Podcasts about Muscat

Welcome to this special episode of the China Compass Podcast, #31 in the weekly “Prison Pulpit” series! I'm your China travel guide, Missionary Ben. You can follow me on X (@chinaadventures) where I post daily reminders to pray for China (PrayforChina.us). To learn more about our ministry endeavors or get one of the missionary biographies I’ve published, visit www.PrayGiveGo.us! I want to begin again by reminding you why I started this weekly China Compass series: to encourage you to pray for Pastor Wang Yi (and others like him) as Hebrews 13:3 teaches us, by sharing from his own words and sermons. (We’ve also learned a lot from Richard Wurmbrand.) This month is the anniversary of my arrest and interrogation seven years ago…UNBEATEN.VIP! I recorded last week's episode in Malaysia, discussing the difficult and potentially dangerous situation for Christians in Malaysia. Today (tonight) I’m on a long layover in Muscat, the capital of the Sultanate of Oman, SE of Dubai, and just across the Sea of Oman south of Iran. Christianity and Persecution in Oman https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_Oman https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/persecution/countries/oman/ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oman Samuel Zwemer on Borden of Yale (BordenofYale.com) I never saw anyone come to Egypt with eyes more open to see the kingdom of God. Others come to see the mummies, study history, or join the crowds of tourists flocking to the pyramids, never once lifting their eyes to see the fields “ripe for harvest” (John 4:35). Borden had not even been in Cairo two weeks before he mobilized the seminary students to attempt a door to door outreach, hoping to give away Christian literature to the whole city of nearly a million people. Here was a man built like an athlete, with the mind of a scholar and theologian in regard to God’s truth, and the heart of a little child, full of faith and love. He was so kind in his visits to our own home that our children would bounce upon his knee as if they had known him for years. Knowing that he would have to learn Chinese eventually, he came to Cairo to become fluent in Arabic first. Here was a young man who deliberately set out to learn not one but two of the most difficult languages in the world, before diving into his life’s calling of declaring the unsearchable riches of Christ to China’s Muslims. Dr. Samuel Zwemer (1867–1952) Zwemer Overview: https://medium.com/@derekmhopper/samuel-zwemer-and-his-arabian-mission-1891-1913-89242aa0bdf Zwemer’s Book, The Law of Apostasy in Islam: https://archive.org/details/lawofapostasyini00zwem Follow China Compass Follow or subscribe to China Compass wherever you are listening. You can also send any questions or comments via comment or DM on X: @chinaadventures. Hebrews 13:3

Welcome to this special episode of the China Compass Podcast, #31 in the weekly “Prison Pulpit” series! I'm your China travel guide, Missionary Ben. You can follow me on X (@chinaadventures) where I post daily reminders to pray for China (PrayforChina.us). To learn more about our ministry endeavors or get one of the missionary biographies I’ve published, visit www.PrayGiveGo.us! I want to begin again by reminding you why I started this weekly China Compass series: to encourage you to pray for Pastor Wang Yi (and others like him) as Hebrews 13:3 teaches us, by sharing from his own words and sermons. (We’ve also learned a lot from Richard Wurmbrand.) This month is the anniversary of my arrest and interrogation seven years ago…UNBEATEN.VIP! I recorded last week's episode in Malaysia, discussing the difficult and potentially dangerous situation for Christians in Malaysia. Today (tonight) I’m on a long layover in Muscat, the capital of the Sultanate of Oman, SE of Dubai, and just across the Sea of Oman south of Iran. Christianity and Persecution in Oman https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_Oman https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/persecution/countries/oman/ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oman Samuel Zwemer on Borden of Yale (BordenofYale.com) I never saw anyone come to Egypt with eyes more open to see the kingdom of God. Others come to see the mummies, study history, or join the crowds of tourists flocking to the pyramids, never once lifting their eyes to see the fields “ripe for harvest” (John 4:35). Borden had not even been in Cairo two weeks before he mobilized the seminary students to attempt a door to door outreach, hoping to give away Christian literature to the whole city of nearly a million people. Here was a man built like an athlete, with the mind of a scholar and theologian in regard to God’s truth, and the heart of a little child, full of faith and love. He was so kind in his visits to our own home that our children would bounce upon his knee as if they had known him for years. Knowing that he would have to learn Chinese eventually, he came to Cairo to become fluent in Arabic first. Here was a young man who deliberately set out to learn not one but two of the most difficult languages in the world, before diving into his life’s calling of declaring the unsearchable riches of Christ to China’s Muslims. Dr. Samuel Zwemer (1867–1952) Zwemer Overview: https://medium.com/@derekmhopper/samuel-zwemer-and-his-arabian-mission-1891-1913-89242aa0bdf Zwemer’s Book, The Law of Apostasy in Islam: https://archive.org/details/lawofapostasyini00zwem Follow China Compass Follow or subscribe to China Compass wherever you are listening. You can also send any questions or comments via comment or DM on X: @chinaadventures. Hebrews 13:3

Orca Security just acquired Opus, Portland Startup Week 2025 draws to a close, Columbia River Pitch applications are due, and Demolicious heads north. All this and more in Portland startup news. Let's get into it…PORTLAND STARTUP LINKS- NedSpace in the Portland Business Journal https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/inno/stories/inno-insights/2025/05/14/inside-portlands-reimagined-nedspace.html- Mike Ulin leaves Paxton https://pioneeringthoughts.substack.com/p/turning-the-page-reflecting-on-paxton- Columbia River Pitch applications are due May 20 (I said May 19) https://www.tieoregon.org/pitch-oregon/columbia-river-pitch- Demolicious Seattle https://www.meetup.com/demolicious-portland/events/307831573/- Chatting with Juan Barraza https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIW_DF6rTW4PORTLAND STARTUP NEWS 00:00 Unicorn Orca Security acquires Opus01:23 Portland Startup Week 2025 ends02:45 See you at the Portland Startup Week 2025 closing party…?03:09 Celebrating AANHPI startup founders and community leaders06:07 NedSpace featured in the Portland Business Journal 08:15 Paxton founding CTO is moving on to something new09:49 Columbia River Pitch applications are due 10:40 Demolicious Seattle 12:40 The Long Con with Juan BarrazaFIND RICK TUROCZY ON THE INTERNET AT…- https://patreon.com/turoczy- https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy- Portland startup news on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/portland-oregon-startup-news-silicon-florist/id1711294699- Portland startup news Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2cmLDH8wrPdNMS2qtTnhcy?si=H627wrGOTvStxxKWRlRGLQ- The Long Con on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-long-con/id1810923457- The Long Con on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/48oglyT5JNKxVH5lnWTYKA- https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social- https://siliconflorist.substack.com/- https://pdxslack.comABOUT SILICON FLORIST ----------For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet.ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ----------Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird.https://siliconflorist.com#pdx #portland #oregon #startup #entrepreneur

Send us a textEver stumbled upon a wine that makes you wonder why you hadn't discovered it sooner? That's exactly what happened when I uncorked the Tarongino Frizzante with Valencia Oranges from Trader Joe's.This Spanish treasure proves that wine innovation doesn't need to abandon tradition. Built on a foundation of Muscat de Alexandria—one of the world's oldest grape varieties, dating back thousands of years—this lightly sparkling wine offers something genuinely unique. The winemakers have thoughtfully infused it with juice from Valencia oranges, creating a beautiful orange-hued beverage that drinks like a sophisticated, ready-made mimosa but with more character and balance than you might expect.What truly sets this wine apart is its remarkable restraint. At just 7% alcohol and a mere 51 calories per glass, it's designed for those leisurely afternoons when you want to sip something delightful without worry. The bubbles are gentle (frizzante means it has less carbonation than Prosecco or Champagne), and the sweetness is surprisingly balanced—neither the Muscat nor the orange dominates the experience. Produced by a cooperative of small vineyard owners near Valencia, this $12.99 bottle represents authentic Spanish winemaking tradition with a modern, accessible twist.Whether you're hosting brunch, looking for a porch sipper, or simply want something refreshing and different, make sure to serve this wine well-chilled—perhaps even in an ice bucket to maintain that ideal temperature. Have you tried any fruit-infused wines that surprised you? Share your experience and let us know if you grab a bottle of this orange delight!Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.comor email us at podcast@cheapwinefinder.com

Portland Startup Week, Oregon Tech Awards, AI and VC training, two new Seattle VCs, and more in PDX startup news, this week. Let's get into it…PORTLAND STARTUP LINKS- Portland Startup Week 2025 https://lu.ma/pdxstartupweek- Startup founders: Where are they now…? https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/events/307287191/- Rogue Women VC fellowship https://airtable.com/appy6R9QwGbOp9DQd/shrkrIALeYcqkRw6o- Incisive Ventures thesis https://incisive.vc/2020/09/18/incisive-ventures-meta-themes/- AI Launchpad NW https://www.ailaunchpadnw.com/- Oregon AI Bootcamp https://www.oen.org/oregon-ai-bootcamp/ PORTLAND OREGON STARTUP NEWS00:00 Portland Startup Week 202501:45 Startup founders: Where are they now…? AAPI edition04:00 Rogue Women VC fellowship05:30 Two new Seattle VCs06:57 Two new AI training events10:27 TAO Oregon Tech Awards 202512:05 Westside Pitch 2025 winners (rumored)FIND RICK TUROCZY ON THE INTERNET AT…- https://patreon.com/turoczy- https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy- Portland startup news on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/portland-oregon-startup-news-silicon-florist/id1711294699- Portland startup news Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2cmLDH8wrPdNMS2qtTnhcy?si=H627wrGOTvStxxKWRlRGLQ- https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social- https://siliconflorist.substack.com/- https://pdxslack.comABOUT SILICON FLORIST ----------For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet.ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ----------Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird.https://siliconflorist.com#pdx #portland #oregon #startup #entrepreneur

In Episode #53, Lucien, on his last day in the U.S. before returning to Saudi Arabia on Friday and Dr. Hanaa, joining from Muscat, Oman, catch up with each other, with Dr. Hanaa giving her impressions from her inaugural trip to Oman and Lucien boasting about the weather in the U.S. right now. Then, the hosts get to a DEEPDIVE led by Lucien. The innovation landscape in Saudi Arabia just got a big boost on the back of news highlighting a significant increase in patent filings in Saudi Arabia, which has significant long-term economic implications and serves as a promising data point on the development and diversification of the Saudi economy.  After the DEEPDIVE, the hosts get to some of the latest news and storylines on Saudi Arabia, including the diplomatic implications of naming the 'Arabian Gulf', recent government reshuffles in Saudi Arabia, the ambitious Saudi Green Initiative aimed at environmental sustainability, and the launch of luxury hospitality projects by the Boutique Group.

AI vs VC. Time to move on Portland. A Portland startup wins an Oregon literary award. Upcoming events. And a new podcast. All of this and more in Portland startup news, this week. Let's get into it…PORTLAND STARTUP LINKS- How AI is disrupting VC https://www.fastcompany.com/91324189/how-ai-is-disrupting-the-vc-and-startup-ecosystem-ai-and-startups- VCs is safe from AI https://gizmodo.com/marc-andreessen-says-one-job-is-mostly-safe-from-ai-venture-capitalist-2000596506- Time to move on https://www.republicahospitality.com/post/time-to-move-on- Where are they now? https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/events/307287191/- Portland Startup Week 2025 https://lu.ma/pdxstartupweek- Help OSU Open Source Lab https://osuosl.org/blog/osl-future/- New podcast https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLr9gWRSfZqd6QlEb7IK8PiYks2dbwKgTmPORTLAND STARTUP NEWS00:00 Portland startup news intro0:21 Artificial Intelligence vs Venture Capital05:15 Time to move on, Portland09:20 Jelani Memory and A Kids Co. receives 2025 Oregon Book Award10:26 Where are they now…? AAPI founders and community leaders14:08 OSU Open Source Lab needs your help16:46 Fine. You win. A new podcast.FIND RICK TUROCZY ON THE INTERNET AT…- https://patreon.com/turoczy- https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy- Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/portland-oregon-startup-news-silicon-florist/id1711294699- Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2cmLDH8wrPdNMS2qtTnhcy?si=H627wrGOTvStxxKWRlRGLQ- https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social- https://siliconflorist.substack.com/- https://pdxslack.comABOUT SILICON FLORIST ----------For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet.ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ----------Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird.https://siliconflorist.com#pdx #portland #oregon #startup #entrepreneur

Americans, it's time to move to Europe! The American geo-strategist Jason Pack anticipated last week's advice from Simon Kuper and moved to London a few years ago during the first Trump Presidency. Pack, the host of the excellent Disorder podcast, confesses to be thrilled to have escaped MAGA America. He describes the esthetics of contemporary Washington DC as "post-apocalyptic" and criticizes what he sees as the Trump administration's hostile atmosphere, ideological purity tests, and institutional destruction. Contrasting this with Europe's ideological fluidity, Pack warns that Trump's isolationist policies are increasing global disorder by fundamentally undermining America's global leadership role with its erstwhile European allies. Five Key Takeaways* Pack left America because he found the "esthetics" of working in policy and media spaces increasingly distasteful, particularly during Trump's first administration.* He argues that European political systems allow for greater ideological fluidity, while American politics demands strict partisan loyalty.* Pack describes Washington DC as "post-apocalyptic" with institutions functioning like zombies - going through motions without accomplishing anything meaningful.* Unlike European populists who want to control institutions, Pack believes Trump's administration aims to destroy government institutions entirely.* Pack warns that America's deteriorating relationships with traditional allies is creating a "rudderless world" with increased global disorder and potential for conflict. Full TranscriptAndrew Keen: Hello, everybody. Over the last few days, we've been focusing on the impressions of America, of Trump's America around the world. We had the Financial Times' controversial columnist, Simon Cooper, on the show, arguing that it's the end of the American dream. He had a piece in the FT this week, arguing that it's time to move to Europe for Americans. Not everyone agrees. We had the London-based FT writer Jemima Kelly on the show recently, also suggesting that she hasn't quite given up on America. She is, of course, a Brit living in the UK and looking at America from London. My guest today, another old friend, is Jason Pack. He is the host of the Excellent Disorder podcast. Jason's been on the shows lots of times before. He's an observer of the world's early 21st century disorder. And he is an American living in London. So I'm thrilled that Jason is back on the show. Jason, did you have a chance to look at Simon Cooper's piece? Is it time for Americans to move to Europe?Jason Pack: You've already moved. Well, he's just popularizing what I've believed for eight or 10 years already. So yeah, I looked at the piece. I really enjoyed your podcast with him. I don't think many Americans will move because most Americans are not particularly global in their outlook. And as disenchanted as they will be, their networks of family and of perspective are in America. Some elites in media and finance will move. But for me, I just found the aesthetics of America becoming distasteful when I worked in D.C. during the first Trump administration. And that's why I pursued a European citizenship.Andrew Keen: Jason, it's interesting that you choose the word aesthetics. Two thoughts on that. Firstly, America has never been distinguished for its aesthetics. People never came to America for aesthetics. It's never been a particularly beautiful country, a very dynamic place, a very powerful place. So why do you choose that word aesthetic?Jason Pack: Because for most upper middle class Americans, life under Trump, particularly if they're white and heterosexual, will not change tremendously. But the aesthetics of working in the policy space or in the media will change. Having to deal with all the BS that we hear when we wake up and turn on the TV in the morning, having to interact with Republican nutcase friends who say, oh, the fat is being trimmed by the doge and don't worry about all those people who've been being laid off. The aesthetics of it are ugly and mean. And I have found among some Republican colleagues and friends of mine that they love the vileness of this dog-eat-dog aesthetic.Andrew Keen: Yeah, it's an interesting way of putting it. And I understand exactly what you're saying. I'm less concerned with the aesthetics as with the reality. And my sense in some ways of what's happening is that the Trump people are obsessed with what you call aesthetics. They want to appear mean. I'm not actually sure that they're quite as mean as they'd like to think they are.Jason Pack: Oh, they're pretty mean. I mean, people are running around the NIH offices, according to colleagues of mine. And if you're out to the bathroom and your card is inserted in your computer, they go in, they steal the data from your computer.Andrew Keen: Actually, I take your point. What I meant more by that is that whereas most traditional authoritarian regimes hide their crimes against migrants. They deny wrongdoing. My sense of the Trump regime, or certainly a lot of the people involved in this Trump administration, is that they actually exaggerate it because it gives them pleasure and it somehow benefits their brand. I'm not convinced that they're quite as bad as they'd like to think.Jason Pack: Oh, I agree with that. They make Schadenfreude a principle. They want to showcase that they enjoy other people's pain. It's a bizarre psychological thing. Trump, for example, wanted to show his virility and his meanness, probably because he's an inner coward and he's not that feral. But we digress in terms of the aesthetics of the individual American wanting to leave. I experienced American government, like the State Department, and then, the bureaucracy of the policy space, say think tanks, or even the government relations trade space, say working for oil companies and government relations, as already authoritarian and ass-kissing in America, and the aesthetics of those industries I have always preferred in Europe, and that's only diverging.Andrew Keen: One of the things that always struck me about Washington, D.C. It was always uncomfortable as an imperial city. It always has been since the end of the Second World War, with America dominating the world as being one of two or perhaps the only super power in the world. But Washington, DC seems to always have been uncomfortable wearing its imperial mantle cloak in comparison, I think, to cities like London or Paris. I wonder whether, I'm not sure how much time you've spent back in America since Trump came back to power. I wonder if in that sense DC is trying to catch up with London and Paris.Jason Pack: I actually was giving a briefing in Congress to staffers of the House Foreign Affairs Committee only three weeks ago, and DC seemed post-apocalyptic to me. Many of my favorite restaurants were closing. There was traffic jams at bizarre hours of the day, which I think this is because the Trump people don't know how public transport works and they just ride their cars everywhere. So, yes, it seemed very bizarre being back. You were trying to gauge the interlocutor you were speaking to, were they merely pretending to be on board with Trump's stuff, but they actually secretly think it's ridiculous, or were they true believers? And you had to assess that before you would make your comments. So there is a slide to a kind of, again, neo-authoritarian aesthetic. In my conference, it became clear that the Republican Congressional staffers thought that it was all junk and that Trump doesn't care about Libya and he doesn't understand these issues. But we needed to make lip service in how we expressed our recommendations. So, fascinatingly, various speakers said, oh, there's a transactional win. There's a way that cheaper oil can be gotten here or we could make this policy recommendation appeal to the transactional impulses of the administration. Even though everyone knew that we were speaking in a Democrat echo-chamber where the only Republicans present were anti-Trump Republicans anyway.Andrew Keen: Describe DC as post-apocalyptic. What exactly then, Jason, is the apocalypse?Jason Pack: I don't think that the Trump people who are running the show understand how government works and whether you're at state or the NIH or USAID, you're kind of under siege and you're just doing what you're supposed to do and going through the motions. I mean, there's so much of like the zombie apocalypse going on. So maybe it's more zombie apocalypse than regular apocalypse, whereby the institutions are pretending to do their work, but they know that it doesn't accomplish anything. And the Trumpian appointees are kind of pretending to kind of cancel people on DAI, but the institutions are still continuing.Andrew Keen: I'm going to vulgarize something you said earlier. You talked about Trump wanting to appear bigger than he actually is. Maybe we might call that small penis syndrome. Is that, and then that's my term, Jason, let's be clear, not yours. Maybe it's fair or not. He probably would deny it, but I don't think he'll come on this show. He's more than welcome. Is that also reflected in the people working for him? Is there a bit of a small penis syndrome going on with a lot of the Trump people? Are they small town boys coming to America, coming to D.C. And in all their raison d'état trying to smash up the world that they always envied?Jason Pack: 100%. If you look at the Tucker Carlson and the Hegset, who went to Princeton in 03, and obviously Tucker Carlsen's WASP elite background is well known, they wanted to make it conventionally and couldn't. Hegson didn't achieve the rank of lieutenant general or colonel or anything in the army. He didn't make it in finance and Vance, obviously had just a minor career in finance, they didn't make the big time except through their hate and resentment of the establishment that succeeded on merit. So, I mean, you could call that small penis syndrome. I think another thing to point out is that many of them have been selected because whether they've been accused of rape or financial crimes or just meanness, they owe the great leader their ability to be in that position. And if he would throw them overboard they're entirely exposed, so that cash patels of the world and the Hexeds of the world serve at the mercy of the great leader, because if they were thrown to the wolves, they could be devoured for their misdeeds. And I think that that makes it a place where it's all about loyalty to the boss. But maybe we could pivot to the initial topic about how I think Europe is a place where you can reinvent yourself as an individual now. Certainly in the political and ideology space, and America really hasn't been for much of my left.Andrew Keen: Yeah, it's interesting. And this is how actually our conversation you're doing. You're a much better podcast host than I am, Jason. You're reminding us of the real conversation rather than getting led down one Trumpian byway or another. I did a show recently on why I still believe in the American dream. And I was interviewed by my friend, David Maschiottra, another old friend of the show. And I suggested I originally came to America to reinvent myself and that's always been the platform with which Europeans have come to America. You're suggesting that perhaps the reverse is true now.Jason Pack: I really enjoyed that episode. I thought you were a great guest and he was a natural host. But I realized how it wasn't speaking to me. Many of my European friends who work in law, finance, tech, startup, you know, they finished their degrees in Italy or in England and they moved to America. And that's where they raised venture capital and they go on the exact success trajectory that you explained and they fetishize, oh my God, when my green card is gonna come through, I'm gonna have this big party. That never resonated with me because America was never a land of opportunity for me. And it hit me in hearing your podcast that that's because what I've aspired to is to work in government slash think tank or to be a professional expert. And if you don't ally yourself with one of the major political movements, you're always branded and you can never move ahead. I'll give a few examples if you're interested in the way that my trying to be in the center has meant that I could never find a place in America.Andrew Keen: Absolutely. So you're suggesting that your quote-unquote American dream could only be realized in Europe.Jason Pack: So I moved to the Middle East to serve my country after 9/11. If Gore had been elected president, I likely would have joined the army or the Marines or something. But Bush was president and I knew I needed to do this on my own. So, you know, I lived in Beirut, then I went to Iraq. Where did you graduate from, Jason? I graduated from Williams in 2002, but I was changing my studies as soon as the 9-11 happened. I stopped my senior thesis in biology and I pivoted to doing the Middle East. I thought the Middle East was going to be the next big thing. But I didn't realize that if you wanted to do it your own way, for example, living in Syria prior to working in government, then you couldn't get those security clearances. But in the UK, that's not really a problem. If you go to Leeds or Oxford and you got sent to study Arabic in Syria, you can work for the UK government, but not in America. If your went and did that your own way, your loyalties would be questioned. You wouldn't get your security clearance. I got an internship to work at the U.S. Embassy in Muscat, where I fell afoul of my supervisors because I was someone who wanted to speak in Arabic with Omanis and, for example, go to hear prayers at the mosque and really be a part of the society. And I was told, don't do that. But aren't we here to understand about Oman? And they're like, no, it's really important to mostly socialize with people at the embassy. But my British colleagues, they were out there in Omani society, and they were, for example, really participating in stuff because the relationship between the Omanis and the Brits and the Americans is a happy one. That's just a small example, but I wanna make the kind of further point, which is that if you wanna get promoted in think tank world in America, it doesn't matter whether it's Cato or Heritage on the right or New America Foundation or Middle East Institute on the left. You have to buy in hook, line, and sinker to the party line of those institutions. And if that party line is DEI, as it was at the Middle East Institute when I was there, and you're a white heterosexual male, you're not going to get promoted. And if, for example, you want to then interact with some Zionist think tank like FDD, the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, I was going to a fellowship there for work that I had done about monitoring ISIS in Libya, and they had proposed a funding line for my project, which was just technically reading jihadi Facebook posts and monitoring them. And then they did some more research on me, ironically, after we had already signed the funds. And they said, oh, we're so sorry, we are going to have to pull back on this. We are going have to pay you a kill fee. We are really, really sorry. And I came to understand why that was. And it was because I had advocated that the Iranians should be allowed to get the bomb so that they could have mutually assured destruction theory with Israel.Andrew Keen: Well, Jason, I take your point, but everyone has their own narrative when it comes to why their career didn't did or didn't take off and how they know what that doesn't happen in Europe. I'm just making a contrast. Let me just come back to my argument about America, which is it isn't necessarily as straightforward as perhaps at first it seems. I think one of the reasons why America has always been a great place for reinvention is because of the absence of memory.Jason Pack: No, but what I'm saying is Google will inspire on you, and if you're not within the ideological cadre, you cannot progress at these kind of institutions.Andrew Keen: Okay, I take your point on that, but thinking more broadly, America is a place where you can, I've done so many different things in this country from being a scholar to being an internet entrepreneur to being an expert on technology to being a critic of technology to being against podcasts, to being a podcaster. And you can get away, and I've failed in practically all of them, if not all of them, but the fact is that because people don't have memory, you can keep on doing different things and people won't say, well, how can you get away with this? Last week you were doing X. My sense, and maybe correct me if I'm wrong about London or Europe, is there is much more memory. You can't get away with perpetual reinvention in Europe as you can in the U.S. and maybe that's because of the fact that in your language, living in Europe with its memory and respect for memory is more aesthetically pleasing. So I'm not suggesting this is as simple as it might appear.Jason Pack: I agree with that last point, but I think I'm trying to bring something else out. In spheres like tech or podcasting, there isn't credentialism in America. And therefore, if you're just good at it, you don't need the credentials and you can get going. And you and other Europeans who had great merit, as you do, have benefited from that. And in Europe, you might run up against credentialism, but, oh, but you didn't work at the BBC, so you don't get the job. I'm making a different point about ideological purity within the very specific realms of, say, working for an American presidential candidate or briefing a policymaker or rising up at a think tank. I have briefed labor MPs, Lib Dem MPs and Tory MPs. And they don't ask my politics. I can go in there and get a meeting with Keir Starmer's people on Libya, and they don't care about the fact that I want him to do something slightly different. Criticized him and praised him at different times on my podcast, try having an influence with some Trump people and then say, Oh, well, you know, I really think that I can help you on this Libya policy, but I happened to run a fairly anti-Trump podcast. No, you just can't get the briefing because America is about ideological purity tests and getting your ticket punch in the government and think tank and exporting professions, and therefore it's not some place you can reinvent yourself. If you're clearly an anti-Trump Republican McCainite, you can't all of a sudden become an AOC Democrat for the purpose of one meeting. But in Europe you can, because you can be a Lib Dem like Liz Truss and then be a Tory Prime Minister. And no one cares what my position on these topics are when they ask me to brief Keir Starmer's people and that's something that I find so fantastic about Europe.Andrew Keen: Yeah, it's interesting. I mean, you know this stuff better than I do. But isn't someone like Truss rooted in ideological purity? She was a Lib Dem when she was at Oxford. Yeah, but that was a long time ago. I can reverse that, Jason, and say, well, when Trump was young, he ran around with Bill and Hillary Clinton, he went to their wedding, he funded them. He never was even a Republican until 2014 or 15. So, I mean, he's an example of the very ideological fluidity that you idealize in Europe.Jason Pack: I agree with your point. I think that he's an exception there and he wouldn't have allowed it from his staffers. They now have essentially loyalty tested everything. It's not a place where if you were Democrat with ideas that would benefit the Trumpian establishment, you can be heard. I'll give an example. I like the Abraham Accords and I have a colleague who wants to help extend the Abraham Accords to Pakistan, she can only work with ideologically pure Republicans in the pitching of this idea. She can't work with someone like me because I don't have the ideological purity, even though this is a nonpartisan idea and it should be embraced if you can get the Trumpians to be interested in it. But that's not how America works and it has not been. Reagan, of course, if you said that you like taxes, and I'm someone who likes taxes and I don't believe in the Laffer curve, and neoliberalism is a sham, you couldn't be on that economic team. So there are different ideological tests. Trump was never a politician, so he's not an expert like me in the expert class where we've been litmus tested our whole careers.Andrew Keen: Interesting. Jason, yesterday I was talking to someone who was thinking of hiring me to do a speech in Europe to a business group, and we were discussing the kinds of speeches I could give, and one of the things I suggested was a defense of America, suggesting that we can believe in America and that everyone's wrong. And these people have hired me before. I've often made provocative counterintuitive arguments, there was a little bit of a silence and they said, you can't make that speech in Europe. No one will take it seriously to a business community. What's generally, I mean, you travel a lot, you talk to lots of different people. Have people really given up on the promise of America, particularly within the establishment, the business establishment, the political establishment?Jason Pack: I don't know. I think that many Europeans still think that this is a passing phase. I will comment on the fact that I do not see anti-Americanism in my daily life as a result of Trump, the way that, for example, you do see anti-Semitism as a results of Netanyahu's policy. The individual Jew is tarred by horrible things happening in Gaza, but the individual American is not tarred by the deporting and illegal detentions and sacking of people by Doge because people in Poland or London or even the Middle East understand that you're likely to not be a Trump supporter and they're not targeting you as an individual as a result of that. So I think they believe in the promise of America and they still might like to move to America. But on individual level if you want to be a political animal inside the beast of campaigns, rising up to be a David Axelrod kind of figure. America has been a place of these litmus tests. Whereas in Europe, you know, I feel that there's tremendous fluidity because in Italy they have so and so many political parties and in Germany, what's the distinction between the SPD at one moment in the CDU and the Greens and there's a tradition of coalitions that allows the individual to reinvent himself.Andrew Keen: One of the things that came up with Cooper, and he's certainly no defender of Marine Le Pen or Meloni in Italy, but he suggested that the Trump people are far to the right of Le Pen and Meloni. Would you agree with that?Jason Pack: Because they want to break down institutions, whereas Le Pen and Meloni simply want to conquer the institutions and use them. They're not full-blown, disordering neopopulists, to use the language of my disorder podcast. When Meloni is in power, she loves the Italian state and she wants it to function merely with her ideological slant. Whereas the Trumpians, they have a Bannonite wing, they don't simply wanna have a MAGA agenda, use the U.S. Government. No, they want to break the Department of Agriculture. They want to break the EPA. They simply want to destroy our institutions. And there's no European political party that wants that. Maybe on the fringe like reform, but reform probably doesn't even want that.Andrew Keen: But Jason, we've heard so much about how the Bannonites idealized Orban in Hungary. A lot of people believe that Project 2025 was cooked up in Budapest trying to model America on Orban. Is there any truth to that? I mean, are the Trump people really re-exporting Orbanism back into the United States?Jason Pack: That there is some truth, but it can be overplayed. It can go back further to Berlusconi. It's the idea that a particularly charismatic political leader can come to dominate the media landscape by either having a state media channel in the Berlusconi sense or cowing media coverage to make it more favorable, which is something that Orban has done geniusly, and then doling out contracts and using the state for patronage, say, Orban's father's construction business and all those concrete soccer stadiums. There is an attempt potentially in Trump land to, through an ideological project, cow the media and the checks and balances and have a one-party state with state media. I think it's going to be difficult for them to achieve, but Chuck Carlson and others and Bannon seem to want that.Andrew Keen: You were on Monocle recently talking about the Pope's death. J.D. Vance, of course, is someone who apparently had a last, one of the last conversations with the Pope. Pope wasn't particularly, Pope Francis wasn't particularly keen on him. Bannon and Vance are both outspoken Catholics. What's your take on the sort of this global religious movement on the part of right-wing Catholics, and how does it fit in, not only to the death of Francis, but perhaps the new Pope?Jason Pack: It's a very interesting question. I'm not a right-wing Catholic, so I'm really not in a position to...Andrew Keen: I thought you were Jason, that's why you could always come on the show.Jason Pack: I think that they don't have the theological bona fides to say that what they call Catholicism is Catholicism because obviously Jesus turned the other cheek, you know, and Jesus didn't want to punish his enemies and make poor black or Hispanic women suffer. But there is an interesting thing that has been going on since 1968, which is that there was a backlash against the student protests and free love and the condom and all the social changes that that brought about. And Catholics have been at the forefront, particularly Catholic institutions, in saying this has gone too far and we need to use religion to retake our society. And if we don't, no one will have children and we will lose out and the Muslims and Africans will rule the roost because they're having babies. And that right-wing Catholicism is caught up in the moral panic and culture wars since 1968. What I argued in the monocle interview that you referenced from earlier today is something quite different, which is that the Catholic Church has a unique kind of authority, and that that unique kind of authority can be used to stand up against Trump, Bannon, Orban, and other neopopulists in a way that, say, Mark Carney or Keir Starmer cannot, because if Mark Kearney and Keir Stormer say, you guys are not sufficiently correctly American and you're not following the American laws, blah, blah blah, the kind of Americans who support Trump are not convinced by that because they say, these are just, you know, pinko Brits and Canadians. I don't even care about Mark Kearny, but it's quite different if the next Pontiff is someone who comes not only from the school of Francis, but maybe more so is a great communicator vested in the real doctrines of the church, the Lateran Councils and Vatican too, and can say, actually this given thing that Trump has just said is not in line with the principles of Jesus. It's not inline with what the Vatican has said about, for example, migration or social equity. And I find that that is a unique opportunity because even the right-wing Catholics have to acknowledge the Pope and Christian doctrine and the ability of the Catholic hierarchy to say this is not in line with our teachings. So I think there's a very interesting opportunity right now.Andrew Keen: Perhaps that brings to mind Stalin's supposedly famous remarks to Churchill at Potsdam when they were talking about the Pope. Stalin said to Churchill, the Pope, how many divisions does he have? In other words, it's all about ideology, morality, and ultimately it doesn't really. It's the kind of thing that perhaps if some of the Trump people were as smart as Stalin, they might make the same remark.Jason Pack: That was a physical war, and the Pope didn't have divisions to sway the battles in World War II, but this is an ideological or an influence war. And the Pope, if you've just seen from media coverage over the last week, is someone who has tremendous media influence. And I do think that the new pontiff could, if he wanted to, stand up to the moral underpinnings of Trump and pull even the most right-wing Catholics away from a Trumpian analysis. Religion is supposed to be about, because Jesus didn't say punish your enemies. Don't turn the other cheek and own the libs. Jesus said something quite different than that. And it will be the opportunity of the new Catholic leader to point that out.Andrew Keen: I'm not sure if you've seen the movie Conclave, which was very prescient, made by my dear London friend, or at least produced by Tessa Ross at House Productions. But I wonder in these new conversations whether in the debates about who should the new Pope be, they'll mull over TikTok presence.Jason Pack: I hope they will. And I want to point out something that many people probably are not aware, which is that the College of Cardinals that constitutes the conclave does not have to pick one of their member to be pope. For the last six centuries, they have always chosen one of their own number, but they don't have to. So they could choose someone who has not only an ability to make great TikToks, but someone who can put forth a vision about climate change, about tax equity, for example, maybe about AI and what constitutes humanity from within the Catholic tradition, but reaching new faithful. And I think that they might actually consider we're doing this because in places like Western Europe, attendance is down, but in Eastern Europe and Latin America, it isn't. And in Africa, it's surging. So they may want to reach new millennials in Gen Z with a new message, but one which is rooted in their tradition. And I think that that would be a great counterbalance to what Trump and his ilk have done to how media coverage place things like climate change and migrants these days.Andrew Keen: Speaking of Trump and his ilk, Jason, lots of conversations here about the first cracks in his monolith. Speaking to me from London, I always look at the front page of The Telegraph, a conservative English newspaper. I refuse to give the money, so I never actually read any of the pieces. But I'm always curious as to the traditional conservative media attitude to Trump. What do not so much the Conservative Party, which seems to be in crisis in the UK, but what does Conservative media, Conservative thinkers, what's their take currently on Trump? Are you seeing a crack? Are people seeing this guy's absolutely insane and that the tariff policy is going to make all of us, everybody in the world poorer?Jason Pack: Well, Trump has always been a vote loser in the UK. So that even though Farage brags about his relationship, it isn't something that gets him more votes for reform. And whether it's Sunak or Badnak, and Badnak is the current leader of the Tory party, which is an opposition, she can't so closely associate herself with Trump because he's not popular in even right-wing British circles. However, the Tory media, like the telegraph and the spectator, they love the idea that he's owning the Libs. We talked about Schadenfreude, we talked about attacking the woke. The spectator has taken a very anti-woke turn over the last five to 10 years. And they love the ideal of pointing out the hypocrisies of the left and the effeminacy of it and all of that. And that gets them more clicks. So from a media perspective, there is a way in which the Murdoch media is always going to love the click bait, New York post bait of the Trump presidency. And that applies very much, you know, with the sun and the Daily Mail and the way that they cover media in this country.Andrew Keen: Although I was found in the U.S. That perhaps the newspaper that has been most persistently and usefully critical of Trump is the Wall Street Journal, which is owned by Murdoch.Jason Pack: Yeah, but that's a very highbrow paper, and I think that it's been very critical of the tariff policy and it said a lot of intelligent things about Trump's early missteps. It doesn't reach the same people as the New York Post or the Daily Mail do.Andrew Keen: Finally, Jason, let's go back to Disorder, your excellent podcast. You started it a couple of years ago before this new Trump madness. You were always one of the early people on this global disorder. How much more disordered can the world become? Of course, it could become more disorded in terms of war. In late April 2025, is the world more disordered than it was in April 2024, when Biden was still in power? I mean, we still have these wars in Gaza, in Ukraine, doesn't seem as if that much has changed, or am I wrong?Jason Pack: I take your point, but I'm using disorder in a particularly technical sense in a way by which I mean the inability of major powers to coordinate together for optimal solutions. So in the Biden days of last year, yes, the Ukraine and Gaza wars may be waging, but if Jake Sullivan or Blinken were smarter or more courageous, they could host a summit and work together with their French and British and Argentinian allies. Put forth some solutions. The world is more disordered today because it doesn't have a leader. It doesn't have institutions, the UN or NATO or the G7 where those solutions on things like the Ukraine war attacks could happen. And you may say, but wait, Jason, isn't Trump actually doing more leadership? He's trying to bring the Ukrainians and the Russians to the table. And I would say he isn't. They're not proposing actual solutions. They don't care about solving underlying issues. They're merely trying to get media wins. He wants the Japanese to come to Washington to have the semblance of a new trade deal, not a real trade deal. He's trying to reorder global finance in semblance, not in reality. So the ability to come to actual solutions through real coordinating mechanisms where I compromise with you is much weaker than it was last year. And on the Disorder Podcast, we explore all these domains from tax havens to cryptocurrency to cyber attacks. And I think that listeners of Keen On would really enjoy how we delve into those topics and try to see how they reflect where we're at in the global system.Andrew Keen: Yeah, it's a strongly, I would strongly agree with you. I would encourage all keen on listeners to listen to Disorder and vice versa if this gets onto the Disorder podcast. What about the China issue? How structural is the tariff crisis, if that's the right word, gonna change US relations with China? Is this the new Cold War, Jason?Jason Pack: I'm not an economist, but from what I've been told by the economists I've interviewed on my podcast, it's absolutely completely game changing because whether it's an Apple iPhone or most pieces of manufactured kit that you purchase or inputs into American manufacturing, it's assembled everywhere and the connections between China and America are essential to the global economy. Work and it's not like you can all of a sudden move those supply chains. So this trade war is really a 1930s style beggar thy neighbor approach to things and that led to and deepened the great depression, right? So I am very worried. I had the sense that Trump might back off because he does seem to be very sensitive to the markets. But maybe this is such an ideological project and, you know, Andrew Ross Sorkin on CNBC was just saying, even though he's willing to back off if the T bill rate changes, he thinks that his strategy is working and that he's going to get some deals. And that terrifies me because that's not what's happening. It isn't working. And God forbid that they'll push this to its logical conclusion and cause a new recession or depression.Andrew Keen: I know you've got to run Jason. So final question, let's return to where we began with America and the changing nature of America. Your last episode of Disorder was with Corey Sharpe, who is a very, very good and one of Washington DC's, I think, smartest foreign policy analysts. She asks, what's America without allies? If this continues, what, indeed, I mean, you're happy in London, so I don't sound like you're coming back, whatever. But what will America become if indeed all these traditional allies, the UK, France, Germany, become, if not enemies, certainly just transactional relationships? What becomes of America without allies?Jason Pack: Wow, great question. I'm gonna treat this in two parts, the American cultural component and then the structural geopolitical component. I'm a proud American. Culturally, I work on Sundays. I don't take any holiday. I get angry at contractors who are not direct. I am going to be American my whole life and I want an American style work ethic and I wanna things to function and the customer to always be right. So I didn't move to Europe to get European stuff in that way, and I think America will still be great at new inventions and at hard work and at all of that stuff and will still, the NFL will still be a much better run sports league than European sports leagues. Americans are great at certain things. The problem is what if America's role in the world as having the reserve currency, coordinating the NATO allies. If that's eviscerated, we're just going to be living more and more in the global enduring disorder, as Corey Schacke points out, which is that the Europeans don't know how to lead. They can't step up because they don't have one prima inter Paris. And since the decline of the British Empire, the British haven't learned how, for example, to coordinate the Europeans for the defense of Ukraine or for making new missile technologies or dealing with the defense industry. So we're just dealing with a rudderless world. And that's very worrying because there could be major conflict. And then I just have to hope that a new American administration, it could be a Republican one, but I think it just can't be a Trumpian one, will go back to its old role of leadership. I haven't lost hope in America. I've just lost hope in this current administration.Andrew Keen: Well, I haven't lost hope in Jason Pack. He is an ally of ours at Keen On. He's the host of the Excellent Disorder podcast. Jason, it's always fun to have you on the show. So much to discuss and no doubt there will be much more over the summer, so we'll have you back on in the next month or two. Thank you so much. Keep well. Stay American in London. Thank you again.Jason Pack: It was a great pleasure. Thanks, Andrew. See you then. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

#iranusa #iran #bandarabbas #conversazioniran Nella capitale dell'Oman terzo e decisivo round del negoziato tra Usa e Iran sul nucleare. A Bandar Abbas un'esplosione devasta il principale porto iraniano.

Portland Startup Week 2025 (06:55) is only 2 weeks away. Get the latest news on PDX Startup Week and all of the events, Portland startup raises $11.2M, some interesting guests in town, and a couple of startup applications that are due. Let's get into it…PORTLAND STARTUP LINKS- Photon Marine https://photonmarine.com/- Newlab https://www.newlab.com/- Pitch Black Podcast https://www.pitchblack.org/podcast/clarence-bethea- Show up for small business (Ankeny Alley) https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/events/307221148/- Portland Startup Week 2025 https://lu.ma/pdxstartupweek- Araceli Biosciences - https://www.aracelibio.com/ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jvx0Kaupm4- Oregon UAS Accelerator https://oregonuas.org/apply- TiE Oregon Columbia River Pitch https://www.tieoregon.org/pitch-oregon/columbia-river-pitch- Portland startup news weekly newsletter https://siliconflorist.substack.comPORTLAND STARTUP NEWS00:00 Portland startup news intro00:30 Celebrating the small wins01:13 Shoutouts for Yalda, Caroline, Marcelino, and  @newlabplatform  04:00 Clarence Bethea of True Ventures on the Pitch Black Podcast05:12 A top secret bonus special thing especially for you06:55 Portland Startup Week 202512:21 Araceli Biosciences raises $11.2M13:47  @OregonUASAccelerator  applications due15:06  @TiEOregon  Columbia River Pitch applications due16:30 Trivial fun fact17:27 TiE Oregon Westside Pitch 2025 companies18:59 Daily Silicon Florist link arrangementFIND RICK TUROCZY ON THE INTERNET AT…- https://patreon.com/turoczy- https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy- Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/portland-oregon-startup-news-silicon-florist/id1711294699- Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2cmLDH8wrPdNMS2qtTnhcy?si=H627wrGOTvStxxKWRlRGLQ- https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social- https://siliconflorist.substack.com/- https://pdxslack.comABOUT SILICON FLORIST ----------For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet.ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ----------Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird.https://siliconflorist.com#pdx #portland #pdxsw #oregon #startup #entrepreneur

* Israel bombs homes and tents in besieged Gaza "Israel has killed at least seven more Palestinians in nighttime strikes on a home and tents for the displacement across Gaza. Four people, including two children and a girl, were killed in a strike on a tent for the displaced in the Al-Mawasi area in western Khan Younis in southern Gaza. One person was killed and 20 others, including 15 children, were wounded in a separate strike on a home in the Khan Younis refugee camp. And two people were killed and several others wounded in another strike that hit a tent in western Gaza City." *Death toll from US strikes on Yemen mounts to 74 Yemen's Houthis have said US strikes on a fuel port killed 74 people and wounded more than 170, making it the deadliest attack of Washington's intensified month-long air campaign. *Iran and US to resume crucial nuclear talks in Rome " Iran and the United States will hold a new round of nuclear talks in Rome to resolve their decades-long standoff over Tehran's atomic aims, under the shadow of President Donald Trump's threat to unleash military action if diplomacy fails. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will negotiate indirectly through mediators from Oman, a week after a first round in Muscat that both sides described as constructive." *DRC boat disaster leaves at least 148 people dead " At least 148 people have been found dead in Democratic Republic of Congo after a motorised wooden boat caught fire and capsized. Officials said that the boat was carrying as many as 500 passengers, including women and children, when it overturned in the Congo River located in the country's northwest region." *Erdogan: Al Aqsa Mosque is our red line " Turkish President Rejep Tayyip Erdogan has strongly condemned Israeli actions at the Haram al Sharif, reiterating that the Al Aqsa Mosque and the surrounding complex belong solely to Muslims and must remain intact. He declared that Al Aqsa is a “red line” for Türkiye, emphasising it would remain so forever. Erdogan called on Israel to immediately halt all provocations, raids, and actions that threaten the sanctity and unity of the holy site."

Is there more VC flowing into Portland? A new president for TiE Oregon, $1M in funding for a Bluesky effort, and Portland startup events galore. Let's get into Portland, Oregon, startup news for this week…PORTLAND STARTUP LINKS- TiE Oregon https://oregon.tie.org- Bluesky raises $1M https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/31/custom-feed-builder-graze-is-building-a-business-on-bluesky-and-investors-are-paying-attention/- Uptick in Portland Venture Capital in 2025 Q1 https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/inno/stories/inno-insights/2025/04/15/venture-monitor-q1-oregon-metro.html - Portland Digital Corps https://siliconflorist.com/2025/04/17/portland-digital-corps-ramps-up/ - Portland AI Engineers https://www.meetup.com/portland-ai-engineers/- PIE + Portland startup community events https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/- Portland Startup Week 2025 https://lu.ma/pdxstartupweek- Startup Success podcast https://open.spotify.com/episode/1uW9DLlNVTDtEqg243fuwh?si=Cwb0V3bBRvmq4ljC1dHAlA- 5 Min Startup https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbbAT6TcH-8PORTLAND STARTUP NEWS00:00 Portland startup news intro00:35 Matt Dittrich named new president of TiE Oregon03:11 Graze raises $1 million for Bluesky tooling06:01 Significantly more VC in Q1 202508:30 Portland Digital Corps is up and running12:00 Portland AI Engineers meets April 30, 202512:42 PIE + Portland startup community events 19:15 Me on other podcastsFIND RICK TUROCZY ON THE INTERNET AT…- https://patreon.com/turoczy- https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy- https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social- https://siliconflorist.substack.com/- https://pdxslack.comABOUT SILICON FLORIST ----------For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet.ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ----------Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird.https://siliconflorist.com#pdx #portland #oregon #startup #entrepreneur

Colloqui sul nucleare a Muscat tra Iran e Stati Uniti. Primo round.A cura di Domenico Frascà di Frascà & Partners, Analisi geopolitica e politico-istituzionale.

In this episode of the Vint Wine Podcast, we sit down with Jean-Frédéric Hugel, 13th-generation vintner at Famille Hugel in Alsace, to explore one of France's most historic wine families and regions. Founded in 1639, Famille Hugel is a benchmark producer known for its Rieslings, Gewürztraminer, and age-worthy late-harvest wines.Jean-Frédéric discusses his family's centuries-long legacy in Alsace, the evolution of Hugel's winemaking, and the unique terroir and culture that define the region. He also shares what it means to represent Alsace in the Primum Familiae Vini (PFV), a group of 12 leading family-owned wine estates from across Europe.Key topics include:The distinct profile of Alsace Riesling compared to German or Austrian stylesThe role of Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Muscat in Hugel's aromatic dry whitesHow Hugel produces some of the world's longest-lived Vendange Tardive and Sélection de Grains Nobles(botrytized sweet wines)The philosophy behind Hugel's Classic, Estate, and Grossi Laüe tiersHugel's new project: their first-ever Crémant d'Alsace sparkling wineWhy Hugel doesn't use oak and how their neutral winemaking showcases terroir

As the U.S. and Iran engage in their first direct nuclear negotiations since the Obama administration, tensions in the Middle East are escalating. In this episode of The P.A.S. Report Podcast, Professor Nick Giordano analyzes the implications of these high-stakes talks held in Muscat, Oman, and the potential for a U.S. military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. With Iran's uranium enrichment nearing weapons-grade levels and the deployment of U.S. B-2 bombers to Diego Garcia, the situation is precarious. Professor Giordano explores the broader geopolitical ramifications, including possible actions by China, Russia, and Venezuela, and the risk of a global conflict. Episode Highlights: U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks: Insights into the recent negotiations in Oman and the challenges ahead . Military Posturing: Examination of the U.S. military buildup, including the deployment of B-2 bombers, and its strategic implications . Global Flashpoints: Analysis of how a conflict with Iran could trigger broader geopolitical tensions involving major powers.  

It's not often we see a new social app launch. A drone accelerator program deadline approaches. Tons of events from AI gatherings to small business support to Portland Startup Week 2025. All that and more in Portland Oregon startup news this week. PORTLAND STARTUP LINKS- Save the date https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/events/307183761/- Dayo https://dayo.co - Launch Party https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dayo-launch-party-90s-dance-jam-tickets-1295003964719 - Dayo on Product Hunt https://www.producthunt.com/products/dayo-2 - GeekWire on Dayo https://www.geekwire.com/2025/get-paid-to-limit-social-media-time-portland-startups-app-monitors-usage-and-gives-rewards/- Oregon UAS Accelerator application https://www.einpresswire.com/article/801430762/oregon-uas-accelerator-opens-applications-for-summer-2025-cohort- Portland Office of Small Business "Show Up for Small Business" https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/events/307221148/- Portland AI Engineers https://www.meetup.com/portland-ai-engineers/- Portland Startup Week 2025 https://lu.ma/pdxstartupweekPORTLAND STARTUP NEWS00:00 Portland startup news intro00:14 Portland startup community gatherings new and old02:05 Dayo takes on social media05:09  @OregonUASAccelerator  applications are due06:42 Show up for small business09:56 New AI meetup for Portland AI Engineers12:12 Portland Startup Week 202514:13 Celebrating AAPI founders and community leadersFIND RICK TUROCZY ON THE INTERNET AT…- https://patreon.com/turoczy- https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy- https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social- https://siliconflorist.substack.com/- https://pdxslack.comABOUT SILICON FLORIST ----------For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet.ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ----------Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird.https://siliconflorist.com#pdx #portland #oregon #startup #entrepreneur

Three VC funding rounds announced this week and whole bunch of Portland startup events to cover from AI in Bend to incubators in Vancouver Washington and everything in between. Let's get into it.PORTLAND STARTUP LINKS- Travel Oregon ads - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doVV1a7XgyQ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIC-XmyEfhI - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi4fGPPPmGA- Speaker Skills https://speakerskillsacademy.com/creative-lab- AI in the West https://aiwestconf.com/- Portland Startup Week 2025 https://lu.ma/pdxstartupweek- Dayo launch party https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dayo-launch-party-90s-dance-jam-tickets-1295003964719- Beeminder https://www.beeminder.com/PORTLAND STARTUP NEWS00:00 Portland startup news intro01:16 Thanks so much for the comments!01:43 Hydrolix raises $80 million04:45 OpenAI imagery reminded me of Travel Oregon ads from  @wiedenkennedy  06:10 Sturdy.ai raises $6 million08:40 Prophetic raises Seed round10:39 TEDxPortland adjacent speaker coaching workshop14:08 AI in the West 16:00 Portland Startup Week20:15 Portland startup community gathering25:45 Vancouver Washington Startup IncubatorFIND RICK TUROCZY ON THE INTERNET AT…- https://patreon.com/turoczy- https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy- https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social- https://siliconflorist.substack.com/- https://pdxslack.comABOUT SILICON FLORIST ----------For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet.ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ----------Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird.https://siliconflorist.com#pdx #portland #oregon #startup #entrepreneur

This week in Portland startup news… why does $300M in funding for Mercury matter to Portland, an event fail and recovery, a whole new Portland startup pitch event with a twist, and more events and startup news. Let's get into it…PORTLAND STARTUP LINKS- Mercury raises $300M https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/stock-market-today-dow-nasdaq-sp500-03-26-2025/card/exclusive-fintech-banking-startup-mercury-raises-300-million-at-a-3-5-billion-valuation-vXq9qru1qLFSwNB1yyMw- Portland startup community gathering April 8 https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/events/305535888/- A rant on pitch competitions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9AwxrAYZhc&t=1270s- I Hope You Get Rich https://www.asianamericantown.com/pitch-competition- Portland Digital Corps https://calagator.org/events/1250481853- Startup Open Coffee in the Couve https://calagator.org/events/1250481428- Rose City Techies Book Exchange https://calagator.org/events/1250481784- Startup Cafe @ The Hub https://calagator.org/events/1250481824- Face Plant https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/inno/stories/news/2025/03/21/face-plant-vegan-fast-food-lands-on-swan-island.html- Chatham House Rule https://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/chatham-house-rule- Four takeaways from a startup gathering https://siliconflorist.com/2025/03/26/four-takeaways-from-an-honest-and-open-startup-community-gathering/PORTLAND OREGON STARTUP NEWS00:00 Portland startup news intro01:50 Mercury raises $300M - and has a Portland footprint04:35 Join us April 8 for a Portland startup community gathering06:55 Secret behind the scenes info11:00 Already planning the July event, codenamed "Cookout"12:25 Reflecting on my rant about pitch competitions14:30 I Hope You Get Rich pitch event16:33 Upcoming events next week19:28 Face Plant takes on McDonald's23:50 Takeaways from an intimate startup gatheringFIND RICK TUROCZY ON THE INTERNET AT…- https://patreon.com/turoczy- https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy- https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social- https://siliconflorist.substack.com/ABOUT SILICON FLORIST ----------For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet.ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ----------Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird.https://siliconflorist.com#pdx #portland #oregon #startup #entrepreneurTRS-80 photo credit https://www.flickr.com/photos/blakespot/2444864984Lloyd Center Mall credit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snSiCRR1vXo

Ken Muscat, president of Scenic Group U.S.A & Latin America) talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about where his two river cruise brands, Scenic and Emerald, will sail in 2025 and beyond. Muscat reviews the new ships and itineraries on the horizon. He also updates us on his luxury yacht products for both Scenic and Emerald. For more information, visit www.scenicusa.com and www.emeraldcruises.com. All our Insider Travel Report video interviews are archived and available on our Youtube channel  (youtube.com/insidertravelreport), and as podcasts with the same title on: Spotify, Pandora, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Listen Notes, Podchaser, TuneIn + Alexa, Podbean,  iHeartRadio,  Google, Amazon Music/Audible, Deezer, Podcast Addict, and iTunes Apple Podcasts, which supports Overcast, Pocket Cast, Castro and Castbox.  

This week in Portland startup news, Ampere eyes a big exit, GeekWire considers an award for Jama's big exit, and the shuttering of 18F creates a positive tech movement in Portland. Let's get into it…PORTLAND STARTUP LINKS- Ampere acquired by SoftBank https://amperecomputing.com/press/softbank-group-to-acquire-ampere-computing- Vote for Portland's Jama in the GeekWire Awards https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2025AwardsVoting- TiE Oregon Westside Pitch https://www.tieoregon.org/pitch-oregon/westside-pitch- 18F https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/18F- Portland Digital Corps https://digitalcorpspdx.org/- Vancouver Washington startup incubator https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5R4PY7lRWU- Goodbye Genie, Hello Rides https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/we-built-ai-companion-kids-entertained-thousands-every-monsef-8kg1c/PORTLAND OREGON STARTUP NEWS00:00 Portland Oregon startup news00:15 Build Week with Vanport Studio and Instrument01:45 Ampere Computing acquired for $6.5 billion05:50 Jama exit up for GeekWire Awards09:45 TiE Oregon Westside Pitch12:15 18F shuttering creates Portland win18:20 A startup incubator in Vancouver Washington19:50 Darius Monsef launches new startupFIND RICK TUROCZY ON THE INTERNET AT…- https://patreon.com/turoczy- https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy- https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social- https://siliconflorist.substack.com/ABOUT SILICON FLORIST ----------For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet.ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ----------Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird.https://siliconflorist.com#pdx #portland #oregon #startup #entrepreneur

Today we are headed to a magical slice of Oman called the Musandam Peninsula. This part of the country is completely isolated from the rest of the mainland and so has maintained its wild natural beauty and authentic culture. Joining me today is Diletta Guarino, the General Manager of Six Senses Zighy Bay, recently named one of the 50 Best Hotels in the world. The resort takes wellness and sustainability seriously and is designed to feel like you're in an Omani village or home.  Diletta and I discuss how this part of the world is a haven for getting back to yourself, interacting with a nearly untouched local culture, and treating your body, mind, and spirit to activities like paragliding, boating, and hiking. Learn more at www.luxtravelinsider.com   Connect with me on Social: Instagram LinkedIn  

The drama continues in Reversing the Roles as the Osman and Ali family end up on a cruise together all the way up to Muscat in Oman.

Happy Pi Day! This week in Portland startup news, I might have gone on a rant about pitch competitions. But I also cover Oregon Venture Fund's AI demo night, Disputed raising money, our Women's History Month event, and more. Let's get into it…PORTLAND STARTUP LINKS- Women's History Month event https://youtu.be/u36R4987hLo- April 8 Portland startup gathering https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/events/305535888/- Disputed.ai raises $1.1M https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/inno/stories/fundings/2025/03/13/seatgeek-alums-ai-startup-chargebacks.html- Pitch Black podcast with Ian Williams https://www.pitchblack.org/podcast/ian-williamsPORTLAND STARTUP NEWS00:00 Happy Pi Day!01:30 Women's History Month event10:55 Portland startup gathering April 817:55 Disputed.ai lands funding 20:50 Oregon Venture Fund PDX AI Demo Night21:10 A rant on pitch competitions28:20 Pitch Black podcast with Ian Williams31:15 Working on a new interview seriesFIND RICK TUROCZY ON THE INTERNET AT…- https://patreon.com/turoczy- https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy- https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social- https://siliconflorist.substack.com/ABOUT SILICON FLORIST ----------For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet.ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ----------Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird.https://siliconflorist.com#pdx #portland #oregon #startup #entrepreneur

Built Oregon is new. (And I may be all up in my feels about it

Episode 53: Show Notes What does it take to plan the ultimate luxury travel experience? In this episode, Tom and Trevor sit down with returning guest Han Chicago, a well-known aviation enthusiast and premium travel expert, to hear about his recent extravagant, multi-leg trip. Han talks about his first-class flights, luxury airline products, and lounge experiences during his lavish adventure. He breaks down his premium airline experiences and what makes certain airlines excel in service and product quality. Hear why he prefers the luxury suite on the A380 over the Emirates Game Changer suite and what it was like flying in the pinnacle of luxury on Etihad's Residence suite. Han explains how he booked The Residence, what the service was like, and why he got a surprise birthday cake. They also discuss industry trends, the pros and cons of A380s, and why Han thinks A380 First Class remains superior to newer A350 suites. Han also shares insights on luxury travel booking strategies and how to acquire more airline miles for top-tier experiences. Join us for a deep dive into luxury aviation, travel hacking, and the quirks of premium airline swag with Han Chicago! Key Points From This Episode: [0:00:00] A warm welcome to Han Chicago and what listeners can expect from the episode. [0:03:50] His trip across multiple airlines, starting with Turkish Airlines (787-9) from Detroit. [0:08:04] Premium coffee, the meals on Turkish, and flying from Abu Dhabi to Muscat. [0:17:15] Activities in Muscat and his thoughts on Oman Air Business Class Apex Suite. [0:23:07] The malls in Bangkok, Emirates' Game Changer suite, and eating steak in Dubai. [0:34:16] Explore the differences between the Game Changer suite and the A380 First Class.  [0:41:25] Etihad's Residence experience, what it required, and how it compared to others. [0:59:21] Lounge-hopping at Heathrow and his American Airlines First Class flight to JFK. [1:16:32] Unpack aviation trends, fleet management, and airline capacity issues of the A380. [1:31:12] Han reflects on his luxury travel experience and why he recommends the A380. [1:33:33] He shares strategies for flying first-class and handling luxury airline swag.  [1:39:35] Final takeaways and another travel podcast Han recommends. Quotes: “Turkish [Airlines] is always solid. I don't think you can really go wrong with them.” — @hanchicago [0:11:38] “I think all loyalty programs should have 24-hour call centers because you are flying globally.” — @hanchicago [0:20:24] “The A380 [Emirates] product, for me, is still one of the best in the business.” — @hanchicago [0:36:01] “I am glad I did [The Residence] once. If you are really into this stuff, I think you have to try it once.” — @hanchicago [0:51:51] “I think people should get on those A380s while they still can. Don't take [them] for granted.” — @hanchicago [1:32:36] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Han Chicago on X Han Chicago on Instagram Turkish Airlines Etihad Etihad | The Residence % Arabica DC | @AvGeek4All Qatar Airways Oman Air Emirates Qantas American Airlines Cathay Pacific Frequent Traveler University (FTU) Event TravelStories Episode 30: First Time Istanbul Visit with Han Layovers Podcast Thomas Kim on X Trevor Mountcastle on X

The big focus this week was Pitch Black Food, an event that sold out in less than a workday and created a new paradigm — Can I say "paradigm" on here? — for Portland culinary events. But there's a bunch of other news, as well. From  @OregonUASAccelerator  companies to a new  @Expensify  offering, there's plenty of other stuff to cover. Let's get into it…PORTLAND STARTUP LINKS- Black History Month 2025 recap https://siliconflorist.com/2025/02/28/black-history-month-2025-recap-28-amazing-black-led-consumer-product-companies/- BHM Startup Founders: Where are they now…? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOS9vfvPblc- WHM Startup Founders: Where are they now…? https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/events/306123862/- Oregon UAS Accelerator new cohort https://siliconflorist.com/2025/02/25/oregon-uas-accelerator-announces-next-cohort-of-startups/- $100K Oregon UAS Competition https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjsvcKlMFFo- Startup Cafe @ The Hub https://www.eventbrite.com/e/startup-cafe-the-hub-tickets-1256030564229PORTLAND OREGON STARTUP NEWS00:00 Portland startup news intro01:20 Pitch Black Food03:30 More Pitch Black news next week04:30 Continuing the Black History Month tradition 08:25 Women's History Month: Where are they now…?10:48 Oregon UAS Accelerator cohort12:45 Startup Cafe @ The Hub14:22 Trivial knowledge for the week15:07 New feature for ExpensifyFIND ME ON THE INTERNET AT…- https://patreon.com/turoczy- https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy- https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social- https://siliconflorist.substack.com/ABOUT SILICON FLORIST ----------For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet.ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ----------Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird.https://siliconflorist.com#pdx #portland #oregon #startup #entrepreneur

HAPPY THURSDAY COUSINS!!!!Welcome back to another brand new episode! (the last one before Ramadan!!!!) So listen, we have some explaining to do...We recorded for about an hour and a half on Sunday only to realize that our camera wasn't actually recording so we were only able to capture the audio. That being said, Amir (our editing and creative genius) decided to repurpose the unused vlog footage from our travels last year to make the video component a liiiiittle more interesting for our viewers (listeners-- yall aren't impacted this week lol). Anyway, we apologize for those of you that look forward to seeing us on a weekly basis. In sha Allah next week we'll come back with our regular video + audio for our Ramadan Series!!!! I hope you guys enjoyed part 2 of my travel stories in Madinah, Jeddah, Muscat and Doha - alhamdulillah that I was able to travel with my parents and come back safely to share the stories with all of you! If you're in Madinah and wanting to book the same (or similar) tour that I did, hit up Warsame on Instagram - @aboomvsa. Thank you guys so much for always rocking with us! If you like what you hear, follow our page for more episodes uploaded every THURSDAY!Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos:https://www.youtube.com/c/CousinConnectionPodcastFollow us on:IG | https://www.instagram.com/cousinconnectionpod/Tiktok | https://bit.ly/32PtwmK---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

$24M VC raised by two startups, $100k prize for a new Oregon UAS "counter drone" competition, Portland Business Journal coverage, a bunch of free events coming up, and more. PORTLAND STARTUP LINKS- Portland Business Journal: Where are they now…? https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/inno/stories/news/2025/02/20/pitch-black-where-are-they-now.html- March: Where are they now…? https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/events/306123862/- April community event https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/events/305535888/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_events-  @OregonUASAccelerator  $100k competition https://oregonuas.org/pages/proven-in-pendleton-cuas-challenge- Shotsy https://shotsyapp.com/- Beneficial Ownership Information https://fincen.gov/boi- Please vote https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr3kn9tUJ4uPnLfsudMlX4w/community?lb=UgkxEjhw3hKTzAT6eBuz_ES133uHWAyKVAxwPORTLAND STARTUP NEWS00:00 Portland startup news intro00:26 Portland Business Journal covers startup founders2:04 Upcoming events4:50 Oregon UAS counter drone challenge 9:45 Perceived boundaries in Portland cultural12:00 Intel spin out raises capital14:00 Shotsy raises capital18:35 Beneficial Ownership Information is due March 21, 202521:12 I could use your inputFIND ME ON THE INTERNET AT…- https://patreon.com/turoczy- https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy- https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social- https://siliconflorist.substack.com/ABOUT SILICON FLORIST ----------For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet.ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ----------Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird.https://siliconflorist.com#pdx #portland #oregon #startup #entrepreneur

Haily Sundet, our Froggy Wine Specialist, of Republic National Distributing is back with another episode of Wine Wednesday. Wine Wednesday is sponsored by Bottle Barn Liquors, with 3 Fargo locations. Because it is Girl Scout Cookie season, we are going to pair wines with cookies. This week's wine and cookie: Duckhorn Merlot with the Thin Mint cookie This wine opens with an alluring nose of floral notes and dark red berries, characteristic of a quintessential Napa Valley Merlot. The palate is supple and polished with a seamless integration of fruit and tannin, enhanced by the inclusion of Cabernet Sauvignon and a hint of Cabernet Franc. The long, vibrant finish highlights meticulous craftsmanship and perfect balance. This week's wine and cookie: Placido Moscato d’Asti and Toffee Tastic Intense and fruity aroma typical of Muscat with hints of acacia flowers and citrus peel. Taste: Sweet and fresh, with hints of honey and peaches in syrup. Food Pairing: Pairs perfectly with a wide range of desserts including jam tarts, cheesecakes and cookies. Moscato d’Asti also pairs well with salami, hard cheeses, spicy dishes and shellfish.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week in Portland startup news, the theme — as always — is founders. The new OEN hire is a founder, sold out events with founders, and founders with blogs. Plus a whole bunch of other trivial facts about Oregon from its birthday to lesser known products created in the state.Hat courtesy of the new Portland Office of Small BusinessPORTLAND STARTUP LINKS- Oregon startup founders: Where are they now…? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOS9vfvPblc- Instrument https://instrument.com- March 11 Women startup founders: Where are they now…? https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/events/306123862/- (Livestream) Women startup founders: Where are they now…? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVpgzXGpKGI- April 8 Portland startup gathering https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/events/305535888/- Ducan Miller of Rose City Robotics on bootstrapping vs VC https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/vc-dilemma-why-bootstrapping-works-founders-investors-duncan-miller-jwipc/- Mike Ulin of Paxton on building a startup in Oregon https://pioneeringthoughts.substack.com/p/why-you-should-start-your-company- CIty Cast Portland on Oregon brands https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka5KcYxY7voPORTLAND OREGON STARTUP NEWS00:00 Happy Birthday, Oregon00:56 New OEN hire is a former founder03:44 Oregon startup founders: Where are they now…?08:17 Women startup founders: Where are they now…?11:27 Next Portland startup community gathering13:13 My (Rick Turoczy) brief blogging history14:16 New blog posts from startup founders18:59 City Cast Portland highlights lesser known Oregon productsFIND ME ON THE INTERNET AT…- https://patreon.com/turoczy- https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy- https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social- https://siliconflorist.substack.com/ABOUT SILICON FLORIST ----------For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet.ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ----------Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird.https://siliconflorist.com#pdx #portland #oregon #startup #entrepreneur

Hello and welcome back wine friends! In this episode, we explore the fascinating world of Ukrainian wine with Sera Crow, a doctor of chemistry turned wine communicator and WSET Diploma holder. Born in Ukraine and now living in the UK, Sera shares her insights as a Ukrainian ambassador, highlighting the country's unique grape varieties, winemaking traditions, and growing natural wine movement. We take a closer look at Odessa Black and Sukholimanskyi, two of Ukraine's most famous grape crossings, as well as Telti-Kuruk, an ancient indigenous white grape with a history that spans thousands of years. Along the way, we also discuss unexpected varieties thriving in Ukraine, including Pinotage, Albariño, and Aligoté, and taste a biodynamic wine from an urban Ukrainian winery. Whether you're a seasoned wine lover or just curious about this emerging wine region, this episode is packed with discoveries you won't want to miss. If you want to skip ahead:   00.00: Sera Crow shares her journey and passion for Ukrainian wines. 05.00: The Evolution of Ukrainian Wine – From Soviet-era perceptions to post-2014 growth 07.00: The Impact of Crimea's Occupation 08.00: Journey in the UK Wine Scene 10.00: The Rise of Ukrainian Wine Exports 11.00: Expanding Ukrainian Wine Presence Internationally - reaching the UK, EU, US, and Japan. 13.00: What Makes Ukrainian Wines Unique? 16.00: Notable Ukrainian Wineries and Wines – Spotlight on Beykush, Kolonist, and the rise of experimental wines like Pet-Nats and amphora-aged blends 17.00: A bordeaux blend to try: Kolonist Cabernet Merlot “Haut de gamme” 2020 Ukranian Wine Company £29 19.00: Sukholimanskyi (A cross between Chardonnay and Plavai) - a unique white grape variety being explored alongside Odessa Black - Ukraines Flagship grape 22.00: Conclusion – The bright future of Ukrainian wines and where to find them worldwide (find info at the bottom) 27.00: Skin Contact and Natural Wines in Ukraine – The impact of Georgian traditions, rising demand, and Ukraine's experimental winemaking scene. 28.00: Ukrainian Biologist Craft Winery's biodynamic approach and success with Aligoté 30.00: Impact of Climate Change on Ukrainian Vineyards 32.00: Biologist Aligoté 2021 Wine Tasting Notes Ukrainian Wine Company £24.50 34.00: A limited-edition wine bottled post-invasion with a patriotic blue-and-yellow label from Biologist - see HERE 38.00: Telti-Kuruk: Ancient Ukrainian Grape – A rare variety dating back to the 5th century 41.00: Historical Importance of Wine in Ukraine 43.00: Citron Magaracha - a Muscat-related crossing known for producing fragrant, Muscat-style wines   Please find link below to learn more about purchasing Ukrainian wine, depending on where you are in the world: UK Europe USA   And follow Sera in Instagram HERE   Any thoughts or questions, do email me: janina@eatsleepwinerepeat.co.uk Or contact me on Instagram @eatsleep_winerepeat If you fancy watching some videos on my youtube channel: Eat Sleep Wine Repeat Or come say hi at www.eatsleepwinerepeat.co.uk Until next time, Cheers to you!   ---------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------- THE EAT SLEEP WINE REPEAT PODCAST HAS BEEN FEATURED IN DECANTER MAGAZINE, RADIO TIMES AND FEED SPOT AS THE 6TH BEST UK WINE MAKING PODCAST.

This week is full of startup surprises. Another Portland startup acquired, the Hub hires a new navigator, WiseOx Mascots help assisted living folks, Mat Ellis chats with startup folks about what it takes to be a founder, and more.PORTLAND STARTUP LINKS- Graze in TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/31/custom-feed-builder-graze-is-building-a-business-on-bluesky-and-investors-are-paying-attention/- Feb 11 event https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/events/305793571/- Apr 8 event https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/events/305535888/- WiseOx Mascot Rosie https://wiseox.ai/mascot/65834cac4829430027d336b0- Chatting with PBJ https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/inno/stories/news/2025/02/04/portland-rick-turoczy-pie-silicon-florist.htmlPORTLAND STARTUP NEWS00:00 Intro00:40 Metro Region Innovation Hub hires a new navigator03:50 More on the February 11 event08:33 Portland startup acquired12:10 Insights from Mat Ellis15:00 WiseOx Mascots19:57 Chatting with the Portland Business JournalFIND ME ON THE INTERNET AT…- https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social- https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy- https://siliconflorist.substack.com/- https://patreon.com/turoczyABOUT SILICON FLORIST ----------For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet.ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ----------Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird.https://siliconflorist.com#pdx #portland #oregon #startup #entrepreneur

(0:00) Intro(0:02) Do all psychologists give wrong advice?(0:22) Abdullah naam tabdeel karne se bemari khatam ho jayegi?(4:13) Fiqa Jafaria, Ehl-e-Sunnat ke nazdeek fiqa kyun nahi?(7:39) Kazakhstan se Binoria aane wale talib-ilm(11:50) Taraweeh ki ujrat lena?(13:51) Is hadith ka kya matlab hai?(14:35) Kiya Mufti sb Yazeed ke himayati hain?(18:51) Dost ki social media privacy mein dakhal hona?(20:15) Niyaz ka khana khana?(31:02) Bachon ki tarbiyat ki wajah se aulad rokna?(31:38) Har insaan ke saath ek shaitan hota hai. Hadith ki wazahat(32:12) Bachay hone ke liye doosri shadi ka masla?(32:58) Dr. Israr ki bayan karda hadith ka matlab?(34:24) Ehl-e-Hadis ke 2 aitraz Hanafiya par: Juma ki pehli azan baray speaker par kyun dete hain? + Jab Qur'an parh rahe ho to khamoshi se suno, ki wazahat?(40:25) Juma ke din masjid committee ke members ka saffon ke darmiyan se chanda lena?(41:16) Juma ki namaz mein imam sunnaton ka kitna waqt de?(41:46) Bv se dar khatam karne ka wazifa?(42:02) Jis shakhs ki darhi na ho ya chhoti ho, to lambay baal rakhna?(43:38) Muscat se Mufti sb ko hair oil ka gift.(45:15) Social media ki videos mein background music ka hukm? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week in Portland startup news, a16z invests in a Portland startup, Techstars may be returning to Portland, OEN and the Metro Regional Innovation Hub gather entrepreneurial support organizations, and more. (But no DeepSeek.) PORTLAND STARTUP COMMUNITY LINKS - Startup founders: Where are they now…? https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/events/305793571/ - Zing Drone Solutions https://zingdrones.com/ - OEN Reverse Pitch https://www.oen.org/calendar-events/entrepreneur-reverse-pitch/ - Portland Metro Region Innovation Hub https://www.portlandmetrohub.org/ - Save the date https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/events/305535888/ - Portland Startups Slack https://pdxslack.com/ - Techstars new efforts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HgKUlB2wmE PORTLAND STARTUP COMMUNITY 00:00 Portland startup community intro 00:40 Feb 11 "Where are they now…?" event 03:09 Paxton raises $22M 04:30 Eclypsium raises $45M with investment from Andreessen Horowitz 05:53 Demolicious January winner 07:46 Oregon entrepreneur support organizations 11:15 Metro Region Innovation Hub 12:06 Save the date: April 8 13:49 Portland Startups Slack 15:10 Techstars new efforts may include Portland FIND ME ON THE INTERNET AT… - https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social - https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy - https://siliconflorist.substack.com/ - https://patreon.com/turoczy ABOUT SILICON FLORIST ---------- For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet. ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ---------- Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird. https://siliconflorist.com #pdx #portland #oregon #startup #entrepreneur

Tonight we are tasting our first Iowa wine on the show. We just tasted this wine for the first time last week and enjoyed it immensely. Petite Amie is French for “Little Friend”. I'm told it often refers to your little girlfriend.This dry white wine has fruit and floral aromas. There is also a hint of melon on the nose. The wine is aged in Neutral oak (barrels that are not being used for the first time), adding subtle flavors and body without overpowering the flavor.Petite Amie is described as being a Muscat type wine. This would include rose and fruit flavors. It also typically has lower acids.Tonight, we are enjoying an Iowa Petite Amie and a California Chardonnay: 2023 Petite Amie purchased at the Soldier Creek Winery (https://www.soldiercreekwinery.com/) for $17.76. It has 11.0% alcohol and was aged in neutral oak barrels. Aromas of melon, pear, and rose with similar flavors. 2020 Z Alexander Brown Uncaged Chardonnay. This wine was purchased for around $19.00. White peach, floral orange blossom with hints of honey and baking spice. A rich, velvety mouthfeel is supported by core flavors of juicy stone fruit, vanilla, and toasted oak. Fermented and aged in a combination of stainless steel, French oak, and American oak. Some of the wine goes through partial or complete malolactic fermentation. The wine comes from Monterey, CA.Next week we will continue to explore Hybrid wine grapes, and will taste:2019 Stone Hill Winery Chambourcin purchased at the winery for $19.00. Stone Hill is located in Hermann, Missouri.

You can't go buying ads on Bluesky… or can you? Graze is your answer. Plus a $53 million startup exit, a sold out Silicon Forest Tech Summit, and Oregon Startup Center hiring a new executive director. It's short week in the US, but it's still chock full of Portland startup news.PORTLAND STARTUP NEWS LINKS- Graze for Bluesky https://graze.social- Become a Graze launch partner https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bSnp0YX7qSM1s-sOtdpdx-PsgYihPF7RIKR3BY0gAtI/edit- April 8 Save the date https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/events/305535888/ PORTLAND STARTUP NEWS00:00 Intro00:57 Biggest story of the week03:11 Buying ads on Bluesky06:15 Silicon Forest Tech Summit 2025 is sold out09:45 $53 million startup acquisition12:23 Lead a local startup support organization FIND ME ON THE INTERNET AT… - https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social - https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy - https://siliconflorist.substack.com/ - https://patreon.com/turoczy ABOUT SILICON FLORIST ---------- For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet. ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ---------- Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird. https://siliconflorist.com #pdx #portland #oregon #startup #entrepreneur

Tonight we are tasting our first ever Greek wines.Yamas is a Greek word that means “to our health” or “cheers”. (accent on the second syllable)According to retailers in Des Moines, good Greek wine is hard to find here. According to the “Oxford Companion to Wine” over 85% of Greek wine is consumed in Greece. We were also told that much of the better wine is sent to high-end Greek restaurants in the eastern US. Tonight, we are enjoying two Greek wines including:NV Merastri Red Wine. Blend of Kotsifali and Mandalaria. 12% Alcohol. Fermented in stainless steel tanks. Aromas of plums, leather, and pepper. Flavors of dried red fruit and round tannins. Serve with meat BBQ, sausages, and medium-aged cheeses. NV Merastri White Wine. Vilana, Vidiano, Moschato, and Moschofilero grape blend. 11.5% alcohol. Each variety is separately fermented in stainless steel tanks before blending. It has aromas similar to Muscat with citrus fruits, and tastes of stone fruits with lemon notes. Pair with seafood and white meats.Next week we have our first Iowa Wine Challenge. We will blind taste an Iowa Petite Amie and a California Chardonnay: 2023 Petite Amie purchased at the winery for $17.76. 2020 Z Alexander Brown Chardonnay purchased for around $19.00.

The Portland startup community is starting 2025 with a bunch of great startup events that you won't want to miss. Well, I mean, some startup events have already happened. So you missed those. But some startup events are happening soon. So if you're in the Portland startup community and you want to get connected, then you're going to be happy. Plus I've got news about Graze & Bluesky and  @IntelCapital  Get started