Podcasts about in india

Particulate matter is, Michael Greenstone argues, the greatest public health threat on the planet. Worse than HIV, cigarettes, and alcohol. The average person  loses about two years of life expectancy to it. In India, the figure is three and a half years. The solution to this problem has been tested, and it works, at least in high-income countries.Greenstone and his co-authors ran a randomised controlled trial in Surat, Gujarat: from 300 industrial plants, mostly making textiles, all burning coal, half were randomly assigned to a market where pollution permits could be bought and sold. The results: in the market, pollution fell 25%, compliance was near-perfect, and abatement costs dropped 12%. The cost-benefit ratio is as high as 200 to one. Many plants in the control group asked to be moved into the market.The research behind this episode:Greenstone, Michael, Rohini Pande, Nicholas Ryan, and Anant Sudarshan. 2025. "Can Pollution Markets Work in Developing Countries? Experimental Evidence from India." Quarterly Journal of Economics 140 (2): 1003–1060. An ungated version is available as BFI Working Paper 2025-53.To cite this episode:Phillips, Tim. 2025. "Can Pollution Markets Work in Developing Countries?" VoxDev Talk (podcast).  Assign this as extra listening: the citation above is formatted and ready for a reading list or VLE.About Michael GreenstoneMichael Greenstone is the Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago, where he is the founding Director of the Energy Policy Institute at Chicago (EPIC) and the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth. His research focuses on the costs and benefits of environmental quality, including the Air Quality Life Index, which tracks the toll of particulate pollution country by country. He previously served as Chief Economist for the President's Council of Economic Advisers under President Obama. Research cited in this episodeAir Quality Life Index (AQLI), Energy Policy Institute at Chicago. The source of the life-expectancy statistics used in this episode: particulate pollution costs the average person on Earth roughly two years of life expectancy, with India averaging three and a half years. The index tracks this burden country by country, city by city.The US sulphur dioxide cap-and-trade programme, established under the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, was the canonical precedent Greenstone cited: a market that dramatically reduced acid rain in the eastern United States at costs far below pre-programme projections. He noted that the UK and EU have since built comparable CO2 markets. All have worked well. The question this experiment addressed was whether the same logic held in the developing world, where almost all the pollution now is.Emissions Market Accelerator. An independent scale-up organisation founded by Greenstone and colleagues to replicate the Gujarat model beyond the original research setting. Current pipeline: a statewide sulphur dioxide market for Maharashtra (including large power plants, not just textiles), and advanced conversations in Pakistan and Brazil. Within Gujarat, a water pollution market is also in development.More VoxDev Talks on this topicRegulating pollution in low- and middle-income countries Rohini Pande and Nicholas Ryan, two co-authors of the paper discussed in this episode, on the political economy of pollution regulation in developing countries: why enforcement is hard, and what makes it work.Air pollution and infant mortality Jennifer Burney on the health costs of particulate air pollution for young children, and what the evidence from Saharan dust patterns across Sub-Saharan Africa reveals about exposure and mortality.The Social Cost of Carbon Michael Greenstone's earlier VoxDev Talk, on how assigning a monetary value to carbon emissions can drive better policy decisions and make the case for action that regulation alone struggles to make.Related reading on VoxDevReducing air pollution: Evidence from payments to reduce crop burning in India How cash payments to farmers in northern India changed behaviour and cut the seasonal haze from crop fires that pushes Delhi's air quality to its worst each winter.Paying to pollute: How carbon offsets actually raised emissions in China A cautionary study on market-based pollution controls: when incentives point the wrong way, a market can make things worse rather than better.The effect of pollution on worker productivity: Evidence from call-centre workers in China Air pollution reduces cognitive performance and output, adding an economic productivity argument to the health case for cleaning the air.

#stockmarket #nifty50 #trumptariffs #usinflation #rbibulletin #coresector #pharmaexports #idfcfirstbank #nseindia #upl #adaniports #coalindia #investing #trading #financehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzGmhhm6ud4IDFC First Bank : Rs 590 Crore Fraud!https://shorturl.at/gM97lHow to Use Artificial Intelligence for Investing - Combo of 5 ebooksGlobal markets react to Trump raising tariffs to 15% following a Supreme Court ruling, while US GDP growth slows to 1.4%. In India, the RBI projects a favourable economic outlook with Q1 FY27 GDP growth at 6.9%. Domestic core sector growth eased to 4% in Jan, and pharma exports aim for double-digit expansion. Key corporate news covers IDFC First Bank's ₹590 crore fraud, NSE's nanosecond speed upgrade, UPL's demerger, and Adani Ports' MoU.

In India, a scourge of toxic air pollution has caused top athletes to withdraw from tournaments in Delhi; the planned refurbishment of the British Houses of Parliament could cost €18bn and force politicians to leave for 20 years; and thousands of Nigerian refugees are returning home from Cameroon.

Wat zit er in vandaag in De 7? De verhoging van de pensioenleeftijd heeft de staatskas vorig jaar 630 miljoen euro opgeleverd. Is dat eigenlijk veel? En is het dus een goede maatregel geweest? De olieprijs doorbreekt zijn halfjaarrecord. Dat heeft alles te maken met de spanningen rond Iran. Zal de VS dat land de komende dagen aanvallen? In India lobbyen honderden professionals en politici er vandaag nog op los, op de laatste dag van de AI-top in New Delhi. Wat staat daar op het spel? We praten in deze podcast met onze man ter plaatse. Host: Roan Van EyckProductie: Lara DroessaertSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In het drinkwater in delen van West-Vlaanderen zitten hoge concentraties van schadelijke stoffen. Die verwijderen is moeilijk, en dus wil Minister Brouns de normen versoepelen. Wat is er mis met het drinkwater in West-Vlaanderen? In India is een grote AI-top aan de gang, en het gastland profileert zich duidelijk. Wordt India de nieuwe AI supermacht? Er komt kritiek op het orkest van de FOD Financiën. Ambtenaren daarin repeteren tijdens de werkuren. Heeft de dienst financiën een harmonie nodig?

#stockmarket #japan #gdp #inflation #tradedeficit #reliance #torrentpower #britannia #trent #coalindia #greenhydrogen #economy #investing #finance #newsToday's update covers critical global and domestic financial shifts. Japan narrowly avoids a technical recession, though growth remains sluggish. In India, the trade deficit has widened to a three-month high as imports surge, while wholesale inflation has risen to 1.81%. Major stock updates include Torrent Power acquiring L&T's thermal plant, Reliance Consumer entering Nigeria, and Britannia pushing for e-commerce growth. Additionally, Trent targets small towns, and Coal India doubles its solar capex.[https://shorturl.at/gM97l]()How to Use Artificial Intelligence for Investing - Combo of 5 ebooks00:00 Start01:09 Japan's economy avoids technical recession02:33 Wholesale price inflation rises03:34 India-US trade deal update04:17 Imports up 19% in January 06:54 India records lowest-ever price for green hydrogen in tender07:37 Indian REITs distribute ₹2,450 crore to 380K unitholders08:07 Torrent Power agrees to acquire Nabha Power from L&T 08:46 Britannia to step up e-commerce push09:51 Tata's Trent to push deeper into small town 10:44 Coal India doubles solar capex 12:30 Reliance Consumer Products looks to tap Nigeria market13:03 Knowledge Section

Send us your feedback — we're listening“Joshua 1:9 — Jesus, Steady My Evening When I Feel Overwhelmed” Live from London, England with Reverend Ben Cooper • Canada • Mozambique • India • Argentina • Cape Verde Joshua 1:9 (NIV): “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” John 16:33 (NIV): “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” As evening arrives, Jesus, many across the world feel the weight of the day settling onto their shoulders. In India, believers pray for renewed focus after demanding hours. In the United States, many whisper quiet prayers for calm as responsibilities continue. Among Portuguese-speaking Christians, the words força and coragem flow through their hearts with hope, trusting You to guide their steps and bring reassurance into the evening atmosphere. Let this prayer become a shelter for all who feel tired or emotionally stretched at the close of the day. Joshua heard the call to be courageous not because circumstances were easy, but because You were with him. That same truth carries us now. As the light fades, steady our thoughts. Lift discouragement before it settles. Replace emotional heaviness with a sense of Your nearness. Let Your peace move gently through every overwhelmed place within us, reminding us that You have overcome what feels too difficult to face alone. Some gather in quiet homes, some travel through busy streets, some sit in workplaces finishing the final tasks of the day. Wherever we are, Jesus, centre us again. Give courage to those facing hard conversations. Give calm to those carrying burdens. Give rest to minds that have been racing. Strengthen hearts with a steady assurance that tomorrow is held firmly in Your hands. Let this evening be marked by a quiet resolve. Help us breathe deeply, walk slowly, and remember that we are not alone. Stand with us and steady every part of our inner world. Joshua 1:9 prayer, John 16:33 encouragement, evening peace prayer, overwhelmed heart devotional, Portuguese coragem força, India Christian hope, USA faith strength, global prayer uplift, 6pm devotionalJoshua 1, evening prayer, courage, devotional, Jesus hope, 6pm prayer, Portuguese Christian, India Christian, strengthSupport the showFor more inspiring content, visit RBChristianRadio.net — your home for daily devotionals, global prayer, and biblical encouragement for every season of life. We invite you to connect with our dedicated prayer hub at DailyPrayer.uk — a place where believers from every nation unite in prayer around the clock. If you need prayer, or would like to leave a request, this is the place to come. Our mission is simple: to pray with you, to stand with you, and to keep the power of prayer at the centre of everyday life. Your support through DailyPrayer.uk helps us continue sharing the gospel and covering the nations in prayer. You can also discover our ministry services and life celebrations at LifeCelebrant.net — serving families with faith, dignity, and hope. If this devotional blesses you, please consider supporting our listener-funded mission by buying us a coffee through RBChristianRadio.net. Every prayer, every gift, and every share helps us keep broadcasting God's Word to the world.

Kia ora.Welcome to Friday'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.Today we lead with news global financial markets are showing nerves ahead of tomorrow's US CPI data, not only because there is upside risk that will restrain the US Fed from, rate cuts, but also gun-shy after getting non-farm payrolls reports they basically didn't believe. Sanitised US data is a risk no-one wants (other than the White House.)First in the US, there were 248,000 initial jobless claims last week, a small decrease but the one explained by seasonal factors. There are now 2.215 mln people on these benefits, more than the 2.19 mln in the same week a year ago.And American existing home sales came in sharply lower in January that the good December level. They ran at a -4.4% lower rate than in January 2025, and even lower than the unusually low January 2024 level. They fell everywhere and was the largest fall in four years, although prices rose marginally from a year ago.The New York Fed released a detailed review of "who pays" the Trump tariff taxes, and surprise, surprise, they found it is almost exclusively (90%) Americans who pay. Who knew? They also found that after these tariffs, China's share of US imports is basically unchanged. Some people are slow learners - tariff taxes are a tax on yourself. But you have to take stage one economics to learn this stuff.In India, they released CPI inflation data overnight and it came in at 2.75%, their highest since May. And we should also probably note that protests in India are growing against their recently-agreed free-trade deal with the US.In China, their Spring Festival / Chinese New Year formally starts on Tuesday, and a lot depends on the consumer spending patterns during this two week annual break. Forward bookings for travel indicate a record level of travel, a sharp jump in international travel, and a preference for independent, non-package holidays. Thailand, Russia, Turkey and the Philippines are getting outsized bookings this year.Separately, China has rolled back its steep tariff penalty on EU dairy products.In Australia. consumer inflation expectations rose in February to 5.0%. This follows a seven-month period of below five-per cent expectations. The increase in February is present across a number of inflation expectations measures.And staying in Australia, chances are rising that extended drought conditions related to the return of an El Niño weather pattern that may come later in 2026. It will be hotter there too. If that occurs, there will be spillover implications for New Zealand, particularly for the rural sector.Global container freight rates were little-changed last week (-1%), to be -38% lower than year-ago levels. Once again, the key change were weaker outbound China rates. Although shifting in between, bulk cargo rates are essentially unchanged from a week ago, but they are +150% higher than year-ago levels. (But that base was unusually low.)The UST 10yr yield is now just over 4.11%, and down -6 bps from yesterday in a hard shift to 'safety'.The price of gold will start today down -US$122 from yesterday at US$4953/oz. Silver is down a very sharp -US$8 at US$76/oz and even more volatility.American oil prices are down -US$2 at just over US$63/bbl, while the international Brent price is now just under US$68/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is down a minor -10 bps against the USD from yesterday, now just over 60.5 USc. Against the Aussie we are up +20 bps at 85.2 AUc. We are down again against the yen. But against the euro we are unchanged at 51 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today also little-changed, still at 63.9.The bitcoin price starts today at US$66,288 and up +0.5% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at just on +/- 1.7%.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston and we'll do this again on Monday.

#stockmarket #nifty #sensex #investing #trading #finance #breakingnews #indiaeu #budget2026 #q3results #asianpaints #tataconsumer #hindalco #vedanta #axisbankhttps://shorturl.at/5nW6nBook your seat for Dubai Sessionhttps://shorturl.at/gM97lHow to Use Artificial Intelligence for Investing - Combo of 5 ebooksIndia and the EU have concluded a historic "Mother of All Deals," cutting tariffs on 90% of goods. US markets await big tech earnings and Fed policy. In India, SBI sees FY27 capex topping ₹12 lakh crore. Corporate news buzzes with Axis Bank eyeing CreditAccess, PVR selling 4700BC to Marico, and mixed Q3 results from Asian Paints and Tata Consumer. Hindalco announced a massive expansion, while Vedanta plans an OFS.00:00 Start01:14 US Canada Escalations01:54 US Europe Update02:12 Venezuelan oil offers are limited03:40 India Canada Trade deal04:56 US market update06:12 Historic India-EU Free Trade Agreement10:40 Centre's FY27 Capex Projected at ₹12 Lakh Crore12:30 Axis Bank Eyes CreditAccess Grameen Stake13:19 Asian Paints Q3 Results14:07 CG Power Q3 Net Profit Up 19pc15:16 Tata Consumer Q3 Profit Jumps 36pc16:11 PVR INOX Sells 4700BC to Marico16:45 Hindalco Announces ₹21,000 Cr Expansion17:50 Ultratech Results18:21 Vedanta to Sell Stake in Hindustan Zinc19:48 Knowledge Section

Johnny Mac shares five uplifting news stories. Brazilian civil rights lawyer Leonardo, dressed as Superman, visited children battling cancer, spreading smiles and hope. A study found evidence that kissing dates back 21 million years, involving ancient apes and Neanderthals. Lionel Richie's perfume 'Hello' was pulled from shelves due to concerns about infertility. Police recovered a $20,000 diamond-encrusted Fabergé egg from a thief who swallowed it. In India, a sports team lost 20 consecutive coin tosses, defying astronomical odds.John also hosts Daily Comedy NewsUnlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media!  For Apple users, hit the banner which says Uninterrupted Listening on your Apple podcasts app. Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories' with no commercials! Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Join today and help support the show!Get more info from Caloroga Shark Media and if you have any comments, suggestions, or just want to get in touch our email is info@caloroga.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.Today we lead with news the US dollar fell for a fourth consecutive session today, sliding to its lowest level since February 2022. It's a -3.5% devaluation in just one week. Some think the US Administration is engineering the fall to bolster its export competitiveness as the US factory sector misfires, tariffs aren't working other than raising costs, and to put pressure on the Fed ahead of its meeting next week.First up today however there was another dairy Pulse auction earlier this morning and that brought some interesting signals. The WMP price came in almost identical to last week's full auction and has been holding at this higher level since the start of 2026 when it made that 7%-plus jump. The SMP price rose a strong +5.9% today from last week, and is now +9% higher than what is was at the end of 2025.. Positive signs, but somewhat undermined by the fast-falling USD.In the US, the weekly ADP employment update recorded a weekly gain of under +8000, continuing the slow easing that they have been recording since the end of November. January non-farm payrolls which will be released at the end of next week, is currently expected to show a very tame +40,000 jobs gain which will continue the weak run that started in May 2025.And that may be optimistic, The Conference Board's consumer sentiment survey for January reported that confidence collapsed to lowest point since 2014, to levels even lower than the pandemic depths. It is now back to levels as it rose from the GFC.But the latest factory survey, this one by the Richmond Fed in the mid-Atlantic states, showed little-change from its already negative levels. New order levels rose marginally however, but because that is on a dollar basis it might just be because the same survey shows high price increase activity, required by even higher cost increase levels.More positive was the January Dallas Fed services survey, which moved up into positive territory in January after four months of consecutive retreat.Today's US Treasury 5yr Note auction brought the same median yield rise from the prior equivalent event a month ago. Higher risk premiums are getting embeddedIn China, industrial profits rose +5.3% in December from the same month a year ago. They will be pleased with that because for the whole of calendar 2025 they were up merely +0.6% (and would have declined but for the December rise).In India, we can confirm the signing of their big trade deal with the EU, removing both tariff and non-tariff barriers.. The US isn't happy.In Europe, we should note that Swedish officials are looking at what it would take to ditch the krona in favour of the euro. An independent review has already pointed out that the benefits would greatly outweigh the costs. The Swedes last voted on this issue in 2003.In Australia, business sentiment as measured by the NAB survey, was stable and mildly positive in December. Business conditions however improved more strongly on better sales and margins.Later today, Australia will publish its December CPI result, and after the strong labour market for January, will be closely followed and could very well move financial markets. They had 3.4% inflation in November and this December result is expected to be 3.6%. This will be very influential on the RBA's deliberations at next Tuesday's cash rate target review.The UST 10yr yield is now just on 4.23%, up +2 bps from this time yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$5087/oz, unchanged from yesterday and holding at its record high. Silver is down to US$107/oz. Platinum has fallen more sharply and now at US$2522, down -US$335/oz from yesterday.American oil prices are up +US$1 at just under US$62/bbl, while the international Brent price is softish, now just under US$67/bbl and up a bit more. This is all USD devaluation-driven.The Kiwi dollar is up +50 bps from yesterday, now at 60.2 USc as the greenback goes into another devaluation stage. Against the Aussie we are down -10 bps at 86.3 AUc. Against the euro we are also down -20 bps at just on 50.2 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just under 63.7, and up +20 bps from yesterday, its highest since late September.The bitcoin price starts today at US$88,576 and up +1.0% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been low at just under +/- 0.9%.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston and we'll do this again tomorrow.

Kia ora,Welcome to Monday'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.Today we lead with news we need to keep an eye on the 'Sell America' trade, which until now has been more headlines that substance and mainly about China's divestment in US Treasuries. But the Greenland kerfuffle has triggered a serious rethink by many pension fund managers, and more are taking this action.But first, the week ahead will be a relatively quiet one locally on the data front, but we will get a big range of December banking sector data, allowing us to cap the 2025 year on a number of important metrics. In Australia, the key event will be Wednesday's CPI data where it is expected to rise to 3.6%, the final indicator before next week's RBA rate review.Globally, all eyes will be on the gold price and its expected push up through US$5000/oz which could come early in the week.And in the US, all eyes will be on the Fed and its January 29 meeting, amid increasingly contrasting takes by voting members on the appropriate rate path. But most things related to public policy are in turmoil in the US, and the Fed's position is just part of that. We will be watching for bond market reactions.Elsewhere, official interest rate decisions are expected in Canada, Brazil, and Sweden, and the Bank of Japan will publish meeting minutes.An don't forget it is a holiday today in the north of the North Island (Auckland Anniversary Day), and in Australia (Australia Day),In the first news up today, China released its December FDI data overnight and it was negative again. For all of 2025 foreign direct investment fell -9.5%, following a sharp -24.7% fall in 2024 and that makes it the third consecutive year of contraction. December alone recorded a good pickup from November but even with that it was -7% lower than the December 2024 month. But at least it didn't shrink as it did in November from October.China also release minimum wage rate data that showed 27 of the country's 31 provincial jurisdictions have increased monthly minimum wages over the past year, with half introducing double-digit rises.In an interview with state media Xinhua, the Chinese central bank governor indicated that cuts to their interest rates and reserve ratio requirements are on the cards in 2026.Taiwan said industrial production surged more than +21% in December from the same month a year ago, the strongest growth since May. For all of 2025 it was up +16.7%, so the latest activity is an acceleration. But their local retail sector is not showing the same exuberance, up just +0.9% in December from a year ago but down -0.2% for all of 2025. Consumers there are prioritising saving over spending, just like in the country to their west.Japanese inflation eased to 2.1% in December from 2.9% in November, the lowest since March 2022. Food inflation fell to a 13-month low of +5.1%, driven by the slowest rise in rice prices in 16 months.The Japanese January 'flash' PMIs were quite positive with private sector output expanding at their quickest rate for nearly a year-and-a-half to start 2026.The Japanese central bank reviewed its monetary policy and no change was made, held at 0.75% - because an election is imminent. But now inflation concerns seem to be easing too. But markets are on alert for official intervention to support the yen.In India, their 'flash' January PMIs rose across both sectors, maintaining the very high rates of economic expansion there.We are starting to get the early January PMI reports for many key economies. The US factory version was little-changed in a modest expansion and it was the same for their services sector. But both recorded slightly better new order flows. Both noted cost pressures from their tariff-taxes. But as you will note from below this expansion lags most of the other large global economies.The Conference Board's leading economic indicator tracking for the US isn't positive reading, with the latest update reporting further declines.In Canada, their retail sector reported good gains in November, up +3.1% from a year ago, but these may not have extended into December, according to their overnight update.In the EU, output continues to rise in January and business confidence strengthened. That raised their factory PMIs to expansion, but their services PMI's hesitated.In Australia this week, they posted stronger than expected labour market data. That has sharply changed financial market pricing. And in turn there has been a rush by banks, both a major (NAB) and some challengers, to hike their fixed home loan rates today. They get their December CPI result next week and it is widely expected to challenge the upper end of their policy tolerance. If it does, suddenly Australian floating mortgage rates are at risk of a rise on February 3, 2026. If they do hike then, the Aussie policy rate will be 3.85% (3.60% +25 bps). And that will put it 160 bps higher than the RBNZ current 2.25%. It has been 14 years since this difference was that large.In Australia, private sector output expanded at its fastest pace in five months in December according to the S&P Global 'flash' PMI report. Both the factory and services sector expansions picked up, the services sector more than the factory sector however. Faster new order growth, including for exports, was a noted feature.And we should probably note that China received its first shipment of iron ore from their giant African mine at Simandou, Guinea. This likely marks a shift in China's iron ore import focus, likely to Australia's detriment.The UST 10yr yield is now just on 4.24%, down -2 bps from this time Saturday. And here is something to keep an eye on, Europe's largest pension fund cut its holdings of US Treasury debt sharply in 2025, a trend that seems to be gathering steam, the 'sell America' trade, one started by Norway's sovereign wealth fund late last year.The price of gold will start today at US$4983/oz, up a minor +US$1 from Saturday bit still a new record again. US$5000 could come quickly now. Silver is up +US$2/oz at US$103/oz and also a record high. Platinum ihas eased marginally to US$2741/oz.American oil prices are holding at Saturday's at just on US$61/bbl, while the international Brent price is firmish, now just under US$66/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is little-changed from Saturday, still at about 59.4 USc. That makes it almost a -2c loss for the greenback for the week. Against the Aussie we are up +10 bps at 86.3 AUc. Against the euro we are down -10 bps at just on 50.3 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just under 63.1, and up +10 bps from Saturday, its highest since late September, and up +150 bps for the week.And we should probably note that the official Chinese yuan setting by the Peoples Bank of China slipped below 7 to the US dollar in Saturday's fixing, the first time it has done that since May 2023. Although to be fair, most currencies are rising against the USD, ours included.The bitcoin price starts today at US$87,968 and down -2.0% from this time Saturday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at just under +/- 1.0%.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston and we'll do this again tomorrow.

#stockmarket #nifty #sensex #investing #trading #finance #breakingnews #q3results #economy #gold #inflation #geopolitics #adanigroup #indigo #bandhanbankhttps://shorturl.at/xy8USHow to Achieve Financial Freedom - Offline Workshop by Parimal Ade & Gaurav Jain (Dubai)https://shorturl.at/gM97lHow to Use Artificial Intelligence for Investing - Combo of 5 ebooksGlobal markets rallied as geopolitical tensions eased and US inflation held steady at 2.8%. In India, the IMF warned that pollution poses a bigger economic threat than tariffs, while a PwC survey projects 6.5-7% growth for FY27. Q3 earnings were mixed: Adani Energy, Premier Energies, and APL Apollo posted strong gains, while IndiGo and Bandhan Bank saw profits plunge due to one-off impacts and operational costs.01:11 Geopolitics Update02:59 Board of peace04:03 Trilateral Peace Talks04:42 Is Iran next on Trump's list?05:29 US Markets & Greenland Deal09:06 US Inflation Data10:22 India GDP Growth Forecast10:47 IMF on Pollution in India11:43 Bandhan Bank Q3 Results12:18 Mphasis Q3 Earnings12:52 Cyient Q3 Profit Drop13:12 Adani Energy Q3 Surge14:09 APL Apollo Tubes Record Q314:47 IndiGo Q3 Profit Plunge15:36 Knowledge Section

1914. In India, the British government attempts to convince a growing independence movement that Indians enjoy all the benefits of subjecthood, including free movement within the Empire.  A key test of that proposition comes in British Columbia.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-nations-of-canada--4572969/support.

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.Today we lead with news the Powell resistance to Trump has garnered unexpectedly wide support, nationally and internationally, reinvigorating "central bank independence" positions. It also has many Trump supporters worried, if the 'right-wing press' is any indication.First up today, the overnight Pulse dairy auction of milk powders extended last week's full auction gains for both SMP and WMP. And they were good gains, with SMP +2.1% higher than a week ago, and WMP +1.2% higher on the same basis.In the US, the December CPI data released overnight recorded no-change from their November levels, at 2.7% or 2.6% on a 'core' basis. Both are still above the US Fed target. Food prices are up +3.1% and rents up +3.2% within this survey.The ADP weekly jobs data shows a similar +11,000 jobs gain last week, a rate that would confirm January's net hiring as slower than the slow December.US new home sales held at the higher 737,000 annual rate in October, a good result in the circumstances, but now quite dated data.This data will get more 'interesting' in 2026 with news that more migrants left the US than entered. While the net outflow wasn't large (for the US) at possibly about -300,000, the expectation is that it will be similar in 2026. This is the first time in 50 years they have shed people. It has certainly lost its 'welcoming' reputation - for both potential migrants, and for travelers.We got more recent sentiment surveys overnight, The RCM/TIPP survey was more downbeat in January than December and more so than expected - although to be fair the shifts weren't large - they just went the 'wrong' way.But the NFIB survey was little-changed - negative yes (below 100 still), but marginally less so.In Japan, their official "economy watchers survey" was also little-changed, although the forward looking section became marginally more optimistic.Meanwhile, bank lending in Japan rose 4.4% in December from a year ago. That growth was well above what was anticipated. If you ignore than pandemic distortion, that was at least a 25 year high, and probably very much longer.And Japan is on watch, with many expecting Prime Minister Takaichi to call a snap election very soon to bolster her conservative clout in the Diet. That saw the yen tumble and equities soar yesterday. Benchmark bond yields rise sharply too.In India, they released their December vehicle sales data overnight, reporting a very strong +20.6% gain from the same month a year ago, capping a year of +5.0% growth. Apparently their GST rate reduction for other products improved the overall affordability situation for many buyers.In Australia, consumer sentiment as measured in the Westpac survey has shifted lower and is more pessimistic in January. While confidence is still well above the extreme lows recorded during the protracted ‘cost of living' crisis in 2022–2024, consumers are becoming more concerned about what 2026 may bring for family finances and the wider economy. The main catalyst continues to be a sharp turn in interest rate expectations. Nearly two thirds of consumers with a view now expect mortgage rates to move higher over the next 12 months, more than double the level back in September.The UST 10yr yield is now just on 4.17%, down -1 bp from this time yesterday. The key 2-10 yield curve is still at +64 bps.The price of gold will start today at US$4610/oz, and down -US$7 from yesterday, essentially holding yesterday's big run-up on the risks from the unsettled US Fed. Silver is still rising, now almost US$87/oz.American oil prices are up US$2.50 from yesterday at just under US$61.50/bbl, while the international Brent price is still at just under US$65.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is down -20 bps from yesterday, now at just over 57.4 USc. Against the Aussie we are up +20 bps at 86 AUc. Against the euro we are down -10 bps at just on 49.3 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just under 61.6, and down -20 bps from yesterday.The bitcoin price starts today at US$93,492 and up +1.5% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has again been modest, also at just on +/- 1.5%.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston and we'll do this again tomorrow.

Kia ora,Welcome to Tuesday'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.Today we start with news of gold and other commodity prices have pushed up into record territories again as geopolitical risks rise. (Crypto's are notable by their impotence in the background, irrelevant in this environment.)Perhaps one reason is in the US, where the President has used his weaponised Justice Department to pressure the Federal Reserve to bow to his will. The clearly bogus criminal charges are being resisted by chairman Powell. The unseemly crisis could aggravate risk premiums worldwide. So far interest rates have remained stable (you can be sure that bond markets will be watching intensely), but the USD is noticeably weaker.It has not been in the limelight recently, but we should note that US grain farmers are facing tough trading, with them being shut out from the China trade for soybean and corn. Trump seem to have thrown them under the bus.In India, consumer price inflation rose to 1.3% in December from 0.7% in November but below the market consensus of 1.5%. Despite the rise, this rate remains well below the Reserve Bank of India's tolerance limit of 2%-6%. Prices fell less for food (down -2.7%), which represent nearly half of the consumer basket.In Australia, household spending rose strongly in November, up +1.0% from October, up +6.3% from November a year ago. This result was much better than expected.And Australia said it will y and stockpile key rare-earth minerals from domestic producers to strengthen defence and technology supply chains and reduce reliance on China. They are initially focusing on antimony and gallium under a new A$1.2 bln program.The UST 10yr yield is now just over 4.18%, up +1 bp from this time yesterday. Wall Street has opened its week with the S&P500 very little-changed, up +0.1%. We should perhaps note that serial underperformer Rakon has received another takeover bid from a previous suitor, this one less than the last, and the frustrated shareholders look like they will finally accept. They will put the mismanagement misery behind them, it seems. They will be selling for $1.55/share. These shares peaked at $5.60 back in the day, $2.08 in 2022. Today they are $1.36, so the market isn't yet pricing in a full chance of the takeover.At the other end of the scale we should also note that Alphabet (Google) briefly hit US$4 ​trln in market valuation earlier today, the second company to do that after Nvidia, as they sharpened their AI gains, both with impressive integrated solutions, and a recent deal with Apple (who was pushed into third place on the valuation table).The price of gold will start today at US$4617/oz, and up +US$108 from yesterday on the risks from the unsettled US Fed. Silver is now up at over US$80.50/oz.American oil prices are unchanged from yesterday at just on US$59/bbl, while the international Brent price is still at just under US$63.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is up +40 bps from yesterday, now at just under 57.7 USc. Against the Aussie we are up +10 bps at 85.8 AUc. Against the euro we are up +10 bps as well at just under 49.4 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just on 61.7, and up +30 bps from yesterday.In offshore trading the Chinese yuan (CNH) has strengthened well past the 4:USD level, and rising.The bitcoin price starts today at US$92,071 and up +1.2% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest, also at just on +/- 1.2%.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston and we'll do this again tomorrow.

Kia ora,Welcome to Monday'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.Today we start with news of plenty of trade and economic action, some good, some not so.But first, some official data will start to be released locally this week, with November building permits and employment indicators, both for November, and the monthly December "selected price increases" covering mainly food and rent. We get the latest update to the NZIER business confidence survey this week too.In Australia, they will also release November building permit data, job vacancy data and household spending data, all for November too. The Westpac consumer sentiment survey will come as well, along with inflation expectation survey results.China's trade data for December will come out this week, and we expect the 2025 surplus to exceed US$1 tln. They will also release December new yuan lending data, expected to be better than November.From Japan we will get machine tool order data. In India, it will be about inflation data.In the US, the early Q4-2025 earnings reports will come from their big banks. Retail sales data is also due. But most eyes will be on the US December CPI result which is expected to be unchanged at 2.7%, although it is from an agency where the President inserted a lackey to keep an eye on their data.That same agency released their December US non-farm payrolls report over the weekend and it was something of a damp squib, but markets seemed to like it. The US economy added just +50,000 payroll jobs in December, less than a downwardly revised +56,000 in November and below forecasts of +60,000. These are the seasonally adjusted numbers. The raw data shows payrolls falling -192,000 and quite different to the equivalent small rise in December 2024. The broader population survey has overall employment falling -335,000 in December (double the 2024 change).The US unemployment rate ended the year at 4.4%, a tick less than November's 4.5% but well above December 2024's 4.1% (and December 2023's 3.8%). Average weekly earnings rose +3.8% from a year ago, keeping pace with inflation.Most analysts now see almost no chance of a rate cut at the Fed's January 29, 2026 meeting. Trump's inserted Miran remains an almost lone voice.US consumer debt trends are showing similar signs of stress and are looking topped-out. Total debt rose by only +US$4.2 bln in November and well below market expectations of a modest +$10 bln rise. It is equivalent to a +1% annual rise. Revolving debt (credit cards, etc.) fell at an annual rate of -1.9% while non-revolving debt, which includes car and student loans, went up +2.0%.So the latest update of a key consumer sentiment survey (this one from the University of Michigan) remained very low but little-changed in January from December and -25% lower than year-ago levels, -17% lower than two years ago.And we should note that markets are now expecting the US Supreme Court to rule on its tariff case possibly on Thursday.In Canada, employment was little-changed in December, up a minor +8200. But full-time employment grew +50,100 while part-time jobs shrank -42,000. It will be a rebalancing they will welcome. Their employed workforce is 21.1 mln, up +1.1% from a year ago. Analysts see much less of a chance of interest rate hikes in 2026 after this labour market result.In Japan, household spending was expected to bounce back in November after the weak October result. It did, but by very much more than expected. That was enough to take it up +2.9% from a year ago and very much better than the market expectations for a -0.9% decline. It was the steepest rise since May, supported by higher winter-related purchases and easing inflation pressures on some essential goods.Chinese CPI inflation is staying very low even if it did rise slightly in December. It came in +0.8% higher than year ago levels, marginally higher than in November. Beef prices were up +6.9% however from a year ago, sheep meat prices up +4.4% on the same basis. Milk prices (now bundled into "dairy products") were down -1.8% on that annual basis. All these food price rises were a key reason for the overall CPI rise.Taiwanese exports were up +43% in December from a year ago, rising to the second-highest monthly level on record. The pace slowed from an unusual +56% burst in November. It says a lot about expectations in Taiwan that analysts were expecting a +46% rise.Indian bank lending rose +14.5% in December from a year ago, the most in two years.In Europe, retail sales rose at a + 2.3% year-on-year volume rate in November, up from a revised +1.9% in October and well above market expectations of just +1.6%. The return of rising consumer spending will be welcomed in the bloc. This impulse is broadly back to what they had in the 2017-2019 period.We should note as well that the EU, after overcoming deep dissension among its members (especially by France), gave the green light to a sweeping free trade deal with four South American countries (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) to create one of the largest free-trade zones in the world, connecting markets with more than 700 million people. The deal probably got over the line because of reaction to Trump's isolationist policies. It is interesting that this deal includes Argentina, which the US is propping up financially.The UST 10yr yield is now just over 4.17%, down -1 bp from this time Saturday, down -2 bps from a week ago. The price of gold will start today at US$4508/oz, and up +US$8 from Saturday, up +US$195/oz from a week ago. Silver is now up at US$80/oz. Aluminium is on the move up as well at US$3148/tonne and apart from the pandemic distortion, that is a new record high.American oil prices are down -50 USc from Saturday at just over US$59/bbl, while the international Brent price is still at just under US$63.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar is unchanged from Saturday, now at just under 57.3 USc.  Against the Aussie we are also unchanged at 85.7 AUc. Against the euro we are little-changed as well at just under 49.3 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just on 61.4, and unchanged from Saturday, down -30 bps from a week ago.The bitcoin price starts today at US$90,953 and down -0.5% from this time Saturday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been very low at just on +/- 0.4%.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston and we'll do this again tomorrow.

Send us a textRegister your free place for the live online meditation and Q&A with Babaji: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/online-satsang Purpose of Life | In Quest of Truth - Babaji Q&A, No. 254Recorded on 6 December 2025 with worldwide participants.0:00 Intro0:06 Does like have a purpose, and if so what is it?2:55 In our society a purpose is generally not clearly defined, or they say it is to be a good citizen, have a good life etc.  Is this wrong?5:23 Is grace of God or Divinity necessary to know this purpose of life?10:18 The vast majority of people do not have the wisdom to have the purpose of life that Babaji talks of.  How can they get out of this trap?15:39 Is there an ideal age when we should start striving for this purpose in life?21:04 In India there is a notion that one goes for Self Realization and God only in old age.  Is this a right or wrong cultural norm?28:18 If one is unlucky, having only started on the right purpose later on in life, what should we do in this situation?31:34 Is there an advantage depending on the situation, ie what nationality, religion, gender, wealth etc you are born into?35:26 Is the purpose of life common for all, including animals, plants and all living beings - is there an advantage in being born as a human being?40:52 If the purpose of life is to know the truth of one's existence, should we drop everything else and concentrate just on this?44:15 Is this purpose to know our true Self a purely selfish pursuit or is there a value to others also?46:53 If death claims the body before we are able to achieve this purpose in this lifetime, is this effort wasted?49:29 Can one achieve worldly things through the power of positive thinking?51:45 How to balance the inner journey and the outer journey?53:43 Practice of Yoga Asanas to help body to sit for longer periods.54:39 Does Brahmacharya arise through willpower or sadhana?55:42 If there are 172 people here, are there 172 different imagined universes meeting with you here?56:43 What did Babaji experience in Tapas that gave him a firm conviction that reincarnation exists?57:34 Is putting effort to achieve silence in the mind the path to the highest possible purpose and the meaning of life?58:14 How to cultivate a non-corrupt mind?59:40 How long do you need to keep a mind without thought in order to become Self Realized?1:00:50 What is the diffference between the brain and the mind?1:02:00 What is the relationship between your consciousness and the thoughts?1:02:45 How to counsel someone who is suffering from trauma, loss and hardship and wanting an escape through unhealthy habits like addictions?1:04:03 How do we know that we are on the right path and we will reach Self Realization in this lifetime?___Website: http://www.srby.orgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/shivarudrabalayogiTwitter: https://twitter.com/SRBYmissionInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivarudrabalayogi/Register your free place for the live online meditation and Q&A with Babaji: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/en/online-satsang Website: http://www.srby.orgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/shivarudrabalayogiTwitter: https://twitter.com/SRBYmissionInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivarudrabalayogi/

Why do successful people feel the most overwhelmed during the holidays? You've built something impressive, you're capable of managing complex projects and leading teams, yet the moment the holidays arrive, you're barely hanging on. You're over-functioning for everyone else, saying yes when you mean no, and by the time you collapse into bed, your mind won't stop racing about everything you still need to do tomorrow. Who is Sara Intonato? Sara Intonato is the founder of Autism Changemakers, a parent coach, consultant, and bestselling author. She's also been a yoga teacher and nervous system practitioner for over 20 years. Her work is rooted in ancient, time-tested practices from her 11 trips to India to study Ashtanga yoga, supporting parents of nonspeaking autistic children to regulate their nervous systems in high-stakes moments where safety is a concern and regulation isn't optional. Sara's Story: Why Ancient Practices Matter in Our Instant Gratification World Sara took her first trip to India in her early 20s thinking she'd have a beautiful spiritual experience and get it out of her system. Instead, she discovered that to truly master something, there's no shortcut. You can't buy a certificate or complete a weekend training. You have to show up day after day, year after year, and let the practice change you. What makes Sara different from the trendy breathwork facilitators flooding the coaching space is her commitment to teaching these practices properly. In India, she learned that advanced breathwork practices were withheld from students until they had a strong foundation because introducing them too soon would be "crazy making." They would move energy around so profoundly that students wouldn't be able to manage it. This is exactly what Sara sees happening now in mainstream wellness culture. Coaches are throwing breathwork into their programs after minimal training, parents and professionals are trying to release trauma without knowing how to regulate what comes up, and people are more dysregulated than ever. Sara brings these ancient tools to her clients and students in bite-sized pieces that are safe and effective for all levels, because who needs more chaos in their life right now? What we talk about in this episode: Why the holidays trigger grief and overwhelm for high achievers. It's not just about being busy. The holidays stir up emotions that feel inconvenient, whether it's comparing your reality to what you thought life would look like, dealing with family dynamics that activate old wounds, or simply the pressure to make everything magical while you're running on fumes. This episode normalizes that you can feel successful and still struggle during this season. The one-minute breathing practice that will ground you anywhere, anytime. Equal breathing through the nose (four counts in, four counts out) for just one minute is enough to shift your nervous system from reactive to regulated. No special equipment, no mantras, no perfect conditions required. Sara explains exactly how to do this practice and why engaging your throat slightly (like you're gargling) activates your vagus nerve and creates deeper regulation. Why you can't help anyone when you're dysregulated. Sara works with parents managing aggressive behaviors and safety concerns with their children. The homework is always the same: regulate yourself first. When you're dysregulated, you escalate everyone around you. When you ground yourself, you create space for co-regulation. This applies whether you're parenting, leading a team, or trying to survive Christmas dinner with your in-laws. The ice cube trick that interrupts spiraling thoughts instantly. When you can't escape the room or take a minute to breathe, grab some ice cubes. Hold them for one minute. The intense sensation forces you into presence because you literally can't think about anything else. It's a pattern interrupt that brings you back to your body so you can respond instead of react. How to train your mind to concentrate using Zen Buddhist meditation. Set a timer for five minutes and count each breath (inhale one, exhale two, up to ten, then start over). Every time your mind wanders to Aunt Patty's comment or your to-do list, go back to one and start again. Don't be surprised if you don't get past two. This isn't about perfection, it's about observing where your mind goes without judgment and teaching it to concentrate on one thing: your breath. Why reactivity is destroying our ability to make good decisions. We live in an Amazon Prime culture where everything is instant. But this reactivity is getting in the way of our functioning. We think every thought and feeling requires immediate action. This practice teaches your nervous system that it's okay to sit with discomfort, to not scratch the itchy nose, to let your foot fall asleep during meditation. Everything will pass. You won't die from waiting. The real reason you can't feel holiday magic (and it's not the circumstances). Holiday magic is just presence. That's it. But how can you possibly enjoy being here now when your mind is in five different places? Sara shares how she creates magic by putting on Christmas music, baking, and allowing herself to just be in the moment because life will be plenty busy in January. The magic isn't external fairy dust, it's choosing to be present. What your kids will actually remember about this season. It's not how many vegetables they ate or how organized the gift wrapping was. They'll remember how you felt. Your energy is what people experience from you. If you're emanating stress and overwhelm, that's what everyone will carry from their interactions with you. The quality of your life, your relationships, your work changes drastically when you take the time to regulate yourself. This episode is for you if you've ever: Felt like you're barely hanging on through the holidays, one comment away from snapping Snapped at your kids or partner after a long day, then felt guilty for not being present Numbed with food, wine, or scrolling because slowing down feels uncomfortable Thought "I don't have time for mindfulness or nervous system practices" Believed meditation and breathwork are too complicated or not for people like you Been the strong one everyone leans on while you're quietly crumbling inside Said yes to holiday commitments when you meant no because it feels easier Collapsed into bed exhausted but your mind won't stop racing about tomorrow Wondered "how much longer can I keep this up?" Known you should take better care of yourself but always run out of time and energy Built a life people admire but feel like you're missing the magic everyone else seems to experience Felt reactive and stressed, robbing yourself and your family of presence and connection How to Stop Being Reactive and Start Being Present Here's what most people miss about nervous system regulation: they think it requires complicated practices, special training, or hours of time they don't have. So they do nothing. They stay in reactivity, they over-function for everyone else, and they wonder why the holidays feel so overwhelming instead of magical. But Sara's work proves that regulation doesn't require perfection or massive time investments. It requires one minute. Four counts in, four counts out. Ice cubes in your hands when you can't escape the room. Counting your breath when your mind is spinning. The cost of staying dysregulated isn't just that you feel stressed. It's that your children remember mom as a ball of stress. Your colleagues remember your overwhelm, not your competence. Your partner experiences your reactivity, not your love. You rob yourself of the presence and connection you're craving because you think you don't have time to regulate. Ready to stop feeling overwhelmed and start feeling present? If you're reading this and recognizing yourself, if you've been running on fumes for so long that you don't even remember what regulated feels like, it's time to stop. The Congruency Audit is where we look at the gap between the success you've built on the outside and what you're actually feeling on the inside. We'll identify the exact patterns keeping you stuck in over-functioning and reactivity, the wounds driving your need to be strong for everyone else, and what it's going to take for you to finally create success that feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside. This isn't about adding more to your plate. It's about understanding why you keep saying yes when you mean no, why you can't give yourself permission to rest, and what needs to shift so you can finally stop running and start being present. How To Thrive Through The Silly Season Workbook: https://lisacarpenter.ca/holidays/ Book your free Congruency Audit: lisacarpenter.ca/audit And if you know you need more than a 15-minute call, if you're craving a complete reset where you can step away from the noise and actually remember who you are beneath all the doing, Sara and I are taking a small group on a walking pilgrimage along the Camino in Spain in September 2026.  Learn more HERE This isn't a vacation. It's a sacred reset. Six days walking more than 100 kilometers with daily coaching, integration circles, yoga, breathwork, and deep conversations that help you release what's been weighing you down. Spaces are intentionally limited to ensure intimacy and depth of support. When it fills, it closes. Learn more at lisacarpenter.ca. Connect with Sara Intonato: Website: https://www.saraintonato.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sara.intonato/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-intonato-23036b172   If you listen on Spotify:  Open the Spotify app on your phone. Search for Lisa Carpenter and open her podcast page. Tap the three dots under the podcast description. Choose Rate show from the menu. Select your star rating and tap Submit. This isn't about optimizing the version of yourself you built to survive. It's about creating congruence so the life you've built doesn't just look good, it finally feels right.

In the last 20 years, the world of whisky has exploded, being transformed beyond recognition.What was once a croft industry in the Scottish Highlands and Islands has spread around the world. The Scots' craft has spread out across the world, from Ireland and Wales to Japan, India and beyond. In India alone, tens of millions of cases of whisky are made each year. And even the English have been getting on the act.What's driven the change? How has the craft of whisky-making changed, if at all? And how have we gone from a world where once your grandad laid a few bottles down under the stairs to one in which the world's finest and rarest single malts have become an investment-class commodity?This week's Country Life Podcast sees James Fisher joined by Kevin Balmforth, cask master at Glenlivet, and Andrew Simpson, international brand ambassador for Chivas Brothers, to talk through all this and more. From the 60-year-old bottle auctioned off at £650,000 to the astonishing image of the six million casks lying in wait for future generations to taste, it's a fascinating listen.Episode creditsHost: James FisherGuests: Kevin Balmforth and Andrew SimpsonProducer and editor: Toby KeelMusic: JuliusH via Pixabay Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The horrific Bondi Beach attack in Australia was pulled into Israel's global information war this past week. As blame was directed towards pro-Palestine politics, media narratives blurred Jewish identity and Israeli state policy - raising urgent questions about who is put at risk when Israel's anti-Palestinian messaging travels beyond its borders. Contributors: Naama Blatman – Executive member, Jewish Council of Australia Ori Goldberg – Academic and political commentator Antony Loewenstein – Author, The Palestine Laboratory Ramia Sultan – Palestinian Australian lawyer On our radar The outspoken and irreverent Hong Kong media mogul - Jimmy Lai - was convicted this week of conspiring with foreign forces. Tariq Nafi reports on how the Chinese Communist Party is tightening its grip on Hong Kong through its media. The pervasiveness of Hindutva pop In India, Hindu nationalism, or "Hindutva", has spread into a variety of media platforms. Meenakshi Ravi explores its musical subgenre, Hindutva pop, and speaks to one of its biggest names. Featuring: Kanhiya Mittal – Musician Kunal Purohit – Author, The Secretive World of Hindutva Pop Stars Samriddhi Sakunia – Journalist and current affairs Instagrammer

Post Malone BioSnap a weekly updated Biography.Post Malone has spent the last several days doing what has quietly become his brand in late 2025: turning high‑risk live spectacle, global travel, and relentless meme moments into long‑term biography fuel. In India, fan video widely shared by TMZ and covered by outlets like Taste of Country and Stereogum shows Post coming down a set of stairs barefoot during Sunflower, slipping, and dramatically tumbling down the remaining steps, red Solo cup in hand. Security swarmed, but he popped back up, hugged fans, accepted flowers, and appeared unharmed, reinforcing the now familiar narrative of Posty as the clumsy but indestructible stadium act who has fallen through a trap door in St. Louis, toppled off a catwalk in Arizona, and somehow keeps bouncing back and going bigger.That India appearance is part of a broader international push that continues this week as he heads to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where Music Business Worldwide reports he is one of the marquee superstars booked for MDLBEASTs massive Soundstorm 2025 festival alongside Calvin Harris, Cardi B, and other global names, a booking that cements his status as a top‑tier festival closer in one of the fastest‑growing music markets on the planet. Industry executives there openly describe Soundstorm as a City of Beats built for global superstars, which means his inclusion is not a casual check; it is another data point that Post Malone is now a structural part of the global festival economy, not a passing trend.On the business and branding side, Universal Music Group announced new UMusic Shop flagships in New York and London featuring exclusive vinyl and merch tied to key roster acts including Post Malone, a reminder that his name now functions as an anchor for premium retail alongside artists like Billie Eilish and the Rolling Stones. Local Arizona coverage of a new Raising Canes in Buckeye continues to reference the chains high‑profile partnership with him, proof that even regional development stories treat Post as shorthand for pop‑culture cachet.Meanwhile, a cluster of blogs and clicky wellness sites are pushing alarmed headlines about his holiday‑season weight loss. Those pieces largely recycle fan concern and older speculation; there is no new on‑the‑record medical information from Post, his team, or major news organizations, so any suggestion of illness remains unconfirmed and should be treated as speculation rather than fact.Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOtaThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

The Spanish government has fined property rentals giant Airbnb €64m ($75m) for advertising unlicensed apartments. Andres Barragan, Secretary General for Consumer Affairs in the Spanish Government, tells this programme that the short term rent for tourism is rising the rent price.In India, pollution is grinding the economy to a halt.And in Paris, workers at the Louvre are on strike in a dispute over demand for extra staff and measures to tackle overcrowding.You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033.

In 1972, Śrīla Prabhupāda made a down payment on the land in Juhu beach, Bombay, intending to build Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, a beautiful temple there. Even though Śrīla Prabhupāda had made a down payment on the land, the owner, who had a past history of shady dealings, had not yet handed over the land deed to ISKCON as he had promised he would do. Śrīla Prabhupāda saw indications that the owner might change his mind and decide not to sell the land, or worse, he may try to cheat the devotees and keep the down payment. In India, when one installs deities on a piece of land legally, it secures one's hold on the land, as the deities become the proprietors, and no one else will dare to move them. Therefore, to secure the Juhu land, Śrīla Prabhupāda moved the Deities Śrī Śrī Rādhā Rāsa-Bihārī there as quickly as possible after giving the down payment. Just after doing this, he also performed a ceremony to lay the cornerstone for the temple he intended to build there, another act that legally solidifies one's right to keep and stay on the piece of land. At first, due to a lack of facility, the devotees had to worship Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in a tent. After some years of intense struggle, Śrīla Prabhupāda and his followers developed the land, relocating the previous renters, and established a beautiful temple there that today hosts millions of people every year. As humans, we have the chance to build such a temple in our hearts. Our bodies are like that Juhu land. Just as Śrīla Prabhupāda quickly installed the deities on the Juhu land, we should also install Kṛṣṇa in our hearts as soon as possible, before death comes and cheats us, taking away our opportunity. By making a firm vow to chant the holy names a fixed number of times each day, we lay the cornerstone for a temple in our hearts where we can properly worship Kṛṣṇa. As Śrīla Prabhupāda pushed forward to secure the Juhu land, we must also push forward against all odds to ready our hearts for Kṛṣṇa's worship. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

In India, the average woman hits menopause by age 46, five years earlier than the global average.Nearly 1 in 5 women experience early or premature menopause—many before they even turn 40.Yet, over 60% of them go through it without medical support.There's a point in every woman's life when her body starts speaking a new language - think hot flashes, sleepless nights, weight gain, mood swings, and a deep, inexplicable fatigue. Sounds familiar?We're talking about menopause. And yet, for something so universal, most of us enter it feeling completely unprepared. In this episode of Kidsstoppress Podcasts, Mansi Zaveri, Founder of Kidsstoppress, chats with Dr Sukhpreet Patel of Menopausewize about*What really happens to our bodies once we stop bleeding?*The connection between good sleep & menopause*How hormones affect a woman's body when she inches towards menopauseand so much moreIf you're in your 40s, then you need to hear this & share it with friends in the same boat.Watch the full interview here - https://youtu.be/ctIB_L-DDbESupport the show

Between overprotective term sheets and oversimplified ones lies the real market. On this episode of #ZeroToInfinity, Avnish Bajaj and Tarun Davda, are joined by Archana Rajaram to weigh in on one of the most misunderstood parts of startup building: the term sheet. As the founder of River Law (formerly Rajaram Legal), Archana's work has quietly shaped the “market standards” that nearly every Indian SHA now follows. In this episode, they break down the real-world changes in Indian term sheets post-2021: from liquidation preferences and reverse vesting to governance, exits, board control, and how AI is already reshaping negotiations. The way a founder negotiates a term sheet often foreshadows how they'll build their company, handle conflict, and navigate hard decisions later. Tune in for a rare inside look at venture's most misunderstood document 01:23 Introduction to the Z47 podcast 02:52 Handshake deals to hyper-detailed clauses: how India's term sheets have evolved 05:55 Why written guardrails matter, even in trust-based relationships? 08:48 Between one-pagers and legal novels lies the real market standard 10:38 Founders lose leverage the moment they sign without counsel 12:42 What founders miss at incorporation, they pay for at IPO 16:20 You can't switch from founder-led to board-led overnight 28:02 In India, governance runs through SHAs, not boards 34:07 Every founder's dilemma: what terms really matter in your term sheet? 37:39 Event of Default: India's most controversial term and why it exists 49:49 How you negotiate your first term sheet predicts how you'll scale 59:57 AI may change diligence, but judgment still writes the rules For more insights, revisit the related Z47 episode:   • The Terms of Term Sheets    • Hard clauses in a term sheet    • From (Z)omato to (A)ther: India's Tech IPO...  Article:   / calculating-liquidation-preference  Follow us on: Website: https://www.z47.com/ LinkedIn:   / z47-vc  X: https://x.com/z47_vc Instagram:   / z47.vc  

Tracing your roots is not just about uncovering the stories of ancestors long gone—it's also about connecting with living relatives. In India, where extended family ties are often strong, finding distant relatives can open up a whole new chapter of your family history. Whether you're looking for cousins, aunts, or even more distant connections, modern tools have made it easier than ever to find living relatives and build relationships across generations and continents... Podcast notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/connecting-with-living-relatives-in-india/ Ancestral Findings Podcast: https://ancestralfindings.com/podcast This Week's Free Genealogy Lookups: https://ancestralfindings.com/lookups Genealogy Giveaway: https://ancestralfindings.com/giveaway Genealogy eBooks: https://ancestralfindings.com/ebooks Follow Along: https://www.facebook.com/AncestralFindings https://www.instagram.com/ancestralfindings https://www.youtube.com/ancestralfindings Support Ancestral Findings: https://ancestralfindings.com/support https://ancestralfindings.com/paypal  #Genealogy #AncestralFindings #GenealogyClips

Send us a textWhether it's delivering breaking news, hosting talk shows, or moderating debates, TV anchors are the faces that shape public opinion and connect stories to society.In India, where television reaches over 800 million people daily, the demand for talented anchors has exploded. From news channels to entertainment shows, sports, and even digital media — TV anchoring is no longer just about reading from a teleprompter; it's about being the voice of truth and the face of connection.Connect With Kapeel Guptaor Click on the link: http://bit.ly/4jlql8s

In this episode, we sit with Vinay Jobanputra, the founder of Bollyqueer, London's first fully gender non-conforming Bollywood dance company. They discuss the origins of Bollyqueer, the intention behind creating inclusive dance spaces, and the balance between loving Bollywood films and holding the industry accountable. Vinay reflects on his early experiences with dance, navigating gender norms, and the small, thoughtful decisions that shape every Bollyqueer dance class. This conversation explores what it means to build community, make room for self-expression, and create spaces where everyone feels welcome to move, express and be, exactly in the way they want to.(00:00) Introduction(00:55) What is Bollyqueer?(02:57) How to be more inclusive as an attendee of dance classes?(04:55) Should inclusivity of all genders be the norm across all dance classes?(07:10) Dismantling gender norms in Bollywood(09:15) I do love Bollywood but you have to hold it to account(11:59) The evolution of the students of Bollyqueer(15:30) Vinay's childhood experiences as a dancer(19:10) Finally feeling empowered with dance in lockdown(21:55) Dismantling the gender binary in Bollywood companies(22:45) The realisation that 'Maybe I should teach?'(24:12) How to not stereotype based on gender in dance class(28:58) Taking Bollyqueer international(31:08) In India there was a lack of queer sober spaces(38:05) Queer joy, community and letting mistakes happen(40:45) Is Bollyqueer performing on stage going to affect self expression?Find Vinay and Bollyqueer on: Bollyqueer's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bollyqueer/Vinay's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vinayjobanputraa/Follow BGS on:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/browngamestrong/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@browngamestrong/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1KRk9vQUP0Rqh9GDMkr4RHApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/brown-game-strong/id1482564133To be the first to get updates on new episodes, please do give us a subscribe or follow!

Earlier this week, a video purportedly showing a group of people offering namaz at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru ignited a political controversy in Karnataka, with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party taking exception to the incident and demanding accountability from the State government. Around the same time, in Uttar Pradesh, the police began removing unauthorised sound systems from mosques and temples in some areas. In India, it is common to see Navratri celebrations at the airport, namaz on railway platforms, commemoration of Sikh Gurus' Jayanti on the roads of Delhi, hear azaan on a loudspeaker five times a day, and jagrans all night long. India is undeniably demonstrative about religion in public space. Should public celebrations or expression of devotion be avoided? Here we discuss the question. Guests: Tanika Sarkar, Professor of History at JNU and Sanjay Hegde, Senior Advocate designated by the Supreme Court of India. Host: Ziya Us Salam Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we talk about OxyContin, opium, and the British East India Company.We also discuss isotonitazene, fentanyl, and Perdue.Recommended Book: The Thinking Machine by Stephen WittTranscriptOpioids have been used as painkillers by humans since at least the Neolithic period; there's evidence that people living in the Iberian and Italian Peninsulas kept opium poppy seeds with them, and there's even more evidence that the Ancient Greeks were big fans of opium, using it to treat pain and as a sleep aid.Opium was the only available opioid for most of human history, and it was almost always considered to be a net-positive, despite its downsides. It was incorporated into a mixture called laudanum, which was a blend of opium and alcohol, in the 17th century, and that helped it spread globally as Europeans spread globally, though it was also in use locally, elsewhere, especially in regions where the opium poppy grew naturally.In India, for instance, opium was grown and often used for its painkilling properties, but when the British East India Company took over, they decided to double-down on the substance as a product they could monopolize and grow into a globe-spanning enterprise.They went to great lengths to expand production and prevent the rise of potential competitors, in India and elsewhere, and they created new markets for opium in China by forcing the product onto Chinese markets, initially via smuggling, and then eventually, after fighting a series of wars focused on whether or not the British should be allowed to sell opium on the Chinese market, the British defeated the Chinese. And among other severely unbalanced new treaties, including the ceding of the Kowloon peninsula to the British as part of Hong Kong, which they controlled as a trading port, and the legalization of Christians coming into the country, proselytizing, and owning property, the Chinese were forced to accept the opium trade. This led to generations of addicts, even more so than before, when opium was available only illicitly, and it became a major bone of contention between the two countries, and informed China's relationship with the world in general, especially other Europeans and the US, moving forward.A little bit later, in the early 1800s, a German pharmacist was able to isolate a substance called morphine from opium. He published a paper on this process in 1817, and in addition to this being the first alkaloid, the first organic compound of this kind to be isolated from a medicinal plant, which was a milestone in the development of modern drug discovery, it also marked the arrival of a new seeming wonder drug, that could ease pain, but also help control cold-related symptoms like coughing and gut issues, like diarrhea. Like many such substances back in the day, it was also often used to treat women who were demonstrating ‘nervous character,' which was code for ‘behaving in ways men didn't like or understand.'Initially, it was thought that, unlike with opium, morphine wasn't addictive. And this thinking was premised on the novel application method often used for morphine, the hypermedia needle, which arrived a half-century after that early 1800s isolation of morphine from opium, but which became a major driver of the new drug's success and utility. Such drugs, derived scientifically rather than just processing a plant, could be administered at specific, controllable doses. So surely, it was thought, this would alleviate those pesky addictive symptoms that many people experienced when using opioids in a more natural, less science-y way.That, of course, turned out not to be the case. But it didn't stop the progression of this drug type, and the further development of more derivations of it, including powerful synthetic opioids, which first hit the scene in the mid-20th century.What I'd like to talk about today is the recent wave of opioid addictions, especially but not exclusively in the US, and the newest concern in this space, which is massively more powerful than anything that's come before.—As I mentioned, there have been surges in opioid use, latent and externally forced, throughout modern human history.The Chinese saw an intense wave of opioid addiction after the British forced opium onto their markets, to the point that there was a commonly held belief that the British were trying to overthrow and enslave the Chinese by weighing them down with so many addicts who were incapable of doing much of anything; which, while not backed by the documentation we have from the era—it seems like they were just chasing profits—is not impossible, given what the Brits were up to around the world at that point in history.That said, there was a huge influx in opioid use in the late-1980s, when a US-based company called Purdue Pharma began producing and pushing a time-released opioid medication, which really hit the big-time in 1995, when they released a version of the drug called OxyContin.OxyContin flooded the market, in part because it promised to help prevent addiction and accidental overdose, and in part because Purdue was just really, really good at marketing it; among other questionable and outright illegal things it did as part of that marketing push, it gave kickbacks to doctors who prescribed it, and some doctors did so, a lot, even when patients didn't need it, or were clearly becoming addicted.By the early 2000s, Purdue, and the Sackler family that owned the company, was spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year to push this drug, and they were making billions a year in sales.Eventually the nature of Purdue's efforts came to light, there were a bunch of trials and other legal hearings, some investigative journalists exposed Purdue's foreknowledge of their drug's flaws, and there was a big government investigation and some major lawsuits that caused the collapse of the company in 2019—though they rebranded in 2021, becoming Knoa Pharma.All of which is interesting because much like the forced legalization of opium on Chinese markets led to their opioid crisis a long time ago, the arrival of this incredibly, artificially popular drug on the US market led to the US's opioid crisis.The current bogeyman in the world of opioids—and I say current because this is a fast-moving space, with new, increasingly powerful or in some cases just a lot cheaper drugs arriving on the scene all the time—is fentanyl, which is a synthetic opioid that's about 30-50 times more potent than heroin, and about 100 times as potent as morphine. It has been traditionally used in the treatment of cancer patients and as a sedative, and because of how powerful it is, a very small amount serves to achieve the desired, painkilling effect.But just like other opioids, its administration can lead to addiction, people who use it can become dependent and need more and more of it to get the same effects, and people who have too much of it can experience adverse effects, including, eventually, death.This drug has been in use since the 1960s, but illicit use of fentanyl began back in the mid-1970s, initially as its own thing, but eventually to be mixed in with other drugs, like heroin, especially low-quality versions of those drugs, because a very small amount of fentanyl can have an incredibly large and potent effect, making those other drugs seem higher quality than they are.That utility is also this drug's major issue, though: it's so potent that a small amount of it can kill, and even people with high opioid tolerances can see those tolerances pushed up and up and up until they eventually take a too-large, killing dose.There have been numerous efforts to control the flow of fentanyl into the US, and beginning in the mid-20-teens, there were high-profile seizures of the illicitly produced stuff around the country. As of mid-2025, China seems to be the primary source of most illicit fentanyl around the world, the drug precursor produced in China, shipped to Mexico where it's finalized and made ready for market, and then smuggled into the US.There have been efforts to shut down this supply chain, including recent tariffs put on Chinese goods, ostensibly, in part at least, to get China to handle those precursor suppliers.Even if that effort eventually bears fruit, though, India seems to have recently become an alternative source of those precursors for Mexican drug cartels, and for several years they've been creating new markets for their output in other countries, like Nigeria, Indonesia, and the Netherlands, as well.Amidst all that, a new synthetic drug, which is 40-times as potent as fentanyl, is starting to arrive in the US, Europe, and Australia, and has already been blamed for thousands of deaths—and it's thought that that number might be a significant undercount, because of how difficult it can be to attribute cause with these sorts of drugs.Nitazenes were originally synthesized back in the 1950s in Austria, and they were never sold as painkillers because they were known, from the get-go, to be too addictive, and to have a bad tradeoff ratio: a little bit of benefit, but a high likelihood of respiratory depression, which is a common cause of death for opioid addicts, or those who accidentally overdose on an opioid.One nitazene, called isotonitazene, first showed up on US drug enforcement agency radars back in 2019, when a shipment was intercepted in the Midwest. Other agencies noted the same across the US and Europe in subsequent years, and this class of drugs has now become widespread in these areas, and in Australia.It's thought that nitazenes might be seeing a surge in popularity with illicit drugmakers because their potency can be amped up so far, way, way higher than even fentanyl, and because their effects are similar in many ways to heroin.They can also use them they way they use fentanyl, a tiny bit blended into lower-quality versions of other drugs, like cocaine, which can save money while also getting their customers, who may not know what they're buying, hooked, faster. For context, a fifth of a grain of nitazene salt can be enough to kill a person, so it doesn't take much, less than that, if they want to keep their customers alive, to achieve the high they're looking for. A little bit goes a long, long way.This class of drugs is also difficult to detect, which might be part of the appeal for drug makers, right now. Tests that detect morphine, heroin, and fentanyl do not detect natazines, and the precursors for this type of drug, and the drugs themselves, are less likely to be closely watched, or even legally controlled at the levels of more popular opioids, which is also likely appealing to groups looking to get around existing clampdown efforts.Right now, drug agencies are in the process of updating their enforcement and detection infrastructure, and word is slowly getting out about nitazenes and the risk they potentially pose. But it took years for sluggish government agencies to start working on the issue of fentanyl, which still hasn't been handled, so it's anyone's guess as to when and if the influx of nitazenes will be addressed on scale.Show Noteshttps://www.wired.com/story/a-new-type-of-opioid-is-killing-people-in-the-us-europe-and-australia/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02161116https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(24)00024-0/fulltexthttps://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/nov/03/nitazenes-synthetic-opioid-drug-500-times-stronger-than-heroin-fatalhttps://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03280-5https://theconversation.com/10-times-stronger-than-fentanyl-nitazenes-are-the-latest-deadly-development-in-the-synthetic-opioid-crisis-265882https://www.cato.org/blog/fentanyl-nitazenes-why-drug-war-keeps-making-danger-worsehttps://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/fentanyl-and-us-opioid-epidemichttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purdue_Pharmahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxycodonehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fentanylhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitazeneshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioidhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_opioid_epidemichttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioid_epidemic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

November 11, 2025: IT and HR are joining forces to manage the chaos AI is creating inside companies. A new white-collar gig economy is emerging as professionals get paid to train algorithms. Paramount's return-to-office mandate backfires, with 600 employees choosing severance instead. In India, workers are turning to AI as a career ally, redefining ambition around adaptability. Irish parents are split over whether creativity or coding will prepare kids for the future. And Palantir is skipping universities altogether, hiring high-school grads through its Meritocracy Fellowship.

There are some roads around the world that are both breathtaking and super dangerous! The North Yungas Road in Bolivia, also known as "Death Road," winds through steep cliffs with barely any guardrails to protect drivers. In India, the Leh-Manali Highway takes travelers through high mountain passes, but its narrow, rough roads make for a thrilling, heart-pounding ride. Tourists visiting these places are drawn by the beautiful views, but you need serious courage to tackle these routes. In Italy, the Amalfi Coast road is stunning but has sharp curves and heavy traffic. Even Iceland's Ring Road can get icy and tricky, especially during winter. If you're into adventure and don't mind a little danger, these roads are a must-see! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In India's coastal state of Goa, the world's best chess players are chasing titles at the FIDE World Cup, a biennial tournament run by FIDE, the International Chess Federation. On the East Coast of the United States, Kenneth Regan chases fairness. Each night he downloads every game, feeding the moves into his program to see if the play looks human or too perfect. Cheating today isn't just glances or notes. It can mean phones, signals, or online help from chess engines. Regan's math hunts for patterns that feel off, walking the thin line between genius and help. From the 2006 “Toiletgate” scandal—when a world champion was accused of using computer aid during long bathroom breaks—to the 2022 storm between Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann, when Carlsen withdrew mid-tournament, suspicion has shadowed the board. Regan's work keeps the focus on the moves, not the murmurs.Guest: Kenneth Regan, Professor of Computer Science, University at Buffalo; Anti-Cheating Expert for FIDE, the World Chess Federation Host: Anupama Chandrasekaran Edited by Jude Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In India, carrying a Bible to a meeting—or even offering a Hindu tea and cookies—could be construed as illegally "enticing" that Hindu to change his or her religion. Under anti-conversion laws currently enacted by 12 of India's states, such "enticement" can result in a long prison sentence. And once charges are filed against a pastor or other Christian, there is no presumption of innocence; it is up to the accused to prove their innocence. Sister "Joti," a human rights lawyer in India, has worked on numerous religious freedom cases. She will tell listeners about 80 pastors currently in prison, accused of "forcible conversion." Listen as Joti shares how the courts have tried to navigate the seeming opposites of a constitutional promise of the freedom to practice and propagate one's religion and state laws that require a person to notify the government, in advance, of their conversion. She'll also tell how she and her coworkers are advising pastors and churches to document interactions with Hindus and even record their sermons in order to create an evidence trail against possible future legal challenges. Joti knows her work could put her in danger, yet boldly continues in what God has called her to do. "The work impacts real lives and real people," she says. "I am here to serve, for as long as I can." Pray for Christians in India to be bold in showing love to their neighbors, and for lawyers like Joti on the frontlines serving persecuted Christians in the court. The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians throughout the year, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

Every once in a while, I meet someone whose story reminds me why inclusion and communication go hand in hand. My guest this week, Shabnam Asthana, is one of those people. She's a global PR leader, entrepreneur, and author who has spent her life turning words into bridges that connect people and purpose. We talk about her journey from teaching and lecturing at India's National Defence Academy to leading global communications for major brands—and what it taught her about empathy, leadership, and real inclusion. Shabnam shares how storytelling can turn data into emotion, and why true diversity is less about representation and more about respect. Her message is powerful and deeply human: being unstoppable begins with an open heart, quiet courage, and the willingness to rise again. If you're ready to lead with empathy and communicate with purpose, this conversation will stay with you long after it ends. Highlights: 00:43 – Hear how early role models and a working mother raised ambitions and set a path toward leadership. 03:39 – Learn why strong communication skills pointed her toward PR and how debates built confidence. 05:24 – See why teaching became the first step when women in PR roles were rare in smaller cities. 08:12 – Discover what it took to lecture at India's National Defence Academy and earn respect in a rigid setting. 12:09 – Understand the leap from academia to corporate PR after being scouted for communication excellence. 15:50 – Learn how serving as a spokesperson shaped internal and external messaging at a Swedish-Indian firm. 17:01 – Gain a humble view of global work and why inclusion means moving from tokenism to listening. 21:08 – Compare India and Sweden and see how representation differs from real inclusion in practice. 24:18 – Learn how small, specific acts like adding sign to slides can make people feel genuinely seen. 34:24 – Find out how storytelling turns CSR spreadsheets into human change that inspires action. 43:22 – Explore the choice to found Empowered Solutions and why entrepreneurship kept growth alive. 53:06 – Take a fresh definition of an unstoppable mindset rooted in resilience and an open heart. About the Guest: A multi-faceted Professional, who has fast tracked from being a reputed National name to a well-respected and emulated global one! Shabnam Asthana has added new dimensions to Global PR and Communications. She has to her credit, post graduate degrees in English Literature, Public Relations and Advertising, an MBA in Marketing Management & several International certifications including a prestigious Hon. Doctorate in Business Administration from the National American University USA (NAU). She has over 25 years of rich professional experience. She started her career in the educational field as a high school teacher and then moved on to the role of a Lecturer at the prestigious National Defence Academy, Khadkwasla. She was the only civilian who compered for the Passing out parades, PT & Equestrian display and the Graduation ceremony of the NDA for 3 consecutive years. This was covered live on Doordarshan. It was after one of the Passing out Parades that she was compering at the NDA, that a senior position in a reputed company was offered to her and thus began her foray into the corporate world. After her successful corporate stint in senior positions with reputed companies including Multinationals in India and abroad and reputed real estate businesses, she started her own PR and communications firm, Empowered Solutions in 2005 which has been running successfully since then. Adding offices in USA and Canada as part of its international expansion. Ways to connect with Jan: Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabnam_Asthana Instagram https://www.instagram.com/shabnamasthana/?hl=en Linked in - https://in.linkedin.com/in/dr-shabnam-asthana-7b174a5 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShabnamAsthana/ X - https://x.com/shabnamasthana VyaapaarNiti Expert Profile - https://www.vyaapaarniti.com/expert/dr-shabnam-asthana- Tring Celebrity Platform - https://www.tring.co.in/shabnam-asthana About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:20 Well, Hi again, everyone. I am your host, Michael Hingson, and you are here listening to or watching or both, unstoppable mindset today, our guest is a person of many talents, and I think you're going to be as amazed about her as I am. Shabnam Asthana is a person who has been involved in she was a teacher for a while. She's been very heavily involved in a variety of things at the corporate level. She started her own marketing firm in 2005 and I don't know what all my gosh, she's got so many things, it's really hard to keep up, but I'm sure she's going to tell us all about it, and I am looking forward to that. And I really appreciate all of you being here with us. So Shabnam, I want to welcome you to unstoppable mindset. And thank you for being here.   Shabnam Asthana ** 02:15 Thank you, Michael, truly wonderful to be with here, and thank you for that amazing introduction. You make me feel as if I've worn a professional cape of so many accolades and so many things. It's wonderful to be here with you.   Michael Hingson ** 02:32 Michael, well, you do have lots of awards and lots of accolades.   Shabnam Asthana ** 02:38 That's just one part of the journey. The true reward is in the, you know, work that I do, these stories, that I shape, the narratives that spring in that is the true reward. And of course, accolades are always welcome, and they are a way of encouragement, which do ensure that, yes, I continue doing the good work.   Michael Hingson ** 03:00 Well, why don't we start back at the beginning, which is always fun to do. Why don't you tell us about the early Shabnam growing up?   Shabnam Asthana ** 03:08 Okay, that's something which is very close to my heart. I was born in India in a small city called Bokaro, Steel City. It was a Steel City. It was an industrial town, and we were a very close knit community, and we had lots of, you know, interaction with people. I came from a background where both my parents, my mother and my father were working, and at that point of time, a working woman was sort of seen as a novelty, not something I'm talking way, way back. And now the people will also guess my age, I guess because it's pretty way back. And that was the time when we weren't India was still developing, and women were still not seen as the working class, you know, especially in senior corporate positions. And my mother was a senior officer in the steel plant, so that set my aspirations and ambitions very high. And I wanted to emulate her. I wanted to be someone who was working now what I would do I was not very sure of, but yes, I wanted to be working. And then later on, my sister, my both my sisters, were also working, my older siblings, and of course, that set the tone for me to also hop into the professional shoes, and, you know, chart out a career path for myself. So,   Michael Hingson ** 04:44 so what? What did you do? As far as schooling? Did you go to college?   Shabnam Asthana ** 04:51 Yes, I went to the local school there, which was an English medium good school called sin Xavier School. And that was some. Thing which really groomed me for the future, that set the foundations for my career. And after that, I did my schooling in the my college, sorry, in the capital city of India, which is Delhi. And then on, I moved to a place which is close to Mumbai, which is Pune, and I continued my education there. And of course, my career started in Pune. That is when I got into academics, and then henceforth,   Michael Hingson ** 05:34 so when you were in college, and as you were coming out of it, what did you want to do with your life? What was your plan? Or did you have one?   Shabnam Asthana ** 05:43 Yes, I did have one. Like I said, I was always good in communications, and people used to tell me that you are a good communicator. I used to win all the debates. I used to win elocution competitions. And I said, Well, yes, communication does seem to be my forte, so why don't I build on that? And then I saw my father, he was in the public relations industry, and I somehow at the back of my mind, I said, Yes, that is something I would surely want to do. So why not try my hand at PR? And that's how the seeds of my career was planted in my mind, and then it developed there on.   Michael Hingson ** 06:30 But you started out in education and in teaching.   Shabnam Asthana ** 06:34 Yes, that's very interesting. I'll tell you. I wanted to start my career in PR, but I was in a place which was a small city, and it was a place called Jamshedpur, before I moved on to Pune, and there, the career scope was very limited. We didn't have women in the PR. In fact, it was unheard of. So the best thing, or the easiest thing that a woman could do was to hop on the bandwagon of academics. And not saying that it was something you know, that was not looked up to. But yes, I did enjoy my role as a school teacher. That was my first job in Jamshedpur, a small it was, again, a steel city in India, and I became a high school teacher, and quite enjoyed it, because that was also communication. It was the way you communicated with your students, and, you know, sort of got them into, got them interested in what they were learning. So that was, again a stepping stone, and it was the area of communications which expanded later on.   Michael Hingson ** 07:47 So how long did you stay in teaching?   Shabnam Asthana ** 07:51 I was there for about two years in Jamshedpur, and then I moved on to Pune. And guess what the next opportunity I got was as a lecturer in the National Defense Academy. That was a place where the future generals were being groomed, and I was a civilian who, sort of, I was the only civilian, probably, who got into the teaching profession there and there I spent a good four years truly memorable. Worth remembering recounting. There was so many incidents, and I loved teaching. That was something which I did at the National Defense Academy too. Although that was at a higher level, it was very different from the school teaching which I had done. This was more, you know, on a national level, where you had to be more, and there was a lot of discipline which came in, because it was the future, you know, Army personnel, Navy personnel, so all that, there was a lot of discipline that came in and that groomed me better. I understood what the world of discipline meant in the true sense, because I lived   Michael Hingson ** 09:10 it right. What? How did you discover the job at the defense Academy? Though that's certainly a whole lot different than teaching high school students or maybe not.   Shabnam Asthana ** 09:23 It is a whole lot intimidating. Let me tell you that it's very intimidating to walk into a room full of, you know, future generals, army people you don't know who you know who you are, I mean, who they are, and you sort of get very intimidated by the kind the aura is very, very intimidating.   Michael Hingson ** 09:46 How did you discover that job? Yes,   Shabnam Asthana ** 09:49 that was done. We in India, we have something which is called the employment exchange. So you register there and you give your qualify. You list down your qualifications, and you know whatever you are planning to do, and they invite you for certain vacancies. So one fine day, I was just sitting and having my lunch at home when I received a letter, and the letter was an interview call for the National Defense Academy. I literally jumped out of my skin because I was a school teacher, and then being asked to appear for an interview in the National Defense Academy itself was a big leap for me. Whether I got it or not was a different thing. But then to sort of come on board and go and sort of appear for an interview was also something very exciting. And when I went there, I was like, I said, the only civilian The rest were army officers, wives and daughters, you know, related to the working personnel there. So when I went, I was interviewed by the three representatives from all the three wings, that is the Navy, the Air Force and Army. And that was a very good experience. They asked me a lot of questions, and I believe it was later on I was told that it was my confidence that got me in. So thanks to that, I   Michael Hingson ** 11:23 was going to ask you why you why you got in, or why you think you got in. And yes,   Shabnam Asthana ** 11:30 yeah, I did ask them that later, and unofficially, I was told that. Well, it was the way you carried yourself, the confidence and, you know, the excitement and enthusiasm that you shared, which was very, very refreshing.   Michael Hingson ** 11:48 So what exactly did you do at the academy?   Shabnam Asthana ** 11:53 I was teaching them English, and I was teaching them literature. I don't know how interested they were in literature, but then the feedback that I got, which was, you know, the it was a routine feedback, which we have the teachers get. So I used to get good marks, and people used to say, yes, that, you know, your classes are engrossing. It's good. And then, apart from that, there was something very interesting I did, which was I compared for their passing out parades, and I compared for all their shows. And that was something which was covered on television, and that gave me a different kind of foothold in my profession, where I was being seen, where I was being heard, and my confidence grew by leaps and bounds. I was being accepted as a woman. I was being accepted as a civilian. And that was something which was very, very heartwarming for me,   Michael Hingson ** 13:01 and I would assume, very difficult to achieve,   Shabnam Asthana ** 13:05 I think so I do yes, in retrospect, yes.   Michael Hingson ** 13:09 So you did that for roughly four years. Yes. And why did you leave that? What was your? Was your thought about that,   Shabnam Asthana ** 13:21 okay, I would have gone on. It was such a glorious part of my career. But, you know, change, they say, is constant, and that is something which happened. I was comparing for a passing out parade when the chairman of a corporate company which was doing rather well, heard me, and he was impressed by my communication, my speaking abilities, my, you know, the way I was presenting things. And he said he offered me a job, and he said, Why don't you come and join my office and come in as a PR person for my company, and that's exactly I was actually, you know, not very sure whether I wanted to leave this an industry and career where I was already established, where people knew me, and just hop on to the corporate world. But if you remember, that was my ambition. That was what I had always won right at the start. So the moment it came, it almost felt as if it fell into my laps. And I said, Why don't I do that? Yes, and this is a good opportunity, and I must take it up. My I spoke to my family, and they too, felt that it was a good stepping stone to move on. And so I accepted it, and that was my entry into the world of PR, in the corporate   Michael Hingson ** 14:48 world. So what year was that this   Shabnam Asthana ** 14:53 was way back on now you are prompting me to give away my age, which is like. Like ancient, I'd be a fossil. Okay, yes, this was way back in the 90s,   Michael Hingson ** 15:06 okay, and that was kind of what I was curious about. So at that time, industry was a little bit more stable than it was later on, but, but still, you You did it, and you so you stepped into that goal, into that role, and so you became part of the PR world, which is, as you said, what you wanted to do initially, anyway. So, so how long did you stay at that company? I   Shabnam Asthana ** 15:39 stayed there for about four years, and then the chairman of the company passed away. Unfortunately, he was on a trip to China, and he suffered a massive cardiac arrest, so I was working very closely with him in his office, and as is the norm of the industry, once the leader is not there things you know, sort of crumble, and you know, there's reorganization. New faces come in, and normally the new people bring their own teams. So I felt as if, you know, before they told me to sort of move out or something. I don't know why I pre empted that. I said, Why don't I myself make a shift and join some other industry? I mean, join some other company, which I did. Again, I applied. It was a Swedish company, and again, it was one of the best moves that I could have made. I spent a good 12 years in that company, which Hogan is India Limited, I must name them. They were brilliant. And I spent a very, very good part of my career with that company.   Michael Hingson ** 16:56 And so again, you did primarily PR, or what did you Yes, it was   Shabnam Asthana ** 17:02 PR and it was handling the chairman and managing director's office. So the entire communication was handled through me, the internal as well as the external communication. I was a spokesperson, yes,   Michael Hingson ** 17:18 so you became so in a sense, sort of the face of the company.   Shabnam Asthana ** 17:21 Yes, I did. It's nice to feel that yes, that it was a good many years that I was the face of the company in terms of communication, yes,   Michael Hingson ** 17:33 right, right. And, and where were you doing this?   Shabnam Asthana ** 17:38 This was in Pune, and their head office was in Sweden. I used to sort of move between the two. It was a very global company. The subsidiary was an Indian subsidiary, but the parent company was Swedish. So we had a lot of global travel   17:56 that kept you busy. That did so   Shabnam Asthana ** 17:59 there were conferences, and there were so many meetings which were happening,   Michael Hingson ** 18:03 yes, right? So what did, what did you? What did you learn from all of that? Do you think   Shabnam Asthana ** 18:12 it was a very humbling experience? You know, more than the excitement, I was armed with a lot of excitement, because that would have been one of my first trips outside India. I was I had a lot of excitement, lots of things were on my mind, but then ultimately, when one does travel and work in a global company, it's a very humbling experience, because you are exposed to your strengths and also your blind spots, your strengths, your weaknesses, everything comes to you and then you feel that diversity is not always about representation. It's about respect and inclusion is moving from tokenism to listening. That is what I felt, you know, adapting various voices to your workplace, working in unison, trying to empathize with people from different cultures, different streams, different departments, all that really broadened my horizon. So that was something which I learned.   Michael Hingson ** 19:30 So what was the culture like, in terms of since you were at a global company, as it were, how was it different when you were dealing with Sweden, as opposed to when you were dealing with India.   Shabnam Asthana ** 19:45 In India, we don't have diversity as a choice. In India, we are served diversity on a platter because you are born with being diverse. You have. Are numerous religions, you have culture. So we are adaptable people in that sense. But strangely enough, it's a paradox. If I would tell you that inclusion is still a work in progress. Inclusion isn't automatic. It doesn't come to you like that. You have to work for it. Now there is a big change, but I'm talking of the days, way back in the 90s when women in boardrooms were a novelty. So sometimes it was just purely for ornamental value. Sad to say that. But gradually you had to open up, you have to open the doors, and you have to say, look, we are here for a reason. And please listen to our voices too. And that's how we started. I started sort of, I remember once when I was moving in India. I mean, not in Sweden, but once when I was in India, and I was in a strategic board meeting. I was the only woman in the room, and the people were sort of, I could sense the expressions. People were curious, people were dismissing. People were sort of, you know, not sort of prepared to take or listen to me, that was a little bit of a setback. But then gradually, when I started moving abroad, and I started seeing more women, and then gradually, when I was moving so were the others, and they too saw the kind of change that was happening. And so it was pretty difficult in India, initially, if I were to be very honest, Sweden was more inclusive. I could see a lot of women in the workforce. And gradually, since we were sort of interacting with each other, we absorbed each other's cultures and values, and the company became very, very inclusive. So it was a pleasure to work there.   Michael Hingson ** 22:08 Okay, so in a sense, there were, there are parts of Sweden that made you happier than what you were in the East initially experiencing in India.   Shabnam Asthana ** 22:19 Absolutely, absolutely, and I have no hesitation in saying that, because they were welcoming. They were welcoming. And the not necessarily my company, but any company in India, the representation of women, especially in PR, was very, very limited. Now we have evolved, and it's a world of difference, and I'm so happy to see that.   Michael Hingson ** 22:48 How about you, may or may not have a lot of expertise in this, but how about if we're going to talk about inclusion and so on, people with disabilities, both in India and in Sweden and so on and again. I don't know whether you really had much experience or exposure to that. I   Shabnam Asthana ** 23:06 do. I did have my share of exposure, maybe not extensive, but yes, I do. I remember there's this one incident I'd like to talk to you about. It was in Paris. I was in a conference, and there was a deaf girl in the conference room. I could see people making presentations and knowing fully well, because we had the list of participants, and we had their intros, their introductions with us, my team. And you know, of course, I headed that team. We made a special endeavor to include sign in our presentation. And she was so happy because she said, you know, she came to me and she expressed to me that although I have participated so many times in meetings, and especially corporate meetings, I am so happy to see. It was the first time that I felt I was seen and I was not just a presence. So she was very happy with the kind of, you know, preparation that we did for her especially. So I believe it's very nice if people learn to respect each other and learn to believe that not everybody is similar. You may have so many strengths which I don't have. I do not see any physical disability as a handicap. I'm very, very sure about that, I do not see anybody who appears different or who doesn't have the same listening capacity, hearing capacity, to be different from me. They have their own strengths. So I truly believe that, you know, disability. In that sense, is something which does not put a person in the back seat. How.   Michael Hingson ** 25:09 How was that attitude received? Well, both at the company, when you were when you were in the room with her, and you were signing and so on. How did other people receive that? And how was that kind of attitude received initially in India?   Shabnam Asthana ** 25:29 Well, to be very honest, Michael, it wasn't something that is the done thing. People do not accept that. They are like, well, it's a general presentation. We really don't have to make specific I do remember a person who came up to me and said, Shabnam, why did you make a very specific presentation? It was a very general presentation by you doing that, you have set a precedent for others to sort of make them feel small, you know. So he took it in a very negative way. Said, you've made us feel very small. I said, no, please do not look at it that way. It is something where we have made her feel a part of us. It is not trying to belittle anybody, trying not to, you know, get a an edge over others. All of us are the same. It's just that I made it a little easier for her. That's what I just told him, and probably he did, walk away with a smile. I don't know whether it was a sarcastic one or whether it was a smile of acceptance, but then I got my   Michael Hingson ** 26:38 point. I took was this was this in Sweden or India. This was in Paris. In Paris, okay, yes,   Shabnam Asthana ** 26:46 okay, this was a conference, which was   Michael Hingson ** 26:49 she said that, right? Well, you know, the reality is that's all part of the inclusive mindset and the inclusion mindset, and it is so true that most people don't tend to realize it Yes. So I hear what you're saying,   Shabnam Asthana ** 27:10 yes, and realization and sort of acceptance has evolved. People are more accepting. People are more flexible. You know, the rigidity earlier, people were very rigid. Now there is a lot of flexibility. I believe that, right?   Michael Hingson ** 27:32 Well, I think it's better. I'm I think there are still all too many people who tend not to really have an overly inclusive mindset. And it is, it is something that that will be with us for a while, and hopefully over time, people will become more open and realize the value of inclusion. In this country, we have, well and around the world, we have a significant number of people who have these so called physical disabilities, and the reality is that the disability is more caused by inaction mostly than it is by real action.   Shabnam Asthana ** 28:12 Absolutely yes. And I also seriously believe that diversity enriches the outcomes. I have some I have practical experience, and I've seen that. So inclusion enriches outcomes in many ways, right?   Michael Hingson ** 28:35 How has all of your traveling and all of your exposure in various places around the world. How has that tended to shape your understanding of diversity and inclusion?   Shabnam Asthana ** 28:50 Okay, yes, that's a very interesting question. I have seen that challenges are real, biases, stereotypes and expectations that women need to prove themselves twice as much also exists in many, many parts of the world. So they have been. I mean, there have been certain cultures, certain countries, which are very easy to breeze through when you are at work meetings or you're talking to people. But there are certain countries in the let's say in the Middle East, the Far East, which are still not very open to, you know, women taking on lead roles, women strategizing, women talking things that would influence decisions. So sometimes there's also a word I'd like to put in here that sometimes it is not country specific. Specific. It is very individual, specific. So there, like you said, you know, there are certain mindsets which still exist. There are people who may be residing in countries that are very open and very receptive, but their own mindset is limiting. And it is a mindset which is closed, it is rigid. So that stops and that prevents any inclusion. You know that, if I were to put it that way, so I would say it's not merely, not always country specific. Yes, individuals have to evolve themselves and change their mindsets. So it's sometimes I've seen it's countries are good, but some individuals are rigid. I've seen some individuals that are good, but the countries that are rigid. So it sort of works both ways.   Michael Hingson ** 30:54 And it's not just about women, it is about anybody who is different. Yes, then the so called norm, whatever that happens to be, absolutely   Shabnam Asthana ** 31:03 inclusion is not limited to women. So again, I'd like to clarify that it's inclusion is a broad spectrum. So yes, of course, we are a small part of it. But yes,   Michael Hingson ** 31:17 you have written a book, yes, romancing your career and and also you've done a lot of mentoring, obviously, and so on. But what do you mean when you talk about women? And I would say anybody who's different need to define success on their own terms. Tell me more about that.   Shabnam Asthana ** 31:41 So women, or anybody, let's not be very specific about women, because then it would be detracting from the main subject of inclusion. Anybody who wants to be heard has to believe in one thing, that silence is not the answer. Courage is so you have to move from silence to courage. Try and portray your point of view. Speak to people if they listen to you good enough if they don't, it's not as if the doors are closed. If the doors are closed, you can surely open a window for yourself, and it works. So just being silent or being very subdued or being very you know sad that your point of view, or being upset, for that matter, that your point of view is not being listened to is not the answer. You have to show courage. You have to do your homework, right? Remember that value is something that takes anybody places. It's not about being a woman, it's not about being any nationality, any ethnicity. It's just that you have to carry value in whatever you are trying to bring to the table. Once people see value, they will forget whether you are of XYZ nationality or you're an Indian, or you are of any other you're any other gender, if I may say that. So it's the value that a person should work towards. Everybody should work towards bringing value to the table. That is what will get you noticed, and that is what will see you going places. Yes, it did.   Michael Hingson ** 33:43 And again, I think one of the important things is that, from my standpoint, and I keep pushing it, but it's there is that it also is the same for for so called disabilities. One of the things that I maintain is that everybody on the planet has a disability, and the disability for most people is that you depend on light in order to function, and when suddenly light disappears, you have a big problem, unless you have a way to get light back on demand. But we are. We're not ready to accept that as a as a race yet, so people think that's cute, but, but they're not ready to accept it. It doesn't change the fact that it's really there. But the fact of the matter is that that people do have to speak up for themselves, and there are ways to do that, and there are ways not to do that. It isn't a matter of being obnoxious and demanding, but it is all about, as you expressed it earlier, being confident and showing that confidence and showing your knowledge and showing what you bring to the table absolutely well. You've been involved in PR for a long time, and I'm sure that you would agree, one of the main tools that people in the public relations world and elsewhere have to offer is storytelling. I believe the best salespeople are people who can tell stories and can help relate. But my question would be to ask you, how can storytelling bridge communities and bring people together?   Shabnam Asthana ** 35:31 Storytelling is a very, very strong element of PR. Storytelling humanizes everything. It brings in a lot of connection. So people connect automatically, if your storytelling is good, so like I keep telling all my juniors as well or new interns who join in corporate fact sheets can be informative. They can give you facts, but storytelling will transform everything. So you move from information to transformation. Storytelling is the human angle to everything. All of us love you a human angle. For example, let me tell you I was in a meeting which was quite a few years ago, and the CEO of the company was telling me they've done a lot of work in corporate social responsibility. So he wanted to tell me about all the expenditure that they've done. They've uplifted so many schools. They've done so much. They've spent so much on education, they've spent so much on water, on sanitation and so many other things, which has improved the lives of the citizens there. I told him, could you tell me one story of one life that has been affected. So he was at a loss because he had not he did not dive deep into that. He didn't look beyond the numbers and the figures. So his HR person stepped in and he told me a story of a girl. She was an Indian girl. Her name was Aarti. How they had transformed her life, and she had moved on to studying in Howard, and she was being employed in one of the top American companies there. So that was something, a story of transformation. So that is so you know, I believe the power of storytelling and that connected everybody, even his own people, were not aware. The employees were not aware. They were just sort of working like robos, putting in their number of hours, doing their work, not going beyond their call of duty to actually see what was happening to the effects, the efforts of their activities. This was something which we brought out in all their corporate brochures, in all the marketing that they were doing, in all the marketing collaterals that worked wonders. We had lots of inquiries for people who wanted to support them in many ways. We had an interview of the girl, and it was something which was very we added a human angle. So like I said, storytelling humanizes the entire concept, and that is something which connects people. So, yes, it's very   Michael Hingson ** 38:42 interesting. Did he learn to tell stories after that?   Shabnam Asthana ** 38:46 I believe so, because he was so he was really taken aback. And he said, Wow, I never really thought about it. And you told me, You changed my perspective. You made me see it differently. And if I were to say we got a good retainership After that, because he was very happy and my contract was renewed. So that was something which sort of affected the contract too well.   Speaker 1 ** 39:19 The reality is that when you tell a story, it is telling stories is something that most everyone can truly relate to, and when you tell a story that someone listens to or hears and reacts to it,   Michael Hingson ** 39:40 there's nothing better than that, and it's really important that that kind of thing happens. So I'm really glad to hear that you like storytelling. I think it is so important that we have that   39:51 absolutely,   Michael Hingson ** 39:54 yeah, it's so important to be able to do that. Well, you've told us a little bit. About inclusion and diversity and so on in India and in other countries. Do you think it's changing, both in India and in other countries? And how is it changing?   Shabnam Asthana ** 40:15 It is changing. If you go back to the 90s to the present day, you will see that people have become I think it has a lot to do with travel. It has a lot to do with interaction. So people are interacting with each other. I speak to you, you speak to me, you tell me something about you, and I say, Hey, is that worth listening to? Yes, it is. And I try and change my mindset. I become more receptive. I try and tell you my viewpoint. You listen to me. You hear me out. So I have seen companies that have moved beyond check boxes of how many women, how many people with disabilities they've, you know, inducted in the employment stream, in their jobs, and it's become more of the CEOs or the top management asking their people, how many voices have we listened to? How many decisions have been made by these people whom we have taken in. You know, how have we evolved as a company? So that has made me see in boardrooms, in various meetings, that the top management is also very aware of what kind of decisions, what policies, are being framed with people as a diverse group. And it's not funneled or restricted to just the top few. It trickles down and it goes to the people they've hired from diverse groups, and it becomes like a voice of the company. So I have seen that changing, and I have seen that diversion is now diversity sort of is moving more towards the corporate DNA. So it is not a demand anymore. It's not a checkbox. It's more as if it is flowing in naturally, and people are more aware of it. So that's what I've seen.   Michael Hingson ** 42:32 It's a mindset, it is, and people are starting to adopt that. How is it changing in India? You said that in India there's a lot more diversity. But you said inclusion isn't so much there.   Shabnam Asthana ** 42:46 Yes, it is in see in India, it was globally, I saw that diversion was backed by policies, and there was a certain framework which had a set of rules. It had a set of code of conduct. But in India, it was more based on individual goodwill. So we had people, if the CEO or the top management was pro diversity, it would happen automatically, because the ones at the junior level had no choice. They had to naturally comply. But here now in India, it's become more organized, more structured, and people, there are departments now which look into issues of diversity and inclusion, and they try and make the organization work towards that. So they are big companies. They are small companies in India, all are trying to absorb this in the corporate DNA, like I said. So people are conscious. And there are conscious. There are seminars which are happening. People are being spoken to. There is workplace, you know sensitization that follows. People talk about it, people discuss it, and there is a lot of exchange of dialog which happens. So people talk, people learn, people adapt   Michael Hingson ** 44:15 well. So you you work for the Swedish company, for you said, like, 12 years, and then what did you   Shabnam Asthana ** 44:25 do after that? I moved on to, you know, start my own company, which was empowered solutions. That's my brain child, and it's a communications PR and communications company, and I, sort of, I'm the founder director for that the Empowered solutions is my company now, and we are completed. It was set up in 2005 October.   Michael Hingson ** 44:50 2005 what? What made you decide to leave the bigger corporate world and take on all of the challenges of entrepreneur? Leadership and starting your own company, because that certainly is a major change.   Shabnam Asthana ** 45:04 It is I was in the top management. I had a set job, I had the name, the recognition, everything that comes with that. But somehow there was still that kind of, I would say, curiosity, to experiment and to try on newer things. And I am a person who gets a little bored of stagnation, and I had almost reached the height of my career in these companies, and there was nothing more I could do unless I bought over those companies and sort of, you know, became the president and the chairman, which I would I could not do. So I said, Why don't I sort of diversify and take all this learning that I have, all the goodwill that I've earned over the years with the people that have been my clients, with my colleagues, with the people I've met in my business conferences. Why don't I take all this and try and set up something on of my own where I am at liberty to do whatever I want to do without the time pressure, you know, without a pressure of morning meetings and you know, things which have to be a nine to five kind of a role here, I do agree that it is a 24 by seven job that I'm doing at present, because I'm always available. And, you know, I believe that accessibility is very important if you have to be successful, you can't sort of close off and say, no, no, I'm, you know, if somebody needs you, you can't say, Okay, I'm just closing my door and my office. So that was the the, you know, the excitement of experimenting once again and seeing, of course, entrepreneurship is something which is very exciting, and that was something which I wanted to experiment and try and see how I could change that. And, you know, get it into my career. And, you know, get off the normal nine to five job. So that's what I did. I wanted to experiment.   Michael Hingson ** 47:21 So tell me a little bit more about if you would what your company does and how you serve clients and so on. And where are your clients?   Shabnam Asthana ** 47:29 Okay, so basically, it is a PR and communications company, and we have clients now globally. I have primarily in India, because that is where my office is. But I do have clients in Europe, in us, in Canada, where I am currently. And yes, it is more about public relations and communications, and that's what we do. So it's essentially a diversification of I have also taken on writing as part of one of my services. So I do a lot of book writing. I take on people who want to be either who want to tell a story, and who don't have either the time or the expertise. I write for them. I ghost right for them. We also do events. So we have done a couple of events globally, not on a very large scale, but yes, we do have. So it's events, it's public relations, it's communications, it's training, and it's writing.   Michael Hingson ** 48:39 So that's it, right? Well, so you have written one book. Are you looking at doing any more books? By any chance?   Shabnam Asthana ** 48:49 Now I have ghost written about 16 books. So they're all ghost written and under a contract where I don't disclose the names of the books. But yes, I've authored three books, and the first one was romancing your career, a very interesting and fascinating book. That was my first book, and later on, I went on to do two biographies, and yes, I'm doing a couple more correctly, where they are being authored by me. So I'm writing the biographies.   Michael Hingson ** 49:26 So today, in all the work that that you're, that you're doing, do you, do you get involved with many international projects?   Shabnam Asthana ** 49:39 Yes, not many, but yes, we are doing a slow and steady progress there. And we do, I do, keep getting a lot of inquiries. And I must say that I have got a couple of inquiries recently which are very interesting. And I. Working on those. Maybe it's a little premature to tell you that, but yes, there is one big project that has come my way, and we're planning to expand from there. Well.   Michael Hingson ** 50:12 So you have experienced a lot of different countries and so on, and India is certainly becoming more of an economic and a world power in the in terms of what all is happening. Do you think that that the attitudes of India and the way India deals with inclusion and so on is making a difference, and Will that continue to happen?   Shabnam Asthana ** 50:43 Well, Michael, it will, because we are moving out of our country, and we have, you know, taken spots in so many other countries. So if we want to be included, it's high time we practice the same. So we have to welcome other cultures. We have to welcome other nationalities if we hope to be welcomed in other countries as well. So that is something which has really influenced the thinking of people, because we can't be rigid. We can't be, you know, thinking in our own way. And say, Well, let's not do it, because we have to welcome other countries if we have to work and move out of India. So yes, Michael, I will say that very hard. It's very heartening to note that it is changing, and it will continue to do so. In fact, you know, India is moving from being seen as an outsourced to something which people sort of welcome with open arms. But then, yes, things are changing. There are things which are happening which may limit the movement of people, or it may increase the flow of people. But then, well, we have to adopt, adapt and move on.   Michael Hingson ** 52:04 Yeah, well, there's always going to be some of that which makes which makes sense. Yes. What kind of advice would you give to someone, especially young professionals, women and others who are different? What advice would you give to someone who may feel excluded or undervalued in their careers.   Shabnam Asthana ** 52:25 The best thing that I would like to say is that if you hear a no, don't let it bog you down, because be sure that tomorrow you will hear a better yes, it will be something that is shaping the way for your future. So you must not let any naysayers or any projects that fail bog you down just because you're a woman or because you're different or anybody you know. You have to show your courage, you have to be resilient, and you have to lean on your inner strengths. The best magic, the you know, time tried and tested formula, which I would advocate, is leaning on your inner strengths. All of us have a lot of strengths, believe you me, we may not know it, but all of us have a lot of strengths. So when you see a situation that is not to your liking, just lean on your inner strengths. Take a deep breath and say today's no will be a yes tomorrow, and that is the courage that you must move ahead with anybody, irrespective of whether you are a woman or you are any person who is stepping into the corporate world. Just value yourself. Always Be confident. Wear the confidence. And that's the best accessory that you would have.   Michael Hingson ** 54:03 How would you define unstoppable mindset?   Shabnam Asthana ** 54:08 Unstoppable mindset is not something which is something which rises beyond limitations. And by limitations, I don't mean only individual limitations. It may be the limitations of the other people. Let that not define your limitation. Your the term unstoppable, to me, is a term which shows resilience. It shows something where you can fumble. It's very natural to fumble, to stumble, to fall down, to face challenges, to face, you know, rejections. It's very normal, but unstoppable is. Being able to get up again with greater strength, with a better mindset, more courageously, and more importantly, with an open heart, which says, Yes, I will do it. You cannot say you cannot. You know, sort of put me down in any way. My courage is there, my inner strength is there. I am unstoppable in that sense.   Michael Hingson ** 55:28 I think the most important thing that you just said is that you have to do it with an open heart. I think everyone should do that you may learn that your idea may not be the best solution, and it might be the best solution, but you won't know that until you truly have an open heart and an open mind.   Shabnam Asthana ** 55:46 Truly, yes, absolutely, an open heart, I would say, is really, really key. It's very, very important.   Michael Hingson ** 55:56 What keeps you motivated as you continue to advocate for adverse diversity and inclusion and equity and so on.   Shabnam Asthana ** 56:04 What keeps me motivated? Michael, are many things, but then what i If I could just zero down on a couple of them, I would say that what keeps me motivated is the trust that people had in me, and, you know, to give me certain jobs, roles, the trust that they had to sort of say, okay, you can do it. And then I did it. And the people, what keeps me motivated is something also very nice, which somebody came up to me at a recent conference in Germany, and they said, you know, the reason why I didn't give up is because of you. That is me, because I motivated them to do something, and that was your motivation for me, I was like, Okay, if I can motivate you, I too can stay motivated for a long, long time to come. And that's something which I do. I try to inspire and I try to inspire myself as well in the process.   Michael Hingson ** 57:07 Well, if you could leave everyone who is involved in hearing this podcast and so on today, if you could leave them with one powerful message about embracing diversity and so on. What would that message be?   Shabnam Asthana ** 57:23 Well, that message would be that whatever is happening today, if you feel that there is even a little bit of acceptability, that is because somebody else has worked towards it, so now it is your chance to give it back to society, to keep working, to keep opening doors for people, for a better tomorrow, for a more inclusive tomorrow. And diversity doesn't and inclusivity doesn't happen overnight. You have to work towards it. There is a it's the whole process, and you have to work towards it relentlessly. Continue working. Somebody else has worked. They have pushed you forward. They have done a whole lot of things. Now it's your turn to do your bit and ensure that the people who are coming after you come to a better tomorrow, a more inclusive tomorrow.   Michael Hingson ** 58:27 It also, by definition, means that we need to learn how to work with each other and support and help each other,   Shabnam Asthana ** 58:34 of course. And empathy. Empathy is the key, empathy, sensitivity, all that.   Michael Hingson ** 58:41 So if people would like to reach out to you, maybe use your company services or talk with you. How can they do that?   Shabnam Asthana ** 58:48 They could contact me. You can write to me at my email id, which is Shabnam, S, H, A, B n, a m, at empowered solutions, my company name, E, M, P, O, W, E, R, E, D, S, o, l, U, T, I O, N, S, dot, I n, that's my name. The emails will reach me. That's an inbox which you know I'm monitoring myself, and be sure that you will receive a reply. I'd love to hear from people, and I love to communicate. I love to write back. So very welcome.   Michael Hingson ** 59:30 And I would ask, just sort of on principle, if anyone reaches out to Shabnam, who has heard this podcast, please mention that, just so that she knows where you where you discovered her, and I think that would be a good thing to do. Well, I want to thank you for being here. I think this has been absolutely wonderful. I think we've learned a lot I have and I value the insights that you bring. So I hope that other people will take the. Those same insights away, there's there's a lot to learn here, and there's a lot to gain from this. So I want to thank you again for being here, and maybe we'll have to do this again in the future.   Shabnam Asthana ** 1:00:12 I'd love to do that. And Michael, I'd like to thank you for hosting this wonderful, wonderful show. I have seen your episodes. They are brilliant, and it's really nice. I was so looking forward to this. It's been an absolute pleasure to interact with you, and I hope that we'll be doing more of this in the near future.   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:35 Well, we'll have to explore that, and I want to thank all of you who are out there watching and listening. I want to thank you for being here. We appreciate you very much. Wherever you're listening or watching. Please give us a five star review. We value that very highly. We really would appreciate you saying good things about us. A five star review is always a wonderful thing. I'd like to hear from you as well. I'd like to hear what your thoughts are about this podcast. Feel free to email me at Michael M, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, i, b, e.com, love to hear from you. Love to hear your thoughts. We value them, and we take all the comments that we get from people very much to heart. So we appreciate you doing that. And if you know anyone else who ought to be a guest on our podcast, who you think ought to be a guest, let us know. Introduce us. Shabnam, that's also true for you, please. If you know anyone who ought to be a guest, we'd love to meet people and have them come on the podcast and also help us show how we're all more unstoppable than we think we are, or we thought we were. So once again, though, I want to thank you for being here. Shabnam, this has been wonderful. Thank you very much.   Shabnam Asthana ** 1:01:51 Thank you, Michael, thank you to all the listeners.   **Michael Hingson ** 1:01:59 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

This week we talk about robots, call center workers, and convenience stores.We also discuss investors, chatbots, and job markets.Recommended Book: The Fourth Consort by Edward AshtonTranscriptThough LLM-based generative AI software, like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude, are becoming more and more powerful by the month, and offering newfangled functionality seemingly every day, it's still anything but certain these tools, and the chatbots they power, will take gobs of jobs from human beings.The tale that's being told by upper-management at a lot of companies makes it seem like this is inevitable, though there would seem to be market incentives for them to both talk and act like this is the case.Companies that make new, splashy investments in AI tech, or which make deals with big AI companies, purporting to further empower their offerings and to “rightsize” their staff as a consequence, tend to see small to moderate bumps in their stock price, and that's good for the execs and other management in those companies, many of whom own a lot of stock, or have performance incentives related to the price of their stock built into their larger pay package.But often, not always, but quite a lot of the time, the increased effectiveness and efficiencies claimed by these higher-ups after they go on a firing spree and introduce new AI tools, seem to be at least partly, and in some cases mostly attributable to basically just threatening their staff with being fired in a difficult labor market.When Google executives lay off 5 or 10% of their staff on a given team, for instance, and then gently urge those who survived the cull to come to the office more frequently rather than working from home, and tell them that 60 hours a week is the sweet spot for achieving their productivity goals, that will tend to lead to greater outputs—at least for a while. Same as any other industry where blood has been drawn and a threat is made if people don't live up to a casually stated standard presented by the person drawing that blood.Also worth mentioning here is that many of the people introducing these tools, both into their own companies and into the market as a whole, seem to think most jobs can be done by AI systems, but not theirs. Many executives have outright said that future businesses will have a small number of people managing a bunch of AI bots, and at least a few investors have said that they believe most jobs can be automated, but investing is too specialized and sophisticated, and will likely remain the domain of clever human beings like themselves.All of which gestures at what we're seeing in labor markets around the globe right now, where demands for new hires are becoming more intense and a whole lot of low-level jobs in particular are disappearing entirely—though in most cases this is not because of AI, or not just, but instead because of automation more broadly; something that AI is contributing to, but something that is also a lot bigger than AI.And that's what I'd like to talk about today. The rapid-speed deployment, in some industries and countries, at least, of automated systems, of robots, basically, and how this is likely to impact the already ailing labor markets in the places that are seeing the spearpoint of this deployment.—Chatbots are AI tools that are capable of taking input from users and responding with often quite human-sounding text, and increasingly, audio as well.These bots are the bane of some customers who are looking to speak to a human about some unique need or problem, but who are instead forced to run a gauntlet of AI-powered bots. The interaction often happens in the same little chat window through which they'll eventually, if they say the right magic words, reach a human being capable of actually helping them. And like so many of the AI innovations that have been broadly deployed at this point, this is a solution that's generally hated by customers, but lauded by the folks who run these companies, because it saves them a lot of money if they can hire fewer human beings to handle support tickets, even if those savings are the result of most people giving up before successfully navigating the AI maze and reaching a human customer support worker.In India right now, the thriving call center industry is seeing early signs of disruption from the same. IT training centers, in particular, are experimenting with using audio-capable AI chatbots instead of human employees, in part because demand is so high, but also, increasingly, because doing so is cheaper than hiring actual human beings to do the same work.One such company, LimeChat, recently said that it plans to cut its employee base by 80% in the near-future, and if that experiment is successful, this could ripple through India's $283 billion IT sector, which accounts for 7.5% of India's GDP. Hiring growth in this sector already collapsed in 2024 and 2025, and again, while this shift seems to be pretty good for the balance books of the companies doing less hiring and more firing as they deploy more AI systems, it's very not good for the often younger people who take these jobs, specializing in call center IT work, only to find that the market no longer demands their skill sets.Along the same lines, but in a perhaps more surprising industry, some convenience stores in Japan are deploying robots to manage their back rooms, where the products that end up available out front are unloaded, tallied, and shelved.These robots, which are basically just arms on poles, sometimes attached to wheeled bases, for moving around, sometimes not, are operated by AI, but are also continuously monitored by human employees in the Philippines. Each worker, who can be paid a lot less than an entry-level, young Japanese person would expect to be paid, monitors about 50 machines at a time, and steps in, using virtual reality gear to control the robots, if one of them gets stuck or drops something; which apparently happens about 4% of the time.This is akin to offshoring of the kind we've seen since the early 2000s, when the dawn of technological globalization made China the factory of the world and everything shifted from a model of local production and the stockpiling of components, to a last-minute, supply-chain oriented model that allowed companies to move all their manufacturing and some of their services to wherever it could be done the cheapest.Many people and companies benefitted from this arbitrage to some degree, though many regions have dried up as a result of this shift, because, for instance, former company towns where cars were produced no longer have the resources to keep infrastructure from degrading, and no longer have enough jobs to keep young people from moving away; brain drain can become pretty intense when there's no economic reason to stay.This reality is expected to become more widespread, even beyond former manufacturing hubs, because of the deployment of both AI systems, which can be subbed-in for many remote jobs, like call center work, programming, and the like, but also because of increasingly sophisticated and capable robots, which can do more automated work, which in turn allows them to be monitored, sometimes remotely, like those Japanese convenience store robots, for a fraction of the price of hiring a human being.This shift is expected to be especially harrowing for teens hoping to enter the labor market in entry-level jobs, as responsibilities like shelf-stocking and product scanning and the loading and unloading of materials are increasingly automatable, as robots capable of doing this work are developed and deployed, and perhaps even more importantly, as systems that augment that automatability are developed and deployed.In practice, that means coming up with shipping processes and other non-tangible systems that lean into the strengths of today's automated systems, while reducing the impact of their weaknesses.Amazon is in prime position to do exactly this, as they've already done so much to rewire global shipping channels so that they can deliver products as rapidly as possible, to as many places as possible. As a result, they control many of the variables within these channels, which in turn means they can tweak them further, so that they're optimized to work with Amazon's specialized automated systems, rather than just human ones.The company has stated, in internal documents, that it plans to automate 75% of its total operations, and it currently has nearly 1.2 million employees. That's triple what it employed in 2018, and it's expected that the automated systems it has already and will soon deploy will allow it to hire 160,000 fewer people than planned by 2027.Even though the company expects to sell twice as many products by 2033, then, it expects to hire 600,000 fewer people by that same year. And it's so confident in its ability to make this happen that it's already making plans to rebuild its image in the aftermath of what's expected to be a really difficult period of people hating it. It's planning significant branding efforts, meant to help it seem like a good corporate citizens, including sponsored community events and big donations to children's programs.It's also intending to frame this shift as an evolution in which robots are amplifying the efforts of human employees. Rather than calling their automated systems robots, they might call them ‘cobots,' for instance.Amazon has contended that the internal documents in which these plans were outlined, those documents acquired and reported upon by the New York Times, are incomplete and not an accurate representation of what Amazon plans, and they said those branding efforts are not a response to hate related to their automation efforts, they just like spending money on nice things for communities.The net-impact of existing efforts of this kind, though, is to deplete local job markets where these big companies dominate, and to make the jobs that survive a lot higher-end, requiring more technical sophistication, often, like being able to manage and maintain these sorts of robots, which are skills few people currently have.Amazon's backend is already very automated, powered by bots originally developed by robotics maker Kiva, which was purchased by the company for 3/4 of a billion dollars back in 2012. Amazon warehouse workers now work alongside all sorts of robots—though as seems to be the case with employees who survive AI-related firings, those humans who remain are often subjected to strenuous conditions and a lot of pressure to work long hours.In the company's Shreveport, Louisiana location, there are more than a thousand robots working around the clock, and that's allowed Amazon to hire 25% fewer human workers at that facility, while processing 10% more items. The plan is to further refine that model while also spreading it to other Amazon warehouse locations, 40 more of them by 2027, which is part of how they expect to reach that aforementioned 75% employee reduction goal.Amazon's obviously at the forefront of this shift because of the nature of their business and business model, but other big employers, such as Walmart, are also pushing in this direction. Walmart officials have said they will have cut costs by more than 30% at facilities where they've been experimenting with more automation by the end of 2025, and they've already cut those costs by 20% at these facilities, in part because fewer human employees are necessary.All of which is interesting in part because these are clearly real innovations that are leading to more efficiency and effectiveness at lower costs, and ultimately these may translate into cheaper goods and services for customers if the companies deploying automated technologies decide to pass on those savings.But simultaneously, this represents a fundamental shift in the job market and overall economy, and if new jobs don't arrive at the same scale and pace as they're disappearing, or some other money-distribution solution, like a minimum basic income, doesn't arrive in time, we could find ourselves in a situation, globally, but especially and most immediately in markets like China, which has far more automation than everyone else right now, and the US—we could have a situation where there's just a whole lot of stuff being made, but not enough people who can afford it, because they can't find jobs that will pay them enough to participate in the economy, which in turn could splashback on these automated measures in a negative way, as these companies' addressable markets shrink.Show Noteshttps://collectivefutures.blog/the-infrastructure-of-meaninglessness/https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/20/meta-approves-plan-for-bigger-executives-bonuses-following-5percent-layoffs.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/27/technology/google-sergey-brin-return-to-office.htmlhttps://www.reuters.com/world/india/meet-ai-chatbots-replacing-indias-call-center-workers-2025-10-15/https://restofworld.org/2025/philippines-offshoring-automation-tech-jobs/https://www.theverge.com/report/806728/tech-left-teens-fighting-over-scraps-robots-taking-jobshttps://www.theverge.com/transportation/805471/waymo-robotaxi-winter-snow-weather-testinghttps://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-wants-strong-influence-over-the-robot-army-hes-building/https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/walmart-automation-supply-chain-cost-savings/747377/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/business/china-tariffs-robots-automation.html This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

This month in wild world news… Israel and Hamas militants agree to a major ceasefire, though it's hanging by a thread… So, will it help Donald Trump in his ambitions to get a Nobel Peace Prize? In India festival season is on– but have you heard of the 75-day festival that is the longest-lasting in the world? We have a special on-site report. In science news the world's leading primatologist (as in a person who studies primates!) passes away – we'll tell you why Jane Goodall was known as the “chimp whisperer.” And with winter fast approaching in the northern hemisphere, bears in the US are fattening up for hibernation – but which cuddly creature will win the Fat Bear Competition? Lastly, forget about the Nobel prizes – the other ones are perhaps more interesting, or, at least more odd! Confused – well, listen to the end and you'll be all the wiser. 

Host Jason Blitman talks with Megha Majumdar about her acclaimed second novel, A Guardian and a Thief—recently nominated for the Kirkus Prize and shortlisted for the National Book Award.Conversation highlights include:

Listen to JCO Global Oncology's Art of Global Oncology article, "Whispers After the Cure: Reflections on Marriage and Malignancy in India” by Dr. Vangipuram Harshil Sai, who is a fourth semester medical student at All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The article is followed by an interview with Harshil Sai and host Dr. Mikkael Sekeres. Sai shares his personal reflection of a visit which transformed into an education in silence, stigma, and the unseen aftermath of survivorship for young women in India. TRANSCRIPT Narrator: Whispers After the Cure: Reflections on Marriage and Malignancy in India, Vangipuram, Harshil Sai   A Summer Afternoon and A Story That Stayed The summer break of my fourth semester of medical school offered a fleeting reprieve from the relentless immersion in textbooks and caffeine-fueled study sessions. I had envisioned a few weeks of rest—a pause from the algorithms of diagnosis and the grind of multiple-choice questions that had become my daily rhythm. But one humid afternoon altered that plan. I accompanied my mother—a senior medical oncologist—to her clinic in a Tier 2 city in Southern India. Over the years, I had seen her not just as a clinician but as a quiet force of empathy. She was one of those remarkable physicians who listened not just to symptoms but also to stories. Her practice was rooted in presence, and her calm resilience often made my academic anxieties seem trivial. I settled into a corner chair in the waiting area, where the air was tinged with antiseptic and that uncomfortable waiting room stillness—an alert hush between uncertainty and news. Patients waited in quiet constellations: a man turning the same page of a newspaper, a teenage girl watching her intravenous drip as if it held answers, and a couple clasping hands without meeting eyes. It was in this atmosphere of suspended quiet that Aarthi entered. She was a young woman whose presence was composed yet tentative. Her story would become a quiet inflection point in my understanding of medicine. She was 24 years old, embodying the aspirations tied to a recent engagement. A postgraduate in English literature and a practicing psychologist; she carried herself with a rare blend of intellect, poise, and cultural grace that, in the eyes of many families, made her a deeply desirable bride. Her sari was immaculately draped, her posture measured and calm, yet in the way her fingers intertwined and her eyes briefly lowered, there was a trace of vulnerability—a shadow of the turmoil she carried within. She came alone that day, stepping into the waiting room with a composed demeanor that only hinted at the weight she bore in silence. What began as a day to observe became the beginning of something far more enduring: a glimpse into how healing extends beyond treatment—and how survival, though silent, often speaks the loudest. The Diagnosis That Changed the Wedding The consultation was precipitated by a clinical presentation of persistent neck fullness, low-grade fevers, and drenching night sweats, which had prompted a fine-needle aspiration before her visit. The atmosphere in the room held an implicit gravity, suggesting a moment of significant change. My mother, with her characteristic composure, initiated a diagnostic process with a positron emission tomography-computed tomography and biopsy. As usual, her steady presence provided reassurance amid the uncertainty. A week later, the diagnosis of classic Hodgkin lymphoma, stage IIB, was confirmed. Rapid initiation of ABVD chemotherapy would provide an almost certain pathway to remission and an excellent prognosis. Yet, this clinical assurance did not extend to personal tranquility. Aarthi made a deliberate choice to share the diagnosis with her fiancé—a considerate and empathetic individual from a well-regarded family. Their wedding preparations were already underway with gold reserves secured and a vibrant WhatsApp group of 83 members chronicling the countdown to their big day. Shortly thereafter, a prolonged silence settled, eventually broken by a call from a family member—not the fiancé—indicating that the family had decided to terminate the engagement because of apprehensions about future stability. The union dissolved without public discord, leaving Aarthi to navigate the subsequent journey independently. As expected, 6 months of chemotherapy culminated in a clean scan. Her physical health was restored, but an emotional chasm remained, unrecorded by clinical metrics. Yet beneath that silence was a quiet resilience—a strength that carried her through each cycle of treatment with a resolve as steady as any celebrated elsewhere. The regrowth of her hair prompted a conscious decision to trim it shorter, seemingly an assertion of autonomy. Her discourse on the illness shifted to the third person, suggesting a psychological distancing. Her reactions to inquiries about the terminated engagement were guarded. She would yield only a restrained smile, which intimated a multifaceted emotional response. Her remission was certain, yet the world she stepped back into was layered with quiet hurdles—social, cultural, and unseen—barriers far more intricate than the disease itself. Survivorship Without A Map In the weeks that followed Aarthi's diagnosis, I began to notice a quiet but consistent pattern in the oncology clinic—one that extended beyond medical recovery into the unspoken social aftermath. Among young, unmarried women in India, survivorship often came with a parallel challenge of navigating shifts in how they were perceived, particularly as marriage prospects. In Indian families where marital status is closely tied to stability and future security, a woman with a cancer history, even after complete remission, somehow came to be quietly perceived as less suitable. Proposals that had once moved forward with confidence were paused or reconsidered after disclosure. In some cases, financial discussions came with requests for additional support framed as reassurance rather than rejection. These changes were seldom explicit. Yet, across time, they pointed to a deeper uncertainty—about how survivorship fits into the expectations of traditional life scripts. For women like Aarthi, the narrative shifted toward caution. There were subtle inquiries about reproductive potential or disease recurrence and private deliberations over disclosure during matrimonial discussions, even within educated circles. Meanwhile, my observation of the disparity in how survivorship was interpreted across genders in our country left a profound mark on me. A 31-year-old male investment banker who had recovered from testicular cancer was hailed in local media as a testament to fortitude. Male patients seemed to gain social capital from their cancer journeys. This suggested a cultural framework where female value was quietly reassessed, influencing their post-treatment identity through unstated societal perceptions. Digital Ghosting and the New Untouchability Within the digital landscape of curated profiles and algorithmic matchmaking, the reassessment of female survivorship acquired a new dimension. In one instance, a sustained exchange of text messages ended abruptly following the mention of cancer remission. The final message remained unanswered. This form of silent disengagement—subtle, unspoken, and devoid of confrontation—highlighted how virtual spaces can compound post-treatment vulnerability. Designed to foster connection, these platforms sometimes amplified social distance, introducing a modern form of invisibility. Similar to employment status or religion, a cancer history has become another addition to a checklist used to evaluate compatibility. When Medicine Ends, but Society Does Not Begin As a medical student, I felt a growing discomfort. Our curriculum equips us to manage treatment protocols and survival metrics but rarely prepares us for the intangible burdens that persist after cure. What captures the weight of a canceled engagement? What framework supports the quiet reconstruction of identity after remission? Aarthi's path, echoed by many others, revealed a dissonance that medicine alone could not resolve. The challenge was not solely the illness but the reality that she was now unqualified to return to her normal life. Medicine delivers clean scans and structured follow-up, but social reintegration is less defined. In that space between biological recovery and social acceptance, cancer survivors often stand at the edge of wholeness—clinically well but navigating a quieter uncertainty. A Different Ending Two years later, Aarthi's journey took a quiet turn. At a spiritual retreat in Bengaluru, she met an ear, nose, and throat resident who had lost his father to lung cancer. Their connection, shaped by shared experiences, evolved into a partnership grounded in empathy and mutual respect. They married the following year. Their invitation carried a brief but powerful line: “Cancer Survivor. Love Thriver. Come celebrate both.” Today, they comanage a private hospital in Hyderabad. Aarthi leads psycho-oncology services, whereas her partner performs surgeries. He often notes that her presence brings a calm to the clinic that no medication can replicate. Aarthi's journey continues to guide me as I progress through my medical training, reminding me that cure and closure often follow separate paths. Healing, I have come to understand, extends beyond the clinic. It often unfolds in quieter spaces where scans no longer guide us. The real curriculum in oncology lies not only in staging and response rates but in recognizing the many transitions—social, emotional, and cultural—that survivors must navigate long after treatment has concluded. Social stigma is often a second metastasis—undetectable by imaging but present in tone, hesitation, and traditions that quietly redefine survivorship. For many women of marriageable age, treatment marks not the end of struggle but the start of another kind of uncertainty. These survivors carry wounds that do not bleed. Yet, they persist, navigate, and redefine strength on their own terms. Aarthi's quiet resilience became a point of reckoning for me, not as a medical case, but as a guide. Her story is not one of illness alone, but of dignity quietly reclaimed. “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”—Khalil Gibran.   Mikkael Sekeres: Welcome back to JCO's Cancer Stories: The Art of Oncology. This ASCO podcast features intimate narratives and perspectives from authors exploring their experiences in oncology. I'm your host, Mikkael Sekeres. I'm professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Hematology at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami. In oncology, we often focus on treatment and a way to find a cure. But what about the expectations and challenges a patient may face from their diagnosis, and even discrimination, especially in different cultures? Today, we're going to examine that space with Harshil Vangipuram, a medical student from India whose JCO Global Oncology article, "Whispers After the Cure: Reflections on Marriage and Malignancy in India," touches on this complexity after treatment. Harshil, thank you for contributing to JCO Global Oncology and for joining us to discuss your article. Harshil Vangipuram: Thank you for having me, Dr. Sekeres. I was raised by a family of oncologists, my mother being a senior medical oncologist and father a senior radiation oncologist. I had exposure to contrasting worlds, which were resource constrained and a cutting edge technology world. And I have unfulfilled curiosity, and I'm still learning, forming ideals. I also see patients as my teachers, so I think that might be helpful. Mikkael Sekeres: Thank you so much for a little bit of that background. So, tell us a little bit about your journey through life so far. Where were you born and where did you do your education? Harshil Vangipuram: I was born in a state called Gujarat in the western part of India. My father got transferred to the southern part of India, so I did my education there. That's it, yeah. Mikkael Sekeres: Okay. That's enough. You're not that old. You haven't had the sort of training and final job that a lot of us have gone through. So, what about your story as a writer? How did you first get interested in writing, and how long have you been writing reflective or narrative pieces? Harshil Vangipuram: I read some books from Indian authors and from foreign, too. And they actually inspired me how patient care was being seen around globally. I always used to carry a hand note. I used to write what I used to see in the clinical postings here at AIIMS. And actually, journaling started as a stress relief for me, and slowly, after hearing patients' stories, it almost became an obligation to write about them. Mikkael Sekeres: Obligation, you use that word, which is such an interesting one. How did writing become an obligation? What did you feel obliged to do when writing about some of the patients you were seeing for the first time? Harshil Vangipuram: Many of them were having struggles which were not seen by everybody. And I got astonished by their confidence and resilience in those situations. So, I thought that I should write about them so that everybody knows about it. And these social stigmas were never talked by anyone around them. So, I felt that if I could voice them, others might eventually know about them. So, that's pretty much the reason I wrote. Mikkael Sekeres: It's so interesting. The people we meet every single day, particularly in hematology oncology, bring such fascinating backgrounds to us, and they're backgrounds that may be unfamiliar to us. And I think that as doctors and writers, we do often feel obliged to tell their stories from the mountaintops, to let other people in on some of the aspects of life and medical care that they're going through and just how inspiring some of these patients can be. Harshil Vangipuram: Yeah, yeah, very true. Very true. Mikkael Sekeres: You mentioned that your mom is a medical oncologist. What kind of influence did she have on your decision to enter medicine and perhaps your own specialty one day? Harshil Vangipuram: Observing my mother practice influenced a lot, and she taught me that medicine is not only about treating a patient, but also listening to their problems. It may be more present in the room. The textbooks I read didn't capture live experiences. I always thought that stories will stay with people longer than actual survival curves. Writing filled that gap between what I studied and what I felt in the OPD. Mikkael Sekeres: It's a great phrase you just whipped out. Patients' stories will stay with us longer than survival curves. Can you tell us a little bit about where her clinic is located? You said in southern India. Can you describe the types of patients she sees? Harshil Vangipuram: It's a small town called Nellore in Andhra Pradesh state. The patients are, most of the time, from a rural population where decisions are mostly family-driven and there's a tight community surveillance and the stigmas are more overt, too. A few of them can be from urban population also, but they have subtler discriminations towards stigmas. Mikkael Sekeres: Can you explain a little further what you mean by decisions are often family-driven? Harshil Vangipuram: If we take marriage, it is often seen as an alliance between two families that are trying to increase their social value, their economic status, and respect in the society. In arranged marriages, for suppose, it's basically driven between these concepts. Mikkael Sekeres: I don't know if it's too personal to ask, but are your parents in an arranged marriage? Harshil Vangipuram: No, not at all. Mikkael Sekeres: So not all the marriages in the clinic are arranged marriages. Harshil Vangipuram: Yeah. Mikkael Sekeres: You know, when you said that decisions are family-driven, you mentioned that people are in arranged marriages. And I wanted to talk a little bit about the stigma you highlight in your essay. I'll talk about that in a second. I thought you were going to go down a route about medical decisions being family-driven, meaning people have to support their families, and getting medical care is costly and takes time away from work, and that sometimes influences decisions about treating cancer. What examples have you seen of that in shadowing your mom? Harshil Vangipuram: I have seen patients who have Hodgkin's lymphoma, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer, who were in the age of 25 to 35, who were getting married. Many of them actually got their engagements broken. And many of them got rejected at matrimonial apps. Many of them also had been told to increase the dowry that is given actually in the form of financial security. Mikkael Sekeres: In your essay, you describe a woman who is engaged and who has a new diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma. Can you talk a little bit about the process of getting engaged and marrying in southern India? Harshil Vangipuram: We have the arranged marriage, love marriage, and hybrid, which is kind of arranged and kind of in love. Mostly, these problems really occur in arranged marriages. In love marriages, we don't see that that often because both are understanding about themselves and their families. And both families actually accept them both. Mikkael Sekeres: What's the process of going through an arranged marriage? What happens? Harshil Vangipuram: It can be through parents, relatives, or any known ones or through peers. We just find a man or woman who has a similar caste, who has a good financial income, and people who are respected by the society. And obviously, both the families should have aligned interests for them to accept the marriage. Mikkael Sekeres: About how often are marriages arranged and how often are they love marriages in southern India where you live? Harshil Vangipuram: Almost 90% of the marriages are arranged here. Mikkael Sekeres: Wow. So, your parents were unusual then for having a love marriage. Harshil Vangipuram: Yeah. Mikkael Sekeres: In your essay, you write, and I'm going to quote you now, "Among young, unmarried women in India, survivorship often came with a parallel challenge of navigating shifts in how they were perceived, particularly as marriage prospects. In Indian families where marital status is closely tied to stability and future security, a woman with a cancer history, even after complete remission, somehow came to be quietly perceived as less suitable." Wow, that's a really moving statement. I'm curious, what stories have you seen where, in your words, women became less suitable as a marriage prospect? Harshil Vangipuram: For women, the most important thing in a marriage is, what do you call, a family honor, fertility, and economic status in the community. So, after a long dose of chemo, many people think that people become infertile. In India, basically, we have many misconceptions and stigmas. So, people obviously think that people who have got cancer can spread it to their children or are infertile and are often excluded out of the society as a marriage prospect. Mikkael Sekeres: Gosh, that must be devastating. Harshil Vangipuram: Yeah. Mikkael Sekeres: Does the same occur for men? So, is it also true that if a man has cancer, that he is perceived as less fertile, or it may be perceived that he can pass the cancer on to children? Harshil Vangipuram: Here, after a man beats cancer, they start to celebrate it, like they have achieved something, and it's not like that for a woman. Mikkael Sekeres: In your essay, you do write about a happy ending for one woman. Can you tell us about that? Harshil Vangipuram: Yeah, a cancer survivor obviously met her true love of life in Bengaluru, who was an ENT resident then. And his father died from lung cancer. So obviously, he knew what it felt to beat cancer. Mikkael Sekeres: Yeah, he'd been through it himself. And the irony, of course, is that most cancer treatments that we give do not lead to infertility, so it's a complete misperception. Harshil Vangipuram: Yeah. Mikkael Sekeres: Tell us about your future. What are the next steps for you in your training and what do you hope to specialize in and practice? Harshil Vangipuram: Actually, I'm working on another paper which involves financial toxicity after treatment and post treatment depression. I think it would be completed in another year. And after that, after my med school is completed, I think I'm going to pursue oncology or hematology as my branch of interest. Mikkael Sekeres: Wonderful. It's thrilling to hear that somebody who is as sensitive to his patients and both their medical needs and their needs outside of medicine will be entering our field. It'll be great to know that you'll be taking care of our future patients. Harshil Vangipuram: The pleasure is all mine, sir. Mikkael Sekeres: Harshil Vangipuram, I want to thank you for choosing JCO Cancer Stories: The Art of Oncology and for submitting your great piece, "Whispers After the Cure: Reflections on Marriage and Malignancy in India" to JCO Global Oncology. To our listeners, if you've enjoyed this episode, consider sharing it with a friend or colleague or leave us a review. Your feedback and support helps us continue to have these important conversations. If you're looking for more episodes, follow our show on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen, and explore more from ASCO at asco.org/podcasts. Until next time, this has been Mikkael Sekeres from the Sylvester Cancer Center, University of Miami. Have a good day. The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement. Show notes:Like, share and subscribe so you never miss an episode and leave a rating or review. Guest Bio:Dr Vangipuram Harshil Sai is a fourth semester medical student at All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Additional Reading Impact of Gender of the Child on Health Care–Seeking Behavior of Caregivers of Childhood Patients With Cancer: A Mixed-Methods Study | JCO Global Oncology

Sometimes in science, when you try to answer one question it sparks even more questions. The CrowdScience inbox is a bulging example of that. We get tons of new questions every week and many of those are following up on episodes we've made. Sometimes you want us to go deeper into part of the answer, or sometimes a subject intrigues you so much that it inspires further questions about it. In this episode presenter Caroline Steel is on a mission to answer some of those questions. The CrowdScience episode How do fish survive in the deep ocean? led listener Ivor to wonder what sort of vision deep sea fish might have. On hand to answer that is Professor Lars Schmitz, Kravis Professor of Integrated Sciences: Biology, at Claremont McKenna College in the USA Sticking with vision, we also tackle a question inspired by the CrowdScience episode Do we all see the same colour? For years listener Catarina has wondered why her eyes appear to change colour. Professor Pirro Hysi, ophthalmologist at the University of Pittsburgh, sheds some light on that subject. In India, Rakesh listened to the CrowdScience episode Will the Earth ever lose its moon? and wondered about Jupiter's many moons. The European Space Agency's Ines Belgacem is working on a new mission to study Jupiter's moons. She explains which of the giant planet's ninety seven moons are ones for Rakesh to watch. We also hear how the episode Why can't my dog live as long as me? caught the attention of listener Lisa... and her cat. She had us falling in love with the long history of falling cats and the scientists who study them. Caroline is joined by Professor Greg Gbur, physicist at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte in the USA and author of Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics. Could this episode of follow up questions lead to an episode investigating the follow up questions to these follow up questions? Have a listen and, who knows, maybe you'll find yourself inspired to email crowdscience@bbc.co.uk Presenter: Caroline Steel Producer: Tom Bonnett Editor: Ben Motley(Photo: Innovation and new ideas lightbulb concept with Question Mark - stock photo Credit: Olemedia via Getty Images)

Every year, nearly one-third of all food produced globally—around 2.1 billion tons—never gets eaten. That's not just food wasted. It's the land, water, energy, labor, and money poured into producing it—amounting to a staggering $1.5 trillion lost annually. And the climate cost is even higher: food waste contributes 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than five times that of the aviation industry.In India, much of this waste happens before food ever reaches our kitchens—on farms, in transit, or in warehouses—due to poor infrastructure, lack of cold storage, and inefficient supply chains. While millions remain hungry, mountains of food are lost quietly behind the scenes.In this episode of "Nutrition Every Day", we speak with Rinka Banerjee, Founder of Thinking Forks, a food-tech consultancy that helps reimagine food systems from R&D to the manufacturing floor. With decades of experience in innovation and sustainable food strategy—including at Unilever—Rinka brings a sharp, insider perspective on where the system is failing and how it can change.We explore:•Why food waste is so widespread in a country where hunger remains a pressing issue•Where food is getting lost across farms, factories, retailers, and homes•Blind spots in India's food systems that need urgent fixes•Why cultural practices around abundance also fuel waste•Practical, everyday steps listeners can take to waste less food at homeIf you have ever wondered why food waste persists despite widespread hunger—and what real solutions look like on the ground—this conversation will leave you both informed and inspired.About Nutrition Every Day: A special podcast series by The Good Sight and Rise Against Hunger India, bringing sharp, grounded perspectives on health and nutrition.CreditsHost: Shreya MGuest: Rinka BanerjeeResearch: Alisha CArtwork: Rajnikant SProduced by: The Good SightConcept: The Good Sight & Rise Against Hunger IndiaFor feedback or to participate, write to us at contact@thegoodsight.org#NutritionEveryDay #FoodWaste #FoodSecurity #SustainableNutrition #TheGoodSight #RiseAgainstHungerIndia #ThinkingForks

Watch The X22 Report On Video No videos found (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:17532056201798502,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-9437-3289"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");pt> Click On Picture To See Larger Picture Trump has put the EU nations and others on notice, if you continue with the green new scam your country will be destroyed. Trump calls out the WB to start financing oil projects. Trump makes another deal, this will create 35,000 jobs. Trump is in the process of [CB] controlled demolition, as the [CB] is destroyed, gold,silver and bitcoin will rise. The [DS] is trapped in their agenda. Trump has big pharma in the crosshairs, he is exposing autism and what causes it. He has now designated antifa as a terrorist group, he is prepping the country for the riots that the [DS] will try. Step by step he is destorying the NWO. On of the last acts is to have peace world wide. He is leading the warmongers down the path to war, he will be the peace maker.   Economy https://twitter.com/AndrewCFollett/status/1970503022292983994 (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:18510697282300316,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-8599-9832"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs"); Trump Calls On World Bank To Reconsider Oil And Gas Financing Back in 2017, the World Bank Group said it would no longer finance upstream oil and gas after 2019. But the group noted that “In exceptional circumstances, consideration will be given to financing upstream gas in the poorest countries where there is a clear benefit in terms of energy access for the poor and the project fits within the countries' Paris Agreement commitments.” The Trump Administration is advocating for the World Bank to increase its financing for oil and gas projects, a reversal of its previous policy to cease funding new fossil fuel ventures after 2019. This push prioritizes energy security, especially for upstream gas developments, and also extends to other development banks to finance fossil fuel projects. The U.S. is also pushing other development banks to finance fossil fuels, including gas pipeline projects, according to FT's sources.  In recent years, the World Bank and many commercial banks have backed out of lending money to some fossil fuels, including coal, oil sands, and Arctic oil and gas. Banks were under intense shareholder and stakeholder pressure to cut their exposure to fossil fuels and align their lending portfolios to the Paris Agreement goals. But the tables have turned with the U.S. Administration strongly promoting fossil fuels and America's dominance in oil and gas exports.  Source: zerohedge.com  https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1970500336075874496   round of powerful tariffs, which would stop the bloodshed very quickly." https://twitter.com/JoeLang51440671/status/1970500635058425949  made appearances side by side at stadium rallies — a big optics boost for two populist leaders with ideological similarities. Each called the other a good friend. In India, the bonhomie between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump was seen as a relationship like no other. That is, until a series of events gummed up the works.” It seems that the “bromance” has ended in Trump's second term. “From Trump's tariffs and India's purchase of oil from Russia to a U.S. tilt toward Pakistan, friction between New Delhi and Washington has been hard to miss. And much of it has happened far from the corridors of power and, unsurprisingly, through Trump's posts on social media.

The White House said doctors could be exempt from the Trump administration's new $100,000 fee for high-skilled H-1B visa applications. We hear from the President of the American Medical Association.In India, everyday essentials are getting cheaper after its Prime Minister cut tax rates. We then go to Uzbekistan where new rules and measures are being implemented in weddings, ceremonies, and family events to curb spending.(Photo: Two surgeons are preparing for surgery. The doctors are standing in an operating room in a hospital. One surgeon is tying closed the back of another surgeon's operating gown. copyright Getty Creative / FatCamera (GettyImages-1171128846)

We have books that have changed the world. We can name many others, but the fact is, books have been extant in human society for many years. When people decided to write, and they have been for generations—they would find any surface they could write on. In India, the chosen surface was palm leaves. Painstakingly, they would copy things onto these palm leaves using a stylus; they'd have to expose it to the sun so you get that darkened area. Isn't that beautiful handwriting? And how long would it take you to copy the Bhagavad Gita by hand? Audience: A year! That would take a while to generate enough to try to win the marathon for book distribution. So other people realized, as technology advanced, that books could be printed. The first thing was the Gutenberg Press. That's not it. There was a Gutenberg Press. A man named Gutenberg invented it to spread the Bible. You can trace Christianity and see how it expanded through the distribution of the printed book. Then came other printing presses. This one is a replica. It's a picture of the kind of printing press that Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur brought to Calcutta and kept running 24/7, along with two others. They had them lined up near the altar because he kept them near the altar to show that they were also Deities. Anybody here from Ohio? One, two. You know where these printing presses came from? Ohio is a good export state. These printing presses came from Ohio. He shipped them all the way to India. And Prabhupada had expressed to us, when he started his mission, that he was following the instruction of his spiritual master, whom he asked several times for direction about what kind of service he would like him to do. I'm wearing a wristband right now. It says, "If you ever get money, print books." Who said that? Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur. And where did he say it to our founder-acharya? At Radha Kund! At that sacred place of Radha Kund, our Prabhupada had asked Srila Bhakti Siddhanta, "What can I do?" And Srila Bhakti Siddhanta said that, "I've got this big temple, the Bhagbazar marble temple, and I wish now that I could take the marble from that temple, sell it, and print some books." Then he said, "If you ever get money, print books." Prabhupada said, "I took this from his mouth that he was very fond of books." So when he began his campaign, he extended that same mood to all of us, and it remains. Now, I'm going to teach you a few points that have come by Krishna's mercy to the minds and hearts of devotees who have been distributing books for many years that will save you a lot of time and grief. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality

In India, how can gorgeous flowers offered in a temple or gathered to decorate a wedding be an environmental problem? Chhavi Sachdev discovers that the practice of disposing of the spent flowers, thousands of tonnes of the them daily, into rivers and lakes causes major pollution and literally suffocates waterborne life. The problem is made worse by the fact that the flowers are sprayed with pesticides in the field so are yet more toxic when discarded. But there ARE solutions - both to recycle the waste into treated compost and, in an innovative scheme, to dry the flowers for their colour and fragrance and make incense sticks - many millions of which are sold in India every year. Presenter/Producer : Chhavi Sachdev UK Producer: Tom Woolfenden A Just Radio Production Image: Piles of orange, yellow and red flower heads at market. Credit: Chhavi Sachdev

Donate (no account necessary) | Subscribe (account required) Join Bryan Dean Wright, former CIA Operations Officer, as he dives into today's top stories shaping America and the world. In this episode of The Wright Report, we cover the growing battle between Trump and the Federal Reserve, new fights over redistricting in California and Texas, major courtroom victories for the president, and breakthrough medical research on autism. From fiery clashes in Washington to hopeful discoveries in science, today's brief delivers the headlines shaping America's future. Trump vs. Powell and the Federal Reserve: Fed Chair Jerome Powell delivers a pivotal speech today as Trump threatens to fire him over high interest rates. Biden appointee Lisa Cook refuses to resign amid a DOJ mortgage fraud investigation, declaring, “I have no intention of being bullied to step down from my position.” Trump pushes to replace Fed governors with his own picks, raising the stakes for the economy and next year's midterms. California and Texas Redistricting Battles: California Governor Gavin Newsom pushes a special election to redraw maps that would flip five GOP districts to Democrats, but polls show 64 percent of Californians want to keep the independent commission's map. Meanwhile, Texas Republicans advance their own redistricting plan to shift five seats from Democrats to Republicans, with Florida and Missouri set to follow. Trump Scores Three Major Court Victories: A New York appeals court strikes down a $500 million civil fraud verdict, calling it “a stinging rebuke” to Attorney General Letitia James. The Supreme Court clears Trump to cut $800 million in DEI grants at the NIH. And the Ninth Circuit rules he can end Biden's Temporary Protected Status protections for 60,000 migrants, overturning what Bryan calls “an egregiously wrong” lower court decision. Immigration Crackdown in Washington DC: Trump personally joins ICE agents targeting illegal immigrants on mopeds working for delivery services. One arrest of a Mexican national sparked outrage until it was revealed he had raped a 13-year-old child, forcing Democrats to quickly delete their criticism. Bryan calls it proof that “facts matter, and sometimes they come out too late.” Economic Data Surprises and Tariff Revenues: Despite gloomy forecasts, Walmart sales hold firm, housing sales tick upward, and factory activity reaches its highest level since 2022. Trump's tariffs generate a record $160 billion in revenue, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirming the funds are reducing U.S. debt. “It's leaving the economic smarties scratching their heads,” Bryan notes, as predictions of collapse keep falling flat. Global Updates — Ukraine, India, and the UK: Trump urges Zelenskyy to strike inside Russia, writing, “It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invader's country.” Russia responds by bombing a U.S.-owned factory in Ukraine. In India, Prime Minister Modi moves closer to China, praising “steady progress guided by respect for each other's interests” while his billionaire allies profit from Russian oil sales. In the UK, PM Keir Starmer faces fury as asylum seekers flood in and crime rises. Breakthroughs in Autism Research: South Korean scientists develop a probiotic treatment that reduces autism symptoms in mice by altering gut bacteria. At Stanford, researchers test an epilepsy drug, Z-944, that reverses autism symptoms including seizures, sensitivity issues, and social impairments. Bryan calls the findings “a wonderful way to start the weekend.”   "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:32     Keywords: Trump Powell Federal Reserve fight, Jerome Powell interest rates, Lisa Cook DOJ investigation, California redistricting Newsom, Texas GOP redistricting plan, Trump court victories Letitia James, Supreme Court NIH DEI grants, Ninth Circuit TPS migrants, Trump DC ICE mopeds, Walmart sales tariffs, U.S. factory activity 2025, Trump tariffs debt reduction, Zelenskyy strike inside Russia, Russia bombs U.S. factory Ukraine, Modi Xi China alliance, UK asylum seekers Starmer, South Korea autism probiotic, Stanford epilepsy drug autism reversal

Morgan Stanley Research looks at how changes in demographics, ownership, and distribution can boost tech adoption to revolutionize the global sports industry. Read more insights from Morgan Stanley.----- Transcript -----Cesar Medina: Welcome to Thoughts on the Market. I'm Cesar Medina, Morgan Stanley's Latin America Technology, Media, and Telecom Analyst. Today – we discuss what's driving the digital revolution in global sports. And what it means for fans as well as investors. It's Monday, August 11th, at 10am in New York.These days, watching a sporting event at home usually means streaming the big game on a large 4K HDR screen. Maybe even 8K for premium events. You might access real time stats from a supporting app or social media on a secondary device. Maybe even have a group chat with friends. But imagine a game with real-time personalized stats. Immersive alternate camera angles. Or even experiencing the match from a player's perspective—all powered by AI. These innovations are already being tested and rolled out in select leagues. Global sports generates half a trillion dollars in annual revenues. Despite all that cash, until very recently the industry was slow to embrace digital technology, lagging behind movies and music. Now that's changing – and fast.So, what's driving this transformation? Three powerful forces are closing this digital gap. One – younger, tech-savvy audiences demanding more immersive and personalized experiences. Two – new distribution models, with digital platforms stepping into the arena. And three – institutional investment, bringing capital and a push for modernization. You might ask – what does this all mean for fans, investors, and the future of entertainment? Let's start with fans. Today's sports fans aren't just watching—they're interacting, betting, gaming, and sharing. And younger fans are leading the charge. They are spending more time online and expect hyper-personalized content. They're more interested in individual athletes than teams, and they engage through social media, fantasy sports, and interactive platforms. Surveys show that fans under 35 are significantly more likely to spend money on sports if the experience is digital-first. Some leagues have seen viewership jump by 40 percent after introducing interactive features. Others are using AI to personalize content, boosting engagement and revenue. Digital transformation isn't just about watching games though—it's about reimagining the entire ecosystem. When it comes to live events, smart venues are using AI to adjust ticket prices based on weather, opposing team, and demand. Some are even using facial recognition for faster entry and purchases. Streaming platforms are making broadcasts more interactive, while combating piracy with predictive tech. As for engagement, fantasy sports, esports, and betting are booming. AI-driven platforms are helping fans make smarter picks—and spend more. Altogether, these innovations could boost global sports revenues by over 25 percent, adding more than $130 billion in value. While North America leads in monetization, Emerging Markets are catching up fast. In India, Brazil, and the Middle East, for example, sports franchises are seeing double-digit growth in value—sometimes outpacing traditional media. And here's the kicker: many of these regions have younger populations and faster-growing digital adoption. That's a recipe for serious growth. Meanwhile, niche sports and women's leagues are also gaining global traction, expanding the definition of mainstream entertainment. Of course, this transformation of the sports industry faces real hurdles—technical expertise, budget constraints, and cultural resistance among coaches and athletes. But the incentives are clear. And as more capital flows into sports—from private equity to sovereign wealth funds—digital transformation is becoming a strategic priority. So, what's the biggest takeaway? Global sports is no longer just about what happens on the field. It's about how fans experience it—on their phones, in their homes, and in the stadiums of the future. So whether you're an investor, a fan, or just someone who loves a good underdog story, this is a game worth watching. 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.

After a brief review of Grok becoming 'MechaHitler', we chat about the hysterical meltdown that ensued upon Zohran Mamdani's victory in the Democratic primaries to become candidate for Mayor of New York.  Jack brings his researches into the New York Times smear story and the fascist eugenicist blogger Jordan Lasker (AKA Cremieux) who gave the Times the leaked info.  Daniel brings clips of Megyn Kelly's unhinged Islamophobic response to Mamdani on her podcast, including a conversation with Charlie Kirk in which racism wars for inanity for supremacy. Content warnings. Episode Notes: NBC News, Asked to condemn the phrase ‘globalize the intifada,' Mamdani says mayors shouldn't ‘police speech' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggV2SeiGrVw Zohran Mamdani told director mom Mira Nair to pass on Harry Potter movie https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/news/zohran-mamdani-mira-nair-harry-potter-namesake-b2778144.html "'She explained that she was just a month away from filming The Namesake when Warner Bros. reached out to her. Nair said she felt compelled to attend the meetings with the studio because her son had learned to read through J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books. However, she didn't want to give up on working on her own film, so she asked her then-14-year-old son what to do. “He said to me, ‘Mamma, many good directors can make Harry Potter, but only you can make The Namesake,'” Nair recalled. “And it was such a liberating and clarifying statement, and it kind of is about how I lived my life. Like, what can I do that is so specific that you cannot do? How to make my distinctiveness my calling card.'" The Times of India, Why MAGA Is Losing Its Mind Over Zohran Mamdami Eating Rice With His Hands https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/etimes/trending/why-maga-is-losing-its-mind-over-zohran-mamdani-eating-rice-with-his-hand/articleshow/122209140.cms "First, let's get one thing straight: eating with your hands isn't dirty, weird, or backward. It's normal. In India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, parts of the Middle East, and even in some parts of Europe, using your hands to eat is a sign of connection—to the food, to your senses, to tradition.  But in the video of Mamdani eating with his fingers, Gill and his supporters saw something else. They didn't see heritage. They saw a threat. Because in their worldview, anything outside the “white, Western” norm becomes fair game for mockery or suspicion. It wasn't about rice. It was about power." Megyn Kelly Episode 1098: Tacky Celeb-Filled Bezos-Sanchez Wedding, and Zohran Mamdani's Fake Origin Story, with Walter Kirn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hj1yAA3Dqo&pp=ygUbbWVneW4ga2VsbHkgdGFja3kgYW5kIGdyb3Nz Tweet from The Charilie Kirk Show on the value of eating with utensils. https://x.com/charliekirk11/status/1940114312124862947 Megyn Kelly (From Episode 1095): What It Means That Radical Socialist Muslim Zohran Mamdani WINS NYC Mayoral Primary, w/ Charlie Kirk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c09GVJu_Xn0&pp=ygUbY2hhcmxpZSBraXJrIHpvaHJhbiBtYW1kYW5p The Times of India, Why MAGA Is Losing Its Mind Over Zohran Mamdami Eating Rice With His Hands https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/etimes/trending/why-maga-is-losing-its-mind-over-zohran-mamdani-eating-rice-with-his-hand/articleshow/122209140.cms "First, let's get one thing straight: eating with your hands isn't dirty, weird, or backward. It's normal. In India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, parts of the Middle East, and even in some parts of Europe, using your hands to eat is a sign of connection—to the food, to your senses, to tradition.  But in the video of Mamdani eating with his fingers, Gill and his supporters saw something else. They didn't see heritage. They saw a threat. Because in their worldview, anything outside the “white, Western” norm becomes fair game for mockery or suspicion. It wasn't about rice. It was about power." Mediaite, ‘Take it Down': Fox News Host Scolds Charlie Kirk Over ‘Gross and Islamophobic' Post "'Tarlov shot back, “I'm not afraid to say that I don't think Mamdani's vision for the city is a good one and I think a lot of his policies are crazy – NYC is the home of capitalism, not socialism. I want more police funding, not to defund. BDS is repellent. We can't freeze rent, making everything free. But none of that has to do with him being Muslim.'" The Lauren Southern interview we reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNxG4EYF_-0 Vance follows Lasker https://talkingpointsmemo.com/where-things-stand/jd-vances-neofascist-reading-list Capitolhunters thread on the Lasker academic paper scandal https://bsky.app/profile/capitolhunters.bsky.social/post/3lt4cc5tmpk2n https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/jun/16/sam-bankman-fried-ftx-eugenics-scientific-racism https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/03/natal-conference-austin-texas-eugenics https://attentiontotheunseen.com/2025/07/03/nyt-grants-anonymity-to-a-eugenicist-in-order-to-smear-mamdani/ https://countylocalnews.com/2025/07/04/ny-times-shocking-deal-with-far-right-eugenicist-exposed-new-york-times-controversy-far-right-activism-exposure-eugenics-and-identity-politics/ https://www.cjr.org/news/times-mamdani-college-application-race-article-hack.php https://www.commondreams.org/news/zohran-mamdani-new-york-times https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/new-york-times-grants-race-science-enthusiast-anonymity-in-mamdani-hit-piece/ https://bsky.app/profile/petersterne.com/post/3ltdkev7t2s24 https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:kjjhbsc3pp3vkqjsivk6z2yd/post/3ltep4kvwfc2h https://hellgatenyc.com/nyt-race-science-zohran-mamdani/ https://donmoynihan.substack.com/p/whos-afraid-of-zohran-mamdani The ADL identify “every damn/single time” as antisemitic trope https://www.adl.org/resources/article/coded-hate-extremists-weaponize-seemingly-innocuous-content-promote-bigotry https://jwmason.org/slackwire/can-zohran-do-it/ Lasker on Hanania's podcast https://www.cspicenter.com/p/35-baby-brainwaves-and-broken-science-740 Show Notes: Please consider donating to help us make the show and stay ad-free and independent.  Patrons get exclusive access to at least one full extra episode a month plus all backer-only back-episodes. Daniel's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/danielharper/posts Jack's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=4196618&fan_landing=true IDSG Twitter: https://twitter.com/idsgpod Daniel's Twitter: @danieleharper Jack's (Locked) Twitter: @_Jack_Graham_ Jack's Bluesky: @timescarcass.bsky.social Daniel's Bluesky: @danielharper.bsky.social IDSG on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i-dont-speak-german/id1449848509?ls=1