Podcasts about skimming

Remember to follow us on Social Media! Grazie Mille! Instagram Facebook  In this episode, Tommaso discusses how to manage cyber and personal security risks while traveling, particularly in tourist hotspots. He shares practical tips to protect against scams and pickpockets, ensuring a safer travel experience. Key Points: Cybersecurity Risks: Travelers are prime targets for cybercriminals due to their reliance on public Wi-Fi and charging stations. Skimming devices and compromised Wi-Fi routers are common methods used to steal personal data. Criminals are getting more sophisticated with phishing and vishing schemes Personal Safety: Pickpocketing is prevalent in popular tourist destinations like Rome and Venice. Organized criminal groups operate strategically, often with women performing thefts and men watching for law enforcement. Large crowds and momentary distractions provide ideal cover for these activities. Episode Highlights: Cybersecurity Tips: Avoid using public USB charging stations due to the risk of juice jacking. Use a portable charging brick and a backpack with an external charging port. Use cellular data or an eSIM instead of public Wi-Fi whenever possible. Use a VPN to encrypt your internet traffic, especially on public Wi-Fi. Only use ATMs inside banks to avoid skimming devices and shoulder surfing. Personal Safety Tips: Be aware of your surroundings, especially in crowded areas. Use money belts and hotel safes to protect valuables. Avoid showing off expensive items like jewelry. Keep wallets in front zipped pockets. Resources and Links: The link below will help you extend your phones batter life while traveling. https://www.makeuseof.com/tips-to-help-iphone-battery-last-while-traveling

What does drinking your parents booze at 16 and weight loss have in common??? Let me tell you!

North Korean IT worker army expands operations in Europe Stripe API skimming campaign unveils new techniques for theft Verizon call filter API flaw exposed customers' incoming call history Thanks to today's episode sponsor, Qualys "Overwhelmed by noise in your cybersecurity processes? Cut through the clutter with Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Management. Quantify your cyber risk in clear financial terms and focus on what matters most. Actionable insights help you prioritize critical threats, streamline remediation, and accelerate risk reduction— while effectively communicating impact to stakeholders. Empower your cybersecurity strategy with tools that drive faster, smarter, and more efficient risk management. Your secure future starts today with Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Management. Visit qualys.com/etm for more information."  

Steven Trotter, an experienced education leader, has spent over a decade as a principal, system leader, and senior leader. His book, The Art of Skimming Stones, introduces the SKIM Model—a practical approach to sustained school improvement. Unlike traditional leadership frameworks, SKIM focuses on intentional, subtle shifts that drive meaningful change. With a passion for professional learning, He equips educators and leaders with actionable strategies for lasting impact.  

Kroger makes another round of layoffs. The feds bust a gas station credit card skimming ring. And Sprouts Farmers Market opens five new stores in Florida.

I am talking to Mikael Mahlberg of Swedish e-ferry manufacturer Candela. His firm makes the electric hydrofoil that darts between the islands of Stockholm and will soon be gliding across Lake Tahoe. He explains how a low-impact ferry can transform urban transport.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Teil 2: Vom Info-Chaos zur Klarheit Du hast den ersten Teil meiner Miniserie gehört und weißt, warum es so wichtig ist, beim Thema KI am Ball zu bleiben? Perfekt! Jetzt geht es darum, wie Du die richtigen Informationen findest und sinnvoll organisierst, ohne in der KI-Flut unterzugehen. Denn es reicht heute nicht mehr, KI einfach nur spannend zu finden. Die eigentliche Herausforderung besteht nämlich darin, das wirklich Relevante aus der endlosen Informationsflut herauszufiltern. In der neuen Folge erfährst Du deswegen, mit welchen Methoden du schnell und einfach die passenden Inhalte findest, wie Du Deine Notizen systematisch speicherst und welche digitalen Helfer Dir den Alltag wirklich erleichtern. Darum geht‘s im Überblick:

Lesen ist eine der wertvollsten Gewohnheiten, die man sich im Leben aneignen kann.Gerade für Ingenieure, die ambitioniert sind und beruflich etwas bewegen wollen.Doch man kann dabei auch vieles falsch machen.Es ist wichtig zu verstehen, dass Lesen manchmal paradox ist.Show Notes:>> No Zero Days | Buch für Ingenieure:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nozerodays.de⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠>> IntraMBA | Mentoring für Ingenieure:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠intra.mba⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠>> Mentornotes: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mentorwerk.de/mentornotes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠>> Tim Schmaddebeck auf LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hier klicken⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠>> Buchempfehlungen: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mentorwerk.de/buecher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stichworte zur Folge:schneller lernen, Speed Learning, Leseparadoxien, besser lesen, effizientes Lernen, Deep Learning, Circle of Competence, Richard Feynman Methode, Wissen behalten, Memory Hacks, Bücher richtig lesen, produktives Lesen, Skimming vs. Deep Reading, Bücher zusammenfassen, Mentor vs. Bücher, Lernstrategien, Lesetechniken, Lesegewohnheiten, smarter lernen, Growth Mindset, 10x Learning, Wissen anwenden, Lesefehler vermeiden, Information Overload, Sachbücher effizient lesen, Inspiration vs. Integration, Leseflow, Selbstbildung, intelligenter lesen, Fokus beim Lesen

Skimming expressions or words can be dangerous. Learn how to avoid making critical mistakes by jumping to conclusions. #ThePitch #INICIVOX #VirtualMentorship

Protecting Your Family from Credit Card Scammers   In this episode of The Secure Family Podcast, Andy discusses the methods scammers use to steal credit card information, particularly focusing on credit card skimming. He explains the process of how skimming devices steal your data and shares practical tips to safeguard your credit card, such as using ApplePay and inspecting card readers for skimmers. Take control of your data with DeleteMe. Because they sponsor the podcast you can get 20% off a privacy plan from DeleteMe with promo code: DAD.  Andy's new ebook is coming soon. Look for Level Up: The Parent 30-Minute Guide to Online Gaming Safety on February 12th! Connect

On our podcast, we have often talked about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. In many of those conversations, we've talked about the benefits and eligibility, and ways to improve the work that SNAP does to help low-income families meet their food needs. In today's podcast, we're going to turn our attention to a particular challenge, and it's the SNAP skimming fraud. To help us understand this and the larger context of SNAP, we have the great pleasure of talking with Salaam Bhatti, who is the director of SNAP at the Food Research and Action Center, or FRAC. Interview Summary So, let's provide a little bit of level setting for our listeners. Can you tell us what role SNAP plays in the lives of individuals who are facing low income or food insecurity? Yeah, Norbert, the problem with being in the richest, most powerful nation in world history is that we are facing a food and hunger crisis. We have the means, we have the resources to solve for it, but we haven't. For the record, the USDA, the United States Department of Agriculture, did a study last year. They do this study every year where they report food security in the country. In 2023, 86.5 percent of U. S. households were food secure. The remaining 13.5 percent, which is 18 million households, were food insecure. And this was an increase from 2022. So, 86.5 percent of food security is barely a B+. To be in the most powerful wealthiest nation in the world and we're barely getting a B+ in this space is unacceptable. And so, we saw some really interesting policies happen during the pandemic. We saw emergency allotments come in for the SNAP program, where all households received the maximum benefit amount for their households. And that, unfortunately, sunset. When that emergency allotment was in place, food insecurity-surprise, surprise-decreased. But not just that, we also saw Medicaid healthcare spending costs decrease as well. Because who would have thought that when people had food security, they didn't need to go to the emergency room because their blood sugar was low. So, we're experiencing a lot of challenges where we've seen the government show its hand that it can end poverty. It can end hunger. It just chooses not to. We know that SNAP is an entitlement program. It's available to anyone who meets the eligibility requirements. But we know that everyone who's eligible doesn't participate in the SNAP program. Can you help us think about how more people can be enrolled who are eligible. And maybe we even need to think more broadly about what is eligibility? What are your thoughts about this? In a given month these days, about 42 million people participate in SNAP. That's a lot of people. I would say that 42 million people are participating in it every day, but unfortunately, SNAP benefits do not last the whole month. By the third week of the month, people's SNAP benefits have been exhausted. Now, taking a step back, in case the listeners don't know how SNAP benefits work, it's a, as you said, a government program. And it comes in the form of an electronic benefits transfer card, an EBT card. It looks like a credit card, looks like a debit card. But really, it's more like a hotel card key, because it doesn't have the security measures, which we can talk about later in the show. It doesn't have the security measures that a credit and a debit card have. It is essentially a glorified hotel key. It's got the magnetic stripe on the back, circa 20 years ago. Maybe 15. I'm dating myself. I don't know how long ago it was we were swiping the cards. But all you gotta do is you swipe the card and you type in your PIN. And then you can use it at the EBT retailer. That is in a nutshell how 40 million people are utilizing SNAP benefits every single month. The program itself is also vital to retailers as well. We've seen that every dollar of SNAP benefits generates about $1.54 in economic activity during an economic downturn. So that means that when somebody is using their SNAP benefits at the grocery store, it's helping that grocery store keep the lights on. You know, employ the cashiers. And we need to employ cashiers, enough of this self-checkout stuff. It helps to pay the truck driver who's transporting the produce to the store. And it ultimately even helps pay the farmer for growing the crop. So, it's a great investment from the federal government into not just our households to help them put food on the table, but really into the whole local economy. And it is immediately used directly by the people and helps so many people. Now so, to your question about how do we enroll more people? Well, luckily we are at a time where the USDA reports that in the fiscal year 2022, 88 percent of eligible individuals were participating in SNAP. And that is the highest participation rate we've seen since they started tracking this in the past 50 years. That's great. But again, it's just a B+ so we can do better. There is room to improve. In the study, it showed that older adults, those who are over 60, they're participating at lower rates with only 55 percent of eligible members in that age category participating. We also have so many military families and veterans who are eligible, but don't participate. This SNAP gap is something that our partners are working throughout the states, throughout the entire country. We're working in partnership with a lot of federal agencies and partners as well. So, how do you ultimately close the SNAP gap? We're seeing a lot of targeted outreach. Seeing a lot of education efforts, but, you know, with 88 percent of eligible people participating, what's going on-on the local level? And unfortunately, Norbert, we've seen that state agencies which administer the SNAP program are unfortunately understaffed and they're underfunded. I used to be a state advocate at the Virginia Poverty Law Center. And when I was, hustling in the halls and lobbying for a million households with low income, I became friends with our social services agency because we had similar goals. We wanted to help households with low income. And we came to learn that the agency that we are relying on to administer the program was never getting their budget met by the legislative assembly. So, what we did was we got into partnership with them to advocate for their budget so that they could retain their staff, and so that the staff could do the job. That is something that we have to do across the states. Support these social service agencies in getting the funding so that they can have the staffing so that they can administer the programs in a timely way. Unfortunately, I don't know if you've seen this but earlier this year, the USDA Secretary Vilsack sent out a letter to like 44 state agencies, including D. C. and Guam. Being very concerned about their timeliness issues because they're supposed to complete the application reviews and determine eligibility within 30 days. And that's for a normal SNAP application. You have seven days for expedited applications. And 44 of these agencies were not meeting the mark. That's bad for, in terms of deadlines, but even worse for the families experiencing the food insecurity. So that is a very layered answer. It's the seven-layer dip answer of how we increase participation. Well, we need more staff to, to help that out. I hear that, and I'm really grateful for how you hit it at this point, and I want to draw a little more attention to it. While you talk about 88 percent participation, it looks different on a state-by-state level. Some states have a higher level of participation, other states don't. Do you think it's really the ability of those state agencies to provide that support, or do you think there are other factors that may be influencing the differential participation rates across states? Yeah, so we saw a big retirement, the great resignation, that happened during the pandemic. There were so many state agency employees, you know, who were, who were doing the job because they were passionate about it. They were also at retirement age. So, we saw quite a resignation happen. Because it was incredibly difficult. It was traumatizing to be involved in this space. And so, they resigned, or they retired, or they moved on to somewhere else. The new workers came in and they learned the programs with the flexibilities that were provided during the pandemic. Now, they have to relearn the program because all those flexibilities are gone. So, we're seeing a lot of administrative burden taking place within these agencies. I have a colleague, Carolyn Barnes, who's worked on this idea of administrative burden and the challenge of what's sometimes referred to as street level bureaucrats. The people who are on the ground who do the administration of these programs and the challenges that they face and the ways they engage folks. I appreciate hearing more about this. And I'm going to ask a potentially controversial question then. What if we took that responsibility out of the hands of state agencies and privatized that? What would that look like? Oh, and people have tried that. Governments have tried that, and it's always resulted in net losses. Not only has it cost the states more, but it has also led to the participants not receiving their benefits, or receiving less than, or receiving an error of more than. So many errors have resulted, which has made the program and administration worse. Which is an interesting question because a lot of people don't know that there are skilled employees at the helm within the agencies that are working on these eligibility determinations. They're known as merit-based staff. And every now and then you'll see a Farm Bill, that's the piece of legislation that houses the SNAP program, it'll come in and they'll try to privatize parts of the program. In the guise of, 'Oh, we're just wanting to help the agencies out and get the benefits to the people.' But listen, the several states that have privatized their benefit programs have learned the hard way and they've done away with those privatization efforts. Okay. I want to turn our attention to something that you hinted at, and we talked about at the top of the program. This idea of skimming or the SNAP skimming fraud. And this is not something that participants are doing. It's something that's happening negatively to participants. So, could you tell us a little bit more about this skimming issue? You know, skimming is a very serious problem that has affected all types of consumers. It's a device that gets put on the point-of-sale system, like that thing that you insert your card into or swipe at the checkout. And it's indistinguishable from the actual point of sale system. You could have a trained eye and still not be able to tell that this point-of-sale system has been compromised. So, what happens is when somebody uses a compromise point of sale system, their information, their card number, their pin is all taken. And within the same day, within an hour, you'll see the benefits are extracted. Usually in an entirely different state, and just the account balance is completely wiped out. The SNAP participant does not find out. If they don't check their account balance, they won't find out until the next time they're at the grocery store and they've done their, you know, 30 minutes of 45 minutes of shopping, with their kids in tow, and they've put everything on the conveyor belt and they're checking out and they swipe their card. And it says your payment is declined. And that is an awful harrowing situation that people are subjected to in the richest nation on the planet. They can't even use their government benefits to put food on the table. And then the process that currently exists to replace those stolen benefits is a lot of administrative burdens there as well. Where you have to you go home without the food, you fill out a piece of paper to say what happened, and then it takes weeks for you to get your benefits replaced. And God forbid that this happens to you more than twice in one year because the current resolution from Congress only allows two benefit replacements every year. But I mean, Norbert the question might be, who's stealing all this stuff? And why aren't the states doing something about it? Or why isn't the SNAP participant doing more to protect themselves? What we have to understand is that there are federal authorities, the FBI, are looking into this. They are investigating this because tens of millions of government dollars have been stolen. Over 120,000 households have been affected. This is big. This is bigger than the SNAP participant. This is bigger than the state. This is bigger than the retailers. And so, there's a lot for the federal government to do not just in replacing the benefits. Because that's you know, you we have a hole in the boat and we can't throw money at the hole. We need to fix the hole. So, what are we looking at here? We're looking at the opportunity to Secure our cards, secure the EBT card, by moving to chip. So, that is the next big thing You know what I appreciate out of this conversation is the experience of individuals who are using their SNAP benefits and they go to the store and the pain of discovering that their SNAP benefits have been expended. Not by them, but through some other means. I know the experience of having identity theft and, losing a credit card and not being able to do it. But I'm not in a situation where that means I'm not able to put food on my table. So, thank you for bringing our attention to the individual tragedy of that experience. And I think that's something important. But what you're also hinting at is that this is not some small-time incident. This is something much bigger. And of course, the federal government has a deep interest in trying to address this issue. And there needs to be some fix. And how this fix occurs also needs to be cognizant of the individual experience of low income individuals who are just struggling to make sure that they're able to solve this food problem. Yeah, you were talking about identity theft and when identity theft happens in the private sector things are resolved pretty quickly. If your credit card is hacked, nowadays you can just go online and say dispute charge and everything's taken care of within 24 hours. But can you imagine like not getting food benefits, like your debit card, your bank account being emptied, and you don't get everything back for weeks. It's mind numbing. It's really awful to think about. You've mentioned some technology fixes. And seems like they're pretty well known, the chip technology. Are there other fixes or in terms of technology or security systems that could help prevent this skimming challenge? One of the other challenges we're facing with the skimming is that the replacement benefits are temporary, it's going to expire on December 20th of this year (2024). And this is an extension that happened after the original replacement benefits, which was just under two years. These short-term fixes, or these short-term replacement benefit strategies are not what we need. We really need a permanent replacement benefit because no matter how secure the card gets, criminals are just going to be creative, and they will attack every single type of card as they continue to do with chip cards. Because we're talking about skimming, there's also something called shimming. S H I M M I N G. And that's when the point-of-sale system isn't compromised from the top, but from within, where you insert the card. That's shimming. So, that's something that exists as well. Chip cards will go a long way to decreasing the benefit theft when chip cards rolled out in the private sector it reduced theft by like around 90 percent. We're hopeful and optimistic that similar patterns will emerge there. But that's of course not 100 percent. It's not AA+++ It's a reason for why permanent replacement benefits need to continue. When it comes to chip card benefits, your listeners might be like, wait, wait, wait, this is 2024. We still have cards that haven't gone chip? It's because there's so many layers in the financial sector of what's going on the back end of these cards. So thankfully there was this massive process known as the x9 process where the entire industry came together. All the card manufacturers, grocers, convenience stores, retailers, banks, us humble nonprofits, and we came in to talk about what needs to be done. And so, they finally released the standards just over a month ago. And now we have two states in the running California and Oklahoma to roll out chip cards in the new year. All eyes are on Cali and Oklahoma to see how it goes before, I guess other states are going to hop on. The chip card is going to be the next big thing in the SNAP benefits world. Thank you for sharing this. I want to ask you one additional question about this technology issue. And it's related to a project I'm working on. It's the idea of online grocery shopping and the expansion of the SNAP benefits for online grocery shopping. And I'm wondering if there's any relationship between what you're seeing in skimming and the ability to use online grocery shopping. Or are these completely disconnected? I haven't seen anything regarding theft online, it's all been physical. We are seeing some promising things coming out of online shopping, especially for people who are living in areas without food access. Once we can bridge that gap of getting fresh food, like the produce and meats and chicken and fish, to people who are far away from grocery stores, then we've found the magic solution. But it's a promising trend on the online delivery space. Oh, that's awesome. I want to ask you just more generally about SNAP and where FRAC is right now. Where are you all thinking about in this space? And then what are ways that you can get just regular everyday people to help in the policy work of eliminating food insecurity? For more than 50 years, FRAC has been working to improve health, nutrition, and the well-being of people who have been struggling with poverty related hunger in the United States. Now, we have made tremendous strides in the fight against hunger. We've played a critical role in expanding SNAP. We've secured increased benefits for households with low incomes through landmark legislation, litigation. But unfortunately our work is far from over and we are really trying to work ourselves out of jobs. We cannot do it alone. We really need all hands on deck, especially as we are seeing in this upcoming Farm Bill effort some cuts that are being suggested or offered to SNAP benefit. We really need all hands on deck to protect this program. To build a nation free from hunger we encourage your listeners to go to frac.org, frac.org. Sign up for our action network and urge your members of Congress to prioritize ending hunger in America. Now, I know that oftentimes we're not sure what we should be saying to our Congress members. Our action network tells you all the things and it helps you really quickly and easily customize templates. Send in your own messages to your members of Congress. And also learn about hunger in your state and the solutions that exist as well. So, what will it achieve for you at the end of the day? Your efforts will advance bold and equitable policy and program solutions. And provide technical assistance and training to thousands of anti hunger advocates across the country, because we're collecting your stories. And your stories help impact Congressmembers. It helps us win their hearts. Bio Salaam Bhatti joined FRAC in November 2023 as the SNAP Director. In this role, he works to strengthen SNAP access and benefit adequacy. Salaam works closely with the Interim President to develop, lead, and track annual work plans; set and meet unit goals; collaborate with other unit Directors to assist in achieving FRAC's strategic plan goals; and expand the unit's innovation and work. Salaam joined FRAC after working at the Virginia Poverty Law Center (VPLC). While at VPLC, he successfully lobbied to fully repeal the drug felon ban for SNAP and TANF, twice achieved record increases to TANF cash benefits, subsidized reduced-priced school meals, repealed the TANF family cap, ended lunch shaming policies in schools, and received a unanimous vote to expand SNAP for over 20,000 families.  Salaam also helped develop a mobile-friendly, SNAP screening tool which is used by tens of thousands of people & multiple non-profits and has been rolled out to be available for all states and D.C. He received the Young Alumni Achievement Award from Albright College for his work in alleviating poverty and promoting Muslim-Jewish relations. Salaam also received the inaugural Stuart A. Freudberg Award for Regional Partnership for his work with Maryland and DC Hunger Solutions to address food insecurity across the metropolitan Washington area from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Salaam has a J.D. from Touro Law School, is barred in New York and Virginia, and received his Bachelors in Political Science and International Relations from Albright College (with a year abroad in the University of Aberdeen). 

The shidduch process can be very frustrating, waiting for suggestions, waiting for responses. Sometimes, things look like they are going so well, and all of a sudden, everything falls apart. Sometimes, after waiting a long time, a prospective shidduch is finally set up. The girl begins getting excited, hoping this could be the one. Then, on the day they are supposed to meet, the boy calls in sick and somehow never follows through. Getting rejected or overlooked is considered tremendous yesurin . We don't know why people have to experience them, but for sure, they are accomplishing so much through their experience. Every moment of waiting is accomplishing different types of tikkunim that will benefit them for all eternity. As hard as it is to imagine, everything is happening exactly the way Hashem wants it to happen, for the person's benefit. If the person can stay strong in their emunah and trust that they are in Hashem's loving hands, the value of what they are experiencing will become exponentially greater. No matter how long it has been or how bleak it seems, we must always have the emunah of ישועת ה' כהרף עין -everything can change in the blink of an eye. Salvation can literally come at a moment's notice. Part of a person's responsibility as a God-fearing Jew is to always have hope that salvation could come instantly. The Jewish world was overjoyed when we found out last year that a Rosh Yeshiva in Israel had his first baby at the age of 88. The Rosh Yeshiva had lost his first wife in 2015 and then, at the age of 82, remarried a woman in 2018 who was more than 30 years younger than him. Six years later, she miraculously gave birth to a healthy baby boy. The Rebbetzin told the incredible story of how this shidduch took place at a massive gathering in Lakewood, and Rabbi Binyamin Prusansky related it in his new book, Living with Miracles . After marrying late and having a family, she found herself alone again. She was nearly 50 years old and had one dream: to marry a talmid chacham . She strengthened her emunah and prayed to Hashem to make it happen. In the meantime, she dedicated a sefer on tefilla as a zechut for herself and others, written by Rabbi Daniel Travis. She was hoping to get married within the year, but as the end of the year approached, not one shidduch had been suggested to her. One Erev Shabbat , she brought her son to the orthopedist to have his cast removed. On her way into the building, she slipped and fell down a flight of steps. She hobbled into the office and was told that she had pulled some tendons and might have a hairline fracture. When she arrived home, she sat in the kitchen and elevated her leg, resting her foot on a chair while her children prepared for Shabbat. As she sat there, she noticed her diary on the kitchen table. Skimming through it, she came to a notation she had made for Tu B'Av, which was just two weeks away. The date was circled, and written on the page were the words, Im Yirtzeh Hashem, My Wedding Day . Sitting there with her injured foot, just two weeks away from what she so fervently believed would be her wedding day, she felt dejected. She had worked so hard on her bitachon . How could this be the outcome? But then she caught herself and said, "Hashem can do anything. I need to remain hopeful—Hashem could bring me a shidduch in the blink of an eye." That Shabbat, she focused her thoughts and heart on building her confidence that Hashem could answer her tefillot כהרף עין . On Motza'eh Shabbat , a shadchan called with a suggestion—it was the Rosh Yeshiva. The shadchan said what set her resume apart from others was that Rabbi Daniel Travis, a student of the Rosh Yeshiva, was listed as one of her references. Rabbi Travis read to the Rosh Yeshiva the dedication she had written in his sefer , which expressed her profound love and support for Torah. Those words convinced the Rosh Yeshiva that he had found his zivug . Their meeting took place during the Nine Days. About thirty minutes into their conversation, the Rosh Yeshiva asked her, "What date would you like the wedding to be?" Unprepared for the question, she steered the conversation in a different direction. But then, ten minutes later, he asked again, and again she diverted the discussion. A few minutes later, he asked her if she wanted to get married, to which she replied, "Yes." "So when do you want the wedding to take place?" he asked. She said, "Tu B'Av is a beautiful day to get married." "Tu B'Av it is," the Rosh Yeshiva answered. And eleven days later, their wedding was held. It had seemed like salvation was far off. But the Rebbetzin renewed her strength in believing in ישועת ה' כהרף עין , and amazingly, she was married on Tu B'Av, just as she had hoped.

#190 Do you find it difficult to choose among all the self-help, mindset and property specific books on offer? Well I've read a couple of dozen books this year and have narrowed them down to seven that I'd highly recommend you to read too. And that's what this episode is all about.1.     Book 1: Atomic Habits by James Clearo   Efficient reading strategies: Skimming and selecting valuable contento   Applied lessons from the book related to goal-setting2.     Book 2: The Barcelona Way by Damian Hugheso   Insights from Pep Guardiola's managerial styleo   Importance of team culture and selecting the right hires3.     Book 3: Bounce by Matthew Syedo   Concept of deliberate practice for high performanceo   Psychological factors affecting skill development4.     Book 4: Shoe Dog by Phil Knighto   The story of Nike's beginnings and Phil Knight's journeyo   Themes of determination and passion driving success5.     Book 5: Can't Hurt Me by David Gogginso   Comparison with the consistency-focused concept from "Great by Choice"o   Balance between pushing limits and maintaining steady progress6.     Book 6: Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter by Curtis Jacksono   Personal insights from rapper and entrepreneur 50 Cento   Lessons in handling setbacks and adjusting strategies7.     Book 7: The Biggest Bluff by Maria Konnikovao   Exploration of decision-making and psychology through pokero   Lessons related to control and uncertainty in investingo   Concept of attributing wins to skill and losses to lucko   Stress management for property investment decision-makingOur investor list is full right now, but we'll be doing more projects in the year ahead.Schedule a callto see if we're a good fit for each other.I'd Like Help With Setting My Goals(Download a Free Comprehensive Cheat Sheet PDF)Leave an honest review of Expat Property StoryJoin our Mailing List to join our WhatsApp  group AND access our 37 Question Due Diligence Checklist AND our 23 Step Guide to Buying Property at Auction AND our Monthly NewsletterFollow Us on InstagramWhat's the one thing you're struggling with in UK propertyDetails of where to meet Expat Property Investors (For FREE):Hong Kong: Pacific Coffee, 2/F, Central Building, Central (1st Saturday each month from 11:30 am)Dubai: Holiday Inn, Science Park (1st Wednesday each month from 7pm)Singapore: The Providore at VivoCity (1st Saturday each month  from 10:30 am)KeywordsExpat Property Story, property education, self help books, mindset books, property specific books, Atomic Habits, James Clear, Barcelona Way, Damian Hughes, High Performance, Liquid Thinker, change management, sports psychologist, Pep Guardiola, FC Barcelona, Bounce, Matthew Syed, UK champion, purposeful practice, deliberate practice, Shoe Dog, Phil Knight, Nike, Just Do It, Can't Hurt Me, David Goggins, Navy SEAL, ultra endurance athlete, Hustle Harder Hustle Smarter, Curtis Jackson, 50 Cent, The Biggest Bluff, Maria Konnikova.

With the holiday travel season approaching, we're revisiting a podcast episode featuring Paul Radu, the co-founder and co-executive director of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). Paul describes his team's work in uncovering an international team of cash machine skimmers that ultimately skimmed hundreds of millions of dollars, largely from tourist hot spots. Travelers often don't realize their accounts are being drained until after they return home. This episode was originally published on 9 June 2020.

Lords: * Ben * Andrew Topics: * Baking: precise science of measurement or do it all by feel? (People have very different philosophies of muffins) * I've gotten into making crosswords this year and recently had the idea to start putting them on postcards and leaving them in public places for people to find. Am I becoming the Riddler? Is this fine? * I just found out that there aren't exactly 52 weeks in a year * The Rules, Leila Chatti * https://poets.org/poem/rules * Building fidgeting into a Zoom lecture * Things of Science. (Subscription science toy service that I got when I was a kid) Microtopics: * Posting pictures of pottery to social media. * The Hopefully Year of Layoffs. * Teaching game development as a hobby. * The interactive comic books of Jason Shiga. * Lies and truth and sea monsters. * Waiting for half an hour to find out if you fucked it up. * Baking intuitively. * Skimming a recipe and thinking "hmm yes, I've made food before" * Voronoi cookies. * Keeping separate baking notebooks for each season. * Having units that are divisible by two. * Putting it in a Gas 4 Oven. * How to pronounce "tare." * Sneaking into Grandma's kitchen and weighing all the ingredients. * Cruciverbalism. * Where to post the crosswords you've constructed. * A Lord's Puzzle. * Giving people a little bit of joy and avoiding hearing any feedback about it. * Living in the puzzle capital of the world. * Constructing a crossword puzzle for every party you attend. * The MIT Mystery Hunt. * Making art for a really small group of people. * Crosswordese. * Designing themed vs. themeless crossword puzzles. * How many weeks are in a leap year. * Yet another ratio that doesn't work out. * Calendrical systems you could use. * Things that you know that are wrong. * What's your favorite thing you don't know that you don't know? * Finding a drawer full of narwhal tusks in a bone shop and thinking "hm, sixty unicorns died here" * NASA's antigravity room. * Why doesn't the Mars habitat work out? * Multiple digressions on horse urine. * Refining horse urine into progesterone on Mars. * Suddenly realizing that you've been dead all along. * Cicadas doing whatever they do in the trees. * Acknowledging the expectations of what a poem is. * Why you always turn out to have been dead at the end. * Who is out there still making games about guns? * Adding line breaks to make your essay look like a poem. * Innominateness. * Garden path level design. * Reading aloud etudes. * Mavis Beacon Teaches Elocution. * Replacing your Zoom background with a video of yourself. * Brain massaging video of cutting sand. * The calming effect of amphetamines. * Fidgeting incessantly during Zoom calls. * Fidgeting for people so they don't have to. * Bubbling noises and space harps. * Remote testing protocols. * Plagiarism detector snake oil. * Doing homework to get used to the idea of doing homework. * Mass-production of adults. * Paperwork as a method of crowd control. * Homework as a barrier to family time vs. homework that facilitates family time. * Mailing people little bits of science. * Aerogel vs. Superslurper. * Growing mold in your oobleck. * Sending 1940s children asbestos in the mail. * Using every sense to explore the world. * A dog sniffing your hand and walking away. * Throwing away all the business cards that just have your Twitter handle on them.

Henry talks with Steven Trotter, Educational Leadership & Development Expert | Principal | Author | Speaker | ACEL New Voice in School Leadership Scholar 2024 | Most recent book - The Art of Skimming Stones: Leading Sustained Improvement In Schools. Audio production by Rob Kelly.

Todd receives a box with photographs from his grandmother who had recently passed away.  Skimming through the photos, Todd finds a picture of a man in WWII army attire. Immediately, he has flashbacks of childhood memories he long forgotten.Thank you, Todd, for sharing your story with the Spooked! Produced by Erick Yáñez, original score by Lalin St. Juste, artwork by Teo Ducot.Happy Halloween Season Spooksters! Now you can also subscribe on YouTube for scary stories from Spooked.

EPISODE 340. Sabino and Rocco sit down with Tony Dabas, Italian by affiliation to talk about life growing up in Staten Italy, his passion for driving ice cream trucks and Kung Fu, a life changing moment that made him pursue comedy again and so much more. We call this one, the Tony D Takeover! Be sure to follow Tony here https://www.instagram.com/tonydcomedy Follow Sabino here https://instagram.com/sabinocurcio Follow Rocco here https://instagram.com/rocloguercio To shop our merchandise, visit https://www.growingupitaliangui.com Be sure to check our Instagram https://www.instagram.com/growingupitalian For Dual Citizenship https://theitalianpassport.com/growingupitalian As always, if you enjoyed this video, be sure to drop a Like, Comment and please SUBSCRIBE. Grazie a tutti! Chapters 1:00 - Italian by Association 5:00 - The Glasses 7:00 - Comedic Criminal 12:00 - Impressions 16:00 - Kung Fu Culture 22:00 - No Messing Around 25:00 - Near Death Experience 31:00 - Comedy Business 34:00 - Skimming off the Top 37:00 - What's in the Bag? 40:00 - 100 Jobs 47:00 - Creative Process 52:00 - Relating to All People 54:00 - Adam Sandler 58:00 - Arab Ice Cream Driver

This Sunday, we continue our Slow Motion series. Pastor Rich leads us through Psalm 1 as we explore what it means to slowly meditate on scripture. As we meditate, there are a number of promises God offers us.

Using an ATM, paying for petrol or shopping at a retail store are pretty routine things that many of us do on a frequent basis. But it's important to be aware of the often invisible threat posed by a criminal practice called skimming, which sees fraudsters clone bank cards.  Across the pond in the US, data analytics firm Fico reported a 96% increase in debit card skimming in 2023, and recent months have also seen prominent cases in the UK. Let's take a moment to understand what skimming is a little better, and go over the best ways in which you can protect yourself. Is it really possible to clone a bank card? Once they have my card details, how do they use them? Are banks doing anything to protect consumers? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: How do sim swapping scams work? What is Quantum medicine and is it a scam? Why do web addresses start with www? A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Début septembre 2024, une habitante de l'Ain a été victime d'une arnaque appelée "Skimming". En consultant ses comptes bancaires, elle constate un paiement de plus de 1800 euros dans un hôtel à Montpellier. Elle n'y a pourtant jamais mis les pieds ! Très vite, elle contacte l'hôtel par téléphone et le réceptionniste comprend qu'il s'agit d'une fraude. La police arrive sur les lieux et place les occupants de la chambre en garde à vue. À la suite de l'enquête, les policiers ont conclu que la carte bancaire de la victime avait été clonée à son insu ! Mais comment cloner une carte bleue ? Suis-je à risque ? Comment se protéger de cette arnaque ? Écoutez la suite de cet épisode de "Maintenant vous savez". Un podcast Bababam Originals, écrit et réalisé par Hugo de l'Estrac. A écouter aussi : Qu'est-ce que l'arnaque au permis de conduire ? Quels sont les 3 conseils pour éviter les arnaques à la location ? L'argent liquide va-t-il disparaître ? Retrouvez tous les épisodes de "Maintenant vous savez". Suivez Bababam sur Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It went all the way to a 'Skim of Destiny' but Tipperary's own Simon Power has been officially named the 2024 World Stone Skimming Champion, becoming the first one ever from Ireland. Simon joined Dave to chat about the competition, how he realised he had such a skill and if he'd be willing to fight someone for the perfect stone.

If you're working a literature review or just going down the academic reading rabbit hole, this one is for you. Today, we're discussing how to work smarter, not harder, to speed up reading academic papers. We'll dive into key strategies like categorizing and prioritizing your reading list, skimming, scanning, and focusing on your research questions. Plus, we'll talk about why sometimes there's no substitute for putting in the hard work. OVERVIEW:00:00 Introduction01:30 Categorizing and Prioritizing01:55 Understanding Research Methods02:32 Reading with Intention and Critical Thinking09:03 Skimming and Scanning17:59 Balancing Hard Work and Smart Strategies26:04 Practical Tips and University Guidelines28:08 Final ThoughtsKEY RESOURCES:

Glenmore Lodge, the Scottish National Outdoor Training Centre, has recently established Scotland's first hill navigation training course to be delivered in British Sign Language. One of those involved in setting it up was deaf climber and mountaineer Morag Skelton. Mark chatted to Morag for the Scotland Outdoors podcast, and we hear an excerpt where they speak about her childhood outdoors and the practicalities involved in climbing when you can't hear. For our latest Scotland Outdoors podcast, Rachel went to meet M.T O'Donnell in her garden near Glasgow. M.T is the founder of Scotland Grows magazine and the host of the Scotland Grows Show podcast. She's keen on looking after her garden in a way that's nature friendly and as she tells Rachel, that even extends to dealing with slugs. On the shores of Loch Awe near Dalmally lies the very striking St Conan's Church. Mark went for a visit to explore its remarkable architecture, both inside and out. A few weeks ago, Mark and Rachel headed across to the island of Easdale which lies 15 miles south of Oban. They got the ferry from Seil and chatted to the boatman, Alan, about who lives on Easdale and who visits. Mark also chats to Bethan Smith who owns a soap making business on the island. And Rachel catches up with Mike Mackenzie who has lived there for decades. He tells her what the community is like and how he came to live on the wee island. If you looked up to the sky earlier this week you might have been lucky to catch a glimpse of the Perseid Meteor Shower. The Perseids are one of the most dramatic things to see in the night sky and the shower will be active for another week or so. We chat live to the Astronomer Royal for Scotland, Catherine Heymans, to get her hints and tips on how to spot the meteors and what else to look out for in the night sky at this time of year. The Countryside Rangers at Mugdock Country Park in East Dunbartonshire have been taking groups out to help them learn how to identify bird species by their sound. Linda Sinclair joined a group, led by Ranger Alan MacBride at Clachan of Campsie, at dusk to listen out for our birdsong and try to identify what they could hear. Poet Matt Kinghorn decided to walk more than 200 miles from his home in Aberdeenshire to North Berwick just to offer a listening ear to anyone who needed it. Rachel met up with him at the start of his challenge to hear more about why he'd decided to do it. And to round off their trip to Easdale, the home of the world stone skimming championships, Mark and Rachel try their hands at skimming despite the rather inclement weather.

Scott Schober, Cyber Expert, Author of "Hacked Again," and CEO of Berkeley Varitronics Systems, sits down with host David Braue to discuss card skimming and what consumers need to know about this complex cybercriminal tactic. • For more on cybersecurity, visit us at https://cybersecurityventures.com

A scorching outdoor encounter in the dog days of summer. by TheSleepingKing. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. You know the worst thing about the Midwest? August. Sure, there are other things. But after three straight weeks of 98 degrees and 90% humidity you don't really care that Kansas is a thing. You just want out – to escape the stifling grassland; preferably to a place where you don't need to swim through the steam to reach the next air-conditioned oasis. Where I work we need to maintain a minimum staffing level to fulfill our obligations. So vacation requests are handled on a first come first serve basis. First person to request time off gets first pick of available dates. Usually I get in early, guaranteeing myself at least one week that I want. But by the time I remembered to request this year, my only option for a summer break was the final week in August.Monday and Tuesday were a bust. Too hot to leave the house. I tried Monday morning, heading out to my favorite brunch spot for an omelet. But after burning my hand on the gear shift lever at 10:00 am I decided to pack it in. The weather app promised cooler temperatures mid-to-late-week, so I set about crafting a plan to salvage what was left of my vacation. There's a state park a few hours north, on the edge of a popular college town. I'd hiked there several times before. It was quiet, with a decent elevation and full tree canopy, and a 15-foot waterfall at the crux of the two longest trails. Temps in the mid-eighties were still warmer than I preferred. But after months of being stuck in a warehouse 10 hours a day, a little time outside seemed…necessary. I texted my friend Natalie, curious if she'd want to tag along. She was fun, outdoorsy, and never seemed too busy for an adventure. And sometimes, if we'd both had a few drinks, you might find her with her head in my lap, cock in her mouth and my fingers slowly circling her clit; agreeing this was a great way to spend an evening. But this time I struck out. I was on my own. I'd have to make the best of it. Every hotel in town was booked for Friday night (damn college football weekend), so I reserved a room for Wednesday and Thursday and headed out after lunch. Two hours and three Interstates later I pulled into a parking lot already half-filled with cars. I intended to drop my bag in the room and lap the short trail before dinner. That plan screeched to halt the moment I shut off the car. Cooler temperatures midweek my ass. It was 90 degrees at 4:15. The air saturated my clothes as I trudged across the pavement, and by the time I arrived at the check-in desk I knew I was done for the day. Cranking up the air in the room I decided to catch up on some streaming shows before heading across the parking lot to a local burger joint for a lite supper. But soon the sun disappeared behind a fortress of darkened clouds. The wind whipped up and the rain poured down in sheets, lashing the windows and transforming the parking lot into a rippling black pond. I watched for a while, checking the weather report to find nothing about precipitation. If Thursday was anything like this…. Eventually the rain stopped, and I headed out for dinner. It was cooler now – high 70s or so, and the squall had dried the air enough for the wind to wick away the water instead of steaming me in a sauna. I picked a seat in the corner of the restaurant patio and settled in for a meal. The dining room filled up quickly. Mostly locals – you could tell by the comfortable clothes and their rapport with the bartenders. But midway through my second beer, three young women rounded the corner from the waiting area, following the hostess to a four-top across the aisle from me beneath the center awning. And they were obviously based somewhere else. Two of them looked similar, (sisters maybe? cousins?) with straight blonde hair and big broad smiles. They dressed like they'd come straight from the yacht club: white shorts, striped navy tees and deck shoes; one with a denim jacket, the other in a hat. The third was taller with rectangular glasses, buoyant, gently curled auburn hair, and a short powder blue A-line summer dress accentuating the tone and length of her legs. She caught me looking as they stopped at their table. I turned away quickly, smiling to myself, disappointed, yet amused that I wasn't as discrete as I used to be. I took a full swig of beer and set the mug gently on the coaster before glancing back toward their table. The brunette had switched places with her friends, taking the seat on the far side of the circle, just about facing me. For a while I kept my eyes to myself. They ordered drinks and struck up a lively conversation. My burger and fries arrived, and I concentrated on securing the toppings so as not to make a fool of myself the first time I bit into it. But as I worked my way through the meal my attention began to wander. First to the parking lot. Then to the bar. And finally, to the beauty at the table twelve feet away. I stole glances between french fries and over the rim of my glass, careful to look away the moment before she turned her head or shifted her eyes toward me. Despite my best efforts she caught me once or twice. I flashed a smile, she did the same, we both looked away until the next time it happened. I was always drawn back. Her face was so bright, skin glowing in the warmth of the pendant lights. She shifted in her chair, slouching a little, stretching her legs to the edge of the aisle and crossing them at the ankles. Her dress rode high up her thighs, the shadow of the fabric and the table above shielding me from what lay beneath. I pretended I hadn't noticed, drawing out a sip of beer until she returned to her conversation. Inappropriate thoughts crept through my mind. I prodded them, trying to keep them at bay. She was at least ten – if not fifteen years younger. I was here to hike, not ogle women just barely out of college. The waiter stopped by my table, asking if I needed anything. I should have asked for the cheque. It would have been the smart thing to do. Instead, I asked for ice cream. It was still warm out, seemed reasonable. A few minutes later I spotted him heading my way, a tray with a tall bowl and several margaritas balanced on one hand. As he stopped to set the bowl in front of me, movement behind him caught my eye. I looked past to the ladies' table to catch the brunette uncross her ankles and ease her outside leg into the aisle, her knees drifting apart just far enough to show me smooth, plump pussy lips unencumbered by fabric or modesty. I froze, staring. Drinking it in. “Everything okay sir,” the waiter inquired, snapping me back to the moment. I tore my eyes away and looked up, then down at the ice cream, then up again, trying to reset my brain. “Yes,” I replied, “thank you. It looks…delicious.” I don't think I was talking about ice cream. And from the way his forehead wrinkled I think he knew that. I dipped the spoon in and took a bite. He nodded and moved past me to the table waiting on drinks. Staring at the bowl I tried to collect my thoughts. But all I could picture was the perfect pocket of pleasure framed between those gently tanned thighs. I lifted my head. Her legs remained splayed, treasure visible. Leaning back in her seat she lifted one foot, skimming her calf up over her shin until one knee rested over the other, closing the curtain on my view. Our gaze met. The corners of her mouth curled up and her eyebrows shrugged, and I felt the stir in my groin as I realized that perhaps…I was meant to see what I saw. I smiled a little. Then stopped. Her friends had turned to watch me, giggling into the hands covering their mouths. I scooped a spoonful of ice cream and shoved it into mine, staring at the table. Nothing like looking creepy in front of attractive women half your age. I decided to finish my dessert and keep my eyes to myself, get back to my room before embarrassing myself further. Before I could execute my plan, the women settled their tab and left. Through the glass I watched them skip across the parking lot toward the hotel, laughing with each other along the way. Something slipped from the brunette's swinging hand, and when she stooped to pick it up she looked back in my direction. I flinched, wanting to turn away. But I couldn't. She was mesmerizing. She flashed a smile, then ran to catch up with her friends. I waited until I was sure they were settled in their rooms before heading back to mine. I ambled into the bathroom and checked myself in the mirror. I was in good shape for 40 plus. Ten years ago I might have made a pass at them; bought them a round, slid over to their table, try to talk one into joining me in my room. Instead…I took a shower, cranked up the air conditioning, and went to bed. Thursday morning I grabbed some apples from the breakfast bar, threw on a tee shirt and cargo shorts and prepared to hit the trail. It was a little after 8:00, about 75 degrees. The weather app promised 85 by 2:00 pm, which gave me plenty of time to loop the long trails before the heat became oppressive. Armed with two frozen water bottles and the fruit in a small backpack I caught a ride share to the park and headed out. The forest was teaming with life. Birds of all feathers chattered in the trees while rabbits and squirrels and other small creatures darted about in the in the brush below. The canopy was lush and thick, filtering much of the early light and heavily shading the first few miles, making for a pleasant hike. But the trail was overgrown from nearly two years of under use. The deeper I forged into the trees the more difficult it became to stay on track. And the leaves that earlier shielded me from the sun now trapped its heat beneath them, turning a warm walk in a light breeze into a hot slog through a noisy sauna. I didn't remember the route as well as I thought, and before I knew it, I was lost. I took a seat on a fallen log and fished a bottle out of the backpack. The ice had melted but the water was still cool. After half the bottle I traded it for my phone and tried to figure out where the hell I was. Reception was spotty and the GPS couldn't decide between several locations. From the lay of the land and direction of my hike I decided to head northeast. At some point I would run into the river, which would lead me back to my trail. I finished the first bottle and resumed walking. The temperature continued to climb, humidity trapping sweat on my skin. The skitter of critters through the underbrush ceased and the bird songs faded into the heat. An eerie quiet settled in, tempered by the crunch of fallen twigs underfoot. My limbs felt dull and heavy and a thought repeated in my head. You should have stayed home. I was looking for a place to rest when I finally heard it. Running water. In spite of myself I picked up the pace, oblivious to the incline I'd been descending the past few minutes. Up ahead the canopy thinned, tree trunks spacing out along the edge of a clearing. Picking through the tall grass I emerged into the sunlight onto the smooth flat rocks forming the edge of the river. Marked with a boulder on the far bank was the entrance to the second trail. To my right, Lost River Falls. Fifteen feet up, the black shale outcropping curved into a gentle crescent. The lazy river curled over the edge in a soft, thin sheet, spilling into a shallow pool before funneling through a narrow channel to the river basin and snaking on downstream. Now high in the sky, the sun blazed the sparkling water white, casting a rainbow over the riverbank and a deep shadow on the vertical rock beneath the ledge. The gentle roar swelled in my ears. I intended to cross to the trail and head back, but it was so hot, and the mist in the air felt so enticing. I turned toward the falls, threading my way along the bank over the channel to the edge of the pool. On a rock nearby I set down my pack, flanking it with my boots moments later. Peeling of the sweat-soaked tee shirt I waded into the water. The pool was warmer than I expected, but much cooler than the air, instantly soothing my feet. I shuffled along the shale bottom until the water sloshed around my calves. Reaching out I pierced the curtain, splashing droplets over my face and chest. Drawing a deep breath, I closed my eyes and stepped into the falls. I stayed a minute, despite the chill, the water flushing the ick of the morning off my skin. It beat on my back and shoulders, leeching heat from my muscles and ache from my bones. I ducked under and out several times, like it was a rolling ocean wave on a Caribbean beach. Cleansed and refreshed, I returned to the rock. I rung out the shirt and laid it flat over the adjacent stone, then fished the second water bottle from the backpack. Bottle to my lips I soaked up the view. Vibrant green forest, shimmering white water, worn black rock winding through the landscape. I smiled to myself. Sure it was hot, but it beat the hell out of being stuck in the warehouse. The snap of a twig behind me drew my attention. Setting the bottle on the backpack I glanced over my shoulder and caught a figure crossing my periphery on the opposite bank. Shielding my eyes, I turned for a better look. And was not disappointed. At the far end of the crescent in a bright blue skort and a radiant white rash guard stood the brunette from the restaurant. She had clearly been hiking for some time. Her skin glistened with sweat, and the glossy fabric of her shirt clung to every curve of her torso. Her legs – long and lean – planted her firmly on the uneven ground. Her curls were tied back in a ponytail, exposing her face to the sun. I couldn't help but stare. She looked like a model in a Patagonia catalog. And it took only a moment before all I could think about was her in that blue dress, slouched in that chair, sipping her drink while showing me the world. The shriek of a hawk overhead broke my trance. I found her smiling at me, her head cocked to the side, eyebrows raised. Flustered, I acknowledged her presence and turned away. I needed to collect my shit and go; salvage whatever was left of my dignity. I stuffed the bottle back in the pack and shook out my shirt, hauling it on over my head. Soon it would weigh me down and I would need to take it off, but for now it was a cold towel on the back of my neck and that was just fine. Something disturbed the water behind me. Snapping up the backpack I turned to investigate. She stood before the falls, her back to me, gazing up at the gleaming ribbon spilling from above. The bands of a black sports bra crisscrossed her back, the rash guard scrunched in her fist was tossed casually into the grass on the far bank. Her hands disappeared in front of her, then reappeared above her head, taking the sports bra with them. Tipping her head back, she eased into the liquid curtain. The water sheared around her, cutting a sexy silhouette in the high noon sun. My cock stirred to life, craving the view from the other side of the falls. I knew I should get moving – I didn't want to be busted again. But something gripped me, held me in place, my imagination in overdrive. “Still just looking, huh.” I whipped my head back and forth searching for the source of the voice, before realizing it could only have one origin. I turned back. She had stepped back from the water, her fingers twisting round her ponytail, pulling out the band. With a flip of her wrists her curls burst out, slapping down over her back. She peered over her shoulder. A chill shot down my spine. Her eyes narrowed, the corners of mouth creasing up. She skimmed her hands along her sides and over her hips until her thumbs hooked in the waistband of her skort and the material bunched in her fists. She tugged them down slowly, a perfectly rounded bare ass rising like a sunrise over the fabric horizon. Watching me, she straightened up, skort slipping down her legs into the pool. “You know,” she said, tipping her head back, “it's better over here.” My dick strained against my shorts, drawn like a magnet to that little gap between the tops of her thighs and the base of her cheeks. She returned to the falls, disappearing under the water. The backpack slipped from my fingers, sluffing off the rock and into the grass. My head spinning, I waded toward her. She emerged from the cascade facing me. Rivulets of water streamed down her face. They trickled over her breasts; firm and high on her chest, dark nipples pointed upward, soliciting a touch. The streams continued down the flat of her belly, curling in at her hips and under her mound, before spiraling round her thighs and calves and melting into the pool. She poked two fingers under my chin and lifted it. “My eyes are up here.” “Sorry,” I replied, just a little nervous. “I'm easily distracted.” Her bright baby blues lingered on my face a moment before roaming down my body to the prominent bulge below my waist. Looking up, she smiled. “But not shy, I see.” She peeled off my shirt and threw it aside, then flattened her hands against my skin. They were soft, and cool from the water, a welcome disruption of the sizzling heat. I reached out, skimming my hands over the base of her ribs, then down to her waist and the curve of her hips. She leaned in, pressing them into mine, trapping my erection between us. A twinge shot through my core. I sighed. She had me. My attention wandered up to her breasts, cupping one sumptuous orb in each palm. Her head lolled, eyes fluttering, biting her bottom lip. I gave a gentle squeeze, dimpling the flesh and rolling my thumbs across her nipples. Her chest thrust forward, a groan escaping her throat. Leaning over I swirled my tongue over one before suckling it into my mouth. She shivered beneath me, drawing her breath between her teeth. I traded one for the other, back and forth, marveling at the tone and texture of the most perfect pair I'd ever laid lips on. She clutched at the back of my head, insisting I continue teasing her while clumsily fumbling with the clasp on my waistband. I kneaded her breasts in my palms, their mass resisting, plumping into the space between my fingers. I growled, invigorated by the memory of how pliable the body can be in its youth. Winning her battle with the clasp she stripped off my shorts and sprang my cock from its fabric prison. It jumped at the brush of her wrist and flexed in her grip as she tried to close her slender fingers around the shaft. The heat radiated out, warming her fist. She exhaled in my ear and followed up with a whisper barely audible above the falls. “Fuck me.” I plucked her nipple from my mouth and looked her in the eyes. “Here?” “Right here,” she confirmed, “right now.” I glanced around the clearing and into the woods. “Are you sure?” She snatched my hand from her breast and shoved it between her legs, curling my middle finger and dragging it through her slit. She was soaked, slick with her cream. “Right now,” she repeated. My hips swung forward with no input from my brain, prodding her belly with the tip of my dick. “What if someone sees us?” She hooked her arms around my neck. A devilish smirk creased her lips. There is nothing sexier than a woman who knows exactly what she wants. Well,“ she said softly, “then we should make sure they get a good show.” She pulled herself tight to my chest, transferring her weight to my shoulders. I braced myself as her legs left the water – first one, then the other – wrapping themselves around my waist. I held her buttocks tight in each hand, my penis pressed flat against her labia. Shifting my weight and dipping my hips I maneuvered the tip between those velvety lower lips and thrust myself into her pussy. She gasped – her mouth round, eyes bulging – as her canal expanded to accommodate the intruder. She fit like a glove two sizes too small, squeezing me tighter than I'd felt in years. Her gaze locked with mine she ground against me, acclimating to my girth with tiny strokes. Her shock turned slowly to lust. I lifted her ass and pulled it down on my dick, matching my thrusts to the undulation of her hips. Her juices seeped around me, oozing out over my balls. She lowered her head, moaning into my neck. Warm and clammy, our skin clung together, friction heating whatever slivers of space remained between us. Her writhing shuffled us toward the falls. The air was cooler here. It drew me closer. And before I knew it, we entered the deluge. I bristled at the cold, muscles contracting, pushing my cock deeper inside. She leaned away, gaining more leverage to rock her hips. The water forked around her tits, pooling in the crook of our bodies before spilling over into the river. I carried her through a little further, flattening her against the black rock wall. We hit with a thud and a grunt, her legs slipping from their position. I dipped down and hooked my arms under her thighs, lifting and throwing her calves up over my shoulders. With something to brace her now I pulled my cock back, teasing her with the glans before plunging back in to the hilt. “Ugh.” Her spine curled backward, stretching her abdomen and pointing her toes. Her squeals were like spurs in my sides, pumping my penis through that slippery steaming tunnel. She glared at me, jaw clenched, lip quivering each time I crashed inside. Her breathing grew ragged and short. “Wha…,” she stammered, “wha…what's your name?” Fuck. We hadn't even introduced ourselves. I leaned in hard, pinning her back to the rock and her knees to her shoulders. “Lucas,” I said. Clasping my face in her hands she smashed her lips into mine. “Fuck me Lucas,” she growled. “Make me cum.” A wave rippled through my groin, clenching everything below my waist. I held her tight as I could, racking her frame with the force of each thrust. Her grunts were like drumbeats, the driving rhythm to the symphony of our encounter. Her body coiled and shook and flexed, faster and stronger with each passing moment until suddenly, everything froze. Her eyes rolled back in her head as her mouth gaped in a silent scream. Her legs trembled and her body shuddered, and her pussy gripped my cock like a vice as she gushed around it. She clawed my back, the sting of her nails accentuating each contraction. I nuzzled my head into the crook of her neck, holding on, riding out the storm. Finally, I felt her chest heave, heard the breath rush past my ear. Her body began to relax, her limbs growing heavy in my arms and around my neck. Short, sweet whimpers disintegrated into a delirious giggle, sprinkled with curses once her lips could form the words. I eased off her chest and loosened my hold, allowing her legs to slip off my shoulders. Like jelly they tumbled over my arms and out of my grasp, her feet splashing in the water below. I pinched her waist and held her up while she regained her balance. She touched her twitching fingers to my cheeks, her thumbs clipping at my lips. She smiled. But said nothing. Her hands slipped down to my chest and gave a gentle push. I pulled away, springing my cock from her furnace into the open air. She eyed it hungrily, bobbing before her, coated in her cream and glistening in the sunlight. Her gaze fixed she rolled her body, flattening her palms and smushing her boobs against the rock wall. She wiggled her feet apart and dipped her back, pushing that bubble butt into my groin and trapping my erection between her cheeks. She humped against me, slathering my penis in a warm sloppy mixture of pre-cum, grool and sweat. The shivering thrill coursed through my shaft. My stomach flopped and my balls tightened, anxious to release their boiling burden. Prying her buttocks apart I leveled my dick and plunged it back into her pussy. She screamed into her shoulder, leaving teeth marks in her skin. She sagged at the knees, changing the shape of her channel and scrubbing new sensations into my glans. I clutched her hips in both hands, mesmerized by the curves of her ass, rippling with each collision. The urgency of our undulations increased, and it occurred to me that I wouldn't be able to enjoy this much longer. She threw herself back, impaling her sodden vagina on my cock. The squelching pricked my ears. Her whimpers and moans raised the hair on my arms. And soon my entire body buzzed with the current of an orgasm coiling to strike. I curled forward, laying my weight on her back. Skimming her belly I cupped her breasts, relishing the firmness in my fingers and tugging them down as I thrust up inside. With only moments before I'd lose control I pressed my lips against her ear. “What's your name,” I whispered. She gasped, her pussy constricting around my shaft. “Devon,” she panted, turning her head. Our eyes met. I held myself still inside her. “Suck my cock Devon,” I growled. “Make me cum.” She responded immediately, squirming out of my grasp and twisting around, sinking to her haunches. Her lips sealed around my dick, gliding up and down with ease, her tongue curling around the underside of the head and rod. My neck craned, jaw tight, muscles straining. I gathered fistfuls of her hair and scrunched it on the top of her head. The dam burst. And a summer's worth of hot, thick cum erupted into her mouth. The release roiled me to my core; my hips convulsing, penis throbbing. Rope after rope burst from my dick, each shot a miniature climax amplifying the whole. Her lips kept moving, up to my glans and down to the root, milking every drop she could. I could feel her throat working, trying to keep up. But there was too much to contain, and it spilled from the corners of her mouth and down her chin to her tits. I struggled to keep my balance. My head was spinning and my heart was pounding, and I didn't recognize the noises escaping my throat. I hoped the waterfall would cover them because I couldn't hold them in. I tried to pull away, but she dug her fingers into the meat of my ass, fixing me in place and draining my balls into her cheeks. Eventually the maelstrom subsided. The last remaining strands of cum oozed out over her tongue, pooling together for one final swallow. Dexterity returning to my fingers I raked hair out of her face and flipped it gently over her shoulders. She looked up at me, brazen and cool, clearly enjoying the fruits of her labor almost as much as I was. She slipped her lips off my cock with an audible pop. Watching me carefully she twisted her neck and worked her way down to the base of the shaft, slurping each testicle into her mouth. My dick skipped across her face, catching on her nose and leaving fine white threads in her dark manicured eyebrows. She continued for several minutes, working her lips and tongue, bathing my balls and polishing my penis with her saliva. It didn't take long before my erection was again as hard as it was when she'd freed it from my shorts. It ached in the heat of her mouth. Doubling over I took hold of her head and gently pulled away. She looked up at me. Pouted. I sighed, my lips breaking into a broad smile. She returned the gesture, adding a flip of her eyebrows. Releasing her I maneuvered past, slumping against the wall. I gathered myself, chest swelling with the rising mist. My head began to clear, my body relax, soothed by the colossal dopamine release that I only now discerned I was unfortunately too unfamiliar with. Devon straightened up beside me, unsteady on wobbly legs. She mimicked my pose and stretched her neck, delighting in the sunlight baking her face. Snaking a hand between her thighs she scooped out her cum with her middle finger and sensually tucked it into her mouth. She looked over, eyes lively, lips puckered around the digit. With her free hand she took hold of mine and backed away, dragging me with her under the falls. We showered together in the river, cooling our lust and rinsing away the evidence. We lingered in the water until we were cold before separating to recover our clothes. Five minutes and a few stolen glances later we met again at the trail marker on the far bank. We stood there together in awkward silence – strangely so, considering the intimacy of what we had done. Finally, I broke the ice. “It was umm…nice to meet you,” I offered, shifting the straps of the backpack over my shoulders. She looked away, smiling, picking at the hem of her skort. “Same,” she replied. I waited for more, but there was none. “I had a good time,” I added, unsure of why. She turned her head toward me. Nodded a little. “Not bad for an old guy.” “Oh wow,” I laughed, rubbing my palms in my eyes. She giggled next to me. Draping her arms around my neck she stretched up and kissed me on the lips. “What?” she protested. “I like old guys.” She unzipped the pocket in her skort and fished around inside. Withdrawing a key card, she pressed it into my palm. “Springhill,” she said. “Room 404. Come by around 10:00 – if you're interested.” I squeezed her hand in mine. “What about your friends,” I asked. She shrugged, bouncing her eyebrows. “Maybe they'll like you too.” by TheSleepingKing for Literotica. story audio, podcast, tryst, fling, spontaneous, stranger, anonymous, hike, park, vacation, kansas, waterfall, public, exhibitionist, seduction,

A scorching outdoor encounter in the dog days of summer. by TheSleepingKing. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. You know the worst thing about the Midwest? August. Sure, there are other things. But after three straight weeks of 98 degrees and 90% humidity you don't really care that Kansas is a thing. You just want out – to escape the stifling grassland; preferably to a place where you don't need to swim through the steam to reach the next air-conditioned oasis. Where I work we need to maintain a minimum staffing level to fulfill our obligations. So vacation requests are handled on a first come first serve basis. First person to request time off gets first pick of available dates. Usually I get in early, guaranteeing myself at least one week that I want. But by the time I remembered to request this year, my only option for a summer break was the final week in August.Monday and Tuesday were a bust. Too hot to leave the house. I tried Monday morning, heading out to my favorite brunch spot for an omelet. But after burning my hand on the gear shift lever at 10:00 am I decided to pack it in. The weather app promised cooler temperatures mid-to-late-week, so I set about crafting a plan to salvage what was left of my vacation. There's a state park a few hours north, on the edge of a popular college town. I'd hiked there several times before. It was quiet, with a decent elevation and full tree canopy, and a 15-foot waterfall at the crux of the two longest trails. Temps in the mid-eighties were still warmer than I preferred. But after months of being stuck in a warehouse 10 hours a day, a little time outside seemed…necessary. I texted my friend Natalie, curious if she'd want to tag along. She was fun, outdoorsy, and never seemed too busy for an adventure. And sometimes, if we'd both had a few drinks, you might find her with her head in my lap, cock in her mouth and my fingers slowly circling her clit; agreeing this was a great way to spend an evening. But this time I struck out. I was on my own. I'd have to make the best of it. Every hotel in town was booked for Friday night (damn college football weekend), so I reserved a room for Wednesday and Thursday and headed out after lunch. Two hours and three Interstates later I pulled into a parking lot already half-filled with cars. I intended to drop my bag in the room and lap the short trail before dinner. That plan screeched to halt the moment I shut off the car. Cooler temperatures midweek my ass. It was 90 degrees at 4:15. The air saturated my clothes as I trudged across the pavement, and by the time I arrived at the check-in desk I knew I was done for the day. Cranking up the air in the room I decided to catch up on some streaming shows before heading across the parking lot to a local burger joint for a lite supper. But soon the sun disappeared behind a fortress of darkened clouds. The wind whipped up and the rain poured down in sheets, lashing the windows and transforming the parking lot into a rippling black pond. I watched for a while, checking the weather report to find nothing about precipitation. If Thursday was anything like this…. Eventually the rain stopped, and I headed out for dinner. It was cooler now – high 70s or so, and the squall had dried the air enough for the wind to wick away the water instead of steaming me in a sauna. I picked a seat in the corner of the restaurant patio and settled in for a meal. The dining room filled up quickly. Mostly locals – you could tell by the comfortable clothes and their rapport with the bartenders. But midway through my second beer, three young women rounded the corner from the waiting area, following the hostess to a four-top across the aisle from me beneath the center awning. And they were obviously based somewhere else. Two of them looked similar, (sisters maybe? cousins?) with straight blonde hair and big broad smiles. They dressed like they'd come straight from the yacht club: white shorts, striped navy tees and deck shoes; one with a denim jacket, the other in a hat. The third was taller with rectangular glasses, buoyant, gently curled auburn hair, and a short powder blue A-line summer dress accentuating the tone and length of her legs. She caught me looking as they stopped at their table. I turned away quickly, smiling to myself, disappointed, yet amused that I wasn't as discrete as I used to be. I took a full swig of beer and set the mug gently on the coaster before glancing back toward their table. The brunette had switched places with her friends, taking the seat on the far side of the circle, just about facing me. For a while I kept my eyes to myself. They ordered drinks and struck up a lively conversation. My burger and fries arrived, and I concentrated on securing the toppings so as not to make a fool of myself the first time I bit into it. But as I worked my way through the meal my attention began to wander. First to the parking lot. Then to the bar. And finally, to the beauty at the table twelve feet away. I stole glances between french fries and over the rim of my glass, careful to look away the moment before she turned her head or shifted her eyes toward me. Despite my best efforts she caught me once or twice. I flashed a smile, she did the same, we both looked away until the next time it happened. I was always drawn back. Her face was so bright, skin glowing in the warmth of the pendant lights. She shifted in her chair, slouching a little, stretching her legs to the edge of the aisle and crossing them at the ankles. Her dress rode high up her thighs, the shadow of the fabric and the table above shielding me from what lay beneath. I pretended I hadn't noticed, drawing out a sip of beer until she returned to her conversation. Inappropriate thoughts crept through my mind. I prodded them, trying to keep them at bay. She was at least ten – if not fifteen years younger. I was here to hike, not ogle women just barely out of college. The waiter stopped by my table, asking if I needed anything. I should have asked for the cheque. It would have been the smart thing to do. Instead, I asked for ice cream. It was still warm out, seemed reasonable. A few minutes later I spotted him heading my way, a tray with a tall bowl and several margaritas balanced on one hand. As he stopped to set the bowl in front of me, movement behind him caught my eye. I looked past to the ladies' table to catch the brunette uncross her ankles and ease her outside leg into the aisle, her knees drifting apart just far enough to show me smooth, plump pussy lips unencumbered by fabric or modesty. I froze, staring. Drinking it in. “Everything okay sir,” the waiter inquired, snapping me back to the moment. I tore my eyes away and looked up, then down at the ice cream, then up again, trying to reset my brain. “Yes,” I replied, “thank you. It looks…delicious.” I don't think I was talking about ice cream. And from the way his forehead wrinkled I think he knew that. I dipped the spoon in and took a bite. He nodded and moved past me to the table waiting on drinks. Staring at the bowl I tried to collect my thoughts. But all I could picture was the perfect pocket of pleasure framed between those gently tanned thighs. I lifted my head. Her legs remained splayed, treasure visible. Leaning back in her seat she lifted one foot, skimming her calf up over her shin until one knee rested over the other, closing the curtain on my view. Our gaze met. The corners of her mouth curled up and her eyebrows shrugged, and I felt the stir in my groin as I realized that perhaps…I was meant to see what I saw. I smiled a little. Then stopped. Her friends had turned to watch me, giggling into the hands covering their mouths. I scooped a spoonful of ice cream and shoved it into mine, staring at the table. Nothing like looking creepy in front of attractive women half your age. I decided to finish my dessert and keep my eyes to myself, get back to my room before embarrassing myself further. Before I could execute my plan, the women settled their tab and left. Through the glass I watched them skip across the parking lot toward the hotel, laughing with each other along the way. Something slipped from the brunette's swinging hand, and when she stooped to pick it up she looked back in my direction. I flinched, wanting to turn away. But I couldn't. She was mesmerizing. She flashed a smile, then ran to catch up with her friends. I waited until I was sure they were settled in their rooms before heading back to mine. I ambled into the bathroom and checked myself in the mirror. I was in good shape for 40 plus. Ten years ago I might have made a pass at them; bought them a round, slid over to their table, try to talk one into joining me in my room. Instead…I took a shower, cranked up the air conditioning, and went to bed. Thursday morning I grabbed some apples from the breakfast bar, threw on a tee shirt and cargo shorts and prepared to hit the trail. It was a little after 8:00, about 75 degrees. The weather app promised 85 by 2:00 pm, which gave me plenty of time to loop the long trails before the heat became oppressive. Armed with two frozen water bottles and the fruit in a small backpack I caught a ride share to the park and headed out. The forest was teaming with life. Birds of all feathers chattered in the trees while rabbits and squirrels and other small creatures darted about in the in the brush below. The canopy was lush and thick, filtering much of the early light and heavily shading the first few miles, making for a pleasant hike. But the trail was overgrown from nearly two years of under use. The deeper I forged into the trees the more difficult it became to stay on track. And the leaves that earlier shielded me from the sun now trapped its heat beneath them, turning a warm walk in a light breeze into a hot slog through a noisy sauna. I didn't remember the route as well as I thought, and before I knew it, I was lost. I took a seat on a fallen log and fished a bottle out of the backpack. The ice had melted but the water was still cool. After half the bottle I traded it for my phone and tried to figure out where the hell I was. Reception was spotty and the GPS couldn't decide between several locations. From the lay of the land and direction of my hike I decided to head northeast. At some point I would run into the river, which would lead me back to my trail. I finished the first bottle and resumed walking. The temperature continued to climb, humidity trapping sweat on my skin. The skitter of critters through the underbrush ceased and the bird songs faded into the heat. An eerie quiet settled in, tempered by the crunch of fallen twigs underfoot. My limbs felt dull and heavy and a thought repeated in my head. You should have stayed home. I was looking for a place to rest when I finally heard it. Running water. In spite of myself I picked up the pace, oblivious to the incline I'd been descending the past few minutes. Up ahead the canopy thinned, tree trunks spacing out along the edge of a clearing. Picking through the tall grass I emerged into the sunlight onto the smooth flat rocks forming the edge of the river. Marked with a boulder on the far bank was the entrance to the second trail. To my right, Lost River Falls. Fifteen feet up, the black shale outcropping curved into a gentle crescent. The lazy river curled over the edge in a soft, thin sheet, spilling into a shallow pool before funneling through a narrow channel to the river basin and snaking on downstream. Now high in the sky, the sun blazed the sparkling water white, casting a rainbow over the riverbank and a deep shadow on the vertical rock beneath the ledge. The gentle roar swelled in my ears. I intended to cross to the trail and head back, but it was so hot, and the mist in the air felt so enticing. I turned toward the falls, threading my way along the bank over the channel to the edge of the pool. On a rock nearby I set down my pack, flanking it with my boots moments later. Peeling of the sweat-soaked tee shirt I waded into the water. The pool was warmer than I expected, but much cooler than the air, instantly soothing my feet. I shuffled along the shale bottom until the water sloshed around my calves. Reaching out I pierced the curtain, splashing droplets over my face and chest. Drawing a deep breath, I closed my eyes and stepped into the falls. I stayed a minute, despite the chill, the water flushing the ick of the morning off my skin. It beat on my back and shoulders, leeching heat from my muscles and ache from my bones. I ducked under and out several times, like it was a rolling ocean wave on a Caribbean beach. Cleansed and refreshed, I returned to the rock. I rung out the shirt and laid it flat over the adjacent stone, then fished the second water bottle from the backpack. Bottle to my lips I soaked up the view. Vibrant green forest, shimmering white water, worn black rock winding through the landscape. I smiled to myself. Sure it was hot, but it beat the hell out of being stuck in the warehouse. The snap of a twig behind me drew my attention. Setting the bottle on the backpack I glanced over my shoulder and caught a figure crossing my periphery on the opposite bank. Shielding my eyes, I turned for a better look. And was not disappointed. At the far end of the crescent in a bright blue skort and a radiant white rash guard stood the brunette from the restaurant. She had clearly been hiking for some time. Her skin glistened with sweat, and the glossy fabric of her shirt clung to every curve of her torso. Her legs – long and lean – planted her firmly on the uneven ground. Her curls were tied back in a ponytail, exposing her face to the sun. I couldn't help but stare. She looked like a model in a Patagonia catalog. And it took only a moment before all I could think about was her in that blue dress, slouched in that chair, sipping her drink while showing me the world. The shriek of a hawk overhead broke my trance. I found her smiling at me, her head cocked to the side, eyebrows raised. Flustered, I acknowledged her presence and turned away. I needed to collect my shit and go; salvage whatever was left of my dignity. I stuffed the bottle back in the pack and shook out my shirt, hauling it on over my head. Soon it would weigh me down and I would need to take it off, but for now it was a cold towel on the back of my neck and that was just fine. Something disturbed the water behind me. Snapping up the backpack I turned to investigate. She stood before the falls, her back to me, gazing up at the gleaming ribbon spilling from above. The bands of a black sports bra crisscrossed her back, the rash guard scrunched in her fist was tossed casually into the grass on the far bank. Her hands disappeared in front of her, then reappeared above her head, taking the sports bra with them. Tipping her head back, she eased into the liquid curtain. The water sheared around her, cutting a sexy silhouette in the high noon sun. My cock stirred to life, craving the view from the other side of the falls. I knew I should get moving – I didn't want to be busted again. But something gripped me, held me in place, my imagination in overdrive. “Still just looking, huh.” I whipped my head back and forth searching for the source of the voice, before realizing it could only have one origin. I turned back. She had stepped back from the water, her fingers twisting round her ponytail, pulling out the band. With a flip of her wrists her curls burst out, slapping down over her back. She peered over her shoulder. A chill shot down my spine. Her eyes narrowed, the corners of mouth creasing up. She skimmed her hands along her sides and over her hips until her thumbs hooked in the waistband of her skort and the material bunched in her fists. She tugged them down slowly, a perfectly rounded bare ass rising like a sunrise over the fabric horizon. Watching me, she straightened up, skort slipping down her legs into the pool. “You know,” she said, tipping her head back, “it's better over here.” My dick strained against my shorts, drawn like a magnet to that little gap between the tops of her thighs and the base of her cheeks. She returned to the falls, disappearing under the water. The backpack slipped from my fingers, sluffing off the rock and into the grass. My head spinning, I waded toward her. She emerged from the cascade facing me. Rivulets of water streamed down her face. They trickled over her breasts; firm and high on her chest, dark nipples pointed upward, soliciting a touch. The streams continued down the flat of her belly, curling in at her hips and under her mound, before spiraling round her thighs and calves and melting into the pool. She poked two fingers under my chin and lifted it. “My eyes are up here.” “Sorry,” I replied, just a little nervous. “I'm easily distracted.” Her bright baby blues lingered on my face a moment before roaming down my body to the prominent bulge below my waist. Looking up, she smiled. “But not shy, I see.” She peeled off my shirt and threw it aside, then flattened her hands against my skin. They were soft, and cool from the water, a welcome disruption of the sizzling heat. I reached out, skimming my hands over the base of her ribs, then down to her waist and the curve of her hips. She leaned in, pressing them into mine, trapping my erection between us. A twinge shot through my core. I sighed. She had me. My attention wandered up to her breasts, cupping one sumptuous orb in each palm. Her head lolled, eyes fluttering, biting her bottom lip. I gave a gentle squeeze, dimpling the flesh and rolling my thumbs across her nipples. Her chest thrust forward, a groan escaping her throat. Leaning over I swirled my tongue over one before suckling it into my mouth. She shivered beneath me, drawing her breath between her teeth. I traded one for the other, back and forth, marveling at the tone and texture of the most perfect pair I'd ever laid lips on. She clutched at the back of my head, insisting I continue teasing her while clumsily fumbling with the clasp on my waistband. I kneaded her breasts in my palms, their mass resisting, plumping into the space between my fingers. I growled, invigorated by the memory of how pliable the body can be in its youth. Winning her battle with the clasp she stripped off my shorts and sprang my cock from its fabric prison. It jumped at the brush of her wrist and flexed in her grip as she tried to close her slender fingers around the shaft. The heat radiated out, warming her fist. She exhaled in my ear and followed up with a whisper barely audible above the falls. “Fuck me.” I plucked her nipple from my mouth and looked her in the eyes. “Here?” “Right here,” she confirmed, “right now.” I glanced around the clearing and into the woods. “Are you sure?” She snatched my hand from her breast and shoved it between her legs, curling my middle finger and dragging it through her slit. She was soaked, slick with her cream. “Right now,” she repeated. My hips swung forward with no input from my brain, prodding her belly with the tip of my dick. “What if someone sees us?” She hooked her arms around my neck. A devilish smirk creased her lips. There is nothing sexier than a woman who knows exactly what she wants. Well,“ she said softly, “then we should make sure they get a good show.” She pulled herself tight to my chest, transferring her weight to my shoulders. I braced myself as her legs left the water – first one, then the other – wrapping themselves around my waist. I held her buttocks tight in each hand, my penis pressed flat against her labia. Shifting my weight and dipping my hips I maneuvered the tip between those velvety lower lips and thrust myself into her pussy. She gasped – her mouth round, eyes bulging – as her canal expanded to accommodate the intruder. She fit like a glove two sizes too small, squeezing me tighter than I'd felt in years. Her gaze locked with mine she ground against me, acclimating to my girth with tiny strokes. Her shock turned slowly to lust. I lifted her ass and pulled it down on my dick, matching my thrusts to the undulation of her hips. Her juices seeped around me, oozing out over my balls. She lowered her head, moaning into my neck. Warm and clammy, our skin clung together, friction heating whatever slivers of space remained between us. Her writhing shuffled us toward the falls. The air was cooler here. It drew me closer. And before I knew it, we entered the deluge. I bristled at the cold, muscles contracting, pushing my cock deeper inside. She leaned away, gaining more leverage to rock her hips. The water forked around her tits, pooling in the crook of our bodies before spilling over into the river. I carried her through a little further, flattening her against the black rock wall. We hit with a thud and a grunt, her legs slipping from their position. I dipped down and hooked my arms under her thighs, lifting and throwing her calves up over my shoulders. With something to brace her now I pulled my cock back, teasing her with the glans before plunging back in to the hilt. “Ugh.” Her spine curled backward, stretching her abdomen and pointing her toes. Her squeals were like spurs in my sides, pumping my penis through that slippery steaming tunnel. She glared at me, jaw clenched, lip quivering each time I crashed inside. Her breathing grew ragged and short. “Wha…,” she stammered, “wha…what's your name?” Fuck. We hadn't even introduced ourselves. I leaned in hard, pinning her back to the rock and her knees to her shoulders. “Lucas,” I said. Clasping my face in her hands she smashed her lips into mine. “Fuck me Lucas,” she growled. “Make me cum.” A wave rippled through my groin, clenching everything below my waist. I held her tight as I could, racking her frame with the force of each thrust. Her grunts were like drumbeats, the driving rhythm to the symphony of our encounter. Her body coiled and shook and flexed, faster and stronger with each passing moment until suddenly, everything froze. Her eyes rolled back in her head as her mouth gaped in a silent scream. Her legs trembled and her body shuddered, and her pussy gripped my cock like a vice as she gushed around it. She clawed my back, the sting of her nails accentuating each contraction. I nuzzled my head into the crook of her neck, holding on, riding out the storm. Finally, I felt her chest heave, heard the breath rush past my ear. Her body began to relax, her limbs growing heavy in my arms and around my neck. Short, sweet whimpers disintegrated into a delirious giggle, sprinkled with curses once her lips could form the words. I eased off her chest and loosened my hold, allowing her legs to slip off my shoulders. Like jelly they tumbled over my arms and out of my grasp, her feet splashing in the water below. I pinched her waist and held her up while she regained her balance. She touched her twitching fingers to my cheeks, her thumbs clipping at my lips. She smiled. But said nothing. Her hands slipped down to my chest and gave a gentle push. I pulled away, springing my cock from her furnace into the open air. She eyed it hungrily, bobbing before her, coated in her cream and glistening in the sunlight. Her gaze fixed she rolled her body, flattening her palms and smushing her boobs against the rock wall. She wiggled her feet apart and dipped her back, pushing that bubble butt into my groin and trapping my erection between her cheeks. She humped against me, slathering my penis in a warm sloppy mixture of pre-cum, grool and sweat. The shivering thrill coursed through my shaft. My stomach flopped and my balls tightened, anxious to release their boiling burden. Prying her buttocks apart I leveled my dick and plunged it back into her pussy. She screamed into her shoulder, leaving teeth marks in her skin. She sagged at the knees, changing the shape of her channel and scrubbing new sensations into my glans. I clutched her hips in both hands, mesmerized by the curves of her ass, rippling with each collision. The urgency of our undulations increased, and it occurred to me that I wouldn't be able to enjoy this much longer. She threw herself back, impaling her sodden vagina on my cock. The squelching pricked my ears. Her whimpers and moans raised the hair on my arms. And soon my entire body buzzed with the current of an orgasm coiling to strike. I curled forward, laying my weight on her back. Skimming her belly I cupped her breasts, relishing the firmness in my fingers and tugging them down as I thrust up inside. With only moments before I'd lose control I pressed my lips against her ear. “What's your name,” I whispered. She gasped, her pussy constricting around my shaft. “Devon,” she panted, turning her head. Our eyes met. I held myself still inside her. “Suck my cock Devon,” I growled. “Make me cum.” She responded immediately, squirming out of my grasp and twisting around, sinking to her haunches. Her lips sealed around my dick, gliding up and down with ease, her tongue curling around the underside of the head and rod. My neck craned, jaw tight, muscles straining. I gathered fistfuls of her hair and scrunched it on the top of her head. The dam burst. And a summer's worth of hot, thick cum erupted into her mouth. The release roiled me to my core; my hips convulsing, penis throbbing. Rope after rope burst from my dick, each shot a miniature climax amplifying the whole. Her lips kept moving, up to my glans and down to the root, milking every drop she could. I could feel her throat working, trying to keep up. But there was too much to contain, and it spilled from the corners of her mouth and down her chin to her tits. I struggled to keep my balance. My head was spinning and my heart was pounding, and I didn't recognize the noises escaping my throat. I hoped the waterfall would cover them because I couldn't hold them in. I tried to pull away, but she dug her fingers into the meat of my ass, fixing me in place and draining my balls into her cheeks. Eventually the maelstrom subsided. The last remaining strands of cum oozed out over her tongue, pooling together for one final swallow. Dexterity returning to my fingers I raked hair out of her face and flipped it gently over her shoulders. She looked up at me, brazen and cool, clearly enjoying the fruits of her labor almost as much as I was. She slipped her lips off my cock with an audible pop. Watching me carefully she twisted her neck and worked her way down to the base of the shaft, slurping each testicle into her mouth. My dick skipped across her face, catching on her nose and leaving fine white threads in her dark manicured eyebrows. She continued for several minutes, working her lips and tongue, bathing my balls and polishing my penis with her saliva. It didn't take long before my erection was again as hard as it was when she'd freed it from my shorts. It ached in the heat of her mouth. Doubling over I took hold of her head and gently pulled away. She looked up at me. Pouted. I sighed, my lips breaking into a broad smile. She returned the gesture, adding a flip of her eyebrows. Releasing her I maneuvered past, slumping against the wall. I gathered myself, chest swelling with the rising mist. My head began to clear, my body relax, soothed by the colossal dopamine release that I only now discerned I was unfortunately too unfamiliar with. Devon straightened up beside me, unsteady on wobbly legs. She mimicked my pose and stretched her neck, delighting in the sunlight baking her face. Snaking a hand between her thighs she scooped out her cum with her middle finger and sensually tucked it into her mouth. She looked over, eyes lively, lips puckered around the digit. With her free hand she took hold of mine and backed away, dragging me with her under the falls. We showered together in the river, cooling our lust and rinsing away the evidence. We lingered in the water until we were cold before separating to recover our clothes. Five minutes and a few stolen glances later we met again at the trail marker on the far bank. We stood there together in awkward silence – strangely so, considering the intimacy of what we had done. Finally, I broke the ice. “It was umm…nice to meet you,” I offered, shifting the straps of the backpack over my shoulders. She looked away, smiling, picking at the hem of her skort. “Same,” she replied. I waited for more, but there was none. “I had a good time,” I added, unsure of why. She turned her head toward me. Nodded a little. “Not bad for an old guy.” “Oh wow,” I laughed, rubbing my palms in my eyes. She giggled next to me. Draping her arms around my neck she stretched up and kissed me on the lips. “What?” she protested. “I like old guys.” She unzipped the pocket in her skort and fished around inside. Withdrawing a key card, she pressed it into my palm. “Springhill,” she said. “Room 404. Come by around 10:00 – if you're interested.” I squeezed her hand in mine. “What about your friends,” I asked. She shrugged, bouncing her eyebrows. “Maybe they'll like you too.” by TheSleepingKing for Literotica. story audio, podcast, tryst, fling, spontaneous, stranger, anonymous, hike, park, vacation, kansas, waterfall, public, exhibitionist, seduction,

Join us on a wet and windy night as, tonight, we listen the strange and untameable tale of Fionnghuala, Oadh, Fiacra and Conn, the children of Lir, and meet up with our own (children of the) children of Lir who share their own wild mythologies.  I also give an explanatory statement about the YouTube podcast channel.Journal entry:11th June, Tuesday“Standing knee deep  In a green ocean of grass. The woodpecker's Seagull laughter Tumbles among the trees below.And here am I, On a summer's evening, Skimming stones across the stilled waters  Of a restless mind.”Episode Information:In this episode I retell the story of the Children of Lir. As can be expected from a tale birthed in orality it can be found in many forms. A good introduction can be found here: Wilderness Ireland. However, oral stories are not so much about the precise details but what you, the listener, bring to them. I also refer to our old friend, Miles Hadfield's (1950) An English Almanac.With special thanks to our lock-wheelersfor supporting this podcast.David Dirom Chris and Alan on NB Land of Green Ginger Captain Arlo Rebecca Russell Allison on the narrowboat Mukka Derek and Pauline Watts Anna V. Orange Cookie Donna Kelly Mary Keane. Tony Rutherford. Arabella Holzapfel. Rory with MJ and Kayla. Narrowboat Precious Jet. Linda Reynolds Burkins. Richard Noble. Carol Ferguson. Tracie Thomas Mark and Tricia Stowe Madeleine SmithGeneral DetailsIn the intro and the outro, Saint-Saen's The Swan is performed by Karr and Bernstein (1961) and available on CC at archive.org. Two-stroke narrowboat engine recorded by 'James2nd' on the River Weaver, Cheshire. Uploaded to Freesound.org on 23rd June 2018. Creative Commons Licence. Piano and keyboard interludes composed and performed by Helen Ingram.All other audio recorded on site.Support the Show.Become a 'Lock-Wheeler'Would you like to support this podcast by becoming a 'lock-wheeler' for Nighttime on Still Waters? Find out more: 'Lock-wheeling' for Nighttime on Still Waters.ContactFor pictures of Erica and images related to the podcasts or to contact me, follow me on: Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/noswpod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nighttimeonstillwaters/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/NoswPod Mastodon: https://mastodon.world/@nosw I would love to hear from you. You can email me at nighttimeonstillwaters@gmail.com or drop me a line by going to the nowspod website and using either the contact form or, if you prefer, record your message by clicking on the microphone icon. For more information about Nighttime on Still Waters You can find more information and photographs about the podcasts and life aboard the Erica on our website at noswpod.com.

The process of stealing ATM customer credentials by means of physically and covertly installing one or more devices onto a public ATM machine.

Hour 3 - Do you like going on cruises? Jamie says she wouldn't go on one and BJ says he loves them. Jamie saw a story about a cruise that had 250 passengers get norovirus. BJ is perplexed by the amount he is getting charged on a his trash bill this morning. There is a story in the news about a juror finds 120k at their house as a bribe to vote not guilty. Jamie says she would take a little off the top and turn most of it in. 

The process of stealing ATM customer credentials by means of physically and covertly installing one or more devices onto a public ATM machine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There were over 5 million fraudulent credit card transactions in Australia last year, with over 20% of all Australians having their identity or credit cards compromised. And it's easier than ever for thieves to 'skim' your credit card, where they use a machine to read and copy it, without your knowing. Peter Samios is the founder of ID Blocker, who has an invention to stop the scammers dead in their tracks  Listen to John Stanley live from 8pm-12am Monday to Thursdays on 2GB/4BCSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More drama unfolds in the Manhattan courtroom where Donald Trump is on trial for improper campaign financing records, as Michael Cohen admits under oath he was skimming off of a $50,000 payment made to representatives for Stormy Daniels. Mike Sommers (President, American Petroleum Institute) joins Dan to discuss restrictive energy policies being implemented and enforced by the Biden administration and Governor Jared Polis in Colorado, and what a Trump victory in November could mean for Colorado's oil and natural gas industry and the economy as a whole.API | API President and CEO

The Cybercrime Wire, hosted by Scott Schober, provides boardroom and C-suite executives, CIOs, CSOs, CISOs, IT executives and cybersecurity professionals with a breaking news story we're following. If there's a cyberattack, hack, or data breach you should know about, then we're on it. Listen to the podcast daily and hear it every hour on WCYB. The Cybercrime Wire is brought to you Cybercrime Magazine, Page ONE for Cybersecurity at https://cybercrimemagazine.com. • For more breaking news, visit https://cybercrimewire.com

On Episode 707 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is talking to Dominick Angelo Tullo of T&R Oil Co. about fuel fraud, scams and skimming. Tullo has firsthand experience with all the black hat tricks of the trade and shares a story about a scam that cost his company a few thousand gallons of fuel. It's been three weeks since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore. How has cargo been disrupted? Overhaul's Ronald Greene talks about impacts to auto and other commodities. He also warns shippers of risks to watch for and shares cargo theft trends. Daylight Transportation is opening a first-of-its-kind building in Texas. Greg Steele tells us all about the company's road to sustainability and how it helps with employee retention. We'll also see what's trending in expedited LTL. Plus, anti-Zim protesters hit Maher Terminals; J.B. Hunt posts big earnings miss; broker revenues fall over 15%; and who has the right of way? Watch on YouTube Subscribe to the WTT newsletter Apple Podcasts Spotify More FreightWaves Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 707 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, Dooner is talking to Dominick Angelo Tullo of T&R Oil Co. about fuel fraud, scams and skimming. Tullo has firsthand experience with all the black hat tricks of the trade and shares a story about a scam that cost his company a few thousand gallons of fuel. It's been three weeks since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore. How has cargo been disrupted? Overhaul's Ronald Greene talks about impacts to auto and other commodities. He also warns shippers of risks to watch for and shares cargo theft trends. Daylight Transportation is opening a first-of-its-kind building in Texas. Greg Steele tells us all about the company's road to sustainability and how it helps with employee retention. We'll also see what's trending in expedited LTL. Plus, anti-Zim protesters hit Maher Terminals; J.B. Hunt posts big earnings miss; broker revenues fall over 15%; and who has the right of way? Watch on YouTube Subscribe to the WTT newsletter Apple Podcasts Spotify More FreightWaves Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Prompts for Big-Picture Planning, published by Raemon on April 14, 2024 on LessWrong. During my metastrategy workshop, Day Two was focused on taking a step back and asking "okay, wait, what am I actually doing and why?". Choosing what area to focus, and what your mid-level strategy is for achieving it, determine at least as much (and I think often much more) of the value you create, than how well you operationally succeed. If you're going to pivot to a plan that's 10x better than your current plan, it'll probably be because you considered a much wider swath of possible-plan-space. This post is the series of prompts that I gave people to work through, to help them take a step back and revisit their big picture thinking with fresh eyes. I recommend: Skimming each question once, to get a rough sense of which ones feel most juicy to you. Copying this into a google doc, or your preferred writing setup. Working through it over the course of an afternoon, spending however much time on each prompt feels appropriate (this'll depend on how recently you've done a "big picture step-back-and-look-with-fresh-eyes" type exercise). (Reminder: If you're interested in the full version of the corresponding workshop, please fill out this interest form) Part 1. Breadth First 1. If you were doing something radically different than what you're currently doing, what would it be? 2. If you were to look at the world through a radically different strategic frame, what would it be? (Try brainstorming 5-10) (Examples of different strategic frames: "Reduce x-risk", "maximize chance of a glorious future", "find things that feel wholesome and do those", "follow your heart", "gain useful information as fast as you can", "fuck around and see if good stuff happens") 3. Pick a frame from the previous exercise that feels appealing, but different from what you normally do. Generate some ideas for plans based around it. 4. What are you afraid might turn out to be the right thing to do? 5. What are the most important problems in the world that you're (deliberately) not currently working on? Why aren't you working on them? What would be your cruxes for shifting to work on them? 6. What are some important problems that it seems nobody has the ball on? 7. How could you be gaining information way faster than you currently are? 8. Can you make your feedback loop faster, or less noisy, or have richer data? 9. What are some people you respect who might suggest something different if you talked to them? What would they say? 10. What plans would you be most motivated to do? 11. What plans would be most fun? 12. What plans would donors or customers pay me for? 13. What are some other prompts I should have asked, but didn't? Try making some up and answering them Recursively asking "Why is That Impossible?" A. What are some important things in the world that feel so impossible to deal with, you haven't even bothered making plans about them? B. What makes them so hard? C. Are the things that make them hard also impossible to deal with? (try asking this question about each subsequent answer a few times until you hit something that feels merely "very hard," instead of impossible, and then think about whether you could make a plan to deal with it) Part II: Actually make 2+ plans at 3 strategic levels i. What high level strategies seem at least interesting to consider? i.e. things you might orient your plans around for months or years. ii. What plans seem interesting to consider? i.e. things you might orient your day-to-day actions around for weeks or months. Pick at least one of the high-level-strategies and brainstorm/braindump your possible alternate plans for it. If it seems alive, maybe try brainstorming some alternate plans for a second high-level-strategy. iii. What tactical next-actions might make sense, for your f...

The financial system has evolved into a highly efficient machine…for skimming profits and using opaque complexities to hide the sheer magnitude of the operation. Sure, we get cheaper trades on a per trade basis, but with billions of trades the tiny slices add up. Importantly, the system has a number of weak points about which every investors and financial profession should be aware.Click Here for Part 2

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: What's with all the bans recently?, published by Gerald Monroe on April 4, 2024 on LessWrong. Summary: the moderators appear to be soft banning users with 'rate-limits' without feedback. A careful review of each banned user reveals it's common to be banned despite earnestly attempting to contribute to the site. Some of the most intelligent banned users have mainstream instead of EA views on AI. Note how the punishment lengths are all the same, I think it was a mass ban-wave of 3 week bans: Gears to ascension was here but is no longer, guess she convinced them it was a mistake. Have I made any like really dumb or bad comments recently: https://www.greaterwrong.com/users/gerald-monroe?show=comments Well I skimmed through it. I don't see anything. Got a healthy margin now on upvotes, thanks April 1. Over a month ago, I did comment this stinker. Here is what seems to the same take by a very high reputation user here, @Matthew Barnett , on X: https://twitter.com/MatthewJBar/status/1775026007508230199 Must be a pretty common conclusion, and I wanted this site to pick an image that reflects their vision. Like flagpoles with all the world's flags (from coordination to ban AI) and EMS uses cryonics (to give people an alternative to medical ASI). I asked the moderators: @habryka says: I skimmed all comments I made this year, can't find anything that matches to this accusation. What comment did this happen on? Did this happen once or twice or 50 times or...? Any users want to help here, it surely must be obvious. You can look here: https://www.greaterwrong.com/users/gerald-monroe?show=comments if you want to help me find what habryka could possibly be referring to. I recall this happening once, Gears called me out on it, and I deleted the comment. Conditional that this didn't happen this year, why wasn't I informed or punished or something then? Skimming the currently banned user list: Let's see why everyone else got banned. Maybe I can infer a pattern from it: Akram Choudhary : 2 per comment and 1 post at -25. Taking the doomer view here: frankybegs +2.23 karma per comment. This is not bad. Does seem to make comments personal. Decided to enjoy the site and make 16 comments 6-8 days ago. Has some healthy karma on the comments, +6 to +11. That's pretty good by lesswrong standards. No AI views. Ban reason is??? Victor Ashioya His negative karma doesn't add up to -38, not sure why. AI view is in favor of red teaming, which is always good. @Remmelt doomer view, good karma (+2.52 karma per comment), hasn't made any comments in 17 days...why rate limit him? Skimming his comments they look nice and meaty and well written...what? All I can see is over the last couple of month he's not getting many upvotes per comment. green_leaf Ok at least I can explain this one. One comment at -41, in the last 20, green_leaf rarely comments. doomer view. PeteJ Tries to use humanities knowledge to align AI, apparently the readerbase doesn't like it. Probably won't work, banned for trying. @StartAtTheEnd 1.02 karma per comment, a little low, may still be above the bar. Not sure what he did wrong, comments are a bit long? doomer view, lots of downvotes omnizoid Seems to just be running a low vote total. People didn't like a post justifying religion. @MiguelDev Why rate limited? This user seems to be doing actual experiments. Karma seems a little low but I can't find any big downvote comments or posts recently. @RomanS Overall Karma isn't bad, 19 upvotes the most recent post. Seems to have a heavily downvoted comment that's the reason for the limit. @shminux this user has contributed a lot to the site. One comment heavily downvoted, algorithm is last 20. It certainly feels that way from the receiving end. 2.49 karma per comment, not bad. Cube tries to applies Baye's rule in several comments, I see a coup...

Ep 293- Joining us from across the pond is this week's guest, David Oliver. From an early age, David has been having unusual brushes with the paranormal. A reoccurring dream from childhood revealed itself to be a past life during hypnosis. A chance encounter at a new age bookstore turned into a life changing experience … Continue reading "Ep 293- “Skimming Leaves On a Pond”"

“Dance Talk” ® with Joanne Carey  In this episode of  “Dance Talk” ® with Joanne Carey,  join host Joanne Carey as she chats with  Special Guest: Valerie Green. Valerie shares her dance journey and what lead her to the work she does today as well as her choreographic process. Valerie also shares the wonderful, healing work she has been dedicated to- providing performances and workshops for underserved populations, including at-risk youth, trauma survivors, the formerly incarcerated, addiction rehabilitation patients, older adults, and those with differing abilities, immigrant communities and more. This is a person dedicated to helping lives. Valerie's new work 'Rite' premieres Feb 29th-March 2nd at The Center at West Park:165 West 86th Street, New York, NY 10024 centeratwestpark.org Tickets: https://danceentropy.networkforgood.com/events/65644-rite-premiere Valerie Green: Artistic Director of Dance Entropy and the Founder and Director of Green Space. She is a dancer, choreographer, working over 25 years with dancers of all levels, from the absolute beginner to the consummate professional, Valerie Green has developed her unique teaching style, Dance Your Frame. She has taught master classes and workshops to dancers of varying ages locally in New York, nationally, and in countries as far reaching as Azerbaijan, Armenia, India, and Cuba. Dance Your Frame integrates Green's own style, emphasizing correct musculature and bone alignment, with the Erick Hawkins technique. She supplements her modern dance technique methods with creative workshops such as Enter The Body: Choreography Workshop. Green has also developed two unique workshops, Skimming the Surface and Movement Playground, through her individual teaching experience and the outreach programs she spearheads in her local community for groups such as older adults, at risk youth and trauma survivors. These movement workshops for non-dance populations are rooted in Green's philosophy that all bodies can benefit from movement and dance. She also offers one on one sessions in Core Energetics a somatic based psychotherapy modality and facilitates and Somatic Healing Group Green is available to lead classes and workshops at a variety of partner organizations independently, through festivals or in conjunction with VG/DE's grant programs. Contact Valerie Info@DanceEntropy.org https://www.danceentropy.org/ Follow Valerie @danceentropy ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Joanne Carey on Instagram @westfieldschoolofdance And follow  “Dance Talk” ® with Joanne Carey wherever you listen to your podcasts. Tune in. Follow. Like us. And Share. Please leave us review about our podcast  “Dance Talk” ® with Joanne Carey "Where the Dance World Connects, the Conversations Inspire, and Where We Are Keeping Them Real."

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation - The ThinkersOne Podcast - Episode #919. In a world of information overload, Todd Rogers, a Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, recently published the book, Writing for Busy Readers - Communicate More Effectively in the Real World (co-authored with Jessica Lasky-Fink), as a testament to their understanding of the nuances of better writing in our text and emoji-paced world. Todd has dedicated his career to the study of efficient communication strategies, whether it's engaging with families, students, consumers, employees, or voters. His expertise is not just academic, it is also deeply rooted in practical applications, as evidenced by his co-founding of the Analyst Institute and EveryDay Labs. These organizations reflect his commitment to using behavioral science for public good – from improving voter communications to reducing student absenteeism through better family engagement. At Harvard, Todd's course, The Science of Behavior Change, is one of the most sought-after classes, a testament to his ability to translate complex theories into actionable knowledge. His role as the faculty chair of the executive education program Behavioral Insights and Public Policy, and his leadership of the Harvard Behavioral Insights Group, further highlight his central position in the landscape of behavioral science. In Writing for Busy Readers, Todd (alongside Jessica), dives into the challenge of writing effectively in a society that is bombarded with tasks and distractions. They champion the principles of brevity and clarity, advocating for the power of concise messages in capturing and retaining the attention of busy readers. Their book is a must-read for anyone looking for the balance between being informative and being succinct. Todd discusses the importance of standout subject lines, the pitfalls of overusing adjectives and common phrases, and the relationship between writing and persuasion. Todd addresses the impact of generative AI on writing, revealing his insights on how technology can aid in the principles of effective communication. Todd and Jessica's work is not just about writing - it's about understanding and engaging with the reader's context and perspective. His insights offer a roadmap for writing in a way that resonates in a society where time is the most precious commodity. Enjoy the conversation... Running time: 56:40. Hello from beautiful Montreal. Subscribe over at Apple Podcasts. Please visit and leave comments on the blog - Six Pixels of Separation. Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook. Check out ThinkersOne. or you can connect on LinkedIn. ...or on Twitter. Here is my conversation with Todd Rogers. Writing for Busy Readers - Communicate More Effectively in the Real World. Jessica Lasky-Fink. Harvard Kennedy School of Government. EveryDay Labs. Follow Todd on X. Follow Todd on LinkedIn. This week's music: David Usher 'St. Lawrence River'. Takeaways: Writing for busy readers requires brevity and clarity. Consider the reader's context and perspective when crafting written communication. Skimming and scanning are common reading behaviors in a busy society. Subject lines should be unique and attention-grabbing to capture the reader's attention. Avoid overusing adjectives and replace common phrases with more concise alternatives. Effective writing is closely related to persuasion and the ability to make it easier for readers to understand and respond. Generative AI tools like chat GPT can assist in writing, but they need to be trained on the principles of effective communication. Teaching effective writing strategies in schools can help individuals communicate more effectively in various contexts. Acknowledging others' efforts and providing positive feedback can have a significant impact on their well-being. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction and Background 01:15 - The Principle of 'Less is More' 04:18 - The Impact of a Busy Society 06:32 - The Burden of an Infinite Queue 08:01 - The Importance of Being Brief 10:07 - The Evolution of Reading and Writing 12:28 - The Art of Skimming and Scanning 17:23 - The Impact of Context and Emojis 19:37 - The Renaissance of Writing 20:36 - The Paradox of Writing More 25:38 - Understanding the Reader's Context 27:41 - The Challenge of Sarcasm and Miscommunication 29:23 - The Power of Impactful Words 46:25 - The Power of Subject Lines 47:53 - The Overuse of Adjectives 50:26 - Phrases, Persuasion, and Effective Writing 52:38 - The Impact of Generative AI on Writing 55:42 - Making Writing Easier for Readers 57:16 - The Importance of Acknowledgment

“Skating” by Herbert Asquith When I try to skate,My feet are so waryThey grit and they grate:And then I watch MaryEasily gliding,Like an ice-fairy;Skimming and curving,Out and in,With a turn of her head,And a lift of her chin,And a gleam of her eye,And a twirl and a spin;Sailing underThe breathless hushOf the willows, and backTo the frozen rush;Out to the islandAnd round the edge,Skirting the rimOf the crackling sedge,Swerving closeTo the poplar root,And round the lakeOn a single foot,With a three, and an eight,And a loop and a ring;Where Mary glides,The lake will sing!Out in the mistI hear her nowUnder the frostOf the willow-boughEasily sailing,Light and fleet,With the song of the lakeBeneath her feet. Hi, I'm Grace, and this is the Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Poems Podcast. It's a poetry podcast by a kid, for kids. Are you ready for today's Pickled Poem?   Email pickledpoemspodcast@gmail.com and let me know what you thought about today's episode. I'd love to hear YOUR favorite poem, too, so make sure to include that in the email and it might show up in a future episode. Make sure your parents have subscribed to this podcast, and ask them to leave a rating and review so more kids and families can enjoy pickled poems.    Oh, and I should mention that this podcast is sponsored by the ⁠Homeschool Conversations with Humility and Doxology podcast⁠, which is hosted by my Mom. So if you have a parent listening, they should probably check that one out, too.    Now go pick a peck of pickled poems! I'll see you next week! ⁠https://www.humilityanddoxology.com/pickledpoemspodcast⁠

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: More Hyphenation, published by Arjun Panickssery on February 7, 2024 on LessWrong. "MAN EATING PIRANHA MISTAKENLY SOLD AS PET FISH" - example news headline from Steven Pinker's The Sense of Style The rule is that you use hyphens for compound modifiers like the ones in natural-language processing, high-impact opportunities, cost-effectiveness measures, high-status employers, and so on. Don't break up compound proper nouns ("New York-based company") and don't use them after adverbs ending in -ly but do use them after other adverbs ("stern-looking boss"). You can use suspended hyphens when talking about "latex- and phthalate-free gloves." But hyphens are under attack. The Chicago Manual of Style "prefers a spare hyphenation style." The AP Stylebook says that "the fewer hyphens the better." In older texts you see a lot more hyphenation than you do today. Part of this is because of a good trend of combining compound nouns, turning e-mail and fire-fly into email and firefly. But part of it involves replacing hyphens with spaces, turning high-school seniors and ice-cream cones into high school seniors and ice cream cones. Some people think hyphens just look bad. But hyphens are excellent because they improve the readability of text - the speed at which it can be understood, even at a less-than-perceptible level. In fact, it would probably be an improvement to language if it became acceptable and normal to hyphenate compound nouns simply to make the noun phrase faster to read. But first I hope we can return to making references to chocolate-chip cookies. Skimming the curated posts that are on LessWrong right now, as a random sample: A Shutdown Problem Proposal A Shutdown-Problem Proposal hopefully-corrigible agent hopefully corrigible agent large scale X large-scale X A good example of hyphen use: "to make any child-agents it creates responsive-but-not-manipulative to the shutdown button, recursively." Thanks for listening. To help us out with The Nonlinear Library or to learn more, please visit nonlinear.org

In this episode self-confessed 'rebel on the pathway of human centered leadership', Dr. Tanvi Gautam delves deeply into a choice of going deep or skimming the surface on collaboration, the importance of not being afraid to be stupid, how to upgrade your leadership, the difference between forced and genuine collaboration and why all humans must be aware of the 5 Essential Conversations in order to 'go deep'. Tanvi's energy and drive to disrupt really shines in this episode.

In this episode, James is guest hosting again, and Erich and him cover some of the most interesting cybersecurity stories of the week.  Did Apple profit from letting scammers demand iTunes gift cards? The courts say it deserves a trial.  O'Hare airport selling lost luggage for less than $10? A Facebook ad says yes! A water authority in the Pittsburgh-area was attacked by Iran because... they used Israeli-made equipment; more crypto stuff being spread through social media account takovers, this time with a cybersecurity vendor, and more! Join one of our live streams at 10am Eastern Time to comment Stories from the show: States and Congress wrestle with cybersecurity after Iran attacks Pittsburgh-area water authority https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/states-congress-wrestle-cybersecurity-iran-attacks-aliquippa-water-authority/ Apple agrees to settle lawsuit over iTunes gift card scam https://www.reuters.com/legal/apple-agrees-settle-lawsuit-over-itunes-gift-card-scam-2024-01-03/ Security Firm Certik's Account Hijacked to Spread Crypto Drainer https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/certiks-account-hijacked-crypto/ Scam Claims You Can Buy Unclaimed Luggage From O'Hare For $9.95 https://blockclubchicago.org/2024/01/08/scam-claims-you-can-buy-unclaimed-luggage-from-ohare-for-9-95-but-its-not-true/

Dr Alex Mehr (IG: @doctoralex ) is an Iranian born entrepreneur who emigrated to the US. He has a in Phd in engineering and was previously an engineer at NASA. Dr Mehr is the creator of Zoosk and Mentorbox and is currently working on Deal.AI.  ———————————————————— Ready to build a network of amazing women and high-status men? Michael's Men of Action is a one-on-one Master's program that teaches men how to create elite  social lives by becoming higher status. Click this link to learn how you can have a High-Status lifestyle now: https://m.moamentoring.com/podcast Click here to join the Men of Action community and watch the High-Status Networking 101 course: https://m.moamentoring.com/moa-community Interested in joining the Men of Action sales team? Apply here: https://www.moamentoring.com/jobs/sales Men of Action has an affiliate program! Post pre-made content and get paid passively: https://www.moamentoring.com/affiliate ———————————————————— 0:00 Intro 0:39 Immigrating from Iran 1:39 PhD in Engineering 2:03 Working for NASA 2:36 **Physicists are good at modeling 4:14 The application process to work at NASA 4:57 From NASA to entrepreneur 6:11 ***Online dating software 9:25 **Selling the company for $258 million 12:01 How to automate your role in the business 13:40 Meeting Tai Lopez 15:02 The idea for MentorBox 17:33 ***How to price your products 24:24 ***Recurring programs 27:03 Giving away free software 29:15 ***Using AI 35:50 Being assimilated into the country 37:50 ***Online dating 43:50 “Great ideas shine” 45::45 The depth and breadth argument 49:47 ***What makes a good funnel? 54:16 Affiliates 56:30 Give away value before selling 57:53 ***The amount of hate you get is proportional to the money you make 1:02:20 Narcissism goes down as you age 1:03:25 Exposing psychopaths 1:06:13 **Firing 1% of your customers 1:07:56 Heritability of intelligence 1:08:37 ***Evolutionary psychology as a hard science 1:16:25 Reading 1:18:03 Becoming addicted to self-help 1:19:53 Skimming books 1:21:00 ***College education vs courses 1:24:29 Objection removal for sales teams 1:29:34 Money doesn't buy happiness but it eliminates bullshit 1:30:14 Not being a try-hard 1:30:54 Things coming up in the future 1:31:09 Social media

Harvard Kennedy School Professor Todd Rogers and Lecturer in Public Policy Lauren Brodsky say that trying to sound too smart—even when trying to communicate complex or nuanced ideas—can end up being a dumb strategy. Because today's overburdened information consumers are as much skimmers as readers, Rogers and Brodsky teach people how to put readers first and use tools like simplification, formatting, and storytelling for maximum engagement. They say you can have the most brilliant, well-researched ideas in the policy world, but you can't communicate them, they'll never reach the ultimate goal—making an impact. Rogers is the faculty chair of the Behavioral Insights Group at the Kennedy School and the author of “Writing for Busy Readers: The Science of Writing Better.” Brodsky is senior director of the HKS Communications Program and the author of “Because Data Can't Speak for Itself,” a book about how to more effectively communicate the data that supports groundbreaking research and evidence-based policy proposals. They say snarky millennials may be to something when they dismissively mocked your wordy social posts and text messages by replying “TLDR”—"too long; didn't read”—because that's how many busy readers feel about a lot of the writing that researchers, academics, and policy wonks do.Todd Rogers is a Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He is a behavioral scientist who works to improve communication, increase student attendance, and strengthens democracy. At Harvard, he is the faculty director of the Behavioral Insights Group and faculty chair of the executive education program Behavioral Insights and Public Policy. He received a Ph.D. jointly from Harvard's department of Psychology and Harvard Business School, and received a B.A. from Williams College, majoring in both Religion and Psychology. He is also co-founded two social enterprises: the Analyst Institute which focuses on improving voter communications, and EveryDay Labs, which partners with school districts to reduce student absenteeism. He is the author of the book “Writing for Busy Readers: The Science of Writing Better.”Lauren Brodsky is the senior director of the HKS Communications Program and a lecturer in public policy who teaches courses on policy writing and persuasive communications. She is also faculty chair of the executive education program “Persuasive Communication: Narrative, Evidence, Impact.” A co-author of the book “Because Data Can't Speak for Itself,” she also publishes the website Policy Memo Resource (www.policymemos.hks.harvard.edu) at HKS. Lauren lectures widely on policy communications and the use of evidence in writing for governmental agencies and non-profit organizations. She is a former Theodore Sorensen Research Fellow at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, where she conducted archival research on public diplomacy programs during the Kennedy administration. She holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.A.L.D. and Ph.D. from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.Ralph Ranalli of the HKS Office of Communications and Public Affairs is the host, producer, and editor of HKS PolicyCast. A former journalist, public television producer, and entrepreneur, he holds an AB in Political Science from UCLA and an MS in Journalism from Columbia University.The co-producer of PolicyCast is Susan Hughes. Design and graphics support is provided by Lydia Rosenberg, Delane Meadows and the OCPA Design Team. Social media promotion and support is provided by Natalie Montaner and the OCPA Digital Team.