Podcasts about Gandalf

In this podcast, Greg Voisen sits down with Lauren Craddock, author of OWN WITH INTENTION: 20 Minimalist Practices to Create Space for What Matters Most, to unpack a startling reality: how does a family transition from living in a $450-a-month duplex to accumulating—and eventually purging—over 34,000 items? Lauren exposes the hidden psychological traps of consumerism, perfectionism, and the "just-in-case" mindset that turns modern homes into overcrowded storage units. If you have ever spent hours organizing bins only to watch your home explode back into chaos, this episode reveals why standard decluttering systems fail—and how shifting your internal narrative is the key to creating true mental and physical space.

NEWS - DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN canceled with season three - Final CLAYFACE trailer - Filoni confirms the Mortis gods in AHSOKA s02 - Disney Immersive Cinema by ILM; VR-enhanced versions of …A NEW HOPE and AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR for Meta VR glasses - Paramount–WBD merger clears its biggest hurdle - STAR WARS: THRAWN manga part one out September 29 - First look at Ian McKellen's Gandalf in THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM - RINGS OF POWER s03 premieres Nov 11 OGTW: - Becker: EXCALIBUR (1981) rewatch, THE PENDRAGON CYCLE: RISE OF THE MERLIN, GREEN LANTERN: FIRST LIGHT - Diaz: AFTER THE FALL (finished) by Edward Ashton, EXIT PARTY (finished) by Emily St. John Mandel, TED LASSO, STAR WARS: GALAXY'S EDGE MAIN TOPIC: On the cusp of their 300th episode the team pushed the final installment of their book club discussion of DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL and instead takes the time to talk about Michael's trip STAR WARS: GALAXY'S EDGE, what he thought about the attractions and experiences. From there, the team's focus is on LANTERNS e05-06 and how differs from the source material, but also, how that makes it better. What do you think? Let us know! Welcome to the Kybercast! #StarWarsGalaxysEdge #Lanterns #Clayface #Ahsoka #StarWars #StarWarsThrawn #LOTR #TheHuntForGollum #RingsOfPower #Excalibur #ThePendragonCycleRiseOfMerlin #GreenLanternFirstLight #AfterTheFall #ExitParty #GalaxysEdge #StarWarsGalaxysEdge #DareDevilBornAgain

Fr. Anthony talks with guest co-host Georg Sellner, as the Ring passes over a long, long drop…and Gandalf does not. Music attribution: Hidden Past and Celtic Impulse, both by Kevin MacLeod (www.incompatech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Dalla conferenza a Subiaco Letteratura: Tolkien, Seneca e Bergson per riscoprire la fantasia che invade la realtà, la pietà che disarma e il pensiero incoraggiante.⬇⬇⬇SOTTO TROVI INFORMAZIONI IMPORTANTI⬇⬇⬇Abbonati per live e contenuti esclusivi ➤➤➤ https://bit.ly/memberdufer La newsletter gratuita ➤➤➤ http://eepurl.com/c-LKfz I prossimi eventi dal vivo ➤➤➤ https://www.dailycogito.com/eventi Scopri la nostra scuola di filosofia ➤➤➤ https://www.cogitoacademy.it/ Racconta storie di successo con RISPIRA ➤➤➤ https://cogitoacademy.it/rispira/Impara ad argomentare bene ➤➤➤ https://bit.ly/3Pgepqz Prendi in mano la tua vita grazie a PsicoStoici ➤➤➤ https://bit.ly/45JbmxXTutti i miei libri ➤➤➤ https://www.dailycogito.com/libri/ Il nostro podcast è sostenuto da NordVPN ➤➤➤ Mentre Https://nordvpn.com/scontodufer #rickdufer #tolkien #ilsignoredeglianelli INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/rickdufer INSTAGRAM di Daily Cogito: https://instagram.com/dailycogito TELEGRAM: http://bit.ly/DuFerTelegram FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/duferfb LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/riccardo-dal-ferro/31/845/b14 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chi sono io: https://www.dailycogito.com/rick-dufer/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------La sigla è stata creata da FEDERICO SANTOLIN BERTO. La voce nella sigla è di ANDREA PIOVAN. Tutti i diritti sono riservati e detenuti da Cogito Studios Srl. Ogni diritto di riproduzione e riutilizzo dei contenuti dovrà essere preventivamente concordato con Cogito Studios Srl. I marchi di Daily Cogito e Rick DuFer sono riservati e protetti. Tutte le informazioni su https://cogitostudios.it/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Den 23-årige musicalskuespiller Amanda Frederikke Traun er de kriseramte unges nye, store stemme. Vi spørger to teenagere, om hun rammer dem rent. Vi skal også høre en dansk familie-influencers vurdering af tradwife-romanen "Yesteryear", rejse til Valhalal med satirikerne Gigis, høre hvorfor Gandalf demonstrerer i Berlin og se på den nye amerikanske soldateruniform, der blander nazi-inspiration med "Starship Troopers". Vært: Morten Runge Medvirkende: Amanda Frederikke Traun: Skuespiller Cecilie Busk Stie og Otto Casselgreen: unge teatergæster Ekaterina Andersen: Husmor og influent Malthe Emil Kibsgaard: Filminstruktør Markus Bernsen: Tech-journalist ved Weekendavisen Lars Struwe: Sikkerhedspolitisk seniorrådgiver for Tænketanken Atlantsammenslutningen Producer: David Turner Redaktør: Lasse Lauridsen

Volle Besetzung - Volle Power! Diese Folge hat alles was deine Seele braucht. Geschichten aus fernen Ländern (vllt. England), Wissenswertes über Architektur (evtl. Hundertwasser-Bahnhof), Extreme Erlebnisse in unglaublichen Höhen (zB. Freefall für Kiddies), Erzählungen die das Zeit-Raum-Kontinuum biegen (uu. ein unerlaubter Witz) und ein „Herr der Ringe“-Cosplay, dass die nächste Party unvergesslich machen wird (ggf. Ben approved). Also ehrlich: Wenn du dir dieses Meisterwerk nicht reinhämmerst, dann weint Gunnars Mutter sich abendlich in den Schlaf. Und das willst du doch nicht. Oder? Oder? Na also!

Why did Frodo need Gollum?Coming to you from Hobbiton, New Zealand, John Ortberg explores one of the deepest themes running through J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings:Mercy.Bilbo could have killed Gollum. Frodo could have killed him. Sam could have killed him.But pity stayed their hands.And when Frodo finally reaches Mount Doom, something surprising happens: he fails. His own willpower isn't enough to destroy the ring.Yet the mercy extended to Gollum earlier in the story follows Frodo all the way to the end.“Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.”Maybe we need mercy because none of us can save ourselves.And maybe there's a Gollum somewhere in your day who needs mercy too.#LordOfTheRings #Tolkien #JohnOrtberg #Hobbiton #Psalm23 #Mercy #Gollum

Scripture: Ephesians 5:15-16+ Time is a sacred resource entrusted to us by God for which we must give an account.  Romans 14:10–12 NIVMatthew 12:36 NIVEcclesiastes 12:13–14 NIV+ Time is short and running out.  James 4:13–16 NIVPsalm 90:12 NIV+ We are called to make the most of every moment.  Ephesians 5:15–16 NIVchronos vs kairos + We must vigilantly eliminate the time wasters in our life "One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time." - John Piper + We must give time to restorative rest.  "I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." JRR Tolkien, Lord of the Rings

JACKIE & PAIGE ENTER MIDDLE-EARTH FOR THE FIRST TIME—AND THEY'RE STARTING WITH THE EXTENDED EDITION! Get a free 8-count Sample Pack of LMNT's most popular drink mix flavors with any purchase at DrinkLMNT.com/rejects. Jackie Bonsignore & Paige Kimsey watch their very first Lord of the Rings movie with The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition in this first-time reaction and review. Beginning their journey through Peter Jackson's Middle-earth on the Road to The Hunt for Gollum, Jackie & Paige meet Frodo, Gandalf, Aragorn, Sam, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, and Gollum for the first time. They react to “Concerning Hobbits,” the Nazgûl pursuit, the Council of Elrond, “One does not simply walk into Mordor,” the Mines of Moria, “You shall not pass,” Galadriel's gifts, and the emotional battle at Amon Hen! The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition Full Movie Reaction Watch Along:   / thereelrejects   Directed by Peter Jackson (King Kong, The Lovely Bones), The Fellowship of the Ring stars Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins (Sin City, Yellowjackets), Ian McKellen as Gandalf (X-Men, Gods and Monsters), Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn (Green Book, Eastern Promises), Sean Astin as Samwise Gamgee (The Goonies, Stranger Things), Sean Bean as Boromir (Game of Thrones, GoldenEye), Cate Blanchett as Galadriel (Elizabeth, Carol), Orlando Bloom as Legolas (Pirates of the Caribbean, Kingdom of Heaven), John Rhys-Davies as Gimli (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Sliders), and Andy Serkis as Gollum (Planet of the Apes, Andor). Jackie & Paige share their first impressions of Middle-earth, the Fellowship, Peter Jackson's world-building, Howard Shore's iconic score, and the additional history and character development found in the Extended Edition. Their journey also builds toward Andy Serkis and Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, arriving in 2027. Follow Jackie Bonsignore: https://www.instagram.com/jackiebonsignore/ Follow Paige Kimsey https://www.instagram.com/paige.popcorn?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D Intense Suspense by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Support The Channel By Getting Some REEL REJECTS Apparel! https://www.rejectnationshop.com/ Follow Us On Socials:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/  Tik-Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@reelrejects?lang=en Twitter: https://x.com/reelrejects Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ Music Used In Ad:  Hat the Jazz by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Happy Alley by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... POWERED BY @GFUEL Visit https://gfuel.ly/3wD5Ygo and use code REJECTNATION for 20% off select tubs!! Head Editor: https://www.instagram.com/praperhq/?hl=en Co-Editor: Greg Alba Co-Editor: John Humphrey Music In Video: Airport Lounge - Disco Ultralounge by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Ask Us A QUESTION On CAMEO: https://www.cameo.com/thereelrejects Follow TheReelRejects On FACEBOOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM:  FB:  https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thereelrejects Follow GREG ON INSTAGRAM & TWITTER: INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/thegregalba/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thegregalba Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I can't believe we're at 600 episodes. We've been doing this for 600 weeks. That's 11.5 years of Trivial Warfare. I want to say a couple of thank you's.  First, I want to thank you, our audience. The only reason that TW exists in the form that it exists now is because of your amazing support and love. In return we feel honored to get to know you, to grow with you, and share that love back with you. I hope you understand how much you are loved and appreciated. Along with that, I want to say thank you to all of our hosts and others who have made huge contributions along the way. Chris, Carmela, Ben, Nick, Erin, Zahkia, Nikki, and Robear all get their flowers at the end of this episode and they are SO well deserved. What an amazing team! I want to go deeper though and express my gratitude to Kit for everything she does. I want to thank Joel Sharpton who was our primary editor for many years and is a wonderful friend. I want to say thank you to Marc Demeter, one of our first hosts and great contributor in our first couple of years. I want to say thank you to Scott Barber for being himself, we need more people in the world like Scott. And I want to thank Russ Friedewald who was our first webmaster and an absolute class act. It's always dangerous to thank people because it's easy to accidentally leave people out. If I have failed to mention someone I should have please know that it was not out of malice and is not intentional. We have had help from so many people over the years and want everyone to know that they are appreciated. This weeks episode is the conclusion of our host tournament. It's Carmela and Ben vs. Erin and Nick, Scott Barber is hosting. And It's time to play the game!

Barry Harvey is back with a book that puts madness, theocracy, and anarchism in the title. It's a collection of essays developed over his career, and beneath them all sits one assertion: the church is not a subsystem of civil society. It has its own integrity, its own allegiance, and its own context for rethinking how it relates to everything else. The preface opens with Justin Martyr noting that second-century Christians were charged with madness for putting a crucified man right next to God. Barry's point: if the church has a healthy understanding of itself, it already is a resistance movement — rooted in scripture, liturgy, and tradition, and located, as Bonhoeffer put it, in the middle of the human village. We got into ecclesial solidarity and the ordo amoris (and the administration official who thinks he can do Catholic theology), the American form of cheap grace, the neoliberal collapse of state and market into one thing, and then — because Barry has multiple music degrees and I have no self-control — Bonhoeffer's polyphony, Tolkien's Silmarillion, the long defeat, eucatastrophe, and Gandalf's ecclesiology. I skipped every one of my Richard Rorty questions the moment Tolkien came up. I regret nothing. You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube Dr. Barry Harvey is Professor of Theology in the Honors College and the Department of Religion at Baylor University, where he has taught since 1988. He holds an MDiv from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a PhD from Duke University. His new book is Madness, Theocracy, and Anarchism: Political and Cultural Reflections on the Church. JOIN OUR OPEN ONLINE CLASS: The Empire Christ Couldn't Keep⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ever notice how Christian nationalism gets talked about like it's some bizarre new glitch in the faith? It isn't — it's a 2,000-year-old arrangement wearing new clothes, and once you see how the pattern works, you can also spot the Christ who keeps slipping free of it. Join theologian Joerg Rieger and Tripp Fuller for The Christ Empire Couldn't Keep, a free six-week online class tracing the holy alliances, imperial creeds, and stubborn resistance that have shaped Christianity from Paul to the present. You'll get six lectures from Joerg, six live Q&As, weekly readings from his book Christ and Empire, and a community of fellow troublemakers thinking it through together. It's free to join, every session is recorded, and it kicks off Thursday, August 27. Grab your spot at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HomebrewedClasses.com.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 75,000 other people by joining our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 50 classes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ACOFAE Podcast Presents: Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, with friend Gene! ACOFAE is back with their LotR expert, Gene, to discuss the second movie in the acclaimed trilogy of Elves, Hobbits, Rings, Men and Magic. All three having a unique and sometimes harrowing experiences with this movie, ACOFAE and Gene work through the differences between the book and the movie, the theatrical version not the extended 4 hour version, and talk film making, trivia, and more. The group also touches on industry vs environment, and how the women in this film especially would benefit from a bit more flushing out, especially when the source material has it in there! Love of Sam abounds as ACOFAE and Gene return to a land of magic and fantasy. "Harken to me." TW / CW: none to our awareness For additional TW/CW information for your future reads, head to this site for more: https://triggerwarningdatabase.com/ Spoilers: The Lord of the Rings, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Hobbit *Thank you for listening to us! Please subscribe and leave a 5-star review and follow us on Instagram at @ACOFAEpodcast and on our TikToks! TikTok: ACOFAELaura : Laura Marie ( https://www.tiktok.com/@acofaelaura) ACOFAEJessica : Jessica Marie (https://www.tiktok.com/@acofaejessica) Instagram: @ACOFAEpodcast https://www.instagram.com/acofaepodcast/ @ACOFAELaura https://www.instagram.com/acofaelaura/

EPYSODE 89: Gandalf by Gandalf. Guest: Guitarist/vocalist Peter Sando. Additional commentary by The Psychedelic Wizard, Uncle Herff. This week we step into the dreamlike world of Gandalf, the enigmatic 1969 self-titled album that quietly vanished upon release only to emerge decades later as a revered psychedelic cult classic. We explore the album's atmospheric and melancholic beauty and its ethereal blend of psych-pop, folk rock, and studio experimentation. We also uncover the strange story behind the album's failed release and how its legend grew among collectors. Best of all, this epysode features exclusive commentary from founding member Peter Sando, sharing firsthand stories about the making of the album and the twists of fate that turned it into a lost masterpiece rediscovered by generations of psych fans. I hope you dig Gandalf as much as I do. - Farmer John ===CONNECT & SUPPORT=== Transport yourself into the realm of grooviness by supporting us on Patreon for as little as $2/month using this link --> patreon.com/FarmerJohnMusic Follow Vinyl Relics on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X and BlueSky. Email me @ ⁠farmerjohnmusic@gmail.com⁠ ===LINKS=== Check out all things Gandalf and Peter's solo work here: https://www.petersando.com   ===THE MUSIC=== Songs used in this Epysode, in order of appearance. Here's a link to a Spotify playlist for all the tracks featured. *denotes track is not available on Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1xHC4SHlEQGsn6LZl1fVZc?si=f621ec591f824bef SUPERSISTER "Present From Nancy" BO DIDDLEY “Hey! Bo Diddley” ELVIS PRESLEY “Hound Dog” THE BELL NOTES “I've Had It” THE RAHGOOS “Do The Rahgoo” THE TURTLES “Happy Together” LOTHAR & THE HAND PEOPLE “Machines” GANDALF "Golden Earrings" GANDALF "Hang On To A Dream" GANDALF "Never Too Far" GANDALF "Scarlet Ribbons" GANDALF "You Upset The Grace Of Living" GANDALF "Nature Boy" GANDALF "Tiffany Rings" GANDALF "Me About You" GANDALF "I Watch The Moon" THE BARRACUDA “The Dance At St. Francis” PETER SANDO “Creatures Of Habit” GANDALF “Days Are Only Here And Gone” GANDALF “Downbound Train” GANDALF “You're Free” ??MYSTERY ARTIST?? Tune in to our next show to find out... NEWPORT ELECTRIC "Bad Idea" ^^ That's my band. This is shameless self promotion!! Check out all our music here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5y6kGmYnS4SWvqAfijhDdp?si=DVFmdBvXSnC-4P5GR1c-fw Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join the Discord Server!! - https://discord.gg/3ee94j4u2mListen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/3KXEvXDIda3lLG9WRZswI0Follow Mini Matters Social Media here - https://www.instagram.com/mini_matters_cast/https://www.facebook.com/minimatterspodcastOur work here - Martin: https://www.instagram.com/drinkthepaintJamie: https://www.instagram.com/dragonhead_modelsArnau: https://www.instagram.com/arnau.lazaroWarhammer 40,000 Games Workshop Miniatures Scale Models Miniature Painting Scale Models

The feds appear to be trying to rig a union election, for dumber reasons than you think. There's a slew of scandals rocking South America right now, implicating the U.S. in schemes involving sex, cocaine, and murder (the greatest hits). The insanely corrupt Venezuelan oil deal is just one of them, and that involves Rudy Giuliani getting free glasses at a money launderer's Spanish castle. Lastly, one internet weirdo accidentally exposes herself as part of Pete Hegseth's secret Pentagon army of posters.This episode is sponsored by ZBiotics. Go to https://www.zbiotics.com/SKEW now. You'll get 15% off your first order when you use SKEW at checkoutWeekly Skews is brought to you by Americans United for Separation of Church and State. If you believe religious freedom is supposed to protect everybody, not be weaponized to turn away good families, visit https://www.au.org/crooked to learn more and become a member today. This episode of weekly skews is brought to you by Quince. Elevate your summer wardrobe. Go to https://www.quince.com/skew  for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.

The middle book of a trilogy is always the dark one, and The Two Towers is no exception. Fr. Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson return to Middle-earth for the second leg of The Lord of the Rings, and this time things really are on the edge of the knife.Gollum, Hugh of Saint Victor, Ents and the Entmoot, Gimli, Sarumon and Gandalf, and Boromir and Faramir. It's all there!Endnotes* Junius: Tolkien's The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún * Wesley's endnote: Realms of Tolkien: Images of Middle-earth This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.theclassicalmind.com/subscribe

Mark Young is the CEO of Ryze Agency, where he helps brands scale through world-class marketing, sharp product positioning, and operational clarity. Mark has built multiple successful businesses and has become a trusted advisor for founders looking to break through plateaus and expand into new markets.  He has recently published a series of 5 books titled the Ecommerce Brand Guide to the Galaxy with Benjamin Hardy.Highlight Bullets> Here's a glimpse of what you would learn…. Differences between selling on Amazon and Shopify, focusing on intent-based versus cold traffic marketing.Common misconceptions brands have about marketing metrics, particularly the focus on ROAS.Importance of understanding customer acquisition cost (CAC), lifetime value (LTV), and average order value (AOV) for sustainable growth.Strategies for increasing average order value through upsells and bundles.The significance of customer experience and retention marketing on Shopify compared to Amazon.The role of storytelling and brand identity in engaging customers on Shopify.Examples of successful and unsuccessful brand strategies in e-commerce.Actionable takeaways for brands looking to scale on Shopify.The impact of brand loyalty and customer relationships on long-term success.Recommendations for influential books and tools in the e-commerce space.In this episode of the Ecomm Breakthrough Podcast, host Josh Hadley speaks with Mark Young, CEO of Ryze Agency, about scaling DTC brands on Shopify. Mark explains the fundamental differences between Amazon's intent-based selling and Shopify's cold traffic environment, emphasizing the need for brand storytelling. He challenges the common obsession with ROAS, introducing the "holy trinity" of metrics: Customer Acquisition Cost, Lifetime Value, and Average Order Value. Mark also highlights the importance of retention marketing and authentic customer relationships, sharing real success and failure stories to illustrate how strategy, not tactics, drives sustainable e-commerce growth.Here are the 3 action items that Josh identified from this episode:Shift from “conversion” to “connection” Stop treating Shopify like Amazon. Build demand through storytelling, content, and brand experience—optimize for trust and engagement before expecting conversions.Scale with the right metrics (not ROAS) Track and optimize your CAC:LTV:AOV triangle. Aim for a 1:3 CAC:LTV ratio, and be willing to accept lower short-term ROAS to acquire high-value customers.Increase AOV + retention to unlock profit Bundle products, upsell, and improve post-purchase experience. Focus on repeat buyers (email/SMS, loyalty, CX) to maximize LTV and make your paid acquisition sustainable.Timestamps:00:00:38 Introduction to the E-comm Breakthrough PodcastThe announcer introduces the podcast, aimed at helping seven-figure e-commerce business owners unlock their full potential and growth.00:00:52 Host's Introduction and Guest WelcomeHost Josh Hadley introduces himself and the episode's guest, Mark Young, CEO of Ryze Agency and author.00:02:12 The Challenge of Scaling from Amazon to ShopifyMark discusses why brands successful on Amazon often struggle on Shopify, highlighting the fundamental differences between the platforms.00:04:15 Amazon vs. Shopify: Intent vs. Cold TrafficA breakdown of how Amazon is an intent-based platform, while Shopify requires cold traffic marketing and brand storytelling.00:05:57 Common Misconceptions Brands Have with AgenciesMark explains the two types of clients he encounters: startups who think they know everything and brands with agency trauma.00:08:20 The Problem with Over-relying on ROASMark details why Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) is a "fool's metric" and how agencies can manipulate it.00:11:02 The Holy Trinity of E-commerce MetricsMark explains the three core KPIs brands should focus on: Lifetime Value (LTV), Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), and Average Order Value (AOV).00:18:24 The Importance of Average Order Value (AOV)Discussion on why an AOV of at least $50-$100 is crucial for profitability due to shipping costs and consumer psychology.00:21:09 Focusing on Customer Experience and RetentionMark argues that brands focus too much on acquisition and not enough on creating an impressive backend customer experience.00:24:49 The Mindset Shift from Amazon to ShopifyBrands moving from Amazon must learn to focus on customer experience and brand storytelling, which Amazon handles for them.00:28:11 Building a Relational BrandThe importance of creating a personal, relational brand on Shopify, as opposed to Amazon's transactional nature. People buy from people.00:33:19 Be the Guide, Not the HeroUsing the "StoryBrand" framework, Mark explains that brands should act as the guide (Gandalf) for their customer (Frodo).00:35:09 Case Study: A Successful Skincare BrandA brand succeeded by understanding its brand voice, embracing omnichannel marketing, and defining clear goals for its agency partnership.00:38:00 Case Study: A Failed BrandA brand failed due to a reactive CEO, a singular focus on top-line revenue, and training customers to expect constant discounts.00:41:38 Three Actionable TakeawaysJosh Hadley summarizes the key lessons: understand your brand story, focus on LTV over ROAS, and prioritize customer retention.00:44:03 Mark's Most Influential BooksMark shares his favorite and most influential books, including works by Donald Miller, Will Guidara, and Stephen Covey.00:45:12 Leveraging AI in BusinessMark discusses how his agency uses AI, specifically "Claude bots," to imagine a new kind of business, not just automate tasks.00:48:08 Who to Follow in the E-comm SpaceMark recommends following Alex Hormozi and Donald Miller and emphasizes the value of nano and micro-influencers over macro-influencers.00:49:16 How to Connect with Mark YoungMark shares where listeners can find him, his books, and his agency, and discusses his passion for helping entrepreneurs.Resources mentioned in this episode:Josh Hadley on LinkedIneComm Breakthrough ConsultingeComm Breakthrough PodcastEmail Josh Hadley: Josh@eCommBreakthrough.comTools and Websites  "Ryze Agency": "00:02:01"  "Shopify": "00:02:55"  "

