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This conversation explores nutritional cognitive neuroscience, an interdisciplinary field examining the bidirectional relationships among nutrition, cognition, brain health, and eating behavior. The discussion covers how dietary influences operate across biological, psychological, environmental, and sociocultural levels, including neuroplasticity, inflammation, reward processes, genetics, and access to healthy foods. It reviews emerging research on nutrient profiles, the gut–brain axis, and dietary patterns such as the Mediterranean, DASH, and MIND diets, while emphasizing that evidence for isolated supplements or "brain foods" is often limited or overstated. The conversation also highlights substantial individual variability in nutritional needs. For neuropsychologists, the central takeaway is to address nutrition as one component of broader brain health, provide measured and realistic guidance, and collaborate with qualified nutrition professionals when individualized recommendations are needed. Show notes are available at www.NavNeuro.com/198 _________________ If you'd like to support the show, here are a few easy ways: 1) Get CE credits for listening to select episodes: www.NavNeuro.com/INS (for step-by-step guidance, go to: www.NavNeuro.com/CEguide) 2) Subscribe (free) and leave an Apple Podcasts rating/review: www.NavNeuro.com/itunes 3) Check out our book Becoming a Neuropsychologist, and leave it an Amazon rating Thanks for listening, and join us next time as we continue to navigate the brain and behavior! [Note: This podcast and all linked content is intended for general educational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of psychology or any other professional healthcare advice and services. No professional relationship is formed between hosts and listeners. All content is to be used at listeners' own risk. Users should always seek appropriate medical and psychological care from their licensed healthcare provider.]
Richard and Judith sail a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 410. They were on the show in June of 2025 and have a YouTube Chanel "Sailing Helios" and a Vimeo chanel "Sailing Helios Naturally," where they may or may not be clothed. Richard and Judith were in Cartagen, Spain when I spoke with them, and we talk about Cartagena and the marina, learning foreign languages, the people and culture in Spain, whether to stay longer in the Med or go to the Caribbean, the pros and cons of visiting new places vs familiar places, the Balearics, Air B&B and how it's changed the tourism industry, storms in the Med, a windlass problem, dragging anchor in a storm, ditching the anchor to save the boat, an angle grinder, the friendliest people, dinghies, outboards both gasoline and electric, watermakers, induction stoves, Lookout mast cameras, Sailproof tablets, Smartboatia, their YouTube channel, their OnlyFans channel, and more. Support the show through Patreon Links and Photos are at https://www.paultrammell.com/offshoresailingandcruising Shop dinghy lights at https://showmeyourdinghy.com/ Sail with Sailing Resolution Shop or list sailboats at SailboatsforSale.com Shop tankless dive systems at diveblu3.com
Liza Mundy, Part Two: Heidi August transitions from tracking Soviets in Europe to fighting emerging networks of global terrorism, eventually opening a station in the Mediterranean. In the 1990s, female analysts like Cindy Storer, Barbara Sude, and Gina Bennett work in the low-prestige Counterterrorism Center. At Alec Station, Storer and her team build the original organizational chart of al-Qaeda and track its financier, Osama bin Laden. Despite their persistent warnings, senior leadership frequently ignores their pre-9/11 reports. Following 9/11, these women pioneer modern data-sifting and targeting techniques, ultimately leading to the Abbottabad raid. (2)
Thank you for joining us for our 2nd Cabral HouseCall of the weekend! I'm looking forward to sharing with you some of our community's questions that have come in over the past few weeks… Dana: My 8 year old niece lives in a Northern state and gets very itchy, irritated skin in the heat and has since she was about 3. In the summers it is almost impossible for her to enjoy being outside because she gets heat rashes or eczema type reactions and gets so itchy. Her pediatricians just say she has sensitive skin and give steroid cream to help, tell her to stay indoors, and have no further advice. They have done skin allergy tests with none found. If it's connected at all, she and her dad both have constant sinus fullness and drippy nose. What could be causing symptoms like this? Is there anything she can try without testing first to keep costs low? Tricia: Hi Dr Cabral, after two years of fighting with myself and trying everything, I'm considering trying a GLP, very low dosage. I know you don't recommend this but for your patients that are taking a GLP 1 drug are there any specific supplements you recommend they take while on this drug? Of course, DNS, D, Mag, Fish Oil, probiotic but what about hair supplement, eye heath, Metavolve, or digestive enzymes? I hear one of the side effects is heart burn. Would really appreciate guidance here. I'm giving it my all until January but deciding. Thank you so much! Luis: Hi Dr. Cabral, I've been having consistently sticky stools that cling to the toilet. They don't always appear mucousy, and they usually sink. Online sources often attribute this to low fiber, but it happens even when I eat fiber-rich foods like sea moss. I drink plenty of water, and my urine is almost always clear. My stools feel sluggish moving through my intestines, so I take Mag07 every night. Nearly every time I eat, I develop GI pain, mostly in my upper abdomen/chest and almost right away, and I often notice undigested food in my stool, especially plant matter. I've only been diagnosed with functional dyspepsia and mild gastritis (via endoscopy). My doctor also ran a stool test in 2024, and it came back normal. I occasionally have pale stools, so I also take UDCA regularly. Help. Anonymous: Hi Doc! I've worked long and hard on my health with lots of improvements and disease reversal. I still have Hashimotos which has slowing been improving through lifestyle changes. A lingering issue besides the Hashimotos is vericose/spider veins. All the women in my family have them and I started getting them in my 20s. I'm 37 now and they're only getting worse. The veins themselves don't seem to hurt, but my legs ache at the end of every day. Heat, sitting, and standing for long periods make it worse. They're so unsightly and I'm horribly frustrated that I can't heal my poor circulation. I'm very active and always moving. Clean whole food Mediterranean diet. No alcohol or smoking. I have to elevate my legs or sit in cold water to get any relief. Is this related to thyroid disorders? S: Hi Dr. Cabral. Would love to hear your thoughts on the studies that have recently been discussed about risks of glucosamine with brain health and who should not take this supplement. Dementias often start long before symptoms show up. I believe the studies showing risk to brain health with glucosamine were done on people with issues already. But if decline starts before symptoms, how would you know if it is safe for an individual? What is the benefit risk trade off? Any concerns or things to consider for this supplement? Additionally, would this be contraindicated if there is a family history or genetic predisposition such as an APOE4genotype? Thanks for taking the time to answer so many of our questions. Thank you for tuning into this weekend's Cabral HouseCalls and be sure to check back tomorrow for our Mindset & Motivation Monday show to get your week started off right! - - - Show Notes and Resources: StephenCabral.com/3859 - - - Get a FREE Copy of Dr. Cabral's Book: The Rain Barrel Effect - - - Join the Community & Get Your Questions Answered: CabralSupportGroup.com - - - Dr. Cabral's Most Popular At-Home Lab Tests: > Complete Minerals & Metals Test (Test for mineral imbalances & heavy metal toxicity) - - - > Complete Candida, Metabolic & Vitamins Test (Test for 75 biomarkers including yeast & bacterial gut overgrowth, as well as vitamin levels) - - - > Complete Stress, Mood & Metabolism Test (Discover your complete thyroid, adrenal, hormone, vitamin D & insulin levels) - - - > Complete Food Sensitivity Test (Find out your hidden food sensitivities) - - - > Complete Omega-3 & Inflammation Test (Discover your levels of inflammation related to your omega-6 to omega-3 levels) - - - Get Your Question Answered On An Upcoming HouseCall: StephenCabral.com/askcabral - - - Would You Take 30 Seconds To Rate & Review The Cabral Concept? 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The crew and captain of a ferry have been taken into custody after the vessel capsized off the northern coast of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Eight people have been confirmed dead with a further 17 still missing. Also on the programme: Spain asks for help from the EU to process hundreds of migrants who crossed into its North African territory of Ceuta; and the director of a new biopic about Charles de Gaulle tells us how the general's self-belief persuaded Winston Churchill that Free France could fight back against the Nazis. (Image: Survivors arrive on shore after being rescued from the sea following a boat capsize off northern Cyprus, August 30, 2026. Credit REUTERS/Stringer)
What if the biggest mistake men make after a prostate cancer diagnosis is not eating the "wrong" food - but becoming so afraid of food that eating itself becomes stressful?In this solo episode, Dr. Geo draws on more than two decades in holistic and integrative urology to cut through the noise around prostate cancer nutrition. Rather than promoting another rigid diet, he explains how food choices interact with physical activity, stress, metabolic signaling, and long-term sustainability. The goal is not perfection. It is to create a healthier internal environment while still enjoying life, family, and food.In this episode, you'll learn...Why no single food causes or cures prostate cancer.How exercise and stress may change the way your body responds to food.Why Dr. Geo favors a plant-forward Mediterranean pattern while allowing strategic flexibility.How to think about protein, fish, red meat, processed foods, saturated fat, and fasting after diagnosis.If prostate cancer nutrition has left you overwhelmed, this episode offers a simpler framework for deciding what to eat - and what actually matters most.Chapterts00:00 Food Myths Intro00:55 Podcast Disclaimer01:34 Why Nutrition Confuses03:34 Principle One No Guilt04:46 Stress Exercise Absorption08:57 No Magic Foods12:55 How Cancer Signals Work16:40 Processed Foods And Portions21:02 Best Diet Patterns25:11 Protein And Muscle28:38 Meat Poultry Fish31:23 Carbs And Fats35:48 Fasting And Overeating37:17 Thrive After Diagnosis
Host Matt Trump (fighting a temperamental mic cord) turns his leftover map slides into a full episode on a provocative question: did the barbarians actually destroy Rome, or preserve it? Picking up from last week's Phantom Time detour, he leans on Belgian historian Henri Pirenne and the book Medieval Cities, bought decades ago as an Austin physics grad student, to argue a mainstream but revisionist case. The thesis: the Germanic tribes (Goths, Angles, Saxons, Franks) did not want to burn Rome down. They wanted in, preserving Roman civilization under new rulers, feudalism, and above all the Church, which outlived the state. What truly severed the ancient world, Pirenne argues, was the Arab conquest cutting Christian Europe off from Mediterranean commerce, shifting Europe's center of gravity north. Expect Hagia Sophia, Ravenna mosaics, Justinian, and pointed parallels to whether America is reliving Rome's fall.
Send us Fan MailKeto. Carnivore. Vegan. Mediterranean. Low-carb. Low-fat. With so many competing opinions about nutrition, eating for health and longevity has become unnecessarily complicated.In this episode of the Fit Rx Health & Wellness Podcast, Dr. Greg Dennis continues the 7 Pillars of Optimal Health series with Pillar #2: Nutrition.After years of studying nutrition, longevity, and metabolic health—and seeing what works in clinical practice—Dr. Dennis shares how his own thinking about nutrition has evolved. Rather than following a diet with a particular name, he believes the foundation of good nutrition can be surprisingly simple: prioritize protein, eat mostly real whole foods, maintain a healthy body composition, and individualize carbohydrate and fat intake based on your metabolic health, activity level, and goals.In this episode, you'll learn:Why calories still matterWhy protein becomes increasingly important as we ageThe connection between muscle, metabolic health, and longevityWhether red meat belongs in a healthy dietWhy healthy fats are beneficial—but aren't unlimitedWhy carbohydrates aren't necessarily the enemyThe difference between whole-food carbohydrates and highly processed foodsWhen low-carb and ketogenic diets may be useful therapeutic toolsThe pros and limitations of vegan, vegetarian, and carnivore dietsWhy ultra-processed foods may be a much bigger problem than any single macronutrientWhat Dr. Dennis actually eats and how his own approach to nutrition has changed over the yearsThe takeaway is simple: your diet doesn't need a name.For most people, building meals around quality protein and minimally processed whole foods—while limiting the highly processed foods that dominate the modern diet—is a sustainable foundation for metabolic health, maintaining muscle, healthy aging, and longevity.This is the second episode in the 7 Pillars of Optimal Health series. Follow the Fit Rx Health & Wellness Podcast as we explore Sleep, Nutrition, Movement & Strength, Hormonal Health, Emotional Health, Relational Health, and Spiritual Health.Support the show
Tonight on The Pipes Magazine Radio Show, our featured interview is with pipe maker Alexander Syrma of Israel. Alexander works primarily with high-grade Mediterranean and Algerian briar, sometimes incorporating distinctive materials such as mammoth ivory and exotic woods into his designs. His pipes range from lightweight, classic shapes to more expressive freehands, including Danish eggs, Rhodesians, and sandblasted diplomats. Brian and Alexander will talk about his approach to pipe making, the materials he works with, and the inspiration behind his distinctive designs. At the top of the show, Brian will take a look at the history of small-batch and limited-edition pipe tobaccos, including how these special releases have become such an interesting part of the hobby. He'll also give his own take on the appeal of limited and small-batch blends.
What if preparing for pregnancy started months before you ever saw a positive test? In this episode of Hormone Genius, Theresa and Jamie dive into the often-overlooked world of preconception health and why preparing your body for pregnancy shouldn't begin after conception—it should begin before. We start with the “fifth vital sign”: your menstrual cycle. Your period, cervical mucus, ovulation, and luteal phase can provide valuable clues about your reproductive health. Learn the three simple things to start watching in your cycle and why understanding your body's natural fertility signs can be such a powerful first step. Then we move beyond the cycle and talk about building a healthy foundation for both women and men, including: • Why giving yourself at least three months to prepare can be valuable • The role of whole foods and the Mediterranean-style approach to nutrition • Key nutrients to consider, including folate, iron, iodine, vitamin D, choline, omega-3s, selenium, and zinc • Why thyroid, metabolic health, hormones, and nutrient status deserve attention • Egg and sperm health—and why the months before conception matter • The potential roles of CoQ10, DHEA, and other targeted approaches for certain individuals • Why your partner's health matters just as much as yours • Sleep, exercise, stress, and environmental exposures • Simple ways to reduce unnecessary exposure to plastics, fragrances, and other household chemicals • Why dental and medication reviews belong on your preconception checklist • What to consider if you've recently stopped hormonal birth control Most importantly, we talk about hope without blame. If you've struggled to conceive, “just relax” isn't helpful—and fertility challenges deserve compassion, understanding, and appropriate care. Medical Disclaimer The information shared in this podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Every person and pregnancy is unique. Always consult with your qualified healthcare professional regarding your individual health, medications, supplements, fertility, and pregnancy-related questions
The gut, brain, and muscles are all closely connected, and what you eat and how you move can significantly impact not only your digestive health but also your mood, immunity, and physical strength. This “Random Fit” episode explains how the gut-brain-muscle axis functions, what the gut microbiome actually does, and how dietary choices and exercise routines can enhance or harm these systems. Host Ken Miller teams up with guest host Rich Fahmy from NASM, along with registered dietitian Kat Barefield, to break down current, evidence-based strategies for supporting gut health, improving mood, reducing inflammation, and building stronger muscles. Listeners will learn what foods to prioritize, why gut diversity matters, how the Mediterranean diet benefits overall health, and which supplements like probiotics and glutamine might make a difference. The discussion addresses common misconceptions, offers actionable steps to improve daily habits, and connects nutrition, movement, and mental well-being in a way personal trainers and fitness enthusiasts can apply immediately. By the end, you will understand the practical links between your gut, brain, and muscle health, and how to leverage this knowledge using simple strategies recommended by trusted NASM experts. Chapters: 00:00 What is the gut-brain-muscle axis and why does it matter? 04:27 What is the gut microbiome and what does it do? 06:28 How does the microbiome affect hormones, immunity, and nutrient absorption? 08:38 What foods and habits support a healthy gut microbiome? 14:45 What harms the gut microbiome besides poor diet? 17:18 How does gut health impact mood and motivation? 20:40 Does the microbiome influence stress and stress management? 25:09 What is the connection between the microbiome, inflammation, and muscle health? 29:55 What kind and amount of exercise supports gut and brain health?36:22 What should people know about probiotics, glutamine, and other supplements? 40:51 Do you need probiotics if your diet is plant-diverse and healthy? 43:23 What are the simplest actionable steps for better gut-brain-muscle health? If you like what you just consumed, leave us a 5-star review, and share this episode with a friend to help grow our NASM health and wellness community! The content shared in this podcast is solely for educational and entertainment purposes. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek out the guidance of your healthcare provider or other qualified professional. Any opinions expressed by guests and hosts are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of NASM. Introducing NASM One, the membership for trainers and coaches. For just $35/mo., get unlimited access to over 300 continuing education courses, 50% off additional certifications and specializations, EDGE Trainer Pro all-in-one coaching app to grow your business, unlimited exam attempts and select waived fees. Stay on top of your game and ahead of the curve as a fitness professional with NASM One. Click here to learn more. https://bit.ly/4ddsgrm
EVEN MORE about this episode!Have you ever had a gut feeling you ignored—only to realize later that your intuition was right all along? What if that first quiet knowing isn't random, but information your soul is already receiving?Julie Ryan sits down with spiritual teacher, intuitive healer, and Akashic Record reader Inga Kastrone to explore how intuition really works, why it often speaks before the thinking mind takes over, and what can happen when we stop second-guessing what we already know.Inga describes intuition as access to a much larger energetic field connecting us with the subconscious mind, ancestral patterns, the body, and our soul's purpose. Together, Julie and Inga explore why trauma and conditioning can disconnect us from that inner knowing—and how we can begin rebuilding trust in ourselves.Inga's own awakening took an extraordinary path. Raised in Soviet Latvia without a spiritual upbringing, she pursued an academic career in international migration law before an unmistakable intuitive message told her to go to New Orleans. During a late-night ghost tour, an encounter with a voodoo priestess became part of a spiritual turning point that eventually led Inga into Reiki, the Akashic Records, energy healing, and the work she practices today.Julie and Inga also explore Harmonic Reconnection, Inga's approach to restoring harmony after trauma and disconnection; ancestral biofields; the imaginal realm; Egyptian goddess archetypes; and what it means to become fully present in your body while remaining connected to Spirit.Most importantly, this conversation asks a question that may change how you respond the next time that quiet voice speaks:What if you don't need more answers—what if you need to trust the answer you received first?If you've ever struggled to tell the difference between intuition and fear, doubted a gut feeling, ignored an inner knowing, or wondered how to reconnect with your spiritual guidance, this episode is for you.Guest Biography:Inga Kastrone, MA, MPhil, is an energy therapist, intuitive healer, Akashic Record reader, and sacred dance teacher based on the Mediterranean island of Gozo. For more than a decade, she has worked with advanced and sensitive souls seeking a deeper sense of wholeness, embodiment, and belonging, drawing on the subconscious mind, imaginal realm, and ancestral patterns. Her search for a more grounded bridge between the spiritual and physical worlds led her to develop Harmonic Reconnection, a holistic healing modality designed to help people reconnect with themselves, live from the soul, and move through life in greater harmony with the universe.Episode Chapters:(0:00:00) Welcome & Introduction(0:01:44) Has Your Intuition Been Right All Along?(0:05:45) Why We Learn to Ignore Our Intuition(0:09:36) Intuition vs. Ego: Which Voice Are You Hearing?(0:10:47) Ancestral Energy & the Akashic Records(0:18:53) Can Healing the Present Change the Past?(0:21:14) Healing Trauma Through the Imaginal Realm(0:24:28) Can the Body Hold Ancestral Memories?(0:31:39) The Body, Intuition & the Divine Feminine(0:40:52) How Spiritual Archetypes Can Help Us Heal(0:47:49) Why Sensitive Souls Feel They Don't Belong(0:53:27) What Is Harmonic Reconnection?(0:56:18) How Inga Was Called to Spiritual Work(0:59:44) The Ghost Tour That Changed Everything(1:03:33) Can Trees & Places Hold Energetic Memories?(1:11:32) A Message From Her Father's Spirit(1:11:33) How to Start Trusting Your Intuition(1:13:21) The “My Soul, I See You” Exercise(1:13:26) Why Do We Incarnate?➡️ Subscribe to Ask Julie Ryan YouTube➡️ Julie's Intuitive Trainings✏️ Ask Julie a Question!
What do raisins, candied orange peel, figs, and cherries have to do with Christmas? More than you might think. Long before refrigeration and supermarkets, people found ways to capture the sweetness of summer and carry it through the cold winter months. From medieval monasteries and Mediterranean trade routes to Christmas pudding, fruitcake, and mince pies, we're uncovering the surprising history of why summer tastes like Christmas. Website: https://www.seasonseatingspodcast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seasonseatingspodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seasonseatingspod Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/seasonseatpod.bsky.social Email: seasonseatingspodcast@gmail.com Youtube: https://youtube.com/@seasonseatings
John Zmirak, Eric Metaxas. Movie About Christian Resistance to the French Revolution, J.J. Carrell- Immigration Stats, Destructive Darwinism, The Growing Case for Intelligent Design. John Zmirak The Eric Metaxas Show John ZmirakThe Eric Metaxas Aug 19 2026 Today On The Eric Metaxas Show, John Zmirak joins Eric to challenge the standard Darwinian account of human origins and discuss the growing case for intelligent design. They examine whether Christians can truly reconcile evolution with Genesis, why Zmirak believes Darwinism undermines the biblical understanding of humanity, Francis Collins and theistic evolution, and the cultural consequences of teaching that human life arose through unguided processes. John Zmirak Joins0:26 Intelligent Design Vs. Darwinism3:29 Creation Or Evolution?5:11 Were Humans Really Descended From Apes?6:29 Can Christians Reconcile Genesis And Evolution?9:16 Why Darwinism “Multiplies Faith By Zero”11:40 Eric's Encounter With Francis Collins17:14 Deism, Providence, And The American Founders23:05 ----------------------------------------------------------- jjcarrellpolitics• Follow https://www.instagram.com/reels/Dblbbn-SMTw/ --------------------------------------------------------------------- Streaming movie recommended by John Zmirak- https://victoryordeathmovie.com/ When everything you value is on the line, when all you love and believe in is at stake, there's no other choice but to fight for it. Victory or Death Fight for Faith. Fight for Family. Fight for Freedom. --------------------------------------------------------------- Article by John Zmirak- New Book by Chaberek, Greene Probes Evolution as a “Catholic Dilemma” John Zmirak August 5, 2026 Evolution, Faith & Science I recently returned from a two-week wildlife safari through Zimbabwe and South Africa. I visited Victoria Falls, which dwarfs Niagara, the extraordinary Table Mountain, and several wildlife reserves including Kruger National Park. The jeep rides through the brush yielded close encounters with female lions shepherding their cubs, male lions sleeping off meals, a leopard in a tree crunching the skull of an impala, herds of piously maternal elephants — only one of which came close to charging us — and a dozen other species of predator or prey. The high point, I'll confess, was one wildlife encounter in particular: when a troop of baboons charged the outdoor diners at The Black Marlin in Cape Town, driving them to flee, so the apes could stuff their faces with pilfered pasta. Sadly, I was sitting inside, so all I could do was cheer the hairy creatures on from through the window. Privacy Note: On play, Google may track viewers. YouTube's Privacy Policy. The Book of Nature I hope that I'm sufficiently grateful for this encounter with the baroque, sublime abundance of biology that our planet is privileged to host — alone, so far as we know, among the billions of planets. Gratitude should be aimed at a giver, and it was reading the works of Discovery Institute authors that made this easier for me. I could wonder at the tiny penguins that somehow survive in the Mediterranean climate near the Cape of Good Hope, or the birds that live symbiotically with wildebeests by feeding on bloodsucking insects, without the deflating idea lurking in the back of my mind, “This all the result of blind chance and iron necessity, with no crafting intelligence behind it.” Instead, I saw works of art, and found myself thanking the Artist. I was reading the Book of Nature, and seeing in it glimmers of divine action, intention, and generosity — as “natural philosophers” did from Kepler and Newton to Pasteur and Mendel. Back when I unreflectively adhered to the theistic (really deistic) evolution that's preached in most Christian pulpits, I accepted the notion that God was somehow behind every aspect of the cosmos. If pressed, I would have said that God had “guided” or “instigated” the emergence of extraordinary creatures like the zebras that stared at our jeep, the elegant kudus that capered past us through the veldt, the wild dogs that seemed at once so alien and so familiar that it was tempting to hop out and try petting them. (“Do not attempt this,” I was informed by our solemn African guide.) But all of life was at best a convoluted Rube Goldberg contraption, which Someone had set in motion then stepped away to observe. God even had humans in mind — deciding, for some reason, to slowly evolve His earthly image through a long chain of predecessor species, until at some point He chose to implant both rationality and immortal souls in creatures who'd mutated in and then emerged from the womb of an animal. I used to speculate about how that allegedly worked, and how I could reconcile it in some fashion with the Genesis account of God making man directly from the dust of the earth, and woman from his side. I remember thinking, lamely, “Maybe they were identical twins … and He switched Eve's sex before the ape gave birth to them?” Then I stopped bothering, encouraged by modern priests who treat not just Genesis but most of the Old Testament as mostly wholesome mythology, akin to that found in Bulfinch or Edith Hamilton. Christianizing Darwinists Obeying the dictum of 19th-century “Higher Criticism,” Christianizing Darwinists aim to explain away every claim of miraculous action — from the direct creation of man to the parting of the Red Sea, from Jesus' virgin birth to even his Resurrection. I was taught in high school that the last, most crucial Christian miracle, amounted merely to the “ongoing presence” of Jesus in his apostles' hearts and minds. Big whoop. In that sense, Adolf Hitler is still sadly with us. (If you want an account of how and why biblical critics crafted such blinders, read Scott Hahn and Benjamin Wiker's magisterial Politicizing the Bible, which I edited for publication.) Priests, theologians, bishops and even (recently) popes have responded to the popular triumph of Darwinism by dismissing most of the events recounted in Genesis as purely allegorical and moral. Keen to avoid being tarred as “fundamentalists,” and encouraged by some cautious leeway granted to evolutionary thinking by popes such as Pius XII and John Paul II, most Catholics have eagerly accepted that Darwin's theories fully explain the emergence of every living species, even man. Otherwise-orthodox believers have made this intellectual concession, convinced that “the science” is irrefutable, so the theology must make room for it. But what if, in fact, the science is very shaky, and the implications for a Christian worldview profoundly toxic? Those are the questions asked and convincingly answered in a new book, Creation or Evolution? A Catholic Dilemma. It's written in an extremely engaging format — a series of questions posed by science journalist Steve Greene and answered by theologian Rev. Michael Chabarek, O.P. It was Chaberek's previous book, Aquinas and Evolution, that convinced me to take intelligent design seriously, and embark on the journey through the works of Stephen Meyer, Michael Behe, Douglas Axe, and many others — to my profound intellectual and spiritual enrichment. This new book is every bit the equal of Chaberek's earlier work. He lays out the serious evidential weaknesses in the Darwinist claim to have explained the appearance of human beings by incremental mutations from previous apelike species. (For much more detail than this book offers, see Science and Human Origins, from Discovery Institute Press, which Chaberek cites.) He explains how circular logic and wishful thinking pervade the claims of paleontologists to have discovered non-human ancestors for our species, with periodic claims to have found a “missing link” based on tiny bone fragments of indeterminate origin. False First Principles But Chaberek's main focus is not on empirical flaws or gaps in the Darwinist account. Instead, he focuses on the false first principles that motivate, even compel Darwinists to invent their “just so” stories in the first place. Here's a sample of the straightforward, plain-speaking way that the authors convey key philosophical issues: If man did not come from the ape, then how did he come into existence? First, let us consider whether sciences such as paleontology and genetics are actually capable of providing an answer to this question. If man came into existence naturally, then, yes, because science explains the workings of nature. But if man came into existence supernaturally, that is, by the action of divine power exceeding the power of nature, then science cannot explain the beginning of man. Therefore, whether science can provide an answer to this question does not depend on scientific research, but on the previously adopted religious or philosophical assumptions. Chabarek argues convincingly that secularist and materialist assumptions precede and determine the scientific work of Darwinists, essentially forcing them to deny evidence of design, and to make impossible claims for the creative power of mutations — despite the overwhelming odds against blind chance happening upon even a single useful new protein in the entire history of life on earth (as Douglas Axe showed in exhaustive experimental detail in his book, Undeniable). When such bias-inducing reductionist assumptions migrate from the research papers of laboratory scientists into the works of Christian leaders, the consequences are even more baleful, Chabarek warns. If such a central question as the origin of the only rational species, the “image of God,” is to be surgically excised from the domain of religious authority and turned over to materialist scientists, what is to stop that same debunking impulse from undermining every mystery of faith? Should we leave Sarah's miraculous conception of Isaac to the gynecologists, the parting of the Red Sea to the oceanographers, and the resurrection of Jesus to the biologists? That's the inexorable logic of Christians who cling to Darwinist explanations of the “descent of man” from ancestral apes. Far better, Chabarek advises, for Christians who accept a long series of miracles and mysteries as entailed in the redemption of humanity to also make room for the Bible's literal account of the miracle of his creation — from the dust of the earth, by the hand of God. John Zmirak John Zmirak is a senior editor at The Stream and author or co-author of ten books, including The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism. His newest book is No Second Amendment, No First. To read articles from John Zmirak visit- https://chroniclesmagazine.org/author/johnzmirak/ Endorsed Charities -------------------------------------------------------- Pre-Born! Saving babies and Souls. https://preborn.org/ OUR MISSION To glorify Jesus Christ by leading and equipping pregnancy clinics to save more babies and souls. WHAT WE DO Pre-Born! partners with life-affirming pregnancy clinics all across the nation. We are designed to strategically impact the abortion industry through the following initiatives:… -------------------------------------------------------- Help CSI Stamp Out Slavery In Sudan Join us in our effort to free over 350 slaves. Listeners to the Eric Metaxas Show will remember our annual effort to free Christians who have been enslaved for simply acknowledging Jesus Christ as their Savior. As we celebrate the birth of Christ this Christmas, join us in giving new life to brothers and sisters in Sudan who have enslaved as a result of their faith. https://csi-usa.org/metaxas https://csi-usa.org/slavery/ Typical Aid for the Enslaved A ration of sorghum, a local nutrient-rich staple food A dairy goat A “Sack of Hope,” a survival kit containing essential items such as tarp for shelter, a cooking pan, a water canister, a mosquito net, a blanket, a handheld sickle, and fishing hooks. Release celebrations include prayer and gathering for a meal, and medical care for those in need. The CSI team provides comfort, encouragement, and a shoulder to lean on while they tell their stories and begin their new lives. Thank you for your compassion Giving the Gift of Freedom and Hope to the Enslaved South Sudanese -------------------------------------------------------- Food For the Poor https://foodforthepoor.org/ Help us serve the poorest of the poor Food For The Poor began in 1982 in Jamaica. Today, our interdenominational Christian ministry serves the poor in primarily 17 countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. Thanks to our faithful donors, we are able to provide food, housing, healthcare, education, fresh water, emergency relief, micro-enterprise solutions and much more. We are proud to have fed millions of people and provided more than 15.7 billion dollars in aid. Our faith inspires us to be an organization built on compassion, and motivated by love. Our mission is to bring relief to the poorest of the poor in the countries where we serve. We strive to reflect God's unconditional love. It's a sacrificial love that embraces all people regardless of race or religion. We believe that we can show His love by serving the “least of these” on this earth as Christ challenged us to do in Matthew 25. We pray that by God's grace, and with your support, we can continue to bring relief to the suffering and hope to the hopeless. Report on Food For the Poor by Charity Navigator https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/592174510 -------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer from ACU. We try to bring to our students and alumni the World's best Conservative thinkers. All views expressed belong solely to the author and not necessarily to ACU. In all issues and relations, we hope to follow the admonitions of Jesus Christ. While striving to expose, warn and contend with evil, we extend the love of God to all of his children. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why was God so angry with Tyre, and how does Tyre’s history prove the Bible is true?In this episode of Shadows to Substance, Pastor George Sayour explores the biblical and historical significance of the Mediterranean city of Tyre.Though Tyre was once an ally of Israel through David, Solomon, and King Hiram, Scripture repeatedly pronounces judgment against it in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Amos, and Zechariah.George shows how prophecies about Tyre were fulfilled through Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great, and later historical judgments, while also pointing to the deeper issue beneath Tyre’s downfall: pride, wealth, self-sufficiency, and rejection of God. Yet even in judgment, Scripture holds out hope that Gentile nations like Tyre can be humbled, restored, and brought under the lordship of Christ.
Constructing the Medieval Maritime State: Identity, Violence, and Connection in the Mediterranean (Oxford University Press, 2026) by Professor Travis Bruce explores how the small medieval kingdom of Denia in Spain became a powerful maritime state after the collapse of the Umayyad Caliphate. Its rulers built authority, not only through war and seafaring raids but also by connecting Denia to wider Mediterranean trade, diplomacy, and culture. The rise and evolution of the taifa of Denia is a powerful case study for understanding the construction of medieval maritime states in the Mediterranean. Dr. Bruce situates Denia within the collapse of the Umayyad Caliphate and explores how its rulers forged legitimacy through identity formation, maritime violence, and regional connectivity. Denia's identity was negotiated through rulership, unfreedom, and cultural hybridity, and violence — particularly predatory warfare and maritime jihad — functioned as both statecraft and economic extraction. At the same time, Denia's entanglement in commercial, diplomatic, and intellectual networks positioned it as a key node linking the Islamic Mediterranean and the Latin West. The state's trajectory cannot be reduced to narratives of decline or simple religious conflict but instead reveals a process of negotiation shaped by mobility, interdependence, and the fluid boundaries between public and private power. This narrative reframes Mediterranean history beyond Eurocentric paradigms and underscores the significance of Islamic maritime states within the wider medieval world. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Constructing the Medieval Maritime State: Identity, Violence, and Connection in the Mediterranean (Oxford University Press, 2026) by Professor Travis Bruce explores how the small medieval kingdom of Denia in Spain became a powerful maritime state after the collapse of the Umayyad Caliphate. Its rulers built authority, not only through war and seafaring raids but also by connecting Denia to wider Mediterranean trade, diplomacy, and culture. The rise and evolution of the taifa of Denia is a powerful case study for understanding the construction of medieval maritime states in the Mediterranean. Dr. Bruce situates Denia within the collapse of the Umayyad Caliphate and explores how its rulers forged legitimacy through identity formation, maritime violence, and regional connectivity. Denia's identity was negotiated through rulership, unfreedom, and cultural hybridity, and violence — particularly predatory warfare and maritime jihad — functioned as both statecraft and economic extraction. At the same time, Denia's entanglement in commercial, diplomatic, and intellectual networks positioned it as a key node linking the Islamic Mediterranean and the Latin West. The state's trajectory cannot be reduced to narratives of decline or simple religious conflict but instead reveals a process of negotiation shaped by mobility, interdependence, and the fluid boundaries between public and private power. This narrative reframes Mediterranean history beyond Eurocentric paradigms and underscores the significance of Islamic maritime states within the wider medieval world. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Day 1,638.Today, as Russia is accused of yet another incursion into Nato airspace, there are reports of a major Ukrainian drone attack on occupied Crimea. Kyiv is apparently seeking approval – again – from Elon Musk, this time to use Starlink in strikes on Russian missile launchers. Meanwhile, Russia is defenseless in the Mediterranean for the first time in a decade. We speak to the Telegraph journalist who got the scoop. Plus, a bizarre twist in the story of the suspected Nord Stream saboteur - and which American music artist is set to perform in St Petersburg in October? Finally, we catch up with occupied territories expert Dr Jade McGlynn on her recent trip to eastern Ukraine.Contributors:Adelie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X.Sophie O'Sullivan (Telegraph journalist). Tom Cotterill (Telegraph defence editor). @TomCotterillX on X.Jade McGlynn (Research fellow, King's College London). @DrJadeMcGlynn on X.Producer: Rachel PorterSenior Producer: Lilian FawcettVideo Producer: Sophie O'SullivanSocial Producer: Anita BlayStudio Director: James EnglandExecutive Editor: Francis DearnleyCreated by David KnowlesNOW IN FULL VIDEO WITH MAPS & BATTLEFIELD FOOTAGE:Every episode is now available on our YouTube channel shortly after the release of the audio version. You will find it here: https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest CONTENT REFERENCED:If you're interested in sponsoring Dom's upcoming defence event, email our colleagues at events@telegraph.co.ukUkraine's Logistics Targeting Raises Questions for Russia's Rear Defences (RUSI)https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/ukraines-logistics-targeting-raises-questions-russias-rear-defences ‘Highway of death': the Ukrainian drone campaign menacing Russian logistics (The Guardian)https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/11/highway-of-death-the-ukrainian-drone-campaign-menacing-russian-logisticsUkraine seeks Elon Musk's help to hit Russian missile launchers (Financial Times)https://www.ft.com/content/ff536e6e-dc56-45e3-b5e0-2dfb28148cb6?syn-25a6b1a6=1Ukraine Planned to Swarm Moscow Airports With AI-Guided Drones (Simon Shuster for The Atlantic)https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/08/ukraine-moscow-airports-ai-drones/688337/ Coalition of the Willing to hold Independence Day meeting in Kyiv (Kyiv Independent)https://kyivindependent.com/coalition-of-the-willing-to-hold-independence-day-meeting-in-kyiv/Russian publishers reportedly cut print runs after Ukrainian strikes on Wildberries warehouses, where their books are stored (Meduza) https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/08/21/russian-publishers-reportedly-cut-print-runs-after-ukrainian-strikes-on-wildberries-warehouses-where-their-books-are-storedThe cheap submarine-detection kits set to expose Putin's invisible force (Tom Cotterill for The Telegraph)https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08/21/cheap-submarine-detection-kits-expose-russia-navy-ships-war/ Russian widows hire clairvoyants to contact husbands killed in war (The Telegraph)https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/17/russian-widows-hire-clairvoyants-to-contact-husbands-killed/To hear Francis answer the question about Russian missile launchers in our last Q&A, on August 13th: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbf1PD2Xjhs&t=1890sEMAIL US:Contact the team on ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk. We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many as possible.HIGHLIGHTS:Russia 'defenceless' in the Mediterranean for first time in warUkraine hits Moscow's supply lines to Crimea Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Wondering where to eat in Austin? We're sharing 11 of the best restaurants in Austin, Texas, from Caribbean and Mediterranean flavor bombs to steakhouses, Italian favorites, smash burgers, and gorgeous lakeside dining. Whether you're visiting Austin or a local looking for your next great meal, these are the restaurants we recommend again and again!In this episode, we cover: Canje, Ezov, La Piscina, The Kimberly, Hula Hut, Quince Lakehouse, Intero, ATX Cocina, Birdie's, NADC, and Steiner Ranch Steakhouse. Listen to here what's good and the occasion that would bring you into these spots.Austin hotels we recommend:The LINE Hotel – Great location and view of the lake and batsHotel Van Zandt – Great rooftop pool vibesThe Downright Hotel – Cute pink, fun decor and a great pool vibe.Lake Austin Spa Resort – All-inclusive wellness resort on the Lake, it is absolutely amazing! You can also book a spa day, see our Lake Austin Spa Review before you go!Check out fun things to do in Austin that we recommend on Viator. These are perfect if you don't have a car or want to have some unique experiences on this trip.Find a great flight deal to Austin with Thrifty Traveler Premium's flight deals. Use our promo code TSP to get $20 off your first year subscription.—---------------------------------------Shop: Trip Itineraries & Amazon Storefront Connect: YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram and contact us at travelsquadpodcast@gmail.com to submit a question of the week or inquire about guest interviews and advertising. Submit a question of the week or inquire about guest interviews and advertising.Contains affiliate links, thanks for supporting Travel Squad Podcast!
Sailing in the Mediterranean and Beyond — Neil Fletcher's Summer Sailing Adventures In this episode of Sailing in the Mediterranean and Beyond, my good friend and longtime podcast contributor Neil Fletcher returns to share stories from another summer on the water in Europe. Neil has been contributing to the podcast for many years, and he has a wonderful ability to tell the stories of his adventures in a way that brings the experience of cruising to life. This time, he recounts his recent travels in France and Norway, but focusing mainly on 11 days on a riverboat in the canals and rivers of Burgundy. He shares practical details of how to do it, the experiences and people he encountered, and some of the memorable moments from his summer afloat. Neil is one of my favorite sailors to sail with. We’ve shared some great adventures over the years, including sailing together aboard his boat in Sweden, and I’ve always enjoyed hearing about his continued explorations around Europe. I really appreciate Neil taking the time to record this episode and share his stories with us. He tells these adventures much better than I ever could, and I think you’ll enjoy listening to him recount another summer on the water. Thanks, Neil, for being such a longtime contributor to Sailing in the Mediterranean and Beyond – and for sharing another great sailing story with us. Upcoming Sailing Opportunities Sailing in the Mediterranean and Beyond isn’t going anywhere! I’m currently organizing a sailing sub-club at the Alta Club in Salt Lake City, and we’re planning a charter in Greece or Turkey next August. If you’re interested in learning more—or if you’d like to explore the possibility of joining a separate charter with fellow listeners—I’d love to hear from you. As always, thank you for listening. Fair winds and following seas, Franz Amussen
There's more than a dash of elegance in the mix in this episode, and we make no apologies for that. In fact, we positively applaud ourselves that we've made a feature of it.We start by opening up a very distinctive bottle to unveil the unique taste of Bitter Cedrino – a very special Italian liqueur, blended from Mediterranean herbs with a touch of Sardinian sea water.Then we head off to Ma/Na, an ever-so stylish, incredibly hot new spot in London's Mayfair - to experience Japanese inspired precision, rhythm and heat in an exceptionally aesthetic space, serving equally exceptional cocktails.We've also news of cocktail glassware innovations, which are as chic as they are functional. Hardly surprising when one is the creation of Giorgio Bargiani, of the Connaught Bar. While the other comes from Lorenzo Antinori of Bar Leone, with another two from bartenders creating barware in gorgeous ceramics.And our guest is elegance personified, it's Minakshi Singh who shares her story from the challenges she faced as a young, female bartender in India 20 years ago, up to the present day, where she's now one of the driving forces on the country's bar scene, as the co-founder of five venues.For more from The Cocktail Lovers, visit thecocktaillovers.comFor the products featured in this episode, see websites below:What we're drinking:Lillet Rose Spritz50ml Lillet Rose100ml tonic waterGrapefruit wedge to garnishMethod:Add the Lillet Rose to an ice-filled wine glass. Top with tonic water and gently combine. Garnish with the grapefruit wedge.Amar The MakerAriane Fine Porcelain x Whyte Tales BarwareBar/Giani x NudeBar Leone x BOBO GlasswareBar StormyBitter CedrinoMa/NaNine LivesSidecar The Standard, LondonDiary dates:20th August, 5pm-9pm: Sprout Sessions x A for Athens, Templeton Garden, 1-15 Templeton Place, London SW5 9NB1st September, 5.30pm-11pm: Equal Measures Charity Auction, Nancy's Cocktail Bar, Coelchurch House, Bridge Walk, London SE1 2SXTickets and more info available hereOnline auction opens 23rd AugustThe Cocktail Lovers theme music is by Travis 'T-Bone' WatsonEdited by Christian Fox Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Interview starts at 27:10 The neuroscience of spiritual awakening, how Kundalini yoga shaped her life, and why she believes listening inward is especially important in a time of cultural confusion. She also explains how her work in geriatric psychiatry connects spirituality, brain health, stress regulation, and prevention strategies for aging populations. Helen Lavretsky, MD, MS, is a Professor In-Residence in the Department of Psychiatry at UCLA (Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior), a leading geriatric integrative psychiatrist, and a pioneer in mind-body approaches to late-life mental health. https://drhelenlavretsky.com/book/living-from-the-soul/ https://drhelenlavretsky.com/about/ In this episode: Dr. Helen Lavretsky shares her unusual path from the former Soviet Union into psychiatry, neuroscience, and later Kundalini yoga teacher training. She explains how growing up in an atheist Soviet environment still left room for underground spirituality passed through families and oral tradition. She describes a six-month temporary enlightenment experience after Kundalini practice and why it was physically intense, hard to describe, and initially unsustainable. The conversation focuses on her book Living from the Soul and the idea that people are increasingly being pushed to trust their own wisdom instead of outside authorities. She discusses how spirituality shows up in geriatric psychiatry, especially for older adults, dementia caregivers, and long COVID patients dealing with mortality and stress. She argues that meditation, breathing practices, yoga, tai chi, and qigong can improve self-regulation, brain health, and decision-making under pressure. She outlines how brain health should be cultivated across the lifespan, starting in childhood and even in utero, rather than only addressed later in life. She notes that lifestyle factors such as sleep, movement, diet, and stress management matter for dementia prevention and broader cognitive resilience. She emphasizes that meaning, purpose, and connection to soul are central to mental well-being. Key frameworks: Soul-based self-inquiry- asking inwardly what is right for you rather than defaulting to external authority Brain health across the lifespan- prevention beginning in childhood and even before birth Stress self-regulation toolkit- breathing, meditation, yoga, tai chi, and qigong as practical nervous-system supports Constitutional approach to diet- different people may need different foods based on ancestry, metabolism, and predisposition Become a Lord or Lady with 1k donations over time. And a Noble with any donation. Leave Serfdom behind and help Grimerica stick to 0 ads and sponsors and fully listener supported. Thanks for listening!! Help support the show, because we can't do it without ya. http://www.grimerica.ca/support Secret Teachings Esoteric Book Club audiobook library. www.skool.com/audiobooks Pegs and Jokers - Card and peg boardgame online for free https://pegsandjokers.ca/ https://www.simulationmaps.com/#products Suite of Interactive Maps! DisasterMap, VolcanoSim, AsteroidSim, ShipwreckMap, UFOMap etc https://www.amazon.com/Unlearned-School-Failed-What-About/dp/1998704904/ref=sr_1_3?sr=8-3 Support the show directly: https://open.spotify.com/show/2punSyd9Cw76ZtvHxMKenI?si=ImKxfMHgQZ-oshl499O4dQ&nd=1&dlsi=4c25fa9c78674de3 Watch or Listen on Spotify https://grimericacbd.com/ CBD / THC Gummies and Tinctures https://www.patreon.com/grimerica http://www.grimericaoutlawed.ca/support Our audio book website: www.adultbrain.ca Check out our next trip/conference/meetup - Contact at the Cabin www.contactatthecabin.com www.grimerica.ca/shrooms and Micro Dosing Darren's book www.acanadianshame.ca Join the chat / hangout with a bunch of fellow Grimericans Https://t.me.grimerica grimerica.ca/chats Discord Chats https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/grimerica-outlawed Sign up for our newsletter https://grimerica.substack.com/ SPAM Graham = and send him your synchronicities, feedback, strange experiences and psychedelic trip reports!! graham@grimerica.com Purchase swag, with partial proceeds donated to the show: www.grimerica.ca/swag Send us a postcard or letter http://www.grimerica.ca/contact/ Episode ART - Napolean Duheme's site http://www.lostbreadcomic.com/ MUSIC https://brokeforfree.bandcamp.com/ - Something Galactic Felix's Site sirfelix.bandcamp.com - Should I Timestamps: (00:00) Technical start and introducing Dr. Helen Lavretsky and her new book (01:15) Helen's background in geriatric psychiatry and the science-spirituality bridge (02:45) Growing up in the Soviet Union and an early attraction to psychiatry (03:59) First Kundalini yoga experience and the start of her spiritual-scientific merger (05:25) Death, dying, and why mortality became a lifelong theme in her work (06:10) Lanai, early Kundalini practice, and rapid changes in health and temperament (07:35) Temporary enlightenment and the difficulty of describing spiritual states (09:59) Why she wrote the book and how the world is changing around spirituality (12:27) Crumbling old structures and learning to depend on inner wisdom (14:14) What happens when spirituality is suppressed in the Soviet system (16:55) The shift from religion to spirituality, atheism, and changing belief patterns (19:07) Why the soul matters and how her meditation work helps people connect (21:24) How to tell soul guidance apart from self-talk and mental noise (22:29) Family reactions, including her mother's skepticism (23:27) Atheism as a spiritual belief system and its place on the spectrum (25:00) Materialism, duality, and the limits of studying non-material experience (27:35) Meaning and purpose as measures of spirituality (28:09) Yoga, tai chi, and stress regulation in aging and chronic illness (30:04) Staying calm during the Los Angeles fires while teaching breathing practices (31:06) Yoga, cognition, gray matter, and reducing inflammation (32:03) Young people, social media, the pandemic, and declining resilience (35:11) Prevention strategies for Alzheimer's and dementia starting in midlife (36:36) Brain health across the lifespan, including early childhood and in utero (38:30) Simple breathing tools kids can learn for resilience and self-regulation (39:39) Dementia, Alzheimer's, cholesterol, and lifestyle factors (41:19) Why there is no magical one-food cure and why sardine-fasting is not a silver bullet (43:15) The Mediterranean diet, processed foods, seed oils, and nuts (47:18) Supplements she uses for brain health, including B vitamins, vitamin D, fish oil, ginkgo, and adaptogens (49:51) Ancestry, blood type, constitution, and why one diet does not fit everyone (52:24) Local food, microbiome health, and eating in tune with your environment (53:18) What the book covers beyond spirituality: trauma, psychedelics, technology, and authenticity (55:22) Why she wants people to ask their own intuition instead of outsourcing authority (56:30) Where to find her book and follow her work Dr. Helen Lavretsky is a Professor In-Residence in the Department of Psychiatry at UCLA and a geriatric integrative psychiatrist with federally funded research program in geriatric depression and integrative mental health using mind-body interventions. She directs a clinical and research program in Integrative Psychiatry. She is a recipient of the Career Development award from the NIMH and the NCCIH, and the recipient of the 2020 Distinguished Investigator awards for research in geriatric psychiatry from the American College of Psychiatrists and the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, and the Jack Weinberg Memorial Award in Geriatric Psychiatry from the American Psychiatric Association. She is the Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, the Distinguished Fellow of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, and the Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. She is the President of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry.
Join the Patreon for more exclusive content like this! I'm back with my second ever episode of History Fix News and this time I'm sharing it with the masses! This news story comes out of Burgundy, France and deals with the recent theft of an ancient Celtic necklace known as the Vix Torque. We'll discuss serious flaws in French museum security following both the October 2025 jewel heist (episode 137) and this new Vix Torque heist. We'll also explore what the Vix Torque told us about the ancient Celtic world, including trade with the Mediterranean, and what it suggests about it's wearer, the Princess of Vix, a surprisingly high status woman in a world so often ruled by men.Support the show! Join the Patreon (patreon.com/historyfixpodcast)Buy some merchBuy Me a CoffeeVenmo @Shea-LaFountaineSources:Artnews “Thieves Snatch 2,500-Year-Old Celtic Gold Torque from French Museum in Broad Daylight”History and Archaeology Online “The Princess of Vix: Trade, Culture and Women in Celtic Society”Shoot me a message! Support the show
Faith takes us on her Mediterranean journey through Italy and the beauty and authentic Italian experience of Sorrento, and how she felt the polar opposite from Rome. Her folklore of the Italian witch she met and how maybe her spiritual experience wasn't the same as some of the others on the trip… Meanwhile, back at home, Anna endured the stress of reality TV and made sure to give the armed forces her opinion on delivery. So, really different weeks between these two!
Iran is facing an increasingly severe economic and military squeeze as sanctions, financial isolation, trade restrictions, and attacks on its military infrastructure cut the country off from the global economy. The strategy resembles an economic “Anaconda Plan,” gradually depriving Iran of oil revenue, foreign currency, industrial parts, weapons, fuel, and access to international markets while negotiations and military action continue. Iran is betting that it can withstand the pressure long enough for the approaching U.S. midterm elections to constrain the Trump administration, but the country is losing hundreds of millions of dollars in economic output and revenue each day while its military capabilities continue to deteriorate. The Strait of Hormuz may also become less valuable as Gulf states expand pipelines and alternative export routes through the Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, and potentially the Mediterranean. As Iran's economy weakens, its military shrinks, and alternative oil routes reduce its leverage over global shipping, time may increasingly favor the United States rather than Tehran. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
"My father, behold, the enemy's ships came here. My cities were burned, and they did evil things in my country. Does not my father know that all my troops and chariots are in the land of Hatti, and all my ships are in the land of Lukka? The country is abandoned to itself. May my father know it: the seven ships of the enemy that came here inflicted much damage upon us."Around the year 1185 BCE, Ammurapi, the last king of the ancient city Ugarit, urged the king of nearby Alashiya to send help. His city, which had stood for thousands of years, was one of the great commercial capitals of the eastern Mediterranean. But help would never arrive. Ugarit fell and was never rebuilt. And it was not alone.Up and down the coastline, from Greece to Anatolia to the Levant, an entire interconnected world of Bronze Age superpowers essentially stopped existing within the span of a few decades. Cities that had thrived for centuries were reduced to ash. Writing systems disappeared so completely that entire regions went functionally illiterate for centuries. And at the center of almost every ancient account of what happened, you find the same phrase showing up in Egyptian temple walls and Syrian palace archives alike, describing a coalition of raiders. People who made a “conspiracy in their islands” and came from the sea…Check out the podcast store at unresolved.dashery.comIf you would like to support this podcast, consider heading to https://www.patreon.com/unresolvedpod to become a Patron or ProducerBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/unresolved-a-true-crime-mystery-podcast--3266604/support.
Daniel Lieberman is a Harvard professor of human evolutionary biology, paleoanthropologist, and author. What is the best diet for peak human health? From vegan and carnivore to Mediterranean and raw food, how do you know which approach is right for you? And are diet and exercise still the keys to good health—or does modern science offer another solution? Expect to learn why nutrition and diet feel much like a religion, which diet is healthier: Vegan or Carnivore, why the Blue Zone science might be one big scam, what the best and worst diets are for your health, why most diets stop working after a certain period, if GLP-1s are the artificial solution to a real problem and much more… Sponsors: See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom Sign up for a free trial from Shopify at https://shopify.com/modernwisdom Get up to $50 off the RP Hypertrophy App at https://rpstrength.com/modernwisdom Get 160+ lab tests for just $365 and save an extra $25 at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom Get ChatGPT to explore ideas, solve problems, and learn faster at https://chatgpt.com Timestamps: (00:00) How Diet Shapes the Way You Think About Food (02:12) Diet Through the Lens of Human Evolution (02:55) Do We Look for Meaning Through Diet? (05:56) Are Plant-Based Diets Actually Better? (11:30) Why the Carnivore Diet Is Taking Off (14:04) The Truth About Proteinmaxxing (19:50) Is There Really One “Best” Diet? (24:00) Can We Trust Epidemiological Studies? (31:46) Why the Mediterranean Diet Keeps Winning (34:36) The Blue Zones Myth Explained (42:18) Can You Lose Weight Without Cutting Carbs? (51:57) Why Dieting Is Simpler Than You Think (54:00) Is Calorie Restriction Worth It? (01:02:35) What's Special About Intermittent Fasting? (01:06:15) Breaking Down the Paleo Diet (01:11:13) The Truth About Antinutrients (01:12:45) Why the Raw Food Diet Is So Hard (01:15:48) What Cooking Really Does to Digestion (01:19:38) Did Farming Make Humans Healthier? (01:24:58) What's the Real Story With Gluten? (01:27:51) Why Are So Many People Overweight? (01:32:16) Why We Crave Balanced Flavours (01:38:41) Food Labels Don't Tell the Whole Story (01:43:06) “Healthy” Foods That Could Be Making You Worse (01:51:40) Do Diets Stop Working Eventually? (01:54:08) The Biggest Concerns About GLP-1s (01:59:40) The Principles Behind Every Healthy Diet (02:07:35) Where to Find Daniel Extra Stuff: Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom Episodes You Might Enjoy: #577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins #712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson #700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman - Get In Touch: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Spend a quiet night in a Mediterranean garden, surrounded by the soft sound of crickets and gently flowing fountain water. A warm and peaceful soundscape for relaxation, sleep, or unwinding. Want access to an ad-free, 8-hour version of this episode? Try Deep Sleep Sounds Premium free for 7 days: https://sleepsounds.supercast.com/. Create a mix of your favorite sounds by downloading the Deep Sleep Sounds App at: https://deepsleepsounds.onelink.me/U0RY/app. Having an issue with Deep Sleep Sounds or want to ask us a question? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions. Our AppsRedeem exclusive, unlimited access to premium content for 1 month FREE in our mobile apps built by the Slumber Studios team:Slumber App: slumber.fm/deepsleepsounds Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Broadcast from KSQD, Santa Cruz on 8-13-2026: Dr. Dawn opens by reading an anatomy student's elegy to a body donor, reflecting on how modern medical education has moved away from full cadaver dissection toward pre-dissected specimens and models—and what she believes has been lost in that transition. Dr. Dawn dissects how hospital consolidation has become the primary driver of runaway U.S. healthcare costs. She contrasts a $16,000 knee replacement at Catawba Valley Medical Center with a $40,000 procedure for the same Blue Cross Blue Shield plan an hour away at Asheville's Mission Hospital—a facility formed by the 1998 merger of the town's two acute-care hospitals and later acquired by HCA in 2018. Mission now charges 333% of Medicare rates (versus a 280% benchmark), and state inspectors have issued three "immediate jeopardy" findings since HCA's takeover, consistent with academic findings that hospital care quality drops when competition disappears. She notes that CMS-required price disclosures since 2021 finally make this transparent, and calls for regulatory prevention of hospital mergers—especially not-for-profit to for-profit conversions—in single or two-hospital markets. Dr. Dawn analyzes the 3.1% year-over-year drop in prescription drug prices reported through July—the sharpest decline since 1963. She attributes most of it to Biden's 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which partially rescinded George W. Bush-era Medicare Part D restrictions that had statutorily prohibited price negotiation, saving taxpayers roughly $6 billion in the first six months of implementation. Additional contributors include GLP-1 compounding competition, blockbuster drugs losing exclusivity, and Bureau of Labor Statistics methodology that swaps generics into the price index six months after brand patent expiration. She calls for consumer-facing apps that help patients shop hospital prices the same way they shop cars. Dr. Dawn covers the emerging science of dormant tumor cells—cancer cells that shed from primary tumors even before diagnosis, hide in bone marrow and lymph nodes, and enter a hibernation state (feeding off cellular residue via autophagy) that shields them from chemotherapy targeting rapidly dividing cells. New York researchers have identified proteins by which lung macrophages actively reinforce dormancy, but immune disruption from COVID-19, influenza, aging, and chronic stress can trigger reactivation. She emphasizes lifestyle protection for cancer survivors: minimal alcohol, Mediterranean diet, and five daily cups of green tea for the EGCG dormancy-maintaining effect seen in cell culture. A caller argues for single-payer healthcare and questions whether Medigap insurance is worth $287 monthly. Dr. Dawn explains the math: for a $100,000 hospital bill, 20% coinsurance is $20,000, making the $2,400 annual premium reasonable catastrophic-risk protection—though skipping it is a defensible bet for very low-utilization patients. She notes those whose income drops to Medi-Cal eligibility often end up with better coverage than middle-class seniors. The same caller then presents a differential diagnosis of himself as likely multiple sclerosis based on ChatGPT consultation, describing balance loss requiring hallway wall-guidance, dramatic vision changes, and fasciculations. Dr. Dawn walks through prompt engineering for medical AI: request differential lists ordered by probability of frequency in the population rather than symptom-fit alone. She notes symmetric symptoms argue against MS, suggests checking electrolytes (particularly calcium), and emphasizes that a physical examination should precede imaging to avoid incidentalomas that trigger cascading invasive workups—cautioning that without a primary care doctor, he lacks an advocate within the system.
A week ago the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement. The new defense pact has many in the region and in Washington scratching their heads, wondering what its goals are, whether it will trigger regional realignment, and what new risks it raises in an already volatile region where we've seen geopolitical rivalries deepen - whether it's Pakistan's rivalry with India, Saudi Arabia's relations with the UAE, or Turkey's continued provocations and threats against Greece, Cyprus, and Israel. Beyond the security dimensions of this pact, the economic questions it raises may be more important. This new pact is increasingly seen as undermining US supported projects in which both Greece and Cyprus have invested politically, notably the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). This comes at a time when Congress is looking to bolster the Eastern Mediterranean's role as a strategic link between India, the Middle East, and Europe. Just this week, a bipartisan group of Congressmen once again stressed the importance of IMEC for US interests in the region, emphasizing the significance of projects like the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI). Beyond Congress, we saw a major development when it came to the GSI earlier this month as months of negotiations between Athens and Paris wrapped up with the French investment group Meridiam acquiring a majority stake in the project. Athens hopes the deal will give both a financial and diplomatic boost to the GSI, which has seen Turkey try to obstruct its progress. These latest moves in the Eastern Mediterranean once again remind us why the region remains critical for global developments, and, more importantly, for US interests. This is a story that we've seen time and again, and as we celebrate America's 250 anniversary, we can't ignore the integral role the Mediterranean has played in shaping this story. Experts Jonathan Schanzer, Vassilis Nedos, and Ian Lesser join Thanos Davelis as we break down all of these issues. A little more info on our guests: Jonathan Schanzer is executive director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Vassilis Nedos is Kathimerini's diplomatic and defense editor. Ian Lesser is a Distinguished Fellow and Advisor to the president at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, and a Senior Fellow at the Policy Center for the New South. You can support The Greek Current by joining HALC as a member here.
In 1212, thousands of children set out across Europe believing God would part the Mediterranean and lead them peacefully to Jerusalem. (Spoiler alert: God didn't.) Their impossible journey became one of the strangest and most hotly debated events of the Middle Ages, blurring the line between history, myth, religious fervor, and mass delusion. It's also wildly entertaining. For Merch and everything else Bad Magic related, head to: https://www.badmagicproductions.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Subscribe to Throwing Fits on Patreon. Χερετισμός. This week, Jimmy in Zooming in from from a hotel terrace in Greece to check in with Larry on our upcoming screening inside a decommissioned bank on Wall Street—save the date: August 25th—you're never going to believe who's wearing boat shoes, Maui Jim going Greek, long ass sweat shorts, some new vintage purchases courtesy of our boy Chad Senzel, everyone's favorite Steff Yotka is the new EIC of i-D, Adam Baidawi's first letter from the editor and cover for GQ, is Jeremy Strong September issue worthy, Lawrence got his karma up coming back from Copenhagen and we've got the email to prove it, James spent some time in a nearly empty Athens experiencing the majesty of antiquities, ancient history about to blow up, taking a Mediterranean ferry to prepare for the end of the world, what James has missed after a week detoxing from Instagram and, more importantly, what he's learned, Banana Republic is the latest mall brand that's back, the siren song of notifications, and much more.
'After capturing the Mediterranean ports, and having been welcomed as a god in Egypt, Alexander turned east again, aiming to defeat Darius once and for all.' In this episode of the podcast, the Ancient Warfare Magazine team discuss issue 108, 'Alexander Ascendant: The Battle of Gaugamela'. Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast
Wherever you're listening to this right now you're probably feeling the changes this summer in a big way. It's not only us here in the Mediterranean region of Europe who are experiencing record heat waves, droughts, and wildfires. I've been watching news reports from all over the world and the other day my Mom in Spokane Washington even told me that fires had nearly reached their home. I have no desire to go into the doom and gloom of climate reality, but we also can't ignore two very important things. The first being that massive action needs to be taken to restore the damaged ecosystems of the world, and two, governments and industries just aren't going to act fast enough. It falls to all of us to inform ourselves and get to work. This episode today is meant to help you do just that. Today I spoke with Lorenzo Costa who has been on the show a couple times already, but now that I'm in Italy and have been observing the effects of this severe summer weather, I knew I had to get in touch with him again and get his perspective as someone who travels the country working with growers of all types to restore the hydrological function and cycling of their land to build resilience in their operations. While it's worth going back to his previous episodes where he talks about his own vegetable operation in the Chianti region of Tuscany, as well as the water projects he was doing a few years ago, in this episode we get an update on the patterns and learnings from all the new projects he's seen and worked on recently. Now that we've covered a lot about the concepts and theory behind watercycles and how they interact and are affected by landscape management, as well as how my colleague Nick Steiner and I assess and read a landscape ahead of a project, we're going to be focusing increasingly on practical restoration options and case studies from innovative farmers and restoration workers from around Europe. So let's jump right into this exploration of the current challenges and potential in Italy from Lorenzo
Are you struggling with low energy, poor performance, or constant fatigue without knowing the true root cause?Testosterone levels are deeply personal, and fixing the balance takes far more than just chasing a single number or relying on temporary quick fixes. In this episode, discover the science-backed, natural routines that optimize your drive, improve your sleep, and protect your long-term health from the inside out.Tune in now to uncover the exact steps to reclaim your vitality!--------------Key TakeawaysPersonalized hormone levels depend on genetics rather than a single universal number.Reducing stress lowers cortisol levels and naturally helps optimize hormone balance.Sleeping seven hours nightly between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. supports natural testosterone production.Adopting a Mediterranean diet can significantly raise natural hormone levels while reducing inflammation.Performing high-intensity interval exercise for 30 minutes four times weekly improves overall drive.Quitting smoking and vaping protects penile blood vessels and improves circulatory health.Erectile difficulties often serve as an early warning sign for underlying cardiovascular issues.Addressing root lifestyle factors provides a sustainable solution rather than relying on quick-fix medications.Delayed ejaculation can stem from enlarged prostate issues, hormonal imbalances, or underlying stress.Comprehensive bloodwork and hormone testing help identify the true cause of sexual health challenges.--------------Resources mentioned:Modern Man CribMediterranean DietGood Morning Wood SmoothieRenew with Dr. Anne--------------Curious about how you can boost your bedroom game and build lasting confidence? Check out the course at getwoodnow.com and start your journey to feeling like yourself again!--------------If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more and get more tips, subscribe to The Modern Man newsletter for exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox! https://dranne.co/themodernman--------------Follow Me On:InstagramTwitterFacebookTikTokYouTube--------------For all links and resources mentioned on the show and where to subscribe to the podcast, please visit https://truongrehab.com/low-testosterone-erectile-dysfunction-natural-treatment--------------Want to regain control of your sex life? It's time to reverse the effects of ED on your life. Join the Modern Man Club and embark on your journey to complete recovery and community.--------------Reveal the FREE treatment most men ignore that solves thousands of erectile dysfunction cases every year, plus the 5 biggest mistakes you must avoid if you want to say goodbye to your ED. Uncover it all in my free eBook, available to download now.https://dranne.co/ebook
When you decide to grab a bite to eat, do you think about how to feed your gut microbes? Most of us don't. Even if we did, their only means of stating their preferences is somewhat after the fact. Do you end up feeling less than well? Perhaps the denizens of your gut aren't happy. In this episode, we consider how to support your microbiota and whether that can reduce the inflammation that seems to accompany modern life. At The People's Pharmacy, we strive to bring you up‑to‑date, rigorously researched insights and conversations about health, medicine, wellness and health policies and health systems. While these conversations intend to offer insight and perspective, the content is provided solely for informational and educational purposes. Please consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your medical care or treatment. How You Can Listen You could listen through your local public radio station or get the live stream at 7 am EST on Saturday, August 15, 2026, through your computer or smart phone (wunc.org). Here is a link so you can find which stations carry our broadcast. If you can't listen to the broadcast, you may wish to hear the podcast later. You can subscribe through your favorite podcast provider, download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of the page, or listen to the stream on this post starting on August 17, 2026. Feed Your Gut Right to Fight Inflammation Dr. Will Bulsiewicz is a gastroenterologist who urges all of us to focus on a healthful fiber-rich plant-strong diet to maintain our microbiome in good shape. He has described his own evolution from a busy medical student relying heavily on processed food products to a whole-food plant-based enthusiast. Eating a wide variety of plants is one of the easiest ways to make sure we are getting the nutrients our gut microbes need. Why are the trillions of microbes in our large intestine so important? Dr. Bulsiewicz (aka Dr. B.) shares the story of a patient who was overwhelmed by a serious C. diff infection. A course of clindamycin for a skin infection had decimated her normal microbiome and left an open field for C. diff to flourish. Instead of treating her with surgery and even more potent antibiotics, Dr. B. and his colleagues utilized a fecal transplant. She got poop from a healthy person into her colon and left the hospital a few days later in good health herself. What Is the Link Between the Microbiome and the Immune System? Inflammation is one of the primary signs that the immune system has gone into action to fight off a perceived foe. There is a close relationship between the gut microbes, the gut barrier and the cells of the immune system. Between 70 and 80 percent of immune system cells are present in the gut (Nutrients, March 9, 2021). There is just one layer of cells in the gut barrier, firmly attached to each other through tight junctions. If those tight junctions break down, pathogens and toxins can get from the gut into the bloodstream and activate the immune system into creating inflammation Medicines That Harm the Intestinal Barrier Diets that are high in salt have a negative impact on the integrity of the intestinal barrier (Nutrients, Nov. 25, 2025). In fact, a diet high in salt can reduce the number of Lactobacilli in the gut by 90%. This also affects the permeability of the gut barrier, which can contribute to auto-immune conditions. When we asked about inflammatory bowel disorders such as Crohn disease or ulcerative colitis, Dr. B. told us he thinks it's a mistake to classify them as auto-immune conditions. Instead, he suggests we should consider these conditions as due to the immune system rejecting the microbiome. Some of them might be initiated and perpetuated by failures in the gut barrier that allow certain organisms or their toxins into systemic circulation. A number of medications can also harm it, most notably the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Agents like ibuprofen, naproxen, celecoxib and meloxicam may disrupt the tight junctions that keep the intestinal barrier intact (Gastroenterology, Feb. 2018). In some cases, they may also upset the balance of microbes. Four Keys to an Anti-Inflammatory Diet There are several different dietary patterns that allow you to feed your gut and fight inflammation. Good evidence supports a DASH diet, a Mediterranean diet, pescatarian, flexitarian, vegetarian and some vegan diets. We asked Dr. B. to summarize the four features healthful eating patterns share. They include adequate fiber, plenty of polyphenols, healthy fat and fermented foods (think of sauerkraut or kimchi). Fiber and Flatulence One drawback of a high-fiber diet is that when microbes in the colon ferment the fiber we can't digest, they produce gases. It has to go somewhere, or it will cause sensations of cramping and bloating. Consequently, fiber is often associated with flatulence. Dr. B. suggests that there may be more gas, and it may be loud, but it shouldn't be stinky. Smelly farts are born of sulfur, which is more common in a diet containing garlic, onions, crucifers like broccoli or cabbage, fish, eggs or meat. Plant-Powered Plus We wondered what might be included in the “plus” category when you feed your gut and fight inflammation. Dr. B. offers a few things that you might not expect in a book about diet, but they are related to reducing inflammation. One is to go outside early in the day, every day, to get your circadian rhythm in sync. Another is to maintain your emotional connections with family and friends. Still another, just as important, is to nurture your spiritual core. This Week’s Guest Dr. Will Bulsiewicz describes how a plant-powered diet can fight inflammation Will Bulsiewicz, MD, is a New York Times bestselling author, award-winning gastroenterologist and internationally recognized health expert. Dr. Bulsiewicz directs the Gut & Microbiome Center for Excellence, a physician-led executive medicine and telemedicine practice based in Mount Pleasant, SC. Dr. Bulsiewicz is the author of several books, including his latest book, Plant Powered Plus: Activate the Power of Your Gut to Tame Inflammation and Reclaim Your Health. His website is https://theguthealthmd.com/books/ The People's Pharmacy is reader supported. When you buy through links in this post, we may earn a small affiliate commission (at no cost to you). Listen to the Podcast The podcast of this program will be available Monday, August 17, 2026, after broadcast on Aug. 15. In this week's podcast, you get to peek into Dr. B's shopping cart. Are you buying the same vegetables he does? We also get insights on his favorite recipes for grains like farro. And we discuss the effect of coffee on the gut microbes. If you want to feed your gut to encourage certain microbes, remember that consistency is crucial. You can't eat a specific food once and expect it to make a difference. But consuming it several times a week will ultimately add up. We also discuss antidotes for flatulence, if you are interested in that. You can stream the show from this site and download the podcast for free. Download the mp3, or listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
TABLE OF CONTENTS, JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 8-11-2-26Mary Kissel discusses North Korea's transformation into a critical military supplier for Russia's war in Ukraine, providing ballistic missiles and thousands of combat troops. This collaboration integrates Pyongyang into an "axis of tyranny" alongside Moscow, Beijing, and Tehran to challenge the West and NATO. Kissel notes that the Kim regime's involvement stems from a desire for cash, a need to demonstrate missile capabilities, and a shared goal of weakening U.S.global influence. This development highlights the long-term failure of U.S. diplomacy to prevent North Korean nuclear proliferation and serves as a warning regarding Iran. (1)Jonathan Schanzer addresses the mysterious absence of Iran's Supreme Leader and the resulting tightening grip of the IRGC on the government. The regime is characterized as sclerotic, relying on aging hardliners with "blood on their hands" to maintain power. Meanwhile, the Houthis have escalated attacks in the Red Sea, targeting Saudi infrastructure and shipping ports like Mocha and Jazan. Schanzer argues this is a strategic move by Iran to shut down trade on both sides of the Arabian Peninsula, exploiting a lack of unity between competitive regional powers like Saudi Arabia and the UAE. (2)Liz Peek analyzes the surprisingly vigorous U.S. economy, where consumer spending and small business optimism remain high despite elevated oil prices and stagnant job growth. While the Fed weighs interest rate hikes to curb inflation, a "wealth effect" from the stock market continues to buoy the economy. Politically, Peek highlights a "civil war" within the Democratic Party, where "revolutionary" candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) are challenging the establishment in key swing states like Michigan and Wisconsin. These far-left candidates struggle with electability among moderate voters in general elections. (3)Joseph Sternberg observes that the current midterm cycle has become an "election about nothing," with both parties failing to articulate clear policy agendas. He argues that Congress has outsourced its constitutional authority to the executive branch and regulatory agencies, losing the habit of legislating. This vacuum is being filled by "celebrity influencers" from the MAGA and DSA factions who prioritize social media attention over governing. Consequently, critical issues like Social Security reform and fiscal reality are being ignored until an inevitable crisis forces congressional action. (4)Gregory Copley evaluates the new "Mecca Joint Defense Agreement" between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, which aims to counter Iranian influence despite mutual distrust among the members. The discussion also explores the massive transformation of global trade routes, including China's "Ice Silk Road" through the Arctic and Russia's International North-South Transport Corridor. Copley notes that these routes aim to bypass vulnerable maritime choke points like the Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz. Finally, he provides a report on King Charles III's summer activities and public engagements in Scotland. (5)Veronique de Rugy critiques the Trump administration's shift toward "socialism on the right," evidenced by the government taking ownership stakes in private companies like Intel. Often justified by national security, these interventions mirror European state-owned enterprise models that historically burden taxpayers and distort market competition. De Rugy argues that such moves make private companies hostage to government dictates, such as labor or diversity requirements. By adopting policies championed by far-left senators like Bernie Sanders, the administration risks damaging long-term economic efficiency and creating a "state enterprise" system similar to China's. (6)Ahmad Sharawi explains that Russia has secured its military foothold in Syria through a new memorandum of understanding with the Al-Shara government. Russia will maintain access to vital maritime and aerial bases for its operations in the Mediterranean and Africa, while Syria remains dependent on Russian grain and energy. Sharawi notes that the U.S. appears to be losing diplomatic leverage by removing sanctions without obtaining counterterrorism concessions or progress in neutralizing ISIS. The new Syrian administration is successfully playing major powers against each other to maintain domestic stability and maximize international benefits. (7)Samuel Ben-Ur and Bill Roggio discuss the "Board of Peace" plan for post-war Gaza, which proposes a civilian Palestinian government overseen by international forces. A significant impasse remains: Israel refuses to withdraw until Hamas is disarmed, while Hamas has endorsed the plan, likely hoping its allies—Turkey and Qatar—will oversee the verification process. The discussion reveals that Gaza's tunnel network is more extensive than previously believed, with only 40–50% cleared after years of war. One proposed solution to prevent Hamas from regrouping is filling the remaining tunnels with cement. (8)Thaddeus McCotter analyzes the Michigan Senate race between Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed, a Rhodes Scholar supported by the far-left DSA. El-Sayed's primary victory over the Democratic establishment highlights the growing influence of "woke" ideology in college towns. While El-Sayed attempts to pivot to the center for the general election, his lack of a public voting record makes his true agenda difficult to pin down. McCotter suggests the race will test whether voters will reject the "Jacobin" manifestations of cancel culture and extreme progressive policies in favor of a more traditional candidate. (9)All nine files this time, with Gregory Copley in place at (5).
Ahmad Sharawi explains that Russia has secured its military foothold in Syria through a new memorandum of understanding with the Al-Shara government. Russia will maintain access to vital maritime and aerial bases for its operations in the Mediterranean and Africa, while Syria remains dependent on Russian grain and energy. Sharawi notes that the U.S. appears to be losing diplomatic leverage by removing sanctions without obtaining counterterrorism concessions or progress in neutralizing ISIS. The new Syrian administration is successfully playing major powers against each other to maintain domestic stability and maximize international benefits. (7)
Exam Room Nutrition: Nutrition Education for Health Professionals
Nutrition, supplements, and what the evidence saysIn this episode, I'm joined by Chelsey Hoffmann, PA-C, RDN, who specializes in pain medicine at Mayo Clinic, to break down where nutrition fits into chronic pain management and how to evaluate supplements without overpromising results.We cover:Why a Mediterranean-style diet should come before supplements for painSupplements with evidence for neuropathic pain vs. musculoskeletal painWhat we know about alpha-lipoic acid, turmeric/curcumin, glucosamine, chondroitin, collagen, omega-3s, magnesium, vitamin D, and PEAChelsey's algorithm for experimenting with supplements How to define whether a supplement is actually “working”Medication interactions and patient populations that require extra cautionWhen nutrient deficiencies should be investigated before adding another supplementResources mentioned:Episode 75: Are Your Patients Taking Too Many Supplements and Don't Even Know It?Episode 73: Is That Supplement Worth It? Connect with Chelsey Hoffmann on LinkedInAny Questions? Send Me a MessageSupport the showConnect with Colleen:InstagramLinkedInSign up for my FREE Newsletter - Nutrition hot-topics delivered to your inbox each week.Disclaimer: This podcast is a collection of ideas, strategies, and opinions of the author(s). Its goal is to provide useful information on each of the topics shared within. It is not intended to provide medical, health, or professional consultation or to diagnosis-specific weight or feeding challenges. The author(s) advises the reader to always consult with appropriate health, medical, and professional consultants for support for individual children and family situations. The author(s) do not take responsibility for the personal or other risks, loss, or liability incurred as a direct or indirect consequence of the application or use of information provided. All opinions stated in this podcast are my own and do not reflect the opinions of my employer.
Episode 164In this episode of Cruise Conversations , we sit down with listener Elizabeth to recap her 7-night Greek Isles cruise on Celebrity Infinity, sailing round-trip from Athens. We discuss:First impressions of Celebrity Infinity — Celebrity's oldest (and smallest) Millennium-class ship, and whether a refreshed classic still holds up against the newer mega-shipsBooking a Concierge Class stateroom and picking a cabin location around how you actually spend your daysPre-cruise time in Athens — the Grand Hyatt, the botanical gardens, and why the Acropolis Museum is a must-doA port-by-port breakdown: Mykonos, Rhodes (the medieval town that stole the show), Kusadasi/Ephesus in Turkey, iconic Santorini, and the car-free island of Hydra (Idra)The full Turkey carpet-seminar experience — and Frank's own rug-buying storyShip excursions vs. private tours, plus how to check how many ships are in port before you book (the Santorini crowd trick)Dining on Celebrity — anytime dining, the main dining room vs. buffet, room-service breakfast on the balcony, and why they skipped specialty diningEntertainment, the casino, and what a World Cup sea day looked like on boardReal tips for planning a Greek Isles cruise or your first sailing on Celebrity InfinityWhether you're eyeing a Mediterranean sailing, curious about Celebrity Infinity, or wondering whether a smaller classic ship can beat the big new ones for an itinerary like this, this episode is packed with firsthand experience, honest takes, and practical tips to help you plan your next vacation.
Did you know a woman is just as likely to break a bone in her lifetime as she is to get breast, uterine, or ovarian cancer?! Yet bone health rarely makes it onto a busy mom's radar until it's too late... In this episode, Brooke sits down with Dr. John Neustadt, naturopathic physician, founder of Nutritional Biochemistry Inc., and bestselling author of Fracture Proof Your Bones, to unpack what really predicts fracture risk, what's silently working against your bones, and what you can start doing today, even in your 30s and 40s. What You'll Learn Bone density tests don't tell the whole story. They only predict fracture risk in 44% of women and 21% of men. Bone strength depends on collagen and protein, not just minerals, and that's what most tests miss. Common medications can quietly destroy bone. SSRIs, proton pump inhibitors, prednisone, and some blood pressure medications increase fracture risk, often without doctors or patients realizing it. Protein and collagen matter more than most women think. Under-eating protein is common, and adequate intake (plus hydrolyzed collagen) supports bone density and strength. Gait and balance predict fractures better than any test. Simple daily habits, like balance exercises and walking, lower fall risk more than people expect. The Mediterranean diet pattern works. A plants-and-protein approach is linked to a 20% reduction in osteoporosis risk and a 21% reduction in fracture risk. A diagnosis isn't an emergency. There's time to ask the right questions, get the right labs, and build a holistic plan before jumping straight to medication. Bone loss is silent, common, and largely preventable. A bone density number isn't destiny. Protein, movement, medication awareness, and the right labs give you real control over your bone health, starting now, not just after menopause. Join Busy Mom Meals: High protein 15 minute or less meals: https://www.busymommeals.com/monthly
Circadian Rhythm and Hormone Balance may start with sunlight—but Dr. Eugene Antenucci says your mouth could be just as important for lifelong health. In this eye-opening episode, Lisa Fischer explores the overlooked relationship between oral health and longevity with Dr. Eugene Antenucci. Learn how oral bacteria influence inflammation throughout the body, why gum disease has been linked to heart disease and dementia, and how everyday habits like tongue scraping, flossing, and reducing processed foods can improve overall wellness. They also discuss Blue Zones, Mediterranean nutrition, toxin reduction, clean water, healthy sleep habits, and why meaningful relationships remain one of the strongest predictors of living a longer, healthier life. If you're looking for practical ways to reduce inflammation and optimize your health span, this episode delivers actionable insights you can begin using today.
You've seen the claim: 66 books, 40 authors, 1,500 years, three continents, three languages — and not one contradiction. This week we take that apologetic apart piece by piece, from the canon that was never fixed, to the authorship traditions nobody can source, to the "three continents" you could fit inside a circle smaller than the Mediterranean. Then it's Twisted Scripture, where Mark Driscoll insists you can't be a Bible-believing Christian and a socialist, so we look at what the eighth-century prophets, Deuteronomy, Jesus, and the book of Acts actually say about wealth, debt, and who's on the hook for taking care of the poor. Support Data Over Dogma and get every episode early and ad-free, plus exclusive bonus content — become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/DataOverDogma Get your Data Over Dogma merch at our online store: https://data-over-dogma-shop.fourthwall.com/ Watch every episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dataoverdogma Follow us: Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/dataoverdogmapod TikTok — https://www.tiktok.com/@data.over.dogma.pod Threads — https://www.threads.com/@dataoverdogmapod X — https://x.com/data_over_dogma Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/DataOverDogmaPod Get Dan McClellan's New York Times bestselling book, The Bible Says So: https://static.macmillan.com/static/smp/bible-says-so-9781250347466/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Inflammation isn't always the enemy. In fact, it's one of the ways your body protects and heals itself. The real problem is chronic inflammation—the low-grade fire that quietly fuels heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, autoimmune disease, gut issues, accelerated aging, and countless other health problems. In this episode, Dr. Josh Axe reveals the seven foods that reduce inflammation more effectively than supplements and explains why the foods you eat every day are far more powerful than any pill you can take. You'll discover the science behind the Mediterranean diet, why certain foods activate your body's own healing pathways, and the simple dietary changes that can dramatically improve your energy, recovery, immune function, and long-term health. You'll learn: • Why chronic inflammation is the root cause of most chronic diseases • Why food is often more powerful than supplements • The surprising reason fish oil supplements don't always work as well as eating fish • How extra-virgin olive oil acts like a natural anti-inflammatory compound • Why berries, tart cherries, and pomegranates help turn off inflammatory genes • How cruciferous vegetables activate your body's natural detoxification pathways • Why fermented foods are essential for healing the gut • Which nuts and seeds have the greatest anti-inflammatory benefits • How to combine herbs and spices for maximum absorption and effectiveness • Dr. Axe's blueprint for creating anti-inflammatory meals Download Dr. Axe's FREE Anti-Inflammatory Food Guide here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l14-wCcdPfx3oU3qgjlC7sLmVJcs24NO/view?usp=sharing Uncover what's really happening inside your body with advanced biomarker testing for hormones, inflammation, thyroid function, and metabolism—plus a one-hour consultation with a Senior Health Advisor. → mybloodwork.com Thank you to our sponsors! Sunlighten Sauna: https://get.sunlighten.com/axepodcast Manukora Manuka Honey: https://manukora.com/axe Watch The Dr. Josh Axe Show every Monday and Thursday on YouTube.
1566 - 1737 - The Ottoman Empire stands at the height of its power, yet a new reign brings fresh ambitions, dangerous rivalries and growing challenges. As the Mediterranean becomes the centre of an epic struggle, the balance of power begins to shift. Join me as we explore the personalities, politics and decisions that shaped one of history's most fascinating empires and its uncertain future.
Since January 2025, thousands of tonnes of common octopus, usually found in the Mediterranean, have been landed by fisherman off the south coast of England. But it's still not a regular feature on UK menus. In this episode of the Food Programme, Jaega Wise heads to Brixham fish market to find out more about what's happening, and visits seafood restaurants taking alternative approaches to the challenge. Rockfish owner and chef Mitch Tonks talks her through the difficulties of cooking octopus, and marine ecologist Bryce Stewart at Plymouth University explains why the creature could be here to stay. Jaega also explores what puts people off eating octopus - from tentacles to extreme intelligence. And we head to Guernsey to meet a fisherman whose business has been severely impacted, and try some “Octodog”.Produced by Tory Pope.
Episode 2836 - Vinnie Tortorich and Chris Shaffer discuss coffee and nerve health, the Mediterranean diet, and the effects of sweeteners on gut health. https://vinnietortorich.com/2026/08/coffee-and-nerve-health-episode-2836 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS Pure Vitamin Club Pure Coffee Club NSNG® Foods VILLA CAPPELLI EAT HAPPY KITCHEN YOU CAN WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE - @FitnessConfidential Podcast Vinnie's workout videos are available to purchase! Choose from a 2-day, 4-day, or 6-day workout–or buy all three at a discount! TO PURCHASE VINNIE'S WORKOUT VIDEOS, CLICK THIS LINK: https://vinnietortorich.com/workout Coffee and Nerve Health Coffee study from Texas A&M shows the downstream effects of coffee. (4:00) The study suggests that, besides the heart benefits, coffee may also have a positive effect on nerve health. They briefly discuss Brian Johnson's experimentation for increasing longevity, and his recent diagnosis with autoimmune disease. (5:30) Olive oil, fish, and reducing refined carbohydrates increase two beneficial mitochondrial peptides. (17:00) The Mediterranean diet isn't a diet; there is too much variation in Mediterranean regions to define it at all. (22:00) Go to Vinnie's YouTube channel for visual reference during the conversation. (25:00) @FitnessConfidential Podcast Artificial sweeteners are bad for your gut. (38:00) Combined with additional things like antidepressants, it made gut diversity even worse. Vinnie explains why he tries to encourage people to go cold turkey away from sugar and sweeteners. (43:00) The use of a "crutch" may feel necessary, but sometimes it's best to jump straight into the new habit. Check out the Aletha Hip HookTM that Vinnie uses to reduce pain and increase mobility: You can purchase your own through Vinnie's website here: https://vinnietortorich.com/hook Anna's products are now linked to PureVitamin Club's website. Look under the "Food and Snacks" section to purchase them there, too. https://purevitaminclub.com/collections/food-and-snacks Vinnie hopes to add other products as well, all of which will be health-related. The NSNG® VIP GROUP IS NOW CLOSED AGAIN AS OF SUNDAY, MARCH 15TH Anna's next cookbook, Eat Happy Cocktail Hour, is filled with cocktails, mocktails, and appetizers and is available for pre-order right now. If you pre-order, you'll get bonus goodies! You can pre-order from a wide variety of booksellers at https://eathappycocktailhour.com/ Please save your receipt from wherever you pre-order; you'll need it for your bonuses! Physical Release Date is October 2026 You can book a consultation with Vinnie to get guidance on your goals. https://vinnietortorich.com/phone-consultation-2/ More News Serena has added some of her clothing suggestions and beauty product suggestions to Vinnie's Amazon Recommended Products link. Self Care, Beauty, and Grooming Products that Actually Work! https://www.amazon.com/shop/vinnietortorich/list/3GPVU29UHHPMY?ref_=aipsflist Don't forget to check out Serena Scott Thomas on Days of Our Lives on Peacock. "Dirty Keto" is available on Amazon! You can purchase or rent it here.https://amzn.to/4d9agj1 Please make sure to watch, rate, and review it! Eat Happy Italian, Anna's second cookbook, is available! You can go to https://eathappyitalian.com You can order it from Vinnie's Book Club. https://amzn.to/3ucIXm Anna's recipes are in her cookbooks, on her website, and on Substack —they will spice up your day! https://annavocino.substack.com/ PURCHASE DIRTY KETO (2024) The documentary launched in August 2024! Order it TODAY! This is Vinnie's fourth documentary in just over five years. Visit my new Documentaries HQ to find my films everywhere: https://vinnietortorich.com/documentaries Then, please share my fact-based, health-focused documentary series with your friends and family. Additionally, the more views it receives, the better it ranks, so please watch it again with a new friend! REVIEWS: Please submit your REVIEW after you watch my films. Your positive REVIEW does matter! PURCHASE BEYOND IMPOSSIBLE (2022) Visit my new Documentaries HQ to find my films everywhere: https://vinnietortorich.com/documentaries FAT: A DOCUMENTARY 2 (2021) Visit my new Documentaries HQ to find my films everywhere: https://vinnietortorich.com/documentaries FAT: A DOCUMENTARY (2019) Visit my new Documentaries HQ to find my films everywhere: https://vinnietortorich.com/documentaries
This week we talk about Melilla, hybrid warfare, and migration.We also discuss Morocco, civil conflict, and immigration politics.Recommended Book: Playground by Richard PowersTranscriptCeuta is a Spanish-owned territory located in northwestern Africa, along the top of Morocco. It's small—about seven square miles—and is unusual because it is a city owned by a European Union member state that isn't located on the European continent; it's bordered by Morocco and the Mediterranean, and is located at the entrance of the Strait of Gibraltar, which is the strait that separates the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean.Ceuta is one of two territories that Spain still holds in Africa, the other being a smaller, just 4.7 square mile city called Melilla, which is located further west but still along the Mediterranean coast, bordered by the sea on one side, and by Morocco on the other.Spain has held both of these territories for hundreds of years: Ceuta since 1580 and Melilla since 1497, so it's actually held them far longer than Morocco has been an independent state, in 1956. The populations of these territories, just over 85,000 people in each, also heavily identify as Spanish, despite many residents having Moroccan ancestry, so theres a cultural component here, too.That said, Morocco officially claims both areas as their own, considering them to be occupied territories, a bit like the Crimean peninsula has been militarily held by Russia since 2014, but it's still claimed by Ukraine as an occupied territory. So the Moroccan government isn't thrilled about having these small chunks of land, autonomous cities that are technically part of Spain, right there in the midst of their own territory. But these cities have been part of Spain for so long, and the residents are all Spanish citizens, with the same rights and sense of culture as the rest of Spain and Europe, that simply handing them over to Morocco has never seemed terribly feasible or desirable to the Spanish government, despite neither territory providing much strategic or economic value to Spain. So they remain a point of contention between these two governments.They've also served as migration hot-spots in recent decades, because they are the only two European territories that border an African country. And this is important because, in some cases, under some governments and in accordance with some laws, if you can make it across a border and into another country, you might be able to enter the system and eventually become a citizen, maybe claiming asylum or maybe getting slotted into some other path to citizenship. Or failing that, there's a chance you might be able to just fade into the background, working and living in that country, despite not legally being there.What I'd like to talk about today is a recent surge in migrants crossing the border from Morocco into Ceuta, and the larger state of play, migration-wise, globally right now.—On the last day of July, 2026, an estimated 50-60 thousand African migrants illegally crossed from Morocco into Ceuta, some of them swimming to bypass the 20-foot-high border fences, others climbing those fences, or piling into overflowing boats, arriving in Ceuta en masse and overwhelming the guards who tried to stop them, though generally just trying to run past them, not attacking the guards—this wasn't an attack, it was a rush to get into Spanish territory.Eventually the guards were reinforced by police and the Spanish military, and they started to push the waves of migrants back using water cannons and tear gas. But despite the less-lethal crowd control methods that were applied, at least 67 people, that's the number as of the day I'm recording this at least, it's been updated many times over the past few days, 67 people died as a result of stampedes, either headed inland or back into the sea, away from the gas and water cannons, or they drowned while trying to cross over the water.By the following day, the wave of migrants had become just a trickle, mostly a few stragglers who tried to swim to Ceuta, and who were swiftly returned to Morocco by local law enforcement. Almost everyone else who illegally crossed the border also returned to Morocco moved on by police or of their own volition, and though, again, this wasn't some kind of violent incursion, to get a sense of the scale of this wave of humanity, Ceuta only has about 85,000 people living there, and this wave of migrants was about 60,000 people strong. So the locals mostly closed up all their shops and locked their doors, the people who arrived found themselves unable to get food or water, and law enforcement told them they need to leave, so most did. As of the day I'm recording this there are still several hundred migrants hiding in the nearby hills and lounging on the beach, exhausted and still hopeful they'll be able to enter the asylum system—many of them saying they fled conflicts further south, like the ongoing civil war in Sudan, and so anything, even starving on the beach in Ceuda, is better than going back.This isn't the first time Ceuta has faced this kind of humanitarian crisis; back in 2021, the Moroccan government stopped enforcing its border controls and around 8000 people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta over the course of just two days. That was sparked by the Spanish government's decision to allow the head of a militant group in Western Sahara, a breakaway portion of Morocco that the Moroccan government claimed in 1975, but which itself still claims independence with some international support, they let that militant leader into Spain for medical treatment, and Morocco allowed thousands of migrants to flow across the border as punishment.This more recent crisis is much larger, and the cause isn't clear at this point. Spanish officials have said that Moroccan security forces were working alongside Spanish forces to keep people from crossing the border, so it seems unlikely this was stoked by the Moroccan government, and claims that this wave of people were motivated by an ongoing effort by the Spanish government to grant amnesty to immigrants who don't currently have residency permits, but who can prove they've been living in the country for at least 5 months and arrived before January 1 of 2026 also seems unlikely, as those arriving in this wave obviously wouldn't be part of that amnesty.There's a chance that this surge was triggered by a Spanish court ruling that was intentionally misconstrued by migrant smugglers in order to gin up more business. A bunch of social media posts claimed that this ruling said migrants who arrived via sea couldn't be immediately deported, not without due process, but those who arrived via land or by climbing border fences, could—crossing a physical barrier was the big no-no, according to this misinformation, so people who swam or crossed in boats would stand a better chance of being able to stick around and eventually become Spanish citizens.This was pure misinformation, but there's a chance it played a role in sparking this large migrant wave. And many of the people who were interviewed, those who tried to cross and were sent back, have echoed the sentiments of other migrants who have attempted these sorts of crossings at borders elsewhere around the world: essentially, things are very bad, worse than you can possibly imagine, in the country they've left, and the only option seems to be getting away as fast as possible, even taking chances that might kill them, because that's still better than staying.These waves of mass migration often result in humanitarian crises because people are hurt or killed by border security forces, are hurt or killed by being trampled or drowning, or they're hurt or killed while making the journey through dangerous areas, like the infamous Darién Gap that stretches through mountains and rainforests along the border between Colombia and Panama, and which spans the only gap in the Pan-American Highway, which connects Central and South America.Spanish authorities have said they'll be building even higher fences in Ceuta following this recent mass incursion, will string a floating buoy fence along the waters where people are crossing, and will be upping security, though like in most other popular border areas, security is already significant: tall fences, barbed wire, security cameras everywhere—these are not vulnerable spots, they're just not capable of handling 60,000 motivated people all at once.This episode in Ceuta is not happening in a vacuum.The Spanish prime minister has established a pro-immigration stance, positioning the country as a modern melting pot, which is part of why that aforementioned effort to give about half a million undocumented legal immigrants legal status is happening to begin with. Many countries right now are adopting anti-immigration stances as new technologies and changing demographics ripple through the economy, and mostly conservative, in some cases far-right conservative political movements frame those changes as the consequence of allowing too many foreigners into the country; these bad things aren't happening because of technology or economics or demographics, they claim, it's happening because there are too many people who are different from us crossing our borders and living here. Which for some, is a compelling rallying cry.Consequently, migrants are positioned as big bad enemies in many parts of the world, used to flog support for anti-immigrant parties, and to decry opposing governments. That has forced many pro-immigration governments to temper their stances, even to the point that formerly pro-immigration Europe has become a lot less so in recent years.Migrants are also used as pawns in hybrid warfare efforts. Morocco's previous decision to allow thousands of migrants to surge across the Spanish border in response to Spain's government doing something they didn't like is a tame version of this. More aggressive versions have been conducted by Russia against Finland and other neighboring NATO nations, the Russian military bussing migrants from elsewhere to their opponents' borders, intentionally creating a humanitarian and security crisis, while also putting pressure on centrist and left-leaning governments by providing ammunition for far-right and other more authoritarian governments throughout the region, who can then cry foul on how that migrant surge is handled. This tends to create more allies for Russia in the region, but it also keeps these neighboring countries busy, forcing them to tighten their borders and become more insular, which then leaves Russia freer to exercise its will throughout the region.It's also worth remember here that most migrants are leaving horrible situations at home, meaning war, famine, severe and persistent drought, in some cases they're trying to avoid having their children kidnapped and made into child soldiers while all of the women are sexually assaulted as part of the ongoing war.The number of people fleeing such conditions, who are currently on the run, their homes no longer safely habitable, is massive. There are an estimated 304 million migrants globally right now, which, if that population of people were their own country, would be the fourth most populous in the world, just after the United States.And this population is expected to just keep growing as global climate change continues to mess with previous water cycle and weather norms, and as all those earlier mentioned variables continue to mess with economics and technology and leadership and everything else, creating more violence and fear and famine and so on.This was a significant migrant wave in Ceuta, in other words, but it's just one example of something that's happening all over the place right now, and which will likely continue to happen, perhaps at even greater scales and with more regularity.Show Noteshttps://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/what-to-know-about-the-spanish-enclave-of-ceuta-as-migrant-arrivals-from-morocco-spikehttps://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/30/spanish-enclave-of-ceuta-raises-alarm-as-thousands-cross-morocco-borderhttps://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/7/31/spain-deploys-military-to-ceuta-after-migrant-surge-what-we-knowhttps://abcnews.com/International/57-dead-after-thousands-migrants-cross-ceuta-officials/story?id=135254045https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/31/europe/spain-ceuta-migrants-intlhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2026/07/31/most-migrants-who-crossed-into-ceuta-have-returned-to-morocco-as-death-toll-rises-to-34/https://www.npr.org/2026/07/31/g-s1-136507/morocco-spain-migrationhttps://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/world-africa-14114627https://www.britannica.com/place/Ceutahttps://edition.cnn.com/travel/ceuta-spain-north-africahttps://theconversation.com/ceuta-claves-para-entender-el-laberinto-de-una-crisis-migratoria-permanente-288843https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/2/western-sahara-independence-leader-brahim-ghali-back-in-algeriahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Morocco%E2%80%93Spain_border_incidenthttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/world/europe/ceuta-spain-morocco-migrants.htmlhttps://apnews.com/article/migration-spain-ceuta-morocco-d76c6dc9d2da828907a1c04e1d482bbehttps://apnews.com/article/migrants-spain-ceuta-morocco-d564354dd54e92debf43ce5fe22299f9https://apnews.com/article/spain-migration-ceuta-morocco-facts-50baa964ecfb07a2d19223d7ec375b91https://apnews.com/article/spain-morocco-immigration-european-union-8f023984a310276c619929102b4f909ahttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/world/europe/europe-migrants-ceuta.htmlhttp://nytimes.com/2026/08/02/world/europe/ceuta-spain-morocco-migrant-holdouts-beach.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/world/europe/spain-ceuta-far-right.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/world/europe/spain-ceuta-migrants-morocco-border.html This is a public episode. 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Merneptah vs the Libyans. In 1221 BCE, Egypt faced a crisis. Tribal coalitions from the west, and some "Peoples of the Sea" were marching on the Nile Valley. They came in their thousands, armed and ready to settle. Caught by surprise, King Merneptah and his warriors hastened to the defence... Support the show and get early releases, ad-free episodes, bonus video content, and pictures/videos of animals I meet in Egypt and travelling www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast Music by Bettina Joy de Guzman; Luke Chaos; and Keith Zizza. Bibliography Cline, E. H. (2021). 1177 B.C. The Year Civilization Collapsed (Revised edn). Princeton University Press. D'Amato, R., & Salimbeti, Andrea. (2015). Sea Peoples of the Bronze Age Mediterranean c.1400 BC–1000 BC. Osprey. Darnell, J. C., & Manassa, C. M. (2007). Tutankhamun's armies: Battle and conquest during ancient Egypt's late eighteenth dynasty. John Wiley & Sons. Davies, B. G. (1997). Egyptian Historical Inscriptions of the Nineteenth Dynasty. Paul Aströms förlag. Dean, R. (2017). Warfare & Weaponry in Dynastic Egypt. Pen & Sword. Finné, M., Woodbridge, J., Labuhn, I., & Roberts, N. (2019). Holocene hydro-climatic variability in the Mediterranean: A synthetic multi-proxy reconstruction. The Holocene, 29, 847--863. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0959683619826634 Heagren, B. (2010). The Art of War in Pharaonic Egypt [Unpublished PhD. Thesis, The University of Auckland]. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/49463150_The_art_of_war_in_pharaonic_Egypt_an_analysis_of_the_tactical_logistic_and_operational_capabilities_of_the_Egyptian_army Healy, M. (1992). New Kingdom Egypt. Osprey Publishing. Kaniewski, D., Campo, E. V., Guiot, J., Burel, S. L., Otto, T., & Baeteman, C. (2013). Environmental Roots of the Late Bronze Age Crisis. PLOS ONE, 8(8), e71004. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0071004 Kaniewski, D., Marriner, N., Bretschneider, J., Jans, G., Morhange, C., Cheddadi, R., Otto, T., Luce, F., & Van Campo, E. (2019). 300-year drought frames Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age transition in the Near East: New palaeoecological data from Cyprus and Syria. Regional Environmental Change, 19, 2287--2297. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-018-01460-w Kitchen, K. A. (1975). Ramesside Inscriptions Historical and Biographical (Vols. 1–8). Blackwell. https://archive.org/details/KennethA.KitchenRamessideInscriptionsVol1 Kitchen, K. A. (1993a). Ramesside Inscriptions Translated and Annotated: Notes and Comments (Vols. 1–2). Blackwell. Kitchen, K. A. (1993b). Ramesside Inscriptions Translated and Annotated: Translations (Vols. 1–7). Blackwell. Kopanias, K. (2017). Mercenaries or refugees? The evidence from the inscriptions of Merenptah on the “Sea Peoples.” Journal of Greek Archaeology, 2, 119--133. https://www.ancientportsantiques.com/wp-content/uploads/Documents/AUTHORS/SeaPeoples/SeaPeoples-Kopanias2017.pdf Manassa, C. (2003). The Great Karnak Inscription of Merneptah: Grand Strategy in the 13th Century BC. The Yale Egyptological Seminar. Pollastrini, A. M. (2024). Helmets and Body Armour in New Kingdom Egypt. Bloomsbury Academic. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350323520 Sabbahy, L. (2013). Depictional Study of Chariot Use in New Kingdom Egypt. In A. Veldmeijer & S. Ikram (Eds.), Chasing Chariots: Proceedings of the First International Chariot Conference (Cairo 2012) (pp. 191--202). Sidestone Press. Shaw, G. J. (2017). War and Trade with the Pharaohs: An Archaeological Study of Ancient Egypt's Foreign Relations. Pen & Sword. Shaw, I. (2019). Ancient Egyptian Warfare. Casemate. Snape, S. (2003a). The Emergence of Libya on the Horizon of Egypt. In D. O'Connor & S. Quirke (Eds.), Mysterious Lands (pp. 93--106). UCL Press. Snape, S. (2003b). Zawiyet Umm el-Rakham and Egyptian Foreign Trade in the Thirteenth Century BC. Sea Routes: Interconnections in the Mediterranean 16th-6th c. BC. https://www.academia.edu/107251529/Snape_ZUR_and_Egyptian_Foreign_Trade_Zawiyet_Umm_el_Rakham_and_Egyptian_foreign_trade_in_the_thirteenth_century_BC_ Snape, S. (2023). What was Zawiyet Umm el-Rakham for? Early Ramesside Strategy in the Libyan West. In F. Hoffmann & M. R. Abbas (Eds.), Perspectives on the Ramesside Military System (pp. 143--155). Zaphon. Spalinger, A. J. (2004). Review: Manassa, Colleen 2003. The Great Karnak inscription of Merneptah: Grand strategy in the 13th century BC. Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, 90(reviews supplement), 45--47. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3822286 Zutterman, C. (2003). The bow in the Ancient Near East, a re-evaluation of archery from the late 2nd millennium to the end of the Achaemenid empire. IrAnt, 38, 119--165. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices