Podcasts about Kyrgyzstan

What does it really take to build software that can grow from a single line of code to millions of users a day without losing its soul along the way? In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I'm joined by Alex Gusev, CTO at Uploadcare, for a wide-ranging conversation about scale, simplicity, and why leadership in technology starts with people long before it gets anywhere near frameworks or tooling. Alex has spent two decades building server-side systems, often inside small teams, and has seen firsthand how early decisions echo through a company's future, for better and for worse. We talk openly about the realities of early-stage engineering, including why shipping imperfect code is often the only way to survive, how technical debt should be taken on deliberately rather than by accident, and why knowing when to slow down and clean things up is one of the hardest leadership calls to make. Alex shares his belief that simplicity is the strongest ally in high-load environments, and how over-engineering, often inspired by copying the playbooks of much larger companies, creates fragility instead of strength. Our conversation also digs into his continued faith in Ruby on Rails, a framework that divides opinion but still plays a central role in many successful products. Alex reframes the debate around speed, focusing less on raw performance metrics and more on how quickly teams can build, adapt, and maintain systems over time. It's a practical view shaped by real-world trade-offs rather than theory. Beyond code, we explore why Alex puts people ahead of technology and process, and how creating psychological safety inside teams leads to better decisions, lower churn, and smarter use of limited resources. He also reflects on personal experiences that reshaped his approach to leadership, the growing tech scene in Kyrgyzstan, and why he finds as much inspiration in Dostoevsky as he does in engineering blogs. If you've ever questioned whether modern engineering culture has overcomplicated itself, or wondered how to balance ambition with sustainability as your product grows, this episode offers plenty to think about. Where do you think your own team is adding complexity without realizing it, and what might change if you started with people first? Useful Links Connect with Alex Gusev Learn more about Uploadcare Tech Talks Daily is sponsored by Denodo

What is a call? How does a person know if God is calling them to mission service? Join in a discussion as these and other questions are addressed.

What happens when curiosity, resilience, and storytelling collide over a lifetime of building something meaningful? In this episode, I welcome Nick Francis, founder and CEO of Casual Films, for a thoughtful conversation about leadership, presence, and what it takes to keep going when the work gets heavy. Nick's journey began with a stint at BBC News and a bold 9,000-mile rally from London to Mongolia in a Mini Cooper, a spirit of adventure that still fuels how he approaches business and life today. We talk about how that early experience shaped Casual into a global branded storytelling company with studios across five continents, and what it really means to lead a creative organization at scale. Nick shares insights from growing the company internationally, expanding into Southeast Asia, and staying grounded while producing hundreds of projects each year. Along the way, we explore why emotionally resonant storytelling matters, how trust and preparation beat panic, and why presence with family, health, and purpose keeps leaders steady in uncertain times. This conversation is about building an Unstoppable life by focusing on what matters most, using creativity to connect people, and choosing clarity and resilience in a world full of noise. Highlights: 00:01:30 – Learn how early challenges shape resilience and long-term drive. 00:06:20 – Discover why focusing on your role creates calm under pressure. 00:10:50 – Learn how to protect attention in a nonstop world. 00:18:25 – Understand what global growth teaches about leadership. 00:26:00 – Learn why leading with trust changes relationships. 00:45:55 – Discover how movement and presence restore clarity. About the Guest: Nick Francis is the founder and CEO of Casual, a global production group that blends human storytelling, business know-how, and creativity turbo-charged by AI. Named the UK's number one brand video production company for five years, Casual delivers nearly 1,000 projects annually for world-class brands like Adobe, Amazon, BMW, Hilton, HSBC, and P&G. The adventurous spirit behind its first production – a 9,000-mile journey from London to Mongolia in an old Mini – continues to drive Casual's growth across offices in London, New York, LA, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Sydney, Singapore, Hong Kong and Greater China. Nick previously worked for BBC News and is widely recognised for his expertise in video storytelling, brand building, and corporate communications. He is the founding director of the Casual Films Academy, a charity helping young filmmakers develop skills by producing films for charitable organisations. He is also the author of ‘The New Fire: Harness the Power of Video for Your Business' and a passionate advocate for emotionally resonant, behaviorally grounded storytelling. Nick lives in San Francisco, California, with his family. Ways to connect with Nick**:** Website: https://www.casualfilms.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@casual_global  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/casualglobal/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CasualFilms/  Nick's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickfrancisfilm/  Casual's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/casual-films-international/  Beyond Casual - LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=6924458968031395840 About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson  00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us. Michael Hingson  01:21 Well, hello everyone. I am your host, Mike hingson, that's kind of funny. We'll talk about that in a second, but this is unstoppable mindset. And our guest today is Nick Francis, and what we're going to talk about is the fact that people used to always ask me, well, they would call me Mr. Kingston, and it took me, as I just told Nick a master's degree in physics in 10 years to realize that if I said Mike hingson, that's why they said Mr. Kingston. So was either say Mike hingson or Michael hingson. Well, Michael hingson is a lot easier to say than Mike hingson, but I don't really care Mike or Michael, as long as it's not late for dinner. Whatever works. Yeah. Well, Nick, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're Nick Francis  02:04 here. Thanks, Mike. It's great to be here. Michael Hingson  02:08 So Nick is a marketing kind of guy. He's got a company called casual that we'll hear about. Originally from England, I believe, and now lives in San Francisco. We were talking about the weather in San Francisco, as opposed to down here in Victorville. A little bit earlier. We're going to have a heat wave today and and he doesn't have that up there, but you know, well, things, things change over time. But anyway, we're glad you're here. And thanks, Mike. Really looking forward to it. Tell us about the early Nick growing up and all that sort of stuff, just to get us started. Nick Francis  02:43 That's a good question. I grew up in London, in in Richmond, which is southwest London. It's a at the time, it wasn't anything like as kind of, it's become quite kind of shishi, I think back in the day, because it's on the west of London. The pollution from the city used to flow east and so, like all the kind of well to do people, in fact, there used to be a, there used to be a palace in Richmond. It's where Queen Elizabeth died, the first Queen Elizabeth, that is. And, yeah, you know, I grew up it was, you know, there's a lot of rugby played around there. I played rugby for my local rugby club from a very young age, and we went sailing on the south coast. It was, it was great, really. And then, you know, unfortunately, when I was 10 years old, my my dad died. He had had a very powerful job at the BBC, and then he ran the British Council, which is the overseas wing of the Arts Council, so promoting, I guess, British soft power around the world, going and opening art galleries and going to ballet in Moscow and all sorts. So he had an incredible life and worked incredibly hard. And you know, that has brought me all sorts of privileges, I think, when I was a kid. But, you know, unfortunately, age 10 that all ended. And you know, losing a parent at that age is such a sort of fundamental, kind of shaking of your foundations. You know, you when you're a kid, you feel like a, you're going to live forever, and B, the things that are happening around you are going to last forever. And so, you know, you know, my mom was amazing, of course, and, you know, and in time, I got a new stepdad, and all the rest of it. But you know, that kind of shaped a lot of my a lot of my youth, really. And, yeah, I mean, Grief is a funny thing, and it's funny the way it manifests itself as you grow. But yeah. So I grew up there. I went to school in the Midlands, near where my stepdad lived, and then University of Newcastle, which is up in the north of England, where it rains a lot. It's where it's where Newcastle Football Club is based. And you know is that is absolutely at the center of the city. So. So the city really comes alive there. And it was during that time that I discovered photography, and I wanted to be a war photographer, because I believe that was where life was lived at the kind of the real cutting edge. You know, you see the you see humanity in its in its most visceral and vivid color in terrible situations. And I kind of that seemed like an interesting thing to go to go and do. Michael Hingson  05:27 Well, what? So what did you major in in college in Newcastle? So I did Nick Francis  05:31 history and politics, and then I went did a course in television journalism, and ended up working at BBC News as a initially running on the floor. So I used to deliver the papers that you know, when you see people shuffling or not, they do it anymore, actually, because everything, everything's digital now digital, yeah, but when they were worried about the the auto cues going down, they we always had to make sure that they had the up to date script. And so I would be printing in, obviously, the, you know, because it's a three hour news show, the scripts constantly evolving, and so, you know, I was making sure they had the most up to date version in their hands. And it's, I don't know if you have spent any time around live TV Mike, but it's an incredibly humbling experience, like the power of it. You know, there's sort of two or 3 million people watching these two people who are sitting five feet in front of me, and the, you know, the sort of slightly kind of, there was an element of me that just wanted to jump in front of them and kind of go, ah. And, you know, never, ever work in live TV, ever again. But you know, anyway, I did that and ended up working as a producer, writing and developing, developing packets that would go out on the show, producing interviews and things. And, you know, I absolutely loved it. It was, it was a great time. But then I left to go and set up my company. Michael Hingson  06:56 I am amazed, even today, with with watching people on the news, and I've and I've been in a number of studios during live broadcasts and so on. But I'm amazed at how well, mostly, at least, I've been fortunate. Mostly, the people are able to read because they do have to read everything. It isn't like you're doing a lot of bad living in a studio. Obviously, if you are out with a story, out in the field, if you will, there, there may be more where you don't have a printed script to go by, but I'm amazed at the people in the studio, how much they are able to do by by reading it all completely. Nick Francis  07:37 It's, I mean, the whole experience is kind of, it's awe inspiring, really. And you know, when you first go into a Live, a live broadcast studio, and you see the complexity, and you know, they've got feeds coming in from all over the world, and you know, there's upwards of 100 people all working together to make it happen. And I remember talking to one of the directors at the time, and I was like, How on earth does this work? And he said, You know, it's simple. You everyone has a very specific job, and you know that as long as you do your bit of the job when it comes in front of you, then the show will go out. He said, where it falls over is when people start worrying about whether other people are going to are going to deliver on time or, you know, and so if you start worrying about what other people are doing, rather than just focusing on the thing you have to do, that's where it potentially falls over, Michael Hingson  08:29 which is a great object lesson anyway, to worry about and control and don't worry about the rest Nick Francis  08:36 for sure. Yeah, yeah, for sure. You know, it's almost a lesson for life. I mean, sorry, it is a lesson for life, and Michael Hingson  08:43 it's something that I talk a lot about in dealing with the World Trade Center and so on, and because it was a message I received, but I've been really preaching that for a long time. Don't worry about what you can't control, because all you're going to do is create fear and drive yourself Nick Francis  08:58 crazy, completely, completely. You know. You know what is it? Give me the, give me this. Give me the strength to change the things I can. Give me the give me the ability to let the things that I can't change slide but and the wisdom to know the difference. I'm absolutely mangling that, that saying, but, yeah, it's, it's true, you know. And I think, you know, it's so easy for us to in this kind of modern world where everything's so media, and we're constantly served up things that, you know, shock us, sadness, enrage us, you know, just to be able to step back and say, actually, you know what? These are things I can't really change. I'd have to just let them wash over me. Yeah, and just focus on the things that you really can change. Michael Hingson  09:46 It's okay to be aware of things, but you've got to separate the things you can control from the things that you can and we, unfortunately aren't taught that. Our parents don't teach us that because they were never taught it, and it's something. That, just as you say, slides by, and it's so unfortunate, because it helps to create such a level of fear about so many things in our in our psyche and in our world that we really shouldn't have to do Nick Francis  10:13 completely well. I think, you know, obviously, but you know, we've, we've spent hundreds, if not millions of years evolving to become humans, and then, you know, actually being aware of things beyond our own village has only been an evolution of the last, you know what, five, 600 years, yeah. And so we are just absolutely, fundamentally not able to cope with a world of such incredible stimulus that we live in now. Michael Hingson  10:43 Yeah, and it's only getting worse with all the social media, with all the different things that are happening and of course, and we're only working to develop more and more things to inundate us with more and more kinds of inputs. It's really unfortunate we just don't learn to separate ourselves very easily from all of that. Nick Francis  11:04 Yeah, well, you know, it's so interesting when you look at the development of VR headsets, and, you know, are we going to have, like, lenses in our eyes that kind of enable us to see computer screens while we're just walking down the road, you know? And you look at that and you think, well, actually, just a cell phone. I mean, cell phones are going to be gone fairly soon. I would imagine, you know, as a format, it's not something that's going to abide but the idea that we're going to create technology that's going to be more, that's going to take us away from being in the moment more rather than less, is kind of terrifying. Because, I would say already, even with, you know, the most basic technology that we have now, which is, you know, mind bending, compared to where we were even 20 years ago, you know, to think that we're only going to become more immersive is, you know, we really, really as a species, have to work out how we are going to be far better at stepping away from this stuff. And I, you know, I do, I wonder, with AI and technology whether there is, you know, there's a real backlash coming of people who do want to just unplug, yeah, Michael Hingson  12:13 well, it'll be interesting to see, and I hope that people will learn to do it. I know when I started hearing about AI, and one of the first things I heard was how kids would use it to write their papers, and it was a horrible thing, and they were trying to figure out ways so that teachers could tell us something was written by AI, as opposed to a student. And I almost immediately developed this opinion, no, let AI write the papers for students, but when the students turn in their paper, then take a day to in your class where you have every student come up and defend their paper, see who really knows it, you know. And what a great teaching opportunity and teaching moment to to get students also to learn to do public speaking and other things a little bit more than they do, but we haven't. That hasn't caught on, but I continue to preach it. Nick Francis  13:08 I think that's really smart, you know, as like aI exists, and I think to to pretend somehow that, you know, we can work without it is, you know, it's, it's, it's, yeah, I mean, it's like, well, saying, you know, we're just going to go back to Word processors or typewriters, which, you know, in which it weirdly, in their own time, people looked at and said, this is, you know, these, these are going to completely rot our minds. In fact, yeah, I think Plato said that was very against writing, because he believed it would mean no one could remember anything after that, you know. So it's, you know, it's just, it's an endless, endless evolution. But I think, you know, we have to work out how we incorporate into it, into our education system, for sure. Michael Hingson  13:57 Well, I remember being in in college and studying physics and so on. And one of the things that we were constantly told is, on tests, you can't bring calculators in, can't use calculators in class. Well, why not? Well, because you could cheat with that. Well, the reality is that the smart physicists realized that it's all about really learning the concepts more than the numbers. And yeah, that's great to to know how to do the math. But the the real issue is, do you know the physics, not just the math completely? Nick Francis  14:34 Yeah. And then how you know? How are the challenges that are being set such that you know, they really test your ability to use the calculator effectively, right? So how you know? How are you lifting the bar? And in a way, I think that's kind of what we have to do, what we have to do now, Michael Hingson  14:50 agreed, agreed. So you were in the news business and so on, and then, as you said, you left to start your own company. Why did you decide to do that? Nick Francis  14:59 Well, a friend of. Ryan and I from University had always talked about doing this rally from London to Mongolia. So, and you do it in an old car that you sort of look at, and you go, well, that's a bit rubbish. It has to have under a one liter engine. So it's tiny, it's cheap. The idea is it breaks down you have an adventure. And it was something we kind of talked about in passing and decided that would be a good thing to do. And then over time, you know, we started sending off. We you know, we applied, and then we started sending off for visas and things. And then before we knew it, we were like, gosh, so it looks like we're actually going to do this thing. But by then, you know, my job at the BBC was really taking off. And so I said, you know, let's do this, but let's make a documentary of it. So long story short, we ended up making a series of diary films for Expedia, which we uploaded onto their website. It was, you know, we were kind of pitching this around about 2005 we kind of did it in 2006 so it was kind of, you know, nobody had really heard of YouTube. The idea of making videos to go online was kind of unheard of because, you know, broadband was just kind of getting sorry. It wasn't unheard of, but it was, it was very, it was a very nascent industry. And so, yeah, we went and drove 9000 miles over five weeks. We spent a week sitting in various different repair yards and kind of break his yards in everywhere from Turkey to Siberia. And when we came back, it became clear that the internet was opening up as this incredible medium for video, and video is such a powerful way to share emotion with a dispersed audience. You know, not that I would have necessarily talked about it in that in those terms back then, but it really seemed like, you know, every every web page, every piece of corporate content, could have a video aspect to it. And so we came back and had a few fits and starts and did some, I mean, we, you know, we made a series of hotel videos where we were paid 50 quid a day to go and film hotels. And it was hot and it was hard work. And anyway, it was rough. But over time, you know, we started to win some more lucrative work. And, you know, really, the company grew from there. We won some awards, which helped us to kind of make a bit of a name for ourselves. And this was, there's been a real explosion in technology, kind of shortly after when we did this. So digital SLRs, so, you know, old kind of SLR cameras, you know, turned into digital cameras, which could then start to shoot video. And so it, there was a real explosion in high quality video produced by very small teams of people using the latest technology creatively. And that just felt like a good kind of kick off point for our business. But we just kind of because we got in in kind of 2006 we just sort of beat a wave that kind of started with digital SLRs, and then was kind of absolutely exploded when video cell phones came on the market, video smartphones. And yeah, you know, because we had these awards and we had some kind of fairly blue chip clients from a relatively early, early stage, we were able to grow the company. We then expanded to the US in kind of 2011 20 between 2011 2014 and then we were working with a lot of the big tech companies in California, so it felt like we should maybe kind of really invest in that. And so I moved out here with some of our team in 2018 at the beginning of 2018 and I've been here ever since, wow. Michael Hingson  18:44 So what is it? What was it like starting a business here, or bringing the business here, as opposed to what it was in England? Nick Francis  18:53 It's really interesting, because the creatively the UK is so strong, you know, like so many, you know, from the Beatles to Led Zeppelin to the Rolling Stones to, you know, and then on through, like all the kind of, you know, film and TV, you know, Brits are very good at kind of Creating, like, high level creative, but not necessarily always the best at kind of monetizing it, you know. I mean, some of those obviously have been fantastic successes, right? And so I think in the UK, we we take a lot longer over getting, getting to, like, the perfect creative output, whereas the US is far more focused on, you know, okay, we need this to to perform a task, and frankly, if we get it 80% done, then we're good, right? And so I think a lot of creative businesses in the UK look at the US and they go, gosh. Firstly, the streets are paved with gold. Like the commercial opportunity seems incredible, but actually creating. Tracking it is incredibly difficult, and I think it's because we sort of see the outputs in the wrong way. I think they're just the energy and the dynamism of the US economy is just, it's kind of awe inspiring. But you know, so many businesses try to expand here and kind of fall over themselves. And I think the number one thing is just, you have to have a founder who's willing to move to the US. Because I think Churchill said that we're two two countries divided by the same language. And I never fully understood what that meant until I moved here. I think what it what he really means by that is that we're so culturally different in the US versus the UK. And I think lots of Brits look at America and think, Well, you know, it's just the same. It's just a bit kind of bigger and a bit Brasher, you know, and it and actually, I think if people in the US spoke a completely different language, we would approach it as a different culture, which would then help us to understand it better. Yeah. So, yeah. I mean, it's been, it's been the most fabulous adventure to move here and to, you know, it's, it's hard sometimes, and California is a long way from home, but the energy and the optimism and the entrepreneurialism of it, coupled with just the natural beauty is just staggering. So we've made some of our closest friends in California, it's been absolutely fantastic. And across the US, it's been a fantastic adventure for us and our family. Michael Hingson  21:30 Yeah, I've had the opportunity to travel all over the US, and I hear negative comments about one place or another, like West Virginia, people eat nothing but fried food and all that. But the reality is, if you really take an overall look at it, the country has so much to offer, and I have yet to find a place that I didn't enjoy going to, and people I never enjoyed meeting, I really enjoy all of that, and it's great to meet people, and it's great to experience so much of this country. And I've taken that same posture to other places. I finally got to visit England last October, for the first time. You mentioned rugby earlier, the first time I was exposed to rugby was when I traveled to New Zealand in 2003 and found it pretty fascinating. And then also, I was listening to some rugby, rugby, rugby broadcast, and I tuned across the radio and suddenly found a cricket game that was a little bit slow for me. Yeah, cricket to be it's slow. Nick Francis  22:41 Yeah, fair enough. It's funny. Actually, we know what you're saying about travel. Like one of the amazing things about our Well, I kind of learned two sort of quite fundamentally philosophical things, I think, you know, or things about the about humans and the human condition. Firstly, like, you know, traveling across, you know, we left from London. We, like, drove down. We went through Belgium and France and Poland and Slovenia, Slovakia, Slovenia, like, all the way down Bulgaria, across Turkey into Georgia and Azerbaijan and across the Caspian Sea, and through Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, into Russia, and then down into Mongolia. When we finished, we were due north of Jakarta, right? So we drove, we drove a third of the way around the world. And the two things that taught me were, firstly that human people are good. You know, everywhere we went, people would invite us in to have meals, or they'd like fix our car for not unit for free. I mean, people were so kind everywhere we went. Yeah. And the other thing was, just, when we get on a plane and you fly from here to or you fly from London, say to we, frankly, you fly from London to Turkey, it feels unbelievably different. You know, you fly from London to China, and it's, you know, complete different culture. But what our journey towards us, because we drove, was that, you know, while we might not like to admit it, we're actually quite, you know, Brits are quite similar to the French, and the French actually are quite similar to the Belgians, and Belgians quite similar to the Germans. And, you know, and all the way through, actually, like we just saw a sort of slowly changing gradient of all the different cultures. And it really, you know, we are just one people, you know. So as much as we might feel that, you know, we're all we're all different, actually, when you see it, when you when you do a drive like that, you really, you really get to see how slowly the cultures shift and change. Another thing that's quite funny, actually, was just like, everywhere we went, we would be like, you know, we're driving to Turkey. They'd be like, Oh, God, you just drove through Bulgaria, you know, how is like, everything on your car not been stolen, you know, they're so dodgy that you Bulgarians are so dodgy. And then, you know, we'd get drive through the country, and they'd be like, you know, oh, you're going into Georgia, you know, gosh, what you go. Make, make sure everything's tied down on your car. They're so dodgy. And then you get into Georgia, and they're like, Oh my God, you've just very driven through Turkey this, like, everyone sort of had these, like, weird, yeah, kind of perceptions of their neighbors. And it was all nonsense, yeah, you know. Michael Hingson  25:15 And the reality is that, as you pointed out, people are good, you know, I think, I think politicians are the ones who so often mess it up for everyone, just because they've got agendas. And unfortunately, they teach everyone else to be suspicious of of each other, because, oh, this person clearly has a hidden agenda when it normally isn't necessarily true at all. Nick Francis  25:42 No, no, no, certainly not in my experience, anyway, not in my experience. But, you know, well, oh, go ahead. No, no. It's just, you know, it's, it is. It's, it is weird the way that happens, you know, well, they say, you know, if, if politicians fought wars rather than, rather than our young men and women, then there'd be a lot less of them. Yeah, so Well, Michael Hingson  26:06 there would be, well as I tell people, you know, I I've learned a lot from working with eight guy dogs and my wife's service dog, who we had for, oh, gosh, 14 years almost, and one of the things that I tell people is I absolutely do believe what people say, that dogs love unconditionally, unless they're just totally traumatized by something, but they don't trust unconditionally. The difference between dogs and people is that dogs are more open to trust because we've taught ourselves and have been taught by others, that everyone has their own hidden agenda. So we don't trust. We're not open to trust, which is so unfortunate because it affects the psyche of so many people in such a negative way. We get too suspicious of people, so it's a lot harder to earn trust. Nick Francis  27:02 Yeah, I mean, I've, I don't know, you know, like I've been, I've been very fortunate in my life, and I kind of always try to be, you know, open and trusting. And frankly, you know, I think if you're open and trusting with people, in my experience, you kind of, it comes back to you, you know, and maybe kind of looking for the best in everyone. You know, there are times where that's not ideal, but you know, I think you know, in the overwhelming majority of cases, you know, actually, you know, you treat people right? And you know what goes what goes around, comes around, absolutely. Michael Hingson  27:35 And I think that's so very true. There are some people who just are going to be different than that, but I think for the most part, if you show that you're open to trust people will want to trust you, as long as you're also willing to trust Nick Francis  27:51 them completely. Yeah, completely. Michael Hingson  27:54 So I think that that's the big thing we have to deal with. And I don't know, I hope that we, we will learn it. But I think that politicians are really the most guilty about teaching us. Why not to trust but that too, hopefully, will be something we deal with. Nick Francis  28:12 I think, you know, I think we have to, you know, it's, it's one of the tragedies of our age, I think, is that the, you know, we spent the 20th century, thinking that sex was the kind of ultimate sales tool. And then it took algorithms to for us to realize that actually anger and resentment are the most powerful sales tools, which is, you know, it's a it's something which, in time, we will work out, right? And I think the problem is that, at the minute, these tech businesses are in such insane ascendancy, and they're so wealthy that it's very hard to regulate them. And I think in time, what will happen is, you know, they'll start to lose some of that luster and some of that insane scale and that power, and then, you know, then regulation will come in. But you know whether or not, we'll see maybe, hopefully our civilization will still be around to see that. Michael Hingson  29:04 No, there is that, or maybe the Vulcans will show up and show us a better way. But you know, Nick Francis  29:11 oh, you know, I'm, I'm kind of endlessly optimistic. I think, you know, we are. We're building towards a very positive future. I think so. Yeah, it's just, you know, get always bumps along the way, yeah. Michael Hingson  29:24 So you named your company casual. Why did you do that? Or how did that come about? Nick Francis  29:30 It's a slightly weird name for something, you know, we work with, kind of, you know, global blue chip businesses. And, you know, casual is kind of the last thing that you would want to associate with, a, with a, with any kind of services business that works in that sphere. I think, you know, we, the completely honest answer is that the journalism course I did was television, current affairs journalism, so it's called TV cadge, and so we, when we made a film for a local charity as part of that course. Course, we were asked to name our company, and we just said, well, cash, cash casual, casual films. So we called it casual films. And then when my friend and I set the company up, kind of formally, to do the Mongol Rally, we, you know, we had this name, you know, the company, the film that we'd made for the charity, had gone down really well. It had been played at BAFTA in London. And so we thought, well, you know, we should just, you know, hang on to that name. And it didn't, you know, at the time, it didn't really seem too much of an issue. It was only funny. It was coming to the US, where I think people are a bit more literal, and they were a bit like, well, casual. Like, why casual, you know. And I remember being on a shoot once. And, you know, obviously, kind of some filmmakers can be a little casual themselves, not necessarily in the work, but in the way they present themselves, right? And I remember sitting down, we were interviewing this CEO, and he said, who, you know, who are you? Oh, we're casual films. He's like, Oh, is that why that guy's got ripped jeans? Is it? And I just thought, Damn, you know, we really left ourselves open to that. There was also, there was a time one of our early competitors was called Agile films. And so, you know, I remember talking to one of our clients who said, you know, it's casual, you know, when I have to put together a little document to say, you know, which, which supplier we should choose, and when I lay it on my boss's desk, and one says casual films, and one says agile films, it's like those guys are landing the first punch. But anyway, we, you know, we, what we say now is like, you know, we take a complex process and make it casual. You know, filmmaking, particularly for like, large, complex organizations where you've got lots of different stakeholders, can be very complicated. And so, yeah, we sort of say, you know, we'll take a lot of that stress off, off our clients. So that's kind of the rationale, you know, that we've arrived with, arrived at having spoken to lots of our clients about the role that we play for them. So, you know, there's a kind of positive spin on it, I guess, but I don't know. I don't know whether I'd necessarily call it casual again. I don't know if I'm supposed to say that or not, but, oh, Michael Hingson  32:00 it's unique, you know? So, yeah, I think there's a lot of merit to it. It's a unique name, and it interests people. I know, for me, one of the things that I do is I have a way of doing this. I put all of my business cards in Braille, so the printed business cards have Braille on them, right? Same thing. It's unique completely. Nick Francis  32:22 And you listen, you know what look your name is an empty box that you fill with your identity. They say, right? And casual is actually, it's something we've grown into. And you know it's we've been going for nearly 20 years. In fact, funny enough for the end of this year is the 20th anniversary of that first film we made for the for the charity. And then next summer will be our 20th anniversary, which is, you know, it's, it's both been incredibly short and incredibly long, you know, I think, like any kind of experience in life, and it's been some of the hardest kind of times of my entire life, and some of the best as well. So, you know, it's, it is what it is, but you know, casual is who we are, right? I would never check, you know? I'd never change it. Michael Hingson  33:09 Now, no, of course not, yeah. So is the actual name casual films, or just casual? Nick Francis  33:13 So it was casual films, but then everyone calls us casual anyway, and I think, like as an organization, we probably need to be a bit more agnostic about the outcome. Michael Hingson  33:22 Well, the reason I asked, in part was, is there really any filming going on anymore? Nick Francis  33:28 Well, that's a very that's a very good question. But have we actually ever made a celluloid film? And I think the answer is probably no. We used to, back in the day, we used to make, like, super eight films, which were films, I think, you know, video, you know, ultimately, if you're going to be really pedantic about it, it's like, well, video is a digital, digital delivery. And so basically, every film we make is, is a video. But there is a certain cachet to the you know, because our films are loved and crafted, you know, for good or ill, you know, I think to call them, you know, they are films because, because of the, you know, the care that's put into them. But it's not, it's, it's not celluloid. No, that's okay, yeah, well, Michael Hingson  34:16 and I know that, like with vinyl records, there is a lot of work being done to preserve and capture what's on cellular film. And so there's a lot of work that I'm sure that's being done to digitize a lot of the old films. And when you do that, then you can also go back and remaster and hopefully in a positive way, and I'm not sure if that always happens, but in a positive way, enhance them Nick Francis  34:44 completely, completely and, you know, it's, you know, it's interesting talking about, like, you know, people wanting to step back. You know, obviously vinyl is having an absolute as having a moment right now. In fact, I just, I just bought a new stylist for my for my record. Play yesterday. It sounded incredible as a joy. This gave me the sound quality of this new style. It's fantastic. You know, beyond that, you know, running a company, you know, we're in nine offices all over the world. We produce nearly 1000 projects a year. So, you know, it's a company. It's an incredibly complicated company. It's a very fun and exciting company. I love the fact that we make these beautifully creative films. But, you know, it's a bit, I wouldn't say it's like, I don't know, you don't get many MBAs coming out of business school saying, hey, I want to set up a video production company. But, you know, it's been, it's been wonderful, but it's also been stressful. And so, you know, I've, I've always been interested in pottery and ceramics and making stuff with my hands. When I was a kid, I used to make jewelry, and I used to go and sell it in nightclubs, which is kind of weird, but, you know, it paid for my beers. And then whatever works, I say kid. I was 18. I was, I was of age, but of age in the UK anyway. But now, you know, over the last few 18 months or so, I've started make, doing my own ceramics. So, you know, I make vases and and pictures and kind of all sorts of stuff out of clay. And it's just, it's just to be to unplug and just to go and, you know, make things with mud with your hands. It's just the most unbelievably kind of grounding experience. Michael Hingson  36:26 Yeah, I hear you, yeah. One of the things that I like to do is, and I don't get to do it as much as I would like, but I am involved with organizations like the radio enthusiasts of Puget Sound, which, every year, does recreations of old radio shows. And so we get the scripts we we we have several blind people who are involved in we actually go off and recreate some of the old shows, which is really a lot of fun, Nick Francis  36:54 I bet, yeah, yeah, sort of you know that connection to the past is, is, yeah, it's great radio. Radio is amazing. Michael Hingson  37:03 Anyway, what we have to do is to train some of the people who have not had exposure to old radio. We need to train them as to how to really use their voices to convey like the people who performed in radio, whatever they're doing, because too many people don't really necessarily know how to do that well. And it is, it is something that we're going to work on trying to find ways to get people really trained. And one of the ways, of course, is you got to listen to the old show. So one of the things we're getting more and more people to do when we do recreations is to go back and listen to the original show. Well, they say, Well, but, but that's just the way they did it. That's not necessarily the way it should be done. And the response is, no, that's not really true. The way they did it sounded natural, and the way you are doing it doesn't and there's reality that you need to really learn how to to use your voice to convey well, and the only way to do it is to listen to the experts who did it. Nick Francis  38:06 Yeah, well, it's, you know, it's amazing. The, you know, when the BBC was founded, all the news readers and anyone who appeared on on the radio to to present or perform, had to wear like black tie, like a tuxedo, because it was, you know, they're broadcasting to the nation, so they had to, you know, they had to be dressed appropriately, right, which is kind of amazing. And, you know, it's interesting how you know, when you, when you change your dress, when you change the way you're sitting, it does completely change the way that you project yourself, yeah, Michael Hingson  38:43 it makes sense, yeah, well, and I always enjoyed some of the old BBC radio shows, like the Goon Show, and completely some of those are so much fun. Nick Francis  38:54 Oh, great, yeah, I don't think they were wearing tuxedo. It's tuxedos. They would Michael Hingson  38:59 have been embarrassed. Yeah, right, right. Can you imagine Peter Sellers in a in a tux? It just isn't going to happen. Nick Francis  39:06 No, right, right. But yeah, no, it's so powerful. You know, they say radio is better than TV because the pictures are better. Michael Hingson  39:15 I agree. Yeah, sure, yeah. Well, you know, I I don't think this is quite the way he said it, but Fred Allen, the old radio comedian, once said they call television the new medium, because that's as good as it's ever going Nick Francis  39:28 to get. Yeah, right, right, yeah. Michael Hingson  39:32 I think there's truth to it. Whether that's exactly the way he said it or not, there's truth to that, yeah, but there's also a lot of good stuff on TV, so it's okay. Nick Francis  39:41 Well, it's so interesting. Because, you know, when you look at the it's never been more easy to create your own content, yeah, and so, you know, and like, in a way, TV, you know, he's not wrong in that, because it suddenly opened up this, this huge medium for people just to just create. Right? And, you know, and I think, like so many people, create without thinking, and, you know, and certainly in our kind of, in the in the world that we're living in now with AI production, making production so much more accessible, actually taking the time as a human being just to really think about, you know, who are the audience, what are the things that are going to what are going to kind of resonate with them? You know? Actually, I think one of the risks with AI, and not just AI, but just like production being so accessible, is that you can kind of shoot first and kind of think about it afterwards, and, you know, and that's never good. That's always going to be medium. It's medium at best, frankly. Yeah, so yeah, to create really great stuff takes time, you know, yeah, to think about it. Yeah, for sure, yeah. Michael Hingson  40:50 Well, you know, our podcast is called unstoppable mindset. What do you think that unstoppable mindset really means to you as a practical thing and not just a buzzword. Because so many people talk about the kinds of buzzwords I hear all the time are amazing. That's unstoppable, but it's really a lot more than a buzzword. It goes back to what you think, I think. But what do you think? Nick Francis  41:15 I think it's something that is is buried deep inside you. You know, I'd say the simple answer is, is just resilience. You know, it's, it's been rough. I write anyone running a small business or a medium sized business at the minute, you know, there's been some tough times over the last, kind of 1824, months or so. And, you know, I was talking to a friend of mine who she sold out of her business. And she's like, you know, how are things? I was like, you know, it's, it's, it's tough, you know, we're getting through it, you know, we're changing a lot of things, you know, we're like, we're definitely making the business better, but it's hard. And she's like, Listen, you know, when three years before I sold my company, I was at rock bottom. It was, I genuinely thought it was so stressful. I was crushed by it, but I just kept going. And she's just like, just keep going. And the only difference between success and failure is that resilience and just getting up every day and you just keep, keep throwing stuff at the wall, keep trying new things, keep working and trying to be better. I think, you know, it's funny when you look at entrepreneurs, I'm a member of a mentoring group, and I hope I'm not talking out of school here, but you know, there's 15 entrepreneurs, you know, varying sizes of business, doing all sorts, you know, across all sorts of different industries. And if you sat on the wall, if you were fly on the wall, and you sit and look at these people on a kind of week, month to month basis, and they all present on how their businesses are going. You go, this is this being an entrepreneur does not look like a uniformly fun thing, you know, the sort of the stress and just, you know, people crying and stuff, and you're like, gosh, you know, it's so it's, it's, it's hard, and yet, you know, it's people just keep coming back to it. And yet, I think it's because of that struggle that you have to kind of have something in built in you, that you're sort of, you're there to prove something. And I, you know, I've thought a lot about this, and I wonder whether, kind of, the death of my father at such a young age kind of gave me this incredible fire to seek His affirmation, you know. And unfortunately, obviously, the tragedy of that is like, you know, the one person who would never give me affirmation is my dad. And yet, you know, I get up every day, you know, to have early morning calls with the UK or with Singapore or wherever. And you know, you just just keep on, keeping on. And I think that's probably what and knowing I will never quit, you know, like, even from the earliest days of casual, when we were just, like a couple of people, and we were just, you know, kids doing our very best, I always knew the company was going to be a success act. Like, just a core belief that I was like, this is going to work. This is going to be a success. I didn't necessarily know what that success would look like. I just but I did know that, like, whatever it took, we would map, we'd map our way towards that figure it out. We'd figure it out. And I think, you know, there's probably something unstoppable. I don't know, I don't want to sound immodest, but I think there's probably something in that that you're just like, I am just gonna keep keep on, keeping on. Michael Hingson  44:22 Do you think that resilience and unstoppability are things that can be taught, or is it just something that's built into you, and either you have it or you don't? Nick Francis  44:31 I think it's something that probably, it's definitely something that can be learned, for sure, you know. And there are obviously ways that it can there's obviously ways it can be taught. You know, I was, I spent some time in the reserve, like the Army Reserve in the UK, and I just, you know, a lot of that is about teaching you just how much further you can go. I think what it taught me was it was so. So hard. I mean, honestly, some of the stuff we did in our training was, like, you know, it's just raining and raining and raining and, like, because all your kits soaking wet is weighs twice what it did before, and you just, you know, sleeping maybe, you know, an hour or two a night, and, you know, and there wasn't even anyone shooting at us, right? So, you know, like the worst bit wasn't even happening. But like, and like, in a sense, I think, you know, that's what they're trying to do, that, you know, they say, you know, train hard and fight easy. But I remember sort of sitting there, and I was just exhausted, and I just genuinely, I was just thought, you know, what if they tell me to go now, I just, I can't. I literally, I can't, I can't do it. Can't do it. And then they're like, right, lads, put your packs on. Let's go and just put your pack on. Off you go, you know, like, this sort of, the idea of not, like, I was never going to quit, just never, never, ever, you know, and like I'd physically, if I physically, like, literally, my physical being couldn't stand up, you know, I then that was be, that would be, you know, if I was kind of, like literally incapacitated. And I think what that taught me actually, was that, you know, you have what you believe you can do, like you have your sort of, you have your sort of physical envelope, but like that is only a third or a quarter of what you can actually achieve, right, you know. And I think what that, what the that kind of training is about, and you know, you can do it in marathon training. You can do it in all sorts of different, you know, even, frankly, meditate. You know, you train your mind to meditate for, you know, an hour, 90 minutes plus. You know, you're still doing the same. You know, there's a, there's an elasticity within your brain where you can teach yourself that your envelope is so much larger. Yeah. So, yeah, you know, like, is casual going to be a success? Like, I'm good, you know, I'm literally, I won't I won't stop until it is Michael Hingson  46:52 right, and then why stop? Exactly, exactly you continue to progress and move forward. Well, you know, when everything feels uncertain, whether it's the markets or whatever, what do you do or what's your process for finding clarity? Nick Francis  47:10 I think a lot of it is in having structured time away. I say structured. You build it into your calendar, but like, but it's unstructured. So, you know, I take a lot of solace in being physically fit. You know, I think if you're, if you feel physically fit, then you feel mentally far more able to deal with things. I certainly when I'm if I'm unfit and if I've been working too much and I haven't been finding the time to exercise. You know, I feel like the problems we have to face just loom so much larger. So, you know, I, I'll book out. I, you know, I work with a fan. I'm lucky enough to have a fantastic assistant who, you know, we book in my my exercise for each week, and it's almost the first thing that goes in the calendar. I do that because I can't be the business my my I can't be the leader my business requires. And it finally happened. It was a few years ago I kind of, like, the whole thing just got really big on me, and it just, you know, and I'm kind of, like, being crushed by it. And I just thought, you know what? Like, I can't, I can't fit other people's face mask, without my face mask being fit, fitted first. Like, in order to be the business my business, I keep saying that to be the lead in my business requires I have to be physically fit. So I have to look after myself first. And so consequently, like, you know, your exercise shouldn't be something just get squeezed in when you find when you have time, because, you know, if you've got family and you know, other things happening, like, you know, just will be squeezed out. So anyway, that goes in. First, I'll go for a bike ride on a Friday afternoon, you know, I'll often listen to a business book and just kind of process things. And it's amazing how often, you know, I'll just go for a run and, like, these things that have been kind of nagging away in the back of my mind, just suddenly I find clarity in them. So I try to exercise, like, five times a week. I mean, that's obviously more than most people can can manage, but you know that that really helps. And then kind of things, like the ceramics is very useful. And then, you know, I'm lucky. I think it's also just so important just to appreciate the things that you already have. You know, I think one of the most important lessons I learned last year was this idea that, you know, here is the only there. You know, everyone's working towards this kind of, like, big, you know, it's like, oh, you know, when I get to there, then everything's going to be okay, you know. And actually, you know, if you think about like, you know, and what did you want to achieve when you left college? Like, what was the salary band that you want? That you wanted to achieve? Right? A lot of people, you know, by the time you hit 4050, you've blown way through that, right? And yet you're still chasing the receding Summit, yeah, you know. And so actually, like, wherever we're trying to head to, we're already there, because once you get there, there's going to be another there that you're trying to. Head to right? So, so, you know, it's just taking a moment to be like, you know, God, I'm so lucky to have what I have. And, you know, I'm living in, we're living in the good old days, like right now, right? Michael Hingson  50:11 And the reality is that we're doing the same things and having the same discussions, to a large degree, that people did 50, 100 200 years ago. As you pointed out earlier, the fact is that we're, we're just having the same discussions about whether this works, or whether that works, or anything else. But it's all the same, Nick Francis  50:33 right, you know. And you kind of think, oh, you know, if I just, just, like, you know, if we just open up these new offices, or if we can just, you know, I think, like, look, if I, if I'd looked at casual when we started it as it is now, I would have just been like, absolute. My mind would have exploded, right? You know, if you look at what we've achieved, and yet, I kind of, you know, it's quite hard sometimes to look at it and just be like, Oh yeah, but we're only just starting. Like, there's so much more to go. I can see so much further work, that we need so many more things, that we need to do, so many more things that we could do. And actually, you know, they say, you know, I'm lucky enough to have two healthy, wonderful little girls. And you know, I think a lot of bread winners Look at, look at love being provision, and the idea that, you know, you have to be there to provide for them. And actually, the the truest form of love is presence, right? And just being there for them, and like, you know, not being distracted and kind of putting putting things aside, you know, not jumping on your emails or your Slack messages or whatever first thing in the morning, you know. And I, you know, I'm not. I'm guilty, like, I'm not, you know, I'm not one of these people who have this kind of crazy kind of morning routine where, like, you know, I'm incredibly disciplined about that because, you know, and I should be more. But like, you know, this stuff, one of the, one of the things about having a 24 hour business with people working all over the world is there's always things that I need to respond to. There's always kind of interesting things happening. And so just like making sure that I catch myself every so often to be like, I'm just going to be here now and I'm going to be with them, and I'm going to listen to what they're saying, and I'm going to respond appropriately, and, you know, I'm going to play a game with them, or whatever. That's true love. You know? Michael Hingson  52:14 Well, there's a lot of merit to the whole concept of unplugging and taking time and living in the moment. One of the things that we talked about in my book live like a guide dog, that we published last year, and it's all about lessons I've learned about leadership and teamwork and preparedness from eight guide dogs and my wife's service dog. One of the things that I learned along the way is the whole concept of living in the moment when I was in the World Trade Center with my fifth guide dog, Roselle. We got home, and I was going to take her outside to go visit the bathroom, but as soon as I took the harness off, she shot off, grabbed her favorite tug bone and started playing tug of war with my retired guide dog. Asked the veterinarians about him the next day, the people at Guide Dogs for the Blind, and they said, Well, did anything threaten her? And I said, No. And they said, there's your answer. The reality is, dogs live in the moment when it was over. It was over. And yeah, right lesson to learn. Nick Francis  53:15 I mean, amazing, absolutely amazing. You must have taken a lot of strength from that. Michael Hingson  53:20 Oh, I think it was, it was great. It, you know, I can look back at my life and look at so many things that have happened, things that I did. I never thought that I would become a public speaker, but I learned in so many ways the art of speaking and being relaxed at speaking in a in a public setting, that when suddenly I was confronted with the opportunity to do it, it just seemed like the natural thing to do. Nick Francis  53:46 Yeah, it's funny, because I think isn't public speaking the number one fear. It is. It's the most fit. It's the most feared thing for the most people. Michael Hingson  53:57 And the reality is going back to something that we talked about before. The reality is, audiences want you to succeed, unless you're a jerk and you project that, audiences want to hear what you have to say. They want you to be successful. There's really nothing to be afraid of but, but you're right. It is the number one fear, and I've never understood that. I mean, I guess I can intellectually understand it, but internally, I don't. The first time I was asked to speak after the World Trade Center attacks, a pastor called me up and he said, we're going to we're going to have a service outside for all the people who we lost in New Jersey and and that we would like you to come and speak. Take a few minutes. And I said, Sure. And then I asked him, How many people many people were going to be at the service? He said, 6000 that was, that was my first speech. Nick Francis  54:49 Yeah, wow. But it didn't bother me, you know, no, I bet Michael Hingson  54:54 you do the best you can, and you try to improve, and so on. But, but it is true that so many people. Are public speaking, and there's no reason to what Nick Francis  55:03 did that whole experience teach you? Michael Hingson  55:06 Well, one of the things that taught me was, don't worry about the things that you can't control. It also taught me that, in reality, any of us can be confronted with unexpected things at any time, and the question is, how well do we prepare to deal with it? So for me, for example, and it took me years after September 11 to recognize this, but one of the things that that happened when the building was hit, and Neither I, nor anyone on my side of the building really knew what happened. People say all the time, well, you didn't know because you couldn't see it. Well, excuse me, it hit 18 floors above us on the other side of the building. And the last time I checked X ray vision was fictitious, so nobody knew. But did the building shake? Oh, it tipped. Because tall buildings like that are flexible. And if you go to any tall building, in reality, they're made to buffet in wind storms and so on, and in fact, they're made to possibly be struck by an airplane, although no one ever expected that somebody would deliberately take a fully loaded jet aircraft and crash it into a tower, because it wasn't the plane hitting the tower as such that destroyed both of them. It was the exploding jet fuel that destroyed so much more infrastructure caused the buildings to collapse. But in reality, for me, I had done a lot of preparation ahead of time, not even thinking that there would be an emergency, but thinking about I need to really know all I can about the building, because I've got to be the leader of my office, and I should know all of that. I should know what to do in an emergency. I should know how to take people to lunch and where to go and all that. And by learning all of that, as I learned many and discovered many years later, it created a mindset that kicked in when the World Trade Center was struck, and in fact, we didn't know until after both towers had collapsed, and I called my wife. We I talked with her just before we evacuated, and the media hadn't even gotten the story yet, but I never got a chance to talk with her until after both buildings had collapsed, and then I was able to get through and she's the first one that told us how the two buildings had been hit by hijacked aircraft. But the mindset had kicked in that said, You know what to do, do it and that. And again, I didn't really think about that until much later, but that's something that is a lesson we all could learn. We shouldn't rely on just watching signs to know what to do, no to go in an emergency. We should really know it, because the knowledge, rather than just having information, the true intellectual knowledge that we internalize, makes such a big difference. Nick Francis  57:46 Do you think it was the fact that you were blind that made you so much more keen to know the way out that kind of that really helped you to understand that at the time? Michael Hingson  57:56 Well, what I think is being blind and growing up in an environment where so many things could be unexpected, for me, it was important to know so, for example, when I would go somewhere to meet a customer, I would spend time, ahead of time, learning how to get around, learning how to get to where they were and and learning what what the process was, because we didn't have Google Maps and we didn't have all the intellectual and and technological things that we have today. Well intellectual we did with the technology we didn't have. So today it's easier, but still, I want to know what to do. I want to really have the answers, and then I can can more easily and more effectively deal with what I need to deal with and react. So I'm sure that blindness played a part in all of that, because if I hadn't learned how to do the things that I did and know the things that I knew, then it would have been a totally different ball game, and so sure, I'm sure, I'm certain that blindness had something to do with it, but I also know that, that the fact is, what I learned is the same kinds of things that everyone should learn, and we shouldn't rely on just the signs, because what if the building were full of smoke, then what would you do? Right? And I've had examples of that since I was at a safety council meeting once where there was somebody from an electric company in Missouri who said, you know, we've wondered for years, what do we do if there's a fire in the generator room, in the basement, In the generator room, how do people get out? And he and I actually worked on it, and they developed a way where people could have a path that they could follow with their feet to get them out. But the but the reality is that what people first need to learn is eyesight is not the only game in town. Yeah, right. Mean, it's so important to really learn that, but people, people don't, and we take too many things for granted, which is, which is really so unfortunate, because we really should do a li

キルギスのジャパロフ大統領と会見される天皇陛下、１９日午前、皇居・御所天皇陛下は１９日、来日した中央アジア４カ国の大統領と皇居・御所でそれぞれ会見された。 Japan's Emperor Naruhito held separate meetings with the visiting presidents of four Central Asian countries--Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan--at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Friday.

Japan's Emperor Naruhito held separate meetings with the visiting presidents of four Central Asian countries--Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan--at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Friday.

Max and Maria spoke with Sergey Radchenko about the state of affairs in peace negotiations over Ukraine as we come to the close of 2025. They discuss the different parties' goals and positions, and how this current round of negotiations compares to the talks in Istanbul at the start of the full-scale invasion back in 2022. This conversation was recorded on December 12, 2025. "America's Magical Thinking About Ukraine: A Bad Deal Is Worse Than No Deal," by Sergey Radchenko (Foreign Affairs, December 2025). "The Talks That Could Have Ended the War in Ukraine: A Hidden History of Diplomacy That Came Up Short — but Holds Lessons for Future Negotiations," by Samuel Charap and Sergey Radchenko (Foreign Affairs, April 2024).

In this episode of 'Disaster Strikes,' hosts Kaycee McIntosh and Julie Henningsen delve into the tragic story of Natalia Nagovitsyna, a Russian mountaineer who perished while attempting to summit Victory Peak in Kyrgyzstan. Despite having already conquered four of the five Snow Leopard Peaks, Natalia's climb ended in heartbreak on August 2025, with her and fellow climber Luca Sinigaglia losing their lives in one of the world's most unforgiving mountain terrains. The episode explores the brutal conditions of Victory Peak, the heroic but ultimately futile rescue efforts, and the sobering realities of high-altitude mountaineering. The story highlights not only the relentless pursuit of mountaineering dreams but also the high cost that comes with scaling the world's most dangerous peaks. 00:00 Introduction to Disaster Strikes 00:38 The Death Zone: A Place of No Mercy 01:18 Victory Peak: The Ultimate Challenge 03:43 Natalia Nagovitsyna: A Story of Determination and Tragedy 06:10 The Climb and the Fall 09:21 The Deadly Descent 18:22 The Rescue Attempts 22:30 The Legacy of Victory Peak 26:59 Conclusion: Lessons from Tragedy References Fox News - "Rescue effort halted for stuck climber on treacherous mountain after climber dies trying to help her: reports" (August 2025) CBS News - "Climber dies trying to rescue injured Russian woman from Kyrgystan's highest mountain; search halted" (August 2025) CNN - "Victory Peak, Kyrgyzstan: Hopes fade for injured climber stuck up icy mountain for 12 days after breaking her leg" (August 2025) The Moscow Times - "Russia's Top Investigator Orders Rescue of Climber in Kyrgyzstan" (August 2025) Meduza - "Kyrgyzstan's mountains turn deadly Russian climber is stranded in Kyrgyzstan with broken leg and no food as weather thwarts rescue attempts" (August 2025) Explorersweb - "Pobeda: The Snow Leopards' Most Dangerous Summit" (2025) Explorersweb - "The Tragic End of Natalia Nagovitsyna's Ordeal on Pobeda Peak" (August 2025) Ultimate Kilimanjaro - "Natalia Nagovitsyna: Stranded (Who Was She & How Did She Die?)" (2025) Gripped Magazine - "Rescuer Dies as Climber's Ordeal Continues" (August 2025) Adventure Mountain - "Drama on Kyrgyzstan's highest mountain – rescue operation called off" (August 2025) Wikipedia - "High-altitude pulmonary edema" (Medical information on HAPE) Cleveland Clinic - "High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE): Causes & Treatment" (2025) NCBI Bookshelf - "High Altitude Pulmonary Edema" (StatPearls, 2023) Physiopedia - "High-Altitude Pulmonary Oedema" Expeditions Unlimited - "Mountaineering expedition Kyrgyzstan: climb Victory Peak" (Route descriptions and logistics) SummitPost - "Abalakov route - Pobeda" (Technical climbing information) Central Asia Travel - "Pobeda Peak. Expedition to Pobeda Peak (7439 m)" (Route details) Wikipedia - "Jengish Chokusu" (Mountain history and climbing statistics) KULUAR - "Pobeda Peak 2021. Season results. Three dead on 21 successful ascents" (2024) KULUAR - "Top 5 Deadliest Peaks in the World" (2024) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode Title: Bishkek: The Green City Under Tian ShanEpisode Summary: In this episode of GoNOMAD Travel Podcast, senior writer Chin Liang teams up with Talgat from Datka Travel to uncover the overlooked charms of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. While most travelers rush to the countryside for horse riding and yurt stays, Bishkek rewards those who linger with leafy boulevards, Soviet‑era architecture, vibrant festivals, and mouthwatering Central Asian cuisine.What You'll Discover in This Episode:

Vases crafted thousands of years ago, temples built by past civilisations, natural parks with stunning waterfalls. These are all tangible things, there is a physical trace of them and many times they are protected and valued. But what about festivals, recipes or dances and skills that are unique to a certain part of the world? These cannot be stored, really. However they are passed on, become part of many people's identities and are known as intangible cultural heritage. UNESCO, the United Nations agency that focuses on culture and education has released its yearly list recognising these practices. But what does it actually mean to be included and why is it celebrated? We hear from Matthieu Guevel, Chief of Communications at UNESCO.Plus we talk to three people whose cultural practices have been added to the list this year: Paola Maggiulli a British-Italian cook, Lika Kat, a content creator from Kyrgyzstan and Zahra Hankir, a Lebanese author and journalist.Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Chelsea Coates Producers: Maria Clara Montoya and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

This session will examine key considerations for leaders, senders, and international travelers/workers in the areas of duty of care, risk assessment, contingency planning, security, and common pitfalls ("lessons learned") in international mission work.

On Washington Wednesday, Hunter Baker breaks down Trump's Tennessee test; on World Tour, updates from Nigeria, Hong Kong, Kyrgyzstan, and Brussels; and a closer look at the friendship between J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Plus, a cat-astrophic delivery, Erick Erickson on elite isolation, and the Wednesday morning newsSupport The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donateAdditional support comes from Ambassadors Impact Network. Helping entrepreneurs with a purpose find the support they need to thrive with faith-aligned financing options. More at ambassadorsimpact.comAnd from WatersEdge. Save more. Do more. Give more. Helping Christians support ministry by giving through a donor-advised fund. watersedge.com/DAF

After 5 intense weeks of travel across Turkey, Central Asia, and Prague, I finally made it back to the Expat Money Studios in Panama to bring you a full debrief on the journey. From scouting new destinations to dealing with airline chaos at a level I've never seen before (and that's saying a lot), this trip had a bit of everything. In this episode, I'm joined by my colleague Marc Clair as we break down the countries I visited, the people I met, the challenges I faced along the way, and why, despite the insanity, travel remains one of the most powerful and important tools for building real freedom. Enjoy! IN TODAY'S EPISODE Listen in to hear why Turkey has become our seasonal base for European and Central Asian travelFind out why Kyrgyzstan shocked me with its mix of friendliness, modern infrastructure, and stunning mountain landscapeHear me detail the “Qatar Airways fiasco,” from last-minute ticketing issues to overnight airport chaos and how it nearly derailed the tripGet the story behind my keynote at the Free Cities Conference in Prague, delivered despite arriving exhausted and sick STAY IN TOUCH! Stay informed about the latest news affecting the expat world and receive a steady stream of my thoughts and opinions on geopolitics by subscribing to our newsletter. You will receive the EMS Pulse® newsletter and the weekly Expat Sunday Times; sign up now and receive my FREE special report, “Plan B Residencies and Instant Citizenships.” WEALTH, FREEDOM & PASSPORTS CONFERENCE, MARCH 6-7, 2026 Join us in Panama City from March 6-7, 2026, for our second annual in-person event, the Wealth, Freedom and Passports Conference! Get your tickets now, as space is very limited.  RELATED EPISODES 369: Canada's Identity Crisis And Why Families Are Looking South – Shaun Newman 368: Cayman: Inside The Caribbean's Premier Offshore Hub – Jeremy Varlow 365: The Bukele Effect: Inside El Salvador's Radical TransformationMentioned in this episode:No Plan-B Without the LanguageIf you're planning to move overseas—or even just set up your offshore Plan-B—learning the local language isn't optional. It's protection. It's access. It's power. StoryLearning makes it easy to start today, from home, by immersing you in real stories—not grammar drills. Spanish, Portuguese, French, and...

This week's Cool Conversations guest is Jenny Tough, a writer and professional adventure athlete based in Scotland. Jenny has completed numerous cycling and running multi-day adventures all over the world, almost always solo and self-supported. Jenny talks to Kenton about her constant desire to find what is around the next corner, and her belief that to grow as humans, we need to push outside our comfort zones. She spends a lot of her time in remote, mountainous environments and some of her past adventures include traversing Kyrgyzstan, Morocco and the Bolivian Andes. This is a typical 'cool conversation' in that it jumps around lots of different topics but, at its heart, it centres on pushing beyond our limits and finding what lies beyond.

Max speaks with Michael Kimmage about his immediate reactions to the new 28-point peace plan for Ukraine, and the rapid-fire diplomacy taking place in response to its release. This conversation was recorded on November 24, 2025.

In this podcast we welcome back Dr Kate Leeming who embarked on a 5-month, 9000km bicycle expedition following the Syr Darya River from its source in Kyrgyzstan to the Aral Sea and from there along the Amu Darya to discover its true source into the Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan. This amazing feat was conducted by a small team where the use of a bike meant that Kate could make connections with people that are not easily done when in a car. Kate talks about her experiences out in the field, the impacts climate change is having on the region as well as how people are working to try and mitigate these challenges.

Jason Jay Smart is a political adviser who has lived and worked in Ukraine, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Latin America. Due to his work with the democratic opposition to Vladimir Putin, Smart was made persona non grata for life by Russia in 2010. Jason is a Special Correspondent at the Kyiv Post. It's the state of US support for Ukraine that we will discuss today.----------LINKS:https://jasonjaysmart.com/ https://www.kyivpost.com/authors/5 https://americanpoliticalservices.com/https://www.facebook.com/jasonjaysmarthttps://twitter.com/officejjsmart ----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN 10 Events in 10 months - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur first live events this year in Lviv and Kyiv were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run 10 events in 10 months (at a minimum). We may add more venues to the program, depending on the success of the fundraising campaign. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------

Joséphine Jammaers is an outdoor psychologist, lifelong horsewoman, and adventurer who feels most at home far from the beaten path. She has crossed the mountains of Kyrgyzstan with stallions and competed in the Gaucho Derby in Patagonia — the world's toughest multi-horse endurance race — where she earned the Spirit Award for her resilience and positivity in extreme conditions.After two years of living almost entirely outdoors — traveling on foot, by bicycle, sailboat, packraft, and horseback — she developed a profound understanding of how nature and adventure shape the mind, build resilience, and spark personal growth. With years of experience as a trainer, speaker, and practitioner, she blends scientific insight with lived wilderness experience.She now leads Outdoor Psychology, inspiring individuals and organizations to step outside and far beyond their comfort zone, using nature and adventure as catalysts for change. IG: @josephine.jammaers@outdoorpsychologyEmail: josephine@outdoorpsychology.be Send us a textSupport the showCan't get enough of the Journey On Podcast & it's guests? Here are two more ways to engage with them. Find exclusive educational content from previous podcast guests which include webinars, course and more: https://courses.warwickschiller.com If you want to meet your favorite podcast guest in person, you can attend our annual Journey On Podcast Summit either in person or via live stream: https://summit.warwickschiller.com Become a Patreon Member today! Get access to podcast bonus segments, ask questions to podcast guests, and even suggest future podcast guests while supporting Warwick: https://www.patreon.com/journeyonpodcastWarwick has over 900 Online Training Videos that are designed to create a relaxed, connected, and skilled equine partner. Start your horse training journey today!https://videos.warwickschiller.com/Check us out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WarwickschillerfanpageWatch hundreds of free Youtube Videos: https://www.youtube.com/warwickschillerFollow us on Instagram: @warwickschiller

After winning the 2024 Tour Divide, Salsa Cycles' Meaghan Hackinen set her sights on the three-part Mountain Race Series that spans Africa, Europe, and Asia. Meaghan not only became the first female finisher of the wildest race series on the planet, but she also won both the Hellenic in Greece and arguably the most remote and challenging event of all, the Silk Road Mountain Race that travels through the isolated mountains of Kyrgyzstan. Today's episode sees Meaghan explain the challenges of tackling the most difficult ultra series out there, from logistical concerns to trouble at armed border crossings, from sleeping at elevation to wading through dangerous rivers, and how her bike setup evolved from being rigid with a drop handlebar to using a suspension fork and taking a more mountain bike-esqe approach. See the latest from Meaghan Hackinen: https://meaghanhackinen.com/ See the latest from Velo: velo.outsideonline.com/featured See prior episodes of the Velo Podcast: velo.outsideonline.com/tag/velo-podcast

In this conversation, Ben Reiman interviews Olga Serbo, a board-certified behaviour analyst, about her journey into the field of behaviour analysis and her experiences working with children on the autism spectrum. Olga shares her insights on cultural differences in perceptions of autism between Moldova and the U.S., the challenges families face in seeking support, and her efforts to improve ABA services in Moldova through education and community building. The discussion highlights the importance of acceptance, understanding, and advocacy for individuals with autism and their families. Watch on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2LjGd0DCHrzNMXptOrGU1L?si=I0lGEendSWGzgGOBg8ed3Q Continuing Education Credits (https://www.cbiconsultants.com/shop) BACB: 1.0 Ethics IBAO:  1.0  Cultural QABA: 1.0  General CBA:    1.0  Cultural Diversity  Follow us! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behaviourspeak/ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/behaviourspeak/ Contact: https://autismfamilia.ro/despre/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5fgvqlOXJTVSvwZygwEiIA/videos https://autismadvance.com/ Related Behaviour Speak Episodes Episode 234 Behaviour Analysis in Croatia and Montenegro with Rea Vuksan https://www.behaviourspeak.com/e/episode-234-behaviour-analysis-in-croatia-montenegro-with-rea-vuksan-mads-scid-bcba-iba/ Episode 229 Behaviour Analysis in Kyrgyzstan with Dr. Anastasiia Iun https://www.behaviourspeak.com/e/episode-229-behavior-analysis-in-kyrgyzstan-with-dr-anastasiia-iun/ Episode 216 Behavior Analysis in Slovenia with Maja Simnjanovski https://www.behaviourspeak.com/e/episode-216-behavior-analysis-in-slovenia-with-maja-simnjanovski/ Episode 191: Behaviour Analysis in Belarus with Анна Калиновская, M.A., BCBA, IBA (Hanna Kalinouskaya) https://www.behaviourspeak.com/e/episode-191-behaviour-analysis-in-belarus-with-hannakalinouskaya-bcba-iba/ Episode 184: Behavior Analysis in Ukraine with Alla Moskalets https://www.behaviourspeak.com/e/episode-184-behavior-analysis-in-ukraine-with-alla-moskalets/ Episode 175 Autism in Serbia with Dr. Marija Čolić https://www.behaviourspeak.com/e/episode-175-autism-in-serbia-with-dr-marija-colic/ Episode 38: What We Can Do About Stigma and Racism Using Behaviour Science with Dr. Marija Čolić https://www.behaviourspeak.com/e/episode-38-what-we-can-do-about-stigma-and-racism-using-behaviour-science-with-dr-marija-colic-phd-bcba-d/

Leaving the US after weeks on the road, we zoom out from New York and Washington and asks a question we almost never ask in Europe: what if the real future of geopolitics isn't in Brussels, Beijing or DC, but in Central Asia? To get there, we bring in historian Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads, to map the region we lazily call “the Stans”; Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, plus Afghanistan, Iran and their neighbours. Together we unpack why this vast strip of land, once the beating heart of the Silk Roads, is suddenly back at the centre of the global game: home to huge reserves of oil, gas, uranium, rare earths and critical minerals, a young and growing population, and wedged between Russia, China, India, Pakistan and Iran. We hear how Central Asian states are learning to play everyone off against everyone and why the new Great Game isn't a neat East vs West story at all. If the world is getting more dangerous, more digital and more fragmented, what does it mean that Ireland is the EU's weak link on defence, with tiny cyber budgets, under-protected seabed cables and a very cosy version of neutrality? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode opens up with all three co-hosts, Adam, Nina and Alexandra, taking a look at a few headlines coming out of the region. They discuss the sabotage operation in Poland, the ongoing war in Ukraine in midst of an emerging corruption scandal, and the fall out of the EU's new ban on multi-entry visas for Russian citizens.For the main interview, Alexandra speaks with regional expert Nurbek Bekmurzaev about Kyrgyzstan's unprecedented snap parliamentary elections taking place on November 30th. Nurbeck explains how the legacy of the 2020 unrest, whichbrought President Sadyr Japarov to power, continues to shape Kyrgyzstan's political transformation. The conversation explores the new electoral rules, the changing nature of political competition, candidate filtering, and the likelihood of any protests or instability around the vote. In our bonus section for Patrons only, Alexandra and Nurbek take a look at the recent C5+1 summit in Washington, exploring how the US under Donald Trump is reshaping its approach to Central Asia.Listen to the bonus episode here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-245-144000977Help us reach 75 Patrons by the end of 2025! Sign up for great benefits here: www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope Check out the report by the Balkan Free Media Initiative - Tackling TikTokracy: A blueprint for fighting algorithmic manipulation in Europe. https://www.balkanfreemedia.org/tackling-tiktokcracy-in-the-balkans Read this week's Brief Eastern Europe: https://www.briefeasterneurope.eu

Max and Maria spoke with Nikolay Petrov and Mikhail Troitskiy, two leading experts on the contemporary Russian elite, to discuss the current status of this ruling group inside Russia today, and why it finds itself increasingly under pressure from state security organs. This conversation was recorded on November 13, 2025. "Отцы и дѣти: Генеалогическое исследование российской власти" (Proekt.media, November 2025) "Transition without a successor: The transformation of Putin's regime," by Vladimir Pastukhov and Nikolay Petrov (NEST, September 2025) "Managing multiple audiences: dual-track signals and the silencing of Russia's globalized elites before the invasion of Ukraine," by Mikhail Troitskiy (Post-Soviet Affairs, June 2025)

There's a certain kind of freedom that comes with slowing down: giving yourself time to stay, to notice, and to let a place leave its mark on you.Over the years, Weronika Szalas's mindset has shifted more and more toward slow travel — working in the winters and touring in the summers. This year, she spent nearly five months on the road with her partner, bikepacking through Central Asia.In this episode of Detours, Weronika all about her adventures on the road, from Google Translate disasters to long days on remote tracks, quiet dinners with strangers, and finally making it to Kyrgyzstan, a place she'd dreamed of for years.We get into:How slow travel changed the way she experiences new placesThe emptiness of the Mongolian steppe and navigating without a shared languageThe surreal reality of riding through Western China and dealing with constant surveillanceHighlights from bikepacking in Kyrgyzstan including Karakol, Peak Lenin, Juku Pass, and the Pamir Highway/Bartang ValleyHow her definition of freedom has evolved, and what it feels like to settle back into regular life after months outsideLISTENER SHOUTOUT: As a little bonus content this week we have a voice note from Kara Woolgar who finished the Arizona Trail 800 as her FIRST EVER bikepacking race! Congrats Kara and thanks so much for sharing your story!Follow Weronika on Instagram: @weronika.szalas Follow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebbFollow Detours on Instagram: @detourscyclingFollow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cyclingUse code DETOURS15 to get 15% off your next order from AlbionIf you love this show please consider pledging your support to sustain producing this show: https://buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast

Travel agencies and hotel operators in Japan are dreading a difficult season ahead as Chinese tourists cancel orders under diplomatic tensions (10:27). China and Kyrgyzstan have pledged mutual support for each other's sovereignty and development after the first foreign ministers' strategic dialogue (15:47). And Washington reportedly expects Ukraine to concede some land under a peace plan that Kyiv said it had no role in drafting (25:08).

» Produced by Hack You Media: pioneering a new category of content at the intersection of health performance, entrepreneurship & cognitive optimisation.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hackyoumedia/Website: https://hackyou.media/Adam Radcliffe sailed from the US to the UK in 56 days, and he's here to show you how to live a life of freedom and adventure while staying in shape, because most people think you have to choose between the two.After spending weeks at sea with minimal resources and unpredictable conditions, Adam proves you can chase wild goals without sacrificing your fitness or health. You'll hear why the mental game matters more than physical preparation, the daily routines that kept him sane and fit during isolation, and what happens to your body when you're stripped of comfort for over a month. Tune in for his training framework for doing hard things you can't fully prepare for, how he maintains fitness while travelling and adventuring, and why living a life of freedom doesn't mean letting your body go.00:00 Introduction01:45 Leaving corporate life to pursue adventure full-time06:47 Realising he was depressed and needed drastic change09:49 Starting with solo skydiving and pushing personal limits13:41 Sketchy skydiving jump and learning lessons in freefall16:42 Using adventure to prove mental and physical toughness19:34 56 days rowing across the North Atlantic begins21:29 Mental lows of knowing you can't escape the boat23:29 Getting capsized by a rogue wave and surviving it29:05 Solitary confinement in storm during 36-hour downpour34:31 Testing resilience in relationships and partnership dynamics41:33 Letting go of being perfect at everything45:49 Facing fear and respecting dangerous ocean waves47:42 Why knowing your why beats external motivation54:05 Disordered eating habits and building better food systems58:32 Upcoming challenges in Kyrgyzstan and Arabian deserts59:49 Starting a new relationship while living a nomadic life01:04:01 Capturing raw moments without ruining the experience» Escape the 9-5 & build your dream life - https://www.digitalplaybook.net/» Transform your physique - https://www.thrstapp.com/» My clothing brand, THRST - https://thrstofficial.com» Custom Bioniq supplements: https://www.bioniq.com/mikethurston• 40% off your first month of Bioniq GO• 20% off your first month of Bioniq PRO» Join our newsletter for actionable insights from every episode: https://thrst-letter.beehiiv.com/» Join Whoop and get your first month for free - join.whoop.com/FirstThingsThrst» Follow Adam«Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamradclifts/Website: https://adamradclifts.com/

Max and Maria had a livestreamed conversation in the CSIS Brack Studio with Dara Massicot and Kateryna Bondar to discuss Russian and Ukrainian battlefield adaptations and technological innovations. This conversation took place on November 5, 2025. A video recording is available at CSIS.org. "How Russia Recovered: What the Kremlin Is Learning From the War in Ukraine" by Dara Massicot (Foreign Affairs, October 2025) "How and Why Ukraine's Military Is Going Digital" by Kateryna Bondar (CSIS.org, October 2025) "Russia's War in Ukraine: The Next Chapter" by Max Bergmann and Maria Snegovaya (CSIS.org, September 2025)  

VOV1 - Hội nghị thượng đỉnh giữa Mỹ và 5 nước Trung Á gồm Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, và Turkmenistan (C5+1), vừa diễn ra tại Washington, Mỹ, đánh dấu bước ngoặt trong chính sách Trung Á của chính quyền Tổng thống Mỹ Donald Trump.

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened down 81-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 27,818 on turnover of $6.6-billion N-T. The market rebounded on Thursday, after Wall Street ended in positive territory overnight on the back of upbeat economic updates and a steady flow of quarterly reports from U-S companies, which helped counter worries over an A-I bubble. Bag of cash left in train station bathroom leads police to bust fraud ring The Railway Police Bureau says it has arrested 11 suspects suspected of operating a fraud ring after discovering they'd being using a train station public toilet as a hand-off point for illicit cash. According to the bureau, the investigation began after a passenger found a bag containing 1-million N-T cash in a men's bathroom stall at Changhua's Yuanlin Station. Police say a man later appeared at the station claiming he had left his bag in the bathroom. He was questioned, failed to account for where the money came from and was arrested on the spot after authorities concluded the cash was illegally obtained (獲得) via fraud. Police later used surveillance video footage to track the man's movements and identified the organization's leader - who was later arrested at Taoyuan International Airport while attempting to leave Taiwan. The suspects are believed to have defrauded multiple victims of over 10 million N-T. Trump seeks mineral deals with Central Asian nations US President Donald Trump is welcoming the leaders of five Central Asian countries to the White House, as he looks to strengthen relations with the region and secure mineral deals. The US is trying to counter (對抗) the strong ties that Russia and China enjoys with the five nations: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan Nick Harper reports from Washington. UN lifts Syria sanctions The U.N. Security Council has voted to lift a series of sanctions on Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and members of his government days before he's set to arrive in the U.S. for a historic visit to the White House. The U.S. resolution to drop U.N. sanctions tied to al-Sharaa and Syria's interior minister, Anas Hasan Khattab, passed with 14 members in support. China abstained (棄權) from the vote. American officials pushed to pass the resolution before Monday, when President Donald Trump is expected to host al-Sharaa in the first visit by a Syrian president to Washington since the country gained independence in 1946. Peru Declares Claudia Sheinbaum Peru's Congress has declared Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum persona non grata. The announcement follows Mexico's decision to grant asylum to former Peruvian Prime Minister Betssy Chavez. Peruvian officials have accused Mexico of interfering (幹擾) in their internal affairs. On Monday, Peru's interim President Jose Jeri severed diplomatic relations with Mexico over the asylum decision. Chavez is being prosecuted for her role in the attempted dissolution of Congress in 2022. Mexico's Foreign Affairs Ministry has called Peru's decision excessive and maintains that granting asylum is consistent with international law. Peru is analyzing a legal response while Chavez remains in the Mexican diplomatic residence. That was the I.C.R.T. EZ News, I'm _____. AI 投資免費講座 AI 不只是科技，更是投資的新藍海 ?? 您還沒上車嗎? 11/22下午二點，由ICRT與元大投信共同舉辦的免費講座 會中邀請理財專家阮慕驊和元大投顧分析師, 帶你掌握「AI 投資機會」 加碼好康！ 只要「報名並親臨現場參加活動」 就有機會抽中 全家禮券200元，共計5名幸運得主！ 活動地點：台北文化大學APA藝文中心--數位演講廳（台北市中正區延平南路127號4樓） 免費入場，名額倒數中!! 立即報名：https://www.icrt.com.tw/app/2025yuanta/ 「投資一定有風險，基金投資有賺有賠，申購前應詳閱公開說明書」 #AI投資 #元大投信 #理財講座 #免費講座 #投資趨勢 #ETF -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

In part three, Ed Jackson delves further into how he found his love for mountain climbing, finding fulfilment in his charity work, and breaks down his recent adventure completing the first-ever disability summit in Kyrgyzstan.Plus, Ed shares his scariest climbing experience and explains why without risk, there's no adventure…Follow @edjackson8 and check out his Millimetres 2 Mountains Foundation.Order Alex's latest book Happy Habits - out now! Follow the podcast on Instagram @thestompcastGet the new, pocket guide version of The Mind Manual nowDownload Mettle: the mental fitness app for men Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

VOV1 - Hợp tác giữa Mỹ và Trung Á đang bước sang giai đoạn mới khi cơ chế “Xê 5 cộng 1” - (C5+1) gồm Mỹ và 5 quốc gia khu vực gồm Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan và Uzbekistan kỷ niệm 10 năm hình thành.

Ed Jackson is a former professional rugby union player turned adventurer, whose life was completely changed after suffering a serious spinal cord injury in 2017. Ed's had a phenomenal journey since his accident, and most recently completed the world's first disability summit, ascending up a previously unexplored mountain in Kyrgyzstan.In part one, Ed joins Dr Alex George to discuss his path into professional rugby, how easily sport can become your identity and explains how jumping into a swimming pool changed his life forever…Plus, Ed explains how his values have changed since his accident and unpacks the importance of understanding the differences between hope and expectations.Follow @edjackson8 and check out his Millimetres 2 Mountains Foundation.Order Alex's latest book Happy Habits - out now! Follow the podcast on Instagram @thestompcastGet the new, pocket guide version of The Mind Manual nowDownload Mettle: the mental fitness app for men Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has emphasized that formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) is of great significance for facilitating China's sustained and sound development, and for putting the country on firmer foundations for basically achieving socialist modernization as planned.The remarks were made in Xi's explanatory speech on the recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan, delivered at the fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, which concluded last week in Beijing.Both the speech and the recommendations, which were adopted at the plenum, were made public on Tuesday.In his speech, Xi said the recommendations were drafted to make systematic plans and strategic arrangements for China's economic and social development in the next five years.The recommendations were initiated in line with the country's strategic development goals, recognizing the pivotal role of the next five years, and based on an in-depth analysis of both the domestic and global landscapes, he added.He highlighted that the drafting process placed particular emphasis on staying oriented toward both goals and problems, applying systems thinking, further deepening reform comprehensively, and opening wider to the outside world."Socialist modernization can only be realized through a historical process of gradual and ongoing development. It requires the unremitting hard work of one generation after another," Xi said.He noted that the 15th Five-Year Plan period will serve as a critical stage in building on past successes to break new ground for basically achieving socialist modernization by 2035.Elaborating on important points and major measures in the recommendations, Xi pointed out that a key development objective for the 15th Five-Year Plan period is to maintain an appropriate rate of economic and social development.He also defined promoting high-quality development as the main focus in this period, stressing that the recommendations highlight the guiding role of scientific and technological innovation and make overall plans for modernizing the industrial system, boosting self-reliance and strength in science and technology, and accelerating the green transition across the board.A group was established in January for the purpose of drafting the recommendations, with Xi serving as its chief. The group convened its first plenary meeting in February, marking the official start of the drafting work.Throughout the drafting process, the CPC Central Committee followed a democratic approach and drew on a vast pool of wisdom, conducting in-depth surveys and studies, and seeking opinions from within and outside of the Party, Xi said.The CPC Central Committee organized six teams to conduct research projects in 12 provincial-level regions. In addition, 35 key research projects were assigned to Party and government bodies, and multiple symposiums were held. An online campaign was launched to gather public suggestions, receiving more than 3 million comments.During the drafting process, the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee met three times and the Political Bureau convened on two occasions to review and revise draft versions of the document, before the final draft recommendations were submitted to the plenary session for deliberation."It is fair to say that the drafting work for this document is yet another vivid example of intra-Party democracy and whole-process people's democracy in action," Xi said.Jiang Jinquan, director of the CPC Central Committee Policy Research Office, told a news conference on the outcomes of the fourth plenary session that participants of the plenum agreed that the recommendations represent another major programmatic document in the Party's history.Yan Yilong, deputy dean of the Institute for Contemporary China Studies at Tsinghua University, said the recommendations provide political guidance for formulating the outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan.The drafting of the outline has officially begun and the draft outline is scheduled to be submitted to next year's two sessions for deliberation, Yan noted.Sheradil Baktygulov, director of the Institute of World Politics of Kyrgyzstan, said in a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency that China's development experience demonstrates its ability to mobilize resources effectively to achieve national goals.He expects China to become more technologically advanced, self-sufficient and confident on the global stage, with the 15th Five-Year Plan playing a critical role in advancing the second centenary goal — to build China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful by 2049.

The Jewish Policy Center invites you to join us as we co-sponsor a luncheon program with the International Tax and Investment Center's Energy, Growth and Security Program (ITIC). Central Asia (C-5, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) offers the U.S. a wealth of resources necessary for modernizing and expanding America's energy industry, including uranium and strategic minerals mining and processing. In this region, where Russia and China traditionally hold sway and Iran and Afghanistan provide challenges, the U.S. should strengthen its strategic and trade/investment ties, potentially expanding the Abraham Accords. Moderator: Shoshana Bryen, Senior Director, Jewish Policy Center Panel to date: Ariel Cohen, Ph.D., is a Senior Fellow with ITCI and Managing Director of its Energy, Growth and Security program. Steven Blank, Ph.D. is a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI).

Crypto News: JPMorgan sees Coinbase unlocking billions through its Base layer-2 network and USDC rewards overhaul and token launch. Kyrgyzstan to launch stablecoin on BNB, plans CBDC in partnership with adviser Changpeng Zhao.Brought to you by

Max and Maria spoke with Clayton Seigle about how new sanctions from the Trump administration could potentially impact Russian energy revenues. Additionally, they discussed the effects of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries. This conversation was recorded on October 23, 2025.

The Asia Pacific Report- Kyrgyzstan's Golden Dilemma: Balancing Resource Wealth, Rights, and Transparency | Murat Karypov by Radio Islam

On today's program: Casey Harper, Managing Editor for Broadcast at The Washington Stand and Host of the "Outstanding" podcast, provides insight into the current status of the federal shutdown, a tortured Kyrgyzstan pastor who suffered a brain

Max and Maria spoke with Leah Kieff and Vlad Lupan about the outcomes of the recent Moldovan parliamentary elections at the end of September, and why they're significant for both Moldova, and the broader region. This conversation was recorded on October 14, 2025.

Kyrgyzstan: Reintroduction of death penalty would violate international law, Türk warns$31 trillion debt is holding back developing countries, UNCTAD conference hearsSudan aid access must be allowed to save lives, insists OCHA

SHOW SCHEDULE 10-15--25 CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR 1964 ATLANTIC CITYCONVENTION HALL THE SHOW BEGINS IN THE DOUBTS ABOUT CONGRESS.... 10-15--25 FIRST HOUR 9-915 HEADLINE: Obamacare Subsidies Trigger Government Shutdown Debate GUEST NAME: Michael Toth SUMMARY: Michael Toth explains that the current government shutdown debate centers on extending two expensive Biden-era Obamacare subsidies. These changes allow individuals earning over 400% of the federal poverty line to receive subsidies and provide 100% coverage for the near-poor. The original Obamacare cross-subsidy structure failed because young, healthy individuals found premiums too high. Toth advocates deregulation, such as allowing insurance companies to charge lower, risk-adjusted rates and enabling single business owners to use Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs) for cheaper coverage. 915-930 HEADLINE: Obamacare Subsidies Trigger Government Shutdown Debate GUEST NAME: Michael Toth SUMMARY: Michael Toth explains that the current government shutdown debate centers on extending two expensive Biden-era Obamacare subsidies. These changes allow individuals earning over 400% of the federal poverty line to receive subsidies and provide 100% coverage for the near-poor. The original Obamacare cross-subsidy structure failed because young, healthy individuals found premiums too high. Toth advocates deregulation, such as allowing insurance companies to charge lower, risk-adjusted rates and enabling single business owners to use Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs) for cheaper coverage. 930-945 HEADLINE: Hamas, Hostages, and Middle East Turmoil: Challenges to the Trump Ceasefire Plan GUEST NAME:Jonathan Schanzer SUMMARY: Jonathan Schanzer discusses complications in the Trump ceasefire plan, including Hamas delaying the return of deceased hostages to maintain leverage. The released prisoners, including potential Hamas leaders, raise concerns about where the organization's center of gravity will shift if they are deported to places like Turkey or Qatar. Schanzer views Turkey, an autocratic supporter of Hamas, as a problematic guarantor of the ceasefire. Internationally, Iran continues its nuclear program despite snapback sanctions, and al-Sharaa is meeting with Putin regarding Russian assets in Syria. 945-1000 HEADLINE: Hamas, Hostages, and Middle East Turmoil: Challenges to the Trump Ceasefire Plan GUEST NAME:Jonathan Schanzer SUMMARY: Jonathan Schanzer discusses complications in the Trump ceasefire plan, including Hamas delaying the return of deceased hostages to maintain leverage. The released prisoners, including potential Hamas leaders, raise concerns about where the organization's center of gravity will shift if they are deported to places like Turkey or Qatar. Schanzer views Turkey, an autocratic supporter of Hamas, as a problematic guarantor of the ceasefire. Internationally, Iran continues its nuclear program despite snapback sanctions, and al-Sharaa is meeting with Putin regarding Russian assets in Syria. SECOND HOUR 10-1015 HEADLINE: China's Predicament in the Middle East and Domestic Economic Instability GUEST NAME: General Blaine Holt SUMMARY: General Blaine Holt analyzes China's strategic challenges, noting Beijing is concerned about losing access to critical oil and gas resources as US leadership advances the Abraham Accords. China's previous regional deals, like the Saudi-Iran agreement, lacked substance compared to US business commitments. Holt suggests internal pressures might lead Iran toward the Accords. Domestically, China faces accelerating deflation and uncertainty regarding Xi Jinping's leadership due to four competing factions before the fourth plenum. 1015-1030 HEADLINE: South Korea's Descent into Authoritarianism and Persecution of Opposition GUEST NAME: Morse Tan SUMMARY: Morse Tan argues that South Korea is moving toward a "rising communist dictatorship" that oppresses political and religious figures. The indictment of the Unification Church leader and the targeting of the rightful President Yoon exemplify this trend. This persecution serves as an intimidation campaign, demonstrating the regime's disregard for the populace. Tan recommends the US implement active measures, including sanctions relating to a coup d'état and visa sanctions, while also pressing for greater military cooperation. 1030-1045 HEADLINE: Russian War Economy Stalls as Oil Prices Decline and Sanctions Bite GUEST NAME: Michael Bernstam SUMMARY: Michael Bernstam reports that the Russian economy is struggling as global oil prices decline and sanctions increase transportation costs, leading to a $13 to $14 per barrel discount on Russian oil. The "military Keynesianism" economy is exhausted, resulting in staff cuts across industrial sectors. Forecasts indicate contraction in late 2025 and 2026, with the IMF lowering its growth projection for 2025 to 0.6%. Russia is avoiding sanctions by routing payments through neighbors like Kyrgyzstan, who have become major financial hubs. 1045-1100 HEADLINE: Lessons from the Swiss National Bank: Risk-Taking, Exchange Rates, and Fiscal Responsibility GUEST NAME: John Cochrane SUMMARY: Economist John Cochrane analyzes the Swiss National Bank (SNB), noting it differs greatly from the US Federal Reserve by investing heavily in foreign stocks and bonds to manage the Swiss franc's exchange rate. The SNB's massive balance sheet carries risks accepted by Swiss taxpayers and the Cantons. Switzerland, being fiscally responsible (running no budget deficits), finds central banking easier. Cochrane advises that the US Fed should not be buying stocks or venturing into fiscal policy. THIRD HOUR 1100-1115 HEADLINE: China Retaliates Against Dutch Chipmaker Seizure Amid European Fragmentation GUEST NAME:Theresa Fallon SUMMARY: Theresa Fallon discusses China imposing export controls on Nexperia after the Dutch government seized control of the chipmaker, which was owned by China's Wingtech. The Dutch acted due to fears the Chinese owner would strip the technology and equipment, despite Nexperia producing low-quality chips for cars. Fallon notes Europe needs a better chip policy but struggles to speak with one voice, as fragmented policy allows China to drive wedges and weaken the EU. 1115-1130 HEADLINE: China's Economic Slowdown, Deflation, and the Spectre of Japanification GUEST NAME: Andrew Collier SUMMARY: Andrew Collier discusses China's economic woes, characterized by persistent deflation, with the CPI down 0.3% (6 out of 9 months in the red) and the PPI down for 36 straight months. This environment raises concerns about "Japanification"—a multi-decade slowdown after a property crash. Major structural changes to stimulate consumer consumption are unlikely at the upcoming Communist Party plenum, as the system favors state investment. The property market collapse means foreign investment is leaving, and Collier suggests the economy may not bottom until 2027 or 2028. 1130-1145 HEADLINE: SpaceX Starship Success, Private Space Dominance, and Government Inaction GUEST NAME: Bob Zimmerman SUMMARY: Bob Zimmerman describes SpaceX's Starship Super Heavy 11th test flight as "remarkable," highlighting successful booster reuse and controlled re-entry despite missing tiles. He asserts that private enterprise, like SpaceX, runs the "real American space program" aimed at Mars colonization, outpacing government efforts. In contrast, European projects like Callisto, proposed in 2015, demonstrate government "inaction." JPL is also laying off staff following the cancellation of the Mars sample return project, forcing organizations like Lowell Observatory to seek private funding. 1145-1200 HEADLINE: SpaceX Starship Success, Private Space Dominance, and Government Inaction GUEST NAME: Bob Zimmerman SUMMARY: Bob Zimmerman describes SpaceX's Starship Super Heavy 11th test flight as "remarkable," highlighting successful booster reuse and controlled re-entry despite missing tiles. He asserts that private enterprise, like SpaceX, runs the "real American space program" aimed at Mars colonization, outpacing government efforts. In contrast, European projects like Callisto, proposed in 2015, demonstrate government "inaction." JPL is also laying off staff following the cancellation of the Mars sample return project, forcing organizations like Lowell Observatory to seek private funding. FOURTH HOUR 12-1215 HEADLINE: Commodity Market Trends and UK's Lack of Risk Appetite for AI Innovation GUEST NAME: Simon Constable SUMMARY: Simon Constable notes that data center expansion for AI is increasing prices for copper (up 15%) and steel (up 14%). He points out that the UK lags significantly behind the US in building new AI data centers (170 vs. 5,000+) due to a lack of risk appetite, insufficient wealth, and poor marketing of new ideas. Separately, Constable discusses the collapse of a UK China spying trial because the prior government failed to officially classify China as a national security threat during the alleged offenses. 1215-1230 HEADLINE: Commodity Market Trends and UK's Lack of Risk Appetite for AI Innovation GUEST NAME: Simon Constable SUMMARY: Simon Constable notes that data center expansion for AI is increasing prices for copper (up 15%) and steel (up 14%). He points out that the UK lags significantly behind the US in building new AI data centers (170 vs. 5,000+) due to a lack of risk appetite, insufficient wealth, and poor marketing of new ideas. Separately, Constable discusses the collapse of a UK China spying trial because the prior government failed to officially classify China as a national security threat during the alleged offenses. 1230-1245 HEADLINE: AI Regulation Debate: Premature Laws vs. Emerging Norms GUEST NAME: Kevin Frazier SUMMARY: Kevin Frazier critiques the legislative rush to regulate AI, arguing that developing norms might be more effective than premature laws. He notes that bills like California's AB 1047, which demands factual accuracy, fundamentally misunderstand AI's generative nature. Imposing vague standards, as seen in New York's RAISE Act, risks chilling innovation and preventing widespread benefits, like affordable legal or therapy tools. Frazier emphasizes that AI policy should be grounded in empirical data rather than speculative fears. 1245-100 AM HEADLINE: AI Regulation Debate: Premature Laws vs. Emerging Norms GUEST NAME: Kevin Frazier SUMMARY: Kevin Frazier critiques the legislative rush to regulate AI, arguing that developing norms might be more effective than premature laws. He notes that bills like California's AB 1047, which demands factual accuracy, fundamentally misunderstand AI's generative nature. Imposing vague standards, as seen in New York's RAISE Act, risks chilling innovation and preventing widespread benefits, like affordable legal or therapy tools. Frazier emphasizes that AI policy should be grounded in empirical data rather than speculative fears.

HEADLINE: Russian War Economy Stalls as Oil Prices Decline and Sanctions Bite GUEST NAME: Michael Bernstam SUMMARY: Michael Bernstam reports that the Russian economy is struggling as global oil prices decline and sanctions increase transportation costs, leading to a $13 to $14 per barrel discount on Russian oil. The "military Keynesianism" economy is exhausted, resulting in staff cuts across industrial sectors. Forecasts indicate contraction in late 2025 and 2026, with the IMF lowering its growth projection for 2025 to 0.6%. Russia is avoiding sanctions by routing payments through neighbors like Kyrgyzstan, who have become major financial hubs. 1945

Abdylla GeldiyevFounder & Managing DirectorUndiscovered Frontiershttps://undiscoveredfrontiers.com/Abdylla Geldiyev is the founder and managing director of Undiscovered Frontiers, a boutique travel company based in Michigan. A lifelong traveler and advocate for immersive, culturally rich experiences in Central Asia, his journey into tourism began in 2005, when he was asked to guide an Italian writer/enthusiast researching the native dogs of Turkmenistan's Karakum Desert. What started as a chance opportunity quickly grew into a passion and ultimately a career.Over the years, Abdylla built a reputation as one of the most knowledgeable and trusted guides in Turkmenistan, leading archaeological, cultural, and special-interest tours for international operators, museums, travel clubs, and guidebook writers. Later, in a sales role, he expanded his expertise across Central Asia, the Caucasus, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.In 2016, Abdylla moved with his family to the United States to pursue the American Dream. After completing his studies in business at Loyola University and sharing his valuable and hands on experience with U.S.-based travel companies, he launched Undiscovered Frontiers together with his curious son, Iskender, offering transformative journeys across Central Asia, the South Caucasus, Turkey, and beyond. Fluent in four languages, Abdylla brings both a global perspective and deep local knowledge to every journey he curates.summaryIn this episode, Jason Elkins interviews Abdylla Geldiyev, founder of Undiscovered Frontiers, about travel in Central Asia, particularly the Five Stans. Abdylla shares insights on the unique experiences travelers can have in these off-the-beaten-path destinations, the growing popularity of the region, and the cultural richness that awaits visitors. He also discusses his personal journey from Turkmenistan to the United States and the establishment of his travel company, emphasizing the importance of authentic cultural interactions and unique travel experiences.takeawaysUndiscovered Frontiers offers off-the-beaten-path experiences in Central Asia.The Five Stans are gaining popularity among travelers seeking unique adventures.Each Stan has its own unique beauty and cultural heritage.Travelers often find that their experiences exceed their expectations.Tourism infrastructure in the Stans is improving, with investments in hotels and transportation.Cultural interactions with locals enhance the travel experience significantly.Abdylla's journey from Turkmenistan to the U.S. showcases the power of resilience and opportunity.Undiscovered Frontiers aims to provide innovative and creative travel experiences.Traveling to Turkmenistan requires a letter of invitation and a local guide.The podcast emphasizes the importance of understanding and connecting with different cultures. Learn more about Big World Made Small Adventure Travel Marketing and join our private community to get episode updates, special access to our guests, and exclusive adventure travel offers on our website.

Max sat down with Tina Dolbaia and Vasabjit Banerjee to talk about their new CSIS paper, "Guns and Oil: Continuity and Change in Russia-India Relations." They delve into the history of the Russia-India relationship, how it's been impacted by the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and what to watch for going forward. "Guns and Oil: Continuity and Change in Russia-India Relations," by Tina Dolbaia, Vasabjit Banerjee, and Amanda Southfield (August 2025, CSIS)

This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . As we use AI more and more as a critical assistant, what might that be doing to our critical thinking? Professor Michael Gerlich has published his research in the paper “AI Tools In Society: Impacts On Cognitive Offloading And The Future Of Critical Thinking” in the journal Societies. He showed that younger participants “exhibited higher dependence on AI tools and lower critical thinking scores compared to older participants.” That's the sort of result that demands we pay attention at a time when AI is being increasingly used by schools and students. Michael is the Head of Center for Strategic Corporate Foresight and Sustainability at SBS Swiss Business School. His research and publications largely focus on the societal impact of Artificial Intelligence, which has made him in demand as a speaker around the world. He's also taught at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Cambridge, and other institutions. He's also been an adviser to the President and the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan, the Uzbekistan Cabinet, and Ministers of economic affairs in Azerbaijan. In part 2, we talk about whether or how we can tell that our cognition has been impaired, how the future of work will change with cognitive offloading and what employers need to beware of and leverage. All this plus our usual look at today's AI headlines. Transcript and URLs referenced at HumanCusp Blog.        

HEADLINE: Jurassic Sponge Reefs, Floating Wood, and the Triassic Glider Sharovipteryx BOOK TITLE: Other Lands, a journey through Earth's Extinct Worlds GUEST AUTHOR NAME: Thomas Halliday 200-WORD SUMMARY: This excerpt details events in the Jurassic and Triassic periods. The Jurassic (155 million years ago) was a time of recovery for marine reptiles like ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs, following the Triassic-Jurassic extinction, likely caused by runaway climate change. Europe was a tropical archipelago at this time. The largest biological structure ever known was a 7,000 km long reef composed of glass sponges (silicon sponges) in the fringes of the Tethys Ocean. This reef provided a diverse ecosystem, supporting ammonites, fish, and marine reptiles. Unusually, wood floated for much longer than it does today because wood-boring shipworms had not yet evolved. Evidence shows fallen logs floating across oceans and adorned with filter-feeding organisms like sea lilies. Moving to the Triassic (225 million years ago), the focus is Madigan in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia. This lake ecosystem provides a rare, well-preserved record of a terrestrial environment, notable for its extraordinary insect diversity, including most known Triassic families of beetles. A unique vertebrate found here is Sharovipteryx, a lizard-like gliding reptile that used a triangular membrane stretched between its exceptionally long hind legs to glide.

Tonight on Veritas... our special guest is Ryan Wardman. The last time we spoke, Ryan had just begun his modern odyssey. Since then, he has kept moving, kept searching, and kept asking the kinds of questions most people avoid. In the past year alone, Ryan has spent months in Odessa on the Black Sea, traveled through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, explored the caves of Georgia, returned to the pyramids of Egypt, stood among the stones of Samarkand, and climbed the highlands of Scotland. He promoted a film in Paris and now calls Moldova his base of operations. Along the way, he has focused on some of the biggest mysteries of our time. The Moon. The Ark of the Covenant. The rise of digital identity and human 2.0. The mass migration changing Europe. He has seen events firsthand that do not match the official story, and he has experienced moments that defy easy explanation, including a glowing orb that appeared to him one night in Stockholm. Tonight, we continue the conversation. What has Ryan seen. What has he learned. And what does his journey reveal about the world we now face together. Lan is the Welsh word for "pure." This is the featured song for this VERITAS episode. It is based on the Welsh folk song Lisa Lan, performed in the original language. The vocals speak of love, grief, and memory. The arrangement combines ancient melody with modern cinematic elements to reflect the emotional depth and mystery of Ryan Wardman's journey.

In this episode, we dive into a powerful conversation with Cindy LaJoy of Blue Collar Homeschool about creating meaningful educational paths for kids who aren't headed toward the traditional college track. Cindy shares how to help children discover their strengths, explore careers and trades, and build skills that get overlooked in traditional schooling. From certificate programs to apprenticeships, she shows how learning can be tailored without being “less than.” We also discuss the importance of relationship at the heart of homeschooling and celebrating every kind of excellence. This episode is full of practical ideas and encouragement for parents seeking alternatives to the college-only path. About Cindy An unexpected homeschooler, after a dozen years Cindy is entering her final year of homeschooling with her youngest of five kids. Her children, now young adults, were all adopted from orphanages in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and presented her with the unique challenge of educating learners with numerous learning disabilities, no English, and giftedness in the mix as well! Three years ago Cindy founded the Facebook group and website "Blue Collar Homeschool" to help others find the support and encouragement she couldn't find for her own family. College is not the only path to a successful future, and Cindy's kids are proving that as they operate their own pizzeria and tech businesses. Her online group has grown to a membership of almost 9000 and is a haven where families with kids who are not college-bound can post questions to find resources for everything from business start-ups to barn building to creative arts pursuits...and not be bashed for having children whose gifts may be discovered outside the academic arena. Blue Collar Homeschool is helping many discover "A different kind of homeschooling excellence! About Janice Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You'll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Penn Foster Career School  Stratford Career Institute ITPRO.TV Online tech training for numerous certifications Lynda.com for a wide variety of training in everything from graphic design, programming, photography, social media marketing, general marketing, small business, accounting, videography and more EdX Coursera Amazon Web Services Scoop School Mike Rowe Books Cindy would share with every child: Love You Forever by Robert Munsch  Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder Connect Cindy LaJoy | Website | Facebook Group | Email Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children's books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Max and Maria spoke with Stanford professor and former ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul to talk about his latest book, and where things stand today in U.S.-Russia relations. Pre-order Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder by Michael McFaul (HarperCollins, October 2025) "The Real Meaning of Putin's Middle East Failure: Russia's Allies in the Region Couldn't Count on Moscow — and Neither Should China," by Michael McFaul and Abbas Milani (Foreign Affairs, July 2025) "Putin, Putinism, and the Domestic Determinants of Russian Foreign Policy" by Michael McFaul (International Security, Fall 2020)

What kind of mindset does it take to train 7 years for one climb? Tommy Caldwell did exactly that before finally conquering the Dawn Wall in a 19-day climb that changed the sport forever. He also survived a kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan that tested his endurance in ways no mountain ever could. Tommy shares the lessons he learned through fear, pain, and grit. Tune in now and learn how to build the mindset to push past your own limits.   Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:27 Meet Tommy Caldwell 01:47 Growing up climbing with his dad 02:33 Free climbing vs. free soloing explained 03:13 Climbing the Dawn Wall 04:50 Seven years of training for one climb 05:43 Physical and mental training routines 06:38 Kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan the full story 10:24 How the climbers escaped captivity 11:19 Losing a finger in a construction accident 11:45 Building “obstacle immunity” through adversity 15:34 Endurance sports and human limits 16:14 What's next for Tommy 17:59 Mindset & finding strength in community 20:52 The Dawn Wall bool & film     Connect to Tommy: Website: tommycaldwell.com Instagram: instagram.com/tommycaldwell Facebook: facebook.com/1tommycaldwell LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tommy-caldwell-0472a98a Twitter/X: x.com/tommycaldwell1