Podcasts about Separation

We're closing the week with simple, grounded ways to reconnect with gratitude that actually feels good — not performative or pressured. This isn't about toxic positivity; it's about creating small moments that remind you that peace is still possible, even in the middle of healing. *And be sure to listen till the end for a SUPER deal! - - - - - - - - -    Want that chapter checklist just Click Here! For more information on the the "From Devastated to Divorced" Course, click the HERE! Find the Prompt Journal Digital Downloads HERE! ( but they there are also included in the course, YES all 5!) Great news! Now you can find everything you need in one spot! want to listen to this podcast off of apple, visit www.JosieFalcon.com Want to know about my services, you guessed it visit www.JosieFalcon.com you can email me at CoachJFalcon@gmail.com If you want to just send me a quick note, you can find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/Josie.Falcon And lastly, If you would like to interact with me and share with others please join my Facebook group  "Separation, Divorce & Starting Over"

In this episode, I open up about a period when I lost my final appeal, my son had already relocated overseas, my partner was heavily pregnant, and I simply could not travel. With the help of attachment focussed social worker Catherine Williams, I built a plan to stay in my son's daily life through predictable calls, creative rituals, and a neutral story that explained the court decisions without blame. I share the moment we finally reunited in the UK and how that first hug confirmed that all the effort to stay connected had been worth it.I also push back on the idea that backing off contact somehow makes things easier for a child who misses you. Drawing on attachment principles and my own experience, I talk about why consistency beats perfection, how kids experience long silences, and why it is kinder to keep showing up even when goodbyes are hard. To close, I encourage dads to get both solid legal advice and seasoned counselling support early, so they can protect their parenting time while staying grounded and connected for their kids.What you'll hear in this episode:A tribute to Judson, a former guest and ski guide who died suddenly of a heart attackThe “fitness paradox” and why very active middle aged dads still need to think about heart healthHow an eight month separation unfolded after losing a final appeal on relocationThe daily Skype routine that helped my son feel I was still part of his everyday lifeHow I used a child friendly “life story” book to explain court decisions without blaming his mumThe emotional first reunion in the UK and what it revealed about secure attachmentWhy pulling back to “make it easier” usually hurts kids more than regular goodbyesSimple, realistic ways to stay present from afar, even with time zones and busy schedulesThe importance of outdoor, screen free time together when you do reunite 

Thomas Jefferson shoehorned “the wall of separation of church and state” into modern politics. It's time to remove it surgically. Dr. Taylor Marshall explains why. 2026 Traditional Catholic Calendar: store.taylormarshall.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. Army cut funding for Catholic chaplain extracurriculars (like music class!) due to double-dipping and fiscal redundancy, sparking outrage that the world's wealthiest religious organization is being treated "like everybody else". We dissect this glaring waste of taxpayer money and question the constitutionality of the entire Chaplain Corps program, which promotes religion itself. Why are unqualified clergy leveraged as mental health counselors while simultaneously crying foul over losing budget for sacramental record-keeping?News Source:US Army at Odds with Catholic Chaplains over Religious Support ContractsBy Lara Corte for Stars and StripesNovember 5th, 2025

Welcome to a Brain Wrinkling Wednesday with Fr. Tom Koys.  Today Father Koys welcomes his guest Martin Doorhy, Attorney, Professor and Colonel in the United States Airforce (Reserves).  Martin is well versed in Constitutional Law, History and World Wars. Together, they delve into the history and role of the Catholic church around several key wars, especially World War I and World War II.  They chat about the relationships between the church and the state across various wars. They also touch on the Catholic church and the role and actions of Pope Pius XII during World War II. St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish  

This episode dives into the emotional tug-of-war that happens when people tell you to “just be grateful” but your heart still feels heavy. I share how to honor your gratitude without minimizing your hurt, and why it's important to give both feelings space to exist. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Want that chapter checklist just Click Here! For more information on the the "From Devastated to Divorced" Course, click the HERE! Find the Prompt Journal Digital Downloads HERE! ( but they there are also included in the course, YES all 5!) Great news! Now you can find everything you need in one spot! want to listen to this podcast off of apple, visit www.JosieFalcon.com Want to know about my services, you guessed it visit www.JosieFalcon.com you can email me at CoachJFalcon@gmail.com If you want to just send me a quick note, you can find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/Josie.Falcon And lastly, If you would like to interact with me and share with others please join my Facebook group  "Separation, Divorce & Starting Over"

by Elder Chris McCool, Pastor (preached on September 14, 2025) As we saw yesterday, the Jews who returned from the Captivity had recommitted themselves to the Law of God, and promised to separate themselves from the world. God has always required separation from the world, and He still requires it today! There were two areas...

When John Fugelsang was growing up, his parents and his church taught him that Christianity was about kindness, forgiveness, and helping your neighbor. But he says somewhere along the way between the televangelists, the politicians, and the endless culture wars, Christianity got hijacked. He says he's watching in disbelief as people use Jesus as a campaign slogan while promoting laws that seem more judgmental than Christian. A comedian, radio host, and actor who was in the film Coyote Ugly, Fugelsang challenges Christian nationalism and the politicians and influencers who he says promote the wrong answer to the question; What Would Jesus Do? His new book, Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person's Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds.

Sheil and The Ringer's own Diante Lee take a look at the results of the Week 11 NFL slate and use their expertise to test the strength of some popular narratives that are starting to materialize. (00:00) Week 11 True or False(1:39) The Denver Broncos are contenders(11:03) The Kansas City Chiefs are in danger of missing the playoffs(19:00) The NFC contender will come from Eagles-Lions, not Seahawks-Rams This episode is sponsored by State Farm®️. Don't settle for just any insurance when there's State Farm. https://www.statefarm.com/lp/trainer The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit www.rg-help.com to learn more about the resources and helplines available. Host: Sheil KapadiaGuest: Diante LeeProducer: Chris SuttonSocial: Kiera Givens and Brian WatersProduction Supervision: Conor Nevins and Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ABOUT THE EPISODEA historical exploration showing that Baptists long affirmed religious liberty without requiring a separation of church and state, tracing the shift in the 20th century.Resources to Click“Liberty, Not Separation: The Historic Development of Baptist Perspectives on Church and State” – Marc Minter“Views of Individuals in Southern Baptist Congregations on Baptist Political Theology” – Lifeway Research“The Impotence of Secular Conservatism” – R. Albert Mohler Jr.Comparison Chart of the Baptist Faith and MessageTheme of the Month: Do the Reading: Selections in Political TheologyGive to Support the WorkBooks to ReadEcclesiology: A Study of the Churches – Edwin Charles DarganBaptist Political Theology – eds. Thomas Kidd, Paul Miller, & Andrew T. WalkerThomas Jefferson and the Wall of Separation Between Church and State – Daniel DreisbachAgreeing to Disagree: How the Establishment Clause Protects Religious Diversity and Freedom of Conscience – Nathan S. Chapman and Michael W. McConnellSeparation of Church and State – Philip HamburgerMore Than Just a Name: Preserving Our Baptist Identity – Stan NormanThe Axioms of Religion: A New Interpretation of the Baptist Faith – E.Y. MullinsThe Baptist Story: From English Sect to Global Movement – Anthony L. Chute, Nathan A. Finn, & Michael A.G. HaykinDemanding Liberty: An Untold Story of American Religious Liberty – Brandon J. O'BrienLet Men Be Free: Baptist Politics in the Early United States (1776-1835) – Obbie Tyler ToddBaptist Confessions, Covenants, and Catechisms – John A. Broadus, ed. Timothy GeorgeBaptist Theology: A Four-Century Study – James Leo GarrettBaptist Confessions of Faith – William L. LumpkinChristianity & Liberalism – J. Gresham MachenUneasy in Babylon: Southern Baptist Conservatives and American Culture – Barry Hankins

by Elder Chris McCool, Pastor (preached on September 14, 2025) Today we return to our exposition of the Book of Nehemiah, which teaches us about God’s rebuilding program. After a short review of where we are at this point, we go back today to the tenth chapter, where Nehemiah and the Jews who returned from...

It's time for our expert feature and today we're talking about navigating divorce & separation Alongside the death of a loved one, separation and divorce can be one of the most painful and difficult periods of someone's life. Divorce and separation coach Kimberlee Sweeney joins Jesse for the next 30 minutes to answer all your questions

Christians hear the phrase “separation from the world” and picture isolation, legalism, or withdrawing from culture. In this episode, Pastor Jeff and Tiffany explore the true biblical meaning. Separation is not retreat. It is holiness, devotion, and living distinctly for Christ while remaining present in the world He has sent us into. They walk through Scripture from the Old and New Testaments, and offer practical ways believers can stay spiritually grounded in a world saturated with temptation to sin.What We Discussed02:55 In the World but Not of ItTiffany highlights Romans 12:2 and Jesus' prayer in John 17, showing that the call is spiritual distinction, not physical withdrawal.04:12 Misunderstanding SeparationSome believers interpret separation as total isolation, which does not reflect Jesus' example of engaging tax collectors and sinners.05:45 Holiness in the Old TestamentPastor Jeff explains how Israel was called to be set apart in character, worship, and conduct as a reflection of God's holiness.07:44 Unequally Yoked and InfluencePastor Jeff clarifies that separation does not forbid friendships with unbelievers. It warns against partnerships that compromise faith or witness.09:02 Insulation, Not IsolationThey address two errors. Isolation from the world and superiority toward unbelievers, both of which distort true holiness.12:27 The Cost of Being Set ApartSeparation requires evaluating what we consume and participate in, using prayer and Scripture to guard the heart. Unfortunately, rejection and misunderstanding is a reality when choosing biblical truth. 19:37 Scripture and AccountabilityPastor Jeff highlights Psalm 119:11 and the role of Christian community in encouraging holiness and calling out compromise.20:45 Remembering Our True CitizenshipThey reflect on Philippians 3 and the call to live with eternity in view. We are pilgrims passing through this world.“The issue isn't being in the world. It's the world being in us. The boat is meant to be in the water, but the water is not meant to be in the boat.” – Pastor Jeff CranstonWe love your feedback! If you enjoyed this episode, leave us a review. If you have any questions or comments on today's episode, email me at pastorjeff@lowcountrycc.orgVisit my website https://www.jeffcranston.com and subscribe to my newsletter. Join me on Sunday mornings at LowCountry Community Church. Check in with us on Facebook or Instagram @pastorjeffcranstonRemember, the real power of theology is not only knowing it but applying it. Thanks for listening!

Welcome to the Celestial Insights Podcast, the show that brings the stars down to Earth! Each week, astrologer, coach, and intuitive Celeste Brooks of Astrology by Celeste will be your guide. Her website is astrologybyceleste.com.  

Welcome to episode #1010 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). What if the search for our "true selves" has been leading us away from who we actually need to become? That's the tension at the heart of Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic's work, a globally respected authority on people analytics, talent, leadership, and the Human–AI interface whose career spans ManpowerGroup, Deeper Signals, Meta Profiling, Columbia University, UCL, and decades of research that have shaped how organizations understand human behavior. His latest book, Don't Be Yourself: Why Authenticity Is Overrated (And What To Do Instead), challenges one of the most cherished modern beliefs - that success comes from projecting our raw, unfiltered selves - and instead argues that adaptability, reputational awareness, and a more evidence-based approach to identity lead to better outcomes for individuals, teams, and societies. He is also the author of Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders?, I, Human, The Talent Delusion, and many others. In this conversation, we unpack how hyper-normalized ideas take root, why celebrity culture distorts our sense of what authenticity looks like, and how social media has gamified identity into a curated performance that misleads both the performer and the audience. He explains why leaders must balance sincerity with impression management, how hybrid work and return-to-office debates reveal deeper anxieties about trust and presence, and why intellectual curiosity may be the antidote to polarization in an era where algorithms reward tribalism. The discussion also explores the limits of self-perception, the psychology of reputation, the dangers of treating outliers as role models, and the pivotal role AI may play in counteracting human bias. Ultimately, Tomas argues that authenticity without responsibility collapses into narcissism, and that a more thoughtful, flexible, and socially attuned version of ourselves is not only possible, but necessary. Enjoy the conversation… Running time: 1:06:25. Hello from beautiful Montreal. Listen and subscribe over at Apple Podcasts. Listen and subscribe over at Spotify. Please visit and leave comments on the blog - Thinking With Mitch Joel. Feel free to connect to me directly on LinkedIn. Check out ThinkersOne. Here is my conversation with Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic. Don't Be Yourself: Why Authenticity Is Overrated (And What To Do Instead. Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders?. I, Human. The Talent Delusion. Tomas' other books. Follow Tomas on LinkedIn. Chapters: (00:00) - Introduction to Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic. (03:11) - The Concept of 'Don't Be Yourself'. (06:00) - Hyper Normalization and Management Ideas. (08:48) - The Role of Celebrity and Authenticity. (12:04) - Polarization and Tribalism in Society. (15:11) - The Evolution of Human Interaction. (17:58) - The Impact of AI on Decision Making. (20:49) - Navigating Individualism and Identity. (23:52) - The Dichotomy of Authenticity in Leadership. (26:56) - The Reality of Career Paths and Entrepreneurship. (30:06) - Return to Office and Hybrid Work Dynamics. (33:49) - The Value of 3D Encounters in Recruitment. (36:40) - Authenticity and Skilled Self-Presentation. (39:02) - Collaboration and Trust in Professional Settings. (42:26) - Authenticity vs. Reputation: A Complex Relationship. (48:09) - The Subjectivity of Authenticity. (54:17) - Projecting Positivity in a Negative World. (01:00:10) - Social Media's Impact on Identity and Authenticity.  

‘I believe so profoundly in the separation of church and state, and in the dangers of theocracy creeping into the corners of a democracy'BBC Music Correspondent Mark Savage speaks to US singer-songwriter, producer and performer Brandi Carlile about the personal and political stories behind her songs.An LGBTQ icon, she sets out her fears about the threat to same-sex marriage in today's United States, and the impact that has had on her own family. And she shares the strain her own sexuality put on her relationship with her mother while growing up in rural America. It was country music, she says, that brought them together.Brandi Carlile has won eleven Grammy awards, been nominated for an Oscar, and worked with Elton John and Joni Mitchell. Now releasing her eighth album, she reveals she went into the studio with no songs prepared, only feelings and nostalgia, resulting in a deeply personal record reflecting on childhood memories, parenthood and politics. Thank you to Mark Savage for his help in making this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.Presenter: Mark Savage Producer: Lucy Sheppard Editor: Justine LangGet in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.(Image: Brandi Carlile Credit: Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

The Great Separation: What the Dragnet Really Means by Tim Hatch

If you've ever left an event feeling drained or questioning your progress, this one's for you. I share five practical ways to protect your peace, stay grounded, and make it through those gatherings without sacrificing your emotional well-being. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Want that chapter checklist just Click Here! For more information on the the "From Devastated to Divorced" Course, click the HERE! Find the Prompt Journal Digital Downloads HERE! ( but they there are also included in the course, YES all 5!) Great news! Now you can find everything you need in one spot! want to listen to this podcast off of apple, visit www.JosieFalcon.com Want to know about my services, you guessed it visit www.JosieFalcon.com you can email me at CoachJFalcon@gmail.com If you want to just send me a quick note, you can find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/Josie.Falcon And lastly, If you would like to interact with me and share with others please join my Facebook group  "Separation, Divorce & Starting Over"

On this Seeking Integrity webinar, therapist Debbie McRae discusses therapeutic separation as an effective intervention for couples struggling with the impact of betrayal and addiction. She highlights the structure of therapeutic separation as a compassionate approach to help both individuals regain safety, clarity and hope in the relationship. She and Tami then answer participant questions about therapeutic separation, when it's the right next move, and what to do when it didn't resolve your relationship issues.    TAKEAWAYS: [:55] The possibilities with therapeutic or healing separation.  [2:07] Common scenarios in couples dealing with betrayal.  [3:00] Is therapeutic separation right for my relationship?  [6:04] The purpose and plan of therapeutic separation.  [10:34] Realistic separation timelines and action plans.  [17:47] Addressing common therapeutic separation fears.  [24:57] Managing the message to others.  [29:45] What to do when you're stuck. [32:11] The importance of regular therapist check ins.  [36:32] How does therapeutic separation end?  [40:16] What is the difference between sobriety and recovery?  [47:54] My partner is gaslighting me. Would in-home separation help?  [52:19] How do I know if my partner is really doing the work?  [57:08] Therapeutic separation didn't work. How do I move forward?    RESOURCES: Seekingintegrity.com Email Tami: Tami@Seekingintegrity.com Sexandrelationshiphealing.com Intherooms.com Out of the Doghouse: A Step-by-Step Relationship-Saving Guide for Men Caught Cheating, by Robert Weiss Prodependence: Moving Beyond Codependency, by Robert Weiss Sex Addiction 101: A Basic Guide to Healing from Sex, Porn, and Love Addiction, by Robert Weiss Cruise Control: Understanding Sex Addiction in Gay Men, by Robert Weiss Seeking Integrity Podcasts are produced in partnership with Podfly Productions.    QUOTES "Therapeutic separation aims at creating stability, safety, and gives each individual time to gain insights."  "As you define clear goals and understand the purpose of therapeutic separation, it becomes a roadmap for healing."  "In therapeutic separation, both partners are fully committed to doing their recovery work."  "All of this is scary, but the scariest thing is staying stuck."  

Many newly arrived migrants in Australia seek relationships not only for romance but to regain a sense of belonging. Separation from loved ones often drives this need for connection. This episode explores how dating in Australia differs from more collectivist cultures and how newcomers can find partners. From social events and dating apps to professional matchmaking, it highlights how migrants can build confidence, connection, and safety as they find love in a new country. - Australia Explained. Багато новоприбулих міґрантів в Австралії шукають стосунків не лише заради романтики, але й для того, щоб відновити почуття приналежності. Розлука з близькими часто стимулює цю потребу у зв'язках...

Many newly arrived migrants in Australia seek relationships not only for romance but to regain a sense of belonging. Separation from loved ones often drives this need for connection. This episode explores how dating in Australia differs from more collectivist cultures and how newcomers can find partners. From social events and dating apps to professional matchmaking, it highlights how migrants can build confidence, connection, and safety as they find love in a new country. - د آسټرالیا پېژندنې په دغه پوډکاسټ کې مو په دې اړه معلومات را غونډ کړي چې په دغه هېواد کې خلک د خپل ژوند ملګری یا ملګرې څنګه پیدا کوي. مهرباني وکړئ لا ډېر معلومات په رپوټ کې واورئ.

Find John Fugelsang:'Why should I listen to Trump … and reject the words of Jesus?' asks actor and comedian John Fugelsang - Best Selling Book: Separation of Church and Hate

What happens when women finally enter the conversation that's been about them all along? In this episode of Madlik: Disruptive Torah, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz are joined by Prof. Rabbi Wendy Zierler — Sigmund Falk Professor of Modern Jewish Literature and Feminist Studies at HUC-JIR, ordained by Yeshivat Maharat, and author of Going Out with Knots: My Two Kaddish Years with Hebrew Poetry. Key Takeaways Expect to rethink assumptions about primary biblical characters—especially the matriarchs—and appreciate the living tradition of midrash as a vehicle for creativity and challenge. Hear how feminist perspectives and modern poetry revitalize Jewish text study, offering new interpretations for "the life of Sarah"—and the legacies that women shape. Explore the argument that literary and artistic creation in Hebrew is as much a part of Jewish commentary as classic text study. Timestamps [00:00:00] Geoffrey introduces the episode and guest Rabbi Professor Wendy Zierler, setting up a feminist exploration of Sarah's story in Genesis. [00:02:31] Discussion begins on Sarah's laughter and how women's scholarship reframes her response and role in Torah narratives. [00:03:46] Wendy explains the irony of "Chayei Sarah" focusing on Sarah's death and how reading the gaps reveals her inner life. [00:05:36] They examine Abraham and Sarah's separation after the Akedah and what it reveals about love, obedience, and divine testing. [00:09:02] Wendy argues the Akedah causes a rupture—between Abraham and Sarah, Abraham and Isaac, and even Abraham and God. [00:12:40] The hosts explore new feminist midrash: Sarah's imagined agency, waiting for angels, and representing love over fear. [00:17:22] Conversation turns to Sarah's burial choice as an act of leadership that shaped the matriarchal roots of the Jewish story. [00:19:53] Transition to Wendy's book Going Out with Knots and how Hebrew poetry became her lens for mourning and feminist study. [00:21:41] Wendy teaches Leia Goldberg's reinterpretation of "the three pillars of the world," highlighting women's creative renewal of tradition. [00:26:42] Discussion closes with Yehuda Amichai's outsider voice, women's return to Hebrew literature, and modern creativity as living midrash. Links & Learnings Sign up for free and get more from our weekly newsletter https://madlik.com/ Sefaria Source Sheet:https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/688219 Transcript here: https://madlik.substack.com/ Link to Wendy's Book: https://jps.org/books/going-out-with-knots/ Link to theTorah.com article: https://www.thetorah.com/article/sarah-finally-separates-herself-from-abraham  

Who/what is God? I have had people say to me, I believe in God’s existance but I don’t need to study the Bible to know Him! But belief in His existence is not enough! Even satan and his demons believe in God’s existence! It is only through the Bible we can study God and His relationship with the universe. All we can know about God is not contained in the Bible, but the Bible contains all we can know about God during our earthly life! That is because God is infinite and beyond our limitations of space and time! Yet the God we as Christian disciples follow and worship, is knowable through the Bible. This means that God is a personal God and not a remote being. That is a key to studying Him! He wants to be known and has given us the Bible in order for us to do so. How can we know about God? In the Bible, what we know of God are the fundamental qualities or powers of His being. The Bible elucidates statements about God, by God, through which we try and understand God, using our finite minds. The Bible reveals God to us! God is spirit, yet a personal and infinite being (John 4:24). He is one in substance, nature and being and incapable of division (Deuteronomy 6v4). Yet He is three coequal people, or the Trinity! It is through the Bible we discover what pleases, angers, offends, or gives joy Him! The words revealed in the Bible describe His attributes! The fact we are able to take hold and understand this about an infinite God is evidence that God desires to be known by humans! So what are some of the attributes of God? There are two different kinds of attributes: natural and moral. 1. Natural Attributes a. Transcendent - God's self-existence apart from and independent of creation. This reflects God’s majesty and greatness. Romans 11:33; 1Chronicles 29:11; 1Kings 8:27 b. Immanent/Omnipresent - God is wholly present everywhere. God fills the universe in all it's parts without division Psalm 139:7-12; Jerermiah 23:23-24 c. Omnipotent - God has power to do all things that are the object of power. With God all things are possible Luke 1:37. He is El Shaddai or God Almighty. Jerermiah 32:17-18 Nothing is too hard for you. d. Omniscient - God has perfect knowledge of all things - actual, past, present, future and possible. 1 John 3:20 God knows all things; Psalm 47:5 Infinite understanding. e. Infinite - God has no limits. He has an internal and a qualitative absence of limitation. Boundless activity - Romans 11:33; 1Timothy1:16; Psalm 147:5 f. Immutable - God is unchangeable. Malachi 3:6 - I AM God and I change not; Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. g. Eternal - God is without beginning or end. He is the alpha and omega. God is outside of time - time is in God, and He is free from the succession of time. God lives in the eternal present - past, present and future, are NOW for God - He is the I AM YAHWEH Exodus 3:14. From everlasting to everlasting you are God. 1 Timothy1:17; Psalm 102:7 h. Spirit God is a free personal Spirit · God is not material. He is invisible and indestructible. John 4:24; 1Timothy1:17; 1Timothy6:15-16 · God is Life Jn 14:6. Energy & activity! · God has Personality. Self-consciousness & communicative! 2. Moral Attributes a. Goodness - absolute perfection. Seeking creations' welfare. Love - God is love 1 John 4:8-10. God communicates and gives of Himself. Grace - God gives us what we do not deserve. God's riches at Christ’s expense Ephesians 2:7; The unmerited goodness of God John 1:16. Mercy - God does not give us what we deserve. The goodness of God to those in distress - tenderness & compassion (Ephesians 2:3-5) Long-suffering - God is slow to anger. God longs to forgive (Exodus 34:6-7) Truth - John 14:6 The revelation source and foundation of all truth is God/Jesus b. Holiness - moral excellence and perfection of God. Separation from sin. What God is!! Heb 7:26 "Be holy, for I am Holy". c. Righteousness - Holiness in action. God's actions conform to His Holiness. Justice deals with the ab­sence of righteousness. Sin must be dealt with – (Genesis 18:25 & Psalm 89:14) Why do we study this God? There are at least 4 reasons! a) Avoids confusion! As we study God, we come to know truths about Him and are able to discern what are true and false facts about Him! "Truth combats error" Satan distorts scripture to put people off the truth. b) Truth develops character 2 Peter 1:3-9 - The strongest Christian disciples are those with a good growing knowledge of biblical truth. Since study increases our knowledge of God, it increases the possibilities of love, growth and service of the Christian disciple. We study it to put it into practice! What we believe about God, affects our behaviour! James 1:22 says "We must be doers of the Word not just hearers of this is to be effective." c) We are commanded to grow in our knowledge of God - 2 Timothy 4:2-4 d) This God is to be worshipped and part of our service and submission to this God, is that worship is given to Him alone (Deuteronomy 5v6-9). As humans we are created in His image, and as Christian disciples we were bought at a price when Jesus died on the cross and we accepted Him as our Lord and saviour. He is due our worship and reverence! It is on worship that I hope to discuss next time! One of the best books regarding getting to know God is the appropriately titled “Knowing God” by JI Packer - it’s a thoroughly modern and readable classic! For more to think about, please do read for yourself 2 Peter 1:3-9. Ask yourself the following questions, writing them down if you can, and see how you respond or react to them. Then why not share your answers with your spouse or a close friend, so that you can pray over any issues together. Q1. From my knowledge of God, what do I find comforting? Q2. From my knowledge of God, what do I find disturbing? Q3. How has my knowledge of God grown and affected my behaviour since I became a Christian disciple? Right mouse click or tap here to save/download this Podcast as a MP3 file

A Massachusetts mayor decided to spend $850,000 in taxpayer funds to put up Catholic saint statues outside city buildings, claiming they are "secular demigods" invoked globally by first responders. This blatant blurring of church and state lines is drawing fire from citizens who recognize that religious icons, especially those specific to Catholicism, shouldn't be bankrolled by public funds. The move highlights the constant fight against theocratic creep, where religious privilege attempts to hijack government resources and spaces in violation of constitutional religious neutrality.News Source:Catholic statues, Quincy Massachusetts religious libertyBy Brianna J. Frank and Peter Blandino for USA TodayOctober 28th, 2025

Quaker author and activist Eileen Flanagan joins us to explore the wisdom that she has learned from her decades of experience in organizing around the climate crisis, and how that very crisis is exposing the “illusion of separation” in our times. Eileen helps us move beyond individual conviction to creating effective and diverse coalitions for positive social change."Common Ground: How the Crisis of the Earth is Saving Us from Our Illusion of Separation" by Eileen Flanagan---------------------Westtown School is a Quaker, college preparatory day and boarding school for students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States. Guided by the essential Quaker calling to seek out and honor that of God in each of us, Westtown School challenges its students to realize their individual gifts while learning and living together in a diverse community. Their campus sits on 600 acres of land that includes a 14 acre lake, an arboretum and natural forest, and an instructional organic farm. Learn more and schedule a visit at www.westtown.edu. Become a monthly supporter! Sign up for the Daily Quaker Message.

This episode is all about those moments that sneak up on you — the family gathering you don't want to attend, the well-meaning relative who asks all the wrong questions, or the friend who doesn't quite understand your situation. I'll walk you through how to recognize these emotional triggers and handle them without losing yourself in the process. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Want that chapter checklist just Click Here! For more information on the the "From Devastated to Divorced" Course, click the HERE! Find the Prompt Journal Digital Downloads HERE! ( but they there are also included in the course, YES all 5!) Great news! Now you can find everything you need in one spot! want to listen to this podcast off of apple, visit www.JosieFalcon.com Want to know about my services, you guessed it visit www.JosieFalcon.com you can email me at CoachJFalcon@gmail.com If you want to just send me a quick note, you can find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/Josie.Falcon And lastly, If you would like to interact with me and share with others please join my Facebook group  "Separation, Divorce & Starting Over"

What happens when you take a puppy out of its litter too early OR too late?I keep my dogs fit and healthy with these supplements:www.nuvet.com/989420 Use Code: 989420 at checkout Subscribe and follow -Dog Training Is My Passion- on Spotify, Google Podcast and Apple Podcast as well as other podcast platforms. For your dog training needs, go to:https://canisfortis.netFor my protection book, check out:https://www.amazon.com/Decoy-Book-Collaborations-Some-Industry/dp/B08T6YGWSD/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=william+garrido&qid=1611459006&sr=8-1

The sensei discuss Danny Rensch's memoir, Dark Squares, exploring how a traumatizing cult upbringing and early chess success shaped his life, career, and the wider evolution of the chess world. Check out Dark Squares and pick up a copy here: https://amzn.to/4pyW2yt  Join the Dojo - https://chessdojo.club Watch Live - https://twitch.tv/chessdojo Play Chess - https://go.chess.com/chessdojo Merch - https://www.chessdojo.club/shop Want to support the channel? Patreon - https://patreon.com/chessdojo Donate - https://streamelements.com/chessdojo/tip Find all of our chess book & supplies recommendations (& more!) on our Amazon storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/chessdojo Shopping through our link is a great way to support the Dojo. We earn a small affiliate % but at no cost to you. Website: https://chessdojo.club Twitch: https://twitch.tv/chessdojo Discord: https://discord.gg/GhKsJtjpFw Twitter: https://twitter.com/chessdojo Patreon: https://patreon.com/chessdojo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chessdojo Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chessdojo Podcast: https://chessdojotalks.podbean.com TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@/chessdojoclips 00:03 – Book overview 03:22 – Ear injury & setbacks 12:24 – Shelby School & cult 24:55 – Trance & hierarchy 36:34 – Separation & trauma 55:34 – Chess world's shift 1:13:24 – Media angle & Hans

In this groundbreaking episode of The Authentic Human Podcast, host Michelle Vickers shares direct communication with The Creator and Universal Beings to uncover the true origins and purpose of humanity. It's the universal creation story as it actually occurred. For the first time in modern history, we discover that humanity was designed through a precise, universal blueprint — one that makes every human self-sustaining, self-healing, and vital to evolution. Through consciousness, science and universal communication, Michelle reveals the real mechanics of how matter, soul, and energy were woven together to create life. The Creator explains how Angelics engineered the first matter, how the second Angelic stream formed experience, and how humanity was born to explore existence itself. Every cell in your body holds divine design — an intelligent system built to regenerate, sustain balance, and evolve. You were not created to survive within an illusion of control; you were created to explore your infinite human potential through the vibration of truth. This episode exposes the manipulation that made you forget who you are — and reveals why your soul evolution cannot be stopped. You'll learn how to reconnect with the original human blueprint, break free from the illusion of comfort, and embody the original truth within you. If you've ever felt like you were searching for the missing link between science and spirituality, this is it. Watch now to rediscover: • The original truth of universal creation • How your body expresses the Creator's original divine design • Why consciousness science proves your soul is eternal • How to activate your self-healing blueprint and fulfill your purpose • Explore soul evolution and remember your role in the expansion of existence You are not here to survive. You are here to explore, evolve, and expand consciousness through the power of who you are. Michelle Vickers is a researcher and explorer of creation, existence, and evolution who has mastered the field of universal communication — the original language of existence. Through her direct collaboration with The Creator and Universal Beings, she reveals the scientific and spiritual truth of humanity's origin and purpose. Her mission is to ensure every human being has access to the full spectrum of universal knowledge needed to awaken, evolve, and fulfill their highest potential. 0:00 – The Story of Creation that's been kept hidden from humanity 3:39 – The Creator shares The original intention for human existence 6:17 – The Science of how Matter comes together for Soul Creation 9:38 – Your Connection with Your Soul 13:55 – The Separation from Source: How Humanity Lost Its Instinct for Truth 17:24 – How You Know Your Soul is talking to you 22:29 – The Cellular Blueprint: Unlocking the Body's Self-Healing Intelligence 29:06 – Contentment only occurs when you do this to fulfill yourself 35:16 – You are the only authority of your own existence 38:40 – Conscious Creation: How Intention Shapes Reality 42:18 – Universal Magnetism: Creating the Reality You Want 45:30 – The Creator's Message: Humanity's Universal Role in Expanding Consciousness ➤ Subscribe to The Authentic Human Podcast to dive deeper into universal truth. ➤ Hit the bell to get notified when new explorations drop. ➤ Comment below: What part of you are you ready to heal? Join the Exploration: michellevickers.com/community

Many newly arrived migrants in Australia seek relationships not only for romance but to regain a sense of belonging. Separation from loved ones often drives this need for connection. This episode explores how dating in Australia differs from more collectivist cultures and how newcomers can find partners. From social events and dating apps to professional matchmaking, it highlights how migrants can build confidence, connection, and safety as they find love in a new country. - Muitos recém-chegados à Austrália procuram relacionamentos, não apenas pelo desejo de viver um romance, mas também pela necessidade instintiva de recuperar o sentido de pertença perdido com a mudança de país. A separação da família e amigos costuma ser o que alimenta esta necessidade de ligação. Neste episódio, exploramos em que medida, na Austrália, as relações são diferentes das vividas em culturas mais coletivistas. Falamos, além disso, sobre como é possível os recém-chegados estabelecerem relações amorosas sólidas duradoras. Desde eventos sociais e aplicações de encontros, até a serviços profissionais de “matchmaking”, refletimos sobre a importância de ser confiante, de criar laços e de garantir segurança ao longo do processo.

Many newly arrived migrants in Australia seek relationships not only for romance but to regain a sense of belonging. Separation from loved ones often drives this need for connection. This episode explores how dating in Australia differs from more collectivist cultures and how newcomers can find partners. From social events and dating apps to professional matchmaking, it highlights how migrants can build confidence, connection, and safety as they find love in a new country. - اکثر پناهندگان و مهاجرین تازه وارد به آسترالیا تنها در پی روابط عاشقانه نیستند؛ بلکه می‌خواهند دوباره احساس تعلق را بدست آورند. جدایی از خانواده و دوستان؛ معمولاً ضرورت برقراری ارتباط را در میان مردم تقویت می‌کند. در این قسمت روزنه‌ای به آسترالیا چگونگی قرار ملاقات، تفاوت آن با فرهنگ‌های جمع‌گرا و این‌که تازه‌واردان چگونه می‌توانند شریک زندگی خود را پیدا کنند، بررسی می‌شود. هم‌چنان به معرفی برنامه‌های اجتماعی، اپلیکیشن‌های دوست‌یابی و خدمات مسلکی معرفی زوج‌ها پرداخته می‌شود؛ تا افراد تازه‌وارد در مسیر یافتن عشق و معاشقه در کشور جدید، اعتماد به نفس، ارتباط و امنیت را در وجود خود تقویت کنند.

Many newly arrived migrants in Australia seek relationships not only for romance but to regain a sense of belonging. Separation from loved ones often drives this need for connection. This episode explores how dating in Australia differs from more collectivist cultures and how newcomers can find partners. From social events and dating apps to professional matchmaking, it highlights how migrants can build confidence, connection, and safety as they find love in a new country. - Yeej muaj tej neeg tsiv teb tsaws chaw coob heev uas tuaj nyob tshiab ntawm Australia yeej xav nrhiav ib tug hlub tsis yog xav tau kev hlub xwb tab sis kuj yog tej yam pab kom lawv mloog tau tias yog ib feem ntawm lub teb chaws no. Cov kev raug cais ntawm tej neeg lawv hlub tshua thiaj ua rau lawv xav muaj kev sib cuag nrog lwm tus. Toom xov xwm no yuav txheeb txog cov kev sib tham ua plees nkauj nraug ntawm Australia no ho txawv tej kev sib tham ntawm tej kab lis kev cai ntau yam uas nyob koom zejzog thiab tej neeg tuaj tshiab ho muaj peev xwm nrhiav tau tej neeg lawv hlub li cas. Tsis hais cov kev mus koom zej tsoom tej koom txoos thiab kev siv tej dating apps mus txog rau tej neeg pab nrhiav tus hlub rau yus li, yog tej yam tseem ceeb uas yuav pab kom tej neeg tsiv teb tsaws chaw muaj kev ntseeg siab rau lawv tus kheej, sib cuag tau nrog lwm tus thiab tau txais kev nyab xeeb rau lub caij tseem nrhiav tus hlub ntawm lub teb chaws tshiab.

Many newly arrived migrants in Australia seek relationships not only for romance but to regain a sense of belonging. Separation from loved ones often drives this need for connection. This episode explores how dating in Australia differs from more collectivist cultures and how newcomers can find partners. From social events and dating apps to professional matchmaking, it highlights how migrants can build confidence, connection, and safety as they find love in a new country. - ជនអន្តោប្រវេសន៍ដែលទើបមកដល់ថ្មោងថ្មីជាច្រើននៅក្នុងប្រទេសអូស្ត្រាលី ស្វែងរកទំនាក់ទំនងមិនត្រឹមតែសេចក្តីស្នេហាប៉ុណ្ណោះទេ ប៉ុន្តែដើម្បីទទួលបានអារម្មណ៍នៃភាពសមប្រកបឡើងវិញ។ ការបែកគ្នាពីមនុស្សជាទីស្រលាញ់ជារឿយៗជំរុញឱ្យមានតម្រូវការសម្រាប់ទំនាក់ទំនងនេះ។ នៅវគ្គនេះយើងនឹងស្វែងយល់ពីរបៀបដែលការណាត់ជួបនៅប្រទេសអូស្ត្រាលីខុសពីវប្បធម៌ជាច្រើន និងរបៀបដែលអ្នកចំណូលថ្មីអាចស្វែងរកដៃគូជីវិត។ វារាប់ចាប់ពីព្រឹត្តិការណ៍សង្គម និងកម្មវិធីណាត់ជួប-dating apps រហូតដល់មេអណ្តើកអាជីពក្នុងការផ្គូផ្គងគូស្រករ។

SummaryIn this episode, Sean M Weiss discusses the critical role of compliance officers in healthcare organizations, emphasizing their responsibilities, best practices, and the importance of maintaining objectivity and independence. He outlines the do's and don'ts of compliance, highlights essential resources for compliance officers, and stresses the need for separation between compliance, legal, and operations to ensure effective oversight and ethical conduct.TakeawaysThe compliance officer is pivotal in safeguarding organizational integrity.Compliance officers must adhere to laws like the False Claims Act and HIPAA.Regular risk assessments are crucial for identifying high-risk areas.Establishing anonymous reporting mechanisms encourages whistleblowing.Ignoring red flags can expose organizations to significant risks.Objectivity and independence are essential for effective compliance.Resources from OIG and CMS are vital for compliance programs.Separation of compliance from legal and operations is necessary.Fostering a culture of ethical conduct mitigates potential liabilities.Compliance is a continuous process that requires vigilance and adaptation.

Many newly arrived migrants in Australia seek relationships not only for romance but to regain a sense of belonging. Separation from loved ones often drives this need for connection. This episode explores how dating in Australia differs from more collectivist cultures and how newcomers can find partners. From social events and dating apps to professional matchmaking, it highlights how migrants can build confidence, connection, and safety as they find love in a new country. - Dadka cusub ee soo degay Australia badankoodu waxay raadiyaan xiriirro aan kaliya ahayn jacayl, balse sidoo kale si ay u helaan dareen ah inay meel ama cid ka tirsan yihiin. Kala fogaanshaha ehelkooda iyo asxaabtooda ayaa inta badan sabab u ah baahidan xiriir raadinta. Qaybtan Australia Explained ayaa lagu falanqeynayaa sida ay shukaansiga Australia uga duwan yahay kuwa bulshooyinka guurkoodu ku salaysan yahay dhaqan.

Welcome to episode #1009 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). The future isn't something to predict... it's something to practice. Few people embody that idea more completely than Nick Foster, a designer, futurist and author whose work has quietly influenced some of the most innovative companies on the planet - from Sony, Nokia, and Dyson to Google X, where he served as head of design. In his new book, Could Should Might Don't - How We Think About The Future, Nick challenges the way we imagine what comes next. Rather than offering forecasts, he explores four mindsets - could, should, might, and don't - that shape how individuals and organizations approach uncertainty. In this conversation, Nick reflects on his evolution from industrial design to futures thinking, examining how curiosity fuels creativity, why nostalgia shapes our forward gaze and how responsibility must now sit at the core of every design decision. He questions the seductive influence of science fiction on our collective imagination and unpacks the cultural anxieties that accompany rapid technological change. What emerges is not a roadmap to the future but a framework for thinking. One grounded in humility, storytelling and the courage to sit with what we don't yet know. For Nick, futures design is not about prediction... it's about perspective. Enjoy the conversation… Running time: 1:01:27. Hello from beautiful Montreal. Listen and subscribe over at Apple Podcasts. Listen and subscribe over at Spotify. Please visit and leave comments on the blog - Thinking With Mitch Joel. Feel free to connect to me directly on LinkedIn. Check out ThinkersOne. Here is my conversation with Nick Foster. Could Should Might Don't - How We Think About The Future. Follow Nick on LinkedIn. Chapters: (00:00) - Introduction to Futures Design. (02:55) - Curiosity and Creativity in Design. (06:01) - Exploring the Future: Challenges and Opportunities. (08:58) - The Role of Responsibility in Design. (12:01) - Cultural Shifts and the Future. (14:59) - Navigating the Unknown: The Importance of Questions. (17:49) - The Impact of Nostalgia on Future Thinking. (20:46) - The Role of Science Fiction in Shaping Futures. (24:05) - The Anxiety of Possibility: Handling the 'Might'. (27:10) - The Importance of Humility in Future Predictions. (29:46) - Embracing Uncertainty and Curiosity.

Many newly arrived migrants in Australia seek relationships not only for romance but to regain a sense of belonging. Separation from loved ones often drives this need for connection. This episode explores how dating in Australia differs from more collectivist cultures and how newcomers can find partners. From social events and dating apps to professional matchmaking, it highlights how migrants can build confidence, connection, and safety as they find love in a new country. - 新しく移民してきた多くの人にとって、オーストラリアでのパートナー探しは、単なる恋愛ではなく「自分の居場所を見つける」ための大切な一歩です。家族や大切な人と離れて暮らすなかで、誰かとつながりたいという思いが一層強くなるのです。 今回のエピソードでは、オーストラリアのデーティング文化が、より集団的な価値観を持つ文化とどう異なるのか、そして新しく移り住んだ人々がどのようにしてパートナーを見つけていくのかを探ります。 ソーシャルイベントやデーティングアプリ、プロによるマッチメイキングなど、多様な方法を通して、新たな移民が自信を持ち、安全に、そして新しい国で愛とつながりを築いていく姿を紹介します。

Husky voice, Friday night whiskey, and a mountain of cheese from the book launch. In this episode I lift the lid on what really happens inside a print judging room. The rotation of five from a pool of seven. Silent scoring so no one nudges anyone else. How a challenge works, what the chair actually does, and why we start with impact, dive through craft, then finish on impact again to see what survives. Layout over composition, light as the whole game, and a final re-rank that flattens time drift so the right image actually wins. If you enjoy a peek behind the curtain, you will like this one. You can grab a signed copy of the new Mastering Portrait Photography at masteringportraitphotography.com and yes, I will scribble in it. If you already have the book, a quick Amazon review helps more than you know. Fancy sharpening your craft in person? Check the workshops page for new dates and come play with light at the studio.  The book: https://masteringportraitphotography.com/resource/signed-copy-mastering-portrait-photography-new-edition/ Workshops: https://masteringportraitphotography.com/workshops-and-mentoring/   Transcript [00:00:00]  Hey, one and all. How are you doing? Now? I'll be honest, I still have the remnants of a cold, and if you can hear that in my voice, I do apologize, I suppose you could call it slightly bluesy, but you can definitely hear that I'm ever so slightly husky. It's Friday night, it's eight 30, and I was, I've been waiting a week to record this podcast, hoping my voice would clear it hasn't, and so I've taken the opportunity having a glass of whiskey and just cracking on. So if you like the sound of a slightly bluesy voice, that's great. If you don't, I'm really sorry, but whichever, which way I'm Paul. And this is the Mastering Portrait Photography podcast. So it's been a busy month or two. You can always tell when it's busy [00:01:00] 'cause the podcasts. Get, don't really get delivered in quite the pace I would like. However, it really has been a busy couple of weeks the past few. Let me, I'm gonna draw your attention to it. The past couple of weeks, we've, there's a ton of stuff going on around us for a moment. I was up in Preston. I've been up in Preston twice over the past couple of weeks. The first one was working as a qualifications judge for the BIPP, the British Institute Professional photographers. Um. Which I love judging. I love judging. It's exhausting, but I love it. And that was qualifications, panels. Then last week was the launch. Of the updated edition of Mastering Portrait Photography, the book, which is where it all started, where Sarah Plata and I published this book that seems to have been incredibly popular. 50,000 copies translated from English into four other languages. Chinese, Korean, German. And Italian, do not ask me, do not ask me the logic on why the book is in those [00:02:00] particular languages. To be fair, we only found out about the Chinese and Korean when we were trying to get some marketing material together to talk about the new book Nobody had told us. I'm not even sure the publisher knew, to be honest. Uh, but we have found copies. We have a Chinese copy here in the studio. I'm still trying to get a Korean version. So if you are listening to this. Podcast in Korea. Please tell me how to get hold of a version in Korean because we'd love to complete the set. There's, in fact, there's two Italian versions. We knew about that. There's a German version we knew about that hardback version. It's great. It's really beautiful. Very I, like I, I don't live in Germany and I don't like to stereotyping entire nation, but the quality of the book is incredible. It's absolutely rock solid, properly engineered. Love it. We have a Chinese version here but the Korean version still alludes us. However, this week the new version, mastering portrait photography is out. And as you know, I, Sarah interviewed me for the podcast last week to talk about it. Well, it's out. We've had our launch party, uh, we invited everybody who [00:03:00] has featured in the book who, everybody, every picture in the book that we asked the person in it to come to the studio for a soiree. And it was brilliant. I've never seen so much cheese in all my life, and by I don't mean my speech, I mean actual cheese. We had a pile of it, still eating it. So it's been a week and I'm still eating the cheese. I dunno quite how, well, quite by how much we vacated, but probably by several kilos. Which I'm enjoying thoroughly. I've put on so much weight this week, it's unreal, but I'm enjoying the cheese. And then on Sunday we had an open day where we had set the studio out with some pictures from the book and some notes of the different people. Who featured and what I might do, actually, I'd, I wonder if I can do a visual podcast. I might do a visual podcast where I talk about those images, at some point on the website, on masteringportraitportraitphotography.com. I will do the story and the BTS and the production of every single image that's in the book, but it's gonna take me some [00:04:00] time. There's nearly 200 images in there. Um, and every one of them, bar one is a new image or is, is. It is, it is a new image in the book, and it has been taken in the 10 years or the decades subsequent to the first book, all bar one. Feel free to email me. Email me the image you think it might be. You'll probably guess it, but it's it's definitely in there. Um, and so it's been really busy. And then at the beginning of this week, I spent two days up in Preston again, judging again, but this time it was for the British Institute of Professional Photographers print Masters competition. Ah, what, what a joy. Six other judges and me, a chair of judges. Print handlers, the organizers. Ah, I mean, I've seen so many incredible images over those 48 hours, and in this podcast I want to talk a bit about how we do it, why we do it, what it feels like to do it, [00:05:00] because I'm not sure everybody understands that it's it, it's not stressful, but we do as judges, feel the pressure. We know that we are representing, on the one hand, the association as the arbiters of the quality of the curators of these competitions, but also we feel the pressure of the authors because we are there too. We also enter competitions and we really, really hope the judges pay attention, really investigate and interrogate the images that we've entered. And when, when you enter competitions, that heightens the pressure to do a good job for the authors who you are judging. So in this podcast, I'm gonna talk through some of the aspects of that. Forgive me if it sounds like I'm answering questions. It's because I wrote myself some questions. I wrote some [00:06:00] questions down to, how I structures the podcast usually, uh, the podcast rambles along, but this one I actually set out with a structure to it, so forgive me if it sounds like I'm answering questions. It's 'cause I'm answering my own questions. What does it feel like? How do you do it? Et cetera, et cetera. Anyway, I hope it's useful. Enjoy. And it gives you an insight into what it's like to be a competition judge. Okay. As you walk into the judging room. For me at least, it's mostly a sense of excitement. There's a degree of apprehension. There's a degree of tension, but mostly there's an adrenaline rush. Knowing that we're about to sit and view, assess, score these incredible images from photographers all over the world, and let's remember that every photographer when they enter a print competition, which is what I'm talking about primarily here. Every photographer [00:07:00] believes that print that category that year, could win. Nobody enters an image thinking that it doesn't stand a chance. Now you might do that modest thing of, I don't know, you know? Oh no, I don't. I I just chance my arm. No one enters a print they don't think has a chance of doing well. That just doesn't happen. It's too expensive. It takes too much time. And as judges. We are acutely aware of that. So when you walk into the room, lots of things are going in your on, in your heads. Primarily, you know, you are there to do a job. You are there to perform a task. You are going to put your analytical head on and assess a few hundred images over the next 48 hours. But as you walk in, there's a whole series of things. You, you are gonna assess the room. You see that your fellow judges, you're gonna see the print handlers. You're going to see the chair, you're gonna see the people [00:08:00] from whichever association it is who are organizing it, who or who have organized it. You'll see stacks of prints ready to be assessed. There's a whole series of things that happen. A lot of hugging. It's really lovely. This year the panel of judges, uh, had some people in it I haven't seen for quite a few years, and it was beyond lovely to see them. So there's all of that, but you, there's this underlying tension you are about to do. One of the things you love doing more than anything else in as part of your job. So there's the excitement of it and the joy of it, but there's always this gentle underlying tone of gravitas of just how serious it is. What we are doing. So there will be plenty of laughter, plenty of joy, but you never really take your eye off the task in hand. And that's how it feels as you go to take your seats on the judging [00:09:00] panel. So the most important thing, I think, anyway, and I was chair of qualifications and awards for the BIPP for a number of years, is that the whole room, everybody there is acting as a team. If you are not gonna pull as a team, it doesn't work. So there has to be safety, there has to be structure. There has to be a process and all of these things come together to provide a framework in which you assess and create the necessary scores and results for the association, for the photographers, for the contestants. So you take your seats, and typically in a room, there are gonna be five judges at any one time assessing an image. It's typically five. I've seen it done other ways, but a panel of judges is typically five. The reason we have five is at no point do all of the judges agree. [00:10:00] We'll go through this later in more detail, but the idea is that you have enough judges that you can have contention, you can have. Disagreements, but as a panel of judges, you'll come up with a score. So you'll have five judges sitting assessing an image at any one time. To the side of the room, there'll be two more judges typically. Usually we have a pool of seven, five judges working, two judges sitting out every 10 prints or 10 minutes or whatever the chair decides. They'll we'll rotate along one, so we'll all move along one seat and one of the spare judges will come in and sit on the end and one of the existing judges will step off. And we do that all day, just rotating along so that everybody judges, broadly speaking, the same number of images. Now, of course there is a degree of specialism in the room. If a panel has been well selected, there'll be specialists in each of the categories, but you can't have, let's say there's 15 categories. You [00:11:00] can't have five specialist judges per category. That's simply impractical. Um, you know, having, what's that, 75 judges in a room, just so that you can get through the 15 categories is. A logistics task, a cost. Even just having a room that big, full of judges doesn't work. So every judge is expected to be reasonably multi-talented, even if you don't shoot, for instance, landscapes. You have to have a working knowledge of what's required of a great landscape. Because our job as a panel isn't that each of us will spot all of the same characteristics in an image, all of the same defects, all of the same qualities. Each judge has been picked to bring their own. Sort of viewpoint, if you like, to the image. Some judges are super technical, some judges, it's all about the atmosphere. Some judges, it's all about the printing and there's every bit of image production is [00:12:00] covered by each of the individual specialisms of the judges. And so while there is a degree of specialism, there will be a landscape. Specialist in the room or someone who works in landscape, there will be plenty of portrait photographers, wedding photographers, commercial photographers. The idea is from those seven, we can cover all of those bases. So we have seven judges all at fellowship level, all highly skilled, all experienced. And then there's the chair. Now the chair's role is not to affect the actual score. The chair's role is to make sure the judges have considered everything that they should be considering. That's the Chair's job, is to make sure the judges stay fresh, keep an eye on the scores, keep an eye on the throughput. Make sure that every image and every author are given a. The time and consideration that they are due. What do I mean by that? Well, I just mean the photographers spent a lot of time and effort and [00:13:00] finance putting this print in front of us, and so it's really important that we as judges give it due consideration. The chair, that's their role is to make sure that's what really happens. So the process is pretty simple, really. We will take our seats as a panel of judges and when we are settled. The chair will ask for the print, one of the print handlers. There's normally a couple of print handlers in the room, one to put the image on, one to take the image off. The print handler will take the first image or the next image off the pile and place it in front of us on the light box. They will then check the print to make sure there's no visible or obvious dust marks, um, or anything, and give with an air blower or with the back of a a handling glove, or very gently take any dust spots away. They will then step back. Now, the way the judges are set, there are five seats in a gentle arc, usually around the light [00:14:00] box. The outer two judges, judges one and five will step into the light box and examine or interrogate the print carefully. They will take as much time as they need to ascertain what they believe the score for that image should be. They will then take their seats. The next two judges in, so let's say Judge two and four, they will step in to interrogate the print and do exactly the same thing. When they're ready, they'll step back and sit down. And then the middle judge, the final judge in seat three, they will step up and interrogate the print. And the reason we do it that way is that everybody gets to see the print thoroughly. Everybody gets to spend enough time. Examining the print. And at that point, when we all sit down, we all enter our scores onto whatever the system is we're using either using iPads or keypads. There's all sorts of ways of doing it, but what's really important is we do all of this in total silence and we don't really do it because we need to be able to [00:15:00] concentrate. Though that has happened, sort of distracting noises can play havoc. Um, we really do it so that we are not influencing any other judge. So there's no, oh, this is rubbish, or, oh, this is amazing. Or any of this stuff, because the idea is that each judge will come to their own independent score. We enter them, and then there's a process as to what happens next. So that's the process. If at some point a single judge when the image appears, says, I can't judge this for whatever reason, usually it's because they've seen the image before. I mean, there's one this week where I hadn't directly influenced the image. But the author had shown me how they'd done it, so they'd stepped me through the Photoshopping, the construction, the shooting, everything about the image. I knew the image really well, and so when the image appeared on the light box, I knew while I could judge it, it wasn't fair to the author or to the other [00:16:00] competitors that I should. So I raised my hand, checked in with the chair, chair, asked me what I wanted. I said, I need to step off this. I'm too familiar with the work for me to give this a cold read, an objective read. So I if, if possible, if there's another judge, could they just step in and score this one image for me? And that means it's fair for all of the contestants. So that's that bit of process when we come to our score. Let's assume the score's fine. Let's assume, I dunno, it gets an 82, which is usually a merit or a bronze, whatever the system is. The chair will log that, she'll say that image scored 82, which is the average of all five of us. She'll then check in with the scores and the panel of judges. He or she rather, uh, they, so they will look at us and go, are you all happy with that result? That's really important. Are you all happy? Would that result? Because that's the opportunity as judges for one of us, if we're not comfortable that the image is scored where we think it probably should. And [00:17:00] remember with five of you, if the score isn't what you think, you could be the one who's not got your eye in or you haven't spotted something, it might well be you, but it's your job as a judge to make sure if there's any doubt in your mind about the scoring of an image that. You ask for it to be assessed again, for there to be discussion for the team to do its job because it might be that the other members of the panel haven't seen something that you have or you haven't seen something that they have, that both of those can be true. So it's really important that you have a process and you have a strict process. And this is how it works. So the chair will say you are happy. One of the judges may say. No, I'm not happy or may say I would like to challenge that or may simply say, I think this warrants a discussion. I'm gonna start it off. And then there's a process for doing that. [00:18:00] So the judge who raises the challenge will start the dialogue and they'll start in whichever direction it is that they think the scoring is not quite right. They will start the dialogue that way. So let's say the score, the judge who's raising a challenge says the score feels a little low. What happens then is raise a challenge and that judge will discuss the image or talk to the image in a way that is positive and trying to raise the score. And they're gonna do that by drawing attention to the qualities that they feel the image has, that maybe they're worried the other judges haven't seen when they're done, the next judge depends, depending on the chair and how you do it. The next judge will take their turn and he goes all the way around with every judge having their say. And then it comes back to the originating judge who has the right of a rebuttal, which simply means to answer back. So depending on how the [00:19:00] dialogue has gone it may be that you say thank you to all of the judges. I'm glad you saw my point. It would be great if we could give this the score that I think this deserves. Similarly, you occasionally, and I did do one of these where I raised a challenge, um, where I felt an image hadn't scored, or the judges hadn't seen something that maybe I had seen in the image, and then very quickly realized that four judges had seen a defect that I hadn't. And so my challenge, it was not, it's never a waste of a challenge. It's never ever a waste because it's really important that every image is given the consideration it deserves. But at the end of the challenge that I raised, the scoring stayed exactly the same. I stayed, I said thank you to all of the judges for showing me some stuff that I hadn't noticed. And then we moved on. More often than not, the scores move as the judges say, oh, do you know what, you're right, there is something in this. Or, no, you're right. We've overinflated this because we saw things, but we missed these technical defects. It's those kinds of conversations. So that's a, a chair, that's a, a judge's [00:20:00] challenge. Yeah, this process also kicks in if there's a very wide score difference between the judge's scores, same process, but this time there's no rebuttal. Every judge simply gives their view starting with the highest judge and then working anywhere on the panel. Um, and then there's a rare one, which does happen which is a chair's challenge, and the chair has the right in, at least in the competitions that I judge, the chair has the right to say to the panel of judges. Could you just give this another consideration? I think there might be things you've missed or that feels like you're getting a little bit steady in your scoring. 'cause they, the chair of course, has got a log of all the scores and can see whether, you know, you're settling into like a 78, 79 or one judge is constantly outta kilter. The chair can see everything and so your job as the chair is to just, okay guys, listen, I think this image that you've just assessed. Possibly there's some things one way or the [00:21:00] other that you might need to take into consideration. It doesn't feel like you have. I'd like you to discuss this image and then just do a rescore. So those are the, those are the mechanisms. So in the room you've got five judges plus two judges who are there ready to step in when required either on the rotation or when someone recuses themself and steps out. Usually two print handlers and then usually there's at least one person or maybe more from the association, just doing things like making sure things are outta their boxes, that the scores are recorded on the back of the prints, they go back into boxes, there's no damage because these prints are worth quite a lot of money. And so, there's usually quite a few people in the room, but it's all done in silence and it's all done to this beautiful process of making sure it's organized, it's clear it's transparent, and we're working as one team to assess each image and give it the score that it deserves. so when the print arrives on the box. It has impact. Now, whether you like it or not, [00:22:00] whether you understand it or not, whether you can define it or not, the print has an impact. You're gonna see it, you're gonna react to it. How do you react to it? Is it visceral? Does your heart rate climb? Do you. Do you explore it? Do you want to explore it? Does it tell a clear story? And now is when you are judging a competition, typically the association or the organization who are running the competition will have a clear set of criteria. I mean, broadly speaking, things like lighting, posing layout or composition storytelling. Graphic design, print quality, if it's a print competition. These are the kinds of things that, um, we look for. And they're listed out in the competition guides that the entrant, the author will have known those when they submitted their print. And the judges know them when we're assessing them, so they're kind of coherent. Whatever it is that the, the entrance were told, that's what we're judging [00:23:00] to the most important. Is the emotional connection or the impact? It's typically called visual impact or just impact. What's really important about that is that it's very obvious, I think, to break images down into these constructed elements like complimentary colors or tonal range or centers of interest, but they don't really do anything except create. Your emotional reaction to the picture. Now, we do use language around these to assess the image, but what we're actually looking for is emotional impact. Pictures tell stories. Stories invoke emotions. It's the emotions we're really looking for. But the trick when you are judging is you start with the initial impact. Then you go in and you in real tiny detail, look at the image. Explore it, interrogate it, [00:24:00] enjoy it, maybe don't enjoy it. And you look at it in all of the different categories or different areas, criteria that you are, that the judges that the organization have set out. And then really, although it never gets listed twice, it should do, impact should also be listed as the last thing you look at as well. Because here's the process. You look at the image. There's an impact. You then in detail investigate, interrogate, enjoy the image. And then at the very end you ask yourself, what impact does it still have? And that's really important because the difference between those two gives you an idea of how much or how well the image is scoring in all of the other areas. If an image has massive impact when you, let's put 'em on the light box, and then you explore it and you [00:25:00] enjoy it, and you look at it under the light, and then at the end of it you're still feeling the same thing you did when it came on the light box, that's a pretty good indicator that all the criteria were met. If on the other hand, as you've explored the image, you've realized. There are errors in the production, or you can see Photoshopping problems or blown highlights or blocked blacks, or things are blurred where they should be sharp or you name it. It's these kinds of things. You know, the printing has got banding in the sky, which is a defect. You see dust spots from a camera sensor. These gradually whittle away your impact score because you go back to the end and you ask, what impact does the image now have? And I've heard judges use terms like at the end of the process, I thought that was gonna be amazing when it first arrived on the light box. I just loved the look of it from a distance, but when I stepped in, there were just too many things that [00:26:00] weren't quite right. And at the end of it, I just felt some would, sometimes I've heard the word disappointed you. So that's certainly how I feel. When an image has this beautiful impact and the hair stand up on the back of your neck and you just think, I cannot wait to step in and explore this image in detail. 'cause I tell you one thing, most authors don't own a light box. When you see a print on a beautiful light box, the, there's something about the quality. The way the print ESS is you actually get to see what a print should look like. So when you step in, you are really excited to see it. And if at the end of that process you're slightly disappointed because you found defects in the printing or problems with the focusing or Photoshop or whatever it is. You really are genuinely disappointed. So that's how you approach it. You approach it from this standpoint of a very emotional, a very emotional connection with the image to start with, and then you break [00:27:00] it down into its elements, whatever those elements are for the competition. And then at the end, you ask yourself really, does it still have the impact? I thought it would because if it does, well, in that case, it's done really, really well. one of the things that's really interesting about judging images is we, we draw out, we write out all of these criteria and. Every image has them really. I mean, well, I say that of course every image doesn't have them. If you are, if you're thinking about landscape or a picture of a shampoo bottle, it doesn't have posing, for instance, if that's one of your criteria. But typically there's a standard set of criteria and every image has them layout, color uh, photographic technique, et cetera. So if we look at let's say composition, let's talk about composition. Personally, I like to use the term layout rather than composition because it [00:28:00] feels a little bit more like a verb. You lay the image out, you have all of the bits, you lay them out. I like that because when we are teaching photography when we say to someone, right, what are all of the bits that you have in front of you? How are you gonna lay them out? It feels a lot more, to me, at least more logical than saying, how are you gonna compose the image? Because it allows. I think it allows the photographer to think in terms of each individual component rather than just the whole frame. So we are looking for how the image is constructed. Remember that every photographer really should think about an image. As telling a story, what's the story that you want somebody else? Somebody that you've never met. In this case a judge, but it could be a client or it could just be somebody where your work is being exhibited on a wall. What do you want them to look at? What do you want them to see? Where do you want that eye to go? And there are lots of tricks to [00:29:00] this, and one of them is layout or composition. So we've got through the initial impact, boom. And the excitement. And then you start to think, is the image balanced? I like to think of an image having a center of gravity. Some photographers will use center of interest, which is a slightly different thing, but I think an image has a center of gravity. The component parts of the image create balance. So you can have things right down in the edges of the frame, but you need something to balance it like a seesaw. You can't just. Throw in, throw parts of the puzzle around the frame. So you are looking for where do they land? And of course, as photographers, we talk about thirds, golden ratios, golden spirals, all of these terms. But what we are really looking for is does the image have a natural flow? Does it feel like everything's where it should be? Does your eye go to the bit that the author probably wanted you to look at? Have they been effective in their [00:30:00] storytelling? And by storytelling, I don't necessarily mean storytelling as in photojournalism or narrative rich photography. What I mean is what did they want you to see, and then did you go and see it? Separation? Is the background blurred? And let's say the, the subject is sharp. That's a typical device for making sure you look at the subject. Is the color of the background muted in a way that draws your attention? Again to whatever it is in the foreground. So layouts one of those tools. So we work our way around it and try and figure out does the positioning of all of the elements of the image does their positioning add or distract from the story? We think that author was trying to tell. Let's remember that it's not the judge's job to understand the story. It's the author's job to tell the story in a way that the judges can get it. Too often, you know, when I, when I've judged [00:31:00] a competition, someone will come and find me afterwards and say, did you understand what that was about? I was trying to say this, and it's like, well, I didn't see that, but that's not my fault. You know, it's, it's down to you to lead me pictorially to. Whatever it is you're trying to show. Same with all judges, all viewers, clients. It doesn't really matter. It's the author's job, not the judges. So at the end of that, you then move on to whatever's the next criteria. So you know, you assess these things bit by bit, and by the way, every judge will do it in a slightly different order. There'll be written down in an order. But each judge would approach it in a different manner. For me, typically it's about emotional connection more than anything else, it's about the emotion. I love that genuine, authentic connection of a person in the image. To me, the viewer. I will always go there if, if it's a portrait or a wedding or fashion image, if there's a person in it or a dog, I suppose, [00:32:00] then I will look for that authenticity, that, that visceral, it feels like they're looking at me or I'm having a dialogue with them. That's my particular hot button, but every judge has their room and that's how you approach it. So when it comes to a photograph in the end, you don't really have anything other than light when you think about it, right? That's, you pick up a camera, it's got a sensor, it's got film, it's got a lens on the front, and a shutter stopping light coming, or it goes through the lens, but the, the shutter stops it hitting a sensor. And at some point you commit light to be recorded. And it's the light that describes the image. There's nothing else. It's not something you can touch or hear, it's just light. And of course light is everything. I think, I think the term pho photography or photograph is a mix of a couple of words, and it's a relatively recent idea. I think [00:33:00] it was Victorian and it's, isn't it light and art photographic or photograph, um. So that's what it is. It's capturing light and creating a reaction from it. So the quality of light is possibly the most important thing. There is too much of it, and you're gonna have blown highlights, nasty white patches on your prints, too little of it. You're gonna have no detail in the shadows and a lot of noise or grain, whether it's film or whether it's off your sensor. And then there's the shape of the light. The color of the light, and it doesn't really matter whether it's portrait, wedding, landscape, product, avant garde, it's light that defines things. It's light that can break an image. So with portraiture, for instance, we tend to talk about. Sculpting or dimensionality of light. We tend to talk about the shape of the subject. We talk about flattering light. We talk about hard and soft light, and all of these things [00:34:00] mean something. This isn't the podcast to talk about those in detail, but that's what we're looking for. We are looking for has the light created a sense of shape, a sense of wonder, a sense of narrative. Does the lighting draw your eye towards the subject? And when you get to the subject, is it clear that the lighting is effective and by effective, usually as a portrait photographer anyway. I mean flattering. But you might be doing something with light that's counterintuitive, that's making the subject not flattered. That's maybe it's for a thriller style thing, or maybe it's dark and moody. Harsh, as long as in tune with the story as we are seeing it, then the lighting is assessed in that vein. So we've seen some incredible beauty shots over the past couple of days where the lighting sculpted the face. It had damaged ality, but it was soft. There were no hard shadows, there were no [00:35:00] blown highlights. The skin, it was clear that the texture of the skin, the light, it caught the texture. So we knew exactly what that would be. It had. Captured the shape. So the way the gens or shadows ripple around a body or a face tell you its shape. They haven't destroyed the shape. It's it's catch shape, but it hasn't unnecessarily sculpted scars or birthmarks or spots, you know? And that's how lighting works. So you look for this quality, you look for control, you look for the author, knowing what they're doing. With landscapes, typically it's, it is very rare, in my opinion, for a landscape. To get a good score if it isn't shot at one end of the day or the other. Why? Well, typically, at those points of the day, the light from the sun is almost horizontal. It rakes across the frame, and you get a certain quality to the way the shadows are thrown. The way the [00:36:00] light, sculpts hills, buildings, clouds, leaves, trees, the way it skips off water, whether it's at the beginning of the day or the end of the day. It's quite unusual though we do see them for an amazing photograph of escape to be taken at midday. But you can see how it could be if you have the sun directly overhead, because that has a quality all of its own. And you know, if when an author has gone to the effort of being in the right place to shoot vertical shadows with a direct overhead son, well maybe that's so deliberate that the, the judges will completely appreciate that and understand the story. So it's looking for these things and working out. Has the lighting been effective in telling the story? We think the author was trying to tell? Lighting is at the heart of it. So when we've been through every criteria, whatever they are, lighting, composition, color, narrative, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, [00:37:00] we've assessed every image, hundreds of them. We've had challenges, we've had conversations. We have a big pile of prints that have made it over the line. To whatever is your particular association scoring, whether it's merit or bronze or whatever. The puzzle isn't quite complete at that stage because there is of course, a slight problem and that problem is time. So if you imagine judging a section of images might take a couple of hours to do 70 prints, 60, 70 prints might take longer than that. In fact, it might take the best part of an afternoon. During that time. There's every chance the scores will wander. And the most obvious time is if a category spans something like a lunch break. We try to make sure categories don't do that. We try to complete categories before going for a break. We always try to be continuous, but [00:38:00] you've still got fatigue. You've got the judges rotating. So all of these things are going on. It sometimes it depends what images come up in what order could conceivably affect the scoring. For instance there's an image that came up this year where I think probably I was the judge that felt the strongest about it. There was something about this particular image that needed talking about, and so when it came up and it was scores that I raised a challenge and my heart rate, the minute the print hit the stand, my heart rate climbed through the roof. It was. Something about it that just connected with me. And then when I explored the image on the lights, on the light box, to me, there was very little that was technically holding it back. There were a couple of bits, but nothing that I felt warranted a lower score. And so I raised a [00:39:00] challenge. I said my point, I went through it in detail. I asked the other judges to consider it. From my viewpoint, they gave their views as to why they hadn't. But each of them understood where I was coming from and unlike the challenge I talked about earlier where no one changed their mind on this one, they did on this one. They also saw things that I saw when we went through it. But at the end of the process, the image was got a higher score, which is great, but. I didn't feel that I could judge the next image fairly because whatever came in, my heart rate was still battering along after seeing this one particular image. And that happens sometimes. It's not common, but I felt I needed to step off the panel before the next image came up. Which I did in work, working with the chair and the team. I stepped off for a couple of prints before stepping back on [00:40:00] just to let my eye settle and let myself get back into the right zone. But during the day, the zone changes. The way you change your perception of the images, as the images come through is so imperceptible, imperceivable, imperceptible. One of those two words is so tiny that you don't notice if there's a slight drift. And so there's every opportunity for an image to score a couple of points lower or a couple of points higher than it possibly could have done. If it had been seen at another point in the day. Maybe it had been, maybe if the image was seen after a series of not so strong images, maybe it would get a higher score. Or of course, the other way round. Maybe after seeing a series of really, really powerful, impactful images that came up, maybe it scored be slightly diminished. Both of those can be true. And so it's really important that we redress that any possible imbalance and every competition I've ever done has a final round. And the [00:41:00] way this is done is that we take the highest scoring images, top five, top 10, depending on the competition, and we line them up. And all of the judges now, not just the judges who are the five on the panel, all seven judges. Get an opportunity to bring each image back onto a light box if they wish, if they haven't seen them already. Because remember, some of those images may not have been assessed by the, well. It cannot have been assessed by all seven of the judges, so there's always gonna be at least two judges who haven't seen that image or seeing it for the first time as a judge. So we bring them back, we look at them, and then we rank them using one of numerous voting mechanisms where we all vote on what we think are the best images and gradually whittle it down until we're left with a ranked order for that category. We have a winner, a second, a third, a fourth, sometimes all the way down to 10 in order, depending on the competition. And that's the fairest way of doing it, because it means, okay, during the judging, [00:42:00] that image got, I dunno, 87. But when we now baseline it against a couple of images that got 90 something, when we now look at it, we realize that that image probably should have got a 90 as well. We're not gonna rescore it, the score stands, but what we are gonna do is put it up into there and vote on it as to whether it actually, even though it got slightly lower, score, is the winning image for the category. And every competition does something similar just to redress any fluctuations to, to flatten out time. It takes time outta the equation because now for that category, all seven judges are judging the winner at the same time, and that's really important. We do that for all the categories, and then at the end of that process, we bring back all of the category winners and we vote on which one of those. Wins the competition. Now, not every competition has an overall winner, but for the one we've just done for the print masters, for the BIPP print masters, there is an overall winner. And so we set them all out [00:43:00] and we vote collectively as a winner on the winner. And then, oh, we rank them 1, 2, 3, 4, or whatever. Um, really we're only picking a winner, but we also have to have some safety nets because what happens if for instance. Somebody unearths a problem with an image. And this has happened, sadly, this has happened a couple of times in my career where a photographer has entered an image that's not compliant with the rules but hasn't declared it. And it's always heartbreaking when it does happen, but we have to have a backup. So we always rank one, two, and three. So that's some backups, and that's the process. That's how we finish everything off. We have finished, we've got all the categories judged, the category winners judged, and then the overall one, two, and three sorted as well. at the end of the process? I can't speak for every judge. I can speak for me, I feel, I think three things. Exhaustion. It's really hard to spend 48 hours or longer [00:44:00] assessing images one by one, by one by one, and making sure that you are present and paying attention to every detail of every image. And you're not doing an author or an image a disservice. You pay each image or you give each image, you pay each image the due attention it deserves. I feel exhilaration. There's something energizing about assessing images like this. I know it's hard to explain, but there's something in the process of being alongside some of the best photographers that you've ever met, some photographers that you admire more than any others, not just as photographers, but as human beings. The nicest people, the smartest people, the most experienced people, the most eloquent people. There's something in that. So there's this [00:45:00] exhilaration. You are exhausted, but there's an exhilaration to it. And then finally, and I don't know if every photographer feels this or every judge feels this, I do. Which is massively insecure, I think. Can't think of the right words for it. There must be one. But I come away, much like when you've been out on the beers and you worry about all the things you've said, it's the same process. There was that image I didn't give enough credit for. There was this image I was too generous on. There were the things I said in a challenge when it gets a little bit argumentative or challenging. 'cause the clues in the title, you know, maybe I pushed too hard, maybe I didn't push hard enough. There are images you've seen that you wished you'd taken and you feel like. I'm not good enough. There's an insecurity to it too, and those are the three things I think as you leave the room, it's truly [00:46:00] energizing. Paradoxically, it's truly exhausting, but it's also a little bit of a head mush in that you do tend to come, or I do tend to come away a little bit insecure about. All the things that have gone on over the two days prior, and I've done this a long time. I've been judging for, I dunno, 15, 16, 17 years. And I've got used to those feelings. I've got used to coming away worrying. I'm used to the sense of being an underachiever, I suppose, and it's a wonderful , set of emotions that I bring home. And every time I judge. I feel better for it. I feel more creative. I feel more driven. I feel more determined. I feel like my eyes have been opened to genres [00:47:00] of photography, for types of imagery, for styles of posing or studio work that I've never necessarily considered, and I absolutely adore it every single second. So at the end of that, I really hope I've described or created a picture of what it's like to be a judge for this one. I haven't tried to explain the things we saw that as photographers as authors, you should think about when you are entering. I'm gonna do that in a separate podcast. I've done so many of those, but this one was specifically like, what does it feel like to be a judge? Why do we do it? I mean, we do it for a million reasons. Mostly we do it because people helped us and it's our turn to help them. But every photographer has a different reason for doing it. It's the most joyful process. It's the most inspiring process and I hope you've got a little bit of that from the podcast. So [00:48:00] on that happy note, I'm gonna wrap up and I'm gonna go and finish my glass of whiskey which I'm quite excited about if I'm honest. 'cause I did, it's been sitting here beside me for an hour and I haven't drunk any of it. I do hope you're all doing well. I know winter is sort of clattering towards us and the evenings are getting darker, at least for my listeners in the north and the hemisphere. Don't forget. If you want more information on portrait photography or our workshops we've announced all of the upcoming dates or the next set of upcoming dates. Please head across to mastering portrait photography.com and go to the workshop section. I love our workshops and we've met so many. Just lovely people who've come to our studio. And we've loved being alongside them, talking with them, hopefully giving a bit of inspiration, certainly taking a little bit of inspiration, if I'm honest, because everyone turns up with ideas and conversations. Uh, we would love to see you there. The workshops are all are all there on the website and the workshop section. You can also, if you wish, buy a signed copy of the book from mastering portrait photography.com. Again, just go to the [00:49:00] shop and you'll see it there on the top. Amazon has them for sale too. It is great. Amazon typically sells them for less than we do, but we have a fixed price. We have to buy them from the wholesaler at a particular price, whereas Amazon can buy many, many more than we can, so they get a better deal if I'm honest. However, if you want my paw print in there, then you can order it from us and it's supports a photographer and it's really lovely to hear from you. When you do, uh, one thing, I'd love to ask anyone who has bought the updated edition of the book, if you are an Amazon customer. Please could you go on to amazon.com and leave us a review? It's really powerful when you do that, as long as it's a good review. If it's a rubbish review, just email me and tell me what I could have done differently, and I'll email you back and tell you, tell you why I didn't. But if it's a half decent review, a nice review. Please head over to Amazon. Look for mastering portrait photography, the new version of the book, and leave us a review. It's really important particularly in the first couple of [00:50:00] weeks that it's been on sale. Uh, it would be really, really helpful if you did that. And on that happy note, I wish you all well. I've grabbed my glass of whiskey and I'm gonna wrap up and whatever else you do. Until next time, be kind to yourself. Take care.   

In this episode, Samuel Estreicher of the NYU School of Law and John Yoo of the UC Berkeley School of Law join to recap the oral arguments from the pair of challenges to President Trump's tariffs and discuss whether International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) authorizes the president to impose extensive tariffs on nearly all goods imported into the United States. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.     Resources  Samuel Estreicher et al., “Brief of Professors of Administrative Law, Separation of Powers, Foreign Relations Law, Legislation and the Regulatory State, and Trade Law” (10/24/2025)  Sam Estreicher and Andrew Babbit, “The Case Against Unbounded Delegation in Trump v. VOS Selections,” Lawfare (10/30/2025) John Yoo, “What Could the Supreme Court Rule About Trump's Tariffs,” Civitas Institute (9/8/2025)  Biden v. Nebraska (2023)  Whitman v. American Trucking Associations, Inc. (2001)  Dames & Moore v. Regan (1981) Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1953)  United States v. Yoshida International, Inc. (CCPA, 1975) United States v. Curtiss-Wright Export Corp. (1936) Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States (1935)    In our new podcast, Pursuit: The Founders' to Guide to Happiness Jeffrey Rosen explores the founders' lives with the historians who know them best. Plus, filmmaker Ken Burns shares his daily practice of self-reflection.    Listen to episodes of Pursuit on Apple Podcast and Spotify.  Stay Connected and Learn More Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@constitutioncenter.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Explore the⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠America at 250 Civic Toolkit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen Join us for an upcoming ⁠⁠⁠live program⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or watch recordings on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support our important work:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate⁠⁠

In this episode I join Charles Manson in Oxford, England to visit the Bodleian Library (Oxford University) where he is the specialist librarian for its Tibetan Collections. Charles leads us through the streets of Oxford to visit the old Bodleian Library, founded in 1602. Then we arrive at the Weston Library to explore its collection of Tibetan manuscripts. Charles guides us through gold lettered texts about Lamdre and expiation, describes the process of textual revelation known as “terma”, and shares a warning based on his own experiences of dark retreat. Charles explains the Tibetan doctrines of the afterlife while showing a rare copy of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, muses on Coleridge's advice for visiting a library, and reflects on why he believes converts to Tibetan Buddhism should attempt to learn the Tibetan language. Charles also details his working routine as a librarian and archivist, reflects on his own academic journey from SOAS to Harvard and Oxford, and considers the role his religious faith plays in his work with Tibetan texts. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep332-oxford-librarian-of-tibet-charles-manson Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast'.
 … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:16 - The old Bodleian 03:25 - Entering the Weston Library 06:13 - Retrieving the texts 06:48 - The Driver collection 08:29 - Close look at a Lamdre text 12:33 - Features of a terma treasure text 13:14 - Mind vs earth termas 15:15 - How termas are composed 15:51 - Charles' terma experience 16:54 - 4 ways of changing the mind 17:30 - Expanding a terma 18:02 - The Driver collection 19:00 - Dakini script and images 20:52 - Manuscript care 21:20 - Unwrapping a text, discovering a washing prayer 22:30 - More texts 24:50 - The Tibetan Book of the Dead 26:03 - Bardo doctrine of 49 days between lives 26:24 - Opportunities for liberation at and after death 27:43 - How to use the Tibetan Book of the Dead 28:39 - The process of rebirth 29:48 - Liberation upon hearing 30:18 - Phowa practice for the dead 33:16 - Dark retreat as preparation for death 34:11 - Dark retreat warnings 35:40 - Charles' studies at SOAS, Harvard, and Oxford 38:45 - Beginning at the Bodleian Library 39:58 - Coleridge on libraries 41:15 - Work at the British Library 41:46 - Why Charles would like more time 43:06 - First days at the Bodleian Library 44:36 - Initial work on the collection 45:27 - The Library of Congress and other partnerships 50:59 - Range of acquisitions 52:46 - Tibetan medical writing 53:41 - Access and the goals of Charles' library acquisitions 57:14 - What would Charles do with more funding 01:01:41 - Providing online access for the world 01:03:32 - Day in the life at the Bodleian Library 01:06:33 - Importance of specialist knowledge 01:09:19 - Charles' religious devotion 01:13:45 - Separation of religion and scholarship 01:14:53 - Why converts should learn the Tibetan language 01:16:43 - Scholar practitioners and the importance of study 01:18:17 - Teaching the Tibetan language 01:19:02 - Curation as religious service 01:19:17 - Charles' invitation to viewers … Previous episode with Charles Manson: - https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep243-scholar-practitioner-charles-manson To find our more about Charles Manson, visit: - https://www.shambhala.com/authors/the-second-karmapa-karma-pakshi.html - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/charles-manson-07420911 - charles.manson@bodleian.ox.ac.uk … 
For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com … Music ‘Deva Dasi' by Steve James

This Episode builds on Tuesday's reflection and turns it into practical wisdom. We'll talk about what it means to choose differently, not out of fear or loneliness, but from self-awareness and grounded confidence. These are the things we often wish we'd known before, and that we now get the gift of doing better with next time. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Want that chapter checklist just Click Here! For more information on the the "From Devastated to Divorced" Course, click the HERE! Find the Prompt Journal Digital Downloads HERE! ( but they there are also included in the course, YES all 5!) Great news! Now you can find everything you need in one spot! want to listen to this podcast off of apple, visit www.JosieFalcon.com Want to know about my services, you guessed it visit www.JosieFalcon.com you can email me at CoachJFalcon@gmail.com If you want to just send me a quick note, you can find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/Josie.Falcon And lastly, If you would like to interact with me and share with others please join my Facebook group  "Separation, Divorce & Starting Over"

Solo Thoughts and Rambles     Support the show

Support The Becket Cook Show on Patreon! NOTE: When you sign up for Patreon, PLEASE do it through a web browser (Safari, Chrome, etc.) and NOT an app on your iPhone. The Apple app charges 30% !!! If you just click on the link above, it should be fine. In this powerful episode Becket Cook talks to Jason Mellard, a man whose journey from childhood trauma and same-sex attraction to healing, faith, and family will leave you deeply moved. Jason reveals how years of confusion and pain—rooted in sexual abuse and a fractured relationship with his father—ultimately inspired him to create his transformative “Four S Framework”: Separation, Sensation, Sin, and Story. This life-changing approach helps men better understand the roots of same-sex attraction and find restoration through truth, identity, and God’s grace. As Jason recounts his father’s tragic struggle, his own path through recovery, and how he ultimately found freedom, purpose, and love through Christ, viewers are offered an authentic look at redemption in action. Today, Jason is a husband, father of three, and a coach helping men overcome shame, reconnect with God, and live lives full of purpose and possibility. His story is both heartbreaking and deeply hopeful—a testament to how God can transform even the most broken past into a radiant future. Jason's Website: https://ownyouridentitynow.com The Becket Cook Show Ep. 218 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In this episode of Boom! Lawyered, Imani and Jess discuss a new school launched in Colorado that's designed to erase the separation of church and state in public education. They also explain why the conservative legal movement could finally succeed in getting taxpayers to fund religious schools.  Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what's at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a supporter today.Imani has relaunched her column, AngryBlackLady Chronicles. Sign up for our newsletters here to read it first, and listen to Imani's new podcast, B*tch, Listen, here. Going on a long roadtrip and want Imani and Jess to accompany you?

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 2789: Kate Brierly reframes co-parenting as a necessary skill for anyone raising a child with a partner, whether you're married, separated, or somewhere in between. With practical advice grounded in her own experience, she offers strategies to foster teamwork, share responsibilities, and maintain consistent communication for the benefit of your children. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.healthline.com/health/parenting/co-parenting-lessons-learned-along-the-way Quotes to ponder: "Presenting yourself as a united front is absolutely key in the world of co-parenting." "Even on the most difficult, most frustrating days, keep in mind, nobody can understand what it's like to be the parent of your children except for your co-parent." "Lean on each other to get it all done and it becomes that much easier for both of you."  

In this episode of Boom! Lawyered, Imani and Jess discuss a new school launched in Colorado that's designed to erase the separation of church and state in public education. They also explain why the conservative legal movement could finally succeed in getting taxpayers to fund religious schools.  Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what's at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a supporter today.Imani has relaunched her column, AngryBlackLady Chronicles. Sign up for our newsletters here to read it first, and listen to Imani's new podcast, B*tch, Listen, here. Going on a long roadtrip and want Imani and Jess to accompany you?

Today, we are bringing you a special presentation on the contested issue of "sanctuary," which continues to cut into the immigration debates in our country. Dr. Sergio M. González traces the sanctuary movement to its roots in the 1980s and examines how we arrived at a moment where mercy is met with repression. This presentation was given on the campus of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., on Oct. 22, 2025, as part of BJC's annual Walter B. and Kay W. Shurden Lectures on Religious Liberty and Separation of Church and State.   SHOW NOTES Segment 1 (starting at 00:35): Introduction Dr. Sergio M. González is a historian of U.S. immigration, labor and religion. A professor at Marquette University, he is a co-founder and former organizer for the Dane Sanctuary Coalition.  He also is the co-creator of a podcast titled "Sanctuary: On the Border Between Church and State."    Segment 2 (starting at 04:45):  Presentation from Dr. Sergio M. González This is a recording of a lecture from Dr. Sergio González that took place Oct. 22, 2025, at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. Watch the full presentation, including the audience Q&A, on BJC's YouTube channel at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSnDp8hPNIo Dr. Gonzalez mentions a document called "Religious Liberty and Immigration: Legal Analysis of Past and Future Claims." You can access it on the website of the Law, Rights & Religion Project. This program was part of BJC's annual Walter B. and Kay W. Shurden Lectures on Religious Liberty and Separation of Church and State. Learn more at BJConline.org/ShudenLectures. Video of our episodes are now on YouTube! Click here for the season 7 playlist.  Do you want special emails about the show? Click here to sign up for our email list!    Respecting Religion is made possible by BJC's generous donors. Your gift to BJC is tax-deductible, and you can support these conversations with a gift to BJC.

Listen to my Morning Monologue: I'm sharing my take on pressing issues, enlightening research on human behavior, answering questions I get by email, and my favorite, most instructive interactions with callers. Everything you'll hear is designed to help you become a better spouse, parent, family member, co-worker, friend, and human being. It's the free therapy you need! Call 1-800-DR-LAURA / 1-800-375-2872 or make an appointment at DrLaura.comFollow me on social media:Facebook.com/DrLauraInstagram.com/DrLauraProgramYouTube.com/DrLauraJoin My Family!!Receive my Weekly Newsletter + 20% off my Marriage 101 course & 25% off Merch! Sign up now, it's FREE!Each week you'll get new articles, featured emails from listeners, special event invitations, early access to my Dr. Laura Designs Store benefiting Children of Fallen Patriots, and MORE! Sign up at DrLaura.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.