Podcasts about orchids

I Helped Destroy the Glasshouse to Bury the Orchid ScandalBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dark-mysteries-the-strange-and-unusual-podcast-2026--5684156/support.Darkest Mysteries Online

Today we're joined by Tom Cosm, a New Zealand-born producer, technologist, coder, and educator who's been pushing the boundaries of music and sound for over two decades. He's known for pioneering YouTube tutorials that taught a generation of producers, and for building systems that turn things like tree-disease data and biometric signals into actual music. He's currently Technical Director at Telepathic Instruments, where he built the first prototype of Orchid and now oversees its development. We start out talking about travel and jet lag recovery, which sounds like small talk but turns into a pretty real conversation about what it actually feels like to be constantly in motion — the post-travel bounce, the crash that follows, and learning to slow down when you get home. Tom just got back from London, Berlin, and Spain, partly for a Telepathic team meetup and a pop-up where people could come play Orchid in person, and partly for Superbooth, which he describes as basically a Vegas casino lobby for modular nerds — in a forest. From there we get into Telepathic Instruments and how he got involved — Kevin Parker reached out after seeing his work on YouTube — and what the development of Orchid has actually looked like. We talk about what the device is trying to do, how community feedback from their early adopters has shaped the features, and what's coming next. Hope you enjoy it. Please welcome Tom Cosm. Tom Cosm Links https://www.instagram.com/tomcosm/ https://www.instagram.com/telepathic.instruments/ https://www.youtube.com/@telepathic.instruments https://www.tiktok.com/@telepathic.instruments Mr. Bill's Links 

Send us a message!My guest today is Niki Mathias.Niki is an author who is helping the world better understand what it means to be a highly sensitive person.  Her upcoming book, Derby and the Dandelions, explores this through the unique lens of a teenage girl and her best friends.I'm very excited to share this conversation because I learned so much from talking with Niki.  Her stories and sharing come from firsthand experience and hard-earned wisdom.  She shared the framework of understanding people's nervous system processing as Dandelions, Tulips, and Orchids.  If you have never heard these terms in relation to Highly Sensitive Persons, you are in for an enlightening listen.Niki's book is in the publishing process so we don't know exactly when it will be available, but believe me, you'll want to pre-order it!Niki, thank you so much for sharing these pieces of your story, journey, and wisdom!  I'm so grateful to be connected with you and seriously can't wait to read your book!Find more about Niki and her work:  https://nikimathias.com/Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~   Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

Dan, Orchid, and Pat are joined by Tim of Q&Tr fame to discuss the return of MLW, CZW's latest show, and a lot of other bs. Buy some mugs, please

The Great Spirit of the Orchid blooms with a critical blessing of high wisdom and awareness and the opportunity to fully claim your orchid nature as an essential attunement in this season of shift. Want access to the transcript and show notes for future episodes? Visit our website at www.gaiatranslate.com Please rate, review and share the Gaia Translate podcast with your friends and colleagues so that more of us are able to receive this timely communication from the greater family of life we are all a part of.

Tres discos en solitario han servido para familiarizarnos con la faceta individual de Elias Rønnenfelt, pero su lírica intensa y dramática sigue encontrando su mejor soporte en el formato de banda. Ahora, convertido en habitual de la prensa rosa indie, vuelve a liderar Iceage en una de las entregas más inspiradas de su trayectoria. 'For The Love of Grace & The Hereafter' equilibra oscuridad con pop y melancolía con brío. Además, la dramaturga y guionista Carolina África responde a nuestro cuestionario cultural en FAQ! Y un nuevo martes entramos en terapia 'Disociadas Vivas' con Rosana Corbacho. Por si no teníamos suficiente ansiedad, en general, ahora tenemos ansiedad de nicho: ecoansiedad. Playlist:Olivia Rodrigo - The Book of LoveBeth Gibbons - Sunday MorningThe Blaze - LULLABYArt School Girlfriend - Close To The CloudsDaughter - Swim BackBeach Fossils - Dare MeElias Rønnenfelt - The OrchidsBlood Orange - Relax and Run (Erika de Casier, Eva Tolkien)Fine - Portal Mazzy Star - Fade Into YouGara Durán, Natalia Lacunza - Placer de vivirAnne Lukin - Y sin quererAmaia - Tengo un pensamientoGeese - Au Pays du CocaineOrville Peck - Drift AwayHamilton Leithauser, Rostam - A 1000 TimesVVV [Trippin’you] - Dos GusanosBladee - DolorSlayyyter - DANCEGenesis Owusu - DEATH CULT ZOMBIELip Critic - JackpotTurnstile - BLACKOUTThe Cure - Friday I’m in LoveWestside Cowboy - Kick Stones (The Boys)Julia Jacklin - Pressure to PartyThe Strokes - Going ShoppingBasement - SatisfyIceage - The WeakCharli xcx - SS26Lorde - Current AffairsBarry B - SilveradoThe Avalanches, Jamie xx - Every Single WeekendJamie xx, The Avalanches - All You ChildrenBarry Can’t Swim - Return To BhiboDellafuente, Rusowsky, Ralphie Choo - El caminoPaco Pecado - Rugío de sentirLaaza - MayoFcukers - LonelyBuscabulla - VámonoJungle - The WaveIsaiah Rashad, SZA - BOY IN REDKacey Musgraves - Dry SpellNimino, Manta - BetterSofia Kourtesis - Canela PuraEscuchar audio

The Five Ws on the Word's Etymology and the Orchid's HabitatCopyright © 2026 ISBN: 978-976-97942-8-3.mp3Academic Topic StatementThis conversation examines the enduring significance of the "Five Ws"—Who, What, When, Where, and Why—as foundational instruments of inquiry within journalism, literature, media studies, cultural theory, theology, and ecological observation. By tracing the etymology of the word as a vehicle of meaning and exploring the orchid as a symbol of environmental adaptation, cultural representation, and biological specificity, the work establishes a methodological framework that connects language, place, identity, and knowledge production.As a writer, photojournalist, media arts specialist, publisher, podcaster, cultural theorist, and Doctor of Divinity, the author argues that every act of observation begins with a question and every meaningful question seeks context. The orchid's habitat serves as a metaphor for the situated nature of knowledge, while the etymological evolution of words demonstrates how human understanding is cultivated through historical, social, and spiritual environments.(https://botanic-garden.bristol.ac.uk/2018/02/12/the-wacky-wonderful-world-of-orchids/)Central Research Questions1. How do the Five Ws function as universal tools of investigation across disciplines?2. What does the etymology of words reveal about the historical development of human thought?3. How does the orchid's habitat illustrate the relationship between environment, adaptation, and meaning?4. In what ways do media, journalism, and cultural narratives shape our understanding of place and identity?5. How can theological reflection contribute to a deeper interpretation of language, ecology, and human experience?AbstractThe intersection of language and environment offers a unique lens through which to examine human inquiry. This work investigates the Five Ws as epistemological foundations for research and communication, linking the historical evolution of words with the ecological realities of orchid habitats. Through interdisciplinary analysis, the study demonstrates that language and landscape function as parallel systems of meaning-making. Drawing from journalism, media studies, cultural theory, theology, and environmental observation, as an author I propose that asking the crucial question is both an intellectual and spiritual act. The resulting framework provides us scholars, writers, educators, and communicators with a model for understanding how words, places, and experiences shape human knowledge.When all else is equal, I have developed the academic practice of using keywords in my literary works since they provide structure and serve as the fundamental ideas and vocabulary that characterize my discourse. Crucially, they serve as "digital fingerprints" and operate at the nexus of accessibility and clarity.Five Ws; Etymology; Orchid Habitat; Journalism; Media Studies; Cultural Theory; Ecology; Theology; Knowledge Production; Communication Studies; Environmental Humanities; Interdisciplinary Research.This formulation is appropriate for a scholarly book, doctoral lecture, conference presentation, or academic journal proposal under your authorship credentials. Dr. William Anderson Gittens, D.D.Podcast 295 Episode Title:The Five Ws on the Word's Etymology and the Orchid's HabitatCopyright © 2026 ISBN: 978-976-97942-8-3 By Dr. William Anderson Gittens, D.D. Devgro Media Arts Services Publishing®2015 In collaboration with iMovie present Podcast 295 Episode Title:The Five Ws on the Word's Etymology and the Orchid's HabitatCopyright © 2026 ISBN: 978-976-97942-8-3 By Dr. William Anderson Gittens, D.D. RECOGNITIONSAs I take a moment to reflect on my journey, I am filled with profound gratitude for the Creator's guiding hand that has led me every step of the way. Life has brought me countless blessings, and at the forefront of these blessings is the immeasurable debt of thanks I owe to my late parents, Charles and Ira Gittens. They bestowed upon me their wisdom and creative spirit, which have been a consistent source of inspiration throughout my life. Their counsel and encouragement continue to resonate within me, shaping my path and purpose. To my beloved wife, Magnola Gittens, your unwavering support has been my anchor in turbulent seas. Your love and understanding provide the strength necessary to navigate life's complexities. I am eternally grateful for your presence, which comforts and uplifts me. To my brothers—Shurland, Charles, Ricardo, and my late brothers Arnott and Stephen—as well as my sisters, Emerald, Marcella, and Cheryl, thank you for being my steadfast companions along this journey. Each of you has contributed uniquely to my narrative, reminding me of the importance of family ties in shaping who I am today. I extend my heartfelt appreciation to my cousins: Joy Mayers, Kevin and Ernest Mayers, Donna Archer, Avis Dyer, and Jackie Clarke. Your love and camaraderie have enriched my life beyond measure. To my uncles, Clifford, Leonard Mayers, David Bruce, and Collin Rock, your support has been invaluable, strengthening the bonds of our family. To my children, Laron and Lisa, grandson Elijah you are my pride and joy, the motivation behind my work, fuelling my desire to create and inspire.Moreover, I am equally grateful to all who have believed in me and wanted nothing but the best for my growth. Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Platizky, Mr. Matthew Sutton, Mr. Juan Arroyo, Mr. and Mrs. David Lavine, and many others have played pivotal roles in my development, encouraging me to pursue my passions relentlessly. During my time at New Jersey City University (NJCU), I had the privilege of receiving guidance from exceptional mentors, including the late Dr. Joseph Drew, Merline Mayers, Mrs. Ellen Gordon, Dr. Nicholas Gordon, Rev. Dr. Scofield Eversley BSS, and many others. Conversations about enhancing my writing skills after graduating were integral to my growth, providing the foundation for my future endeavours. Over the past three decades, my experiences in the leisure activities industry have significantly shaped my journey. From 1995 to 2026, I have devoted myself to writing, resulting in 469 E-Publications and 295 podcasts that resonate within the community. In recognition of the profound impact Dr. Joseph Drew had on my academic and personal development, I dedicated my 66th publication, "A Tribute to Culture" Vol. 1, to him—a small token of gratitude for his enormous influence on my life.As I look forward to what lies ahead, I remain thankful to all who have contributed to my story and to the Creator for the endless possibilities this journey holds. Each person's presence has left an indelible mark on my life, guiding me toward a future filled with hope and potential.Dr. William Anderson Gittens, D.D.ReferencesAristotle. (2007). The art of rhetoric (H. C. Lawson-Tancred, Trans.). Penguin Classics. (Original work published ca. 350 B.C.E.)Chase, M. W., Cameron, K. M., Freudenstein, J. V., Pridgeon, A. M., Salazar, G., Van den Berg, C., & Schuiteman, A. (2015). An updated classification of Orchidaceae. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 177(2), 151–174. https://doi.org/10.1111/boj.12234Crystal, D. (2010). The Cambridge encyclopedia of language (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.Dressler, R. L. (1993). Phylogeny and classification of the orchid family. Cambridge University Press.Hall, S. (1997). Representation: Cultural representations and signifying practices. Sage Publications.McHugh, S. (2016). How podcasters built a new kind of radio. NPR.Newton, J. H. (2001). The burden of visual truth: The role of photojournalism in mediating reality. Routledge.The Holy Bible, King James Version. (1611). Matthew 6:28; Hebrews 11:3.Support the showCultural Factors Influence Academic Achievements© 2024 ISBN978-976-97385-7-7 A_MEMOIR_OF_Dr_William_Anderson_Gittens_D_D_2024_ISBNISBN978_976_97385_0_8Academic.edu. Chief of Audio Visual Aids Officer Mr. Michael Owen Chief of Audio Visual Aids Officer Mr. Selwyn Belle Commissioner of Police Mr. Orville Durant Dr. William Anderson Gittens, D.D En.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifelong_learning Hackett Philip Media Resource Development Officer Holder, B,Anthony Episcopal Priest,https://brainly.com/question/36353773https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifelong_learning#cite_note-19https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifelong_learning#cite_note-:2-18https://independent.academia.edu/WilliamGittens/Bookshttps://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=william+anderson+gittens+barbados&oq=william+anderson+gittenshttps://www.academia.edu/123754463/https://www.buzzsprout.com/429292/episodes. https://www.youtube.com/@williamandersongittens1714. Mr.Greene, Rupert

Send us Fan MailOrchid Bertelsen is one of the most distinctive and analytically sharp voices to emerge in equestrian media in this year. She built a twenty-year career at the highest levels of digital marketing and e-commerce before the horse world pulled her back in and gave her something new to write about. Her professional background spans Fortune 5 accounts at Dentsu, leading digital strategy across more than 40 consumer brands at Nestlé USA, and running operations at Common Thread Collective, a DTC e-commerce growth agency where she built the financial systems that helped brands grow profitably across paid media, creative, and retention. That resume alone would make her an interesting voice in any industry conversation. What makes her genuinely unique is where she is applying it. Orchid rode as a child, competed on the B circuit in Illinois and Wisconsin, then stepped away for nearly 30 years. After 30 years away from horses, she returned to the saddle at a historic equestrian club 10 minutes from her home in Grosse Pointe, Michigan — what started as a Christmas gift of six lessons has since taken over her entire personality. She currently leases a horse named Beau, and that experience of returning to the equestrian world with fresh eyes and a sophisticated marketing brain has given her an unusual and valuable vantage point on an industry she now sees clearly as both an insider and an analyst. Her Substack publication, Back in the Saddle, is built around the belief that the equestrian industry is a $12 billion market that still approaches e-commerce and digital marketing the way most consumer categories did a decade ago — and that the brands that figure it out first will have a real and lasting advantage. Her writing on the collapse of Dover Saddlery broke through well beyond the equestrian community, demonstrating that the industry's business stories are as compelling as any in mainstream consumer retail when told by someone who knows how to tell them. She writes about the adult amateur community as the largest and most underserved segment in the sport — and has made changing that the mission of her platform.Follow Orchid on Substack here: https://orchid.substack.com/theplaidhorse.com

Researchers have spent almost two decades restoring a threatened species of orchid in southern Kentucky. But those efforts were disrupted when an EF-4 tornado swept through the area in May 2025, carving visible lines in the landscape. We learn about recovery efforts. The post How A Tornado Affected Threatened Orchids, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Dear Listener, New acquantences, and maybe even friendships, are formed as the four interact with the Salisander family; learning about Aaron's previous explorations and Korentus' relationship with the fire Orchids. In the evening, they listen in to RT's weekly broadcasts, where Helena is put into a deeper quandry than before - but will she choose to come clean to our trio or continue her mission? I guess you're about to find out. Thank you to David for voicing RT! --- You can help support the show and get ad free episodes on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.Patreon.com/blighthouse⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find the authors: Email: sprouting@blighthouse.studio Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thesprouting⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Discord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/vtgnVAZY44 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Blighthouse Studio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ production. --- Our Amazing Affliates If you want to buy our eldritch plant themed merch, head over to our ⁠⁠⁠Teepublic⁠⁠⁠ store page - www.teepublic.com/stores/blight-house. Or if ⁠⁠Displate⁠⁠ is more your aesthetic, check out Kessir's incredible designs - www.displate.com/artist/BlighthouseStudio Want awesome WOODEN dice? Use code BLIGHTHOUSE10 to get 10% off ⁠⁠UrWizards⁠⁠ dice - www.urwizards.com/?ref=BLIGHTHOUSESTUDIO Visit ⁠⁠https://www.questportal.com/⁠⁠⁠ to use the awesome Virtual Tabletop system that allows us to play across the globe. Use Sprout10 for 10% off at ⁠⁠⁠www.sybotanica.de⁠⁠ to start your botanical adventures! --- Find and support our sponsors at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠fableandfolly.com/partners⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Transcript⁠⁠⁠ - Apparently transcription services can't cope with our non US accents, so beware. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Mog Squad is back and better than ever. Dan and Orchid return from an All Inclusive Riddle Cove to join Chris and Pat to discuss wrestling and labias. 

Sherri Harrah and Anita Nelson from Nelson’s Nursery & Water Gardens talk about Orchid care, Weed control, Nutsedge in the garden, Army Worms and Yellowing tomatoes in the 2nd hour from 5/9/26 of the HomeShow Garden Pros as heard on SportsRadio 610. The post Orchids, Weed Control, Nutsedge, Army Worms, Yellowing Tomatoes -260509-H2 appeared first on HomeShow Garden Pros Radio.

Hectic Tracks Episode 13 Show: Hectic Tracks Radio Artist: Hectic Air Date: 8 May 2026 Genre: House / Electronica / Breakbeat / Tech House To mark Hectic's one year anniversary on Data Transmission Radio and to coincide with Star Wars Day (May 4th), this month's show is very much Star Wars themed with tracks from Killa Productions, Dagobah Crew and Luke Vibert. There's also brand new material from Melleefresh & Keka, Hectic himself, Crybaby & Wolf Cutt and Mr Ho. One not to miss! Tracklist: 1. Killa Productions - Jah Wars 2. Strictly Kev - Nice Shot 3. Dagobah Crew - Anchorhead 4. Blain Ripke - Walk Through The Door 5. Britney Spears - Gimme More (Xkylar Remix) 6. Melleefresh & Keka - La Bu Bu 7. Bouchet - Underground 8. Mr Ho - Altered Nuke 9. Andrew Red Hand - 30H3 Emergency 10. Melleefresh - Invincible (Melleefresh Remix) 11. Cem Uguzluoglu - Fall In Love With You 12. Tollbooth Sound - Fingers Toes 13. DJ Streaks - Gimme A Break A Second 14. Wolf Cutt & Crybaby - I Am (Hectic Edit) 15. Luke Vibert - Nerf Herder 16. Orchid & Crybaby - Heaven-Jealous (Crybaby's Angel Edit) Originally broadcast on Data Transmission Radio. Listen live and explore the archive: https://radio.datatransmission.co

"For the beautiful Section 4 of Flow, I wanted to celebrate the rewilding projects that took place between 2016 and 2022 under the LIFE Lech “Dynamic River System Lech” at Elmen-Nussau and Vorderhornbach."I was immediately inspired by the photo of the sound being recorded at the bridge. Imagining being in that moment, overlooking the meandering turquoise braids of water, the gravel beds and the dark green forests and wondering what the ecology of this area would be like and that I'd need to hike here one day. So I wanted to bring together an ecological sonic landscape."The river is played using a rainwater-filled glass harp, guided by the geomorphic imagery. Using a recurring motion of playing the top of a wine glass, I wanted to embody the water movement of the River Lech. Moving not as a straight line but more in swirls, spirals and circles, flowing left and right."Varying the level of rainwater in each glass created a scale of resonating frequencies that formed individual braids of the river. I found joy in playing the glasses in the imagery of this section of the River Lech. Occasionally, using a particular resistance when playing the glass to give a sense of friction against the gravel beds and under the bridges, sometimes slowing the pace of the river down afterwards."I used the field recording of the river to create artistic interpretations of ten animal vocalisations from birds, amphibians, fish, and insects. By selecting out the matching spectral vocal range of these species. Many of which were on the LIFE Lech's target list."A low D whistle creates the feel of a riparian forest. Researching the rewilding projects, I discovered the number of important plants in the area, such as Dwarf Bullrush and German Tamarisk, and that, in the summer months, over 6,000 Lady's-slipper Orchids inhabit the forest on the upper left side of this section of the river. Botanical drawings of these plants were turned into sonic spectrograms, which were blended into the piece."At the Elmen-Nussau location, 10 groynes on the left riverbank were shortened by a total of 280 m. Included as 10 slightly intrusive faded notes panned to the left at their rough positioning of where they once sat on the riverbed, before the first rewilding melody of the piece."At the Vorderhornbach location, Linear and cross constructions were shortened or removed over a 2 km length on both banks. A particularly forested section, here I have made this section of the piece fuller and wilder before the sounding of the “Hornbach” tributary line, which joins the River Lech, moves us into the melody for the second time."I loved the idea of connection with other parts of the river, with the river being an important corridor between different habitats. I incorporated 6 seconds of a sound bite called 'Dusty Stem' that Bill McKenna kindly donated from section 1. I have taken the sound bite down by 3 semitones, imagining it carried down the river through sections 2 and 3, and into 4."Section of the river Lech reimagined by Rachel Larsen-Jones. -------Flow is a creative exploration telling the story of a river through the power of sound. The project is a collaboration between the University of Padova and the University of Würzburg, with support from Cities and Memory. Explore the full project at https://citiesandmemory.com/flow.

Fluent Fiction - Spanish: Risk and Reward: The High Schooler Who Found a Rare Orchid Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/es/episode/2026-05-06-22-34-02-es Story Transcript:Es: El sol brillaba intensamente sobre las Montañas Rocosas, mientras el grupo de estudiantes de preparatoria avanzaba por el sendero.En: The sun shone intensely over the Montañas Rocosas, as the group of high school students advanced along the trail.Es: La primavera llenaba de vida la naturaleza, con flores silvestres de colores brillantes que asomaban por el suelo y el aire fresco que olía a pino y tierra húmeda.En: Spring filled nature with life, with brightly colored wildflowers peeking through the ground and the fresh air smelling of pine and damp earth.Es: Entre los estudiantes, Mateo caminaba en silencio, observando cada detalle a su alrededor.En: Among the students, Mateo walked silently, observing every detail around him.Es: Soñaba con ser ecólogo algún día y esta excursión era su oportunidad para demostrar su conocimiento.En: He dreamed of becoming an ecologist someday, and this excursion was his opportunity to demonstrate his knowledge.Es: El día era parte de una excursión escolar organizada por la clase de biología.En: The day was part of a school trip organized by the biology class.Es: Todos estaban emocionados porque el año escolar estaba por terminar y Mateo, aunque tímido, también sentía la emoción.En: Everyone was excited because the school year was about to end, and although Mateo, being shy, also felt the excitement.Es: Su amigo Carlos, siempre carismático y seguro de sí mismo, lideraba al grupo con energía.En: His friend Carlos, always charismatic and self-assured, led the group with energy.Es: Ambos estaban compitiendo en un concurso de proyectos de biología.En: Both were competing in a biology project contest.Es: Querían ver quién podía identificar más especies durante la caminata.En: They wanted to see who could identify more species during the walk.Es: Mateo sabía que este era su momento para brillar, pero también sentía la presión.En: Mateo knew this was his moment to shine, but he also felt the pressure.Es: Mientras avanzaban, Mateo debatía consigo mismo sobre qué camino tomar.En: As they moved forward, Mateo debated with himself about which path to take.Es: El grupo tenía una ruta planeada, pero Mateo pensaba en un sendero poco explorado que había leído podía tener una gran biodiversidad.En: The group had a planned route, but Mateo considered a less-explored trail he had read about, which might have great biodiversity.Es: Revisó su lista y decidió tomar el riesgo.En: He checked his list and decided to take the risk.Es: Le dijo a Sofía, su amiga, que lo cubriría, y se adentró en lo desconocido.En: He told Sofía, his friend, to cover for him, and he ventured into the unknown.Es: La vegetación era densa, y el terreno rocoso desafiaba su equilibrio con cada paso.En: The vegetation was dense, and the rocky terrain challenged his balance with every step.Es: De repente, el cielo se oscureció y un trueno resonó.En: Suddenly, the sky darkened and a thunderclap sounded.Es: Una tormenta de primavera llegó sin aviso, y Mateo tuvo que buscar refugio rápidamente.En: A spring storm came without warning, and Mateo had to quickly find shelter.Es: Encontró una pequeña cueva y se resguardó con cuidado.En: He found a small cave and took refuge carefully.Es: Mientras esperaba que pasara la tormenta, aprovechó el tiempo para examinar algunas plantas y hongos en la entrada de la cueva.En: While waiting for the storm to pass, he took the opportunity to examine some plants and fungi at the cave's entrance.Es: Fue entonces cuando ocurrió algo inesperado.En: Then something unexpected happened.Es: Entre las sombras, Mateo vio una orquídea rara, una especie que había leído en libros pero nunca había visto en persona.En: Among the shadows, Mateo saw a rare orchid, a species he had read about in books but never seen in person.Es: Sus manos temblaron, pero logró sacar su cámara y registrar el hallazgo.En: His hands trembled, but he managed to take out his camera and document the finding.Es: Su corazón latía con fuerza.En: His heart pounded forcefully.Es: Sabía que este descubrimiento podría ser decisivo en el concurso.En: He knew this discovery could be decisive in the contest.Es: Cuando la tormenta pasó y el sol salió nuevamente, Mateo regresó al grupo.En: When the storm passed and the sun came out again, Mateo returned to the group.Es: Carlos y Sofía lo recibieron con preocupación, pero al ver la emoción en el rostro de Mateo, supieron que algo especial había ocurrido.En: Carlos and Sofía received him with concern, but seeing the excitement on Mateo's face, they knew something special had happened.Es: En la presentación de los proyectos, la inusual orquídea de Mateo fue reconocida por los jueces.En: In the project presentations, Mateo's unusual orchid was recognized by the judges.Es: Mateo fue declarado ganador del concurso.En: Mateo was declared the winner of the contest.Es: Con el reconocimiento vinieron los aplausos de sus compañeros y la sonrisa aprobadora de Carlos.En: With the recognition came the applause of his classmates and Carlos' approving smile.Es: Mateo sintió una ola de confianza que nunca antes había experimentado.En: Mateo felt a wave of confidence he had never experienced before.Es: Carlos lo felicitó sinceramente y Mateo supo que su amistad era más fuerte que cualquier competencia.En: Carlos congratulated him sincerely, and Mateo knew their friendship was stronger than any competition.Es: Esa noche, bajo el cielo estrellado de las Montañas Rocosas, Mateo comprendió que su pasión por la naturaleza era su mayor fortaleza.En: That night, under the starry sky of the Montañas Rocosas, Mateo realized that his passion for nature was his greatest strength.Es: Había decidido tomar riesgos, y aunque el camino fue incierto, los frutos de su valentía lo habían recompensado.En: He had decided to take risks, and although the path was uncertain, the fruits of his bravery had rewarded him.Es: Había descubierto un nuevo lado de sí mismo, y con él, una nueva seguridad para enfrentar el futuro.En: He had discovered a new side of himself, and with it, a new confidence to face the future. Vocabulary Words:the trail: el senderothe wildflowers: las flores silvestresthe damp earth: la tierra húmedathe ecologist: el ecólogothe excursion: la excursiónthe biology class: la clase de biologíathe shy person: la persona tímidathe charisma: el carismathe project contest: el concurso de proyectosthe biodiversity: la biodiversidadthe risk: el riesgothe vegetation: la vegetaciónthe rocky terrain: el terreno rocosothe balance: el equilibriothe thunderclap: el truenothe spring storm: la tormenta de primaverathe shelter: el refugiothe cave: la cuevathe fungi: los hongosthe entrance: la entradathe shadows: las sombrasthe rare orchid: la orquídea rarathe hands: las manosthe camera: la cámarathe discovery: el descubrimientothe judges: los juecesthe applause: los aplausosthe confidence: la confianzathe bravery: la valentíathe future: el futuro

On this episode of Good Noise Podcast, I'm joined by Paul Visser from Black Orchid Empire to talk about their album LORE. We dive into the atmosphere and intensity behind the record, exploring the themes that shape the album and how the band approached crafting its sound.Paul shares insight into the writing process, the influences behind LORE, and how the album reflects both creative growth and a deeper exploration of the band's identity. We also talk about balancing melody and heaviness, evolving as artists, and what this release represents for Black Orchid Empire moving forward.Black Orchid Empire Socials:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackorchidempire/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackorchidempire/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@blackorchidempireYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@blackorchidempireApple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/black-orchid-empire/869483796Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4TrfxRxjCvOFprX1W2V8k1?si=xW0Q6liWTle5BIfS8Ex4Dg

Fluent Fiction - French: The Secret Orchid: A Journey of Discovery and Friendship Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/fr/episode/2026-05-02-07-38-19-fr Story Transcript:Fr: Les premiers rayons du soleil caressaient la Ferme des Fleurs, répandant une douce lumière sur les tulipes rouges, les jonquilles jaunes et les roses blanches.En: The first rays of the sun caressed the Ferme des Fleurs, spreading a gentle light over the red tulips, yellow daffodils, and white roses.Fr: C'était le printemps, et le parfum des fleurs inondait l'air frais.En: It was spring, and the fragrance of flowers filled the fresh air.Fr: Émilie se promenait sur les allées fleuries, s'émerveillant de toute cette beauté.En: Émilie walked along the flowered paths, marveling at all this beauty.Fr: C'était sa première semaine de travail à la ferme, et elle était déterminée à montrer ses compétences à Luc, le propriétaire.En: It was her first week working at the farm, and she was determined to showcase her skills to Luc, the owner.Fr: Luc connaissait chaque recoin de cette ferme.En: Luc knew every corner of this farm.Fr: Un jour, assis sur un banc sous le grand érable, il racontait à Émilie les secrets des plantes locales.En: One day, sitting on a bench under the big maple tree, he was telling Émilie the secrets of the local plants.Fr: À côté, Théo, le meilleur ami d'Émilie venu de la ville pour lui rendre visite, écoutait avec attention.En: Beside them, Théo, Émilie's best friend who came from the city to visit her, listened attentively.Fr: "J'ai trouvé un secret, Émilie," dit Théo en souriant.En: "I found a secret, Émilie," said Théo with a smile.Fr: "Luc a dit qu'il y a une fleur rare ici, quelque part."En: "Luc said there's a rare flower here, somewhere."Fr: Émilie leva les yeux.En: Émilie looked up.Fr: "Vraiment ?En: "Really?Fr: Quelle fleur ?"En: Which flower?"Fr: Luc rit doucement, "Elle est difficile à trouver.En: Luc laughed softly, "It's hard to find.Fr: C'est une orchidée spéciale.En: It's a special orchid.Fr: Les anciens disent qu'elle ne fleurit qu'une fois tous les dix ans."En: The elders say it only blooms once every ten years."Fr: Motivée, Émilie se lança à la recherche de cette orchidée mystérieuse.En: Motivated, Émilie set out in search of this mysterious orchid.Fr: Elle avançait au milieu des rangées de fleurs éclatantes, ses cheveux flottant dans la brise.En: She moved amid the rows of vibrant flowers, her hair floating in the breeze.Fr: Mais, soudain, son nez commença à chatouiller.En: But suddenly, her nose started to tickle.Fr: Elle éternua, encore et encore, jusqu'à ce que ses yeux se remplissent de larmes.En: She sneezed, again and again, until her eyes filled with tears.Fr: "Aïe !En: "Ouch!Fr: Je crois que je suis allergique," murmura-t-elle, surprise.En: I think I'm allergic," she murmured, surprised.Fr: Théo, inquiet, se précipita vers elle.En: Théo, worried, rushed towards her.Fr: "Ça va ?"En: "Are you okay?"Fr: demanda-t-il, l'air sérieux.En: he asked, looking serious.Fr: Émilie hésita.En: Émilie hesitated.Fr: Elle voulait tellement impressionner Luc, mais les éternuements la fatiguaient.En: She wanted so much to impress Luc, but the sneezing tired her out.Fr: Elle devait faire un choix.En: She had to make a choice.Fr: Continue-t-elle malgré tout ou demande-t-elle de l'aide ?En: Does she continue no matter what, or does she ask for help?Fr: Luc, voyant sa difficulté, s'approcha rapidement.En: Luc, noticing her difficulty, quickly approached.Fr: "Émilie, il est important de prendre soin de soi.En: "Émilie, it's important to take care of yourself.Fr: Attends ici.En: Wait here.Fr: Je vais chercher un antihistaminique."En: I'll get an antihistamine."Fr: Pendant que Luc s'éloignait, Théo restait avec Émilie, essuyant ses larmes et la rassurant.En: While Luc walked away, Théo stayed with Émilie, wiping her tears and reassuring her.Fr: "Tu sais, personne ne te jugera pour ça.En: "You know, no one will judge you for this.Fr: Même les meilleurs ont des moments difficiles."En: Even the best have tough moments."Fr: Bientôt, Luc revint avec le médicament.En: Soon, Luc returned with the medication.Fr: "Merci, Luc," dit Émilie, reconnaissante.En: "Thank you, Luc," said Émilie, grateful.Fr: Après quelques minutes, elle se sentit mieux.En: After a few minutes, she felt better.Fr: "Je suis désolée d'avoir arrêté votre journée," dit-elle timidement.En: "I'm sorry for interrupting your day," she said timidly.Fr: "Ne t'inquiète pas," répondit Luc.En: "Don't worry," replied Luc.Fr: "Tu as montré beaucoup de passion aujourd'hui.En: "You showed a lot of passion today.Fr: Ce que tu as fait est déjà impressionnant."En: What you did is already impressive."Fr: Émilie sourit, touchée par ses paroles.En: Émilie smiled, touched by his words.Fr: Elle comprit qu'il était important de savoir demander de l'aide et d'accepter ses limites.En: She understood that it was important to know how to ask for help and accept her limits.Fr: Au coucher du soleil, elle était assise avec Théo et Luc, savourant une tisane à la menthe sous le ciel teinté de rose et d'orange.En: At sunset, she sat with Théo and Luc, savoring a mint tea under the pink and orange-tinted sky.Fr: La journée avait été pleine d'émotions, mais elle savait qu'elle avait fait un pas important.En: The day had been full of emotions, but she knew she had taken an important step.Fr: La Ferme des Fleurs allait être un nouveau départ, avec Luc pour guide et Théo comme soutien indéfectible.En: The Ferme des Fleurs was going to be a new beginning, with Luc as a guide and Théo as unwavering support.Fr: Émilie avait compris : la véritable réussite vient aussi du partage et de l'entraide.En: Émilie had learned: true success also comes from sharing and mutual aid.Fr: Un savoir précieux qu'elle garderait toujours avec elle.En: A valuable lesson she would always keep with her. Vocabulary Words:farm: la fermetulips: les tulipesdaffodils: les jonquillesmaple tree: le grand érablesecrets: les secretselder: les anciensorchid: une orchidéebreeze: la brisesneeze: éternuerallergic: allergiqueantihistamine: un antihistaminiquebench: un bancray: le rayonfragrance: le parfumpath: l'alléeintently: avec attentionsurprised: surpriseworried: inquietpassion: la passionmedication: le médicamentgrateful: reconnaissantetimidly: timidementlimit: les limitestinted: teintéemotion: les émotionssharing: le partagemutual aid: l'entraidevaluable: précieuxbeginning: un nouveau départunwavering: indéfectible

If you've been listening to the Purr Podcast for a while, you already know that Dr. Susan has a special place in her heart for anything that crawls, multiplies, and causes trouble at the cellular level. So when the opportunity came to welcome back the one and only Dr. Jane Sykes for a second conversation, it's safe to say the excitement level in the room was measurable. Dr. Sykes is a Professor of Small Animal Internal Medicine at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and one of the most respected voices in veterinary infectious disease anywhere in the world. She has spent her career untangling the complex, the sneaky, and the sometimes downright dramatic world of infections in our companion animals, and lucky for us, she's as generous with her knowledge as she is sharp with her insights. Your hosts, Dr. Susan and Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn, are back together to guide the conversation, Dr. Susan barely containing her enthusiasm, and Dr. Jolle making sure the rest of us keep up. Whether you're a cat owner wondering what's lurking in your backyard or a veterinary professional looking to sharpen your clinical thinking, this episode has something for you. This is the second time Dr. Sykes has graced the Purr Podcast, and honestly? It still doesn't feel like enough.Thanks for tuning in to the Purr Podcast with Dr. Susan and Dr. Jolle!If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave us a review—it really helps other cat lovers and vet nerds find the show. Follow us on social media for behind-the-scenes stories, cat trivia, and the occasional bad pun. And remember: every day is better with cats, curiosity, and maybe just a little purring in the background. Until next time—stay curious, stay kind, and give your cats an extra chin scratch from us. The Purr Podcast – where feline medicine meets feline fun.

This is a new mini-series hosted by Michelle where she will be spotlighting different "nerd" creators! In this episode, Michelle interviews Wendy, a talented Chicago cosplayer and owner of a successful anime wood burning business. They discuss Wendy's journey from rediscovering her love for anime during COVID to turning her passion into a thriving small business, sharing insights on creative small business, challenges, and favorite art pieces. You can follow Wendy on IG @_pyro.orchid_

Fluent Fiction - Italian: Mystery in Bloom: Solving the Secret of the Missing Orchids Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/it/episode/2026-04-26-22-34-01-it Story Transcript:It: Nel cuore della primavera, il Giardino Botanico era un labirinto di colori e profumi.En: In the heart of spring, the Giardino Botanico was a labyrinth of colors and scents.It: Luca camminava lentamente tra i sentieri, osservando ogni dettaglio con occhi curiosi.En: Luca walked slowly along the paths, observing every detail with curious eyes.It: Era un botanico e un investigatore dilettante.En: He was a botanist and an amateur investigator.It: La sua passione era scoprire i segreti nascosti della natura.En: His passion was discovering the hidden secrets of nature.It: Martina, la sua amica artista, era al suo fianco con il cavalletto pronto.En: Martina, his artist friend, was by his side with an easel ready.It: "Guarda, Luca," disse Martina, indicando un raro albero di magnolia in fiore.En: "Look, Luca," said Martina, pointing to a rare blooming magnolia tree.It: "È perfetto per un nuovo dipinto."En: "It's perfect for a new painting."It: Ma Luca era distratto.En: But Luca was distracted.It: Aveva sentito parlare della misteriosa scomparsa delle orchidee rare, destinate a fiorire per la prima volta in dieci anni.En: He had heard about the mysterious disappearance of rare orchids, set to bloom for the first time in ten years.It: "Martina, abbiamo un mistero da risolvere."En: "Martina, we have a mystery to solve."It: Nel giardino, la presenza di Giovanni non passava inosservata.En: In the garden, the presence of Giovanni did not go unnoticed.It: Un uomo enigmatico, sempre in giro ma mai a parlare con nessuno.En: An enigmatic man, always around but never speaking to anyone.It: La sua figura solitaria attirava l'attenzione di Luca.En: His solitary figure caught Luca's attention.It: "Giovanni sembra fuori posto," disse Martina, esprimendo i suoi pensieri.En: "Giovanni seems out of place," said Martina, voicing her thoughts.It: "Credo che potrebbe sapere qualcosa sulle orchidee," rispose Luca, mentre pianificava il prossimo passo.En: "I think he might know something about the orchids," replied Luca, as he planned the next step.It: Decisero di cercare testimoni e chiedere loro cosa ricordassero.En: They decided to look for witnesses and ask what they remembered.It: Martina utilizzava le sue doti artistiche per disegnare le descrizioni dei testimoni.En: Martina used her artistic skills to draw the descriptions from the witnesses.It: I disegni aiutarono Luca a mettere insieme i pezzi mancanti del puzzle.En: The drawings helped Luca piece together the missing parts of the puzzle.It: Tuttavia, il giardino era un'enorme trappola di foglie e misteri, celando bene i suoi segreti.En: However, the garden was an enormous trap of leaves and mysteries, well concealing its secrets.It: Senza altre piste, Luca decise di parlare direttamente con Giovanni.En: With no other leads, Luca decided to speak directly with Giovanni.It: "Scusa, possiamo parlare?"En: "Excuse me, can we talk?"It: chiese con cautela.En: he asked cautiously.It: Giovanni si fermò, il suo atteggiamento era enigmatico quanto lui stesso.En: Giovanni stopped, his demeanor as enigmatic as he was.It: Dopo un lungo scambio di sguardi e poche parole, Giovanni accettò di portarli in una parte nascosta del giardino.En: After a long exchange of glances and few words, Giovanni agreed to take them to a hidden part of the garden.It: Lì, tra le verdi fronde, Giovanni mostrò loro le orchidee scomparse.En: There, among the green fronds, Giovanni showed them the missing orchids.It: "Le stavo salvando," dichiarò.En: "I was saving them," he declared.It: "Una malattia le ha attaccate.En: "A disease attacked them.It: Sto cercando di salvarle."En: I'm trying to save them."It: Luca era scettico ma decise di verificare.En: Luca was skeptical but decided to verify.It: Insieme a Martina, contattarono gli esperti del giardino.En: Together with Martina, they contacted the garden's experts.It: Con sorpresa di tutti, le affermazioni di Giovanni erano vere.En: To everyone's surprise, Giovanni's claims were true.It: Era un orticultore che lavorava sotto copertura per proteggere le piante del giardino.En: He was a horticulturist working undercover to protect the garden's plants.It: Le orchidee furono restituite al loro posto e, in un'esplosione di colori, fiorirono magnificamente.En: The orchids were returned to their place and, in an explosion of colors, they bloomed magnificently.It: Il giardino si riempì di ammirazione e gioia.En: The garden filled with admiration and joy.It: Alla fine, Luca realizzò che non ogni mistero nasce da cattive intenzioni.En: In the end, Luca realized that not every mystery arises from bad intentions.It: Capì l'importanza della collaborazione e della mente aperta.En: He understood the importance of collaboration and an open mind.It: La sua stima per la natura e per coloro che la proteggono crebbe profondamente.En: His appreciation for nature and for those who protect it grew profoundly.It: E mentre il sole tramontava sul giardino, Luca e Martina sorrisero, contemplando la bellezza della primavera e i legami invisibili che uniscono persone e natura.En: And as the sun set over the garden, Luca and Martina smiled, contemplating the beauty of spring and the invisible bonds that unite people and nature. Vocabulary Words:the heart: il cuorethe spring: la primaverathe labyrinth: il labirintothe scents: i profumithe paths: i sentierithe passion: la passionecurious: curiosithe investigator: l'investigatoreamateur: dilettantehidden: nascostithe magnolia: il magnoliablooming: in fiorethe disappearance: la scomparsaenigmatic: enigmaticosolitary: solitariadistracted: distrattowitnesses: testimonidescriptions: descrizionithe puzzle: il puzzlethe trap: la trappolathe leaves: le fogliethe demeanor: l'atteggiamentothe exchange: lo scambiothe glances: gli sguardithe disease: la malattiato verify: verificareundercover: sotto coperturathe admiration: l'ammirazionebad intentions: cattive intenzionithe collaboration: la collaborazione

Mise sous pression par le blocage du détroit d'Ormuz, Taïwan tente de relancer son programme nucléaire. La petite île au large de la Chine importe plus de 95% de son énergie et est en temps normal sous pression, notamment vis-à-vis de son industrie de semi-conducteurs très gourmande en énergie. Pour assurer à Taïwan une meilleure autonomie, le président taïwanais, dont le parti était le fer de lance antinucléaire du pays, annonce vouloir relancer les centrales nucléaires taïwanaises, à peine un an après leur fermeture. De notre correspondant à Taipei, Le petit port de pêche touristique de YeLiu, au nord de Taïwan, est situé à quelques kilomètres seulement de l'une des deux centrales nucléaires concernées par le projet de réouverture. Son dernier réacteur a été mis hors service il y a seulement trois ans, mais ces habitants attablés pour le déjeuner pensent que le remettre en route est la seule solution viable. « Pourquoi est-ce qu'ils veulent relancer le nucléaire ? Parce qu'à Taïwan, on manque d'électricité ! Le charbon, ça pollue. L'éolien n'est pas assez efficace. Le nucléaire, par contre, si c'est bien géré, aucun problème », assure un homme. Pragmatiques, ces Taïwanais pensent moins aux risques d'accidents nucléaires qu'aux opportunités d'emploi dans la région. « Ça fait aussi plus de travail pour notre communauté, il y a plus d'avantages que d'inconvénients », complète-t-il. L'annonce de relance de centrale n'enchante guère les associations opposées au nucléaire Mais à Taïwan, le nucléaire est loin de faire l'unanimité. Pour la secrétaire générale de la plus importante association citoyenne opposé au nucléaire, le traumatisme de l'accident de Fukushima ne doit pas être oublié : « Le séisme de 2011 qui a provoqué l'accident nucléaire de Fukushima a eu beaucoup d'impact sur Taïwan. Taïwan et le Japon sont des régions similaires, avec de nombreux séismes. Il faut continuer à tirer les leçons de cet événement. Quand on a la preuve de nouvelles failles géologiques, on ne devrait pas relancer le nucléaire. » Après l'accident de Fukushima, des centaines de milliers de personnes ont manifesté plusieurs années dans les rues, au prix d'une victoire : celle de l'arrêt total de tous les réacteurs du pays. La dernière centrale a fermé ses portes en mai 2025. Avec cette annonce de relance, le mouvement antinucléaire est prêt à s'opposer une nouvelle fois au gouvernement. « Nous espérons pouvoir cette fois encore gagner, car en réalité, les problèmes d'hier et ceux d'aujourd'hui n'ont pas changé. Taïwan est toujours une région à forte activité sismique. Et les centrales nucléaires de Taïwan sont toujours situées dans des zones urbaines densément peuplées. Nous estimons que les conditions n'ont pas changé. Nos inquiétudes restent les mêmes », poursuit-elle. À lire aussiTaïwan: manifestation de rejet du nucléaire La Chine veut « offrir à Taïwan une garantie fiable pour sa sécurité énergétique » Bien consciente des difficultés de Taïwan pour assurer son autonomie énergétique, la Chine tente elle aussi de s'immiscer dans le débat, via son porte-parole des affaires taiwanaises, quelques semaines après le début de la guerre en Iran. « Après une réunification pacifique, nous pourrions tout à fait compenser les pénuries de Taïwan en électricité, en gaz naturel, en pétrole brut... et offrir à Taïwan une garantie fiable pour sa sécurité énergétique », alimente le porte-parole. Pour ne dépendre ni du détroit d'Ormuz, ni de la Chine, le gouvernement taïwanais espère pouvoir relancer deux de ses centrales nucléaires d'ici 2029. À lire aussiTaiwan : l'île des Orchidées, un paradis radioactif

The core four, Chris, Dan, Orchid, and Pat, are back and they cover every single event, match by match, from Mania week. Check it out!!

Fluent Fiction - French: The Orchid of Sacrifice: A Botanist's Heartfelt Gift Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/fr/episode/2026-04-24-22-34-02-fr Story Transcript:Fr: Le soleil réchauffait doucement le Jardin des Plantes, où Émile et Sophie déambulaient parmi les allées colorées du marché saisonnier de plantes.En: The sun gently warmed the Jardin des Plantes, where Émile and Sophie wandered among the colorful paths of the seasonal plant market.Fr: Les fleurs éclatantes de toutes sortes embaumaient l'air printanier, et les visiteurs marchaient entre les stands pleins de verdure.En: The vibrant flowers of all kinds filled the spring air with fragrance, and visitors walked between the stands full of greenery.Fr: Émile, un botaniste passionné, arpentait les étals avec une intention particulière : il cherchait une orchidée rare qu'il rêvait de découvrir depuis des années.En: Émile, a passionate botanist, was browsing the stalls with a specific intention: he was searching for a rare orchid he had dreamed of discovering for years.Fr: Sophie, son apprentie enthousiaste, l'accompagnait, admirant chaque plante, chaque fleur avec des yeux émerveillés.En: Sophie, his enthusiastic apprentice, accompanied him, admiring every plant, every flower with wide-eyed wonder.Fr: Ils s'arrêtèrent devant un stand charmant tenu par Claire, une jardinière expérimentée.En: They stopped in front of a charming stall run by Claire, an experienced gardener.Fr: Son étal regorgeait de fleurs magnifiques, mais ce qui attira l'attention d'Émile fut une orchidée à l'apparence unique, posée délicatement au centre.En: Her stand was overflowing with magnificent flowers, but what caught Émile's attention was a uniquely looking orchid, delicately placed in the center.Fr: « Bonjour, Claire !En: "Hello, Claire!"Fr: » salua Émile.En: greeted Émile.Fr: « Quelle belle journée pour acheter des plantes !En: "What a beautiful day to buy plants!"Fr: » Claire sourit joyeusement.En: Claire smiled joyfully.Fr: « Bonjour, Émile, bonjour, Sophie !En: "Hello, Émile, hello, Sophie!Fr: Vous avez l'œil pour repérer les beautés rares, n'est-ce pas ?En: You have an eye for spotting rare beauties, don't you?"Fr: » Émile s'agenouilla près du pot, observant chaque détail de l'orchidée.En: Émile knelt beside the pot, observing every detail of the orchid.Fr: « Cette orchidée est encore plus rare que je ne l'imaginais.En: "This orchid is even rarer than I imagined.Fr: Elle a un détail... une mutation unique, peut-être.En: It has a detail... a unique mutation, perhaps."Fr: » Sophie, captivée, s'approcha aussi.En: Sophie, captivated, also moved closer.Fr: « Elle est vraiment magnifique, Émile.En: "It's truly magnificent, Émile.Fr: On dirait qu'elle a quelque chose de spécial.En: It seems to have something special."Fr: » Mais le rêve d'Émile fracassa contre la réalité : le prix de l'orchidée était élevé, bien au-delà de ce qu'il avait prévu.En: But Émile's dream clashed with reality: the price of the orchid was high, well beyond what he had anticipated.Fr: Claire lui expliqua que cette orchidée n'était pas seulement rare, mais très prisée.En: Claire explained to him that this orchid was not only rare but also highly sought after.Fr: « C'est une perle rare, » murmura Émile.En: "It's a rare gem," murmured Émile.Fr: « Mais ce prix... » « Peut-être que je... » se risqua Sophie, hésitant, consciente du désir d'Émile.En: "But that price..." "Maybe I..." ventured Sophie, hesitating, aware of Émile's desire.Fr: Émile se redressa, le cœur partagé entre son désir d'acquérir la plante et son respect pour l'intérêt de Sophie.En: Émile stood up, his heart torn between his desire to acquire the plant and his respect for Sophie's interest.Fr: La tentation de négocier un prix, de s'endetter même, le traversa.En: The temptation to negotiate a price—to even go into debt—crossed his mind.Fr: Pourtant, il repensa aux heures passées à enseigner Sophie, à sa passion grandissante.En: Yet, he thought of the hours spent teaching Sophie, her growing passion.Fr: Une décision mûrit.En: A decision matured.Fr: « Sophie, je pense que tu devrais l'avoir.En: "Sophia, I think you should have it.Fr: Vous pourrez explorer ses secrets ensemble, et peut-être que tu découvriras même ce que je n'ai pas pu voir.En: You can explore its secrets together, and maybe you'll discover what I couldn't see."Fr: » Sophie le regarda, les yeux brillants de gratitude et de surprise.En: Sophie looked at him, eyes shining with gratitude and surprise.Fr: « Émile, vraiment ?En: "Émile, really?Fr: Merci beaucoup !En: Thank you so much!Fr: J'adorerais partager mes découvertes avec vous.En: I'd love to share my discoveries with you."Fr: » Claire les observa avec un sourire bienveillant, consciente peut-être de l'importance de ce moment.En: Claire watched them with a benevolent smile, perhaps aware of the importance of this moment.Fr: En quittant le marché, le cœur d'Émile était léger.En: As they left the market, Émile's heart was light.Fr: Il avait perdu une orchidée, mais il avait gagné quelque chose de bien plus précieux : la joie d'encourager de nouvelles découvertes et la promesse d'une collaboration future.En: He had lost an orchid but gained something far more precious: the joy of encouraging new discoveries and the promise of future collaboration.Fr: Le Jardin des Plantes semblait plus éclatant que jamais, vibrant des espoirs et des rêves partagés par ceux qui l'arpentaient.En: The Jardin des Plantes seemed more resplendent than ever, vibrant with the hopes and dreams shared by those who walked through it.Fr: Chaque plante était une promesse, un mystère à résoudre, et Émile savait maintenant que partager ces mystères était le vrai voyage.En: Each plant was a promise, a mystery to solve, and Émile knew now that sharing these mysteries was the true journey. Vocabulary Words:the sun: le soleilthe orchid: l'orchidéethe botanist: le botanistethe apprentice: l'apprentiethe gardener: la jardinièrethe stall: l'étalthe fragrance: le parfumthe discovery: la découvertethe detail: le détailthe mutation: la mutationthe attraction: l'attraitthe dream: le rêvethe reality: la réalitéthe price: le prixthe debt: la dettethe desire: le désirthe passion: la passionthe temptation: la tentationthe surprise: la surprisethe gratitude: la gratitudethe promise: la promessethe collaboration: la collaborationthe market: le marchéthe path: l'alléethe greenery: la verdurethe flower: la fleurthe visitor: le visiteurthe beauty: la beautéthe joy: la joiethe moment: le moment

This week, Cultivating Place host Abra Lee explores diplomacy and gardens. She's in conversation with John Sonnier, Head Gardener at the British Ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C. There since 2009, John focuses on organic and sustainable methods of care AND he has created one of the United State's most significant historic orchid collections. Orchids are known for their extraordinary forms, relationships, and resilience and John, a distinguished horticulturalist, artist, and self-taught orchidist, brings us into that world – sharing what it means to grow them, care for them, and stay curious about them over time. We consider how the environment we cultivate – from gardens to shared community spaces – shape our thoughts and our lives. Listen in! Cultivating Place now has a donate button! We thank you for listening over the years, and we hope you'll continue to support Cultivating Place. We can't thank you enough for making it possible for this young program to grow and engage in even more conversations like these. The show is available as a podcast on SoundCloud and iTunes. To read more and for many more photos, please visit www.cultivatingplace.com.

Fluent Fiction - Catalan: Sant Jordi's Day: A Quest for Orchids and Heartfelt Traditions Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/ca/episode/2026-04-23-07-38-19-ca Story Transcript:Ca: El Montseny despertava amb la primavera.En: El Montseny awoke with the spring.Ca: Els arbres verds brillaven sota el sol, i l'aire era ple de cants d'ocells.En: The green trees shone under the sun, and the air was full of birdsong.Ca: Entre les rutes sinuoses, Marcel caminava decidit.En: Along the winding trails, Marcel walked determinedly.Ca: Al seu costat, Laia somreia, gaudint dels sons del bosc.En: Beside him, Laia smiled, enjoying the sounds of the forest.Ca: "Avui és la Diada de Sant Jordi", va dir Laia, alçant un llibre amb la portada decorada de roses.En: "Today is the Diada de Sant Jordi," said Laia, raising a book with a cover decorated with roses.Ca: "He pensat que podríem celebrar-ho junts.En: "I thought we could celebrate it together."Ca: "Marcel va mirar el llibre, però va tornar a fixar-se en el camí.En: Marcel looked at the book but then focused back on the path.Ca: "Sí, però primer he de trobar aquella orquídia," va respondre amb entusiasme.En: "Yes, but first I need to find that orchid," he responded enthusiastically.Ca: La rara orquídia que somiava veure només floria aquesta època de l'any al Montseny.En: The rare orchid he dreamed of seeing only bloomed this time of year in Montseny.Ca: Laia sospirà lleugerament.En: Laia sighed slightly.Ca: Encara que estimava els rituals i les tradicions, també respectava la passió de Marcel per la natura.En: Although she loved rituals and traditions, she also respected Marcel's passion for nature.Ca: Tot i així, desitjava que ell pogués veure la bellesa en les coses petites, com ho feia ella.En: Still, she wished he could see the beauty in small things, as she did.Ca: Van seguir caminant fins que van arribar a un clar.En: They continued walking until they reached a clearing.Ca: Marcel es va detenir de sobte, els ulls ampliats de sorpresa.En: Marcel stopped suddenly, his eyes widened with surprise.Ca: Davant seu, entre la gespa brillant, s'alçava l'orquídia que havia estat cercant.En: In front of him, among the shimmering grass, stood the orchid he had been searching for.Ca: La seva bellesa era innegable, però en aquell instant, alguna cosa va canviar en ell.En: Its beauty was undeniable, but at that instant, something changed in him.Ca: Va entendre que, en el seu afany per veure aquesta flor, havia oblidat les coses que realment importaven.En: He realized that in his eagerness to see this flower, he had forgotten the things that truly mattered.Ca: Laia es va apropar, amb un somriure dolç.En: Laia approached, with a sweet smile.Ca: "Es preciosa, oi?En: "It's beautiful, isn't it?"Ca: ", va dir.En: she said.Ca: "Ho és", va admetre Marcel, "però avui és Sant Jordi.En: "It is," admitted Marcel, "but today is Sant Jordi.Ca: M'agradaria fer-ho especial.En: I'd like to make it special."Ca: " Es va ajupir i va collir una flor silvestre, allargant-la cap a Laia.En: He bent down and picked a wildflower, extending it to Laia.Ca: "Una flor per Sant Jordi," va dir somrient, "i jo tinc la tradició del llibre per tu," va respondre Laia, estenent-li el llibre.En: "A flower for Sant Jordi," he said, smiling, "and I have the book tradition for you," Laia responded, handing him the book.Ca: Els dos es van asseure al clar, sota el càntic dels ocells i la llum càlida del sol, compartint històries i somriures.En: The two sat down in the clearing, under the song of the birds and the warm light of the sun, sharing stories and smiles.Ca: Marcel havia après una lliçó important: les aventures són més significatives quan es gaudeixen amb les persones estimades i s'aprecien els petits moments.En: Marcel had learned an important lesson: adventures are more meaningful when enjoyed with loved ones, and the small moments are appreciated.Ca: Aquella Diada de Sant Jordi no només van celebrar la cultura, sinó també el vincle entre ells, un vincle que havia crescut com els arbres forts del bosc del Montseny.En: That Diada de Sant Jordi they celebrated not only culture but also the bond between them, a bond that had grown like the strong trees of the Montseny forest.Ca: La cerca de Marcel havia acabat, però un nou camí s'obria, on exploració i tradicions es trobaven en harmonia.En: Marcel's quest had ended, but a new path opened, where exploration and traditions met in harmony. Vocabulary Words:the clearing: el clarthe path: el camíthe book cover: la portada del llibrethe flower: la florto awaken: despertarto sigh: sospirarthe orchid: l'orquídiaeagerness: afanyto admire: admetrethe bond: el vincleto stroll: caminarsunlight: llum del solto bloom: florarthe trail: la rutato respect: respectardeterminedly: deciditto decorate: decorarto celebrate: celebrarthe tradition: la tradicióto signify: significarto smile: somriuresweet: dolçto wish: desitjarwinding: sinuósundeniable: innegableto extend: allargarto admit: admetreto share: compartirto approach: apropar-sethe grass: la gespa

The harvest will come, but it may come at a time and in a way we'll never see.

Dr. Jason Downing of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden turns rare orchid propagation into an educational adventure for Miami area students, beautifies the cityscape, and rescues native Floridian species from the brink of extinction.

Here's another one for the annals of “entire scientific field becomes totally misguided for decades”. How could it have been possible that so many scientists fell for the idea of candidate genes—that there were individual gene variants that explained huge chunks of variation in depression, aggression, intelligence, and many more psychological traits? How could they have written literally hundreds of peer-reviewed papers based on completely false “results”?Well, they did. Here's the story.(Why 99.5? We're putting off doing Episode 100, just so we can mark the occasion with an even better topic).The Science Fictions podcast is brought to you by Works in Progress magazine, the journal of underrated ideas for making the world a better place. Today we talked about the new article on why Japan's railways are so good and what other countries can learn from them. Read all their articles, for absolutely zero cost, at worksinprogress.co.Show notes* The first study on 5HTTLPR and depression, from 1996* Caspi et al.'s seminal 2003 Science paper on gene-environment interaction with 5HTTLPR and depression* “Orchid genes” in The Atlantic; Wired; The New York Times* Caspi et al's 2002 paper on MAOA, the “warrior gene”* Article on the Maori people and MAOA* 2009 story on an Italian court reducing a sentence due to MAOA* Though no such luck in New Mexico in 2021* Scott Alexander's classic 2019 article on candidate genes* Failure to replicate the 5HTTLPR GxE as early as 2005* 2009 meta-analysis with flat-as-a-pancake results for 5HTTLPR* Letter about the lopsided nature of its citations* 2011 “critical review” of candidate gene studies* 2019 Border et al. study attempting to replicate depression candidate genes* 2025 GWAS of depression* A Google Scholar search for “5HTTLPR depression”, restricted to articles published in 2026CreditsThe Science Fictions podcast is produced by Julian Mayers at Yada Yada Productions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sciencefictionspod.substack.com/subscribe

Episode Info Joe Zuk is an Operating Partner for Altamont Capital Partners, bringing a dedicated focus to corporate and business development across existing ACP portfolio companies within the Property & Casualty insurance vertical. Most recently, Joe served as Managing Director of Corporate Development & Strategy for Orchid Underwriters, a private equity-backed catastrophic personal and commercial lines property managing general underwriter. During his tenure he successfully executed upon the stated strategy for the firm including formation and launch of a proprietary segregated cell captive reinsurance facility, sourcing additional carrier partners, development of operational strategy, recruitment of human capital, and sourcing of M&A opportunities. Prior to Orchid, Joe served as Board Manager at Atlas General Holdings. At Atlas, he led the organic development and growth of Atlas's commercial property & casualty divisions as well as directing its corporate development initiatives. Prior to Atlas, Joe was an accomplished reinsurance broker and underwriter with over a decade of experience in treaty and facultative property and casualty reinsurance. During that time, he developed an extensive network of relationships across the industry landscape in both domestic and international markets. Joe is a graduate of New York University, earning a Bachelor of Arts with concentrations in finance, history and cinema. Joe enjoys dedicating his time to mentoring and encouraging young professionals to enter and advance within the broader insurance industry. Episode Overview: Talent Shortage: The industry faces an aging workforce and difficulty attracting new talent, impacting core functions like claims and underwriting. Solutions involve structured knowledge transfer and mentorship. AI Transformation: AI is not replacing jobs but changing them. It offers tools to enhance efficiency, improve risk assessment, and personalize customer interactions. Evolving Distribution: AI may automate simpler insurance sales, shifting the focus for human agents towards complex advisory roles. Navigating Risks: While AI offers significant benefits, challenges like inaccuracies and potential liability must be managed. The insurance sector is adapting, emphasizing the need for continuous learning and strategic adoption of new technologies. The conversation concluded by stressing the importance of a collaborative, monitored approach to AI implementation, ensuring it serves to enhance both efficiency and the human element in the insurance claims process. This episode is brought to you by The Future of Insurance book series (future-of-insurance.com) from Bryan Falchuk. Follow the podcast at future-of-insurance.com/podcast for more details and other episodes. Music courtesy of Hyperbeat Music, available to stream or download on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music and more.

Are you raising your child to be resilient or accidentally breaking them? World-renowned developmental psychologist Dr. Aliza Pressman joins Mansi Zaveri, India's leading conscious parenting coach and Founder of Kidsstoppress on Season 5 of the Kidsstoppress Parenting Podcast, for a conversation that every Indian parent NEEDS to watch.Dr Aliza Pressman is a developmental psychologist with 20+ years of experience. NYT Bestselling Author of "The 5 Principles of Parenting". Host of the award-winning podcast "Raising Good Humans" with 18 million+ downloadsFrom the science of discipline to screen time, joint families, lying, boredom and raising resilient kids this is 60 minutes of parenting clarity you won't find anywhere else. Mansi asks every question you were too afraid to ask.They talk about✅ The science-backed framework every parent needs on parenting✅ 3 Parenting myths debunked✅ Are you raising your child — or raising their report card?✅ The difference between loving your child for WHO they are ✅ The real benefits of multigenerational homes (that nobody talks about)✅ How to handle grandparents who override your boundaries✅ What screens are really taking away from your child✅ Is your child an Orchid or a dandelion?✅ Why trying to "catch" your child lying always backfires✅ Why "I'm bored" is actually good for your childKidsstoppress Podcast — India's #1 Parenting PodcastRanked India's Top Parenting Podcast by Feedspot. Trusted by millions of Indian parents for over a decade — bringing you real conversations with experts on parenting, wellness, and family life.

Orchids and Man CardsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Orchid Was Taken From a Locked Room and Something Else Was Left in Its PlaceBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/darkest-mysteries-online-the-strange-and-unusual-podcast-2026--5684156/support.Darkest Mysteries Online

Don't make me say it three times, it's time to Hop On The Horn With The Big Boys(and Orchid.) Dan, Orchid, Sam, Tanner, also deffintely Chris and Pat breakdown the Wrestlemania week schedule event by event, match by match and leave no stone unturned. Somehow this also find time to discuss all 947 wrestlers to receive a VP100 vote. Check it out. Use Invite code DAN582932 on Upside to save money on gas and food. Upside is a proud sponsor of Violent People Radio. Sam could also use a coffee, so help him out

In this week's episode, I answer questions I receive whenever I mention that STARFIELD is my favorite game of the 2020s. This coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of Half-Orc Paladin, Book #3 in the Half-Elven Thief series, (as excellently narrated by Leanne Woodward) at my Payhip store: HECTOR50 The coupon code is valid through April 20th, 2026. TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 298 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is April 10th, 2026. Today I'm doing an FAQ about my experiences with Starfield, which is my favorite game of the 2020s. Before that, we will have Coupon of the Week and a progress update on my current writing, publishing, and audiobook projects. So let's start off with Coupon of the Week. This week's Coupon Code will get you 50% off the audiobook of Half-Orc Paladin, Book #3 in the Half-Elven Thief series (as excellently narrated by Leanne Woodward), at my Payhip store. That coupon code will be HECTOR50. And as always, the coupon code and the link to my Payhip store will be available in the show notes for this episode. And this coupon code will be valid through April 20th, 2026. So if you need a new audiobook for this spring, we have got you covered. Now for an update on my current writing, publishing, and audiobook projects. As of this recording, I am done with the first pass of editing through Blade of Wraiths and then starting on the second. It's taken a bit longer than I've wanted because I've had a lot of Real Life Stuff to do, but if all goes well, I'm hoping to have the book out in the second half of April, so hopefully not too much longer now. I'm also 19,000 words into Dragon-Mage, which will be the sixth book in the Rivah Half-Elven Thief series. Hopefully that will be out in May, if all goes well. No, that might slip to June, but I'm really hoping to get that one out in May. In audiobook news, Hollis McCarthy has started work on Cloak of Illusion, so hopefully if all goes well, we'll have that out to you in May sometime. In fact, I'm hoping that will come out concurrently with Dragon-Mage, because it's always nice when I can stack an ebook and an older audiobook in the series like that together. So that is where we're at with my current writing, publishing, and audiobook projects. 00:01:46 Main Topic: Starfield Now onto our main topic. This is ostensibly a podcast about writing and the business of writing, but I like video games, so we're going to talk about a video game this week. The reason for that is whenever I post about Starfield or share a screenshot from it, I frequently get a number of questions. I think it's because Starfield was an oddly divisive game when it came out. People have strong opinions about it and then have strong opinions about other people's strong opinions and I do not have these strong opinions myself. While I enjoy the game a great deal, if you don't like it, that's fine. There are lots and lots and lots of legitimate reasons to criticize Microsoft, which is the ultimate owner of Starfield. It's possible for two things to be simultaneously true that Microsoft has done a lot of sketchy things, and that Starfield is a good game that I enjoyed. I suspect it's a bit like enjoying a football game while at the same time knowing that the NFL is an unscrupulous cartel that could benefit from some thorough reforms. Despite that, I have to admit that I don't think it's super healthy to make gaming opinions, whether video games or sports games, a core part of your identity. A game in the end is just a fancy toy for amusement and idle moments. If God descended tomorrow and told me that Starfield would vanish from the face of the earth, I'd be rather disappointed, but my dinner would still taste just as good and my house would be just as warm. That said, I did enjoy the game quite a bit. Everybody needs a hobby and even I can't work every hour of every day. I wrote like a hundred novels in the last 10 years. Everyone has their own stresses in life, of course, but we seem to live in particularly stressful time these days, so a harmless hobby is a nice break from real life. The game's newest expansion came out a couple days ago on April 7th. And so with that in mind, I thought I would answer the most common questions I get whenever I post or talk about Starfield. Question: Did Starfield influence your Silent Order Science fiction series at all? No. But I'm always pleased when I get this question because it's easily answered. The final book of Silent Order came out on September the 4th, 2023, and Starfield came out on September 6th, 2023. I tried Starfield like the day after it came out, but I didn't actually start playing it in earnest until April of 2024, like I didn't actually finish the starter dungeon until April of 2024. So no, Starfield was not an influence on Silent Order. It would be fair to say that Silent Order was more influenced by James Bond, some H.P. Lovecraft, and Wing Commander: Privateer, which is actually our next question. Question: What initially drew your interest to Starfield? Part of the game reminded me a lot of Wing Commander: Privateer from the '90s, which was one of my favorite games back in the day. If you're not familiar with it, Wing Commander: Privateer was what's now called a "space trading sim" set in the Wing Commander universe. In all the previous Wing Commander games, you played as a Starfighter pilot fighting in the humans' war against the cat-like Kilrathi invaders. Your missions were assigned to you along with the specific ship you would fly for that mission. But in Privateer, you played a freelance captain with a rundown freighter. You can carry cargo, go bounty hunting, do mercenary work, trading, and just wander around the map following infinite procedurally generated missions from the Mission Board, the Merchants' Guild, and the Mercenaries' Guild. Eventually, you would have enough cash to upgrade your rundown ship to something better and configure it however you liked. There's a main plot, but you can totally ignore it and do whatever you want. I loved Privateer and I finished both it and the expansion. And of course, spent a lot of time doing the infinite procedurally generated quests. Starfield does the same thing, but with 30 years' worth of advancement of game design and technology improvements. In grand Bethesda game tradition, you don't even have to do any of the main plot lines. You can just wander around doing procedurally generated quests. It's like Privateer, but better and with ground-based quests as well. You can get out of your ship and walk around in a way you couldn't in Privateer. In Starfield, you can land at some random science outpost or industrial outpost and the inhabitants will have a quest for you. I've heard Starfield described as a "cozy game", since quite a few people enjoy just building their outposts and their ships and then decorating them like the science fiction version of Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley. In another sense, I suppose Starfield could be described as "cozy adventure". Granted, that might be a strange thing to say about missions where you machine gun space pirates, blow up their base, and then loot all their stuff, but Starfield is an excellent game for just puttering around. It's fun after a long day to play for an hour, take out some space pirates, upgrade your ship a little, maybe tinker with your outpost. And I do like, I have to admit, the main plot line and the various faction quests. Question: So the procedural generation stuff doesn't bother you? No. Procedural generation has been part of gaming forever and long before the civilizational blight that is modern LLM systems. Certainly there are points where the procedural generation of Starfield could be improved and it has been improved with patches, but I enjoy the randomness of it. Question: If you think Starfield is good, why did it have such mixed reviews? It did have some rough points at launch, like the lack of surface vehicles, the lack of city maps, and some weird choices for inventory management (among some other issues, though those were later patched or upgraded). I honestly think the game is better than the mixed reviews would indicate, and I also think the mixed reviews were a combination of different converging social factors, specifically, people's expectations of what they imagined the game would be versus what it actually was, its Xbox and PC exclusivity, and the unfortunate addiction to outrage culture in social media. As I mentioned before, I think it's obvious that we live in stressful times and for a variety of reasons that are beyond the scope of this episode, I think people are overall angrier and eager to lash out when a target presents itself, especially online. Additionally, I suspect a big part of the mixed reviews is that Microsoft has built up a lot of ill will since the launch of Windows 11 and Copilot, and Starfield is a convenient outlet for that. Like Outlook and Teams are widely hated software tools, probably some of the most hated software tools in the world, but your job forces you to use them and you can't do anything about it. It's more effective to criticize a consumer-facing business like video games than it is Outlook and Teams, since those tend to be sold in blocks of thousands of licenses to large institutional customers that don't particularly care what their employees think about Outlook or Teams. In fact, fun fact, while I was writing this episode, Outlook was causing problems on Artemis II, NASA's first manned mission to the moon in over 50 years. So there is yet another historical milestone for Outlook. Question: You've said repeatedly that you don't like multiverse stuff, yet Starfield's main plot revolves heavily around the multiverse. That's true. I don't really like multiverse stuff in fiction because it's hard to execute well without making the story pointless. If there are a billion parallel universes and somebody dies in one of them, so what? Just hop over one universe and find a new version of the dead guy. Multiverse and parallel universe plot lines are a bit like homemade lasagna or homemade spaghetti carbonara. It needs to be done by someone who really, really knows what they're doing, otherwise the end result is sad and unpleasant, indigestible, or outright disgusting. That said, multiverse as a game mechanic is actually the clever idea. Like we all know that if you really like a game, you're going to play it more than once. How many times have you replayed Skyrim? How many uncounted quintillions of times has the original Super Mario Brothers been replayed? Starfield rather cleverly builds that replaying into the game. You can start over in a new universe and play the game again, but this time your character has in- game foreknowledge of everything that's going to happen and that can affect the gameplay in fun ways. Question: Did you really lose 40 pounds while playing Starfield? Yes. Of course, the main factor was some lifestyle changes in terms of exercise and diet, but I did lose 40 pounds since starting to seriously play Starfield in April of 2024. The game was an excellent distraction instead of late night snacking, so I suppose I sublimated the snacking urge into blowing up space pirates. Question: Aren't you worried Starfield will influence or slow down your writing? Well, writers and other creatives draw inspiration from all sorts of places, but no, I'm not worried about that because Starfield draws so heavily on multiverse tropes and as I've mentioned a few times before, I don't really like multiverse stuff in fiction. In terms of productivity, I published a million new words in 2024 and again in 2025. Though in full disclosure, I will be surprised if I hit a million words in 2026 due to the amount of Real Life Stuff I will have to do this year, but admittedly that is Real Life Stuff unconnected to gaming or recreation and it's only April, so who can say how the rest of the year will play out? Question: Did playing Starfield so much take time away from reading? Probably not. In 2025, I read 69 books and by the end of March in 2026, I have read 15. Lots of people read more than I do, but 69 books in a year is still significantly higher than the American national average. In all honesty, I both read less and play fewer video games now than I did like 20, 25 years ago when I had way fewer responsibilities. Question: The expansion pack Shattered Space got mixed reviews, but you really enjoyed it. Why? I thought the concept was intriguing. "Religious leader builds machine to contact his conception of God and accidentally blows up half his capital city and creates a space time rift" is an interesting concept for both a game and for fiction. I also liked how the expansion pack went in depth into the crazy space cultists' home planet, which was a fun environment to play. Shattered Space is definitely Starfield on hard mode though. The game recommends it for Level 35 characters, but I think 50 might be better, if I'm honest. Question: If Starfield was a commercial failure, why do you play it? Well, "commercial success" and "I enjoyed this" don't necessarily overlap on the Venn Diagram, do they? Just because something is popular doesn't mean it is good and just because something is unpopular doesn't mean it is bad. That said, I don't think it's objectively correct to say Starfield is a commercial failure, regardless of one's opinion of the game. Microsoft is a ruthless corporate empire that has absolutely no qualms about cutting things that are liabilities, especially as more and more of its resources go into Copilot and LLM slop (though there are some indications that its AI focus is starting to loosen as reality begins to impose itself on the grand delusion of the AI powered future). Considering that in the two and a half years since Starfield came out, it's received a lot of patches, a lot of new free content, and two paid expansions, it's clear that the Lidless Eye of Microsoft has not turned towards Starfield in fiery wrath, especially since Microsoft laid off lots of people and shut down a bunch of its game studios during that time. People tend to focus on Steam rankings, but that's only a segment (if a very large segment) of the market. Various Starfield devs in interviews have said that the game is in the top 10 for played hours on Xbox Game Pass. Xbox Game Pass is really important to Microsoft, probably more important than the physical Xbox itself. So I don't think it's objectively true that Starfield is a commercial failure, though it definitely wasn't as successful as Skyrim or Fallout 4. Question: Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3) came out at about the same time as Starfield. Did you like Starfield better than Baldur's Gate 3? Yes. Question: What? Why? Everyone knows Baldur's Gate 3 is the better game. Baldur's Gate 3 is an excellent game. Well written, well designed, excellent voice acting, the works. That said, I also think Starfield is an excellent game and I just enjoyed it more. It's a matter of taste, I think, which is not quantifiable. BG3 is a big Larian/BioWare-style narrative RPG, which is kind of its own genre in the same way that a Bethesda RPG is also its own genre. I mentioned above that I enjoy the puttering around aspect of Starfield a great deal and BG3 doesn't offer as much space for that kind of puttering, some but not nearly as much. I have enjoyed that style of narrative RPG in the past. Dragon Age: Origins and Knights of the Old Republic were both excellent games I played back to back in 2009 or maybe 2008, back when I had more time for that kind of thing and I think they qualify as direct predecessors to Baldur's Gate 3. But these days, I like the freedom of puttering more, even if a game like BG3 offers an excellent interactive narrative. Additionally, I admit I got frustrated a lot with BG3 in a way I didn't with Starfield. In BG3, I kept frequently running into Total Party Kill situations, which is exasperating after you've sunk 20 or 30 minutes into a complicated combat encounter. So I think it's objectively and quantifiably true to say that Baldur's Gate 3 is significantly more popular than Starfield, but on the subjective level, I just enjoy Starfield more. Question: Do you like the soundtrack of Starfield? Oh yeah. It's some of my favorite writing music. For fun, go search on YouTube and watch the London Symphony Orchestra's concert of the Starfield soundtrack. The composer Inon Zur gets to conduct some of it. I'd say my favorite tracks are Into the Starfield, New Atlantis, The Safety of the Citizens, Freestar, The New Old Frontier (I think that plays in the Trackers' Alliance headquarters), Cydonia, Sublevels, Neon, and In Silent Orbit. The battle of music when you fight the Star Born is pretty great as well. I think it's called "Stars and Sacrifice", but I'm not 100% sure. I also quite liked the soundtrack for Baldur's Gate 3 as well, to return to an earlier question. Andrew Wincott totally deserved the BAFTA for "Raphael's Final Act." Question: If a Switch 2 port comes along of Starfield, will you buy it? I would wait for reviews, but honestly, I would be amazed if there was a Switch 2 port of Starfield. The Switch 2 is more powerful than its predecessor, but there's no denying that Starfield is a chunky, chunky game. Then again, I wouldn't have thought it was possible to get Cyberpunk 2077, Witcher 3, or Fallout 4 on the Switch, and apparently those are good ports, so I guess we'll see. Question: Favorite Quest in Starfield? The Mantis, Groundpounder, and the entire thing with the Terrormorphs. Also the whole freaky quest with the Crucible and the clones, that was some great '70s-style science fiction stuff. I enjoy any of the quests with Walter Stroud because he's a fun character, and also voiced by the actor who played Quark in Deep Space Nine in the '90s, back when I was playing Privateer. (Full circle moment!) Also fighting The Hunter for the last time is pretty great since he's such a smug Nietzschean jerk. One of the greatest moments in the game is how The Hunter is just chilling in a Spaceport bar and willing to have amiable conversations with you at the start of the game since he's killed alternate versions of you thousands of times before and isn't expecting trouble, so no reason not to have a civil chat over a drink. I also played through the new Trackers' Alliance plotline. If you get the premium edition of Starfield and its bonus 1,000 Creation Credits, I highly recommend you use them on the Trackers' Alliance expansion. It is a lot of fun. Question: Favorite ship in the game? The Razor Leaf and the Ecliptic Claymore. Also, this is a new addition, but I really like the Orchid you pick up from the fake Mantis Quest in the Trackers' Alliance Quest line. I think my favorite overall ship is the Shieldbreaker that you can buy on New Atlantis, but if you're going to buy a ship instead of stealing it, I think Walter's company Stroud-Ecklund (see above) has the best ships. Honestly, one of my favorite activities in Starfield is stealing ships from space pirates. It's always so much fun. Question: Favorite gun? The Magstorm hands down. Peace through superior firepower. The Magstorm is what I used for the final battle with The Hunter and then again for the final mission of Shattered Space. For stealth, the Hard Target with a suppressor and a scope. I've taken out entire pirate bases with the Hard Target and stealth mode. The one Starborn lady who sells stuff to you in New Universes has a really excellent stealth optimized version of the Hard Target in her inventory. I also really like the Urban Eagle pistol you get early in the Vanguard plotline, since it's usually the best gun in the game I found at that point. Conclusion I hope that explains why I enjoy Starfield and answers some of the questions people always seem to have whenever I mention it. I doubt anyone involved with Starfield will ever listen to this, but I would like to thank everyone who has worked on the game in any capacity: devs, artists, writers, composers, Q&A people, everyone. Thank you for all your hard work, which has given me a lot of enjoyment and mental escape during some very stressful times. So that's it for this week. I promise we will go back to writing related topics next week. Thank you for listening to The Pulp Writer Show. I hope you found the show useful. A reminder that you can listen to all the back episodes at https://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave your view on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy, and we'll see you all next week.  

Autumn is a spectacular time of year in South Australia, with a bounty of beautiful blooming colours on show, seen in botanic gardens, suburban streets and flower shows.

The core four, Chris, Dan, Orchid, and Pat, are joined by special guest Colette, of https://www.bigeggwrestling.com fame to discuss her zine, AIW, and a bunch of other dumb stuffBuy her zine and a shirt!https://fearofaghostplanet.bigcartel.com/

We walk through the full Thomasville Rose Show and Festival weekend with Brandy Avery, including the new additions that make this year stand out. We also share important city reminders for April and a quick Thomasville history note tied to the bicentennial.• Rose Show and Festival dates, start times, and what to expect across both days • Orchids on Parade ribbon cutting and where to go • Friday highlights include the Rose Parade, and the sounds of Motown for the street dance.• Parade theme tied to the bicentennial plus entry expectations and bands.• Saturday plans including the police car and truck show around the courthouse • Civic Garden Club tent performances and downtown entertainment throughout the day • Artisan market application and selection process plus floral-focused vendors • Rose Fest Finale concert and the 200 synchronized drone show • Behind-the-scenes coordination across Team Thomasville departments • Thomasville History Center did-you-know on the 1861 railroad connection • Spring clean events for safe disposal of bulky items and hazardous materials • Natural gas leakage survey timeline and what crews will be doingPlease be sure to visit Thomasville.org for all the details and for the schedule of events Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on your favorite listening app so you don't miss an episode 

Study considers how new SNAP restrictions could affect communities across Northern California. Also, students and faculty remain wary as AI use grows in schools. Finally, learn about all things orchid at annual plant show and sale.

The core four, Chris, Dan, Orchid, and Pat, are back together to talk the Krule stabbing and a cheer controversy. I guess they also discuss the VP100 and the Violent People Hall of Fame.

This week, Dmitri is joined by Dom McLennon, artist producer, and creative strategist from Hartford, Connecticut. Best known as a lead vocalist and assistant producer for BROCKHAMPTON, Dom also runs COURTVISION, a creative agency connecting artists and brands across gaming, education and community.    We cover a lot of ground on this one, from treating music technology as a sandbox, to bringing music-making tools into public libraries, to why community outreach is actually a smarter marketing play than chasing virality.    Along the way, we dig into gesture-based instruments, creative strategy for independent artists, music education, and how the history of Black artists reimagining technology laid the foundation for modern music innovation. Dom also shares how he has been integrating the Orchid by Telepathic Instruments and the Tembo by Musical Beings into his creative process in ways their makers probably never imagined (To see Dom demo these instruments, check out the video version on YouTube.    It's a wide ranging conversation you won't want to miss.  The news Study reveals €1.06bn of private copying royalties in 2024 This Music Festival Company's $30 Million Fundraise Proves AI Isn't the Only Hot Sector for Investment Live tours face a huge challenge this summer   The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Visit musictectonics.com to find shownotes and a transcript for this episode, and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know what you think!  Get Dmitri's Rock Paper Scanner newsletter.

Spring is well and truly here - as clocks change, sunny days lengthen, and the occasional chilly night catches us unaware. But the main thing is plants are really starting to wake up and give us something to cheer about after a very wet and gloomy winter! Saul and Lucy look forward to really getting to grips with there gardens both at home and work - and Plant collections up and down the breathe of the UK start showing themselves at their best for all to behold. Finally the 2026 gardening year begins!Brandish those pressure washers, Saul is back in the garden cleaning up after winter and preparing the way for his Exotics, while Lucy squeezing through Berberis bushes to reach nettles - nothing like some jeopardy to fulfil your gardening day. Also Flower shows are starting to gather pace - Daffodils and Orchids, Plant fairs and  Village Spring shows fill our weekends as we marvel at the UK's appetite for excellent gardening. Instagram links:Lucy lucychamberlaingardensSaul plantsmansaulIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show

Orchid and Pat are joined by specials guest Padraig and Marilyn. and talk all things from CMLL, the observer and which US president you want to do the nasty with.you another day of wacky adventures here in our humble town of  Placenta, California 

Imagine the scene: You work at your job all month but when payday rolls around there's no check, no deposit in your account. Your boss says it'll all be worked out next month… but when that pay period comes around there's still no money.That's called wage theft. And it hits low-wage workers especially hard and most frequently. That's one of the reasons why San Mateo County launched the office of Labor Standards and Enforcement last summer. Reporter Sebastian Miño-Bucheli wanted to find out: how is it working? How much wage theft is still happening? 

Primary election day is Tuesday. Of the many races we're watching, we're diving a little deeper into the open race for the 7th Congressional District. Jessica Mordacq with Austin Weekly News and Forest Park Review has been profiling the candidates. She joins host Jacoby Cochran and freelance reporter Brandon Pope to talk about what she's learned, plus the new CTA safety plan, what's happening for St. Paddy's Day weekend, and Oscars buzz. Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our daily newsletter. Follow us @citycastchicago You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246 Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

In this episode, Tom Cosm talks about building Orchid with Telepathic Instruments, getting back into live performance, brainwave-driven music experiments, and creative workflows in Ableton Live. He shares thoughts on AI for producers, live set design, sound design, and how technology can remove friction without replacing creativity.Tom Cosm is a New Zealand–born producer, technologist, coder, and educator who has been pushing the boundaries of music and sound for over two decades. Known as an “audio mad scientist,” his career spans global tours as an electronic artist, pioneering music tutorials on YouTube, and building custom creative software that fuses sound, code, and biometrics. As Technical Director at Telepathic Instruments, Tom built the first prototype of Orchid alongside Kevin Parker from Tame Impala, and now oversees its development, bridging code, electronics, and design.Follow Tom Cosm Below:https://www.instagram.com/tomcosm/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyiC_SKm-R5WLVMYmxuMXxAhttps://www.cosm.co.nz/Follow Telepathic Instruments Below:https://telepathicinstruments.com/https://www.youtube.com/@telepathic.instrumentshttps://www.patreon.com/cw/telepathicinstrumentshttps://discord.com/invite/UY8PpbQaXzhttps://www.tiktok.com/@telepathic.instrumentshttps://www.instagram.com/telepathic.instruments/Grab limited-edition Producer Merch & save 10% with the code: podcasthttps://abletonpodcast.com/merch⁠Join the newsletter to get free downloads, early episode access, and upcoming events.https://www.abletonpodcast.com/newsletter

Feminine energy awakening begins with self love, personal transformation, and radical responsibility. In this episode of the Disrupt Now Podcast, Natalie Viglione speaks with Rocio Aquino and Angel Orengo, the wife-and-husband creative team behind THE ORCHID: The Secret Code of Modern Goddesses. Their novel was inspired by their personal journeys of self-discovery, healing, and conscious partnership. Rather than offering traditional advice, the book invites readers into a lived story that mirrors the inner journey many people face when they begin reclaiming their intuition, voice, and personal power. In this conversation we explore: The origin story behind THE ORCHID: The Secret Code of Modern Goddesses How Rocio and Angel's personal healing journeys inspired the novel Feminine energy awakening and the return to inner wisdom The connection between thoughts, words, feelings, and actions Moving from victimhood to radical responsibility Why self love is essential for personal transformation The five core practices explored in the book: awareness, gratitude, forgiveness, acceptance, and intention How storytelling can become a tool for self discovery and spiritual awakening Why feminine and masculine energy must return to balance Practical self discovery tools for navigating grief, identity shifts, and life transitions Rocio Aquino is a creative entrepreneur and writer born in Mexico City whose international career across media and business has taken her to cities around the world. Her work focuses on building community and helping women reconnect with their inner wisdom. Angel Orengo, originally from Puerto Rico, is a global media executive, author, and speaker who spent more than two decades at Sony Pictures Entertainment leading international teams across multiple regions. His later journey into spiritual psychology and self-inquiry shaped the deeper philosophical framework behind the book. Together they co-founded For The Highest Good, a creative studio devoted to empowering women through storytelling, community, and transformational experiences. If you are navigating change or seeking deeper personal transformation, this episode explores how feminine energy awakening and conscious living can support your self love journey. Please watch the videos at https://www.youtube.com/@awakeningmagick We're on Substack! https://natalieviglione.substack.com/ Always go to https://www.disruptnowpodcast.com  to read all the details about our episodes and explore all of the details about each of our guests!  

We're back with the latest issue of the DBG Times! Here's what we're commemorating this time! ROCKSTAR DEATHDAYS We remember Sid Vicious, Tim Kelly, Big John Harte, Ty Longley, Mark Lanegan, and Bon Scott. 2026 ALBUM ANNIVERSARIES Ten years ago, Anthrax released For All Kings. Fifteen years ago, Orchid debuted with Capricorn. Thirty years ago brought Bruce Dickinson's Skunkworks, Enuff Z'Nuff's Peach Fuzz, and Deep Purple's Purpendicular. Thirty-five years ago saw Queen's Innuendo, Saigon Kick's debut, and Great White's Hooked. Forty years ago, Ozzy Osbourne released The Ultimate Sin and King Diamond launched his solo career with Fatal Portrait. Forty-five years ago included Judas Priest's Point of Entry, Rush's Moving Pictures, Riot's Fire Down Under, and Iron Maiden's Killers. Fifty and fifty-five years ago featured Lynyrd Skynyrd's Gimme Back My Bullets, along with Cactus and Uriah Heep releases. NEW MUSIC New albums this month arrive from Tailgunner, Wicked Smile, Lily Löwe, The Hellacopters, Black Swan, Temple Balls, Michael Monroe, Joel Hoekstra's 13, and Rob Zombie. We cover all that and more with this edition of the DBG Times! Decibel Geek is a proud member of the Pantheon Podcasts family. Contact Us! Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Facebook Fan Page Follow on Twitter Follow on Instagram E-mail Us Subscribe to our Youtube channel! Support Us! Buy a T-Shirt! Donate to the show! Stream Us! Stitcher Radio Spreaker TuneIn Become a VIP Subscriber! Click HERE for more info! Comment Below Direct Download  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this post-Super Bowl breakdown, the guys dive into the "unprecedented" nature of a game where the kicker was the MVP favorite for three and a half quarters. Evan is forced to face the music (and wear a literal "L") after a year-old take on Super Bowl champion Sam Darnold comes back to haunt him. Plus, the crew ranks their favorite (and least favorite) commercials—including a heated debate over a patriotic Pegasus—and discusses the sheer audacity of Jordan Hudson's "Orchids of Asia" t-shirt. Was it a defensive masterclass or just a boring dud? And why is Tony Gonzalez wearing a Falcons jersey in a prostate cancer commercial? We're getting to the bottom of it all.

Evan and Tiki rank their top 5 Super Bowl commercials, debating the merits of humor versus heart—including a heated argument about the Clydesdales versus Ben Stiller's "slapstick" moment. The guys also discuss the "Orchids of Asia" t-shirt worn by Bill Belichick's girlfriend, Jordan Hudson, and whether it crossed a line in trolling Robert Kraft. Plus, a look at the confusing new MLB streaming paywall, a nostalgic trip through 80s movies like Real Genius and Weird Science, and why Tony Gonzalez in a Falcons uniform just felt wrong.