Podcasts about Morocco

More than 3500 athletes from 93 countries will be competing for 195 medals at the Milan-Cortina Games. Three countries will be making their Winter Olympic debuts at the 2026 Games, the African nations of Benin and Guinea Bissau along with the United Arab Emirates. But with the established winter sport nations such as Norway, the United States of America, Canada and Germany looking to dominate the medal table once again, how hard is it for new countries to compete on the world stage?Eight African nations will be represented this time with Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa along with the two debutants taking part. South Africa is sending its largest ever team with five athletes, but over six decades since an African nation made its Winter Olympics debut, the continent's first medal remains elusive.Matt Smith only took up the sport three years ago and is now going to be South Africa's sole cross-country skier in the upcoming games. He tells Lee James why he hopes his inclusion can inspire generations to come, and why he's been nicknamed the 'Snowbok'. Simidele Adeagbo became the first Nigerian to compete at the Winter Olympics in 2018 and was the first black female Olympian in the sport of Skeleton. She says with a more than a billion people on the African continent it's important its athletes are proportionately represented when it comes to the Winter Olympics.Every Monday to Friday, More than the Score tells stories beyond the scoreline from all over the world of sport. From the Winter Olympics to the Super Bowl, the Australian Open to the Diamond League, and netball to Formula 1. We've got interviews with extraordinary athletes like Ivory Coast legend Yaya Toure, boxing royalty Cecilia Braekhus and cycling sprint king Harrie Lavreysen, as well as the experts working behind the scenes, from the referees who run VAR to the coaches keeping athletes in peak form. Plus, we've got the expertise of the BBC's top journalists, who share their insights from decades of covering sport at all levels. And if you've got your own take on the stories we cover, we'd love to hear from you. Email morethanthescore@bbc.co.uk, or WhatsApp us on 0044 800 032 0470. You can find more information, along with our privacy notice, on our website: www.bbcworldservice.com/morethanthescore

Atlanta United's preseason continues with responsibility at the center, as Ronald Hernández and Adrian Gill reflect on leadership, process, and what comes next before three matches in Texas. Inter Miami heads to Guayaquil for a landmark friendly against Barcelona SC, while Morocco faces uncertainty amid reports Walid Regragui has offered his resignation. Plus, Spain moves toward sanctions after the latest Vinícius Jr abuse incident, a busy Domestic Focus, and the Refill with headlines from Copa del Rey, France, Brazil, and beyond.

1. U.S. Government & Political Context The podcast opens with a brief discussion of the government shutdown that ended quickly, and is evidence of political posturing rather than substantive conflict. The transition sets the stage for broader national security concerns rather than domestic legislative issues. 2. Emergence of the Polisario Front as a National Security Threat The Polisario Front, a separatist group in Western Sahara founded in 1973, is presented as an underrecognized but growing terrorist threat. Iran is funding, training, and supplying the group, attempting to turn it into a West African proxy similar to the Houthis. Alleged activities include: Collaboration with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hezbollah Use of drones, weapons transfers, and regional destabilization Labeling the group as a terrorist organization is essential, this represents a dangerous blind spot in U.S. counterterrorism policy. 3. Accusation of Institutional Caution and “Deep State” Resistance State Department officials are portrayed as intentionally evasive during Senate testimony. The analysis claims this reluctance stems from: Ongoing diplomatic efforts in Africa Desire to avoid disrupting negotiations involving Morocco and Algeria 4. Iran at a “Tipping Point” Iran has become internally fragile, facing: Widespread protests Mass casualties allegedly ranging from 10,000–40,000 protesters The Iranian regime’s actions (e.g., drones near U.S. naval assets, attempted tanker seizures) are interpreted as provocations meant to rally domestic support and distract from internal collapse.: Negotiations with Iran are a delaying tactic The U.S. should support Iranian protesters directly, including by providing weapons Regime change is framed as: Preferable if carried out by Iranians themselves Potentially the largest positive national security shift since the Cold War if successful. 5. Global Domino Effect Narrative Iran is grouped with Venezuela and Cuba as regimes allegedly near collapse. Simultaneous democratic transitions in all three would represent a historic geopolitical realignment in favor of U.S. interests. 6. Netflix–Warner Bros. Merger & National Security Concerns The proposed $83 billion Netflix–Warner Bros. merger is criticized on two main grounds: Cultural and ideological influence The entertainment industry is portrayed as overwhelmingly left‑leaning and hostile to conservative or pro‑American perspectives. Concern that increased market power could amplify ideological “propaganda.” Foreign influence Alarm over foreign (especially Middle Eastern and Chinese) capital shaping American entertainment content. Content has been altered or censored to appease foreign governments. The merger is not merely an antitrust issue but as a matter of national sovereignty and cultural security. Please Hit Subscribe to this podcast Right Now. Also Please Subscribe to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson and The Ben Ferguson Show Podcast Wherever You get You're Podcasts. And don't forget to follow the show on Social Media so you never miss a moment! Thanks for Listening YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruz/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verdictwithtedcruz X: https://x.com/tedcruz X: https://x.com/benfergusonshowYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A vessel carrying Russian oil suffered an explosion off the coast of Senegal last December, prompting investigations into the presence of a Russian shadow fleet in African waters. The tanker is reportedly among several vessels trying to flout US, EU and UK sanctions on Russia.And - even though the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is over, several incidents from the tournament hosted by Morocco have raised questions about African identity.Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna Producers: Bella Twine, Basma El Atti and Blessing Aderogba Technical Producer: David Nzau Senior Producer: Charles Gitonga Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla

You deserve an unforgettable Moroccan adventure. Today I'm talking with Azdean Elmoustaqiim from Destinations Morocco, your guide to a seamless and authentic tour.  Show Notes In our latest podcast episode, Speaker A sat down with Azzedine Elamustakim from Destinations Morocco for a journey through the magic of Morocco. If you're dreaming of vibrant souks, sweeping deserts, epic mountain climbs, and unique cultural experiences, this episode is a must-listen! Here are the key takeaways and tips for your next adventure—plus some behind-the-scenes insights you won't want to miss. Featured Guest: Azdean Elmoustaqiim Born and raised in Marrakesh, Azdean is passionate about helping travelers experience Morocco like a local. Destinations Morocco customizes trips for all travelers, with a special focus on women-led groups and families. Top Adventure Highlight: The Moroccan Desert The desert—especially Merzouga—is a life-changing experience. From caravan rides to luxury camps, it's more than just a one-night stop! Explore fossil mountains, visit nomadic villages, and dive into Gnawa music traditions. Travel Tips from the Show For your first visit: Spend a day in Fes if you're short on time—walk winding car-free streets and travel through centuries in just a few blocks. Active adventures: Morocco has it all—deserts, mountains (hello, Mount Toubkal at 13,000 ft!), and coastlines. Plan your itinerary wisely; sometimes it's better to split north and south. Culture-mixing made easy: Embrace cooking classes, tasting tours, and local market strolls for a real taste of Morocco. Pacing matters: Avoid jam-packed schedules. Leave room for spontaneous moments and downtime! Best Time to Visit Spring (March to June) and Fall (September to November) are ideal for outdoor adventure—pleasant weather, fewer crowds. Cultural Tips Be mindful in rural areas: Ask before taking photos, avoid handshakes with women unless invited, and consider wearing local clothing to blend in and connect. Morocco's diversity means you'll rarely feel out of place; just come with openness and respect. Food to Try: Don't miss the roasted chicken with preserved lemon and green olives—Azzedine's favorite after a long day out! Safety & Language Morocco is safe, welcoming, and multilingual. Don't hesitate to hire a guide for your first visit—they can make all the difference. Connect & Plan Your Adventure Find Destinations Morocco at destinationsmorocco.com to book a discovery call, or tune in to their podcast for more inspiration and tips. Facebook   Instagram Love the show? Subscribe,  rate, review, and share! Sign up for my Newsletter  HERE I'd love to hear your feedback about the show! You can contact me here: rick@ricksaez.com Don't Miss Out! Be sure to check out the full episode for even more travel stories, practical advice, and insider secrets from Rick and Azdean, And as always, if you found the discussion helpful, leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts and share with a friend! Happy adventuring, The Outdoor Adventure Lifestyle Podcast Team

How can indie authors raise their game through academic-style rigour? How might AI tools fit into a thoughtful research process without replacing the joy of discovery? Melissa Addey explores the intersection of scholarly discipline, creative writing, and the practical realities of building an author career. In the intro, mystery and thriller tropes [Wish I'd Known Then]; The differences between trad and indie in 2026 [Productive Indie Fiction Writer]; Five phases of an author business [Becca Syme]; Bones of the Deep – J.F. Penn; Today's show is sponsored by Bookfunnel, the essential tool for your author business. Whether it's delivering your reader magnet, sending out advanced copies of your book, handing out ebooks at a conference, or fulfilling your digital sales to readers, BookFunnel does it all. Check it out at bookfunnel.com/thecreativepenn This show is also supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Melissa Addey is an award-winning historical fiction author with a PhD in creative writing from the University of Surrey. She was the Leverhulme Trust Writer in Residence at the British Library, and now works as campaigns lead for the Alliance of Independent Authors. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. Show Notes Making the leap from a corporate career to full-time writing with a young family Why Melissa pursued a PhD in creative writing and how it fuelled her author business What indie authors can learn from academic rigour when researching historical fiction The problems with academic publishing—pricing, accessibility, and creative restrictions Organising research notes, avoiding accidental plagiarism, and knowing when to stop researching Using AI tools effectively as part of the research process without losing your unique voice You can find Melissa at MelissaAddey.com. Transcript of the interview with Melissa Addey JOANNA: Melissa Addey is an award-winning historical fiction author with a PhD in creative writing from the University of Surrey. She was the Leverhulme Trust Writer in Residence at the British Library, and now works as campaigns lead for the Alliance of Independent Authors. Welcome back to the show, Melissa. MELISSA: Hello. Thank you for having me. JOANNA: It's great to have you back. You were on almost a decade ago, in December 2016, talking about merchandising for authors. That is really a long time ago. So tell us a bit more about you and how you got into writing and self-publishing. MELISSA: I had a regular job in business and I was writing on the side. I did a couple of writing courses, and then I started trying to get published, and that took seven years of jumping through hoops. There didn't seem to be much progress. At some point, I very nearly had a small publisher, but we clashed over the cover because there was a really quite hideous suggestion that was not going to work. I think by that point I was really tired of jumping through hoops, really trying to play the game traditional publishing-wise. I just went, you know what? I've had enough now. I've done everything that was asked of me and it's still not working. I'll just go my own way. I think at the time that would've been 2015-ish. Suddenly, self-publishing was around more. I could see people and hear people talking about it, and I thought, okay, let's read everything there is to know about this. I had a little baby at the time and I would literally print off stuff during the day to read—probably loads of your stuff—and read it at two o'clock in the morning breastfeeding babies. Then I'd go, okay, I think I understand that bit now, I'll understand the next bit, and so on. So I got into self-publishing and I really, really enjoyed it. I've been doing it ever since. I'm now up to 20 books in the last 10 or 11 years. As you say, I did the creative writing PhD along the way, working with ALLi and doing workshops for others—mixing and matching lots of different things. I really enjoy it. JOANNA: You mentioned you had a job before in business. Are you full-time in all these roles that you're doing now, or do you still have that job? MELISSA: No, I'm full-time now. I only do writing-related things. I left that in 2015, so I took a jump. I was on maternity leave and I started applying for jobs to go back to, and I suddenly felt like, oh, I really don't want to. I want to do the writing. I thought, I've got about one year's worth of savings. I could try and do the jump. I remember saying to my husband, “Do you think it would be possible if I tried to do the jump? Would that be okay?” There was this very long pause while he thought about it. But the longer the pause went on, the more I was thinking, ooh, he didn't say no, that is out of the question, financially we can't do that. I thought, ooh, it's going to work. So I did the jump. JOANNA: That's great. I did something similar and took a massive pay cut and downsized and everything back in the day. Having a supportive partner is so important. The other thing I did—and I wonder if you did too—I said to Jonathan, my husband, if within a year this is not going in a positive direction, then I'll get another job. How long did you think you would leave it before you just gave up? And how did that go? Because that beginning is so difficult, especially with a new baby. MELISSA: I thought, well, I'm at home anyway, so I do have more time than if I was in a full-time job. The baby sleeps sometimes—if you're lucky—so there are little gaps where you could really get into it. I had a year of savings/maternity pay going on, so I thought I've got a year. And the funny thing that happened was within a few months, I went back to my husband and I was like, I don't understand. I said, all these doors are opening—they weren't massive, but they were doors opening. I said, but I've wanted to be a writer for a long time and none of these doors have opened before. He said, “Well, it's because you really committed. It's because you jumped. And when you jump, sometimes the universe is on board and goes, yes, all right then, and opens some doors for you.” It really felt like that. Even little things—like Writing Magazine gave me a little slot to do an online writer-in-residence thing. Just little doors opened that felt like you were getting a nod, like, yes, come on then, try. Then the PhD was part of that. I applied to do that and it came with a studentship, which meant I had three years of funding coming in. That was one of the biggest creative gifts that's ever been given to me—three years of knowing you've got enough money coming in that you can just try and make it work. By the time that finished, the royalties had taken over from the studentship. That was such a gift. JOANNA: A couple of things there. I've got to ask about that funding. You're saying it was a gift, but that money didn't just magically appear. You worked really hard to get that funding, I presume. MELISSA: I did, yes. You do have to do the work for it, just to be clear. My sister had done a PhD in an entirely different subject. She said, “You should do a PhD in creative writing.” I said, “That'd be ridiculous. Nobody is going to fund that. Who's going to fund that?” She said, “Oh, they might. Try.” So I tried, and the deadline was something stupid like two weeks away. I tried and I got shortlisted, but I didn't get it. I thought, ah, but I got shortlisted with only two weeks to try. I'll try again next year then. So then I tried again the next year and that's when I got it. It does take work. You have to put in quite a lot of effort to make your case. But it's a very joyful thing if you get one. JOANNA: So let's go to the bigger question: why do a PhD in creative writing? Let's be clear to everyone—you don't need even a bachelor's degree to be a successful author. Stephen King is a great example of someone who isn't particularly educated in terms of degrees. He talks about writing his first book while working at a laundry. You can be very successful with no formal education. So why did you want to do a PhD? What drew you to academic research? MELISSA: Absolutely. I would briefly say, I often meet people who feel they must do a qualification before they're allowed to write. I say, do it if you'd like to, but you don't have to. You could just practise the writing. I fully agree with that. It was a combination of things. I do actually like studying. I do actually enjoy the research—that's why I do historical research. I like that kind of work. So that's one element. Another element was the funding. I thought, if I get that funding, I've got three years to build up a back catalogue of books, to build up the writing. It will give me more time. So that was a very practical financial issue. Also, children. My children were very little. I had a three-year-old and a baby, and everybody went, “Are you insane? Doing a PhD with a three-year-old and a baby?” But the thing about three-year-olds and babies is they're quite intellectually boring. Emotionally, very engaging—on a number of levels, good, bad, whatever—but they're not very intellectually stimulating. You're at home all day with two small children who think that hide and seek is the highlight of intellectual difficulty because they've hidden behind the curtains and they're shuffling and giggling. I felt I needed something else. I needed something for me that would be interesting. I've always enjoyed passing on knowledge. I've always enjoyed teaching people, workshops, in whatever field I was in. I thought, if I want to do that for writing at some point, it will sound more important if I've done a PhD. Not that you need that to explain how to do writing to someone if you do a lot of writing. But there were all these different elements that came together. JOANNA: So to summarise: you enjoy the research, it's an intellectual challenge, you've got the funding, and there is something around authority. In terms of a PhD—and just for listeners, I'm doing a master's at the moment in death, religion, and culture. MELISSA: Your topic sounds fascinating. JOANNA: It is interesting because, same as you, I enjoy research. Both of us love research as part of our fiction process and our nonfiction. I'm also enjoying the intellectual challenge, and I've also considered this idea of authority in an age of AI when it is increasingly easy to generate books—let's just say it, it's easy to generate books. So I was like, well, how do I look at this in a more authoritative way? I wanted to talk to you because even just a few months back into it—and I haven't done an academic qualification for like two decades—it struck me that the academic rigour is so different. What lessons can indie authors learn from this kind of academic rigour? What do you think of in terms of the rigour and what can we learn? MELISSA: I think there are a number of things. First of all, really making sure that you are going to the quality sources for things—the original sources, the high-quality versions of things. Not secondhand, but going back to those primary sources. Not “somebody said that somebody said something.” Well, let's go back to the original. Have a look at that, because you get a lot from that. I think you immerse yourself more deeply. Someone can tell you, “This is how they spoke in the 1800s.” If you go and read something that was written in the 1800s, you get a better sense of that than just reading a dictionary of slang that's been collated for you by somebody else. So I think that immerses you more deeply. Really sticking with that till you've found interesting things that spark creativity in you. I've seen people say, “I used to do all the historical research. Nowadays I just fact-check. I write what I want to write and I fact-check.” I think, well, that's okay, but you won't find the weird little things. I tend to call it “the footnotes of history.” You won't find the weird little things that really make something come alive, that really make a time and a place come alive. I've got a scene in one of my Regency romances—which actually I think are less full of historical emphasis than some of my other work—where a man gives a woman a gift. It's supposed to be a romantic gift and maybe slightly sensual. He could have given her a fan and I could have fact-checked and gone, “Are there fans? Yes, there are fans. Do they have pretty romantic poems on them? Yes, they do. Okay, that'll do.” Actually, if you go round and do more research than that, you discover they had things like ribbons that held up your stockings, on which they wrote quite smutty things in embroidery. That's a much more sexy and interesting gift to give in that scene. But you don't find that unless you go doing a bit of research. If I just fact-check, I'm not going to find that because it would never have occurred to me to fact-check it in the first place. JOANNA: I totally agree with you. One of the wonderful things about research—and I also like going to places—is you might be somewhere and see something that gives you an idea you never, ever would have found in a book or any other way. I used to call it “the serendipity of the stacks” in the physical library. You go looking for a particular book and then you're in that part of the shelf and you find several other books that you never would have looked for. I think it's encouraging people, as you're saying, but I also think you have to love it. MELISSA: Yes. I think some people find it a bit of a grind, or they're frightened by it and they think, “Have I done enough?” JOANNA: Mm-hmm. MELISSA: I get asked that a lot when I talk about writing historical fiction. People go, “But when do I stop? How do I know it's enough? How do I know there wasn't another book that would have been the book? Everyone will go, ‘Oh, how did you not read such-and-such?'” I always say there are two ways of finding out when you can stop. One is when you get to the bibliographies, you look through and you go, “Yep, read that, read that, read that. Nah, I know that one's not really what I wanted.” You're familiar with those bibliographies in a way that at the beginning you're not. At the beginning, every single bibliography, you haven't read any of it. So that's quite a good way of knowing when to stop. The other way is: can you write ordinary, everyday life? I don't start writing a book till I can write everyday life in that historical era without notes. I will obviously have notes if I'm doing a wedding or a funeral or a really specific battle or something. Everyday life, I need to be able to just write that out of my own head. You need to be confident enough to do that. JOANNA: One of the other problems I've heard from academics—people who've really come out of academia and want to write something more pop, even if it's pop nonfiction or fiction—they're also really struggling. It is a different game, isn't it? For people who might be immersed in academia, how can they release themselves into doing something like self-publishing? Because there's still a lot of stigma within academia. MELISSA: You're going to get me on the academic publishing rant now. I think academic publishing is horrendous. Academics are very badly treated. I know quite a lot of academics and they have to do all the work. Nobody's helping them with indexing or anything like that. The publisher will say things like, “Well, could you just cut 10,000 words out of that?” Just because of size. Out of somebody's argument that they're making over a whole work. No consideration for that. The royalties are basically zilch. I've seen people's royalty statements come in, and the way they price the books is insane. They'll price a book at 70 pounds. I actually want that book for my research and I'm hesitating because I can't be buying all of them at that price. That's ridiculous. I've got people who are friends or family who bring out a book, and I'm like, well, I would gladly buy your book and read it. It's priced crazy. It's priced only for institutions. I think actually, if academia was written a little more clearly and open to the lay person—which if you are good at your work, you should be able to do—and priced a bit more in line with other books, that would maybe open up people to reading more academia. You wouldn't have to make it “pop” as you say. I quite like pop nonfiction. But I don't think there would have to be such a gulf between those two. I think you could make academic work more readable generally. I read someone's thesis recently and they'd made a point at the beginning of saying—I can't remember who it was—that so-and-so academic's point of view was that it should be readable and they should be writing accordingly. I thought, wow, I really admired her for doing that. Next time I'm doing something like that, I should be putting that at the front as well. But the fact that she had to explain that at the beginning… It wasn't like words of one syllable throughout the whole thing. I thought it was a very quality piece of writing, but it was perfectly readable to someone who didn't know about the topic. JOANNA: I might have to get that name from you because I've got an essay on the Philosophy of Death. And as you can imagine, there's a heck of a lot of big words. MELISSA: I know. I've done a PhD, but I still used to tense up a little bit thinking they're going to pounce on me. They're going to say that I didn't talk academic enough, I didn't sound fancy enough. That's not what it should be about, really. In a way, you are locking people out of knowledge, and given that most academics are paid for by public funds, that knowledge really ought to be a little more publicly accessible. JOANNA: I agree on the book price. I'm also buying books for my course that aren't in the library. Some of them might be 70 pounds for the ebook, let alone the print book. What that means is that I end up looking for secondhand books, when of course the money doesn't go to the author or the publisher. The other thing that happens is it encourages piracy. There are people who openly talk about using pirate sites for academic works because it's just too expensive. If I'm buying 20 books for my home library, I can't be spending that kind of money. Why is it so bad? Why is it not being reinvented, especially as we have done with indie authors for the wider genres? Has this at all moved into academia? MELISSA: I think within academia there's a fear because there's the peer reviews and it must be proven to be absolutely correct and agreed upon by everybody. I get that. You don't want some complete rubbish in there. I do think there's space to come up with a different system where you could say, “So-and-so is professor of whatever at such-and-such a university. I imagine what they have to say might be interesting and well-researched.” You could have some sort of kite mark. You could have something that then allows for self-publishing to take over a bit. I do just think their system is really, really poor. They get really reined in on what they're allowed to write about. Alison Baverstock, who is a professor now at Kingston University and does stuff about publishing and master's programmes, started writing about self-publishing because she thought it was really interesting. This was way back. JOANNA: I remember. I did one of those surveys. MELISSA: She got told in no uncertain terms, “Do not write about this. You will ruin your career.” She stuck with it. She was right to stick with it. But she was told by senior academics, “Do not write about self-publishing. You're just embarrassing yourself. It's just vanity press.” They weren't even being allowed to write about really quite interesting phenomena that were happening. Just from a historical point of view, that was a really interesting rise of self-publishing, and she was being told not to write about it. JOANNA: It's funny, that delay as well. I'm looking to maybe do my thesis on how AI is impacting death and the death industry. And yet it's such a fast-moving thing. MELISSA: Yes. JOANNA: Sometimes it can take a year, two years or more to get a paper through the process. MELISSA: Oh, yes. It moves really, really fast. Like you say, by the time it comes out, people are going, “Huh? That's really old.” And you'll be going, “No, it's literally two years.” But yes, very, very slow. JOANNA: Let's come back to how we can help other people who might not want to be doing academic-level stuff. One of the things I've found is organising notes, sources, references. How do you manage that? Any tips for people? They might not need to do footnotes for their historical novel, but they might want to organise their research. What are your thoughts? MELISSA: I used to do great big enormous box files and print vast quantities of stuff. Each box file would be labelled according to servant life, or food, or seasons, or whatever. I've tried various different things. I'm moving more and more now towards a combination of books on the shelf, which I do like, and papers and other materials that are stored on my computer. They'll be classified according to different parts of daily life, essentially. Because when you write historical fiction, you have to basically build the whole world again for that era. You have to have everything that happens in daily life, everything that happens on special events, all of those things. So I'll have it organised by those sorts of topics. I'll read it and go through it until I'm comfortable with daily life. Then special things—I'll have special notes on that that can talk me through how you run a funeral or a wedding or whatever, because that's quite complicated to just remember in your head. MELISSA: I always do historical notes at the end. They really matter to me. When I read historical fiction, I really like to read that from the author. I'll say, “Right, these things are true”—especially things that I think people will go, “She made that up. That is not true.” I'll go, “No, no, these are true.” These other things I've fudged a little, or I've moved the timeline a bit to make the story work better. I try to be fairly clear about what I did to make it into a story, but also what is accurate, because I want people to get excited about that timeline. Occasionally if there's been a book that was really important, I'll mention it in there because I don't want to have a proper bibliography, but I do want to highlight certain books. If you got excited by this novel, you could go off and read that book and it would take you into the nonfiction side of it. JOANNA: I'm similar with my author's notes. I've just done the author's note for Bones of the Deep, which has some merfolk in it, and I've got a book on Merpeople. It's awesome. It's just a brilliant book. I'm like, this has to go in. You could question whether that is really nonfiction or something else. But I think that's really important. Just to be more practical: when you're actually writing, what tools do you use? I use Scrivener and I keep all my research there. I'm using EndNote for academic stuff. MELISSA: I've always just stuck to Word. I did get Scrivener and played with it for a while, but I felt like I've already got a way of doing it, so I'll just carry on with that. So I mostly just do Word. I have a lot of notes, so I'll have notepads that have got my notes on specific things, and they'll have page numbers that go back to specific books in case I need to go and double-check that again. You mentioned citations, and that's fascinating to me. Do you know the story about Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner? It won the Pulitzer. It's a novel, but he used 10% of that novel—and it's a fairly slim novel—10% of it is actually letters written by somebody else, written by a woman before his time. He includes those and works with them in the story. He mentioned her very briefly, like, “Oh, and thanks to the relatives of so-and-so.” Very brief. He got accused of plagiarism for using that much of it by another part of her family who hadn't agreed to it. I've always thought it's because he didn't give enough credence to her. He didn't give her enough importance. If he'd said, “This was the woman who wrote this stuff. It's fascinating. I loved it. I wanted to creatively respond and engage with it”—I think that wouldn't have happened at all. That's why I think it's quite important when there are really big, important elements that you're using to acknowledge those. JOANNA: That's part of the academic rigour too— You can barely have a few of your own thoughts without referring to somebody else's work and crediting them. What's so interesting to me in the research process is, okay, I think this, but in order to say it, I'm going to have to go find someone else who thought this first and wrote a paper on it. MELISSA: I think you would love a PhD. When you've done a master's, go and do a PhD as well. Because it was the first time in academia that I genuinely felt I was allowed my own thoughts and to invent stuff of my own. I could go, “Oh no, I've invented this theory and it's this.” I didn't have to constantly go, “As somebody else said, as somebody else said.” I was like, no, no. This is me. I said this thing. I wasn't allowed to in my master's, and I found it annoying. I remember thinking, but I'm trying to have original thoughts here. I'm trying to bring something new to it. In a PhD, you're allowed to do that because you're supposed to be contributing to knowledge. You're supposed to be bringing a new thing into the world. That was a glorious thing to finally be allowed to do. JOANNA: I must say I couldn't help myself with that. I've definitely put my own opinion. But a part of why I mention it is the academic rigour—it's actually quite good practice to see who else has had these thoughts before. Speed is one of the biggest issues in the indie author community. Some of the stuff you were talking about—finding original sources, going to primary sources, the top-quality stuff, finding the weird little things—all of that takes more time than, for example, just running a deep research report on Gemini or Claude or ChatGPT. You can do both. You can use that as a starting point, which I definitely do. But then the point is to go back and read the original stuff. On this timeframe— Why do you think research is worth doing? It's important for academic reasons, but personal growth as well. MELISSA: Yes, I think there's a joy to be had in the research. When I go and stand in a location, by that point I'm not measuring things and taking photos—I've done all of that online. I'm literally standing there feeling what it is to be there. What does it smell like? What does it feel like? Does it feel very enclosed or very open? Is it a peaceful place or a horrible place? That sensory research becomes very important. All of the book research before that should lead you into the sensory research, which is then also a joy to do. There's great pleasure in it. As you say, it slows things down. What I tend to say to people if they want to speed things up again is: write in a series. Because once you've done all of that research and you just write one book and then walk away, that's a lot. That really slows you down. If you then go, “Okay, well now I'm going to write four books, five books, six books, still in that place and time”—obviously each book will need a little more research, but it won't need that level of starting-from-scratch research. That can help in terms of speeding it back up again. Recently I wrote some Regency romances to see what that was like. I'd done all my basic research, and then I thought, right, now I want to write a historical novel which could have been Victorian or could have been Regency. It had an openness to it. I thought, well, I've just done all the research for Regency, so I'll stick with that era. Why go and do a whole other piece of research when I've only written three books in it so far? I'll just take that era and work with that. So there are places to make up the time again a bit. But I do think there's a joy in it as well. JOANNA: I just want to come back to the plagiarism thing. I discovered that you can plagiarise yourself in academia, which is quite interesting. For example, my books How to Write a Novel and How to Write Nonfiction—they're aimed at different audiences. They have lots of chapters that are different, but there's a chapter on dictation. I thought, why would I need to write the same chapter again? I'm just going to put the same chapter in. It's the same process. Then I only recently learned that you can plagiarise yourself. I did not credit myself for that original chapter. MELISSA: How dare you not credit yourself! JOANNA: But can you talk a bit about that? Where are the lines here? I'm never going to credit myself. I think that's frankly ridiculous. MELISSA: No, that's silly. I mean, it depends what you're doing. In your case, that completely makes sense. It would be really peculiar of you to sit down and write a whole new chapter desperately trying not to copy what you'd said in a chapter about exactly the same topic. That doesn't make any sense. JOANNA: I guess more in the wider sense. Earlier you mentioned you keep notes and you put page numbers by them. I think the point is with research, a lot of people worry about accidental plagiarism. You write a load of notes on a book and then it just goes into your brain. Perhaps you didn't quote people properly. It's definitely more of an issue in nonfiction. You have to keep really careful notes. Sometimes I'm copying out a quote and I'll just naturally maybe rewrite that quote because the way they've put it didn't make sense, or I use a contraction or something. It's just the care in note-taking and then citing people. MELISSA: Yes. When I talk to people about nonfiction, I always say, you're basically joining a conversation. I mean, you are in fiction as well, but not as obviously. I say, well, why don't you read the conversation first? Find out what the conversation is in your area at the moment, and then what is it that you're bringing that's different? The most likely reason for you to end up writing something similar to someone else is that you haven't understood what the conversation was, and you need to be bringing your own thing to it. Then even if you're talking about the same topic, you might talk about it in a different way, and that takes you away from plagiarism because you're bringing your own view to it and your own direction to it. JOANNA: It's an interesting one. I think it's just the care. Taking more care is what I would like people to do. So let's talk about AI because AI tools can be incredible. I do deep research reports with Gemini and Claude and ChatGPT as a sort of “give me an overview and tell me some good places to start.” The university I'm with has a very hard line, which is: AI can be used as part of a research process, but not for writing. What are your thoughts on AI usage and tools? How can people balance that? MELISSA: Well, I'm very much a newbie compared to you. I follow you—the only person that describes how to use it with any sense at all, step by step. I'm very new to it, but I'm going to go back to the olden days. Sometimes I say to people, when I'm talking about how I do historical research, I start with Wikipedia. They look horrified. I'm like, no. That's where you have to get the overview from. I want an overview of how you dress in ancient Rome. I need a quick snapshot of that. Then I can go off and figure out the details of that more accurately and with more detail. I think AI is probably extremely good for that—getting the big picture of something and going, okay, this is what the field's looking like at the moment. These are the areas I'm going to need to burrow down into. It's doing that work for you quickly so that you're then in a position to pick up from that point. It gets you off to a quicker start and perhaps points you in the direction of the right people to start with. I'm trying to write a PhD proposal at the moment because I'm an idiot and want to do a second one. With that, I really did think, actually, AI should write this. Because the original concept is mine. I know nothing about it—why would I know anything about it? I haven't started researching it. This is where AI should go, “Well, in this field, there are these people. They've done these things.” Then you could quickly check that nobody's covered your thing. It would actually speed up all of that bit, which I think would be perfectly reasonable because you don't know anything about it yet. You're not an expert. You have the original idea, and then after that, then you should go off and do your own research and the in-depth quality of it. I think for a lot of things that waste authors' time—if you're applying for a grant or a writer-in-residence or things like that—it's a lot of time wasting filling in long, boring forms. “Could you make an artist statement and a something and a blah?” You're like, yes, yes, I could spend all day at my desk doing that. There's a moment where you start thinking, could you not just allow the AI to do this or much of it? JOANNA: Yes. Or at least, in that case, I'd say one of the very useful things is doing deep searches. As you were mentioning earlier about getting the funding—if I was to consider a PhD, which the thought has crossed my mind—I would use AI tools to do searches for potential sources of funding and that kind of research. In fact, I found this course at Winchester because I asked ChatGPT. It knows a lot about me because I chat with it all the time. I was talking about hitting 50 and these are the things I'm really interested in and what courses might interest me. Then it found it for me. That was quite amazing in itself. I'd encourage people to consider using it for part of the research process. But then all the papers it cites or whatever—then you have to go download those, go read them, do that work yourself. MELISSA: Yes, because that's when you bring your viewpoint to something. You and I could read the exact same paper and choose very different parts of it to write about and think about, because we're coming at it from different points of view and different journeys that we're trying to explore. That's where you need the individual to come in. It wouldn't be good enough to just have a generic overview from AI that we both try and slot into our work, because we would want something different from it. JOANNA: I kind of laugh when people say, “Oh, I can tell when it's AI.” I'm like, you might be able to tell when it's AI writing if nobody has taken that personal spin, but that's not the way we use it. If you're using it that way, that's not how those of us who are independent thinkers are using it. We're strong enough in our thoughts that we're using it as a tool. You're a confident person—intellectually and creatively confident—but I feel like some people maybe don't have that. Some people are not strong enough to resist what an AI might suggest. Any thoughts on that? MELISSA: Yes. When I first tried using AI with very little guidance from anyone, it just felt easy but very wooden and not very related to me. Then I've done webinars with you, and that was really useful—to watch somebody actually live doing the batting back and forth. That became a lot more interesting because I really like bouncing ideas and messing around with things and brainstorming, essentially, but with somebody else involved that's batting stuff back to you. “What does that look like?” “No, I didn't mean that at all.” “How about what does this look like?” “Oh no, no, not like that.” “Oh yes, a bit like that, but a bit more like whatever.” I remember doing that and talking to someone about it, going, “Oh, that's really quite an interesting use of it.” And they said, “Why don't you use a person?” I said, “Well, because who am I going to call at 8:30 in the morning on a Thursday and go, ‘Look, I want to spend two hours batting back and forth ideas, but I don't want you to talk about your stuff at all. Just my stuff. And you have to only think about my stuff for two hours. And you have to be very well versed in my stuff as well. Could you just do that?'” Who's going to do that for you? JOANNA: I totally agree with you. Before Christmas, I was doing a paper. It was an art history thing. We had to pick a piece of art or writing and talk about Christian ideas of hell and how it emerged. I was writing this essay and going back and forth with Claude at the time. My husband came in and saw the fresco I was writing about. He said, “No one's going to talk to you about this. Nobody.” MELISSA: Yes, exactly. JOANNA: Nobody cares. MELISSA: Exactly. Nobody cares as much as you. And they're not prepared to do that at 8:30 on a Thursday morning. They've got other stuff to do. JOANNA: It's great to hear because I feel like we're now at the point where these tools are genuinely super useful for independent work. I hope that more people might try that. JOANNA: Okay, we're almost out of time. Where can people find you and your books online? Also, tell us a bit about the types of books you have. MELISSA: I mostly write historical fiction. As I say, I've wandered my way through history—I'm a travelling minstrel. I've done ancient Rome, medieval Morocco, 18th century China, and I'm into Regency England now. So that's a bit closer to home for once. I'm at MelissaAddey.com and you can go and have a bit of a browse and download a free novel if you want. Try me out. JOANNA: Brilliant. Well, thanks so much for your time, Melissa. MELISSA: That was great. Thank you. It was fun. The post Research Like An Academic, Write Like an Indie With Melissa Addey first appeared on The Creative Penn.

This week we're excited to present a conversation from the 63rd New York Film Festival between filmmakers Oliver Laxe and Ben Rivers, moderated by NYFF programming advisor Antoine Thirion. Oliver Laxe's Sirat returns to Film at Lincoln Center for a theatrical engagement beginning next Thursday, February 5th. Get tickets at filmlinc.org/sirat. On top of sharing an enthusiasm for mystery, the elements, and utopias, Ben Rivers and Oliver Laxe also shared a producer and a shooting location on their latest films. Rivers's Mare's Nest and Laxe's Sirât are both apocalyptic road movies; the first follows a child through a variety of haunted landscapes in Spain and the United Kingdom, while the second follows a man, his young son, and a motley group of ravers as they try to find their way out of a besieged desert on the borderlands of Morocco, near Spain. Each film is a radical enigma that invites spectators to engage with cinema sensorially. NYFF was pleased to welcome Laxe and Rivers for a wide-ranging conversation about the making of their new films and their intersecting artistic and thematic preoccupations. The 63rd New York Film Festival is presented in partnership with Rolex.

In the public eye, Najati Sidqi was known as a journalist and writer, a translator of Russian classics, and an outspoken opponent of Nazism. However, Sidqi concealed a critical component of his life from the world and his family. He was an underground activist for the Palestinian Communist Party, a risky and influential pursuit that took him to early Bolshevik Moscow, British courts and prison cells in Palestine, Nazi Germany, intrigue-heavy interwar Paris, and Civil War Spain, Morocco, and Algeria. Throughout his journey, Sidqi continued to write, even as he faced fascism, intense surveillance, active warzones, the death of friends, and exile. Memoirs of a Palestinian Communist: The Secret Life of Najati Sidqi (U Texas Press, 2025) brings Sidqi's incredible life and work to light, wryly narrating his international travels, his work as an activist, and his political dealings at a crucial moment for Palestine and the international fight against fascism. Translated from Arabic into English for the first time, it is a riveting firsthand account of an often-overlooked aspect of the history of the global left. Generous supplementary materials make the memoir accessible to students and non-specialist scholars: a preface by Sidqi's grandson, a foreword by renowned historian Joel Beinin, a translators' introduction that presents new research on Sidqi's family history, a map of his travels, and a timeline, as well as a bibliographic essay offering pointers for further research.In this episode, Ibrahim Fawzy sat with Margaret Litvin to talk about The Memoir of Najati Sidqi as a powerful Palestinian life narrative and a groundbreaking collaborative translation project. Ibrahim Fawzy is an Egyptian literary translator and writer. His interests include translation studies, Arabic literature, ecocriticism, disability studies, and migration literature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In the public eye, Najati Sidqi was known as a journalist and writer, a translator of Russian classics, and an outspoken opponent of Nazism. However, Sidqi concealed a critical component of his life from the world and his family. He was an underground activist for the Palestinian Communist Party, a risky and influential pursuit that took him to early Bolshevik Moscow, British courts and prison cells in Palestine, Nazi Germany, intrigue-heavy interwar Paris, and Civil War Spain, Morocco, and Algeria. Throughout his journey, Sidqi continued to write, even as he faced fascism, intense surveillance, active warzones, the death of friends, and exile. Memoirs of a Palestinian Communist: The Secret Life of Najati Sidqi (U Texas Press, 2025) brings Sidqi's incredible life and work to light, wryly narrating his international travels, his work as an activist, and his political dealings at a crucial moment for Palestine and the international fight against fascism. Translated from Arabic into English for the first time, it is a riveting firsthand account of an often-overlooked aspect of the history of the global left. Generous supplementary materials make the memoir accessible to students and non-specialist scholars: a preface by Sidqi's grandson, a foreword by renowned historian Joel Beinin, a translators' introduction that presents new research on Sidqi's family history, a map of his travels, and a timeline, as well as a bibliographic essay offering pointers for further research.In this episode, Ibrahim Fawzy sat with Margaret Litvin to talk about The Memoir of Najati Sidqi as a powerful Palestinian life narrative and a groundbreaking collaborative translation project. Ibrahim Fawzy is an Egyptian literary translator and writer. His interests include translation studies, Arabic literature, ecocriticism, disability studies, and migration literature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

In the public eye, Najati Sidqi was known as a journalist and writer, a translator of Russian classics, and an outspoken opponent of Nazism. However, Sidqi concealed a critical component of his life from the world and his family. He was an underground activist for the Palestinian Communist Party, a risky and influential pursuit that took him to early Bolshevik Moscow, British courts and prison cells in Palestine, Nazi Germany, intrigue-heavy interwar Paris, and Civil War Spain, Morocco, and Algeria. Throughout his journey, Sidqi continued to write, even as he faced fascism, intense surveillance, active warzones, the death of friends, and exile. Memoirs of a Palestinian Communist: The Secret Life of Najati Sidqi (U Texas Press, 2025) brings Sidqi's incredible life and work to light, wryly narrating his international travels, his work as an activist, and his political dealings at a crucial moment for Palestine and the international fight against fascism. Translated from Arabic into English for the first time, it is a riveting firsthand account of an often-overlooked aspect of the history of the global left. Generous supplementary materials make the memoir accessible to students and non-specialist scholars: a preface by Sidqi's grandson, a foreword by renowned historian Joel Beinin, a translators' introduction that presents new research on Sidqi's family history, a map of his travels, and a timeline, as well as a bibliographic essay offering pointers for further research.In this episode, Ibrahim Fawzy sat with Margaret Litvin to talk about The Memoir of Najati Sidqi as a powerful Palestinian life narrative and a groundbreaking collaborative translation project. Ibrahim Fawzy is an Egyptian literary translator and writer. His interests include translation studies, Arabic literature, ecocriticism, disability studies, and migration literature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

Azdean Elmoustaquim, an expert on Morocco joins Maria to discuss the incredible scenery, landscapes, and culture of this incredible country! Enter, "The Maria Liberati Show," based on her travels, as well as her Gourmand World Award-winning book series, "The Basic Art of Italian Cooking," and "The Basic Art of..." Find out more on https://www.marialiberati.com-----music: "First Day of Spring" by David Hilowitz - available via Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommns.org/licenses/by-sa/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This week we're wrapping up a four-part series dedicated to Morocco and its relationships to ocean and fresh water. Morocco is one of the only nations in the world to have a National Water Policy. Our big challenge today is to raise water consciousness to the level required to sustain water globally. This series is designed to get us to look at our own water habits, to examine our individual water footprints, our water shadows, and to consider the little and big things that we can do and change to bring each of us into relationship with water. About World Ocean Radio World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Founder of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.World Ocean Radio 16 years More than 780 episodes Ocean is climate Climate is ocean The sea connects all thingsWorld Ocean Radio: 5-minute weekly insights in ocean science, advocacy, education, global ocean issues, marine science, policy, challenges, and solutions. Hosted by Peter Neill, Founder of W2O. Learn more at worldoceanobservatory.org

Episode 224: Squaring the Circle: Individual Rights and Collective Property in Rural Morocco This project examined changing norms regarding pooling and material obligation within Moroccan households and families. It does so in the midst of a political economic shift from agrarian production to a mix of informal wage labor and rentier/remittance economies, one with profound influence on practices of collective pooling in villages and in families. How have changes in individual access to income influenced how people share wealth and risk, and how they allocate these shared resources? I examined divergent understandings of a moral and ethical obligation to contribute to shared pools, and to provide for others in two collective contexts: rangeland commons and household budgets. Shared ownership of collective grazing commons has become a live issue in many communities in the Middle Atlas Mountains as rights to these lands became, for the first time, alienable to outside investors in 2019. Highly-contested shifts in the management of grazing commons, then, led to numerous discussions as to how best to ‘invest' in these lands so that all rightsholders might benefit, bringing to the fore many debates regarding equity. These debates indexed a number of tensions regarding social mobility and the possibility of a secure livelihood in this shifting political economic context, as well as questions of equity in allocation of rights and shares of the collective pie. My research examined these debates and the sometimes contradictory logics of distributive politics and collective obligation, drawing out tensions between logics of egalitarian inheritance rights, those of ‘earning' a share through collective participation or presence, and those based on need.   At the same time, I explored the ramifications of these economic shifts on household economics, considering parallel but markedly distinct tensions regarding resource allocation, governance, and obligation within families, themselves spaces of collective pooling. While agropastoralist livelihoods encouraged certain kinds of material and labor pooling within households, an increase in wage labor and in reliance on outmigration and remittances has reconfigured norms of familial cohabitation, sharing of resources, and material provision locally. What's more, available income streams are increasingly available to those who might not historically have been responsible for providing for their natal families (like adult daughters, and unmarried children who have migrated away), reshaping the material basis of family relations, and the boundaries of (patriarchal) family structures. In addition to public debates regarding equitable governance and allocation of commonwealth, then, this research examines similar tensions within families, with similar tensions relative obligation based on individual ‘earnings' models, need, or gendered and generational norms of dependance. I examined, then, how these changing economic realities were taken up within collective practices of pooling and allocation, reconfiguring individual relations of provisioning, obligation, and ownership. Amelia Burke is a PhD candidate in Anthropology & History at the University of Michigan. She has worked since 2015 in the Middle Atlas mountains of Morocco, where her research centers on the management, access, and ‘ownership' of collectively-held resources, looking at practices of redistribution of wealth and labor through inherited access - to grazing commons and family inheritance. She relies upon oral historical, archival, and ethnographic approaches to examine changes to communal land management, household labor regimes, and norms of individual and collective obligation. She uses these empirical materials to consider shifting practices of distributive politics and the navigation of inequality within spaces of collective belonging, both among rangeland rights-holders and within families. She has taught in the Anthropology, History of the Middle East and North Africa, and Women's Studies. This episode was recorded on January 12, 2023, at the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM).  Recorded and edited by: Abdelbaar Mounadi Idrissi, Outreach Director at the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM).

Day 1,434.Today, as Russia kills five civilians in a drone attack targeting a passenger train in Ukraine, we report on how a senior European diplomat has said the world must call this what it is: terrorism. As President Zelensky urges all “decent people of the world” not to remain silent in the face of Russian war crimes, we examine a new US assessment which concludes that Russia has suffered more military losses than any major power in any conflict since the Second World War. We also ask whether the North Sea and Baltic Sea are now effectively closed to Russia's shadow fleet following coordinated action by 14 European countries. Plus, we speak to colleagues at The Telegraph about why EU leaders' long-held ambitions to turn the European Union into a genuine geopolitical power may, at last, be taken seriously. ContributorsDominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.Lily Shanagher (Foreign Reporter). @LilyShanagher on X.Joe Barnes (Brussels Correspondent). @Barnes_Joe on X.James Crisp (Europe Editor). @JamesCrisp6 on X.SIGN UP TO THE ‘UKRAINE: THE LATEST' WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter Each week, Dom Nicholls and Francis Dearnley answer your questions, provide recommended reading, and give exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights – plus maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons to complement our daily reporting. It's free for everyone, including non-subscribers.CONTENT REFERENCED:The growing risks to maritime safety (UK Government):https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-growing-risks-to-maritime-safety/the-growing-risks-to-maritime-safetyUnited Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UN):https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdfThe plans to turn Europe into a new superpower (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/26/plans-turn-europe-new-superpower/‘After Budapest and Minsk, Ukraine knows what empty guarantees look like' (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/28/why-ukraine-cant-trust-another-ceasefire-with-putin/ Ukraine: We won't accept meaningless security guarantees (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/27/ukraine-russia-security-guarantees-trump-nato/EU-sanctioned oil tanker escorted to Morocco by Spanish rescue ship, merchant marine says (Reuters):https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/eu-sanctioned-oil-tanker-escorted-morocco-by-spanish-rescue-ship-merchant-marine-2026-01-27/Russia's Grinding War in Ukraine (CSIS):https://www.csis.org/analysis/russias-grinding-war-ukraineLISTEN TO THIS PODCAST IN NEW LANGUAGES:The Telegraph has launched translated versions of Ukraine: The Latest in Ukrainian and Russian, making its reporting accessible to audiences on both sides of the battle lines and across the wider region, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. Just search Україна: Останні Новини (Ukr) and Украина: Последние Новости (Ru) on your on your preferred podcast app to find them. Listen here: https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatestSubscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yassine Meskhout is a public defender, a Moroccan, an anarchist, a liberterian, a cyclist (*shudder*) and now, our new best friend. We've become obsessed with his writing since his viral November 2023 essay “The Jewish Conspiracy To Change My Mind” and the banger, “Why I write About the Jews”. We talk to Yassine about working with criminals, trying to figure out why some of his friends were celebrating on October 7th, why ICE shouldn't shoot Mandy Patinkin, and how his father, who believes Israel created ISIS, also believes the Jews should have their own state.Check out substack for a fun Israeli-Moroccan inspired Spotify Playlist!Also:* First things first - would an ex-Jew fool Hitler?* Escaping the lack of McDonalds in Morocco through the diversity lottery.* DJ Smack-that-ass, Esq.* The life of a public defender - eleven magic words.* The system works, mostly.* Minnesota, ICE, and what expectations we should have from law enforcement.* Trying to understand the celebrations of October 7th.* Doubling down on Islam as a kid* This amazing story about Yassine's father:* Western leftists - please find meaning elsewhere.* The hard truth Jews need to hear - not everyone is an antisemite, some of them are just stupid.* How to protest well.* Everyone needs to stop being so confident.* Leave a white woman, take a white woman. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit askajew.substack.com/subscribe

Why is it so hard to make good decisions in higher risk situations? High risk situations are ones where a mistake, a miscalculation or a mishap can lead to serious or unmanageable consequences. These situations are the ones where uncertainty and the threat of experiencing serious consequences can apply pressure that can cloud our judgment.In this episode Chris and Jordy are joined by Colin Zacharius to explore how we can make better decisions in high-risk situations.Colin is well renowned ACMG /IFMGA Mountain Guide who has worked in the adventure industry since 1980. Colin has worked as a guide, guide trainer, avalanche educator, accident investigator, risk management specialist and speaker.He has worked extensively in the cat skiing and Heli-skiing industry in Canada and the US. He has trained and examined guides across multiple disciplines for the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides where he previously served as the technical director.Colin harnesses his extensive experience working in the adventure industry to help us to understand why it so hard to make good decisions in high-risk situations and how we can avoid some of the mistakes that he has seen throughout his career.Key TakeawaysHow to make better decisions in high-risk situations:Imagine: What the worst-case scenario could look like.Practice Good Habits: This includes taking the time to be well prepared, being situationally aware so that you know what is happening or likely to happen and being aware of any human factors that may negatively influence your judgment.Examine Decisions Afterwards: Either by getting peer feedback, debriefing with your team or by using self-assessment. The intention should be to examine decisions that are made regardless of the outcome, with the intent of identifying things that went well and areas that could be improved. What you really want to identify are trends.Build in an Adequate Margin of Error: This gives you a buffer in case of a mistake, misstep, miscalculation or there is a surprise.Avoid Normalizing High Risk Situations: When we become too comfortable in high-risk situations, we become complacent to the danger.Guest BioColin Zacharius is well renowned ACMG /IFMGA Mountain Guide who has worked in the adventure industry since 1980. Colin has worked as a guide, guide trainer, avalanche educator, accident investigator, risk management specialist and speaker.He has worked extensively in the cat skiing and Heli-skiing industry in Canada and the US. He has trained and examined guides across multiple disciplines for the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides where he previously served as the technical director.Colin has contracted as an instructor, course leader, and recently as a curriculum developer for Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA) Industry Training Programs (Level 1-3). He has also provided consulting services for the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education.His guiding work has included ski touring, trekking, and climbing adventures with individuals and small groups to domestic and exotic locations (New Zealand, Morocco, Costa Blanca Spain, the Alps, the Dolomites, the Canadian Arctic, Iceland, and the Antarctic Peninsula).Guest LinksContact Colin: colinzach@mac.comFollow or SubscribeDon't forget to follow the show!Share & Social Linkshttps://linktr.ee/deliveringadventure

In this episode of the Arsenal Women Arsecast, Tim gets the lowdown on the other teams participating in this week's FIFA Champions Cup, which Arsenal will participate in as the current champions of Europe. First Tim talks to freelance African Football journalist Ali Howorth for an in-depth look at semi-final opponents ASFAR of Morocco, their history, key players and the broader context of women's football in Africa and Morocco. Then Tim talks to Sports Illustrated's Jenna Tonelli, who covers Gotham FC about a rollercoaster couple of years of success for them. At the end, Tim gives us an overview on CONMEBOL champions Corinthians and how they have dominated Brazilian and South American women's football.Get extra bonus content and help support Arseblog's award winning coverage of Arsenal Women by becoming an Arseblog Member on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arseblog Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Morocco and Egypt are the only African nations in President Trump's Board of Peace. The body was initially meant to help implement a ceasefire in Gaza, but Trump says it could serve a wider role in ending global conflicts. We look at why Morocco and Egypt got the invitation to join the Board and what influence African countries will have, if any. Also, seven years after a corruption scandal involving an Icelandic company and some government officials rocked Namibia's fishing industry, the case is finally heading to trial. The whistleblower who leaked the evidence speaks for the very first time.    Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna   Producers: Bella Twine, Basma El Atti and Blessing Aderogba   Technical Producer: Maxwell Onyango   Senior Producer: Charles Gitonga   Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla

Episode Description On this episode of MTM Travel (the travel show) Mark discusses his planning and awards for his upcoming Azores trip. He also discusses Evermore and his upcoming villa booking with Hilton points plus we dive into the new NYC Mayor's policy banning resort fees. Can this new rule extend beyond NYC? 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel 0:37 Azores award update & Morocco aspirations 9:11 Evermore with Hilton points - HUGE VILLAS! 12:45 Getting sick of Orlando? 14:18 NYC resort fee ban - How it works 16:57 Should a resort fee ban be nationwide? 20:35 Status less valuable? Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at podcast@milestomemories.com.  You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, or via RSS. Don't see your favorite podcast platform? Please let us know!

It's (somehow!) six years ago that we started to learn about this new virus and then find ourselves caught up in a global pandemic. While there were some truly tragic parts to that crisis, it turns out there were also some good results, too. Quite by chance recently, two guests in the space of a couple of days told me stories about huge changes in their lives brought about by their travels around Covid times, and these stories were so interesting I quickly decided to create a whole episode on the topic. First up, I chat with Shannon O'Brien, an international school teacher who was actually working at a school in Shenzhen, China, at the start of 2020. During a school break for the Chinese New Year, Shannon flew to Sumatra, Indonesia, for a short holiday. Spoiler alert: it became a very long holiday! I then speak with Eva Westerling, a German doctor who in 2019 had decided that it was time for a big change and was contemplating a permanent shift to Morocco. When the pandemic hit, she and her partner were in the earliest stages of setting up a tourism business in Morocco, and then of course, no tourists came. My final guest is Eryn Gordon, who was working a corporate job in the United States when the pandemic began, and she soon found herself out of work. Instead of laying low like many of us did during Covid times, Eryn instead decided to get a new qualification and move to the other side of the world, to work in Seoul, South Korea. Links: Shannon O’Brien - https://www.shannon-obrien.com/ Shannon’s memoir Stray - https://amzn.to/4bQdiKT Eva Westerling’s blog Not Scared of the Jet Lag - http://www.notscaredofthejetlag.com Eva’s tour business in Morocco, Berber Adventure Tours - https://berberadventuretours.com/ Eryn Gordon’s website Earth to Editorial - https://earthtoeditorial.com/ Eryn's TEDx Talk on “What it means to be a good traveler” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WQYSdm-5ps Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/380 *Full disclosure: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program NotABallerina.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to American Ground Radio with Louis R. Avallone and Stephen Parr. This is the full show for January 22,2026. 0:30 Tens of thousands of pro-life Americans packed the National Mall for the 53rd annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., standing in the cold to celebrate life, not protest or riot. Vice President J.D. Vance addressed the crowd with a message that cut through the politics: don’t lose faith. Acknowledging frustration inside the movement, Vance urged supporters to stay hopeful and remember how far the pro-life cause has come since the fall of Roe v. Wade. We break down why Dobbs v. Jackson was a historic turning point, how the fight has shifted back to the states, and why Donald Trump remains the most pro-life president in American history for appointing the justices who overturned Roe. From state-level victories and setbacks to the future of Planned Parenthood and federal enforcement, the March for Life is proof that the culture of life is still alive — and that hope, not despair, is driving the movement forward. 9:30 Plus, we cover the Top 3 Things You Need to Know. 14 states have declared a state of emergency over a winter storm approaching this weekend. TikTok will keep on ticking in the USA.The social media company has finalized its sale to US businesses who will now control operations in the US. The US has officially left the World Health Organization. 12:30 Get Prodovite Plus from Victory Nutrition International for 20% off. Go to vni.life/agr and use the promo code AGR20. 13:00 President Donald Trump’s new “Board of Peace” is shaking up global politics. With 35 countries on board, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, and Israel, the coalition is a bold alternative to the United Nations, where every nation pays the same price to participate and actually gets results. We break down why Trump’s peace initiative is being attacked by the left, how critics like Susan Rice accuse him of “playing king of the world,” and why the real outrage is that Trump found a way to bypass corrupt global institutions. From rebuilding Gaza to forcing accountability in international diplomacy, we ask the big question: why is promoting world peace suddenly controversial when America leads it? 16:00 A viral story claims ICE “kidnapped” a five-year-old child in Minnesota — but the American Mamas say the truth tells a very different story. With Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson, we unpack what really happened when an illegal immigrant father fled into a snowstorm, abandoning his child, while the mother refused to even open the door to take him back. The conversation cuts through media spin, CNN headlines, and activist outrage to expose how misinformation about immigration enforcement spreads — and why ICE officers may have actually protected the child. From protesters frightening the boy to the surprising reality inside a modern detention center, we challenge the narrative and ask a blunt question: who really failed this child — ICE, or his parents? 23:00 A little-known provision buried in the 2021 Biden infrastructure bill could soon put a government-style “kill switch” in every new car by 2026 — and hardly anyone is talking about it. We break down why Rep. Thomas Massie is sounding the alarm over mandatory drunk-driving detection technology that uses cameras, sensors, and AI to monitor all drivers, not just impaired ones. From cars that can shut themselves down without due process, to privacy concerns, rising vehicle costs, and the risk of tech failures in real emergencies, we dive into what critics are calling Big Brother on wheels. And when 57 Republicans side with Democrats to keep it funded, the question becomes clear: is this really about safety — or about surveillance? 26:00 For the first time in nearly 30 years, the U.S. House of Representatives passed all 12 regular appropriations bills — and did it with bipartisan support. No last-minute omnibus. No backroom deals. Just Congress actually doing its job. We Dig Deep into why this return to regular order is such a big deal for government accountability, fiscal responsibility, and transparency. We credit Speaker Mike Johnson for restoring a committee-driven process that puts power back in the hands of rank-and-file lawmakers — and could finally slow Washington’s runaway spending. It’s not flashy. It’s not dramatic. But it might be the most important thing Congress has done in decades — and the media barely noticed. 32:00 Get TrimROX from Victory Nutrition International for 20% off. Go to vni.life/agr and use the promo code AGR20. 33:00 Nurses in New York City are on strike — now entering day 11 — and the numbers behind their demands are turning heads. According to reports, some unions are pushing for raises that would bring nurse salaries close to $200,000 a year, sparking a heated debate over healthcare pay, government control, and the so-called free market in medicine. We dig into whether those salaries are realistic — or even possible — in a system dominated by Medicare, Medicaid, and government price controls. With hospitals dependent on federal funding, there is no true market to determine what healthcare jobs are really worth, and massive raises could ultimately hurt hospitals and patients alike. Bottom line: while unions demand more money, socialized healthcare economics may mean everyone pays the price — especially the sick. 35:30 Plus, it's Fake News Friday! We're putting you to the test with our weekly game of headlines—are they real news, fake news, or really fake news? From Elon Musk buying Ryanair and ICE “using a child as bait,” to Trump calling the National Guard “bad guys” and world leaders jamming to K-pop, can you spot the fake news? Play along, keep score, and share your results with us on Facebook page: facebook.com/AmericanGroundRadio. 39:30 We react to Senator Richard Blumenthal’s recent comments on CNN criticizing ICE agents in the wake of a highly controversial immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. Blumenthal labeled Americans as being “repulsed” by ICE and called critics of enforcement “abhorrent,” touching off a sharp rebuttal about the role of federal law enforcement in protecting communities and enforcing U.S. immigration law. And we close today's show with anniversary that will make you say, "Whoa!" Articles: At Least 14 States Declare State of Emergency Ahead of Massive Winter Storm. Here’s When and Where It’s Set to Hit TikTok finalizes deal to keep operating in US Feds Capture Olympian Turned Sinaloa Cocaine Kingpin Ryan Wedding. House passes final government funding bills in milestone, overcoming Democratic DHS opposition Follow us: americangroundradio.com Facebook: facebook.com / AmericanGroundRadio Instagram: instagram.com/americangroundradioSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why was a Portuguese-born Jewish doctor, who rose to become Elizabeth I's chief physician, brutally executed for treason in a scandal that shocked England? Was Dr. Rodrigo Lopes truly guilty, or simply caught in the crossfire of anti-Semitism, court rivalries, and empire?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Samia Errazouki to reexamine Lopes's fall, tracing a web of diplomacy, espionage, and identity that stretched from London to Lisbon to Marrakesh.MOREElizabeth I & the Sultan of MoroccoListen on AppleListen on SpotifyElizabeth I's Conjuror: John DeeListen on AppleListen on SpotifyPresented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcastSign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we unpack how CLM Search navigated a painful £600k revenue dip to build a resilient, multi-office search firm across London, Austin, and Morocco.Taylor Nathaniel is the Co-Founder of CLM Search and a former 3x Top Biller who previously led a 15-person team to generate £2M annually.Connect with Taylor here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-nathaniel-779695b4/-------------------------Watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DIXmXc2qGvs-------------------------Sponsors - Claim your exclusive savings from our partners with the links below:Sourcewhale - Check Out Sourcewhale & Claim Your Exclusive Offer Here.Atlas - Check Out Atlas & Claim Your Exclusive Offer HereRaise - Check Out Raise & Claim Your Exclusive Offer Here.-------------------------Extra Stuff:Learn more about our online skills development platform Hector here: https://bit.ly/47hsaxeJoin 6,000+ other recruiters levelling up their skills with our Limitless Learning Newsletter here: https://limitless-learning.thisishector.com/subscribe-------------------------Get in touch:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hishemazzouz/-------------------------

This week on World Ocean Radio: part three of a four-part series dedicated to Morocco and its relationships to ocean and fresh water. Morocco provides myriad examples of real success as an international exemplar of viable, enduring water management. How might the world emulate their progress and success? About World Ocean Radio World Ocean Radio is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide. Peter Neill, Founder of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects.World Ocean Radio 16 years More than 780 episodes Ocean is climate Climate is ocean The sea connects all thingsWorld Ocean Radio: 5-minute weekly insights in ocean science, advocacy, education, global ocean issues, marine science, policy, challenges, and solutions. Hosted by Peter Neill, Founder of W2O. Learn more at worldoceanobservatory.org

January 24, 2026- Peter and Andy dive into the latest Premier League action, discussing Liverpool's shocking loss to Bournemouth and the implications for their season. They also touch on the World Cup, including the controversy surrounding the Afcon final between Senegal and Morocco. Lars Sivertsen joins the show from Norway, sharing his insights on the Champions League and the financial disparities between teams. The hosts also discuss the Premier League's current state, including the lack of goals and the rise of smaller teams. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X Listen to past episodes on The Ticket’s Website And follow The Ticket Top 10 on Apple, Spotify or Amazon Music See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The gang discusses two papers that use fragmentary fossils of animals to investigate the origins of major groups. The first paper describes an Early Ordovician eurypterid, and the second paper looks at mosaic evolutionary patterns in an early squamate. Meanwhile, James has bird opinions, Curt delights in not knowing, and Amanda will definitely be on time.   Up-Goer Five (Curt Edition): The friends look at two papers that are using broken bits of things to learn a lot about animals from a long time ago. Both of these papers are looking at old animals that may give us new looks at how big groups of animals changed over time. These animals may be some of the first animals in these groups, or at least let us know what kinds of things those early animals could have been doing. The first paper looks at a group of animals that lived in the big blue wet thing a long time ago and are part of a group that today has animals that make homes that they use to catch food. The new parts this paper finds shows that this group may have come around a lot earlier than we thought. The second paper looks at parts from an animal that is in a group that is cold and has hard skin, some with legs and some without legs. These parts show that the early animals in this group had a lot of changes going on in their hard parts, maybe they changed more early on then they do today.   References: Benson, Roger BJ, et al. "Mosaic anatomy in an early fossil squamate." Nature (2025): 1-7. Van Roy, Peter, Jared C. Richards, and Javier Ortega-Hernández. "Early Ordovician sea scorpions from Morocco suggest Cambrian origins and main diversification of Eurypterida." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 292.2058 (2025).

Kate Adie introduces stories from Ukraine, Russia, France, Uganda and Morocco.As temperatures plummet in Ukraine, Russia is aggressively attacking the country's energy grid. Ukraine is heavily reliant on its nuclear power plants, which are also being targeted. There are concerns that without proper maintenance, it could trigger another nuclear disaster. Wyre Davies spoke to the head of Ukraine's nuclear authority.President Trump has claimed the threat posed by Russia and China is one of the reasons the US must acquire Greenland - but rather than antagonise the Kremlin, the pro-Kremlin Russian news service has been full of praise for the US president. Steve Rosenberg reports from Moscow.From South Korea to Western Europe, there's deep concern over falling birth rates – and it was one of the reasons behind France's decision a few years ago to amend its policy regarding egg-freezing for non-medical purposes, bringing it in line with other European countries. Carolyn Lamboley recounts her personal experience.1986 was the year Diego Maradona lifted the World Cup - and when Uganda's president Yoweri Museveni first came to power. Last week, the 81-year-old won his seventh consecutive term in office, Sammy Awami was in Kampala where he heard from young people about how they voted.The 2026 Africa Cup of Nations came to a close in Morocco last weekend and aside from missing the chance to lift the trophy for the first time in fifty years, the tournament proved controversial in Morocco due to the vast sums spent on it. Tim Hartley reflects on the discontent over prioritising sporting prestige over public services.Producer: Serena Tarling Production coordinators: Katie Morrison and Sophie Hill Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

Linktree: ⁠https://linktr.ee/Analytic⁠Join The Normandy For Additional Bonus Audio And Visual Content For All Things Nme+! Join Here: ⁠https://ow.ly/msoH50WCu0K⁠The latest Notorious Mass Effect segment from Analytic Dreamz explores the breakout viral success of emerging Afro Soul artist Mahmud bin Asraf (Mahmud Bin Asraf) and his powerful reinterpretation of Stromae's 2013 classic "Papaoutai" as "Papaoutai (Afro Soul)."Released late 2025/early 2026 via Distro Arabic LLC and featuring collaboration with Ergashov, this Afro-fusion cover preserves the original's emotional depth on absent fatherhood while infusing vibrant African rhythms and soulful energy. Directed by Mukendi, the official music video on @MahmudBinAsrafVEVO has rapidly amassed over 800,000–1 million views, with strong engagement including thousands of likes and heartfelt comments praising its soul-stirring impact that "hits the soul and the body."The track exploded organically, trending #1 in Morocco, #4 in UAE and Italy, and charting in 17+ countries on YouTube for intense short runs. Boosted by TikTok, Shorts, and third-party remixes reaching millions, it resonates deeply in North Africa, the Middle East, and African diaspora communities amid the 2026 Afrobeat/Afro Soul wave.Despite no mainstream Western chart entries or certifications, Mahmud bin Asraf's version demonstrates massive cultural resonance over commercial metrics, positioning him as a rising niche talent with breakout potential in MENA and African markets.Analytic Dreamz breaks down the song's origins, viral trajectory, regional dominance, audience reactions, and why this reimagining is captivating global listeners in this in-depth segment.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/donationsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Welcome back to Seasoned Sessions! This week, we talk about the AFCON final, with Senegal winning against Morocco, relaxers being linked to fibroids and cancer, and more. Get in touch with us at ⁠@seasonedsessionspod,⁠ ⁠@adaenechi,⁠ and ⁠@its_hanifahh⁠. Have a great week!

Ok, it's time. If they'd waited any longer, it would have burst out of them (especially Vogue). Plus, thoughts on Heated Rivalry and Joanne's planned conversion.If you'd like to get in touch, you can send an email to hello@MTGMpod.comYou can now watch FULL video epsiodes of My Therapist Ghosted Me! Visit www.youtube.com/@mtgmpod and remember to subscribe!Please review Global's Privacy Policy: https://global.com/legal/privacy-policy/For merch, tour dates and more visit: www.mytherapistghostedme.comJoanne's comedy gigs: www.joannemcnally.comThis episode contains explicit language and adult themes that may not be suitable for all listeners.

Darrell Castle talks about President Trump’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland presented earlier this week and the important issues surrounding the speech including Greenland, Iran, Gaza, Ukraine, and of course Minneapolis. Transcription / Notes TRUMP SPEAKS TO THE WEF Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today's Castle Report. This is Friday the 23rd day of January in the year of our Lord 2026. I will be talking about President Trump's speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland which was given on Wednesday of this week. I will also talk about some of the important issues surrounding that speech including Greenland, Iran, Gaza, Ukraine, and of course Minneapolis. Yes, President Trump traveled to Davos this week accompanied by a large U.S. delegation including Secretary of State Marco Rubio. California Governor Gavin Newscom was in attendance although not part of the US delegation. He was quick to gather a news event to question everything the President said. So, the President spoke for over an hour to the richest, most powerful, most pompous and self-important people in this world. He used the occasion to sign the Board of Peace Charter, officially launching a new international organization tasked with overseeing the peace process between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza. Trump said as he signed, “This Board is the chance to be one of the most consequential bodies ever created, and it's my enormous honor to serve as its chairman.” Founding members of the board were in attendance including Bahrain, Morocco, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Mongolia and the United Arab Emirates. Missing was Bibi Netanyahu because he has an international warrant out for him and he would most likely have been arrested. Could the Board of Peace end up replacing the United Nations? President Trump seems to think so, “I wish the United Nations could do more. I wish we didn't need a Board of Peace. The UN just hasn't been very helpful. I'm a big fan of the UN's potential but it has never lived up to its potential.” Trump, despite his criticism, didn't call for the dissolution of the UN. I suppose he left that duty to me and I have been actively calling for its dissolution since about 1990 when I became associated with the Constitution Party. Many people agree with me but find it very difficult to say so. I supported Ron Paul's presidential campaigns partly because of his end the FED rhetoric and his criticism of international bodies such as the UN. I fear that the Board of Peace will become just another bureaucracy but we will see whether it can really achieve peace in Gaza. The proposal calls for Hamas to lay down its arms which it has publicly refused to do. Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law presented a slide show detailing the architectural plans for the Gaza strip. I hope those plans include the Palestinians still alive but we will see. Perhaps they can find jobs in the fabulous hotels and resorts that are supposed to be built. In the meantime, the IDF has reportedly killed at least 466 Palestinians since the ceasefire started as well as 3 journalists one of whom worked for Bari Weiss the new head of news at CBS. When invited to speak at WEF Denmark announced that it would not be attending because of Trump's position on Greenland. Perhaps the Danes don't quite understand the art of the deal. He renounced any plans to acquire Greenland by force and worked out a deal with NATO to allow US use of Greenland and in return plans for tariffs on EU members were canceled. Trump believes, and it makes sense to me, that the US needs influence there as a hedge against long term adversaries in the Arctic like China and Russia, for example. He assured them that US acquisition of rights in Greenland was not only, not a threat to NATO but would greatly enhance the security of the alliance. He said the new agreement would involve the Danes with the Golden Dome, and mineral rights.  In case you don't know Golden Dome is a new missile defense system being built. Mark Rutte, the head of NATO, said after his meeting with Trump that the discussion about Greenland had changed. Now the discussion is about how the arctic region can be protected and secured. George Friedman is a geopolitical analyst of impeccable reputation and I have been a subscriber to his publication, Geopolitical Futures for many years. In regard to Greenland George said in his recent newsletter that he admitted for the first time he just could not explain or figure out something. He could not explain why Trump would place tariffs on NATO allies in order to acquire interest in Greenland. Now that Trump has lowered the temperature of the discussion the point may be moot but I think he does not have the same regard for the Europeans that many others have. In fact, I think this whole new Strategic Strategies Report that the administration just released is an announcement that the security agreement that has existed since World War ll has run its course and is now over. The US will consider its own hemisphere and its own defense first. In other words, this is all a continuation of the American Revolution which for 250 years has not been able to separate the American people from the European bankers. The bankers got their prize with the formation of the Federal Reserve which was formed to take control of the US financial system and keep the American people in debt slavery forever. The FED prints its own money and loans it to the US so it can be used to pay US interest on the debt that it has, thus 38 trillion debt and one trillion of interest. Take, for example, Mark Carney the Prime Minister of Canada. He is former governor of the Central Bank of England and former governor of the Central Bank of Canada and though in office, still associated with powerful banking and investment firms. That may be rambling a bit but it's still all very true. Trump went on in his speech with his usual carrot and stick approach. “Certain places in Europe are not even recognizable, frankly, anymore, they're not recognizable, and I love Europe, and I want to see Europe do good, but its not heading in the right direction.”  He mentioned his Scottish and German heritage and said the people of the United States care deeply about Europe. He used part of his time to tout what he called restoring the American dream. He mentioned his Executive Order to prevent Wall Street Corporations from buying single family homes thus driving up the cost of rent and making owning a home much more expensive. “Families live in homes, not corporations.” Well, amen to that quote Mr. President, that is exactly right. My approval of that action and the quote is not very libertarian but then I am not a libertarian. The US is not going to subsidize the whole world he told the assembled Davos men and women. Global tariffs were implemented to address the large trade deficits the US was experiencing adding that many countries were taking advantage of the United States. He went on to brag about the economic changes and success that he believes the US is experiencing. So, my conclusion is that he went to Davos to conclude a Greenland deal and to sign the Board of Peace agreement but mostly to explain himself to these people. Wars still rage in Ukraine, Gaza, and Iran. The one in Iran seems to be heating up again with the Ayatollah publicly admitting to over 5000 protesters killed. Many reporters from inside Iran report more than 10,000. The Ayatollah has taken a very hard line calling the uprising sedition and blaming the United States and Israel for it and threatening full scale war. Trump has ordered his military leaders to give him strike options that could be done so something is most likely coming. US strategic bombers have been seen over the Persian Gulf region. I said I would say a few words about Minneapolis so here they are. That city seems to be the tip of the iceberg that is the massive fraud being committed against the US government but mainly against the working, taxpaying Americans. If you work and a portion of your labor and money you need to feed your family is taken from you by the IRS apparently a good deal of that is used to feed the terrorists in Somalia and to line the pockets of politicians across America. The politicians look the other way and run interference for the fraudsters and they are then rewarded with millions of fraudulently acquired dollars. It seems that California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and others may even be bigger than Minnesota. You are certainly aware that ICE is in Minnesota trying to round up, arrest and deport illegal criminals but the politicians who have been receiving millions in bribes from the illegals have been protecting them and attacking ICE agents. I suppose they believe that if they scream loud enough we the people will join the criminals, but then who will pay the taxes. This disorder went so far as to involve an attack or at least a forced disruption of Sunday Services at a Baptist church called Cities Church in St. Paul. Yes former news reporter Don Lemon led the mob into the church and disrupted people who were worshiping God on a Sunday morning. Lemon gave a lot of sanctimonious words about how protest is protected by the 1st amendment. He is really attacking Christianity and trying to eliminate the right of Christians to worship freely which is sacrosanct in the 1st amendment. It seems that in Minnesota they really love and value sanctuary except when it involves places that actually are sanctuaries. Contrast my city of Memphis with Minneapolis and notice the difference. Memphis has now had two good mayors in a row and the difference is astounding. The mayor didn't want federal authority here but he said if it's coming let's cooperate and use it to benefit the city. The guard came to help with the street patrols so the MPD could do police work. ICE was here arresting illegal criminals as they found them. Two statistics illustrate the whole thing and the difference. Car left down 70% and murders down 44% and people can walk their own streets at least better than before criminals were allowed to take over our cities. Finally, folks, wither you hate Donald Trump or love him pray for peace. Our children will appreciate it. At least that's the way I see it, Until next time folks, This is Darrell Castle, Thanks for listening.

Watch The X22 Report On Video No videos found (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:17532056201798502,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-9437-3289"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");pt> Click On Picture To See Larger PictureThe world is continually paying the [CB]s more and more of their hard earned labor. In Germany the people are taxed 42%, almost half of their income. Fed inflation indicator reports no inflation, Truinflation reports inflation is at 1.2%.BoA and Citibank are in talks to offer 10% credit card. Trump says US will the crypto capital of the world. Globalism/[CB] system has failed, the power will return to the people. The patriots are sending a message, DOJ 2.0 is not like DOJ 1.0, same with the FBI, you commit a crime you will be arrested. The message is clear, the protection from these agencies are gone. Bondi arrest the Church rioters. Trump’s message at DAVOS is clear, the [DS] power and agenda is no more. Trump is now in control and the world will begin to move in a different direction, either you are on board or you will be left behind. The power belongs to the people.   Economy https://twitter.com/WallStreetMav/status/2014289396112011443?s=20 (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:18510697282300316,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-8599-9832"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs"); Fed’s Favorite Inflation Indicator Refuses To Show Any Signs Of Runaway ‘Trump Tariff’ Costs The Fed’s favorite inflation indicator – Core PCE – rose 0.2% MoM (as expected), which leave it up 2.8% YoY (as expected), slightly lower than September’s +2.9%…   Bear in mind that this morning’s third look at Q3 GDP printed a +2.9% YoY for Core PCE. Under the hood, the biggest driver of Core PCE remains Services costs – not tariff-driven Goods prices…   In fact, on a MoM basis, Non-durable goods prices saw deflation for the second month in a row…   Source: zerohedge.com https://twitter.com/truflation/status/2014322072286302619?s=20 – Food – mostly Eggs – Household durables – particularly housekeeping supplies – Alcohol & tobacco – mostly alcoholic beverages Our number is derived by aggregating millions of real-time price data points every day to calculate a year-over-year CPI % rate. It is comparable but not identical to the survey-based official headline inflation released monthly by the BLS, which was 2.7% for December. Bank Of America, Citigroup May Launch Credit Cards With 10% Rate Two weeks after Trump shocked the world by demanding lenders cap credit card interest rates at 10% for one year, Bank of America and Citigroup are exploring options to do just that in an attempt to placate the president.  Bloomberg reports that both banks are mulling offering cards with a 10% rate cap as one potential solution.  Earlier this week, Trump said he would ask Congress to implement the proposal, giving the financial firms more clarity about what exact path he's pursuing. Bank executives have repeatedly decried the uniform cap, saying it'll cause lenders to have to pull credit lines for consumers.  Source: zerohedge.com Trump sues JPMorgan Chase and CEO Jamie Dimon for $5B over alleged ‘political’ debanking The lawsuit claims JPMorgan’s decision ‘came about as a result of political and social motivations’ to ‘distance itself’ Trump and his ‘conservative political views’  President Donald Trump is suing JPMorgan Chase and its CEO Jamie Dimon in a $5 billion lawsuit filed Thursday, accusing the financial institution of debanking him for political reasons. The president's attorney, Alejandro Brito, filed the lawsuit Thursday morning in Florida state court in Miami on behalf of the president and several of his hospitality companies.  “ Source: foxnews.com https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2013984082640658888?s=20  WEF Finance/Banking Panel – If Independent National Economies Continue Rising, Global Trade Drops and We Lose Control Globalism in its economic construct is a series of dependencies. If those dependencies are severed, if each country has the ability to feed, produce and innovate independently, then the entire dependency model around globalism collapses. Within the globalism model that was historically created there was a group of people, western nations, banks, finance and various government leaders, who controlled the organization and rules of the trade dependencies.  The action being taken for self-sufficiency, in combination with the approach promoted by President Trump that each nation state should generate their own needs, then the rules-based order that has existed for global trade will collapse. If nations are no longer dependent, they become sovereign – able to exist without the need for support from other nations and systems. If nations are indeed sovereign, then globalism is no longer needed and a threat of the unknown rises. How will nations engage with each other if there is no governing body of western elites to make the rules for engagement?  The need for control is a reaction to fear, and it is the fear of self-reliance that permeates the elitist class within the control structures.   If each nation of the world is operating according to its individual best interests, the position of Donald Trump, then what happens to the governing elite who set up the system of interdependencies. This is the core of their fear. If each nation can suddenly grow tea, what happens to the East India Tea Company.  Who then sets the price for the tea, and worse still an entire distribution system (ships, ports, exchanges, banks, etc.) becomes functionally obsolescent. Source: theconservativetreehouse.com  Political/Rights TWO-TIERED JUSTICE: Conservative Journalist Kaitlin Bennett Charged and Fined for Interviewing Democrats in Public — While Don Lemon Storms Churches With Zero Consequences The United States now operates under a blatantly two-tiered justice system, where conservative journalists are criminally charged for speech in public spaces, while left-wing media figures face zero consequences for harassing Americans and disrupting religious services. Conservative journalist Kaitlin Bennett revealed this week that she was charged with a federal crime and fined by the National Park Service in St. Augustine for the so-called offense of asking Democrats questions on public property. According to Bennett, federal agents targeted her while she was conducting on-the-street interviews, a form of journalism protected by the First Amendment. Despite being on public land, Bennett says she was cited and punished simply for engaging in political speech that the Left finds inconvenient. Bennett addressed the incident directly in a post on X, writing: https://twitter.com/KaitMarieox/status/2014174254799958148?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2014174254799958148%7Ctwgr%5Ef4a6650cd0c60d38edfea018c5665c2cc2fe5199%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2026%2F01%2Ftwo-tier-justice-conservative-journalist-kaitlin-bennett-charged%2F When asked by another local journalist exactly what “lawful order” Bennett had disobeyed, the ranger reportedly could not provide a straight answer. WATCH: Source: thegatewaypundit.com https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/2014322865848406370?s=20   Alexander Conejo Arias, fled on foot—abandoning his child. For the child's safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended Conejo Arias.   Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children, or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates. This is consistent with past administration's immigration enforcement. Parents can take control of their departure and receive a free flight and $2,600 with the CBP Home app. By using the CBP Home app illegal aliens reserve the chance to come back the right legal way. https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/2014049440911303019?s=20   inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant. An immigration judge issued him a final order of removal in 2019. In a dangerous attempt to evade arrest, this criminal illegal alien weaponized his vehicle and rammed law enforcement. Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired defensive shots. The criminal illegal alien was not hit and attempted to flee on foot. He was successfully apprehended by law enforcement. The illegal alien was not injured, but a CBP officer was injured.  These dangerous attempts to evade arrest have surged since sanctuary politicians, including Governor Newsom, have encouraged illegal aliens to evade arrest and provided guides advising illegal aliens how to recognize ICE, block entry, and defy arrest. Our officers are now facing a 3,200% increase in vehicle attacks. This situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming.   https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/2014063905413177637?s=20  CNN Panelist Issues Retraction and Apology After Going Too Far in On-Air Trump Attack    footage of CNN's “Newsnight with Abby Phillip” was posted to social media platform X featuring 25-year-old leftist activist Cameron Kasky alongside panel mainstay Scott Jennings. A moment between the two went viral when Kasky casually declared that President Donald Trump had been involved in an international sex trafficking ring. Jennings wasn't going to let that remark go unchallenged by host John Berman. The topic of conversation had been Trump's interest in Greenland and the Nobel Peace Prize, but Kasky threw in a jab at Trump with an allusion to the president's relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — an allusion Kasky's now trying to walk back. “I would love it if he was more transparent about the human sex trafficking network that he was a part of, but you can't win 'em all,” he blurted out. https://twitter.com/overton_news/status/2013455047288377517?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2013455047288377517%7Ctwgr%5E20edbbd712c7076d1aafdac2d1e39d7eb8307263%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2026%2F01%2Fcnn-panelist-issues-retraction-apology-going-far-air%2F   Berman asked Jennings a follow-up question about Greenland, but instead of addressing that, Jennings circled back to Kasky's remark. “You're gonna let that sit?” Jennings asked Berman. “Are we going to claim here on CNN that the president is part of a global sex trafficking ring or …?” After assuring Jennings that he would do the fact-checking, Berman asked Kasky to repeat what he'd said about the global sex-trafficking ring. “That Donald Trump was … probably … very involved with it,” the arrogant young man replied, with perhaps a touch less confidence. To Berman's credit, and the CNN legal team's, he immediately said, “Donald Trump has never been charged with any crimes in relation to Jeffrey Epstein.” https://twitter.com/camkasky/status/2013760245298864477?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2013760245298864477%7Ctwgr%5E20edbbd712c7076d1aafdac2d1e39d7eb8307263%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2026%2F01%2Fcnn-panelist-issues-retraction-apology-going-far-air%2F Source: thegatewaypundit.com https://twitter.com/ElectionWiz/status/2014189561002291385?s=20 DOGE Geopolitical https://twitter.com/brentdsadler/status/2014311942119137584?s=20  important as these agreements cover the entirety of the Chagos group of islands/features. Critical as future third party presence in those areas proximate Diego Garcia could in practical terms render those U.S. military facilities operationally impractical (ie useless). The current deal under consideration in the UK parliament in a rushed vote as soon as 2 February is ill advised. And it likely would break the decades long understanding with the U.S. government. See: Active U.S. treaties: https://state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Treaties-in-Force-2025-FINAL.pdf 1966 Foundational Understanding: https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%20603/volume-603-I-8737-English.pdf 1972 Understanding regarding new facilities on Diego Garcia: https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%20866/volume-866-I-8737-English.pdf 1976 Understanding and concurrence on new communications facilities on Diego Garcia and references as foundational the 1966 Understanding: https://treaties.fcdo.gov.uk/data/Library2/pdf/1976-TS0019.pdf?utm_source https://twitter.com/HansMahncke/status/2014150131247874267?s=20 The EU-Mercosur deal is a major free trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay). Negotiated for over 25 years, it aims to create one of the world’s largest free trade zones, covering more than 700 million people and reducing tariffs on goods like cars, machinery, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural products.  It includes commitments on sustainability, labor rights, and environmental protections, but critics argue these are insufficient to address issues like Amazon deforestation and unfair competition for European farmers. The agreement was politically finalized in 2019 but faced delays due to environmental concerns and opposition from countries like France and Austria. It was formally signed on January 17, 2026, after EU member states (with a qualified majority, despite opposition from five countries including France) greenlit it on January 9.  The Stupidity of Davos Explained Using an Example of Their Own Creation China is manufacturing a product to create a carbon credit certificate in response to the demand for carbon credits from all the world auto-makers.  Any nation that has a penalty or fine attached to their climate goals is a customer. Those are nations with fines or quotas associated with the production of gasoline powered engines if the auto company doesn't hit the legislated target for sales of electric vehicles. In essence, EU/AU/CA/RU/ASEAN car companies buy Chinese car company carbon credits, to avoid the EU/AU/CA/RU/ASEAN fines.  The Chinese then use the carbon credit revenue to subsidize even lower priced Chinese EVs to the EU/AU/CA/RU/ASEAN car markets, thereby undercutting the EU/AU/CA/RU/ASEAN car companies that also produce EVs. China brilliantly exploits the ridiculous pontificating climate scam and has an interest in perpetuating -even emphasizing- the need for the EU/AU/RU/ASEAN countries to keep pushing their climate agenda.  China even goes so far as to fund alarmism research about climate change because they are making money selling carbon credit certificates on the back end of the scam to the western fear mongers.  This is friggin' brilliant.   The climate change alarmists are helping China's economy by pushing ever escalating fear of climate change.  You just cannot make this stuff up. What does the outcome look like? Well, in this example we see hundreds of thousands of unsold BYDs piling up in countries that emphasize climate regulations with no restrictions on the import of EVs (which most don't even manufacture), which is almost every country.  Big Panda doesn't care about the car itself; they care about generating the carbon credit certificate to sell in the various carbon exchanges. Put this context to the recent announcement by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney about his new trade deal with China to accept 49,000 EVs this year. Prime Minister Carney bragged about getting the Chinese to agree to only super low prices for the Canadian market.  Mark Carney was very proud of his accomplishment to get much lower priced vehicles for Canadian EV purchasers.   No doubt Big Panda left the room laughing as soon as Carney made his grand announcement. 1. China sells EV's in Canada, creating credits available on the carbon exchange scheme. Europe et al will purchase the carbon credits because Bussels has fines against EU car companies. 2. With a foothold already established in Europe, China will then take the money generated by the carbon credit purchases and lower the prices of the Chinese EV cars sold in Canada. It's gets funnier. 3. Carney bragged about forcing China to only sell low price EV's as part of the trade agreement. The low price of the EV's in Canada will be subsidized by Europe. China doesn't pay or lose a dime. But wait…. 4. Carney can't do anything about the scheme he has just enmeshed Canada into, because Canada has a Carbon Credit exchange in law.

Christian Polanco and Alexis Guerreros react to a chaotic AFCON final and ask the uncomfortable question: was the spectacle a nightmare for the sport? The guys break down what went wrong, what it says about tournament organization, and why moments like this matter for global soccer's credibility. Christian and Alexis dive into viral territory as iShowSpeed encounters his first ultra fans in Algeria — and quickly learns that not every football culture rolls out the red carpet.Next, Copa90 creative director Shawn Francis joins the show to talk World Cup 2026 coming to America, why he's completely flipped his stance on MLS's new schedule, and what the league needs to do to actually become “cool.”The episode wraps with a look at Manchester City's recent slump and whether Pep Guardiola has the answers to pull City out of their funk.Timestamps:(8:00) – Was the AFCON final an embarrassing moment for the sport?(26:30) –  IShowSpeed encounters Algerian ultras(34:15) – Shawn Francis joins The Cooligans(1:11:15) – Can Pep save Man City again or has he lost control? Subscribe to The Cooligans on your favorite podcast app:

One image told the whole story.

In this episode, Adam Torres interviews Andrew Frank, Founder and President of KARV, about strategic communications and stakeholder engagement across the Middle East and global markets. Andrew discusses how companies and governments can navigate geopolitical shifts, policy changes, and international expansion through clear, credible communication strategies. About Andrew Frank Andrew Frank is a seasoned expert in communications strategy, specializing in high-stakes situations including crisis management, public affairs, product recalls, and complex litigation. He is a sought after advisor to CEO's and officials in foreign countries.  He founded KARV thirteen years ago, following a distinguished career as Managing Partner at Strategy XXI Group and Kreab. A political appointee in the Clinton Administration, Andrew served in key roles, including Communications Director for the US Information Agency, Deputy Spokesman for the UN World Conference on Human Rights, and media representative for the National Security Council during the Haiti crisis. He also played a pivotal role in media coordination during the 1994 GATT signing in Morocco and worked on numerous overseas presidential and vice-presidential trips. About KARV KARV, a global advisory & communications firm, was founded in 2012 to solve complex, daunting reputational challenges confronting companies and individuals. They specialize in communications campaigns and advisory services for CEOs and corporations, crisis communications, reputation management, litigation support, public affairs, and brand strategy. They work seamlessly across time zones and their clients trust us to provide forward-thinking holistic strategies. Follow Adam on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/askadamtorres/ for up to date information on book releases and tour schedule. Apply to be a guest on our podcast: https://missionmatters.lpages.co/podcastguest/ Visit our website: https://missionmatters.com/ More FREE content from Mission Matters here: https://linktr.ee/missionmattersmedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Support the pod and join our beautiful soccer community/discord: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy PREMIER LEAGUE: Postmortem of United's dismantling of City in the Manchester Daerby and what it says about each club going forward. Arsenal and Villa stay missing opportunities. Sam has had enough of Thomas Frank. Palace's loss to Sunderland barely makes the top 3 of their biggest L's last week. HALFTIME: What If - you are Chris Richards seeing your CB partner and coach heading for the exit, what convo are you having with your agent? Also, "Compliment Corner" (air quotes) for Man City. ROUND THE WORLD: breaking down the insanity of Morocco vs Senegal in the AFCON final STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis- Glenn talks the latest around the world of soccer. 

Welcome back to Snafu with Robin P. Zander. In this episode, I'm doing something a little different: I step into the guest seat for a conversation with one of my good friends, Andrew Bartlow, recorded for the People Leader Accelerator podcast alongside Jessica Yuen. We dive into storytelling, identity, and leadership — exploring how personal experiences shape professional influence. The conversation begins with a reflection on family and culture, from the Moroccan textiles behind me, made by my mother, to the influence of my father's environmental consulting work. These threads of personal history frame my lifelong fascination with storytelling, persuasion, and coalition-building. Andrew and Jessica guide the discussion through how storytelling intersects with professional growth. We cover how early experiences — like watching Lawrence of Arabia at a birthday sleepover — sparked curiosity about adventure, influence, and human connection, and how these interests evolved into a career focused on organizational storytelling and leadership. We explore practical frameworks, including my four-part story model (Setup → Change → Turning → Resolution) and the power of "twists" to create momentum and memorability. The episode also touches on authentic messaging, the role of vulnerability in leadership, and why practicing storytelling in everyday life—outside high-stakes moments—builds confidence and executive presence over time. Listeners will hear lessons from a lifetime of diverse experiences: running a café in the Mission District, collaborating with BJ Fogg on behavioral change, building Zander Media, and applying storytelling to align teams and organizations. We also discuss how authenticity and personal perspective remain a competitive advantage in an age of AI-generated content. If you're curious about how storytelling, practice, and presence intersect with leadership, persuasion, and influence, this episode is for you. And for more insights on human connection, organizational alignment, and the future of work, check out Snafu, my weekly newsletter on sales, persuasion, and storytelling here, and Responsive Conference, where we explore leadership, work, and organizational design here. Start (0:00) Storytelling & Identity Robin introduces Moroccan textiles behind him Made by his mother, longtime practicing artist Connects to Moroccan fiancée → double meaning of personal and cultural Reflection on family influence Father: environmental consulting firm Mother: artist Robin sees himself between their careers Early Fascination with Storytelling Childhood obsession with Morocco and Lawrence of Arabia Watched 4-hour movie at age 6–7 Fascinated by adventure, camels, storytelling, persuasion Early exposure shaped appreciation for coalition-building and influence Identity & Names Jess shares preference for "Jess" → casual familiarity Robin shares professional identity as "Xander" Highlights fluidity between personal and professional selves Childhood Experiences & Social Context Watching Lawrence of Arabia at birthday sleepover Friends uninterested → early social friction Andrew parallels with daughters and screen preferences Childhood experiences influence perception and engagement Professional Background & Storytelling Application Robin's long involvement with PeopleTech and People Leader Accelerator Created PLA website, branding, documented events Mixed pursuits: dance, media, café entrepreneurship Demonstrates applying skills across domains Collaboration with BJ Fogg → behavioral change expertise Storytelling as Connection and Alignment Robin: Storytelling pulls from personal domains and makes it relevant to others Purpose: foster connection → move together in same direction Executive relevance: coalition building, generating momentum, making the case for alignment Andrew: HR focus on connection, relationships, alignment, clarity Helps organizations move faster, "grease the wheels" for collaboration Robin's Credibility and Experience in Storytelling Key principle: practice storytelling more than listening Full-time entrepreneur for 15 years First business at age 5: selling pumpkins Organized neighborhood kids in scarecrow costumes to help sell Earned $500 → early lessons in coalition building and persuasion Gymnastics and acrobatics: love of movement → performance, discipline Café entrepreneurship: Robin's Cafe in Mission District, SF Started with 3 weeks' notice to feed conference attendees Housed within a dance studio → intersection of dance and behavioral change First experience managing full-time employees Learned the importance of storytelling for community building and growth Realized post-sale missed opportunity: storytelling could have amplified success Transition to Professional Storytelling (Zander Media) Lessons from cafe → focus on storytelling, messaging, content creation Founded Zander Media (2018) Distributed small team, specializes in narrative strategy and video production Works with venture-backed companies and HR teams to tell stories internally and externally Provides reps and depth in organizational storytelling Why Storytelling Matters for Organizations Connects people, fosters alignment Enables faster movement toward shared goals Storytelling as a "powerful form of connection" What Makes a Good Story Robin: frameworks exist, but ultimately humans want: Education, entertainment, attention Sustained attention (avoid drift to TikTok, distractions) Framework examples: Hero's Journey (Joseph Campbell) → 17 steps Dan Harmon's 8-part structure → simplified version of Hero's Journey Robin's preferred model: 4-part story structure (details/examples forthcoming) The Power of the Twist, and Organizational Storytelling Robin's Four-Part Story Model Core idea: stories work best when they follow a simple arc Setup → Change → Turning (twist/reveal) → Resolution Goal: not rigid frameworks, but momentum, surprise, payoff The "Turning" (Twist) as the Sticky Moment Pixar example via Steve Jobs and the iPod Nano Setup: Apple's dominance, market context, long build-up Choice point: Option A: just reveal the product Option B (chosen): pause + curiosity Turning: the "tiny jeans pocket" question Reveal: iPod Nano pulled from the pocket Effect: entertainment, disruption, memorability Key insight: The twist creates pause, delight, and attention This moment often determines whether a story is remembered Why Flat Stories Fail Example (uninspiring): "I ran a cafe → wanted more marketing → now I run Xander Media" Improved arc with turning: Ran a cafe → wanted to do more marketing → sold it on Craigslist → built Xander Media Lesson: A reveal or risk creates narrative energy The Four Parts in Practice Setup The world as it is (Bilbo in the Shire) Change Something disrupts the norm (Gandalf arrives) Turning Twist, reveal, or surprise (the One Ring) Resolution Payoff and return (Bilbo back to the Shire) How to Use This as a Leader Don't force stories into frameworks Look at stories you already tell Identify where a disruption, surprise, or reveal could live Coalition-building lens Stories should move people into shared momentum Excitement → flow → aligned action Storytelling Mediums for HR & Organizations Employer brand ≠ separate from company brand Should be co-owned by HR and marketing Brand clarity attracts the right people, repels the wrong ones Strong brands are defined by: Who they are Who they are not Who they're for and not for HR vs Marketing: The Nuance Collaboration works only if: HR leads on audience and truth Marketing supports execution, not control Risk: Marketing optimizes for customers, not employees HR understands attraction, retention, culture fit Storytelling at the Individual Level No one is "naturally" good or bad at storytelling It's reps, not talent Practical advice: Know your ~15 core stories (career, company, turning points) Practice pauses like a comedian Notice when people lean in Opinionated Messaging = Effective Messaging Internal storytelling should: Be clear and opinionated Repel as much as it attracts Avoid: Corporate vanilla Saying a lot without saying anything Truth + Aspirational Truth Marketing and storytelling are a mix of: What is actually true What the organization is becoming Being "30% more honest" builds trust Including flaws and tradeoffs Example: budget brands, Southwest, Apple's office-first culture Why This Works Opinions create personality Personality creates stickiness Stickiness creates memory, alignment, and momentum Authenticity as the last real advantage We're flooded with AI-generated content (video, writing, everything) Humans are extremely good at sensing what feels fake Inauthenticity is easier to spot than ever One of the few remaining advantages: Be true to the real story of the person or organization Not polished truth — actual truth What makes content feel "AI-ish" AI can generate volume fast Books, posts, stories in minutes What it can't replicate: Personal specificity Why a story matters to you What an experience felt like from the inside Lived moments Running a café Growing into leadership What lasts: Personal story lesson learned relevance to this reader relevance to this relationship What content will win long-term Vulnerability Not oversharing, but real experience Personal perspective Why this matters to me Relevance Why it should matter to you Outcome Entertainment Insight Shared direction The risk of vulnerability (it can backfire) Being personal doesn't guarantee buy-in Example: inspirational talk → employee openly disagrees Emotional deflation Self-doubt Early leadership lesson: You can do your best People will still push back Leadership at higher levels gets harder, not easier Bigger teams → higher stakes Better pay Benefits Real expectations First "real" leadership pain points: Bad hires Mismatched expectations Disgruntled exits Realization: Conflict isn't failure It's a sign you've leveled up "Mountains beyond mountains" Every new level comes with new challenges Entrepreneurship Executive leadership Organizational scale Reframe setbacks: Not proof you're failing Proof you're progressing Authenticity at the executive table Especially hard for HR leaders Often younger Often earlier in career Often underrepresented Anxiety is normal The table doesn't feel welcoming Strategy: Name it "This is new for me" "I'm still finding my voice" Own it Ask for feedback Speak anyway Authenticity ≠ no consequences Being honest can carry risk Not every organization wants change Hard truth: You can't change people who don't want to change Sometimes the right move is leaving Guiding advice: Find people who already want what you offer Help them move faster Vulnerability as a competitive advantage Almost any perceived weakness can be reframed New Nervous Different When named clearly: It builds trust It creates permission It signals confidence Getting better at storytelling (practical) It's not talent — it's reps Shyness → confidence through practice Start small Don't test stories when stakes are highest Practice specifics Your core stories Your pitch Energy matters Enthusiasm is underrated Tempo matters Pauses Slowing down Letting moments land Executive presence is built Incrementally Intentionally Practice, Progress, and Learning That Actually Sticks Measure growth against yourself, not "the best" The real comparison isn't to others It's who you were yesterday MrBeast idea: If you're not a little uncomfortable looking at your past work You're probably not improving fast enough Important distinction: Discomfort ≠ shame Shame isn't a useful motivator Progress shows up in hindsight Looking back at past work "I'd write that differently now" Not embarrassment — evidence of growth Example: Weekly newsletter Over time, clearer thinking Better writing Stronger perspective Executive presence is a practice, not a trait Storytelling Selling Persuasion Presence Core question: Are you deliberately practicing? Or just repeating the same behaviors? Practice doesn't have to happen at work Low-stakes environments count Family Friends Everyday conversations Example: Practicing a new language with a dog Safe Repetitive No pressure Life skills = leadership skills One of the hardest lessons: Stop trying to get people to do what they don't want to do Daily practice ground: Family dynamics Respecting boundaries Accepting reality These skills transfer directly to work Influence Communication Leadership Why practice outside of high-stakes moments When pressure is high You default to habits Practicing in everyday life: Builds muscle memory Makes high-stakes moments feel familiar How to learn (without overengineering it) Follow curiosity Pick a thread A name A book An idea Pull on it See where it leads Let it branch Learning isn't linear It's exploratory Learning through unexpected sources Example: Reading a biography Leads to understanding an era Context creates insight The subject matters less than: Genuine interest Sustained attention Career acceleration (simple, not flashy) Always keep learning Find what pulls you in Go deeper Press the gas Where to find Robin Ongoing work lives in: Snafu (weekly newsletter on sales, persuasion, and storytelling) https://joinsnafu.com  Responsive Conference (future of work, leadership, and org design) https://responsiveconference.com   

Alexi Lalas and David Mosse are back with a new episode of State of the Union! Today, we discuss the utter CHAOS that was the AFCON final between Senegal and Morocco. Disallowed goals, controversial penalties, players leaving the pitch, a missed panenka, fights over towels and so much more went down in Senegal's 1-0 victory. We go to England next to break down the latest in Josh Sargent's transfer saga with Norwich City, both Haji Wright and Patrick Agyemang finding the back of the yet, and the potential of a Ricardo Pepi Premier League move. In #AskAlexi, we have a voicemail asking if the USL's move to a pro/rel system will have a bigger impact than MLS changing its season calendar. Finally, in One for the Road, Alexi reacts to the rumors that Sporting Kansas City will be sold for $700M. Use my code for $30 off your next order of World Cup Tickets on SeatGeek*:https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/SOTU Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $30discount, Min. $200 Purchase Intro (0:00)Senegal vs Morocco Madness (1:51)U.S. Abroad: Sargent MLS upadate, Agyemang vs Wright (13:11)Can City overtake Arsenal or is EPL race over? (24:18)#AskAlexi: USL Pro/Rel vs MLS Schedule change (34:25)One for the Road: SKC set to sell? (46:25) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss Manchester United's 2-0 win over local rivals Manchester City and ask if people are rushing to give Michael Carrick the job full-time. The guys also discuss The AFCON final between Senegal and Morocco and break down exactly what lead to eventual winners Senegal walking off the pitch mid-match. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Senegal are winners of the AFCON for the second time! Musa and Ryan begin with one of the most dramatic and astonishing international finals of all-time, which saw Senegal beat hosts Morocco in extra-time in a game that saw incredible drama and an amazing winning goal (03:24).They then move on to Manchester United's 2-0 win over City in Saturday's derby (27:29), as well as Michael Carrick's appointment as head coach until the end of the season. There's discussion about the reaction to the appointment, how free United looked against City, whether this is a sign of things to come or if this is another example of something fans have seen before.Meanwhile, Crystal Palace have had a horrid week or so (56:35). There's chat about Oliver Glasner announcing his departure, his post match interview that caused tension following the defeat to Sunderland, Marc Guéhi's move to Manchester City and what Palace do now.There's also round-up of the rest of the Premier League, whistles at the Bernabéu and much more!London listeners, don't forget to get tickets for our next show at the Southbank Centre on March 1st, with special guest Nish Kumar. They're available here.For more podcasts, ad-free and in full, plus access to the Stadio Social Club and much more, you can become a Stadio member by signing up at patreon.com/stadio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kelly Cates is joined by Rory Smith, Andros Townsend and Joe Hart to reflect on what's been a tough few days for Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur, but will either Olivier Glasner or Thomas Frank make it until the end of the Premier League season?Oliver Glasner confirmed on Friday he we will be stepping down at the end of the season, but after the sale of captain Marc Guehi to Man City, reports that Jean-Philippe Mateta is also on the verge of an exit and defeat to Sunderland meaning it's no win in 10 for Palace – things have gone from bad to worse. The Palace boss gave an explosive post-match interview in which he claimed the team had been ‘abandoned' by the board.There's also mounting pressure on Thomas Frank at Spurs. With just seven wins from 22 Premier League games this season, there are reports that the club are considering calling time on his seven-month reign.BBC Senior Football Correspondent Sami Mokbel gives the latest on both Glasner's and Frank's future and Palace fan Dan Cook discusses whether fans will be sticking by the manager or the board.Plus, journalist Maher Mezahi reflects on Senegal's win over Morocco in the AFCON final which saw a walk-off, 17-minute delay, a missed-Panenka penalty and extra-time winner.Timecodes: 1'00 Chris Sutton packs his bag 1'30 Sami Mokbel on the futures of Frank and Glasner 4'00 Spurs focus 4'50 Frank speaks ahead of Borussia Dortmund 27'50 Palace focus 28'20 Glasner post Sunderland defeat 29'00 Spurs podcaster Dan Cook 44'30 AFCON final reactionCommentaries this week: Tuesday 1745: Bodo Glimt v Man City on 5live Tuesday 2000: Spurs v Dortmund on 5live Wednesday 2000: Newcastle v PSV on 5live Wednesday 2000: Marseille v Liverpool on Sports Extra

Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss Manchester United's 2-0 win over local rivals Manchester City and ask if people are rushing to give Michael Carrick the job full-time. The guys also discuss The AFCON final between Senegal and Morocco and break down exactly what lead to eventual winners Senegal walking off the pitch mid-match. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George is joined by Yasmin Jack and Luke as they digress into Fulham's bleak 1–0 defeat away at Elland Road on Saturday. The panel breaks down what went wrong for Fulham in West Yorkshire before looking ahead to the home clash against Brighton with the Nigerian boys set to return and rounding things off by answering some of your listener questions. Guests: George Cooper Yasmin Mills Jack Kelly Luke Resch Producer: Freddie Cooper Support Fulhamish's independent podcasts, videos and articles by subscribing to our Substack: http://www.fulhamish.co.uk Follow Fulhamish on socials: http://www.x.com/fulhamishpod http://www.instagram.com/fulhamishpod https://www.tiktok.com/@fulhamish https://www.youtube.com/@fulhamishpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tom & Dunny break down every insane aspect of the AFCON Final between Senegal and Morocco. A full episode of the show drops Tuesday morning! Sorry Tim.  Follow Week in the Tackle on ⁠Twitter⁠ and Instagram and be sure to subscribe to our ⁠YouTube⁠ channel to get full episodes and clips of the show! Follow Tom Rennie on ⁠Twitter⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠. Follow Brian Dunseth on ⁠Instagram⁠. Follow Tim Horsey on ⁠Twitter⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, we look back at the Africa Cup of Nations, where Senegal edged hosts Morocco in extra-time in a dramatic final. We explore the key moments and what they reveal about African football's future.We also investigate a darker story: Across West Africa, criminal gangs are luring young people with fake overseas jobs. BBC Africa Eye follows Interpol's anti-trafficking unit in Sierra Leone and a father searching for his missing children.Presenter: Charles Gitonga Producers: Keikantse Shumba and Bella Twine Technical Producer: Maxwell Onyango Senior Producer: Blessing Aderogba Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla

Against the backdrop of Donald Trump's tariffs, America's closest ally, Canada, has struck a trade agreement with its rival, China. Speaking in Beijing, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the relationship with China had been "more predictable" than the one with the US. Is President Trump pushing his allies into Beijing's orbit? Also: Taiwan's tech firms will invest $250 billion in the US in exchange for lower tariffs. The government of Myanmar has begun its defence at the International Court of Justice against charges that it committed a genocide of the Rohingya people. South Korea's former president Yoon Suk Yeol is sentenced to prison for his 2024 attempt to impose martial law. And we take a look at the Africa Cup of Nations football tournament, as host nation Morocco prepares to face Senegal in the final. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight.Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment.Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

The FC crew react to Albacete upsetting Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey Round of 16 and question if new manager Alvaro Arbeloa is in over his head. Plus, the guys explain why Chelsea's 3-2 loss to Arsenal is actually a flattering result for the blues. Colin Udoh also joins to break down Senegal and Morocco advancing to the AFCON final on Sunday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week's episode of Long Reads is the second part of a two-part interview about the history of Western Sahara. Our last episode covered events leading up to Morocco's invasion of the country. This episode examines the fifty years of occupation and the recent push by the Trump administration to legitimize Moroccan rule. Our guest Jacob Mundy is a professor of peace and conflict studies at Colgate University. He's the co-author of Western Sahara: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresolution. Read his piece for Jacobin, “For 50 Years, Morocco Has Denied Western Sahara Freedom”: https://jacobin.com/2025/11/morocco-western-sahara-freedom-colonialism Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

This Week Grace and Mamrie discuss Grace's experience in Morocco and why Mamrie couldn't go with her, an update on Beanz, someone is learning to paint, and why they don't watch the “horny” television. Wake up with clearer skin, smoother hair, and cooler sleep. Use code TMGW for an extra 30% off at blissy.com/TMGW. Get 50% off 1 month of Trade at drinktrade.com/TMGW Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to Quince.com/tmgw for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. For a limited time, save 40% off your first month at ritual.com/tmgw. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices