Podcasts about Indian

This is our annual book episode! Angie and Trevor discuss the books they enjoyed in 2025, top picks for both fiction and nonfiction. Links Mentioned in This Episode Run Coaching. Work with an expert MTA running Coach. MetPro.co -For the first time ever, MetPro is offering MTA listeners a full 30-day experience for just $95 with absolutely no strings attached! See what it's like working with your own metabolic coach. Limited to the first 30 people. Altra Running -Altra shoes are designed to fit the natural shape of feet with room for your toes, for comfort, balance, and strength. So you focus on what really matters:  Getting out there. AG1 Next Gen has new flavors: Citrus, Tropical, and Berry. Get a free Welcome Kit with your first order which includes 5 AG1 Travel Packs, a shaker bottle, metal canister, and a bottle of AG Vitamin D3+K2. The Book Episode: Our Top Reads in 2025 Angie got through a total of 241 books in 2025 (95 fiction and 146 nonfiction)(audio=144, hardcopy=94, ebook=3). Authors We Interviewed on the Podcast Here are the books we featured on the podcast this year. See links to the author interviews. Think Like a Runner by Jeff Horowitz How to Run the Perfect Race by Matt Fitzgerald The Norwegian Method by Brad Culp The Explorer's Gene by Alex Hutchinson Ballistic by Henry Abbott Extreme Balance by Joe DeSena The Runaway Housewives of the Appalachian Trail by Kitty Robinson Fuel for Thought by Renee McGregor Don't Call it a Comeback by Keira D'Amato Lootie's World Run by Marie Leautey The Running Ground by Nicolas Thompson Angie's Top 10 Non-Fiction Reads: The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr Memoir is one of my favorite genres and this book takes a peak behind the scenes on writing an engaging memoir. In fact, Mary Karr weaves in so many personal antidotes that it doesn't feel like a how-to book at all. Some of the core principles she talks about have to do with dealing with the truth as you remember it, turning vulnerability into art, and finding your unique story. Everyone from the causal reader to someone who wants to write a memoir will enjoy this book. Awake by Jen Hatmaker I've followed Jen Hatmakes on Instagram for a number of years and she has a very funny and relatable way of sharing her life. Her latest book is a memoir and talks about the dissolution of her 25 year marriage and how she had to come awake to many important areas in her life as a result. Bad Therapy- Why The Kids aren't Growing Up by Abigail Shrier The author is an investigative journalist who argues that aspects of the mental health industry is harming American children, not helping them but over-diagnosing and over-treating normal struggles. It's important to get children the mental health help that they need but Shrier warns that normal development challenges and emotions are sometimes mislabeled as mental disorders which can lead children to adopt an “illness identity.” It Didn't Start With You -How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle by Mark Wolynn This book talks about how trauma and epigenetic are linked. Trauma can change how our genes work and influence stress responses, health, and mood and these alterations can be passed down to future generations, which can help explain intergenerational trauma. This was a very eye opening book and helpful for anyone processing struggles linked to family history. The Marvelous Pigness of Pigs by Joel Salatin Since reading Michael Pollan's book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, I've been working on getting the meat our family eats from ethically sustainable sources. Joel Salatin, owner and operator of Polyface Farms, makes the case for how farming and ranching practices need to change (for the good of the environment, the animals, the farmer, and society in general). Inner Excellence by Jim Murphy This is a book that was first published back in 2009 and was updated in 2020. It has been used by many professional athletes and high achievers to develop a stronger mental and emotional game. NFL player, A.J. Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles, was filmed reading this book on the sidelines of a January 2025 playoff game and the book started selling thousands of copies. Some of the principles in the book that resonated with me were detaching self-worth from outcomes so that your identity isn't tied to results or achievements. Instead of asking, “How did I do?” Ask, “What did I learn.” Another important take-away was learning to gain control over my inner world. We don't have to believe everything our mind tells us. Yes, we should recognize emotions and thoughts but come back to our core values to develop self-mastery. Estrogen Matters -Why Taking Hormones in Menopause Can Improve Women's Well-Being and Lengthen Their Lives- Without Raising the Risk of Breast Cancer (Revised and Updated) by Avrum Bluming and Carol Tavris As a woman in perimenopause I've been educating myself on how to make this transition in life work for me. As a result I started using HRT two years ago and it has improved my life physically, mentally, and emotionally. Thankfully the FDA removed the black box warning on HRT in 2025 after years of misinformation. This book is a must read for women in their mid-30's and up, those who have experienced surgical menopause, or anyone who wants to understand the role of estrogen more completely. From Strength to Strength– Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life by Arthur C. Brooks Brooks is a Harvard professor and happiness columnist for The Atlantic. He draws on philosophy, social science, biography, and spirituality to offer a helpful roadmap for aging well in the second half of life. In order to embrace, and not fight, the inevitable decline we need to redefine success (moving away from being primarily validated by money or job titles) and look to internal measures like a deeper sense of purpose, wisdom, strong relationships, and service to others. Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobson Annie Jacobson is one of those authors from which I will read anything she writes. In the rather bleak (but fascinating) book she lays out the history of nuclear programs throughout the world and presents a scenario in which nuclear weapons are used. Spoiler alert- there are no good outcomes. Breath- The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor I've struggled with allergies since childhood, dealing with a lot of nasal congestion. As a result I was a mouth breather and this book challenged me to take a look at my breathing patterns and make some changes. Over the course of a year I trained myself to breathe through my nose during the day (but nighttime was a bigger challenge). A few months ago I started using mouth tape at night (and an airflow clip nasal dilator called Snore Less Now to open up my airway). I've experienced better mouth hygiene and deeper sleep as a result. Honorable Mentions (nonfiction) Hidden Potential by Adam Grant All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert Slow Productivity by Cal Newport Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Deibler Rose Revenge of The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith The Next Conversation by Jefferson Fisher Angie's Top 10 Fiction Reads: The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny (#19 in the Armand Gamache series) If you enjoy mysteries and thrillers this series is excellent. I've particularly enjoyed listening to them on audiobook since I'm not a French speaker and would probably mispronounce many names and places otherwise. The Life Impossible by Matt Haig I've enjoyed every book that author Matt Haig has written and this one was no exception. The Life Impossible follows a retired math teacher named Grace who is grieving the loss of her husband and son. She receives an unexpected inheritance which forces her outside her comfort zone, helping her to deal with her past and find new purpose for the future. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver This book is a modern retelling of Charles Dicken's David Coperfield. It follows a boy named Damon Fields who is born into poverty in modern rural Appalachia. He has a very tumultuous life particularly because of the weakness of the foster care system. The book deals with some very heavy subjects but it's ultimately a story of resilience and the power of finding hope in community and through art. The Burning White by Brent Weeks This is the fifth and final book in the Lightbringer Series, a modern fantasy set in a world governed by light and the magic of Chromaturgy. In this world, some people called drafters have the ability to harness light to create a physical substance called “luxin.” Each color has unique powers and identity and the drafter is changed over time. Red Rising Series by Pierce Brown My teens had read this series a few years ago so I was a bit late to the game. But once I finished the first book, Red Rising, I devoured the other five in this fantasy/sci-fi series and am eagerly waiting for the final book to be released next summer. The series centers on class warfare because of a rigid caste system and the main character gets involved in an attempted revolution. This fast paced series is full of action, violence and is set in space. The Measure by Nikki Erlick In this book everyone who reaches a specific age receives a box revealing their lifespan. The story follows eight people who wrestle with the decision whether to open their boxes or not and what to do with the information they get. Ultimately it's an uplifting book that encourages us to live life to the fullest. Twice by Mitch Albom This is a magical realism novel about a boy named Alfie who discovers that he gets two chances at everything in his life. It's a very engaging storyline (which kept me guessing until the end). It really made me see even more value in imperfection and that growth comes from learning. Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz This mystery follows freelance editor Susan Ryleland who finds herself unwillingly entangled in the death of an author whose book she is working on. I enjoy a mystery that keeps me guessing. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai I enjoyed the audiobook version of this book which follows the story of Sonia and Sunny who are both Indian immigrants to the United States who are navigating love, family, country, class, and race. Trevor's Top Reads in 2025: Trevor managed to finish 41 books last year. These ones rose to the top: How the Irish Saved Civilization -The Untold Story of Ireland’s Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe by Thomas Cahill. Basically, the Irish saved civilization because their monasteries preserved classical texts, learning, and book making after the fall of the Roman Empire. Irish monks later established monasteries on continental Europe which became centers of learning. American Nations -A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America by Colin Woodard. This was a paradigm shaping book, it provides the best explanation for regional differences in the USA. As You Wish -Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride (1987) by Cary Elwes. If you love the movie, listen to the audio book to Cary Elwes and other cast members share behind-the-scenes stories. The Shortest History of Ancient Rome -A Millennium of Western Civilization, from Kingdom to Republic to Empire: A Retelling for Our Times by Ross King. Trevor is a big fan of the Shortest History series because they provide a short overviews without getting too myopic or tedious. Mark Twain by Ron Chernow. This is a 1,200 page tome or 45 hours on audio book. Fun fact! Twain smoked between 22-40 cigars per day. Let’s end with some Mark Twain quotes: “The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd druther not.” “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter”. “Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.”  “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them”.

How did the mutiny amongst sepoys –Indian soldiers– turn into a national crisis? What ultimatum did the rebels give the Mughal emperor when they reached the Red Fort in Delhi? Why did the British fail to see what was coming?  In Episode 2 of the series, William and Anita discuss how the rebel sepoys travelled along the Bridge of Boats to take the rebellion to Delhi. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com  For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. Email: empire@goalhanger.com Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Editor: Bruno Di Castri Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Send us a textWe hit up Jennifer Lopez' new show at Caesars Palace on opening night. You should go see it in March if you can! Malibu Barbie Cafe opens at Area 15. We check it out. Plus, Bad Bunny poses for photos at a Vegas resort as part of a big magazine fashion shoot... and Timothée Chalamet stands on top of the Sphere to promote his new movie. We also tell you about a popular Vietnamese coffee shop in Las Vegas, an Indian restaurant refresh, soda tip at Allegiant Stadium, a visit to Nicco's at Durango... and we have stories from the holiday break! VegasNearMe App If it's fun to do or see, it's on VegasNearMe. Support the showFollow us on Instagram: @vegas.revealedFollow us on Twitter: @vegasrevealedFollow us on TikTok: @vegas.revealedWebsite: Vegas-Revealed.com

Senate advances a War Powers Act resolution prohibiting President Donald Trump's from taking future military action against Venezuela without Congressional approval; Minnesota's government says it has been told it will no longer take part in the FBI investigation of the fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis by an ICE agent; House passes a three year extension of expired Affordable Care Act health insurance enhanced premium subsidies and three more FY2026 federal spending bills; House sustains presidential vetoes of two bipartisan bills to fund a water project in Colorado to expand the lands of an Indian tribe in Florida; Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) delivers his final State of the State Address, contrasting his state with the Trump Administration; White House presents plans for the president's proposed ballroom to the National Capital Planning Commission; Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) announces his retirement after more than four decades in the House. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I have the true honor of speaking with journalist, storyteller, historical researcher, and Native American ceremonial dancer Julian Brave Noisecat about his book, We Survived the Night.  This highly original book blends many voices and registers, from both well-known but also buried and purposefully obscured historical archives, to tribal and family stories.  Foremost are the legends and adaptations of the Coyote figure—which haunts, inspires, deceives, and, yes, teaches lessons that help Indigenous peoples survive the night. We spend some time talking about how Coyote is many things at once, but not all the time, we discuss notions of purity and mixedness, multiplicity and singularity, truth and lies, and come out on the side of generosity, love, and creativity, to make worlds that deserve not only to survive, but also to thrive.Julian Brave NoiseCat is a writer, Oscar-nominated filmmaker, champion powwow dancer and student of Salish art and history. His first documentary, Sugarcane, directed alongside Emily Kassie, follows an investigation into abuse and missing children at the Indian residential school NoiseCat's family was sent to near Williams Lake, British Columbia. Sugarcane premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival where NoiseCat and Kassie won the Directing Award in the U.S. Documentary Competition. The film was recognized with dozens of awards including Best Documentary from the National Board of Review and was nominated for an Academy Award. A proud member of the Canim Lake Band Tsq'escen and descendant of the Lil'Wat Nation of Mount Currie, NoiseCat's first book, We Survived the Night, was published by Alfred A. Knopf, Penguin Random House Canada, and Profile Books in October 2025 and was an instant national bestseller in Canada with translations forthcoming from Albin Michel in France, Aufbau Verlag in Germany, Iperborea in Italy, and Libros del Asteroide in Spain.NoiseCat's journalism has appeared in dozens of publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post and The New Yorker and has been recognized with many awards including the 2022 American Mosaic Journalism Prize, which honors "excellence in long-form, narrative or deep reporting on stories about underrepresented and/or misrepresented groups in the present American landscape." In 2021, NoiseCat was named to the TIME100 Next list of emerging leaders alongside the starting point guard of his fantasy basketball team, Luka Doncic.

In this episode of “History of the Second World War,” we explore the often-overlooked but strategically significant campaign in East Africa during 1940–1941, where British and Italian forces clashed across rugged terrain. While the Western Desert dominated headlines, behind-the-scenes battles raged in Ethiopia and Somalia — fought not just by Britons and Italians, but by diverse colonial troops including Indian soldiers and African askaris serving under both empires. We'll examine how logistical challenges, shifting alliances, and Churchill's broader Balkan ambitions shaped British strategy in the region — even as General Wavell struggled to balance multiple fronts with limited resources. Contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to advertise on History of the Second World War. History of the Second World War is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Slavery did not end in the nineteenth century—it persists today, hidden in global supply chains, religious justifications, and systems of power. Kevin Bales and Michael Rota join Evan Rosa to explore modern slavery through history, psychology, and theology, asking why it remains so difficult to see and confront.“It's time some person should see these calamities to their end.” (Thomas Clarkson, 1785)“There are millions of slaves in the world today.” (Kevin Bales, 2025)In this episode, they consider how conscience, power, and religious belief can either sustain enslavement or become forces for abolition. Together they discuss the psychology of slaveholding, faith's complicity and resistance, Quaker abolitionism, modern debt bondage, ISIS and Yazidi slavery, and what meaningful action looks like today.https://freetheslaves.net/––––––––––––––––––Episode Highlights“There are millions of slaves in the world today.”“Statistics isn't gonna do it. I need to actually show people things.”“They have sexual control. They can do what they like.”“Slavery is flowing into our lives hidden in the things we buy.”“We have to widen our sphere of concern.”––––––––––––––––––About Kevin BalesKevin Bales is a leading scholar and activist in the global fight against modern slavery. He is Professor of Contemporary Slavery at the University of Nottingham and co-founder of Free the Slaves, an international NGO dedicated to ending slavery worldwide. Bales has spent more than three decades researching forced labor, debt bondage, and human trafficking, combining academic rigor with on-the-ground investigation. His work has shaped international policy, influenced anti-slavery legislation, and brought global attention to forms of enslavement often dismissed as historical. He is the author of several influential books, including Disposable People and Friends of God, Slaves of Men, which examines the complex relationship between religion and slavery across history and into the present. Learn more and follow at https://www.kevinbales.org and https://www.freetheslaves.netAbout Michael RotaMichael Rota is Professor of Philosophy at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, where he teaches and researches in the philosophy of religion, moral psychology, and the history of slavery and religion. His work spans scholarly articles on the definition of slavery, the moral psychology underlying social change and abolition, and the relevance of theological concepts to ethical life. Rota is co-author with Kevin Bales of Friends of God, Slaves of Men: Religion and Slavery, Past and Present, a comprehensive interdisciplinary study of how religions have both justified and resisted systems of enslaving human beings from antiquity to the present day. He is also the author of Taking Pascal's Wager: Faith, Evidence, and the Abundant Life, an extended argument for the reasonableness and desirability of Christian commitment. In addition to his academic writing, he co-leads projects in philosophy and education and is co-founder of Personify, a platform exploring AI and student learning. Learn more and follow at his faculty profile and personal website https://mikerota.wordpress.com and on X/Twitter @mikerota.––––––––––––––––––Helpful Links And ResourcesDisposable People by Kevin Baleshttps://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520281820/disposable-peopleFriends of God, Slaves of Men by Kevin Bales and Michael Rotahttps://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520383265/friends-of-god-slaves-of-menFree the Slaveshttps://www.freetheslaves.netVoices for Freedomhttps://voicesforfreedom.orgInternational Justice Missionhttps://www.ijm.orgTalitha Kumhttps://www.talithakum.info––––––––––––––––––Show Notes– Slavery named as a contemporary moral crisis obscured by twentieth-century abolition narratives– Kevin Bales's encounter with anti-slavery leaflet in London, mid-1990s– “There are millions of slaves in the world today … I thought, look, that can't be true because I don't know that. I'm a professor. I should know that.”– Stories disrupting moral distance more powerfully than statistics– “There were three little stories inside, about three different types of enslavement … it put a hook in me like a fish and pulled me.”– United Nations documentation mostly ignored despite vast evidence– Decades of investigation into contemporary slavery– Fieldwork across five regions, five forms of enslavement– Kevin Bales's book, Disposable People as embodied witness with concrete stories– “Statistics isn't gonna do it. I need to actually show people things. There's gonna be something that breaks hearts the way it did me when I was in the field.”– Psychological resistance to believing slavery touches ordinary life– Anti-Slavery International as original human rights organization founded in U.K. in 1839– Quaker and Anglican foundations of abolitionist movements– Religion as both justification for slavery and engine of resistance– Call for renewed faith-based abolition today– Slavery and religion intertwined from early human cultures– Colonial expansion intensifying moral ambiguity– Columbus, Genoa, and enslavement following failed gold extraction– Spanish royal hesitation over legitimacy of slavery– Las Casas's moral conversion after refusal of absolution– “He eventually realized this is totally wrong. What we are doing, we are destroying these people. And this is not what God wants us to be doing.”– Sepúlveda's Aristotelian defense of hierarchy and profit– Moral debate without effective structural enforcement– Power described as intoxicating and deforming conscience– Hereditary debt bondage in Indian villages– Caste, ethnicity, and generational domination– Sexual violence as mechanism of absolute control– “They have sexual control. They can beat up the men, rape the women, steal the children. They can do pretty much what they like.”– Three-year liberation process rooted in trust, education, and collective refusal– Former slaves returning as teachers and organizers– Liberation compared to Plato's allegory of the cave– Post-liberation vulnerability and risk of recapture– Power inverted in Christian teaching– “The disciples are arguing about who's the greatest, and Jesus says, the greatest among you will be the slave of all… don't use power to help yourself. Use it to serve.”– Psychological explanations for delayed abolition– The psychological phenomenon of “motivated reasoning” that shapes moral conclusions– “The conclusions we reach aren't just shaped by the objective evidence the world provides. They're shaped also by the internal desires and goals and motivations people have.”– Economic self-interest and social consensus sustaining injustice– Quaker abolition through relational, conscience-driven confrontation– First major religious body to forbid slaveholding– Boycotts of slave-produced goods and naval blockade of slave trade– Modern slavery as organized criminal enterprise– ISIS enslavement of Yazidi women– Religious reasoning weaponized for genocide– “They said, for religious reasons, we just need to eradicate this entire outfit.”– Online slave auctions and cultural eradication– Internal Islamic arguments for abolition– Restricting the permissible for the common good– Informing conscience as first step toward action– Community sustaining long-term resistance– Catholic religious sisters as leading global abolitionists– Hidden slavery embedded in everyday consumer goods– “There's so much slavery flowing into our lives which is hidden… in our homes, our watches, our computers, the minerals, all this.”– Expanding moral imagination beyond immediate needs– “Your sphere of concern has to be wider… how do I start caring about something that I don't see?”– “It's time some person should see these calamities to their end.” (Thomas Clarkson, 1785)––––––––––––––––––#ModernSlavery#FaithAndJustice#HumanDignity#Abolition#FreeTheSlavesProduction NotesThis podcast featured Kevin Bales and Michael RotaEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Noah SenthilA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

What if the best leaders don't have all the answers—but know how to unlock the wisdom of the group? Join host Khudania Ajay (KAJ) for a paradigm-shifting conversation with Rod Collins, an expert in organizational innovation and author known for challenging traditional leadership models. Rod reveals how self-managed teams, collective intelligence, and decentralized decision-making can transform businesses, drive better outcomes, and thrive in times of rapid change. Discover why nobody is smarter than everybody—and how to lead by empowering, not controlling. Redefine leadership at https://kajmasterclass.com.

The Bathhouse is a live call-in show from the green room of The Stand one of New York City's best comedy clubs.Follow the guests: Robbie Bernstein and Doug Uram00:00 Intro01:20 - Calls are working Rafe calls - Domestic violence13:18 - Abdul from Minneapolis - How's the Somali community?28:30 - Ethan from western Washington32:11 - Indian dude living in Japan calls 42:15 - Slav calls - Apology to Robbie1:03:40 - Rubestar - Can I get contact info for Sneako? / Dylan got in a big fight1:20:00 - wrap up

Secret messages are being passed from city to city inside chapattis, rebellion is in the air. When Indian soldiers in the East India Company army hear that bullet cartridges are greased with pig and cow fat, they take a stand against their British generals. A mutiny begins that will soon explode into an all-out revolution… This is the Indian Uprising of 1857. How did India's Greatest Rebellion begin? Why did the dynamic between British and Indian soldiers start to change in the 1850s? How did the British react when the mutiny broke out? William Dalrymple and Anita Anand launch a brand new series on the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com  For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. Email: empire@goalhanger.com Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Editor: Bruno Di Castri Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In today's episode on 6th Jan 2025, we tell you why cardamom prices have been rising and why Indian farmers are filling the gap to meet demand.Register for Peakst8 Festival here

Cooperative Evangelist: Kagawa Toyohiko and His World, 1888-1960 (University of Hawai'i Press, 2025) by Bo Tao uncovers the extraordinary world of a Japanese man who was once described as the “Saint Francis” or the “Gandhi” of Japan. A renowned religious figure on the world stage, Kagawa Toyohiko (1888–1960) received wide acclaim for his work as a street preacher in the slums of Kobe as well as his espousal of nonviolent methods of social reform. His reputation as a pacifist figure, however, rested uneasily with his wartime actions, which became increasingly supportive of the Japanese government and its expansionist policies. Reluctant to speak up against Japan's increasing aggression in the late 1930s, he emerged as a full-blown apologist during the Pacific War, appearing on several Radio Tokyo broadcasts as a propagandist defending the interests of the state. Adopting a transnational approach that accounts for the rapid flow of information between Japan and the United States, Bo Tao examines the career of Kagawa as it unfolded within the context of the wars, imperialism, and economic depression of the early to mid-twentieth century. Using official documents and personal correspondence that have received scant attention in previous works, Tao reveals, for the first time at this level of detail, the extent of Kagawa's cooperative relationship with the Japanese government, as well as the ways in which his idealized image was carefully constructed by his ardent missionary supporters. This book provides a window into the global dimensions of broader cultural shifts during the interwar period, such as the rise of Christian internationalism and the Depression-era popularity of cooperative economics. Offering a holistic and nuanced exploration of the tensions resulting from Kagawa's hybrid identity as a Japanese Christian, Cooperative Evangelist adds a new layer to our understanding of religion, empire, and politics in the shaping of social and international relations. Bo Tao is Lecturer in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Chiba University in Chiba, Japan. His research interests include global history, U.S.-Japan relations, religion and politics, modern Japanese history, and the history of Christianity. Shatrunjay Mall is a PhD Candidate in the Department of History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He works on transnational Asian history, and his dissertation explores intellectual, political, and cultural intersections and affinities that emerged between Indian anti-colonialism and imperial Japan in the twentieth century. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/east-asian-studies

First, we talk to The Indian Express' Anand Mohan about the deaths and hospitalisations that have happened in Indore due to contaminated water. He shares about the current situation, the investigation and the government's response. Next, we talk to The Indian Express' Ravi Dutta Mishra about the situation of Indian exports post the implementation of the 50% tariffs by the US. He talks about how the exports have been impacted and the other factors that have been responsible for the growth and drop in the exports. (16:19)Lastly, we speak about K Kavitha, the former leader of the Bharat Rashtra Samiti and daughter of BRS chief and former CM K Chandrashekar Rao, who has quit as a Member of the Legislative Council and launched a sharp attack on the party founded by her father. (26:37)Hosted by Niharika NandaProduced by Niharika Nanda and Shashank BhargavaEdited and mixed by Suresh PawarLinks for our episode in association with XLRI:https://indianexpress.com/audio/3-things/xlri-the-legacy-of-creating-efficient-and-empathetic-leaders/10356006/ https://youtu.be/tPNOMSEvZqg?si=zJOjr1EZajt6bexK

Modi's Masterstroke in Guyana - Next to Venezuela | 33% of Indian Oil Supply Secured

Cooperative Evangelist: Kagawa Toyohiko and His World, 1888-1960 (University of Hawai'i Press, 2025) by Bo Tao uncovers the extraordinary world of a Japanese man who was once described as the “Saint Francis” or the “Gandhi” of Japan. A renowned religious figure on the world stage, Kagawa Toyohiko (1888–1960) received wide acclaim for his work as a street preacher in the slums of Kobe as well as his espousal of nonviolent methods of social reform. His reputation as a pacifist figure, however, rested uneasily with his wartime actions, which became increasingly supportive of the Japanese government and its expansionist policies. Reluctant to speak up against Japan's increasing aggression in the late 1930s, he emerged as a full-blown apologist during the Pacific War, appearing on several Radio Tokyo broadcasts as a propagandist defending the interests of the state. Adopting a transnational approach that accounts for the rapid flow of information between Japan and the United States, Bo Tao examines the career of Kagawa as it unfolded within the context of the wars, imperialism, and economic depression of the early to mid-twentieth century. Using official documents and personal correspondence that have received scant attention in previous works, Tao reveals, for the first time at this level of detail, the extent of Kagawa's cooperative relationship with the Japanese government, as well as the ways in which his idealized image was carefully constructed by his ardent missionary supporters. This book provides a window into the global dimensions of broader cultural shifts during the interwar period, such as the rise of Christian internationalism and the Depression-era popularity of cooperative economics. Offering a holistic and nuanced exploration of the tensions resulting from Kagawa's hybrid identity as a Japanese Christian, Cooperative Evangelist adds a new layer to our understanding of religion, empire, and politics in the shaping of social and international relations. Bo Tao is Lecturer in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Chiba University in Chiba, Japan. His research interests include global history, U.S.-Japan relations, religion and politics, modern Japanese history, and the history of Christianity. Shatrunjay Mall is a PhD Candidate in the Department of History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He works on transnational Asian history, and his dissertation explores intellectual, political, and cultural intersections and affinities that emerged between Indian anti-colonialism and imperial Japan in the twentieth century. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

Darrin Caddes may not be a name you know, but you know his work. Darrin is a designer who has worked for many companies, most recently Plantronics. But it's his time with BMW and Indian that made a mark on the motorcycle industry. Ever heard of the BMW GSA? As in Adventure? Yep, he's the one who turned the GS into the proper adventure bike we know today. Darrin shares his stories with us of the old school design process of sketching and sculpting to design components and whole bikes. He also tells us his story of why he never got to ride any of the bikes he designed. Enjoy. www.motorcyclesandmisfits.com motorcyclesandmisfits@gmail.com www.breakingawayadventures.com/shop/p/mi…-rally-v4 www.patreon.com/motorcyclesandmisfits www.zazzle.com/store/recyclegarage www.youtube.com/channel/UC3wKZSP0J9FBGB79169ciew womenridersworldrelay.com/ motorcyclesandmisfits.com/shop Join our Discord at discord.gg/hpRZcucHCT

In this week's episode, Alex and Scott welcome pastor Aaron Menikoff (Atlanta, USA) and pastor Harshit Singh (Lucknow, India) to discuss how evangelism and missions function through the local church, particularly in the Indian context. Drawing from their book Prioritizing Missions in the Church, Menikoff and Singh argue that missions should not be treated as a side program but as an outflow of ordinary, faithful church life. They emphasize that preaching, prayer, discipleship, and the ordinances—when practiced consistently—form the foundation through which God raises up and sends missionaries to the nations. The conversation highlights how this church-centered approach applies across cultures, including settings with limited resources and growing opposition to Christianity. Key Topics Missions as the beating heart of the local church, not a side program The role of ordinary means of grace (preaching, prayer, ordinances) in global missions A biblical definition of missions as crossing cultural, linguistic, and geographic barriers Practical ways churches can embed missions into regular church life Discipleship and long-term theological training for future missionaries Do you love The Missions Podcast? Have you been blessed by the show? Then become a Premium Subscriber! Premium Subscribers get access to: Exclusive bonus content A community Signal thread with other listeners and the hosts Invite-only webinars A free gift! Support The Missions Podcast and sign up to be a Premium Subscriber at missionspodcast.com/premium The Missions Podcast is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email alex@missionspodcast.com.

What if you could access the same sophisticated tax and wealth strategies used by the ultra-rich—without the ultra-high fees? Join host Khudania Ajay (KAJ) for an insightful conversation with David Snider, Founder and CEO of Harness Wealth. David is on a mission to make bespoke financial advice accessible to the next generation of builders by using technology to democratize wealth management. Learn how advanced tax planning, strategic investing, and legacy-building tools are no longer reserved for the elite—and how you can leverage them to secure your financial future. Explore a new era of financial empowerment at https://kajmasterclass.com.=========================================*KAJ Masterclass*A video-first, conversation-led knowledge platform featuring thoughtful conversations with leaders, professionals, authors, and experts across leadership, business, health, technology, and the changing world of work. Each conversation is designed to help people learn, reflect, and take meaningful action.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!… HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MICHAEL SCHUMACHER…57 EVERYBODY GOING TO WANT TO KNOW WHAT MAX THINKS OF THE NEW CARS!…FOR SURE. LOGAN SARGENT BACK IN THE DRIVERS SEAT FOR THE 24 HOURS OF DAYTONA… FLAVIO BRIATORE EXPLAINS TO THE UNIVERSE WHY FERNANDO'S 2005 CHAMPIONSHIP WAS MORE THAN SPECIAL….HE BEAT SCHUMACHER TWO YEARS IN A ROW…IT WAS BIG!! THIS WEEK'S NASIR HAMEED CORNER…MORE VINTAGE BANTER BETWEEN THE HOST AND NASIR…THIS WEEK WE HAVE GIANCARLO FISICHELLA! BONUS INTERVIEW...MARIO ANDRETTI AT LAGUNA SECA. Flavio Briatore, the former boss of F1 legend Fernando Alonso, has explained the wider importance of the Spaniard's 2005 world championship win. Alonso is a two-time world champion, having claimed back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006 with the Renault team, beating seven-time champion Michael Schumacher in both of those years. He has since gone on to compete for another 20 years - barring two seasons off for 'retirement' - and has now raced in more grands prix than any other driver in F1 history. Alonso is still going strong at the age of 44, and is hoping to once more challenge for podiums and race wins in the near future with Aston Martin. But now, his former boss has taken us all back to 2005, when Alonso became the youngest champion in F1 history at a time after a seven-win season. "He replaced a world champion and many criticised him for being young and inexperienced, but I believed in him," Briatore said in a new DAZN documentary titled Bravissimo. "I was sure he was special. Over time you realise that he wasn't just special, he was something more than that. "In 2005 we not only won a world championship, we also introduced Formula 1 to Spain. It was the moment when everyone truly got to know Fernando Alonso. Not just because he won the world championship, but because of how he won it; we did it with authority." Can Alonso win another race? Now 44 years old, Alonso's hopes of claiming a third world championship title may be fading away, but he could still claim a 33rd career grand prix victory. Alonso has not won a race since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, but does have a contract that runs until the end of next season, and may even go on beyond that. The Spaniard has said that, if Aston Martin provide him with a car that's fighting for race wins in 2026, he'll be happy to retire, but if they're still struggling for top 10 finishes, he may well carry on beyond that. Alonso's driving ability is still there compared to his rivals, out-qualifiying his much younger team-mate Lance Stroll ahead of a grand prix on all 24 occasions in 2025. Sharp rocks cut deep into the convoy during frantic first stage of the 2026 Dakar Rally. The 2026 Dakar Rally began to stretch it's legs on Stage 1 with over 300km of racing over the rock fields surrounding Yanbu. Perilous terrain was waiting to take a big bite out of the convoy as they were plunged into the deep end at the world's toughest rally. Let's see who managed to keep their heads above water… It was Guillaume de Mévius and Mathieu Baumel who put the hammer down hardest on Stage 1 of the Ultimate class battle. The duo dodged all obstacles in their path, bringing their MINI JCW Rally 3.0i back to the Yanbu Start Camp Bivouac in first place overall. It's an incredible achievement considering their participation at this Dakar was thrown into serious doubt when Baumel was forced to have his right leg amputated last year. 'Winning a stage always feels good, but it wasn't really our strategy for the day. Tomorrow, Mathieu and I will be opening and I'm very happy about that. With Mathieu on my right, I'm not worried about opening a special.” – Guillaume de Mévius Nasser Al-Attiyah got his Dacia within 40 seconds of De Mévius's front-running vehicle. The Qatari gave us an insight into his tactics for tomorrow's 400-kilometre special stage that will bring the convoy to Al-Ula. “We were pushing, but then we saw Seb with two flat tyres so tried to take it easy. Then Guillaume passed us and we stayed behind him all the way. Tomorrow I will start three minutes behind Guillaume and we can push.” – Nasser Al-Attiyah Also finding themselves in a strong position to attack on the mountainous tracks that await tomorrow are the four Ford Raptor T1+ crews. Mattias Ekström, Carlos Sainz, Nani Roma and Mitch Guthrie Jr. all find themselves in the Top 10 and will be out to turn the screw on Stage 2. “There's 25 really fast drivers and 14 days of racing so you have to take care of your own business while keeping an eye on everybody else.” – Mattias Ekström Rally organisers placed a pitstop midway through the stage for four-wheel competitors due to the sheer amount of sharp rocks on the route. Top drivers including Sébastien Loeb, Toby Price, Cristina Gutiérrez, Laia Sanz, Henk Lategan and Seth Quintero all got their tyres sliced on Stage 1 as the Dakar showed its teeth during the first long stage of 2026. “It's like driving on razor blades out there!” – Seth Quintero Leading the charge for the debutant Defender team in the Stock class on Stage 1 was Rokas Baciuška. The Lithuanian set the Stock category's fastest time to create a piece of Dakar history. Baciuška is now the only World Rally-Raid Championship driver to win stages in Ultimate, Challenger, SSV and now Stock divisions. “There's a lot of dust out there because the Stock category starts each day at the back. I'm used to driving in the dust from my days driving SSV so that might help me out this year. Tomorrow will be another tough day so we'll see how we deal with it.” – Rokas Baciuška First to leave the Start Camp Bivouac this morning were the bikers with the leading contenders hitting the stage at 8am. Prologue victor Edgar Canet of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing maintained his impressive pace to make it back-to-back stage wins. 20-year-old Canet is making his debut in the Dakar's RallyGP category for elite bikers and it's so far, so good for the Catalan. “I did a good job with the navigation, I just got lost for a little bit. You need to take care in the rocks not to destroy yourself or destroy your bike.” – Edgar Canet Also taking a spot on the Stage 1 podium was Canet's KTM team-mate Daniel Sanders. The 2025 Dakar champion kept his head despite being attacked by sandstorms while racing for over three hours. “It was really windy and my helmet was catching a lot of wind so it was hard to focus.” – Daniel Sanders Harith Noah and Mohammed Balooshi both endured tough days on the bike. Indian rider Noah was airlifted to hospital in Riyadh due to back injuries following a crash. We wish Harith a speedy recovery from his injuries. Meanwhile, Balooshi also suffered an accident during the stage, although he was able to bring his Honda CRF 450 to the finish line. “At the refuelling a doctor tried to fix my finger and knuckle. I rode this 300km stage unable to grip since kilometre 20. I just tried to survive. This is Dakar!” – Mohammed Balooshi There was plenty of rock and rolling in the Challenger class with Dania Akeel arriving to the finish of Stage 1 with the driver's side door ripped off her Taurus T3 Max. Despite some superficial damage to the machine, both Akeel and her BBR team-mate Kevin Benavides stayed within 10 minutes of early category leader David Zille. “I'm not sure what happened with the door because we didn't hit anything. Maybe there was something loose. We had one puncture so we lost some time changing the tyre. It was also very dusty with so many Ultimate cars around us. But that's part of the game. Thanks to my co-driver Sébastien for a great stage.” – Dania Akeel After today's 305-kilometre loop around Yanbu it's still very tight at the top of the SSV class. Francisco ‘Chaleco' López won the SSV race at the Dakar in both 2019 and 2021. After Stage 1 in 2026 the Chilean is just four minutes off leader Xavier De Soultrait, with Gonçalo Guerreiro a further 30 seconds behind. “We need to keep working hard to reach the finish of this rally. It was very tough on the rocks today so I'm happy with the time we posted.” – Francisco ‘Chaleco' López Showing grit and determination worthy of the Dakar was eight-time World Rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson. The Swede did not get his Dakar debut started as he wanted when his Polaris RZR Pro R ended up on its roof during the Prologue. However, Kristoffersson dusted himself down and took his place on the start line of Stage 1. Despite eating a lot of dust, the rookie recorded the day's 13th best time in the SSV class. For tomorrow's Stage 2 the convoy depart Yanbu and the shores of the Red Sea, heading inland towards the treasures of Al-Ula. Competitors hoping to establish an early race rhythm will be frustrated by the constantly evolving terrain under their wheels. Every brief section of flat out speed is quickly followed by a technical section over the rocks. As with Stage 1, a midway pitstop has been added for four-wheel competitors to attend to any punctures suffered on the rocks. ULTIMATE – Top 3 plus selected 1. G. De Mévius (BEL) / M. Baumel (FRA) – MINI 03:07:49
 2. N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) / F. Lurquin (BEL) – Dacia +00:40
 3. M. Prokop (CZE) / V. Chytka (CZE) – Ford +01:27 
4. M. Ekström (SWE) / E. Bergvist (SWE) – Ford +01:38
 6. C. Sainz (ESP) / L. Cruz (ESP) – Ford +01:54
 8. N. Roma (ESP) / A. Haro (ESP) – Ford +02:37
 9. M. Guthrie Jr. (USA) / K. Walch (USA) – Ford +02:50 
10. S. Loeb (FRA) / É. Boulanger (FRA) – Dacia +03:01
 11. L. Moraes (BRA) / D. Zenz (GER) – Dacia +03:34
 15. C. Gutiérrez (ESP) / P. Moreno (ESP) – Dacia +05:00
 16. T. Price (AUS) / A. Monleón (ESP) – Toyota +05:17
 17. H. Lategan (ZAF) / B. Cummings (ZAF) – Toyota +06:57
 18. S. Quintero (USA) / A. Short (USA) – Toyota +07:18 
26. L. Sanz (ESP) / M. Gerini (ITA) – Ebro +16:26 STOCK – Top 3 plus selected 1. R. Baciuška (LTU) / O. Vidal (ESP) – Defender 4:04:59 2. R. Basso (FRA) / J. Menard (FRA) – Toyota +06:49 
3. A. Miura (JPN) / J. Polato (FRA) – Toyota +08:18 4. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / M. Metge (FRA) – Defender +48:49 BIKE RallyGP – Top 3 plus selected 1. E. Canet (ESP) – KTM 03:27:42 2. D. Sanders (AUS) – KTM +01:05 3. R. Brabec (USA) – Honda +01:37 5. L. Benavides (ARG) – KTM +05:08 44. M. Balooshi (UAE) – Honda +58:48 102. H. Noah (IND) – Sherco +24:45:40 CHALLENGER – Top 3 plus selected 1. D. Zille (ARG) / S. Cesana (ARG) – Taurus 03:32:50
 2. P. Spierings (NED) / J. Van Der Stelt (NED) – Taurus +00:42 3. N. Cavigliasso (ARG) / V. Pertegarini (ARG) – Taurus +02:03
 7. K. Benavides (ARG) / L. Sisterna (ARG) – Taurus +09:08
 9. D. Akeel (KSA) / S. Delaunay (FRA) – Taurus +09:56 SSV – Top 3 plus selected 1. X. De Soultrait (FRA) / M. Bonnet (FRA) – Polaris 03:38:45
 2. A. Pinto (POR) / B. Oliveira (POR) – Polaris +03:34 3. B. Heger (USA) / M.Eddy (USA) – Polaris +03:48 4. F. López (CHI) / A. León (CHI) – Can-Am +04:02 5. G. Guerreiro (POR) / M. Justo (BRA) – Polaris +04:33 13. J. Krisstoffersson (SWE) / O. Floene (NOR) – Polaris +19:16

Aditya and Raj are joined by Vinamra and MV our Indian correspondents to talk about how things are with the Gig workers strike. They start with the new enemy India has found in Bangladesh, how is India's foreign policy seems to be managed by 12 year olds. The discussion than moves to Olympics being planned to hosted in India, but how when we will not allow most countries to come in. Finally we talk about the gig workers strike and the implications of it.Missed talking of the lynching of the Tripura student but we shall do that next episode.Like, share and subscribe please.

JEFFERSON'S DEFENSE OF AMERICA AND THE MCGUFFEY READER Colleague Professor Robert G. Parkinson. Thomas Jefferson discovered Logan's Lament in 1774 and later used it in his Notes on the State of Virginia to refute French claims that everything in America was "degenerate." Jefferson presented Logan as proof of Native American intellectual equality, effectively cementing the story of Cresap's guilt in the public mind. This sparked a feud with Luther Martin, a Cresap in-law who attacked Jefferson to clear the family name. Consequently, the lament became a standard recitation text for schoolchildren in the McGuffey Readers, embedding the narrative of the "vanishing Indian" into American culture. NUMBER 7

JEFFERSON'S DEFENSE OF AMERICA AND THE MCGUFFEY READER Colleague Professor Robert G. Parkinson. Thomas Jefferson discovered Logan's Lament in 1774 and later used it in his Notes on the State of Virginia to refute French claims that everything in America was "degenerate." Jefferson presented Logan as proof of Native American intellectual equality, effectively cementing the story of Cresap's guilt in the public mind. This sparked a feud with Luther Martin, a Cresap in-law who attacked Jefferson to clear the family name. Consequently, the lament became a standard recitation text for schoolchildren in the McGuffey Readers, embedding the narrative of the "vanishing Indian" into American culture. NUMBER 7

A provocative defense of a forgotten Chinese approach to identity and difference. Historically, the Western encounter with difference has been catastrophic: the extermination and displacement of aboriginal populations, the transatlantic slave trade, and colonialism. China, however, took a different historical path. In Chinese Cosmopolitanism: The History and Philosophy of an Idea (Princeton UP, 2023), Shuchen Xiang argues that the Chinese cultural tradition was, from its formative beginnings and throughout its imperial history, a cosmopolitan melting pot that synthesized the different cultures that came into its orbit. Unlike the West, which cast its collisions with different cultures in Manichean terms of the ontologically irreconcilable difference between civilization and barbarism, China was a dynamic identity created out of difference.  The reasons for this, Xiang argues, are philosophical: Chinese philosophy has the conceptual resources for providing alternative ways to understand pluralism. Xiang explains that "Chinese" identity is not what the West understands as a racial identity; it is not a group of people related by common descent or heredity but rather a hybrid of coalescing cultures. To use the Western discourse of race to frame the Chinese view of non-Chinese, she argues, is a category error. Xiang shows that China was both internally cosmopolitan, embracing distinct peoples into a common identity, and externally cosmopolitan, having knowledge of faraway lands without an ideological need to subjugate them. Contrasting the Chinese understanding of efficacy--described as "harmony"--with the Western understanding of order, she argues that the Chinese sought to gain influence over others by having them spontaneously accept the virtue of one's position. These ideas from Chinese philosophy, she contends, offer a new way to understand today's multipolar world and can make a valuable contribution to contemporary discussions in the critical philosophy of race. For readers interested in how GCB and the Greek philosophical justification of GCB, domination, and destruction of barbarians still inform productions and consumptions of racist ideology as embodied in The Turner Diaries, see for example, here, here, and here.  Readers interested in the Vāda project that employs Indian epistemology to evaluate contemporary political claims, see here.  Jessica Zu is an intellectual historian and a scholar of Buddhist studies. She is an assistant professor of religion at the University of Southern California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Cooperative Evangelist: Kagawa Toyohiko and His World, 1888-1960 (University of Hawai'i Press, 2025) by Bo Tao uncovers the extraordinary world of a Japanese man who was once described as the “Saint Francis” or the “Gandhi” of Japan. A renowned religious figure on the world stage, Kagawa Toyohiko (1888–1960) received wide acclaim for his work as a street preacher in the slums of Kobe as well as his espousal of nonviolent methods of social reform. His reputation as a pacifist figure, however, rested uneasily with his wartime actions, which became increasingly supportive of the Japanese government and its expansionist policies. Reluctant to speak up against Japan's increasing aggression in the late 1930s, he emerged as a full-blown apologist during the Pacific War, appearing on several Radio Tokyo broadcasts as a propagandist defending the interests of the state. Adopting a transnational approach that accounts for the rapid flow of information between Japan and the United States, Bo Tao examines the career of Kagawa as it unfolded within the context of the wars, imperialism, and economic depression of the early to mid-twentieth century. Using official documents and personal correspondence that have received scant attention in previous works, Tao reveals, for the first time at this level of detail, the extent of Kagawa's cooperative relationship with the Japanese government, as well as the ways in which his idealized image was carefully constructed by his ardent missionary supporters. This book provides a window into the global dimensions of broader cultural shifts during the interwar period, such as the rise of Christian internationalism and the Depression-era popularity of cooperative economics. Offering a holistic and nuanced exploration of the tensions resulting from Kagawa's hybrid identity as a Japanese Christian, Cooperative Evangelist adds a new layer to our understanding of religion, empire, and politics in the shaping of social and international relations. Bo Tao is Lecturer in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Chiba University in Chiba, Japan. His research interests include global history, U.S.-Japan relations, religion and politics, modern Japanese history, and the history of Christianity. Shatrunjay Mall is a PhD Candidate in the Department of History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He works on transnational Asian history, and his dissertation explores intellectual, political, and cultural intersections and affinities that emerged between Indian anti-colonialism and imperial Japan in the twentieth century. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

A provocative defense of a forgotten Chinese approach to identity and difference. Historically, the Western encounter with difference has been catastrophic: the extermination and displacement of aboriginal populations, the transatlantic slave trade, and colonialism. China, however, took a different historical path. In Chinese Cosmopolitanism: The History and Philosophy of an Idea (Princeton UP, 2023), Shuchen Xiang argues that the Chinese cultural tradition was, from its formative beginnings and throughout its imperial history, a cosmopolitan melting pot that synthesized the different cultures that came into its orbit. Unlike the West, which cast its collisions with different cultures in Manichean terms of the ontologically irreconcilable difference between civilization and barbarism, China was a dynamic identity created out of difference.  The reasons for this, Xiang argues, are philosophical: Chinese philosophy has the conceptual resources for providing alternative ways to understand pluralism. Xiang explains that "Chinese" identity is not what the West understands as a racial identity; it is not a group of people related by common descent or heredity but rather a hybrid of coalescing cultures. To use the Western discourse of race to frame the Chinese view of non-Chinese, she argues, is a category error. Xiang shows that China was both internally cosmopolitan, embracing distinct peoples into a common identity, and externally cosmopolitan, having knowledge of faraway lands without an ideological need to subjugate them. Contrasting the Chinese understanding of efficacy--described as "harmony"--with the Western understanding of order, she argues that the Chinese sought to gain influence over others by having them spontaneously accept the virtue of one's position. These ideas from Chinese philosophy, she contends, offer a new way to understand today's multipolar world and can make a valuable contribution to contemporary discussions in the critical philosophy of race. For readers interested in how GCB and the Greek philosophical justification of GCB, domination, and destruction of barbarians still inform productions and consumptions of racist ideology as embodied in The Turner Diaries, see for example, here, here, and here.  Readers interested in the Vāda project that employs Indian epistemology to evaluate contemporary political claims, see here.  Jessica Zu is an intellectual historian and a scholar of Buddhist studies. She is an assistant professor of religion at the University of Southern California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/east-asian-studies

The Space Show Presents JATAN MEHTA, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026Quick Summary:Our conversation with our guest from India focused heavily on India's space program, including its current capabilities, future plans, and comparisons with other countries' space programs, particularly regarding lunar exploration and human spaceflight initiatives. The conversation ended with discussions about potential new content initiatives and program updates, including plans for future space coverage and the need for financial support to maintain operations.Detailed Summary:I welcomed Jatan to the meeting and also AJ who would act as co-host for today's one hour program. We began with casual conversation about travel and the history of Mumbai's name change from Bombay, which was explained as part of a nationwide effort to revert to indigenous names. Bill joined the call and mentioned not receiving Jatan's newsletter for a few weeks, which Jatan confirmed was being sent but might be ending up in spam folders. David introduced plans to discuss Jatan's newsletter and work, as well as questions about the Indian space program.Jatan Mehta, a space writer and journalist, discussed his work covering moon missions and India's space activities. He explained the origins and goals of his newsletter Moon Monday, which archives moon mission developments, and his Indian Space newsletter, which provides a holistic view of India's space activities. Jatan also mentioned his poetry on space exploration, which he recently published to celebrate milestones in his career.Jatan explained his focus on the Moon rather than Mars, citing existing extensive coverage of Mars and his goal to provide unique value through his independent writing. He discussed his passive approach to educational outreach, including speaking to students across various age groups in India about space exploration. Jatan also shared his experience writing poetry sporadically and expressed his inability to teach poetry due to lack of formal training. David, on behalf of John Jossy who was not with us today, inquired about India's space program, asking if Jatan believed it would be driven primarily by the private sector or government.Jatan explained that while the private sector in India's space industry is growing, ISRO will remain the dominant player for the foreseeable future, similar to NASA's role in the US space program. He noted that the 2023 National Space Policy emphasizes ISRO's role in cutting-edge R&D for space exploration, while private players focus on production. Regarding India's human spaceflight program, Jatan reported that while the original 2025 target was missed, the program is making progress with the LVM3 launch vehicle now human-rated, and three uncrewed tests are planned before human missions begin, with a target launch date of late 2027.The discussion focused on India's space program, particularly the Gagan Yan (Sky Craft) program for astronauts, where Jatan explained that the initial capsule will carry two Gaganyatris (sky-farers) for the first few missions, with plans to expand to three astronauts later. Jatan clarified that while Gagan Yan refers to spacecraft, the upcoming space station will be called The Bharatiya Antariksh Station(BAS). When asked about India's progress compared to China, Jatan acknowledged that China has surpassed both India and the US in recent moon missions, though India's program remains significant with plans for a space station by 2035.Jatan mentioned that India's space program, noting that while India and China were neck and neck in space capabilities in the 1990s and early 2000s, China has since surpassed both India and the US in certain areas due to a larger budget. He explained that India's space budget of approximately $1.5 billion USD over the past five years is less than a tenth of NASA's budget, limiting its ability to catch up in all areas. However, Jatan emphasized that India is prioritizing certain key areas, such as the Moon, with plans for a sample return mission in 2028. He also highlighted the importance of political support and policy excitement in driving progress in India's space program.India's space program aims to achieve several key milestones over the next 5-10 years, including the Chandrayaan 4 and 5 missions, collaboration with Japan for a lunar rover, and the development of a human spaceflight program with a space station module by the end of the decade. The country is also working on upgrading its LVM3 rocket to a semi-cryogenic engine and developing the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) for heavy-lift capabilities by 2032-2034. Long-term goals include expanding India's regional NAVIC navigation constellation, conducting a Venus orbiter mission in 2028, and sending an Indian astronaut to the moon by 2040.The discussion focused on India's space program and its development of reusable rockets. Jatan explained that while India has received some technology assistance from Russia, it doesn't have the same level of partnership as China's with Russia. He noted that India's current rockets are not designed for reusability, but the upcoming NGLV rocket will have a reusable booster stage. The group discussed India's decision not to pursue a super-heavy lift rocket, instead opting to develop a heavy upper stage that can be launched multiple times and docked in orbit. Jatan emphasized that while reusable rockets would be beneficial, India's focus has been on addressing a backlog of existing missions and developing new launch capabilities.Jatan discussed his top lunar coverage stories from 2025, highlighting three key pieces: covering lunar sample science updates from China's Chang'e 5 and 6 missions, his year-end summary on Moon Monday that reviewed both successes and failures in lunar exploration, and an analysis piece on the current orbital capabilities of various countries, particularly focusing on the US's lack of modern lunar orbiters and the importance of understanding lunar water ice for future human missions.Jatan explained that Indian space mission budgets are allocated on a year-by-year basis, unlike NASA's multi-year planning, and described how infrastructure costs are incorporated into mission budgets differently between the two countries. He outlined his plans for 2026, including covering moon missions weekly, publishing additional space-related booklets, and tracking developments in India's Gaganyaan program and semi-cryogenic engine upgrade for LVM3. Jatan emphasized his commitment to keeping his space coverage and publications free to access through sponsorships and expressed excitement about upcoming missions including Chang'e 7 and Intuitive Machines' third lunar landing mission.This part of the program primarily focused on a discussion about potentially establishing a “Mars Tuesday” to complement “Moon Monday,” though Jatan noted this would be more feasible in the future, possibly during the Moon-to-Mars transition. Jatan shared his background in astrophysics and his shift to space communication, emphasizing his interest in bridging the gap between researchers and the public. David made announcements about upcoming programs, guest suggestions, and the need for donations to support the space show's operations, while also inviting major donors to join the advisory board. The conversation ended with plans for Ajay to share updates about his talks in India on the next Sunday's show.Special thanks to our sponsors: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Helix Space in Luxembourg, Celestis Memorial Spaceflights, Astrox Corporation, Dr. Haym Benaroya of Rutgers University, The Space Settlement Progress Blog by John Jossy, The Atlantis Project, and Artless EntertainmentOur Toll Free Line for Live Broadcasts: 1-866-687-7223 (Not in service at this time)For real time program participation, email Dr. Space at: drspace@thespaceshow.com for instructions and access.The Space Show is a non-profit 501C3 through its parent, One Giant Leap Foundation, Inc. To donate via Pay Pal, use:To donate with Zelle, use the email address: david@onegiantleapfoundation.org.If you prefer donating with a check, please make the check payable to One Giant Leap Foundation and mail to:One Giant Leap Foundation, 11035 Lavender Hill Drive Ste. 160-306 Las Vegas, NV 89135Upcoming Programs:Broadcast 4482: Zoom: Open Lines to kick of 2026 | Sunday 04 Jan 2026 1200PM PTGuests: Dr. David LivingstonZoom: Open Lines to start the New Year Get full access to The Space Show-One Giant Leap Foundation at doctorspace.substack.com/subscribe

Brought to you by the Founders Unfiltered podcast by A Junior VC - Unscripted conversations with Indian founders about their story and the process of building a company. Hosted by Aviral and Mazin.Join us as we talk with Aviral Bhatnagar, the Founder and Managing Partner of A Junior VC, as he shares his predictions for the startup ecosystem in 2026.

Opening prayer and transition Prayer for healing of minds, emotions, and bodies in Jesus' name. Blessing over the people and light-hearted comment about “sinners/singers” saved by grace. Transition to the morning teaching and reference to the notes on fasting and prayer. Purpose of the teaching Many new people in the church do not fully understand prayer and fasting. Long-time members also need renewed direction, inspiration, and encouragement from Scripture for an effective and profitable fast. Pastor's personal struggle with coughing and mic; testimony of praying over the upcoming fast and the church. Realization: the Lord, as the Good Shepherd, cares more about the people and their fasting than the pastor does. Emphasis that believers must hear the Shepherd's voice; call to open hearts and spirits to the Word and notes. What fasting is (definition and biblical basis) Fasting described as a spiritual discipline taught in the Bible, not an afterthought or optional for Christians. Reference to Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) and the three practices: praying, giving, fasting (“when you pray… when you give… when you fast,” not “if”). Reading/summary of Matthew 6:16–18: Do not fast to impress others; keep normal appearance; the Father sees in secret and rewards openly. Clarification: corporate fast cannot be fully secret, but the heart motive still must be God-centered, not people-centered. Cultural critique: problem of overeating and food addictions; fasting is needed, not optional. Why fast? Main reasons 1. Health and personal reset Fasting brings health benefits; warning about “digging graves with forks and spoons.” Pastor's personal testimony: fasting at the beginning of the year as a “reset” that affects months afterward and increases awareness of what is eaten. 2. Fasting gives more time for prayer Time normally used for preparing, eating, and cleaning up can be redirected to prayer. Acknowledgment of family responsibilities; encouragement to use available time for prayer. Biblical link between fasting and prayer: example from Acts 13 (worshiping, fasting, Holy Spirit speaks, Paul/Barnabas set apart). Explanation of the church's prayer schedule for the fasting week (Monday–Friday, 6:30–8:30 with personal prayer, worship, exhortation, and corporate prayer each night, plus guest ministers and special focuses). 3. Fasting shows the depth of desire in prayer Fasting demonstrates how serious and desperate a person is about a prayer need. Challenge to those struggling with addictions, family issues, or sin to get desperate enough to say no to food. Story of a former pastor who listed God's blessings and then asked, “What are you willing to do?” Scriptural support from Joel: Call a holy fast, sacred assembly; return to God with all the heart, with fasting and weeping. Teaching that fasting “turbocharges” prayer and reaches the core of one's being. 4. Fasting releases God's supernatural power Observation of revival signs: increased Bible sales, campus awakenings, baptisms, and renewed spirituality. Note that whenever God moves, the devil attacks (division, discouragement, defeat, depression, doubt). Emphasis that united prayer and fasting delivers decisive blows to the enemy. Scriptural examples: Ezra 8:23 (“we fasted and prayed… and he answered”). Isaiah 58:6 (fasting that loosens chains of injustice, breaks yokes, sets oppressed free). Testimony of church growth attributed to prayer and fasting (services, groups, leaders, missions). Warning: forward movement invites spiritual resistance, requiring vigilance and continued fasting. Importance of fasting in Scripture (examples) Often precedes major victories, miracles, and answered prayers. Examples listed: Moses fasting before receiving the Ten Commandments. Israelites fasting before miraculous victory. Daniel fasting for guidance and understanding God's plan (reading Jeremiah, receiving revelation). Personal example: pastor fasting over whom to marry and other major decisions (work, place to live, business partnerships, missions trips). Nehemiah fasting and praying before rebuilding Jerusalem's walls, completing a century-old problem in 52 days. Jesus fasting 40 days before public ministry and during temptation in the wilderness. First Christians fasting during key decision-making (Acts 13, etc.). Application: fast over important life decisions; don't rely on human wisdom alone. Precautions and heart posture in fasting Fasting is not: Earning answers or manipulating God. A hunger strike against God. Fasting is: Aligning with God's will and opening space for what God already desires to do. Health cautions: Fast only as health allows; consider partial fasts if on medication, etc. Warning against “sneaky” or superficial consecrations (e.g., trivial fasting windows that cost nothing). Encouragement to make fasting truly sacrificial and appropriate to one's work and physical capacity. Practical guidance: types and structure of fasting Types of fasts mentioned: Water fast (all food and juices abstained from; not recommended for everyone for five days). Partial fast (eliminating certain foods or meals). Juice fast (fruit or vegetable juices only). Counsel on nutrition and physical activity: Ensure nutrients; limit strenuous exercise; do not let exercise become an excuse to skip prayer/fasting. Guidance on breaking the fast: Avoid heavy foods immediately (e.g., burritos, large meals); ease back into eating with lighter foods like fruit. Corporate fasting and commitment Corporate fast provides structure, accountability, and mutual encouragement. Testimony of previous years: New believers and first-time fasters completing five days. Past 21-day fast (juice/soup only) and challenges met by the congregation. Value of structure: same as work or school schedules; helps people follow through. Mention of attendance statistics from previous years and desire to see increased participation (with the reminder that numbers represent people, not pride). Fasting as assumed biblical practice Jesus says “when you fast,” implying fasting is assumed for Christians. Note of a resurgence of fasting teaching in recent decades, including influence from African and global churches. Observation: when God prepares to move, he stirs people to prayer and fasting. Biblical reasons people fasted (summary list) Facing a crisis. Seeking God's protection and deliverance. Called to repentance and renewal. Asking God for guidance. Humbling themselves in worship. Dangers in the discipline Risk of empty ritual or fasting without meaning. Encouragement to start fasting and seek right motives as you go. Repeated call to hear the Good Shepherd's voice and recognize that God wants to speak, guide, and bless more than people often realize. Fasting as feasting on Jesus John Wesley quote: fasting must be done unto the Lord, with the eye singly fixed on Him, to glorify the Father.​ Story of an Indian orphanage that fasts every Friday and calls it “feasting on Jesus,” praying specifically for the American church. Call to fast and leadership responsibility Fasting starts with spiritual leaders and elders; leaders must model what they preach. Fasting often arises from spiritual desperation and urgency: “turn to me now while there is time.” Warning about increasing end-time deception; need for discernment and closeness to God. Fasting and inner focus Fasting is more about focus than food; more about saying yes to the Spirit than no to the body. It is an outward response to an inward cry, an expression of brokenness and need. Calls to return to God with the heart, not just external religious acts (rending hearts, not garments). Fasting as response of a broken heart; God is drawn to the weak, broken, needy. Immense responsibility and mission Believers carry the immense responsibility to be salt and light, preaching the gospel to a lost world. Fasting is a humble response to this responsibility, seeking God's help and power to fulfill the mission. Closing exhortation and prayer Pastor expresses desire to communicate God's heart and encourage participation in the fast. Emphasis that God wants to speak and move, and fasting clears space in the heart. Call to fresh consecration and commitment for individuals and families. Prayer that God will bless and strengthen everyone who takes part, and closing invitation to join nightly prayer during the fasting week.

A provocative defense of a forgotten Chinese approach to identity and difference. Historically, the Western encounter with difference has been catastrophic: the extermination and displacement of aboriginal populations, the transatlantic slave trade, and colonialism. China, however, took a different historical path. In Chinese Cosmopolitanism: The History and Philosophy of an Idea (Princeton UP, 2023), Shuchen Xiang argues that the Chinese cultural tradition was, from its formative beginnings and throughout its imperial history, a cosmopolitan melting pot that synthesized the different cultures that came into its orbit. Unlike the West, which cast its collisions with different cultures in Manichean terms of the ontologically irreconcilable difference between civilization and barbarism, China was a dynamic identity created out of difference.  The reasons for this, Xiang argues, are philosophical: Chinese philosophy has the conceptual resources for providing alternative ways to understand pluralism. Xiang explains that "Chinese" identity is not what the West understands as a racial identity; it is not a group of people related by common descent or heredity but rather a hybrid of coalescing cultures. To use the Western discourse of race to frame the Chinese view of non-Chinese, she argues, is a category error. Xiang shows that China was both internally cosmopolitan, embracing distinct peoples into a common identity, and externally cosmopolitan, having knowledge of faraway lands without an ideological need to subjugate them. Contrasting the Chinese understanding of efficacy--described as "harmony"--with the Western understanding of order, she argues that the Chinese sought to gain influence over others by having them spontaneously accept the virtue of one's position. These ideas from Chinese philosophy, she contends, offer a new way to understand today's multipolar world and can make a valuable contribution to contemporary discussions in the critical philosophy of race. For readers interested in how GCB and the Greek philosophical justification of GCB, domination, and destruction of barbarians still inform productions and consumptions of racist ideology as embodied in The Turner Diaries, see for example, here, here, and here.  Readers interested in the Vāda project that employs Indian epistemology to evaluate contemporary political claims, see here.  Jessica Zu is an intellectual historian and a scholar of Buddhist studies. She is an assistant professor of religion at the University of Southern California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/chinese-studies

The Nazi Study of India and Indian Anti-Colonialism (2024) is the first detailed and critical study of the intellectual and political connections that existed between some German scholars specializing on India, non-academic ‘India experts,' Indian anti-colonialists and various organs of the Nazi state published by the Oxford University Press. It explores the ways in which different knowledge discourses pertaining to India, particularly its colonization and the anti-colonial movement, were used by these individuals for a number of German organisations to fulfil the demands of Nazi politics. This monograph also inspects the links between the knowledge providers and embodiments of National Socialist politics like the Nazi party and its affiliates. In this study, Baijayanti Roy aims to ascertain whether such political engagements were actually more rewarding for the scholars than their 'practical services' to the state in the form of strategic deployment of their knowledge of India. The Nazi Study of India and Indian Anti-Colonialism offers case studies of four organisations which incorporated such complicated entanglements of knowledge and power: the India Institute of the Deutsche Akademie in Munich, the Special Department India of the German Foreign Ministry, the Seminar for Oriental languages and its successor institutions at the University of Berlin, and the Indian Legion of the German Army. The knowledge networks underlying these organisations were dominated by German Indologists, but non-specialist knowledge providers, both German and Indian were also included. The Nazi regime expected all scholars and intellectuals to engage in Kulturpolitik (cultural politics), which entailed propagating the glories of the 'Reich' and its supreme leader as well as collecting 'politically valuable' knowledge within and outside Germany. For the four organizations concerned, this meant conducting pro-German and from around 1938, anti-British propaganda aimed at Indians. Loosely following an analogy provided by Herbert Mehrtens in the context of natural sciences, this monograph posits that there were ‘patterns of collaboration' between the knowledge providers and the representatives of the Nazi regime. At the core of these 'patterns' was, to borrow Mitchell Ash's theory, an exchange of resources and capital in which scholars and experts offered their knowledge of Indian languages, history and culture to authorities like the Foreign Ministry, the SS and the Army. In return, they received increased professional opportunities, financial remuneration or in some cases, increased power and influence. Deep Acharya is a PhD student and a George L. Mosse fellow of Modern European Cultural History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison working on the history of fatherhood in 20th century Germany. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

The new Mayor of New York and at just 34, the youngest since 1892, is sworn in. He is the first Muslim and Indian American to lead the nation's largest city. Zohran Mamdani was born in Uganda, Africa, to parents of Indian descent and it was a childhood filled with bird song and nature. He was seven years old when his family moved to New York, to Manhattan's Upper West Side and that's where Mamdani began to make his mark. He started making music as rapper, Mr Cardamom but after releasing only a few songs, it seemed politics was a better fit. Zohran Mamdani ran an impressive campaign, recruiting an army of volunteers 100,000 strong to pound the pavements and knock on doors. His social media videos in multiple languages credited with vastly increasing voter turnout from a range of South Asian communities. A left-wing democratic socialist, his message was laser focused on affordability; he promised to freeze the rents and make buses free, all paid for by a tax on New Yorkers making over $1 million per year. But now he's won the election can he actually deliver on those promises? Mark Coles hears from Mamdani's mother the filmmaker Mira Nair, colleagues and journalists to find out what shaped the man making history.Contributors Mira Nair - film maker, mother Hari Kondabolu - standup comedian, friend Prof Brian Purnell - chair of the Africana Studies Department at Bowdoin College Cassie Wilson - volunteer for Mamdani's campaign, content creator and comedian Jagpreet Singh - political organiser for South Asian communities in New York, DRUM Beats Nada Tawfiq - BBC Correspondent in New YorkProduction Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Phoebe Keane, Ben Crighton, Natasha Fernandes and Tom Farmer Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound: Gareth Jones Editor: Justine Lang

Why does Indias police force, created under British rule, still echo the priorities of a bygone empire? And what is it about this institution, tasked with maintaining the law and order, that has led to a normalization of daily violence? These are the key questions that inform the analyses in this volume by lawyers, academics and activists. Divided into four broad sections, it begins by looking at the origins of the modern police force in the 1860s and demonstrates their role in maintaining socio-cultural, economic and political hierarchies even in post-Independence India. The second section explores how the law and legal infrastructure, as well as the bureaucracy in India, work to effectively facilitate police violence and to further marginalize and criminalize certain groups, like lower castes and Muslims. The penultimate section complicates this picture, examining how police violence is shaped by historical ambivalence towards democracy, the personal and systemic dynamics between police personnel and the accused, and the fraught identity of police in conflict zones like Kashmir, where authority is both granted and withheld by the state. The final section contains interviews of and reflections by prominent critics of police violence, including former Haryana DGP V.N. Rai and Abdul Wahid Shaikh, falsely accused of involvement in the 2006 Mumbai blasts. Questioning its foundational purpose and envisioning pathways to accountability and reform, Policing and Violence in India ignites a long-overdue conversation about the nature of policing in India. Deana Heath is Professor of Indian and Colonial History at the University of Liverpool. She has written widely on issues relating to policing and violence in colonial India, particularly on torture and sexual violence. Her latest book, Colonial Terror: Torture and State Violence in Colonial India, was published by Oxford University Press in 2021. Jinee Lokaneeta is Professor in Political Science and International Relations at Drew University, New Jersey. She is the author of The Truth Machines: Policing, Violence, and Scientific Interrogations in India, published in 2020 by the University of Michigan Press and Orient Blackswan, and Transnational Torture: Law, Violence, and State Power in the United States and India, published by New York University Press in 2011 and Orient Blackswan in 2012. Shailza Sharma is an Assistant Professor at Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

What better time to contemplate the conundrum that is zero than the start of a new year? Zero is a fairly new concept in human history and even more recent as a number. It wasn't until around the 7th century that zero was used as a number. That's when it showed up in the records of Indian mathematicians. Since then, zero has, at times, been met with some fear — at one point the city of Florence, Italy banned the number.Today, scientists seek to understand how much humans truly comprehend zero — and why it seems to be different from other numbers. That's how we ended up talking to science writer Yasemin Saplakoglu in this encore episode about the neuroscience of this number that means nothing.Read more of Yasemin's reporting on zero for Quanta Magazine. Plus, check out our episode on why big numbers break our brains.Interested in more math episodes? Let us know what kind of stories you want to hear from us in 2026 by emailing shortwave@npr.org!Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As I've long noted, America—indeed, the entire first-world—is engaged in an existential war for survival.  The key weapon being used against us is biological and cultural in nature—to drown our high-IQ, high-trust, low-fraud, first-world cultures under hundreds of millions and billions of low-IQ, low-trust, high-fraud, third-world cultures. To conceal the nature of this biological and cultural warfare we are being propagandized to believe a profound lie—that all peoples across the globe are essentially identical and interchangeable widgets, that any Indian or Pakistani or Africa or Aboriginal can be plugged into a first-world nation in place of an American or Brit of German, and the recipient nation will be as innovative and productive and cohesive as if the swap had never occurred. 

What does it take to save your own life?In this conversation, host Khudania Ajay (KAJ) speaks with Hipolito Montero about confronting a medical wake-up call, rebuilding health from the inside out, and redefining strength beyond numbers, labels, or fear.

Reviews of No Other Choice, We Bury the Dead, Left-Handed Girl and the Indian epic Dhurandhar. Plus our best and worst films of 2025. Hilarity ensues?

In this wide-ranging conversation, Gautam Baid joins Excess Returns to discuss the principles that shaped his investing philosophy, the lessons learned through bear markets, and why compounding, patience, and quality matter far more than forecasts or short-term performance. Drawing from his books The Joys of Compounding and The Making of a Value Investor, Baid shares a deeply reflective framework for long-term investing, portfolio construction, behavioral discipline, and global diversification, with insights spanning Indian and US markets, liquidity cycles, AI, and investor psychology.Main topics covered• The asymmetric power of compounding and why being wrong half the time can still lead to exceptional long-term returns• Why patience, temperament, and behavior matter more than analytical precision in investing• The role of journaling in improving decision-making and avoiding repeated behavioral mistakes• How investor sentiment reveals itself through IPO markets and portfolio quality late in bull cycles• Why long-term investing requires continuous monitoring rather than buy-and-forget complacency• Letting winners run, cutting losers, and understanding power-law outcomes in stock markets• Liquidity cycles and how they drive market returns in both India and the United States• How bear markets reshape investing philosophy toward resilience, quality, and diversification• When averaging down makes sense and when it is dangerous• The differences between Indian and US equity markets, valuations, and governance• Why home country bias can be a major risk for US-based investors• AI, productivity, profitability, and where future market winners may emerge beyond mega-cap tech• Why passion for investing matters more than money in sustaining long-term successTimestamps00:00 Introduction and the asymmetric nature of compounding01:00 Gautam Baid's investing background and books03:00 The importance of journaling and learning through bear markets06:00 Investor sentiment, IPOs, and late-cycle market behavior10:20 Long-term investing versus complacency and monitoring risk14:15 Convex upside, concave downside, and letting winners run18:30 Liquidity cycles and lessons from Stan Druckenmiller22:45 Identifying market bottoms and the anatomy of bull and bear markets28:00 Averaging down, quality, and risk management30:30 How bear markets change investor psychology and strategy33:00 Patience, management quality, and long-term optionality36:15 Mr. Market, price signals, and market intelligence39:00 The Federal Reserve, inflation, and asset price dynamics44:00 Understanding the Indian equity market and valuation structure46:45 Why global diversification matters for US investors50:30 AI, margins, and the future of value investing53:00 Passion, purpose, and the psychology of long-term investing54:30 The single most note investors should learn

After the fireworks of NYE fizzle out, Vegas goes a little quiet in January. Whether you're hibernating at home or looking for excuses to get out and about, we've got you covered: Dayvid Figler and Sarah Lohman are joined by Melinda Sheckells, editor of the Town Magazine, to talk Indian cuisine, local theater, and the best Elvis reenactment in town. If you're new here, welcome! We've put together a ⁠starter pack for you⁠ with episodes and articles to welcome you to the City Cast Las Vegas community.  Learn more about the sponsors of this January 2nd episode: Simply Eloped Nevada Health Link Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Learn more about becoming a City Cast Las Vegas Neighbor at membership.citycast.fm. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Why does Indias police force, created under British rule, still echo the priorities of a bygone empire? And what is it about this institution, tasked with maintaining the law and order, that has led to a normalization of daily violence? These are the key questions that inform the analyses in this volume by lawyers, academics and activists. Divided into four broad sections, it begins by looking at the origins of the modern police force in the 1860s and demonstrates their role in maintaining socio-cultural, economic and political hierarchies even in post-Independence India. The second section explores how the law and legal infrastructure, as well as the bureaucracy in India, work to effectively facilitate police violence and to further marginalize and criminalize certain groups, like lower castes and Muslims. The penultimate section complicates this picture, examining how police violence is shaped by historical ambivalence towards democracy, the personal and systemic dynamics between police personnel and the accused, and the fraught identity of police in conflict zones like Kashmir, where authority is both granted and withheld by the state. The final section contains interviews of and reflections by prominent critics of police violence, including former Haryana DGP V.N. Rai and Abdul Wahid Shaikh, falsely accused of involvement in the 2006 Mumbai blasts. Questioning its foundational purpose and envisioning pathways to accountability and reform, Policing and Violence in India ignites a long-overdue conversation about the nature of policing in India. Deana Heath is Professor of Indian and Colonial History at the University of Liverpool. She has written widely on issues relating to policing and violence in colonial India, particularly on torture and sexual violence. Her latest book, Colonial Terror: Torture and State Violence in Colonial India, was published by Oxford University Press in 2021. Jinee Lokaneeta is Professor in Political Science and International Relations at Drew University, New Jersey. She is the author of The Truth Machines: Policing, Violence, and Scientific Interrogations in India, published in 2020 by the University of Michigan Press and Orient Blackswan, and Transnational Torture: Law, Violence, and State Power in the United States and India, published by New York University Press in 2011 and Orient Blackswan in 2012. Shailza Sharma is an Assistant Professor at Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In this deeply inspiring episode, we sit down with Ram Sareen, CEO and Founder of TUKA Group (TUKATECH)—a pioneering force in global fashion technology and the man behind one of the world's most influential CAD-CAM apparel software companies. Born in India and raised in a family of garment manufacturers, Ram's journey is anything but conventional. After immigrating to the United States, he washed dishes for $2 an hour, was expelled from seven schools, survived a cardiac arrest at 45, and went on to build the last standing American fashion CAD-CAM technology company. This is not just a business story—it's a raw, honest conversation about resilience, reinvention, values, leadership, and purpose. Ram opens up about failure, humility, respect, and his belief that true success lies in learning, earning, and returning. In this episode, we explore: ~ How being labelled “too disruptive” became Ram's greatest strength ~ Surviving a near-death experience and redefining leadership ~ Why respect and equality are non-negotiable values in business ~ The role of education in shaping global Indian success ~ What it truly means to disrupt an industry with purpose This conversation is a masterclass in life, leadership, and legacy—especially for entrepreneurs, immigrants, creatives, and anyone building something meaningful against the odds.

Why does Indias police force, created under British rule, still echo the priorities of a bygone empire? And what is it about this institution, tasked with maintaining the law and order, that has led to a normalization of daily violence? These are the key questions that inform the analyses in this volume by lawyers, academics and activists. Divided into four broad sections, it begins by looking at the origins of the modern police force in the 1860s and demonstrates their role in maintaining socio-cultural, economic and political hierarchies even in post-Independence India. The second section explores how the law and legal infrastructure, as well as the bureaucracy in India, work to effectively facilitate police violence and to further marginalize and criminalize certain groups, like lower castes and Muslims. The penultimate section complicates this picture, examining how police violence is shaped by historical ambivalence towards democracy, the personal and systemic dynamics between police personnel and the accused, and the fraught identity of police in conflict zones like Kashmir, where authority is both granted and withheld by the state. The final section contains interviews of and reflections by prominent critics of police violence, including former Haryana DGP V.N. Rai and Abdul Wahid Shaikh, falsely accused of involvement in the 2006 Mumbai blasts. Questioning its foundational purpose and envisioning pathways to accountability and reform, Policing and Violence in India ignites a long-overdue conversation about the nature of policing in India. Deana Heath is Professor of Indian and Colonial History at the University of Liverpool. She has written widely on issues relating to policing and violence in colonial India, particularly on torture and sexual violence. Her latest book, Colonial Terror: Torture and State Violence in Colonial India, was published by Oxford University Press in 2021. Jinee Lokaneeta is Professor in Political Science and International Relations at Drew University, New Jersey. She is the author of The Truth Machines: Policing, Violence, and Scientific Interrogations in India, published in 2020 by the University of Michigan Press and Orient Blackswan, and Transnational Torture: Law, Violence, and State Power in the United States and India, published by New York University Press in 2011 and Orient Blackswan in 2012. Shailza Sharma is an Assistant Professor at Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/south-asian-studies

Harriett Gilbert welcomes bestselling author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni into the World Book Club studio to discuss her internationally acclaimed novel, The Palace of Illusions.A luminous reimagining of the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharat, The Palace of Illusions traces the life of Princess Panchaali—better known as Draupadi—from her miraculous birth in fire to her destiny as the wife of five brothers cheated of their father's kingdom. Swept into their quest to reclaim their birthright, Panchaali stands beside them through years of exile and the terrible civil war that engulfs the kings of India. Along the way, she navigates fierce rivalries, a complex friendship with the enigmatic Krishna, and a forbidden attraction to her husbands' most dangerous enemy.With its vivid imagery, lyrical prose and unforgettable characters, Divakaruni's novel brings to life a world of warriors, gods, and fate, seen through the eyes of a fiery woman determined to shape her own destiny.Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni answers readers' questions about reclaiming women's voices from myth and legend, the different kinds of love - marital, forbidden and divine, and how mythology can be used to re-write expectations for how people should live their lives even in the modern day.

Hollywood actors and writers are anxious about AI filmmaking, but one Bollywood director tells us that, as far as many Indian creators are concerned, it's democratizing the process. Many Calgarians are once again under a boil-water advisory after the second major water main break in as many years -- and this one left our guest stranded on the roof of her truck. Our guest fills us in on his annual headline-of-the-year bracket -- where the entrants range from the sublime to the ridiculous, except for the sublime part. We revisit our conversation with the Oscar-winning filmmaker Molly O'Brien and her pioneering aunt, Orin O'Brien -- about Orin's many years as the only female member of the New York Philharmonic. We'll hear what it was like to play for Leonard Bernstein -- and why artistry and acclaim don't always go hand in hand. A California man says the 550-pound black bear living underneath his house is no longer welcome -- but for obvious reasons, the bear does not care about that. As It Happens, the New Year's Eve Edition. Radio that knows it's gross when your roommate walks around bear-foot.

Leaders with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde's treatment and recovery services say they're making strides in opioid addiction treatment in both the tribal community and in neighboring towns and cities. Jennifer Worth is the Operations Director for Great Circle Recovery in Oregon. “There are no throwaway people, everybody deserves the chance for hope and help.” Kelly Rowe is the Executive Director of Health Services for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. “It’s changed lives. It’s saved lives for us.” Kelly Rowe and Jennifer Worth talk about Grand Ronde’s recovery services. Worth says Great Circle started out of an idea to help figure out what to do about overdoses. “Folks were coming in and out of jail, there was a pattern where they were kind of noticing that there would be higher overdoses. And that’s because when people have an opioid use disorder and they go into incarceration and there’s no support during that time and they come out, they are more at risk and more vulnerable of an overdose. Being able to find other tools and avenues to support that was part of the vision of Great Circle.” The care is located on the reservation and off through Great Circle Salem, Great Circle Portland, and two mobile clinics. “Great Circle is steeped in the cultural and community values that Grand Ronde shares. And the way they care for their people is the way that we care for every patient that walks through these doors. And everybody matters. Everybody heals in community. And there is hope for each person that walks through that door. “ Taking care of the health and wellness of community members is a key tribal value, says Rowe. “We are doing it not just for Indian people, but for each other. And I know that when I’m coming to work and we’re building programming or giving services, it’s for me, my relatives, it’s for my son, my grandson, and so on and so on and so on. And truly is the seven generations ahead … the substances that are out there now that are so hard to get away from it's been difficult to make sure that we have enough services available to give to our people and we fight for beds, we fight for space to send our people to and that's what really led for us to make these services our own.” Chairwoman Cheryle Kennedy is the tribe's longtime leader and also has a long career in Native American health care, which includes addressing drug and alcohol addiction treatment. “I don’t believe that anyone, if you ask them today, ‘How many want to be an alcoholic or an addict?’. how many people are going to raise their hand? ‘Yeah, me, let me.’ No one starts like that, but it creeps in and it takes over, it consumes you. And pretty soon you have no life. You are then under the power of either the drink or the drug of choice, whatever it might be … as Native people, we think about ourselves in the whole. Colonization had those kind of effects … addictions, of use, misuse, need to be addressed.” The state, like many other states in the U.S., has been hit by the opioid crisis, including the misuse of prescription and illicit drugs. Addressing stigma around opioid use disorder is part of the work. Worth says this type of treatment shouldn't be any different than having a chronic health condition that needs to be managed. “Substance use shouldn’t be any different, but yet it is. And so, the more we can normalize and have these clinics out and available and embedded into the other services that are happening, it just destigmatizes that for everybody.” Great Circle is the first tribally-owned opioid treatment program in the state. This story is a collaboration with First Nations Experience Television (FNX TV) with support from the Public Welfare Foundation. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts.

Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. Today we're talking with Tim MacLeod, a former nurse who escaped the financial treadmill by flipping couches—and now teaches others how to do the same. Are you a church leader feeling the financial squeeze? Looking for a side hustle that doesn't require debt, special skills, or hours you don't have? Tim's story offers a practical roadmap—and encouragement—for anyone needing to close that income gap. Burnout and financial pressure. // Tim became a nurse at 21, newly married, supporting his wife through teacher's college, and quickly thrown into adult responsibilities. The only way to stay financially afloat was by working overtime once or twice a week. When their second child was on the way, he realized the path he was on was unsustainable. Finding financial freedom. // Options like upgrading his nursing degree, relocating, or working in dangerous psychiatric facilities were unappealing. Tim needed something flexible, part-time, and profitable enough to replace overtime. He discovered flipping phones and iPads first, but competition was fierce. Then, after borrowing a trailer and responding to a free couch listing, everything changed. He cleaned it up, sold it the next day for $280, and instantly covered more than an entire nursing shift. Why flipping couches works. // The opportunity exists because of a gap in the marketplace. Most people don't own trucks, can't move heavy furniture, and face tight deadlines when moving. Sellers value reliable pickup over price; buyers value affordable furniture delivered to their door. Tim steps into this gap. With polite communication and kindness, he creates a “win-win-win”: sellers get rid of furniture quickly, buyers get affordable delivered couches, and Tim earns a consistent profit. He estimates most beginners can make $1,000/month by flipping just five couches—buying each for around $50 and selling for $250 with delivery included. A side hustle with time freedom. // One of the most surprising parts of Tim's business is the flexibility. He built the early stages of his flipping business in the evenings with his wife and baby riding along—road dinners, cheap pizza, and trips to pick up inventory. Now he schedules pickups during school hours, stacks deliveries based on availability, and can pause or accelerate the business as needed. It's ideal for ministry families with unpredictable schedules. Why you can succeed at this. // Many of Tim's students are pastors or church employees, and he says ministry workers have unique advantages: access to storage at the church, a heart for helping people, strong communication skills, and the ability to bring calm to awkward interactions. Many pastors live outside their ministry communities—creating the perfect “import/export” opportunity where they can buy in one market and sell in another. And unlike many side hustles, flipping couches doesn't conflict with ministry—it simply provides supplemental income with minimal stress. A free resource to get started. // Tim created a free Google Doc of scripts—his exact messages for starting conversations, vetting couches, and negotiating with integrity. To get it, simply comment scripts on any of his Instagram videos and he’ll email it your way. He also offers an affordable course walking through his full system, including storage setup, videos, delivery strategies, and scaling beyond $1,000/month. To learn more or access Tim's free scripts, visit him on Instagram @thefulltimeflipper or explore his full course at tim-macleod.com. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey, friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. So glad that you have decided to tune in. We’re definitely having a very un-unSeminary episode today. You know recently I heard some statistics that I was like, man, we gotta do something about this. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics—you’re like, it’s a little early in the year for the Bureau of Labor and Statistics—but there’s a 13% gap between what religious workers—people who are clergy actually, is the title—and the average income in the country makes – a 13% gap. In fact, it even gets worse when you look at people, there’s a category called “religious workers, other”, which these would be like not the senior pastor types. This is like everybody else that works in a church. There’s a 40% gap between those people and the the average salary in the country. Rich Birch — And so why am I bringing this up? Because I know that there are people that are listening in today that are feeling that gap. Here we are in January and they’re feeling the pressure of that. And I want to help you with that. And so I’ve got a friend, like a friend from real life, friends. This is like we’re in the same small group. We know each other, incredible leader, and I want to expose you to him. But more importantly, I think he can help you with that gap.Rich Birch — It’s my friend, Tim MacLeod. Tim was a nurse with the dreams of fatherhood and home ownership, but after a few years was faced with reality and no time, no amount of overtime was really going to fill the gap that he needed to make things work. And after being stuck on that kind of financial treadmill, he found a way out. He found the niche of, wait for it, friends, flipping couches. What? Flipping couches and was able to quit his nursing job and now does this full time. And I’ve asked him to come on. Uh, because I think what he did at the beginning, even part-time, I think could help some of us today that are, that are listening in. Tim, welcome to the show. So glad you’re here.Tim MacLeod — Thanks so much for having me, man. I’m excited.Rich Birch — This is going to be a good conversation. Kind of fill in the story. Tell us a little bit, uh, tell us about your background, and how did you get in? How did you go from nursing to flipping couches?Tim MacLeod — So I wanted to be obedient and I got married maybe a little bit too young at 21. My wife was still in teacher’s college. And so very, very quickly I was thrown into adulthood of two cars, rents and all the things that come with that.Tim MacLeod — And nursing was good. I was a registered practical nurse, so not a university educated RN making bank, but doing okay with a college diploma. And I got the comfy gig at a long-term care home because I preferred eight-hour shifts and not the, I didn’t want nights.Rich Birch — Midnight and all that.Tim MacLeod — I just wanted, yeah, exactly.Rich Birch — Yeah, yeah, yeah.Tim MacLeod — I wanted the free parking and the the reliable six to two shifts. That was just the lifestyle that I liked. And the only way that I could stay afloat financially was with doubles. I had to do my six to two and then at least once a week, usually twice, if I wanted to have any money to play with, um I would work the two to ten.Rich Birch — Wow.Tim MacLeod — And that was cool while my wife was in college or while she was finishing up teacher’s college, that was fine. And then, we had a newborn baby and that was fine. Because anytime that I would have to do those doubles, she’d go to sleep, go for a sleepover at her parents’ place. And, uh, and I would just drudge up the shifts.Tim MacLeod — And, but then when we were pregnant with number two, I knew that there was difficulties coming. And the road ahead did not look very good. And so I needed something different and all my options for replacing the income suck. Like I could go back to school and upgrade to RN, but I scraped through the first time. So that was nuts.Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — I didn’t have much hope in myself in that avenue. And I could go, I could relocate, I could move or I could commute about an hour and 20 away to the mental health hospital and make like danger pay in like an asylum, basically with my current qualifications.Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — And everything just looked terrible. I hated all of that. And all I needed was something better than overtime. I just needed to replace that portion of the income. And I needed something better in my evenings that hopefully I could do with my wife or from home. And so I was looking at side hustles.Tim MacLeod — And I had a little bit of success flipping phones and iPads because that’s all that I really understood…Rich Birch — Okay. Yeah, yeah.Tim MacLeod — …all I understood at the time. And I live about an hour north of where my in-laws live, which is a pretty dense population. I’m in the sticks and the supply was really light there. So I could reliably go for a free meal at my in-laws place, pick up an iPhone or three and for like 300 bucks and then bring them home and sell them for 450 bucks. And so that took that took the pressure off and that was like grocery money.Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — And it was really consistent, really reliable. And and it was fun too. I really liked it. I liked the negotiations. I liked, I liked not trading time. Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — Like I liked making making a profit instead of a wage. And that I was hooked on that, but there was competition. Like I wasn’t that clever doing that.Tim MacLeod — There was there was kids that were closer to the inventory ripping around in little Hyundai Elantras and uh i remember meeting this this Indian kid named Lucky, at least his Canadian name was Lucky, and he was beating me to all the goods. And and I met him one time to buy a phone for myself and I actually got to meet him and ask him some questions and he was making four grand a month flipping phones.Rich Birch — Wow.Tim MacLeod — And I thought that is so sick, and it’s just a pure cash hustle. And he was making more doing that than whatever his office or IT job was at the time. And I was super inspired by that, but I didn’t want to compete with him. So that kind of that kind of festered with me a little bit.Tim MacLeod — And um I just got an awesome idea. Well, was gifted to me by the Holy Spirit, I think, based on how fast and how fierce it came, that I need to get skills and tools to sell in a different category, something with a higher barrier to entry. And I wanted something where I didn’t have to compete with the Honda Civics and the Hyundai Elantra’s that were closer to the action.Rich Birch — With Lucky. Yes.Tim MacLeod — Yeah, exactly. He was smoking me. And and it also, it was a little bit of that and then also a little bit of me coveting. I wanted to get like, um I wanted an excuse to buy a Ford Ranger. I wanted a truck at the time.Rich Birch — Love it.Tim MacLeod — And so this combination, this combination of like wants and needs at the time, had me pitching an idea to my brother, Ross. I’m just like, Hey, what do you think about instead of phones and iPads? What if I got a truck and I started doing like washers and dryers or appliances or something like that? And he said, that’s a cool idea.Tim MacLeod — You’re good at the phones and iPads thing. And I definitely like, you’re good at the negotiations, all that. But don’t start eight grand in debt. That’s so stupid. Why don’t you just borrow my trailer and just try it? And I said, well, I don’t have a, I don’t have a hitch on my car. He said, get a hitch on your car, buddy. Okay. So, put that on the Visa, did not have the money for it. Rich Birch — Wow. Tim MacLeod — Put that on the Visa, put a two inch two inch hitch and four prong wiring on Mazda 5 like the little four cylinder, little mini minivan.Rich Birch — Oh, I wish I would have saw this at that. I wish I would have s seen this at this phase. Cause that, that, that would have been amazing to see him getting pulled around.Tim MacLeod — It was it was pretty cute and it was a big trailer too 12 by 6 aluminum being pulled by this little aaaaahhh. And it was stick shift and and…Rich Birch — Nice.Tim MacLeod — …and the first day I got the trailer, the only thing I could find, because I was just itching to use it, was a free couch. And it was one of those beige microfiber, like gets dirty if you look at it wrong.Rich Birch — All right. Yes.Tim MacLeod — Like they hold on to every water stain.Rich Birch — Yes. Yes.Tim MacLeod — And it was that and it was free and it needed a little bit of TLC. And I went and I got it for free. Brought it home and with a damp cloth, scrubbed out all the little marks and had it looking good. Took a picture of it, listed it with an offer of delivery and it sold the next day for 280 bucks.Rich Birch — Wow. That’s amazing.Tim MacLeod — It was awesome. Because a nursing shift net was like 180.Rich Birch — Wow, OK.Tim MacLeod — I think I was, I think I was 28 bucks an hour for an eight hour shift after taxes. Yeah. Probably like 180 hit the account.Rich Birch — Wow.Tim MacLeod — And so 280 for that. And it was one of those trips of free meal at, at the in-laws and then a free couch and then bring it home and then solve somebody’s problem of, I just got an apartment. I don’t have a car or my car’s too small and I need a couch.Rich Birch — Yes, yes.Tim MacLeod — And their option was, rent a U-Haul or go to Leon’s and finance something that comes delivered. Both are not very good options for most people. And then lo and behold was this guy who said, I got a couch, I can bring it by. And it was just the easiest yes for them. It was a win for everybody. Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — The person who needed the couch picked up, didn’t care about the money. They needed reliable pickup more than they needed cost recovery of the item because they had a deadline. I needed a way to make some cash and the person on the receiving end needed a couch that was affordable that came delivered. So it was just a win-win-win for everybody. I was like, okay, forget about appliances. Couches – I love this. And it was easy, it was it was easy enough to lift by myself. Rich Birch — Did you ever do appliances? Did you ever do appliances in there? Tim MacLeod — Yeah. I did a washer and dryer and ate a loss on that because it needed repair and I didn’t… Rich Birch — Love it. Tim MacLeod — …I paid for someone to assess and they were like, yeah, this thing’s broken. Was like, sweet. Okay. So a hundred bucks to you for, for, to tell me that it’s hopeless, and then pay for junk removal too.Rich Birch — Yes.Tim MacLeod — Like it was just such a loss. But couches, I could reliably sit on it and be like, well, that’s not broken. And I can handle that little stain or I can, my wife could stitch that up.Rich Birch — Right. Right.Tim MacLeod — And, uh, it was just so safe. And I loved it. If, if I were handier, I’m sure I could, flip snowblowers or lawnmowers or cars or something like that, but I’m not handy. I’m just, I have the ability to relocate stuff. Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — And so couches were just so perfect where I could just accurately be like, that’s 300 bucks to me. Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — And they only want 60 for it. Perfect. Let’s do that.Rich Birch — So and let’s double click on that. A part of what, so friends, like with the reason why, I think you’ve seen why I’ve got Tim on the the line today. I want to inspire you to think like, hey, you you could in part-time make a little extra a month. And I’m going to get to that with Tim. I’m going We’re going hammer down on, okay, what exactly would be some of the first steps that you take? But let’s unpack a little bit more. You’ve talked about once this insight, which I think is just a stellar insight that’s obviously at the core of your business. It’s this whole timing thing. Like people, you know they think a couch is worth certain certain amount, but they’re moving on X date, and the value of that couch goes down. But then it’s literally the reverse. Someone on the other side, they have an empty living room and they’re like, I need something here.Rich Birch — Unpack that a little more, kind of double click on… that value exchange and how you’re in the middle of that. What’s it talk us through what that looks like.Tim MacLeod — Yeah, there’s there’s a gap. There’s a gap in the marketplace. On the one end, we’ve got people who need it picked up and their options are hope that someone will pay the price that they want. And then if they hit a deadline, then their option is junk removal or put it to the curb. And so there’s a gap to fill there. Tim MacLeod — And then on the other side, there’s a gap of people who need a couch dropped off but can’t do it themselves. Like how many, what’s the population of people that own a truck that can actually do it is probably less than 10%. Most people have cars and hatchbacks and SUVs and stuff like that.Rich Birch — Right. Tim MacLeod — And then there’s also the how many people can lift a couch. I would say easily less than half the population. And so there’s just this huge gap that can be filled. And so by just committing to being the dude, you can help a lot of people solve a lot of problems. And there’s a little slice in it for you too.Rich Birch — So one of the things I’ve heard you say is that you have found this process of buying couches and then, you know, sitting on them for a while, maybe cleaning them a little bit and then turning around selling them is really flexible. Talk us through that. You know, it feels like you’re, you know, you’re, you have some time control. Talk us through what that looks like for you in your current world.Tim MacLeod — Yeah, the time freedom is crazy. And that was the appeal in the beginning was [inaudible] I didn’t want to be strapped to a location, a building to to make money. I had to be away from my wife and kids. But when it, couches just took off so fast that the first time I flipped a couch, I immediately called the scheduling office and reneged on all of my overtime. I said cancel all my two shifts.Rich Birch — Oh, wow.Tim MacLeod — I’m done. I’m I’m I’m just doing my 10 shifts. And, and then it didn’t take too long before i wanted to quit so fast, man. I wanted to be out of there. My, my my passion for the, like, I was so replaceable. Like as soon as if if I’m gone, someone’s going to fill the shift.Rich Birch — Right. Right.Tim MacLeod — Like, ah but there was a, there was a huge, there was a need that, and it was fun for me too. It was a game. I forget the question.Rich Birch — Yeah, I was just talking about the time flexibility, like how you feel like it’s, you know, you have a fair amount of time freedom. Part of what I’m trying to get to is pastors are busy people. Church workers are busy people. Is this even the kind of thing that they could fit into, you know, an existing as like a side hustle kind of thing?Tim MacLeod — Yes. Yeah. The time freedom is crazy. And so on the buying side, I’m just letting people know when I’m available. And sometimes I’ll tie it up with ah with a $50 deposit so that they can market it sold with confidence and they know that I’m not going to ghost on them. And that I have the peace of mind of nice, that’s mine for when I need it. And I’ll squeeze them for a deadline so that I make sure that I’m providing the service of reliable pickup in a manner that works for them. Tim MacLeod — But yeah, I’m just stacking pickups when it’s convenient for me. And in this current season, it’s during school hours. Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — So I’ll drop the kids off at school and then rip south and grab some stuff. But in that season, it was I’m available in the evening. And so I would come home from school, I’m sorry, work from my nursing job. And my wife would pack up, we pack up a little cooler bag of like a road picnic of dinner.Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — We had a one-year-old baby at the time and, uh, oh, that summer there was a lot of 50% off pizzas. Pizza Hut had a, the, the apps, we had all, all the apps, lots of road dinners. Rich Birch — Yes. Yes. Tim MacLeod — And Costco was clutch too.Rich Birch — Yeah.Tim MacLeod — But, um, yeah, just when I had an availability, I would acquire inventory and then they’d sell when they sell. And and again, full flexibility of, okay, I’m available at this time. I can squeeze in a delivery or someone could come pick it up. But yeah, the the time freedom is crazy and it’s sweet to to to just dabble in profits instead of relying on a wage. Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — Yeah, time freedom is awesome.Rich Birch — Well, you talked about the fact that your you know your brother was telling you you’re good at negotiations. I know there are people that are listening in today that are feeling like, oh, there’s no way that I would be good at negotiations. Obviously, you’ve got to buy the thing for considerably lower than what you’re selling it for. Talk us through even just a couple, help us get over that hurdle in our brains. Man, I just don’t know that I could do that.Tim MacLeod — Yeah. So the first thing is I’m scrolling a lot. And not not frequently. I’m not glued to my phone. But when I do it, I lock in. Like today was the shopping session and it was headphones in with some instrumental music, just kind of vibing. And I’m probably scrolling, looking at probably 400, 500 couches. Rich Birch — Okay.Tim MacLeod — And I’ll message probably 20 to 30 of them. Because a lot of them are crap. A lot of them are actually new. There’s no opportunity with new coaches. like There’s lots of warehouse stuff that’s still on first Facebook Marketplace and stuff like that. But what I’m looking for is very specific. I’m looking for private sales from real people. You got to be able to spot the scammers and weed them out. Tim MacLeod — And I’m looking for couches that I would want in my lockers. I’m not worried about the price whatsoever. Because the price is super subjective and it’s just kind of like what they’re hoping for. It’s not actually what they’re necessarily going to get. So the price is irrelevant. I’m just looking at pictures and I’m compiling lists of couches that I would want. And I’m starting conversations so that it’s kind of like I’m, I’m, it’s it’s like I’m offering my service. I’m starting the conversation to see why they’re selling it, if there’s a deadline, and if they would be someone who would be receptive to my service. And it’s kind of like they’re paying me for my reliable pickup service with a smoking and deal on a couch.Tim MacLeod — And so I have to get them there. And it’s not just, I can’t just go around lowballing everybody because you burn the bridge and you hurt feelings. Rich Birch — Right. Tim MacLeod — So I’m starting conversations and I’m filling in the gaps on the item. So I’ll read the description and see what’s missing. Like, did they specify that there’s pets in the house? I want to know, is there pets? Are there smokers in the house? Does it need any repairs? Does it need any stain removal or restoration if it’s leather? And I’m filling in all the gaps. So I have a complete picture of what it is that I’m actually buying. And that’s all kind of like a trauma response from my many, many drives of shame of I didn’t ask the right questions.Tim MacLeod — And so it’s it’s definitely preventing the drive of shame. And I’m just running through these scripts that I have. And it would sound like it’s a lot of typing, but I’ve actually made keyboard shortcuts for all of it. So my opening question is, I’ll never say, hi, is this still available? Because everybody hates being asked, hi, is this still available? On Facebook Marketplace, right? Because they’ve made it ah they’ve made it a button… Rich Birch — Yes. That’s why it’s up. Tim MacLeod — …where it’s just like, hi, is this still available? But that upsets people, which is fair, because it’s annoying. But at the same time, most people don’t have empathy for the fact that, how else are they going to start the conversation? Why would you ask questions if you’ve got someone lined up for it? So I’ll ask the exact same question, but in a way that annoys nobody. And I’ll say, is anyone scheduled to pick this up? It’s the same question, but upsets nobody.Rich Birch — Same question, just in a different way.Tim MacLeod — So that’s, that’s my first shortcut is, good morning, good good afternoon, good evening, whatever. And then any, and so on my keyboard, any with two wise expands into anyone’s schedule to pick this up. And then the next one is, does it need any repairs or stain removal? That’s if it’s fabric. And that’s does D or D O E S S and then D O E s S S S or with three S’s is, does it need any repairs or restoration? That’s if it’s leather. And so it’s just these quick little, my thumbs are just, and just… Rich Birch — So cool. Tim MacLeod — …I’m, I’m drafting up this quick little paragraph that fills in all the gaps, firing that over. And then, And then they’ll reply and fill in the gaps. And then I park it. I pause the conversation by saying, okay, awesome. Thanks so much. Just starting to have a peek at options, might get back to you.Tim MacLeod — And that one line separates me from everybody on Facebook. Because most people ask a question and then they just leave it on read. They got that little picture, that little tiny profile picture of yourself that says that, hey, he read it, but he’s gone and it’s crickets.Rich Birch — Yes.Tim MacLeod — And it’s a very, very infuriating experience. And that’s kind of like part of my service is that I am very, very different on Facebook Marketplace. Like an experience selling to me is better than anybody…Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — …because of how I talk. Like I’ll receive offers every day from people that don’t use words. They just send a number. Rich Birch — Just money. Tim MacLeod — Like I’ve got a couch listed for 1150 and someone just sends 700 – no dollar sign, no question mark, no good morning, nothing like that. And, and that’s a fair offer. Like he’s… Rich Birch — Yeah. Tim MacLeod — …I paid, I paid a fifth of that, like 700 is a fair offer, but I automatically hate this guy. I don’t, I don’t hate, I don’t hate him. Rich Birch — Yes. No, I get what you mean.Tim MacLeod — But, but it’s immediately just like, dude! Rich Birch — Yes. Tim MacLeod — You like say, say hi, say please. Rich Birch — Yes. Yes. Tim MacLeod — Even a, even a question mark would be, you know, so that’s the kind of people that I’m dealing with. And I’ve got thick skin and I always operate on the mindset of, I do want to sell this guy and I, and I do want to see him later today. So I’m not going to match his energy. Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — I’m never, I’m never a thermometer. I’m always a thermostat. I always set, set the temperature in the room, you know?Rich Birch — Right. Love it. Yep.Tim MacLeod — And so that’s ah that’s a big factor. But yeah, running through those scripts and and just getting people to their best price. And so after pausing it of, thanks so much, just starting to have a peek at options, I’ll reconnect with them.Tim MacLeod — Now, this is this is if their price is optimistic and it’s not a price that I’m willing to pay. I’ll slow play it a little bit by pausing the conversation. And then I’ll come back and then I’ll hit them with my my secret weapon is my polite lowball offer. And the number they might hate the number, but it comes gift wrapped in this like apologetic, like, Hey, I’m…Rich Birch — Oh, you got to tell me more that you’re, you’re setting that up. Well, you’re like, what is the polite low ball offer?Tim MacLeod — For me, I’m shopping in Toronto, which is like 90 minutes, two hours away.Tim MacLeod — And so my apologetic offer is: It’s so far, is there any chance you’d consider this much, any chance you’d consider for an out of towner? And then I just plug in the number. And, and it’s always received well. And even if it’s even if it’s even if they’re firm, that’s fine. Now I know. Rich Birch — Right. It’s data. Tim MacLeod — But and ah honestly, if somebody accepts my offer, then I didn’t offer low enough. Like I’m i’m really pushing the limit.Rich Birch — Oh, interesting.Tim MacLeod — I’m flirting with the line between an optimistic offer and a rude offer, but because I’m so nice about it. And it’s, it’s kind of like, it’s my secret weapon to get them to their best price. Because the the worst way to get someone to their best price is what’s your best price?Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — Like whenever someone asks me that, it’s again, it’s just like, that’s annoying. I don’t like you.Rich Birch — Yes. Yes. Right, right, right, right, right.Tim MacLeod — But to politely lowball and then their counter is their best price. So I just want to squeeze them for their counter offer. And now I know what their best price is.Rich Birch — Right. Okay. That’s cool. There’s a lot there. And I know you’re want to stay tuned because Tim’s got an offer of some free help that he wants to give you that we’re going to, we’re going to get to here in a minute. So I know some of you were like, go back and ask questions on that. But I know that the free offer to help is going to help with some, some of those things. Rich Birch — What about negotiation on the other side? So I get a sense of what you’re talking about to try to get them, you know, there’s a time thing there and we’re going to wait and all that. But now on the other end, you’re trying to obviously maximize or get the biggest money for that couch you just bought, bought. What are some things we should be thinking about on that? How are you offering the couches in a way that, you know, captures people’s imagination and says like, oh, okay, that’s this, I want to do business with this guy.Tim MacLeod — So a big thing is where I’m selling it. It’s almost like I have an import business. It’s that I’m I’m ripping down the city and I’m shopping in the Tesla BMW neighborhoods where nobody has trucks and they sell really slowly. Rich Birch — Yeah.Tim MacLeod — And I’m loading a trailer and then bringing it home to the sticks where there’s not as much supply. And I’m selling to people who do have pickup trucks. Like where I live, there’s lots of people with trucks and trailers, but they weren’t doing that drive to the city like I did.Rich Birch — Right. Right.Tim MacLeod — So I’m destroying a Toyota Highlander in kilometers, which is really hard to do. It’s at 400,040 and she ain’t quitting anytime soon. It’s been a great car.Rich Birch — Love it.Tim MacLeod — So that is definitely like the fact that it feels like an import business feels like cheating.Rich Birch — Well, and can I just, I just want to interrupt you for a second here. This, because that dynamic, this is a part of why I wanted to have you on the show. Because one of the things that I’ve seen is like, it’s super common, like super common for church leaders to not live in the community that they serve. Because frankly, they can’t afford to live there because of that gap that I just told you about.Rich Birch — There is a wage gap between what people make and the communities they serve in. And so they typically live you know, 45 minutes, an hour away. I actually think that that, the fact that they’re just driving into the office could be, and then going back to wherever they live, could actually set them up for running this kind of business just because they’re in and out of where they’re at.Tim MacLeod — Oh, yeah. Yeah, that’d be cheating. If you could, if you could grab a couch on your way home from on your way home from work to bring it back to the sticks, that’d be awesome.Rich Birch — Yeah. Yeah. I see that all the time.Tim MacLeod — For sure. And at a lot of…Rich Birch — So the distance is one way. So there’s like an import out, out, port anything else that you get, it’s kind of an interesting part of how you negotiate on to try to increase the, the, the price.Tim MacLeod — Knowing what it’s worth and how quickly it would sell is definitely a factor. And just patience wins on both sides.Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — Being the dude who um can pick it up and someone is now, they had their optimistic kick at the can and now it needs to go and their patience has run out. Patience wins there. And then on the selling side to where I don’t, it’s not in my foyer. It’s not in my living room. The new couch hasn’t arrived. It’s in a storage locker ready to be picked up anytime. And my lockers are fairly affordable being in a rural spot.Tim MacLeod — And so it’s kind of like if if we were playing poker, I’m holding aces. I can deliver it. I can sell to anybody. I’m not relying on people on the small demographic who can pick it up. I can sell to the Honda Civic crowd. I can sell to seniors who can’t lift a couch themselves. I can finesse it into a patio door by myself. And so there’s the there’s the skill gap there as well. And all of the all of the hindrances that make selling a couch difficult are not a factor for me. I can lift them by myself. I can I have the best trailer. I have storage lockers. They can take as long as they need to sell. And I live in a market where there’s not as much supply. So it’s just, it feels like cheating. Like I’m just really, really set up for it. And it’s super easy to be patient.Rich Birch — Now, I don’t know if I’m going to force you to give away one of your secret weapons here, but talk about the videos that you shoot ah of the, you know, of the products. Because i to me, I think this is one of the things you do that I think is super unique. What is what’s unique about the videos that you might shoot? Say got this nice leather couch. It’s like, you know, it sells for $5,000 somewhere else. You’re selling it for whatever, $1,500, $2,000. What’s actually in that video that might set your your listings apart?Tim MacLeod — Yeah, so that was something that I feel like I pioneered. And since then, Facebook has now added a feature where you can add a video to a listing. But it’s so nice to have. So I’m I’m posting flattering photos. So it’s it’s a scroll stopper when they’re on Marketplace.Tim MacLeod — And they’ll inquire. And then my video is super, super honest. And the goal is for it to be so detailed that they could confidently say, okay, he just showed me all the reasons not to buy the couch because all my stuff is used. I’m not selling anything new. It’s all pre-owned. They all have some blemishes or some quirks or worn spots or something like that. But to include ah a video that shows all of the reason not to buy it really, really greases the wheels because no one’s coming to see a couch and then being disappointed when they get there. Everything was already shown.Rich Birch — Right. Right.Tim MacLeod — So they’re coming to just give, basically just come sit and sniff and make sure that it’s something that they would want in their house, or something they’d want to sit on for two hours a day. And, um, and so those videos really, really saved me so much time and gasoline. And since then they’ve added that where you can add a feature. So, or where you can add a video into the listing. And so as long as the video is less than a minute, so I’m aiming for 59 seconds, I’ll fill the whole thing and I’m showing every inch of it and I’m packing it with dialogue on the neighborhood that it came from, the people, the house. And a lot of times that’s a selling feature of this this couch came from North York. The house was ridiculous. Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — It’s one of those houses with three living rooms. And this is the one that had the Christmas tree for a month a year. Like this was barely used. And I’m just packing it with dialogue and really, really selling it.Rich Birch — Yeah.Tim MacLeod — And my goal is that I could deliver it with them like sight unseen that they could firm up. And that when that couch arrives, there are absolutely no surprises. It’s everything they ask for [inaudible]…Rich Birch — Which from from your point of view, like this isn’t the only couch you’re hoping to sell this week. And and a part of the way that you have to protect your time and protect your business, frankly, is not having a bunch of people come and check out couches and then decide against it. Whether they’re coming to your locker or you’re driving it to their place. That’s like the worst case scenario is they show up and they’re like, oh, I don’t want this. So you might as well be fully upfront and be like, hey, here’s some stuff that’s not great about it.Rich Birch — And you do it in a really clever way. I love those videos. You helped me sell a car, which was fantastic. And I love the video you did for, you know, for that, because it was the same thing. It was this kind of like fun, um you know, here’s five reasons why you shouldn’t buy this, which which is just endearing. People, you know, lean in and want to hear more about that.Rich Birch — Well, what about the lifting piece? So, you know, if you’re not seeing one of these clips, Tim is a man of a certain size. He’s got some girth to him. He can pick stuff up. But what if I can’t? What if I’m not that guy? What if it more like me? You know, you’re like, hey, I’m not sure that guy can pick up 20 pounds. Like, is that like, I know that’s a part of what your you offer. Obviously, it’s a part of your advantage. But, you know, not everybody can do that. Talk us through that hesitation.Tim MacLeod — Yeah, I don’t think that it’s a deal breaker for having success. I think that if you can carry in a stubborn load of groceries in from the house that you could make a lot of money flipping couches.Rich Birch — That’s good.Tim MacLeod — And it it feels like a very unique form of laziness. Like I’m the kind of guy that if I need to go start start the barbecue or go run and grab my wallet from the car, I’m going to walk across the whole house and look for my flip flops instead of bending over and lacing up my boots that are right there. Like it’s a very unique form of laziness where I could jackknife park the trailer up to the storage locker. I have the dolly, but I’d way rather just, hey-yep-hey-yep-pep-pep just, just he-man lift it myself. And I’ve got a lot of really good mechanics lifting it. Tim MacLeod — Lifting a couch solo actually is not very heroic. And, and I’ve taught a lot of people how to do it. And there is, there are some heroic angles where, where the couch is on the ground and all four feet are on the ground to like clean and jerk it up overhead is that would definitely take some mass and some explosive power, but you can always also lift the couch up from the side until it’s vertical and then kind of like let it teeter and, fall on you in ah in a safe manner. And the lift itself, like once it’s up, it’s it’s as easy as like portaging a canoe. It’s not it’s not as heroic as it seems.Tim MacLeod — And I’m still reliant on other people. I am a one man show and it’s not, the money’s not good enough to pay an employee to sit in the car with me for four hours for 30 seconds of actual work. And so that’s one of my, one of my questions that I’m asking people, lift with two T’s on my phone expands into is anyone available to help me lift it? I’ll be alone. So I do need muscle.Tim MacLeod — And, um, if it’s in the garage, I can do it solo, like dragging a couch onto my trailer is easy enough. They slide very well. And I do have the dolly if there’s anything overly technical, like the pullouts, it’s nice to have a dolly. But yeah, a lot of the times there’s people, there’s someone there to help me lift it. And very, very rarely is it, sorry, I had back surgery or sorry, I’m a single senior lady or something like that. There’s usually, and even even when they say that, sometimes I’ll press a little further. Like, do you have a helpful neighbor? Rich Birch — Right. Meet us.Tim MacLeod — Do you have a son-in-law who can who could that I could coordinate with? Yep. And a lot of times I’m just handing it, or I’m squeezing them for a cell phone number of whoever the the muscle is. And now I’m on their schedule.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s cool.Tim MacLeod — So solo lifts are not required, but they are, they are helpful sometimes, especially at the locker when I’m by myself.Rich Birch — So this is how many years you’ve been doing this full time? Like you, so you left nursing, you know, I know this goes way back to the beginning the story. You left nursing and then how many times, how many years you’ve been doing this?Tim MacLeod — July, 2019, I borrowed the trailer from my brother. And I did full-time nursing plus evening couches for about a year, pulled back from full-time to part-time, part-time to casual. And I think it was May, 2021. Like I did a year of COVID nursing and hated every second of it. Like as soon as COVID was announced, I wanted to be out of there, but I had mortgage approval on the brain and T4 income, or W2 income for the Americans, is much more preferred for lenders than self-employed income. So I held on for that reason. And eventually left just because I hated nursing. I was getting like ulcers on my ears from wearing masks all day. Just the the charades of COVID were really, really ruining it for me.Rich Birch — So we’re going I want to get to that, that help that you’re, you know, you’re offering, which is fantastic. But I want to think about like a person that, you know, they, we want people to stay in their jobs. We don’t want them necessarily to leave. And so ah somebody that wants to make maybe like an extra thousand bucks a month, maybe that’s like, which is, you know, to lots of people, that is like a, that’s a game changer. Like that’s like, that makes all the difference in the world.Rich Birch — Give me a sense of what you think that would take to actually get to that point where, okay, yes, I could, you know, how much time do you think they would need to invest? You know, what would, what is that going to look like? How many couches do you think I’d have to move? You know, I know that’s hard to say. It’s like all North America wide, but give us a sense of kind of the framework of for an extra thousand bucks a month, what would that look like for somebody? Maybe it’s like a youth pastor that’s that’s listening in or an executive pastor. Or and they’re like, Hey, if I just had an extra 1000 bucks that’d make a huge difference in my life. What what would that look like?Tim MacLeod — Sounds like five couches to me.Rich Birch — Five couches. Okay.Tim MacLeod — Buy them for 50, sell them for 250. Delivered. Yep. And that’s that’s a great way to start is just three-seaters. Just rinse and repeat. Three-seater, three-seater, three-seater. But the money is sets and sectionals. That’s where my focus is now.Rich Birch — Okay, okay.Tim MacLeod — Now that does require trailer privilege. But with a with a minivan, you can pick up a three seater. Most three seaters will fit inside a Dodge Caravan or an Odyssey or a Toyota Sienna. And that’s a really good way to start lean and mean with a U-Haul, enclosed trailer, you just need a V6 all wheel drive. So obviously preferred, especially if you have the kind of weather we do, but, um, yeah, for 45 bucks for a U-Haul enclosed, that’s, that’s insured so that you could get in an accident and you’re not paying for it. Always take the insurance. Always. It’s only like five bucks. Tim MacLeod — But um yeah, 45 bucks for 12 by 6. And then you can pick up couch, love seat twice. But yeah, just fill in those trailers. But yeah, starting lean with what you have available and scaling up when it’s smart. And once you’ve proven that it’s possible in your market as well. But everyone’s using couches, so I think it’s good alright.Rich Birch — Yeah, so five, so five couches. How many conversations do you think I’d have to get into take to buy five couches, maybe on that side first?Tim MacLeod — I think, yeah, with the numbers, I think that if you were to start 30 conversations a month, that there would be, there would be five people that hit deadlines and they’d be like, sure. 50 bucks. If you can actually show up, it’s yours.Rich Birch — Right. Right. That’s that feels very doable. That doesn’t feel like crazy out of reach. Like there’s no way that feels like a good, you know, a great starting point for sure.Tim MacLeod — And nobody wants to do it. The barrier for entry is, is ah high enough that it’s it’s basically a private little fishing pond. A lot of people to help.Rich Birch — Right. So let’s talk about, I want to, you’re going to help people, which is amazing. And so you’ve put together some resources to help them kind of get the the ball rolling on this front. And how do, first of all, tell us what it is and then talk to us about how we can get that contact information. We’ll put links and all that in the show notes, but talk us through this.Tim MacLeod — Yeah. So those scripts that I was talking about, um, I’ve made a Google doc that is available. All you got to do is comment scripts on any of my videos and, uh, my little robot Tim will fire over, um, just squeeze you for an email and then I’ll fire that over. And, uh, it’s a good little list and you can plug those in just copy and paste and plug them into keyboard shortcuts in your phone. And then you can use those. Tim MacLeod — And it doesn’t have to be for couches. Like a lot of them are pretty couch specific, but just using those as inspiration for starting conversations and getting people to their best price and making sure that you have all the information so you’re making an informed purchase and there’s not any surprises. And and you’ll see with the with the flow of the conversation, I really am just gifting the blueprint on getting people to their best price. Tim MacLeod — And yeah, and then in my in my bio on instagram I’ve also got the couch course and I’ve run that before as a high ticket offer um and I had help from an agency to, to get leads and all that stuff. And I didn’t like it cause I didn’t like how much people were having to pay in order for me to afford that team. And I just want it to be an impulse buy price range. Tim MacLeod — So for a one hundred bucks, you can come along on a three month ride along with me while I’m pulling like $15,000 months. And, uh, the summer that I recorded that, was 2023 and I did 180k in sales with a gross profit so just sales minus cost of goods was north of a 100k, I think, after tax. I think it was like an 80k a year income. Rich Birch — That’s amazing. Tim MacLeod — And I had a three-year-old with me the entire time. My wife had gone back to work and was using her teaching license and I had a little three-year-old tow. And I also got 75 rounds golf in that year. So it’s, it’s…Rich Birch — That just got some people’s attention. Yeah, that’s amazing.Tim MacLeod — Yeah. The time freedom is stupid. The money is incredible. And, uh, it was, yeah, that was a really, really fun year.Rich Birch — Love it. So what we want to do is send people to your Instagram. Would that be the best? So @thefulltimeflipper, @thefulltimeflipper. And again, you can just comment on any one of his videos.Rich Birch — Well, first of all, Tim’s a great follow on social media. I’ve said this to lots of folks. It’s just such a fun follow. You know, it makes something like flipping just like I was like, man, I think I could do that. And, but just comment scripts on any of those and we’ll get access to those scripts.Rich Birch — And then if you’ll find the link to tim-macleod.com on there as well, which takes you to the course, it’s only a hundred dollars friends. That’s worth your investment. It’ll, it’ll really literally outline. There’s a bunch we could have talked about today and there’s a bunch of details to get into. It will drive into all of those. Literally just take his approach and just do it. Like just, take his scripts, take the what he’s done and apply it. And you’ll for sure be able to find that extra thousand dollars a month or more, you know, down the road. So, yeah, I would love that. and Anywhere else we want to send them. So Instagram, @thefulltimeflipper, anything else about that?Tim MacLeod — Oh, that’s lots. That’s good. And I was feeling pretty pretty silly that I never asked to come on your podcast earlier because a lot of my students are in church ministry in the States. And I think it’s such a sweet side hustle.Tim MacLeod — For me, it was an escape from a job that I didn’t like. But the fact of that most people need supplementary income is pretty across the board and especially in ministry. And a lot of my students have um have had that background and are still in it. And a lot of the time, the people that are in church ministry have an advantage of storage where the church, like they’re like, oh, I got free storage at my church. Pastor said the back room is available. And he said, as long as I just keep a rotation of couches for the student ministry…Rich Birch — Oh, that’s a good call.Tim MacLeod — Yeah, there was a lot of advantage there for church leaders. But yeah, it’s awesome, reliable, supplementary income. And it’s nice to not rely on your ministry for income. Like people aren’t in ministry for the big bucks. They’re there because they that is their purpose. That’s their calling. But the pressure of having to rely on that for income isn’t always the best.Rich Birch — Well, and I do think, um you know, I think folks who are in church ministry, a part of what I why why I think this is great that we’re talking about this is you might underestimate that even like a part of your core, it’s like literally core to your business is like, be kind to people and like be helpful. Tim MacLeod — Yeah.Rich Birch — And, you know, you don’t need to be sleazy. You don’t need to be, ah you know, some sort of like, oh, you’re like a used car salesman of couches. No, that’s not what it is at all. You’re just being kind and helpful and you want to try to close this gap in the market. And and I think there’s a lot of people in ministry who are like, my I could totally do that. I can make that happen for sure. So, Tim, I really appreciate this.Tim MacLeod — It really does feel like stewarding my gifts, you know?Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s great. So again, that is, if you just go to Instagram, @thefulltimeflipper, you should follow them there and then comment scripts for any of those. Appreciate you being on the show today, sir. Thanks so much.Tim MacLeod — Thanks, man.

From Swiss Banking to Indian Orphanages—One Woman's Relentless Pursuit of Justice. What does it take to dismantle systems of injustice while building hope—one child, one case, one project at a time? Meet Noëlle Demole, born in Geneva, a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree who juggles fighting white-collar crime at Julius Baer Bank, running a groundbreaking NGO for India's most vulnerable youth, and pursuing a PhD in criminology at Cambridge. Her secret? Relentless planning, radical self-organization, and a vision that ties every facet of her life together. Noëlle's journey began at 18, when a single month volunteering in an Indian orphanage gave her life new meaning and ignited her mission to uplift children cast aside by society. That spark grew into Shere Khan Youth Protection—an NGO now supporting over 500 young people to break cycles of poverty and crime through education. But Noëlle didn't stop there. She's also tackling period poverty with her start-up Egidays, producing eye-opening documentaries, and speaking on global stages from TEDx to the Forbes Money Summit. How does she keep all the plates spinning? And what drives her to tackle some of the world's most urgent humanitarian and financial challenges—often at the same time? Tune in for an exclusive conversation where Noëlle reveals her strategies for managing multiple lives in one, her insight on the interconnectedness of social impact and compliance, and her advice for anyone daring to live their purpose at full throttle. Don't miss this episode of "Living a Life in Full"—where purpose meets action, and one woman's story just might inspire your own.

The Nazi Study of India and Indian Anti-Colonialism (2024) is the first detailed and critical study of the intellectual and political connections that existed between some German scholars specializing on India, non-academic ‘India experts,' Indian anti-colonialists and various organs of the Nazi state published by the Oxford University Press. It explores the ways in which different knowledge discourses pertaining to India, particularly its colonization and the anti-colonial movement, were used by these individuals for a number of German organisations to fulfil the demands of Nazi politics. This monograph also inspects the links between the knowledge providers and embodiments of National Socialist politics like the Nazi party and its affiliates. In this study, Baijayanti Roy aims to ascertain whether such political engagements were actually more rewarding for the scholars than their 'practical services' to the state in the form of strategic deployment of their knowledge of India. The Nazi Study of India and Indian Anti-Colonialism offers case studies of four organisations which incorporated such complicated entanglements of knowledge and power: the India Institute of the Deutsche Akademie in Munich, the Special Department India of the German Foreign Ministry, the Seminar for Oriental languages and its successor institutions at the University of Berlin, and the Indian Legion of the German Army. The knowledge networks underlying these organisations were dominated by German Indologists, but non-specialist knowledge providers, both German and Indian were also included. The Nazi regime expected all scholars and intellectuals to engage in Kulturpolitik (cultural politics), which entailed propagating the glories of the 'Reich' and its supreme leader as well as collecting 'politically valuable' knowledge within and outside Germany. For the four organizations concerned, this meant conducting pro-German and from around 1938, anti-British propaganda aimed at Indians. Loosely following an analogy provided by Herbert Mehrtens in the context of natural sciences, this monograph posits that there were ‘patterns of collaboration' between the knowledge providers and the representatives of the Nazi regime. At the core of these 'patterns' was, to borrow Mitchell Ash's theory, an exchange of resources and capital in which scholars and experts offered their knowledge of Indian languages, history and culture to authorities like the Foreign Ministry, the SS and the Army. In return, they received increased professional opportunities, financial remuneration or in some cases, increased power and influence. Deep Acharya is a PhD student and a George L. Mosse fellow of Modern European Cultural History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison working on the history of fatherhood in 20th century Germany. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Welcome to this solo podcast.A new year is a good time to pause and reflect.In this episode, I'm sharing some thoughts on what it means to be young and Indian in the 21st century — how we should think, act, and how we should take responsibility for the future we're stepping into.Happy New Year.— PrakharTimestamps:00:00 – Where is India right now?03:35 – We are deluded05:57 – Is India the next China?07:13 – Major issues of concern12:56 – How does a society move ahead?14:05 – Why is China ahead?17:13 – We are losing the AI race19:46 – How does India grow despite the challenges?23:50 – The hygiene issue35:05 – What is working for us?42:11 – India's top 1 percent45:07 – The AQI issue49:00 – The global TFR fall57:48 – The economic shift we need59:10 – What I do not know

Thanks for watching the Harland Highway. This week is sponsored by Ridge!-Take advantage of Ridge's Biggest Sale of the Year and GET UP TO 47% Off by going tohttps://www.Ridge.com/[HARLAND] #Ridgepod More Harland Williams: Harland Highway Podcast Video: https://www.youtube.com/c/HarlandHighwayPodcast Harland Highway Podcast Audio: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-harland-highway/id321980603 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harlandwilliams Harbling Shirts: https://www.harbling.com Official Website: https://www.harlandwilliams.com Twitter :https://twitter.com/harlandhighway?lang=enMore Kirk Fox:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foxkirk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kirkfoxX: https://x.com/kirkfox?lang=en #podcast #harlandwilliams Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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[CB] around the world are dumping the Fed note, they just aren’t taking on anymore, everything is about to change. Trump’s GDP outshines Biden’s. China is now going to restrict silver, silver is used in electronics, batteries,solar panels etc. Silver prices are going to move. [CB] fraud is now exposed. The Tariff system is the future. The [DS] criminal syndicate is being exposed, it’s not just in DC it is world wide. As people learn how corrupt the system is and most of the taxes and borrowing goes to support the criminal system the people will be with Trump to remove the Fed. Trump is in the process of bringing down the entire corrupt temple on the [DS]. Trump moves closer to peace with Ukraine, 2026 is going to change everything. Economy Status of the US Dollar as Global Reserve Currency: USD Share Drops to Lowest since 1994  Central Banks diversify their holdings into dozens of smaller “non-traditional reserve currencies.”  The share of USD-denominated assets held by other central banks dropped to 56.9% of total foreign exchange reserves in Q3, the lowest since 1994, from 57.1% in Q2 and 58.5% in Q1, according to the IMF's new data on Currency Composition of Official Foreign Exchange Reserves. USD-denominated foreign exchange reserves include US Treasury securities, US mortgage-backed securities (MBS), US agency securities, US corporate bonds, and other USD-denominated assets held by central banks other than the Fed. Excluded are any central bank's assets denominated in its own currency, such as the Fed's Treasury securities or the ECB's euro-denominated securities. It's not that foreign central banks dumped US-dollar-denominated assets, such as Treasury securities. They did not. They added a little to their holdings. But they added more assets denominated in other currencies, particularly a gaggle of smaller currencies whose combined share has surged, while central banks' holdings of USD-denominated assets haven't changed much for a decade, and so the percentage share of those USD assets continued to decline.   Central banks' holdings of foreign exchange reserves in all currencies, and expressed in USD, rose to $13.0 trillion in Q3. Top holdings, expressed in USD: USD assets: $7.41 trillion Euro assets (EUR): $2.65 trillion Yen assets (YEN): $0.76 trillion British pound assets (GBP): $0.58 trillion Canadian dollar assets (CAD): $0.35 trillion Australian dollar assets (AUD): $0.27 trillion Chinese renminbi (RMB) assets: $0.25 trillion Source: wolfstreet.com (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");  https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/2004750391435755846?s=20 https://twitter.com/ElectionWiz/status/2004928015172821228?s=20 https://twitter.com/ElectionWiz/status/2004946780216328590?s=20  Political/Rights https://twitter.com/Patri0tContr0l/status/2004590513182367845?s=20  https://twitter.com/Geiger_Capital/status/2005107085865103608?s=20 ICE: 70% Arrested Had Criminal Ties Roughly 70% of illegal migrants arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the second Trump administration reportedly had been convicted of or faced charges for criminal offenses. New data provided to the Washington Examiner shows the Trump administration arrested about 595,000 illegal immigrants between Jan. 20 and Dec. 11, according to the Department of Homeland Security. ICE said 70%, roughly 416,000, had “criminal convictions or pending criminal charges” in the United States, underscoring President Donald Trump’s promise to prioritize the “worst of the worst” in immigration enforcement. ICE officials stressed that even those without U.S. criminal records can still pose major public safety threats, the agency said, noting many are wanted abroad for violent crimes or have ties to gangs, terrorism, or other serious offenses. “This statistic doesn’t account for those wanted for violent crimes in their home country or another country, INTERPOL notices, human rights abusers, gang members, terrorists, etc. The list goes on,” an ICE spokesperson told the Examiner. Source: newsmax.com   New Files Show Epstein Was ‘Too Useful' for Banks to Drop — Trump Was ‘Too Politically Dangerous' to Keep  The newest Epstein disclosures include deposition testimony that illustrates, in unusually concrete detail, how major financial institutions assessed risk, value, and accountability. The transcript does not add new allegations about Epstein. Instead, it explains why he remained bankable long after his 2008 conviction and why his relationship with major banks survived despite generating almost no traditional revenue. That institutional logic is the same logic that later drove JPMorgan to end its ties with Trump Media, and the contrast between the two cases shows how selectively these standards are applied. In the deposition, Paul Morris—a private banker who handled Epstein's accounts at JPMorgan Chase and later Deutsche Bank—described Epstein's financial profile with unusual precision. Epstein's trading was minimal. His accounts produced limited fees. He was not a high-activity client and did not utilize the investment tools that banks rely on to generate consistent revenue. By every conventional benchmark, he was a low-value account. And yet, the relationship continued. The deposition shows why. Epstein was not retained for his financial performance but for his institutional usefulness. Morris acknowledged that Epstein facilitated introductions to ultra-wealthy individuals that the bank viewed as essential prospects. One example was Leon Black, whom Morris identified as a “priority prospect” because of Black's significant net worth and influence in the investment sector. Epstein introduced the bank to real-estate investor Andrew Farkas and discussed a potential connection involving biotech investor Boris Nikolic, who had ties to Bill Gates. These introductions were specific, documented, and initiated by Epstein, not the bank. This is the key element that many public accounts overlook. Epstein was not being managed as a traditional client. He functioned as a relationship broker inside a system where introductions to power carry more internal value than account-level returns. Source: thegatewaypundit.com  DOGE Geopolitical The EU Leaders Shouting About Visa Bans Are the Same EU Leaders Who Sent Political Operatives Into the U.S. to Support Kamala Harris  EU leaders from across the spectrum of their collective assembly, are furious with the administration of President Donald Trump for restricting their entry into the United States by blocking their visa permissions.  However, these same EU leaders are the people who sent operatives into the United States in order to interfere in our 2024 election. The Vice President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, sums up the European position: “The decision by the U.S. to impose travel restrictions on European citizens and officials is unacceptable and an attempt to challenge our sovereignty. Europe will keep defending its values — freedom of expression, fair digital rules, and the right to regulate our own space.” The “attempt to challenge our sovereignty” statement is a particular type of hubris when we consider THIS: GREAT BRITAIN (October 2024) – The British Labour Party is sending approximately 100 current and former staff members to the United States to work for Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign in key swing states. [SOURCE – LINKEDIN] Not only did the U.K attempt to challenge our sovereignty, but they also actively worked to influence the outcome of our national election in 2024. It is worth remembering the British intelligence operation, (Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6), was at the center of the Trump-Russia collusion conspiracy in 2016. The first EU political group to be targeted with the visa bans includes French former EU commissioner Thierry Breton, who was one of the architects of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA). Also: Imran Ahmed, the British CEO of the U.S.-based Center for Countering Digital Hate, Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon of the German non-profit HateAid, and Clare Melford, co-founder of the Global Disinformation Index. https://twitter.com/GeneHamilton/status/2004656229684224393?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2004656229684224393%7Ctwgr%5E91706d63d41394916634b106fbd2268d7711e121%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheconservativetreehouse.com%2Fblog%2F2025%2F12%2F27%2Fthe-eu-leaders-shouting-about-visa-bans-are-the-same-eu-leaders-who-sent-political-operatives-into-the-u-s-to-support-kamala-harris%2F https://twitter.com/GeneHamilton/status/2004656234910433405?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2004656234910433405%7Ctwgr%5E91706d63d41394916634b106fbd2268d7711e121%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheconservativetreehouse.com%2Fblog%2F2025%2F12%2F27%2Fthe-eu-leaders-shouting-about-visa-bans-are-the-same-eu-leaders-who-sent-political-operatives-into-the-u-s-to-support-kamala-harris%2F Source: theconservativetreehouse.com https://twitter.com/michaelgwaltz/status/2005058695647166898?s=20 https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/2005035840934723894?s=20 War/Peace   EIGHT, perhaps the United States has become the REAL United Nations, which has been of very little assistance or help in any of them, including the disaster currently going on between Russia and Ukraine. The United Nations must start getting active and involved in WORLD PEACE!   the United States is capable of doing. Under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper. May God Bless our Military, and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.   DONALD J. TRUMP PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Trump Tasks Military With an ‘Oil Quarantine' Against Venezuela, as Economic Pressure Is Chosen for Now Over Military Action Venezuela's oil industry under maximum pressure.   And now that the extended holidays are over, the socialist regime will have to deal with the veritable siege imposed by the US and its unprecedented armada. Venezuela is running out of storage space for its oil production since some ships are being seized and many others turned around and left.  Now, it arises that Donald J. Trump has directed US forces to enforce ‘an oil quarantine' against Venezuela for at least the next two months. These moves lead many to think that the Trump team will focus on economic rather than military means to pressure Caracas into ousting Maduro. Reuters reported:   Read  more: Source: thegatewaypundit.com Trump Blockade Leaves $1 Billion Of Venezuelan Crude Stranded On Tankers  With a two-month “quarantine” placed on Venezuelan oil by the Trump administration in a foreign policy move called “gunboat diplomacy,” new data estimate that roughly $900 million worth of crude is currently loaded on tankers, unable to depart Venezuela due to the U.S. blockade. “Based on our visual analysis from both shore and space, we estimate that there are around 17.5 million barrels of crude oil floating onboard tankers in Venezuela which are unable to depart due to the ongoing US blockade,” independent research Tanker Trackers wrote on X. “That’s around $900M of oil.” https://twitter.com/TankerTrackers/status/2004713684871078162?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2004713684871078162%7Ctwgr%5E016cd45f97095edcd74bb159f40c4e93caf9794d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fcommodities%2Ftrump-blockade-leaves-1-billion-venezuelan-crude-stranded-tankers Source: zerohedge.com Trump to POLITICO: Zelenskyy ‘doesn't have anything until I approve it' Trump's comments come ahead of his Sunday meeting with Zelenskyy, who will bring with him a new 20-point plan to end the war President Donald Trump on Friday cast himself as the ultimate arbiter of any peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, in an exclusive conversation with POLITICO. “He doesn't have anything until I approve it,” Trump said. “So we'll see what he's got.” Source: politico.com https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/2005352028365848993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2005352028365848993%7Ctwgr%5E1588e24fb392689513bf7b2f064c646c1bf5f470%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2025%2F12%2Ftrump-says-russia-ukraine-peace-talks-entering-final%2F  Medical/False Flags 19 Blue States Sue Trump Admin to Preserve Right to Perform Child Sex Changes Last week, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he would cut off Medicare and Medicaid funding to any provider that offers so-called gender-affirming treatment to minors. “Under my leadership, and answering President Trump's call to action, the federal government will do everything in its power to stop unsafe, irreversible practices that put our children at risk,” Kennedy said at the time. The Oregon-led lawsuit claims that the decision “exceeds the Secretary's authority and violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the Medicare and Medicaid statutes.” A total of nineteen blue states are suing the Trump administration in a bid to protect the right to perform child sex changes. His office said in a press release: Source: thegatewaypundit.com [DS] Agenda  https://twitter.com/nickshirleyy/status/2004642794862961123?s=20   work way too hard and pay too much in taxes for this to be happening, the fraud must be stopped. https://twitter.com/MAGAVoice/status/2005011311756017964?s=20 https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/2005158623442600391?s=20 https://twitter.com/DataRepublican/status/2005292438114738555?s=20  diabolical. And it’s going to work until we understand that primaries will be more important than generals from here out on. https://twitter.com/C_3C_3/status/2005016429687701811?s=20 https://twitter.com/WarClandestine/status/2005351086115405986?s=20 https://twitter.com/CynicalPublius/status/2005030256382464493?s=20  and your tribe. I spent a lot of my life in the Middle East and Central Asia, working closely with foreign contractors and foreign governments to provide support to American military operations. As a US Army officer with a big checkbook courtesy of Uncle Sam, I can't really count the sheer number of times I was offered bribes to award a contract, or falsify records to do things like create larger (fake) headcounts at places like dining facilities, or to just simply be on the take for future illegal requests. Of course I had enough sense to never comply with such requests. Moreover, they were never explicitly structured as “bribes”; instead it was usually along the lines of “Here I have these Rolexes as gifts for you and your wife to show our friendship.” (Unfortunately, too many US officers and NCOs succumbed to this siren song and ended up breaking rocks in Leavenworth.) The weird thing about this to me was that whenever I turned down such an offering, it was treated as a grave insult. I was the one in the wrong, and not the fraudster trying to bribe me. They considered it rude that I was in their country and refused to accept how things got done. After all, why did I not want to help my tribe by helping their tribe? Let me repeat: in these cultures, FRAUD IS NOT EVEN A CONCEPT. There is only what helps your tribe. Such thought processes are so alien to Americans and much of the West. We are raised on the presumption that our institutions are valid, that the rule of law always prevails, and that integrity is universal. We need these presumptions to have working governments and economies, and without those presumptions—without the mental barrier that causes us not to accept outright fraud—our nation would quickly descend into the economic and social hellscape of countries like…. ummm… you know…. SOMALIA! So when we import people en masse from cultures that accept bribery and fraud as routine, acceptable ways to advance one's tribe, we should not be surprised that things like the $8 BILLION fraud schemes of the Somali population in Minnesota happen so easily. Introducing a fraud-based culture based on tribalism into America is like introducing some sort of lethal virus into a population that has no natural immunity. The virus will spread and grow, unchecked, because it is so alien to the host. Similarly, a culture of fraud is anathema to American thinking, and it must be cut out before it consumes the host. So when you see and hear patriotic Americans decrying what is happening in Minnesota or elsewhere, and when they seek deportation of the offenders, it is not “racism,” it is not “bigotry,” it is not “xenophobia”; instead, it is preserving the American tradition of responsible institutions and national integrity. https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/2005262465190223928?s=20 https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/2005305530651189719?s=20   exploiting federal programs. Fraud that steals from taxpayers and robs vulnerable children will remain a top FBI priority in Minnesota and nationwide. To date, the FBI dismantled a $250 million fraud scheme that stole federal food aid meant for vulnerable children during COVID. The investigation exposed sham vendors, shell companies, and large-scale money laundering tied to the Feeding Our Future network. The case led to 78 indictments and 57 convictions. Defendants included Abdiwahab Ahmed Mohamud, Ahmed Ali, Hussein Farah, Abdullahe Nur Jesow, Asha Farhan Hassan, Ousman Camara, and Abdirashid Bixi Dool, each charged for roles ranging from wire fraud to money laundering and conspiracy. These criminals didn't just engaged in historic fraud, but tried to subvert justice as well. Abdimajid Mohamed Nur and others were charged for attempting to bribe a juror with $120,000 in cash. Those responsible pleaded guilty and were sentenced, including a 10-year prison term and nearly $48 million in restitution in related cases. The FBI believes this is just the tip of a very large iceberg. We will continue to follow the money and protect children, and this investigation very much remains ongoing. Furthermore, many are also being referred to immigrations officials for possible further denaturalization and deportation proceedings where eligible. https://twitter.com/ScottPresler/status/2004932316926193933?s=20 https://twitter.com/HarmeetKDhillon/status/2004976287270731981?s=20 https://twitter.com/rising_serpent/status/2005080344610177489?s=20  https://twitter.com/amuse/status/2005092720927232198?s=20  “skeptical jurors” in federal cases involving President Trump. Co-founder Alex Dodds said jurors have “enormous power” to judge the administration itself. Critics report the sessions encourage rigging trials against the administration, conduct plainly barred under 8 USC §1503. President Trump's Plan https://twitter.com/WarClandestine/status/2004653262491058216?s=20 accomplished what no one else could. When we arrived, taxpayers were about to be on the hook for nearly $5 billion for a new headquarters that wouldn't open until 2035. We scrapped that plan. Instead, we selected the already-existing Reagan Building, saving billions and allowing the transition to begin immediately with required safety and infrastructure upgrades already underway. Once complete, most of the HQ FBI workforce will move in, and the rest are continuing in our ongoing push to put more manpower in the field, where they will remain. This decision puts resources where they belong: defending the homeland, crushing violent crime, and protecting national security. It delivers better tools for today's FBI workforce at a fraction of the cost. The Hoover Building will be shut down permanently.  They Got Her: FBI Caught Hillary Clinton Talking Donations with Foreign Felon on Tape As Hillary Clinton closed in on the presidential nomination in the spring of 2016, FBI field officers advised colleagues at headquarters to press her on the foreign donations flowing to the Clinton Foundation while she steered American foreign policy and whether she had used the charity as a campaign piggy bank. But the FBI HQ in Washington — a city in which the former secretary of state and first lady wields enormous influence — let the trail go cold. FBI New York Assistant Director in Charge Diego Rodriguez advised agents in Washington to ask Clinton several questions about the foundation, which are reproduced in full in documents released to the Senate Judiciary Committee by the FBI and published on Dec. 15. The questions reveal the concerns about foreign bribery that the Clinton Foundation case — codenamed “Cracked Foundation” — had uncovered. Among the evidence available to investigators, according to their questions: A recorded conversation between Clinton and Indian hotel magnate Sant Singh Chatwal in which Clinton discussed donations to the foundation and her remaining 2008 campaign debt. The new documents confirm that the FBI had at one time been “intercepting individuals associated with the Clinton Foundation.” Source: westernjournal.com  John Brennan's Lawfare Lawyers are Revealing More Than They Intend   former CIA Director John Brennan are sending proactive letters to the Federal District Court for the Southern District of Florida {SEE HERE}.  However, some of the information included in the letters intended to be exculpatory is actually damning against their defense position. You have to go deep in the weeds to see it but if you understand the details of the events, the information being revealed by Brennan's lawyers is the opposite of helpful to his case.  As an example, there is a citation included in a footnote of the December 22, 2025, [fn #20 page 6] letter that links to a March 31, 2022, letter sent to John Durham. Here's page 6 of the 2025 letter. Compare the underlined section to the 2022 letter sent to John Durham. In 2025 Brennan is telling the Florida court the Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) conclusion was confirmed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller in a “very serious review.”  However, in 2022 Brennan told John Durham that Robert Mueller never interviewed him or offered an assessment of the ICA; Mueller just regurgitated it. So, which is it? These contradictions are throughout both of the letters when you compare them side-by-side.  In 2022 former CIA Director John Brennan was trying to escape the Durham review.  In 2025 Brennan is trying to escape a grand jury review. [We are aware that the U.S Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Jason Reding Quiñones, has access to the CTH public library of research into all of these historic events.] There are other citations in the 2022 letter that are certainly worth reviewing because the legally binding statements made by John Brennan at the time have been shown to be false in 2025. Another of the claims in the 2022 letter to John Durham highlights why it was critical for the CIA to assist in the capture and arrest of Julian Assange in 2019. Source: thegatewaypundit.com  Trump: Upcoming Midterms Will Be ‘About Pricing’ The 2026 midterm elections will be “about pricing,” according to President Donald Trump, who said that his administration is restoring the nation’s economy after the condition in which former President Joe Biden left it. “I think it’s going to be about the success of our country,” Trump said in an interview with Politico, the outlet reported Saturday. “They gave us high pricing, and we’re bringing it down. Energy’s way down. Gasoline is way down.” Over the past two weeks, a series of positive economic reports has shown that inflation is decreasing, with the White House highlighting the latest data while addressing cost-of-living concerns nationwide. According to a Politico poll conducted last month, Americans say they are finding that the costs of groceries, utilities, healthcare, housing, and transportation are too expensive. Trump has been fighting to reframe that, however, blaming Democrats under Biden for driving prices up. He said in the interview, conducted Friday, that “electricity is down. It’s way down.” “When the gasoline goes down, and when the oil and gas go down, the electricity comes down naturally,” he said. “But it’s all coming down. It’s all coming down. It’s coming beautifully.” Source: newsmax.com https://twitter.com/WarClandestine/status/2004696380531503505?s=20   the NG will have quick response troops on standby in every state, the FBI building is being moved to a new location, the war between Russia and Ukraine is coming to an end, and all of Trump's pieces will be in place. There seems to be a shift in attitude. I think we are passing into a different phase of the operation. The shadow war will eventually have to come to the surface. 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