Podcast appearances and mentions of Matthew Dunn

We had Peggy Chong as a guest in episode five of Unstoppable Mindset back in October of 2021. Peggy spends a great deal of her time researching blind people, she calls them her blind ancestors, to learn and write about their histories. For example, did you know that five blind people in the 1930s served as congressmen or U.S. senators? True. Did you know that the typewriter was invented for a blind countess? Did you know that it was a blind person who invented automobile cruise control?   Peggy will talk about all these stories and others. Recently she spent two weeks at the library of Congress researching one project that she will discuss. Spoiler alert: we don't get to hear the end of the story as Peggy has more research to do and more documents to uncover. However, the story she tells us this time is intriguing and spellbinding. So join me on a journey to learn more about the history of blind people and learn why you should even thank blind people for some of the inventions you take for granted today.       About the Guest:   Peggy Chong's first book in print, Don Mahoney: Blind Television Star is on the shelves at many book sellers.  She writes and lectures as The Blind History Lady.  Her infatuation with stories she heard of those she now calls her “Blind Ancestors” surprised and inspired her to learn more, for herself at first and then bring their light to the world.  Peggy researches their stories and brings to life the REAL struggles of what it was and is still, to be a blind person in the United States.   Her works have been published in _The Iowa History Journal, Dialogue Magazine, The Farmington Daily Times, The Braille Monitor and Future Reflections. _ Each month she sends to her email followers another story of a blind ancestor to inspire blind and sighted alike.   Currently, Peggy Chong chairs the Preservation of Historical Documents for the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado, to save the single-source files, records, news clippings and correspondence of the blind of Colorado dating back to 1915.   She has been an active part of the blind community for more than forty years.  Determined to imbue the service delivery system for the blind with a more positive and forward-looking philosophy, Peggy joined with other blind people in Minneapolis, Minnesota to establish Blindness: Learning in New Dimensions (BLIND, Inc.), a training center for the blind designed to encourage its students to achieve self-sufficient and productive lives.  In 1985, Peggy Chong accepted the position of President of the Board of BLIND, Inc., a position she held for ten years.  During that time, she worked with many students of all ages and varying levels of vision, encouraging them to learn the alternative nonvisual techniques of blindness and fueling their imaginations to dream of a life where each of them could live and work in their communities on a basis of equality with their sighted peers.  She also helped many of them to make intelligent decisions about their vision--when it would be helpful and when it would hinder progress toward independence.   After moving to Baltimore Maryland in 1997, Peggy secured a position with BISM as an outreach/instructor.  In 1998, Peggy left BISM accepting a position with the Job Opportunities for the Blind program at the National Center for the Blind in Baltimore, Maryland.  For more than a year, she led a succession of intensive two-week training sessions designed to teach computer and other important job-readiness skills to blind individuals seeking employment.  She also worked individually with each job candidate to refine the job search according to the unique needs of each, and she worked with numerous employers to ensure that the characteristic of blindness was accurately perceived and the blind job applicant treated fairly.  When a job was offered to any of her students, she provided assistance before  and after securing the job to ensure that each of them had the tools needed to succeed in the new position.  Sometimes this involved connecting her student with other blind persons doing that same job somewhere in the United States.  At other times, she provided information and advice about new, non-traditional techniques that could be used to perform the job successfully.   Later, Peggy served for three years as the National Program Manager for NFB-NEWSLINE®, out of the Baltimore MD offices.  In this position, she formed valuable relationships with national and local newspapers, community-based service delivery organizations and rehabilitation programs, and literally thousands of blind men and women--many of them newly-blind--across the country.   After moving to Iowa in 2002, she became a private contractor providing consulting services and employment training to governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations.  Her work involved the dissemination of job-search, résumé creation and distribution services designed to help individuals--with or without disabilities--to secure competitive employment.  She also taught independent travel to the Blind.  She also served as the NFB-NEWSLINE Coordinator for the state of Iowa for several years.   For more than forty years, Peggy has been active in a variety of community organizations: the National Federation of the Blind, the American Cancer society, the Hawthorn Area Community Council, the Cooperating Fund Drive, Iowa and Albuquerque Genealogical Societies, Friends of the Iowa Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, The Friends of the Colorado Talking Book Library, State Rehabilitation Council for the Commission for the Blind of New Mexico, board member-ADA Advisory Committee for the City of Albuquerque Iowa Shares and Oasis of Albuquerque.    Ways to connect with Peggy:   Website: theblindhistorylady.com   Email: theblindhistorylady@gmail.com       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 ** 00:16 Hi. I'm Michael Hinkson, Chief vision Officer for accessibe and the author of the number one New York Times best selling 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. Well, hello and welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. We get to do a lot of all of that today. So it's kind of fun. In October of 2021 I had the honor and pleasure to interview well, let me rephrase that, talk with Peggy Chong, known as the blind history lady. Maybe it was a little bit more of an interview then, but we have really reshaped unstoppable mindset to be a conversation and not an interview. So it does get to be something where we get to talk with each other and ask each other questions and whatever else makes sense to do. Well, Peggy wrote a story about blind lady, and the story was published recently, and she did what she always does, she sends it to anyone on her mailing list. And I'm fortunate enough to be on it and read it, and I suddenly realized it has been two and a half years since we had Peggy on, and that has to change. So Peggy, welcome on to unstoppable mindset. Welcome   Michael Hingson ** 01:20 Well, hello and welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. We get to do a lot of all of that today. So it's kind of fun. In October of 2021 I had the honor and pleasure to interview well, let me rephrase that, talk with Peggy Chong, known as the blind history lady. Maybe it was a little bit more of an interview then, but we have really reshaped unstoppable mindset to be a conversation and not an interview. So it does get to be something where we get to talk with each other and ask each other questions and whatever else makes sense to do. Well, Peggy wrote a story about blind lady, and the story was published recently, and she did what she always does, she sends it to anyone on her mailing list. And I'm fortunate enough to be on it and read it, and I suddenly realized it has been two and a half years since we had Peggy on, and that has to change. So Peggy, welcome on to unstoppable mindset. Welcome   Peggy Chong ** 02:22 to me. Yes, that's I was really surprised it had been two and a half years. So thanks for having me back.   Michael Hingson ** 02:29 Well anytime. So Peggy is known as the blind history lady because she specifically researches information about blind people, and she really researches their lives and then tells people about them, and we'll dig into a lot of that, but why don't we start? Maybe it'll be a little bit of redoing of what we did. Tell us about the early Peggy growing up.   Peggy Chong ** 02:52 Well, I grew up in a family where my mother was blind, and I have three blind siblings out of a family of five kids. So there's four of us, and my mother had gone to the North Dakota School for the Blind, so she was not eager to send her children to the School for the Blind at all. She wanted us to go to public school. So we well. She did not like the idea of being so far away from her family. She felt that it really there were some family dynamics that go in to that as well. But basically, she went up there in the end of August, early September, many times came home for Christmas, but not always, and then she went home the end of May. So she was really only with her family, mostly in the summers.   Michael Hingson ** 03:53 I remember when I was growing up and we moved to California from Chicago, and my parents had really heated arguments with the school district in Palmdale because they said I shouldn't go to school there. I should go to the school for the blind, which at that point was in well, and still is in Northern California. It hadn't relocated to Fremont, I don't think, yet, but they wanted me to go there, and my parents said, No, he's going to grow up and go to regular public schools. And it was a huge battle. Well, my parents won, but I suspect it was for probably a lot of the same reasons why your mom didn't want you guys to go.   Peggy Chong ** 04:35 Well, my mom came from a town of 400 people, so the public school there. First of all, if she had gone to public school, most kids didn't get past the eighth grade, you know, they went to work on the farms, and I think she would have not been able to get a lot of material in any kind of a format at a. All her ophthalmologist when she was six years old, wrote in her record that she needed to go to the school for the blind and to learn to read and write in braille, which I thought was amazing, yeah, for a doctor to say that at that time,   Michael Hingson ** 05:17 yeah, the doctors told my parents to send me off to a home, because no blind child could ever grow up to amount to anything or be useful at all, and all I would do would be to destroy the family dynamic and but you know, the other side of it is, as we know, you and I, places like the School for the Blind in California really did teach a lot. They were at that time. I think Newell Perry was, was still, still there. You know, Tim Brook had been one of his students, and they did teach a lot of the right stuff, along with providing the right material. But still, was a question of whether that's where you really wanted to be sent to or have your child sent to.   Peggy Chong ** 06:01 You know, one of the interesting things that has changed a lot of my thinking, doing this whole history dive that I have been doing, when I graduated from public school, I didn't really feel like a part of my class, but I thought I had gotten a better education, and at that time, the schools for the blind were changing. More kids were getting into the public schools who were more academic, and the schools for the blind were receiving more of the students who were not academic. So the kids that were graduating from the school for the blind about the same time, I were not always, you know, job ready. They weren't going to do much afterwards. And so my impression at that time was that that's what happens when you go to the school for the blind, not understanding the dynamics that the whole education system was going through and so on. But I look back at some of these people that I've researched, and they talk about how in the farming communities, which many of them came from, because our communities were fairly small, they went to the School of the blind, and they they fit in. They had they had peers at their level. Everything was in enough format. They could read mostly, or it the accommodations were being made for them. They competed in sports. They got involved in some of the community activities in the towns where the schools for the blind were so that they were connected with the community, and they seem to have not all of them. Of course, you you don't always want to tire everybody with the same brush, so to speak, but you don't you see more of a population of kids who had more self confidence, who had more of an idea of what they were going to do as a blind person after leaving the school, as opposed to the public school kids who were exposed to a lot of things, but if they didn't get in with the group, if they didn't get a chance to really participate if they were just sitting on the sidelines. They left the public school system, and they didn't go to college, necessarily. They didn't go to work, they went back to the family home. So when I graduated from high school, I thought a public school education was the best thing for a blind child. I'm not at that time, but I'm not so sure that that's really the case. I think you have to look at the child, the family situation, the school situation. Is the public school gonna provide a good, positive, supportive, learning structure and of course, always happen.   Michael Hingson ** 09:05 Of course, yeah, it still doesn't always happen, although, of course, there is a lot more material and there are a lot of tools available now that even when you and I graduated, were not available and students should be able to get a better public education, but the other part about it is the whole social acceptance and like you, I think I was really mostly on the sidelines. I was active in the science club and a couple things, but really not involved in a lot of the social organization of the schools, and that went all the way through high school, but I did at least have access to Braille books and Braille material, and I had parents who were vehemently in favor of me working to be a. A good student in the school, and they gave me every opportunity that I could. And outside of school, I was in the boy scouts, and so I did have other activities, and again, that was encouraged, and I was very fortunate for the most part. We dealt with scout leaders who encouraged it as well, probably because they had conversations from my parents, or with my parents, who said, look and and gave them an education so but it worked out pretty well. My dad was involved in Scouting as well. But I hear what you're saying, and I think that the schools for the blind, as near as I can tell today, have receded even further and are not really as much focused on the academics of students who are blind, but now they're dealing with multi handicap situations and other things that make it even more of a challenge for them.   Peggy Chong ** 10:50 Yeah, but I do think that you're right. Parents make a big difference. Family Support makes a huge difference. Yes,   Michael Hingson ** 10:59 yeah. Yeah. And the parents really do make all the difference, if they're willing to, as I describe it, be risk takers in that they let us explore, they let us do things. I'm sure they monitor us, but they allowed us to explore. They allowed us to learn about the world, and they knew instinctively that's what they needed to do, just like they would do it with any other kid.   Peggy Chong ** 11:26 Yeah, my parents let us ride bicycles. Yep, which I know that my mother, she did not feel confident enough to ride a bicycle, but as kids, wanted to and and she was, she was gonna just let it happen. And we had a few bike accidents. But, yeah, so does my sighted sister,   Michael Hingson ** 11:49 yeah. I mean, everybody does. So there's nothing, nothing new there. And eventually we bought a tandem bike so my brother and I could deliver newspapers together, and then that worked out pretty well, but I had my own bike and rode it around the neighborhood, wrote it to school for the first three years, and then transferred to a school across town, because there was a resource teacher at who was based at that school, and the resource teacher was the teacher who would work with the blind kids, so I had a period with her every day. And I learned braille in kindergarten in Chicago, but after Chicago, I didn't have access to it for three years, so I had to relearn it, which I did. But you know, things happen. Yeah, they do. So what'd you do after high school?   Peggy Chong ** 12:45 Well, after high school, I met this guy and got married. I thought about going to college, but I was I wasn't quite ready for college. I didn't really think that I was academically ready, so I went to work, and worked as a librarian assistant for two years, and then when our daughter came along, then I quit, became a stay at home mom, and got active in the National Federation of the Blind. I got active in tiny tots, you know, because my daughter went to tiny tots and US mom sat around and exchanged coupons and everything like that. While they were in there.   Michael Hingson ** 13:27 Did you exchange your share of coupons? Oh, yeah,   Peggy Chong ** 13:31 I tried to call my dog food coupons for the things that I needed, like milk or diapers or whatever. And   Michael Hingson ** 13:39 we should say that this guy you got married to, I'm sorry you have to put up with him all these years, but, but his name is Curtis Chung and Curtis has also appeared on unstoppable mindset, but we probably have to get him back on too, because there's lots to discuss.   Peggy Chong ** 13:55 Yeah, we were just discussing actually riding bikes when he was a kid, because his father let him explore and get hurt. His mother was not inclined to do that, and so his dad took a lot of heat, because Curtis would ride around on his three wheeler and crash into the wall or roll out in the street or whatever, but   Michael Hingson ** 14:21 Curtis has to learn to listen.   Peggy Chong ** 14:24 I don't think that's gonna happen.   Michael Hingson ** 14:29 He's not nearby, is he? Oh,   Peggy Chong ** 14:35 catch it on the podcast. Oh, he   Michael Hingson ** 14:36 will. But, but still, but, but even so, he did get to explore, which is, you know, what's really important? And I think that the blind people who have the most confidence or who are the most outgoing are the ones who were really given those opportunities by their parents. I believe. So, yeah, sure. So you didn't go to college, you You did other things, which is cool, and exchanged coupons. I've never been much of a coupon collector, and even with online coupons, I don't do nearly as much of that as I probably should.   Peggy Chong ** 15:14 Well, I don't do that anymore either,   Michael Hingson ** 15:15 but Instacart is our friend. Yeah, that's true. I did   Peggy Chong ** 15:19 go back to college for a while, and it actually was a really big boost in my self esteem, because I went back to college thinking, I've got to start over. Got to start from scratch. And so I took the basic courses that you take when you're a freshman, and I aced them, and I was, I was quite surprised at myself, so it gave me, it gave me a lot more confidence in myself to go ahead and try new things. I got out more into the community, joined the neighborhood group. I wrote letters, wrote articles for newsletters, and really start to come into myself, probably when my daughter was about 10.   Michael Hingson ** 16:10 And she's surprised how much you've learned over the years, right?   Peggy Chong ** 16:13 Well, I was pretty dumb there between her 18th and 21st year, but I got pretty smart after that. Yeah, there you go. Yeah. And since she's 45 now, you know, I've been smart for a while. What a relief. No kidding, I feel very lucky when I look at the relationships that I read about in all these families that I research, and the dynamics of the families and how kids don't get along, and they never spoke to their parents after they were 22 or whatever. And I think, gee, you know, I got my fighting with my daughter all done by the time she was 21 now we're friends, so that's good,   Michael Hingson ** 16:52 yeah, which works out. So when did you start getting interested in this whole business of researching blind ancestors and learning about the history of blind people.   Peggy Chong ** 17:05 Well, that actually started in my 20s. The NFB of Minnesota owned a home for the blind, and we decided that it was it was past its time. We did not need segregated housing for blind people, so we were going to sell the property. That meant you had to clean out the building. And there was a lot of stuff in there, and they had kept the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota, started as the Minnesota State organization of the blind, and in 1920 so they had some correspondence going back to 1919 and they kept everything. I mean, it was really cool. I was given the job of going through all of the boxes and file cabinets and getting rid of stuff, because we were going from this three story building to 1000 square feet office, and has to all fit, so everything had to go into one file cabinet, and I'm and they gave me the job because I had grown up in The blank community, and as a kid, I had known the people from North Dakota and Minnesota who were the blind newspaper dealers, the blind rug weavers, the blind door to door salesmen, the blind janitors. And they thought I would recognize people more than the rest of them would. So I'm going through stuff and pitching and pitching and pitching all this stuff into the trash. Every so often I stopped to read something, and one of the letters that I read was from the early 20s, from one of the board members to another one, describing their meeting with our blind state congressman, our blind US congressman, excuse me, and of course, they don't tell who it is. I didn't know there was a blind congressman, so I put that aside, and I started to pay more and more attention, so that blind Congressman became my first, what I call ancestor. I kept information that I had found here and there, kept those letters and put them in a box, and I went after who, what turned out to be Thomas David Shaw, who was the blind congressman who was working on a bill called the Robbins bill that would have been kind of a rehabilitation bill, putting some things together that would be similar to what our Randolph Shepherd vendor program is today. That bill didn't go anywhere. Um. But he then became a US senator, and he was one of two blind senators in the US Senate in the 1930s the other being Thomas prior gore. Thomas Shaw was killed by a hit and run driver just before Christmas of 1935 and he's a great ancestor to start with, because he had all this mystery around him, and you just had to know. So the driver of the car got out after he driven about a half a block and yelled back, well, he shouldn't have been in the street anyway. Now he was with his cited aid him one of his legislative aides, who was also hit and seriously hurt but but did survive that aid wrote a book about 20 some years later, as did the daughter of a newspaper man from Minneapolis who was killed in the very same way two weeks before Shaw was killed, and that newspaper reporter moved into this apartment a couple of weeks before he was hit by a car out of Thomas Shaw's house in Minneapolis because he was being harassed for the article He was working on about the mafia infiltrating the Democratic Party, and Shaw was helping him with this article. And so Shaw's family believed, as did the daughter who wrote the book about her dad, the reporter, as did the person who was with him that day, they all said that, you know, it was a he was deliberately hit, a man who hit him, he was deliberately hit because, if you talk to his grandson or his daughter in law, that they they believe it was a contract hit. But the man who hit him, who was unemployed. This was, you know, the middle of the Depression. He was unemployed, and all of a sudden, couple of years later, he has a brand new house that's paid for. He has no job. His children are in private school. They go on to college. He has no job. Where'd the money come from? Everybody wanted to know, and it was so he was somebody who I researched a lot, and that's before computers, and that was before you had an opportunity to go online, and before things were digitized. So you had to always go someplace and have somebody look it up for you. And a lot of times I would call and I would say, Well, can you read it to me over the phone? I didn't tell them I couldn't read it myself. I just asked them to read it. And I was surprised how many times people did read it, read articles to me, read them, the collection information to me, and so on. So he was my first ancestor. And because he was probably somebody I researched for good 30 years, I kind of got that in my blood, and then in about 2000 I decided I was going to do my family tree ancestry.com. Had just gotten started, and I thought, well, you know, why not? Keeps me busy for the winter. That is, it's it is worse addiction than chocolate or coke. I am here to tell you. I have been a subscriber of ancestor.com for a long time, and by and large, things are fairly accessible with that, unless you want to read the original document, because things were mostly handwritten, and these are scanned images, pictures of the originals and so on. But I'm surprised how many people are transcribing for their family trees, the information, the articles, the pieces from the books. So sometimes I get into things and it's already transcribed for me, I'm really kind of impressed   Michael Hingson ** 24:17 that works out very well.   Peggy Chong ** 24:18 I think so. So I was one who didn't like history in school because it didn't apply to me. And the few things that I had saved from Minnesota, you know, that applied to me because that was an organization I belonged to, and some of the people I had known. So I started with some of them because it applied to me. But once I really got into the family history, I just really got the bug. And when I would stall out on my family, I'd reach into now this collection that was more than a box or two of stuff that I have been collecting. And. Say, Well, I wonder what I can find about this person. Wonder what I can find about that person. And I took all these classes on how to research through the genealogical societies, several of them, and because it was when computers were not really used for genealogical research, they gave me a lot of information on the techniques that they use so they don't have to travel. And I used all of those techniques, and a lot of them are very great techniques that a blind person can use because for a $15 donation to this Genealogical Society, or this History Society, or this public library, there's some volunteer that's just willing to dig into something and find out what it is I want to know, and then they'll send me a nice email back, or a bunch of papers in the mail that I'll have to scan. But it's been really interesting to find out how easy it has been to dig into a lot of these old documents with the help of other people who have no idea that I'm blind at all,   Michael Hingson ** 26:13 which, which is, of course, part of the issue. They don't even know you're blind.   Peggy Chong ** 26:18 No, they have no clue. But they would do that for someone else. Yeah? So, yeah, I just take advantage of the opportunities that are already there and maximize them to my benefit.   Michael Hingson ** 26:31 So what are some of the early stories that you found that really fascinated you and that you found interesting that you've published?   Peggy Chong ** 26:41 Well, the one that just came out this month about Helen may Martin, the blind and deaf woman who was a concert pianist, is a fascinating story to me. And here's another example of this. Is a blind and deaf person who was born in 1895 the schools for the blind didn't take a blind and deaf student, and the schools for the deaf didn't take a deaf and blind student. In many parts of the country to get in as a deaf blind student, you either had to have a lot of money, or there just happened to have, happened to be somebody who was donating extra money at the time. You just happened to have a teacher that was skilled in working with one on one with a deafblind student. So Helen may didn't have that. She was born in Nebraska. The Nebraska school for the blind and deaf didn't want or the Kansas School for the blind and deaf didn't one of the Missouri School for the Blind in the School for the Deaf didn't want her, so her mother decided Helen is going to grow up and she is going to be the best of whatever she can be.   Michael Hingson ** 27:53 There's mom again. There's the family again. Well, mom   Peggy Chong ** 27:56 was a music teacher. Dad was a salesman who was on the road a lot, but he was also musically inclined, and they had a piano in the house. Mom taught music, and she kept Helen with her a lot. And Helen thought this was a game on the piano the keys and doing it, so she wanted to learn the game too. Mom, had her put her hand on the piano to feel the vibrations. Later on, it was the heel of her foot to feel the vibrations and how she would press the key harder and the vibrations of the piano were more full. When Helen started to really learn how to play the pieces, her mother would teach her with one hand, then the other, and they would put it together. And then her mother started to explain musical notes by using beans. A whole note was one bean. A half a note was two Beans. Quarter note was four beans. And explained how that worked to Helen. Then they would play these pieces, and the mother would say, Well, this is a song about the flowers, or this is a song about someone's life. And so Helen needed to know the story, and then the music had feeling her emotions. She understood the music better, and she learned to play with feeling as well. And when she was about 18, she wrote to the schools for the blind, asking again to have somebody come and teach her. Now, her mother was a smart woman. She knew there were magazines for the blind, and so she wrote and got everything she could find. Well, somewhere in New York point, somewhere in Braille,   Michael Hingson ** 29:56 Moon type and all of this. Hmm. And   Peggy Chong ** 30:01 so Helen learned several different ways to read. Her mother learned some of it and taught Helen. And then Helen, through reading these magazines, learned to read much better.   Michael Hingson ** 30:16 Let me stop you for a second, because I think it's important that listeners understand. You know, Braille was developed by Louis Braille in 1824, but it was quite a while before Braille itself was adopted. And one of the things that a lot of schools and people did early on, if you will, was assume that blind students could learn to feel raised regular characters, and then when they discovered that wasn't working as well as it could, other kind of languages were developed. Says Peggy said New York point and I said Moon type, which are two different languages, if you will, of raised characters that are somewhat different from Braille than it was a while before people realized finally that there were advantages to what Braille offered, because it was a very simple in a sense, dot configuration, but people could learn to read it and learn to read it well and read fast with it.   Peggy Chong ** 31:18 New York point was two dots high and four dots wide, right. And the New York point was started in New York, of course, with the schools there, Perkins, the Perkins School for the Blind, which began in the 1930 in the 1830s used the raise print system. They had their own printing press and everything. So they had all of the equipment to print their own books. Therefore they were invested in more ways than one into that raised system. The first school that actually taught Braille in this country was the Missouri School for the Blind in 1860 so Braille didn't quite catch on here. New York point had caught on, and what had spread across, especially New England and the East Coast, far more than Braille, the Braille did, which is why the Matilda Ziegler, what magazine was in Braille. Some of the religious magazines were Matilda Ziegler, I'm sorry, was in New York point at first, before it went into Braille. So   Michael Hingson ** 32:33 why do you think Braille finally caught on?   Peggy Chong ** 32:36 Well, it had a lot to do with money, but it also had to do with the fact that, you know, the schools for the blind, up until probably about the 1860s did more lecture and answer, question and answer, and that's how you learn they're just they didn't have either the money or the printing press or the access to actual tactile books for the kids. So the teachers themselves would lecture, and they would memorize and recite a lot more than than the sighted children did in the schools, although my dad tells stories about how they didn't have school a lot of school books, either in his school when he was growing up. I don't know, maybe that wasn't so different. But when Helen was reading things, she was getting some magazines from France, because Europe, England had publications in braille, and they would they could be received here in the United States. So her mother signed her up for those signed her up for newsletters coming out of California. California was quite a literate state in that the school for the blind, the school in Berkeley, the Institute for the Blind, they all had printing presses so that they could manufacture their books and share them. So Ohio was another place that her mother got her books Helen's books from as well. So she got all this material encouraged Helen to read and read and read, and she also taught Helen to type at the age of six, because her mother knew how to type. So her mother taught her how to type again. It was kind of a game. The keyboard was a game, and she learned to type quite well, so she kept a diary in print, and she wrote articles her mother would read to her, and they developed, at first, their own sign language, and then her mother and her sister. Her learned sign language, and they would spell into Helen's hand. Now, her dad died when she was about 1220, her sister was about 12 at the time, and so the mother had to go back to work. She became a seamstress. She had her own shop. She sewed dresses for people in town, and Helen learned how to do that. Helen had learned how to cook. She was constantly by her mother's side, so when her mother went to work, she was in charge of the house. Her mother got her classes at conservatories of music. Her mother went with her and translated into Helen's hand what was being said for the class. She never graduated from a conservatory, but because of her exposure, people were like this. She's deaf and she's blind and she's playing the piano. This is so amazing. She plays it with feeling. And so she would get a little concert here, and a little concert there. And pretty soon it expanded, and her mother thought, well, let's see where it goes, you know? So she started promoting her daughter, getting her all these concerts. There were all these professionals musicians, educators, even from the schools for the blind, who would come and watch Helen perform, because they just couldn't believe a deafblind person could do this. And when Helen would travel, she had the same experience. Her mother would send ahead all this information about Helen may Martin, the deafblind piano pianist who is going to perform, and there would be the announcement in the paper. But many times, the reporters didn't believe that Helen was deafblind, so they didn't put the article in. They would wait till after the performance, and then there would be the article about Ellen Mae Martin, and I went to see her, and she really is deaf and she really is blind, and she plays beautifully. Ripley's, believe it or not, had a program on the radio. He also had a Ripley's, believe it or not, theater in New York, and he sent someone out to check out Helen and see if she really was a deafblind pianist. And discovered that she was, and he brought her on her show. She was well received in New York, and got a multi week contract to perform at his, believe it or not, theater in New York. So she was in New York for quite a while, several months, performing for many concerts and many theaters in New York. Helen died in 1947 so she was like about 5252 years old, so she wasn't really that old. And her sister died in 1939 who was much younger than she was. So Mrs. Martin ended up out living all of her children, neither of Helen or her sister ever married or had children. So her mother ended up, not in poverty, but she certainly was not a wealthy woman when she passed away. But before she passed away, she supposedly gave all of Helen's diaries to some historical society, of which no one can find, which I'm hoping they're in a back box behind the furnace somewhere, and someday they'll be unearthed, because that would be fascinating, the little bits of her journal that were recorded in newspapers. She wrote very well. She had a very strong vocabulary. Some people equate deaf people with having a smaller vocabulary. That was certainly not the case with Helen, and Helen has been somebody that has really touched a lot of people. When you think about what you can and cannot do, nobody told Helen she couldn't. Nobody said, you know, as a deaf person, probably the piano is not something you should try to take up. But encouraged her because she had an interest, and worked with Helen's interests, and worked with what Helen knew, and her mother did that and encouraged her, made sure she was literate because she was a lot older when she went to school, really, when she went to school, she. Took about five years to complete the academic courses at the School for the Blind, and she did get a certificate of graduation she was older than the rest of the students. Her mother had blind pianists come and work with Helen while Helen was growing up, so she had music teachers, and she found some deaf students, graduates from the schools for the deaf, from other states, sometimes Kansas, who would come and work with the family. That's how they learn sign languages. So Helen's mother was extremely important with making Helen who she was I wonder   Michael Hingson ** 40:40 if she ever met Helen Keller. Yes, she did.   Peggy Chong ** 40:44 They both met when they were adults. Helen may Martin had written to Helen Keller, and Helen Keller had heard about the blind woman who was the pianist, the blind and deaf woman. So when Helen Keller went on one of her tours. She went to Nebraska, and Helen and her mother went and stayed with a relative and got an audience with Helen Keller. The Of course, Helen Keller was always followed by reporters, and so they reported on the meeting of the two Helens, and they called Helen may Martin, the second Helen Keller, well, Helen Keller was not happy with that. She said, Are you kidding? She is not the second Helen Keller, she has far exceeded everything I could have ever done.   Michael Hingson ** 41:38 I can see her say that, yes, it   Peggy Chong ** 41:40 was just, it was really wonderful. She scolded the reporter, and that reporter didn't report on the scolding, but another reporter reported on Helen Keller scolding the reporter for saying that she was the second. Helen Keller, and don't you call her at the second? Helen Keller, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 41:59 you know, it's interesting that you, you clearly worked at this pretty hard and found a lot of information about her, even so. And you're you're right. It would be nice to find her journals and the other things, and I bet you will at some point, they're somewhere.   Peggy Chong ** 42:15 I think so I think they're somewhere.   Michael Hingson ** 42:20 Now I have to go back to a story that you talked about a little bit on our first unstoppable mindset episode, because you said something here that brought it up, and that is that Helen may Martin learn to type, tell us about the history of the typewriter. Will you? Oh, I love to I know it's a great story.   Peggy Chong ** 42:42 When I go to talk to the students who are at agencies for the blind learning to be blind people when they're in their adjustment to blindness, training, a lot of them, oh, talk about how difficult the computer is because it's so difficult you can't see the keys. And I love to tell the story of the invention of the typewriter, because it was an invention for blind people. And we have forgotten that as a society, the typewriter was the invention of a man who was overly friendly with this Countess, married to this count. The Count wasn't attentive enough for the Countess, so she had to find other interests, friends, but they would write back and forth. Now the problem was the ladies in waiting who wrote the letters to her friend, her special friend, showed them to the count, and that just, you know, wasn't a good thing. So, and they also didn't get delivered either, because if the count didn't like it, he had the letters tried, so he invented this device where she could type out the letters and then send them to him without having a ladies maid between them. And it caught on the schools for the blind in New York, especially the schools for the blind taught typing at the school and their students by the late 1880s and early 1890s were going to state fairs and the World's Fair demonstrating the typewriter for the Remington company as something that really would help the gentlemen who were secretaries in the office. Lady secretaries were not quite yet the thing and   Michael Hingson ** 44:42 would have helped Bob Cratchit Anyway, go ahead,   Peggy Chong ** 44:46 you never know. Do you humbug? I love that story. Yeah, but yes. So their students graduated, were really good typists and. They saw to him that they got put into insurance companies, law firms, and highlighted their students as typists. And the typewriter was also catching on really well in the business community, because now you didn't have to decipher some of that handwriting. And believe me, that handwriting that still exists from back then is very difficult, always doing to figure out just   Michael Hingson ** 45:27 handwriting of old days or days of your that is hard to understand. So I'm told,   Peggy Chong ** 45:33 No, it's today's but yes, well, and they're actually teaching handwriting again in school. A little side note is that I have a lot of volunteers that have been transcribing documents for me from about 1915 to about 1980 from the collection of old files at the Colorado Center for the Blind that we unearthed and we found we could not use high school students and some younger college students because they couldn't read handwriting. We had to, we had to go into the retirement communities to find our volunteers who were very good, by the way. But anyway, so the typewriter has was really the communication material, tool that was used by so many blind people for a long time, and I think we got away from that now, where we have to have special keyboards for the blind. Some places are really insistent on that. Some blind people are insistent on that when you were meant not to look at the keys. That's why the two little bumps on the F and the H are there is so that you could orient yourself and continue typing looking at the paper. The sighted ladies would look at the paper and type their material and not have to look at their keys. So something that we have forgotten, and you know, like the scanner, is, you know, a product that was originally designed for blind people. We forgotten that, I think, in our society as well. But I like the inventions that blind people have contributed, such as cruise control. That was an invention by a blind man to make the cars in his lot stand out from the other car dealers in his small town. There was a man in Minnesota who had lost his hand as well as his eyesight and part of his hearing. He went to the summer programs for adult blind people at the School for the Blind in the 19 late 20s, early 30s. There were no programs for adult blind in the in the state, really at that point, unless you wanted to make brooms. They suggested that he become a piano tuner. And he said, Well, you know, I really wasn't very musical when I had my sight and my hearing, I don't really see how I can be a piano tuner if I can't hear it and I only have one hand. So what he got out of those summer programs, though, was he met other blind people who gave him job leads, and they told him to go to this broom factory in Minneapolis, because it was owned by a blind guy. And he employed some blind guys and sighted guys as well. So he went up there, and this is during the Depression, and the guy said, you know, I really love to help you. I don't need anybody in the factory. I have all the blind salesmen. Most of his salesmen were blind. I have all the salesmen that I can use for this area, but you know, if you want to branch out and head out to like, say, North Dakota or South Dakota, I'd be glad to hire you. And probably thought he'd never heard from the guy again, but the guy came back and says, Well, I found another guy. He doesn't have a job, he doesn't have a home, but he's got a pickup. So the two of them bought as many brooms as they could put into the pickup, and they headed out. Sold all the brooms. They came back. The two men, in a couple of years, earned enough money where they both bought property, and this guy, he bought the property, and what we would call today flipped. It bought a duplex and got renters in. It continued to sell brooms until he really became pretty handy at flipping houses, buying and selling property. So he got kind of tired, though, because, you know, he's now, like, close to 50 years old. Wild, and he has to change the storm windows on the house in Minnesota. Have to put on the screens in the summer and the storms in the winter. And he's climbing up the ladder. He's only got one hand trying to change the windows on the second story. And thought, There has got to be a better way to do this. I really don't want to keep climbing up this ladder. So I talked to this other guy, a blind guy, who was a furniture builder, had his own furniture shop. And he told the guy, this is my idea. I want to design a window where it comes in on a hinge, and then I can just reach in, pull in the storm, clean it, put it back, and they invented this window. He built a few of them on his own, demonstrated that it worked, put it in his house. This window company came along, bought the patent and the blank, I never worked again. He didn't have to work again. The neat thing though, was when he went blind, his wife had passed away a couple of years before, and he became very depressed, lost his job, lost his house that he had paid for his relatives, and the county came and took his three children away. When he sold his patent, he got two of his children back. His oldest child was now in the service and serving in World War Two. But he got his children back. He provided a home for his mother. He actually remarried again, you know, a man who just came back from nothing, and then out of his own need, created this window that many houses in the Midwest, the older houses built in the late 40s and 50s, have those windows that you pull in on a hinge and open up, clean them and close them   Michael Hingson ** 52:03 back out. Now, of course, we have dual pane windows and other things like that. But, yeah, yeah, so, so who invented the scanner?   Peggy Chong ** 52:12 Well, that was Ray Kurzweil. I   Michael Hingson ** 52:14 just wanted to see if you'd say that it's interesting. Kurzweil   Peggy Chong ** 52:19 is an interesting guy, you know, he is still alive and still very concerned about blind people, and active in the blind community, providing funds for scholarships and so on. We correspond, yeah, and he had this wonderful idea in the 70s to provide a scanner that would read to the blind, and it was as huge. I mean, it was bigger than my washing machine.   Michael Hingson ** 52:48 Yeah, the whole thing weighed 400 pounds, not too gosh, yeah,   Peggy Chong ** 52:51 the library, the public library in Minneapolis, bought one. Unfortunately, not a lot of people used it because they locked it up because they were afraid it was going to get broken.   Michael Hingson ** 53:03 That makes sense somehow. Yeah, right. It's, it's interesting, though, also to try to describe how the scanner worked, because you, you can't really say it took a picture like you would do today with a phone. No, because the way it worked was there was a piece of technology called a charge couple device. Won't go into the theory of that, but basically, the scanner would move up and down the page, like an inch at a time, scanning across, then dropping down, scanning back, dropping down, and so on, building up an image that took almost a minute to do. And then the computer would take probably anywhere from depending on the complexity, 20 seconds, to 30 or 45 seconds, to process it. And then it would read out loud.   Peggy Chong ** 53:52 But it worked, and you had access to that book right, and   Michael Hingson ** 53:58 you had access to that book right away, and it worked. And of course, it did get better over time. And then Ray was also very much involved in unlimited vocabulary, voice input and other things. So you mentioned two blind senators. Were there any other blind national politicians.   Peggy Chong ** 54:22 There were five blind congressmen all together. There was Thomas Shaw and there was Matthew Dunn. He served from 1935 to 1940 he was the last of any of our national representatives as blind people. And Matthew Dunn came from Pennsylvania. He was an interesting person because he did really he was interested in politics, but it was not what he wanted as a career, but he did it because he was a part of the. The Pennsylvania Association for the Blind, which was one of the original affiliates of the National Federation of the Blind. They were very concerned that the welfare system in the country was going federal, which was a good thing and a bad thing, a good thing if it was done right, a bad thing if it was not. And they knew from just Pennsylvania alone, how a charity system, a welfare system, a poor house system, they had all these different types of programs to serve blind people, as far as financial was concerned, and they had many situations in their state where if you lived on one side of the street as a blind person, you could get maybe $8 a month if you lived on the Other side, maybe only two, because you crossed a county line or you crossed out of the sea. And so they wanted to have some input on a federal level to all this, these pieces of legislation, Social Security, the rehabilitation legislation that was being bandied about, they wanted to have some input into it, to make sure that it wasn't a charity, that it wasn't for the poor, that it was something that would make you have A step up, that you could get out of poverty, that you wouldn't be stuck there, that you would have an opportunity to get a job, that you would have an opportunity to go to school and still get some financial support, that you could own your own home and maybe still get some financial support, because if you were a blind person in Pennsylvania, in some parts of the state, and you went blind at, say, 40 years old, your house was paid for. You had to sell that house or that asset in order to get financial support. And they wanted people to have a right to protect what they have so they can get a step up and get back to work. And Matthew Dunn was sent there by the blind people, and he campaigned on those issues, about wanting to go to Washington to make sure that the new laws regarding social security rehabilitation would provide people an opportunity to progress, rather than stay at home, remain in poor farms, remain in nursing homes. So he was, it was an interesting sort   Michael Hingson ** 58:01 and it's a battle that still goes on today. For   Peggy Chong ** 58:06 you know, as much as we look at history, you know, if you don't know your history, you're bound to repeat it. And you just look at things, and they just cycle through and cycle through. I remember in the 1920 minutes of the NFB of Minnesota. Back then, it was called the Minnesota State organization the blind. There were three resolutions that were just about the same as three of the resolutions at the 1995 convention. We haven't gone very far have we   Michael Hingson ** 58:40 not in some ways, you know, we have been doing this mostly an hour. But I can't end this without saying two things. One, we'll have to do another one, but, but the other one is, tell me a little bit about your recent trip to Washington. That had to be fascinating. It was   Peggy Chong ** 58:59 fascinating. I went to Washington knowing very little. What I thought I knew turned out not to be what I should have known. I came across a newspaper article about, oh, four years five years ago, five years ago, I guess, now, about a blind guy, a broom maker, who had gotten an award from the Harmon Foundation, and I couldn't understand why he got the award, because it didn't really say why he got the award. He just got an award. Well, I didn't find out much about the broom maker, so I decided to look in the Harmon Foundation, and what I had learned online was that the Harmon Foundation had given a lot of support, financial awards, loans to the black community who were into art. And I couldn't figure out how this broom maker, this white guy, Bloom. Broom maker fit in, and there was nothing online about it, until I got into the Library of Congress and found the Harmon foundation collection. And I looked at that and went, Oh my gosh, there must be a lot of data there, because the Harmon foundation collection goes from 1913 to 1965 there's 122 boxes. 14 of them are for this one program. Now there's about, oh, maybe 20, 3040, programs that the Harmon Foundation also has in this collection, none of them have that many boxes connected with it. So I thought I had hit a gold mine, and then way I did just not what I anticipated. The first two days, I spent 11 days in the Library of Congress. The first two days, I took the boxes chronologically and could not figure out what the heck was going on, because it none of it made sense. None of it fit into the stuff I knew about the program and the strangest stuff were coming up. People were writing on behalf of a school for the blind, or a public school area wanting a playground for the School for the Blind, and I'm thinking now in an awards a literary award program, why would you write and ask that? And then there were all these letters from blind people wanting to go to college and asking for a loan. And again, I thought, what? That just doesn't fit. So it took me till the third day before I got an understanding of exactly what was going on the Harmon foundation. William Harmon was the chair. He decided in 1927 he wanted a new program that would provide awards to blind people, much like their literary program that was providing scholarships for college students. They had a essay contest for farmers down in the south, and they would award them money to beautify their their property. They also had this program once I saw their newsletters where they had provided within like a five year period, over 50 playgrounds to schools or Communities for Children. And so it's starting to dawn on me that there's this group of people who've done their research on the Harmon Foundation, and there's a group of people that haven't done their research. And then there's what's going on with the award the Harmon foundation knew they had to reach out to the blind community. Part of their structure, when they were doing new awards, and they did many, was to reach out, put an advisory committee together with sewn from the Harmon foundation and those in that community in which they were trying to enhance so they wanted to reach out to the blind community. They found the Matilda Ziegler magazine, and they had the editor as one of their advisory committees, and they reached out to the American Foundation for the Blind, and ended up with a few of their representatives on that advisory committee, their normal process, the Harmon Foundation's normal process was then to take this advisory committee and then reach down into the community and have all these nominators who would take the applications for the awards and seek out applicants. Get the applications filled out, get the supporting documents filled out. For example, in their their farm and land beautification, one photographs needed to be taken sometimes, or they needed to get the names of some of the plants they were using. Sometimes, fruits and vegetables were sent to the Harmon foundation to show, hey, look how good my garden went, that kind of thing. So the nominators were to make sure that all of that was completed before the application was then sent in. That didn't work the application process. The Harmon Foundation put the application together, much like their other programs, and sent it to the advisory committee, and there were about 12 different versions of it after I went to the advisory committee in the Harmon. Original version that they had asked for award. They were going to give out 100 awards in total, and there were about eight categories, and they were going to have an award for the person who submits this great work of literary work, they were going to have an award for people who wrote essays about how they have made a difference in their life, how they made a difference in other people's lives, as blind people, and especially in that one, there's a little sub noted, and it says, when it's talking about what you might include in the essay, which is usually only about a paragraph it mentioned, and talk about how, as you progressed, your posture got better, your became more involved in the community. Well, the advisory committee ended up pulling all of that out. So the final application had a page of, is this person neat? Is this person polite? What is the posture of this person? All these personal things that when the blind people who were reading the Matilda Ziegler magazine, because Matilda Ziegler put all this information about the awards, they did a lot of promotion about the awards. They sent in essays from their previous editions of their Matilda magazine to the Harmon foundation to say these are the kind of essays that blind people can write, and they can tell you about how they have made a difference in their lives. They've made a success of this career. They have been instrumental in building their community school or their community church. But the Matilda Ziegler magazine people got the application and filled out what they thought was important, the the references and so on. And they get to all this stuff about their personal behavior, and one lady writes in and says, you know, I'm submitting my essay, but I'm not going to fill out these pieces because I don't think it has any bearing on whether or not my essay should be, should be judged on that. So I'm, I'm getting the drift here that the people that were sending in essays were not completing their application. The deadline the applications were sent out on April 15 of 1928 the deadline was August 15 of 1928 AFB provided a list of all of the organizations, the mailing list of all the names, organizations, schools, workshops for the blind, and the Harmon foundation sent out letters asking all of their these agency people to be the nominators. The AFB did not do that. They didn't write separate cover, hey, we're participating in this Harmon Foundation award, and we want you to support this award, be a nominator, and we want you to help fill out these applications and send them back so these principals at the schools for the blind or in the public schools who oversaw the program for public schools or the director of a workshop,   Peggy Chong ** 1:08:51 they they would either totally ignore it, or they would write back, well, sure, I'll be a nominator. I don't know what it involves, but you can use my name. So come August 15, the Harmon foundation doesn't have enough accepted applications to fill the awards, so they they're contacting AFB and Matilda Ziegler, what do we do? They extend the award for children and for been blind for two years. How has how have you progressed in two years to November 1, they still don't get enough because what happened is, especially with a lot of these schools, they saw it as a charity award, not a literary award. And so they would send the application in, partially filled out, and say, this student deserves this award because they came to the school and they only had one set of clothing, and we have been needing to support the student, or you need to gi

What do espionage and creativity have in common? As creativity becomes increasingly important for innovation and problem-solving, the field of espionage offers intriguing parallels. Both require quick thinking, adaptability, and the ability to see things from a different perspective. Matthew Dunn, a British spy novelist, media talent, creative adviser, and former MI6 intelligence officer, explores how these elements intertwine. With his extensive work experience, he shares how the principles of espionage–such as observation, adaptability, and tactical thinking–mirror the creative process.  He also provides practical advice on how to harness these principles to overcome challenges and foster a more imaginative approach to life and work. From his latest projects to his philosophy on creativity, Matthew offers a fresh perspective on how these seemingly disparate fields intersect. In this episode of The Greatness Machine, Darius is joined by Matthew Dunn, who will share how his background in MI6 has profoundly influenced his creative process. He discusses how the pressures and routines of everyday life can stifle creativity and offers practical advice on rekindling one's imaginative abilities through exercises and fresh perspectives.  Overall, this conversation will provide a thought-provoking look at how the skills honed in the world of intelligence can enhance creative thinking and inspire new ways of approaching life's challenges. Topics include: Matthew's unconventional recruitment into MI6 The critical role of high emotional intelligence (EQ) for intelligence officers Matthew shares insights into the rigorous selection process of MI6 The use of aliases and disguises in the life of an MI6 spy Matthew's transition from espionage to writing spy novels How life experiences influence creative processes And other topics… Connect with Matthew: Website: https://www.matthewdunnauthor.com/  LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/matthew-dunn-30731a17  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewdunnauthor/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMI6/  Connect with Darius: Website: https://therealdarius.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariusmirshahzadeh/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imthedarius/ YouTube: https://therealdarius.com/youtube Book: The Core Value Equation https://www.amazon.com/Core-Value-Equation-Framework-Limitless/dp/1544506708 Sponsors: Timeline - Timeline is offering 10% off your first order of Mitopure. Go to timeline.com/GREATNESS. Shopify - Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/darius. Constant Contact - Go to ConstantContact.com and start your FREE trial today. Mint Mobile - Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month at MINT MOBILE.com/great. Write a review for The Greatness Machine using this link: https://ratethispodcast.com/spreadinggreatness Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Matthew Dunn, a former MI6 spy turned bestselling author, delves into the world of espionage and storytelling. He shares his experiences as a covert intelligence officer, discusses how his work in MI6 shaped his writing career, and offers unique insights into intelligence and security. Matthew also highlights the challenges of transitioning from spy work to becoming an internationally recognized author, drawing from his expertise to craft gripping spy thrillers. His journey emphasizes the importance of authenticity in storytelling and the delicate balance of safeguarding classified information while engaging readers with thrilling narratives.Check out Matthew Dunn here: https://www.matthewdunnauthor.com/Join our free Skool community here: https://www.skool.com/wham-a-sales-community-8669 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today's episode of "The Table Rush Talk Show," I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Matthew Dunn, the visionary founder of Say It Visually and its portfolio companies, including Campaign Genius and Social Signal. Matthew's expertise in transforming digital communication through visual storytelling is truly inspiring. His latest venture, Social Signal, leverages AI to understand consumer behavior at an unprecedented scale, offering marketers refined customer insights based on vast data analysis. This episode dives deep into how digital marketing is evolving and how businesses can better connect with their audiences through innovative technology.Show Notes:Introduction to Dr. Matthew Dunn and his background in tech and education.Overview of Say It Visually and its impact on digital marketing.Deep dive into Social Signal, Matthew's latest venture that utilizes AI for advanced market segmentation.Discussion on the challenges and future of email marketing.Insights into privacy concerns and ethical data use in marketing.Key takeaways on how businesses can leverage these new technologies for better consumer engagement.Connect with Dr. Matthew Dunn:Explore Social Signal at socialsignal.ai for cutting-edge AI-powered customer insights.Dive into Campaign Genius at campaigngenius.io, where email marketing meets dynamic content and personalization.Visit Say It Visually at sayitvisually.com to see the origins of innovative visual storytelling.Reach out directly to Matthew via email for collaboration or inquiries at Matthew@socialsignal.ai Mischa's Stuff!Guest Speak On 50 Podcasts In 100 Days! Join The Influence Army Waitlist HERE!Join The Influence Army Newsletter Here!Email me: contact@belove.mediaFor social Media: FaceBook - https://www.facebook.com/MrMischaLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mischaz/Subscribe and share with your business associates who could use a listen!

This week Taylor and Sara are quickly approaching Finale time as they break down Vanderpump Rules, Season 11, Episode 14! Subscribe to the YouTube channel @PumpedUpTea  Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pumpeduptea/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pumpeduptea Join Our Patreon for some bonus content: patreon.com/pumpeduptea Stream Pumped Up Tea on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and IHeartRadio! Timestamps: Intro (0:00-1:40) Tea of the Week: Jax & Brittany attend the Whitehouse Correspondence dinner, where Jax denies his affair with Lori K and says he misses Brittany (1:41-8:25) Tea of the Week: Scheana addresses the rumors of Jax & Lori's alleged affair (8:30-8:55) Will there be a Reunion for The Valley? (9:00-12:38) Rachel Leviss and Jenny Ting were pictured together at Stagecoach & was allegedly wearing Ariana's shirt (12:40-19:40) Rachel Leviss has a new man, single father, Matthew Dunn (19:43-21:05) TMZ reports that Vanderpump Rules season 12 production will be put on “pause” - they will not be filming this summer (21:08-24:10) Ariana Madix filed motion to dismiss Revenge P*rn lawsuit with Rachel Leviss (24:15-28:45) Vanderpump Rules, Season 11, Episode 14 Recap & Reaction (28:50-1:12:40) Closing (1:12:40-1:15:25) --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pumpeduptea/message

Former MI6 spy and now celebrated author Matthew Dunn sits down with us to peel back the curtain on a life lived in the shadows. His transformation from university student to one of Britain's master spies is the stuff of novels, yet it was his reality from the enigmatic recruitment into the Secret Intelligence Service to the rigorous training that followed. We traverse the complex landscape of international spying, where the stakes are as high as national security and personal survival. You'll gain remarkable insights into the recruitment process of MI6, the thrilling and dangerous missions that span across continents, and the ethical quandaries faced by those in the spy trade. Matthew also discusses the intense challenges of maintaining a double life and the intricate dance between transparency and secrecy that is quintessential to an operative's existence. This episode also illuminates the power of transformation as we discuss the shift from espionage to empowering others through writing and mentoring. Matthew speaks passionately about his work with aspiring authors, reflecting on how teaching and creativity have become a cornerstone of his post-MI6 life. We celebrate the transformative impact of pursuing passions and taking bold steps towards our dreams. Connect with Matthew: AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Matthew-Dunn/e/B004EHL8EM%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/matthew.dunn.5015983 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/matthewdunnauthor/ LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-dunn-30731a17/ GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5395765.Matthew_Dunn YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmjGu6yrTlQp9uvzaABzHxQ HARPERCOLLINS: https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/matthew-dunn . . . . . . . . . . #soulawakening #consiousness #innerwisdom #quantumfield #higherdimensions #lightbody #raiseyourfrequency #conciousness #thirdeyeawakening #metaphysics #quantumhealing #ascendedmasters #consciousawakening #awakenyoursoul #thirdeyethirst #manifestingdreams #powerofpositivtiy #spiritualawakenings #higherconscious #spiritualthoughts #lightworkersunited #highestself #positiveaffirmation #loaquotes #spiritualinspiration #highvibrations #spiritualhealers #intuitivehealer #powerofthought #spiritualityreignssupreme --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thehiddengateway/support

Two runners on MM's day for two $1M race wins. Trainer Matthew Dunn says Boom Torque could potentially be a Stradbroke player if he continues to thrive.

This week we are featuring our friends Dom and Kate over at Shittin' Bricks Podcast.They are actually going to be revamping their show with a totally different format, but they do have 110 episodes in this format for you to enjoy.Here is one of them....Shittin' BricksA podcast based on the things that scare us the most!Addicted to tales of horror or mystery? ‘Shittin Bricks' won't disappoint! Jump under the covers and follow comedic cousins Dom & Kate with their aussie-branded wit, as they share their favourite dark and terrifying true life stories. Combining conversational humour and investigative journalism, they explore some of the most frightening moments in human history. Buckle up!Each week our hosts share one of their favourite true stories that has haunted them to this day. From cannibalism to the Bermuda Triangle they explore some of the most shocking moments in history. Facing terror head on but with a generous dash of the sometimes abrasive Australian humour you'll be thoroughly grossed out or mystified by the honest truth.Art by Matthew Dunn https://matthewdunnart.com/Website: https://shittin-bricks.captivate.fm/ A Paranormal PodcastSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/collected-sounds2/donations

When it comes to the world of Email, you could say Dr. Matt is a bit of an anomaly.  Theater Nerd turned Tech Wizard,  he's always had an innate talent for solving problems. He earned his stripes back when the world wide web was truly the wild wild west...on the ground floor of Microsoft in the late 80s.After pioneering the first-of-its-kind email support team, he parted ways with Bill Gates to start his own ventures in the digital space.Today Dr. Matt lives a life set firmly on the cutting edge of the Email tech space.  He chats with us about why Email really is the future...the internet's "last frontier".Any why, unlike everything else online, it's not going anywhere.  Although, he is still chapped  the internet isn't as free as it used to be.Follow Dr. Matthew Dunn on LinkedinCheck out his podcast - The Future of EmailHere's a couple of Dr. Matt's companies:CampaignGeniusSocial Signal

What is the new and emerging role of regulatory authorities in a GenAI world? Who should be regulated (lawyers and paralegals)? Should the provision of legal services/products/solutions remain a duopoly? Should tech/AI competency be mandated? What does legal professional responsibility mean in contemporary legal practice? In this podcast, Terri Mottershead, Executive Director at the Centre for Legal Innovation was joined by this outstanding panel and discussed the role of regulation and regulators: Matthew Dunn, General Manager – Advocacy, Guidance and Governance, Queensland Law Society Catherine Gleeson, Barrister, NSW Bar Council Member and Deputy Chair of the NSW Bar News Committee Jeannie Paterson, Professor of Law, University of Melbourne and Co-Director, Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Ethics (CAIDE), University of Melbourne Jennifer Shaw, Partner, Bartier Perry Lawyers and Panel Member of the NSW Law Society's Professional Conduct Advisory Panel This podcast was on Day One of the CLI Legal Generative AI Summit 2023 on 24 October. If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you'll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

Why are Iranian hit squads operating in the UK and even the US? Former MI6 intelligence officer and spy novelist Matthew Dunn shares his inside info here! What We Discuss with Matthew Dunn: Iranian hit squads are operating in the UK, the US, and other Western nations, threatening to kidnap, torture, and kill Iranians living abroad who are critical of the current regime. These hit squads are not expendable cannon fodder — they’re usually composed of former members of the Iranian security forces and intelligence services who are seriously trained to get the job done. This is not a new phenomenon — these hit squads have been working since the ’80s. But how have they kept themselves largely out of the public eye, and why have they suddenly become more active than ever before? We’ll examine the threat these hit squads pose to their targets and the general population, and scrutinize whether or not Western intelligence agencies are taking them seriously enough to counter their efforts. What function does MI6 serve in the post-Cold War landscape, and how does someone get invited to become part of its team? And much more… Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/912 This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course! Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Football correspondent John Murray, Football reporter Alex Howell & Daily Express football reporter Matthew Dunn discuss Gareth Southgate's squad announcement ahead of facing Australia & Italy. Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins & West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen both return to the squad, with Jordan Henderson and Aaron Ramsdale retaining their places. TOPICS: 01:51 – Gareth Southgate with John Murray 09:17 – Discussion on those who aren't included 13:25 – Jordan Henderson chat 21:57 – Newcastle players missing out

We're live with Dr. Mark Williams, Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Superintendent of Catholic Schools updates us on new school year, David Dawson Jr., Director of the Office of Parish Support of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux talks about turning off work when at home and Fr. Matthew Dunn, Pastor at Christ the King, Baton Rouge Chaplain of Courage Ministry and St. Joseph Academy, Baton Rouge begins his monthly Eucharistic Revival and Devotion segment.

Does Calgary's retail landscape follow a similar pattern as residential from an investment perspective? In episode 26, Kim and Barb are joined by Matthew Dunn, Alberta Area Real Estate Manager for one of the most well known brands in the world, McDonalds. Matthew brings 35 years of real estate knowledge to the conversation which provides an overview of not only Calgary's retail landscape, but residential as well and the similarities in finding the perfect site whether it be a personal rental investment or a McDonald's long term investment site. Interested in learning more about Calgary's real estate landscape and opportunities? Please reach out at Richardson Group!

לדף הפודקאסט בבלוג לאתר של Campaign Genius פרופיל לינקדאיןSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ex-spy Matthew Dunn was a deep undercover operative in MI6. He joins to talk about spycraft and espionage along with other behavioral aspects like why don't intelligence agencies recruit more psychologists? Matthew Dunn has written 14 books since leaving MI6. As an MI6 field officer, Matthew Dunn recruited and ran agents, coordinated and participated in special operations, and acted in deep-cover roles throughout the world. He operated in environments where, if captured, he would have been executed. Dunn was trained in all aspects of intelligence collection, deep- cover deployments, small arms, explosives, military unarmed combat, surveillance, and infiltration. Medals are never awarded to modern MI6 officers, but Dunn was the recipient of a rare personal commendation from the secretary of state for work he did on one mission, which was deemed so significant that it directly influenced the success of a major international incident. During his time in MI6, Matthew conducted approximately seventy missions. All of them were successful. He currently lives in England, where he is at work on his next novel.   ************************************************

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has thrown a spotlight on their intelligence services, leaving us all wondering just how the business world of spies work. We are joined by spy novelist and former MI6 intelligence officer, Matthew Dunn.

Host Andrew Browne speaks to trainer Matthew Dunn about his runners at Warwick Farm and Doomben today.

Cate and Patrick discuss visiting Disneyland over Christmas break and how hypersensitivity can play a role in their experience. Cate also interviews their father, Dr. Matthew Dunn on the new Disney Genie Plus app they used while they were there. 

Small and medium businesses met with unprecedented hardships during the pandemic. In this episode of the Business, Innovation, and Technology podcast, host Jordan Rogers-Smith welcomes a panel of business engineers and business owners to talk about how digitalization was critical for keeping the doors open. Featured guests include Adriana Peon, Director of Partner Solutions for Global Audiences; Serign Jobe, Engineering Leader; Dr. Matthew Dunn, Co-Founder, Partner, and Orthodontist at Dunn Orthodontics; and Andrew Evans, Co-Owner of boutique retailer Roaming Travelers. Matthew and Andrew talk about how they adopted new digital solutions like online scheduling platforms and websites optimized for e-commerce helped them continue to provide extraordinary service. Adriana and Serign offer their perspectives on how technology partners can support businesses in their efforts. After you listen, connect with podcast host Jordan Rogers-Smith and guests Adriana Peon, Serign Jobe, and Dr. Matthew Dunn on LinkedIn. Explore Andrew's boutique at RoamingTravelers.com. Learn more about Dr. Matthew Dunn's practice by visiting Dunn-Orthodontics.com. Need more ideas? Visit Meta's Business Resource Hub for free webinars, expert-led training events, and certification opportunities. Our Business Partner directory will help you identify potential partner companies that are fully vetted with a proven track record of success. Keep up with the latest from Meta's Business Engineering Team by following us on Medium.

Dr. Matthew Dunn is a digital media pioneer, writer, speaker, and inventor. He talks with us about current digital media trends and what's coming next.

In this twenty-ninth episode we interview Matthew Dunn from Right Move Properties. Matthew worked in the exotic car industry but saw a path towards financial freedom by investing in real estate. He started small in the Tampa, FL market and has grown to the point of recently closing a 59-unit deal. Matthew has now achieved financial freedom and has been able to spend time traveling the country with his family. 

We are super excited to welcome to this week's interview episode...Someone that is the closest thing to a real life James Bond, in that he is an actual ex-MI6 Intelligence Officer....it is a pleasure to welcome to the pod the fascinating......Matthew Dunn.Matthew is definitely the Topic Expert we needed to speak with, hopefully you will agree it is fascinating to hear Matthew talk all things MI6.Hear:How Matthew was recruitedThe incredible trainingHow you get someone to betray their governmentHow close to James Bond is it? Are you worried people now know who you are?Our research and reading can only take us so far - so from time to time we will interview an expert to ask them questions and hear their real life experience on a topic.Once you have listened we would love to hear your feedback.Follow us @TwoGuysOneTopic on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.If you are able to leave a quick review on your podcast player that would also be really appreciated.Thanks!Ollie and Liam Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leading Country horse trainer give us an insight into his setup at Murwillumbah

Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry is joined by Matthew Dunn, three-time Olympian and CEO of Proform Foods to talk about plant-based protein, their new MEET brand and growth plans.Matt shares the company's origin story, with his father Stephen Dunn creating Proform Foods in 2008 based on his pioneering research with the CSIRO in 2005 and 2006 on large scale plant-based protein production. Matt gives us his recollections of Stephen's work in the 1980s and 1990s working in cereals production that led to joining CSIRO, forming Proform Foods and its growth as a commercial supplier of plant-based protein to some of Australia's most well-known brands in the market. Matt also discusses his involvement with the company which started while still at school and then developed further as his progress in elite-level sport drove his research into healthy diet options to provide the essential fuel his body required.Our discussion includes how Proform Foods is managing to avoid some of the major criticisms of plant-based meats while still keeping their products enjoyable to eat and maintaining their associated health benefits. This naturally includes a discussion of the company's R&D investments, the patents they hold and the custom machinery they've developed for use in their new manufacturing facility.Having been a contract manufacturer of plant-base protein products for other brands, Proform Foods have now launched their own consumer range of products under the brand MEET, which holds a 4.5 Star Health Star Rating. We cover the various products available, the base ingredients the company has used and the fact that MEET is currently using 75 per cent Australian sourced ingredients with the goal of becoming 100 per cent Australian sourced in the near future.Matt talks to us about the varied challenges the market faces, including consumer views of plant-based meats and sustainable growth while also looking at the incredible opportunities being offered through the company's international distribution and their recent partnership with Coles to distribute MEET products across Australia.------------------------------The Food & Drink Business Podcast is produced by Southern Skies Media on behalf of Food & Drink Business, owned and published by Yaffa Media.The views of the people featured on this podcast do not necessarily represent the views of Food & Drink Business, Yaffa Media, or the guest's employer. The contents are copyright by Yaffa Media.If you wish to use any of this podcast's audio, please contact Food & Drink Business via their website www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au or send an email to editor@foodanddrinkbusiness.com.auMC: Grant McHerronHost: Kim BerryEditor: Chris VisscherProducer: Steve VisscherFood & Drink Business - © 2021

Thank you to our friend Matthew Dunn for hopping on and doing this with us!

Matthew Dunn is the Founder and CEO of https://campaigngenius.io/ (Campaign Genius).  Matthew Dunn has created Campaign Genius, a company that can convert any marketing email you may send to something you can edit in real time and update as your product changes. In this episode we talk about how this works and the technicalities of email marketing to use to your advantage.

What’s keeping cybersecurity pros up at night? Today’s cyberthieves aren’t the same as yesterday’s. They’ve abandoned perimeter battering rams for email phishing and compromised IoT devices. Once inside, they take what they want — usually cold, hard cash, and lots of it. In this episode of Cloud Talk, our host Jeff DeVerter and a former FBI special agent Matthew Dunn discuss new and emerging security threats and share tales of real-world cybercrimes. Hear how a $1M corporate 401(k) heist began as a phishing expedition, and how a highly secure casino was breached through an innocuous IoT device. Then learn what today’s biggest security vulnerabilities are, and how to fight back. Special Guest: Matthew Dunn.

Updates on his juggling of two bases and BADOOSH and KARAJA running at Randwick today

Tips on how to improve email engagement with automated dynamic content with Matthew Dunn Campaign Genius is our latest project. And what Campaign Genius is it makes the visuals in an email do everything they possibly can. A couple of years ago they noticed a shift where the top behavior for email of interest is "Save for Later." So, where Campaign Genius plugs into that behavior for marketers is in allowing them to keep the offer fresh. What we did for them was personalize every email image. The net difference was that the click-through rate on the A part of the campaign with personalized image content was 277% higher "The visuals are the content," right? In fact, from a psychological perspective, they're the primary content.  What I'm learning is that in companies of size, mid-enterprise and up, email's still the old step-child channel, despite it being, as you said, the most effective. The budget's still going to shiny new channels, and the old warhorse keeps plodding along and actually returning the best results. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ IMPROVE EMAIL ENGAGEMENT WITH AUTOMATED DYNAMIC CONTENT [just click to tweet] IMPROVE EMAIL ENGAGEMENT WITH AUTOMATED DYNAMIC CONTENT We helped personalize every image and improve email engagement. The net difference for the click-through rate with a personalized image was 277% higher. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Doug: Well, welcome back listeners, to another episode of Real Marketing Real Fast. Today, we're going to talk about a very interesting topic. We're going to talk about dynamic content within your email. So, would you like to have the ability to change an offer that's in your customer's email, even after they've opened it, on a daily basis, a monthly basis, or just at some point in time? My guest today is Matthew Dunn. He is the founder of a company called Campaign Genius, and the chief explainer at Say It Visually. Dr. Dunn is a serial entrepreneur and an executive with a wide range of experience. He has been a startup CEO, a Fortunate 1000 Senior Vice President, and CIO. He's a Microsoft veteran, a consultant, and standards organization executive as well as a director and a university professor. He is a frequent keynote speaker, and Matthew is also an award-winning writer, director, designer, and inventor, holding over a dozen patents in diverse fields. As a keynote speaker and a panelist moderator, Matthew is known for making complex subjects clear and simple, and I'm sure you'll agree after you listen to this episode, he's done a good job here as well. He has had repeated engagements as a keynote summarizer, improvising the wrap-up for full-day conferences. Matthew holds the first Ph.D. in Digital Media, which he designed and completed at the University of Washington before the web was invented. He also holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Texas. He brings a unique mix of technical, business, scholarships, arts experience to the understanding of the cultural, business and technology landscape. So, I'd like to welcome Matthew Dunn to the Real Marketing Real Fast podcast. Well, welcome to the Real Marketing Real Fast podcast today, Matthew. Matthew: Well, good morning Doug. It's early for both of us, thanks for having for me. Doug: Great to connect. It's funny how we talk about people on social media, and they're not social, and we connected through social because I was using your tool, and I shared it with my email list, and somebody reached out to me. Matthew: Right, right. Yeah, they reached out, and they credited you. They said "Doug told me about this," and I'm like "Oh, well I should reach out and go knock knock on LinkedIn and see if he'll connect." And the fact that we're geographically close made it kind of extra fun. Doug: Yeah, it's interesting. Like you said, we're so close geographically, but I find lots of times people say "Hey, social media's not working,

Hi there! I'm Matthew Dunn. I've been a DJ since 2001 and the Above & Beyond and Anjuna fam have been a part of not only my sets, but my friends and extended/chosen family for quite some time. I run The Department of Dance here in Houston and have not only continue to DJ but also do the #TRANCESEND shows here in H-town where we've hosted more than a few Anjuna artists This was a live set from a show I did in the summer that was part of a "tribute set" night where all the main stage acts played a set in the style of one of their most favorite acts that has been a driving force in Dance music for at least 10 years.

Harm reduction around the use of recreational drugs has always been a controversial topic to discuss. This week on Well Well Well we look at the facts, the health benefits and the reduced harms associated with drug harm reduction, in particular, pill testing. Dr. Matthew Dunn, a drug and alcohol researcher who focuses largely on substance use and harm joins us today to share his valuable insight. We explore policies, attitudes, misconceptions and behaviour of substance use in Australia. We also look at the evidence supporting the benefits of pill testing and the barriers we face moving forward. Kate Pern who leads a joint project between Thorne Harbour and STAR Health called the PARTI (peer-advocacy response training initiative) Project then joins us to chat about working directly with venues. The PARTI Project educates party-goers and their peers on the substances they may be using and how to reduce harms so they can make informed decisions about their partying behaviour. The PARTI Project also provides free training for venue staff as well as security guards on how to best keep people safe in their venues - focusing on how to recognise and respond to different drug-related harms or sexual assault. We also discuss some practical tips around partying safe and poly drug-use to take away from this podcast. Useful Links: Parti Project For more information about the free training Parti Project Provide, email Parti.Project@thorneharbour.org www.facebook.com/PARTiproject Touchbase Reliable information around alcohol & other drugs for the LGBTI community www.touchbase.org.au  

Today on the Show: - Katy Perry WFR presents recap - MATTHEW DUNN - engaged to his cat  - Movie Bio Guessing Game - Sickie Hotline  - Bree becomes a legit 'Iron' Chef! - MEOW-LUDO DISCO GAMMA MEOW MEOW - implanted a transport chip into his hand 

Matthew Dunn: "The Spy House": In the fifth electrifying thriller featuring Will Cochrane, the Intelligence agent must solve the unsolvable: How did four international agents working on a super-secret mission die in a safe house bunker that was locked from the inside? Critics have called Will Cochrane a "ruthless yet noble" (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram), "one-man weapon of mass destruction" (Daily Telegraph)—a brilliant agent from whom "Bond and Bourne could learn a thing or two" (Madison County Herald). His latest assignment will plunge him into the thorny politics of the Middle East. The stakes: averting a war that could engulf the world in flames. When the Israeli ambassador to France is shot dead in Paris by an unknown sniper, the Israeli government blames Hamas and begins planning a massive invasion to obliterate the terrorist organization once and for all. To avoid an all-out war, three members of the UN Security Council—the United States, France, and the United Kingdom—assemble a team of intelligence agents to uncover the truth behind the assassination. But when the team stops responding and all four agents are found dead in a bunker locked from the inside, they turn to freelance intelligence operative Will Cochrane for answers. To find out what really happened in the Paris shooting and in the bunker and prevent an unwinnable war, Cochrane will use his years of knowledge and experience to unravel the truth . . . and maybe just keep himself alive.

Matthew Dunn: "The Spy House":  In the fifth electrifying thriller featuring Will Cochrane, the Intelligence agent must solve the unsolvable: How did four international agents working on a super-secret mission die in a safe house bunker that was locked from the inside? Critics have called Will Cochrane a “ruthless yet noble” (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram), “one-man weapon of mass destruction” (Daily Telegraph)—a brilliant agent from whom “Bond and Bourne could learn a thing or two” (Madison County Herald). His latest assignment will plunge him into the thorny politics of the Middle East. The stakes: averting a war that could engulf the world in flames. When the Israeli ambassador to France is shot dead in Paris by an unknown sniper, the Israeli government blames Hamas and begins planning a massive invasion to obliterate the terrorist organization once and for all. To avoid an all-out war, three members of the UN Security Council—the United States, France, and the United Kingdom—assemble a team of intelligence agents to uncover the truth behind the assassination. But when the team stops responding and all four agents are found dead in a bunker locked from the inside, they turn to freelance intelligence operative Will Cochrane for answers. To find out what really happened in the Paris shooting and in the bunker and prevent an unwinnable war, Cochrane will use his years of knowledge and experience to unravel the truth . . . and maybe just keep himself alive.

Episode one of this research podcast. This episode is focused on energy drinks and the associated harms. The article discussed can be found here: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dar.12343/pdf

Paul Vidich received his MFA from Rutgers-Newark. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Fugue, The Nation, Narrative Magazine, Wordriot, and other places. Junot Diaz selected his story “Jump Shot” as a winner of the 2010 Fugue Short Story Contest and his story “Falling Girl,” was nominated for a 2011 Pushcart Prize and appeared in New Rivers Press’ American Fiction, Volume 12: The Best Unpublished Short Stories by Emerging Writers. His story collection was a finalist for the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction. Order Paul's books here Paul Vidich Biography and Book List His website: paulvidich.com Similar authors: Matthew Dunn, Frederick Forsyth, John Le Carre, Jason Matthews, Matthew Palmer Follow him on Twitter

Matthew Dunn has flashed onto the world throwing stage in recent months with his own unique brand of throwing. Many of you may be familiar with his videos on the Kickass Knife Throwing Facebook group; wearing a trademark hoodie, shades, gloves and a chest rig, Matthew’s hands flash out left and right in rapid succession, sending knives thudding into the targets at the far end of his indoor range. Looking more like someone out of the DC or Marvel universe than the traditional throwing scene, Matthew seems to have forged his own path. He is a streetwise blue-sky dreamer with big goals and an even bigger heart. In this interview we talk about growing up tough in New Jersey, how he got his start in the throwing arts and his vision for the future. Only in his early thirties, it is exciting to think about just where he can take things in the years to come.

Dr. Matthew Dunn, a Deakin public health expert, is currently in the process of beginning a new study into the impact of legal alternatives to illegal drugs.

Recorded by Matthew Dunn, WOMR, Provincetown, Introduced by Peter Donaldson, Edited and Mixed at dBs Music'I have written a blasphemous book', said Melville when his novel was first published in 1851, 'and I feel as spotless as the lamb'. Deeply subversive, in almost every way imaginable, Moby-Dick is a virtual, alternative bible - and as such, ripe for reinterpretation in this new world of new media. Out of Dominion was born its bastard child - or perhaps its immaculate conception - the Moby-Dick Big Read: an online version of Melville's magisterial tome: each of its 135 chapters read out aloud, by a mixture of the celebrated and the unknown, to be broadcast online, one new chapter each day, in a sequence of 135 downloads, publicly and freely accessible.Starting 16 September 2012!For more info please go to: www.mobydickbigread.com

Introduced by Peter Donaldson, Recorded by Matthew Dunn, WOMR, Edited and Mixed at dBs Music'I have written a blasphemous book', said Melville when his novel was first published in 1851, 'and I feel as spotless as the lamb'. Deeply subversive, in almost every way imaginable, Moby-Dick is a virtual, alternative bible - and as such, ripe for reinterpretation in this new world of new media. Out of Dominion was born its bastard child - or perhaps its immaculate conception - the Moby-Dick Big Read: an online version of Melville's magisterial tome: each of its 135 chapters read out aloud, by a mixture of the celebrated and the unknown, to be broadcast online, one new chapter each day, in a sequence of 135 downloads, publicly and freely accessible.Starting 16 September 2012!For more info please go to: www.mobydickbigread.com

Book Writing Coach, John Toker, M.Ed. LD K-12, M.A. of No Rehearsal Writing mentors aspiring writers. Writing Coach, John Toker, author of the award winning books, Conflicting Sanity and LD Just Means Learn Differently, guides aspiring book writers. John is also a learning specialist who finds a synergy between being an educator and a writer. Core to prose mentoring is that people are empowered to write for their own personal satisfaction. In the successor to Spycathcher, real life MI 6 spy, Matthew Dunn brings us Sentinel, continuing the saga of Will Cochrane, known as Spartan, the most effective and deadliest intelligence operative in the West as a war between Russia and the U.S. is imminent. Lovers of superhuman feats will love the series. In Health Matters, Heather Brittany and Cynthia Brian provide a dozen easy ways to stay healthy, active, and injury free no matter what your age. From squats, to stretching, to strengthening, the Goddess Gals have your backs.

Lecturer from the School of Health & Social Development, Dr Matthew Dunn will be joining us today to talk about elite Australian athletes and their use of recreational drugs, and how a study has proven that their intake is not as common as we might think it is.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Celebrate family, friends, and turkey with our special authors, Brooks Olbrys & Matthew Dunn! THANK YOU for listening to Starstyle®-Be the Star You Are!® Blue Ocean Bob, by author Brooks Olbrys, inspires your children to follow their heart, find their purpose, and live a life of discovery. Brook Olbrys talks with Cynthia Brian about the simple ways to incorporate lessons of success into the everyday lives of your child. Help your child set goals, develop persistence, and accept responsibility. Spycatcher author, Matthew Dunn, is a real life British Secret Intelligence Agent, part of I 6. The first in a series of Will Cochrane thrillers, SPYCATCHER marks the debut of a compelling and complex hero whose cold exterior hides a sensitivity and deep desire for vengeance.