Podcasts about remnants

The Wardens are dispatched through the scattered hamlets of Rimidalv to investigate a simple request: find the stolen property taken from a traveling village and the identity of those responsible.Instead, they find only silence—and the uneasy sense that something has already gone terribly wrong.About:Remnants of Rimidalv is a gothic horror actual play podcast focused on supernatural investigation, monster-of-the-week mysteries, and dark fantasy storytelling, powered by the Daggerheart™ ruleset and brought to life by the cast of Missing Roll Player Found.Support Us:Want to continue the investigation?Patrons get access to additional episodes of Remnants of Rimidalv, including content released ahead of the public feed.Links:Website: https://missingrollplayerfound.com/Patreon: https://patreon.com/missingrollplayerfoundLinktree: https://linktr.ee/rollfoundMusic Attribution:Michael Ghelfi StudiosLink: https://www.patreon.com/MichaelGhelfiMonument StudiosLink: https://www.monumentstudios.net/Other Music and Sounds by Syrinscape Link: https://syrinscape.com/?att_missing_roll_player_found Because Epic Games Need Epic Sounds Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/rollfound/donations

Chuck Todd opens with the grim news that the Iran conflict is hot again as both sides resume exchanging strikes — and his blunt assessment is that nothing has actually changed since Trump was begging for a deal a month ago. He argues Trump has mismanaged this war from the very beginning with no clear goal, that he and Israel started it with vastly different objectives, and that he stubbornly refuses to accept a deal that looks like the one Obama got even though that's the only realistic off-ramp available. The brutal truth, Chuck says, is that Trump can't airstrike his way to victory, and if he was never willing to commit ground troops, he never should have started the war in the first place — the Iranians now hold more leverage than the United States, and it's entirely Trump's fault that they do. He delivers one of his sharpest character indictments yet, arguing Trump "failed upwards" to the most powerful job on earth and is now half-assing his way through the presidency the same way he half-assed his way through life, while Vance and Rubio scramble to avoid any ownership of the war.With inflation rising for a third straight month, Chuck sees no path for any of this to improve before the midterms. But the heart of the episode is a deep, genuinely illuminating dive into a new Pew survey that Chuck calls possibly the best available tool for understanding the actual American electorate — one that shatters the illusion created by social media. The data reveals nine distinct political archetypes (three on the left, three in the middle, three on the right), that the ideological extremes make up only about 15% of the country and are the whitest segments, and that the loud, combative bases dominating online discourse aren't remotely close to a majority. The middle, he notes, is a full 38% of the electorate, with the center-left as the single largest group; the Reagan Republican coalition is measurably gone, reduced to just 11%; the civil war inside the American left is already underway with skeptical progressives who'll never vote Republican but may simply not vote at all; and the MAGA-religious right remains a fortress of reliable voters, with erosion showing up in exactly one place — younger voters. His takeaway is the one that should reshape how both parties think: the persuadable middle is repulsed most by the far left and far right, the party bases are precisely what cause the parties to struggle electorally, and the opportunity for independents has genuinely never been better — because what happens online simply is not reflective of who actually shows up to vote. Then, cultural critic Chuck Klosterman — author of But What If We're Wrong?, The Nineties, and now a new book simply titled Football — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a fascinating, genre-bending conversation that's part memoir, part sports analysis, and part thought experiment about how a singular American obsession will be remembered centuries from now. Klosterman frames the book as a "living obituary" for football, working from his signature premise that over enough time, almost everything fades until a single simplified narrative is all that survives — and that football, despite being the one true common denominator of the modern American experience (it overtook baseball as the most popular sport by the 1970s, even though people at the time didn't realize it), will almost certainly not remain central to the culture a few decades from now. He and Chuck explore how perception dramatically changes over time , how the internet has fundamentally altered our relationship with time itself, and why arguments against the internet today sound exactly like the arguments people once made against television. Klosterman, who only half-jokingly says his "beat" these days is simply reality, argues that we now consume social media on the working assumption that what we're seeing isn't real — a profound shift in how humans relate to information. The conversation winds through some genuinely original territory about why football works the way it does and what its eventual decline might look like. Klosterman argues football is a fundamentally cerebral sport with intense but widely dispersed moments of action (the Wall Street Journal famously found only 11 minutes of actual action in a three-hour broadcast), that its sheer complexity and total absence of free-flowing movement is exactly why it's never exported well, and that it nearly became a literal embodiment of American exceptionalism. He and Todd dig into whether the NFL can over-expand into a 12-month product, why football is the one American sport that could plausibly survive on pay-per-view, and how the league walks a razor's edge between the maximum physicality fans crave and the safety changes that are slowly, quietly trying to remove hitting from the game — even as the ever-present risk of injury is precisely what raises the stakes and makes it so engaging. There's a wonderful tangent on COVID and 9/11 as the two great timeline-dividing events of the modern era (one slow and shared globally, one sudden and strange), including Chuck's own reflection that the pandemic was unexpectedly a bonding experience with his kids. Klosterman closes by previewing his next book — an alternate history of rock and roll — and delivering a characteristically provocative argument that rock effectively ended as a meaningful art form in the 1990s, that having access to all the music ever recorded has paradoxically led people to listen to the same 600 songs, and that he genuinely regrets ever getting rid of his CD collection, because the day may come when streaming services are broken up and no longer contain all the music in the world. Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 03:00 The conflict in Iran is active again as sides exchange strikes 04:00 Situation hasn’t changed since Trump begged for deal a month ago 04:45 Trump has mismanaged this war from the beginning, no clear goal 05:30 Trump refuses to accept a deal similar to the one Obama got 06:45 Trump + Israel started the war, but had vastly different objectives 08:45 New report shows inflation is going up for third straight month 09:45 Trump can’t airstrike his way into victory 11:00 If he wasn’t willing to commit ground troops, he shouldn’t have started war 11:45 Trump failed upwards to the most powerful job on earth 12:45 Trump half-assed his way through life, thinks he can do that as president 13:30 Vance & Rubio want no ownership of the Iran war 14:30 The Pentagon is instituting christian nationalist protocols 16:00 Trump is in a quagmire, Iranians know he needs a deal more than them 18:00 The Iranians have more leverage and it’s Trump’s fault that they do 19:30 There’s no way this gets better for the country by the midterms 21:15 New report categorizes Americans political views, most people in the middle 22:00 The extremes are only about 15% of the elecorate & are the whitest 22:45 The loudest parts of the bases aren’t close to the majority 23:30 Democrats have to win more moderate to win than the right 25:00 This Pew survey is possibly the best tool to understand the electorate 26:15 How the survey was conducted 29:15 The Reagan Republican coalition is measurably gone 30:30 There 9 different American political archetypes, 3 on left, middle & right 31:15 Breakdown of American left, which is 30% of the country 33:45 Breakdown of American right, core MAGA voters most likely to vote 35:30 The young right is a bit checked out on politics, don’t always vote 36:30 The middle is 38% of the electorate, center left is largest group 37:45 Remnants of the Reagan coalition is only 11% of the electorate 39:30 The “tuned out middle” is 9% of the electorate, minority of them vote 40:30 The civil war inside the American left is already underway 41:30 Progressives are still skeptical of the Democratic party 43:00 Progressives will never vote Republican, but may not vote 44:15 The MAGA + religious right is a fortress of voters that show up 45:15 Support for Trump amongst younger voters is the one place showing erosion 46:00 The establishment right is politically homeless and persuadable 48:45 The “polite right” demographically best reflects America, but is oldest 50:00 The “checked out middle” isn’t reachable or persuadable 50:30 The far left and right are most repulsive to the persuadable middle 51:15 The bases are what cause the parties to struggle electorally 53:00 The opportunity for independents has never been better 54:15 What happens online is not reflective of the majority of the electorate 1:04:00 Chuck Klosterman joins the Chuck ToddCast 1:05:00 Football is partially memoir, part description of football 1:07:30 The process of writing the book 1:09:00 It was like Chuck was “trying to build his brain in public” 1:11:15 The thought exercise of how football will be remembered in 200 years 1:12:00 Over time, some things stick and others fade away until one thing is left 1:12:45 It’s easier to understand a singular narrative 1:13:30 If something remains in the zeitgeist after 60 years, it has true staying power 1:16:00 Arguments against the internet sound like arguments against TV 1:17:45 What do you consider “your beat” these days? Reality. 1:19:00 Consuming social media with assumption what you’re seeing isn’t real 1:20:15 Book is a living obituary for football. Eventually, it won’t be central to culture 1:21:00 By the 1970’s football was the most popular sport, people thought it was baseball 1:22:15 Football is the one common denominator of the American experience 1:23:15 In a few decades, football will likely no longer be central to our society 1:24:30 The perception of Woodrow Wilson changed well after his death 1:26:00 Perception can dramatically change over time 1:26:45 How much time should pass before writing about a historical event? 1:28:15 The internet has changed our relationship with time 1:29:30 Diving the timeline into pre and post 9/11 and pre/post Covid 1:30:45 The COVID experience was slow, 9/11 happened suddenly 1:32:00 People forget how weird the two weeks after 9/11 were 1:33:30 Covid was a bizarre experience, everyone focused on same thing 1:34:15 Covid truly the first global event, shared by everyone 1:35:30 Covid was actually a bonding experience for Chuck Todd with his kids 1:37:30 History may look back at Covid very differently than we do now 1:42:15 Will football end as the cultural glue when television ends? 1:42:45 Cost of TV advertising is not worth the ROI for many companies 1:43:30 NFL + college football are of the mindset that they can only expand 1:44:30 Football is our only sport that could survive on a PPV basis 1:46:15 The majority of people who love football didn’t play it 1:47:00 Sports show how capitalism operates in a way that’s dangerous 1:49:45 Complexity has made American football hard to export 1:50:45 There’s no freedom of movement in football. It’s all planned 1:52:00 Why hasn’t Rugby caught on in America? 1:52:45 Football almost became an embodiment of American exceptionalism 1:53:45 WSJ studied football and found there’s only 11 mins of action in 3 hours 1:55:45 Football is a mostly cerebral sport with intense, dispersed moments of action 1:56:45 How important is it that football is in fall and winter? 1:57:30 People can now escape nature, but nature is very determinative in football 2:00:30 Most people don’t experience physicality and football demands it 2:01:30 Is it possible for the NFL to overexpand? Could it become a 12 month experience? 2:03:30 Owners want to host a Super Bowl, all stadiums will likely have a roof in 20 years 2:05:45 Football will have value as a distraction, but it needs meaning to stay powerful 2:07:00 Attending football games has gotten increasingly expensive 2:08:30 Safety changes have changed the nature of the game 2:09:00 The dream may be to slowly remove the hitting from the game 2:09:30 Fans used to revel in the hard hits, now they’re turning away 2:10:15 The risk of injury raises the stakes, makes it more engaging 2:12:15 NFL walks the line between max physicality and not turning fans off 2:15:00 What is your next book? Alternate history of Rock n Roll 2:17:45 Rock as a meaningful artform ended in the 90s 2:20:00 People have access to all the music in the world, listen to same 600 songs 2:22:30 Regret getting rid of the CD collection 2:23:15 Eventually streaming services could get broken up, not have all music 2:26:00 Chuck’s thoughts on interview with Chuck Klosterman 2:27:00 Ask Chuck 2:27:15 Thoughts on private equity getting involved in college sports? 2:36:00 Why does ballot counting get overcovered by the media? 2:38:45 Will the incoming shortfall for social security affect the election? 2:42:15 How do you reconcile candidates with character shortfalls & their policies? 2:48:30 Should voters assess media narratives & bias in reporting about Platner? 2:54:00 Does the media need to do a better job explaining how votes come in? 2:59:30 How should presidents approach attending big sports events?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens with the grim news that the Iran conflict is hot again as both sides resume exchanging strikes — and his blunt assessment is that nothing has actually changed since Trump was begging for a deal a month ago. He argues Trump has mismanaged this war from the very beginning with no clear goal, that he and Israel started it with vastly different objectives, and that he stubbornly refuses to accept a deal that looks like the one Obama got even though that's the only realistic off-ramp available. The brutal truth, Chuck says, is that Trump can't airstrike his way to victory, and if he was never willing to commit ground troops, he never should have started the war in the first place — the Iranians now hold more leverage than the United States, and it's entirely Trump's fault that they do. He delivers one of his sharpest character indictments yet, arguing Trump "failed upwards" to the most powerful job on earth and is now half-assing his way through the presidency the same way he half-assed his way through life, while Vance and Rubio scramble to avoid any ownership of the war.With inflation rising for a third straight month, Chuck sees no path for any of this to improve before the midterms. But the heart of the episode is a deep, genuinely illuminating dive into a new Pew survey that Chuck calls possibly the best available tool for understanding the actual American electorate — one that shatters the illusion created by social media. The data reveals nine distinct political archetypes (three on the left, three in the middle, three on the right), that the ideological extremes make up only about 15% of the country and are the whitest segments, and that the loud, combative bases dominating online discourse aren't remotely close to a majority. The middle, he notes, is a full 38% of the electorate, with the center-left as the single largest group; the Reagan Republican coalition is measurably gone, reduced to just 11%; the civil war inside the American left is already underway with skeptical progressives who'll never vote Republican but may simply not vote at all; and the MAGA-religious right remains a fortress of reliable voters, with erosion showing up in exactly one place — younger voters. His takeaway is the one that should reshape how both parties think: the persuadable middle is repulsed most by the far left and far right, the party bases are precisely what cause the parties to struggle electorally, and the opportunity for independents has genuinely never been better — because what happens online simply is not reflective of who actually shows up to vote. Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Timeline: 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 03:00 The conflict in Iran is active again as sides exchange strikes 04:00 Situation hasn’t changed since Trump begged for deal a month ago 04:45 Trump has mismanaged this war from the beginning, no clear goal 05:30 Trump refuses to accept a deal similar to the one Obama got 06:45 Trump + Israel started the war, but had vastly different objectives 08:45 New report shows inflation is going up for third straight month 09:45 Trump can’t airstrike his way into victory 11:00 If he wasn’t willing to commit ground troops, he shouldn’t have started war 11:45 Trump failed upwards to the most powerful job on earth 12:45 Trump half-assed his way through life, thinks he can do that as president 13:30 Vance & Rubio want no ownership of the Iran war 14:30 The Pentagon is instituting christian nationalist protocols 16:00 Trump is in a quagmire, Iranians know he needs a deal more than them 18:00 The Iranians have more leverage and it’s Trump’s fault that they do 19:30 There’s no way this gets better for the country by the midterms 21:15 New report categorizes Americans political views, most people in the middle 22:00 The extremes are only about 15% of the elecorate & are the whitest 22:45 The loudest parts of the bases aren’t close to the majority 23:30 Democrats have to win more moderate to win than the right 25:00 This Pew survey is possibly the best tool to understand the electorate 26:15 How the survey was conducted 29:15 The Reagan Republican coalition is measurably gone 30:30 There 9 different American political archetypes, 3 on left, middle & right 31:15 Breakdown of American left, which is 30% of the country 33:45 Breakdown of American right, core MAGA voters most likely to vote 35:30 The young right is a bit checked out on politics, don’t always vote 36:30 The middle is 38% of the electorate, center left is largest group 37:45 Remnants of the Reagan coalition is only 11% of the electorate 39:30 The “tuned out middle” is 9% of the electorate, minority of them vote 40:30 The civil war inside the American left is already underway 41:30 Progressives are still skeptical of the Democratic party 43:00 Progressives will never vote Republican, but may not vote 44:15 The MAGA + religious right is a fortress of voters that show up 45:15 Support for Trump amongst younger voters is the one place showing erosion 46:00 The establishment right is politically homeless and persuadable 48:45 The “polite right” demographically best reflects America, but is oldest 50:00 The “checked out middle” isn’t reachable or persuadable 50:30 The far left and right are most repulsive to the persuadable middle 51:15 The bases are what cause the parties to struggle electorally 53:00 The opportunity for independents has never been better 54:15 What happens online is not reflective of the majority of the electorate 1:02:45 Ask Chuck 1:03:00 Thoughts on private equity getting involved in college sports? 1:11:45 Why does ballot counting get overcovered by the media? 1:14:30 Will the incoming shortfall for social security affect the election? 1:18:00 How do you reconcile candidates with character shortfalls & their policies? 1:24:15 Should voters assess media narratives & bias in reporting about Platner? 1:29:45 Does the media need to do a better job explaining how votes come in? 1:35:15 How should presidents approach attending big sports events?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We started a new series aimed to learn from the faithful prophets of the Old Testament that are often forgotten about. We begin with Joshua, and learn 3 different biblical characteristics as they arrive in the Promised Land.

This week we travel to a world of giant mechs, complicated person arcs, story twists and epic non stop action. That world is the backdrop of Sokyo X, and we were lucky enough to chat to its creator Cory Tran about the series. We talk action, pacing, narrative, character development, world building and delve into being introspective about the comics you make. Its a conversation not to missed, with lots of recommends along the way, brilliant indie comics and creators to check out and a good chunk of GUYVER TALK! Great stuff to check out:  Sokyo X, Cory Tran, Planetland Comics, Matthew Schofield, Manben, Watchmen, Guyver, Glass City, Super Kaiju Rock and Roll Derby Fun Time Go, Gods and Monster of Headgrave, After the Remnants, Keiron Squires, Comics Assemble, Edison Neo, Ink Trooper, Death Fight Forever, Exciting Comics, The Guyver, Antarctic Press, Larry Styles, The Santos Sisters, American Nature, Tower Dreams, Richard Starzecki, Tigress Island, Death Fight Forever, Andrew Maclean, Biomeca, Faces of War, Sector 13, Peter Duncan, Biomeca

Send us Fan MailOn this episode vocalist Dainius, guitarist Saulius and bassist Augustinas of  Sisyphean visits the Morgue. We will discuss the history of the Lithuanian black/death metal band, along with insights into their new record “Divergence”, that came out April 3rd via Edged Circle Productions. See you at the Morgue!music:1)Sisyphean-Hunting For Answers2)Sisyphean-Shattered Glass3)Sisyphean-Scorched Timeless4)Division-The Aftermath 5)Sisyphean-Epitaph to the Remnants 6)Sisyphean-Hearts Of Mercury7)Sisyphean-Black Bird that brings no joy contact: thetampamorgue@gmail.com The Tampa Morgue Podcast can be found on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and most places you listen to your podcasts.   

It's not your fault it broke. But it is your fault if it stays broken. You didn't ask for the trauma. You didn't choose the betrayal. You didn't plan the divorce, the loss, the abuse, the abandonment. You didn't knock your own walls down. But 140 years later, you're still standing in the rubble. And God is asking you one question: when are you going to rebuild? Using the story of Nehemiah, Pastor Eric Thomas exposes the real reason your life is still broken. It's not because it's too hard to fix. It's not because God hasn't shown up. It's because you haven't owned it yet. Nehemiah looked at walls destroyed for 140 years and rebuilt them in 52 days. Not because he had more resources or a bigger team. Because he stopped blaming, stopped avoiding, and started building. In this message you'll discover: → Why power is available but not automatic, and how to activate it in your life → The difference between assessing, praying, and finishing, and why most people never get to the third step → Why 52 days is all it takes when you stop making excuses and start taking ownership → How empty hands don't stay neutral, they either build with you or break what you're building → The real reason people who loved you when you were broken start hating you when you start healing → Why you can't build with 2 hands anymore, you need one for the work and one for the weapon → The electrician story, the credit report testimony, and the Rose Royce revelation that will change how you see God's standard for your life

A new mystery begins.Remnants of Rimidalv is a standalone gothic horror actual play podcast from Missing Roll Player Found, featuring supernatural investigations, monster-of-the-week mysteries, and dark fantasy storytelling using the Daggerheart™ ruleset.Unlike our interconnected mainline campaigns, Remnants of Rimidalv is being released on its own dedicated feed as we continue expanding the world of Missing Roll Player Found into multiple distinct stories and settings.If you enjoy atmospheric horror, investigative storytelling, and character-driven actual plays, we would greatly appreciate your support in helping this new series get off the ground.Follow Remnants of Rimidalv here: https://www.missingrollplayerfound.com/remnants-of-rimidalvRSS Feed: https://feeds.redcircle.com/221751c4-1f1c-4128-8a8b-e5903c98d8a7And if you would like early access to episodes and help support future productions, consider checking out our Patreon as well.Thank you, Foundlings.

Hundreds of World's Fairs, all financial losses, all built as temporary with plaster. Yet in demolition photos, enormous piles of granite blocks and stones? More Weirdness in this part 2 of the series.

Welcome back to the AppleGrant Book Club, where we discuss the third book in the Remnants series, “Them”, by K.A. Applegate!  In this episode, Tim invents recycle patch kids TM TM, Kaycie makes the David rising from the asses, Alex says dunkaroos for the elevated palette, and we all start the Sister podcast to 'Wait, You Haven't Seen...?' called 'Wait, I haven't seen...?'    Join us each month on the first and the fifteenth for new episodes of Animorphs Anonymous / AppleGrant Book Club!

Thomas Beckham - https://amzn.to/4d7sF24Fred L. Crisman - https://amzn.to/4nqyw5PBBBBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-lone-gunman-podcast-jfk-assassination--1181353/support.

In this special episode, Will talks with Sheila Bowen, whose Central Valley family is at the center of Remnants, a new documentary about the challenges of ranching in the era of Gavin Newsom-created wildfires. In other news, we hear from Pacific Legal Foundation attorney Jeremy Talcott about his crushing win over the California Coastal Commission, and we return to our friends at the Hoover Institution for a dramatic update in their assessment of the billionaire wealth tax coming up on the November ballot. Music by Metalachi. Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.org Follow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCA Jeremy Talcott, Pacific Legal v Coastal Commission California Supreme Court reins in coastal agency's permit power in unanimous opinion Jeremy Talcott bio Remnants Remnants trailer Moving Picture Institute Paul Olivett, Moving Picture Institute, paul@thempi.org Hoover Institution's Benjamin Jaros & Joshua Rauh on the Billionaire Wealth Tax  The Fiscal Losses from California's Billionaire Tax Act The Commitment Problem at the Heart of California's Billionaire Tax Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome back to the AppleGrant Book Club, where we discuss the third book in the Remnants series, “Them”, by K.A. Applegate!  In this episode, Kaycie is deeply frightened by nightjars, Alex disparages a cat, Tim really likes lonely trees, and we all hate icebreaker questions. Join us each month on the first and the fifteenth for new episodes of Animorphs Anonymous / AppleGrant Book Club!

Welcome back to the AppleGrant Book Club, where we discuss the second book in the Remnants series, “Destination Unknown”, by K.A. Applegate!  In this episode, Tim is surprised how much of Star Trek takes place on Earth, Alex talks about ghost hunting shows, Kaycie rejects the indistrial technological machine, and we all decide on our new nicknames, Nemoy, Caf, and Jack. Join us each month on the first and the fifteenth for new episodes of Animorphs Anonymous / AppleGrant Book Club!

This month we are featuring a feed drop for an incredible podcast on the RQ Network: Not Quite Dead.Not Quite Dead is a UK-based Gory, Horror, Romance, podcast from the award-winning team behind Spirit Box Radio, Remnants and Clockwork Bird.Follow Alfie, a nurse working overtime when a patient arrives with her throat torn out. This is just the beginning of a terrifying night as Alfie finds himself caught in a battle between the living and the undead.Saved by a mysterious stranger named Casper, they find themselves inescapably bound together. Neither of them are happy about it, but the draw of each other's blood is irresistible.Introduction and outro by Anusia Battersby. Listen to Not Quite Dead on the Rusty Quill website, on Acast, or wherever you listen to podcasts. To learn more about Not Quite Dead, check out their official website.If you want to support Not Quite Dead and it's creators, head to www.rustyquill.com/fundraiserCredits: Written, performed and edited by Eira Major.Transcript: https://hangingslothstudios.com/nqd-1/Content Warnings:Please bear in mind that this show is a work of horror fiction and frequently places characters in situations which jeopardise their psychological and physical health. This episode contains:– mild profanity– references to sex– discussion of the process of dying– medicalised descriptions of death processes and dead people– death, including violent death– references to medical procedures– hospital settings– mentions of blood– mentions of infidelity– descriptions of bloodFor ad-free episodes, bonus content and more, join members.rustyquill.com or our Patreon.Pre-order The Magnus Archives Mysteries: rustyquill.com/mysteries.Pre-order FROM THE LIBRARY OF JURGEN LEITNER, a Magnus novel: rustyquill.com/novelBuy tickets to a Magnus Archives Live Show in Sheffield, UK in July 2026: https://crossedwires.live/podcast/the-magnus-archives Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My track record is making 2026 look less like a year… and more like a script I've already read.But I digress. Remnants of my first segment. There was a time when people climbed Mount Everest to find themselves. Now it turns out, some folks are climbing Everest so someone else can find their insurance policy.Think about how far we've come as a civilization. You travel halfway across the world, train your body to survive oxygen levels that would make a houseplant nervous, you trust your life to a guide who has walked that mountain more times than you've walked to your refrigerator, and somewhere between Base Camp and enlightenment, he's sprinkling baking soda into your soup like he's seasoning a scam.Not poison. No, no. That would be crude. This is artisanal fraud. Gastrointestinal sabotage with a purpose. Just enough chaos in your stomach to convince your body it's dying, your brain it's altitude sickness, and your insurance company that it's time to fire up the helicopter like a rideshare for the distressed elite.And suddenly, your spiritual journey becomes a $19.69 million industry.According to reports, entire networks were allegedly involved. Guides, helicopter operators, hospital executives, all playing their part like a well-rehearsed orchestra of opportunism. Fake diagnoses. Forged documents. Emergency evacuations that were about as medically necessary as a celebrity apology tour.Now here's where it gets interesting. This isn't just fraud. Fraud is universal. What makes this story sparkle is who is getting played.Western climbers. Affluent. Insured. Trusting.Predictable.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Do you like crazy, gonzo Saturday morning cartoons cranked up to 11 with metal bands, cassettes, and a whole lot of vaporwave aesthetic? Then buckle up, butter-dude, and ride the Randy Gravy Train on Tuesday at 5 PM PST on the Cybernation Uncensored Twitch channel for an ever-growing mutation growth that is Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland: Total Carnage Edition - Lord Randy Be Praised. Proudly presented by the talented GM Noland_Norf, representing Lord Randy to the masses. Uncover the ancient power of awesomeness and pizza powers from a bygone era as the crew opens door after door, hoping that one of them contains a prize. But if you call now, the offer will be doubled, and you get to see what live chat does when they throw wrenches and boons at the players.Don't miss your chance to watch this tubular and fantastical adventure crawl unfold live. Be part of our growing community of fans who tune in every week to share theories, interact with the cast, and engage in the chat. Hit the follow button on Cybernation Uncensored's Twitch channel to stay up-to-date on all our streams and never miss an episode. See you Tuesday at 5 PM PST for the Neon Lord running the Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland Total Carnage Edition, the TTRPG live stream—Only the chronosages will know the truth as the live show captures the heinous tricks and delivery boys fail to deliver pizza in the right section of space-time.Join us!Calling all game masters, players, edgerunners, choombas, wastelanders, vault dwellers, spice traders & space folders! We have a very active community for Cyberpunk, Fallout, Dune & more! If you're looking to join a game, run a game, network, learn something new, contribute an idea, chat or just hang out, we have the home for you! Check out the ttrpg related options below and be sure to say hello!https://discord.gg/VJv4FPChttps://www.twitch.tv/cybernationuncensoredhttps://twitter.com/CNUncensoredhttps://www.patreon.com/CybernationUncensoredhttps://www.youtube.com/cybernationuncensored/joinhttps://www.instagram.com/cybernationuncensored/https://www.facebook.com/CyberNationUncensoredhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/2951164338265802Explore our website! https://www.CybernationUncensored.com/ We're a brand dedicated to everything and anything Cyberpunk, dystopian and scifi! We stream live Cyberpunk RED, 2020, Fallout 2D20 & Dune 2D20 gameplay, a Game Master Tips series, Deep Dive series, Night City Live series and a GM Round Table series on the Cybernation Uncensored youtube and twitch channels! We discuss everything and anything Cyberpunk, including but not limited to 2020, RED, 2077, fallout & dune on our Cybernation Uncensored podcast! We also have a Cybernation Uncensored community blog, discord and group! Join us and let's network and have fun! We have a passion for creating Cyberpunk genre content and would really appreciate your support! “Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio”#cyberpunk #wasteland #neonlords

Do you like crazy, gonzo Saturday morning cartoons cranked up to 11 with metal bands, cassettes, and a whole lot of vaporwave aesthetic? Then buckle up, butter-dude, and ride the Randy Gravy Train on Tuesday at 5 PM PST on the Cybernation Uncensored Twitch channel for an ever-growing mutation growth that is Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland: Total Carnage Edition - Lord Randy Be Praised. Proudly presented by the talented GM Noland_Norf, representing Lord Randy to the masses. Uncover the ancient power of awesomeness and pizza powers from a bygone era as the crew opens door after door, hoping that one of them contains a prize. But if you call now, the offer will be doubled, and you get to see what live chat does when they throw wrenches and boons at the players.Don't miss your chance to watch this tubular and fantastical adventure crawl unfold live. Be part of our growing community of fans who tune in every week to share theories, interact with the cast, and engage in the chat. Hit the follow button on Cybernation Uncensored's Twitch channel to stay up-to-date on all our streams and never miss an episode. See you Tuesday at 5 PM PST for the Neon Lord running the Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland Total Carnage Edition, the TTRPG live stream—Only the chronosages will know the truth as the live show captures the heinous tricks and delivery boys fail to deliver pizza in the right section of space-time.Join us!Calling all game masters, players, edgerunners, choombas, wastelanders, vault dwellers, spice traders & space folders! We have a very active community for Cyberpunk, Fallout, Dune & more! If you're looking to join a game, run a game, network, learn something new, contribute an idea, chat or just hang out, we have the home for you! Check out the ttrpg related options below and be sure to say hello!https://discord.gg/VJv4FPChttps://www.twitch.tv/cybernationuncensoredhttps://twitter.com/CNUncensoredhttps://www.patreon.com/CybernationUncensoredhttps://www.youtube.com/cybernationuncensored/joinhttps://www.instagram.com/cybernationuncensored/https://www.facebook.com/CyberNationUncensoredhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/2951164338265802Explore our website! https://www.CybernationUncensored.com/ We're a brand dedicated to everything and anything Cyberpunk, dystopian and scifi! We stream live Cyberpunk RED, 2020, Fallout 2D20 & Dune 2D20 gameplay, a Game Master Tips series, Deep Dive series, Night City Live series and a GM Round Table series on the Cybernation Uncensored youtube and twitch channels! We discuss everything and anything Cyberpunk, including but not limited to 2020, RED, 2077, fallout & dune on our Cybernation Uncensored podcast! We also have a Cybernation Uncensored community blog, discord and group! Join us and let's network and have fun! We have a passion for creating Cyberpunk genre content and would really appreciate your support! “Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio”#cyberpunk #wasteland #neonlords

Brad's linkshttps://bradolsen.com/https://cccpublishing.com/Forbidden Knowledge Network https://forbiddenknowledge.news/ FKN Link Treehttps://linktr.ee/FKNlinksMake a Donation to Forbidden Knowledge News https://www.paypal.me/forbiddenknowledgenehttps://buymeacoffee.com/forbiddenWe are back on YouTube! https://youtube.com/@forbiddenknowledgenews?si=XQhXCjteMKYNUJSjBackup channelhttps://youtube.com/@fknshow1?si=tIoIjpUGeSoRNaEsDoors of Perception is available now on Amazon Prime!https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.8a60e6c7-678d-4502-b335-adfbb30697b8&ref_=atv_lp_share_mv&r=webDoors of Perception official trailerhttps://youtu.be/F-VJ01kMSII?si=Ee6xwtUONA18HNLZListen to Forbidden Knowledge News on clearair.fm every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday 12:15pm CSThttps://clearair.fm/Pick up Independent Media Token herehttps://www.independentmediatoken.com/Be prepared for any emergency with Prep Starts Now!https://prepstartsnow.com/discount/FKNStart your microdosing journey with BrainsupremeGet 15% off your order here!!https://brainsupreme.co/FKN15Book a free consultation with Jennifer Halcame Emailjenniferhalcame@gmail.comFacebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561665957079&mibextid=ZbWKwLWatch The Forbidden Documentary: Occult Louisiana on Tubi: https://link.tubi.tv/pGXW6chxCJbC60 PurplePowerhttps://go.shopc60.com/FORBIDDEN10/or use coupon code knowledge10Johnny Larson's artworkhttps://www.patreon.com/JohnnyLarsonSign up on Rokfin!https://rokfin.com/fknplusPodcastshttps://www.spreaker.com/show/forbiddenAvailable on all platforms Support FKN on Spreaker https://spreaker.page.link/KoPgfbEq8kcsR5oj9FKN ON Rumblehttps://rumble.com/c/FKNpGet Cory Hughes books!Lee Harvey Oswald In Black and White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FJ2PQJRMA Warning From History Audio bookhttps://buymeacoffee.com/jfkbook/e/392579https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jfkbookhttps://www.amazon.com/Warning-History-Cory-Hughes/dp/B0CL14VQY6/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=72HEFZQA7TAP&keywords=a+warning+from+history+cory+hughes&qid=1698861279&sprefix=a+warning+fro%2Caps%2C121&sr=8-1https://coryhughes.org/Our Facebook pageshttps://www.facebook.com/forbiddenknowledgenewsconspiracy/https://www.facebook.com/FKNNetwork/Instagram @forbiddenknowledgenews1@forbiddenknowledgenetworkXhttps://x.com/ForbiddenKnow10?t=uO5AqEtDuHdF9fXYtCUtfw&s=09Email Forbidden Knowledge News forbiddenknowledgenews@gmail.comsome music thanks to:https://www.bensound.com/ULFAPO3OJSCGN8LDDGLBEYNSIXA6EMZJ5FUXWYNC6WJNJKRS8DH27IXE3D73E97DC6JMAFZLSZDGTWFIBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/forbidden-knowledge-news--3589233/support.

Welcome back to the AppleGrant Book Club, where we discuss the first book in the Remnants series, “The Mayflower Project”, by K.A. Applegate!  In this episode, Kaycie is impeded by a sticker,Alex knows a lot about bear pregnancy, Tim would do an escape room in the event of an impending asteroid, and none of us know where this book series is going! Join us each month on the first and the fifteenth for new episodes of Animorphs Anonymous / AppleGrant Book Club!

Remnants Of Quiet HoursBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/darkest-mysteries-online-the-strange-and-unusual-podcast-2026--5684156/support.Darkest Mysteries Online

Remnants Of Quiet HoursBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/darkest-mysteries-online-the-strange-and-unusual-podcast-2026--5684156/support.Darkest Mysteries Online

shock of escalation. PLAYLIST: Artist Song Release Released Label uncle weed x winterkeep Remnants & Artefacts EP // thinking about nothing yet so much *life* 2026 Self Released Praise Space Electric Cybernetic Experiment X Dave Brock Presents… This Was Your … Continue reading →

Een telecomprovider die niet betaalt en hoopt dat het overwaait. Een AI‑bedrijf dat weigert wapens te bouwen en daarvoor op een zwarte lijst belandt. En een land dat zaterdagochtend vroeg wordt aangevallen terwijl het internet er al uit ligt. In deze aflevering duiken we in de Odido‑dataleksoap, de botsing tussen Anthropic en het Pentagon, en de vraag wat er in cyberspace al klaarstond vóór de eerste bom viel in Iran. Marco leest live mee in een phishing‑bot terwijl slachtoffers geld overmaken, Jelle ontrafelt de cyber‑voorbereiding achter Operation Epic Fury. Ondertussen heeft Ronald het ook over DigiNotar (15 jaar later), hebben we een vernieuwde website en wordt de peut duur. **Bronnen** Odido datalek - Tweakers: "Eerste batch gestolen Odido-klantdata online gezet" (mrt 2026): [URL invullen] - HaveIBeenPwned: https://haveibeenpwned.com Anthropic vs Pentagon - TechCrunch: "Pentagon demands Anthropic open Claude to autonomous weapons and mass surveillance; Anthropic refuses" (27 feb 2026): https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/27/pentagon-anthropic-claude-autonomous-weapons/ Iran — Operation Epic Fury - CSIS: "Operation Epic Fury and the Remnants of Iran's Nuclear Program" (28 feb 2026): https://www.csis.org/analysis/operation-epic-fury-and-remnants-irans-nuclear-program - BBC Verify: "US and Israeli strikes on Iran in maps" (28 feb 2026): https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g0pnnj8xyo - NetBlocks: Iran internet 1% na 24 uur (1 mrt 2026): https://mastodon.social/@netblocks/116152741963996184 Iran — cyber pre-positioning - The Record: "Midnight Hammer: US Cyber Command upstream operations against Iranian SAM networks" (juni 2025): https://therecord.media/midnight-hammer-us-cyber-command-iran

Welcome back to the AppleGrant Book Club, where we discuss “Crenshaw” by Katherine Applegate!  In this episode, Kaycie starts a discussion about cat fingers, Alex is the Kirk of the group, Tim learns about the word “busker”, and we all predict the plot of Remnants (which we're reading next!) Join us each month on the first and the fifteenth for new episodes of Animorphs Anonymous / AppleGrant Book Club!

Romans 11:1-10 Big Idea: The story of Israel provides the opportunity to rejoice in and respond to the arc of the story of redemption! There are Remnants… (1-5a) Because God is Gracious… (5b-6) And God is God! (7-10)

Show Notes: Ho Chi Minh City — Then and NowIn this episode, Senior Writer Chin Teh Liang takes us to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's largest and fastest-changing metropolis. Once known as Saigon, the city still carries the echoes of its wartime past and its elegant French colonial heritage—yet today it's a booming, modern powerhouse with a skyline that surprises first‑time visitors.What We Cover in This EpisodeA City of Layers: Colonial Beauty, War History, and Modern EnergyChin arrives during the 50th anniversary of Vietnam's reunification, where long lines form outside the War Remnants Museum. Inside, he encounters some of the most powerful wartime photography in the world, along with reconstructions of prison “tiger cages” and even the original guillotine once used on prisoners.Outside, the museum grounds display decommissioned helicopters, tanks, and fighter jets—sobering reminders of the country's past.French Colonial Architecture That Still StunsHo Chi Minh City's nickname, “The Little Paris of the East,” becomes clear as Chin explores its architectural gems:Museum of Fine Arts — originally a tycoon's mansion, now a museum filled with contemporary art, ancient sculpture, and breathtaking interior details like spiral staircases, stained glass, and Art Nouveau balconies.Saigon Opera House — modeled after Paris's Petit Palais, still offering nightly performances and pre‑show tours.Street shoe‑shiners — a living remnant of the French colonial era.The New Saigon: Skyscrapers, River Cruises, and the MetroAlong the Saigon River, glass towers rise above the water, including the iconic Bitexco Financial Tower and Landmark 81. Chin takes a nighttime river cruise, gliding under the color‑lit Ba Son Bridge while a violinist plays on board.And for the first time ever, the city now has a brand‑new metro system, with 14 stations already running and more on the way—transforming how both locals and visitors move around the city.Food, Cafés, and Sky‑High DiningHo Chi Minh City's food scene is as diverse as its architecture:The Café Apartment — a nine‑story residential building where every unit is a café. Perfect for people‑watching along the river promenade.The Albion at Hôtel des Arts Saigon — a fine‑dining tasting menu featuring goose mousse, Hokkaido scallop, Wagyu tenderloin, and desserts made with Vietnamese chocolate, all served with panoramic city views.A City TransformedFrom war relics to world‑class dining, from colonial mansions to a futuristic metro, Chin reflects on how astonishing it is to see a place once defined by conflict now thriving as a vibrant, modern metropolis.

We kick things off in FOLLOW UP with the ongoing "nuclear war" between Automattic and WP Engine, where discovery has revealed Matt Mullenweg's alleged hit list of competitors and a desperate attempt to bully payment processors—because nothing says "open source" like an eight-percent royalty shakedown. Meanwhile, the Harvard Business Review confirmed what we already knew: AI isn't reducing our work; it's just compressing it until we're all working through lunch and burning out faster while Polymarket turns our collective brain rot into a literal "attention market" where you can bet on Elon's mindshare.Transitioning to IN THE NEWS, Elon has officially pivoted SpaceX from Mars to the Moon, presumably because building a "self-growing lunar city" is easier than admitting the Red Planet is hard, though his xAI all-hands rant about "ancient alien catapults" suggests he's been staring at the sun too long. Between X allegedly taking blue-check lunch money from sanctioned Iranian leaders, Meta facing trials for creating "predator-friendly hunting grounds," and Russia finally pulling the plug on WhatsApp, the internet is looking more like a digital dumpster fire than ever. Add in Discord leaking 70,000 government IDs, OpenAI shoving ads into ChatGPT while safety researchers flee the building like it's on fire, and a "cognitive debt" crisis eroding our ability to think, and you've got a recipe for a tech-induced psychosis that even crypto-funded human trafficking can't outpace.In MEDIA CANDY, we're wondering about the soft-core porn intro in the latest Star Trek: Starfleet Academy while Apple buys the total rights to Severance for seventy million dollars—because in-house production is the only way to keep those ballooning budgets under control. Super Bowl trailer season gave us a glimpse of The Mandalorian and Grogu and a Project Hail Mary teaser, while Babylon 5 has finally landed on YouTube for free, proving that even 90s serialized sci-fi eventually finds its way to the clearance bin.Over in APPS & DOODADS, Meta Quest is nagging us for our birthdays like a needy relative, while Roblox had to scrub a mass-shooting simulator—because "AI plus human safety teams" is apparently just code for "we missed it until it hit the forums." Ring's Super Bowl ad for "Search Party" accidentally terrified everyone by revealing a mass surveillance network for pets that's a slippery slope toward a police state, and Waymo is now paying DoorDashers ten bucks just to walk over and close the car doors that autonomous tech still can't figure out.Wrapping up with THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE, we dive into the Mandalorian Hasbro reveal where Sigourney Weaver's action figure comes with no accessories because her existence is enough of a flex. We explore the grim reality of "RentAHuman," where humans are paid pittance to pretend AI agents are actually doing work, and look at "Trash Talk Audio," which sells a $125 microphone made out of a literal old telephone for that authentic Gen-X "get off the line, I'm expecting a call" aesthetic. From Marcia Lucas finally venting about the prequels and a rare book catalog specifically for our aging generation, we're reminded that while the future is a chaotic mess of "GeoSpy" AI and corporate reshuffling at Disney, at least we still have our cynical memories and some free versions of Roller Coaster Tycoon to keep us from losing it completely.Sponsors:CleanMyMac - Get Tidy Today! Try 7 days free and use code OLDGEEKS for 20% off at clnmy.com/OLDGEEKSDeleteMe - Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use promo code GOG at checkout.Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month.SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!!1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1passwordShow notes at https://gog.show/733FOLLOW UPAutomattic planned to target 10 competitors with royalty fees, WP Engine claims in new filingAI Doesn't Reduce Work—It Intensifies ItPolymarket To Offer Attention Markets In Partnership With Kaito AIIsrael Arrests Members of Military for Placing Polymarket Bets Using Inside Information on Upcoming StrikesIN THE NEWSUnable to Reach Mars, Musk Does the Most Musk Thing PossibleWe'll Find the Remnants of Ancient Alien Civilizations': Read Musk's Gibberish Rant from His xAI All-Hands MeetingElon Musk's X Appears to Be Violating US Sanctions by Selling Premium Accounts to Iranian LeadersMeta Faces Two Key Trials That Could Change Social Media ForeverWhatsApp is now fully blocked in RussiaRussia is restricting access to Telegram, one of its most popular social media apps. Here's what we knowDOJ may face investigation for pressuring Apple, Google to remove apps for tracking ICE agentsDiscord Launches Teen-by-Default Settings GloballyDiscord says hackers stole government IDs of 70,000 usersFree Tool Says it Can Bypass Discord's Age Verification Check With a 3D ModelTesting ads in ChatGPTOpenAI Researcher Quits, Warns Its Unprecedented ‘Archive of Human Candor' Is DangerousOpenAI Fires Top Safety Exec Who Opposed ChatGPT's “Adult Mode”Anthropic AI Safety Researcher Warns Of World ‘In Peril' In ResignationMusk's xAI loses second co-founder in two daysAmerica Isn't Ready for What AI Will Do to JobsMonologue: No, Something Big Isn't ComingThe Scientist Who Predicted AI Psychosis Has a Grim Forecast of What's Going to Happen NextCrypto-Funded Human Trafficking Is ExplodingMEDIA CANDYShrinkingStar Trek: Starfleet AcademyPoor ThingsProject Hail Mary | Final TrailerMinions & Monsters | Official TrailerDisclosure Day | Big Game SpotThe Mandalorian and Grogu | A New Journey Begins | In Theaters May 22Babylon 5 Is Now Free to Watch On YouTubeApple acquires all rights to ‘Severance,' will produce future seasons in-houseOptimizing your TVAPPS & DOODADSTumbler Ridge Shooter Created Mall Shooting Simulator in RobloxHere's how to disable Ring's creepy Search Party featureWaymo Is Getting DoorDashers to Close Doors on Self Driving CarsTikTok US launches a local feed that leverages a user's exact locationApple just released iOS 26.3 alongside updates for the Mac, iPad and Apple WatchTHE DARK SIDE WITH DAVEDave BittnerThe CyberWireHacking HumansCaveatControl LoopOnly Malware in the BuildingWe Call It ImagineeringYour First Look at Hasbro's 'Mandalorian and Grogu' Figures Is Here (Exclusive)I Tried RentAHuman, Where AI Agents Hired Me to Hype Their AI StartupsTrash Talk AudioRoger Reacts to Star Wars - A New HopeMarcia Lucas Finally Speaks Out | Icons Unearthed: Unplugged (FULL INTERVIEW)What's wrong with the prequels?Rare Books, Gen X editionGeoSpyCLOSING SHOUT-OUTSRobert Tinney, who painted iconic Byte magazine covers, RIPBud CortSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Homeland calls for Gunnar, And So Does Love.Based on a post by Jorunn, in 4 parts. Listen to the ►Podcast at Connected.‘You are the Tin Man. This tour; is the Oil Can. Figure it out.'A recently widowed Norwegian American plans his escape from a Minnesota nursing home to travel abroad and join a ‘Christmas in Norway Tour’. While battling his fears, he meets a beautiful young tour guide and her divorced mother, who years later, still bears scars from her unfaithful husband’s affair. This story is about overcoming those fears to let healing begin. This story picks up after that, and shows the lingering effects of a husband’s extra-marital affair on his family. This is also a Christmas story, so expect to travel to locations in Norway, encounter Norwegian Christmas traditions, and maybe even get sprinkled with pixie-dust!“A man has only one escape from his old self: to see a different self - in the mirror of some woman’s eyes” - Clare Booth LucePrequel: The Ruined ChristmasOslo, Norway - Three Years AgoMy name is Jorunn. As a Norwegian landsby girl, Mamma and I spent Christmas week in Bergen, visiting her family and celebrating my 22nd birthday. We decided to leave Bergen two days early so that Pappa would not have to celebrate New Year’s Eve alone. During the week, while we were away, Pappa told us how he missed us.We arrived back home in mid-afternoon, just as the sun was setting, and saw our Christmas Star lit up in the window. After entering the house, we heard Pappa moaning upstairs and went up to see if he was all right. Opening the bedroom door, we saw him humping a strange woman!“What are you doing?” shouted Mamma.Pappa replied, “Leah, you’re home early.”“Who is this woman?”“She’s just a slut. She means nothing to me.”The woman yelped, “I am not a slut! I am a happily married woman.”Mamma yelled, “I can see what keeps you happy.”Pappa yelled back, “I still love you, Leah. Let me get rid of this slut. She’s only here because I was lonely. We can talk.”Mamma replied, “You can talk to my advokater. We’re through! How can I ever trust you again, you bastard? Do you realize what you have done to our family!”Mamma began sobbing and ran down the stairs.Pappa looked at me and said, “Jorunn, none of this would have happened if your mother hadn’t come home early and seen us.”I looked at Pappa and saw his slime-covered beard slick with the woman’s juices. “You’re wrong Pappa. It did happen. Mamma and I just wouldn’t have known. You said you didn’t want to be seen by us. That works both ways! I don’t ever want to talk to you or see you ever again!”I ran downstairs to Mamma, and with our suitcases still in the boot, we drove to a friend’s house.Gunnar and Nurse RatchedDecember 13 - MorningMinneapolis, Minnesota - Present DayI pressed the button on my cell phone and hung up after talking with Roger Mans, my long-time friend and attorney. My two adult children texted a few days ago they wanted to visit me here in the nursing home. I had not seen them since the funeral of my wife, Solveig, and that was two months ago. Their plan was for me to sign their power of attorney forms, giving them full control over me and my affairs. But my plan was different, and now was time to put it into place.Two years ago, at just 54 years old, I had a stroke. A devastating paralysis left me needing a lot of care, and therapy to regain my mobility, speech, and other functions.I realized Solveig was unable to care for me at our home. She tried with all her heart, but she was also fighting her own battle with cancer, and undergoing her own rigorous treatments.So I decided to enter a nursing home, while I continued to get rehab. I wanted a facility with a stroke recovery unit. This limited my nursing home choices. The only thing making life bearable here, was Solveig faithfully visiting me, and sneaking an occasional home-cooked meal past the head nurse and her staff. Sadly, Solveig succumbed to the cancer while I was still a resident at the ‘Bethel Retirement Center'. At Solveig’s funeral, my children promised to visit often, but as usual, I could never count on them for anything.Without my wife here to check on things, my decent clothes never came back from the laundry, and instead, the staff returned excuses. I put on old sweatpants and an old sweatshirt. It would do for now. I prepared myself for this day by walking the halls of the nursing home, attending physical therapy sessions, and taking care of myself without help from the staff. Still not fully recovered, but like my clothing, it would do for now.I said goodbye to Alfred, my shared roommate. He nodded, wished me luck, and said he would love to go with me. I felt sorry for him. He was a great storyteller but needed to use his walker, and physically, he required the kind of care they provided here.I walked down the hall to the nurse’s station and found Molly Turner, the rather brusque chief nurse, and her two assistants sitting behind it. “Good morning, Nurse Ratched,” I said.“Good day to you, Gunnar,” she replied.“I’m checking out,” I said.“Be serious, Gunnar. No one ever checks out of a nursing home, unless they are flat on their back with a toe tag.”I looked at her and smiled, “I only hope that will be your Fate, Molly.”“That’s not a nice thing to say, Gunnar. Now, return to your room or I will have dietary take away your rice pudding for a week.”The rice pudding here was a pale imitation of the riskrem, which Solvieg would make every Christmas. I would miss it this year. I gave Nurse Ratched a one-fingered salute, then walked toward the exit. There was a scramble of squeaky chairs and shouts behind me, and I heard their footsteps closing in on me. As I pushed the two doors open to the main lobby, there was Roger, standing next to the nursing home administrator. I walked up to my lawyer, and shook his hand, “Thank you, old friend.”I turned to see a stunned Nurse Ratched. “Allow me to escort Mr. Larsen back to his room,” she meekly pronounced.The nursing home administrator said, “That won’t be necessary, Molly. Mr. Larsen is leaving us. He isn’t taking anything with him. You may clear out his room and get it ready for the next resident.”I looked Nurse Ratched in the eye and saw the fires of hell blazing within. Then, it was my turn to smile back.All my therapists had agreed that my rehab was successful. My speech skills were quite restored. My left arm and leg took longer to restore. But it was good enough to ditch the wheelchair, then the walker, then the cane. What really set me back was the grief of losing my wife, and the guilt of not being there when she needed me most.Gunnar’s HouseRoger drove me to my house. I hadn't been there in two years. It looked pathetic. No one bothered shoveling the snow on the walkway, and I feared what my children may have done to the inside. I found the hidden key I placed under a rock years ago and used it to enter through the front door. The living room and dining room furniture were mostly gone, or should I say, stolen. They had rifled through the small office nook next to the kitchen, with papers scattered over the kitchen countertops and floor.I turned and said, “You’re going to have your work cut out for you, Roger.”“This is exactly what you said would happen, Gunnar. Our firm will take care of it for you.”I opened a small drawer in the office nook and thankfully found my passport intact. It was useless to my children. I went to the master bedroom and saw the dresser drawers partially opened, with clothes scattered all about the floor. On top of the dresser was Solvieg’s jewelry box. I opened it, and few things remained. I was glad to see the gold charm bracelet I gave her 35 years ago for Christmas. She wore it a couple of times, then stopped, complaining it turned her wrist green as the fake gold coating wore away. But she kept it all these years. A worn-out trinket to my children, as precious as the Sauron’s Ring of Power to me. I picked it up and put it in the pocket of my sweatpants.I went into the walk-in closet and picked out some clothes, tossed them into an old gym bag, and said, “I’m done. We can go.”Roger said, “The locksmith and security company will meet me here this afternoon. Once they are done, your children will no longer have access.”“I’d rather not have an auction of whatever is left in the house. I don’t think Solveig would have liked that. Once you go through the papers, just throw everything left in a dumpster and haul it away. Whatever the two pirates plundered will be the only inheritance they will ever see from me.”Miller And Mans Law OfficeRoger and I next went to his office. I said hello to Jane, the long-time receptionist. I have always suspected that Jane knows everything that goes on here, and secretly runs the whole place, not unlike the way Nurse Ratched does in her domain. However, Jane does so with more efficiency, happiness, and joy for both clients and staff.Jane asked, “Can I get you anything, Gunnar?”“I’d love a cup of decent coffee, and an Apple Fritter if you have one.”“I’ll bring them to Roger’s office. Two creams and no sugar, if I remember right.”“Perfect, as always, Jane.”We went into Roger’s plush office, and I sat down in a chair more comfortable than any I sat in for the last two years.“Are you actually going to go through with this?” Roger asked.“Every bit of it,” I replied.I signed multiple papers, removing my two children as beneficiaries from my life insurance and investment accounts. I also gave Roger limited power of attorney to sell my house and dispose of its possessions.Jane arrived with the coffee and Apple Fritter. “Norway? Why would anyone want to go to Norway in December?”“Did Roger spill the beans?” I asked.Jane replied, “Every piece of paper that comes into this office passes through my hands. I opened your travel visa when it came in.”“Jane, I can’t spend Christmas here in Minnesota. The bitter wintry weather pales in comparison to the cold hearts of my own two children. The further away from them I am, the better. I’ve never been to Norway and have always wanted to see the 'home country’ of my ancestors.”Like I said, Jane knows all. The coffee tasted great, and the deep-fried Apple Fritter, one of Nursed Ratched’s 'prohibited foods’, was outstanding. Roger slid me a packet labeled 'Gunnar - Norway’. As Jane left, I opened it and looked at the contents. As planned, there was an international cell phone with a different number, a stack of krone, and three new credit cards bearing the name of a fictitious business. I handed Roger my old cell phone.“We’ll dispose of this for you. Your children will have no idea where you are unless they hire a private detective with exceptionally good connections. Legally, they have no rights to any of your assets, so even if somehow they track you to our law office, they will not get past Jane.”I believed Roger on that.“The tour company you asked us to sign you up with seems pretty sketchy. Their contract looks like something generated off a free online legal site. We reviewed it, it is crude, but legal and binding. If you back out, they still get paid. Why did you pick this tour company? There are many larger and more reputable companies we might have booked you with.”“It’s silly, Roger. I know it’s only a one-person company, run by a young vlogger in Norway. It was terribly boring in the nursing home, so I would spend evenings watching her videos as she traveled around Norway visiting various places, and leading small groups of tourists. It looked like the people were having fun and she made me laugh. Watching her videos was one of the few things that brought me any happiness.”“Why did you reserve for four persons?” asked Roger.“I wanted to make sure her Christmas in Norway tour wouldn’t be canceled. She has a four-person minimum.”“You won’t get those other bookings back, even if more people are going.”“I don’t need the money, Roger, but I do need this tour.”“How about clothing? You don’t have many clothes in that gym bag, Gunnar. Do you want to stop somewhere before we get to the airport?”“No. I’ll travel light. It’ll be easier when going through airport security. I’ll buy more clothes when I get to Norway.”“How about after you come back?”“I’m going to someplace warm and sunny. Maybe visit a mouse in Florida. I’ll be in touch if I need anything while I’m in Norway, and call you when I get back in three weeks.”Jorunn, The Tour GuideDecember 15 – Morning, Two Days LaterI spent yesterday shopping for the new clothes I would need. The tour is a mix of city and outdoor activities, so I bought a basic wardrobe, along with good walking shoes, snow pants, a warm jacket, and gloves. I ate lunch and dinner at two smaller restaurants. The food was good, but I felt lonely eating by myself, in a city I didn’t know, in a strange country. I missed Solveig very much and wished she were here with me.The next morning, I walked to the nearby hotel where the tour group would be meeting and followed the “Christmas in Norway Tour” sign to a small room off the lobby. There she was! Jorunn. My vlogger! She was about as tall as I am, at least when I can stand straight, with long blonde hair parted in the middle, clear blue eyes, and her signature radiant smile. She wore a Norwegian Dale sweater and brown pants.Jorunn spoke to me in Norwegian. “Excuse me, sir, this room is reserved for a tour group.”I hobbled closer. “Yes, and I’m one of the people taking the tour.”“We have a pretty active schedule for the next seven days, from December 15th through the 22nd. Do you think you are well enough to take this tour?”I wasn’t sure if I was, but I didn’t want to tell her that. “I won’t slow you down,” I replied.“What is your name?” she asked.“Gunnar Larsen.”She opened a small notebook and flipped through the pages. “It says here you are in a group of four. I see three other names. When are they coming?”“There won’t be any others from my group. One of the names is my recently deceased wife, the other two are my estranged adult children. I’m all there is.”Jorunn looked puzzled. “Only four people in total signed up, including you, all from your group. If the others aren’t coming, then you will be the only one. I don’t… I can’t… I mean, I have reservations I cannot cancel. You’re going to cost me a fortune whether I go through with the tour or not.”I replied, “The contract states that you have a four-person minimum. I am paying you in full for all four people. You won’t lose any money.”Jorunn smirked and looked like she was thinking. “I don’t know if you’re some kind of dirty old man, but if I agree to continue this tour, you should know that we will have separate rooms every night and there will be no sex of any kind. Judging by the way you look; I hope you can at least wipe your own butt!”“Your terms are acceptable. I had a stroke two years ago, but I have mostly recovered. I can walk, talk, and listen. I have trouble with my balance at times and sometimes slur my words. If you think something is too strenuous for me, I am willing to skip that part of the tour.”“Well, Mr. Larsen of Minnesota, you need to sign some release forms. As stated in the contract, I get to film the tour group for my vlogs, so I expect smiles when I am filming you. For now, go help yourself to breakfast. There is coffee, brunost, bread, and milk. Enough to feed four. Don’t expect me to serve you, and if you don’t know how to use a cheese sliver, learn fast.”She looked puzzled earlier but was now the confident Jorunn with whom I spent virtual evenings. I was delighted we worked this out. Smiles would not be a problem.OsloDecember 15 - MorningJorunn left the room and returned shortly with a small basket of food. “We have a lot of brunost left over, so I am going to make us a food packet for lunch called matpakke. I have a place in mind where we can sit and picnic.”“We will use the Vy app and Oslo Pass and travel by train and Metro. But today, we will mainly walk around Oslo. You will need to check into this hotel under the tour name if you have not done so. We will be in Oslo for two nights. The prepaid room is part of your tour package. I will try to cancel or change some reservations. Meet me back here in one hour.”I went back to my hotel to retrieve my belongings, then checked into the one Jorunn requested. It was not as nice as the one I left, but it was clean, and I did not want to make a fuss on the first day. I purchased a surprising amount of clothing yesterday and needed to make two trips to bring everything over. Then I returned to the meeting room and found Jorunn waiting.Jorunn and I walked from the hotel to Oslo Central Station and took a tram to the Vigeland Sculpture Park. Jorunn told me it is the world’s largest sculpture park made by a single artist, Gustav Vigeland, with over two hundred sculptures combining the human form with an element of fantasy. Most figures were naked, with a mix of vagueness and rather notably open precision. The most prominent sculpture was a 17-meter-high monolith consisting of 121 intertwined human figures clambering to the top, carved from a single stone block. We spent over an hour walking the grounds, and while it was interesting, I told Jorunn that I didn’t see much in the way of Christmas here.A combination of walking and a short bus ride brought us to the grounds of the Akershus Fortress. Constructed in the 13th century, it protects the waterfront and Oslo harbor. Also on the site was the restored Akershus Castle, which was formerly a residence of prior kings of Norway. Jorunn said it serves today as an entertainment and event center for the Norwegian government, and this close to Christmas was not open to the public.I found it challenging to walk the grounds of the Fortress, as there were steep inclines mixed with stone steps and cobblestone paths. Remnants of a prior snowstorm still lingered in shady areas and under arches, making the footing treacherous. We did stop at places offering magnificent views of the city of Oslo, the bay, and the fjord, and several ramparts still bore cannons. Jorunn was rather businesslike and did not seem to be enjoyin

The Homeland calls for Gunnar, And So Does Love.Based on a post by Jorunn, in 4 parts. Listen to the ►Podcast at Connected.‘You are the Tin Man. This tour; is the Oil Can. Figure it out.'A recently widowed Norwegian American plans his escape from a Minnesota nursing home to travel abroad and join a ‘Christmas in Norway Tour’. While battling his fears, he meets a beautiful young tour guide and her divorced mother, who years later, still bears scars from her unfaithful husband’s affair. This story is about overcoming those fears to let healing begin. This story picks up after that, and shows the lingering effects of a husband’s extra-marital affair on his family. This is also a Christmas story, so expect to travel to locations in Norway, encounter Norwegian Christmas traditions, and maybe even get sprinkled with pixie-dust!“A man has only one escape from his old self: to see a different self - in the mirror of some woman’s eyes” - Clare Booth LucePrequel: The Ruined ChristmasOslo, Norway - Three Years AgoMy name is Jorunn. As a Norwegian landsby girl, Mamma and I spent Christmas week in Bergen, visiting her family and celebrating my 22nd birthday. We decided to leave Bergen two days early so that Pappa would not have to celebrate New Year’s Eve alone. During the week, while we were away, Pappa told us how he missed us.We arrived back home in mid-afternoon, just as the sun was setting, and saw our Christmas Star lit up in the window. After entering the house, we heard Pappa moaning upstairs and went up to see if he was all right. Opening the bedroom door, we saw him humping a strange woman!“What are you doing?” shouted Mamma.Pappa replied, “Leah, you’re home early.”“Who is this woman?”“She’s just a slut. She means nothing to me.”The woman yelped, “I am not a slut! I am a happily married woman.”Mamma yelled, “I can see what keeps you happy.”Pappa yelled back, “I still love you, Leah. Let me get rid of this slut. She’s only here because I was lonely. We can talk.”Mamma replied, “You can talk to my advokater. We’re through! How can I ever trust you again, you bastard? Do you realize what you have done to our family!”Mamma began sobbing and ran down the stairs.Pappa looked at me and said, “Jorunn, none of this would have happened if your mother hadn’t come home early and seen us.”I looked at Pappa and saw his slime-covered beard slick with the woman’s juices. “You’re wrong Pappa. It did happen. Mamma and I just wouldn’t have known. You said you didn’t want to be seen by us. That works both ways! I don’t ever want to talk to you or see you ever again!”I ran downstairs to Mamma, and with our suitcases still in the boot, we drove to a friend’s house.Gunnar and Nurse RatchedDecember 13 - MorningMinneapolis, Minnesota - Present DayI pressed the button on my cell phone and hung up after talking with Roger Mans, my long-time friend and attorney. My two adult children texted a few days ago they wanted to visit me here in the nursing home. I had not seen them since the funeral of my wife, Solveig, and that was two months ago. Their plan was for me to sign their power of attorney forms, giving them full control over me and my affairs. But my plan was different, and now was time to put it into place.Two years ago, at just 54 years old, I had a stroke. A devastating paralysis left me needing a lot of care, and therapy to regain my mobility, speech, and other functions.I realized Solveig was unable to care for me at our home. She tried with all her heart, but she was also fighting her own battle with cancer, and undergoing her own rigorous treatments.So I decided to enter a nursing home, while I continued to get rehab. I wanted a facility with a stroke recovery unit. This limited my nursing home choices. The only thing making life bearable here, was Solveig faithfully visiting me, and sneaking an occasional home-cooked meal past the head nurse and her staff. Sadly, Solveig succumbed to the cancer while I was still a resident at the ‘Bethel Retirement Center'. At Solveig’s funeral, my children promised to visit often, but as usual, I could never count on them for anything.Without my wife here to check on things, my decent clothes never came back from the laundry, and instead, the staff returned excuses. I put on old sweatpants and an old sweatshirt. It would do for now. I prepared myself for this day by walking the halls of the nursing home, attending physical therapy sessions, and taking care of myself without help from the staff. Still not fully recovered, but like my clothing, it would do for now.I said goodbye to Alfred, my shared roommate. He nodded, wished me luck, and said he would love to go with me. I felt sorry for him. He was a great storyteller but needed to use his walker, and physically, he required the kind of care they provided here.I walked down the hall to the nurse’s station and found Molly Turner, the rather brusque chief nurse, and her two assistants sitting behind it. “Good morning, Nurse Ratched,” I said.“Good day to you, Gunnar,” she replied.“I’m checking out,” I said.“Be serious, Gunnar. No one ever checks out of a nursing home, unless they are flat on their back with a toe tag.”I looked at her and smiled, “I only hope that will be your Fate, Molly.”“That’s not a nice thing to say, Gunnar. Now, return to your room or I will have dietary take away your rice pudding for a week.”The rice pudding here was a pale imitation of the riskrem, which Solvieg would make every Christmas. I would miss it this year. I gave Nurse Ratched a one-fingered salute, then walked toward the exit. There was a scramble of squeaky chairs and shouts behind me, and I heard their footsteps closing in on me. As I pushed the two doors open to the main lobby, there was Roger, standing next to the nursing home administrator. I walked up to my lawyer, and shook his hand, “Thank you, old friend.”I turned to see a stunned Nurse Ratched. “Allow me to escort Mr. Larsen back to his room,” she meekly pronounced.The nursing home administrator said, “That won’t be necessary, Molly. Mr. Larsen is leaving us. He isn’t taking anything with him. You may clear out his room and get it ready for the next resident.”I looked Nurse Ratched in the eye and saw the fires of hell blazing within. Then, it was my turn to smile back.All my therapists had agreed that my rehab was successful. My speech skills were quite restored. My left arm and leg took longer to restore. But it was good enough to ditch the wheelchair, then the walker, then the cane. What really set me back was the grief of losing my wife, and the guilt of not being there when she needed me most.Gunnar’s HouseRoger drove me to my house. I hadn't been there in two years. It looked pathetic. No one bothered shoveling the snow on the walkway, and I feared what my children may have done to the inside. I found the hidden key I placed under a rock years ago and used it to enter through the front door. The living room and dining room furniture were mostly gone, or should I say, stolen. They had rifled through the small office nook next to the kitchen, with papers scattered over the kitchen countertops and floor.I turned and said, “You’re going to have your work cut out for you, Roger.”“This is exactly what you said would happen, Gunnar. Our firm will take care of it for you.”I opened a small drawer in the office nook and thankfully found my passport intact. It was useless to my children. I went to the master bedroom and saw the dresser drawers partially opened, with clothes scattered all about the floor. On top of the dresser was Solvieg’s jewelry box. I opened it, and few things remained. I was glad to see the gold charm bracelet I gave her 35 years ago for Christmas. She wore it a couple of times, then stopped, complaining it turned her wrist green as the fake gold coating wore away. But she kept it all these years. A worn-out trinket to my children, as precious as the Sauron’s Ring of Power to me. I picked it up and put it in the pocket of my sweatpants.I went into the walk-in closet and picked out some clothes, tossed them into an old gym bag, and said, “I’m done. We can go.”Roger said, “The locksmith and security company will meet me here this afternoon. Once they are done, your children will no longer have access.”“I’d rather not have an auction of whatever is left in the house. I don’t think Solveig would have liked that. Once you go through the papers, just throw everything left in a dumpster and haul it away. Whatever the two pirates plundered will be the only inheritance they will ever see from me.”Miller And Mans Law OfficeRoger and I next went to his office. I said hello to Jane, the long-time receptionist. I have always suspected that Jane knows everything that goes on here, and secretly runs the whole place, not unlike the way Nurse Ratched does in her domain. However, Jane does so with more efficiency, happiness, and joy for both clients and staff.Jane asked, “Can I get you anything, Gunnar?”“I’d love a cup of decent coffee, and an Apple Fritter if you have one.”“I’ll bring them to Roger’s office. Two creams and no sugar, if I remember right.”“Perfect, as always, Jane.”We went into Roger’s plush office, and I sat down in a chair more comfortable than any I sat in for the last two years.“Are you actually going to go through with this?” Roger asked.“Every bit of it,” I replied.I signed multiple papers, removing my two children as beneficiaries from my life insurance and investment accounts. I also gave Roger limited power of attorney to sell my house and dispose of its possessions.Jane arrived with the coffee and Apple Fritter. “Norway? Why would anyone want to go to Norway in December?”“Did Roger spill the beans?” I asked.Jane replied, “Every piece of paper that comes into this office passes through my hands. I opened your travel visa when it came in.”“Jane, I can’t spend Christmas here in Minnesota. The bitter wintry weather pales in comparison to the cold hearts of my own two children. The further away from them I am, the better. I’ve never been to Norway and have always wanted to see the 'home country’ of my ancestors.”Like I said, Jane knows all. The coffee tasted great, and the deep-fried Apple Fritter, one of Nursed Ratched’s 'prohibited foods’, was outstanding. Roger slid me a packet labeled 'Gunnar - Norway’. As Jane left, I opened it and looked at the contents. As planned, there was an international cell phone with a different number, a stack of krone, and three new credit cards bearing the name of a fictitious business. I handed Roger my old cell phone.“We’ll dispose of this for you. Your children will have no idea where you are unless they hire a private detective with exceptionally good connections. Legally, they have no rights to any of your assets, so even if somehow they track you to our law office, they will not get past Jane.”I believed Roger on that.“The tour company you asked us to sign you up with seems pretty sketchy. Their contract looks like something generated off a free online legal site. We reviewed it, it is crude, but legal and binding. If you back out, they still get paid. Why did you pick this tour company? There are many larger and more reputable companies we might have booked you with.”“It’s silly, Roger. I know it’s only a one-person company, run by a young vlogger in Norway. It was terribly boring in the nursing home, so I would spend evenings watching her videos as she traveled around Norway visiting various places, and leading small groups of tourists. It looked like the people were having fun and she made me laugh. Watching her videos was one of the few things that brought me any happiness.”“Why did you reserve for four persons?” asked Roger.“I wanted to make sure her Christmas in Norway tour wouldn’t be canceled. She has a four-person minimum.”“You won’t get those other bookings back, even if more people are going.”“I don’t need the money, Roger, but I do need this tour.”“How about clothing? You don’t have many clothes in that gym bag, Gunnar. Do you want to stop somewhere before we get to the airport?”“No. I’ll travel light. It’ll be easier when going through airport security. I’ll buy more clothes when I get to Norway.”“How about after you come back?”“I’m going to someplace warm and sunny. Maybe visit a mouse in Florida. I’ll be in touch if I need anything while I’m in Norway, and call you when I get back in three weeks.”Jorunn, The Tour GuideDecember 15 – Morning, Two Days LaterI spent yesterday shopping for the new clothes I would need. The tour is a mix of city and outdoor activities, so I bought a basic wardrobe, along with good walking shoes, snow pants, a warm jacket, and gloves. I ate lunch and dinner at two smaller restaurants. The food was good, but I felt lonely eating by myself, in a city I didn’t know, in a strange country. I missed Solveig very much and wished she were here with me.The next morning, I walked to the nearby hotel where the tour group would be meeting and followed the “Christmas in Norway Tour” sign to a small room off the lobby. There she was! Jorunn. My vlogger! She was about as tall as I am, at least when I can stand straight, with long blonde hair parted in the middle, clear blue eyes, and her signature radiant smile. She wore a Norwegian Dale sweater and brown pants.Jorunn spoke to me in Norwegian. “Excuse me, sir, this room is reserved for a tour group.”I hobbled closer. “Yes, and I’m one of the people taking the tour.”“We have a pretty active schedule for the next seven days, from December 15th through the 22nd. Do you think you are well enough to take this tour?”I wasn’t sure if I was, but I didn’t want to tell her that. “I won’t slow you down,” I replied.“What is your name?” she asked.“Gunnar Larsen.”She opened a small notebook and flipped through the pages. “It says here you are in a group of four. I see three other names. When are they coming?”“There won’t be any others from my group. One of the names is my recently deceased wife, the other two are my estranged adult children. I’m all there is.”Jorunn looked puzzled. “Only four people in total signed up, including you, all from your group. If the others aren’t coming, then you will be the only one. I don’t… I can’t… I mean, I have reservations I cannot cancel. You’re going to cost me a fortune whether I go through with the tour or not.”I replied, “The contract states that you have a four-person minimum. I am paying you in full for all four people. You won’t lose any money.”Jorunn smirked and looked like she was thinking. “I don’t know if you’re some kind of dirty old man, but if I agree to continue this tour, you should know that we will have separate rooms every night and there will be no sex of any kind. Judging by the way you look; I hope you can at least wipe your own butt!”“Your terms are acceptable. I had a stroke two years ago, but I have mostly recovered. I can walk, talk, and listen. I have trouble with my balance at times and sometimes slur my words. If you think something is too strenuous for me, I am willing to skip that part of the tour.”“Well, Mr. Larsen of Minnesota, you need to sign some release forms. As stated in the contract, I get to film the tour group for my vlogs, so I expect smiles when I am filming you. For now, go help yourself to breakfast. There is coffee, brunost, bread, and milk. Enough to feed four. Don’t expect me to serve you, and if you don’t know how to use a cheese sliver, learn fast.”She looked puzzled earlier but was now the confident Jorunn with whom I spent virtual evenings. I was delighted we worked this out. Smiles would not be a problem.OsloDecember 15 - MorningJorunn left the room and returned shortly with a small basket of food. “We have a lot of brunost left over, so I am going to make us a food packet for lunch called matpakke. I have a place in mind where we can sit and picnic.”“We will use the Vy app and Oslo Pass and travel by train and Metro. But today, we will mainly walk around Oslo. You will need to check into this hotel under the tour name if you have not done so. We will be in Oslo for two nights. The prepaid room is part of your tour package. I will try to cancel or change some reservations. Meet me back here in one hour.”I went back to my hotel to retrieve my belongings, then checked into the one Jorunn requested. It was not as nice as the one I left, but it was clean, and I did not want to make a fuss on the first day. I purchased a surprising amount of clothing yesterday and needed to make two trips to bring everything over. Then I returned to the meeting room and found Jorunn waiting.Jorunn and I walked from the hotel to Oslo Central Station and took a tram to the Vigeland Sculpture Park. Jorunn told me it is the world’s largest sculpture park made by a single artist, Gustav Vigeland, with over two hundred sculptures combining the human form with an element of fantasy. Most figures were naked, with a mix of vagueness and rather notably open precision. The most prominent sculpture was a 17-meter-high monolith consisting of 121 intertwined human figures clambering to the top, carved from a single stone block. We spent over an hour walking the grounds, and while it was interesting, I told Jorunn that I didn’t see much in the way of Christmas here.A combination of walking and a short bus ride brought us to the grounds of the Akershus Fortress. Constructed in the 13th century, it protects the waterfront and Oslo harbor. Also on the site was the restored Akershus Castle, which was formerly a residence of prior kings of Norway. Jorunn said it serves today as an entertainment and event center for the Norwegian government, and this close to Christmas was not open to the public.I found it challenging to walk the grounds of the Fortress, as there were steep inclines mixed with stone steps and cobblestone paths. Remnants of a prior snowstorm still lingered in shady areas and under arches, making the footing treacherous. We did stop at places offering magnificent views of the city of Oslo, the bay, and the fjord, and several ramparts still bore cannons. Jorunn was rather businesslike and did not seem to be enjoyin

The Homeland calls for Gunnar, And So Does Love.Based on a post by Jorunn, in 4 parts. Listen to the ►Podcast at Connected.‘You are the Tin Man. This tour; is the Oil Can. Figure it out.'A recently widowed Norwegian American plans his escape from a Minnesota nursing home to travel abroad and join a ‘Christmas in Norway Tour’. While battling his fears, he meets a beautiful young tour guide and her divorced mother, who years later, still bears scars from her unfaithful husband’s affair. This story is about overcoming those fears to let healing begin. This story picks up after that, and shows the lingering effects of a husband’s extra-marital affair on his family. This is also a Christmas story, so expect to travel to locations in Norway, encounter Norwegian Christmas traditions, and maybe even get sprinkled with pixie-dust!“A man has only one escape from his old self: to see a different self - in the mirror of some woman’s eyes” - Clare Booth LucePrequel: The Ruined ChristmasOslo, Norway - Three Years AgoMy name is Jorunn. As a Norwegian landsby girl, Mamma and I spent Christmas week in Bergen, visiting her family and celebrating my 22nd birthday. We decided to leave Bergen two days early so that Pappa would not have to celebrate New Year’s Eve alone. During the week, while we were away, Pappa told us how he missed us.We arrived back home in mid-afternoon, just as the sun was setting, and saw our Christmas Star lit up in the window. After entering the house, we heard Pappa moaning upstairs and went up to see if he was all right. Opening the bedroom door, we saw him humping a strange woman!“What are you doing?” shouted Mamma.Pappa replied, “Leah, you’re home early.”“Who is this woman?”“She’s just a slut. She means nothing to me.”The woman yelped, “I am not a slut! I am a happily married woman.”Mamma yelled, “I can see what keeps you happy.”Pappa yelled back, “I still love you, Leah. Let me get rid of this slut. She’s only here because I was lonely. We can talk.”Mamma replied, “You can talk to my advokater. We’re through! How can I ever trust you again, you bastard? Do you realize what you have done to our family!”Mamma began sobbing and ran down the stairs.Pappa looked at me and said, “Jorunn, none of this would have happened if your mother hadn’t come home early and seen us.”I looked at Pappa and saw his slime-covered beard slick with the woman’s juices. “You’re wrong Pappa. It did happen. Mamma and I just wouldn’t have known. You said you didn’t want to be seen by us. That works both ways! I don’t ever want to talk to you or see you ever again!”I ran downstairs to Mamma, and with our suitcases still in the boot, we drove to a friend’s house.Gunnar and Nurse RatchedDecember 13 - MorningMinneapolis, Minnesota - Present DayI pressed the button on my cell phone and hung up after talking with Roger Mans, my long-time friend and attorney. My two adult children texted a few days ago they wanted to visit me here in the nursing home. I had not seen them since the funeral of my wife, Solveig, and that was two months ago. Their plan was for me to sign their power of attorney forms, giving them full control over me and my affairs. But my plan was different, and now was time to put it into place.Two years ago, at just 54 years old, I had a stroke. A devastating paralysis left me needing a lot of care, and therapy to regain my mobility, speech, and other functions.I realized Solveig was unable to care for me at our home. She tried with all her heart, but she was also fighting her own battle with cancer, and undergoing her own rigorous treatments.So I decided to enter a nursing home, while I continued to get rehab. I wanted a facility with a stroke recovery unit. This limited my nursing home choices. The only thing making life bearable here, was Solveig faithfully visiting me, and sneaking an occasional home-cooked meal past the head nurse and her staff. Sadly, Solveig succumbed to the cancer while I was still a resident at the ‘Bethel Retirement Center'. At Solveig’s funeral, my children promised to visit often, but as usual, I could never count on them for anything.Without my wife here to check on things, my decent clothes never came back from the laundry, and instead, the staff returned excuses. I put on old sweatpants and an old sweatshirt. It would do for now. I prepared myself for this day by walking the halls of the nursing home, attending physical therapy sessions, and taking care of myself without help from the staff. Still not fully recovered, but like my clothing, it would do for now.I said goodbye to Alfred, my shared roommate. He nodded, wished me luck, and said he would love to go with me. I felt sorry for him. He was a great storyteller but needed to use his walker, and physically, he required the kind of care they provided here.I walked down the hall to the nurse’s station and found Molly Turner, the rather brusque chief nurse, and her two assistants sitting behind it. “Good morning, Nurse Ratched,” I said.“Good day to you, Gunnar,” she replied.“I’m checking out,” I said.“Be serious, Gunnar. No one ever checks out of a nursing home, unless they are flat on their back with a toe tag.”I looked at her and smiled, “I only hope that will be your Fate, Molly.”“That’s not a nice thing to say, Gunnar. Now, return to your room or I will have dietary take away your rice pudding for a week.”The rice pudding here was a pale imitation of the riskrem, which Solvieg would make every Christmas. I would miss it this year. I gave Nurse Ratched a one-fingered salute, then walked toward the exit. There was a scramble of squeaky chairs and shouts behind me, and I heard their footsteps closing in on me. As I pushed the two doors open to the main lobby, there was Roger, standing next to the nursing home administrator. I walked up to my lawyer, and shook his hand, “Thank you, old friend.”I turned to see a stunned Nurse Ratched. “Allow me to escort Mr. Larsen back to his room,” she meekly pronounced.The nursing home administrator said, “That won’t be necessary, Molly. Mr. Larsen is leaving us. He isn’t taking anything with him. You may clear out his room and get it ready for the next resident.”I looked Nurse Ratched in the eye and saw the fires of hell blazing within. Then, it was my turn to smile back.All my therapists had agreed that my rehab was successful. My speech skills were quite restored. My left arm and leg took longer to restore. But it was good enough to ditch the wheelchair, then the walker, then the cane. What really set me back was the grief of losing my wife, and the guilt of not being there when she needed me most.Gunnar’s HouseRoger drove me to my house. I hadn't been there in two years. It looked pathetic. No one bothered shoveling the snow on the walkway, and I feared what my children may have done to the inside. I found the hidden key I placed under a rock years ago and used it to enter through the front door. The living room and dining room furniture were mostly gone, or should I say, stolen. They had rifled through the small office nook next to the kitchen, with papers scattered over the kitchen countertops and floor.I turned and said, “You’re going to have your work cut out for you, Roger.”“This is exactly what you said would happen, Gunnar. Our firm will take care of it for you.”I opened a small drawer in the office nook and thankfully found my passport intact. It was useless to my children. I went to the master bedroom and saw the dresser drawers partially opened, with clothes scattered all about the floor. On top of the dresser was Solvieg’s jewelry box. I opened it, and few things remained. I was glad to see the gold charm bracelet I gave her 35 years ago for Christmas. She wore it a couple of times, then stopped, complaining it turned her wrist green as the fake gold coating wore away. But she kept it all these years. A worn-out trinket to my children, as precious as the Sauron’s Ring of Power to me. I picked it up and put it in the pocket of my sweatpants.I went into the walk-in closet and picked out some clothes, tossed them into an old gym bag, and said, “I’m done. We can go.”Roger said, “The locksmith and security company will meet me here this afternoon. Once they are done, your children will no longer have access.”“I’d rather not have an auction of whatever is left in the house. I don’t think Solveig would have liked that. Once you go through the papers, just throw everything left in a dumpster and haul it away. Whatever the two pirates plundered will be the only inheritance they will ever see from me.”Miller And Mans Law OfficeRoger and I next went to his office. I said hello to Jane, the long-time receptionist. I have always suspected that Jane knows everything that goes on here, and secretly runs the whole place, not unlike the way Nurse Ratched does in her domain. However, Jane does so with more efficiency, happiness, and joy for both clients and staff.Jane asked, “Can I get you anything, Gunnar?”“I’d love a cup of decent coffee, and an Apple Fritter if you have one.”“I’ll bring them to Roger’s office. Two creams and no sugar, if I remember right.”“Perfect, as always, Jane.”We went into Roger’s plush office, and I sat down in a chair more comfortable than any I sat in for the last two years.“Are you actually going to go through with this?” Roger asked.“Every bit of it,” I replied.I signed multiple papers, removing my two children as beneficiaries from my life insurance and investment accounts. I also gave Roger limited power of attorney to sell my house and dispose of its possessions.Jane arrived with the coffee and Apple Fritter. “Norway? Why would anyone want to go to Norway in December?”“Did Roger spill the beans?” I asked.Jane replied, “Every piece of paper that comes into this office passes through my hands. I opened your travel visa when it came in.”“Jane, I can’t spend Christmas here in Minnesota. The bitter wintry weather pales in comparison to the cold hearts of my own two children. The further away from them I am, the better. I’ve never been to Norway and have always wanted to see the 'home country’ of my ancestors.”Like I said, Jane knows all. The coffee tasted great, and the deep-fried Apple Fritter, one of Nursed Ratched’s 'prohibited foods’, was outstanding. Roger slid me a packet labeled 'Gunnar - Norway’. As Jane left, I opened it and looked at the contents. As planned, there was an international cell phone with a different number, a stack of krone, and three new credit cards bearing the name of a fictitious business. I handed Roger my old cell phone.“We’ll dispose of this for you. Your children will have no idea where you are unless they hire a private detective with exceptionally good connections. Legally, they have no rights to any of your assets, so even if somehow they track you to our law office, they will not get past Jane.”I believed Roger on that.“The tour company you asked us to sign you up with seems pretty sketchy. Their contract looks like something generated off a free online legal site. We reviewed it, it is crude, but legal and binding. If you back out, they still get paid. Why did you pick this tour company? There are many larger and more reputable companies we might have booked you with.”“It’s silly, Roger. I know it’s only a one-person company, run by a young vlogger in Norway. It was terribly boring in the nursing home, so I would spend evenings watching her videos as she traveled around Norway visiting various places, and leading small groups of tourists. It looked like the people were having fun and she made me laugh. Watching her videos was one of the few things that brought me any happiness.”“Why did you reserve for four persons?” asked Roger.“I wanted to make sure her Christmas in Norway tour wouldn’t be canceled. She has a four-person minimum.”“You won’t get those other bookings back, even if more people are going.”“I don’t need the money, Roger, but I do need this tour.”“How about clothing? You don’t have many clothes in that gym bag, Gunnar. Do you want to stop somewhere before we get to the airport?”“No. I’ll travel light. It’ll be easier when going through airport security. I’ll buy more clothes when I get to Norway.”“How about after you come back?”“I’m going to someplace warm and sunny. Maybe visit a mouse in Florida. I’ll be in touch if I need anything while I’m in Norway, and call you when I get back in three weeks.”Jorunn, The Tour GuideDecember 15 – Morning, Two Days LaterI spent yesterday shopping for the new clothes I would need. The tour is a mix of city and outdoor activities, so I bought a basic wardrobe, along with good walking shoes, snow pants, a warm jacket, and gloves. I ate lunch and dinner at two smaller restaurants. The food was good, but I felt lonely eating by myself, in a city I didn’t know, in a strange country. I missed Solveig very much and wished she were here with me.The next morning, I walked to the nearby hotel where the tour group would be meeting and followed the “Christmas in Norway Tour” sign to a small room off the lobby. There she was! Jorunn. My vlogger! She was about as tall as I am, at least when I can stand straight, with long blonde hair parted in the middle, clear blue eyes, and her signature radiant smile. She wore a Norwegian Dale sweater and brown pants.Jorunn spoke to me in Norwegian. “Excuse me, sir, this room is reserved for a tour group.”I hobbled closer. “Yes, and I’m one of the people taking the tour.”“We have a pretty active schedule for the next seven days, from December 15th through the 22nd. Do you think you are well enough to take this tour?”I wasn’t sure if I was, but I didn’t want to tell her that. “I won’t slow you down,” I replied.“What is your name?” she asked.“Gunnar Larsen.”She opened a small notebook and flipped through the pages. “It says here you are in a group of four. I see three other names. When are they coming?”“There won’t be any others from my group. One of the names is my recently deceased wife, the other two are my estranged adult children. I’m all there is.”Jorunn looked puzzled. “Only four people in total signed up, including you, all from your group. If the others aren’t coming, then you will be the only one. I don’t… I can’t… I mean, I have reservations I cannot cancel. You’re going to cost me a fortune whether I go through with the tour or not.”I replied, “The contract states that you have a four-person minimum. I am paying you in full for all four people. You won’t lose any money.”Jorunn smirked and looked like she was thinking. “I don’t know if you’re some kind of dirty old man, but if I agree to continue this tour, you should know that we will have separate rooms every night and there will be no sex of any kind. Judging by the way you look; I hope you can at least wipe your own butt!”“Your terms are acceptable. I had a stroke two years ago, but I have mostly recovered. I can walk, talk, and listen. I have trouble with my balance at times and sometimes slur my words. If you think something is too strenuous for me, I am willing to skip that part of the tour.”“Well, Mr. Larsen of Minnesota, you need to sign some release forms. As stated in the contract, I get to film the tour group for my vlogs, so I expect smiles when I am filming you. For now, go help yourself to breakfast. There is coffee, brunost, bread, and milk. Enough to feed four. Don’t expect me to serve you, and if you don’t know how to use a cheese sliver, learn fast.”She looked puzzled earlier but was now the confident Jorunn with whom I spent virtual evenings. I was delighted we worked this out. Smiles would not be a problem.OsloDecember 15 - MorningJorunn left the room and returned shortly with a small basket of food. “We have a lot of brunost left over, so I am going to make us a food packet for lunch called matpakke. I have a place in mind where we can sit and picnic.”“We will use the Vy app and Oslo Pass and travel by train and Metro. But today, we will mainly walk around Oslo. You will need to check into this hotel under the tour name if you have not done so. We will be in Oslo for two nights. The prepaid room is part of your tour package. I will try to cancel or change some reservations. Meet me back here in one hour.”I went back to my hotel to retrieve my belongings, then checked into the one Jorunn requested. It was not as nice as the one I left, but it was clean, and I did not want to make a fuss on the first day. I purchased a surprising amount of clothing yesterday and needed to make two trips to bring everything over. Then I returned to the meeting room and found Jorunn waiting.Jorunn and I walked from the hotel to Oslo Central Station and took a tram to the Vigeland Sculpture Park. Jorunn told me it is the world’s largest sculpture park made by a single artist, Gustav Vigeland, with over two hundred sculptures combining the human form with an element of fantasy. Most figures were naked, with a mix of vagueness and rather notably open precision. The most prominent sculpture was a 17-meter-high monolith consisting of 121 intertwined human figures clambering to the top, carved from a single stone block. We spent over an hour walking the grounds, and while it was interesting, I told Jorunn that I didn’t see much in the way of Christmas here.A combination of walking and a short bus ride brought us to the grounds of the Akershus Fortress. Constructed in the 13th century, it protects the waterfront and Oslo harbor. Also on the site was the restored Akershus Castle, which was formerly a residence of prior kings of Norway. Jorunn said it serves today as an entertainment and event center for the Norwegian government, and this close to Christmas was not open to the public.I found it challenging to walk the grounds of the Fortress, as there were steep inclines mixed with stone steps and cobblestone paths. Remnants of a prior snowstorm still lingered in shady areas and under arches, making the footing treacherous. We did stop at places offering magnificent views of the city of Oslo, the bay, and the fjord, and several ramparts still bore cannons. Jorunn was rather businesslike and did not seem to be enjoyin

Chris Claremont finally returns to the X-Men – but of course, nothing is ever that simple! The X-Men legend finished up a Fantastic Four run as he took back over the merry mutants – and of course, there's characters that appear in his F4 run that make it into the X-Men! The Heroes Reborn universe set up Claremont's run, and features work by CC himself, so strap in as Nico dives in deep and explains Fantastic Four (vol 2) #1 - 13, Avengers (vol 2) #4 - 6 & 12 - 13, Captain America (vol 2) #6 & 12 - 13, Iron Man #6 & 12 - 13, Heroes Reborn: The Return #1 - 4, & Heroes Reborn: Doomsday, Ashema, Masters Of Evil, Young Allies, Rebel, Remnants, & Doom – all this and more on an all new X Is For Comics!

Remnants of Rimidalv is a gothic horror actual play podcast set in a land where the supernatural hides behind tradition, faith, and power. In the shadowed nation of Rimidalv, ancient evils stir—monsters wear human faces, the dead rarely stay buried, and secrets fester at the heart of the crown itself. The Wardens stand between the people and the darkness. Each mystery pulls them deeper into conspiracies, folklore, and horrors best left forgotten. Each arc unfolds as a self-contained mystery, ranging from short investigations to multi-episode plots, with a rotating cast of Wardens uncovering the truth one horror at a time. Presented by Missing Roll Player Found, this narrative-driven actual play uses the Daggerheart™ ruleset to tell a series of interconnected supernatural mysteries. With rotating casts, case-based storytelling, and an ever-encroaching sense of dread, Remnants of Rimidalv blends gothic horror, investigation, and dark fantasy into a standalone campaign where no truth comes without a cost. Link: https://redcircle.com/shows/remnants-of-rimidalv RSS Feed: https://feeds.redcircle.com/221751c4-1f1c-4128-8a8b-e5903c98d8a7

Erich von Daniken is arguably the most widely read and most-copied nonfiction author in the world. He published his first (and best-known) book, Chariots of the Gods, in 1968. The worldwide best seller was followed by 40 more books, including the recent best sellers Twilight of the Gods, History is Wrong, Evidence of the Gods, Remnants of the Gods, and Odyssey of the Gods (all published by New Page Books).His works have been translated into 28 languages and have sold more than 65 million copies. Several have also been made into films. Von Danikens ideas have been the inspiration for a wide range of television series, including the History Channel's hit Ancient Aliens. His research organization, the AASRA/legendarytimes.com, comprises laymen and academics from all walks of life. Internationally, there are about 10,000 members. He lives in Switzerland but is an ever-present figure on the international lecture circuit, traveling more than 100,000 miles a year.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/earth-ancients--2790919/support.

Palo Alto is nice. The weather is temperate, the people are educated, rich, healthy, enterprising. Remnants of a hippie counterculture have synthesized with high technology and big finance to produce the spiritually and materially ambitious heart of Silicon Valley, whose products are changing how we do everything from driving around to eating food. It is also a haunted toxic waste dump built on stolen Indian burial grounds, and an integral part of the capitalist world system. In Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World (Little, Brown, 2023), the first comprehensive, global history of Silicon Valley, Malcolm Harris examines how and why Northern California evolved in the particular, consequential way it did, tracing the ideologies, technologies, and policies that have been engineered there over the course of 150 years of Anglo settler colonialism, from IQ tests to the "tragedy of the commons," racial genetics, and "broken windows" theory. The Internet and computers, too. It's a story about how a small American suburb became a powerful engine for economic growth and war, and how it came to lead the world into a surprisingly disastrous 21st century. Palo Alto is an urgent and visionary history of the way we live now, one that ends with a clear-eyed, radical proposition for how we might begin to change course. Malcolm Harris is a freelance writer and the author of Kids These Days: The Making of Millennials and Shit is Fucked Up and Bullshit: History Since the End of History. He was born in Santa Cruz, CA and graduated from the University of Maryland. Twitter. Brian Hamilton is chair of the Department of History and Social Science at Deerfield Academy. Twitter. Website. 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

Palo Alto is nice. The weather is temperate, the people are educated, rich, healthy, enterprising. Remnants of a hippie counterculture have synthesized with high technology and big finance to produce the spiritually and materially ambitious heart of Silicon Valley, whose products are changing how we do everything from driving around to eating food. It is also a haunted toxic waste dump built on stolen Indian burial grounds, and an integral part of the capitalist world system. In Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World (Little, Brown, 2023), the first comprehensive, global history of Silicon Valley, Malcolm Harris examines how and why Northern California evolved in the particular, consequential way it did, tracing the ideologies, technologies, and policies that have been engineered there over the course of 150 years of Anglo settler colonialism, from IQ tests to the "tragedy of the commons," racial genetics, and "broken windows" theory. The Internet and computers, too. It's a story about how a small American suburb became a powerful engine for economic growth and war, and how it came to lead the world into a surprisingly disastrous 21st century. Palo Alto is an urgent and visionary history of the way we live now, one that ends with a clear-eyed, radical proposition for how we might begin to change course. Malcolm Harris is a freelance writer and the author of Kids These Days: The Making of Millennials and Shit is Fucked Up and Bullshit: History Since the End of History. He was born in Santa Cruz, CA and graduated from the University of Maryland. Twitter. Brian Hamilton is chair of the Department of History and Social Science at Deerfield Academy. Twitter. Website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-west

Palo Alto is nice. The weather is temperate, the people are educated, rich, healthy, enterprising. Remnants of a hippie counterculture have synthesized with high technology and big finance to produce the spiritually and materially ambitious heart of Silicon Valley, whose products are changing how we do everything from driving around to eating food. It is also a haunted toxic waste dump built on stolen Indian burial grounds, and an integral part of the capitalist world system. In Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World (Little, Brown, 2023), the first comprehensive, global history of Silicon Valley, Malcolm Harris examines how and why Northern California evolved in the particular, consequential way it did, tracing the ideologies, technologies, and policies that have been engineered there over the course of 150 years of Anglo settler colonialism, from IQ tests to the "tragedy of the commons," racial genetics, and "broken windows" theory. The Internet and computers, too. It's a story about how a small American suburb became a powerful engine for economic growth and war, and how it came to lead the world into a surprisingly disastrous 21st century. Palo Alto is an urgent and visionary history of the way we live now, one that ends with a clear-eyed, radical proposition for how we might begin to change course. Malcolm Harris is a freelance writer and the author of Kids These Days: The Making of Millennials and Shit is Fucked Up and Bullshit: History Since the End of History. He was born in Santa Cruz, CA and graduated from the University of Maryland. Twitter. Brian Hamilton is chair of the Department of History and Social Science at Deerfield Academy. Twitter. Website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/science-technology-and-society

  THE FOUR FAMILIES OF CARACAS AND THE END OF THE REGIME Colleague Alejandro Peña Esclusa. Esclusa analyzes the four mafias currently competing for power in Caracas: the Rodriguez siblings, Diosdado Cabello, Padrino Lopez, and Maduro's remnants. He argues that overwhelming US military force has rendered local weapons irrelevant and that the dismantling of these groups is necessary for elections. NUMBER 121865 VENEZUELA

→ Watch on YouTube → Detailed Show Notes → Timestamps: (00:00) An overview of the The Old Testament.(04:27) Bryce breaks down the Old Testament into nine time periods.(09:41) Canonization and the creation of the Greek Septuagint. The authors of the New Testament quoted the Greek version of the Old Testament. The version that Jesus used is unknown.(13:01) The Old Testament is not one book written by a single author. It is an anthology of books written over centuries by individuals. Later authors sometimes rejected and edited earlier authors. Remnants remain that multiple Gods participated in the creation. The first word in Genesis invites us to consider the Grand Pre-mortal Council.(20:03) The creation accounts address why the world was created, not how. The purpose of the earth is to create eternal families.(33:17) Ancient cultures shared the creation story at their temples during the New Year. The time-honored principle of marriage and family are connected to the purposes of creation.(36:21) Chaos played a role in the formation of the earth. God transformed unorganized matter into something beautiful. The cosmology of the Bible invites modern readers to think about scripture differently.(41:18) The temple takes us to the creation and the creation takes us to the temple because each us back to God.(48:25) Moses 2 and 3 can be read as a single account. This is contrasted with the documentary hypothesis, where scholars believe Genesis 1 and 2 come from two different sources because of differences in the text.(54:21) Seven eternal lessons in the creation account invite us to find success during our time on earth. Finding balance between work and rest.(1:00:29) Seek spiritual things first, then temporal.(1:01:50) Cherubim and a flaming sword foiled Satan's plan and preserved the space between the trees. God protected our probationary estate. God knew from the very beginning that we would sin and need time to repent.(1:13:11) Satan's Plan B is to get us to take away our own or someone else's probationary state. Toxic perfectionism is addressed. Continual progression is what matters to God.(1:16:55) The river flowing out of Eden as a symbol for the division found in mortality. We must find ways to be unified.(1:23:08) Instead of focusing on what we are missing, our focus should be on all our blessings.(1:28:23) Pardes is an acronym to describe the ways of reading scripture: Peshat, remez, derash, and sod. The plain reading (peshat), allegorical or hidden reading (remez), the moral or imperative sense or application (derash), and the mystical, esoteric, or temple reading (sod).(1:30:13) The rib in Genesis 2.22 symbolizes partnership in marriage.(1:38:44) “Helper” or ʿēzer as found in Genesis 2.18 has often been misread and used to subjugate women. The term translated as “help meet” actually denotes the kind of powerful help that God gives. Eve's position next to Adam places both in a setting as having dominion over the whole earth. Eve is called “Zoe” in the LXX, the mother of all the living ones. There is no kingdom without Eve.(1:47:02) Fig leaves can represent covering our sins with bigger and bigger lies.(1:52:47) Garments are a piece of the temple that we wear to remind us of our connection to the Savior's atonement. → For more of Bryce Dunford’s podcast classes, click here. → Enroll in Institute → YouTube → Apple Podcasts → Spotify → Amazon Music → Facebook The post Ep 354 | Genesis 1-2; Moses 2-3; Abraham 4-5, Come Follow Me 2026 (January 12-18) appeared first on LDS Scripture Teachings.

SECTARIAN WARFARE IN SYRIA Colleague Akmed Sharawari. Akmed Sharawari reports on escalating violence between Syria's Alawite minority and the central government led by former jihadist Al-Shara. He explains that regime remnants and Russian influence are fueling Alawite defiance, while Druze and Kurdish factions also resist integration, complicating US hopes for a stable, unified post-Assad state. NUMBER 5 1921 ALEPPO

Get ready for a SUPER episode! One might even call it a MARVELous episode! On this episode of the podcast, author Saadia Faruqi stops by the show to share about her latest book, "Ms. Marvel: Remnants of the Past". Saadia shares about her background as an author, how she got an opportunity to tell a story in the ever-expanding cannon of Ms. Marvel, and how all kids should feel seen in the literature they consume.  Enjoy! About Saadia Faruqi Saadia Faruqi is a Pakistani American author and interfaith activist. She writes the popular children's early reader series Yasmin and other books for children, including award-winning middle grade novels, chapter books, and graphic novels. Her 2025 novel The Strongest Heart, depicting mental illness and its effect on families, received starred reviews from Kirkus, Publisher's Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist and the Horn Book. In 2024, The Partition Project, highlighting the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan, won the South Asia Book Award. Her 2023 graphic novel Saving Sunshine, about animal conservation and biodiversity, was a finalist for the Eisner award, a Kirkus Best Book, and a New York Public Library Best Book. Additionally, A Place At The Table (co-written with Laura Shovan) was a Sydney Taylor Notable in 2021 for its heartwarming friendship story between a Muslim and Jewish girl. Saadia is editor-in-chief of Blue Minaret, a magazine for Muslim art, poetry and prose, and was featured in Oprah Magazine in 2017 as a woman making a difference in her community. She lives in Houston, TX with her husband and children.  About 'Ms Marvel: Remnants of the Past' Ms. Marvel trips into a mystery that brings her from Jersey City to Lahore, Pakistan, and back again, all on a chase for a magical artifact in this adventure from Marvel Press. Kamala Khan is Jersey City's premier super hero, Ms. Marvel! She's stretched between going to the mosque, posting Avengers fanfic on the internet, and fighting crime. But then a clash ends with a pair of priceless spectacles in the wrong hands—Ms. Marvel's! Now she's on a mission to return them to where they belong, once she's figured out where that is. A mysterious new bad guy drops hints at magical secrets the spectacles hold, setting Ms. Marvel on a quest to Lahore, Pakistan. It's the trip of a lifetime, seeing the land of her father's youth, but Kamala is forced to grapple with what to do when the choice between right and wrong isn't so clear. Saadia Faruqi delivers a beautiful exploration of the Pakistani American experience through the eyes of Marvel's Kamala Khan. Make sure to check out the Dtalkspodcast.com website! Thanks to Empire Toys for this episode of the podcast! Nostalgia is something everyone loves and Empire Toys in Keller Texas is on nostalgia overload.   With toys and action figures from the 70's, 80's, 90's, and today, Empire Toys is a one-stop-shop for a trip down memory lane and a chance to reclaim what was once yours (but likely sold at a garage sale)   Check out Empire Toys on Facebook, Instagram, or at TheEmpireToys.com AND Thanks to Self Unbound for this episode of the podcast: Your quality of life: physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, is a direct reflection of the level of abundant energy, ease, and connection your nervous system has to experience your life!    At Self Unbound, your nervous system takes center stage as we help unbind your limited healing potential through NetworkSpinal Care.    Access the first steps to your Unbound journey by following us on Facebook, Instagram, or at www.selfunbound.com  

On WeatherBrains this week this our annual year-ender episode with Greg Carbin.  Greg needs no introduction; tonight we look back at 2025's notable weather events, and what the meteorology community has learned in the past year.  Greg has presented his "Year-in-Review" presentation to the NWA Annual Meeting every year since 2004. His professional society memberships have included the NWA, AMS, International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), and Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). Greg currently serves as Chair on the NWA's Professional Development Committee.   Thanks for joining us this week for this year's WeatherBrains finale! Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com. Looking back at 2025 (11:45) 2025 Gulf Coast snowstorm (19:30) Legendary meteorologist Chuck Doswell passes away (21:00) 17 tornadoes in Alabama in 2025 (42:00) Mid-May tornado outbreak near St. Louis (53:00) July 2025 Texas flooding tragedy (55:30) Remnants of Typhoon Halong cross Alaska (01:05:30) Dr. Neil Frank 2021 interview clip/Rewatch Episode 819 for entire interview (01:14:30) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:11:05) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:13:00) E-Mail Segment (No segment this week - Happy New Year!) and more! Web Sites from Episode 1041:   Remembering former KHOU-11 TV chief meteorologist Dr. Neil Frank Alabama Weather Network Picks of the Week: Greg Carbin - Ensemble QPF Tracking James Aydelott - Tulsa, OK record high temperature graphic Jen Narramore - Ethan Mok on X: Zion, IL fake AI tornado damage Rick Smith - Out Troy Kimmel - Foghorn Kim Klockow-McClain - Foghorn John Gordon - Tom Niziol on X: Wind-driven seiche on Lake Erie John Gordon - Tom Niziol on X: 80 mph wind gusts at Buffalo, NY Bill Murray - James Spann speaks with FOX Weather's Bob Van Dillen James Spann - Aaron Rigbsy on X: Tree damage video associated with a blizzard The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like Troy Kimmel, Bill Murray, Rick Smith, James Aydelott, Jen Narramore, John Gordon, and Dr. Kim Klockow-McClain. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating podcast about weather.

This month we are featuring a feed drop of one of many incredible podcasts on the RQ Network: Remnants, which is currently releasing its second season. Remnants is a weekly, thrilling, dark fantasy, audio drama filled with mystery and has just launched on the RQ Network. When we die, the remnants of us return to the First and Last Place. Our fate is decided by Sir and his new Apprentice, who read our remnants to determine whether they should be re-shelved or discarded. But what are the criteria? What happens to discarded souls? How are new lives for the re-shelved determined? And why, after untold stretches of existence, has Sir decided that he needs help to do it? Remnants explores the boundaries between right and wrong, examining humanity from its brightest and best to its darkest and most frightening, and all the grey in between. The Apprentice soon discovers that when we judge others, we often expose truths about ourselves. Remnants is from Eira Major the same brilliant creator behind the Spirit Box Radio and Not Quite Dead. Introduction and outro by Anusia Battersby. Listen to Remnants on The Rusty Quill website, on Acast, or listen wherever you get your podcasts, or to learn more about Remnants check out its official website. Credits: Written and Created by Eira Major Content warnings: - Coarse language - Implications of child neglect and endangerment - Descriptions of a fascist regime - Descriptions of violence - References to sex - Implications of murder For ad-free episodes, bonus content and the latest news from Rusty Towers, join members.rustyquill.com or our Patreon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 350 features Ray Wroten of the Baltimore-area band Bond & Bentley. Ray is an OG of the show, and it's always fun to have him back on. He is always funny, loves to talk shit, and is just a good, genuine dude in the scene. Bond & Bentley have a show coming up with Old Eastern at the Ottobar on 12/27. The band also re-released some of their back catalog to better represent the songs and how they sound in their current form. The release is called Remnants, and I featured the track “Smokin' Fatteez.” If you like it, you can stream it or buy the vinyl. I should note you can also find Ray hosting trivia on certain nights, such as at this podcast's favorite haunt, Fish Head Cantina. Check out Ray's socials or the band's socials for all updates and info. Also, big gratitude and thanks to everyone for supporting this podcast as it's grown and all the loyal listeners for checking in every week. We will always continue to try to support local artists wherever they may be.               Please follow, rate, or review the podcast wherever you are streaming if you'd like to help us out.  -- Part-Time Rockstar Productions is available in the DMV for music videos and live filming.   

Sponsor Details:This episode of Space Nuts is brought to you with the support of NordVPN. To get our special Space Nuts listener discounts and four months free bonus, all with a 30-day money-back guarantee, simply visit www.nordvpn.com/spacenuts or use the coupon code SPACENUTS at checkout.Cosmic Curiosities: Time Dilation, Supernova Remnants, and Aurora ColorsIn this engaging Q&A edition of Space Nuts, hosts Andrew Dunkley and Professor Fred Watson tackle a series of thought-provoking questions from their curious audience. From the enigmatic nature of time in anti-gravity fields to the vibrant colors of auroras, this episode dives deep into the mysteries of the cosmos.Episode Highlights:- Time in Anti-Gravity Fields: Andrew and Fred explore the implications of time dilation in gravitational and anti-gravity environments, discussing how time appears to flow differently depending on the observer's frame of reference.- Supernova Remnants: The hosts address whether we can still see the star remnants that contributed to the formation of heavy elements in our solar system, revealing the complexities of cosmic recycling.- The Colors of Aurora: Listener Nate's question about the stunning colors of auroras leads to a fascinating discussion on the atmospheric processes that create different hues, from greens to reds and beyond.- Relativistic Mass and Spacecraft Acceleration: Lee from Sweden poses an intriguing idea about using relativistic mass ejection to enhance spacecraft propulsion, prompting a conversation about the theoretical limits of current technology and the physics involved.For more Space Nuts, including our continuously updating newsfeed and to listen to all our episodes, visit our website. Follow us on social media at SpaceNutsPod on Facebook, X, YouTube Music Music, Tumblr, Instagram, and TikTok. We love engaging with our community, so be sure to drop us a message or comment on your favorite platform.If you'd like to help support Space Nuts and join our growing family of insiders for commercial-free episodes and more, visit spacenutspodcast.com/about.Stay curious, keep looking up, and join us next time for more stellar insights and cosmic wonders. Until then, clear skies and happy stargazing.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/space-nuts-astronomy-insights-cosmic-discoveries--2631155/support.

Megyn Kelly kicks off the Anaheim tour stop of "Megyn Kelly Live" with The Fifth Column hosts to talk about Marjorie Taylor Greene's abrupt resignation amid her feud with Trump, what happens when you get on the wrong side of Trump, the Trump-Mamdani bromance meeting at the White House, Mamdani's political skills, the falsity of politics, and more. Then Jillian Michaels joins to talk about the disaffected young white boys who came to Nick Fuentes because they were trashed by society and the left, the way Charlie Kirk showed the light to this demographic, the wokeness still infecting America's schools, the tide turning on the "trans" craze as even Joy Reid admits the truth, and more. Then Maureen Callahan joins to talk about Meghan Markle's absurd new splashy profile, the truth about her "11-year-old letter" story, the bizarre Wicked press tour between Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, the "body positivity" movement coming to an end, and more. Cozy Earth: Luxury shouldn't be out of reach. Go to https://cozyearth.com/MEGYN for up to 40% off.First Liberty Institute: Explore why religious liberty is the first freedom tyrants target—and get your free copy of America's First Freedom at https://FirstLiberty.org/Megyn.Lean: Visit https://BrickhouseSale.com for 30% offFirecracker Farm: Visit https://firecracker.FARM & enter code MK at checkout for a special discount!  Follow The Megyn Kelly Show on all social platforms:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MegynKellyTwitter: http://Twitter.com/MegynKellyShowInstagram: http://Instagram.com/MegynKellyShowFacebook: http://Facebook.com/MegynKellyShow Find out more information at:https://www.devilmaycaremedia.com/megynkellyshow Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(3:00) A laughable thought 8 months ago, FSU has come close to the #1 offense in the land but...(7:30) Thoughts on luck and other outside factors and forces(16:00) Do they have the money?(29:00) Who would trade for Mike Norvell(32:00) On Chris Weinke(36:00) Reasons to run it back(44:00) Future conference landing spot important in coaching search?(58:00) COVID vs Snub(1:01:00) Over/undersMusic: In Her Own Words - Love Me Notvitaminenergy.com | PROMO: warchantbogo | buy one, get one free!In Crawfordville, your Home Convenience Store is ACE Home Center & NAPA Auto Parts located at 2709 Crawfordville Hwy Download the  Underdog app today and sign up with promo code WARCHANT to score fifty dollars in Bonus Funds when you play your first five dollars.Must be 18+ (19+ in Alabama & Nebraska; 19+ in Colorado for some games; 21+ in Arizona, Massachusetts & Virginia) and present in a state where Underdog Fantasy operates. Terms apply. See assets.underdogfantasy.com/web/PlayandGetTerms_DFS_.html for details. Offer not valid in Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Concerned with your play? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit www.ncpgambling.org. In New York, call the 24/7 HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY or Text HOPENY (46736) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(3:00) A laughable thought 8 months ago, FSU has come close to the #1 offense in the land but...(7:30) Thoughts on luck and other outside factors and forces(16:00) Do they have the money?(29:00) Who would trade for Mike Norvell(32:00) On Chris Weinke(36:00) Reasons to run it back(44:00) Future conference landing spot important in coaching search?(58:00) COVID vs Snub(1:01:00) Over/undersMusic: In Her Own Words - Love Me Notvitaminenergy.com | PROMO: warchantbogo | buy one, get one free!In Crawfordville, your Home Convenience Store is ACE Home Center & NAPA Auto Parts located at 2709 Crawfordville Hwy Download the  Underdog app today and sign up with promo code WARCHANT to score fifty dollars in Bonus Funds when you play your first five dollars.Must be 18+ (19+ in Alabama & Nebraska; 19+ in Colorado for some games; 21+ in Arizona, Massachusetts & Virginia) and present in a state where Underdog Fantasy operates. Terms apply. See assets.underdogfantasy.com/web/PlayandGetTerms_DFS_.html for details. Offer not valid in Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Concerned with your play? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit www.ncpgambling.org. In New York, call the 24/7 HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY or Text HOPENY (46736) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What if the lightest element in the universe could be the most powerful tool for human optimization? Most people are chasing exotic supplements while missing the foundational molecule that makes up 10% of your body weight, hydrogen gas. This isn't about selling you another trendy supplement; this is about understanding why we had hydrogen-rich streams and gut bacteria that no longer exist, and how restoring this one molecule through the NRF-2 pathway can transform everything from mitochondrial function to sleep quality.  Join the Ultimate Human VIP community for Gary Brecka's proven wellness protocols! https://bit.ly/4ai0Xwg Thank you to our partners H2TABS: “ULTIMATE10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4hMNdgg BODYHEALTH: “ULTIMATE20” FOR 20% OFF: http://bit.ly/4e5IjsV BAJA GOLD: "ULTIMATE10" FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/3WSBqUa EIGHT SLEEP: SAVE $350 ON THE POD 4 ULTRA WITH CODE “GARY”: https://bit.ly/3WkLd6E COLD LIFE: THE ULTIMATE HUMAN PLUNGE: https://bit.ly/4eULUKp WHOOP: JOIN AND GET 1 FREE MONTH!: https://bit.ly/3VQ0nzW MASA CHIPS: 20% OFF FIRST ORDER: https://bit.ly/40LVY4y VANDY: “ULTIMATE20” FOR 20% OFF: https://bit.ly/49Qr7WE AION: “ULTIMATE10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4h6KHAD A-GAME: “ULTIMATE15” FOR 15% OFF: http://bit.ly/4kek1ij CARAWAY: “ULTIMATE” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/3Q1VmkC HEALF: 10% OFF YOUR ORDER: https://bit.ly/41HJg6S BIOPTIMIZERS: “ULTIMATE” FOR 15% OFF: https://bit.ly/4inFfd7 RHO NUTRITION: “ULTIMATE15” FOR 15% OFF: https://bit.ly/44fFza0 GOPUFF: GET YOUR FAVORITE SNACK!: https://bit.ly/4obIFDC GENETIC TEST: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Yg1Uk9 Watch  the “Ultimate Human Podcast” every Tuesday & Thursday at 9AM EST: YouTube: https://bit.ly/3RPQYX8 Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3RQftU0 Connect with Gary Brecka Instagram: https://bit.ly/3RPpnFs TikTok: https://bit.ly/4coJ8fo X: https://bit.ly/3Opc8tf Facebook: https://bit.ly/464VA1H LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4hH7Ri2 Website: https://bit.ly/4eLDbdU Merch: https://bit.ly/4aBpOM1 Newsletter: https://bit.ly/47ejrws Ask Gary: https://bit.ly/3PEAJuG Timestamps 00:00 Intro of Show 00:26 Big Data & AI Will Revolutionise the Medical Field 05:10 Impact of Hydrogen in the Human Body 07:47 Theory of Immunofatigue 10:18 Three Greatest Deficiencies in Human Beings Worldwide 15:01 Adding Hydrogen Gas to One's Routine 16:04 What's Inside and Outside of the Human Cell? 21:26 Balancing Inflammation and Oxidation with Hydrogen Gas 24:47 What is GLP-1?  28:12 Amino Acids Are the Building Blocks of Life 32:50 Soil Lineage Studies Then vs. Now 35:12 Weakening of Our Immune Systems due to COVID Protocols 37:40 Gary's Morning Routine 41:26 Remnants of the Radiation on the Brain 43:29 Stance on Hormone Replacement Therapy  The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka Podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user's own risk. The Content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices