Podcasts about humankind

We are joined by Ynza for this episode of the podcast as we discuss this awesome episode of Fringe! Ynza opens up about the unique ways that Fringe has impacted her as a trans woman, and we enthusiastically share excitement about Blair Brown being back in full force in this episode as well as how great Josh Jackson's performance is playing a new version of Peter. We also share some great feedback from Cortexifans including Anna (not Torv), Geoff (xforce11), Rory, ShelkyBean, and Isla! Next up is "The Human Kind" when we will be joined by the aforementioned Isla! Be sure to reach out with your thoughts for the feedback section! Links Mentioned: The Fringe Podcast Episode 514 - "Five-Twenty-Ten" The Fringe Podcast Episode 515 - Feedback for "Five-Twenty-Ten" Stream Fringe Theme (NES Redux) by DjjD Fringe Connections - "Five-Twenty-Ten" Fringe Matters - "Fringe - 'Five-Twenty-Ten' (5.07)" The Fringemunks - "Epis. 5.07: Five-Twenty-Ten" Fringe Playlist by Chris Connect with Us: Golden Spiral Media Community Portal Golden Spiral Media's Twitter Page The Fringe Podcast Rewatch's Instagram Page Listener Feedback Webpage Join Our Live Show!  

We examine current trends in charitable giving by individuals and foundations with Stacy Palmer, long-time editor of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, and one of America’s most knowledgeable journalists about the nation’s $316 billion charitable sector. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

We examine current trends in charitable giving by individuals and foundations with Stacy Palmer, long-time editor of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, and one of America’s most knowledgeable journalists about the nation’s $316 billion charitable sector. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

We hear the story of Mary Gillespie, a woman born with normal hearing and vision, but who developed several illnesses starting at age ten. Gradually, she became deaf-blind. Now living in Los Angeles, Mary is a regular volunteer at the Braille Institute, where we recorded this remarkable episode of Humankind. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

We hear the story of Mary Gillespie, a woman born with normal hearing and vision, but who developed several illnesses starting at age ten. Gradually, she became deaf-blind. Now living in Los Angeles, Mary is a regular volunteer at the Braille Institute, where we recorded this remarkable episode of Humankind. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

Episode # 982====Sign up for the Ron & Don Newsletter to get more information at⁠⁠ www.ronanddonradio.com⁠⁠ (http://www.ronanddonradio.com/)====To schedule a Ron & Don Sit Down to talk about your Real Estate journey, go to⁠⁠www.ronanddonsitdown.com⁠⁠ (http://www.ronanddonsitdown.com/) ====Thanks to everyone that has become an Individual Sponsor of the Ron & Don Show. If you'd like to learn more about how that works:Just click the link and enter your amount at⁠⁠https://glow.fm/ronanddonradio/⁠⁠⁠⁠RonandDonRadio.com⁠⁠ (https://anchor.fm/dashboard/episode/ea5ecu/metadata/RonandDonRadio.com)Episodes are free and drop on Monday's , Wednesday's & Thursday's and a bonus Real Estate Only episode on Fridays.From Seattle's own radio personalities, Ron Upshaw and Don O'Neill.Connect with us on Facebook⁠⁠Ron's Facebook Page⁠⁠ (https://www.facebook.com/ron.upshaw/)⁠⁠Don's Facebook Page⁠⁠ (https://www.facebook.com/theronanddonshow

I welcome Dutch historian Rutger Bregman to the podcast after first messaging him on Instagram and we talk about what I took from his book Humankind and my own wish to bring people together to remember friendship and kindness. Rutger reflects on Dutch directness and equality shaped by living with water, from the 1953 flood to the Delta Works, and shares why he writes for a general audience about big questions of human nature. We discuss his challenge to the “veneer theory” and his belief in “survival of the friendlies,” alongside a real shipwreck story near Tonga where six boys survived 15 months through cooperation. Our conversation turns to bullying, family and attachment, the Second World War and Rutger's research for Moral Ambition on how resistance spreads simply by asking others to help.01:10 Dutch Culture and Directness04:01 Water Engineering and Delta Works05:41 Early Civilizations and Conflict06:58 Why Bregman Writes Big History08:12 Debunking Human Nature Myths10:07 Cooperation at Highclere Today12:49 Tempest and Amoral People13:55 Real Lord of the Flies Story19:00 Bullying Attachment and Family21:41 Victorian Fathers Revisited22:40 Reform Politics And Women23:28 Why Study War24:04 Resistance Myth Debunked25:24 Heroes Are Asked27:29 Unconventional Organizers30:25 Kindness After Loss32:19 Kindness Is Contagious35:03 Lessons From Animals36:18 Veneer Theory And Dickens37:59 British IndirectnessYou can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month. 

Get the free Core Drives in the Wild guide and see behavioral design applied to real products and services: professorgame.com/WildCD Episode Summary Eleanor Ross, Creative Director at Expert Theory and one of the youngest recipients of the National Training and Simulation Association's Top Under 40 award, breaks down how she designs wargames and simulations that put learners inside high stakes decisions instead of watching from the outside. She walks through the moment a Team USA group tried to buy Greenland mid game, the Logic, Function, Form framework she uses to build every simulation, and a year long Taiwan resilience exercise she ran for the Irregular Warfare Center. Listeners come away with two best practices that make any simulation stick, a debrief discipline and deliberate role reversal, plus a clear view of how AI tools now let a team produce news articles and role player materials in under ten minutes. Ross also makes the case that heavy topics like terrorism, invasion, and irregular warfare land harder when they are engaging, and that good design starts by deciding what people should feel when they walk out. About the Host Rob Alvarez is Head of Engagement Strategy, Europe at The Octalysis Group (TOG), a leading gamification and behavioral design consultancy. A globally recognized gamification strategist and TEDx speaker, he founded and hosts Professor Game, the #1 gamification podcast, and has interviewed hundreds of global experts. He designs evidence-based engagement systems that drive motivation, loyalty, and results, and teaches LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® and gamification at top institutions including IE Business School, EFMD, and EBS University across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Key Takeaways In an early Arctic simulation run as an alpha test for the Canadian Department of National Defense, a Team USA group went off script and tried to buy Greenland, a move no one had prepared for, which forced Ross to build the response live. Ross and her team at Expert Theory adjudicated that unplanned move and used their AI backend to produce news articles, tweets, and formatted materials for a role player in under ten minutes, a turnaround the wargaming community historically treated as impossible. Her Logic, Function, Form framework stacks design like a pyramid: Logic defines what players should know and feel on the way out, Function defines the actors and goals that get them there, and Form covers constraints like the 30 or 90 minute time box. A quality debrief is the most important best practice in simulation design, because the takeaways people carry out are set up by the structured discussion, not by the game itself. Putting participants in roles they would never hold, such as US military officers playing the Somali government or the US embassy in a Fort Bragg deployment game, forces the perspective shift that makes the lesson land. Ross builds her design philosophy on Rutger Bregman's Humankind and its claim that people are inherently good, using games to surface the nuances behind how opposing sides actually see themselves. Topics Covered 0:00 - A wargamer who hates video games 2:59 - Inside a wargame designer's week 4:18 - When Team USA tried buying Greenland 7:45 - Why failure is a junior mindset 13:02 - A Taiwan resilience wargame for DOD 17:26 - The Logic, Function, Form framework 20:34 - Best practices: debrief and role reversal 24:30 - The books behind her design philosophy 26:33 - Perspective taking through languages 29:27 - Making heavy topics engaging 31:12 - Her favorite game: Votes for Women 33:01 - Building games in six minutes with Providence Get the free Core Drives in the Wild guide and see behavioral design applied to real products and services: professorgame.com/WildCD About Eleanor Ross Eleanor Ross is Creative Director at Expert Theory, an AI powered simulation startup building immersive learning experiences for clients including the U.S. Department of Defense, Johns Hopkins, Duke, Georgetown, and Penn State. She designs and facilitates simulations that restore agency to learners by placing them inside complex, high stakes decisions, and her co-authored research with the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology and Education Center has shown that simulations measurably deepen learning while strengthening confidence, teamwork, and decision making. She chairs programming for the Women's Wargaming Network and is one of the youngest ever recipients of the National Training and Simulation Association's Top Under 40 award. Her work focuses on the Arctic and high north, irregular and gray zone warfare, and leadership. Find the Guest Online Expert Theory (website) Eleanor Ross on LinkedIn Expert Theory on LinkedIn Mentioned in This Episode The Art of Wargaming by Peter Perla Humankind by Rutger Bregman Votes for Women, Eleanor's favorite game (by Fort Circle Games) Proposed future guest: Yuna Wong Proposed future guest: John Curry Providence, Expert Theory's platform for building games in minutes Free Resources and Get in Touch Core Drives in the Wild: Professor Game Free Guide Get Daily Value on Your Email Let's chat about your gamification project YouTube LinkedIn Instagram Facebook Start Your Community on Skool for Free Ask a question

