Podcasts about Beirut

President Donald Trump has warned that more American military personnel are likely to be killed as the US and Israel continue their attacks on Iran. Three US service members have already died after Iranian retaliatory strikes on military sites. Trump says Operation Epic Fury could last weeks. Also: the conflict widens as Israel and Hezbollah exchange fire, with the IDF hitting targets in Beirut's southern suburbs. Oil prices surge after Iran warns tankers to avoid the Strait of Hormuz. The UK says it will allow the US to use British bases. And we look at Mossad and the CIA's intelligence efforts to carry out the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.ukImage credit: Truth Social/Reuters

Only songs are able to comfort the soul in its darkness—but can anyone hear them? Iman Humaydan's saga Songs for Darkness (Interlink, 2026) recalls the voices of four generations of women from one family in the imaginary village of Kasura, in Mount Lebanon. Its narrator, Asmahan, named after the beloved Syrian singer, has devoted her adult life to recovering the stories of her ancestors, who persisted in the shadows of male supremacy, war, military occupation, and impoverishment. Her mother, Layla, disappeared when Asmahan was still a teenager. Her grandmother, Yasmine, died giving birth. And her great-grandmother, Shahira, struggled through two world wars, famine, and suffocating gender norms to win an education for her children and eke out a better life for her family. Asmahan is determined to protect her daughter and break out of the cycle of intergenerational violence and wounds that the women who came before her suffered. She packs up her daughter to emigrate after a divorce, when her husband takes their son away from her on his seventh birthday, during the darkest days of the 1982 Israeli invasion. These women's legacies span and echo the scarred history of an abused homeland, from the eve of the first World War to the 1982 Lebanon War. In honoring their unfulfilled lives, Iman Humaydan insistently preserves intimate stories of abundant tenacity, generosity, sacrifice—and songs, provisions sorely needed for dark times. A conversation with translator Michelle Hartman Iman Humaydan Yunis is a Lebanese novelist, creative writing teacher, editor, and freelance journalist. Her novels received wide international acclaim and were translated into English, French, Italian, Dutch, German, Armenian, Polish, and Georgian. She is the author of five novels, including B as in Beirut, Wild Mulberries, Other Lives, and The Weight of Paradise, all published in English by Interlink. She is also the editor of the collection of short stories Beirut Noir. She is the president of the Lebanese chapter of PEN, and splits her time between Beirut and Paris. Michelle Hartman is a literary translator and professor of Arabic literature at McGill University. She has translated more than a dozen novels from Arabic to English including three other novels by Iman Humaydan, The Weight of Paradise, Other Lives, and Wild Mulberries. Her latest translation is A Long Walk from Gaza (Interlink, 2024). She has also written on Lebanese women and the Civil War in two co-authored volumes (with Malek Abisaab), Women's War Stories: The Lebanese Civil War, Women's Labor and the Creative Arts (Syracuse UP, 2022) and What the War Left Behind: Women's Stories of Resistance and Struggle in Lebanon (Syracuse UP, 2024). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Only songs are able to comfort the soul in its darkness—but can anyone hear them? Iman Humaydan's saga Songs for Darkness (Interlink, 2026) recalls the voices of four generations of women from one family in the imaginary village of Kasura, in Mount Lebanon. Its narrator, Asmahan, named after the beloved Syrian singer, has devoted her adult life to recovering the stories of her ancestors, who persisted in the shadows of male supremacy, war, military occupation, and impoverishment. Her mother, Layla, disappeared when Asmahan was still a teenager. Her grandmother, Yasmine, died giving birth. And her great-grandmother, Shahira, struggled through two world wars, famine, and suffocating gender norms to win an education for her children and eke out a better life for her family. Asmahan is determined to protect her daughter and break out of the cycle of intergenerational violence and wounds that the women who came before her suffered. She packs up her daughter to emigrate after a divorce, when her husband takes their son away from her on his seventh birthday, during the darkest days of the 1982 Israeli invasion. These women's legacies span and echo the scarred history of an abused homeland, from the eve of the first World War to the 1982 Lebanon War. In honoring their unfulfilled lives, Iman Humaydan insistently preserves intimate stories of abundant tenacity, generosity, sacrifice—and songs, provisions sorely needed for dark times. A conversation with translator Michelle Hartman Iman Humaydan Yunis is a Lebanese novelist, creative writing teacher, editor, and freelance journalist. Her novels received wide international acclaim and were translated into English, French, Italian, Dutch, German, Armenian, Polish, and Georgian. She is the author of five novels, including B as in Beirut, Wild Mulberries, Other Lives, and The Weight of Paradise, all published in English by Interlink. She is also the editor of the collection of short stories Beirut Noir. She is the president of the Lebanese chapter of PEN, and splits her time between Beirut and Paris. Michelle Hartman is a literary translator and professor of Arabic literature at McGill University. She has translated more than a dozen novels from Arabic to English including three other novels by Iman Humaydan, The Weight of Paradise, Other Lives, and Wild Mulberries. Her latest translation is A Long Walk from Gaza (Interlink, 2024). She has also written on Lebanese women and the Civil War in two co-authored volumes (with Malek Abisaab), Women's War Stories: The Lebanese Civil War, Women's Labor and the Creative Arts (Syracuse UP, 2022) and What the War Left Behind: Women's Stories of Resistance and Struggle in Lebanon (Syracuse UP, 2024). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

Ukraine's cities were failing long before the Russian invasion began. Kyiv and Lviv ranked among the 40 most congested cities in the world, yet neither makes the top 100 by population. Ninety per cent of Ukraine's housing stock was built before 1990. Its urban infrastructure was designed for a Soviet economy and never properly adapted for the one that followed. So when reconstruction begins, the question is not simply how to repair what was there: it is whether repairing what was there is the right goal.Edward Glaeser of Harvard, Martina Kirchberger of Trinity College Dublin, and Andrii Parkhomenko of the University of Southern California argue that the most instructive precedent is not post-USSR Warsaw, or postwar Berlin, it is postwar Tokyo. Firebombed into ruin, Tokyo rebuilt in a way that was strikingly decentralised: master plans quickly abandoned, local communities empowered to combine small lots through land readjustment, and figure it out from the bottom up. Before the war, Ukraine's economic activity was already shifting away from heavy industry and the east, towards services and the west. Reconstruction that concentrates investment where the damage is greatest, rather than where people want to build a new life, would repair the buildings and miss the point.The research behind this episode:Glaeser, Edward L., Martina Kirchberger, and Andrii Parkhomenko. 2025. "Rebuilding Ukraine's Cities: Maximizing Benefits and Minimizing Costs." Economic Policy: Papers on European and Global Issues, special issue: "What's Next for Ukraine?" To cite this episode:Phillips, Tim. 2026, "What's Next for Ukraine: Reconstruction." Economic Policy: Papers on European and Global Issues (podcast). Assign this as extra listening: the citation above is formatted and ready for a reading list or VLE.About the guestsEdward Glaeser is Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics at Harvard University and a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. He is one of the world's leading urban economists, with a research agenda spanning cities, housing markets, economic growth, and governance.Martina Kirchberger is a CEPR Research Affiliate and Assistant Professor in Economics at Trinity College Dublin. Her research focuses on structural transformation, urban economics, and development in low- and middle-income countries.Andrii Parkhomenko is Assistant Professor of Real Estate at the USC Marshall School of Business and a researcher at the Kyiv School of Economics. His work centers on urban and spatial economics, with a particular focus on housing markets and city growth.Research cited in this episodeUkraine Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment, World Bank Group, European Commission, and UN, 2024. The source of the physical damage figure cited in this episode: approximately $175 billion by the end of 2024, with estimates for end-2025 likely exceeding $200 billion. Some independent projections cited by Glaeser run to $500 billion or above.The concept of investing-in-investing, referenced by Kirchberger, originates in work by Paul Collier on how resource-rich developing countries can scale up capital investment effectively. It refers to the prior investments in institutions, skills, and capacity that must be made before large-scale capital flows can be productively absorbed. The implication for Ukraine: there is work to do now, before reconstruction begins at scale.The Tokyo land readjustment model, which Glaeser cited as the most instructive reconstruction precedent, allowed owners of small fragmented lots to pool their land, redevelop it jointly, and receive a share of the new property in exchange for their stake in the old. It enabled large-scale urban reconstruction without central expropriation, and without waiting for government direction. The mechanism remains in active use in Japanese urban planning.The Solidere reconstruction of central Beirut was raised as a cautionary counterexample: a centralised, top-down rebuild that produced a high-end commercial district with questionable benefit to ordinary Lebanese, and which substantially enriched its private shareholders. The contrast with Tokyo's decentralised model is the episode's sharpest illustration of what reconstruction can and cannot achieve when organised from above.More in the "What's Next for Ukraine?" seriesThis episode is the second in a three-part series based on papers presented at the inaugural Economic Policy winter conference, Paris, December 2025.Episode 1: Yuriy Gorodnichenko and Maurice Obstfeld on the investment and financing challenge: $40 billion a year, debt restructuring as a prerequisite for private capital, and why the number is more achievable than it sounds.Episode 3: Demobilisation and the labour market: getting soldiers back into work without breaking the economy that kept the country going. Related reading on VoxEURebuilding cities in Ukraine: A VoxEU column on the urban reconstruction challenge, including the spatial decisions that will shape how Ukraine's cities develop in the decades after the war.A blueprint for the reconstruction of Ukraine: A comprehensive VoxEU overview of the reconstruction architecture: what institutions are needed, how international financing can be coordinated, and what the sequencing of investment should look like.Completing Ukraine's reconstruction architecture: On the remaining gaps in the international framework for financing and coordinating Ukraine's rebuild, and what needs to happen before reconstruction can begin at the required scale.Lessons for rebuilding Ukraine from economic recoveries after natural disasters: What the evidence from post-disaster reconstruction in other countries tells us about what works, what fails, and how quickly economies can return to their pre-shock trajectories.

The U.S. orders the evacuation of non-emergency personnel and families from its embassy in Beirut as it braces for a possible strike on Iran—raising the specter of a wider regional war. Right-wing media fracture bitterly over whether to back escalation as Cenk goes head to head with Genral Clark on Piers Morgan. Alleged Mar-A-Lago gunman revealed to be vocal Trump supporter upset about the Epstein files. Thanks to Shopify and Zip Recruiter for today's episode: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at shopify.com/tyt Just go to this exclusive web address right now to try ZipRecruiter FOR FREE: ziprecruiter.com/tyt Hosts: Ana Kasparian, Cenk Uygur SUBSCRIBE on YOUTUBE ☞  https://www.youtube.com/@TheYoungTurks FOLLOW US ON: FACEBOOK  ☞   https://www.facebook.com/theyoungturks TWITTER  ☞       https://twitter.com/TheYoungTurks INSTAGRAM  ☞  https://www.instagram.com/theyoungturks TIKTOK  ☞          https://www.tiktok.com/@theyoungturks

The real state of Trump's America : Social misery, dictatorship, war- an upsurge of class struggle / US begins pulling staff from Beirut amid Iran attack build up / UNAC/UHCP bureaucrats shut down Kaiser Permanente strike without a contract

The EU fails to agree fresh sanctions as the Russia-Ukraine war enters another year. Then: will Donald Trump’s intervention kill the Chagos Island deal? Plus: exploring the memory of Beirut through its cinema and the latest aviation news.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Courage is not loud. Sometimes it is a 13-year-old girl standing in a courtroom, promising to defend dignity no matter the cost.  Noura Ghazi's life was shaped by detention, disappearance, and resistance long before she became a human rights lawyer. Growing up in Damascus with a father repeatedly imprisoned for political opposition, she chose early to confront injustice through law rather than violence. From defending political prisoners during the Syrian revolution to marrying her husband inside a prison and later founding No Photo Zone, Noura has built a life rooted in resilience, civil rights advocacy, and unwavering belief in human dignity.  Now living in France as a political refugee, she continues her work supporting families of detainees, survivors of torture, and the disappeared. Her story is not simply about survival. It is about choosing mindset over fear, purpose over despair, and love even in the shadow of loss. This conversation invites reflection on what it means to remain Unstoppable when freedom, justice, and even safety are uncertain.  Highlights:  00:07:06 – A defining childhood moment reveals how a confrontation in a Syrian courtroom shaped Noura's lifelong commitment to defending political prisoners.  00:12:51 – The unpredictable nature of Syria's exceptional courts exposes how justice without standards creates generational instability and fear.  00:17:32 – The emotional aftermath of her father's release illustrates how imprisonment reshapes entire families, not just the person detained.  00:23:47 – Noura's pursuit of human rights education demonstrates how intentional learning becomes an act of resistance in restrictive systems.  00:32:10 – The early days of the Syrian revolution clarify how violence escalates when peaceful protest is met with force.  00:37:27 – Her marriage inside a prison and the global advocacy campaign that followed reflect how personal love can fuel public courage.  00:50:59 – A candid reflection on PTSD reveals how trauma can coexist with purpose and even deepen empathy for others.  About the Guest:   Noura Ghazi's life has been shaped by a single, unwavering mission: to defend dignity, freedom, and justice in the face of dictatorship. Born in Damascus into a family deeply rooted in political resistance, she witnessed firsthand the cost of speaking out when her father was detained, tortured, and disappeared multiple times. That lived experience became her calling. Since 2004, she has defended political prisoners before Syria's Supreme Security State Court, and when the Syrian revolution began in 2011, she fully committed herself to supporting detainees and the families of the disappeared. Even after her husband, activist Bassel Khartabil Safadi, was detained, disappeared, and ultimately executed, she continued her advocacy with extraordinary resolve.  Forced into exile in 2018 after repeated threats and arrest warrants, Noura founded NoPhotoZone to provide legal aid, psychological support, and international advocacy for victims of detention, torture, enforced disappearance, and displacement across Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey. Her mission is not only to seek justice for the imprisoned and the missing, but to restore agency and hope to families living in uncertainty and trauma. Recognized globally for her courage and leadership, Noura remains committed to amplifying the voices of the silenced and ensuring that even in the darkest systems, human rights and human dignity are never forgotten.  https://nouraghazi.org/   https://nophotozone.org/   Book – Waiting by Noura Ghazi - https://www.lulu.com/shop/noura-ghazi-safadi/waiting/paperback/product-1jz2kz2j.html?page=1&pageSize=4   About the Host:  Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.  Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.  https://michaelhingson.com   https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/   https://twitter.com/mhingson   https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson   https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/  Thanks for listening!  Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.  Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!  Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.  Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you are enjoying the show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Michael Hingson  00:09 Well, welcome everyone to another episode of unstoppable mindset. Today, we get to chat with Nora Ghazi, who lives in, I believe, France right now. She was born in Syria. She'll tell us about that, and she has had an interesting life, and I would say, a life that has had lots of challenges and some treachery along the way. But we'll get to all of that, and I will leave it to her to describe most of that, but I just want to tell you all we really appreciate you being here and hope you enjoy the episode. So Nora, how are you? Noura Ghazi  00:49 Thank you, Michael, for having me in this great broadcast, doing well. Michael Hingson  00:57 Well, there you go. Well, why don't we start? I love to start this way. Why don't you tell us kind of about the early Nora, growing up and so on, where you grew up, what anything you want to talk about, regarding being a younger person and all of that and and however we want to proceed, we'll go from there. Noura Ghazi  01:17 Okay, so since I was a child, my childhood wasn't like normal, like all the kids at my age, because my father was like a leader in opposition party against the previous Syrian regime. Michael Hingson  01:34 So you were born in Syria? Noura Ghazi  01:37 Yes, I work in Damascus. I'm from Damascus, but I have some like multiple origin that I'm proud of. But yes, I'm from Damascus. So since I was five years old, my father was disappeared and because he was wanted with other, like fellows at his party and other, let's say aliens, parties of opposition against the previous regime. So he disappeared for six years, then he was detained and transferred to what was named the supreme security state court. So it was during my adultness, let's say so since I was a child like I had at that time, only one sister, which is one year younger than me, we were moving a lot. We had no place to live. So my mother used to take us each few days to stay at some, someone place, let's say so it caused to us like changing schools all, all the time, which means changing friends. So it was very weird. And at that age, okay, I I knew the words of like cause, the words of leader or dictatorship. I used to say these words, but without knowing what does it mean. Then, when my father detained, it was his ninth detention. Actually, my mother was pregnant with my brother, so my brother was born while my father was in prison. And while he was in prison, the last time he disappeared for one year, three months, he was in like a kind of isolation in security facility. Then he was referred to this court. So in one of the sessions of the trials, I had a fight with the officer who, like who was leading the patrol that bring my father and other prisoners of conscience. So at the end of this fight, I promised my father and the officer that, okay, I will grow up and become a human rights lawyer and defend political prisoners, which I did at the end. Michael Hingson  04:05 So what? What was the officer doing? He was taking people to the court. Noura Ghazi  04:12 Yes, because Okay, so there is many kind of prisons now. They became like, more familiar to like public opinion because of, like 15 years of violence in Syria. So there was, like the the central civil prison in Damascus, which we call ADRA prison, and we have said, NIA jail, military prison. So those two prisons, they were like, holding detainees in them. So they they used to bring detainees to the court in busses, like a kind of military busses, with patrol of like civil police and military police. So the officer was like. Heading the patrol that was bringing my fathers from other prison. Michael Hingson  05:05 So you, so you, what was the fight about with the officer and your father and so on? What? How? Well, yeah, what was the fight? Noura Ghazi  05:16 It's very good question, although at that time, it was a very like scary situation, but now I laughed a lot about it. Okay, so they used to to catch all the prisoners in one chain with the handcuffs. So we used to come to hug and kiss my father before entering the court. So I was doing what I used to do during the trials, or just upon the trials, and then one of the policemen, like pushed me away. So I got nervous, and my father got nervous. So the officer provoked me. He was like a kind of insulting that my father is a detainee, and he is like he's coming to this court. So I, like I replied that I'm proud of my father and his friends what they are doing. So he somehow, he threats me to detain me like my father, and at that time, I was very angry, and I curse the father Assad just in on the like in the door, at the door of the court, and there was people and and Like all the the policemen, like they were just pointing their weapon to me, and there was some moments of silence. Then they took all the detainees into the court. So at this moment, while I'm entering the court behind them, I said, I will grow up and become a human rights lawyer to defend political prisoners. Michael Hingson  07:02 What did the officers say to that? Noura Ghazi  07:06 Because they used to look to us as because we are. We were against father Assad and the dictatorship, so they used to see us, even if we are kids, as enemies. Michael Hingson  07:22 Yeah, so the officer but, but he didn't detain you. I was Noura Ghazi  07:27 only 13 years, yeah, okay, they used to to arrest the kids, but they didn't. Michael Hingson  07:37 So did the officer react to your comment? You're going to grow up to become a civil rights lawyer? Noura Ghazi  07:43 He was shocked, was he? But I don't know if he knew that I become a human yes, there at the end, yeah. Michael Hingson  07:54 And meanwhile, what did your father do or say? Noura Ghazi  07:58 He was shocked also, but he was very proud, and until now, he like every time, because I'm also like, very close to to his friends who I used to visit in prison. Then I become a human rights lawyer, and I was the youngest lawyer in Syria. I was only 22 years old when I started to practice law. So during the the revolution in Syria, which started in 2011 some of his friends were detained, and I was their lawyer also. So I'm very close to them. So until now, they remember this story and laugh about it, because no one could curse or say anything not good about father Assad or or the family, even in secret. So it's still, like, very funny, and I'm still like, stuck somehow in, like, in this career and the kind of activism I'm doing, because just I got angry of the officer 30 years ago. So at this, at that moment, I've decided what I will be in the future. I'm just doing it well. Michael Hingson  09:20 From everything I've read, it sounds like you do a good job. Noura Ghazi  09:25 I cannot say it's a job, because usually you you do a job, you get paid for your job, you go at a certain time and come back at a certain time. You do certain tasks. But for me, it's like a continuing fight, non violent fight, of course, for dignity, for freedom, for justice, right, for reveal the truth of those who were disappeared and got missing. So yes, until now, I'm doing this, so I don't have that. Are the luxury to to be paid all the time, or to be to have weekends or to work until like certain hour at night. I cannot say I'm enjoying it, but this is the reason why I'm still alive, because I have a motive to help and support other people who are victims to dictatorship and violence. Michael Hingson  10:25 So your father went into court and what happened? Noura Ghazi  10:31 He was sentenced. At the end, he was sentenced to three years in prison. And it's a funny story, another funny story, actually, because, like the other latines at that at that trial, like it was only my father and other two prisoners who sent who were sentenced to three years in prison, while other people, the minimum was seven years in Prison, until 15 years in prison. So my mother and us, we felt like we are embarrassed and shy because, okay, our father will will be released like in few months, but other prisoners will stay much longer. So it's something very embarrassing to our friends who whom their fathers got sentenced to like more. Michael Hingson  11:30 Did you ever find out why it was only three years? Noura Ghazi  11:33 We don't know because it's an exceptional court, so it's up to the judge and the judge at that time, like it's it's very similar to what is happening now and what happened after 2011 so it's a kind of continuing reality in in Syria since like 63 which was the first time my father was detained. It was in 63 just after the what they called the eighth March revolution. So my father was only 11 years old when he was detained the first time because he participated in a protest. So it's up to the judge. It's not like a real court with like the the fair trial standards. So it's it's only once you know, the judge said the sentences for each one. So two prisoners got confused. They couldn't differentiate like Which sentence to whom, so they asked like again, so he forgot, so he said them again in different way. So it's something like, very spontaneously, yeah, very just moody, not any standard. Michael Hingson  12:51 Well, so Did your father then serve the three years and was released. Or what happened? Noura Ghazi  12:58 He was released on the day that he should be released, he disappeared for few days. We didn't know what happened. Then he was released. Finally he came. We used to live with my my grandma, so I was the one who opened the door, and I saw just my father. So we we knew later that okay, he was moved again to a security facility because he refused to sign a paper that say that he will not practice any oppositional action against the authority. So he refused, yeah, yeah. Michael Hingson  13:43 Well, I mean, I'm sure there's, there's a continuing story, what happened to him after that. So he came home, Noura Ghazi  13:53 he came out to my grandma. It was a big surprise, like full of joy, but full of tears as well. Michael Hingson  14:01 And you're you were 16 now, right? Noura Ghazi  14:04 I was when he was raised. I was 15, yeah, okay, yeah. And my sister was 14. My brother was two years and a half, so for him, okay, the father is this person that we visit behind bars every Monday, not this one who stay with us. So for him, it was weird. For my brother, he was very like little kid to understand. Then my father went to to see his parents as well. Then we came back to our apartment that we couldn't live more than few months because my father was detained. So at this night, everything was very, very, very new, like because before the three years he he was disappeared for six years, so there was. Nine years. We don't live with my father, so my brother used to sleep just next to my mom, actually my sister and me, but okay, we were like a teenager, so it's okay. So my brother couldn't sleep. Because why he keep, he kept asking why my father is sleeping with us while he's not with his friend at that place. And he was traumatized for many days. But usually when, like a political prisoner released, usually, like, we have a kind of two, three weeks of people visiting the family to say, Okay, it's it's good. We're happy for you that he was released. So the first two, three weeks were full of people and like, social events, etc. Then the, the real problem started. So my father studied law, but he was fired from university for security reasons at the the last year of his study, and as he was sentenced so he couldn't work, my mother used to work, and so like suddenly he started to feel that okay, He's not able to work. He's not able to fulfill the needs of his family. He's not able to spend on the family. The problems between him and my mother started. We couldn't as like my sister and me as teenagers. We couldn't really accept him. We couldn't see that. He's the same person that we used to visit in prison. He was very friendly. We used to talk about everything in life, including the very personal things that usually daughters don't speak with fathers about it. But then he became a father, which we we we weren't used to it, and he was shocked also. So I can say that this, this situation, at least on emotional and psychological level, for me, it lasted for 15 years. I couldn't accept him very well, even my my sister and and the brother and it happens to all like prisoners, political prisoners, especially who spent long time in prison. Michael Hingson  17:32 So now is your father and well, are your father and your mother still alive? Or are they around? Noura Ghazi  17:41 They are still alive. They are still in Damascus, Michael Hingson  17:44 and they're still in Damascus. Yes, how is I guess I'll just ask it now, how is Syria different today than it was in the Assad regime, Noura Ghazi  17:56 like most of Syrians, and now we should differentiate about what Syrians will talk. We're talking so like those Syrians, like the majority of Syrians, and I'm meaning here, I'm sorry, I shouldn't be very direct. Now, the Arab Sunni Syrians, most of them, they are very happy. They are calling what happened in in last eight December, that it's the deliberation of Syria, but for other minorities, like religious or ethnic minorities, of course, it's almost the same. For me, I feel that okay, we have the same dictatorship now, the same corruption, the same of like lack of freedom of expression. But the the added that we have now is that we have Islamist who control Syria. We have extremists who control Syria. They intervene even in personal freedoms. They they are like, like, they are committing crimes against minorities, like it started last March, against alawed. It started last July, against Druze. Now it is starting against Kurdish, and unfortunately, the international community turning like an attorney, like, okay. They are okay with with it, because they want, like their own interest, their own benefits. They have another crisis in the world to take care and to think about, not Syria. So the most important for the international community is to have a stable situation in Syria, to be like, like, no kind of like, no fight zone in the Middle East, and they don't care about Syrian people. And this is very frustrating for those who. Who have the same beliefs that I have. Michael Hingson  20:04 So in a lot of ways, you're saying it hasn't, hasn't really changed, and only the, only the faces and names have changed, but not the actions or the results Noura Ghazi  20:16 the faces and names, and most important, the sects, has changed. So it was very obvious for me that most of Syrians, they don't mind to be controlled by dictator. They only mind what is the sect of this dictator? Michael Hingson  20:35 Unfortunately. Well, yeah. Well, let's go back to you. So your father was released, and you had already made your decision about what you wanted to be, what how does school work over there? Did you go to a, what we would call a high school? Or how does all that work? Noura Ghazi  20:58 Yeah, high school, I was among the like the student who got the highest score in Damascus. I was the fourth one on Damascus when I finished. We call it back like Baccalaureate in Syria, which came from French. And I studied law, and I was also very, like, really hard, hard study person. So I was graduated in four years. Actually, nobody in Syria used to finish studying law in Damascus University only in four years. Like some people stayed more than 10 years because it it was very difficult, and it's different than like law college or law school or university of law, depending on the country, than other countries, because we only like study law. Theoretically, we don't have any practice because we were 1000s of students, it was the like the maximum university that include students. And I registered immediately in the Bar Association in Damascus, and I started because we have, like, a kind, it's, it's similar to stage for two years, like under the supervision of another lawyer who was my uncle at the first and then we we have to choose a topic in certain domain of flow, to write a kind of book which is like, it's similar to thesis, to apply it, to approve it, and then to have the kind of interactive examination, then we have the the final graduated. So all of them to be like a practice lawyer. It's around six years, a little bit more. So my specialist was in criminal law, and my thesis, what about what we call the the impossible crime. It was complicated topic. I have to say that in Syria at that time, I'm talking about end of of 90s, beginning of 2000 so we don't have any kind of study related to human rights. We weren't allowed even to spell this word like human rights. So then in 2005 and 2006 I started to study human rights under international laws related to human rights in Jordan. So I became like a kind of certified human rights defenders and the trainer also, Michael Hingson  23:47 okay, and so you said you started practice and you finished school when you started practice, when you were 22 Yes, okay, I'm curious what, what were things like after September 11, of course, you know, we had the terrorist attacks and so on. Did any of that affect anything over in Syria, where you lived, Noura Ghazi  24:15 of course, like, we stayed talking, watching the news for like four months, like until now we remember, like September 11. But you know, I now when I remember, it was a shock, usually for the Arab world, or Arab people like America is against the Arab world. So everything happened against it was like, this was like, let's say 2030, years ago. Everything that caused any harm to America, they celebrate it. So that. At that time, I was 19 years old, and okay, it's the first time we we hear that a person who was terrorist do like is doing this kind in in us, which is like a miracle for us. But then I started to to think, okay, they it's not an army. They are. There are civilians. Those civilians could be against the the policies of the US government. They could be like, This is not a kind of fight for freedom or for rights or for any like, really, like, fair cause. This is a terrorist action against civilians. And then we started, I'm very lucky because I'm from very educated family. So we started to think about, like, okay, bin Laden. And like, which we have a president from Qaeda now in Syria, like, you can imagine how I feel now. Like, I Okay, all the world is against al Qaeda, and they celebrated that the President in Syria is from al Qaeda. So it's, it's very it's, it's, really, it's not logical at all. But the funniest thing that happened, because, like, the name of Usama bin Laden, was keeping on every like, every one tongue. So I have my my oldest uncle. His name is Usama, and he lives in Germany for 40, more than 40 years, actually. So my brother was a child, and he started to cry, and he came to my mother and asked her, I'm afraid, is my uncle the same Usama? So we were laughing all, and we said, No, it's another Usama. This is the Usama. This is Osama bin Laden, who is like from is like a terrorist group, etc. But like this unfortunate incident started to bring to my mind some like the concept of non violence, the concept of that, okay, no civilian in any place in the world should be harmed for any reason, Because we never been told this in Syria and mostly in most of of countries like the word fight is very linked to armed fights, which I totally disagree with. Michael Hingson  27:56 Well, the when people ask me about September 11 and and so on. One of the things that I say is this wasn't a religious war. This wasn't a religious attack. This was terrorist. This was, I put it in terms of of Americans. These were thugs who decided they wanted to have their way with people. But this is not the way the Muslim the Islamic religion is there is peaceful and peace loving as as anyone, and we really need to understand that. And I realize that there are a lot of people in this country who don't really understand all about that, and they don't understand that. In reality, there's a lot of peace loving people in the Middle East, but hopefully we'll be able to educate people over time, and that's one of the reasons I tell the story that I do, because I do believe that what happened is 19 people attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and so on, and they don't represent the the typical viewpoint of most people, religious wise in the Middle East. And I can understand why a lot of people think that the United States doesn't like Arabs, and I'm not sure that that's totally true, but I can appreciate what you're saying. Noura Ghazi  29:28 Yeah, I'm talking about specific communities actually, who they are, like totally against Israel, and they believe that you us is supporting Israel. So that's that's why they have their like this like attitude towards us and or like that US is trying to invest all the resources in the in the Middle East, etc. But what you were mentioning. Is really very important, because those 19 persons, they like kind of they, they cause the very bad reputation for for Muslims, for Middle Eastern because for for for other people from other countries, other culture or other religion, they will not understand that, okay, that, as you said, they don't represent Muslims. And in all religions, we have the extremist and we have those peaceful persons who keep their their religion as a kind of direct connection with God. They respect everyone, and normally in in in Syria, most of of the population like this, but now having a terrorist as a President, I'm not able to believe how there is a lot of Syrians that support him. Mm, hmm. Because when Al Qaeda started in Syria at the beginning, under the name of japet Al Nusra, then, which with July, who is now Ahmad Al shara, was the leader, and he's the leader of the country now most of Syrians, especially the the the Sunni Syrians, were against this, like terrorist groups, because the most harm they cause is for for Sunnis in Syria, because all other minorities, they will think about every Sunni that they, He or she, like, believe and behave like those, which is totally not true. Michael Hingson  31:47 Yeah, I hear you. Well, so September 11 happened, and then eventually you started doing criminal law. And if we go forward to what 2011 with the Syrian revolution? Yeah, and so what was, what was that revolution about? Noura Ghazi  32:10 It was okay. It started as a reaction against detaining kids from school. Okay, of course, this like the Syrian people, including me, we were very affected and inspired about what was happening in Egypt and Tunisia. But okay, so the security arrested and tortured those kids in their south of Syria. So people came out in demonstration to ask for their freedom and the security attack those protesters with, like, with weapons, so couple of persons died. So then it was, it started to be like a kind of revolution, let's say, yeah, the the problem for me, for lot of people like me, that the the previous Syrian regime was very violent against protesters and the previous president, Bashar Assad, he refused to listen to to to those people, he started to, like dissipated from the reality. So this like, much violence that was against us, like, I remember during some protest, there was not like, small weapon toward us. There was a tank that bombing us as protesters, peaceful, non violent, non armed protesters. So this violence led to another violence, like a kind of reaction by those who defected from the army, etc. And here, my father used to say, when the opposition started to to carry weapon in a country that, like the majority of it, is from certain religion, this could lead to a kind of Jihadist methodology. And this is what happened. So for for people like us, which we are very little comparing of like, the other beliefs of other people like we were, we started to be against the Syrian regime, then against the jihadist groups, then against that, like a kind of international, certain International, or, let's say original intervention, like Iran and Russia. So we were fighting everywhere, and no one. No one wanted us because those like educated, secular, non violent people, they. Form a kind of danger for every one of those parties. But what happened with me is that I met my late husband during a revolution at the very early of 2011 and having the relationship with me was my own revolution. So I was living on parallel like two revolution, a personal one and the public one. And then, like he was detained just two weeks before our our wedding. He was disappeared, actually, for nine months, then he was moved to the same prison that my father was in, to the central prison in Damascus that we got married in prison by coincidence. I don't know if coincidence is the right word in this situation, but my late husband was a very well known programmer and activist. So we were he was kind of, let's say, famous, and I was a lawyer and lawyer that defend human rights defenders and political prisoners. And the husband was detained, so I used to visit him in prison and visit other prisoners that I was their lawyers. And because my like, we have this personal aspect that okay, the couple that got married in prison and that, okay, I'm activist as a lawyer, and my late husband was a well known programmer. So we created a very huge campaign, a global campaign. So we invested this campaign to like, to shed the light about detention, torture, disappearance, exceptional courts, then, like also summary execution in Syria. So then, after almost three years of visiting him regularly, he disappeared again in 2015 and in 2017 I knew that he was sentenced to death, and I knew the exact date of his execution, just in 2018 which was two days ago. It was October 5. So this is what happened then. I had to leave Syria in 2018 so I left to Lebanon. Michael Hingson  37:27 So you left Syria and went to Lebanon? Noura Ghazi  37:33 Yes, the The plan was to stay only six months in Lebanon because I was wanted and I was threatened like I lived a terrible life, really, like lot of Syrians who were activists also, but the plan was that I will stay in Lebanon for six months, then I will leave to to UK because I had A scholarship to get a master in international law. But only two months after I left to Lebanon, I decided to stay in Lebanon to establish the organization that I'm I'm leading until now, which was a project between my late husband and me. Its name is no photo zone, so it was a very big decision, but I'm not regrets. Michael Hingson  38:23 You, you practice criminal law, you practiced human rights, you visited your your fiance, as it were, and then, well, then your husband in prison and so on. Wasn't all of that pretty risky for you? Noura Ghazi  38:42 Yes, very risky. I, I lived in under like, different kind of risk. Like, okay, I have the risk that, okay, I'm, I'm doing my activism against the previous regime publicly because I also, I was co founder of the First Family or victim Association in Syria families for freedom. So we, we were, like, doing a kind of advocacy in Europe, and I used to come back to Syria, so I was under this risk, but also I was under the risk of the like, going to prison, because the way to prison and the prison itself were under bombing. It was in like a point that separate the opposition militias and the regime militias. So they were bombing each other and bombing the prison and bombing the way to prison. So for three years, and specifically for like, in, let's say, 2014 specifically, I was among, like, I was almost the only lawyer that visited the prison, and I, I didn't mind this. I faced death more than 100 time, only on the way to prison, two times the person next to me in the like transportation. It's a kind of small bus. He died and fell down on me, but I had a strong belief that I will not die, Michael Hingson  40:21 and then what? Why do you think that they never detained you or or put you in prison? Do you have any thoughts? Noura Ghazi  40:29 I had many arrests weren't against me, but each time there was something that solve it somehow. So the first couple of Earths weren't actually when, when my late husband was detained, he he made a kind of deal with them that, okay, he will give all the information, everything about his activism in return. They, they canceled the arrest warrant against me. Then literally, until now, I don't know how it was solved. Like I, I had to sleep in garden with my cats for many nights. I i spent couple of months that I cannot go to any like to family, be house or to friend house, because I will cause problem for them, my my parents, my brother and sister, and even, like my sister, ex, until like just three months before the fall of the Syrian regime, they were under like, investigation By the security, lot of harassment against them so, but I don't know, like, I'm, I'm survive for a reason that I don't really realize how, Michael Hingson  41:52 wow, it, it's, it certainly is pretty amazing. Did you ever write a book or anything about all of this, Noura Ghazi  42:02 I used to write, always the only book like, let's say, literature or emotional book. It was about love in prison. Its name is waiting. And I wrote this book in English and basil. My late husband translated it. Sorry. I wrote it in Arabic, and Basset translated it into English in prison. So it was a process of smuggling the poems in Arabic and smuggling the them in English, again out of the prison. And we published the book online just after basil disappearance in 2015 then we created the the hard copies, and I did the signature in in Beirut in, like, early 2018 but like, it's, it's online, and it's a very, like light book, let's say very romantic. It's about love in prison. I'm really keen to write again, like maybe a kind of self narrative or about the stories that I lived and i i I heard during my my journey. Unfortunately, like to write needs like this a little stable situation, but I did write many like legal or human rights book or like guides or studies, etc. Michael Hingson  43:34 Now is waiting still available online? Noura Ghazi  43:37 Yes, it's still available online. Michael Hingson  43:40 Okay? It would be great if you could, if you have a picture of the book cover, if you could send that to me, because I'd like to put that in the notes. I would appreciate it if you would, okay, for sure. But anyway, so the the company you founded, what is it called Noura Ghazi  44:02 it's a non government, a non profit organization. Its name is no photo zone. Michael Hingson  44:07 And how did you come up with that name? Noura Ghazi  44:12 It was Vasil who come up with this name, because our main focus is on prisoners of conscious and disappeared. So for him, it was that okay, those places that they put disappeared in them. They are they. There is no cameras to show the others what is happening. So we should be the the like in the place of cameras to tell the world what is happening. So that's why no photos on me, like, means that prisons or like unofficial detention centers, because they're it's an all photo zone, right? Michael Hingson  44:54 And no photo zone is is still operating today. Noura Ghazi  44:58 It's still operating. We are extending our work, although, like we have lots of financial challenges because of, like, funds issues, but for us, the main issue, we provide legal services to victims of torture, detention, disappearance and their families. So we operate in Syria, Lebanon and Turkey. We are a French woman led organization, but we have registration in Turkey and Syria, and like in seven years now, almost seven years, we could provide our services to more than 3000 families who most of them are women, and they are responsible about kids who they don't have fathers. So we defend political prisoners. We search the disappeared. We provide the legal services related to personal and civil status. We provided the services related to identification documents, because it's a very big issue in Syria. Beside we provide rehabilitation, like full rehabilitation programs for survivors of detention or torture, and also advocacy. Of course, it's a very important part of our our work, even with the lack of fund, we've decided in the team, because most of the team, or all the team, they they were themselves victims of detention, or family members of victims, even the non Syrian because we have many non Syrian member in the team. So for us, it's a cause. It's not like a work that we're doing and getting paid. So we're, we're suffering this this year with the fund issues, because there is a lot of change related to the world and Syrian issues, which affected the fund policies. So hopefully we'll be, we'll be fine next year, hopefully, and we're trying to survive with our beneficiaries this year, Michael Hingson  47:02 yeah, well, you, you started receiving, and I assume no photo zone started receiving awards, and eventually you moved out of Lebanon. Tell me more about all of that. Noura Ghazi  47:16 During my journey, I I got many international recognition or a word, including two by Amnesty International. But after almost two years, like just after covid, like the start of covid, I was thinking that I should have another residence permit in another country because, like, it became very difficult for Syrians to get a residence in Lebanon. So I I moved to Turkey, and I was between Lebanon and Turkey. Then I got a call from the French Embassy in Turkey telling me that there is a new kind of a word, which is Marianne award, or Marianne program, that initiated by the French president. And they it's for human rights defenders across the world, and they will give this award for 15 human rights defender from 15 country. And I was listening, I thought they want me to nominate someone. Then they told me that the French government are honored to choose you as a Syrian human rights defender. So it was a program for six months, so I moved to Paris with my cat and dog. Then they extended the program and to become nine months. And at the almost at the end of the program, the both of Lebanese and Turkish authorities refused to renew my residence permit, so I had to stay in France to apply for asylum and a political refugee currently. Michael Hingson  49:10 And so you're in France. Are you still in Paris? Noura Ghazi  49:13 I'm still yes in Paris. I learned French very fast, like in four months. Okay, I'm not perfect, but I learned French. Michael Hingson  49:25 So what did your dog and cat think about all that? Sorry, what did your dog and cat think about moving to France? Noura Ghazi  49:33 They are French, actually, originally, they are friends. Michael Hingson  49:36 Oh, there you go. Noura Ghazi  49:38 My, my poor dog had like he he was English educated, so we used to communicate in English. Then when I was still in Lebanon, I thought, okay, a lot of Syrians are coming to my place, and they don't speak English, so I have to teach him Arabic. Then we moved to Turkish. So I had to teach him Turkish. Then we came to. France. So now my dog understand more than four languages, Michael Hingson  50:06 good for him, and and, of course, your cat is really the boss of the whole thing, right? Noura Ghazi  50:12 Of course, she is like, the center of the universe, Michael Hingson  50:16 yeah, yeah, just ask her. She'll tell you. And she's Noura Ghazi  50:20 very white, so she is 14 years. Oh, it's old, yes. Michael Hingson  50:29 Well, I have a cat we rescued in 2015 we think she was five then. So we think that my cat is 15 going on 16. So, and she moves around and does very well. Noura Ghazi  50:46 Yeah, my cat as well. Michael Hingson  50:49 Yeah. Well, that's the way it should be. So with all the things that you've been dealing with and all the stress, have you had? Noura Ghazi  50:59 PTSD, yes, I started, of course, like it's the minimum, actually, I have PTSD and the TSD, and I started to feel, or let's say, I could know that the what is happening with me is PTSD two years ago. I before, like, couple of months before, I started to feel like something unusual in my body, in my mind. At the beginning, we thought there is a problem in the brain. Then the psychologist and psychiatrist said that it's a huge level of PTSD, which is like the minimum, and like, we should start the journey of of treatment, which is like the behavior treatment and medical treatment as well. Like, some people could stay 10 years. Some people need to go to hospital. It's not the best thing, but sometimes I feel I'm grateful that I'm having PTSD because I'm able to deal with people who are in the same situation. I could feel them, understand them, so I could help them more, because I understand and as a human rights defender and like victim of lot of kind of violations, so I'm very aware about the like, let's call it the first aid, the psychological first aid support. And this is helpful somehow. Okay, I'm suffering, but this suffering is useful for others Michael Hingson  52:47 well and clearly, you are at a point where you can talk about it, which says a lot, because you're able to deal with it well enough to be able to talk about it, which I think is probably pretty important, don't you think? Noura Ghazi  53:03 Yeah, actually, the last at the first time I talked about it very publicly in a conference in Stockholm, it was last October, and then I thought it's important to talk about it. And I'm also thinking to do something more about PTSD, especially the PTSD related to to prisons, torture, etc, this kind of violations, because sharing experience is very important. So I'm still thinking about a kind of certain way to to like, to spread my experience with PTSD, especially that I have lot of changes in in my life recently, because I got married again, and even the the good incident that people who have PTSD, even if they have, like good incident, but it cause a kind of escalation with PTSD, Michael Hingson  54:00 yeah, but you got married again, so you have somebody you can talk with. Noura Ghazi  54:06 Yes, I got married five months ago. The most important that I could fall in love again. So I met my husband in in Paris. He's a Lebanese artist who live in Paris. And yeah, I have, I have a family now, like we have now three cats and a dog and us as couple. But it's very new for me, like this kind of marriage, that a marriage which I live with a partner, because the marriage I used to is that visit the husband in prison. I'm getting used to it. Michael Hingson  54:43 And just as always, the cat runs everything, right? Yes, of course, of course. So tell me about the freedom prize in Normandy. Noura Ghazi  54:55 Oh, it was like one of the best thing I had in my life. I. Was nominated for the freedom prize, which is launched by usually they are like young people who who nominate the the nominees for this prize, but it's launched by the government of Normandy region in France and the International Institute for Human Rights and peace. So among hundreds of files and, like many kind of round of, like short listing, there was me, a Belarusian activist who is detained, and a Palestinian photographer. So like, just knowing that I was nominated among more than 700 person was a privilege for me. The winner was the Palestinian photographer, but it was the first time they invite the other nominee to the celebration, which was on the same date of like liberating Normandy region during the Second World War. So I chose, I thought for my for couple of days about what I will wear, because I need to deliver a message. So I, I I came up with an idea about a white dress with 101 names in blue. Those names are for disappeared and detainees in Syria. So like there was, there was seven persons who worked on this dress, and I had the chance to wear it and to deliver my message and to give a speech in a very important day that even like those fighters during the Second World War who are still alive, they they came from us. They came from lot of countries. I had the privilege to see them directly, to touch them, to tell them thank you, and to deliver my message in front of an audience of 4500 persons. And it's like I love this dress, and like this event was one of the best thing I had in my life. Michael Hingson  57:21 Do you have a picture of you in the dress? Yes, I would think you do. Well, if you want, we'd love to put that in the show notes as well, especially because you're honoring all those people with the names and so on. Kind of cool. Well, okay, so, so Syria, you're, you're saying, in a lot of ways, hasn't, hasn't really changed a whole lot. It's, it's still a lot of dictatorship oriented kinds of things, and they discriminate against certain sex and and so on. And that's extremely unfortunate, because I don't think that that's the impression that people have over here, Noura Ghazi  58:02 exactly I had a chance to visit Syria, a kind of exceptional visit by the French government, because, as political refugees were not allowed to visit our country of origin. And of course, like after eight years, like out of Syria after six years without seeing my family. Of course, I was very happy, but I was very traumatized, and I I came back to Paris in in July 21 and since that time, I feel I'm not the same person before going to Syria. I'm full of frustration. I feel that, okay, I just wasted 14 years of my life for nothing. But hopefully I'm I'm trying to get better because okay, I know, like much of human rights violations mean that my kind of work and activism is more needed, yeah, Michael Hingson  59:03 so you'll so you'll continue to speak out and and fight for freedom. Noura Ghazi  59:10 Yes, I continue, and I will continue fighting for freedom, for dignity, for justice, for civil rights, and also raising awareness about PTSD and how we could invest even our pain for the sake of helping others. Michael Hingson  59:29 Well, I want to tell you that it's been an honor to have you on the podcast, and I am so glad we we got a chance to talk and to do this because having met you previously, in our introductory conversation, it was very clear that there was a story that needed to be told, and I hope that a lot of people will take an interest, and that it will will allow what you do to continue to grow, if people would like to reach out to you. And and help or learn more. How do they do that? Noura Ghazi  1:00:05 We you have the the link of my website that people could connect me, because it includes my my email, my personal email, and I always reply. So I'm happy to to talk with the to contact with people, and it also include all the all my social media, Michael Hingson  1:00:23 right? What? What's the website for? No photo zone. Noura Ghazi  1:00:27 It's no photo zone.org. No photo zone.org. Michael Hingson  1:00:30 I thought it was, but I just wanted you to say it. I wanted you to say it. Noura Ghazi  1:00:35 It's included in my website. Michael Hingson  1:00:37 Yeah, I've got it all and and it will all be in the show notes, but I just thought I would get you to say no photo zone.org Well, I want to thank you for being here. This has been a wonderful time to have a chance to talk, and I appreciate you taking the time to, I hope, educate lots of people. So thank you very much for doing that, and I want to thank all of you for listening and watching. We'd love you to give us a five star rating. Give us a review. We really appreciate ratings and reviews. So wherever you're watching or listening to this podcast, please give us a five star rating. Please review the podcast for us. We value that, and I know that Nora will will appreciate that as well. Also, if you if you know any guests, and Nora you as well, if you know anyone who you think ought to be a guest on the podcast, we would really appreciate it. If you would let us know you can reach me. At Michael M, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, i, b, e.com, love to hear from you. Love to hear your thoughts about the podcast. So Nora, very much my I want to thank you again. This has been great. Thank you very much for being here. Noura Ghazi  1:01:56 Thank you Michael, and thank you for those who are listening, and we're still in touch.

Today on America in the MorningChaos In Mexico Tourists from around the world, especially the United States, are hoping to get out of the Mexican resort cities that have been hit by drug cartel violence following the death of one powerful cartel leader.  Correspondent Rich Johnson reports the cartel attacks came after a drug kingpin known as “El Mencho” was tracked down and killed by Mexico's government forces.   The Northeast Blizzard   The Blizzard of 2026 will be remembered as the worst winter storm to hit the Northeast in 30 years, and even though the snow has stopped, the effects of the blizzard will remain for days and weeks.  Sue Aller reports from New York, where some places received over 2 feet of snow.   State Of The Union Preview President Trump will address the nation tonight in his annual State of the Union address.  Correspondent Clayton Neville has a preview.    Mar-A-Lago Intruder Killed More is being learned about the armed man who was shot and killed after he breached security at President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort Sunday by the Secret Service.  Correspondent Julie Walker reports.   Congressman Facing Resignation Calls Texas Congressman Tony Gonzales is facing growing pressure to resign amid allegations that he had coerced a sexual relationship with a staff member who later killed herself.     Judge Rules On Trump Probe A federal judge has permanently barred the release of special counsel Jack Smith's probe into President Trump's keeping of classified documents.  Washington correspondent Sagar Meghani reports.   Blizzard Aftermath It started on Sunday and is finally winding down, but for many between Delaware and Maine, the Blizzard of 2026 has left people under snow measured in feet, mass transportation systems closed down, and airport flight cancellations in the thousands.  Correspondent Julie Walker reports a huge snowstorm in the northeast forces millions to stay home and closing schools, and in Boston, this snow event is expected to eclipse Beantown's January blizzard which dumped the 8th highest snow total Boston has ever had.   New Epstein Fallout There's more fallout overseas regarding the Jeffrey Epstein files, including another high-profile arrest and a mea-culpa from a famous self-help guru.  Correspondent Clayton Neville reports.   War Enters Year 5 It was four years ago today that Russia sent a phalanx of tanks and launched air strikes against Ukraine, a military incursion that the Kremlin believed would take days to seize their neighbor and former Soviet satellite state, but instead, four years later, Russia barely holds 20 percent of Ukrainian territory, hundreds of thousands of Russian troops are believed to have died, and hardships for Ukraine's people worsen by the day.  Correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports some hardships of a different kind are now befalling Russian citizens far from the fighting.    US Orders Some Out Of Lebanon The U.S. State Department ordered non-emergency personnel to evacuate the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.  Finally   Both the British BATFA Awards, the UK's version of the Oscars, and the BBC are apologizing after a guest with Tourette syndrome shouted racial slurs as two Black actors were onstage, with millions of people watching.  Entertainment reporter Kevin Carr has the story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Preview for later today: David Daoud of the FDD joins us to report that the IDF is deploying silent quadcopters along the Israel-Lebanon border to drop stun grenades and issue warnings, targeting suspicious individuals and potentially Hezbollah-linked structures.1836 BEIRUT

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode. As Iranian officers briefed Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon, Fabian discusses assessments regarding the Iranian proxy in Lebanon attacking Israel if the US strikes Iran and Iran strikes Israel, and the concurrent uptick in IDF attacks against Hezbollah in recent weeks. Fabian reports that the world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, is about to reach the region, offering another stage of readiness for a possible US strike against Iran. After dozens of settler activists entered the closed military zone of the Gaza border on Thursday night, Fabian notes that the political action diverted the army’s attention away from defending against potential attacks. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: Report: IRGC running Hezbollah, preparing it for war with Israel if US strikes Iran Israeli strikes in Lebanon kill at least 12, including senior Hezbollah official Israeli officials believe US, Iran at unbridgeable impasse as they near open conflict Dozens of settler activists, including far-right MK, illegally cross into Gaza Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht. IMAGE: Hezbollah supporters chant slogans during a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in Israeli airstrikes, at Nasrallah's grave in Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vu sur Le Club Breton N°63 : Reportages et actualités avec Yves Averty et Marie. Reportage : « Nantes la belle au Cœur de Breizh » est le titre du dixième recueil de nouvelles publié par Les Romanciers Nantais aux Éditions P'tit Louis. C'est pour nous l'occasion de rencontrer 3 de ces romanciers, dont deux romancières : Anne Rivière, Béatrice Nourry et Gilles Tenoux. Programme musical : Beirut, Nantes – Tri […] Cet article provient de Radio AlterNantes FM

Im Januar hat die US-Regierung die zweite Phase des Gaza-Friedensplans eingeläutet. Dabei sind noch gar nicht alle Bedingungen der ersten Phase erfüllt: Noch immer gibt es fast täglich Tote und Verletzte durch israelische Angriffe in Gaza. Und die Hamas weigert sich, ihre Waffen abzugeben.Langsam zeichnet sich ab, wie kompliziert die Umsetzung von Donald Trumps Friedensplan ist. Hoffnung gibt den Palästinenserinnen und Palästinensern, dass die ersten Schulen wieder öffnen – wenn auch unter sehr schwierigen Umständen.Wie geht es den Menschen in Gaza? Wie steht es um den Frieden Friedensplan? Und was macht die Umsetzung des US-Friedensplans so schwierig?Darüber spricht Bernd Dörries, Nahostkorrespondent der «Süddeutschen Zeitung» und des «Tages-Anzeigers». Er ist in einer neuen Folge des täglichen Podcasts «Apropos» aus Beirut zugeschaltet.Host: Alexandra AreggerGast: Bernd DörriesProduzentin: Sibylle HartmannArtikel zum Thema:Schule im Gazastreifen: «Trotz allem: Die Kinder sind begeistert, wieder lernen zu können»Nahost-Friedensprozess stockt: In Israel und Gaza gibt es keinerlei Einsicht – auf keiner SeiteGrenzübergang Rafah offen: 30'000 Menschen wollen zurück nach Gaza – doch nur 50 pro Tag dürfen«Apropos» – der tägliche Podcast: Nach Trumps Drohungen am WEF: Wie reagiert die Schweiz? Unser Tagi-Spezialangebot für Podcast-Hörer:innen: tagiabo.chHabt ihr Feedback, Ideen oder Kritik zu «Apropos»? Schreibt uns an podcasts@tamedia.ch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

AI developments. A new military contract has some disturbing line items. A man shoots his daughter in Texas and faces no charges. CBP gets El Paso airport shut down over balloons. And cats find refuge in a Beirut university campus.   https://www.commondreams.org/news/military-contract-concentration-camps    https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article314631578.html    https://www.npr.org/2026/02/10/g-s1-109346/beirut-lebanon-cats-university   https://ca.news.yahoo.com/woman-shot-dad-arguing-donald-151336338.html   https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gjmye7xkwo   https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/flights-el-paso-airport-texas-halted-10-days-security-reasons-faa-rcna258497   https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5733236-gallup-stops-presidential-approval-ratings-polls/    https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/free-store-troy-expansion-rite-aid-location-21343564.php   https://fortune.com/2026/02/11/something-big-is-happening-ai-february-2020-moment-matt-shumer/   https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/us/trump-administration-el-paso-airspace-closure-questions.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share    https://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/why-are-senate-democrats-still-voting-to-confirm-trumps-judicial-nominees    https://hellgatenyc.com/propublica-strike-workers-union-contract-ai/ donation: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-propublica-workers-for-fair-contracts    https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/pam-bondi-stole-dog-21352565.php    https://www.reddit.com/r/Albany/s/8rzQ2QzIMG 

Send a textIn this conversation, Ricardo Karam sits down with Dr. Ali Taher in a meeting that goes beyond medicine as a profession and explores it as a profound human act and an art of listening. From a childhood between Ghana and Beirut that shaped his view of diversity, to difficult experiences that deepened his understanding of human vulnerability, and on to London where he learned that a doctor's humanity begins with caring for oneself a different journey toward the meaning of healing unfolds.The discussion approaches illness as it is lived by people, not just as it is written in textbooks. Dr. Taher speaks about seeing every patient as a story, not a case, and how cultural diversity shaped him into a physician who sees difference as richness, not threat.In a scientific segment told through a human lens, he explains how he helped shift the global understanding of thalassemia in ways that protect patients' dignity and quality of life. He reflects on what it means for research to truly serve people, through founding a thalassemia center in Lebanon and helping build a sustainable medical model.Join Ricardo Karam and Ali Taher in a thoughtful conversation about the meaning of healing, when medicine becomes more than treatment, and listening becomes the beginning of care.في هذا الحديث، يجلس ريكاردو كرم مع الدكتورعلي طاهر في لقاء يتجاوز الطب كمهنة ليدخل إلى جوهره كفعل إنساني وفنّ في الإصغاء. من طفولةٍ بين غانا وبيروت شكّلت نظرته للتنوّع، إلى تجارب صعبة عمّقت فهمه لهشاشة الإنسان، وصولاً إلى لندن حيث تعلّم أن إنسانية الطبيب تبدأ بالاعتناء بنفسه تتكوّن رحلة مختلفة في معنى الشفاء.يتناول اللقاء تجربة المرض كما يعيشها الإنسان لا كما تُكتب في الكتب. يتحدث طاهر عن رؤيته لكل مريض كقصة لا كحالة، وعن أثر التعدد الثقافي في تكوين طبيب يرى في الاختلاف ثراءً لا تهديداً. وفي محور علمي بلغة إنسانية، يشرح كيف ساهم في تغيير الفهم العالمي لمرض الثلاسيميا بما يحفظ كرامة المريض ونوعية حياته، ويتوقف عند معنى أن يكون البحث العلمي خدمة حقيقية للناس، من خلال تأسيس مركز الثلاسيميا في لبنان وبناء نموذج طبي مستدام.انضموا إلى ريكاردو كرم وعلي طاهر في لقاءٍ يتأمل معنى الشفاء، حين يصبح الطب أكثر من علاج، ويصبح الإصغاء بداية الطريق.

Rafel huwa chef, intraprenditur u fuq kollox avventurier.Nitkellmu dwar kif għex l-esperjenzi tiegħu ġewwa Beirut u l-Ukrajna fl-eqqel tat-traġedja, x'wasslu biex jiftaħ il-Victory Kitchen f'Malta u fejn jara li sejra l-industrija Maltija tar-ristoranti.Jaqsam miegħi ukoll għalfejn kellu jżerżaq tmin bagalji ikel ġewwa Londra.Ħajr lil:Brown's, ESS, Melita, Maypole, Alberta, Garmin, Welbees, Pata Artisanal, ECabs u BusinessLabs tas-sostenn tagħhom.Segwi l-KAŻIN hawnhekk: https://open.spotify.com/show/1YEgsAQy3wy4ZWSknivz2B?si=pdRn8_EnR2-hshpLpNGZTw

"Awesome hides on the other side of fear." In this episode, Michael Dargie talks with Robert Schmidt—brand strategist, educator, and senior skydiving instructor based in Calgary, Alberta. Robert runs a national brand strategy firm called Box, where he helps organizations figure out who they are, what they stand for, and how to connect with the people that matter most. This episode is sponsored by my new book BRANDJITSU, helping you find, shape, and share your story with the world. Robert's superpower? Helping brands be something for someone—not everything to everyone. He shares the importance of finding your unique point of view, creating internal alignment, and building brand from the inside out. With clients across Canada and team members as far away as Beirut, Robert's work is as global as it is grounded. They talk about how COVID reshaped his business, why teaching adult learners lights him up, and how skydiving became both a metaphor and a mindset. With over 1,000 jumps under his belt—including future plans to jump over the pyramids of Giza—Robert explains why fear is often the final gate before true awesomeness. They also cover his upcoming book about why brand deserves a permanent seat in the boardroom, and the 700% ROI some of his clients have seen from brand investments. His advice to rebels in waiting? Be awesome. Make the choice, take the leap, and be something for someone—not everything to everyone. Quoteable Quotes "Awesome hides on the other side of fear." "Be something for someone, not everything to everyone.""You can't climb a mountain all at once. But you can take the next step.""Your brand should have a seat at the boardroom table.""If you're not choosing awesome, what are you choosing?" Episode Highlights What He Actually Does | Brand strategy, storytelling, and adult educationRemote Before It Was Cool | Selling the office and going nationalSkydiving Instructor | 1,000+ jumps and a love of wingsuitsFuture Plans | Jumping over the pyramids of Giza from a C-130Teaching Style | Creating "aha" moments for grown-upsFrom Science to Strategy | His path from microbiology to marketingThe Book | Arguing for brand at the boardroom tablePeople First | Why human connection matters more than everThe Restaurant Test | Ask them what they would eatHot Enough to Break Your Nose | A taco story for the agesAdvice to Rebels | Choose awesome. Be real. Take the leap. Links From Episode We Are Box Website (https://wearerebox.com) Robert on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandingstrategist/) Robert on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/robert.schmidt.7374) About the Host of The RebelRebel Learn more about Michael Dargie, his book on branding, and cool tools he built at https://MichaelDargie.com 

Award-winning creative director Ruba Abu-Nimah (known to many as @ruba on Instagram) discusses the state of creativity in the Arab world, the importance of young Arab talent embracing their culture, and the challenges of navigating corporate spaces as a Palestinian in the West. She talks about the foundational skills of graphic design, the vital role of design in communication, spaces and politics, and about her career so far. She also shares her strong belief that the Arab world is now the next frontier in global creativity. 0:00 Introduction1:46 Passion For Graphic Design and Swiss Modernism3:05 The Difference Between Past and Present Graphic Design Education4:45 The Craft of Graphic Design and the Importance of Traditional Language6:00 First Gig: Disruptive Innovation at French Glamour8:02 Ingredients for Success: Passion, Nerdiness and London's Creative Influence12:48 Defining Graphic Designer vs Creative Director14:40 Graphic Design as the Foundation of Communication15:40 The Subjectivity of Taste and the Role of Instinct17:50 Design in the Arab World: Considered Cities vs Chaos 21:45 The Arab Creative Inflection Point: Youth, Voice and New Trends22:47 Rejecting Emulation: Talent Rooted in Culture and Heritage24:34 The Arab World Is the Next Frontier in Creativity25:17 Navigating Prominent Positions as a Palestinian26:35 Hiding in Plain Sight: The Forced Negation of Arab Origins28:24 "Loud and Proud": The Momentum of the Arab Diaspora Today30:21 The Prevailing Attitude: a Son's Act of Defiance33:47 Corporate America vs Street Change36:09 Corporate Structures Will Eventually Catch Up With Culture40:03 The Brilliance of the Mamdani Campaign Design41:17 Conspicuous Consumption vs Useful Design48:45 Relationship With Social Media Platforms: Instagram and the Unhinged Threads50:51 Instagram's Value: Finding and Commissioning Creatives53:23 The Sweetest Revenge: Upscrolled and the Irony of Palestinian Tech Success54:00 Recommendations: Arab Creatives To Look Up Ruba Abu-Nimah is a Swiss creative executive of Palestinian descent who has worked in the fashion and cosmetic industries. She was the executive creative director for marketing and communications at Tiffany & Co. from March 2021 to February 2023. She previously worked at Revlon, Elle magazine, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, and Shiseido. She was the first female creative director at Elle magazine in the US. In 2018, Ruba collaborated with Nike to design the Air Force 1 Low "Love" shoe embodying equality and acceptance. She has collaborated with Phillip Lim on the New York Tougher Than Ever initiative, as well as a limited-edition sweatshirt to raise funds for Lebanon following the 2020 Beirut explosion.Connect with Ruba Abu-Nimah

“I really wanted to slow things down… to create an experience where people take their time, build relationships, and connect with design in a more human way.”​ Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte has spent fifteen years living out of a suitcase, experiencing the quiet palazzos of Venice as well as the bustling streets of Beirut. He sits down with Hashem to share how his way of life and thirst for travel have inspired Nomad, a design fair that trades the noise of transactional fairs for the soul found in historic architecture. ​ ​They dive into the intentional revival of Abu Dhabi's Terminal 1 for Nomad's Middle Eastern debut, the cultural renaissance currently sweeping the Middle East, and why, in our digital-heavy world, we're all just looking for a reason to put down our phones and experience real connections.

Scripture opens the door, but real life walks right in. We start with Psalm 35 and the name of Larisha Sheryl Thompson, a sober reminder that justice, mercy, and grief are not abstractions. From there we pray for guidance, for marriages that mirror Christ and the church, and for the courage to love neighbors, protect the vulnerable, and keep our steps on the narrow road.The heart of the conversation moves through two demanding paths: the home and the soul. Proverbs on quarrelsome homes force honest vetting—of a future spouse and of ourselves. Then Mark's Gospel ignites our imagination: Jesus heals, prays in solitude, and meets a leper with a touch. Friends tear open a roof to lower a paralyzed man, and Jesus forgives before he heals. That moment reframes faith as relentless love, gritty service, and a hunger for union with God rather than a quick fix. We ask whether our discipleship reaches that kind of urgency, and whether our homes can become sanctuaries that train such courage.We widen the lens with a remembrance of the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing and a spare Medal of Honor citation for Elijah A. Briggs. Memory is moral ballast; it keeps our speech about evil and sacrifice grounded in names, not slogans. Finally, we draw from Jonathan Mayhew's 1750 sermon on the Christian's duty to civil authority, warning how tyranny grows by drops until it becomes a flood. The charge is clear: guard conscience, resist domination in church and state, and bind liberty to Scripture and common sense. By the end, faith, family, and freedom braid into one narrow way—prayerful, principled, and ready to serve.If this resonates, share it with a friend, leave a review to help others find the show, and consider supporting our work so we can keep building homes and hearts that hold fast to truth. What step of roof-breaking faith will you take this week?#JonathanMayhew #DailyScripture #BeirutLebanon Support the showThe American Soul Podcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/1791934/subscribe Countryside Book Series https://www.amazon.com/Countryside-Book-J-T-Cope-IV-ebook/dp/B00MPIXOB2

In Episode 139 of the Protector Culture Podcast, we break down what it really means to enter a new year with clarity, discipline, and long-term vision. No "new year, new me" hype. No emotional resolutions. Just commitment to the same standards, the same work, and the same plan that builds real capability over time.   Who's Jimmy Graham? Jimmy spent over 15 years in the US Navy SEAL Teams earning the rank of Chief Petty Officer (E7). During that time, he earned certifications as a Sniper, Joint Tactical Air Controller, Range Safety Officer for Live Fire, Dynamic Movement and Master Training Specialist. He also served for 7 years as an Operator and Lead Instructor for an Elite Federal Government Protective Detail for High-Risk and Critical environments, to include; Kirkuk, Iraq, Kabul, Afghanistan, Beirut, Lebanon and Benghazi, Libya. During this time he earned his certification for Federal Firearms Instructor, Simunition Scenario Qualified Instructor and Certified Skills Facilitator. Jimmy has trained law enforcement on the Federal, State, and Local levels as well as Fire Department, EMS and Dispatch personnel. His passion is to train communities across the nation in order to enhance their level of readiness in response to active shooter situations.   Make sure you subscribe and stay tuned to everything we are doing. Want to get more training? - https://ableshepherd.com/ Need support? https://able-nation.org/ Follow us on: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ableshepherd Instagram - ​​https://www.instagram.com/ableshepherd/ Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@ableshepherd

PREVIEW: Bill Roggio provides a grim assessment of Al-Qaeda's status looking ahead to 2026, contradicting official narratives that the group has been "decimated" or "defeated." He explains that Al-Qaeda has grown significantly since 9/11, now effectively controlling two countries: Afghanistan in conjunction with the Taliban and parts of Syria. Roggio describes these areas as safe havens with training camps and weapons depots, noting that Somalia is also largely under Al-Qaeda control via Al-Shabaab.1836 BEIRUT

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. The Israel Defense Forces captured a “senior” member of the al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group) terror organization during an overnight raid in southern Lebanon. We hear how, according to the IDF, the operative was nabbed late Sunday from a building in the Mount Dov area near the border by a special forces unit operating with troops of the 210th “Bashan” Regional Division. We then turn to a tour of Israel's borders and learn where are the hot spots and where things are (smuggling) business as usual. In light of Hamas's continued refusal to lay down its arms, the IDF is preparing plans for a larger ground operation. Fabian fills us in. And to close out the program, we learn about a new, all-female combat intelligence unit and how the IDF is happy for all the woman-power it can get. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: IDF nabs top terror group figure from Lebanon, targets Hezbollah operative IDF says it hit Hamas arms depot after issuing evacuation warning for Gaza City building Hamas terrorist who murdered IDF surveillance soldier Noa Marciano killed in strike Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht. IMAGE: Hezbollah supporters raise their group's flags during a protest condemning recent Israeli military actions in Lebanon in Beirut, Lebanon, February 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Off the Mats Podcast, I sit down with Katie Laablalli Beirut-Kloth for a conversation about identity, sobriety, competition, and what it means to keep becoming yourself through jiu-jitsu. Katie opens up about who she is beyond medals and brackets, reflecting on life before jiu-jitsu and what she was searching for when she first stepped onto the mats. We talk about how jiu-jitsu evolved from a sport into a form of regulation, a way to manage chaos, find structure, and reconnect with herself through physical pressure, movement, and routine. A major part of this conversation centers on Katie's sobriety and recovery journey. Rather than treating it as a side note, we explore how training became non-negotiable, how her relationship with discipline and competition shifted, and what growth looks like when you're rebuilding from the inside out. Katie also shares how competing at events like ADCC Opens reshaped her definition of success, especially when balancing ambition with self-awareness. We also dive into her work with activism, intentional living, and how practices outside jiu-jitsu contribute to self-knowledge and balance. From there, we talk about belonging, gym culture, and the complicated reality of not always feeling at home in jiu-jitsu spaces and how community can evolve over time. This episode is for grapplers, competitors, and anyone navigating recovery, identity shifts, or using sport as a way to survive and grow. It's not about motivation or inspiration, it's about truth, reflection, and meeting yourself where you are.

Comenzamos este programa de Gente viajera con Carles Lamelo, calzándonos las botas para hablar de senderismo por España, con el guía Alberto Arias, descubriendo algunas de las rutas más espectaculares para perderse caminando. Seguimos en clave festiva con los carnavales de España, repasando las celebraciones más animadas del país y hacemos parada especial en el Carnaval de Badajoz 2026, charlando con su alcalde, Ignacio Gragera. Viajamos hasta Londres, recorriendo la mítica Baker Street y cruzamos el Atlántico para aterrizar en Buenos Aires, una ciudad que se vive con intensidad en cada esquina. De la mano de Víctor Herranz aterrizamos en Beirut para ir a Siria, un destino lleno de historia, cultura y contrastes, que se está abriendo a los viajeros. En la segunda hora nos escapamos a Marrakech, con su mezcla inconfundible de música, colores y energía. Volvemos a España para charlar con el periodista y escritor Paul Richardson, afincado en Extremadura y nos sentamos a la mesa para hablar de gastronomía con el chef José Pizarro, al frente de The Keeper's House. Conocemos Guinea desde la mirada humana del cirujano Vincenzo Filomena y abordaremos uno de los grandes miedos de muchos viajeros: volar, con claves prácticas para superarlo de la mano del ingeniero Ignacio Gallego, fundador de Turbli.

In ihrem Buch „Fighting like a woman“ zeigt die Journalistin Andrea Böhm, wie kämpfende Frauen Geschichte schreiben. Sie blickt dabei von Beirut bis London und von Selbstverteidigung bis hin zum Feminismus. Eine Erkenntnis überraschte selbst sie. Böhm, Andrea www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de, Lesart

In ihrem Buch „Fighting like a woman“ zeigt die Journalistin Andrea Böhm, wie kämpfende Frauen Geschichte schreiben. Sie blickt dabei von Beirut bis London und von Selbstverteidigung bis hin zum Feminismus. Eine Erkenntnis überraschte selbst sie. Böhm, Andrea www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de, Lesart

David Daoud and Bill Roggio note Hezbollah is refilling ranks after Israeli strikes, suggesting new leader Naim Qassem's quiet demeanor may help the group lay low and regenerate its capabilities.1850 BEIRUT

David Daoud and Bill Roggio explain Hezbollah is downplaying Gaza ties to avoid dragging Lebanon into war, prioritizing the rehabilitation of its image among the economically weary Shiite population in Lebanon.1836 BEIRUT

Those who follow Venezuela will remember news of the militias that took to the streets in the days following the U.S. operation to nab Nicolás Maduro, raising fears of a Beirut-like situation of armed neighborhoods. While these militias, known as colectivos, returned to their bunkers as Delcy Rodríguez consolidated power, they remain a wild card in the volatile Venezuela situation. The fleeting news reports only scratched the surface and gave little info about how powerful these Chavista colectivos are and where that might stand in post-Maduro Venezuela. But a friend of CrashOut, Martín “Marty” Markovits, spent years filming with crews in Caracas, producing an incredible documentary about them.In this convo, I talk with Marty about the history of the colectivos, who gave them their guns and how difficult it would be to disarm them. He also describes a scene which his main character didn't want in the film about a meeting between colectivos and ELN guerillas. For more info and to support the podcast, go to www.crashoutmedia.comSupport the show

If you prefer to watch the video you can find it at the bottom of this webpage. Episode Sponsors: Jack Carr Mountain Man Medical About This Episode: In this episode, we talk with Jack Carr, a former Navy SEAL and bestselling author, live from the SHOT Show 2026. Jack shares insights about his transition to writing, focusing on his fiction series featuring James Reese and his upcoming novel, “The Fourth Option,” which explores themes of heritage and modern conflict. We discuss the authenticity in his storytelling, shaped by his military experiences, and his nonfiction work on the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing. Jack also reflects on the challenges of writing in the digital age and the importance of connecting with audiences through his podcast, “Danger Close.” As always, any questions or suggestions for future episodes can be submitted to podcast@concealedcarry.com! Thanks for Listening! Thanks so much for joining us this week. Have some feedback you'd like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below. If you enjoyed the podcast the biggest compliment you could give us would be to subscribe to future episodes via a podcast app on your phone or via iTunes. You can find past podcast episodes by clicking here. Video Recording: Press PLAY on the video below to watch the video recording! {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https://www.concealedcarry.com#/schema/video/4244273","name":"S13E4: Authenticity Sells – Jack Carr on Gear, Guns, and Getting It Right","description":"In this episode, we talk with Jack Carr, a former Navy SEAL and bestselling author, live from the SHOT Show 2026. Jack shares insights about his transition to writing, focusing on his fiction series featuring James Reese and his upcoming novel, "The Fourth Option," which explores themes of heritage and modern conflict.","thumbnailUrl":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GAsugcDj5qM/maxresdefault.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-01-30T11:12:53-07:00","embedUrl":"https://www.concealedcarry.com/player-embed/id/4244273/?autoplay=0","duration":"PT55M18S","interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"http://schema.org/WatchAction"},"userInteractionCount":1}}

It's hard to be the only woman , I feel lonely sometimes because I'd like to have another woman colleague to talk too.'The BBC's Chief international correspondent, Lyse Doucet speaks to Hind Kabawat, Syria's Minister for Social Affairs and Labour. and the only female minister in the transitional government.She was born in India and grew up across the Middle East and Europe. Her life has been shaped by movement, exile and conflict. She studied economics in Damascus, law in Beirut, and later continued her education in the United States.During Syria's war, she worked abroad on diplomacy and legal reform, advising on negotiations and pushing for greater representation of women in public life. After the fall of the Assad regime and the creation of a transitional authority, she returned home to take up public office. In this conversation, she talks about power, responsibility, and what leadership means in a country still reckoning with more than a decade of conflict.The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with the Colombian president Gustavo Petro, the Palestinian-American human rights lawyer Noura Erekat and Mexican actor Diego Calva. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. Presenter: Lyse Doucet Producers: Lina Shaikhouni, Farhana Haider Editor: Justine LangGet in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.(Image: Hind Kabavat Credit: Beyza Comert/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Chelsea-born Italian DJ and producer Corsini has quickly become a rising force in Beirut's electronic scene. A multi-instrumentalist on piano, drums, and guitar, he has crafted a distinctive sound that fuses minimal tech house and bass with subtle melodic flourishes. Corsini has played at some of the region's top venues, including Lebanon's B018 and The Grand Factory, sharing stages with heavyweights like Nicole Moudaber, Oostil, Alex Stein, and Zamna Soundsystem. His reach extends beyond the Middle East, with performances across the UK, France, Jordan, and Bahrain. On the production side, he has released on respected labels such as Timeless Moment and Mahool Records and is setSelect 373: Mixed by Corsini to drop a release on a major international house label on February 27th. For our Select 373, Corsini delivers a bass-driven mix that flows between grooving bass house and minimal tech-house. It features a blend of his unreleased productions alongside standout tracks like ESSE's ‘Hustler', BRANDON's ‘Keep It Cool', and Discip's ‘Off The Clock'.

David Daoud explores what Hezbollah will manage if Tehran fails. The discussion considers the organization's future autonomy and survival prospects should its Iranian patron collapse, examining whether the group can sustain itself independently or faces inevitable decline without external support.1899 BEIRUT

Send us a textIn this conversation, Ricardo Karam sits down with Michel Helou in a discussion that moves beyond politics as slogans and delves into the core of the Lebanese experience as a daily test of conscience and responsibility. Michel returned from Europe to Beirut, learned Arabic until it became part of his everyday life, worked in the media within a long-established institution, and then chose to move from observation to direct political engagement.The conversation addresses questions of identity without romanticism, presenting Lebanon as it truly is: pain, a complex administrative reality, and a system that continues to resist change. From everyday scenes that revealed the collapse of the idea of the state to his first shocks within public administration, Michel explores the meaning of genuine reform, and addresses money and political financing, along with the ethical boundaries of what is acceptable and unacceptable in public life.In a direct discussion about youth and the National Bloc, Michel Helou reflects on how success criteria that go beyond parliamentary seats to include changing behavior and enforcing respect for the rule of law.Join Ricardo Karam and Michel Helou in a profound conversation about identity, the state we aspire to, and the possibility of change in Lebanon today.في هذا الحوار الصريح، يجلس ريكاردو كرم مع ميشال حلو، في لقاء يتجاوز السياسة كشعارات ليدخل إلى جوهر التجربة اللبنانية بوصفها اختباراً يومياً للضمير والمسؤولية. عاد ميشال من أوروبا إلى بيروت، تعلّم العربية حتى أصبحت جزءاً من حياته اليومية، عمل في الإعلام داخل مؤسسة عريقة، ثم اختار الانتقال من موقع المراقبة إلى موقع الفعل السياسي.يتناول الحوار مسألة الهوية بعيداً عن الرومانسية، ويطرح لبنان كما هو: وجعاً، واقعاً إدارياً معقّداً، ونظاماً يقاوم التغييرويناقش مفهوم الإصلاح الحقيقي كما يتوقف عند المال والتمويل السياسي، وحدود المقبول والمرفوض أخلاقياً في العمل العام.وفي حديث مباشر عن الشباب والكتلة الوطنية، يتناول ميشال حلو كيفية تحويل الخطاب السياسي النظيف إلى تنظيم فعلي على الأرض، ومعايير النجاح التي لا تُقاس فقط بالمقاعد، بل بتغيير السلوك وفرض احترام القانون.انضموا إلى ريكاردو كرم وميشال حلو في لقاء عميق عن الهوية، الدولة التي نريدها، وإمكانية التغيير في لبنان اليوم.

What if your previous career—completely unrelated to therapy—held the exact keys you needed to unlock a successful private practice? For Denise Smith, running an auto body shop taught her the administrative, financial, and client-relations skills that gave her the confidence to launch Speak Up Speech Therapy in Southern California.Denise is a speech-language pathologist with over 20 years of experience whose journey to private practice was anything but linear. Born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, she discovered the field almost by accident when university programs reopened after war. What began as a curious joke with friends became a lifelong calling after she moved to the United States.Denise is also the co-host of the Heal Yourself Podcast, where she and her co-host lead powerful conversations on self-healing, emotional mastery, and elevating your relationship with yourself from the inside out.After years as a school-based SLP, Denise never saw herself as a business owner. But a pivotal stint managing her then-husband's auto shop—handling scheduling, insurance claims, invoices, and client complaints—became her unexpected training ground. She looked in the mirror and realized, “Why am I not doing this for me?”Her turning point came on a walk past a neighbor's house—a neighbor who happened to be a special education coordinator. Denise asked how to get on the list for Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs). That simple question started a domino effect: her first contract led to school referrals, which gave her the foundation to build a practice intentionally designed around her life, not the other way around.With a focus on school contracts, IEEs, and private clients, Denise has created what she calls a “lifestyle practice.” It's a model built on freedom and flexibility, allowing her to heal her nervous system, prioritize her daughter's competitive dance schedule, and travel—all while serving a population she loves.In Today's Episode, We Discuss:How running an auto shop gave her the unexpected confidence to start her own practiceWhy she ditched perfection and chose progress with purposeWhat it's like to build a mobile, flexible “lifestyle” practice while navigating divorce and deep personal healingHow she makes income from school contracts, private pay clients, and independent evaluations — without burning outDenise's story is a powerful reminder that your path to private practice doesn't have to look traditional. By trusting her unique journey and leveraging all of her experiences, she designed a business that supports her life, family, and well-being first.Ready to explore what a lifestyle practice could look like for you? Whether you're just starting to consider private practice or looking to grow an existing one, the right guidance can help you build the freedom, flexibility, and fulfillment you deserve — just like Denise has. The Grow Your Private Practice Program gives you the coaching and guidance to scale your private practice. Learn more at www.GrowYourPrivatePractice.com.Whether you want to Start or Grow a private practice, I can help you get the freedom, flexibility, fulfillment, and financial abundance that you deserve. Visit

Jason Burke's The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970s (Knopf, 2026) is an epic, authoritative, gripping account of the years when a new wave of revolutionaries seized the skies and the streets to hold the world for ransom In the 1970s, an unprecedented wave of international terrorism broke out around the world. More ambitious, networked and far-reaching than ever before, new armed groups terrorized the West with intricately planned plane hijackings and hostage missions, leaving governments scrambling to cope. Their motives were as diverse as their methods. Some sought to champion Palestinian liberation, others to topple Western imperialism or battle capitalism; a few simply sought adventure or power. Among them were the unflappable young Leila Khaled, sporting jewelry made from AK-47 ammunition; the maverick Carlos the Jackal with his taste for cigars, fine dining, and designer suits; and the radical leftists of the Baader-Meinhof Gang or the Japanese Red Army. Their attacks forged a lawless new battlefield thirty thousand feet in the air, evading the reach of security agencies, policymakers, and spies alike. Their operations rallied activist and networks in places where few had suspected their existence, leaving a trail of chaos from Bangkok to Paris to London to Washington, D.C. Veteran foreign correspondent Jason Burke provides a thrilling account of this era of spectacular violence. Drawing on decades of research, recently declassified government files, still secret documents, and original interviews with hijackers, double agents, and victims still grieving their loved ones, The Revolutionists provides an unprecedented account of a period which definitively shaped today's world and probes the complex relationship between violence, terrorism, and revolution. From the deserts of Jordan and the Munich Olympics to the Iranian Embassy Siege in London and the Beirut bombings of the early 1980s, Burke invites us into the lives and minds of the perpetrators of these attacks, as well as the government agents and top officials who sought to foil them. Charting, too, such shattering events as the Iranian Revolution and the Lebanese civil war, he shows how, by the early 1980s, a campaign for radical change led by secular, leftist revolutionaries had given way to a far more lethal movement of conservative religious fanaticism that would dominate the decades to come. Driven by an indelible cast of characters moving at a breakneck pace, full of detail and drama, The Revolutionists is the definitive account of a dark and seismic decade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Jason Burke's The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970s (Knopf, 2026) is an epic, authoritative, gripping account of the years when a new wave of revolutionaries seized the skies and the streets to hold the world for ransom In the 1970s, an unprecedented wave of international terrorism broke out around the world. More ambitious, networked and far-reaching than ever before, new armed groups terrorized the West with intricately planned plane hijackings and hostage missions, leaving governments scrambling to cope. Their motives were as diverse as their methods. Some sought to champion Palestinian liberation, others to topple Western imperialism or battle capitalism; a few simply sought adventure or power. Among them were the unflappable young Leila Khaled, sporting jewelry made from AK-47 ammunition; the maverick Carlos the Jackal with his taste for cigars, fine dining, and designer suits; and the radical leftists of the Baader-Meinhof Gang or the Japanese Red Army. Their attacks forged a lawless new battlefield thirty thousand feet in the air, evading the reach of security agencies, policymakers, and spies alike. Their operations rallied activist and networks in places where few had suspected their existence, leaving a trail of chaos from Bangkok to Paris to London to Washington, D.C. Veteran foreign correspondent Jason Burke provides a thrilling account of this era of spectacular violence. Drawing on decades of research, recently declassified government files, still secret documents, and original interviews with hijackers, double agents, and victims still grieving their loved ones, The Revolutionists provides an unprecedented account of a period which definitively shaped today's world and probes the complex relationship between violence, terrorism, and revolution. From the deserts of Jordan and the Munich Olympics to the Iranian Embassy Siege in London and the Beirut bombings of the early 1980s, Burke invites us into the lives and minds of the perpetrators of these attacks, as well as the government agents and top officials who sought to foil them. Charting, too, such shattering events as the Iranian Revolution and the Lebanese civil war, he shows how, by the early 1980s, a campaign for radical change led by secular, leftist revolutionaries had given way to a far more lethal movement of conservative religious fanaticism that would dominate the decades to come. Driven by an indelible cast of characters moving at a breakneck pace, full of detail and drama, The Revolutionists is the definitive account of a dark and seismic decade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Jason Burke's The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970s (Knopf, 2026) is an epic, authoritative, gripping account of the years when a new wave of revolutionaries seized the skies and the streets to hold the world for ransom In the 1970s, an unprecedented wave of international terrorism broke out around the world. More ambitious, networked and far-reaching than ever before, new armed groups terrorized the West with intricately planned plane hijackings and hostage missions, leaving governments scrambling to cope. Their motives were as diverse as their methods. Some sought to champion Palestinian liberation, others to topple Western imperialism or battle capitalism; a few simply sought adventure or power. Among them were the unflappable young Leila Khaled, sporting jewelry made from AK-47 ammunition; the maverick Carlos the Jackal with his taste for cigars, fine dining, and designer suits; and the radical leftists of the Baader-Meinhof Gang or the Japanese Red Army. Their attacks forged a lawless new battlefield thirty thousand feet in the air, evading the reach of security agencies, policymakers, and spies alike. Their operations rallied activist and networks in places where few had suspected their existence, leaving a trail of chaos from Bangkok to Paris to London to Washington, D.C. Veteran foreign correspondent Jason Burke provides a thrilling account of this era of spectacular violence. Drawing on decades of research, recently declassified government files, still secret documents, and original interviews with hijackers, double agents, and victims still grieving their loved ones, The Revolutionists provides an unprecedented account of a period which definitively shaped today's world and probes the complex relationship between violence, terrorism, and revolution. From the deserts of Jordan and the Munich Olympics to the Iranian Embassy Siege in London and the Beirut bombings of the early 1980s, Burke invites us into the lives and minds of the perpetrators of these attacks, as well as the government agents and top officials who sought to foil them. Charting, too, such shattering events as the Iranian Revolution and the Lebanese civil war, he shows how, by the early 1980s, a campaign for radical change led by secular, leftist revolutionaries had given way to a far more lethal movement of conservative religious fanaticism that would dominate the decades to come. Driven by an indelible cast of characters moving at a breakneck pace, full of detail and drama, The Revolutionists is the definitive account of a dark and seismic decade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/military-history

Much more on Substack!Iran, Lebanon and Syria, Oh My!Hussain Abdul-Hussain is a fellow at the The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), hailing from Beirut via Baghdad and all the way to Washington DC. We talk about how he learned Hebrew by chatting with Israeli soldiers on the lebanese border, why he was wrong about the new leader of Syria, and why peace with Israel can only help the Arab and Muslim world.Follow Hussain on X and keep up with his work at the FDD!Also:* Does everyone in Lebanon hate us? Only 3 out of 4 people.* Seeing Israel beyond the F-16s, through AM radio and pop culture.* The most dangerous thing Hussain ever did - read an Israeli newspaper on the Columbia campus.* Holding our breath for Iran.* But don't hold your breath for Syria.* Some advice for dealing with idiots.* Coming soon - Hussain's book, The Arab Case For Israel!* The are only three Christians left in Baalbek, Lebanon - and that's bad for Muslims.* The uselessness of the UN Peacekeeping Force.* Can Israeli and Saudi Arabia make it work?* Bring in George Clooney!* Our $7,000 aren't a match for Qatari money. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit askajew.substack.com/subscribe

Send us a textIn this conversation, Ricardo Karam sits down with Dr. Basel Dalloul, a leading figure in the preservation and documentation of contemporary Arab art. The discussion goes beyond the concept of art collecting to explore meaning, memory, and cultural responsibility. Dr. Dalloul shares his vision of art as a human and political archive, reflecting on the moment when a family legacy transformed from a “collection” into a historical trust.The conversation highlights the experience of the Dalloul Art Foundation as a distinct cultural model based on archiving, research, and accessibility rather than display alone. It reveals how Dr. Dalloul's technological background contributed to building a robust knowledge infrastructure that safeguards Arab art from loss while providing it with proper historical and legal context. The dialogue also addresses the complex relationship between market forces and meaning, the commodification of identity, and the role of data and documentation in preserving artistic memory.From Beirut as a courageous base amid ongoing challenges to the global presence of Arab art as an active and productive force, join Ricardo Karam and Basel Dalloul in a profound dialogue on art, identity, and cultural responsibility in a rapidly changing world.في هذا الحوار، يجلس ريكاردو كرم مع دكتور باسل دلّول، أحد أبرز الفاعلين في حماية وتوثيق الفن العربي المعاصر، في لقاء يتجاوز مفهوم جمع الأعمال الفنية ليتناول المعنى، الذاكرة، والمسؤولية الثقافية. يشارك دكتور دلّول رؤيته حول الفن بوصفه أرشيفاً إنسانياً وسياسياً، ويتوقف عند اللحظة التي تحوّل فيها الإرث العائلي من "مجموعة" إلى أمانة تاريخ.يتناول الحوار تجربة  Dalloul Art Foundation كنموذج ثقافي مختلف، قائم على الأرشفة، البحث، والإتاحة، لا على العرض فقط، ويكشف كيف أسهمت الخلفية التكنولوجية لدلّول في بناء بنية تحتية معرفية تحمي الفن العربي من الضياع وتمنحه سياقه التاريخي والحقوقي. كما يناقش اللقاء العلاقة المعقدة بين السوق والمعنى، وتسليع الهوية، ودور البيانات والتوثيق في صون الذاكرة الفنية.من بيروت كمقر شجاع في زمن الأزمات، إلى الحضور العالمي للفن العربي كقوة فاعلة ومنتجة، يفتح اللقاء مساحة للتأمل في دور الثقافة في صناعة السرديات الكبرى، انضموا إلى ريكاردو كرم وباسل دلّول في حوار عميق عن الفن، الهوية، والمسؤولية الثقافية في عالم متغيّر.

A judge sets limits on ICE tactics used on protesters in Minnesota. Meanwhile, the Justice Department begins a criminal investigation into Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and other officials. María Corina Machado courts President Donald Trump, while CIA Director John Ratcliffe meets Venezuelan officials, deepening questions overthe shape of the country's future. And in Beirut, Father Guilherme Peixoto, the “DJ Priest,” spins faith into a techno beat. Listen to the latest On Assignment: On the ground in Greenland Listen to Morning Bid podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.  Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices.  You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When evil terrorists have hijacked a passenger plane flying through Europe filled with mostly Americans and they're headed towards Beirut...who are you gonna call?  The Delta Force! Yup smack in the middle of a now legendary run of B-Grade genre films (Missing In Action, Breakin', Cobra), Cannon Films decided to make a statement with this star-studded political action thriller starring Chuck Norris (The Way of the Dragon, Code of Silence, Walker Texas Ranger) and the late, great Lee Marvin (Cat Ballou, The Dirty Dozen) who lead this titular elite squad of warriors to the rescue.  Not only that but one half of the Israeli producing duo which ran Cannon - Menahem Golan (Over the Top, Enter the Ninja, The Apple) - actually decided to direct it himself. ;) When first released amidst a true glut of military-themed action films in '86, this was only a middling success but since then, it has garned a devoted cult following thanks to it likely overqualifed cast filled with former Oscar-winners (Marvin, Martin Balsam, George Kennedy, Shelly Winters) and an EXTREMELY catchy theme song created by Alan Silvestri!  Well that and we get to see Norris' McCoy dispatch bad guys with missiles from his motorcycle....Host: Geoff GershonEdited By Ella GershonProducer: Marlene Gershon  Send us a textSupport the showhttps://livingforthecinema.com/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Living-for-the-Cinema-Podcast-101167838847578Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/livingforthecinema/Letterboxd:https://letterboxd.com/Living4Cinema/

This one hits deeper than a startup story.I sat down with Kal Merhi, founder of iRoomit, and what began as a simple “Airbnb-for-roommates” conversation turned into a masterclass in resilience, reinvention, and building something that actually serves people.Kal grew up in Beirut during the civil war—fifteen years of survival, homelessness, and walking miles every morning just to get water. He came to Canada with ten family members and two dollars, learned the language on the fly, bought his first business with a handshake and a promissory note, scaled to 23 stores, lost everything, rebuilt five more businesses, burned out, lost his mother… and then found the idea that finally felt like purpose.iRoomit wasn't built to chase hyper-growth or squeeze users for revenue.It was built to solve a real, global problem:Rent is unaffordable. Loneliness is rising. Scams are everywhere. And millions of people just need a safe, stable place to live.In this episode, we break down:* How Kal's war-zone childhood shaped his belief that every person deserves “100 square feet called home.”* How bootstrapping forced him to design a real business, not a VC hallucination.* The scam problem in housing that nobody talks about—and how iRoomit engineered a zero-scam ecosystem using real-time ID + payment verification.* The rise of co-living, and why the next housing wave isn't ownership—it's shared space, affordability, and community.* Why landlords can make more by renting individual rooms than renting a whole house.* How iRoomit is scaling across Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Singapore, and the UAE—without investors or a dime of outside funding.* The mindset required to start from nothing, fail repeatedly, and still build something that matters.If you're a founder rebuilding from setback…If you're trying to build clarity around your next move…If you want an example of someone who's been through hell and still chose purpose over profit—This conversation will reset your bar.Listen in. Then turn insight into execution.Connect with Kalhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kal-merhi-a40563161/https://www.iroomit.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dougutberg.com

In this episode we are joined by Wassila Abboud to discuss her essay, "The Dining Table and the Drone." Our conversation begins with her meditations on grief in Lebanon. We explore how people often name today's grief through the language of past griefs — and what this transference between past and present reveals about the psyche under domination. From there, we turn to Walter Benjamin's "angel of history" and why Abboud argues this analogy fails to capture Lebanon's relationship to catastrophe. We discuss why so many returns cluster around 1982, how that year fractured grief itself, reshaping collective memory, political imagination, and the vocabulary of resistance. We examine the paradoxical meaning of ceasefire, the choreography of repeated displacement, and the temporal logic of domination that ensures catastrophe is always waiting just beyond its declaration. Our conversation also situates Lebanon's grief in relation to Gaza's present devastation, asking what it reveals about the impossibility of stability in a regional order sustained by capital accumulation and the extraction of life. We trace the sequence of events between 1978 and 1982 — from Operation Litani to the Camp David Accords and Israel's full-scale invasion of Beirut — not simply as military maneuvers but as the crystallization of a regional order that fractured Lebanon's political landscape and redefined resistance. Wassila Abboud is a cultural worker and writer researching between Beirut and Amsterdam. Her work engages with critical theory, philosophy, and culture and takes on both a speculative and materialist approach, examining the conditions of past and present historical struggles. (Follow her on IG: @wassila_) If you like what we do and want to support our ability to have more conversations like this. Please consider becoming a Patron. You can do so for as little as a 1 Dollar a month at patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism  

***I have been working with Lara Sheehi on her new show.  Make sure you subscribe to her video and audio feeds to listen to the rest of this episode**** Ghassan Abu Sittah: Clinic as site of resistance   In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah to discuss the centrality of the clinic in the genocidal violence perpetrated by the Zionist settler state in Gaza, his concept of the biosphere of genocide, and importantly, the site of the clinic as central to resistance, refusal, and liberation. Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah is a British-Palestinian Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon. He completed his medical education at University of Glasgow in the U.K and his postgraduate residency training in London. In April of 2024 he was awarded and Honorary Doctorate from the American University of Beirut, where is currently Professor of Conflict Medicine. His work was featured by numerous newspapers and media outlets notably La Monde, The Independent, Telegraph, BBC and CNN. Follow us on IG: @psychicmilitancypod & TikTok: @psychic.militancy Consider becoming a Patron to support the show! https://www.patreon.com/psychicmilitancy

PREVIEW FOR LATER TONIGHT HEZBOLLAH'S FINANCIAL LIFELINE IN VENEZUELA Colleague David Daoud. David Daoud explains why Hezbollah remains entrenched in Venezuela. He argues the terror group urgently needs revenue from Venezuelan resources to maintain social support among Shiites in Lebanon, seeking financial reservoirs that are situated far beyond the immediate reach of Israeli military operations. 1836 BEIRUT

In the 1970s, a network of radical extremists terrorised the West with plane hijackings and hostage-takings. Among them were the beautiful young Leila Khaled with her jewellery made from grenade rings, the hard-drinking philanderer Carlos the Jackal sporting shades and open-neck shirts, and the radical leftists of the Baader-Meinhof Gang. Taking Israel, capitalism and ‘western imperialism' as targets, they orchestrated spectacularly violent attacks that held governments to ransom and the world gripped to their television screens. In October 2025 one of the foremost writers on terrorism and International Security Correspondent for the Guardian Jason Burke came to the Intelligence Squared stage to uncover the insider stories from the terror attacks which shaped this tumultuous decade. From the Munich Olympics and the raid on Entebbe, to the Iranian Embassy Siege in London and the Beirut bombings of the early 1980s, Burke shed light on the lives and minds of the perpetrators of these attacks, as well as the government agents who sought to thwart and assassinate them, drawing on declassified archive material and original interviews with key actors and witnesses. --- If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events  ...  Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the 1970s, a network of radical extremists terrorised the West with plane hijackings and hostage-takings. Among them were the beautiful young Leila Khaled with her jewellery made from grenade rings, the hard-drinking philanderer Carlos the Jackal sporting shades and open-neck shirts, and the radical leftists of the Baader-Meinhof Gang. Taking Israel, capitalism and ‘western imperialism' as targets, they orchestrated spectacularly violent attacks that held governments to ransom and the world gripped to their television screens. In October 2025 one of the foremost writers on terrorism and International Security Correspondent for the Guardian Jason Burke came to the Intelligence Squared stage to uncover the insider stories from the terror attacks which shaped this tumultuous decade. From the Munich Olympics and the raid on Entebbe, to the Iranian Embassy Siege in London and the Beirut bombings of the early 1980s, Burke shed light on the lives and minds of the perpetrators of these attacks, as well as the government agents who sought to thwart and assassinate them, drawing on declassified archive material and original interviews with key actors and witnesses. --- This is the first instalment of a two-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events  ...  Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

6. Failure to Disarm: Hezbollah's Persistence and UNIFIL's Inefficacy. David Daoud reports that the Lebanesegovernment is failing to disarm Hezbollah south of the Litani River, merely evicting them from abandoned sites. He argues UNIFIL is an ineffective tripwire, as Hezbollah continues to rebuild infrastructure and receive funding right under international observers' noses. 1969 BEIRUT