Podcasts about Gauls

IMAGE CREDIT MEDEF, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons LINKS Vatican bio of Cardinal Philippe BARBARIN: https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_barbarin_p.html   Philippe BARBARIN on FIU's Cardinals Database (by Salvador Miranda): https://cardinals.fiu.edu/bios2003.htm#Barbarin   Cardinal Philippe BARBARIN on Gcatholic.org: https://gcatholic.org/p/17                     Cardinal Philippe BARBARIN on Catholic-Hierarchy.org: https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bbarbarin.html    Archdiocese of Lyon on Gcatholic.org: https://gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/lyon0.htm?tab=info        Archdiocese of Lyon on Catholic-Hierarchy.org: https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dlyon.htm The Catholic Encyclopedia, “Primate” (via newadvent.org): https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12423b.htm Brittanca.com, “Lyon”: https://www.britannica.com/place/Lyon-France  Zenit.org coverage of Cardinal Barbarin's 2013 heart attack: https://zenit.org/2013/07/24/cardinal-philippe-barbarin-suffers-heart-attack/  2020 The Guardian reporting on the Preynat case: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/16/defrocked-french-priest-jailed-for-abusing-scouts-over-20-year-period  2019 France24 coverage of Cardinal Barbarin and the Preynat scandal as it stood at the time: https://www.france24.com/en/video/20190319-pope-refuses-french-cardinal-barbarins-resignation-over-abuse-cover-scandal 2020 La Croix interview with the early-retiring Cardinal: https://international.la-croix.com/news/religion/cardinal-philippe-barbarin-begins-busy-early-retirement/12647      Thank you for listening, and thank my family and friends for putting up with the time investment and for helping me out as needed. As always, feel free to email the show at Popeularhistory@gmail.com  If you would like to financially support Popeular history, go to www.patreon.com/Popeular. If you don't have any money to spare but still want to give back, pray and tell others– prayers and listeners are worth more than gold!   TRANSCRIPT Welcome to Popeular History, a library of Catholic knowledge and insights.   Check out the show notes for sources, further reading, and a transcript.   Today we're discussing another current Cardinal of the Catholic Church, one of the 120 or so people who will choose the next Pope when the time comes.   One of eleven children, Philippe Xavier Christian Ignace Marie Barbarin was born on October 17, 1950 in Rabat, Morocco, located right in the middle of the second big inward curve if you're following the coast coming up from south. Though Morocco is over 99% Muslim, Rabat has popped up on our radar before, thanks to recent Cardinal López Romero winding up as Archbishop of Rabat after his continent hopping journeys. Cardinal Barbarin hasn't gotten credit as Morocco's first Cardinal, when you Google that up you get lots of Lopez Romero. Granted, Philippe Barbarin wasn't born in the modern nation of Morocco, rather he was born in French Morocco, like Cardinal Mamberti, if you remember that. And it's fair to not count colonizers who never really lived the same lives as the locals. I don't know for sure that Philippe actually fits that description, but that's also not the only reason folks might not be in a rush to credit him as the first Moroccan Cardinal… but I'm getting ahead of myself.   After Moroccan independence, Philippe wound up in France, experiencing the joys of military service while also studying a little theology and a lot of philosophy in Paris, getting a licentiate in the former from the Carmes Seminary and a doctorate in the latter from the Sarbonne.   In 1977, Philippe Barbarin was ordained a priest for the young diocese of Créteil, centered on an eponymous suburb southeast of Paris. From 1977 till 1985, he served as Vicar in two parishes: Notre-Dame d'Alfortville and Notre-Dame de Vincennes, Notre-Dame of course being French for “Our Lady”, on the off chance that you got this deep without already knowing that.   From ‘85 to ‘90, Father Barbarin served two parishes and a school simultaneously, as well as an ecumenical role in the diocese. The parishes, if you're wondering, were Saint François de Sales d'Adambille en Saint-Maur, and Saint-Hilaire de la Varenne.   From ‘91 to ‘94, Father Barbarin served as the pastor of Saint Léger Parish and then transferred quite a ways, effectively being loaned out to the Archdiocese of Fianarantsoa in Madagascar, where he taught theology at the Major Seminary of Vohitsoa. Which explains the presence of Malagasy, the dominant language of Madagascar, on the list of languages Cardinal Barbarin Speaks, along with English, Italian, Spanish, German, and of course his native French.   1998 was white phone time, when Father Barbarin heard from Pope Saint John Paul the Second that he was going to be made Bishop of Moulins, back in France. As is so often the case, you can see why the three bishops that consecrated him were chosen for the task: his principal consectator was the Archbishop of Fianarantsoa, who he had been serving under in Madagascar, accompanied by his original bishop in France from Créteil, as well as the Bishop emeritus of Moulins who he was replacing.   Physically located in pretty much the exact center of France, it's worth noting that I simply do not trust the demographic data Catholic-Hierarchy.org has for the Diocese of Moulins. I want to give them credit for their essential work, and it's entirely possible the error is in the sources they're relying on and not some issue on their end, but I don't see how you can have the shifts shown in the period recorded. I'm sure I've missed flagging bad data before, so don't take this as an indication that I'll point it out whenever there's something fishy floating around, but I do what I can and felt I should mention the oddity there. At some point when I get around to it I'll cross reference their source material since they're kind enough to cite it.   In 2002, Bishop Barbarin was chosen as the next Archbishop of the ancient see of Lyon in southeasternish France. Allegedly, Lyon was the Capital of the Gauls back when the Gauls were a thing, and in any event it's pretty universally agreed that it's old enough one of its first bishops was a disciple of a disciple of Saint John, so basically Jesus' spiritual great-grandson, and that wasn't even the *first* bishop there. To this day, the Archbishop of Lyon also carries the title of Primate of the Gauls.   In 2003, that is, at the next opportunity, Archbishop Barbarin was made a Cardinal, which is completely unsurprising given the status of Lyon: every Archbishop of Lyon in the 20th century was made a Cardinal. And as we know, the red hat gets you additional duties: he was made a member of the Congregations for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, and for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. Of course the most famous duty of a Cardinal is the one he exercised in the conclave of 2005 that elected Pope Benedict, and again in the 2013 election that gave us Pope Francis.   Later on in 2013, Cardinal Barbarin suffered a heart attack while in South America preparing for World Youth Day. An unsourced wikipedia entry states that he underwent a successful triple bypass surgery in Martinique a few days later, and I think it's safe enough to say something like that happened: in any event he did survive.   In 2016, Cardinal Barbarin began to get asked questions about his handling–or lack thereof-of a bad priest, a certain Father Bernard Preynat. Content warning, I'm not going to go into graphic detail but yes we're talking about the abuse of minors here. From 1971 to 1991 Father Preynat abused some seventy minors he encountered principally through the scouting program.   Obviously, and allow me to stress this emphatically, the charge against Barbarin was not the abuse itself, but rather his lack of disclosure of the situation to the authorities. This was very much a charge though, because his lack of reporting was apparently a crime, and as a victim myself- though not of clergy- rightly so. Apparently in 2019 when Cardinal Barbarin was originally convicted of failing to report and was given a six month suspended sentence, he offered his resignation to Pope Francis, who initially refused, speaking of the presumption of innocence, which seems an odd line to take given Barbarin had *just* been convicted, but hey what do I know.   In any event, the next year Cardinal Barbarin's conviction *was* overturned on appeal, so it seems Pope Francis was perhaps wise to wait, but then in March his holiness turned around and accepted Cardinal Barbarin's resignation after all, making him the Archbishop Emeritus of Lyon.    Cardinal Barbarin says he is available for whatever mission Pope Francis might entrust him with next.   Barring a further change in his status, which to be clear I do not expect as I think it would have happened already if it was going to happen, Cardinal Philippe Barbarin remains eligible to participate in future conclaves until he turns 80 in 2030.   Today's episode is part of Cardinal Numbers. Stay tuned to see if today's Cardinal gets selected for a deeper dive in the next round! Thank you for listening; God bless you all!

Time for our annual tradition of visiting the Gauls as we take a look at Asterix and Caesar's Gift. We also review My Little Pony: Best of Princess Celestia from IDW Publishing, and Motherfu*king Monsters from Image Comics. Show your thanks to Major Spoilers for this episode by becoming a Major Spoilers Patron at http://patreon.com/MajorSpoilers. It will help ensure the Major Spoilers Podcast continues far into the future!

Time for our annual tradition of visiting the Gauls as we take a look at Asterix and Caesar's Gift. We also review My Little Pony: Best of Princess Celestia from IDW Publishing, and Motherfu*king Monsters from Image Comics. Show your thanks to Major Spoilers for this episode by becoming a Major Spoilers Patron at http://patreon.com/MajorSpoilers. It will help ensure the Major Spoilers Podcast continues far into the future!

Need for a Polity; Authority; Christ's appointing a kingdom; Possessions of Christ; Paying tribute; Caesar - president of Rome; Maryland; Setting men free; Rome in America; Sanctuary?; Aristobulus and Hyrcanus; "Law of the Place"; White Pine treaty; Rome and the Gauls; Socialism; Being of the "world"; United States jurisdiction; Pilate's wife; Right of self-determination; Red Sea crossing; Living in the spirit; Spiritual jurisdiction; Tree of Life; Forgiveness; "Polity"; Family = creation of God; Strange fire; Free assemblies; Jesus the king; Turning the world upside-down; Setting the captive free; Charity; Church CEOs?; Right to choose; Policy enforcement; Guidelines; Loving our neighbor; Foreign aid; Romans 13; Pilate - procurator of Rome; Paul's execution?; Britannia?; Paul's family lineage; Police; Article 5 - Servants of the Kingdom and mankind; "Constituency"; "Christening"; Public baptism; Witnessing; Deut 14:29; Blessings; Ministers; Lk 10:27; Ministerial jurisdiction; 2 Thess 2:13; 1 Thess 4:9; Owning thing common; Belonging to God; Salvation; Q: Darren - Self-determination; E.O. 13083 (1998); Citizenship; Coverage for Levites; Reliance on Holy Spirit; Don't test God.

Jesus Calling Pt. 3: Holding Fast to His Name 11-17-2024 Last slide – Hold fast to that which is good.   1) Jesus is my JUDGE.   “12“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.” (Revelation 2:12, ESV)   ·       Two-edged sword = judgement.   “2He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me away.” (Isaiah 49:2, ESV)   “12For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:12–13, ESV)   2) Jesus sees how INTENSE my struggle is.   “13“ ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.” (Revelation 2:13, ESV)   ·       Satan's Throne (dwells) =   This city was a legal center for the district and at the same time an old stronghold of emperor worship, where already in 29 B. C. a temple had been built to the divine Augustus and the goddess Roma, which was served by a powerful priesthood. Especially abhorrent to the Christians was the local cult of Aesculapius whose symbol was the serpent, which was called “the god of Pergamum” but to Christians was the symbol of the serpent of Eden. In addition to these pagan cults there towered on the Acropolis a throne-like altar of Zeus Soter (Savior) which commemorated the defeat of the barbarian Gauls by Attalus about 240 BC. - R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John's Revelation (Columbus, OH: Lutheran Book Concern, 1935), 103–104.   Zahn takes it to refer to the cult of Aesculapius. He points out that under Diocletian Christian stonecutters from Rome carved out in the quarries of Pannonia not only pillars, capitals, and baths, but also victories, cupids, and even the sun-god in his chariot but refused to carve an image of Aesculapius, for which refusal they were put to death as being followers of Antipas of Pergamum. So much at least is certain that the Lord himself (not John as some say) regarded Pergamum as the one city among the seven where Satan even had his throne and thus ruled as king. All seven were thoroughly pagan, this one was the worst.  R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John's Revelation (Columbus, OH: Lutheran Book Concern, 1935), 104.   ·       Antipas -   Show picture of where he might have been executed.   3) Jesus also sees where I've FALLEN SHORT.   “14But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 15So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” (Revelation 2:14–15, ESV)   ·       Teaching of Balaam   Now, the Lord says, the church in Pergamum has some members that are holding to the same teaching and are running to the idol feasts and the fornication practiced in the pagan temples in order to gain immunity and pagan favor for themselves. The two aorist infinitives express actuality. This eating and this fornicating also go together. It was so in the case of the sons of Israel; it is so in the case of these members in Pergamum who were repeating Israel's folly.  - R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John's Revelation (Columbus, OH: Lutheran Book Concern, 1935), 107.   ·       Nicolaitans -   4) I must REPENT to escape judgement.   “16Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.” (Revelation 2:16, ESV)   ·       Repent -   Strong's Concordance:   Meaning: I repent, change my mind, change the inner man (particularly with reference to acceptance of the will of God), repent.   Word Origin: From the Greek words "meta" (meaning "after" or "beyond") and "noeo" (meaning "to think" or "to perceive"), thus implying a change of mind or heart.   ·       Make war   “31Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.” (Luke 14:31–32, ESV)   5) Jesus gives the conqueror INDIVIDUALIZED rewards.   “17He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.'” (Revelation 2:17, ESV)   ·       Hidden manna -   Trench, Epistles to the Seven Churches: “There can, I think, be no doubt that allusion is here made to the manna which, at God's express command, Moses caused to be laid up before the Lord in the Sanctuary, Exod. 16:32–34; cf., Heb. 9:4. This manna, as being thus laid up, obtained the name ‘hidden.' … This ‘hidden manna' … represents a benefit pertaining to the future kingdom of glory.”… All the statements regarding the heavenly joys are given in figurative language, and one of them is our eating and drinking there—note the feast in Matt. 8:11. The symbolism of the hidden manna is most appropriate here after the eating of things offered to idols in v. 14. In John 6:30, etc., Jesus calls himself (his flesh and blood… the manna, “bread from heaven,” to be eaten by faith. The fact that in John 6:49, etc., Jesus is “the living bread,” while in Revelation “the hidden manna” indicates the heavenly bliss, causes no difficulty.  - R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John's Revelation (Columbus, OH: Lutheran Book Concern, 1935), 109.   ·       White stone, secret name -   “16He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); 17James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder);” (Mark 3:16–17, ESV)   Ψῆφος = pebble; the adjective “white” may well imply that a diamond is referred to. “A new name having been written” on this stone, ὄνομα καινόν, means a name “new” as replacing one that is old, the perfect participle indicating that, once written, this name remains. The remarkable thing is that no one knows this name save the person who receives the pebble. We think that those are correct who take this name to be the name for the person who receives the pebble and not a secret name of God or of Christ. - R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John's Revelation (Columbus, OH: Lutheran Book Concern, 1935), 110.  

In 52 BC, after six years of war against the Gallic tribes, Julius Caesar had tamed another enemy of the Roman Republic. Almost one million Gauls were taken as slaves, while their land became just... Uitgegeven door SAGA Egmont Spreker: Paul Bown

All about the energies and magic of November plus a few November holidays to highlight. Correspondences: Crystals: citrine, cat's eye, topaz Animals: snake, eel, goose, raccoon  Flower: chrysanthemum  Deities: Pluto, Anubis, Kali, Inanna The sun is in Scorpio until November 22. Scorpio is a fixed water sign. Moon Phases November 1: new moon in Scorpio November 9: second quarter moon in Aquarius November 15: full moon in Taurus November 22: fourth quarter moon in Virgo November Ancient Holidays: The Festival of Ceres (November 1): held in early November, was dedicated to Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture and fertility. The Roman Festival of Compitalia: a festival held in November dedicated to the Lares, the spirits of the ancestors and guardians of the home and fields.The Festival of the Dead (Nebra): celebrated by the Gauls and other Celtic tribes in late October or early November, dedicated to honoring deceased ancestors and included rituals and feasts to ensure the protection and favor of the spirits of the dead. The Feast of Neptunalia (Early November): a festival dedicated to Neptune, the Roman god of the sea and water. It was celebrated in early November. The Festival of Saturnalia: a major Roman festival held in mid-November to honor Saturn, the god of agriculture and time. Although Saturnalia was primarily celebrated in December, its influence and some of its preparations began in November. The festival involved feasting, gift-giving, and role reversals, reflecting themes of liberation and abundance. Modern Holidays: All Saints' Day (November 1): a Christian holiday dedicated to honoring all saints, known and unknown. It follows All Hallows' Eve (Halloween) and is observed by many Christian denominations. All Souls' Day (November 2): a day set aside to honor and pray for the souls of deceased loved ones who are believed to be in purgatory. Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) (November 1-2): a Mexican holiday that honors deceased loved ones and celebrates their lives. It overlaps with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. Veterans Day (November 11): a U.S. holiday that honors military veterans who have served in the armed forces. Thanksgiving (Fourth Thursday in November): a major American holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, focusing on giving thanks for the harvest and blessings of the past year. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/witch-wednesdays/support

We explore 2,500 years of French history and the key events that shaped the destiny of France. We'll also discover some of the most memorable members of France's ruling families through the ages from the Gauls and the Romans to the Visigoths, Vandals and Vikings and through to the dynasties of the Franks, the Merovingians, Carolingians and the Bourbons and on through to French Revolution and the Republic of France we have today. Full of fun and fascinating facts, France's history is part Game of Thrones and part pot luck! Sit back, click play and be prepared to be wowed by the incredible history of France - and all in less than 30 minutes. Follow us: On Twitter On Instagram On Facebook On The Good Life France's website Thanks for listening!

From traces of the Gauls in France to a Kurdish boy's story of finding refuge in Ireland, voices from Leitrim's Iron Mountain Festival: Mary Byrne, Adrian Duncan, Alice Lyons, Zak Moradi, Vincent Woods – with brief music extracts from Eleanor Shanley, Garadice, Zoé Basha, Ultan O'Brien

Today, The Two Mikes spoke to historical expert A.J. Sanchez, whose field of study is the so-called ten lost tribes of Israel, which, as it turns out, are quite far from lost. 

Mr. Sanchez explained that one of the great problems with contemporary historical research is that the universities have deliberately created faculties that are poisoned by wokeism and a talent for durable deceit whenever the issue is about God and religion. 

Mr. Sanchez noted that, on average, most universities in the West have a ratio of 12 liberal/atheist professors for every 1 conservative professor. Further, in a large number of university-taught fields, the reality is that 100 percent of professors are liberal/atheists. It is only when you look at the engineering disciplines that there is a stronger percentage of conservatives, who, of course, are not writers of history. Even if they were, most Western publishers have little or no interest in publishing books dealing with religion and God, which are important issues of historical issues. Between the universities and major Western publishers, the historical data about this issue has remained well and truly buried. In his own studies, Mr. Sanchez has found that there is a large amount of evidence regarding the ten lost tribes. Both in the Middle East and Europe, he found a great many pertinent sources such as manuscripts, books – most published before 1850 – and engraved stone tablets. The short version of the story, which has been suppressed since 1850 is that the ten tribes departed what was then the northern section of contemporary Israel, moved further into the Middle East and later, from there moved into Europe, particularly into Scotland, Ireland, France, and, to a lesser extent, Spain. 

Archives in these countries contain many documents and artifacts that are pertinent to identifying the stories and ultimate locations of the so-called ten lost tribes. In essence, there is strong evidence that the ten lost tribes were the peoples who are now known as Celtic and Gaelic. The ancient Greeks, for example, called the ten tribes Celts, and the ancient Romans called them Gauls. France of course was once called Gaul and spoke Gaelic. These people share languages that – while not identical – share large numbers of words, and also share words that are present in English and in German dialects. 

The bottom line is that the ten tribes do not seem to be lost. Indeed, the ancient Jewish historian Josephus appears to have been fully accurate when he said that those ten tribes did not disappear.  The Two Mikes closed this discussion with A.J. Sanchez at just short of 60 minutes. There is, however, much more to find out and discuss about the ten lost tribes and we will have him back on the podcast so he can speak more about his research.Follow Two Mikes on Pickax: https://pickax.com/twomikesFollow Freedom First Network on Pickax at https://pickax.com/freedomfirstnetElevate your meals with Freedom First Beef… even if you find yourself in the middle of the apocalypse! Use code TWOMIKES for 15% off and enjoy high-quality beef whenever you crave it – today or tomorrow! https://freedomfirstbeef.comBe ready for anything life throws your way with The Wellness Company's Medical Emergency Kit. Order today using code TWOMIKES for a 10% discount at https://twc.health/ffn.Protect your financial future with precious metals! Use code TWOMIKES to get your FREE Gold and Silver Guide from Genesis Gold today and take control of your financial destiny! https://pickaxgold.comUnleash the spirit of liberty in every cup with Freedom First Coffee's Founders Blend. Order now using code TWOMIKES and savor the unparalleled taste of freedom in every patriotic sip. https://freedomfirstcoffee.com

Early Church records; "World" at Jesus's time; Kingdom not of this "world"; Golden Calf; Lk 13:27; Rightful king of Judea; Leaven?; Baskets?; Giving power to tyrants; Freewill vs forced offerings; Fate of the Gauls; Creating collateral for a nation; Communism; Tables of rulers; Not to be that way with you; Welfare snares; Idolatry; Disliking what Jesus taught; Mark 9:1; Mt 16:28; Lk 9:27; Jn 8:52; Heb 2:9 - tasting death; Style of Hebrews; "power" = "dunamis"; Tasting death - thanatos; Metaphoric?; Dead burying the dead; Cruelty of forced offerings; Mt 17:1; Mk 5:37; Lk 5:1; Peter-James-John; Essene community; Dead Sea scrolls; Being the courts; Boaz/Ruth example; Offices of power or service; Charity; Mercy; Cause/effect; Force is anti-Christian; Charity rightly divided; vs Degeneration by force; Pure Religion; Religious Order of Apostles; Apology to Antonius Pius - why?; "Christian Conflict"; Transfiguration?; Overshadowing cloud; Wrath of God; Choosing unrighteousness; Forfeiting your power of choice; Spiritual realm; v14; "Scribes"; Challenging the scribes' interrogation; Inciting loyalty; Your relationship with Jesus; Self-deception; Dumb spirit?; Importance of "belief"; Help with unbelief; Fear of leaving Herod's system; Spiritual eviction; Prayer and fasting; What is prayer?; Possession?; v29 "kind"; Fasting - from what?; Conforming to righteousness; Who should be greatest?; No exercising authority; Biting one another; Mt 24:5 - "Name" of Jesus; Mk 13:6; Lk 21:8; Jn 14:26; Holy Spirit?; Spiritual ways; "Republic"; Ear-ticklers; Entertaining devils; Who will repent?; Sacrifice daily?; Pick-pocketing your neighbor; Are you at peace?; How to be at peace; Operating by faith, hope and charity; Red heifer?; Seeking Kingdom of God and His Righteousness; Don't be afraid of sacrifice!

Stephanie shares her newfound interest in naming conventions, highlighting a resource called "Classnames" that provides valuable names for programming and design. Joël, in turn, talks about using AI to generate names for D&D characters, emphasizing how AI can help provide inspiration and reasoning behind name suggestions. Then, they shift to Joël's interest in Roman history, where he discusses a blog by a Roman historian that explores distinctions between state and non-state peoples in the ancient Mediterranean. Together, the hosts delve into the importance of asking questions as consultants and developers to understand workflows, question assumptions, and build trust for better onboarding. Stephanie categorizes questions by engagement stages and their social and technical aspects, while Joël highlights how questioning reveals implicit assumptions and speeds up learning. They stress maintaining a curious mindset, using questions during PR reviews, and working with junior developers to foster collaboration. They conclude with advice on documenting answers and using questions for continuous improvement and effective decision-making in development teams. Class names inspiration (https://classnames.paulrobertlloyd.com/) How to Raise a Tribal Army in Pre-Roman Europe, Part II: Government Without States (https://acoup.blog/2024/06/14/collections-how-to-raise-a-tribal-army-in-pre-roman-europe-part-ii-government-without-states/) Diocletian, Constantine, Bedouin Sayings, and Network Defense (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCUI5ryyMSE) The Power of Being New: A Proven Recipe for High Impact (https://hazelweakly.me/blog/the-power-of-being-new--a-proven-recipe-for-high-impact/#the-power-of-being-new-a-proven-recipe-for-high-impact) How to ask good questions (https://jvns.ca/blog/good-questions/) Transcript:  JOËL: Hello and welcome to another episode of the Bike Shed, a weekly podcast from your friends at thoughtbot about developing great software. I'm Joël Quenneville. STEPHANIE: And I'm Stephanie Minn. And together, we're here to share a bit of what we've learned along the way. JOËL: So, Stephanie, what's new in your world? STEPHANIE: So, if it has not been clear about just kind of the things I'm mentioning on the podcast the past few weeks, I've been obsessed with naming things lately [chuckles] and just thinking about how to name things, and, yeah, just really excited about...or even just having fun with that more than I used to be as a dev. And I found a really cool resource called "Classnames." Well, it's like just a little website that a designer and developer shared from kind of as an offshoot from his personal website. I'll link it in the show notes. But it's basically just a list of common names that are very useful for programming or even design. It's just to help you find some inspiration when you're stuck trying to find a name for something. And they're general or abstract enough that, you know, it's almost like kind of like a design pattern but a naming pattern [laughs], I suppose. JOËL: Ooh. STEPHANIE: Yeah, right? And so, there's different categories. Like, here's a bunch of words that kind of describe collections. So, if you need to find the name for a containment or a group of things, here's a bunch of kind of words in the English language that might be inspiring. And then, there's also other categories like music for describing kind of the pace or arrangement of things. Fashion, words from fashion can describe, like, the size of things. You know, we talk about T-shirt sizes when we are estimating work. And yeah, I thought it was really cool that there's both things that draw on, you know, domains that most people know in real life, and then also things that are a little more abstract. But yeah, "Classnames" by Paul Robert Lloyd — that's been a fun little resource for me lately. JOËL: Very cool. Have you ever played around at all with using AI to help you come up with the naming? STEPHANIE: I have not. But I know that you and other people in my world have been enjoying using AI for inspiration when they feel a little bit stuck on something and kind of asking like, "Oh, like, how could I name something that is, like, a group of things?" or, you know, a prompt like that. I suspect that that would also be very helpful. JOËL: I've been having fun using that to help me come up with good names for D&D characters, and sometimes they're a little bit on the nose. But if I sort of describe my character, and what's their vibe, and a little bit of, like, what they do and their background, and, like, I've built this whole, like, persona, and then, I just ask the AI, "Hey, what might be some good names for this?" And the AI will give me a bunch of names along with some reasoning for why they think that would be a good match. So, it might be like, oh, you know, the person's name is, I don't know, Starfighter because it evokes their connection to the night sky or whatever because that was a thing that I put in the background. And so, it's really interesting. And sometimes they're, like, just a little too obvious. Like, you don't want, you know, Joe Fighter because he's a fighter. STEPHANIE: And his name is Joe [laughs]. JOËL: Yeah, but some of them are pretty good. STEPHANIE: Cool. Joël, what's new in your world? JOËL: I guess in this episode of how often does Joël think about the Roman Empire... STEPHANIE: Oh my gosh [laughs]. JOËL: Yes [laughs]. STEPHANIE: Spoiler: it's every day [laughs]. JOËL: Whaaat? There's a blog that I enjoy reading from a Roman historian. It's called "A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry", acoup.blog. He's recently been doing an article series on not the Romans, but rather some of these different societies that are around them, and talking a little bit about a distinction that he calls sort of non-state peoples versus states in the ancient Mediterranean. And what exactly is that distinction? Why does it matter? And those are terms I've heard thrown around, but I've never really, like, understood them. And so, he's, like, digging into a thing that I've had a question about for a while that I've been really appreciating. STEPHANIE: Can you give, like, the reader's digest for me? JOËL: For him, it's about who has the ability to wield violence legitimately. In a state, sort of the state has a monopoly on violence. Whereas in non-state organizations, oftentimes, it's much more personal, so you might have very different sort of nobles or big men who are able to raise, let's say, private armies and wage private war on each other, and that's not seen as, like, some, like, big breakdown of society. It's a legitimate use of force. It's just accepted that that's how society runs. As opposed to in a state, if a, you know, wealthy person decided to raise a private army, that would be seen as a big problem, and the state would either try to put you down or, like, more generally, society would, like, see you as having sort of crossed a line you shouldn't have crossed. STEPHANIE: Hmm, cool. I've been reading a lot of medieval fantasy lately, so this is kind of tickling my brain in that way when I think about, like, what drives different characters to do things, and kind of what the consequences of those things are. JOËL: Right. I think it would be really fascinating to sort of project this framework forwards and look at the European medieval period through that lens. It seems to me that, at least from a basic understanding, that the sort of feudal system seems to be very much in that sort of non-state category. So, I'd be really interested to see sort of a deeper analysis of that. And, you know, maybe he'll do an addendum to this series. Right now, he's mostly looking at the Gauls, the Celtiberians, and the Germanic tribes during the period of the Roman Republic. STEPHANIE: Cool. Okay. Well, I also await the day when you somehow figure how this relates to software [laughter] and inevitably make some mind-blowing connection and do a talk about it [laughs]. JOËL: I mean, theming is always fun. There's a talk that I saw years ago at Strange Loop that was looking at the defense policy of the Roman Emperor Diocletian and the Roman Emperor Constantine, and the ways that they sort of defended the borders of the empire and how they're very different, and then related it to how you might handle network security. STEPHANIE: Whaat? JOËL: And sort of like a, hey, are we using more of a Diocletian approach here, or are we using more of a Constantine approach here? And all of a sudden, just, like, having those labels to put on there and those stories that went with it made, like, what could be a really, like, dry security talk into something that I still remember 10 years later. STEPHANIE: Yeah. Yeah. We love stories. They're memorable. JOËL: So, I'll make sure to link that in the show notes. STEPHANIE: Very cool. JOËL: We've been talking a lot recently about my personal note system, where I keep a bunch of, like, small atomic notes that are all usually based around a single thesis statement. And I was going through that recently, and I found one that was kind of a little bit juicy. So, the thesis is that consultants are professional question-askers. And I'm curious, as a consultant yourself, how do you feel about that idea? STEPHANIE: Well, my first thought would be, how do I get paid to only ask in questions [laughs] or how to communicate in questions and not do anything else [laughs]? It's almost like I'm sure that there is some, like, fantasy character, you know, where it's like, there's some villain or just obstacle where you have this monster character who only talks in questions. And it's like a riddle that you have to solve [laughs] in order to get past. JOËL: I think it's called a three-year-old. STEPHANIE: Wow. Okay. Maybe a three-year-old can do my job then [laughter]. But I do think it's a juicy one, and it's very...I can't wait to hear how you got there, but I think my reaction is yes, like, I do be asking questions [laughs] when I join a project on a client team. And I was trying to separate, like, what kinds of questions I ask. And I kind of came away with a few different categories depending on, like, the stage of the engagement I'm in. But, you know, when I first join a team and when I'm first starting out consulting for a team, I feel like I just ask a lot of basic questions. Like, "Where's the Jira board [laughs]?" Like, "How do you do deployments here?" Like, "What kind of Git process do you use?" So, I don't know if those are necessarily the interesting ones. But I think one thing that has been nice is being a consultant has kind of stripped the fear of asking those questions because, I don't know, these are just things I need to know to do my work. And, like, I'm not as worried about, like, looking dumb or anything like that [laughs]. JOËL: Yeah. I think there's often a fear that asking questions might make you look incompetent or maybe will sort of undermine your appearance of knowing what you're talking about, and I think I've found that to be sort of the opposite. Asking a lot of questions can build more trust, both because it forces people to think about things that maybe they didn't think about, bring to light sort of implicit assumptions that everyone has, and also because it helps you to ramp up much more quickly and to be productive in a way that people really appreciate. STEPHANIE: Yeah. And I also think that putting those things in, like, a public and, like, documented space helps people in the future too, right? At least I am a power Slack searcher [laughs]. And whenever I am onboarding somewhere, one of the first places I go is just to search in Slack and see if someone has asked this question before. I think the next kind of category of question that I discerned was just, like, questions to understand how the team understands things. So, it's purely just to, like, absorb kind of like perspective or, like, a worldview this team has about their codebase, or their work, or whatever. So, I think those questions manifest as just like, "Oh, like, you know, I am curious, like, what do you think about how healthy your codebase is? Or what kinds of bugs is your team, like, dealing with?" Just trying to get a better understanding of like, what are the challenges that this team is facing in their own words, especially before I even start to form my own opinions. Well, okay, to be honest, I probably am forming my own opinions, like, on the side [laughs], but I really try hard to not let that be the driver of how I'm showing up and especially in the first month I'm starting on a new team. JOËL: Would you say these sorts of questions are more around sort of social organization or, like, how a team approaches work, that sort of thing? Or do you classify more technical questions in this category? So, like, "Hey, tell me a little bit about your philosophy around testing." Or we talked in a recent episode "What value do you feel you get out of testing?" as a question to ask before even, like, digging into the implementation. STEPHANIE: Yeah, I think these questions, for me, sit at, like, the intersection of both social organization and technical questions because, you know, asking something like, "What's the value of testing for your team?" That will probably give me information about how their test suite is like, right? Like, what kinds of tests they are writing and kind of the quality of them maybe. And it also tells me about, yeah, like, maybe the reasons why, like, they only have just unit tests or maybe, like, just [inaudible 12:31] test, or whatever. And I think all of that is helpful information. And then, that's actually a really...I like the distinction you made because I feel like then the last category of questions that I'll mention, for now, feels like more geared towards technical, especially the questions I ask to debunk assumptions that might be held by the team. And I feel like that's like kind of the last...the evolution of my question-asking. Because I have, hopefully, like, really absorbed, like, why, you know, people think the way they do about some of these, you know, about their code and start to poke a little bit on being like, "Why do you think, you know, like, this problem space has to be modeled this way?" And that has served me well as a consultant because, you know, once you've been at an organization for a while, like, you start to take a lot of things for granted about just having to always be this way, you know, it's like, things just are the way they are. And part of the power of, you know, being this kind of, like, external observer is starting to kind of just like, yeah, be able to question that. And, you know, at the end of day, like, we choose not to change something, but I think it's very powerful to be able to at least, like, open up that conversation. JOËL: Right. And sometimes you open up that conversation, and what you get is a link to a big PR discussion or a Wiki or something where that discussion has already been had. And then, that's good for you and probably good for anybody else who has that question as well. STEPHANIE: I'm curious, for you, though, like, this thesis statement, atomic note, did you have notes around it, or was it just, like, you dropped it in there [laughs]? JOËL: So, I have a few things, one is that when you come in as a consultant, and, you know, we're talking here about consultants because that's what we do. I think this is probably true for most people onboarding, especially for non-junior roles where you're coming in, and there's an assumption of expertise, but you need to onboard onto a project. This is just particularly relevant for us as consultants because we do this every six months instead of, you know, a senior developer who's doing this maybe every two to three years. So, the note that I have here is that when you're brought on, clients they expect expertise in a technology, something like Ruby on Rails or, you know, just the web environment in general. They don't expect you as a consultant to be an expert in their domain or their practices. And so, when you really engage with this sort of areas that are new by asking a lot of questions, that's the thing that's really valuable, especially if those questions are coming from a place of experience in other similar things. So, maybe asking some questions around testing strategies because you've seen three or four other ways that work or don't work or that have different trade-offs. Even asking about, "Hey, I see we went down a particular path, technically. Can you walk me through what were the trade-offs that we evaluated and why we decided this was the path that was valuable for us?" That's something that people really appreciate from outside experts. Because it shows that you've got experience in those trade-offs, that you've thought the deeper thoughts beyond just shipping the next ticket. And sometimes they've made the decisions without actually thinking through the trade-offs. And so, that can be an opening for a conversation of like, "Hey, well, we just went down this path because we saw a blog article that recommended this, or we just did this because it felt right. Talk us through the trade-offs." And now maybe you have a conversation on, "Hey, here are the trade-offs that you're doing. Let me know if this sounds right for your organization. If not, maybe you want to consider changing some things or tweaking your approach." And I think that is valuable sort of at the big level where you're thinking about how the team is structured, how different parts of work is done, the technical architecture, but it also is valuable at the small level as well. STEPHANIE: Yeah, 100%. There is a blog post I really like by Hazel Weakly, and it's called "The Power of Being New: A Proven Recipe for High Impact." And one thing that she says at the beginning that I really enjoy is that even though, like, whenever you start on a new team there's always that little bit of pressure of starting to deliver immediate value, right? But there's something really special about that period where no one expects you to do anything, like, super useful immediately [laughs]. And I feel like it is both a fleeting time and, you know, I'm excited to continue this conversation of, like, how to keep integrating that even after you're no longer new. But I like to use that time to just identify, while I have nothing really on my plate, like, things that might have just been overlooked or just people have gotten used to that sometimes is, honestly, like, can be a quick fix, right? Like, just, I don't know, deleting a piece of dead code that you're seeing is no longer used but just gets fallen off other people's plates. I really enjoy those first few weeks, and people are almost, like, always so appreciative, right? They're like, "Oh my gosh, I have been meaning to do that." Or like, "Great find." And these are things that, like I said, just get overlooked when you are, yeah, kind of busy with other things that now are your responsibility. JOËL: You're talking about, like, that feeling of can you add value in the, like, initial time that you join. And I think that sometimes it can be easy to think that, oh, the only value you can add is by, like, shipping code. I think that being sort of noisy and asking a lot of questions in Slack is often a great way to add value, especially at first. STEPHANIE: Yeah, agreed. JOËL: Ideally, I think you come in, and you don't sort of slide in under the radar as, like, a new person on the team. Like, you come in, and everybody knows you're there because you are, like, spamming the channel with questions on all sorts of things and getting people to either link you to resources they have or explaining different topics, especially anything domain-related. You know, you're coming in with an outside expertise in a technology. You are a complete new person at the business and the problem domain. And so, that's an area where you need to ask a lot of questions and ramp up quickly. STEPHANIE: Yes. I have a kind of side topic. I guess it's not a side topic. It's about asking questions, so it's relevant [laughs]. But one thing that I'm curious about is how do you approach kind of doing this in a place where question asking is not normalized and maybe other people are less comfortable with kind of people asking questions openly and in public? Like, how do you set yourself up to be able to ask questions in a way that doesn't lead to just, like, some just, like, suspicion or discomfort about, like, why you're asking those questions? JOËL: I think that's the beauty of the consultant title. When an organization brings in outside experts, they kind of expect you to ask questions. Or maybe it's not an explicit expectation, but when they see you asking a lot of questions, it sort of, I think, validates a lot of things that they expect about what an outside expert should be. So, asking a lot of questions of trying to understand your business, asking a lot of questions to try to understand the technical architecture, asking questions around, like, some subtle edge cases or trade-offs that were made in the technical architecture. These are all things that help clients feel like they're getting value for the money from an outside expert because that's what you want an outside expert to do is to help you question some of your assumptions, to be able to leverage their, like, general expertise in a technology by applying it to your specific situation. I've had situations where I'll ask, like, a very nuanced, deep technical question about, like, "Hey, so there's, like, this one weird edge case that I think could potentially happen. How do we, like, think through about this?" And one of the, like, more senior people on the team who built the initial codebase responded, like, almost, like, proud that I've discovered this, like, weird edge case, and being like, "Oh yeah, that was a thing that we did think about, and here's why. And it's really cool that, like, day one you're, like, just while reading through the code and were like, 'Oh, this thing,' because it took us, like, a month of thinking about it before we stumbled across that." So, it was a weird kind of fun interaction where as a new person rolling on, one of the more experienced devs in the codebase almost felt, like, proud of me for having found that. STEPHANIE: I like that, yeah. I feel like a lot of the time...it's like, it's so easy to ask questions to help people feel seen, to be like, "Oh yeah, like, I noticed this." And, you know, if you withhold any kind of, like, judgment about it when you ask the question, people are so willing to be like, yeah, like you said, like, "Oh, I'm glad you saw that." Or like, "Isn't that weird? Like, I was feeling, you know, I saw that, too." Or, like, it opens it up, I think, for building trust, which, again, like, I don't even think this is something that you necessarily need to be new to even do. But if at any point you feel like, you know, maybe your working relationship with someone could be better, right? To the point where you feel like you're, like, really on the same page, yeah, ask questions [laughs]. It can be that easy. JOËL: And I think what can be really nice is, in an environment where question asking is not normalized, coming in and doing that can help sort of provide a little bit of cover to other people who are feeling less comfortable or less safe doing that. So, maybe there's a lot of junior members on the team who are feeling not super confident in themselves and are afraid that asking questions might undermine their position in the company. But me coming in as a sort of senior consultant and asking a lot of those questions can then help normalize that as a thing because then they can look and say, "Oh, well he's asking all these questions. Maybe I can ask my question, and it'll be okay." STEPHANIE: I also wanted to talk about setting yourself up and asking questions to get a good answer, asking good questions to get useful answers. One thing that has worked really well for me in the past few months has been sharing why I'm asking the question. And I think this goes back to a little bit of what I was hinting at earlier. If the culture is not really used to people asking questions and that just being a thing that is normal, sharing a bit of intention can help, like, ease maybe some nervousness that people might feel. Especially as consultants, we also are in a bit of a, I don't know, like, there is some power dynamics occasionally where it's like, oh, like, the consultants are here. Like, what are they going to come in and change or, like, start, you know, doing to, quote, unquote, "improve", whatever, I don't know [laughs]. JOËL: Right, right. STEPHANIE: Yeah, that's the consultant archetype, I think. Anyway. JOËL: Just coming in and being like, "Oh, this is bad, and this is bad, and you're doing it wrong." STEPHANIE: [laughs] JOËL: Ooh, I would be ashamed if I was the author of this code. STEPHANIE: Yeah, my hot take is that that is a bad consultant [laughs]. But maybe I'll say, like, "I am looking for some examples of this pattern. Where can I find them [laughs]?" Or "I've noticed that the team is struggling with, like, this particular part of the codebase, and I am thinking about improving it. What are some of your biggest challenges, like, working with this, like, model?" something like that. And I think this also goes back to, like, proving value, right? Even if it's like, sometimes I know kind of what I want to do, and I'll try to be explicit about that. But even before I have, like, a clear action item, I might just say like, "I'm thinking about this," you know, to convey that, you know, I'm still in that information gathering stage, but the result of that will be useful to help me with whatever kind of comes out of it. JOËL: A lot of it is about, like, genuine curiosity and an amount of empathetic listening. Existing team knows a lot about both the code and the business. And as a consultant coming on or maybe even a more senior person onboarding onto a team, the existing team has so much that they can give you to help you be better at your job. STEPHANIE: I was also revisiting a really great blog post from Julia Evans about "How to Ask Good Questions." And this one is more geared towards asking technical questions that have, like, kind of a maybe more straightforward answer. But she included a few other strategies that I liked a lot. And, frankly, I feel like I want to be even better at finding the right time to ask questions [laughs] and finding the right person to ask those questions to. I definitely get in the habit of just kind of like, I don't know, I'll just put it out there and [laughs], hopefully, get some answers. But there are definitely ways, I think, that you can be more strategic, right? About identifying who might be the best person to provide the answers you're looking for. And I think another thing that I often have to balance in the consulting position is when to know when to, like, stop kind of asking the really big questions because we just don't have time [laughs]. JOËL: Right. You don't want to be asking questions in a way that's sort of undermining the product, or the decisions that are being made, or the work that has to get done. Ideally, the questions that you're asking are helping move the project forward in a positive way. Nobody likes the, you know, just asking kind of person. That person's annoying. STEPHANIE: Do you have an approach or any thoughts about like, once you get an answer, like, what do you do with that? Yeah, what happens then for you? JOËL: I guess there's a lot of different ways it can go. A potential way if it's just, like, an answer explained in Slack, is maybe saying, "We should document this." Or maybe even like, "Is this documented anywhere? If not, can I add that documentation somewhere?" And maybe that's, you know, a code comment that we want to add. Maybe that's an entry to the Wiki. Maybe that's updating the README. Maybe that's adding a test case. But converting that into something actionable can often be a really good follow-up. STEPHANIE: Yeah, I think that mitigates the just asking [laughs] thing that you were saying earlier, where it's like, you know, the goal isn't to ask questions to then make more work for other people, right? It's to ask questions so, hopefully, you're able to take that information and do something valuable with it. JOËL: Right. Sometimes it can be a sort of setup for follow-up questions. You get some information and you're like, okay, so, it looks like we do have a pattern for interacting with third-party APIs, but we're not using it consistently. Tell me a little bit about why that is. Is that a new pattern that we've introduced and we're trying to, like, get more buy-in from the team? Is this a pattern that we used to have, and we found out we didn't like it? So, we stopped using it, but we haven't found a replacement pattern that we like. And so, now we're just kind of...it's a free-for-all, and we're trying to figure it out. Maybe there's two competing patterns, and there is this, like, weird politics within the tech team where they're sort of using one or the other, and that's something I'm going to have to be careful to navigate. So, asking some of those follow-up questions and once you have a technical answer can yield a lot of really interesting information and then help you think about how you can be impactful on the organization. STEPHANIE: And that sounds like advice that's just true, you know, regardless of your role or how long you've been in it, don't you think? JOËL: I would say yes. If you've been in the role a long time, though, you're the person who has that sort of institutional history in your mind. You know that in 2022, we switched over from one framework to another. You know that we used to have this, like, very opinionated architect who mandated a particular pattern, and then we moved away from it. You know that we were all in on this big feature last summer that we released and then nobody used it, and then the business pivoted, but there's still aspects of it that are left around. Those are things that someone knew onboarding doesn't know and that, hopefully, they're asking questions that you can then answer. STEPHANIE: Have you been in the position where you have all that, like, institutional knowledge? And then, like, how do you maintain that sense of curiosity or just that sense of kind of, like, what you're talking about, that superpower that you get when you're new of being able to just, you know, kind of question why things are the way they are? JOËL: It's hard, right? We're talking about how do you keep that sort of almost like a beginner's mindset, in this case, maybe less of a, like, new coder mindset and more of a new hire mindset. It's something that I think is much more front of mind for me because I rotate onto new clients every, like, 6 to 12 months. And so, I don't have very long to get comfortable before I'm immediately thrown into, like, a new situation. But something that I like to do is to never sort of solely be in one role or the other, a sort of, like, experienced person helping others or the new person asking for help. Likely, you are not going to be the newest person on the team for long. Maybe you came on as a cohort and you've got a group of new people, all of whom are asking different questions. And maybe somebody is asking a question that you've asked before, that you've asked in a different channel or on a call with someone. Or maybe someone joins two weeks after you; you don't have deep institutional knowledge. But if you've been asking a lot of questions, you've been building a lot of that for yourself, and you have a little bit that you can share to the next person who knows even less than you do. And that's an approach that I took even as an apprentice developer. When I was, like, brand new to Rails and I was doing an internship, and another intern joined me a couple of weeks after, and I was like, "You know what? I barely know anything. But I know what an instance variable is. And I can help you write a controller action. Let's pair on that. We'll figure it out. And, you know, ask me another question next week. I might have more answers for you." So, I guess a little bit of paying it forward. STEPHANIE: Yeah, I really like that advice, though, of, like, switching up the role or, like, kind of what you're working on, just finding opportunities to practice that, you know, even if you have been somewhere for a long time. I think that is really interesting advice. And it's hard, too, right? Because that requires, like, doing something new, and doing something new can be hard [laughs]. But if you're, you know, aren't in a consultant role, where you're not rotating onto new projects every 6 to 12 months, that, I feel like, would be a good strategy to grow in that particular way. JOËL: And even if you're not switching companies or in a consulting situation, it's not uncommon to have people switch from one team to another within an organization. And new team might mean new dynamics. That team might be doing a slightly different approach to project management. Their part of the code might be structured slightly differently. They might be dealing with a part of the business domain that you're less familiar with. While that might not be entirely new to you because, you know, you know a little bit of the organization's DNA and you understand the organization's mission and their core product, there are definitely a lot of things that will be new to you, and asking those questions becomes important. STEPHANIE: I also have another kind of, I don't know, it's not even a strategy. It's just a funny thing that I do where, like, my memory is so poor that, like, even code I wrote, you know, a month ago, I'm like, oh, what was past Stephanie thinking here [laughs]? You know, questioning myself a little bit, right? And being willing to do that and recognizing that, like, I have information now that I didn't have in the past. And, like, can that be useful somehow? You know, it's like, the code I wrote a month ago is not set in stone. And I think that's one way I almost, like, practice that skill with myself [laughs]. And yeah, it has helped me combat that, like, things are the way they are mentality, which, generally, I think is a very big blocker [laughs] when it comes to software development, but that's a topic for another day [laughs]. JOËL: I like the idea of questioning yourself, and I think that's something that is a really valuable skill for all developers. I think it can come up in things like documentation. Let's say you're leaving a comment on a method, especially one that's a bit weird, being able to answer that "Why was this weird technical decision made?" Or maybe you do this in your PR description, or your commit message, or in any of the other places where you do this, not just sort of shipping the code as is, but trying to look at it from an outsider's eyes. And being like, what are the areas where they're going to, like, get a quizzical look and be like, "Why is this happening? Why did you make this choice?" Bonus points if you talked a little bit about the trade-offs that were decided on to say, "Hey, there were two different implementations available for this. I chose to take implementation A because I like this set of trade-offs better." That's gold. And, I guess, as a reviewer, if I'm seeing that in a PR, that's going to make my job a lot easier. STEPHANIE: Yes. Yeah, I never thought about it that way, but yeah, I guess I do kind of apply, you know, the things that I would kind of ask to other team members to myself sometimes. And that is...it's cool to hear that you really appreciate that because I always kind of just did it for myself [laughs], but yeah, I'm sure that it, like, is helpful for other people as well. JOËL: I guess you were asking what are ways that you can ask questions even when you are more established. And talking about these sorts of self-reflective questions in the context of review got me thinking that PRs are a great place to ask questions. They're great when you're a newcomer. One of the things I like to do when I'm new on a project is do a lot of PR reviews so I can just see the weird things that people are working on and ask a lot of questions about the patterns. STEPHANIE: Yep. Same here. JOËL: Do a lot of code reading. But that's a thing that you can keep doing and asking a lot of questions on PRs and not in a, like, trying to undermine what the person is doing, but, like, genuine questions, I think, is a great way to maintain that mindset. STEPHANIE: Yeah, yeah, agreed. And I think when I've seen it done well, it's like, you get to be engaged and involved with the rest of your team, right? And you kind of have a bit of an idea about what people are working on. But you're also kind of entrusting them with ownership of that work. Like, you don't need to be totally in the weeds and know exactly how every method works. But, you know, you can be curious about like, "Oh, like, what were you thinking about this?" Or like, "What about this pattern appeals to you?" And all of that information, I think, helps you become a better, like, especially a senior developer, but also just, like, a leader on the team, I think. JOËL: Yeah, especially the questions around like, "Oh, walk me through some of the trade-offs that you chose for this method." And, you know, for maybe a person who's more senior, that's great. They have an opportunity to, like, talk about the decisions they made and why. That's really useful information. For a more junior person, maybe they've never thought about it. They're like, "Oh, wait, there are trade-offs here?" and now that's a great learning opportunity for them. And you don't want to come at it from a place of judgment of like, oh, well, clearly, you know, you're a terrible developer because you didn't think about the performance implications of this method. But if you come at it from a place of, like, genuine curiosity and sort of assuming the best of people on the team and being willing to work alongside them, help them discover some new concepts...maybe they've never, like, interacted so much with performance trade-offs, and now you get to have a conversation. And they've learned a thing, and everybody wins. STEPHANIE: Yeah. And also, I think seeing people ask questions that way helps more junior folks also learn when to ask those kinds of questions, even if they don't know the answer, right? But maybe they start kind of pattern matching. Like, oh, like, there might be some other trade-offs to consider with this kind of code, but I don't know what they are yet. But now I know to at least start asking and find someone who can help me determine that. And when I've seen that, that has been always, like, just so cool because it's upskilling happening [laughs] in practice. JOËL: Exactly. I love that phrase that you said: "Asking questions where you don't know the answers," which I think is the opposite of what lawyers are taught to do. I think lawyers the mantra they have is you never ask a witness a question that you don't know the answer to. But I like to flip that for developers. Ask a lot of questions on PRs where you don't know the answer, and you'll grow, and the author will grow. And this is true across experience levels. STEPHANIE: That's one of my favorite parts about being a developer, and maybe that's why I will never be a lawyer [laughter]. JOËL: On that note, I have a question maybe I do know the answer to. Shall we wrap up? STEPHANIE: Let's wrap up. Show notes for this episode can be found at bikeshed.fm. JOËL: This show has been produced and edited by Mandy Moore. STEPHANIE: If you enjoyed listening, one really easy way to support the show is to leave us a quick rating or even a review in iTunes. It really helps other folks find the show. JOËL: If you have any feedback for this or any of our other episodes, you can reach us @_bikeshed, or you can reach me @joelquen on Twitter. STEPHANIE: Or reach both of us at hosts@bikeshed.fm via email. JOËL: Thanks so much for listening to The Bike Shed, and we'll see you next week. ALL: Byeeeeeeee!!!!!!! AD: Did you know thoughtbot has a referral program? If you introduce us to someone looking for a design or development partner, we will compensate you if they decide to work with us. More info on our website at: tbot.io/referral. Or you can email us at: referrals@thoughtbot.com with any questions.

Tim and JP discuss the Benelux Grand Melee 2024, and our thoughts on the Studio Tomahawk scenarios and scoring.

After the last two inversions, things may seem a bit bleak. But the fall of one-third of the angels should not bring despair, despite the fact that God gives them leash to harass us - but just enough. (We should take note that they have been defeated already, yet the end must play out.) The existence of spirits and angelic beings (even fallen ones) does nothing to change the fact that the radically transcendent God created wholly out of love. And how do we know this? Because God praises all of his creation as “good.” When God said “Fiat lux” he was pleased. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.Notice that he did not say, “Let there be dark,” for nothing is the darkness. But the light is good, and light is also true and beautiful. Seven times in the first chapter of Genesis we read “And God saw that it was good.” In the last mention, a strong adverb is added:God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.Note that God says “it was good” even after creating humans, in our pre-fallen state. Note that this declaration of humans being “good” is prior to the moment when he breathes a rational soul into humankind, but even after the Fall we are good, but compromised. We are bent but not broken. Even when our ejection from the Garden happens, the ground is cursed, not us. This is an important point to notice. Goodness in creation brings with it the language of hope, second chances, forgiveness, because all of us spiritually crippled and broken things are worth saving. In Japan, an art form called Kintsugi takes broken pottery and mends it with a golden filler or powder so that the item becomes serviceable again while maintaining its scars. After the restoration, the pottery looks more beautiful and even becomes more valuable than the original pot. The original pot was good, but the healed pot is better. Shattered, it seemed destined for the garbage heap. However, with this art form, what was perceived as garbage or as a lost-cause is mended and brought back to life, in a resurrection of sorts. What was originally good is glorified in the restoration. That is the plan of salvation. Don't let the Fall get you down, because the plan is greater than we understand. And that brings us to the inversion regarding goodness: all that God made is good. This is why sin is ridiculous. It destroys the good. Yet the good remains and will be restored if we understand this inversion. Cast out your cynicism and your glass-half-full thinking. Reject the notion that this world is intrinsically evil, for it was not made that way. By our sin, the pottery was shattered. Through the Paschal mystery we are repaired with golden seams. But in the meantime…Because we have the reality of sin, we look for answers outside of the most obvious place. And this causes us to forget: that all matter and spirit created by God was good from the start. It is only by turning away that we crack up and need restoration. Yet there is much hope in that restoration, too, for in the healing, our wounds will remain but be more glorious. Many errors about the goodness of creation has led both the Israelites and Christians and non-believers away from the right path. This often falls under an umbrella of “matter is bad” or “spirits are bad.” The error is simple. All of God's creation exudes goodness. It is sin that is bad, because it deforms and disorders that goodness. The one thing that God creates that he deems “not good” is when the man is alone, and therefore he creates woman. “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.'” Thus, the only thing that God created that was not good - human loneliness - was promptly addressed with the most wonderful creation of all: woman, and with her, he created another amazing gift called marriage. The Fall marred that relationship as well, for as we turned from God, we turned away from each other. Since the Fall, we have been looking for something to blame for the state we are in, and the list of errors in what to blame grows long. If we don't blame God, we blame something created. I would personally like to blame mosquitoes, but in the grand order of things, without mosquitoes many birds and bats would starve, and I like birds and bats. Even though mosquitoes ruin many summer evenings, they were created as good, because God said so. Many stand-ins for mosquitoes have been tried. With Pandora's Box the Greeks blamed the gods and woman for introducing evil. With the Manichaeans, matter was evil. In Christian history, there are thirty-one flavors of Gnostic heresies, with popular movements like Marcionism, Catharism, and Paulicianism. Most recently, the Woke movement of recent years has come up with a remarkably parallel set of doctrines to the Cathars, to the point that they seem somehow separated at birth despite being hundreds of years apart. All of these gnostic groups die an ugly death, because they are errors and forget that God is good, and creation is good. With all untruth, it eventually turns on itself, killing off the host. The “light versus dark” idea is not new. This mistake is ancient. The light/dark battle royale is called dualism, and here is the mistake: dualism declares that there are two equal forces in the universe in contention for power, and only those on the “right side of history” are the “good.” If you find Catholicism odd, look into the gnostic and dualist movements. You will find many strange ideas and no coherency, but a general theme of “matter is bad,” and that is not what God says. He says the opposite. He says matter is good, repeating it seven different times. In much of the “light vs. dark” errors, there is a misconception of God and the “war in heaven” idea included God himself. But there is no competitor with God, who is the highest good and source of all that is good. Any war in heaven that happened among the angels occurred as part of God's plan of salvation. Again, God is transcendent of all created things, even the angels. Thus, evil cannot touch God, because evil only happens in creation, which includes the created heavens. To use a metaphor, if an architect built a beautiful cathedral, and later a visitor entered the cathedral and spray painted the walls, that is not the architect's work. The graffiti vandal represents disorder from the goodness of the creation, but the spray paint came from the creature who used creation unwisely. Back to dualism: this idea often grows out of an imbalance in the world due to people causing disorder. We naturally fall into this state, and its called paganism. Paganism and modern political religion falls into this zero-sum game trap. The idea of competition comes from dualism, which is fundamentally a distrust in God and his plan for salvation. Here is something we don't like to admit: most Americans today are not Christians; they are gnostics and dualists without knowing it. We lionize competition and achievement, where failure is darkness. In other words, the Fall pushes us into continual competition, so that we do not cooperate with God's grace or each other for the common good. After all, God created all things and saw that it was good. No, it was very good. We forget this every day. It's good, yet something is off in creation, so we need to fix it. What could it be? What could be off? What is it that is un-good? That thing is called “me” but that's hard to look at. Blaming something else is the path of least resistance, but wide is the way that leads to destruction and many are those who follow it. This leads to a variety of conclusions about what is bad, or what went wrong, and so often the conclusion leads to something called “gnosis,” or secret knowledge. This secret knowledge tends to elevate the self over other people or groups. This secret knowledge pins the tail on a donkey to blame for all suffering. Gnosis behaves like a cancer cell, because gnosis takes many forms, and whatever group catches this disease always dies off in the end and becomes an obituary in history books. This is inevitable because the truth always bubbles up and continues on, like a cork in a stormy sea - no matter the weather or the waves, the truth cannot be sunk. For some of these errors, the secret knowledge looks at matter as the source of evil, sometimes all matter. Leaps of logic are made, such as: Life is pain, ergo “bodies are bad.” An extension of that is “sex is bad” which was the cry of the Puritans and Cathars. (FYI: Puritanism is an error, as is all of Calvinism). Often specific matter or bodies are the target, like women or men, or black people or white people. Sound absurd? That's because it is absurd. Sometimes there are specific groups, like Republicans or Democrats, capitalists or communists, that mark off the light versus dark and the group is responsible for all evil (depends on which side you are on). This blame and zero-sum game leads to a world lacking forgiveness. Conversely, the idea that all creation is good, but we are compromised, this leads to a world of forgiveness and redemptive suffering, which we'll discuss in a later inversion.When any cult of dualism arises - and it always does - there is an enemy that must be destroyed, for that is the root of darkness. Killing all the Jews and Catholic priests has been tried multiple times and didn't solve the problem of evil. Caesar killed a million Gauls and that didn't cure Rome. Currently, in the 21st century, one set of gnostic dualists say that the the enemies are whiteness, the patriarchy, pro-life groups, traditional Christians, and (the perennial pick) practicing Jews. Another set blames foreigners, economics, academic elites, and the progressive lobby. Unsurprisingly, the enemy of the dualists never takes the name of “my personal sin” or “the Fall” because the source of all evil is elsewhere. For dualists and gnostics, the evil comes externally, not from the human heart that resides in each of us. We were created good, but like a broken pot, we are scattered into pieces. Yet there is a way to be mended, and it is by the savior that heals, the great Konsugi artist named Jesus. We all seem to know there was an Eden, a perfect state, a heavenly existence, and we want to return to it. We can feel that creation's goodness is real without having ever been to the eternal paradise. Our confusion swirls around how to get back to the Garden. When we turn from God's goodness, we tend to believe that it is us who will restore the Garden, and somehow by our efforts we will get past the cherubim and the spinning fiery sword that blocks the way. To do so, we need to remove the un-good ideas or people or material that blocks the path. This attempt to boost our own way to heaven is flammable and the devil loves watching it happen, since the father of lies caused the Fall in the first place. Socialism and capitalism claimed to have the way to paradise, and both have created versions of hell on earth. The darkness in the human heart can be hard to admit, so we project it onto other created things, or the Creator himself if we have a poor understanding of God. St. Augustine and others did much battle to knock-down the Manichean dualist claim that all matter was bad. Many others throughout the centuries have had to defend God's holy name against a variety of similar heresies. The gnostics and dualists always come back, always with bad ideas, slightly different than before, which again makes them much like a mutating cancer cell that winds through time. However, this inversion is not about who is to blame. It is about goodness, truth, and light. First and foremost, we must understand that all matter and spirit was created good because it came from God's love. Another way to say it is that creation is ordered. Creation has a wisdom of its own, far beyond ours. The Catechism states:Because God creates through wisdom, his creation is ordered …Our human understanding, which shares in the light of the divine intellect, can understand what God tells us by means of his creation, though not without great effort and only in a spirit of humility and respect before the Creator and his work. Because creation comes forth from God's goodness, it shares in that goodness - "And God saw that it was good. . . very good”- for God willed creation as a gift addressed to man, an inheritance destined for and entrusted to him. On many occasions the Church has had to defend the goodness of creation, including that of the physical world. (CCC 299)This should not come as a shock for anyone that has witnessed a sunset, or watched seeds grow, or watched puppies play, or observed a baby being born, or caught sight of a red fox in the winter snow, or watched a monarch caterpillar emerge from its cocoon as a monarch butterfly. This should not come as a shock to anyone who has pondered the mathematical miracle of a shell on a beach, or felt the might of ocean waves against their legs on shifting sands, or visited a glacier, or hiked a mountain. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has caught a fish, or harvested apples, or has felt the sting after being too late in slapping a mosquito before the bite. There is order in creation. All modern science rests upon that assumption. Perhaps we've taken this for granted for too long. We need to recognize this wonder of intelligibility. Saint John Paul II said, “It is the one and the same God who establishes and guarantees the intelligibility and reasonableness of the natural order of things upon which scientists confidently depend.” (Fides et Ratio, 34)God created the integers and the angels, as well as the basic Legos we call carbon and hydrogen and helium - and all of this was good. Why was it good? Because it is reasonable. It is order out of nothing, out of emptiness, out of chaos. The watery void or the Big Empty is uninteresting, whereas the music of the spheres in the heavens makes sense. The soil cycle and weather cycle and Krebs cycle and tricycle: all of these make sense. As Einstein said, “The eternal mystery of the universe is its comprehensibility. The fact that it is comprehensible is a miracle.”In other words, nature is ordered by a wisdom far greater than our own, yet we can study it. Better still, because we are part of that good creation. God is the only thing not part of creation, because he is the sheer act of Being Itself. Thus, we should never worship creation or anything in it, because creatures are not the Creator. That means we should not worship the earth or the stars or celebrities or mascots or nations or corporations or ideas. On this ordered “goodness” the first universities were founded, as all truth leads to God, who created all things. The foundation of order in the universe coming from the Unmoved Mover provides the bedrock for all inquiry, and we are free to arrive at our own conclusions. In the Catholic manner of thinking, inquiry into the truth is right and just, and is based on the observed order of God's good work. The Catholic intellectual tradition and the contemporary university share two underlying convictions: that to be human is to desire to discover truth, and that the quest for truth is sparked by the expectation that the universe is intelligible. In the Catholic view, these convictions arise from belief in the union of the divine and human in Jesus Christ and the unity of all things in God. From this theological perspective, the Catholic intellectual tradition is based on two fundamental principles: first, that the search for truth in all aspects of life extends to the ultimate search for truth that animates faith; and, second, that faith is a catalyst for inquiry, as faith seeks to understand itself and its relationship to every dimension of life. Thus, the most probing questions in every discipline are never deemed to be in opposition to faith but are welcomed into the conversation on the conviction that ongoing discovery of the intelligibility of the universe will reveal more of the truth about God. The Catholic intellectual tradition can thrive only with the participation of all who seek the truth, including those whose inquiry leads them to question whether the search reveals purpose, meaning, or God, or to conclude that it does not. (from The Catholic Intellectual Tradition: A Conversation at Boston College)The ultimate truth is God, so all honest inquiry leads back to God. Hence, if we are to truly, honestly “follow the science,” it will lead us to God. But much of modern science leads away from God and every thirty years those erroneous papers are scuttled, because “the science” was actually disguised ideology, often with motives not unlike the gnostics and dualists. St. Paul tells us that “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” which explains the confusion. Drawn to artificial light, we stray from the true God. This happens in our own moral behavior, in our pursuit of happiness, and even across entire nations. The intelligibility of creation, which is good, comes from God, who is love. He created out of love, not because he had to, or needed to. God does not compete with anything in creation, as he is the Creator. Just as Shakespeare cannot compete with Macbeth, God has no competitor that can even approach or fathom his glory. The closest beings to him, as handed down by tradition, are the Seraphim, the angels of the highest order (or choir), and yet there is zero chance of them overtaking God. In our much lower place, we can conclude that we know better than God, and that we can make his creation operate properly, when it is exactly our sin that disorders creation. This is the opposite of humility. Pope Francis wrote Laudato Si, or Care for our Common Home, which delved into details about the goodness of creation, rejecting all dualism and gnosticism, and putting it into terms of how the creation in Genesis and the Gospels clearly dovetail, particularly in the life of Jesus. Closing out this inversion, here are six paragraphs from Laudato Si. 84. Our insistence that each human being is an image of God should not make us overlook the fact that each creature has its own purpose. None is superfluous. The entire material universe speaks of God's love, his boundless affection for us. Soil, water, mountains: everything is, as it were, a caress of God. The history of our friendship with God is always linked to particular places which take on an intensely personal meaning; we all remember places, and revisiting those memories does us much good. Anyone who has grown up in the hills or used to sit by the spring to drink, or played outdoors in the neighbourhood square; going back to these places is a chance to recover something of their true selves.85. God has written a precious book, “whose letters are the multitude of created things present in the universe”.[54] The Canadian bishops rightly pointed out that no creature is excluded from this manifestation of God: “From panoramic vistas to the tiniest living form, nature is a constant source of wonder and awe. It is also a continuing revelation of the divine”.[55] The bishops of Japan, for their part, made a thought-provoking observation: “To sense each creature singing the hymn of its existence is to live joyfully in God's love and hope”.[56] This contemplation of creation allows us to discover in each thing a teaching which God wishes to hand on to us, since “for the believer, to contemplate creation is to hear a message, to listen to a paradoxical and silent voice”.[57] We can say that “alongside revelation properly so-called, contained in sacred Scripture, there is a divine manifestation in the blaze of the sun and the fall of night”.[58] Paying attention to this manifestation, we learn to see ourselves in relation to all other creatures: “I express myself in expressing the world; in my effort to decipher the sacredness of the world, I explore my own”.[59]86. The universe as a whole, in all its manifold relationships, shows forth the inexhaustible riches of God. Saint Thomas Aquinas wisely noted that multiplicity and variety “come from the intention of the first agent” who willed that “what was wanting to one in the representation of the divine goodness might be supplied by another”,[60] inasmuch as God's goodness “could not be represented fittingly by any one creature”.[61] Hence we need to grasp the variety of things in their multiple relationships.[62] We understand better the importance and meaning of each creature if we contemplate it within the entirety of God's plan. As the Catechism teaches: “God wills the interdependence of creatures. The sun and the moon, the cedar and the little flower, the eagle and the sparrow: the spectacle of their countless diversities and inequalities tells us that no creature is self-sufficient. Creatures exist only in dependence on each other, to complete each other, in the service of each other”.[63]…98. Jesus lived in full harmony with creation, and others were amazed: “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?” (Mt 8:27). His appearance was not that of an ascetic set apart from the world, nor of an enemy to the pleasant things of life. Of himself he said: “The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard!'” (Mt 11:19). He was far removed from philosophies which despised the body, matter and the things of the world. Such unhealthy dualisms, nonetheless, left a mark on certain Christian thinkers in the course of history and disfigured the Gospel. Jesus worked with his hands, in daily contact with the matter created by God, to which he gave form by his craftsmanship. It is striking that most of his life was dedicated to this task in a simple life which awakened no admiration at all: “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?” (Mk 6:3). In this way he sanctified human labour and endowed it with a special significance for our development. As Saint John Paul II taught, “by enduring the toil of work in union with Christ crucified for us, man in a way collaborates with the Son of God for the redemption of humanity”.[79]99. In the Christian understanding of the world, the destiny of all creation is bound up with the mystery of Christ, present from the beginning: “All things have been created though him and for him” (Col 1:16).[80] The prologue of the Gospel of John (1:1-18) reveals Christ's creative work as the Divine Word (Logos). But then, unexpectedly, the prologue goes on to say that this same Word “became flesh” (Jn 1:14). One Person of the Trinity entered into the created cosmos, throwing in his lot with it, even to the cross. From the beginning of the world, but particularly through the incarnation, the mystery of Christ is at work in a hidden manner in the natural world as a whole, without thereby impinging on its autonomy.100. The New Testament does not only tell us of the earthly Jesus and his tangible and loving relationship with the world. It also shows him risen and glorious, present throughout creation by his universal Lordship: “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Col 1:19-20). This leads us to direct our gaze to the end of time, when the Son will deliver all things to the Father, so that “God may be everything to every one” (1 Cor 15:28). Thus, the creatures of this world no longer appear to us under merely natural guise because the risen One is mysteriously holding them to himself and directing them towards fullness as their end. The very flowers of the field and the birds which his human eyes contemplated and admired are now imbued with his radiant presence.And that includes the mosquitoes. Hard as it is for me to say, God bless the mosquito. Further reading:Why death and violence in God's good creation?Why God createsUCCSB's Care for CreationPope Francis: Laudato Si (Care for Our Common Home) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whydidpetersink.substack.com

This is a call to Frya's noble children. You will know who you are and have always been, displaced from your brothers and sisters and living in bondage. This spell the world is under has its roots in the stories the present reigning Priestcraft have all but erased from history. But they couldn't fully ease it from within us, yet. I believe that is what Transhumanism is intended to do. To bind us permanently.GET COMMERCIAL FREE PODCASTS and Exclusive Content, Become a Patron.  https://Patreon.com/DisguisetheLimitsMy Website: https://www.semperfryllc.com/podcast.htmlPriestcraft: Beyond Babylon is getting Great Feedback! 8.5x11 Paperback, Hardcover, & Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNGX53L7/Barnes & Noble: Priestcraft: Beyond Babylon 416 pages, and ebook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144402176KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/priestcraft-beyond-babylonTake Back Your Health NOW! DR PETER GLIDDEN, ND All-Access https://leavebigpharmabehind.com/?via=pgndhealthAdd to the Kristos Family Apocalypse Fund: https://GiveSendGo.com/BaalBustersDR MONZO Products: https://drmonzo.kartra.com/page/shopDR MONZO ATB BOOK: https://drmonzo.kartra.com/page/ATBBookUSE CODE: BaalBusters15 for 15% OFF Dr. MONZO's store itemsGet KRATOM HERE: https://klaritykratom.com/?ref=BaalBustersSubmit Questions: https://buymeacoffee.com/BaalBusters or just Call-in!Have you tired TRY BLUE? https://tryblue.refr.cc/baalbusters for 17% Off!SHIRTS & MERCH https://my-store-c960b1.creator-spring.com/THIS CHANNEL IS INDEPENDENT and has no sponsors but YOUJOIN Locals by Clicking the JOIN Button Beneath the video.AWESOME Hot Sauce: https://SemperFryLLC.com Use Code at site for 5% Off qualified purchasesBa'al Busters channel: https://rumble.com/c/BaalBustersTwitter: https://twitter.com/DisguiseLimitsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/baalbusters/Telegram: https://t.me/BaalBustersStudiosJoshWhoTV channel: https://BaalBuster.JoshWhoTV.comSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3N7fqqG6MX84vKbANtxrWSFrya's Children have documented the evils and corrupted nature of the Magicians. The Gauls, Finns, and many others turned to dark arts and abandoned their nobility and familial roots. The Oera Linda Book speaks of the gradual corruption and battle between cousins and brothers that took place, and these are the historical stories the present reigning Priestcraft have all but erased from our memories. I have been piecing this story together now from seemingly unrelated facets. But there truly is only one story, and the sound of any truth awakens other truths within us that we hadn't had access to before. It all works together in the same symphony, the vibration of Life. There were many cataclysms in the past as Solon was told. There's more proof here, before the Babylonians made their pact and sealed their fate.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/ba-al-busters-broadcast--5100262/support.

We are diving into a series exploring how Burgundy became the famous wine region it is today. And we begin with the Gauls and their obsession with wine south of the Alps. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are revisiting our comic-reading youth this week as we check out 1976's 'The Twelve Tasks of Asterix'. Based on the classic French comic books, we head off on an adventure with our two favourite Gauls, Asterix and Obelix, to thwart Julius Caesar and the rest of those pesky Romans by performing a bunch of impossible tasks. Expect large servings of wild boar, magic potion, fourth-wall breaking, racism (oops, these comics are a little dated), and us reminiscing about our childhood.Join our Patreon for TWO bonus episodes each month! https://www.patreon.com/oldiebutagoodiepodFollow the show!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oldiebutagoodiepod/Facebook: https://fb.me/oldiebutagoodiepodPodcast Platforms: https://linktr.ee/oldiebutagoodiepodGot feedback? Send us an email at oldiebutagoodiepod@gmail.comFollow the hosts!Sandro Falce - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandrofalce/- Twitter: https://twitter.com/sandrofalce- Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/SandroFalce/- Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/SandroFeltChair- Aussie Nerds Talk Stuff podcast: https://anchor.fm/aussienerdstalkstuffZach Adams - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zach4dams/- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZackoCaveWizard- Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/zach4damsOldie But A Goodie's theme tune is written and produced by Josh Cake. Check out his work here: https://www.joshcake.com/Check out other shows from our network 'That's Not Canon'! https://thatsnotcanon.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Every man is the architect of his own destiny” Long before Rome reigned supreme over the Mediterranean, there was Carthage: the supreme predator of Antiquity. But how did Rome rise to become one of the most ruthless powers of all time, united in cold, disciplined violence? And what was it about the Roman people that made them the greatest threat Carthage would ever face? Whilst the Carthaginians depended upon foreign mercenaries, Rome's legions were formed of Romans, all committed to protecting and furthering the interests of Rome. And unlike anyone before, the Roman people shared a collective sense of destiny, with Roman citizenship generously offered to all conquered peoples. But following the Sack of Rome by Gauls in 390 BC, the Romans would become even more ruthless, disciplined and bent on total victory… Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss the rise of Rome, history's most famous superpower. By 285 BC her dominion of Italy was almost complete. Only one thing stood in her way: the formidable military leader Pyrrhus. He alone foresaw the destruction to come, and the “beautiful killing ground” that would emerge when, ten years later, Rome and Carthage would finally go to war… *The Rest Is History LIVE in 2024* Tom and Dominic are back onstage this summer, at Hampton Court Palace in London!  Buy your tickets here: therestishistory.com Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week I am joined by Philip Carr-Gomm, the previous Chosen Chief of the Order of Bards, Ovates & Druids (OBOD) for a fireside chat style episode of Into the Cauldron. Philip began studying Druidry as a spiritual path with Ross Nichols, the founder of The Order of Bards Ovates and Druids. Later he took a degree in psychology from University College London, and trained in psychotherapy for adults at The Institute of Psychosynthesis, in play therapy for children with Dr Rachel Pinney, and in Sophrology – a system of mind-body training for deep relaxation and personal development. We talk about the Order, the cycles of nature & wheel of the year and the process of using nature as a way of returning to one's sense of home & hearth as well as his journey creating Druidcraft Tarot. OBOD is the most popular Neodruidic order in the world and bases its initatory system on the concept of the three roles of bards, ovates and druids originally from the writings of the ancient Greek historian and geographer Strabo, who in his Geographica, written in the 20s CE, stated that amongst the Gauls, there were three types of honoured figures: the poets and singers known as bardoi, the diviners and specialists in the natural world known as o'vateis, and those who studied "moral philosophy", the druidai. It is also partly based on the Welsh Gorsedd of Bards. Check out Philip's website here: https://philipcarr-gomm.com/ Check out OBOD's website here: https://druidry.org/ Interested in Esoteric Scholarship & historical Occult practice? Check out our flagship training program: https://www.mystai.co.uk/omm Follow Mystai in all your usual places:

It's time for our annual visit to the Gauls, as they visit Corisca, and we learn all about shantys. We review Batman: Off-World #1 from DC Comics, Holy Roller #1 from Image Comics, and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, now on Netflix. Show your thanks to Major Spoilers for this episode by becoming a Major Spoilers Patron at http://patreon.com/MajorSpoilers. It will help ensure the Major Spoilers Podcast continues far into the future! Join our Discord server and chat with fellow Spoilerites! (https://discord.gg/jWF9BbF) REVIEWS STEPHEN BATMAN: OFF-WORLD #1 Writer: Jason Aaron Artist: Doug Mahnke Publisher: DC Comics Cover Price: $3.99 Release Date: November 22, 2023 A routine night in Gotham City for a young Batman proves to be anything but routine when the crime-fighter is confronted with a sort of foe he's never faced before-one from beyond the stars! A universe of possible alien threats leads Batman to make a daring decision-to venture alone into the far reaches of the cosmos for the very first time, where the Dark Knight will face the fight of his life! Superstar writer Jason Aaron delivers his first Batman story ever, partnered with blockbuster artist Doug Mahnke for a unique, brutal tale! [rating:4/5] You can purchase this issue via our Amazon affiliate link - https://amzn.to/40MDRsZ MATTHEW HOLY ROLLER #1 Writer: Rick Remender, Joe Trohman, Andy Samberg Artist: Roland Boschi Publisher: Image Comics Cover Price: $3.99 Release Date: November 22, 2023 Everyone was sitting around wondering when comedy legend ANDY SAMBERG (SNL, Palm Springs) would join super-star writer RICK REMENDER (DEADLY CLASS, LOW) and Fall Out Boy's multi-talented JOE TROHMAN to write a comic about a vigilante hero who smashes people's faces with a bowling ball-and everyone's dreams have come true! With art by the fan-favorite ROLAND BOSCHI (THE SCUMBAG, Wolverine)! To care for his ailing father, pro bowler Levi Coen is forced to quit his dream job and return to his hometown, which he soon discovers has been overrun by Neo-Nazis! With only his bowling ball collection to defend himself, Levi becomes THE HOLY ROLLER, a trick bowling ball-wielding Jewish superhero battling to liberate his home and bowl a perfect game against crime! Kingpin meets Inglourious Basterds meets Batman (that old chestnut) with equal parts action and humor in this special introductory issue with 42 full pages of story! Two issues for the price of one! Three writers for the price of one! Same great low price! [rating:3.5/5] You can purchase this issue via our Amazon affiliate link - https://amzn.to/47KEpSE RODRIGO SCOTT PILGRIM TAKES OFF Director: Abel Gongora Writers: BenDavid Grabinski, Bryan Lee O'Malley Studio: Netflix Actors: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Satya Bhabha, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick, Brie Larson, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman, Johnny Simmons, Mark Webber, mae Whitman, Ellen Wong, Stafan Johnson, Alison Pill Release Date: November 17, 2023 A 20-something Toronto indie rocker's adventures in getting and keeping jobs, avoiding being kicked out of his apartment, and surviving encounters with the seven evil exes of the new girl in town on whom he has a crush [rating: 4.5/5]  DISCUSSION ASTERIX IN CORSICA Author: Rene Goscinny Artist: Albert Uderzo Publisher: Papercutz Asterix and Obelix meet a new friend: a Corsican chieftain who had been Caesar's prisoner. Together, the trio returns to Corsica to help foil the evil plans of the corrupt Roman, Praetor Perfidius. CLOSE Contact us at podcast@majorspoilers.com Call the Major Spoilers Hotline at (785) 727-1939. A big Thank You goes out to everyone who downloads, subscribes, listens, and supports this show. We really appreciate you taking the time to listen to our ramblings each week. Tell your friends!

It's time for our annual visit to the Gauls, as they visit Corisca, and we learn all about shantys. We review Batman: Off-World #1 from DC Comics, Holy Roller #1 from Image Comics, and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, now on Netflix. Show your thanks to Major Spoilers for this episode by becoming a Major Spoilers Patron at http://patreon.com/MajorSpoilers. It will help ensure the Major Spoilers Podcast continues far into the future! Join our Discord server and chat with fellow Spoilerites! (https://discord.gg/jWF9BbF) REVIEWS STEPHEN BATMAN: OFF-WORLD #1 Writer: Jason Aaron Artist: Doug Mahnke Publisher: DC Comics Cover Price: $3.99 Release Date: November 22, 2023 A routine night in Gotham City for a young Batman proves to be anything but routine when the crime-fighter is confronted with a sort of foe he's never faced before-one from beyond the stars! A universe of possible alien threats leads Batman to make a daring decision-to venture alone into the far reaches of the cosmos for the very first time, where the Dark Knight will face the fight of his life! Superstar writer Jason Aaron delivers his first Batman story ever, partnered with blockbuster artist Doug Mahnke for a unique, brutal tale! [rating:4/5] You can purchase this issue via our Amazon affiliate link - https://amzn.to/40MDRsZ MATTHEW HOLY ROLLER #1 Writer: Rick Remender, Joe Trohman, Andy Samberg Artist: Roland Boschi Publisher: Image Comics Cover Price: $3.99 Release Date: November 22, 2023 Everyone was sitting around wondering when comedy legend ANDY SAMBERG (SNL, Palm Springs) would join super-star writer RICK REMENDER (DEADLY CLASS, LOW) and Fall Out Boy's multi-talented JOE TROHMAN to write a comic about a vigilante hero who smashes people's faces with a bowling ball-and everyone's dreams have come true! With art by the fan-favorite ROLAND BOSCHI (THE SCUMBAG, Wolverine)! To care for his ailing father, pro bowler Levi Coen is forced to quit his dream job and return to his hometown, which he soon discovers has been overrun by Neo-Nazis! With only his bowling ball collection to defend himself, Levi becomes THE HOLY ROLLER, a trick bowling ball-wielding Jewish superhero battling to liberate his home and bowl a perfect game against crime! Kingpin meets Inglourious Basterds meets Batman (that old chestnut) with equal parts action and humor in this special introductory issue with 42 full pages of story! Two issues for the price of one! Three writers for the price of one! Same great low price! [rating:3.5/5] You can purchase this issue via our Amazon affiliate link - https://amzn.to/47KEpSE RODRIGO SCOTT PILGRIM TAKES OFF Director: Abel Gongora Writers: BenDavid Grabinski, Bryan Lee O'Malley Studio: Netflix Actors: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Satya Bhabha, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick, Brie Larson, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman, Johnny Simmons, Mark Webber, mae Whitman, Ellen Wong, Stafan Johnson, Alison Pill Release Date: November 17, 2023 A 20-something Toronto indie rocker's adventures in getting and keeping jobs, avoiding being kicked out of his apartment, and surviving encounters with the seven evil exes of the new girl in town on whom he has a crush [rating: 4.5/5]  DISCUSSION ASTERIX IN CORSICA Author: Rene Goscinny Artist: Albert Uderzo Publisher: Papercutz Asterix and Obelix meet a new friend: a Corsican chieftain who had been Caesar's prisoner. Together, the trio returns to Corsica to help foil the evil plans of the corrupt Roman, Praetor Perfidius. CLOSE Contact us at podcast@majorspoilers.com Call the Major Spoilers Hotline at (785) 727-1939. A big Thank You goes out to everyone who downloads, subscribes, listens, and supports this show. We really appreciate you taking the time to listen to our ramblings each week. Tell your friends!

In the early days of facebook Mark Zuckerburg would wander into the company bathrooms and if he noticed someone sitting down in the stalls he would pop his head over and try to talk to them about their projects. Or if he was taking a poop he would host an emergency meeting and he would tell them to come over and pop their head over the stall to talk it out. Everyone just went along with it because it was either YOLO SILICON VALLEY LMAO or they were just too intimidated. That all stopped when Michael Moritz, legendary silicon valley investor, and one of Facebook biggest early investors and shareholders, was at the campus doing research for leading a 2nd round of funding. He was doing diligence all day and at one point had to poop and that's when Zuckerburg popped his head over with a smile to ask how's the diligence coming along. Michael Moritz, not one to mince words, was apoplectic. 'GET THE FUCK OUT HERE YOU IDiOT LIZARD LOOKING FUCKER.' Mark Zuckerburg nervously tried to laugh it off and persisted, because he really loved intimate poop conversations 'Aw c'mon Michael, it's silicon valley'. Zuckerburg finally withdrew when Moritz flung a poop at him. 30 minutes later, Mark was in a very import meeting when Moritz walked into the conference room. 'Everyone except Mark Zuckerburg, OUT'. As intimidated as they were of Zuckerburg, at the time Moritz was the bigger deal, and they all scurried out of the room. Zuckerburg, however, is not one to be intimated by anyone. Not the Winkewoz twins, not Eduardo Savarn, not Peter Thiel, and not one of his biggest shareholder Michael Moritz. Zuckerburg passionately defended his practice, but Michael Moritz was having none of that. Moritz told him that it was a ticking PR and HR catastrophe, and threatened to pull out of leading the 2nd round of funding if Mark continued, which would have been a calamity for the company. Zuckerburg pretended to arbitrate 'Ok fine, but you need to give me a good reason'. Moritz was flabberghasted at this response. Was this a serious question? He answered with the most obvious answer 'Because it's not FUCKING NORMAL'. Unknown to Moritz, Zuckerburg had guessed a conversation like this would happen as soon as he was kicked out of the toilet stall, and began formulating a strategy to counter Moritz demands. Zuckerburg knew that Moritz would have all the leverage, but Zuckerburg was a master strategist. Zuckerburg went for the pounce. 'Okay, I'll lets write out an agreement, in writing I'll rescind the policy because it's not normal'. Moritz was dumbfounded, but he was used to being dumbfounded by eccentric tech founders, afterall he was also an early investor in Apple, and he still found Zuckerburg tame compared to Steve Jobs. Moritz had a long day of work so they signed the agreement so that he could go back to doing his due diligence. When Moritz left, a broad grin spread across Zuckerburg's face. " 'Not Normal' eh? " Zuckerburg said with a menacing laugh. Ever since then, Mark Zuckerburg has been on a life-long crusade to normalize poop conversations. He had a checklist of what he needed to accomplish in order to realize this. His advisors would tell him it's impossible, but one by one Zuckerburg checked off the list. From trusting Mark with their private photos, to normalizing people giving up their internet browsing privacy. In 2015, Zuckerburg knew he would hit a wall, having people watch you while you poop was still too much of a leap. That's when Zuckerburg decided to buy Occulus, and eventually shift his company towards virtual reality. If he could coax people into having life-like conversations while they were pooping in a virtual reality, then doing it in the real world wouldn't be too big of a leap. Zuckerburg only has 3 more boxes to check off before poop conversations are normalized. Mark Zuckerburg wants to watch you poop. Are you going to let him?   Yeah I said it. You might be offended. You've probably heard this a thousand times before, but believe me you will hear it again. Because it's deserved. You're French. A parasite. A slug. A leech. A failure. But, of course, you may think I don't have evidence to justify this. But you are wrong, as always, your failures stand out like a shining pile of manure among your pristine neighbors. So let me begin. First off, your cuisine. Dogshit. What have you got? Spoiled milk that smells like shit. Okay what else? Alcohol because you need to drown yourself in wine to escape your life. Sounds right. Frog legs? Snails? Yeah, that seems about right for you. But cusine doesn't matter compared to your successes or lack thereof. What is you history? A long, long list of failures and losses. So let's start off. The Gauls getting invaded and conquered by the Romans before getting conquered by the Germanic tribes. Getting invaded by the Vikings and forced to give up Normandy to them. You might say you conquered England, but no, those were the Normans who were Viking descendants and actually fucking useful. The Hundred Years' War. Which you lost. You even needed God to send you a warrior to try to save your sorry ass. Then what? Following the Spanish and Portuguese discovered to the New World and being kicked out of all the good land to an icy tundra. Server you right. Brutally enslaving people in Haiti? No surprise. And then proceeding to demand reputations for their revolt, which you failed to stop, until the mid 20th century, which was what kept your country barley afloat. Then your rulers were so incompetent they were all killed and you had a revolt. Then Napoleon, who wasn't even born in modern French territory, cause you lost it, and then proceeded to lose. And then you were appointed a monarch by Britain. You even had to sell most of your territory in America, which you couldn't develop or protect, to the U.S. Then WW1 were with the help of all the allied nations you barley managed to stop the Germans from getting to Paris. Then you built the Maginot line because you knew you couldn't stop them normally but you built it where they didn't even attack last time and didn't finish it. Then they attacked around it, surprised, and you were turned into a puppet nation of the Nazi surrendering almost immediately. Hell, French guards were some of Hitlers last men. It took the combined forces of all of the Allies to actually help you and kick the Nazis out for you. You've had so, so may revolutions since then because of your incompetence. You want to talk about shootings in the U.S? Well how about your history of bloodshed violence and failure. Unrest? Look at all your riots. Hell, at one point your naval flag was a white flag. TF2? Yeah you play spy cause you can't even fight correctly. What are you known for? Failure. Justly, you are losers, and always will be. Go fuck yourselves and become a decent country like your neighbors. But that's not all. Speaking of your neighbors, let's look at their successes. Spain and Portugal actually have good food and managed to colonize almost the entirety of South and Central America, conquering Empires and making a name. Britain, controlling almost a 1/4 of the land on Earth and kicking your ass almost every time. Germany, the heart of the E.U, able to fight against the entirety of Europe twice in a row, the Holy Roman Empire, fighting and controlling the Pope? Inventing Lutheranism and the printing press? Oh how about Poland, the winged Hussars, all of them coming together to fend off the Ottomans and Mongols. Italy, with some of the best cuisine in the world, the Roman Empire, which kicked your ass, the Pope, the Church, Florence, Rome, incredibly important. All of them so, so much better than you. Of course, you might say the past is no indication of the future. And you have a bit of a point. But really, what have you done? There is a short, short list of deeds in which you have not failed. You have an unstable, failing government. You have a weaker military than UK, U.S, China, etc, etc. You are by far the weakest member on the UN Security Council, an unfunny joke, a gag. Your economy is weaker than any of these good nations. Your “luxury” products suck and and overpriced shit shows. Culturally, you have jack shit. You seem to have missed out on the Renaissance and basically every other period of advancement. Ethically, you hate migrants, in fact you hate everyone. Your national anthem is so fucking baton is listing despite having nothing to be proud of, talking about using countries as fertilizer, yeah bud that's not going to happen. One thing you did good was have nuclear energy, but your government realized its mistake in doing something halfway fucking decent for once and is now removing power plants and nuclear energy. So fuck off. You are a failure without anything good to say for yourself. Not one accomplishment. Nobody wants you. They pity you for the whole you've dug yourself in. You will not get my respect or sympathy. So leave, and never come back.

Gauls, gossamer, and marram grass, and finding refuge – a special Sunday Miscellany from the Iron Mountain Festival recorded at the Dock, Carrick-on-Shannon, with Brian Leyden, Mary Byrne, Zak Moradi, Alice Lyons, Vincent Woods, Eleanor Shanley and Garadice with Tom Morrow, Zoé Basha and Ultan O'Brien

Half of the one million oak barrels produced worldwide each year are made in France. French cooperage is a centuries-old tradition that dates back to the Gauls and plays a key role in the excellence of the world's finest wines. Choosing the right oak trees, cutting, seasoning and charring the wood are all delicate stages carried out by the cooper to create a made-to-measure oak barrel. We take a closer look at this expert craftsmanship.

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: The Sinews of Sudan's Latest War, published by Tim Liptrot on August 5, 2023 on LessWrong. I welcome feedback on this piece! It's the first of a series on the subject and I want to gauge interest in it from the blogging world. I will probably improve it to subsequently move it to the policy community. If people really like it I could transition it to a subscription or tipped model. Section One: The Sinews of War "There is an opinion in some quarters to send Marcus Antonius to govern Gaul (.) What else is that but supplying an enemy with (...) all the _ sinews of war, money in abundance _ (.) Will you furnish a wicked and desperate citizen with an army of Gauls and Germans, with money, and infantry, and cavalry, and all sorts of resources?" - Cicero The war in Sudan has now raged for 4 months. On April 15th, the two armies that had been jointly ruling Sudan turned on one another. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary army mounted a series of raids on the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) air bases, headquarters and seats of government. Since then, the two sides have been locked in total war, which has devastated Sudan's capital, led to the return of ethnic massacres in Darfur, and threatens to create yet another failed state in the Horn of Africa. Figure 1: Khartoum on Fire in June. Photo is taken from above the meeting of the White and Blue Niles, looking out at downtown Khartoum which contains the presidential palace, several ministries and the SAF headquarters. This is the first of a series of reports surveying the sources of funding available to the armed groups of Sudan. Who controls them? How much money can they produce? Is this revenue controlled by senior leadership, or the personal loot of local commanders? Along the way, readers will gain a glimpse into the strange world of armed group finance. Most of the upcoming releases will be pitched for the Sudan-focused policy community, who are already quite interested in Sudan. This post gives a context to the deep dives that should be minimally accessible to a general audience. For an explanation of why the war began, see this other post. Those interested in a straight military account or general commentary are already well served. While the 2023 Sudan conflict has not enjoyed the deep OSINT attention lavished on the Ukraine conflict, Sudan is blessed with talented analysts following the military and political developments. SeeDaniel Van's work,Ayin Network and Beam Reports. Sudan Transparency and Policy Tracker is another organization doing excellent public work on the political economy of the war. Section Two: Why should we care about money? "When you see you are about to lack money, and therefore your Army has to be dissolved in any case(...) one ought always to fight, even at your disadvantage" - Machiavelli, The Art of War Prior to the conflict, the RSF and SAF jointly ruled Sudan. The SAF is a true national army, with an airforce and armored divisions equipped for set-piece battles, and its base in Sudan's wealthier center along the Nile. The RSF is a paramilitary organization with its social base in North Darfur, one of Sudan's least developed regions. Prior to the war, the RSF realized that fighting in Sudan's rural periphery would advantage the SAF who have total air dominance. Instead they stationed tens of thousands of fighters in Sudan's capital, the metropolis Khartoum. When fighting began with a series of coordinated RSF attacks, RSF and SAF positions were entwined all across the capital. Over the past few months the RSF has won several early victories in Khartoum and in Darfur, forcing the SAF presence in the capital to several isolated fortresses and their air power. Despite major gains for the RSF, neither side has eliminated their opponent's ability to fight. The RSF, once derided as a militia of...

An episode from 8/4/23: Tonight, we hear from cities under siege: In the first part, I read from the Roman historian Livy's account of the sack of Rome by the Gauls in 387 BCE. The translation is by T. J. Luce. In the second part, I read from the diary of the French art historian Agnès Humbert, who lived in Paris during the first months of the German occupation in World War Two, and who was involved in some of the earliest resistance activities in France. Finally, I read a small section of William Blake's long poem, Milton, where his personal mythology is given free reign over the city of London.   The music I play in the introduction, from Ludwig Goranson's score to the movie Oppenheimer, can be found here. Don't forget to support Human Voices Wake Us on Substack, where you can also get our newsletter and other extras. You can also support the podcast by ordering any of my books: Notes from the Grid, To the House of the Sun, The Lonely Young & the Lonely Old, and Bone Antler Stone. Any comments, or suggestions for readings I should make in later episodes, can be emailed to humanvoiceswakeus1@gmail.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/humanvoiceswakeus/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/humanvoiceswakeus/support

So we are starting our secert journey today that you shall see unfold over the next few episodes Excitingly we've got Erica of Seaweed Brain fame to join us along for this part of the adventure ⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/through_mist⁠⁠ Email- through.t.mist@gmail.com, Insta- @through_mist Seaweed Brain Podcast - https://linktr.ee/Seaweedbrainpod

Bible study; Translations; Different testaments; The song of Moses and of the Lamb; John the Baptist; Corban; Social Insurance; Christian systems of social welfare; Sanhedrin; Dearths; Roman shipping; Keeping the populace happy; Military history; Ecc 7:22; Tree of Knowledge; Revealed truth; The bible solution; God hearing your cries; Saving yourself?; Overcoming error; Seeing your own foolishness; Ecc 7:25; Reason; Wickedness; resh-shen-ayin; Hoping in the foolish; vav+hey+sumac-kof-lamad-vav-tav; Spiritual madness; Double-lamad; Living in darkness; Force in the world; Julius Caesar and the Gauls; Overlooking crime; Corruption; Media in time of Rome; Hating Christians?; World starvation; Illness; Immunity; Perfect savages; Foolish virgins; Doing Christ's way; Daily sacrifice; Willingness to receive help; Need to give; Snare/Net; mem-tzedek-vav-dalet-yod-mem; vav-chet-resh-mem-yod-mem; Binding your allegiance; Income tax; Depression; Fervent charity; Inventions; Superfluous families; Ecc 8:1; Seeking His kingdom first; Capitalism; Trading; Choosing to give; The invention of God = Liberty; Drawing near to God; Give and forgive.

Was Rome a slave society? Did Caesar really take a million Gauls captive? And what is the real story of Spartacus? Listen as William and Anita are joined by Mary Beard to discuss slavery in Ancient Rome. ***Tickets for the live show can be bought at the following link from 9am on Wednesday 10th May: https://robomagiclive.com/empire-podcast-live/. Sign up to The Knowledge here: www.theknowledge.com/empire/ LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/empirepod. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Goalhangerpodcasts.com Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Jack Davenport + Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Finished Exodus; Most are clueless about the bible; Strong delusion; Today's bondage (of Egypt); Turtledoves?; Gen 15:9; 400 years of bondage; Livestock surveys; Pound of flesh; Sacrificing a dove?; tav-vav-resh (turtledove); *And* gimel-vav-lamad (young pigeon); Blind leading blind; Severity of covetousness; Following the taxation money; Seeking His kingdom and righteousness; Commands to be fruitful and multiply; Women vs girls; "I know where I'm going"; Burnt offerings; Leviticus "turtledove" yod-vav-nun-hey - from "wine/vine"; (Jonah?); Extra Hebrew letters; "Meat offering"; mem-nun-chet-hey; Temple granaries; Government subsidies; "Covenants of the gods" book; Grain reserves; Theocratic socialism; Bonds of love; Wealth in the kingdom; "Fair share?"; FDR's New Deal dictators; Balaam and Nicolaitans; Selling yourselves into bondage; Sons of God; Julius Caesar and the Gauls; Covetousness = idolatry; Col 3:5; Constantinian Christianity; "Leaven" of the Pharisees; Who will see this?; Mt 20:25; Mk 10:42; Lk 22:25; Acts 17:7; Jesus, the other king; Constantine's formation of church; Repenting and building Christ's network; Living by faith; Sin offerings; Widow's mite; Strengthening others; Business of the tabernacle; Peace offerings; Melchizedek; Ante-up!; Widows; Congregations; Trespass offerings; Wave and heave offerings; Share this message.

Monday, 17 April 2023   Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. Acts 16:6   The previous verse noted the strengthening of the churches that Paul and his team visited and how their numbers increased daily. With that, it now says, “Now when they had gone through Phrygia.”   Phrygia was mentioned along with many other areas in Acts 2:10 at the initial outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Those from there who had come to faith in the Lord at that time would surely have gone back and met together, telling others about their faith in the Lord. Phrygia was the largest of the provinces of Asia Minor. Bithynia was to its north, Pisidia and Lycia were to its south, Galatia and Cappadocia were more easterly, and Lydia and Mysia were in a westerly direction.   Paul and his company traveled throughout this district, probably helped by a listing of the locations where believers were as recorded and maintained by those in Jerusalem. This is speculation, but it is likely. With that, it next says, “and the region of Galatia.”   Rather, the word translated as Galatia is an adjective, “and the Galatian region.” This was, as noted, east of Phrygia. Of this area, Albert Barnes says –   “The region was formerly conquered by the Gauls. They settled in it, and called it, after their own name, Galatia. The Gauls invaded the country at different times, and no less than three tribes or bodies of Gauls had possession of it. Many Jews were also settled there. It was from this cause that so many parties could be formed there, and that so much controversy would arise between the Jewish and Gentile converts.”   The area will be noted again in Acts 18:23 and then the district will be noted in 1 Corinthians, Galatians, 2 Timothy, and 1 Peter. It is the location where the church of the Galatians that brought so much frustration and heartache to Paul is located. As Gentiles, they had turned from the faith of Christ and to the imposition of circumcision. As such, they were making themselves debtors to the whole law (Galatians 5:3).   For now, and with their travels through the region complete, it next says, “they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit.” Nothing is said of how this occurred. Some think it was by direct revelation, such as speaking to Paul. However, Luke will normally detail such intimate occurrences.   It could be that they could not find safe travel, guides to lead them, enough resources to effectively set out, or whatever. They knew they were being led by the Spirit and so obvious hindrances to their forward motion would indicate being frustrated to proceed by the Spirit. This is only conjecture, but Luke's careful recording of such things seems to necessitate that this is what is meant. What they were unable to do was “to preach the word in Asia.”   This may make the thought above even more specific. It could be that they started into the area and simply had no effective evangelization at all. This would mean the area was not yet ready to accept what they would later openly acknowledge. Whatever the situation, this is not Asia as we think of in modern times. It is an area of the Roman empire already mentioned in Acts 2:9. Barnes notes that it is the area of proconsular Asia, also called Ionia. Again, he provides more detailed information on the area –   “Of this region Ephesus was the capital; and here were situated also the cities of Smyrna, Thyatira, Philadelphia, etc., within which the seven churches mentioned in Revelation 1-3 were established. Cicero speaks of proconsular Asia as containing the provinces of Phrygia, Mysia, Carla, and Lydia.”   Life application: The area of Asia will be evangelized later in Acts, being noted many times before the book closes out. It will also be mentioned in 1 & 2 Corinthians, 2 Timothy, 1 Peter, and Revelation. For whatever reason, the team was unable to evangelize the area at this time. More frustrations on where to go will arise in the next verses, but eventually, a different direction for them to travel will be made evident.   The Lord is all-knowing, and He knows what is best, when it is best, and every detail associated with how to proceed at such times for the best result. Therefore, if you are encountering a time of frustration in proceeding with something concerning evangelism, it may simply not be time for it to happen. Instead, look for another opportunity and wait on the Lord's timing for what you had initially planned.   There are many places that were once unwilling to hear the gospel message that later accepted it wholeheartedly. There are missionaries who died while on the mission field with no converts. And yet, that occurs in areas where great success eventually was realized. Events like this show us that God is in control of what is going on and that His will is being worked out through us and our actions.   So don't get frustrated if you seem to be hitting a wall in your efforts. The mission team that Paul was leading certainly faced impenetrable walls as they went. And yet, they picked up and moved on, knowing that the Lord was guiding their steps. Remember this, and don't let setbacks stop you altogether. The Lord will lead as you continue. We can be sure of this, even if we cannot be sure of the “what and when” of the events ahead.   Glorious Lord, we know that You have planned out the paths to be taken so that the whole world will be evangelized. It has been a long and often difficult track for many, but Your plan is being realized. As this is so, help us in our own efforts to know which way to turn so that Your will for us will be realized in our actions. Amen.  

"And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.” - Genesis 9:7 "But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them." - Exodus 1:7 “Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land." - Exodus 23:30 "Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth." - Psalm 127:4 "Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease." - Jeremiah 29:6 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." - Philippians 4:8 This Episode's Links: Take a minute out of your day to hear the war trumpet used by the Celts and Gauls to scare the Romans - Joel Abbott, NTB Strange State Laws Colorado school district hires "genderqueer shapeshifter witch" to train staff on transgenderism - Cardinal Pritchard, NTB Reps. Jordan, Massie Ask ATF Director to Testify Before House Judiciary Committee - Samantha Flom, The Epoch Times It's over: NOAA declares official end to La Nina - Bill Deger, AccuWeather It Looks Like the World Is Very Close to Reaching Peak Population - Daniel Plainview, NTB --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/garrett-ashley-mullet/message

The Galatians are just like us!  Paul writes to them "astonished" that they are forgetting the message of the gospel that he gave them, that they first believed.  We do that, too.  Don't we?  It is all too easy to forget that all that Jesus requires is our faith and belief in Him.  We don't have to do anything else.  There are no other steps.   Resources:Paul's Success in the Conversion of Gentiles: Dynamic Center in Cultural DiversityIf you are interested in the Gauls and their religion: Galatia: Encyclopedia of The Bible---Bible Talk - a weekly podcast series by Nothin' But Fine. Emily Trotter has a teaching style all her own. Tune in for a fun, but educational dive into God's Word. Bible Talk will encourage you into a deeper understanding of your relationship with Christ.Learn more about Nothin' But Fine at our website: https://nothinbutfine.com/Follow us on social media: InstagramFacebookTwitterYouTube

Eliza is under the weather, but we didn't want to leave you guys without an episode! So we're taking a break from the 13th Century and going back into the 1st... BC. This is a special release of our Patreon episode about Vercingetorix, King of the Gauls, who unified his people and fought to the bitter end against the conquest of Julius Caesar.Join our Angry Mob at the Economy+ tier at patreon.com/battleroyalepodcast, to access all our other Patreon episodes, including:- Ranking the Noble Houses of France (c.1000CE)- Ratatouille (film review)- Vercingetorix (full episode)- Robert Guiscard- Vikings (2015) - The Siege of Paris- Carcassonne, Cathars and Crusaders- Margaret the Black, Countess of FlandersTo get the latest updates on the podcast (including Eliza's recovery!), find us on:FacebookTwitterInstagramSupport the show⚜️CATEGORIESBen and Eliza each give a score out of 10 for the first 4 categories. The 5th is determined by maths! The result is a total score out of 100. Enchanté: The shallow, first-impressions round: How fabulous and iconic an image have they passed down to us? En Garde: (A.K.A. “Selfish Wins”) How well did they gain and increase their personal power, either through scheming, statesmanship or good old fashion battles? Voulez-Vous: (A.K.A. “Selfless Wins”) How much would we want to live under their regime? How well did they better the world around them through law reforms and cultural projects? Ouh-Là-Là: How pearl-clutchingly scandalous were the events of their life, both in their time and down through the ages? How mad, bad and dangerous were they to know? La Vie en Throne: How many years did they reign, and how many of their children survived them? Read how these points are awarded. View all scores.

The Minnesota Futbol Daves are back to recap the craziness of the Quarterfinal round. This round had everything! Shithoussery, Look-at-me refs, Messi showing up another legend, penalties, another British meltdown, oh yeah, and Morocco now controls the Iberian peninsula and now has their sights set on France and the Gauls! Plus we have a short interview with Podiumwear to talk shop on how they produce kits. Our World Cup podcasts are sponsored by Podiumwear. Podiumwear is a Made in MN company producing all of their high-end custom sublimated soccer uniforms and apparel right here in St. Paul, MN. Check them out at www.podiumwear.com We are also brought to you by the team at Pentz Homes at Keller Williams classic realty NW. If you have any home-related questions about equity, home projects, or when is the right time to sell/buy- contact them at pentzhomes.com or 612.308.1122

The human race is on a 10,000 year urban adventure. Our ancestors wandered the planet or lived scattered in villages, yet by the end of this century almost all of us will live in cities. But that journey has not been a smooth one and urban civilizations have risen and fallen many times in history. The ruins of many of them still enchant us. The Life and Death of Ancient Cities: A Natural History (Oxford University Press, 2020) by Dr. Greg Woolf tells the story of the rise and fall of ancient cities from the end of the Bronze Age to the beginning of the Middle Ages. It is a tale of war and politics, pestilence and famine, triumph and tragedy, by turns both fabulous and squalid. Its focus is on the ancient Mediterranean: Greeks and Romans at the centre, but Phoenicians and Etruscans, Persians, Gauls, and Egyptians all play a part. The story begins with the Greek discovery of much more ancient urban civilizations in Egypt and the Near East, and charts the gradual spread of urbanism to the Atlantic and then the North Sea in the centuries that followed. The ancient Mediterranean, where our story begins, was a harsh environment for urbanism. So how were cities first created, and then sustained for so long, in these apparently unpromising surroundings? How did they feed themselves, where did they find water and building materials, and what did they do with their waste and their dead? Why, in the end, did their rulers give up on them? And what it was like to inhabit urban worlds so unlike our own - cities plunged into darkness every night, cities dominated by the temples of the gods, cities of farmers, cities of slaves, cities of soldiers. Ultimately, the chief characters in the story are the cities themselves. Athens and Sparta, Persepolis and Carthage, Rome and Alexandria: cities that formed great families. Their story encompasses the history of the generations of people who built and inhabited them, whose short lives left behind monuments that have inspired city builders ever since - and whose ruins stand as stark reminders to the 21st century of the perils as well as the potential rewards of an urban existence. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose doctoral work focused on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

The human race is on a 10,000 year urban adventure. Our ancestors wandered the planet or lived scattered in villages, yet by the end of this century almost all of us will live in cities. But that journey has not been a smooth one and urban civilizations have risen and fallen many times in history. The ruins of many of them still enchant us. The Life and Death of Ancient Cities: A Natural History (Oxford University Press, 2020) by Dr. Greg Woolf tells the story of the rise and fall of ancient cities from the end of the Bronze Age to the beginning of the Middle Ages. It is a tale of war and politics, pestilence and famine, triumph and tragedy, by turns both fabulous and squalid. Its focus is on the ancient Mediterranean: Greeks and Romans at the centre, but Phoenicians and Etruscans, Persians, Gauls, and Egyptians all play a part. The story begins with the Greek discovery of much more ancient urban civilizations in Egypt and the Near East, and charts the gradual spread of urbanism to the Atlantic and then the North Sea in the centuries that followed. The ancient Mediterranean, where our story begins, was a harsh environment for urbanism. So how were cities first created, and then sustained for so long, in these apparently unpromising surroundings? How did they feed themselves, where did they find water and building materials, and what did they do with their waste and their dead? Why, in the end, did their rulers give up on them? And what it was like to inhabit urban worlds so unlike our own - cities plunged into darkness every night, cities dominated by the temples of the gods, cities of farmers, cities of slaves, cities of soldiers. Ultimately, the chief characters in the story are the cities themselves. Athens and Sparta, Persepolis and Carthage, Rome and Alexandria: cities that formed great families. Their story encompasses the history of the generations of people who built and inhabited them, whose short lives left behind monuments that have inspired city builders ever since - and whose ruins stand as stark reminders to the 21st century of the perils as well as the potential rewards of an urban existence. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose doctoral work focused on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

We're on hiatus until September 21 Until then, please enjoy all the Vercingetorix episodes in one long, binge-able file.  This is the story of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object: Julius Caesar bringing the might of the Roman military machine to bear against a proud warrior culture that had existed for centuries. Most accounts of Julius Caesar in Gaul focus on the Battle of Alesia. We broaden our scope, centering the Gauls, their culture and the increasingly terrible trade-offs Vercingetorix had to make to keep his people alive. Get ad-free episodes here: https://www.patreon.com/ancienthistoryfangirl Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rebecca Beyer, aka "Blood & Spicebush," is a tattoo artist, hedgecraft practitioner, & occult author on witchcraft & folk magic, currently wild tending in the southern Appalachians of North Carolina. In this fun, sample platter episode we hear about broadleaf plantain folkways; ancestral roots; the ancient Gauls & the Celtic cult of the head; long hair; water witching; John Dee; witchcraft's beginnings; sympathy for the devil; and the life of a 12th-century German mystic & abbess named St. Hildegard von Bingen. For her story, Rebecca shares a deeply unnerving paranormal encounter with what she was told were interdimensional travelers... We end on sassafras folk magic & history, reminding us that every glass of saloop tea is filled with a whole universe of story! Check out Rebecca's Blood & Spicebush Instagram & website. And order a copy of her new book Wild Witchcraft: Folk Herbalism,  Garden Magic, and Foraging for Spells, Rituals, and RemediesMusic provided by Modern Medieval"Karitas Habundat"Written by St. Hildegard von BingenPerformed by Dr. Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek & Modern MedievalCourtesy of Modern Medieval"O Viridissima Virga"Written by St. Hildegard von BingenPerformed by Dr. Jacqueline Horner-KwiatekCourtesy of Modern MedievalSupport Our Numinous Nature on Patreon.Follow Our Numinous Nature & my naturalist illustrations on InstagramCheck out my shop of shirts, prints, and books featuring my artContact: herbaceoushuman@gmail.com