Medieval Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta
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0:00 – 15:00 | Sacred Shapes and Deranged Dating “White Boy Summer” diplomacy by big booty Latinas. TikTok deep dive into Flower of Life and torus energy patterns. Fake dating show with decapitated heads turns out to be a hilarious sketch. Hot takes on how looks affect catcalling perceptions. The Moors, their influence on America, and Sam's self-proclaimed Blasian status. 15:00 – 30:00 | History Riffs and Warrior Aesthetics Moorish law again—Sam leans into historical bits and identity jokes. “Norman Invasion Summer”: Helmets and swords as fashion statements. Weird theories about orphan trains, memory wipes, and historical resets. Debate on who the real "originals" are in civilization history. 30:00 – 45:00 | Identity Wars and Propaganda Holes Protests in Berlin: Trans vs. Lesbian tensions explored. Are lesbians being “erased” by extreme inclusivity? Deep cut into the 2010 Robin Hood film and Amazon censorship. Hints at how information is scrubbed from history for narrative control. 45:00 – 60:00 | AI Fantasies and Relationship Goals Fetishization of AI women and absurd beauty filters. Reflections on how algorithmic fantasies shape male loneliness. Mike and Sam promote a wild “Bring Me to Life” duet by a passionate couple. Message: Love is out there—even if it looks unhinged. 60:00 – 64:00 | Final Bangers and Air Filters for Nostrils Top off with a nose-plug air purifier invention. Sam wraps with gratitude, Mike previews alien remote viewing topics. Final messages to fans and shout-outs to upcoming dates. Watch Full Episodes on Sam's channels: - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SamTripoli - Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/SamTripoli Sam Tripoli: Tin Foil Hat Podcast Website: SamTripoli.com Twitter: https://x.com/samtripoli Midnight Mike: The OBDM Podcast Website: https://ourbigdumbmouth.com/ Twitter: https://x.com/obdmpod Doom Scrollin' Telegram: https://t.me/+La3v2IUctLlhYWUx
Friends of the Rosary,At that time, as we read today (John 6:30-35), the crowd asked Christ Jesus to give them the bread of life from Heaven. And the Lord said to them:“I am the bread of life;Whoever comes to me will never hunger,and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”Also today, the Chruch commemorates St. Peter Nolasco (1182-1258), a French saint who, after participating in the Crusades against the Albigensians, used his inheritance to free Christian prisoners held by the Moors.One night, while Peter Nolasco was praying, the Blessed Virgin appeared and told him to establish a religious order to deliver Christians held in bondage. Together with St. Raymond of Penafort and James I, King of Aragon, he founded the Order of Our Lady of Mercy (Mercedarians) for the ransoming of Christians. A total of 890 Christians would regain their liberty.Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will. Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• May 6, 2025, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET
Daily QuoteA loving heart was better and stronger than wisdom. (David Copperfield)Poem of the DayThe Barren MoorsWilliam Ellery ChanningBeauty of WordsThe Green DoorO. Henry
It's our April Listener Special—and this month's stories will have you questioning reality, watching your mirrors, and keeping an eye on the night sky…First up, an anonymous listener wonders if the dearly departed really do leave subtle signs behind. After her sister begins experiencing eerie happenings—mysterious coins, shadowy figures, and electronics behaving strangely—she can't help but wonder… is it their late mother paying a visit?Next, Jordan shares a chilling farmhouse encounter that turned a skeptic into a believer. From a figure in the mirror to a ghostly handprint on the inside of the glass, could something have followed him from the upstairs hallway into his dreams?And finally, Tom recounts a deeply unsettling UFO sighting in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. Three silent, glowing orbs hovering in perfect formation, a warped sense of time—and a scorched, silent patch of land that refuses to be forgotten.Strap in for strange signs, spectral encounters, and a brush with the unknown in this unmissable listener episode.A Create Podcast Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/paranormal-activity-with-yvette-fielding. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Full Text of ReadingsMonday of Holy Week Lectionary: 257The Saint of the day is Blessed Peter GonzalezBlessed Peter Gonzalez's Story Saint Paul had a conversion experience on the road to Damascus. Many years later, the same proved true for Peter Gonzalez, who triumphantly rode his horse into the Spanish city of Astorga in the 13th century to take up an important post at the cathedral. The animal stumbled and fell, leaving Peter in the mud and onlookers amused. Humbled, Peter reevaluated his motivations—his bishop-uncle had secured the cathedral post for him—and started down a new path. He became a Dominican priest and proved to be a most effective preacher. He spent much of his time as court chaplain, and attempted to exert positive influence on the behavior of members of the court. After King Ferdinand III and his troops defeated the Moors at Cordoba, Peter was successful in restraining the soldiers from pillaging, and persuaded the king to treat the defeated Moors with compassion. After retiring from the court, Peter devoted the remainder of his life to preaching in northwest Spain. Having developed a special mission to Spanish and Portuguese seamen, he is considered their patron. Peter Gonzalez died in 1246 and was beatified in 1741. Reflection How often we have heard stories about some misfortune or disaster only to hear later on that it was now seen as a good thing. Not every “disaster” is truly bad in its consequences for the Lord can bring good out of what appears to be a misfortune. Such was the case for Blessed Peter. His being dumped in the mud by a falling horse turned out to be a good thing in his life. Blessed Peter Gonzalez is the Patron of: Spanish and Portuguese sailors Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media
On the April 11 Friday LIVE at Nebraska Public Media, host Genevieve Randall has lively conversations about: the new film about artist Georgia O'Keeffe by Ellen and Paul Wagner (1:36); the grand re-opening of the Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art in David City (15:46); Tesla String Quartet's Arts for the Soul concert in Lincoln (28:03); Olde Glory Theatre's Moors & McCumber concert (37:53); and Beatrice Community Theatre's production of "Veronica's Room (48:43)." Also, the poetry of Ted Kooser read by Stephen Buhler (23:03), a Ross film review by Kwakiutl Dreher (10:42) and a preview of a concert by The Intergeneration Orchestra of Omaha (55:33).
On the April 11 Friday LIVE at Nebraska Public Media, host Genevieve Randall has lively conversations about: the new film about artist Georgia O'Keeffe by Ellen and Paul Wagner (1:36); the grand re-opening of the Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art in David City (15:46); Tesla String Quartet's Arts for the Soul concert in Lincoln (28:03); Olde Glory Theatre's Moors & McCumber concert (37:53); and Beatrice Community Theatre's production of "Veronica's Room (48:43)." Also, the poetry of Ted Kooser read by Stephen Buhler (23:03), a Ross film review by Kwakiutl Dreher (10:42) and a preview of a concert by The Intergeneration Orchestra of Omaha (55:33).
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A Butterfly wants to kill the World?Book 3 in 18 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.Although Love is both fire and shadow, we often forget to take comfort from the coolness of the memories when the burning flames are absentThere were precisely two things, okay, four things, keeping me alive. The fourth thing would come to her later when her 'furious was replaced by her 'curious' ~ as in how I knew her inhuman lingo ~ which would lead to my legacy with Grandpa.The top three reasons -She had poked my chest. It was a challenge, calling for one of my guardians to come out and play. The avatar knew I was the chosen heir of the Goddess Ishara and my goddess had devoted a good deal of time and effort to my survival and continued service in her cause. If Ishara made an 'appearance', it would be enough reason to not eviscerate me for my foul treatment of her august personage.Nope. It seemed Ishara was busy at the moment.Still, she most likely knew SzelAnya had shown a keen interest in me in Romania, though I'd never told Selena, or any other member of the 9 Clans, the Dragon's Daughter had killed Ajax for me. Figuring out SzelAnya, a storm deity, had helped me and Aya escape from our kidnapping in the midst of a cyclone in the Pacific Ocean wasn't much of a reach.But no bolt of lightning coalesced from my chest to singe her finger. No clap of thunder. Not even a cloud with a hint of disfavor appeared above us.Her obsidian fingernail began penetrating my shirt, touched my skin, then drew my blood, and something 'twitched'.That would be Contestant Goddess #3. She wasn't actually hanging around me. She didn't have to. She'd left me a memento of our last shindig before we parted ways. That was the nightmare-inducing episode where she, the chthonic goddess Sarrat Irkalli, had compressed one man's body into a dagger and then proceeded to suck another's soul into it to use as a power source for an Airbus 350 (a commercial airliner, if you didn't know).I still had that snaggletooth-looking thing at my back. Well who the Hell was I going to leave it with? Honestly, the only people I felt could keep it safe I loved too much to curse with it. Anyway, the second her divine claw touched my blood, the long dormant weapon whispered to me in a somewhat bored, lofty feminine voice from beyond the grave,Do you want me to discorporate this pathetic has-been for you?Quick check. Only the avatar and I, and her priestess-savant heard that. Of course, in downtown, New York City, noon Sunday, how weird would such a declaration be? The avatar's eyebrow arched. Her big bat-ears (still looking human to the normal viewing public) flicked this way and that, figuring out precisely where the threat originated from. Slowly, her once poking hand began to slide across my chest, along my ribs and around my back.She touched the dagger. Nothing.Gingerly, she drew it forth. I'd had a makeshift sheath made. As the blade made its journey around me, she took a half-step back to better observe it."Please don't kill him!" Theddy squealed. "We haven't had sex yet!"Being 'who' and 'what' she was, the avatar did what came natural. Fortunately for Theddy, I'd become accustomed to working with psychopaths.She stabbed the dagger at Theddy. I clamped my hand down on her wrist. The claws of her left hand came down on my constraining wrist. My free hand came down on that hand, trying to pry it free. It was a hopeless struggle, except.Yes, my old friend 'except'. Except the avatar was holding the dagger. As powerful as Ītzpāpālōtl was, she wasn't pushing against me. She was pushing against Sarrat Irkalli.Ītzpāpālōtl was a living, breathing terror machine who killed and received sacrifices on a regular basis.Sarrat Irkalli hadn't been actively worshipped in 3,000 years.Uneven contest? Oh yeah.See, Ītzpāpālōtl had spent the past 500 years continuously fighting against the Weave to keep her fingers on this side of reality.Meanwhile, for the most part, Sarrat Irkalli had sat upon her throne in the Sumerian Underworld with hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of souls toiling under her watchful gaze for eternity. Sure, her version of Hell wasn't getting any fresh deposits, but she knew how to milk the system well.Even the bad karma for the dagger's creation wasn't hers. She'd stolen it from the foolish Gong Tau sorcerers who had meant to enslave my soul, aka one-third of the Baraqu-Alal-Cáel deal she'd worked out millennia ago. It was the Weave giving her a 'freebie' for playing by the rules, if you considered the Weave sentient.And now Ītzpāpālōtl was touching it. Whoops. It wasn't as if Ītzpāpālōtl was stupid. It isn't like there are tons of magic weapons running around, much less soul-munchers like the one I had. Rationally, who would give a novice like me, a weapon like this? I say again, 'whoops'.Once I'd figured this out, I couldn't stop being me."Theddy, do you like girls?""What?" she squeaked. Here was this psycho trying to drive a Smilodon incisor into her bosom and I was giving her a sex quiz.Ītzpāpālōtl was really starting to struggle now."I, ah, are you okay?" she continued."Oh, I'm dandy. I'm serious. You think this chick is hot? I mean, would you do her in a three-way?" I proposed casually."Timothy?" Sovann."Bro?" Timothy to me."It's all good. Sovann, you want to know what my life is like? This lady who came to discuss business with me today is an immortal mass murderer. You give the word, I'll let go and this knife is going to cut her up like a Ginsu blade on market day because just cutting her heart out isn't going to be enough. Worse. Eventually she'll get back up.""Timothy?" Sovann repeated, this time with more concern. He thought I was nuts. I released my left hand. The blade flipped up, twisting in the avatar's grasp. That was the point her minions figured out something was wrong."El Amado?" the priestess-savant called out softly. The three goons began reaching for 'things'."Call them off, or I open my other hand," I cautioned the avatar. She spared me a swift, hostile look. My fingers tingled."Esten quietos!" she snapped. They stopped."Cáel, bad day, or not. This isn't you. Stop it. The girl's in danger," Timothy spoke up. He didn't mean Theddy. He meant the avatar."I'm being a real asshole, aren't I?" I sighed."Pretty much. You never let the bitches get to you before. Girl pops an attitude, you smile and move on. Life is too short," he reminded me. Too true."I'm going to put my hand over the blade," I told Ītzpāpālōtl. "When I do, you can let go."She didn't say anything for several seconds, even after my left hand covered the semi-serrated edge."Why should I trust you?" she sizzled."Because 'me' letting anything bad happen to you would make me a total, judgmental jerk. I don't know you. Whatever you did before you showed up today shouldn't matter to me. I acted stupidly. I should have stopped you. I didn't. I didn't even warn you and I could have. I was angry, and not even at you. Just angry and I apologize. Now, let go.""Why?""Hi. I'm Cáel Nyilas. Can I have my knife back? Please?"Blink. She released it. For a millisecond, it wanted to do something else because bitches are bitches. It didn't, so my palm wasn't sliced open. My right hand took the hilt. I carefully put the blade away."Yes," Theddy gulped."Huh?" Sovann shook his head at the sudden evaporation of the life and death tension. Welcome to my life. Theddy meant 'yes' to the 'girl-girl-guy' thing I had proposed earlier. It pays to keep things prioritized."What is this movie you were talking about?" Ītzpāpālōtl asked. Had she forgiven me for anything which had transpired? Bwahahaha, no way. She was taking the initiative and going with Option 1 from my earlier insane diatribe."Wait!" Sovann nearly shouted. "You nearly, I don't know, threatened Cáel's life and tried to stab Theddy and now you think you can go with us to a movie?""I told you," Timothy put an arm around his shoulder, "life with Cáel is rarely dull.""I thought you meant he was fun to party with, or something like that," Sovann looked up at his lover. "I thought his uncle showing up, and trying to kill him and then being blown the fuck away by those women and federal agents, and that other girl who pointed a gun at us, is this the new normal?""I love you, Sovann," Timothy grew compassionate. "Cáel is my best friend. He'd never deliberately hurt either of us and normal friends are something he has in short supply. Today being a great case in point."Ten seconds passed."The title is 'As Above, So Below'," Sovann addressed the avatar, "and what do we call you?"Since 'if you are not a worshiper and addressing me, I normally am about to kill you' would sound really cool in Olmec-ic, but I might be asked to translate,"How about we go with 'Obsidian', please?" I pleaded with her.She knew I was currying favor now ~ and behaving like a weather vane caught in the wall of a tornado ~ she gave a gracious bow of her head."Obsidian will do for now. Is the Legend of the dagger 'business'?" Translation: it had better not be."No," I smiled. "It's pillow talk." Rancor, 'how presumptuous', followed by 'but that dagger ups the count to three Goddess interested in him', and next to recalling all the trivial babble about me being a sexual dynamo (I prayed my PR was that good) having some relevance. Her chimera emotions allowed me to get a few more crucial words out, because even women who aren't sleeping with me are jealous."Esta mujer fue la primera en ofrecer bienes funerarios tras la muerte dee mi padre," I reinserted Theddy back into my close company. For some reason, Obsidian considered me unreliable thus had to verify what I'd just said."Did you make funerary offering upon his father's passing?" she asked Theddy. Let's think about this. The wacko chick questioning Theddy had tried to stab a huge freaking blade into her not a minute ago. Fleeing in terror while screaming for the cops? Nope."Yes. I baked him some walnut and caramel chip cookies," she nodded. "It is a family recipe." Sovann looked over the three of us, then back to Timothy."I told you 'that's impressive cocking like I've never seen before'," he explained."She may remain," Obsidian 'permitted'. Theddy wrapped up my right arm with her left and gave it a squeeze. She wanted attention/explanation."Obsidian is a Master Vampire, Theddy," I leaned in and whispered. "Before she was turned, she was captured in a raid by the fey, mentally, spiritually and physically raped and made into their sex-slave. Part of her spirit never healed properly. While this imperfection allows her to walk around in daylight, her heart can never hold on to any emotion for long, so she is forced to forever seek passion, no matter how dangerous, from the world around her."Revealing secrets? Ha. I had noticed Theddy had every work done by Laurel K. Hamilton in her place, including the comic book series."You are not supposed to know, so act like I didn't tell you anything, okay?"'Okay,' she mouthed back at me. I could see it in her eyes. My chaotic life suddenly 'made sense' to her because a best-selling fiction author said so.Obsidian thought the movie was; hilarious. She couldn't stop snickering, giggling and poking at me as horrible shit happened to the various actors. She thought the plot was 'insightful' and wouldn't stop whispering to me throughout the entire thing. During the closing credits, I told her I'd get her the DVD for Christmas ~ she knew the concept behind digital technology, but didn't own any ~ she kissed me.The first kiss was fierce and joyous with the added benefit of her tongue doing things no normal tongue could do, it stretched. Not sure how I felt about that. The second kiss was more sultry, longer and came with some accompanying body action which, I'm no virgin. Not even close. She was on my left side, so when she twisted in her seat, her left leg insinuated itself between mine. Her left hand cupped my jaw and held my head in place as her lips played along mine.A dance of the scorpion perhaps? Tender at first, then suddenly stabbing, dominant and brutal. My lips and tongue battled back, using my superior Kiss-fu to nullify her natural strength and agility. She liked it. By her moaning, she liked it a lot. As the kiss progressed, more and more of her flowed from her seat into my seat, body facing me. Her body rose over mine, forcing my neck back to maintain contact."So, Dot Ishara is hovering around somewhere close, isn't she?" I murmured as our lips separated barely a centimeter apart. One chick kissing you to make another one jealous. It's happened to me plenty of times. Obsidian didn't give a damn about Theddy, or any other mortal woman in close proximity so,"Yes," she purred. "Do you mate with her?""A man does not brag of such things, but no, unless heavy petting counts?""What will she do to you when I steal your seed?"'When'? Why was I not surprised? Why was I not surprised another concussion was in my immediate future either? Was it possible I was, learning?"Chastise me for not fighting harder," I breathed across her lips, "and, in case you forgot, I'm on a date with the girl beside me.""Who I care nothing for," she sent a cruelly playful look Theddy's way. Wisely, the girl shivered."Who I am indebted to and how I honor my debts might matter to you," I hazarded. My words hurt Theddy's feelings. That was on purpose. Obsidian took pleasure in me hurting Theddy because she was basically a vicious monster."Yes?" I pressed her gently."Yes," Obsidian allowed, easing up slightly both romantically and physically."And Theddy, if you believe I'm with you solely because of some sense of obligation, you clearly haven't been listening to your recordings," I shot the human girl a wink."Oh.""Am I, or am I not, a sex-obsessed little monkey?" I teased her. Theddy giggled. I paid for my diversion with four obsidian claws to my ribs outside of Theddy's view. After all, it wasn't like Theddy could possibly compete with her for my attention. Considering Obsidian's legendary ability to rip open her opponent's ribcages and feast upon their hearts, I slipped my left hand, the one next to her between her legs and stroked her cotton-slacks covered cunt.Theddy hugged my right arm and put her head against my shoulder. Not to be outdone," Qu un centenar dee hombres se quemaron vivos como el sonido?" Obsidian inquired with sexually sadistic hunger. Ah, memories of burning 7P Commandos.Whoops. Theddy knew Spanish."No lo s . Ten an respiradores en," I replied casually. "Si lo desea, puedo describir lo que se siente al tirar de una flecha de guerra lanzar mi propio muslo.""Eep," slipped out of Theddy's lips."Why did you do that?" Obsidian looked over us both."Well, I was showing a little girl I believed in her,""And she shot you?" Theddy gulped."No. She hit the target I was standing next to. A co-worker mistook me for a cardboard cutout of a Jehovah's Witness and let fly. Seems she had issues with organized religion as well as a reaction to the oscillation effect of florescent lighting and ceiling fans.""But why did you pull the arrow out?" Theddy asked. "Couldn't you wait until you got to the hospital?""Mosquito," Obsidian menaced, insinuating Theddy was a pest."I wasn't thinking rationally at the moment, I work in an asylum, I had a hot date in a few hours, any of those three will do," I smiled at Theddy."Copil such as Cáel don't bother with petty human conventions," Obsidian turned my gaze back her way with her hand on my jaw. 'Copil's were 'god-touched' in her lingo."More than one girl?" Theddy mused."Four.""Okay," she sighed happily."Theddy, three under-age girls and the police office he was dating acting as their chaperone," Timothy intervened. "He hurried home so he could keep a promise to the children, not for sex." Bastard. He really was my best friend. He didn't mention my post-injury, pre-festivity sex with Odette giving me a few extra, urgently needed Brownie Points to suggest I might be a decent human being."You are a wonderful guy," Theddy ran a fingernail over my free hand. Clearly I was 'wonderful' enough to risk Obsidian's anger over. The screen went blank as the last credits scrolled away and the room was plunged into darkness. Five seconds later, the lights snapped on.Pain!"Fuck," I hissed. It wasn't any extra physical trauma causing me discomfort. No, a metaphysical dam had burst within and my stream of conscious thought had been turned into a white-water rapids. The competing cyclones of thoughts in my mind had stopped cooperating and my hypothalamus was letting me know I was in danger."Cáel", "Cáel", "Bro", and "Ishara" all came in rapid succession. I needed some space both tangible and social."I need to step outside," I eased Obsidian off me and stood up. My sense of my personal danger was ratcheting up. While I had been studying Obsidian, so I could screw her, I had discovered more and more Alal-badness.The light display had ignited a series of pressing implanted memories which had been clamoring for my attention. Things like not all 'divinities' were stewards of the Weave. Some even wanted its destruction, preferring risking all on a chaotic restructuring of reality over what existed now ~ things like Obsidian. They weren't attempting to do so because they thought they had no chance.But there was. A real serious chance to unravel reality existed; and it was staring her in the face. It wasn't 'me' as in 'I was the Anti-Christ'. But with the torrent of memories pouring forth, I knew where the peril lay and I was completely responsible for it. Hell, I was a prime ally of Armageddon and hadn't even known it.'Holy Shit!'I blinked. Timothy was shaking me. We were out in the lobby."Oh my God, Timothy," I nearly wept. "What am I going to do?""I have no idea what you are talking about. Is there someone you can talk to about this?" he suggested. Normal folks were around us. Obsidian was at my side. Sovann was behind Timothy with an arm around Theddy's shoulder."Theddy," I looked at her. "Can I catch up with you later? I just realized I've screwed up something fierce." I put my best 'really don't want to go but I gotta' face on. Her worried look brightened, she slipped around Timothy and gave me a tingling French kiss."I'll hold you to that, Cáel," she murmured when we parted."Timothy, go home, I got shit to deal with," I hoped my grin didn't become as feeble as I felt it to be."I," he started to say something. "Time not to ask questions?""Yeah.""Okay.""Wait." I pulled us to the side and went on to my toes, leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Tell Pamela 'he' sent Ajax to kill the Professor, his family and the sisters. They were the targets all along. It wasn't me, or the other women. Just in case,""Okay," Timothy patted my arm. It was cryptic. It was the best I could do. See, I wanted to cry so badly.{2:09 pm Sunday, September 7th ~ Last day}Where to begin:Every mythology across the globe has some creature, or creatures, which threatens Existence. Usually a God, or a Hero-God, slays the creature and everything is right with the world, except such a being, being older than Existence itself, can't really die, so they are carved up, buried ~ what have you.Illuyankamunus was one such manifestation of this underlying cancerous desire to destroy reality. He'd had a far more real child, SzelAnya, and she's never quite given up on her dad. Of far greater critical importance, she was 'part' of Illuyankamunus, somewhat in the way I was part of Alal and Baraqu. And yes, that meant all the offspring of Bolu, the guy I'd praised a few hours earlier, held the seeds of that malignant deity as well.And Alal knew it. He hadn't been killing off the descendants. He'd left that task up to a group far more capable of the task, the Egyptian Rite, who knew a fucking threat to existence when they saw it. Lest I forget, No secret society are the 'good guys'. Also lest I forget, I alone decided to go after the Arinniti sons to fulfill Vranus' quest. I had no divine mandate I was aware of nor any real world orders.Inadvertently, I had rounded up the last five mortal remains of Illuyankamunus in one place for convenient disposal in a remote Transylvanian town. The only problem was: if someone didn't get to them quickly, I was also about to whisk them into the loving (and heavy-armed) protective embrace of the Amazon Host, where the completion of centuries of culling would have suddenly become a cast-iron bitch instead of a simple disposal.Enter Ajax. Yeah, I bet the Egyptians were trying to figure out how I stopped him as well as Alal. I thought I was being clever by not telling most of the world. In fact, they most likely suspected; and the reality of SzelAnya watching over me was much more terrifying. Ishara had put a serious curse on the Amazons, yet her curse only affected her followers, the Amazons, who were fair game.SzelAnya had killed someone for me, and I hadn't been one of her followers. Thus I had committed a blasphemous act only a magician of some significant ability could have managed. I wasn't a sorcerer, but I had a cornucopia of mystic knowledge rolling around in my noggin. Trying to figure all this out was one of my major headaches.The others?I even suspected I knew who betrayed me ~ kinda. They didn't do it on purpose. At least I hope they didn't, because my odds-on favorite was my Mother by way of Captain Delilah Faircloth. Realistically, there was only one secret society who might help her against Grandpa and that was the Egyptian Rite, and they did send three people to Dad's funeral including two 'somebodies'. I'm an idiot.I'd chatted away in fluent New Kingdom Egyptian and it never occurred to me how odd it was for two of them to also be so fluent in it. Know it, sure, but as fluent as Kimberly had taught me to be? That should have been a Red Flag.The Earth & Sky had sent Iskender, who should have been the benchmark I judged the other delegations by, damn it.Three Condos? They'd killed my Dad and their guys had been flunkies.The 7 Pillars had been nobodies, which they'd proven by their inaction.Now I had to question why I had 3 actual 9-Clans assassins at my dad's funeral too. Holy Ishara, I wasn't nearly paranoid enough.Anyway, why would the Amazons be aiding and abetting the End of All Life on Earth? Normally, they wouldn't be, but 3000 years ago, the majority of Human life did a colossal dump on the Amazons. And when they needed help, they got it in the form of SzelAnya and her dual-sex followers. I seriously doubt they told the Amazons their purpose was to resurrect SzelAnya's daddy. I imagine the Amazons didn't pry too much either.It turned out almost to be okay. During the 2nd Betrayal, the Amazons betrayed SzelAnya and almost short-circuited her plans by exterminating her lineage.Except for the Arinniti elders and Bolu. Good old 'except'.I can imagine when the Egyptians heard about the 2nd Betrayal, they figured they were 'okay'. Those wacky Amazons had inadvertently done the world a favor. Except an act of maternal love kept a slender hope of Illuyankamunus' return alive. By the time the Egyptians realized they'd been prematurely hopeful, Bolu's descendants were all over the Balkans and hunting them down had proven difficult.But, it gets worse. Much worse.When those Gods shattered Illuyankamunus, they scattered him in the relative certainty no one would ever gather the parts back together.His flesh was scattered across the land, modern day Turkey, but encompassing everything from Pakistan to Italy and Egypt to Poland. The flesh became soil, then plants, the things that eat plants, then food for humans. Get the picture.Whoops. SzelAnya had been doing just that for centuries upon centuries every time she mated with a mortal of Illuyankamunus' line and had offspring, they accumulated his energy, which made hunting down the few remaining ones easier to find, since they were 'beacons of badness', except...There were two key pieces missing which SzelAnya could never get. After all, you would think burying them on the far side of the world would matter, right?The 'breath of Illuyankamunus' ~ his cosmic fire ~ they buried in a volcano in a distant land far across the Great Sea. His spirit 'body' they imprisoned in a great river, again, across the Great Sea.But wait, it gets worse.The being standing next to me knew precisely where the 'breath of Illuyankamunus' was. Seems Mesoamerica is laced with volcanos. They'd discovered 'the breath' long ago and used it as a weapon called Xiuhcoatl. Better yet, Alal suspected she and her buddies were more than happy to reunite it with the rest if they thought the Weave itself wouldn't annihilate them for daring to do so.In their current, weakened state they were vulnerable to such a karmic backlash. In theory, a reborn Illuyankamunus would have access to power beyond the bounds of the Weave, older and more terrifying. Still, without the mortal remains to anchor the energy, giving it to the spirit would be pointless.Alal knew where the spirit body was (in general), but that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was where it was,Of all the places the Arinniti sons could have fled to, they had to choose Brazil, the burial place of the restive spirit body of Illuyankamunus. Mother-fucker.And Ildiko 'Alkonyka' aka Dusk Lovasz had sworn she'd travel to Brazil to fulfill Bolu's side of the quest in the same way I was holding up Vranus' end. If I tried to stop her, SzelAnya would know something was up. Fuck.I was processing all of this when Obsidian violently yanked me out of the way. A cabby had swerved to avoid a flurry of trash and nearly run over us. It was the third near-concussive experience in the past five minutes she'd help me avoid while she had walked by my side. I'd been mumbling like a madman."That would be my Goddess wanting to talk with me," I looked her way."I know," she gave me a clever smile."She's really not going to like that," I shook my head."I know that too," she kept smiling. "Where is your mind?""Five lives away from making the world a safer place," I sighed."Safer for who?" she purred. Where were all the bimbos? Not only was it an insightful question, it cut straight to the heart of my dilemma.What decision could I make? If I elected to help my fellow Amazons, I risked screwing with the world. In truth, I was risking everything even if I did nothing. Well Dad was always clear that things didn't change by themselves. You needed to do something that would have an effect. So, 'What are you going to do?'More to the point, I wasn't Grandad. Killing the last five of the line of Illuyankamunus wasn't 'me', so it wasn't going to be something I'd worry about.SzelAnya wanted to bring back her Dad, I could understand that. I'd have to figure out a way for her to believe this world sticking around was more important. How? Well, I had a goddess-like creature right in front of me to probe for ideas."You are an immortal," Obsidian commented. She'd been weighing her opinion for some time. I could tell by the wonderment with which she gifted each word."What? No. I can die.""No. I don't think so. Your wounds. Normally the wounds I inflict flow freely for some time. Yours have already scabbed over," her eyes flickered to the various minor scars she'd imparted to me in the few hours we'd been together.Of course, her idea was insane, Oh God No! I was in Grandad's body. Well Duh! His body was supposed to be immortal."Are you sure?" I looked deep into her eyes."You are a young immortal, the youngest I've ever met, but you are an immortal," she seemed to be convincing herself as much as me.Stupid Assumption (on my part)! I wasn't in Alal's body. I was in Cáel's. Because the Cáel soul shard was young, Alal hadn't been able to find it because it had moved through Time, to me, sonofabitch! 'I' hadn't been around for him to find. No! I was making yet another damn assumption.What did I know? When Pamela found Baraqu, it had been in an object, not a person, though she had been short on details. When the Alal-shard went to the Land of the Endless Black Sands to bring Saku back, the Cáel-shard had been in reality, so it had been allowed to create a body, 'me'. Still, the curse Sarrat Irkalli placed on Baraqu was on Alal and myself as well, which meant I might just be immortal.My Alal-mind agreed with Obsidian's assessment. In his first years, his healing had been slow, still taking days for what took mortal people weeks. I'd stupidly attributed my swift recovery to Amazon medicines, ugh. Because I got wounded more than most Security Detail trainees while concurrently entertaining two and three sex partners."Can you talk with Dot Ishara?" I asked her."Yes, but why would I?""Sex?""We are going to have sex anyway," she smiled. I'd tricked her. Set her up with the right so I could now drop her with the left."I can bring the mbo tat back to life," I pledged. That was not what she was expecting at all. "If you bring the Xiuhcoatl, I can bring the flesh and we can unite the three." Mbo tat was the Tupi name for the legendary 'fiery serpent' of the Amazon Basin. In Portuguese, it had become Boi-tat , a will-o-wisp with a confused, Christianized mythology ~ a serpent dwelling in darkness, devouring the eyes of corpses, glowing in the forests at night."Where is the flesh?" she whispered."In his mortal children," I replied."Who?""You are a monster, Ītzpāpālōtl. I'm not going to tell you and you don't have the time to drag the information out of my mind before my allies drop on you like a nuclear detonation," I drew my body tightly to her."Why would the Amazons do this?""They are not. This is a deal between you and me," I kissed her lips. I pulled back. A few seconds later she kissed me back."Why?""My grandfather had my father murdered and I would avenge him. In the end, despite my father's Amazon heritage, my 'Sisters' will let his death go unavenged for the greater good of the Host. He was a man and they will never look beyond that ~ they will never value his life as they would that of a woman.""Your mother's father?""Yes. Cáel O'Shea of the Illuminati.""We are not at war with the Illuminati," she murmured. It was a casual observation, not a protest."You are at war with Cáel O'Shea.""He was slain.""He didn't stay dead.""You know much more than you are saying," she was finally catching on."Absolutely.""I need much more than a few names to convince my kin to help," she purred, a cocktail of sexual immersion and flesh-flaying pain."I don't work for you. You are agreeing to work for me," I was hard as iron in more than one way. Why? Boundaries. She lived in a world where only the fundamentals of reality constrained her. Having a human, no matter how polished my pedigree, or how much I might appear to be 'special', tell her 'you are not the boss' in a reasonable fashion was new and very unwelcome."What would make you think that?""My mentor taught me knowledge is a curse. It is our inability to forget, and I can see into your soul, Ītzpāpālōtl. You care not one wit for the life of an assassin. But the thought of the other 'Factors' of the 9 Clans treating you as an equal galls you almost as much as the crushing reality that you need them."You have lived 500 years in chains and I'm offering you a desperate grab at freedom," I added."Your brief glimpse of immortality gives you no insight into my existence," she bristled."Oh, how many have given up? How many have decided the fight was no longer worth it and faded from the Sunlight to make their final trip into the Underworld, never to return? Do you even visit them?" I spoke with a voice tinged with compassion and loss. I pulled upon the pitiless, blank memories of a childless Alal all those centuries and imprinted on them my own fears of fatherhood and failure."How do you know so much?" she let her fa ade crack, then blow away, in the hollowness of her own sorrow. How could I pity such a monster? I could because I was me and I wouldn't surrender that to the barbaric past and most likely horrific future. I pulled her close, resting my chin on the top of her head."You are not the first, wonderful, very bright woman who has stepped into my life, Obsidian," I whispered. "You are not even the first divinity. For all the millions of differences enforced by power and time, I think love, hate and the conflict between the two wear upon us all. If anything, you face an endless parade of hope and misery. Even if you chose to ignore it, you have seen it and perhaps it leaves its marks ~ water scarring the rocks of a riverbed."We paused. I was able to peripherally scan about and realize we'd made it to Central Park ~ the Ramble and off the beaten path."Your Goddess is a fool for not keeping you closer," she murmured."She does keep me close. You have been actively keeping me from her," I reminded my guest. "She also plays by the rules, so is of limited help in my plans for vengeance."Translation: I could enlist Ītzpāpālōtl's aid while still remaining loyal to my matron Goddess. Ishara could not provide what I needed and my Amazons wouldn't agree with my scheme, so I needed her. Three hours ago, she wouldn't have considered me a worthy supplicant, much less an allied equal, yet here she was conspiring with me to shake the foundations of Creation.Personally, I was thanking Mamitu, Destiny. Had I not been having my worst Sunday ever when we first crossed paths and then acted like a total cockhead, pissed her off and led her to holding Sarrat Irkalli's dagger, thus putting her life in my hands, and not had Timothy as a best friend, I wouldn't have taken her to the movie, and my mind wouldn't have wandered down those dark corridors of Alal's memories to piece things together.Whatever itinerary Obsidian had approached me with, my abrasive behavior had forced her to it cast aside. Dagger, movie, revelations, I was now so much more in her eyes than she had envisioned."Share my need and share with me an ounce of your sorrow," I murmured to her as I gently curled my fingers in her hair and directed her head up until she faced me."The dagger," she rumbled. While she was stroking my hard-on, I knew she was using it as a double meaning."I was pinned to an onyx sacrificial table," I began my tale. We worked off pants to mid-thigh then 'got busy'. Penetration was only going to be possible by turning her around. Ground-breaking was her ready acceptance of my instruction. I leaned against a tree, then pulled her onto my lap. She guided my phallus home.One locomotion and I sunk in deep. It was warm molasses until I hit and pressed against her cervix. For a second Obsidian trembled, then her muscles clamped down tightly, gripping my manhood firmly in a vise, keeping me still."Ah," I groaned. Obsidian had her neck twisted, so we were kissing with eye contact as I described my adventures with the Gong tau sorcerers. She shot me a quick twinkle of delight, a connection. She'd relayed physical pleasure in the way I was giving her cerebral gratification, aka hope.I rolled up her shirt, and gave both nipples a brutal tweak in response. She gasped. I was applying a little 'rough' with my tender intercourse. She rolled her tush against my groin, an invitation to double-down on my nipple-play. I kept my left hand working over each tit while working my fingernails down her abdomen. As I described the terror in old Tsu's face as he shouted out 'M iyǒu! (Mandarin for 'No!') as he recognized too late the curse he was invoking. She relished the visual of the Han necromancer's terror.'Me' smacking two fingers down on her clit earned me a squeal and a small gush of fluids on my nut-sack. Her look of astonishment was something I'd always cherish. Before me, sex was something she demanded from her followers/victims and definitely orchestrated. Her partners being fearful/worshipful must have limited their initiative."A-a-a-ah, we are being observed," she groaned, her lips less than an inch from mine. It took me a second."Which direction?" I kept pumping her, strumming her clit and treating her tit like taffy on a hot Coney Island summer afternoon. Her hooded eyes flickered to our right. I gave it ten seconds. I had to get Obsidian refocused on what I was going to do to her next, in case this was innocent voyeurism. Nope. It was Chaz.Why Chaz? See, I'm an idiot. My cryptic warning to Timothy for Pamela had been good for all of one minute. He'd called her and she'd gathered what she could and come looking for me.Why was she concerned? I was babbling to Timothy then wandering off with a 'beyond-freaky' chick I had just met named 'Obsidian' who came my way courtesy of another chick with the name of Estere.Let me see, Estere was Hashashin and for Timothy to describe someone in my life as 'beyond freaky' was bad news. Timothy was seriously worried about me and Timothy was an emotional rock ~ he didn't panic. Lest we forget, I was in a federal taskforce. A quick peek into New York traffic cameras revealed me and Obsidian wandering into Central Park from the south, so in the rescue party went, splitting up and Chaz 'lucked-out'.I still had two, no, three problems. I was really enjoying my sexual excursion with Obsidian and she was seeming to truly enjoy her experience with me. Oh, and Central Park is big, Pamela had been pressed for people, so she had pressed some unlikely participants into my rescue party."He's," smooch, "my brother, by adoption," I headed off the whole idea she'd been briefed on me already."Visual, Peacekeeper Six, OS2, L-11," Chaz muttered into his headset before taking up a casual stance on the path overlooking our trysting spot. Sex with an audience didn't bother her, so, we worked out as much action from twist, turns and two inches of in-and-out motions (she liked to keep our bodies tight) as we could. Obsidian was humming along in no time. Her vaginal walls were undulating, wearing away at my self-control.Panting, not from us,"Is he o, are they, who is she?" huffed and puffed a trio of voices from Chaz's locale. Oh. Pamela had recruited my 'Hounds'.I accidently (from a timing perspective) took that moment to grind my nails into her left nipple, pinched her clit and hammered her as hard as I could. Obsidian howled. Her vocalization exited the human realm in a cataclysmic manner.The noise scared avians a mile away into terrorized flight. Cats hissed, then raced for cover. Dogs tucked tail and ran. Streetlights a hundred yards away shattered in sprays of glass. Better yet, for the entertainment of my viewing public, she lashed out with her right hand at the closest Black Cherry sapling, exploding it into a mist of sap and pulverizing the bark and wood fiber into pulp.On the downside, her cervix gave my balls an ultimatum ~ release my seed at once, or she was going to twist off my head. My cock and balls have a long history of making decisions without me. I began lavishing her. Before I finally got the feeling I was out of the danger zone. She was back to rubbing against me and purring in blissful satisfaction."Onun g zleri," whispered Belgin, one of the Turks. 'Her eyes'?"Cáel, are you aware of the alternative nature of your liaison?" Chaz coolly cautioned me. Translation: 'mate, do you know you have your cock in a demon?'"Yeah," I coughed. I had a face full of her hair. I was working on some post-coital nuzzling along with slowly helping her get her pants back up."Ininzqueoccehpa," she hummed to me, ignoring our gathering. That was 'let's do this again'."Tehuatlcochitlehua," I replied with some fondness. She studied me for a second before deciding my term was one of endearment, thus 'you are what dreams are made of', not 'nightmares'.Obsidian had another issue to deal with. Timothy would call it a righteous cocking. Whatever it was, her hold on her human mein had slipped and her inhumanity was slipping through, mainly in her glass-like, black, multi-facetted eyes and her fingers which now ended in molten obsidian talons. On the subconscious level, her predatory nature was setting everyone close-by on edge. I could also make out the high pitched, ultrasonic pipping of her chiropteran cries ~ purpose unknown.Obsidian made her way off farther into the underbrush leaving me a few precious seconds to appreciate her retreating posterior while holstering my equipment. More people were arriving. I had one more thing to take care of before, oh look, Nikita had brought her Mom along, the NYPD Sergeant."Chaz, I need to have a quick chat with Dot before I can explain things. She's been waiting and that's unwise," I looked to the Brit. He nodded."Cáel? Mr. Nyilas? Prince?" all came my way. I relaxed as best I could. Chaz went to a body blow to stagger me, then an epic upper cut to send me to Lullaby Land.Dot & the DragonessDot and SzelAnya, in dragon form, were waiting as I tumbled forward. By the state of my haziness, I knew my unconsciousness wouldn't last long."You gave her your seed," came the accusation."Yes," I staggered, "and now you should be able to track her," I pointed out the bonus part of the arrangement. No comment."I've got to make this quick, SzelAnya, I've found your father, geographically speaking," I dropped the bomb."Don't," Dot Ishara commanded. After all, she and her divine cohorts had done the killing and corpse-dividing eons ago. Undoubtedly, they'd executed their own oaths to one another to 'never reveal what they had done' as well."Too late," I shook my head. SzelAnya's attention was magnetized. "I owe you and I'm paying my debts. I'm not blind to the dangers, believe me.""You have no idea what power you are invoking," Dot's undercurrent of displeasure was the worst I'd experienced."Wrong. I've got thousands of years of Alal boiling around in my head, Plus the rest of you betrayed her 2600 years ago. It doesn't mean I have to. And now, given the chance, I'm not. Even if you kill me, she's got enough toBack in the Ramble"Really expect me to believe," Nikita's mom was growling."Man down," I waved a weak arm skyward."Mr. Nyilas, what is going on here?" the Sergeant addressed me. I was reclining in a circle of my 'Hounds'; most were kneeling. Chaz was in a tiny bit of trouble for having clocked me."Umm, thanks for coming out and looking for me. I assure you, Mr. Tomorrow did what he did as a matter of his professional duties ~ intelligence gathering." As I struggled to stand, my ladies helped me. I saw Pamela with three Hounds coming up fast from one direction and Virginia with three more coming from the other. The gang was all here.The mutterings in non-English tongues suggested a bit of explaining was already going on."You've been bleeding," Nikita pointed out with an unspoken 'again'."This?" I pulled my shirt out and looked at the first bloodstain of my encounter. "This is the just the start of the bad news." I shed my windbreaker and then t-shirt.The professionals shouldered aside the others to take a closer look."All of these are from noon and less than an hour ago," I identified the damage. Sarge was skeptical. Chaz, Nikita and Virginia less so."They look older," the senior lawman noted."I've been curious about that," Chaz frowned."I've inherited my Grandfather's curse. My soul fragment was in the 'Here and Now' twenty-three years ago while his was, 'over there', so I was allowed to come into creation. According to my recently departed guest,""You are immortal," Virginia mumbled to finish the thought. Had the speaker not been a member of the FBI, who knows how the thought would have been received."From the memories I've been gifted with," I tapped the tiny divot on my forehead, "his healing abilities started out rather slowly too. I certainly don't want to test this theory, so no worries there," I scanned the group."How do you explain seeing your Grandfather in Hungary and again in Rome?" Virginia wondered."Again, that woman who just left," I got out."Was no woman," Nuray, another one of my Turkish Hounds interrupted. "Her eyes..." she tried to explain, "and look what she did to that tree," she pointed to the greatest piece of evidence of supernatural wrongdoing. The other two witnesses nodded."We all saw the same thing. Her eyes were, bottomless, definitely not human," Belgin affirmed. The veteran players looked to Chaz."She had a collapsed nose-bridge, lacked a blink response, her dental work was carnivorous and her tongue was extremely clipped and showed prehensile qualities," he reported calmly. Pause. Chaz was a freaking intelligence operative, after all."If her hands were a type of glove weaponry, I've never seen it s like before. While I know it is possible for a human to exert the force-pounds necessary to snap a two inch diameter tree trunk in one blow, it is a rare skill and requires intense discipline. This appeared to be done spontaneously, without preparation of any kind and as a reaction to other stimuli," he added."It was also your assessment he needed to be knocked unconscious?" Nikita's mom countered."Mr. Nyilas' psychological constructs are something the whole team has to work around. At times, he seeks 'insight' from his mind in a deliberately unconscious/non-sleep state," he replied."He claims to be talking with spirit powers. I know when he returns to consciousness, he delivers useful intelligence. I'm not a psychologist, psychiatrist, or psychic. I don't know why his mind functions that way. I do know results. And I know I work with people who would achieve those results by other means if it were at all possible. Since we haven't found another method, we accept that from tim
Today we are joined by the queen of artistry, Brooklyn Moors! Brooklyn is a Canadian Olympian from the Tokyo Games, she's a 3x floor and all-around world championship finalist, and she's fresh off winning a team and floor Big Ten title with the UCLA Bruins. She joins us to talk about the moment she received her first perfect 10, dealing with mental blocks as a high level gymnast, her future plans, and more! Thank you to our monthly Patreon supporters: Lee B, Cookiemaster, Christa, Happy Girl, Erica S, Semflam, Amy C, Maria L, Becca S, Cathleen R, Faith, Kerry M, M, Derek H, Martin, Sharon B, Randee B, MSU, Kimberly G, Robert H, Lela M, Mara L, Jenna A, Alex M, Mama T, Kelsey, Lidia, Maria P, Alicia O, Cristina K, Bethany J, Diane J, Kentiemac, Marni S, Betny T, Emily C, Cathy D, Lisa T, Libby C, Thiago, Taryn M, Dana B, Jamie S, Chuck C, Je_GL, Kaitlin, Susan P, Katertot, Maggie, Mallory D, LFC_Hokie, Ella, Debbie, Megan F, Kay, Diane J, Julie B,, Austin K, Jane, Sarah, Amy, Stephen S, Johanna T, Alison S, Kristina T, Abigail W, Tamar K, Becky, Ola S, Jennifer K, Kate M, Naomi S, Claudia, Siona, Resi G, Erin L, Sarah A, Kennedy B, Thomas B, Lauren D, Kihika N, Beth C, Amy, Renee PM, Ryan V, Brandon H, Tyler, Hayley B, Ben S, Karen S, Kate & Landon, Danielle, ALittleUnderRotated, Dana C, Amy C, Grace, Pat G , Lexi G, Laura N, Kathy, Katie A, Ruby B, Katie E, Róisín, Becca, Megan J, Emily D, Britton, Ry Shep, Reyna G, Catherine, William A, MB, MJ L, Jackson G, Brittany A, Stella, Ulo F, Noah C, Melissa H, Alexis & William M!
The international break is over, and club football returns with the Gran Derbi: REAL BETIS vs SEVILLA.This is one of the most vibrant rivalry matches in world football, Spain's greatest local spat, a true expression of Seville's colorful culture: the freewheeling social scene fueled by ubiquitous outdoor dining and Sevillanos who are impressively direct with one another; the searing heat of Andalusia; the close quarters in which the two sets of fans live, including in split households; and a rich history featuring the Romans, the Moors, Christian kings of all stripes, and the dictatorship of Francisco Franco after the Spanish Civil War.This derby has boiled over at times, but more than anything it's defined by the (mostly) good-natured banter of the street, known as guasa, and a stubborn refusal from both sides to drift towards the corporatism that has come to define the modern game. They're desperate to beat each other and, perhaps as importantly, see each other suffer. In recent years, Sevilla have become the Europa League masters, seven times champions since 2006, in what is a considerable shakeup of the dynamic here. For a while, neither of them won much of anything, and the whole ethos of Real Betis is built around manque pierda — something like, "even when they lose." Betis are the better off this season, though, gunning for European football next season year behind the talismanic talents of Isco, who not so long ago had a short and disastrous spell at Sevilla. He could be the difference-maker this Sunday, though this week's guest predicts Betis could still fall prey to their own inferiority complex in this fixture.That guest is Colin Millar, news writer for The Athletic and author of The Frying Pan of Spain, a book on the history of this rivalry. He lived in Seville himself and has all kinds of insight into what this one means.If you're enjoying the show, please leave us a rating and review! It will help spread the good word.And as always, for kickoff times and storylines on all the other matches worth your time this weekend, check TheFootballWeekend.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In 711 an Arab and Berber army crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and invaded the Iberian Peninsula. Seven years later, their conquests had birthed the Muslim kingdom of al-Andalus. This marked the beginning of roughly 8 centuries of Moorish rule, during which al-Andalus became a conduit for the transmission of knowledge between the Islamic world and Europe.Joining us today is Brian Catlos, a Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder and the author of 'Kingdoms of Faith: A New History of Islamic Spain'. He takes us through the history of al-Andalus, from its inception and expansion through to its dramatic downfall.Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Max Carrey.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.
THIS VOYAGE, the Decksperts MARK A. ALTMAN (author, The Fifty Year Mission, writer/producer, Pandora, Agent X, The Librarians, writer/producer Free Enterprise), DAREN DOCHTERMAN (associate producer, Star Trek: The Motion Picture), ASHLEY E. MILLER (showrunner; DOTA: Dragon's Blood, writer, X-Men: First Class, Thor) and STEVEN MELCHING (The Clone Wars, Rebels) are back on DECK 78 as the Decksperts stay on the Moors to celebrate 1980's American Werewolf In London with star DAVID NAUGHTON. Don't make us miss this one. **Join us on our new INGLORIOUS TREKSPERTS DISCORD Channel at: https://discord.gg/7kgmJSExeh SUBSCRIBE TO TREKSPERTS PLUS TODAY... and get every episode of INGLORIOUS TREKSPERTS commercial free and one-week early along with our new podcast, INGLORIOUS TREKSPERTS presents DECK 78 along with additional bonus content and surprises all season long. For more details, visit trekkspertsplus.com. Learn all that is learnable about Star Trek in Mark A. Altman & Edward Gross' THE FIFTY-YEAR MISSION, available in hardcover, paperback, digital and audio from St. Maritn's Press. Follow Inglorious Treksperts at @inglorioustrek on Twitter, Facebook and at @inglorioustreksperts on Instagram. And now follow the Treksperts Briefing Room at @trekspertsBR, an entirely separate Twitter & Instagram feed."Mark A. Altman is the world's foremost Trekspert" - Los Angeles Times
Clad in a big, bulky menswear suit, “Julia” Mozhdeh Rahmanzaei stomps around the stage at the Theater off Jackson in Seattle’s Chinatown International District. She glares over a fake beard, holding audience members’ gazes, and shakes the program for this very play in one hand. The actor and playwright is channeling the censorship she experienced in her home country of Iran. As a young artist in Tehran, her theater work repeatedly ran up against the strict rules of government monitors – who shut down several of her shows, including her master’s thesis and performance, which discussed limitations of physical performance for women actors. Julia left Iran three and a half years ago to study for a Masters of Fine Arts in Acting at the University of Washington. In Seattle, she’s acted in several local productions, including “The Moors” at the University of Washington and “The Forgotten History of Mastaneh,” at Taproot Theater and Seattle Public Theater. This weekend is the debut of her autobiographical solo show, called, “I am an Actress, Where is my Country?” It traces her struggle to express herself under Iran’s repressive theocratic regime – and find her place both legally and as an artist in the U.S. Libby Denkmann sat down with Julia Rahmanzaei and director and dramaturge Leah Adcock-Starr during rehearsals this week. Guests: Julia Rahmanzaei, actor and writer for "I am an Actress, Where is my Country?" Leah Adcock-Starr, director and dramaturge Related Links: I am an Actress, Where is my Country? - Theatre Off Jackson Thank you to the supporters of KUOW. You help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes. Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The exploration of Stone Crown complete, everyone leaves at the same time, but not all roads go the same direction. In this epilogue to our guest-run side quest, find out what happens with our little party as they leave the strange place in the Moors of Moriga. ----- Our spot for Battlebards uses music from Battlebards! We hope you like our use of: Capital City - Middlegate - Score Music by Shams Ahsan We're glad you're sharing our story; we really appreciate your support and hope you enjoy what we've created together. We're having fun sharing our adventure with you each week, and we'll only get better with time! If you like what you hear, please take the time to leave us a review on iTunes, since that bumps us up in the ratings and lets others join in the fun. For quick updates on a more real-time basis, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice) and on Instagram (@stackodice), where we'd love to hear from you. Or if you want to share a question or idea with us, drop us a line at stack.o.dice@gmail.com. Also, if you aren't on our Discord server yet, you should be! Check it out here: https://discord.com/invite/sUUJp78r3E Finally, we now have a Ko-fi page! If you wish to support our show with a little money, you can do that today. Please know that we'll use anything you contribute to improve the show. ----- We used some Creative Commons sound effects and music in this show. For the sake of attribution, we list them here. The following were taken from freesound.org, a fantastic resource for completely free sound effects. Sound effects that fall under the Attribution license: mud squish is a copyright of jymdavis Cinema Boom impact #1 is a copyright of beman87 Football-crowd-Cheer+Jeers.wav is a copyright of paulw2k Vanhan ajan sota, taistelu, miekkailu / Ancient, old time battle, combat, horses snorting and galloping, men shouting and barking, fencing, swords clanging, mix is a copyright of YleArkisto We also used some excellent Battlebards sound effects. If you like what you hear, check them out at battlebards.com. If you sign up for a Prime account, be sure to use our special code, stack, and you'll get a 20% discount on your subscription. Here are the sound effects we used in this episode: Hidden Realm - Hidden Halls of Carnack - Score Music, by Tica Alexandru Weather - Medium Wind, by Olivier Girardot Skirmish Climactic - Desperate Measures - Score Music, by Eduardo Lopez And now, on with the show-- we're excited to tell a story with you.
Jordan Chiles gets another 10, judging oversight updates, and Jay Clark had a lot of tired old feeling about judging oversight and he's not alone. Headlines Collegiate judges received an email from the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) that there will be no judging feedback shared for the first year of the SCORE Board pilot program The target for this year is on data collection and analysis Jay Clark (LSU) had A LOT to say about the SCORE Board, we have thoughts (see full quote at bottom of notes page) Gymternet News Everyone is rightfully obsessed with Isla Gie's musical theater floor routine Kyrstin Johnson (Temple) plays tribute to hip-hop culture in her badass floor routine Betty Okino was named the Developmental Lead for the U.S. women's artistic program A Tale of Three Cities: USAG narrows its options down to three cities for the USA Gymnastics facility of the future Injury updates: Tyler Turner, Trinity Brown, Sam Phillips, Sasha Fujisaka Because of Elon Musks' double nazi salute, going forward, GymCastic will no longer link to Twitter. We encourage listeners to follow #Ncaagym and other gymnastics starter packs on Bluesky Opinion: Sports leagues, athletes put their reputations at risk by staying on toxic X by Nancy Armour NCAA Corrupt or Correct Beam credit: Layouts for E Keanna Abraham (UC Davis) vs. Layout Pike or back pike NCAA Week 5 Highlights Jordan Chiles clenched her second 10.0 of the season, this time on FX Is Michigan State the best vault team in the country? Kara Eaker is back, this time at Georgia and she hasn't missed a beat Opportunity for comedy: friends don't let friends do squat-ons in NCAA Feedback What does it mean to be a Brevet judge and what does each FIG judging category mean? What is the appropriate way to address gymnasts? Hint it's not by calling them "girls" Our British listeners are wondering what is the culture like at Oklahoma? UP NEXT: College & Cocktails live Q&A podcast: Friday, February 7th Immediately following the Meet of the Week: LSU at Alabama Full NCAA schedule and links here Never miss a live episode! Import the entire College & Cocktails schedule into your Google and iCal calendar here Fantasy Lineups Lock: Friday, Feb. 7 - 3:30pm PT Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!): Weekly Q&A Behind The Scenes podcast, dedications, mini-commissions , group commissions, exclusive extended interviews, and College & Cocktails episodes. Plus discounts and first dibs on Live Show tickets and merch. Exclusive VIP section on the message board Forum Get Huel today with this exclusive offer for New Customers of 15% OFF + a FREE Gift at https://huel.com/GymCastic Join Our Fantasy League MERCH GymCastic Store: clothing and gifts to let your gym nerd flag fly and even “tapestries” (banners, the perfect to display in an arena) to support your favorite gymnast! Baseball hats available now in the GymCastic store NEWSLETTERS Sign up for all three GymCastic newsletters FANTASY GAME: GymCastic 2025 College Fantasy Game now open. Never too late to join! THE LATEST College & Cocktails: MSU at UCLA Fantasy News: 2025 NCAA Season, Week 4 The 5th Rotation: January 28, 2025 Bronze Debacle: GymCastic Has Entered the Chat College & Cocktails: Oregon State. vs Auburn RELATED Opinion: Sports leagues, athletes put their reputations at risk by staying on toxic X by Nancy Armour GymCastic Interview: Three World Champion coaches share their experience Sexism in Ski Jumping Spencer's Clickable Code of Points Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim Men's Gymnastics coverage from Kensley Neutral Deductions LSU Head Coach Jay Clark quotes from Jan 31 press conference Question “I hear there might be a mid-season change [re Scoreboard/judging oversight] in the way they do scoring is that is that possible do you want to see?” “It that just adds to the Ridiculousness right so what so the the the issue it is not that I think scores should remain unduly high the issue is that this thing we've put in place either intentionally or unintentionally has only attacked one part of scoring and it is tamped down the ceiling and done very little about anything else and so it's not Equitable across the board I'm all for credibility and scorting I'm all for uh you know increased um accuracy understanding that we are a subjective Sport and you will never remove the subjectivity I just don't think that this thing has been rolled out in a manner and it's supposed to be a pilot program and yet we're getting newsletters and we're getting we're getting told you know what the deductions are that are being missed most says who judging in venue is a different deal than sitting somewhere who knows where in a living room on a video screen and then that's that level of subjectivity is supposed to add more credibility and so I think what we have created is that with a with a targeted part of the scoring Spectrum we have judges looking over their shoulder and there's better ways to do this I I am not about like everything should get a 10 that's not it at all but there there has to be it's got to be whatever we do to increase uh credibility or or or Tamp down or whatever like no one has I've never had anyone present to me that on a consistent basis the wrong team wins or the wrong gymnast wins or whatever now you could say the score might have been too high but was it ranked correctly on that night that's the that's the real question right was it the best routine on that night and you know to the point where people SC scream and clamor enough that that you know at some point Trinity Thomas issued a public apology for getting a 10 for crying out loud here's the thing when you go to a sporting event Scott when you go to a baseball game what's one of the things you hope you see a home run what when you go to a when you go to a football game you you want to see an explosive play a long touchdown pass or things like that you hope to see those things that's sport controversy is also sport and there's nothing wrong with there's never going to be a time when we're when we're all happy with all the scores we see because all of us have biased all of us coaches fans everyone the point is is it ranked correctly is it consistent across the board and by any real objective measure we haven't created a more consistent situation this year we've created a more erratic situation here and and and I'm don't blame the judges one bit because they're doing the best they can to do the job that that that we've asked them to do there are easier ways to correct wrongs in venue and it should be in my opinion given the meat referee authority to convene a conference right now our meat referees have no authority to do much of anything um and and so in tennis the chair umpire can overrule the line judge in in uh the the home plate umpire in baseball can can walk out and call a conference if they thought something was missed at second base these are things that are common in other sports our meat refs are to sit on their hands they judge every routine and many most in almost every venue we we were required to have them but yet they really can't do anything except be a liason to deliver papers from a coach to to the panel to me if I'm if I'm an official I'm going to feel a whole lot better about somebody who's in venue with me as part of the official panel in the meet to be able if something egregious happens to be able to have the authority to walk over and say hey guys let's talk this over and and let's make sure we get this right um that's a simpler solution than than having to use technology from different angles not in venue it's a whole different ball game when you're not judging in venue and so I you know I don't want anything I say or anything live tweeted by the way I had nothing to do with that she just knows how I feel about it and and uh but she's right and and we're we're in a time where where Collegiate athletics's Olympic sports programs many are in Peril for funding and revenue share is is is coming in and scholarships are going to be moved from sport to sport all this everybody got an increase in scholarship no they didn't they got an increased limit and not every school is going to be able to do that and so at a time when when that uncertainty exists for at least 50 or 60% of our programs in our sport we drop this little poison pill into our scoring so that the fans sit there and wonder what the heck's going on so it's ill-timed it's incomplete it's illc conceived and and and it it just is and we keep having to make adjustments and now we're not going to put suggested uh deductions in the in the newsletter anymore I hear and we're not going to put those things out there we're just data collecting that's what we were supposed to be doing in the first place but and then but but there's all this information leaking about what's being looked for and what's not being taken and so it it's just been in my opinion an abject disaster and uh it was fairly predictable that it would be and I hope uh there's growing sentiment that we need to go about this a different way let's examine what we do in scoring let's try to create more accuracy yes but in a time like this we cannot be some kind of purist we can be marketable or we can be purist we're probably not going to be both and and and if we're going to be purist then let's look at the run the gamut let's look at the routine that goes 975 that should go 96 as well you know let's let's let's look at all of it not just the the the higher end scores because these kids work hard and then you see things like this you know where where kids they know they just did the best Vault their life it goes 9925 the next kid's like man what do you got to do to get a 995 I'm not even talking about a 10 Helen Hu should have got a 10 Helen that beam set is the best beam set in the country and she did it flawlessly I dare anybody to tell me where the real deduction was now I was standing I wasn't sitting where the judges were and I'm not questioning their credibility I'm questioning our judgment as a coaches group for for doing this thing that has just created some pendulum swing back and forth where the judges keep trying to find themselves and it's it's just unfortunate so thanks for putting me on my soap box I mean it's not affecting the rankings if you look year to year over the last several years I mean the rankings and the teams that are in the top 15 or what ever you know it's it's The Usual Suspects but if you look at where the uh at the at the higher end scores on each team and where they're capped there's where the change is and so the fans don't get to see their home run they see them and they clear the fence we just don't call them home runs anymore I said that on the air um but it's that was kind of what I meant anyway...” - Jay Clark
Full Text of ReadingsTuesday after Epiphany Lectionary: 213The Saint of the day is Saint Raymond of PeafortSaint Raymond of Peñafort's Story Since Raymond lived into his hundredth year, he had a chance to do many things. As a member of the Spanish nobility, he had the resources and the education to get a good start in life. By the time he was 20, he was teaching philosophy. In his early 30s he earned a doctorate in both canon and civil law. At 41 he became a Dominican. Pope Gregory IX called him to Rome to work for him and to be his confessor. One of the things the pope asked him to do was to gather together all the decrees of popes and councils that had been made in 80 years since a similar collection by Gratian. Raymond compiled five books called the Decretals. They were looked upon as one of the best organized collections of Church law until the 1917 codification of canon law. Earlier, Raymond had written for confessors a book of cases. It was called Summa de Casibus Poenitentiae. More than simply a list of sins and penances, it discussed pertinent doctrines and laws of the Church that pertained to the problem or case brought to the confessor. At the age of 60, Raymond was appointed archbishop of Tarragona, the capital of Aragon. He didn't like the honor at all and ended up getting sick and resigning in two years. He didn't get to enjoy his peace long, however, because when he was 63 he was elected by his fellow Dominicans to be the head of the whole Order, the successor of Saint Dominic. Raymond worked hard, visited on foot all the Dominicans, reorganized their constitutions and managed to put through a provision that a master general be allowed to resign. When the new constitutions were accepted, Raymond, then 65, resigned. He still had 35 years to oppose heresy and work for the conversion of the Moors in Spain. He convinced Saint Thomas Aquinas to write his work Against the Gentiles. In his 100th year, the Lord let Raymond retire. Reflection Raymond was a lawyer, a canonist. Legalism can suck the life out of genuine religion if it becomes too great a preoccupation with the letter of the law to the neglect of the spirit and purpose of the law. The law can become an end in itself, so that the value the law was intended to promote is overlooked. But we must guard against going to the opposite extreme and seeing law as useless or something to be lightly regarded. Laws ideally state those things that are for the best interests of everyone and make sure the rights of all are safeguarded. From Raymond, we can learn a respect for law as a means of serving the common good. Saint Raymond of Peñafort is a Patron Saint of: Lawyers Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media
The English countryside is often associated with many things, rivers, lakes, moors, hedgehogs, but not large predators. The largest official remaining predator in the UK is the badger. While you might not want to back one into a corner, they're not about to go on a wild killing spree. However, several locations in the UK report continued sightings of big cats. Is there a hidden native cat roaming the moors of Cornwall? Many people think they have spotted them, though the film footage is often as grainy and unreliable as people claiming to have filmed bigfoot. Take a listen and see what you think is behind all of the big cat reports in the UK.
Deze week blikken we in De 7 elke dag met twee gasten vooruit naar 2025.Wat kunnen we verwachten op politiek en economisch vlak, wat gaan de beurzen doen volgend jaar en waar moeten onze bedrijven op letten?Vandaag nemen we een duik in de internationale context.En daar is er (jammer genoeg) gespreksstof genoeg.Met het conflict in Oekraïne hebben we een oorlog naast onze deur. In het Midden-Oosten is er de situatie in Gaza en is het ook nog afwachten hoe Syrië in het post-Assad tijdperk zal evolueren.En dat in een nog bredere context waar Donald Trump opnieuw president wordt en we met z’n allen zitten te kijken naar de handelsoorlog met China en hoe wij daar als België en de Europese Unie onze plaats in zullen vinden. Meer dan vragen genoeg!Gelukkig hebben we twee gasten om op zoek te gaan naar antwoorden.Peter Moors is sinds kort de nieuwe Belgische ambassadeur bij de Europese Unie. Daarvoor werkte hij op het kabinet van premier De Croo en was hij ook al de topman van de FOD Buitenlandse Zaken. Een carrièrediplomaat dus die de internationale politiek al een hele tijd van nabij volgt.En ook Jasper D’hoore is aangeschoven. Chef Politiek en Economie bij De Tijd. En ook vanop die stoel elke dag bezig met de internationale wereld. Host: Bert Rymen See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
George Washington is documented saying: “If we would agree to take the Fezzes, and Turbans off the Moors' Heads and remove the sandals from their feet and enforce it with severe punishments and also swear a death oath between ourselves to religiously, and faith fully not allow anyone to teach the Moorish Children whom they […] The post Is Jesus Lucifer? – The Moors were early Indians. The Civil War was fought by black men (Moors). George Washington & Robert E. Lee =BLACK MOORS. Moors were also Indians from India Superior (the Americas). appeared first on Psychopath In Your Life.
Join us for a groundbreaking episode of the Moors in America podcast as Brother Douglas El sits down with renowned Moorish scholar Aseer Duke of Tiers for an eye-opening discussion on the suppressed history of Moorish Americans and the violent dismantling of their communities. In this powerful interview, Aseer Duke of Tiers will delve into the untold stories of lynchings, massacres, and the systemic destruction of Moorish American (Black) communities. We'll explore the hidden truths behind: • The organized overthrow of duly elected governments within these communities. • The theft of land, property, and thriving businesses owned by Moorish Americans. • The targeted murder of men, women, and children, culminating in the complete obliteration of entire neighborhoods and towns. Aseer will also reveal the lesser-known history of how Moorish Americans were once in positions of power across North America, governing an empire that flourished before the arrival of European colonists. This discussion will expose how these ancestors were stripped of their identity, culture, and sovereignty, and how these events have been deliberately erased from mainstream historical narratives. Make sure to check out Aseer Duke of Tier's links: Subscribe to his YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDukeOfTiers @TheDukeOfTiers www.aseerthedukeoftiers.com FOR DONATIONS: CASHAPP.COM: $DS418 PAYPAL.COM: dukeoftiers@gmail.com ADOT app/Google Play, Apple Play To Purchase The Dark Skull 418: World's Most Dangerous Comic Book Novel!: https://buy.stripe.com/28o6pmgVK8kicEgeV3 www.gumroad.com (type Aseer the Duke Tiers in the search) www.cordobaorganics.com Houseofel@hotmail.com Facebook: Aseer Ali Cordoba Links: Podcast: https://www.MoorsinAmerica.com https://www.youtube.com/MoorsinAmerica7 Fezzes for Sale: https://www.MoorishFez.com Marketing Services: https://www.realtrafficmarketing.com Our Temple Website: https://www.MoorishAmericans.com Marketing Services: https://www.realtrafficmarketing.com Get Your Fez Cap: https://www.fezcaps.com If you appreciate this well-researched discourse from a Moorish American view make sure to use the links below to support our channel so that we can produce more great works documenting the Moorish American paradigm! Donations/Support: https://patreon.com/moorsinamerica https://paypal.me/lloydmd Get the Universal Meditation mp3 HERE: https://payhip.com/b/703y Subscribe & Check Out Our Website http://www.MoorsInAmerica.com Join & Contribute to our FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/moorsinamerica/ Follow Us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moorsinamerica/ Like Us on FB: https://www.facebook.com/MoorsInAmerica/ Follow Us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MoorsInAmerica/ Tell Everyone about the channel & Subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/c/MoorsInAmerica7 Song: Moors in America by Shawn Bandz http://dreamlyferecords.net/ #aseerdukeoftiers #aseer #✌
Tommy had two sightings of black panthers in the north of Exmoor as a teenager in the 90s. His first viewing was of a mother guiding a small cub, which made a lasting impression on him. Tommy recounts a local vicar's sighting of a big black cat at the time, and he explains how local teenagers related to the Exmoor Beast legend. Later in his army career, Tommy heard fellow soldiers admitting to seeing pumas on Ministry of Defence land in Northumberland. Word of the week: Inquisitive17 November 2024
Hunter and I were fortunate enough to have a chat with historical detective Michelle Gibson about advanced humans, the controllers, resource manipulation, the original civilization, ley lines, sacred geometry, human energy harvesting systems, the Philadelphia Experiment, and so very much more! Michelle's website: https://piercingtheveilofillusion.com/ Michelle's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@michellegibson8946 Watch the Old World Order documentary: https://rumble.com/v4yawcr-live-world-premiere-old-world-order-everything-weve-been-told-is-a-lie.html To get access to exclusive episodes, our backlog of extended episodes, and to our MELT Meet-ups consider supporting us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/themeltpodcast or Locals at https://themeltpodcast.locals.com where you can subscribe for a mere $5 per month. Find The Melt on… Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-2365404 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMeltPodcast Check out our merch at: https://the-melt.creator-spring.com/ Music by The Godawful Joy: https://thegodawfuljoy.bandcamp.com/releases and Matt Presti: https://www.mattpresti.com/music.html
Reisen Reisen - Der Podcast mit Jochen Schliemann und Michael Dietz
Malerische Hochebenen & wilde Küste, hinreißende Ortschaften, der Harry Potter-Bahnhof und Restaurants, die in jeder Weltmetropole zu den Top 5 gehören würden. Dass England schön sein kann, wussten wir. Dass uns die North York Moors derart den Atem rauben, hat uns überrascht. Sprachlos stehen wir in uralten Ruinen auf einer Klippe, unter der die Nordsee auf einen wilden Strand schlägt. Wir atmen die Mystik in nebligen Hochmooren und finden winzige Cafés und Unterkünfte wie aus dem Bilderbuch. Wir fahren im selben Zug, der die Zauberlehrlinge nach Hogwarts bringt, genießen Fish and Chips in kleinen Küstenorten, essen in einem der berühmtesten Sterne-Restaurants Großbritanniens und schenken euch (und uns) in dieser Folge eine der Überraschungen des Reisejahres. Perfekt zum Entdecken, Schlemmen, Wohlfühlen, Tee trinken und very british English hören :). Zum Finale dieser Folge sprechen wir mit unserer Reisefreundin Tamina Kallert darüber, wie auch sie von dieser Gegend erst kürzlich verzaubert wurde.Diese Folge entstand mit freundlicher Unterstützung von VisitBritain und dem North York Moors National Park.Unsere Werbepartner für diese Folge findet ihr hier: https://www.reisen-reisen-der-podcast.de/werbepartner Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Stephen Moore expects the next Trump administration to extend the tax cuts he previously put in place. He says tariffs are on the table but would be offset by tax policy. As for Jerome Powell, Stephen believes the Fed Chair will finish his full term. ======== Schwab Network ======== Empowering every investor and trader, every market day. Options involve risks and are not suitable for all investors. Before trading, read the Options Disclosure Document. http://bit.ly/2v9tH6D Subscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribe Download the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185 Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7 Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watch Watch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-explore Watch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/ Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetwork Follow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetwork Follow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/ About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about
Want to fall asleep fast? Join Geoffrey by the campfire for another tale from Shakespeare. This time, we meet Macbeth on the Moors of Scotland, as he first hears the prophecy that states he's to become king. Love Night Falls?
This week, as the last installment of our "Month of Macabre," Stauney and Sadie journey to the windswept moors of Yorkshire to uncover the haunting lives and works of the Brontë sisters—Charlotte, Emily, and Anne. Against the backdrop of a restrictive Victorian society, these sisters poured their passions and struggles into novels that challenged conventions and explored themes of love, resilience, and identity. We'll delve into how their unique family dynamics and the wild landscapes they called home shaped iconic works like Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. Join us as we celebrate the Brontës' enduring influence and explore why their stories continue to captivate readers today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
True Creeps: True Crime, Ghost Stories, Cryptids, Horrors in History & Spooky Stories
Join us in today's chilling episode as we delve into one of the most harrowing cases in British criminal history. This episode involves horrific murders of children, an unsettling journey through the lives of two sadistic killers described by a judge as “of the utmost depravity.” We will explore the disturbing histories of Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, tracing their twisted relationship and the dark path that led to the brutal murders of five innocent children: Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey, and Edward Evans. We'll share poignant stories about each victim, honoring their lives amidst the horror. With each detail, we will navigate the complex dynamics of Brady and Hindley's relationship—from their initial infatuation to the chilling acts of violence they committed together. Prepare for a deep dive into the psychology of these killers, the societal context of their crimes, and the heartbreaking aftermath for the families left behind. Listener discretion is advised as we confront the unimaginable in this deeply unsettling tale of evil.Join our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/449439969638764A special thank you to our jam thief, Mary Quiton!https://www.patreon.com/truecreepshttps://www.truecreeps.com/shopwww.truecreeps.comHave an episode idea or a question about a case? Submit them here: https://www.truecreeps.com/ideasandquestionsTwitter @truecreepsInstagram @truecreepspodFacebook.com/truecreepspodEmail us at truecreepspod@gmail.comWho were the victims of Moors murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley? – The US Sun | The US SunRemembering 10-year-old Lesley Ann Downey today on the 59th anniversary of her tragic murder.
An illusion it will be, so large, so vast it will escape their perception. Those who will see it will be thought of as insane. We will create separate fronts to prevent them from seeing the connection between us. We will behave as if we are not connected to keep the illusion alive. *We will focus their attention towards […] The post Part TWO: USA is the OLD WORLD – The Pilgrims were ALSO the MOORS. Is Tartaria a thing? They moved into existing homes, not ones they built – WHY do they eat feces during Initiations? The Sassoon Family actually did the Opium wars – WHO are they? appeared first on Psychopath In Your Life.
On today's episode, we welcome our new co-host, Reginald, who brings a unique perspective from across the pond. Also, We dive into a fascinating yet bizarre topic: the Moorish Sovereign Citizen Movement in the United States. We also delve into the rich history of the Moors in the Iberian Peninsula and their significant contributions to European culture and knowledge. Links to our other stuff on the interwebs: https://www.youtube.com/@BroHistory https://brohistory.substack.com/ https://www.patreon.com/brohistory #316 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“People will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.” – Aldous Huxley WHO are the Royal Monsters running the World? – Psychopath In Your Life Music: Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) (youtube.com) Is That All There Is ? / […] The post USA is the OLD WORLD – The Pilgrims were ALSO the MOORS. Is Tartaria a thing? They moved into existing homes, not ones they built – Gilded Era Murder and Theft. What is a GRIFFIN? appeared first on Psychopath In Your Life.
Hi thereJust a shout out to raise awareness for this amazing cause. I've been doing 100 pressups each day this month in some fab places - End of Gatwich airport runway, the Moors of SW England etc.Here is the donation page, even just £1 or $1 , what ever you might have spare. In memory of my Brother Michael, for my dear friend Martin and Alison. https://www.facebook.com/donate/1038948360830219/Thanks Martin Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/calming-anxiety--4110266/support.
The Book Report Series: ( Dogs of God )ABOUT DOGS OF GODFrom the acclaimed author of Warriors of Godcomes a riveting account of the pivotal events of 1492, when towering political ambitions, horrific religious excesses, and a drive toward international conquest changed the world forever.James Reston, Jr., brings to life the epic story of Spain's effort to consolidate its own burgeoning power by throwing off the yoke of the Vatican. By waging war on the remaining Moors in Granada and unleashing the Inquisitor Torquemada on Spain's Jewish and converso population, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella attained enough power and wealth to fund Columbus' expedition to America and to chart a Spanish destiny separate from that of Italy. With rich characterizations of the central players, this engrossing narrative captures all the political and religious ferment of this crucial moment on the eve of the discovery of the New World.The year Columbus sailed the ocean blue, 1492 was also the year that Moorish Granada fell to Catholic Spain and the year King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella expelled the Spanish Jews. Reston brings together these three stories, showing how the exploration of the New World, the war against Muslims and the Inquisition were part of the monarchy's attempt to purify the world for Christendom and advance the Spanish empire. The three threads were intertwined pragmatically as well as ideologically: Property confiscated from Jews and heretical Catholics went into the war chest that funded the march against the Moors. Jews who had converted to Christianity came under suspicion if they so much as set their table with a fresh tablecloth on Friday (the Inquisitor and his minions saw that as a sign that the converso might be observing the Jewish Sabbath), and Reston spares no detail when describing the atrocities the Inquisition committed against these suspects. This history is also distinguished by its vivid portrait of Queen Isabella (Ferdinand is not quite so well-developed), who emerges as a woman of deep faith and more than a hint of grandiosity, frequently likening herself to the Virgin Mary and the apocalyptic woman of the Book of Revelation. The most important sections chronicle Spain's pursuit and conquest of Moorish land, from the fall of Málaga in 1487 to the seizing of Granada. The defeat of the Moors may seem like ancient history to Americans, Reston points out, but it is vivid indeed to the Islamic terrorists who bombed Madrid. Donations to the podcast: CashApp Tag: $faroutflowPayPal Email: feelrealmusic@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jamaine-farmer-bey/support
NEW INFO: DOWNLOAD WHAT YOU CAN. The Moors invaded Europe and trafficked natural white people and the original ancient Israelites were natural white people. This is NOT MY WORK, it belongs to Izreal Zeus : It's a very simple concept. Share his articles and writings as much as possible but do not claim authorship of his research […] The post Who are the CRIMINALS Running things? The Moors invaded Europe and trafficked natural white people and the original ancient Israelites were natural white people. appeared first on Psychopath In Your Life.
On the 11th September 1683, at the great city of Vienna, the armies of the Ottoman Empire were preparing to storm the city, but their scouts to the west noticed a vast cavalry force approaching. The next day Christian horsemen (Poles, Lithuanians, Germans of the Holy Roman Empire and Cossacks) swept down upon the troops of the Caliph and swept them away in one of the most stunning military victories of all time. But what lay at the heart of this clash between Christendom and the Caliphate, West vs. East, Christianity vs. Islam? Joining to discuss is historian of the Middle East Simon Mayall. We talk about the past's influence on today's fanatics, the conquests of Spain and the Levant by the Moors and the Crusaders and much much more. Episode Links The House of War: The Struggle between Christendom and the Caliphate Aspects of History Links Latest Issue out - Annual Subscription to Aspects of History Magazine only $9.99/£9.99 Ollie on X Aspects of History on Instagram Check out Badlands Ranch: badlandsranch.com/AOH Get in touch: history@aspectsofhistory.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Story One – Predators on the Moors For over two hundred years, the rural communities of the United Kingdom have fallen victim to attacks by mysterious feline intruders. As incidents involving these unidentified creatures continue to be reported, we examine the evidence and question whether there really are predators on the moors. Story Two – There is Something in the Valley Tucked away within Canada's Northwest Territories is an area of outstanding natural beauty, inaccessible by conventional means. For decades, people have crossed its boundaries in search of a great fortune, which is rumoured to lie there. Many have emerged empty-handed, but yet more have never returned at all. MUSIC Tracks used by kind permission of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Tracks used by kind permission of CO.AG
In this episode Stuart & Stu Miller talk about The Blair Witch Project,Speak No Evil (2022 v 2024), and also what other movies we have watched this month (so far) We also chat about UK filmmaker Adam Mawson's short film The Moors. Please check out and subscribe to the frompage2screen Youtube channel where youll find a ton more geek content. Find it at youtube.com/frompage2screen This episode is dedicated to Aeonorex where you can find at https://aenorex.bandcamp.com/ If you like what Is done frompage2screen.com, perhaps you can buy me a 'coffee' at https://ko-fi.com/frompage2screen All money goes toward the running of the site as well as expanding its content. Any donations are very much appreciated. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frompage2screen/ Stuarts X: https://twitter.com/FromPage2Screen
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Witte Wieven - are spectral entities in Dutch folklore, often described as wise women or witches who appear as white, misty figures. They are said to inhabit ancient sites like wells, burial mounds, and foggy moors, where they can either help or harm mortals depending on how they are treated. Black Annis - is a terrifying figure in English folklore, specifically from Leicestershire, depicted as a blue-faced hag or witch with iron claws and a taste for human flesh, especially that of children. The Warg - is a monstrous wolf-like creature of immense size, combining bestial ferocity with unsettling intelligence. Originally creatures of Norse mythology, Wargs are often depicted as evil spirits in the form of large, intelligent wolves, associated with violence and destruction. Discover more TERRIFYING podcasts at http://eeriecast.com/ Follow Carman Carrion! https://www.facebook.com/carman.carrion.9/ https://www.instagram.com/carmancarrion/?hl=en https://twitter.com/CarmanCarrion Subscribe to Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/0uiX155WEJnN7QVRfo3aQY Please Review Us on iTunes! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/freaky-folklore/id1550361184 Music and sound effects used in the Freaky Folklore Podcast have or may have been provided/created by: CO.AG: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcavSftXHgxLBWwLDm_bNvA Myuu: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiSKnkKCKAQVxMUWpZQobuQ Jinglepunks: https://jinglepunks.com/ Epidemic Sound: https://www.epidemicsound.com/ Kevin MacLeod: http://incompetech.com/ Dark Music: https://soundcloud.com/darknessprevailspodcast Soundstripe: https://ap Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
piercingtheveilofillusion.comMichelle's Website❤ - support the podcast https://paypal.me/typicalskepticmedia - cashapp $kalil1121 venmo @robert-kalil - or buy me a coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/typicalskeptic
Earlier today, thousands of convicts were released onto the streets before the end of their sentences to help alleviate overcrowding. Camilla Tominey and Gordon Rayner speak to the former prison governor Vanessa Frake-Harris who dealt with Moors murderer Myra Hindley and serial killer Rose West behind bars, and ask how to solve the crisis in our prisons.Plus, five have become four in the Tory leadership contest as Mel Stride was knocked out of the running in the latest round of voting. Camilla and Gordon react to the news on a busy day of voting in Westminster, with the government's cut to winter fuel allowance also voted through in parliament despite a threat of rebellion from Labour MPs.And the Princess of Wales' video marking the end of her chemotherapy treatment - majestic or mawkish?Read:Camilla Tominey: Scenes of Prince and Princess of Wales kissing reflect their love in a time of turmoilWe want to hear from you! Email us at TheDailyT@telegraph.co.uk or find us on X, Instagram and TikTok @dailytpodcastProducers: Lilian Fawcett and Georgia CoanSenior Producer: John CadiganPlanning Editor: Venetia RaineyExecutive Producer: Louisa WellsStudio Operator: Meghan SearleVideo Editor: Luke GoodsallSocial Media Producer: Niamh WalshEditor: Camilla TomineyOriginal music by Goss StudioHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week's Podcast: The bees finally made it to the heather moors, without a fuss or any drama, a nice feeling for a change! We now have most of the Summer honey safely back to the honey room and this year we have the added excitement of the square sections and frame upon frame of cut comb honey to process. Stay tuned to hear my thoughts on the Moors, our sections finally make it into a display box, and our latest product trial, the new HC cut comb containers from Thorne beehives. Hi, I'm Stewart Spinks and welcome to Episode 315 of my podcast, Beekeeping Short and Sweet.Thorne Beehives section racks and containersContact Me at The Norfolk Honey CompanyJoin Our Beekeeping Community in the following ways:Early Release & Additional Video and Podcast Content - Access HereStewart's Beekeeping Basics Facebook Private Group - Click HereTwitter - @NorfolkHoneyCo - Check Out Our FeedInstagram - @norfolkhoneyco - View Our Great PhotographsSign Up for my email updates by visiting my website hereSupport the show
In this week's Podcast: I recently visited the site I intend to use for our heather honey adventure. It's pretty bleak high up on the moors and first thing in the morning with the mists rolling through you would wonder how the bees are ever going to get out of the hive! Things changed quite dramatically, as I'll explain.Hi, I'm Stewart Spinks and welcome to Episode 312 of my podcast, Beekeeping Short and Sweet.For all your beekeeping supplies visit Modern Beekeeping www.modernbeekeeping.co.ukMichael Badger: Heather Honey: A Comprehensive GuideContact Me at The Norfolk Honey CompanyJoin Our Beekeeping Community in the following ways:Early Release & Additional Video and Podcast Content - Access HereStewart's Beekeeping Basics Facebook Private Group - Click HereTwitter - @NorfolkHoneyCo - Check Out Our FeedInstagram - @norfolkhoneyco - View Our Great PhotographsSign Up for my email updates by visiting my website hereSupport the Show.
Welcome to the 167th episode of The Castle Vault! In this week's journey exploring the famed Disney Vault through the Disney Plus streaming service, we go back to the Moors with ... Maleficent: Mistress of Evil! In this episode, we continue our series of Live Action Remakes and Adaptation feature films with the 2019 live action sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. The first Maleficent film was such an interesting and unique take on a well-known story, but how did this sequel manage to stand out? Was this sequel even necessary? And most importantly, where did it land on The Hierarchy? All this and more in Episode 167 of the Castle Vault! Stay magical, friends. Show Rundown Intro Housekeeping Mountain DEW or DEW NOT #CastleVaultCooking - Vegetarian Disney Plus check-in Count the Clicks The Castle Vault - Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019) Fit For the Queens MeetCute Mania Villains Be Chillin' Adapt This! Stars Aligned The Right Direction Of Course My Horse Counting Crows! Welker Watch Walk of Fame Game Talkin' Tie Ins eBay Expedition! Lorcana Lowdown Stuck On You THE HIERARCHY I SPY... Five Fun Facts Tough Trivia Question Emails We Recommend! NEXT WEEK'S MOVIE IS: Lady and the Tramp (2019) Want to contact us? Jason: @JasonInquires (Twitter and Instagram) & @JasonTCV (Twitter)/ @Jason_TCV (Instagram) Josh: @TheNoyse (Twitter and Instagram) Show: @TheCastleVault (Twitter and Instagram) Email: TheCastleVault@gmail.com TheCastleVault.com
In the first episode of our miniseries of podcasts celebrating South Asian Heritage Month 2024, Gautam Bhattacharyya, chair of Reed Smith's India Business team, welcomes Yasmin Batliwala MBE, CEO of Advocates for International Development. Together, they explore Yasmin's career path, her mentors and inspirations, her passion for pro bono work and the significance of her Parsi heritage. ----more---- Transcript: Intro: Welcome to the Reed Smith Podcast, Inclusivity Included: Powerful Personal Stories. In each episode of this podcast, our guests will share their personal stories, passions, and challenges, past and present, all with the goal of bringing people together and learning more about others. You might be surprised by what we all have in common, inclusivity included. Gautam: Hello everyone and welcome to another of our Reed Smith podcasts and this one is part of our special mini-series to celebrate and mark South Asian Heritage Month 2024 and I'm overjoyed to have as our podcast today the incredibly impressive Yasmin Batliwala. Hello Yasmin. Yasmin: Hello Gautam, lovely to be here. Gautam: It's lovely to have you and I've been really so excited to do this podcast with you. For our listeners, I'm going to introduce Yasmin so you can appreciate just what an amazing person she is. Yasmin is the chief executive of Advocates for International Development, a very prominent pro bono and CSR institution with which Reed Smith has had a very long and happy relationship and association. And we continue to do so. And I've known Yasmin for many, many years. and we've had many a discussion about our shared passion for pro bono work and the importance of lawyers doing pro bono work and the impact that it has. Yasmin is responsible for overseeing the work of A4ID, as I'll call it, and she's held many prominent roles in the public and third sector over her very illustrious career. Apart from pro bono work, her portfolios have included some incredible causes. Those include HIV and AIDS, drug alcohol, dependency, and criminal justice. She has also undertaken work for the UN's Office of Drugs and Crime, and has a great deal of board experience too, having, amongst other things, been on the board of a large NHS trust. Yasmin also, to the extent she has spare time, and I'm stunned she does have spare time, has also served as a magistrate in the Youth and Adult Courts. She's also, as you can imagine, been the recipient of several honors. And amongst those, and there are many of them, she has been awarded the City of London Woman of Achievement for her public service work. And in 2022, Yasmin received an MBE for her work in human rights, the rule of law and international development as part of the Queen's New Year's honors list. So it really is a wonderful privilege to be speaking to you on this podcast, Yasmin, and I'm really looking forward to our discussions. Now, let me start with this as we get into our discussion. Tell us a little bit about your career background. I've already highlighted for our listeners a few of the roles that you've undertaken prior to your current role as chief executive of A4ID. But I wonder whether you could give us a little bit of a background about how you got to your role at A4ID and your career background, which has led up to that. Yasmin: Thank you very much, Gautam. I'd like to start then by thanking you for inviting me to join in this podcast and for the opportunity to talk about the work of Advocates for International Development, which I know that you know that I'm truly passionate about. So to answer your question about what I was doing prior to A4ID work-wise, before joining A4ID, basically I ran my own consultancy, providing senior level support to the public and non-profit sectors. My work primarily involved problem solving, managing teams, assisting the recruitment of CEOs and other executive positions. And I should say that I thoroughly enjoyed being self-employed as it allowed me to spend quality time with my two young daughters as they were then. And I could work during their nursery hours and resume tasks when they were asleep. And incidentally, I even earned more money than I've ever done since while I was working for myself. Throughout my career, I think you've said, I have worked mainly in the public and non-profit sector. And you've indicated the background work I've done within the drugs field and also in HIV. And I've also served, as you've mentioned, on various boards, including also a university, as well as on police authority, where I briefly held position of chair. I currently chair VIA, formerly known as WDP, which is a leading charity providing drug and alcohol services across the UK. VIA is known for its quality of services and innovative approach. And I like to think that my leadership has played a role in its success. Now, in respect to other things that have brought me to A4ID, I was invited to get involved with A4ID just by chance. Someone suggested that I met the executive director at the time. She and I got on swimmingly and as a consequence of that I started to work with her to look at how we could build the organization so that's really a potted summary of my career to date. Gautam: Well thank you and it really is I mean you know you've packed a lot in in your wonderful career today and undertaking some amazing work for lots of really important causes and you know I think I think one of the things I just want to step back to is you've had a very impressive career. Of that, there's no doubt. And it's ongoing, right? You're not finished yet. Not by a long way. But we all benefit from mentors and inspirations in the course of our career. And I wonder whether you could share with our listeners some of your biggest career mentors and inspirations so far. Yasmin: Gautam, I think that's a really difficult question because I have been inspired by so many people over the years. Obviously, those who have supported and encouraged me stand out, ranging from my line managers and peers to various teams that I've worked with, including actually my current team. Indeed, my very first job was doing what was called action research on illicit drug use in SW5, which is Earls Court, and also the West End. Professor Betsy Ettore was my line manager at the time, and she was simply amazing. She encouraged me to think for myself and was always available when I needed her. I was at the time fresh out of university and yet she treated me like an equal and I valued that because she actually listened very carefully to what I had to say and supported my ambition for the study that we were doing. Now coming back to where I am today I suppose I especially want to mention the board of A4ID. Their support has been incredible but it's their pioneering spirit and belief that everything is possible that truly inspires me. They also believe in me personally which has been invaluable and enabled me to push forward with our vision. Roger Leese, the chair of A4ID and a partner at Clifford Chance, has perhaps been a significant inspiration throughout our time working together. We've often solved problems by approaching them from completely different perspectives, and his insights have always been spot on. Indeed, the longer I have known him, the more I've come to respect him. To me, integrity and respect are very important in those that have inspired me. And perhaps the reason I've been working in this role for so long has been mainly because of the individuals that I have been fortunate to come across over the years. Now, I've been particularly impressed by the legal profession's can-do culture and their attitude that everything and anything is possible, which happens also to be my perspective in life. This approach and their understated passion is something I greatly admire. The entire legal pro bono community, from international law firms that we work with, to in-house counsel, the judiciary, paralegals and barristers, demonstrate to me their remarkable dedication. They use their skills and intellect to contribute to the greater good, often without expecting recognition or even a pat on the back. Let me give you an example close to home. Now, you've mentioned just in your start the involvement of Reed Smith. So when I joined A4ID, Reed Smith provided us with the accommodation. At that time, A4ID was a much smaller organization with fewer staff and a smaller turnover. Right. Without Reed Smith's support, I'm not sure A4ID would have thrived. Reed Smith even contributed their staff's time to oversee the development of A4ID at the beginning, not seeking thanks or recognition, just doing what they could to help the cause. If anything was requested from them, they would think about it and come back to us with a solution about how to make it happen. So I, for one, have immense admiration for Reed Smith and the support that the firm has provided ever since our inception in 2006. Many of our law firms have also, as well as corporate partners, have also shown and continue to show some support over the years. They've supported A4ID in its journey and through us have provided expert pro bono legal advice to international development sector and have also donated funds to enable us to exist and to function. And I firmly believe that through the law, we can change the world for the greater good and that lawyers have a key role to play in making this happen. Imagine no other profession is able to achieve this, only the legal profession. What inspiration is that? So to answer your question, I would say I've been most inspired by the legal sector with which I've been fortunate to work with and why I'm still in this role after all these many years. Gautam: Well, thank you, Yasmin. That was an incredibly impressive set of points. And I just wonder if I could dig into that a little bit. Extremely, there's a lot I could unpack there. But let me focus on what makes pro bono work so important. Now, we all know it's really important. It has real impact. And lawyers are integral to that. And so I wonder whether you could give us your thoughts on just why pro bono work is so important and why law firms and the teamwork that they achieve is so important to make that happen. You mentioned in your answer just now just how unique in many ways the legal profession is to be able to deliver those sorts of services and results. And I certainly know how enriching it's been for me personally to be heavily involved in pro bono work for so many years. But I wonder whether you could share your thoughts on that, please. Yasmin: Thanks, Gautam. I would say that pro bono work is vital because it allows professionals and the corporates to give back to the community, promoting social justice and addressing systemic inequalities. qualities. By providing free legal services to those who cannot afford them, pro bono work ensures that access to justice is not limited by financial means. This contribution really helps to level the playing field, ensuring that vulnerable and marginalized communities and individuals can defend their rights and receive fair treatment under the law. If you look at CSR for law firms, on the other hand, I think it encompasses a broader range of activities beyond pro bono work, which includes ethical business practices, environmental sustainability and community engagement. Pro Bono also, I would say, demonstrates the company's commitment to operating responsibly and contributing positively to society. These initiatives enhance the company's reputation, build trust with stakeholders, and also we find continually that it can lead to increased employee satisfaction and retention. Through pro bono, law firms and corporates can address various social issues from poverty and education to health and environmental protection. The other thing I think that's really important with regard to pro bono, is teamwork that law firms can do. Teamwork is essential in making pro bono successful because it allows the pooling of resources, expertise and networks. Law firms possess specialized legal knowledge and skills and are crucial for tackling complex legal issues. By collaborating, firms can leverage their collective expertise to provide a comprehensive and effective legal assistance. I think this collaborative approach really does ensure that beneficiaries receive high quality support, which are tailored to their specific needs. Also, teamwork among law firms fosters a culture of shared responsibility and mutual support. And we find that when law firms work together with us on pro bono projects, they can share best practices, learn from each other's experiences, and really develop innovative solutions to very common challenges. This collective effort amplifies the impact of their work, making it possible to address larger and more complex issues than any single firm could or tackle alone. It also, I suppose, fosters a sense of solidarity and purpose within the legal community as a whole. So collaboration enhances the reach and scalability of pro bono. By joining forces, and certainly by joining forces with us, law firms can extend their service to a broader range of beneficiaries and communities. This expanded reach is particularly important in addressing systemic issues that require coordinated efforts across different jurisdictions and different sectors which apply to us at A4ID. Collaborative initiatives can mobilize more resources including funding, personnel, technological tools to support large-scale projects and long-term interventions. In fact, teamwork with law firms also provide opportunities for professional development and capacity building. We find and I find continually that lawyers engaged in pro bono work gain valuable experience and skills to enhance their professional growth. Put simply pro bono work makes you a better lawyer. The reason is obvious through A4ID lawyers are exposed to diverse legal issues and client populations broadening their perspective and very much enriching their practices. Additionally, firms that actively participate in these initiatives can attract and retain talent by demonstrating their commitment to social justice as well as ethical practices. And as I've said already, co-ordinated efforts in pro bono can lead to systemic change by addressing root causes of social issues and advocating for policy reforms, law firms can help to create a more equitable and just society. Collaborative projects that people do with A4ID often involve strategic litigation, legislative advocacy and public education concerns, campaigns that go beyond individual cases to affect broader societal change. This strategic approach maximizes the long-term impact of pro bono. So effective teamwork also ensures that pro bono is sustainable. And by sharing the workload and resources, firms can maintain those long-term communities to these projects. Sustainability, after all, is crucial for achieving lasting impact and ensuring that the beneficiaries receive continuous support. Collaborative efforts help distribute the responsibilities and costs which are associated with these initiatives, making it much easier for firms to sustain their involvement over time. So to conclude, pro bono work is essential promoting social justice, corporate responsibility. Teamwork with law firms is crucial for maximizing the effectiveness and reach and sustainability of these initiatives. And through collaboration, law firms can leverage their collective expertise, resources and networks works to make a significant positive impact on society and advance the cause of justice for all. So in a nutshell, that's what makes pro bono so incredibly important. Gautam: Thank you, Yasmin. And you know, everything you said there, I was just absorbing and just realizing just how it all aligns with exactly how I see it. Because I can honestly tell you, Yasmin that us and you know we've had many a conversation about what pro bono means to each of us but i know that some of my most satisfying outcomes that i've achieved as a lawyer for clients for for pro bono clients have come from that sort of work it's it's not just about doing big cases as we do and as i as i do for big corporate companies a big industrial groups for governments, etc, etc. That's, of course, very important to the life of a law firm. But a law firm needs to be known for everything it brings. And I can honestly say, and I can't talk about some of these cases, but some of the most important cases I've done have involved taking on the establishment. Establishment for people who would otherwise not have access to law firms what I call big law big law firms and those law firms come together in teams like you say often in conjunction with other law firms and there are a number of examples where Reed Smith has teamed up with other law firms and it's a wonderful thing because the perception is otherwise that law firms are all competitors. They're like boxers in a boxing ring. But we're not actually. That's really a myth. We operate in a marketplace, yes, but on pro bono work, we actually come together in a very productive way. And so, no, thank you for sharing those really, really, really amazing thoughts, because I'm sure our listeners, it'll really resonate with our listeners. So thank you for that, Yasmin. I wonder whether I could just now turn to the question of heritage, because heritage is obviously a very important thing. And this podcast is being recorded and will be published as part of South Asian Heritage Month. And I wonder whether you could just share with us a little bit about what makes your heritage so empowering and so important and uplifting for you. Yasmin: Well, Gautam, as you know, I'm a Parsi. Parsis originated from ancient Persia and fled to India, I think around the 6th, 7th century to escape religious persecution. Their successful integration and preservation of our culture and religious identity in a foreign land. For me, I think exemplify the resilience and adaptability of the community of Parsis. The religion of the Parsi community is Zoroastrianism, which places its values of saying good thoughts, good words and good deeds and doing good deeds. This provides very much of a strong moral and ethical foundation, promoting a positive and proactive approach to life and encouraging meaningful contributions to society. And despite being a small community, and I do mean small, as a number of Parsis are reducing year on year to the point of extinction, I should say, Parsis have made significant contributions in various fields such as business, science, arts and philanthropy. Indeed, social responsibility and generosity of spirit are highly encouraged within the community. So I suppose my heritage is empowering and uplifting because it connects me to a rich and a diverse cultural tapestry that informs my identity and sense of self. This connection to my roots provides me with a deep understanding of where I come from and the traditions that have shaped my community over generations. The stories, the customs and values that have been passed down to me are a source of pride and strength, offering a foundation upon which I can build my own life and my own aspirations. Considerations this cultural inheritance if you like acts as my guiding light influencing my values behaviors and perspectives cultural heritage has also paid i think a significant role in shaping my world view and moral compass the values and ethics inherited from my cultural background guide me guide my actions and decisions promoting principles such as respect as i've have mentioned before, integrity, but also responsibility. These values are not just abstract concepts. They are lived experiences demonstrated by my family members and the community. This moral grounding is empowering as it provides clear guidelines on how to navigate life's complexities and make meaningful contributions to society. And as I've mentioned, My commitment can only be demonstrated by my contribution to the various public sector boards and roles that I've had within the community in which I live. So that's very, for me, a very important part of being a Parsi and a member of a community that will disappear, I suspect, in the not too distant future. Gautam: Yeah, no, thank you, Yasmin. I am indeed very familiar with the Parsi history. And indeed, many of my best friends in the law are Parsis. And if I just take one jurisdiction, for example, in India, right, which you, of course, know very well, there are many prominent Parsi lawyers. And there have been. One of my greatest mentors was Fali Nariman, who was India's most celebrated lawyer, who unfortunately passed away in February of this year. But many, many prominent lawyers in India are Parsis. And many of the big industrial houses, as you know, in India, are Parsi in origin and remain Parsi in management and in all that they do. And those concepts of doing business fairly and being philanthropic, like very heart of Parsi culture. So it's very interesting. And I recall also, I grew up, Yasmin, in Northwest London. And very near where I went to school, there was an old cinema that stopped showing films. And it was taken over by the Parsi community. And it became a Zoroastrian center of worship. And this goes back to my much younger days. So I'm very familiar with that. And it's very interesting how it continues to inform you and inspire you, because it should do. And I also, I'm also very familiar with the fact that the Parsi community is getting smaller. As people marry outside of the Parsi faith, that inevitably has an impact. But the pride and the history of the Parsis is so rich. And, you know, it'll always be everlasting. So, and there's a long way yet to go. So, no, thank you for that. That's really, really nice to know. And, you know, just one last question on that before we turn to the last topic. What, in terms of looking at the examples of what the Parsi tradition and faith and heritage has taught you, one of the things that I'm always very mindful of is that the pro bono tradition, as I call it, is very well developed in certain jurisdictions. Jurisdictions but it's yet to develop fully in some jurisdictions now one of the countries where it is gathering pace is certainly India but just look at the size of that country and the legal community there i mean just briefly what you know what are your thoughts about what we could do to try to expand the pro bono tradition in a wonderful jurisdiction like India, Yasmin: Actually, I think there's an awful lot that can be done. There's certainly an interest. We have been working in India and in fact have an entity called the A4ID Foundation, which is wholly Indian. We've been working alongside some amazing lawyers. In fact, part of the board comprises of some absolutely amazing Indian lawyers who are working with us to develop this. So we are bringing the culture to the pro bono culture that already exists, actually, within India and within the Indian community. But it's about using their legal brains that we're starting to to encourage. And that's happening, happening slowly, but it is happening. And with the vast number of lawyers in India, just think what we could do. Amazing. The other thing I wanted to just mention in terms of what you said was this week I received a gift from one of my team, members of my team. He's actually based in India. And the gift was a signed copy of the constitution, Indian constitution by Nariman. Gautam: Oh, wow. Yeah. It's a wonderful book. Yes. And so I've been dipping since he sent it to me. I've been dipping in it. It's quite a quite a tomb. And I actually thought when I saw it, oh, my God, am I going to be able to read this? Because, you know, it's quite an interesting but quite a how can I put it, a dry topic. Gautam: Yeah. Yasmin: But having looked at it and read through it, it's actually brilliantly easy to read. He simplifies things because he knows the subject area so well that it's so easy to read. And I would thoroughly recommend if you have the opportunity to do so. And that includes your the people listening to this. I would thoroughly recommend it. It's a fantastic read. Gautam: I agree. And, you know, the whole concept of the constitution is so important because it comes down to fundamental principles of fairness and doing things in an orderly way, in a proper way, and upholding that separation of power and not enabling things to just become merged as one. And that independence of thought is very very important now that's well i i think you're very fortunate to have a signed copy of that of that tome um i'm sure it'll be well thumbed in days and weeks to come as you read it so yes we've come almost to the end of our podcast and i've enjoyed, as i always do speaking to you i've had as i've said in the introduction i've had many a conversation with you over the years. I've always come away a much better person after each of those conversations, and this conversation has certainly been no exception to that. One of the traditions that we have in this podcast series, and I'm going to maintain that tradition even though this is a mini-series for South Asian Heritage Month, is to ask you a few more lighthearted things, to get to know the non-pro bono chief executive, Yasmin Batliwala. And so I want to ask you three very, very simple questions. Nothing mean, because I'm not a mean person, as you know, Yasmin. I want to ask you three little questions. First of all, have you got a favorite sort of music? Yasmin: So on that question, I'd say, where do I start? I like all sorts of music. I have a particular preference, I should say, for classical music. Anything, anything at all by Mozart or J.S. Bach are things that I would be listening to regularly. I also like opera. In fact, I love opera. And I'm also a fan of David Bowie, I should say. But recently, Gautam, I've discovered a new genre of music, and that's heavy metal and electronic music. Gautam: Amazing. Yasmin: I've discovered a band called Disturbed, who are amazing. So to all your listeners, I encourage you to listen to their rendition of Simon and Garfunkel's song, Sound of Silence, which is absolutely mesmerizing and haunting. Gautam: I'm going to check it out myself. Yasmin: So let me know what you think. I've also discovered a band called Rammstein. I think that's how you pronounce it, which is a German heavy metal group of the 1990s. And I think, I think, and I seem to be listening to them quite a lot. And finally, I've also discovered, recently discovered, Mongolian electronic throat music. And that's totally blown me away. So I've been listening to that. So in terms of my musical taste, it's slightly expanding. Gautam: That is incredibly eclectic. And I'm going to check out the German metal band and the rendition of Sound of Silence. I'm going to check those out. And I must tell you just very briefly on the Mongolian throat music. Many years ago, I was very fortunate to do a case for the government of Mongolia. It was a litigation in the English courts. And it went all the way to the Court of Appeal here. And I'm very happy that we won in the High Court and in the Court of Appeal. And I had the very good fortune to get to Mongolia twice on that case and to the great city of Ulaanbaatar. And I got introduced to Mongolian throat music. Now, the first trip was 2002-2003, around about then. I've not heard the electronic version as yet, but I'm certainly aware of the more basic classical rendition of throat singing. And also on that trip, I also learned about the eagle dance, which is a very famous dance that they do because the eagle and horses are very revered in Mongolia. And there's a dance which the wrestlers, Mongolian wrestling is also very popular and the wrestlers before they start the bout do this thing called the eagle dance. It's, I mean, I'll tell you more about it when I see you next. Okay, just two more quick ones and then I know we'll wrap. But have you got a favorite holiday destination or place that you just love to visit? Yasmin: I, yeah, I like it. I love Italy. I don't think I've ever been to any single place And I like to travel around and visit different places that I haven't liked. So I like Italy. I like Italy also. But not only its beauty, its architecture, but the food and the people. So it's not far too far away from the UK. And so if ever I have an opportunity, I've gone to Italy. Recently, though, I went to Sicily. And that was a real find because it's obviously, I mean, talking about cultural traditions and cultural heritage, it seems to have been basically every country has stepped foot on it and taken it over. And it's left these amazing it's the amazing footprints so we've got the Greeks we've got the Normans we've got the various Moors as well all of them make it such a very interesting place. Gautam: Absolutely. It just shows how cultures have moved around the world. One last question. We are recording this podcast during the European Championships in football. And this is not a leading question. And I am a lawyer. So this is not a leading question. Who's going to win the European Championships? Which country? Yasmin: I'm afraid I don't watch football. So I can't answer that question. I have been to football matches, Gautam, and I haven't known what's been going on. This was during my time at the police authority, where I went out with the police at Watford to observe how policing was done. It was a lovely day, although we got up incredibly early, I seem to recall. But I had no idea what was going on in the pitch. Um it was slightly tribal in terms of the shouting. It was Manchester and Watford Manchester not sure if it was City or United. I think it was City it had um one of the Gallagher um one of the Gallagher Gautam: Yeah it's Man City then Yasmin: Yeah so just to watch that whole kind of tribal way was quite fascinating so i'm afraid i can't answer your question. Gautam: That's quite okay you um you've answered many many questions in the course of this podcast yasmin thank you very much for doing this podcast it's been a delight to do it and to speak to you and um I could literally have asked you lots more questions and spent more time but these podcasts unfortunately would go on for a very long time if we did that but thank you very much indeed and thank you particularly for doing all the wonderful work that you continue to do on the the pro bono side and the great example you set through your leadership. So thank you very much. Yasmin: Gautam, thank you so much also for inviting me to this podcast, which I must say I've enjoyed immensely. And if anyone listening out there is interested to work together with us at A4ID, please do contact me. And who knows what we can achieve together. Gautam: Thank you, Yasmin. Outro: Arbitral Insights is a Reed Smith production. Our producer is Ali McCardell. For more information about Reed Smith's global international arbitration practice, email arbitralinsights@reedsmith.com. To learn about the Reed Smith Arbitration Pricing Calculator, a first-of-its-kind mobile app that forecasts the cost of arbitration around the world, search Arbitration Pricing Calculator on reedsmith.com or download for free through the Apple and Google Play app stores. You can find our podcast on Spotify, Apple, Google Play, Stitcher, reedsmith.com, and our social media accounts at Reed Smith LLP on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Disclaimer: This podcast is provided for educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice and is not intended to establish an attorney-client relationship, nor is it intended to suggest or establish standards of care applicable to particular lawyers in any given situation. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Any views, opinions, or comments made by any external guest speaker are not to be attributed to Reed Smith LLP or its individual lawyers. All rights reserved. Transcript is auto-generated.
UNEXPLAINED MYSTERIES with bestselling author and researcher Steph Young
The Green creatures on the Moors
This week Erin tells us about the Moors Murders which were a series of horrific crimes committed by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley between 1963 and 1965 in the Manchester area of England.Sources:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moors_murdershttps://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/what-happened-keith-bennett-and-28124877https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/17/world/europe/moors-murders-ian-brady-myra-hindley-victims.htmlSupport the Show.
I. A: I like Indian food. B: Oh, so you like a few bites of flavorless rice daily? Because India is a very poor country, and that's a more realistic depiction of what the average Indian person eats. And India has poor food safety laws - do you like eating in unsanitary restaurants full of rats? And are you condoning Narendra Modi's fascist policies? A: I just like paneer tikka. This is how most arguments about being “trad” sound to me. Someone points out that they like some feature of the past. Then other people object that this feature is idealized, the past wasn't universally like that, and the past had many other bad things. But “of the past” is just meant to be a pointer! “Indian food” is a good pointer to paneer tikka even if it's an idealized view of how Indians actually eat, even if India has lots of other problems! In the same way, when people say they like Moorish Revival architecture or the 1950s family structure or whatever, I think of these as pointers. It's fine if the Moors also had some bad buildings, or not all 1950s families were really like that. Everyone knows what they mean! https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/fake-tradition-is-traditional
Story One – The Mysterious Pentyrch IncidentDuring a cold February evening in 2016, a bewildering incident would transpire on the outskirts of Cardiff, which would in time go on to become known as the ‘Welsh Roswell Incident.' Did the British military genuinely ambush a UFO in the Welsh valleys, or was this instead a misunderstanding of more earthly events? Join us, as we delve into the mysterious Pentyrch incident.Story Two – The Howden Moors IncidentIn March 1997, the authorities responsible for policing the UK's Peak District, were forced to initiate a high-profile search and rescue operation. Local residents reported seeing an unidentified aircraft hurtle from the skies and impact a remote area of moorland. No survivors or wreckage pertaining to this incident have ever been officially recovered, despite numerous witnesses having observed it taking place. What was the true cause of the Howden Moors incident?MUSIC Tracks used by kind permission of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0Tracks used by kind permission of CO.AGSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.