Podcasts about Excuse

The Epstein scandal continues to be misrepresented by legacy media as a story of bureaucratic incompetence rather than one of systemic protection. By leaning on explanations like “risk-averse prosecutors,” poor inter-agency communication, or cultural shifts post-#MeToo, mainstream coverage minimizes a case that involved overwhelming evidence, repeated allegations, and a consistent pattern of Epstein avoiding consequences across decades and jurisdictions. These narratives sanitize what should have been obvious red flags, treating Epstein like a complicated anomaly instead of a man who benefited from extraordinary insulation that regular defendants never receive. Framing critics as mere “cynics” further dismisses informed analysis and shields institutions from accountability.This downplaying serves a purpose: incompetence is a safe explanation that preserves faith in powerful systems and avoids confronting uncomfortable questions about influence, intent, and protection. By focusing on process failures rather than deliberate choices, legacy media substitutes passive language and vague theories for hard scrutiny of who made decisions and why Epstein repeatedly survived scandals that should have ended him. The result is coverage that blurs responsibility, discredits victims by implication, and obscures the structural reality of power protecting one of its own. In doing so, the media doesn't just misunderstand the Epstein case—it actively contributes to the ongoing erasure of its true scope.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.com

The Epstein scandal continues to be misrepresented by legacy media as a story of bureaucratic incompetence rather than one of systemic protection. By leaning on explanations like “risk-averse prosecutors,” poor inter-agency communication, or cultural shifts post-#MeToo, mainstream coverage minimizes a case that involved overwhelming evidence, repeated allegations, and a consistent pattern of Epstein avoiding consequences across decades and jurisdictions. These narratives sanitize what should have been obvious red flags, treating Epstein like a complicated anomaly instead of a man who benefited from extraordinary insulation that regular defendants never receive. Framing critics as mere “cynics” further dismisses informed analysis and shields institutions from accountability.This downplaying serves a purpose: incompetence is a safe explanation that preserves faith in powerful systems and avoids confronting uncomfortable questions about influence, intent, and protection. By focusing on process failures rather than deliberate choices, legacy media substitutes passive language and vague theories for hard scrutiny of who made decisions and why Epstein repeatedly survived scandals that should have ended him. The result is coverage that blurs responsibility, discredits victims by implication, and obscures the structural reality of power protecting one of its own. In doing so, the media doesn't just misunderstand the Epstein case—it actively contributes to the ongoing erasure of its true scope.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.

Dr. DebWhat if I told you that the stomach acid medication you’re taking for heartburn is actually causing the problem it’s supposed to solve that your doctor learned virtually nothing about nutrition, despite spending 8 years in medical school. That the very system claiming to heal you was deliberately designed over a hundred years ago by an oil tycoon, John D. Rockefeller, to create lifelong customers, not healthy people. Last week a patient spent thousands of dollars on tests and treatments for acid reflux, only to discover she needed more stomach acid, not less. The medication keeping her sick was designed to do exactly that. Today we’re exposing the greatest medical deception in modern history, how a petroleum empire systematically destroyed natural healing wisdom turned medicine into a profit machine. And why the treatments, keeping millions sick were engineered that way from the beginning. This isn’t about conspiracy theories. This is a documented history that explains why you feel so lost about your own body’s needs welcome back to let’s talk wellness. Now the show where we uncover the root causes of chronic illness, explore cutting edge regenerative medicine, and empower you with the tools to heal. I’m Dr. Deb. And today we’re diving into how the Rockefeller Medical Empire systematically destroyed natural healing wisdom and replaced it with profit driven systems that keeps you dependent on treatments instead of achieving true health. If you or someone you love has been running to the doctor for every minor ailment, taking acid blockers that seem to make digestive problems worse, or feeling confused about basic body functions that our ancestors understood instinctively. This episode is for you. So, as usual, grab a cup of coffee, tea, or whatever helps you unwind. Settle in and let’s get started on your journey to reclaiming your health sovereignty all right. So here we are talking about the Rockefeller Medical Revolution. Now, what if your symptoms aren’t true diagnosis, but rather the predictable result of a medical system designed over a hundred years ago to create lifelong customers instead of healthy people. Now I learned this when I was in naturopathic school over 20 years ago. And it hasn’t been talked about a lot until recently. Recently. People are exposing the truth about what actually happened in our medical system. And today I want to take you back to the early 19 hundreds to understand how we lost the basic health wisdom that sustained humanity for thousands of years. Yes, I said that thousands of years. This isn’t conspiracy theory. This is documented history. That explains why you feel so lost when it comes to your own body’s needs. You know by the turn of the 20th century. According to meridian health Clinic’s documentation. Rockefeller controlled 90% of all petroleum refineries in America and through ownership of the Standard Oil Corporation. But Rockefeller saw an opportunity that went far beyond oil. He recognized that petrochemicals could be the foundation for a completely new medical system. And here’s what most people don’t know. Natural and herbal medicines were very popular in America during the early 19 hundreds. According to Staywell, Copper’s historical analysis, almost one half of medical colleges and doctors in America were practicing holistic medicine, using extensive knowledge from Europe and native American traditions. People understood that food was medicine, that the body had natural healing mechanisms, and that supporting these mechanisms was the key to health. But there was a problem with the Rockefeller’s business plan. Natural medicines couldn’t be patented. They couldn’t make a lot of money off of them, because they couldn’t hold a patent. Petrochemicals, however, could be patented, could be owned, and could be sold for high profits. So Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie devised a systematic plan to eliminate natural medicine and replace it with petrochemical based pharmaceuticals and according to E. Richard Brown’s comprehensive academic documentation in Rockefeller, medicine men. Medicine, and capitalism in America. They employed the services of Abraham Flexner, who proceeded to visit and assess every single medical school in us and in Canada. Within a very short time of this development, medical schools all around the us began to collapse or consolidate. The numbers are staggering. By 1910 30 schools had merged, and 21 had closed their doors of the 166 medical colleges operating in 19 0, 4, a hundred 33 had survived by 1910 and a hundred 4 by 1915, 15 years later, only 76 schools of medicine existed in the Us. And they all followed the same curriculum. This wasn’t just about changing medical education. According to Staywell’s copper historical analysis. Rockefeller and Carnegie influenced insurance companies to stop covering holistic treatments. Medical professionals were trained in the new pharmaceutical model and natural solutions became outdated or forgotten. Not only that alternative healthcare practitioners who wanted to stay practicing in alternative medicine were imprisoned for doing so as documented by the potency number 710. The goal was clear, create a system where scientists would study how plants cure disease, identify which chemicals in the plants were effective and then recreate a similar but not identical chemical in the laboratory that would be patented. E. Richard Brown’s documents. The story of how a powerful professional elite gained virtual homogeny in the western theater of healing by effectively taking control of the ethos and practice of Western medicine. The result, according to the healthcare spending data, the United States now spends 17.6% of its Gdp on health care 4.9 trillion dollars in 2023, or 14,570 per person nearly twice as much as the average Oecd country. But it doesn’t focus on cure. But on symptoms, and thus creating recurring clients. This systematic destruction of natural medicine explains why today’s healthcare providers often seem baffled by simple questions about nutrition why they immediately reach for a prescription medication for minor ailments, and why so many people feel disconnected from their own body’s wisdom. We’ve been trained over 4 generations to believe that our bodies are broken, and that symptoms are diseases rather than messages, and that external interventions are always superior to supporting natural healing processes. But here’s what they couldn’t eliminate your body’s innate wisdom. Your digestive system still functions the same way it did a hundred years ago. Your immune system still follows the same patterns. The principles of nutrition, movement and stress management haven’t changed. We’ve just forgotten how to listen and respond. We’re gonna take a small break here and hear from our sponsor. When we come back. We’re gonna talk about the acid reflux deception, and why your cure is making you sicker, so don’t go away all right, welcome back. So I want to give you a perfect example of how Rockefeller medicine has turned natural body wisdom upside down, the treatment of acid, reflux, and heartburn. Every single day in my practice I see patients who’ve been taking acid blocker medications, proton pump inhibitors like prilosec nexium or prevacid for years, not for weeks, years, and sometimes even decades. They come to me because their digestive problems are getting worse, not better. They have bloating and gas and nutrition deficiencies. And we’re seeing many more increased food sensitivities. And here’s what’s happening in the Us. Most people often attribute their digestive problems to too much stomach acid. And they use medications to suppress the stomach acid, but, in fact symptoms of chronic acid, reflux, heartburn, or gerd, can also be caused by too little stomach acid, a condition called hyper. Sorry hypochlorhydria normal stomach acid has a Ph level of one to 2, which is highly acidic. Hydrochloric acid plays an important role in your digestion and your immunity. It helps to break down proteins and absorb essential nutrients, and it helps control viruses and bacteria that might otherwise infect your stomach. But here’s the crucial part that most people don’t understand, and, according to Cleveland clinic, your stomach secretes lower amounts of hydrochloric acid. As you age. Hypochlorhydria is more common in people over the age of 40, and even more common over the age of 65. Webmd states that the stomach acid can produce less acid as a result of aging and being 65 or older is a risk factor for developing hypochlorhydria. We’ve been treating this in my practice for a long time. It’s 1 of the main foundations that we learn as naturopathic practitioners and as naturopathic doctors, and there are times where people need these medications, but they were designed to be used short term not long term in a 2,013 review published in Medical News today, they found that hypochlorhydria is the main change in the stomach acid of older adults. and when you have hypochlorydria, poor digestion from the lack of stomach, acid can create gas bubbles that rise into your esophagus or throat, carrying stomach acid with them. You experience heartburn and assume that you have too much acid. So you take acid blockers which makes the underlying problem worse. Now, here’s something that will shock you. PPI’s protein pump inhibitors were originally studied and approved by the FDA for short-term use only according to research published in us pharmacists, most cases of peptic ulcers resolve in 6 to 8 weeks with PPI therapy, which is what these medications were created for. Originally the American family physician reports that for erosive esophagitis. Omeprazole is indicated for short term 4 to 8 weeks. That’s it. Treatment and healing and done if needed. An additional 4 to 8 weeks of therapy may be considered and the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, States. Guidelines recommended a treatment duration of 8 weeks with standard once a day dosing for a PPI for Gerd. The Canadian family physician, published guidelines where a team of healthcare professionals recommended prescribing Ppis in adults who suffer from heartburn and who have completed a minimum treatment of 4 weeks in which symptoms were relieved. Yet people are taking these medications for years, even decades far beyond their intended duration of use and a study published in Pmc. Found that the threshold for defining long-term PPI use varied from 2 weeks to 7 years of PPI use. But the most common definition was greater than one year or 6 months, according to the research in clinical context, use of Ppis for more than 8 weeks could be reasonably defined as long-term use. Now let’s talk about what these acid blocker medications are actually doing to your body when used. Long term. The research on long term PPI use is absolutely alarming. According to the comprehensive review published in pubmed central Pmc. Long-term use of ppis have been associated with serious adverse effects, including kidney disease, cardiovascular disease fractures because you’re not absorbing your nutrients, and you’re being depleted. Infections, including C. Diff pneumonia, micronutrient deficiencies and hypomagnesium a low level of magnesium anemia, vitamin, b, deficiency, hypocalcemia, low calcium, low potassium. and even cancers, including gastric cancer, pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer. And hepatic cancer and we are seeing all of these cancers on a rise, and we are now linking them back to some of these medications. Mayo clinic proceedings published research showing that recent studies regarding long-term use of PPI medication have noted potential adverse effects, including risks of fracture, pneumonia, C diff, which is a diarrhea. It’s a bacteria, low magnesium, low b 12 chronic kidney disease and even dementia. And a 2024 study published in nature communications, analyzing over 2 million participants from 5 cohorts found that PPI use correlated with increased risk of 15 leading global diseases, such as ischemic heart disease. Diabetes, respiratory infections, chronic kidney disease. And these associations showed dose response relationships and consistency across different PPI types. Now think about this. You take a medication for heartburn that was designed for 4 to 8 weeks of use, and when used long term, it actually increases your risk of life, threatening infections, kidney disease, and dementia. This is the predictable result of suppressing a natural body function that exists for important reasons. Hci plays a key role in many physiological processes. It triggers, intestinal hormones, prepares folate and B 12 for absorption, and it’s essential for absorption of minerals, including calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, and iron. And when you block acid production, you create a cascade of nutritional deficiencies and immune system problems that often manifest as seemingly unrelated health issues. So what’s the natural approach? Instead of suppressing stomach acid, we need to support healthy acid production and address the root cause of reflux healthcare. Providers may prescribe hcl supplements like betaine, hydrochloric acid. Bhcl is what it’s called. Sometimes it’s called betaine it’s often combined with enzymes like pepsin or amylase or lipase, and it’s used to treat hydrochloric acid deficiency, hypochlorhydria. These supplements can help your digestion and sometimes help your stomach acid gradually return back to normal levels where you may not need to use them all the time. Simple strategies include consuming protein at the beginning of the meal to stimulate Hcl production, consume fluids separately at least 30 min away from meals, if you can, and address the underlying cause like chronic stress and H. Pylori infections. This is such a sore subject for me. So many people walk around with an H. Pylori infection. It’s a bacterial infection in the stomach that can cause stomach ulcers, causes a lot of stomach pain and burning. and nobody is treating the infection. It’s a bacterial infection. We don’t treat this anymore with antibiotics or antimicrobials. We treat it with Ppis. But, Ppis don’t fix the problem. You have to get rid of the bacteria once the bacteria is gone, the gut lining can heal. Now it is a common bacteria. It can reoccur quite frequently. It’s highly contagious, so you can pick it up from other people, and it may need multiple courses of treatment over a person’s lifetime. But you’re actually treating the problem. You’re getting rid of the bacteria that’s creating the issue instead of suppressing the acid. That’s not fixing the bacteria which then leads to a whole host of other problems that we just talked about. There are natural approaches to increase stomach acid, including addressing zinc deficiency. And since the stomach uses zinc to produce Hcl. Taking probiotics to help support healthy gut bacteria and using digestive bitters before meals can be really helpful. This is exactly what I mean about reclaiming the body’s wisdom. Instead of suppressing natural functions, we support them instead of creating drug dependency, we restore normal physiology. Instead of treating symptoms indefinitely, we address the root cause and help the body heal itself. In many cultures. Bitters is a common thing to use before or after a meal. But yet in the American culture we don’t do that anymore. We’ve not passed on that tradition. So very few people understand how to use bitters, or what bitters are, or why they’re important. And these basic things that can be used in your food and cooking and taking could replace thousands of dollars of medication that you don’t really need. That can create many more problems along the way. Now, why does your doctor know nothing about nutrition. Well, I want to address something that might shock you all. The reason your doctor seems baffled when you ask about nutrition isn’t because they’re not intelligent. It’s because they literally never learned this in medical school statistics on nutritional education in medical schools are staggering and help explain why we have such a health literacy crisis in America. According to recent research published in multiple academic journals, only 27% of Us. Medical schools actually offer students. The recommended 25 h of nutritional training across 4 years of medical school. That means 73% of the medical schools don’t even meet the minimum standards set in 1985. But wait, it gets worse. A 2021 survey of medical schools in the Us. And the Uk. Found that most students receive an average of only 11 h of nutritional training throughout their entire medical program. and another recent study showed that in 2023 a survey of more than a thousand Us. Medical students. About 58% of these respondents said they received no formal nutritional education while in medical school. For 4 years those who did averaged only 3 h. I’m going to say this again because it’s it’s huge 3 h of nutritional education per year. So let me put this in perspective during 4 years of medical school most students spend fewer than 20 h on nutrition that’s completely disproportionate to its health benefits for patients to compare. They’ll spend hundreds of hours learning about pharmaceutical interventions, but virtually no time learning how food affects health and disease. Now, could this be? Why, when we talk about nutrition to lower cholesterol levels or control your diabetes, they blow you off, and they don’t answer you. It’s because they don’t understand. But yet what they’ll say is, people won’t change their diet. That’s why you have to take medication. That’s not true. I will tell you. I work with people every single day who are willing to change their diet. They’re just confused by all the information that’s out there today about nutrition. And what diet is the right diet to follow? Do I do, Paleo? Do I do? Aip? Do I do carnivore? Do I do, Keto? Do I do? Low carb? There’s so many diets out there today? It’s confusing people. So I digress. But let’s go back. So here’s the kicker. The limited time medical students do spend on nutrition office often focuses on nutrients think proteins and carbohydrates rather than training in topics such as motivational interviewing or meal planning, and as one Stanford researcher noted, we physicians often sound like chemists rather than counselors who can speak with patients about diet. Isn’t that true? We can speak super high level up here, but we can’t talk basics about nutrition. And this explains why only 14% of the physicians believe they were adequately trained in nutritional counseling. Once they entered practice and without foundational concepts of nutrition in undergrad work. Graduate medical education unsurprisingly falls short of meeting patients, needs for nutritional guidance in clinical practice, and meanwhile diet, sensitive chronic diseases continue to escalate. Although they are largely preventable and treatable by nutritional therapies and dietary. Lifestyle changes. Now think about this. Diet. Related diseases are the number one cause of death in the Us. The number one cause. Yet many doctors receive little to no nutritional education in medical school, and according to current health statistics from 2017 to march of 2020. Obesity prevalence was 19.7% among us children and adolescents affecting approximately 14.7 million young people. About 352,000 Americans, under the age of 20, have been diagnosed with diabetes. Let me say this again, because these numbers are astounding to me. 352,000 Americans, under the age of 20, have been diagnosed with diabetes with 5,300 youth diagnosed with type, 2 diabetes annually. Yet the very professionals we turn to for health. Guidance were never taught how food affects these conditions and what drug has come to the rescue Glp. One S. Ozempic wegovy. They’re great for weight loss. They’re great for treating diabetes. But why are they here? Well, these numbers are. Why, they’re here. This is staggering to put 352,000 Americans under the age of 20 on a glp, one that they’re going to be on for the rest of their lives at a minimum of $1,200 per month. All we have to do is do the math, you guys, and we can see exactly what’s happening to our country, and who is getting rich, and who is getting the short end of the stick. You’ve become a moneymaker to the pharmaceutical industry because nobody has taught you how to eat properly, how to live, how to have a healthy lifestyle, and how to prevent disease, or how to actually reverse type 2 diabetes, because it’s reversible in many cases, especially young people. And we do none of that. All we do is prescribe medications. Metformin. Glp, one for the rest of your life from 20 years old to 75, or 80, you’re going to be taking medications that are making the pharmaceutical companies more wealth and creating a disease on top of a disease on top of a disease. These deficiencies in nutritional education happen at all levels of medical training, and there’s been little improvement, despite decades of calls for reform. In 1985, the National Academy of Sciences report that they recommended at least 25 h of nutritional education in medical school. But a 2015 study showed only 29% of medical schools met this goal, and a 2023 study suggests the problem has become even worse. Only 7.8% of medical students reported 20 or more hours of nutritional education across all 4 years of medical school. This systemic lack of nutrition, nutritional education has been attributed to several factors a dearth of qualified instructors for nutritional courses, since most physicians do not understand nutrition well enough to teach it competition for curriculum time, with schools focusing on pharmaceutical interventions rather than lifestyle medicine and a lack of external incentives that support schools, teaching nutrition. And ironically, many medical schools are part of universities that have nutrition departments with Phd. Trained professors who could fill this gap by teaching nutrition in medical schools but those classes are often taught by physicians who may not have adequate nutritional training themselves. This explains so much about what I see in my practice. Patients come to me confused and frustrated because their primary care doctors can’t answer basic questions about how food affects their health conditions. And these doctors aren’t incompetent. They simply were never taught this information. And the result is that these physicians graduate, knowing how to prescribe medications for diabetes, but not how dietary changes can prevent or reverse it. They can treat high blood pressure with pharmaceuticals, but they may not know that specific nutritional approaches can be equally or more effective. This isn’t the doctor’s fault. It’s the predictable result of medical education systems that was deliberately designed to focus on patentable treatments rather than natural healing approaches. And remember this traces back to the Rockefeller influence on medical education. You can’t patent an apple or a vegetable. But you can patent a drug now. Why can’t we trust most medical studies? Well this just gets even better. I need to address something that’s crucial for you to understand as you navigate health information. Why so much of the medical research you hear about in the news is biased, and why peer Review isn’t the gold standard of truth you’ve been told it is. The corruption in medical research by pharmaceutical companies is not a conspiracy theory. It’s well documented scientific fact, according to research, published in frontiers, in research, metrics and analytics. When pharmaceutical and other companies sponsor research, there is a bias. A systematic tendency towards results serving their interests. But the bias is not seen in the formal factors routinely associated with low quality science. A Cochrane Review analyzed 75 studies of the association between industry, funding, and trial results, and these authors concluded that trials funded by a drug or device company were more likely to have positive conclusions and statistically significant results, and that this association could not be explained by differences in risk of bias between industry and non-industry funded trials. So think about that. According to the Cochrane collaboration, industry funding itself should be considered a standard risk of bias, a factor in clinical trials. Studies published in science and engineering ethics show that industry supported research is much more likely to yield positive outcomes than research with any other sponsorship. And here’s how the bias gets introduced through choice of compartor agents, multiple publications of positive trials and non-publication of negative trials reinterpreting data submitted to regulatory agencies, discordance between results and conclusions, conflict of interest leading to more positive conclusions, ghostwriting and the use of seating trials. Research, published in the American Journal of Medicine. Found that a result favorable to drug study was reported by all industry, supported studies compared with two-thirds of studies, not industry, supported all industry, supported studies showed favorable results. That’s not science that’s marketing, masquerading as research. And according to research, published in sciencedirect the peer review system which we’re told ensures quality. Science has a major limitation. It has proved to be unable to deal with conflicts of interest, especially in big science contexts where prestigious scientists may have similar biases and conflicts of interest are widely shared among peer reviewers. Even government funded research can have conflicts of interest. Research published in pubmed States that there are significant benefits to authors and investigators in participating in government funded research and to journals in publishing it, which creates potentially biased information that are rarely acknowledged. And, according to research, published in frontiers in research, metrics, and analytics, the pharmaceutical industry has essentially co-opted medical knowledge systems for their particular interests. Using its very substantial resources. Pharmaceutical companies take their own research and smoothly integrate it into medical science. Taking advantage of the legitimacy of medical institutions. And this corruption means that much of what passes for medical science is actually influenced by commercial interests rather than pursuant of truth. Research published in Pmc. Shows that industry funding affects the results of clinical trials in predictable directions, serving the interests of the funders rather than the patients. So where can we get this reliable, unbiased Health information, because this is critically important, because your health decisions should be based on the best available evidence, not marketing disguised as science. And so here are some sources that I recommend for trustworthy health and nutritional information. They’re independent academic sources. According to Harvard Chan School of public health their nutritional, sourced, implicitly states their content is free from industry, influence, or support. The Linus Pauling Institute, Micronutrient Information Center at Oregon State University, which, according to the Glendale Community college Research Guide provides scientifically accurate information about vitamins, minerals, and other dietary factors. This Institute has been around for decades. I’ve used it a lot. I’ve gotten a lot of great information from them. Very, very trustworthy. According to the Glendale Community College of Nutrition Resource guide Tufts, University of Human Nutritional Research Center on aging is one of 6 human nutrition research centers supported by the United States Department of Agriculture, the Usda. Their peer reviewed journals with strong editorial independence though you must still check funding resources. And how do you evaluate this information? Online? Well, according to medlineplus and various health literacy guides when evaluating health information medical schools and large professional or nonprofit organizations are generally reliable sources, but remember, it is tainted by the Rockefeller method. So, for example, the American College of cardiology. Excuse me. Professional organization and the American Heart Institute a nonprofit are both reliable sources. Sorry about that of information on heart health and watch out for ads designed to look like neutral health information. If the site is funded by ads they should be clearly marked as advertisements. Excuse me, I guess I’m talking just a little too much now. So when the fear of medicine becomes deadly. Now, I want to address something critically important that often gets lost in conversations about health, sovereignty, and questioning the medical establishment. And while I’ve spent most of this episode explaining how the Rockefeller medical system has created dependency and suppressed natural healing wisdom. There’s a dangerous pendulum swing happening that I see in my practice. People becoming so fearful of pharmaceutical interventions that they refuse lifesaving treatments when they’re genuinely needed. This is where balance and clinical judgment become absolutely essential. Yes, we need to reclaim our basic health literacy and reduce our dependency on unnecessary medical interventions. But there are serious bacterial infections that require immediate antibiotic treatment, and the consequences of avoiding treatment can be devastating or even fatal. So let me share some examples from research that illustrate when antibiotic fear becomes dangerous. Let’s talk about Lyme disease, and when natural approaches might not be enough. The International Lyme Disease Association ilads has conducted extensive research on chronic lyme disease, and their findings are sobering. Ileds defines chronic lyme disease as a multi-system illness that results from an active and ongoing infection of pathogenic members of the Borrelia Brdorferi complex. And, according to ilads research published in their treatment guidelines, the consequences of untreated persistent lyme infection far outweigh the potential consequences of long-term antibiotic therapy in well-designed trials of antibiotic retreatment in patients with severe fatigue, 64% in the treatment arm obtained clinically significant and sustained benefit from additional antibiotic therapy. Ilas emphasizes that cases of chronic borrelia require individualized treatment plans, and when necessary antibiotic therapy should be extended their research demonstrates that 20 days of prophylactic antibiotic treatment may be highly effective for preventing the onset of lyme disease. After known tick bites and patients with early Lyme disease may be best served by receiving 4 to 6 weeks of antibiotic therapy. Research published in Pmc. Shows that patients with untreated infections may go on to develop chronic, debilitating, multisystem illnesses that is difficult to manage, and numerous studies have documented persistent Borrelia, burgdorferi infection in patients with persistent symptoms of neurological lyme disease following short course. Antibiotic treatment and animal models have demonstrated that short course. Antibiotic therapy may fail to eradicate lyme spirochetes short course is a 1 day. One pill treatment of doxycycline. Or less than 20 days of antibiotics, is considered a short course. It’s not long enough to kill the bacteria. The bacteria’s life cycle is about 21 days, so if you don’t treat the infection long enough, the likelihood of that infection returning is significant. They’ve also done studies in the petri dish, where they show doxycycline being put into a petri dish with active lyme and doxycycline does not kill the infection, it just slows the replication of it. Therefore, using only doxycycline, which is common practice in lyme disease may not completely eradicate that infection for you. So let’s talk about another life threatening emergency. C. Diff clostridia difficile infection, which represents another example where antibiotic treatment is absolutely essential, despite the fact that C diff itself is often triggered by antibiotic use. According to Cleveland clinic C. Diff is estimated to cause almost half a million infections in the United States each year, with 500,000 infections, causing 15,000 deaths each year. Studies reported by Pmc. Found thirty-day Cdi. Mortality rates ranging from 6 to 11% and hospitalized Cdi patients have significantly increased the risk of mortality and complications. Research published in Pmc shows that 16.5% of Cdi patients experience sepsis and that this increases with reoccurrences 27.3% of patients with their 1st reoccurrence experience sepsis. While 33.1% with 2 reoccurrences and 43.2% with 3 or more reoccurrences. Mortality associated with sepsis is very high within hospital 30 days and 12 month mortality rates of 24%, 30% and 58% respectively. According to the Cdc treatment for C diff infection usually involves taking a specific antibiotic, such as vancomycin for at least 10 days, and while this seems counterintuitive, treating an antibiotic associated infection with more antibiotics. It’s often lifesaving. Now let’s talk about preventing devastating complications. Strep throat infections. Provide perhaps the clearest example of when antibiotic treatment prevents serious long-term consequences, and, according to Mayo clinic, if untreated strep throat can cause complications such as kidney inflammation and rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever can lead to painful and inflamed joints, and a specific type of rash of heart valve damage. We also know that strep can cause pans pandas, which is a systemic infection, often causing problems with severe Ocd. And anxiety and affecting mostly young people. The research is unambiguous. According to the Cleveland clinic. Rheumatic fever is a rare complication of untreated strep, throat, or scarlet fever that most commonly affects children and teens, and in severe cases it can lead to serious health problems that can affect your child’s heart. Joints and organs. And research also shows that the rate of development of rheumatic fever in individuals with untreated strep infections is estimated to be 3%. The incidence of reoccurrence with a subsequent untreated infection is substantially greater. About 50% the rate of development is far lower in individuals who have received antibiotic treatment. And according to the World health organization, rheumatic heart disease results from the inflammation and scarring of the heart valves caused by rheumatic fever, and if rheumatic fever is not treated promptly, rheumatic heart disease may occur, and rheumatic heart disease weakens the valves between the chambers of the heart, and severe rheumatic heart disease can require heart surgery and result in death. The who states that rheumatic heart disease remains the leading cause of maternal cardiac complications during pregnancy. And additionally, according to the National Kidney foundation. After your child has either had throat or skin strep infection, they can develop post strep glomerial nephritis. The Strep bacteria travels to the kidneys and makes the filtering units of the kidneys inflamed, causing the kidneys to be able to unable or less able to fill and filter urine. This can develop one to 2 weeks after an untreated throat infection, or 3 to 4 weeks after an untreated skin infection. We need to find balance. And here’s what I want you to understand. Questioning the medical establishment and developing health literacy doesn’t mean rejecting all medical interventions. It means developing the wisdom to know when they’re necessary and lifesaving versus when they’re unnecessary and potentially harmful. When I see patients with confirmed lyme disease, serious strep infections or life. Threatening conditions like C diff. I don’t hesitate to recommend appropriate therapy but I also work to support their overall health address, root causes, protect and restore their gut microbiome and help them recover their natural resilience. The goal isn’t to avoid all medical interventions. It’s to use them wisely when truly needed, while simultaneously supporting your body’s inherent healing capacity and addressing the lifestyle factors that created the vulnerability. In the 1st place. All of this can be extremely overwhelming, and it can be frightening to understand or learn. But remember, the power that you have is knowledge. The more you learn about what’s actually happening in your health, in understanding nutrition. in learning what your body wants to be fed, and how it feels, and working with practitioners who are holistic in nature, natural, integrative, functional, whatever we want to call that these days. The more you can learn from them, the more control you have over your own health and what I would urge you to do is to teach your children what you’re learning. Teach them how to live a healthy lifestyle, teach them how to keep a clean environment. This is how we take back our own health. So thank you for joining me today on, let’s talk wellness. Now, if this episode resonated with you. Please share it with someone who could benefit from understanding how the Rockefeller medical system has shaped our approach to health, and how to reclaim your body’s wisdom while using medical care appropriately when truly needed. Remember, wellness isn’t just about feeling good. It’s about understanding your body, trusting its wisdom, supporting its natural healing capacity, and knowing when to seek appropriate medical intervention. If you’re ready to explore how functional medicine can help you develop this deeper health knowledge while addressing root causes rather than just managing symptoms. You can get more information from serenityhealthcarecenter.com, or reach out directly to us through our social media channels until next time. I’m Dr. Dab, reminding you that your body is your wisest teacher. Learn to listen, trust the process, use medical care wisely when needed, and take care of your body, mind, and spirit. Be well, and we’ll see you on the next episode.The post Episode 250 -The Great Medical Deception first appeared on Let's Talk Wellness Now.

Quaranteam - Dave In Dallas: Part 12 Consequences.

Quaranteam - Dave In Dallas: Part 11 Cleanup: The Air Force arrives with a mop. Based on a post by RonanJWilkerson, in 12 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. Dave's second quandary was his position, nearly on the middle of the pad, left him seriously exposed. Applying the aggressiveness taught by Carter, he knew Liv had him protected to the right, so he closed with the occupied building, moving to the far corner. A quick look showed him there were again two doors, like the other building. And two men emerging from the far door. Turning their backs to him as they followed a third man who was just rounding the opposite corner. That put him out of Dave's sight, but into Liv's. As the men receded, Dave fired into their backs. Neither was at a sprint, so they fell forward without the dramatic tumbling of the earlier target. A simultaneous rifle crack announced the death of the lead in that trio. He paused. Dave couldn't hear any sounds coming from the building. He remained wary, uneasy. How many more will it take? He waited. An eternity later, the door on one of the smaller buildings slowly opened. Two hands held high and outward came into view, followed by the woman they were attached to. She moved slowly. She was too far away for Dave to read her facial expression but she was giving all the big outward signs of surrender. Two more women exited another of the smaller buildings. One was an average build, the other rotund. The latter's feet seemed reluctant to move. Great. Don't know if there's anyone left in the big building, and now I have unknowns coming in from the houses. Other women began issuing from what must be the dwellings. Eight in all. As they neared, most had curious, guarded expressions on their faces. The big one had a look like she rarely smiled, ever. "Alright, that's close enough! Just stop where you are. Pick a leader and send her forward." There was a brief discussion which resulted in a medium height brunette walking towards him. The third woman out glared daggers into the back of the brunette's skull. The angry one argued hard with all of them, but none seemed interested in anything she had to say. Dave waited until the brunette reached easy speaking distance. "Stop right there. What's your name?" "Sandy." "How many of you are there?" "I don't rightly know." She looked thoughtful. "All the men were in the community building. Us women and our kids were in our homes. Jeb, the man that bound me to him, came in awhile ago with a new woman. She was out, like from the shot he gave me before." That confirms they're using the QT serum . "If he bound you to him with that shot, why are you awake?" "Oh, that was a few weeks back for me. I knew him a little bit before lockdowns started. Then he just shows up and says he has this safe place to stay and we can both be safe from the virus runnin' round, but I have to take this shot and sleep with him. He's been an okay guy, and I ain't had no boyfriend in several months anyway. 'Sides, he didn't tell me that I couldn't be with anybody else after that. Which sucks, but mostly he's been okay. Only been an asshole a few times, but that's pretty fair for most guys I've met. No offense." Dave smirked. "Sandy, how many men are there in your community?" She stopped, looking off to the side, thinking. "Well, there was the ten that left saying' they's gonna raid a rich man's house for somethin', never told us what. Now we know why. They were out collectin' poon like we's just a bunch a deer and no tag limit." Sandy paused. "Is that why you're here? You come to scoop us up and make us your whores?" "No, ma'am." We killed more than ten, so that can't be all . "If you ladies were bound to these men, we'll need to take you to the people that hand out the vaccine to see what they can do for you. But ma'am, please, how many men total are there?" The far door of the community building opened slowly, and a woman stepped out. It was the one Dave had seen inject one of the women right before she got raped. "Get over with the others. Is anyone else inside?" The woman shook her head no and moved swiftly to join the pack. "Oh, right. Well, after the ten left, all six of the others took off saying' they could do just as good somewhere else. But only three of them came back, including Jeb. As soon as they's back they took the nurse, that's the woman that just came out, well they took her and the two women bound to two of the guys that didn't come back and a bit later those women are out cold again. I thought the whole shot thing was permanent, but maybe not if the guy's dead? I hope so, 'cuz we're about to be in a bad way aren't we?" Thirteen. Thirteen men here. Dave counted off in his head. He thought they'd taken out thirteen, but he wasn't going to make assumptions. Especially when one part of his brain was parodying an old farcical movie about how many bullets had been fired from a gun. An 80's flick set in the 50's. "Alright Sandy, is there anyone else left in the houses?" "Just the kids, and some unconscious women. The men said they'd gotten them; reassigned?" She looked frustrated. "Guess I still wasn't good enough to keep that asshole by m'self." Dave deliberately gave Sandy an appraising look. "I think that has more to do with his greed than your looks or personality." "Well ain't you sweet?" Sandy licked her lips and looked Dave up and down. "Easy, I meant every word I said, but I already have several partners. Those six that left attacked my house." Sandy's face dropped. "I don't know if I should hate your guts for killing Jeb, or thank you, for the same thing." After a pause she spoke again. "You should be careful of Debbie. Her husband brought her here for some kinda rebel nation shit. She's already pissed he came back with some hot blonde from a rich man's house. But not so mad at him she's just gonna let you killin' him slide." "Is she the rather large woman that looks like she sucked on an entire lemon tree?" "That's the one." "How 'bout we settle on neutrality for now? Look, let's get all of you back in your homes and warm. I'll need to call the authorities to make sure you all get taken care of before that serum starts doing ugly things." Sandy walked back to the assembled throng. Another debate broke out. Debbie leading a third of the group in angry objections. Then she turned to face Dave. "Where's our men? What gives you the right to come bargin' in here?" She headed for the far end of the building. Several others followed, more than just the ones that had agreed with her. Dave knew things would turn ugly as soon as these women saw the dead bodies. His fastest route into the open yard space was behind him. He sprinted the way he'd come, entering the yard through the gap just as the women began kneeling near selected bodies. By the women's placement, some of the men must have sprinted from the building's edge. Instead of a clump near the corner, there was a line of a few reaching towards the tree line. Dave felt a cold turn inside. Rationally, he could see the line ended well before the trees, suggesting Liv had taken all of them down before they got close. But could one have gotten through? That thought was interrupted by Debbie leaving the line of dead, beginning to search the yard and moving as quickly as her thick legs would carry her. Dave moved to get clear of the gap and the bodies just beyond it. Several of the other women left the line of dead as well. They slowly swarmed about the open space while Debbie made a beeline for the gap. Then she noticed a body in the grass. Fury returned to her face after a brief look of relief. Then she paused. Her chest was already heaving from exertion. When she faced Dave, the anguish was obvious. "You fucking coward! You shot 'em in the back! You shot my husband!" She began a slow charge at him. Dave sorted through his options. The only sure way he had of stopping this woman was his weapon, but he had no desire to shoot an unarmed woman grieving her husband. He could outrun her easily, but he needed to stay in the area. For a moment, Dave's brain played an image of him making short sprints and the woman chasing after him like some schoolyard game. Not helping dammit . Dave took a few steps backwards, bringing him near the back wall of the community building. He noticed the dryer vent again, which meant the pile of pipes wasn't far. He'd have to be careful if he backpedaled any more. Falling on his ass would not engender obedience or respect. Debbie's tirade ended in a screech as she reached into her pocket. Her hand came back out with a small revolver. Shit. Shit. Shit. Dave brought his weapon up faster than her and pulled his trigger. Click . No round fired. The weapon jammed. Shit . Dave dove sideways and backwards just as Debbie fired. He felt a smack on his shoulder as he fell. His hand landed on the pipe pile. He grabbed and rolled away from the wall as another shot spanged off the brick. As he rolled, he swung one arm, releasing one of the two rods he'd snagged. He threw one leg out and came up from his roll, facing Debbie as she recovered from the rod that hit her. Her motion and his brought them in close proximity. On instinct, Dave snapped out with the remaining rod, striking Debbie's wrist. She shrieked in pain as she dropped the pistol. Dave followed up with two strikes to her knee before stepping back into a ready stance. Debbie cried out, but still managed one step forward before the side of her head exploded. Dave turned from Debbie's corpse to scan the area. All of the other women were on the ground. Clearly, they'd done the math in their head and figured out he had a partner in the trees. "Don't make us shoot anyone else. We only came here because we were attacked. The people that attacked us and another house are now all dead. We've done what we came for. We are not leaving you hanging. We know you've been given Quaranteam doses so your lives are bound to these men. There is a way to free you from that bond." Dave decided a bit of vague spitballing could be useful here and played it fast and loose based on what he'd learned in the past 24 hours. "Well, not exactly free you, but transfer that bond to someone else. This time, you will have a choice in that bonding. But, I will not countenance any threat to myself or my partner. And as you can see, she is very protective of me as well. You can also see she is a damn good shot. I want all of you to gather over here, in the lee of this building, while I get someone here to help." The women got up, moving slowly so as not to provoke Dave or his hidden partner. Once they were all clumped together, he pulled out his cell phone. Time to call Detective Verratti. Chapter 13; Cleanup. October 29, 2020 8:20am "Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean you and Olivia are at the compound? Didn't you say you and your special forces friend; Carter? That the two of you were heading to the compound?" On another call, Dave would have switched ears by now. The burning in his left shoulder threatened to make that shift a very painful decision. "No, detective, I simply said we." "Dammit, professor, why the hell wouldn't you take the trained spec-ops guy on something; oh, fuck." "Exactly. Carter and his wife have been dead for two months now. Carter was the security expert in our prepper community. He ran us through many drills on how to protect ourselves and those around us. Olivia is an excellent long-range shot. She proved it again today. Took out half the compound with her sniping. Shot one that was coming at me with a.38, when my gun jammed." "Okay, okay. Damn. Look, I contacted the Air Force when you sent me the text saying you were there. As soon as the liaison red off the coordinates, whoever was on the other end of the phone got pissed. If I overheard correctly, they gathered a small force and headed that way by chopper. I think they lifted off about twenty minutes ago. Expect them in less than an hour. If they arrive in the same mood their boss was in, keep your head down. I know I'm already in deep shit. After getting shouted at over the phone, the Air Force liaison went into my boss' office and shouted for ten minutes straight. Professor; I'm sorry I got you into this." Dave signed off that call, then texted Liv. -Sling your rifle, come into the glade with pistol drawn. He stuffed his phone back in his pocket and waited. Half his energy was devoted to ignoring the pain in his arm. The adrenaline and other wonderful bio-chemicals the body produces during high stress situations all drained out in the past ten minutes so nothing got in the way of his arm screaming at his head for doing damn fool things. On the plus side, the bleeding had stopped. Mostly. As long as he didn't move it. The blood that had come out was enough to stain most of his sleeve, but not significantly impair his thinking from blood loss. Liv emerged from the tree line with all the charisma of a warrior queen. As Dave requested, her rifle was slung cross body, and her 10mm pistol was in her hands, held low, as her eyes scanned her surroundings. She took a bit of extra 'dwell time' when her eyes passed over the assembled women. Liv strode purposefully across the ground, halting at a position within easy talking range, yet too far to make them both a single target. Dave looked her over, examining her face and posture. Concern for the psychological impact of this on Olivia was uppermost in his mind. Great time to be worried about that, huh? After all the fighting is done. Genius . He snapped himself back to reality. There would be time later for self-recrimination. Liv's visual scanning kept lingering on Dave's left shoulder. "We need to treat that. It'll be tricky to do while maintaining security." "There's an Air Force team on their way. Detective Verratti said they may be unhappy, but I'm sure they'll have a medic. Or at least a first aid bag." "How long?" "Less than an hour. Sounds like forty minutes, most likely." "That arm shouldn't wait that long. You need stitches." "Got any in your back pocket, Liv?" Dave hadn't meant to get testy, but the pain was eroding his 'nice function' and the conversation felt like it was spiraling already. The flat look from Olivia carried a tinge of hurt, and forgiveness, and her own self-restraint. "Sorry, Olivia." She nodded in response, her eyes once again on their charges. One of them stood and moved slowly towards Dave. Livy squared her shoulders to the woman, but made no other change in her focus. When the woman was halfway to him, Dave recognized her as the lady that came out of the building as he spoke with Sandy. The one Sandy identified as a nurse. "Sir, would you let me look at your wound? I'm a nurse." Liv looked at him cautiously, then gave him one slow blink. Dave restrained himself from chuckling. From her, the slow blink meant anything from 'sure' to 'don't make me say I told you so'. Dave nodded at the woman. She approached slowly, then cautiously brought one hand up to examine his wound. She pulled back on the shirt to ascertain the extent of the injury. "I can treat it temporarily for now. You need stitches; which we don't have. And a painkiller. All they have here for that is alcohol, marijuana and meth. None of which I would recommend." Dave chuckled. With her finger so close, his shaking caused her to jab the side of the open gash. Dave flinched and gritted his teeth. "Oh, I'm so sorry." The nurse jumped back, pulling her hand back to her chest. Her other hand clasped the offending one closely, like she was putting it in time out. "It's okay, ma'am. I'm the one that moved suddenly." "Parker. My name is Parker." "Dave." "Well, Dave, you've got a decent flesh wound that will make a good reminder scar once it heals. You need to get stitches as soon as possible. Like today. Wait too long and it won't do any good. In the meantime, I can bandage it up. I'll need to go inside to get some clean cloth, though." Her eyes held the obvious question of whether he would let her. "How did you wind up here?" "I was on a transport from the vaccine center on my way to my Oracle designated partner when the bus got hijacked. Fifteen of us were diverted from someone we'd chosen to these guys that made their choices just by looking at us. They went in order, so whoever had priority got first pick, and so on." That matched what Verratti told Dave. More importantly, she didn't hesitate and there was no sign of falsehood in her eyes or face. Carter taught him to be careful who you trust, but you have to trust someone. There was a haunted look in her eyes, but no deception. "Liv, can you escort this nurse inside so she can get something to bandage me with?" The young brunette that had known him longer than anyone left alive gave him a funny look. "Or maybe you escort her, so you can sit down and put your arm on a table while she does her work. Should be easier for both of you that way." The nurse's face immediately took on a restrained, but amused look. "Don't say it, let's go," said Dave with a sigh. He followed her back around to the front of the building. She entered through the first door. It opened into the kitchen area. In short order, she scooped up the first aid kit and led Dave into the dining space. The room still smelled of the recent nonconsensual ruttings. Parker visibly flinched when the smell hit her. She came to a dead stop when she saw the body lying against the wall. The look on her face suggested her desire to not be here, and not be reminded of the events of this morning and her part in them, was warring with her professional instincts. Dave watched as she composed herself and ushered him to take a seat with just a hand gesture. Dave sat so Parker's back would be towards the body. As she tended his wound, he searched for visual clues. The man was older, at least fifty, likely over sixty, judging by the condition of his skin. Prominent wrinkles and liver spots, and a leathery look of someone that spent much of his life with a heavy tan. A distinctly aquiline nose and patrician features shouted 'man of money' even more so than his silk pajamas. Necessarily, Parker - more specifically her face - lay in Dave's line of sight as he looked about. Underneath the mien of professional concentration lay clear signs that removing the visual cue of the dead body was barely tamping down her anxiety. When she reached into the kit to find the scissors; so she could trim the excess off the bandage; her fingers first brought out the razor. The way she stared at it was unsettling. She paused to wipe away newly forming tears before finishing with Dave's gauze. As she neatly placed each piece of unused equipment in the kit, he gently took her chin in his right hand, turning her head to look directly at him. "Parker, you've had to make some tough choices here. You did the best you could with what you had. You're an ER nurse, right?" He recalled that tidbit from the detective's discussion. Parker nodded in affirmation. "Okay, so your training and experience is to do everything you can to get your patient that next heartbeat, to take the next breath, and another, and another. Just keep them going, and let someone else do the fancy work once you're sure the patient is alive right?" Her face contorted further as she nodded. "But I didn't. I didn't keep her alive. They took her outside ;” Parker's voice trailed off as she wept, her chest heaving. "An older blonde woman, probably in her mid-forties right?" She nodded, still weeping, not looking at him. "Her name is Natasha, and she's alive." Parker's head snapped up. Her eyes were wide in astonishment and hope. "But; how?" "I killed those men with a silenced pistol. She's hiding in my truck. Actually, I need to check on her. My partner had some spare clothes in there. Hopefully she found them." "Can I see her? Please? I just ;” The wild, desperate look in her eyes was impossible to deny. Dave gave his arm a few careful motions, testing out the pain level for various directions and ranges. It gave him an excuse to delay answering and drew her attention back to occupational concerns. "Yeah, we can do that. First, I need to touch base with my partner though." Gesturing he said, "Let's go." Parker quickly rose, snatching up the first aid kit. She deposited it back in its secure place in the kitchen before exiting, with Dave right behind her. She glanced over her shoulder several times to check that Dave was still with her as she walked around the building and straight towards Olivia. Over the last few steps, she veered off, giving Dave and Liv enough space to talk privately while she remained close by. Dave filled Livy in on what was happening. "Maybe you should escort her though, in case Natasha has not found your clothes. Besides, it would give you a chance to move about instead of standing here, getting cold." "Are you sure she saw me well enough to be comfortable when I approach? You, she got a good look at. And vice versa." Liv added a wink. Dave looked at her, his face flat and unimpressed. "Oh come on, David, you have nine women at home, came out here to dispense some justice on the assholes that attacked us, and picked up a groupie." "For crying out loud, Liv. She's not; Okay, fine, I'll escort the nurse. That woman's been through enough trauma without being exposed to your humor." Liv gave him an enigmatic smile as he walked away with Parker. Dave pointed to the gap in the trees he'd used for entry and exit previously. Once inside, the nurse stopped him. "David, I; I'm not sure if anything can be done for her." "What do you mean? "I mean, I; um, I'm not sure how much I can say. She needs something that I'm not sure is possible anymore." "You mean you couldn't extract any more semen from the dead guy's balls?" "How the hell did you know that?! That's confidential information! No one's supposed to know!" "Parker, these guys attacked my house. We killed three of them. The bodies were on my back deck and driveway with their balls cut off. Later, we get here and I see you jab the old guy in the balls with a syringe and the shot changes color. You're reassigning these women from the dead guy to the attackers using the dead man's cum, right?" She hung her head. "It was the only way to keep them alive." "And as long as they're alive, there's hope. There's a chance to fight another day, right?" She raised her head again, eyes watery, looking as if she really wanted to believe in the thin reed he offered her. "But, what about her? She's bound to that guy, and I couldn't get any more cum out. Depending on when she last slept with him, she's got a week or two before this stuff eats her up from the inside. It'll be like what they wanted to do to her, but in slow motion." Her voice cracked as she spoke. "Parker, I want you to consider something, and this is not a knock on you, but the conditions. You are an ER nurse, working under field conditions. If we take his body back to a hospital, or the vaccine center, do you think maybe a lab tech with precision equipment and ideal conditions could manage to eke out enough semen to let her switch partners?" She smiled again, taking a shaky breath. The suggestion relaxed her enough to acquiesce when he motioned her down the trail. "I don't know. I don't know, but it's worth a try. We have to move fast though. There's a time limit on how long we have to get it done." "Then we'll make sure when the Air Force gets here with their chopper, Natasha and the dead body are on the first bird out." Parker said no more as they walked. Dave only spoke to guide her on the path. When they got into visual range of the truck, Parker's steps took on an extra urgency, like she wanted to run, but held herself back. Dave signaled for her to fall in trail behind him and wait when they neared the truck. "Natasha? Natasha, it's David. I'm here with the nurse. The compound is secure now. The Air Force is on its way. We came to check on you. Did you find the clothes in the truck?" A blonde head slowly peeked over the dashboard, only one eye visible. That one eye held enough wariness for a dozen faces. The head scanned about carefully, never spending much time away from Dave and Parker. "All of the attackers are dead, Natasha. They can't hurt you." Her head cleared the dashboard and moved towards the passenger door, the same side Dave and Parker stood several feet away from. The door opened at a glacial pace. Then two legs clad in grey sweatpants stepped down. Natasha stepped clear of the door, wearing a thin white shirt, grey sweatpants that threatened to fall off, and a look of nervous hope and apprehension. Dave tried to ignore what the cold was doing to her nipples. Rigidly holding his eye contact on her face, he said, "Parker here is an ER nurse. How about letting her examine you? And then join the rest of the women. The ladies abducted with you are all; asleep, but there are women that were captured previously, like Parker here." Natasha glanced quickly at Parker. "They captured you too?" "Nearly two months ago. Our transport was hijacked after we'd already had our injections. We were on our way to our Oracle match partners when the attack happened." Natasha's wariness fell in the face of shared trauma; and the knowledge of traumas she'd been spared. She closed the distance and hugged Parker. The nurse initially stood shocked, unresponsive, her arms limp at her sides. Slowly, her hands rose, clasping onto Natasha's shoulder blades before she began shaking with sobs of relief. Reluctantly, Dave stepped in. When he spoke, he used the softest tone he was capable of. "Ladies, we need to get back. I'd rather not walk back into the clearing after the Air Force folks arrive, armed. That tends to make them nervous." He pitched his words softly, but firmly. Parker nodded in acknowledgement. The two shared a look that communicated; something. Then Dave noticed the older blonde still had nothing on her feet. "No socks in the bag?" he asked. Natasha shook her head no. Dave sighed, walked in front of her, turned his back to her and crouched. "Come on." He lowered his weapon to dangle from its sling. "What?" "Get on my back, I'll carry you." "Uh, are you sure about this? With your arm like it is?" Parker queried. "My back can carry the burden without straining my arm muscles." After a brief pause, he heard her moving hesitantly before her weight rested on his back. Her arms came around his neck. Then he hooked his hands under her knees and stood carefully. With Parker following behind, Dave navigated the path quickly. He maintained a slightly stooped posture that Carter had taught as the best way to carry a ruck. It worked quite well for carrying a person, too. The trio made good time through the woods and emerged from the tree line very deliberately, so as not to startle Liv, who was still on guard. The smile on the brunette's face when Dave emerged with Natasha on his back was unmistakable. Dave studiously ignored it. Once they were over soft grass, he lowered Natasha to the ground. He was uncomfortable sending these two to huddle with the rest of the women, but he wasn't sure what else to do. Until the moment he was ready to open his mouth. "Liv, take Parker and inspect the houses. Check on the women that got imprinted. Keep an eye out for kids or other adults. If it's just kids, reassure them the best you can. Keep them where they are if possible." Parker spoke up. "What if we bring; Natasha?; with us. I think my spare shoes would fit her. I can get her a jacket too." Dave looked at Liv, questioningly. She gave a short nod in response. Dave shrugged his agreement. After a long backwards look at Dave, Natasha followed the other two, leaving Dave on guard over the women huddled against the building. Most of them wore some manner of jacket and long pants. A few were in pajama pants and thick housecoats. All remained quiet, barely even talking amongst themselves. One brunette, a bit older, kept glancing at Dave. After several minutes, she rose and slowly approached him. As she got closer, Dave had a strange sense of recognition. Like he should know who she was, but couldn't place her. "Hi, um, I just wanted to say thank you. I've been stuck here for over a month. Several of us have, including the nurse that was with you earlier." Her dark eyes gleamed as she continued. "Listen, I know we'll need new partners soon. I think you should know that a few of the girls are already discussing the possibility of getting paired with you." Dave stiffened. His spine, not his cock. "Well, that's very flattering, but I didn't come here for that. Hell, I already have nine partners. My house is getting kinda full. I know the CDC guy that showed up a month and a half ago said I could wind up with twelve or more, but, uh, I could be just fine with stopping where I am. So, thank you, but no thank you. I mean, unless you specially match to me and don't have anyone else nearly as good a match." Her eyes widened. "Oh, no. No, I wasn't speaking personally. I mean, I appreciate what you've done, but not that far. The others just asked me to come over, sort of as a spokesperson. You know, use my fame in the hope that would help get your approval." It was the mild gravelly tone in her voice that finally did it. "Oh. Oh, shit. Aurora Hensley?" Dave shook his head. "Sorry, I knew I recognized you, but my brain just didn't place you until after you spoke for a bit. How the hell did a star like you wind up here?" Miss Henley tried to grin to cover up her grimace, but it didn't work. "Please, call me Rory. Lockdown stopped production on my show. You may have noticed we don't have a new season out." Dave nodded. "Yes, a few of my partners grumbled about it." "Ah, but not you, huh?" she said with a real grin this time. "Oh, I've watched some re-runs with them a few times. It's just that cop shows are only a fifty-fifty interest for me. Mostly, the ones I like get into the crime lab stuff, and yours didn't have that. No offense." Dave shrugged with the last statement. She examined him coyly. "Ah, so the fact that the two leads were women has nothing to do with it?" The words were accusatory, but something about her tone suggested she was playing with him. "Naw, not particularly. The story is well executed I think. It's just a type that only sometimes grabs my interest. I did appreciate that the show featured two female leads, without pounding the fact in the viewer's face. It stood on the writing and acting, and didn't beat some political drum." "Well, thank you. I think." She smirked at him. "Sorry for dodging, it's just; it hurts you know?" A shadow passed over her features, causing Dave to place a hand on her shoulder. He also forced himself to scan the group again, making sure no one was using his distraction to do something. He kicked himself for his obliviousness and made sure he kept his focus where it needed to be, without sacrificing the conversation. "Look, I know this is all still fresh, so if you don't want to talk about what these guys did to you here, you don't have to. I'm sure they'll have profess--" "Oh no, not that. I mean, I might, but honestly, you wiping them out is already a big help. That's why I came up to thank you." Then Rory grinned slyly again. "It's also why some of them want to thank you." "Well, with the vaccine, that's a rather permanent thing. They need to take some time to think it over first, and use the matching system, um, Oracle." "True, very true. You know, it's tempting to come at you like a rescued princess, just like the others. But in truth, I have a friend I was on my way to meet when our transport was hijacked. He's been a good friend for years, but we never dated or anything. He showed up as a reasonable match, so I was supposed to be with him. I'm going to call him as soon as I can to see if he's still interested." "More than likely, he'll be thrilled to hear you're alright." "Yes, probably. He's a good man. The girls like him." As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Rory grimaced like she'd been stabbed and the wielder was twisting the knife in her guts. Dave got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I, uh, I have to go." She turned away briefly, then turned back. "No, wait." She took a few deep breaths before continuing. "The reason I came over in the first place." She paused for a hiccupping sob. "Um, look, I can never express how much I appreciate what you've done for me here. If you need anything. Anything at all. I know people. People in entertainment, and in politics. Just call me. I'd be glad to help." With tears in her eyes, she turned back towards the wall and walked swiftly, managing not to run. Rory's rushed return and obvious emotional turmoil was greeted by consternation among the small crowd of women. Two took the time to stare at him, worry clear on their faces. Quiet conversations started up and rapidly turned internal. The women clustered around Rory, wrapping her in hugs. When they finally parted, they began speaking again, in low tones, and long periods in which all were silent. It was quite some time before Liv, Parker, and Natasha came around the right side of the building. All appeared in good spirits. Natasha now sported a denim jacket over her white T-shirt and a pair of tennis shoes on her feet. As they approached, Dave noted that Natasha was no longer grabbing at the waist band of the sweatpants to keep them up, so some solution had been found. The jacket was of sufficient length to conceal whatever that had been. Likewise, it was likely she had socks to go with the shoes, but there was no visible gap between pants and shoes to confirm that deduction. The relaxed look on her face would have to do. Parker spoke first when they came within a reasonable speaking distance. "Sixteen women are in imprinting sleep in the houses. I checked their vitals, and nothing appears amiss. Except that they're all blondes." "I told the others while we were out, Drew, the man we were paired to, only had blondes in his; team." Natasha spoke slowly, not quite reluctantly. "It was a fetish of his. Though there was variety, of a sort. Cheerleader, businesswoman, that sort of thing. I was the 'older woman' blonde. One is a teenager, just barely survived to get injected. I; I knew him before this, or at least, I thought I knew him. We went to many of the same charity dinners and such. He was so cordial in public." Parker hugged Natasha around the shoulders, a supportive measure to remind her that problem was in her past. Then Olivia spoke. "A few houses had kids. They are awake and hungry. A little worried, but not frantic. I was thinking we could get a meal going in the main cafeteria instead of separate little meals in each house." "Sure," Dave replied. "That's a good plan. First, we'll need to get the body out of there." "Body?" Liv asked. "Drew, the man all those women are partnered to. These guys were re-imprinting the women to themselves in the cafeteria space." Dave kept his voice carefully neutral. "How the hell does that work?" "We're not supposed to know, but what I saw here and at our house, I made some good guesses that Parker confirmed. You and I are probably going to spend a lot of time explaining ourselves, so the less I share the better." Liv's nodding reply carried an undertone of expectation that, once all this blew over, Dave had better spill what he knows. A small traitorous part of Dave's heart took that as a possible indication that Liv wanted to know a way out of the bonding effects of the serum. Dave's brain was pretty convinced that was B S, though he would certainly ask if she wanted out later. The idea of keeping any woman bound to him against her will made him physically nauseous. Doing that to his Livy Bean was unacceptable in the extreme. "Tell you what," Dave continued, "You stay here for a few minutes. I'll haul the body out of the cafeteria and around to this side of the building. Then, Liv, supervise getting breakfast going in the cafeteria; and I mean supervise, you maintain control and security, someone else cooks. Parker, you can escort the kids from the houses to the cafeteria." Still facing the nurse, he asked, "Who would you recommend do the cooking?" "Sandy and Rory are pretty good. Together they should be able to handle breakfast for all the kids." "OK, sounds good. Wait 'til I get the body moved around to this area before you get moving." All three women nodded. Dave immediately stalked off, eager to get things in motion before the military arrived and brought everything to a halt while they took their time coming to the same conclusions Dave had already arrived at. The kids needed to be fed. He went around the right side of the building for once, since it provided the shortest route to his destination. As soon as he stepped inside, he was greeted by the older man's corpse lying flat on the floor, up against the wall, his silk pajama pants still pulled down to his knees. That was the first thing to fix. Doing his best to avoid touching the corpse (or another man's naked body), Dave took hold of the waistband near each knee and pulled them up and over the man's hips. That done, he stopped to consider the best way to get the body moved. Rigor. Rigor mortis had set in. None of the man' joints would move. And he'd been left on the floor, jammed into the corner between wall and floor for hours. There were two options Dave could see: grab and lift by the man's shoulders and drag him with his heels on the ground. A little awkward, but doable. The downside there was the chance his pajama pants cuffs could snag on something and come all the way off. Hell, even part way was undesirable. The second option was to get this guy onto Dave's shoulder like a two by four. A one hundred and fifty pound two by four. Sure, no problem. Mentally retracting all the curses he'd flung at Carter during upper body workouts, Dave went to work. First, he knelt beside the corpse. Then he lifted the torso so it lay on his shoulder. The next part was tricky. Silk didn't give a lot of traction to grab with. Neither did flesh. It took three tries that quickly returned to the floor-kneeling position when the body began to slip before Dave managed to successfully gain his feet on the fourth attempt, the body securely balanced on his left shoulder. And every single time he used his left arm for anything, a serenade of pain accompanied the act. He'd had experience getting through doorways with lumber or pipes on his shoulder, so while it was cumbersome, Dave managed the maneuver just fine. Though he had to use his left arm to operate the door. He couldn't avoid whimpering as he forced the injured limb to comply. Once outside, it was quite easy to make the brief trek around the building and dump the body in the grass a reasonable distance from the line of dead pointing towards the trees. He also picked up the staccato sounds of a chopper, low, and building quickly. Parker was halfway to the houses and Liv had disappeared into the cafeteria building with Rory and Sandy when their heads turned, picking up the sound. Figuring it was the safest course of action, Dave walked to the middle of the open space he'd fought in, away from others, his hands away from his body and his weapons slung on his back or holstered. He knew Olivia had the presence of mind to do the same. One Blackhawk landed to Dave's left, on the other side of the unused building. A second landed beyond the community building, presumably beyond the first house and to the left of the others. The third Blackhawk landed to Dave's right, well clear of the community building. The rotor blast was strong, but not overwhelming. The moisture in the air guaranteed no dust blown around, and the cold snap was too recent to kill off any grass, so at least there was no debris kicked up by the artificial cyclone. Troops began to disgorge from the chopper the moment the wheels touched grass, running straight out, hunched over, weapons in hand. Dave slowly turned to face them, his hands clearly away from his body. "You David Belsus?" The voice was pissed, loud, and behind him. Oops. Of course the team leader was on the first chopper that landed. Hadn't Carter harped something about leading from the front? "That's me." A short, strongly muscled man stepped around into Dave's field of view. "You blew my fucking op, dammit. Hunting these boys down was my job." "Considering the number of women enslaved to these fucking animals you clearly aren't doing your fucking job!" "Don't piss me off asshole. I'm willing to consider you're one of the good guys, for now. Fuck with me and I'll throw you in a hole so deep, you'll water the rice paddies in China when you pee." Dave wisely shut the fuck up. Carter had told him there were two very important times to know in the military; when to shut up, and when to shut the fuck up . This seemed like the latter. "You got the wanna bees at your house. A few real troops here. You got lucky, Boy Scout. Stand down and let us do our jobs." Before the short, powerfully built man turned away, Dave noted the nametape on the man's uniform; Barnett. The two chevrons upside down on the top of his rank insignia meant he was a Technical Sergeant; an E-6, a middle level NCO. "Sergeant Barnett?" Dave called to get his attention. The little bantam turned, one eyebrow cocked. "The kids in this place haven't been fed breakfast yet. My partner is inside the community building with a few women who've been stuck here for over a month. They're getting something cooked up while the nurse moves the kids. You think you can let that plan roll forward? Otherwise, you'll have some cranky kids to deal with soon. "Is she armed?" "My partner?" Dave got a nod in response. "Yes, she has a slung rifle and a holstered pistol. If you go in cautious, and announce yourself, there shouldn't be a problem. Or you can send me in ahead of you." "Sure, fine. Just know if you try anything stupid, my two partners behind you will drop you in a heartbeat." "I think we understand each other." Dave stepped off deliberately, at a steady pace, getting around the corner of the building with Sgt Barnett two arm's lengths to his right. He could hear the soft footsteps in the grass of two more people behind him. Barnett wasn't bluffing. Dave reached the door of the cafeteria space. He knocked twice, then slowly opened it. "Hey, Liv? It's me, I'm coming in. There's some Air Force folks with me. Keep your weapons holstered and your hands visible. These folks seem a mite twitchy." Olivia stood in the Archway between the dining side and the kitchen side. The sounds of pans and utensils and sizzling meat were quickly joined by the aroma of bacon. Dave's stomach grumbled. Two voices behind him tittered. Seems his guards and executioners heard him. They guffawed when Barnett's stomach responded. "Should we let you two get a plate boss?" The laughing voice behind Dave almost had a Tinkerbell fairy quality to it. Great. My erstwhile executioner leaves pixie dust in her wake. Liv kept quiet. Verbally that is. Her eyes were laughing though. Laughing loud enough to make up for the silence of her lips. "No, they're cooking for a bunch of hungry kids. Leave 'em alone." Barnett paused, looking between Liv and Dave, and sizing them up. "You two, one at a time, very carefully, place your weapons on that back counter. You're closer, young lady, so you go first." Liv sighed, staying stony faced. Dave widened his eyes and nodded his head, with a slight tilt towards the counter. With an exasperated exhale, she unslung her rifle, touching only the sling, and only with her thumb, laying it on the counter. In doing so, she now had her back to the archway leading to the kitchen. She deliberately used her left hand to remove her pistol. Liv then placed it beside the rifle. Her combat knife came next. Placing it with her firearms, she stepped away from the counter and faced the others. "Boot knife." Barnett said flatly. "Excuse me?" Liv asked blankly. "Remove the knife from your boot and place it on the table." Liv pursed her lips, rolled her eyes, and then complied. Tinkerbell tittered. "Step over there." Dave waved his arm towards the opposite corner from where Liv had been, along the wall separating the kitchen space and the dining space. Olivia moved as indicated, her eyes locked on the two behind Dave. "Okay, now you." Dave walked to the counter. He unslung his SMG, again, using only his thumb, and placed it beside Liv's rifle. With open, deliberate motions, his pistol quickly followed. "Don't make me say it again." "I don't have any knives. Never been any good with 'em." Liv snorted. "You shittin me? You came in here with no knife? Better a weapon you're only mediocre with than no weapon at all." Dave just shrugged. "You're doing a great job of convincing me you merely got lucky; twice; rather than win by skill and teamwork." Dave elected not to rise to barb. "Stand over there with your girlfriend." Dave turned and walked along the wall. He took the opportunity to look at the two guards. One was a wasp waisted, svelte brunette with her hair back in a bun. The other; fucking well looked like Tinkerbelle. Pale skin, silky blonde hair in a braid that wrapped around her head like a home-grown crown. Give her a pair of wings and no one would even blink if she claimed to be the fictional character. Well, Tinkerbelle never carried an M4 with a daylight scope. Sure as shit would have given that saucy wink though. Once Dave was beside Livy, Barnett spoke to the two of them. "You will both get a full debriefing at headquarters. For now, let's start with the disposition of the corpse of one Andrew Bilk. He was a very rich man, and someone wants an accounting of his death. Starting with where his body is." "Out in the grass. The goons in this camp had his body on the floor, up against the wall there" Dave pointed, "since we had kids coming in soon, I thought it best to get him out of here, so I carried him out into the grass near the other bodies. He's the one in the silk pajamas." "Silk pajamas? That should be easy to distinguish." "Oh, uh Sergeant Barnett? There is a time critical element here. The blonde lady we rescued first, Natasha, she was bound to the rich guy; Bilk you said? Anyway, she needs to be re-partnered. I don't know the exact timeline, but he died around or just after midnight. Problem is, the nurse around here couldn't get any more semen out of the rich guy's nuts, so her only shot is if a lab geek can eke out enough for her. She and the body need to get back to Dallas fast." "Right. Okay, Silvia?" The brunette focused on Barnett. "Yes, sergeant?" "Find this Natasha woman, get her and the silk clad corpse on a chopper and send them back now." "Yes, sergeant." She slipped out the door like vanishing smoke. "Also," Dave interjected, "in the houses are several women that the nurse, Parker, was forced to re-pair from the rich guy to one of these clowns. That was this morning, so they're all in imprinting sleep at the moment. The ones that imprinted later might be able to recognize which redneck imprinted which blonde." Barnett raised an eyebrow. "Apparently, the rich guy had a fixation with blondes." Tinkerbelle ran a hand down her side, giving her body a little wriggle as she did so. "Alright, I'll let lab techs and medicos sort that mess out. We've got a convoy of trucks enroute to haul these folks back to Dallas." As Barnett spoke, the sound of rotors could be heard. As the sound built, the door opened and five kids went straight to the nearest table. Parker followed in after them. "Oh, hey Dave. Listen, some Air Force woman pulled Natasha away. I think they just left on a chopper." Dave nodded. "Are you the nurse that used the Dead Man's Switch on these women?" Barnett asked. Parker stiffened. "Yes, I am. It was either that or let them die." "Relax, I'm not your judge or your jury. I'm just trying to establish a few facts and identities. Do you think you can remember which woman paired with which man?" "Not all of them, but some. The first was the one with the enormous" she suddenly remembered there were kids in the room, "uh, assets. The boss man took her for himself." "Okay, that's fine. Uh, Jessie, think you can find a notepad for ;” "Parker." "Parker here to write down what she remembers on the pairings this morning. The ones from before should be able to tell us themselves." The short blonde exited with haste. Parker checked in with the kids before approaching the sergeant. "Can I check in with the kitchen, to see when their breakfast is ready?" "No need," said Rory, passing through the arch with a plate in each hand, "breakfast is served." Sandy was right behind her, carrying three plates, one in her left hand, and two more up her left arm. The kids cheered. Sandy also had silverware in her right hand. She set that down first. Unburdened, Rory came across the room to Dave. "Listen, Parker mentioned being paired increases a man's metabolism. We made some extra. Would you like something?" "What if the kids want seconds?" "We made enough in case the older two ask for seconds, and still serve a couple of adults." "Like me and the sergeant here?" Rory grinned, "Correct. Why don't you two sit, and I'll bring out two more plates." "I appreciate that, Rory, but Liv hasn't eaten either. Neither has Parker, or you, or ;” "I know, I know, I've got five more servings in here. Sandy and I can make more shortly." "You don't ha--" "Hush. I want to." She leaned in close. "It helps keep my mind off other things." Immediately, Rory exited to the kitchen. Sandy followed after. As they passed through the arch, Jessie, the little blonde Air Force attack pixie came back bearing a portfolio containing a yellow legal pad and a pen. She handed that off to Parker and found herself an out of the way spot along the wall. Dave watched as Parker took a seat several spaces down from the children. After staring blankly at the page for almost a minute, she began writing at a steady pace. Absorbed in watching her, Dave was surprised when Sandy brought him a plate and silverware. Bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast. A perfectly worthy American breakfast. As he ate, Dave noted his companion / captor's face. The man's fair skin was as unpale as possible without adding descriptors like 'sun-kissed'. His jet-black hair strongly suggested an eastern or southern European heritage. That presumption was supported by the darkening along his jawline. Clearly a man that had to shave twice a day to remain within military regs. Unless of course, he went undercover, in which case he could grow a partial disguise in short order. Liv caught his eye as she returned from the kitchen. She took a seat next to Dave, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before digging into the scrambled eggs on the plate of food she'd carried in. She giggled at his pro forma protest when she stole a piece of bacon off his plate. Liv, on one side of Dave, missed the small grin on Barnett's face over the exchange. Her partner saw it though. Another enlisted woman came through the door carrying a sizable hardcase, the kind that usually has thick foam padding inside. She proceeded directly to the counter and swiftly stowed the weapons in the case. Then she carried the case back outside. "We're going to cycle the civilians through here for some breakfast before we entrain for Dallas," Barnett said. "When you're through here, meet me out on the lawn space where we started. Both of you." "You got it." Barnett took his plate and silverware through the kitchen archway. Shortly after, Dave heard the outer door to the kitchen open and close. Dave took a few more minutes to finish his meal. Liv spoke as he arranged his silverware on his plate. "Before you go, you should talk with Aurora. I think you two have something to share." Dave looked at her flatly. "She'd bonded, Liv." The young woman's smile broadened. "Not quite what I meant." Then she grew serious. "Just talk to her. Really, I think it could be good for both of you." She smirked when Dave walked away, fixing her with a wary eye. He found the sink, with a dishwasher beside it. Quickly, he rinsed his plate, placing it in the dishwasher. Rory and Sandy both objected, but he waved them off. Dave went ahead and rinsed the plate and silverware in the sink as well, along with a few cooking utensils. After drying his hands, he approached Rory. "Olivia said we should talk. She didn't say what about. Is this just her idea, or something you want to discuss?" Rory looked downward and swallowed. She looked back up. The haunted look in her eyes tugged at Dave's heart. Sandy noted their faces and suggested they step outside for a private conversation. Rory took his hand and led Dave out of the kitchen's heat and into the cool damp outside. Following her example, he leaned one shoulder against the wall, facing her. He waited for her to speak. "When we were surveying the houses; checking on the women and kids; Liv was asking me how I got here, what I dealt with getting here and being here. Honestly, she was just trying to make conversation. She didn't know what that would lead to." Dave waited again as Rory screwed up her resolve. Hopefully, his eyes were communicating support and patience. He could try speaking words of comfort or support, but the moment seemed too fragile to withstand him saying anything. "One of her questions was why didn't I try to escape after we were captured, before we were imprinted. Or why didn't we try signaling for help once we were stuck here. I can't speak for the others, but; I was not in a good place mentally when I was captured." She paused again, but not as long this time. Her shoulders came inward though, like she was trying to shrink; or hide. "Casey, the man I was supposed to partner with after getting my vaccine shot, is a good friend. He; spent time, when he could, talking to me by Zoom after; after ;” Rory shook with silent sobs. In Dave's heart, he knew what was coming next. The cold hand that gripped him, sapped the joy out of moments with his new family. His brain kept trying to reject the knowledge. Finally, she looked him directly in the eyes. Her composure shattered. "I had two daughters. They were both teenagers." As her tears poured out, Dave stepped in closer, wrapping his arms around her, his own visage twisted with the shared pain. He said nothing, merely held her for several minutes. When her shaking subsided, he waited a bit more. Finally, he took a deep breath and brought his mouth near her ear. With a shaky voice, he said, "My son's name was Eddie. He was twenty-three years old." Her arms around him tightened. Neither spoke. Several minutes later, Rory pulled her head back, an empathetic look on her face. She kissed Dave on the cheek and went back inside. Dave took a few minutes to collect himself. Feeling reasonably steady, he walked around the building. Liv and Barnett were there, waiting. "Okay, so here's what's happening. Most of these people are going back by truck. The convoy is nearly here. You two have a date with Air Force Intel, DPD, and possibly the FBI. You're going back in a chopper, now." Barnett paused, giving Dave a moment to process what he'd said. "Is that white pickup about three hundred meters back along the entry road yours?" "Yes." "Keys." "Excuse me?" "Gimme your keys. I'll have one of my people drive it with the convoy. We'll have it waiting for you when the intel boys and detectives decide to loosen the thumbscrews." Dave pulled his keys out and tossed them to the sergeant. "What about our weapons?" "They'll be in your vehicle." Dave nodded in acknowledgment. Jessie, the little pixie blonde, motioned for Dave and Liv to follow her. She led them to the nearby chopper and walked them through the seat harness mechanism. Two other Air Force personnel took seats on either side of the pair. Jessie returned to Barnett as the rotors began to move. Two minutes later, Dave watched the ground recede. Air Force personnel were scattered all over the compound. As of yet none of the kids had been in the big grassy area where the bodies lay. Just as the nose dipped and turned, Dave caught sight of military trucks edging down the dirt road into the camp. To be continued in part 12, Based on a post by RonanJWilkerson, in 12 parts, for Literotica.

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Welcome to THE MILF MENTALITY — the unapologetic, no-nonsense podcast for moms who refuse to settle. We're here to talk about all things investing in yourself—mentally, physically, and emotionally. From nutrition and fitness to habits, mindset, and the raw realities of mom life, this is where matriarchs come to fuel their fire, get real, and embrace their “weird” in the 1%.This isn't for snowflakes. It's for women who chose this wild ride, who want to be empowered, who thrive on doing the hard things and leading by example. We'll dive deep, keep it serious, sprinkle in humor, and embrace every emotion along the way. If you're ready to elevate, to embody strength and authenticity—welcome to the squad.Get ready to unleash the mentalities that make you unbreakable, because YOU are the blueprint for the next generation of badass women.Ready to level up and embody the MILF Mentality? If you're ready to invest in yourself, crush your goals, and be part of a powerful community of like-minded women, I've got something special for you. You can apply for my exclusive coaching program designed for moms who are done playing small and ready to lead with strength, purpose, and authenticity.Join the crew — because the real magic happens when we do the hard work together.Click here to apply and start your journey!Let's fuel that fire, build that mindset, and create the life your kids will admire.Resources:Leave a review on the podcast and be entered to win 1 of 4 $200 Prizes this November!!Connect with Casie@casiejericho@milfy_nationGet ready to unleash your inner Bad A**!

Today is day 359 and we are studying the section on Justification and Sanctification: Living in Forgiveness and Healing. 361. Does God's forgiveness excuse you from personal obedience? No. God has reconciled me to himself and freed me from bondage to sin in order to conform me to the image of his Son. As I live each day in gratitude for God's forgiveness, I seek to turn from sin and follow Christ in loving obedience. (John 14:15–24; Romans 6:1–14; 2 Corinthians 5:14–15; 1 John 3:4–10) We will conclude today by praying Proper 24 found on page 621 of the Book of Common Prayer (2019). If you would like to buy or download To Be a Christian, head to anglicanchurch.net/catechism. Produced by Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Madison, MS. Original music from Matthew Clark. Daily collects and Psalms are taken from Book of Common Prayer (2019), created by the Anglican Church in North America and published by the Anglican Liturgical Press. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Catechism readings are taken from To Be a Christian - An Anglican Catechism Approved Edition, copyright © 2020 by The Anglican Church in North America by Crossway a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Excuse our dust on this roughly edited episode. Our editor needed a well-deserved break this week, so we are releasing the minorly edited cut for this episode. The final episode of season 6! Wow. No real description, just a thank you. Thank you for listening to Knight Light: A Horror Movie Podcast. Never in our wildest dreams did we believe that people would care about our thoughts on a genre that we're so insanely passionate about. So, thank you for keeping us in your ears and for making these 6 years feel so incredible. We can't wait to be back in the new year for season 7! Enjoy this episode on The Monkey, and happy holidays!

Send us a textWe love to whisper it like gospel: “Timing is everything.” Especially in the world of launches and goals — podcasts, programs, products, you name it.You've heard the warnings: “Don't launch during the holidays; everyone's too busy.” “Summer's slow; no one's paying attention.”But here's the raw, unfiltered truth: people are always doing something. Traveling. Streaming. Scrolling. Binge-listening. Buying. Living.The world doesn't stop — and neither should your dreams.In this episode, I'm dismantling one of the biggest lies that keeps brilliant ideas sitting on the shelf: the myth of “perfect timing.” Because timing has never been your barrier — your belief about timing has.Tune in as we break down why your launch can succeed in any season, any month, any moment… as long as you believe in it and back it with intention.If you've been waiting for the stars to align, this is your nudge to realize: You are the alignment.Welcome to Let's Talk Paralegal—where the legal industry gets real. I'm your host, Eda Rosa, legal consultant, speaker, and founder of the Eda Rosa LLC & the Limitless Paralegal Academy.This isn't your stuffy legal studies school lecture. We're talking mindset, money, modern workflows, and how to build a career—and a life—you don't need a vacation from.Let's cut the fluff, raise the bar, and change the game… one conversation at a time.If you like what you Follow us on: LinkedIn Instagram @edarosallc1 Facebook

Where does accountability end and illness begin? That's the question at the center of the Nick Reiner case — and it's one a jury will have to answer. Nick Reiner is facing two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances for allegedly stabbing his parents Rob and Michele Reiner to death in their Brentwood home. The death penalty is on the table. Their daughter reportedly found the bodies. Nick was arrested hours later near USC after reportedly checking into a Santa Monica hotel. This isn't a simple case. Nick Reiner has a documented, two-decade history of severe addiction. He entered rehab at fifteen. By twenty-two, he'd been through seventeen treatment programs. He's spoken openly about meth, heroin, manipulation, and violence. His father directed a film about his addiction. Rob Reiner once said: "I'd rather you hate me than be dead in the street." Nine years later, he's dead. Allegedly at that son's hands. Prosecutors will argue premeditation. The argument at a Christmas party the night before. The timeline. The behavior after the killings. A man who allegedly fled the scene, got a hotel room, and never called 911. The defense has already signaled "complex and serious issues" — code for mental illness, addiction, diminished capacity. They'll argue a brain destroyed by decades of substance abuse couldn't form the intent required for first-degree murder. But here's the harder question nobody wants to ask: What do we do with people who've been given every resource, every intervention, every second chance — and still end up here? When does illness become incompatibility with society? Death row. Life without parole. Or something less. Where do you think this should land? #NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #ReinerCase #TrueCrime #MurderTrial #DeathPenalty #Addiction #CriminalJustice #Justice Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

Where does accountability end and illness begin? That's the question at the center of the Nick Reiner case — and it's one a jury will have to answer. Nick Reiner is facing two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances for allegedly stabbing his parents Rob and Michele Reiner to death in their Brentwood home. The death penalty is on the table. Their daughter reportedly found the bodies. Nick was arrested hours later near USC after reportedly checking into a Santa Monica hotel. This isn't a simple case. Nick Reiner has a documented, two-decade history of severe addiction. He entered rehab at fifteen. By twenty-two, he'd been through seventeen treatment programs. He's spoken openly about meth, heroin, manipulation, and violence. His father directed a film about his addiction. Rob Reiner once said: "I'd rather you hate me than be dead in the street." Nine years later, he's dead. Allegedly at that son's hands. Prosecutors will argue premeditation. The argument at a Christmas party the night before. The timeline. The behavior after the killings. A man who allegedly fled the scene, got a hotel room, and never called 911. The defense has already signaled "complex and serious issues" — code for mental illness, addiction, diminished capacity. They'll argue a brain destroyed by decades of substance abuse couldn't form the intent required for first-degree murder. But here's the harder question nobody wants to ask: What do we do with people who've been given every resource, every intervention, every second chance — and still end up here? When does illness become incompatibility with society? Death row. Life without parole. Or something less. Where do you think this should land? #NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #ReinerCase #TrueCrime #MurderTrial #DeathPenalty #Addiction #CriminalJustice #Justice Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

Alli and Melisa discuss a topic relationship coach Sabrina Zohar touched on -- using your trauma as an excuse. It's ok to name your trauma, but it's your job to fix. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lesbian-chronicles-coming-out-later-in-life--5601514/support.

In this hour, Adam Crowley and Dorin Dickerson discuss whether or not they would accept it if the Steelers lost to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Also, Callas' Steelers Weekly "Rap-Up!" December 19, 2025, 6:00 Hour

Marotta and Tim Ring talk Cardinals, Diamondbacks, and NBA.

Find out why Kincaid is scared to say "excuse me" when he needs meat at the grocery store. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We recap Tommy Mules Bills VS Patriots picks from Friday

    Slam The Gavel podcast welcomes back Julie M. Anderson Holburn. Julie was last on Season 6, Episode 319 and February 6th, 2023. Today we discussed how family court is treated like a "Kangaroo Court," and makes it appear to be "an excuse," for its BAD BEHAVIOR. We talked about several cases, one of them being the Taran Nolan case in Orange County, CA and how that was mishandled.     The judiciary has gone rogue long enough, and this has been an ongoing problem nationwide, destroying parental bonds with their children by judges with little to no education in psychology or child psychological abuze. Up for discussion was the changes happening in Idaho and Arizona.    We also discussed the article written by Greg Larose on 12-10-2025, "Lawmakers Fear DCFS Reorganization Could Cost Louisiana Experienced Child Welfare Workers," and how this could be a good thing.To Reach Julie M. Anderson Holburn:  Instagram/Substack Julie M. Anderson Holburn, her email can be found there.Supportshow(https://www.buymeacoffee.com/maryannpetri)Maryann Petri: dismantlingfamilycourtcorruption.comhttps://www.tiktok.com/@maryannpetriFacebook:  https://www.youtube.com/@slamthegavelpodcasthostmar5536Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/guitarpeace/Pinterest: Slam The Gavel Podcast/@guitarpeaceLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryann-petri-62a46b1ab/  YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@slamthegavelpodcasthostmar5536  Twitter https://x.com/PetriMaryannEzlegalsuit.com   https://ko-fi.com/maryannpetrihttps://www.zazzle.com/store/slam_the_gavel/about*DISCLAIMER* The use of this information is at the viewer/user's own risk. For information only and no affiliation with legislation, bills or laws. Not financial, medical nor legal advice as the content on this podcast does not constitute legal, financial, medical or any other professional advice. Viewer/user's should consult with the relevant professionals. Reproduction, distribution, performing, publicly displaying and making a derivative of the work is explicitly prohibited without permission from content creator. Podcast is protected by owner. The content creator maintains the exclusive right and any unauthorized copyright.Support the showSupportshow(https://www.buymeacoffee.com/maryannpetri)http://www.dismantlingfamilycourtcorruption.com/

i feel bad my baby is in the hurt locker

Pining for Madison: Part 3 Becky Is Not A Chaperone. By Secretauthor2021, in 5 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels. I continued for another hour and a half before finally calling it a day. The garden was looking great, and Mrs. Taylor was extremely grateful. I even got a "looks good" response from Mr. Taylor -- definite progress. "Would it be okay if I used your shower to clean up?" I asked Mrs. Taylor. "Of course, dear. There should be fresh towels already out." "Lovely, thanks, Mrs. Taylor." I was just about to go up the stairs when Madison and Becky were coming down in the opposite direction. "Becky is just going home to get ready for tonight." "Oh, okay. See you again, Becky," I said, then turning to Madison, "I'm just going to have a quick shower, and I'll be right with you." "Okay, I'll be up in a sec." I left them at the foot of the stairs as I went to take a shower. After around ten minutes, I left the bathroom and went to Madison's bedroom to get changed. Madison was sitting on her bed, flicking through her phone, when I walked in. "Hey babe," I said before closing the door behind me. "Oh hey, do you have a minute?" "For you, always." I sat down on the side of the bed, my towel tucked around my waist. "Is everything okay?" I then asked. "Yeah, all is good. I just wanted to ask you something. Well, it's more of a favor, really." "Okay! This is sounding ominous." "Well, remember I said Becky was feeling a bit down." "Yes." "Well, I didn't fully explain her situation. If I tell you, you have to promise not to breathe a word to anyone." "Okay, I promise." She took a deep breath. "God, I can't believe I'm going to tell you this." "Tell me what?" I urged. "Well, she hates the fact she's still a virgin. Like, really hates it, and she doesn't want to, in her words, be the only one in the entire year that hasn't been laid yet." "Okay," I said, wondering where she was going with this. "In her head, it's like being the last one to be picked in Phys Ed. The one no one really wants on their team. It's really affecting her self-esteem." That, I could relate to. It was never a nice feeling to be picked last. In fact, at that point, you're not even picked; you're what they're left with. "Okay... so if she's that desperate, I'm sure someone will oblige." "That's the problem. She can't find anyone she likes, and on top of that, she doesn't want to come across as desperate in case someone takes advantage or accuses her of being a slut for throwing herself at guys." "Huh, quite the dilemma Becky has. But why are you telling me all this?" "You know how you said I was a good friend." "Yes," I replied. "Well, we were talking, and I might have mentioned how we started off, and how great the sex is." "Okay," I said still waiting for Madison, to get to the point. "Oh, fuck it, I'll just come out and say it. Will you take Becky's virginity?" "Um, what now?" I said completely dumbfounded by what she just said. "Will you have sex with Becky? This one time, as a favor for me." "Me? Do you realize, what you're asking?" "I do, and I thought about it, and I know this is a big ask, it's just, this sort of makes sense, plus we can be discreet about it." "A big ask! You're asking me to sleep with another woman, how can you be so cool about this?" "She's my best friend, you're my boyfriend, I trust you both explicitly. Besides, someone who is as good as you at sex - it would be mean to keep you all to myself," she said trying to appeal to my ego. "And what would you be doing, while all this was going on?" "I don't know, what would you like me to be doing?" I took a moment to think about it. "Can you get involved?" "What, like a threesome?" she replied. "Yeah, a threesome makes much more sense to me. A one-on-one with Becky would just feel like cheating on you, and I'm not comfortable with that." Madison started to come around to my suggestion. "Okay, I can do that, but the main focus has to be on Becky, though." "I'd rather focus on you." "I know, babe, but she really needs this." "And this isn't some elaborate joke or test designed to trap boyfriends?" "Nope." "Still, I don't know about this," I replied, still feeling skeptical about the whole thing. Madison then sloped off the bed and onto the floor, kneeling in front of me, looking up at me. "How about..." she began to say, then moving her hand beneath my towel, up my leg and running her fingers along the head of my cock. "I convince you." I looked down at her eager face, as my cock twitched from her touch. "Okay, okay, but it's still a big ask." I replied. "Hmm, okay, how about this? You do this for me, and I'll let you try that thing we talked about the other day." "Wait, seriously?" I said, my face lighting up. "Uh huh." Madison and I had talked on and off about trying anal for a while, but I couldn't quite get her to try it. Her ass was simply too amazing to ignore, and something I had fantasized about for a while now. "Fine, I'll do it, but I'm doing this for you okay, not Becky." "Thanks Ad, you're the best boyfriend ever. I better call Becky and let her know the good news. Madison tried to get to her feet, when I coughed to get her attention. She turned to look at me and I motioned with my eyes downwards. "Oh right, sorry. I'm sure Becky can wait a few more minutes." Madison untucked the towel from my waist and opened it. I had already started to get hard, just thinking about what Madison had offered me. She grabbed my cock and started to slowly jerk it, my cock continuing to harden in her soft hand. Teasingly, she licked the underside of my now swollen cock, then began planting kisses along the side until she reached the tip. It was then she took me in her mouth. God this felt so good, the feel of her lips, the warm, wet embrace of her mouth, the way she moved her tongue and swirled it around my head. Madison's head bobbed up and down in a steady rhythm now. As my mind drifted away in a sea of bliss, it suddenly dawned on me, that I'd actually be having a threesome with my girlfriend and her best friend. Isn't this what every boy dreams of? I had only ever had sex with one person and now Madison was offering Becky up on a plate. Fuck me this was crazy, but then again it was crazy when Madison and I hooked up the first time and look at us now. As I felt my orgasm rapidly approaching, I tapped the top of Madison's head as a courtesy to warn her what was coming. She continued to go at, until I couldn't hold back any longer. "Oh! Oh! Fuck, fuck, fuck," I cried out as quietly as I could as not to alert her parents. Madison continued to work my cock as I came, her lips securely locked around my cock, until I finished completely. Madison took a moment to swallow, before speaking. "Okay, so are we good now?" She said with a cute little smile, then proceeding to dab the corners of her mouth with my towel, almost as if she had just finished a delicious meal at a fancy restaurant. At this point, I would happily have given her all my vital organs had she asked for them. "Yes, we're good." I said exhaling deeply. "Cool." I had to give it to Madison, she certainly was prepared to go the extra mile for her friends. I helped her get to her feet, by offering her my hand. "Damn!" "What is it?" I replied. "I'm kind of in the mood now." "Well, you're going to have to give me at least ten minutes." She then sighed as she thought of another blocker. "We can't," she said somewhat disappointed. "My parents are downstairs. Rain check?" "Definitely. Here, why don't you call Becky." I said, handing over her phone. Madison took the phone from my hand, then swooped in for a quick kiss. "Thanks babe." Unlocking her phone, she went to her contacts and tapped on Becky's name. She waited a moment, then Becky answered. Once again I was left to hear only one half of the conversation. "Hey Girl, I just spoke to Adam, and we are a go." I could hear Becky's excited scream through the phone. "Uh huh, yeah, I know." "He does have one condition though. How do you feel about it being a threesome?" "Of course with me, silly. I'm not just rounding up people for you to have sex with. I'm not some sort of madam, although I do like the sound of that." "Yeah! Madam Madison," she said laughing down the phone, "it has a certain ring to it." "Uh huh, I know. It'll be like that time in summer camp remember, except a lot naughtier." I could hear them both laughing now. I however, had to make a mental note to come back to that one. "Anyway, I'll leave you to prepare, and I'll see you tonight. Later Becks." Madison hung up and then looked at me. "Guess we're having a threesome then." "Well, there's a sentence I'd never thought I'd hear." I replied, still somewhat in disbelief. "So, what's the plan exactly?" I added. "Becky's coming round at 8pm for the quote, unquote sleep over." "And what about me, there's no way your dad is going to let me stay after dark." "Well, what he doesn't know won't harm him, will it. It's date night tonight, so he's taking mom out, so they'll be gone for a while." "And then?" "Then the fun starts." She said with a mischievous smile. Madison appeared to be well up for this. I carried on getting dressed, thinking about the threesome. How does it work exactly? Who does what? I can only cum once at the end of the day. Although, I guess I'd have to save that for Becky in this instance. I had to get going and I could see on Madison's face, that she was deep in planning mode, so now was a good time to leave her to it. "I'll be off then," I announced. "Okay babe, I'll see you...." she kissed me on the lips, "and you, later," she continued, grabbing my crotch. "I'm probably going to go to Becky's now and give her a hand." I turned my wrist to look at my watch. "You've got like eight hours, babe." "I know, but it's a gonna be a big night for her, and us girls need time to prepare." "Well, I'll leave you to it. Just message me when it's safe to come over." I left Madison to it and went downstairs, making sure to say goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Taylor. On the walk home, I wondered if there was anything I could do to prepare for tonight, wondering if I should look at some 'tutorials' on the internet perhaps. I also started to think about Becky, and how I was going to see her naked for the first time, and she was going to see me. I'd never really thought about her in any kind of sexual way before. I only had eyes for Madison. I mean, sure, she was a pretty girl, but she didn't have the same oomph as Madison. It was literally the thought of Madison that got me up in the morning, if you catch my drift. As I got home, I was feeling a bit hungry, so headed into the kitchen. My mom was at the sink doing the dishes. "Hey mom," I said sitting myself down on the stool by the breakfast bar. "Oh hey Adam, are you hungry? I can make you a sandwich." "Yes, please." My mom finished the last of the dishes and dried her hands on the towel. "So, how's your day been, so far?" she asked, grabbing the sandwich meats from the fridge and then bread from the bread bin. "It's been okay." "Are you sure? you seem a bit distant." "Something on your mind, son? Do you want to talk about it?" "God no," I blurted out rather abruptly. My mom was taken aback by my bluntness, so I quickly apologized. "Sorry mom, I didn't mean to say it like that. I'm fine really." My mom finished making the sandwich and handed me the plate. "Is it about, you know S E X?" She said spelling it out. "Because if it is, I can get your father." She took a deep breath, ready to shout out my dad's name, when I quickly cut her off. "Mom! it's not about that. Shush! No need to call dad." "Well, if you're sure. You know you can always talk to us about anything." While I appreciated her offer, there was no way I was talking this one out with her or my dad. "Honestly, I'm fine mom. No need to worry. I'm going to take my sandwich up to my room." "Okay dear, don't forget to bring the plate down afterwards. I'll see you later." As I carried my sandwich upstairs, I couldn't help but think how remarkably accurate my mom's instincts were. I guess mother's really do know best. I sat on my bed and took a big bite out of my sandwich. As I chewed, I tried to visualize what it would be like in my head. I thought about Madison and her rocking body, kneeling on the bed. Then I added Becky next to her, not sure what she looked like naked, so I had to improvise. Then the idea of the pillow fight popped into my head, the two girls bouncing up and down on the bed in slow motion, hitting each other with pillows, with an explosion of feathers everywhere, and jiggling, so much jiggling. I found myself smiling at the thought of it, this was shaping up to be quite a good fantasy I thought to myself. Before I knew it, the sandwich was finished, and I had just eased back on to my pillow. I'll just sit back and picture it some more, I thought. In mere moments, I had fallen asleep. The yard work must have really taken it out of me, as when I woke up it was 7pm. Feeling a bit groggy, I decided to have a shower to wake me up. With the shower done, I found myself waiting for the call. I suddenly started to get very anxious about it. Talking about it was one thing, but actually going through with it was another. I needed a distraction to stop me from overthinking it, so I decided to play one of the games on my Xbox. Just as I was getting into it, my phone chimed. It was a message from Madison. I paused the game and looked at my phone. From: Mads "They've just left, you can come over now xx" This was it, time to shine, I thought. I turned the console off, put my trainers on and headed out the door, yelling "I'm going out, be back later," as I left. As I made my way to Madison's I could feel my nerves kicking in. I hadn't felt like this, since the early days with Madison. Now, it wasn't one girl I had to worry about pleasing but two. As Madison said to Becky on the phone, this was so wild. I mean a threesome, me? I never thought stuff like this would happen to a guy like me. Madison's front door was now mere feet away. I slowly approached, mentally psyching myself up and then knocked on her door. Within seconds, Madison had answered, she was wearing her fluffy pink dressing gown. "Hey babe," she greeted, giving me a quick kiss on the lips. "Hey." "Becky's upstairs; do you want a drink before we go up?" "Sure, thanks." I followed Madison into the kitchen. "So, this is it? Our first threesome," I said, as she grabbed a glass from the cupboard. "I know, crazy right. But don't forget the focus of tonight is Becky, you and I will have plenty of opportunities for a one on one, so don't worry about me so much, okay?" She filled the glass with water and handed it to me. "You're the boss." I gulped the water down quickly, something that Madison picked up on. "You're not nervous, are you?" "A little," I replied, and put the empty glass on the counter. "Don't worry about it, I'll make sure you're properly taken care of," she said smiling. She gently pushed me against the kitchen unit and leaned into me, wrapping her arms around my waist; we kissed. "Now, come on stud, Becky must be wondering where we are." Madison grabbed my hand and lead me back through the house and up the stairs to her room. As we entered, Becky, also in a dressing gown, was sitting on the bed. She got up as soon as she saw us. "Hey Becky," "Hey Adam, I... I just wanted to say thank you for agreeing to do this. I know you and Mads love each other very much and this was a big ask on my part, but thank you, you don't know how much I need this." "Thank Madison, really, she's the one who did a very good job convincing me." Madison playfully nudged me as she walked to the other side of the bed. There was a brief silence as we all looked at each other, wondering how we were going to start this, when Becky remembered something and broke the silence. "Oh, before I forget. I wasn't quite sure what would happen tonight, or what you two were into, so I did a bit of research on the internet and brought a few things with me. I hope you don't mind." She walked to the corner of the room and picked up a nondescript carrier bag. Then walking back, she proceeded to empty the contents of the bag on to the bed. "Holy crap Beck's," Madison blurted out. On the bed in front of us, was a blindfold, a pair of hand cuffs, a couple of bottles of sensual massage oils, a medium sized purple vibrator and a box of condoms. "I didn't know... um, how big you were Adam, so I hope these are okay?" Becky said pointing to the condoms. "They should be fine." I replied, looking at the box. "After you left Mads, I went into that new lingerie shop in the mall. They had a whole section of this stuff at the back, so I grabbed all this lot." Madison and I looked at each other, then both looked back at Becky. "Wow Becky, you really went all out." Madison, picked up the massage oil, flicked open the cap and sniffed. Her face showing, she approved of the scent. "Well, they say you never forget your first time, so I wanted to make sure mine was unforgettable." There was no chance of forgetting this, that's for sure, I thought to myself. We all stood there, just looking at the pile of sex aids on the bed, waiting for someone to make the first move. "Okay then, shall we do this?" Madison suggested, with a hint of excitement in her voice. I think Becky and I were looking for someone to take the lead and it looks like Madison just volunteered. "Well, I think to start with, one of us is wearing way too many clothes." Madison announced as both her and Becky looked in my direction. "What about you two? With your dressing gowns on," I said defensively, even though I knew I would need to get naked. The two girls turned to face each other and smiled, they both unfastened their belts, and dropped their gowns to the floor, in what looked like a perfectly synced move. My eyes didn't know where to look first. On either side of the bed was a naked girl, standing there looking back at me. "Oh boy, guess I am overdressed." The girls laughed. As I stepped on the heels of my trainers to take them off, I sensed both girls' eyes on me. A mix of nerves and excitement surged through me as I pulled my t-shirt over my head and tossed it aside. Moving on to my jeans, I undid the top button and smoothly slid the zipper down before opening the waistband corners and tugging my jeans down my legs. Lifting each leg slightly, I grabbed the cuffs and pulled them off. I stood up straight again, left with only my red boxer briefs. Taking a brief look at each girl, I decided to get on with it, treating it like ripping off a Band-Aid. Without hesitation, I dropped my underwear to the floor. It was done. The three of us stood there, completely naked, our eyes exploring each other's bodies. Of course, for Madison, it was nothing new, but for Becky, it was an entirely new experience. I could see the hunger in her eyes as they roamed over my body. "Shall we all get on the bed?" Madison proposed, tapping the top of the bed. We each clambered onto Madison's bed, now within touching distance of one another. You could feel something building between us all. We continued to look at each other, our eyes doing what our bodies were hesitant to do. I couldn't help but compare the differences between the two girls. Madison's breasts were slightly larger and fuller, whereas Becky's were smaller but pert. Becky had also opted for the completely shaved look between her legs, whereas Madison liked to keep it trimmed. We needed an ice breaker, something to relax us all. I don't know why it popped into my head at that moment, but it was worth a go. "Can I ask you girls something?" "Sure," they both said. "When you were both on the phone to each other earlier today, I heard Madison mention something about summer camp. What happened at summer camp exactly?" The girls looked at each other and burst out laughing. "Should we tell him?" Madison asked Becky. "Yeah, go on then." Becky replied. "Okay, well there was this girl right, oh what was her name Beck's?" They both thought about it for a moment, then remembered her name at the same time. "Lindsey Schaffer!" they shouted out and started laughing again. "Well anyway, it was late, and Becky and I were still chatting when we caught Lindsey practicing kissing with her hand--you know, that thing people do. She was really into it, and Becky and I just kept watching." She illustrated with her hand to show me. "So anyway, she caught us staring at her and got all embarrassed. It turns out, a boy had asked her out, and she didn't have any experience in kissing, so she was getting all worked up about it." "Being the good Samaritans that we were, we offered to help her out. The next thing we knew, both Becky and I were taking turns kissing Lindsey, and then each other--really going at it, tongues and everything." "Turns out, she had nothing to worry about. She was a really good kisser, wasn't she, Mads?" Becky added. "She was, and if I remember correctly, she wasn't the only one," Madison said, looking at Becky. "Madison, you're embarrassing me in front of Adam." "What? You're a good kisser, though." The icebreaker seemed to have worked, and the atmosphere was much more relaxed now. "I'm having a hard time visualizing it, sorry. Perhaps you could show me? I said jokingly. The two girls looked at each other, both clearly up for it. "Okay, if that'll help us get started," Madison replied. I sat on my knees at the foot of the bed, as the two girls moved closer to each other, their bodies eventually touching. I watched with bated breath, as Madison's breasts squashed against Becky's as they embraced. Their kiss was a long and passionate one. Their hands slowly drifting towards each other's hips. They were not holding back, that's for sure. This was so hot; I could feel my cock begin to twitch and slowly lift from my body. The girls paused their kissing for a moment. "Did you want to join us?" Becky asked coyly. I sat upright and crawled closer to the girls, feeling the warmth of their bodies. I could have gotten even closer if not for the assortment of toys Becky had brought between us. Madison reached over and grabbed the side of my face with one hand and Becky's with the other. Turning to face me, she pulled my face closer and kissed me, before turning to do the same with Becky. As Madison pulled away, Becky ran her tongue along her lips as if tasting the kiss. She then looked directly into my eyes, her head drifting closer to me as we eventually kissed. When her lips finally landed against mine, they felt similar yet different from Madison's. I felt her tongue gently flick against mine; it felt nice. Madison was right--she was a good kisser. After we all shared a round of kisses, we found ourselves in a huddle. Our attention soon shifted downwards, to all the things Becky had brought with her, or at least that's what I thought the girls were looking at. "It's so big now," Becky commented, biting her bottom lip. "I know, wait til you try it though," Madison replied. "Can I touch it, Adam?" Becky asked. I nodded my head, and Becky reached out and gripped my shaft, wrapping her fingers around it and squeezing gently. "It feels so hard, will it hurt?" Becky asked Madison. "It will at first, but I promise you it will pass, and you'll enjoy it. Besides Adam will be gentle, won't you?" "I'll go nice and slow, don't worry about it." I replied, reassuring her. Becky looked relieved. "I guess we should try some of this stuff out then," I said, picking up the handcuffs and holding them up to the girls. "Which one of you wants to go first?" I asked. "Becky as this is your first time, I think you should go first." Madison suggested. "Well, if you're sure." Becky replied excitedly. "Right, Ad, you move this stuff out of the way, and Beck's, you lie down in the middle by here." Becky and I followed Madison's instructions. "Adam, why don't you use the handcuffs on Becky and maybe thread them through the rails on the headboard. Does that sound alright with you, Beck's?" Becky nodded, and I grabbed the pair of handcuffs. As I leaned over her, Becky smiled then winked at me as she raised her arms above her head and held her wrists together, essentially submitting to me. The only way I could think of attaching them was to straddle the upper part of Becky's body. "Excuse me, I just need to..." I climbed on top of Becky, my knees just tucking in alongside each one of her breasts. I leaned forward to reach her arms, while my cock hovered above her face. I fastened one of the cuffs to her wrist, then thread the other one through the headboard rail. I looked down at Becky's face, her eyes crossed as they tried to focus on my cock looming above her face. "Sorry, I probably should have started with the blindfold." I said smiling. "I'm not complaining." I attached the cuff to the remaining wrist so both Becky's hands were secured and held above her head. "Is that okay? They're not too tight, are they?" I asked. "No, they're good, thanks." She replied, gently pulling at them. "Pass me the blindfold Ad," Madison then asked. I carefully climbed off Becky and passed the blindfold to Madison. "You okay with all of this Becky? If you want to do this another way, just ask, okay, babe." "I want to try everything, besides, I think I like being tied up like this." "Kinky!" I remarked. Madison placed the blindfold over Becky's eyes and gently lifted her head for the strap to go on. Becky was now handcuffed and blindfolded. I looked her naked body up and down, then I could see Madison looking at me as I did. I immediately felt a pang of guilt for admiring Becky's body, and it must have shown in my face. "It's okay, you can look and touch, this was my idea remember?" Madison said reassuring me. She then leaned across and we kissed again. "We're going to use the oils now, okay Beck's." "Okay, oil me up, baby," she responded. I handed the bottle to Madison, and she squeezed some into her hand, then held the bottle up to squeeze some into mine. She put the bottle down and rubbed her hands together. I copied her. "I'll do this side; you do that one." I nodded in agreement and we both placed our oiled hands near each of Becky's ankles and began massaging her legs, slowly working our way upwards. "How does this feel?" Madison asked. "It feels so good you guys." We had now reached Becky's thighs and were inching closer and closer to her mound. Becky's body started to react as our combined hands inched their way up her inside legs. Her body started to squirm a little as our fingertips flirted with her most intimate of areas. My hands were closest, and I looked at Madison for her approval. She simply nodded at me, and I brushed my hand over her sex. Becky gasped at my touch. Madison continued to work her way up Becky's body, while I knew what I'd be doing. Her hairless mound made it easy for my hands to glide over. I slid my middle finger flat against her opening, slowly rubbing it. Becky bit her bottom lip and started to moan. Madison looked back at me to see what I was doing, while continuing to massage Becky's breasts with her hands. She looked at me then smiled. I have to admit it, this was pretty hot. My cock ached at this point, it was so hard. I continued to toy with Becky, my fingers dancing along her entrance. The combination of the oil and her wetness made it effortless. I pushed my main finger inside her and Becky's knees jolted upright. I rubbed her clit, circling it with the tip of my finger, then flicking the underside of it. That, coupled with, what I could now see was Madison playing with Becky's nipples, was driving Becky insane, her moaning was louder, and her body continued to writhe in pleasure. Seeing and hearing Becky like this must have definitely turned Madison on, as one of her hands was now firmly between her legs and she was rubbing herself. She caught me watching her and angled her body towards me, so I could see better. It was then I had an idea. "Why don't you lie down here next to me, opposite Becky." I suggested. Madison positioned herself as instructed. I had her lying to the left of me and Becky to the right, with myself wedged between them. With my left hand, I took over from Madison and started rubbing between her legs, and with my right I continued between Becky's. I had both girls moaning in unison now, as I watched over them like a master of pleasure. Seeing their beautiful naked bodies twist and turn as my fingers brought them to the brink of ecstasy. My cock hardened to painful proportions, from the experience of having these two girls, literally being putty in my hands. I looked to my right, Becky with her body glistening with oil and her mound slick and swollen with excitement. I knew I had to take care of her soon, but at the same time, I didn't want to neglect Madison too much. I looked back at Madison and smiled, she had such a look of satisfaction on her now flush face. "Becky, are you ready for Adam?" Madison asked. "Umm, I'm ready. So ready." Madison looked back at me and tilted her head sideward as a signal to go for it. "Do you want the blindfold on or off for this bit Becky?" I asked. "Ooh, on please." I grabbed the box of condoms and opened it, removing one of the square foil packets and discarded the box. I bit into the side and tore it off with my teeth and removed the circular latex and rolled it on to my cock. Madison stroking my thigh as I did. I positioned myself between Becky's oily legs, looking over at Madison for that one final nod of approval before proceeding. Giving me a beaming smile, I had it, but before I started, I grabbed the purple vibrator and handed it to her. She took it from my hand. I then turned my attention to Becky. I lowered my body on top of hers, but held it above her, as if doing a press up. My cock lining up against her mound. I teased her with the tip of my cock, sliding it up and down, up and down. The sound of buzzing could suddenly be heard as Madison turned the vibrator on, mimicking what I was doing to Becky. I lowered my hips first; my lower body pushing down on top of Becky. I entered her with ease, she was so wet. She let out a cry. "Oh, oh god!" Her breathing was getting heavier now. I slid back and pushed in again, only halfway in. I could see the discomfort in Becky's face. "Are you okay Becky?" "It hurts," she whimpered. I could feel her body tense and resist me, while her excitement made her clit hard. After a few gentle thrusts, the resistance passed, and her body welcomed me in. She clutched on to the rails of the headboard and screamed with pleasure as I penetrated her. She was a lot more vocal than Madison. I continued to thrust, every so often grinding myself against her. Madison was moaning too, the vibrator firmly ensconced between her legs now, penetrating herself. I picked up my speed, Becky's encouragement egging me on. "Umm, yes, yes, oh, oh, faster, Adam, faster." As I increased my rhythm, it started to sound like she was crying, I was starting to get concerned until I saw the look on her face. She was definitely not upset. Becky tried to wrap her legs around me and pull me closer, but her legs were so well oiled they kept slipping down the back of my legs. I decided to meet her halfway. I scooped up her legs, resting them upright against my chest, so her feet were up in the air near my shoulders, and I pushed forward, deeper into her and continued my thrusting. As I did, Becky hit a pitch so high, that I'm sure all the dogs in the neighborhood suddenly took note. Becky's whole body shook, the sound of the metal handcuffs rankled against the metal rails of the headboard as she desperately tried to cope with the orgasm coursing its way through her entire body. Her writhing hips were enough to tip me over the edge. It was my turn to make noise now, I grunted as I came inside of her. I quickly looked over to Madison, she wasn't far behind us in our cascade of climax. Her knees swung together as she quickly closed her legs, lifting her hips off the bed, as the vibrator brought her to orgasm. Her face a picture of silent screaming as she came. Her body then relaxed and slumped back on to the bed. She turned the vibrator off, the only noise was that of everyone s post orgasm breathing. I carefully withdrew from Becky and shuffled off the bed to dispose of the now very full condom. As I was doing that, Madison removed Becky's handcuffs, her wrists slightly marked from when she struggled during her orgasm. With her hands now free, Becky took off her blindfold. "Oh my god, you guys. I think I just died and went to heaven. I have NEVER in my life, experienced anything that felt that good. EVER," she gushed. "I told you he was good," Madison said, then looked over to me and winked. "You are one lucky girl Madison Taylor, that's for sure," Becky continued to enthuse. I handed each of them tissues, in case they needed them. "So, it was okay then?" I asked. "Okay? I'm still trying to uncurl my toes." She said laughing. "I mean, oh my god girl, how do you even leave the bedroom every day. Is it always this good?" She said to Madison. "Pretty much, although I think we may have to add the oils and hand cuffs to our repertoire." The girls created a gap for me between them on the bed and I wedged myself between them. We all laid in silence for a few moments, savoring the moment and staring up at the ceiling. "So, Becky, how does it feel to not be a virgin anymore?" Madison asked. "It feels amazing, it was amazing, Adam was amazing. It was all amazing!" "Well, glad we could help you out, right Mads?" I added. "Absolutely! In fact, I would even go as far saying, maybe this shouldn't be a one-time thing. What do you reckon?" "I'm game," Becky replied enthusiastically. "That is, if Adam wants to, that is," she quickly added. "Well, I may need some convincing," I said jokingly, lifting my arms and clasping my hands behind my head. The girls used the opening, to move their heads closer and spontaneously kissed me on either side of my cheeks. "I think we can do that, can't we, Becky?" "Oh yes, definitely." Madison then glanced over to her alarm clock. "But not tonight sorry, my parents will be coming home soon, and you know my dad better not find you here." "Aww! Can I stay a little longer?" I pleaded. "Sorry babe," Madison replied, placing her hand on my chest and kissing me again. "I'll leave you guys to say your goodbyes. Is it okay if I use your shower Mads? I think I need to get this oil off me, before it stains anything." "Of course." Becky got up from the bed, holding her chest and left the room, leaving Madison and I alone on the bed. I turned to my side to face her, and she did the same. "Thanks again for doing this for Becky. I really appreciate it. I know my request was um... an unusual one." "You know I'd do anything for you Madison, you're my girl." She leaned over and kissed me. "What did I ever do to deserve you?" I draped my arm over her and in one slick move rolled her on top of me. "Don't tell me you can go again already?" "Oh, I think I can rise to the occasion." "You did not just say that." Madison said laughing at my cheesy remark. "Besides, I can't exactly leave you high and dry now, can I?" "Who said anything about being dry?" She replied smirking and raising one eyebrow. Madison sat upright on top of me and began to grind against me, proving her point. I lifted my hands to support her and she inter-locked her fingers with mine. "Do you know how hot it was watching you fuck Becky? And when you were fingering us both at the same time. I'm getting wetter just thinking about it," She added, grinding a bit faster now. I could feel my cock getting hard again under her. "Umm, there he is!" She called out, as my hardening cock slipped between the lips of her mound. "Tell you what, it's not quite anal, but I'll give you something to look at." She clambered off me, turning herself around and then climbed back on, with her back facing me. "How about a bit of reverse cow-girl?" "Now we're talking." Madison slipped her hand between her legs and pushed me inside of her. I grabbed on to her perfect ass, as she began to ride me. Fuck, did she know how to work me. She leaned forward, and propped her hands on my knees, sliding backwards and forwards. I could see my cock appearing and disappearing inside of her. She soon shifted back to a seated position, and continued to rock on my lap. Just as she was finding her rhythm, Becky opened the bedroom door. "Madison, do you have any more towels, Oh shit, sorry, I didn't realize you two were at it. I'll wait outside if you want." "It's okay Becky," Madison replied, slightly out of breath. "They're in the... in the... oh god, oh god, Umm." Unable to finish her sentence, she simply pointed to the wardrobe. Becky walked slowly across the room to the wardrobe, her eyes fixed on us, wearing a massive grin, while Madison continued to ride me. "Ride em cowboy! Woo!" Becky jokingly cried out. "Yee Ha!" Madison yelled back, waving her arm in the air, like the riders do at the rodeo, all the while laughing. "Ride that cock girl, yeah!" Becky continued to encourage. "Becky!" I shouted out laughing. "Sorry, I'm going, I'm going." Becky left the room once more, and as soon as the door closed behind her Madison and I climaxed together. "Fuck!" I cried out, holding tightly on to Madison's hips as if there were a possibility she'd float away. Madison ran her hands through her hair and exhaled deeply. "Oh my god, that was intense." Madison climbed off and fell beside me. "Now, that's definitely the last one, okay. You better get dressed, because if you're not by the time Becky gets out of the shower, she'll be the one riding you next." "I better get dressed then, my cock will fall off at this rate." I gave Madison a quick peck on the cheek and sat up, turning to get off the bed. As I stood up, I turned around, and took another look at Madison. Her body glistened with sweat under the soft hue of the bedroom light. "What?" She asked. "Just admiring the view, that's all. I could stare at you all day." "You know how to make a girl feel good about herself, don't you?" I picked up my clothes and started to get dressed. By the time I had put my trainers back on, Becky entered the room, this time wrapped in a towel. She walked past me and sat down on the bed next to Madison. "So, you off then?" Becky asked. "Yep. I'm afraid so." "That's a shame, I would have loved a turn in the saddle," she said with a cheeky wink. "Another time, Beck's." "So, what have you girls got planned for the rest of the night?" "Oh, we'll probably have that pillow fight we told you about, isn't it Beck's?" Madison joked. "Oh yeah! and perhaps practice our kissing again." "Girls, girls, what are you doing to me!" I cried out. They both laughed out loud. "Don't worry, you can join us next time okay. We promise." "I'm going to hold you to that." With that, I said my final goodbyes and left them to it, letting myself out. As I closed the front door behind me, the reality of my evening kicked in. Not only did I have sex in front of someone, but I also had my very first threesome, and what an experience that turned out to be. Would it be my first and last? Who knows. For all I know, Becky could meet someone tomorrow. But it was interesting that Madison wanted to share me. Would I have done the same if it were my friend who wanted to get laid? I honestly couldn't say. Until next time. To be continued in part 4, By Secretauthor2021 for Literotica.

Erin and Alyssa break down Marjorie Taylor Greene's bullsh*t on 60 Minutes, Trump's takeover of the Kennedy Center Honors, and Melania's embarrassing attempt at a children's storytime. Then comedian Kara Klenk joins for a petty discussion about Angel Trees and performative charity. They also dish some Solicited Advice on celebrating the holidays on a budget, dating in your 20s, and the very best vacuum.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.Katie Miller's Excuse for Free Military House Falls Apart in Damning Police Report (The Daily Beast 12/9)Takeaways from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's '60 Minutes' interview Greene says Republicans in Congress make fun of Trump behind his back (The Hill 12/7)At the Kennedy Center Honors, Little Glitz and One Striking Accessory (NYT 12/8)TikTok made Angel Trees a trend. Now it's making them a scapegoat (Salon 12/1) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Notes: Contract Law Exam Ready GuideUnderstanding Contract Law: Performance, Breach, and ExcuseThis conversation delves into the complexities of contract law, focusing on performance, breach, and the various conditions that govern contractual obligations. It explores the tension between strict compliance and equitable considerations, the implications of anticipatory repudiation, and the legal frameworks that guide these issues under both common law and the UCC. The discussion emphasizes the importance of understanding the nuances of contract performance and the potential consequences of breaches, while also highlighting the role of good faith in contractual relationships.In the world of contract law, the journey doesn't end with the formation of a contract. The real challenge begins with performance, where the rubber meets the road. This blog post delves into the critical aspects of contract law, focusing on performance, breach, and the excuses that can arise.The Essence of Performance: At the heart of every contract lies the duty to perform. This duty is not just a formality; it's a legal obligation that binds parties to fulfill their promises. The question often arises: how perfect does this performance need to be? Under common law, the standard is substantial performance, allowing for minor deviations as long as the essential purpose is met. However, the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) demands perfection, known as the perfect tender rule, where even a slight deviation can lead to rejection.Breach and Its Classifications: When performance falters, it leads to a breach. Breaches are classified based on their severity: minor, material, or total. A minor breach allows the contract to continue, with the non-breaching party entitled to damages. A material breach, however, is significant enough to suspend the non-breaching party's obligations, potentially leading to a total breach if not cured.Excuses and Defenses: Contract law also provides mechanisms to excuse performance under certain conditions. Impossibility, impracticability, and frustration of purpose are key defenses that can discharge duties when unforeseen events make performance unfeasible or pointless. Additionally, express conditions in contracts act as gatekeepers, determining when duties arise.Navigating the complexities of contract law requires a keen understanding of these principles. Whether you're a law student or a practicing attorney, mastering the nuances of performance, breach, and excuse is essential. Remember, the balance between strict rules and equitable outcomes is the cornerstone of high-level contract analysis.Subscribe now to stay updated on the latest insights in contract law.TakeawaysThis Deep Dive is for law students and bar candidates.Understanding conditions is crucial for determining performance obligations.Express conditions require strict compliance, while constructive conditions allow for substantial performance.Breach classification is essential: minor, material, or total.Anticipatory repudiation allows immediate claims for breach.Adequate assurances can clarify uncertain performance situations.Impossibility and frustration of purpose can excuse performance obligations.The implied covenant of good faith underpins all contracts.Discharge by subsequent agreement can end or change contracts.The perfect tender rule is a strict standard under the UCC. contract law, performance, breach, anticipatory repudiation, conditions, good faith, UCC, common law, legal obligations, contract analysis

In episode 1977, Jack and guest co-host Andrew Ti are joined by comedian and host of I Said No Gifts!, Bridger Winegar, to discuss… Oh No Way... Katie Miller Is Also A Lying Piece of Sh*t? Las Vegas Getting Taken Over By Private Equity, Liam Neeson And Pam Anderson Are No More…, Capitalism Doesn’t Want You To Poop and more! Katie Miller’s Excuse for Free Military House Falls Apart in Damning Police Report Las Vegas Getting Taken Over By Private Equity Las Vegas casinos see gaming revenue surge despite summer tourism slump How to make yourself poop regularly in the morning before going to work 1 in 3 Gen Z workers too scared to use office bathroom, study reveals ‘It’s okay to poo at work’: new health campaign highlights a common source of anxiety The Corporate War on What Constitutes an Employee Poop Break Bathroom break at work? Swiss court upholds watchmaker’s rule to do it on your own time Man claims he was fired from stone works job after sharing a meme of Elmo pooping on 'company time' - before later admitting that he quit because of 'bad blood' and offensive texts from his boss New sloped toilet designed to reduce time workers spend in the bathroom Managers Are Literally Obsessed With Their Employees’ Bathroom Breaks LISTEN: Yes I Do by Leon Knight & DE'WAYNESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Matt breaks down the delusion that “sales are slow” or “the economy is down” and exposes the real problem: lack of action. Learn how elite operators take full control, dominate their market, and grow even when everyone else is complaining. WANT MATT'S HELP WITH MARKETING OR COACHING? https://www.serviceindustrycoach.com

 Bridge Engineering: Part 1Two broken, single parents find healing.Based on a post by Architect 23 94, in 3 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Connected.And so it began. The start of another school year. I pulled my Jeep into the school grounds and took my place in the waiting drop-off lane. Children scurried about the school grounds with crisp back-to-school clothes and brightly colored backpacks not yet soiled and tattered from use. I winced internally as numerous mothers hugged their little ones, sent them into the building, and tearfully departed.My Elizabeth unfastened her seatbelt and eagerly fidgeted on the edge of the seat as we crept forward in line. Upon arrival at the designated unloading zone, Lizzie contorted herself over the center console and gave me a tight, all-consuming hug. "I love you Daddy!" she shouted as a volunteer parent opened the car door. And with that, she was gone in a flash. The volunteer and I just smiled at each other and shrugged our shoulders.In a repeat of years past, I drove away with a feeling of emptiness. Lizzie and I spent every minute of the summer together and I grew accustomed to her as my constant companion. It seemed like just yesterday that I dropped her off for the first day of preschool. Today it's third grade. How fast will the remaining years fly by before she leaves me all alone?I spent the day in a nearby coffee shop distractedly conducting business via email on my laptop. It wasn't rational, but somehow it felt better knowing I was only a couple minutes from the school, and from Lizzie. Time passed excruciatingly slow and I struggled to resist going to the school and being one of 'those' helicopter parents. Well, school ends at 2:50. I held out until 2:15.I was third in the line of vehicles waiting for pick-up and my eyes anxiously scanned the mass of children emerging from the school doors. It wasn't long before I spotted Lizzie joyfully skipping hand-in-hand with a girl I didn't recognize. She was rail thin, had a very lightly tanned skin tone, and towered above Lizzie. That wasn't too surprising since Lizzie took after her very petite mother and also barely made the birthday cutoff for her grade, but this girl was quite a bit taller than the average third grader.The girls zig-zagged as they skipped down the sidewalk with swinging arms and bouncing hair. Lizzie's straight and amber brown, her friend's a loose mass of dark curls. Lizzie spotted my Jeep and pointed it out to her friend. They hugged goodbye with Lizzie's arms around her friend's waist, and her friend's arms around Lizzie's head. I smiled at the height contrast and felt a sense of relief as Lizzie ran toward the Jeep.She climbed in and frantically began telling me everything about her day, a flood of words pouring from her mouth as if a damn holding them back had burst, "My teacher is Mrs. Pierpont and she is really nice and she has red hair. A boy named Alex sits next to me and he has shiny shoes. I had a hot dog for lunch and; and; and;”My heart felt comfort as she sat next to me and I heard the happiness in her voice. I needed her near me and to know that everything was ok.Lizzie had talked non-stop for 10 minutes and was still going as we headed toward home. The small-town streets gave way to a rural two-lane road as we headed out of town, and eventually the tires crunched along the gravel road leading to our house in the woods. It was the tranquil setting that I needed when Lizzie and I moved here 8 years ago."; and I met a new friend. Her name is Toni, well it's really Antonia, but she wants to be called Toni. Kind of like my name is Elizabeth, but you call me Lizzie. She is really nice and really tall. She has a pet frog."I interrupted to ask, "Is that who you were skipping with after school?""Yes, she in my class but she doesn't sit next to me. I met her when we were in line for lunch and we sat together. She brought a salad from home and bought a milk in the lunch line. She just moved here from somewhere else. Can I bring lunch from home tomorrow?"I patted her knee with my hand and said, "Of course, you can sweetie." as we parked in front of the house.It wasn't a large house but was plenty of space for the two of us. There was a great room, kitchen and half bathroom on the main level; two bedroom-bathroom suites and a loft space on the second level; and a semi-finished basement that I had been slowly working on for several years. It had all the modern technology and conveniences but was built with a rustic charm complementing its setting in the woods.We kicked our shoes off in the mudroom and Lizzie discarded her backpack into the coat cubby by the door. Lizzie, or more accurately, I, survived the first day of the school year. Only 179 more to go.Getting In A Rhythm.Lizzie and I settled into the school year rhythm over the next couple weeks and I began to slowly let go of my separation anxiety. Every day, I dropped her off at school, worked from home, then picked her up from school. Evenings were filled with homework, dinner preparation, and some form of relaxing time together. Lizzie particularly enjoyed walking in the woods and making up imaginary games with sticks, leaves, rocks, or other things she would find along the way. The grand finale of her outdoor adventures was always spending some time on a rope swing that I had hung from a tall oak tree. Other nights we might occupy ourselves with board games, cards, or television as the mood struck us. At the end of every night, Lizzie would get ready for bed then we would spend about a half-hour talking and reading a book of her choice before turning off the lights.I also noticed another pattern forming in those first few weeks of school. Lizzie was talking more and more about her new friend, Toni. They waited for each other to arrive in the mornings before going into the school together and would always emerge side-by-side in the afternoons. They were quickly becoming inseparable and I was happy to see her form that kind of relationship. Like me, Lizzie had always been socially reserved with only a few limited friendships.I saw her reserved personality opening up more and more with Toni, so one evening when Lizzie asked if she could invite her to play at our house, I readily agreed. I wrote my name and cell phone number on a note pad before tearing it out and handing it to Lizzie, "Ask her to have her parents call me and we will see if we can setup a time to play."Lizzie squealed and bounced up and down in excitement. She continued bouncing all the way to the mudroom and safely deposited the note in her backpack.Introductions.It was a couple days later, mid-morning on Thursday, that I answered a call from a number I didn't recognize. Thinking it was likely a business call, I answered, "Hello, this is David."A friendly but hesitant female voice replied, "Hi, I'm Stefani, Toni's mom.""Hi Stefani. It's nice to meet you, well, over the phone at least. Lizzie has been so excited to play with Toni!""Yes, I've heard a lot about Lizzie over the last couple weeks. Toni is excited too."I got down to details and asked, "When is Toni available?""Would Saturday afternoon, maybe around 1:00, work for you?""Yes, that would be just fine." Not knowing how many facts about our home life found its way to Toni's parents, I tried to be understanding of the fact that people can be cautious of sending their children, especially girls, to a single father's house. I tentatively asked, "Where would Toni be most comfortable? Lizzie would love for her to come here, or we are happy to meet at Triangle Park. Whatever works best for you."Stefani thought for a brief second, then replied, "Would you be comfortable dropping Lizzie off at our house for a couple hours?"I noticed that she said, "drop her off for a couple hours," which clearly meant I was not invited to stay. However, I didn't think much of it since a dad hanging around during a play date in someone else's house would be awkward at best."Yes, I'm sure Lizzie would enjoy that."Stefani gave me the address, then we exchanged closing words and ended the call. I sat and reflected on the conversation for a few moments. It all seemed very normal. Stefani seemed "normal" and was pleasant enough, though I sensed a business-like tone in her voice. I shrugged it off thinking, "How much can you tell from a 2-minute phone call?"Getting Together.I told Lizzie the news when I picked her up from school. She shrieked with excitement, did a little dance in her seat, and began counting the hours until 1:00 Saturday. She definitely got that over-enjoyment of simple things in life, and the dancing talent, from her mother!Saturday eventually arrived, although much too slowly for Lizzie's liking. After lunch, we hopped into the Jeep and rode into town with Lizzie impatiently fidgeting in the passenger seat the whole way. We pulled onto Depot Street near downtown and Lizzie helped me scan for the mailbox with the correct house number. I saw it from a distance and slowed down so she could have the discovery."There it is! There it is! 2 1 5!" she screamed.I brought the Jeep to a stop in front of a small, well-kept bungalow style home with an impressive display of annual flowers by the front steps. As soon as we stopped, Toni burst out the front door and bounded down the porch steps in a single leap. Likewise, Lizzie unfastened her seatbelt and threw open the door in one fluid motion. They met midway across the yard in a full speed, shrieking embrace.I smiled at their innocent joy as I unbuckled my seatbelt and walked around the Jeep toward the house. As I did, the front door opened and a tall, slender lady stepped out onto the porch in bare feet, wearing fashionably weathered blue jeans and a buff color corded sweater. She appeared to be in her early 30s and looked like the identical, older version of Toni. She was maybe around 5 foot 10, tall and had the same slender build, with addition of modest womanly curves at her hips and chest. Her chiseled facial features and shoulder length dark curls were also a matured version of Toni's.I approached the porch and offered a cheery "Hello! I'm David, nice to meet you."She crossed her arms and somewhat coldly replied, "Hi David," then with a voice inflection that implied more of an assertion than a question said, "Would it be ok for you to pick Lizzie up at 3:00?"I sensed the invisible barrier she was erecting and halted my progress toward the porch."Yes, that would be fine. I'll see you then."As I turned away to walk back to the Jeep, she flatly said, "Please don't be late."I didn't reply to her, but turned my attention to Lizzie and said loudly enough for my demander to hear, "Have fun girls! I'll be back Before 3:00 to pick you up Lizzie."While the lady on the porch didn't introduce herself, the voice matched Stefani's from our phone call a few days ago, and was equally business-like in demeanor. It's difficult to describe. She didn't project a mean or nasty personality that would have made me wary of leaving Lizzie, but she was definitely keeping her distance. The mystery of it piqued my curiosity and made me realize that, as much as Lizzie talked about Toni, she hadn't told me anything about her family.I ran a couple errands around town and returned to Lizzie's house at 2:50, ten minutes early. When I pulled up I saw numerous toys strewn across the front yard and heard playing voices and squeals coming from behind the house. Since I was early, I leisurely wandered the front yard picking up hula-hoops, jump ropes, a bicycle, and a few balls. As I deposited the last couple items into a neat pile next to the driveway, I heard Stefani's voice behind me softly say, "Thank you, you didn't need to do that."I turned to face her as she stood on the porch in the same jeans and sweater she had on earlier, "No worries. I was a little early and didn't want to intrude."With her arms crossed in front of her, Stefani somewhat timidly said, "Thank you for that too; for being early."Just then, the girls came running around the corner of the house screaming, "Spider! Spider! Spider!"I looked at Stefani, smiled and shrugged my shoulders. I corralled Lizzie and said, "It's time to go, is there anything you need to clean up?"Toni answered for her, "No, we just had toys out in the front yard. I'll put them in the garage."The girls pleaded for another play date as they hugged. Stefani simply answered, "We'll see."I gave a quick wave goodbye as Lizzie and I climbed in the Jeep and pulled away.Drop-offs and Pick-ups.Over the next few days, the pattern of school drop-offs and pick-ups with Lizzie and Toni as an inseparable pair continued, and Lizzie begged me relentlessly for another out-of-school play date with Toni. Given Stefani's tepid response at the end of the last play date, I was hesitant to initiate. However, Lizzie's continued insistence eventually wore me down and I made the phone call that Thursday.Stefani answered the phone with a simple, "Hello.""Hi Stefani. This is Lizzie's dad, David. How are you today?"She answered somewhat suspiciously, "I'm fine."After a second of not receiving any more of a response, I stumbled a bit with my words and added, "Uh, Lizzie would really like to get together with Toni again. I; I was just calling to see if you would be open to that."Stefani questioned sharply, "Why are you asking if I'm open to it?"I stumbled some more, "Uh; well; you sounded a little hesitant at the end of the last play date and; and I didn't want to be presumptuous about them getting together again."She coldly answered, "I'm fine with it.""Okay, good. It seems Lizzie and Toni are becoming fast friends."In an ever-so-slightly warmer tone of voice, Stefani asked, "When and where are you thinking?""How about Saturday afternoon again? Wherever you would prefer is fine with us.""Yes, that works. Saturday afternoon at 3:00. How about our house again?"I replied, "Sounds good. We'll see you then." before we exchanged goodbyes. I ended the cell phone call and loudly exhaled my relief that the awkward conversation was over.Building Friendships.The beginning of the second play date went much like the first; screaming girls happy to see each other, a cold reception from Stefani, and a firm directive to be there on-time to pick up Lizzie. It also ended similarly to the first play date. I arrived early, exchanged a few short words with Stefani, and gently guided Lizzie to the Jeep as the girls begged for more time together. This same routine became standard procedure over the next several weeks and a half dozen more play dates.The only change to the pattern occurred after the first few play dates, when Stefani and I began texting each other to make arrangements rather than talking on the phone. The texting suited me just fine as it avoided the awkwardness of our previous telephone conversations.Eventually, Lizzie started asking if Toni could come to our house to play. I avoided the subject as long as possible since I wasn't sure how Stefani would feel about Toni coming to a single father's house or, for that matter, even how much she knew about our family situation. After an especially persuasive appeal from Lizzie one afternoon, I caved and picked up my phone to text Stefani.I wasn't sure how to best approach the question and, after several re-writes, settled on a minimal and factual approach, "Hi Stefani. Lizzie would like to invite Toni over to our house for a play date."A couple hours later my phone buzzed with the simple reply, "Okay. When?"After a few exchanges of date options, we settled on that Thursday after school. Stefani offered to drop her off and I sent her our address.I told Lizzie the plan and she immediately began formulating a list of all the things they would do. The two activities that kept rising to the top were to show Toni her bedroom and play on a bridge that she and I had built over a small creek in the woods.It was a simple bridge made by spanning a couple logs from bank to bank, then covering them with old rough sawn slab wood for a walking surface that was about 6-feet wide. It wasn't much, but it was sufficient to occasionally get my small tractor to the other side of the creek and it was one of Lizzie's favorite spots in the world; running over it, throwing stones into the water, looking for crayfish, watching the squirrels and chipmunks, sliding on the frozen stream in the winter, etc. If the weather was nice, she would sometimes do her homework laying belly down on the bridge with her elbows propping up her upper body.It was also her spot of solace when she was sad or upset. She would sit on the edge swinging her feet below her until the surrounding woods healed whatever was bothering her. Eventually, she would meander her way back to the house in a much better mood than she left.She and I were a lot alike in that respect. It was the very reason I bought the property when we moved here, to get away from life and let nature heal some wounds.Inseparable.Lizzie was positively giddy during the ride home from school on Thursday. She recapped the list of things she had planned to show and do with Toni. I reminded her to be a good host and do the things that Toni wants to do, though I suspected that would easily be worked out between the now inseparable friends.As Lizzie shed her backpack and shoes in the mudroom, she asked, "Can we make chocolate chip cookies before Toni gets here?""Sure, I think we have all the ingredients. Start getting everything out."We had made cookies together enough that Lizzie knew where everything was located. She rushed around pulling ingredients, mixing bowls, and baking sheets out of the pantry. After confirming everything needed was present, Lizzie started measuring ingredients into the mixing bowl. I stood by to lend assistance when needed and occasionally clarify a fractional measurement or the difference between teaspoons and tablespoons.Other than a little incident with the flour, Lizzie did a great job mixing the cookie dough. Together, we spooned balls of dough onto baking sheets and put the first tray into the oven. Lizzie set the timer and I suggested she go clean the flour off her arms and face while they were baking.I cleaned errant flour from the countertop and floor while Lizzie washed up. Just as I finished and began to load the dirty bowls and mixing utensils into the dishwasher, the oven timer chimed and there was a knock at the front door almost simultaneously.Lizzie heard it and ran full speed to the door. I quickly dried my hands and hit the button to silenc

We recap Tommy's Buffalo Bills picks from Friday

Trusting the process is a really important way to free yourself, and the film, to discover what it is.Viridiana Lieberman is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. She recently edited the Netflix sensation The Perfect Neighbor.In this interview we talk:* Viri's love of the film Contact* Immersion as the core goal in her filmmaking* Her editing tools and workflow* Film school reflections* The philosophy and process behind The Perfect Neighbor — crafting a fully immersive, evidence-only narrative and syncing all audio to its original image.* Her thoughts on notes and collaboration* Techniques for seeing a cut with fresh eyesYou can see all of Viri's credits on her IMD page here.Thanks for reading The Creativity, Education, and Leadership Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Here is an AI-generated transcript of our conversation. Don't come for me.BEN: Viri, thank you so much for joining us today.VIRI: Oh, thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.BEN: And I always like to start with a fun question. So senior year of high school, what music were you listening to?VIRI: Oh my goodness. Well, I'm class of 2000, so I mean. I don't even know how to answer this question because I listen to everything.I'm like one of those people I was raving, so I had techno in my system. I have a lot of like, um. The, like, everything from Baby Ann to Tsta. Like, there was like, there was a lot, um, Oak and like Paul Oak and Full, there was like techno. Okay. Then there was folk music because I loved, so Ani DeFranco was the soundtrack of my life, you know, and I was listening to Tori Amos and all that.Okay. And then there's like weird things that slip in, like fuel, you know, like whatever. Who was staying? I don't remember when they came out. But the point is there was like all these intersections, whether I was raving or I was at Warp Tour or I was like at Lili Fair, all of those things were happening in my music taste and whenever I get to hear those songs and like that, that back late nineties, um, rolling into the Ox.Yeah.BEN: I love the Venn diagram of techno and folk music.VIRI: Yeah.BEN: Yeah. What, are you a fan of the film inside Lou and Davis?VIRI: Uh, yes. Yes. I need to watch it again. I watched it once and now you're saying it, and I'm like writing it on my to-dos,BEN: but yes, it, it, the first time I saw it. I saw in the East Village, actually in the theater, and I just, I'm a Cohen Brothers fan, but I didn't love it.Mm-hmm. But it, it stayed on my mind and yeah. Now I probably rewatch it once a year. It might, yeah. In my, in my, on my list, it might be their best film. It's so good. Oh,VIRI: now I'm gonna, I'm putting it on my, I'm literally writing it on my, um, post-it to watch it.BEN: I'mVIRI: always looking for things to watch in the evening.BEN: What, what are some of the docs that kind of lit your flame, that really turned you on?VIRI: Uh, this is one of those questions that I, full transparency, get very embarrassed about because I actually did not have a path of documentary set for me from my film Loving Passion. I mean, when I graduated film school, the one thing I knew I didn't wanna do was documentary, which is hilarious now.Hilarious. My parents laugh about it regularly. Um. Because I had not had a good documentary education. I mean, no one had shown me docs that felt immersive and cinematic. I mean, I had seen docs that were smart, you know, that, but, but they felt, for me, they didn't feel as emotional. They felt sterile. Like there were just, I had seen the most cliched, basic, ignorant read of doc.And so I, you know, I dreamed of making space epics and giant studio films. Contact was my favorite movie. I so like there was everything that about, you know, when I was in film school, you know, I was going to see those movies and I was just chasing that high, that sensory high, that cinematic experience.And I didn't realize that documentaries could be. So it's not, you know, ever since then have I seen docs that I think are incredible. Sure. But when I think about my origin tale, I think I was always chasing a pretty. Not classic, but you know, familiar cinematic lens of the time that I was raised in. But it was fiction.It was fiction movies. And I think when I found Docs, you know, when I was, the very long story short of that is I was looking for a job and had a friend who made docs and I was like, put me in coach, you know, as an editor. And she was like, you've never cut a documentary before. I love you. Uh, but not today.But no, she hired me as an archival producer and then I worked my way up and I said, no, okay, blah, blah, blah. So that path showed me, like I started working on documentaries, seeing more documentaries, and then I was always chasing that cinema high, which by the way, documentaries do incredibly, you know, and have for many decades.But I hadn't met them yet. And I think that really informs. What I love to do in Docs, you know, I mean, I think like I, there's a lot that I like to, but one thing that is very important to me is creating that journey, creating this, you know, following the emotion, creating big moments, you know, that can really consume us.And it's not just about, I mean, not that there are films that are important to me, just about arguments and unpacking and education. At the same time, we have the opportunity to do so much more as storytellers and docs and we are doing it anyway. So that's, that's, you know, when, it's funny, when light my fire, I immediately think of all the fiction films I love and not docs, which I feel ashamed about.‘cause now I know, you know, I know so many incredible documentary filmmakers that light my fire. Um, but my, my impulse is still in the fiction world.BEN: Used a word that it's such an important word, which is immersion. And I, I first saw you speak, um, a week or two ago at the doc NYC Pro panel for editors, documentary editors about the perfect neighbor, which I wanna talk about in a bit because talk about a completely immersive experience.But thank you first, uh, contact, what, what is it about contact that you responded to?VIRI: Oh my goodness. I, well, I watched it growing up. I mean, with my dad, we're both sci-fi people. Like he got me into that. I mean, we're both, I mean he, you know, I was raised by him so clearly it stuck around contact for me. I think even to this day is still my favorite movie.And it, even though I'm kind of a style nut now, and it's, and it feels classic in its approach, but. There's something about all the layers at play in that film. Like there is this crazy big journey, but it's also engaging in a really smart conversation, right? Between science and faith and some of the greatest lines from that film.Are lines that you can say to yourself on the daily basis to remind yourself of like, where we are, what we're doing, why we're doing it, even down to the most basic, you know, funny, I thought the world was what we make it, you know, it's like all of these lines from contact that stick with me when he says, you know, um, did you love your father?Prove it. You know, it's like, what? What is proof? You know? So there were so many. Moments in that film. And for me, you know, climbing into that vessel and traveling through space and when she's floating and she sees the galaxy and she says they should have sent a poet, you know, and you're thinking about like the layers of this experience and how the aliens spoilers, um, you know, show up and talk to her in that conversation herself.Anyways, it's one of those. For me, kind of love letters to the human race and earth and what makes us tick and the complexity of identity all in this incredible journey that feels so. Big yet is boiled down to Jody Foster's very personal narrative, right? Like, it's like all, it just checks so many boxes and still feels like a spectacle.And so the balance, uh, you know, I, I do feel my instincts normally are to zoom in and feel incredibly personal. And I love kind of small stories that represent so much and that film in so many ways does that, and all the other things too. So I'm like, how did we get there? But I really, I can't, I don't know what it is.I can't shake that film. It's not, you know, there's a lot of films that have informed, you know, things I love and take me out to the fringe and take me to the mainstream and, you know, on my candy and, you know, all those things. And yet that, that film checks all the boxes for me.BEN: I remember seeing it in the theaters and you know everything you said.Plus you have a master filmmaker at the absolute top Oh god. Of his class. Oh my,VIRI: yes,BEN: yes. I mean, that mirror shot. Know, know, I mean, my jaw was on the ground because this is like, right, right. As CGI is started. Yes. So, I mean, I'm sure you've seen the behind the scenes of how theyVIRI: Yeah.BEN: Incredible.VIRI: Years.Years. We would be sitting around talking about how no one could figure out how he did it for years. Anybody I met who saw contact would be like, but how did they do the mirror shot? Like I nobody had kind of, yeah. Anyways, it was incredible. And you know, it's, and I,BEN: I saw, I saw it just with some civilians, right?Like the mirror shot. They're like, what are you talking about? The what? Huh?VIRI: Oh, it's so funny you bring that up because right now, you know, I went a friend, I have a friend who's a super fan of Wicked. We went for Wicked for Good, and there is a sequence in that film where they do the mirror jot over and over and over.It's like the, it's like the. Special device of that. It feels that way. That it's like the special scene with Glenda and her song. And someone next to me was sitting there and I heard him under his breath go,wow.Like he was really having a cinematic. And I wanted to lean over and be like, watch contact, like, like the first time.I saw it was there and now it's like people have, you know, unlocked it and are utilizing it. But it was, so, I mean, also, let's talk about the opening sequence of contact for a second. Phenomenal. Because I, I don't think I design, I've ever seen anything in cinema in my life like that. I if for anybody who's listening to this, even if you don't wanna watch the entire movie, which of course I'm obviously pitching you to do.Watch the opening. Like it, it's an incredible experience and it holds up and it's like when, yeah. Talk about attention to detail and the love of sound design and the visuals, but the patience. You wanna talk about trusting an audience, sitting in a theater and that silence Ah, yeah. Heaven film heaven.BEN: I mean, that's.That's one of the beautiful things that cinema does in, in the theater. Right. It just, you're in, you're immersed in this case, you know, pulling away from earth through outer space at however many, you know, hundreds of millions of miles an hour. You can't get that anywhere else. Yeah. That feeling,VIRI: that film is like all the greatest hits reel of.Storytelling gems. It's like the adventure, the love, the, you know, the, the complicated kind of smart dialogue that we can all understand what it's saying, but it's, but it's doing it through the experience of the story, you know, and then someone kind of knocks it outta the park without one quote where you gasp and it's really a phenomenal.Thing. Yeah. I, I've never, I haven't talked about contact as much in ages. Thank you for this.BEN: It's a great movie. It's there, and there were, there were two other moments in that movie, again when I saw it, where it's just like, this is a, a master storyteller. One is, yeah. When they're first like trying to decode the image.Mm-hmm. And you see a swastika.VIRI: Yeah. Oh yeah. And you're like,BEN: what the, what the f**k? That was like a total left turn. Right. But it's, it's, and I think it's, it's from the book, but it's like the movie is, it's, it's, you know, it's asking these questions and then you're like totally locked in, not expecting.You know, anything from World War II to be a part of this. And of course in the movie the, go ahead.VIRI: Yeah, no, I was gonna say, but the seed of thatBEN: is in the first shot,VIRI: scientifically educating. Oh yes. Well, the sensory experience, I mean, you're like, your heart stops and you get full Bo chills and then you're scared and you know, you're thinking a lot of things.And then when you realize the science of it, like the first thing that was broadcast, like that type of understanding the stakes of our history in a space narrative. And, you know, it, it just, there's so much. You know, unfurling in your mind. Yeah. In that moment that is both baked in from your lived experiences and what you know about the world, and also unlocking, so what's possible and what stakes have already been outside of this fiction, right?Mm-hmm. Outside of the book, outside of the telling of this, the reality of what has already happened in the facts of it. Yeah. It's really amazing.BEN: And the other moment we're just, and now, you know, being a filmmaker, you look back and I'm sure this is, it falls neatly and at the end of the second act. But when Tom scars, you know, getting ready to go up on the thing and then there's that terrorist incident or whatever, and the whole thing just collapses, the whole, um, sphere collapses and you just like, wait, what?Is that what's gonna happen now?VIRI: Yeah, like a hundred million dollars in it. It does too. It just like clink pun. Yeah. Everything.BEN: Yeah.VIRI: Think they'll never build it again. I mean, you just can't see what's coming after that and how it went down, who it happened to. I mean, that's the magic of that film, like in the best films.Are the ones where every scene, every character, it has so much going into it. Like if somebody paused the film there and said, wait, what's happening? And you had to explain it to them, it would take the entire movie to do it, you know, which you're like, that's, we're in it. Yeah. Anyway, so that's a great moment too, where I didn't, and I remember when they reveal spoilers again, uh, that there's another one, but when he is zooming in, you know, and you're like, oh, you know, it just, it's, yeah.Love it. It's wonderful. Now, I'm gonna watch that tonight too. IBEN: know, I, I haven't probably, I probably haven't watched that movie in 10 years, but now I gotta watch it again.VIRI: Yeah.BEN: Um, okay, so let's talk doc editing. Yes. What, um, I always like to, I heard a quote once that something about when, when critics get together, they talk meaning, and when artists get together, they talk paint.So let's talk paint for a second. What do you edit on?VIRI: I cut mainly on Avid and Premier. I, I do think of myself as more of an avid lady, but there's been a lot of probably the films that have done the most. I cut on Premier, and by that I mean like, it's interesting that I always assume Avid is my standard yet that most of the things that I love most, I cut on Premiere right now.I, I toggle between them both multiple projects on both, on both, um, programs and they're great. I love them equal for different reasons. I'm aBEN: big fan of Avid. I think it gets kind of a, a bad rap. Um, what, what are the benefits of AVID versus pr? I've never used Premier, but I was a big final cut seven person.So everybody has said that. Premier kind of emulates Final cut. Seven.VIRI: I never made a past seven. It's funny, I recently heard people are cutting on Final Cut Pro again, which A adds off. But I really, because I thought that ship had sailed when they went away from seven. So with, I will say like the top line things for me, you know, AVID forces you to control every single thing you're doing, which I actually think it can feel hindering and intimidating to some folks, but actually is highly liberating once you learn how to use it, which is great.It's also wonderful for. Networks. I mean, you can send a bin as a couple kilobyte. Like the idea that the shared workflow, when I've been on series or features with folks, it's unbeatable. Uh, you know, it can be cumbersome in like getting everything in there and stuff like that and all, and, but, but it kind of forces you to set up yourself for success, for online, for getting everything out.So, and there's a lot of good things. So then on conversely Premier. It's amazing ‘cause you can hit the ground running. You just drag everything in and you go. The challenge of course is like getting it out. Sometimes that's when you kind of hit the snaps. But I am impressed when I'm working with multiple frame rates, frame sizes, archival for many decades that I can just bring it into Premier and go and just start cutting.And you know, also it has a lot of intuitive nature with other Adobe Pro, you know, uh, applications and all of this, which is great. There's a lot of shortcuts. I mean, they're getting real. Slick with a lot of their new features, which I have barely met. I'm like an archival, I'm like a ancient picture editor lady from the past, like people always teach me things.They're just like, you know, you could just, and I'm like, what? But I, so I guess I, you know, I don't have all the tech guru inside talk on that, but I think that when I'm doing short form, it does feel like it's always premier long form. Always seems to avid. Team stuff feels avid, you know, feature, low budge features where they're just trying to like make ends meet.Feel Premier, and I think there's an enormous accessibility with Premier in that regard. But I still feel like Avid is a studios, I mean, a, a studio, well, who knows? I'm cut in the studios. But an industry standard in a lot of ways it still feels that way.BEN: Yeah, for sure. How did you get into editing?VIRI: I went to film school and while I was there, I really like, we did everything.You know, we learned how to shoot, we learned everything. Something about editing was really thrilling to me. I, I loved the puzzle of it, you know, I loved putting pieces together. We did these little funny exercises where we would take a movie and cut our own trailer and, you know, or they'd give us all the same footage and we cut our scene from it and.Itwas really incredible to see how different all those scenes were, and I loved finding ways to multipurpose footage, make an entire tone feel differently. You know, like if we're cutting a scene about a bank robbery, like how do you all of a sudden make it feel, you know, like romantic, you know, or whatever.It's like how do we kind of play with genre and tone and how much you can reinvent stuff, but it was really structure and shifting things anyways, it really, I was drawn to it and I had fun editing my things and helping other people edit it. I did always dream of directing, which I am doing now and I'm excited about, but I realized that my way in with editing was like learning how to do a story in that way, and it will always be my language.I think even as I direct or write or anything, I'm really imagining it as if I'm cutting it, and that could change every day, but like when I'm out shooting. I always feel like it's my superpower because when I'm filming it's like I know what I have and how I'll use it and I can change that every hour.But the idea of kind of knowing when you've got it or what it could be and having that reinvented is really incredible. So got into edit. So left film school. And then thought and loved editing, but wasn't like, I'm gonna be an editor. I was still very much on a very over, you know what? I guess I would say like, oh, I was gonna say Overhead, broad bird's eye.I was like, no, I'm gonna go make movies and then I'll direct ‘em and onward, but work, you know, worked in post houses, overnights, all that stuff and PA and try made my own crappy movies and you know, did a lot of that stuff and. It kept coming back to edit. I mean, I kept coming back to like assistant jobs and cutting, cutting, cutting, cutting, and it just felt like something that I had a skill for, but I didn't know what my voice was in that.Like I didn't, it took me a long time to realize I could have a voice as an editor, which was so dumb, and I think I wasted so much time thinking that like I was only search, you know, like that. I didn't have that to bring. That editing was just about. Taking someone else's vision. You know, I'm not a set of hands like I'm an artist as well.I think we all are as editors and I was very grateful that not, not too long into, you know, when I found the doc path and I went, okay, I think this is where I, I can rock this and I'm pretty excited about it. I ended up working with a small collection of directors who all. Respected that collaboration.Like they were excited for what I do and what I bring to it and felt, it made me feel like we were peers working together, which was my fantasy with how film works. And I feel like isn't always the constant, but I've been spoiled and now it's what I expect and what I want to create for others. And you know, I hope there's more of us out there.So it's interesting because my path to editing. Was like such a, a practical one and an emotional one, and an ego one, and a, you know, it's like, it's like all these things that have led me to where I am and the perfect neighbor is such a culmination of all of that. For sure.BEN: Yeah. And, and I want to get into it, uh, first the eternal question.Yeah. Film school worth it or not worth it?VIRI: I mean, listen, I. We'll share this. I think I've shared this before, but relevant to the fact I'll share it because I think we can all learn from each other's stories. I did not want to go to college. Okay? I wanted to go straight to la. I was like, I'm going to Hollywood.I wanted to make movies ever since I was a kid. This is what I'm gonna do, period. I come from a family of teachers. All of my parents are teachers. My parents divorced. I have my stepparent is teacher, like everybody's a teacher. And they were like, no. And not just a teacher. My mom and my dad are college professors, so they were like college, college, college.I sabotaged my SATs. I did not take them. I did not want to go to college. I was like, I am going to Los Angeles. Anyways, uh, my parents applied for me. To an accredited arts college that, and they were like, it's a three year try semester. You'll shoot on film, you can do your, you know, and they submitted my work from high school when I was in TV production or whatever.Anyways, they got me into this little college, and when I look back, I know that that experience was really incredible. I mean, while I was there, I was counting the days to leave, but I know that it gave me not only the foundation of. You know, learning, like, I mean, we were learning film at the time. I don't know what it's like now, but like we, you know, I learned all the different mediums, which was great on a vocational level, you know, but on top of that, they're just throwing cans of film at us and we're making all the mistakes we need to make to get where we need to get.And the other thing that's happening is there's also like the liberal arts, this is really, sounds like a teacher's kid, what I'm about to say. But like, there's also just the level of education To be smarter and learn more about the world, to inform your work doesn't mean that you can't. You can't skip college and just go out there and find your, and learn what you wanna learn in the stories that you journey out to tell.So I feel really torn on this answer because half of me is like. No, you don't need college. Like just go out and make stuff and learn what you wanna learn. And then the other half of me have to acknowledge that, like, I think there was a foundation built in that experience, in that transitional time of like semi-structure, semi independence, you know, like all the things that come with college.It's worth it, but it's expensive as heck. And I certainly, by the time I graduated, film wasn't even a thing and I had to learn digital out in the world. And. I think you can work on a film set and learn a hell of a lot more than you'll ever learn in a classroom. And at the same time, I really love learning.So, you know, my, I think I, my parents were right, they know it ‘cause I went back to grad school, so that was a shock for them. But I think, but yeah, so I, I get, what I would say is, it really is case, this is such a cop out of an answer, case by case basis. Ask yourself, you know, if you need that time and if you, if you aren't gonna go.You need to put in the work. You have to really like go out, go on those sets, work your tail off, seek out the books, read the stuff, you know, and no one's gonna hand you anything. And my stories are a hell of a lot, I think smarter and eloquent because of the education I had. Yeah.BEN: So you shuttle on, what was the school, by the way?VIRI: Well, it was called the, it was called the International Fine Arts College. It no longer exists because Art Institute bought it. It's now called the Miami International University of Art and Design, and they bought it the year I graduated. So I went to this tiny little arts college, uh, but graduated from this AI university, which my parents were like, okay.Um, but we were, it was a tiny little college owned by this man who would invite all of us over to his mansion for brunch every year. I mean, it was very strange, but cool. And it was mainly known for, I think fashion design and interior design. So the film kids, we all kind of had, it was an urban campus in Miami and we were all like kind of in a wado building on the side, and it was just kind of a really funky, misfit feeling thing that I thought was, now when I look back, I think was like super cool.I mean, they threw cans of film at us from the very first semester. There was no like, okay, be here for two years and earn your opportunity. We were making stuff right away and all of our teachers. All of our professors were people who were working in the field, like they were ones who were, you know, writing.They had written films and fun fact of the day, my, my cinematography professor was Sam Beam from Iron and Wine. If anybody knows Iron and Wine, like there's like, there's like we, we had crazy teachers that we now realize were people who were just probably trying to pay their bills while they were on their journey, and then they broke out and did their thing after we were done.BEN: Okay, so shooting on film. Yeah. What, um, was it 16 or 35? 16. And then how are you doing sound? No, notVIRI: 35, 16. Yeah. I mean, we had sound on Dax, you know, like we were recording all the mm-hmm. Oh, when we did the film. Yeah, yeah. Separate. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We did the Yeah. Syncs soundBEN: into a We did a,VIRI: yeah, we did, we did one.We shot on a Bolex, I think, if I remember it right. It did like a tiny, that probably was eight, you know? But the point is we did that on. The flatbed. After that, we would digitize and we would cut on media 100, which was like this. It was, I think it was called the, I'm pretty sure it was called Media 100.It was like this before avid, you know. A more archaic editing digital program that, so we did the one, the one cut and splice version of our, our tiny little films. And then we weren't on kind of beautiful steam backs or anything. It was like, you know, it was much, yeah, smaller. But we had, but you know, we raced in the changing tents and we did, you know, we did a lot of film, love and fun.And I will tell you for your own amusement that we were on set once with somebody making their short. The girl at the AC just grabbed, grabbed the film, what's, oh my God, I can't even believe I'm forgetting the name of it. But, um, whatever the top of the camera grabbed it and thought she had unlocked it, like unhinged it and just pulled it out after all the film just come spooling out on set.And we were like, everybody just froze and we were just standing there. It was like a bad sketch comedy, like we're all just standing there in silence with like, just like rolling out of the camera. I, I'll never forget it.BEN: Nightmare. Nightmare. I, you know, you said something earlier about when you're shooting your own stuff.Being an editor is a little bit of a superpower because you know, oh, I'm gonna need this, I'm gonna need that. And, and for me it's similar. It's especially similar. Like, oh, we didn't get this. I need to get an insert of this ‘cause I know I'm probably gonna want that. I also feel like, you know, I came up, um, to instill photography, 35 millimeter photography, and then when I got into filmmaking it was, um, digital, uh, mini DV tape.So, but I feel like the, um, the structure of having this, you know, you only have 36 shots in a still camera, so you've gotta be sure that that carried over even to my shooting on digital, of being meticulous about setting up the shot, knowing what I need. Whereas, you know, younger people who have just been shooting digital their whole lives that just shoot everything and we'll figure it out later.Yeah. Do do you, do you feel you had that Advant an advantage? Yes. Or sitting on film gave you some advantages?VIRI: I totally, yes. I also am a firm believer and lover of intention. Like I don't this whole, like we could just snap a shot and then punch in and we'll, whatever. Like it was my worst nightmare when people started talking about.We'll shoot scenes and something, it was like eight K, so we can navigate the frame. And I was like, wait, you're not gonna move the camera again. Like, it just, it was terrifying. So, and we passed that, but now the AI stuff is getting dicey, but the, I think that you. I, I am pretty romantic about the hands-on, I like books with paper, you know, like, I like the can, the cinematographer to capture, even if it's digital.And those benefits of the digital for me is like, yes, letting it roll, but it's not about cheating frames, you know, like it's about, it's about the accessibility of being able to capture things longer, or the technology to move smoother. These are good things. But it's not about, you know, simplifying the frame in something that we need to, that is still an art form.Like that's a craft. That's a craft. And you could argue that what we choose, you know, photographers, the choice they make in Photoshop is the new version of that is very different. Like my friends who are dps, you know, there's always like glasses the game, right? The lenses are the game. It's like, it's not about filters In posts, that was always our nightmare, right?The old fix it and post everybody's got their version of their comic strip that says Fix it and post with everything exploding. It's like, no, that's not what this is about. And so, I mean, I, I think I'll always be. Trying to, in my brain fight the good fight for the craftiness of it all because I'm so in love with everything.I miss film. I'm sad. I miss that time. I mean, I think I, it still exists and hopefully someday I'll have the opportunity that somebody will fund something that I'm a part of that is film. And at the same time there's somewhere in between that still feels like it's honoring that freshness. And, and then now there's like the, yeah, the new generation.It's, you know, my kids don't understand that I have like. Hand them a disposable camera. We'll get them sometimes for fun and they will also like click away. I mean, the good thing you have to wind it so they can't, they can't ruin it right away, but they'll kind of can't fathom that idea. And um, and I love that, where you're like, we only get 24 shots.Yeah, it's veryBEN: cool. So you said you felt the perfect neighbor, kind of, that was the culmination of all your different skills in the craft of editing. Can you talk a little bit about that?VIRI: Yes. I think that I spent, I think all the films, it's like every film that I've had the privilege of being a part of, I have taken something like, there's like some tool that was added to the tool belt.Maybe it had to do with like structure or style or a specific build to a quote or, or a device or a mechanism in the film, whatever it is. It was the why of why that felt right. That would kind of be the tool in the tool belt. It wouldn't just be like, oh, I learned how to use this new toy. It was like, no, no.There's some kind of storytelling, experience, technique, emotion that I felt that Now I'm like, okay, how do I add that in to everything I do? And I want every film to feel specific and serve what it's doing. But I think a lot of that sent me in a direction of really always approaching a project. Trying to meet it for like the, the work that only it can do.You know, it's like, it's not about comps. It's not about saying like, oh, we're making a film that's like, fill in the blank. I'm like, how do we plug and play the elements we have into that? It's like, no, what are the elements we have and how do we work with them? And that's something I fought for a lot on all the films I've been a part of.Um, and by that I mean fight for it. I just mean reminding everybody always in the room that we can trust the audience, you know, that we can. That, that we should follow the materials what, and work with what we have first, and then figure out what could be missing and not kind of IME immediately project what we think it needs to be, or it should be.It's like, no, let's discover what it is and then that way we will we'll appreciate. Not only what we're doing in the process, but ultimately we don't even realize what it can do for what it is if we've never seen it before, which is thrilling. And a lot of those have been a part of, there have been pockets of being able to do that.And then usually near the end there's a little bit of math thing that happens. You know, folks come in the room and they're trying to, you know, but what if, and then, but other people did. Okay, so all you get these notes and you kind of reel it in a little bit and you find a delicate balance with the perfect neighbor.When Gita came to me and we realized, you know, we made that in a vacuum like that was we, we made that film independently. Very little money, like tiny, tiny little family of the crew. It was just me and her, you know, like when we were kind of cutting it together and then, and then there's obviously producers to kind of help and build that platform and, and give great feedback along the way.But it allowed us to take huge creative risks in a really exciting way. And I hate that I even have to use the word risks because it sounds like, but, but I do, because I think that the industry is pushing against, you know, sometimes the spec specificity of things, uh, in fear of. Not knowing how it will be received.And I fantasize about all of us being able to just watch something and seeing how we feel about it and not kind of needing to know what it is before we see it. So, okay, here comes the perfect neighbor. GTA says to me early on, like, I think. I think it can be told through all these materials, and I was like, it will be told through like I was determined and I held us very strict to it.I mean, as we kind of developed the story and hit some challenges, it was like, this is the fun. Let's problem solve this. Let's figure out what it means. But that also came within the container of all this to kind of trust the audience stuff that I've been trying to repeat to myself as a mantra so I don't fall into the trappings that I'm watching so much work do.With this one, we knew it was gonna be this raw approach and by composing it completely of the evidence, it would ideally be this kind of undeniable way to tell the story, which I realized was only possible because of the wealth of material we had for this tracked so much time that, you know, took the journey.It did, but at the same time, honoring that that's all we needed to make it happen. So all those tools, I think it was like. A mixed bag of things that I found that were effective, things that I've been frustrated by in my process. Things that I felt radical about with, you know, that I've been like trying to scream in, into the void and nobody's listening.You know, it's like all of that because I, you know, I think I've said this many times. The perfect neighbor was not my full-time job. I was on another film that couldn't have been more different. So I think in a, in a real deep seated, subconscious way, it was in conversation with that. Me trying to go as far away from that as possible and in understanding what could be possible, um, with this film.So yeah, it's, it's interesting. It's like all the tools from the films, but it was also like where I was in my life, what had happened to me, you know, and all of those. And by that I mean in a process level, you know, working in film, uh, and that and yes, and the values and ethics that I honor and wanna stick to and protect in the.Personal lens and all of that. So I think, I think it, it, it was a culmination of many things, but in that approach that people feel that has resonated that I'm most proud of, you know, and what I brought to the film, I think that that is definitely, like, I don't think I could have cut this film the way I did at any other time before, you know, I think I needed all of those experiences to get here.BEN: Oh, there's so much there and, and there's something kind of the. The first part of what you were saying, I've had this experience, I'm curious if you've had this experience. I sort of try to prepare filmmakers to be open to this, that when you're working with something, especially Doc, I think Yeah. More so Doc, at a certain point the project is gonna start telling you what it wants to be if you, if you're open to it.Yes. Um, but it's such a. Sometimes I call it the spooky process. Like it's such a ephemeral thing to say, right? Like, ‘cause you know, the other half of editing is just very technical. Um, but this is like, there's, there's this thing that's gonna happen where it's gonna start talking to you. Do you have that experience?VIRI: Yes. Oh, yes. I've also been a part of films that, you know, they set it out to make it about one person. And once we watched all the footage, it is about somebody else. I mean, there's, you know, those things where you kind of have to meet the spooky part, you know, in, in kind of honoring that concept that you're bringing up is really that when a film is done, I can't remember cutting it.Like, I don't, I mean, I remember it and I remember if you ask me why I did something, I'll tell you. I mean, I'm very, I am super. Precious to a fault about an obsessive. So like you could pause any film I've been a part of and I'll tell you exactly why I used that shot and what, you know, I can do that. But the instinct to like just grab and go when I'm just cutting and I'm flowing.Yeah, that's from something else. I don't know what that is. I mean, I don't. People tell me that I'm very fast, which is, I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing, but I think it really comes from knowing that the job is to make choices and you can always go back and try different things, but this choose your own adventure novel is like just going, and I kind of always laugh about when I look back and I'm like, whoa, have that happen.Like, you know, like I don't even. And I have my own versions of imposter syndrome where I refill mens and I'm like, oh, got away with that one. Um, or every time a new project begins, I'm like, do I have any magic left in the tank? Um, but, but trusting the process, you know, to what you're socking about is a really important way to free yourself and the film to.Discover what it is. I think nowadays because of the algorithm and the, you know, I mean, it's changing right now, so we'll see where, how it recalibrates. But for a, for a while, over these past years, the expectations have, it's like shifted where they come before the film is like, it's like you create your decks and your sizzles and you write out your movie and you, and there is no time for discovery.And when it happens. It's like undeniable that you needed to break it because it's like you keep hitting the same impasse and you can't solve it and then you're like, oh, that's because we have to step outta the map. But I fear that many works have suffered, you know, that they have like followed the map and missed an opportunity.And so, you know, and for me as an editor, it's always kinda a red flag when someone's like, and here's the written edit. I'm like, what? Now let's watch the footage. I wanna know where There's always intention when you set up, but as people always say, the edit is kind of the last. The last step of the storytelling process.‘cause so much can change there. So there is, you know, there it will reveal itself. I do get nerdy about that. I think a film knows what it is. I remember when I was shooting my first film called Born to Play, that film, we were. At the championship, you know, the team was not, thought that they were gonna win the whole thing.We're at the championship and someone leaned over to me and they said, you know, it's funny when a story knows it's being filmed. And I was like, ah. I think about that all the time because now I think about that in the edit bay. I'm like, okay, you tell me, you know, what do you wanna do? And then you kind of like, you match frame back to something and all of a sudden you've opened a portal and you're in like a whole new theme.It's very cool. You put, you know, you put down a different. A different music temp, music track, and all of a sudden you're making a new movie. I mean, it's incredible. It's like, it really is real world magic. It's so much fun. Yeah,BEN: it is. It's a blast. The, so, uh, I saw you at the panel at Doc NYC and then I went that night or the next night and watched Perfect Neighbor blew me away, and you said something on the panel that then blew me away again when I thought about it, which is.I think, correct me if I'm wrong, all of the audio is syncedVIRI: Yeah. To the footage.BEN: That, to me is the big, huge, courageous decision you made.VIRI: I feel like I haven't said that enough. I don't know if folks understand, and it's mainly for the edit of that night, like the, I mean, it's all, it's, it's all that, but it was important.That the, that the sound would be synced to the shock that you're seeing. So when you're hearing a cop, you know, a police officer say, medics, we need medics. If we're in a dashboard cam, that's when it was, you know, echoing from the dashboard. Like that's what, so anything you're hearing is synced. When you hear something coming off from the per when they're walking by and you hear someone yelling something, you know, it's like all of that.I mean, that was me getting really strict about the idea that we were presenting this footage for what it was, you know, that it was the evidence that you are watching, as you know, for lack of a better term, unbiased, objectively as possible. You know, we're presenting this for what it is. I, of course, I have to cut down these calls.I am making choices like that. That is happening. We are, we are. Composing a narrative, you know, there, uh, that stuff is happening. But to create, but to know that what you're hearing, I'm not applying a different value to the frame on, on a very practical syn sound way. You know, it's like I'm not gonna reappropriate frames.Of course, in the grand scheme of the narrative flow with the emotions, you know, the genre play of this horror type film, and there's a lot happening, but anything you were hearing, you know, came from that frame. Yeah.BEN: That's amazing. How did you organize the footage and the files initially?VIRI: Well, Gita always likes to laugh ‘cause she is, she calls herself my first ae, which is true.I had no a, you know, I had, she was, she had gotten all that material, you know, she didn't get that material to make a film. They had originally, this is a family friend who died and when this all happened, they went down and gathered this material to make a case, to make sure that Susan didn't get out. To make sure this was not forgotten.You know, to be able to utilize. Protect the family. And so there was, at first it was kind of just gathering that. And then once she got it, she realized that it spanned two years, you know, I mean, she, she popped, she was an editor for many, many years, an incredible editor. She popped it into a system, strung it all out, sunk up a lot of it to see what was there, and realized like, there's something here.And that's when she called me. So she had organized it, you know, by date, you know, and that, that originally. Strung out a lot of it. And then, so when I came in, it was just kind of like this giant collection of stuff, like folders with the nine one calls. How long was the strung out? Well, I didn't know this.Well, I mean, we have about 30 hours of content. It wasn't one string out, you know, it was like there were the call, all the calls, and then the 9 1 1 calls, the dash cams. The ring cams. Okay. Excuse me. The canvassing interviews, audio only content. So many, many. Was about 30 hours of content, which honestly, as most of us editors know, is not actually a lot I've cut.You know, it's usually, we have tons more than that. I mean, I, I've cut decades worth of material and thousands of hours, you know, but 30 hours of this type of material is very specific, you know, that's a, that's its own challenge. So, so yeah. So the first, so it was organized. It was just organized by call.Interview, you know, some naming conventions in there. Some things we had to sync up. You know, the 9 1 1 calls would overlap. You could hear it in the nine one one call center. You would hear someone, one person who called in, and then you'd hear in the background, like the conversation of another call. It's in the film.There's one moment where you can hear they're going as fast as they can, like from over, from a different. So there was so much overlap. So there was some syncing that we kind of had to do by ear, by signals, by, you know, and there's some time coding on the, on the cameras, but that would go off, which was strange.They weren't always perfect. So, but that, that challenge unto itself would help us kind of really screen the footage to a finite detail, right. To like, have, to really understand where everybody is and what they're doing when,BEN: yeah. You talked about kind of at the end, you know, different people come in, there's, you know, maybe you need to reach a certain length or so on and so forth.How do you, um, handle notes? What's your advice to young filmmakers as far as navigating that process? Great question.VIRI: I am someone who, when I was a kid, I had trouble with authority. I wasn't like a total rebel. I think I was like a really goody goody too. She was borderline. I mean, I had my moments, but growing up in, in a journey, an artistic journey that requires you to kind of fall in love with getting critiques and honing things and working in teams.And I had some growing pains for a long time with notes. I mean, my impulse was always, no. A note would come and I'd go, no, excuse me. Go to bed, wake up. And then I would find my way in and that would be great. That bed marinating time has now gone away, thank goodness. And I have realized that. Not all notes, but some notes have really changed the trajectory of a project in the most powerful waves.And it doesn't always the, to me, what I always like to tell folks is it's, the notes aren't really the issues. It's what? It's the solutions people offer. You know? It's like you can bring up what you're having an issue with. It's when people kind of are like, you know what I would do? Or you know what you think you should do, or you could do this.You're like, you don't have to listen to that stuff. I mean, you can. You can if you have the power to filter it. Some of us do, some of us don't. I've worked with people who. Take all the notes. Notes and I have to, we have to, I kind of have to help filter and then I've worked with people who can very quickly go need that, don't need that need, that, don't need that.Hear that, don't know how to deal with that yet. You know, like if, like, we can kind of go through it. So one piece of advice I would say is number one, you don't have to take all the notes and that's, that's, that's an honoring my little veary. Wants to stand by the vision, you know, and and fight for instincts.Okay. But the second thing is the old classic. It's the note behind the note. It's really trying to understand where that note's coming from. Who gave it what they're looking for? You know, like is that, is it a preference note or is it a fact? You know, like is it something that's really structurally a problem?Is it something that's really about that moment in the film? Or is it because of all the events that led to that moment that it's not doing the work you think it should? You know, the, the value is a complete piece. So what I really love about notes now is I get excited for the feedback and then I get really excited about trying to decipher.What they mean, not just taking them as like my to-do list. That's not, you know, that's not the best way to approach it. It's really to get excited about getting to actually hear feedback from an audience member. Now, don't get me wrong, an audience member is usually. A producer in the beginning, and they have, they may have their own agenda, and that's something to know too.And maybe their agenda can influence the film in an important direction for the work that they and we all wanted to do. Or it can help at least discern where their notes are coming from. And then we can find our own emotional or higher level way to get into solving that note. But, you know, there's still, I still get notes that make me mad.I still get notes where I get sad that I don't think anybody was really. Watching it or understanding it, you know, there's always a thought, you know, that happens too. And to be able to read those notes and still find that like one kernel in there, or be able to read them and say, no kernels. But, but, but by doing that, you're now creating the conviction of what you're doing, right?Like what to do and what not to do. Carrie, equal value, you know, so you can read all these notes and go, oh, okay, so I am doing this niche thing, but I believe in it and. And I'm gonna stand by it. Or like, this one person got it and these five didn't. And I know that the rules should be like majority rules, but that one person, I wanna figure out why they got it so that I can try to get these, you know, you get what I'm saying?So I, I've grown, it took a long time for me to get where I am and I still have moments where I'm bracing, you know, where I like to scroll to see how many notes there are before I even read them. You know, like dumb things that I feel like such a kid about. But we're human. You know, we're so vulnerable.Doing this work is you're so naked and you're trying and you get so excited. And I fall in love with everything. I edit so furiously and at every stage of the process, like my first cut, I'm like, this is the movie. Like I love this so much. And then, you know, by the 10th root polling experience. I'm like, this is the movie.I love it so much. You know, so it's, it's painful, but at the same time it's like highly liberating and I've gotten a lot more flowy with it, which was needed. I would, I would encourage everybody to learn how to really enjoy being malleable with it, because that's when you find the sweet spot. It's actually not like knowing everything right away, exactly what it's supposed to be.It's like being able to know what the heart of it is. And then get really excited about how collaborative what we do is. And, and then you do things you would've never imagined. You would've never imagined, um, or you couldn't have done alone, you know, which is really cool. ‘cause then you get to learn a lot more about yourself.BEN: Yeah. And I think what you said of sort of being able to separate the idea of, okay, something maybe isn't clicking there, versus whatever solution this person's offering. Nine times outta 10 is not gonna be helpful, but, but the first part is very helpful that maybe I'm missing something or maybe what I want to connect is not connecting.VIRI: And don't take it personally. Yeah. Don't ever take it personally. I, I think that's something that like, we're all here to try to make the best movie we can.BEN: Exactly.VIRI: You know? Yeah. And I'm not gonna pretend there aren't a couple sticklers out there, like there's a couple little wrenches in the engine, but, but we will, we all know who they are when we're on the project, and we will bind together to protect from that.But at the same time, yeah, it's, yeah. You get it, you get it. Yeah. But it's really, it's an important part of our process and I, it took me a while to learn that.BEN: Last question. So you talked about kind of getting to this cut and this cut and this cut. One of the most important parts of editing, I think is especially when, when you've been working on a project for a long time, is being able to try and see it with fresh eyes.And of course the, one of the ways to do that is to just leave it alone for three weeks or a month or however long and then come back to it. But sometimes we don't have that luxury. I remember Walter Merch reading in his book that sometimes he would run the film upside down just to, mm-hmm. You know, re re redo it the way his brain is watching it.Do you have any tips and tricks for seeing a cut with fresh eyes? OhVIRI: yeah. I mean, I mean, other than stepping away from it, of course we all, you know, with this film in particular, I was able to do that because I was doing other films too. But I, one good one I always love is take all the music out. Just watch the film without music.It's really a fascinating thing. I also really like quiet films, so like I tend to all of a sudden realize like, what is absolutely necessary with the music, but, but it, it really, people get reliant on it, um, to do the work. And you'd be pleasantly surprised that it can inform and reinvent a scene to kind of watch it without, and you can, it's not about taking it out forever, it's just the exercise of watching what the film is actually doing in its raw form, which is great.Switching that out. I mean, I can, you know, there's other, washing it upside down, I feel like. Yeah, I mean like there's a lot of tricks we can trick our trick, our brain. You can do, you could also, I. I think, I mean, I've had times where I've watched things out of order, I guess. Like where I kind of like go and I watch the end and then I click to the middle and then I go back to the top, you know?And I'm seeing, like, I'm trying to see if they're all connecting, like, because I'm really obsessed with how things begin and how they end. I think the middle is highly important, but it really, s**t tells you, what are we doing here? Like what are we set up and where are we ending? And then like, what is the most effective.Journey to get there. And so there is a way of also kind of trying to pinpoint the pillars of the film and just watching those moments and not kind, and then kind of reverse engineering the whole piece back out. Yeah, those are a couple of tricks, but more than anything, it's sometimes just to go watch something else.If you can't step away from the project for a couple of weeks, maybe watch something, you could, I mean, you can watch something comparable in a way. That tonally or thematically feels in conversation with it to just kind of then come back and feel like there's a conversation happening between your piece and that piece.The other thing you could do is watch something so. Far different, right? Like, even if you like, don't like, I don't know what I'm suggesting, you'd have to, it would bend on the project, but there's another world where like you're like, all right, I'm gonna go off and watch some kind of crazy thrill ride and then come back to my slow burn portrait, you know, and, and just, just to fresh the pal a little bit, you know?I was like that. It's like fueling the tanks. We should be watching a lot of stuff anyways, but. That can happen too, so you don't, you also get to click off for a second because I think we can get, sometimes it's really good to stay in it at all times, but sometimes you can lose the force for the, you can't see it anymore.You're in the weeds. You're too close to it. So how do we kind of shake it loose? Feedback sessions, by the way, are a part, is a part of that because I think that when you sit in the back of the room and you watch other people watch the film, you're forced to watch it as another person. It's like the whole thing.So, and I, I tend to watch people's body language more than, I'm not watching the film. I'm like watching for when people shift. Yeah, yeah. I'm watching when people are like coughing or, you know, or when they, yeah. Whatever. You get it. Yeah. Yeah. That, that, soBEN: that is the most helpful part for me is at a certain point I'll bring in a couple friends and I'll just say, just want you to watch this, and I'm gonna ask you a couple questions afterwards.But 95% of what I need is just sitting there. Watching them and you said exactly. Watching their body language.VIRI: Yeah. Oh man. I mean, this was shoulder, shoulder shooks. There's, and you can tell the difference, you can tell the difference between someone's in an uncomfortable chair and someone's like, it's like whenever you can sense it if you're ever in a theater and you can start to sense, like when they, when they reset the day, like whenever we can all, we all kind of as a community are like, oh, this is my moment.To like get comfortable and go get a bite of popcorn. It's like there's tells, so some of those are intentional and then some are not. Right? I mean, if this is, it goes deeper than the, will they laugh at this or will they be scared at this moment? It really is about captivating them and feeling like when you've, when you've lost it,BEN: for sure.Yeah. Very. This has been fantastic. Oh my God, how fun.VIRI: I talked about things here with you that I've haven't talked, I mean, contact so deeply, but even film school, I feel like I don't know if that's out there anywhere. So that was fun. Thank you.BEN: Love it. Love it. That, that that's, you know, that's what I hope for these interviews that we get to things that, that haven't been talked about in other places.And I always love to just go in, you know, wherever the trail leads in this case. Yeah. With, uh, with Jody Foster and Math McConaughey and, uh, I mean, go see it. Everybody met this. Yeah. Uh, and for people who are interested in your work, where can they find you?VIRI: I mean, I don't update my website enough. I just go to IMDB.Look me up on IMDB. All my work is there. I think, you know, in a list, I've worked on a lot of films that are on HBO and I've worked on a lot of films and now, you know, obviously the perfect neighbor's on Netflix right now, it's having an incredible moment where I think the world is engaging with it. In powerful ways beyond our dreams.So if you watch it now, I bet everybody can kind of have really fascinating conversations, but my work is all out, you know, the sports stuff born to play. I think it's on peacock right now. I mean, I feel like, yeah, I love the scope that I've had the privilege of working on, and I hope it keeps growing. Who knows.Maybe I'll make my space movie someday. We'll see. But in the meantime, yeah, head over and see this, the list of credits and anything that anybody watches, I love to engage about. So they're all, I feel that they're all doing veryBEN: different work. I love it. Thank you so much.VIRI: Thank you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit benbo.substack.com

Bill Lampton: Hi there. Welcome to The Biz Communication Show. I’m your host, Bill Lampton, the biz communication guy, bringing you business communication tips and strategies that will elevate your business. And I don’t do this solo. I do it through a lively conversation with a communication expert who has excelled in business. And I’m very happy today to welcome Elizabeth Cottrell from Woodstock, Virginia. Elizabeth’s career path has been, I’ll definitely underscore this, anything but straight. With a graduate degree in human anatomy, she has been a leprosy researcher, published scientist, wife, mother, grandmother, community leader, and yes, there’s more. Freelance writer, desktop publisher, musician, and amateur radio operator. Since 2016, she has also served as the first woman to chair First National Corporation and First Bank in its 118-year history. Elizabeth is the author of Heartspoken: How to Write Notes that Connect, Comfort, Encourage, and Inspire. And it’s a terrific book. I’ve given it a five-star review on Amazon and I encourage everyone to order that book. Elizabeth speaks and writes widely about the lost art of personal notes through her Heartspoken movement. She encourages people to use note writing as a powerful way to strengthen relationships with family, friends, clients, employees, and donors alike. So I know that you will join me in welcoming Elizabeth Cottrell. Hello Elizabeth. Elizabeth Cottrell: Hello Dr. Bill. What a treat to be here. I’ve been looking forward to this. Bill Lampton: So have I and I know in the meantime you’ve been writing a lot of meaningful notes. Elizabeth Cottrell: I I do my best. I do try to practice what I preach. Bill Lampton: I want to ask you with that, yes, not a straight path career, with all that I just described, it certainly takes strong business communication skills. So I’m curious, where did you and how did you develop the communication skills that have put you even as a as an image breaker in the banking industry? Did you have courses? Did you have coaches or explore on your own? What what was the your path to the incredible wide range of business success that you’ve had? Elizabeth Cottrell: What a great question and and it took me um I’m I’m going down memory lane here but I mean I have to give my father tremendous credit, Jim Herbert, who lived to age 95. Um I’m the oldest of five, uh, and he came from a family of strong women, so he believed in me and my sister and that we could do anything our brothers could do. And, um, and Bill, he taught us, and I hope nobody thinks this is trivial because I think it’s extremely important, he taught us to hop up when somebody came in the room, to shake, shake their hand with a firm handshake, and look them in the eye. And he made us practice handshake because how often have all of us in business scenarios shaken hands with somebody who either had a very unimpressive handshake or broke our hand because it was so strong? So, um, I I think those are the those are the two things that immediately come to mind. But, um, I think he also had a philosophy which I think is really interesting for all of us children. He believed, he said, you don’t need I don’t need to teach you to be the best at anything, but I want to teach you how to do a lot of different things so that if somebody invites you to go water skiing, to go hiking, to go canoeing, you won’t have to say, oh, I don’t know how, I don’t want to do that. And so he gave us confidence in a whole wide range of things that I think then I took that into my later life. Bill Lampton: That’s a blessing and and so you had 96 years of valuable advice from your father. Elizabeth Cottrell: Absolutely. And and then I would have to say in terms of applying, um, that confidence later on to anybody I would any young person I would say is be yourself. We talked about this before we went live. Be yourself, um, show up, and be prepared. And those who have served me well. Bill Lampton: You remind me so much of my childhood because my father managed a department store. And he taught me, and he taught my brother, that when we came back from out of town when we’d become adults even, that it and we came into the store, we were to shake hands with every employee. Elizabeth Cottrell: Ah. Bill Lampton: We were to talk with them about what was going on with them, not what was going on with us. And early in my 20s, that was at first a little bit challenging and maybe awkward, but it it became something after a while. It was so rewarding to to renew contact with people in that store. Maybe if I hadn’t seen some of them in a couple of years, I’ve lived away. So, the the initial contact is is so valuable, and it’s as you say, the handshake is important because Elizabeth Cottrell: It is. Bill Lampton: just walking by and waving or but the handshake and and the right firmness of the handshake, that is that’s a signal of a closer relationship that you want, a closer interaction that Elizabeth Cottrell: It is. And I will add that I also, in a networking situation, will always say my name, even if I’m pretty sure they know it already, because we all have been in situations where um it just slips our mind what the other person’s name is. And my my dad again used to say, well you know you you know your name, usually they know theirs, but not always. Bill Lampton: Well, yes, I’ve I’ve uh of course in the last three decades I’ve been an entrepreneur. I’ve been to many, many networking events. And sometimes when you’ve been going to the same networking event, say a chamber of commerce for a year or so, you’ve met a good number of people. But when you walk into the room of all 100 or 150 at a reception, you just might not remember every name. Elizabeth Cottrell: That’s exactly right. Bill Lampton: But if you walk up and say, “Hi, I’m Elizabeth Cottrell,” or “Hi, I’m Bill Lampton,” they almost automatically will give their name. Elizabeth Cottrell: Yeah. Yeah. That’s a great a great tip. Bill Lampton: There’s something that I came across, I believe it was in your book, where you talked about there was a surprise incident that you had that really led to what I would call your mission that you’ve been engaged in so actively, not just writing a book but speaking and leading seminars and coaching people. And that’s your mission about our writing handwritten notes and letters. What was that event that got you on this track, Elizabeth? Elizabeth Cottrell: Oh, it it makes me emotional just thinking about it. Um, so Dr. Bill, I am of an age that I was taught to write notes. It was it was considered good manners and it was considered um it was expected. And I always thought of it that way, but um the day that I got a letter from a stranger was the day that it shifted my whole thinking. And that letter came from a woman who had lost her son to suicide. And I didn’t know the woman, I didn’t know her son, but I knew her son’s fiancée and had been so um saddened to learn about it and had written to the fiancée a note. Dr. Bill, if I had $100 to know what I said, I’d like to know, because I but I don’t. But whatever it was, the the young woman shared it with her fiancée’s mother. And that woman wrote to me and she said, “I’ve read your note over 25 times and it has helped me through the toughest time in my whole life.” And and like a light bulb going off in my head, it or a lightning bolt, it made me realize that a handwritten note has the potential to be so much more than just good manners. And that really was the beginning. It planted the seed. It was a while before some of the other things happened, but that planted the seed that put me on the trajectory of where I am now. Bill Lampton: It’s a marvelous impact. And I I often I write about all types of business communication, and of course, business people are going to face the loss by death of some of their associates. It might be people they work with, it might be people they work for. And I’ve often heard people say, “Well, I would go to that reception at the funeral. I would but I wouldn’t know what to say.” And I use an illustration. There was a friend of mine who died uh about two years ago and there were over, I would imagine, there were over 400 people at his funeral. And the reception went on two and a half hours with the family greeting people. Now, did the family remember anyone thing that anybody said? No. It didn’t matter what they said because these are cases where your your presence means so much. Elizabeth Cottrell: Absolutely. Bill Lampton: And then again, in those cases, a week or two later, writing what that person meant to you, that’s that’s a great reinforcement, isn’t it? Elizabeth Cottrell: It absolutely is. And and Dr. Bill, I’ll tell you another story that is on a happier end of things, but it’s a kind of a note that some people don’t think about. My husband is a retired physician, and, um, when we first came, when he was a young physician, there was a pharmacist, um, who had been in the area for ages. And about 10 years after we my husband started his practice, that pharmacist retired. And my husband wrote him a note to congratulate him on his retirement. And he also mentioned in it, um, and it was actually a letter, um, rather than a note. But he said, um, “And I want you to know that I I know from from my patients how often you would deliver medicine to them at night and on the weekends and I and I also want you to know that I remember the time that I made a mistake writing a prescription and you called me and said, ‘Doc, is this I just wanted to check and make sure this was something that you meant to do.'” Well, fortunately, that pharmacist had many years of happy retirement before he passed. And, um, my husband and I went to the funeral home and barely walked in the door before the oldest daughter, grown daughter, came rushing up to give my husband a hug and said, “Dr. Cottrell, I just want you to know that when we were going through Daddy’s things, we found your letter and it was in his Bible.” And not only that, but they had passed it around their family and so all of the grown children and all of those grandchildren now know what kind of a man their grandfather was or their father that they wouldn’t have known before. Bill Lampton: I guess it was probably, Elizabeth, and thank you for that. Thank you for that. I guess it was, um, maybe a year ago I was rummaging through my office closet and I found something that I didn’t even know existed. It was a letter from my grandfather to me when I was a kid at camp, summer camp. Elizabeth Cottrell: My! Bill Lampton: And I I didn’t Elizabeth Cottrell: What a treasure. Bill Lampton: Yes, and I I did not remember ever getting that letter. Of course, I was pre-teen at the time, maybe that’s one reason. But it it gave me a totally different picture of him because I had I had always thought of him as rather austere and reserved, but the letter was so warm, and I’m I’m sharing that letter with my daughters and my brother, so that our our letters are really our legacy, aren’t they? Elizabeth Cottrell: They are. They certainly can be. They certainly can be. But, but we needn’t let that burden us or make us think that that when we’re writing something it’s going to be a legacy. We just need to be um sincere and um not worry about the outcome but just let people know you care. Bill Lampton: Right. That’s that’s the key. We’re going to talk next about how you broke that glass ceiling and became the head of a bank, unprecedented. We’ll talk about that. Be back in just a few seconds. Bill Lampton (Voiceover): Do you wish you felt confident about giving speeches? Do you want to deal with difficult people constructively? And what about becoming more persuasive in sales? Then keep listening now to Dr. Bill Lampton. He spent 20 years in management so he knows1 the communication skills you need for success. I urge you to call The Biz Communication Guy today for a no-cost but very valuable 30-minute discussion about your communication challenges. Call now, 678-316-43002. Again, that’s 678-316-4300. Bill Lampton: Elizabeth Cottrell, as we said in the introduction, you overcame a stereotype by becoming head of a bank, very rare, a trailblazing woman doing that. So I think you could give us some great business communication advice on how do we overcome stereotypes? How do we break through them? One of the the best, uh, best definitions that I’ve heard of stereotypes is that a stereotype is the hardening of the categories. [Elizabeth chuckles] So what did you do to make it viable, make it even attractive, make it winsome, that you would become head of a bank? Elizabeth Cottrell: Dr. Bill, I I we jumped the gun a little bit, um, in our earlier conversation by saying I was myself, and I showed up, and I was prepared. So those three things are really important. But I would also say I didn’t pay attention to the stereotypes. And again, I was blessed with being raised with that kind of confidence and not worrying about that. Um, but I just I think when you care, when you are, you have a servant heart, when when you, um, become known for somebody that is community oriented, um, and at the time, and I will I will say this because I have no shame in it. Uh it was a time when finally people were waking up that they needed more women on boards and they needed more women in leadership positions. And so there were some savvy men, um, looking around to see who, who would fit that bill. And so, um, in some time in some ways I was at the right place at the right time. But, um, I do think it it you just need to not worry about that and just show up and be yourself and do your best. Bill Lampton: Thank you for that. I, um, I know that we all have stereotypes that we have to break through in the business world. You’re too young to be promoted. You’re you’re uh, don’t have the proper degrees. You haven’t been here long enough. I know growing up, I had to overcome a stereotype. I’m an identical twin. And there was an automatic assumption when people would see us as little boys that we were exactly alike and that we wanted the same things. We enjoyed the same things. And that even went on into adult life where we went different directions professionally, we had different ideas. So I’ve I’ve lived with having to establish my own individuality. And every one of us in some way or another has stereotypes that we have to overcome. And I’m sure that’s that’s certainly true with those who are job seeking and it’s true with those who are, um, looking for promotions as well. Let’s talk about your book, which is so valuable. Heartspoken: How to Write Notes that Connect, Comfort, Encourage, and Inspire. Tell us, what drove you to write the book and how would it help readers who would get it today? Elizabeth Cottrell: Wow. Thank you, Dr. Bill. Um, so as I started, as I from the story we told earlier, as I became more passionate about writing notes, I kept hearing from people to whom I had written, “Oh, that was such a lovely note. Thank you so much. I wish I knew what to write.” And then some people might have said, well, you know, “How can you help me know what to write?” And finally, I somebody said, “I wish you’d write a book about that.” And that planted a seed, but again, too busy to do anything about it until March, April 2020, when the world shut down from COVID. And that April, I turned 75—uh, 70, sorry. Let’s not make me any older than I am. Bill Lampton: [Chuckles] Elizabeth Cottrell: Um, and my daughter called me for my birthday from New Mexico and she said, “Mom, I know your calendar has gone from completely full to completely empty, just like everybody else’s, and I want you to write that book.” And she didn’t stop there. She said, “And for your birthday, I’m giving you time with a friend of mine who’s an accountability coach.” Well, I had never heard of an accountability coach. But that young woman called me every week for several weeks and to know what I had done and what I was going to do before she called the following week. And because of my daughter’s belief in me and her actually putting her money where her mouth was, I wrote the book that first year of COVID and then figured out what to do with it the next year. So, that’s how it happened. Um, and and as far as, um, I had What has happened since then has just been so amazing to me because I was thinking about people like myself when I wrote it. What I had not anticipated was, um, is the sales professionals and fundraising professionals who have picked it up and realized, “Oh, my goodness, this is something that can help set me apart.” So that’s been a delightful journey to discover that whole group of people that I had not expected, even though I wrote a chapter called Take It to the Office, um, but I had not really identified which groups would really resonate with it. Bill Lampton: Well, that that certainly rings a bell with me because before I became a uh professional speaker, seminar director, communication consultant, I spent two decades in fundraising with colleges, universities, and health care. Had I been able to read your book then and recognize the value of follow-up notes, I’m sure it would have it would have been greater impact than other items that I did as as follow-up. Elizabeth, tell us. Excuse me. Go ahead. Elizabeth Cottrell: No, I I I may be anticipating your question, but I I think that what I really wanted people to to take away from it was not you must do this or you should do this, but to understand the power of connection. And this is what the Heartspoken Movement is all about. And it came from Dr. Brené Brown is a social scientist and in one of her famous TED Talks, she made the comment, “We are hardwired for connection.” And as I thought about that, and I thought about the connections in my life that were important, I realized that this is a just a tool. There are many other tools, but this is just a tool, but but one that is so often overlooked and one that is so often underrated. And so that is, um, that is what I wanted people to take away is to have the come away with confidence and inspiration rather than obligation. Bill Lampton: And the book is available on Amazon. I’ve reviewed it there. There are many positive reviews and I certainly encourage those who are with us either watching or listening to the podcast. I certainly encourage you to get Heartspoken. You know, again, before we started recording live, we talked about you don’t need anything fancy. You don’t need a full sheet, this is the size card that I have. And as we also said, you don’t have to you don’t have to write 30 lines. There’s not room for 30 lines on here. And if you write the uh as you put it, Heartspoken two sentences, um, that that will carry it’s not the amount, it’s it’s what you call that feeling. If you if you get the feeling yourself and you get it across in a handwritten private, personal message, that, as you say, is powerful, great. Elizabeth Cottrell: Absolutely. Absolutely, absolutely. And and your example is so perfect because when you have some stationery cards already printed up, um, it and all you have to do is grab them and add that note. You’re much more inclined to do it. When we make things easy for ourself, whether it’s to go to the gym by putting your shoes and your gym bag out the night before or having that stationery and pen right where you can grab them, those that makes a makes a big difference. Bill Lampton: I thought of you about three or four days ago. I was invited to lunch at a friend’s house. Uh, he’s really a friend of my brother, but I had known this man and his wife a little bit over the years. But we had a wonderful couple of hours lunch on a Sunday afternoon, and as I was driving away, I was thinking, Elizabeth Cottrell wants me to write a follow-up thank-you note. Elizabeth Cottrell: [Chuckles] And you were right. Bill Lampton: Don’t just text, don’t just email, but as you and I have noticed before, everybody, and that’s a pretty inclusive term, but I can practically say everybody every day, you go to the mailbox, there are all kinds of flyers and promotional, and if you get a personal item, you’ll open that first. You might not open the others at all, but certainly, if there’s anything you’re going to open, it’s that personal handwritten message, isn’t it? Elizabeth Cottrell: Absolutely. Absolutely, absolutely. And and it’s not only are you going to open it first, you’re much more likely to save it and reread it. Bill Lampton: Yes. Elizabeth Cottrell: Elizabeth Cottrell, what a privilege, pleasure, learning experience, uplifting motivation, our conversation has been. I know that there are our viewers and listeners who want to get in touch with you, so please give us your contact information. Elizabeth Cottrell: Thank you, Dr. Bill, sure. I would say the easiest thing is is www.heartspoken.com. Um, and that has all of my contact information and all of the things that I’m that I’m up to. And and may I just add, um, we talk a lot about handwritten notes, and there is no doubt if you know me and read my book, you know how much that means to me, but messages of all kinds can be Heartspoken. Telephone messages, text messages, emails can be Heartspoken. So I am not opposed to technology. There’s a place for everything, but make it Heartspoken. Bill Lampton: Amen. And thank you for that contact information. I encourage people to get in touch with you. And now I would like to invite you to my YouTube channel. Bill Lampton, Ph.D. is the way you will find it. [Text overlay: My YouTube Channel is Bill Lampton, Ph.D.] And I’ve been recording instructional videos on YouTube since 2007. I do not encourage you to look at any of the early ones. But in in recent years, I now have over 700 instructional videos on there. And guess what? It’s everybody’s favorite word: it’s free. And while you go to my YouTube channel, I certainly invite you to subscribe. And then as well, my website, since I’m The Biz Communication Guy, bizcommunicationguy.com. [Text overlay: https://bizcommunicationguy.com] And while you’re on the website, you can subscribe to the podcast. I definitely will welcome phone calls with no initial obligation [Text overlay: Call me 678-316-4300] to discuss your communication needs and challenges and how I or someone I know can assist you with them. I also want to give credit to the co-producer of The Biz Communication Show. It’s Mike Stewart, who’s based in Nashville. [Text overlay: https://localinternetpresence.com] Elizabeth talked earlier about getting the right coaches. In one case, it was her daughter, as well. But Mike Stewart, as in 1997, when I became an entrepreneur, I met Mike Stewart and he said, “Have you got a website?” And we took it from there. And I’ve worked with him ever since and he’s the guy who took a novice, a real rookie in technology, and he taught me what I needed to know. And then I also encourage you to look at his website, localinternetpresence.com. Elizabeth, I want to thank you again for being with us today. Appreciate it so much. Elizabeth Cottrell: It was my privilege. I just loved it and and I love have meeting a kindred spirit. Bill Lampton: Yes, we are kindred spirits, and and I think back to in our generation, as say teenagers, I don’t know how you met the doctor, but I I remember I met a hometown girl, but then I went away to school. I was I was the old guy. I was two and a half years older. And how do we keep in touch? We kept in touch by letters. Elizabeth Cottrell: Oh, yes. Absolutely. Bill Lampton: And Elizabeth Cottrell: Absolutely. Bill Lampton: I I encourage people to get into the letter writing and the note writing stage. It will it will definitely enrich your life and the life of the people that that you’re with. Elizabeth Cottrell: It will, and it will be remembered. Bill Lampton: Elizabeth, thank you again so much. Elizabeth Cottrell: Thank you, Dr. Bill. Bill Lampton: Thanks to those of you who joined us on the video portion and also on the audio portion of the podcast. Be with us again next week for another version of The Biz Communication Show.

We've all heard the Democrat talking points ad nauseam—from the Epstein files to Obamacare, from Trump's health and MRI to inflation, affordability, and Biden-era policies.   But what's the strategy behind focusing so heavily on their GOP opponents instead of the bigger picture? Victor Davis Hanson says it's “just an excuse for the lack of […]

In high-pressure careers, stress is constant, and for adults with ADHD, that pressure can quickly turn into frustration, overwhelm, and chronic complaining. In this short episode, Dave digs into one of the most important personal upgrades you can make: shifting from reacting to your problems to actively solving them. This isn't about ignoring stress or pretending things are easy…It's about learning how to reclaim control, build momentum, and become someone who figures things out instead of staying stuck in the same mental loop. Remember, those of us with Adult ADHD are great problem solvers! Key Discussion Points: Why the "complaint loop" feels productive, but quietly drains your energy and power The critical difference between venting for relief and problem-solving for change How ADHD magnifies overwhelm, and why shrinking problems restores momentum The one question that instantly shifts you from reaction mode into solution mode How language shapes your outcomes: replacing emotional drama with usable data Why problem solvers don't wait for perfect clarity, they take imperfect action fast The identity shift that changes everything: becoming "the person who figures it out" If you feel stuck in the same frustrations at work or at home, this episode will give you a practical, actionable roadmap to move forward, one small decision at a time. **Do you want to work with Dave one-on-one? Go to www.overcomingdistractions.com and book an introductory Zoom chat. Or go directly to Dave's calendar; https://calendly.com/davidgreenwood1/15min Buy Dave a cup of coffee and support the show here! https://buymeacoffee.com/overcomingd     

We've all heard the Democrat talking points ad nauseam—from the Epstein files to Obamacare, from Trump's health and MRI to inflation, affordability, and Biden-era policies.  But what's the strategy behind focusing so heavily on their GOP opponents instead of the bigger picture? Victor Davis Hanson says it's “just an excuse for the lack of a serious agenda”—and Democrat voters don't seem to mind. Hanson breaks down these Democrat narratives and what it means for 2026 and beyond on today's episode of “Victor Davis Hanson: In a Few Words.” “Do they say, ‘Here's my alternate plan for immigration. I want one million, two million, three million illegal. I want to go back to the Biden [administration] , two million illegal aliens a year'? No, nothing. ‘Obamacare: Here's how we're going to solve it so we don't need subsidies. A, B, C.' Nothing.” (0:00) Introduction (0:24) The Epstein Files Controversy (0:07) Obamacare and Government Shutdowns (3:03) Trump's Health and Media Narratives (3:52) Affordability and Economic Policies (5:00) Lack of Democratic Initiatives (6:55) Conclusion 

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In the aftermath of betrayal, a growing number of people are hearing something deeply confusing, and often deeply hurtful: “Maybe we should open the relationship.” “Monogamy just isn't natural for me.” “I think I'm actually non-monogamous.” But what happens when these statements appear after an affair, not before? Is it genuine self-discovery… or a way to avoid accountability? In this episode, Luke breaks down the crucial difference between ethical non-monogamy and the post-affair use of non-monogamy as a justification, distraction, or manipulation tactic. You'll learn why this dynamic is so common, how it preys on the emotional vulnerability of the betrayed partner, and when it crosses the line into gaslighting. If your partner has cheated and is now talking about open relationships, this episode will bring clarity, validation, and truth to an incredibly confusing situation. Key Takeaways (Short, Sharp, High-Impact) Ethical non-monogamy requires consent, clarity, and communication — betrayal involves none of these. Claiming non-monogamy after cheating is often about avoidance, not identity. Betrayed partners are emotionally vulnerable, which makes them more susceptible to pressure or coercion. Using “non-monogamy” to justify cheating can be a form of gaslighting. Wanting commitment and exclusivity is normal, and not a flaw. The issue isn't monogamy vs non-monogamy, it's consent vs deception. If you're trying to make sense of a partner's sudden interest in non-monogamy after betrayal, or if you're questioning whether this is manipulation, avoidance, or something deeper, coaching can help you get clarity without losing your sense of self. Explore one-to-one coaching and The After the Affair Collective at lifecoachluke.com, or reach out directly. You don't have to navigate this alone, and you don't have to accept a relationship structure you never agreed to. Connect with Luke: Website: www.lifecoachluke.com Instagram: @mylifecoachluke Email: luke@lifecoachluke.com

Let's Get Real: Stop Using the Holidays as an Excuse to Give Up on Yourself | Ep #683 | Get Real Ep #155 | The JoLynn Braley Show Original copyrighted content published November 20, 2025 at https://fearlessfatloss.com/podcast/lets-get-real-stop-using-holidays-excuse-give-up-on-yourself

When I visited the Gulf Coast of Florida, I got to see a couple of glorious earth turns. The sky was ablaze with color and the sun disappeared on the horizon. You say, "Excuse me, Ron, that's a sunset." Hey, wait a minute. Are you from the 14th century or something? The sun doesn't set, it doesn't move! The earth moves! As it makes its revolution, your point on earth turns away from the sun every 24 hours. So that would be an earth turn, right? And we say the sun sets. Well, the earth is turning and you can see how mankind got it wrong for so many centuries. I mean, it looks as if the sun is revolving around the earth. It revolutionized a lot of thinking when people finally understood what was revolving around what. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Changing World, Unchanging Truth." Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 2 Timothy 3:16. It says this: "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." Verse 17: "so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." Now, what this is really saying is the Bible is the sun - God's unchanging, unmoving truth. Everything else has to revolve around what God's Word says. God's Word on any subject is the final word. If you read this passage, it's written in the context of a time when Paul is predicting that moral values will be in total confusion, when wrong's going to seem right, when what's right will seem wrong. Doesn't that sound familiar? It's a time when imposters and false ideas will be deceiving many people. And so God's instructions to Timothy are, "You continue in what you've learned and become convinced of what you've learned from infancy - the Holy Scriptures." In other words, you've got to stay where you are. Don't let anything make you compromise on what God's Word says. It's unsettling to see that some research indicates that only about a fourth of America's Christians are sure there's absolute truth. We're shaky on this authority issue, especially when it comes to areas that cramp our style or require us to change or go against what our group or our culture says is true today. We sometimes try to make our idea the sun, and then we try to make the Bible a planet that revolves around it. We put more weight on what is politically correct or culturally correct than what is biblically correct. In academic circles, for example, there's this subtle temptation to submit the Bible to whatever your discipline is, whether that's the current trend in sociology, or literature, or the arts, or science. Well, you've got to submit your discipline to the Bible. God's Word is the final word of origin of the universe and the origin of man. And any explanation that says God did anything other than instantly creating a fully developed adult is wrong. God's Word is the final word on divorce, on re-marriage, on sexuality, whether it's hetero or homosexuality. Or what it means to be a woman, what it means to be a man. It's the final word on justice, on wealth, on sex, on the value of an unborn life. No mental contortions can neutralize God's authoritative Word on the subject. You do no one a favor by trying to make God's Word more acceptable by diluting what it says. We stand on this book, and I hope every day as we're together this book becomes more practical and more living in your life. The planets in our world are in chaos as human wisdoms are confusing, they're colliding. But God gave us this brilliant sun, one settled, unmoving, always true authority to keep the planets in the orbits they belong in - the Word of Almighty God, the Bible. People came out of the dark ages when they realized that the sun did not revolve around them. We come out of the darkness when we realize and we never compromise the final centrality of the Bible in our personal universe, and when we put the planets of all those other ideas where they belong - in orbit around the sun of the Word of God.

Hour 1: Browns' special teams issues + Lack of talent doesn't excuse coaching full 1966 Mon, 01 Dec 2025 15:49:50 +0000 nJC5mCiDrIXC9Q4v82nEZVuw9QlfifFM sports The Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima sports Hour 1: Browns' special teams issues + Lack of talent doesn't excuse coaching The only place to talk about the Cleveland sports scene is with Ken Carman and Anthony Lima. The two guide listeners through the ups and downs of being a fan of the Browns, Cavaliers, Guardians and Ohio State Buckeyes in Northeast Ohio. They'll help you stay informed with breaking news, game coverage, and interviews with top personalities.Catch The Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima live Monday through Friday (6 a.m. - 10 a.m ET) on 92.3 The Fan, the exclusive audio home of the Browns, or on the Audacy app. For more, follow the show on X @KenCarmanShow. 2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. Sports False https://player.

If you've ever signed up for a huge race, joined a new mastermind, or taken on a massive work project right when you said you were finally going all-in on your golf game or business… this episode is going to sting a little—in the best way. In this solo conversation, I pull back the curtain on how I caught myself red-handed sabotaging my own journey to scratch by committing to a 75-mile race. On the surface, it looked disciplined, inspiring, and productive. Underneath, it was something else entirely: a socially acceptable way to avoid the emotional discomfort of fully committing to the goal that matters most to me. I call this pattern noble avoidance—and if you're a high-achieving golfer or entrepreneur, there's a very good chance it's running the show in your life too. In this episode, you'll learn: What "noble avoidance" is and how it quietly sabotages your biggest goals Why hard, impressive challenges can actually feel safer than your true dream How fear of failure, fear of success, and fear of being seen trying feed noble avoidance The subtle ways noble avoidance shows up in golf, business, fitness, and relationships 10 real-world examples so you can spot it in your own calendar and commitments Five candid reflection questions to expose where you're hiding behind "good" excuses Why "less is more" and "be boring" are the real superpowers behind scratch-level success Get your pencils ready and start listening.  P.P.S. Curious to learn more about the results my clients are experiencing and what they say about working with me? Read more here. Play to Your Potential On (and Off) the Course Schedule a Mindset Coaching Discovery Call Subscribe to the More Pars than Bogeys Newsletter Download my "Play Your Best Round" free hypnosis audio recording. High-Performance Hypnotherapy and Mindset Coaching Paul Salter - known as The Golf Hypnotherapist - is a High-Performance Hypnotherapist and Mindset Coach who leverages hypnosis and powerful subconscious reprogramming techniques to help golfers of all ages and skill levels overcome the mental hazards of their minds so they can shoot lower scores and play to their potential. He has over 16 years of coaching experience working with high performers in various industries, helping them get unstuck, out of their own way, and unlock their full potential. Click here to learn more about how high-performance hypnotherapy and mindset coaching can help you get out of your own way and play to your potential on (and off) the course.  Instagram: @thegolfhypnotherapist  Key Takeaways: Noble avoidance is choosing a worthy, productive, or impressive pursuit to avoid the deeper emotional work required for the goal you truly want. A goal like running 75 miles is brutally hard physically, but it can be emotionally safer than going all-in on becoming a scratch golfer. Fear of failure, fear of success, and fear of being seen truly trying are core drivers behind noble avoidance. Your subconscious is addicted to safety, familiarity, and predictability—and will recreate old patterns, even painful ones, to stay "safe." Noble avoidance often looks like rebranding, building systems, learning more, or "helping everyone else" instead of doing the uncomfortable, needle-moving work. Looking at your calendar is one of the most honest ways to see what you're truly committed to versus what you just claim to care about. Long-term success comes from doing fewer things, better—embracing boring, consistent reps instead of chasing exciting side quests. Key Quotes: "Noble avoidance is the subconscious strategy of choosing a worthy pursuit to avoid the deeper emotional discomfort of your true goal." "Underneath noble avoidance is self-protection disguised as self-improvement." "It's ambition used as armor and momentum pointed in the wrong direction." "Running 75 miles isn't easier physically—it's easier emotionally." "If I give everything and still fall short, I'm out of excuses—and that's terrifying." "Noble avoidance is still avoidance. Until you name it, you continue to serve it." "Success is built on the same boring principles executed relentlessly over and over and over." Time Stamps: 00:00: The Journey to Scratch Golf 05:43: The Commitment Dilemma 11:15: Understanding Noble Avoidance 16:18: Confronting Fears and Identity 21:37: Taking Action and Moving Forward

LDV Mahi Monday We wanted to record our LDV Mahi Monday before we left what has been an amazing week in Australia that has left our hearts and cup very very full... Todays show is a chance for us to reflect on the amazing opportunity we had of hosting the NFL Thanks Giving spread... Not only were we fortunate to host such a wholesome evening, we were also given the chance to sit down with Australian Strong Man - Eddie Williams. Not only did we sit down for a chat with Eddie but also, Australia's Song - Cooper Johns! (Excuse the technical difficulties!) Hit that link below to stay caught up with anything and everything TMS. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/groups/3394787437503676/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We dropped some merch! Use TMS for 10% off. Here is the link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youknowclothing.com/search?q=tms⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thank you to the team at Chemist Warehouse for helping us keep the lights on, here at The Morning Shift... ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.chemistwarehouse.co.nz/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 00:00 - Intro 1:33 - Check In 7:45 - Daily Bread 14:02 - Eddie Williams Introduction 16:02 - Eddie Williams 21:25 - Cooper Johns Introduction 22:42 - Cooper Johns 38:03 - Final Words 39:02 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

•Anthony's Neighbor's Distain For Illegal Cockroaches •ICE: Jerking Off Mexicans Just To Throw The Sperm In The Garbage •Don't Ask Don't Tell - Mexicans & Lawn Care •All My Debts Are Paid In Legal Tender •Obama Deported Betterer •Wife Goes To Africa, Dies, Man Gets Drunk, Says No-No Word, Dies •Let's Find Out How To Make Dreadlocks! •His Motive Was "BURN ALIVE BITCH" •Dorg Summons Bloody Mary For Content •Drug Money Fixes Roads •Excuse Me Miss, May I Smell Your Couch? •Vaginal Aroma Beer Math •Texas Boys Prank Foiled By Own Stupidity …And Much More! Support Us on Patreon Get access to bonus episodes every week, ad free episodes, and join us on our weekly after show chats. https://www.patreon.com/WhosRight Watch us Live Tuesday (Bonus Episodes) and Wednesday on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/c/WhosRightPodcast Our website - https://whosrightpodcast.com/ For superchat sounds, send them over to Doug at doug.whosrightpodcast@gmail.com with "superchat" in the subject line Submit Dear Flabby Questions - https://whosrightpodcast.com/dearflabby/ Don't miss any updates or content. Find all our social media links located in our Linktree: http://linktr.ee/whosrightpodcast Link to our Discord - https://discord.gg/5jkc6NfAW8 Doug's Substack - https://mindofdorg.substack.com/ Deputy Butterbean's Playlist - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4BgFV8Gik4pDL4HNiygudW?si=VUiKTlOIRuO7-JtZ5pjJ1Q&pi=0uChhaL3Stq-0 The infamous Beastie Boys episode - https://beastieboysepisode.com/

There are a lot of reasons why someone's output might change. When people ask why, you have the best excuse in the world.

Will the Shooting of 2 National Guardsmen in Washington D.C. Provide Trump With an Excuse to Invoke the Insurrection Act For Example? | A Warning to the American Press From the Filmmaker of a Powerful New Feature Documentary About Brave Young Russian Women Reporting the Truth as Putin Shuts Down Independent Media and Criminalizes Journalism backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

Usha Vance was spotted out on official Second Lady duties without her wedding ring this week. Couple that, with the recent remarks from hubby J.D. saying he wished his wife would convert to Christianity to the controversial hug between Erika Kirk and J.D. Vance last month, and you’ve got divorce rumors circling the couple. Hear what Usha Vance said in response to all the negativity and why we liked it so much. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Usha Vance was spotted out on official Second Lady duties without her wedding ring this week. Couple that, with the recent remarks from hubby J.D. saying he wished his wife would convert to Christianity to the controversial hug between Erika Kirk and J.D. Vance last month, and you’ve got divorce rumors circling the couple. Hear what Usha Vance said in response to all the negativity and why we liked it so much. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Usha Vance was spotted out on official Second Lady duties without her wedding ring this week. Couple that, with the recent remarks from hubby J.D. saying he wished his wife would convert to Christianity to the controversial hug between Erika Kirk and J.D. Vance last month, and you’ve got divorce rumors circling the couple. Hear what Usha Vance said in response to all the negativity and why we liked it so much. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Headlines Mike is NOT working on and the Shot of the Day

Let's talk about Trump finding his excuse for his tariff checks....

Alonso and Jacks are back to kick off our Netflix Christmas movie journey — and the first one up is A Merry Little Ex-Mas.ABOUT A MERRY LITTLE EX-MASA separated couple tries celebrating one last Christmas together with their kids before their divorce. However, the husband's new girlfriend joins the festivities, causing tension and chaos during the holidays.AIR DATE & PLATFORM FOR A MERRY LITTLE EX-MASNovember 12, 2025 | NetflixCAST & CREW OF A MERRY LITTLE EX-MASAlicia Silverstone as KateOliver Hudson as EverettJameela Jamil as TessPierson Fodé as ChetMelissa Joan HartBRAN'S A MERRY LITTLE EX-MAS SYNOPSISWe're getting a Christmas story. We meet Kate about 20 years ago, fresh out of college and starting a job at an architecture firm. She goes to a party and dances with a guy named Everett. When he decides to settle down and start his own practice, she follows him to his small town of Winter Light.Flash forward 20 years: they've decided they're getting a divorce… sorry, cautiously uncoupling. Obviously, in Winter Light, you need the mayor's approval for that. They tell him they're still going to do Christmas together as a family, and the mayor (along with all their friends) thinks they're completely insane—because apparently you can't divorce nicely.It's going to be a full house for Christmas: Kate and Everett's son Gabriel and daughter Sienna, Sienna's boyfriend Nigel (who is a Harry Potter tour guide), Kate's sister, and… apparently, Everett's new girlfriend. Kate is the last to find out and, shockingly, she's not thrilled.She runs into Everett and his girlfriend, Tess, while out in town, and it is painfully awkward.The next day, Everett tells Kate he wants everyone—including Tess—to have dinner together tonight. Kate and the kids head to Everett's house and are shocked to see how chaotic things are. The vibes are weird, but maybe they'll get better… right?The next day it's time for Christmas traditions! Bright and early, Kate takes the kids to get a tree. At the lot, she meets a hunky young Santa named Chet, who gives her his number. She shrugs it off—until feeling discouraged by all the Tess-ness and her kids rolling their eyes at her eco-friendly traditions—so she decides… yolo.Naturally, their first date is with the entire family: sledding. It does not go well, with Kate crashing. Everett rushes to check on her, and—uh oh—the old sparks start flying.Kate and Tess chat. Tess basically asks, “How did you let him get away?”Everett and Chet chat. Same conversation, obviously.Turns out, Everett worked too much, and she was just too darn environmentally friendly.Everett apologizes to Kate for not being present in their marriage, and it means a lot… until he adds that if he ever marries Tess (or anyone else), he'll be better. That sends Kate spiraling, and she destroys the gingerbread village she made. She blurts out that she “can't wait to get out of this place.” When pressed, she admits that once Gabe finishes high school, she's moving back to Boston to become an architect again.They all have Christmas dinner together and exchange gifts. Kate gets Everett the indoor grill he's always wanted instead of her usual handmade gift. Everett gets Kate her favorite perfume—made from scratch. It's very sweet. And then Tess opens her gift from Everett: AirPods. She's like, “Excuse me… you MADE your ex-wife perfume from scratch?” Things go downhill fast when the Christmas tree catches fire. Chet—naturally—strips down to help put out the fire.Though Kate finds Chet extremely amusing, she ends up breaking things off with him.Later that night, Everett surprises Kate and the kids by showing up to look through their Christmas Eve picture book like they always do—which leads to an almost-kiss.Christmas morning: Tess bows out, knowing Everett is still in love with Kate. Chet comes to pick her up, obviously.With the power out at Everett's house, everyone heads to Kate's place—because of course hers is fully battery-powered. When they arrive, the entire neighborhood is already there, praising Kate for everything she's done. Through her family and friends, Kate realizes that even though she let go of her original dream, she still made a difference.The movie ends with Everett telling Kate he doesn't want a divorce. He wants to move with her to Boston. Kate tells him she's not going to Boston. Then they kiss—big ones.A year later, Kate has opened her own sustainability company. She's the one working all the time… but in a good way. And the movie ends with “You Can Call Me Al.” Watch the show on Youtube - www.deckthehallmark.com/youtubeInterested in advertising on the show? Email bran@deckthehallmark.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this subsequent episode of the Shut Up & Sit Down Podcast, Matt and Tom are returning to a couple of the games they were excited about in the Essen Special, as well as covering one that was missed from the billing!Excuse the occasional odd buzzing on this one - we tried to scrub it as much as possible but there's only so much you can do to heal a dodgy microphone before you start making Matt sound like a blender.Have a great weekend, everybody!Timestamps:02:33 - Winning Ticket15:41 - Feya's Swamp37:04 - Sanctuary