Peace Advocates Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino and Dr. Katie Eastman Bestselling authors and global peace advocates Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino and Dr. Katie Eastman announce the release of The Peace Guidebook: How to Cultivate Hope, Healing, and Harmony for the Good of Humankind, publishing April 21, 2026 by Health Communications Inc and Simon & Schuster – available now for pre order on major retail platforms. With a powerful foreword by Rev. Mpho A. Tutu van Furth, the book opens with a compelling invitation to reimagine peace not as a distant ideal, but as a living, breathing presence in our daily lives. “This book is a call to action and a call to calm. It is a reminder that peace begins within each of us. Every person matters, every voice has value, and no one has to walk this journey alone,” says Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino and Dr. Katie Eastman. A Practical Guide for Real Peace in Real Life In The Peace Guidebook, Hamilton Guarino and Eastman challenge the belief that peace is passive or only possible during calm moments. Instead, they present peace as an active, daily practice, one that can be cultivated through grief, change, burnout, and uncertainty. “Peace is not the absence of pain, it is the presence of alignment,” stated authors Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino and Dr. Katie Eastman. “It is how we live with grace, even when things fall apart.” The book introduces ten transformational principles, including Presence, Patience, Partnership, and Perseverance, alongside practical tools, real life stories, and guided exercises to help readers integrate peace into their everyday lives. Peace in Action: From Personal Practice to Global Movement The Peace Guidebook is part of the broader Percolate Peace Project, a global initiative aiming to inspire one million people to embrace peace as a way of life. “This is more than a book,” the authors emphasize. “It is a call to action, a blueprint for personal and collective transformation.” About the Percolate Peace Project – Our Movement for Global Peace The Percolate Peace Project is a global initiative to help 1 million people cultivate and spread peace—starting from within. Co-founded by bestselling author and master life coach Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino and licensed psychotherapist and grief specialist Dr. Katie Eastman, the project is a direct extension of their groundbreaking work in The Peace Guidebook. At its heart is a simple belief: Peace is not passive. It's a personal, powerful, everyday practice. The Percolate Peace Project encourages people from all walks of life to become intentional “peace percolators”—those who consciously filter their thoughts, words, and actions through the lens of compassion, presence, hope, and healing. Just like coffee takes time to percolate, peace does too. This project offers a place to pause, reflect, and filter your best self through—one breath, one choice, one interaction at a time. The Mission: To empower individuals, families, communities, organizations, and nations to: Practice Peace Daily – through tools, reflections, and the Ten Principles of Peace Share Real Stories – of healing, courage, compassion, and transformation Connect Globally – in a supportive, uplifting community dedicated to peaceful living Amplify Peace in Action – through teaching, coaching, conversations, and leadership How You Can Join the Movement:  Read The Peace Guidebook and start your own journey  Join the growing community on The Percolate Peace Project Facebook Group  Share your story or testimonial  Host a book club, podcast episode, or local gathering  Practice the Peace Points in your daily life and inspire others to do the same Why It Matters: We live in a world where people are hurting, disconnected, and overwhelmed. But we also live in a world where healing is possible—where one act of peace can ripple outward and change everything. This project is for the caregivers, the leaders, the parents, the teens, the teachers, the grievers, the seekers. It's for anyone who believes that peace is a choice, not a luxury—and that together, we can make it real. Join us, and let's create a ripple effect that reaches far beyond what we can imagine. Percolate Peace. Share your light. Change the world. https://www.percolatepeace.com/peaceguidebook Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino is the founder of The Best Ever You Network and host of The Best Ever You Show, a top-ranked podcast with over 5 million global downloads.  A Master Life Coach and bestselling author, Elizabeth is widely recognized as one of America's leading voices in personal development, leadership, and mindset transformation. Through her books, coaching, and global media platform, she has helped individuals and organizations achieve world-class excellence by integrating strategic vision, gratitude-centered leadership, and empowered action. She is the author of The Change Guidebook and The Success Guidebook, and co-author (with Dr. Katie Eastman) of Percolate – Let Your Best Self Filter Through (Hay House) and the The Peace Guidebook. She also co-authored award-winning children's books with Sally Huss. A sought-after speaker and media contributor, Elizabeth brings a unique blend of heart, strategy, and soul to everything she does. She and her husband, Peter, split their time between Maine and South Carolina, where they enjoy life with their four adult sons, two dogs, and three beloved rescue cats. Co-Founder Dr. Katie Eastman is a nationally respected grief and change expert with over three decades of experience helping people turn heartbreak into healing and trauma into transformation. A psychotherapist, master grief coach, organizational consultant, and cofounder of Recreate Coaching and Counseling, Dr. Katie brings deep emotional insight, spiritual awareness, and practical tools to life's most profound challenges. Trained in the integration of psychology and spirituality, she infuses every aspect of her work with compassion, presence, and purpose. As coauthor of The Peace Guidebook, Percolate: Let Your Best Self Filter Through, and author of Uplifting: Inspiring Stories of Loss, Change, and Growth, she helps others discover that even in the midst of loss, peace and meaning can rise. https://www.besteveryou.com/ Call In and Chat with Deborah during Live Show: 833-220-1200 or 319-527-2638 Learn more about Deborah here:  www.lovebyintuition.com

Lionel on Today's Episode Talks About the Evolutions of Both AI and Human Kind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Hedges, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Empire of Illusion”, maintains that our popular culture cannot distinguish between reality and fantasy, dangerously relying on spectacle, false idols, and snake oil salesmen. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

Chris Hedges, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Empire of Illusion”, maintains that our popular culture cannot distinguish between reality and fantasy, dangerously relying on spectacle, false idols, and snake oil salesmen. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

But really there's no doom, just talk of, and brace yourself, Jesse's organic 'eggs' and Knight Rider and more.This week we begin with some pertinent end-of-life-planning information which somehow segues into talk of powdering 'eggs' which goes off the track fast. Soon Jesse is waxing nostalgic about Kit from Knight Rider and Jenn daydreams about David Hasselhoff's hair.Finally after six years of air time they cover the week's AI-related headlines. Kind of.Apologies to all of the storied, steadfast, legit journalists whose hard work is now associated with baby powder and nuts.And before the close, Jesse reveals the greatest website ever known to humankind.Article Links:Knight Rider, WikipediaMusky's Grok being added to car dashboardsAsk Jeeves is GONEThe Greatest Website Ever Known to Humankind - and not for bubble-blowing babies! Send us Fan MailSupport the showSupport Curious Cat, an independent, human-made podcast!Anxious about AI? Take two minutes to contact your local politician and ask them to tap the brakes on this technology. Still worried? Contact one of the orgs below and get involved. But for today, hug your kid, cook food and really breathe in deep as it simmers, walk in nature, brush a cat, donate to the food bank, brew a cup of tea, or draw a five-minute portrait of your dog. ***Is AI the Devil? on Substack!***Hero Organizations:80,000 HoursCenter for Humane TechnologiesState of Surveillance, an organization that helps foster online privacyBuy Curious Cat Podcast a Coffee!

Nearly 5 million direct care workers assist America's older adults. They perform their duties in private homes, residential care settings and nursing facilities. Often paid low wages, many rely on some form of public assistance to make ends meet. A surprising number are homeless. Yet the labor can be arduous, helping sometimes disabled people with dressing, toilet care, mobility challenges, transferring in and out of bed. And sometimes the clients they serve are angry, even abusive. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

Nearly 5 million direct care workers assist America's older adults. They perform their duties in private homes, residential care settings and nursing facilities. Often paid low wages, many rely on some form of public assistance to make ends meet. A surprising number are homeless. Yet the labor can be arduous, helping sometimes disabled people with dressing, toilet care, mobility challenges, transferring in and out of bed. And sometimes the clients they serve are angry, even abusive. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

A look at how slaveholders mercilessly trafficked in human beings, the outrageous Fugitive Slave Act and the time Sumner was viciously assaulted for his beliefs on the floor of the U.S. Senate To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

A look at how slaveholders mercilessly trafficked in human beings, the outrageous Fugitive Slave Act and the time Sumner was viciously assaulted for his beliefs on the floor of the U.S. Senate To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

Millions of adult children or other relatives are caring for older loved ones. They do this out of love, but the cumulative burden can be heavy. We'll hear stories of how different families manage the duties of eldercare. We also include useful suggestions from a leading professor of nursing on how caregivers can benefit from proven techniques of self-care. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

Millions of adult children or other relatives are caring for older loved ones. They do this out of love, but the cumulative burden can be heavy. We'll hear stories of how different families manage the duties of eldercare. We also include useful suggestions from a leading professor of nursing on how caregivers can benefit from proven techniques of self-care. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

Michael Muthukrishna (behavioural scientist, cultural evolution researcher) has a unified “theory of everyone” that says we evolved as a species, surviving crises and collapses, through cooperative norms that made sure inequality did not blow out, in conditions of energy abundance.Michael is Professor of Economic Psychology at New York University (NYU) and the London School of Economics, co-founder of London School of Artificial Intelligence (LSAI), technical director of The Database of Religious History and co-founder of the London School of Artificial Intelligence (LSAI). He's also the author of A Theory of Everyone: The New Science of Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We Are Going, and in this episode I ask how everyone – humanity – can survive this multi-crisis pile-up when energy is running out. The answer is…complex.Show NotesGet your copy of A Theory of Everyone: The New Science of Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We Are GoingLearn more about Michael's work here and his video trailer hereYou can catch up on my episode about Moloch I mentioned: LIV BOEREE: Explaining Moloch, the mysterious game theory force breaking the world (plus a fix!)And these episodes on how we're fundamentally more cooperative than we tend to get told might be of interest, too.ADAM MASTROIANNI: Do we need to make the world great (and kinder) again?RUTGER BREGMAN: Author of Humankind on how to trust each other--Watch on YouTube or SubstackIf you need to know a bit more about me… head to my "about" pageFor more such conversations, subscribe to my Substack newsletter, it's where I interact the most!Let's connect on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amy MacIver speaks to Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site Association chairperson Trevor Brough about the worsening sewage and wastewater crisis in Mogale City and the growing environmental threat facing one of South Africa’s most important heritage sites. Presenter John Maytham is an actor and author-turned-talk radio veteran and seasoned journalist. His show serves a round-up of local and international news coupled with the latest in business, sport, traffic and weather. The host’s eclectic interests mean the program often surprises the audience with intriguing book reviews and inspiring interviews profiling artists. A daily highlight is Rapid Fire, just after 5:30pm. CapeTalk fans call in, to stump the presenter with their general knowledge questions. Another firm favourite is the humorous Thursday crossing with award-winning journalist Rebecca Davis, called “Plan B”. Thank you for listening to a podcast from Afternoon Drive with John Maytham Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 15:00 and 18:00 (SA Time) to Afternoon Drive with John Maytham broadcast on CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/BSFy4Cn or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/n8nWt4x Subscribe to the CapeTalk Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/sbvVZD5 Follow us on social media: CapeTalk on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@capetalk CapeTalk on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ CapeTalk on X: https://x.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CapeTalk567 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We examine the remarkable life of Charles Sumner, a U.S. senator from Mass. who boldly championed the abolition of slavery. Sumner coined the phrase “equality before the law” and was viciously assaulted for his beliefs. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

We examine the remarkable life of Charles Sumner, a U.S. senator from Mass. who boldly championed the abolition of slavery. Sumner coined the phrase “equality before the law” and was viciously assaulted for his beliefs. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

Google Data Editor Simon Rogers joins us to discuss spikes in Google searches and what they suggest about humankind.

Bongani Bingwa speaks with Lloyd Anthony Smith, curator and impresario of Nirox Sculpture Park, about an upcoming Mother’s Day event taking place on Sunday, 10 May 2026. The celebration at NIROX Sculpture Park will feature art, music, wine, gourmet food and lifestyle experiences, honouring mothers in the scenic Cradle of Humankind. 702 Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa is broadcast on 702, a Johannesburg based talk radio station. Bongani makes sense of the news, interviews the key newsmakers of the day, and holds those in power to account on your behalf. The team bring you all you need to know to start your day Thank you for listening to a podcast from 702 Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 06:00 and 09:00 (SA Time) to Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa broadcast on 702: https://buff.ly/gk3y0Kj For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/36edSLV or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/zEcM35T Subscribe to the 702 Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/v5mfetc Follow us on social media: 702 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkRadio702 702 on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talkradio702 702 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkradio702/ 702 on X: https://x.com/Radio702 702 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@radio7See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We often hear that we're all connected by six degrees of separation—that you can link yourself to anyone on the planet through just a handful of people. But with billions of people in the world, how could that possibly be true? And in a world of social media and constant connectivity, is that number shrinking or growing? https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-98072-2 Some people just seem to have all the luck. Opportunities appear, things fall into place, and they end up in the right place at the right time. Is that just chance—or is there something more going on? Tina Seelig, who has spent more than 25 years teaching entrepreneurship and innovation at Stanford University, says luck isn't nearly as random as it seems. In our conversation, she explains how certain behaviors and ways of thinking can actually increase your chances of getting lucky—and how small, everyday actions can open doors you didn't even know were there. She is author of What I Wish I Knew About Luck: A Crash Course on Turning Aspirations into Achievements (https://amzn.to/3RaPQ2F). Here is the link to her TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/tina_seelig_the_little_risks_you_can_take_to_increase_your_luck You know what you search for on Google—but what about everyone else? When people have anonymity, they often reveal what they're really curious about, worried about, or struggling with. The patterns in those searches can be surprising—and sometimes unexpectedly hopeful. Simon Rogers, Data Editor at Google and author of What We Ask Google: A Surprisingly Hopeful History of Humankind (https://amzn.to/4w0fvLr), shares what these billions of searches reveal about human nature, what people are really thinking about, and what we can learn when we look at all that data together. It's often said that “nice guys finish last.” But is there actually some truth to that? Research suggests there may be a relationship between how agreeable you are and how much you earn. But the story isn't as simple as “nice equals less money.” It raises a deeper question: are agreeable people undervalued—or are more difficult personalities rewarded in ways we don't fully recognize? The answer may challenge what you think about success, personality, and what it really takes to get ahead. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167487022000812 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AQUA TRU: Take the guesswork out of pure, great-tasting water. Head to ⁠https://AquaTru.com⁠ now and get 20% off your purifier using promo code SYSK. AquaTru even comes with a 30-day best-tasting water guarantee or your money back. POCKET HOSE: For a limited time, when you purchase a new Pocket Hose Ballistic, you'll get a FREE 360 degree rotating pocket pivot and a FREE thumb drive nozzle! Just text SYSK to 64000 RULA: This Mental Health Awareness Month, don't just think about your mental health - actually take the step to take care of it. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Rula.com/sysk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get started. QUINCE: Refresh your everyday with luxury you will actual use! Go to ⁠⁠⁠https://Quince.com/sysk⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! SHOPIFY: It's time to turn those "what ifs" into CHA CHING with Shopify Today! Sign up for your $1 per month trail and start selling today at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Shopify.com/sysk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ PLANET VISIONARIES : We love the Planet Visionaries podcast! In partnership with The Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative. Listen or watch on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you are listening to this podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this poignant profile taped prior to his death due to complications from a rare form of muscular dystrophy, child poet and peacemaker Mattie Stepanek showed wisdom beyond his years. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

In this poignant profile taped prior to his death due to complications from a rare form of muscular dystrophy, child poet and peacemaker Mattie Stepanek showed wisdom beyond his years. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

This week, Liberty and Vanessa discuss Moonlight Murder, Platform Decay, Verity Guild, and more great books! Subscribe to All the Books! using RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify and never miss a book. Sign up for the weekly New Books! newsletter for even more new book news. Keep track of new releases with Book Riot's New Release Index, now included with an All Access membership. Click here to get started today! This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission Books Discussed On the Show: Birth Vibes by Jen Hamilton Dissection of a Murder by Jo Murray Moonlight Murder by Uzma Jalaluddin The Fallen: The Lost Girls of Ireland's Magdalene Laundries and a Legacy of Silence by Louise Brangan The Miseducation of Caroline Bingley by Lindz McLeod Verity Guild by Mai Corland Honey by Imani Thompson Backtalker: An American Memoir by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean Platform Decay (The Murderbot Diaries Book 8) by Martha Wells Seek Immediate Shelter by Vincent Yu True Crime: A Memoir by Patricia Cornwell One Leg on Earth by 'Pemi Aguda Mother Tongue: A Memoir by Sara Nović What We Ask Google: A Surprisingly Hopeful History of Humankind by Simon Rogers Earthly Playing Field by Radhika Singh What We're Reading: Little Bosses Everywhere: How the Pyramid Scheme Shaped America by Bridget Read Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan Brume, Volume 2: The Forest of Lost Souls by Jérôme Pélissier, Carine Hinder A Real Animal by Emeline Atwood  Taipei Story by R. F. Kuang The Repairer of Reputations by Ed Park, Robert W. Chambers Paperbacks: Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito When the Earth Was Green: Plants, Animals, and Evolution's Greatest Romance by Riley Black The Director by Daniel Kehlmann, Ross Benjamin (translator) The Lilac People by Milo Todd The Museum Detective by Maha Khan Phillips How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter's Memoir by Molly Jong-Fast Gliff by Ali Smith Spectacular Things by Beck Dorey-Stein You Belong Here by Megan Miranda My Name Is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende, Frances Riddle (translator) Flashlight by Susan Choi The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling August Lane by Regina Black As I Dream of You by Jennifer Lee, LeUyen Pham The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell The Manor of Dreams by Christina Li Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson Links: A new book from Chad Harbach The NYT Best Books of the Year (So Far) Bestsellers: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir  Theo of Golden by Allen Levi Famesick: A Memoir by Lena Dunham   Hope Rises by David Baldacci   London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth by Patrick Radden Keefe  Poisoned Ivies: The Inside Account of the Academic and Moral Rot at America's Elite Universities by Elise Stefanik  Kin by Tayari Jones The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People have a lot of opinions and a lot of anecdotes that may not necessarily be true. Politicians deal with feelings. Economists and analysts should deal with facts. We have looked at the data and things are becoming cheaper, more affordable, more abundant in Australia... 

emocleW, emocleW, emocleW to the Distraction Pieces Podcast with Scroobius Pip!This is your bonus FRIDAY REWIND episode! Today, we catch up with Rutger Bregman, originally episode 190 from 2018-02-21.Original writeup below:An absolutely massive episode covering - as said - some big topics and issues, which are immensely interesting and made a lot easier to understand with Rutger's able guidance and explanation. His book ‘Utopia For Realists And How We Can Get There' is available now (published by Bloomsbury), and this should be a good idea of what you can expect - Rutger tackles the issues of universal basic income, strikes, borders, how great art can be achieved by not having basic financial worries, how we need a return to utopian thinking, new ideas beginning at the fringes of society, how the US isn't the beating heart of the entire world (as the news may have you believe), the ‘circle of bullshit', and how we are working with “21st Century hardware on 19th Century software” - all of these are expounded on a great deal so this is a good one to really sit and take some time with. There is a kind of ‘Freakanomics' approach to some of the points, which is fascinating - like the eventual financial cost of one element of one's life, and the knock-on effects of doing one thing in particular and how it leads to what's down the road. Just so much to enjoy, and all very positive too - certainly not a world of doom and gloom in this one, no way. Enlighten yourself and enjoy!PIP'S PATREON PAGE if you're of a supporting natureONLINEYOUTUBEPIP TWITCH • (music stuff)PIP INSTAGRAMSPEECH DEVELOPMENT WEBSTOREPIP TWITTERPIP IMDBPOD BIBLE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From firefighters to police officers to the Red Cross and many others, First Responders play an essential role in protecting public safety and helping people cope with emergencies. In this segment, we consider the work of providers of disaster spiritual care. These folks look after both survivors of tragedies and the responders, who are sometimes reeling in the wake of calamity. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

From firefighters to police officers to the Red Cross and many others, First Responders play an essential role in protecting public safety and helping people cope with emergencies. In this segment, we consider the work of providers of disaster spiritual care. These folks look after both survivors of tragedies and the responders, who are sometimes reeling in the wake of calamity. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weather-with-enthusiasm--4911017/support.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has increasingly advanced such that human intelligence and creativity is easily challenged and superceded by this technology. What does this mean for being Human? Do significant differences remain between Humankind and machine? How can we defend the traditional position that our uniqueness is because we are created in the image and likeness of God? The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. Also, note that not all views expressed in the lectures or in the discussion time necessarily represent the views of L'Abri Fellowship. © Canadian L'Abri 2020

In Providence, Rhode Island, a former Israeli army sergeant, Teny Gross, has become a powerful force in combating youth gang violence, in part by recruiting ex-offenders to serve as street workers who offer intervention and advocacy for vulnerable kids. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

On this episode, my guest is Dr. Devon Taylor, the President of the Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement (JaBBEM), an advocacy group founded in 2022 that fights for equitable beach access and environmental justice in Jamaica. He is a Biomedical Research Scientist and environmental and social justice advocate who leads efforts to repeal the colonial-era Beach Control Act of 1956, which he describes as discriminatory and a barrier to public access.JABBEM uses legal tools, including the Prescription Act of 1882, to establish long-standing community rights to beaches and rivers. The group is currently involved in multiple court cases, including those concerning Bob Marley Beach, Little Dunn's River, and Flanker/Providence Beach, to secure public access and prevent privatization by luxury resorts like Sandals.Dr. Taylor emphasizes that beach access is a fundamental human right and reparative justice issue, arguing that Jamaica's beaches—national treasures—should be accessible to all Jamaicans, not just tourists. He calls for government action to replace outdated laws with modern legislation that ensures constitutional protection for public access and sustainable management of coastal resources.Show Notes* The violence and displacement from which JaBBEM emerged* The Beach Control Act of 1956* Coastal colonialism / plantation tourism* Shoreline personhood and the birth of humanity* The medicinal space of the sea* Taking the fight to the courts in Jamaica* Pan-Caribbean solidarity and dilemmas* Critical mass: advice for guests/touristsHomeworkJabbem - Website - Instagram - Facebook - YouTubeStronger Caribbean TogetherTranscriptChris: [00:00:00] Welcome Dr. Taylor, to the End of Tourism Podcast. Thank you for being willing to join me today. And I'm wondering to start, if you could share with our listeners where you're sitting today and what the world looks like there for you where you are.Devon: Yeah. You know, funny enough, I'm sitting just outside of Washington, DC today.Chris: Oh.Devon: You know, I just got back from Jamaica. All right. And I'm just outside the capital of the “free world” today. Yeah, but Jamaica is home, so we just got back from some community service work, advocacy work. And I'm happy to engage the End of Tourism audience and share what the experience and the livity of the Jamaican people is like.Chris: Hmm. Thank you, Dr. Taylor. As far as I understand, you are the president of Jabbem, the Jamaica Beach Birthright [00:01:00] Environmental Movement, which was founded in 2022 as “a grassroots organization acutely aware of the adverse effects of misguided development and environmental injustices to beaches, beach property, and sensitive terrestrial ecosystems” And so I'd like to ask you, Devin, a bit about your story, about how and why Jabbem was created, if I can.Devon: Yeah. So my story is the story of my community - my community of Steer Town, a coastal community that I grew up in, but that's also the story of the descendants of enslaved Africans, really, and a former slave plantation known as Jamaica, right?There's a history that is rooted in displacement, disposition, and disempowerment of a people, you know. [00:02:00] So, Jabbem is a response to continued injustice, injustice not only to black bodies, you know what I mean? And the indigenous ones, the Tainos who were there first, right? But also the desecration of land, right?Land have a relationship with human beings and with indigenous people, and we have a relationship with land. But all that get disturbed, through this “development.” So, you know, myself, my community, experienced that displacement and disposition and disempowerment in 2019, at the heights of COVID.When our childhood beach that our community has been using for more than a hundred years, you know, we were displaced from it. And the displacement. It's around 29 acres of beachfront land that the community... as an extension of our community that we use for everything, everything that Jamaicans use the beach [00:03:00] for, right? You know, recreation, fishing, spirituality, I mean, courtship, artisan work, farming you know all that space that offers a multitude of opportunities, multitude of possibilities, right, which made it that node, that connectivity to the community of Steer Town, to the community of Chalky Hill, to the community of Epworth and Davis Town and, you know, parts of, and tourism mecca of Ocho Rios. You know what I mean? This is what this space represented. It was a community that birthed ideas and continual livity of our people.And we were displaced from it, displaced from it by force. You know, a force that was part of the state, the Jamaican police, private security, the political class. It was violent. It was a very [00:04:00] violent displacement. And so, if you have ever experienced disposition and displacement, it unsettles you. It arms you. You know, I mean, you are rattled, right?And so, we had to figure out how this happened and how we need to move, because we're a resilient people, we never give up. This is where we're able to survive 500 years of chattel slavery. So, it took us a minute to kinda understand what was happening and knowing that we have to move from the grassroots. We have to come together in solidarity and farm something that could push back at our displacement. So Jabbem was born through state-sponsored violence and private violence, the displacement of communities from beach ecosystems, from the sea, in that time.Chris: Thank you for that, Dr. Taylor. You know, you mentioned 2019 as a kind [00:05:00] of watershed moment for your community and for the creation of Jabbem. But of course most people have some understanding that the tourism industry has a long history on the island, in Jamaica. And there's something that arises quite a bit in the work of your organization and in the interviews and in the media that's come out, and specifically around a law that was created or enacted in 1956, The Beach Control Act in Jamaica. And so, I'm wondering if you would be willing to offer up a little bit about this law, why it's so infamous in your country and maybe a little something of what was happening in Jamaica before 2019 and perhaps since that act, that law was created in the fifties.Devon: Yeah. The struggle for beach rights, you know, access to the beaches use of the sea [00:06:00] is historical, right? There are giants before my time who stood in the fight. You know what I mean? We had Dr. Carolyn Cooper, you know what I mean, very instrumental. John Maxwell. We have Kabu Ma'at Kheru. We have Esther Figueroa and many other Jamaicans who lend their voice to a struggle, observing and seeing that, with every new hotel that's built, every new villa that's built, every new guest house that's built, is a loss of the Jamaican people to really continue to enjoy spaces that they have been doing since childhood. Right.You know, as you mentioned, there's a long history of tourism in Jamaica. Yes, there is. I mean, Jamaica is still a colony of England. The King Charles is still the king of Jamaica, right? With all that said, Jamaica does have its prime minister who runs the country, and the king don't really get in his way, so all the experiences of the Jamaican people now is [00:07:00] actually a product of the political class that is running the country.And the tourism model at one point was more integrated, right? There was more a blend of locals and visitors traversing in beaches and enjoying these spaces, walking around in the country, participating in other cultural activities that are not based along the beach, right? You would come into villages, enjoy villages. You know, that was true for, also, my community. My community was close to a couple of these hotels and guest houses at the time. Many members in our community work in these spaces. Some of those tourists would venture up into the village and enjoy all that we offer, you know, in the Jamaican life.I should point out that musical albums, between Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones was made with members of of the Steer Town community. “Wingless Angel” is the name of that album.So this was a time when it was more [00:08:00] of that kind of integration. But the colony that Jamaica is right, and just pre-independence, Jamaica became independent in 1962... a law was passed in 1956 just on the eve of independence, which you alluded to earlier - The Beach Control Act of 1956 - and we're still trying to fully grasp why there was a need to put a law in place that says that no Jamaicans have the right to the foreshore, or the floor of the sea and was translated by the head of the National Environment and Planning A gency (NEPA), that we do not have the right to swim, to bathe, to fish, to walk along the foreshore. All those rights are vested in the government, in what they basically call “the crown,” controls all that kind of things. And the thinking we are trying to understand, is that the [00:09:00] result is very clear, that it's stripped us of any inherent rights to the foreshore. Stripped us.And very important for accessing beaches is the rights, the land. So you cannot get to the beach or the sea without traversing land.Chris: Right.Devon: And so this legislation, really inherently, did not give us any land rights. And that is what you know happened post-emancipation. There was never any reparative justice around the rights of descendants of enslaved Africans to land, where compensation was given to the enslavers. They got millions and millions of dollars when slavery was abolished. There was no compensation to the descendants in any form. No rights to land, no distribution of land, nothing [00:10:00] that was constitutionally put in place, nothing for provisions were made. In fact, the secretary of the islands made sure that they put tariffs so high on government land that the descendants could not afford them.So it kept the Jamaican people, and for that case, most of the Caribbean Islands' peoples, landless, right? So we walk out of slavery as a homeless people, despite the many rebellions and revolutions that were fought by our ancestors to free our people. You know, the powers to be never gave us any of that rights to land.And so, the 1956 Beach Control Act is consistent with colonial logic of dispossession and disempowerment.Chris: Wow.Devon: And that's what that legislation has really done to us.Chris: Wow. Yeah. I mean some of the statistics that have [00:11:00] come up in Jabbem's research is that at least 35% of Jamaica's GDP is tourism, that 25% of all jobs on the island are tourism-based jobs, that 70% of tourism dollars go to foreign investors while only 10% goes to the community and 20% going to the government. Then finally, less than 1% and maybe less of Jamaica's shoreline is accessible to Jamaicans.You refer to this, I think as coastal colonialism. Is that right, Devin?Devon: Yeah, it is coastal colonialism. It's a kind of plantation tourism, right? And the numbers speak, for themselves. I mean, they're very consistent with colonial logic around ownership of land, possession of land, what land is used for, and who the [00:12:00] usage of land benefits. The resources of the land benefit the colonial master. Of course, in this case, it is the government of Jamaica with it's elite. You know, the elites are sometimes Jamaican. Sometimes they're multinational corporations. So all of these kind of things are linked to plantation tourism and the exploitation of labour. Now there's no way that you can have, in 2024, a tourism product made 4.3 billion US dollars, and more than 3 billion of it, did not stay in Jamaica. It may not even enter the country, because of the way all these transactions are done. You could book your tour from overseas, pay for your hotel from overseas, you pay for your flight, you pay all these things. So those dollars does not even enter the country.Even many of the Jamaican tours, their banking companies are in international spaces. Many of these entities are the owners of these hotel, these [00:13:00] corporations, also registered in other countries. You'll have some of them registered in other Caribbean islands, St. Lucia and other tax havens across the planet. So, I mean, all of these things are very similar to the way that the plantation work.And then of course the workers and the exploitations of the worker, being paid very low wages, wages that are not livable wages. I mean, they're overworked. And so, the whole thing is consistent just the way the plantation works, right? And so we have to call it what it is. And at the same time, you work at the hotel and you can't enjoy the beach, right? Not while you're working there. Neither can you go home and say, “I'm taking my family of five to where I work, and I'm gonna put my towel down on the beach and take a swim, or I'm going to go roll out, and I'm going to fish.So I mean, the whole model, as to how it's constructed right now is very [00:14:00] oppressive, and is a continuation of the systems of oppressions that were characteristic of the plantation. So it makes it a plantation tourism model that the Jamaican government is supporting. And it is the government of the country because as you mentioned, you know less than 1% of beaches in the country is accessible by the Jamaicans, right?The country, the island is 494 miles around right now. 150 miles of it is technically sandy, right? Most of it is are rocky terrain, but the rocky terrains are beautiful terrains. You know, these are terrains that we all meditations from. You know what I mean, we go fish at, you find your moment in these spaces and they're becoming far and few, and that is supported by just the way all the legislation is constructed, and no government in the history of [00:15:00] “independent Jamaica” from 62, right... The law will be on the book for 70 years, and none of them changed that law to empower the Jamaican people with inherent rights.Not just to... because I know sometimes the reasoning is that, “well, we just wanna go to the beach to swim.”Well, we are thinking about a new imagination of our relationship with the coastline that we have been having for many, many, many decades.It wasn't just swimming.You know? No, no, no. It's beyond that.So, they may project that that's all we need: is just to go into the water.Right? I mean, absolutely. That's part of it. Absolutely we need to go there where our deads were washed upon the shores from these slave ships, that many were thrown overboard, many jumped overboard.But livity along the coastline for fisher folks, for vendors, for those who harvest [00:16:00] seaweed, right? For those baptisms, for the artists who get their inspiration there, for farmers who farm there, all of these possibilities, that we used to use the space for.We are saying that we should be able to continue doing so. Right? And we are fighting for this kind of a justice in this space.Chris: Wow. I mean, this is a theme, a through line, that that comes up in so many of the conversations I have with people like yourself who are fighting for land and land rights in their homes, in their places.It seems there's so much in common. One of the strange things... I don't know how strange it is really, but I was reading recently on the history of what they call “the enclosure of the commons” in Britain from I think the 13th or 14th century on, and how slowly, little by little, the rich landowner started kind of carving away, the land from the peasants and forcing them into the [00:17:00] towns and cities to work for wages, essentially, and to undermine, not only their ancestral relationships with the land, the places where they're dead were buried for many, many centuries, but also the kind of lived spiritual relationship they have with it. Right.And so, this is something that I've seen on Jabbem's website regarding the organization's principle goals. And that one of them is “the promotion of environmental personhood to beaches, selected rivers and important land formations to protect nature for future generations and to safeguard the intrinsic value of nature by recognizing them [that's the beaches, the selected rivers, and land] as living entities.”Now, I think this is something that's a common understanding, if not something that ecologists and environmentalists today campaign for, which is giving waterways and [00:18:00] land rights, but also legal and judicial protections.And so I'm curious, how do you think giving legally-bound personhood to land and water could change the lives or the relationships that travellers and local people have to those places?You know, when we come to live our lives in the presence of rivers and beaches and land as alive and sentient and as having history, their own personal history, how do you think our relationships to places might change, either as tourists or locals.Devon: Yeah. I mean these ideas are not distant to the human consciousness, because it was like that in the beginning. If we look at the scientific history of earth, right? You know, the sea, oceans are the birthplace of humanity. We crawled out the [00:19:00] sea onto land, and where did we enter first? It was on the shoreline?So, historically, ancient shoreline is the birthplace of humanity. And we just imagine, what happened in that space was the beauty of evolution. Evolution, physically. Evolution, spiritually. Evolution, in all ways and form you could think of. That space was a space of a multitude of births and rebirths. A space of energy, that led to all that we know it right now - plants and animal life, running around and terra firma.So I mean, that recognizes that this space of a right to exist because without it, I mean, I and I would not be in existence in this present formation. So it's not really a kind of thinking that is outside of the grasp of humanity. [00:20:00] It's just that a version of humanity turned its back against nature, you know, to degrade it, to use it without recognizing the relationship that it had with us.And so to really raise these ideas, that the space has its own consciousness, has its own intrinsic value, has its own understanding of I and I, knowing what I needed within such time. Give it to I so that I could thrive and manifest. So it did its work and it continues to do its work. It's just that humanity, a version of humanity, is robbing the space of its ability to continue to serve as a crucible for next generation, even the protection of the planet Earth.And you will hear it all the while that the shoreline is very important to protect us against the fallout of climate change, in terms of [00:21:00] protecting land. You know, we hear those words, but we don't live those words. So I think the recognition of personhood status to these kinds of ecosystem will bring us back to our relationship with the land, whereas we are custodian of it and it is custodian of us. And so that kind of duality, between man and environment can reign again, so the environment can serve its role in the next phase of human consciousness, right? It's not just a space to degrade, but it offers many things. I'm sure you go to the beach and when you go to the beach, you're alive. And you feel more alive when you go to a beach that is rustic, that when you look around you, you hear the sounds of nature. You can feel the beauty of that sun under your foot, and the smell that you are smelling is smell of a natural coastal forest, a natural ocean. You're not smelling [00:22:00] chlorine or suntans, or you're not hearing the bustling of engine mechanizations. You know what I mean? All what we have created in these spaces, right?You're not seeing the beautiful crabs run, the crustaceans in the space. You're not seeing the vibrancy of all the creatures that live in the ocean at near shore, because you take out hectares of grass beds, which is necessary for replenishing life.You know, the ocean produce more oxygen than the land, because earth is more than 70% water. So the importance there of understanding personhood status is for us to understand our livity and our life is critically linked to this space. And that's what we're trying to say.Understand this space for what it meant for human evolution, what it means for our continued survival, [00:23:00] and allow it to do so, but we have to give it that kinda legal protection. We have to make generations coming on board understand what it is in terms of how critical it is for livity.My work is based in the gift economy. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Chris: Wow. That's beautiful.Yeah. Thank you so much Dr. Taylor. When I think about all the times that I spent on beaches, I mean maybe not as many as other people, but I also think about how much, in our time, in the last few generations that so many people go to the beach to relax. And you know, as far as I know, this wasn't a very common thing around the world before the Industrial Revolution - to go to the beach to relax, at least en masse, at least with so many people. And it makes me wonder, what might be happening mythically or mythologically or mythopoetically, when people go to the beach, they lie down in front of the [00:24:00] sun and in front of the ocean, and in terms of what you were saying, I always wondered, this seems like a kind of devotion that people are almost, in a religious way, devoting their bodies to being in this place with the sun and the ocean.But also in this place, as you mentioned, just between the ocean and the land. Right. The shoreline. And while it seems like a kind of religious devotion, maybe the fact that it's kind of commodified and industrialized and manipulated in such a way so that people don't recognize the life or lives of the shoreline, of the rivers, of the beach, of the ocean, et cetera, that there's something in there that humans are longing to express, but it gets turned into this really, really strange and almost demented form of, you know, “oh, take my picture and let's put it on Instagram” and all that kind of thing, right?So yeah, thank you for that, Devin. It was really beautiful to [00:25:00] hear.And for our listeners who can see some of the work that Jabbem is doing on their website, there are many, many campaigns that your organization is involved in in Jamaica, and some of them involve court cases, but I'm curious if you'd be willing to comment, I guess, on how your organization, how your team has been dealing with the campaigns, what kind of successes or failures, what kind of learning has come your way. What can you tell us about the work that you've been doing with the people on the ground there and what, if any kind of successes you've had so far.Devon: Yeah. Yeah. So, so we have just been around like four years now. This is our fourth year. Right. You know, kinda listening to how you were kinda talking about the reverence when one goes into these spaces, because the sea is medicine. It's a medicine space. And I think that's why a lot of people gravitate towards it. And what we are trying to do [00:26:00] is saying that everyone should be able to experience their birthplace, which is the foreshore, right? And so our fight and our struggle is that, as the United Nation Convention and the Law of the Sea puts it, the sea is the common heritage of humankind. So what we are doing is consistent with what the United Nation goal, that this space, this sea, this ocean, these rivers are common edge heritage of humanity. And so, we must be able to access them, engage them, we must be able to experience them and they must remain protected for all generations.So, Jabbem's campaign on the ground are not campaigns that are just for the liberation of the communities, where these beaches are. But it's for the community of humanity, that when they come into our country, they will experience the ecological heritage of the country, not [00:27:00] restricted by how much money you have in your pocket, by how much you could pay to go to one of these all inclusive hotels. Or one of these high-end villas that are encroaching in the sea, or any of these hotels that they are now building in the sea, is that you could've travelled from another country to experience what the foreshore and the sea - which is your heritage, as a human - in Jamaica.So the campaign, we are fighting for liberation of the coastline, right? So we have five of these cases right now in the Jamaican court system, right? Yeah. We have the case fighting for Bob Marley Beach. I mean, I could speak uniquely to what these spaces symbolize, about what they have been for the Jamaican people. You know, that particular beach has been a space where Rastafari, who are oppressed in Jamaica as a black liberation movement, with its central spiritual nucleus being [00:28:00] Emperor Haile Selassie I. That beach was the cradle of where thoughts and ideas were born in versions of Rastafari, and we had to move into protect that space because ultra-luxury hotels is slated to be built here that was going to displace the community. And so, that fight continues, right?We have the fightof Mammee Bay, which is my childhood space. As we explained to you earlier, you know, more than a hundred years of usage within this space, an extension of our community. It's a space that provide livity for many, right?And we speak to Blue Lagoon, right? Very historical, very beautiful mix of salt and fresh water, which many underground springs being fed from the Blue Mountain, a space that was used by the indigenous Tainos and Africans used this space for spirituality, for food, for all that you could imagine beyond recreation. This space is being commandeered by elite private interests.We have that in the court. We're fighting [00:29:00] our own government for liberation of the Blue Lagoon, which is a national monument, which would means that, “oh, can a national monument be privatized?”But Jamaican laws allow for this to happen. And if we don't fight to protect the space for humanity, then you may not be able to see this majestic space.It is the same that is true for a Little Dunn's River. Again, the intersection of a beautiful waterfalls with the Caribbean Sea, that was occupied by Rastafari from in the fifties. This space is majestic. You know, the rush of the water, the sound that we hear in this space, just brings you to these meditative spaces. You know, feel the blend of sea water meeting fresh water and how that turns into the warmth. Right. It is just beautiful.We are fighting for that and we are fighting... you know, our newest case is in Providence/F lanker in Montego Bay. One of the tours in mecca, which, you know, the hotel [00:30:00] giant, Sandal Resort International, applied to the National Environmental Planning Agency for a permit to build hotel rooms in the sea and to build villas on this land.And so we are in the courts trying to defend that, because when we lose these spaces, right, it's not just Jamaicans lose. It's just not, you know, “we have been ripped from our culture.” I mean, it's that humankind loses. Humankind loses.You know, it's cultural desecration, right? It's exploitation. It's a form of capitalism that see the concentration of wealth in the hands of few people. And the exploitation of labour and, degradation of coastal forests.So we are fighting with communities, so the way we work, every community that we go into expresses their willingness to protect their spaces. I mean, most of the time they reach out, because we're grassroots. You know, we're not a NGO. We don't [00:31:00] operate and move like these spaces. We are truly community-run. You know, as members from the community that leads up those fights. And we collaborate and we build, because we are one people. And the struggle is led by these communities. You know, I mean, we are just networking the struggle across the island, just as the struggle for people across Earth is always finding brotherhood, sisterhood, and connection in the struggle for liberation.Chris: Amen. Amen, brother. I'm curious as well if that solidarity has reached beyond the island's shoreline, if you have any brothers and sisters that you've been working with in other Caribbean islands or other countries to forward the cause.Devon: Yeah, man. Yeah, man. We work very closely with Stronger Caribbean Together Network. It's a network with other Caribbean countries who are undergoing similar things, similar land struggles for coastal spaces all across the [00:32:00] Caribbean. You know, so while Jamaica has this Beach Control Act that gives us no inherent right to access the beaches and to use the sea, most of the other Caribbean islands, you can access the foreshore, and you can use the sea.All right. You know, Jamaica is one of the unique countries that does that. It's not withstanding though that the tourism product across the Caribbean is now where most Caribbean economies are moving towards in terms of investment. So, they are building out these hotels and these overwater bungalows across the Caribbean, which is impacting lives and livelihood as well, because yes, you can go on some of these beaches, but you can't truly enjoy them in their fullness. And they are building on these beaches, as well, which is also causing environmental issue.So, I mean, it's funny that the commonality among Caribbean Islands, since the time of enslavement was plantation [00:33:00] economy, based on sugar and cotton and rum and all these things. And that was not good for us. And the region now is moving towards a very similar tourism model, that doesn't pay its people as much. Seeing these lands, coastal lands, being owned by private interests, that is actually displacing the indigenous population, and the descendants of enslaved Africans from these spaces. So we're not really benefitting at scale to the kind of tourism that is coming into the Caribbean.I mean, I think you are in Mexico, you are seeing it in different parts of Mexico too. I mean, wealthy people come and buy coastal lands or, lease them, I guess in the case of Mexico, of a slightly different kind of law where you, I don't think you can own coastal lands. I mean, you have a right to beach, but there are barriers that are put in place that makes it difficult for you to sometimes traverse these spaces. And they're intentional. [00:34:00] All right. You know, I mean, we have experienced them in Puerto Rico as well. You know, we're seeing them emerging in places like Costa Rica and and in St. Lucia.In spaces, they're wide open, but in spaces you can see the creep is coming, Because there's a thing about capitalism where when it comes in, it takes everything. It swallows everything. It's not a good political economic model, that takes the environment into consideration as to what it gives back to humanity.So it takes, and it takes, and it takes, and that's not the sustainability that you will hear being preached on the planet. If we truly want to be sustainable, then the environment must have as much rights as a moving animal. It was here [00:35:00] before I and I. Earth existed before I and I. So, all I and I come, in the context of Earth, and treated Earth like it's a second class entity in existence. It must be afforded that right.I mean, it's only 3% of the planet that is water, fresh water. So, we know water is a very essential source for life. So we cannot allow this to be controlled. Access to the sea, access to the oceans, must not be controlled by no entity. We must freely move in these spaces. So Jabbem is at the view also that all coastal land must be public land. You know, must be public land.Chris: Yeah. I mean, I completely agree, you know, that offering rights in these regards can definitely change our understanding of how we are with land, of how we [00:36:00] are with other people. And I think that in order for the function of rights to work that we need to undertake a degree of responsibility for how we are with the land, with each other and the way we implement those rights.And you know, it's been a great pleasure to speak with you Dr. Taylor. I know we're just running out of time now. Before we finish off, I'd like to ask in regards to those responsibilities, you know, I'm sure this conversation or question has come up many times for you and your team, your people there on the island.If local people have a responsibility to their homes, to their places, to how they live and even host in those places, then what do you think the responsibilities are of the guest, of what we would otherwise call the tourists in our time? What do you think their responsibilities are when, either coming to your island or just even thinking of planning a vacation, because I've had many guests on the podcast who are [00:37:00] fighting similar fights as you and your people are.Some of them say, “please come, please come, and we'll figure it out.”And some of them say, “please don't come. This is not the time.”So I'm curious what those conversations like look like with Jabbem.Devon: Yeah. Yeah. No, it's a good question, because we know that there are some countries that too much tourists goes there, and it has a critical mass that it can't take anymore. And so there's need to kind of regulate the number of people.You know, Jamaica's not at that point right now. And myself and our team believe in freedom of movement. We see this as a world without borders, despite how politicians, and kings, have drawn artificial borders across the world to limit all your move, and requires visa to go in spaces and validation, that you can afford your stay within spaces. Yeah. We don't have that view still, you know. Those kind of views are colonial logic, because [00:38:00] if that unconsciousness was birthed in humanity, then the migration of I and I outside of Africa would never have happened, and would've never had the multitude of nations that make this planet a very beautiful space. So freedom of movement is something that we cherish. So come to Jamaica.What we would say is that you need to do your homework. You don't want to participate in injustice. You don't want to participate in discrimination. You don't want to participate in displacement and disempowerment of people, so do your homework. Before you come to Jamaica, look where you are staying. And check out whether or not these communities can freely access these beaches, use the sea, whether these fishing communities are thriving, as they were before, whether or not workers are compensated enough, whether the social health of the [00:39:00] community where this hotel is is good, whether or not the space that you are actually coming to is degraded. I think these are question for you to ask yourself.I would say you boycott those spaces, because I think one thing that the capitalists understand is that when his money is in danger, his behaviour changes. He first gets violent. He first gets violent and come after you, which would be we the people, but if we have the protection of the international community who is demanding a more equitable and just product interact with, a product that is fierce. So you can't be charging me $3000-$6,000 to stay in a hotel room or $500 to stay in a hotel room, but you're paying your people minimum wages that are, I think, $15,000 Jamaican dollar might be a hundred US dollars a week. You know, I mean, that is labour exploitation.“ Then I'm not going to go there. I'm gonna participate in some other products across the island.”[00:40:00] I know Airbnb have their own sets of issues, but though that's a growing space in Jamaica. Small mom-and-pop establishments that are there. So it might not be easy, but search them out, you know?And we are getting ready to actually help the international community by importing some of that resources on our page, so you could see places that you could stay. So we are saying, being responsible, be responsible in your travels.And when you come, venture out. You know, come amongst our people, come experience the real Jamaican culture. You know, those things are important because tourism is an educational thing, right? It's idea sharing, right? It is cultural exchange, right? It's getting to feel outside of your normal space and getting to a new mindset to understand how other people are living around the world, and what adjustment you can make in your life. What can you impart? What can you take back? And these things are important for the [00:41:00] growth of humanity, for us to understand each other. I think these things prevent wars and conflicts. But contrary, you know, I mean, what we see world leaders are doing is driving domination of particular cultures, domination of particular economic systems that are unjust.And Jamaica is still growing. We still have a lot to offer to the world. We provide real good, music to the world, but we are beyond music. You know what I mean? We are very creative people of just a lot of goodness and a lot of niceness. So come to Jamaica, but you know what I mean? Be responsible in your travel and seek out the spaces that are equitable and just, and help in our struggle, advocate on our behalf in the international community for the repeal and replacement of the Beach Control Act of 1956, for different tourism models to come into play.Chris: Mm mm mm Thank you, Dr. Taylor. Our listeners can find out more about [00:42:00] the actions and campaigns on the Jabbem website, jabbem.org, if I'm not mistaken.Devon: That's it.Chris: And I believe on Instagram as well.Devon: JabbemJabbem on Instagram. We are also on Facebook and on your Tiktoks, and all your other spaces. You know, I mean, and reach out to us. We have a GoFundMe page where we are trying to raise money for legal struggles.You know, we have many more cases that we need to push forward to protect communities. So if you want to help out, you know check us out on GoFundMe there.And when you come to Jamaica, just link us up and we'll bring it to couple of the spaces and in some of the communities then you'll get the real Jamaica, you know?Chris: So, I'll make sure that all those links are up on the End of Tourism website and Substack page when the episode launches. And on behalf of our listeners, Devin, I'd like to wish you an amazing, amazing day and to your team, to your organization. It seems like you're doing incredible work and with a really grounded and [00:43:00] equally political and spiritual basis or foundation for the way that you and your team walk in the world.I'm very, very grateful for that and for your time today. So, I wish you also the best of luck in the so-called, capital of the free world there, and all the best.Devon: Yeah, man. Give thanks. Give thanks, Chris, and give thanks to you and your team for having us. Give thanks.My work is based in the gift economy. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Chris Christou at chrischristou.substack.com/subscribe

Are you one of those who cancel plans because you're tired, then spend the next two hours feeling guilty about it? Let's talk.In the latest episode of Books & Beyond, Tara chats with Ankur Warikoo about his new book Winning People Without Losing Yourself, and what it actually looks like to keep everyone happy all the time.Ankur talks about spending years trying to be the person everyone liked, and why that never really works out the way you think it will. They get into boundaries (especially with family), that turns into resentment when you don't set them, and how often we end up breaking our own boundaries before anyone else does.They also talk about the idea that the right relationships in your 20s shouldn't be a distraction, but an enabler, what really happens when you expect someone else to make you happy, and how most conversations fall apart when you're only trying to get your point across.The episode touches on comparison in the age of the internet, and how easy it is to measure your life against what you see online.If you've ever felt like you're doing a lot for people but still feeling off about it, this one is just for you.Books Mentioned in the Episode:Do Epic Shit by Ankur WarikooGet Epic Shit Done by Ankur WarikooBeyond the Syllabus by Ankur WarikooMake Epic Money by Ankur WarikooSapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah HarariRework by David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason FriedThe Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben HorowitzMindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck‘Books and Beyond with Bound' is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D'costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India's finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms. 

A visit with Mothers Out Front, a fascinating group of mothers who come together (usually at house parties) to focus on the threat that climate change poses to their children and to future generations. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

Our very own Simon Rogers is coming out with a book on May 5th! It's called “What We Ask Google: A Surprisingly Hopeful History of Humankind.” Scott and Alberto got a chance to ask him all about the research and writing process, as well as what Simon hopes people take away from the book. You can preorder it now on the Penguin Random House website, or wherever you get your books.Work mentioned in the episode:trends.google.comSome of the book illustrations on Simon's websiteThe⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ was made with⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠TwoTone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, an app that turns numbers into tunes. The Data Journalism Podcast is produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. Do you have a new data-driven story or project coming up? Tell us about it at ⁠⁠datajournalismpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠, and we might feature it on the show. Subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode!

Get your copy of Nikki's book today on Audible, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and through Bookshop.Org, where every purchase supports your local bookstore.Want a sneak peek of Nikki's book? Download a FREE chapter!Learn how to raise peaceful kids in this stressed-out world from two expert moms who share practical, real-life tools like the "peaceful pause" and the "Gratitude Flip" that you can apply in your life right now. Nikki chats with Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino, a bestselling and award-winning author and certified Master Coach, and Dr. Katie Eastman, an internationally acclaimed grief and change expert, licensed therapist, and Master Grief Coach. You won't want to miss this eye-opening conversation! Connect with Elizabeth and Katie on Instagram, and be sure to grab a copy of their new book, The Peace Guidebook: How to Cultivate Hope, Healing, and Harmony for the Good of Humankind.**This is Nikki's Amazon affiliate link. If you click on this link and make a purchase, Nikki might earn a commission, at no additional cost to you. Win-win! Support the showFollow Nikki on Instagram and Facebook!  Wanna be on the show or sponsor an episode?  Email your pitch to nikki@youridealmomlife.com. 

Episode DescriptionIn this From the Archive conversation, James talks with Yuval Noah Harari about the idea underneath Sapiens and Homo Deus: humans did not come to dominate the planet because they were the strongest animals, but because they learned to cooperate at scale through shared stories—religion, money, nations, and eventually data. The discussion moves from early human history to agriculture, war, terrorism, AI, and bioengineering, but the throughline stays the same: civilization runs on belief systems, and those belief systems shape what humans build next.What makes the episode useful is that Harari is not just offering sweeping history. He keeps tying big ideas back to practical questions: why modern war has changed, why terrorism works by hijacking imagination, how technology may widen inequality, and why meditation might be one of the few ways to separate reality from the stories people live inside.What You'll LearnWhy Harari argues that the real human superpower is the ability to believe in shared fictions—and how that enabled large-scale cooperation.Why the agricultural revolution may have strengthened humanity collectively while making everyday life harder for individuals.Why modern war has declined in some forms as economies shift from material assets to knowledge-based wealth. Source transcript:How terrorism operates by capturing attention and imagination more than by raw military strength.Why Harari thinks the next major divide may be biological inequality, where the rich can upgrade themselves in ways the poor cannot. Timestamped Chapters[02:00] Why Homo sapiens conquered the planet[02:18] The human superpower: fiction[02:39] Introducing Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens, and Homo Deus[04:25] Other human species and why sapiens were not obviously superior[06:00] What changed 70,000 years ago[07:20] From tribes to mass cooperation[08:39] Trade, trust, and imagined kinship[10:24] Money as the most successful shared story[11:35] How sapiens may have overtaken other human species[13:29] What changed in the human brain[15:29] The history of humanity as the history of stories[16:08] Why successful stories stay simple[17:29] Expansion, Australia, and the destruction of large animals[19:46] Violence and unification in human history[21:42] Why the agricultural revolution made life worse for many individuals[23:30] Hunter-gatherer intelligence versus modern specialization[24:53] Why modern war is changing[27:18] Terrorism as psychological warfare[29:07] Human enhancement, dataism, and the future of intelligence[33:18] Humanism versus data as the next source of authority[35:36] The danger of biological inequality[37:04] Longevity, wealth, and who gets to live longer[41:15] Engineering happiness and the danger of inner imbalance[43:48] Automation, uselessness, and the future job market[46:24] How Harari's ideas changed his own life[47:17] Vipassana meditation and separating reality from story[49:15] A practical test: can it suffer?Additional ResourcesSapiens: A Brief History of Humankind — https://www.ynharari.com/book/sapiensHomo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow — https://www.ynharari.com/book/homo-deus/Yuval Noah Harari official site — https://www.ynharari.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We explore the mysterious ability of placebos to promote measurable physical healing, even when no medicine is present, and what this tells us about the power of belief and the body’s capacity for self-curative potential. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

Aneesh Raman guides you on how to use AI and turn it into a competitive advantage. — YOU'LL LEARN — 1) Why you shouldn't see AI as competition 2) How to make the most out of AI in your workflow3) What AI can't replicate–and how you can double down on it Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep1143 for clickable versions of the links below. — ABOUT ANEESH — Aneesh Raman is the chief economic opportunity officer of LinkedIn, where he works with leaders across societies and sectors to shape the global response to the historic changes hitting work. Previously, he served as senior adviser on economic strategy and public affairs to the State of California, led economic impact at Facebook, worked as a presidential speechwriter, and was a war correspondent. A graduate of Harvard College and a former Fulbright Scholar, he serves on the boards of the College Futures Foundation and Shanti Bhavan Children's Project• Book: Open to Work: How to Get Ahead in the Age of AI• Book LinkedIn Site: "Open to Work"• LinkedIn: Aneesh Raman— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW — • Book: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari• Book: Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World by Anne-Laure Le Cunff• Past episode: 1010: Getting the Most Out of Generative AI at Work with Jeremy Utley— THANK YOU SPONSORS! — • Monarch.com. Get 50% off your first year on with the code AWESOME.• Shopify. Sign up for your $1/month trial at Shopify.com/better• Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll with gusto.com/AWESOMESee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Humankind is a herding species. We thrive when we work in groups. Alone, a person would have to build their own shelter, forage their own food, sew their own clothes, and create their own streaming platform while writing and producing their own bingeworthy content. But together, we can spread that work around. The drawback is that if you didn’t build your own roller-coaster, then you have to wait your turn to ride someone else’s. But the National Attention Deficit is at an all time high, so how can we be expected to sit still in this militaristically rigid system of single-file waiting? Be patient, while Mat, Veronique, and Guest – Jack Utrata-Claridad – seethe and bemoan that enough is enough and decry the end of the Lines! *Grumbles are specifically off-the-cuff, no research went into this grumble. _____________________________________ Support the show and become a Grumble Kid! Patreon.com/GrumbleGoatJoin the adventure in Mat’s novel!!! Amazon | Audible _____________________________________ Follow Jack on Insta: @jackutrataLearn more about Jack: jackutrata.comGet ready for 11 Blocks to Go: 11blockstogo.comAnd start following 11 Blocks to Go: @11blockstogo _____________________________________ For more information or to share: GrumbleGoatPodcast.comGrumble Goat on Instagram | Facebook | TikTokFollow your hosts: Mat | Veronique The post Lines appeared first on Mat Labotka.

Author Cynthia Wachtell describes contrasting views of war in American literature, including the Civil War reflections of Walt Whitman and the fervent anti-war beliefs expressed by Mark Twain in several works. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

“The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18 NLT) I heard a story about a couple who visited a jewelry store. As the jeweler showed them various crosses, the woman commented, “I like these, but do you have any without this little man on them?” That’s what many people want today: a cross without Jesus. They want a cross without any offense—one that will look cool with their outfits. But the hard truth is that if we could travel back in time and see the cross in its original context, we would realize that it was a bloody and vile symbol. It would have been the worst picture imaginable to see someone hanging on a cross. The Romans chose crucifixion because it was meant to be a slow, torturous way to die. It was designed to humiliate a person. The crucifixions outside Roman cities served as warnings to anyone who would dare oppose the rule of Rome. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NLT). In other words, salvation and eternal life can be found only through Him. Many people today object to His words. They see John 14:6 as a statement of exclusivity and narrow-mindedness. But Jesus was simply explaining God’s plan of salvation. Humankind’s decision to disobey God and pursue sin created an existential crisis with only one solution. To satisfy God’s perfect justice and wrath, a perfect sacrifice had to be offered in our place. Someone who had never sinned had to die in the place of everyone else who had. Only Jesus lived a sinless life. Only He had the power to conquer death. So, only He could save us. If there had been any other way, do you think that God would have allowed His Son to suffer like that? If there had been any other way that we could have been forgiven, then God surely would have found it. Jesus Himself prayed, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (Matthew 26:39 NLT). He was talking about the cross and the unimaginable suffering that lay ahead. But God did not take it away from Him because there was no other way. If living a good, moral life could get us to Heaven, then Jesus never would have died for us. But He did die. He had to pay the price for our sin. At the cross, Jesus purchased the salvation of the world. If you ever were tempted to doubt God’s love for you, even for a moment, then take a long, hard look at the cross. Nails did not hold Jesus to that cross; His love did. Reflection question: How would you explain Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and God’s plan of salvation to an unbeliever? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this documentary we enter a rich dialogue with Joel Bauman, a remarkably gifted physician, trained in care for the elderly. He describes the special needs of palliative care for hospice patients, who have shifted from seeking a cure (which may no longer be realistic) to relief of symptoms and distress, as life draws to a close. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

In a country as wealthy as the United States, “working poor” should be a contradiction in terms. But tens of millions of Americans fall into that category, affecting a growing population of children. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

The Prisoners Literature Project, an all-volunteer service based in Berkeley, California, packages and ships books to people who are incarcerated, as a humanitarian gesture and one that helps inmates prepare for re-entry into society. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.