Podcasts about sahara desert

This week social anthropologist Dr. Judith Scheele joins in from France to talk about her decades of research into the diverse and fascinating peoples and places of the Sahara Desert.About our guest:Judith Scheele is professor of social anthropology at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences, EHESS). She has spent almost two decades living in and researching Saharan societies. The author of three previous books, she now lives in Marseille, France.Find her book: https://amzn.to/3U8X19Y 

In this episode, we dive into Dan's incredible journeys, including his **3-year African adventure**, exploring the **Sahara Desert**, and even visiting the iconic **Indiana Jones filming locations** in Tunisia!

When writing thrillers, author Amy McCulloch likes to write about what she knows, whether it's climbing one of the world's tallest mountains, exploring Antartica, or the adventure that inspired her latest book, running an ultramarathon across the Sahara Desert. McCulloch recently spoke with KMUW's Beth Golay about the thriller, "Runner 13."

This episode features runner, adventurer, and creator of the wildly popular Tough Girl podcast and Tough Girl Challenges, Sarah Williams. These days, Sarah is well known for taking on incredible challenges, but it wasn't always that way. Here, Sarah tells her adventuring lifestyle origin story: how she transitioned from working in wealth management in London to exploring the world through epic adventures to challenge herself, to motivate other women, and to raise the visibility of women adventurers. Among her many, many adventuring accolades, Sarah has completed the 500-mile Camino Francés, the 870-mile Wales Coast Path, and she recently finished Te Araroa, the 1,860-mile hike across New Zealand, covering both the north and south islands. In her story, Sarah talks about what first inspired her to pursue the adventuring life in her mid-30s, and her first big challenges: Marathon des Sables, the notoriously difficult multi-day running race in Morocco, in the Sahara Desert, and hiking the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail in the US in 100 days. Sarah shares the many challenges and doubts she experienced on her way to becoming the adventurer she is today. And how, in the end, she discovered how to believe in herself. That's a strength she carries to this day. Beyond her own adventures, Sarah is passionately focused on inspiring and highlighting women adventurers all over the globe. This year, the Tough Girl podcast will reach over 800 episodes, and counting! How to Keep Up with Sarah Williams Instagram: @toughgirlchallenges⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website: toughgirlchallenges.com To support WRS, please rate and review the show iTunes/Apple:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/womens-running-stories/id1495427631⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Spotify:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://open.spotify.com/show/4F8Hr2RysbV4fdwNhiMAXc?si=1c5e18155b4b44fa⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Music Credits Cormac O'Regan, of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Playtoh⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Coma-Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, via⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rockot⁠⁠⁠, via⁠⁠⁠ Pixabay⁠ aidanpinsent⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠penguinmusic⁠⁠, via ⁠⁠Pixabay⁠ ⁠chillmore⁠⁠, via ⁠⁠Pixabay⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RomanBelov⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, via⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠PaulYudin⁠⁠, via⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ways to Connect and Engage with Women's Running Stories WRS Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@womensrunningstories⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ facebook.com/WomensRunningStories⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ womensrunningstories.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Women's Running Stories is a proud member of the Evergreen network:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://evergreenpodcasts.com/⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#166 - What happens when your adventurous spirit collides with a life-changing diagnosis? Meet Brooke King, a fearless 29-year-old who refuses to let thyroid cancer dim her extraordinary approach to life.Brooke's story begins in Chicago, where she lived a successful but predictable life as a young homeowner. When COVID hit, something shifted - that innate desire for adventure could no longer be contained. She sold her house and embraced alternative living - from boats to school buses - launching herself into experiences most would never dare attempt. Hitchhiking on the "Desert Snake" (the world's deadliest train) through the Sahara Desert? Check. Tracking down a floating grocery store yacht in Turkey? Absolutely. Dog attack training? Why not?Then came the unexpected plot twist - a thyroid cancer diagnosis that might have derailed someone with less resilience. But for Brooke, this became another adventure to navigate with the same determination that helped her travel solo through remote parts of Africa. "I didn't want to just heal from cancer and get through it," she explains. "I wanted to rise above it."Now, Brooke is channeling her energy into training for a 72-hour rowing expedition across the Mediterranean from Barcelona to Ibiza. What was already on her bucket list has transformed into "Row to Remission" - a powerful statement of hope and a fundraiser for cancer research. She'll row alongside three other women, including a former Olympian, taking two-hour shifts around the clock with minimal sleep.Brooke's philosophy about adventure is refreshingly accessible: "Adventure is intentionally trying something new." It doesn't require traveling to exotic locations or extreme sports - it simply means choosing growth and new experiences for their own sake. Through her story, she reminds us that our greatest adventures often arrive disguised as our greatest challenges.Follow Brooke's journey on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok @brookesjoyrides or visit brookesjoyrides.com to support her cancer fundraising efforts. As she says with infectious enthusiasm: "There's no time to waste."Want to be a guest on Journey with Jake? Send me a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/journeywithjake Visit LandPirate.com to get your gear that has you, the adventurer, in mind. Use the code "Journey with Jake" to get an additional 15% off at check out. Visit geneticinsights.co and use the code "DISCOVER25" to enjoy a sweet 25% off your first purchase.

In this jaw-dropping episode, Tony and Johnsy explore the most harrowing true survival stories from around the world. From being trapped alone in the desert to surviving underwater for days, these tales push the limits of human endurance, grit, and sheer willpower.Hear the astonishing story of Émile Leray, who turned his broken-down car into a motorcycle in the middle of the Sahara Desert.Revisit the chilling account of Aron Ralston, the climber who amputated his own arm to escape a boulder trap in Utah's Bluejohn Canyon.Dive deep into the miraculous survival of Harrison Okene, a shipwrecked cook who spent three days trapped underwater in an air pocket at the bottom of the Atlantic.This episode is packed with adrenaline, resilience, and jaw-dropping survival instincts. Whether you're into extreme adventures, real-life miracles, or just love a good “how did they survive that?!” moment, this one's for you.

Dive into "Saved by Seconds: Triple Near-Death Miracles and Soulful Connections" on The Mortals, where host Nathan Morris uncovers true stories of survival against all odds. In this gripping episode, hear about Lynn Groesbeck, a mother whose mysterious voice from beyond saved her child after a tragic crash; Wilmer McLean, whose oversleeping spared him from the deadly Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 disaster; and Mauro Prosperi, who survived nine harrowing days in the Sahara Desert. These near-death experiences will leave you questioning fate, luck, and unseen forces. Plus, explore thought-provoking questions to spark soulful conversations with loved ones—because the smallest moments forge the deepest bonds.Join us for raw, emotional storytelling that probes life, death, and the mysteries in between. Don't miss Nathan's new single, "Breakthrough," dropping June 27th—pre-save now (link in show notes). Stream his music anywhere and subscribe for weekly episodes. Share your unexplainable story with #TheMortalsPodcastNew Merch: https://tr.ee/oysbIK _____________________________The Mortals Podcast is sponsored by Descript: https://get.descript.com/nathanmorris ______________________________

Welcome to The Sisterhood of Sweat, where we dive deep into stories of resilience, adventure, and pushing beyond our limits! I'm your host, Linda, and today we're bringing you an incredible conversation with Mike Corey - a world traveler, survival expert, and the voice behind some of the most intense survival stories you'll ever hear. Mike's not just an adventurer - he's a storyteller who's traversed the globe from the jungles of Congo to the Sahara Desert, and now he's sharing his wisdom in a brand new book that'll have you on the edge of your seat. We'll talk about survival, mental toughness, and those moments when your inner strength is truly tested. Whether you're a fitness enthusiast, an adventure seeker, or someone who just wants to understand the incredible power of the human spirit, this episode is going to inspire you to push past your comfort zone and discover the warrior within. So grab your water bottle, get comfortable, and let's dive into today's incredible conversation!   Survival Guidebook Website: www.survivalguidebook.com How you can stay in touch with Linda: Website Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest YouTube SoundCloud   "Proud Sponsors of the Sisterhood of S.W.E.A.T" Essential Formulas

Ride along with interpreters who participated in NAI's international un-conference in Morocco, from the streets of Marrakech to the High Atlas Mountains to the Sahara Desert! NAI's Paul Caputo checks in with participants over the course of six days from NAI's first event on the African continent.

Could you take on an adventure of a lifetime and trek across the Sahara desert, all in support of a good cause? Well, Colin Hetherington and James Clarke are doing just that as they take on the challenge for charity Retina UK. They spoke with Paulina Kuchorew about the upcoming challenge. Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB' written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio' is written in black in a smaller font. 

Sahara Desert is on its way. Toddler accepted into Mensa. National holidays and celebrity birthdays. Paying for a fake job. Coffee for women. Flying United. Vaccinated for measles. Mount Etna erupts. Plus local news and sports.

Sahara Desert is on its way. Toddler accepted into Mensa. Most popular SPAM flavors. Egg Day! Which came first? How do you like your eggs? Height verification. Just a little cat nap. Fugitive flamingo. Yard work. Smart kid. Above average.

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened up 123-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 21,126 on turnover of 5-billion N-T. The market moved sharply lower on Monday - losing more than 340 points - amid ongoing investor concerns over the United States' tariff policies after President Donald Trump accused China of violating a preliminary trade deal with Washington. Sports agency warns CTTTA for revoking athlete's WTT US Smash slot The Sports Administration has issued a formal warning to the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association and announced the suspension of subsidies unrelated to training and competitions. The move comes after the association revoked (撤銷) Yeh Yi-tian's place at the World Table Tennis U-S Smash tournament scheduled for July. Deputy Education Minister Chang Liao Wan-jien says the incident harmed Yeh's right to participate in competitions, and the association failed to actively respond to public concerns. While Cabinet spokeswoman Michelle Lee says Premier Cho Jung-tai is calling on national sports associations to listen to athletes and their coaches in regards the scheduling of events. EVA Air joins IATA's Turbulence Aware Platform to enhance flight safety EVA Airways has signed a cooperation agreement with the International Air Transport Association to join its Turbulence Aware platform - which seeks to improve flight safety through real-time data sharing. Airline President Clay Sun says the carrier believes that joining the program will help pilots and dispatchers better analyze real-time data, plan and choose appropriate flight paths to avoid areas with higher turbulence (亂流) risks, and ensure passenger safety. The agreement was signed by Sun and International Air Transport Association Director General Willie Walsh during the association's three-day annual general meeting in New Delhi this past weekend. The International Air Transport Association says participating airlines generated a total of 51.8-million turbulence reports in 2024, a 35-per cent increase from 2023, which is highly beneficial in reducing the damage caused by turbulence. UN Elects ExGerman FM as Assembly President The U.N. General Assembly has overwhelmingly elected Germany's former foreign minister Annalena Baerbock to be the next head of the 193-member world body. The vote was held Monday by a secret-ballot demanded by Russia. Russia objected to Baerbock, accusing her of having pursued (從事，實行) an “anti-Russia policy,” Baerbock will replace the current assembly president at the start of the 80th session in September. US Boulder Attack More Victims IDed From the US…. Four additional victims have been identified in Boulder, Colorado attack, bringing number of injured to 12. The FBI says the suspect had been planning the attack for a year. He has been charged with a hate crime (仇恨犯罪). AP's Lisa Dwyer reports Caribbean Dust Cloud Heads Towards US A massive cloud of dust from the Sahara Desert is blanketing most of the Caribbean in the biggest event of its kind this year as it heads toward the United States. Experts say the cloud extends some 3,200 kilometers from Jamaica to well past Barbados in the eastern Caribbean, and some 1,200 kilometers from the Turks and Caicos Islands in the northern Caribbean down south to Trinidad and Tobago. The hazy (霧濛濛的) skies unleashed sneezes, coughs and watery eyes across the Caribbean. Forecasters say the plume is expected to hit Florida, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi late this week and into the weekend. That was the I.C.R.T. EZ News, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

AD FREE LISTENING, EARLY RELEASES AND MORE: https://www.patreon.com/c/Footballforkids Get ready for a jaw-dropping journey of grit, glory, and goals as we dive into the inspiring story of Nico Williams – one of Spain's brightest young football stars! Born in Pamplona in 2002, Nico's story begins long before he kicked his first ball. His parents, Maria and Felix, escaped a life of danger and struggle in Ghana, risking everything for a better future. After being stranded at the edge of the Sahara Desert, they made their way—step by brave step—to Spain, where they would build a new life for their family. This episode is bursting with adventure, from sandstorms to street football! You'll meet Nico's big brother, Iñaki, who took on the role of father-figure while their dad worked in London for over 10 years. Iñaki wasn't just a big bro—he was coach, chef, and cheerleader, helping Nico chase his football dreams. We'll follow Nico from the gritty playgrounds of Spain to the gleaming stadium lights of Athletic Club Bilbao, where both brothers made history—becoming the first siblings in 35 years to play side-by-side for the team. And when Athletic finally lifted the Copa del Rey after 40 long years, it was Nico, bold and blazing down the wing, who stole the show as Man of the Match. Expect epic goals, brotherly bonds, and big dreams coming true. Nico's journey proves that no matter where you start—even in the middle of the desert—if you work hard, believe in yourself, and never stop chasing your dream, anything is possible. This is not just a story about football. It's a story about family, courage, and becoming a legend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Romans were familiar with Africa. At one point, they controlled everything on the north coast of Africa from Morocco to Egypt.  However, below their African territories was the vast Sahara Desert, which was extremely difficult to cross. For all practical purposes, it served as a permeable barrier between the people above and below the desert.  As such, historians have wondered just how much the people above and below the Sahara knew about each other.  Learn more about  Rome and Sub-Saharan Africa, and what contact they had with each other on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Newspapers.com Get 20% off your subscription to Newspapers.com Mint Mobile Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/eed Quince Go to quince.com/daily for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order! Stitch Fix Go to stitchfix.com/everywhere to have a stylist help you look your best Tourist Office of Spain Plan your next adventure at Spain.info  Stash Go to get.stash.com/EVERYTHING to see how you can receive $25 towards your first stock purchase and to view important disclosures. Subscribe to the podcast!  https://everything-everywhere.com/everything-everywhere-daily-podcast/ -------------------------------- Executive Producer: Charles Daniel Associate Producers: Austin Oetken & Cameron Kieffer   Become a supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/everythingeverywhere Update your podcast app at newpodcastapps.com Discord Server: https://discord.gg/UkRUJFh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingeverywhere/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/everythingeverywheredaily Twitter: https://twitter.com/everywheretrip Website: https://everything-everywhere.com/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian Keane's journey is a powerful example of embracing change and conquering fear. Originally a primary school teacher in London, Brian realized teaching wasn't his true calling and made a bold leap into fitness, despite doubts from family and peers. With his mom's support, he overcame numerous challenges to become a three-time bestselling author, certified strength and conditioning coach, and ultra-marathon runner. In this episode, Brian joins Ilana to share how he tackled fear, turned his career around, and undertook the most daring endurance challenges, including running through the Sahara Desert and the Arctic. Brian Keane is a bestselling author, online fitness coach, and nutritionist. He is the founder of Brian Keane Fitness, where he helps clients transform their bodies and mindset for the long term, and the host of The Brian Keane Podcast, one of Ireland and the UK's top health podcasts. In this episode, Ilana and Brian will discuss: (00:00) Introduction  (02:02) From Teaching to Full-Time Fitness (09:17) Crushing the Fear of Failure in Career Transitions (12:31) Navigating Burnout While Building a Fitness Career (18:22) Balancing Passion with Business Skills (23:40) The Power of Mindset in Achieving Success (30:57) The Framework for Building Sustainable Habits (35:39) How to Overcome Comparison and Stay Focused (43:12) Tackling Ultra Marathons and Extreme Challenges (52:00) Learning from Setbacks and Building Resilience (1:00:00) Embracing Change and Taking Action Brian Keane is a bestselling author, online fitness coach, and nutritionist. He is the founder of Brian Keane Fitness, where he helps clients transform their bodies and mindset for the long term, and the host of The Brian Keane Podcast, one of Ireland and the UK's top health podcasts. As an ultra-endurance athlete, Brian has completed several challenging races, including six back-to-back marathons through the Sahara Desert, a 230 km race through the Arctic Circle, and has also led an expedition to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Connect with Brian: Brian's Website: briankeanefitness.com  Brian's Instagram: instagram.com/brian_keane_fitness  Resources Mentioned: Brian's Book, The Fitness Mindset: Eat for Energy, Train for Tension, Manage Your Mindset, Reap the Results: https://www.amazon.com/Fitness-Mindset-tension-mindset-results/dp/1781332525  Brian's Book, Rewriting Your Story: Seven Habits to Help You Reclaim Your Power, Let Go of Fear, and Change the Narratives That Hold You Back: https://www.amazon.co.uk/REWRITING-YOUR-STORY-RECLAIM-NARRATIVES/dp/B0DWB1ZSL3  Brian's Book, Rewire Your Mindset: Own Your Thinking, Control Your Actions, Change Your Life: https://www.amazon.com/Rewire-Your-Mindset-Thinking-Control/dp/1781334234  The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business Paperback by Charles Duhigg: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Habit-What-Life-Business/dp/081298160X Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear: https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break/dp/0735211299  Leap Academy: Ready to make the LEAP in your career? There is a NEW way for professionals to Advance Their Careers & Make 5-6 figures of EXTRA INCOME in Record Time. Check out our free training today at leapacademy.com/training

It's no secret that massive change is needed to restore our planet's vital ecosystems. Permaculture offers practices to restore local environments by focusing on creating sustainable agricultural systems that mimic patterns found in nature. But how might permaculture initiatives go beyond agriculture to transform some of our largest-scale problems, such as social cohesion, climate stabilization, and even human migration? In this conversation, Nate sits down with permaculture educator Andrew Millison to discuss the Great Green Wall project, a massive ecological initiative aimed at combating desertification in the Sahel region of Africa. They explore the causes of the Sahara Desert's expansion, the simple but impactful permaculture techniques being employed to restore land, and the significant ecological and nutritional benefits resulting from these efforts. This conversation highlights the collaboration between local communities and global organizations, emphasizing permaculture's potential to transform lives and ecosystems around the world.  How can innovative permaculture techniques aid in helping our most complex ecological challenges? In what ways have land restoration projects reduced conflict between people in resource scarce areas? Furthermore, what kinds of  responses – both grassroots and top-down – are needed to implement these practices on a large scale?   About Andrew Millison: Andrew Millison is an innovative educator, storyteller and designer. He founded the Permaculture Design education program at Oregon State University (OSU) in 2009. At OSU Andrew serves as an Education Director and Senior Instructor who offers over 25 years of experience, and a playful approach to regenerative design. Andrew is also a documentary videographer who travels the world documenting epic permaculture projects in places such as India, Egypt, Mexico, Cuba, and throughout the US. You can view his videos and series on his YouTube channel.   Show Notes and More Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future Join our Substack newsletter Join our Discord channel and connect with other listeners

Thanks to Ryder, Alexandria, and Simon for their suggestions this week! Let's learn about three remarkable wading birds. Two of them are pink! Bird sounds taken from the excellent website xeno-canto. The goliath heron is as tall as people [picture by Steve Garvie from Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland - Goliath Heron (Ardea goliath), CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12223810]: The roseate spoonbill has a bill shaped like a spoon, you may notice [picture by Photo Dante - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42301356]: Flamingos really do look like those lawn ornaments [picture by Valdiney Pimenta - Flamingos, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6233369]: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I'm your host, Kate Shaw. This week we're going to learn about three large birds with long legs that spend a lot of time wading through shallow water, suggested by Ryder, Alexandria, and Simon. Wading birds tend to share traits even if they're not closely related, because of convergent evolution. In order to wade in water deep enough to find food, a wading bird needs long legs. Then it also needs a long neck so it can reach its food more easily. A long beak helps to grab small animals too. Having big feet with long toes also helps it keep its footing in soft mud. Let's start with Ryder's suggestion, the goliath heron. It's the biggest heron alive today, standing up to 5 feet tall, or 1.5 meters. That's as tall as a person! It only weighs about 11 lbs at most, though, or 5 kg, but its wingspan is over 7 ½ feet across, or 2.3 meters. It's a big, elegant bird with a mostly gray and brown body, but a chestnut brown head and neck with black and white streaks on its throat and chest. The goliath heron lives throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa, meaning south of the Sahara Desert, anywhere it can find water. It's happy on the edge of a lake or river, in a swamp or other wetlands, around the edges of a water hole, or even along the coast of the ocean. It usually stands very still in the water, looking down. When a fish swims close enough, the heron stabs it with its bill, pulls it out of the water, and either holds it for a while until the bird is ready to swallow the fish, or sometimes it will even set the fish down on land or floating vegetation for a while. It's not usually in a big hurry to swallow its meal. Sometimes that means other birds steal the fish, especially eagles and pelicans, but the goliath heron is so big and its beak is so sharp that most of the time, other birds and animals leave it alone. The goliath heron will also eat frogs, lizards, and other small animals when it can, but it prefers nice big fish. It can catch much bigger fish than other wading birds, and eating big fish is naturally more energy efficient than eating small ones. If a goliath heron only catches two big fish a day, it's had enough to eat without having to expend a lot of energy hunting. This is what a goliath heron sounds like: [goliath heron call] Alexandria's suggestion, the roseate spoonbill, is also a big wading bird, but it's very different from the goliath heron. For one thing, it's pink and white and has a long bill that's flattened and spoon-shaped at the end. It's only about half the size of a goliath heron, with a wingspan over 4 feet across, or 1.3 meters, and a height of about 2 ½ feet, or 80 cm. That's still a big bird! It mostly lives in South America east of the Andes mountain range, but it's also found in coastal areas in Central America up through the most southern parts of North America. Unlike the goliath heron, which is solitary, the roseate spoonbill is social and spends time in small flocks as it hunts for food. It likes shallow coastal water, swamps, and other wetlands where it can find it preferred food. That isn't fish, although it will eat little fish like minnows when it catches...

Ever wonder what it takes to run 7 marathons in 7 days... through the Sahara Desert?

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:This week's mid-May heat wave is expected to shatter daily high temperature records - parts of Texas will be hotter than parts of the Sahara Desert between Tuesday and Thursday: https://www.expressnews.com/san-antonio-weather/forecast/article/heat-wave-south-texas-historic-temperatures-20320730.php...ERCOT expects to keep up with power demand, which experts credit to expanded solar generation and battery storage capacity: https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/texas-power-grid-demand-heat-wave-may-2025/285-c06738f9-374d-4b31-9416-4286467c0bceTexas Republicans continue to up their game when it comes to hating on transgender Texans - a new bill will, in effect, erase them when it comes to state documents: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/10/texas-house-trans-bills-advance/That bill outlawing the distribution of abortion drugs in Texas includes unprecedented legal language that would protect itself from being challenged in state courts: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/12/texas-abortion-pill-bill-state-court/House Republicans' solution to threats of violence against election workers in Texas? Add more guns to the mix: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/state/2025/05/09/texas-house-votes-to-allow-election-judges-armed-voting-sites/83501483007/Democrats, once again, in disarry as the SDEC is set to vote on whether to remove Fort Bend County's party chair over allegations of irregular spending - as he himself investigates similar allegations against the prior chair: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/fort-bend/2025/05/09/520985/texas-democrats-to-consider-removal-of-fort-bend-county-party-chair-precinct-chairs-say/We look forward to celebrating our 15th anniversary this summer! Join us for a celebratory gathering in Dallas on Monday June 9: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/2025anniversary⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Send us a text In this episode of Running Book Reviews, we had the pleasure of speaking with author Bill Donahue about his recent book, Unbound. Unbound is a collection of some of the best stories Bill has written about endurance sport for Runner's World, Outside, Backpacker, Washington Post Magazine and others. The stories are divided into 5 subcategories which make up sections of the book:RunningCyclingExplorationOn The SnowFrom The Margins of Endurance SportBill Donahue is a journalist. In reporting stories, he has searched for fallen meteorites in the Sahara Desert, snuck into Manuel Noriega's abandoned beach house, and camped out with Army soldiers in the minus 30 degree chill of the Alaskan Arctic. He has worked in over 20 countries while writing for publications ranging from The Atlantic and The New York Times Magazine to Harper's, Wired, Bicycling, Runner's World, Outside and Harvard Public Health. Bill's work has been republished in several anthologies, including Best American Sports Writing and Best American Travel Writing and he has won the Lowell Thomas Gold Medal for Adventure Travel Writing as well as the City and Regional Magazine Awards. Bill lives in rural New Hampshire where he goes out cycling or skiing almost every day.If you'd like to know more about Bill Donahue you can find his website here: https://billdonahue.netHe is also on Instagram and Twitter (now X) under the username @billdonahue13 Link for 20% discount on Caffeine Bullet https://caffeinebullet.com/RUNNINGBOOK Discount automatically applied and visible on checkoutSupport the showAny feedback or suggestions on this review or any of our other podcast episodes would be greatly welcomed. Leave us a review using your favorite podcast player or contact us on social media. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/runningbookreviews/Twitter: https://twitter.com/reviews_runningInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningbookreviews/ Podcast webpage: https://runningbookreviews.buzzsprout.com If you have been enjoying the podcast and want more, you can find some extras on our By Me a Coffee site! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/runningbookreviews

  On this episode of Unsupervised Learning Razib comments on a new paper in Nature, Ancient DNA from the Green Sahara reveals ancestral North African lineage. Here is the abstract: Although it is one of the most arid regions today, the Sahara Desert was a green savannah during the African Humid Period (AHP) between 14,500 and 5,000 years before present, with water bodies promoting human occupation and the spread of pastoralism in the middle Holocene epoch1. DNA rarely preserves well in this region, limiting knowledge of the Sahara's genetic history and demographic past. Here we report ancient genomic data from the Central Sahara, obtained from two approximately 7,000-year-old Pastoral Neolithic female individuals buried in the Takarkori rock shelter in southwestern Libya. The majority of Takarkori individuals' ancestry stems from a previously unknown North African genetic lineage that diverged from sub-Saharan African lineages around the same time as present-day humans outside Africa and remained isolated throughout most of its existence. Both Takarkori individuals are closely related to ancestry first documented in 15,000-year-old foragers from Taforalt Cave, Morocco2, associated with the Iberomaurusian lithic industry and predating the AHP. Takarkori and Iberomaurusian-associated individuals are equally distantly related to sub-Saharan lineages, suggesting limited gene flow from sub-Saharan to Northern Africa during the AHP. In contrast to Taforalt individuals, who have half the Neanderthal admixture of non-Africans, Takarkori shows ten times less Neanderthal ancestry than Levantine farmers, yet significantly more than contemporary sub-Saharan genomes. Our findings suggest that pastoralism spread through cultural diffusion into a deeply divergent, isolated North African lineage that had probably been widespread in Northern Africa during the late Pleistocene epoch.

Couch Potato Theater: Sahara (2005) Watch: Fandom Podcast Network YouTube Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/@FandomPodcastNetwork Listen: Couch Potato Theater Audio Podcast Link: https://fpnet.podbean.com/category/couch-potato-theater Welcome to Couch Potato Theater, where we celebrate our favorite movies on the Fandom Podcast Network! On this episode we celebrate and discuss the 20th Anniversary of action-adventure film Sahara (2005). Plot: Master explorer Dirk Pitt goes on the adventure of a lifetime of seeking out a lost Civil War battleship known as the "Ship of Death" in the deserts of West Africa while helping a World Health Organization doctor being hounded by a ruthless dictator. Sahara is a 2005 action-adventure film directed by Breck Eisner based on the best-selling 1992 novel of the same name by Clive Cussler. It stars Matthew McConaughey, Steve Zahn and Penélope Cruz, and follows a treasure hunter who partners with a WHO (World Health Organization) doctor to find a lost American Civil War Ironclad warship in the Sahara Desert. The film was shot in 2003 on-location in Morocco as well as in the United Kingdom. It became notable for its many production issues, including doubling its production budget from $80 million to $160 million and a series of lawsuits. Sahara grossed $119 million worldwide at the box-office, ultimately failing to recoup all of its costs, and is often listed among the biggest box-office failures of all time. Fandom Podcast Network Contact Information - - Fandom Podcast Network YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/c/FandomPodcastNetwork - Master feed for all FPNet Audio Podcasts: http://fpnet.podbean.com/ - Couch Potato Theater Audio Podcast Master Feed: https://fpnet.podbean.com/category/couch-potato-theater - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fandompodcastnetwork - Email: fandompodcastnetwork@gmail.com - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fandompodcastnetwork/ - X: @fanpodnetwork / https://twitter.com/fanpodnetwork -Bluesky: @fanpodnetwork / https://bsky.app/profile/fanpodnetwork.bsky.social Host & Guest Contact Info: - Kevin Reitzel on X, Instagram, Threads, Discord & Letterboxd: @spartan_phoenix / Bluesky: @spartanphoenix - Kyle Wagner on X: @AKyleW / Instagram & Threads: @Akylefandom / @akyleW on Discord / @Ksport16: Letterboxd / Bluesky: @akylew - Lacee Aderhold on X, Letterboxd, Bluesky, Discord & Bluesky: @LaceePants / Instagram: @thelaceepants #CouchPotatoTheater #CPT #FandomPodcastNetwork #FPNet #FPN #Sahara #Sahara2005 #SaharaMovie #BreckEisner #CliveCusslerSahara #CliveCussler #MatthewMcConaughey #DirkPitt #SteveZahn #PenélopeCruz #ShipOfDeath #2000sActionMovies #2005Movies #KevinReitzel #KyleWagner #LaceeAderhold

The 2025 Marathon des Sables just wrapped earlier this month, drawing global attention once again to one of the most grueling endurance races on Earth. So, we're bringing back a powerful episode that dives into the race's wild origin story, harrowing survival tales, and the inspiring legacy of athletes like Duncan Slater, the first double amputee to finish the race. This episode covers the 150-mile trek through Morocco's Sahara Desert and the runners who push beyond every imaginable limit, from bat blood and sandstorms to stories of resilience and redemption. Whether you're a runner, a thrill-seeker, or just someone fascinated by extreme human feats—this story is for you.   Press play and enter the desert! Hosts: Kavitha A. Davison | Producers: Saadia Khan & Shei Yu I Content Writers: Michaela Strauther, Shei Yu & Kavitha A Davidson I Sound Designer & Editor: Paroma Chakravarty I Immigrantly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound Please share the love and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify to help more people find us!    Remember to subscribe to our Apple podcast channel for insightful podcasts.    Follow us on social media for updates and behind-the-scenes content.   You can reach the host, Kavitha, at kavitha@immigrantlypod.com   Follow us on TikTok @immigrantly   IG @immigrantlypods   Sportly is an Immigrantly Media Production   For advertising inquiries, you can contact us at info@immigrantlypod.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the eastern edge of the Sahara Desert, researchers found a mysterious stone circle. It's kind of like Africa's version of Stonehenge, but possibly even older. This thing might be a message from before written language even existed. We're talking about people who used stones to track the stars and mark time thousands of years ago. It shows just how advanced ancient humans really were, even in one of the harshest places on Earth. If you're into ancient mysteries and mind-blowing discoveries, you've got to hear this story! Credit: Lye-leaching Stone at America's Stonehenge: By Richard Haddad, CC BY 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... , https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Hot Desert Biome – Terrain: By artfromheath, CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/..., https://skfb.ly/oEZoo New evidence for Neolithic occupation in north-west Arabia: By tandfonline.com, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/figur... CC BY-SA 3.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... : Megaliths Aswan Nubia museum: By Raymbetz, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Calendar aswan: By Raymbetz, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... CC BY-SA 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Ringheiligtum Pömmelte: By Michael Deutsch, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Carnac Alignement de Kermario: By Zairon, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/ Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD... Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook:   / brightplanet   Instagram:   / brightside.official   TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.of... Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Woke By Accident, we are joined by Sambaza, host and creator of the internationally renowned and award winning, Sambaza Podcast. We have a dynamic conversation to catch up with each other and review some pertinent news updates regarding President Trump, the Department of Education and a potential forthcoming stimulus check. African Proverb:  Here's a beautiful Mauritanian proverb: "He who does not have a friend, has a mirror." This proverb speaks to the importance of self-reflection and the value of having someone or something to help us see ourselves more clearly. It suggests that if you lack the guidance or companionship of others, you must turn inward and learn to rely on yourself.   Here are some  facts about Mauritania: Mauritania is a unique country with a fascinating mix of traditions, landscapes, and history! The Sahara Desert: About 90% of Mauritania is covered by the Sahara Desert, making it one of the most desert-heavy countries in the world. The desert plays a significant role in the country's culture and lifestyle, especially in nomadic traditions. Rich Cultural Heritage: Mauritania has a rich blend of Arab, Berber, and African cultures, and it is home to several ancient cities. The city of Chinguetti is a UNESCO World Heritage site, known for its historic libraries and manuscripts that date back centuries. Unique Cuisine: Mauritanian food reflects its desert environment, with dishes like couscous, mechoui (slow-roasted lamb), and rice with fish being staples. The country's cuisine is influenced by Berber, Arab, and Sub-Saharan traditions. Slavery History: Mauritania was the last country in the world to abolish slavery in 1981. Despite legal abolition, slavery-like practices have continued to persist in some parts of the country, and ongoing efforts are being made to address this issue.   You can find Sambaza's content:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...  https://www.podpage.com/sambaza/  https://www.instagram.com/sambazapodc...   Check out Woke By Accident at www.wokebyaccident.net or on your favorite streaming platforms!    Sponsor  Get your pack of @Poddecks now for your next podcast interview using my special link:  https://www.poddecks.com?sca_ref=1435240.q14fIixEGL   Affiliates Opus Clips  https://www.opus.pro/?via=79b446   Want to create live streams like this?  Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5989489347657728   Music  Soul Searching · Causmic Last Night's Dream — Tryezz Funkadelic Euphony- Monz    

Keith sits down with Ryan Daniels to discuss growing up in Andover, Massachusetts and discovering the local scene which included  the early days of influential bands like Piebald, Cave In and Converge, the formation and early days of Hassan I Sabbah and how the band quickly came together and recorded their first demos in Pennsylvania. We also  discuss the tumultuous history of Hassan I Sabbah, the band's tendency to push buttons and cause a stir with their intense live performances, navigating some of the internal and external conflicts of the band, their breakup, how the band reconnected and pieced together the discography LP for Iodine Recordings, traveling internationally across Europe, Asia and the Sahara Desert, Ryan's solo work in Inland Years, the future of Hassan I Sabbah and more.

Did you know the Sahara Desert was once green and full of life? Thousands of years ago, it had rivers, lakes, and even forests, home to animals like hippos and giraffes. But over time, a shift in Earth's climate turned it into the vast, dry desert we see today. Scientists believe changes in the planet's orbit and rainfall patterns caused this massive transformation. Some even think the Sahara could turn green again in the distant future! It's a wild reminder that Earth's landscapes are always changing—even in ways we never expect. Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/ Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD... Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook:   / brightplanet   Instagram:   / brightside.official   TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.of... Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, Neil tells us about the 49 states in the US where it's ok to do something with a deceased person's tattoos and, frankly, you'll never be the same after you hear it!Dave tells us how porcupines failed at evolution, gives details of a riot over hats that lasted eight days and explains why you shouldn't say Sahara Desert any more!To listen to Dave on the radio, check outhttps://www.todayfm.com/shows/dave-moore-1499732 To see Neil on tour, check outwww.neildelamere.com/gigs Presented and Produced by Neil Delamere and Dave MooreEdited by Nicky RyanMusic by Dave MooreArtwork by Ray McDonnell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send us a textBrian Keane is a highly influential figure in the health and fitness industry, with a combined social media following of over half a million. As the host of one of Ireland and the UK's top health podcasts, he regularly holds the #1 spot on the iTunes Health Charts.A multiple best-selling author, Brian's most recent book is called REWRITING YOUR STORY!: SEVEN HABITS TO HELP YOU RECLAIM YOUR POWER, LET GO OF FEAR AND CHANGE THE NARRATIVES THAT HOLD YOU BACK.Over the past decade, he has become one of the most recognizable faces in the Irish health and fitness community. Brian has been a featured speaker at prominent wellness events, including Wellfest Ireland and Mefit Dubai, and was a Keynote speaker at Google HQ for their 2018 wellness event. He's also delivered corporate wellness talks for several top companies.In addition to his thriving business, Brian is no stranger to endurance challenges. He has completed some of the world's most grueling feats, including six consecutive marathons through the Sahara Desert, a 230km trek through the Arctic, and multiple ultra-marathons—highlighted by a 100-mile race through the desert in Nevada.Find Brian at-https://briankeanefitness.com/IG- @brian_keane_fitnessYT- @briankeanefitnessFind Boundless Body at- myboundlessbody.com Book a session with us here!

Knowledge is power, and in the academic world, Richard Price now has 78 million academics using his website academia.edu. Even farmers in the Sahara Desert have benefitted from expert research that has been shared on the site. ShaoLan helps you learn the origins of the Chinese word for "knowledge". ✨ BIG NEWS ✨ Our brand new Talk Chineasy App, is now live on the App Store! Free to download and perfect for building your speaking confidence from Day 1. portaly.cc/chineasy Visit our website for more info about the app.

Scientists are saying that the Sahara Desert is expanding, and if it keeps going, it could eventually gobble up parts of Europe. They're not talking about some giant sandstorm swallowing cities whole or anything dramatic like that. It's more about how the desert is slowly spreading southward, eating up fertile land and making it harder for people to grow crops. It's a big deal because it could mess with the climate and make life a lot harder for millions of people who live nearby. Credit: Demi-lune: Botanischwili, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/..., https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Animation is created by Bright Side. #brightside ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/ Listen to Bright Side on: Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD... Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook -   / brightside   Instagram -   / brightside.official   Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.of... Snapchat -   / 1866144599336960   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fluent Fiction - French: Against the Storm: A Quest for Hidden Treasures of the Sahara Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/fr/episode/2025-03-19-22-34-02-fr Story Transcript:Fr: Les grains de sable dansaient au gré du vent, balayant le désert du Sahara comme des vagues dorées infinies.En: The grains of sand danced to the rhythm of the wind, sweeping across the Sahara Desert like endless golden waves.Fr: Sous ce ciel vaste et dégagé, trois silhouettes avançaient lentement, leurs ombres s'étirant sur les dunes.En: Under this vast and clear sky, three silhouettes advanced slowly, their shadows stretching over the dunes.Fr: Émilie, l'exploratrice intrépide, marchait en tête.En: Émilie, the intrepid explorer, walked at the front.Fr: Derrière elle, Luc et Chantal, ses amis, la suivaient avec une certaine appréhension.En: Behind her, Luc and Chantal, her friends, followed with some apprehension.Fr: "Nous pouvons le faire," dit Émilie, sa voix pleine de confiance.En: "We can do it," said Émilie, her voice full of confidence.Fr: Une carte froissée était bien serrée dans sa main.En: A crumpled map was tightly gripped in her hand.Fr: Elle rêvait depuis longtemps de ces ruines antiques, perdues sous les sables du désert.En: She had dreamed for a long time of these ancient ruins, lost beneath the sands of the desert.Fr: C'était sa grande chance.En: It was her great opportunity.Fr: Pourtant, elle sentait une légère inquiétude au fond d'elle-même, une peur cachée de l'échec.En: Yet, she felt a slight unease deep inside, a hidden fear of failure.Fr: Mais le ciel changeait.En: But the sky was changing.Fr: Une ombre inquiétante avait commencé à envahir l'horizon.En: A worrying shadow had begun to invade the horizon.Fr: La tempête de sable venait, rapide et dangereuse.En: The sandstorm was coming, fast and dangerous.Fr: Luc regarda Émilie avec des yeux inquiets.En: Luc looked at Émilie with worried eyes.Fr: "Peut-être devrions-nous faire demi-tour," proposa-t-il.En: "Perhaps we should turn back," he suggested.Fr: Chantal acquiesça, visiblement nerveuse.En: Chantal nodded, visibly nervous.Fr: "Nous risquons de nous perdre," ajouta-t-elle.En: "We risk getting lost," she added.Fr: Émilie hésita.En: Émilie hesitated.Fr: Le succès de cette expédition était important pour elle.En: The success of this expedition was important to her.Fr: Cependant, elle savait qu'ils devaient rester en sécurité.En: However, she knew they had to stay safe.Fr: Le vent hurlait à présent, la tempête s'approchait à toute vitesse.En: The wind was now wailing, the storm approaching rapidly.Fr: Émilie prit une grande inspiration, écoutant son cœur.En: Émilie took a deep breath, listening to her heart.Fr: Elle prit alors une décision audacieuse.En: She then made a bold decision.Fr: "Nous continuons," déclara-t-elle.En: "We continue," she declared.Fr: "Nous ne sommes pas loin des ruines.En: "We are not far from the ruins.Fr: Si nous trouvons un abri, nous serons protégés."En: If we find shelter, we will be protected."Fr: Ils avancèrent dans le tourbillon de sable, Émilie en tête.En: They moved forward into the swirling sand, Émilie leading the way.Fr: Elle puisait dans sa détermination tout en veillant sur ses amis.En: She drew on her determination while watching over her friends.Fr: Le désert les enveloppait, le sable fouettant leurs visages.En: The desert enveloped them, the sand whipping their faces.Fr: Les formes disparaissaient, le monde devenait flou.En: Shapes disappeared, the world became blurred.Fr: Tout à coup, Émilie aperçut une silhouette sombre devant elle.En: Suddenly, Émilie spotted a dark silhouette ahead of her.Fr: Elle avança avec anticipation, et là, entre les bourrasques de la tempête, un abri se révéla, fait de pierre ancienne.En: She advanced with anticipation, and there, amidst the gusts of the storm, a shelter revealed itself, made of ancient stone.Fr: Les ruines!En: The ruins!Fr: Le cœur d'Émilie bondissait de joie.En: Émilie's heart leapt with joy.Fr: Ils s'y réfugièrent, à l'abri du vent furieux.En: They took refuge there, shielded from the furious wind.Fr: Essuyant son front poussiéreux, Émilie réalisa qu'ils étaient en sécurité, et qu'ils avaient réussi leur quête.En: Wiping her dusty forehead, Émilie realized they were safe, and that they had succeeded in their quest.Fr: La tempête enfla, mais à l'intérieur, entourés par les murs anciens, ils étaient protégés.En: The storm raged on, but inside, surrounded by the ancient walls, they were protected.Fr: Émilie sourit à Luc et Chantal.En: Émilie smiled at Luc and Chantal.Fr: Elle comprenait maintenant.En: She understood now.Fr: Le succès n'était pas uniquement dans la découverte, mais aussi dans la sauvegarde de son équipage.En: Success was not only in the discovery, but also in safeguarding her crew.Fr: La tempête finirait par se calmer, mais sa nouvelle vision de l'exploration resterait à jamais.En: The storm would eventually calm, but her new vision of exploration would remain forever.Fr: En attendant, Émilie rêvait déjà à de nouvelles aventures, sachant que l'exploration était autant une quête de trésors cachés qu'un voyage partagé avec ceux qu'elle aimait.En: In the meantime, Émilie was already dreaming of new adventures, knowing that exploration was as much a quest for hidden treasures as a journey shared with those she loved. Vocabulary Words:the grain: le grainthe desert: le désertthe silhouette: la silhouettethe dune: la dunethe explorer: l'exploratricethe apprehension: l'appréhensionthe confidence: la confiancethe map: la cartethe ruin: la ruinethe opportunity: la chancethe failure: l'échecthe fear: la peurthe shadow: l'ombrethe horizon: l'horizonthe storm: la tempêtethe risk: le risquethe success: le succèsthe expedition: l'expéditionthe determination: la déterminationthe shape: la formethe shelter: l'abrithe stone: la pierrethe heart: le cœurthe refuge: le refugethe forehead: le frontthe dust: la poussièrethe crew: l'équipagethe vision: la visionthe exploration: l'explorationthe journey: le voyage

This was a great interview I did in January with Conor on The Strong For Life Podcast. It was one of my personal favourites and unpacks some of my biggest failures; so if you struggle with consistency, direction or motivation, give this episode a listen.  You can follow Conor's great podcast here https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/the-strong-for-life-podcast/id1601870132 ________________________________________ Brian Keane is a qualified personal trainer, sports nutritionist and strength and conditioning coach. He is a 3x bestselling author of The Fitness Mindset, Rewire Your Mindset and The Keane Edge.  He has travelled the world as a professional speaker, speaking at world renowned companies such as Google and SAP. He also hosts the #1 podcast The Brian Keane Podcast, which is in the top 0.5% of all podcasts in the world.   Brian is a former primary school teacher turned fitness entrepreneur. After retiring from the world of professional fitness modelling in 2015, he now does ultra-endurance events all around the world. In April 2018, Brian ran the famous Marathon Des Sables, which entails six self-sufficient back-to-back marathons through the Sahara Desert in Morocco; and in February 2019, he ran 230km through the Arctic Circle in the northernmost tip of Sweden. In 2020, he ran a 100 mile ultra marathon in Nevada USA; and in October of 2024, he brought a group of his online followers to Africa where they all successfully summited Kilimanjaro, the highest free standing mountain in the world.

Pour la cinquième fois en 40 ans, de la neige est tombée dans le désert du Sahara, mettant en lumière un événement climatique rare dans l'un des endroits les plus chauds de la terre.Traduction :For the fifth time in 40 years, snow has fallen in the Sahara Desert, showcasing a rare climate event in one of the hottest places on earth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pour la cinquième fois en 40 ans, de la neige est tombée dans le désert du Sahara, mettant en lumière un événement climatique rare dans l'un des endroits les plus chauds de la terre.Traduction :For the fifth time in 40 years, snow has fallen in the Sahara Desert, showcasing a rare climate event in one of the hottest places on earth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Geoff Wilson is a world-class polar explorer, keynote speaker and veterinary surgeon. Geoff's impressive accolades include the longest solo, unsupported Polar Journey in Human History (2019/20), the first summit of Dome Argus, solo and unsupported (2019/20), the fastest unsupported crossing of Greenland, South to North (2017) and the fastest solo, unsupported crossing of Antarctica (2013/14). He was the first to cross the Torres Strait by kiteboard (2012), completed the first and only wind-assisted crossing of the Sahara Desert (2009) and the first wind powered crossing of the Simpson Desert, Australia – solo supported (2022). In this episode he speaks about how he balances his passion for adventure with being a family man, his scariest near-death experiences, and explains his purpose behind it all. This episode contains discussions of suicide and PTSD. If this is triggering for you, please give this episode a miss or seek help by visiting Lifeline's website at https://www.lifeline.org.au/ or by calling 13 11 14. LINKS Find out more about Dr Geoff Wilson at drgeoffwilson.com Follow Ant on Instagram, X, and Facebook Learn more about Ant on his website antmiddleton.com Follow Nova Podcasts on Instagram for videos from the podcast and behind the scenes content – @novapodcastsofficial. CREDITSHost: Ant MiddletonEditor: Adrian WaltonExecutive Producer: Anna Henvest Managing Producer: Elle Beattie Nova Entertainment acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we recorded this podcast, the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation. We pay our respect to Elders past and present. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stage 3 of Sahara Gravel in Morocco was harder than pretty much anyone was anticipating. Despite seeming to have hardly any climbing, it proved to be the toughest day yet and the first stage that took the riders deep into the Sahara Desert. Payson sat down with British rider Maddy Nutt, who has been battling for first place with Luise Valentin since day one. She talks about getting caught in the sand, how this race stacks up with Migration Gravel, and why she avoids events with a certain type of professional rider. Then, we get an Adventure Stache first: five interview subjects in one conversation. The self-titled Girl Group consists of five friends from around Europe and the UK — Laura, Sam, Sophie, Josie, and Claire, who are taking the race at their own pace and enjoying the heck out of it. They talk about how they met each other and started doing events as a group, and their highlights and lowlights of the race so far.Instagram: @theadventurestacheYouTube: Payson McElveen

Russ Cook AKA The Hardest Geezer became the first person to ever run the entire length of Africa last year. From his starting point in Cape Agulhas, South Africa, through sandstorms in the Sahara Desert, rainforests, mountain ranges and long empty roads stretched out for miles in front of him, Russ ran the equivalent of 386 marathons before finally crossing the finish line in Tunisia 50 weeks later.In this episode, Russ speaks about the enormous physical and mental toll this feat had, and the terrifying moments where he truly thought he was going to die. LINKS Follow Russ Cook on Instagram @hardestgeezer Read more of Russ' story in his book, Hardest Geezer: Mind Over Miles here Follow Ant on Instagram, X, and Facebook Learn more about Ant on his website antmiddleton.com Follow Nova Podcasts on Instagram for videos from the podcast and behind the scenes content – @novapodcastsofficial. CREDITSHost: Ant MiddletonEditor: Adrian WaltonExecutive Producer: Anna Henvest Managing Producer: Elle Beattie Nova Entertainment acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we recorded this podcast, the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation. We pay our respect to Elders past and present. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brian Keane is a leading figure in the health and fitness industry, with over half a million social media followers and a top-ranked podcast in Ireland and the UK. He is a three-time best-selling author of The Fitness Mindset, Rewire Your Mindset, and The Keane Edge: Mastering the Mindset for Real Lasting Fat Loss. Brian has spoken at major wellness events like Wellfest Ireland and Mefit Dubai. In addition to running a successful business, he has completed some of the world's toughest endurance challenges, including marathons through the Sahara Desert and ultra-marathons in Nevada. In this episode, Brian and Tara chat about all things fitness, fitnes vs. health, bodybuidling competition experience, gut health and often overlooked components necessary for health optimization. Learn more about Brian here: https://briankeanefitness.com/ Instagram: @brian_keane_fitness Check out Brian's podcast is his main focus - https://briankeanefitness.com/podcast CHAPTERS: 0:00 Intro 4:09 Brian's backstory 11:30 How to get unstuck 14:27 Fear 17:33 Bodybuilding Competition 33:30 Brian's gut health journey 44:44 Nervous system regulation 45:43 Coaching & podcast

Academia.edu's creator Richard Price learns the word for "degree" in Mandarin Chinese and shares with ShaoLan the secrets to how his website is helping to revolutionise everything from sourcing the latest research for Hollywood movies to improving farming in the Sahara Desert. ✨ BIG NEWS ✨ Our brand new Talk Chineasy App, is now live on the App Store! Free to download and perfect for building your speaking confidence from Day 1. portaly.cc/chineasy Visit our website for more info about the app.

Guests: Karen  Meades, Author https://www.amazon.com/My-Limitless-Life-Karen-Meades/dp/1068973102Barry Finlay, Author https://www.barry-finlay.com_____________________________Host: Marco Ciappelli, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine [ITSPmagazine] and Host of Redefining Society & Technology Podcast & Audio Signals PodcastOn ITSPmagazine | https://www.marcociappelli.com_____________________________This Episode's SponsorsAre you interested in sponsoring an ITSPmagazine Channel?

Hey, y'all! It's your girl, B. Simone, and this episode of Let's Try This Again is all about setting goals, staying obedient, and pushing through—even when it's tough.I'm coming to you from Dear Media Studios, and let me tell you, this is a full-circle moment. Two years ago, I walked away from a major deal here, trusting God even when it didn't make sense. And now? I'm sitting in this very studio, signed, sealed, and stepping into my purpose.We're talking about goals and manifestation—how I wrote down three major goals for 2025, and they're already unfolding before my eyes. From landing a big contract, to traveling the world every month, to committing to a fasted lifestyle, I'm sharing the highs, the struggles, and the lessons along the way.I also get real about obedience and discipline—because staying true to your path means walking away from comfort, from relationships that no longer serve you, and from opportunities that aren't aligned with your spirit. And let's be honest, sometimes that means sitting in a dry season (like my phone—whew, Sahara Desert vibes!). But when you trust the process, the blessings come back full circle.Oh, and if you've ever had to do your makeup in an $200 Uber ride while rushing to be on time, trust me, you'll relate to this one!So, grab your journal, write down those goals, and let's hold each other accountable. What's one thing you're committing to in 2025? Drop it in the comments, and let's make it happen—together.Follow @LetsTryThisAgain on Instagram, join the community, and stay tuned for the LTTA app—it's coming soon!Let's keep growing, keep pushing, and as always, let's try this again.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I want to introduce you to our guest this time, Fred Dummar. I met Fred through Susy Flory who helped me write Thunder Dog. Fred is taking a class from Susy on writing and is well along with his first book. I look forward to hearing about its publishing sometime in 2025.   Fred hails from a VERY small town in Central Nevada. After high school Fred went to the University of Nevada in Reno. While at University, Fred joined the Nevada National Guard which helped him pay his way through school and which also set him on a path of discovery about himself and the world. After college Fred joined the U.S. army in 1990. He was accepted into the Special Forces in 1994 and served in various locations around the world and held ranks from Captain through Colonel.   Fred and I talk a fair amount about leadership and how his view of that subject grew and changed over the years. He retired from the military in 2015. He continues to be incredibly active serving in a variety of roles in both the for profit and nonprofit arenas.   I love Fred's leadership style and philosophy. I hope you will as well. Fred has lots of insights that I believe you will find helpful in whatever you are doing.       About the Guest:   Colonel (Retired) Fred Dummar was born and raised in the remote town of Gabbs, Nevada. He enlisted in the Nevada National Guard in 1986 and served as a medic while attending the University of Nevada. He was commissioned as an Infantry Officer in the U.S. Army in April 1990.   Fred was selected for Special Forces in 1994 and went on to command at every level in Special Forces from Captain to Colonel. He trained and deployed in many countries, including Panama, Venezuela, Guyana, Nigeria, Zambia, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Most notably, Col Dummar participated in the liberation of Kurdish Northern Iraq in 2003, assisting elements of the Kurdish Peshmerga (resistance fighters) with the initial liberation of Mosul.   Colonel Dummar's last tour in uniform was as the Commander of the Advisory Group for Afghan Special Forces from May 2014 to June 2015. Immediately after retiring, he returned to Afghanistan as a defense contractor to lead the Afghan Army Special Operations Command and Special Mission Wing training programs until May 2017.   Beginning in 2007 and continuing until 2018, Fred guided his friend, who was blinded in Iraq, through 40 Marathons, several Ultra marathons, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, running with the bulls in Pamplona, and a traverse of the Sahara Desert to raise funds and awareness for Special Forces Soldiers. He personally ran numerous Ultramarathons, including 23 separate 100-mile runs and over a hundred races from 50 miles to marathon.   Fred graduated from the U.S. Army Command and Staff College and the U.S. Army War College with master's degrees in military art and science, strategy, and policy. He is currently pursuing a Doctoral Degree in Organizational Psychology and Leadership.   Since retiring from the Army in 2015, Fred has led in nonprofit organizations from the Board of Directors with the Special Forces Charitable Trust (2015-2022) as the Chief of Staff for Task Force Dunkirk during the evacuation of Afghan Allies in August 2021, as a leadership fellow with Mission 43 supporting Idaho's Veterans (2020-2023), and as a freshwater advocate with Waterboys with trips to East Africa in 2017 and 2019 to assist in funding wells for remote tribes.   Fred has led in the civilian sector as the Senior Vice President of Legacy Education, also known as Rich Dad Education, from 2017-2018 and as the startup CEO for Infinity Education from 2021-2022, bringing integrity and compassion to Real Estate Education. Fred continues investing in Real Estate as a partner in Slate Mountain Homes, Idaho and trains new investors to find, rehab, and flip manufactured homes with Alpine Capital Solutions.   Fred is married to Rebecca Dummar, and they reside in Idaho Falls, Idaho, with three of their children, John, Leah, and Anna. Their daughter Alana attends the University of Michigan.   Ways to connect with Fred:   Here is a link to my webpage - https://guidetohuman.com/ Here is a link to my Substack where I write - https://guidetohuman.substack.com/   About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/   https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, hi everyone, and welcome to another edition of unstoppable mindset where inclusion diversity and the unexpected meet, but it's more fun to talk about unexpected than inclusion or diversity, although it is relevant to talk about both of those. And our guest today is Fred Dummar. It is pronounced dummar or dumar. Dummar, dummar, see, I had to do that. So Fred is a person I met Gosh about seven or eight months ago through Susy Flory, who was my co author on thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust at ground zero. And Susy introduced us because Fred is writing a book. We're going to talk about that a bunch today, and we'll also talk about Fred's career and all sorts of other things like that. But we've had some fascinating discussions, and now we finally get to record a podcast, so I'm glad to do that. So Fred Dummar, welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Fred Dummar ** 02:22 Yeah, no. Thanks for having me. Michael, yeah, we've had some some interesting discussions about everything unstoppable mind and blindness and diversity. And yeah, it's good to be on here.   Michael Hingson ** 02:34 Yeah. And one of the things I know that you have done is ran with a blind marathoner, and I'm anxious to hear about that, as well as what an ultra marathon is. We'll get to that, however. But why don't we start by you may be talking a little bit about kind of the early freight growing up and all that you grew up in, in Nevada, in a in a kind of remote place. So I'm going to just leave it to you to talk about all   Fred Dummar ** 02:57 that. Yeah, Michael, so, and actually, that's part of my, part of my story that I'm writing about. Because, you know, obviously, where we're from forms a large basis of how we sometimes interact with the world. And I came from a very remote town in Nevada. It's dying, by the way. I'm not sure how long that town will be with us, but, yeah, being from a small town where, you know, graduating class was 13 kids, and it's an hour to the closest place that you could watch a movie or get fast food, those types of things, it's definitely a different type of childhood, and much one, much more grounded in self reliance and doing activities that you can make up yourself, right? Instead of being looking for others to entertain you.   Michael Hingson ** 03:50 Yeah, I hear you. So what was it like growing up in a small town? I grew up in Palmdale, California, so it was definitely larger than where you grew up, we had a fairly decent sized High School senior graduating class. It wasn't 13, but what was it like growing up in that kind of environment?   Fred Dummar ** 04:12 Yeah, it was. It was one where you know, not only did you know everybody, everybody else knew you, and so you could pretty much count on anyone in the town for for assistance or, or, you know, if, I guess, if you were on the house for not, not assistance, so, but no, it was. It was a great place to have many, many, many friends from there. But it was, certainly was an adjustment, because I think growing up, there are our sort of outlook on life for us, you know, certainly from the people that that ran our high school and the other adults, most people were seen as, you know, your life after high school would be going to work at one of. The mines, or going to work on one of the, you know, family cattle ranch or something like that. So making the jump from there to, you know, even a few hours away to Reno, you know, to start at the University of Nevada, that was a big it's a big jump from for me, and because the school is so small, I ended up graduating from high school when I was 16, so I barely had a driver's license, and now I am several hours away and Reno, Nevada, going to the university. And, you know, quite an adjustment for me.   Michael Hingson ** 05:32 It's interesting. A few days ago, I had the opportunity to do a podcast episode with someone who's very much involved and knows a lot about bullying and so on, and just listening to you talk, it would seem like you probably didn't have a whole lot of the bully type mentality, because everyone was so close, and everyone kind of interacted with each other, so probably that sort of stuff wasn't tolerated very well. Yeah,   Fred Dummar ** 05:59 it was, it was more so outsiders. I mean, kids that had grown up there all sort of, you know, knew where they were or weren't in the pecking order. Things and things sort of stayed kind of steady stasis, without a lot of bullying. But yeah, new kids coming in. That's where you would see for me, from my recollection of growing up to that's where, you know, I remember that type of behavior coming out when, when you know, a new kid would come into the town,   Michael Hingson ** 06:31 was it mainly from the new kids or from the kids who are already there?   Fred Dummar ** 06:34 From the kids? Sometimes it was the integration, right? Some people integrate into new environments better than others. And you know, generally, no problems for those folks. But some, you know, it takes a bit more. And in a place like that, if you're you know, if you're seen as different, so you know to your theory on or your you know the topics you cover on diversity and inclusion. Sometimes when you're the one that that looks different or acts different in an environment like that, you definitely stick out, and then you become the target of of bullying.   Michael Hingson ** 07:10 What? What happens that changes that for a kid? Then, you know, so you're you're different or in one way or another. But what happens that gets kids accepted? Or do they?   Fred Dummar ** 07:21 Yeah, I don't know. I think, I think it's learning to embrace just who you are and doing your own thing. I think if you know, if you're trying to force yourself into an environment that doesn't want to accept you, I'm not sure that that's ever an easy battle for anyone. But just being yourself and doing your own thing. I think that's, that's the way to go, and that's certainly, you know, what I learned through my life was I wasn't one of the kids that planned on staying there and working in the mind, and I wasn't, you know, my family was, you know, at that point, my mom and dad owned the, the only grocery store in town, and I certainly wasn't going back to run the family business. So, you know, look, looking for a way, you know, for something else to do outside of that small town was certainly number one on my agenda, getting out of there. So being myself and and learning to adapt, or, as you know the saying goes, right, learning to be instead of being a fish in a small pond, learning to be a fish in a much larger pond,   Michael Hingson ** 08:27 yeah, well, and there's, there's a lot of growth that has to take place for that to occur, but it's understandable. So you graduated at 16, and then what did you do after   Fred Dummar ** 08:38 my uh, freshman year at college, which I funded by, you know, sort of Miss, Miss misleading people or lying about my age so that I could get a job at 16 and working construction and as an apprentice electrician. And that funded my my freshman year of college. But, you know, as as as my freshman year was dragging on, I was wondering, you know, hey, how I was going to continue to fund my, you know, continued universe my stay at the university, because I did not want to go, you know, back back back home, sort of defeated, defeated by that. So I started looking into various military branches of military service, and that's when it happened upon the National Guard, Nevada National Guard, and so I joined the National Guard. And right after, you know, I think it was five days after I turned 17, so as soon as I could, I signed up, and that summer after my freshman year, I left for training for the National Guard. Missed first semester of my sophomore year, but then came back and continued on with my university studies using, you know, my the educational benefits that came from being in the National Guard.   Michael Hingson ** 09:55 So you're in the National Guard, but that wasn't a full time thing, so you were able to go back and. Continue education. Yeah,   Fred Dummar ** 10:01 it was, you know, it's a typical one weekend a month, one weekend a month for duty. Typically, we would go in on a Friday night, spend Saturday and Sunday for duty. So we get a, you know, small check for that. And then we were also allowed to draw, you know, the GI Bill and the state of Nevada had a program at the time where you didn't get paid upfront for your classes, but at the end of every semester, you could take your final report card and for every class, for every credit that you had a C or higher, they would reimburse you. So yeah, so they were essentially paying my tuition, and then, you know, small stipend every month from the GI Bill. And then, you know, my National Guard check, so and in the 80s, you know, when I was going to school, that that was enough to keep, you know, define my education. And where did you go to school? At the University of Nevada in   Michael Hingson ** 10:59 Reno, in Reno, okay, yeah, so, so you kind of have ended up really liking Reno, huh?   Fred Dummar ** 11:07 Yeah, I, yeah. I became sort of home city. Obviously, no one would ever really know where. You know, if I would have mentioned that I grew up in a town called gaps, most people would, you know, not, not really understand. I sometimes, if they're, you know, press and say, hey, you know, where are you really? Because, you know, often say, Hey, I went to school in Reno. If they say, where did you grow up? I'll, you know, it's a longer conversation. I'll be like, okay, so if you put your finger, like, right in the middle of Nevada, in the absolute middle of nowhere, that's where I grew up.   Michael Hingson ** 11:40 Well, you know, people need to recognize and accept people for who they are, and that doesn't always happen, which is never fun, but Yeah, gotta do what you can do, yes, well, so Reno, on the other hand, is a is a much larger town, and probably you're, a whole lot more comfortable there than you than you were in Gabs, but that's okay. So yeah, so you went to the university. You got a bachelor's, yep, and then what did you do?   Fred Dummar ** 12:11 Yeah. Well, so along the way, while I was in the National Guard, you know, being a medic, right? I was convinced by a lieutenant that met me. I was actually doing the physical, because it was one of the things our section did when I was first in, you know, we gave the medical physicals, and this lieutenant said, you know, you should come transfer our unit. The unit was an infantry unit, and I became their only medic. And so that was much better than working in a medical section for a helicopter unit where I'd been and and the lieutenants, you know, said that I should consider joining ROTC, since I was already going to the university. So I did in my junior year, started the Reserve Officer Training Corps there at the University of Nevada. And so when I graduated college in the winter of 89 I accepted a commission into the army. So then a few months later, I was, I was off on my my Grand Army adventure,   Michael Hingson ** 13:11 alright, and then what did you do?   Fred Dummar ** 13:15 So, yeah, that was, you know, because it was an infantry Lieutenant went to Fort Benning, Georgia, and I believe now the army calls it fort Moore, but yeah, I trained there for about a year, doing all of the tasks necessary to become an infantry officer. And then I went down to Panama, when the US still had forces in the country of Panama. And I spent two and a half years down there was that past mariega, yeah, right after, because I had graduated from college in December of 89 while operation just caused to get rid of Noriega was happening. So year after my infantry training, I sort of ended up in Panama, and sort of as at the time, thinking it was bad luck, you know, because if you're in the army, you know, you want to, kind of want to go where things are happening. So I'm in Panama the year after the invasion, while Saddam Hussein is invading Kuwait, and everyone else is rushing to the desert, and I'm sitting in the jungle. So, you know, as a as a young person, you start to think, you know, oh, you know, hey, I'm missing. I'm missing the big war. I should be at the war, you know. So that was an interesting take, not what I would have now, but you know, as a young man,   Michael Hingson ** 14:31 what caused you to revise that view, though? Or time,   Fred Dummar ** 14:37 yeah, yeah. Just, just time. And, you know, later in life, you know, after, uh, serving combat rotations in Iraq and Afghanistan, I realized it wasn't something one needed to rush towards,   Michael Hingson ** 14:48 really quite so bad, where you were, yeah. So,   Fred Dummar ** 14:52 yeah, I spent a couple years in Panama, then I came back to Fort Benning, uh, Fort Moore, and worked at the Army's Airborne School. So. Uh, you know, the place that teaches people how to jump out of airplanes. And I did that for for a year. So it's, it's really fun because watching, you know, watching people go through the process of of training to jump out of an aircraft, and then sort of their very first time on an aircraft might takes off, and you can see the, you know, sort of the realization that they're not going to land with the plane for the first time in their life. You know, they're they're not going to be in the plane when it lands. That's always, you know, it's always a good time. And then, of course, when you know, then there's another realization, moment when the doors pop open right, and the doors, doors on the aircraft are opened so the jump masters can start making checks, you know, and out, yeah, and they're looking, you know, their eyes get larger and larger, you know, as as preparations for the jump. You know, when they're stood up and they're hooked up inside the aircraft, and then finally, you know, told to exit. Yeah, it's interesting. And during the time when I worked there, that's when I was eligible, because I was a senior lieutenant at that time, that I could apply to become a Green Beret. I could go through special forces training if I was selected. So I left from Fort Benning, I went up to Fort Bragg, now fort liberty, and went through the selection, Special Forces Assessment, selection, and was selected to become a Special Forces soldiers that I went to Fort Bragg, you know, spent the year or so becoming qualified to be a special forces team leader, and then the next I spent the next 20 years of my Army career in various units at at Fort liberty, and third Special Forces Group, Special Forces Command, seven Special Forces Group, Special Operations recruiting, just, you know, bouncing around in different assignments and then, but obviously during that time, 911, happened, and you know, was on the initial invasion in 2003 up in, up into the north. We were flying in from Romania, you know, before the war started. And so being there during that phase of the Iraq combat in Iraq, and then going to Afghanistan and and spending multiple, multiple tours and multiple years in Afghanistan. So, so   Michael Hingson ** 17:25 did you do much jumping out of airplanes?   Fred Dummar ** 17:29 Yeah, in combat, no. But over the years, yeah, I accumulated quite a few jumps. Because what, you know, every, every unit I was ever assigned to while I was in the army was always one that was, you know, airborne, which are, you know, the designation for units that jump out of airplanes. So   Michael Hingson ** 17:47 have to, yeah, yeah. Well, you're a pretty level headed kind of guy. What was it like the first time you jumped? I mean, you described what it looked like to other people. Do you think that was basically the same for you, or did you, yeah, kind of a thicker skin,   Fred Dummar ** 18:01 yeah, no, no, I think, I think that's why I was able to, you know, in large measure, that's how a lot of us are able to have empathy, right? If we've, if we've, if we've been through it, and we are able to access the memory of, okay, what was it like when I was doing it? It allows us to be, you know, more compassionate to the people that are going through it at that moment for the first time, but yeah, I can remember being in the plane, and then you know, that realization is like, hey, you know, in the pit of your stomach, I'm not, I'm not landing with this plane. And then, you know, the doors opening up, you're like, you know, kind of hey, those, I don't know what the gates of hell look like, but right now, that's that's in my mind, what, what they would look like, you know, and then going out the first time, and and then I think the second time might have been worse, because it was the anticipation of, oh, wait a minute, we're doing that again. And by the but if you do five jumps to qualify before you're given your parachute as badge, so I think by the third one, I'd come to terms with, with, with dealing and managing. You know, you know the fear of it, of leaving an airplane. And people you know often ask, you know when, when you're older and you're past the 100 jump mark, you know it's like, still, is there still fear and like, I think, I think, if there's not, I mean, then you know, there's probably something wrong with you, but, but it's not, it's nowhere near you know how it is when you know your First learning and your first learning to trust yourself and trust the equipment and trust the process. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 19:45 what you're learning a little bit along the way is to how to control fear. And you mentioned my book earlier, the one that's coming out live like a guide dog, which is all about trying to teach people to control fear, because we have so many things happen to. Us, or we think about so many things, that we develop so many fears consciously or not, that when something does unexpectedly happen to us, especially something that isn't necessarily a positive thing, we just automatically go into a fear reaction mode. And the the reality is it doesn't need to be that way you can learn to control fear, which is what we talk about in live like a guide dog, because it's important that people recognize you can learn to control fear. I would never say, Don't be afraid. Yeah, but I think you can learn to control fear, and by doing so, then you use that fear to help guide you and give you the the the the tools to really be able to move forward and focus. But most people don't really spend much time doing that. They don't learn introspection. They don't learn how to to slow down and analyze and develop that mind muscle so that later you can analyze incredibly quickly.   Fred Dummar ** 21:06 Yeah, we in the army, we call that stress inoculation, good description, you know, it's, you know, once you're, once you're, you've learned to deal with stress, or deal with, you know, stressful, fearful things. Then, you know, the next time you're you're better equipped. And that fear and that stress can be, you know, can be continually amped up. I used to laugh when I was doing Special Forces recruiting, because the you know, it would require a special physical for candidates to go get a special physical before they could come to training. And one of the boxes we would joke about was, I have no fear of heights or enclosed spaces. No everybody has those fears, is whether you can, you can manage those fears and deal with. You know, things are very uncomfortable. Well, that's   Michael Hingson ** 22:05 really it. It's all about managing. And so I'm sure that they want you to check no, that you don't have those fears when you're when you're going through. But at the same time, what you're hopefully really saying is you can manage it. Yeah,   Fred Dummar ** 22:20 that you can manage and that's why I was saying, that's why I would always laugh, because of course, everyone has those fears and but learning to deal with them and and how you deal with them, and that that's, you know, one of the things I discuss in one of the chapters of the book I'm writing is, is, you know when fear, when fear comes to You, you know, how do you deal with it and how do you overcome it? I think people are more and more recognizing you know that there are techniques through stress inoculation, you know, things like that. They'll teach you how you can overcome fear. And you know simple breathing techniques to you know, slow down your breathing and engage your brain, not just your brain stem, right? When you breathe, it fast, your brain stem is in charge, not your brain and yeah, and think your way through things, rather than just reacting as a, you know, as a frightened animal,   Michael Hingson ** 23:19 right? And it's one of the things that that, as I discuss in the book, and I talk to people about now a lot, that although I didn't realize it for many years, after September 11, I had developed a mindset on that day that said, You know what to do, because I had spent a lot of time learning what to do, how to deal with emergencies, what the rules were, and all that, and all of that just kicked in on September 11, which is as good as it could get.   Fred Dummar ** 23:45 Yeah. Well, Michael, you have a you have a distinct advantage. You had a distinct advantage a couple of them, but, but one being, you know, because you already live in a world without light in your sight, you're not dependent on that. And so another, when other people are, you know, in, you know, when I'm reading the book, I'm nodding my head knowingly, you know, as you're talking about being in the stairwell and other people being frightened, and you're just like, this is okay. This is an average, I mean, maybe unusual circumstances, but an average day for me,   Michael Hingson ** 24:21 yeah. But they side of it is, I know lots of blind people who would be just as much in fear as anyone else. It's the fact is, of course, we didn't know what was going on. Yes, September 11, a   Fred Dummar ** 24:35 bit of ignorance is bliss, right? Yeah. And   Michael Hingson ** 24:38 that was true for everyone. I had a great imagination. I could tell you that I imagine things that could happen that were a whole lot worse than in a sense, what did, but I, but I like science fiction and horror, so I learned how to imagine well, but the fact is that it isn't so much being blind that's an advantage, really. Really was the preparation. And so the result was that I had done that. And you know, of course, the airplane hit 18 floors above us on the other side of the building. So the reality is going down the stairs. None of us knew what happened. We figured out an airplane hit the building because we started smelling the fumes from burning jet fuel. But by the same token, that was all we knew. We didn't even know that tower two had been hit until, well, much later, when we got outside, colleagues saw David Frank, my colleague saw tower two was on fire, but we still didn't know what it was from. So yeah, the the fact is that blindness may or may not really be an advantage, but preparation certainly was, yeah,   Fred Dummar ** 25:43 how you reacted, how you reacted to being blind. Because, yeah, you can just, just like anything, right? You can react in in several different ways, and how you acted, how you built your life around,   Michael Hingson ** 25:54 sure. And most people, of course, just rely on reading signs. And so they also have the fear, what if I can't read the signs. What if there's smoke and all that? And again, they they build fears rather than doing the smart thing, which is just to learn what to do in the case of an emergency when you're in a building like that. But you know, it is part of what what we do talk about, and it is, it is pretty important that people start to learn a little bit more that they can control fear. I mean, we have in our in our whole world, politicians who just do nothing but promote fear, and that's unfortunate, because we all buy into it, rather than stepping back and go, Wait a minute. It doesn't need to be that way.   Fred Dummar ** 26:37 Yeah, I think the other thing, like you talked about your your preparation and training. And I always that was one of the way ways, or one of the things that brought me to ultra marathoning, you know, after my initial training in Special Forces, was, you know, if you're, if you're going to push your capacity to see, you know what you're what you're really capable of, or build, you know, build additional reserves. So, you know, if you are counted on to do something extraordinary or in extenuating circumstances, what do you really have, you know, yeah, how far can you really push yourself? And so it really brought me into the sport of ultra running, where, you know, the distances, or those distances that exceed a marathon. So a marathon being, you know, 26 miles, yeah. So the first ultra marathon is a 50k because, you know, Marathon is 42 so eight kilometers farther. And then the next, general, you know, length is 50 miles. And then there's some other, you know, 100k which is 62 miles. And then, kind of the, although, you know, now we see, see races longer, but kind of the the longest distance being 100 mile race and so, and the gold standard in 100 mile racing being, you know, for most, most courses, every course being different, but for most courses, is to finish under 24 hours, so within one one day, but to keep moving for one, you know, one entire day while, you know, while fueling yourself and and, and some people say, Well, you Know, wow, that pace doesn't seem that fast. Troy   Michael Hingson ** 28:22 yourself then and see, yeah,   Fred Dummar ** 28:24 and, like a lot of things, it doesn't, it doesn't exactly seem fast until you're factoring in, okay, but you're still gonna have to stop at some point to you, you know, relieve yourself, and you're gonna have to, you know, walk while you eat. And, you know, there's hills to climb and all these other sorts of obstacles. So, yeah, finishing under 24 hours is, you know, sort of the, you know, the standard, I guess, for the people want to achieve. And anyway, yeah, I became, for a bit there, became addicted to it. And then, so when I met Ivan, my friend, who you were talking about, who, who was, was blinded in in Iraq in 2006 when I met him, he had already been injured, and I realized that he really wanted to run marathons. He'd run one, and had to use, like, several different guides, right? You know, there were different people jumping in and out, and it really wasn't an ideal situation for him and he and he also needed someone who who wanted to do that, who would be a reliable training partner, right? Because it's not like, okay, you know, you might be able to find people that show up on marathon day. Want to run the marathon, or a few people, but, you know, day in, day out, to be training. And so I was like, Hey, this is one of those things that ends up in your path, right, that you can, maybe you can walk around it, but, but for me, when I, you know, when I saw. I was like, Okay, this was, this was something that, you know, for whatever reason, is on my path. I meant to do it. I meant to be the guy that does this. And so, yeah, we started training together. And, you know, ended up running 40 plus marathons together, you know, from London, Chicago, you know, every, every the Marine Corps Marathon, just everywhere. And, you know, summiting Mount Kilimanjaro and running with the bulls together. And then our last race was, it's often referred to as, you know, the world's toughest foot race. It's the marathon to Saab, and it's a, it's a distance race of 150 some miles across the Sahara Desert. And they break it up into stages. So on different days, some days, you run 30 miles. Some days, you know, 26 one day is a 50. I think we were at 53 miles on one of the days. But anyway, and you start the you start that race with whatever you're going to eat and whatever you're going to need, you know, in terms of gear on your back. And the only thing that's provided to you during the race is water. So, and that was our kind of, you know, he's like, I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to run, and so I just want to do that before I stop. I stopped, right? So, but anyway, yeah, so that was how I ended up meeting my friend Ivan, and, you know, over the course of a decade and a half, we did all of these, you know, what some people think are incredibly dumb things, but, you know, sort of embracing the discomfort of training and competing to, you know, to make ourselves better, you know? Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 31:44 so while you were in the military, I know you mentioned earlier something about doing some work in as a medic. Did you do that most of your time? Were you specializing in that? Or what?   Fred Dummar ** 31:54 No, no, that was only when I early on, when I was a soldier, I was a medic, and then when I was commissioned, I was commissioned, I was commissioned as an infantry officer, and then, and then, when it became Special Forces, you know, the officer is, sort of has, has no specialty other than leading the team. The team has medics and weapons guys and engineers and communicators and all that. But, you know, the officers sort of assigned as the as the planning the planning agent, you know, the to lead the team, rather than have any of the specialties,   Michael Hingson ** 32:30 right? And you participated long enough that you rose to the rank of colonel. Yeah, yeah, my participation   Fred Dummar ** 32:38 trophy was attaining the rank of colonel. And I would often tell people the arm don't think the army doesn't have a sense of humor. I was promoted to Colonel on April 1, so April Fool's days when, when I was promoted? And yeah, and I, after almost 30 years in uniform, retired in 2015 so I don't know that I would have went that long. But you know, they're about the middle of my career, from 1986 to 2015 you know 911 happened, and for me, it wasn't, it wasn't really a choice to to leave. Then, you know, it was like, Okay, we, you know, we have to do this. These Iraq and Afghanistan. In fact, my my very last, my last year in in uniform. I was in Afghanistan as an advisor to the Afghan commandos. And when I returned from that tour, you know, was told that, hey, I had to, I had to finally leave Fort Bragg after 20 years and and either go to, you know, the Pentagon or another headquarters. And that's when I decided to retire. Because it was like, okay, you know, if, if the wars don't need me anymore, then I, I can go home and do other things. Yeah, I can do other things. If the wars don't need me, you know, then I can probably hang it up. So   Michael Hingson ** 34:11 when did you get married? So   Fred Dummar ** 34:15 over the course of my Army career, I was divorced twice. Yeah, it's just not an easy No, it's not. It's just not an easy lifestyle. I'm not making any excuses for my own failings in that regard. But, you know, it is, it is, I think, easier to become emotionally detached from someone, especially, you know, as in my case, I think I often put the army, first, the army, my soldiers, the mission, you know, as the first on my mind. And you know, for someone else, you know that to be a pretty strong person, to sit in the back seat during that so. And I did not have any children and then, but after I retired, when went through my second and four. I met someone. And so, yeah, we were married in in 2020, and so I had a, I was able, you know, after not having children, my first son was born when I was 50. So I have a son who's, you know, four, four years old, four going on five. And then we decided that, you know, he should have someone to be with. So we were going to have a second child. And my wife had twins, so I have twin, three year old girls. So, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 35:37 you're going to do it. You might as well go all the way, huh?   Fred Dummar ** 35:40 Yeah, and and, and I haven't, and I adopted Rebecca's older, the child that she that she had. And so now we have four children, Alana being much older, she's already finished for freshman year at the University of Michigan, and this get ready to go back to Ann Arbor and continue her studies and and then we have, you know, the small pack of humans that are still here in their pre, pre kindergarten phase. So   Michael Hingson ** 36:10 she is a a Wolverine fan, and there will ever be an Ohio State Buckeye,   Fred Dummar ** 36:18 yeah, something like that. Yeah, that rivalry is pretty intense. And, you know, never being part of a school that was, you know, in that, in that division, you know, not really realizing, well, you know, watching college football, I kind of understand the rival, all the rivalries. But once she started going to Michigan, and, you know, attending a football game there myself. And then, unfortunately, you know, we were able to go to the Rose Bowl this year, which, you know, when Michigan played Alabama. So we were able to go to that together. So, yeah, it was, it's interesting to learn that dynamic. And like, I tell her, it's like, never, never take for granted being part of a big school like that without those sorts of traditions. Absolutely.   Michael Hingson ** 37:06 Yeah, I went to UC Irvine, so we didn't really have a lot with with football, but my wife did her graduate work at USC, and I always like to listen to USC football games. I judge a lot about sports teams by the announcers they hire, I gotta say. And so we've been always so blessed out here in California, although I think that announcing isn't quite what it used to be, but we had good announcers that announced for USC out here on I think it was originally on Kx, and then it went to other stations. But anyway, when we got married, the wedding started late because a bunch of people were sitting out in their cars waiting for the end of the USC Notre Dame game. And so the wedding was 15 minutes late starting because everybody was waiting to see who was going to win the game. And I am quite pleased to say that we won, and God was on our side, as opposed to Notre Dame. And, yeah, the marriage lasted 40 years, so until she, she passed away in 2022 but I love to tell people that, you know, God clearly was on our side, especially when I tell that to my Notre Dame friends,   Fred Dummar ** 38:15 yeah, the touch touchdown, Jesus wasn't, wasn't there for them, not   Michael Hingson ** 38:19 that day. Yeah, but, but, you know, and there's college football is, is in a lot of ways, I just think so much more fun, or it has been than professional. But, you know, now a lot more money is getting into it, which is unfortunate too. Yeah,   Fred Dummar ** 38:37 I think that's caused some of the you know, teams re evaluate what they what they do happen, how they operate. And I think it's forced some of the older coaches to leave the game, yeah, because it's not the game they recognize, so not   Michael Hingson ** 38:53 what they had well. So you've been to a variety of different places. You've been a leader. And I think it's pretty clear that you really still are, but how did all the the different experiences, the different places that you went to, and all the the experiences that you participated in, how does that affect and shape your leadership style?   Fred Dummar ** 39:19 Yeah, Michael, you know, I think one of the first things, right, if you when your surface looking, and some people never go below the surface. So when you talk about things like diversity and inclusion, the things, the things that they will think about that make people divert diverse are not generally what I think about. Because, you know, when you look below the surface, you see a lot of commonalities in the human experience. You know, from my time living, living in Panama and operating in Central and South America, some countries in the in the you know, the Caribbean when I was first in special operations, and then. Obviously, I went and did some time in in Africa, some peacekeeping operations in Nigeria, some other exercises down in the south, southern countries in Africa, and then my time in Iraq and Afghanistan. People, you know, they're they come in different colors. They they have different their path to God or the universe or the higher power that they recognize that the cultural artifacts that they use may may look different, but you know, they're generally pointing if you if you can step aside from your own preconceived notions about things, you can see that they're they're just different signposts to the same God, right to the same, to the same, power to the same, to the same things, and people want the same things, you know, for their families, you know, for for security and prosperity, and you know that that sort of thing. So it's, that's where I, kind of, you know, came to my leadership philosophy, which is pretty easy to remember. It's just lead, lead with love. And you know, if you use, and I haven't tell people, doesn't really matter what denomination you are. If you read, you know, the Gospels of the New Testament purely as a leadership guide. You know it's, it's hard to find a a better leadership example than than what, what Jesus was was doing, you know, the way he was serving others the way he was leading. It's, it's, it's pretty powerful, pretty powerful stuff. And you know, even, even at the end, right during the Last Supper, when he tells people, you know, who, who's the most important is the most important person, the person sitting at the table getting ready to eat, or the person serving, you know. And of course, you as humans, you know, is based on our, you know, the way we think about the world. We think the most important person is, you know, not only the person sitting at the table, but the person at the nicest table, or the head of the table, and not the person serving. And so that was something I tried to embrace during my time in the military, and what I try and embrace now is, you know, being the person that serves others and using your position. You know, if you if, if and when you are promoted or asked to lead that, you approach it from a position of, you know, what? What can I do from this position to help other people and and just be compassionate to their actual circumstances. And that doesn't mean, you know, when people, people hear me say that they're, you know, they think, Well, that's pretty how does that reconcile with you being a Green Beret and being around, you know, a bunch of you know, meat eating savages, you know, how do you how do you reconcile that and like, well, leading with care and compassion doesn't mean you know that I'm coddling anyone, because I'm certainly not coddling anyone you know. You know, I demand high performance for myself and from from people in those positions like that. You know, when I was a member of a special forces organization, but not everybody's supposed to be doing that. And so I think recognizing the circumstances and the people and what the organization's supposed to do or and how it can care for people, I think those are things that became really, really important to me   Michael Hingson ** 43:33 well. And I think you raised some really valid points. The reality is that September 11, for example, was not a religious war, a religious event. It was a bunch of thugs who wanted to have their way with the world. But most people who truly practice the Islamic faith are the same as the rest of us, and they and they seek God just like we do, like Jewish people do and others do, and we've got to keep that in mind, but it's, it's so hard, because we mostly don't step back and evaluate that and realize that those 19 people on those four airplanes are just a bunch of thugs, pure and simple.   Fred Dummar ** 44:15 Yeah, that, yeah, that, and, and the organizations they represent, right? You know, they're, they're, they're, and they're not the only ones, right? People from of all faiths have harnessed, you know,   Michael Hingson ** 44:30 their various back to the Crusades, yeah, you know, you know, their   Fred Dummar ** 44:33 various religions have harnessed themselves up to, you know, to sway people to to hate, or to, you know, to engage in combat or whatever. So yeah, to to lump that all in. I think our, some of our responses, and then also some of the way people think, has really led it led us to a more a more divided we're. Well, then you know that are more inclusive and and you know, thinking of ourselves as one we we think of ourselves as, you know, many and different, and sometimes things that we think would bring us together or help us make things more fair, like, you know, talking about diversity and inclusion, if we aren't really thinking about what we're trying to do and what that looks like, we can end up making the world more divided and less inclusive.   Michael Hingson ** 45:34 And unfortunately, we're seeing way too much of that, and it isn't helping to do that. And hopefully at some point we'll, we'll figure that out, or we'll realize that maybe it's a little bit better, or can be a little bit better than we think. Yeah, and I know you in 2003 did a lot to help the Kurds in northern Iraq, right?   Fred Dummar ** 45:55 Yeah, that was primarily, you know, my, my experience in Iraq was, you know, before the 2003 invasion, I was in Romania with my special forces company. And, yeah, we flew into northern Iraq and linked up with a group of Kurds and from where they were at and primarily our mission, you know, at that point, nobody really knew what Saddam might do when the main offensive of, you know, conventional army, conventional Marine Corps, British, you know, other allies, started from the south towards Baghdad. What would Saddam do? Would he, you know, send his forces in the north against the Kurds to create a destabilizing effect, you know, one both killing Kurds, but causing Kurds to flee to Syria and Iran, and, you know, probably most importantly for people that were planning to Turkey, you know, to further destabilize the region. So obviously, out of a desire to protect, help protect the Kurds and help stop or prevent something like that from happening. You know, we went in a couple weeks before the actual ground war started, we were in place with the Kurds and started organizing them to to defend themselves. And do you know, take back the land that they considered theirs, because, after, you know, Desert Storm, the you know, the 90s, the 90s war against Iraq, Saddam had pushed into Kurdish territory and established, you know, what he referred to as a, you know, his, his buffer zone. And then, you know, the US had been forcing a, you know, a no fly zone up in the Kurdish areas, but the Kurds had still never been allowed to go back to some of the cities that they considered theirs. So, you know, when we got in there with them, we were able to get, you know, move currents that have been forced out of those towns moved back into their towns and and our particular sector we we cleared down to Mosul Iraq, which, you know, people in the Bible will recognize As as the city of Nineveh. Or maybe not know that, but yeah, so we were, I was able to go drive through the, you know, the biblical, the some of the remains of the, you know, city of Nineveh as we got to Mosul. And then once we were there, that was sort of when, you know, we stole the Kurdish allies that, hey, you guys can go back to go back home, and then at that point us, we're only there a few days before us conventional forces. Now this is a couple months into the war, but us conventional forces made their way up there, and, you know, started doing stabilizing the city, and it was probably best to get the Kurdish militia out of there at that point, for things between the Kurds and the Arabs continue to deteriorate. So yeah, but it was a it was a great experience for me being with the Kurds and helping them, you know, sort of move through and retake towns that they had historically lived in. And, you know, along the way we passed and were able to clear Assyrian monastery that's on one of the mountains on the route to Mosul. So some, definitely, some history along the way, history lessons along the way. I   Michael Hingson ** 49:38 had the pleasure of going to Israel last year in August, okay? And spent a day in Jerusalem, so we got to go to the Western Wall and so on. And I really appreciated, and do appreciate, the history and just the awesomeness of of being there and touching the the temple and the wall that's been there for so long. And, you know, there is so much history over there that I really wish people would more appreciate and and on all sides, would figure out how they could become better at working with each other. One of these days, there's going to have to be peace, or it's going to really get a whole lot worse, very quickly,   Fred Dummar ** 50:21 yeah, for sure. Yeah, it was. It was interesting, though, when we were there, obviously watching the various groups of, you know, Syrians, Kurds, Arabs and others that had various claims to different parts of Mosul and different parts of the area around it. So it's fascinating, you know, to watch history try and unwind itself from some of the decisions that were made. You know, post World War Two, when lines were being drawn in the desert to create countries and and the ramifications of that? Yeah. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 51:06 you certainly have a perspective that's built on a lot of knowledge and being there, which I think is great on the other hand, well, not on the other hand. But then you left the military that that had to be a major change in terms of what you had been doing and what you were used to after almost 30 years. What's it like when you decide to make that kind of a major change and then, in your case, go back into civilian life? Yeah. So   Fred Dummar ** 51:38 my first, my first step, wasn't that far away from the military. And I started referring it. Referred to my first job as sort of an addiction clinic, because I went, I went to work as a house, yeah, I went to work as a contractor, or, you know, defense contractor. I went back to Afghanistan for about a year and a half running training programs for some of the Afghan special operations forces. So, you know, it was, it was really, you know, there was, if I, if I was a heroin addict, you know, I was in the methadone clinic, you know, trying to, trying to get off of it. And then, yeah, I realized, you know, kind of needed to go home. And my marriage, you know, dissolved, and so it's like, Hey, I probably time to, like, go home and have, you know, a different kind of life. And I moved into a civilian job with a friend, a friend at the time, who was doing investment training around the world. And he's like, Hey, we, you know, I know you're, you will travel. There's a lot of people that, when I talk to him about travel, it's involved with our business, you know, they don't, don't really want to do that. And he's like, but I know, you know, from where you're at. And he's like, hey, I'll buy, buy a ticket. Fly to Hong Kong, see what our business is about. So I went there and learned about the investment training they were doing in Hong Kong and throughout Southeast Asia. And then they had an office in Johannesburg, and, you know, one in London, Canada and the US and doing all this training. And so for about a year, little over a year, I worked in that business and and learned, you know, the various things that they were doing. You know how they were teaching people to invest in real estate and stocks and that sort of thing. Started doing it myself less, as I wish I would have known earlier in my life, but started doing that, and then when I left that company, that's a lot of what I've been doing. I've taken some smaller jobs and smaller contract projects. But by and large, that's basically what I've been doing since then, is, you know, working in real estate investing or real estate projects   Michael Hingson ** 53:50 and continuing to hone your leadership skills. Yeah,   Fred Dummar ** 53:54 yeah. Well, you know, I kept continue to work with or a couple of, you know, jobs where I was helping people start up businesses, you know, as either in CEO role or in an operations role to help help them start their businesses. So I did some of that which, which is always fun. It's great working with new talent and establishing procedures and helping people grow that way. So that was, that was really fun. And then got to be part of a couple of nonprofits, Special Forces, Charitable Trust, probably my longest stint. I did that for, you know, about seven or eight years on the board of directors, you know, running, helping to develop activities and programs to support our Special Forces veteran. So, yeah, it was, it's been, it's been fun. And then obviously having a new family and spending a lot of time in my role as a dad has been probably the most rewarding.   Michael Hingson ** 54:53 Yeah, I bet. And that is, that's always so much fun, and you get to help bring some. New people along into the world and hopefully help to make a difference that way. And on top of that, you continue to study. You're getting a PhD. You mentioned it earlier, but you're getting a PhD in organizational psychology and leadership. There we go with the leadership again.   Fred Dummar ** 55:14 Yeah, you know, it's, it's fun, because, you know, when I do get the opportunity to speak at events. I move around and speak at different events. I know you do a lot of speaking. You probably do much more than I do, but the events I do speak at, I want to make sure that sometimes being a practitioner of something doesn't always mean that you have the exact language or the academic credentials to go along with being a practitioner. And I've been a practitioner of leadership for so many years, but now studying it and applying, you know, one working towards an academic credential in this says, Hey, this, this guy knows what he's talking about. But then also having, you know, the the latest developments. And studies on leading people effectively and and how people are doing it wrong, and how you can help them. I think it's, it's been, it's been, been a great journey to be on as well, especially keeping my mind active in in all things leadership and helping organizations do it better.   Michael Hingson ** 56:21 Well, you, you have been a leader for a long time, but now you're studying it. Would you say that you're also discovering new things along the way? And you know, I guess what I'm getting at is, of course, none of us are ever so much an expert that we can't afford to learn more things. Oh   Fred Dummar ** 56:39 yeah, for sure, both, both learning new things, learning why I might have done things wrong based on, you know, studies, you know, like, okay, you know, if you if you have this type of personality, you might do this wrong, or things I was doing right, but not exactly, knowing all of, You know all of the mechanisms that were going into why I was making that decision. But you know, when you look at the psychology behind it, and you look at organizational structure structures, you look at cultural artifacts within organizations, then you can start to you start to unwind why teams do what they do, why leaders are developed, the way they're developed, and why people make certain decisions. And, yeah, it's been fascinating, you know, and then also looking back, as you said, back at things that you did, decisions that you made, and what you know, what you could have done better as you as you look that, through that, and how you can help someone else, and that's also really helped me further, you know, synthesize down this way that I look at at leading people with with love and compassion and why it's so important to be that servant type of leader, you know, not just a transformational leader that's trying to transform an organization to move that, but then, you know, how do you serve and care for the care for the people that are that are going to be part of that transformation?   Michael Hingson ** 58:10 Yeah, because if you are just looking at it from the standpoint of being a transformational leader, I'm going to change this organization that that doesn't really work. And I think that the most important aspect is being a servant leader, is being a person who serves, because that also opens you up to learning along the way and learning how to serve better.   Fred Dummar ** 58:34 Yeah. And you know, as I learned in the many organizations that I was part of over, you know, my time in Special Forces is, you know, just because, you know, alluding, you know, we were discussing roles, and I was saying, you know, this officer's role to often, to plan and to lead, but that other people are the experts. And that's something you know. The sooner you embrace that fact, the faster, the faster you become effective, and the more effective you are when you realize that understanding the people and and caring and serving them, and then getting their their best performance and understanding what they know and what they can do, and where you need to put them to maximize their potential, then those things start to become the most important thing that you're doing, how you know, how people play against each other, who works well with who? How that works, how that betters the organization. Those are all, all all things that are fascinating, you know, to me, and things that kept me up at night, trying to figure out, you know, how to how to be more efficient, how to take better care of people, while, you know, getting, not only getting the best out of them, but them, realizing they were giving their best and being happy and proud of what they. Were doing   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:01 and getting the best out of you as well.   Fred Dummar ** 1:00:03 Yeah, yeah, that, yeah, bringing the best out of them is bringing the best out of me, right?   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:08 So you've gotten work also in the nonprofit sector. You're continuing to do that, yeah,   Fred Dummar ** 1:00:13 yeah, yeah. Now, after leaving this Special Forces Charitable Trust, I realized, you know, after I'd moved out to Idaho, where I live now that I wasn't as connected to the regiment as I'd been my first retired and I was still kind of in the North Carolina area or but after moving out here, you know, just felt like that. I probably there were other guys more recently retired, knew more of the things that needed to be done. So stepping down from that organization. And then, obviously, one of the other things that happened was, you know, the the rapid withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and the fall of Afghanistan, and I found myself with many other Afghan veterans, sort of, you know, both wondering, you know what it all meant, why? You know, and then, but then also what we can do. You know, not dwelling too long. I know, you know, poor me. You know what? You know. Why did I go? What did it mean? But more so, hey, you know, we had a bunch of people that we made promises to, a bunch of people that follow alongside America, some certainly, you know, in the interest of Afghanistan. But there were also many, many of the especially on the Afghan Special Operations sides, that were not always necessarily doing things at the behest of the Afghan government, but operating with US forces on things that the US wanted to do, but then, you know, we're sort of left hanging when during the withdrawal. So, you know, working alongside other veterans to try and get as many of those people out during the withdrawal and then. But so now I work with an operation or a organization called Operation recovery that is still following these families, following these cases, people that are either still in Afghanistan, some in hiding, some in other countries, illegally, but trying to help them resolve visa issues and either get to Canada or the United States or someplace in Europe, just someplace safe for them and their family, away from the from the Taliban. And so that's been it, and it's, it's hard work, you know, because the in work like that, we're trying to make government bureaucracies realize that they should be issuing visas or allowing people to move, it's not always a rapid process. So feels like, and, you know, and I'm not pointing fingers as if anyone should still, you know, be completely focused on Afghanistan. But you know, other things happen. You know, Ukraine, the war in Ukraine draws attention away. You know, the war in Israel. You know, hurricanes, storms, everything that's going on. You know, Assassination comes. You know, assassination attempts, you know, all of that stuff diverts people's you know, draws people attend. You know their attention to that. And I'm not sure many people, you know, they support the troops. And you know, you often hear them, you know, you know, thanking troops for their service. And the only response I can have to that, you know, for for for years, I struggled with how to respond to that. When someone would say, Thank you for your service, you know, just Okay, thank you. You know, I don't know, thanks for your support, but you know, I heard a good response, and I've been using it since, and it's like, America's worth it. So,   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:54 yeah, on top of everything else that you do, you've also been dabbling or going into real estate a little bit, yeah,   Fred Dummar ** 1:04:01 yeah. So that's, that's a lot of what I've been doing, you know, for because, you know, providing for your family, right? So, yeah, I started doing some investment real estate, and out here, got a partner, we did, worked on a couple of mobile home parts, larger projects. And I still, once a week, I still teach a clas

This week's rounds are Music (Lyrical Linguist), The Sahara Desert, Legumes (Quickfire), and Television. The music is 3am by Sahara Sky.

Have you ever had a goal other people thought was crazy? In Crystal Clark's case, that was running 160 miles in the Sahara desert (among many other ultra-endurance feats)! Ultra runners aren't supe human but what they learn about themselves and become in pursuit of their goals can make them seem that way. Crystal is joining me today to share how ordinary people can do the extraordinary. I know you'll love it even if you have zero interest in running unless something is chasing you! Crystal is an ultra runner, mom, and wife who has completed over 25 ultramarathons, earning eight podium finishes along the way. One of her most notable accomplishments is completing the Marathon des Sables, a grueling 257km (160-mile) stage race across the Sahara Desert, often referred to as one of the hardest races on Earth. Despite these extraordinary achievements, Crystal describes herself as an ordinary woman who balances her passion for running with working full time at a large nonprofit and managing the responsibilities of family life. She didn't grow up an athlete—she even came close to failing gym class more than once—but her journey into running later in life is a testament to the power of perseverance, resilience, and embracing challenges. She shares her story in the hopes of inspiring others to step out of their comfort zones, follow their passions, and discover their own potential—whether in running or other pursuits. Follow her journey on Instagram @SeeCrystalRun, where she offers an authentic glimpse into her training, races, reflections, and the balance of chasing big dreams while staying grounded in everyday life. Tune in each week for practical, relatable advice that helps you feel your best and unlock your full potential. If you're ready to prioritize your health and level up every area of your life, you'll find the tools, insights, and inspiration right here.  Buy Esther's Book: To Your Health - https://a.co/d/iDG68qU Follow Esther on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@estheravant Follow Esther on IG - https://www.instagram.com/esther.avant Learn more about booking Esther to speak: https://www.estheravant.com Learn more about working with Esther: https://www.madebymecoaching.com/services

Mauro Prosperi wakes up alone and lost in the middle of the Sahara Desert. He's forced to drink his own urine, and tries and fails to attract the attention of a rescue plane by burning his belongings. Finally, he takes shelter in an abandoned Islamic burial shrine, where he eats bats and drinks their blood. Be the first to know about Wondery's newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletterListen to Against The Odds on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience all episodes ad-free and be the first to binge the newest season. Unlock exclusive early access by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial today by visiting http://wondery.com/links/against-the-odds/ now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's April 14, 1994, and an Italian policeman and ultramarathoner named Mauro Prosperi is running the world's most challenging footrace: the Marathon des Sables, across the Sahara Desert in Morocco. But when a sandstorm kicks up, Mauro finds himself hopelessly lost.Be the first to know about Wondery's newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletterListen to Against The Odds on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience all episodes ad-free and be the first to binge the newest season. Unlock exclusive early access by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial today by visiting http://wondery.com/links/against-the-odds/ now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Graham Hancock a journalist and author who for over 30 years has explored the controversial possibility that there existed a lost civilization during the last Ice Age, and that it was destroyed in a global cataclysm some 12,000 years ago. He is the presenter of the Netflix documentary series "Ancient Apocalypse", the 2nd season of which has just been released. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep449-sc See below for timestamps, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc. CONTACT LEX: Feedback - give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey AMA - submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama Hiring - join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring Other - other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact EPISODE LINKS: Graham's Website: https://grahamhancock.com/ Ancient Apocalypse (Season 2): https://netflix.com/title/81211003 Graham's YouTube: https://youtube.com/GrahamHancockDotCom Graham's X: https://x.com/Graham__Hancock Graham's Facebook: https://facebook.com/Author.GrahamHancock Fingerprints of the Gods (book): https://amzn.to/4eM3QXC SPONSORS: To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: Notion: Note-taking and team collaboration. Go to https://notion.com/lex Riverside: Platform for recording podcasts and videos from everywhere. Go to https://creators.riverside.fm/LEX LMNT: Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix. Go to https://drinkLMNT.com/lex Shopify: Sell stuff online. Go to https://shopify.com/lex BetterHelp: Online therapy and counseling. Go to https://betterhelp.com/lex OUTLINE: (00:00) - Introduction (09:58) - Lost Ice Age civilization (17:03) - Göbekli Tepe (29:07) - Early humans (34:07) - Astronomical symbolism (45:36) - Younger Dryas impact hypothesis (1:03:55) - The Great Pyramid and the Sphinx of Giza (1:24:29) - Sahara Desert and the Amazon rainforest (1:33:49) - Response to critics (1:57:56) - Panspermia (2:05:22) - Shamanism (2:29:22) - How the Great Pyramid was built (2:36:41) - Mortality PODCAST LINKS: - Podcast Website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast - Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr - Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 - RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ - Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4 - Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/lexclips