Podcasts about Ethiopia

In our visit to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, we go beyond the handful of artists who have achieved international careers and dive into the local scene. We visit azmaribets, down home music clubs featuring vivacious women artists and their ensembles of traditional players. We catch Mimi and Besat live. Competition between the leading music producers in Addis is fierce. We visit the studio of recording studio of Abegasu Shiote who breaks down the Ethiopian pop sound track by track. And for the finale we go to a performance by the revered elder singer of the classic Addis sound - Mamoud Ahmed. Produced by Sean Barlow APWW #532

Find us at www.crisisinvesting.com  Find  @michaelyon  at https://substack.com/@michaelyon Michael Yon the "Great Game": Chokepoints, Hydraulic Warfare, and Where Conflict Spreads Next The host interviews Michael Yon from Japan as he prepares for his baby's imminent birth, briefly discussing Japanese traditions around the kiri (paulownia) tree, then shifts to geopolitics and Yon's view of a global "great game" centered on routes, resources, and information warfare. Yon says the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed and argues conflicts are interconnected, predicting flashpoints including the Falklands/Malvinas involving Argentina, possible spillover into Brazil and Uruguay, and wider fighting affecting Europe and the North Sea. He emphasizes hydraulic warfare, describing how dams on the Nile (GERD in Ethiopia), Euphrates (Atatürk Dam), Tigris (Mosul Dam), and China's Three Gorges could be used for famine and destruction. He also discusses Tibet/Nepal flood events, chokepoints like Suez, Gibraltar/Ceuta, Bab-el-Mandeb, Panama, and Malacca, plus language, migration, intoxicants, music, demographic, and economic warfare. 00:00 Morning Intro in Japan 00:32 Baby Due Soon 01:38 Kiri Tree Tradition 04:16 Hormuz and Global War 05:48 South Atlantic Flashpoints 08:15 Nepal Disaster and Tibet 13:24 Hydraulic Warfare Explained 15:13 Egypt and the Nile Dams 29:45 Turkey Iraq and China Dams 34:28 Prayer Wheel Spycraft 36:35 Local Flood Risks and Drought 38:53 Ceuta Flashpoint 39:32 Gibraltar Chokepoint History 41:16 Phosphate Power Politics 41:43 Global Chokepoints Strategy 45:05 Florida And Brazil Predictions 48:22 Ceuta Migrants As Weapon 51:32 Language Warfare Morocco 56:27 Books Burned And Forecasts 59:17 Safe Havens And Zionism 01:02:49 Cults And Empire Origins 01:05:51 Warfare Taxonomy Explained 01:12:36 Corporate Superstructure Wrap 01:15:01 Closing Thanks And Anecdote

What happens an artist realizes that they can never be the only one with questions?From that reckoning, artist Eric Gottesman spent the next twenty-five years rethinking what an artist with a camera, or a big idea is actually for. In this conversation with Bill Cleveland, Gottesman traces his path from documentary photographer to collaborative image-maker in Addis Ababa's AIDS-affected communities, and eventually to co-founding For Freedoms, the artist-led initiative that has turned billboards, town halls, and even a Super PAC into tools for civic discourse.This is a conversation about authorship, collectivity, and the culture of inquiry at the heart of both artmaking and a thriving democracy.In this episode we explore:How asking the right question often matters more than delivering the right answer.Why Eric Gottesman says he has never made art alone. And why he thinks that's true for everyone.A “composite nation:” Drawing on Frederick Douglass, Gottesman is now developing projects that imagine an American identity built from multiplicity and complexity rather than a single official story.Notable MentionsPeopleEric Gottesman — Artist, educator, writer, and organizer whose collaborative work addresses nationalism, migration, structural violence, history, and civic life. He is a co-founder of For Freedoms.Wendy Ewald — Photographer and one of Gottesman's mentors. Her decades of co-authored photography projects challenge conventional divisions between photographer, subject, observer, and author.Hank Willis Thomas — Conceptual artist and For Freedoms co-founder whose work examines identity, history, media, popular culture, and representation.Claudia L. Peña — Executive director of For Freedoms, UCLA law lecturer, and practitioner of transformative and restorative justice. She appears with Gottesman and Thomas in the episode's Skoll World Forum excerpt.Baalu Girma — Influential Ethiopian journalist and novelist who disappeared after publishing Oromay, his critique of the Derg regime and its military campaign in Eritrea.Emily Shur — Photographer who worked with Hank Willis Thomas, Eric Gottesman, and Wyatt Gallery to create contemporary photographic versions of Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms.Wyatt Gallery — Photographer, For Freedoms co-founder, and producer of the contemporary Four Freedoms project.Marc Bamuthi Joseph — Spoken-word artist, writer, librettist, and cultural strategist who developed the six questions at the heart of America, the Beautiful.aja monet — Poet, recording artist, storyteller, and organizer appearing in the October 3, 2026, America(!) the Beautiful(?) performance, which is part of For Freedom's America, the Beautiful project.Derek Goldman — Director, playwright, educator, and co-founder of Georgetown University's Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics. Gottesman and Cleveland cite his emphasis on care in cultural work.Ariel Fristoe — Founder and artistic director of Out of Hand Theater, whose work brings theater, social justice, and civic engagement together.Organizations, Institutions, and PlacesFor Freedoms — Artist-led civic organization founded in 2016. It uses public art, billboards, exhibitions, town halls, and artist commissions to encourage listening, inquiry, belonging, and civic participation.Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University — The center at Duke University where Gottesman began his work in Ethiopia in partnership with Save the Children.Save the Children — International humanitarian organization that sent Gottesman to photograph the effects of drought in Ethiopia shortly after his graduation from Duke.The Charles F. Kettering Foundation — The Charles F. Kettering Foundation, headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, operating foundation with a mission to advance inclusive democracies worldwide by fostering citizen engagement, promoting government accountability, and countering authoritarianism.Democracy and the Arts — The Kettering Foundation's focus area for integrating the power of the arts into democratic life locally, nationally, and globally.Corcoran School of the Arts & Design — George Washington University school where Gottesman serves as the W.W. Corcoran Visiting Professor in Community Engagement and where For Freedoms has been in residence.Future Currents — Organization that helps movement leaders prepare for uncertain conditions and collaboratively imagine more inclusive, just, and democratic futures.U.S. Agency for International Development — Federal agency to which evidence of the Ethiopian drought was submitted to help prompt an international aid response. The episode conversation takes note of the agency's dismantling and changed status.Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — The city in which Gottesman began collaborating with people living with HIV and with children whose parents had died of AIDS.Somali Region, Ethiopia — The drought-affected eastern region where Gottesman first confronted the power imbalances and ethical contradictions of humanitarian photography.Sheshatshiu, Labrador, Canada — Innu community where Gottesman later collaborated with Wendy Ewald and young residents on a cross-generational photographic and community-curated project.Projects, Artworks, and EventsFor Freedoms at the 2024 Skoll World Forum — The episode includes an excerpt from this presentation by Eric Gottesman, Hank Willis Thomas, and Claudia Peña about art, interdependence, democracy, and social change. The forum took place in Oxford (not London as stated in the podcast).Contemporary Four Freedoms — For Freedoms' expansive reimagining of Rockwell's four paintings. More than 100 participants created 82 images representing a broader range of American identities; its Freedom of Worship appeared on the cover of TIME.Question Bridge: Black Males — Collaborative project...

On this episode of the Charity Charge Show, host Stephen Garten sits down with Dave LeVan, CEO of Water for Good, to talk about how a faith-based water nonprofit doubled its reach without doubling its budget. The conversation covers mergers, decentralization, technology, fundraising, and a mindset shift that most nonprofit leaders never make. Charity Charge builds financial tools for the 501(c)(3) organizations doing exactly this kind of work, which is why these operator-to-operator conversations sit at the center of the show.Quick SummaryWater for Good delivers water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs in some of the hardest-to-reach communities in sub-Saharan Africa and Cambodia.Its three-year "Healthy Village" model has kept 92% of water points flowing and cut childhood diarrhea by 90% over the past decade, per LeVan.The organization moved roughly 90% of its 280 staff in-country and gave frontline teams live data, which flattened the hierarchy and reduced burnout.Water for Good was formed by merging two healthy nonprofits, a rare move that let each contribute its strengths instead of hiring to fill gaps.LeVan's north star: solve the problem and put the organization out of business, not protect it.Who is Dave LeVan?Dave LeVan is the CEO of Water for Good, a faith-based nonprofit that transforms lives through access to safe water, improved sanitation, and hygiene. The organization works in difficult places, including the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Cambodia. LeVan spent most of his career in the for-profit world, including a transformation role at Walmart, before joining the organization first as a donor, then a board member, then chief executive.How big is the global water access problem?Roughly 697 million people worldwide lack basic access to safe water, meaning they cannot collect it and get home within 30 minutes, the World Health Organization's threshold for basic access. LeVan's figure aligns with the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme's 2025 estimates, which show more than two billion people without safely managed drinking water and hundreds of millions still relying on unsafe or unimproved sources.Beyond the raw count, LeVan describes a second, hidden cost: women and children spend an estimated 100 million hours a day walking for water. The problem is twofold, he explains: the time it consumes and the fact that the source at the end of the walk is usually unsafe.

In this episode, Curtis and Sally read Isaiah 20 and 21, where God warns Egypt, Ethiopia, Babylon, Edom, and Arabia that earthly power, military alliances, and human wisdom cannot provide lasting security. Isaiah's prophetic sign and the watchman's message reveal the danger of placing our hope anywhere other than the Lord. Curtis and Sally connect the watchman's vigilance to Jesus' call in Mark 13 to remain alert and faithful. Watching for Christ's return is not about becoming consumed with current events or trying to predict when He will come. It means continuing the work Jesus has given us—loving God, loving people, and sharing the good news. Even when following Jesus leads us through storms or long nights, we can listen, believe, and wait, trusting that the Lord will have the final victory.

What is a coffee cupping? What is the difference between green, washed and fermented coffee? Why does the same coffee taste different in Ethiopia and in Italy?  Today I am going to take you back to World Of Coffee in Brussels, one of the most important events around specialty coffee in Europe, which took place last June. I went there to meet with some coffee farmers and roasters from the Slow Food Coffee Coalition, but also to understand more about the world of specialty coffee. For those of you who don't know it, the Slow Food Coffee Coalition is an international, open, and collaborative network that brings together everyone involved in the coffee supply chain. Of course promoting good, clean and fair coffee.  So, grab your coffee cup and follow me to the event!  Host & Production: Valentina Gritti  Guests: Fitsum Bekere, Cesar Marino, Christian Reyes, Elio Leite, Sandro Bonacchi, Fernando Patiño, Iordanis Chrysafidis and Carlo Cortinovis Music: Leonardo Prieto Find out more about the Slow Food Coffee Coalition here: https://www.slowfood.com/thematic-network/coffee-coalition/  A project by Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN)

Escaping the Beast's Trap (1) (audio) David Eells - 8/30/26 B. A. - 03/14/2012 (David's notes in red) (The foundation for this dream is that the D.S. is poisoning the food and water supply.) I dreamed I was walking down my lane, as the morning was dawning, to go up to the main road to the mailbox and get the newspaper. Just as I got to the road, I saw one of my neighbors getting into his truck. He drove up to me and said, “You'd better get to Walmart quickly; they are giving away free food, water, medicine, and gas”. (Trusting in the arm of the flesh. Psa.146:3 Put not your trust in princes, Nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. Pro.3:5 Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart, And lean not upon thine own understanding. Heb.12:16 lest there be any fornication, or profane person, as Esau, who for one mess of meat sold his own birthright. I said, “My husband is asleep, so I will have to wait until he wakes up”. My neighbor said, “Well, I wouldn't wait too long or you might miss out”. Then he left. I went on over to the mailbox and got the newspaper. I got halfway back down the lane when I heard a voice say to me, “It's a trap; it's a trap. Don't go”. Jer.17:5 Thus saith Jehovah: Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from Jehovah. 6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, a salt land and not inhabited. 7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in Jehovah, and whose trust Jehovah is. 8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, that spreadeth out its roots by the river, and shall not fear when heat cometh, but its leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. I asked, “What's a trap?” The next thing I knew, I was standing in a Walmart parking lot. The lot was packed like it always is, so I asked what was wrong. I heard that same voice say, “Look at the people”. So I looked at the people. They were coming out of the store with grocery carts full of items and getting into their cars and leaving. I asked again, “What's wrong?” The voice said, “Look closer at the people”. So I zeroed in on the people, and all of a sudden I noticed they were all wearing dog tags. (Symbolizing trading needed free stuff for freedom.) Then I found myself inside the store. There was a long line on the left side of the store against the wall. They had it set up like at the airport with the roped lines, so the flow of people would be orderly. The store was full of products and people were shopping, so everything looked normal to the people in line. However, I noticed that the people shopping were wearing dog tags like the people in the parking lot. My oldest brother had been in the military years ago, so I knew what these dog tags were. I said to myself, “These are soldiers dressed up as civilians”. (Government giveaways are designed by the beast system to trap you into trusting in them until you are addicted in your mind. The flesh pots of Egypt were a government giveaway to the slaves to control them. The people who own the megastores are owned by the same people who own the government and military. Bondage to them is the spiritual mark of the beast. Pharaoh will rule the slaves.)  All of a sudden, I was standing at the back of the store. The store manager was standing in front of a set of doors marked Personnel Only. I noticed he was wearing dog tags as well. (Government and big business are one in socialism.) He was telling the people that only four people at a time could go with him to be processed to get their vouchers for the free stuff. He had them line up two on the left and two on the right behind him. As they went through the first set of doors, there was a breezeway area, then another set of metal doors. He told them that when they went through the next set of doors, two women would be sitting at a desk, and they should go up to the desk and wait. As soon as these people got up to the desk and the second set of doors closed, four very large men (they looked like sumo wrestlers) came up behind these people, put their hands over their mouths and gave them some kind of a shot. (The giants of their own flesh will bring into bondage those who do not believe the promises but trust in men. Flee into the wilderness where God provides out of heaven through faith and the old man is dead at the Red Sea. Php.4:19 And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.) Then these soldiers took their driver's license and car keys from them. (I believe the driver's license represents taking away their identity or place in Christ, and the car keys represent taking away their freedom; they NOW belong to the beast -- lock, stock and barrel!) (At first they will want your Social Security number and income to receive food; now it will be the Digital ID; then the Mark will make it easy for you. This gradualism is the way to harden one's conscience. Remember when they mandated the vaccinations, and you could not travel, go back into work, shop in stores, dine out, etc., unless you were vaccinated and everyone was forced to wear a face mask? This was a type of their ways to institute the Mark.) The two women sitting at the desk stamped these people on their right hands. (Representing the beastly works of flesh.) (Rev.13:16) And he causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, that there be given them a mark on their right hand, or upon their forehead. I got closer so I could see what the stamp read; it read, Bus #1, Section A. Then these people were led out the back door onto a waiting bus. These people couldn't put up a fight, as the shot they were given made them like zombies and they could barely walk. (They stumbled out of the way, put to sleep by demons using the lusts of the flesh.) These people's, or victims', driver's licenses were placed in a box that read, Bus #1, Section A, as well. I'm sure this was so they could keep track of who they were and where they were taking them. Their car keys were given to some soldiers standing close by. (They are no longer individuals using cars but members of the collective riding buses; they are one in the beast body.) I decided to follow these soldiers with the keys to see what they were going to do. They found these people's cars and drove them off the parking lot. I then went back to the bus to see what was happening there. I noticed they started taking people to the back of the bus and working their way forward. When they would get two people in a seat, there was a large harness that came over these people's shoulders. Then the soldiers reached down and grabbed another harness that went through their legs, and it all joined together at their waist and locked. There was no way these people could get up. (They will be spiritually brought into bondage and few will escape. They will either deny the Lordship of Jesus over them and serve the collective or confess Jesus before men and lose their beastly life for their heavenly life.) Then, again, the next thing I knew, I was standing in a large field off a dirt road. This field was full of empty car carriers. I watched as the soldiers drove the people's cars onto the field and up onto the car carriers. When the car carriers were full, they drove away. I lost count of how many there were, as there were so many. I just stood there trying to digest everything I had just witnessed. I closed my eyes and when I opened them again, I was back home on my lane. (Many will lose their individuality and freedom as the economy crumbles through mismanagement, war, natural catastrophes, and plots of the DS globalists. The so-called “Golden Age” does not fit with the Rev.13 mark of the beast.) I stood there thinking how clever that whole process was; they didn't have to go to the people. They devised such a clever way to have the people come to them without putting up a fight, like lambs to the slaughter. (It is natural for those who have no faith to gravitate to the beast for salvation in all forms, for they worship him.) Also, I thought to myself, they have been planning this for a long time. Walmart would be a very logical staging area, as they provide food, clothing, supplies, water, medicine and gas. They are always advertising it as a one-stop shop; now we know why! I took another look at Walmart. For some reason, I looked at it in reverse from the dash out, and it reads “Mart law”, or martial law! Then I woke up. (They will be the number one store under martial law. Mom-and-Pop stores will continue to die. Cheap Chinese labor and materials will win. An executive order was signed on March 16, 2012, giving the Executive Branch the power to control and allocate all energy, production, transportation, food and even water resources by decree. They have control over all food, farms, livestock, farm equipment, fertilizer and food production across America.) A secret behind Walmart's rapid expansion in the United States has been its extensive use of public money. This includes more than $1.2 billion in tax breaks, free land, infrastructure assistance, low-cost financing and outright grants from state and local governments around the country.   “It's a Trap” Henry Jansen - 03/29/2012 (David's notes in red) I recently had a few interesting experiences, one of which involved David in a dream. Because of the common theme of “a trap or being trapped”, I thought I would share it. Here is some background:  My work requires me to travel to our company's project sites once or twice a month. The trips can be a few hours long, so I normally listen to UBM teachings. One of the ladies who works for me (a Christian lady I will call “S”) sometimes travels with me to the site when she is required to discuss some things with the site staff to complete her work. As we are both Christians, I play UBM teachings during our trips, and “S” has listened to these with interest. Until recently, “S” was a smoker (with a bad cough and high blood pressure) and no amount of prodding from other staff to quit could convince her to do so. She has a twin sister who is also a Christian and her exhortations to “S” to quit smoking also bore no fruit. “S” tried to quit a few times in the two years that I have known her but always fell back into the habit again. I noticed this going on but didn't feel led to say or do anything about her smoking habit. About a month ago, I was planning to visit a site again, and “S” was going to travel with me. The night before the travel date, the Lord put it upon my heart to dig up an old UBM teaching from March 2008 on smoking and play it during our trip to the site, which is what I did. The Spirit brought a strong conviction upon her during the teaching, and about halfway through it, she took her cigarettes and lighter out of her handbag and handed them to me. She said she never knew the things about smoking that you taught and realized that she was in bondage to demons. She suddenly had a strong urge to be free from this bondage. We stopped at a town halfway to the site. I gave her the cigarettes and lighter, and she threw them both into a trash can. That was the last time she touched the stuff. When we returned to the office later that day, the Lord put it upon my heart to pray with her, commanding the spirits of bondage to leave her and not return. We also asked the Lord to deliver her from any withdrawals, and she didn't have any. The next day, she came to work with a bright, sunny face, saying she felt as if a weight had lifted from her. Through your teaching, the Lord has made her free from the bondage of smoking forever. Since then, she also started to listen to UBM Bible study teachings regularly. The Lord has also led her through various events recently to remind her of her deliverance and she is now ministering to bring others out of this bondage. One event she had was driving to a site in a car that was owned by a heavy smoker. Driving in the smoke-smelling car made her violently ill, and she had to stop to be sick along the way. The Lord has a sense of irony, doesn't He? Now for the next bit: About a week ago, “S” asked if we could have a meeting. She told me that she was awakened at around 3:00 am by a voice saying the words, “It's a Trap. It's a Trap”, repeated a few times. Because of the urgency of the voice and her anxiousness over it, she couldn't sleep and got up and listened to the latest UBM Bible study, which happened to include an interpretation of a dream received about being Trapped by the Beast. (The above revelation was an amazing confirmation that the same words were used in this dream as in “S”'s revelation: “It's a trap. It's a trap. Don't go”.) I thanked her for telling me and left it at that, thinking that I would listen to the UBM teaching she mentioned to hear what it was about. I have not listened to this teaching yet. Then, a few days ago, I had this dream: I was working for David Eells. David asked me to go to a meeting that he was scheduled to go to in town. He could no longer attend, as he had other commitments. (It appears as though I will not fall into a government sting operation.) I knew that the meeting was with government officials and that the meeting was about the government wanting to sell weapons to David. The meeting time was set for 8:30 am. (Praise the Lord that I don't want any of the world's weapons.) On the day of the meeting, I was at an office in a town, and I got there on my bicycle. While attending to my activities in town, I forgot about the meeting I was meant to attend on David's behalf that day. When my activities in town were completed, I got on my bicycle to ride back to the center of town. While riding on my bike, I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to attend that meeting for David. I looked anxiously at my watch and noticed that it was 8:10 am, so, fortunately, it was not too late yet. I then suddenly remembered (the following events actually happened ...) a meeting I had with one of my work colleagues, during which she told me that a voice woke her early one morning (about 3:00 am), saying the words, “It's a trap. It's a trap”, repeated a few times. Because of the urgency of the voice, she couldn't go back to sleep and instead decided to listen to the latest UBM Bible study teaching. It just happened to be the teaching Trapped by the Beast. She was so startled by the whole experience that she told me about it the next morning at work. As of the writing of this dream, I have not yet listened to that Bible study. In the dream, I remembered the meeting with my colleague and what she had said, and then it suddenly dawned on me that the meeting with the government was a “trap”. The government was trying to set a trap for David and this meeting was part of that trap. I suspected that the government was planning to set up a meeting with real arms dealers and then planned to arrest everyone who attended the meeting. (I have no need or desire for physical arms. It appears that the government will seek to try to trap church leaders into giving them proof that they were guilty of taking up arms against the government in order to imprison them.) No amount of explaining that the meeting was to be with government officials will matter. I then realized I had to let David know as soon as possible and cycled to what I thought was the center of town. I looked for a place to park my bicycle and noticed two separate sets of stairs (made from concrete or masonry) leading down from the level I was standing on to some other level of town far below me. I tried to take my bike down the first set of stairs but quickly realized it was very steep, with narrow steps and dangerous; if you stumbled, you could be severely hurt. I then took the second set, which had a gentler slope, to the bottom. When I got to the bottom, I tried to park my bicycle, but all the bicycle parking spots were full, and I couldn't leave my bike safely anywhere. No matter where I looked, I couldn't find a parking spot for my bicycle. They were all taken. This made me very frustrated. (A sign of there being many people in the underground Church.) I then cycled to David's place. When I got to where I thought David lived, I didn't see a house but noticed a shed, which I understood was a workshop. I also “knew” that David drove a car and his parking garage was underground. I remembered seeing the garage door open at some previous time. I knew the garage door hinged up out of the ground when it opened, and one had to drive into a hole in the ground to park the car. I couldn't see the garage door when I arrived and realized it must be closed because when the garage door was closed I couldn't see the garage at all, as it was covered with vegetation and level with the ground (camouflaged). I pushed my bike into the workshop to look for David and to find a place to park my bike. I noticed an old bike rack inside the workshop with some kids' bikes and an adult bike (similar to mine) taking up all the slots in the old bike rack. The bikes were covered with dust and looked like they hadn't been used for a long time. (Could it be that my spiritual children have outgrown their “kids' bikes”?) I couldn't find any room to park my bike. I saw a man whom I knew as “Newman” (“new man” in Christ) and asked him if he had seen David. He said he had seen him twice that day.    Tribulation, Government, the Mark & Evangelism Sultana - 09/17/2007 (David's notes in red)  The year before 9/11, I dreamed of four explosions. I told my husband that the World Trade Center was blown up and I saw an explosion on the ground, then I saw the Pentagon explode. (fulfilled) In 1998, God sat Kevin down and said, “The government will be altered in a way that it is not overthrown, but our freedoms will change. All the people who hated God's people will now have the ability to persecute them and even kill them like they could not in the past. (Update: Kevin did hate and kill God's people and died for it.) This was very similar to martial law; military police will evolve on a global scale. People will have to choose whether they will cooperate with this government or suffer without its benefit (the mark). Many professing Christians will give their allegiance to the new system of government in order to keep their freedoms and benefits in this world. In spite of the persecution of the body of Christ, personal evangelism and missions will thrive during this time. Finances will flow for missionaries and relief of suffering churches like never before (which does not make sense to me). (Father has already planned for this time and we will have every need met.) However, the compromising believers will receive a demonic guilt because they denied the Lord and their brothers in order to keep their comforts. They will not be able to repent of what they have done, nor will they escape the torment they will feel for denying Christ (reprobation from the mark). The pressure will be so great that you will not be able to prepare for it then. Now is the time to sell out for Christ and give your very all to Him. Preparing now is the grace to be ready for that time”.   Escape from Walmart Cassandra – 8/17/2021 Dear brothers and sisters in Yahushua, I had a brief dream last night of escaping a Walmart. Others have mentioned that many of the Walmart stores have been [or will be] converted to FEMA camps, and I remember reading about that, Jade Helm, and even railroad tracks leading out of the Walmarts. Also, people being sprayed with something when entering, and the hand scanners for MOTB payment. Walmart/Martial Law. (That's what B.A saw too.) My dream was brief; my daughter and I were in a Walmart (which, in real life, I would never do; I stopped going to those places years ago; stay out of the Walmarts!) and as we went to leave, I noticed HEAVY MILITARY-TYPE SECURITY near the entrance and the checkout areas. It looked sort of like the riot police, except it was even more advanced. Black colored armor; maybe some were even robots or hybrids. Scary-looking, and there were 5-7 around each checkout area. Somehow we drove out the front door in a car, bypassing the checkout areas to escape. I took some different route as we left, in case I was being followed or tracked. Now that I think about it, I have had another dream of escaping a Walmart, but this one, I was just in the parking lot area and knew not to go in, but that I needed to escape the area. End of dream.  Note: I had a strong feeling others were unable to get out or escape from Walmart.  It could be that the military/security presence was there due to inflation and scarcity of items. I am not sure. It felt more ominous than that, but I have also read that as grocery prices inflate and food becomes more scarce, food trucks and grocery stores will need extra security. See related article:   FEMA Rounding Up “Radical Christians” into Closed Walmarts 8/4/2017, Jennifer Schultz (link) Had another dream last night. It dealt with FEMA, Walmart, and Trump and Obama. It started out with FEMA buses coming into every town, rounding up the “radical Christians,” as the director told an agent who was rounding up the people. They were taken to Walmart. More stores started closing due to false “plumbing issues,” like the ones down south did.  The UN and FEMA were working together. Pastors were ratting out people in their church who didn't vaccinate, who believed in the 2nd Amendment, and who were truly on fire for God. Then I saw Obama talking to “ISIS.” He threw down a picture of Trump and told the sniper/shooter, “I want him to be next.” There was a bullseye in the middle of his forehead. Before I woke up, I saw dark clouds coming across America along with bugs that were huge, and they had on armor with razor-sharp teeth. (The shots were found to cause cancer from bugs in the bloodstream.) When I woke up, I asked God if it was from Him. The verse about ‘what is hidden in darkness will come to light' came into my head. Luke 8:17 KJV For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.   Almost Trapped In a 15-Minute City  Cassandra -12/12/2013 The time this was received, 1:30 a.m., 130 in Strong's Greek, is shedding of blood. I had a dream I was riding a bicycle on a freeway leading into Minneapolis. Normally there are no bicycles on a freeway. All of a sudden, the road was closed. Those of us on bikes (I think bicycles may represent homelessness, or poor people) (or lack of gas or EMP) had to get off of them and leave them and go into a certain area while the road was being fixed, or so I thought at first.  I tried calling my friends to drive and come and get me, but then realized they would be stuck there too.  The area behind the construction reminded me of a bad area in Minneapolis. I soon realized that all of the apartment buildings looked vacant.  Those of us who had been taken off the road were moved into a building. Others and I were forced off the freeway. There seemed to be a “nice woman” there showing us buckets of supplies. The buckets were from Trader Joe's, a local grocery chain, and I have seen these buildings going up with Trader Joe's and also a Lunds on the ground floor of these apartments. The buckets had a roll of toilet paper in them and not much else. I think at that point, it dawned on me that this was a 15-Minute City and they were trapping us. I lied in my dream, which I try not to do (forgive me, Father, for this), and told the “nice lady” my ride was there. She let me leave. I saw a few others escaping and quickly followed them. I saw our bikes and grabbed one, but the front wheel had been bent (intentionally, so we couldn't escape?). I grabbed another bike, and it worked. End of dream. These 15-Minute Cities are real, folks. I have seen several of these apartment buildings in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. They are easy to spot because they have grocery stores underneath. You do not want to move to or get trapped in these places. This ties in with a dream someone else had where, when you see the cities getting ready to be bombed, you have about half an hour to flee and get out. Those that get stuck there will be rounded up and moved somewhere. Those stuck in these cities will be forced to be a part of the beast system, or likely be sent to a FEMA camp for martyrdom.  I just had an awful flashback; a real memory. Several years ago, I saw a huge truck carrying what looked like human-sized portable incinerators. I am also reminded of a recent story in the news of all the homeless in San Francisco disappearing the night before world leaders were coming in for a meeting. 11/11/23.  This is coming to the US. Look at what they have allowed in Israel. B.N. is a war criminal. They know the areas of land they want and what their plans are. They will remove anyone standing in their way and have no regard for human life. These plans have been in place for a long time. Everything is in place. The good news is that Jesus is with us. He is with the poor. He will be with us in captivity and even in martyrdom. Are you ready if this is your fate? Are you ready to flee your home? There will be Goshen's or safe havens for some. Are you ready spiritually for all that is coming? Betrayal from your nearest and dearest? There have been so many messages warning to brace yourself and be ready. Pray for help on this; I do as well. Pre-trib rapture is a lie; repent if you have allowed yourself to be deceived by false prophets, teachers, and preachers. Wake up to the truth.  Please heed the warnings given on this site, brethren…. Cassandra. So, how do we prepare to escape these traps and captivity?   Escaping the Tribulation Mark Sandy Shaw - 11/08/2011 (David's notes in red) When I had this dream on November 8, 2011, I knew that we were already in the middle part of tribulation. They were already making it mandatory that everyone get the mark. We were still where we live now, but we were getting ready to move up on “the hill”. Michael (Meaning “who is like God”) had come through the side or sunroom door and I saw him. Then he said, “The last one is gone”. I'm not exactly sure what that meant, but at the time I felt that there was no one left at the school. (The first 3 1/2 years of the tribulation are for training, just as it was in Jesus' ministry before Acts. Then the disciples or Two Witnesses went forth two-by-two into every place Jesus was about to come.) I knew that we were preparing to go to “the hill” (representing escaping the mark in Zion).  Then the Lord took me from this house to a room. In the room, there were a bunch of men in suits (stuffed shirts is what I used to call them) and you could tell that they had much money and were up to no good. They couldn't see me, though. (Invisibility, or the secret place of the Most High, will protect many from the Beast's plots.) They were talking about the barcodes that are on everything we buy. While listening to them talk about the barcodes, the mark that people took was linking them up to all kinds of things electronically, including the barcodes. They showed an instrument that couldn't have been more than 4” wide and 7” long. This machine had buttons to push and a little screen. They could tell, by pointing this machine at a house, who bought what and who lived there because of the codes and marks they had accepted. They also knew who did not buy items in your house; these items were either given or traded. This was how they found out who didn't have the mark. When they pointed this machine at a house and saw a bunch of store-bought stuff there, and no one in the house had accepted the mark, then the soldiers would go in there and take the people to the FEMA camps. The FEMA camps were changed from an earlier use to now house these prisoners who refuse the mark. It reminded me of the Nazi concentration camps of Hitler, where the Jews were sent to be slaughtered. After hearing these men talk about all this, I was at “the Hill”. I knew that we were already living at “the Hill”. There were many from the local UBM at “the Hill” and some other faces I hadn't seen yet. While we were up there, I was very upset. I kept hearing a man, as if he was standing next to me, crying out to God for help. I was standing in a room with David Eells, Michael Hare, another brother, and my husband. I was crying and telling them that I kept hearing this man crying out to God, and we needed to go back down and get him. I told them that I knew where the house was. I was pleading with them to go back down because it was dangerous times to do that. David, Michael, and I got into a small car that I had not seen before. We then drove to the house. The house and neighborhood around it were empty. Michael asked, “Are you sure this is the house? Because all of these look empty.” (The underground railroad will once again be in use to rescue others from the mark and beast. “Righteousness delivereth from death.”) I said, “No, this is the house. As we go in there will be a stairway. Behind this stairway is another hidden door leading down to another stairway. They are in the basement. I had only heard a man crying out, but I had a feeling that his family would be with him.” But there were even more people than I thought in the dream. It was him (the only male), his wife, and children. Then, there were two more women and their children (whose husbands had been killed). So, we all packed into this small car. Almost all the children were in the trunk, and we were all sitting in laps on top of laps. This was so we could all fit into the small car. I was driving the car. As we pulled out, we looked, and the soldiers were entering the house. But we kept going.  When we had driven just a few miles, soldiers pulled us over. I told everyone in the car to be quiet and not to say a word, to let me do all the talking. No matter how long it took, to be quiet. I had some kind of papers, and I was showing them to the soldiers. The soldiers knew they needed to accept those papers, but they didn't want to. (So they all escaped to the Hill.)     Who Will Escape to the Hill? Psa.15:1 Jehovah, who shall sojourn in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill (Zion)? 2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, And speaketh truth in his heart; 3 He that slandereth not with his tongue, Nor doeth evil to his friend, Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor; 4 In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honoreth them that fear Jehovah; He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not; 5 He that putteth not out his money to interest, Nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved. Psa.24:1 The earth is Jehovah's, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein. 2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the floods. 3 Who shall ascend into the hill of Jehovah? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto falsehood, And hath not sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive a blessing from Jehovah, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is the generation of them that seek after him, That seek thy face, [even] Jacob.  Psa.125:1 They that trust in Jehovah Are as mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abideth for ever. 2 As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, So Jehovah is round about his people From this time forth and for evermore. 3 For the sceptre of wickedness shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; That the righteous put not forth their hands unto iniquity. 4 Do good, O Jehovah, unto those that are good, And to them that are upright in their hearts. 5 But as for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, Jehovah will lead them forth with the workers of iniquity (the mark). Peace be upon Israel. Isa.43:1 But now thus saith Jehovah that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed thee; I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine. 2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 3 For I am Jehovah thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour; I have given Egypt as thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in thy stead. 4 Since thou hast been precious in my sight, [and] honorable, and I have loved thee; therefore will I give men in thy stead, and peoples instead of thy life. (Those who will take the mark.) 5 Fear not; for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; 6 I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back; bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the end of the earth (to the Holy Hill); 7 every one that is called by my name, and whom I have created for my glory, whom I have formed, yea, whom I have made.   America in Darkness after Judgment David Eells – 8/26/26 In the morning when I was in the midst of waking up, I had a dream that turned into a vision. I believe it was about Christianity in the U.S. I was standing on a line between two visions of the near future. Part 1 was to my right and Part 2 was to my left and a result of Part 1. Part 1 was a large room representing the U.S. Many chandelier lights were hanging from the ceiling and were very bright. (I believe this may be the EBS revelation of all the criminality that has been done in darkness being revealed to the people. Also the Man-child reformers will be anointed to share truth, which will anger criminals of church and state.) While still standing on the line, I looked to the left or Part 2. It was the room, but the lights were gone including the fixtures. Then when I looked straight ahead down the line and just past the two rooms, I saw a tornado. (This is what I believe caused the darkness and represented judgments, probably the ones we have been discussing as coming soon: earthquakes and volcanic activity through the Ring of Fire. These judgments will destroy and plunder the new economy that the right wing is now creating. Of course, the left would blame the right for this and harden and change many minds. A tornado also represents wind turning around abruptly to go in the opposite direction. Winds of doctrine or teaching represent a change of mind, probably of the people in the U.S. For those who will be righteous, this will be a good change of mind, but for those who will be wicked, it will be a bad change of mind. There is a polarization happening in the U.S. and the world between left and right.)  When I saw the tornado, I ducked behind the wall of the second time period and felt safe. Please remember that the people who considered themselves the people of God sided with the Roman Beast to persecute and kill the disciples of Jesus. Ecc.1:9 That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Mat.24:9 Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake.  Now let me share the following revelation:   From: “REVIVAL List” Date: Fri, 21 Nov 2008 Subject: [revival] THE END of EMPIRE AMERICA - Robert Holmes NOTE from Mario Liu: On 16 October 2008, I was in a prayer meeting with Robert Holmes and Kurt Pfanstiel, who was visiting us from the USA. Robert shared with us a vision he had recently received. Robert had a vision of Alexander the Great standing victorious in the middle of the USA. We discussed Robert's vision in some details. Alexander the Great in the vision was a foreign looking man. He was surrounded by many US citizens, who seemed to welcome Alexander as their leader. I asked Robert whether there were any signs of violence and Robert said, no. I remembered God has given similar visions before about Alexander the Great conquering USA and we did not understand God's meaning then. Now that God repeated this vision, I felt that there is significance in this and asked God for more revelations, such as which country is conquering USA, who is Alexander, etc. But God did not give us any clear revelations apart from saying that “Alexander took Babylon without bloodshed.” After the US election, Robert recognized that the Alexander he saw was Obama. Then God revealed more information. These revelations are enclosed below... We need to pray.   THE END of EMPIRE AMERICA by: Robert I Holmes (David's notes in red) This article will cover a range of issues which have been brewing for six to twelve months in my heart. History will judge America as an empire. That empire is coming to an end. The election of Barak Obama is a significant prophetic event, marking the sunset of that empire, and the rising of other powers in the earth who represent ancient powers and civilizations. (But few know that B.O. still sits at the top of his leftist empire pulling the strings. He recently proudly admitted to being Biden's head.) These ideas have consequences for believers living both in the US and the countries that rely on her (like Australia). … Barack Obama became President of DS ruled Babylonian America. Although he severely weakened America, he did not conquer her during his presidency. Hillary was to be Obama II and would have finished the job … but God used a modern-day Cyrus of the Media-Persian Empire to conquer Babylon America. Clearly, this is President Trump, who, as a Cyrus also discovered the “hidden treasures of Darkness” (in underground tunnels of darkness), spoken of in Isaiah 45. Using this and other reforms as a lure, President Trump has come to lead a mighty Alliance of Nations. Where he also set the people of God free from Babylon to rebuild the Kingdom of God and also bankrolled it with Babylon's stolen loot. No one else has followed in the steps of Cyrus but President Donald Trump. Keep in mind there are not two kingdoms involved here but three. Original Babylon ruled by the DS Obama, then Babylon under Cyrus/Trump, and then comes this Babylon conquered by Alexander the Great, whom Robert saw as Obama in his vision. It was reported by the military that Barack Obama was arrested for his crimes and taken to Gitmo. There he was given a monitoring boot and told to play his part under their direction, but he rebelled and they took him back to Gitmo and shot him. However, it was after this that the military began to discover clone-growing labs that were manufacturing copies of the important DS criminals like Obama. LATER they learned how to tell the difference between a clone and the original. I believe it is likely that the DS had their clone of Obama available when they took clone Obama back in and shot him. Obama is known to still be out there and calling the shots for the DS. Remember, Alexander did not come until AFTER the Media-Persians under Cyrus/Trump conquered Babylon. It was DS Obama Babylon, then Trump Media-Persia, then Alexander of the Grecian Empire. Obama is still in the third Empire as an Alexander to conquer Trump. Remember history must repeat. Ecc.1:9 That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. 10 Is there a thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been long ago, in the ages which were before us. We know the prophecies were manifest through history naturally as these three Kingdoms, but somehow these beast kingdoms must be repeated and we are watching it. Another thing that should not be forgotten: Obama was a figurehead for the DS and their 4th generation AI computer. Trump's steps came from a 5th generation AI computer that was programmed by the people pushing him. I take nothing from him; he is a genius. Alexander had political power back home holding down the fort. Revelation's seven-year Tribulation beasts, both the Dragon and then the Beast, had seven heads, not one. Nowhere in the bible does it describe one “antichrist beast.” See absolute Biblical proof in our book, Hidden Manna For The End Times. Jesus said there would be many antichrists. Only in parables of dreams, visions or types is a man described and sometimes a very big man, which identifies a corporate body head. Also, according to history repeating, Alexander is still coming to conquer the Medo-Persian/Cyrus/Trump/Empire. Back to Robert I Holmes: -   Alexander Cometh! In 1999, as I prepared to travel to the US on ministry, the Lord gave me a very unusual prophetic word. He said that “In the days of Babylon, when her walls stood wide and her leaders stood tall, her defenses were strong and her campaigns victorious, (Babylon under the Trump Alliance of nations) Alexander the Great (Obama) came and defeated her. In the same way, my Alexander will stand in the very midst of the United States of America”. The phrase “in the same way” indicates that America's walls are wide, her leaders stand tall, her defenses are strong, her campaigns until now have been victorious. (This best describes Cyrus/Trumps Alliance campaigns) But a man like Alexander - someone God refers to as “my Alexander” will stand in her midst, victorious and defeat her. Alexander the Great, a Mediterranean Greek, defeated Darius the Mede in 331BC at the Battle of Gaugamela (Darius ruled Babylon due to Cyrus' victory), and the gates of Babylon swung open to him (Alexander/Obama) (when he was just 25 years old). He stood in the midst of the courtyard declaring himself king. He then spent considerable time and effort trying to restore Babylon to its former glory. (Which neither Alexander nor Obama are capable of, for God decreed its fall.) As I prayed in preparation for going to the US two weeks ago on ministry again, I had a vision of a map of America from high above. There, almost in the centre of it was a marketplace. I zoomed down toward the marketplace and saw a man standing there. I recognized by the Spirit that it was Alexander the Great, standing in a dusty, sandstone area, sword lifted high, victorious. I believe that God's “Alexander” is Barak Obama. (If so, and I don't doubt it, he would come after the Trump Alliance to conquer it. Trump has prepared everything for the beast. The one world order, the world economic system, complete control and knowledge of everyone's business through satellite and Artificial Intelligence. Cyrus/Trump will be good to give time for the reformers to mature the saints for when the beast makes war on them in the second half of the tribulation.) He has now stood in the middle of America and declared his victory speech in Grant Park in Chicago. There, he prophetically declared, “Change has come to America,” (6). Yes indeed, it has. Barak, apart from having the appearance of a Middle Eastern or African man, is also very young and inexperienced. Barak Obama has not even had a full year in his Senate position. I do not question the right of a 47-year-old to rule a nation, but his inexperience is not reduced by his amazing oratory skill. “Your sons will take the place of your fathers; you will make them princes throughout [in all] the earth,” (Psalm 45:16 NIV). He represents the end of empire America as we know it, and the opening of a new regime, one which, like Alexander, represents a conflagration of old powers (But Alexander/Obama? conquers Cyrus/Trump's America. The Alexander Grecian Empire came after the Cyrus/Trump Media-Persian Empire): European, Middle Eastern and Asian. He will try to restore America's glory, but in doing so relegate her to second position on the global scene. (Obama's job was to conquer America but failed to finish the job. He is still working as Alexander to conquer Trump's America.) The prophet Daniel, who wrote his book from 605 to 530 B.C., predicted Alexander would head a world power around 200 years before it happened (see Daniel 2, 7, 8 and 11). In Daniel 2, his empire is described as a belly and thighs of bronze (brass) in King Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Daniel 2:31-32, 39). In Daniel 7, it is described as looking like …The leopard with wings.   The Four Generals Will Conquer Alexander/Obama Eve Brast - 1/29/10 (David's notes in red) (I asked God to confirm my role in this dream as a watchman on the tower. Twice, I opened my Bible and put my finger down. The first was Eze.3:21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning; and thou hast delivered thy soul. And Isa.21:6 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman: let him declare what he seeth.) (Eve represents those watchmen who are watching for the enemy attacks on the tower of Zion.) I dreamed I was a watchman standing on the roof of a tower made of logs crossed at the corners like a log cabin. The tower was coming up out of the Gulf waters off the northwest coast of Florida (where UBM began). (When I had this dream, I didn't connect it with UBM, but when I was told to send it to David, I realized that he had a dream or vision from the Lord that UBM was represented by a log tower like this [in the same area but on land].) (The tower is Zion or Jerusalem, “the tower of the flock”. Mic.4:8 And thou, O tower of the flock, the hill of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, yea, the former dominion shall come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem. Micah 4 is indicative of how God will use the Bride/tower in the “latter days”. Also typed as the Bride in Rev.21:9-10 And there came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were laden with the seven last plagues; and he spake with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb. 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.) This tower also simultaneously existed in the Mediterranean waters farther east off the shores of Israel. (Israel is a type of the Church. An elect Bride will be taken out of the Israel/Church. Esther was the Bride taken out of Israel as a type of the Church.) I was dressed in an Old Testament Israeli soldier's outfit and standing at the northeast corner of the tower. (The Israeli soldiers' outfit represents the true New Testament church, circumcised in heart, in its Ephesians 6 armor.) It was dark and the wind was gusting. I could feel rain or sea spray on my face, forearms and lower legs. I was keeping the night watch facing northeast. Suddenly, out of the darkness, Alexander the Great came down and stood to my left. (Obama rules from the northeast of the tower and has been likened to Alexander the Great in other dreams and revelations, indicating his ambition and ability to conquer and take what God is giving into his hands for chastening.) He said, “I want to show you something”. He then swung over the north side of the tower and went feet first inside of it through a 24x24 inch window where a golden light shone out. I followed him in the same way. (The golden light in the heart of the Bride/tower is Christ and the Word. Alexander/Obama on the left will conquer the flesh of Christianity in America. However, as the Assyrian Beast leader, Sennacherib, conquered all of Israel but lost 185,000 men and was assassinated when he tried and failed to conquer Jerusalem, the Bride/tower, and so it will be in some form in these coming days [2 Kings 19:30-37]. I saw a vision of America as Nineveh, the head of the Assyrian world Beast. As Assyria was conquering other parts of Israel, some of these fled to the safety of the tower. As this happens, the people will seek God and their capital city, the Bride Zion/tower.) Inside, there was a very bright, white light. When my eyes adjusted, I saw it was a laboratory of some sort with countertops and lab equipment all around. In front of the north window that we had entered, there was a double stainless-steel sink with a high faucet. Next to it on the countertop was a black microscope. Alexander pointed to the microscope and exclaimed, “Look!” I looked into it and was sucked through it into a spiritual realm that was dark, with black, choppy water everywhere. I was aware in my spirit that it wasn't black just because it was dark. When I got my bearings, I looked around and realized I was on one of four Greek vessels sailing east at a quick and steady pace. (Could these represent the four generals that divided up Alexander's kingdom after they poisoned him?) The white sails were missing (not powered by the Spirit; i.e., wind) and the masts were bare and there were no oars. (not powered by man). (These vessels of judgment have no power against the Bride, who is guiltless by God's grace.) I was standing on the deck of the third vessel to the right. (Pestilence and blood? Corexit brought blood disorders and destroys the immune system like the vax does now.) There was one more vessel to my right, making it the fourth. Alexander was standing next to me on the deck. (I asked the Lord what the four vessels represented and he gave me Ezekiel 5:16-17: four judgments of famine, evil beasts, pestilence and blood (third vessel), and the sword.) (Today these have all been judgments through the DS. i.e the Ohio, East Palestine Chemical Dioxin fiasco, and other environmental disasters and blood contamination through MRNA vaccines. Microscopes are used many times to look at harmful microorganisms, representing unseen biohazards in food, water, and air that cannot be otherwise detected.) I looked ahead to the east and saw a large, bright star bigger and brighter than any I've ever seen. I knew instantly that it was Christ. Suddenly, two giant branches of lightning struck out sideways to the north and south of the star through dark gray clouds, and a voice came out of the star that resonated through my whole being on a cellular level. It said, “Proceed no further, for truly these are the very end of days!” Then, only the vessel we were on began to break apart into many broken pieces of splintered wood planks. Immediately, I was caught up away from Alexander, who was still on the deck of the vessel, back through the microscope and into the tower. (In his war against the Church at that time of the Tribulation, he will “proceed no further” against the Bride in these “end of days” by the edict of the King. This was just as it was when Ahasuerus stopped Haman, who, like Sennacherib of Assyria, died for his attempt on Esther, the Bride. Alexander the Great is said by some historians to have been assassinated by poison as he drank a bowl of unmixed wine to Hercules in the palace of Babylon, the great eagle. There seems to be a common thread of death or assassination to those rulers who attack the Bride/tower. I would like to remind any who read this that a Christian could never do this, for the Word says, “If any man shall kill with the sword, with the sword must he be killed,” and “love your enemies,” and “Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath [of God]: for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith the Lord”.) I looked to my left where the sink was and noticed a reddish dyed tablet to the right of the drain in the right side of the sink, and there was a small stream of water running down onto the tablet, causing a red swirl that ran around the bottom of the sink clockwise before going down the drain. Then I woke up. (Because Jesus, the Word [water] poured out His blood [reddish tablet] unto death, the Bride will have life. If we take the tablet, or cure, we will have life. He said unless we ate His body, the bread and Word, and drank His blood, we would not have life.)   The Eagle and the Serpents Michael Boldea (David's notes in red) (The Angel said, “This has been revealed to you, that you may know, the first bite (on the eagle of the U.S.) has been, the second is yet to come, and the third will be its destruction”.) Psalm 34:7-8, “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him”. Upon my return to the United States in late August, I had a very vivid and troubling dream. I dreamt I was walking through a sparsely wooded forest, and suddenly my attention was drawn to an eagle (the U.S.) flying high above the tree line. It was a beautiful sight to behold as the eagle rode the thermals, flying in slow, lazy arcs across the blue sky. I began to quicken my pace and keep up with the eagle's flight, all the while keeping an eye on it, noticing that it was slowly descending toward the earth. (Becoming more corrupt) I followed it for a long time, its descent not being sudden but very gradual. Finally I came upon a small clearing, where there were no trees, just some bushes on the edges of the green grass. The eagle landed in the clearing and began to look around, not seeming to notice me. As I began to wonder what the relevance of this was, a man dressed in white, hands clasped in front of him, appeared beside me and said, “Be patient, in due time you will see the purpose”. I was silent as I watched the eagle, and was beginning to grow somewhat impatient, when suddenly (9/11 happened suddenly), it seemed out of nowhere a brown snake (the Muslims are a brown people and the Nazis wore brown shirts) lunged at the eagle, and bit down on its left wing. (In effect, 9/11 devastated the left wing and brought about a short-lived swing to the right as this nation's Christians prayed to their God to save their country.) The snake's strike was very quick and very precise. The eagle reacted without delay, clawing and pecking at the snake, cutting deep wounds in its underbelly, trying to defend itself and ward off the serpent. (USA, the great eagle is still pecking away at these enemies.) Just as it seemed the eagle was winning the battle, and the serpent was retreating, another serpent appeared, red and black diagonal stripes covering its body. (Red and white were the Obama's colors of choice for the election victory speech. Why red and black? Obama's associate for 20 years and mentor was Bill Ayers, who is an unrepentant terrorist, anarchist and Marxist who bombed his own country to bring about “change”, which is Obama's chief motto. Red and black are the colors of anarchists, socialists, left-wingers, communists, etc. Ayers told the New York Times on 9/11/01, “I don't regret setting bombs... I feel we didn't do enough.”) This serpent without hesitation struck out at the eagle's right wing, biting down, and refusing to release. (Many strikes have come from the left, false flags, plagues, assassinations, etc. These Satanists have never slowed down.) After a momentary tug of war, the serpent tore off flesh and feathers, leaving a large wound on the eagle's right wing. (Obama is purely a left-wing socialist who will use anything to tear a huge wound in the religious right of this land. Cheri Watson saw a vision of the Statue of Liberty sliced in two by a huge knife from right to left and the top half, or government, began to slide to the left and fall into the water. A line of leftist governments did much damage that President Trump has worked to reverse.) The second bite was much worse than the first, and for an instant the eagle was stunned. Then a serpent much larger than the previous two, made up of many colors came. (Leftist revolutionaries internally join with many enemy nations. Obama formed ISIS and gave billions to Iran to build underground cities to hide their missile and nuke program. Obama and Hillery sold our weapons to Saudi Arabia.), It slithered toward the eagle, opened its jaws and lunged, taking the whole of the eagle's head in its mouth before biting down. (The enemies take down the government and devastate the U.S., which brings revival.) The serpents retreated and the man (Jesus) who had been standing beside me walked to the eagle, knelt down, picked it up, and held it in his cupped hands. The look of grief on his face was beyond any I have seen in my life. Just seeing the look on the man's face broke your heart. The man continued to look down at the eagle, and with a pained voice said, “The true tragedy, is that at any moment it could have sought the safety of the above, it could have soared toward the heavens and would have found its protection. This has been revealed to you, that you may know, the first bite has been (9/11), the second is yet to come (leftist governments), and the third will be its destruction”. (In dreams we were shown the leftists have engineered many faults to magnify the destruction of coming earthquakes. This will cause the fall of the U.S. into wilderness tribulation.)   A Gigantic Wave Coming Samuel Fire - 2/22/23 (David's notes in red) I saw Tianna, myself, and many other UBM brethren standing together on the beach as a group. (The Lord told Abraham that his seed would be as the sands of the seashore.) Behind us, spread all around, was a large crowd of different people that I didn't know. The place was completely full. From afar, I saw a gigantic wave coming. The wave was about 42 stories high. (The beast will persecute the saints for 42 months. Rev.13:4-5 and they worshipped the dragon, because he gave his authority unto the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? And who is able to war with him? 5 and there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and there was given to him authority to continue forty and two months.) All the people that I didn't know began freaking out. Some were screaming and crying and others were trying to run away. All those people were so scared and shocked. All the UBM Brethren were so joyful and excited for this wave to come. It was as if we all had been waiting for this wave. (For us, this wave will bring victory for the Kingdom of God in that it will separate the tares from the wheat, which will shine forth in the kingdom as a great revival. Mat.13:40-43 As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire; so shall it be in the end of the world. 41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity, 42 (notice the number) and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. (Notice what comes at the end of verse 42 as in 42 months.) 43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears, let him hear. For those who are dead to self, there is no fear of the Beast. The end of this 42 months is the end of the crucifixion of the saints and the coming of the Lord for His saints.) Some of the crowd kept trying to run away to save themselves. A few others fell on their knees in repentance, crying to God because they knew they couldn't save themselves or do anything. (God will bring repentance through judgment to His elect.) As the wave came, the brethren had special equipment for the water. They had experience and had been trained to ride the wave, so they were prepared and knew exactly what to do. When the wave came, we were gently lifted up, and we just surfed the wave, riding the wave, and some were just walking on the water. (1Th.4:13 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep.) Everyone else was wiped out from the wave, but all the brethren were calm, having fun and a great time. (Psa.37:18-20) Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect; And their inheritance shall be for ever. 19 They shall not be put to shame in the time of evil; And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. 20 But the wicked shall perish, And the enemies of Jehovah shall be as the fat of lambs: They shall consume; In smoke shall they consume away.)   Two Visions of a Wave of Destruction Marie Kelton – 2/17/23 (David's notes in red) Vision #1: During our evening meeting, I had a vision of a city with a few tall buildings. I saw white cars that were parked in the city. (Representing the righteous who are in the rest.) I then saw a huge wave come in from the right and flood the city. (Judgment begins in the house of God to cleanse it and then the wicked are judged, as we will see. 1Pe.4:17 For the time is come for judgment to begin at the house of God: and if it begin first at us, what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel of God?) Vision #2: Later on in the meeting, I had another vision of people in a city. The people were trying to run away from a huge wave of water that was coming towards them. (God is going to give His people a 3-year grace period during these times to work in Revival for His People and Kingdom. All provision will be given by Him.)

Can you imagine being a tree? Robert Moor has spent years trying—climbing into their canopies, studying their biology and learning to see trees in ways most of us don't. He considers himself a “tree person.”Moor believes that when you spend a lot of time in trees, time slows down—and branching and pruning can become life lessons. He's interested not just in how trees grow, but in what they might teach us about ourselves. In his book In Trees, he says his goal isn't to anthropomorphize trees but to “arborize” humanity.Moor has taken his obsession with trees to unusual places: climbing to the tops of giant sequoias; traveling to Tokyo to meet master bonsai artists; becoming a “tree sitter” to protest an oil pipeline. He's fascinated by “family trees” and Darwin's Tree of Life, and by our own evolutionary history in the trees of Africa. He traveled to Ethiopia to see Lucy, the famous 3-million-year-old fossil skeleton, and to Tanzania to sleep in a chimpanzee nest. (It was a miserable experience.)He knows something about living among trees: 13 years ago, he and his husband moved from New York City to a cabin in the woods of British Columbia—and never left.—00:00:00 Introduction00:07:20 Climbers and Bonsai Masters00:22:15 Environmentalism's Shadow History00:28:45 Sleeping in a Chimpanzee Nest00:37:20 Tree Sitters and Hope— Website Book: In Trees Italo Calvino's The Baron in the Trees Bonsai artist Masahiko Kimura Julia Butterfly Hill Tree climber Tim Kovar Wonder Cabinet is hosted by Anne Strainchamps and Steve Paulson. Find out more about the show at https://wondercabinetproductions.com, where you can subscribe to the podcast and our newsletter.

Send us Fan MailA decade before Amelia Earhart became a household name, Harriet Quimby made aviation history.In 1911, Quimby became the first woman in the United States to earn a pilot's license. The following year, she became the first woman to fly solo across the English Channel—a dangerous and extraordinary achievement at a time when aviation itself was still in its infancy. And then history largely forgot her.In this episode I talk with longtime television journalist and author Don Dahler about his biography Fearless: Harriet Quimby, a Life Without Limit.He shares Quimby's beginnings on a struggling Michigan farm; her successful career as a journalist, critic, and travel writer; her determination to learn to fly despite widespread resistance to women in aviation; her ingenious plum-colored flying suit; and the extraordinary 1912 English Channel flight whose moment in the headlines was eclipsed by the sinking of the Titanic.And Harriet was much more than a pilot. Don describes a fiercely independent woman who traveled the world, wrote fearlessly, resisted the limitations society placed on women, supported her family, wrote screenplays, and imagined an eventual career as a novelist—a future cut short when she died in an aviation accident at just 37.We also wander into Don's own fascinating story. A former CBS News correspondent and war reporter, Don is the author of the memoir Souvenirs from an Absurd Life. We talk about journalism, adventure, writing, encounters from Ethiopia to Grenada, retirement, curiosity, and what a lifetime spent deliberately seeking out the wider world has taught him.And near the end, our conversation circles back to the word at the heart of Harriet's story: fearless. Is anyone really fearless? Or is courage something more interesting—the ability to acknowledge fear, accept the risk, and keep doing the thing that matters anyway?Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/Thanks so much for listening! Stay up to date on book releases, author events, and Aviatrix Book Club discussion dates with the Literary Aviatrix Newsletter. Visit the Literary Aviatrix website to find over 600 books featuring women in aviation in all genres for all ages. Become a Literary Aviatrix Patron and help amplify the voices of women in aviation. Follow me on social media, join the book club, and find all of the things on the Literary Aviatrix linkt.ree. Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening!-Liz Booker

He is also called Moses the Black. He was a slave, but was cast out by his master due to his evil life. He then became the leader of a murderous band of robbers in Egypt. He came to repentance and took up monastic life in the desert under St Isidore of Sketis. For many years he struggled tirelessly, through prayer, fasting and vigils, with lustful and violent thoughts; he was finally freed of them through the prayers of St Isidore. He was revered by all the brethren for his ascetical life, his wisdom, and his deep humility. Once a brother committed some sin and the monks gathered to judge him. Moses at first refused to go at all, but when they insisted, he filled an old, leaky basket with sand and carried it into the assembly on his back. When the brethren asked him what his action meant, he said "My sins run out behind me, and I do not even see them, and I have come to judge my brother." The monk was forgiven. In time the fame of this humblest of monks spread so far that kings and bishops traveled into the desert to seek his wisdom and his blessing. In his old age, he was warned that a band of brigands was coming to attack the Skete. He refused to leave saying, "It is written: he who lives by the sword shall die by the sword." So, mindful that he had slain others by the sword, he willingly awaited his own murder. Six other monks who remained with him were also slain.

Broadcast from KSQD, Santa Cruz on 8-27-2026: Preparing for extreme heat requires a few days of controlled hyperthermia to boost blood plasma volume and trigger heat shock protein production. Dr. Dawn cites research showing that daily 40-minute treadmill sessions in an 80-degree room followed by 40-minute hot baths for six days—or simply an hour daily in a 40°C bath for four days—produces 75-80% of full acclimatization before a heat-zone trip. Five red flags warrant an ER trip for abdominal pain: pain worsening with coughing or car bumps (peritonitis), lack of gas passage with nausea (bowel obstruction) especially with dark green bilious vomiting, yellowing whites of eyes (bile duct obstruction with sepsis risk), tarry black shiny stool (bleeding ulcer versus coffee-ground vomit), and dizziness with pain (possible leaking aortic aneurysm). Dr. Dawn urges any man who has smoked over 100 lifetime cigarettes to request the Medicare-covered abdominal ultrasound screening for aortic aneurysm, noting only 4% of eligible men currently receive it. Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) fill nearly half of disinfectants, surface sanitizers, and cleaning wipes, with use surging after 2016 FDA antimicrobial bans and the COVID pandemic. A 2023 Environmental Science and Technology review documented reproductive toxicity, hormone mimicking, dermal and respiratory irritation, and disruption of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Dr. Dawn recommends apple cider vinegar and water as a safe household cleaner and directs listeners to EWG.org for QAC-free product listings. A UK Biobank study of 65,000 people born in the 1940s-50s exploited WWII sugar rationing (eight ounces weekly through 1953) as a natural experiment. Those exposed to less sugar before age two had 20% lower dementia risk with 2.5-year delayed onset, and protection held even for those whose low-sugar exposure was purely in utero—underscoring the importance of avoiding added sugars in baby foods during the first 1,000 days. A Coast Guard rescuer's suicide following years of headaches and mood swings prompted his teenage daughter's high school survey of 77 surfmen, most of whom described the same TBI symptoms. Repeated boat impacts hitting waves at 6G at the deck translate to roughly 60G at the sailor's head—more violent than car crashes—prompting the Coast Guard's first official acknowledgment of the wave-pounding brain injury problem. Anopheles stephensi, a hardy South Asian malaria vector that thrives in urban environments and survives dry seasons, has spread from Djibouti (2012) through Yemen, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Kenya. Genomic analysis reveals distinct genetic clusters as it advances, all largely resistant to standard mosquito-control chemicals used in netting and sprays. Dr. Dawn ties this to broader arthropod-borne disease expansion in the U.S. from climate warming, and defends deer culling as tick-vector reduction. Dr. Dawn recommends the PREVENT calculator (using blood pressure, cholesterol, age, sex) as the starting point for coronary risk assessment. Coronary calcium scores are most useful for those in the borderline/intermediate range (3-9% ten-year risk)—a score above age-normal warrants reconsidering statin therapy—but add little value at high risk (where zero calcium doesn't rule out non-calcified plaque) or in older patients. An update on shingles vaccination and dementia: Geldsinger's 2025 Welsh natural-experiment study (exploiting birthday-based Shingrix rollout cutoffs) showed a 20% dementia reduction, since replicated in Canada, Australia, and Scotland. New Hebrew University data suggests giving Shingrix four weeks apart (Dr. Dawn cautions against this shortened interval) may stabilize cognition in existing Alzheimer's patients. The proposed mechanism involves boosting regulatory T-cells that dampen chronic neuroinflammation—also explaining why BCG (400% dementia reduction in bladder cancer patients) and flu vaccines show similar protective effects. An oral KRAS-inhibiting drug, daraxonrasib, doubled median survival in 500 patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer from about six months to 13.2 months by blocking proteins produced by the historically undruggable KRAS gene—the first major advance for a cancer where metastatic diagnosis has meant near-immediate death sentence.

In the mid-1980s, global charity supergroups like Band Aid and U.S.A. for Africa dominated international headlines, raising tens of millions of dollars to combat severe famine in Ethiopia. Yet, despite heavy metal's massive commercial dominance, hard rock and metal musicians were noticeably excluded from pop-centric relief efforts.In this episode of Riff Worship, we break down how Dio guitarist Vivian Campbell, bassist Jimmy Bain, and legendary frontman Ronnie James Dio decided to take action, recruiting over 40 hard rock and metal icons to create their own charitable anthem: "Stars" under the collective name Hear 'n Aid.From the geopolitics and internal conflicts surrounding the 1983–1985 Ethiopian famine to the behind-the-scenes madness at Hollywood's A&M Studios, we explore the full story behind metal's most ambitious collaboration.In this episode, we'll discuss:The Ethiopian Famine: The political, economic, and military factors under Mengistu Haile Mariam's Derg regime that compounded the crisis.Pop Philanthropy vs. Metal Stigma: How media controversy, PMRC hearings, and "Satanic Panic" left metal out of Band Aid and Live Aid. The Origin of Hear 'n Aid: A chance radio interview at LA's KLOS that sparked Vivian Campbell and Jimmy Bain to launch the project with Ronnie James Dio.The All-Star "Stars" Recording Sessions: Highlights from May 1985 featuring members of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Mötley Crüe, Queensrÿche, Dokken, Twisted Sister, W.A.S.P., Blue Öyster Cult, and an in-character appearance by Spinal Tap. The Solos & The Choir: Behind-the-scenes studio dynamics, including the 3+ minute tag-team guitar solo relay featuring Yngwie Malmsteen, Neal Schon, George Lynch, and Brad Gillis.Release Delays & Legacy: Label red tape, how Hear 'n Aid's direct non-profit model avoided administrative grift, and updates on the long-awaited reissue and photo book benefiting the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund.Hear N' Aid - Stars (1986): https://youtu.be/G5H94GHb-10?si=VKTVKbzfubKhRlXJThe Hear 'n Aid Sessions (1986): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sHaQxEMM_g&t=489sLive Aid: The Terrible Truth by Bob Keating (SPIN Magazine, 2015): https://www.spinmagazine.com/2015/07/live-aid-the-terrible-truth-ethiopia-bob-geldof-feature/Recommendations:Northern Lights - Tears Are Not EnoughSelenoplexia - The Battle of Agretes (Glory of Holy Warfare)Cinder Well - A Blooming BodyFollow Riff WorshipInstagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/riffworshippod/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/RiffWorshipPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@RiffWorshipPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check out our Official Playlists:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Riffs on Repeat (Spotify)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Riffs on Repeat (YouTube Music)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hits from the Crypt (Apple)⁠

We've launched Minimum Competence CLE, and our first course is now available completely free. Researching Federal Tax Issues After Loper Bright looks at how the Supreme Court's decision ending Chevron deference changes the way lawyers should research and evaluate Treasury regulations, IRS guidance, and other federal tax authorities.Take the course and earn CLE credit at cle.minimumcomp.com.This Day in Legal History: The Kellogg-Briand PactOn August 27, 1928, representatives of fifteen nations gathered in Paris and signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact—an international agreement in which the signatories solemnly renounced war as an instrument of national policy. Named for U.S. Secretary of State Frank Kellogg and French Foreign Minister Aristide Briand, it was born of the still-fresh horror of World War I and the earnest hope that the great powers could simply agree to stop settling disputes by force. Eventually 64 nations signed on.It is, on its face, one of the most idealistic documents in the history of international law—and one of the most famous cautionary tales about law's limits. The pact had a fatal flaw: it contained no enforcement mechanism, no sanctions, no army, nothing but the promise itself and the hope that world opinion would keep nations honest. Within a few years, that hope was in tatters—Japan invaded Manchuria, Italy invaded Ethiopia, Germany rearmed, and the whole edifice collapsed into the Second World War. As a device for preventing war, Kellogg-Briand failed almost completely.And yet the significance of August 27, 1928 is more complicated than “noble failure.” The pact planted a legal idea that outlived its own impotence: that aggressive war is not just tragic but unlawful. After World War II, that principle became the backbone of the Nuremberg trials, where Nazi leaders were prosecuted for “crimes against peace”—waging aggressive war—a charge that traced its lineage directly to Kellogg-Briand. So the pact is a genuinely instructive anniversary for lawyers: it's a reminder that a law without an enforcement mechanism is mostly an aspiration, but also that even an unenforced principle can lodge itself in the legal conscience and reappear, with teeth, decades later. It's worth keeping that dual lesson in mind on a day when we've got stories about whether court orders and legal protections will actually be honored.A federal judge in Washington holds a hearing this afternoon on a question that sounds trivial but isn't: whether adding President Trump's name to the Kennedy Center's signage defies a court order. We set this up yesterday. Back in May, Judge Christopher Cooper ordered the Kennedy Center to remove Trump's name from the building, siding with Democratic Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, who sued over the renaming of the memorial to President John F. Kennedy. Then, on August 13, the center's board—now stacked with Trump appointees—voted to alter the signage to read “The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump,” and to christen the grounds “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.” The administration says this complies with the injunction because the building is still, technically, named for Kennedy—the Trump language is just a donor acknowledgment. Beatty says it's open defiance. Today Judge Cooper hears them out. And this is genuinely the crux of the rule of law: an injunction isn't a word game. Courts have long held that you can't evade a court order by finding a technical workaround that accomplishes the very thing the order forbade. If Cooper concludes the board's maneuver is a bad-faith attempt to do indirectly what he directly prohibited, the consequences can escalate toward contempt. The significance, as I noted yesterday, is that this small fight over a plaque is really a test of whether the executive branch treats a court order as a binding command or a puzzle to be solved. And on today's Kellogg-Briand anniversary, it's a pointed reminder that a legal order matters only if it's actually enforced. US judge weighs challenge to restore Trump's name to Kennedy Center | ReutersThe Hill · PBS NewsHourNow to a fight with far bigger stakes for the economy: the effort to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Cook's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, has sent a letter to the White House declaring there is “no legally cognizable cause” to fire her, arguing she “has never committed mortgage fraud or any intentional wrongdoing.” The White House has been trying to oust Cook for over a year, most recently by building a formal process to remove her over allegations that she listed two different properties as her primary residence in mortgage documents—and this comes after the Supreme Court already ruled against an earlier, more summary attempt to fire her. Here's why this is one of the most important legal stories of the year. Federal Reserve governors are not ordinary executive officials who serve at the president's pleasure; under the Federal Reserve Act, they can only be removed “for cause.” That phrase is doing enormous work. It traces back to the 1935 Supreme Court decision in Humphrey's Executor, which upheld Congress's power to insulate the heads of independent agencies from at-will presidential removal—the legal foundation of the Fed's independence. The current Supreme Court has been chipping away at Humphrey's Executor for other agencies, but it has pointedly signaled that the Fed is special and its independence protected. So the battle is being fought on the meaning of “cause”: Cook's team says a disputed mortgage-paperwork allegation, with no finding of intentional wrongdoing and no crime, doesn't come close to the kind of malfeasance that “cause” requires. The significance could hardly be larger. If a president can remove a Fed governor he disagrees with by gathering allegations and declaring “cause,” then the Fed's independence—the firewall that's supposed to keep monetary policy insulated from short-term political pressure—becomes a fiction. Markets, and the rule of law, are watching this one closely. Lawyer for Fed's Cook, targeted by Trump, says there is no grounds for dismissal | ReutersCNBC · AxiosAnd finally, Elon Musk's X has lost its First Amendment challenge to a New York law requiring social-media companies to disclose how they handle hate speech. U.S. District Judge John Cronan in Manhattan dismissed the suit—and did so “with prejudice,” meaning X can't refile. The law at issue is New York's “Stop Hiding Hate Act,” signed by Governor Hochul in late 2024, which requires large social-media platforms to disclose their policies for handling hate speech, extremism, harassment, foreign interference, and disinformation, and to report on their efforts. X argued this compelled it to speak—forcing it to make statements about “highly sensitive and controversial” content under threat of lawsuits and fines, in violation of the First Amendment. The judge disagreed, and the legal reasoning is worth understanding. There's a well-established doctrine that governments can require businesses to disclose “purely factual and uncontroversial information” about their own practices, as long as the requirement is reasonably related to a legitimate government interest—the standard from a case called Zauderer. Judge Cronan found that making X describe its own content-moderation policies is exactly that kind of factual disclosure, tied to New York's interest in helping users make informed choices about the platforms they use. The significance is that this lands on one side of a genuinely unsettled national fight. Courts have split over social-media transparency laws—a similar California law was partly struck down on First Amendment grounds—so this New York ruling, upholding a disclosure mandate, deepens a divide that may ultimately need the Supreme Court to resolve. And there's an irony worth noting: X, the platform that markets itself as the champion of free speech, just lost a free-speech case—by arguing that being made to describe its own rules violated its rights. Judge dismisses lawsuit by Elon Musk's X challenging New York hate speech law | ReutersUS News · Daily Maverick This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

This episode is a re-release; it originally aired on March 8, 2015. Best-selling author and travel writer Pico Iyer discusses the benefits of bringing stillness into our lives. Pico, a lifelong traveler who has journeyed all over the world, from India to Ethiopia to Cuba to Kathmandu, realized our lives are crowded, chaotic and noisy. He says there has never been a greater need to slow down, tune out and give ourselves permission to be still. Pico walked away from a successful career writing for Time magazine in New York City, where he worked on the 25th floor and had a nice apartment on Park Avenue. "I was making a great living, but that's not the same as making a life," Pico says. In his book "The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere," he writes about the unexpected adventure of staying put and that sitting quietly in a room just might be the ultimate adventure. Pico also reveals how we can take our feelings of home with us wherever we go. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bret Weinstein speaks with philosopher of biology Nathan Cofnas on the subject of race realism and the implications of genetic differences among populations.Find Nathan Cofnas on X at https://x.com/nathancofnas and on Substack at https://ncofnas.com. *****Join DarkHorse on Locals! Get access to our Discord server, exclusive live streams, live chats for all streams, and early access to many podcasts: https://darkhorse.locals.comCheck out the DHP store! Epic tabby, digital book burning, saddle up the dire wolves, and more: https://www.darkhorsestore.orgMusic: "Marble Machine" by WintergatanThis track can be downloaded for free at www.wintergatan.netFree License to use this track in your video can be downloaded at www.wintergatan.net*****Mentioned in this episode:DEI Fraud and Cover-Up at Cambridge https://ncofnas.com/p/dei-fraud-and-cover-up-at-cambridge*****Tiemstamps:00:00:00 The Rules of Engagement00:03:46 Race Realist?00:08:47 Lineage vs. Race00:13:58 The Euphemism Treadmill00:16:38 Is Morality Real?00:24:51 Westermarck and the Kibbutz00:35:34 The Incest Taboo Test00:41:53 Where Moral Beliefs Come From00:52:34 Wokeism as an Existential Threat00:57:54 Darwinism Applied to Humans01:02:21 Does Winter Make You Smarter?01:07:53 Inuits and Ethiopians01:10:46 Why Aren't We All Von Neumann?01:18:10 What About West African Sprinters?01:24:37 The Black Cats in the Dark01:28:21 The Longest Childhood on Earth01:35:07 Everything Is an IQ Test01:40:59 What Slavery Broke01:45:21 Ethiopia, Korea, Japan, China01:49:32 The Second Mode of Inheritance01:54:18 What We Actually Disagree About01:57:47 The Arms Race Has No CeilingSupport the show

Erik and Keren are joined by Dr. Keyi Tang to talk about the decision-making behind Chinese development finance, her case study research in Ethiopia, Zambia, and Ghana, her book Power Over Progress, and much more.Dr. Keyi Tang is assistant professor in the Department of Society, Politics and Sustainability at ESADE Business School. Her research focuses on the comparative and international political economy of development. She examines topics such as China's global economic strategy, structural transformation in the Global South, and the institutional factors contributing to resource misallocation. She has conducted extensive fieldwork in China, Ethiopia, Ghana, Zambia, and Vietnam. She is the author of Power Over Progress: How Politics Shape Development Finance in Africa (2026). Recommendations:Keyi:The Pitt series on HBOKeren:Invitation to a Banquet by Fuchsia DunlopErik:Sheep Detectives on PrimeHappiness (1998 film)Thanks for listening!Follow us on BlueSky @beltandroadpod.blsk.social

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” -Romans 8:28 What happens when a child is taken from everything he knows and placed in a completely different culture, language, and family? For Isaac Melber, adoption was the beginning of a journey that would lead him through grief, questions of identity, healing, faith, and ultimately a calling to ministry. In this episode of The Adoption & Foster Care Journey, Isaac shares his powerful story of growing up in Ethiopia, losing his parents, spending time in a Christian orphanage, and eventually being adopted by an American family. He opens up about the challenges of cultural transition and the questions he wrestled with as an adoptee—and how Scripture became an anchor for his identity and healing. Isaac also shares about returning to Ethiopia as a teenager to meet members of his birth family and the unexpected opportunity God gave him to share the gospel with them. His story is a beautiful reminder that God can redeem even the hardest parts of our stories and use them for His purposes. In This Episode, We Talk About: Isaac's childhood in Ethiopia and his experience in a Christian orphanage The transition from Ethiopia to life with an American adoptive family Navigating language, culture, food, grief, and loss as an adoptee How Scripture helped Isaac process grief and establish his identity The importance of grounding identity in Christ rather than circumstances or achievements Isaac's journey through soccer, football, and wrestling—and learning to use sports to honor God Discovering his calling to ministry His emotional return to Ethiopia and reunion with members of his birth family Sharing the gospel with his family during his visit Isaac's book, Twice Delivered, and his desire to encourage adoptees, adoptive families, and the church Practical encouragement for parents raising children from hard places A Word of Encouragement for Foster & Adoptive Parents One of Isaac's most important messages for parents is simple: keep loving your child, even when they reject that love. There may not be a formula for parenting a child from a hard place, but faithful, consistent love matters. Isaac encourages parents to look for everyday opportunities to talk about adoption, identity, grief, and trauma. A movie, a holiday, a family gathering, or an ordinary conversation can open the door to questions a child may already be carrying inside. His story also reminds us that our children's stories don't end with their trauma, loss, or adoption. God is still writing their stories—and sometimes we have the privilege of walking beside them as they discover who they are in Christ. Scripture Mentioned Isaac reflects on the importance of immersing children in God's Word from an early age, drawing from passages including Deuteronomy 6, James 1, and John 3. “Our identity isn't found in what we accomplish. Our identity is found in Christ.” About Isaac Melber Isaac Melber is an adoptee from Ethiopia, pastor, speaker, and author of Twice Delivered. His personal experience of adoption, cultural transition, faith, and reunion with his birth family has shaped his passion for encouraging adoptees, adoptive families, and the church to see adoption through a biblical and hope-filled perspective. Resources Twice Delivered — Isaac Melber's book explores the beauty and complexity of adoption through the perspectives of adoptees, adoptive families, and the church. It combines personal stories, Scripture, discussion questions, and prayers to encourage families and communities. Connect & Listen If this episode encouraged you, share it with a foster or adoptive parent, an adoptee, or someone who wants to better understand the adoption journey. And remember: God doesn't waste our stories. Even the hard chapters can become part of His redemptive work. Links mentioned in this episode: https://www.isaacmelber.com/ Free Breath Prayer Download See Available Trainings The Adoption & Foster Care Journey AFCJ on YouTube justicefororphansny.org justicefororphansny.org/hope-community     Email:  sandraflach@justicefororphansny.org sandraflach.com Soul Care Saturday—52 Devotions for Foster and Adoptive Moms Orphans No More—A Journey Back to the Father book on Amazon

Rob Brownstein is a working actor with a long resume that includes movies such as Michael and The Last Appeal and numerous television appearances including Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Shrink Next Door, Young Sheldon, Star Trek: Discovery and many more. Rob shared his journey into acting, starting with poetry readings in Ethiopia and eventually switching from music to drama after his jazz major was cut. He discussed his career, balancing acting with teaching at his studio, An Actor Space, since 2011. Rob spoke about the business side of acting, the importance of agents, and the need to treat one's career as a long-term endeavor. He gave insights into auditioning and preparing for roles, emphasizing the importance of reacting in the moment rather than rote memorization. Rob also reflected on the competitive nature of the industry and the joy of working with talented directors and actors. He mentioned upcoming projects, including a film called "The Rooster Prince," and his commercial workshop for actors aged 50 and over. The conversation touched on the therapeutic aspects of acting and the pressures of the profession. https://www.anactorsspace.com https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0115282/?ref_=fn_t_1

Welcome to PGX: Raw & Real #208PGX: Raw & Real is simple. I sit with people who've lived through something and/or made it big.This isn't meant to be inspiration or a template for life (for that, you can check out PGX Ideas).This space is different. It's their story, as they experienced it.In this episode, I spoke to Radhika Nomllers — Travel Content Creator.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro1:46 - She Trapped in an Underwater Whirlpool12:22 - Why She Chose the Ocean?15:15 - Swimming With Blue Whales17:49 - Swimming With Killer Whales20:38 - The Place Where You Can't Die22:11 - Inside the World's Secret Seed Vault25:36 - Depression, Darkness and Mafia27:56 - The Saddest Place She's Seen33:21 - Welcome to Hell on Earth39:31 - Kidnapped by Ethiopian Gunmen46:18 - The World's Most Unique Tribe48:18 - The Strange Iboga Ritual51:31 - Places Too Dangerous to Visit53:02 - Chasing Latin America's Wild Side58:04 - When a Bungee Jump Goes Wrong01:00:10 - Why Travel Feels Scarier Now01:04:53 - Top 5 Hidden Gems in India01:12:54 - Visit Here Before You Turn 3001:15:07 - The Ultimate Antarctic Plunge01:22:56 - She's Vietnam Death StoryEnjoy.— Prakhar

With a growing young population, vast natural resources, and emerging technology hubs, countries across Africa have become key sites for diplomatic competition between the United States and China. Focusing on Ethiopia, Maria Repnikova examines the ambitious and disjointed display of Chinese diplomatic influence in Africa, developing a new theoretical approach to understanding China's practice of soft power, identifying the core mechanisms as tangible enticement with material and experiential offerings, promotion of values, visions, and governance practices, and censorial power over the production and dissemination of China narratives. Through in-depth field work, Dr. Repnikova builds a picture of the uneven implementation and reception of this image-making, in which Chinese messengers can improvise official agendas, and Ethiopian recipients can strategically appropriate and negotiate Chinese power. Contrary to popular claims about China replacing the West in the Global South, her study reveals the successes, inconsistencies, and limitations of Chinese influence, as well as the ever-present shadow of the West in mediating soft-power encounters.  In an interview conducted on July 26, 2026, Maria Repnikova joins Xiaoyu Pu to discuss China's soft power in Africa.   About the program: https://www.ncuscr.org/event/competing-for-soft-power-chinas-image-making-in-africa/

Today's reading includes pronouncements against the nations of Cush (which we now call Ethiopia) and Egypt. The Cushites will be judged by the Lord and left for dead, but after this judgment they will bring tribute to the Lord of Armies at Mount Zion. Egypt will be judged by God through a civil war, and neither idols, nor spiritists, nor wise men will save them from the Lord's hand. One day in the future, however, some Egyptians would worship the God of Israel, a dramatic turn of events given that Egypt had always been superior in military might with deep cultural ties to it's own gods. Pronouncements on other cities and nations follow, including Babylon, Dumah, Arabia, Jerusalem (called the Valley of Vision, here) and Shebna. Isaiah 18 - 1:03 .  Isaiah 19 - 2:53 .  Isaiah 20 - 7:50 .  Isaiah 21 - 10:03 .  Isaiah 22 - 13:17 .  Psalm 139 - 18:18 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.facebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Rima Alshawkani's story has unfolded across countries, languages and cultures. Born in New York to Yemeni parents, she spent parts of her childhood in Yemen, Ethiopia and Belgium before eventually settling in Northern Virginia. In this episode of Walk Talk Listen, Rima reflects on what those transitions taught her about belonging, independence and resilience. She remembers learning Arabic because she wanted to understand what her classmates were saying, cycling freely through Brussels, and walking through markets in Yemen as one of the only girls there alongside a father who encouraged her not to worry about whether she fit the norm, but simply to "keep on going."   Today Rima is Chief Financial Officer of the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities, an organization she joined in 2018 and has helped shape through several stages of its development. Our conversation goes well beyond finance, however. We talk about family, the influence of her father, raising two teenagers, learning to listen rather than immediately defend, and why she sees herself and her two children in the Arabic song Three Friends. We also talk about why she will walk through Washington, DC on September 25 as part of the 100-Mile Campaign: to help amplify voices from communities that too often remain unheard.   Listener Engagement: Learn more about Rima and her work via her LinkedIn or the JLI website. Don't only listen to the song picked by Rima, but also those by other guests on our #walktalklisten playlist here. Share your feedback on this episode through our Walk Talk Listen Feedback link – your thoughts matter! Follow Us: Support the Walk Talk Listen podcast by following us on Facebook and Instagram. Visit 100mile.org or mauricebloem.com for more episodes and information about our work. Check out the special series "Enough for All" and learn more about the work of the Joint Learning Initiative (JLI).

In this session, attendees will be equipped to navigate the discernment process of identifying the best-fit sending agency for them.

Adoptive parent shame, why adopted kids lie, and what co-regulation actually looks like mid-meltdown — trauma therapist and adoptive mom Keli Tondre gets specific. Last weekend, Keli's19- and 18-year-old spent Friday and Saturday night with her at a music festival — by choice. She doesn't have all the answers. But as a trauma therapist, an adoptive sibling, and an adoptive mom of three, she's got more than most of us.Her brother was three when he was adopted into her family. For years, she feared someone would take him away — and told no one. Decades later he said, "I won the lottery when I landed in this family." Now she knows what he lost first.Two adoptions. One Christmas that went way too far. One sentence from a therapist that ended years of shame. You'll know it when you hear it.About Keli TondreKeli Tondre is a trauma therapist and the founder of Tondre Therapeutics, where her entire practice is built around adoptive and foster parents living in survival mode. She's also an adoptive sibling — her parents adopted her older sister, then adopted her younger brother when Keli was almost two — and an adoptive mom of three: a biological daughter, a son adopted domestically, and a daughter adopted from Ethiopia at age four. She works virtually with clients across the U.S. and Canada. https://tondre.org In this episode, we cover:What Keli understood about adoption as a kid — and what only made sense years later, once she was a therapist and an adoptive mom herselfHow her domestic and international adoption journeys asked different things of herWhy "do your own work first" doesn't mean attachment struggles are proof you failedHow to respond to lying differently than you were raised to — and what to say instead of "you're lying to me"What co-dysregulation is, and how to find your way back to curiosity when your kid has blown up the roomWhy adoptive parent shame is a different animal than ordinary mom guiltWhat Keli's biological daughter needed that she didn't see until years laterWhy "love isn't enough" — and what to hold onto insteadThis episode is brought to you by Our Chosen ChildAre you growing your family through adoption and doing your outreach independently? Our Chosen Child is an adoption marketing agency helping hopeful parents connect with expectant parents authentically and confidently. Their Social Media Plan and Post Program gives you six months of ready-to-go, easy-to-personalize posts for Instagram and Facebook — no tech skills required. Visit ourchosenchild.com and use code ROADMAP for $100 off your Social Media Plan and Post Program.Do you have an adoption "Kismet Moment" you'd like to share? Tell us the story here to be apart of my upcoming podcast episode! https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/BNfyVlIUm5bWebsite → ⁠https://rgadoptionconsulting.com⁠ Book a Complimentary Adoption Strategy Session → ⁠https://rgadoptionconsulting.com/contactAre You Ready to Adopt? Take the Quiz to Find Out → https://www.rgadoptionconsulting.com/quizTune in to The Adoption Roadmap Podcast every Wednesday. If you like what you hear, I'd appreciate a follow and 5-star rating & review! THANK YOU!For questions about adoption, episode suggestions or to appear as a guest on The Adoption Roadmap Podcast, email⁠⁠⁠⁠ support@rgadoptionconsulting.com⁠⁠⁠Resources mentioned: Polyvagal Institute: https://www.polyvagalinstitute.org

Recorded at the AIDS 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro, Ben and Dr. mike Reid discuss how climate disruption will exacerbate existing infectious diseases, enable emerging threats, and worsen non-infectious conditions, arguing global health must anticipate and mitigate climate-health impacts. They note health was sidelined at COP Egypt 2025 and that few national climate plans include health adaptation budgets. Case studies contrast Pakistan's 2022 floods—2.6 million new malaria cases, fivefold dengue increase, and 20% of primary care facilities underwater—with Mozambique's Cyclone Idai response, where PEPFAR-supported HIV infrastructure enabled faster recovery through reliable supply chains, information systems, energy backups, and workforce support. They emphasize integrated, resilient primary care and scaled community health workforces (e.g., Ethiopia), including community-delivered mental health care, amid shrinking donor support. mike explains applying Kate Raworth's “donut economics” to climate-health financing, referencing the Bridgetown Initiative and proposing climate-health bonds, while also highlighting greener delivery, regional manufacturing, and lower-emission prevention tools like lenacapavir and cabotegravir. 00:00 Live from Rio 00:52 Climate-Driven Disease 03:26 Health Plans Missing 05:31 Resilient Systems 06:10 Pakistan Flood Case 08:00 Mozambique Cyclone Ida 11:35 Primary Care Backbone 12:27 Community Health Workforce 14:22 Conference Funding Shift 17:09 Donut Economics Explained 20:55 Cameroon Donut Priorities 22:25 Why Leaders Ignore Health 23:32 Financing Climate Health 29:57 Sustainable Global Health 32:09 One Key Investment 33:34 Rio Networking Surprise 35:02 Wrap-Up and Credits Learn more about the book: https://bit.ly/redefining-global-health More from UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences: https://globalhealthsciences.ucsf.edu Check Out mike Reid's Substack: https://substack.com/@reimaginingglobalhealth Check Out Ben's Substack: https://substack.com/@benplumley1 Join the Conversation! What would it take for global health to avoid decline? Share your thoughts in the comments! Subscribe & Stay Updated: Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform. Watch on YouTube & subscribe for more in-depth global health — and look out for a dedicated sub channel for Redefining Global Health in the 21st Century under A Shot in the Arm's YouTube home. Redefining Global Health in the 21st Century: The Podcast (Playlist on Youtube) https://bit.ly/rgh-book A Shot in the Arm Podcast Youtube (Main Channel) https://youtube.com/@shotarmpodcast

Raising Future HEALTHY Adults with Elizabeth Pehrson (Episode 296)   Hebrews 12:11 NIV “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”   *Transcription Below*   Elizabeth Pehrson is a speaker, podcaster and founder of The Exchange. She's a yellow sanguine, who is full of energy and lives life wide-open! She loves Jesus and meaningful connections. Elizabeth is married to David and mother of EIGHT children, who range from high school to graduated from college.   Follow her online:  Instagram: @long_game_parenting or @octomama or @theexchangeus Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.m.pehrson   Thank you to Our Sponsor: WinShape Marriage   Questions and Topics We Cover: What are a handful of habits in the home that you see as most essential for families so that they all can experience a joyful life together? What natural consequences and strategic discipline can you offer as ideas for teens living at home? As parents, what else can we do now to help our kids reach maturity and independence as adults?   Previous Guests from The Savvy Sauce Episode Mentioned: 74 Effective Parenting for Toddlers Through College with Wife, Mother to 8, and The Exchange Founder, Elizabeth Pehrson Part 1  75 Responding to God's Stirring with Elizabeth Pehrson, Founder of The Exchange, Part Two Inspiring Perspective in Parenting with Kay Wyma (Episode 164) Stories of God's Upside Down Economy with Kristen Welch (Episode 174)   Connect with The Savvy Sauce on Facebook or Instagram or Our Website   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV) Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”    Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”    Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”    John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   *Transcription*   Music: (0:00 – 0:11) ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (0:12 - 1:18) ‍ ‍ Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here. ‍ ‍ I'm thrilled to introduce you to our sponsor, WinShape Marriage. Their weekend marriage retreats will strengthen your marriage, while you enjoy the gorgeous setting, delicious food, and quality time with your spouse. To find out more, visit them online at winshapemarriage.org slash savvy. ‍ ‍ My returning guest for today is Elizabeth Pehrson, and if possible, we are going to get even more practical than we did last week, as we're going to discuss ways to actually enjoy parenting, while simultaneously preparing our children to launch as faithful and healthy adults someday. ‍ ‍ Here's our chat. ‍ ‍ Welcome back again to The Savvy Sauce, Elizabeth. I'm so excited to be here. ‍ ‍ This is fun. It's always a joy to get a chat with you, and we're going to go even more practical today, but do you mind sharing some disclaimers about that first? ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (1:32 - 1:57) ‍ ‍ Not at all. You know, when I was growing up, I grew up in the church, and I really looked at "train up a child in the way he should go, and when he's old, he will not depart from it," as a promise. And it really is a principle. And so as much as we want it to be A plus B equals C, it's not always that way. There are certain principles that we are to follow and God's asked us to, and so I think we need to focus on that and leave the rest to him. ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (1:57 - 2:28) ‍ ‍ That's so good. So, keeping that in mind, but then also hearing wise tips that we can hopefully implement. How do you think we can teach our children the importance of reciprocity, such as encouraging them to ask other people questions rather than just focusing the conversation on themselves, or encouraging them to do chores around the house, rather than just expecting their parents to do all the work or over function for them? ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (2:29 - 6:07) ‍ ‍ Oh, yeah, this one's right up my alley. I love this question so much. John F. Kennedy, you know, gave his famous speech, "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." And I think in the same way, we want each family member to ask not what can you do for me, but what can I do for the family. And we believe that wholeheartedly. ‍ ‍ And so, because of that, we started assigning age-appropriate chores at the age of three. And they have a chore every single day of the week, except for Sunday, even when they're busy, even when they have baseball, football, lacrosse, didn't matter what it was. We have this whiteboard in our home. And it's like the motherboard of all things in our family. And it's got on the top part of it, it has our calendar appointments, practices, games, meetings, you know, meals for the week, like everything you can imagine that it takes to run our family is at the top part. And then the second part of the whiteboard, we have a section that says, “because we clothe and feed you, and then it has their names underneath that. ‍ ‍ And so, when they leave for school, I look at the calendar, I look at everything that needs to be gotten done that day or that week for the family. And then I delegate it to each of the children. And so, I would assign them each a chore. And so, when they would get home from school, it was right there where they would walk in and put their backpacks down and they knew to look at their chore. And they knew that it had to be finished before dinner. And it made it so easy because there was no nagging, there was no reminding, there was no, you know, begging them to do it and following up, it was just so much a part of each of their day, just like going to school or brushing their teeth, it was something they knew they had to do. ‍ ‍ And in addition to that, in our home, when our children turn eight, we have this rule that you are no longer a consumer, but you are a contributor. So, at the age of eight, they have to start doing all their own laundry, washing their own sheets, and lots of other substantially harder chores. And then at nine, they have to start mowing the yard, they start cooking and things that actually really contribute to the family as a whole. ‍ ‍ And, you know, in the last episode, I talked a lot about modeling for our kids, you know, what we want them to learn. And as far as the, you know, talking about asking important, I mean, having them ask questions and reciprocity, it's the same thing as to you have to model it, right? You have to model that for your children. And so let them hear you ask the cashier how her day's going, you know, even if it embarrasses them, or, you know, how you speak to the waiter or the waitress, let them see you notice the neighbor struggling with something in their yard. Like let them watch you thank their father for taking the car to get the oil changed or taking the trash out just simple things like that. You know, something that our mentors taught us that we implemented with our children right away. ‍ ‍ And this was I cannot emphasize the impact that this had on our children enough. But when somebody anybody, but particular an adult asked you a question, you look them in the eyes, you answered their question. And then you responded with a question, you ask them a question that was a game changer. I can't tell you how many bus drivers, teachers, coaches said, “I've never had a student asked me how my weekend was.” I've never once, when they get on the bus asked me, ”How am I doing today? How was my day?” ‍ ‍ And again, it's not for any like praise or anything like that. But my point is, it's so countercultural that it stands out. And it's so important to have your children learn from a young age what it looks like to look an adult in the eye and ask her a question. If they can't do that, when they're older, they'll never be able to advocate for themselves. ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (6:08 - 6:21) ‍ ‍ I love all things countercultural. I think because a lot of times it does point back to Jesus, just even somebody experiencing that and having a wow factor. Ultimately, it's because the goodness of the Lord that they've just experienced. ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (6:22 - 6:23) ‍ ‍ Absolutely, absolutely. ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (6:23 - 6:38) ‍ ‍ So, do you have maybe a handful of habits in the home that you see as most essential for families so that everyone living there can enjoy and experience a joyful life together? ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (6:40 - 9:00) ‍ ‍ Oh, I'm sure that we do. I think joy in a home is rarely accidental. It's cultivated, it's intentional. And I would just say, ask what brings your family joy, and then do more of that. It's most likely going to be different for everybody. And I can only speak for us. But what we loved, what we did, family dinners around the dinner table were non-negotiable. ‍ ‍ There were seasons around the dinner table, that part was negotiable, because there were seasons, like we had four boys playing football. And so, we would have practices five nights a week and four games on Saturday. And so, we would take the dinner to the ballpark, and we would literally sit there as a family, because I wasn't going to constantly never have family dinner just for the six months in the fall, or winter, or whatever. But we used dinner time to ask intentional questions, to laugh, to tell stories. We joked, we role-played, that was a big one for us. ‍ ‍ Just as a family, we would do that together. And probably the best thing that we did, and the thing that we still do, is we make things fun. We play games, really fun ones. Not that board games aren't fun, those are fun. But instead of, our kids are grown now, and for Easter, they will all come home, and I will have created games out of Easter eggs with all different types. Not going to find them, but just different types. I'll line up 20 Easter eggs with different colors, and then the first person, they get 10 seconds to look at it. And then the first person that can replicate it with those colors. Things like that, what was in the Easter eggs, questions, that kind of stuff. ‍ ‍ One year, we did an Easter egg hunt, where we tied two people together. One was on the back, and the one below was blindfolded. So, the one on the back had to tell them where to go, and what to do. Or we leg-tied their legs together. Just things to make it creative or fun. At Christmas, we always play reindeer games. It's my kids' favorite thing that we do. We've often gotten in inflatables, and we've done an Easter egg hunt that way, where everyone's wearing these huge inflatables, or we play a kickball game. And that was our Christmas card this last year. But just anything that wants to make them want to participate, right? Want to have them want to come home. So that's what I would say. ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (9:01 - 9:18) ‍ ‍ I love it. And I don't remember the direct quote. It was from Bob Goff. But just saying how the more outlandish it is, or the more that you add variety or break from the norms, that's what they're going to remember. So, I'm sure your kids have incredible memories of all those holidays. ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (9:19 - 9:19) ‍ ‍ Yes. ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (9:20 - 9:38) ‍ ‍ I hope so, anyway. Oh, I'm sure that we'll have to steal some of those. But do you also have any stories to share for the payoff now that you're experiencing? Because when your children were little, you started them off with focusing on chores and hard work. ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (9:38 - 9:39) ‍ ‍ How long do you have? ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (9:40 - 9:42) ‍ ‍ Give everything you got. ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (9:42 - 14:13) ‍ ‍ Okay. Chores for children when they are young, it has proven to be the single biggest indicator of success when they're older. Hands down. Chores, specifically hard chores, they teach your kids responsibility. They teach them resourcefulness. It instills in them confidence. It instills in them capability. It instills in them competence. And I could give you example, after example, after example of how I've seen this payoff for my children. And I would say even in some ways, more importantly, how I have seen it negatively impact their friends, whose parents did not require them to work at home when they were younger. ‍ ‍ I remember my oldest son went off to college, and he called me after orientation and he's a man of few words, doesn't say thank you very often. And he said, "Mom, I have to tell you something." And I said, "What?" And he said, "You know, this is a pretty hard school to get into. And the people are competent. They're smart." He said, "I have never in my life seen a group of individuals that are so incapable of doing anything for themselves." He's like, "We're standing in line to get our, what's the ID, you know, their picture taken." He said, "Kid after kid on their phone. Hey, I don't, I don't have a credit card. I don't have a debit card. I don't know how to do this." He said, "I mean, and then he gets to college and it's like, they don't know how to get their oil changed. They don't know how to, you know, make their own doctor's appointment." And he thanked me. He's like, "I'm sorry. I resisted it when I was younger, but I just want to say thank you." ‍ ‍ And, you know, my daughter Libby called me one day and she said, "Mom, you know, you're not going to believe this." And I said, "What?" And so, she tells me of the story of her roommate, and her roommate had not left campus in six weeks. And so, she asked her, she said, "Hey, I thought you had a car here." And she said, "I do." And she said, "Well, why don't you ever leave?" And she said, "Well, I don't have gas." And she said, "Well, do you need money?" And she said, "Well, no, I don't need money." You know, she said, "I thought maybe you needed gas money." She said, "No." And she said, "Well, then what's going on?" She goes, "I've never put gas in my car." And that's not a chore, but that is a basic skill. Think about that, dropping your child off to college with a car and never having shown them or made them get their own gas. ‍ ‍ And then she called me a couple of weeks later. And she said to me, "Mom, did you know it's possible not to know how to hand wash dishes?" And I said, "Well, that's not possible. What are you talking about?" She said, "Well, she was just buying new dishes, plastic dishes. She was buying them because she didn't know how to wash them." And so, she said, "I said to her, hey, like you can just wash your dishes." She goes, "We don't have a dishwasher." And she said, "So I had to show her how to use soap and water to wash her own dishes." I mean, I could go on and on and on. ‍ ‍ I mean, I have another daughter that went off to college, and we were at the very first day moving them in and the mom was barking orders, telling everyone what to do. And after about 10 minutes, I was like, I went outside in the hallway, and I just sat down and removed myself. And her husband looks at me and he goes, "Wow, you learned quickly." And I said, "What does that mean?" And he said, "Get out of her way and let her do it." And I said, "Well, what about your daughter?" He goes, "Oh, she's never done anything for herself. She does everything for her." ‍ ‍ We got in the car to go home. And I just said to my husband, I said, "It's going to be really hard for our daughter because this girl's never done anything for themselves." I mean, I could give you story, after story, after story, but you know, when you require your children to put in hard work when they're really young, you know, they don't panic when life requires effort. Later on, they aren't entitled to comfort. They aren't entitled to other people doing things for them. You know, they know how to contribute, you know, wherever they land, whether it's in a dorm room, a house or, you know, college house or beyond, you know, my kids joke with me. They were like, "Mom, this can be a gift or a curse knowing how to do everything." And I said, "Well, what do you mean?" They're like, "Well, nobody else knows how to do everything. And they know that we do. So, they just want us to do it." And I was like, "Sorry about that. You know, sorry, you have to take care of it." ‍ ‍ But again, it's like, we are trying to train our kids up for independence, not to be dependent on us. And they go off to college or they graduate college, and they're already going to have first, like so many first being away from home, sleeping with a stranger in their same room, your dorm room, like so many things are going to have to navigate. And then do you want them to have to figure out how to do laundry, how to do dishes, how to I mean, no, it's like, wow, chores instill that. And then when they're really young. ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (14:14 - 14:23) ‍ ‍ So, did you and your husband sit down and map out everything that you wanted them to know? Or how did you come up with these chores? And what are some more examples? ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (14:24 - 16:09) ‍ ‍ Oh, yeah. And it's so interesting. It's so interesting, because I thought about this when I was thinking about our time together. But there's a book that we read. Well, there's a couple of books that we read that were pretty impactful. But one of them was called Cleaning House by Kate Wills Weima. And so, her 12 things, the idea of the book is to think about all the things you want to know your children know how to do and know how to do well when they leave home. And then you take one month and you just focus on that, that specific thing. And so, we sat down and her 12 things weren't our 12 things. Some of them were, but some of them were not. And so, we just did month after month after month of wanting them to know exactly, you know, how to do these things, you know, when we're grown, or when they're grown. And so we did that. ‍ ‍ But I mean, my husband, anytime he was working on the lawnmower, anytime he was doing anything in the yard, he gathered the boys around like, "Hey, boys, come on," and he was trying to show them or fixing the toilet or deal, you know, whatever it might have been. And I would do the same thing, whether it was in the garden, or whether it was in the kitchen, or whether it was outside with yard work, whatever, just to gather them around and involve them because they don't know. I mean, it's not their fault, but they won't know unless we show them. ‍ ‍ And one of the things I love is that the earlier you start showing them and training them up in these chores, and in this yard work, and in managing a home, the longer you have at home to train them up to do it well. But a lot of people think, oh, they're too young, or I'll just wait until they're older. Well, truth is, by the time they're 16, you really have very limited time with them. Very limited. And you're like, "Oh, when am I going to do that?" You know, they're at their sports, they're at school things, they're driving, they're with friends. And so, it's like, the earlier you can start the better. ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (16:11 - 16:22) ‍ ‍ So good, even I'm thinking we could even involve our kids in what else have we not thought of that you want to learn how to do because it really is a gift to be trained and to take that time. ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (16:23 - 16:32) ‍ ‍ I mean, and that kind of goes back to what we've talked about last time, you know, just being lifelong learners and curious, like, I don't know how to do this. But let's figure it out together. ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (16:33 - 16:44) ‍ ‍ Well, and I'm going to also link to a previous episode, I did interview Kay on that book. But do you remember the other one that you also read related to it? ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (16:44 - 20:24) ‍ ‍ Oh, yes, there was a season where there's actually two of them. But there is a season where my focus and my priority was riding entitlement from my children. I meet with moms all the time. And they're like, "My children are so spoiled." And I'm like, "Well, just I'm curious who spoils them." You know, and it really does start with us. It stems with us, even if it's the ones where moms will say, "Well, I mean, I don't give them that brand new thing, but their grandmother does." Well, technically, you're the gatekeeper of what comes in and out of your home, you can allow it or not allow it, you can say to them, "You know what, they don't need the newest iPad, they don't need the newest Lululemon or whatever. I want to, I want you to offer an experience with them, you know, something different, something like that, you can control that." But there was a season where that's all I saw. And I saw it in my children's hearts as well. And so, I read the book How to Raise Grateful Children in an Entitled World. And then I also read the book 7 by Jen Hatmaker long time ago, a lot of our philosophies have changed. But back in the day, long time ago, it was an entitlement, it said an experiment against a mutiny against excess. And so, it was another challenge we did, like we did the 12-month challenge from Kay's book, we did a seven-month challenge from her book, and we took seven areas where we have so much excess, and we stripped it down one month at a time. And I'm telling you, it was hard, not only because our children didn't want to do it, but it was hard for me, particularly the month of technology. I mean, you're talking no TV, no cell phone, no, I mean, other than phone calls, you know, no scrolling, none of that, no podcast, no, you couldn't use it just for a month just to have stillness, quiet. I mean, it was crazy hard. But then we noticed that the puzzles started coming out and coloring started coming out and creativity started coming out, you know, it requires 15 minutes of boredom, boredom for creativity to set in. And I would say the creativity did set in, and it was unbelievable. ‍ ‍ One month, we only allowed we got to choose, but we picked seven foods. That's all you could eat for one month. When you went out, that's all you could choose from. It was so hard. It was unbelievable. But what caught me so strongly was in her book, she starts out by saying she had three young children at home, and she was adopting two children from Ethiopia. And she had already been over to visit them twice. And they were literally starving to death. And you know, her heart just wanted them home. But because of all the logistics, she couldn't get them here yet. And she said one day she made fish sticks for her kids. And then she went up to go switch laundry. She came back down a few minutes later, and she saw all the fish in the trash can. And she was like, "What in the world?" So, she asked them, she said, "Did y'all not eat?" They're like, "We did." And she said, "Well, I just saw the fish sticks in the trash can." And they're like, "We didn't have ketchup." She's like, "You just threw away five pounds of fish, you know, whatever it was, because you didn't have ketchup. Yet we have two other children across the world that would give anything to have those fish sticks." And I was like, "I see that with my children. It's like, I don't want that. Or I don't care for that. Or that clothing, I'd rather something else." And so, for one month, they only could wear seven articles of clothing total. That's it. And it's crazy, because you think everyone's looking at you like, "Why are you wearing the same thing every single day?" No one even cares what you're doing. But it just changed your whole mindset and perspective. So, entitlement was a big one for us. And those two books were super helpful with that. ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (20:25 - 20:28) ‍ ‍ Well, and even it sounds like a version of fasting. ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (20:29 - 20:53) ‍ ‍ Oh, absolutely. I mean, we've told our kids all you know, since they were young, it doesn't matter what it is. Whatever you can't fast from owns you. It does, whatever that is. And so, some months the food was harder for others for some month, the clothing was harder, the girls, the clothing was harder. You know, the boys could care less for some month, it was a technology, but it's like whatever it is, it's got a stronghold in your heart. That's what owns you. ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (20:54 - 23:23) ‍ ‍ And now a brief message from our sponsor. ‍ ‍ Friends, I'm excited to share with you today's sponsor, WinShape Marriage. Do you feel like you need a weekend away with your spouse and a chance to grow in your relationship together at the same time? WinShape Marriage is a fantastic ministry that provides weekend marriage retreats to help couples grow closer together in every season and stage of life. From pre-marital to parenting to the emptiness phase, there is an opportunity for you. WinShape Marriage is grounded on the belief that the strongest marriages are the ones that are nurtured, even when it seems things are going smoothly, so that they're stronger if they do hit a bump along their journey. ‍ ‍ These weekend retreats are hosted within the beautiful refuge of WinShape Retreat, perched in the mountains of Rome, Georgia, which is a short drive from Atlanta, Birmingham, and Chattanooga. While you're there, you will be well-fed, well-nurtured, and well-cared for. During your time away in this beautiful place, you and your spouse will learn from expert speakers and explore topics related to intimacy, overcoming challenges, improving communication, and more. ‍ ‍ I've stayed on site at WinShape before, and I can attest to their generosity, food, and content. You will be so grateful you went. To find an experience that's right for you and your spouse, head to their website, winshapemarriage.org/savvy. That's W-I-N-S-H-A-P-E marriage.org/savvy, S-A-V-V-Y. Thanks for your sponsorship. ‍ ‍ Another big topic is discipline, and that's something that parents are consistently interested in discussing, probably so that we can all balance rules and relationship. For any of the other parents who are also exhausted and maybe don't know what consequences to utilize as they seek to influence their children, what are some natural consequences and strategic discipline that you've offered before or that you can think of, especially with teens in the home? ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (23:25 - 27:02) ‍ ‍ Yeah. Discipline basically means to disciple, and so we're training our kids up. We can't expect them just to know it on their own and intuitively think, that's not a wise choice, so I shouldn't make it. We're here because they need us. God entrusted them to us. But I love that you said consequences, because that's really the way I choose to look at discipline, because childhood is meant to be training ground for independence. ‍ ‍ Natural consequences, in my opinion, are the best way to do that, because I think consequences should connect directly to their choices, to my choices, because as we tell them, every single choice you make, every single one has a consequence, good or bad. You're going to have a consequence. You reap what you do, so therefore it is so important to acknowledge and recognize what you choose. Not my response to it, but to what you choose. ‍ ‍ You oversleep an alarm, which is, you know, middle schoolers and high schoolers are known to do. You oversleep the alarm, you experience the discomfort of being late, whether that's missing the whole day because you as the mom are busy doing other things, or you're at work, or maybe you just missed that test the first period and you can then drive yourself to school, but you have to suffer that consequence. I'm not going to rescue you from that, or you know, you forget to bring in a project that you have worked on for days and days and days and days, and you forget to bring it in. Your grade will reflect that. That is a natural consequence. ‍ ‍ I had a son, I won't name him, but I had a son that chose to make the decision to cheat on a chemistry test, and the teacher called me and said, in high school, AP, and said, "You know, he's a great student, he made a poor choice, he didn't study, he's busy with football," and she said, "So I'm going to let him retake it," and I said, "No, he chose to make that decision. Please fail him like you would do any other student. I do not want him to ever, ever, ever consider doing this again," and she goes, "Well, it might be on his transcript." I said, "Okay, so be it, but I'm more interested in his long-term character and who he's becoming than I am about his AP chemistry score. I'm more interested in that," so the natural consequences, or to give him a zero on that. ‍ ‍ You know, you have the stud athlete as a son, and they forget their cleats or their jerseys at home. Guess what? They sit out from practice. They sit out from the game that afternoon. You know, it's not going to be the end of the world. Although we think it is, they think it is, it's not. So, I try to think of discipline, you know, not as punishing, but more as preparing them for adulthood, and you know, like we talked about the other day, I encourage moms not to bail, but to let them fail. I mean, it literally could seem like the end of the world to your child, but in the grand scheme of things, it has no bearing on their life later on, but many moms treat every little thing as if, you know, but I just try to tell moms when I meet with them, your child's employer will not care what they made on a middle school project. They won't. If they forgot it and got a C, your employer, their employer will not care that they made a C on that, or maybe even an F. They will not even care what your son or your daughter's high school GPA is. They will not care if you missed that baseball game, you missed that tournament, but they will care if you are hardworking, if you're responsible, if you take ownership for your actions, and I think natural consequences are the best way to teach all of those things. ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (27:03 - 27:13) ‍ ‍ Well, and I would assume if we actually follow through, it's so painful in the moment, but it probably doesn't take many times to learn that lesson. ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (27:14 - 29:29) ‍ ‍ No, not at all, and particularly if you have multiple children. I remember I was giving a talk on entitlement and how we rescue our children so easily, and I was setting up, and so I was getting things out of my car, taking things back and forth into this, you know, building where I was setting up, and as I get into the back seat, I see this project that my daughter literally had been working on for two weeks, and when she got out of the car that day, she left it, and I just thought, "Oh, here I am talking about this. I can either do it, nobody will know, take it up there, but then I was like, no, what does that teach her? Mom's going to bail me out every single time," and it was like, ah, it crushed me, crushed me, but I was more interested in what's going to happen for her long term, and another thing, if you have, if you have siblings, multiple children, they can learn from each other, not just from their own personal suffering. ‍ ‍ That same daughter, I'll never forget it. She came home from school. She was in the third grade, and my kids know, like, your schoolwork is on you. It is not on me. I have already been to kindergarten. I have already been to third grade. I've already been to high school. It is on you, and I email the teachers at the beginning of the year. I just want you to know that my third-grade daughter will be doing her entire projects, schoolwork, tests, grade, everything will be her, so please, please grade her on a third grade level, because what's happening is parents are doing their projects, parents are doing their papers, all of the things, and so it's like, wow, hers looks terrible. It is on par for a third grader, though, you know, so I email the teachers at the beginning, and I let them know that they are responsible. They can choose to teach them in any way that they want, discipline them in any way they want, and my daughter came home from school one day, and she had this big thing due the next day, and she was like, "Mom, oh my goodness, I left it in my desk. Would you please email her and see if I can come in early in the morning and get it and work on it," and I said, "Sure," and all my kids were like, "You will," and so I emailed, and I said, "Dear Mrs. Prilliman, she left her, you know, her assignment in her desk. Please feel free to punish her and discipline her in any way that you see fit," and she's like, "Mom," you know, she was so upset, but the other kids are like, "Mental note, I will never do that," you know, so they can learn, you know, from each other as well, so. ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (29:30 - 29:50) ‍ ‍ That is a benefit of having siblings. I love hearing those stories. That helps it sink in, but Elizabeth, also, what can we be doing while our children are still in the home in hopes of them experiencing wise financial stewardship and freedom financially when they leave home? ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (29:51 - 32:34) ‍ ‍ Yeah, I'm going to be very honest. David and I were not the best at this. It's not our greatest strength, that is for sure. It is not our natural genius, and with a family of 10, money was always tight. It really was, but we didn't want our kids to feel the weight of that. We didn't want them to feel that burden, but having said that, we did teach them delayed gratification. We did teach them saving before spending, distinguishing wants from needs. That's a big difference, working for what they desire or what they wanted, and they had to participate in paying for part or all of what they wanted, and that included travel sports. I mean, you know, there were times where we had five or six in travel sports. I mean, it's thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars, and so they either had to contribute financially if they could, depending on their age, or I remember one year, my son was young, and he wanted to do it, and it was going to be $2,800, and he was very gifted in baseball, and we wanted him to have this experience, but we knew that it was going to impact the entire family because all of our kids were still young. ‍ ‍ It wasn't like we could leave them at home. Everybody would be going every single weekend to all these different places, and so we said, "Okay, we're going to sit down as a family, and we're going to talk about this," and so they agreed. They wanted him to do it. They wanted to go to all these tournaments as a family, but so we decided that we would not eat out until that was paid off, the equivalent of that was paid off, and anytime anyone wanted to like stop at McDonald's or pick up something, we're like, "Remember, we're paying for Jack's baseball," and it was a family effort, and so, you know, I mean, it could be their homecoming dress if they want something extravagant or things that were above and beyond, you know, over a roof over their head or food on the table or clothes, you know, their basic needs, but just tried to model financially real life, and we all know that just because we want something doesn't mean we get it. It doesn't work that way, and when we give our kids everything they want, I would argue that we are setting them up and sometimes their potential future spouses up for failure because I don't know if you know this, but this generation is the first generation not to have as to make as much or have as much as their previous two generations before them. ‍ ‍ Typically, we make more than our parents and our grandparents, but this is the first one not to, and that's why grown adults are still living at home, so it's like, wow, if we can model this for our kids, you know, that, hey, just because you want that extra thing doesn't mean you get it. You got to work some extra jobs. You got to pick up some extra shifts, you know, maybe ask for some money chores at home, you know, that we would offer them, but we just tried to model it for real life, but like I said, it wasn't our greatest strength. ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (32:35 - 32:41) ‍ ‍ Oh, I bet even more of a strength than you realize just hearing that example. I did not know that about the generation. That's fascinating. ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (32:43 - 34:15) ‍ ‍ Yeah, I mean, one of my all-time favorite, there's a TED Talk. It's old. It's like a really short one, and I'm blanking on the lady's name, but she was in college, and her dad was an attorney, and he was very affluent. They had a lot of money, and back in the day, I think this was like in the 90s, 2000s maybe, there was this new pair of jeans that were out, and they were $120, and every other pair of jeans were like 50 bucks or something, you know, 40 bucks, and so she called her dad, who could easily afford it, and said, "Dad, oh my gosh, I need a pair of these jeans. Everybody," she was in college at University of Florida. "Everybody has these jeans. I want a pair," and he goes, "Okay, well, what are you going to do to go get the money?" She's like, "Dad, come on. I know you can give it to me." He said, "No, that's not the way life works," so she happened to be in the student center, and she saw one of those little advertisements, need a house cleaner, and she's like, "My parents made me do chores. I know how to clean a house," so she pulled the little number. She went to the lady's house. She cleaned her house, got the 120 bucks, and the lady said, "Well, when are you coming back," and she said, "Oh, no, no, I just needed one pair of jeans. Like, you know, I'm not coming back," and she said, "No, you did an amazing job." Well, this girl went on to start an organization while she was in college, a business. Now, it's like on a Fortune 500 something. I don't even know, but it's called Student Maid, M-A-I-D, and she had 500 employees by the time she was a senior, and she was cleaning apartments, houses, but her dad had given her the 120 bucks because he could to get the pair of jeans, so it's like, get out there and figure it out, and so I just love that story. ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (34:16 - 34:34) ‍ ‍ Wow, I love that as well, and totally different topic, but when it comes to caring for our health and our bodies, if we truly believe our bodies are a temple for God, what are ways that we can model and encourage our children to live wisely in that way? ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (34:35 - 37:07) ‍ ‍ Yeah, I'm glad you said model because really that's what it comes down to. I mean, if they see us beating ourselves up, not prioritizing sleep, not moving our bodies, not eating well, you know, that's what they're going to do. I mean, it's just history has proven itself. You can look at cultures. Those that move their bodies, sleep, rest on the Sabbath, I mean, they're a healthier culture, and so all of those things, you know, eating with balance, not obsession, resting on Sundays, I mean, even in the church world, that's almost unheard of to take the Sabbath off, and I would really say, particularly if you have daughters, not that it doesn't matter for sons as well, but it really impacts daughter is speaking respectfully about the body that God has given you. ‍ ‍ I sadly see so many women talk trash about their own looks or their own appearance, their body, if I could just fix this, I wish I didn't have this, and then they expect their daughters not to do the same, you know, and so when we say, "Oh, honey, you're beautiful," they're like, "Well, you don't think you are," you know, and they see right through it. I mean, I want my daughters to be strong, not skinny, right? I want them to be healthy, not appearance driven. I want them to know that mom got up and went to the gym every morning. Mom made sure she got outside and got sunshine and got on a walk, you know, culture already put so much pressure on these young girls and their size. Oh, my goodness, it like just breaks my heart, and so the last thing they need is for us to start, you know, for striving for unattainable goals, right, that put an expectation on them and their appearance. I mean, that's the last thing that they need, and so David and I have always tried to, well, I would say we tried very, very, very, very hard to compliment their character and their effort, but never their appearance. ‍ ‍ Most of the times when you hear parents applauding and just talking about how good looking someone is, how beautiful they are, it's nothing that they did to earn. I mean, you'll hear something. My son is so tall and big and strong, and I'm like, he did nothing. God gave him that, you know, and if you happen to have a very small son like I do, and if that's what you're praising over here, what does that speak to this child? Or, you know, oh my goodness, you're so beautiful, and so we try to focus on their heart, the internal, their, you know, the stewardship of what God has given them, but never appearance. It's more taking care of the body, and we believe the important part of that is the heart and the soul. So, we just want them to have the goal of honoring the life that God entrusted to them, the body that God entrusted to them. ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (37:08 - 37:21) ‍ ‍ Such wise principles, and then when we think about spiritual life as well, what wisdom can you share for parents who want to help their children cultivate a flourishing spiritual life? ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (37:22 - 39:19) ‍ ‍ Well, one prayer for our children is that they would each have a faith of their own, you know, not one that's handed down, not a formula, you know, but a relationship with Jesus, and so with that in mind, we tried to focus on the heart of who Jesus is and not the rules of God. You know, we never wanted them to view God as this like scary judge, you know, with his gavel, like handing down these judgments, but a God who genuinely loves them regardless of what they do, and so we wanted that to be their own unique personal relationship, not one that looks like ours, acts like ours, you know, it's like this cookie cutter, so we encourage them just to pray naturally, not formula, you know, like formally, but we talked about God in a real casual way, like in our coming and our going, not this big Sunday conversation, you know, you have at the dinner table after church, but we wanted them to see our own dependence on God, which was every single day, and we wanted to create space for them to have their own unique personal faith, and one thing I've learned is that faith cannot be manufactured, but you can cultivate the soil where it grows, and I'll just say this really quick, in an effort to have them have a faith of their own, it was so neat, they all went to the same church, but their faith looks so differently, different from their siblings, and there was a time we had all four of them at one college in Athens, and so they're all there, and we were visiting, and I said, "Hey, well, you know, we'll go to church tomorrow morning, you know, with y'all," and they all kind of looked at me like I had three heads, and I thought, "Well, don't y'all go to church, please tell me I'll go to church," you know, that's not what they meant, they all four went to completely different churches, wow, I was mind blown, I was like, "This is the most ecumenical family I've ever met," like I was like, I had no idea that that is how different the relationships with the Lord are, as for what they were seeking in a church, and I was just so grateful for that. ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (39:20 - 40:17) ‍ ‍ When was the first time you listened to an episode of The Savvy Sauce? How did you hear about our podcast? Did a friend share it with you? Will you be willing to be that friend now and text five other friends or post on your socials anything about The Savvy Sauce that you love? If you share your favorite episodes, that is how we continue to expand our reach and get the good news of Jesus Christ in more ears across the world, so we need your help. Another way to help us grow is to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. Each of these suggestions will cost you less than a minute, but it will be a great benefit to us. Thank you so much for being willing to be generous with your time and share, we appreciate you. ‍ ‍ One other practical thing too, do you have just any tech tips, especially because you've raised so many teens already? ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (40:17 - 42:06) ‍ ‍ Oh, tech tips. You know, we had this big charging station in our kitchen, and so the kids had to put their phones there at night, and it would charge like all of them, and so we could see if the phone was not up at night, and there were some serious consequences if they broke those rules. I remember one time my daughter, after we went to bed, she snuck back downstairs and got her phone and brought it upstairs, and anyway, I kept getting these notifications come through on my iPad, and I was like, "What in the world?" Well, I didn't even realize the clouds, or it's over my head, but whatever reason, hers was beeping on mine, and so we went in there, and she had her phone under her pillow. She was texting somebody, and so when she got home from school that next day, her door was off of the hinges, and she was, you know, as a middle school girl, her privacy was so important. I was like, "You can change in the bathroom, you know, but you have shown us that you cannot earn privacy right now. You don't make the choices with it," but it is really hard. ‍ ‍ I think a lot of people, their natural inclination is just to remove it all from them, but I hesitate to encourage anyone to do that, because the truth of the matter is the world we live in is full of technology, and if you just completely say you can't have it, and the next thing you know they're 18, they go off to college or whatever the age is, and you give it to them, they haven't been in the home where you've been training them up how to manage your time with it, put, you know, limits on the time, how much you can spend on it, that kind of thing, and so it's like you're never going to outsmart your children in technology. They're already smarter than you are, but it's like how can you help them with the time management, you know, letting, talking with them about like what they're putting before their eyes on the technology, that kind of thing. The same goes for TV. You know, we would never watch something in front of our children that we would want them to think is normal ever, you know, and so it's like it's not, we don't want to normalize that. ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (42:07 - 42:33) ‍ ‍ That's good, and really I'm hearing this theme, a key ingredient for everything we've discussed so far is actually a fruit of the spirit, self-control. So, knowing that discipline and self-control are actually going to lead to freedom, how can we help our children grow up to live an appropriately disciplined life? ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (42:34 - 45:53) ‍ ‍ Yeah, my dad used to say this thing all the time. He would say, "The slave to the compass has the freedom of the seas. The rest must sail close to the shore," and it's so true. I mean, we have, if you want to do that, you have to come under the authority of the boat. In other words, you can't just do whatever you want on a boat and be able to sail the whole ocean. It doesn't work that way. You have to follow the captain's orders, and you have to follow the mechanisms that make the ship move, right? And so, it's like, but if you do that, if you master that, if you're a slave to the compass, to the sails, so the way the boat works, you can have the freedom of the seas. And the same is true of discipline and of self-control, right? We must exhibit that in order to have freedom. ‍ ‍ And so, when our children exhibited obedience and discipline and self-control, we then gave them more freedom, you know, more responsibilities. And then when they didn't follow instructions, like my daughter with the cell phone, you know, they didn't do what was expected of them. We pulled in the reins a little bit. Dave Ramsey, years and years ago, before I, my children were older, he shared the analogy of the rope, and I loved it because he said, you know, the more your children exhibit responsibility, making the right choices, they're being obedient, you let out that rope. And that one end, it's almost like you've got a rope around their waist. You're letting it out, letting them experience more independence. But then the second that they don't do that, you kind of rein it back in. If they make a poor choice, they stay out past their curfew, whatever it might be, you pull it back in. And so, it's a very important analogy for his family. ‍ ‍ So important though, when his oldest daughter went off to college, Rachel, you know, she goes off to college, he wraps up this beautiful gift, and it was a rope. And it was the rope with the round. And he said, and it had, he tied things on it, like she went to Tennessee, I think. So, it had like an orange thing on it. And then it had the colors of her high school and all these things that represented her life. And he said, "Hey, for 18 years, I've been holding on to this end of the rope. But now it's time I let it go. And I'm giving it to you; you're going to manage that rope all on your own." And so, it meant the world to her because they knew how important and so she put it on her doorknob in her dorm room. And every time she left and entered, she saw that, you know, that rope realizing that she was responsible for how far she let that thing out and how far she pulled that in. And so, discipline, self-discipline is huge. ‍ ‍ You know, at the end of the day, we just wanted to show our children that discipline and self-control, it isn't a restriction, right? It's the pathway to freedom. And I've got to tell you; my kids are more disciplined than I am. I mean, my two oldest sons are 26 and 25. And they set timers on their phone. And so, they literally can only and each other has the passcode so they can't even override it. They can only be on their phone for three hours a day at all for anything. And they do it during the hours where they're at work, so that they know they can't be on it anyway. I mean, it's already self-limiting. And it's like they know that this is a temptation, they don't want to waste that time. And so, and when you see a child when you train up a child and discipline, it's amazing how it spills over into other areas. You know, they both are very disciplined with how many books they read, how far they run every day. Like, I mean, they're very disciplined individuals, because I think it's contagious. You know, that just self-discipline just kind of permeates all the other areas of your life as well. ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (45:54 - 46:06) ‍ ‍ And that is so encouraging, because I guess I just envision like, we're planting seeds, and we've gotten to hear a few of the seeds that you planted. And now it grows up even bigger than you could have probably ever asked or imagined. ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (46:06 - 46:22) ‍ ‍ Oh, yeah. I mean, sometimes their discipline frustrates me, because like, I'll need to talk to them, and they're on like a 23-mile run, and they can't talk or, you know, like, I'll want to call them. And they're like, "Mom, I can't use my phone right now." And I'm like, "Come on," you know, but they are, they are disciplined. I just drives me crazy sometimes. ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (46:23 - 46:36) ‍ ‍ Oh, I love that so much. So, Elizabeth, as parents, what else can we do now to help our kids eventually reach maturity and independence as adults? ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (46:37 - 51:07) ‍ ‍ Yeah, I mean, again, I can't say it enough. Childhood is meant to be the training ground for independence. So, every single day, they are training you or you are training them. And it's like, are you training them up for independence, maturity? Are you training them up to be dependent upon you? Are you teaching them that your proximity is what keeps them safe? And it's like, okay, so we're going to make these choices when they're young, might be harder on us, because I have mom say to me all the time, you know, I mean, it's just easier when I do it. And I'm like, it is, or they're like, they'll never do a job as good as I do. They won't. But you know what, it's like, it doesn't matter. It's not about what's easy on us. It's what's best for them for the long run. ‍ ‍ So, you know, goes back to that book we talked about, but you can really just think of Kay's book, you can really think about anything that you want to know that you want them to know how to do well and reach maturity and master whatever that is. And, you know, most people, not intentionally, but subconsciously think, oh my goodness, by magic at the stroke of their 18th birthday at midnight, you know, they're just going to know how to do these things. And they don't, they don't know how to do these things. ‍ ‍ I mean, my oldest son went off to college and two weeks after he went off, I came back home and I was at Target. And I ran into this lady and who'd also dropped off her daughter. And she said to me, "How are you doing?" And I said, "I'm fine. How are you?" She goes, "I mean, are you, are you managing?" And I'm like, "Managing what?" And she's like, "Without your son." And I said, "Yes," she would help my son. She goes, "Well, I have to ask you how many times have you been up there?" And I said, "Since two weeks ago when we dropped them off?" And she said, "Yeah." And I said, "I haven't should I ask how many times you've been up there?" She was well, one time she called me because I forgot to teach her how to use her diabetic medicine. So, I had to drive and teach her how to do that. And I thought, okay, in my mind, I'm thinking that was kind of a really big deal to not know how to do. And then she said, "And then another time she called me, and she chewed me out because I didn't pack laundry detergent for her." And I thought, "Oh, you packed her stuff. She didn't do that." And she said, "Well, I mean, you know, I just was doing it for her." And she goes, "I had to tell her I did pack laundry detergent." And she said, "No, the only thing I've seen you pack are those little round things that I've seen you put in the dishwasher." Oh, no, this is what she tells me. And I was like that she's seeing you put in the dishwasher. She goes, "I had to tell her that laundry pods are made too. So, I had to go up and teach her how to do laundry." And then the third time I just missed her. So, I went up there, but I thought, wow, like we are training them to fly from us. ‍ ‍ You know, that is the ultimate goal is that they are independent, that they can leave us. But the hardest thing about it is accepting that success. If you do it well, because that's the last thing you want to do is have your child not need you anymore. Moms thrive on being needed, particularly by our children. But honestly, that is what God gave them to us for so that they can go out and launch onto their own. So, we just started training them up as soon as we possibly could on little things like solving problems or managing their own schedules. That's a big one. You shouldn't be asking them what homework do you have? What tests do you have? What paper do you have? How can I help you? Don't do that tonight because you've got to do your homework. Let them manage their own schedules. Let them set their own alarms. If they oversleep it, there is a natural consequence. So, they won't keep doing that anymore. ‍ ‍ And I mean, I had a daughter that slept through every alarm we ever set. It didn't matter how loud it was. So, I was not going to give into that. So, we literally bought an alarm that was a round ball. And on this round ball, it would be on the floor. And when her alarm would go off, it would roll away from her bed. And so, she couldn't not turn it off. She'd have to get out of bed to turn it off. And so, I mean, there's ways you can do it if you really want to. But, you know, training them up how to advocate for themselves. Most children don't know how to advocate for themselves, which is why the most recent stat right now on Fox News, I saw it two months ago, 29% of college graduates are taking their parents with them to their job interviews. 29% are taking their parents with them. They're 23 years old. Think about that. Let that set in. You know, teaching them how to shop for, prepare, cook meals. You have conflict, healthy conflict. Recover from mistakes. You know, try again. I mean, our job, I've already said it, but our job is not to make their lives easy. And it's not to do what's easy for us. It's to make them capable. ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (51:10 - 51:38) ‍ ‍ Wow. You have been so inspirational to learn from. And one more thing on that. When, if we're very encouraged, we're going to be more consistent and do this thoughtfully, intentionally. When we meet resistance from our kids, what encouragement do you have for us, regardless of their age, whether they're whining about it when they're younger, throwing a temper tantrum or giving attitude? What would you encourage us with there? ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (51:38 - 54:03) ‍ ‍ Well, it's not very encouraging, but you will meet resistance. You will. I mean, why would they ever, I mean, my kids had to make their own lunches starting in kindergarten. And my daughter Walker would come home every day and I'm the only one that has to make their own lunch, you know? And I'm like, "You know what? You get to put in your lunch, whatever you want. Every other child has to eat what their mom makes them eat." You know, I'm like trying to show her these things, but the truth is you are going to be met with resistance. But if it ever crosses that line into disrespect, that first and foremost needs to be handled first, without a doubt. There's never a reason for disrespect. And if you allow that disrespect in your sons, they will grow up to be men that disrespect their wives. If you allow that in your children, they will grow up to be employees that disrespect their employees. And on, you know, you reap what you sow. So, it's like, I am not going to allow that. ‍ ‍ Having said that we make our chores on the whiteboard so that there is no nagging, there is no reminding, there is none of that. And so, we put it on there. They know it has to be done. And if it's not done, they don't sit down for dinner. And then once our kids hit middle school and they had practices after school and high school practices and things like that, they couldn't do it before dinner because they didn't get home until dinner or sometimes afterwards. So, it had to be done before they went to bed. And if they didn't, I didn't nag, I didn't get upset with them. But the next day when they walked up and saw the whiteboard, their second chore was incredibly time consuming and incredibly hard because they did not do the chore from the day before. Because again, we're modeling real life. Just because you had a full day doesn't mean you get to walk in the door, kick off your heels at night and just assert all your responsibilities. Not at all. You have to still do it. And so, it's like you've chosen to play these sports. You've chosen to do these travel things and you're still a part of this family. So, it's like encourage them in a way to do these things that doesn't impact you. Like you don't want to get into this, you know, match back and forth trying to explain to them why it's important. It's just a rule. It is what it is. That's why I like it on the whiteboard. There's no, there's no having to nag, having to check, but just don't allow the disrespect is the big thing when they kind of meet you with resistance. But again, what child's going to be like, "Sure, mom, I want to take on this." They're not going to, you know, I, like I said, my oldest, he did not enjoy doing all the things that he had to do. And there came a day he went to college and he was so grateful, so grateful that he knew how to do those things. ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (54:04 - 54:07) ‍ ‍ So, we're going for that long term. Thank you. ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (54:07 - 54:09) ‍ ‍ Always, always long game parenting. ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (54:10 - 54:19) ‍ ‍ Well, Elizabeth, you have given us so much in these weeks together, but where would you like to direct us to continue learning from you after this chat? ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (54:19 - 54:49) ‍ ‍ Well, if women live in Atlanta, we do have the exchange, which is local and coming, and I would love for them to come to that. We also have our podcasts on purpose with, which encourages women to live on purpose and with intention. You know, I just absolutely love connecting with women that want to live wholeheartedly this one beautiful life we've been given. So, I'd love for them to reach out to me on Instagram. I've got my personal handle as Octomama. I also have the exchange US and long game parenting. ‍ ‍ Laura Dugger: (54:50 - 55:09) ‍ ‍ Wonderful. We will provide all of those links in the show notes for today's episode. And I just have one more question for you. We are called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge. And so, as my final question for you today, Elizabeth, what is your savvy sauce? ‍ ‍ Elizabeth Pehrson: (55:09 - 56:01) ‍ ‍ My savvy sauce today, based on what we've spoken about, I would say to the women listening to the very best of your ability, it's going to be difficult. It is not going to be easy, but to the very best of your ability, stop over functioning for your children. And over functioning is simply doing for your children what they can and should be doing for themselves. And my favorite mantra that I tell moms all the time is just because you can do provide or give doesn't mean you should just because you can do provide or give, it doesn't mean you should. So, if you want to have grateful children, do less, not more. You want to raise children that have a respect for other people, do less, not more. If you want to raise de

It's ev.news Briefly for Friday 14 August 2026, only todays headlines and nothing else, in just 4 minutes if you haven't got time for the full show.Patreon supporters fund this show, get the episodes ad free, as soon as they're ready and are part of the ev.news Community. You can be like them by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/evnewsGLOBAL EV SALES RISE, BUT CHINA RETREATSGlobal EV sales hit 1.85 million in July 2026, up 9% year on year but down 10% on June, with China falling 5% to around 980,000 even as NEVs took a record 60.4% of its new vehicle sales and NEV passenger exports jumped 147.8% to 540,000. Europe rose 33% to 450,000 and other markets 97% to 280,000, while North America fell 27% to 140,000 as the US decline widened beyond 30%.ULTIUM CELLS TO RESTART OHIO OUTPUTUltium Cells restarts battery-cell production next week at its Warren, Ohio plant after a seven-month shutdown blamed on falling EV demand and the cancelled $7,500 federal tax credit. The GM–LG joint venture site makes large-format NCMA pouch cells with over 45GWh annual capacity for nearly all GM EVs, and expects headcount to reach 1,400 after cutting roughly 1,330 jobs at closure.VOLKSWAGEN OPENS ID.3 NEO UK ORDERSVolkswagen opened UK orders for the ID.3 Neo on 13 August 2026 from £33,080, or £31,580 after the Government's £1,500 Electric Car Grant, with 50, 58 and 79 kWh batteries giving up to 390 miles and DC charging from 100 kW to 183 kW. The revised hatchback gains new LED headlights, an illuminated badge, the return of physical buttons and rotary controls, a new Innovision system with an in-car app shop, and a 3.6 kW V2L adapter.TESLA PLANS 124-STALL SUPERCHARGER IN SOUTHERN SAN FRANCISCOTesla filed plans on 26 May 2026 for a 124-stall Supercharger at 75 Waterloo Street in southern San Francisco, one of the largest globally and unusual for sitting inside a city rather than beside a highway. The site draws entirely from the grid with no solar canopies or Megapack storage, and includes a 416-square-foot building with two restrooms, vending machines and water fountains open 24 hours.CHARGING FAILURES HIT SIX-YEAR LOWPublic charging failures fell to 12% in the second quarter from 14% a year earlier and 19% in 2023 and 2024, the lowest in the six-year history of JD Power's study, which credited faster chargers and larger destination-style sites. Ionna led DC fast-charger satisfaction on 807 out of 1,000, ahead of Mercedes-Benz on 797, Rivian on 755 and Tesla on 701, against a segment average of 666.CHINESE CAR MAKERS BUILD IN AFRICAChinese car makers are opening African factories to absorb domestic overcapacity and sidestep European and North American trade barriers, with Chery buying Nissan's Rosslyn plant near Pretoria in July and BAIC and Great Wall already operating on the continent. South Africa, Morocco, Kenya, Ethiopia and Ghana are drawing investment through rebates, tax breaks and import bans on fossil-fuel cars, though weak grids, thin charging infrastructure and policy uncertainty still deter long-term commitment.GAC ADDS 44KWH AION UT WITH 320KM (199 MILES) WLTP RANGE IN LATE 2026GAC will add a 44kWh lithium iron phosphate entry version of the Aion UT with an estimated 320km (199 miles) WLTP range, priced under AUD$30,000 before on-road costs. It sits below the 60kWh Premium and Luxury at AUD$31,990 and AUD$35,990, answering cheaper rivals such as BYD's AUD$23,990 Atto 1 Essential and Geely's AUD$26,490 EX2 Complete.HONGQI TO ENTER AUSTRALIA IN 2027Hongqi will launch in Australia under the HQ name in January 2027 via Sydney distributor Greentech, starting with the E-HS9 large three-row electric SUV. Entry cars use a 99kWh NMC battery for 465km (289 miles) WLTP and higher trims a 120kWh pack for 515km (320 miles), with six- or seven-seat layouts and twin 16.2-inch displays, but no announced pricing.XCHARGE POWERS ELECTRIC AIRPORT FIRE ENGINEXCharge North America has deployed a 400-kW ultra-fast charger at Dallas Love Field Airport to serve Dallas Fire-Rescue's Rosenbauer Panther 6×6 Electric, billed as the world's first fully electric aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle. The airport handles almost 18 million passengers a year, and XCharge argues electrification reduces the logistical and environmental risks of moving and storing liquid fuel around aircraft operations.One flag: the GAC headline says late 2026, but the copy says "late next year" — from an August 2026 dateline those are a year apart. Worth resolving before publication.

Playlist: MENBERE BEYENE - SEW KETESEMARAZIMAM AYALEW - MINSHIRUWONGEL - MARIAMCHOIR - BUHE BELUGAADDISSA,MESFIN - DURA GORI

8.9.2026 - Acts- The Holy Spirit & the First Disciples - The Gospel Goes to Ethiopia - Acts 8-26-40 by Anacostia River Church

Today, Les and John sit down with Tibor Nagy, former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and former Ambassador to Ethiopia and Guinea, to examine a fundamental shift in how Washington is approaching Sub-Saharan Africa. The Trump administration has broken from decades of aid-and-democracy-driven policy, positioning trade, investment, and strategic partnerships at the center of its Africa agenda — but ambitious intentions have run headlong into a hollowed-out diplomatic infrastructure, ambassador vacancies, and the chaotic dismantling of USAID.What does the collapse of the Sahel and the catastrophic conflict in Sudan reveal about the limits of drive-by diplomacy? Can the administration's business-first model deliver the jobs that Africa's exploding youth population desperately needs, or will poor implementation undermine the strategy before it takes root? With Gulf states, Turkey, and China all vying for influence across the continent, how should Washington prioritize its limited bandwidth — and where does competing with Beijing actually make sense?Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.@lestermunson@johnclipsey@TiborPNagyJrLike what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe. And don't forget to follow @faultlines_pod and @masonnatsec on Twitter!We are also on YouTube; watch today's episode here: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is an episode from VoxDev's new podcast series, Ideas in Development. This series has a separate podcast feed, where you can find every episode of Oliver Hanney's conversations with leading development thinkers.YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgwcv4fyU28 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-global-supply-chains-are-built-and-how-to/id1866874059?i=1000774798943 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5EECcLVxxEQtkX3gJZcHGH?si=94e15ed7834a4e86 Audioboom: https://audioboom.com/posts/8922412-how-global-supply-chains-are-built-and-how-to-actually-attract-investment Substack: https://ideasindevelopment.substack.com/p/how-global-supply-chains-are-built Bill McRaith spent his career building supply chains – from 1980s Britain, to a factory in Panyu, China in 1990, to Ethiopia three decades later. He joins Oliver Hanney to explain what really attracts manufacturing investment to a developing economy, and why the model most countries are targeting no longer exists.In this wide-ranging conversation we cover why China's industry grew; why responsive local governments beat tax holidays; the collapse of the wage gap; how Ethiopia was chosen as a beachhead; and why apparel remains the right first-mover industry for countries not yet on the industrialisation road.

The UAE has strongly condemned a hostile Iranian attack on two Adnoc-linked ships as they crossed the Strait of Hormuz. The Foreign Ministry called it a flagrant violation of a UN Security Council resolution protecting freedom of navigation. US Central Command has denied reports from mostly Iranian media outlets that seven Navy personnel died aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. It comes after unconfirmed accusations of poor conditions on the carrier, which has been deployed in the Middle East since January. The UN envoy to Yemen has warned the country faces its greatest risk of a return to large-scale war since a 2022 truce. His statement comes as the Houthis escalate attacks in the Red Sea. Sudan's Rapid Support Forces say they have captured the town of Al Kurmuk in Blue Nile state near the borders with Ethiopia and South Sudan. It's the second town they have seized in the region this week. The UAE is providing $10 million in aid to Colombia after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake killed at least 265 people. It's being allocated under the directive of President Sheikh Mohamed as part of the country's commitment to strengthen international relief efforts. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.

Misha Glenny delves in to the In Our Time archive to select ten episodes for listeners to revisit. His second choice, first released in December 2019, is the history and social impact of coffee. From its origins in Ethiopia, coffea arabica spread through the Ottoman Empire before reaching Western Europe where, in the 17th century, coffee houses were becoming established. There, caffeinated customers stayed awake for longer and were more animated, and this helped to spread ideas and influence culture. Coffee became a colonial product, grown by slaves or indentured labour, with coffea robusta replacing arabica where disease had struck, and was traded extensively by the Dutch and French empires; by the 19th century, Brazil had developed into a major coffee producer, meeting demand in the USA that had grown on the waggon trails.WithJudith Hawley Professor of 18th Century Literature at Royal Holloway, University of LondonMarkman Ellis Professor of 18th Century Studies at Queen Mary University of LondonAndJonathan Morris Professor in Modern History at the University of HertfordshireProducer: Simon TillotsonReading list:Brian Cowan, The Social Life of Coffee: The Emergence of the British Coffeehouse (Yale University Press, 2005)Benoit Daviron and Stefano Ponte, The Coffee Paradox: Global Markets, Commodity Trade and the Elusive Promise of Development (Zed Books, 2005)Markman Ellis, The Coffee House: A Cultural History (Orion, 2004)Ralph Hattox, Coffee and Coffeehouses: The Origins of a Social Beverage in the Medieval Near East (University of Washington Press, 1985)Jonathan Morris, Coffee: A Global History (Reaktion, 2018)Mark Prendergast Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed our World (Basic Books, 2010)Claudia Roden, Coffee (Faber, 1977)William Clarence Smith and Steven Topik (eds.), The Global Coffee Economy in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, 1500-1989 (Cambridge University Press, 2003)William H. Ukers, All About Coffee (first published 1935; Martino Fine Books, 2011)Anthony Wild, Black Gold: The Dark History of Coffee (Harper Perennial, 2010)In Our Time is a BBC Studios productionSpanning history, religion, culture, science and philosophy, In Our Time from BBC Radio 4 is essential listening for the intellectually curious. In each episode, host Misha Glenny and expert guests explore the characters, events and discoveries that have shaped our world.

South Africa says it is asking Nigeria, Malawi and Ethiopia to share the cost of deporting tens of thousands of illegal immigrants to their home countries. The country's Department of Home Affairs says it spent nearly $18 million in the exercise, far exceeding the budgetary allocation. About 82,000 people were repatriated to their home countries since anti-migrant protests started. And a UN report says one in three people can't afford a healthy diet, despite a decline in global hunger in recent years. How are families across Africa coping with the affordability crisis?Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna Producers: Basma El Atti, Keikantse Shumba and Ayuba Iliya Senior Producer: Charles Gitonga Technical Producer: David Kinyanjui Editors: Rhoda Odhiambo and Maryam Abdalla

Auto-generated transcript: Bismillāh ar-Raḥmān ar-Raḥīm, Alhamdulillāhi Rabbil ‘Alāmīn, wa salātu wa salāmu ‘alā ash-sharafi l-‘Abbīyī wa mursalin, Muḥammadur Rasūlullāh ﷺ, wa sahibihi wa salām, tasliman kathīran kathīrā. Wa ma’ādhu, my brothers and sisters, we are in Ethiopia, returning to India today InshaAllāh. And I was thinking to myself that this is the land of the… Continue reading Ethiopia – First Hijra

⁠This episode is sponsored by LearnClash, 1v1 trivia duels on any topic. Try it free.Grab your hat and (if you're pasty like me) your sunscreen because we're heading to Africa for some trivia. This week I've got: Nigeria trivia, Ethiopia trivia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) trivia.Connect with the show: DorkyGeekyNerdy.com Patreon BlueSky Facebook TikTok Spotify Discord Reddit

How To Make Dreams Come True is always an intriguing topic! Christina Blecher, originally from Sweden, shares, how a gap year spent in Peru has lead her to co-founded the non-for-profit Greenlamp in Switzerland, to support the development of midwifery in Ethiopia. Christina formed the roots of Greenlamp in 2012, after gathering 12 friends to discuss the book "Half the Sky ..." by Nicolas Kristof and his wife,  with a vision of a bright future for women, girls, and their families. The organization operates in Ethiopia, supporting midwifery education, solar energy access for health centers, and alumni leadership development. Over 14 years, Green Lamp has contributed to more than 1.3 million births assisted under solar-powered conditions and supported approximately 84 midwifery students in Bachelor of Science programs. 

Prof Loren Landau speaks to Africa Melane about Home Affairs seeking reimbursement from its African neighbours – following the repatriation of Ethopians, Nigerians and Malawians at the height of recent xenophobic demonstrations. Presenter John Maytham is an actor and author-turned-talk radio veteran and seasoned journalist. His show serves a round-up of local and international news coupled with the latest in business, sport, traffic and weather. The host’s eclectic interests mean the program often surprises the audience with intriguing book reviews and inspiring interviews profiling artists. A daily highlight is Rapid Fire, just after 5:30pm. CapeTalk fans call in, to stump the presenter with their general knowledge questions. Another firm favourite is the humorous Thursday crossing with award-winning journalist Rebecca Davis, called “Plan B”. Thank you for listening to a podcast from Afternoon Drive with John Maytham Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 15:00 and 18:00 (SA Time) to Afternoon Drive with John Maytham broadcast on CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/BSFy4Cn or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/n8nWt4x Subscribe to the CapeTalk Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/sbvVZD5 Follow us on social media: CapeTalk on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@capetalk CapeTalk on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ CapeTalk on X: https://x.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CapeTalk567 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

⁠This episode is sponsored by LearnClash, 1v1 trivia duels on any topic. Try it free.Grab your hat and (if you're pasty like me) your sunscreen because we're heading to Africa for some trivia. This week I've got: Nigeria trivia, Ethiopia trivia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) trivia.Connect with the show: DorkyGeekyNerdy.com Patreon BlueSky Facebook TikTok Spotify Discord Reddit

He was numbered among the Seventy. Then, when Judas who betrayed Christ had taken his own life, the disciples (120 men and women) convened to choose one who would take his place among the Twelve. They nominated two, Joseph (called Barsabas or Justus) and Matthias, then cast lots. The lot fell to Matthais, who henceforth was numbered among the Twelve (See Acts ch. 1). Accounts of his Apostolate after this vary. According to some, he preached the Gospel in Ethiopia and met his martyrdom there. According to others, after visiting Ethiopia he returned to Judea, where he was tried and condemned by Ananias the High Priest, and stoned to death, then beheaded.

The Greater Horn of Africa, in Northeastern Africa, faces severe food insecurity. In Sudan 19 million-plus people are facing acute hunger, including 825,000 children under five who are expected to suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition in 2026. In addition, 12-14 million people are experiencing severe food insecurity in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. What are the root causes and immediate effects of this famine? How can the world help address food insecurity in the region? [ dur: 27mins. ] Merry Fitzpatrick is Research Assistant Professor at the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University. She has more than 20 years of field experience in humanitarian response. She has worked with multiple humanitarian agencies, including the International Rescue Committee, GOAL Ireland, Food for the Hungry and World Concern. She is co-author of “Five levels of famine prevention: towards a framework for the twenty‐first century and beyond” and her latest, published in the Conversation, is “Conflict, climate, and disease form convergent crises in the Greater Horn of Africa”. The United Kingdom has a new Prime Minister. He is the 7th Prime Minister in the last decade, a remarkable instability for the nation. Who is Andy Burnham? Why did he replace Kier Starmer? Why has the UK had such instability? Does Brexit play a role? Lastly, we explore Burnham's leadership and its potential impacts on the future of the UK. [ dur: 31mins. ] Patrick Diamond is Professor in Pubic Policy in the School of Sociology, Politics and International Relations at Queen Mary University of London. He is Chair of the think-tank Policy Network. He is the co-author of Warring Factions: Labour's Civil Wars: How infighting has kept the Left from power (and what can be done about it) and author of  The British Labour Party in Opposition and in Power 1979-2019: Forward March Halted? This program is produced by Doug Becker, Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian, Sudd Dongre and Anna Lapin. Agriculture, Food and Nutrition, Governance / Law, War, United Kingdom, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Famine

Born in Ethiopia, Isaac spent the first five years of his life there before the deaths of both his birth parents led him to an orphanage. At five years old, he was adopted by a family in the United States, leaving behind his homeland, language, and culture to begin a new life. As he grew older, Isaac wrestled with questions of identity, loss, and God's goodness, questions that followed him well into adulthood. Thirteen years later, he returned to Ethiopia, where he reunited with members of his biological family and visited his childhood home. Today, Isaac is an adoption advocate, author, and college student preparing for ministry, sharing a story that reflects both the beauty and the complexities of adoption.

Gregory Copley, Publisher of Defense & Foreign Affairs, analyzes global efforts to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, noting that Russia and China are seeking alternative trade corridors to undermine Washington's strategic influence. He suggests China is using current tensions to project American impotence before high-level diplomatic visits. Copley also discusses the "war on food" in the Black Sea, where blockades are forcing a diversification of global supplies. Turning to Ethiopia, he describes a brutal civil conflict involving ethnic factions and the use of Turkish drones against civilian targets. He concludes with the success of King Charles III at the Commonwealth Games. (5)1897 ETHIOPIA

SCHEDULE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW.  8-4-2026.1900 ST. LAWRENCEColonel Jeff McCausland, United States Army (Retired), discusses the critical depletion of United States missile stockpiles, particularly Patriot and THAAD systems, due to the intensifying war with Iran. He notes that these shortages might force a transition toward piloted bombing missions using heavy aircraft like the B-2 and B-52 for deep penetration. Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, McCausland highlights that Iran's ability to deploy sea mines and drones makes military reopening difficult. Turning to Ukraine, he predicts Vladimir Putin will escalate through mobilization rather than negotiation as both sides increasingly target food supplies in the Black Sea. (1)Judy Dempsey, Senior Scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, describes a Europe struggling with record heat, wildfires, and critically low river levels that are hampering nuclear power and agriculture. She argues these patterns reflect a deteriorating climate requiring a global response. The conversation shifts to a massive migration incident where 60,000 young men attempted to enter a Spanish exclave from Morocco. Dempsey explains that this surge is being exploited by far-right parties across Europe, such as the AfD in Germany, who capitalize on voter dissatisfaction. She notes that despite bilateral labor agreements, the political fallout is fueling nationalism. (2)Joseph Sternberg, Editorial Board Member of the Wall Street Journal, examines the release of Dr. Anthony Fauci's pandemic-era diaries, which reveal a dichotomy between his private doubts and public pronouncements regarding COVID-19's origins. Sternberg suggests Fauci became pathologically obsessed with his media coverage, positioning himself as an antagonist to Donald Trump to maintain his "star" status. The discussion also covers the growing influence of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Sternberg notes that young voters, disillusioned by the economy, are increasingly drawn to the DSA's radical, government-led solutions. He questions whether this movement can succeed in purple states. (3)Jonathan Schanzer, Executive Director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, discusses the alarming shortage of US defensive munitions needed to intercept Iranian threats. He notes that Iran, coached by Russia and China, is exploiting this crisis to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed and drive up energy prices. Schanzer also addresses the significant weakening of Hezbollah after sustained Israeli operations and the complexities of disarming Hamas in Gaza. He highlights that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu faces a political tightrope balancing military goals with international pressure. Finally, he observes the unraveling of Chinese-brokered agreements as Houthi threats against Saudi Arabia resurface. (4)Gregory Copley, Publisher of Defense & Foreign Affairs, analyzes global efforts to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, noting that Russia and China are seeking alternative trade corridors to undermine Washington's strategic influence. He suggests China is using current tensions to project American impotence before high-level diplomatic visits. Copley also discusses the "war on food" in the Black Sea, where blockades are forcing a diversification of global supplies. Turning to Ethiopia, he describes a brutal civil conflict involving ethnic factions and the use of Turkish drones against civilian targets. He concludes with the success of King Charles III at the Commonwealth Games. (5)Bill Roggio and Bridget Toomey of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies discuss the Houthis' re-entry into the regional war by declaring a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea. Roggio criticizes the Trumpadministration's lack of a forceful military response, arguing that two US destroyers are insufficient to secure vital waterways. Toomey explains that the Houthis use these attacks to re-establish domestic norms and pressure the global oil market. They note that while the Houthis operate independently, their actions align with Iranian goals to use control over maritime chokepoints as a strategic "nuclear weapon." (6)Andrea Stricker, Deputy Director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, outlines the proliferation risks associated with a proposed US-Saudi nuclear cooperation agreement. She expresses concern over uranium enrichment on Saudi soil, which could enable a nuclear weapons pathway. Stricker warns that granting enrichment rights would destroy the "gold standard" for non-proliferation and likely trigger a nuclear arms race involving Turkey and Egypt. Although President Trump has added caveats regarding the Abraham Accords, Saudi Arabia has threatened to turn to China for technology. Stricker notes the deal faces a difficult 90-day congressional review starting in September. (7)Conrad Black, distinguished biographer and National Post columnist, discusses the "aberrant" trade tensions between the US and Canada following the imposition of tariffs based on allegations of forced labor in Chinese imports. Black argues these tariffs are a legal workaround for the Trump administration to bypass the Supreme Court by declaring a national emergency. He characterizes the policy as arbitrary and offensive, noting it has dampened cross-border tourism and led to retaliatory tariffs on items like hockey sticks. Despite the current friction, Black remains optimistic that the dispute will be resolved through negotiation because he believes President Trump fundamentally likes Canada. (8)

In this episode, Frank sits down with Sarah Haas, owner of the newly reopened Bear Creek Cafe, to discuss the recent reopening after her parents ran it from 1997–2023. Sarah shares her background growing up in Bear Creek as the oldest of 10, working in the cafe, homeschooling experiences, years in St. Louis, raising four children (including an adopted daughter from Ethiopia), and earning degrees in English and theology with plans for hospital chaplaincy that shifted due to timing and family needs. She explains how community encouragement helped the process, describes the historic building and decor, outlines menu staples and new items, expanded espresso drinks, and future ideas like Sunday brunch and evening community events, and details permitting challenges and strong local support.To learn more about The Bear Creek Cafe, visit their Facebook and website.If you or someone you know wants to be featured on our podcast, visit our website! 

Ethiopia's Value Recovery Instruments Value recovery instruments are a great idea in theory and a disaster in practice. The idea is to let investors share in the upside of a country's recovery. But governments rarely want to pay and the instruments quickly migrate into the hands of investors with little stake in the recovery. Everyone involved looks to exploit loopholes. And since the instruments seemingly are drafted at the last minute, there are plenty of those. But maybe after several tries, Ethiopia has found a way to crack the code? Producer: Leanna Doty

On this episode of Soundcheck, a great band bids farewell after a monumental career that lasted more than a quarter of a century. American avant-garde group The Bad Plus spent long years fusing instrumental jazz with rock music, with each member playing their seemingly traditional instruments to their fullest extent in unexpected ways. They perform some tunes from their final record, “Complex Emotions” and reflect on their creative journey. Also, Ethiopia-born, California-based singer Meklit joins us with live renditions of some songs from her album, “A Piece of Infinity,” singing in her native tongue of Amharic and taking inspiration from the Golden Age of Ethiopian pop music. Meklit's Setlist: 1. Ambassel 2. Tizita The Bad Plus' Setlist: 1. Casa Ben 2. Carrier   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What does it mean to inherit a faith that served as a fortress for your father, but feels like a contradiction to you? Throughout his childhood in Oxford, Silas Gray was surrounded by the sights, sounds, and symbols of his father's Rastafarian identity. He was even named after the Rastafarian spiritual figurehead, Emperor Haile Selassie I. But this legacy weighs heavily. It anchors him to a complex world leader he's not sure he's aligned with. And he feels like an imposter carrying a name associated with a faith he doesn't practise. Desperate to find a version of this legacy he can comfortably own, Silas decides to do what his father spent forty years dreaming of but never actually did: he books a flight to Ethiopia and travels to the Rastafarian spiritual motherland of Shashamane, the land granted to the global black diaspora by the Emperor himself. Silas encounters a living, breathing community where three generations of Rastafarians exist under one roof. This is a deeply personal pilgrimage about a son trying to see what his father sees, heal a generational disconnect, and finally make peace with his name.

Are you wondering what it looks like when God takes a broken story and turns it into a mission? If you've felt like your past disqualifies you from what's next, this episode is for you.On this episode of Renew, Gina and Meghen sit down with Meredith, founder and board member of EC Study Center in Greenville, NC. Meredith shares her testimony, meeting Jesus at 19, marrying her husband Rich, adopting three children from Ethiopia, and losing everything in the flood after Hurricane Floyd. She also shares how a simple conversation turned into EC Study Center, a home away from home for college students at ECU and Pitt Community College.This is part one of a two-part conversation. Part two covers burnout, the volunteers who sustain this ministry, and how you can get involved.Learn more about ECU Study Center at ecstudycenter.orgMusicbed SyncID:MB016VLFYGCYRHN

He wasn't an English knight, but actually a Roman soldier, and the dragon didn't appear until centuries later in the medieval period. So what is the origin of the Saint George and the Dragon myth? And why do so many countries - from England to Ethiopia - adopt him as their patron?To sort the fact from the fiction, Dan is joined by Jasmine Elmer, mythologist and author of 'Slay: Ancient legends of female slayers and the hidden mythology of dragons'. They explore the history of dragons from the chaos monsters of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt to the serpents of Greek mythology, Christian saints' lives and East Asian folklore, as well as the stories of other little-known dragon slayers through history.Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal PatmoreWe need your help! Let us know what you want from Dan Snow's History Hit by filling in our anonymous survey here: https://forms.gle/PvgayWLkWGjYT4St6Dan Snow's History Hit is now available on YouTube! Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/@DSHHPodcastSign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.