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When the devotees first went to India, Prabhupāda was there, and he invited devotees to come over because he wanted to show what happened. You know, he went alone to America, and he comes back with all these Americans. In India, at the time, people were looking to Americans and go, like, 'How are we going to catch up to these guys? We want what they have.' And then Prabhupāda plays this trick on them, where he comes to America, he gets all these Westerners, and he comes back with a big airplane full of Westerners. 'Here you go. They want what you are supposed to want, which is pure love for God.' In Surat, devotees went there, and they were having kīrtana, and people came out of their houses, and they were grabbing the dust after the devotees walked there, so much so that there were holes in the road! And devotees were surprised and taken aback, and they asked Prabhupāda later, 'Why were they doing that?' And he said, 'Because you follow the four regulative principles and you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, anywhere you go in the world, you'll be honored because of them.' The greatest desire one can have is what Prahlāda Mahārāja showed us: 'Oh my Lord, if I have any desire within my heart, let it be no material desire, only the desire to serve You.' So we have the stark examples: Hiraṇyakaśipu—boo! And then you have Prahlāda Mahārāja, he's worshipable to us. In fact, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He would sit with Gadādhara Paṇḍita to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, He wanted to hear that story over and over again. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta told all his disciples to read Prahlāda 108 times. Hear that story over and over and over and over again, and he's famous, Prahlada Maharaja. He's famous all over the world because of that. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose
India has an ecosystem of multilingualism. Yet there is an immense pressure to let go of indigenous languages which are less frequently used and adopt majority languages like Hindi. In India, the modern hierarchy of languages puts English on top, major languages like Hindi in the middle and regional languages and dialects on the bottom. A sad state of linguicide is occurring in India and regional languages are being lost. Listen in to my conversation with the Lexicon Club at Patna Women's College in Patna, Bihar. The conversation covers my personal experiences, thoughts on regional language retention and a vibrant question and answer session with the bright young women of Patna Women's College. Related Episodes 41 "Exploring Indian Education" Episode 78 "Indian vs Western Education."Episode 1 "Why Did We Move Back to India?" Sign up for my newsletter HERE to get Hindi learning deals and updates on new content! See all my other courses! www.learnhindianywhere.com
Kia ora,Welcome to Wednesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news the relief rally following the US-China trade de-escalation continues, for equities at least. But worries continue about recession and inflation. Investors want higher risk premiums. And it seems China is in no hurry to resume buying from US sources.But first up today, the overnight dairy Pulse auction delivered similar but slightly lower results for both SMP and WMP that were achieved at last week's full auction, basically confirming the recent shifts, especially the up-shift for WMP.The April US CPI inflation rate came in at 2.3%, a touch lower than the 2.4% expected and which applied for March. That was largely due to fuel costs falling more sharply (-11.8%). The costs of food (+2.8%), rents (+4.0%) and transport (+2.5%) were all higher.Last week's Redbook tracking of US retail sales recorded a +5.8% rise from the same week a year ago. We will likely see this fade as the tariff-induced buying eases off now.The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index dropped in April to its lowest level since October 2024. But the retreat wasn't quite as much as was expected.US household debt data updates were a mixed bag. Total household debt rose +$167 bln from the prior quarter to a record high of $18.2 tln in Q1-2025. Delinquency rates rose from the previous quarter, with 4.3% of outstanding debt now in some stage of delinquency.US importers of Chinese goods still face much higher costs. The net position after the tempest and pullback is 'worse' for inflation, and negative for trade. Struggle is all ahead for global trade.In India, CPI inflation fell to 3.2% in April, and that is its lowest rate since before the pandemic. Food prices were up only +1.8% within that. The current overall inflation rate is now well below their central bank's 4% mid-point target. If it stays there, a rate cut in India may be on the cards.In Germany, there was a sharp bounce-back in the ZEW sentiment survey tracking in May, putting the unusual drop in April behind it. The survey indicates growing optimism for the next six months, driven by the formation of a new federal government there, progress in resolving tariff disputes, and signs of stabilising inflation. Nearly all sectors reported improved sentiment in May.In Australia, updated data seems to indicate that Kiwis are losing the desire to visit there. That said there were 104,600 visits by Kiwis in March, -9.3% fewer than in March 2024 and almost -10% fewer than in March 2018 (a pre-pandemic equivalent). For the year to March 2025, we made 1.367 mln visits to Australia, little different (+1.4%) to the same year in 2024. It is a similar story for Aussies visiting New Zealand. In March 2025 it was -1.7% less than the same month a year earlier.Consumer sentiment in Australia has stayed weak in March, according to a widely-watched Westpac-MM survey.We should probably note that good weather and favourable growing conditions in almost all regions has boosted wheat production - and is pushing down prices. They are now back to levels they first achieved ten years ago and are almost -60% lower than their peak in 2022. For similar reasons, corn prices are falling now too.The UST 10yr yield is at 4.50%, up +4 bps so far today.There rate may go higher. A Reuters poll of bond investors shows them increasingly concerned about both a global recession, and rising inflation. That is, stagflation.The price of gold will start today at US$3243/oz, and up +US$20 from yesterday.Oil prices are up +US$1.50 today at just over US$63.50/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is just over US$66.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.4 USc, up +90 bps from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are down -50 bps at 91.7 AUc. Against the euro we are up +30 bps at 53.1 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just under 67.9 and up a net +50 bps from this time yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$104,161 and back up +2.7% from yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has remained modest at just on +/- 1.7%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.
"Any place where a guru goes and spends time becomes a dera; it gets a sacred connotation. Deras are reflective of our larger tradition of argumentation, philosophy and contestation. In India, there is nothing singular about our world; everything is very plural. So, any sort of broad brushing or monolithic thinking about deras is unhelpful. All deras are not Dalit. But I was surprised to see Gail Omvedt's Seeking Begumpura at one. Some are doing very much for Ambedkarite thought. They have a lot of Ambedkar in their libraries and their sanctum sanctorums too have big portraits of Ambedkar alongside their religious iconography. Ravidassias constantly tell me that Sant Ravidas is their spiritual guru but Ambedkar is their political one. All this made me take deras very seriously. " - Santosh K Singh, author, The Deras; Culture, Diversity and Politics talks to Manjula Narayan about the varied character and caste and class affiliations of the deras of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal, the Ad-Dharmis, the Ravidassia deras of Punjab and the grand Ravidas temple in Banaras, the connections between the local and the global, and also the great need for sociologists to get their ideas out into the wider world beyond the Academy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There's a lovely May tradition in Denmark of setting a candle in the window on the evening of May 4. This is to commemorate the surrender of the Germans and the end of the Nazi occupation in 1945. The Nazis imposed a blackout on Denmark to confuse the Allied air forces, so now that they were defeated, a candle in a window became a small symbol of rebellious light. I intend to participate every year on May 4, but I often forget, and to be honest I see very few candles in windows these days. A rememberance ceremony, forgotten You'd have to be aged 85 or older now to remember the war, and Germany is one of Denmark's greatest friends and Allies. In addition, the elderly who do remember the occupation and the blackout generally do not live with their families in Denmark, families to whom they might pass on the tradition. Old people in Denmark primarily live alone, and municipal employees come to their house once or twice a week to help with cleaning and make sure they take their medicine. When they can no longer take care of themselves, they're moved to a publicly-funded care home or a hospice, but this is generally only for the last few months of life. Living cooperatives against loneliness The elderly in Denmark are often lonely. In India or the Middle East, older people usually live with their families; in the US, where I come from, they join “active adult” communities where they can golf and have affairs. The Danish policy that encourages old people to remain in their homes as long as they can isolates them, in my opinion. That's why the Danish government, mindful of the fact that the average age in Denmark is advancing quickly, is encouraging the idea of bofæelleskab, or living cooperatives. That's when a number of older people live together in a house or large apartment, a bit like university students, with a shared kitchen and laundry facilities. This gives them a bit of company and, not coincidentally, frees up a lot of individual houses for younger families to move in when the old people move out. You're not the hip new designer or management trainee Now, when I say old people, I'm talking about people over 67, which is the current Danish pension age. That will crawl up to age 70 for kids born today. The problem for many people is that it's hard to get a job after age 60. No one wants to hire you as a hip new designer or innovative pharma developer or management trainee. Older people at the very top of the success ladder often spend this time on various Boards of Directors, leveraging their years of business experience. Below that I meet a lot of older people who have tossed their career and their specialized educations aside and become office managers, or work in retail, or work in kindergartens. They're done climbing the career ladder and want something people-focused that is, and I quote, “something to do until I retire.” A word to honor the old in Denmark Old people don't get any special respect in Danish culture. I taught a group of Nepali students in Denmark once, and after the presentation in the Q&A period, they wanted to know if there were some special Danish word they could use to honor the elderly, an important part of their culture in Nepal. But there's no specific word in Denmark to honor the elderly. Especially these days, when the people who are old now are the former 1960s hippies who got rid of honorifics like Herr Hansen and Fru Jensen. The elderly today in Denmark are called by their first names, just like everyone else. Read more at howtoliveindenmark.com.
In India, the digital divide isn't just about internet access—it's about missed opportunities, unequal learning environments, and entire communities left behind. But behind the scenes, some are working tirelessly to close that gap—not with noise, but with real, on-the-ground change.In this episode, we sit down with Vikram Kumar, National Head – Partnerships & Communications at NIIT Foundation, to explore how technology, training, and trust are rewriting the narrative for underserved communities.Discussion Highlights
Dr. Satoru Nagao discusses Japan's strategic views on the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in relation to China and the United States. The conversation explores Japan's concerns about China's growing influence, the importance of the Quad alliance, and the potential for Japan to consider nuclear capabilities in response to regional threats. Dr. Nagao emphasizes Japan's commitment to the US alliance while navigating complex relationships with neighboring countries, including South Korea and India.Dr. Satoru Nagao is a fellow (non-resident) at Hudson Institute, based in Tokyo, Japan. From December 2017 through November 2020, he was a visiting fellow at Hudson Institute, based in Washington, D.C. His primary research area is U.S-.Japan-India security cooperation. He was awarded his Ph.D. by Gakushuin University in 2011 for his thesis, “India's Military Strategy,” the first such research thesis on this topic in Japan. Gakushuin University is a premier institution from which members of the Japanese Imperial Family have also graduated.He holds numerous other research positions, including associate professor at the Institute for International Strategy of Tokyo International University, senior research fellow at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies, specially-appointed research fellow at the Japan Forum on International Relations, research fellow at the Institute for Future Engineering (strategy, defense policy), member of Research Committee of Research Institute for Peace and Security, associate at the Society of Security and Diplomatic Policy Studies, associate at International Security Industry Council, research fellow at the Security and Strategy Research Institute for Japan, senior fellow at the Institute of National Security Studies Sri Lanka, and senior research fellow of the Indian Military Review, Visiting Fellow (Indo-Pacific) & Honorary Convenor, Japan of Tillotoma Foundation in India, International Board of Advisor of Jindal India Institute in O.P. Jindal Global University in India.Dr. Nagao was a visiting scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), in Washington D.C. He worked previously as a research fellow at the Tokyo Foundation and the Ocean Policy Research Foundation in Tokyo, as a post-doctoral fellow at the Research Institute for Oriental Cultures at Gakushuin University, and as a lecturer at Gakushuin University, Aoyama-Gakuin University and Komazawa University. He was also a security analyst at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and a first lieutenant of the Japan Ground Self Defense Forces (Japanese Army). In India, he was a Visiting Fellow at Observer Research Foundation.Dr. Nagao has authored numerous books and articles on security issues, and he also contributes to the column, “Age of Japan-India ‘Alliance'” at Nikkei Business, the journal of one of Japan's leading newspapers.Socials:Follow on Twitter at @NucleCastFollow on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/nuclecastpodcastSubscribe RSS Feed: https://rss.com/podcasts/nuclecast-podcast/Rate: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nuclecast/id1644921278Email comments and topic/guest suggestions to NucleCast@anwadeter.org
In India today, so many political debates are focused on welfare and welfarism. It seems that state after state is competing to offer the most electorally attractive benefits to its voters. The central government, for its part, has pioneered a new model of social welfare built around digital ID and direct cash transfers to needy households.Making India Work: The Development of Welfare in a Multi-Level Democracy is a new book by the scholar Louise Tillin. It examines the development of India's welfare state over the last century from the early decades of the twentieth century to the present. In so doing, it recovers a history previously relegated to the margins of scholarship on the political economy of development.Louise is a Professor of Politics in the King's India Institute at King's College London. She is one of the world's leading experts on Indian federalism, subnational comparative politics, and social policy. She is the author or editor of several previous books, including Remapping India: New States and their Political Origins.Louise joins Milan on the show this week to discuss India's “precocious” welfare regime, the late colonial debates over social insurance in India, and the pros and cons of the Nehruvian development model. Plus, the two discuss inter-state variation in modes of social protection and the current debate over welfare in India circa 2025.Episode notes:1. “Understanding the Delhi Education Experiment (with Yamini Aiyar),” Grand Tamasha, January 22, 2025.2. Louise Tillin, “This is the moment for a new federal compact,” Indian Express, June 16, 2024.3. Rohan Venkataramakrishnan, “Interview: How has Indian federalism evolved under the BJP?” Scroll.in, April 13, 2024.4. Louise Tillin and Sandhya Venkateswaran, “Democracy and Health in India| Is Health an Electoral Priority?” (New Delhi: Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, 2023)
Kia ora,Welcome to Thursday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news that as tariffs kick in, the US gets higher prices and lower activity. The White House is signaling it wants to pull back from its bluster (whiff of panic?), although China is yet to respond.But first in the US, mortgage applications fell sharply last week to be just +6% above the weak week a year ago. Benchmark interest rates rose, which seems to have choked off new purchase borrowers, and refinance borrowers.Sales of new single-family homes rose +6.0% in March from a year ago at a seasonally adjusted annualised rate of 724,000 and the highest in six months, and much better than market expectations of 680,000 homes. But to be fair this latest level is still within the range it has been for the past 27 months. They still have unsold inventories of over 8 months of sales at the current rate, which is a lot for builders to carry.The latest US Treasury bond auction, for the key 5yr Note, was well supported but delivered a yield of 3.93%, down from 4.04% at the prior equivalent event a month ago. This is the maturity that foreign institutions prefer so is a good indicator of foreign support of US debt instruments. More than a quarter of all US Treasury debt is owned by foreigners, more than a third in the 2-5 year maturities. If we see a pullback, it will be in these auctions, and evidenced by rising yields.The S&P/Markit US Manufacturing PMI rose marginally in April from March to a small expansion, better than the market expectations of a small contraction. Although growth was modest, this marked the fourth consecutive month of expansion in factory activity. Meanwhile, the equivalent services PMI fell sharply to a two month low. There are warning signs here. Prices charged for goods and services rose in this latest month at the sharpest pace for 13 months, increasing especially steeply in manufacturing (where the rate of inflation hit a 29-month high) but also picking up further pace in services (where the rate of inflation struck a seven-month high). More generally, sentiment fell among the surveyed companies.The US Fed's April Beige Book is out and it is picking up similar themes; lower sentiment, stuttering demand, and rising prices. They are more muted in the Beige Book surveys, but they are still being noted.There were 'flash' PMIs out for other countries overnight too. The EU factory PMI contracted its least in 27 months, but their services PMI retreated a bit more. In India, both of their PMIs stayed very expansionary. In Japan, there was a "return to growth" in April. In Australia, the new order components are rising but most other aspects are not. Election uncertainty may be playing a role here.In China, they said they will issue ¥1.3 tln (NZ$300 bln) in ultra-long-term special government bonds starting today (Thursday). Some of that liquidity will be used to fund consumption incentives as they try to speed their shift away from export dependency.Coal prices hit a four year low yesterday as warm autumn weather in Asia, and lower industrial demand is being swamped by high output. Prices are now back to where they were in 2016. Rising supply and stunted demand is having the same price impact on oil.Global financial stability regulators are increasingly worried about the resilience of the financial sector, and have issued a warning about the consequences of dodgy and capricious public policy.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.38%, down -2 bps from this time yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3282/oz, and down -US$116 from yesterday.Oil prices have fallen -US$2.50 from yesterday to be now just over US$61.50/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is now just on US$65.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 59.6 USc, down another -20 bps from yesterday at this time. Against the Aussie we are down -10 bps at 93.6 AUc. Against the euro we up +30 bps at just on 52.6 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today still just at 68 and unchanged from yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$93,933 and up +2.7% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has again been modest at +/- 1.8%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And because tomorrow is the Anzac Day holiday, we will do this again on Monday.
Every day, millions of posts are made online — tweets, videos, memes, reels. Some content is violent, misleading, or even dangerous. This is where content moderation comes in. However, deciding what stays up and what comes down isn't as simple as it sounds. In fact, X has sued the Union government in the Karnataka High Court for the SAHYOG portal, which it says is a “censorship portal” that allows local police and different parts of the government to demand takedowns. The Karnataka High Court did not grant interim relief to X after the Centre informed the court that there was no reason for the social media platform to be apprehensive of any coercive action against it. The matter will be taken up on April 24. Taking down content is actually quite normal in India. In 2024, the govt blocked a 28,000 URLs across various social media platforms. These URLs had content linked to pro-Khalistan separatist movements, hate speech, and material that are considered to be la threat to national security and public order. A recent report in The Hindu says that nearly a third of the 66 takedown notices sent to X by the Ministry of Home Affairs' Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) over the past year warn the platform to remove content about Union Ministers and Central government agencies. This included content about PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and his son Jay Shah, and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Globally, too, platforms have come under criticism for content moderation, or the lack of it. Facebook's role in amplifying hate speech during the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar is one such example. In the U.S., Twitter's internal communications — revealed in the so-called “Twitter Files” — sparked a debate about political bias and backchannel moderation. Instagram users have repeatedly flagged the increase of graphic content. Countries are responding to this challenge in very different ways. The European Union is pushing for algorithmic transparency and accountability with its Digital Services Act. The U.S. had taken a hands off approach despite several controversies. In India, the government and law enforcement agencies flag content to be taken down. So, who gets to decide what free speech looks like in the digital age? Is it the government, the platform themselves, or the public? And how do we draw the line between harmful content and healthy debate? Guest: Dr. Sangeeta Mahapatra, Research Fellow at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies Host: Nivedita V Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian.
In India's villages, innovation is being born from necessity. From a fridge made of clay, to silk fashioned from lotus stems, to smart devices helping blind farmers manage their land, we meet the country's grassroots innovators.If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresented and produced by Devina Gupta(Picture: A lotus flower. Credit: BBC)
Wat gebeurt er als je alles loslaat – spullen, status, social media – en jezelf opsluit in stilte?Ik deed het. Letterlijk. Ik werd boeddhistisch monnik. In India. Onder de Bodhiboom. En wat ik daar ontdekte, veranderde mijn kijk op het leven compleet.In deze aflevering vertel ik hoe het was, wat ik zag, voelde en begreep… én waarom jij daar misschien geen gewaad voor nodig hebt.
I didn't just go to India. I checked myself into a hospital for 21 days. I let go of my business, my routine, my Western way of life—and I surrendered to a deep, ancient healing process. I was bathed by women half my size, scrubbed down with herbs, and forced to slow down in a way I never had before. This is what happened. Why I Did This I reached a breaking point. Numb toes, neuropathy, panic attacks, extreme stress, feeling trapped in my body—it all led me to this decision. My body was screaming at me. And I knew I needed something more than another diet, another break, another surface-level fix. I discovered Pancha Karma, an ancient Ayurvedic cleanse for detoxing not just the body, but the mind and soul. I decided to go all in. I closed down my business, leaving everything behind. Arrival at Vaidyagrama: Entering Another World This was a hospital—not a spa. There were basic rooms, strict routines, and repetitive rituals. Getting naked was a daily ritual. The towels were tiny, and loincloths were used for coverage. For the first time, I was truly seen. The doctors and staff infused ancient wisdom with medicine. Prayer and spiritual connection were a part of every treatment. Everything was done with deliberate slowness. There was no soap, no shampoo, no rushing—just pure, purposeful care for the body. The Treatments: Surrendering to the Process Red juice treatment. I lay on a wooden slab, while three tiny Indian women poured warm red juice over my body again and again, staining my skin crimson. Oil massages & herbal scrubs. I was massaged daily by women who saw bodies in a way I never had—practical, neutral, without judgment. Ghee treatment. I was fed butter and broth for 21 days. As this happened, it was not only my body that became cleansed, but also my mind in its relationship to food. Everything here was intentional. Every drop of oil, every movement, every prayer. It was about more than the body—it was about resetting something deep inside me. My Body Was No Longer an Enemy Western culture teaches us to battle our bodies. Ayurveda teaches us to nurture, honor, and support them. For the first time in my life, I wasn't trying to change my body. I was caring for it. I released old narratives. My body isn't something to fix—it's something to listen to. What shifted for me: I stopped seeing my size as "wrong." I understood slowness as healing instead of laziness. I learned to receive care instead of always giving. What I Took Home with Me The real healing started after I left. In the West, we treat exhaustion like a badge of honor. In India, I learned that rest is sacred. I made changes in my daily life—diet, movement, self-talk, and most importantly, prioritizing inner peace over external productivity. Closing Thought Would I do it again? Absolutely. This wasn't just a cleanse. It was a complete reset—of my body, my mind, and the way I relate to myself. And I think more of us need that.
Kia ora,Welcome to Thursday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news the Trump tariff announcement will be just after 4pm New York time today when Wall Street closes. That is 9am New Zealand time. After that, it will be all about the size and nature of the retaliation from its former allies.In the meantime we should note that American vehicle sales surged in March as buyers rushed to get pre-tariff-cost vehicles. March's sales ran at a 17.7 mln annualised rate, the highest since October 2017 (if we ignore a pandemic-affected spike). Bringing forward purchases like this doesn't augur well for subsequent months. Not included in this surge were Tesla sales which fell -13% in the quarter, largely attributed to the anti-Musk factor. Production far exceeded sales which were at their lowest since 2022, and that was after "model changeover" production cutbacks. (Also not doing so well are the shares in Truth Social, which are down -44% so far this year.)US mortgage applications decreased last week from the prior week but are now +9% higher than the low year-ago levels. Refinance activity fell and purchase activity rose. This is the third straight week of overall declines. Benchmark mortgage interest rates changed little over the past week.US factory orders rose in February from January - marginally, but remain -0.5% lower than year-ago levels.This weekend we get the American non-farm payrolls data for March and a modest rise of +128,000 jobs is anticipated. In advance of that, the ADP Employment Report out today said private payrolls rose +155,000 in March which was better than expected. Although low by historical standards, this is a 'good' result.After two strong months, the US Logistics index fell back and quite sharply to a level they last had in August 2024. Every aspect except warehouse capacity slowed.In India, they recorded a notable rise in their factory PMI. New order growth strengthened despite softer a softer rise in exports. This PMI result was their best since June 2024.In the ASEAN countries, their March PMIs together painted a picture of a modest expansion even if it did slip in March from February. Price pressures eased, and sentiment remains solid. Malaysia was perhaps one of the weaker performers in this group.The UST 10yr yield is now at 4.21%, up +5 bps from yesterday at this time.The price of gold will start today at just on US$3132/oz and up a net +US$25 from yesterday and still just off its all-time high.Oil prices are little-changed from yesterday at just under US$71.50/bbl in the US and the international Brent price is now just under US$75/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is now at 57.3 USc and up +40 bps from this time yesterday. Against the Aussie we are up +30 bps at 91.1 AUc. Against the euro we are up +10 bps at just over 52.8 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today now just under 66.8 and up +30 bps.The bitcoin price starts today at US$87,214 and up another +2.5% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been rising but still modest at +/- 1.9%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.
Energy has the power to transform—I know because it transformed me. My journey with Reiki began in 2018, opening a path to deep healing and stillness. Guided by world-renowned teachers like William Lee Rand and Colleen Benelli, I trained at Mount Kurama, Japan, and studied sound healing in Nepal, where I discovered the profound influence of frequency and vibration. In India, I deepened my practice of meditation and Hatha yoga, strengthening my connection to breath, stillness, and holistic healing. Blending Reiki, sound healing, and meditation, I help others reconnect with their inner light, awaken self-healing, and step into authenticity. My role is not to fix but to hold space—guiding others to trust their intuition and reveal the healing power within. Connect with Meizhu: Website: www.theinnerlight.love Email: theinnerlight.love@hotmail.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/theinnerlight.love/ Wechat: 15356051 ✨Connect with Colleen and Robyn Classes: https://reikilifestyle.com/classes-page/ FREE Distance Reiki Share: https://reikilifestyle.com/community/ Podcast: https://reikilifestyle.com/podcast/ (available on all major platforms too) Website: https://reikilifestyle.com/ Colleen Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReikiLifestyle Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reikilifestyleofficialempo Robyn Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robynbenellireiki Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robynbenellireiki **DISCLAIMER** This episode is not a substitute for seeking professional medical care but is offered for relaxation and stress reduction which support the body's natural healing capabilities. Reiki is a complement to and never a replacement for professional medical care. Colleen and Robyn are not licensed professional health care providers and urge you to always seek out the appropriate physical and mental help professional health care providers may offer. Results vary by individual.
Sustainability Now - exploring technologies and paradigms to shape a world that works
A Sustainability Now Interview with Water Stories Founder, Zach Weiss What if the key to impacting climate change isn't as much about carbon as it is about water? In this episode, we are delighted to welcome back Zach Weiss, visionary water restoration expert and founder of Water Stories, for an exploration of how and why healing the water cycle can regenerate the planet. From extreme weather events—droughts and wildfires to catastrophic mudslides and floods—our planet's most pressing climate crises are symptoms of a broken water cycle—a situation that we have the ability to heal. Zach shares why water cycle restoration is the most effective, immediate, and scalable solution to stabilizing our climate, cooling landscapes, reversing desertification, and restoring thriving ecosystems. Drawing from real-world success stories, Zach shares how farms, cities, and even entire river systems are being revived through simple, nature-based interventions. In Montana, a parking lot became a thriving wetland in just two years, providing habitat for a rare and endangered salamander species. In India, through the work of Rajendra Singh, communities restored 13 rivers that had been dry for decades. These projects aren't just theoretical—they're proof that by working with nature, rather than against it, we can restore balance to the planet. With a community of 6000 and growing, Water Stories is spreading the word through education and action, providing extensive resources for individuals, professionals, and policymakers alike. They also offer a once-a-year six-month training that equips participants with the knowledge and skills to get involved in this regenerative work—work that has been successfully implemented by everyone from individual land stewards to government agencies.
Across the globe, we're witnessing a rise in far-right movements. Just a few weeks ago, the far-right AfD party in Germany secured second place. This marks the first time a far-right party has gained this level of power in the country since the Second World War. Germany is not alone in this trend: Italy, Hungary, Finland, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Croatia are now led by far-right governments.It may come as no surprise that many of these new leaders are increasingly hostile toward universities.In India, under Prime Minister Modi, universities have the lowest academic freedom since the 1940s. In Brazil, former president Jair Bolsonaro claimed that public universities transform students into leftists, gays, drug addicts and perverts.Meanwhile in the United States, Vice President JD Vance has called universities the enemy for allegedly teaching that America is "an evil, racist nation.” President Donald Trump even signed an executive order demanding higher education institutions dismantle their DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) programs. He's also pulled federal funding from universities that allow "illegal protests”. The U.S. president has [also demanded that Columbia University's Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies Departments be independently reviewed.But, despite this hostility, universities — and students — have historically been springboards for change. It was student protests 25 years ago that helped lead to the downfall of apartheid in South Africa. More recently, in Bangladesh, student protests helped topple the country's authoritarian leader. This past year, students across the world have raised public awareness of genocide in Gaza.Meanwhile, here in Canada, universities are facing financial pressure because of reductions in international student permits. This drop in revenue has caused alarming budget constraints at universities, revealing a deep reliance on international students as a revenue source.This has led to existential questions about our universities. With today's world in crisis, what should the role of the university be? And why are our public universities so underfunded? And how can they continue to serve their communities?To help tackle these questions, we sat down with two education professors at the University of British Columbia to discuss the function of the university in a democracy — especially in times of crisis.In this, our final episode of Don't Call Me Resilient, we speak with Annette Henry — a Professor in the Department of Language and Literacy Education and cross-appointed to the Institute for Race, Gender, Sexuality and Social Justice. Her work examines race, class, language, gender and culture in education for Black students and educators in Canada.We also speak with Michelle Stack, an associate professor in the Department of Educational Studies whose work looks at educational policy, university rankings and equity and education.At a time when critical conversations in higher education are under attack worldwide, can Canadian universities rise to the challenge and be a force for good?Thank you for spending your time with us.You can find links and more resources related to this episode here. This episode was coproduced by Ateqah Khaki (DCMR associate producer), Marsa Sittheeamorn (student journalist) and Jennifer Moroz (consulting producer). Our sound engineer was Alain Derbez. Josh Mattson provided onsite sound assistance. Thank you to the Journalism Innovation Lab and its crew and the Social Science Research Council of Canada for their generous support.
By Marga is a three-time CEO, chair, international board member, and investor renowned for her pioneering approach to integrating sustainability, technology, and high-impact business results. She has previously been featured in Fortune, Forbes, and HuffPost. Recently, she has become a Global Voice for Imagine5, encouraging professionals and businesses to embrace their potential as forces for good. Everyday innovators In today's fast evolving digital economy, technology isn't merely a tool for profit - it's a powerhouse for social change. Around the globe, breakthrough business models are emerging that address real-world challenges while driving sustainable impact. The "Tech for Good" movement, described in my latest book, is not confined to Silicon Valley giants; it's being propelled by practical, scalable innovations that transform communities and industries, creating a better life for many. Digital Healthcare Supports Remote Areas One striking example is in the field of digital healthcare. Innovative companies are harnessing advanced analytics, AI, and connected devices to bring healthcare directly to those in need. Philips' remote care solutions, for instance, enable elderly patients to receive continuous monitoring and virtual consultations at home, reducing hospital readmissions by 20%. Virtual reality platforms are now supporting patient rehabilitation, while surgical robots - deployed in remote areas and even in contaminated hospitals during outbreak crises - ensure life-saving procedures can be performed safely. Drones, such as those operated by Zipline, deliver essential medicines to isolated communities, cutting delivery times by half. When connectivity meets care, barriers vanish, you could say. Renewable Energy Technology is Energizing Local Economies In the realm of renewable energy, decentralized solutions are lighting up communities that were once left in the dark. M-KOPA Solar in Kenya offers affordable, solar-powered systems through a pay-as-you-go model, enabling off-grid households to access reliable and clean energy. Their smart technology, which integrates IoT sensors and AI analytics, has boosted energy access by 40% in pilot regions. In India, startups like AgroSun are combining solar microgrids with smart irrigation systems, resulting in a 30% increase in crop productivity while lowering energy costs. Bright ideas can light up even the darkest corners, proving that when technology meets necessity, local economies are energized. Circular Economy to AI Revolutionise Waste Management Waste management is undergoing a radical transformation as well evolving from mere recycling to innovative upcycling. In Poland, Bin-e applies AI-powered smart bins that sort waste automatically creating public awareness of the importance of recycling as they are placed in public places. Ventures like Boomera are pushing beyond recycling to upcycling by converting waste into valuable raw materials for next-generation manufacturing. Meanwhile, New Zealand's Mint Innovation is redefining e-waste management by extracting rare earth elements from e-waste for high-tech production, creating a circular economy that transforms discarded materials into economic opportunities while mitigating risks of volatile and high pricing of virgin, rare materials. Tech for Good is Building A Sustainable Future These examples demonstrate that the convergence of technology and purpose is driving a significant and important shift in global industries. What makes these innovations truly powerful is their scalability and the integration of advanced digital and physical tools -the characteristic of the 4th industrial revolution - with a clear commitment to societal impact. They prove that "Tech for Good" isn't just a lofty ideal - it's a practical strategy that delivers measurable benefits, from saving lives and reducing energy costs to upcycling waste and promoting environmental sustainability. Precisely the reason why I wrote the book "Tech for Goo...
In India, many plants serve both as food and medicine. Shambhavi Naik discusses with Megha (@meghaphd), Varun from TDU, and Bob Allkin from the Royal Botanic Gardens about the use and regulation of medicinal plants.The PGP is a comprehensive 48-week hybrid programme tailored for those aiming to delve deep into the theoretical and practical aspects of public policy. This multidisciplinary course offers a broad and in-depth range of modules, ensuring students get a well-rounded learning experience. The curriculum is delivered online, punctuated with in-person workshops across India.https://school.takshashila.org.in/pgpAll Things Policy is a daily podcast on public policy brought to you by the Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru.Find out more on our research and other work here: https://takshashila.org.in/...Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
"Hi, how are you? " It's amazing how often the word "hi" and the question “How are you?” go together. The latter is such a standard greeting it barely registers as a serious question. The standard answer is, “Good. How are you?” Now, if we were to stop there and have a real conversation about how we are, most of us would say we’re good, but we could be better. We’d like a better job, better car, bigger house, more money, less stress… But much of the time these kinds of life-improvements are out of our control – or they’re a more distant goal. So, if we can’t do better immediately, what we can do is feel better. One of the ways we do that is with food. There’s comfort food. And there’s food as medicine. One particular medicinal food that’s having a moment these days is mushrooms. Here in Baton Rouge, Jordan Gros is a Biological Engineer and CEO of a mushroom-as-medicine company called Mycocentrics. The use of mushrooms as medicine stretches back thousands of years and encompasses cultures as diverse as Chinese, Indian, and Native American. In searching for a cure for her own spinal injuries and chronic pain, Jordan applied her college education in biological engineering to the healing power of mushrooms, and when she found it worked, she founded her company. Different cultures have different definitions of “comfort food.” In India it’s typically Butter Chicken or samosas. Italian comfort food is lasagna, pizza and risotto. Here in the US, we in the South have a lock on comfort food with dishes like pancakes, chicken and waffles, biscuits and gravy, and gumbo. If mom’s not cooking today, or you’re too busy to cook for yourself, you can get all these comfort foods, and much more, at Another Broken Egg Café. More than 26 years old, Another Broken Egg Café is currently one of the fastest-growing, daytime-only food franchises in the country. There are more than 100 locations in 16 states. Here in Baton Rouge, Devin Carls is the Territory Manager for Another Broken Egg Café. We’re all busy. We’re typically rushing between work and home, keeping it together with friends and family, trying to stay healthy and happy. In our daily zipping around, we can take things for granted. We might not think twice about mushrooms, for example. And if we do, it’s more likely to be in a cream sauce than in a tincture. And we might just drop into Another Broken Egg Café whenever we feel like it and expect to get a table and order anything off the menu without considering the massive amount of organization that’s going on behind the scenes to keep the doors open and the lights on. Oscar Tickle sits in for Stephanie Riegel on this episode of Out to Lunch, recorded live over lunch at Mansurs on the Boulevard. You can find photos from this show by Astor Morgan at itsbatonrouge.la.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dr. Aditi Nerurkar is a Harvard physician, nationally recognized stress expert, and author of “The 5 Resets: Rewire Your Brain and Body For Less Stress and More.” She is also an in-demand multi-media personality, high profile medical correspondent, internationally renowned Fortune50 speaker, and podcaster. Uniquely fulfilling her original career ambition to be a journalist, Dr. Nerurkar has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Oprah Magazine, Architectural Digest and Elle – in addition to being a columnist for Forbes and writing for The Atlantic. She has made more than 300 appearances as a medical commentator on MSNBC, CNN, NBC, ABC and CBS News; and has spoken at the “Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit” and Harvard Business School Women's Conference. Dr. Nerurkar also co-hosts the popular and influential “Time Out: A Fair Play Podcast” with New York Times best-selling author Eve Rodsky. Dr. Nerurkar's first brush with intense media demand came in 2011 – when she was a Research Fellow at Harvard – with the publication of a study she conducted in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) titled: “When Conventional Medical Providers Recommend Unconventional Medicine”; followed by her first interview with Diane Sawyer on World News Tonight, and attention from NPR.Dr. Nerurkar's expertise on stress comes from working with thousands of patients throughout her years as a primary care physician and director of an integrative medicine program at Harvard's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, from 2012-2020. She is now a lecturer at Harvard Medical School in the Division of Global Health & Social Medicine and serves as the Co-Director of the Clinical Clerkship in Community Engagement. She has also worked in global public health at a World Health Organization collaboration center in Geneva, Switzerland. Though she entered Barnard College at Columbia University with an eye toward studying journalism, Dr. Nerurkar's family DNA all but dictated a future in medicine. In India, her grandfather was a surgeon and her grandmother, one of only three women in her medical school, was an OB/GYN. She was raised by her grandparents in Mumbai until the age of six while her parents were in the U.S. studying medicine themselves. She then came to the States, where she grew up outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Even as she thrived as a researcher and practicing physician, she developed a love for media and health communication and knew she would eventually use her creative and journalistic talents to facilitate action. Her first published article in The Huffington Post, “Medication or Meditation: Which Should You Choose?” launched this side of her career. During the pandemic, her speaking career took off as a speaker with The Leigh Bureau Speaking Agency. Topics covered in this episode:Food choices and HealthImportance of SleepMindfulness and MeditationDigital Detox and Social MediaExercise Building ResiliencePersonal Well-Being JourneyHabits for a Healthy LifeSelf-CareStrategies for Stress ReliefBalancing Information ConsumptionCultivating Self-CompassionOvercoming BurnoutHuman Connection and StressReferenced in the episode:The Lindsey Elmore Show Ep 216 | Pulling Back The Curtain: How Medicine is Really Practiced in the U.S. | Otis BrawleyTo learn more about Dr. Aditi Nerurkar and her work, head over to https://www.draditi.com/____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________We hope you enjoyed this episode. Come check us out at https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-lindsey-elmore-showBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-lindsey-elmore-show--5952903/support.
Mumbai hotels saw record-breaking room rates and occupancy levels, thanks to Coldplay's sold-out concerts. Meanwhile, Expedia Group announces another round of layoffs, raising questions about the future of online travel agencies. In India, luxury hotel brands are expanding rapidly, with Hilton and Radisson making bold moves in new markets. Plus, Air India's latest strategy aims to position the country as a major global travel hub. Tune in as we break down the biggest travel and hospitality headlines and what they mean for the short-term rental industry.Are you new and want to start your own hospitality business?Join our Facebook groupFollow Boostly and join the discussion:YouTube LinkedInFacebookWant to know more about us? Visit our websiteStay informed and ahead of the curve with the latest insights and analysis.
President Trump and President Zeleksky, in front of the world media, had a go at each other when they met on February 28th. The shouting match is not what the world needed to see. It could have dire consequences. In India the world of quick commerce has shaken up the kiranas and is now a part of our daily lives. Aditya launches Beacon, a superapp purpose-built for immigrants to Canada. Indicast listeners will get preferential treatment. Listen to find out more.
Episode 212 it is - we're cruising into 1858 but wait! The sounds of gunfire! Yes, it's that old South African tune, war, set to the music of the guns. Our society is steeped in action, movement, confrontation. This is not a place for the insipid, the weak, the fearful. Whatever our belief system or our personal politics, what cannot be disputed is that the country and our ways are those of the warrior. This is an uncomfortable truth for metropolitans who are more used to single latte's than sling shots. Globally, 1858 is full of momentous events and incidents. It was the year in which Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace present their papers on evolution by natural selection in London. In India, a peace treaty ends the Indian Rebellion and later in the year the British parliament passes the Government of India Act. This transfers the territories of the British East India Company and their administration to the Direct Rule of the British Crown. The great stink in London led parliament to a bill to create modern sewerage system after the dreadful odours wafting about the British capital during the summer. Another young girl dreams up appiritions in the mode of Nongqawuse who dreamed up the cattle Killings - this time its Bernadette Soubirous who claims she saw several appritions appeared before her in the southern French town of Lourdes. Without going into too many gory details, around Ash Wednesday a woman appeared before her inside a grotto and after three appearances over time, began to talk. By October, the government had shut down the grotto there were so many people pitching up to take part in what was called a miracle. A miracle only she could see. Strange how these stories in this period repeated themselves. Back in Africa, David Livingstones six-year long second Zambezi expedition arrived on the Indian Ocean coast. Which is an important moment because inland, the tension between the Boers of the Free State and King Moshoeshoe of Basutoland had been exacerbated. A drought was reported in the region in 1858 which exacerbated everything. The Volksraad met in February 1858. They were faced with a request for help to deal with Posholi signed by a field-cornet and sixty five other burghers in the disputed area.Later in February 1858 Smithfield Landdrost Jacobus Sauer sent more news from the badlands - Posholi was, in his words, parading through Smithfield district with warriors and when accosted, said he was on a hunting expedition. When the Commando eventually gathered, there were one thousand armed and mounted Boers. Which was exactly ten percent the size of the Basotho force of ten thousand, all mounted with at least five hundred firearms. Back at the Thaba Bosiu ranch, Moshoeshoe was a sea of calm. It was now war and the king along with the territorial chiefs and councillors, put their plans into motion. They'd faced this kind of attack before, the British had raided them in 1852 if you recall. That had ended in disaster for the empire, so Moshoeshoe was not rattled by the latest assault on his independence.
With their fearsome talons, acid poo and a penchant for rotting carcasses, the vulture has long been shouldered with associations of death, and dishonour. This taboo often puts them bottom of the list for conservation projects. Conservationist Sacha Dench visits three different vulture species, each with an extraordinary story of persecution and survival. In India, vulture populations collapsed by 99.9%, the sharpest decline of any animal ever recorded. Debbie Pain and Chris Bowden describe the urgent international collaborative effort that brought them back from the very brink of extinction. In South Africa, the White Backed Vulture has become collateral damage in the ongoing war between poachers and game-keepers. Finally, in Guinea-Bissau, vultures are the victim of cultural practices which see their bodies as having magical properties.
In this insightful and action-driven episode, we welcome Oliver Bolton, CEO and co-founder of Earthly, a pioneering startup dedicated to protecting and regenerating more than 1% of the planet by 2030. Earthly provides businesses with a trustworthy, high-impact way to invest in nature-based climate solutions that drive carbon reduction, biodiversity restoration, and social impact.Throughout the episode, Oliver explains how Earthly operates and the innovative methods they use to screen and verify nature-based projects. He discusses the company's rigorous 106-data-point assessment system, which ensures businesses can de-risk their investments by selecting the highest integrity projects. He also delves into why enterprises are turning to nature-based solutions to combat climate change and how Earthly's model is making it easier for corporations to invest in ecological restoration.A major topic covered in this episode is the role of voluntary carbon and biodiversity credits. Oliver explains the difference between voluntary and compliance markets and how Earthly's biodiversity credit system is revolutionizing conservation finance. He also addresses the challenges and criticisms of carbon offsetting, highlighting how Earthly is setting new quality standards to enhance trust and transparency in the sector.Listeners will gain insight into some of Earthly's most impactful projects around the world. In India's Indo-Gangetic Plains, the company is working on regenerative farming practices that restore soil health, increase water retention, and promote biodiversity. In Madagascar and Pakistan, Earthly is focused on large-scale mangrove restoration to enhance coastal resilience and carbon sequestration. Oliver also discusses the company's peatland protection initiatives in Indonesia, aimed at preventing carbon leakage and deforestation, as well as their efforts in conserving grasslands and tropical forests to maintain critical habitats, store carbon and provide alternative livelihoods.Earthly has achieved significant global recognition, winning prestigious awards such as the COP27 Climb Tech Prize and Uplink's 2023 Nature Tech Prize. These accolades reinforce the company's commitment to high-quality, science-backed climate solutions that drive real impact.This episode emphasizes the importance of nature-based solutions in addressing the climate crisis, highlighting that they can contribute up to one-third of the necessary carbon reduction efforts. Oliver underscores how businesses can decarbonize while also protecting and restoring ecosystems, and he stresses the need for clear standards in corporate investment to prevent greenwashing. He also sheds light on the emerging role of biodiversity credits, which offer companies a way to fund conservation initiatives with measurable, long-term benefits.For those passionate about climate action, sustainability, and corporate responsibility, this episode provides a practical roadmap for investing in high-quality, nature-based solutions. Whether you are a business leader, a sustainability manager, or an environmentally conscious individual, there are actionable ways to support Earthly's mission. By visiting Earthly.org, you can explore impact-driven projects and learn how to contribute to a more sustainable future.Tune in now to discover how businesses and individuals can make a tangible impact in the fight against climate change. If you believe in a greener, healthier planet, be sure to subscribe, share, and leave a review to help spread the message of nature-based solutions!Meet the HostAnish Banerjee: https://x.com/anishwildlifeThink Wildlife Foundation: https://thinkwildlifefoundation.com/Meet the GuestsOliver Bolton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-bolton/Recommended Wildlife Conservation BooksWildlife Conservation in India by HS Pabla: https://amzn.to/3Ypx9ZhIndian Mammals: A Field Guide by Vivek Menon: https://amzn.to/4fhMiCLAt the Feet of Living Things by Aparajita Datta: https://amzn.to/3BZmtsN Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe
Business schools are among the most coveted higher educational institutions. Students go through some of the most competitive exams and pay significant fees because they hope that at the end of their degree, they will get a great job.Yet, the onerous process of finding, soliciting and bringing dozens of companies to campuses each year falls mostly on final-year students, who are part of elected/selected placement committees.For as long as we can remember, these committees have always been accused of bias, arrogance and powerplay by other students.Yet, the fact also remains that those on the placement committees sacrifice a significant part of their education and grades in order to run a great job-matching process for their entire batch.Should they, though?In the US, for instance, most leading B-schools have their professional teams that run the entire campus hiring process instead of students. Finding quality jobs for hundreds of students each year is a full-time job.In India, too, many colleges are gradually coming around to the same POV.IIM Kozhikode has transitioned the process from students to faculty. This model aims to instil transparency and professionalism in what vice-chancellor V Ramgopal Rao calls “a crucial rite of passage marking the end of academic life.”BITS Pilani has adopted a system where HR professionals employed by the institute handle placements.IIT Bombay set up a committee under a senior computer science faculty professor Uday Khedkar, with one of its aims being “setting up a clean and transparent placement process system”. Sources at IIT-B said the panel was set up after students brought to light instances of the biases some faced and how this had hampered their careers.Our guest for the episode is Professor Varun Nagaraj, Dean and Professor of Information Management & Analytics at S P Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai. He holds a Ph.D. in Management: Designing Sustainable Systems from Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management. He also holds an MBA from Boston University, an MS in Computer Engineering from North Carolina State University, and a B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from IIT, Bombay. His career spanning over three decades in digital products reflects his passion for product management, development, and innovation.Over the course of the discussion, the professor and hosts Rohin Dharmakumar and Praveen Gopal Krishnan discuss how placements have evolved since their MBA days, their misgivings about the current system, and what institutes have to get better at.Perhaps the larger question is, how should we think about matching employers and graduates? Is a compressed “placements” process the best way?Welcome to episode 25 of Two by Two.—Additional reading:Bias, lack of transparency trips job hunts in premier schoolsWhy are IIT placements failing to deliver jobs? Former IIT Director explainsShiv Shivakumar's LinkedIn post —This is an edited 30-minute version of the discussion hosted by Praveen Gopal Krishnan and Rohin Dharmakumar with the guest. To listen to the full episode, consider getting a Premium subscription to The Ken, which, in addition to Two by Two, will get you access to all our long-form stories, newsletters, visual stories and the rest of the podcasts we produce.But if you just want to sample full episodes of Two by Two, you can do that by getting a Premium subscription on Apple Podcasts at a great monthly price.This episode of Two by Two was produced by Hari Krishna. Rajiv CN, our resident sound engineer, mixed and mastered this episode.If you liked this episode of Two by Two, please share it with like-minded individuals who would be interested in listening to the episode. And if you have more thoughts on the discussion, we'd love to hear your arguments as well. You can write to us at twobytwo@the-ken.com
One in three Internet users globally are children under the age of 18, says UNESCO report. While the internet is now essential for education and social connection, it also exposes children to significant risks. In India, cybercrimes against children are on the rise—NCRB data revealed 1,823 reported cases in 2022, up from 1,376 the previous year. These include 1,171 cases of cyber pornography or dissemination of inappropriate content, 158 cases of cyberstalking and bullying, and 416 other cyber-related offences. Despite legal frameworks, critical gaps remain, especially in the awareness and education of communities. How can caregivers and local stakeholders play a better role in safeguarding children from online threats? What is the impact of excessive digital exposure on children's mental health? In this episode, Mr. Rajesh Ranjan Singh, Board Member of ChildFund India, delves into the challenges and strategies needed to protect the next generation in an increasingly digital world.
TikTok is a powerful social media tool in the United States. About 170 million Americans use the platform and for many marketing and PR agencies it's the preferred go to tool.The average time on TikTok in 2024, per user, is estimated to be 58 minutes per day. But several governments have banned TikTok from being used on Government devices – including the United States, Canada, the UK and Australia. In India, TikTok is banned altogether.In late April 2024, President Biden signed a bill into law that has bipartisan support. It's called the National Security Act, 2024. Under the new law, ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, has until late January 2025 to divest itself of TikTok and find new ownership for the social media company.TikTok is fighting back saying the law is unconstitutional. What does the potential ban mean for marketing and PR pros?Listen For5:10 The Impacts a Ban on Tiktok Will Have on Different Sectors6:07 Platform Contingency Plans21:12 Regulation and Market DynamicsGuest: Cayce Myers, PhD, LL.M., JD, APREmail | X | LinkedIn | WebsiteRate this podcast with just one click Leave us a voice message we can share on the podcast https://www.speakpipe.com/StoriesandStrategiesStories and Strategies WebsiteDo you want to podcast? Book a meeting with Doug Downs to talk about it.Apply to be a guest on the podcastConnect with usLinkedIn | X | Instagram | You Tube | Facebook | ThreadsSupport the show
We're in the midst of 1856. This is the year lung sickness took hold of the country, and it's effect was to push some people of the land over the edge. Nongqawuse living in Gxarha had prophesized about salvation which was at hand. The former Anglican now born-again Xhosa Mhlakaza had thrown himself into the messianic messaging business. You heard last episode about the causes of the Xhosa Cattle Killing, now we're going to deal with how it spread. The amaXhosa were not alone. Around the world, frontier battles had lit up the globe, the pressure of these new arrivals on indigenous people had burst into flames. In Seattle, U.S. Marines had been dispatched by ship in January 1856 to suppress a Native American uprising. The First People's were resisting pressure to cede land - they were being herded into reservations and opposed the plan. Just to set the tone, a few days before the attack on Seattle, Washington Governor Isaac Stevens had declared a "war of extermination" upon the Native American Indians. Seattle was a small, four-year-old settlement in the Washington Territory that had recently named itself after Chief Seattle - a leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish peoples of central Puget Sound. In Utah, the Tintic war had broken out in the same month between the Mormons and Ute people - it ended when the Federal Government took the Ute's land but intermittent clashes and tension continued. This went on all the way to the Second World War in the twentieth century, with the Ute's demanding compensation. In India, the Nawab of Oudh, Wajid Ali Shah, was exiled to Metiabruz and his state was annexed by the British East India Company. Following our story about Surveyors in South Africa, it is interesting to note that in March 1856 The Great Trigonometrical Survey of India officially gave 'Peak XV' the height of 29 thousand and 2 feet. We know Peak XV now as Mount Everest and its actually 29 000 and 31 feet. Also in March 1856, the Great Powers signed the Treaty of Paris, ending the Crimean War. Soon thousands of British German Legion veterans of the Crimean war would arrive in South Africa. In May 1856, Queen Victoria handed Norfolk Island to the people of Pitcairn Island — famous for being descendents of the Mutiny on the Bounty. The Pitcairners land on Norfolk Island promptly extend their Pitcairn social revolution idea - to continue with women's suffrage. David Livingstone arrived in Quelimane on the Indian Ocean having taken two years to travel from Luanda in Angola on the Atlantic Ocean across Africa. And in South Africa, since April, amaXhosa had been killing their cattle upon hearing of the Prophet Nongqwase of Gxarha, whose pronouncements were now being managed by Mhlakaza her uncle. King Sarhili had visited the mysterious River and pronounced his support for her visions which spoke of salvation through cleansing of goods and cattle. Killing cattle and throwing away goods, she warned of witchcraft destroying the Xhosa, she had been spoken to by two men in a bush. Nongqawuse and her little ally, Nombanda, were visited by Xhosa from far and wide to hear her story directly. The most privileged visitors were taken to the River and the Ocean, but most of these men and women heard nothing - no voices although Nongqawuse continued to relay the two stranger's messages to those present. A minority began to claim they heard the voices. Rumours of the happenings spread like wild fire and the official sanction of King Sarhili Ka-Hintsa of the amaGcaleka removed the last doubts from many who desperately wanted this prophecy to have power. And yet most of the amaXhosa chiefs intitially opposed the prophecies, but were ground down mentally, dragged into the worse form of cattle killing by the commoners. The believers began the comprehensive work of destruction. This back and forth went on until what is known as the First Disappointment.
Join us as we talk to Raja Debnath, the Managing Director of Veefin about their story. Raja holds a BE from the Maharashtra Institute of Technology, an MMS in Marketing from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, and an MBA from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. Over his career, he has held several prominent roles, including Manager at Whirlpool, Citi and ABN AMRO Bank N.V., Zonal Head at GE Capital, and Country Head at Kotak Mahindra Bank. He also served as Managing Partner at Cogence Labs and contributed to esteemed organizations like EY and IFC in various capacities. Additionally, Raja has acted as an advisor to The London Institute of Banking and Finance and as an investor in ventures such as TREDX and CAYESH. Since 2019, he has been serving as the Managing Director of Veefin.
You won't believe what people in different countries do before, during, and right after their wedding day following age-old traditions. Here are some crazy rituals for celebrating love from around the world. While most brides-to-be spend arduous hours at the gym, young girls in Mauritania are fattened up in a practice known as “leblouh". For a child to become an adult and ready for marriage in Bali, they have to go through a special tooth filing ceremony. In a tradition that goes back hundreds of years, a Tujia bride starts crying a month before her big day and is later joined by her mother, grandmother, sisters and aunts. To break the spell that would make their prospective husband die early, some women India get married to trees first. In Scotland, friends and family gladly throw molasses, ash, feathers, flour and way more disgusting things all over the bride to scare off evil spirits and bring good luck. The newlyweds in Congo never smile during the wedding ceremony to show how serious their commitment to their future family is. Masai fathers have their own very special way of blessing their newlywed daughters by spitting on their heads and breasts. Music: Seahorse - Rondo Brothers Almost August - Dan Lebowitz Arc of the Sun — The 126ers Blue Skies — Silent Partner Yucatan Peninsula — Biz Baz Studio TIMESTAMPS Force-feeding future brides 0:24 Tooth-filing ceremony 1:22 Advice from a chicken liver 2:07 Whale tooth offering 2:40 Bridal tears 3:19 Married to a tree 4:04 Tar-and-feathering the bride 4:37 Smash it (and clean it up) 5:16 Fighting for shoes 5:48 Poker face 6:22 Human rug 6:47 A good luck spit 7:09 SUMMARY -In Mauritania, young girls and women are fattened up before marriage as their idea of female beauty is curves, layers of fat, and stretch marks. -Imagine this: the people of Bali go through a special tooth filing ceremony to “cut down” the six sins that live in every person. -The Daur people of China's Inner Mongolia cut open a baby chicken to pick the date for the big day. -In Fiji, young men not only have to ask for her father's permission, but also bring him a whale tooth to marry the girl of their dreams. -The Tujia brides in Southwest China start crying a month before the big day. Later, the female part of the family joins them. -Believe it or not, some women in India marry trees all because of their astrological sign. -Scottish brides go through a “blackening” ritual to scare off evil spirits and attract good luck. -The wedding guests in Germany get to smash porcelain and ceramic dishware, and the newlyweds have to clean it all up afterwards as their first shared chore together. -In India, the groom's side has to protect the shoes from being stolen by the bride's family. -If you're ever invited to a wedding in the Congo, don't expect the bride and groom to smile, they avoid it to show how serious the commitment to future family is. -Once the wedding ceremony is over in French Polynesia, all the guests on the bride's side lie face down in the dirt to make one long human rug. -Masai fathers try to trick fate by spitting on their daughters heads and breasts. Subscribe to Bright Side : https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: / brightside Instagram: / brightgram 5-Minute Crafts Youtube: https://www.goo.gl/8JVmuC ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of the RawTalks Telugu podcast, we are joined by Dr. Guru N. Reddy, a distinguished gastroenterologist and a name synonymous with compassionate healthcare at Continental Hospital. The conversation takes a deep dive into gut health, lifestyle habits, and the challenges of healthcare in India, delivering a mix of scientific insights, cultural reflections, and practical advice for everyday living. Dr. Reddy opens the discussion with an exploration of eating habits, specifically Hyderabad's iconic biryani culture. Contrary to popular belief, biryani, when consumed in moderation, can be a balanced meal. He emphasizes the importance of portion control and understanding the caloric impact of a single meal. For many young professionals working night shifts or the “graveyard shift,” Dr. Reddy warns about the toll irregular eating schedules and unhealthy food choices take on the gut and overall health. He underscores the need to adopt sustainable eating habits that align with our body's natural rhythm. The conversation then transitions to a global health concern: obesity. For the first time in human history, more people are obese than undernourished, with nearly 38% of the world's population classified as obese. Dr. Reddy predicts that by 2035, half of the global population will fall into this category. He explains how body mass index (BMI) alone is insufficient to gauge health and stresses the importance of measuring body fat percentage and understanding fat distribution. In India, the misconception that a chubby child is a healthy child has contributed significantly to the growing obesity epidemic. Dr. Reddy discusses the dangers of overfeeding children and highlights the importance of instilling healthy eating habits during adolescence—a critical period for long-term health. Gut health becomes a central theme of the conversation as Dr. Reddy demystifies common yet often misunderstood topics. He explains why we burp, how spicy foods and substances like black pepper affect the gut lining, and why conditions like lactose intolerance are far more prevalent in India than many realize. Delving into a topic that is often avoided in polite conversation, Dr. Reddy shares insights on farting, explaining why some farts smell and others don't, and how flatulence is a normal and healthy bodily function. Perhaps one of the most eye-opening discussions revolves around stool and its significance as a marker of health. Dr. Reddy explains how the color, texture, and frequency of bowel movements can reveal much about a person's gut health. He highlights the importance of recognizing warning signs such as blood in the stool, which could point to serious conditions like colon cancer. Constipation, another common complaint, is discussed in depth. Dr. Reddy provides a nuanced perspective on its causes, ranging from diet to lifestyle, and even touches on conditions like fecal incontinence in women, which often manifest years after childbirth. The conversation takes a personal turn as Dr. Reddy shares stories from his career, including cases that moved him to tears and reaffirmed his commitment to medicine. He talks about the emotional and physical toll of being a healthcare professional and the importance of maintaining a work-life balance. His advocacy for organ donation is particularly poignant, as he highlights the lack of awareness in India and calls for systemic changes to make the process more accessible. This episode is more than a discussion—it's a call to action. Dr. Reddy urges listeners to question long-held beliefs, prioritize their health, and advocate for systemic changes in healthcare. His insights remind us that health is not just an individual responsibility but a collective effort to build a healthier society.
Accor is expanding its portfolio of economy hotels in the Middle East as the region shifts toward mass-market tourism, with a particular focus on Saudi Arabia. In India, while domestic and outbound tourism have grown, inbound tourism remains weak due to visa difficulties and reduced government funding for global tourism promotion. Meanwhile, the Chinese social media platform RedNote has surged in popularity among American travelers, offering a new hub for travel inspiration amid uncertainty over TikTok's future. Accor has big plans to expand its portfolio of economy hotels in the Middle East Why India can't attract more international tourists RedNote, the Chinese social media platform that has seen a surge in popularity among American travelers Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews (https://www.youtube.com/@SkiftNews) and never miss an update from the travel industry.
Our Chief Asia Economist Chetan Ahya discusses how tariffs, the power of the U.S. dollar, and the strength of domestic demand will determine Asia's economic growth in 2025.----- Transcript -----Welcome to Thoughts on the Market. I'm Chetan Ahya, Morgan Stanley's Chief Asia Economist. Today on the podcast: three critical themes that will shape Asia's economy in 2025. It's Tuesday, January 21, at 2 PM in Hong Kong. Let's start with the big picture: We foresee Asia's growth decelerating from 4.5 per cent last year to 4.1 per cent in 2025. The whole region faces a number of challenges and opportunities that could sway these numbers significantly. We highlight [the] following three key factors. First up, tariffs. They are our single biggest concern this year. The pace, scale and affected geographies will determine the magnitude of the growth drag. In our base case, within Asia, we expect tariffs to be imposed on China in a phased manner from the first half of 2025. As Mike Zezas, our Head of US Public Policy states, this will be about fast announcements and slow implementation. Given tariffs and trade tensions are not new, we think this means corporate confidence may not be as badly affected as it was in 2018-19. But the key risk is if trade tensions escalate. For instance, into more aggressive bilateral disputes outside of US-China or if [the] US imposes universal tariffs on all imports. Asia will be most affected, considering that seven out of [the] top ten economies that run large trade surpluses with the US are in Asia. If either of these risk scenarios materialize, it could bring a repeat of [the] 2018-19 growth shock. Next, let's consider the Fed and the US dollar. Asian central banks find themselves in a bind with the US Federal Reserve's hawkish shift – which we think will result in only two rate cuts in 2025. The Fed is taking a cautious approach, driven by worries over inflation concerns, which could be exacerbated by changes in trade and fiscal policy. This has led to strength in the US dollar and on the flipside, weakness in Asian currencies. This constrains Asian central banks from making aggressive rate reductions -- even though Asia's inflation is in a range that central banks are comfortable with. Finally, with [the] external environment not likely to be supportive, domestic demand within key Asian economies will be an important anchor to [the[ region's growth outlook. We are constructive on the outlook for India and Japan but cautious on China. China has a deflation challenge, driven by excessive investment and excess capacity. Solving it requires policy makers to rely more on consumption as a means to meet its 5 per cent growth target. While some measures have been implemented and we think more are coming, we remain skeptical that these measures will be enough for China to lift consumption growth meaningfully. We see investment remaining the key growth driver and the implementation of tariffs will only exacerbate the ongoing deflationary pressures. In India and Japan, we think domestic demand tailwinds will be able to offset external headwinds. We expect a robust recovery in India fueled by government capital expenditure, monetary easing and acceleration in services exports. This should put GDP growth back on a 6.5 per cent trajectory. In Japan we expect real wage and consumption growth reacceleration, which will lead [the] Bank of Japan to be confident in the inflation outlook such that it hikes policy rates twice in 2025. This week marks the start of the new Trump administration. And together with my colleagues, we are watching closely and will continue to bring you updates on the impact of new policies on Asia.Thanks for listening. If you enjoy the show, please leave us a review wherever you listen and share Thoughts on the Market with a friend or colleague today.
Business schools are among the most coveted higher educational institutions. Students go through some of the most competitive exams and pay significant fees because they hope that at the end of their degree, they will get a great job.Yet, the onerous process of finding, soliciting and bringing dozens of companies to campuses each year falls mostly on final-year students, who are part of elected/selected placement committees.For as long as we can remember, these committees have always been accused of bias, arrogance and powerplay by other students.Yet, the fact also remains that those on the placement committees sacrifice a significant part of their education and grades in order to run a great job-matching process for their entire batch.Should they, though?In the US, for instance, most leading B-schools have their professional teams that run the entire campus hiring process instead of students. Finding quality jobs for hundreds of students each year is a full-time job.In India, too, many colleges are gradually coming around to the same POV.IIM Kozhikode has transitioned the process from students to faculty. This model aims to instil transparency and professionalism in what vice-chancellor V Ramgopal Rao calls “a crucial rite of passage marking the end of academic life.”BITS Pilani has adopted a system where HR professionals employed by the institute handle placements.IIT Bombay set up a committee under a senior computer science faculty professor Uday Khedkar, with one of its aims being “setting up a clean and transparent placement process system”. Sources at IIT-B said the panel was set up after students brought to light instances of the biases some faced and how this had hampered their careers.Our guest for the episode is Professor Varun Nagaraj, Dean and Professor of Information Management & Analytics at S P Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai. He holds a Ph.D. in Management: Designing Sustainable Systems from Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management. He also holds an MBA from Boston University, an MS in Computer Engineering from North Carolina State University, and a B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from IIT, Bombay. His career spanning over three decades in digital products reflects his passion for product management, development, and innovation.Over the course of the discussion, the professor and hosts Rohin Dharmakumar and Praveen Gopal Krishnan discuss how placements have evolved since their MBA days, their misgivings about the current system, and what institutes have to get better at.Perhaps the larger question is, how should we think about matching employers and graduates? Is a compressed “placements” process the best way?Welcome to episode 25 of Two by Two.—Additional reading:Bias, lack of transparency trips job hunts in premier schoolsWhy are IIT placements failing to deliver jobs? Former IIT Director explainsShiv Shivakumar's LinkedIn post —This is a shorter '10-minute trailer' cut from the hour-long discussion hosts Praveen Gopal Krishnan and Rohin Dharmakumar had with the guests. If you would like to listen to the full episode, you can do that by getting a Premium subscription to The Ken, which, in addition to Two by Two, will get you access to all our long-form stories, newsletters, visual stories and the rest of the podcasts we produce.But if you just want to sample full episodes of Two by Two, you can do that by getting a Premium subscription on Apple Podcasts at a great monthly price.This episode of Two by Two was produced by Hari Krishna. Rajiv CN, our resident sound engineer, mixed and mastered this episode.If you liked this episode of Two by Two, please share it with like-minded individuals who would be interested in listening to the episode. And if you have more thoughts on the discussion, we'd love to hear your arguments as well. You can write to us at twobytwo@the-ken.com
In India, elite law firms offer a surprising oasis for women within a hostile, predominantly male industry. Less than 10 percent of the country's lawyers are female, but women in the most prestigious firms are significantly represented both at entry and partnership. Elite workspaces are notorious for being unfriendly to new actors, so what allows for aberration in certain workspaces? Drawing from observations and interviews with more than 130 elite professionals, Accidental Feminism: Gender Parity and Selective Mobility Among India's Professional Elite (Princeton UP, 2021) examines how a range of underlying mechanisms-gendered socialization and essentialism, family structures and dynamics, and firm and regulatory histories-afford certain professionals egalitarian outcomes that are not available to their local and global peers. Juxtaposing findings on the legal profession with those on elite consulting firms, Swethaa Ballakrishnen reveals that parity arises not from a commitment to create feminist organizations, but from structural factors that incidentally come together to do gender differently. Simultaneously, their research offers notes of caution: while conditional convergence may create equality in ways that more targeted endeavors fail to achieve, "accidental" developments are hard to replicate, and are, in this case, buttressed by embedded inequalities. Ballakrishnen examines whether gender parity produced without institutional sanction should still be considered feminist. In offering new ways to think about equality movements and outcomes, Accidental Feminism forces readers to critically consider the work of intention in progress narratives. Noopur Raval is a postdoctoral researcher working at the intersection of Information Studies, STS, Media Studies and Anthropology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
In India, elite law firms offer a surprising oasis for women within a hostile, predominantly male industry. Less than 10 percent of the country's lawyers are female, but women in the most prestigious firms are significantly represented both at entry and partnership. Elite workspaces are notorious for being unfriendly to new actors, so what allows for aberration in certain workspaces? Drawing from observations and interviews with more than 130 elite professionals, Accidental Feminism: Gender Parity and Selective Mobility Among India's Professional Elite (Princeton UP, 2021) examines how a range of underlying mechanisms-gendered socialization and essentialism, family structures and dynamics, and firm and regulatory histories-afford certain professionals egalitarian outcomes that are not available to their local and global peers. Juxtaposing findings on the legal profession with those on elite consulting firms, Swethaa Ballakrishnen reveals that parity arises not from a commitment to create feminist organizations, but from structural factors that incidentally come together to do gender differently. Simultaneously, their research offers notes of caution: while conditional convergence may create equality in ways that more targeted endeavors fail to achieve, "accidental" developments are hard to replicate, and are, in this case, buttressed by embedded inequalities. Ballakrishnen examines whether gender parity produced without institutional sanction should still be considered feminist. In offering new ways to think about equality movements and outcomes, Accidental Feminism forces readers to critically consider the work of intention in progress narratives. Noopur Raval is a postdoctoral researcher working at the intersection of Information Studies, STS, Media Studies and Anthropology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies
In India, elite law firms offer a surprising oasis for women within a hostile, predominantly male industry. Less than 10 percent of the country's lawyers are female, but women in the most prestigious firms are significantly represented both at entry and partnership. Elite workspaces are notorious for being unfriendly to new actors, so what allows for aberration in certain workspaces? Drawing from observations and interviews with more than 130 elite professionals, Accidental Feminism: Gender Parity and Selective Mobility Among India's Professional Elite (Princeton UP, 2021) examines how a range of underlying mechanisms-gendered socialization and essentialism, family structures and dynamics, and firm and regulatory histories-afford certain professionals egalitarian outcomes that are not available to their local and global peers. Juxtaposing findings on the legal profession with those on elite consulting firms, Swethaa Ballakrishnen reveals that parity arises not from a commitment to create feminist organizations, but from structural factors that incidentally come together to do gender differently. Simultaneously, their research offers notes of caution: while conditional convergence may create equality in ways that more targeted endeavors fail to achieve, "accidental" developments are hard to replicate, and are, in this case, buttressed by embedded inequalities. Ballakrishnen examines whether gender parity produced without institutional sanction should still be considered feminist. In offering new ways to think about equality movements and outcomes, Accidental Feminism forces readers to critically consider the work of intention in progress narratives. Noopur Raval is a postdoctoral researcher working at the intersection of Information Studies, STS, Media Studies and Anthropology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology
In India, elite law firms offer a surprising oasis for women within a hostile, predominantly male industry. Less than 10 percent of the country's lawyers are female, but women in the most prestigious firms are significantly represented both at entry and partnership. Elite workspaces are notorious for being unfriendly to new actors, so what allows for aberration in certain workspaces? Drawing from observations and interviews with more than 130 elite professionals, Accidental Feminism: Gender Parity and Selective Mobility Among India's Professional Elite (Princeton UP, 2021) examines how a range of underlying mechanisms-gendered socialization and essentialism, family structures and dynamics, and firm and regulatory histories-afford certain professionals egalitarian outcomes that are not available to their local and global peers. Juxtaposing findings on the legal profession with those on elite consulting firms, Swethaa Ballakrishnen reveals that parity arises not from a commitment to create feminist organizations, but from structural factors that incidentally come together to do gender differently. Simultaneously, their research offers notes of caution: while conditional convergence may create equality in ways that more targeted endeavors fail to achieve, "accidental" developments are hard to replicate, and are, in this case, buttressed by embedded inequalities. Ballakrishnen examines whether gender parity produced without institutional sanction should still be considered feminist. In offering new ways to think about equality movements and outcomes, Accidental Feminism forces readers to critically consider the work of intention in progress narratives. Noopur Raval is a postdoctoral researcher working at the intersection of Information Studies, STS, Media Studies and Anthropology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology
In India, elite law firms offer a surprising oasis for women within a hostile, predominantly male industry. Less than 10 percent of the country's lawyers are female, but women in the most prestigious firms are significantly represented both at entry and partnership. Elite workspaces are notorious for being unfriendly to new actors, so what allows for aberration in certain workspaces? Drawing from observations and interviews with more than 130 elite professionals, Accidental Feminism: Gender Parity and Selective Mobility Among India's Professional Elite (Princeton UP, 2021) examines how a range of underlying mechanisms-gendered socialization and essentialism, family structures and dynamics, and firm and regulatory histories-afford certain professionals egalitarian outcomes that are not available to their local and global peers. Juxtaposing findings on the legal profession with those on elite consulting firms, Swethaa Ballakrishnen reveals that parity arises not from a commitment to create feminist organizations, but from structural factors that incidentally come together to do gender differently. Simultaneously, their research offers notes of caution: while conditional convergence may create equality in ways that more targeted endeavors fail to achieve, "accidental" developments are hard to replicate, and are, in this case, buttressed by embedded inequalities. Ballakrishnen examines whether gender parity produced without institutional sanction should still be considered feminist. In offering new ways to think about equality movements and outcomes, Accidental Feminism forces readers to critically consider the work of intention in progress narratives. Noopur Raval is a postdoctoral researcher working at the intersection of Information Studies, STS, Media Studies and Anthropology.
On 26 December 2004, an earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia sparking a tsunami which swept away entire communities around the Indian Ocean. In India, Choodamani and Karibeeran Paramesvaran's children Rakshanya, 12, Karuyna, nine, and Kirubasan, five, were killed. A bereft Karibeeran asked his wife to buy them some poison but Choodamani heard a voice from God telling her to help those in need. The next day the couple returned home with four children who'd lost their parents. They named their home Nambikkai which means Hands of Hope in Tamil and have looked after 42 orphans to date. They speak to Reena Stanton-Sharma about their remarkable story. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic' and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy's Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they've had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America's occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.(Photo: Karibeeran and his wife Choodamani Paramesvaran with some of the orphaned children. Credit: AP Photo/Gurinder Osan)
Lollipops are bona fide. In 1972, Bhakta Gopāl saw the Salvation Army giving out candy canes for donations, so he went and got candy canes. Then some devotees complained to Prabhupāda and said he's given out bhoga. And then Prabhupāda inquired a little further about what it was, and he said, "What is the harm? It's in the Vedabase." He said, "What is the harm?" He said, "In India, all the time, pūjāris buy simple sugar candies. They offer them to the Deities, and they give them out. They distribute as mahāprasādam." He gave us permission to offer lollipops to the Deities. So lollipops are something you can use because everyone in the universe likes lollipops, even monkeys. In Vṛndāvana, if you throw a lollipop to a monkey, they'll catch it and put it in their mouth before, I mean, you have to have a slow-motion camera to watch how fast they take the wrapper off and put it in their mouth. I once gave one to the Secretary of State of the United States of America, and he had it in his mouth before I could even tell him who I was. It was at the airport. I had a suit and tie on, but he just took the lollipop and put it in his mouth as I was showing him the Bhagavad-gītā. He was going, "crunch, crunch, crunch." So lollipops are important. They're prasādam. We want to touch their heart with some prasādam, and then you thank them for taking their valuable time, telling them it was an honor to meet them. And then also be ready with some kind of QR code or a form they can write on to get their name and number. If they're a nice person, if they're a seeker, you can connect them up to your next best place where the habitat is ripe for them. (excerpt from the talk ) ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ (USA only) https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose
Fragile Hope: Seeking Justice for Hate Crimes in India (Stanford University Press, 2024). Against the backdrop of the global Black Lives Matter movement, debates around the social impact of hate crime legislation have come to the political fore. In 2019, the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice urgently asked how legal systems can counter bias and discrimination. In India, a nation with vast socio-cultural diversity, and a complex colonial past, questions about the relationship between law and histories of oppression have become particularly pressing. Recently, India has seen a rise in violence against Dalits (ex-untouchables) and other minorities. Consequently, an emerging "Dalit Lives Matter" movement has campaigned for the effective implementation of India's only hate crime law: the 1989 Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act (PoA). Drawing on long-term fieldwork with Dalit survivors of caste atrocities, human rights NGOs, police, and judiciary, Sandhya Fuchs unveils how Dalit communities in the state of Rajasthan interpret and mobilize the PoA. Fuchs shows that the PoA has emerged as a project of legal meliorism: the idea that persistent and creative legal labor can gradually improve the oppressive conditions that characterize Dalit lives. Moving beyond statistics and judicial arguments, Fuchs uses the intimate lens of personal narratives to lay bare how legal processes converge and conflict with political and gendered concerns about justice for caste atrocities, creating new controversies, inequalities, and hopes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
In this special health-focused round-up, Lesley and Brad revisit conversations with four inspiring guests: Uma Naralkar, Jenn Pike, Celeste Holbrook, and Jenny Swisher. From understanding your menstrual cycle and hormones to embracing pleasure and advocating for yourself, this episode delivers practical insights to help you live your healthiest life.If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co. And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe.In this episode you will learn about:The connection between nutrition, movement, lifestyle, and mindset for optimal health.Understanding the four phases of the menstrual cycle and how they affect daily life.Shifting perspectives on intimacy to find pleasure and reduce stigma.How to advocate for your health by asking the right questions and knowing your body.Episode References/Links:Ep. 25 ft. Uma Naralkar - https://beitpod.com/ep25Uma's Website https://omwithatwist.com/Ep. 55 ft. Jenn Pike - https://beitpod.com/ep55The Hormone Project: https://jennpike.com/thehormoneprojectEp. 85 ft. Celeste Holbrook - https://beitpod.com/ep85Website: https://www.drcelesteholbrook.com/Ep. 139 ft. Jenny Swisher - https://beitpod.com/139SYNC Your Life Podcast: https://jennyswisher.com/podcast/ If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! DEALS!Check out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper's Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSox Be in the know with all the workshops at OPCBe It Till You See It Podcast SurveyBe a part of Lesley's Pilates MentorshipFREE Ditching Busy Webinar Resources:Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube!Lesley Logan websiteBe It Till You See It PodcastOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley LoganOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTubeProfitable Pilates Follow Us on Social Media:InstagramThe Be It Till You See It Podcast YouTube channelFacebookLinkedInThe OPC YouTube Channel Episode Transcript:Lesley Logan 0:00 Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started. Lesley Logan 0:42 Welcome back to Be It Till You See It. You guys, we are continuing our, what do you call it? A round up, babe? You call it collection?Brad Crowell 0:49 Yeah, we call it the December round-up.Lesley Logan 0:51 Yeah. It's basically like a reflection review. And this particular episode has four of our favorite guests that have to do with health. We have these, have had multiple episodes that have to do with health.Brad Crowell 1:03 Many, many, many. Lesley Logan 1:04 Many. And so we are going to span the wide ranging topic of health, which can be a lot of things. We've got the tripod of health. We've got hormones in this one. We're gonna have sex in this one. Brad Crowell 1:13 Yeah, food is as part of the tripod. Lesley Logan 1:15 Yes, yes. We got lots of stuff so. Brad Crowell 1:18 Fitness, of course. Lesley Logan 1:19 So if you have been wondering, what health episode should I listen to during this chaotic month of December when most of my podcasts aren't listing anything new? The Be It Pod has given you four awesome ones, and we'll link even the numbers. You can go back and listen to the full interview in our catalog when you're ready.Brad Crowell 1:38 Let's dig in the first episode that we're gonna talk about today, that we're bringing back is episode number 25.Lesley Logan 1:45 Twenty-five.Brad Crowell 1:45 Twenty-five all the way back towards the very beginning.Lesley Logan 1:49 It's like 2022.Brad Crowell 1:51 We had a chance to interview Uma Naralkar, who talks a lot about food and nutrition, and we have two sections of this that we thought were really spectacular. So.Lesley Logan 2:07 Yeah, so first up, I really, I thought it was really cool and vulnerable that she talked about when she moved to the US and what the food was like, and how that challenged her and got her interested in what she has become known for, and being a nutritionist and things like that. So I'm really excited for us to hear her story of moving to the US.Brad Crowell 2:27 Yeah, so, and also she talked about this, her process of how she works with her clients, and she created something called the Tripod of Optimal Health. And I'm not going to tell you what it is, because you're going to hear it just after this. So tune in.Uma Naralkar 2:41 The biggest difference for me was the food, right? So in India, we have a lot of health. Inherently, there's health and cooks and food is never something that I had to even think about. So that's the reason why it was always so well -balanced and healthy, because it was like home-cooked Indian food and all the beautiful dals and vegetables, and it was primarily vegetarian. We ate meat on the weekends as like a treat. Dessert would always be homemade, something made in ghee, like, very, very like, decently portioned. And I came to America where everything was supersized, right? And I was a student. And, I mean, I was, first, it was shocking, then it was exciting, and then it was kind of like, I didn't have a choice. I was hungry, and I had to eat, and I was a student, so it was like, McDonald's and all the other and it was truly exciting, I have to say, in the beginning, because I was like, what is going on? Why are these people eating so much? But it was a huge adjustment. And you know, when you're asking me about how I, you know, the thing that I had to kind of like, get over and just be like, I'm going to embody this. I am. You know, the book Atomic Habits. Have you read that?Lesley Logan 4:01 Yes. Uma Naralkar 4:01 James Clear. He talks about shifting your identity to who you want to be. Do you remember that part of the book? What he's saying is that if you, you know you, if you want something, if you truly believe that you want something, you need to believe that you have it, and you need to shift your identity in the sense that you know I am a confident 20 year old girl in the United States, where I don't know shit about this country and I truly don't understand, have the words that they use. And at 20, was I clear about what I'm saying now? No, not at all, because it was nerve-racking. And the reason why I'm bringing it up is because the biggest obstacle, apart from the food, my biggest challenge, was speaking, or just speaking out in class, or just raising my hand, or just standing in front of an audience and saying, like anything, it was something that I didn't grow up with. In India, you never get an opportunity to speak anything. Everything is crowded and they don't have time for anybody speaking. So I think it was a true challenge, and it sounds so, it doesn't sound like a big deal because my children, both of them, grew up here. They're Californians, and, you know, I can see how speaking is so inherent, right? Like you're in a group setting, or if you're in a big crowd, just saying what you feel is pretty standard. First off, yes, to therapy. I think all kinds of therapy is, I appreciate all of it. And I think people, it's still, it's very interesting. Still, people have a lot of resistance to see a therapist or to, you know, just to open up and talk to someone else about what's going on. So yes, to therapy, but more than that, yeah, nutrition, what you're eating, is going to be foundational movement and how active you are and what you're doing there, as well as your stress levels, your sleep, all that, I think ties in. It is pretty holistic. I don't think it's one or the other. And I have a lot of really fit clients who are like, I mean, as fit as they can be, who are miserable, who are so unhappy, who are, who are they like, constantly looking for ways to, you know, get to the next level. And, quite frankly, they don't even know what the next level is. So I think it's, everyone's very different. And for one person, maybe it's like, you know, your nutrition is seriously lacking, and we need to make some switches so that you start, like, having a better relationship with food. But for someone else, it might just be something as simple as, you know, like doing yoga or getting out in nature, someone who's like, stuck in front of their computer all day and doesn't even like, realize it like, for example, like the best, I think the best example I can give is like being in a casino, right? Like, in inside a casino, like, how clever is that? It's like the lights are always the same, it's always bright, it's always entertaining. There's enough blue light to kick the melatonin out, so you're always in that cortisol rush. They want that because they want you to play. But that's how we are pretty, pretty much living our life like, like we're in a casino, right? Because we're indoors, we are in front of the computer, then we are watching something, and then we expect to have a good night's sleep. So I feel like it's, it's just, it all ties in, and it's not one thing I call it, I call it the Tripod, actually, of Optimal Health, which is what you're eating, what your movement, your life activity, your lifestyle, and then your mental health, your mindset, right? They all tie in. And then your health is sort of like sitting on that tripod. So if one of those legs is like wobbly, then the whole thing is going to collapse.Lesley Logan 7:59 So that was Episode 25 and we would love to know, we would love for you to share with us what part of the Tripod of Health that you're going to work on as we come into 2025 and no, it won't be a New Year's resolution. It will just be a thing that you're doing. Now we have Episode 55, so we're going way back in the catalog today's episode, and it's how are hormones dictating your life? And one of the things. Brad Crowell 8:21 With? Lesley Logan 8:21 With Jenn Pike. Brad Crowell 8:22 With Jenn Pike. Lesley Logan 8:23 Yeah, one of the things that we talk about that I'm really excited for you to talk, like, here is that the four different phases in your cycle, and this is really, really important, because I have a lot of people ask me a lot of questions about perimenopause. I want more episodes on this. But if you are not perimenopausal yet, or maybe you still have your cycle, but you're kind of, you know, that's what perimenopause is. You got to know what parts of the cycle you're in, because it affects how you work out. It affects what you should be eating. I had, there's some dream guests on my list that I want to have in future episodes, but we need to know these parts for those guests to make any sense. So like, dive into that first part with the different phases of your cycle, even if you think you know them.Brad Crowell 9:00 Yeah, the second part of this episode, though, I thought was really beneficial, was talking about educating both men and women on this. So I remember listening to this the first time, you know, a couple years ago, and I was taking notes because I knew none of this. I don't know how (inaudible)Lesley Logan 9:17 And you have a mom and a sister.Brad Crowell 9:18 And I went through high school and college, and never learned any of this stuff. Lesley Logan 9:22 And you had a wife before me. Brad Crowell 9:23 And I did have a wife before you, still didn't know any of this stuff. So, so the, she, Jenn talks about stigmatism, shame and embarrassment and the value of educating her son. I think she has sons. I can't remember. Son. She's one son. She's talking about how he knows just as much about the female body as her daughter and the value like, they, as a couple, decided to educate their son on purpose to avoid stigmatism and shame and embarrassment. So I thought that was really great.Lesley Logan 9:57 I love it. I love her. I love her for that already.Brad Crowell 10:00 Yeah. It's a win. There you go.Jenn Pike 10:03 So we go through four different phases in our cycle. So our cycle and our period are not the same thing. Your cycle is from day one of your bleed all the way through until you have your next bleed. That's a full cycle. Most women, it's going to range anywhere from 23 to 35 days. And in that cycle you have four different phases. So you have the phase that you bleed in, which is your actual period, when you come out of your period, you actually have what's referred to as the first phase, which is the follicular phase. And this is where your body, your hormones and estrogen and testosterone are starting to climb. Your uterine lining is starting to thicken again. This is typically where we actually feel more connected to our body. We do well with the estrogen surge. We feel clear, more focused, energized, happier. We're like gung-ho. We want to create new projects. We're super, you know, on point. Leading into ovulation, ovulation comes, it tends to be much more of a you know, I want to put myself out there. Confidence can peak a little higher, sex drive, typically. And the way I'm painting this picture, this isn't going to be for every woman. I'm just going to kind of give one example, and then I'll apex it on the other side. Once ovulation happens, you've now had this dip in estrogen and testosterone, and your luteinizing hormones increase as long as you've ovulated, your progesterone also increases. And that actually is a much more calming hormone. It helps us to integrate. It brings us into a place that is much more reflective, in that luteal phase, which are the couple weeks coming into your period. It's a time to really look at like what is working and what is not. It's time to finish projects. It's a time when you can feel really connected to your body, and then this is one of the times where you'll also know if things are out of balance, if that like seven to 10 day period of time before you bleed again, your mood's all over the place, you're emotional, your sleep is off, your gut is off, you're spotting. Your breasts are tender, like you're just like, oh my God, here we go again. My skin's breaking out. All the things are happening. That's a really strong indication that something is out of balance in your system. And it could be that you didn't ovulate, that you have lower progesterone, you have too much estrogen, it could be that all the hormones are sitting flat. It could be that testosterone and DHA is too high. So this is why testing and testing at the appropriate time of the month is such a valuable tool for women, because when you see it and someone's explaining it to you you're like, oh my gosh, I feel like you just described me to a tee. Yeah.Lesley Logan 12:34 No, I'm like, I'm like, sitting here, and I'm like, taking it all in, and I, like that whole part where it's like, that 7, 10, days before you just said, like, this is what you're gonna feel like, but this is also you could feel a look where things are out of whack. And I think we're taught, or at least I felt like, I felt like that's just the normal thing, like things are out of whack. And, yeah, what it sounds like, is it, and I did experience this, I did seed cycling for a long time because I felt like my swings were too big. And I was like, y'all, my boobs are a little bigger because of COVID and age, but they were very small back then. And I was like, they are too small to be this tender. Like this is not fun for me. And so I heard about seed cycling, and I did it consistently for three years. Not only did I literally make myself like clockwork with my cycle, I stopped breaking out. I don't have tenderness, and I've weaned off of it, and it hasn't been an issue, but I did notice that difference in that time before, it was almost like my period was a surprise each time, because I was like, oh, I didn't even know it's coming. (inaudible) Was feeling so good. That's so fascinating. Okay, so thank you for walking us through that. I think that it's helpful to know, like, just when you have the information, like you said, you just can expect things a little different, and you can know more about how you should be feeling, as opposed to like. Why do I feel like this versus yesterday? I felt better.Jenn Pike 13:55 I just want to say something quick on that before you go and you're talking about, you know, doing the recap with your husband. So I have two kids, a girl and a boy. My son knows just as much about the female body and cycles as my daughter, and that's on purpose, because part of the stigmatism and the shame and embarrassment ends when we stop excluding men and boys from the conversation as well. It, you know, it's like there's going to come a time in a boy's life where he's gonna, you know, you're either gonna be around a woman or your girlfriend or whatever it is, and you need to be able to understand what she's going through. And as I always say to my son, like bud, you wouldn't even be here if it weren't for our bodies doing this. So you should be darn grateful. Brad Crowell 14:33 All right, so that was Episode 55 with Jenn Pike. Hope you found it super helpful and educational. Lesley Logan 14:40 Her entire episode is so, has so, it's chock-full of information. You can, you could do, if you just used her episode to figure out what your health changes are for 2025 you would have enough to work on.Brad Crowell 14:54 Yeah, she's got a lot going on, and it's amazing. All right, next up we got Episode 85 let's talk about sex baby with Celeste Holbrook.Lesley Logan 15:02 I'm obsessed with her. Just so you know, I'm actually having a call with her tomorrow morning (inaudible) on the day that I, because I just love her. Brad Crowell 15:09 Well, she basically talked about, it's kind of a tack on to what we were just talking about with with Jenn Pike, about removing shame and embarrassment. This is about destigmatizing sex and the language around sex. And one thing she said that I thought was amazing was she pets her dog because she wants to feel calm. She rides her bike because she wants to, well, feel free. She has sex because she wants to feel pleasure, right? And it's like, we make it this taboo, weird, awkward thing, and she's like, but it shouldn't be that, you know? And she talks, she goes really in-depth about how, you know, how you might find pleasure in sex.Lesley Logan 15:48 Just so you know, I loved her so much we had her on the podcast twice. And we actually talked about bodies and all that stuff. So she's just fabulous. And especially for any of you who are raised in the purity culture, this episode is extremely freeing and informative.Brad Crowell 16:04 Yeah, yeah. So enjoy.Celeste Holbrook 16:06 I always think about what we want to feel in sex. Because everything that we do behaviorally, we do it because we want to feel something. So, like, I pet my dog because I want to feel calm. I ride my bike because I want to feel free. I do certain sexual activities because I want to feel pleasure, connection, erotic, intimate, loving, whatever it is that I want to feel in sex. And so start with the feeling. So, write down my dream sexual experience would feel like, and then write those words down, and then you can work your way backwards, like, okay, if I want to feel confident, what do I need to do behaviorally in order to feel confident? Maybe I need to learn more about my body. Maybe I need to establish a better relationship with my vulva and, like, clitoris. Maybe I need to have a masturbation practice. Maybe I need to read some more books, right? So start with what you want to feel and then work your way backwards. I want to feel connected. Okay, maybe I need to work on communication styles with my partner. Maybe I need to learn how to ask more for what I want, and maybe I don't know what I want. So maybe I need to take one more step back and figure out what I like and what I don't like, and do some more creative exploration in sex, you know. So I like to start out with that list of what we want to feel, because then you can build behaviors behind that.Lesley Logan 17:23 All right. So that was Celeste Holbrook's Episode 85 at the Be It Pod. If you want to go listen to the whole thing.Lesley Logan 17:31 Up next, we actually have Episode 139, Cycle Thinking Fitness & Balancing Your Hormones with Jenny Swisher. This is really, so again, we're having hormones, this is a totally different thing. So, we're actually going to be talking more about advocating for yourself, and ladies, but also gents listening, we always have a few good men, we often have been raised that like the doctors know best but really you know your body best and I think that this episode is one of those reminders that you can be your own best doctor and when you know your body best you can actually advocate for yourself and get the best health for yourself but especially for your hormones. And Jenny Swisher is really, I mean, like, what she's been doing since being on the podcast, really helping people understand their hormones, has been pretty epic.Brad Crowell 18:19 I just want to say that while we don't know medicine, because we're not doctors and didn't dedicate ourselves to study that there generally is logic behind the medicine. So if you're being given advice that is completely illogical or confusing to you before you just say yeah, let's do it, ask them to explain that further and understand it more. And it's okay to say that doesn't make sense to me.Lesley Logan 18:45 We didn't put the clip here. But if you want more, if you're inspired to be an advocate for yourself, definitely listen to Lindsay Miller's episode, Lindsay Moore's episode on, on being an advocate. And I do think, Brad, you make a, bring up a good point, like there is logic to it, but also they have to listen to you, like, they're not, at least in the States, they're not allowed to leave the room until you're done and you say, I have no more questions. And it is a practice. It's called a medical practice, and so they're practicing just like you'd have a Pilates practice, and so it's really, you should not feel ashamed or embarrassed to be like, hmm, I think I'm going to get another opinion on that.Brad Crowell 19:25 Yeah, yeah. That's okay. Lesley Logan 19:27 Yeah. So here is Jenny Swisher to inspire you to be your own best doctor.Jenny Swisher 19:31 I think you have to be your own best doctor. And I think, but you have to go into the the appointment knowing that, I mean, I don't know about anybody listening, but I know for me, especially after I feel like I'm an expert in sitting in doctor's offices after years of doing it, I felt like I got to the point where they were just going to diagnose or give me whatever I was leading them to. You know what I mean, like you're leading the doctor to the eventual answer. And so the more hormone literate you can become about your own body and your own cycle, for example, and in the case of hormone health, the easier it's going to be for the doctor to make those connections or to really, truly help you. I find that most people don't have the awareness that they need, the self-awareness and the body awareness of their own body to be able to go and get a proper answer from a doctor. And so it starts with that. But then when you are in that situation, when you go into it knowing like, this is how my body is supposed to operate. This is how it's supposed to feel. These are the things that I've learned about hormone health. And I'm not I'm low in energy, or I'm this, or I'm that, then you can go into the appointment and say hey, I think this is how I'm supposed to be feeling. But instead, I feel this way. What are some things that we can look into?Lesley Logan 20:35 All right. That was Episode 139, with Jenny Swisher, so you can go and listen to her full episode, if you'd like here in the Be It catalog. Again, this is a round-up of just a few of our favorite health episodes, and we hope that you're enjoying getting just some reminders of some of the epic guests we've had, or maybe we're peaking your interest in a topic that you're wanting to go back and learn more about. All of our guests are pretty amazing. And I can't believe that was like almost 300 episodes ago. Some of these are like 400 episodes ago. So, but also, like, I still take these tips. I still remember these people's tips in my daily life. I reflect back upon them, and so they really meant a lot to me.Lesley Logan 21:18 I'm Lesley Logan. Brad Crowell 21:19 And I'm Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 21:20 Thank you so much for being a listener of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. We hope that you would love this. Send one of these episodes to a friend who needs it. Especially right now, you know, sometimes we think we have to do holiday gifts. And really, you can actually be like, here's someone to listen to on your long drive to go see your family in a chaotic time, you know, like, these can be the thing that keeps people warm at night. Really, you can, like, listen, they can curl up and listen to a good podcast. And so, until next time.Brad Crowell 21:46 Bye for now.Lesley Logan 21:47 No. Until next time, Be It Till You See It. Brad Crowell 21:52 Oh. Lesley Logan 21:53 And then. Brad Crowell 21:53 So, until next time. Lesley Logan 21:55 Be It Till You See It.Brad Crowell 21:58 Bye for now.Lesley Logan 22:01 That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.Brad Crowell 22:43 It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 22:48 It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.Brad Crowell 22:53 Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 23:00 Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.Brad Crowell 23:03 Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Dr. Saptarshi Banerjea is the fifth generation of a distinguished and widely respected homoeopathic family. His insights into prescribing with his magnificent grasp of the nuances of Materia Medica make his lectures wonderfully rewarding and gives him the confidence in prescribing especially in cases with pathology. He acts as Clinical Consultant in various rural and slum clinics. In India, he often sees around 50 patients a day in his medical centres in Calcutta. Such volume requires the use of extensive ready knowledge of Clinical and Comparative Materia Medica coupled with profound intuition and application of ancestral wisdom. Saptarshi inherits his clinical acumen and wisdom from his illustrious father, Dr. Subrata K. Banerjea. Web Site Address & Link: https://saptarshibanerjea.com/ YouTube Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbXVM0VFIFxpWktnSL1cVDg Postal Address: Bengal Allen Medical Institute, "Similimum"; 46 Creek Row, Calcutta 700 014, West Bengal, India. 2 WEEKS CLINICAL HOMOEOPATHY PROGRAMME IN KOLKATA (the Mecca of Materia Medica teaching): (Approximately 160+ live cases, many of them with heavy pathology will be seen and discussed during this intensive programme) The programme has been running for 36+ years and has a consistent reputation for its professionalism and unique practical experience, where simple, traditional & non-confusing clear approach to prescribing including miasms, totality & essence with sound knowledge in Materia Medica is used (Repertory is rarely consulted). The practical method which gives your patient confidence in homoeopathy that its working within a short time. See action of homoeopathy in advanced pathologies. Observe how simple, century old, time-tested, classical homoeopathy works and develop your confidence. 2023 Dates: 25th January (Wednesday) to 9th February (Wednesday) 2023. Course Fees: British Pounds 880.00 for the entire programme (2 weeks; approximately 11 days of classes) which also includes Lunch and tea etc during the working days. Details: http://www.homoeopathy-course.com/index.php/training-courses/india-homoeopathy-training https://allencollege.co.uk/calcutta-clinical-training/ Video of 10 Good Reasons to go to Calcutta: https://www.homoeopathy-course.com/resources/video-gallery
11-26-24 The Bizarre File #1726 A cemetery has started charging five dollars per visit. A VIP pass allows you to visit after business hours. In India, a deaf and mute man was declared dead and miraculously revived before being burned. A grandmother broke a pushup world record with 1,575 pushups in an hour. A Florida man is the ‘luckiest man in the world' after surviving being stung over 100 times and falling over thirty feet from a bucket truck. All that and more in the Bizarre File!
Over the past twelve months, tales of spies and spycraft have complicated India's relationships with key Western partners.In recent months, both Canada and the United States have alleged that India's foreign intelligence agency was involved in a complex plot to identify and target Khalistani separatists who were citizens of those countries.In India, these allegations have, in turn, revealed deep skepticism about the actions of western spy agencies and the negative role they've played in India and across the Global South.A new book, Spying in South Asia: Britain, the United States, and India's Secret Cold War, offers the first comprehensive history of US and UK intelligence operations in the Indian subcontinent. The author of this book is Paul McGarr, a lecturer in Intelligence Studies at King's College London.To talk more about his new book—and the West's 50-year battle to win the hearts and minds of Indians—Paul joins Milan on the show this week.The two discuss India's tradition of spycraft, the long shadow of the British Raj, and secret collaboration between the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and its Indian counterparts. Plus, the two discuss why the covert efforts of British and American intelligence agencies in 20th century India largely proved to be misguided and self-defeating.Episode notes:1. VIDEO: “Indira Gandhi Overdid the ‘Foreign Hand' but Some of Her Fears About the CIA were real ,” The Wire, November 21, 2024.2. “Inside the Secret World of South Asia's Spies (with Adrian Levy),” Grand Tamasha, October 27, 2021.
From the BBC World Service: Set against a backdrop of political turmoil, it’s going to be a big ask for the leading rich and developing nations to sign up to any meaningful declarations. In India’s capital, Delhi, restrictions are being tightened on construction and vehicles — air quality has become so bad that a blanket of toxic smog is covering the city. And we visit Madagascar, off the coast of southern Africa, where we look at some solutions to wide-scale environmental damage.
From the BBC World Service: Set against a backdrop of political turmoil, it’s going to be a big ask for the leading rich and developing nations to sign up to any meaningful declarations. In India’s capital, Delhi, restrictions are being tightened on construction and vehicles — air quality has become so bad that a blanket of toxic smog is covering the city. And we visit Madagascar, off the coast of southern Africa, where we look at some solutions to wide-scale environmental damage.