Podcasts about Poland

Recording from Heathrow Airport in London as she begins her journey home after 21 days of ministry across Poland and the United Kingdom, Nancy pauses the Summer Reading Series for a special Here We Go episode. Inspired by a simple airport sign—"Face Direction of Travel"—she reflects on the Father's call to keep our hearts aligned with where He is leading rather than remaining bound to the past. Drawing from Luke 9:51, Nancy highlights Jesus' unwavering resolve as He set His face toward Jerusalem, reminding listeners that mature sons learn to mentally prepare with the Holy Spirit, embrace the Father's direction, and move forward with confidence even when the path is unknown. This episode is a timely encouragement to fix your eyes on the Father's purpose, trust His leading, and faithfully face the direction of travel. Thanks for Listening! I hope that after listening to The Tent Talk Podcast, you'll want to start discussions with your team or small group. These resources can help guide your discipleship journey to maturity and destiny with the Father: Episode Notes & Conversation Guide DOWNLOAD HERE https://nancymccready.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Episode-1109-Summer-Reading-Series.pdf LINKS The Devotional Podcast with Nancy McCready https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2hHjwQ_3Qrp1rhbR9nu68wnBtQY0IHzc The Producer's Way School theproducersway.com Nancy's book, From Trauma to Trust www.amazon.com/dp/B096ZML6R3/ JOIN THE CONVERSATION Every journey begins with a conversation, join us on social media to get started! Facebook: www.facebook.com/nbmccready Instagram: www.instagram.com/nbmccready/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/@nancymccreadyministries SUBSCRIBE Like what you hear? Subscribe to Tent Talk with Nancy McCready so you don't miss an episode! nancymccready.com/podcast/ ABOUT NANCY MCCREADY Nancy McCready is redefining discipleship across nations, cultures, and denominations. Through Nancy McCready Ministries, she partners with leaders to build deep, transformative discipleship cultures that provoke people to walk in freedom and live as mature sons of the Father. Her powerful message comes from her journey of overcoming abuse, addiction, and self-destruction to walk in true freedom. She now dedicates her life to helping others grow in intimacy with the Father and live unto Him. ABOUT TENT TALK PODCAST Tent Talk with Nancy McCready is a listener-funded podcast dedicated to helping Christians along their journey of a deeper walk with Christ. With the support of donors like you, we are able to help our listeners gain a deeper spiritual understanding and connection with the Father. Thank you for your support of the Tent Talk Podcast! nancymccready.com/giving/ Brought to you by Nancy McCready Ministries nancymccready.com/

Next of Kin After Stroke: When Your 19-Year-Old Has to Decide For You Kylie Ralston was 56, living alone in Sofia, Bulgaria, and getting back into shape after a divorce. Three mornings a week she ran. On the morning everything changed, she was doing a local park run with her friend Rebecca when she slowed to a walk, then tried to run again and couldn’t. “It was like the message wasn’t getting through from my brain to my legs,” she says. No headache. No fatigue. Nothing that felt like an emergency. She finished the run, registered her time, and went home. It wasn’t until she collapsed getting out of the car that anyone understood what was happening. By the time Kylie reached hospital, she had suffered a left frontoparietal haemorrhagic stroke, a spontaneous brain bleed roughly 7.5cm across, with none of the usual risk factors. No high blood pressure. No cholesterol history. No aneurysm, no AVM. She was placed in an induced coma for four days. When she woke, she couldn’t move her right side, and she couldn’t speak. What “Next of Kin” Really Means When a Stroke Hits Abroad Kylie was a permanent resident of Bulgaria, not a citizen, divorced from her daughter’s father, and living on her own. When the hospital needed someone to authorise emergency surgery, there was exactly one person available to make that call: her daughter, then 19 years old, splitting her time between her separated parents’ homes. It’s a detail easy to skim past, but it sits at the centre of this episode: next of kin isn’t a role most of us think about until a hospital needs an answer immediately. Kylie hadn’t nominated her daughter out of any formal planning process; it simply fell to her, because she was the only adult relative in the country who met the age threshold. A 19-Year-Old Signing Consent-to-Operate Forms Kylie’s friends contacted her daughter directly. She rushed to the hospital, and unconscious, unable to advocate for herself, her mother’s care now depended on decisions made by a teenager under enormous duress. Kylie’s first memory afterward is her daughter arriving in the ICU in a hairnet and scrubs, holding her hand, telling her she loved her. It’s the kind of moment that rarely makes it into conversations about stroke recovery, because the focus so often lands on rehabilitation milestones: walking, speaking, returning to work. But before any of that, someone has to be legally empowered to say yes to surgery, and for Kylie, that someone hadn’t expected the responsibility for another few decades. The Gap Between Acute Surgery and Real Rehabilitation Bulgaria’s acute care, Kylie and her friend Nicole Nott both stress, was world-class surgery within roughly two hours of the stroke, the kind of outcome her friends still describe as a miracle given the size of the bleed. What came next was a different story. In the public hospital, physiotherapy visits totalled two sessions. There was no speech therapy. After 14 days, still unable to move her right side or speak, Kylie was expected to go home. Her partner, Guido, refused to accept it, and the couple began privately funding rehabilitation themselves. This is a distinction worth sitting with if you or someone you love is navigating stroke recovery in a country or even a region with limited public rehab funding: acute survival and functional recovery are not the same fight, and they are not always resourced the same way. When a Friend Becomes the Rehab Team Nicole Nott, an occupational therapist and Kylie’s friend since they were 16, found out about the stroke through a message she initially suspected was a scam. Within days she’d cleared her schedule and flown from Australia to Bulgaria. What she found in the private rehab hospital was a caring but under-trained care team, kind staff with, as Nicole puts it, “no rehab expertise.” Nicole spent close to two weeks restructuring Kylie’s room and routine around basic stroke rehabilitation principles: approaching from Kylie’s affected right side to address her spatial inattention, built-up cutlery to force use of her weaker hand, a balloon tapped back and forth for shoulder strength, word games layered on top for speech practice, pegs and curtains repurposed into arm exercises. She also pushed back hard against hospital staff who tried to stop her from helping Kylie transfer to a shower chair or toilet, at one point being told outright she wasn’t permitted because she was a woman. Her single goal before flying home: get Kylie toileting independently again, for dignity as much as mobility. Kylie called her from Dubai airport, mid-transit, to tell her it had happened. Living With Aphasia Fourteen months on, Kylie’s right-side weakness has largely resolved. What remains, she says, is the hardest part: expressive aphasia. “I can’t express myself like I used to.” It’s a small, telling detail of the condition that even the phrase “I can’t” is itself shaped by the aphasia; the words available to describe the loss are affected by the loss. The Unexpected Gains Both women point to what came out of the crisis alongside the hardship: Kylie’s relationship with her daughter deepened. Her circle of friends in Bulgaria proved itself in ways she hadn’t anticipated. And in the rehab hospital, her partner Guido proposed something; he told her he’d already decided before the stroke but simply hadn’t gotten around to asking. If this episode raises questions about who is legally positioned to make decisions for you and whether that person actually knows it, it may be worth a conversation with your own family before a crisis forces the issue. For a deeper account of navigating identity, recovery, and unexpected transformation after stroke, Bill’s book The Unexpected Way That A Stroke Became The Best Thing That Happened is available at recoveryafterstroke.com/book. If this show has helped you, you can support it at patreon.com/recoveryafterstroke. This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your health or recovery plan. Kylie Ralston: Stroke, Bulgaria, and the Friend Who Flew Across the World When Kylie had a stroke abroad, her 19-year-old daughter became her next of kin, and a friend flew in to help her recover. Bill’s Book: The Unexpected Way That A Stroke Became The Best Thing That Happened Support the Recovery After Stroke On Patreon Highlights: 00:00 Introduction – Next of Kin After Stroke03:47 The Day of the Stroke08:55 Rehabilitation Challenges in Bulgaria16:32 Coping with Language Barriers22:08 Reflections on Healthcare Systems32:50 Setting Goals and Achievements38:29 Family Dynamics and Support Systems45:36 Finding Meaning in Recovery54:44 The Impact of Caregiving58:22 Reflections on Recovery and Gratitude Transcript: Introduction – Next of Kin After Stroke Bill Gasiamis (00:00)And one of my first horrible thoughts was, is this a dreadful hoax? Is someone, you know, is this some horrible scam? And it made me feel quite sick actually And then I rang her son who lives in Australia and he’s like, Yeah, I’m so sorry. I haven’t told you. Yes, it’s true, mum’s had a stroke. Bill Gasiamis (00:16)Welcome back to Recovery After Stroke. I’m Bill Gasiamis, and today I’m joined by two guests, Kylie Ralston and her friend Nicole Nott. Kylie was 56 living in Bulgaria when she suffered a left frontoparietal hemorrhagic stroke, a spontaneous brain bleed with none of the usual risk factors. Nicole is an occupational therapist and one of Kylie’s closest friends since they were teenagers. And when she found out what happened, she got on a plane to Bulgaria to help. In this episode, we get into what it means to have a stroke far from home in a country where you don’t speak the language, and public rehabilitation funding barely exists. We talk about who becomes your next of kin when you least expect it, what it’s like to advocate for a friend inside a hospital system that won’t always listen. And what recovery actually looks like 14 months on, before we get into it, if you want a deeper look at identity, recovery, and unexpected transformation after stroke, my book, The Unexpected Way That Stroke Became, the best thing that happened, is available at recoveryafterstroke.com/book. And if this show has helped you And you can support it to keep me on the path of getting to a thousand episodes, you can do so At patreon.com/recoveryafterstroke Bill Gasiamis (01:37)Kylie Ralston and Nicole Nott, welcome to the podcast. lovely to be here, Bill. Thanks for having us, Bill. Kylie, tell me a little bit about what life was like before the stroke. I was very active and I had a full life and I was working full time. and I was living in Sofia in Bulgaria, in my on my own, in my own apartment. I was renting, actually. and I was getting back to fitness. So I was g getting I was running regularly. So two two or three times a week I was hitting the gym and hitting the tr the treadmill. And that had been happening for like a few month like six months or something like that. but before that I was very fit and active. What kind of work were you involved in? I was a HR work. I was a ha HR leader and so I had my own consultancy I had a team of people that I’ve managed. I had thirty five people, so and that they were people in Germany, Poland, Czechia, Portugal, France, so everywhere in in Europe, basically. Yeah. Wow, how how does an Aussie end up in Bulgaria with staff or clients in that many countries? short answer is I came here with my family, so with my ex husband. and shortly after I arrived we separated and and ultimately got divorced. and I stayed on because my daughter is here. So she was only eleven at the time and I could just couldn’t leave her. The Day of the Stroke So you were living at home with your daughter? she was sharing her time between between us both. Yeah. got it. Okay. So both parents are there. So your daughter was going backwards and forwards. On the night of the stroke or on the day of the stroke, can you take us through that? What were you experiencing? Was there anything unusual that happened that made you think something was wrong? How did it go down? I was with my friend Rebecca. And she was running ahead of me as she she was faster than me, so sh and she often often ran ahead of me. and I’d slowed down to a walk and when I started to run again or try to run again, it it was like the message wasn’t getting through from my brain to my legs. And I thought, that’s strange, that’s that’s really odd. ‘Cause I didn’t feel like tired or anything and I didn’t have a headache and well stuff like that. and I just walked through the rest of the park run. And then when Rebecca saw me coming to the finish line, she waved me over and she said, come on, let’s go register your chip. and so I did that. and she said afterwards that there was a little bit of fumbling with with my phone and there’s a there was a little bit of fumbling when I put my jacket on, but other than that, I just seemed exhausted from a run. do you recall after the experience of feeling exhausted from the run where you ended up? Did you need help? Yeah, I do. So so she didn’t notice that I wasn’t talking because I n I’m normally an endless talker, so I she didn’t notice that I wasn’t talking. And she said that that that is one thing that should have alerted her to what was happening. but it it didn’t. And so I’d caught the bus to the park run and her husband was there and so he drove me home. And I j I remember the journey home and when when we when I went to get out, I just couldn’t. And so and Mark came around to my side of the car and help tried to help me out and I just collapsed against him. And so then that so then they said, quick, something’s wrong something’s I don’t remember what they  They they said, you know, they basically took me straight to the hospital. Yeah. And also rang Guido, my now fiance, but my partner at the time. Uh-huh. So you you went from the run, attempted to go home, and then from that attempt to get you out of the car, actually into your home, it was pretty clear that that wasn’t gonna happen and you ended up in hospital. so Did you guys drive to hospital? Do you recall that? Yes. Yes. We do how far is it from your home? it’s pretty close. I don’t know about kilometres or time, but it’s but it’s like ten or fifteen minutes. Yeah, so it’s not too far. But they didn’t know what was going on, of course. They just knew something wasn’t right and then they figured one of the best things to do is just get it to a hospital. You get to the hospital Do you know what happens after that? Do you get admitted? do you get tested for anything? I suppose what I’m asking is when is the first time you realise that that you’ve had a stroke? When do they report that back? When I came out of the coma. So I was put I was put into an an induced coma straight away. so I I obviously don’t remember anything of of that. and but Rebecca’s told me afterwards. so she’s filled in the f filled in the filled in the blanks for me. and by that stage her husband thought it was a stroke. So she’s he said he said to the staff at the hospital, we think she’s having a stroke. And so yeah. So how long were you in the coma, do you know? Has somebody told you how long it was? Yeah, four four days. Four days, okay. And do you know what kind of stroke you had? Yep. I had a left Frontoparietal hemorrhagic stroke. Wow, that’s a good effort. So you had a brain bleed. Yep. Do they know what caused it? No. It was spontaneous and I didn’t have any of the risk factors. So I didn’t have high blood pressure, a history of high blood pressure, but admittedly I’d hadn’t tested my blood pressure immediately before the stroke. but you know That’s un that’s unlikely to be the cause. And I didn’t have a hi a history of high cholesterol. and so they just and I didn’t have an aneurysm and I didn’t have like what’s the other thing? The An AV AVM. AVM, yeah, I didn’t have any of that. And how old were you? Fifty six. Okay. So you had a spontaneous Bleed in the brain. That happens. People do have that happen from time to time. And sometimes they don’t have any symptoms leading up to it or anything like that. and this is the bizarre nature of like there’s an unlimited number of ways, unfortunately, for people to have a stroke. Now, you woke up in hospital four days later. What kind of deficits did you have? I couldn’t move my right side and I couldn’t speak. Okay. Now I’ve got an idea of well, I haven’t got an idea, but my mind immediately kind of says like if you’re in hospital in Bulgaria, that’s not a hospital in Melbourne. That’s not the Royal Melbourne hospital where no shit is unreal, like it’s perfect and it’s got the highest technology and it doesn’t matter how many things we can bitch and moan about the system being here like compared to Bulgaria, my expectation is that we’re world class. Perhaps that’s not the case in Bulgaria. Would you agree with that statement? I would have agreed before and my my my expat friends here would have agreed before, but now we’re all saying maybe Bulgaria is better than we thought. That’s brilliant. Awesome. Okay, so Rehabilitation Challenges in Bulgaria As far as like medical interventions and all that type of stuff, you felt like that was handled like any other world class hospital would have handled it. Yeah. In that in that s it in that stage it was. but there’s no like that was a public hospital and there’s no there’s no public funded rehab after. or or very li very little. So so that’s where that’s where Australia is ahead. So when you knew you had deficits, was there any rehabilitation whatsoever? Did you get any of that while you were still in hospital? Minimal. So the the physio came to see me twice. and so that’s so that’s all and I got no speech therapy and stuff like that. and but when I was discharged from the public hospital here and went and so they they expected me to go home from the public hospital. And so Guido said she just can’t like like what what the fuck? After how many days? After how many days, how long? Fourteen. Wow, your right side was still offline and you still had problem. Yeah. Okay. So we we just paid for paid for private rehab. got it, right. Yeah. And how long were you in private rehab for? another like two months or something like that. Right. Okay, that’s pretty cool. So i even though you couldn’t access it publicly, you were still able to Access a private now. Are you a citizen in Bulgaria? Not a citizen, a permanent resident. Okay. So do you have are you as a result of the fact that you’re a permanent resident and not a citizen, do you have different things that you are able to access because of your status? No. no. I’m it’s I have the same rights as a citizen. The only one the only right I don’t have is I’m I’m not able to vote here and I’m not I’m not able to work in other EU countries. Got it. Okay. So that’s pretty traumatizing, the whole experience, and then to have to deal with overcoming your left side and your speech deficits after the two month mark, roughly where were you at where you where you are now? Because you kinda sound pretty good. Okay. No, yeah. no and and the other thing the other thing that I must say about Bulgaria is I don’t speak Bulgarian. very very little. So that was a problem. Yeah. I can imagine, yeah. so maybe you can come in here, Nicole, and and talk about where I was at when you came to see me, because that was very very very early on in my in in the private rehab hospital. Yeah, Nicole, tell me a little bit about what it’s like to receive a phone call to find out that your friend has had a stroke. I was absolutely hellish. the way I found out is I got a message through social media from someone saying, Hey, I’m a friend of Kylie’s and she’s in hospital in Bulgaria. And one of my first horrible thoughts was, is this a dreadful hoax? Is someone, you know, is this some horrible scam? And it really, you know, it made me feel quite sick actually thinking this is that’s not someone I know. It does look like a name I’ve seen in Kylie’s kind of social media world. And then I rang her son who lives in Australia and he’s like, Yeah, I’m so sorry. I haven’t told you. Yes, it’s true, mum’s had a stroke. and I was kind of beside myself because by training I’m an occupational therapist, but Kylie and I have known each other each other since we were about 16. and it was really hard to get the information that I wanted as a friend, but also as a health professional. I was wanting to understand what kind of stroke is it? Where is it? What’s the rehab? What can we do? How’s it going? And at that stage the information that I had was that you know, it was really seriously affected the speech part of the brain and obviously the hemiplegia, the weakness down the right side and knowing that Kylie was right handed. so, you know, it’s the friendship part that your heart’s breaking and it’s also the therapist part that’s wanting the information to be able to, you know, reconcile it for myself, professionally what that was going to look like as a consequence for Kylie. Yeah, and you’re so far away, so you really can’t do anything and kind of have to like take information second hand, third hand, and be kind of in a position which is really uncomfortable for, I imagine, a friend, but also a therapist, right? So as an occupational therapist, that’s not the information you work on. You work on actual facts, scans, reports, like a whole bunch of things. So are you also playing it out in your mind? Are you kind of Doom thinking it, like are you how does it affect you personally? I think for me I was all I was really very conscious of not stressing other people. So like friends, family, because sometimes when you are a health professional, you know, you have knowledge and information and you know, you sometimes you you’re keeping that to yourself to some extent because you do know what can happen to people and you do know what consequences can be. So I was really trying not to ask too many questions of people as well. but I was seriously desperate for information. And so I remember I’d gone to a party and I didn’t really want to go because I was actually, you know, upset and stressed for Kylie. And I did end up going to a party and during the party I was really kind of outside having a bit of a downer really by a campfire. but I got a phone call or a message to say that I think you’d said some words, Kylie, and were kind of waking up. so you’re still in the acute hospital then and that you’d been able to move your leg a little bit, I think. Yeah. And you know, joy in that moment. And yeah, I felt very, very far away. And then What happens over the next few days? Like do you guys continue to communicate somehow? Do you keep getting information? Are you being updated? Yeah. Yeah. I wasn’t able to get my into my phone or my any of my devices. So I wasn’t able to able to because I couldn’t remember my password, right? And so and and I tried like d different ones and I you know I just got locked out. So and when I was able to get in then that made it it made it easier t because I was able just text short messages. So so Nicole and I kept in touch that way. and before English-speaking Before you came, Nicole, I think I was talking, but not not not as well as I am now. Yeah. So was it, Nicole, in your mind, you were always going to fly over to Bulgaria and beath your friend? Or did you guys have to work that out? Like what happened now? It’s so cool that you get to have a somebody in your corner that is also a Fred, but also a medical professional in the exact field that you’re struggling with now. Right. Like how do you just drop everything and go overseas and be with your friend? Yeah, well, very grateful that I had an up to date passport. So that was that was a good thing. Kylie, it was interesting because the texting, like if I go back and look at that history, it’s like you can see the progress in the texts. So you can see that Kylie was using kind of more single words and having struggles with spelling and putting sentences together. And then over time, you know, they became more fluent. but the thing that happened was that Kylie and I were talking and she was able to you know, she got some speech back and we were talking. And she was just saying about the rehab care that the the the kind of caring staff just seemed to have no rehab expertise. So the physios were amazing. I think they were great. There was no active speech therapy for Kylie. I think we ultimately found an English speaking speech therapist but who still had Bulgarian as a first language. And there’s very few occupational therapists in Bulgaria, seems to be some expats. And Kylie was talking to me a jab about just you know, really basic things like not being taken to the toilet. and that’s probably what broke my heart. It’s like I cannot leave her in bed, not being able to go to the toilet. I just can’t do it. And so I just said to my partner, I think I just need to go to Bulgaria. And luckily I’m self-employed. So I just kind of cleared my schedule, got on a plane and yeah, I was just I suppose I’m incredibly grateful to have the skill. incredibly grateful to have the financial ability to do it. and yeah, and the skills to do it. And you know, you don’t always get an opportunity in life to do the right thing, or sometimes you don’t make that decision and later you think, Why didn’t I do X, Y, and Z? I try not to live my life like that. I try to actually do those things. So, yeah, I got on a plane and basically arrived at the airport, got on a train straight out to see Kylie at the Rehope Hospital. You’re a real superhero. I’m very grateful to Nicole. Yeah. I rec you know, my story is kind of well, it has a similar kind of thread to it. I one of my best friends is a radiographer and he was a radiographer at the Royal Melbourne Hospital where I was a patient for nearly two and a half years because I was in and out with a number of brain hemorrhages. I had three in total in the same spot, but over two and a half years, then I had brain surgery. And I can’t tell you how many scans I had, but being a radiographer, he was the one who was in the room taking the photos through the MRI. Yeah. And then he would come out. And he would tell us what he saw in the RI, which was against the rules. that’s why I won’t name him. But but that meant that we didn’t have to wait a month to get our results and the the meeting for the results was just more of we’ll go through the process and and have the meeting. Yeah. And and and it was like and I regretted my life when at school I used to throw his books on the roof of the canteen just to mess with him going to s to class late to get in trouble. and I’ve apologised profusely for that and thanked him every day for the fact that, you know, he was able to lend his well, you know, he was able to be in the room. He was able to have that conversation with us and he was able to ease our minds. over that two and a half year period and then you won’t believe it. Like his daughter had an AVM at seventeen. And she went through that and and has recovered from that somewhat now in the last few years. and I got to be I mean I hate that I had to be this guy, but I got to be the guy that supported him through that really acute phase and There is just nothing to describe what it’s like to be able to a repay the favor. and then but B, when I was in that situation to have somebody kind of well, you know, like put their arm around me and really walk me through every stage. Me and my wife and my family walk us through every stage of that part of it, other than intervening as a brain surgeon. But he was the one that put us in char in in touch with my brain surgeon. like Everything that happened was just the most amazing experience to be able to be guided like that. And I know it’s a privilege and many people don’t get that opportunity. so I see Chris, I haven’t told him this in person. I see him as like a bit of a superhero, but he doesn’t know that. I’ve told him I love him in the way men tell each other that they love each other by s abusing him and swearing at him and telling him that the team that he follows is terrible and all that kind of stuff. Reflections on Healthcare Systems so you arrived in Bulgaria. take me from the airport to the hospital. Like what happens? How is that? Actually the flight was really good. Customs was pretty easy. There was some annoying folk in front of me who I wanted to punch in the face and tell them to hurry up, but I was just, you know, needed to to get there. Kylie’s daughter met me at the airport. And then we got the train together out to the hospital. So, you know, obviously I’m seeing my first sight of Bulgaria. I’d never been there before. so not really taking a tourist route at this point. so went out to see Kylie. And, you know, when you just eyeball someone and I, you know, just thank God I’m here, I’m in front of her. Her she’d had a shaved head. she had some pretty spectacular surgical scars, a couple of very big scabs still on her head. she looked skinny, she looked pale, she had started doing a little bit of movement and the hospital room was really kind basic and crazy. Her friends had funded a pressure mattress for her that didn’t exist. And some of these things I had been liaising with Kylie’s friends in Bulgaria about what could we do, how you know, what do we want to prevent? So we want to prevent anyone pulling on from. Her weak shoulders and like don’t let anyone pull her by the arm. this is how I want, you know, to help her with posture in bed or in sitting. and you know, like speaking in single kind of actions at a time and just take your time, say something, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Just allow Kylie’s brain to, you know, take that information on board. Don’t speak for her. and when I got there, it was really clear that. She had an inattention to the right hand side as an effect from the stroke. So then I was a bit of a ball breaker, rearranging the whole room. No, no, no, no, no. Where, you know, everyone come from the right, everyone sit on the right. no cutler, you’re not allowed to have your phone in your left hand, you’re having your phone in your right hand. I’d taken some things with me from Australia to Bulgaria that I thought she might need. like some built-up cutlery, because I wanted her to use her right hand to feed herself. I took a couple of kind of activities that I thought we could do to look at some retraining for the right arm. what I’ll still bring with me, try to remember now. Benjamin. So yeah, just try kind of going into early stroke rehab principles. Yeah. Did you go there well you went there as a friend. But when you were there, were you able to be a professional and also have a conversation with the local team? Kylie and I laughing. Do you want to tell that story, Kylie? Which one are you thinking about? Where I got told off. No, I don’t remember that. well, Kylie was in act like, you know, there was still quite a lot of weakness, but she was also so determined for her own rehab. And in the system there their carers really don’t have a rehab focus. They have a I’ll provide you a meal focus and I’ll occasionally do some cleaning and I’ll occasionally change the bed linen and but really not a rehab focus. So I’ve personally found it quite easy to help Kylie to like stand move. And so the very first weekend I was there, it was a long weekend and what I didn’t realise later was that they were actually quite understaffed. Which worked in our favour because I was helping Kylie to get onto a shower chair, taking her to have a shower, us taking her to the toilet, because prior to that time they were just, you know, using pads for toileting because Kylie couldn’t stand up or move on her own. And because I’m trained, I found it very easy. She’s a lightweight person and she and I just work together and I could do that. I think it was the Tuesday, person who I refer to as Nurse Ratchet. remembering now kind of intercepted me bringing Kylie back from the bathroom to her room and just like, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. What are you doing? Stop that, stop that, stop that. and you know, she and I are having a bit of a a discussion. And basically she’s refused and I’m allowed to move Kylie. So Kylie is sitting out in the corridor. I think I’d luckily kind of covered you up for privacy. and she’s like, No, you’re not allowed to move her. I’m gonna go and get the physio. I think at least forty minutes went by and then she comes back, well, okay, and I said, Look, I am a trained person, it’s easy, it’s safe. no, I’ll think about it. And then after I think another fifteen minutes she pushed your chair into the bedroom. And then I think it was probably another fifteen minutes where she just decided to move Kylie herself at that point. even though that was out of policy and the physios had to do it. And then it was all this discussion with me that you can’t do it. And in the end it was you can’t do it because you’re a woman. Not strong enough, you know. so yeah. Then Kylie and I kind of would go on clandestine missions because again, from a rehab point of view, being able to stand transfer, it’s putting all the weight through the leg, it’s giving feedback to the brain. I really wanted to make sure Kylie’s bladder and bowel were gonna work properly. And you know, sitting in bed and that’s just not ideal. So then Kylie’s like, Nicole, I want to go to the toilet. I was like, I’m banned, I’m banned, Mother Nurse Ratchet, I’m not allowed to take you. And I was like, shit. So I would go on a little mission, go look down the corridor, make sure she was nowhere to be seen. And then I quickly stole the shower chair and then I found a bucket. And so Kylie and I were doing secret Wii missions in the bedroom. until w on one of our missions I just hadn’t quite got the bucket in the right place. And so then I it was also then later on a cleaning mission. So it was it was a pretty crazy environment. yeah, just for that lack of t whole team approach to rehab. Whereas, you know, in Australia the nurses would all be rehab trained. They would be transferring someone physios would come in, speech would be coming, OTs would be coming. So I was kind of desperately trying to convince Kylie or to get her rehab to a standard where she’d be able to come back to Australia to get some more rehab. You know what’s good about this conversation other than the hilarious nature of it also is that I as an as a person who hadn’t had a stroke before my hadn’t known anyone who had a stroke before my experience, if I had come across somebody who had had a stroke, I wouldn’t have known what to look out for and what to say to support them in a situation where perhaps something was being neglected. Because I don’t know what I don’t know. I’m not a professional, right? Just like those nurses and therapists that weren’t specifically trained. Yeah. In certain things. I mean, you may as well be not only talking a different language, but you may as well be making it up as you go because as far as they know, now this is what we do for stroke patients. This is how we handle that. is it a lack of understanding of what r stroke rehabilitation requires, or is it a lack of resources, or is it a little bit of both? Do you feel in Bulgaria when you were there? I think I think it’s a lack of of all all of that but it’s the lack of maybe money. So it’s a lack of training. So th there’s there’s not enough there’s not the the nurses or the orderlies or whatever they’re called here, are are aren’t paid very much. So they so And t just like, even though I was in a private rehab hospital, so you would have expected that more. It’s you would have expected more, but I just think that they just don’t have the money to to train those people. Yeah. it wasn’t really a role, was it, Kylie? Like they really were more like housekeepers in a sense. It was more like cleaning a meals. I have to say the physios were excellent. and a lot of the physios had good English as well, which was for your rehab was so important. because again a lot of the carers they would come into the room and you know, again, just from a speech therapy point of view, in Australia, say if someone came into the room who was the person who did the menus or filled up the water bottles or the cleaners, Kyler could have spoken to all of those people and had   incidental communication the whole day in English. But because of all of those p incidental people coming in didn’t speak English, you know, reasonably in Bulgaria. it just for me, I was worried about the lack of just exposure to English language as well. So not even speech therapy, just incidental language through the day. Which is very helpful and people don’t realise how helpful it is to be able to speak to a nurse about how you’re feeling or what’s happening. Yeah. And all the usual stuff. And Kylie’s chatty and friendly and she would have just been having conversations galore, but it just it it it couldn’t be. Yeah. Yeah, it’s another another barrier. so you know when you go overseas, it’s your friend and you’re a professional. How do you handle that? Because you know, like are you emotional? Are you trying to put a lid on it? Are you allowing yourself to Gonna be emotional. How does that work? We had some killer laughs, didn’t we? I mean, I’m a joker anyway. And so, like the first time Kylie got to do a poo on the toilet, I just did a poo dance for her. So I I felt half my job was you know, cheering her up and keeping it light and having fun and chatting about stuff we would just always chat about. as well as doing as much rehab because it was very exhausting because, you know, p after a stroke, it’s very fatiguing. you know, so to Kylie was really tired and needed lots of rest. So and because I had just you know, obviously dropped tools to go over quickly, I was just working sometimes. So I just have my computer and if Kylie was asleep I’d just stay with her and and her partner Guido as well, who was there with her as well. So just, you know, emotional support wise. But Yeah, I do some work. And I stayed in Kylie’s apartment. So I w was I just stayed at her place and I I train out to see her each day at the hospital. W how many hours would you spend in hospital with her? What do you think, Kylie? you would often arrive at like ten in the morning and you wouldn’t go till like five in the evening or six in the evening. Yeah. So technically visiting hours kind of finished at six. So I just try and stay most of the day. A full shift. Yeah. Yeah. Unpaid. Unpaid labour. Slave driver. Yeah. yeah. But nah. That’s what friends are for. I very what I very much wanted to stay the whole day because I did really, really wanna like especially the toileting thing. I just really wanted that. Setting Goals and Achievements I had this bit of a goal for myself for Kylie that she would be able to take herself to the toilet before I left the country. So just from a dignity point of view, from a mobility point of view, transfers, you know, bladder control. So yeah, that was one of my big goals. And she rang me when I was in transit at Dubai Airport on my way back to Australia and said, Nicole, I just took myself to the toilet. Wow, that’s cool. Yeah. Yeah. And and I was having physio two physio sessions a d a wi a day. So I was having other than Nicole. So I was having like about one session about of about an hour in the morning and one session of about an hour in the in the afternoon. Got it. You Kylie seem like pretty mm chill, pretty calm. how are you handling it though, emotionally? How’s the aftermath Treating you because there’s a little bit of you know, there’s all that acute stuff. It’s awesome when your friend is there, but then your friend goes home, right? So how how does that transition kind of happen? Yeah, I might start crying. because I’ve just recently spent seven months in Australia. So I I went to Australia in October last year and I came back in just in May. and I had more rehab there. So I had I had student led rehab at at first and then I got in got accepted into Birch, which is the brain injury rehab community and home in Ad in Adelaide. so that’s that is is a whole team of people. So I had I had physio and I and a occupational therapist and a a e exercise physiologist and a speech therapist and stuff like that so I th that’s really good. now the most frustrating part for me is the aphasia so I I can’t I can’t express myself like I used to. Yeah. You know what I love about interviewing people who have aphasia is when they say I can’t in a sentence to describe something to me it triggers the part of the condition which doesn’t allow the words to come out. It’s so interesting. That happens so so often. And it’s just a for me, I noticed this I’m saying it just from a perspective is maybe I can’t is not the right word. I don’t know. You might remember this, you might not, but maybe I can’t is not the right word. Maybe the right word is Something that helps you get to the word that you need to get to. And okay, now that’s just me, the uneducated stroke survivor on a phasia guy. Like I don’t know about that. But it’s so interesting, it happens every time. but then Nicole goes home, you go home, your partner is kind of now taking over the caregiving role, and you still have some deficits. phage is one of them. what about your right side? How offline was it? I I also moved in with Guido after the after the stroke. So so that was that was a has was ha was and has continues to be a challenge because we’re still getting used to living together because we weren’t living together before. and I was very in very independent before. And I was living in Sofia and he and he and I now live in a in a village. So I live in in a village just outside of Sofia. And I’m not driving yet. but I was medically cleared to drive in Australia before I left. So I’m going through the process here. so anyway, all of all of those things together make it very challenging. don’t get me wrong, I I l I love him, but but you know, and and I d and and I made that decision because my apartment is was was on the fourth floor and th there was no lift. Wow. Yeah. So back to your question. When I was when I was when I came here, when I was discharged, I continued with as an outpatient and and the physio continued to come at home twice a week. So I was having more physio maybe like five times a week. and like it were ha had started to come my right side had was all already back online, but I would I was just working on building strength and and I would get still very tired. Yeah. And did your daughter end up coming to live with you as well? No. but she she at the beginning she she was my next of kin. So at the ripe old age of nineteen, she signed the consent to operate forms. yeah, so that was that was very difficult for her. I didn’t know that at the time, obviously. but yeah. And did that happen, did she become your next of kin because your former partner, her dad, and you had separated and then his that role wasn’t gonna be his anymore. It’s just passed down to the person who was the closest to you. Like how did that happen? Family Dynamics and Support Systems We’re divorced. I I’m divorced from her dad. Yeah. So he’s definitely not my next kin. Right. So that ha changed after the divorce and she was the only person you could nominate because she was over is there an age limit to the next of kin? Eighteen. Yeah. Okay. So she had hit that criteria, you nominated her and then at nineteen she got to make a decision. Which she never and you never would have expected ever for that to be a thing. I didn’t nominate her, it would just happen. So I was I I was unconscious at the time that she signed those forms. So yeah. So my friends actually contacted her. and she she rushed to the hospital. so it was all under duress. It was like this is what happened to your mum, you’re her Next of kin, whether you like it or not, you have to decide. Yeah. Far out. Okay, that’s pretty full on for a 19 year old. Yeah. Yeah, seems like she did a good job. How did she handle this whole mum’s not well situation, this stroke thing? Like how did she deal with it? she was very good. my first memory actually is of her coming into the ICU with with the with the whole, you know, the whole like the the hairnet and the mask and the and the and the what’s it called the scrubs. Scrubs, yeah. and she held my hand and said t that she loved me. so that was pretty special. And incidentally I have an a another memory of Guido coming into the ICU as well and singing singing to me. So he he said that he said that I always wanted him to sing and he refused before. And so did did I want him to sing to me now? And I squeezed his hand or on the on the left he’s was holding my left hand and I squeezed his hand and so he knelt down beside my bed and started singing. Wow. Can he actually hold the tune or is he hard to hear? Yes, see he’s he’s very musical. Okay. Thank God. If my wife had asked me to sing a w if I had asked my wife to sing, it wouldn’t have been a good experience at all for either of us. Yeah, he was he was a busker in i in his younger years. Yeah. and now he decided to come good. Fair enough. Well that that’s important. You know, things like that are important. It lightens the the mood and it makes Yeah. You kind of feel like your family’s around and that you know you know, maybe kind of things might be all right. Like it gives that glimmer of hope. Is that how you received it? Yeah, I did. yeah, but I’m also very, very determined. So I’m a I’m a very normally very strong woman and so everyone said to me that if if well not to me, but w we had a we had a group WhatsApp chat so and I was added to it later and everyone said in that that if anyone can get through this, Kylie can. Yeah. So you know when you’re told you’ve had a stroke, you wake up with all the deficits and everything. Are you like how do you take it? I woke up, couldn’t use my left side. I I did not for one minute. It did not cross my mind like for one minute that this is not a good thing. Like I mean, clearly I wasn’t able to move, etcetera. But it never kinda went a lifesaver, I’m fucked. Like I never had that happen. Me as well. yeah. I I’d I’ve never thought that. I don’t know whether I even thought that It was n like you said, that was not a good thing. I just put one foot in front of the other and or not literally, but the Yeah. Metaphorically. Yeah. Metaphorically. so one foot in front of the other and just got on with it. Yeah. Nicole, like you come across in your work, you come across a lot of different versions of patience, right? Like you get people who might just be by design more negative to a bad experience and then people that are half class full to a bad experience. Just from a professional perspective, what’s the difference like when you’re trying to rehabilitate somebody that has kind of that different mindset? From perhaps what Kylie and I described. Yeah, I mean I’m probably in the last half full camp as well. So as an OT, I suppose we always meet people where they’re at. because everyone is a combination of their past experiences, aren’t they? So and cultural things, like there’s a very significant cultural differences in how people respond to pain or disability and expectations of kind of family and I suppose cultural expectations in Australia are even about you know, what what what should be publicly available. So, you know, from an expectations point of view, I think a lot of it is based on, you know, previous experience. So as a therapist, we’re obviously there to support, you know, emotional well being, physical well being, and try and find the things for people that connect with them. So meaningful, like OTs are our absolute core is meaningful occupation. So how do we find something that’s meaningful to that person that we think is going to get them from kind of, you know, here to there and it’s gonna be very different different motivators, you know. Kylie is probably, you know, very self motivated as described. Sometimes it’s about people really have a d strong desire to get back to work, or people have a really strong family structure that they want to be able to get back to do something with their family. So finding the way or the thing hopefully that’s going to motivate them. But we certainly work with people who you know, have a high level of distress from what’s happened to them and and on an ongoing basis. One of the things I’ve got a little quote on my desk that you can’t see here, but it says, I’m still me, just a different version of me. And it’s what someone one of my clients told me recently who has MS. and often we find need to find the new version of someone. and the new meaning for someone if that, you know, needs to happen. So that’s our great challenge, I suppose. That’s a big job, especially very early on when identity is so tied up into who they were literally days ago. You know, like a week ago. The mobile person, the working person, the money making person, the father, the mother, the whatever. Finding Meaning in Recovery And then, you know, you’re dealing with a physical crisis, the existential crisis, the identity crisis, like you’re dealing with it all in the one moment, and you’re trying to get them to sort of see, well, you know, you’re still you and how we’re gonna move forward with the still you person, like we’re still gonna move forward with that person. And then later does come an adjustment of what that you looks like. did for me like it’s a massive adjustment into what me looks like. But my identity wasn’t so much tied up in a one label specifically, although, you know, I s I was the person who felt like they needed to be the main breadwinner, you know, that you know ran a business that did all these things. I I had a big strong identity. But I think one of the things this is going to sound weird or might even sound logical depending on like w who you are and why you’re listening to this podcast. But for me, the fact that my brain went offline was a really good thing because it and that allowed my emotional side to come to the fore. Like it really enabled me to see things with a different intelligence, you know, and access part of me that my emotional intelligence perhaps that I hadn’t that I perhaps suppressed previously, you know, and just battled through things. And that kind of allowed my identity to come with me, it allowed me to leave some stuff behind and allowed me to bring into my identity this emotional side of me, you know, which who cried, who got excited about new and different opportunities, you know, that my head didn’t convince me out of. You know, so there was a lot of silver linings that I didn’t I wasn’t able to iterate back then. I wouldn’t have been able to tell you that it was a silver lining. But now and a few years later, after it all happened, I was definitely able to talk about those silver linings. Kylie Do you you’re fourteen months or so out, right? So maybe you’re not there yet, I don’t know. But are there some silver and I know a hundred percent Nicole was one of those silver linings, I get it. but do you see some silver linings in this whole saga? Yep. I do. my relationship with my daughter got stronger. Yep. So that was all s that was definitely a silver lining. and you know, I I’m was very grateful before, but it cemented how g how grateful I am for my circle of friends. Yeah. Kylie’s friends were amazing. Yeah. Your friends were amazing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Big family still in Australia is is there a big family in Australia, Kylie? Not not a big one, but my mum and dad are still still alive. So they’re they’re in Melbourne. and my sister is in on the Gold Coast and my brother is in Melbourne as well. Yeah. And my and my son is in Adelaide. Okay. So you still have some family here, but then you were able to create a community in the years before the stroke in Bulgaria. Yeah. you you were doing it a little bit tough after the stroke. Yeah. Correct. Yep. So that’s spot on. Did you Nicole tag team with some of those people as well? Yeah, so Kylie’s friends were beautiful and they were looking after me too. So When I was in Bulgaria, they were looking after me, you know, giving me dinner and what have you, and kind of giving me emotional support as well. And I think they were grateful that I was there from a skills point of view, like they were doing a beautiful job of supporting Kylie emotionally. But and I did kind of train them up a little bit in in some rehab as well, you know, how to help with approaching from the right and how to communicate and also just even doing some activities. Kylie and I had the balloon and we were tapping it back and forward to each other for strengthening up the right arm. And then we’d play some kind of word games as we were doing that for some speech therapy. So I was educating her friends around that kind of stuff. But the other thing, Kylie, that you and I have spoken about is, you know, after the stroke is knowing what’s important and how to let some sh shit go that would have been, you know, annoying or you know. focus on something and now it’s just you you just know it’s just not important. Yeah. Being able to just let crap go. Correct correct. and the other silver lining is that I got engaged. Yes. Did he propose soon after? Yes, in the in the rehab hospital. what a romantic Yeah. But he but he said that he’d already decided before the stroke that he wanted to marry be ma be married to me. So he just hadn’t got around to asking me yet. Yeah, fair enough. That stroke has a way of interrupting people’s plans and the things that they think they’re gonna do. so Nicole you normally treat your patients. They get to a stage. Usually they’re a lot better than they were when they first met you. And part of what you do is you send them off into the big wide world like a kid. I’ve grown you know, I’ve raised them, you know, like they know how to comb their hair now. And you kinda send them off and it’s kind of bittersweet, I imagine, but also a very important part that the people who you’re helping get better actually go off into the world on their own. And stop needing to be supported by you. I know there’s some people who need more support and that continues for longer and some people who don’t get enough and it and it’s never enough. But what’s it like knowing the job is not done, but you still have to leave and go home? that was heartache. I mean, Kylie and I both balled our lies out. it was a long flight home. Yeah. Yeah, it was a long flight home. with lots of reflections. I suppose the good thing at that point was Kylie was easily able to speak on the phone or message each other. So and also, you know, I think at that stage maybe I got to see the brain scan and I was just like, my god, how have you even survived this? ‘Cause I think was it about a seven centimeter bleed, Kylie? Yep. seven and a half. Yeah. To be precise. It truly felt like a a miracle. And again, full kudos to the surgeons in Bulgaria, truly, for that acute care. Because I think Kylie, I feel like you were in surgery in about within about two hours or something after the stroke, which is phenomenal. And, you know, your friends really saved your life. taking you straight to the hospital and prevented like, you know, more serious outcomes from the stroke. So yeah, so for me, I was proud of myself as well. and I, you know, I like to live my life by thinking I can look myself in the mirror. And I felt like I can really I’ve got a tear, really look myself in the mirror. Yeah. Doing the right thing. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. You came to the need of somebody who was in need and needed specifically not only your love and support as a friend, but also your skills. Like you had the complete package for them at that time. How long did you end up staying in total? Was I ra away about just under two weeks probably with the flights and everything like that? So yeah. so yeah, leaving was leaving was horrible. But the goal of being able to go to the toilet was met. and also just the skills for, you know, skilled up a few other people and Kylie, you know, had her good networks. I also went out to Kylie’s property out in the village to have a look at any home modifications. So that was another kind of OT type role that that was done. and she’s got an amazing property out there, but it is kind of needs a bit of love and so that was also just reassuring her partner too, like reassuring Guido that no, look, Kylie’s got this. There were a few times where it was like, Nicole, I don’t want her to do this. Like I’m like Guido, she’s safe. She can do it. She’s got sitting balance. She’s okay to sit over the side of the bed. She can wiggle sideways. But he was anxious. And so again, part of my job was to reassure him to make sure that he let her do things. and didn’t step in too quickly. And so as an O T, we’re all used to like sitting on our hands and taking time and letting people struggle a bit. And it was hard for him to let Kylie struggle. So to just encourage him to let her struggle a bit so that she could do it herself and just wait. Just take the time, especially with communication. so yeah, I I kind of obviously knew there was a lot more rehab to be done, but I also had seen Kylie’s determination and that, you know, she kind of knew what to do. and and so that was I I was grateful again for that. Kylie, what was it like when your friend had to leave? I was heartbroken. The Impact of Caregiving I felt like she was a lifeline and I felt like that that had been cut because obviously she speaks English and obviously like Obviously we have a really good relationship. and I felt like I was in a like how do I describe it? In a in a sea of not n of people not understanding. So yeah, not my friends, but the hospital staff, basically. So not the not the physios. Like Nicole said, the physios were exceptional. but, you know, just the hospital staff. Yeah, just generally speaking. So did you feel like she had put you on the right path? Were you more confident with kind of where she left you as opposed to where you guys started and was that enough to kind of give you the foundation for what you needed to take responsibility for when she left? Definitely. yeah, definitely. Yeah. Man, w what a kind of interesting whole situation. You know, if this was fifty years ago, there’s no way anyone’s going anywhere to help anyone with anything. you know, like your hospital s experience in country like Bulgaria after what they’ve been through would have been completely different. You know, your s the chance of surviving telling your story is probably s you know, very much decreased. I know this is gonna sound weird, but like it’s never been a better time to have a stroke in in most of the world. Like let’s face it. the the possibilities are just endless. I’m a miracle from all the medical professionals that put all their time and effort in. I am eternally grateful to my occupational therapists and physios and surgeons and people who invent X ray machines and people who make C T scanners and The plastic bottles where drips go in, like every single thing is just an an absolute miracle of God or medicine or science or I don’t care what, like whatever you want to call it. And it just to me, it you know, here’s a really terrible situation and here and and but look at all the amazing things that came out of it. Somebody from the other side of the planet to be able to come over and intervene in that way, train people up. Like, man, it’s the Perfect like feel good story, you know. Everything’s going okay, things turn shit, and then something good comes out of it and yeah hopefully there’s more good to come, you know. Like, man, it’s just an amazing experience. I just feel really privileged to be able to hear it and share it further. No, not not not me, personally. but now that you say that I will s I will think about it now. the most thing that that Nicole and I reflect on is, you know, like like we’ve already said, how good was that my friends got me to the hospital quickly? How good was the the surgeons the surgeons because it could have all gone wrong. or gone gone a different way. so that’s the stuff we reflect on more. and just just like my amazing recovery. Reflections on Recovery and Gratitude Because I recovered so quickly and so well, like I’ve thrown everyone away here. So so my new my neurologist, my my physios, ever everyone here is like well, back then was like really surprised. So we it’s when I first walked into the n neurologist, she said, like, wow, No one expected you to recover that quickly from such a severe stroke. Yeah. That’s such a good outcome. I like to I like to think that those things wouldn’t have been possible without your most amazing superhero friend Nicole. Nicole, your final thing I’d like to kind of run by you is that your whole career you’re working towards making things better. Yep. Like for people who are going through all really difficult times. have you had you ever dealt with a family member who needed your intervention or family friend or someone like that that needed an intervention with your specific skills before this? man. yes. So when I was quite a young therapist, probably in my early twenties, my dad told me that his One of his like great aunts or cousins elderly relative had had a stroke and she was in hospital and I didn’t really know her. Like she wasn’t someone in the family that I I had knew had known. And I said to Dad, I’ll go and visit her in hospital. And and so I went to the hospital and I found out she was in this room and I walk into the room and there were four people. And I see this gorgeous little old lady who is all crumpled in her chair and squashed and nearly falling out. And I I just walked in and I was horrified. And I just walked straight over to her. And I just said, look, can I help get you more comfortable, get you into a better position? And then I realized it was it was my own relative. and I said to her, I’m Nicole, I’m John’s daughter. you know, dad’s asked me to come and see you. And and she just said the most cutest thing ever. She said, when you walked into the room. You just look so lovely and I hoped you were here to see me, but I I wouldn’t have known what I could have done to deserve that or something something dead cute. anyway, she’d had a very dense stroke and they were basically saying that she wasn’t a candidate for rehab and that she should go straight to a nursing home. And her daughter was a nurse. And she said, Nope, Mum’s not going to a nursing home and she ended up taking her home and I used to go every night after work and do rehab with her. she ended up being able to walk quite with a pretty awkward gait and a and a stick. but she got back to, yeah, walking and living at home and I just again always think that if she didn’t have her daughter, the nurse and myself, she probably would have ended up not not walking. Yeah, being in a nursing home. It’s not that quality of life. So there’s people who definitely go through that. And what I love about you sharing that part of the story is there’s people listening and they’re paying attention and maybe they haven’t been given the amount of therapy that they feel they deserve or need. And maybe that’s going to trigger people to go, you know what, stuff this, I’m gonna find a way to get more therapy, I’m gonna ask. I’m gonna hassle some people, I’m gonna be a pain in the butt to some people, I’m gonna do more. for myself to get me further. I love that you shared that part of the story. That’s kind of the unique experience that a that a a seasoned occupational therapist can kind of impart on us who are early on in the recovery about like how you need to advocate for somebody or yourself for more physical therapy. And and even if you Can’t access that people listening and watching YouTube channels. Go to YouTube. There are a ton of awesome therapists on YouTube showing people how to do exercises at home. Yeah. And I mean, I just took some really basic things. We s I, you know, stole some things out of Kylie’s flat to take in. And Guido’s son gave me some toys and we use those like stacking things to, you know, do rehab with Kylie’s hand. I took some pegs from her house and we made an activity of pegging up the curtains to do shoulder and arm rehab. So you can often do a lot without, yo

5 Hours and 22 MinutesPG-13Thomas777 is a revisionist historian and a fiction writer.Here are the first 5 episodes of the World War 2 series with Thomas777 in one audio file.Episode 1: The Rise of the National Socialists in the Weimar Republic/Germany w/ Thomas777Episode 2: The Invasion of Poland and the U.S. Enters the War w/ Thomas777Episode 3: FDR and The New Dealers Push For War w/ Thomas777Episode 4: The Origins and Rise of Winston Churchill Pt. 1 w/ Thomas777Episode 5: The Origin and Rise of Winston Churchill Pt. 2 - The 1930s w/ Thomas777Thomas' SubstackThomas777 MerchandiseThomas' Book "Steelstorm Pt. 1"Thomas' Book "Steelstorm Pt. 2"Thomas on TwitterThomas' CashApp - $7homas777Pete and Thomas777 'At the Movies'Support Pete on His WebsitePete's PatreonPete's SubstackPete's SubscribestarPete's GUMROADPete's VenmoPete's Buy Me a CoffeePete on FacebookPete on TwitterBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-pete-quinones-show--6071361/support.

00:00:00 – Global-war dread hangs over the opening 00:04:55 – Russian missile crashes inside Poland 00:09:49 – Ukraine strikes an Iranian ship in the Caspian 00:14:42 – Saudi Arabia builds a Red Sea defense bloc 00:19:36 – China's robot army fuels a new threat panic 00:23:43 – Migrants overwhelm Spain's African enclaves 00:32:45 – The Spain crisis turns toward Israel and Morocco 00:37:44 – Tucker frames regional wars as deliberate destabilization 00:42:40 – Israel and Spain trade threats over the enclave crisis 00:47:19 – Spain's Jewish history enters the modern conflict 00:52:16 – The Gates of Toledo revive religious-war comparisons 00:57:08 – Mass migration sparks Spanish civil-war fears 01:03:55 – A clip maps Morocco's migration blackmail strategy 01:07:32 – A caller defends Franco and the Reconquista 01:12:19 – Usury leads the call into central banking 01:16:42 – The Federal Reserve faces a constitutional attack 01:20:15 – Liberal empathy takes blame for social collapse 01:25:08 – Discord and gaming break the tension 01:29:40 – The poisoned water-car inventor mystery returns 01:33:19 – Fauci pleads the Fifth under Senate pressure 01:38:14 – Bill Gates' nuclear clearance draws suspicion 01:42:04 – Mosquito nets allegedly wreck African fisheries 01:46:41 – Fauci's pandemic record gets a furious reckoning 01:51:36 – Masks, AZT and Fauci's HIV-era legacy 01:54:40 – Positive advice closes a bleak show Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research ▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀ ► Website: http://obdmpod.com ► Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/obdmpod ► Full Videos at Odysee: https://odysee.com/@obdm:0 ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/obdmpod ► Instagram: obdmpod ► Email: ourbigdumbmouth at gmail ► RSS: http://ourbigdumbmouth.libsyn.com/rss ► iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/our-big-dumb-mouth/id261189509?mt=2  

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. We have two Jangles this week. Borschel-Dan explains how Boy George released a reggae-inspired track, titled “Od Nirkod” in Hebrew, "We Will Dance Again," on his social media accounts on Monday. The duo chews this over. Hoffman is still jazzed from a Phish show he had seen the previous night. He brings us a fascinating and statistically rare sound sample. The main feature this week is Billy Wilder's 1944 "Double Indemnity," which is considered by many -- including our very own movie maven -- as one of the best pieces of film noir to date. Wilder was born in 1906 in Sucha, Galicia, today's Poland, to a Jewish family. He moved as a boy to Vienna, eventually working as a journalist and screenwriter, and moved to Paris as the Nazis rose to power. By 1934, he had made his way to Hollywood and begun working on films. Last week, Hoffman dared Borschel-Dan to find the Jewish themes of this week's film. Set in 1938, "Double Indemnity" probes the banality of evil even as Wilder's own family was being massacred in Nazi Europe. Wilder won the first of his seven Oscars for the film, which stars Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck and the Jewish actor Edward Goldenberg Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg). Let’s hear who gave this film an “oy,” “meh” or the prized “not bad” this week on The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Część z nas pamięta koszmarne zajęcia z przysposobienia obronnego, w których dominowały: zakładanie masek gazowych, nieudolne próby strzelania z KBKS oraz oczywiście musztra, bo musztra podstawą bezpieczeństwa była. Tyle że czasy się zmieniły i bezpieczeństwo cywilne stało się czymś zupełnie innym. I mamy na to coś wpływ - rozumiejąc np. dezinformację, ale widząc też szerzej swoją obywatelską rolę w kraju, który jak leżał, tak leży w newralgicznym miejscu na mapie Europy. Z moją gościnią, Martą Chalimoniuk-Nowak, Dyrektor Centrum B&R Bezpieczeństwa Cywilnego, rozmawiamy m.in. o wojnie hybrydowej i podejściu do obronności, a także o tym, jak pewien wywiad wykorzystuje wakacje naszych dzieci (zdziwicie się!), czego możemy nauczyć się od Bundeswehry albo czym jest klaster Made in Poland?  

CreepGeeks Podcast Episode 365 INTRO  You're listening to CreepGeeks Podcast! This is Season 10, Episode 365 Jimothy, Ancient Swords Everywhere, Adversarial Clothing, Flock Cameras, Ghost House-Sitting in Japan, and Sharkzilla. Welcome to CreepGeeks Podcast! We broadcast paranormal news and share our strange experiences from our underground bunker in the mountains of Western North Carolina.  THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY BARLEY'S BITES Barley's Bites Barley's Bites is dedicated to providing top-quality, home-made dog treats for every doggo to enjoy. Our treats are made with fresh, healthy ingredients and no harmful chemicals, ensuring your pet receives the best possible nutrition.  Jack loves them, and the dog neighbors approve. Made in New Mexico! Thanks, Kristen and Dave, for sending Jack and us some tasty treats! Barley's Bites: Exclusive offer for CreepGeeks Listeners- Barley's Bites would like to offer all CreepGeeks Podcast listeners 20% off their orders with code "CreepGeeks" at checkout. Your favorite anomalous podcast hosts are Greg and Omi Want to support the podcast? Join us on Patreon:  CreepGeeks Paranormal and Weird News is creating Humorous Paranormal Podcasts, Interviews, and Videos!  Get our new Swag in our Amazon Merch Store:  https://amzn.to/3IWwM1x  Get Starlink for Rural Internet Access  Starlink | Residential Hey Everyone. You can call the show and leave us a message!  1-575-208-4025 Use Amazon Prime's Free Trial! Did you know YOU can support the CreepGeeks Podcast with little to no effort? It won't cost you anything!  When you shop on Amazon.com using our affiliate link, we receive a small percentage.  It doesn't change your price at all. It helps us keep the coffee and gas flowing in the Albino Rhino!  CreepGeeks Podcast is an Amazon Affiliate CheapGeek and CreepGeeks Amazon Page's Amazon Page    Support the Show:  CreepGeeks Swag Shop!  Website- CREEPGEEKS PARANORMAL AND WEIRD NEWS Hey everyone! Help us out!  Rate us on iTunes!  ‎CreepGeeks Paranormal and Weird News Podcast on Apple  WARNING: This Podcast May Contain Bioengineered and Cell-Cultivated Food Products. Stanley Milford Navajo Rangers Book- The Paranormal Ranger: A chilling memoir of investigations into the paranormal in Navajoland https://amzn.to/3ZhzG8m  Interested in Past Lives or Past Life's Journeying- RC Baranowski. Past Life Journeying: Exploring Past, Between, and Future Lives Past Life Journeying: Exploring Past, Between, and Future Lives - Kindle edition by Baranowski, R. C.. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.  Over on our Patreon-  Patron's Messages-  Welcome, Patrons and new Patrons-  New Lake Shawnee Haunted Amusement Park Video is available! Brown Mountain Lights Brown Mountain Lights Geological Survey- Here's a thought: Are Brown Mountain Lights caused by lithium? 1-800 Number Comments-   Fate Magazine - Fate Magazine  Did you know that #creepgeeks is ranked- FeedSpot- 10 Best North Carolina News Podcasts You Must Follow in 2025  10 Best North Carolina Technology Podcasts You Must Follow in 2025  GoodPods- Best Fortean Podcasts [2025] Top 3 Shows - Goodpods  Best Bigfoot Podcasts [2025] Top 30 Shows - Goodpods  Greg's Pen Tangent -The Sharpie S-Gel in Copper:  https://amzn.to/4gNatda  CreepGeeks Podcast NEWS: Omi-  Into the Shadows of McDowell County  Haunted Hollers of McDowell County  What are we doing? What are we up to? Listener Messages- Hey y'all, American married to a Scot here, just wanted to offer my two cents about allergies and the U.K. Allergies are indeed a thing over there. Even with all the rain and lack of sun, allergies exist. Most of the allergies are to the trees, grass, and the mold (from all the moisture). While they do not have the yellow bomb that we get here in the U.S., it manifests in its own hellish way. The Scotsman and the kiddos cannot tolerate trees and grass. I erroneously thought when I moved over there that my American-borne allergies would decrease - @#$% that...nope. Something that makes the allergies worse is that many have allergy-induced asthma (mostly with the damp and cold weather). Last Episode Follow-Up:  Campbell's Soup, No Artificial Meat!  WORLD NEWS: Man finds 2,700 yr old sword sticking upright in Poland's forests 6 yr old finds ancient viking sword upright in field (Norway) Hiker finds 1500 yr old gold sword under tree WEIRD NEWS: 'Adversarial clothing': are garments designed to confuse facial recognition systems about to go mainstream? How you could live to 190: Scientists discover the ultimate limit of the human lifespan  Paranormal: Would you spend the night inside a haunted house for 88000 yen? Inside the world of Japan's ghost real estate industry CRYPTID:  UFO /UAP:  SCI-FI NEWS: SCIENCE: AI audit shows over 20 Georgia Police officers misusing FLOCK Cameras Georgia FBI investigates A Virginia engineer, Jeffrey Scott Sovern, has pleaded not guilty after being accused of destroying 13 AI-powered license plate reader cameras operated by Flock Safety. Rutherfordton Cameras Damaged, $3500 to replace, tax payers overwhelming voted against and are being asked to pay for Man Goes Viral for Arrest Relating to Destruction of FLOCK Cameras: "He couldn't have done it" Scientists Have Made a Sweet Discovery in Interstellar Space, Offering Clues to Mystery of Life's Origins - The Debrief  TECH AI: TIKTOK: NATURE: Video: Strange Raccoon Dubbed 'Jimothy' Becomes Viral Sensation  Monster 'Sharkzilla' leaves trail of carnage off New York coast as scientists probe nuclear mutant theory | Daily Mail Online  *AD BREAK* READ: If you like this podcast, subscribe on YouTube, follow on Spotify, review on Apple Podcasts, support on Patreon, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @CreepGeeks.  LIBSYN AD *AD BREAK* Bumper Music- SHOW TOPICS: AD- Want to Start your own podcast? https://signup.libsyn.com/?promo_code=CREEP  Looking for something unique and spooky? Check out Omi's new Etsy, CraftedIntent: CraftedIntent: Simultaneously BeSpoke and Spooky. by CraftedIntent  Want CreepGeeks Paranormal Investigator stickers? Check them out here: CraftedIntent - Etsy  Check out Omi's new Lucky Crystal Skull Creations:  Lucky Crystal Skull: Random Mini Resin Skull With Gemstones - Etsy  Get Something From Amazon Prime! CheapGeek and CreepGeeks Amazon Page's Amazon Page     Cool Stuff on Amazon -Squatch Metalworks Microsquatch Keychain:  Microsquatch Keychain Bottle Opener with Carabiner. Laser-cut, stone-tumbled stainless steel. DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED IN THE USA.  Amazon Influencer!  CheapGeek and CreepGeeks Amazon Page's Amazon Page   Instagram?  Creep Geeks Podcast (@creepgeekspod) • Instagram photos and videos   Omi Salavea (@craftedintent) • Instagram photos and videos  CreepGeeks Podcast (@creepgeekspodcast) TikTok | Watch CreepGeeks Podcast's Newest TikTok Videos  Need to Contact Us? Email Info: contact@creepgeeks.com  Attn: Greg or Omi  Want to comment on the show? omi@creepgeeks.com   greg@creepgeeks.com   Business Inquiries: contact@creepgeeks.com   CreepGeeks Podcast Store   Music is Officially Licensed through Audiio.com. Artist: Paper Tiger / Song Name: Knollwood / License# 1227348319 #creepgeek  #bigfoot #mattrife #creepgeeks  Tags: WNCbigfoot NC bigfoot sighting, Bigfoot, Ghost, Appalachianhotblob, Paranormal, CreepGeeks,  

Day 1,617.As yet more Russian Wildberries distribution sites reach for the stars, Ukrainian missile producer Firepoint wins the month's top-trolling award by offering merch to anyone who correctly predicts their next target. Dom reports how ballistic-missile defence is the hot topic of military and diplomatic discussion at the moment, with offers from Poland, favours asked of SpaceX and, perhaps least surprising of all, a growing coolness from Donald Trump over the plan/idea/wishful thinking that Ukraine would be given the Patriot blueprints. Alex Nichol reports that Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff may be in Ukraine in the next few weeks, which would be their first trip to Kyiv despite making multiple visits to Putin in Moscow.Contributors: Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.Alex Nichol (Telegraph Journalist).With thanks to Hugh Roberts (@hugh.g.a.roberts on Instagram) and the University of Exeter. Senior Producer: Lilian FawcettVideo Producer: Sophie O'SullivanSocial Producer: Tom SteedStudio Director: Meghan SearleExecutive Editor: Francis DearnleyCreated by David KnowlesNOW IN FULL VIDEO WITH MAPS & BATTLEFIELD FOOTAGE:Every episode is now available on our YouTube channel shortly after the release of the audio version. You will find it here: https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest CONTENT REFERENCED:If you're interested in sponsoring Dom's upcoming defence event, email our colleagues at events@telegraph.co.ukRussian missile destroys US firm's Kyiv drone factory (The Guardian)https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/30/us-firm-drone-factory-terminal-autonomy-ukraine-russia Zelensky Asked Trump for a Favor From Elon Musk (The Atlantic)https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/07/zelensky-asked-trump-for-a-favor-from-elon-musk/688122/Donald Trump ‘not sure' he will let Ukraine build Patriot missiles (Financial Times)https://www.ft.com/content/d8c42f6b-4dba-4976-a907-c7c93bca0bbd?syn-25a6b1a6=1 War and peace: Ukraine's ambassador in Washington joins our table (Christian Science Monitor)https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/monitor_breakfast/2026/0731/ukraine-ambassador-olga-stefanishyna?icid=rssThe Geopolitics of Russia's Civil Nuclear Exports Four Years into the War (Centre for Strategic and International Studies)https://www.csis.org/analysis/geopolitics-russias-civil-nuclear-exports-four-years-war Ukrainian War Time Poetry: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx2YPXiQIIQvRHSFfabgsOZM_5G5eqj5OJantar Publishing House: https://www.jantarpublishing.com/Lines from the frontline: the poet soldiers defending Ukraine (The Conversation): https://theconversation.com/lines-from-the-frontline-the-poet-soldiers-defending-ukraine-276676 Death of a Ukrainian Writer (New Yorker): https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-death-of-a-ukrainian-writer-victoria-amelinaThe Buried Book That Helped Ukraine's Literary Revival (The New York Times): https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/20/world/europe/ukraine-publishing-buried-book.htmlMore about Aliaksei Lazarau: https://x.com/Alx_lazarau/status/2050195969103307014 The petition to allow non-Ukrainian to be recognised as Hero of Ukraine: https://petition.president.gov.ua/petition/264020 EMAIL US:Contact the team on ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk. We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many as possible.HIGHLIGHTS:Russians 'fear being killed in Red Square,' Kyiv claimsZelensky asks Elon Musk a favour Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us in this episode as we dive into sustainable weight loss, hormone balance, metabolic health, and longevity with Dr. Aleksandra Gajer. As a board-certified physician specializing in metabolic health, performance medicine, and hormone optimization, Dr. Gajer is passionate about helping people improve their health through personalized, proactive care that focuses on prevention rather than treatment. Originally from Poland and raised in the United States, she is dedicated to educating others on the lifestyle habits that promote lasting vitality and wellness. Hit play to discover: The foundations of sustainable weight loss. Why hormone balance is essential for long-term health. How metabolic health impacts energy, performance, and longevity. The importance of preserving muscle as we age. Dr. Gajer graduated with top honors from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and completed her residency in academic emergency medicine at The George Washington University. Inspired by years of caring for patients with preventable chronic diseases, she founded The Gajer Practice to deliver personalized, root-cause-focused care that empowers individuals to take control of their health. Her mission is to help patients optimize their biology through evidence-based nutrition, exercise, hormone health, and lifestyle medicine so they can live healthier, more vibrant lives. Connect with Dr. Gajer: The Gajer Practice Instagram LinkedIn Facebook Youtube

Poland's cosmopolitan capital thrives with a post-industrial charm that coexists among reminders of a complicated and sometimes harrowing history. For European travel information, visit https://www.ricksteves.com.

The Meadow is a residential Orthodox gap year program in Supraśl, Poland, where students study theology, participate in prayer and regular services, and live together alongside the Monastery of the Annunciation. Melanie interviews Director Archdeacon Joseph Matusiak and Project Coordinator Sophia Chiriac about the program. Find more information HERE: https://suprasl.org/ Music License: Friends by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/ Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Floppy Days 165 - The Sphere Computer, Part 2 with Ben Zotto Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FloppyDays Sponsors: 8-Bit Classics - https://www.8bitclassics.com/?ref=Floppydays  Arcade Shopper - https://www.arcadeshopper.com  and https://thekeep.net  FutureVision Research - https://www.fvresearch.com/  Tuc's Workbench - https://shop.tucs-workbench.com  Hello and welcome to episode 165 of the Floppy Days Podcast, for July, 2026.  My name is Randy Kindig and I'm your host for this audio and video tribute to vintage computers and computer history. For those of you listening to these podcasts in order, this month's episode is the second part of the 2-part series on the Sphere, which was introduced in 1975; the same year as the Altair and even before the Apple 1. Once again, I want to reiterate what the Sphere was and why do we care?  The Sphere was the first "personal computer," defined as such by Byte Magazine due to its consumer focus and built-in keyboard and monitor.  Many computers can claim the moniker of first "personal computer", and rightly so, but this one has the endorsement of an early, well-respected, long-running computer magazine and they have good reason for feeling this way about the Sphere.  Once you hear the details, you'll see just how ground-breaking this machine was at a very early period of computer history. Not only that, some of the personal stories behind the machine are simply downright fascinating. Ben Zotto is the undisputed expert on the Sphere in these times, after finding an abandoned machine sitting on the sidewalk and deciding to adopt it and learn more about it.  He recently wrote a comprehensive book on the Sphere called "Go Computer Now!" that Ben and I spent a lot of time talking about in the last episode -- which again was the first episode on the Sphere.  This episode series actually serves two purposes: first as an interview with Ben to learn more about him and his book, and secondly as an overview of a computer I didn't cover back when I started this podcast back in 2013 with the Altair 8800 and the Apple 1. So, as I said earlier, this will be the second part of a 2-part journey on the Sphere.  Last month we talked in great detail with Ben Zotto about how he ended up going down the Sphere rabbit hole and all the great things he's done to promote an important machine that was forgotten in the annals of history.  This month, Ben and I go through all the usual topics about the Sphere: history, tech specs, using the machine, current Web sites and a great deal more. I really hope you enjoy hearing more about the Sphere and all the things that Ben has done to fill in the gap in history that used to be occupied by the Sphere! Vintage Computer Shows Silly Venture SE (Summer Edition) - July 30-Aug. 2 - Gdansk, Poland - https://www.demoparty.net/silly-venture/silly-venture-2026-se  Southern Fried Gaming Expo and VCF Southeast - July 31-Aug 2, 2026 - Atlanta, GA - https://gameatl.com/  VCF West - August 1-2 - Computer History Museum, Mountain View, CA - https://vcfed.org/events/vintage-computer-festival-west/  Long Island Retro Gaming Expo - August 7-9, 2026 - Cradle of Aviation, Garden City, NY - https://liretro.com/  ABBUC Summer Camp - August 26-30 - Winterberg-Elkeringhausen, Germany - https://abbuc.de/summercamp  Vintage Computer Festival GB 2026 - September 11-13 - Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, United Kingdom - https://www.facebook.com/events/25457837877216829/  Vintage Computer Festival Midwest - September 12-13 -  Schaumburg Convention Center in Schaumburg, IL - https://vcfmw.org/  Tandy Assembly 2026 - October 2-4, 2026 - Cincinnati, Ohio - https://www.tandyassembly.com/  Portland Retro Gaming Expo - October 9-11 - Oregon Convention Center, Portland, OR - https://retrogamingexpo.com/  Chicago TI International World Faire - October 24 - Evanston Public Library, Evanston, IL - https://www.chicagotiug.org/home  VCF Montreal - November 7-8 - Champlain College Saint-Lambert, Saint-Lambert, QC - https://cvcfed.org/vcf-montreal-2-0/  Schedule Published on Floppy Days Website - https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSeLsg4hf5KZKtpxwUQgacCIsqeIdQeZniq3yE881wOCCYskpLVs5OO1PZLqRRF2t5fUUiaKByqQrgA/pub  Tech Specs BASIC - https://sphere.computer/news/2026-03-28-the-secret-minicomputer-inside-your-sphere.html  Using the Machine/Tips https://sphere.computer/articles/sphere-bringup-guide.html  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFOKQoWlpGk  Popular Magazines/Newsletters Byte Magazine - https://archive.org/details/1982-10-byte-magazine-october-1-byte-magazine-21533/1975%2009%20BYTE%2000-01%20The%20Worlds%20-%20Byte%20Magazine_21693/  Sphere Global News newsletter; put out by Sphere Corp. - https://archive.org/details/bitsavers_spherenews_1063041  Sphere Microcomputer Users' Newsletter - August 1977 - letter from Programma - https://archive.org/details/bitsavers_spherenews7_5204616  Books Stan Veit's book - https://archive.org/details/stan-veits-history-of-the-personal-computer  Stan Veit Podcast: https://www.classiccomputing.com/CCPodcasts/Stan_Veit/Stan_Veit.html  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?app=desktop&list=PLUOGYbuIdClP9KoaDfHXqLvqOeaqTATQK  Fire in the Valley - https://www.amazon.com/Fire-in-Valley-audiobook/dp/B071YYZJG5  Bill Gates' memoir "Source Code: My Beginnings" - https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Source-Code-My-Beginnings/dp/B0D5KHFN6C  Digital Deli - https://archive.org/details/digitaldelicompr0000unse  Ben's book - https://gocomputernow.com/  Software Games & Cassettes! on the 1975 Sphere computer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AISsrGfb9n0  Ads "Why not go computer now?" - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sphere_Personal_Computer_Ad_January_1976.jpg  Modern Upgrades https://sphere.computer/shop.html  Emulation https://sphere.computer/emulator/  Community Forums AtariAge - https://www.atariage.com  VCFEd - https://forum.vcfed.org/index.php  Current Web Sites and Videos Very old SPHERE computer doing very silly tricks, for SPHERETEMBER!!! - Ben Zotto - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHALstVxdPI  Sphere repository at bitsavers.org - https://bitsavers.org/pdf/sphere/  Home repository for the Sphere-1 reconstruction by Andrew Shapton - https://github.com/Sphere-Corporation  https://hackaday.com/2023/03/11/a-love-letter-to-the-sphere-computer/  VCF West: Sphere 1: The First Modern Microcomputer — Ben Zotto - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GilFixu4KY  References Ben's site - https://sphere.computer/  Ben's book "Go Computer Now!!!" - https://shop.gocomputernow.com/products/go-computer-now  Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphere_1 

The Washington Post reports that shrinking U.S. missile and munitions inventories, driven largely by the conflict with Iran, are putting intense pressure on the Pentagon to rebuild its arsenal quickly. Russia launched a massive overnight assault on Ukraine with 284 drones and 70 missiles, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens more across multiple regions of the country, according to Ukrainian officials. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed the casualties in part on shortages and delays in Western air-defense support. Please Like, Comment and Follow 'Philip Teresi on KMJ' on all platforms: --- Philip Teresi on KMJ is available on the KMJNOW app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever else you listen to podcasts. -- Philip Teresi on KMJ Weekdays 2-6 PM Pacific on News/Talk 580 AM & 105.9 FM KMJ | Website | Facebook | Instagram | X | Podcast | Amazon | - Everything KMJ KMJNOW App | Podcasts | Facebook | X | Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spain deploys the army to Ceuta after thousands of migrants cross its border from Morocco, the U.S. launches a "heavy wave of strikes" on Iran, Poland claims a Russian missile may have struck Its territory, a U.S. Senate committee cancels a vote on acting Attorney General Blanche's nomination, the Alien Terrorist Removal Court convenes its first hearing in its 30-year history, Salman Rushdie's attacker is convicted of terrorism, Australia takes Telegram to court for allegedly failing to remove terrorist content, the Fed holds rates steady at 3.5% to 3.75%, hundreds of Claude AI Chats surface on search engines, and all 55 UEFA members vote to boycott FIFA competitions over its $20B subsidiary. Sources: Verity.News

The Washington Post reports that shrinking U.S. missile and munitions inventories, driven largely by the conflict with Iran, are putting intense pressure on the Pentagon to rebuild its arsenal quickly. Russia launched a massive overnight assault on Ukraine with 284 drones and 70 missiles, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens more across multiple regions of the country, according to Ukrainian officials. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed the casualties in part on shortages and delays in Western air-defense support. Please Like, Comment and Follow 'Philip Teresi on KMJ' on all platforms: --- Philip Teresi on KMJ is available on the KMJNOW app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever else you listen to podcasts. -- Philip Teresi on KMJ Weekdays 2-6 PM Pacific on News/Talk 580 AM & 105.9 FM KMJ | Website | Facebook | Instagram | X | Podcast | Amazon | - Everything KMJ KMJNOW App | Podcasts | Facebook | X | Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

July 31, 2026 ~ Rocky Raczkowski, Retired Lt. Colonel for the US Army discusses the Hamas disarmament deal and a Russian missile hitting Poland. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This month on Story Radio, Tabitha Potts and Martin Nathan talk to Marc S. Perlman about his debut novel, The Riddle of the Trees, published by Koehler Books on 10th March 2026.The novel opens with two journeys that will soon collide. In Belarus, a physicist is murdered by a KGB agent; in America, Jack Miller boards a flight to Eastern Europe hoping to understand the rift that has divided his Holocaust-surviving father and grandfather for decades. Before too long, their stories intersect in a tense international conflict focused on the Polish and Belarusian borders which meet in the Belavezskaya Forest. It's a fast-paced espionage novel with a fascinating backdrop.We talk to Marc about how he was inspired to write the novel while cycling through the Belavezskaya Forest from Poland into Belarus, about how he worked on the motivations for his main character and how he researched the spycraft used in the story.Marc S. Perlman lives with his wife and son in New York City, where he works as a lawyer and does much of his writing after his son finally agrees to go to bed. A graduate of Bowdoin College and Cardozo Law School, he has a lifelong interest in history and has travelled extensively throughout Eastern Europe. The Riddle of the Trees is his first novel.Produced by Martin Nathan.Martin Nathan has worked as a labourer, showman, pancake chef, fire technician and a railway engineer. His short fiction has been published by Tangent Press, HCE and Grist and his poetry has appeared in Finished Creatures, Erbacce and Aesthetica. His novel, A Place of Safety, is published by Salt Publishing.Story Radio CIC is supported by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and Allia Impact.Support Story Radio Podcast

NATO SCRAMBLES, Russian Missile HITS POLAND, Calls For DEESCALATION | Tim Pool   BUY CAST BREW COFFEE TO FIGHT BACK - https://castbrew.com/ Join The Discord Server - https://timcast.com/join-us/ Live Show - https://youtube.com/timcastirl News - http://youtube.com/timcastnews Daily Show - http://youtube.com/timcast X - https://x.com/Timcast Insta - http://instagram.com/timcast

MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on all hell breaking loose as air sirens sounded in Lublin, Poland on the same day Zelenskyy was there as Russia's primary target appeared to be Lviv and as Ukraine engaged in more strikes on Russian Wildberry facilities and refineries. Sundays for Dogs: Make the switch to Sundays. Go right now to https://sundaysfordogs.com/MEIDAS30 and get 30% off your first 3 orders. Or, you can use code MEIDAS30 at checkout. Visit https://meidasplus.com for more! Remember to subscribe to ALL the MeidasTouch Network Podcasts:MeidasTouch: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/meidastouch-podcastLegal AF: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/legal-afMissTrial: https://meidasnews.com/tag/miss-trialThe PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-politicsgirl-podcastCult Conversations: The Influence Continuum with Dr. Steve Hassan: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-influence-continuum-with-dr-steven-hassanThe Weekend Show: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-weekend-showThe Ken Harbaugh Show: https://meidasnews.com/tag/the-ken-harbaugh-showMajority 54: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/majority-54On Democracy with FP Wellman: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/on-democracy-with-fpwellmanUncovered: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/maga-uncovered Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: President Trump orders a massive wave of airstrikes against Iran after Tehran's missile attack on U.S. forces, marking one of the largest American bombing campaigns against the regime since the war began. We'll examine the targets, the strategy behind the operation, and what it could mean for the next phase of the conflict. Russia unleashes another major missile barrage against Ukraine, but one of the missiles appears to have crashed inside NATO member Poland, raising fresh concerns that the war could once again spill beyond Ukraine's borders and increase tensions between Moscow and the alliance. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President's Daily Brief by visiting https://PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Cardiff: Get fast business funding without bank delays—apply in minutes with Cardiff and access up to $500,000 in same‑day funding at https://Cardiff.co/PDB QUO: Make this the season where no opportunity slips away. Try QUO for free PLUS get 20% off your first 6 months when you go to https://Quo.com/PDB Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Day 1,616.A Russian cruise missile is believed to have landed in Poland overnight, just after President Zelensky and Polish prime minister Donald Tusk met to patch up a rumbling diplomatic spat. Meanwhile, inside Ukraine, former Minister of Defence Fedorov gives his first big interview since being sacked, saying there is 'resistance to change' in the defence ministry and laying out his vision to win the war. Finally, Dom, Adelie, and Francis read your best summer postcards and answer your questions.Contributors:Adelie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X.Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.Producer: Tom SteedSenior Producer: Lilian FawcettVideo Producer: Sophie O'SullivanSocial Producer: Anita BlayStudio Director: Meghan SearleExecutive Editor: Francis DearnleyCreated by David KnowlesNOW IN FULL VIDEO WITH MAPS & BATTLEFIELD FOOTAGE:Every episode is now available on our YouTube channel shortly after the release of the audio version. You will find it here: https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest CONTENT REFERENCED:‘Russian missile' leaves crater in Poland (The Telegraph)https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/30/poland-explosion-russian-missile-attack/ Attacks on Ukrainians in Poland are rising. Disinformation fuels the flames (Kyiv Independent)https://kyivindependent.com/attacks-on-ukrainians-in-poland-are-rising-disinformation-fuels-the-flames/Watch the full interview with Mykhailo Fedorov (Ukrainska Pravda, in Ukrainian)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbjYc4-OuT0Russia importing sensitive UK, EU tech through India, data shows (Politico)https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-import-uk-eu-technology-india-data/Francis's Interview with Michael Bohnert re. Patriot missile timescales:https://youtu.be/Fg_PmGkpJu4?si=Jf7HoU6anVj1JCQW EMAIL US:Contact the team on ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk. We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many as possible.HIGHLIGHTS:Russian missile leaves crater in PolandFedorov reveals all in first interview since sacking Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ahead of appearances at Young Island Music Festival in Romania and Sunrise Festival in Poland this weekend, Markus Schulz marks the midpoint of the summer sessions on Global DJ Broadcast with a showcase of Dive, fresh from its release and building anticipation for In Search of Sunrise 22 Mix 1: The Awakening. The show includes Coldharbour world premieres from ReDub and Tim Clark, alongside fresh offerings from Giuseppe Ottaviani & Billy Gillies, Sasha, Nicky Elisabeth, Estiva and Frankyeffe. Jardin Owens drops by for the guestmix ahead of the release of his Coldharbour single 1991.   The Essentials with Markus Schulz 01. Markus Schulz featuring RVYM - Dive 02. Dosem - Morning Runner 03. Michael Cassette - Double Oath 04. Nicky Elisabeth - Waves [A Moment of Sunrise] 05. Darlyn Vlys - On the Edge [Down the Rabbit Hole] 06. Adriatique x GENESI - Closer 07. Sasha - Hollow Sun 25 08. Boxer - Verde (Jerome Isma-Ae Remix) 09. ReDub - Moments Like This 10. Mike EFEX - Never Be Alone 11. Das Pharaoh & SHERRNX - Void Between Us 12. Cristoph & Fahlberg - Set Your Mind 13. Tim Clark - When I Think of You [In Bloom] 14. Estiva - The Wave 15. Ronski Speed - Melody Beneath 16. Niklas Harding & Funabashi - Addictive [Hall of Fame]   Jardin Owens 01. Jardin Owens - Prism 02. Jardin Owens - 1991 03. Because of Art - Falling For 04. Jardin Owens - Away 05. David Forbes & Mayan Art - Fragments of Time   The Final 30 17. Giuseppe Ottaviani & Billy Gillies - Doves 18. Markus Schulz & UUFO featuring Dauby - Perfect 19. Sander van Doorn x Marco V - Catalyst 20. Sean Dexter - Synthetica (Maite Dedecker Remix) 21. The Thrillseekers - When Darkness Falls 22. Frankyeffe - Out of This World 23. Craig Connelly - New York Sunday (Sequence Six Remix) 24. Ben Gold - My Path Leads to You  

Eleanor Oldroyd is joined by BBC Chief Football News Reporter Simon Stone, The Athletic's Adam Crafton and ESPN's Julien Laurens as UEFA and its 55 member associations take the extraordinary step of threatening to boycott every FIFA competition if Gianni Infantino proceeds with plans to sell ownership stakes in the World Cup and other tournaments to private investors.We hear UEFA's powerful statement declaring the World Cup “not for sale”, reaction from home nations and CONCACAF, and speak live to UEFA vice-president Laura McAllister who was in the room for the vote. Plus thoughts from former FA executive director David Davies and discussion of the immediate threat to upcoming tournaments - including the U20 Women's World Cup in Poland that starts in five weeks, for which England have already qualified.

President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general is in trouble. We have some new economic data to discuss. A new CNN poll shows that as of now, Democrats have an edge heading into the midterms. A missile apparently launched by Russia lands inside Poland. And the cyclosporiasis outbreak takes a bite out of Taco Bell sales. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ukraine reels from yet another night of deadly strikes from Russia that killed at least nine people, including children. Poland blames Moscow for firing a missile into its territory, creating a massive crater after it landed and exploded in a field. Two NATO fighter jets were activated and prepared to shoot it down. To discuss whether this changes the tide in the war, Ukrainian journalist Nataliya Gumenyuk joins the show.  Also on today's show: Nabiha Syed, Executive Director, Mozilla Foundation; Gioconda Belli, Nicaraguan novelist and poet; Marita Golden, Co-founder, Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation & Gwen McKinney, Creator and Campaign Director, Unerased | Black Women Speak    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

America is on track to become a "net mortality society," where deaths outnumber births. As births plummet to almost 25% below replacement, the United States faces a future with a shrinking population, and the consequences extend far beyond the American family. Nicholas Eberstadt argues that falling birth rates reflect a deeper cultural shift away from marriage, family, and the institutions that have long sustained prosperous societies, raising difficult questions about economic growth, immigration, Social Security, and America's future. He examines the consequences of the men-without-work problem in the wake of the COVID pandemic, the role of AI in shaping immigrants' job opportunities, and how socialism's growing popularity in America affects the labor market. Combined with fertility rates collapsing across the developed world and loneliness reaching unprecedented levels, can America capitalize on our advantages in a way that China can't? Or are we bound to the same fate as other countries like Poland or Japan? Can public policy reverse these trends, or is this ultimately a crisis of meaning and norms rather than economics? Ultimately, what happens when societies stop replacing themselves...Nicholas Eberstadt holds the Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), and is a senior adviser to the National Bureau of Asian Research. He has written numerous books and monographs, including His many books and monographs include Men Without Work: Post-Pandemic Edition (2022); Russia's Peacetime Demographic Crisis: Dimensions, Causes, Implications (2010). He has offered invited testimony before Congress on numerous occasions and has served as consultant or adviser for a variety of units in the US government. In 2020, he received the Irving Kristol Award, AEI's highest honor.Read the transcript here.Subscribe to our Substack here.

A fascinating set of interviews with leading Jewish communists in their old age, plus equally fascinating secret remarks re: Jews by Nikita Khrushchev, successor to Stalin. Communism was a religious faith!

The union representing some WestJet flight attendants has issued a 72 hour strike notice.CBC News has uncovered the identity of the Canadian woman arrested in Belgium last week on espionage charges. Thousands of migrants swim into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, prompting Spain to call in the army and declare a national emergency. At least eight people are dead following heavy Russian strikes across Ukraine, as NATO member Poland confirms a Russian missile landed within its borders. There are signs of hope in France as wildfires continue to burn. More than 70 hikers were evacuated from British Columbia's famous West Coast Trail. The Italian tall ship Amerigo Vespucci is now docked in Montreal.

U.S. Central Command says it has carried out a major wave of airstrikes against targets in Iran. CENTCOM says the strikes were launched after attempted Iranian missile attacks on American forces in the Middle East. CENTCOM says more than 50,000 U.S. service members remain deployed across the Middle East and are on high alert.The Senate Judiciary Committee delayed a vote on Todd Blanches' nomination for U.S. Attorney General that was schedule for Thursday morning. That's after Senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn expressed concerns are Trump's anti-weaponization fund. Chairman Chuck Grassley said he's working on a solution but unclear if that will come to conclusion before august recess set to start.Ukrainian officials say Russia launched one of its largest air attacks on Ukraine overnight, citing more than 70 missiles and around 280 drones, killing 8 people. Russia says it targeted military facilities, but Ukraine says residential buildings, schools and other civilian sites were hit. Poland meanwhile scrambled fighter jets after a Russian cruise missile crossed into its airspace and crashed about 55 miles inside the country.

Video guide to the new supporters' system : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnP0nmKUIFo&t=2sWorld news in 7 minutes. Friday 31st July 2026.Today: UEFA boycott. Ukraine-Russia strikes. Poland missile. Germany car protests. Hungary mammoth. Japan earthquake. Australia Telegram court. Saudi Yemen invasion? Argentina snow rescue. Canadians less US. Spain Morocco migrants. Egypt tankers hit. DRC new monkey.With Stephen DevincenziBecome a SEND7 supporter!Ad-free listeningBonus quiz episode every FridayDaily transcripts (written by us, not AI!)Vocabulary listsWednesday worksheetsAsk questions in Ask Me Anything episodes10% of our profit goes to Effective Altruism charities.You can become a supporter at send7.supercast.comFor more information about SEND7 visit send7.org/contact or send an email to podcast@send7.org

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Street Life, Mark Davidson and John St dive into an engaging conversation with Lukas Vasilikos, a contemporary Greek photographer renowned for his atmospheric street photography.Lukas shares his journey into photography, which began in 2006 after attending a seminar that ignited his passion for street photography. He discusses his transition from being an athlete to a photographer and how that discipline has influenced his work. We explore his extensive body of work, including a deeply personal project documenting his daughter's growth over 18 years, which he plans to publish soon.Throughout the episode, Lukas reflects on the complexities of street photography, including the love-hate relationship many photographers have with the genre. He emphasises the importance of being disciplined and the necessity of shooting regularly to improve one's craft. We also touch on the ethical considerations of candid photography and the challenges of photographing in Athens, a city he describes as visually chaotic and aggressive.As the conversation unfolds, Lukas shares insights into his creative process, the significance of understanding photography as a language, and the value of consuming various forms of art to enhance one's photographic vision. In closing, Lukas expresses a desire to photograph in Poland and Paris, highlighting the unique opportunities each location offers for street photography. This episode is a rich exploration of the artistic journey, the challenges of street photography and the personal connections that drive Lukas's work. Thank you for joining us, and we hope you enjoy this insightful conversation!WEBSITE | INSTAGRAMFollow us on Instagram and leave us a review!

THE TIM JONES AND CHRIS ARPS SHOW 0:00 SEG 1: US strikes back at Iran after Tuesday's attempted attack on a US base in Jordan 13:58 SEGMENT 2: STEVE BUCCI, Visiting Fellow at the Heritage Foundation who focuses on cybersecurity and military special operations || TOPIC: National defense headlines of the day || The U.S. retaliates against a 'surprise attack' by Iran in Jordan || Trump hosted Putin and Zelenskyy at White House this week || NATO Says Russian Missile Hit Poland During Ukraine Attack || Trump announces Veteran Truck Driving Initiativeheritage.orgx.com/SBucci 30:18 SEGMENT 3: CHRIS CORNER: Who is for and against immigration? https://newstalkstl.com/ FOLLOW TIM - https://twitter.com/SpeakerTimJones FOLLOW CHRIS - https://twitter.com/chris_arps 24/7 LIVESTREAM - http://bit.ly/NEWSTALKSTLSTREAMS RUMBLE - https://rumble.com/NewsTalkSTL See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

THE TIM JONES AND CHRIS ARPS SHOW 0:00 SEG 1: US strikes back at Iran after Tuesday's attempted attack on a US base in Jordan 13:58 SEGMENT 2: STEVE BUCCI, Visiting Fellow at the Heritage Foundation who focuses on cybersecurity and military special operations || TOPIC: National defense headlines of the day || The U.S. retaliates against a 'surprise attack' by Iran in Jordan || Trump hosted Putin and Zelenskyy at White House this week || NATO Says Russian Missile Hit Poland During Ukraine Attack || Trump announces Veteran Truck Driving Initiativeheritage.orgx.com/SBucci 30:18 SEGMENT 3: CHRIS CORNER: Who is for and against immigration? https://newstalkstl.com/ FOLLOW TIM - https://twitter.com/SpeakerTimJones FOLLOW CHRIS - https://twitter.com/chris_arps 24/7 LIVESTREAM - http://bit.ly/NEWSTALKSTLSTREAMS RUMBLE - https://rumble.com/NewsTalkSTL See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ian McMillan and poets Vona Groake, Jardel Rodrigues, Mira Rosenthal and Malgorzata Lebda bring poetry that helps us navigate storms, rivers and seas - real and metaphorical, and sound artist and musician SHHE (Su Shaw) immerses us in surprising sounds of the sea. Vona Groake's latest collection Infinity Pool was shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize this year. She's writer in residence at St John's College Cambridge and the Ireland Professor of Poetry at Trinity College in Dublin. Vona chooses a 'neon line' to explore and reads her own work.Su Shaw, who works as SHHE, is a sound artist and composer, whose music has been shortlisted for the Scottish Album of the Year. Su is based in Dundee – and has always been intimate with that city's river - the River Tay. Her new album ‘THALASSA' was produced sustainably, in keeping with her ecologically minded projects - and is is a six-part ambient work giving voice to the Mediterranean Sea.Jardel Rodrigues is from Old Trafford in Manchester – he's won the BBC Words First Spoken Word Poetry Competition, and he's a titan of Manchester's shining spoken word institution 'Young Identity'. He brings us a new commission on the theme 'How to get through'.We hear the voice and the work of Malgorzata Lebda, a Polish poet who writes poems that reveal what flows between people and landscape. Malgorzata ran the length of the longest river in Poland, the Vischula – driven by her sense of how threatened our rivers are, a kind of poetry activism. Malgorzata's translator, Mira Rosenthal joins us to explain how she managed to convey Malgorzata's innovative way of writing about the body in her collection 'Mer de Glace' (Fitzcarraldo). Mira is a poet, and a Professor of Creative Writing based in California.Produced by Faith Lawrence

Anna Lively is a historian of modern Ireland, Britain, and Russia. Awarded her PhD in History from the University of Edinburgh in 2022, she is currently a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in History at the University of Strathclyde. Prior to this she held the Roy Foster Irish Government Research Fellowship in the History and Culture of Ireland at Hertford College, University of Oxford, and was a Teaching Fellow in Modern History at the University of Aberdeen. She has published in multiple journals on the centenary of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and on the Irish Save the Children Fund. From the late nineteenth century, Ireland featured prominently in Russian liberal, conservative, and radical debates about land politics, self-determination, and empire. Equally, Irish commentators from across the political spectrum used Russia as a lens onto questions of imperialism, anti-imperialism, and socialism. But while the Irish and Russian revolutionary contexts are well-studied in isolation, their myriad political, social, and cultural entanglements are not.Drawing on extensive Russian and Irish archival accounts, newspapers, diaries, letters, memoirs, literary, and visual sources, Revolutionary Connections: Russia and Ireland, 1905-1923 (Oxford UP, 2026) looks in both directions at Irish responses to Russian revolutionary change and at representations of Ireland in Russian-language texts from the 1905 Russian Revolution to the end of the Irish Civil War in 1923. The result is a unique account of international engagement in revolutionary Russia and Ireland and of how Ireland was imagined beyond the Anglophone world. This mutual, if selective and conditional, engagement reflected wider technological changes in news communication and the expansion of international news agencies. Diasporic networks, including in Britain and the US, helped to shape Russo-Irish relations and Irish publications and political actors engaged with different parts of the Russian empire, including Ukraine, Finland, and Poland.Through five thematic chapters, the book considers Russo-Irish relations from contrasting and often overlooked angles, including Irish eyewitness experiences on the Eastern front during World War One and religious perspectives. Using a transnational methodology and expansive source base, the book offers a fresh angle on the entangled history of revolutions in the early twentieth century and the translation of news and ideas across borders. Revolutionary Connections: Russia and Ireland, 1905–1923 will be published in September 2026 with Oxford University Press Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Anna Lively is a historian of modern Ireland, Britain, and Russia. Awarded her PhD in History from the University of Edinburgh in 2022, she is currently a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in History at the University of Strathclyde. Prior to this she held the Roy Foster Irish Government Research Fellowship in the History and Culture of Ireland at Hertford College, University of Oxford, and was a Teaching Fellow in Modern History at the University of Aberdeen. She has published in multiple journals on the centenary of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and on the Irish Save the Children Fund. From the late nineteenth century, Ireland featured prominently in Russian liberal, conservative, and radical debates about land politics, self-determination, and empire. Equally, Irish commentators from across the political spectrum used Russia as a lens onto questions of imperialism, anti-imperialism, and socialism. But while the Irish and Russian revolutionary contexts are well-studied in isolation, their myriad political, social, and cultural entanglements are not.Drawing on extensive Russian and Irish archival accounts, newspapers, diaries, letters, memoirs, literary, and visual sources, Revolutionary Connections: Russia and Ireland, 1905-1923 (Oxford UP, 2026) looks in both directions at Irish responses to Russian revolutionary change and at representations of Ireland in Russian-language texts from the 1905 Russian Revolution to the end of the Irish Civil War in 1923. The result is a unique account of international engagement in revolutionary Russia and Ireland and of how Ireland was imagined beyond the Anglophone world. This mutual, if selective and conditional, engagement reflected wider technological changes in news communication and the expansion of international news agencies. Diasporic networks, including in Britain and the US, helped to shape Russo-Irish relations and Irish publications and political actors engaged with different parts of the Russian empire, including Ukraine, Finland, and Poland.Through five thematic chapters, the book considers Russo-Irish relations from contrasting and often overlooked angles, including Irish eyewitness experiences on the Eastern front during World War One and religious perspectives. Using a transnational methodology and expansive source base, the book offers a fresh angle on the entangled history of revolutions in the early twentieth century and the translation of news and ideas across borders. Revolutionary Connections: Russia and Ireland, 1905–1923 will be published in September 2026 with Oxford University Press Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Anna Lively is a historian of modern Ireland, Britain, and Russia. Awarded her PhD in History from the University of Edinburgh in 2022, she is currently a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in History at the University of Strathclyde. Prior to this she held the Roy Foster Irish Government Research Fellowship in the History and Culture of Ireland at Hertford College, University of Oxford, and was a Teaching Fellow in Modern History at the University of Aberdeen. She has published in multiple journals on the centenary of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and on the Irish Save the Children Fund. From the late nineteenth century, Ireland featured prominently in Russian liberal, conservative, and radical debates about land politics, self-determination, and empire. Equally, Irish commentators from across the political spectrum used Russia as a lens onto questions of imperialism, anti-imperialism, and socialism. But while the Irish and Russian revolutionary contexts are well-studied in isolation, their myriad political, social, and cultural entanglements are not.Drawing on extensive Russian and Irish archival accounts, newspapers, diaries, letters, memoirs, literary, and visual sources, Revolutionary Connections: Russia and Ireland, 1905-1923 (Oxford UP, 2026) looks in both directions at Irish responses to Russian revolutionary change and at representations of Ireland in Russian-language texts from the 1905 Russian Revolution to the end of the Irish Civil War in 1923. The result is a unique account of international engagement in revolutionary Russia and Ireland and of how Ireland was imagined beyond the Anglophone world. This mutual, if selective and conditional, engagement reflected wider technological changes in news communication and the expansion of international news agencies. Diasporic networks, including in Britain and the US, helped to shape Russo-Irish relations and Irish publications and political actors engaged with different parts of the Russian empire, including Ukraine, Finland, and Poland.Through five thematic chapters, the book considers Russo-Irish relations from contrasting and often overlooked angles, including Irish eyewitness experiences on the Eastern front during World War One and religious perspectives. Using a transnational methodology and expansive source base, the book offers a fresh angle on the entangled history of revolutions in the early twentieth century and the translation of news and ideas across borders. Revolutionary Connections: Russia and Ireland, 1905–1923 will be published in September 2026 with Oxford University Press Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/russian-studies

Anna Lively is a historian of modern Ireland, Britain, and Russia. Awarded her PhD in History from the University of Edinburgh in 2022, she is currently a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in History at the University of Strathclyde. Prior to this she held the Roy Foster Irish Government Research Fellowship in the History and Culture of Ireland at Hertford College, University of Oxford, and was a Teaching Fellow in Modern History at the University of Aberdeen. She has published in multiple journals on the centenary of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and on the Irish Save the Children Fund. From the late nineteenth century, Ireland featured prominently in Russian liberal, conservative, and radical debates about land politics, self-determination, and empire. Equally, Irish commentators from across the political spectrum used Russia as a lens onto questions of imperialism, anti-imperialism, and socialism. But while the Irish and Russian revolutionary contexts are well-studied in isolation, their myriad political, social, and cultural entanglements are not.Drawing on extensive Russian and Irish archival accounts, newspapers, diaries, letters, memoirs, literary, and visual sources, Revolutionary Connections: Russia and Ireland, 1905-1923 (Oxford UP, 2026) looks in both directions at Irish responses to Russian revolutionary change and at representations of Ireland in Russian-language texts from the 1905 Russian Revolution to the end of the Irish Civil War in 1923. The result is a unique account of international engagement in revolutionary Russia and Ireland and of how Ireland was imagined beyond the Anglophone world. This mutual, if selective and conditional, engagement reflected wider technological changes in news communication and the expansion of international news agencies. Diasporic networks, including in Britain and the US, helped to shape Russo-Irish relations and Irish publications and political actors engaged with different parts of the Russian empire, including Ukraine, Finland, and Poland.Through five thematic chapters, the book considers Russo-Irish relations from contrasting and often overlooked angles, including Irish eyewitness experiences on the Eastern front during World War One and religious perspectives. Using a transnational methodology and expansive source base, the book offers a fresh angle on the entangled history of revolutions in the early twentieth century and the translation of news and ideas across borders. Revolutionary Connections: Russia and Ireland, 1905–1923 will be published in September 2026 with Oxford University Press Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In The Londinium Chronicles, Gaius (John Batchelor) and Germanicus (Michael Vlahos) explore the intersections of Roman history and modern geopolitics.Gaius and Germanicus: The hosts analyze the current "floundering" of the White House and the Kremlin. Germanicus argues the US lacks a "theory of victory" in Iran, mired in a conflict it refuses to settle due to the inability to accept defeat. Simultaneously, he critiques NATO for using Ukraine as a surrogate to bait Russia, noting that small, "inveterately focused" nations like Poland and the Baltics are dragging the US into an unnecessary war. Germanicus describes Europe as a "homunculus"—a helpless dependency attached to the US with no personal agency. He suggests the US remains trapped by the "overhang" of its post-Cold War "super triumph," viewing itself as an Olympian god of war despite failed enterprises in Iraq and Afghanistan. Russia, meanwhile, is characterized as being in "survival mode," seeking to defend its borders against NATO's offensive pressure. (1)SULLA COIN

A riveting new look at the parallel lives of Charles Manson and Roman Polanski reveals connections beyond the notorious Tate-LaBianca murders.Since the horrific murder of Sharon Tate in 1969, the names Charles Manson and Roman Polanski have been brutally linked. But new analysis of the parallel and intertwining stories of these two men reveals a connection that preceded that fateful day.Manson and Polanski shared remarkably similar, and similarly awful, childhoods. In their early years they both developed a hatred of the establishment and of authority—Manson, from being abused by relatives, school staff, and jailors, and Polanski from living under the Nazi regime and then Polish Communists in the 1950s.Manson was released from prison and promptly went to the wildest place in North America (San Francisco's Haight Ashbury) at around the same time as Polanski got out of communist Poland and headed for the wildest place in Europe (swinging London). Both men went overboard with the new freedom of the era. Their paths crossed in Hollywood in the late 1960s, where Polanski had wild success, Manson utter failure. Then on August 8, 1969, Manson orchestrated the murder of Polanski's wife, actress Sharon Tate, and her unborn son.Combining international celebrity biography, analysis of a high-profile murder, and in-depth consideration of the lasting legacy of the crime in Polanski's directorial work,Blood and Fame is a riveting investigation that will appeal to both film lovers and true crime readers alike.BLOOD AND FAME: The Intersecting Lives of Roman Polanski and Charles Manson—Peter Rowe. 

Join this channel to get access to exclusive members only videos:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQTAVxA4dNBCoPdHhX9nnoQ/joinJoin Members Only On My Website. 7 day free trial. Save 25% when you choose an annual Membership plan. Cancel anytime:https://understandingrelationships.com/plansJoin Members Only on Spotify:https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coachcoreywayne/subscribeHow to know if your date was successful or not & what to do next.In this video coaching newsletter I discuss an email from a viewer who struggles with being robotic and a dead fish as he puts it. He lives in Poland and recently asked out a girl from his class at university. She took a week to reply, but on the date he followed the book and it went well. However, she revealed she had a boyfriend. He wasn't happy about that. He asks for a critique of his performance on the date. If you have not read my book, “How To Be A 3% Man” yet, that would be a good starting place for you. It is available in Kindle, iBook, Paperback, Hardcover or Audio Book format. If you don't have a Kindle device, you can download a free eReader app from Amazon so you can read my book on any laptop, desktop, smartphone or tablet device. Kindle $9.99, iBook $9.99, Paperback $29.99 or Hardcover 49.99. Audio Book is Free $0.00 with an Audible membership trial or buy it for $19.95. Here is the link to Audible to get the audiobook version:https://www.audible.com/pd/B01EIA86VC/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-057626&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_057626_rh_usHere is the link to Amazon to purchase Kindle, Paperback or Hardcover version:http://amzn.to/1XKRtxdHere is the link to the iBookstore to purchase iBook version:https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/how-to-be-3-man-winning-heart/id948035350?mt=11&uo=6&at=1l3vuUoHere is the link to the iTunes store to purchase the iTunes audio book version:https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/how-to-be-a-3-man-unabridged/id1106013146?at=1l3vuUo&mt=3You can get my second book, “Mastering Yourself, How To Align Your Life With Your True Calling & Reach Your Full Potential” which is also available in Kindle $9,99, iBook $9.99, Paperback $49.99, Hardcover $99.99 and Audio Book format $24.95. Audio Book is Free $0.00 with an Audible membership trial. Here is the link to Audible to get the audiobook version:https://www.audible.com/pd/B07B3LCDKK/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-109399&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_109399_rh_usHere is the link to Amazon to purchase Kindle, Paperback or Hardcover version:https://amzn.to/2TQV2XoHere is the link to the iBookstore to purchase iBook version:https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/mastering-yourself-how-to-align-your-life-your-true/id1353139487?mt=11&at=1l3vuUoHere is the link to the iTunes store to purchase the iTunes audio book version:https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/mastering-yourself-how-to-align-your-life-your-true/id1353594955?mt=3&at=1l3vuUoYou can get my third book, “Quotes, Ruminations & Contemplations” which is also available in Kindle $9,99, iBook $9.99, Paperback $49.99, Hardcover $99.99 and Audio Book format $24.95. Audio Book is Free $0.00 with an Audible membership trial. Here is the link to Audible to get the audiobook version:https://www.audible.com/pd/B0941XDDCJ/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-256995&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_256995_rh_usHere is the link to Amazon to purchase Kindle, Paperback or Hardcover version:https://amzn.to/33K8VwFHere is the link to the iBookstore to purchase iBook version:https://books.apple.com/us/book/quotes-ruminations-contemplations/id1563102111?itsct=books_box_link&itscg=30200&ct=books_quotes%2C_ruminations_%26_contemplatio&ls=1

Keith welcomes Steve Austin back to the show and we discuss recent Today is the Day tours, their appearance at Mystic Festival 2026 in Poland, our appreciation of the Cavalera brothers, the making of the 2025 Today is the Day LP "Never Give In", the album's creative process and influences, Steve's new country LP "Marked Cards and Loaded Dice", Steve's history with country music and how he decided to make the record, reflections on how music has changed over the years and more.  Intro - 0:00 - 4:57 Steve Austin Interview - 4:58 - 1:14:01

You’re listening to American Ground Radio with Stephen Parr and Louis R. Avallone. This is the full show for July 24, 2026. We open with California's mail-in ballot system — and the 150,000 ballots rejected in the June primary as invalid. Out of 8.5 million ballots returned, nearly 94,000 arrived too late and another 50,000 failed signature verification. We connect it to the Los Angeles mayor's race, where Spencer Pratt held second place in ballots received before Election Day — and then mysteriously dropped to third as post-Election Day ballots arrived and a democratic socialist surged from third to first. We explain why California's system — which mails ballots to every registered voter, accepts them up to seven days after Election Day, and allows signature corrections after the fact — is designed for maximum permissiveness rather than maximum integrity. We also note that the pressure from Trump's DOJ is producing results: states are now publicly acknowledging ballot problems they would have quietly buried before. In our Top 3 Things You Need to Know, President Trump issued new tariffs on 60 countries — including Canada, Mexico, the UK, and EU members — based on a new legal justification targeting forced labor in supply chains, after the Supreme Court struck down his prior tariff authority earlier this year. Then four Somali immigrants in Minnesota pled guilty to defrauding Medicaid out of millions by using AI to fabricate patient notes for medical visits that never happened, billing the government for fictional services through a fake company called Brilliant Minds Services LLC. And the Democratic Party announced its 2028 primary schedule — placing South Carolina first because of its higher proportion of Black voters, a state Democrats haven't won in a presidential election since Jimmy Carter in 1976. We call it what it is: racial politics dressed up as party reform. We also cover the man who disguised himself as a police officer and murdered Minnesota state Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband in a politically motivated attack — sentenced this week to life in prison. We say plainly: political violence cannot be given an inch, regardless of who commits it or who the targets are. What happens in Mexico — where candidates are killed and hung from bridges — cannot be allowed to happen here. We dig deep into a congressional reform proposal with two straightforward components that somehow don't already exist. First, ban members of Congress from having sexual relationships with congressional staffers — including colleagues' staffers, not just their own. Second, require FBI background checks for all House employees within 30 days of starting work, plus a foreign influence disclosure form requiring staffers to reveal any contracts or payments from foreign governments within the past three years. We explain why both of these are urgent: active investigations currently implicate congressional staffers as potential agents of Qatar, China, and Cuba — multiple cases involving China and Cuba alone. Congressional staffers write the bills, negotiate in back rooms, and exercise enormous real power. We should know who they are and who is paying them. Our American Mamas Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson revisit the question of how to find couple friends — and arrive at the same beautiful, frustrating conclusion they always do. Couple friendship is seasonal, it's fragile, it's devastated by divorce, and it is almost impossible to manufacture. The best couple friends come through your children's sports, through shared seasons of life, and occasionally through the miraculous coincidence of your children marrying each other's best friends' children. Guys don't have friends — they have wives. And their wives have friends. And those friends have husbands. That's the whole system. We also cover LeBron James signing with the Philadelphia 76ers — and President Trump's answer when asked in the Oval Office whether LeBron or Michael Jordan is the greatest of all time. Trump said he only likes people who like him, and therefore: Michael Jordan, all the way. We agree with the conclusion if not necessarily the methodology. We also discuss John Fetterman's midterm strategy advice for Democrats — delivered in his signature style: don't be weird, don't be communist, don't be weirdo socialist, don't praise Mao, and don't do crazy stuff. We call it the most useful political advice any Democrat has given their party in years, and note that it will almost certainly be ignored. Then it's Fake News Friday — including whether Mamdani admitted he lacks authority to invade Poland, whether the EU makes more fining U.S. tech companies than taxing its own, whether right-wing extremists in the UK were arrested for planning to disrupt Muslim events, whether a Minnesota woman was convicted of saying a slur to a Somali man accused of rape who was never prosecuted, whether Ben Franklin performed electroshock experiments on slaves, whether the Smithsonian put that in a museum exhibit, whether Trump announced a third-term run, whether a New York school district hired a robot teacher, and whether the Obama Presidential Library stiffed its plumber out of nearly $4 million. Sophie Cunningham's shoes sold out in under 24 hours. We couldn't get any for prizes. For our Bright Spot, Paul Jackson was driving on I-5 near Seattle when he spotted an SUV drifting across three lanes with an unconscious driver and a terrified child in the back seat. He pulled alongside the out-of-control vehicle, wedged it against the concrete barrier, brought both cars to a stop, jumped out, put the SUV in park, and stayed with the woman and child until emergency services arrived. Quick thinking, steady hands, and the willingness to act. May your pursuit of happiness bring you joy. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the GEOINT 2026 Symposium in Denver, Colorado, Project Geospatial's Adam Simmons sits down with Kelly Kroegel, a former Marine Special Operations geospatial intelligence analyst now working with Torchlight.In this segment, Kelly provides an exclusive look into Torchlight's powerful location analytics platform, demonstrating how anonymized, aggregated mobile device data is transformed into actionable intelligence for marketing, security, and the defense community.Watch the full demo to see how Torchlight analyzes massive datasets—pulling from 9 petabytes of hot storage—to track patterns of life, trace cross-border device movements from special operations headquarters, and unmask unidentified training facilities globally using behavioral indicators.Key Highlights in this Video:00:00:36 – Meet Kelly Kroegel and learn about her journey from Marine Special Operations to Torchlight.00:01:04 – How Torchlight leverages anonymized mobile device location data without compromising PII (Personally Identifiable Information).00:02:08 – Live Platform Demo: Analyzing device deployments from the UK's 22nd SAS Base.00:03:00 – Inside the Data Scale: Sifting through 9 petabytes of storage to isolate patterns.00:04:00 – Threat Detection & Pattern of Life: Tracking international military movements and cross-border travel (Poland, Cyprus, Greece, Saudi Arabia).00:04:55 – Uncovering Unmarked Facilities: How behavioral data maps out hidden compounds in Riyadh.00:07:15 – Enterprise Solutions: Torchlight platform subscriptions, API integration, and future predictive analytics algorithms.Learn More About Torchlight:

The Shulhan Aruch (91:5) brings the opinion among the Rishonim that it is forbidden to recite a Beracha with one's head uncovered. Others, however, including the Maharshal (Rav Shlomo Luria, Poland, 1510-1573), ruled leniently, and maintained that it is technically permissible to recite a Beracha bareheaded. Some drew proof to this opinion from the Gemara's listing of the morning blessings, which, it appears, were recited in Talmudic times not all together (as we recite them today), but as one experienced each phenomenon – such as reciting "Poke'ah Ivrim" upon opening one'is eyes, "Zokef Kefufim" when standing out of bed, and so on. One of the blessings on this list is "Oter Yisrael Be'Tifara," which one recites when covering his head – seemingly indicating that the previous blessings were recited bareheaded, before the head-covering was placed. Hacham Ovadia Yosef noted that the Shulhan Aruch himself appears to contradict his stringent ruling. The Hida (Rav Haim Yosef David Azulai, 1724-1806) claims that the Shulhan Aruch did not definitively forbid reciting a Beracha bareheaded, as he merely mentions that there were those who maintained this opinion. In light of all of this, Hacham Ovadia concluded that although one should certainly abide by the stringent view and wear a Kippa whenever he recites a Beracha or prays, after the fact, if one prayed or recited a Beracha bareheaded, he does not need to repeat the prayer or Beracha. Thus, for example, if someone prayed alone at home (where there was nobody to point out to him that he was bareheaded), and afterward he realized that he was not wearing a Kippa, he does not need to repeat the prayer. This was also the position of Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Jerusalem, 1910-1995). Rav Moshe Feinstein (1895-1986) ruled stringently in this regard, maintaining that a prayer recited bareheaded is unacceptable and must therefore be repeated with a head-covering. This is not, however, the consensus opinion. An interesting question arises in the case of a person who hears thunder or sees lightening while bareheaded. Halacha requires reciting the Beracha "She'koho U'gburato Maleh Olam" upon hearing thunder, and the Beracha "Oseh Ma'aseh Bereshit" upon seeing lightening. Our custom, based on the Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), is to recite these Berachot without the Name of Hashem (omitting the words "Hashem Elokenu Melech Ha'olam"). The Ben Ish Hai reasoned that since the Beracha needs to be recited within a second or two of hearing the thunder or seeing the lightening, one is very likely to miss the time for its recitation, and if he recites it after the time, his blessing would constitute a Beracha Le'batala (blessing recited in vain). It is therefore preferable as a measure of caution to always recite these Berachot without Hashem's Name. Hacham Ovadia Yosef, however, disagreed, and maintained that one should make an effort to recite the Beracha immediately after hearing thunder or seeing lightening, and recite the entire text of the Beracha. If a person hears thunder or sees lightening while he is bareheaded, he will likely miss the time for reciting the Beracha if he first puts on his Kippa. Hacham Ovadia ruled that in such a case, one may rely on the opinion that permits reciting a Beracha bareheaded, in order not to lose the opportunity to recite a Beracha. Preferably, though, one should put his hand on his head when reciting the Beracha, because there is a view among the Poskim that one's own hand qualifies as a head-covering. Although Halacha does not follow that view, it is preferable to use one's hand as a head-covering if he does not have the opportunity to put on a Kippa. As mentioned, however, our practice is to recite these Berachot without Hashem's Name, in which case it is certainly acceptable to recite them before putting on a Kippa. Summary: If one realized after praying that his head was bare during his prayer, the prayer is nevertheless valid and does not need to be repeated.

SCHEDULE FOR THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 7-22-2026.1740 BATAVIA MASSACREGordon Chang and Rick Fisher examine Xi Jinping's introduction of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO), designed to establish Chinese dominance in setting global AI rules. Headquartered in Shanghai, the group aims to make international partners dependent on Chinese technology while promoting anti-democratic values. Meanwhile, China's economy is struggling, with real growth potentially near zero. Despite manufacturing strengths, China remains vulnerable due to a critical lack of high-end Nvidia chips required for advanced AI development. (1)Gordon Chang and Peter Huessy discuss the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) bill to drastically reduce the U.S. nuclear triad, including cutting ICBMs from 400 to 150. Supported by Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, the plan effectively promotes unilateral disarmament. Critics argue this trashes the concept of nuclear deterrence just as China and Russia expand their arsenals. Furthermore, there is a widespread "miseducation" of Americans regarding the necessity of a modernized nuclear deterrent. (2)Gordon Chang and Victoria Coates report that Iran has activated the Houthis to attack the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a critical choke point for Saudi Arabian oil exports. This escalation has pushed oil prices past $95 as the Houthis use Iranian-supplied missiles and drones to harass shipping. While the House of Saud is targeted, internal frictions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE complicate a unified regional response. The conflict represents a major humanitarian and economic disaster for global commerce. (3)Gordon Chang and Victoria Coates continue: China benefits from discounted Iranian oil but views the regime's economic instability as a "bad debt." Simultaneously, Saudi Arabia is deepening its partnership with the U.S. through a landmark nuclear cooperation deal. Iraq has also signaled a shift toward Washington, signing $60 billion in energy deals with American companies like Chevron. While Russia seeks to sell extra capacity to Asia, Ukrainian strikes on refineries may hinder Putin's ability to remain a reliable energy supplier. (4)Peter Earle traces how the word "trillion" entered the economic lexicon in 1981 when the U.S. passed $1 trillion in public debt. Today, the U.S. national debt approaches $40 trillion, with annual interest payments exceeding $1 trillion. Unlike 19th-century millionaires who faced high risks, modern trillion-dollar figures are often a product of government monetary expansion. We have entered "Trillionstan," where massive quantities of money are common, yet their long-term significance is often overlooked by the public. (5)Peter Earle argues that not all trillions are equal; some represent genuine wealth creation, such as SpaceX's $2 trillion valuation based on future technological potential. However, inflation and government borrowing have also inflated nominal values, potentially leading to a fiscal reckoning. If creditors lose faith in U.S. debt, the government may be forced to print more money, further devaluing the currency. Maintaining prosperity requires ensuring that economic forces focus on creating new wealth rather than merely redistributing it. (6)Henry Sokolski warns that the Trump administration's nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia allows the kingdom to enrich uranium, a process that can easily be diverted for bomb-making. Saudi Arabia has rejected the "additional protocol" for rigorous UN inspections, raising concerns about their true intentions. This "black box" arrangement lacks sufficient safeguards to prevent a rapid diversion of nuclear materials. Critics warn that providing enrichment technology to an ally involved in regional warfare is inherently delusional and dangerous. (7)Henry Sokolski continues: the Saudi nuclear deal could trigger a proliferation race, with nations like Egypt, Turkey, and the UAE demanding similar enrichment rights. Furthermore, allies such as South Korea and Poland may reconsider their own nuclear ambitions if they view American security guarantees as insufficient. Proliferation is no longer "old news" but a growing threat as nations seek their own deterrents. The result is a destabilized global order where multiple states hover on the verge of nuclear weapon status. (8)Michael Bernstam explains how Ukrainian drone strikes have destroyed 30% of Russia's refining capacity, causing the "crack spread"—the profit margin for refining oil—to triple worldwide. While Russia exports crude, it now suffers from severe domestic shortages of gasoline and jet fuel. Consequently, Russia is forced to buy back its own refined oil from India at premium prices. Putin has been "hoist on his own petard," creating a global energy weapon that has ultimately turned against the Russian economy. (9)Michael Bernstam reports that Ukrainian drones recently destroyed major distribution hubs for Wildberries, the Russian equivalent of Amazon, causing $2 billion in damage. These strikes have devastated small businesses and middle-class consumers, fueling internal resentment against the Kremlin. Simultaneously, 18 local Russian officials signed a petition calling for Putin's resignation as economic conditions worsen. The loss of consumer infrastructure and rising fuel costs are creating a constituency for ending the war to prevent a total economic collapse. (10)Bob Zimmerman reports that SpaceX is preparing for its 13th Starship flight, a prototype featuring major upgrades for future orbital missions and in-orbit refueling. In India, the startup Skyroot achieved a landmark success with the Vikram-1 rocket, signaling the rise of a private, capitalist space sector. However, the Indian government has counterproductively restricted ISRO employees from leaving for private firms. These contrasting approaches highlight the tension between state-run agencies and the efficiency of private enterprise in the global space race. (11)Bob Zimmerman surveys new discoveries: astronomers have detected a helium atmosphere on a terrestrial exoplanet located 48 light-years away in its star's habitable zone. Closer to home, archival data from Pluto reveals massive landslides, proving the dwarf planet is geologically active rather than dormant. Meanwhile, new images of Valles Marineris on Mars illustrate the canyon's staggering scale, with depths equivalent to the height of Mount McKinley. These discoveries emphasize that planetary bodies across our solar system are dynamic and evolving. (12)Simon Constable notes European energy prices are skyrocketing, with Brent crude hitting $95 and natural gas up 47% in a single month. In France, a heatwave and suspicious forest fires have added environmental stress to the economic crisis. A political movement in the U.S. is targeting data centers for their high energy consumption, which now exceeds 4% of usage. Surprisingly, the United Kingdom hosts the second-highest number of data centers globally, despite its historical association with "Luddite" skepticism. (13)Simon Constable observes that new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham faces immediate skepticism, with polls indicating nearly half of voters feel his government lacks direction. Burnham's focus on domestic issues like capping bus prices is criticized as a "tax and spend" policy that might alienate the wealthy. While he has emphasized national security, his early days have been defined by local populist initiatives. Critics worry his leadership style mimics a "Lord Mayor" rather than a strategic global prime minister. (14)Brandy Shufutinsky details how Qatar has provided extensive grants for Arabic language and culture programs in U.S.K-12 schools. These programs often utilize textbooks that omit Israel from maps and glorify extremist ideologies. Qatar Foundation International (QFI) even funds teacher salaries and work visas, raising concerns about who these educators truly report to. This funding creates a "pipeline" from elementary school to higher education, potentially instilling foreign-influenced perspectives in future generations of American citizens. (15)Conrad Black argues that Canada's economic growth has stalled due to high corporate taxes and "climate alarmist" policies under the Trudeau government. He suggests that new leadership under Mark Carney could revitalize the nation by making it more tax-competitive with the U.S. Canada's vast resources and skilled workforce provide the potential for a rapid rebound. For Canada to succeed, it must pivot back to pro-capitalist policies and attract foreign investment to drive future growth. (16)Two spelling corrections applied: Peter Earle (5, 6 — transcribed as "Pete Earl"; the AIER economist) and Brandy Shufutinsky (15 — transcribed as "Shubatinsky"). Both added to the log unless you'd prefer otherwise.

Henry Sokolski continues: the Saudi nuclear deal could trigger a proliferation race, with nations like Egypt, Turkey, and the UAE demanding similar enrichment rights. Furthermore, allies such as South Korea and Poland may reconsider their own nuclear ambitions if they view American security guarantees as insufficient. Proliferation is no longer "old news" but a growing threat as nations seek their own deterrents. The result is a destabilized global order where multiple states hover on the verge of nuclear weapon status. (8)1942 B-25 DOOLITTLE RAID ON TOKYO

On this episode we started off with Trump's 50% tariffs on Canada, the investigation into $1 billion medicaid fraud in Cali and Minn, and the house adopting a $95 billion budget plan. We then shift over to discuss the Iranian attacks on US bases and the surrounding areas resulting in the deaths of four us service members, bringing the total now to 18. Poland just flew their brand new f-35, the Houthis have blockaded Saudi Arabia, and we get an update on the ebola outbreak in the DRC.To join in on the conversation every Wednesday night at 9pm cst, come to patreon.com/CajunKnightBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/cult-of-conspiracy--5700337/support.

The wrap up of things unearthed in the second quarter of 2026 includes the potpourri category, lots of books and letters, shipwrecks, and neanderthals. Research: Addley, Esther. “Solstice-aligned 5,000-year-old monument ‘once in a lifetime find’, say archaeologists.” The Guardian. 6/17/2026. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jun/18/solstice-aligned-monument-archaeology-wiltshire-stonehenge-prototype Anderson, Sonja. “These 600-Year-Old Chinese Surgical Instruments Are Coated in an Early Local Anesthetic—Carefully Extracted From a Poisonous Plant.” Smithsonian. 5/29/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-600-year-old-chinese-surgical-instruments-are-coated-in-an-early-local-anestheticcarefully-extracted-from-a-poisonous-plant-180988865/ Archaeology Magazine. “Copper Part From Illicit 19th Century Still Discovered in Scotland.” 5/12/2026. https://archaeology.org/news/2026/05/12/copper-part-from-illicit-19th-century-still-discovered-in-scotland/ Associated Press Copenhagen. “Archaeologists discover wreck of Danish warship sunk by Nelson 225 years ago.” The Guardian. 4/2/2026. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/02/archaeologists-discover-wreck-danish-warship-sunk-admiral-nelson Bassi, Margherita. “After Nearly 80 Years of Doubt, Scientists Say a Spear Lodged Between Elephant Ribs Offers Evidence That Neanderthals Hunted Big Game.” Smithsonian. 4/10/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-nearly-80-years-of-doubt-scientists-say-a-spear-lodged-between-elephant-ribs-offers-evidence-that-neanderthals-hunted-big-game-180988522/ Baum, Stephanie and Robert Egan. “Bolivian mummy rewrites scarlet fever's past, suggesting killer bacterium circulated centuries before colonization.” EurekAlert. 4/15/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bolivian-mummy-rewrites-scarlet-fever.html Blackwood, Emma. “Baby fossils reveal link between human and Neanderthal development.” University of Queensland. Via EurekAlert. 6/19/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1132850 Blair, Elizabeth. “Decades-old, newly restored Smithsonian carousel reopens — to children’s delight.” WAMU. 4/25/2026. https://wamu.org/story/26/04/25/decades-old-newly-restored-smithsonian-carousel-reopens-to-childrens-delight/ Blake, Elissa. “New evidence reveals a millennium-old dingo was ritually buried, and cared for, along the Darling (Baaka) River in Australia.” University of Sydney. Via EurekAlert. 5/18/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1128408 Cerino, Marco. “Appeals court clears Trump's path to alter Philadelphia slavery exhibit at historic site.” Philadelphia Tribune. 6/18/2026. https://www.phillytrib.com/news/local_news/appeals-court-clears-trumps-path-to-alter-philadelphia-slavery-exhibit-at-historic-site/article_8ac83e65-6a6d-4db1-91c4-074f98c96a74.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share Clark, Gaby. “Climate and competition alone cannot explain Neanderthal extinction, study finds.” Phys.org. 4/23/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-climate-competition-neanderthal-extinction.html Clark, Gaby. “Did Neanderthals use rhinoceros teeth as tools?” Phys.org. 6/18/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-neanderthals-rhinoceros-teeth-tools.html Clark, Gaby. “Nondestructive DNA sampling reveals 1,300 years of secrets in historic parchments.” Phys.org. 5/18/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-nondestructive-dna-sampling-reveals-years.html Clark, Gaby. “Surprising diversity found among Europe's last Neanderthals.” Leiden University. Via Phys.org. 6/24/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-diversity-europe-neanderthals.html Cummings, Mike. “Medici brothers' remains reveal Renaissance-era malaria strains, closing the book on a murder mystery.” Phys.org. 6/30/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-medici-brothers-reveal-renaissance-era.html Defranceschi, Laura. “Ötzi and his microbiome: a 5,300-year-old relationship.” Eurac Research. Via EurekAlert. 6/2/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1129908 Dungate, Joanna. “Shakespeare’s ‘missing’ London house mapped with new discovery.” Kings College London. Via EurekAlert. 4/15/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123989 Egan, Robert. “Neanderthal dentists used stone drills to treat cavities nearly 60,000 years ago, ancient molar suggests.” Phys.org. 5/13/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-neanderthal-dentists-stone-drills-cavities.html Egan, Robert. “Stonehenge Altar Stone's epic transportation across ancient Britain detailed in new study.” Curtin University. Via Phys.org. 6/4/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-stonehenge-altar-stone-epic-ancient.html Ellenby, Danielle. “Medieval Japanese poetry and buried trees help elucidate volatile space weather.” EurekAlert. 4/9/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123008 Forbes, Ellie. “Archaeologists discover unexploded mortar shell at Culloden Battlefield.” Scottish Field. 4/14/2026. https://www.scottishfield.co.uk/news/archaeologists-discover-unexploded-mortar-shell-at-culloden-battlefield/ Harley, Sadie and Robert Egan. “Ancient chicken bones reveal human management in Korea 2,000 years ago.” Phys.org. 4/22/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ancient-chicken-bones-reveal-human.html Jones, Sam. “Hidden treasures: Spanish archaeologists discover trove of ancient shipwrecks in Bay of Gibraltar.” The Guardian. 4/15/2026. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/15/hidden-treasures-spanish-archaeologists-discover-trove-of-ancient-shipwrecks-in-bay-of-gibraltar Kuta, Sarah. “A Shipwreck, but Make It Fashion: Researchers Transformed Wooden Fragments From a 17th-Century Shipwreck Into a Pair of Stylish Maxi Dresses.” Smithsonian. 5/26/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-shipwreck-but-make-it-fashion-researchers-transformed-wooden-fragments-from-a-17th-century-shipwreck-into-a-pair-of-stylish-maxi-dresses-180988825/ Kuta, Sarah. “Archaeologists Discover Evidence That a Wooden Prototype for Stonehenge May Have Aligned With the Solstice 500 Years Before the Stone Circle.” Smithsonian. 6/19/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-evidence-a-wooden-prototype-for-stonehenge-may-have-aligned-with-the-solstice-500-years-before-the-stone-circle-180988988/ Kuta, Sarah. “Did Homo Sapiens Really Outsmart Neanderthals? Different Skull Shapes Didn’t Necessarily Mean Unequal Brain Capacity, New Research Shows.” Smithsonian. 5/13/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-homo-sapiens-really-outsmart-neanderthals-different-skull-shapes-didnt-necessarily-mean-unequal-brain-capacity-new-research-shows-180988738/ Kuta, Sarah. “Did Homo Sapiens Really Outsmart Neanderthals? Different Skull Shapes Didn’t Necessarily Mean Unequal Brain Capacity, New Research Shows.” Smithsonian. 5/13/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-homo-sapiens-really-outsmart-neanderthals-different-skull-shapes-didnt-necessarily-mean-unequal-brain-capacity-new-research-shows-180988738/ Kuta, Sarah. “Potatoes Didn’t Just Feed Ancient Indigenous Communities in the Andes—the Tasty Tubers Also Reshaped People’s DNA.” Smithsonain. 5/12/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/potatoes-didnt-just-feed-ancient-indigenous-communities-in-the-andes-the-tasty-tubers-also-reshaped-peoples-dna-180988732/ Kuta, Sarah. “This American Submarine Lost During WWII—Along With 83 Crew Members—Has Been Discovered in the Pacific Ocean.” Smithsonian. 6/3/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-american-submarine-USS-Herring-lost-during-WWII-along-with-83-crew-members-has-been-discovered-in-the-pacific-ocean-180988895/ Kuta, Sarah. “Turtles May Have Been Tasty Snacks for Neanderthals 125,000 Years Ago. But Their Shells Were Probably the Real Prize.” Smithsonian. 4/15/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/turtles-may-have-been-tasty-snacks-for-neanderthals-125000-years-ago-but-their-shells-were-probably-the-real-prize-180988550/ Kuta, Sarah. “What Killed the Neanderthals? New Research Suggests a Lack of Genetic Diversity May Be Partially to Blame.” Smithsonian. 4/24/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-killed-the-neanderthals-new-research-suggests-a-lack-of-genetic-diversity-may-be-partially-to-blame-180988612/ Lakowski, Amy. “Digging for Remnants of the Battle of Bunker Hill.” Bostonia. Boston University’s Alumni Magazine. 6/22/2026. https://www.bu.edu/articles/2026/digging-for-remnants-battle-of-bunker-hill/ Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “The Sagrada Familia Will Finally Be Completed in 2026. The Last Challenge? Demolishing the Homes of Some 3,000 Local Residents.” ArtNet. 2/13/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/sagrada-familia-2026-local-residents-2254826 Lock, Lisa and Robert Egan. “Ancient curse tablet bears rare Greek inscription with binding spell intended to harm enemies.” Phys.org. 6/17/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ancient-curse-tablet-rare-greek.html Lu, Donna. “Signs of ‘feeding’ ritual at dingo burial site shed new light on bond between First Nations people and canines.” The Guardian. 5/18/2026. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/may/19/dingo-burial-site-first-nations-people-relationship-to-animals net. “Lost Writings of Saint Augustine Found in Medieval Manuscript.” 6/2026. https://www.medievalists.net/2026/06/lost-writings-of-saint-augustine-found-in-medieval-manuscript/ net. “Secret Letter Detailing Late Medieval Britain Fully Decoded.” https://www.medievalists.net/2026/04/secret-letter-detailing-late-medieval-britain-fully-decoded/ Mehrtens, Michelle. “A Young Black Girl Was the First to Desegregate a Maryland Carousel in the 1960s. Now, the Historic Merry-Go-Round Will Entertain Visitors on the National Mall.” Smithsonian. 4/22/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/a-young-black-girl-was-the-first-to-desegregate-a-maryland-carousel-in-the-1960s-now-the-historic-merry-go-round-will-entertain-visitors-on-the-national-mall-180988596/ Mondal, Sanjukta. “Scraped from ancient Roman toilets, these crusted remains expose a pathogen found far earlier than expected.” Phys.org. 4/23/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ancient-roman-toilets-crusted-expose.html Moreau, Didier and Julie Louis. “Thirty previously unpublished verses by Empedocles discovered on a papyrus from Cairo.” University of Liege. Via EurekAlert. 4/1/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1122449 Mosquera, Pau. “Sagrada Família’s 144-year journey nears its end with the Tower of Jesus Christ.” CNN. 6/8/2026. https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/08/style/sagrada-familia-barcelona-tower-jesus-christ-intl Nicholls, Catherine and Taylor Nicioli. “Papyrus scroll burnt to a crisp during Vesuvius eruption deciphered with help of AI.” CNN. 6/26/2026. https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/26/science/papyrus-scroll-vesuvius-ai-scli-intl Oster, Sandee et al. “Rare 500-year-old freeze-dried potatoes unearthed at Inca coastal site.” Phys.org. 6/14/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-rare-year-dried-potatoes-unearthed.html Oster, Sandee. “A kohl bottle from York may hint at an ancient Egyptian in Roman-Britain.” Phys.org. 5/31/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-kohl-bottle-york-hint-ancient.html Oster, Sandee. “Lavatory shaft reveals the cost of 17th‑century vanity in Germany.” Phys.org. 6/23/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-lavatory-shaft-reveals-17thcentury-vanity.html Oster, Sandee. “Mummified dogs reveal Tiwanaku people buried companions beside homes long before they became status symbols.” Phys.org. 6/29/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-mummified-dogs-reveal-tiwanaku-people.html Randolph, Mary. “A Man and His Dog Discovered a 3,400-Year-Old Ax Head While Out for a Walk in One of England’s Ancient Forests.” Smithsonian. 4/30/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-man-and-his-dog-accidentally-discovered-a-3400-year-old-ax-head-while-out-for-a-walk-in-one-of-englands-ancient-forests-180988649/ Randolph, Mary. “After a Poet’s Love Story Was Cut Short, His Letters Mysteriously Disappeared—Until Rare Book Dealers Acted on a Hunch.” Smithsonian. 4/21/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-john-keats-love-story-was-cut-short-his-letters-mysteriously-disappeared-until-rare-book-dealers-acted-on-a-hunch-180988585/ Science in Poland. “Ancient ‘beer’ traces found in 4,500-year-old vessels in Northeastern Poland.” 5/17/2026. https://scienceinpoland.pl/en/news/news%2C112850%2Cancient-beer-traces-found-4500-year-old-vessels-northeastern-poland.html Solly, Meilan. “A 13-Year-Old Boy Found This Bronze Coin in a Field. It Turned Out to Be the First Ancient Greek Artifact Discovered in Berlin.” Smithsonian. 8/28/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-13-year-old-boy-found-this-bronze-coin-in-a-field-it-turned-out-to-be-the-first-ancient-greek-artifact-discovered-in-berlin-180988627/ Solly, Meilan. “New research has identified four members of the doomed 1845 search for the Northwest Passage, including the owner of a paper-stuffed wallet that has long mystified historians.” Smithsonian. 5/8/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-franklin-expedition-officer-died-in-the-arctic-in-uniform-that-didnt-belong-to-him-now-dna-has-revealed-his-identity-180988702/ Solly, Meilan. “These Italian Teenagers Stayed Overnight at Their School. They Found Ancient Roman Ruins Hidden in the Basement.” Smithsonian. 6/8/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-italian-teenagers-stayed-overnight-at-their-school-they-found-ancient-roman-ruins-hidden-in-the-basement-180988917/ The History Blog. “1,500-year-old kitchen knife set found in Hadrianopolis.” 4/22/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75890 The History Blog. “11th c. sword found in Warta River in Poland.” 6/15/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/76308 The History Blog. “Charred loaf of bread found at Roman military camp.” 4/24/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75904 The History Blog. “First-grader on field trip finds 1,300-year-old sword.” 5/13/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/76055 The History Blog. “Matching fragments of Silla stele reunited.” 4/15/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75837 Thorsberg, Christian. “A Hiker in Norway Found an Elite Warrior’s Golden Sword Ornament. It Was Likely a Sacrifice to the Gods Made During a Time of Turmoil.” Smithsonian. 5/8/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-hiker-in-norway-found-an-elite-warriors-golden-sword-ornament-it-was-likely-a-sacrifice-to-the-gods-made-during-a-time-of-turmoil-180988707/ University of Copenhagen. "4,000-year-old tablets reveal magic spells, kings feared, and a beer receipt." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 May 2026. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260504023848.htm. University of Iowa Health Care. "Ancient DNA shared with Neanderthals may explain human language." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 June 2026. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260611024612.htm University of York. “Ancient DNA from Tuscan Wells Reveal Origins of Modern Wine.” 5/12/2026. https://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2026/research/ancient-dna-tuscan-wells-origins-wine/ Wexler, Ellen. “Archaeologists Unearth a Papyrus Fragment From the ‘Iliad’ Tucked Inside the Wrappings of a 1,600-Year-Old Egyptian Mummy.” Smithsonian. 4/23/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-a-papyrus-fragment-from-the-iliad-tucked-inside-the-wrappings-of-a-1600-year-old-egyptian-mummy-180988603/ Wexler, Ellen. “Divers Discover the Shipwreck of a World War I-Era Coast Guard Cutter, Which Vanished With 131 Sailors on Board in 1918.” Smithsonian. 5/7/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/divers-discover-the-shipwreck-of-a-world-war-i-era-coast-guard-cutter-which-vanished-with-131-sailors-on-board-in-1918-180988676/ Wexler, Ellen. “Why Did the Handwriting in This 248-Year-Old Notebook Look Familiar? It Turned Out to Be a Forgotten Mozart Manuscript.” Smithsonian. 6/25/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-did-the-handwriting-in-this-248-year-old-notebook-look-familiar-it-turned-out-to-be-a-forgotten-mozart-manuscript-180989017/ Whiddington, Richard. “Newly Recovered Love Letters by John Keats Could Net $2 Million at Auction.” ArtNet. 5/12/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/john-keats-love-letters-sothebys-auction-2772300 Whiddington, Richard. “Rare Centuries-Old Notebook Discovered in Medieval Latrine.” ArtNet. 5/18/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/notebook-medieval-latrine-2774230 Whiddington, Richard. “Shakespeare’s London Home Finally Located After Centuries of Mystery.” ArtNet. 4/17/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/shakespeare-london-home-site-found-2766154 Widdington, Richard. “Lost Copy of Earliest-Known English Poem Found in Roman Library.” ArtNet. 5/10/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/caedmon-hymn-copy-rome-library-trinity-college-2771600 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Part one of the mid-year coverage of things literally and figuratively unearthed in the last quarter includes updates, more updates, animals, edibles and potables, and accidental finds. Research: Addley, Esther. “Solstice-aligned 5,000-year-old monument ‘once in a lifetime find’, say archaeologists.” The Guardian. 6/17/2026. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jun/18/solstice-aligned-monument-archaeology-wiltshire-stonehenge-prototype Anderson, Sonja. “These 600-Year-Old Chinese Surgical Instruments Are Coated in an Early Local Anesthetic—Carefully Extracted From a Poisonous Plant.” Smithsonian. 5/29/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-600-year-old-chinese-surgical-instruments-are-coated-in-an-early-local-anestheticcarefully-extracted-from-a-poisonous-plant-180988865/ Archaeology Magazine. “Copper Part From Illicit 19th Century Still Discovered in Scotland.” 5/12/2026. https://archaeology.org/news/2026/05/12/copper-part-from-illicit-19th-century-still-discovered-in-scotland/ Associated Press Copenhagen. “Archaeologists discover wreck of Danish warship sunk by Nelson 225 years ago.” The Guardian. 4/2/2026. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/02/archaeologists-discover-wreck-danish-warship-sunk-admiral-nelson Bassi, Margherita. “After Nearly 80 Years of Doubt, Scientists Say a Spear Lodged Between Elephant Ribs Offers Evidence That Neanderthals Hunted Big Game.” Smithsonian. 4/10/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-nearly-80-years-of-doubt-scientists-say-a-spear-lodged-between-elephant-ribs-offers-evidence-that-neanderthals-hunted-big-game-180988522/ Baum, Stephanie and Robert Egan. “Bolivian mummy rewrites scarlet fever's past, suggesting killer bacterium circulated centuries before colonization.” EurekAlert. 4/15/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bolivian-mummy-rewrites-scarlet-fever.html Blackwood, Emma. “Baby fossils reveal link between human and Neanderthal development.” University of Queensland. Via EurekAlert. 6/19/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1132850 Blair, Elizabeth. “Decades-old, newly restored Smithsonian carousel reopens — to children’s delight.” WAMU. 4/25/2026. https://wamu.org/story/26/04/25/decades-old-newly-restored-smithsonian-carousel-reopens-to-childrens-delight/ Blake, Elissa. “New evidence reveals a millennium-old dingo was ritually buried, and cared for, along the Darling (Baaka) River in Australia.” University of Sydney. Via EurekAlert. 5/18/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1128408 Cerino, Marco. “Appeals court clears Trump's path to alter Philadelphia slavery exhibit at historic site.” Philadelphia Tribune. 6/18/2026. https://www.phillytrib.com/news/local_news/appeals-court-clears-trumps-path-to-alter-philadelphia-slavery-exhibit-at-historic-site/article_8ac83e65-6a6d-4db1-91c4-074f98c96a74.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share Clark, Gaby. “Climate and competition alone cannot explain Neanderthal extinction, study finds.” Phys.org. 4/23/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-climate-competition-neanderthal-extinction.html Clark, Gaby. “Did Neanderthals use rhinoceros teeth as tools?” Phys.org. 6/18/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-neanderthals-rhinoceros-teeth-tools.html Clark, Gaby. “Nondestructive DNA sampling reveals 1,300 years of secrets in historic parchments.” Phys.org. 5/18/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-nondestructive-dna-sampling-reveals-years.html Clark, Gaby. “Surprising diversity found among Europe's last Neanderthals.” Leiden University. Via Phys.org. 6/24/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-diversity-europe-neanderthals.html Cummings, Mike. “Medici brothers' remains reveal Renaissance-era malaria strains, closing the book on a murder mystery.” Phys.org. 6/30/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-medici-brothers-reveal-renaissance-era.html Defranceschi, Laura. “Ötzi and his microbiome: a 5,300-year-old relationship.” Eurac Research. Via EurekAlert. 6/2/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1129908 Dungate, Joanna. “Shakespeare’s ‘missing’ London house mapped with new discovery.” Kings College London. Via EurekAlert. 4/15/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123989 Egan, Robert. “Neanderthal dentists used stone drills to treat cavities nearly 60,000 years ago, ancient molar suggests.” Phys.org. 5/13/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-neanderthal-dentists-stone-drills-cavities.html Egan, Robert. “Stonehenge Altar Stone's epic transportation across ancient Britain detailed in new study.” Curtin University. Via Phys.org. 6/4/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-stonehenge-altar-stone-epic-ancient.html Ellenby, Danielle. “Medieval Japanese poetry and buried trees help elucidate volatile space weather.” EurekAlert. 4/9/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123008 Forbes, Ellie. “Archaeologists discover unexploded mortar shell at Culloden Battlefield.” Scottish Field. 4/14/2026. https://www.scottishfield.co.uk/news/archaeologists-discover-unexploded-mortar-shell-at-culloden-battlefield/ Harley, Sadie and Robert Egan. “Ancient chicken bones reveal human management in Korea 2,000 years ago.” Phys.org. 4/22/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ancient-chicken-bones-reveal-human.html Jones, Sam. “Hidden treasures: Spanish archaeologists discover trove of ancient shipwrecks in Bay of Gibraltar.” The Guardian. 4/15/2026. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/15/hidden-treasures-spanish-archaeologists-discover-trove-of-ancient-shipwrecks-in-bay-of-gibraltar Kuta, Sarah. “A Shipwreck, but Make It Fashion: Researchers Transformed Wooden Fragments From a 17th-Century Shipwreck Into a Pair of Stylish Maxi Dresses.” Smithsonian. 5/26/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-shipwreck-but-make-it-fashion-researchers-transformed-wooden-fragments-from-a-17th-century-shipwreck-into-a-pair-of-stylish-maxi-dresses-180988825/ Kuta, Sarah. “Archaeologists Discover Evidence That a Wooden Prototype for Stonehenge May Have Aligned With the Solstice 500 Years Before the Stone Circle.” Smithsonian. 6/19/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-evidence-a-wooden-prototype-for-stonehenge-may-have-aligned-with-the-solstice-500-years-before-the-stone-circle-180988988/ Kuta, Sarah. “Did Homo Sapiens Really Outsmart Neanderthals? Different Skull Shapes Didn’t Necessarily Mean Unequal Brain Capacity, New Research Shows.” Smithsonian. 5/13/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-homo-sapiens-really-outsmart-neanderthals-different-skull-shapes-didnt-necessarily-mean-unequal-brain-capacity-new-research-shows-180988738/ Kuta, Sarah. “Did Homo Sapiens Really Outsmart Neanderthals? Different Skull Shapes Didn’t Necessarily Mean Unequal Brain Capacity, New Research Shows.” Smithsonian. 5/13/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-homo-sapiens-really-outsmart-neanderthals-different-skull-shapes-didnt-necessarily-mean-unequal-brain-capacity-new-research-shows-180988738/ Kuta, Sarah. “Potatoes Didn’t Just Feed Ancient Indigenous Communities in the Andes—the Tasty Tubers Also Reshaped People’s DNA.” Smithsonain. 5/12/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/potatoes-didnt-just-feed-ancient-indigenous-communities-in-the-andes-the-tasty-tubers-also-reshaped-peoples-dna-180988732/ Kuta, Sarah. “This American Submarine Lost During WWII—Along With 83 Crew Members—Has Been Discovered in the Pacific Ocean.” Smithsonian. 6/3/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-american-submarine-USS-Herring-lost-during-WWII-along-with-83-crew-members-has-been-discovered-in-the-pacific-ocean-180988895/ Kuta, Sarah. “Turtles May Have Been Tasty Snacks for Neanderthals 125,000 Years Ago. But Their Shells Were Probably the Real Prize.” Smithsonian. 4/15/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/turtles-may-have-been-tasty-snacks-for-neanderthals-125000-years-ago-but-their-shells-were-probably-the-real-prize-180988550/ Kuta, Sarah. “What Killed the Neanderthals? New Research Suggests a Lack of Genetic Diversity May Be Partially to Blame.” Smithsonian. 4/24/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-killed-the-neanderthals-new-research-suggests-a-lack-of-genetic-diversity-may-be-partially-to-blame-180988612/ Lakowski, Amy. “Digging for Remnants of the Battle of Bunker Hill.” Bostonia. Boston University’s Alumni Magazine. 6/22/2026. https://www.bu.edu/articles/2026/digging-for-remnants-battle-of-bunker-hill/ Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “The Sagrada Familia Will Finally Be Completed in 2026. The Last Challenge? Demolishing the Homes of Some 3,000 Local Residents.” ArtNet. 2/13/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/sagrada-familia-2026-local-residents-2254826 Lock, Lisa and Robert Egan. “Ancient curse tablet bears rare Greek inscription with binding spell intended to harm enemies.” Phys.org. 6/17/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ancient-curse-tablet-rare-greek.html Lu, Donna. “Signs of ‘feeding’ ritual at dingo burial site shed new light on bond between First Nations people and canines.” The Guardian. 5/18/2026. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/may/19/dingo-burial-site-first-nations-people-relationship-to-animals net. “Lost Writings of Saint Augustine Found in Medieval Manuscript.” 6/2026. https://www.medievalists.net/2026/06/lost-writings-of-saint-augustine-found-in-medieval-manuscript/ net. “Secret Letter Detailing Late Medieval Britain Fully Decoded.” https://www.medievalists.net/2026/04/secret-letter-detailing-late-medieval-britain-fully-decoded/ Mehrtens, Michelle. “A Young Black Girl Was the First to Desegregate a Maryland Carousel in the 1960s. Now, the Historic Merry-Go-Round Will Entertain Visitors on the National Mall.” Smithsonian. 4/22/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/a-young-black-girl-was-the-first-to-desegregate-a-maryland-carousel-in-the-1960s-now-the-historic-merry-go-round-will-entertain-visitors-on-the-national-mall-180988596/ Mondal, Sanjukta. “Scraped from ancient Roman toilets, these crusted remains expose a pathogen found far earlier than expected.” Phys.org. 4/23/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ancient-roman-toilets-crusted-expose.html Moreau, Didier and Julie Louis. “Thirty previously unpublished verses by Empedocles discovered on a papyrus from Cairo.” University of Liege. Via EurekAlert. 4/1/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1122449 Mosquera, Pau. “Sagrada Família’s 144-year journey nears its end with the Tower of Jesus Christ.” CNN. 6/8/2026. https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/08/style/sagrada-familia-barcelona-tower-jesus-christ-intl Nicholls, Catherine and Taylor Nicioli. “Papyrus scroll burnt to a crisp during Vesuvius eruption deciphered with help of AI.” CNN. 6/26/2026. https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/26/science/papyrus-scroll-vesuvius-ai-scli-intl Oster, Sandee et al. “Rare 500-year-old freeze-dried potatoes unearthed at Inca coastal site.” Phys.org. 6/14/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-rare-year-dried-potatoes-unearthed.html Oster, Sandee. “A kohl bottle from York may hint at an ancient Egyptian in Roman-Britain.” Phys.org. 5/31/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-kohl-bottle-york-hint-ancient.html Oster, Sandee. “Lavatory shaft reveals the cost of 17th‑century vanity in Germany.” Phys.org. 6/23/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-lavatory-shaft-reveals-17thcentury-vanity.html Oster, Sandee. “Mummified dogs reveal Tiwanaku people buried companions beside homes long before they became status symbols.” Phys.org. 6/29/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-mummified-dogs-reveal-tiwanaku-people.html Randolph, Mary. “A Man and His Dog Discovered a 3,400-Year-Old Ax Head While Out for a Walk in One of England’s Ancient Forests.” Smithsonian. 4/30/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-man-and-his-dog-accidentally-discovered-a-3400-year-old-ax-head-while-out-for-a-walk-in-one-of-englands-ancient-forests-180988649/ Randolph, Mary. “After a Poet’s Love Story Was Cut Short, His Letters Mysteriously Disappeared—Until Rare Book Dealers Acted on a Hunch.” Smithsonian. 4/21/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-john-keats-love-story-was-cut-short-his-letters-mysteriously-disappeared-until-rare-book-dealers-acted-on-a-hunch-180988585/ Science in Poland. “Ancient ‘beer’ traces found in 4,500-year-old vessels in Northeastern Poland.” 5/17/2026. https://scienceinpoland.pl/en/news/news%2C112850%2Cancient-beer-traces-found-4500-year-old-vessels-northeastern-poland.html Solly, Meilan. “A 13-Year-Old Boy Found This Bronze Coin in a Field. It Turned Out to Be the First Ancient Greek Artifact Discovered in Berlin.” Smithsonian. 8/28/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-13-year-old-boy-found-this-bronze-coin-in-a-field-it-turned-out-to-be-the-first-ancient-greek-artifact-discovered-in-berlin-180988627/ Solly, Meilan. “New research has identified four members of the doomed 1845 search for the Northwest Passage, including the owner of a paper-stuffed wallet that has long mystified historians.” Smithsonian. 5/8/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-franklin-expedition-officer-died-in-the-arctic-in-uniform-that-didnt-belong-to-him-now-dna-has-revealed-his-identity-180988702/ Solly, Meilan. “These Italian Teenagers Stayed Overnight at Their School. They Found Ancient Roman Ruins Hidden in the Basement.” Smithsonian. 6/8/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-italian-teenagers-stayed-overnight-at-their-school-they-found-ancient-roman-ruins-hidden-in-the-basement-180988917/ The History Blog. “1,500-year-old kitchen knife set found in Hadrianopolis.” 4/22/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75890 The History Blog. “11th c. sword found in Warta River in Poland.” 6/15/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/76308 The History Blog. “Charred loaf of bread found at Roman military camp.” 4/24/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75904 The History Blog. “First-grader on field trip finds 1,300-year-old sword.” 5/13/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/76055 The History Blog. “Matching fragments of Silla stele reunited.” 4/15/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75837 Thorsberg, Christian. “A Hiker in Norway Found an Elite Warrior’s Golden Sword Ornament. It Was Likely a Sacrifice to the Gods Made During a Time of Turmoil.” Smithsonian. 5/8/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-hiker-in-norway-found-an-elite-warriors-golden-sword-ornament-it-was-likely-a-sacrifice-to-the-gods-made-during-a-time-of-turmoil-180988707/ University of Copenhagen. "4,000-year-old tablets reveal magic spells, kings feared, and a beer receipt." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 May 2026. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260504023848.htm. University of Iowa Health Care. "Ancient DNA shared with Neanderthals may explain human language." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 June 2026. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260611024612.htm University of York. “Ancient DNA from Tuscan Wells Reveal Origins of Modern Wine.” 5/12/2026. https://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2026/research/ancient-dna-tuscan-wells-origins-wine/ Wexler, Ellen. “Archaeologists Unearth a Papyrus Fragment From the ‘Iliad’ Tucked Inside the Wrappings of a 1,600-Year-Old Egyptian Mummy.” Smithsonian. 4/23/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-a-papyrus-fragment-from-the-iliad-tucked-inside-the-wrappings-of-a-1600-year-old-egyptian-mummy-180988603/ Wexler, Ellen. “Divers Discover the Shipwreck of a World War I-Era Coast Guard Cutter, Which Vanished With 131 Sailors on Board in 1918.” Smithsonian. 5/7/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/divers-discover-the-shipwreck-of-a-world-war-i-era-coast-guard-cutter-which-vanished-with-131-sailors-on-board-in-1918-180988676/ Wexler, Ellen. “Why Did the Handwriting in This 248-Year-Old Notebook Look Familiar? It Turned Out to Be a Forgotten Mozart Manuscript.” Smithsonian. 6/25/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-did-the-handwriting-in-this-248-year-old-notebook-look-familiar-it-turned-out-to-be-a-forgotten-mozart-manuscript-180989017/ Whiddington, Richard. “Newly Recovered Love Letters by John Keats Could Net $2 Million at Auction.” ArtNet. 5/12/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/john-keats-love-letters-sothebys-auction-2772300 Whiddington, Richard. “Rare Centuries-Old Notebook Discovered in Medieval Latrine.” ArtNet. 5/18/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/notebook-medieval-latrine-2774230 Whiddington, Richard. “Shakespeare’s London Home Finally Located After Centuries of Mystery.” ArtNet. 4/17/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/shakespeare-london-home-site-found-2766154 Widdington, Richard. “Lost Copy of Earliest-Known English Poem Found in Roman Library.” ArtNet. 5/10/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/caedmon-hymn-copy-rome-library-trinity-college-2771600 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.