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The NHL is heading to Milan, but before it gets there, the gang is all here to discuss the fight involving Gavin McKenna outside a bar at Penn State this past weekend, which has the presumptive #1 overall pick possibly facing 20 years in prison. David and Roy recap their time at the Stadium Series in Tampa, and the gang dives into the Panthers Den after another brutal week that may have put the final nail in the coffin of the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions. Ethan has a stat of the week on Sergei Bobrovsky's fall-off this season, and Rosa En Un Minuto features the Carolina Hurricanes. In wins and fails, Roy celebrates highlights in the sport; David celebrates the US women getting off to a great start in Milan; Ethan cheers on Gustav Forsling, whooping up on JJ Moser; and Thunderbug has stolen Rose's heart. Then, ESPN's Greg Wyshynski joins the crew to discuss the Artemi Panarin trade, break down the McKenna situation further, and tell us what his feelings are about Team USA heading into the Olympic Games. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mark talks about the Clinton's Congressional Epstein testimony; the Left's response to the Melania movie; Fox News combined revenue beat Wall Street expectations; Minnesota anti-ICE protestors setting up roadblocks; CA Governor debate; The Brady Bunch house current owner renovated the interior to look like the real TV house; increasing number of women looking at Pornhub and the Metropolitan Opera struggling with money issues. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark talks about the Clinton's Congressional Epstein testimony; the Left's response to the Melania movie; Fox News combined revenue beat Wall Street expectations; Minnesota anti-ICE protestors setting up roadblocks; CA Governor debate; The Brady Bunch house current owner renovated the interior to look like the real TV house; increasing number of women looking at Pornhub and the Metropolitan Opera struggling with money issues.
Get this whole, show FREE on Patreon! Click HERE for a 7-day free trialBen Glaze and EZ lean into fair-use laws to present a WEEKLY review of one of America's top radio shows. Heard all across the US on about 30 radio stations, The Free Beer and Hot Wings Show has grown steadily since it's inception in the late 1990's.In this FULL show on Patreon!Topics:*Ben Glaze adds to his "super-cut" of Steve making wacky noises when he says something naughty.*Hot Wings Hot Take: "I like guacamole. Guacamole is good. I like it."*Kelly's boyfriend (who doesn't speak English and lives 4,000 miles away) has an avocado bush.*Kelly wants to snap her fingers and instantly have her hair and makeup done.*HW wants to snap his fingers and instantly have the dishes clean.*Kelly gives a detailed explanation about reusing paper towels.*Reusing paper towel talk takes a dramatic turn into reusing Ziploc bags talk.*Controversy! Hot Wings explains that he does not reuse Ziploc bags.*Hot Wings seconds Kelly's "I reuse paper towels" claim.*Hot Wings and Steve went deep, deep, deep on the details about the whereabouts of a set of keys.*Kelly got annoyed with Steve and HW's story about keys.*Free beer manages to mangle the words, "day" and "cat."*FB outdoes himself by destroying a word that he said correctly 1/2 of a second prior.*The Greg-ster asks HW a question, only to snap at him when he doesn't answer fast enough.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-eric-zane-show-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
The Top 5 at 5 gets back to its bread and butter, counting down the five funniest pieces of audio Jack Fritz has heard in the past 24 hours.
I break down why self-worth isn't a motivation problem and why trying to “think” your way into confidence rarely works. I explain how your identity is built from predictable behavioral patterns and how your nervous system resists change that feels unfamiliar or threatening. We dive into the biology behind self-worth, including dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, and how they shape drive, discipline, and resilience. Finally, I lay out practical steps you can use to rebuild self-worth through action, repetition, and new patterns.SHOW HIGHLIGHTS00:00 - Why Self-Worth Isn't a Motivation Problem01:07 - Identity as Predictable Patterns02:37 - The Rider and the Elephant03:56 - Why the Brain Rejects Change05:16 - Self-Worth as a Felt Experience06:59 - Dopamine and Direction07:12 - Serotonin and Self-Control08:21 - Norepinephrine and Resilience09:28 - Why Change Feels Like Death11:07 - Practical Steps to Rebuild Self-Worth14:56 - Self-Worth Is Built Through Action***Tired of feeling like you're never enough? Build your self-worth with help from this free guide: https://training.mantalks.com/self-worthPick up my book, Men's Work: A Practical Guide To Face Your Darkness, End Self-Sabotage, And Find Freedom: https://mantalks.com/mens-work-book/Heard about attachment but don't know where to start? Try the FREE Ultimate Guide To AttachmentCheck out some other free resources: How To Quit Porn | Anger Meditation | How To Lead In Your RelationshipBuild brotherhood with a powerful group of like-minded men from around the world. Check out The Alliance. Enjoy the podcast? Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Podchaser. It helps us get into the ears of new listeners, expand the ManTalks Community, and help others find the tools and training they're looking for. And don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | SpotifyFor more, visit us at ManTalks.com | Facebook | Instagram
In the third hour, Matt Spiegel and Laurence Holmes were joined by CHGO host Adam Hoge to share what he has learned about the Bears while on Radio Row as part of the Super Bowl festivities. Later, Spiegel and Holmes discussed the similarities between Bears head coach Ben Johnson and Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald.
Send us a textThe Rabbi Everyone Knows, From the Town Few Have Heard of: Rabbi Dovid EliezrieTo inquire about dedicating an episode - please email podcast@lubavitch.comDid you enjoy listening to this episode? Leave us a five-star review on the podcast platform and/or email us at Podcast@Lubavitch.com - we truly value your feedback!“The day he was diagnosed, I was also supposed to sign the contract for building my building. And I was in a moral dilemma what I should do.” - Rabbi Dovid Eliezrie"I've been to his house, he's been to my house. And every often will say, "Okay, take off your Chabad hat, and my Young Israel hat. And what's good for the Jewish people?” And that's been our trademark." - Rabbi Pesach LernerProduced by: Gary Waleik & Shneur Brook for Lubavitch International/Lubavitch.com - A Project of Machne IsraelAvailable on all major podcast platforms - and online at Lubavitch.com/podcastSupport the show
Matt Spiegel and Laurence Holmes were joined by CHGO host Adam Hoge to share what he has learned about the Bears while on Radio Row as part of the Super Bowl festivities.
1 Samuel 3:1–18 God gave one of the most severe warnings, recorded in Scripture, to a child. Witness with Pastor Chuck Swindoll the disintegration of a family, God's warning, and their responses. Learn the four signs of domestic disintegration from the life of Eli and his sons in 1 Samuel 3. Evaluate your own family life. In what areas could you grow? Commit to obedience to God and thoughtfulness with your family!
Today: It's the great boom that rocked Portland - did you hear it last night? What could it be? Is it the Cloverfield monster? Is it a sonic boom? Is it a rove band of fireworks miscreants roaming the streets causing chaos? Who knows!! Try to figure it out with us! Have a great night :)
The Royals are packing their bags and will soon be off to spring training in Surprise, Arizona. But before they leave, they greeted fans and chatted up the season at Royals Rally at Kauffman Stadium.On SportsBeat KC, the sports podcast of The Star and KCUR, beat writer Jaylon Thompson and columnist Vahe Gregorian dig into the upcoming season and whether the Royals can return to their playoff form of two years ago.Also, you'll hear from Chairman and CEO John Sherman on the latest in their stadium search, GM JJ Picollo on the team's biggest needs and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino with his take on the shorter distances to the fences at The K this season.Then after the break, the vote heard all around the country: Vahe digs into why he didn't vote for Bill Belichick in the recent Pro Football Hall of Fame vote after explaining it in a column last week. Rundown (timestamps are approximate)1:07 — John Sherman talks stadium update9:21 - JJ Picollo on the lessons learned last season14:20 - Vinnie Pasquantino on The K's shortened fences 21:32 - Vahe on why he didn't vote for Bill Belichick
Am I the Genius? is the show where you get real answers to questions you've always wondered but didn't think to ask. Subscribe on YouTube - youtube.com/@amithegenius?sub_confirmation=1 Am I the Jerk? on Instagram - instagram.com/amithegenius Am I the Jerk? on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0uEkxvRMpxLuuHeyPVVioF?si=b279dadfe593432b x.com/amithejerk facebook.com/amithejerk SUBMIT YOUR OWN STORIES HERE http://amithejerk.com/submit Mint Mobile - Get this new customer offer and your 3-month Unlimited wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month at MINTMOBILE.com/AITJ Quince - Keep it classic and cool — with long-lasting staples from Quince. Go to Quince.com/AITJ for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns. EveryPlate - Dig into these flavor-packed meals your household will love. New customers can enjoy this special offer of only $1.99 a meal. Go to everyplate.com/podcast and use code AITG199 to get started. Green Chef - Head to Greenchef.com/50AITJ and use code 50AITJ to get fifty percent off your first month, then twenty percent off for two months with free shipping. Lola Blankets - Get 35% off your entire order at Lolablankets.com by using code AITJ at checkout. Uncommon Goods - To get 15% off your next gift, go to UncommonGoods.com/AITJ Don't miss out on this limited-time offer. Uncommon Goods. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 Samuel 3:1-18 / February 2-3, 2026 The boy Samuel heard God's voice in the middle of the night. Have you ever wondered why God spoke to him? Or what God said that night? The scene may be familiar, but what it represents is not. It is a message as relevant today as it was when the Lord first spoke it. From the Series: Fascinating Stories of Forgotten Lives: Rediscovering Some Old Testament Characters read more
#WDRadio WEEK OF FEBRUARY 01, 2026==========HOUR ONE: It all started one night in June 2018. The screams coming from underneath the house. It was so intense, the homeowners simply abandoned the property. I'll even share audio of the screams so you can decide for yourself if it's real. (Screams From The Basement) *** Weirdo family member Elis Helmersson shares a story passed down the generations about a true ghost sighting in her family. (My Great Grandfather Saw a Headless Ghost) *** Have investigators finally solved the strange disappearance of Pan Am's Flight 914? (The Mystery of Flight 914) *** Plus, “Werewolves On The Prowl!”==========HOUR TWO: They're powerful in the supernatural. Witches, demons and poltergeists fear them because they are not from our world. The Cherokee call them the Raven Mockers. (The Raven Mocker) *** Betsy's Mysterious Flowers *** A girl's younger sister keeps seeing things that don't exist – until the truth is revealed when older sis is moving out. (Secrets Between Sisters) *** It's called the Chronovisor – and it is said the device can look into events in the future as well as the past. Is it true? We may never know – the Vatican, the supposed owners of the device, are refusing to cooperate when questioned. (Does The Vatican Have a Time Machine?) *** An Alaskan hunter claims to have found a boy that had been kidnapped… not by humans or aliens, but by a mysterious creature knows as the ircenrraat. (Abducted By The Ircenrraat) *** It is considered to be one of the most beautiful lakes in the United States. But there are also tales of ghosts, a giant lake monster, unexplained disappearances, and murders. That's only a sample of what you might find at Oregon's Crater Lake. (The Creeps of Crater Lake) *** Weirdo family member Candice Cardenas tells of a haunting in her mobile home. (This Ghost Loves Brass) *** Dreaming About Owls==========SOURCES AND REFERENCES FROM TONIGHT'S SHOW: “Betsy's Mysterious Flowers” by Brandon Grimes for Paranormality Magazine: https://weirddarkness.com/magazine“The Raven Mocker” by Jeramy Neurign: http://bit.ly/2RUcsSG“Secrets Between Sister” posted at BackpackerVerse: http://bit.ly/2NsJtXj“Does The Vatican Have a Time Machine” posted at Disclose.TV (link no longer valid)“Abducted By The Ircenrraat” originally published in the Anchorage Daily News: (link no longer available)““The Creeps of Crater Lake” by Christopher Schulz: http://bit.ly/2LxmZ4N“This Ghost Loves Brass” submitted by Weirdo family member Candice Cardenas“Dreaming About Owls” by Nicole Whitney for Paranormality Magazine: https://weirddarkness.com/magazine“The Mystery of Flight 914”: JJ Foster (link no longer valid), Hoax or Fact (link no longer valid) and Snopes:http://bit.ly/2RS2voI“Screams From The Basement” written by Robert Harries (link no longer available); captured audio by Alan Tait: http://bit.ly/2RUdyxv“My Great Grandfather Saw a Headless Ghost” by Weirdo family member Elis Helmersson“Werewolves On The Prowl” by John Beale for Paranormality Magazine: https://weirddarkness.com/magazine==========(Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for material I use whenever possible. If I have overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it immediately. Some links may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)=========="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46==========WeirdDarkness®, WeirdDarkness© 2026==========To become a Weird Darkness Radio Show affiliate, contact Radio America at affiliates@radioamerica.com, or call 800-807-4703 (press 2 or dial ext 250).
1 Samuel 3:1–18 God gave one of the most severe warnings, recorded in Scripture, to a child. Witness with Pastor Chuck Swindoll the disintegration of a family, God's warning, and their responses. Learn the four signs of domestic disintegration from the life of Eli and his sons in 1 Samuel 3. Evaluate your own family life. In what areas could you grow? Commit to obedience to God and thoughtfulness with your family!
This is a FIRST for The Diary Of A CEO…a live snake on set, with jungle explorer PAUL ROSOLIE. After 20 years surviving jaguars, anacondas, cartels, and uncontacted tribes, he warns of a collapse that could end life on Earth! Paul Rosolie is an American conservationist who has spent over 2 decades living in the Amazon rainforest. He is the co-founder and director of Junglekeepers, a non-profit protecting areas of rainforest from logging and mining, and is the bestselling author of books such as, ‘Junglekeeper: What It Takes to Change the World'. He explains: ◼️What happens when a live snake is inches from your face ◼️Being surrounded by warriors with 7-foot bows and arrows ◼️Why humans living outside history don't suffer modern misery ◼️How the jungle keeps you alive when everything goes wrong ◼️The moment you realise this place is bigger than humanity itself (00:00) Intro (02:34) On a Mission to Save the Amazon (05:32) A Jungle Warning After 20 Years Off the Grid (11:25) How a Wild Adventure in Peru Changed Everything (15:34) What It's Like Meeting Uncontacted Tribes for the First Time (19:58) Why This Ancient Forest Could Disappear Forever (26:36) What Living in the Amazon for a Decade Does to You (28:56) How We Discovered the Uncontacted Tribes (42:04) Unseen Footage the World Wasn't Supposed to Watch (46:01) When Tribe Women Took Our Food—And What It Meant (47:06) Do Uncontacted Tribes Really Eat Humans? (54:20) How Many Hidden Tribes Still Exist? (59:13) Can These Tribes Actually Communicate With Monkeys? (01:01:39) What If They're Just Searching for Happiness? (01:03:25) Do Tribal People Still Live in Huts? (01:06:40) The Most Haunting Stories I've Heard in the Jungle (01:09:26) Why I Had to Stop Here (01:10:18) Would You Survive Living Like an Uncontacted Tribe? (01:11:35) Ads (01:13:53) How I Almost Got Crushed by a Snake (01:15:53) The Terrifying Reality of Being Eaten Alive (01:18:06) How Jane Goodall Saved My Life (01:22:09) The TV Show I Made to Help the Amazon (That Went Terribly Wrong) (01:29:36) The Truth About Handling Deadly Snakes (01:44:24) Should You Really Be Scared of Snakes? (01:46:18) Ads (01:47:41) What 20 Years in the Jungle Taught Me About Life (01:55:50) How Do You Know When It's Time to Quit? (02:12:17) Are Humans Really the Most Important Species? (02:16:06) AI, Robots, and the Jungle's View of Modern Tech (02:23:15) I Saw the Creation of the Universe on Ayahuasca (02:27:22) What Is the Jungle Keeper's Mission Really About? (02:30:20) Ancient Medicine Hidden in the Amazon (02:34:30) What It's Like Living in the Jungle With My Wife (02:41:42) What Still Scares Me After All These Years (02:44:14) If You Had 3 Years Left, What Would You Regret? Enjoyed the episode? Share this link and earn points for every referral - redeem them for exclusive prizes: https://doac-perks.com Follow Paul: Instagram - https://bit.ly/4t6fvIs TikTok - https://bit.ly/45F9xEx Facebook - https://bit.ly/4a2tV3E Junglekeepers - https://bit.ly/3NNDFre You can purchase ‘Junglekeeper: What It Takes to Change the World', here: https://amzn.to/4q8WK4u The Diary Of A CEO: ◼️Join DOAC circle here - https://doaccircle.com/ ◼️Buy The Diary Of A CEO book here - https://smarturl.it/DOACbook ◼️The 1% Diary is back - limited time only: https://bit.ly/3YFbJbt ◼️The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards (Second Edition): https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb ◼️Get email updates - https://bit.ly/diary-of-a-ceo-yt ◼️Follow Steven - https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb Sponsors: Intuit - If you want help getting out of the weeds of admin, https://intuitquickbooks.com Pipedrive - https://pipedrive.com/CEO Apple Card - https://Apple.co/get-daily-cash Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City Branch. Offer may not be available everywhere. Terms and limitations apply.
I sit down with Leland Vittert to talk about his childhood diagnosis of autism and the extraordinary role his father played in shaping his resilience. We explore why removing adversity from children often backfires, and how discipline, honesty, and responsibility can become acts of love. This conversation isn't about romanticizing struggle, it's about learning how to do hard things and refusing to be defined by limitations.SHOW HIGHLIGHTS00:00 - Introduction02:10 - Autism Diagnosis and Early Childhood05:40 - A Father's Radical Commitment08:05 - Growing Up Without Friends10:55 - Self-Esteem Outside School and Sports13:20 - Why Adversity Was Never Removed17:30 - Learning You Can't Be Broken20:05 - Living With Autism as an Adult23:45 - Discipline Versus Accommodation27:00 - Teaching Social Skills Deliberately30:40 - Protection, Trust, and Character34:50 - Letting Kids Become More39:35 - Discipline as Strength45:10 - Parenting Without Expectations48:10 - Final Reflections and Where to Find Leland***Tired of feeling like you're never enough? Build your self-worth with help from this free guide: https://training.mantalks.com/self-worthPick up my book, Men's Work: A Practical Guide To Face Your Darkness, End Self-Sabotage, And Find Freedom: https://mantalks.com/mens-work-book/Heard about attachment but don't know where to start? Try the FREE Ultimate Guide To AttachmentCheck out some other free resources: How To Quit Porn | Anger Meditation | How To Lead In Your RelationshipBuild brotherhood with a powerful group of like-minded men from around the world. Check out The Alliance. Enjoy the podcast? Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Podchaser. It helps us get into the ears of new listeners, expand the ManTalks Community, and help others find the tools and training they're looking for. And don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | SpotifyFor more, visit us at ManTalks.com | Facebook | Instagram
1 Samuel 3:1-18 / February 2-3, 2026 The boy Samuel heard God's voice in the middle of the night. Have you ever wondered why God spoke to him? Or what God said that night? The scene may be familiar, but what it represents is not. It is a message as relevant today as it was when the Lord first spoke it. From the Series: Fascinating Stories of Forgotten Lives: Rediscovering Some Old Testament Characters read more
1 Samuel 3:1-18 / February 2-3, 2026 The boy Samuel heard God's voice in the middle of the night. Have you ever wondered why God spoke to him? Or what God said that night? The scene may be familiar, but what it represents is not. It is a message as relevant today as it was when the Lord first spoke it. From the Series: Fascinating Stories of Forgotten Lives: Rediscovering Some Old Testament Characters read more
In this episode, Kappy shares what's on his plate at the moment.Links and handles mentioned in this episode:Milli by Metric | Metric Coffee | IGSouper CubesCombustion Inc.Too Good To Go | IGHow Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids | Chef Gavin Kaysen | Daniel's Dream | Chef Daniel HummFollow Beyond the Plate on Facebook and X.Follow Kappy on Instagram and X.www.beyondtheplatepodcast.comwww.onkappysplate.com
Heard about Granny Hobbies? Looking for one that fits you? Can they actually be healthy for you? Yes they can. In this episode, we explore how choosing a healthy hobby can reduce stress, help you minimize mindless snacking or scrolling, and create something amazing in the process. Healthy hobbies aren't about productivity or perfection. They're about presence, comfort, and learning to soothe without food. Healthy hobbies to consider for yourself:
Capitalism as an economic system has been around in various forms for over a thousand years and according to our featured guest this week, it keeps evolving. Join us for a lively and challenging discussion between Ralph and Harvard history professor, Sven Beckert, as they discuss his book “Capitalism: A Global History.”Sven Beckert is the Laird Bell Professor of History at Harvard University. He has written widely on the economic, social, and political history of capitalism. His book Empire of Cotton won the Bancroft Prize and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His latest book is Capitalism: A Global History.Capitalism has existed within a whole range of political systems of organizing political power. And this includes authoritarian regimes; this includes fascist regimes; and this includes also liberal democratic regimes such as Great Britain and the United States. And you see this kind of tension emerging today within the United States in which there is a kind of concern, I think, among some capital-owning elites about liberal democracy. They see that as being limiting to some of their business interests.Sven BeckertIn a way, the book tries to not make us to be just powerless cogs in a machine and not powerless cogs in the unfolding of history. But the book very much emphasizes that the particular shape that capitalism has taken at any particular moment in time has a lot to do also with questions of the state. It has a lot to do with questions of political power. It has a lot to do with questions of social contestation. And sometimes capitalism has been reshaped drastically by the actions of people with very little power. And I show that in particular when I look at the end of the slave-based plantation economy in the Americas, which is very much driven by the collective mobilization of some of the poorest and most exploited people on planet Earth—namely the enslaved workers who grow all that sugar and all that cotton or that tobacco in the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.Sven BeckertI think markets and market activities have existed in all human societies. That is not particular to capitalism. And the few efforts in world history in which people have tried to get rid of the market in its entirety have been pretty much economic disasters. So there is a place for the market. There has been a place for the market in all human societies. But in capitalism, the market takes on an importance that it didn't take on in other forms of economic life… I think it is so important to think about this, because, as I said earlier, capitalism is not natural. It's not the only form of economic life on planet Earth. Indeed, it's the opposite. It's a revolutionary departure from older forms of the organization of economic life.Sven BeckertTrump seems really concerned about impeachment because it's beyond his control. And he sees if (with inflation) the economy starts going down more, unemployment up, prices up, all these campaign promises bogus, polls going down—he fears impeachment. And I've yet to hear him say if he was impeached and removed from office, he wouldn't leave the White House—while he's defied all other federal laws, constitutional provisions, and foreign treaties.Ralph NaderNews 1/30/26* Following the murders of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renée Good by ICE agents in Minneapolis – along with the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis, the abduction of 5-year-old Liam Ramos along with his father, and the arrest of an estimated 3,000 people – the Minnesota AFL-CIO called a General Strike for workers to demand ICE leave the state. This one-day general strike, staged during temperatures of -20°F, drew as many as 100,000 workers into the streets, according to Labor Notes. Participating unions included the SEIU, AFT, and the CWA, along with UNITE HERE Local 17, OPEIU Local 12, IATSE Local 13, and AFSCME Council 5, among many others. Minneapolis has been the site of major labor actions before, perhaps most famously the 1934 General Strike, and it remains a relatively union-dense hub today. It was also the locus of the 2020 George Floyd protests, which many see as a reason why the Trump administration has been so hostile towards the locals.* With the spiraling situation in Minnesota, the Trump administration has finally moved to deescalate somewhat. Per POLITICO, “DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, has…been sidelined,” and border czar Tom Homan has been dispatched to the state to take over operations there. Moreover, the Atlantic reports “Gregory Bovino has been removed from his role as Border Patrol ‘commander at large' and will return to his former job in El Centro, California, where he is expected to retire soon.” While hardly an adequate response to the crisis, these moves do show that Trump sees how badly his lieutenants have bungled their mission. It remains to be seen whether this will mark the end of the high-lawlessness period of ICE activity or if the agency will simply shift its primary theater of operation.* For Minnesota Republicans meanwhile, the situation is nothing short of catastrophic. While the party's fortunes had looked promising just weeks ago, some, like Republican attorney Chris Madel, now say “National Republicans have made it nearly impossible for a Republican to win a statewide election in Minnesota.” Madel had been a candidate for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, but dropped out abruptly this week, citing national Republicans' “stated retribution on the citizens of our state,” per the Star Tribune. While the election is still 10 months away – “a lifetime in politics,” as one person quoted in the story puts it – it is hard to imagine Minnesotans forgetting about the murders of Renée Good and Alex Pretti and delivering a statewide victory for Republicans for the first time since 2006.* Speaking of dropping out, the New York Times reports Eleanor Holmes Norton, the 18-term incumbent delegate representing Washington, D.C. in Congress, has filed a termination notice for her re-election campaign. Norton, a civil rights activist and law professor, was elected D.C. delegate in 1991 and earned a reputation as D.C.'s “warrior on the Hill.” Today, she is the oldest person serving in the House at 88 years old. Norton has shown signs of cognitive decline but insisted she would seek reelection and even after her campaign filed this termination paperwork Norton did not make a public statement for days, raising questions about how aware she even was of this decision – a disgraceful end to a towering career. If any silver lining is to be found, one hopes this will serve as a cautionary tale for other members of Congress not to cling to their seats to the bitter end.* In more congressional news, Axios reports, “Nearly half of the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee broke with their party's leadership in stunning fashion…by voting to hold former President Bill Clinton in contempt of Congress,” for his refusal to testify in the committee's probe related to Jeffrey Epstein. While House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries whipped votes against the motion, Ranking Member Robert Garcia gave committee members permission to “vote their conscience.” With the defections, the vote to hold former President Clinton in contempt was a lopsided 34-8. Nine Democrats voted yes, eight no, and two present. On a separate vote to hold Hillary Clinton in contempt, far fewer Democrats broke ranks. In that vote, Democrats Rashida Tlaib, Summer Lee and Melanie Stansbury voted yes, Dave Min voted present, and the rest voted no. The contempt measure will now move to the House floor and Jeffries must decide whether or not to formally whip votes against the measure there. If it passes a full house vote, the Clintons could be held in jail on contempt charges until they agree to testify, as Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro were during the January 6th investigation.* In more news out of D.C., legendary modern classical composer Philip Glass has pulled the world premiere of his Lincoln Symphony from the Kennedy Center in protest of the venue's takeover by Trump and his cronies. In a statement, Glass wrote “After thoughtful consideration , I have decided to withdraw my Symphony No. 15” because the symphony is “a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, and the values of the Kennedy Center [and its current leadership] today are in direct conflict with the message of the Symphony.” Just days after this embarrassing fiasco, Kevin Couch, the Center's new head of artistic programming, abruptly resigned without explanation, per the Hill.* Meanwhile, in Alaska, the Anchorage Daily News reports the Alaskan Independence Party – the state's third largest political party founded in the 1970s to push for Alaskan independence from the United States – has voted to dissolve itself. Ballot Access News reports that the party leaders felt that there is “little support” for Alaskan independence today and “the public doesn't even understand the party's original purpose.” Still, the party stands as one of the most successful minor parties of the twentieth century, electing Walter Hickel Governor in 1999 and electing a state legislator in 1992. It almost elected another candidate Tyler Ivanoff, in 2022; he won 48.73% of the vote. The state of Alaska will now give the roughly 19,000 members of the AIP the chance to re-register with another party, per Alaska Public Media.* In more positive independent political news, the Chicago Tribune reports Southwest Side Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez has launched an independent bid for Illinois' 4th Congressional District seat. Sigcho-Lopez, a DSA member and progressive firebrand in Chicago, is campaigning to “end tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and dramatically expand social services in housing and health care,” in Congress and is “aligned with working-class labor unions and street protesters pushing back against Trump.” This seat is currently held by stalwart progressive Jesús “Chuy” García, but he pulled an unsavory bait and switch, announcing he would “not seek reelection just hours before the party primary filing deadline, leaving no time for other hopefuls to get in the race for the suddenly vacant seat as his chief of staff, Patty Garcia, became the only candidate in the Democratic primary.” This has forced other candidates like Sigcho-Lopez to launch independent campaigns. To get on the ballot, he must collect at least 10,816 petition signatures between February 25th and May 26th.* In more state and local news, NPR reports that as the federal government withdraws from international institutions like the World Health Organizations, states are stepping into the breach. California, for example, has joined the WHO's Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network, or GOARN, and other states like Illinois are poised to follow suit. States like California and Illinois, being sub-national entities, can not join the WHO as a full member, but are eligible to participate in WHO subgroups like GOARN. In a statement, California Governor Gavin Newsom said “The Trump administration's withdrawal from WHO is a reckless decision that will hurt all Californians and Americans…California will not bear witness to the chaos this decision will bring.”* Finally, Axios is out with a major story on the Catholic Church emerging as a “bulwark of resistance,” to Trump's authoritarianism. This piece cites Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, condemning the ICE killings as “examples of the violence that represent failures in our society to respect the dignity of every human life.” This piece adds that “the three highest-ranking heads of U.S. archdioceses also recently issued a plea for ‘moral foreign policy'” in response to the lawless American military action abroad, namely in Venezuela, Cuba and Iran. Most strikingly, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, the Catholic archbishop for the military's archdiocese, is quoted saying it would be “morally acceptable” for troops to disobey orders that violate their conscience. A related question of troops disobeying illegal orders has been much discussed lately, with Trump suggesting members of Congress who reminded troops of their obligation to do so should be hanged for treason. Notably, Pew data suggests 43% of Catholics in the U.S. were born outside the country or had at least one parent born outside the U.S. Reverend Tom Reese, a Jesuit priest and analyst, said the people being targeted by Trump's immigration crackdown are “the people in the pews.”This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe
Most people think creatine only affects muscle strength and performance. But what if creatine also plays a role inside fat cells themselves—and could subtly influence fat loss and body recomposition? In this episode of the Optimal Protein Podcast, Vanessa Spina I recaps the key takeaways from the interview with Dr. Scott Forbes, focusing on fat loss, body recomposition, muscle preservation, protein intake, creatine supplementation, sleep, and aging. This episode breaks down brand new research on how different training modalities, recovery, and evidence-based supplements influence fat loss and body composition—and why scale weight alone is a poor marker of fat loss success.
Mark discusses Trump accelerating the re-building of Los Angeles; CBS News offering buyouts to staffers; Apple trying to make Siri more powerful; details of the Saks Fifth Avenue bankruptcy; Hunter Biden back in court; controversary of NYC Mayor Mamdani dealing with homeless during major snowstorm; new CA bill regarding third hand smoke; Tesla owner drives across America using only the self-driving system and the latest news about electric car batteries.
Mark discusses Trump accelerating the re-building of Los Angeles; CBS News offering buyouts to staffers; Apple trying to make Siri more powerful; details of the Saks Fifth Avenue bankruptcy; Hunter Biden back in court; controversary of NYC Mayor Mamdani dealing with homeless during major snowstorm; new CA bill regarding third hand smoke; Tesla owner drives across America using only the self-driving system and the latest news about electric car batteries. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this Friday edition of Sid & Friends in the Morning, Sid takes another lonesome loser to task after the wannabe know-it-all spent time in his mother's basement to rail on the great morning show host. In other news of the day, Craig Carton speaks the truth about Eli Manning's Hall of Fame hopes; The Daily Show invokes our colleague Brian Kilmeade's influence on President Trump's actions; the film Melania premieres at The Kennedy Center; and the truth is uncovered regarding the true character of the late Alex Pretti, the anti-I.C.E. protester who was shot in Minneapolis last week. Aaron Siri, Anthony D'Esposito, Cory Zelnik, David Carr, Donna Rotunno & Joe Tacopina join Sid on this Friday installment of Sid & Friends in the Morning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Three Point Stance - Patriots Dynasty credit pie // Mike Giardi explains how the Patriots can pull out a victory in Santa Clara // Callers weigh in on the Patriots Dynasty credit pie //
Zirian Fatah, President of Kurdish Lobby Australia, has expressed concern over the escalating crisis facing Kurdish communities in Iran and northern Syria. In a letter to the Australian Government, the Lobby highlighted a deadly crackdown in Iran, where thousands of civilians have died amid nationwide protests. Meanwhile, in northern Syria, intensified fighting around Kobani has forced many families to flee, as the city and surrounding areas face a growing humanitarian crisis. Kurdish Lobby Australia is calling on the Australian Government to take urgent action to address these interconnected humanitarian and security threats. - Zirian Fetah, serokê Lobiya Kurd a Australya, li ser krîza ku li hember civakên Kurd li Îran û bakurê Sûriyeyê rû bi rû ne, di xemê de ye. Di nameyeke ji Hukûmeta Australya re, balê dikişîne ser serkutkirina kujer a li Îranê, ku bi hezaran sivîl di nav xwepêşandanên seranserî welêt de mirine. Di heman demê de, li bakurê Sûriyê, şerên dijwar ên li dora Kobaniyê gelek malbat neçar kirine ku aware bibin, ji ber ku bajar û deverên derdorê bi topbaran û krîzeke mirovî ya mezin re rû bi rû dibe. Name banga tedbîrên lezgîn dike da ku van gefên mirovî û ewlehiyê yên bi hev re girêdayî çareser bikin.
I break down the single most critical masculine trait every man needs to master this year: self-control. I explain why true masculinity isn't about suppressing your emotions or killing your aggression, but rather channeling that intense energy into mastery and leadership. I also share four practical pillars you can use immediately to stop reacting to the chaos around you and start leading your life with power under command.SHOW HIGHLIGHTS00:00 - The Single Most Important Masculine Trait02:57 - Why Masculinity Itself Isn't the Problem06:16 - The Cost of Losing Control08:14 - Pillar #1: The Power of the Pause10:04 - Pillar #2: Channeling Aggression into Mastery12:54 - Pillar #3: Disciplining the Body First14:31 - Pillar #4: Ending the Need for Validation15:44 - True Masculinity is Power Under Command***Tired of feeling like you're never enough? Build your self-worth with help from this free guide: https://training.mantalks.com/self-worthPick up my book, Men's Work: A Practical Guide To Face Your Darkness, End Self-Sabotage, And Find Freedom: https://mantalks.com/mens-work-book/Heard about attachment but don't know where to start? Try the FREE Ultimate Guide To AttachmentCheck out some other free resources: How To Quit Porn | Anger Meditation | How To Lead In Your RelationshipBuild brotherhood with a powerful group of like-minded men from around the world. Check out The Alliance. Enjoy the podcast? Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Podchaser. It helps us get into the ears of new listeners, expand the ManTalks Community, and help others find the tools and training they're looking for. And don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | SpotifyFor more, visit us at ManTalks.com | Facebook | Instagram
Hour 4 of BMitch & Finlay features an interview with John Wall and the guys making some bets.
Tracklist Tigers Jaw - Head Is Like A Sinking Stone Jay Som - Float feat. Jim Adkins Way Dynamic - Ibiza Doss - Strawberry Doss - Look Blksmiith - 60FPS Midlake - Make Haste Kim Gordon - Not Today Melody's Echo Chamber - Burning Man The Phoenix Foundation - Vampire Class Barrie - Unholy Appetite Good Day Father - Sonic Amadea Barrie - Habits Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Lauren Salter is joined by Shane Williams, Jonathan Davies and comedian Mike Bubbins to discuss the future of Ospreys, preview the 2026 Six Nations and look ahead to Mike's new series of Scrum V Top 5.
Mike Schopp and The Bulldog are joined by Sal Capaccio to get his biggest takeaways from Joe Brady's press conference, What he liked about Joe Brady's press conference, his expectations for the Bills offense and Keon Coleman, what Joe Brady's plan is for the Bills defense, who are the coordinators he will bring in and more about Joe Brady's press conference.
Tracklist Tigers Jaw - Head Is Like A Sinking Stone Jay Som - Float feat. Jim Adkins Way Dynamic - Ibiza Doss - Strawberry Doss - Look Blksmiith - 60FPS Midlake - Make Haste Kim Gordon - Not Today Melody's Echo Chamber - Burning Man The Phoenix Foundation - Vampire Class Barrie - Unholy Appetite Good Day Father - Sonic Amadea Barrie - Habits Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Hour 4 of BMitch & Finlay features an interview with John Keim and the guys making some bets.
Episode 774: January 27, 2026 playlist: Dalek, "Better Than" (Brilliance of a Falling Moon) 2026 Ipecac Kevin Richard Martin, "Destroyed" (Sub Zero) 2022 / 2026 Pressure Nowhere Flower, "Groundhog Day" (Heat Dome) 2025 Digital Regress Isabel Pine, "A Flickering Light" (Fables) 2026 kranky Setting, "Heard a Bubble" (Setting) 2026 Thrill Jockey Immersion, "Use It Don't Lose It" (WTF??) 2025 ~swim Brad Rose, "The Sound Leaves (excerpt)" (The Sound Leaves) 2026 Room40 Dominique Fils-Aime, "Going Home" (My World Is The Sun) 2026 Ensoul Craggyland, "Dog Eat Dog" (Ardeer Peninsula) 2025 Slipping Bill Callahan, "The Man I'm Supposed To Be" (My Days of 58) 2025 Drag City Beatriz Ferreyra, "Huellas Entreveradas (Radio edit)" (Huellas Entreveradas) 2020 / 2026 Persistence of Sound The Necessaries, "More Real" (Completely Necessary (Anthology 1978-1982)) 2026 Omnivore Shackleton, "Crushing Realities" (Euphoria Bound) 2026 AD93 Jose Gonzalez, "Against The Dying Of The Light" (Against The Dying Of The Light) 2026 Mute Email podcast at brainwashed dot com to say who you are; what you like; what you want to hear; share pictures for the podcast of where you're from, your computer or MP3 player with or without the Brainwashed Podcast Playing; and win free music! We have no tracking information, no idea who's listening to these things so the more feedback that comes in, the more frequent podcasts will come. You will not be put on any spam list and your information will remain completely private and not farmed out to a third party. Thanks for your attention and thanks for listening.
More on Drake Maye's possible shoulder injury // Grab Bag // Clip Du Jour/Crossover with WEEI Afternoons //
Truth, tempered with compassion give both sides a chance to come closer together in a dispute solution. Stop talking and start listening. God will give you the words of response, everytime.
What even is AI anyway, and how do we harness it for the good of the people? Host Emily talks technology and public power in this episode with Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders, authors of Rewiring Democracy: How AI will Transform our Politics, Government, and Citizenship. Find the book at your local library! Overdueing It is a project funded by the Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services and is produced by library staff around the Ocean State. We are proud to be a resident partner of the Rhode Island Center for the Book. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speakers' own and do not represent those of the Overdueing It podcast, its sponsor organizations, or any participants' place of employment. The content of Overdueing It episodes are the property of the individual creators, with permission for Overdueing It to share the content on their podcast feed in perpetuity. Any of the content from the Overdueing It podcast can not be reproduced without express written permission. Our logo was designed by Sarah Bouvier and our theme music is by Neura-Flow. Books The Mechanic and the Luddite: A Ruthless Criticism of Technology and Capitalism by Jathan Sadowski A Drop of Corruption by Robert Bennet Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes Lynch on Lynch edited by Chris Rodley Rewiring Democracy: How AI will Transform our Politics, Government, and Citizenship by Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders The Light Eaters by Zoe Schlanger The Hidden Language of Trees by Peter Wohlleben The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman A Hacker's Mind by Bruce Schneier Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard Media Zero Dark Thirty Ella McCay Zenon Girl of the Twenty First Century Other Song - The Arrogant Worms: Carrot Juice is Murder (I've Heard the Scream of the Vegetables) Video - The Fall
We are re-airing this episode in light of Human Trafficking Awareness Day (Jan. 11th). Hope and Strength goes out to all victims, suffering and saved.[Content Warning]: Neglect, Substance Abuse, Domestic Violence, Child Sexual Abuse, Rape, Human Trafficking of a Child ,Exploitation, Attempted Suicide, and Graphic Discussions of Abuse Related Injuries.Today, Jan is joined by Elizabeth Rose, who shares her story of neglect and childhood sexual abuse that began early on in her life. She talks about the normalization of abuse in her home and the grooming and manipulation she experienced. Being trafficked as a teenager, abandoned by her mother, and living in multiple foster care homes as an adolescent, Elizabeth Rose has a unique perspective on the systemic injustices that are faced by children who are neglected, abused and exploited. In this conversation, Jan and Elizabeth Rose discuss the importance of education, advocacy, trauma-informed care, and support for survivors of human trafficking. They highlight the need for community belief and understanding, as well as the role of legislation in preventing and addressing trafficking. They also discuss the notion that many people believe human trafficking only occurs far away, but in reality, it's happening right here in North America, often perpetrated by someone familiar to us. Lastly, they discuss the systemic failures in the support systems for survivors and the need for resources as well as education in the community. The conversation ends with a message of hope and resilience for all survivors and Elizabeth Rose shares about how being an advocate for others has helped her in her healing journey.Elizabeth Rose would like to highlight:The Joy Smith FoundationLuma & BloomIf you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress or suicidal ideation, please access the resources below:National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN) : 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)National Alliance for Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264Subscribe / Support / Contact:
What even is AI anyway, and how do we harness it for the good of the people? Host Emily talks technology and public power in this episode with Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders, authors of Rewiring Democracy: How AI will Transform our Politics, Government, and Citizenship. Find the book at your local library! Overdueing It is a project funded by the Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services and is produced by library staff around the Ocean State. We are proud to be a resident partner of the Rhode Island Center for the Book. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speakers' own and do not represent those of the Overdueing It podcast, its sponsor organizations, or any participants' place of employment. The content of Overdueing It episodes are the property of the individual creators, with permission for Overdueing It to share the content on their podcast feed in perpetuity. Any of the content from the Overdueing It podcast can not be reproduced without express written permission. Our logo was designed by Sarah Bouvier and our theme music is by Neura-Flow. Books The Mechanic and the Luddite: A Ruthless Criticism of Technology and Capitalism by Jathan Sadowski A Drop of Corruption by Robert Bennet Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes Lynch on Lynch edited by Chris Rodley Rewiring Democracy: How AI will Transform our Politics, Government, and Citizenship by Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders The Light Eaters by Zoe Schlanger The Hidden Language of Trees by Peter Wohlleben The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman A Hacker's Mind by Bruce Schneier Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard Media Zero Dark Thirty Ella McCay Zenon Girl of the Twenty First Century Other Song - The Arrogant Worms: Carrot Juice is Murder (I've Heard the Scream of the Vegetables) Video - The Fall
I sit down with Mark Walsh for a wide-ranging and unfiltered conversation about the collapse of meaning in modern life and how it is impacting men in particular. We explore why young men feel lost, why modern psychology and culture are failing them, and what it actually takes to stay grounded in an increasingly chaotic world.We talk about masculinity, embodiment, faith, community, and why comfort-driven modernity is producing anxiety rather than fulfillment. This is a challenging conversation that does not offer platitudes, but it does offer a path forwardSHOW HIGHLIGHTS00:00 - The Death Cult of Modernity01:21 - What Is Really Happening to Young Men06:15 - Meaning, God, and the Collapse of Culture10:28 - Why Modern Life Feels Insane16:10 - The Gender Divide and Radicalization23:47 - Why Men Feel Politically Homeless31:30 - Joker Energy and Cultural Breakdown36:27 - The Four Reconnections Men Need44:16 - Feminism as Ersatz Religion48:20 - What Modern Psychology Gets Wrong54:22 - How Men Become Embodied Again***Tired of feeling like you're never enough? Build your self-worth with help from this free guide: https://training.mantalks.com/self-worthPick up my book, Men's Work: A Practical Guide To Face Your Darkness, End Self-Sabotage, And Find Freedom: https://mantalks.com/mens-work-book/Heard about attachment but don't know where to start? Try the FREE Ultimate Guide To AttachmentCheck out some other free resources: How To Quit Porn | Anger Meditation | How To Lead In Your RelationshipBuild brotherhood with a powerful group of like-minded men from around the world. Check out The Alliance. Enjoy the podcast? Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Podchaser. It helps us get into the ears of new listeners, expand the ManTalks Community, and help others find the tools and training they're looking for. And don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | SpotifyFor more, visit us at ManTalks.com | Facebook | Instagram
Chris McCausland asks Amy Gledhill and Luke McQueen to take on Angela Barnes and Kiell Smith-Bynoe. The teams must figure out what on earth is being advertised on TV, guess what famous objects or locations children are trying to describe, and guess what soundscapes their teammates are trying to convey using their mouths alone.This is the first episode from the third season of You Heard It Here First, titled The Live Disintegration of a Man's Being. To hear more episodes, search "You Heard It Here First" on BBC Sounds.Producer: Sasha Bobak Assistant Producer: Eve Delaney Executive Producer: Pete Strauss Production Coordinator: Jodie CharmanA BBC Studios Production.
Stop chasing algorithms and reach. Your impact multiplies when your message is crystal clear and faithfully stewarded. I share how podcasting isn't just another platform but the best place to refine, transmit, and build authority around the message God's given you, and why true mastery starts before the mic ever turns on. If you're struggling to get results, maybe it's your message, not your methods.Ready to Master Your Mindset, Mission, and Message?If today's episode spoke to you, don't just listen—step behind the curtain and join the Journey Feed.Inside the Journey Feed, you'll get:Unfiltered Mentorship Notes – Straight talk, “Elzisms,” and faith-driven insights to help you align purpose and profit.Backstage Access – Go behind the scenes of the Journey to Mastery movement with raw lessons, unseen stories, and deeper context.Focus Prompts & Reflections – Practical tools to help you lead with intention and master your week.Private Invites – Be first to join challenges, workshops, and live experiences.Exclusive Content – Access behind-the-scenes stories and lessons from my journey of building Kingdom-first ventures.Go Deeper With The Flame Starter BookTake the next step and grab Flame Starter: The Art of Self-Mastery — your guide to living In Purpose. On Purpose.™Support The MissionIf the Journey to Mastery podcast has helped you grow, consider contributing to help us continue creating faith-centered tools, resources, and conversations for kingdom entrepreneurs like you. I am an independent podcaster and your support helps keep me going.Journey To Mastery is produced by EF3 Studios
Heard a Pop in My Head: The Stroke Warning Sign Most People Ignore When Phat heard a pop in his head, it didn't feel dramatic. There was no collapse. No sirens. No panic. Just a strange sensation. A few minutes of numbness. Then… everything went back to normal. So he did what most people would do. He ignored it. Five days later, he was being rushed to the hospital with a hemorrhagic cerebellar stroke that nearly cost him his life. This is not a rare story. It's a dangerously misunderstood stroke warning sign and one that often gets dismissed because the symptoms disappear. When You Hear a Pop in Your Head, Your Brain Might Be Warning You “Hearing a pop in my head” isn't something doctors list neatly on posters in emergency rooms. But among stroke survivors, especially those who experienced hemorrhagic strokes, this phrase comes up more often than you'd expect. For Phat, the pop happened while stretching on a Sunday. Immediately after: His left side went numb The numbness lasted about five minutes Everything returned to “normal” No pain. No weakness. No emergency, at least that's how it felt. This is where the danger lies. Stroke Symptoms That Go Away Are Often the Most Misleading One of the most common secondary keywords people search after an experience like this is: “Stroke symptoms that go away” And for good reason. In Phat's case, the initial bleed didn't cause full collapse. It caused a slow haemorrhage, a bleed that worsened gradually over days. By Friday, the real symptoms arrived: Severe vertigo Vomiting and nausea Inability to walk Double vision after stroke onset By Sunday, his girlfriend called an ambulance despite Phat insisting he'd “sleep it off.” That delay nearly killed him. Cerebellar Stroke: Why the Symptoms Are Easy to Miss A cerebellar stroke affects balance, coordination, and vision more than speech or facial droop. That makes it harder to recognise. Common cerebellar stroke warning signs include: Sudden dizziness or vertigo Trouble walking or standing Nausea and vomiting Double vision Head pressure without sharp pain Unlike classic FAST symptoms, these can be brushed off as: Inner ear issues Migraine Muscle strain Fatigue or stress That's why “pop in head then stroke” is such a common post-diagnosis search. The Complication That Changed Everything Phat's stroke was classified as cryptogenic, meaning doctors couldn't determine the exact cause. But the consequences were severe. After repairing the bleeding vessel, his brain began to swell. Surgeons were forced to remove part of his cerebellum to relieve pressure and save his life. He woke up with: Partial paralysis Severe balance impairment Double vision Tremors Aphasia A completely altered sense of identity Recovery wasn't just physical. It was existential. The Invisible Disability No One Warns You About Today, if you met Phat, you might not realise he's a stroke survivor. That's one of the hardest parts. He still lives with: Fatigue Visual processing challenges Limited multitasking ability Balance limitations Cognitive overload This is the reality of invisible disability after stroke when you look fine, but your nervous system is working overtime just to keep up. Recovery Wasn't Linear — It Was Personal Phat describes himself as a problem solver. That mindset became his survival tool. Some of what helped: Self-directed rehabilitation (sometimes against advice) Meditation and breath-counting to calm the nervous system Vision therapy exercises to retrain eye coordination Strength and coordination training on his affected side He walked again after about a year. Returned to work after two. And continues to adapt more than four years later. Recovery didn't mean returning to the old version of himself. It meant integrating who he was with who he became. Why This Story Matters If You've Heard a Pop in Your Head This blog isn't here to scare you. It's here to clarify something crucial: If you hear a pop in your head followed by any neurological change, even if it goes away, get checked immediately. Especially if it's followed by: Numbness Vision changes Balance issues Confusion Head pressure or vertigo Stroke doesn't always announce itself loudly. Sometimes it whispers first. You're Not Alone — And Recovery Is Possible Phat now runs a platform called Hope for Stroke Survivors, sharing stories, tools, and reminders that recovery doesn't end when hospital rehab stops. If you're early in recovery, or terrified after a strange symptom, remember this: Stroke recovery is complex Timelines vary Healing continues for years You don't have to do it alone Learn more about recovery journeys and tools in Bill Gasiamis' book: The Unexpected Way That a Stroke Became The Best Thing That Happened Support the podcast and community on Patreon: Patreon.com/Recoveryafterstroke “I heard a pop in my head… and because everything felt normal again, I ignored it.” Final Thought If this article helped you name something you couldn't explain before, share it with someone you love. Because sometimes, recognising a stroke doesn't start with fear. It starts with understanding. Disclaimer: This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your health or recovery plan. “I Heard a Pop in My Head” — Phat's Cerebellar Stroke Story A pop. Five minutes of numbness. Then everything felt “normal.” Days later, Phat collapsed with a cerebellar haemorrhage. Phat Cao’s Linktree Research shortcut I use (Turnto.ai) I used Turnto.ai to find relevant papers and sources in minutes instead of hours. If you want to try it, my affiliate LINK PDF Download The Present Moment Is All We Have: You survived the stroke. Now learn how to heal from it. Highlights: 00:00 Introduction and Life Before the Stroke 01:14 The Stroke Experience 09:05 Initial Diagnosis and Recovery 13:29 Rehabilitation Journey Begins 17:44 Mental Challenges of Recovery 22:40 Identity Transformation Post-Stroke 30:57 Mindset Shifts and Control 36:39 Breath Control Techniques for Stress Relief 42:04 Managing Tremors and Physical Recovery 48:09 Growing an Online Presence and Sharing Stories 01:01:01 Understanding Stroke Recovery Transcript: Phat (00:00) on a Sunday. And then it wasn’t until I felt like severe stroke symptoms on a Friday, which was about, what is it, four or five days. And then I didn’t think I was having a stroke because I didn’t realize the details of the stroke. And so I just went about my day on that Sunday and until Friday I started getting like some BEFAST symptoms and then, you know, I tried to sleep it off it was actually just me and my girlfriend at the house and then she didn’t feel, comfortable. So then she called the ambulance, even though I told her I’ll just sleep it off. It’s okay. Introduction and Life Before the Stroke Bill Gasiamis (00:37) today’s guest is Fat Kyle, a stroke survivor who experienced something most people would brush off. He heard a pop in his head. It went away, so he kept going. Days later, his brain was bleeding. Fat story isn’t traumatic for the sake of it. It’s honest, it’s thoughtful, and it speaks directly to anyone who’s ever ignored a symptom because it didn’t last. In this conversation, we talk about delayed stroke symptoms, cerebellar hemorrhage, identity loss, invisible disability, meditation, and what it really takes to rebuild a life when your old one disappears. And if you’ve ever had that moment where you thought, was that something or nothing? This conversation really matters. Now, before we get into it, I want to briefly mention something that fits naturally with this topic. When you’re dealing with stroke, whether you’re newly affected or years into recovery, finding clear relevant information can be exhausting. research opinions, patients, stories and updates constantly coming out. And most of it isn’t written. with stroke survivors in tool I personally use and find helpful is Turn2. I like it because it cuts down the time and energy it takes to stay informed. Instead of digging through endless articles, Turn2.ai pulls together all stroke-related research updates, expert insights, and patient discussions in one place based on what you actually care about. It’s not about replacing doctors, it’s about reducing noise. when your focus, energy and capacity are limited. You’ll find the link in the description. And just to be transparent, if you choose to use my link, it helps support the podcast at no extra cost to you. All right, let’s get into Fats story. Bill Gasiamis (02:23) Phat Cao Welcome to the Phat (02:26) Hey Bill, thank you. It’s an honor to meet you. Bill Gasiamis (02:29) pleasures all mine. I pronounce that correctly? Phat (02:32) Yeah, you know you did. It’s not that complicated. Fat Cal is right. I blame my parents. Bill Gasiamis (02:39) Fair enough. that a common name in Vietnam? Phat (02:42) You know, it’s not a common name. Actually, it’s not a common Vietnamese name. But a lot of people do have fat, the first name, and then the last name people do. Some people do have it. It just happens in America, it means something else, you know, in English. Bill Gasiamis (02:58) It totally does, it sounds like I’m being mean. Phat (03:01) Yeah, I get it all the time. I’ve had to grow up like this. It’s been kind of rough. Bill Gasiamis (03:08) I hear you. Have you ever considered making a change to one of the names just for the sake of ease? Phat (03:15) Phat’s so funny. You know what? Because I wasn’t born in the US, because I live in the US. And when I got my citizenship, that was something I thought about. But then after I thought about it, I’m like, well, this is the name that was given to me. Vietnamese, it means something else. And so then I decided to keep it. Bill Gasiamis (03:33) What does it mean in Vietnamese? Phat (03:34) Phat was kind of like, means prosperity and also like high prosperity. Bill Gasiamis (03:41) Dude, that’s a cool name. Phat (03:43) Thank you, yeah. Yeah, so yeah, when I tell people, they’re like, oh wow. Bill Gasiamis (03:47) I had, ⁓ my name is not Bill, it’s Vasili. Phat’s my Greek name. My parents gave me that name when I was born. And when I had, when I turned 18 and I got my driver’s license, they asked me, because my birth certificate says Vasili, what do you wanna have on your driver’s license? And I think I made the wrong decision then. I chose Bill for the sake of ease of use. And once it’s on your driver’s license, then it goes on pretty much every other document after that. And it’s really difficult to go back and change everything. I kind of, I don’t regret it, but I love the connection to your roots, you know, with the original name that you were given. Phat (04:23) Yeah. ⁓ yeah. I get, you know what, I had that decision too, because everyone pretty much in my family, they changed their names. So, you know, when I was at that point, I decided not to. And so, hey, it is what it is. You know, I had to go through some stuff, but I think it kind of set, it created me to, you know, to kind of not care so much and just embrace my roots. Bill Gasiamis (04:59) Yeah. And with a name like prosperity, it’s probably helpful in taking, that attitude to the rest of your life, especially after a stroke, man. Phat (05:11) Yeah, yeah, definitely I had to live it, you know, but yeah. I don’t know how prosperous or how much that is since I had a stroke, but I had to live it. Bill Gasiamis (05:25) You have to adapt it somehow. So what was life like before stroke? Anyway, how did you go about your day? Phat (05:32) You know, before the stroke, was active. You know, I like to do a lot of community service. I was involved with a lot of nonprofits. You know, I felt like I did various things. You know, I went through a lot of different stages in my life, but I’ll start off coming to America here. You know, I grew up in a trailer home. My parents escaped Vietnam, took us over here. And, you know, we grew up pretty poor and so you know he’s just growing up in the US my parents didn’t know a lot of English and so that was kind of my childhood. But just growing up and slowly you know learning how to adjust you know that was kind of my thing and I was trying to learn as much as I could so that way I can help my family and stuff and you know be the one to provide and stuff too and help them out for all their sacrifices. But yeah that was my life before the stroke in a nutshell. Bill Gasiamis (06:31) What kind of conditions did they escape? Phat (06:33) You know what, was towards, it was at the end of the war and so the communists had taken over. So they were fighting for the South, you know, which is allies with the U.S. and they wanted to bring us over here for freedom. Bill Gasiamis (06:48) Wow, pretty intense. old were you? Phat (06:49) Yeah. You know, I was one year, not even one years old when I got over here, but during when they escaped, they went to a refugee camp in the Philippines and that was where I was born. I also have two older sisters that were born in Vietnam, but I was the only one born in the Philippines at the refugee camp until they got, they got accepted to the U.S. and then they took our whole family over here. Bill Gasiamis (07:16) And what year was that? Phat (07:18) Phat was 1983. Bill Gasiamis (07:20) Dude, you don’t look like you were born like in 1983. You look like you were born only like in the 2000s. Phat (07:24) Hey, I appreciate it. No, I was born in 1983. So I’m 42 right now. Bill Gasiamis (07:34) Now you don’t look like you’re 42, but that’s great. Phat (07:38) I it. Yeah, you know, I had the stroke when I was 36. So it’s been about four years and seven months. I did a calculation. Bill Gasiamis (07:48) How did that come about? happened? How did you end up having a stroke? Phat (07:54) You know, as far as the stroke, I had a hemorrhagic stroke. It was actually a cerebellar stroke and the doctors could not determine exactly how it happened. And so, you know, they did some tests and stuff, but they couldn’t figure it out. So mine is considered cryptogenic. Bill Gasiamis (08:13) Defend the means. They found the bleeding blood vessel though, right? Phat (08:19) Yeah, they found a bleeding. ⁓ One of the arteries in the cerebellum was bleeding. And so it was like, I felt like a on a Sunday. And then it wasn’t until I felt like severe stroke symptoms on a Friday, which was about, what is it, four or five days. And then I didn’t think I was having a stroke because I didn’t realize the details of the stroke. Heard a Pop in My Head And so I just went about my day on that Sunday and until Friday I started getting like some BEFAST symptoms and then, you know, I tried to sleep it off and until, you know, it was actually just me and my girlfriend at the house and then she didn’t feel, you know, like comfortable. So then she called the ambulance, even though I told her I’ll just sleep it off. It’s okay. Bill Gasiamis (09:14) Did you actually hear a pop? Felt a pop? I’ve heard similar stories before. like, what was that like? Phat (09:22) Okay, you know, I did feel a pop. And then actually, when I was stretching at that time, which I don’t tell a lot of people because it sounds really funny, but I was stretching at that time and then I felt a pop. And so that’s when like part of my left side went numb. And then I was wondering if it was a stroke and I didn’t know much about strokes, right? You have your assumptions. what a stroke is and so I was like, well maybe it’s a stroke and at that time I waited about five, 10 minutes and I felt normal again. So then I just went about my day and at that time I was doing a lot of stuff so I kind of forgot about it. Which, you know, it doesn’t make sense but yeah, I forgot about it. Bill Gasiamis (10:13) Did the numbness hang around the entire five days before you got to the hospital? Phat (10:19) It did not. It only stayed for about five minutes and then it went back to normal. Bill Gasiamis (10:25) Wow. Phat would kind of distract you from thinking that there was something wrong, right? Because the numbness goes away. hear a pop, so what? Like everything’s fine. Phat (10:26) So then… Yeah. Yeah, then I should have went to the hospital and got it sort of looked into, but at that time I didn’t. And then I just continued with what I had to do and I went back to work and not realizing it was a slow bleed. You know, I think your body, now that I’m looking back, I think your body kind of fixes itself a little bit as much as it can. And then it was like, it turned into like a slow bleed until it got to a point where. Bill Gasiamis (10:50) realizing it ⁓ Phat (11:04) I was nauseous, I couldn’t walk my vertigo, I was throwing up. My eyes, I had double vision, and that’s when it really hit me. Bill Gasiamis (11:05) just being vicious. I could be little bit of wimp, I could be the longest three in the I know why. Friday would have been the worst day, was that kind of progressively getting worse as the days were passing or did it just sort of suddenly come on on Friday? Phat (11:15) Friday. It just suddenly came on on Friday. I had a lingering like small headache, but then it suddenly came on on Friday. Bill Gasiamis (11:27) Thank Hmm. And then from there, were you, let’s go to the hospital or were you trying to play it down again? Phat (11:40) I was trying to play it down until Sunday. So I was trying to sleep it off. And then, you know, by the time Sunday hit, you know, finally my girlfriend just called the ambulance and that’s when they came and then they checked me out and they found out I was having a stroke. Bill Gasiamis (11:58) I had a similar experience. I noticed, I didn’t hear anything, but I noticed numbness in my big toe, my left toe. And that was on a Friday. And then it was slowly, the numbness was spreading from my toe to my foot, to my ankle. And then by the Friday later, so seven days later, nearly eight days later, the numbness had gone down my entire left side. Phat (12:07) Mmm. Bill Gasiamis (12:27) So I was progressively getting worse every day. It was slowly creeping up as the blood vessel kept leaking. The blood clot got bigger and bigger. And my wife was telling me, you need to go to the hospital. You need to get a checked out, all that kind of stuff. I went to the chiropractor because I thought I’d done something to my back. And that’s why I had a pinched a nerve. I thought something like that. Chiropractor couldn’t find anything. I went back to the chiropractor the Friday. The chiropractor said, you need to go to the hospital because whatever’s happening to your left side is not happening because of your ⁓ back or your spine or any of that stuff. And instead of going to the hospital when he said so, I went home. My wife said, you what did he say? I told her, I told her that he said I should go to the hospital. She said, why are you at home? ⁓ I was reluctant the whole time. Like I didn’t wanna go because I had work to do, I was busy. Phat (13:13) Really? Rehabilitation Journey Begins Bill Gasiamis (13:26) It was really busy work week. We were helping out a whole bunch of clients. So yeah, it was insane, but what you’re describing that delay, the delay is very familiar. Phat (13:35) Phat’s insane. You know, that’s the first time I’ve heard someone that has a similar experience to mine and I can relate with you. You know, I was like, it’s okay. And there was a lot going on. didn’t want to, you know, delay certain things that was going on. I was in the process of closing on a house and stuff. So I’m like, okay, let’s just finish this up. You know, I didn’t want it to put me behind or nothing. Bill Gasiamis (14:01) Yeah. What kind of work were you doing? Phat (14:03) You know, I was doing engineering, so I’m an engineer for Boeing. Bill Gasiamis (14:08) Yeah, pretty intense job. Phat (14:11) Yeah, you know, I do see that, but it wasn’t because of stress. I don’t believe it was. Because I really did have a good, I feel like I did have a good balance of with my stress and also a balance of, you know, play and stuff like that too. And I felt like I was handling it okay. Bill Gasiamis (14:31) smoking, drinking, any of that kind of stuff. Phat (14:34) You know, before then I was smoking and drinking more, but I wasn’t smoking that much. Before the stroke, I probably had quit about a year before that, but I was smoking before that for about like 10 years, 15 years. Bill Gasiamis (14:41) Yeah. Yeah, again, familiar. I was 37 when I had my bleed the first time and I was also, yeah, yeah, that’s crazy. Like it happens around the same age for so many people I’ve interviewed between the age of 35 and 40 when they’ve had bleeds specifically. I don’t know why. And my, and I was smoking for, Phat (14:58) ⁓ we’re like the same age. joke, yeah. Bill Gasiamis (15:19) I was 37, so I was smoking from the age of 13 or 14 on and off. Um, I wasn’t drinking heavily, but it was drinking. But again, my thing was, um, something I was born with. was potentially going to bleed at some point. And, um, it’s just one of those things. Uh, but I think that my, uh, my lifestyle didn’t. Phat (15:36) all yours. Bill Gasiamis (15:44) It didn’t make things better. It sort of created the perfect storm for it to bleed. And that’s why since then I don’t drink and I don’t smoke 100%. You know, like I’ve just completely stopped. I have a drink maybe once a year. Phat (15:56) yeah, I’m the same way too, I just… Yeah, I get you. I was never like a heavy drinker maybe once a weekend, you know, but now I completely stop smoking or drinking. It just doesn’t interest me. Bill Gasiamis (16:09) Yeah, what were the early days like? Were you scared? Was it confusing? How do you deal with the initial diagnosis and your brain’s bleeding? Phat (16:21) Yeah, you know, in the beginning, it was a big shock. know, I think looking at me now, you know, you couldn’t tell. But, you know, I’ve built up to this point. But the biggest thing was I had complications when I had the stroke and, know, I had ⁓ my brain was swelling and so they had to do a second surgery on me to remove part of my brain. And so then that’s what left me with the, you know, disabilities and stuff, which, you know, I had most of the symptoms that most stroke survivors experience, spasticity, aphasia. I had tremors, know, partial paralysis, my balance, vision, things like that. But yeah, it was tough for sure, just coming home and at first you’re just so busy in the hospital working to regain, you know, yourself again, to rebuild yourself. But coming home, yeah, it’s just a… It hits you because you can’t do anything that you used to do. And everything changes, know, even your relationships change. Bill Gasiamis (17:22) Yeah. Which part of the brain did they take out man? And why did they need to take it out? Was it just a blood vessel that burst or? Mental Challenges of Recovery Phat (17:33) They took part of my cerebellum out and it was because after they repaired, since I had a hemorrhagic stroke, they repaired that vessel. It was, my brain started swelling and there was blood just filling up so then they had to remove part of my brain so they can allow space for it to swell up. Bill Gasiamis (17:59) Wow. Phat (18:00) Yeah, so I don’t know, you know, they decided to remove part of my brain, but it ended up working out. Actually before that, before they removed the second surgery, I was completely partially paralyzed. But in a way, since that happened, I had some movement. Bill Gasiamis (18:18) It’s just crazy, isn’t it? I had a recent brain scan where, because I’ve been having a lot of headaches and to throw caution into the wind, like they went and got me another brain scan literally about six months ago. And it was the first time I saw what my brain looks like after brain surgery. And there’s like a canal. Phat (18:37) they do. Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (18:47) like a canal from my ear, that’s all, there’s like an entry wound and then there’s a line that goes in to the spot where they went and removed the blood vessel, like where the damage has caused my deficits, the ones that are still with me. And it’s just intense that you can have a little bit of your brain missing or gone or whatever removed and you’re still functioning. It is just amazing how far technology and how far Phat (19:04) Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (19:17) Medicine has come. Phat (19:18) Yeah, that’s so incredible. The human body too, it makes you think about it. You know, I hear different things about, and just knowing like parts of our brain is dead, you know, and it’s able to, you know, regain different things. Neuroplasticity, right? Bill Gasiamis (19:36) Yeah. How long did it take you to get back on your feet after you realized you can’t walk? Phat (19:42) It took me about a year, but at that time I was still using a walker. Yeah, so about a year. Bill Gasiamis (19:47) And then from a walker, it become, how do you take the first steps away from a walker? What happened to allow that progression? Phat (19:57) you You know, I was told to use a cane and it would have helped me big time. But what I did was I skipped the cane and and then I use I just did it without the walker and I slowly built up built up the confidence. You kind of adjust. think each each time you transition like from one one from wheelchair to walker, you know, and then without the walker, you have to. Re-adapt the whole time and so that’s what I kind of did and it was ugly, know I fell a lot and stuff, but that’s what I did. I just kind of went for it Bill Gasiamis (20:33) So for those of you watching on YouTube, you might’ve noticed the change in scenery. That’s because the first part of the interview was recorded more than a week ago. And we had some technical difficulties because fat was in the car and we couldn’t get a decent connection. So we’re reconvening with that fat at home. Phat (20:55) Yeah, this is is better better connection Bill Gasiamis (20:58) Way better. And we finished the discussion off by me asking you a question about what you had said about how you continued your rehabilitation alone, where you were meant to be walking with the the Walker and you ditched it. And I was wondering, did your team find out that you weren’t walking with a Walker? Did they kind of like suss out that you We’re being, what’s the word, maybe a little bit risky or unsafe in the way that you were going about your rehab. Phat (21:34) Yeah, you know, I didn’t, I kind of, didn’t mention it to them really, but there was one of them that I did mention it to and she recommended I use a cane to be safe. And, you know, I did, I did say, tell her that I was trying it without it because I noticed that when I like switch like from the wheelchair in the beginning to the walker, it just like every time you switch, I noticed that you would have to adjust. so That’s the reason why I just went from the walker just to walking without a cane. Bill Gasiamis (22:08) Is it so that there’s less of an adjustment period between one thing to the next thing to the next thing was a kind of like just bypass everything in between and go straight to walking. Phat (22:18) Yeah, it was me being risky too, because I know if you fall or something, it could cause a lot of damage. But yeah, it was kind of my risk and my therapist, she wasn’t too happy about it. But I didn’t talk about it that much either. So I kind of kept it a little private too. Identity Transformation Post-Stroke Bill Gasiamis (22:40) what would you say some of the toughest challenges that you faced early on? Phat (22:44) I would say the toughest for sure is the mental and getting used to my new identity. You you come home and everything’s completely different. It kind of hits you at once. And I think, you know, living a normal life and then all of a you’re, you have a disability and you know, you can’t do the same things, you know, you could do the independence. So I think it’s all that. Bill Gasiamis (23:14) Yeah, you know, the mental, what does that mean for you? Like what is the mental challenge? Like, can you describe it? Phat (23:24) Yeah, I would say sadness. think anxiousness, fear. You don’t know what’s going to happen in your future. I think the unknown. Low energy. think those are the things that pop up in my head. Bill Gasiamis (23:45) Does it make you kind of overthink in a negative way or are you just comparing your old self to your new self? Phat (23:51) I think comparing my old self to my new self. Bill Gasiamis (23:55) Hmm. Do you reckon, do you reckon you brought some of that old self with you or is there a pause on the old self and why you’re kind of trying to work out what’s happening moving forward? Because a lot of people will talk about how, you know, their identity gets impacted, especially early on. And then sometimes down the track, when I speak to stroke survivors who are many years down the track, they might talk about how They brought some of their identity with them and then, and they’ve integrated that old identity into the new way they go about their lives. Early on is the old identity kind of far away over there and then there’s something completely different here. How did you experience it? Phat (24:44) Yeah, I think initially there were a lot of things and I wasn’t sure how to handle it. But I think throughout this time, you know, part of me has learned how to process it and resolve it and also rebuild myself. And so I think now, if anything, I take that experience to my present day to learn from and grow from. I feel like I’ve invested in myself enough to ⁓ not feel the same way, the negative things that, you know, were coming in the beginning. But now I think I’ve processed it correctly. And so I think I’m a lot better now. Bill Gasiamis (25:27) A lot of stroke survivors always often ask me for a timeline, you how long before this happened? How long before that happened? And we’re all so different, so it doesn’t really apply. But do you have a sense of the time that it took for you to integrate old self with new self? ⁓ I know you ⁓ got a substantial amount of your movement and your function back. How did you integrate? Phat (25:52) Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (25:53) the two and how long did it take before you kind of felt okay with who you were. Phat (25:57) Yeah, that’s a that is a hard question to say it wasn’t like Suddenly everything was okay. It was kind of a process I think as you I mean I’m for over four and a half years now and so it was gradual but I would say initially about Two years, you know is when it took me two years to build myself up to when I could finally work again and Maybe about the two-year mark I felt like things were starting to come more together. But it was an evolution. feel like, you know, every year, every month or whatever, you learn different things. And so it’s kind of a process. Even today, you know, I’m still learning different things and, you know, it’s changing too in different ways, right? But that’s how was for me. Bill Gasiamis (26:48) Yeah. What kind of person are you? Are you like curious? Are you a problem solver? I’m very interested about kind of understanding how people come to be on my podcast. I know that there’s a portion of people who come on because they want to share their story and help connect to other people. Also share their story to help people through the early days of their own challenge. People also connect to meet me so that we can create a conversation and meet each other. Phat (26:55) You know. Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (27:19) How do you go about your, what is your approach to stroke recovery about? What’s the fundamental thing that it’s about? Phat (27:29) Yeah, you know, that’s what I love about your podcast because it’s people from all walks of life. And I really like how you set it up. I mean, you say you don’t have to even prepare for it, but I think I’m the type of person. Yeah, I think I am ⁓ naturally a problem solver. think, know, in initially someone asked me if I cried and normally I, I don’t cry. And I remember when I had the stroke, once I got home, You know, I suddenly broke out in tears and you know, it was with my mom right there. And so it just hit me. know, initially I think, you know, we all get hit with that and our emotions and, you know, everything bottles up and has to come out or should come out. But, um, you know, I am a problem solver. I felt like after time, it gave me some time to process it. And I started thinking a bit like, okay, so how am I going to tackle this? So I tried to think of it like a problem that I had to solve and I slowly broke it down into pieces and started building myself up. know, I mean, when you look at me now, you you wouldn’t look at me and think like, okay, his stroke probably wasn’t that bad. But you know, it’s a lot different now than it was in the beginning. And so, you know, and that’s why with me, I figured it out. I started figuring out things and slowly improved until where I’m at now. Bill Gasiamis (28:53) That whole thing is that if you look at me now, you wouldn’t know that I had a stroke and I don’t come across as somebody who had a stroke, et cetera. And that’s a real challenge for me because I have had the worst week leading up to this interview again. Today’s probably the first day I felt really good, maybe for about four or five days. And I was struggling with fatigue and I was struggling with brain fog and I was struggling with sleep. And I was just a mess. Phat (29:04) Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (29:23) half the person that I was a week earlier. And it’s. I’m always conscious about the fact that I put off of this vibe on my podcast interviews, because I try and be the best version of myself, because you need to be the best version of yourself when you’re interviewing another person, even if you don’t feel the best. ⁓ But at the same time, you want to be, what’s the word like? Phat (29:38) That’s so good, yeah. Bill Gasiamis (29:45) you wanna be authentic. I mean, that’s the only word I can come up with. And that means that I need to tell people about how I’m feeling during a podcast. Like I might be tired, half asleep. I might even come across a little bit off, but then still, this is sometimes what stroke looks like and the part of stroke. After the interviews, you may not see, you may not see what it’s like. And I don’t want people comparing themselves to me just because I mostly look okay on a podcast interview. Phat (30:21) Yeah, I think that’s the frustrating thing. no matter whether you look like it or don’t, I think we still both experience different types of things in After Effects. And I understand your situation because it is frustrating because a lot of times we might not show it, but we’re still dealing with things that survivors still experience. Mindset Shifts and Control And, you know, we in front of the camera, we had to put on a face, right. And even sometimes like at work or in front of my family, they don’t realize I’m still dealing with things. And, you know, even my significant others, there’s things she doesn’t fully understand, and I’m still dealing with it. You know, or I might do something and she’s like, why are you doing that? But she doesn’t realize what I’m going through inside. And the external is one thing and the internal is another. Bill Gasiamis (31:12) Yeah, extremely difficult for me to even wrap my head around it still. And, you know, I’m nearly 14 years post first stroke, you know, and I’m 12 years post surgery and there’s so many things that have improved and so many things that are better. But you know, when I’m, my kids were over the other day and they don’t often hang around with me for a long amount of time. So they don’t often see what it’s like for me. Phat (31:23) Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (31:41) But everyone assumes that I am what’s wrong. Like everyone assumes there’s something wrong. And it’s like, I’m not cranky. There’s nothing wrong. I’m just having a stroke day. Like I can’t be better than what I am right now. And it’s not you, you know, it’s me. Phat (31:58) Yeah, big time. Yeah, I really feel like sometimes it’s hard for people to understand too if they haven’t had a stroke, but even for survivors to know that even people with, there are invisible disabilities out there, know, and each stroke is so complex and different. So we’re all, you know, having to deal with different things. And so that’s something to be aware of. And it’s good to be aware of that. Bill Gasiamis (32:25) What are some of the things that you still miss out on that you haven’t gone back to or you can’t do anymore or you choose not to do? Phat (32:36) Yeah, you know, I used to be a lot more active. I like, I love to snowboard before I can’t do that anymore because my balance is not at that point. And, plus I don’t want to take that risk in case something happens. Like, you know, I get some kind of traumatic brain injury or something or fall. ⁓ You know, my coordination, my fine manipulation isn’t good. My memory isn’t the best. I still have double vision, so I can’t do any type of like, like people are trying to invite me to play pickleball and I definitely can’t do that. You know, I can’t fall and track the ball, you know, plus my balance is horrible. Yeah. You know, I think my processing, I can only retain so much information or like Multitasking even though I think I believe multitasking isn’t the best but it’s like I can’t multitask, know, so you have to really focus in on one thing You know, I mean I built myself up to this point But it’s hard to do multiple things like if I’m really focused on something it’s hard for me to pay attention to something else Yeah, those are just some things Bill Gasiamis (33:52) You know with double vision, I don’t know anything about it. I’ve met so many stroke survivors who have double vision as a result of the stroke. Phat (34:00) Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (34:01) This might sound like a silly question. If you close one of your eyes, does the double vision go away? Phat (34:08) It does go away. So just to explain, it’s just your eyes aren’t… normally your eyes work together, but then one is kind of offset a little bit. So you’re seeing two pictures, but if you close one eye, then the double vision goes away. But in order for you to improve the double vision, you got to train it to work together. Bill Gasiamis (34:23) Okay. Is that some kind of training that you’ve done that you’re continuing to do? Phat (34:30) So there’s. ⁓ Yeah, know what I did initially, I saw a vision therapist that I was seeing them for about a year, but it got really expensive. So I stopped. But now I’m just taking what I learned and I’m practicing it on my own. There is an option for people to get surgery, but I am focused on just doing everything naturally. And so it’s still healing as long as I continue to practice it and exercises stay consistent. But just recently, since I’m doing a lot of things, I haven’t been as good at being consistent with my vision therapy exercises, so it’s actually getting worse. Bill Gasiamis (35:14) huh. So what does the surgery do? Does it change the position of the eye? Phat (35:16) Yeah. Yeah, the surgery does change the position and then it corrects it right away. Which there’s a lot of survivors that have done that. My double vision actually was really extreme, but it’s at the point now where it’s almost corrected. Bill Gasiamis (35:40) And is that a muscle issue? that like, you know how some strike survivors talk about weakness on their left side? It’s that the muscle activates or becomes deactivated in a particular way. And therefore it doesn’t respond in the same way that it used to. It doesn’t contract and release from the contraction in the same way that it used to. Is that a similar thing that’s happening to the eye? Breath Control Techniques for Stress Relief Phat (36:09) Yeah, it is kind of similar to that. And so what I’ve learned from talking to different therapists, it helps when you like isolate one side and you build that side and strengthen it. And so that’s the part where I’m missing because I’m working them together, but still the affected side is weaker. And so it’s just not strong enough to keep up. It’s kind of like our bodies, like, you know how one side is more affected. So we is good for us to isolate it and build it and that’s what I try to do with my effective side normally but with the eye it’s more difficult with the eye because you really have to like wear a patch or something you know Bill Gasiamis (36:50) Yeah, I hear you. Okay, so you wear a patch, you isolate the other eye, but then at the same time, you’re decreasing the strength of the other eye, or you might be interfering with that one by isolating it. Phat (37:02) Yeah, you’re right. Yeah, that’s exactly it. So you don’t want to patch it too much because you also want the eyes to work together. Bill Gasiamis (37:09) Yeah, that sounds like a task. I know going to the gym when I’m ⁓ pushing weights with the barbell, my left side might be pushing the same amount of weight, but it’s never going to become as big or as strong as my right side. It always seems to be just, you know, the few steps behind it, no matter what I do. it’s improving in strength, but it’s always the weakest link. It’s always the link that kind of makes the last few exercises not possible because it fatigues quicker than the right side. Phat (37:43) Yeah. Yeah, that’s what I deal with too. And a lot of times your dominant side does help it out a lot. Bill Gasiamis (37:58) kind of dominant side, my dominant side kind of over helps. And then it puts that side at risk. Phat (37:58) So yeah, sometimes. Yeah, it will help. Yeah, big time. You know, I’ve learned that there’s different ways to do it. You can build that affected side like with reps and then also sometimes doing a little bit heavier just a few times. I don’t know. I feel like it gets really in depth like how you want to do it. You know, sometimes even like holding a lightweight like up for a long time, it kind of gets heavy and it wants to like fatigue out real fast. So there’s different variations that I’ve learned throughout this process. Bill Gasiamis (38:40) Yeah. Was there a moment, would you say that you had a moment where your mindset shifted and you realized that you were kind of growing through this, even though you had all this challenge and difficulty that you had to overcome? Phat (38:58) Yeah, you know, I have to really think about it. It’s kind of just been a process and I’ve kind of accepted so much to happen, but I would say for the longest time over a year, you know, I would go down on myself and think about, ⁓ I miss the old ways. But I think as I’ve continued on this path and Maybe I don’t think about it as much because I keep myself busy and just trying to recover. so, yeah, but I think I’m trying to think of when it was like kind of like a light bulb moment, but I kind of knew that I couldn’t stay stuck in that because I couldn’t change anything about it. So I had to focus on what I could do or what I had control over. Bill Gasiamis (39:52) Yeah, that control part is really important. It seems like people who lose control of things ⁓ tend to, depends if you’re a control freak kind of person, right? Some people really like the illusion of control. They tend to feel good when things are predictable. I’m kind of that way, I lose, if I lose predictability, take control. I like to take a few steps back and see what I can control. can control the way I think about things, the way I respond to things, the way I act, the way I behave. It becomes about what then I can control on a micro scale. Whereas some people will do control on a macro scale. And some people will control like, Phat (40:16) Yeah. Mm-hmm. Bill Gasiamis (40:44) their environment and if their environment is okay, then they’re okay within their environment. But I don’t try and control external things. I try to influence them in a positive way, but I won’t expect an outcome from something that I don’t have any influence over. ⁓ And then I kind of try and work on what do I need to do to feel better about that thing that I am out of control of that I cannot change. but I can change how I respond to it. That’s kind of where all the work has been. Like where’s the work for you been? Phat (41:21) Yeah, you know, I do know that I do practice meditation and even before I had a stroke, I did practice meditation and that is one of the big things from meditation that you just naturally have that mindset to do that and to understand. And so I feel like that practice has actually helped me to be more flexible and accept certain things and focus on what I can control more. But just to say with the benefits of meditation, a lot of the benefits are specifically for stroke survivors. So I feel like it has helped me tremendously. Managing Tremors and Physical Recovery Bill Gasiamis (42:04) Did it begin, was that kind of one of the tools that helped you to begin to feel hopeful again? Phat (42:10) Yeah, to feel hopeful, to be able to focus better, have better memory, I guess reduce the pain that I was feeling, the depression. Yeah, there’s a list of things, yeah, think that’s, those are the ones off the top of my head. Yeah, I know it’s like. Bill Gasiamis (42:32) Are you a guided meditation? Phat (42:35) You know, I don’t, I just do ⁓ the most simple breath counting meditation. Yeah. It’s kind of, I can explain it, but you just focus on your breathing and counting. So it helps you with your focus too. don’t know. A lot of survivors have a problem with their focus. I did. So, and I still do actually now it’s not like to where I was before the stroke, but it’s getting almost there. Bill Gasiamis (42:45) What’s your kid? Counting how many counts in, how many counts out do you do? Phat (43:10) So you do inhale and exhale is one, inhale, exhale two, all the way till ten, and then you start over again. If that makes sense, yeah. Bill Gasiamis (43:23) So you just basically trying to get even inhale and exhalations. Are they even? they one is longer than the other or shorter than the other? Like how does it go? Phat (43:36) You can do even. I tend to do a longer exhale. Maybe like a, well, cause now I’ve built up the endurance. do about five second in inhale and then like a eight second exhale. But I also put together a PDF. I can send it to anybody for free if they want to just reach out to me. Yeah. And I can, you can put my information on the show notes. Yeah. It’s a really basic thing I put together if anyone’s interested. And Navy SEALs, use this type of, I mean, it’s also called box breathing. It’s kind of box breathing or meditation. And, you know, I know they use it for like extreme stress and things like that too. Bill Gasiamis (43:59) Okay, cool. helps people calm their autonomic nervous system to go into a parasympathetic state, which is the relaxed state. That’s what the, yeah, the longer exhalation helps people go there. You can basically intervene in a ⁓ heightened anxious state or a stressed state or a upset state. And you can intervene within a few minutes and bring yourself into a calm state just by changing the way that you breathe. You know what’s really cool fat? Phat (44:29) That’s exactly it, yeah. Bill Gasiamis (44:53) my gosh, I learned this the other day on TikTok. think I saw it. I can’t remember who it was that showed it to me. So unfortunately I can’t credit them, but also people who do yoga or that kind of stuff probably already know this, but to me it was like the most brand new amazing thing that I’ve ever learned. And what it was, if you can see my fingers, right? They said that if you try this, if you press ⁓ your thumb onto the finger after Phat (44:54) Yeah. and Bill Gasiamis (45:22) your little finger, I don’t know what it’s called, finger. So these two, so not your thumb, your thumb and not the little finger, the next one over. When you breathe, what do you notice? And what I noticed, tell me if you noticed this, is I noticed that my breathing shifts from my belly to my chest. somehow my chest takes over the breathing. Somehow my breath moves to my chest and it feels like a labored more anxious breath, right? And then if you shift it from that to your thumb and your first finger, Phat (45:43) But, sorry, just need to focus. Thank Bill Gasiamis (46:06) your breath automatically shifts to the belly and your diaphragm expands and contracts. And I tried that and I had the most profound experience. The first finger, your first finger and your thumb, two fingers next to them. Phat (46:16) really? on. Bill Gasiamis (46:26) Yeah, those two, yeah, yeah. ⁓ I felt like my breath shifted automatically on its own when I did that. And I don’t know if everyone gets that experience. So then for fun, I tried it with my wife and I said to her, can you please do this with your fingers? The first one was the little finger. I wish I knew what they were called, but the finger next to the little finger and the thumb. Phat (46:26) this. really? Bill Gasiamis (46:54) I asked her to do that and I asked her to tell me how does that feel when you’re breathing and she said that feels really terrible, I feel anxious. And I said, okay, cool. Now just please change it to the other two fingers, the first finger and your thumb and then see what that feels like. And she said that feels far better and the anxiousness has gone away. Phat (47:17) Really? Wow. Bill Gasiamis (47:18) Yeah. So I reckon if you have a play with that and you pay attention, I think I’ve seen a lot of yogis or people who practice yoga or who meditate, think I’ve seen people hold their fingers like that. And as a result of that, perhaps they automatically instinctively activate the diaphragm and the belly breath instead of the chest breath, which is the more anxious breath. It was such an interesting little hack to experience literally by changing which two fingers you’re pressing together. And it kind of connects to that meditation side of it. And I think it would add for me, it would add something extra to meditation that I previously didn’t know about. So isn’t that fascinating? Growing an Online Presence and Sharing Stories Phat (48:09) Yeah, that is so fascinating. I actually don’t even normally sit like that. I just put my hands in my lap. But I did. If you notice, I still have tremors on this side, and that’s how I actually got my tremors to reduce is I would hold it like this sometimes and just meditate. And then it’s just like heels or something. But yeah, before it used to shake a lot. Now it’s a lot better. Bill Gasiamis (48:17) Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So do the meditation from now on. Phat (48:39) but sometimes just doing these finger taps. Bill Gasiamis (48:42) Yeah, right. That’s for coordination and that, right. Phat (48:44) Okay, you might try that. Yeah, yeah. Also you do use the pointer finger and the thumb. Bill Gasiamis (48:47) Yeah, try those first two fingers. Make a circle with it. That’s it, is that what it’s called, the pointer finger? Phat (48:55) Okay Bill Gasiamis (48:57) just connects to your belly. Phat (48:59) I’m off to the end. Bill Gasiamis (49:01) I have no idea how, but I love it. love that it does. It’s such a cool thing. Phat (49:05) Yeah, especially you feel that I’m gonna try it. Yeah Bill Gasiamis (49:10) So you know that tremor that you said about your hand, is that also in your leg? Phat (49:15) No, it’s only the hand. Bill Gasiamis (49:17) and it it gets worse when you are tired, I imagine. Phat (49:19) Yeah. Yeah, it does get worse under like pressure or if I’m tired. Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (49:32) but you’ve found that it’s settled down a lot since the early days. Phat (49:37) Yeah, it has. So as I continue to build it, it has. Yeah, in the beginning it was really bad, but I continued to do different things. A lot of resistance training, like with rubber bands and stuff like that, yeah. I do different things. Bill Gasiamis (49:58) Do you remember what it was like in the early days? Is that the dominant hand that you use or? Phat (50:05) No, it’s not my dominant hand. Bill Gasiamis (50:08) Did they make you try and use it too? Okay. Phat (50:09) because I’m bright, dumb, and… Yeah, they said they want me to use it. Sometimes I do get lazy too. I try different things, like even for a time frame I’ll brush my teeth with my effective side, my non-dominant. But a lot of times I get lazy because it is a lot slower. So I just go to my dominant hand. I’m still guilty of it. Bill Gasiamis (50:39) just to get the job done quicker. Phat (50:41) Yeah, yeah. Bill Gasiamis (50:42) Tell me a little bit about your, ⁓ your Instagram page. Phat (50:49) Okay. Well, I started an Instagram page. It’s called Hope for Stroke Survivors. And initially, I just made it for myself to collect information on recovery. Because I felt like I was limited on the information out there. And I would find some stuff on social media. And so I started collecting it for myself and know, eventually I made it public and I started, people started following it and gravitating towards it. And so I decided to start sharing different like tips. And then I continued to do that and more people started following it until I think that was around a year after my stroke. And now I just continue to do that and it’s grown to this point now. And so I felt like a part of it was kind of my outlet. You know, you know, I’m passionate about strokes and I want to share and provide awareness. so, yeah, I started for myself, but now it’s grown to where it’s at now. And I feel like, you know, it’s, I want to provide hope and also share different people’s stories because I really enjoy, and I still enjoy seeing comeback stories. And so, you know, that’s what happened with that. And so now it’s been about, what is it? for four years or something. Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (52:19) Hope for stroke survivors like 11.6K followers. Phat (52:23) Yes, call them. I’m sorry, what was that? Bill Gasiamis (52:26) It’s got 11.6K followers, 929 posts, and in the description it says, don’t fear change, trust the process. My goal is to spread hope while recovering from a severe stroke. Check out the stories from fellow stroke survivors too. Phat (52:45) Yeah, you know, after a while, I felt like, ⁓ I want to share survivor stories. feel like bring our community together. There’s a lot of survivors out there that are doing great things like yourself. You know, I found your stuff. And so, you know, I feel like it really gives a lot of us, you know, motivation, hope to believe what’s possible out there, because a lot of us have. you know, we get the wrong information, you know, I want to be able to show people what’s possible because a lot of times, you know, there’s like myths or whatever, and I just want to give people that hope. So I’ve expanded it to YouTube and also TikTok. And so, yeah, it’s grown tremendously on YouTube also. So it’s pretty cool. Bill Gasiamis (53:33) now. What kind of content you put out on YouTube? Phat (53:37) I, the same stuff, I pretty much just blast the same thing on. Well, now I’m starting to do more, I want to do more interviews, but recently I have kind of cut back on it because of time, but I want to do more interviews for like survivors and therapists and doctors on YouTube. I think that’s where I want to take it. Bill Gasiamis (54:00) Yeah. Yeah. To kind of share more information about the kind of ways that they help other people. Phat (54:08) Yeah, it’s exactly like, you know, what you’re doing. I think that’s amazing. I mean, you helped me out so much. remember yours is actually my top podcast and I would listen to it all the time. Bill Gasiamis (54:13) Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I really appreciate that. mean, you know what I love is that you’ve been doing this for four years. I’ve been doing this for 10. Somehow you’ve cracked the code. You’ve got 36.8k subscribers. I’ve barely got 8,000. So that’s very interesting to me. Like how that some channels that share pretty much the same type of content grow. And then mine has been going for 10 years and I can’t seem to get above 10,000 subscribers. What’s your trick? know, like how did you manage to get that many subscribers? Is there something that you do consistently? I’m also asking for me, but at the same time, there’ll be other stroke survivors who are thinking about starting a YouTube channel perhaps, or thinking about sharing some way or growing this type of a community. And they’re reluctant because they don’t know what they need to do and they don’t know what could happen. Now I’m not completely dissatisfied with 8,000 followers. I’m perfectly satisfied with that. But of course I wanna make sure I reach way more stroke survivors because that’s the whole point of this is to get out. Do you have any tips as to what it was that kind of helped the channel grow so fast? Phat (55:25) Yeah, yeah. Yeah, you know, I think a big one is consistency. You know that. But, you know, I have learned a lot of things. read a lot and a part of it is also. Initially, I would share other survivors stories and also it was ⁓ like even survivors in who have had like cancer or different types of sicknesses. And so initially I was just doing that for fun. so then I think it attracted more people because it was a variety of things. But then, you know, I know that I didn’t plan to do it. if it’s. If I was going to do that, I don’t want to share other people’s things, you know, like if I want to be more serious, I have to niche down or I got to share my own stuff because I don’t want to take stuff from people. But initially. I was sharing a bunch of stuff and not wanting, I wasn’t expecting it to grow like that and I was just doing it for my own reason, for my own purpose and I think that’s how it attracted so many people too. Bill Gasiamis (56:46) Yeah. Look, it’s, it’s very cool that, um, the people have subscribed. Absolutely. And what’s good about it, even though it’s not all your content, it doesn’t really matter because if you’re putting content out there that people, uh, I mean, you’re not stealing the content, you’re not changing the names or anything like that or repurposing it. All you’re doing is, um, uh, all you’re doing is kind of pointing people to the direction of somebody else’s content channel or whatever. you know what I mean? Phat (56:58) Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (57:17) ⁓ but I know what you’re saying. Phat (57:18) Yeah, yeah. mean, I would always put their contact or their credit. But that wasn’t my intent of doing it. And I’m not making any money off of it. But then I’m learning about, OK, what can I do to make this bigger and help more people? And now I’m trying to focus down or just come up with my own content so that way people can see that too. Bill Gasiamis (57:31) Yeah, yeah. Yeah. ⁓ I think there’s not enough voices in stroke recovery and awareness and support and why, you know, we need more. need every version of person, how they’re affected and different cultural backgrounds and that we need way more people kind of putting content out and sharing their version of the story. My story resonates with you, but it might not resonate with someone else, you know? So if, if we can have more people out there listening, who are curious about it. Phat (57:53) Yeah. You’re right, you’re right. Bill Gasiamis (58:17) ⁓ biting the bullet and doing it. It would be fantastic if that happened and then more people to collaborate with. Phat (58:21) You know, I think it’s Yeah, I think it’s easy to pay attention to the subscribers or the followers, but a lot of times too, the way how I did it is if it can just help one person, you know, that makes me happy and then it just grew like that. But that’s what I continue to do. You know, I mean, maybe there’s more subscribers. but maybe your content is connecting really deeply with more people, you know? So I feel like it can’t always be compared exactly to the followers. And if you’re a survivor, you know, I wouldn’t want to let you feel like demotivated because of that. you know, I think if you’re passionate about it, just do it. you know, I think there’s plenty of room for a bunch of people, right? Like you were saying. Bill Gasiamis (59:15) I what you said, like if you’re just passionate, just do it. That’s why I started, I didn’t start out to get a certain number of subscribers or anything like that. I just started out to share. What’s cool is that the subscribers have happened. What’s fascinating is to view like how other people have grown their channel. what, it’s a completely different version of what you’ve done and yours has grown and I’m just keen to learn about it. And I think it will encourage or help other people, you know, do the same thing. Phat (59:24) Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (59:45) ⁓ And that’s kind of why I raised it. What I love about what you said is if it helps one person, like I said the same thing, dude, it helps so many more than one person. You just don’t know it because very few people reach out. Not that you’re expecting them to, but people just get the help and then they move on and they go and do good stuff. And it’s like, even better. ⁓ But every so often I get people like you sending me messages going Thanks for that episode. That was a great interview. I really got a lot out of that Can you point me in this direction or can you connect me with that person? One of the things that I do best I think then better than anything is I can connect people from all around the world with people who Are ⁓ listening and they want to get information about the thing that you tried or that service that you ⁓ purchased or whatever, you that’s what I love about it the most is I can connect people and they could be on different continents. And I love that I can do that from Australia, you know, like it’s crazy. Understanding Stroke Recovery Phat (1:00:58) Yeah Yeah. And especially, yeah, it has affected me too. You know, like I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t be standing here like this if I didn’t hear your podcast. You know, I could literally say that, you know, so that’s pretty cool. Yeah. And you’re in Australia. I’m in Arizona. Bill Gasiamis (1:01:17) It’s fabulous, man. It’s so fascinating. That’s one of the things I love about technology is that with time, technology will improve and make things better for people. And hopefully it’ll help way more people than it’s helping at the moment. It’s definitely helped me with my mental health, having this podcast, this platform,
Ralph welcomes professor and historian Daniel Immerwahr to discuss the history of the United States' overseas possessions and his book "How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States."Daniel Immerwahr is a professor and historian at Northwestern University. He is the author of Thinking Small: The United States and the Lure of Community Development and How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States.What I wanted to do in the book was to look at the United States and to take seriously the parts of the United States that don't always feature in the textbooks—that are outside of the mainland, the contiguous blob. And what I discovered when I did that was that these places were often in the mainland's mind seen as peripheral places, but this was not a peripheral history…It turns out that once you've got the territories in view, you have a different understanding of them. And so a lot of US history (and really important parts of US history) has actually taken place outside of the part of the country that we normally think of as the United States.Daniel ImmerwahrI got really interested in the book in how it came to be and why it mattered that US standards prevailed and how other countries dealt with that by either jumping on the ship or trying to resist and that became difficult for them. And how emotionally hard it is for other parts of the world to [face] this onslaught of not just the US military, not just US planes, its bombs—we know all that stuff, and I don't want to diminish it, but all the US stuff and ways of talking and the English language and the dollar. And each one of those comes as a kind of challenge: Are you going to adopt this or not? Because life's going to be a little harder if you don't, but if you do, you're kind of a puppet. And everyone in the world has had to deal with that challenge on a daily basis—what screws they use, what language they speak, all that kind of stuff. And we don't talk about that a lot, but that actually strikes me as a really important facet of US power.Daniel ImmerwahrNews 1/23/26* Our first two stories this week come to us from New York City. On January 16th, Mayor Zohran Mamdani drew a line in the sand in an address celebrating a historic settlement with A&E real estate. While A&E is a serial offender, racking up “over 140,000 total violations, including 35,000 in the last year alone,” Mayor Mamdani made clear that this was to serve as an example for other landlords, saying “City Hall will not sit idly by and accept this illegality, nor will we allow bad actors to continue to harass tenants with impunity.” Mayor Mamdani made tenants rights a central pillar of his campaign and is signaling that it will be a major aspect of his administration as well, with the centerpiece being the “Rental Ripoff” hearings he plans to hold in all five boroughs. Yet again, Mamdani provides a blueprint for other Democratic elected officials in cities across the nation, if only they would pick up the mantle.* In other news out of New York, on January 13th New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced a “settlement ending Betar US's…campaign of violence, harassment, and intimidation against Arab, Muslim, and Jewish New Yorkers.” Betar, an extremist Zionist outfit, is considered so fringe that even the ultra-Zionist Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has labeled it an “extremist group” for its “embrace of Islamophobia and harass[ment] of Muslims.” Examples of Betar's bias-motivated harassment include labeling keffiyehs, traditional Palestinian scarves – as “rape rags” and claiming that the number of babies who had died in Gaza was “not enough,” adding, “we demand blood in Gaza.” According to this announcement, Betar is seeking to dissolve its nonprofit corporation and intends to wind down operations in New York. Mayor Mamdani added, “For years, Betar has sowed a campaign of hatred across New York, trafficking in Islamophobic extremism and harassing those with whom they disagreed. There is no place for their bigotry in our politics, and I'm grateful for [Attorney General James's] unflagging pursuit of justice.”* In more Israel news, earlier this week Israeli human rights lawyer Alon Sapir recounted the following story on social media. “On Saturday, I represented an American Jewish activist in deportation proceedings from the country due to his leftism. In the hearing, they presented him with a photo from a demonstration in the US to link him to anti-Israel organizations.” The photo in question was “taken at a demonstration against the Nazis in Charlottesville [Virginia],” and the Israelis “apparently took it from a page that promotes white supremacy.” This deportation proceeding – wherein the Israeli government used a white-supremacist photograph of an activist protesting Nazism to deport him on the grounds of being anti-Israel, is of course, stunningly backwards. But, as Sapir writes, “Indeed, [this is] grounds for deportation from the Jewish state.” * In more news from abroad, the New York Times reports the People's Republic of China has hit a new economic milestone: the world's largest trade surplus ever. According to economic data released by the country's General Administration of Customs, “China's surplus, the value of goods and services it sold abroad versus its imports, reached $1.19 trillion, an increase of 20 percent from 2024.” As this piece notes, “The enormous trade surplus…came despite efforts by President Trump to use tariffs to contain China's factories.” While the tariffs succeeded in reducing China's trade surplus with the United States by 22% last year, Chinese firms compensated by increasing sales to other regions and “in many cases bypassing American tariffs by shipping goods to the United States through Southeast Asia and elsewhere.” In short, the tariffs have succeeded only in raising prices for American consumers by forcing Chinese firms to route their products through secondary markets instead of selling directly to Americans – further enriching China while further immiserating everyday Americans.* This trade surplus is expected to widen further with news of an economic thaw between China and Canada. AP reports Canada has “agreed to cut its 100% tariff on Chinese electric cars in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products,” according to Prime Minister Mark Carney. Carney added that there would initially be an annual cap of 49,000 Chinese EVs coming into the Canadian market at a tariff rate of 6.1%, but this cap would grow to about 70,000 over the next five years. In return, China will “reduce its total tariff on canola seeds, a major Canadian export, from 84% to about 15%,” and allow visa-free travel to China for Canadian citizens, many of whom are of Chinese descent. This deal is obviously a humiliating disaster for President Trump, who sought to both isolate China economically and force Canada to further subjugate itself to the United States, going so far as to muse about annexing the country and making it the “51st state.” Like the Greenland fiasco, this is a case of Trump needlessly alienating American allies, driving them into the open arms of more rational partners like China.* Meanwhile, in South Korea, Al Jazeera reports former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for his role in the failed coup attempt orchestrated by ousted president Yoon Suk-yeol. In a moving statement, Judge Lee Jin-gwan of the Seoul Central District Court, said Han “disregarded his duty and responsibility as prime minister,” and “As a result…South Korea was in danger of returning to the dark past when the basic rights and liberal democratic order of the people were violated, potentially preventing them from escaping from the quagmire of dictatorship.” These words sound especially tragic to American ears at this moment, as our country slides ever further away from basic rights and liberal democratic order. Han is “the first member of Yoon's cabinet to be found guilty and sentenced to jail,” and his sentence gives an indication of how seriously the court is taking this matter. As we discussed last week, prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Yoon himself.* Moving back to American politics, NOTUS reports Congresswoman and Senate hopeful Jasmine Crockett is amassing money from some unsavory donors. These include, “Tech titan and conservative provocateur Marc Andreessen [and] Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss of Facebook fame,” as well as several super PACs funded by the cryptocurrency lobby. Perhaps most damningly though, she has received donations from the PACs for BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, and massive defense contractor Lockheed Martin. Crockett's acceptance of these donations has sent ripples through the progressive community. Fellow Texas Democratic Congressman Lloyd Doggett called it “very troubling that she would be reliant on those kinds of contributions.” Adam Green, a co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, is quoted in this piece refuting characterizations of Crockett as in line with that group's preferences, saying “To call her in any way the progressive or leftist candidate is a misnomer...She's a somewhat effective anti-Trump troll and resistance liberal, but is not one of us when it comes to a progressive populist or anti-corporate warrior.” Green added that his group will likely endorse Crockett's opponent in the primary, Texas State Representative James Talarico. As of mid-January, Talarico leads Crockett 47% to 38% in the polls, with 15% undecided, per Emerson.* Another red state senate race, this one in Montana, just got more interesting in its own way. According to the Montana Free Press, “University of Montana President Seth Bodnar is expected to run for U.S. Senate as an independent,” which the paper claims is “part of an elaborate plan apparently backed by former U.S. Sen. Jon Tester.” Apparently, this move has angered Montana Democrats, two of whom have filed long-shot bids to run against incumbent Republican Senator Steve Daines. The Free Press reached out to Tester for a comment, and he sent back a text message explaining his reasoning behind backing the independent bid, writing “Every race I ran as Montana Senator and U.S. Senator it was about distancing myself from the Democratic Party…. During my last two races the democratic Party was poison in my attempts to get re-elected.” Tester is likely taking some inspiration from the Independent Senate campaigns of Dan Osborn in Nebraska. Osborn ran against incumbent Republican Deb Fischer in 2024 and made the race unusually competitive, eventually losing 53% to 47%. Osborn is now running against Nebraska's other incumbent Republican Senator, billionaire Pete Ricketts, and the two are in a statistical dead heat in the polls.* Next, with tax season on the horizon, the neutering of the Internal Revenue Service is starting to be felt. More Perfect Union reports “The IRS is effectively unable to audit private equity, venture capital, and real estate investment firms,” because “Thousands of workers have been fired from the agency,” post-DOGE. According to the numbers, audits of the aforementioned giant enterprises have “dropped 80 or 90%.” Stunningly, Forbes reports that instead of fighting to re-fund the IRS and restore some oversight to the lawless corporate sector, lawmakers from both parties are seeking to slash $11.7 billion of the $80 billion allocated to the agency in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. As this piece notes, that number itself is deceptive; a report issued by the Treasury Inspector General, found that that $80 billion has already been shrunken down to just $37.6 billion, and the IRS has only spent about $13.8 billion of the IRA funding. The Treasury Inspector General's projections of the additional funds available to the IRS is approximately $19.3 billion, meaning an additional cut of $11.7 billion would effectively curtail any plans to expand the IRS to police large, complex financial entities.* Finally, on January 14th, Congresswoman Robin Kelly of Illinois formally introduced three articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. These articles, accusing Noem of obstruction of Congress, violation of public trust, self-dealing, and directing ICE to make “widespread warrantless arrests, forgo due process, and use violence against United States citizens, lawful residents, and other individuals,” initially garnered 80 Democratic cosponsors. But that list appears to be growing. Newsweek reports that as of January 21st, the list has grown to 100 cosponsors, nearly half of the 213-member Democratic caucus in the House. A successful impeachment vote is unlikely, as Republicans still control the House, but as provocative and unpopular actions across the country – by DHS in general and ICE specifically – continue to escalate, this list is only expected to grow. The larger question remains however: even if Noem is removed, will that force the administration to change course or will they simply appoint another pliant enforcer in her place. We can't know unless we try.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe
This weekend's snowstorm will be the first big test for Mayor Mamdani; upcoming changes coming to CBS News; emergency room staff at a Brooklyn hospital allegedly denied NYPD care; Nick Reiner's mental state; Mayor Mamdani's recent visit to The View; the chances of AOC running for President in 2028; AI hurting certain website's visibility; Kelsey Grammer's support of President Trump and the worst tourist destination of the world according to a recent survey.
Indiana won the football gameSurber and Spencer are in a fightHas anybody seen JasonOnce again a disturbing amount of football talk in this episode. We promise to correct this imbalance shortlyNow through March 31, 100% of proceeds from all PTKU merch sales will be donated to TransVisible Montana. Visit preownedairboats.com to purchase BRAND-NEW BLUE SHARKS GEAR #EXCLUSIVEShutdown Fullcast is produced by Michael Ray SurberFullcast theme variant arranged and performed by Trey McClureDID YOU KNOW: Spencer and Holly write Channel 6, a year-round newsletter that is mostly about football, until it's notBefore the world ends (again), treat yourself to Jason's critically praised novel and other workTravel in your mind palace to Phantom Island, Ryan's new show with Steven Godfrey, which is not a college football show because another simply cannot existCheck out Surber's band Killer Antz