Podcasts about luxton

In 2025, baby names are influenced by social media trends and a global sensibility, with unique names like Aella, Emryn, and Luxton gaining popularity. Vintage revival names such as James and Charlotte also remain favorite

What does it really take to create a great pub? Charlie Luxton had no idea a chance conversation would lead him to a job setting up Soho House - a super-cool private members club in the centre of London that would become a global brand. He also had no idea a chance conversation would lead him to create his own group of pubs and restaurants around Wiltshire and Somerset.The brilliant Charlie explains in this episode why it's so important for us all to follow our hearts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The ACT Party is call for more powers for Kāinga Ora to terminate tenancies. It was triggered by a recent ruling by the Tenancy Tribunal, where a tenant with 25 complaints, 6 warnings and police call outs, and even an alleged shooting, will not have their tenancy terminated. There was an overhaul just last year which made it easier for Kāinga Ora to evict tenants, but ACT says more is needed. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since moving to Somerset 10 years ago, I have been heading to the Beckford Inn's in search of satiating that sense of true countryside; Heartening red wine, tasty food, cosy fires and those interiors that makes you feel like you're back where you belong. Witnessing more pubs open by The Beckford Group over the years, it's clear that they have a knack for knowing when it's right, and an eye for how to do it well. And then of course, there's Bramley, the bath and body brand, and perfect sister brand, with 23 products on offer as well as a treatment cabin ay their Longleat site, The Bath Bath Arms!Having spent a lot of my annual income in one or another of their pubs, I was excited to meet the brains. We talk about values, when to thinkwhen thinking's too much, we talk about community, connection and also the role a pub has in our villages. So today, I welcome co-founder Dan Brod and founder of Bramley, Chloe Luxton. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could Labour’s agriculture spokeswoman be the next Minister of Agriculture if Chris Hipkins sleepwalks to victory in 2026? Why is she speaking out about the Gene Tech Bill? And why has she moved to Gisborne?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ceri speaks with Claire Luxton, a British artist who is revolutionising the art world through her multidisciplinary approach. From self portraiture to large public installations, Claire shares her thoughts on pricing artwork, building authentic brand collaborations and maintaining creative integrity while achieving commercial success. KEY TAKEAWAYS Claire has developed a distinctive artistic process that merges performance and photography, choosing to capture everything in camera using a Hasselblad medium format camera rather than relying on AI, reflecting her commitment to authenticity in an increasingly digital world. Through her journey with brand collaborations, Claire has learned to evaluate opportunities by asking "Would future Claire say yes?" a self filtering approach that helps maintain her artistic integrity while building commercial success. Claire approaches every project with extensive research and preparation, believing that understanding context deeply enables her to create more meaningful and impactful work. Claire’s public art installation approach begins with historical research, allowing her to uncover and tell forgotten stories of each location, from decommissioned lighthouses to power stations, creating work that resonates with both place and community. Her experience with MTR Agency has changed how she views artist collector relationships, moving away from the traditional gallery model of separation to embrace direct connections with collectors, leading to more meaningful artistic dialogue. Claire's social media strategy evolved from posting frequently to carefully curating content that authentically represents her artistic vision, prioritising meaningful engagement over algorithmic success. After leaving exclusive gallery representation, Claire found her voice by exploring different creative avenues before ultimately returning to fine art with a clearer vision and stronger boundaries. She structures her editions thoughtfully, offering one off pieces for largest works and editions of three for smaller sizes, a strategy that reflects the value of her work and her desire to maintain its specialness. BEST MOMENTS "At the time, that was incredibly exciting and I was very green and fresh and I didn't really have any experience, any experience that I had was self generated, as both of my parents were secondary school teachers, so I had zero connections in the art world." "I want to make the art as true conversation and then there to be the by product of money from that." "Would future Claire say yes? So this future me that I picture, would I say yes to this in two years time, in five years time? Would I be happy that I did this?" "So many collectors are invested in not only the piece, but in yourself and having conversations with collectors about why they were interested in the piece in the first place is so incredibly valuable." "If something has a lot of conversations, to say there are a lot of comments and a lot of people having conversations, I feel like that's helpful and informative because it means that it's struck a chord." "Only you can do what you do. I know that there's lots of other people who can do similar things, but only you can do you." "Art is about problem solving so when you're given certain parameters, you then can fit your practice within those parameters and it kind of pushes you in different directions." "I want to make the art as true conversation and then there to be the by product of money from that. It's a difficult space to navigate, but I think at the core it's about finding those key values within your practice that really resonate with your voice and kind of sticking to your guns." EPISODE RESOURCES Guest Links: www.claireluxtonart.com @claireluxtonart PODCAST HOST BIO With over 30 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. **** Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today! https://cerihand.com/membership/ **** Build Relationships The Easy WayOur self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/**** Book a Discovery Call Today To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at hello@cerihand.com **** Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative.

Labour’s agriculture spokeswoman on what she’s up to for the rest of the year, and the latest polls.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prepare to challenge your understanding of Canadian law with our guest, Michael Mulligan, as we unravel three pivotal legal cases making headlines in British Columbia. First, we dissect a bold ruling where a BC judge declared the 25-year parole ineligibility for first-degree murder unconstitutional. This decision could transform the legal landscape, questioning whether longstanding standards align with modern constitutional rights. We explore the historical precedents, including the Supreme Court of Canada's 1990 Luxton decision, and consider the implications of evolving legal interpretations on future cases.Switching gears, we uncover the curious dismissal of a case due to a no-show Crown prosecutor, illustrating the intricate dance of jurisdiction between the BC Supreme Court and BC Provincial Court. With procedural nuances in the spotlight, we discuss historical instances like a Crown Counsel strike, shedding light on the complexities of prosecution duties. Lastly, we navigate through the latest developments in a class action lawsuit against HSBC, where allegations of mutual fund misrepresentation have sparked claims of unjust enrichment. Learn the crucial differences between actively and passively managed funds and why these distinctions matter to investors seeking value for their money. This episode promises a deep dive into the dynamic interplay of law and current events, offering insights that are both enlightening and thought-provoking.Follow this link for a transcript of the show and links to the cases discussed.

In Episode 234 of Anecdotally Speaking, Paul Luxton, Head of Asia for Syngenta, shares insights on leadership, cultural adaptability, and the power of storytelling. Paul … The post 234 – Paul Luxton: Storytelling and Authenticity in Leadership appeared first on Anecdote.

Labour’s agriculture spokeswoman nominates her highlights, lowlights and her ag person of the year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The bill seeking to remove Good Friday and Easter Sunday as restricted trading days has been voted down. Politicians voted against it 74 to 49, in a conscience vote. ACT MP Cameron Luxton says he did what he could to represent Kiwis who want freedom on how they spend Easter. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's Ag spokesperson has been on the road visiting high-profile Kiwi farmers at the coal face.  And we agree to disagree over Te Pāti Māori and the Hīkoi.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's Ag Spokesperson reflects on a bad day for her local electorate with the announcement of the mothballing of the Alliance Group's Smithfield plant in Timaru, with the loss of over 600 jobs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's Agriculture Spokesperson defends the travel habits of politicians, particularly Damien O'Connor's, plus we ask her why she's not knuckling down and coming up with some meaningful agricultural policy? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does the North star have to do with improvement in healthcare? Listen to this inspiring episode with Leanna Luxton to hear how she worked with patients to change and improve the way rehab is delivered and find some great sayings to remember and guide your work! Leanna Luxton is the Community Stroke Team Lead for Northamptonshire and Clinical Director for her own healthcare business. As a physiotherapist, Leanna has worked in large teaching hospitals in the UK prior to moving to Northampton and specialised in stroke rehabilitation 15 years ago. Her interests include developing true patient-centred care and provision which she discusses in her widely renowned Tedx talk, service development and leading large-scale complex change projects, role-modelling leading with compassion and collaboration, and she is an active co-chair of the Northampton General Hospital Race, Equality and Cultural Heritage Network. The Habits of an Improver Views and opinions on this Podcast do not necessarily represent the individuals employers. Every effort is made to ensure information is factually correct, please get in touch if we have made any errors. Find us on X: @AHPQI Instagram: @AHP_QI E-mail: alliedhealthqi@gmail.com Music "Rising Tide" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We last chatted to Labour's Ag Spokesperson on July 15. But haven't heard boo from her since! Does Labour actually have any agriculture policies? Or are they asleep at the wheel? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour Ag Spokesperson denies it was a "sleepover and love-in" with Federated Farmers, rather it was a useful exercise in bridge building with the rural sector.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's agriculture spokeswoman reveals she has been dubbed “The Princess of the Provinces” by Federated Farmers and has decided to own the title. She talks about her conversations with farmers at Fieldays and her constructive discussions with Minister of Agriculture Todd McClay.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's Ag Spokesperson talks live animal export, wallabies and a sleepover with Fed Farmers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We ask Labour's Agriculture Spokeswoman if, on reflection, and after the election tidal wave kicked Labour to touch, the Ardern/Hipkins Government was far too tough on farmers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week's Taxpayer Talk presents another installment of our "MPs in Depth" podcast series, delving into the backgrounds of Parliament's newest members. In this episode, Jordan sits down with Cameron Luxton, the recently elected ACT Party MP.Cameron Luxton is unique in that he is New Zealand's only Licensed Building Practitioner ever elected to Parliament. Prior to his political career, Luxton worked as both a builder and a dairy farmer. He shares with Jordan his personal journey, recounting his challenges in school and eventual breakthrough, spurred by a teacher and environment that diverged from the traditional, one-size-fits-all approach to education.It's evident that Luxton's passions lie in advocating for charter schools and addressing the housing crisis. He articulates how the closure of charter schools served as a catalyst for his entry into politics, highlighting his commitment to tackling pressing issues facing New Zealand.Cameron's maiden speech can be watched here. Follow Cameron on Facebook here.To support Taxpayer Talk, click hereIf you have any comments, questions or suggestions, feel free to email podcast@taxpayers.org.nz Support the show

Though born and raised in Ontario, Steve Luxton now calls Nova Scotia home. Blame it on meeting a girl and falling in love! We're happy to have his expertise in the music community, in particular his students at Nova Scotia Community College, who cherish his talent and guidance. We chat about his time spent at esteemed Humber College to running his own studio in Cape Breton. Steve has loads of stories, insights and pro tips to share in this episode!  Us on the web: www.mikeandkristen.ca Instagram: www.instagram.com/mike_and_kristen/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikeandkristencreative Shoot us a message! Say hello, tell us who you think we should have on the podcast, and your deepest and darkest secrets: mikeandkristencreative@gmail.com  Review our book "You and Me" on Amazon (it helps a lot!!): https://amzn.to/3qqNCMo Intro song: "The Walk" Outro song: "The Jam" both by Mike's band The Town Heroes - www.thetownheroes.com Mike's site: www.michaelsryan.com Kristen's site: www.kristenherringtonart.com M & K Fundraiser: https://mikeandkristen.ca/fundraiser Steve's website: https://www.steveluxton.ca/ Steve's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steve_luxton/

We asked Labour's agriculture spokeswoman if she has sufficient credentials to do the job, considering her background is in early childhood education. Plus, we find an interesting family connection to political Labour Party royalty.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A fresh move to overhaul Easter trading laws.  ACT MP Cameron Luxton has lodged a private members bill to relieve the restrictions on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.  He says forcing businesses to close doesn't make sense for a diverse modern nation.  Luxton told Tim Dower that this is one of those small issues that lead to a big problem.  He said that currently there is confusion around the rules over the Easter period, and they don't allow people to enjoy their holiday break in the way they'd like.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael is joined by a pair of dodos (Dan Luxton and Madeline Hunter).

SONGLIST: 1) Aaron MacDonald feat. Steve Luxton - Handful Of Time, 2) Aaron MacDonald feat. Steve Luxton - Sail Her Home, 3) Aaron MacDonald feat. Steve Luxton - I Still Need You, 4) Aaron MacDonald feat. Steve Luxton - The Road, 5) Aaron MacDonald feat. Steve Luxton - Harbour Nights, 6) Aaron MacDonald feat. Steve Luxton - Oh Atlanta, 7) BONUS: Andrew Moore - Race Me, Julianne, 8) BONUS: Pete Hansen - The Hill. Enjoy!

You see those murals at Meatstock? The designs on the NZBA tee shirts? The Caleb memorial shirt?  Well, the guy holding the spray cans to those is Mr SImon Luxton, otherwise known as Art by Sigh, and he's here on the base to chat everything art, tattoos and BBQ.  Plus we round up the latest news and get some outdoor cooking safety tips!  Thanks for listening for another year, see you all in '24!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's new spokeswoman for agriculture says her rural background means she's the right woman for the job. She's looking forward to getting out and about around New Zealand to listen to the rural sector.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Surprising news out of the opposition, as Hipkins reveals his shadow Cabinet picks.  Many of the roles are a continuation of the portfolios MPs served while ministers in government- but some have been changed. The Country's Rowena Duncum was surprised to see Jo Luxton take over the Agriculture role, and wonders what that means for Labour's future. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some former ministers have taken top positions in Labour's front bench while others have lost out. Carmel Sepuloni has social development, Grant Robertson has finance, Ayesha Verrall has health, and Ginny Andersen keeps police. Damien O'Connor's been taken off agriculture, with Jo Luxton taking up the spokesperson role. Former senior Labour staffer Clint Smith told Tim Dower that Luxton's one of the more rurally based Labour MPs. He says Damien O'Connor has been around a while and Chris Hipkins probably wanted to give important roles to some younger MPs.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael is joined in his taxi by businessman Kevin (Dan Luxton), and lifestyle guide Alison (Madeline Hunter).

My 13th guest of Season 3 is Sammy-Jo Luxton - Sammy-Jo is a Pro fighter

Join East Coast DNA for an interview with Steve Luxton, a Sydney, Nova Scotia based, singer-songwriter who recently released his EP A Lifetime Ago and has plenty of upcoming performances to showcase these and many other original tunes. "Blurring the lines between alternative rock and roll and renegade folk Steve Luxton does more than write songs, he captures moments in time and frames them in captivating melodies and haunting harmonic changes." 00:00 Intro featuring Steve Luxton "So Called Life" from his EP A Lifetime Ago 00:12 Welcome with Darcy Walsh 00:30 Steve Luxton interview 00:40 A Lifetime Ago EP 01:20 Ontario roots and Cape Breton connection 01:46 Sunday Sounds Good 02:20 NSCC Music Arts 03:54 CBMIC 05:24 East Coast Collaborations 06:20 New material and back catalogue 07:17 Upcoming performances 11:40 Upcoming recordings/full length coming 12:20 Steve Luxton sound 14:17 Inspirations and shout outs 15:55 Genre blending in modern content intake 16:53 Instrument arsenals 18:30 Follow Steve Luxton online 23:55 Steve Luxton "So Called Life" from his EP A Lifetime Ago 28:15 Subscribe to East Coast DNA Get your copy of A Lifetime Ago, view the lyrics for each song, and follow Steve Luxton on Bandcamp: https://steveluxton.bandcamp.com/ SUBSCRIBE to East Coast DNA's YouTube channel for more content from Eastern Canada's vibrant music scene! @eastcoastdna --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/east-coast-dna/message

People off the telly don't tend to know the first thing about sustainability, let alone possess a properly anoraky understanding of the subject, but Charlie Luxton is different.Jeff and Alex spoke to Charlie about his approach to sustainability, how to communicate about the benefits of sustainability, asking more questions to our clients, and about the state of architectural education, among other things.For those who, like Jeff, have been living under a rock these past 20 years, Charlie Luxton has presented numerous shows across British TV, including Building the Dream, Homes by the Sea and Impossible Builds (More 4), World's Wierdest Homes, SuperCommuters, Best Laid Plans (Channel 4), Modern British Architects (Channel 5), Britain's Hidden Heritage (BBC 1), Restored to Glory and Rebuilding The Past (BBC 2), Homes and Property (ITV) and The Great Treehouse Challenge (Sky Living). Charlie and his wife Kate Luxton also run an architectural practice, Charlie Luxton Design, whose work seems to be annoyingly well conceived.Kudos to Grace Fraser from heat recovery ventilation supplier Airflow for connecting Jeff and Charlie.Notes from the episodeSalk Insitute: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/louis-kahn-salk-instituteDitchley park: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ditchley_ParkThe Camden project Jeff mentions:  https://passivehouseplus.ie/news/design-approaches/study-extreme-overheating-not-reflected-in-building-simulationsCharlie's house - https://charlieluxtondesign.com/charlie-builds-house/Charlie Luxton Design's office, Black Barn Studios: https://charlieluxtondesign.com/buildings/black-barn-studios/ Airthings - Internal air quality monitoring: https://www.airthings.com/en-gb/Skipton Building society's carbon profiling of its building portfolio: https://www.skipton.co.uk/about-us/our-environmentCharlie's Cornish holiday home:  https://www.granddesignsmagazine.com/self-build/charlie-luxton/Helen Macarthur Foundation: https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/RHS Malvern garden built from waste materials: https://charlieluxtondesign.com/rhs-malvern/**SOME SELF-PROMOTING CALLS TO ACTION** We don't actually earn anything from this, and it's quite a lot of work, so we have to promote the day jobs.Zero Ambitions Partners email address - zap@eiux.agencySubscribe and advertise with Passive House Plus (UK edition here too)Email Alex and Dan about user research, websites, and communications - zap@eiux.agency; Everything is User ExperienceJoin ACANJoin the AECB Join the IGBCListen to Accelerate to Zero, Sara's podcast produced at BE-ST, on Apple or Spotify  **END OF SELF-PROMOTING CALLS TO ACTION** 

In local news, Brittany Luxton has been named the new W.A.M.Y. community action executive director. According to the Watauga Democrat, W.A.M.Y. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals and families struggling with poverty. Luxton started with the organization as a client in its Total Family Development before being promoted to Finance Director in 2012. Luxton is set to step into her new position on June 1.  In state news, a Raleigh man was charged with kidnapping Tuesday afternoon following an AMBER alert that was sent out on Monday. According to WRAL, Dustin Taylor Oakley stole a car with 5-year-old Arielle Williams inside before driving an hour away to Lillington when police caught up with him. Oakley is being held on a $510,000 bond and will face a probable cause hearing on May 15.  In national news, singer, actor and human rights activist Harry Belafonte died Tuesday. According to NPR, Belafonte broke racial barriers as a breakout star in the 1950's who went on to claim EGOT status, winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and a Tony throughout his lifetime. Belafonte died at his home in New York due to congestive heart failure. Now to sports. App State baseball is about to have a rematch against the second ranked D-1 team in the country. Following a series win against Ole Dominion at home this past weekend, the Mountaineers will play the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in Shelby tonight at 6PM. App State is looking to avenge their loss to Wake Forest earlier in the season, as they lost in front of a record breaking crowd in Boone, 10-4, back on April 11th. There will be free admission in Keeter Stadium for the game.  The NBA playoffs are heating up, and a number of teams up 3-1 in a best of seven series are looking to close out their series. The New York Knicks are looking to advance against the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7pm on NBA TV, the Los Angeles Lakers will have an opportunity to move on to the second round against the Memphis Grizzlies at 7:30 on TNT, and the Miami Heat have an opportunity to upset the top seeded Milwaukee Bucks at 9:30 on NBA TV. If the Heat wins, they would be the sixth eighth seed to ever make it to the second round. To end the night, the Sacramento Kings will try to keep home court advantage in a 2-2 series against the Golden State Warriors at 10pm on TNT. This has been your Wednesday morning sports break, and it is now time for your Boone weather report. And now for a special weather report powered by Booneweather.com. Today will be a partly sunny day with some scattered afternoon showers and a high of 59 with a low of 42.

Stefi Luxton drops by. Tune in while we talk about, Sochi Olympics, Possum Torr, Being a grom in the era of Snowpark, Beach Thurlow, Wanaka Skate Crew, What it takes to be a professional snowboarder, Life after competitive snowboarding and so much more...Enjoy!!

Link to bioRxiv paper: http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2023.04.09.536174v1?rss=1 Authors: Gregory, E. F., Kalra, S., Brock, T., Bonne, G., Luxton, G. G., Hopkins, C., Starr, D. A. Abstract: Striated muscle laminopathies caused by missense mutations in the nuclear lamin gene LMNA are characterized by cardiac dysfunction and often skeletal muscle defects. Attempts to predict which LMNA variants are pathogenic and to understand their physiological effects lags behind variant discovery. We created Caenorhabditis elegans models for striated muscle laminopathies by introducing pathogenic human LMNA variants and variants of unknown significance at conserved residues within the lmn-1 gene. Severe missense variants reduced fertility and/or motility in C. elegans. Nuclear morphology defects were evident in the hypodermal nuclei of many lamin variant strains, indicating a loss of nuclear envelope integrity. Phenotypic severity varied within the two classes of missense mutations involved in striated muscle disease, but overall, variants associated with both skeletal and cardiac muscle defects in humans lead to more severe phenotypes in our model than variants predicted to disrupt cardiac function alone. We also identified a separation of function allele, lmn-1(R204W), that exhibited normal viability and swimming behavior but had a severe nuclear migration defect. Thus, we established C. elegans avatars for striated muscle laminopathies and identified LMNA variants that offer insight into lamin mechanisms during normal development. Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info Podcast created by Paper Player, LLC

Brianna Clement is on the #ReadingWithYourKids #Podcast to celebrate her #PictureBook A Dream Can Be Achieved, Luxton, A Swimming Champion. Brianna tells us that this book reminds us that swimming can be a fun, safe and aspirational activity for babies and kids. Luxton began as an infant, learning to swim safely with Mom, Dad and friends at his swim school. His dream is to one day become such a great swimmer, he will compete in the Olympics. It's never too early to set goals and reach for your dreams! Click here to visit Brianna's website - https://www.adreamcanbeachieved.com/product-page/a-dream-can-be-achieved-children-s-hardcover-book  Click here to visit ur websiste - www.readingwithyourkids.com 

If you're looking for a place to jam offline in London, or for a place for your group to perform, then you need to listen to the latest episode of the Improv London podcast, which features Dan Luxton. Dan talks about Duck Duck Goose, Vic Hogg, welcoming new improvisers, Yes And people, Hope & Anchor, Hoopla!, how acts can apply to appear at Duck Duck Goose, people starting their improv 'journey' by jamming, The Shadow Lord, dressing up for Pirates Prov, Improv The Dead, Tim Dawkins, Zombies! Improv! Pirates! jam, Queens Head (near Piccadilly Circus), Plus Support, Scoops Improv Comedy Brighton, Sarah Davies, Paul Little, Improfest, Johnny Briers, Historyonics and Brendan Way. Please support the Improv London podcast by liking, subscribing and telling your friends about this episode. Support us financially via: www.patreon.com/improvlondon.

Mark Pincus was at the forefront of mobile technology when it was just being born. He is a recovering venture capitalist who co-founded his first company with Sunil Paul in 1995. FreeLoader was at the forefront of giving people the news through push technology, just as the IETF was in the process of ratifying HTTP2. He sold that for $38 million only to watch it get destroyed. But he did invest in a startup that one of the interns founded when he gave Sean Parker $100,000 to help found Napster.  Pincus then started Support.com, which went public in 2000. Then Tribe.net, which Cisco acquired. As a former user, it was fun while it lasted. Along the way, Pincus teamed up with Reid Hoffman, former PayPal executive and founder of LinkedIn and bought the Six Degrees patent that basically covered all social networking. Along the way, he invested in Friendster, Buddy Media, Brightmail, JD.com, Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter.  Investing in all those social media properties gave him a pretty good insight into what trends were on the way. Web 2.0 was on the rise and social networks were spreading fast. As they spread, each attempted to become a platform by opening APIs for third-party developers. This led to an opening to create a new company that could build software that sat on top of these social media companies. Meanwhile, the gaming industry was in a transition from desktop and console games to hyper-casual games that are played on mobile devices. So Pincus recruited conspirators to start yet another company and with Michael Luxton, Andrew Trader, Eric Schiermeyer, Steve Schoettler, and Justin Waldron, Zinga was born in 2007. Actually Zinga is the dog. The company Zynga was born in 2007. Facebook was only three years old at the time, but was already at 14 million users to start 2007. That's when they opened up APIs for integration with third party products through FBML, or Facebook Markup Language. They would have 100 million within a year. Given his track record selling companies and picking winners, Zynga easily raised $29 million to start what amounts to a social game studio. They make games that people access through social networks. Luxton, Schiermeyer, and Waldron created the first game, Zynga Poker in 2007. It was a simple enough Texas hold 'em poker game but rose to include tens of millions of players at its height, raking in millions in revenue.  They'd proven the thesis. Social networks, especially Facebook, were growing.. The iPhone came out in 2007. That only hardened their resolve. They sold poker chips in 2008. Then came FarmVille. FarmVille was launched in 2009 and an instant hit. The game went viral and had a million daily users in a week. It was originally written in flash and later ported to iPhones and other mobile platforms. It's now been installed over 700 million times and ran until 2020, when Flash support was dropped by Facebook. FarmVille was free-to-play and simple. It had elements of a 4x game like Civilization, but was co-op, meaning players didn't exterminate one another but instead earned points and thus rankings. In fact, players could help speed up tasks for one another. Players began with a farm - an empty plot of land. They earned experience points by doing routine tasks. Things like growing crops, upgrading items, plowing more and more land. Players took their crops to the market and sold them for coins. Coins could also be bought. If a player didn't harvest their crops when they were mature, the crops would die. Thus, they had players coming back again and again. Push notifications helped remind people about the state of their farm. Or the news in FreeLoader-speak.   Some players became what we called dolphins, or players that spent about what they would on a usual game. Maybe $10 to $30. Others spent thousands, which we referred to as whales. They became the top game on Facebook and the top earner. They launched sequels as well, with FarmVille 2 and FarmVille 3.  They bought Challenge Games in 2010, which was founded by Andrew Busy to develop casual games a well. They bought 14 more companies. They grew to 750 employees. They opened offices in Bangalore, India and Ireland. They experimented with other platforms, like Microsoft's MSN gaming environment and Google TV. They released CastleVille. And they went public towards the end of 2011. It was a whirlwind ride, and just really getting started. They released cute FarmVille toys.  They also released Project Z, Mafia Wars, Hanging with Friends, Adventure World, and Hidden Chronicles. And along the way they became a considerable advertising customer for Facebook, with ads showing up for Mafia Wars and Project Z constantly. Not only that, but their ads flooded other mobile ad networks, as The Sims Social and other games caught on and stole eyeballs. And players were rewarded for spamming the walls of other players, which helped to increase the viral nature of the early Facebook games. Pincus and the team built a successful, vibrant company. They brought in Jeff Karp and launched Pioneer Trail. Then another smash hit, Words with Friends. They bought Newtoy for $53.3 million to get it, after Paul and David Bettner who wrote a game called Chess with Friends a few years earlier. But revenues dropped as the Facebook ride they'd been on began to transition from people gaming in a web browser to mobile devices. All this growth and the company was ready for the next phase. In 2013, Zynga hired Donald Mattrick to be the CEO and Pincus moved to the role of Chief Product Officer. The brought in Alex Garden, the General Manager for Xbox Music , Video, and Reading, who had founded the Homeward creator Relic Entertainment back in the 1990s. The new management didn't fix the decline. The old games continued to lose market share and Pincus came back to run the company as CEO and cut the staff by 18 percent. In 2015 they brought in Frank Gibeau to the board and by 2016 moved him to  CEO of the company. One challenge with the move to mobile was who got the processing payments. Microtransactions had gone through Facebook for years. They moved to Stripe in 2020. They acquired Gram Games, to get Merge Dragons! They bought Small Giant Games to get Empires & Puzzles. They bought Peak Games to get Toon Blast and Toy Blast. They picked up Rollic to get a boatload of actions and puzzle games. They bought Golf Rival by acquiring StarLark. And as of the time of this writing they have nearly 200 million players actively logging into their games. There are a few things to take from the story of Zynga. One is that a free game doesn't put $2.8 billion in revenues on the board, which is what they made in 2021. Advertising amounts for just north of a half billion, but the rest comes from in app purchases. The next is that the transition from owner-operators is hard. Pincus and the founding team had a great vision. They executed and were rewarded by taking the company to a gangbuster IPO. The market changed and it took a couple of pivots to get there. That led to a couple of management shakeups and a transition to more of a portfolio mindset with the fleet of games they own. Another lesson is that larger development organizations don't necessarily get more done. That's why Zynga has had to acquire companies to get hits since around the time that they bought Words with Friends.  Finally, when a company goes public the team gets distracted. Not only is going through an IPO expensive and the ensuing financial reporting requirements a hassle to deal with, but it's distracting. Employees look at stock prices during the day. Higher ranking employees have to hire a team of accountants to shuffle their money around in order to take advantage of tax loopholes. Growth leads to political infighting and power grabbing. There are also regulatory requirements with how we manage our code and technology that slow down innovation. But it all makes us better run and a safer partner eventually. All companies go through this. Those who navigate towards a steady state fastest have the best chance of surviving one more lesson: when the first movers prove a monetization thesis the ocean will get red fast. Zynga became the top mobile development company again after weathering the storm and making a few solid acquisitions. But as Bill Gates pointed out in the 1980s, gaming is a fickle business. So Zynga agreed to be acquired for $12.7 billion in 2022 by Take-Two Interactive, who now owns the Civilization, Grand Theft Auto, Borderlands, WWE, Red Dead, Max Payne, NBA 2K, PGA 2K, Bioshock, Duke Nukem, Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear, Battleship, Centipede, and the list goes on and on. They've been running a portfolio for a long time. Pincus took away nearly $200 million in the deal and about $350 million in Take-Two equity. Ads and loot boxes can be big business. Meanwhile, Pincus and Hoffman from LinkedIn work well together, apparently. They built Reinvent Capital, an investment firm that shows that venture capital has quite a high recidivism rate. They had a number of successful investments and SPACs.  Zynga was much more. They exploited Facebook to shoot up to hundreds of millions in revenue. That was revenue Facebook then decided they should have a piece of in 2011, which cut those Zynga revenues in half over time. This is an important lesson any time a huge percentage of revenue is dependent on another party who can change the game (no pun intended) at any time. Diversify. 

Julie has a wild time joining the Sovereign of the Seas in 1990 as a dancer. She goes on to work as Cruise Staff, Hostess, and Asst. Shore Ex, she talks about the pre-internet bonds formed with fellow shipmates, crosses paths with a stowaway, leaves some pax in Haiti, the ship-shape police, a Bachelorette party, the American Gladiator and the speedway museum, and bringing out the Majesty.  

Alasdair Black, our senior pastor, speaks and introduces Rev. Anthony Luxton.

This episode is the third installment of an original continuing series. A sudser. Yes, a seller of soap, based in our Hamlet of Narrowsburg in the 1930s. That's right a soap opera called, As The River Turns. This third episode is a chance for you to get to more of the townsfolk.  Last episode we followed sweet, noble Constance as she went about her day.  In this episode we will get to know a little bit about her husband Luxton and a few of the other characters residing in the 1930's Hamlet of Narrowsburg. With sound and graphics by Alan Kehoe, and original music produced and performed by Heidi Mollenhauer.  Our Podcasts are produced by Western Sullivan Public Library's techwizard, Dale Blagrove. Join us for this monthly continuing series.  With The Act Underground Theatre's Podcast Players:  Warren Anschutz, Janet Burgan, Thomas Cambridge, Tina Gordon, Veronica Hernandez, Naomi Holoch, Kyoshin Lohr, Wendy Merritt, Heidi Mollenhauer, Greg Triggs, Charlie

Reports and PapersClick here to access Injustices and Miscarriages of Justice Experienced by 12 Indigenous Women. Click here to read Carly Peddle, Emma Ronsley & Debra Parkes, Toward Abolishing the Mandatory Life Sentence and Parole Ineligibility Periods for Murder: Discussion Document.Click here to check out Sarah Chaster's paper, Cruel, Unusual, and Constitutionally Infirm: Mandatory Minimum Sentences in Canada.Click here to access Marie-Eve Sylvestre's research, Moving towards a minimalist and transformative criminal justice system: Essay on the reform of the principles and objectives of sentencing, prepared for the Department of Justice Canada.Click here to access research by the Department of Justice on MMPsClick here to read the Senators Go to Jail report.LegislationClick here to access Bill S-233Click here to read Bill C-223Click here to check out Bill S-230PBO ReportsClick here to read the PBO report titled The Federal Cost of Minimum Sentences. Click here to check out Demonstrative Examples of Costing Sentenced InmatesClick here to access the PBO report, The Fiscal Impact of Changes to Eligibility for Conditional Sentences Imprisonment in Canada.Click here to check out the PBO report on the Funding Requirement and Impact of the “Truth in Sentencing Act” on the Correctional System in Canada.JurisprudenceClick here to read R. v. Bissonnette, 2022 SCC 23Click here to access Twins v. Canada (Attorney General), 2016 FC 537Click here to read R. v. Luxton, [1990] 2 S.C.R. 711Click here to access R. v. D.B., [2008] 2 S.C.R. 3, 2008 SCC 25Click here to read R. v. Ipeelee, 2012 SCC 13, [2012] 1 S.C.R. 433 Other ResourcesClick here to check out Kim's Senate Bio pageClick here to access publications by Professor Parkes

This week Jessica, Maiki & Benedict discuss the resignations of Ashley Bloomfield and Louisa Wall and a tough week for Police Minister Poto Williams. Produced and Engineered by Brian Holloway

David D. Luxton, PhD., is an author, clinical psychologist and a musical artist. A former military psychologist and research scientist, he has authored more than 100 academic publications in the fields of artificial intelligence, ethics, and psychological health. He is Associate Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle. David is also U.S. Air Force veteran, and founder of the Wayfarer Records music label. We took this opportunity to chat with David about the content of the Pentagon UFO Report; his meeting with Former Navy Commander, David Fravor (who witnessed the ‘tic-tac' UFO); and his new novel, “The Goldilocks Zone,” in which he tackles the topics of UFOs, Mind Control, and living in the age of misinformation.

The pleasure revolution is alive and well! Where are you on the "aliveness" scale? Even if you are moving through grief, trauma, or homeschooling, you are very much alive and present to your human experience. But can we create room for PLEASURE, even on difficult days?  You bet! We need to move from victimhood to pleasurehood (yes, I made up that word as a combination of pleasure and motherhood) and take our power back! Sophie Luxton is the creator of the SPIRITUAL STRIPTEASE and has declared herself the Mistress of Epic Self Care. She breaks the "good wife" and "good mother" rules and encourages women to ask for what they want. Yes, please! Sophie and I honor the fact that we are still in the midst of a pandemic and online learning. We recognize that life is hard right now AND we want to remind you of the pleasure practices that work, even on the shitty days. It's fascinating how simple or elaborate (your choice!) these practices can be. Pasha shares a vulnerable story about how using the "good guest toilet paper" was the bravest thing she did to access pleasure one day. We have to set the intention to find pleasure and feel worthy of receiving it. Sophie shares how she "used to" have a juicy, fun, and creative life and now, surrounded by laundry and dishes, she realizes how important it is to orientate ourselves to pleasure. When we do, we escape from victimhood mentality and step into our power.Sophie desires an environment where a woman becomes  highly trained to know what she likes AND what she doesn't like. It is so powerful and sexy to see a woman give an empowered yes or an empowered no. The spiritual striptease that Sophie created uses clothing and the removal of clothing as a way of soulful expression. This practice is about a woman feeling pleasure in her own skin for herself and often by herself. She even got me to practice a little striptease (you'll have to watch on youtube to see it:), which was a huge challenge for me, but she held space for my anxieties beautifully. Her invitation to express our sensuality through movement and alchemize difficult emotions, such as rage, sounds liberating and perfect for this time. Find Sophie here @juicysophieluxtonJoin her FB group https://www.facebook.com/groups/mistressesofepicselfcare/Email-sophie@sophieluxton.comPlease feel free to schedule a free liberation call with Pasha here https://calendly.com/pashamarlowe/30min1:1 and group coaching/therapeutic comedy coaching available.And, of course, PLEASE subscribe to this podcast, leave a review, and share with friends. THANK YOU, FRIENDS! Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/pashamarlowe)

The impact of Brexit on the creative industries. Today a letter from the Business for People's Vote Campaign, was published in the Times, signed by names including leaders of the creative industries, like Norman Foster, Terence Conran, and the bosses of Aardman Animation and Endemol Shine. We speak to John Kampfner, formerly of the Creative Industries Federation and who helped coordinate the letter, about the impact of proposals on the sector.Bestselling author of The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield, on her third novel, Once Upon A River – a mystery set in the 19th century around the Thames.The Government has created something called the ‘Building Better, Building Beautiful commission', led by philosopher Roger Scruton. It will be shortly hosting public debates about the aesthetics of architecture. Architectural designer and presenter of Building the Dream, Charlie Luxton, discusses beauty in architecture. Composer, multi-instrumentalist, performance artist, and Pulitzer Prize winner Du Yun is one of the featured artists in SoundState, an international festival of new music which in on at the Southbank Centre in London this week. She discusses her love of making music that breaks boundaries.Presenter: Stig Abell Producer: Rebecca Armstrong