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David Belden was born into a family of Oxford Group leaders and committed activists. The Group set out “to change the world” and throughout his early years David devoted himself wholeheartedly to this challenge. But while “carrying the message” in Africa, his life took an unexpected turn that led to his questioning some of principles and practices he had once taken uncritically for granted.David returned to Oxford University to write his doctoral dissertation on the Group's history, influence and shortcomings. He recently published a still more intimate account of his own journey toward personal and social transformation and change: The World Remakers' Child.This series affords a rare insider's view of the Group responsible for contributing no fewer than ten of A.A.'s Twelve Steps and yields fresh insights and challenges throughout. Mahatma Gandhi's grandson praised David's book for its “steady candor,” “humor about himself,” and “a thirst for a less harsh, more loving, and fairer world.”This third episode traces the origins of many of the 12 Steps as they were practiced among members of the Group. Remember, Bill Wison said he derived no fewer than ten of his twelve Steps straight from his experience within the Oxford Group. They had no Steps, but they were well on their way to finding the Answer!Show notes:David Belden's book: The World Remakers' ChildDave's Oxford University Doctoral Thesis:https://www.academia.edu/27545723/The_Origins_and_Development_of_the_Oxford_Group_Moral_Re_Armament_
In the 21st century, the theocratic nature of the Iranian regime – ruled by senior Shia clerics – appears to be a rarity. The constitutional role of religion is perhaps matched only by the Vatican City and Afghanistan, though these vary in terms of autocracy – as evidenced by the brutal suppression of protests across Iran in the past few weeks. The regime, installed following the 1979 revolution and led first by Ayatollah Khomeini and now Ayatollah Khameini, has proven remarkably resilient; how has it survived so long?Peter Frankopan – professor of global history at Oxford University – joins Damian Thompson to discuss the tensions associated with state control of public life, how to define theocracies and how those of us in the global west might not be as immune to their features as we would like to think.Produced by Patrick Gibbons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Get ready for another BIG and BRILLIANT adventure into the world of science on this week’s Science Weekly! In Science in the News, there’s good news for giant pandas as they’re officially no longer endangered. We also hear about a major change of command aboard the ISS. Plus, Ruth Williams from The Wildlife Trust joins us to explain why a record number of octopuses are suddenly appearing in UK waters. The we answer your questions... Ralph wants to know about the different types of stone, and Colin Forsyth from University College London explains what plasma, the forgotten fourth state of matter, is. Dangerous Dan returns with a plant you definitely don’t want to mess with as he reveals the deadly science behind the Castor Bean Plant. And in Battle of the Sciences, Charlie Firth from Oxford University makes the case for vaccines, explaining why they’re one of the most important scientific inventions in human history. Plus, Professor Hallux and Nanobot are back for another adventure, shrinking down inside the human body to explore how antibiotics work and why they’re so powerful. This week, we learn about: The secret fourth state of matter called plasma How vaccines protect your body from disease Why pandas are making a comeback What’s causing octopus numbers to rise in UK waters The dangers of the castor bean plant All that and more on this week’s Science Weekly!Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In the 21st century, the theocratic nature of the Iranian regime – ruled by senior Shia clerics – appears to be a rarity. The constitutional role of religion is perhaps matched only by the Vatican City and Afghanistan, though these vary in terms of autocracy – as evidenced by the brutal suppression of protests across Iran in the past few weeks. The regime, installed following the 1979 revolution and led first by Ayatollah Khomeini and now Ayatollah Khameini, has proven remarkably resilient; how has it survived so long?Peter Frankopan – professor of global history at Oxford University – joins Damian Thompson to discuss the tensions associated with state control of public life, how to define theocracies and how those of us in the global west might not be as immune to their features as we would like to think.Produced by Patrick Gibbons.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Phil is the founder of Suttle Economics – a leading research consultancy. Before that, he held senior roles at Tudor, the Institute of International Finance (IIF), JP Morgan, Barclays, the New York Fed and World Bank. He was educated at Oxford University and lives in the US. In the podcast, we talk about: US Labour Market Dissonance Trump's "Elizabeth Warren" Populism The Productivity Mystery Fed Under Pressure Sticky Inflation Through 2027 Global Business Disruptions Extreme Oil Volatility Japan's Policy Pivot China's Sluggish Consumer European and UK Growth Historical Parallels to Populism
Do you ever wonder whether your grocery store cares about whether you have a healthy diet? Every time we shop or read advertisement flyers, food retailers influence our diets through product offerings, pricings, promotions, and of course store design. Think of the candy at the checkout counters. When I walk into my Costco, over on the right there's this wall of all these things they would like me to buy and I'm sure it's all done very intentionally. And so, if we're so influenced by these things, is it in our interest? Today we're going to discuss a report card of sorts for food retailers and the big ones - Walmart, Kroger, Ahold Delhaize USA, which is a very large holding company that has a variety of supermarket chains. And this is all about an index produced by the Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNi), a global foundation challenging the food industry investors and policy makers to shape a healthier food system. The US Retail Assessment 2025 Report evaluates how these three businesses influence your access to nutritious and affordable foods through their policies, commitments, and actual performance. The Access to Nutrition Initiatives' director of Policy and Communications, Katherine Pittore is here with us to discuss the report's findings. We'll also speak with Eva Greenthal, who oversees the Center for Science in the Public Interest's Federal Food Labeling work. Interview Transcript Access ATNi's 2025 Assessment Report for the US and other countries here: Retail https://accesstonutrition.org/index/retail-assessment-2025/ Let's start with an introduction to your organizations. This will help ground our listeners in the work that you've done, some of which we've spoken about on our podcast. Kat, let's begin with you and the Access to Nutrition Initiative. Can you tell us a bit about the organization and what work it does? Kat Pittore - Thank you. So, the Access to Nutrition Initiative is a global foundation actively challenging the food industry, investors, and policymakers to shape healthier food systems. We try to collect data and then use it to rank companies. For the most part, we've done companies, the largest food and beverage companies, think about PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, and looking are they committed to proving the healthiness of their product portfolios. Do the companies themselves have policies? For example, maternity leave. And these are the policies that are relevant for their entire workforce. So, from people working in their factories all the way up through their corporate areas. And looking at the largest companies, can these companies increase access to healthier, more nutritious foods. One of the critical questions that we get asked, and I think Kelly, you've had some really interesting guests also talking about can corporations actually do something. Are corporations really the problem? At ATNi, we try to take a nuanced stance on this saying that these corporations produce a huge amount of the food we eat, so they can also be part of the solution. Yes, they are currently part of the problem. And we also really believe that we need more policies. And that's what brings us too into contact with organizations such as Eva's, looking at how can we also improve policies to support these companies to produce healthier foods. The thought was coming to my mind as you were speaking, I was involved in one of the initial meetings as the Access to Nutrition Initiative was being planned. And at that point, I and other people involved in this were thinking, how in the world are these people going to pull this off? Because the idea of monitoring these global behemoth companies where in some cases you need information from the companies that may not reflect favorably on their practices. And not to mention that, but constructing these indices and things like that required a great deal of thought. That initial skepticism about whether this could be done gave way, at least in me, to this admiration for what's been accomplished. So boy, hats off to you and your colleagues for what you've been able to do. And it'll be fun to dive in a little bit deeper as we go further into this podcast. Eva, tell us about your work at CSPI, Center for Science in the Public Interest. Well known organization around the world, especially here in the US and I've long admired its work as well. Tell us about what you're up to. Eva Greenthal - Thank you so much, Kelly, and again, thank you for having me here on the pod. CSPI is a US nonprofit that advocates for evidence-based and community informed policies on nutrition, food safety and health. And we're well known for holding government agencies and corporations to account and empowering consumers with independent, unbiased information to live healthier lives. And our core strategies to achieve this mission include, of course, advocacy where we do things like legislative and regulatory lobbying, litigation and corporate accountability initiatives. We also do policy and research analysis. We have strategic communications such as engagement with the public and news media, and we publish a magazine called Nutrition Action. And we also work in deep partnership with other organizations and in coalitions with other national organizations as well as smaller grassroots organizations across the country. Across all of this, we have a deep commitment to health equity and environmental sustainability that informs all we do. And our ultimate goal is improved health and wellbeing for people in all communities regardless of race, income, education, or social factors. Thanks Eva. I have great admiration for CSPI too. Its work goes back many decades. It's the leading organization advocating on behalf of consumers for a better nutrition system and better health overall. And I greatly admire its work. So, it's really a pleasure to have you here. Kat, let's talk about the US retail assessment. What is it and how did you select Walmart, Kroger, and Ahold Dehaize for the evaluation, and why are retailers so important? Kat - Great, thanks. We have, like I said before, been evaluating the largest food and beverage manufacturers for many years. So, for 13 years we have our global index, that's our bread and butter. And about two years ago we started thinking actually retailers also play a critical role. And that's where everyone interfaces with the food environment. As a consumer, when you go out to actually purchase your food, you end up most of the time in a supermarket, also online presence, et cetera. In the US 70% or more of people buy their food through some type of formal food retail environment. So, we thought we need to look at the retailers. And in this assessment we look at the owned label products, so the store brand, so anything that's branded from the store as its own. We think that's also becoming a much more important role in people's diets. In Europe it's a really critical role. A huge majority of products are owned brand and I think in the US that's increasing. Obviously, they tend to be more affordable, so people are drawn to them. So, we were interested how healthy are these products? And the US retail assessment is part of a larger retail assessment where we look at six different countries trying to look across different income levels. In high income countries, we looked at the US and France, then we looked at South Africa and Indonesia for higher middle income. And then finally we looked at Kenya and the Philippines. So, we tried to get a perspective across the world. And in the US, we picked the three companies aiming to get the largest market share. Walmart itself is 25 to 27% of the market share. I've read an amazing statistic that something like 90% of the US population lives within 25 kilometers of a Walmart. Really, I did not realize it was that large. I grew up in the US but never shopped at Walmart. So, it really does influence the diet of a huge number of Americans. And I think with the Ahold Delhaize, that's also a global conglomerate. They have a lot of supermarkets in the Netherlands where we're based, I think also in Belgium and across many countries. Although one interesting thing we did find with this retail assessment is that a big international chain, they have very different operations and basically are different companies. Because we had thought let's start with the Carrefours like those huge international companies that you find everywhere. But Carrefour France and Carrefour Kenya are basically very different. It was very hard to look at it at that level. And so that's sort of what brought us to retailers. And we're hoping through this assessment that we can reach a very large number of consumers. We estimate between 340 to 370 million consumers who shop at these different modern retail outlets. It's so ambitious what you've accomplished here. What questions did you try to answer and what were the key findings? Kat - We were interested to know how healthy are the products that are being sold at these different retailers. That was one of our critical questions. We look at the number of different products, so the owned brand products, and looked at the healthiness. And actually, this is one of the challenges we faced in the US. One is that there isn't one unified use of one type of nutrient profile model. In other countries in the Netherlands, although it's not mandatory, we have the Nutri Score and most retailers use Nutri Score. And then at least there's one thing that we can use. The US does not have one unified agreement on what type of nutrient profile model to use. So, then we're looking at different ones. Each company has their own proprietary model. That was one challenge we faced. And the other one is that in other countries you have the mandatory that you report everything per hundred grams. So, product X, Y, and Z can all be compared by some comparable thing. Okay? A hundred grams of product X and a hundred grams of product Y. In the US you have serving sizes, which are different for different products and different companies. And then you also have different units, which all of my European colleagues who are trying to do this, they're like, what is this ounces? What are these pounds? In addition to having non-comparable units, it's also non-standardized. These were two key challenges we face in the US. Before you proceed, just let me ask a little bit more about the nutrient profiling. For people that aren't familiar with that term, basically it's a way to score different foods for how good they are for you. As you said, there are different profiling systems used around the world. Some of the food companies have their own. Some of the supermarket companies have their own. And they can be sort of unbiased, evidence-based, derived by scientists who study this kind of thing a lot like the index developed by researchers at Oxford University. Or they can be self-serving, but basically, they're an index that might take away points from a food if it's high in saturated fat, let's say but give it extra points if it has fiber. And that would be an example. And when you add up all the different things that a food might contain, you might come away with a single score. And that might then provide the basis for whether it's given a green light, red light, et cetera, with some sort of a labeling system. But would you like to add anything to that? Kat - I think that's quite accurate in terms of the nutrient profile model. And maybe one other thing to say here. In our retail index, it's the first time we did this, we assess companies in terms of share of their products meeting the Health Star rating and we've used that across all of our indexes. This is the one that's used most commonly in Australia and New Zealand. A Health Star rating goes zero to five stars, and 3.5 or above is considered a healthier product. And we found the average healthiness, the mean Health Star rating, of Walmart products was 2.6. So quite low. Kroger was 2.7 and Food Lion Ahold Delhaize was 2.8. So the average is not meeting the Health Star rating of 3.5 or above. We're hoping that by 2030 we could see 50% of products still, half would be less than that. But we're not there yet. And another thing that we looked at with the retail index that was quite interesting was using markers of UPFs. And this has been a hotly debated discussion within our organization as well. Sort of, how do you define UPF? Can we use NOVA classification? NOVA Classification has obviously people who are very pro NOVA classification, people who also don't like the classification. So, we use one a sort of ranking Popkins et al. developed. A sort of system and where we looked at high salt, fat sugar and then certain non-nutritive sweeteners and additives that have no benefit. So, these aren't things like adding micronutrients to make a product fortified, but these are things like red number seven and colors that have no benefit. And looked at what share of the products that are produced by owned label products are considered ultra processed using this definition. And there we found that 88% of products at Walmart are considered ultra processed. Wow. That's quite shocking. Eighty eight percent. Yeah, 88% of all of their own brand products. Oh, my goodness. Twelve percent are not. And we did find a very high alignment, because that was also a question that we had, of sort of the high salt, fat, sugar and ultra processed. And it's not a direct alignment, because that's always a question too. Can you have a very healthy, ultra processed food? Or are or ultra processed foods by definition unhealthy beyond the high fat, salt, sugar content. And I know you've explored that with others. Don't the retailers just say that they're responding to demand, and so putting pressure on us to change what we sell isn't the real problem here, the real issue. It's to change the demand by the consumers. What do you think of that? Kat - But I mean, people buy what there is. If you went into a grocery store and you couldn't buy these products, you wouldn't buy them. I spent many years working in public health nutrition, and I find this individual narrative very challenging. It's about anything where you start to see the entire population curve shifting towards overweight or obesity, for example. Or same when I used to work more in development context where you had a whole population being stunted. And you would get the same argument - oh no, but these children are just short. They're genetically short. Oh, okay. Yes, some children are genetically short. But when you see 40 or 50% of the population shifting away from the norm, that represents that they're not growing well. So I think it is the retailer's responsibility to make their products healthier and then people will buy them. The other two questions we tried to look at were around promotions. Are our retailers actively promoting unhealthy products in their weekly circulars and flyers? Yes, very much so. We found most of the products that were being promoted are unhealthy. The highest amount that we found promoting healthy was in Food Lion. Walmart only promoted 5% healthy products. The other 95% of the products that they're actively promoting in their own circulars and advertising products are unhealthy products. So, then I would say, well, retailers definitely have a role there. They're choosing to promote these products. And then the other one is cost. And we looked across all six countries and we found that in every country, healthier food baskets are more expensive than less healthier food baskets. So you take these altogether, they're being promoted more, they're cheaper, and they're a huge percentage of what's available. Yes. Then people are going to eat less healthy diets. Right, and promoted not only by the store selling these products, but promoted by the companies that make them. A vast amount of food marketing is going on out there. The vast majority of that is for foods that wouldn't score high on any index. And then you combine that with the fact that the foods are engineered to be so palatable and to drive over consumption. Boy, there are a whole lot of factors that are conspiring in the wrong direction, aren't there. Yeah, it is challenging. And when you look at all the factors, what is your entry point? Yes. Eva, let's talk about CSPI and the work that you and your colleagues are doing in the space. When you come up with an interesting topic in the food area and somebody says, oh, that's pretty important. It's a good likelihood that CSPI has been on it for about 15 years, and that's true here as well. You and your colleagues have been working on these issues and so many others for so many years. But you're very active in advocating for healthier retail environments. Can you highlight what you think are a few key opportunities for making progress? Eva - Absolutely. To start off, I could not agree more with Kat in saying that it really is food companies that have a responsibility for the availability and affordability of healthy options. It's absolutely essential. And the excessive promotion of unhealthy options is what's really undermining people's ability to make healthy choices. Some of the policies that CSPI supports for improving the US retail environment include mandatory front of package nutrition labeling. These are labels that would make it quick and easy for busy shoppers to know which foods are high in added sugar, sodium, or saturated fat, and should therefore be limited in their diets. We also advocate for federal sodium and added sugar reduction targets. These would facilitate overall lower amounts of salt and sugar in the food supply, really putting the onus on companies to offer healthier foods instead of solely relying on shoppers to navigate the toxic food environments and make individual behavior changes. Another one is taxes on sweetened beverages. These would simultaneously nudge people to drink water or buy healthier beverages like flavored seltzers and unsweetened teas, while also raising revenue that can be directed towards important public health initiatives. Another one is healthy checkout policies. These would require retailers to offer only healthier foods and beverages in areas where shoppers stand in line to purchase their groceries. And therefore, reduce exposure to unhealthy food marketing and prevent unhealthy impulse purchases. And then another one is we advocate for online labeling requirements that would ensure consumers have easy access to nutrition, facts, ingredients, and allergen information when they grocery shop online, which unbelievably is currently not always the case. And I can also speak to our advocacy around the creating a uniform definition of healthy, because I know Kat spoke to the challenges in the US context of having different retailers using different systems for identifying healthier products. So the current food labeling landscape in the US is very confusing for the consumer. We have unregulated claims like all natural, competing with carefully regulated claims like organic. We have a very high standard of evidence for making a claim like prevents cold and flu. And then almost no standard of evidence for making a very similar claim like supports immunity. So, when it comes to claims about healthiness, it's really important to have a uniform definition of healthy so that if a product is labeled healthy, consumers can actually trust that it's truly healthy based on evidence backed nutrition standards. And also, so they can understand what that label means. An evidence-based definition of healthy will prevent misleading marketing claims. So, for example, until very recently, there was no limit on the amount of added sugar or refined grain in a product labeled healthy. But recent updates to FDA's official definition of healthy mean that now consumers can trust that any food labeled healthy provides servings from an essential food group like fruit, vegetable, whole grain, dairy, or protein. And doesn't exceed maximum limits on added sugar, sodium, and saturated fat. This new healthy definition is going to be very useful for preventing misleading marketing claims. However, we do think its reach will be limited for helping consumers find and select healthy items mainly because it's a voluntary label. And we know that even among products that are eligible for the healthy claim, very few are using it on their labels. We also know that the diet related chronic disease epidemic in the US is fueled by excess consumption of junk foods, not by insufficient marketing of healthy foods. So, what we really need, as I mentioned before, are mandatory labels that call out high levels of unhealthy nutrients like sodium, added sugar, and saturated fat. Thanks for that overview. What an impressive portfolio of things you and your colleagues are working on. And we could do 10 podcasts on each of the 10 things you mentioned. But let's take one in particular: the front of the package labeling issue. At a time where it seems like there's very little in our country that the Democrats and Republicans can't agree on, the Food and Drug Administration, both previously under the Biden Harris Administration, now under the Trump Vance Administration have identified for a package of labeling as a priority. In fact, the FDA is currently working on a mandatory front of package nutrition label and is creating a final rule around that issue. Kat, from Access to Nutrition Initiative's perspective, why is mandatory front of package labeling important? What's the current situation kind of around the world and what are the retailers and manufacturers doing? Kat - So yes, we definitely stand by the need for mandatory front of package labeling. I think 16 countries globally have front of package labeling mandated, but the rest have voluntary systems. Including in the Netherlands where I live and where Access to Nutrition is based. We use the voluntary Nutri Score and what we've seen across our research is that markets where it's voluntary, it tends to not be applied in all markets. And it tends to be applied disproportionately on healthy products. So if you can choose to put it, you put it all on the ones that are the A or the Nutri Score with the green, and then you don't put it on the really unhealthy products. So, then it also skews consumers. Because like Eva was saying, people are not eating often. Well, they, they're displacing from their diet healthy products with unhealthy products. So that that is a critical challenge. Until you make it mandatory, companies aren't going to do that. And we've seen that with our different global indexes. Companies are not universally using these voluntary regulations across the board. I think that's one critical challenge that we need to address. If you scan the world, there are a variety of different systems being used to provide consumers information on the front of packages. If you could pick one system, tell us what we would actually see on the package. Kat - This is one we've been debating internally, and I saw what CSPI is pushing for, and I think there's growing evidence pushing for warning style labels. These are the ones that say the product is high in like really with a warning, high in fat, high in salt, high in sugar. And there is evidence from countries like Chile where they have introduced this to show that that does drive change. It drives product reformulation. Companies change their products, so they don't have to carry one of the labels. Consumers are aware of it. And they actively try to change their purchasing behaviors to avoid those. And there's less evidence I think interpretive is important. A Nutri Score one where you can see it and it's green. Okay, that's quick. It's easy. There are some challenges that people face with Nutri Score, for example. That Nutri Score compares products among the same category, which people don't realize outside of our niche. Actually, a colleague of mine was telling me - my boyfriend was in the grocery store last week. And he's like picked up some white flour tortillas and they had a Nutri Score D, and then the chips had a Nutri Score B. And he's like, well, surely the tortillas are healthier than the chips. But obviously the chips, the tortilla chips were compared against other salty snacks and the other one was being compared to bread. So, it's like a relatively unhealthy bread compared to a relatively healthy chip. You see this happening even among educated people. I think these labels while well intentioned, they need a good education behind them because they are challenging, and people don't realize that. I think people just see A or green and they think healthy; E is bad, and people don't realize that it's not comparing the same products from these categories. One could take the warning system approach, which tells people how many bad things there are in the foods and flip it over and say, why not just give people information on what's good in a food? Like if a food has vitamins and minerals or protein or fiber, whatever it happens. But you could label it that way and forget labeling the bad things. But of course, the industry would game that system in about two seconds and just throw in some good things to otherwise pretty crappy foods and make the scores look good. So, yeah, it shows why it's so important to be labeling the things that you'd like to see less of. I think that's already happening. You see a lot of foods with micronutrient additions, very sugary breakfast cereals. You see in Asia, a lot of biscuits and cookies that they add micronutrients to. I mean, there's still biscuits and cookies. So Eva, I'd like to get your thoughts on this. So tell us more about the proposed label in the US, what it might look like, and the history about how this got developed. And do you think there's anything else needed to make the label more useful or user-friendly for consumers? Eva - Absolutely. It is a very exciting time to work on food policy in the US, especially with this momentum around front of package labeling. CSPI actually first petitioned calling for front of pack labeling in 2006. And after more than a decade of inaction, industry lobbying, all these countries around the world adopting front of pack labeling systems, but not the US. In 2022 CSPI filed a new petition that specifically called for mandatory interpretive nutrient specific front of package labeling, similar to the nutrient warning labels already required in Mexico, Canada, and as Kat said, around 16 other countries. And in early 2025, FDA finally responded to our petition by issuing a proposal that if finalized would require a nutrition info box on packaged foods. And what the nutrition info box includes is the percent daily value per serving of sodium, added sugar and saturated fat, accompanied by the words high, medium, or low, assessing the amount of each nutrient. This proposal was a very important step forward, but the label could be improved in several ways. First off, instead of a label that is placed on all foods, regardless of their nutrient levels, we strongly recommend that FDA instead adopt labels that would only appear on products that are high in nutrients of concern. A key reason for this is it would better incentivize companies to reduce the amount of salt, sugar, or saturated fat in their product because companies will want to avoid wasting this precious marketing real estate on mandatory nutrition labels. So, for example, they could reduce the amount of sodium in a soup to avoid having a high sodium label on that soup. And also, as you were saying before around the lack of a need to require the positive nutrients on the label, fortunately the FDA proposal didn't, but just to chime in on that, these products are already plastered with claims around their high fiber content, high protein content, vitamin C, this and that. What we really need is a mandatory label that will require companies to tell you what they would otherwise prefer not to. Not the information that they already highlight for marketing purposes. So, in addition to these warning style labels, we also really want FDA to adopt front of package disclosures for foods containing low and no calorie sweeteners. Because this would discourage the industry from reducing sugar just by reformulating with additives that are not recommended for children. So that's a key recommendation that CSPI has made for when FDA finalizes the rule. FDA received thousands and thousands of comments on their labeling proposal and is now tasked with reviewing those comments and issuing a final rule. And although these deadlines are very often missed, so don't necessarily hold your breath, but the government's current agenda says it plans to issue a final rule in May 2026. At CSPI, we are working tirelessly to hold FDA to its commitment of issuing a final regulation. And to ensure that the US front of pack labeling system is number one mandatory and number two, also number one, really, mandatory, and evidence-based so that it really has the best possible chance of improving our diets and our food supply. Well, thank you for the tireless work because it's so important that we get this right. I mean, it's important that we get a system to begin with, even if it's rudimentary. But the better it can be, of course, the more helpful it'll be. And CSPI has been such an important voice in that. Kat, let's talk about some of the things that are happening in developing countries and other parts of the world. So you're part of a multi-country study looking at five additional countries, France, South Africa, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Kenya. And as I understand, the goal is to understand how retail food environments differ across countries at various income levels. Tell us about this, if you would, and what sort of things you're finding. Kat – Yes. So one of our questions was as companies reach market saturation in places like France and the US and the Netherlands, they can't get that many more customers. They already have everyone. So now they're expanding rapidly. And you're seeing a really rapid increase in modern retail purchasing in countries like Indonesia and Kenya. Not to say that in these countries traditional markets are still where most people buy most of their food. But if you look at the graphs at the rate of increase of these modern different retailers also out of home, it's rapidly increasing. And we're really interested to see, okay, given that, are these products also exposing people to less healthy products? Is it displacing traditional diets? And overall, we are seeing that a lot of similar to what you see in other context. In high income countries. Overall healthier products are again, more expensive, and actually the differential is greater in lower income countries. Often because I think also poor people are buying foods not in modern retail environments. This is targeting currently the upper, middle, and higher income consumer groups. But that will change. And we're seeing the same thing around really high percentages of high fat, salt, sugar products. So, looking at how is this really transforming retail environments? At the same time, we have seen some really interesting examples of countries really taking initiative. In Kenya, they've introduced the first Kenyan nutrient profile model. First in Africa. They just introduced that at the end of 2025, and they're trying to introduce also a mandatory front of package warning label similar to what Eva has proposed. This would be these warnings high in fat, salt, and sugar. And that's part of this package that they've suggested. This would also include things around regulations to marketing to children, and that's all being pushed ahead. So, Kenya's doing a lot of work around that. In South Africa, there's been a lot of work on banning marketing to children as well as front of package labeling. I think one of the challenges we've seen there, and this is something... this is a story that I've heard again and again working in the policy space in different countries, is that you have a lot of momentum and initiative by civil society organizations, by concerned consumer groups. And you get all the way to the point where it's about to be passed in legislation and then it just gets kicked into the long grass. Nothing ever happens. It just sits there. I was writing a blog, we looked at Indonesia, so we worked with this organization that is working on doing taxation of sugar sweetened beverages. And that's been on the card since 2016. It actually even reminded me a lot of your story. They've been working on trying to get the sugar sweetened beverage tax in Indonesia passed since 2016. And it gets almost there, but it never gets in the budget. It just never passes. Same with the banning marketing to children in South Africa. This has been being discussed for many years, but it never actually gets passed. And what I've heard from colleagues working in this space is that then industry comes in right before it's about to get passed and says, oh no, but we're going to lose jobs. If you introduce that, then all of the companies that employ people, people will lose their jobs. And modeling studies have shown this isn't true. That overall, the economy will recover, jobs will be found elsewhere. Also, if you factor in the cost to society of treating diabetes from high consumption or sugar sweetened beverages. But it's interesting to see that this repeats again and again of countries get almost over the line. They have this really nice draft initiative and then it just doesn't quite happen. So, I think that that will be really interesting. And I think a bit like what Eva was saying in many of these countries, like with Kenya, are we going to see, start seeing the warning labels. With South Africa, is this regulation banning marketing to children actually going to happen? Are we going to see sugar sweetened beverage taxes written into the 2026 budget in Indonesia? I think very interesting space globally in many of these questions. But I think also a key time to keep the momentum up. It's interesting to hear about the industry script, talking about loss of jobs. Other familiar parts of that script are that consumers will lose choices and their prices will go up. And those things don't seem to happen either in places where these policies take effect. But boy, they're effective at getting these things stomped out. It feels to me like some turning point might be reached where some tipping point where a lot of things will start to happen all at once. But let's hope we're moving in that direction. Kat - The UK as of five days ago, just implemented bans on marketing of unhealthy products to children, changes in retail environment banning promotions of unhealthy products. I do think we are seeing in countries and especially countries with national healthcare systems where the taxpayer has to take on the cost of ill health. We are starting to see these changes coming into effect. I think that's an interesting example and very current. Groundbreaking, absolutely groundbreaking that those things are happening. Let me end by asking you each sort of a big picture question. Kat, you talked about specific goals that you've established about what percentage of products in these retail environments will meet a healthy food standard by a given year. But we're pretty far from that now. So I'd like to ask each of you, are you hopeful we'll get anywhere near those kind of goals. And if you're hopeful, what leads you to feel that way? And Kat, let's start with you and then I'll ask Eva the same thing. Kat - I am hopeful because like you said, there's so much critical momentum happening in so many different countries. And I do find that really interesting. And these are the six countries that we looked at, but also, I know Ghana has recently introduced a or working to introduce a nutrient profile model. You're seeing discussions happening in Asia as well. And a lot of different discussions happening in a lot of different places. All with the same ambition. And I do think with this critical momentum, you will start to break through some of the challenges that we're facing now too. Where you see, for example, like I know this came up with Chile. Like, oh, if you mandate it in this context, then it disadvantages. So like the World Trade Organization came out against it saying it disadvantaged trade, you can't make it mandatory. But if all countries mandate it, then you remove some of those barriers. It's a key challenge in the EU as well. That the Netherlands, for example, can't decide to introduce Nutri Score as a mandatory front of package label because that would disadvantage trade within the European Union. But I think if we hit a critical point, then a lot of the kind of key challenges that we're facing will no longer be there. If the European Union decides to adopt it, then also then you have 27 countries overnight that have to adopt a mandatory front of package label. And as companies have to do this for more and more markets, I think it will become more standardized. You will start seeing it more. I'm hopeful in the amount of momentum that's happening in different places globally. Good. It's nice to hear your optimism on that. So, Eva, what do you think? Eva - So thinking about front of package labeling and the fact that this proposed regulation was put out under the previous presidential administration, the Biden Harris Administration and is now intended to be finalized under the Trump Vance Administration, I think that's a signal of what's really this growing public awareness and bipartisan support for food and nutrition policies in the US. Obviously, the US food industry is incredibly powerful, but with growing public awareness of how multinational food companies are manipulating our diets and making us sick for their own profit, I think there's plenty of opportunity to leverage the power of consumers to fight back against this corporate greed and really take back our health. I'm really happy that you mentioned the bipartisan nature of things that starting to exist now. And it wasn't that long ago where you wouldn't think of people of the political right standing up against the food companies. But now they are, and it's a huge help. And this fact that you have more people from a variety of places on the political spectrum supporting a similar aim to kinda rein in behavior of the food industry and create a healthier food environment. Especially to protect children, leads me to be more optimistic, just like the two of you. I'm glad we can end on that note. Bios Katherine Pittore is the director of Policy and Communications at the Action to Nutrition Initiative. She is responsible for developing a strategy to ensure ATNi's research is translated into better policies. Working collaboratively with alliances and other stakeholders, she aims to identify ways for ATNi's research to support improved policies, for companies, investors and governments, with the aim of creating a more effective playing field enabling markets to deliver more nutritious foods, especially for vulnerable groups in society. Katherine has been working in the field of global nutrition and food systems since 2010. Most recently at Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation (WCDI), where she worked as a nutrition and food security advisor on range projects, mostly in Africa. She also has also worked as a facilitator and trainer, and a specific interest in how to healthfully feed our increasingly urbanizing world. She has also worked for several NGOs including RESULTS UK, as a nutrition advocacy officer, setting up their nutrition advocacy portfolio focusing aimed at increasing aid spending on nutrition with the UK parliament, and Save the Children UK and Save the Children India, working with the humanitarian nutrition team. She has an MSc in Global Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a BA in Science and Society from Wesleyan University. Eva Greenthal oversees Center for Science in the Public Interest's federal food labeling work, leveraging the food label as a powerful public health tool to influence consumer and industry behavior. Eva also conducts research and supports CSPI's science-centered approach to advocacy as a member of the Science Department. Prior to joining CSPI, Eva led a pilot evaluation of the nation's first hospital-based food pantry and worked on research initiatives related to alcohol literacy and healthy habits for young children. Before that, Eva served as a Program Coordinator for Let's Go! at Maine Medical Center and as an AmeriCorps VISTA Member at HealthReach Community Health Centers in Waterville, Maine. Eva holds a dual MS/MPH degree in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition from Tufts University and a BA in Environmental Studies from University of Michigan.
Nic Roberts-Huntley is the CEO and Co-Founder of Blueprint Finance, leveraging his unique background spanning medicine, economics, and finance. A former surgeon who practiced at prestigious institutions, including Oxford University Hospitals and The Royal Marsden, Nic pivoted to finance after completing his MBA and Master's in Evidence-Based Policy Evaluation & Economics at Oxford University. His career trajectory includes roles as Vice President at Point72, Venture Architect at Virtual Ventures, and various surgical fellowships.At Blueprint Finance, Nic oversees two innovative protocols: Concrete, which provides institutional-grade financial services through its Earn, Borrow, and Protect products that optimize yields and offer liquidation protection; and Glow, a Solana-based protocol offering advanced trading, lending, and liquid restaking solutions. His multidisciplinary expertise and quantitative approach position him as a distinctive voice at the intersection of traditional finance and DeFi innovation.In this conversation, we discuss:- Institutional yield generation becomes crypto's next major unlock - Nic's career path: surgeon to trad-fi to crypto - M&A in digital asset markets accelerates - DeFi grows up from speculation to infrastructure - Crypto vaults - Delta-neutral trading strategies in vaults - Nic's critique of “chasing headline APY” - DeFi's Next Frontier: Credit, Tokenization & New Markets - Insurance will unlock the next frontier of crypto - On-chain credit markets - Composability across DeFi Blueprint FinanceX: @Blueprint_DeFiWebsite: blueprintfinance.comGlow FinanceX: @GlowFinanceXYZWebsite: glowfinance.xyzDiscord: discord.gg/glowfinanceConcreteX: @ConcreteXYZWebsite: concrete.xyzDiscord: discord.gg/concretexyzNic Roberts-HuntleyX: @nic_buildsLinkedIn: Nic Roberts-Huntley---------------------------------------------------------------------------------This episode is brought to you by PrimeXBT.PrimeXBT offers a robust trading system for both beginners and professional traders that demand highly reliable market data and performance. Traders of all experience levels can easily design and customize layouts and widgets to best fit their trading style. PrimeXBT is always offering innovative products and professional trading conditions to all customers. PrimeXBT is running an exclusive promotion for listeners of the podcast. After making your first deposit, 50% of that first deposit will be credited to your account as a bonus that can be used as additional collateral to open positions. Code: CRYPTONEWS50 This promotion is available for a month after activation. Click the link below: PrimeXBT x CRYPTONEWS50FollowApple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon Music
Notes and Links to Timothy Welbeck's Work Timothy Welbeck, Esq., is an affiliated faculty member in the Department of Africology and African American Studies, where he previously served as an Assistant Professor of Instruction. There he teaches an array of popular courses, including a course he developed entitled Kendrick Lamar and the Morale of the m.A.A.d city. More broadly, Timothy's scholarly work focuses on contemporary issues of racial identity in America, the intersection of racial classifications and the law in the American context, contemporary African American culture, and hip-hop as a microcosm of the Black experience. Timothy has also written several peer-reviewed journal articles including “We Have Come Into This House: The Black Church, Florida's Stop W.O.K.E., and the Fight to Teach Black History.” He also authored “Specter of Reform: The late Sen. Arlen Specter's Criminal Justice Reform, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, and its Role in Expanding the Modern Prison Industrial Complex,” explores the impact of the infamous 1994 Crime Bill in providing the infrastructure for mass incarceration within the United States. The research, funded by the Arlen Specter Center fellowship, examines how the federalization of criminal law, pursuant to the Commerce Clause, has led to expansive growth in federal law enforcement, imprisonment, and thus setting the foundation for the modern carceral state. Timothy's article “People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths to Rhythms: Hip-Hop's Continuation of the Enduring Tradition of African and African American Rhetorical Forms and Tropes,” examines hip-hop's continuation of centuries-old African cultural norms and aesthetic values. As an attorney, Timothy has long been an advocate for justice, using his legal expertise to defend society's most vulnerable individuals, including survivors of human trafficking, survivors of police brutality, and the indigent. He has also provided crisis management, guidance, and legal counsel to churches and nonprofit organizations across the globe. In that capacity, Timothy is the Chair of the Board of Directors for The Witness Foundation, and an Advisory Board member of For the Future Organization. Timothy has also served as the Civil Rights Attorney for the Philadelphia Chapter of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), where he defended the constitutionally protected civil rights and liberties of those who experience discrimination and harassment based on their faith, race, ethnicity, and/or national origin, particularly members of the Muslim community within Pennsylvania. As a hip-hop artist, he has released four full length recordings, shared the stage with national and international acts (Janelle Monáe, Jidenna, EPMD, Dead Prez, and Immortal Technique), won songwriting contests (Session 1 Grand Prize in 2010 John Lennon Songwriting Contest), garnered high compliments from hip-hop legends, industry taste-makers (Sway) and record executives (VP of A&R at Def Jam, Lenny S). His latest work, entitled ‘Trane of Thought, is a live recorded hip-hop album that melds songs from his first two albums the musical style of John Coltrane. Timothy presently serves as the Pastor of Formation and a Teaching Elder at Epiphany Church of Wilmington, bringing over twenty years of ministry experience. He fosters spiritual growth through expositional and topical preaching, community engagement, trainings, workshops and spiritual counseling. In his role, he equips Epiphany members to live out their faith practically in their communities and prepare others to do the same. Timothy's work as an attorney and scholar has allowed him to contribute to various media outlets, such as: Axios, BBC Radio 4, CBS, CNN, The Huffington Post, NBC, The New York Times, NPR, The Philadelphia Inquirer, REVOLT TV, The Washington Post, VOX, and 900 WURD AM. He has lectured nationally and internationally at esteemed institutions like: Magdalen College of Oxford University, Georgetown University, Swarthmore College, and provided invited keynote addresses at major corporations like 1Hotels, Campbell Soup, and Merrill Lynch. As a contributing writer, Timothy has bylines in The Huffington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, WHYY, and RESPECT Magazine. He earned his J.D. from Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law and his B.A. from Morehouse College, where he graduated cum laude and was awarded the Corella and Bertrand Bonner Scholarship. Timothy finds his greatest joy and fulfillment at home with his wife and three children. Timothy Welbeck's Website Video: “Kendrick Lamar and the Morale of m.A.A.d City Hiphop Course | Prof. Timothy Welbeck Explains” Video Conversation with Georgette from XXL: “Inside the Kendrick Lamar College Course Created to Study His Lyrics and Life” At about 2:50, Timothy highlights some “surreal moments” in his hip hop career and advocacy At about 4:20, Timothy responds to Pete's question about declining or rising advocacy in contemporary hip-hop At about 6:30, Timothy reflects on the balance between a democratization of hip hop and old models of record company control At about 9:05, Timothy talks about his reading background, including a Tim Follett read (!) and other formative works At about 12:10, Timothy talks about being a “late bloomer” in his hip hop exposure At about 13:25, Timothy cites Nas, Lauryn Hill, Blackstar, Outkast, The Roots as some of his favorite rappers and groups At about 14:45, Timothy talks about friends The Remnant and how they helped him to “understand the power of [his] own voice” At about 15:30, Timothy responds to Pete's question about how he listen to music now that he has written about and taught classes so extensively about hip hop At about 17:00, Timothy breaks down his process for listening to music that he will be writing/teaching about At about 17:50, Timothy explains the different ways of ordering Kendrick Lamar's albums/mixtapes, and expands on the class' contours At about 20:30, Timothy talks about the class on Kendrick Lamar's seeds, calling it "serendipitous" At about 23:10, Timothy talks about the class structure, including the foundation established at the beginning of the class At about 26:30, Timothy talks about how he goes about establishing Compton as an entity in itself, while at the same time showing its similarities to other casualties of government neglect and racism At about 28:25, Timothy talks about the "compelling" way in which Kendrick Lamar is both popularly respected and critically-acclaimed At about 31:55, Pete and Tim discuss an early Kendrick Lamar concert At about 32:25, Pete and Tim reflect on Kendrick Lamar's love of Black culture and for important music legends, particularly the way in which he featured titans on To Pimp a Butterfly At about 34:30, Tim describes the great insights At about 36:05, Marcus J. Moore's The Butterfly Effect and Cole Cuchna and his Dissect Podcast are shouted out by Timothy as experts on Kendrick and his work, and DJ Head as well and Curtis King are highlighted as close colleagues of Kendrick's At about 38:00, Timothy shares some of his favorite bars from Kendrick Lamar At about 41:15, Pete and Timothy fanboy over Kendrick's verse on “Nosetalgia” and Timothy gives kudos to Cole Cuchna's breakdown of the numerology of the verse At about 42:10, Timothy talks about a few songs that might be best representative of Kendrick Lamar's music You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow Pete on IG, where he is @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where he is @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both the YouTube Channel and the podcast while you're checking out this episode. Pete is very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. His conversation with Jeff Pearlman, a recent guest, will be up at Chicago Review in the next week or so. Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting Pete's one-man show, DIY podcast and extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode features an exploration of children's literature on standout writers from the show, including Robert Jones, Jr. and Javier Zamora, as well as Pete's cherished relationship with Levar Burton, Reading Rainbow, and libraries. Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show. This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he's convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form. The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com. Please tune in for Episode 319 with Farah Ali, writer of the novel The River, The Town, and the short story collection People Want to Live. Her fiction has been anthologized in Best Small Fictions and the Pushcart Prize where it has also received special mention. She is the cofounder of Lakeer, a digital space for writing from Pakistan, and reviews editor at Wasafiri. Her novel Telegraphy is out on January 16, from CB editions, and the episode airs on Pub Day. Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.
Professor Hugh White from the Australian National University discusses the evolving security landscape in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in light of China's rise as a global power. The conversation explores the implications of the US-China rivalry for Australia, the role of allies, and the necessity of nuclear deterrence in maintaining regional stability. White expresses concern about Australia's reliance on the US and the need for a more self-reliant defense strategy as the geopolitical dynamics shift. The discussion culminates in White's wishes for clearer strategic understanding and cooperation among nations in addressing the challenges posed by China.Hugh White AO is Emeritus Professor of Strategic Studies at the Australian National University. His work focuses primarily on Australian strategic and defence policy, Asia-Pacific security issues, and global strategic affairs especially as they influence Australia and the Asia-Pacific.He has served as an intelligence analyst with the Office of National Assessments, as a journalist with the Sydney Morning Herald, as a senior adviser on the staffs of Defence Minister Kim Beazley and Prime Minister Bob Hawke, and as a senior official in the Department of Defence, where from 1995 to 2000 he was Deputy Secretary for Strategy and Intelligence, and as the first Director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI).In the 1970s he studied philosophy at Melbourne and Oxford Universities. He was the principal author of Australia's 2000 Defence White Paper.His major publications include Power Shift: Australia's future between Washington and Beijing, [2010], The China Choice: Why America should share power, [2012], Without America: Australia's future in the New Asia [2017], and How to defend Australia [2019]Chapters00:00 Introduction to Australian Security Perspectives02:14 The Rise of China and Its Implications05:45 Australia's Strategic Dilemmas09:28 Military Dynamics in the US-China Rivalry13:44 The Role of Allies in Regional Security19:36 China's Global Ambitions and Regional Responses24:07 Nuclear Deterrence in a Changing Landscape29:28 Wishes for Future Strategic ClaritySocials:Follow on Twitter at @NucleCastFollow on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/nuclecastpodcastSubscribe RSS Feed: https://rss.com/podcasts/nuclecast-podcast/Rate: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nuclecast/id1644921278Email comments and topic/guest suggestions to NucleCast@anwadeter.org
David Belden was born into a family of Oxford Group leaders and committed activists. The Group set out “to change the world” and throughout his early years David devoted himself wholeheartedly to this challenge. But while “carrying the message” in Africa, his life took an unexpected turn that led to his questioning some of principles and practices he had once taken uncritically for granted.David returned to Oxford University to write his doctoral dissertation on the Group's history, influence and shortcomings. He recently published a still more intimate account of his own journey toward personal and social transformation and change: The World Remakers' Child.This series affords a rare insider's view of the Group responsible for contributing no fewer than ten of A.A.'s Twelve Steps and yields fresh insights and challenges throughout. Mahatma Gandhi's grandson praised David's book for its “steady candor,” “humor about himself,” and “a thirst for a less harsh, more loving, and fairer world.”This second episode takes a deep dive into Dave's immersion in the Group, what that was like, what happened, and what it's like now. It's quite a ride!Show notes:David Belden's book: The World Remakers' ChildDave's Oxford University Doctoral Thesis:https://www.academia.edu/27545723/The_Origins_and_Development_of_the_Oxford_Group_Moral_Re_Armament_ For Sinners Only by A.J. RussellThe Christ of the Indian Road by E. Stanley Jones (free pdf)This Is an Uprising: How Nonviolent Revolt Is Shaping the Twenty-First Century by Paul and Mark EnglerHow 12 Step Programs Can Help Build Healthier Movements
Exam Study Expert: study tips and psychology hacks to learn effectively and get top grades
To kick off the new year we're sitting down with neuroscientist, international speaker and author Dr Sarah McKay to translate decades of neuroscience research into straightforward tactics students can use today for better sleep, enhanced focus and improved grades.Dr Sarah McKay has a distinguished career as one of Australia's best known science communicators. She's passionate about translating brain science into practical strategies to improve health, well-being, and performance. Sarah boasts a PhD in neuroscience from Oxford University, has presented on ABC Catalyst (the only science show on primetime TV in Australia), authored several books on brain health, given a fascinating TEDx talk on napping, and is regularly quoted in media around the world.So we're in expert hands for this jam-packed episode, where Sarah and I dig into everything from nutrition to naps, and digital distractions to self-reflection. We map out:• a simple brain model: bottom up, outside in and top down• the 7 basics that affect your brain health: food, movement, sleep, light, phones, socialising and attention• how food impacts the sweet spot for learning: alert but calm • why sleep hygiene is so important for your brain health• how strategic naps help you to reset and focus• why phones are attention magnets and how to contain them• how to contain your phone to boost your attention and working memory• brain-healthy learning models with spaced repetition and retrieval practice • the impact of metacognition with quick & kind “vibe” reflections after mock exams• rehearsing emotional regulation for tough exam momentsFind out more about today's guest, Dr Sarah McKay:• Discover more resources on her website: https://drsarahmckay.com/• Find Sarah's TEDx Talk, “Indulge your neurobiology” here: https://youtu.be/xiXZVDKRe00?si=a-8ggcZK8wewmX-q• Grab a copy of her book Brain Health For Dummies at https://geni.us/drsarahmckay ***Find out more about Exam Study Expert:Hosted by William Wadsworth, memory psychologist, independent researcher and study skills coach. I help ambitious students to study smarter, not harder, so they can ace their exams with less work and less stress.• Support the podcast by joining our patrons at: https://www.examstudyexpert.com/patreon • BOOK 1:1 COACHING to supercharge your exam success: https://examstudyexpert.com/workwithme/• Get a copy of Outsmart Your Exams, my award-winning exam technique book, at https://geni.us/exams * ** Podcast edited by Kerri Edinburgh.* As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases on suggested books. Questions? Comments? Requests? Or just want to say "thanks" - send me a text message (I read them all!).
Alan Smale is an astrophysicist and award-winning author (including “Writers of the Future Volume 13”) who recently retired from NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center after decades of groundbreaking work. Holding a Bachelor's in Physics and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Oxford University, Alan moved to the U.S. in the late 1980s to collaborate with NASA. Three years ago, Alan joined the podcast to discuss “Hot Moon,” the thrilling launch of his alternate-history Apollo Rising series. This interview celebrates the release of “Burning Night,” the conclusion to the trilogy. We discuss the series' blend of meticulous historical accuracy and bold “what-if” speculation, vividly recreating the high-stakes tension of the U.S.-Soviet rivalry in the 1970s and 1980s—this time extended to a secret lunar battlefield. Alan also shares insights on L. Ron Hubbard's 1948 short story “240,000 Miles Straight Up,” an eerily prescient tale of superpower conflict on the Moon. Whether you're a space history buff, a Cold War enthusiast, or a fan of hard-SF alternate history, this episode explores how real science, real geopolitics, and imaginative fiction collide in one of the most ambitious near-future series in recent years. Learn more at www.alansmale.com.
'As somebody who's deeply techno-optimistic, I invite people to be also healthily afraid and sceptical'BBC presenter Amol Rajan speaks to the British artificial intelligence entrepreneur Mustafa Suleyman, Chief Executive of Microsoft AI.He believes in the enormous potential of AI to be a force for good in the world, changing how we live and work for the better. He's committed to developing a humanist superintelligence, one that always works to serve people and never vice versa. But he remains clear about what he sees as the risks, issuing a warning that without the right ethical safeguards, AI could grow powerful enough to overwhelm humanity.The son of a London taxi-driver and a nurse, he dropped out of Oxford University and by his mid-twenties had co-founded DeepMind, the pioneering artificial intelligence research lab. By the time it was sold to Google four years later in 2014, it was worth a reported $400 million.Thank you to the Today team for its help in making this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.Presenter: Amol Rajan Producers: Kate Collins, Ollie Stone-Lee and Lucy Sheppard Editor: Justine LangGet in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.
Researchers from Oxford University found that, on average people who stop using anti- obesity injections regain all the weight they lost within twenty months. For more on this Dimitrios Koutoukidis, Associate Professor of Diet and Obesity at Oxford University.
What is consciousness, really? Why does it not simply switch on at a single moment? Neuroscientist Niko Kukushkin explains how even single cells can show primitive forms of memory and agency, why the human mind is not a mysterious force floating above biology, and why reducing it to "just neurons" misses what actually matters. He also discusses the evolutionary gamble of complexity, why bacteria still dominate the planet, and how abstraction and memory together give rise to thought. At the center of the conversation is an unsettling question: Why does it feel so special to be you when science says that you are nothing but a chemical reaction—a collection of atoms and molecules, like rocks, paperclips, and everything else in the physical universe? Nikolay Kukushkin is a clinical associate professor at New York University and a research fellow at NYU's Center for Neural Science, where he studies how temporal patterns shape memory formation. He holds degrees from St. Petersburg State University and Oxford University, and completed postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School. He is the author of a recent paper in Nature Communications demonstrating canonical memory in non-neural cells. His book is One Hand Clapping.
Talmage Boston interviews historian, recipient of the Lincoln Prize and Oxford University professor Richard Carwardine on his new book Righteous Strife: How Warring Religious Nationalists Forged Lincoln's Union. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
David Bennett's story starts in a Sydney pub where a supernatural encounter transformed a gay atheist activist into one of today's most thoughtful voices on faith and sexuality. Now an Oxford-trained theologian, David helps church leaders navigate what might be the most challenging pastoral question we face—without defaulting to culture war scripts that leave everyone exhausted.What makes this conversation different is David's refusal to choose sides. He introduces a framework of "solidarity and holy fellowship" that holds radical inclusion and biblical holiness together, creating space for people to wrestle authentically with hard questions. If you've felt trapped between being dismissed as either too affirming or too exclusionary, David offers language for a third way forward, one that doesn't sacrifice either welcome or conviction.This is pastoral theology from someone who lives the tension daily, offering church leaders practical wisdom for walking with people through messy, beautiful journeys toward Jesus.David Bennett is author of "A War of Loves" and holds a PhD in Christian ethics from Oxford University.Want more resources for your leadership journey? Get our newsletter at innovativechurchleaders.org Links:Website: https://innovativechurchleaders.org/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InnovativeChurchLeaders Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InnovativeChurchLeaders/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/catalyzingcommunity/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innovativechurchleaders LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovative-church-leaders/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@innovativechurchleaders Eric Bryant Website: https://ericbryant.org/ Eric Bryant Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericmichaelbryant/ Eric Bryant Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericbryant/ Eric Bryant LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-bryant-397003172/ Eric Bryant X: https://x.com/ericbryant Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-post-christian-podcast/id1509588357 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ZeQIrzr2tCMyq1VdwxGNn David Bennett (Guest)Website: https://www.dacbennett.com/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/davidacbennett/?ref=_xav_ig_profile_page_web# Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/dacbennett/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidacbennett/ (This interview originally aired on the Post-Christian Podcast in January 2025).
David Belden was born into a family of Oxford Group leaders and committed activists. The Group set out “to change the world” and throughout his early years David devoted himself wholeheartedly to this challenge. But while “carrying the message” in Africa, his life took an unexpected turn that led to his questioning some of principles and practices he had once taken uncritically for granted.David returned to Oxford University to write his doctoral dissertation on the Group's history, influence and shortcomings. He recently published a still more intimate account of his own journey toward personal and social transformation and change: The World Remakers' Child.This series affords a rare insider's view of the Group responsible for contributing no fewer than ten of A.A.'s Twelve Steps and yields fresh insights and challenges throughout. Mahatma Gandhi's grandson praised David's book for its “steady candor,” “humor about himself,” and “a thirst for a less harsh, more loving, and fairer world.”The first episode briefly introduces David's story to listeners after which he and Fr. Bill explore the life of Oxford Group founder Frank Buchman. Show notes:David Belden's book: The World Remakers' ChildDave's Oxford University Doctoral Thesis:https://www.academia.edu/27545723/The_Origins_and_Development_of_the_Oxford_Group_Moral_Re_Armament_For Sinners Only by A.J. Russell (used books are getting expensive. This is the cheapest I found)
Nostalgia. That sentimental feeling of the past. Memory is a powerful thing and we tend to look back on our firsts fondly. Your first phone, your first best friend, your first kiss… But it turns out you can also feel nostalgic for things you weren't around for.In the last few years, for Gen Z, there's been a huge rise in things like y2k fashion, old school technology like flip phones and digital cameras, and even Kate Bush has made it back into the charts.So why do we care so much about old things? Speaking of the past, let's go way back and find out about the ancient origins of kissing! Scientists at Oxford University in the UK now think that kissing evolved more than 21 million years ago, and it wasn't humans that started it.Victoria Gill, our Science Correspondent, tells us all about the research and what we know about if animals can be romantic like humans can.What in the World helping you make sense of what's happening in the world.For more episodes, just search 'What in the World' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
Oleksandr Mykhed is a Ukrainian writer. Until March 2022, he lived in Kyiv; he is now enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He is the author of nine books; selected essays and excerpts from his books have been translated into ten languages. He has participated in literary residencies in Finland, Latvia, Iceland, the USA and France, and a virtual residency at Oxford University. He has written for publications including The Financial Times, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and The Guardian, and has appeared as a guest on CNN and NPR. He is a member of PEN Ukraine, and anyone who has heard him speak, such as at the event in Waterstones in London with Luke Harding, will know how compelling he is.----------LINKS:https://x.com/mykhed_o https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/303637/oleksandr-mykhedhttps://pen.org.ua/en/autors/myhed-oleksandr ARTICLES:https://www.theguardian.com/books/article/2024/jun/30/the-language-of-war-by-oleksandr-mykhed-review-ukraine-russia-a-painful-piece-of-history https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqWDfx4XtRY ----------BOOKS: Artur Dron' - We Were Here (2024)Kostiantyn Zorkin - In the Name of the City (2024)Kostiantyn Zorkin - Codex (Graphic novel in progress)FILMS:Pavlo Ostrikov - U Are the Universe (2024)Anton Ptushkin - Antarctica (2025) Mstyslav Chernov - 2000 Meters to Andriivka (2024)ARTISTS:Kostiantyn Zorkin----------The Steel Porcupine https://www.thesteelporcupine.com/I'm proud to say that this series of ‘Ukrainian advent' interviews is supported by The Steel Porcupine – a unique and powerful film about a country that refuses to lie down, a people who turned themselves into a fortress of needles when Russian tanks rolled in. The Steel Porcupine is an unforgettable cinematic experience that exposes Russia's campaign of extermination in Ukraine, and the Ukrainian people's spirit to resist and prevail. It follows soldiers, volunteers and people who decided that survival meant resistance, not submission.Created by the makers of the acclaimed To the Zero Line, this is another film about humanity, that clearly states there is no such thing as neutrality when war crimes are being committed systematically by Russia, and on a scale in Europe only comparable to World War Two. Set to a haunting soundtrack featuring music by Philip Glass, and blending rare archival footage with original material, it is an impactful work of art and storytelling, as well as being informative.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------
#390 In this episode, Guy welcomes back former theoretical physicist David Clements who now bridges consciousness, science, and the spiritual realm. They discuss the ongoing powerful evolutionary waves that started on December 4th and are designed to uplift planetary systems including our solar system. David shared detailed insights into the Arcturian and inner earth beings facilitating these changes and emphasizes the importance of connecting with one's heart intelligence. They explore practical aspects of maintaining high energy levels, the eventual collapse of outdated systems, and the broader cosmic implications of these shifts. The discussion also touches on his personal journey from a scientific to a spiritual perspective, and how humanity can best prepare for and embrace these transformative times. About Dr. David: In my early days, I began as an artist, spending most of my time dreaming and imagining beyond the reality I was living in. Which later, after a doorinside me opened, allowed me to develop a deep intuitive insight into the conscious quantum nature of reality. But before this fully opened, I was propelled into, and became, a professional theoretical physicist, working in string theory (a theory of subatomic particles and multi-dimensional spaces) as well as advanced theories of electromagnetism in some of the world's leading and prestigious academic institutions such as Cambridge and Oxford Universities. I left this profession because the opening within had revealed to me a very different view of the living conscious nature of quantum reality, a far distance from the mathematical and structured world I had learnt to work in.My conscious awakening, and connection with the higher aspects of myself began just after the year 2000, when I learned to view remotely. From here, my intuition and energetic senses came alive in ways I never before imagined possible. From here, I began a deep journey, moving into, and becoming more heart centered. Unravelling the many layers of past and current life aspects within myself to gain more connection to the Creative Source field consciousnes of love and my whole Self. In doing so, I was given deeper insights into the workings of realities, as well as inspirations for innovations and ideas, that it is my heart felt joy to share with others. Key Points Discussed: (00:00) - Why So Many People Are Feeling Stronger Energetic Symptoms Right Now! (00:46) - Welcoming David Clements (02:58) - David's Insights on Current Events (03:36) - The Role of Advanced Beings (07:36) - Energetic Waves and Their Impact (08:54) - Inner Earth Beings and Earth's Core (12:00) - The Solar System's Energetic Transformation (14:52) - Heart Intelligence vs. Mind Intelligence (21:39) - Practical Advice for Embracing Change (33:22) - Overcoming Triggers and Embracing Heart-Centered Living (34:12) - The State of the World and Human Consciousness (35:01) - Understanding Darkness and Source Intelligence (37:25) - The Shift to Heart-Centered Civilization (45:03) - Manifestation and Emanation (50:56) - Connecting with Higher Self and Energetic Beings (56:52) - Bridging Science and Spirituality (01:00:10) - Conclusion and Resources How to Contact Dr. David Clements:www.patreon.com/InfiniteSourceCreationsinfinitesourcecreations.com About me:My Instagram: www.instagram.com/guyhlawrence/?hl=en Guy's websites:www.guylawrence.com.au www.liveinflow.co
➡️ Watch the full interview ad-free, join a community of geopolitics enthusiasts and gain access to exclusive content on PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingGeopolitics➡️ Sign up to my free geopolitics newsletter: https://stationzero.substack.com/This is a conversation with Andrew Badger - a former human intelligence officer at the DIA - the United States Defense Intelligence Agency, a lecturer at Oxford University, an advisor on geopolitics for some of the world's largest corporations, and an author of an upcoming book on what I think is mostly overlooked but an extremely interesting topic - of how China in the past decades managed to mobilize its vast intelligence apparatus, its citizens living abroad, its private companies and basically everything it has at its disposal to covertly obtain some of the most advanced technology belonging to American companies. And how this technology helped China to massively develop its economy, its private companies and its military in an extremely short timespan and basically catch up to the United States in a way that otherwise might not have been possible. We talk about how China actually does that on a practical level and why is it so good at it, even though it's not at all the country doing that or how is the intelligence competition shaping the race for AI dominance and much more.
Steve Goldbach, Geoff Tuff, and Kulleni Gebreyes of Deloitte join Stuart Crainer and Des Dearlove of Thinkers50 to reflect on their highlights and insights from the 2025 Provocateurs series.Featuring in-depth conversations with leaders and innovators, the 2025 Provocateurs explored pressing topics from sustainability and space exploration to digital health, public policy, and food systems innovation. Throughout the series, compelling stories emerged that illustrate the power of systems thinking, reframing narratives, and leadership under pressure.We heard about seaweed and rum in Barbados: a circular economy success story combining waste products to create fuel. We learned how modulating electrical motors reframes sustainability as efficiency, delivering rapid returns on investment. And we listened as astronaut Eileen Collins described the extreme pressure of an aborted rocket launch, exemplifying agility and preparation as the essence of leadership.The 2025 Provocateurs guests included:Weslynne Ashton, sustainable systems scientist at the Illinois Institute of TechnologyKatie McGinty, VP and Chief Sustainability Officer at Johnson ControlsRajendra Pratap Gupta, founder of the Global Digital Health SummitKarthik Ramanna, from Oxford University's Blavatnik School of GovernmentEileen Collins, the first female space shuttle commanderSelassie Atadika, award-winning chef, chocolatier, and innovatorAnke Hampel, Chief Sustainability Officer at ABB * recorded live at Climate Week New York *Natalie Nixon, author of The Creativity Leap and Move. Think. Rest.What were your key take-aways from our 2025 Provocateurs?This podcast is part of an ongoing series of interviews with executives. The executives' participation in this podcast are solely for educational purposes based on their knowledge of the subject and the views expressed by them are solely their own. This podcast should not be deemed or construed to be for the purpose of soliciting business for any of the companies mentioned, nor does Deloitte advocate or endorse the services or products provided by these companies.
On this episode of Unsupervised Learning Razib talks again with Washington Post columnist and repeat guest Shadi Hamid (listen to previous episodes). A native Pennsylvanian of Egyptian ethnic background and Islamic faith, Hamid completed his Ph.D. in politics at Oxford University. He is co-host of the Wisdom of Crowds podcast and website with Damir Marusic, and now the author of his own Substack and a recent book, The Case For American Power. Hamid is also the author of The Problem of Democracy: America, the Middle East, and the Rise and Fall of an Idea. , Temptations of Power: Islamists & Illiberal Democracy in a New Middle East and Rethinking Political Islam. Before moving the discussion to The Case For American Power, Razib asks Hamid about his current positioning on the American political landscape with the emergence of the hard-right during the second Trump administration. Hamid admits that during the "woke era" he wasn't sure about his place on the Left as a progressive due to his misgivings with racial identarianism, but with the rise of white nationalism on the Right and the executive decisions of the Trump administration Hamid finds himself more comfortable saying he is a progressive. Racism and the passions unleashed by the Israel-Palestine conflict since 10/7 have made Hamid reevaluate the virtues of some level of wokeness. Pivoting to foreign policy, Razib and Hamid discuss his new book, and its positioning within a political landscape that ranges from neconservatism, liberal internationalism and isolationism of all sorts. Despite Hamid's misgivings of some aspects of American culture and the nation's past political sins, he asserts (unlike the far Left) that overall America is a force for good, and that it should exercise its power to spread its vision of morality across the world. The Case For American Power is an attempt to articulate a liberal and progressive internationalist vision for 2025, decades after the failed Iraqi intervention. Hamid also addresses the sea-change on the progressive side of American politics when it comes to Israel, admitting he feels much freer to express skepticism or critiques of Israeli policy than he had in previous eras.
Hecate started as the ruling goddess of the Asian region of Caria, and got taken over by the Greeks as the only one able to operate in every realm of the cosmos. This then gave her special responsibility for travellers, doorways and restless ghosts. That slowly darkened her image, so that she became associated with the night, the moon, and magicians. By the Roman period, she was the goddess of sorcery par excellence, invoked for all sorts of enchantments, good or bad. In the late ancient worlds this also turned her into a saviour figure, enabling humans directly to contact the divine. This lecture traces that colourful journey.This lecture was recorded by Robin May on the 26th of November 2025 at Bernard's Inn Hall, LondonProfessor Hutton is Professor of History at the University of Bristol. He took degrees at Cambridge and then Oxford Universities, and was a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford. He is now a Fellow of the British Academy, the Royal Historical Society, the Society of Antiquaries and the Learned Society of Wales, and has won awards for teaching and research.He has lectured all over the world, authored twenty books and ninety-six essays, appeared in or presented scores of television and radio programmes, and sits on the editorial boards of six journals concerned with the history of religion and magic.He is currently working on the third volume of his biography of Oliver Cromwell. The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/goddess-hecateGresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham College's mission, please consider making a donation: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-today Website: https://gresham.ac.ukX: https://x.com/GreshamCollegeFacebook: https://facebook.com/greshamcollegeInstagram: https://instagram.com/greshamcollegeBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/greshamcollege.bsky.social TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greshamcollegeSupport Us: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-todaySupport the show
Do penguins have flippers or wings? What's up with pebble gifts? Are they squishy or dense? And why why why are they so cute? We sit down with renowned penguinologist Dr. Tom Hart, a research fellow with Oxford University, to chat all about life on Antarctica, penguin cities, icy cuddle parties, ocean camouflage and how to become a flightless bird. Dr. Hart is your new favorite penguinologist.Help count penguins — for science!Donations went to PenguinWatch.org and TRASS for mangrove plantingFull-length (*not* G-rated) Penguinology episode + tons of science linksMore kid-friendly Smologies episodes!Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a monthOlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!Follow Ologies on Instagram and BlueskyFollow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTokSound editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions, Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media, and Steven Ray MorrisMade possible by work from Noel Dilworth, Susan Hale, Jake Chaffee, Kelly R. Dwyer, Aveline Malek and Erin TalbertSmologies theme song by Harold Malcolm Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
J.J. and Dr. Adena Tanenbaum unravel the dynamics of late medieval and early modern Jewish intellectual life in Yemen. This episode is sponsored by the Touro Graduate School of Jewish Studies, a leading academic program in Jewish Studies. For information on admission and course offerings, including generous scholarships, please visit gsjs.touro.edu/history/ or get in touch by calling 212-463-0400, ext. 55580 or emailing karen.rubin@touro.eduIf you or your business are interested in sponsoring an episode or mini-series, please reach out at podcasts@torahinmotion.org Follow us on Bluesky @jewishideaspod.bsky.social for updates and insights!Please rate and review the the show in the podcast app of your choice.We welcome all complaints and compliments at podcasts@torahinmotion.org For more information visit torahinmotion.org/podcastsDr. Adena Tanenbaum is an associate professor in the Department of Near Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures at THE Ohio State University. Her research focuses on medieval Jewish intellectual history with a special emphasis on literary works from Islamic lands. She has a long-standing interest in philosophical themes in Hebrew poetry from Spain, and has published a book entitled The Contemplative Soul: Hebrew Poetry and Philosophical Theory in Medieval Spain (Leiden: Brill, 2002). Before coming to OSU, Dr. Tanenbaum spent twelve years in England as a Member of the Oriental Studies Faculty of Oxford University, a Senior Associate of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, and a Visiting Lecturer at University College London.
Groundbreaking research from Oxford University's Felipe Thomaz and WPP Media questions the importance of optimising campaigns for maximum reach, challenging best practice about how brands grow.
In this lecture, Tsang examines the strategic goals and direction of travel China's supreme leader, Xi Jinping, has set for the country and its people. He highlights what China's new de facto state ideology Xi Jinping Thought is in order to explain systematically Xi's domestic and global ambitions. In short, what Xi seeks to do is to forge one country, one people, one ideology, one party and one leader' to make China great again or to accomplish the China Dream of national rejuvenation.This lecture was recorded by Professor Steve Tsang on the 27th of November 2025 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London.Steve Tsang is Professor of China Studies and Director of the China Institute, SOAS, London. He is also a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and an Emeritus Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford. He previously served as the Head of the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies and as Director of the China Policy Institute at the University of Nottingham. Before that he spent 29 years at Oxford University, where he earned his D.Phil. and worked as a Professorial Fellow, Dean, and Director of the Asian Studies Centre at St Antony's College. He has a broad area of research interest and has published extensively, including five single authored and fourteen collaborative books. His latest (with Olivia Cheung) is The Political Thought of Xi Jinping (Oxford University Press, 2024). He is currently completing a new book, ‘China's Global Strategy under Xi Jinping', which will be published by OUP in 2026. The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/china-futureGresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/Website: https://gresham.ac.ukTwitter: https://twitter.com/greshamcollegeFacebook: https://facebook.com/greshamcollegeInstagram: https://instagram.com/greshamcollegeSupport the show
A world-class physicist makes a shocking claim: across 2,500 years and every kind of society, there has been a recurring moral exception carved out just for Jews--the idea that hurting Jews is, in some sense, legitimate. Most of the time, this doesn't erupt into pogroms. Instead, it lives as a background permission: a readiness to excuse, minimize, or rationalize harm to Jews when it does occur. Listen as Russ Roberts talks with David Deutsch of Oxford University about what Deutsch calls "the pattern": a persistent, global impulse not primarily to attack Jews, but to justify attacks on Jews--socially, politically, or physically. The stated reasons shift with the era--deicide, moneylending, "cosmopolitan elites," Zionism--but the underlying permission structure remains disturbingly constant. Unsettling, challenging, and clarifying, this conversation may change how you understand antisemitism--and the moral fault lines of our civilization.
Humans cannot help but understand ourselves and our story through ritual. For Christians, as also for many irreligious people in the west today, this happens nowhere more powerfully than through the liturgy of the Church. Join Sam Fornecker for a chat with Cosima Clara Gillhammer of Oxford University's Lady Margaret Hall. Drawing on insights from her new book, Light on Darkness: The Untold Story of the Liturgy, this conversation explores how Christian liturgy — in many senses the soil of the Western imagination — invites us to renew our participation in the story of Christ.Find the companion website for Cosima's book here.We apologize for the sheer profusion of Tolkien allusions in this episode. Merry Christmas, and "Aiya Eärendil Elenion Ancalima! "Enjoying this podcast? To keep abreast of what's going on at The Ridley Institute, or to learn more about opportunities to grow and train for Christian discipleship and mission, connect with us online: Website: https://ridleyinstitute.com/. Twitter: @RidleyInstitute. To learn about training for Anglican gospel work, check out Ridley's Certificate in Anglican Studies, and other lay theological formation offerings.Thinking of visiting a church?Visit here to find an Anglican church near you.
Want a quick estimate of how much your business is worth? With our free valuation calculator, answer a few questions about your business, and you'll get an immediate estimate of the value of your business. You might be surprised by how much you can get for it: https://flippa.com/exit -- Are you running your business, or is it running you? In this episode, we sit down with Alexis Sikorsky, co-founder of Nightscale, who reveals the brutal truth about the "Grind" and the specific strategies he used to exit his banking software company for a massive multiple. If you are a founder stuck at the $5M–$10M revenue plateau, this episode is a masterclass in cashing out. Alexis breaks down the "$50 Million Mistake", a calculation of the money and time he lost by not knowing the secrets of Private Equity earlier, and how you can avoid it. What You'll Learn: The "Fish and Chip" Trap: How Private Equity firms lure founders with high valuations only to chip away at the price during due diligence—and how to stop them. Nominal EBITDA vs. EBITDA: The financial metric that matters more than your bottom line. Learn how "dressing the bride" and identifying add-backs can instantly increase your valuation. The Magic Number: Why a $40M valuation is the specific target for a lifestyle where you never have to touch your capital again. The Due Diligence Reverse Card: How to investigate a PE firm by calling the founders they don't want you to talk to. Escaping the Operator Trap: Why you need to fire yourself from day-to-day operations to make your company sellable. -- Alexis Sikorsky is a seasoned entrepreneur, strategic advisor, and #1 international best-selling author who helps founders and SMEs scale with confidence, make smarter strategic decisions, and prepare for long-term growth and successful exits. Over his career, he has founded, scaled, and led multiple companies, including building and selling a software business to private equity in a nine-figure transaction. He is the founder of Sikorsky Consulting Ltd. and a co-founder of KnightScale Partners, where he works closely with founders as a true operator partner, providing experienced, founder-to-founder guidance on scaling, leadership, and value creation. Holding an EMBA from Oxford University, Alexis blends real-world entrepreneurial experience with strategic insight to help business owners future-proof their companies and navigate critical inflection points. Website - https://www.knightscalepartners.com/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexis-sikorsky-consulting/ -- Time Stamps: (01:11) Surviving the 2008 crash: Losing 75% of revenue overnight. (03:46) The "Unbelievable" Offer: Selling for 11x EBITDA based on a future plan. (06:00) Calculating the $50 Million / 5-Year Mistake. (08:59) When is the right time to sell? (The mathematics of the exit). (14:00) Red Flags: Detecting the "Fish and Chip" strategy. (20:30) How to boost valuation using Nominal EBITDA and non-recurring costs. (27:30) Why you should do M&A earlier than you think. -- The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You'll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/
Get the book, A New School Leadership Architecture: A Four-Level Framework for Reimagining Roles Visit the Holdsworth Center website, www.HoldsworthCenter.org About The Author Lindsay Whorton is president of The Holdsworth Center, a non-profit organization in Texas dedicated to building educational leaders. Initially serving seven school districts and 42 leaders in 2017, The Holdsworth Center has served more than 1,900 leaders in 89 public school districts. Lindsay is a teacher, writer, speaker, and advocate for public education and educators. She was a Rhodes and Fulbright scholar, and holds a master's degree in comparative social policy and a doctorate in social policy from Oxford University. She is the author of Teachers Unions and Education Reform in Comparative Contexts.
My conversation with Dr Emanuel begins at about 34 minutes Subscribe and Watch Interviews LIVE : On YOUTUBE.com/StandUpWithPete ON SubstackStandUpWithPete Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. This show is Ad free and fully supported by listeners like you! Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 750 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous soul In Eat Your Ice Cream, renowned health expert Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel argues that life is not a competition to live the longest, and that "wellness" shouldn't be difficult; it should be an invisible part of one's lifestyle that yields maximum health benefits with the least work Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD, is the Vice Provost for Global Initiatives, the Co-Director of the Healthcare Transformation Institute, and the Diane v.S. Levy and Robert M. Levy University Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Emanuel is an oncologist and world leader in health policy and bioethics. He is a Special Advisor to the Director General of the World Health Organization, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, and member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He was the founding chair of the Department of Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health and held that position until August of 2011. From 2009 to 2011, he served as a Special Advisor on Health Policy to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and National Economic Council. In this role, he was instrumental in drafting the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Emanuel also served on the Biden-Harris Transition Covid Advisory Board. Dr. Emanuel is the most widely cited bioethicist in history. He has over 350 publications and has authored or edited 15 books. His recent publications include the books Which Country Has the World's Best Health Care (2020), Prescription for the Future (2017), Reinventing American Health Care: How the Affordable Care Act Will Improve our Terribly Complex, Blatantly Unjust, Outrageously Expensive, Grossly Inefficient, Error Prone System (2014) and Brothers Emanuel: A Memoir of an American Family (2013). In 2008, he published Healthcare, Guaranteed: A Simple, Secure Solution for America, which included his own recommendations for health care reform. Dr. Emanuel regularly contributes to the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and often appears on BBC, NPR, CNN, MSNBC and other media outlets. He has received numerous awards including election to the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Association of American Physicians, and the Royal College of Medicine (UK). He has been named a Dan David Prize Laureate in Bioethics, and is a recipient of the AMA-Burroughs Wellcome Leadership Award, the Public Service Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Bioethics and Humanities, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation David E. Rogers Award, President's Medal for Social Justice Roosevelt University, and the John Mendelsohn Award from the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Emanuel has received honorary degrees from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Union Graduate College, the Medical College of Wisconsin, and Macalester College. In 2023, he became a Guggenheim Fellow. Dr. Emanuel is a graduate of Amherst College. He holds a M.Sc. from Oxford University in Biochemistry, and received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School and his Ph.D. in political philosophy from Harvard University. On YOUTUBE.com/StandUpWithPete ON SubstackStandUpWithPete Listen rate and review on Apple Podcasts Listen rate and review on Spotify Pete On Instagram Pete on Blue Sky Pete on Threads Pete on Tik Tok Pete on Twitter Pete Personal FB page Stand Up with Pete FB page All things Jon Carroll Gift a Subscription https://www.patreon.com/PeteDominick/gift Send Pete $ Directly on Venmo
In this episode, Julia speaks with Maryam Pasha, Executive Director & Curator of TEDxLondon, about the power of owning your narrative and why clarity about who you are changes how you lead. Maryam shares that narrative isn't just about telling your story. It's about deciding the foundation on which you stand. When you don't define your narrative, she says, you end up living someone else's. She talks about the moment she realised she had been shrinking herself; to be agreeable, to be easy, to take up less space and how everything changed when she chose to show up with certainty and self-respect. She describes the shift from being shaped by the expectations of others to shaping her own direction: a shift that gave her confidence, presence, and the ability to speak and act with conviction. When you know what you're trying to do in the world, she says, you stop asking for permission and start owning your place in the room. This episode is a reminder that leading doesn't begin when others believe in you. It begins when you do. About the Guest: Maryam Pasha is a Storytelling strategist, producer and curator. She is co-founder of XEQUALS Studio, a creative studio dedicated to telling stories that can create a just, sustainable and joyful future. Projects include TEDxLondon, the Climate Curious Podcast and THE HERDS London. As a storyteller and coach she has worked with hundreds of speakers, including philanthropists, Nobel-prize-winning academics, business leaders, technical experts, activists and students. She has helped organisations to raise over a $1.5 billion to fight climate change, worked on talks that have been viewed over 25 million times and supported activists who've successfully changed the law in England to protect girls from child marriage. Earlier this year she joined the Palestine Comedy Club as an Exec Producer, is on the board on Climate Spring and a visiting Fellow at Oxford University.
“I wanted to show that you could be human and could also be kind and decisive and a mother, imperfectly but still, I think, do a reasonable job.”BBC presenter Kylie Pentelow speaks to Dame Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand's former Prime Minister about the importance of empathetic leadership in the time of populism and strongman politics. In 2017 Ardern became the youngest Prime Minister in the world at the time, and only the second ever to have a baby whilst in office. She was praised for her humane approach and leadership through crises such as the 2019 Christchurch terrorist attack that saw 51 killed. She swiftly brought in gun laws and reached out to the Muslim community targeted in the attack.In her 5 years in politics she was a champion of climate change and LGBGTQ and indigenous rights, but she was also criticised for some of the harsh lockdown measures that her government enacted during the pandemic.Since leaving politics, Jacinda Ardern has been engaging in global work focused on empathy in leadership, combatting climate change and the prevention of online extremism.She's written books, including one about being a working mother, and she now stars in a documentary about her life entitled simply, Prime Minister. She's currently a distinguished fellow and part of the World Leaders Circle at Oxford University.Thank you to the Woman's Hour team for its help in making this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.Presenter: Kylie Pentelow Producers: Dianne McGregor, Farhana Haider & Clare Williamson Editor: Justine LangGet in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.(Image: Jacinda Ardern Credit: Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Greg and Dane go all the way to the UK for this edition of the SCTM filled with "great surprisements" as we have a fatal four way match between Stone Cold, Mankind, Undertaker, and Kane with Vinnie Jones as a guest enforcer. We also got Vince at Oxford University, D'Lo Brown touring London, and Christian teaming up with Sable? Buckle up because it's gonna be emotional!
Neri Karra Sillaman joins Travis to unpack why immigrant entrepreneurs are disproportionately likely to build enduring, billion‑dollar businesses. Drawing on her journey from refugee child expelled from Bulgaria, to founder of a 25‑year‑old leather goods company, to PhD and entrepreneurship expert at Oxford University, Neri shares the eight principles from her book Pioneers: Eight Principles of Business Longevity from Immigrant Entrepreneurs and how any founder can apply them. On this episode we talk about: Neri's family being expelled from Bulgaria with two suitcases, becoming refugees in Turkey, and how that shaped her obsession with education as a path to a better life Coming to the University of Miami at 18, discovering that the Intel chip in the computer lab was created by a refugee, and how that reframed her identity as an immigrant Launching a sustainable leather goods brand by repurposing surplus luxury Italian leather, and eventually manufacturing for houses like Prada and Miu Miu Why nearly half of Fortune 500 companies and the vast majority of billion‑dollar startups have immigrant founders or executives, and what she calls the eight “pioneer” principles behind that success How cross‑cultural bridging, future‑back vision, deep community orientation, humility, and a lack of entitlement help immigrant entrepreneurs spot opportunities and build companies that last Top 3 Takeaways Immigrant founders often win because they blend cultures, see problems from multiple vantage points, and design solutions informed by their past while building toward a very clear future vision. A strong sense of non‑entitlement—expecting to earn every opportunity—and humility in leadership (inviting employees, suppliers, and communities into the solution) are core to long‑term business resilience. Treating your company as part of an ecosystem, not the center of the universe, leads to healthier relationships with suppliers, employees, institutions, and even the environment, which supports business longevity. Notable Quotes “Being an immigrant is not something to hide; it can be the very source of the ideas and resilience that build great companies.” “You are not a star operating alone—your company is only as healthy as the ecosystem it's a part of.” “You can't have ego in this game; you can't take rejection personally when you're building something that matters.” Connect with Neri Karra Sillaman: https://nerispeaks.com ✖️✖️✖️✖️
What would you do if one day you woke up unable to move, trapped in your body, and ready to give up? For Amy Thurman, living ten years with a broken neck became the most powerful lesson in authenticity and courage. In this raw and deeply moving conversation, Amy shares how she turned her pain into purpose, what it truly means to live authentically, and how she reclaimed her voice—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. If you've ever felt stuck, lost, or like you had to wear a mask to survive, this episode will awaken something within you.
The just-published Trump 2.0 national security strategy is causing a mix of fury, resignation, and even accusations of ignorance. Moscow has welcomed the plan, saying it aligns with Putin's vision, while former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt posted that it's "to the right of the extreme right of Europe." Celeste Wallander served as an assistant secretary of defense under President Biden, and Peter Frankopan is a professor of global history at Oxford University. They join Christiane to discuss. Also on today's show: Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani; European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas; Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares; Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan; New Yorker Editor David Remnick Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What if the mental health diagnosis you’ve been told limits you is actually the beginning of your most extraordinary life? What if stability isn’t the ceiling, but just the foundation? What if the system telling you to “just be stable” has been setting the bar far too low? Award-winning speaker and mental health advocate Gabe Howard reveals a truth the mental health system doesn’t want you to hear: people with serious mental illness can do more than survive. They can thrive, build careers, speak at Oxford University, and lead badass lives. The Dreams That Bipolar Disorder Interrupted Gabe Howard grew up dreaming of becoming a tech mogul, the next Bill Gates or Steve Jobs. It was the mid-90s, the early days of the internet, and he wanted to be an entrepreneur in the public eye. He even considered stand-up comedy. Then bipolar disorder happened. Psychosis happened. Suicidality happened. He was committed to a psychiatric hospital, and everything came crashing down. When he finally reached recovery, Gabe was angry and traumatised. He searched desperately for resources to help himself and his parents, but the harder he looked, the less he found. That’s when he realised something powerful: he wanted somebody to do something, and then he realised he was somebody. He never thought advocacy would become his career. He thought he’d volunteer for his local mental health charity and maybe make a small impact. Now, he’s a Webby Award winner, hosts the Inside Bipolar and Inside Mental Health podcasts, has spoken at Oxford University and the National Press Club in Washington, DC, and wrote a book called Mental Illness is an Asshole and Other Observations. Mental Health Is Identical to Physical Health One of Gabe’s most powerful insights: mental health isn’t like physical health. It’s identical to physical health. Everyone has mental health, just like everyone has physical health. Most people, most of the time, have good mental health. But just like you can catch a cold or break a bone, you can experience mental health challenges. The day after losing a loved one, no one expects you to be at your best mentally. That’s normal. Yet society treats mental health as binary: you’re either “crazy” or “perfectly fine,” with no room for the grey areas where real life actually happens. The System Wants You Stable. Gabe Wants You Thriving. Gabe challenges the mental health establishment’s tendency to set expectations dangerously low. Too often, people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression are told that getting a part-time job and living in a group home means “you’re doing great.” While stability matters, it shouldn’t be the only goal. He’s witnessed people in group homes being told they can’t work full-time or pursue their passions when the real issue is that the system is too scared of relapse to let them try. He shares the inspiring story of Rachel Starr Withers, who lives with schizophrenia yet has hiked volcanoes, appeared in Marvel films, and hosts the Inside Schizophrenia podcast. Her philosophy: “I want to lead a badass life.” No Magic Bullet, Just Consistent Jabs Using boxing as a metaphor, Gabe explains that recovery isn’t about one knockout punch. Everyone loves the idea of that one breakthrough moment, but most fights aren’t won that way. What wins is dozens of small jabs: maintaining sleep hygiene, taking medication as prescribed, keeping mood journals, attending therapy, exercising, eating well, and practicing radical honesty. These seemingly small things add up to sustainable wellness. The key is consistency, not perfection. The Workplace Stigma That Costs Everyone Gabe makes a compelling business case for reducing mental health stigma in the workplace. Companies that create cultures where employees can be honest about their struggles gain productivity. When people feel safe saying they need a mental health hour, they’re more likely to come in later that day rather than calling in sick entirely. This transparency transforms a full day lost into just an hour or two, making it not only ethically right but also more profitable. Three Golden Nuggets for Your Journey Everyone Has Mental Health. Mental health is NOT just negative. It’s a spectrum everyone exists on, just like physical health. The Basics Really Matter. Recovery isn’t one big breakthrough. It’s many small pieces fitting together: sleep, diet, movement, medication, therapy, and honest communication. The Goal Is to THRIVE. Don’t just “live with” mental illness. Believe that people with mental illness can lead GREAT lives, not just get by. About Gabe Howard Gabe Howard is the host of Healthline Media’s Inside Bipolar and Inside Mental Health podcasts and author of Mental Illness is an Asshole and Other Observations. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2003 after being committed to a psychiatric hospital, he received a resolution from the Governor of Ohio naming him an “Everyday Hero” and spoke at Oxford University in England. He makes his home in Central Ohio with his wife, Kendall, and a Miniature Schnauzer he never wanted but now can’t imagine life without. Key Takeaway You are not limited by your diagnosis. The system may tell you to aim for stable, but you were meant for so much more. When you challenge low expectations, build consistent habits, and surround yourself with people who believe in your potential, thriving becomes possible. Your best life isn’t about just getting by. It’s about going as far as you can, and if you stumble, taking a step back and trying again. Watch the full conversation on YouTube Find Out More About Gabe Howard Inside Bipolar Podcast: https://www.healthline.com/health/podcast/ibp Website: gabehoward.com Facebook: facebook.com/gabehowardspeaker Instagram: @askabipolar YouTube: youtube.com/gabehoward29 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gabehoward29
Jeremy Ryan Slate is an authority strategist, bestselling author, and global speaker. He studied literature at Oxford University and earned both his BA and MA at Seton Hall University, where he focused his graduate research on Early Roman Empire propaganda. He is also the founder of Command Your Brand – the PR agency trusted by top founders worldwide. He is the host of The Jeremy Ryan Slate Show, recognized by INC and Podcast Magazine as one of the world's top podcasts, and Jeremy Roman Empire, where he uncovers timeless lessons on media, power, and legacy from history's most influential empire. Today's Sponsors: Black Rifle Coffee: https://www.blackriflecoffee.com BetterHelp: Listeners get 10% off their first month at https://www.BetterHelp.com/clearedhot
In the complex world of insurance and risk management, how do you negotiate effectively without compromising long-term relationships? John Burrows, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer at the University of Chicago and Associate Fellow at Oxford University, joined us to explore practical tools and approaches to the ‟negotiator's dilemma” – knowing when to compete and when to collaborate. He shared real-world examples of successful trust-based bargaining, revealed how network structures impact business resilience and provided actionable strategies to elevate your negotiation skills while developing the relationship capital that drives sustainable success. Watch the original Wednesdays with Woodward® webinar: https://institute.travelers.com/webinar-series/symposia-series/negotiating-for-success. --- Visit the Travelers Institute® website: http://travelersinstitute.org/. Join the Travelers Institute® email list: https://travl.rs/488XJZM. Subscribe to the Travelers Institute® Podcast newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7328774828839100417. Connect with Travelers Institute® President Joan Woodward on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joan-kois-woodward/.
N.T. Wright returns to the podcast for round three—no Malibu rooftop this time, but plenty of theological fireworks. We dig into Tom's new book on Ephesians, starting with why he thinks the scholarly consensus dismissing Pauline authorship is more about 19th-century German liberal Protestant hangover than good historical work. From there, we get into the real meat: Ephesians isn't answering the question "how do I get to heaven?" It's painting this massive cosmic picture of God's plan to unite heaven and earth in Christ—and the church's wild vocation to be what Tom calls "a small working model of new creation." We talk about how Western Christianity has shrunk Paul's vision into individual soul-sorting when the text is way more interested in what it looks like when formerly irreconcilable people come together as one new humanity. Tom pushes back on how both conservatives and liberals read their politics into the text, and we wrestle with the marriage passage in chapter 5 as the theological climax of the letter (not the culture war flashpoint we've made it). We close with a beautiful reflection on Ephesians 6 as an Advent text—the church holding the line between Christ's victory and his return. Plus, Tom's grandson sings in the New College Oxford choir, and honestly, that's the kind of intergenerational beauty Ephesians is pointing toward. You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube Prof. N.T. (Tom) Wright is Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University. He is one of the world's leading Bible scholars, with expertise in Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity, the New Testament, and Biblical Studies. He is also Emeritus Professor at the University of St. Andrews and the former Bishop of Durham. Tom's Previous Visits to the Podcast Devilpalooza NT Wright Talks Jesus and the scholars who discuss him UPCOMING ONLINE ADVENT CLASS w/ Diana Butler Bass Join us for a transformative four-week Advent journey exploring how the four gospels speak their own revolutionary word against empire—both in their ancient context under Roman occupation and for our contemporary world shaped by capitalism, militarism, and nationalism. This course invites you into an alternative calendar and rhythm. We'll discover how these ancient texts of resistance offer wisdom for our own moment of political turmoil, economic inequality, and ecological crisis. This class is donation-based, including 0. You can sign-up at www.HomebrewedClasses.com This podcast is a Homebrewed Christianity production. Follow the Homebrewed Christianity, Theology Nerd Throwdown, & The Rise of Bonhoeffer podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 75,000 other people by joining our Substack - Process This! Get instant access to over 50 classes at www.TheologyClass.com Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this edition of Rage Zeit, Jack and Miles discuss their respective weekends, Pete Hegseth's numerous war crimes, Oxford University's word of the year: rage bait, Lindsey Halligan's disqualification and dismissal of the Comey & James cases, the Washington DC shooting of two National Guardsmen, Paul Anka's on Sinatra's junk, Trump's R-word rant against Tim Walz and much more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
David A. Hughes discusses his excellent book on the history of the deep state, the many parallels between the totalitarianism of one century ago and the current tyranny being constructed, and their renewed push to establish a global technocratic biodigital concentration camp once more. Watch on BitChute / Brighteon / Rumble / Substack / YouTube *Support Geopolitics & Empire! Become a Member https://geopoliticsandempire.substack.com Donate https://geopoliticsandempire.com/donations Consult https://geopoliticsandempire.com/consultation **Visit Our Affiliates & Sponsors! Above Phone https://abovephone.com/?above=geopolitics easyDNS (15% off with GEOPOLITICS) https://easydns.com Escape The Technocracy (15% off with GEOPOLITICS) https://escapethetechnocracy.com/geopolitics Outbound Mexico https://outboundmx.com PassVult https://passvult.com Sociatates Civis https://societates-civis.com StartMail https://www.startmail.com/partner/?ref=ngu4nzr Wise Wolf Gold https://www.wolfpack.gold/?ref=geopolitics Websites Substack https://dhughes.substack.com Books https://www.amazon.com/stores/David-A-Hughes/author/B0D4X8J3KH Support https://davidahughes.net/support About David A. Hughes David A. Hughes was Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Lincoln (UK). He received his undergraduate and master's degrees from Oxford University and holds doctorates in German Studies from Duke University and International Relations from Oxford Brookes University. His research focuses on psychological warfare, 9/11, COVID-19, the deep state, technocracy, global class relations, and resurgent totalitarianism. He is author of “Covid-19,” Psychological Operations, and the War for Technocracy: Volume 1″ and “Wall Street, the Nazis, and the Crimes of the Deep State”. *Podcast intro music used with permission is from the song “The Queens Jig” by the fantastic “Musicke & Mirth” from their album “Music for Two Lyra Viols”: http://musicke-mirth.de/en/recordings.html (available on iTunes or Amazon)
We visit Basel Dalloul at the Dalloul Artist Collective to discuss the genesis of the Dalloul Art Foundation and the mission of the new artist collective. A technologist and lawyer by training, Basel shares his family's journey into collecting art and the vision his father had for a Pan-Arab art collection in Beirut. They discuss how Arabism failed politically, but that culturally, the art from the region shows a great deal of sync and kinship, with artists empathizing with their Arab brethren. Central to the discussion is the role of art as an archive of history. Basel highlights the importance of Arab art as a reference site and how connecting artists from Morocco to Iraq reveals common themes that some may find inconvenient to tell. The conversation then shifts to the need to decolonize the art world, critiquing the tendency to celebrate Western art and seek validation from Western curators. Basel challenges the routine belief that Arab artists or art professionals are "not competent or good enough". He also addresses the broken global gallery system, which often dictates terms to artists and unfairly takes up to 50% of an artist's take. The mission of the Dalloul Artist Collective is to shift focus from the art to the artist, acting as an artist management agency to empower and educate the artist community. 0:00 Introduction2:12 The Vision for the Dalloul Art Foundation: Pan-Arab Art3:36 Relationship to Art Growing Up5:55 Shifting from Western to Arab Art Collecting8:45 Failure Is Not An Option10:47 Authenticating Art and The Lack of a Reference Site for Arab Art12:53 Organizing the Single Largest Private Collection of Modern Contemporary Arab Art15:05 The Kinship of Arab Culture17:57 Artists as Archivists of History19:46 Beirut: A De Facto Cultural Hub With No Taboos22:54 Critiquing the Celebration of Western Art Over Arab Art25:57 Dalloul Artist Collective: Focusing on The Artist27:18 The Broken Global Gallery System32:11 The State of Art Collecting in The Arab World35:56 Artists Basel Dalloul Adores38:02 The Need to Educate the Arab Youth on Arab Artists38:48 The Story Behind Ayman Baalbaki's Moulatham41:26 Empowering Artists with Transparency and Business Savvy Basel Dalloul Founded the Dalloul Art Foundation in 2017 to manage and promote his father's (Dr. Ramzi Dalloul) vast collection of modern and contemporary Arab art. At around 4000 pieces it is the largest collection of its kind in private hands. The collection includes but is not limited to paintings, photography, sculpture, video and mixed media art. Basel has had a passion for art since he was very young, inspired by both his mother and father, whom are also passionate about art in all its forms. Basel also founded NOOR Group in 2000 in response to the Egyptian government's announced goal of becoming the hub of the information technology (IT) industry in the Middle East. As Chairman and CEO, he has set the overall direction of NOOR, bringing the first region-wide, full-service IT development program to the area. He holds a Bachelor of Science in finance from American University and a Juris Doctor and MBA from Georgetown University, both in Washington, DC. Basel also studied electrical engineering and computer science at Rice University in Houston, TX, and undertook comparative studies of American and British common law and procedural law at Oxford University in England. He co-taught a course in entertainment law and the Internet at Georgetown University Law Center and is a frequent speaker and seminar leader at IT conferences worldwide. Connect with Bassel Dalloul
Ruth Wilson MBE has made a habit of tackling psychologically demanding roles. You'll know her from playing a mother grieving the loss of her child in The Affair, a sociopathic research scientist in Luther or even from her acclaimed stage performances in Anna Christie and King Lear. Now, Wilson is back with Apple TV's Down Cemetery Road, based on novels by Mick Herron. She stars opposite Emma Thompson, as an art restorer swept up in a high stakes crime drama. We talk about her getting rejected from Oxford University, her failure to run the London Marathon in the way she envisaged and the power of aging naturally. Plus: how her father's Alzheimer's diagnosis has helped her live in the present. A beautiful and intelligent conversation with a phenomenally talented actor. ✨ IN THIS EPISODE: 00:00 Introduction 02:11 The Power of Art 04:07 Working with Emma Thompson 07:04 Aging Naturally 08:57 Getting Rejected From Oxford 14:04 Grandfather Being a Spy & a Bigamist 20:21 A Very Royal Scandal 23:36: The London Marathon 31:37 Failing to Trust The Creative Process 38:30 The 24-Hour Play
The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 3: 5:05pm- A new DNA analysis suggests that Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler likely suffered from a genetic disorder known as Kallman syndrome—meaning there was a 10% chance he had a micro penis! 5:10pm- Artificial Intelligence: China-based UBTECH Robotics has unveiled its new industrial humanoid robots—standing at 5'9” tall and costing nearly $180,000 each. Thanks to a dual-battery/autonomous swap feature the robots are capable of working 24/7. Meanwhile, a Russian produced humanoid robot took three steps prior to collapsing during its debut in Moscow. 5:20pm- Is Jasmine Crockett the future of the Democratic Party? Charlamagne Tha God insists she is—though, polling data says otherwise. 5:30pm- Coast to Coast Commies! The next mayor of Seattle will be Katie Wilson—a self-described socialist who openly admits that her parents subsidize her lifestyle at age 43! She has held jobs as a barista, boatyard worker, apartment manager, lab technician, baker, construction worker, and legal assistant, but didn't work a full-time job until her late 30's despite attending Oxford University!
The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Show (11/14/2025): 3:05pm- While appearing on The Wide Awake podcast, Hunter Biden baselessly claimed that Charlie Kirk's assassin is a MAGA supporter. He also said horrific things about New York Post journalist Miranda Devine—who notably broke the Hunter Biden laptop story. Hunter called Devine “horrendously ugly” and exclaimed: “I don't know anybody that is going to be mourning her when she's gone." 3:20pm- Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) baselessly insisted that “violence doesn't come from Democrats. It's MAGA. The assassination attempts with Donald Trump were Trump supporters.” 3:30pm- Brooke Singman—Political Correspondent & Reporter for Fox News—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss her latest report, “Jack Smith targeted then-House Speaker McCarthy's private phone records in J6 probe, FBI docs reveal.” You can find the full article here: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/jack-smith-targeted-then-house-speaker-mccarthys-private-phone-records-j6-probe-fbi-docs-reveal. 4:05pm- Dr. Wilfred Reilly—Professor of Political Science at Kentucky State University & Author of “Lies My Liberal Teacher Told Me”—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss Seattle mayor-elect Katie Wilson, a self-described socialist who openly admits that her parents subsidize her lifestyle at age 43! Plus, Hillary Clinton downplays the threat of communism in the United States. 4:30pm- Dr. Victoria Coates—Former Deputy National Security Advisor & the Vice President of the Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation—joins The Rich Zeoli Show from Madrid, Spain! She reacts to a story about Chinese hackers using artificial intelligence to automate cyberattacks, targeting corporations and governments. Dr. Coates is author of the book: “The Battle for the Jewish State: How Israel—and America—Can Win.” 5:05pm- A new DNA analysis suggests that Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler likely suffered from a genetic disorder known as Kallman syndrome—meaning there was a 10% chance he had a micro penis! 5:10pm- Artificial Intelligence: China-based UBTECH Robotics has unveiled its new industrial humanoid robots—standing at 5'9” tall and costing nearly $180,000 each. Thanks to a dual-battery/autonomous swap feature the robots are capable of working 24/7. Meanwhile, a Russian produced humanoid robot took three steps prior to collapsing during its debut in Moscow. 5:20pm- Is Jasmine Crockett the future of the Democratic Party? Charlamagne Tha God insists she is—though, polling data says otherwise. 5:30pm- Coast to Coast Commies! The next mayor of Seattle will be Katie Wilson—a self-described socialist who openly admits that her parents subsidize her lifestyle at age 43! She has held jobs as a barista, boatyard worker, apartment manager, lab technician, baker, construction worker, and legal assistant, but didn't work a full-time job until her late 30's despite attending Oxford University! 6:05pm- Several college athletes in New Jersey have been charged in a mob-affiliated sports betting scheme. 6:25pm- Richard Marianos—Head of the Tobacco Law Enforcement Network—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss illegal vapes being imported to the United States from China. Marianos served more than 27 years at the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives fighting violent crime. 6:40pm- According to a new report, Chinese hackers used artificial intelligence to automate cyberattacks—targeting corporations and governments.