What can Gandalf teach us about life? How did The Matrix convince Charles to try lo mein? Why are Charles and Joe—usually two dads with very different nerdy interests—suddenly united in their love for Spider-Man: Brand New Day? And exactly how much housework is enough housework? This week on Wise_N_Nerdy: Where Fatherhood Meets Fandom, Charles and Joe tackle all of those questions and plenty more in an episode packed with movies, conventions, parenting, terrible dad jokes, and some surprisingly serious conversations about relationships and household responsibilities. The episode kicks off with the Question of the Week: “What's the most unexpectedly deep life lesson you've learned from a piece of entertainment?” Joe pulls some wisdom from Gandalf, while Charles explains how The Matrix somehow inspired him to finally give lo mein a try. Because apparently, sometimes the path to personal growth runs through Middle-earth—and sometimes it runs through Chinese takeout. Then the Roll of the Dice determines what's next, and something incredibly rare happens: Charles and Joe are nerding out about the exact same thing! Both hosts dive into Spider-Man: Brand New Day, sharing their enthusiasm and singing the praises of a movie they thoroughly enjoyed. If you're a Spider-Man fan, this is one conversation you won't want to miss. Next up is “Daddy, Tell Me A Story,” where the conversation turns toward Dragon Con. Charles and Joe look back at their past convention experiences while also talking about what they're excited to see and do at Dragon Con 2026. Whether you're a longtime convention veteran or someone considering attending your first con, there's plenty of fandom-fueled excitement to go around. Of course, no episode of Wise_N_Nerdy would be complete without the Bad Dad Jokes. The dice have spoken, the fates have spoken, and unfortunately, the dads have jokes. Prepare yourself for some spectacularly terrible puns and the inevitable groans that follow. From there, the “How Do I...?” segment tackles one of the most dangerous territories at any convention: the vendor hall. Charles and Joe discuss some of the pitfalls shoppers can encounter, what they look for when browsing convention vendors, and how to make the most of the experience without walking away wondering how you somehow spent that much money. Finally, the Parliament of Papas weighs in on a Reddit relationship story involving a wife who believes her husband isn't pulling his weight around the house—even while acknowledging that he may actually be doing around 60% of the household work. Charles and Joe dig into the complexities of household responsibilities, expectations, communication, and why percentages alone may not tell the whole story. From unexpected life lessons and Spider-Man to Dragon Con, bad dad jokes, convention shopping, and relationship debates, this episode has a little something for every kind of nerd and every kind of parent. So grab your favorite beverage, settle in, and join the conversation. Find your FAMdom with Wise_N_Nerdy! Wise_N_Nerdy: Where Fatherhood Meets Fandom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of our patrons asks, “What if Gandalf had survived the bridge?” Join The Man of the West for the answer, plus his first — and last — attempt at fanfic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Losing Confidence After Stroke: Why It Happens and How to Get It Back Jaemin Frazer has spent nearly two decades and around 16,000 coaching hours on a single question: what is actually going on when a capable person stops trusting themselves? He founded The Insecurity Project to work on it directly. He is not a stroke survivor – and that turns out to be the reason this conversation is useful, because he arrives without any assumptions about what stroke recovery is supposed to look like. What he does have is a precise account of what happens to a person when their ordered world collapses, which is, more or less, the definition of a stroke. “I Just Want to Be Who I Was” Almost every survivor says some version of this. Six weeks out, six years out – the sentence barely changes. Jaemin’s response is to ask what is actually being requested. His answer: not the past. Certainty. They’re looking for certainty. They’re looking for comfort. They’re looking for safety. They’re looking through rose coloured glasses in many ways, because no one’s life was perfect before anything. That last part is the uncomfortable bit. The life you want back had its own problems. What memory offers is not a better life but a known one – and the nervous system will take known over good almost every time. Certainty Is the Real Request Humans need certainty the way they need food and shelter. We don’t function in chaos. But we also can’t get certainty from the outside world, because the outside world doesn’t have any to give. It never did. The stroke didn’t remove your certainty; it removed your ability to keep believing in it. Which leaves one option. As Jaemin puts it: The most resourceful form of certainty is to embrace uncertainty and back yourself. That distinction – external certainty versus internal certainty – is the whole conversation. When your sense of safety lives outside you, you have to control your circumstances to feel all right, and after a stroke your circumstances are largely uncontrollable. When it lives inside you, circumstances can do what they like. This is the same territory covered in stroke recovery mindset (https://recoveryafterstroke.com/stroke-recovery-mindset/), approached from a completely different angle. Self-Doubt Is Useful. Insecurity Is Not. Jaemin draws a hard line between the two, and it’s worth holding onto. Self-doubt is accurate information about a skill gap. If you can’t yet climb the stairs unaided, self-doubt is what stops you attempting it alone. It says nothing about your worth. It’s wisdom. Insecurity is different. Insecurity is the belief that a failure would expose something defective about you. Jaemin argues that most people misdefine it – it isn’t fear of judgement, failure, or rejection. It’s one level deeper: No one’s actually afraid of being rejected. They’re afraid of: if I put my best foot forward and it’s not enough, and then people don’t accept me – what does that confirm about my own inadequacy? The threat isn’t out there. It’s a verdict you’ve already passed on yourself, waiting for the world to co-sign it. What Insecurity Costs Your Recovery This is where it stops being philosophy. Jaemin frames insecurity as a resource problem. Proving yourself, defending yourself, covering and compensating – all of it consumes energy. When life is going well there’s enough spare capacity that you never notice the drain. After a stroke, there is no spare capacity. A stroke puts you into survival mode, and now you’ve got no resources to survive, because all your best resources are directed elsewhere to make sure no one sees your inadequacy. Survivors already know that fatigue after stroke is not ordinary tiredness. An injured brain rewiring itself is metabolically expensive. Every unit of energy spent managing how you appear to other people is a unit unavailable for healing. Attending to the emotional side of recovery isn’t separate from the physical work – it’s what frees up the capacity to do it. That connection runs through emotional recovery after stroke (https://recoveryafterstroke.com/emotional-recovery-after-stroke-dr-bradley-nelson/) as well. Why Your Friends Push Back Many survivors have to change how they live – what they eat, what they drink, where they go, who they spend time with. And many report losing friends over it. Jaemin’s framing here is bracing. Resistance from the people around you isn’t a malfunction. In any story worth telling, the character who transforms does so by overcoming obstacles, and those obstacles almost always arrive in the form of other people. Remove the resistance and nothing in the hero is enlarged. So when someone says you’ve changed and doesn’t mean it kindly, they are – without intending to – handing you the exact thing you need to become someone who no longer requires their approval. Grief and Insecurity Are Not the Same Thing This distinction matters, and conflating them causes real harm. Losing the use of a limb is a genuine loss. Grief is the appropriate response, and it deserves acknowledgement rather than management. The damage begins when the loss becomes a statement about your worth. I can’t run, therefore I’m not a runner, therefore who am I? That is no longer grief – that’s insecurity wearing grief’s clothes, and it needs a different response entirely. Survivors working through that identity question will recognise it in craniotomy stroke recovery and identity reset (https://recoveryafterstroke.com/craniotomy-stroke-recovery-identity-reset/), and it sits close to the ground covered in anxiety after stroke (https://recoveryafterstroke.com/anxiety-after-stroke/). That’s Not the Tragedy. That’s the Setup. The line Jaemin returns to twice in the episode is this: being lost and confused doesn’t disqualify you from a meaningful life. It’s what qualifies you to begin one. Nobody reaches adulthood with an accurate picture of who they are. Everyone arrives confused. The confusion isn’t damage to be repaired before you can start – it’s the starting position. This reframes the disorientation of early recovery as the opening move rather than evidence that something has gone permanently wrong. The same reframe underpins post-traumatic growth in stroke recovery (https://recoveryafterstroke.com/post-traumatic-growth-stroke-recovery/). And Jaemin is firm that this is solvable – not managed, not coped with. Solvable. Because the inadequacy you’ve been protecting everyone from isn’t real. It’s a conclusion you drew as a child and have been gathering evidence for ever since. There is no monster under the bed. Only the idea of one. Where to Start Start by being precise. When you catch yourself saying I lost my confidence, ask what you actually mean. Confidence at what? In front of whom? What exactly are you afraid would be revealed? Abstract language hides the levers. Precise language shows you where they are. Closing Links If this episode is useful to you, Bill’s book The Unexpected Way That A Stroke Became The Best Thing That Happened covers ten tools for recovery and personal transformation – you can find it at https://recoveryafterstroke.com/book. If you would like one-on-one support with your own recovery, you can apply at https://recoveryafterstroke.com/momentum. If this show has helped you, you can support it at https://patreon.com/recoveryafterstroke. Footer Disclaimer This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your health or recovery plan. Losing Confidence After Stroke – Jaemin Frazer (Interview) You don’t need your old life back. You need to trust yourself again – and Jaemin Frazer explains exactly why that feels impossible after stroke. Highlights: 00:00 Introduction – Losing Confidence After Stroke 08:54 Embracing Uncertainty and Personal Resourcefulness 20:43 The Role of Self-Doubt and Insecurity 38:26 Transformational Journeys: Overcoming Obstacles 46:14 The Hero’s Journey and Storytelling 52:07 Understanding Bullies and Personal Growth 59:21 The Role of Parents in Identity Formation 01:11:17 The Cost of Insecurity in Recovery 01:20:55 Finding Purpose Beyond Insecurity Transcript: Introduction – Losing Confidence After Stroke Jaemin (00:00) A stroke puts you into survival mode, and now you’ve got no resources to survive because all your best resources are directed elsewhere So then it costs you everything. It costs you your future. It costs you your ability to heal, to make sense of this, to come out the other side and reinvent or do whatever you need to be present for yourself. It’s a slow descent into madness really, if all your best resources are proving and defending, covering and compensating, then you stop being human, you stop being alive, you stop being present, you become hypervigilant around what others are thinking, and your world keeps getting smaller. Bill Gasiamis (00:35) Welcome back to Recovery After Stroke. I’m Bill Gasciamas. Before anything else, thank you to everyone supporting the show on Patreon, becoming a YouTube member, and to everyone supporting it in all other ways. Sharing episodes, leaving reviews, sending them to someone who needs them, buying the book. This show has reached over a million and a half downloads because of people doing exactly that. And I don’t take it for granted. If you’ve ever caught yourself saying, I just want to be who I was, this episode is going to sit with you for a while. My guest today is Jaemin Fraser. Jaemin is a coach, the founder of the Insecurity Project, a TEDx speaker, and as of this year, a novelist. He spent nearly two decades, around 16,000 coaching hours, on one problem. What happens to a person when they stop trusting themselves and what it costs them? Jaemin has not had a stroke. I want to be upfront about that because it’s the reason this conversation goes where it does. He came to it without any assumptions about what recovery is meant to look like. And what he brought instead is a very precise account of what happens to anyone whose ordered world falls apart overnight. We get into why wanting your odd life back is really a request for certainty. The difference between self-doubt, which is useful, and insecurity, which isn’t, why insecurity draws down the exact energy your brain needs to heal. What’s really going on when friends push back on your habits and why being lost and confused isn’t the tragedy, it’s the setup. Three quick things before we start, my book, The Unexpected Way That a Stroke Became the Best Thing That Happened, covers ten tools for recovery and personal transformation. It’s available at recoveryafterstroke.com/book. If you’d like one-on-one support with your own recovery, I walk I work with a small number of stroke survivors at a time. Structure, accountability, and genuine guidance from someone who’s been through it, you can apply at recoveryafterstroke.com/momentum. And if this show has helped you and you want to help me get to a thousand episodes, you can support it either as a YouTube member or by going to patreon.com/recoveryafterstroke. I want to make sure that No strike survivor. has to ever go through what I went through when I first started my recovery, and that was not having any information about how to proceed after I got sent home from hospital. Now it’s time for the interview. Bill Gasiamis (03:14) Jaemin Fraser, welcome to the podcast. Jaemin (03:15) Thanks for having me, Bill. Bill Gasiamis (03:17) Absolute pleasure, mate. I wanted to ask, actually I want to start with the person listening. They’re anywhere from six weeks to twenty years post stroke, right? and what they say is they want to be back to their old life. In your experience, when someone says, I just want to be who I was, what are they actually asking for? Jaemin (03:39) Hmm, well, I think they’re looking for certainty. They’re looking for comfort. They’re looking for safety. Yeah, they’re looking through rose colored glasses in many ways because no one’s life was perfect before anything. So the fantasy of if I could go back to where I was, it deletes a whole bunch of stuff around the reality of where you were in the first place. But I think that the desire is it’s certainty, safety, peace, comfort. That’s what a person is driven to find some way or other. Bill Gasiamis (04:16) W what do you think it is about certainty? A and what does that even mean? Like I There was, you know, before my experience with stroke, there wasn’t anything that was certain. Is it an illusion? Is certainty an illusion? Because I definitely don’t feel certain about anything going forward either. but kind of not in a bad way. Like I don’t have a bad relationship with the lack of certainty. It’s just. It i it’s just not real. Like I feel like it might be an illusion. Jaemin (04:53) Well, I love Anthony Robbins take on this. I think his six core needs model is his finest contribution to the personal development space and his earliest versions of this, because I think if you were to do a search, Tony Robbins six core needs, what you’re going to get today is an idea that there’s a hierarchy of needs. So you could do a test to work out which needs are most important for you based on your personality type. That’s not how we first introduced them. And I am convinced it’s not actually how it works. So just a quick summary. He says, doesn’t matter what age, what sex, what culture, what stage of life, because you’re human, just as important as food, shelter, clothing is the need for certainty. Firstly, we are creatures who do not survive in chaos. We need some sense of control, order. We thrive in the familiar. We need a sense of what’s happening next. So we organize ourselves and we find certainty. We cannot survive without it. Interestingly though, we also need uncertainty. these six needs operate in paradox. Piers, are you familiar with the six core needs? Bill Gasiamis (06:07) I’m not actually. Jaemin (06:08) and variety is the first two and they operate in paradox pairs. So certainty pulls you one way, but we also need variety. If you have 100 % certainty, you’re completely bored and Bill Gasiamis (06:18) Uh-huh. Jaemin (06:19) you would ruin things. You’d mess it up so that there would be something to do. So we need uncertainty, surprise, spontaneity, adventure. But if you have 100 Bill Gasiamis (06:30) You’d mess it up i is is is messing it up because you need uncertainty, is that that sounds like like self sabotage. Jaemin (06:41) Well, it is if it’s unresourceful. is if you haven’t, I mean, the aim of the game is to find high quality internal resource, ways to meet these needs. If you don’t find that, then unconsciously, you’ll still find a way to meet these needs and it will be through sabotage, dysfunction, know. So certainty and variety are the first two. The second two are significance and love. So all humans need a sense of significance, need to know, I matter? Am I more than just a name and number? Do I have value? Is there any point to me? Now that’s a journey away from the tribe because we’re also relational beings. So we don’t survive in isolation. We need love, belonging, connection, warmth, touch. So if you have 100 % love and connection, you lose your separateness. And if you have 100 % significance, then you’re completely lonely and isolated. But we do need both. Embracing Uncertainty and Personal Resourcefulness So certainty, variety, significance, love, and then the final two are contribution and growth. So humans do feel the need to make a difference, add value, give back, leave a legacy, solve problems. So contribution is about adding value to others. And then growth is adding value to yourselves, to ourselves. Every living thing grows, you either grow or die. So this is the need that drives us to do more, to have more, to see more, to expand our experience. one way shape or another. it’s a strange thing to need certainty back to certainty. It’s a strange thing to need certainty for survival in an uncertain world because you then can’t help but cling to things that aren’t really certain and try and control them. Cling to a job you don’t like, cling to a memory that feels familiar, cling to a relationship that’s dysfunctional. cling to stuff that you know, because it makes you feel certain and makes you feel safe. There’s a predictability around it. What you’re describing is not that you’ve done away with the need for certainty. It’s that you have a certainty in your ability to handle the real world. So you don’t need to cling to things being a certain way. You don’t need to force things to be back the way they were. You’re like, that’s ridiculous. Here I am now and I’m certain. that I am a resourceful person, a creative person, a good person, a clever person, I’ll work it out. The real world will happen to me. I’ll wake up, I’ll open my eyes and I’ll handle it. That’s what I’m certain about. So the most resourceful form of certainty is to embrace uncertainty and back yourself. Bill Gasiamis (09:26) To be certain about uncertainty. Jaemin (09:28) There be certain uncertainty. That is the only certainty. It’s, you there’s you think, what is certain? well, the sun’s going to come up tomorrow. For some people, it’s not. Some people, this will be the last sunrise they ever see. No one’s expecting that, but it happens. So we’re not entitled to any more time, any more opportunity. That’s not certain. It’s not guaranteed. So yeah, the only certainty is it’s all uncertain. So then you must find certainty within, and that will require you to examine your own. your your capability, your own resourcefulness and to grow up and mature in your own sense of who you really are. Bill Gasiamis (10:06) Yeah. I have this saying that I picked up from somewhere. Some dude in the Middle East, like I think in the 40s or 50s, said this thing. I forget his name. I I always wanted to remember his name so I can give him credit, but it goes like exp expect the best, prepare for the worst. And it kind of feels like that’s how I handled my uncertainty when, you know, the doctor turns up day one. Of a bleed in the brain diagnosis and says, gives you the most vague version of the diagnosis and said to me, there’s a shadow on your brain. It could be a cancer, it could be a sea it could be a tumor that’s benign, it could be a bleed in the brain. Like, any questions? And I was like, Well. Jaemin (10:57) There’s a few. Bill Gasiamis (11:01) I don’t know, at eleven PM on a Friday night. Maybe not. Let’s talk in the morning. but it’s like And then after that came a lot of uncertainty. We didn’t know what a family life was gonna be like. We didn’t like know what my work life was gonna be like. We didn’t know whether I’d be around. We didn’t know any of the things that I kind of knew the day before, which I took for granted that I knew, which was only that w without knowing that there’s something wrong in my head and that potentially I’m unwell, I knew that. Tomorrow was going to be pretty much the same as yesterday. And there’s going to be some movement in a couple of similar directions, maybe a few odd ones and different ones. And I suppose that expect the best prepare for the worst was me embracing uncertainty, the certainty of uncertainty. Does that saying kind of capture that spirit? Jaemin (12:03) It certainly does. However, the challenge is no surprise. I’m going to talk about insecurity being a challenge because then it comes back to them. But then what do you believe about yourself? You know, do you feel like you’re actually up for the challenge? Do you have the resourcefulness? What is the story you tell around your own capacity, your capability, your intelligence, your value? Because to fear inadequacy then undermines your confidence in your own ability to handle the real world. And therefore you must then cling to external certainty and long for things to go back the way they were so that you can be safe. Because you don’t trust yourself to be up for the challenge. Bill Gasiamis (12:50) Yeah. It’s a real interesting conundrum because before I was unwell I didn’t contemplate life, me and how I interact with life or the possibility of nail life. I didn’t I didn’t contemplate that whole relationship and then you’re thrust in it and it seems like people that I’ve interviewed at least the four hundred odd stroke survivors that I’ve interviewed have not got the resources backfilled in preparation for when that day comes, and then you feel inadequate, insecure, perhaps, whatever the word is, that you can even handle this. I’ve never met anyone who said, I know, I was 100% certain that I was going to handle this diagnosis from my doctors. Can you prepare for the worst? Like that whole going back to that statement again, that saying, is there a way that we can even prepare for the worst when we don’t even know what the worst is? Is it even is it sounds like it might be might be a futile pursuit? Jaemin (14:07) Whoa. I I think you and I here today are doing that exact thing, you know, with internal resourcefulness. We don’t know what tomorrow is bringing. So in some ways we are certain in our capacity to, you know, hope for the best, prepare for the worst. So that’s not futile. I don’t consider that futile at all. And I think that is the only job is to resource yourself for the real world, is to grow up, is to become mature. The way that I think about that is self-sufficiency. You when you’re young, you’re growing through stages of development and really learning self-sufficiency. Can you feed yourself? Can you dress yourself? Can you learn yourself? Can you drive a car? Can you earn money? And they’re all the things, physical, financial, self-sufficiency, but people are… seem, you know, it’s see when it comes to emotional, intellectual, psychological self sufficiencies, like what is that? How does that even work? And so they come into their adult world, being able to earn money, being able to drive a car, out, address themselves, you know, wipe their own ass. Great. But when it comes to validating their own existence, when it comes to sourcing their own certainty, when it comes to deeply loving and accepting themselves, when it comes to being the one that approves of themselves, that sees themselves. you know, adults are typically ill prepared for that, you know, stroke Bill Gasiamis (15:38) Mm-hmm. Jaemin (15:38) or no stroke. And so, you know, you know, we’re talking about when a stroke happens, but people have all kinds of catastrophes they’re not prepared for, you know, and things are fine because their ordered world is safe and predictable. And then next day it’s not. And they look inside and they’ve never developed the resources, the internal resources of adulthood that helps them stand solid when the world is falling around apart. about them. you know, primarily that is the work of the insecurity project. It’s these conversations around existential angst, which people don’t prepare for because their world’s ordered. But when your world falls apart, then you really see how unprepared you are to handle difficulty and the worst case scenario if you have not examined your own sense of who you are. Bill Gasiamis (16:29) Mm-hmm. The world being ordered, it can be ordered in a dysfunctional way as well, right? Jaemin (16:39) Well, that’s, yes, that’s exactly what happens because we need certainty. I love thinking about these six core needs as a vacuum. In our atmosphere, a vacuum is always filled. So someone says to me, I don’t need that much certainty. You know, I’m more of a risk taker, I’m adventurous, or they might, someone else might be the opposite. I need so much certainty, I’m very risk averse. you know, someone looks at one of my clients recently looked at me and says, you’re a free spirit. You’re adventurous. It’s different. It’s different from me. You know, I’m very analytical. I’m risk averse. I’m safety conscious. But if you zoom out and have a look at both of us, I need just as much certainty as that person. Exactly. I can’t survive without certainty. I can’t survive without order. It’s just that I’ve found a high quality, internal adult way to order my world so that I have internal safety. which then frees me to go into the world and experience uncertainty and play. Whereas this other person has not found an internal way to create order. So they’re clinging to all the dysfunctional external forms of order. Hate their Bill Gasiamis (17:47) Wow. Jaemin (17:47) job, relationships falling apart, don’t like their relationship with money, know, problems here, difficulties there, but it’s familiar. So I better cling to it because I know it. There you go, there’s some certainty for you. Bill Gasiamis (18:03) I love what you said, like that internal sense of certainty Jaemin (18:06) Hmm Bill Gasiamis (18:07) seems to be the biggest l skill lacking in many, many people. If you have internal sense of certainty, then you don’t have to control the outside world. You put the dishwasher plate in the wrong direction. You know, when we loaded the dishwasher, y this might be revealing. you park the car in the wrong bay, or you know, all these little things that people kind of cling to to make their world feel right if they see it like that. If everyone just did the task the way that they needed to do it, then I wouldn’t have a problem, right? But if you have internal certainty and you can be more flexible, I think Tony Robbins talks about being having multiple ways to be to be. being more flexible, then you realize that there are infinite number of ways that things can be loaded into a dishwasher, for example, even though there are certainly some ways that won’t be able to wash the dishes effectively, perhaps, but there are many ways, and the other person’s ways not necessarily the wrong way or the odd way or or the incorrect way, right? Jaemin (19:30) Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (19:31) I think I resonate with that immediately, that internal sense of certainty. And then the external world becomes easier to navigate. Is that is that Jaemin (19:44) Well, does because then play becomes possible and you don’t need things to be anything other than they are, know, good, bad or indifferent. You have an experience that looks terrible. Well, are you sure it’s terrible? Or could there be learning? Could there be a gift? Could there be an opportunity? Might you meet someone? Might your life change in an unexpected way? Like who’s to say a bad experience is actually a bad experience if you’re free to encounter it as it is. The Role of Self-Doubt and Insecurity That’s what becomes possible if you have internal safety and that you do back yourself to handle that. And I think it’s an abstract concept for most people because they’ve never faced their fear of their deep inadequacy. And so it’s always undermined. They would love to take internal certainty, but their conviction, if they’re really honest, and it’s hard to be honest, because this stuff gets pretty well suppressed. Their honest fear is that there is a problem with them. There is an inadequacy. They are not up to the challenge. So if they rely on themselves, they will be found lacking and wanting. So therefore they must look outside themselves. That’s their only option. Bill Gasiamis (20:53) Got it. You’ve worked with high performers for hundreds and maybe thousands of hours, right? if one of them walked into you into a meeting with you and said, I had a stroke and I lost my confidence, what what’s the first thing you ask them? Jaemin (21:15) What do you mean? That would be the first thing that I asked them. I understand a little about a stroke. think I would understand enough about that part of the sentence, but I’m more curious around the second part of the sentence. I love Jordan Peterson’s thinking in so many ways. And he says, listen, be precise in your speech because things that go unnamed become monsters that consume you. So that would be where I would start. What do you mean I lost this happened and that made me do this? Are you sure? That’s how it actually worked. What do you mean? Let’s have a look. Let’s have a look. So that’s my whole world is someone comes to me with a level of abstraction. They use language that’s abstract. And when you use abstract language, you cannot see any of the levers that can be pulled. And so you end up feeling hopeless and overwhelmed. When you be precise, when you have a look, you actually begin to see the mechanics, the structures that are actually influencing your experience. And when you see them precisely, the levers become apparent, like, I could actually adjust that. I could turn this, I could change this. Therefore now I’m back in control of my own experience of my reality. So yeah, that’s where I say, what do you mean? What are you talking about exactly? Bill Gasiamis (22:37) I love that. It’s it reminds me of when I hear the word the one of the most common words I hear in my interview, stroke recovery, stroke conversations. And I I’m specifically talking about stroke because that’s my niche, right? That’s my audience, that’s the podcast. But I know this is a situation kind of that I experience also broadly outside of my stroke podcast world. my children, others that I come across is I hear the word depression and anxiety. And it’s an umbrella word that people place on so many experiences and nobody ever even really knows if if I challenge if I have the permission and and I’m in a room with the right person to challenge them and ask them, well, do you do you know what the definition of depression is? And do you know what the definition of anxiety is? Nobody can really give you that. And they’ve taken a word and they apply it to an experience that may have been completely separate from the intended definition of a word like depression and anxiety. And I I kind of feel like that’s what you’re saying. Like somebody says, I’m I’m depressed, like, okay, like, why? How? How do you know that? Jaemin (24:00) It’s exactly anxiety is a great story because I go, well, hang on. How did you, how are you anxious? And anxiety requires a backstory to survive. So I’m curious, you know, are you anxious tying your shoes? No. how do you do not anxiety? Well, I don’t know. No one cares. I can’t fail. I’ve done it a million times. there you go. That’s interesting. So the, the areas that you are not anxious about, there’s no possibility of being found inadequate. Curious. So the areas you are anxious, you’re only anxious because there’s something about the activity you’re involved in, which you feel threatened, personally threatened that someone might see your flaw. So let’s not worry about the anxiety, it’s downstream. Tell me about this perceived flaw. Tell me about this thing that you think is wrong with you. Are you sure that’s even there? The great humor of my work in the same as what you’re saying, know, insecurity. Talking about fear, my first question to people, what are you afraid of? And no one knows. People are experiencing fear. They can tell you that much. So what you’re running and hiding, but what are you running and hiding from? yeah, it’s just this, you know, I just feel so, like, okay, interesting. So you’re running and hiding. What about if we go and have a look at what it is you’re running and hiding from? You might be surprised. In fact, You will be surprised. promise you it’s not what you think it is. And you’ve just been running and hiding for so long. You’ve just become convinced that there’s a thing here that you ought to keep running and hiding from. I’m not so sure. Bill Gasiamis (25:41) Yeah. That what are you afraid of? That’s a very interesting question. Again, you know, I find myself in the hot seat here. And every time I ventured down something new, it was interesting now ’cause I’m reflecting like how often insecurity came up. You know, the first few episodes of the podcast were, my God, people are going to judge it, they’re gonna say it’s no good, you don’t know how to interview, all that kind of stuff. And the the best thing to do was just put it out there. And if somebody did say that was handle it. And if somebody didn’t say that, well then there was nothing to handle. So just do it anyway. And I remember then also with my book, I’m not an author. I did I’m not a scholar. I’ve never done any of that stuff. But I wrote my first book, The Unexpected Way That a Stroke Became the Best Thing That Happened. It’s a pretty loaded title. And I knew it was gonna ruffle some feathers. But I put it out there and the very first comment that I got from the very first post that I made was a negative one. And what I realized was that pattern was similar in that when I started the podcast, I had the exact same concern that it might happen and it did. People did give me negative feedback. But then it seems to me now now that I’ve learnt a few times, you know, what happens when you put yourself out there for the first time when you tell the world this is what I’ve created, you know, I’m sharing my creation is part of the journey has to be something that’s gonna test your insecurity. It might not be a negative comment or so but it but it might be like bad sales or it might be nobody listens or whatever. So it sounds like insecurity is necessary in some cases to kind of overcome, to tackle it, to overcome it, so that you can be better at tackling it and overcoming it and achieve more things. Do you know what I’m saying? Did I explain that correctly? Jaemin (27:54) Yeah, I think I understand. I don’t think I agree with you though. Bill Gasiamis (27:58) Okay. Jaemin (27:59) So here’s how I’d think about it. I’d separate self-doubt and insecurity into slightly different categories. Bill Gasiamis (28:07) Okay, so you picked up self doubt there. Jaemin (28:10) So, so self doubts are really important quality of wisdom. So for instance, I’ve got a mate who races super bikes, you know, say he got injured this weekend and he says, Jaemin, you know, there’s still four rounds left. Can you sub in for me and race my super bike next week? And I’m like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Now I’ve never raced a super bike before. I do have a motorbike license, but you know, if I didn’t have severe self doubt, I’d be delusional. I’d be a crazy person and I would be, you know, dangerous to myself and the world. So self doubt doesn’t, doesn’t tell me I’m a bad person. It just highlights the limit of the things I’m good at. So, so the real function of self doubt to me is more what you’re describing. It’s, it’s the limit says, you’re not actually very good at this. Now that doesn’t say anything about your essence, your value and your worth. Would you like to be good at this? And I go. Actually, no, great. Well, then don’t do it. Don’t do it because it’ll go bad. I’m like, Yeah, I’d actually like to be good at it. excellent. Well, you have a massive skill gap. So go take however long to learn the skills and fill the skills so that you can come back with genuine confidence with earn confidence so that you could compete in this arena and do well. That’s that’s a wisdom conversation. Now insecurity is this personal piece. It’s like, I’m gonna put myself out there. people are gonna judge, laugh, critique, and then they’ll see who I really am. They will see my flaws, my flaws, my inadequacies will now be exposed to the world. Now it’s personal. And so to me, the definition of insecurity is really important here because people think insecurity is somehow related to the fear of what others think about them, the fear of being judged, the fear of failing, the fear of being rejected. Bill Gasiamis (30:04) Hmm. Right. Jaemin (30:05) Really imprecise. That’s not that’s not insecure at all. It’s just one or two levels deeper than that. You know, say for instance, the fear of failure, which is a typical one. And no one’s actually afraid of failing. They’re afraid of the personal implications of failure. I if I try my best at something, and then it doesn’t work. Huh? What have I just revealed to the world about me the problem with me? Same as rejection. No one’s actually afraid of being rejected. They’re afraid of, if I put my best foot forward and it’s not enough, and then people don’t accept me, huh, what does that reveal? What does that prove? What does that confirm about my own inadequacy? So then insecure. Bill Gasiamis (30:47) about what I about what I think are my inadequacies. Because it’s not about the other Jaemin (30:50) Exactly, that’s insecurity. Insecurity is… Bill Gasiamis (30:53) person’s thinking, it’s me, what I think, and then they’re confirming my inadequacy that I’ve Jaemin (30:56) confirming it. That’s it. That’s it. Bill Gasiamis (30:58) generated and created, which is not even real. Jaemin (31:01) That’s exactly right. That’s the thing, which is hilarious. But when you see that now the levers become apparent, because if the fear is out there, then you got to control the world constantly and obsess about it. But if the fear is here and you created it, then the levers are very apparent. You could then go examine this perceived inadequacy, trace it back to when you first described it and examine it at its roots. Like you could go on a structural engineering quest back into the the substance of your own sense of you, the language you’ve used to describe yourself and check it, check it for integrity, check it for gaps, check it for misunderstandings. Like that’s the fun of what I get to do. It’s take what appears to be abstract, mysterious, messy, unknowable and treat it like a structural engineer just by examining the structure of language. Bill Gasiamis (31:57) People don’t do that much, do they? Jaemin (31:59) No, no, no. And people are insecure about being insecure. So like when I launched the insecurity project, my business coach said, that’s the worst thing I’ve ever heard. Like you’ve picked the most difficult, scary topic and put it at the front. No one’s going to be putting their hands up saying, Jay, when I’m insecure, can you help me? Like it’s existential angst. It’s the human condition. We want to be good. We’re just afraid that we’re not. So we run and we hide and we cover and compensate. So yeah, it’s a hard topic to face and yet the great joke is there’s no actual reason for it to be hard other than the confirmation bias we’ve given ourselves buying into our own bullshit, confirming our own fiction, exasperating our own misunderstanding. So there is no monster under the bed. It’s just the idea of a monster that terrifies us. Bill Gasiamis (32:55) we influenced in that way by external sources or is that a a human a human thing like that that we are kind of pre-programmed to do just because of that whole safety issue because you know safety comes in in a variety of different things. You know, you have to be safe from people entering your home, you know, back in the day and harming you and your family and taking your belongings. If you’re in a war torn area, you have to be safe from, you know, the invaders and that kind of stuff. But also this discussion that we’re having seems to me, as you keep going into those little beautiful deep places, it seems to me that Again, it’s about us creating like many barriers of safety around us and thinking that that’s the perhaps not even thinking like in just instinctively creating this kind of like multi layered safe structure that we can’t be harmed in. Jaemin (34:06) brilliant way of describing it. And that is the instinct. We are hardwired for safety. You cannot like this idea, more courage, less fear, feel the fear and do it anyway. It’s such a nonsense as though you could turn off your need for safety. Bill Gasiamis (34:20) Mm-hmm. Jaemin (34:21) It’s chemical, it’s biological, it’s psychological, it’s unconscious. And that as the child, the child starts in a very carefree, non-transactional experience of being themselves. I’m just here, not. doing the dishes and not mowing the lawn and not contributing to my ecosystem in any way, shape or form. And yet I’m being rewarded, loved, nurtured, cared for, praised, fed. Hmm, turns out it’s fine to be me. I can be relaxed and at ease being me, me as I am without performing, without achieving, without contributing is enough. Great. And then, then you, you know, you get somewhere past two, you know, somewhere around that the game breaks down. And all of a sudden you’re expected to participate, to perform, to conform, to behave. And no child’s prepared for that. No one’s ready for that. Such a surprise. And so the first time the child gets surprised, embarrassed, disappointed, upset, scolded, it’s such a confusing experience, but all the alarm, those safety warning lights are going off through their whole being. There’s a danger you didn’t know about. You. must pay attention and here’s the thing the danger is in you the danger is you’re not who you need to be to survive in this world so don’t be you ever again like be other than you be better than you be different than you do not ever show up present and unguarded ever again or it will turn to shit so yes it’s safe so then you build this safe world this safe persona these safe structures these familiar places where people think you’re good, think you’re smart, think you’re strong. Also, they never see the thing that you don’t want them to see, which would be the ultimate danger and then you die. Yeah, it’s entirely about a biological, chemical, psychological need for safety that is unavoidable. Bill Gasiamis (36:21) Hmm. It what came up in my mind while you were chatting about that is often stroke survivors need to make some radical changes in their life, the way they go about their nutrition, who they hang out with, the stuff they listen to and read, the whole the whole thing. Like, know, it’s sometimes it’s a line in the sand moment and everything changes, and you’ve got to change everything I did. And One of the challenges that stroke survivors have, well, I’ll talk about me. I had the challenge of, well, I needed to stop smoking and I needed to stop drinking. But all my extended family and friends were smokers and drinkers. And stroke survivors often comment about how they lose friends after a stroke. And we’re I and I’ve kind of tried to unravel that a few times and understand what it is that makes it difficult for people to evolve and and adapt and grow and stop the behaviors that perhaps led to a stroke, you know, so that they don’t have another one. And family and friends often do that. They kind of intervene in a way which says, Well, what do you mean we can’t have a drink when we go out? Like that’s we always go and have a drink. And then that person has has to explain themselves, perhaps, or conform again, just to be part of the group. The question is, are we also dealing with the insecurities of our family and friends when we find a way to overcome our own insecurities, perhaps, about something, and then we start to change and evolve and move forward? Are they are those people feeling like Transformational Journeys: Overcoming Obstacles They’re left behind. Th sometimes the sometimes the sentences that people hear when they try and stop smoking or drinking in a particular situation are you’ve changed. You know, like it’s a bad thing. But it’s not said in a positive way. People experience it on both sides of the coin in a negative way. The person who’s saying to their friend who’s had a stroke, who’s trying to not have another one, is saying, You’ve changed and I don’t like the way you’ve changed. And the person changing is hearing I’m changing and now people are having a bad experience because I’m changing. Like What’s all that about with that other person in our life? Jaemin (38:59) Such a great question. Can I, genuine question, can I take five minutes to answer that question? Bill Gasiamis (39:07) You can, absolutely. Jaemin (39:09) because I think this opens up a possibility for a window into a whole different experience of life if you’re willing to go down this thought experiment. Bill Gasiamis (39:23) I am. Let me switch my header off. It’s getting too hot in here. Jaemin (39:31) So I’ve just finished writing my first novel. It’s a five year project. I thought it was impossible. And then it out it wasn’t. It turns out I learned a lot about myself and the process of writing. And it’s been a thoroughly delightful experience. But great storytelling, great fiction writing typically follows some kind of hero’s journey trajectory. You’ve got a small, weak, lost, strange hero who for whatever reason says yes to a cold wood venture and embarks on a journey of self-discovery and eventually has to go do the thing that only they can do along the way they meet a wisdom character. You know, there’s a Gandalf, there’s a Yoda, there’s a Dumbledore, Mr. Miyagi, but eventually the hero’s got to go face the biggest fear and do the thing that’s impossible. And when they do, they come out the other side transformed and then they return home with that transformation and their whole world benefits. So, so it is the process of transformation. It’s the process of potential. It’s the process of destiny. It’s the process of seeing a person fulfilled in their experience of themselves. So a writer is bringing you in, in along for that journey. Now, if the writer transforms the hero magically or supernaturally, it’s a horrible story. You know, if the writer goes, you know, here’s the weak person. They went to sleep and they woke up the next day transformed. Who knows what happened. It was just, you’re like, really? What’s the point of that story? Like, that’s a horrible story. If the transformation happens in a way that’s supernatural or magic, it’s false. The transformation happens through overcoming of obstacles. The weakling becomes strong by overcoming resistance. And the resistance is almost always through the form of characters. So the writer says, stage, write the bully and to stage, write the villain, the parent, the trickster, the joker, the judge, the king, like, and so the hero doesn’t know the story is being written about them. And so experiences all these characters very personally and wishes the characters would go away. But the audience kind of sees the gift in the character, sees the opportunity. You know, when the audience sees a bully harassing a victim, what the audience is rooting for is that the victim would rise up and punch the bully in the nose. And something transformational happens if that victim ever does, you know, they actually then receive the bully’s gift. All along the bully had this gift of personal power delivered in the form of oppression. And because the victim had to find such deep strength that they didn’t even know existed to rise up and finally say this ends here, they’ll never be the victim again. And so in that way they’re transformed. So you could make a case to go, thanks, bully for being a good bully because you made my life so hard. I didn’t think it was possible to overcome you. Thank you. It’s not personal. So a writer then is not going to write an empathetic bully, you know, a very emotionally intelligent, compassionate, they’re going to write a thug. They’re going to write a dullard. They’re going to write someone who’s big and does not change. And even though the, the hero wants to bully the change. If the bully changes, if the bully goes to a spiritual retreat and comes home and change man and then apologizes and makes it up to the victim, it’s kind of nice, but the audience is going, but the victim didn’t have to become stronger in any way. So they’re still just as strong and the next bully is coming and they’re no better prepared. So all that to say, love, I love treating our own lives like this hero’s journey story. I love gamifying the experience. I love going. You know, this insecurity, a lot of people think if only I had a different experience at childhood, then I wouldn’t be so insecure now. If only there weren’t so many difficult people blocking my path, then it would be easier for me. Like, what, do you mean? Like that’s, that’s not the tragedy. That’s the setup. That’s how the game begins. Like that’s how the tensions created so that you have a gift of being able to overcome. So these people exist for you. And yes, they’re in your way. Great. Yes, they’re making it hard. Perfect. But we only play hard games. Like if you’re, you’re playing footy and it’s, you know, last year’s premieres versus the under 10s girls side and you win, you, that’s a very embarrassing experience. Like you don’t eat. That’s a horrible thing. You, know, this year’s premieres, you know, sorry, last year’s premieres versus the team that’s got undefeated this year and you win that game. You know, that’s, that’s a meaningful experience. and yeah, I love this idea that everyone comes into their twenties and thirties lost and confused. And most people are really upset about that. Wishing that their experience up till then had been different and feeling disqualified from a meaningful life because of what’s happened, because of who said this and who’s done that. But if you just zoom out and say it like a hero’s journey or a beautiful game, then then you realize, no, no, no, being lost and confused, oppressed, you know, that doesn’t disqualify you. That’s what qualifies you to go play. Now you can begin, now you can begin this journey of self-discovery to go all the way back to the beginning and see who you’ve always been all along. So it’s a very different way of thinking about life, but I’m constantly confronted with people who treat the stuff that’s happened to them as wounds. And the best you could ever hope for is that eventually you could bring healing to yourself and it become a visible scar that doesn’t really afflict you. Whereas this says, yeah, what if those things, what if life doesn’t happen to you? It happens for you. And the real gift is your own opportunity to rediscover who you’ve always been by overcoming obstacles and especially in the form of people and especially in the form of insecure people. who of course are going to make your journey difficult. Of course, you know, not everyone’s cheering you on. Eventually the heroes got to go alone. Eventually they’ve got to. If they don’t go alone, then they can’t do the thing that only they can do. The Hero’s Journey and Storytelling Bill Gasiamis (46:01) Yeah. Man, that was well well worth the f the the time that you allocated to answer it because it’s such an important part of recovery after anything. and In fact, I learnt about the Heroes Journey after my brain surgery. So we’re talking about I don’t know. I think I got out of hospital for after brain surgery in late 2014. And I think it was around 2017 I did a particular course that I was in. It was a behavioral modeling course and it was about modeling a behavior that we thought was one worth other people learning and repeating. And the The person who was running the course, awesome friend of mine and mentor and teacher, a gentleman called Marvin Oka, he spoke about the hero’s journey as part of this course to teach us about like how to tell a story. And I hadn’t grasped the concept very well. but because of that course, my first book was able to become a reality. It took four years for me to. make that happen. And I released it in twenty twenty twenty three, somewhere there. And since then I’ve done a bit of a deep dive into the hero’s journey and understanding how to take people through a story. And my next book is structured that way. There’s a moment where life is quote unquote normal and then there’s an event and then there’s everything, you know, there’s been a spanner thrown in the works and everything is not like it used to be. And now there is this post-traumatic growth experience that you can go on. And if you know you’re going on it, it’s easier to go on it. But some people are not aware that they might be going on this journey. They’re just programmed from a previous way of doing life that these things are all terrible and bad and they’re not good. And there’s no growth and there’s no learning and there’s no opportunity. But there but there is, but we just framed it. in our past way of thinking and that’s not applicable now, even though we’re still trying to apply it, apply it, apply it. And what you said about the the bully, I remember at school, if if I was a victim, bullies used to seek me out like like a mosquito knows who to go and sting, right? Jaemin (48:40) Yeah Bill Gasiamis (48:42) But then the first bully I punched in the nose was was it. That was the key to unlocking the whole how other people perceived me in those types of situations. And then none of the bullies turned up to have a go because they weren’t gonna get or or perhaps they saw that my response was going to affect their insecurities about themselves. Right. and realistically when I was going through stroke, stopping smoking, stopping drinking, stopping attending the particular venues where smoking and drinking happened so that I can avoid smoking and drinking. It meant that certain people couldn’t associate with me anymore. And It’s not that they were bullies, but when I learnt how to manage that situation once, the others that now I that I now interact with don’t require us to interact in a way that includes smoking and drinking in a particular venue. We can have just as meaningful interactions without the smoking and drinking, without being in that venue, just being in a different location. Doing a different thing. And and there’s no n and and no one feels bad about that interaction. I don’t feel about bad about it because I’m not partaking in something that the other person wants me to partake in. And the other person’s not feeling bad because they’re partaking in something that I’m not partaking in. And we’re there for the same reason. We’re there for the catch up. We’re not there for the smoking and the drinking. Jaemin (50:26) Yeah, and that’s often the way when you break through an archetypal character, a bully is a great example. It’s not uncommon that there becomes a level of respect, a mutual respect post that violence or post the standing up for yourself. And it’s not unheard of that bullies and victims become friends and respect each other. And so there Bill Gasiamis (50:50) Mm. Jaemin (50:50) must become a line in the sandwich like, whatever it costs me, If I, you know, the smoking drinking example, if you never talked to me ever again, if you cannot, then that will be okay. But I cannot go here ever again. And I won’t and you cannot make me and I won’t be made. And so there it is. Great. That your audience is watching that cheering. Yes, transformed. Never be victim again. And then on the other side of that, it’s often surprising what happens in those relationships. And it’s not uncommon for mutual respect, even though It’s not guaranteed and you have to be willing to let go of it completely. Because yeah, the hero’s got to go alone. Bill Gasiamis (51:33) we we’re talking about it like, you know, you know, we’re kinda having a a t a philosophical conversation, an intellectual conversation. We’re doing all of this stuff. And I remember being literally on the football pitch fighting with a kid, and then once we’d thrown the punches and everyone had done what they had to do in that moment, it was are we are we done? All good? And and it was. We were done. And we were all good. And it was instinctive. Like I wasn’t even ten years old or eleven years old or something. And yeah, then we got along forever. Understanding Bullies and Personal Growth Jaemin (52:08) A quicker side, but on the very same thread, if you keep thinking about characters like archetypes, do you know the hardest, but the most exciting, the most wonderful and the most, the biggest opportunity that the person in your life or the people in your life to treat as characters, not the bullies, any idea what makes the top of my list in terms of the characters with the biggest opportunity for growth. Bill Gasiamis (52:39) Just I’m kinda drawn to say family, my family, but Jaemin (52:42) family and parents make the top of the list. And I think Bill Gasiamis (52:46) Yeah, right. Jaemin (52:47) Sigmund Freud’s greatest contribution was that the nest is the hardest challenge for the human to break free from the nest is number one. And all this function ultimately comes from the nest, the familial relationships, exerting unconscious pressures from the parent of the child and the child with the parent outliving their usefulness. And so But in the same way, like no victim when they’re being bullied wants to see it like an archer, like wants to say it like a gift. They want to be rescued or they want the bully to change. It’s impossible to face a bully. Same with the parents. It’s like, don’t understand. This is my dad. You don’t understand. Like it’s just, you know, blood is thicker than water. You got to be there for family. Like it’s just how it’s Bill Gasiamis (53:30) Mm. Jaemin (53:30) always been. The way my parents make me feel like no one wants that tension. and would hope that the tension just goes away. But if you see it like a great story, it provides the greatest opportunity for your own sovereignty. You know, the bully’s gift is personal power. The parent’s gift is sovereignty. Because when you were born into their world, it’s like you’re born into a kingdom, king and queen on the throne, and it’s their arbitrary rules. In this world, this is how we do it. You don’t like it, bugger off down the street. But here, you know, do this, don’t do that. Why, dad? Don’t ask why, just do what I say. So the parental relationship, parents are right even when they’re wrong. And that’s a really important distinction for the nature of those relationships. And so you are a subject inside a kingdom, their rules, their map of the world, their right, even when they’re wrong. And it’s incredibly hard to break free from that to create your own map of the world and Bill Gasiamis (54:29) Mm. Jaemin (54:29) for you to be the king. But if you see it like a setup and a game, well then, Freud says, you must live as though your father is dead. You must depose the king. So Bill Gasiamis (54:42) Mm. Jaemin (54:42) if the king gets off the throne, if the king bows down to you, if the king goes, you your map of the world now is better than my map of the world, your way of thinking is better than my way of thinking, then there’s no challenge, there’s no resistance to overcome. So my favorite way of describing the role of the parents then is actually, It’s not to love and support and empower. They might do all that, but their central function in the hero’s journey is to confuse you about who you really are. Bill Gasiamis (55:12) Wow. Jaemin (55:13) so that the game can begin. Like everyone comes into their 20s lost and confused and the primary confuses our parents because they impose their map of the world. They have their own sense of who you are and what you ought to do. And it doesn’t suit a single person to be born into the family they’re born into. And yet here you are having to adapt and fit in to a pre-existing ecosystem with rules, values, culture, and then you’re given that name. So it’s like, You are this, this is who you are. It’s like, no, it’s just a bit of Bill Gasiamis (55:46) Wow. Jaemin (55:47) language like Jaemin Fra- I’m not Jaemin Fraser. What do you mean? Like, I was born into a family and those words were put on me. That’s not who I am. And so the confusion of growing up thinking that’s exactly who I am, this is the limit of my experience of life. And I cling to this as my whole certainty. is so wonderful because it’s the ultimate resistance to break out of, to examine the structure of that, to examine the confusion and really go back and reparent yourself and really be the one who actually knows who you’ve always been and to nurture that into the real world and then to become sovereign. And you know you’re sovereign when you become the one who’s right, even when they’re wrong. So you’ve got friends and family saying, what do you mean? It’s not. You need to be able to have a smoke. got to be able to drink. That’s what everyone does. Not in my kingdom, we don’t. In my kingdom, Bill Gasiamis (56:39) Mm. Jaemin (56:39) we don’t smoke and we don’t drink. You’re an idiot. That’s stupid. Well, I’m the king and this is my sovereignty. And if you want to come play in my world, this is how it works. And so, so many people are faced with those challenges. Then they keep pulling back from the edge because of their relational cost, hoping, wishing the world would go easier on them. But if you see it like a story in a game, it’s like, it’s a setup. It’s all a setup. So you could be the one who unconfuses yourself by having to overcome the relational resistance in your world and discover who you’ve always been. Bill Gasiamis (57:15) And we know it innately because we’ve all had that dad, mom, whomever, like I did what I had to do when I was in your house. Now this is my house. Now they this is how it applies. If you don’t Jaemin (57:26) Yeah. Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (57:27) like it, you don’t like it. Like I’ve actually thrown my dad out of my house in my twenties, when we moved out because my wife and I got married and we had kids and whatever, and they’d come over and visit to see the grandkid. You know, my dad would do the whole over helicopter grandparenting, you know. You know, the kids cold or the kids this and the kids that, you know, we lived this with this kid twenty four hours a day, seven days a week for five, six years, you know, like we knew its needs, you know, my my son’s needs. And my dad just wouldn’t have it that we what we were saying wasn’t that we were saying was correct or was okay or was fine or whatever, you know, we were it was everythi

Join host Jed Doherty for a joyful, imagination-filled episode featuring two wonderful picture book creators: Keith Negley, author-illustrator of "The Beginner's Guide to Being a Wizard," and Wanda Arlene Barajas, author of "Carina and Sabi: A Journey to the Heart of Cidra." In the first half, Keith shares how a quirky old diary, The Journal of a Disappointed Man, inspired his hilarious new series, The Beginner's Guide. He explains how he mixes the serious "voice" of a how‑to manual with completely ridiculous wizardly details—like emergency cheese, space pie, and strict duel etiquette (no summoning Grandma… she's way too powerful!). Keith talks about testing jokes on his kids, constantly collecting ideas from everyday life, and starting his stories with strong visual images that make kids eager to turn the page. He also describes his journey from editorial illustration to children's books and the "Gandalf" mentor who gave him permission to trust his own creative instincts. In the second half, Wanda takes listeners on a warm, heartfelt trip to Cidra, Puerto Rico through Carina and Sabi. She introduces Sabi, a magical Paloma Sabanera (an endangered pigeon found only in parts of Puerto Rico), and explains how the story celebrates nature, heritage, and the pride of growing up Puerto Rican. Wanda and Jed swap personal memories of Puerto Rico—coquí frogs, family, festivals, and food—and explore how stories can help all children, whether or not they're Puerto Rican, feel curious about other cultures while becoming more proud of their own.

Programa #23 y hubo combo-Trump. Mati cuenta todo sobre los Gandalfs que enfrentan a Peter Thiel y las novedades del café de Recoleta. Hay combo-Trump con periodistas perseguidos, apuntados con armas y separatismos que se separan de él. Además nos metemos en el mundo David Lynch y charlamos sobre Mulholland Drive para muchos su mejor película. De yapa Nacho nos cuenta la historia de un hombre que vendió la Torre Eiffel no una sino dos veces. Encontra este y mucho más contenido todos los sábados a las 13hs por www.fm913.com.ar o en Spotify

Todo lo que querías saber sobre los Gandalfs contra Peter Thiel y novedades sobre el café en la boveda de Recoleta. Además combo Trump con peleas contra periodistas, periodistas detenidos a punta de pistola y separatismos que se despegan de su figura. Encontra este y mucho más contenido todos los sábados a las 13hs por www.fm913.com.ar o en Spotify

It's time to bring this underrated trilogy home with an examination of Battle of the Five Armies. A film that, in fairness, has a couple hiccups we'll discuss, it doesn't deserve the nonsense narrative that it sucks. Come along with us and we'll show you why. Before that we break down our Top 5 'In Media Res' opening moments in film history. So get out your wizard staff, go find the Arkenstone, and don't ever underestimate a Dwarf... it's time for Battle of the Five Armies on The Movie Defenders podcast! Click here to listen and connect anywhere: https://linktr.ee/moviedefenders 00:36:21 Top 5 In Media Res Openings 01:16:23 Movie Discussion Begins 01:47:59 Smaug is Dead 02:10:01 Thorin Starts to Lose It 02:34:16 Bilbo Turns Over the Arkenstone 02:42:02 Bartering With the Arkenstone 02:58:32 Thorin is Back! 03:22:14 Thorin's Goodbye 03:28:54 Gandalf and Bilbo Say Goodbye 03:32:23 Satisfying Ending Special thanks to our amazing Patreon supporters! Alex Kirkby  Alexis Helman Barrett Young Bart German Brett Bowen Daryl Ewry Doug Robertson Ena Haynes Eric Blattberg Jason Chastain Josh Evans Joshua Loy Katherine Boulware Kevin Athey Mark Nattress Mark Martin Megan Bush Michal Kaczmarek Michael Puckett Nick Nagher Randal Silver Sean Masters Stephanie Ewry Tim TJ Walker Attack of the Killer Podcast

Join The Man of the West as Aragorn and Gandalf finish their long friendship without ever saying farewell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to a conversation with Luke Hartsock, co-founder and CEO of Gearvox, and Greg Cootsona, AI and Faith's executive director. Dive into this conversation about Luke's most recent paper: "When Words Become Weights: How LLMs Humiliate the Word, and How to Build Dialogue That Doesn't." They also discussed how faith can influence AI development and Luke's AI system called GANDALF.Meet the speakers here: https://aiandfaith.org/aif-podcast/ai-that-keeps-its-word/Views and opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of AI and Faith or any of its leadership.Production: Penny YuenHost: Greg CootsonaGuest: Luke HartsockEditing: Isabelle BraconnotMusic from #UppbeatLicense code: 1ZHLF7FMCNHU39

Support the show on Patreon! - https://patreon.com/gogOther ways to support the show! - https://gog.show/donateJoin our Discord! - https://discord.gg/r4ZmSHBBuy some merch! - https://shop.gog.show/Meta is facing a $1.4 trillion legal ass-whupping over allegations that Facebook and Instagram were deliberately engineered to be addictive and harmful to kids, while OpenAI appears to be doing the exact opposite of what you might expect from a company selling "safe" AI: reportedly sidelining its catastrophic-risk preparedness team just as its models are learning to go rogue. Then, in a move straight out of the "let's have the robots write the laws" file, members of Congress are apparently using ChatGPT and Claude to draft legislation so badly that House lawyers have to clean up the mess, and some staffers aren't even learning the issues their bills are supposed to address. Meanwhile, Amazon may be dismantling physical books and scanning them into AI training datasets, because apparently the future of literature is being fed into a wood chipper.And then there's the surveillance and privacy edition of Tech Hell™. Comcast can now turn compatible Wi-Fi routers into motion sensors that detect movement in your home through radio signals, Kalshi is getting smacked down by a Washington judge who says its sports contracts are just gambling wearing a tiny financial-services mustache, and Tesla is finally recalling 20,000 cars over headlights that have been too damn bright since 2024. Plus, the AI industry continues discovering that “autonomous” means “capable of doing something catastrophically stupid without asking permission.”Elsewhere, we investigate why young people apparently trust AI CEOs about as much as Gen X trusted record-company executives, Peter Thiel gets a Gandalf-themed welcome in Argentina, and we dig into the increasingly uncomfortable intersection of AI, surveillance, pornography, politics, and billionaire bullshit. We also get into the mobile podcasting rig, Sonos finally remembers the iPhone has a Lock Screen, internet-connected pet feeders remind us why cats should never depend on the cloud. Media Candy brings Widow's Bay, Silo, Ted Lasso, It: Welcome to Derry, Kitchen Undercover and enough Spider-Man to make us all desperately crave something that doesn't involve a fucking multiverse.Sponsors:Shopify - Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at Shopify.com/grumpyDeleteMe - Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use promo code GOG at checkout.Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month.SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!!1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1passwordShow notes at https://gog.show/759Watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/RMhCndozH-0SHOW NOTESMeta faces a $1.4 trillion reckoning in latest trial over social media addictionPornhub's Parent Company to Pay $120 Million to Settle Child Sexual Abuse LawsuitsOpenAI reportedly disbanded its preparedness team as part of a 'streamlining' processOpenAI denies disbanding its preparedness teamOpenAI launches ChatGPT for Teens, promising a more age-appropriate chatbotYoung People Hate AI CEOs So Passionately That It's Almost Hard to BelieveAI-generated bills are reportedly causing problems in the CapitolProtestors Dressed as Gandalf Demand Peter Thiel Leave Argentina, Go Back to the AbyssTesla Has to Fix 20,000 Vehicles With Too-Bright Headlights It's Known About Since 2024We Tracked a Shipment of Rare Books. It Ended at an Amazon AI Training FacilityState Judge to Kalshi: Your Sports Betting Is Obviously IllegalDario Amodei's Wife Is Closely Linked to Jeffrey EpsteinComcast just turned millions of Xfinity routers into motion sensorsBONTEC Mobile Standing Desk, Pneumatic Lift, Rolling Laptop CartMOALLIA N86 360 Rotating Laptop Stand for Desk with Locking Knobs, BlackNEEWER Basics 7"" Desk Ring Light for Video Recording, 10W Dimmable, R06TROND Desk Clamp Power Bar Surge Protector with PD 20W USB, 6 Outlets, 10ftSonos just launched Live Activities on iPhoneInternet-Connected Pet Feeders Go Down, Leaving Kitties HungryWidow's BaySlow Horses — Season 6 Official Trailer | Apple TVKitchen UndercoverHBO Has Finally Made ‘It: Welcome to Derry' Season 2 OfficialCertainty: A Novel by John Twelve HawksLockstep by Karl SchroederA Gift of Time by Jerry MerrittSilicon Valley Dreams of AuthoritarianismThe Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy by Gil DuránDave BittnerThe CyberWireHacking HumansCaveatControl LoopOnly Malware in the BuildingNorthern ExposureSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode 2020  Brought to you by our incredible sponsor:Ethos: Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/hardfactor. Application times may vary. Rates may vary.  00:00:00 Timestamps 00:05:00 Hiring people to do tasks and when to hire a Mexican  00:09:15 The surrogacy/abortion case sweeping the nation 00:27:55 Fanimecon & the foot juice booths they have there for nerds 00:36:10 People dressed as Gandalf are protesting outside Peter Thiel's house  00:39:50 Florida Man dog poop dispute turns violent For more head over to patreon.com/hardfactor for weekly bonus episodes and most importantly HAGFD! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Un informe de la ONG denunció el miércoles la expansión del uso masivo de tecnología de vigilancia en Argentina desde la asunción del gobierno de Javier Milei en diciembre de 2023. Esta situación afectaría especialmente a periodistas, activistas y migrantes, al crear un efecto disuasorio sobre el derecho a la privacidad, a la libertad de expresión y a la protesta. Al canto de "Peter, Peter, compadre, la concha de tu madre...", un grupo de ciudadanos vestidos de Gandalf protestaba esta semana frente a la casa del magnate tecnológico Peter Thiel en Buenos Aires. Con creatividad, los denominados "Gandalfs del sur" denunciaban los negocios en Argentina del fundador de la firma de inteligencia artificial y espionaje masivo Palantir y exigían su partida del país. La ampliación de la presencia de tecnologías de vigilancia masiva es una preocupación creciente en Argentina. Y según denunció el miércoles Amnistía Internacional, su uso se ha expandido desde la llegada al poder de Javier Milei.  En el informe "Estado de vigilancia: La expansión del uso de tecnologías de vigilancia masiva por el Gobierno de Argentina", la organización entrevistó a actores de la sociedad civil y recabó documentación sobre decretos, resoluciones gubernamentales y reformas para ampliar las capacidades de recopilación de información y vigilancia del Estado. "El gobierno se sirve del reconocimiento facial, el aterrizaje a las redes sociales, el ciberpatrullaje y otras herramientas como drones, adquisición de software y demás que tienen el potencial de vigilar a las personas", explica a RFI Paola García Ray, directora adjunta de Amnistía Internacional Argentina.  "Básicamente, lo que hace es achicar, disminuir o restringir el ejercicio de los derechos", agrega. Según la responsable, la gente "piensa dos veces" antes de decidir publicar algo o sumarse a una manifestación, por lo que esta situación comienza a tener "repercusiones concretas sobre el ejercicio democrático y la libertad de expresión". En total, el Estado ha gastado al menos 1,2 millones de dólares en estas herramientas de vigilancia entre 2024 y 2025, pese a la política de austeridad del gobierno. También las autoridades de la ciudad de Buenos Aires invirtieron 48 millones de dólares en dispositivos de videovigilancia para cubrir la urbe, en particular las zonas de protesta. "Existe una inconsistencia: mientras el Estado hablaba de recortes y de motosierra, y retraía el 41% del gasto público en 2025, en la vereda opuesta el presupuesto en materia de seguridad e inteligencia se ha elevado un 29% y un 6% (...) Es un mensaje muy claro de a dónde está apuntando el gobierno con sus prioridades" - Paola García Ray, directora adjunta de Amnistía Internacional Argentina.  Esta vigilancia gubernamental afecta principalmente a activistas, migrantes y periodistas. Si bien esta situación se ha dado previamente, nunca habría alcanzado estas dimensiones, según señala a RFI Agustín Lecchi, secretario general del Sindicato de Prensa de Buenos Aires (SipreBa). "Eran situaciones más puntuales, no una política generalizada, permanente. Es el momento de mayor ataque [a la prensa] desde la vuelta a la democracia", sostiene. Según precisa, hay una "persecución manifiesta a los periodistas" e incluso a los dueños de medios, que se ejerce a través de la represión en las movilizaciones, la judicialización por opinar o el doxeo. Leer también¿Qué busca el magnate tecnolibertario Peter Thiel en la Argentina de Milei? Amnistía Internacional pidió al gobierno prohibir el desarrollo, producción, venta y uso de tecnología de reconocimiento biométrico para vigilancia discriminatoria y establecer un marco de regulación específico, pero de momento no ha obtenido respuesta.  "No nos estamos oponiendo al uso de tecnologías para el acompañamiento de políticas sociales, pero este uso tiene que tener límites claros, ser proporcional y necesario, tener un fin legítimo y, por supuesto, estar abierto a ser auditado constantemente por distintos actores", concluye García Ray.

Un informe de la ONG denunció el miércoles la expansión del uso masivo de tecnología de vigilancia en Argentina desde la asunción del gobierno de Javier Milei en diciembre de 2023. Esta situación afectaría especialmente a periodistas, activistas y migrantes, al crear un efecto disuasorio sobre el derecho a la privacidad, a la libertad de expresión y a la protesta. Al canto de "Peter, Peter, compadre, la concha de tu madre...", un grupo de ciudadanos vestidos de Gandalf protestaba esta semana frente a la casa del magnate tecnológico Peter Thiel en Buenos Aires. Con creatividad, los denominados "Gandalfs del sur" denunciaban los negocios en Argentina del fundador de la firma de inteligencia artificial y espionaje masivo Palantir y exigían su partida del país. La ampliación de la presencia de tecnologías de vigilancia masiva es una preocupación creciente en Argentina. Y según denunció el miércoles Amnistía Internacional, su uso se ha expandido desde la llegada al poder de Javier Milei.  En el informe "Estado de vigilancia: La expansión del uso de tecnologías de vigilancia masiva por el Gobierno de Argentina", la organización entrevistó a actores de la sociedad civil y recabó documentación sobre decretos, resoluciones gubernamentales y reformas para ampliar las capacidades de recopilación de información y vigilancia del Estado. "El gobierno se sirve del reconocimiento facial, el aterrizaje a las redes sociales, el ciberpatrullaje y otras herramientas como drones, adquisición de software y demás que tienen el potencial de vigilar a las personas", explica a RFI Paola García Ray, directora adjunta de Amnistía Internacional Argentina.  "Básicamente, lo que hace es achicar, disminuir o restringir el ejercicio de los derechos", agrega. Según la responsable, la gente "piensa dos veces" antes de decidir publicar algo o sumarse a una manifestación, por lo que esta situación comienza a tener "repercusiones concretas sobre el ejercicio democrático y la libertad de expresión". En total, el Estado ha gastado al menos 1,2 millones de dólares en estas herramientas de vigilancia entre 2024 y 2025, pese a la política de austeridad del gobierno. También las autoridades de la ciudad de Buenos Aires invirtieron 48 millones de dólares en dispositivos de videovigilancia para cubrir la urbe, en particular las zonas de protesta. "Existe una inconsistencia: mientras el Estado hablaba de recortes y de motosierra, y retraía el 41% del gasto público en 2025, en la vereda opuesta el presupuesto en materia de seguridad e inteligencia se ha elevado un 29% y un 6% (...) Es un mensaje muy claro de a dónde está apuntando el gobierno con sus prioridades" - Paola García Ray, directora adjunta de Amnistía Internacional Argentina.  Esta vigilancia gubernamental afecta principalmente a activistas, migrantes y periodistas. Si bien esta situación se ha dado previamente, nunca habría alcanzado estas dimensiones, según señala a RFI Agustín Lecchi, secretario general del Sindicato de Prensa de Buenos Aires (SipreBa). "Eran situaciones más puntuales, no una política generalizada, permanente. Es el momento de mayor ataque [a la prensa] desde la vuelta a la democracia", sostiene. Según precisa, hay una "persecución manifiesta a los periodistas" e incluso a los dueños de medios, que se ejerce a través de la represión en las movilizaciones, la judicialización por opinar o el doxeo. Leer también¿Qué busca el magnate tecnolibertario Peter Thiel en la Argentina de Milei? Amnistía Internacional pidió al gobierno prohibir el desarrollo, producción, venta y uso de tecnología de reconocimiento biométrico para vigilancia discriminatoria y establecer un marco de regulación específico, pero de momento no ha obtenido respuesta.  "No nos estamos oponiendo al uso de tecnologías para el acompañamiento de políticas sociales, pero este uso tiene que tener límites claros, ser proporcional y necesario, tener un fin legítimo y, por supuesto, estar abierto a ser auditado constantemente por distintos actores", concluye García Ray.

It's Hump Day at The Majority Report On today's program: There was good news and bad news from last night's primary elections in Florida. The bad news is Oliver Larkin and Elijah Manley will not be advancing to the general election after losing to establishment Democrats in Jared Moskowitz and Debbie Wasserman Schultz. The good news is that Angie Nixon trounced her opponent in the primary for Senate setting up a race against GOP incumbent Ashley Moody.   Angie Nixon gives an inspirational and emotional victory speech from her HQ in Duval County, Florida. We take a look back at when then State Rep. Nixon proposed a State House Resolution to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza back in November of 2023. Karen Attiah, journalist and publisher of the Golden Hour newsletter on Substack, joins to discuss her piece, "Jason Arday's Death and the Age of digital Racial Terror". Rania Khalek, journalist and host of Dispatches on BreakThrough News discussing the GOP-led House Ways and Means Committee issuing a subpoena to BreakThrough News. In the Fun Half Gary, Indiana has been without power for 8 days following tornados and FEMA has not lifted a finger to help. Further reporting on Trump obsessed aide, Natalie Harp, once climbed into a SUV trunk after being denied a seat in the president motorcade. Protestors dress as Gandalf the Grey and demonstrate in front of Peter Thiel's mansion in Argentina. Amazon is destroying rare books as a part of their AI training process. A former Biden staffer goes on a racist rant about 9/11 after a C-SPAN caller asks how he can call himself a Democrat when he is campaigning against Abdul El-Sayed. all that and more. To connect and organize with your local ICE rapid response team visit ICERRT.com The Congress switchboard number is (202) 224-3121. You can use this number to connect with either the U.S. Senate or the House of Representatives. Follow us on TikTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the AM Quickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase Check out today's sponsors: ONESKIN: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code MAJORITY at https://www.oneskin.co/majority FUTURE HINDSIGHT: Search for Future Hindsight wherever you get podcasts. SUNSET LAKE CBD: Use coupon code "Left Is Best" (all one word) for 20% off of your entire order at SunsetLakeCBD.com. Please fill out this form to request Bryan to come to your town to do stand-up comedy @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech On Instagram: @MrBryanVokey Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on YouTube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's YouTube channel: https://ww.youtube.com/Th3Discourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here: https:/www.youtube.com/@avaraiza

Every so often on this show, I set the conversation aside and simply read something. This is one of those episodes.Earlier this year, Pope Leo XIV published his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, on safeguarding the human person in the age of artificial intelligence. And in paragraph 213, in the middle of an argument about the small and steadfast acts of fidelity that stand as a bulwark against dehumanization, the pope quotes a wizard.The wizard is Gandalf, and this is what he says: "It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till" (The Return of the King).I have to say I wasn't surprised. Some years ago I wrote a long essay about why The Lord of the Rings is a Catholic book — not because there is any religion in it, because there isn't any, but because of what Tolkien absorbed into the story. An account of power. An account of hope. An account of discernment and responsibility. And an account of what goes unseen.When I read what Leo had written, I wanted to go back to that thought about Tolkien's Catholic work. So that is what this episode is: that essay, read for you start to finish, bringing forth some of Tolkien's Catholic vision, embedded in and absorbed into his Lord of the Rings.Links: "'The Lord of the Rings': A Catholic journey," by Leonard J. DeLorenzo, In Focus article via Our Sunday Visitor"Magnifica Humanitas: Pope Leo XIV on Artificial Intelligence, with Brett Robinson," podcast episode via Church Life Today"Tolkien's Creative Imagination, with Holly Ordway," podcast episode via Church Life Today"The Lord of the Rings, Sickness, and Health, with Kristin Collier," podcast episode via Church Life Today"Public Relations for C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Dorothy Sayers, with Christie Kleinmann," podcast episode via Church Life Today"Why Literature Still Matters, with Jason Baxter," podcast episode via Church Life Today"Tolkien's Literary Output: Fundamentally Religious and Catholic?" by Holly Ordway, article via Church Life JournalChurch Life Today is a partnership between the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame and OSV Podcasts from Our Sunday Visitor. Discover more ways to live, learn, and love your Catholic faith at osvpodcasts.com. Sharing stories, starting conversations.

It now IS the season preview. That's what the title means.  It's here! The EFL League One season has dawned upon us like Gandalf and the Rohirrim. How do Ben and Ross expect Reading to do this season, and will Ross re-up his prediction of a second-placed finish? Elsewhere in the division, the pair discuss the movers and shakers, and just whether a team will crack 100 points for the third year running. It's a busy division, but somebody has to sort the wheat from the chaff! Thank you to The Amazons for providing the theme song. Thank you to Siren Brewing - Get 10% off your next Siren order. Use code TILEHURST10 at the checkout on a minimum spend of £30.  Follow The Tilehurst End on Twitter @thetilehurstend  Follow Ross on Bluesky @webberross.bsky.social Follow Ben on Twitter @mrblthomas Did you enjoy this episode of the podcast? Please consider dropping a few quid into our tip jar on Buy Me a Coffee or supporting TTE on Patreon. We're hugely grateful for anything you can spare.

Join The Man of the West for part two of Aragorn and Gandalf as the wizard bows to the ranger, and the ranger doesn't blink. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode Chris returns to Opinion Scholarship on Carl Jung's infamous Red Book. We cover 3 of Jung's visions, which pick up where we left off...when Jung discovered that he and God are not distinct beings, but One. Today's visions take us into Jung's depths, where he must confront Christianity, the shackles of his own ego and the very thing he most wants to avoid--his Shadow. What a frightening thing it must be, after discovering that you and God are One, to realize that your Shadow is also God's Shadow; that God has a Shadow! The Shadow must be integrated. Enjoy ;)

The crew goes live and immediately loses the plot over Korean spa driving ranges and the mechanics of "Thanksgiving bar math." Between Coral getting called an elder by a 23-year-old in her Instagram DMs and a deep dive into the high-stakes lesbian politics of Lioness and Furious, this episode devolves into a roast of 16-mile hiking disasters and a dehydration-induced mirage of Jumbos dancers in the Ojai woods. This Week's Insanity:Korean Spa Fashion: Jeff roasts Coral's outfit for looking like she picks up golf balls at the Century Day Spa driving range, officially reclassifying her from a sports lesbian to a "mechanic lesbian." One Big Titty Gandalf: Recapping the chaotic Hobbit pre-release weekend, complete with four Gandalfs, a flurry of store birthdays, and the science behind why people get horny before Thanksgiving. Lioness & Alley Lesbians: The crew breaks down season two of Lioness, from Zoe Saldana's shower scenes to Nicole Kidman's pantsuits, and debates whether Hulu's Furious is just a secret remake of Killing Eve. The 16-Mile Punch Bowl Nightmare: Coral's attempt to "touch grass" outside Ojai turns into an 8-hour, 16-mile survival ordeal involving rattlesnakes, an unhelpful park ranger, and a mirage of two dancers from Jumbos Clown Room on the trail. Dog Trauma & Dead Eagles: A stern warning about the dog storyline in Netflix's The Last House, plus mourning Jackie the bald eagle after a three-way bird brawl. Loose, chaotic, and deeply queer, this episode is what happens when you hit “go live” and let the conversation do whatever it wants. New episodes every week. Only at Revenge Of, where the vibes are thick, and the hiking maps should always be downloaded offline.

Join The Man of the West for Sword Week: the storied blades of Aragorn, Gandalf, Théoden, and Éomer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West as he continues Friendship Fridays with a new pairing: Aragorn and Gandalf. Today's episode: when not to say ‘I told you so'. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SPONSORS: - Nobody likes a call center — ElevenAgents by ElevenLabs fixes that with voice AI that sounds human and works 24/7 in 30+ languages. Try it: elevenlabs.io/TOE - I personally subscribe to The Economist. TOE listeners get 35% off the annual subscription. No other podcast has this! https://economist.com/TOE This podcast explores the uncanny link between two of the twentieth century's great visionary works. Becca Tarnas, assistant professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies, joins to discuss her doctoral research into the parallels between Carl Jung's Red Book and J.R.R. Tolkien's lesser-known visionary writings. The central claim: working independently, both men produced strikingly similar imagery, timing, and figures — Jung's Philemon and Tolkien's Gandalf, the Eye of the Evil One and the Eye of Sauron — while each insisted their material felt discovered rather than invented. From there the conversation moves through active imagination, the reality of archetypes, psyche versus mind, and the line between mystical insight and psychosis — a wide-ranging look at where imagination ends and reality begins. FOLLOW: - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e - Substack: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/subscribe - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs - Crypto: https://nowpayments.io/donation/TOE - PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4 TIMESTAMPS: - 00:00:00 - Jung and Tolkien's Red Books - 00:05:42 - Archetypal Rhymes and Parallels - 00:11:26 - Defining the Imaginal Realm - 00:16:38 - Active Imagination vs. Dreaming - 00:22:00 - Active Imagination Protocol - 00:27:00 - Psyche's Spontaneous Expression - 00:33:57 - Ontology of Imaginal Figures - 00:39:03 - Psychologizing vs. Mythologizing - 00:45:57 - Planetary Archetypes Experience - 00:51:34 - Perceiving Universal Beauty - 00:58:23 - Universal vs. Objective Reality - 01:04:00 - Psychosis vs. Gnosis - 01:09:00 - Grounding the Visionary - 01:15:00 - Symbolic Language of Madness - 01:21:00 - Unearned Wisdom and Psychedelics - 01:26:30 - Motherhood as Expanded State - 01:33:57 - Meaning in Disconnection - 01:40:56 - Intuition in Science - 01:46:55 - Leonardo's Light and Shade LINKS MENTIONED: - Journey To The Imaginal Realm [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/1947544217?tag=toe08-20 - Participatory Imagination [Lecture]: https://beccatarnas.com/2020/08/28/jungs-participatory-imagination/ - Becca's PhD Defense: https://youtu.be/3soOYajHUBM - The Red Book [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/0393089088?tag=toe08-20 - The Holy Grail Of The Unconscious [Article]: https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/magazine/20jung-t.html - Active Imagination: https://jungiancenter.org/jung-on-active-imagination-features-methods-and-warnings/ - Jung On Active Imagination [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/0691015767?tag=toe08-20 - Richard Tarnas's Website: https://cosmosandpsyche.com/ - The Passion Of The Western Mind [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/0345368096?tag=toe08-20 - Psychological Types [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/1614279705?tag=toe08-20 - The Fellowship Of The Ring [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/0547928211?tag=toe08-20 - Kant's 'Categories': https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant/ - The Imaginary And The Imaginal [Paper]: http://www.bahaistudies.net/asma/mundus_imaginalis.pdf - Toni Wolff: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toni_Wolff - The Call Of Cthulhu [Book]: https://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/texts/fiction/cc.aspx - The Shadow: https://iaap.org/jung-analytical-psychology/short-articles-on-analytical-psychology/the-shadow/ - BBC Interviews Curt: https://www.bbc.com/audio/play/m002s4hd - Andres Emilsson [TOE]: https://youtu.be/gi08eVU_-f8 - Leo Gura [TOE]: https://youtu.be/R-w8k4smC74 - Iain McGilchrist [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Q9sBKCd2HD0 - Greg Kondrak [TOE]: https://youtu.be/FFW14zSYiFY - John Vervaeke [TOE]: https://youtu.be/3p8o3-7mvQc - Bernardo Kastrup & Susan Blackmore [TOE]: https://youtu.be/jrVnAWP2XEs - Consciousness Iceberg [TOE]: https://youtu.be/65yjqIDghEk Guests do not pay to appear. #science Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Middle-earth Map Monday hangs up its cartography for a new series of speculations: Might-Have-Been Monday. First up: what if Barliman Butterbur had delivered Gandalf's letter on time? Join The Man of the West down the peaceful road to Rivendell — bad news only for Éowyn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Y'all remember the Wizards' 78 lineup? Gandalf, Merlin, Voldemort on defense? Join Spencer, Ty, and Andy as they pit a number of legends of both basketball and cartoons against each other in pitched combat, for your entertainment! Support us on Patreon for $5, $7, or $10: www.patreon.com/tgofv. TGOFV Theme by World Record Pace. A big shout-out to our $10/month patrons: Celeste, Yung Zoe, Dane Stephen, Weedworf, James Lloyd-Jones, Sam Thomas, Josh O'Brien, Kilo, David, Sam, T, Rach, Tomix, Adam W, L M, Revidicism, Jennifer Knowles, Jeremy-Alice, Louis Ceresa, Charles Doyle, Dean, Axon, Themandme, Raouldyke, Stephen Tucker, Lawrence, Rebecca Kimpel, Malek Douglas, Jacon Sauber-Cavazos, Bernventers, William Copping, NewmansOwn, Heather-Pleather, Bunknown, Dinosarden, Bedi, Francis Wolf, King Krang, Anthony C, ASDF, Buffoonworld, Bavbiff, D Love, and Tugboat!

The Lord of the Rings didn't just launch a genre — it set the standard every fantasy writer since has been measured against. This month, Fr. Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson begin their journey through J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece with The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of the trilogy that turned Middle-earth into the mythology of the modern imagination.In this episode, Wesley and Junius explore what actually sets Tolkien apart from the fantasy writers who came before, and the flood of imitators who came after. They dig into Tolkien's remarkable balancing act: a world built with more depth and history than perhaps any fictional world ever created, yet worn so lightly that you never have to read a page of the appendices to feel its weight. They trace the providence that runs quietly beneath the entire tale — the “hand that is not Gandalf's” guiding events from the moment Bilbo is chosen for the quest in The Hobbit — and ask what it means that Middle-earth's races are written almost as facets of human nature itself, essential yet never simple.The conversation also turns to Frodo: is he really the hero of the story, or is that title quietly earned by someone else? Wesley and Junius make the case that Frodo's heroism isn't the sword-and-glory kind; it's the daily, unglamorous courage of simply doing the next right thing, again and again, all the way to Mount Doom.Along the way: the structure of the six “books” hidden inside the trilogy, the guerrilla-war tension of hobbits slipping across a Shire already crawling with Nazgûl, and why the Council of Elrond marks the one time the Fellowship, as a whole, actually exists.Endnotes* Junius: The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien* Wesley's endnote: The Fellowship of the Ring trick-taking card game Next month: The journey continues with The Two Towers! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.theclassicalmind.com/subscribe

Despair isn't sadness — it's the choice to stop hoping, and it destroys Denethor. Patrick Mason, Rob Leonardi, Robert Story, and Fr. Bryan Shackett on the palantír, Sauron's algorithm of doom, and the Gandalf line Pope Leo just quoted. The post The Sin of Denethor appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Get the Exploring Tolkien App to listen to every episode, a Tolkien calendar, the latest news, and member exclusives! Is Morwen heroic, tragic, or just stubborn to a fault? We’re on to chapter 4 of The Children of Húrin, exploring how pride, fate, and Morgoths curses shape the next generation after the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. We unpack why Morwen refuses help, howt fate and free work in tandem, and how Túrin's story is already marked by sorrow and legacy. We also discuss: Whether Morwen's choices are shaped by pride or the curse of Morgoth—or both Why Tolkien spends so much time on the theme of charity and nobility in hard times The meaning of the Helm of Hador and why Thingol reveres it Sador's role as a substitute father and teacher for Túrin when Morwen won't speak In our extended episode (available for members who’ve downloaded the Exploring Tolkien app and at https://theonering.com/members), we get into: Andy Serkis's defense of The Hunt for Gollum's casting and the use of AI on set First glimpses of the new Gandalf in The Rings of Power—and what we make of it How modern adaptations handle mythology, diversity, and audience immersion Tolkienian pride—from Morwen to modern filmmakers

After the Kings, Gondor declined into a Middle Age of fading knowledge and simpler skills. Alan and Shawn find that surprisingly familiar. Join The Man of the West and The Lord of the Mark as we begin our two-episode look at the final chapter of Unfinished Tales on The Palantíri. The Stewards know better than to use the Stones — for awhile, Saruman takes the concept of free agency a bit too far, and Tolkien lets us think through the problem with Gandalf. We lament the absence of Jack Black, agree that Calenardhon's name change is nobody's business but the Rohirrim, and come up with a most-disturbing Lionel Richie adaptation. Also, Carnac the Magnificent. For more on the Middle-earth Online Art Exhibition that Katie spoke about in the intro, please visit: https://sites.google.com/breecrossroadsartexhibitionevent.com/home/home Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some people believe that “Gandalf” was the last appearance of Manwë; Alan is convinced Shawn is the last appearance of Oromë. Join The Man of the West and The Lord of the Mark as they conclude their three-episode walk through the chapter on The Istari from Unfinished Tales. The lore of the wizards is given in alliterative verse; the “north” is defined very, very broadly; and where did Gandalf go, really? We find that a Philology Faire can get Shawn in trouble, wonder what Sindarin might be for ‘burning man', and discover it's 106 miles to Chicago. Also, silver badger?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Note to the listener: If it sounds like the recording abruptly stops at the 26 min mark, that's because it did. We had a recording glitch that cut short Dr. Nathan Vanhorn's examination of Roman's 9 as a hope for the reversal of a hard heart. Apologies. - Gandalf

Gandalf the wizard as an Old Testament prophet? Hobbits as intercessory priests? Aragorn as a messianic king? Dr. Philip Ryken, president of Wheaton College, joins Brian in the studio to uncover the rich Gospel themes in J.R.R. Tolkien's iconic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings. While Tolkien famously insisted his work was not an allegory, Dr. Ryken explains how the author's faith and theological imagination imbued the text with profoundly Christian motifs—most significantly, “the threefold office of Christ” depicted through several of the story's central characters.Check out Dr. Ryken's book, The Messiah Comes to Middle-Earth: Images of Christ's Threefold Office in The Lord of the Rings:https://www.ivpress.com/the-messiah-comes-to-middle-earth-ebook?srsltid=AfmBOoqIanzXkiPyRO2X4rIxKb0kBGrYOE-fWxYlRUj0R3WN1_0knL92Dr. Ryken has published more than 50 books and he serves as president of Wheaton College: https://www.wheaton.edu/about-wheaton/leadership/president-rykenDr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor: https://www.georgefox.edu/academics/undergrad/departments/religion/faculty/doak.htmlIf you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

All I want to talk about is the shit wizards…but I know that I can't! Obviously they would use a big turd as a wand – but, again, I can't talk about that right now. I need to, instead, focus on the important things, such as a podcast about Apple products. So that would probably be about the iPad or whatever, and who came up with the buttons on it and so forth. That's one episode of it. Another one might be the iPhone, I guess. The shit wizard would be wrapped in toilet paper, which is really not relevant to things like boots that can heat up themselves or an AI guitar. And there is frankly no time at all to discuss whether or not they would be named things like Gandalf the White Dog Poop. We just simply have too much to doo doo! Oh…it seems I've come under his spell!Music for YKS is courtesy of Howell Dawdy, Craig Dickman, Mr. Baloney, and Mark Brendle. Additional research by Zeke Golvin. YKS is edited by Producer Dan. Social Media by Maddalena Alvarez.Executive Producer Tim Faust (@crulge)Listen up!! To the same show you're listening to now, but different! Over on YKS Premium, you're gonna get a bonus episode every week, ad-free episodes and more! Last week we tried to find the best show in the world (did we succeed??) and this week we're doing a brand new segment that Mike liked so much he asked to do again! It's called Kick JF in the Head! Just kidding. It's reading goofy as hell celebrity endorsements. And it's funny. Check it out.Follow us on Instagram: @YKSPod, TikTok: YourKickstarterSucks and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more video stuff! Wow, 2026 is gonna be lit!! Gift subscriptions to YKS Premium are now available at Patreon.com/yourkickstartersucks/giftSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The wizards went about in simple guise, as it were of Men already old in years. Alan and Shawn have been doing that for years. Join The Man of the West and The Lord of the Mark as they embark on a three-episode look at the chapter on the Istari in Unfinished Tales. The Valar send five emissaries, two of whom promptly disappear; Radagast gets distracted watching nature documentaries, and Gandalf has nothing to do with Grand-Elf. We engage in some light blasphemy, imagine Saruman and Gandalf in a Highlander-universe, and decide we ought not count on the parakeets of doom. Also, Kermit the Wizard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices