Podcasts about French

The first episode of this two-parter covers the French mission to Senegal that the frigate Medusa led in 1816. Soon, the mission fell disastrously apart. Research: Amigo, Ignacio. “How a biologist turned amateur sleuth to solve a century-old art riddle.” The Guardian. Oct. 23, 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/oct/27/how-a-biologist-turned-amateur-sleuth-to-solve-a-century-old-art-riddle Barran, Julian. “Théodore Géricault, Illustrations to Alexandre Corréard’s ‘Le Naufrage de La Méduse.’” The Burlington Magazine, vol. 119, no. 889, 1977, pp. 311–310. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/878824 Baudelaire, Charles. “WHAT IS ROMANTICISM?” The Salon of 1848. https://writing.upenn.edu/library/Baudelaire-Salon-1848.pdf Burgos, Javier S. “A new portrait by Géricault.” The Lancet Neurology, Volume 20, Issue 2, 90 – 91. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(20)30479-8/fulltext Burgos, Javier. S. “In search of Théodore Géricault’s lost monomanias.” Metode. June 3, 2024. https://metode.org/issues/article-revistes/in-search-of-theodore-gericaults-lost-monomanias.html Dard, Charlotte Adelaide Picard. “The sufferings of the Picard family after the shipwreck of the Medusa, in the year 1816.” Constable and Co. Edinburgh, Scotland. 1827. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/22792/22792-h/22792-h.htm Dione, Babacar and Mark Banchereau. “France withdraws from Senegal, ending its permanent military presence in West Africa.” AP. July 17, 2025. https://apnews.com/article/senegal-france-military-withdrawal-57d150687e18cd20ac6a6d7194821208 The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Treaties of Paris". Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 May. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/event/Treaties-of-Paris-1814-1815 “The Frigate Medusa … “ The Raleigh Minerva. Nov. 4, 1816. https://www.newspapers.com/image/58081420/?match=1&terms=medusa “Gericault.” The Illustrated Magazine of Art, Vol. 2, No. 11 (1853), pp. 282-283 Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/20538136 Géricault, Théodore. “Cuirassier blessé, quittant le feu.” 1814. Louvre. https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010059200 Géricault, Théodore. “Race of the Riderless Horses.” 1817. Getty Museum. https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/object/103RH8 Géricault, Théodore. “Race of the Riderless Horses at Rome, Study.” 1817. The Met. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/665793 Huet, Marie-Hélène. “The Face of Disaster.” Yale French Studies, no. 111, 2007, pp. 7–31. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20479368 “Loss of the French Frigate Medusa.” Hartford Courant. Oct. 29, 1816. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1105494685/?match=1&terms=medusa Miles, Jonathan. “The Wreck of the Medusa.” Atlantic Monthly Press. 2007. Savigny, Jean Baptiste Henri, and Alexandre Correard. “Narrative of the Voyage to Senegal.” London : Printed for Henry Colburn. 1818. https://archive.org/details/narrativeofvoyag00savirich/page/xiv/mode/2up Smith, Roberta. “Art Review: Oui, Art Tips From Perfidious Albion.” New York Times. Oct. 10, 2003. https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/10/arts/art-review-oui-art-tips-from-perfidious-albion.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sharon delves into the fascinating yet often overlooked life of Elizabeth Monroe. As First Lady, her health struggles and preference for formality set her apart, leaving a unique legacy that redefined White House traditions. From her early days in a wealthy New York family to her daring act of saving the life of a well-known French aristocrat during the French Revolution, Elizabeth's story is one of quiet strength and resilience. Credits: Host and Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon Supervising Producer: Melanie Buck Parks Audio Producer: Craig Thompson To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was a dark and stormy night. So begins the long and increasingly convoluted prose of Edwards Bulwer-Lytton's best-known novel. Today the annual Bulwer-Lytton Contest asks contestants for fanciful first sentences that are similarly convoluted and over-the-top -- often with hilarious results. Plus: George Orwell's prescient novel 1984 gave us the terrifying image of Big Brother and helped popularize words like doublespeak and Orwellian. And is there a word for fallen snow while leaves still remain on the trees? Also: motor vs. engine, Capitol vs. capital, wannabe vs. wannabee, scrape acquaintance, a quiz about words that link other words, Tutivillis, skell gel, complementary alternation discourse constructions, and words for "eye boogers" in Hungarian, French, German, Portuguese, Turkish, Scots, and English. Hear hundreds of free episodes and learn more on the A Way with Words website: https://waywordradio.org. Be a part of the show: call or text 1 (877) 929-9673 toll-free in the United States and Canada; elsewhere in the world, call or text +1 619 800 4443. Send voice notes or messages via WhatsApp 16198004443. Email words@waywordradio.org. Copyright Wayword, Inc., a 501(c)(3) corporation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we think of the Habsburgs, the spotlight usually falls on emperors, kings, and archdukes—powerful men who dominated Europe. But behind the scenes, across five generations, an extraordinary line of Habsburg women quietly wielded immense influence in the Netherlands. Their names are often overlooked, yet their impact was profound.In this third episode of our special series on the Habsburg dynasty, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and historian Natalie Donnell explore the lives of these remarkable women who governed with skill, diplomacy, and resilience in a world rarely welcoming to female power. From Mary of Burgundy, who defied French aggression, to Margaret of Austria, the formidable regent who raised Charles V, to Mary of Hungary, who steered the Netherlands through decades of turmoil, these women shaped the dynasty's fate.MORE:Habsburg Inbreeding with Dr. Adam Rutherford >When Women Ruled the Low Countries >Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcastSign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. You can take part in our listener survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To get live links to the music we play and resources we offer, visit www.WOSPodcast.comThis show includes the following songs:Julia Sanders - Dearer Than Dear FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYTiffany Thompson - Bodies Of Water FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYSophie Cozine - In Shadows FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYJulia Machado - Burden FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYIrina Imme - Boxes FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYAnya Kay - Trust FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYNoelle Rene - so, you're back! FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYGina French - Seasons Of Us FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYMiaMei - Pretty FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYEmma Jane Fab - Feel The Same FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYTracy - Love In Tennessee FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYEmma Swift - Nothing And Forever FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYLeanne Gallati - Standoff FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYSera Selin - Venom FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYNikki Holland & The Dirty Elizabeths - Unshakeable FOLLOW ON YOUTUBEFor Music Biz Resources Visit www.FEMusician.com and www.ProfitableMusician.comVisit our Sponsor Profitable Musician Newsletter at profitablemusician.com/joinVisit www.wosradio.com for more details and to submit music to our review board for consideration.Visit our resources for Indie Artists: https://www.wosradio.com/resourcesBecome more Profitable in just 3 minutes per day. http://profitablemusician.com/join

learn how to say 'go back' in French

During the summer break, the 15-Minute History podcast team are republishing some of their favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on October 10, 2022. Season 9 begins Monday, October 7!___Familiar to millions as the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien believed that myths used stories of heroes to inspire generations of readers. He began his writing career with a children's book, and when his publisher asked for a sequel, Tolkien had to give it some thought. For much of his life, he had lamented the fact that much of English mythology had been destroyed by invading armies or imported from abroad. (For example, the most famous English myth, that of King Arthur, was a blend of Scottish and French stories.) On putting pen to paper for the first time on his magnum opus, The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien began to craft an alternate mythology for his homeland that would tell heroic tales that, he believed, were lacking in modern Britain.Join us as we teach you about heroism through the eyes of J.R.R. Tolkien, how he incorporated heroism into stories, and how history influenced his view of heroes in fiction and real life. 

Textual Life: Islam, Africa, and the Fate of the Humanities (Columbia University Press, 2025), is a groundbreaking book that recasts the role of knowledge in the making of a colonial and postcolonial nation. It makes a case for a new literary and intellectual-historical approach to Islam in Africa. The Senegalese Muslim scholar Shaykh Musa Kamara (1864–1945) wrote History of the Blacks, a monumental history of West Africa, in a time when colonial discourses asserted that Africans lacked both writing and history. He sought to publish a bilingual Arabic and French edition of the book by working with humanists in colonial institutions, but the project was ultimately undermined by the disregard of the French state. Textual Life considers Kamara's story as a parable about the fate of the humanities amid epistemic and technological change. Wendell H. Marsh argues that Kamara's scholarship reflected what he calls the textual attitude, an orientation to the world mediated by reading. Colonial humanists shared this attitude even while upholding racial and religious hierarchies, and they took an interest in African texts and traditions. The bureaucrats and technocrats who succeeded them, however, disdained such dialogue—for reasons that bear a striking resemblance to the algorithmic antihumanism that is ascendant today. Drawing on Kamara's body of work, colonial archival documents, and postcolonial knowledge production within Senegal, Textual Life offers a decolonial vision of the humanities. By engaging with African and Muslim intellectual resources, Marsh shows how thinkers like Kamara who were subjected to colonialism can help us find a future after empire. Wendell Marsh is Associate Professor of African Literature and Philosophy at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. Madina Thiam is Fannie Gaston-Johansson Assistant Professor of History and Africana Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN - French News at 14:00 (JST), September 22

Textual Life: Islam, Africa, and the Fate of the Humanities (Columbia University Press, 2025), is a groundbreaking book that recasts the role of knowledge in the making of a colonial and postcolonial nation. It makes a case for a new literary and intellectual-historical approach to Islam in Africa. The Senegalese Muslim scholar Shaykh Musa Kamara (1864–1945) wrote History of the Blacks, a monumental history of West Africa, in a time when colonial discourses asserted that Africans lacked both writing and history. He sought to publish a bilingual Arabic and French edition of the book by working with humanists in colonial institutions, but the project was ultimately undermined by the disregard of the French state. Textual Life considers Kamara's story as a parable about the fate of the humanities amid epistemic and technological change. Wendell H. Marsh argues that Kamara's scholarship reflected what he calls the textual attitude, an orientation to the world mediated by reading. Colonial humanists shared this attitude even while upholding racial and religious hierarchies, and they took an interest in African texts and traditions. The bureaucrats and technocrats who succeeded them, however, disdained such dialogue—for reasons that bear a striking resemblance to the algorithmic antihumanism that is ascendant today. Drawing on Kamara's body of work, colonial archival documents, and postcolonial knowledge production within Senegal, Textual Life offers a decolonial vision of the humanities. By engaging with African and Muslim intellectual resources, Marsh shows how thinkers like Kamara who were subjected to colonialism can help us find a future after empire. Wendell Marsh is Associate Professor of African Literature and Philosophy at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. Madina Thiam is Fannie Gaston-Johansson Assistant Professor of History and Africana Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/islamic-studies

Textual Life: Islam, Africa, and the Fate of the Humanities (Columbia University Press, 2025), is a groundbreaking book that recasts the role of knowledge in the making of a colonial and postcolonial nation. It makes a case for a new literary and intellectual-historical approach to Islam in Africa. The Senegalese Muslim scholar Shaykh Musa Kamara (1864–1945) wrote History of the Blacks, a monumental history of West Africa, in a time when colonial discourses asserted that Africans lacked both writing and history. He sought to publish a bilingual Arabic and French edition of the book by working with humanists in colonial institutions, but the project was ultimately undermined by the disregard of the French state. Textual Life considers Kamara's story as a parable about the fate of the humanities amid epistemic and technological change. Wendell H. Marsh argues that Kamara's scholarship reflected what he calls the textual attitude, an orientation to the world mediated by reading. Colonial humanists shared this attitude even while upholding racial and religious hierarchies, and they took an interest in African texts and traditions. The bureaucrats and technocrats who succeeded them, however, disdained such dialogue—for reasons that bear a striking resemblance to the algorithmic antihumanism that is ascendant today. Drawing on Kamara's body of work, colonial archival documents, and postcolonial knowledge production within Senegal, Textual Life offers a decolonial vision of the humanities. By engaging with African and Muslim intellectual resources, Marsh shows how thinkers like Kamara who were subjected to colonialism can help us find a future after empire. Wendell Marsh is Associate Professor of African Literature and Philosophy at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. Madina Thiam is Fannie Gaston-Johansson Assistant Professor of History and Africana Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

Textual Life: Islam, Africa, and the Fate of the Humanities (Columbia University Press, 2025), is a groundbreaking book that recasts the role of knowledge in the making of a colonial and postcolonial nation. It makes a case for a new literary and intellectual-historical approach to Islam in Africa. The Senegalese Muslim scholar Shaykh Musa Kamara (1864–1945) wrote History of the Blacks, a monumental history of West Africa, in a time when colonial discourses asserted that Africans lacked both writing and history. He sought to publish a bilingual Arabic and French edition of the book by working with humanists in colonial institutions, but the project was ultimately undermined by the disregard of the French state. Textual Life considers Kamara's story as a parable about the fate of the humanities amid epistemic and technological change. Wendell H. Marsh argues that Kamara's scholarship reflected what he calls the textual attitude, an orientation to the world mediated by reading. Colonial humanists shared this attitude even while upholding racial and religious hierarchies, and they took an interest in African texts and traditions. The bureaucrats and technocrats who succeeded them, however, disdained such dialogue—for reasons that bear a striking resemblance to the algorithmic antihumanism that is ascendant today. Drawing on Kamara's body of work, colonial archival documents, and postcolonial knowledge production within Senegal, Textual Life offers a decolonial vision of the humanities. By engaging with African and Muslim intellectual resources, Marsh shows how thinkers like Kamara who were subjected to colonialism can help us find a future after empire. Wendell Marsh is Associate Professor of African Literature and Philosophy at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. Madina Thiam is Fannie Gaston-Johansson Assistant Professor of History and Africana Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-studies

Bleu Soleil & Luiza - Soleil Bleu (GR1NDU Extended Remix) Faithless, Dido, Suli Breaks - Find A Way (Original Mix) Boney M , R3hab - Sunny (Extended Mix By Fuvi Clan) The Supermen Lovers , OneRepublic - Starlight (Extended Mix) Alan Braxe - Intro (Extended Mix) Superfunk - Lucky Star (Extended Mix) Djs From Mars - 15 Bruno Mars Vs FloRida & SIA Vs Robbie Rivera - Just The Way You Are Vs Wild Ones Vs Funk-A-Tron (Djs From Mars Bootleg) Djs From Mars - 06 Avicii & Nicky Romero Vs Charli XCX Vs Reveuse - I Could Be The One 360 Get Through (Djs From Mars Bootleg) David Guetta, MORTEN - Lucky (Extended Mix) Da Hool, W&W, Timmy Trumpet, RANI - Madhouse (Extended Mix) Paul Kalkbrenner, Stromae - Que Ce Soit Clair (Extended Mix DANIELLE - Sex (Extended Mix) Djs From Mars - 16 Madonna Vs Veracocha Vs Cat Dealers - Music Vs Carte Blanche Vs Old School Vibe (Djs From Mars Bootleg) Djs From Mars - 12 Guru Josh Vs Ivan Gough, Feenixpawl Georgi Kay, Axwell Vs Warthogs Robber - Infinity In My Mind Black Angel (Djs From Mars Mashup) Benassi Bros. Ft Dhany - Every Single Day ( Sebastien Kills Future Rave Remix) Calvin Harris, Jessie Reyez - Ocean (Extended Mix) James Hype, Sam Harper, Bobby Harvey - Waterfalls (Mosimann Remix) John Denver- Take Me Home Country Roads ( Sebastien Kills Remix) A-ha - Take On Me (GR1NDU Drum & Bass Extended Remix)

Exploring Saint-Lizier: Hidden Gem of the French Pyrenees In this episode of the Join Us in France Travel Podcast, host Annie Sargent and co-host Elyse Rivin take you to the charming village of Saint-Lizier in the Ariège, nestled in the foothills of the French Pyrenees. Saint-Lizier is officially one of the “Plus Beaux Villages de France” and offers visitors a rare combination of Roman heritage, medieval architecture, and Pyrenean landscapes. Annie and Elyse walk you through the highlights, from the ancient Roman walls that still encircle the village to the Cathedral of Saint-Lizier and its cloister, along with the impressive Notre-Dame-de-la-Sède Cathedral. Both sites feature remarkable Romanesque frescoes that speak to the town's religious importance in the Middle Ages. The episode also explores the Diocesan Museum, home to centuries of religious art, and the unforgettable apothecary, where shelves lined with jars and wooden cabinets transport you back to a time when medicine was practiced very differently. Beyond history, Annie and Elyse highlight the natural beauty of the Pyrenees, with its sweeping views, rolling hills, and opportunities for hiking and exploring nearby towns. If you're planning a trip to Occitanie or want to go beyond the well-trodden paths of Paris and Provence, this episode is your Saint-Lizier travel guide. You'll hear practical tips on how to get there, how much time to spend, and why this small town deserves a place on your French itinerary.

With school back in session, we're visiting the faculty lounge at Madison High with three cast members from Our Miss Brooks in their roles as radio detectives. Gale Gordon sheds the stuffy suit of Principal Osgood Conklin as amateur sleuth Gregory Hood in "Murder in Celluloid" (originally aired on Mutual on July 2, 1946). Jeff Chandler leaves bashful biology teacher Mr. Boynton behind to travel to the Big Easy as Michael Shayne in "The Case of the Model Murder." And Gerald Mohr ditches the accent of French teacher Monsieur LeBlanche as Phillip Marlowe in "The Torch Carriers" (originally aired on CBS on January 7, 1950). Plus, we'll hear all three alongside Eve Arden in an episode of Our Miss Brooks (originally aired on CBS on February 20, 1949).

Read transcriptHoly Gallic mayhem, comic crusaders! This week on Play Comics, we're trading our Roman shields for DualShock controllers as we dive headfirst into the digital disaster that is Asterix & Obelix Kick Buttix for PS2 and Xbox – because apparently someone at Étranges Libellules thought the best way to honor René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo's beloved comic masterpiece was to trap our favorite mustachioed warriors in a 3D brawler with combat mechanics more repetitive than Obelix's “These Romans are crazy!” catchphrase. Released in 2003 as Asterix & Obelix XXL in Europe before getting the wonderfully ridiculous “Kick Buttix” rebrand for American audiences, this licensed adventure promised players the chance to experience authentic Gallic village life while punching approximately 70 Romans per level across 40 different stages of cartoon chaos. What it actually delivered was a gaming experience so mindlessly button-mashy that even Caesar would file a complaint with customer service about the repetitive gameplay loop. Joining us for this Roman-bashing bonanza is the incomparable Chas! Pangburn – a man who when he's not busy lettering the actual Asterix comics from the depths of his creative dungeon, brings his insider knowledge of what makes these characters tick both on the page and in polygonal form. His expertise in both the source material and the art of comic creation makes him the perfect guide through this particular journey from panel to PlayStation. So grab your magic potion and prepare for an episode that's more entertaining than actually grinding through the same three enemy types for hours on end – which, let's face it, isn't exactly setting the bar at Vercingétorix levels. Will this portable Gallic adventure redeem itself through sheer nostalgic charm and cartoon physics, or will it crash harder than a Roman chariot race gone wrong? Tune in to discover if this comic adaptation belongs in the Hall of Fame… or should be buried deeper than one of those references that you'll only catch if you read this in French! Learn such things as: Can a video game really handle the comedic timing that makes Asterix comics so brilliant? How do you translate cartoon physics into actual game mechanics without breaking the universe? Do magic potions even come with flavor options? And so much more! Technically you can find Chas! on BlueSky @chasexclamation.bsky.social but you'd have a much better time checking out Double Booking and any of the other wonderful work he puts his hands on over at Papercutz. Or just check out his website at ChasExclamationPoint.com If you want to be a guest on the show please check out the Be a A Guest on the Show page and let me know what you're interested in. If you want to help support the show check out the Play Comics Patreon page or head over to the Support page if you want to go another route. You can also check out the Play Comics Merch Store. Play Comics is part of the Gonna Geek Network, which is a wonderful collection of geeky podcasts. Be sure to check out the other shows on Gonna Geek if you need more of a nerd fix. You can find Play Comics @playcomics.bsky.social on Bluesky, @playcomicscaston Twitter and in the Play Comics Podcast Fan Groupon Facebook. A big thanks to Capes on the Couch and the TransMissions Podcast Network for the promos today. Intro/Outro Music by Backing Track, who can read Asterix in 3 more languages than it has ever been published in. Support Play Comics by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/playcomics Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-89f00a for 40% off for 4 months, and support Play Comics.

Retrouvez l'émission du dimanche 21 septembre 2025 en (presque) intégralité.

When you think of red wine from Piedmont, you likely think of Nebbiolo or Barbera, but did you know that for a long time, Grignolino was the preferred red wine from the region? Wait, you've never heard of Grignolino before?!? Well, that is the perfect reason to go on this Italian Wine Adventure! A light red wine from maybe the most revered wine region in Italy, Grignolino is a wine some are saying is the hidden gem of Piedmont. The name of the wine comes from the fact that it has more seeds than most wine grapes, which doesn't sound important but actually is when you consider that tannins and some flavors come from the seeds themselves. It is a great red wine to chill, and the combination of crunchy red fruit and grippy tannins is an experience to help you stretch your wine horizons. We also talk to listener Justin about his name for our wine tribe and we talk about wine in French prisons in our Wine in the News This Week section. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2021 Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta Grignolino d'Asti, 2022 Braida Limonte Grignolino d'AstiSend us a Text Message and we'll respond in our next episode!Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we'd love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: https://thewinepairpodcast.com/Follow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

In the early morning hours of December 2nd, 1805, Rostov was patrolling the skirmishing line near Bagration's detachment. Behind him he could see his army's campfires glowing. In front the French were covered by misty darkness. Rostov was exhausted. His eyes would close and his fancy appeared—now the Emperor, then Denísov or whirling Moscow memories. His hussar companion occasionally alerted him to steer his horse out of bushes.   He was disappointed his unit was not advancing and wanted to ask for permission to join the attack. He was dreaming about The Czar, envisioning how they would have a chance encounter and he would receive an assignment. He was confident he would do a superb job and develop a relationship with the sovereign.  How faithfully he would guard Alexander, tell him the truth and unmask any deceivers!   Rostov pictured how he would humiliate and kill an enemy of the state, either a Frenchman or a deceitful German ally, all in the presence of Alexander. Suddenly, a distant shout aroused him. He opened his eyes but only noticed the surrounding hills and white patches of snow. His mind veered toward his sister, who he wished to tell of his acquaintance with the Czar.  Soon enough, there noticeable sounds in the distance. It appeared to be commotion from a group. He noticed fires igniting all along the landscape.  The shouting grew louder.  He was near one of the main French camps. Rostov could hear French spoken but not the words. The voices merged into a roar only an army could produce.  The lights spread and he heard the triumphant shouting of the enemy – the famous, “Vive l'Empereur! Vive l'Empereur!”  He was witnessing inspired men, more genuine than anything in Rostov's camp.  The spectacle was so obvious that it attracted Generals Bagration and Dulgarukov. The latter suggested it was just a decoy.  Dulgarukov felt the main force retreated but Bagration realized his adversary was a force to be reckoned with and directed Rostov and a few others to investigate.  Rostov was frightened but thrilled to propel into danger.  Bagration called out for the group to not go beyond a certain stream. Rostov pretended not to hear the order. The French voices grew closer and soon enough there was shooting.  The Hussars presence may have been noticed but it also could have been excited French firing  into the air.   Rostov's group retreated back to Bagration.  Rostov reported that the French presence was consistent with previous scouting. Bagration thanked Rostov, who leaped at the opportunity to ask to join a squadron that would  advance.  Bagration allows Rostov to join his own unit, sensing he is meeting Ilya Rostov's son.  Rostov thanks the Lord and felt he was a step closer to becoming involved with the Emperor.    Tolstoy, as Narrator, lets us in on what was happening among the French. There was celebration because Napoleon was riding and sometimes walking through the camps while his written orders were being read.  This would cause the fires, as soldiers would light wisps of straw and run after him; and others would fire guns into the air.   Further, the soldiers knew the critical battle would be fought on the anniversary of Napoleon's coronation, just a year prior at Notre Dame. This was considered a good omen. Tolstoy conveys Napoleon's inspirational and historic message. It includes: Soldiers! I direct all your battalions. I will keep out of fire if you -- with your habitual valor carry disorder and confusion into the enemy's ranks -- but should victory be in doubt, even for a moment, you will see your Emperor exposing himself to the first blows of the enemy, for there must be no doubt of victory, especially on this day when the honour of the French infantry is at stake, so necessary to the honour of our nation.

Today I'm joined by Olivier Pomel, cofounder/CEO of Datadog. We trace his path from French open-source tinkerer to NYC founder, the dev-vs-ops friction that sparked Datadog, finding product-market fit through integrations, and the choice to stay independent en route to a 2019 IPO and S&P 500. Olivier shares scaling war stories, culture and GTM lessons, and what observability means in an AI era. If you build software—or companies—this one's packed with playbooks, from hiring to pricing to platform bets that work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guest is Aleksandra Crapanzano—journalist, cookbook author, and screenwriter. Aleksandra grew up between New York and Paris, experiences that shaped her lifelong love of French food. She's the author of several books, including her forthcoming, “Chocolat: Parisian Desserts and Other Delights.”Aleksandra joins host Jessie Sheehan to share memories of her Parisian childhood (and the beloved crêperie she and her dog frequented after school), her serendipitous path into food writing, and what sets French and American home baking apart (such as using sugar as a seasoning to the rare use of vanilla). Plus, the duo walk through the Chocolate Madeleines recipe from her new book.Click here for Aleksandra's Chocolate Madeleines recipe. Thank you to California Prunes for their support. Get The Italy Issue here!Join the Jubilee L.A. waitlist hereVisit cherrybombe.com for subscriptions, show transcripts, and tickets to upcoming events.More on Aleksandra: Instagram, website, “Chocolat” cookbookMore on Jessie: Instagram, “Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes” cookbook

The Red Roses will play Canada in the World Cup final after they battled past a stubborn French side in Bristol. Sara is joined by 2014 World Cup winner Kat Merchant and commentator Claire Thomas to analyse another England victory over France. Ellie Kildunne scored two tries on her comeback but there were still issues with England's attack. We hear from head coach John Mitchell and prop Hannah Botterman. Canada stole the show on semi-final weekend with a resounding victory over the Black Ferns. Will they spoil the part at Twickenham next Saturday? Plus, Sara, Kat and Claire all pick their England XV for the final which throws up some surprise selections in the backline.

Episode 679: Car guy Bryan joins us to talk about his style of glasses. Bryan is young so Andrew asks him all kinds of old man questions and learns about Nick Fuentes. Puke learns what a 6-point harness is. What is a craw? Did the Jews do 9/11? Other Gen-Z conspiracy theories. How to remove mouse balls. Movies younger people should watch according to Andrew. Explorers In Dinosaur World from Puke and Andrew's childhood.

Retrouvez l'émission du samedi 20 septembre 2025 en (presque) intégralité.

Saturday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Taegon and Paul Chong Hasan, and companions, the Korean martyrs; Christianity came to Korea during the Japanese invasion in 1592 when some Koreans were baptized, probably by Christian Japanese soldiers; yhe first native Korean priest, Andrew Kim Taegon was the son of Christian converts; following his baptism at the age of 15, Andrew traveled 1,300 miles to the seminary in Macao, China, and was ordained a priest in Shanghai; Paul Chong Hasang, a lay apostle and married man, died in 1839 at age 45; besides Andrew and Paul, Pope John Paul II canonized 98 Koreans and three French missionaries who had been martyred between 1839 and 1867 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/20/25 Gospel: Luke 9:18-22

Premier Ford's 401 tunnel megaproject is a $100 billion boondoggle with the risk of roadway collapse. Lori Wilson reads Ford's Plan to Dig a Tunnel under Highway 401 Is Almost Certainly Doomedby David Moscrop.David Moscrop is a contributing writer for The Walrus. About AMIAMI is a not-for-profit media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians who are blind or partially sighted. Operating three broadcast services, AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French, AMI's vision is to establish and support a voice for Canadians with disabilities, representing their interests, concerns and values through inclusion, representation, accessible media, reflection, representation and portrayal.Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+Learn more at AMI.caConnect with Accessible Media Inc. online:X /Twitter @AccessibleMediaInstagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audioFacebook at @AccessibleMediaIncTikTok @AccessibleMediaIncEmail feedback@ami.ca Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For couples overwhelmed by modern life, office tools offer order. But do they fix the deeper problems?Marjorie Nicolaou reads Love in the Time of Google Calendar by Courtney Shea.Courtney Shea is a freelance journalist based in Toronto.  About AMIAMI is a not-for-profit media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians who are blind or partially sighted. Operating three broadcast services, AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French, AMI's vision is to establish and support a voice for Canadians with disabilities, representing their interests, concerns and values through inclusion, representation, accessible media, reflection, representation and portrayal.Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+Learn more at AMI.caConnect with Accessible Media Inc. online:X /Twitter @AccessibleMediaInstagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audioFacebook at @AccessibleMediaIncTikTok @AccessibleMediaIncEmail feedback@ami.ca Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As China tightens its grip on critical resources, Trump eyes Canada's riches. The US badly needs rare minerals and fresh water, both of which Canada has in abundance.Lori Wilson reads Annexation, Eh by Christopher Pollon.Christopher Pollon is a Vancouver journalist and author who reports on the environment and the politics of natural resources. His latest book is Pitfall: The Race to Mine the World's Most Vulnerable Places. About AMIAMI is a not-for-profit media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians who are blind or partially sighted. Operating three broadcast services, AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French, AMI's vision is to establish and support a voice for Canadians with disabilities, representing their interests, concerns and values through inclusion, representation, accessible media, reflection, representation and portrayal.Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+Learn more at AMI.caConnect with Accessible Media Inc. online:X /Twitter @AccessibleMediaInstagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audioFacebook at @AccessibleMediaIncTikTok @AccessibleMediaIncEmail feedback@ami.ca Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

37 minutes Greg Proops Bio "Sharp dressed and even sharper witted." -LA Times "Proops has a fun, ranty, self-deprecating, flamboyant, quick comedy style with depth, range, and most importantly, great jokes." -SF Weekly Greg Proops is a stand up comic from San Francisco. He lives in Hollywood. And likes it. Mr. P has a spanking new stand up comedy CD called Proops Digs In. Available on iTunes and at http://www.aspecialthing.com Greg is shooting his second season on the hit Nickelodeon comedy series True Jackson VP. Starring Keke Palmer, NAACP Image Award winner, as True. Weekly on Nickelodeon. Mr. Proops is a frequent guest on The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Chelsea Lately on E! and on Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld on Fox News. Greg joins long time cohorts Ryan Stiles, Jeff Davis and Chip Esten in the live improv show Whose Live Anyway? They are constantly touring the US and Canada. Proop pod has appeared on such notable comedy podcasts as WTF with Marc Maron, Doug Benson's I Love Movies and Kevin Pollak's Chat Show. Gregela is happy to be in the Streamy-winning of Easy to Assemble starring Illeana Douglass, as the shallow agent Ben. Seen on easytoassemble.tv. The Proopdog is best known for his unpredictable appearances on Whose Line is it Anyway? The hit, improvised comedy show on ABC hosted by Drew Carey. Greg is also a regular on the long running British version of WLIIA? Whose Line is currently seen on ABC Family Channel. Proops has been a guest on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,The View and The Bonnie Hunt Show. Proopworld provides the announcer voice Hank "Buckshot" Holmes for the forthcoming game Mad World for SEGA. Darth Greg is heard as the bad guy Tal Merrick in the animated TV series Clone Wars on Cartoon Network. Greg can also be heard as the voice of Bob the Builder on the popular children's series seen on PBS. The HBO series Flight of Conchords features Greg as Martin Clarke an advertising executive and weasel. Greg joined long time cohort Ryan Stiles in a two-man improvised show, Unplanned. They performed for sell out crowds at the Just For laughs Festival in Montreal and taped a gala for the CBC. Mr. Proops cares like Bono and has performed and hosted at many events for the ACLU including the 2008 membership conference and a rally to stop torture with Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Senator Patrick Leahy and Larry Cox, Director of Amnesty International USA. Mr. Proopwell aided and abetted Joan and Melissa Rivers on the red carpet at the 2007 Oscars, Emmys, SAG and Grammy awards as a wag and celebrity traffic cop on TV Guide Channel. Mr. Prooples regularly hosts his own live comedy chat show at the ridiculously hip Hollywood rock joint Largo. Guests have included Flight of the Conchords, Jason Schwartzman, Russell Brand, Jack Black, Dave Grohl, Patton Oswalt, Sarah Silverman, Joe Walsh, Janeane Garofalo, David Cross, Margaret Cho, Dave Eggers, Joan Rivers, Aidan Quinn, Jeff Goldblum, Kathy Griffin, Lewis Black, Eddie Izzard and John C. Reilly. Providing musical magic is genius and imp Jon Brion. Mr. Proops has also performed his chat show in Aspen at the HBO Comedy Arts Festival, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Montreal at the Just For Laughs Festival. He also accompanied Drew Carey to the 2006 World Cup and produced and starred in Drew Carey's Sporting Adventures on the Travel Channel. Mr. Proops other television sightings include, Last Comic Standing, Ugly Betty, The Bigger Picture with Graham Norton on BBC, Mock the Week on BBC2 and The Drew Carey Show. Mr. P is very pleased to improvise with Drew Carey, Ryan Styles, Kathy Kinney, Colin Mochrie and many talented others as part of the Improv All Stars. They had the honor of performing for the troops in Bosnia, Kosovo and the Persian Gulf as part of the USO. The All-Stars can be seen on a fabulous Showtime comedy special. When over the pond in London, Greg sits in with the renowned Comedy Store Players. Darth Proops was so excited to portray Fode, one half of the pod race announcer in the hit motion picture Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and all the subsequent video games. As well as many voices in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. Greg went medieval as Cryptograf in the animated feature Asterix and the Vikings based on the popular French comic book. Greg may be heard as Gommi, the Articulate Worm in Kaena: The Prophecy a full length animated feature starring Kirsten Dunst. He was also Bernard, a mad scientist on Pam Anderson's animated series Stripperella. Mr. Greg was spotted hosting his own syndicated, national dating show Rendez View. He also hosted the now cult classic game show Comedy Central's VS. Senor Proops threw down an original half-hour of stand up on Comedy Central Presents. Which is repeated ad infinitum. Across the wide Atlantic in the United Kingdom Greg had his own chat show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival broadcast live on BBC Radio Scotland. Groovy guests like Candace Bushnell, Rich Hall, Geraldine Chaplin, Steven Berkoff and Garrison Keillor have snuggled his sofa. Mr. Proops performed stand up at How to Cook a benefit with Michael Palin and Terry Jones for the Peter Cook Foundation a BBC Christmas special. Greg was honored to be invited to rock the mike at Prince Charles' 50th Royal Birthday Gala seen on ITV in Britain. He performed a stand up half-hour on Comedy Store Five for Channel Five and has bantered on All Talk with Clive Anderson. The Proopkitty is a total smartyboots: he won The Weakest Link, Ben Stein's Money and Rock n' Roll Jeopardy. He also asked Dick Clark what his plans were for New Years Eve while guest hosting The Other Half. Proopmonkey rocks his stand up comedy all over the world and can be found most frequently performing in his beloved hometown of San Francisco. Mr. P. has toured the UK four times, sold out the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 28 years running and has kicked it live in Paris, Turkey, Milan, Aspen, Montreal, Scotland, Ireland, Norway, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates. Below the Equator in New Zealand the Proopshobbit hosted the Oddfellows Comedy Gala for TVNZ and headlined the New Zealand International Comedy Festival. In Australia Speccy Spice jammed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and hosted, Hey, Hey it's Saturday! A national TV institution. Mr. Proops is married to a woman, Jennifer. He doesn't deserve her. They reside in Lower California with their pet ocelot, Lady Gaga. 110 minutes Steve Hofstetter has over a billion views on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, is a Nobel Peace Prize-nominated comedian. His book (Ginger Kid) is a top 5 pick on Amazon and debuted at number one in its category. Hofstetter was the host and executive producer of season one of Laughs (FOX) and he has been on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and E! True Hollywood Story, Comics Unleashed, Comedy All-Stars, Quite Frankly, White Boyz in the Hood, Countdown, and more. He's been in four movies, and he has had two top 20 comedy albums (including one that hit number 1 on iTunes comedy charts). He is a former columnist for Sports Illustrated and the NHL, and has also written for Maxim and the New York Times, among others. Nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his charity work in the comedy community Has over 200 million views on YouTube and 700,000 subscribers Has over a billion views on Facebook and 800,000 followers His book "Ginger Kid" was a top 5 pick on Amazon One of the stars of Lifetime's "Handyman From Hell." Also in the Hallmark movie "Love Always, Santa", Lifetime's "Psycho Yoga Instructor" and "Psycho Storm Chaser", and Adam Carolla's "Road Hard" Former EVP of Film & Television for the Laugh Factory Senior Comedy Correspondent for Fox Sports Former Host and Executive Producer of "Laughs" on Fox Networks Former segment producer for Fox's "Dish Nation" TV includes CBS' "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson", hosting "Trial By Laughter" on Comcast, CNN's "Campbell Brown", the syndicated "Comics Unleashed", E's "True Hollywood Story", Showtime's "White Boyz in the Hood", ESPN's "Quite Frankly", VH1's "The Countdown", CW's "The Daily Buzz", G4's "Attack of the Show", Sundance's "On the Road in America", ABC's "Barbara Walters Special", "Good Day NY", "Good Day LA", "Fox & Friends", among others. His fifth album "Pick Your Battles" reached #1 on iTunes' comedy charts His third album "Dark Side of the Room" was first ever comedian Pay-What-You-Want Former weekly columnist for Sports Illustrated and the NHL Hosted "Four Quotas" on Sirius Satellite Radio for two years Hosted "The Sports Minute (Or So)", syndicated for four years on over 170 radio stations Collegehumor.com's original columnist From New York City, currently lives in Pittsburgh. Get Jeff's new book The Web We Weave Why We Must Reclaim the Internet from Moguls, Misanthropes, and Moral Panic 1:33 Jeff Jarvis is a national leader in the development of online news, blogging, the investigation of new business models for news, and the teaching of entrepreneurial journalism. He writes an influential media blog, Buzzmachine.com. He is author of “Geeks Bearing Gifts: Imagining New Futures for News” (CUNY Journalism Press, 2014); “Public Parts: How Sharing in the Digital Age Improves the Way We Work and Live” (Simon & Schuster, 2011); “What Would Google Do?” (HarperCollins 2009), and the Kindle Single “Gutenberg the Geek.” He has consulted for media companies including The Guardian, Digital First Media, Postmedia, Sky.com, Burda, Advance Publications, and The New York Times company at About.com. Prior to joining the Newmark J-School, Jarvis was president of Advance.net, the online arm of Advance Publications, which includes Condé Nast magazines and newspapers across America. He was the creator and founding managing editor of Entertainment Weekly magazine and has worked as a columnist, associate publisher, editor, and writer for a number of publications, including TV Guide, People, the San Francisco Examiner, the Chicago Tribune, and the New York Daily News. His freelance articles have appeared in newspapers and magazines across the country, including the Guardian, The New York Times, the New York Post, The Nation, Rolling Stone, and BusinessWeek. Jarvis holds a B.S.J. from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. He was named one of the 100 most influential media leaders by the World Economic Forum at Davos. Join us Monday's and Thursday's at 8EST for our Bi Weekly Happy Hour Hangout's !  Pete on Blue Sky Pete on Threads Pete on Tik Tok Pete on YouTube  Pete on Twitter Pete On Instagram Pete Personal FB page Stand Up with Pete FB page All things Jon Carroll  Follow and Support Pete Coe Buy Ava's Art  Hire DJ Monzyk to build your website or help you with Marketing Gift a Subscription https://www.patreon.com/PeteDominick/gift

The Summer of Submarines reaches crush depth with Disney’s 1954 epic “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” Captain Nemo of the Nautilus has met his match in an uncharismatic French professor, his strangely familiar associate, and their sidekick, a violent harpoonist and occasional cabaret performer. Also there’s a giant squid. Everyone remembers the giant squid—and for good reason! Jason Snell with Monty Ashley, Erika Ensign, Shelly Brisbin, Philip Michaels and David J. Loehr.

Today's True Weird Stuff - Wild Child (Airdate 9/19/2025)   In 1797, a young boy was discovered in the woods of France. He would eventually be found and taken into towns to be cared for by the locals. This boy, known as Victor, couldn't speak, was covered in scars, and behaved like a wild animal. Victor would escape many times, but he was eventually taken in by a French physician, who vowed to turn Victor into a civilized member of society.    

By 1905 the Wright Brothers had officially learned to fly. They had a testable and provable flying machine. But, even though human-controlled flight was a reality, less than 1% of Americans believed the accomplishment was real. The Wright Brothers spent the entire year of 1905 attempting to convince the American War Department that they had something important—something that would greatly benefit America. However, the American government shockingly rejected the invention. Meanwhile, the British and the French were more than enthusiastic to get their hands on this important tool. ------------» Take these studies deeper and be discipled in person by Eric, Leslie, Nathan, and the team at Ellerslie in one of our upcoming discipleship programs – learn more at: https://ellerslie.com/be-discipled/» Receive our free “Five Keys to Walking Through Difficulty” PDF by going to: https://ellerslie.com/subscribe/» For more information about Daily Thunder and the ministry of Ellerslie Mission Society, please visit: https://ellerslie.com/daily» If you have been blessed by Ellerslie, consider partnering with the ministry by donating at: https://ellerslie.com/donate/» Discover more resources, books, and sermons from Eric Ludy by going to: https://ellerslie.com/about-eric-ludy/

Ep. 696: Mr. Harrison's Confessions | Chapters 3-4 Book talk begins at 25:15 Pears, parties, and peculiar housemates—Mr. Harrison's adventures just keep getting more awkward (and more entertaining). --------------------------------------------------------------- SEPTEMBER Raffle - THIS WEEK'S TEA:   and  (thank you LilyM) We caught Hank  The Ultimate  video from @KristineVike And the evil of  (actually, she has a LOT of useful informational videos!) Spectacular FIXED SciShow video: I Remade the SciShow Knitting Video (with accurate SCIENCE)  Solomon's Seal: Dutch Tiles—as with Cranford, these were out of style when the story was written/takes place. They have a resurgence of popularity during the Arts & Crafts movement:  The Jargonelle pear () is an ancient, hardy, long-lived pear variety, first mentioned in the 17th century. It produces medium-sized, yellow-green fruit with a reddish flush and musky, sweet, juicy flesh, ripe in late summer. The fruit must be eaten fresh as it does not store well. &  again Duncombe (silent final “be”) The back room was my consulting-room (“the library,” he advised me to call it), and he gave me a skull to put on the top of my bookcase, in which the medical books were all ranged on the conspicuous shelves; while Miss Austen, Dickens and Thackeray were, by Mr. Morgan himself, skilfully placed in a careless way, upside down or with their backs turned to the wall. HA! Women's veils:  deep widow's mourning; such veils and fails, and capes and cloaks, that she looked like a black crape haycock. very mal-àpropos that I could hardly keep from smiling; but I would not have done it for the world, … ‘“I have the ‘dognoses' of my dear husband's complaint in my desk, Mr. Harrison, if you would like to draw up the case for the Lancet. :  is a comedic character from Richard Brinsley Sheridan's 1775 play The Rivals. She is a pretentious and self-important aunt who constantly makes humorous verbal blunders by using words that sound similar to, but are inappropriate for, the intended word. This type of linguistic error is now known as a . Her name is derived from the French term “mal à propos,” which means “inappropriate” or “poorly placed”. ***a memorable scene occurs when she instructs her niece, Lydia Languish, on the importance of controlling her passions, famously advising her to begin matrimony with “a little aversion,” and later attempts to describe Lydia's headstrong nature by calling her “as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile”. then She tells Lydia that she must forget the young man, saying, “But I say it is, miss; there is nothing on earth so easy as to forget, if a person chooses to set about it. I'm sure I have as much forgot your poor dear uncle as if he had never existed”. Miscellaneous BOOK/WATCH PARTIES coming up in 2025: Last Thursday of every month, 8pm Eastern: Sep—The Last Unicorn (movie) Oct—Random Harvest (book) Nov—Random Harvest (movie) Dec—Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal (book) *CraftLit's Socials* • Find everything here: https://www.linktr.ee/craftlitchannel • Join the newsletter: http://eepurl.com/2raf9  • Podcast site: http://craftlit.com • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CraftLit/ • Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftlit • Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/craftlit/ • TikTok podcast: https://www.tiktok.com/@craftlit • Email: heather@craftlit.com • Previous CraftLit Classics can be found here: https://bit.ly/craftlit-library-2023   *SUPPORT THE SHOW!* • CraftLit App Premium feed bit.ly/libsynpremiumcraftlit (only one tier available) • PATREON:   https://patreon.com/craftlit (all tiers, below) ——Walter Harright -  $5/mo for the same audio as on App ——Jane Eyre - $10/mo for even-month Book Parties ——Mina Harker - $15/mo for odd-month Watch Parties *All tiers and benefits are also available as* —*YouTube Channel Memberships*  —*Ko-Fi* https://ko-fi.com/craftlit  —*NEW* at CraftLit.com — Premium Memberships https://craftlit.com/membership-levels/ *IF you want to join a particular Book or Watch Patry but you don't want to join any of the above membership options*, please use PayPal.me/craftlit or CraftLit @ Venmo and include what you want to attend in the message field. Please give us at least 24 hours to get your message and add you to the attendee list.     • Download the FREE CraftLit App for iOS or Android (you can call or email feedback straight from within the app) • Call 1-206-350-1642

On this week's show we look at the CDEDIA Best of show winners for this years event. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news. News: Google's Home app just got a huge upgrade that makes automations even smarter Paramount to launch new Sports Entertainment division The first Roku-powered smart projector is here Other: The Streaming War Is Over. Piracy Won. TWICE Best of Show Awards Winners for CEDIA 2025 AiSPIRE/WAC Group VENTRIX Lighting, Power and Control System - is an innovative, modular linear lighting solution designed for high-end architectural applications in both commercial and residential spaces. VENTRIX provides a scalable, customizable framework for illumination challenges, such as recessed grid ceiling installations or linear layouts in retail, restaurants, offices, or upscale homes. No pricing available. BZBGEAR BG-AIR4KAST-MKX | 4K@60Hz Wireless HDMI Extender with Multi-Receiver Support - Is a professional-grade wireless HDMI extender kit designed for transmitting uncompressed 4K video signals over the air without the need for long cables. The system uses BZBGEAR's proprietary ipcolor STREAM technology to ensure high-definition video with low latency, operating on the 5GHz wireless frequency band for stable, interference-resistant transmission. Up to 164 feet (50 meters) line-of-sight for 4K@60Hz; extends to about 230 feet for 1080p@60Hz. Available for Pre-order $450 Crestron Home OS - Since 1972, Crestron has been the leader in creating innovative technologies that remove barriers to connection, collaboration, communication, comfort, and control in just about every meaningful aspect of our professional and personal lives. Engineered to be simple, reliable, secure, and easy to use, Crestron sets the standard for intelligent video conferencing, digital content distribution, smart home systems, as well as control and management technology. Solutions that empower people around the world to do more, learn more, enjoy more, and achieve more. Furrion Aurora Partial-Sun 2 4K LED Outdoor Smart TV - is a weatherproof outdoor television designed specifically for partially sunny environments, such as patios, decks, or yards where sunlight is present but not direct or prolonged on the screen. It is part of Furrion's Aurora series, engineered for backyard entertainment with rugged construction to withstand rain, humidity, dust, and temperature fluctuations while delivering high-quality 4K viewing. 55” is going for $1700 HangSmart TV DIY TV wall mount system -  designed for easy installation without the need for wall studs, making it ideal for renters, homeowners, or anyone avoiding complex drilling or hiring professionals. It supports TVs from 19 to 100 inches and holds up to 150 pounds, compatible with most flat-screen LED, LCD, or curved models (including brands like Samsung, LG, and Sony) via standard VESA patterns. Kaleidescape Strato M Movie Player - an entry-level movie player it serves as a standalone device or part of a larger Kaleidescape ecosystem, designed for residential, marine, and commercial theater setups. Priced at around $1,995–$2,000, it offers about half the cost of Kaleidescape's previous lowest-entry system (the Strato V at $4,000) while delivering premium audio and video quality without relying on streaming services. madVR Envy Core MK2 - is a high-end video processor developed by madVR Labs, designed specifically for premium home theaters and media rooms. It represents an upgraded iteration in the company's Envy lineup, building on the original Envy Core (introduced in 2024) by incorporating 48 Gbps HDMI 2.1 support for 8K input and output, enhanced gaming capabilities, and improved overall performance. Announced on September 2, 2025, alongside the Envy Extreme MK3 and Pro MK3 models, it aims to deliver advanced video processing at a more accessible price point compared to flagship models like the Extreme series, while maintaining near-identical image quality for many core functions. $5995 Nice ELAN OS 9.0 - is the latest software platform for the Nice Home Management system, a customizable smart home automation solution developed by Nice North America (formerly Core Brands). Released around mid-2025, OS 9.0 focuses on enhanced personalization, seamless integration with Nice's broader ecosystem (including shading, audio, gate motors, access control, and security), and intuitive user experiences for whole-home control. Samsung OLED TV (S95F) - The Samsung S95F is Samsung's flagship 4K OLED TV series for 2025, succeeding the popular S95D model and positioning itself as a premium smart TV with advanced QD-OLED panel technology. It combines vibrant quantum dot colors with OLED's self-emissive pixels for superior contrast, deep blacks, and lifelike visuals, making it ideal for home theater enthusiasts, gamers, and streaming users. Available in sizes including 55-inch, 65-inch, 77-inch, and 83-inch, it runs on Samsung's Tizen OS with integrated Vision AI for enhanced personalization and upscaling. 55” $2200 - 83” $5800 Samsung HW-QS700F Soundbar - is a premium Q-series 3.1.2-channel soundbar system featuring a dedicated wireless subwoofer. It supports Wireless Dolby Atmos and True 3.1.2ch sound, with Q-Symphony technology that synchronizes seamlessly with compatible Samsung TVs for amplified audio output. The innovative Convertible Fit design allows flexible placement—either as a standalone bar or mounted with rear speakers for expanded surround sound. Priced at $599.99. SimpliSafe Outdoor Security Camera Series 2 with Active Guard Outdoor Protection - is a wireless, AI-powered outdoor camera designed for integration with the SimpliSafe home security system. Released in late 2024, it's an upgrade over the original model, focusing on proactive threat detection and deterrence. It requires a SimpliSafe base station to operate and is available for $199.99 directly from SimpliSafe or major retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. Battery-powered for flexibility, it can also be wired for continuous operation, which is essential for unlocking advanced features like Active Guard Outdoor Protection. Skyworth Canvas Elite Art TV - is a premium lifestyle television series launched by Skyworth USA in August 2025, designed to blend high-performance entertainment with gallery-quality art display. It features the world's largest art TV at 100 inches, alongside an 86-inch model, making it ideal for custom home integration where aesthetics meet advanced technology.  Starting at $4000 Sony BRAVIA Projector 7 4K HDR Laser Home Theater Projector with Native 4K SXRD Panel - is a premium native 4K HDR laser home theater projector that features Sony's advanced SXRD (Silicon X-tal Reflective Display) technology with a compact 0.61-inch native 4K panel (3,840 x 2,160 pixels), delivering over 8 million pixels for sharp, detailed images with inky blacks, vibrant colors, and rich textures. Powered by a long-lasting laser light source providing up to 2,200 lumens of brightness, it excels in rendering high dynamic range (HDR) content like Dolby Vision and IMAX Enhanced, ensuring vivid highlights and deep shadows even on screens up to 120 inches in moderately lit environments. $10,000 Sony BRAVIA Theater System 6 - is a 5.1-channel home theater system featuring a soundbar, wireless rear speakers, and a dedicated subwoofer for immersive surround sound. Delivering 1,000W of total output, it supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X for dynamic, three-dimensional audio with precise dialogue via Voice Zoom 3. Easy to set up and compatible with select BRAVIA TVs for seamless control, it includes HDMI eARC, Bluetooth, and the BRAVIA Connect App for enhanced connectivity and customization. $800 What Hi-Fi? Best of Show Awards Winners Bluesound PULSE CINEMA - is a premium wireless streaming soundbar that is an all-in-one solution that delivers immersive Dolby Atmos audio without requiring a separate AV receiver, making it ideal for users who want cinematic sound for movies, music, gaming, and TV in a clutter-free design. Positioned as a competitor to brands like Sonos, it emphasizes high-resolution multi-room streaming via Bluesound's BluOS platform, high-fidelity performance, and easy expandability to a full surround system. The PULSE CINEMA is designed for larger spaces, pairing best with 55-inch TVs and above, and measures 47 inches wide for a low-profile fit under or mounted below your screen. $1500 Coastal Source 1000 Series Bollards - are a premium line of modular outdoor speakers. Designed for high-end landscape audio installations, they build on the success of the earlier 10.0 Bollard Series, offering enhanced performance while maintaining a sleek, weather-resistant design that blends into outdoor environments like patios, pools, or gardens. These bollards are engineered to "Defy the Elements," with sealed enclosures that provide superior durability against rain, sun, salt air, and extreme temperatures, making them ideal for coastal or harsh climates. No Pricing Kaleidescape Strato M Movie Player - See above L-Acoustics HYRISS - (Hyperreal Immersive Sound Space) is an audio solution launched by the French audio company L-Acoustics in September 2024. HYRISS transforms everyday environments into dynamic, immersive auditory experiences. It's particularly aimed at high-end residential, hospitality, corporate, retail, and even yacht settings, where it integrates seamlessly with architecture to create customizable soundscapes. Unlike traditional home audio systems, HYRISS isn't just about speakers—it's a complete ecosystem combining hardware, software, advanced processing, and professional installation to deliver concert-quality sound while preserving visual aesthetics. Ara's note on pricing - I didn't bother looking it up. It's French and it's designed for high end. I think that sums it up! Magnetar UDP900MKII - is a high-end universal disc player designed for audiophiles and cinephiles who prioritize reference-grade playback of physical media. It serves as an upgraded successor to the original UDP900 model, incorporating enhancements based on user and dealer feedback to deliver superior audio fidelity, video processing, and build quality. It's positioned as a flagship device in Magnetar's lineup, emphasizing support for a wide array of formats while addressing the growing scarcity of premium Blu-ray players (following exits by brands like Oppo, Reavon, LG, and Samsung). Shipping in Q4 2025 with suggested retail prices of $3300 Sony BRAVIA 8 II 65-inch Class QD-OLED 4K HDR Google TV - The Sony BRAVIA 8 is Sony's flagship OLED television for 2025. It leverages advanced QD-OLED panel technology from Samsung Display—the latest generation, shared with models like the Samsung S95F—for superior brightness, color vibrancy, and contrast. This TV is designed for cinematic immersion, blending high-end picture processing with immersive audio, making it ideal for movie enthusiasts, gamers (especially PS5 owners), and those seeking a premium home theater experience. It's available in 55-inch and 65-inch sizes only, with no larger options to avoid overlapping Sony's Mini-LED flagship, the BRAVIA 9. $3100 Sony BRAVIA Projector 7 4K HDR Laser Home Theater Projector with Native 4K SXRD Panel - See above  

Welcome to episode 241 of Growers Daily! We cover: if we should keep this year's potatoes to grow next year's potatoes, the lifespan of a business, AND it's feedback friday! We are a Non-Profit! 

The death of a common criminal, George Floyd gave us violence.  The death of a good man, Charlie Kirk, gave us prayer vigils.  Why?  Is violence inflicted equally by "Left" and "Right"? Turns out, not so much. But who is the "Left" and who is the "Right". In addition to violence, what else does the "Left" advocate? Learn the definition of "Left" and "Right". The French revolution, the Russian revolution, the Chinese revolution, the Cambodian revolution--and the 21st century American revolution? It would be nice if we could simply focus on our 5Fs and ignore the 'ugly world of politics'. But wait! Politics does fit into the 5Fs. So where is this all heading?

Nous allons commencer notre émission par une discussion sur l'actualité. La nouvelle de l'assassinat de Charlie Kirk a choqué de nombreuses personnes aux États-Unis et au-delà. Est-ce que cette nouvelle va mener à une revanche ou, au contraire, à une réconciliation ? Rien n'indique, pour l'instant, que les États-Unis se dirigent vers la réconciliation. Ensuite, nous aborderons les exigences de Trump selon lesquelles tous les pays de l'OTAN doivent cesser d'acheter du pétrole russe avant qu'il n'impose des sanctions à la Russie. Qu'est-ce qui se cache derrière cette exigence ? S'agit-il d'un moyen d'éviter les sanctions américaines contre la Russie ? Notre section scientifique sera consacrée à une étude révélant que 44 % des personnes atteintes de diabète ne sont pas diagnostiquées. Fait particulièrement alarmant : seulement 20 % des jeunes adultes de moins de 35 ans sont conscients de leur état. Et enfin, nous parlerons d'une loi adoptée en Ouzbékistan qui permet aux prisonniers de réduire leur peine de 1 à 30 jours par an en lisant les livres d'une liste prédéfinie.    Le reste de l'émission d'aujourd'hui sera consacré à la langue et à la culture françaises. Cette semaine, nous continuerons à travailler l'imparfait. Notre leçon sera The Imperfect Tense The Verbs of the 3rd Group (Lesson 4): The verbs conjugating like: sentir, connaître, construire, and faire. Nous parlerons d'une invention originale qui a fait parler d'elle lors de la Foire de Châlons qui a lieu chaque année en France pendant la première semaine de septembre. Nous terminerons avec l'expression de la semaine, Ce n'est pas la mer à boire. De plus en plus de municipalités décident de rendre les transports en commun gratuits pour les usagers. Mais cette mesure populaire est-elle vraiment une bonne idée ? - Après l'assassinat de Charlie Kirk les États-Unis choisiront-ils la vengeance ou la réconciliation ? - Trump exige que tous les pays de l'OTAN arrêtent d'acheter du pétrole russe avant qu'il impose des sanctions - Près de la moitié des personnes diabétiques ne sont pas diagnostiquées - En Ouzbékistan, les détenus qui lisent des livres peuvent réduire leur peine de prison - Une invention originale attire l'attention du public lors de la Foire de Châlons. - Les transports en commun gratuits, une bonne idée ?

Ugo, Sara and Claire Thomas look ahead to England's semi-final against France in Bristol. Will the Red Roses make it 17 in a row against France and reach another World Cup final? How is head coach John Mitchell dealing with the pressure? He chats to Sara and explains his decision to bring Ellie Kildunne straight back and also explains his selection at fly-half. Bristol local Abbie Ward who has a big revelation about her room mate and we discover how much she really likes to play the French. We also touch on the second semi-final between Canada and New Zealand and ask whether you should ever bet against the Black Ferns.

September has snuck up on most of us and cold weather is right around the corner.Suddenly it's time to walk through your garden and decide who's making the travel team and who's sitting out this season in the great hereafter. Can you set aside sentiment and choose the strongest and healthiest to make winter a joy instead of a chore? Do you know when to bring them in? (And what you can get away with?) From bathing them, to babying them, Leslie and Marianne share personal anecdotes and practical tips for managing houseplants and storage plants, addressing pest control, and deciding which plants to prioritize based on space, aesthetics, sentiment, and good old-fashioned guilt. The girls are not always on the same page, but they're generally aiming for the same ending: To avoid the last-minute first-frost scramble and a herniated disk.Plus, Damn I Wish I Planted That for the late September garden, ritualistic flogging in Clear Up Corner, and a fine red wine lessened un peu by a lousy French accent — all on this week's episode of The Garden Mixer._______________________________Be sure to hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there.Full Show Notes at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Garden Mixer Podcast's Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠________________________________Socials – Pick Your Platform:Follow us on Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thegardenmixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Indulge us on TikTok⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@the.garden.mixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spar with us on X⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@gardenmixerpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠“French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW

practice the bilabial stop consonants, p vs b

learn how to say 'study' in French

Joel Gamoran, CEO of Home Made, joins us to explore how cooking shows have evolved—and how chef creators are reshaping food media // We dish on butternut squash: bold flavors, cozy tips, and kitchen inspiration // James Shakelford, CEO of Lifelong, shares their mission and previews next week’s Dining out for Life event // What makes the perfect madeleine? We crack the shell on this French classic // Jesse Parker, Master Blender at Doc Swinson’s, pours us a taste of American whiskey tradition and innovation // And of course, we’ll wrap up today’s show with Food for Thought: Tasty Trivia!!

Yesterday, French protestors took to the streets over the last government's proposed spending cuts. This makes good social media content, and confirms stereotypical media biases, but should not change things for investors. France has large reserves of private wealth that could be mobilized to help fund government borrowing, but more democratic wealth increases mean that such mobilization would affect ordinary citizens.

The Summer of Submarines reaches crush depth with Disney’s 1954 epic “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” Captain Nemo of the Nautilus has met his match in an uncharismatic French professor, his strangely familiar associate, and their sidekick, a violent harpoonist and occasional cabaret performer. Also there’s a giant squid. Everyone remembers the giant squid—and for good reason! Jason Snell with Monty Ashley, Erika Ensign, Shelly Brisbin, Philip Michaels and David J. Loehr.

19.09.25 Pt 1 - Gareth Cliff and Leigh-Ann Mol unpack how everything the government lays hands on somehow turns from gold to dust. They dive into Candace Owens' fiery clash with the French over a gender case gone wrong, and explore the troubling question of why some people openly celebrate an assassination — no matter their political stance. The Real Network

Operaspymaster you may ask? Read on and listen to this episode. In this powerful and multifaceted episode of Unstoppable Mindset, we welcome Kay Sparling, former opera singer, PTSD survivor, and now debut novelist—as she shares her incredible life journey from international stages to the shadowy world of espionage fiction. Kay talks about the creation of her first novel, Mission Thaw, a gripping spy thriller based on her own real-life experiences volunteering with refugees in post-Cold War Europe. Kay and Michael discuss the inspiration behind her protagonist, CIA agent Caitlin Stewart, and how real-world trauma and service led Kay to use fiction as both a vehicle for healing and a call to action on the modern crisis of human trafficking. This is a conversation that transcends genres—music, espionage, activism, and resilience—all converging through the unstoppable spirit of a woman who refuses to stay silent. About the Guest: Kay Sparling was raised in the Midwest. At the age of seven, she began her professional singing career as Gretl in “The Sound of Music” and she continued to perform through high school. After graduation Kay attended University of Kansas and earned a BME in music education and a minor in Vocal Performance. She then attended graduate school in opera voice performance for one year at UMKC Conservatory of Music. She was awarded a grant to finish my graduate studies in Vienna, Austria. From there she won an apprenticeship at the Vienna State Opera. After moving to NYC to complete her second apprenticeship, Kay lived in Germany, Austria, and Italy for many years. In 1999 Kay returned to NYC and continued singing opera and became a cantor for the NYC diocese. After 9/11, she served as a cantor at many of the funeral and memorial masses for the fallen first responders. In 2003, Kay moved from NYC to the upper Midwest and started a conservatory of Music and Theatre where her voice students have been awarded numerous prestigious scholarships and won many competitions. In 2020, the pandemic shut down her conservatory, so she began training to be a legal assistant and now works in workers compensation. Back in 2013, Kay had started writing a journal as a PTSD treatment. She was encouraged to extend the material into a novel. After much training and several drafts, Mission Thaw was published in 2024. Kay is currently writing the second book in the Kaitlyn Stewart Spy Thriller Series. Ways to connect with Kay: Website: https://www.kaysparlingbooks.com X: https://x.com/MissionThaw/missionthaw/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/missionthaw.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/505674375416879 Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kay-sparling-8516b638/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missionthaw/ Litsy: https://www.litsy.com/web/user/Mission%20Thaw About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:16 Well, hi everyone. Welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset. I'm your host, Mike hingson, and our guest today is a very fascinating individual. I was just teasing her a little bit about her email address, which is operaspy master@gmail.com I'm telling you, don't cross her. That's all I gotta say. Anyway, we'll, we'll get into all of that. But I really am glad that she is with us. Kay Sparling is a fascinating woman who's had an interesting career. She's written, she's done a number of things. She's used to be an opera, gosh, all sorts of stuff. So anyway, we'll get to all of it and we'll talk about it. I don't want to give it all away. Where would the fun in that be? Kay, welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Kay Sparling ** 02:11 Well, thank you. I'm glad to be here. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 02:13 we're glad you're here. You're from up in Wisconsin. We were going to do this a couple of weeks ago, but you had all the storms, and it stole your internet and your power away, didn't   Kay Sparling ** 02:23 it? It sure did. Yeah, that was a terrible storm we had.   Michael Hingson ** 02:28 Yeah, that's kind of no fun. I remember years ago, I was talking to somebody on the phone. We were doing a sales call, and he said, I might not be able to stay on the phone because we're having a really serious storm, and he said it is possible that the lightning could hit the phone lines, and if it does, it could come in the house. And we talked for a few minutes, and then he said, I'm going to have to hang up, because I just felt a small shock, because the lightning obviously hit the phone line, so we'll have to talk later. And and he was gone. And we did talk later, though he was okay, but still, wow, yeah, there's a lot of crazy weather going on, isn't there? And we were just talking about the, we were just talking about the Canadian wildfires. They're No fun.   Kay Sparling ** 03:15 No, no. Just everywhere is having crazy weather.   Michael Hingson ** 03:20 Well, tell us a little bit about you growing up and all that sort of stuff, and telling me about the the early K   Kay Sparling ** 03:32 Well, growing up, I grew up in a farm community in the in the central Midwest, just you know, right in the middle of the bread basket, you might say, not near where you are now. No no, no further south and in very much agriculture time, I mean skipping ahead. I remember talking to a famous opera conductor when I was an apprentice, and I made some reference, and he goes, Well, how would you know that? And I said, because I grew up on a farm. And he went, Oh, get out here. Nobody makes it, you know, to a major European opera house from a farm. And I went, Well, I did. And later, I asked my mom to send me a picture, because we had had an aerial view taken of our homestead, and it was obvious for miles, all the way around the house and the barn and all, it was just corn fields and soybeans. You know what they showed   Michael Hingson ** 04:40 Illinois, Illinois, and so you showed it to him, yeah,   Kay Sparling ** 04:44 I showed it to him, and he was like, well, doggone, you're not lying. Like, No, I wasn't kidding you. I really did.   Michael Hingson ** 04:51 It shows how good I really am. See how far I progressed.   Kay Sparling ** 04:55 Well, you know, I was one of these kids. I. At five years old, I my parents took me to see sound and music at the theater, and during the intermission. Now I'm five years old, it's pretty late for me, right? But when we're in the concession stand, I tug at my mom's skirt, and I say, Mom, that's what I want to do. And she looks at me kind of funny, and she's kind of funny, and she's kind of confused. Well, what do you want to do work in a theater? You know, a movie theater? No, no, I want to do what those kids are doing on that on the movie screen. And she was like, Well, honey, you know, that's that's really hard to get somewhere like that. So that was when I was five. And then when I was seven, she just, you know, the all the school and the church were telling her, this kid's got a great voice, and they kept giving me solos and stuff. And so when I was seven, she put me in the Sangamon County Fair Little Miss competition. And of course, my talent was singing, so I just sang away. I really can't remember what I sang, but afterwards, a fellow came up to my parents and introduced himself, and he said that he was there, he had family, not, you know, in the area, and that he had grown up there, but since then, he he was in St Louis, and he said, we are, I'm a scout, and I'm looking, I'm an entertainment Scout, and I'm actually looking for, you know, the von trop children. We're going to do a big production, and we'd love to audition your daughter. Well, we were about, think it was an hour and a half away from St Louis, so my parents are like, wow, that'd be quite a commitment. But long story short, I did it, and that started my professional career. I was the youngest Bon Troy. You know, over cradle, yeah. And so it just went from there. And, you know, it was all Broadway, of course, and I did a lot of church singing, you know, it got to be by the time I was, you know, in high school, people were hiring me for weddings, funerals, all that kind of thing. And so I was a Broadway and sacred singer. Went to college. My parents said, you can't depend on a vocal performance degree. What if things don't work out? You have to have something fall back. So I went into vocal music ed at a very, very good school for that, and also music therapy, and, you know, continue being in their shows. And when I when I graduated, continued the Broadway, and one night I was also singing a little bit of jazz in Kansas City, where I was living, someone approached me. She was a voice teacher at the conservatory there, and that conservatory had an apprenticeship with the Kansas City Lyric Opera. And she said I knew you was an undergrad. My husband works where you, where you went to school, and I have been watching you for a long time. And I wish you quit this nonsense of singing Broadway and jazz and rock and everything and get serious, you know, and try opera. So I thought she was crazy to bring that up, but it wasn't the first time it had been brought up. So I have been teaching for a year, and at the end of that school year, I announced everyone I was going to graduate school and I was going to study opera. And so   Michael Hingson ** 08:55 what were you teaching?   Kay Sparling ** 08:57 I was teaching high school choir, okay, at a very big high school, very, very good choir department.   Michael Hingson ** 09:03 Now, by the way, after doing Gretel, did you ever have any other parts as you grew older in Sound of Music?   Kay Sparling ** 09:11 Okay, that's a very cool question. I am one of the few people that I know that can say I have sang every major role in Sound of Music sometime in my life. Ah, okay, because it was so popular when I was Oh, yeah. And as I would grow older, well now you're going to sing, you know, you just kept graduating up. And then pretty soon I sang quite a few Marias. And then after I was an opera singer. During covid, I was asked to sing Mother Superior. Mother Superior. Yeah, literally, have sung, you know, in a decades long career, I've sung every role in Sound of Music.   Michael Hingson ** 09:56 Cool. Well, that's great.   10:00 Yeah, so, so, anyway, so   Michael Hingson ** 10:02 you said that you were going to go study opera,   Kay Sparling ** 10:07 and I did a graduate school, and then I got the chance to get an international grant over to Europe, and so I decided to not finish my masters at that time and go over there and finish it, and most of all, importantly, do my first apprenticeship in Europe. And so I thought that was a great opportunity. They were willing. They were going to willing to pay for everything. And I said I would be a fool to turn this down. Yeah, so off I went, and that's kind of the rest of the story. You know, got a lot of great training, left Europe for a while, moved to New York City, trained best coaches and teachers in the world at the Metropolitan Opera and then, you know, launch my career.   Michael Hingson ** 11:04 So you Wow, you, you've done a number of things, of course, going to Europe and being in Vienna and places like that. Certainly you were in the the right place.   Kay Sparling ** 11:16 Yes, yes, definitely. You know, at that time in the in the middle 80s, United States was we had some great opera houses Iran, but we had very few. And it just wasn't the culture that it was in Europe, in Europe. And so, yes, there was a lot more opportunity there, because there was such a culture established there already.   Michael Hingson ** 11:44 So you went off and you did Europe and saying opera, what were you a soprano? Or what were you that sounds like a way a little high for your voice?   Kay Sparling ** 11:59 Well, you have to remember, I'm a senior citizen now. So this is the way it worked for me, because we're talking decades from the age 27 and I quit singing at 63 so that's a very long time to sing opera. So I started out, as you know, there is a voice kind of category, and each one of those, we use a German word for that. It's called Foch, F, A, C, H, and you know, that is determined by the kind of vocal cords you have, and the kind of training and the literature you're singing, and hopefully that all meshes together if you have good coaches and a good agent and such. And I literally have seen so many different Fox lyric, lyric mezzo, then to, very shortly, lyric soprano, and then for a long time, spinto soprano, which would be the Puccini and a lot of them really popular things. And then I was, I felt I was quite lucky that my voice did have the strength and did mature into a Verdi soprano, which is a dramatic soprano, not many of those around. And so that was, that was an endeavor, but at the same time, that was a leg up. And so most of the time in my career, I sang the bigger Puccini, like, let's say Tosca, and I sang a lot of Verdi. So I was an Italian opera singer. I mostly sang in Italian, not to say that I didn't sing in German or French, but I did very little in comparison to the   Michael Hingson ** 13:56 Italian Well, there's a lot of good Italian opera out there, although mostly I don't understand it, but I don't speak Italian well.   Kay Sparling ** 14:07 The great thing about most houses now is, you know, you can just look at the back of the seat in front of you, and there's the translation, you know, yeah, that   Michael Hingson ** 14:18 doesn't work for me. Being blind, that doesn't work for you. Yeah, that's okay, though, but I like the music, yeah. So how long ago did you quit singing?   Kay Sparling ** 14:32 Um, just about, well, under, just a little under three years ago, okay?   Michael Hingson ** 14:38 And why did you quit? This was the right time,   Kay Sparling ** 14:42 senses or what I had a circumstance, I had to have throat surgery. Now it wasn't on my vocal cords, but it was on my thyroid, and unfortunately, the vocal cord nerve. They had to take out some Cyst On. My right thyroid, and then remove it too. And unfortunately, my vocal cords were damaged at that time, I would have probably be singing still now some you know, I mean, because dramatic sopranos just can go on and on and on. One of my mentors was Birgit Nielsen, famous singer from Sweden, and she was in my grandmother's generation, but she didn't, I went to work with her, and she demonstrated at 77 she could still pop out of high C. And I believe, I believe I would have been able to do that too, but you know, circumstances, you know, changed, but that's okay. Yeah, I had sung a long time, and at least I can speak. So I'm just very happy about that.   Michael Hingson ** 15:51 So when you did quit singing, what did you decide to go do? Or, or, How did, how did you progress from there?   Kay Sparling ** 16:01 Well, I had already made a transition where I had come in 2003 to the Midwest. I came back from New York City, where I lived many, many years, and I started a conservatory of music and acting, and then that kind of grew into a whole conservatory of music. So I was also a part time professor here in Wisconsin, and I taught voice, you know, one on one vocal lessons, so high school and college and graduate school, and so I had this huge studio. So when that happened, I wasn't getting to sing a whole lot, because I was much more focused on my students singing me at that point, especially the older ones, professional ones, and so, you know, I just kept teaching and and then I had started this book that I'm promoting now, and so that gave me more time to get that book finished   Michael Hingson ** 17:10 and published. What's the name of the book?   Kay Sparling ** 17:13 The book is called Mission, thaw.   Michael Hingson ** 17:16 Ah, okay, and what is it about   Kay Sparling ** 17:22 mission thaw is feminist spy thriller set at the very end of the Cold War in the late 80s, and the main protagonist is Caitlin Stewart, who it who has went over there to be an opera singer, and soon after she arrives, is intensely recruited by the CIA. They have a mission. They really, really need a prima donna Mozart soprano, which is what Caitlin was, and she had won a lot of competitions and won a grant to go over there, and so they had been vetting her in graduate school in the United States. And soon as she came to Europe, they they recruited her within a couple weeks of her being there, and she, of course, is totally blindsided by that. When they approach her, she had she she recognized that things were not exactly the way they should be, that people were following her, and she was trying to figure out who, are these people and why are they following me everywhere? Well, it ends up being young CIA agents, and so when the head chief and his, you know, the second chief, approach her, you know, she's not real happy, because she's already felt violated, like her privacy has been violated, and so she wasn't really too wonderful of listening to them and their needs. And so they just sort of apprehend her and and throw her in a car, in a tinted window Mercedes, and off they go to a park to talk to her, right? And so it's all like crazy movie to Caitlin. It's like, what is going on here? And, you know, she can tell they're all Americans, and they have dark suits on, even though it's very, very hot, and dark glasses, you know? So everything is just like a movie. And so when they approach her and tell her about what they need her to do, you know, and this would be in addition to the apprentice she is doing that, you know, she just gets up and says, I'm sorry I didn't come over and be in cloak and dagger. A, you know, ring, I'm getting out of here. And as she's walking away, the chief says, Well, what if you could help bring down the Berlin Wall? Well, now that stops her in her tracks, and she turns around. She goes, What are you kidding? I'm just a, you know, an opera apprentice from the Midwest grew up on a farm. What am I gonna do? Hit a high C and knock it down. I mean, what are you talking about?   Michael Hingson ** 20:28 Hey, Joshua, brought down the wealth of Jericho, after all. Well, yeah, some   Kay Sparling ** 20:34 later, someone tells her that, actually, but, but anyway, they say, well, sit down and we'll explain what we need you to do. And so the the initial job that Caitlin accepts and the CIA to be trained to do is what they call a high profile information gap. She has a wonderful personality. She's really pretty. She's very fashionable, so she can run with the jet set. And usually the jet set in Europe, the opera jet set is also where all the heads of states hang out, too. And at that time, the the Prime Minister was pretty much banking the Vienna State Opera where she was apprenticing. So he ends up being along with many other Western Austrian businessmen in a cartel of human trafficking. Who they are trafficking are all the the different citizens of the countries that USSR let go. You know, when you know just got to be too much. Remember how, oh yeah, we're going to let you go. Okay? And then they would just pull out. And there was no infrastructure. There was nothing. And these poor people didn't have jobs, they didn't have electricity. The Russian mafia was running in there trying to take, you know, take over. It was, it was chaos. And so these poor people were just packing up what they could to carry, and literally, sometimes walking or maybe taking a train into the first Western European country they could get to. And for a lot of them, just because the geographical area that was Austria. And so basically, the Austrians did not want these people, and they were being very unwelcoming and arresting a lot of them, and there was a lot of lot of bad behavior towards these refugees. And so the Catholic church, the Catholic Social Services, the Mennonite Relief Fund, the the UN and the Red Cross started building just tent after tent after tent on the edge of town for these people to stay at. And so the businessmen decide, well, we can traffic these people that have nothing over to the East Germans, who will promise them everything, but will give them nothing. But, you know, death camps, basically, just like in World War Two. So you have work camps, you have factories. They they don't feed these people correctly. They don't they don't give them anything that they promise to them in in the camps. And they say, Okay, be on this train at this time, this night. And then they stop somewhere in between Vienna and East Germany, in a very small train station in the middle of the Alps. And they have these large, you know, basic slave options. And unfortunately, the children in the older people get sent back to the camp because they don't need them or want them. So all the children get displaced from their families, as well as the senior citizens or anyone with a disability. And then, you know, the men and the women that can work are broken up as well, and they're sent to these, you know, they're bought by these owners of these factories and farms, and the beautiful women, of course, are sold to either an individual that's there in East German that just wants to have a sex aid, pretty much. Or even worse, they could be sold to an underground East Berlin men's club. And so terrible, terrible things happen to the women in particular, and the more that Caitlin learns. As she's being trained about what's happening, and she interviews a lot of these women, and she sees the results of what's happened, it, it, it really strengthens her and gives her courage. And that's a good thing, because as time goes through the mission, she ends up having to be much, much more than just a high profile social, you know, information gather. She ends up being a combat agent and so, but that that's in the mission as you read, that that happens gradually and so, what? What I think is really a good relationship in this story, is that the one that trains her, because this is actually both CIA and MI six are working on this, on this mission, thought and the director of the whole mission is an very seasoned mi six agent who everyone considers the best spy in the free world. And Ian Fleming himself this, this is true. Fact. Would go to this man and consult with him when he was writing a new book, to make sure you know that he was what he was saying is, Could this really happen? And that becomes that person, Clive Matthews become praying, Caitlyn, particularly when she has to start changing and, you know, defending herself. And possibly, you know,   Michael Hingson ** 26:38 so he becomes her teacher in   Kay Sparling ** 26:42 every way. Yes. So how   Michael Hingson ** 26:45 much? Gee, lots of questions. First of all, how much of the story is actually   Kay Sparling ** 26:50 true? All this story is true. The   Michael Hingson ** 26:53 whole mission is true. Yes, sir. And so how did you learn about this? What? What caused you to start to decide to write this story?   Kay Sparling ** 27:08 So some of these experiences are my own experiences. And so after I as an opera singer, decided to be a volunteer to help out these refugees. I witnessed a lot, and so many years later, I was being treated for PTSD because of what I'd witnessed there. And then a little bit later in Bosnia in the early 90s, and I was taking music therapy and art therapy, and my psychiatrist thought that it'd be a good idea if also I journaled, you know, the things that I saw. And so I started writing things, and then I turned it in, and they had a person that was an intern that was working with him, and both of them encouraged me. They said, wow, if, if there's more to say about this, you should write a book, cuz this is really, really, really good stuff. And so at one point I thought, Well, why not? I will try. So this book is exactly what happened Caitlin, you know, is a real person, and everyone in the book is real. Of course, I changed the names to protect people and their descriptions, but I, you know, I just interviewed a lot of spies that were involved. So, yes, this is a true story.   Michael Hingson ** 29:06 Did you do most of this? Then, after your singing career, were you writing while the career, while you were singing?   Kay Sparling ** 29:13 I was writing while I was still singing. Yeah, I started the book in 2015 Okay, and because, as I was taking the PTSD treatment and had to put it on the shelf several times, life got in the way. I got my my teaching career just really took off. And then I was still singing quite a bit. And then on top of it, everything kind of ceased in 2018 when my mother moved in with me and she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, but Louie body Alzheimer's, which is a very, very rough time, and so I became one of her caretakers. So I quit singing, put that on hold, and I. I had to really, really bring down the number in my studio I was teaching and spend time here at home. And so I would take care of her, but then after she would go to bed, and she'd go to bed much earlier than I wanted to, that's when I write, and that's when I got the lion's share of this book written. Was during that time, it was a great escape from what I was dealing with, believe it or not, you know, even though there's some real graphic things in the book and all it wasn't, it was a nice distraction.   Michael Hingson ** 30:36 Wow, so you, you lived this, needless to say,   Kay Sparling ** 30:41 Yes, I did, and yes.   Michael Hingson ** 30:45 So you've talked a little bit about what happened to these countries after the collapse of the USSR and communism and so on, these eastern companies, companies, countries. Has it changed much over the years.   Kay Sparling ** 31:03 Oh, yeah, for instance, one, you know, I went to Budapest after they were freed, I guess is what usr would say. Stayed in a five star hotel, and we were lucky if we had running water and electricity at the same time. And every time you went down on the streets, all you'd see is lines, you know, I mean, just because there'd be all like, Red Cross, etc, would be there, and they'd have these big trucks they drove in every day, and it just got to be because they had nothing. If you saw a truck, you'd start running towards it and get in line. You didn't care what it was, you know, and it was. And then fights would break out because they wouldn't have enough for everyone. And then, like, you know, maybe someone's walking away with a bag of rice, and some of us knock them over the head and take, you know, and it was very hard, you know, I was a volunteer there, and it was very, very hard to see this, you know, desperation, one story that I'd like to tell, and I put it in the book. I was riding my bike, you know, on a Friday afternoon to get some groceries at the nearest supermarket where my apartment was, and at that time, they still had the European hours, so they were going to close at five o'clock, and they weren't going to open until seven or eight on Monday morning. So you had to make sure you got there to get your weekend supply. So I was on my way, and I was parking my bike, and this woman, refugee woman, runs up and she has two small children with her, and she's carrying a baby, and she's speaking to me in a language I did not know. I do speak several languages, but I don't know Slavic languages and so, but I'm getting the gist of it that she has nothing to eat, neither do her children, and so I'm patting her on the shoulder, and right when I do that, a policeman that was guarding the door of the supermarket came up to me and, like, grabbed me really hard, and told me in German that I was not To speak to them, and I was not to help them, because if you help them, they'll stay. And I said to him in German, I'm an American. I am not Austrian. I am here on a work visa, and I can do whatever the hell I want to do. Well, he didn't like that. And so I just walked away from him, and I went in the store. And so I got up everything I get. Think of the big need, you know, I never had a baby, so I was trying to kind of figure that out, yeah, and I had to figure it out in German, you know, looking at labels now. And so finally I got, I got some stuff, you know, the stuff I needed, and, and, and the stuff that I got for the family, and I checked out, and I'm pushing the cart, you know, towards them. And he runs up beside me and stops me, and he says, I am going to arrest you if you bring that. I told you not to help them. And I said, again, I don't think I'm breaking any laws. And he said, Oh yes, you are. And I said, Well, I didn't read that in the papers. I didn't see it on TV where anyone said. That you cannot help a refugee. And so we're going back and forth. And so, you know, I'm pretty strong, so I just keep pushing it towards it. Well, she's kind of running down the park, and I'm like, wait, wait, you know, because she's getting scared of this guy, you know, he has a gun, he has a nightstick. Of course, she's scared, and so, you know, I would say, No, no, it's okay, because I can't speak for language, right? And so I'm just trying to give her body language and talk. Well, finally she does stop, and I just throw I give the one sack to the little boy, and one second little girl, they just run and and then, you know, I'm talking to her and saying, you know, it's okay, it's okay. And he grabs me, and he turns me around and he spits in my face.   Michael Hingson ** 35:53 Wow. Talk about breaking the law. But anyway, go ahead.   Kay Sparling ** 36:00 Welcome to Austria in the late 80s. You have to understand their Prime Minister Kurt voltheim won on the Nazi ticket. Mm, hmm. At that very time, if you got on a bus and you saw these businessmen going to work, at least 50% of them were reading the Nazi paper. Okay, so we kind of know what, where his affiliations lie. You know, this policeman and, you know, and I was very aware, you know, of of that party being very strong. And so you have to watch yourself when, when you're a foreigner. And I was a foreigner too, just like her. And so after wiping my face, I mean, I really, really wanted to give him a kick or something, yeah, and I do, I do know martial arts, but I was like, no, no, gotta stay cool. And I just told her to run. And she did and caught up with the children, and, you know, kept running. So that was the first experience I had knowing how unwelcome these people were in Austria. Yeah, so I got involved, yeah, I got involved because I was like, this is absolutely not right.   Michael Hingson ** 37:31 And so the book is, in part, to try to bring awareness to all that. I would think   Kay Sparling ** 37:36 absolutely there are, there are bits of it are, they're pretty darn graphic, but it's all true, and it's all documented. Sometimes people about human trafficking, they think, oh, it's not in my backyard. I'm not going to think about that. Well, I live in a very small college town, around 17,000 people, and two months ago, on the front page of this small paper here in town, there were seven men that were arrested for many counts of human trafficking of underage women and prostitution. So guess what, folks, it is in your backyard. If it's in this little town, it's probably in yours too. And we have to be aware before we can do anything. So we have to open our eyes. And I hope this book opens the eyes of the reader to say, Oh, my God, I knew things were bad, but I didn't realize that torture, this kind of thing went on. Well, it does, and I the International Labor Union estimates that 21 million people are being you. You are victims of human trafficking right now, as we speak, throughout the world, that's a lot of people, a lot of people. So most likely, we've all seen some hint of that going on, it didn't register as it at the time. You know, if you're just walked out of a restaurant, and you're walking to your car that's parked on the street, and you happen to go by an alley and there's restaurants on that row, and all of a sudden you see people being kind of shoved out and put in a truck. That's probably human trafficking, you know? And you know, a lot of people don't pay attention, but like, if they stop and think that doesn't look right, and if those people look like they may be from another country, yeah. And all you have to do is call the authorities, you know, and other ways that you can help are by you know, that that you can get involved. Are, you know, donate to all the different organizations that are finding this now.   Michael Hingson ** 40:19 Was the book self published, or do you have a publisher?   Kay Sparling ** 40:25 I self published, but it's more of a hybrid publishing company that's kind of a new thing that's going on, and so I cannot learn all those different facets of publishing a book, right? It just wasn't in my, you know, skill set, and it also wasn't even interesting to me. I don't want to learn how to do graphic illustration. Okay? So what I did is I hired a hybrid company that had all these different departments that dealt with this, and I had complete artistic control, and I was able to negotiate a great deal on my net profits. So I feel that, after looking into the traditional publishing world and not being exactly pleased with it to say the least, I think that was the right business choice for me to make, and I'm very happy I did it.   Michael Hingson ** 41:46 How do you market the book then?   Kay Sparling ** 41:48 Well, that was, that was the tricky part that that publisher did have some marketing they started, but obviously now they agreed it wasn't enough. So at that point, I attended a virtual women's publishing seminar, and I really paid attention to all the companies that were presenting about marketing. And in that time, I felt one that I just was totally drawn to, and so I asked her if we could have a consultation, and we did, and the rest is history. I did hire her team and a publicist, Mickey, who you probably know, and, yeah, it's been going really great. That was the second smart thing I did, was to, you know, hire, hire a publicity.   Michael Hingson ** 42:50 Well, yeah, and marketing is one is a is a tricky thing. It's not the most complicated thing in the world, but you do have to learn it, and you have to be disciplined. So good for you, for for finding someone to help, but you obviously recognize the need to market, which is extremely important, and traditional publishers don't do nearly as much of it as they used to. Of course, there are probably a lot more authors than there used to be too. But still,   Kay Sparling ** 43:19 yeah, their their marketing has changed completely. I remember I had a roommate that became a famous author, and just thinking about when he started, you know, in the 80s, how the industry is completely changed. Mm, hmm, you know. So, yeah, it's, it's really tricky. The whole thing is very tricky. One thing that I also did is one of my graduate students needed a job, and so I've known her since, literally, I've known her since eighth grade. I have been with this student a long time, and she's done very well, but she really is a wiz at the social media. And so she made all my accounts. I think I have 12 altogether, and every time I do something like what I'm doing tonight, soon as it's released, she just puts it out there, everywhere and and I have to thank her from again that that's probably not my skill set.   Michael Hingson ** 44:37 Well, everyone has gifts, right? And the the people who I think are the most successful are the people who recognize that they have gifts. There are other people that have gifts that will augment or enhance what they do. And it's good that you find ways to collaborate. I think collaborating is such an important thing. Oh, yeah. All too many people don't. They think that they can just do it all in and then some people can. I mean, I know that there are some people who can, but a lot of people don't and can't.   Kay Sparling ** 45:12 Well, I've got other things. I've got going, you know, so maybe if I only had to do the book, everything to do with the book, that would be one thing, but I, you know, I have other things I have to have in my life. And so I think that collaboration is also fun, and I'm very good at delegating. I have been very good at delegating for a long time. When I started my school. I also started a theater company, and if you know one thing, it's a three ring circus to produce an opera or a musical, and I've done a lot of them, and yeah, I would have not survived if I didn't learn how to delegate and trust people to do their own thing. So what are you   Michael Hingson ** 45:58 doing today? What are you doing today? Besides writing?   Kay Sparling ** 46:04 Well, during covid, everything got shut down, and I didn't have an income, and I had to do something. And one of, believe it or not, one of my parents, of one of my students, is an attorney for the state of Wisconsin, and she was very worried. I mean, it looked like I might lose my house. I mean, I literally had no income. And so, you know, I was a small business person, and so she offered me very graciously to come work in the department of workers compensation in the legal Bureau at the state of Wisconsin. So I never have done anything like that in my life. I have never sat in a cubicle. I've never sat in front of a computer unless it was in its recording studio or something like that. So it was a crazy thing to have to do in my early 60s, but I'm a single woman, and I had to do it, and and I did, and it put me on solid ground, and that was one reason I couldn't finish the book, because I didn't have to worry about a live cookie. And so I am continuing to do that in so as in the day, that is what I do. I'm a legal assistant, cool.   Michael Hingson ** 47:32 And so when did mission thought get published?   Kay Sparling ** 47:38 Mission thought almost a year ago, in August of 2024 it launched, yes, okay, yeah. And it was very scary for me, you know, because my hybrid publishers up in Canada, and they were telling me, Well, you know, we're going to get you some editorial reviews and we're going to have you be interviewed. And you know, those very first things where my editor at at the publisher had told me it was one of the really a good book, and that was one of the cleanest books she ever had to edit. And so that kind of gave me some confidence. But you understand, look at my background. I I didn't go to school to be a writer. I had never studied writing. I hadn't done any writing up until now, and so to that was my first kind of sigh of relief when the editor at the publisher said it was really a good book, and then I started getting the editorial reviews, and they were all stellar, and they continue to be. And I'm, I'm still a little shocked, you know, because it takes time, I guess, for a person to switch gears and identify themselves as an author. But you know, after a year now, I'm feeling much more comfortable in my shoes about that. But at first it was, it was trying because I was scared and I was worried, you know, what people were going to think about the book, not the story, so much as how it was crafted. But it ends up, well,   Michael Hingson ** 49:15 it ends up being part of the same thing, and yeah, the very fact that they love it that that means a lot. Yeah, so is, is there more in the way of adventures from Caitlin coming up or what's happening?   Kay Sparling ** 49:30 Yeah, this is hopefully a trilogy, um of Caitlin's most important standout missions. And so the second one is set in the early 90s during the Bosnian war. And this time, she cannot use opera as a cover, because obviously in a war zone, there's no opera. And so she has to. To go undercover as either a un volunteer or Red Cross, and this time, her sidekick is not the Clive Matthews. He has actually started a special squad, combat squad that's going in because, of course, we, none of us, were really involved with that war, right? But that's what he's doing. And so, believe it or not, her, her sidekick, so to speak, is a priest that very early, goes on and sees, you know, this absolute ethnic cleansing going on, you know, massacres and and he tries to get the Catholic Church to help, and they're like, no, no, we're not touching that. And so he goes AWOL. And had been friends in Vienna with the CIA during the first book. He goes to the CIA and says, This is what's going on. I saw it with my own eyes. I want to help. And so he becomes Caitlin's sidekick, which is a very interesting relationship. You know, Caitlin, the opera singer, kind of, kind of modern girl, you know, and then you know, the kind of staunch priest. But they find a way to work together, and they have to, because they have to save each other's lives a couple times. And this is my favorite book of the three. And so basically what happens is called Mission impromptu, and I hope to have that finished at the end of this month. And the reason we call it impromptu is because her chief tells her to just get the information and get out, but her and the priest find out that there is a camp of orphaned boys that they are planning to come massacre, and so they they they basically go rogue and don't follow orders and go try to help the boys. Yeah. And then the third book, she has actually moved back to New York, and she's thinking, well, she does retire from the CIA, and it's the summer of 2001 and what happened in September of 2001 911 and so they call her right back in she literally had been retired for about three months.   Michael Hingson ** 52:35 Well, to my knowledge, I never met Caitlin, so I'm just saying Mm hmm, having been in the World Trade Center on September 11, but I don't think I met Caitlin anyway.   Kay Sparling ** 52:43 Go ahead. No, she wasn't in the towers, but no, I was in New York. And yeah, so they called her back right away. And so the third one is going to be called Mission home front, because that's been her home for a very long time. She's been living in New York.   Michael Hingson ** 53:01 Are there plans for Caitlin beyond these three books? I hope so.   Kay Sparling ** 53:08 I think it would be fun for her to retire from the CIA and then move back to the Midwest. And, you know, it turned into a complete fiction. Of course, this is not true stuff, but, you know, like kind of a cozy mystery series, right, where things happen and people can't get anyone to really investigate it, so they come to Caitlin, and then maybe her ex boss, you know, the chief that's also retired, they kind of, you know, gang up and become pi type, you know, right? I'm thinking that might be a fun thing.   Michael Hingson ** 53:46 Now, are mostly books two and three in the mission series. Are they also relatively non fiction?   53:53 Yes, okay,   Michael Hingson ** 53:57 okay, cool, yes. Well, you know, it's, it's pretty fascinating to to hear all of this and to to see it, to hear about it from you, but to see it coming together, that is, that is really pretty cool to you know, to see you experiencing have the book, has mission thought been converted by any chance to audio? Is it available on Audible or   Kay Sparling ** 54:21 anywhere it has not but it is in my plans. It's there's a little bit of choice I have to make do. I use my publisher and hire one of their readers you know to do it, someone you know, that's in equity, that type of thing. Or you know, my publicity, or people are also saying, well, because you're an actor, and, you know, all these accents, it might be nice for you to do to read your own book. Well, the problem is time, you know, just the time to do it, because I'm so busy promoting the book right now. And really. Right writing the second one that you know, I just don't know if I'm going to be able to pull that off, but I have my own records, recording studio in my voice studio downstairs, but it's just and I have all the equipment I have engineers. It's just a matter of me being able to take the time to practice and to get that done. So it's probably going to be, I'll just use their, one of their people, but yes, yeah, it's coming. It's coming. Well, it's,   Michael Hingson ** 55:29 it's tough. I know when we published last year, live like a guide dog, and the publisher, we did it through a traditional publisher, they worked with dreamscape to create an audio version. And I actually auditioned remotely several authors and chose one. But it is hard to really find someone to read the book the way you want it read, because you know what it's like, and so there is merit to you taking the time to read it. But still, as you said, there are a lot of things going on,   Kay Sparling ** 56:09 yeah, and I have read, you know, certain portions of the book, because some podcasts that I've been on asked me to do that, and I and I practiced and that, it went very well. And of course, when people hear that, they're like, Oh, you're the one that has to do this. You know Caitlin. You can speak her, you know her attitudes and all. And then you also know how to throw all those different accents out there, because there's going to be, like, several, there's Dutch, there's German, there's Scottish, high British and Austrian. I mean, yeah, yeah, Austrians speak different than Germans. Mm, hmm,   Michael Hingson ** 56:53 yeah, it's it's a challenge, but it's still something worth considering, because you're going to bring a dimension to it that no one else really can because you wrote it and you really know what you want them to sound like, Yeah, but it's a it's a process. I and I appreciate that, but you've got lots going on, and you have to have an income. I know for me, we started live like a guide dog my latest book when the pandemic began, because I realized that although I had talked about getting out of the World Trade Center and doing so without exhibiting fear, didn't mean that it wasn't there, but I realized that I had learned to control fear, because I learned a lot that I was able to put to use on the Day of the emergency. And so the result of that was that, in fact, the mindset kicked in and I was able to function, but I never taught anyone how to do that. And so the intent of live like a guide dog was to be a way that people could learn how to control fear and not let fear overwhelm or, as I put it, blind them, but rather use fear as a very powerful tool to help you focus and do the things that you really need to do. But it's a choice. People have to learn that they can make that choice and they can control it, which is kind of what really brought the book to to mind. And the result was that we then, then did it. And so it came out last August as well.   Kay Sparling ** 58:27 Oh, well, if you read my book, you'll see Caitlin developing the same skills you were just talking about. She has to overcome fear all the time, because she's never been in these situations before, and yet she has to survive, you know?   Michael Hingson ** 58:44 Yeah, well, and the reality is that most of us take too many things for granted and don't really learn. But if you learn, for example, if there's an emergency, do you know where to go in the case of an emergency? Do you know how to evacuate, not by reading the signs? Do you know? And that's the difference, the people who know have a mindset that will help them be a lot more likely to be able to survive, because they know what all the options are, and if there's a way to get out, they know what they are, rather than relying on signs, which may or may not even be available to you if you're in a smoke filled environment, for example, yeah,   Kay Sparling ** 59:22 yeah, you should know ahead of time. Yeah, you know, I know the state where I work. I I mostly work at home. I'm able to do that, but we do have to go in once a week, and we just changed floors. They've been doing a lot of remodeling, and that was the first thing, you know, the supervisor wanted us to do was walk through all the way for a tornado, fire, etc, and so we did that, you know, and that's smart, because then you're like, you say you're not trying to look at a chart as you're running or whatever,   Michael Hingson ** 59:56 and you may need to do it more than once to make sure you really know it. I know for me. I spent a lot of time walking around the World Trade Center. In fact, I didn't even use my guide dog. I used a cane, because with a cane, I'll find things that the dog would just automatically go around or ignore, like kiosks and other things. But I want to know where all that stuff is, because I want to know what all the shops are down on the first floor. Well, now that that is the case anymore, but it was at the time there was a shopping mall and knowing where everything was, but also knowing where different offices were, knowing who was in which offices, and then knowing the really important things that most people don't know about, like where the Estee Lauder second store was on the 46th floor of tower two. You know, you got to have the important things for wives, and so I learned what that was. Well, it was, it was, those are important things, but you'll learn a lot, and it's real knowledge. Someone, a recent podcast episode that they were on, said something very interesting, and that is that we're always getting information, but information isn't knowing it. Knowledge is really internalizing the information and making it part of our psyche and really getting us to the point where we truly know it and can put it to use. And that is so true. It isn't just getting information. Well, that's great. I know that now, well, no, you don't necessarily know it now, until you internalize it, until you truly make it part of your knowledge. And I think that's something that a lot of people miss. Well, this has been a lot of fun. If people want to reach out to you, is there a way they can do that?   Kay Sparling ** 1:01:40 Yeah, the best thing is my book website, K, Sparling books.com spelled and it would K, a, y, s, p, as in Paul, A, R, L, I N, G, B, O, O, K, s.com.com, okay, and you can email me through there. And all the media that I've been on is in the media section. The editorial reviews are there. There's another thing that my student heats up for me is the website. It's it's really developed. And so lots of information about the book and about me on on there. And one thing I want to mention is, just because of my background and all the all the people that you know, I know, a friend of mine is a composer, and he wrote a song, a theme song, because we do hope that someday we can sell this, you know, yeah, to for movie and, or, you know, Netflix, or something like that. And so he wrote a theme song and theme music. And I just think that's fun. And then I wanted my students saying, saying it. And then, you know, it's with a rock band, but it's, it's very James Bond, the kind of with a little opera, you know, involved too. But, you know, not a lot of authors can say that on their website, they have a theme song for their books.   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:16 And where is   Kay Sparling ** 1:03:18 it? It would be under, it's going to be about the author. And there's a nice one of my other students is a graphic artist. She She did a graphic a scene of Caitlin with her ball gown, and she's got her foot up on a stool, and she's putting her pistol in her thigh holster, in I think, you know, it's kind of like a cartoon, and it quotes Caitlin saying, I bet you I'm going to be the only bell at the ball with this accessory pistol. And then right underneath that, that song, you can click it and hear it. We also are on YouTube mission. Thought does have its own YouTube channel, so you can find it there as well.   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:05 So well, I want to thank you for being here and for telling us all the stories and especially about mission. I hope people will get it and read it, and I look forward to it coming out in audio at some point. Yes, I'll be lazy and wait for that, I I like to to get books with human readers. You know, I can get the print book and I can play it with a synthetic voice, but I, I really prefer human voices. And I know a lot of people who do AI has not progressed to the point where it really can pull that off.   Kay Sparling ** 1:04:38 Well, no, it cannot. Yeah, I totally agree with you there.   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:42 So Well, thank you for being here, and I want to thank all of you for listening and watching us today. This has been fun. And as some of you know, if you listen to many of these podcasts, we have a rule on the podcast, you can't come on unless you're going to have fun. So we did have fun. We. You have fun? Yeah. See, there you go. I was gonna ask if you had fun. Of course, yes. So thank you all for listening. Love to hear from you. Love to hear what your thoughts are about today's episode. Feel free to email me at Michael H, i@accessibe.com that's m, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I at accessibe, A, C, E, S, S, i, b, e.com, also, please give us a five star rating. We appreciate it. K, I'll appreciate it. And when this goes up, when you hear it, we really value those ratings and reviews very highly. If you know anyone else who ought to be a guest and KU as well, love to hear from you. Please introduce us. Kay, you'll have to introduce us to Caitlin, but But seriously, we always are looking for more guests. So if anyone knows of anyone who ought to come on and tell a story, we'd love to hear from you. But again, Kay, I want to thank you one last time. This has been great, and we really appreciate you being here.   Kay Sparling ** 1:05:59 Well, thank you for having me.   Michael Hingson ** 1:06:04 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

French jet circles for an hour as sole air traffic controller sleeps A group of five young Florida men is facing an assortment of criminal charges for battering and falsely imprisoning a man who they targeted in a “To Catch a Predator”-style sting that was recorded and “uploaded to a website for public viewing for profit,” according to court records. Wild chimpanzees consume the equivalent of 2 cocktails a day in the form of boozy fruit, research finds 2 Royal Caribbean Passengers Hospitalized After Fight Breaks Out Onboard, Cruise Ship Forced to Return to Port FOLLOW TNR ON RUMBLE: https://rumble.com/c/c-7759604 FOLLOW TNR ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/7zlofzLZht7dYxjNcBNpWN FOLLOW TNR ON APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-round/id1797862560 WEBSITE: https://nextroundlive.com/ MOBILE APP: https://nextroundlive.com/the-ne.... SHOP THE NEXT ROUND STORE: https://nextround.store/ Like TNR on Facebook: / nextroundlive Follow TNR on Twitter: / nextroundlive Follow TNR on Instagram: / nextroundlive Follow everyone from the show on Twitter: Jim Dunaway: / jimdunaway Ryan Brown: / ryanbrownlive Lance Taylor: / thelancetaylor Scott Forester: / scottforestertv Tyler Johns: /TylerJohnsTNR Sponsor the show: sales@nextroundlive.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hinch got sick travelling from Italy, to France, to Azerbaijan, via Turkey. So, some travel stories with a history lesson about an abbey from the Middle Ages thrown in for good measure. Then, the guys spend the second half of the episode diving into the newly announced 2026 IndyCar calendar.+++Off Track is part of the SiriusXM Sports Podcast Network. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, please give a 5-star rating and leave a review. Subscribe today wherever you stream your podcasts.Want some Off Track swag? Check out our store!Check out our website, www.askofftrack.comSubscribe to our YouTube Channel.Want some advice? Send your questions in for Ask Alex to AskOffTrack@gmail.comFollow us on Twitter at @askofftrack. Or individually at @Hinchtown, @AlexanderRossi, and @TheTimDurham. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Wine Talks is deeply connected to the Judgement of Paris. Not only were the Barretts good customers of our wine shop, Warren Winiarski stayed in our home on a trip to Los Angeles. The industry was completely different then. California wine had always been a thing, particularly before prohibition. It had even made its way to the east coast in the 1800's. But then came that fateful day in Paris at the Intercontinental Hotel, the Americans won. In Paris, there was a journalist named George Taber. He had heard about this tasting pitting California's boutique gems against the equivalent (at least from a grape standpoint) French stars. It turned out to be no contest and set the wine world on its ears. Can you imagine, French judges choosing American vintages over their beloved French wines?  George Taber was the only journalist to show up...and almost didn't. George Taber never meant to shake the wine world—he just happened to be the only journalist in the room when California shattered centuries of French pride. As you join us on Wine Talks, you'll walk beside Taber through the candlelit salons of 1970s Paris, where the unsuspecting French sat down to a blind tasting designed to showcase their invincibility, only to watch that myth dissolve, glass by glass. In this episode, you'll learn how a simple event—what began as a friendly challenge orchestrated by Steven Spurrier—ended up catalyzing the global rise of American wine and undermining the Old World's complacency. You'll get an intimate portrait of the Parisian wine scene in its heyday: corner wine shops, eager expatriates, and the odd British merchant shaking things up with unorthodox ideas. Follow Taber's transformation from a young Time magazine reporter, new to France and mostly ignorant of wine, to the accidental chronicler of one of history's most dramatic palate shifts. Discover how logistical headaches and legal loopholes almost kept California's best bottles out of the competition, and what happened when French wine judges realized—too late—that their favorite “Meursault” was actually a Napa Chardonnay. You'll hear about the aftershocks reverberating through both continents; how careers were built, fortunes made, and the entire wine business transformed overnight. Plus, Taber reveals the stubborn role of luck in history and how something as small as attending the right tasting at the right time can change everything. By the end, you'll not only understand the Judgment of Paris, but also the passion, humility, and disruption that lie inside every bottle. #WineTalks #JudgmentOfParis #CaliforniaWine #FrenchWine #GeorgeTaber #StevenSpurrier #ChateauMontelena #StagsLeapWineCellars #NapaValley #WineHistory #WineTasting #WineEducation #BlindTasting #WineIndustry #PodcastInterview #WineStorytelling #WineCulture #CorkHistory #FrenchLifestyle #NewWorldWines   Time Magazine Website: https://time.com (Armen refers to working as a journalist at Time magazine.) Chateau Montelena Website: https://www.montelena.com (Referenced in the discussion about the Judgment of Paris tasting.) Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Website: https://www.cask23.com (Mentioned as one of the winning wineries in the Judgment of Paris.) Charles Krug Winery Website: https://www.charleskrug.com (Referenced in a story about being poured at an event with President Eisenhower.) Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery Website: https://www.sebastiani.com (Mentioned when Paul recalls stocking the shelves.) Ackerman Wines Website: https://www.ackermanwines.com (Ackerman, a major New York wine retailer, is referenced.) St. Francis Winery & Vineyards Website: https://www.stfranciswinery.com (Discussed in context of early synthetic cork usage.) Barefoot Cellars Website: https://www.barefootwine.com (Mentioned regarding synthetic corks.) Taylor Wine Company (Taylor Cellars) Website: https://www.taylorwine.com (Referenced in the cork closure story.)

Deep Divers, it’s eclipse season and we want to make sure you have it all together (including your last will and testament). Plus, June falls in love with Burger King, Jessica gives us some French fashion highlights, and we dive into signs from the beyond.Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com/DIVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.