generational crisis when it comes to housing. We have to be willing to treat it like a crisis, rather than what I think we've done so far, which is take incremental steps at different levels to try and solve this. That's one thing that I wanted to make sure that I said, because I think it's the most important thing that we can do at the moment.Kyla: Absolutely. During your time there, the Treasury was doing so much with zoning reform, with financial incentives. What I really liked about our last conversation was how much you talked about how important it is that workers can live close to work. Are you optimistic that we will be able to address the problem, or do you think we are sinking into quicksand?I'd say a little bit of both, and the thing that I'm doing now is getting hyperlocal. One of the projects I'm working on in my post-administration life is I'm working with 15 churches in D.C., where they have vacant land and want to use it to build affordable housing as quickly as possible.I'm learning that even when you have the land donated for free and you're willing to work as quickly as possible, it's still quite hard because you have regulations and financial issues that often get in the way of building things. Part of what we have to do now is just launch as many natural experiments as possible to see what works.What I've learned already from this lived experience is that even cities that are trying to get out of the way and make it easier to build housing struggle because of what you all know to be true, which is that the local politics of this is quite complicated. Oftentimes, the way that you get them over the line is by creating incentives or disincentives.In the past, I talked a lot about incentives in terms of “giving people money to do things.” I'm now in favor of “not giving money to people who don't do things” — if you don't take steps to fix your zoning, some of the federal money that you regularly get is not coming to your jurisdiction. I'm going to reallocate that money to places that are doing this activity. I think we have to take those types of radical steps.It's similar to what we did with the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, where if you didn't spend your money, we could take your money back and reallocate it to people who were giving away emergency rental assistance money.That motivates people a lot — when they feel like something's going to be taken away from them. I'm of the view that we have to find more radical things that we can do to get housing built. If we don't, costs will continue to rise faster than people's incomes.Santi: Wally, I have to ask after that point you just made: did you read the paper by my colleague Chris Elmendorf on using LIHTC funds? The idea is to re-allocate those federal funds away from big, expensive cities and into other places in a state, if the cities don't commit to basic zoning reforms.I completely agree with him, and I think I would go even further than just LIHTC money. I would reallocate non-housing money as well, because from my standpoint, if you think about the most important issue for a family, it's being able to find housing that is affordable near their place of work and where their kids go to school. I said that on purpose. I didn't say “affordable housing.” I said “housing that is affordable,” because affordable housing is, in lots of ways, targeted towards a population of people who need it the most. But for even people who are middle income in this country, it crowds out their ability to pay for other things when housing costs continue to creep higher.The only way we solve that problem is if you get rid of restrictive zoning covenants and fix permitting. The natural thing that every city and state is thinking about right now is throwing more money at the problem. There's going to need to be money here, just in light of some of the headwinds, but it's going to be more costly and less effective if we don't fix the underlying issues that are making it hard to build housing where we want it.Right now in California, we're having a huge debate over what we do with infill housing in urban areas. A simple solution — you don't have to do another environmental review if one was already done in this area— is taking months to work through the California legislature, which demonstrates that we're going too slow. California's seeing an exodus of people. I just talked to a CEO who said, “I'm moving my business because the people who work for me can't afford to live in California anymore.” This is the kind of problem that you can solve. State legislatures, Congress, and executives have to get together and take some radical steps to make it easier to build housing.I appreciate what you said about what we were doing at Treasury, but from my standpoint, I wish we had done more earlier to focus on this issue. We had a lot going on, but fundamentally, the most important thing on housing is taking a step to try and build housing today, which is going to have an impact on the economy 10, 20, 30 years from now. We just have to start doing that as soon as possible.Thanks to Emma Hilbert for her transcript and audio edits. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.statecraft.pub

TigerBelly
Ari Matti and A Giggly Guy

TigerBelly

Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2025 79:10


Comedian Ari Matti stops by the TigerBelly studio for the first time and brings us full Estonian vibes. We talk Ozempic workouts, funeral laughs, behind-the-scenes Kill Tony, dick delusions, goat milk culture, fat whites, and Estonia’s first boba shop. Turn those dreams into $$$ and give them the best shot at success with Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at www.shopify.com/tigerbelly Download Cash App Today: [https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/p06g4a8g] #CashAppPod *Referral Reward Disclaimer: As a Cash App partner, I may earn a commission when you sign up for a Cash App account. Use our exclusive referral code [TIGERBELLY] in your profile, send $5 to a friend within 14 days, and you’ll get $10 dropped right into your account. Terms apply. That’s Money. That’s Cash App.

I - On Defense Podcast
US Initiative Begins Aid Distribution in Gaza + Russia Rejects Next Round of Peace Talks to Occur in Vatican; Perhaps Geneva + Sweden Security Assistance to Ukraine Worth $501 Million + US Army to Upgrade M270 MLRS to the A2 Variant + More

I - On Defense Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2025 18:28


For review:1.  A senior Israeli official said Monday that a Hostage release and Ceasefire deal with Hamas has been rejected. The proposal- as reported by Lebanese outlet Al-Mayadeen- called for a ceasefire of about 70 days during which 10 living hostages would be released in two phases, modifying the so-called Witkoff outline, which laid out a shorter ceasefire for the release of about 10 living hostages. 2. US Initiative Begins Aid Distribution in Gaza.  The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF),  stated that roughly 8,000 boxes of food have been distributed in the foundation's first two days of operation, with each box feeding 5.5 people for 3.5 days, totaling 462,000 meals. 3. Russia Rejects Next Round of Peace Talks to Occur in Vatican; Perhaps Geneva. It remains unclear when another round of talks will be held. The Russian foreign ministry on Tuesday claimed it was still working on its memorandum of terms. 4. Sweden Security Assistance to Ukraine Worth $501 Million. Part of the measure focuses on targeted areas such as drones, naval operations, demining, and digital systems.  Sweden is also contributing over $105 million to fast-track ammunition procurement, split between Czech- and Estonian-led initiatives. 5.  The British Army intends to adopt a military strategy shifting from reliance on conventional military assets to drones and autonomous systems, The Times reported. The modernized military framework is set to be officially unveiled in the UK's upcoming Strategic Defense Review 2025. 6. New Zealand to spend $2.4 billion on defense in 2025. New Zealand's defense spending is scheduled to reach 2% of GDP by 2032/33. 7.  US Army to Upgrade M270 MLRS Launchers to the A2 Variant. The A2 variant features an improved fire control system, a new 600-horsepower engine, an armored cab, and a new transmission- plus other system components. Work will take place in Texas and Arkansas, with an estimated completion date of December 30, 2030.  

I - On Defense Podcast
Russia & Ukraine Complete Largest Prisoner Exchange of the War + IDF Prepares for Ground Offensive in Gaza with 5 Divisions + US Lifts Economics Sanctions on Syria + More

I - On Defense Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2025 20:54


For review:1. Houthis continue missile attacks on Israel. A ballistic missile launched at Israel by the Houthis was successfully intercepted by air defenses, the military said Sunday. It was the third attack in four days, and the fifth since last Sunday.2. IDF Prepares for Ground Offensive in Gaza with 5 Divisions. When the major ground offensive is launched, the Palestinian population will be pushed into three small zones in Gaza. The IDF will then capture the rest of Gaza, clear it of Hamas infrastructure, raze most buildings, and hold it for the foreseeable future. This captured territory will include all of Rafah, Khan Younis, and the towns north of Gaza City.3. US Lifts Economics Sanctions on Syria. US Secretary of State Rubio said the waiver would “facilitate the provision of electricity, energy, water, and sanitation, and enable a more effective humanitarian response across Syria.”4. Russia & Ukraine Complete Largest Prisoner Exchange of the War. The prisoner exchange took place in three phases carried out over three days and was agreed on during peace talks held in Turkey on May 16.5. US President Trump voiced strong disapproval of Russia's weekend bombardment of Ukraine, telling reporters that he's "not happy with Putin.”The President's comments followed Russia's massive air assault on Ukraine over the weekend, during which more than 600 drones and dozens of missiles were launched from Friday to Sunday.6. In a possible retaliatory action, Russia temporarily stopped the Greek oil tanker Green Admire (that departed from Estonia) in its territorial waters on Sunday following the Estonia's Navy's attempt last week to stop the unflagged and unresponsive Jaguar tanker in the Estonian exclusive economic zone. The vessel Jaguar is suspected to be part of Russia's shadow fleet.7. Switzerland has received the EU's approval to join a multinational military cybersecurity project, the EU's Council announced this week. Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, France, Italy and Luxembourg are already members of the project, in addition to Estonia.8. The US House passed a massive funding package (One Big Beautiful Bill), paving the way for Congress to add $150 billion in defense spending aimed at boosting major Trump administration priorities like Golden Dome.  The measure now moves to the US Senate. 

Naxos Classical Spotlight
Lepo Sumera. At the forefront of Estonian music

Naxos Classical Spotlight

Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2025 20:01


Lepo Sumera (1950–2000) was one of the most important figures in Estonian music following World War Two. He might also be considered one of the most important European symphonists during the last quarter of the 20th century, when he wrote his impressive series of six symphonies that embody imaginative orchestral colour and a skilful sense of structure. Raymond Bisha introduces a new album of Sumera's music performed by the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra under their music director and chief conductor Olari Elts. This first in a series of recordings of all Sumera's symphonies features

As The Story Grows
Robert Leht and Martin Randalu of Pridian

As The Story Grows

Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2025 29:17


Chapter 616 - "Emotionally Loaded" ...as read by Robert Leht and Martin Randalu of PridianToday we welcome Robert and Martin from Estonian metal band Pridian to the podcast! Pridian released their Century Media debut, Venetian Dark, last Friday. The guys talk about the generational divides in Estonia, how the music scene is changing in Estonia, the history of the band, the themes behind Venetian Dark, trying to navigate their future on a bigger scale, and a lot more. https://pridianband.com/https://pridianmusic.bandcamp.com/DiscordPatreonSubstackEmail: asthestorygrows@gmail.comChapter 616 Music:Pridian - "Endless"Peidian - "Near Dark"Pridian - "Out For Blood" 

TRIGGERnometry
Comedian Ari Matti Destroys Triggernometry

TRIGGERnometry

Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2025 62:13


Ari Matti is an Estonian comedian known for his energetic performances and sharp humour. He's a regular guest on the hugely popular Kill Tony. Follow Ari on X - x.com/AriMattiComedy SPONSOR. Shipstation. Go to https://shipstation.com and use code TRIGGER to sign up for your FREE trial. SPONSOR

Foundations of Amateur Radio
How does your member society represent itself?

Foundations of Amateur Radio

Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2025 8:28


Foundations of Amateur Radio Around the world are thousands of associations, groups of people, clubs if you like, that represent radio amateurs. Some of those associations are anointed with a special status, that of "member society" or "peak body", which allows them to represent their country with their own governments and on the international stage to the ITU, the International Telecommunications Union, through a global organisation, the IARU, the International Amateur Radio Union. Some of these are known across our whole community, the ARRL in the USA, the RSGB in the UK, and the WIA in Australia. Some much less so, the CRAC, the Chinese Radio Amateurs Club, or the ARSI, the Amateur Radio Society of India, for example. In an attempt to get a deeper understanding of what distinguishes these organisations, I visited a dozen member society websites. Cultural sensibilities and aesthetics aside, the variety and sense of priority is both pleasing and astounding. Starting close to home, the WIA, the Wireless Institute of Australia, shows news as the most important and the top story is a radio contact between the International Space Station and a school, held about two weeks ago. The ERAU, the Estonian Radio Amateurs Association, features an article about the 2025 General Meeting outlining who was there, what was discussed and thanking the participants for their contributions. When I visited, the ARRL, the American Radio Relay League, top news item, was the renewed defence of the 902-928 MHz Amateur Radio Band, from a few days ago. The most important issue for the ARRL is that you read the latest edition of QST magazine, but only if you're a member. The RSGB, the Radio Society of Great Britain, has an odd landing page that links to the main site, which features much of the same content. The latest news is "Mental Health Awareness Week" and encourages us to celebrate kindness in our community. The DARC, the German Amateur Radio Club, has a page full of announcements and the top one was an article about current solar activity including a coronal hole and various solar flares. The ERASD, the Egyptian Radio Amateurs Society for Development, uses qsl.net as its main website. It features many images with text, presumably in Arabic, that unfortunately I was not able to translate. Curiously the landing page features some English text that welcomes all interested to join. I confess that I love the juxtaposition between a Yaesu FT-2000 transceiver and the images of Tutankhamun and the pyramids. The RAC, the Radio Amateurs of Canada, use their homepage to promote its purpose, and features many pictures of their bi-monthly magazine, which you can only read if you're a member, which is where many of the homepage links seem to go. The RCA, the Radio Club of Argentina, is promoting the 2024-2025 Railway Marathon, including links to descriptions of what constitutes a Railway Activation, how to reserve your station, and upcoming and past activations. There's also a reminder to renew your license. The ARSI, the Amateur Radio Society of India, has a very sparse landing page showing their mission and not much else. Clicking around gives you lots of information about the history, activities, awards and the like. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find out how to become licensed in India. There's hardly any images. In contrast, the URA, the Union of Radio Amateurs of Andorra, lands you on a page with contact details and not much else. Clicking through the site gives you lots of pictures of happy people and maps, lots of maps. The KARL, the Korean Amateur Radio League, features an announcement with a link to the 24th Amateur Radio Direction Finding, from a week ago, but it requires a login to actually read it. The JARL, the Japan Amateur Radio League, features an announcement to a form you can complete to join the "List of stations from which you do not wish to receive QSL cards." The NZART, the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters, features a big button to latest news and clicking on it shows the "Jock White Field Day", which was held several months ago. I wasn't able to see the CRAC, the Chinese Radio Amateurs Club, since the page didn't load for me. The "Wayback machine", also known as archive.org, from a capture a few days ago, showed a news item announcing the intent to organise the 1st Class C Amateur Radio Technical "something", I say "something" because I cannot actually load the article and see what it has to say. The event was scheduled for a month ago, the announcement was from several months ago. Content aside, finding sites was interesting too, mind you, there's plenty of member associations that don't have any web presence at all. Is that by choice, or necessity? The IARU list of member societies conflicts with the list of national organisations shown on Wikipedia. The IARU has about 160 entries, I say about, since the list isn't really formatted as much as it's congealed. Let's just say, perhaps a table for tabular data might be a novel approach. Wikipedia is slightly better formatted, it lists 93 national organisations. As it happens, both include a link to the national organisation for China, which is either the Chinese Radio Sports Association, with apparently two different acronyms, either CRSAOA, or CRSA, or if you believe the IARU as a source, it's the one I mentioned earlier, the CRAC. I don't know which one is right, but at least we can assume that the IARU page was updated formally, rather than edited by someone on the internet. Regardless of which one is the "real" Chinese national amateur radio organisation, none of the websites loaded for me. Let's move on. It's interesting that several non-English sites like Korea, Japan and Germany feature a button that allows their site to be translated into English. What's even more interesting is that the English version of the site is not in any way the same content. In many cases it appears to be information relevant to English visitors rather than a translation. One notable exception is Estonia, which allows a visitor to read their site in Estonian or English right out of the box. Unsurprisingly, the ARRL website has no buttons for Spanish, even though that represents about 13 percent of the USA population, let alone any other language. I'd encourage you to visit a few and see what you can learn about the other members of our community around the world. My visits leave me with questions. What do these organisations stand for? What do they do? Are they there for amateurs, for aspirant members, the general public, for regulators, for their members, for fund raising and advertising, or international visitors and tourism? It seems to me that looking at just a few of these organisations reveals a great many things about how they understand their own role and how they deliver service and just how much money they have to play with to make that happen. I'll leave you to ponder how effective they might be and what your role is in that endeavour. I'm Onno VK6FLAB

S2 Underground
The Wire - May 14, 2025

S2 Underground

Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2025 4:43


//The Wire//2300Z May 14, 2025////ROUTINE////BLUF: TRUMP'S MIDDLE EAST TRIP CONTINUES. NAVAL CONFRONTATION EMERGES IN THE GULF OF FINLAND.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events-Baltic: A brief scandal erupted between Russia and Estonia regarding the attempted halting of a cargo ship suspected of violating trade agreements. Estonian naval forces attempted to board the tanker M/T JAGUAR in the Gulf of Finland. This tanker was bound for Russia, and in a continuation of Estonia's history of detaining vessels suspected of breaching sanctions, Estonian forces attempted to conduct boarding operations to inspect (and probably detain) the vessel. In this case, however, Russian fighter jets appeared and carried out international relations in the form of buzzing the Estonian vessels and aircraft that were attempting to board the vessel. Due to this development, Estonian forces backed off, and halted the boarding attempt.AC: This confrontation is not entirely out of the realm of normalcy at this point, but it does highlight the tensions that remain between NATO and Russia. All it takes is one mistake for this passive-aggression to turn into active aggression, and for very serious consequences to occur.-HomeFront-Michigan: This morning federal authorities issued a press release detailing the arrest of Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said for his attempt to target a military installation in an act of terrorism. Said was arrested by undercover agents shortly before the alleged attack was to begin.AC: This is an interesting case, but as with all cases involving "confidential informants" that help a would-be terrorist plan their attack, more context would be helpful to determine what really happened. Based on the report itself, there are several details that would be careful to consider. For one, the very first line of the press release states that Said was a "former member of the Michigan Army National Guard"...however the next paragraph states that he is currently 19 years old. Since the shortest military service contracts are generally 4 years long, and one must be at least 17 years old to enlist in any service branch...something is off here. As such, the details of his discharge would be exceptionally helpful for determining if a pattern of terroristic behavior was displayed early on.Minnesota: Concerns are growing regarding a potential Presidential pardon of Derek Chauvin, the officer convicted during the George Floyd scandal years ago. Gov. Tim Walz has stated that the White House is planning to pardon Chauvin, however President Trump has stated that he knows nothing about this when directly questioned by reporters on the issue.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: This is almost certainly an information operation carried out by the guy who ran against Trump during the last election, and intended to stoke dissent at a time when race-relations in the United States are not doing well. For one, Derek Chauvin was convicted on state-level charges, so even if he was pardoned by President Trump for the federal hate-crime charges, he would still remain in prison on state charges for 22 more years. Gov. Walz's statements have also been very indicative of this being what one might colloquially refer to as a "psyop" because his statements (to paraphrase) essentially boil down to "well, we don't have any evidence that Trump is planning this pardon, but it seems like something he might do". So in other words, this a giant pile of nothing that has been plopped into the circuit for the media to chew on for a few days, and hopefully stir up another "mostly-peaceful" summer of violence. How successful this effort will be is anyone's guess.In the Middle East, President Trump's overseas visit continues as a plethora of trade deals are signed with various nations around the Middle East. Yesterday President Trump met with the

Ivarnational Orienteering Podcast
Swedish champs Middle and relay ++

Ivarnational Orienteering Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2025 69:42


There has been a lot of national champs this weekend, and we cover it all!Swedish champs middle and relay, Norwegian champs sprint, Swiss champs sprint, British champs long and relay, Estonian champs middle and Czech cup sprint!That means we can give you much good orienteering stuff to listen to also this time!See timestamps below!To get the best orienteering equipment, go to Noname webshop: https://webshop.nonamesport.com/en/with the code: "IvarNat20", you will get 20% off!To get the premium at Livelox, use: "2XIVAR" (both capital letter and small caps works)To get the best orienteering trainings, check out: O-Portugal.pt03:23 Coaching Opportunities in Orienteering09:06 Highlights from the Norwegian Sprint Championships12:21 Norwegian Knockout Sprint Insights18:16 Swedish Orienteering Championships Overview21:22 Men's and Women's Finals at Swedish Champs33:59 Swedish Relay Championships Overview39:29 Reflections on the Swedish Relay League49:16 Sprint Championships in Switzerland51:44 British Long Distance Championships58:16 Estonian National Championships01:02:10 Czech Cup Highlights01:05:37 Upcoming Selection Races for World Championships

Switched on Pop
Eurovision feast: Poison Cake, Milkshake Man, and Espresso Macchiato (featuring Tommy Cash)

Switched on Pop

Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2025 42:53


It's that time of year again: Eurovision Song Contest is upon us. And with the competition comes a tradition at Switched On Pop, where Charlie and Nate look at the songs (and countries) that have the best odds to take home the title. This year, we have an ode to the sauna, soaring operatics, and a feast of food-themed tunes – including the Estonian entrant Tommy Cash's ode to the "Espresso Macchiato." This episode of Switched On Pop, we take a sonic trip to Basel, Switzerland – and in the back half of the episode, talk to Tommy Cash himself about his entry and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mindfully Curious
62: Riivo Kruuk on Murals, Myth & Not Waiting for Permission

Mindfully Curious

Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2025 55:08


This week, we sit down with Estonian-American painter and muralist Riivo Kruuk, whose work fuses folklore, graffiti, street culture, and personal heritage into one bold visual language.We get into:

The Future of Figure Skating
Solène Mazingue & Olivia Oliver

The Future of Figure Skating

Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2025 85:05


Episode Notes In this episode, I spoke with two ice dancers who have become strong advocates for survivors of sexual assault. Soléne Mazingue is a two-time Estonian national champion and three-time competitor at the World Championships. She made headlines for returning to competition after recovering from life-threatening brain injuries. Olivia Oliver is a Polish national champion and represented her country at the 2024 Worlds. Last fall, both women chose to go public about the sexual assault they each experienced within the sport, and the difficulties they have faced in pursuing justice. Solène has since founded the Instagram account #metooskating and is helping others to share their stories and find mutual support. I am humbled by the bravery and compassion that Solène and Olivia are showing as they work to make figure skating a safer place for others. This is a difficult topic to discuss, and please take care of your own well-being, but I really encourage my audience to listen to what Solène and Olivia have to say. Youtube: https://youtu.be/grACfoFD0Sk Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G6xLzbjvLKPiQ_9xlacyi8Ffapo6uxNCowfLmsuGFQg/edit?tab=t.0 You can follow Solène on Instagram @ solenemazingue_ and Olivia @ livoliverr_ You can also follow the account @ metooskating ! If you'd like to learn more about the support that is available for survivors, I encourage you to check out the organizations Athletes Empowered and Army of Survivors. I spoke with Athletes Empowered, under their former name Gymnasts for Change Canada, on Episode 30. You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at fsfuturepodcast@gmail.com, Instagram at @futurefspodcast, or at futureoffs.bsky.com If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with the Tip Jar at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co

Estonian Football Podcast
The Monthly Rewind: April 2025

Estonian Football Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2025 79:57


Reece & Nate once again sit down with Martin Käos to discuss the month of April in the Estonian Premium Liiga.You're number 1 source of Estonian football in English We talk about each teams performance, what pleased us, what surprised us and what pissed us off.We also discuss our favourite players of the month at the end of the episode

The 92 Report
129. Rebecca  Hollander-Blumoff, Law Professor and Adventurous Baker

The 92 Report

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2025 47:23


Show Notes: Rebecca Hollander-Blumoff shares her journey from college to law school. After deferring her law school for a year, she spent a year in Spain to gain language and cultural experience. She then went to law school in Cambridge and clerked for a federal judge in New York before going into practice. Rebecca was initially interested in becoming a federal prosecutor but realized she first had to go into practice.  She worked for a small boutique litigation firm that did about 60% white collar criminal defense and about 40% civil litigation. While she loved being a counselor to her clients, and a person who a client could call, day in, day out, she found the law firm's hierarchy unappealing. The Psychology of Negotiation, a PhD., and Teaching Rebecca decided to pursue a PhD in Social Psychology to study the psychology of negotiation. She talks about negotiation in law, and she began taking classes in NYU's master's program and eventually obtained a PhD in Social Psychology with a dissertation on procedural justice in negotiation. She taught in the lawyering program at NYU and was an adjunct at Seton Hall in New Jersey teaching negotiation. After obtaining her PhD, she went on the job market for academia; she got a position at Washington University in Saint Louis. Rebecca has been teaching at Washington University in Saint Louis since 2006. She teaches various core classes, including civil procedure, federal courts, law and psychology, negotiation, negotiation for executive education, and has also developed a course in women's leadership and negotiation. She has worked for groups like the Brookings Institution and the Rodel Institute. Women's Negotiation and Navigating Stereotypes Rebecca's approach to teaching women's negotiation is not about focusing on gender differences but rather on understanding the research that informs her approach. She believes that women need to be armed with knowledge about the effects of gender, culture, and race on negotiation. This knowledge can help them navigate through stereotypes and roadblocks that may arise in negotiations. In her classes, she also discusses the research that is relevant to everyone, not just women, and mentions the issue of different perceptions of men and women in and on negotiations, and how behavior of men and women is perceived differently. The discussion also touches on the misconception that some people are born good negotiators and others are bad at it. This is a misconception that can hinder effective negotiation. The best way to think about negotiation is as an experience that can be prepared for and analyzed from both structural and interpersonal perspectives. This involves considering possibilities, actions to take if negotiations don't work out, and the interpersonal elements present. Negotiation and Problem-solving Rebecca mentions that negotiation is often seen as adversarial, but it is actually more about strategically problem-solving to increase the size of the pie and generate low-cost but high-value outcomes for both parties. Examples of negotiations that are not adversarial include family law, business contracts, and reputational effects. Negotiations can have broader implications, as people may still be in each other's lives after the negotiation. The key piece that students often overlook is the relational aspect of negotiations. In negotiations, parties are not in front of a judge, and the outcome must be decent for both parties. For example, in a negotiation for a new salary or project, one person has all the power, but the decision by fiat can lead to less positive results over time, less employee retention, and less positive feelings about the project. In real-world situations, negotiations can have other elements and dimensions available. Lawyers should question their assumptions and think about the best end goal for their clients. They should also consider the potential negative consequences of their actions and the impact on their reputation and business relationships. Negotiations in Practice The conversation turns to the dynamic between attorneys and clients in family law negotiations. Research has shown that when lawyers experience fairness in negotiation, they are more likely to recommend the agreed-upon outcome to their clients, believing it forms the basis for a better long-term agreement. However, the client is not in the room, and the lawyer may manipulate the client's desire for fair process and present things differently to the client based on what they think might happen. This can lead to a gap between what the lawyer is experiencing and what the client is experiencing. Research by a professor at UC Davis has found that one of the most desirable forms of dispute resolution for regular people is negotiation by their lawyer while the client is present in the room. This could reduce the dissonance between the lawyer and the client, potentially leading to better negotiation outcomes. A Year in Madrid Rebecca recounts her experience in Madrid after college, where she lived with a family for most of the year, a difficult but interesting experience. She studied at the Complutense University, where she participated in a Hispanic studies program, which taught history, language, grammar, and art in Spanish. The program was an international one, and the students from around the world were taught in Spanish. Despite the initial loneliness and lack of familiarity, Rebecca found it fascinating and eventually moved into an apartment with friends. She found that Madrid was a large city, but not warm and fuzzy, and it was a great place to live. A Passionate and Adventurous Baker Rebecca is a passionate baker She enjoys sharing her creative side with her students, who are always happy when she bakes for them. In her home life, she has three boys and two nephews who live nearby, making the house full of baked good eaters. Baking provides a time to disconnect from the stress of professional life and connect with the world through the act of baking. One of her favorite projects was when she baked 12 cakes of Christmas based on the 12 days of Christmas.  She also used cooking as a project to open her children's horizons to different cultures and ideas, especially when her kids were younger. They would research a country and make a whole meal of that country's cuisine, usually with a baked dessert. One of her favorite baked goods is a Kringle, made from an Estonian recipe. Her oldest child also fell in love with the Mongolian beef patty, a dish made from a dough of flour and water wrapped around ground beef. Influential Harvard Professors and Courses Rebecca took Justice as a freshman and ironically found it to be one of her least favorite classes. However, she enjoyed her classes in the history and literature concentration.  She also took a phenomenal French literature class and enjoyed a class on modern poetry, which she likens to the study of law, as every word and construction has a reason or purpose. Timestamps: 06:11: Transition to Academia and Negotiation Research  10:12: Teaching Women's Negotiation and Gender Dynamics  18:08: Negotiation Skills for Law Students  26:12: Relational Aspects of Negotiation  31:08: Consulting and Baking Passion  41:23: Personal Reflections and Cultural Experiences  44:22: Influence of Harvard Classes and Professors  Links: Author Page for Rebecca E. Hollander-Blumoff :: SSRN Instagram: @rebeccahollanderblumoff X: https://x.com/rhollblum Blue Sky: @rhollblum.bsky.social.  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-hollander-blumoff-475636270/ Work: https://law.washu.edu/faculty-staff-directory/profile/rebecca-hollander-blumoff/ Book: https://www.amazon.ca/Research-Handbook-Psychology-Rebecca-Hollander-blumoff/dp/1800881916 Featured Non-profit: The featured non-profit of this episode of The 92 Report is recommended by Elaine Lum MacDonald who reports: “Hi, I'm Elaine Lum McDonald, class of 1992. The featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is SV2. Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund. SV2  is a community committed to accelerating equity in the Bay Area through grant making to local nonprofits, impact investing in local and global entrepreneurs and immersive learning experiences. I am proud to have been a member of this organization since 2021 and I'm currently serving on the board. I love SV2 because it is truly innovative in two ways. First, it's equity based practices, including putting grantees and investees on the board and its trust based philanthropy practices. And secondly, because of its focus on creating impact across the capital spectrum, from donations to investments. You can learn more about their work at SV2.org and now here is Will Bachmann with this week's episode.” To learn more about their work, visit: SV2.org.  

Focus
Estonian city of Narva prepares for potential Russian invasion

Focus

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2025 4:03


Located on the border with Russia, the Estonian city of Narva could be Russian President Vladimir Putin's ideal spot if he were to plan an invasion. Only a bridge separates the two countries. The population is divided: while some members of the town's Russian-speaking community are nostalgic for their Soviet-era past, others fear Moscow's war ambitions. In view of a potential attack, Estonian civilians are undergoing military training and preparing for all possible outcomes. Our France 2 colleagues report, with FRANCE 24's Lauren Bain.

Fighting For Ukraine
New Russian Tactics And An Old Van - April 2nd 2025

Fighting For Ukraine

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2025 2:48 Transcription Available


April 2nd 2025 Yuriy reveals the grim reality of new Russian tactics involving high-altitude kamikaze drones and shares a heartwarming story about receiving a donated van from an Estonian supporter. This vehicle is set to become a crucial asset for his media and veteran rehabilitation unit amidst the ongoing conflict. You can email Yuriy, ask him questions or simply send him a message of support: fightingtherussianbeast@gmail.com    You can help Yuriy and his family by donating to his GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-yuriys-family   Yuriy's Podbean Patron sign-up to give once or regularly: https://patron.podbean.com/yuriy   Buy Yuriy a coffee here: https://bmc.link/yuriymat  Subscribe to his substack: https://yuriymatsarsky.substack.com/  ----more---- TRANSCRIPT: (Apple Podcasts & Podbean app users can enjoy accurate closed captions)      It is April 2nd.  Sorry for not recording anything for so long I was terribly exhausted and deeply overwhelmed by a flood of bad news- starting with Neil Young canceling his concert in Ukraine and ending with endless Russian shelling of our cities. They are using a new tactic now their kamikaze drones have started flying at very high altitudes before diving onto targets. This helps them evade air defense systems though it significantly reduces the accuracy. Not that they care about accuracy, they just hit residential areas, killing random people.  You know, when White House officials in Washington recently spoke about Putin supposedly being responsible and focused on peace in Kyiv, first responders, were pulling the bodies of a 5-year-old girl and her father from the rubble. That that's Russian's idea of peace. And it's like this almost every day. Endless terror. The weather is not helping either -cold and almost constant rain.  But there is also good news. I even say great news.  I now have a vehicle, a whole van that sits, eight people. It's not new, of course, it's 20 years old. But I got it for free. It was simply donated to me by an ordinary Estonian guy who decided to help the Ukrainian army. He started looking for someone who could use his van the most and found our unit, which works on media and veteran rehabilitation. I went to Lviv to pick it up and now, the van is with me. My comrades decided it would be best used for filming videos and recording podcasts- which is exactly what I do. I even dream of converting it into a mobile studio someday, but what will take time.  I keep saying this: our country would not have survived without outside help. My family would have likely lost several members, if not for foreigners who stepped in to help me. I tried to repay that kindness by making this podcast telling you what's really happening here and what we feel. And let's be honest, things are tough. Russians are killing people every day. The war has not become any less bloody, but we are holding on thanks to people like Kaarel from Estonia -and you. Thank you.

Folk Files
Folk Files #2.3 - No Land is Alone

Folk Files

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2025 36:27


From 1986-1991, a “Singing Revolution” took place in the Baltic states, leading to their independence from the Soviet Union. This episode of Folk Files looks at the rich musical history that paved the way for the Singing Revolution to occur and provides an introduction to Estonian folk and choral music. (Apologies for any horrible Estonian pronunciation).Host: Olivia HardingSpecial thanks to: Cliff S., Ramona Holmes, and Aaron J. MortonCheck out Basic Folk: https://basicfolk.com/Musical excerpts:ARTIST: Singers at Laulupidu 2019WORK: Mu isamaa on minu armSOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTdOiCa0-4oARTIST: Tuule KannWORK: Estonian Folk Music Instrument: KANNELSOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lqpRd9kU_oARTIST: Timo Lige / Students from HiiumaaWORK: Kiigelaul (A Swinging Song)SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x5QslTDXW4ARTIST: Written by L. Raudkepp, Composed by J. Aavik WORK: Hoia, jumal EestitSOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6O9D0ZN1kkIARTIST: Singers at Laulupidu 2019WORK: KoiSOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_cCvMuDLTgARTIST: Eteläsuomalaisen Osakunnan LaulajatWORK: Kangakudumise laulSOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izYbVvt-DPoARTIST: Singers at Laulupidu 2014WORK: Mis need ohjad meida hoidvadSOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHuaIz6ZK6sARTIST: Tartu Boys ChoirWORK: Mu isamaa on minu armSOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oX4yvG5ApUARTIST: Tartu Boys ChoirWORK: Veel kaitse Kalev oma lapsiSOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbdpHz4s7-4ARTIST: Ell TaburWORK: Lenda, lenda, lepalindSOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oSswM_7sBYARTIST: Tallinna KammerkoorWORK: Priiuse hommikulSOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru-picL-OzoARTIST: Tallinna Meestelaulu SeltsWORK: Üks kindel linn ja varjupaikSOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B37doTWWFwkARTIST: Singers at Laulupidu 2019WORK: TuljakSOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k2lsqm8JLkARTIST: Singers at Öölaulupidu 2008WORK: Ei ole üksi ükski maaSOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3BSN0P8-no

I - On Defense Podcast
436: US Airstrikes on Houthi Rebels Continue + Iran Open to "Indirect Talks" with US + Australia Receives First Delivery of M142 HIMARS Launchers + US Senate Confirms John Phelan as SECNAV + More

I - On Defense Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2025 17:43


For review:1. US Airstrikes on Houthi Rebels Continue. The Houthis described American airstrikes targeting sites around the city of Saada, a Houthi stronghold, the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, and Marib province, home to oil and gas fields still under the control of allies to Yemen's exiled central government.2. IDF strikes over 100 white pickup trucks used by Hamas during the 07 October attack as well as propaganda ceremonies for the release of Israeli Hostages.3.  Iran Open to "Indirect Talks" with US.  “The way is open for indirect negotiations,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, dismissing the prospect of direct talks “until there is a change in the other side's approach toward the Islamic republic.”4. From Riyadh: Monday's talks between the US and Russia lasted 12 hours. Russian news agencies said a joint statement would be released on Tuesday. Ukrainian and US delegations will meet on Tuesday for talks to follow Russia-US negotiations.5. Estonia to provide Ukraine with $108.4 million in assistance. The assistance will incorporate unmanned aerial and ground systems, watercraft, medical solutions, and related supply sources from Estonian industry partners. Tallinn has not revealed the timeline of the potential donation, quantities, or other specifics due to security reasons.6. Switzerland joins the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) Patriot Support Partnership (PATRIOT SP). The initiative aims to enhance security and improve the availability of spare parts for the country's Patriot ground-based air defense systems. Bern emphasized that the initiative aligns with its neutrality policy, with the option to withdraw from the partnership if any member country becomes involved in an international armed conflict. 7. Australia Receives First Delivery of 142 HIMARS Launchers. The first two of a planned 42 HIMARS launcher vehicles had already arrived from the US, the government said in a statement, describing the system as a “game changer” that would bolster security in Australia and the region.8. US Senate Confirms John Phelan as SECNAV.  

Cities and Memory - remixing the sounds of the world

"The otherworldly voices and the haunting church bells drew me in…. I wished to be there, standing in the square on a cold Baltic night like a scene in a movie. Relying only on my imagination, as I have never visited the Baltic region, I was fascinated by these slightly atonal Estonian bells. How many times have they rung out across this square? How many folks have lived amongst them over the centuries? They clearly called out to me as they have done to many folks throughout the centuries.  "They became the initial inspiration for the piece. I matched the tone of the bells with a response on an old and very out-of-tune Persian Santoor. The recording seemed out of time and place and multitheistic, so i then added an organ drone to it. It felt like the history of the city came to life.  "As I also have ancestors who came from the region I am naturally quite curious about its culture and history. I hope that the sound of these bells and the resulting composition accessed some of the energy of the region and that it can in turn inspire others to explore Tallinn, Estonia and the Baltic region at large." Raekoja Square, Tallinn reimagined by Penelope Trappes ——————— This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world's most famous sights. Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage

Cities and Memory - remixing the sounds of the world
Estonian drones for electric guitar, modular synth, voice and bell

Cities and Memory - remixing the sounds of the world

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2025 11:14


"Samples of the original field recording were layered and looped using the wonderful ciat lonbarde, cocoquantus. A wooden, modular, duel 8 bit looper and multi oscillator synth. Voices, bells and passages of room ambiance all turned into drone symphonies, pushed pulled and layered. 3 brief snippets of open tuned guitar, re sampled and slowed fitting perfectly, creating the central drones and sonic responses to the human voice and glorious reverb heavy bell toll.  "I wanted to invoke the passage of time, fragility of sound and ritualistic elements of what we may now class as mundane. The sound of the bell from the street, the snatched moment of reverb drenched choir as we pass the door of the church (or press a key on our samplers). "The passage of time, how we use these sonically rich sites, how we connect and think about them as they age with us are fascinating. As are the layers of experience and the human response we stand as part of. The shared experience, conscious and unconscious reactions that occur as we stand as one with sonic heritage in the present, our shared past and the future." Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn reimagined by Andy Billington. ——————— This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world's most famous sights. Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage

New Books Network
Fractured Alliances: Trump, Ukraine, and Europe's Security Dilemma

New Books Network

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2025 32:14


In this episode, RBI director John Torpey speaks with Estonian parliamentarian and defense expert Kalev Stoicescu about the recent tensions between the United States and Ukraine following a contentious meeting between Presidents Trump and Zelensky. Stoicescu critiques Trump's transactional diplomacy, emphasizing the critical role of alliances such as NATO in maintaining international peace and stability. He stresses Europe's need to strengthen its defense capabilities independently, warning that Europe's security depends on sustained and unified support for Ukraine. Stoicescu proposes a structured peace agreement, underscoring the necessity of robust international guarantees for Ukraine's security. The conversation further explores Europe's shifting perspectives on military engagement in response to ongoing Russian aggression. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

New Books in World Affairs
Fractured Alliances: Trump, Ukraine, and Europe's Security Dilemma

New Books in World Affairs

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2025 32:14


In this episode, RBI director John Torpey speaks with Estonian parliamentarian and defense expert Kalev Stoicescu about the recent tensions between the United States and Ukraine following a contentious meeting between Presidents Trump and Zelensky. Stoicescu critiques Trump's transactional diplomacy, emphasizing the critical role of alliances such as NATO in maintaining international peace and stability. He stresses Europe's need to strengthen its defense capabilities independently, warning that Europe's security depends on sustained and unified support for Ukraine. Stoicescu proposes a structured peace agreement, underscoring the necessity of robust international guarantees for Ukraine's security. The conversation further explores Europe's shifting perspectives on military engagement in response to ongoing Russian aggression. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/world-affairs

New Books in Eastern European Studies
Fractured Alliances: Trump, Ukraine, and Europe's Security Dilemma

New Books in Eastern European Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2025 32:14


In this episode, RBI director John Torpey speaks with Estonian parliamentarian and defense expert Kalev Stoicescu about the recent tensions between the United States and Ukraine following a contentious meeting between Presidents Trump and Zelensky. Stoicescu critiques Trump's transactional diplomacy, emphasizing the critical role of alliances such as NATO in maintaining international peace and stability. He stresses Europe's need to strengthen its defense capabilities independently, warning that Europe's security depends on sustained and unified support for Ukraine. Stoicescu proposes a structured peace agreement, underscoring the necessity of robust international guarantees for Ukraine's security. The conversation further explores Europe's shifting perspectives on military engagement in response to ongoing Russian aggression. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/eastern-european-studies

New Books in Ukrainian Studies
Fractured Alliances: Trump, Ukraine, and Europe's Security Dilemma

New Books in Ukrainian Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2025 32:14


In this episode, RBI director John Torpey speaks with Estonian parliamentarian and defense expert Kalev Stoicescu about the recent tensions between the United States and Ukraine following a contentious meeting between Presidents Trump and Zelensky. Stoicescu critiques Trump's transactional diplomacy, emphasizing the critical role of alliances such as NATO in maintaining international peace and stability. He stresses Europe's need to strengthen its defense capabilities independently, warning that Europe's security depends on sustained and unified support for Ukraine. Stoicescu proposes a structured peace agreement, underscoring the necessity of robust international guarantees for Ukraine's security. The conversation further explores Europe's shifting perspectives on military engagement in response to ongoing Russian aggression. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Books in Diplomatic History
Fractured Alliances: Trump, Ukraine, and Europe's Security Dilemma

New Books in Diplomatic History

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2025 32:14


In this episode, RBI director John Torpey speaks with Estonian parliamentarian and defense expert Kalev Stoicescu about the recent tensions between the United States and Ukraine following a contentious meeting between Presidents Trump and Zelensky. Stoicescu critiques Trump's transactional diplomacy, emphasizing the critical role of alliances such as NATO in maintaining international peace and stability. He stresses Europe's need to strengthen its defense capabilities independently, warning that Europe's security depends on sustained and unified support for Ukraine. Stoicescu proposes a structured peace agreement, underscoring the necessity of robust international guarantees for Ukraine's security. The conversation further explores Europe's shifting perspectives on military engagement in response to ongoing Russian aggression. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Estonian Football Podcast
Lauri Välja Interview

Estonian Football Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2025 46:11


Reece & Nate sit down with Levadia Tallinn Community ManagerWe discuss his early days a player, his role with Levadia, how Estonian football can improve, aspirations for the future and our QFQ

estonian levadia lauri v
Intelligence Matters: The Relaunch
The Estonian Watchmen: Arnold Sinisalu

Intelligence Matters: The Relaunch

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2025 45:42


Michael Allen speaks with Arnold Sinisalu, former chief of Estonia's Internal Security Service, about Estonia's frontline role in countering Russian espionage and subversion. Arnold describes how Estonia tracks and disrupts Russian intelligence operations, from spy arrests to cyber defense. He also discusses Russia's evolving sabotage tactics across Europe and the ongoing battle against disinformation. 

Driving You Crazy
E363 - Teledriving could be the next great leap in remote driving technology

Driving You Crazy

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2025 48:35


We've all heard of telecommuting but how about teledriving? It is brand new, revolutionary technology that is coming to a road near you thanks to the Estonian company called Elmo. This episode I speak with founder and CEO of Elmo Enn Laansoo Jr from the floor of the Mobile World Conference taking place in Barcelona, Spain. All that and more on the Driving You Crazy Podcast.    Contact: https://www.denver7.com/traffic/driving-you-crazy 303-832-0217 or DrivingYouCrazyPodcast@Gmail.com Jayson: twitter.com/Denver7Traffic or www.facebook.com/JaysonLuberTrafficGuy  WhatsApp: https://wa.me/17204028248 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denver7traffic   Elmo Remote: https://www.elmoremote.com/   Production Notes: Open music: jazzyfrenchy by Bensound Close music: Latché Swing by Hungaria

Profile
Kaja Kallas

Profile

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2025 14:27


As the European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas is the bloc's top diplomat. So when EU leaders gathered in Brussels this week to thrash out a new defence plan for Ukraine, Kallas was in the thick of things. Before taking up the EU role she was Prime Minister of Estonia, the nation's first female leader. She was born in 1977 in the Estonian capital Tallinn, then part of the Soviet Union, into a family bound up with her country's centuries-old struggle for independence. A Russia hawk and fierce critic of Putin, she is already on the Kremlin's wanted list. Mark Coles has been talking with her friends and political allies to understand how Kaja Kallas came to be called "Europe's Iron Lady". Production TeamProducers: Viv Jones, Chloe Scannapieco, Keiligh Baker, Hugh Sheehan Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: Neil Churchill Production Co-ordinators: Katie Morrison

Books for Breakfast
74: John Banville and Doris Kareva

Books for Breakfast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2025 50:13


Send us a textWas 1950s Dublin really a place of murder and intrigue? On today's show we travel to the Trinity Centre for Literary and Cultural Translation  in Dublin's Fenian Street to talk to novelist John Banville about his latest novel, The Drowned, the fourth in a series featuring Detective Inspector St John Strafford and the pathologist Quirke familiar to many from the Benjamin Black novels. And we talk to Estonian poet Doris Kareva who visited the Centre recently about her own poetry, translation, and Estonia. Brew up a big pot of coffee and join us for a lively show!This episode is supported by a Project Award from the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon.Intro/outro music: Colm Mac Con Iomaire, ‘Thou Shalt Not Carry' from The Hare's Corner, 2008, with thanks to Colm for permission to use it. Logo designed by Freya Sirr.Reviews of The Drowned'Cold, compelling and seamlessly plotted, The Drowned also offers a fine portrait of that familiar and never likeable figure in Banville's fictions: the supercilious villain who has lost his moral compass.' ― Financial Times'A beautifully written and intriguing slowburn of a book, in which the various quandaries in the main characters' private lives are as absorbing as the central mystery'. ― Guardian'Brilliant . . . You need not have read the earlier novels to follow this one, but it will be a better read if you do . . . while various loose ends are left tantalisingly in the air, making it clear that a sequel will follow. It can't come too soon for this devoted fan. '― Irish Examiner'Richly atmospheric . . . It's a Dublin where you can smell the pubs, feel the drizzle, and taste the Bewley's coffee. [...]At the centre of it all is the strained relationship between Quirke and Strafford, a couple at odds who are right up there with Banville's greatest achievements.' ― Irish Independent'Tight-lipped humour thrums through the latest in the Booker winner's Strafford and Quirke crime series . . . The Drowned stands alone, too, suspenseful on its own terms . . . while it's ultimately evil, not good, that gives The Drowned its crackling denouement, the novel takes care to part on a more cheerful note - even if the logic of the series demands that Quirke can hardly be content for too long.' ― ObserverThe Drowned delivers an ultimately satisfying and immersive mystery in beautifully wrought prose. ― Irish Independent Books in BriefBravo! ― The TimesDoris Kareva is one of Estonia's leading poets. She was born in Tallinn in 1958, daughter of the composer Hillar Kareva, and published her first poems at the age of 14. In 1977 she entered the University of Tartu as an already acknowledged young poet. Due to her dissident connections she was expelled but graduated as a distance student in Romance and Germanic philology. She has worked for the cultural weekly Sirp (Sickle) and as the Secretary-General of the Estonian National Commission for UNESCO from 1992 to 2008, and is currently an editor for the literary journal Looming (Creation).Support the show

Monocle 24: The Curator
Monocle Radio highlights

Monocle 24: The Curator

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2025 50:00


Monocle Radio highlights this week include a look at elections in Germany, the best of Estonian pop and an interview with the costume designer of Oscar-nominated film ‘Conclave’. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Global Countdown
Estonian beats

The Global Countdown

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2025 8:51


Fernando Augusto Pacheco dances the day away while listening to the Estonian music charts, including the country’s extravagant entry for this year’s Eurovision.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

beats eurovision estonian fernando augusto pacheco
Soundcheck
South African Guitarist Derek Gripper Translates Kora and J.S. Bach, In-Studio

Soundcheck

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2025 34:34


South African guitar virtuoso Derek Gripper plays music originally meant for the 21 stringed lute-harp, the kora, on his 6-string Segovia-styled guitar and does it so well that the world's leading guitarists and kora players keep wondering how one even does that. His original music is informed by kora masters Toumani Diabaté, Salif Keita, Estonian minimalist composer Arvo Part, Brazilian guitarist Egberto Gismonti and German Baroque innovator, J.S. Bach. Watch out, because he's about to collaborate with the Iraqi-American oud player and composer Rahim Alhaj. (Ed. note: just wait until the 11 or 13-strings of the oud and those maqams make it to the 6-string guitar in Gripper's hands!) For now, Gripper plays another unbelievable arrangement of a Malian kora song, as well as an original song informed by the cascading style of kora music, plus some of the second cello suite by J.S. Bach, in-studio. - Caryn HavlikSupplemental Reading: The Beauty of Everyday Things, In Search of Lost TimeSet list: 1. Alla L'a Ke 2. Moss on the Mountain 3. J.S. Bach: Prelude BWV 1008 (Second Cello Suite) BALLAKÉ SISSOKO AND DEREK GRIPPER by Ballaké Sissoko and Derek Gripper Everyday Things: Bach's Second Cello Suite BWV 1008 by Derek Gripper

The Courage To Be
113: What's a Courageous Act You've Been Avoiding? with Gina Gallaun

The Courage To Be

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2025 43:44


What does it take to move past fear and embrace the unknown?  How do you find courage in the smallest moments of life?  What can you learn from others' courageous acts that can help you face our own challenges? In this episode of The Courage To Be™ Podcast, life and business coach Gina Gallaun shares her transformative journey from a secure job at a thriving Estonian startup to traveling the world interviewing women about courage.  From a woman in India rejecting an arranged marriage to a Brazilian woman redefining her dreams, Gina uncovers powerful stories of bravery. Gina reflects on the importance of listening to her intuition, setting boundaries, and making bold decisions—like quitting her job to write a book.  Tune in for insights on how to step into your courage, overcome fear, and live a life of intentional growth. • Find Gina Gallaun's offering at https://wavesandwords.org 20% off to her book when ordering through this website with the discount code "BE", like "The Courage To Be"! • Download your ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FREE Think and Grow Rich PDF book⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, the book that has made millions of millionaires! Click here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/4fa6iXC⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ As a special bonus, I want to give you FREE access to my Manifesting Abundance course, (usually $997)! All you have to do is:  • Leave a review of this podcast.  • Email a screenshot of your review to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠help.thecouragetobe@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Simple as that!  If you'd love to watch the video version of our interviews, be sure to subscribe to the podcast's ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube channel.⁠⁠⁠⁠ - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3FhRW79⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoyed this episode. We think you'll enjoy these other episodes: • 103: Surviving Survival: Powerful Lessons with Jessica Buchanan - https://youtu.be/19XIJKaCQgc CONNECT WITH TANIA: FACEBOOK - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tania Vasallo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YOUTUBE - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thecouragetobe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ INSTAGRAM - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thecouragetobepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TIKTOK - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thecouragetobepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Listen to The Courage To Be - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://apple.co/3Vnk1TO⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ IN THIS EPISODE: 00:00 - Tania's Mission: Closing the Gender Gap

New Books Network
Suzy Krause, "I Think We've Been Here Before" (Radiant Press, 2024)

New Books Network

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2024 24:39


Suzy Krause's latest speculative fiction novel, I Think We've Been Here Before (Radiant Press, 2024) is a compulsively readable and cosy story. Marlen and Hilda Jorgensen's family has received two significant pieces of news: one, Marlen has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Two, a cosmic blast is set to render humanity extinct within a matter of months. It seems the coming Christmas on their Saskatchewan farm will be their last. Preparing for the inevitable, they navigate the time they have left together. Marlen and Hilda have channeled their energy into improbably prophetic works of art. Hilda's elderly father receives a longed-for visitor from his past, her sister refuses to believe the world is ending, and her teenaged nephew is missing. All the while, her daughter struggles to find her way home from Berlin with the help of an oddly familiar stranger. For everyone, there's an unsettling feeling that this unprecedented reality is something they remember. About Suzy Krause: Suzy Krause is the bestselling author of Sorry I Missed You and Valencia and Valentine. She grew up on a little farm in rural Saskatchewan and now lives in Regina, where she writes novels inspired by crappy jobs, creepy houses, personal metaphorical apocalypses, and favorite songs. Her work has been translated into Russian and Estonian. About Hollay Ghadery: Hollay Ghadery is an Iranian-Canadian multi-genre writer living in Ontario on Anishinaabe land. She has her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. Fuse, her memoir of mixed-race identity and mental health, was released by Guernica Editions in 2021 and won the 2023 Canadian Bookclub Award for Nonfiction/Memoir. Her collection of poetry, Rebellion Box was released by Radiant Press in 2023, and her collection of short fiction, Widow Fantasies, was released with Gordon Hill Press in fall 2024. Her debut novel, The Unraveling of Ou, is due out with Palimpsest Press in 2026, and her children's book, Being with the Birds, with Guernica Editions in 2027. Hollay is the host of the 105.5 FM Bookclub, as well as a co-host on HOWL on CIUT 89.5 FM. She is also a book publicist, the Regional Chair of the League of Canadian Poets and a co-chair of the League's BIPOC committee, as well as the Poet Laureate of Scugog Township. Learn more about Hollay at www.hollayghadery.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

New Books in Science Fiction
Suzy Krause, "I Think We've Been Here Before" (Radiant Press, 2024)

New Books in Science Fiction

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2024 24:39


Suzy Krause's latest speculative fiction novel, I Think We've Been Here Before (Radiant Press, 2024) is a compulsively readable and cosy story. Marlen and Hilda Jorgensen's family has received two significant pieces of news: one, Marlen has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Two, a cosmic blast is set to render humanity extinct within a matter of months. It seems the coming Christmas on their Saskatchewan farm will be their last. Preparing for the inevitable, they navigate the time they have left together. Marlen and Hilda have channeled their energy into improbably prophetic works of art. Hilda's elderly father receives a longed-for visitor from his past, her sister refuses to believe the world is ending, and her teenaged nephew is missing. All the while, her daughter struggles to find her way home from Berlin with the help of an oddly familiar stranger. For everyone, there's an unsettling feeling that this unprecedented reality is something they remember. About Suzy Krause: Suzy Krause is the bestselling author of Sorry I Missed You and Valencia and Valentine. She grew up on a little farm in rural Saskatchewan and now lives in Regina, where she writes novels inspired by crappy jobs, creepy houses, personal metaphorical apocalypses, and favorite songs. Her work has been translated into Russian and Estonian. About Hollay Ghadery: Hollay Ghadery is an Iranian-Canadian multi-genre writer living in Ontario on Anishinaabe land. She has her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. Fuse, her memoir of mixed-race identity and mental health, was released by Guernica Editions in 2021 and won the 2023 Canadian Bookclub Award for Nonfiction/Memoir. Her collection of poetry, Rebellion Box was released by Radiant Press in 2023, and her collection of short fiction, Widow Fantasies, was released with Gordon Hill Press in fall 2024. Her debut novel, The Unraveling of Ou, is due out with Palimpsest Press in 2026, and her children's book, Being with the Birds, with Guernica Editions in 2027. Hollay is the host of the 105.5 FM Bookclub, as well as a co-host on HOWL on CIUT 89.5 FM. She is also a book publicist, the Regional Chair of the League of Canadian Poets and a co-chair of the League's BIPOC committee, as well as the Poet Laureate of Scugog Township. Learn more about Hollay at www.hollayghadery.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/science-fiction

Forever FAB Podcast
Locks and Keys

Forever FAB Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2024 11:24


I learned about a poet this week.  Warsan Shire.   She is a British writer, poet, editor, and teacher who was born to Somali parents in Kenya.  She migrated with her family to the United Kingdom at the age of one. According to Wikipedia, Shire has read her works in various artistic venues throughout the world, including in the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, North America, South Africa, and Kenya. Her poems have been published in various literary publications, and have been translated into a number of languages, including Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, and Estonian.   Her poetry was also featured prominently in Beyoncé's 2016 feature-length film Lemonade "For Women Who Are Difficult to Love," and again in Beyonce's 2020 musical film “Black Is King.”   Shire published her first full-length poetry collection, Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head: Poems, on 1 March 2022.   For me, her words can be dark, hard, heavy, provocative, surprising even.  Yet, her work conjures up that inner strength and grit that we sometimes forget that lies within. Keywords: Empowerment Feminism Union Togetherness Strength Resilience Support Create About The Host:   Dr. Shirley Madhere is a NYC-based plastic surgeon and Founder of Holistic Plastic Surgery.  This philosophy is based on a whole-body, mind, and spirit approach to beauty and incorporates wellness, integrative nutrition, functional aesthetics, and complementary medicine.   Dr. Madhere's approach to optimal outcomes in plastic surgery is through a lens of wellness, and is grounded in science and backed by ivy league medical study, research, and extensive surgical training.  View her menu of services at ElementsandGraces.com.  Consultations are available in-office, virtually, and online via Click-lift.com.   Coming soon: Dr. Madhere offers beauty on call services through Jet Set Beauty Rx, a mobile medical aesthetics unit delivering beauty in the privacy of your own home.  Reserve at JetSetBeautyRx.com.   About This Podcast:   As a creative outlet and means to broaden the perspective on the “spectrum of beauty,”  Dr. Madhere created Forever F.A.B., a podcast dedicated to Fashion, the Art of living well (i.e., wellness), and all things Beauty.  Visit ForeverFABpodcast.com for past and new episodes: https://www.foreverfabpodcast.com/ .    If you enjoy listening to the Forever F.A.B. podcast, get more audio and visuals with a membership through Patreon.  Choose the Gold, Platinum, or Diamond tier for premium added content, special co-hosts, lifestyle videos, branded merchandise, and private access to Dr. Shirley's Clubhouse by visiting patreon.com/ForeverFAB.   Catch the latest episode of the Forever F.A.B. podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, iheartradio, Podbean, Amazon podcasts, and wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.  For past episodes featuring guest star interviews, beauty product reviews and innovations in plastic surgery, visit ForeverFABpodcast.com.   Call to Action:   Did you learn something today?  Did this episode make you feel something today?  Share positively on social what resonated with you most using one word and tag the FFAB Podcast.   If you liked this episode of the Fifteen Minutes of FAB on the Forever FAB podcast, please share it and subscribe to the feed. Listen to past episodes or check out who's coming up next on foreverfabpodcast.com.   Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsan_Shire

Inside with Brett Hawke
#411 Meet Eneli Jefimova from Estonia - seeded 5th tonight in the 100 Breast at SC World Champs

Inside with Brett Hawke

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2024 29:26


We've got a short little pod for you nerds this week, as we enjoy watching world records drop like flies over there in Budapest. Team America is off to a hot start with 10 total medals - 6 being gold - and a slew of WR's. Sonny is on deck in Budapest, so he's got great behind the scenes content and recaps being uploaded every day - check out Day 1's recap with Chad Le Clos. This morning on the show we've got the first Estonian woman to ever reach the final heat at the Olympics, Eneli Jefimova! She's seeded 5th tonight in the Women's 100 Breaststroke so keep an eye on her in the finale. Become a part of the⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sprint Revolution⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Get access to our growing collection of workouts, seminars, and exclusive content. New items added every month. ✓ 1 Month of Sprint Workouts (24 New Workouts Each Month) ✓ Online Educational Seminar ✓ Live Q & A with Brett Once a Month ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SWIMNERD:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out our new timing equipment! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠INTL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Keep our sport's history alive by joining the 1 in 1000 Club! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to our YouTube Channel!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ #swimming #swimmer #swimcoach

The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
Reality and the Philosophical Framing of the Truth | Dr. Stephen Hicks

The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2024 104:13


Dr. Jordan B. Peterson sits down with philosopher, professor, and lecturer Dr. Stephen Hicks. They discuss their collaboration through the Peterson Academy, the case for philosophy on the practical level,the evolution of human thought across intellectual movements and waves, the notion that we see reality through a story, and the danger of getting the story wrong. Stephen Hicks' writings have been translated into twenty languages, including Portuguese, Spanish, German, Korean, Persian, Serbo-Croatian, Polish, Swedish, Hindi, Russian, Ukrainian, Cantonese, French, Hebrew, Estonian, Urdu, Turkish, and Arabic. He has published in academic journals such as “Business Ethics Quarterly,” “Teaching Philosophy,” and “Review of Metaphysics,” as well as other publications such as “The Wall Street Journal” and “Cato Unbound.” In 2010, he won his university's Excellence in Teaching Award. He was Professor of Philosophy at Rockford University, Illinois; has been Visiting Professor of Business Ethics at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.; Visiting Professor at Jagiellonian University, Poland; Visiting Fellow at the Social Philosophy & Policy Center in Bowling Green, Ohio; Visiting Fellow at Harris Manchester College at Oxford University in England; Senior Fellow at The Objectivist Center in New York; and Visiting Professor at the University of Kasimir the Great, Poland. He received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Guelph, Canada, and his Ph.D. in philosophy from Indiana University, Bloomington, USA. This episode was filmed on November 15th, 2024  | Links | For Stephen Hicks: On Peterson Academy https://petersonacademy.com/ On X https://x.com/SRCHicks?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Website https://www.stephenhicks.org/ 

Jocko Podcast
464: Default Aggressive. Combat Ready Leadership From Estonia. With Estonian Spec Ops Soldier, Remo Ojaste

Jocko Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 13, 2024 191:52


Duncan Trussell Family Hour

Ari Matti Mustonen, hilarious comedian currently evading Estonian authorities, joins the DTFH! You can learn more about Ari on his website, AriMatti.com! Original music by Aaron Michael Goldberg and Duncan Trussell. This episode is brought to you by: Squarespace - Use offer code: DUNCAN to save 10% on your first site. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/duncan and get on your way to being your best self. True Classic - Visit TrueClassicTees.com/Duncan and SAVE up to 25% when you buy bundled packs!

original betterhelp estonian duncan trussell ari matti dtfh ari matti mustonen squarespace use
Gaslit Nation
Kamala vs. Trump: How to Stand Up to a Bully [TEASER]

Gaslit Nation

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2024 23:13


At Tuesday night's debate, Kamala Harris showed exactly how to stand up to a bully, forcing Trump to back down from a second debate. Watch our recent video on the debate and the dread many of us were feeling, in the show notes. Don't miss our next debate party in the Victory Chat on Patreon, where Tim Walz will take the stage against Kremlin shill and Thiel puppet JD Vance. Join us on October 1 at 9pm ET.  This week's bonus show includes the scandal of "Russians at War," a Western-funded Russian propaganda film that shamelessly leans on the Nuremberg Defense: “We were just following orders.” We also cover Republican pollster Frank Luntz's visible agony as he admits the debate cost Trump the election, who's actually the greatest danger to our pets, the MAGA/Kremlin nexus fueling anti-American terrorism, and Biden's latest effort to combat Kremlin disinformation ahead of the 2024 election. Plus, we feature insights from Michael Podhorzer, hailed by TIME magazine as a key architect of the movement that safeguarded the 2020 election. (The Gaslit Nation community also helped!) This week's bonus show, available to Truth-teller level subscribers ($5/month) and higher, includes his take on protecting the 2024 election. An excerpt is available for all. To hear the full episode, get all shows ad free, invites to exclusive events like our October 1st VP debate watch party in our Victory Group Chat, and more, subscribe at Patreon.com/Gaslit to support our independent journalism! Annual discounts available! Thank you to everyone who supports Gaslit Nation – we could not make our show without you!    Show Notes: VIDEO: Election Dread and New Events at Gaslit Nation https://www.patreon.com/posts/111991000   Statement by Award-winning Estonian filmmaker Anna Hints, a member of the European Film Academy: https://x.com/RitornellaNYC/status/1834441325631939042   Thread: Alejandra Caraballo, a well-known civil rights attorney and LGBTQ+ activist, has highlighted a range of foreign disinformation and harassment campaigns aimed at deepening divisions within the United States.  https://x.com/Esqueer_/status/1834615931152003295   Opening Clip: GOP Polster Frank Luntz: https://x.com/harris_wins/status/1834014050218393849   Opening Clip: Conservative Chris Wallace: https://x.com/harris_wins/status/1833701778874920970   Opening Clip: Brit Hume on Fox News Saying Kamala Harris Won the Debate: https://x.com/ALT_uscis/status/1833703048339669232   Democratic Strategist Simon Rosenberg on the GOP's Weaponized Polls: https://x.com/Acyn/status/1834411436413780445   The Kiffness x Donald Trump - Eating the Cats https://x.com/TheKiffness/status/1834585071875158502   They're Eating the Dogs, They're Eating the Cats – The Remix https://x.com/ArtCandee/status/1834294453369991367   Andrea's RomneyMobile Video with MoveOn.org: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0vaTJgdEt8