Podcasts about most european

From the BBC World Service: We start today's show in the Netherlands, where President Donald Trump is for the NATO Summit. Most European countries have agreed to up their defense spending to 5% of GDP, though Spain has been less forthcoming. Then, India's dark stores deliver to online shoppers in just 10 minutes. What's the impact on retailers? And, demonstrators protest the lavish wedding of Jeff Bezos in Venice by throwing inflatable alligators into some of the city's iconic canals.

From the BBC World Service: We start today's show in the Netherlands, where President Donald Trump is for the NATO Summit. Most European countries have agreed to up their defense spending to 5% of GDP, though Spain has been less forthcoming. Then, India's dark stores deliver to online shoppers in just 10 minutes. What's the impact on retailers? And, demonstrators protest the lavish wedding of Jeff Bezos in Venice by throwing inflatable alligators into some of the city's iconic canals.

Send us a textLinking the Travel Industry is a business travel podcast where we review the top travel industry stories that are posted on LinkedIn by LinkedIn members.  We curate the top posts and discuss with them with travel industry veterans in a live session with audience members.  You can join the live recording session by visiting BusinessTravel360.comYour Hosts are Riaan van Schoor, Ann Cederhall and Aash ShravahStories covered on this session include -Air traffic controllers at Newark airport lost contact with planes for 90 seconds. The incident was later blamed on a burnt out wire.A few days later, the US announce a $12.5b upgrade to it's ATC infrastructure.Etihad Airways and EVA Airways Corp. become the latest airlines to announce corporate direct portals.Most European airlines suspend flights to Tel Aviv after rockets reached the airport's perimeter.Less than a year after it's launch, AirAsia X will suspend it's Kuala Lumpur - Nairobi service due to low demand.In another route cancellation, Wizz Air abandons the Milan - Abu Dhabi route. The first flight was scheduled for 2 June.The TMC AmTrav, a TravelPerk Company deploys flight seat map visualisations to their customers with ATPCO's RouteHappy Visuals product.Finnair cancels 100 flights due to an ongoing labour strike. Talma Travel Solutions expands their US presence by acquiring a majority stake in Solutions Travel.Ryanair - Europe's Favourite Airline announces an agreement with Atlas as their third "approved OTA aggregator".You can subscribe to this podcast by searching 'BusinessTravel360' on your favorite podcast player or visiting BusinessTravel360.comThis podcast was created, edited and distributed by BusinessTravel360.  Be sure to sign up for regular updates at BusinessTravel360.com - Enjoy!Support the show

10 Major Differences Between SPY and SPX OptionsSPY and SPX give you exposure to the S&P 500, but these options have key differences you should know before getting started.Paying DividendsSPX does not pay a dividend, but SPY does. Dividends may not seem relevant because someone buying options does not own shares. You only receive the dividend if you own the shares before the ex-dividend date.But the dividend is relevant for options traders. Some traders may exercise SPY options early to be on time for the dividend. An ex-dividend also lowers the stock price, which will affect your option's value. If SPY offers a $1.60 dividend this quarter, SPY's share price will decrease by $1.60 on the ex-dividend date. Options do not get adjusted downward proportionally to the ex-dividend, but a decrease in share price hurts calls and helps puts.Trading StyleTraders can use two approaches for their options trading. SPY options use the American style of option trading, while SPX options use the European trading style.Investment CostSeveral factors influence an option's cost, including the underlying asset's price. Because the S&P 500 is roughly 10 times the price of SPY, the options for SPX require a higher investment. An investor would have to purchase 10 SPY calls with $400 strike prices to get the same exposure as one SPX call with a $4,000 strike price.Settlement PriceIf a SPY option gets exercised, shares exchange hands. A call holder will receive 100 shares, while someone with a put can sell their 100 shares. Instead of letting traders exchange shares, SPX options involve cash. SPX options give traders the cash equivalent of their in-the-money profits plus the initial investment. If the option expires worthless, the trader gets nothing back.ExpirationSPY options follow the American trading style, which means options expire on Fridays at 4 p.m. Eastern. Some ETFs like SPY have multiple expiration dates each week, but most stocks expire after Friday's close.SPX options follow a different model, the European trading style. Most European options also expire on Friday's close, but the third Friday of each month presents an exception. Options that expire on the third Friday don't benefit from Friday's price movements. These options stop trading after Thursday's close. You cannot exercise a SPX option and have to wait for the settlement date to receive cash (SPX options do not involve shares changing hands), but you can exercise a SPY option at any time.ContractOptions traders can only get involved with two types of contracts: calls and puts. These derivatives enable various options trading strategies you can use for SPY and SPX options. Both options let you engage in calls and puts.ValueSPX options hold a higher value than SPY options because of the difference in share prices. A trader needs 10 SPY options to have the same value as one SPX option. While SPX options hold more value per contract, they both produce similar returns. If the S&P 500 increases by 1%, the SPY will also increase by roughly 1%. A 1% increase in the underlying asset's price will produce nearly identical percentage gains for SPX and SPY options.LiquiditySPX and SPY both have great liquidity. They are among the most in-demand options, with

Israel and its biggest ally, the U.S., again isolated, furiously attacking the International Criminal Court's decision to issue arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant. Most European nations say they'll execute the warrants if either man steps on their soil. So what might happen next?  In this episode: Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Ori Goldberg, Political commentator and former academic specialising in Middle East Studies. Professor Stephen Zunes, Professor of politics at the University of San Francisco Host: Bernard Smith Connect with us:@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook At Al Jazeera Podcasts, we want to hear from you, our listeners. So, please head to https://www.aljazeera.com/survey and tell us your thoughts about this show and other Al Jazeera podcasts. It only takes a few minutes!

In this episode of the Moral Imagination Podcast I speak with Catherine Pakaluk about her book Hannah's Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth DearthOver the last 200 years, we have seen a decline in birth rates in the United States and abroad, especially in Western countries. Most European countries are no longer at replacement rates and face serious population decline. Reuters reported that Japan's population will decline by a staggering 30% in the next fifty years. In the United States, in the year 1800, the typical woman would have about 7 or 8 children. By 1900 that number was cut in half to 4. By 2000 the number cut in half again to about 2 children, which is just about replacement rate. The Wall Street Journal recently reported on the the record-low birthrate in the US, and how increasing numbers of people plan to have no children. In the midst of declining marriages, childlessness, and low birthrates, Pakaluk studied the increasing minority of women in the Western world who have chosen to have five or more children — the top 5% of childbearing.Her book is a mix of ethnography, sociology, and economics, and includes a critique of the dominant model of social and economic research. One thing that stands out with many of the women she interviews is how at some point a shift took place in their attitude — from seeing children as a choice, like a consumer good among other choices, to a different attitude of receptivity and openness to having another child, and then another. She talks about the many forces that promote small families — the cost of children, overpopulation propaganda, education, feminism, environmentalism, consumerism and more. But Pakaluk emphasizes that encouraging women to have more children cannot be addressed simply by implementing pro-family policies like some countries have tried to do. Good policy is not insignificant — for example in most US states parents who want to send their children to religious schools have to pay twice for school through tax and tuition. But she argues that the real problems go much deeper. They are religious, spiritual, and metaphysical: a vision of life that sees being as good, children as a blessing, and family as essential for a good life. Pakaluk compares having a large family to running a marathon—except longer, harder, and more fulfilling. Government family policy would be like giving everyone a pair of good running shoes for the marathon. That could help, but it won't get most people to run. There must be a deeper motivation, and this almost always comes from religious belief and the virtues of faith, hope, the goodness of being, and the value of generosity and sacrifice that come from it. Themes and Topics we discuss include: * Demographics and Population Decline * Family policies * Feminism * Education * Career vs Family and Children * Conflicting Desires* Difficulties and Advantages of a Large Family * The Role of Religious Schools* Community * Plausibility Structures* Consumerism * Individualism* Social Pressure * Religious Freedom * Fortitude, Patience * Boys and Girls Sports * Novak Djokovic and Kobe Bryant * Voting Patterns * Climate* Creation and the Goodness of Being * and more Biography Catherine Ruth Pakaluk (Ph.D, 2010) joined the faculty at the Busch School in the summer of 2016, and is the founder of the Social Research academic area, where she is an Associate Professor of Social Research and Economic Thought. Formerly, she was Assistant Professor and Chair of the Economics Department at Ave Maria University. Her primary areas of research include economics of education and religion, family studies and demography, Catholic social thought and political economy. Dr. Pakaluk is the 2015 recipient of the Acton Institute's Novak Award, a prize given for “significant contributions to the study of the relationship between religion and economic liberty.”Pakaluk did her doctoral work at Harvard University under Caroline Hoxby, David Cutler, and 2016 Nobel-laureate Oliver Hart. Her dissertation, “Essays in Applied Microeconomics”, examined the relationship between religious ‘fit' and educational outcomes, the role of parental effort in observed peer effects and school quality, and theoretical aspects of the contraceptive revolution as regards twentieth century demographic trends.   Beyond her formal training in economics, Dr. Pakaluk studied Catholic social thought under the mentorship of F. Russell Hittinger, and various aspects of Thomistic thought with Steven A. Long. She is a widely-admired writer and sought-after speaker on matters of culture, gender, social science, the vocation of women, and the work of Edith Stein. She lives in Maryland with her husband Michael Pakaluk and eight children.Resources Hannah's ChildrenFlight from Woman Neil Postman: Technopoly Joseph Ratzinger: Homilies on Genesis On the Jewish - Christian Idea of the Goodness of Being Get full access to The Moral Imagination - Michael Matheson Miller at www.themoralimagination.com/subscribe

Hamas's attack on Israel on 7 October has opened a new chapter in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. We examine how the war is set to reshape the Middle East for years to come. In a highly complex attack that included a missile barrage and an invasion of southern Israel, Hamas killed 1,400 people and took over 200 people hostage – mostly Israelis, but also a significant number of foreign nationals. Israel has responded with overwhelming military force in the Gaza Strip, vowing to destroy Hamas once and for all. Thus far, Israel's extensive air campaign and artillery bombardment has killed thousands of Palestinians. There are fears that the conflict could escalate further. For the UK and the rest of Europe, the war also represents a difficult challenge. Most European governments have declared strong support for Israel, but there are also growing calls for a ceasefire. In this episode, host Neil Melvin is joined by RUSI Senior Research Fellow Tobias Borck and Dr Louise Kettle, Assistant Professor of International Relations at the University of Nottingham, to discuss how the war between Israel and Hamas is evolving.

GET HEIRLOOM SEEDS & NON GMO SURVIVAL FOOD HERE: https://heavensharvest.com/ USE Code WAM to get FREE shipping in the United States! HELP SUPPORT US AS WE DOCUMENT HISTORY HERE: https://gogetfunding.com/help-wam-cover-history/ GET YOUR APRICOT SEEDS at the life-saving Richardson Nutritional Center HERE: https://rncstore.com/r?id=bg8qc1 BUY GOLD AND SILVER HERE: https://kirkelliottphd.com/wam/ Josh Sigurdson reports on the latest crazy laws being put into place in the UK as legislation is quietly pushed which would criminalize, fine and jail anyone who questions climate change and the narratives surrounding it including ration restrictions. This latest restriction fits perfectly into the dystopian world of 15 Minute Cities which are quickly being rolled out in the UK. Currently, millions of Brits are being told not to heat their homes due to climate change. Energy and climate policies are devastating prices, the supply chain and the grid as we know it. The UK is not alone in this. Most European countries are succumbing to crazy climate policies and so is Canada and the United States. The agenda is to kill us, not to save the planet. Otherwise they wouldn't be planning to tear down 70 million acres of trees and bury them to "save the climate." Stay tuned for more from WAM! GET AN EXTENDED FREE TRIAL FOR ICKONIC WHEN YOU SIGN UP HERE: https://www.ickonic.com/affiliate/josh10 BUY YOUR PRIVATE CLEARPHONE HERE: https://www.r1kln3trk.com/3PC4ZXC/F9D3HK/ LION ENERGY: Never Run Out Of Power! PREPARE NOW! https://www.r1kln3trk.com/3PC4ZXC/D2N14D/ GET VITAMINS AND SUPPLEMENTS FROM DR. ZELENKO HERE: https://zstacklife.com/?ref=WAM GET TIM'S FREE Portfolio Review HERE: https://bit.ly/redpilladvisor And become a client of Tim's at https://www.TheLibertyAdvisor.com STOCK UP ON STOREABLE FOODS HERE: http://wamsurvival.com/ OUR GOGETFUNDING CAMPAIGN: https://gogetfunding.com/help-keep-wam-alive/ OUR PODBEAN CHANNEL: https://worldaltmedia.podbean.com/ Find us on Vigilante TV HERE: https://vigilante.tv/c/world_alternative_media/videos?s=1 FIND US on Rokfin HERE: https://rokfin.com/worldalternativemedia FIND US on Gettr HERE: https://www.gettr.com/user/worldaltmedia See our EPICFUNDME HERE: https://epicfundme.com/251-world-alternative-media JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER HERE: https://www.iambanned.com/ JOIN our Telegram Group HERE: https://t.me/worldalternativemedia JOIN US on Rumble Here: https://rumble.com/c/c-312314 FIND WAM MERCHANDISE HERE: https://teespring.com/stores/world-alternative-media FIND OUR CoinTree page here: https://cointr.ee/joshsigurdson JOIN US on SubscribeStar here: https://www.subscribestar.com/world-alternative-media We will soon be doing subscriber only content! Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/WorldAltMedia Help keep independent media alive! Pledge here! Just a dollar a month can help us alive! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2652072&ty=h&u=2652072 BITCOIN ADDRESS: 18d1WEnYYhBRgZVbeyLr6UfiJhrQygcgNU World Alternative Media 2023

According to the British paper The Guardian, a U.K. woman recently pled guilty to taking an abortion pill later than the 10-week limit allowed by law. She lied to online doctors, claiming to be less than 10 weeks along when she really thought she was more like 28 weeks. It turns out she was wrong about that too. In fact, she was close to 32 weeks pregnant, nearly full term, and had searched online for the legal consequences of seeking late-term abortion.   As we approach the first anniversary of the end of Roe v. Wade, this case from the U.K. shows just how radical states like Colorado, New York, California, and Michigan are by allowing abortions up to birth, no questions asked. Most European countries restrict late-term abortions. It also demonstrates just how much mail-order abortion pills have changed what it means to protect and defend life. Yes, we need more laws that restrict this evil practice, but we hope for the day when all kinds of abortion are unthinkable.  

主播：梅莉 | 翩翩歌曲 ：Bana Ellerini Ver*更多节目配乐，请在“网易云音乐”搜索“一席英语-老外来了歌单”。前段时间，法国总统马克龙访问了中国。这件事，无论在中国还是法国，都是quite a trending topic（非常热门的话题）。而且结束访华的法国总统马克龙，很兴奋。前脚刚走，后脚就发了一个视频。视频内容没什么政治味道，倒像是一个旅行博主拍的Vlog，很快乐。他发的视频，the first scene is a big hug with actor Huang Bo（第一个场景是与演员黄渤的一个大拥抱），紧接着是footage of the summit meeting（峰会的镜头），tea party with music performance（茶话会与音乐表演），university speech（大学演讲）, and warm welcome from Guangzhou citizens（来自广州市民的热烈欢迎）。马克龙这段小视频配的法语文案意思是：深信法中友谊，促进“和平、稳定与繁荣”。此次中国一行，不仅马克龙开心，中国人民也开心，大家对他的印象还挺不错的。那我们今天就来聊一聊法国总统马克龙。1. 饱受争议的爱情故事When Macron was elected（自打他当选之后），一直都是controversial（很有争议）， and comes with his own topics of discussion（有关马克龙的话题讨论不断)。He was the youngest president elected in France after Napoleon.他是拿破仑之后，法国最年轻的总统，he was 39 years old when he was elected（当选总统的时候才39岁）。There was also a lot of news around his unique love story.其实民间讨论更多的是马克龙的爱情故事。之所以引发那么多讨论，主要是the age difference is too big（年龄差距太大）。His wife Brigitte is 24 years older than him. 他的妻子比他大24岁。而且在跟马克龙结婚前，Brigitte is a married woman with children（Brigitte是已婚已育的女人）。Macron and Brigitte do not have any kids together. 马克龙和布丽吉特没有孩子。Brigitte has 3 kids.Her eldest son is 3 years older than Macron（马克龙比她的大儿子小3岁），her eldest daughter is 1 year older than him（比她大女儿小1岁）， and their youngest daughter is 6 years younger than him（最小的女儿只比马克龙小6岁）.Brigitte also used to be Macron's high school teacher. 布丽奇特也是马克龙的高中老师。And actually her eldest daughter was classmates with Macron, and now she is his daughter.事实上，她的大女儿是马克龙的同学，现在她是他的女儿了。同班同学变成后爸。Wow, mind-blowing!在法国，teacher-student romance（师生恋） is considered taboo regardless of the age difference between them。不管年龄差多大，师生恋在法国都是一种禁忌。法国的教育法规定，教师与学生发生亲密关系的话，they may face disciplinary action and potential criminal charges（可能会面临纪律处分和可能的刑事指控）。Macron and Brigitte fell in love when Macron was 15. 马克龙15岁时，和Brigitte坠入爱河。因为Brigitte是马克龙的老师，所以their relationship had a lot of disapproval（受到了很多的反对）。But they remained committed to each other. 但他们仍然互相忠诚。马克龙的父母怎么介入的？因为担心焦虑，Macron's parents actually transferred him to another school（给马克龙转学了） 。但在马克龙转学之前， he promised Brigitte that he would marry her someday（他答应过布丽吉特，总有一天他会娶她为妻的）。 2007年，他们结婚了，再然后，Macron's career really took off（他的事业真正起飞了）！2. 总统竞选不易In 2016, Macron announced he was running for the French presidency as an independent candidate.马克龙在2016年宣布，他要作为一个independent candidate（独立候选人）来竞选总统。这个很不容易，因为in French history, no candidate ever won a presidential election without the support of a political party（法国的总统竞选历史上，还没有无政党支持的候选人赢得总统选举）。其实，西方的independent candidate（独立候选人），并不是指平头老百姓，只是可能不属于主要政党，但独立候选人可能拥有自己的支持者和政治基础。比如马克龙，竞选总统前就是 influential political figure（相当有影响力的政治人物）。他在竞选法国总统之前，曾担任法国社会党政府和社会民主党政府的高级公务员，曾在经济部门担任过多个职位。此外，他还曾担任法国总统的经济顾问，并在2014年至2016年期间担任法国经济部长。在经历了这些政府职位之后，马克龙创立了他的政治组织“前进”！在总统选举期间，他的确提出了一系列经济和社会改革计划，并成功地打破了法国传统政治的固有格局。He became the first independent candidate to be elected as the President of France.马克龙成为法国历史上第一个成功当选的独立候选人。With 65.5% of the vote, Macron became the eight president of France.获得了65.5%的选票，马克龙成为了法国的第8任总统。3. 从政并非一帆风顺总统的婚恋，肯定会引发一些民众戏剧性的反应。During interviews he would get questions about it, but he has always been very proud of his relationship. 在一些采访中，他会被问到这个问题，但他一直为自己的关系感到非常自豪。会有很多人觉得 he isn't setting a good example （总统没有树立好的榜样），不应该和老师结婚。他却回答说：“This is not a question of setting an example, when you fall in love the choice is not yours at all.”这不是树立榜样的问题，当你坠入爱河时，选择权根本不在你。马克龙曾说，如果他能在一个外省小城，顶住各种羞辱和嘲笑，征服一个年长他24岁且有三个孩子的有夫之妇，那么他也能用同样的方法征服法国。It might be easy for him to conquer a lover but it is definitely not that simple to conquer France. 征服情人容易，征服法兰西可没那么简单。He has been thrown eggs, hit by crowds etc. 他被扔过鸡蛋，被打过，等等。• conquer /ˈkɑ:ŋkər/ v. 征服在法国，总统挨打都算小场面。In France the bigger way to show disapproval is through demonstrations.人民表现反对的更激烈的方式是示威活动。为什么法国人对马克龙有这么大意见呢？马克龙办的两件事were very unpopular among the French population causing a lot of chaos（很不得人心，造成了很多混乱）。(1) The first is the fuel tax increase proposed by the Mark Malone government in 2018.第一个是，2018年马克龙政府提出的提高燃油税计划。 这直接成了the spark for the yellow vest movement（法国黄马甲运动的导火索）。(2) The second is that Macron proposed to delay retirement.第二个就是，马克龙提出to delay retirement（延迟退休）。This caused strong dissatisfaction among the French people（这引发了法国民众强烈不满）, and there were big strikes and demonstrations almost every day（几乎天天有花式罢工游行）.Extending the retirement age to 64 is two years more than the original 62.原来是62，现在延迟到64。Most European countries have already extended the retirement age to over 65.多数欧洲国家早就已经把退休年龄延长至65岁以上了。Some countries have postponed retirement for more than ten years at once, and they have not aroused such anger.有些国家一下子推迟退休十多年，他们也没有引起这样的愤怒。法国人其实福利待遇以及假期都是超级好的，但是延迟退休就一下激起这么大的愤怒。干嘛马克龙非要做不顺民心的事呢？But well the reason by Macron is doing this is also because he claims that there is no money.有种种原因，总之就是没钱了，得想法子发展。他最近访问中国，其中一个目的也是to strengthen the France-Chinese trade relationship（加强法中贸易关系）。不管如何，巩俐同行也好，黄渤陪同也好，中山大学的同学们夹道欢迎也好，这种友好的氛围，可能都让马克龙感受到治愈。他在social media上面发了好几个posts，还用中法双语发布：法中友谊万岁!大家有什么想聊的，想要关注的，都可以留言告诉我们。

Most European countries have been the most progressive and the loudest when it comes to using renewable energy. While their legislations would lead you to think they're ready to make these changes, their reliance on Russian oil is now the most apparent. Will Europe and the rest of the world be ready to make the switch before it's too late?   Nic Daniels BFA™, Financial Advisor www.therealmoneypros.com www.treecityadvisors.com

Welcome to the season finale of Ask Jack, featuring the prodigious culinary talents of professional plant-based chef and writer Jack McNulty answering food-related questions generated by you, our community. Check out the show notes below that dig deeper into the topics covered on this episode. Ask Jack will return in 2022 for its second season, where we will feast on even more of our community's questions about all things cooking and eating in an OMS-friendly way. You can submit your questions for Jack anytime by emailing them to podcast@overcomingms.org.   Introduction   In this episode, we have curated a set of commonly asked questions around holiday cooking. With the onslaught of the holidays upon us, people following the OMS program face major challenges in making traditional holiday recipes compliant with their dietary choices under the OMS program. Jack has had ample experience in navigating this narrow channel of healthy eating and holiday food fun, and what he's learned and hopes to convey to you is that following OMS dietary guidelines doesn't mean you have to forgo the joy of yummy holiday eating. So, let's dig in!   Questions   How do I keep from 'cheating' when I'm around family and everyone is eating food I can't eat or enjoy? Do you have any ideas for sweets I could make for the holidays? Sweets I can take to the office party and enjoy at home with my family? Do you have any ideas for an OMS-friendly holiday roast? This is my first year with MS, I'm new to OMS and I am struggling to come up with ideas for food I can enjoy during the holidays? I'm confused about chocolate and what is allowed on the OMS diet. Can you explain what I can and can't use to make my desserts?  I want to make pie this holiday season, but I can't find an OMS-safe recipe without added oils. Even the filo dough at the supermarket has oil. What can I do? What's the difference between Dutch-process Cocoa and Cocoa? Are both OMS-safe? Is raw cocoa better than cocoa? How can you make a traditional holiday cake OMS friendly?   Close   Thanks so much Jack for the inspiration and practical advice you've provided on how to make holiday cooking and eating healthy and fun. For those of you listening, you've probably built up a festive appetite, but now you can make those delicious recipes a bit healthier, too. This is the final episode of Ask Jack for 2021, but Jack will return to answer more of your food- and cooking-related questions in 2022. So that's something to build up an appetite for. Remember, you can submit your questions for Jack anytime by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org. Till then, happy OMS-friendly holiday cooking and eating!   Links:   Check out this blog post on 5 tips to avoid binge eating during the holidays. Here's a link to Jack's blog post about holiday cooking ideas. Want more cooking ideas? Check out the OMS cookbook! Here's an in-depth article on the effects of alkalization on cocoa. Learn about the difference between Dutch processed and natural cocoa. Learn about the difference between cocoa and cacao.   Connect with Jack in a number of ways if you'd like to follow his work or gain some more insight into his OMS-friendly vegan culinary world:  Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook   In addition, Jack has started a newsletter publication called VeganWeekly that shares three vegan recipes weekly to try at home. Subscribe to it here.    Coming up on our next episode:   Tune in starting November 17, 2021 for a very special episode with new OMS trustees Prof. Helen Rees Leahy and Alison Marwick for a stimulating roundtable discussion about advocacy and its central place in spreading the message about positive lifestyle change to the entire MS community.   Don't miss out:   Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favorite podcast listening app. Don't be shy – if you like the program, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show. And feel free to share your comments and suggestions by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org.   S3E43c Transcript Ask Jack #5   Geoff Allix (2s): Hi, I'm Geoff Allix, host of Living Well with MS, the podcast from Overcoming MS.   Jack McNulty (7s): Hi, I'm Jack McNulty. A professional chef and serious OMS foodie. Welcome to Ask Jack, a special Living Well with MS podcast series, where I'll be answering food and cooking-related questions submitted by you, our Overcoming MS community.   Geoff Allix (25s): If you'd like to submit a question for a future episode of Ask Jack, please email us at podcast@overcomingms.org, that's podcast@overcomingms.org. And now let's rev up our appetites and dig into this episode. Welcome to the season finale of Ask Jack featuring the prodigious culinary talents of professional chef Jack McNulty. Sorry I know Jack just asked me to say, could you say, professional cook? So, I'll change that, professional cook, Jack McNulty, answering food-related questions generated by you, our community. Check out the show notes below that dig into the topics covered in this episode in more detail. Ask Jack will return in 2022 for its second season where we will feast on even more of our community's questions about all things cooking and eating in an OMS-friendly way.   Geoff Allix (1m 13s): You can submit your questions for Ask Jack anytime by emailing them to podcast@overcomingms.org. So, in this episode, we've created a set of commonly asked questions about the holiday season. With the onslaught of the holidays upon us, people following the OMS program face major challenges in making traditional holiday recipes compliant with their dietary choices under the OMS program. Jack has had ample experience in navigating this narrow channel of healthy eating and holiday food fun. And what he's learned and hopes to convey to you is that following OMS dietary guidelines doesn't mean you have to forgo the joy of yummy holiday eating. So, let's dig in and welcome, Jack.   Jack McNulty (1m 54s): Thanks, Geoff. Great to be back for another little conversation about food and this time specifically holiday food. Looking forward to it.   Geoff Allix (2m 1s): And I think this is, it's a time when food is central, isn't it? There are many different festivities going on at this time of year, but they all do seem to center around food more than maybe at other times of the year.   Jack McNulty (2m 17s): That's right. Yeah. There are lots of customs. There are lots of parties, businesses, businesses have office parties, things like this. So yeah, there are lots of opportunities to have food in front of you. But of course, with that, there's also a lot of opportunities to have peer pressure to slip away from the diet a little bit. And I guess that's probably one point we could spend a little bit of time talking about.   Geoff Allix (2m 45s): So, to start off with, how do you keep from cheating when you've got everyone eating all this huge array of what does tend to be more non-compliant food? That's the other thing I think because people see it, they have this sort of maybe unhealthy food as kept on a pedestal. Like, okay, I shouldn't be eating this all the time, but it's the holidays. So, I'm going to have this high fat, really lots of maybe more prepared, processed, you know, lots of things. And people think of that because, oh, they shouldn't do it all the time, but it's the holidays, so we'll do it now.   Geoff Allix (3m 26s): So how can you keep away from cheating when everyone else is eating all that food?   Jack McNulty (3m 33s): Yeah. It's an interesting question, isn't it? It's perplexing to me how people celebrate the holidays by allowing excuses to creep in. And that's really what that is. Yeah. Willpower, it's all about willpower and just being courageous and being strong and sticking to what you believe in. So, for me, when I was just starting out, I mean, I just kept trying to remind myself of what was my goal, what was the whole goal that I was trying to achieve by following the OMS lifestyle and the diet in particular?   Jack McNulty (4m 15s): And then I wanted to understand what are the goals of OMS? What are the ultimate goals of OMS? Of course, that's keeping inflammation down and improving your blood profile. And so, I really wanted to always remind myself, you know, are my actions, are my thoughts, the food that I'm taking in, is that in alignment with those goals, my goals, and also the goals within OMS? And I think that's just really helpful to always just keep that in perspective as you move along and through the holidays. It certainly helps when you run across situations where peer pressure comes into play, maybe it's family members or friends, they're saying, oh, come on, it's the holidays.   Jack McNulty (4m 59s): You know, a little cheese is not going to hurt you and that sort of thing, but that's the time when it's really most important to really stick to what you're believing in and moving forward with pursuing those particular goals. I also did something that was, I'm not so sure I really want to share this publicly, but now that I've started, I guess I have to. [Geoff chuckles] I, what I did is I kind of gave those little situations that came up, those little stressors, those little pressures that would come up, I gave them names and I just spoke to them.   Jack McNulty (5m 39s): So, for instance, this is a bit corny, but I gave cheese the name Charlie, for no particular reason, other than they both begin with C. And so, every time I had an urge at the beginning to, oh, I'd really, really like to have a piece of cheese right now. And then I just talked to Charlie, and I would just say, you know, thanks for coming by Charlie, but we've had this discussion before and I appreciate what you've done for me in the past, but you're not welcome here anymore. So, feel free to leave. And for me, that helped a lot just to kind of play a little bit of a game like that, to give that a particular name and just deal with it that way and acknowledge it.   Jack McNulty (6m 19s): And then just move on. There was also on the OMS website, there was a blog post a year or two ago from the former Boston Circle ambassador. I believe her name was Carolyn Kaufman, who wrote a nice piece about this particular topic, about not allowing, or not slipping, you know, a little bit during the holiday season. And that might be worthwhile to go check out.   Geoff Allix (6m 50s): And the other thing is, so we'll come onto roasts, which is a big thing, but also sweets and puddings, cakes, do you have any ideas for sweet food that you could make for the holidays, that you could take to a party, that you can enjoy with your family?   Jack McNulty (7m 12s): We can probably do a whole hour on this just alone. I think, especially now, there are just so many different ideas available through books, through various community groups, various organizations. It's just so simple to figure out a way to turn something plant-based or to make it a little bit more OMS friendly, you know, depending on whether you're using egg whites or not. So, there are lots and lots of ideas out there. For me, I just like to, I really enjoy this time of year because I like sweets.   Jack McNulty (7m 52s): It's no secret. I have a little bit of a sweet tooth, but I love exploring and just keep reinventing. For instance, I took a classic holiday drink, eggnog, are you familiar with eggnog?   Geoff Allix (8m 6s): Mhm. Yep.   Jack McNulty (8m 6s): And it's so easy to make that plant-based. And so, you know, a veg-nog, if you will, and just cashew-based and create something like that, and then sharing it with other people just really adds a lot of enjoyment to the process. But certainly, to get to the crux of your question, yeah, there are plenty of cakes, cookies, steam puddings, sweet style bread, things like a [inaudible] or something like this. And I think that what you can do very simply is you can go out, search out, for instance, if you're trying to make a cake, just find something that's very ordinary, an olive oil-based cake, for instance, that just pops into my head and then look at that and look to include some Christmas spices to it, for instance, or dried fruits or a combination of those two things, perhaps even adding a little bit of alcohol.   Jack McNulty (9m 9s): You know, if you want, if that's something that's favorable to you just increase the sort of festiveness of it around the holiday period, it's very simple to do, to change the flavor profile of something that's just normal and make it a little bit more holiday-like.   Geoff Allix (9m 30s): Because of the steam fruit pudding, it's probably quite compliant. I don't think you need to do much to that, do you?   Jack McNulty (9m 37s): That's correct, yeah. That's pretty simple.   Geoff Allix (9m 38s): And that's kind of the basis in the UK, certainly, at Christmas, we have a Christmas pudding, which is kind of steamed and a Christmas cake. And I don't know about other religions, but I mean, that's sort of a fruit cake, and certainly other cultures because my aunt's from Barbados and her mother who's deceased, she used to cook these incredible cakes. So, she would, every month she would fill a tub with dried fruit. And then she would top it up with rum and then each month she would take one of these tubs down and then make this amazingly moist fruit cake.   Geoff Allix (10m 20s): And then she would put another, she would fill that tub, clean it, fill the tub with fruit and put it on the end. She had six tubs. So, it's every six, it took six months to make it across. And then each month it was topped up with more rum. So, by the end of the six months, there was no recognizable fruit. It was just mush, but it was always heavily saturated in rum. The moistness of it was incredible. I think a lot of the alcohol had probably evaporated off, but I think it was probably, I wouldn't like to drive after eating too much of this. And so, it's a very different culture. This wasn't done, particularly as, you know, a religious thing at all. But just, yeah, you can certainly have a fruit cake and a bit of alcohol, if people have alcohol again, sort of adding that sort of Christmas flavors and everything.   Jack McNulty (11m 13s): There are two recipes in the OMS cookbook that are very similar to these kinds of things. There's one, that's just, it's simply called a Christmas Cake. I think it has three ingredients. It's along the lines of what you were just describing. Maybe not quite as involved in taking so long, because I think it's a little bit more instant, but it certainly fits the bill. And then there's another one called an Irish Whiskey Cake from Jessica in Ireland. And that was quite fun making that with Ingrid when we were doing the cookbook together, when Ingrid was editing it and we were testing some of those recipes, we had good fun with those particular recipes, actually making them.   Jack McNulty (11m 57s): They're quite good. And I encourage people to check them out.   Geoff Allix (12m 0s): And you were saying eggnog is another one that there's probably a generic way of saying this, but there's a drink called Bailey's, which is very popular at Christmas in the UK. So, it's a coffee whiskey-based and cream. And that's something I do every year. I kind of have a vague idea of the recipe, but actually, you were saying the experimentation is as much fun as anything. Because I know that there'll be whiskey in there. There will be like oat milk or oat milk whiskey, a little bit of espresso coffee and something like maple syrup or some sort of sugary syrupy flavor in there, and a little bit of vanilla.   Geoff Allix (12m 46s): And I just sort of, and actually, it's no problem testing it and then changing it a little bit and testing it some more and then changing it a little bit. The testing is definitely fun. [Both laugh]   Jack McNulty (12m 55s): Exactly. Put a little [inaudible] eggnog on there and call it something else, nobody's going to know. [Jack laughs]   Geoff Allix (13m 4s): No, it's good. So, coming onto sort of the main course, if you like, there are two questions here, so, well, I'll start with the second one, which is actually the, that this was [inaudible]... This is my first year with MS and I'm new to OMS. And I am struggling to come up with ideas for food I can enjoy during the holidays. And then just to combine that with, do you have any ideas for an OMS-friendly roast? So, what sort of like main event meals do you think you can cook at home, in a friendly way, because it is, as I said again, we're sort of saying unhealthy, but it's also centered around meat as well, but that could be, ham, it could be turkey, but it's beef as well.   Geoff Allix (13m 46s): It's often centered around meat.   Jack McNulty (13m 48s): Yeah, it is. It's the central item around the table. Before I get to that, let me just address the issue with the first part of that question with someone just starting out the first year with MS. Struggling with different ideas of what to make during the holiday season. Maybe the OMS program is brand new to them, struggling, trying to figure out what kinds of foods to eat. Certainly, for most people that have been following OMS for a while, I think this is very relatable. I think most of us dealt with this at some point or another, probably during the first year in fact, and lifestyle changes are stressful and it does take a lot of courage to go through them.   Jack McNulty (14m 34s): You know, by definition, if you're making a lifestyle change, you're really not only changing your habits, but you're creating a little bit of a distance between what your friends and family might be doing as well. And so that's going to add some pressure and some different challenges along the way. So, what I did during the first holiday is I sat down and I just tried to understand what was it about the holiday foods that I experienced and loved so much? What was it, why did I like those? What were those particular recipes that I enjoyed?   Jack McNulty (15m 15s): And I, so I collected them, you know, I got in touch with some family members and started collecting a little bit of those particular recipes that meant a lot to me. And I looked out and asked myself, you know, what can I do to make these recipes OMS compliant? And I was really surprised at how simple that was for the majority of recipes. And so for me, it was just a matter of making some slight adjustments. And basically, it was the same sorts of foods. Now, obviously, you're not going to replace the roast at the center of the table. I grew up primarily with, I think we have mostly turkey and ham kind of thing.   Jack McNulty (15m 60s): So that was the big thing around my table. But you know, if you are in a family situation, I think that it's simple, if your other family members are eating meat or eating things that you're not necessarily eating to just having a discussion, a family discussion saying, you know, does it really need to be the central part of the table? Can we make that a little bit more off to the side and then change the center of the table, to make it some dramatic sort of vegetable preparation. I think if you search around, it's pretty easy to find a roasted cauliflower recipe with grape and pine nut sauce for instance.   Jack McNulty (16m 40s): It's very dramatic looking and it's very tasty and it's very much OMS compliant or some kind of other gratin or something of this nature. Or if you're eating fish, if that's something you decide to do roasting a whole fish can be really dramatic and replacing that with the traditional ham or turkey or things of that nature. I know that in the Southern hemisphere, you know, it's a much different situation. The weather is warm. People are barbecuing. You know, they're out grilling having different kinds of situations. I know, years ago when I was visiting Australia, during the holiday season, I actually had a Christmas day dinner with Linda Bloom, the founder of OMS.   Jack McNulty (17m 33s): And it was wonderful having grilled prawns and, you know, a whole fish presented and that sort of thing. It was absolutely no problem for anybody involved. It was such a dramatic type of OMS experience. It's something that sticks with me today, even though I no longer eat fish.   Geoff Allix (17m 51s): Yeah, I found Australians, they go one way or the other. They, some people go very, cause they still, because it was a British colony, they still stick with the, we have to have the big roast dinner, which is really unsuitable because if you're anywhere in a sort of hot parts of Australia, which is most of it, it's not really the most suitable food to have at that time of year. And also a lot of the shopping centers have got fake snow everywhere, which is very, very strange when you're in that very high temperature. [Both chuckle]   Jack McNulty (18m 20s): Yeah. I was a little shocked to see Santa Claus dressed, you know, in a surfing outfit. [Both laugh]   Geoff Allix (18m 27s): And the other thing, I mean, some things I've come across, a vegan Wellington. So a Wellington probably doesn't translate globally, but basically, it's a beef dish traditionally. So it's a dish where you have beef covered in pastry with mushrooms and pâté as well. So it's non-compliant, but basically, it's the idea of it being wrapped in pastry, but there's a number of different recipes. There's a couple of people in Ireland called The Happy Pair, who have a lot of videos available on YouTube. And they've got lots of cookbooks as well. Some of their stuff's non-compliant, most of it, is fairly compliant.   Geoff Allix (19m 10s): They do tend to fry, which we can obviously dry fry or fry in water for onions, but actually, you get these delicious vegetable-based fillings inside, and they quite often use a filo pastry, which you can buy, I mean, filo pastry is one of those things that I'm sure it's possible to make, but making wafer-thin pastry is certainly beyond my talents. But actually, if you look around, it's not too hard to find compliant, filo pastry, and actually, you can make it really delicious, and that's almost a centerpiece. I mean, certainly, it's too big for one person to eat. And when I have that at Christmas, people will always have some of that and they do, you know, there are lots of different variations available.   Geoff Allix (19m 56s): So, you can do it as a sort of centerpiece, which is compliant as well. And that, you know, certainly that would go in the center, but also there'll be a ham or a turkey as well. And that's, and I think the other thing for me is it's about all the extras. So, what makes it a celebration meal is all the extra bits because what we call in the UK meat and two veg, which is sort of a traditional meal, it's a bit beyond that. So, it's the things like we have a thing called Devils on Horseback, which are prunes wrapped in bacon and baked in the oven. Well, I thought, okay, this could be redone because I'd seen something about fake bacon where they'd use, if someone could, Deliciously Ella, who's UK based.   Geoff Allix (20m 44s): And a lot of her stuff uses quite heavily coconut base, but it's worth having a look through some of the things. She creates bacon using rice paper and then make some marinade, which uses liquid smoke, soy sauce, garlic, there are some other things in there, but that's the sort of base of it and soaks the rice paper in this. And then you, and then she used that to make bacon. I thought, well, okay, if she used that to make a sort of bacon-like thing, then I could wrap prunes in that, and then I could bake them. And that would kind of be like, there was an [inaudible] pack and it's exactly like it, I mean, it really gives you that smoky flavor combined with the fruit flavor and it, and it's got the, all that sort of flavor notes that you'd expect.   Geoff Allix (21m 28s): And so, the extra trimmings, I think that's, you know, and a lot of those things and stuffing is another one we have a lot of, a lot of stuffing is actually it, you get a meat stuffing with sort of sausage. You also get a vegetable one, which is sort of breadcrumb based, a lot of sage and onion. And you can make that because actually, that's fine. So, there are lots of things. Okay. What were the extra bits that you'd have? And can we do those? Can we do red cabbage, is another one that's commonly done. Yeah, absolutely. There's nothing wrong with red cabbage at all. That can be done with, with fruit and yeah.   Jack McNulty (22m 8s): Going with something as simple as just a potato puree, mashed potatoes, if you will, you know, it's so simple to make that in an OMS compliant manner and make it extremely tasty. It's really not that difficult to do. Absolutely. This is just the, hopefully, it gives people the idea that man, the world is just completely opened up in terms of what you can and can't, you know, what you can have instead of what you can't have. There are so many more different options available at least today, as opposed to maybe even 10 years ago, just different techniques to know about people sharing information on the internet and different books and different places to go look, it's really, really quite easy.   Jack McNulty (22m 58s): And back to your idea with the Wellington, you know, it occurred to me that with filo dough, there's a recipe on the OMS website for strudel. And there's this strudel recipe on there. I know that because we did a video on that, years ago, and I believe it's still on the website, but this strudel dough is almost identical to filo. The only difference is that it has vinegar in the ingredients, whereas filo dough wouldn't have that. It just allows it to stretch out very, very easily and very thin, but you could take something like strudel dough if you can't find filo dough in your area or make it yourself.   Jack McNulty (23m 41s): It's very simple to make and just wrap your favorite vegetable-based loaf around a filo or a strudel dough, and basically, you're making a savory strudel at that point, which is also something that's very interesting.   Geoff Allix (23m 58s): So, to sum up, so we've sort of covered the main course, we've covered a bit of dessert, but then you get onto another thing which comes up a lot and that's chocolates. So, there's a couple of things here. So, we've got, what's allowed on the OMS diet because is chocolate, I'll go on a bit more before you answer the question, but is chocolate an absolute no-no like we just shouldn't have any, or is it something about chocolate that we shouldn't have? And what alternatives there are? And also, there's a lot of terms that come up with cocoa.   Geoff Allix (24m 39s): So, we'll get onto the Dutch cocoa process, cocoa, cacao, all these different terms that we see and what we can and can't use and what we should and shouldn't do around chocolate.   Jack McNulty (24m 55s): Yeah. It's a complicated issue. Let's just start with that. And it's very tribal in its nature when you go out and look in the internet and things like this, that it's almost a little bit like, it reminds me a little bit like the split in opinions about things like coconut oil or coconut fat, you know, there's certainly a lot of people out there that still believe that that's a very, very much of that healthy kind of ingredient to use in your cooking. But on the other hand, there's an increasing number of people that realized no, the science says that, you know, it's pretty heavy in saturated fat. Well, the same thing can be said for chocolate.   Jack McNulty (25m 38s): And to understand that maybe it's helpful to just kind of go through a little bit as to how chocolate is made. And then we can talk a little bit about the different terms along the way. Just gives people maybe a little bit of a better understanding that it's not necessarily what's being presented on the internet and out in the world in terms of all of those wonderful health benefits. Now, having said that there are bits that are healthy, but let's talk about that as we go through. So first of all, it's really important to understand that chocolate in itself is not a whole food. So, a lot of people like to say, oh, they're following this whole food plant-based diet.   Jack McNulty (26m 21s): And then they're using things like chocolate and cocoa. It's not necessarily a whole food. It's heavily processed actually. So chocolate begins with the cocoa plant and cacao, however, you want to pronounce it. So, it creates this sort of large fruit with a big pod that's filled with seeds. And those seeds are actually where we're getting our chocolate from. So those seeds have a lot of pulp around them and basically, when they're harvested, they're split open and they take out all of that pulp and all of the seeds, and those are left to ferment.   Jack McNulty (27m 1s): So those are usually fermented naturally. And the fermentation process can be anywhere from a few days to a short period of fermentation. But this is where the whole flavor starts to develop, is in the fermentation process, and eating unfermented chocolate is a proposition I wouldn't wish on anybody. It's really horrible to taste unfermented cacao. It's just not edible at all. Even fermented after being fermented and dried, it's extremely astringent, rather bitter, very acidic, and really not a pleasant experience even in that state.   Jack McNulty (27m 50s): And so this is what's done when chocolate is harvested. So, the farmers responsible for the fermentation, for the drying process, and then they're all bagged up, and then that's sold on the open market. And so chocolate producers will buy those beans that have been fermented and dried. Those beans are called chocolate nibs. And you maybe have heard that term before, a chocolate nib or a cacao nib or cocoa nib, however, you want to pronounce it. So those are susceptible depending on the packaging to quite a lot of microbial growth. So, they have to be sort of purified once they're purchased.   Jack McNulty (28m 36s): And just to ensure that there are not a lot of harmful molds or bacteria that are growing on there. Generally, to eat those at that stage, it's again, really, really unpleasant. So, manufacturers roast those cocoa nibs either whole or crushed, one way or another. And once they're roasted, they take on a different flavor. So now they're not in sweetened, but they've mellowed considerably and they have a nutty characteristic and they, all these other aromas are opened up. Once that occurs, then they're crushed, that's turned into a sort of a liquidy kind of let's put it this way, it's cocoa, solid, suspended, and fat, which is basically what you're left with.   Jack McNulty (29m 39s): So, it's about 50% fat and about 50% cocoa solids. At this point that is pressed or put through what's like a sieve basically and pressed. And so, the fat is drained out and you're left with cocoa solids. That fat is the cocoa butter. It basically has no flavor or very little flavor. It's about 50% of the mass that was in that process. And about half of that fat is saturated. And that's important to understand because that's not necessarily good for people following an OMS lifestyle.   Jack McNulty (30m 21s): Now, the cocoa butter or cocoa mask that has been pressed that's dried and then ground very fine, that's what cocoa powder is or cacao powder at that point. So, depending on how much the manufacturer presses the mass, determines how much fat is left in the cocoa powder. And that can be anywhere from 1% to up to 20%, depending on the whim of the manufacturer. And that's why it's important to read labels, to see how much fat is actually left in the cocoa powder. Of course, from that point, the manufacturers can turn everything into chocolate by taking the cocoa powder, the cocoa butter and mixing in amounts of sugar or dried milk, if they're making milk chocolate, that sort of thing.   Jack McNulty (31m 12s): And then that's all combined and put through another process to create chocolate or the chocolate bar that maybe we're familiar with. So, in talking about cocoa, there are some things to be aware of. Along the way, manufacturers can tone down the astringency, the bitterness and the acidity of the cocoa or the flavor by adding an alkaline to it. And that alkaline process neutralizes the acidity. But at the same time, it destroys almost all of the flavonoids, which is the healthy aspect of cocoa.   Jack McNulty (31m 57s): And so that process is called the Dutch process. It was invented in Holland. That's why it's called Dutch-processed. So, the process of adding an alkaline to the cocoa can occur just before the roasting. It can occur during the actual separation of the cocoa butter into the cocoa mass, or it can occur actually even later to make a chocolate bar taste less acidic and a little bit sweeter. So, it can occur anywhere along the process.   Jack McNulty (32m 38s): That's why it's difficult to determine the actual healthy aspects of cocoa or chocolate. And it depends on how much, or if the alkaline process occurred. Now with cocoa powder, it's simple to determine that on your own. Most American-made cocoa powder is not subject to an alkaline process. Most European cocoa is, and it's called European on the labels. Sometimes it's called the Dutch process. Sometimes it's called dutched. And if there's nothing on the label, which is also possible, just your visual look will tell you whether it's been subject to this process.   Jack McNulty (33m 24s): So, one that's Dutch processed will always be much, much darker in color, a really rich color of chocolate brown if you will. Whereas if it hasn't been subject to this alkaline process, it's much lighter in color. Now from a culinary perspective, does it make any difference? It does actually in baking because the fact that the acids have been neutralized will determine the level you can use, and we'll talk about that, if you want to go down the path of baking powder and baking so that, or maybe we can leave that for another episode, but it is an interesting scenario, but the thing that is really important for people following the OMS diet to know is that firs,  cocoa powder or cacao is allowed in the OMS protocol, but there's some work to be done on the user end.   Jack McNulty (34m 20s): You have to look at the labels, you have to understand how much fat is still left there, because that there's a great variety with different manufacturers. Then if you're looking to increase the amount of cacao or cocoa, whether you're consuming nibs or powder, you have to understand, has it been subject to the alkaline method, which will destroy all of the health properties that you're looking to get, the flavonoid bits.   Geoff Allix (34m 49s): So, if we, if we take it, it's this sort of, if there are three categories, this is what's bad for you. There's what's good for you. And there's a middle ground of neither. So, to get rid of the what's bad for you, we're basically looking at like a chocolate bar would normally have milk in it in the UK. So that's a big no-no. So definitely a chocolate bar, you do see vegan ones, but, but generally, if it's got milk in it, that's a no-no. Let's say it's a vegan one, it doesn't have any milk. Then we're looking at the saturated fat content. So, if it doesn't have any milk and it's got a low saturated fat content, then we're not so much worried about the term cacao, cocoa.   Jack McNulty (35m 34s): No. They're interchangeable. They are just marketing terms. And they don't, some people that claim to have healthy cocoa or cacao or say that cacao is like raw. It hasn't been roasted, you know, has all of these high flavonoids and et cetera, et cetera, it may or may not be true. There's no way to really know that. And it could be just put on there as a marketing claim.   Geoff Allix (36m 0s): And I'm assuming both cacao and cocoa are probably translations from [inaudible] or in Peru or some like, and they probably were the same basis anyway. So, we're using our own knowledge. We're saying, okay, there's no dairy in there. It's low-saturated fat. We've got some powder there that isn't bad for us. Now the good for us, so we're avoiding Dutch or European processing. It makes it more likely. And then the other tip is to say, is it a dark brown or is it a lighter brown? Lighter brown is good, not Dutch-process, not European process, but if in doubt, if it's low-saturated fat, if it's dairy-free, it's not bad for us at least.   Jack McNulty (36m 49s): Right. Right.   Geoff Allix (36m 49s): Okay. So... [Inaudible]   Jack McNulty (36m 50s): It's a pretty good summation there. Well, one of the things to just mention just on the pure chocolate, if you, you know, there's all of these percentages, 70%, 85%, 90%, that's what I think, here's what that means. The 70% means there's 70% cocoa product and 30% sugar. Okay. So, the balance of whatever it is, if it's 85%, that means there's 15% sugar. So, in a hundred-gram bar of chocolate, 70% means there are 30 grams of sugar. That's like three tablespoons of sugar in that bar of chocolate.   Jack McNulty (37m 31s): What it also is telling you on 70% chocolate on your chocolate bar is that there are roughly 35 grams of fat in that 70% hundred-gram bar of chocolate, right? That's a pretty significant amount. And when you think about it, so 35 grams of fat and half of that fat is going to be saturated. So, if you were to sit down and eat what some people otherwise consider relatively healthy, 70% chocolate bar, you're going to get about 17 grams of saturated fat by that indulgence.   Jack McNulty (38m 16s): That's why it's not recommended within the OMS protocol.   Geoff Allix (38m 23s): Okay. But we can certainly make chocolate-based food by using...   Jack McNulty (38m 28s): Cacao.   Geoff Allix (38m 30s): ...cacao, certainly. It might be healthy and certainly not unhealthy. It's relatively straightforward to do that.   Jack McNulty (38m 36s): That's right. That's right. I think that's probably a good place to leave that conversation, but I think it's really important to put that information out there and then just let people make their own decision, you know, is it something I'm going to really want to have? Yeah, sure. I think having chocolate, you know, in my diet, I have it occasionally with cacao, not so often, but occasionally and yeah, it tastes good. It brightens the mood. There's no question about that. Whether there's a lot of, you know, extreme health benefits, I think that's certainly up for debate.   Geoff Allix (39m 19s): Yeah. A bit goes into my Bailey's mix-up. That's another thing that goes in there with cacao. Okay. Are there any other tips that we should add for this holiday season?   Jack McNulty (39m 31s): I think first just smile a lot. And that's what I always like to tell people. I think it's always, I mentioned this earlier, but I think it's just, it bears repeating that it's really, really important to just constantly remind yourself, especially if you're at the beginning of the journey of what your goals are and what are the goals of OMS and following a dietary lifestyle change. That's going to benefit you in the future. You know, the goal of reducing inflammation of improving your blood profile, those are really, really strong, powerful goals to have.   Jack McNulty (40m 15s): And if you can achieve that through diet, it's going to make a big change to your life for the better, those are positive changes that everybody can make. And I think if you can focus on that in the holiday, that's the best gift that you can give yourself.   Geoff Allix (40m 30s): I know one final point for me, it's often a time when we're eating out as well. It could be with friends; it could be with work. I have found that a good restaurant will have no problem following OMS recommendations, and I basically point them to the website and give them a little list myself. Also saying, here's the website, and you can find all the recommendations are there. So, every good restaurant I've been to I have had no problem. I think the chefs actually enjoy it. They think, okay, there's something a bit different. And then they'll come back to me saying, how about this? And often with three courses, they'll say this is the starter, main course, dessert.   Geoff Allix (41m 13s): What do you think about that? Often a choice actually, or sometimes even on the night, they will give me my menu and say, oh, you can choose from these things. And they have no problem at all. And actually, anywhere that they said, no, this is a set menu, is probably not a great restaurant. I think, you know, they are probably, if they can't adapt, then are they just reheating something? Yeah. If it's the point where they can't adapt to it just a bit, then is it really being freshly cooked anyway? And is that a great restaurant? But I do find, just get in touch, give them notice, give them some time, time to think about it.   Geoff Allix (41m 58s): And I have found that the vast majority of restaurants have no problem. You know, I always sort of, I try and be apologetic and try and, you know, like be understanding. And they're busy. It's a really hard job. And they've not had a problem. I think that they don't have a problem and often the chef will come out to me and say, you know, what did you think of that? How was that? And yeah, I think you can eat well in restaurants. You have to have a level of trust that they are doing what they say, but yeah, I think if you communicate with them, give them notice, then you can find some delicious food cooked for you.   Jack McNulty (42m 34s): I think you're right. I think, you know, from my experience in working, most of my restaurant experiences occurred in really high-end restaurants. And I found that anytime anybody came in with some sort of allergy or some sort of request for something new, it was fun. I mean, it did break up the service, it generally created a little bit more stress in the kitchen, but sometimes, you know, as cooks, we sort of feed off stressful situations in the kitchen and then just make it a little bit more of a challenge. And it was, you know, the other common feature about chefs is we like to have our ego fed. And if you do make something, you do want to go out and get that feedback.   Jack McNulty (43m 20s): You want to ask, you know, how was that? And it's a proud moment when you create something that's going to make someone else really happy and satisfied. So most good restaurants, I think you're absolutely right, are going to be able to adjust.   Geoff Allix (43m 36s): Okay. And with that, I just wish everyone, a happy holiday season.   Jack McNulty (43m 40s): I do as well. And a very good and fantastic start to the new year.   Geoff Allix (43m 49s): And I hope you join us again next year.   Jack McNulty (43m 51s): Thanks, Geoff.   Geoff Allix (43m 52s): Thanks for listening to this episode of Ask Jack, the special five-part series where we dive into questions from our OMS community about all things food. Please check out this episode's show notes at www.overcomingms.org/podcast. You'll find all sorts of useful links and bonus information there. If you'd like to submit a question for a future episode of Ask Jack, please email us at podcast@overcomingms.org. You can also subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast platform, so you never miss an episode. Ask Jack is kindly supported by a grant from the Happy Charitable Trust. If you'd like to support the Overcoming MS charity and help keep our podcast advertising free, you can donate online at www.overcomingms.org/donate.   Geoff Allix (44m 40s): Thank you for your support. Ask Jack is produced by Overcoming MS, the world's leading multiple sclerosis healthy lifestyle charity. We are here to help inform, support, and empower everyone affected by MS. To find out more and subscribe to our e-newsletter, please visit our website at www.overcomingms.org. Thanks again for tuning in and see you next time.

 Barrel Proofing Dad and I were browsing the used gun rack at a big box store on a trip through Pennsylvania a few years back when we happened upon a double gun that caught our eye. The gun was a 12ga with light color walnut stock and forend. On closer inspection, we saw a moderate amount of hand-cut engraving, as well as hand-cut checkering on the buttery walnut stock. An older gun made in Europe, the tag read ‘BLNE', as it is sometimes referred to in gun parlance or a boxlock non-ejector. We speculated on the country of origins and details of the gun's specifications until we could get the attention of one of the clerks to ask if it was OK to take the barrels off the action and check the proof marks. Spend any amount of time in a gun shop that deals with guns from Europe and you will inevitably hear someone say “check the proof marks”. This statement broadly suggests checking the markings on the barrel flats and action watertable(on a shotgun). These are the two areas that gunmakers typically apply stampings pertaining to original specifications of the gun like chamber length or choke. It is also the area where proof houses apply proof marks on a gun.  Proofing is a type of (potentially) destructive testing whereby a firearm is discharged with appropriate dimension ammunition that has been overloaded with powder on purpose. Shooting a round overcharged with powder produces higher than normal pressure inside the barrels and action when the gun is fired. If the gun can withstand the increased pressure produced by an ‘overloaded' round, it will withstand the significantly lower pressure of standard factory ammunition. Guns are measured before and after testing and fired remotely while being held in fixtures inside secured rooms for safety reasons. Proofing is a pass or fail test, there is no middle ground. Guns that fail may experience a bulged or split barrel, or in extreme situations, action failure can result in shattered parts. Proofing firearms began hundreds of years ago in Europe(1637 in the UK) and continues to be conducted as described above. 14 countries in Europe have adopted standards laid out by CIP (think international proofing organization) which now dictate the pressures various firearms need to withstand to make proof. Each proof house in Europe developed its own proof marks. These marks changed over the years and can help date a gun or determine a gun proofed with black powder or modern smokeless powder. Most European guns were proofed in the country in which they were made, or at least the country where they were assembled to the point that they could be shot. As a result, the proof establishes the maker's country, and in cases where countries had more than one proof house, will determine which proof house the gun was tested in. For example, 6 different German proof houses are Ulm, Hannover, Kiel, Munich, Cologne, and Berlin each of which has a different proof mark. Jumping back across the pond, the obvious question becomes, “Where are the proof marks on Granddad's old Ithaca Flues?(insert any american gun name here)” Despite the fact that Europe developed a comprehensive proof testing standard, the United States has left that responsibility on the shoulders of the manufacturers, who for the most part, have held up their end of the deal. American shotguns and rifles are tested, though the extent of testing is left up to discretion. This is not to imply that American made guns are unsafe, but rather the imputis of burden is on the makers themselves to ensure the end safety of the user. Makers could test every gun, or simply choose random samples to test. And, in todays complex and advanced manufacturing facilities, there are a myriad of other tests that can be done to ensure the quality, durability, and safety of a firearm. Back in the gun store in Pennsylvania Dad and I took a look at the markings on the double gun that caught our eye. Typically on the flat sections of the action and barrel you will find several different marks. The serial number, if the gun has one, will be located here. Usually it is stamped on both action and barrels of a shotgun, and can also be stamped into the forend iron as well as the forend and stock wood(though always hidden where you have to remove them to see the numbers). On fine guns, many parts are also stamped with the serial number or at a minimum the last three digits of the serial number. On guns where hand fitting is required, not all parts can be transferred between guns; this helps in the factory to ensure the correct internal parts stay with the action in which they fit. The importance here is taking note if these numbers are matching throughout the gun. Mismatched numbers indicates that the gun has been composed of parts that were not originally manufactured together, which in turn can affect the value of the gun. After the serial number, we typically look for the proof house mark that indicates where the gun was proofed, and its country of origin. The gun in question possessed a LEG proof mark referring to the Liege Proof House in Belgium. Since there was no makers name on the gun, we were left to assume it was a ‘guild gun'. That is to say that it was a gun made by a variety of outworkers- the stock may have been made by one individual, checkered by another. The metal work done by yet another craftsman, and then the parts assembled. Guilds were frequently found in Belgium and Germany, though the idea of outworkers performing various tasks and sending parts back to the primary maker is commonplace in the gun trade. The next significant mark found was a lion over a “PV” indicating a nitro proof. This is where the proof house markings come in- this nitro proof gives us a good reason to believe the gun will be safe to shoot with smokeless powder. It is not uncommon to see multiple proof house marks, and this is where a knowledge (or good book) can help. Marks changed over time, and occasionally you will see a gun that was originally proofed for black powder, that carries a second set of marks indicating that it was re-proofed for nitro powder.  It is a requirement that guns be reproffed in Europe depending on what work is done to them. If a gun was orignally a 2.5” chamber, which is lengthened to 2 ¾”, the gun must be reproofed. The same goes for if a gun is sleeved- new barrels put on an old action. Flats on guns like this can seem a jumble of marks but they all tell part of the guns story. Our gun was also marked with a 12 and a 70 in a circle indicating its 12ga, 2 ¾” chambers. Thinking in metric terms, 65 or 65mm would indicate 2 ½” chambers, with 70 or 70mm being the elongated 2 ¾”. Though those may be what some consider the important marks, there can be many more marks in these areas worth checking out. On the barrel, you will often find the choke designations - this gun had them as numbers- 18.3 and 18.4- metric bore measurements. There are other marks like a star over a U, a script 3, double stamped numbers and more- these can be preliminary proof marks, final proof marks, controller marks, personal makers marks, or the individual at the proof house that tested the gun. There can also be a number in Kg or kilograms that indicates the weight of the barrels at the time of proofing.   Proof marks can be our best link to a guns history, much like a passport that helps reveal a bit about the gun and its past. They can tell where the gun came from, where it travelled in its lifetime, and so much more. They are certainly one of my favorite aspects of old shotguns and rifles. All in all the Belgian guild gun was well worth the $ paid and it is now living happily amongst the other guns on my rest farm for old shotguns. The lesson: a base knowledge of proof marks is a handy thing when assessing used guns and certainly helped solidify my decision to buy, rather than pass, this particular double.

This week Maria and Liz have their most awkward discussion about the debate over male circumcision. Most European men aren't, most American men are. Is it necessary? Why do we still do this? Fan Mail: Cheflifechief on IG defends sandwiches. Googles: (Maria) What else can I do with pumpkin puree? (Liz) What's the difference between a cold, the flu and covid? Let's Get Personal: Where are some unusual places you have been? Topic: Circumcision SUBSCRIBE + rate and review us! Become a Patron! Get access to weekly and monthly bonus episodes, episodes before they are released, stickers and more! https://www.patreon.com/2nondoctors Email us: 2nondoctors@gmail.com Follow us: Instagram @2nondrs Twitter/FB @2nondoctors --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/2-non-doctors/support

Most European giants are represented as being evil and cruel. The term “giant” and the reputation for cruelty derives from the Gigantes of Greek mythology, who were savage creatures with men's bodies and serpentine legs. According to Hesiod, they were children of Gaia and Uranus, born from the blood of Uranus after he had been castrated by his son Cronus. In a war between the Gigantes and the gods of Olympus, called the Gigantomachy, the gods prevailed and the giants were slain or restrained. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2021/07/12/book-talk-giants/

Most European cities have channeled their waters into paved canals, wiping out much of the history along the way—but not London, which is one of the only places where you can safely do something like mudlarking. The variety of artifacts found can be significant finds, but they also, often, represent items museums don't often have much of, the cheaply-made, everyday objects such as children's toys like a medieval toy horse and knight, a Roman hair pin, or Venetian glass chevron beads. The Thames is one of the largest archaeological sites in the world, and pretty much the entire history of Britain can be told from items found there.

YOU KNOW IT YOU LOVE IT. 'tis the season for the PEEPS YEARLY AWARD SHOW. The awards this year include: Most European transfer, most lateral move, most forgotten yank, most golden generation, AND OF COURSE - the golden peep!!! Rate and review on iTunes, which helps us show up when people search for “Soccer”: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/we-people-usmnt-soccer-podcast/id1019651760?mt=2 (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/we-people-usmnt-soccer-podcast/id1019651760?mt=2) Like us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/wtppod (https://facebook.com/wtppod) Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/wtppod (https://twitter.com/wtppod)

We’re going out strong for our two-part season finale with a walk through the history of America’s origins. Every state was once inhabited by thousands of indigenous people of many different tribes. You can find the list of current federal and state recognized tribes here. Most European colonies were formed after 1600, and by the 1760s, the 13 original colonies were populated with 2.5 million people mostly from England and later Great Britain, France, Spain, and the Netherlands. Indigenous people were forced out of their lands as the newly forming states debated and moved boundaries while vying for statehood. The freshly formed United States soon became an industrial leader and has continued to be a nation filled with entrepreneurship and industrialization. This is a fact filled show that had our brains tired by recording time, which led to some of our best on-air goofiness you won’t want to miss. Of course, the bloody history of our country’s past is not a funny topic, and we don’t make light of the many losses of life. But if you love history and silly banter, this is the show for you. If you’d like to dig deeper, check out: Articles of Confederation Bill of Rights Alexander HamiltonU.S. Slavery Indigenous Peoples of Chesapeake Slavery in New Hampshire Mason-Dixon line Confederacy and UnionThe Louisiana Purchase Cotton Production Manifest Destiny Abraham LincolnThe Civil WarAbolition of Slavery and a Timeline Reconstruction Era Jim Crow laws Civil Rights MovementCommonwealth vs. Jennison Commonwealth vs. Aves Fugitive Slave Act OnesimusMoses Brown The Princeton and Slavery Prject Chicago RiverFind us on Instagram @HoldMyUmbrella and thank you for listening!

What if there is a way for you to train your tradies on how to fix electrical wiring without running the risk of electrical shock? What if you get to learn how to install a solar panel without having to be on site? As sci-fi as they may sound, with the digital transformation taking place all around us, it's no longer hard to imagine these changes occurring in the workspace. Virtual reality is slowly creeping its way towards vocational education and training, and it's making life for us tradies so much better! This week, we'll have another incredible and informative episode as we chat with Doug Donovan, CEO and Founder at Interplay Learning, about how VR and AR technology is slowly paving its way towards a better way of skills learning and training. Here, we'll get to hear more about how this technology can make learning faster and safer as well as give us a sneak peek into what the future of the trades industry may look like. Hop on to this episode as we take a deep dive into the fascinating world of virtual reality. What's Discussed in This Episode: Why schools should slowly tap into VR technology [05:37] A brief background on Doug and Interplay [08:42] Most European countries are way ahead in terms of R&D and VocEd [14:15] The effect of the decreasing number of tradies in the US and AU [15:55] VocEd requirements in some states in the US have slowly disappeared [10:37] The advantages of  VR and AR training for tradies [18:50] Most skills required in running a business are not taught at schools [22:16] Most companies prioritise attitude over aptitude [25:01] Simulation training condenses learning time [17:41] Startups are starting to adapt sim training to improve business processes [28:11] VR and AR make it possible to conduct community learning [36:58] Book knowledge has yet to creep its way into VR learning [39:52] Interplay's secret way of handling new technology [41:19] Most of their training are based on current market demands [42:56] What makes virtual reality the best and safest technology as a tool for learning [31:44] The adaptability of tech-based programs are what makes them great to use [46:32] Virtual reality vs augmented reality [51:58] The value of experiential learning [53:45] How VR tech can make construction work faster and more efficient [54:32] The possibility of VR and AR making quoting easier [56:57] The future of VR and AR technology in the workspace [49:31] About the Guest: Doug Donovan has been in the VR space for more than a decade. He is the Founder and CEO of Interplay Learning which is based in Austin, Texas. Realising the lack of hands-on experience of some tradies, it has lead him to build a more efficient way of conducting trainings. A global leader in online and VR training, he has assisted several company trainings ranging from HVAC, Electrical, Auditing, to name a few. Resources:  Come and visit my website at (https://www.thesiteshed.com/) Check my latest podcast or listen to the previous ones (https://www.thesiteshed.com/podcasts/) Tradie Web Guys (https://www.tradiewebguys.com.au/apply) Connect with me on LinkedIn. For more podcast episodes, you may also visit my website. Tune in and subscribe to The Site Shed: You can also listen to The Site Shed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher. Thank you for tuning in!  If you enjoyed this podcast and this series, please take 5 to leave us a review: Google Facebook  iTunes – Apple Stitcher – Android See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this Open Pod episode, Ciara and Lucy interview Priya from Masaryk University, located in Brno (Czech Republic). Like many other medicine courses in Europe, Masaryk offers a 6 year medicine programme for international students that is taught in English. Students can apply to these international medicine courses off of UCAS (so it doesn't need to be one of your 4 medical school UCAS choices), and often with lower grades than required for UK medical schools. For example, Masaryk accepts students with a minimum A Levels of A (Chemistry), A (Biology), B (Physics or Mathematics) if they have passed their admissions test. Unlike the UCAT/BMAT, these are subject specific tests in biology, chemistry and maths or physics. Whilst European medical schools often have lower tuition fees than the UK, do remember that medicine courses abroad cannot be funded through student finance and so all fees must be self-funded. Most European medicine courses are recognised by the GMC but you must also complete an exam to be registered for practice in the UK. Listen to this episode to hear all about how students really find studying medicine abroad and get some top tips on how to apply! Comment any questions for Priya on her post on Instagram @howtobecomeadr!

Welcome to Majority.FM's AM QUICKIE! Brought to you by justcoffee.coop TODAY'S HEADLINES: Desperation is growing in the failed states of America. Reports show millions of families in the richest country in the world aren’t getting enough food and clean water. Meanwhile, as hospitals were scrambling for supplies, the Transportation Security Administration hoarded well over a million N-95 masks. And TSA officials still won’t explain why they aren’t sharing their stockpile where it’s needed – which is not at the airport. And lastly, I guess we’re lucky that rich people also use the US Postal Service. A few companies with a lot of money on the line have joined the fight to save the Constitutionally protected US Mail from Donald Trump’s plan to destroy it. THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW: The European Union’s top economists are predicting the worst economic recession there since the end of the Second World War. The worst effects will be felt in countries that depend on tourism – Europe, Spain, Greece, and Italy. But even though many EU countries will fare worse than the United States on paper, economists say they will still do better in terms of saving jobs. The US unemployment rate is already worse than what’s predicted for the EU. Most European governments have chosen to cover the cost of people’s salaries during the pandemic. America is now the place where rulers say let them eat cake. A new survey by the Brookings Institution shows that childhood hunger in the US has tripled from its worst point during the 2008 recession. One in five American mothers today say their children aren’t getting enough to eat. Families are skipping meals and reducing portions. Democrats in Congress want to increase food stamp benefits by fifteen percent, as they did in that prior recession. Republicans say nah. Access to clean water is also an urgent problem for more and more people. More than two million Americans lack indoor plumbing. Millions more don’t trust their water. The Washington Post says stores are restricting purchases for rural people who rely on bottled water for cooking and drinking – not to mention hand-washing. Prices are going up, and some say the rationed amount isn’t enough. It’s a real bad scene out there. As always, some are facing greater risks. New research by the Associated Press confirms that people of color are faring worse, not only from COVID-19 but from the economic fallout. Black and Hispanic Americans were twice as likely as whites to have lost work, or to report trouble making rent and paying bills, since the pandemic. All of this is fixable, but we need people in power who care. TSA hoarding deprives hospitals Air travel is down ninety-five percent at US airports since the pandemic. So it doesn’t make a lot of sense why the Transportation Security Administration has decided to hoard more than 1.3 million N-95 respirator masks. This is at a time when doctors around the country were literally begging for donations of that exact piece of equipment. ProPublica broke this story yesterday, but there aren’t good answers as to how and why it happened. A TSA attorney, Charles Kielkopf (KYLE-COUGH), filed a whistleblower complaint over the stockpiling this week. Kielkopf first raised the matter last month after TSA got the masks from Customs and Border Patrol, which found them in a warehouse in Indiana. The whistleblower and other officials repeatedly told higher-ups that the masks should be given to hospitals, where they were – and are – desperately needed. Instead, management decided to hold on to their hoard, even as it cut the schedules for most of its workers – because, remember, the airports are like ghost towns. Then TSA field offices started getting thousands of masks for workers who weren’t there. As state governors started pleading for donations, TSA management refused suggestions to give the masks to hospitals. Bad call! Separately, the Department of Justice has opened an investigation into a fake medical supply company founded by two Republican political operatives that conned its way into hundreds of millions of dollars in public contracts. The company, called Blue Flame Medical, was founded just six weeks ago. But as the Washington Post reported, its founders used their connections with former federal officials to land government contracts – including a $457 million contract with California for 100 million masks. The consultants, Michael Gula and John Thomas, claimed to have a solid connection with a Chinese government supplier. Guess who they blamed when they couldn’t deliver? China, of course. Retailers demand USPS rescue A few big corporations are doing something useful with their money for a change, and asking the government to save the US Postal Service. Last night a group of online retailers including Amazon and CVS launched a multimillion-dollar ad campaign to pressure Republican lawmakers to reject Donald Trump’s plan to jack up postal rates. Democrats have a different proposal to make up for stretched budgets at the Postal Service as a result of the pandemic: give it more money in the budget. According to the New York Times, Democrats want to allocate $25 billion to make up the Postal Service shortfall. No, no. Definitely not. That would be too simple. Trump is reportedly refusing to sign off on any USPS funding that doesn’t quadruple rates for packages. So wherever you see Shipping and Handling charges, multiply that by four. The retailers hired a former Army secretary, John McHugh, to make the case for the Democrats’ plan. McHugh says Trump’s plan is dangerous, especially with people relying more and more on deliveries. The pressure ads by the retail lobby started airing last night on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News – so Trump definitely saw it. They’re calling themselves the Package Coalition. And they say Trump’s plan is QUOTE a massive package tax ENDQUOTE. Listen. They’re spending $2 million on this ad campaign. You’d think they could come up a way to avoid making everyone say the word package so much_._ AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES: Guess what, some of the people at the pro-Trump “re-opening” rallies have been stockpiling explosives as well as guns. In at least one case, a white supremacist involved in recent open-carry rallies prompted Homeland Security to issue an alert over threats to law enforcement. The subject, Bradley Bunn of Loveland, Colorado, was arrested before a May 1 lockdown protest. Bunn bragged to an undercover about killing FBI agents with the pipe bombs he’d built. At least they are stupid terrorists... One in seven humans live in a place that will endure unbearable, Sahara-like temperatures within fifty years. That’s the most optimistic scenario in a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The authors examined migration patterns and found that 1.2 billion people live outside the so-called climate niche of our species. The pessimistic scenario has one in three people dealing with unbearable heat in the pretty-near future. Either way, these scientists say we should expect more change in the next fifty years than in the previous six thousand. Fingers crossed! The ignorant billionaire Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, laid out new rules yesterday for how schools deal with allegations of sexual assault and harassment. The new rules narrow the definition of harrassment, and require that it be severe and pervasive. They also give abusers the right to cross-examine accusers in campus hearings. DeVos claimed it’s about due process, but feminist critics said the changes are really about silencing survivors. US military recruiters say the coronavirus is changing the way they do business. Instead of stalking campuses and high school hangouts, the main focus of their efforts is moving to online games like Call of Duty and Fortnite. The McClatchy news service says the Army and Navy are sponsoring gaming tournaments and e-sports teams to engage in what they call prospecting activity. We call it getting paid to play video games with high school kids. That’s all for the AM Quickie. Join us this afternoon on the Majority Report. HOSTS - Sam Seder & Lucie Steiner WRITER - Corey Pein PRODUCER - Dorsey Shaw EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Brendan Finn

 Here are 10 smudge-free facts about rubber erasers that you didn’t know, that you didn’t need to know:Erasers are made with Volcanic ashThe pink ones in particularThe pumice, or volcanic ash, is used to make the eraser a little rougherThis extra abrasiveness gives them more traction and helps the erase easierPencil Manufacturers don’t refer to them as erasersThey call them plugsAnd the metal bands that hold them to the pencil are called ferrulesThey Pencil/Eraser combo came to market in 1858There are electric erasersThey don’t erase with electricityThey are long sticks of different gages of erasersThey are electronically pushed upThey are supposed to be better for artistsLess tears in paperEasier to useErasers aren’t always made of rubbersome are made from synthetic rubber or natural rubberA lot are made from vinylMore durableMore flexibleLess flakes and crumblingUsed to be made from LatexSynthetic Petroleum basedThe first rubber erasers would rotEventually a curing process was created which allowed them to last longerNow its usually done with high heat and high pressureOriginal Erasers were made out of bread.Until the 1770sde-crusted, moistened and balled up.cheap and plentiful,Rotted and MoldedThe guy who discovered oxygen helped invent erasers. What a guy!Joseph PriestleyHe didn’t invent them, but he did note that rubber was excellent at wiping up lead from paper.Rubber actually got its name from erasers.Initially referred to as "India gum"The first know use for the substance was erasing which required rubbing.Thus the name, Rubber.Erasers are partly a chemical process.Pencils put graphite on paper and it mingles with the fiber particles.The polymers in rubber erasers are sticker than paper so the fiber moves to the eraser.Pencils with erasers on top are mostly an American phenomenon.Most European pencils are sold without eraser.

Part 5 of 5 of the "What Can Americans Teach Europeans" series Snobby Europeans love to say that Americans have “no cuisine, no culture, no history.” Let’s refute this belief. We’ll begin with food. First, Americans brought hamburgers and Coca-Cola to the world. The French (and many others) will immediately sniff and say, “That doesn’t count.” Really? And foie gras does? That’s a dish that is prepared by force-feeding a poor duck. Now that’s really classy and sophisticated. Big Macs start looking like haute cuisine. Moreover, America’s unique cuisine doesn’t end with a cheeseburger and a Coke. We’ve either invented or popularized: banana splits brownies buffalo wings cheesesteaks corn dogs cotton candy corn on the cob doughnuts fried chicken fudge garden burgers grits hot dogs ice cream cones Jell-O macaroni and cheese mashed potatoes onion rings pancakes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches pecan pie popcorn Popsicles potato chips Rice Krispie treats root beer float shoofly pie sloppy joe submarine sandwiches the Twinkie. Not only does this list prove that Americans have plenty of dishes that are uniquely ours, but this list also explains why we are so incredibly fat. Obviously, American cuisine isn’t the most nutritious cuisine on the planet. The point is that we invented plenty of dishes. Besides, it’s impossible to find any national cuisine that is 100 percent healthy. Since the Japanese live the longest, they have arguably the best diet around. However, even the Japanese eat plenty of deep-fried foods and white rice. And they often wash it down with beer or sake. Yes, Americans have one of the least healthy diets on the planet; on the other hand, I’ve never found a country that can make salads that are as delicious as the ones you can find in California. Finally, America is better than any other country at welcoming (and eating) exotic food from all over the world. Try finding non-Italian cuisine in Italy. The other insult Europeans like to fling at Americans is that we have “no culture.” Really? That’s funny because it seems that no other country does a better job of exporting its culture than America does. It’s hard to go anywhere on the planet and meet people who do not know about American music, television, books, movies, sports, and cuisine (which includes the fast food it invented). Cultural snobs will say all that doesn’t count and that it’s not real culture. Who decided that? Why is the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark not as culturally significant as Schindler’s List? They are both masterpieces (and they happen to both be directed by the same American). Is Michael Jordan not as important as Roger Federer, the Swiss tennis player? Is Elvis less important than Mozart? If American TV is so bad, why do I see it in every country I go to? It’s hard to go anywhere and not see The Discovery Channel. Every major country copies American Idol and other popular TV shows. The world copies American culture. The copying of American culture is so pervasive that most people who complain about “globalization” are really complaining about “Americanization.” Snobs insist this is all “low culture.” First, that’s arrogant and subjective, but let’s play along. If you want “high culture,” then consider American writers (Twain, Fitzgerald, Poe, Thoreau, T.S. Eliot, Kerouac, Tennessee Williams), American fashion designers (Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Levi Strauss), American visual artists (O’Keefe, Pollock, Warhol, Rockwell, Ansel Adams, the sculptors of DC’s monuments), American composers (Irving Berlin, Scott Joplin, Philip Glass, George Gershwin, John Williams), American chefs (Emeril, Nathalie Dupree, Alice Waters, Julia Child, Anthony Bourdain), and American architects (Julia Morgan, Buckminster Fuller, Frank Lloyd Wright). If you admire skyscrapers, remember that Americans were the first to make those too. In short, Americans have culture—in both the “high” and “low” flavors. Finally, the last put down that Europeans lobs at Americans is that America has “no history.” Sadly, this insults the Native Americans more than anyone else. Tell the descendants of the Incas, Mayans, and Aztecs that they have no history. Tell the Native Americans in North America that they have no history when most historians estimate that they’ve been running around America ever since they crossed the land bridge near the Bering Strait 12,000 years ago. Several Northern European countries weren’t even populated until 8,000 years ago. American history, therefore, is at least 4,000 years older than the Scandinavian and Baltic history. If you need impressive structures to believe that a country has “history,” then visit the archaeological remains in Monks Mound, Taos, and Chaco. Or visit Teotihuacan, Tikal, and Machu Picchu in Central and South America. Besides, many of Europe’s impressive buildings are only a few hundred years old. Boston’s Faneuil Hall, built in 1743, isn't much younger than many of Europe's most treasured buildings. The dirty little secret that few Europeans will talk about is that many of their “old” buildings were recently reconstructed from scratch. For example, Warsaw and Dresden look like old cities, but all their buildings are younger than Disneyland. Although Eurasians were better at documenting their ancient history than Americans were, it doesn’t mean that Americans don’t have any history. It just means you need to look a bit harder, but it’s there. At best, a few Europeans countries claim that they started in the seventh century, but many were born around the eleventh century. However, these “nations” were fragile and had far more pronounced regional identities than national ones. They weren’t like modern nations today, but rather fiefdoms and small territories clumped together in a quasi-union. Even today, European countries are more regionally focused than nationally focused. In other words, 500 years ago European nations were not much different than the American nations of the Aztecs, Incas, Comanche, and Sioux. Just like Europeans, Native Americans had a hierarchical government, languages, and culture. It’s incredibly Euro-centric (and ignorant) to argue that American history started with the arrival of the Europeans. Yet that’s exactly what many Europeans implicitly do when they say “America has no history.” That’s like Turks saying that European history started when the Ottomans invaded the Balkans 500 years ago. The Slavs would be furious to hear that. The Turks displaced, killed, and mixed with Slavs just like Europeans killed, displaced, and mixed with Native Americans. Some Europeans backpedal out of this argument by saying, “We’re not saying that the American continent has no history, just that America, the country, is young and doesn’t have much history.” And your country does? Apart from Iceland, America has the oldest government in existence. Most European countries formed new governments and new constitutions less than 70 years ago. I hope this shuts up snobs throughout the world who keep spreading the stupid idea that America has “no cuisine, no culture, and no history.” Although I’ve been picking on Europeans, other people are also guilty of promoting this idea. Even Americans do it. It’s time we educate those who are ignorant. In short, I’m not asking anyone to like American cuisine, culture, or history. I’m just asking everyone to stop believing that we don’t have any. Conclusion of the five-part series on What Americans Can Teach Europeans Europeans are right to criticize America’s foreign policy and the CIA because both can be aggressive and unfair. However, let’s give the American empire credit for being the most benign empire ever. Let’s also admit that the CIA doesn’t know and control everything. Similarly, Europeans have a fair point when they say that Americans are fake, ignorant, and a bit low-brow culturally. However, when compared to typical Europeans, we’re not that bad. Pass this on to anyone who tries to argue otherwise. And tell them that a half-French, half-Chilean person wrote it—someone with no American blood in him. Europeans have much to teach Americans, which is why I’ve written a 740-page book that captures the lessons from Eastern Europe. However, this article series is for Europeans, so they can learn a bit more about America and have a more realistic perspective of the United States. Lastly, do Americans have five criticisms about Europeans too? No. Just one. We wish Europeans would catch up to the rest of the world cultures by being a bit more open, warm, friendly, and smiling. Have a nice day! In case you missed it, read part 1 of the What Americans Can Teach Europeans article series.  This is an excerpt from the Appendix of The Hidden Europe: What Eastern Europeans Can Teach Us. Although this article is filed in Western Europe, its message is for Eastern Europeans and everyone else on the planet who believes these five American myths. For those who worry that fanatical American patriots have brainwashed me, don't worry. About 99% of my upcoming book is about what Eastern Europeans can teach Americans (hence, the title). I'm simply sharing the 1% of my book that argues the contrary point. Please read the Introduction to The Hidden Europe to get the complete picture. More info You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com. If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!  On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on: http://facebook.com/ftapon http://twitter.com/ftapon http://youtube.com/user/ftapon http://pinterest.com/ftapon http://tumblr.com/ftapon Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTapon Rewards start at just $2/month! If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at FT@FrancisTapon.com If you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV Health Access Sumbawa One of WanderLearn's top patrons, Kathy Kennedy Enger, asked me to draw attention to Health Access Sumbawa. I am happy to promote this remarkable nonprofit.  

South African Olympic champion Caster Semenya has lost a legal battle against rules to force her to take medicine to compete internationally. Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters party has called for workers to be given shares in all strategic sectors within the economy, including the financial sector. On the US stock markets, Apple was a winner, rising about 6% and pulling Wall Street indices up with it in early trade on 1 May. Most European markets were closed for the May Day holiday as was the JSE.

How Leaving the United States made me a better American   Hi and welcome to the July issue of Making History Today, the newsletter for people who want to change the world. I’m Robin, the editor of this great and groundbreaking newsletter. I’m so happy that you are receiving Making History Today and listening to this podcast.   As the editor in chief, I have the privilege every month of writing a few words about a current event or an important issue that I think will be helpful, interesting or even intriguing to the Making History Today community. This month, I made an interesting observation about myself. It’s something that I notice every year. Mostly in July. You see every July, I return to the United States for a vacation. That’s when it happens. I notice the same thing. I notice a change in myself and in the United States.   But let me back up a bit and tell you the whole story. It’s not long but it’s important because then you’ll understand that when I left the United States, I actually became a better American. And that’s the subject of my editor’s note for the July issue of Making History Today.   In 1994, I moved to the Netherlands. It was not supposed to be a permanent move to leave the United States. I was going to study at a Dutch University for my Masters degree in European Law. I was planning a year-long adventure of living abroad, learning another language and travelling around Europe. My program was scheduled to end in May 1995 and then I would return to my life and law practice in California.   I DID complete my program in May of 1995.   But I didn’t return to live in the United States.   What happened?   A lot.   I had developed a different worldview. And my view of America had definitely changed.   Let me begin by saying that I love the United States. I always have. I can still get misty-eyed when reading the Declaration of Independence. I read the U.S. Constitution for the sheer joy of it. I love the cultural diversity of the country, the can-do attitude and the everything-is-possible belief. I could make a long list of the great things in and about the United States. But what I experienced in Europe during that study abroad year was a game changer for me.   I met so many new and interesting people from around the world—each of us defined PRIMARILY but NOT SOLELY by our nationality. But as an African American woman, I never thought of myself as fully, mainstream American but more as “on the fringes” American.   Yet when I spoke with people from Spain, Poland or South Africa, I realized how fully American that I really was or am. At first, this was a shocking realization. Then it became a teachable moment, an epiphany—it became my opportunity to grow and learn how other people live, think and experience life. That’s when I discovered how fully American that I really am. And—perhaps more importantly—that Americans are not living as fully as we can.   What do I mean?   I mean that Americans (myself included) accept certain things as “acceptable” or “just how things are”. Or that this is the best way to do something. Or we simply can’t imagine something different. And these are things that we should NEVER accept.   Here’s an example: I became sick while I was in the Netherlands. I was a student and didn’t have much money and no Dutch health insurance. I needed to spend the night in the hospital and have tests. I was worried that I couldn’t afford all of that. The hospital never even asked to see my insurance information. (In contrast, the hospitals and pharmacies that I have visited in the United States spend lots of time asking about insurance, deductibles, exemptions and a host of other financial information that has NOTHING to do with medical treatment!) The Dutch hospital was clearly more interested in my treatment rather than my ability to pay. Everyone spoke English. And I was treated with professionalism and kindness.   Months later, I was sent a bill that was less than $500, (and this was for an overnight stay in the hospital and a complicated test). I sent the bill to my American health insurance provider who refused to pay any part of it.)   This was not the only experience that I have had with the medical systems in different European countries. They all have provided excellent service at a fraction of the costs of the American system. Most non-Americans simply don’t understand how the American system can cost so much money.   The same is true for the educational system, particularly at the university or graduate school level. I paid about $1,000 for my post-graduate program at a fantastic law school in the Netherlands. This is a fraction of the costs of American schools.   But everything is not just about costs. It is much more.       I’ve witnessed what people expect from their government such as transparency and accountability. Real debate and progressive discussion happens on issues like GMOs, stem cell research, gun control, race and ethnicity, women’s rights, abortion, LGBTQ rights and same sex marriage. Yes, there are far-right and far-left parties but they aren’t dominating the mainstream (even though they might want to do so) and they’re not controlling politicians to make or support laws that serve only the privileged and powerful few. Lobbying and political action is regulated and transparent. Pharmaceuticals are regulated. Even television is different. Whenever I visit the United States, I become acutely aware that advertising is dominated by food and pharmaceuticals. Not the same in the various European countries that I have lived in.   Of course, European countries have their problems and issues. Having lived in Sweden, England, Belgium and the Netherlands, I have been frustrated sometimes with the amount of regulation (mostly the paperwork!) and the higher taxes. But I have been more impressed with the access to health care, excellent and affordable schools and the civil liberties.   Europeans ask me why so many people are imprisoned in the United States, why so many people are allowed to have guns, how people can afford the health care and why Americans have such limited paid medical, maternity and family leave. They ask me why stem-cell research is so controversial, why abortion is such a heated issue, why there is so much gun violence and why American universities are so expensive.   I don’t have answers to these questions except to say that Americans view health care, affordable education or employment security as privileges. Europeans view them as rights. Americans accept the death penalty, life sentences and mass incarceration as a standard response to crime. Most European countries don’t have the death penalty or the high incarceration rate of the United States. Yet European countries have lower crime rates than the United States. You know, the United States houses 22 percent of prisoners around the world though it makes up less than 5 percent of the world’s population. Today I find that shocking. When I lived in the United States, it seemed “normal.”   Yet I do consider myself more American than ever before. And my increased “Americanism” is leading me to demand more from my government than ever before. I want America to be that “more perfect union” that it can be. This could be what happened other African Americans travelled or even lived abroad. People like James Baldwin, Richard Wright, Chester Himes and Josephine Baker moved to Europe and experienced a different world from the oppressive racism, random violence and segregation in America where they were born. WEB Dubois went to live in Ghana and learned the real greatness and grandeur of African history and culture in contrast to the “dark continent” view of Africa that he learned in school. And Paul Robeson studied in England and visited the Soviet Union. He said in Moscow, "Here I am not a Negro but a human being for the first time in my life, I walk in full human dignity."   This was also true for many African American soldiers who fought in the first and second world wars experienced better treatment, higher social status and more rights and liberties while living abroad. And yes it was very difficult to return to the racist society in America who was not grateful for their service and sacrifice but was determined to strip them of their rights and put them back on the bottom of the social order.       Yet many African Americans did return to their birth country. And, like the Black veterans, they were different people. Having seen how the world can really be, they returned to demand that America live up to its own rules and standards—as stated in the constitution—and to create a better country for all of its people.   I also needed to leave my country before I understood that things could be different. They should be different. I needed that view from the outside. Moving abroad gave me that awareness.   I remember James Baldwin once said,   “I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”   I do too.   And I feel that America can become a better place AND I can be a better American. That means holding American society and government to higher standards.   Americans CAN have affordable health care, employment security, maternity and paternity leave, safer and less violent communities, programs that support the more vulnerable and less abled segments of society, racial equality and justice, a clean environment, a strong infrastructure, social and economic fairness and meaningful political participation.   But we will have to work for it. Demand it. And sacrifice for it.   Change at the most fundamental level will require airing out dirty laundry for the world to see. But I’ve learned that people already see our dirty clothes hanging in the wind. And I am now more aware than ever that the emperor is not wearing any clothes.   But I’m also ready to wash America’s dirty laundry and point out the emperor’s nakedness.   Awareness, for me, is the first step towards change. I feel that makes me a better American: awareness and a willingness to work for change. Incidentally, that is one of the reasons why this Making History Today newsletter is so important: it’s a vehicle to channel the activist feelings and drive to change America and, actually, change the world.     I’m gonna wrap this up with another quote from James Baldwin:   Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.   Yes, living abroad has helped me to see the problems and develop the strength to face them. I want America to become that more perfect union that it can be—and I’m prepared to work for it.   So, am I saying that the only way to become a better American is to leave it? Definitely not. There are lots of ways. In my next Editorial note of Making History Today, I’m gonna discuss a few other ways—some require big changes but others are small changes. I’ll present a few and I would like to hear your journeys too. You know, we can’t change our country or our world until we can change ourselves. See you in November!      

In this second part, Mafia blogger and expert David Amorouso from Gangsters Inc. tells us more about the influence of the American mob on illegal European casinos. Most European countries have state regulated casinos, but... The post The Mob in the Netherlands and Europe Part 2 appeared first on Gangland Wire.