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The first Ishara open  House Challenge .Book 3 in 18 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.Odd Happenings{8:58 am, Wednesday, Sept. 3rd ~ 5 Days to go; the Final Salvo ~ at this time}I had deposited my Mother in the place I felt was safest for her   with OT (Oyuun T m rbaatar) at the Kazakhstan's UN mission. Her being my family was what mattered to them most. I picked her up on my way to work, which made my entrance into the lobby all that much more cataclysmic.I was traveling light with only Wiesława Živa providing me with security. Chaz, Pamela and Juanita were catching up with their sleep, with a promise of taking me out for a late lunch. That was really them telling me to not leave JIKIT until they came for me around 2:00 pm.So anyway, me, Mom and Wiesława walked into the ground floor of the Mil Ma Towers to find eleven people waiting on us. We were in downtown Manhattan in a part of town the NYPD paid particular attention to. What could go wrong, right? Two of the people were Amazons from Havenstone. With them were two fine young men from the US 'don't make me kill you' Department. By this time in my life I was sure they had one   which no one talked about.Five of my expectant visitors were of the same mold as those who protected Hana for me. Not the Ghost Tigers   that would have put me at ease. Sure, they were a gang of assassin and in this circumstance; I would have preferred them. As it was, ten sets of highly-trained Illuminati operative eyes kept me, my party and the four guardians of JIKIT in their overlapping fields of vision.The last two, were doing an impromptu family reunion. They were Aunts 'X' and 'Y', and neither of them smelled like fish, or crab."Aunt Deidre," I tossed out there. "What brings you here today?"It looked like clobbering time! No. Wait. Neither Mom, nor my aunts, were saying anything and they were normally so verbose."Sibeal.""Imogen.""Sibeal, you are looking surprisingly well for a dead woman," the other one said."Deidre, you are looking surprisingly alive for someone who deserves to be dead," Mom bantered back."How long have you known about this?" Imogen's eyes flickered my way."Not long, a while, more than a day, ah, take your pick," I mumbled. I decided to turn that frown aka 'my gut wrenching terror that my Mother was about to die' upside down aka ramped up my sexy, 'glad to see you in a totally incestuous way'."So, what brings you here today and why aren't you waiting upstairs with the rest of my band of cutthroats, malcontents and ne'er do-wells? Oh, and I'm happy to see both of you." Karma was about to bitch-slap the shit out of me and it was so well deserved."I'm pregnant," Imogen studied my reaction. Yeah, I had banged her after Deidre, but before Baibre because I am a fucking reprehensible human being and sometimes, I feel I am utterly irredeemable."Great news," I exhaled. I so wanted to ask 'so, who is the father?' except that was too cruel, even for an O'Shea.No one stopped me from stepping up and hugging her. Everyone in the lobby had heard her loud and clear. Anyone who knew me, or even about me, knew she wasn't passing on the information because Imogen liked sharing good news. I kept my hands on her hips while I leaned my torso back until we could make eye contact."Does Granddad know?" It occurred to me in that second that Pamela was going to kick herself for missing this and the opportunity to kick me as well."I told him over the phone. His reaction was neutral," she responded."Whoa, girl? Boy? How are you doing? When are we going to sit down and figure out a name? Is there anything I can do for you?""Come home with me," she suggested."No," Mom snapped. "Next time he steps into your custody, we all know you won't let him get away." She meant the plane trip to Ireland."No, Mom," I countered. "I'm a grown man now and I make my own decisions. That being said   no, I'm not going home with you.""Not only am I still in love with the concept of my personal freedom, I have important work to do. People are counting on me.""We are counting on you too," Deidre stated. "In fact, that is the other reason we came here. We need you.""Why do I feel that has to do with something besides sex?""Can we talk to you in private?" Imogen requested. There were a thousand and one reasons to say 'no'. Things like 'common sense', bad behavior   they had murdered my homicidal uncle   and the fact they were as morally twisted as their creator. Oh   and they were hot and I hadn't been laid in forever."Sure. Let's go upstairs. You can have your people sweep the room to ensure our privacy then the four of us can sit down and have a family chat," I offered."We don't want her in the room," Deidre indicated Mom."We are a package deal," I denied her. "Like her, or not, she is as much family to me as you both are."They consented far too fast. Either I was falling into their masterful trap, or something horrible had happened. Neither options was palatable to me. The bodyguards departed, Wiesława last of all."What's gone wrong?" Mom preempted me. Her sisters glared."Father's body is not his own," Imogen told us. I was trying to figure out the relevance of that when Mom gasped."Oh fuck," she said in a small voice. "No serum?" Oh yeah, the refinement of those addictive pheromones Grandpa Cáel had gifted me with. Whatever flesh-form he currently inhabited wasn't one containing his genetic make-up meaning,"Oh shit," I mumbled. "What can I do?""Yes," Deidre replied to Mom."Let them die," Mom insisted (to me). Less I forget, she was raised by Grandpa Cáel too. Her being a loving mother to me didn't translate over to her being a humanitarian of any kind."The Hell you say," I jumped up and stared down at Mom. "You hate them. I don't. Letting them die makes me worse than him." Grandpa."So you will help us?" Deidre moved to the edge of her seat."Okay. This is the point where I threaten you into making some concessions, we argue then you eventually cave in because no matter how terrible your futures look, you aren't willing to give up on living. None of that is going to happen. What do you need from me?""Come back with us to Ireland so we can finish our experiments," Imogen joined me in standing. Unwilling to give her sister any physical advantage, Mom stood as well."No. That isn't even a believable lie," I scolded her. "You don't need to blackmail me into helping you. I'll do it gladly. That doesn't mean I'll let you trick me into doing something stupid. I do 'stupid' all the time. I'm accustomed to it and I know it when its ugly head rises up before me. Try again.""We could pick a neutral location," Deidre suggested."How about Havenstone?" They didn't look like that plan was even worthy of their consideration. "Imogen, inside you is growing a possible heir to House Ishara. An attack on you would be an attack on Ishara. Barring you betraying the Amazons, you would be perfectly safe.""Wonderful," Mom's sarcasm dripped off every word. "I'm going to be a grandmother to my nephew while my son is bringing a child into the world that can double as his cousin.""That sound pretty horrible, Mom. It is the truth, but it still sounds pretty terrible."While those words tumbled out of my mouth, I did a little soul back-searching. How in the fuck was   outside of the actual fucking   was Imogen pregnant? My existence was a freaking fluke of nature. A few words were bandied about the room while I was lost in deductive reasoning and turning hunches into assumptions and turning those into reasonable mystic hypotheses.I created the Mojo-Little Engine that thought it could. Specifically, the legacy of Vranus. Legions of little Vranusian sperm had been jumping hurdle after hurdle to keep the faith alive   that Vranus would meet his Ancestors with his mission accomplished. I was already half way there.Still, the legacy of Vranus and the hopes of Dot Ishara hadn't stopped in their struggle just because I had been born. They were still trying to restore the mortal descendants of a Dead House. They were also still spiritually pushing me on to fulfill his last command   to save the Arinniti sons.I was halfway there by returning the offspring of Bolu, Vranus' fellow guardian, back to the fold. It remained for me to round up the purpose of the whole mission in the first place. My semen weren't taking a chance that I could get gakked before that was accomplished. Having knocked up an augur despite the toxic soup she called blood should have been a dire warning to me, I'm an idiot.When the curse of Sarrat Irkalli clashed with the actions of Dot Ishara, Ishara had won. Sarrat Irkalli sought to deny Alal any children of his own. Dot was insisting the male line of Vranus Ishara continue on. The end result was Alal received his long-denied grandson, who just happened to also want him dead because of a feud that stretched back over two millennia.As an added insult, his grandson then knocked up one of Alal's genetically manipulated daughters, again giving him something he couldn't accomplish on his own   heirs   grand-sons and  daughters, most who would also want to kill him, being Amazons and members of the 9 Clans after all. Why? Cause Goddesses are bitches, that's why.That got me to wondering when would be the next time I was going to meet Ishara. I hadn't suffered severe head trauma in while and she was overdue for some snuggle time, witty banter and a fortune cookie. I'd try to be careful. It wouldn't do any good, but I had to try."Why are you crying?" Mom touched my arm."No reason," I lied."Why don't we make plans for tonight?" Deidre insinuated herself next to me. "We'd like to meet Hana. From what I understand, Father likes her.""No can-do," I sniffled. "I've got an orgy with 159 women at 8 o'clock, except there won't be any sex, or fun of any kind. Basically, I have to convince a roomful of women to not beat me up and take my stuff.""You don't have to go," Imogen had finished boxing me in   I had a chair behind me and Momma-clones all around."For the same reason I'm going to take care of our child, Imogen, I have to go to this meeting. People are counting on me to do the right thing without telling me what the right thing to do is.""That's unfair," Deidre empathized by stroking my chest."Not so. This is just another day in the life of a new hire at Havenstone Commercial Investments. Every day is like this and in five more days, the real fun beings." That wasn't entirely accurate. I had one good, stress-free week. It was when Carrig put me in a coma. That week I had done pretty well for myself.{9:28 am, Wednesday, Sept. 3rd ~ 5 Days to go}I trundled my latest 'Assistant-in-Charge of keeping the hopes of future Isharans alive' (I didn't want to call Aunt Imogen, or any other woman, my 'Baby-Mamma'), along with Mom and Deidre, for a meet-and-greet with Buffy. I had spelled out in no uncertain terms that Buffy was the power behind the Ishara Throne and thus making 'her' believe they were playing on the up-and-up was their best hope for easing relations between the O'Shea and the Amazon Host.After they left me (with the assurance we'd be getting back together for lunch, with Hana), I made three calls. I needed to make a formal request to Katrina (any Illuminati member(s) entering any Amazon facility was her purview) and another to Elsa (as a sign of respect) that Aunt Imogen and two unarmed bodyguards, max, needed to see our medicos about a delicate issue.The third call was to Buffy to enlighten her as to both the arrival of another one of my aunts (so we needed to get along peacefully with her) and that Aunt Imogen was carrying yet another potential heir to House Ishara. I suggested it would be a symbolic gesture if a member of House Ishara could hang around for the visit, as it might impress upon Imogen our House had a vested interest in keeping her alive."Another one?" Buffy sizzled. "And this one is your aunt?""It is a date then," I stumped her."You are going to take your pregnant aunt out on a date?" Buffy's sizzle meter was rapidly climbing to Krakatoa proportions."Nope. I'm setting up a date for us. You, me and a quiet location at 12:01 am Tuesday morning, my First. Later in the morning, I'll be heading out to wherever they have stored Felix so we can work on some cooperative strategy.""And if I say 'no'?" She was terribly grumpy."Ugh, I guess I'll go bar-crawling with Odette and Timothy, Gay and Lesbian bars only. That way I know I'll behave.""And if they say 'no'?" she was slightly less hostile."I'll know you threatened their lives, and then you and I will finally find out who is better on the mats. Trust me, it will not be an experience you will enjoy.""I don't know. I think I'd like that.""No. You start threatening the other people I love and you will not be happy; I guarantee that, Buffy."She realized I was both serious and angry. She had stepped out of bounds, the 'bounds' I had set up two hours earlier during our elevator ride."Is the meeting still on for the night?" she evaded my disappointment."Yes. Will you be there?""Of course," she grumped."Buffy, don't bother showing up if you can't separate 'us' as friends, 'us' as Wakko Ishara and my First, and you as my apprentice."Making me miserable in the first relationship doesn't help the latter two one bit. I try not to be an irresponsible asshole as House Head. More than anyone else, you know what I will sacrifice to be Ishara and one with my Isharans. I'll also step out and be plain ole 'Cáel Nyilas' when events permit.""But I am sick and tired of people not taking my desire to be foolish and care-free seriously. Being a dogmatic ass-hat isn't in me, but if you can't work with that, from here on out we are Wakko Ishara and Buffy Ishara and nothing more. I will still trust you as an Isharan, but not as a friend. Your choice.""Don't be such an asshole!" she snapped."Screw you!" I fired back. "I made a fucking effort to plan out some personal time with you, disguised as a joke; you knew it and you still decided to be a ball-buster. Like I need another fucking ball-buster right now, with all the other shit on my plate. You know better!" I was screaming. The people in JIKIT were working overtime at not staring at me."I'm under a ton of stress here too," she snarled. "I have to deal with the Council, keep our House growing and fulfill my obligations with Executive Services.""Do you want to quit? No longer by my 'apprentice'? Go back to working for Katrina full time?""Really?" she whispered."Of course the fuck not!" I shouted. "I didn't pick you for the job because of your sterling personality, or your bedroom excellence. I picked you because I had, and still have, utter faith in your ability to do whatever is necessary to overcome the landfill-sized colossal ill-fortune the Ancestors have dumped in our lap.""I'm just asking you to stop being a whiny, over-sensitive cunt and remember: it was the psychotic bitch who I chose for the top spot," I rumbled."I'm going to kick your ass," she seethed."Nice to know. We on for Monday night?"Pause."Yes," and she hung up. Two seconds later my phone rang again. "Buffy?" I answered. "And don't be late!" she menaced, then hung up again."So," Addison turned my way, "are you praying for World Peace to break out, or Nuclear War?""Hardy-har-har," I griped."Now that your personal drama is temporarily derailed, we have something for you to look at," Mehmet motioned for my attention. "Ever heard of Kōfuku no Kagaku?" I shook my head. "It translates over as 'Happy Science' and it is a cult-like organization in Japan.""Cool beans. Why do I have a sinking impression it is not a front for the Ninja?""That is what we want you to find out," Addison took over. "Of critical importance is the news conference their leader, Ryuho Okawa, gave earlier this afternoon/morning (~ 3:17 pm Tokyo time = 2:17 am East Coast time ~), especially a very relevant part of his interesting public announcement."He claims to be the Earthly manifestation of the Supreme Being. That is old news. Today he claimed that Temujin of the Khanate was the reincarnation of the original Genghis Khan and, with him, Ryuho, as the unifier of theological forces and therefore serving as spiritual advisor to Temujin, they would usher in a new period of Peace throughout Asia.""I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop," I exhaled."He also claims that Japan is in the midst of an epic struggle, both spiritually and in the physical sense. The 'ancient guardians' of Japanese purity, the 6 Ninja Families, are at war with the depth of all Evil, the Chinese Seven Pillars of Heaven by name, who are determined to drag all of Asia away from the Light and into the Darkness of pain, degradation and slavery."In fact I quote: 'Alone among the nations of the Earth, only the Japanese cultural identity can stand firm against this global menace. Only the Japanese can keep the torch of true Enlightenment aloft. Only the Japanese can guide the development of the Khanate into the Supreme Empire it is meant to be'.""I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this guy is pseudo-religious, a Japanese ultra-nationalist as well as anti 'all things Sino'," came out of my mouth."Correct.""None of the Secret Societies would do something so public. Temujin's background is a mystery, but no one in the Khanate is calling him a reincarnated spirit, and they know the truth," I continued."This guy is pretty nutty," Mehmet confirmed. "He also claims to channel Buddha, Mohammed, Christ and Confucius. His followers worship him as the Earthly manifestation of the 'Supreme Being' named El Cantare, which is yet another name for any number of ancient supreme deities. And he claims to consult with the 'spirit guardians' of national leaders and aids in their mystic defense, with the aid of the Five Sacred Sisters' Spirits."Clearly this man was insane. Unfortunately, insane didn't make someone wrong,"Ah Hell," I muttered.Mehmet and Addison perked up; after all, figuring out the bizarre was my position on the team."He probably is insane, and I can't blame him," I sighed. "He isn't El Cantare; he is in touch with the Weave.""I have a feeling this is 'not good'," Addison murmured. "How bad is it?""The Five Sacred Spirit Sisters are most likely the five augurs who died in order to save Temujin, which, in turn, allies the 9 Clans with the E&S and Amazons to 'save' Japan, though it is not 'saved' yet.""Technically, the Weave IS the Supreme Being. It's largely indifferent, yet capable of doing both good and ill in response to outside (aka mortal) stimuli. If you can observe the Weave, you might be able to see the most likely path destiny is taking as well as the key players screwing with that destiny."That would include the Gong Tau sorcerers and the ninjas use of their own brand of magic; and God only knows what other mystic tricks the others have been attempting.""How do we get them to stop?" Captain Delilah Faircloth muttered."Not that easy Delilah. Everyone in this room has intersected because of a magic experiment that happened before any of us were born (Mom).""The fight at Summer Camp was flipped on its head because I saw the ghost the 7 Pillars sent to scout the area. My freeing of one of those trapped and tortured souls led to the calamity at the Barbeque Pit. I didn't use magic. I countered it. Still, my actions were interfering with the Weave."All four people the augurs, those Five Sisters, told me about had been dead at some point in time, some for thousands of years. Ajax didn't kill anyone using magic. Neither has Saku, yet both of them are products of disruptions in the Weave. 'Me' being alive and breathing is yet another disruption, since I shouldn't exist because of another mystic curse from five thousand years ago."Being alive and killing people means I've killed people who shouldn't be dead. Do we need to go into all the millions that have died in the Khanate war? Which was a combination of a resurrected Temujin and the 7 Pillars hunger for World Domination, if we do nothing, the rippled of those other disruption will still carry on."Except for me, no one on this taskforce has used an iota of magic, yet we are all dedicated to combatting mystical forces," I related to the group. I wondered where Rikki (Martin) and Beatrice (Ya Konan) had gotten off to. Lady Yum-Yum being absent only made my 'Scooby' senses tingle more."You use magic?" Agent-86 tilted his head in curiosity."I talk to a Goddess on a semi-regular business. I see ghosts. I've been the conveyer of messages from dead people and I've killed an un-killable man. Do we need to go back over my kidnapping by the 7 Pillars? The memories of my undead Grandfather floating around in my head?""I'm not calling thunderbolts out of the sky and shooting fireballs out my ass, but what I am doing is magical, nonetheless.""So, what do we recommend to our allies and benefactors (i.e., our sovereign governments)?" Mehmet inquired."Hmm, we tell our governments this crackpot is a Prophet of Doom who could be turned into an asset," I rubbed my brow with all four fingers and a thumb. Rikki, Beatrice and Lady Worthington-Burke quietly entered the room. They were all highly pleased in a 'I just won the lottery' kind of way. I was curious, but had to carry on with my train of thought."Quietly start seeking out other mystic societies, preferably low-key, quiet types who avoid the limelight, and start looking into other forms of magical insight and, quite frankly, protection. If the Weave has let this happen, we can expect worse. Lastly, I'll ask my 'Brother' to meet with this guy and get a feel for his personality.""That will only increase the believability of his ramblings," Addison protested."The boat called 'Denial' has already sailed. The World is in crisis. People are going to look for non-conventional answers. It is better to get ahead of this and bring Ryuho Okawa on board as a 'consultant'. Don't give him the whole picture by any means. The guy is definitely a loose cannon. Even worse, he is also a loose cannon the Weave has touched.""Besides, the Seven Pillars are going to figure this out pretty quick, their Weave sensitivity, ya know, and either kidnap him to be their own spiritual seismic sensor, or kill him for being both a loose cannon and yet another person screwing with their 'best laid plans'. Keeping him alive has the added benefit of making the Seven Pillars expend resources trying to get at him. Japan needs every bit diversion they can get."Let's not forget to tell our Secret Society allies of our plans, lest they kill him too. His babblings aren't going to make the 9 Clans or the E&S happy with him. They both have an established habit of making perceived enemies dead. Let's keep him alive and utilize this opportunity.""I like this plan," Addison nodded. Mehmet was clearly on board as well. Agent-86 clearly was playing the best on-line mystic MMORPG ever! (And with the added bonus that his team's action had real-world consequences.) The three 'ladies' new to the room received an abbreviated version of our discussion and my 'suggestions'. They weren't really suggestions. Barring a few insanely criminal endeavors, JIKIT treated me like a true asset."Something else big?" Addison looked to her British counterpart (Yum-Yum)."The Japanese Diet has voted for a public referendum on a Constitutional Amendment to repeal/revise Article 96 of the Japanese Constitution.""Oh fuck," was echoed, either verbally or subliminally, by everyone in the room except for me, Delilah and Agent-86.'Cáel' knew Jack and Shit about the Japanese Constitution. Hell, I barely knew about the US one and I was a native. However, Alal did know it, and knew both what Article 96 was and what its amendment really meant. Good-old 96 was the rolling dark cloud across the political Great Plains that heralded a swarm of tornados. Clouds were clouds and their arrival could mean anything.Article 96 dictated how the Japanese Constitution could be amended. The current process was a 2/3rd vote in both the House of Councilors (the 'Upper House', roughly equivalent to our Senate) and the House of Representatives (the 'Lower' House) followed by a public referendum. The proposed amendment to Article 96 would transform the process to a mere majority vote in both Houses.Imagine the shit-storm which would be unleashed if the US Congress tried to pull that shit. The biggest political issue was that the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) held 294 of the 475 seats in the lower house (a clear majority) and 115 of the 242 in the Upper House (7 seats short of a majority). If the amendment passed next month (October 14th to be precise), the LDP could pretty much do as they pleased.And what was the first thing they were going to do? They were going to put to rest another part of the Constitution, namely the far more globally important Article 9. And what was that?Real World Stuff: WarningsArticle 9:(1)Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.(2)To accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.If Article 9 was repealed, the Japanese nation could exercise diplomacy by military means, aka declaring an offensive war against a foreign power. Currently Japan had a modest budget military budget of $48 Billion a year (Earth's 10th largest). It was modest when you considered it was a mere 1% of the Japanese GDP. Great Britain, France and South Korea's smaller economies all functioned nicely with double that percentage for their military budget.Regionally, every other nation was increasing their military expenditures, except Japan's protector, the US and (perhaps) North Korea, who's spending on anything was a closely guarded state secret. Right now, China and the Khanate's military expenditures were running roughly even at $180 billion each, but this was an arm's race the PRC would eventually win, they had too great an advantage in the size of their workforce and a far larger industrial base.The truth was, if the PRC couldn't win this race fast, she was facing a long, grinding war reminiscent of the Communists' Long Rise to Power that wrecked their country a century ago. The monetary dynamic was shifting badly against them because the Khanate wasn't alone.India, Taiwan and Vietnam were also ramping up their war spending to a combined tune of $34 billion and now allied with the Khanate, equating to an additional $90 billion the PRC had to overcome. South Korea was already adding $8 billion to their military and Russia was taxing the fuck out of Manchuria to both pay for their 'Peaceful Intervention' and to increase the 'Readiness' of their other forces.All of this military spending was bad for both the regional and global economies (unless you were Israel who was turning out hardware 24/7/365 for the Khanate and Indian war machines). So at this point, Japan doing 'nothing' was possibly more disastrous than doing 'something' else.They were already spending $50 fucking billion on glorified policemen while the future of East Asia was being decided without them. Doubling the military budget would place a huge burden on the largely pacifistic population. It would also put Japan in the position of deciding the Fate of Nations.With the repeal of Article 9, Japan could utilize 'proactive means' to keep the naval supply routes to China open, not even the Indian's had the naval presence to confront the Japanese. Such a policy was a nice, friendly gesture to the Asian Colossus, who wasn't likely to show a shred of appreciation for their efforts.No, China had spent the last 60 years stoking the hatred of the Land of the Rising Sun among their people. (Many Japanese forgot current Chinese hatred was based on the Japanese butchering their way across China for nearly a decade between 1937 to 1945).(The Cornerstone) There was a truism which had guided American, Chinese, Japanese and Russian political thought for 150 years: 'There could only be one supreme power in East Asia and the Eastern Pacific'. Japan had followed the logical expression of that paradigm by invading Taiwan (1895), Korea (1910), beating up on Imperial Russia (1904), taking Manchuria (1931) and going to war with China (1937) while that country was trapped in a bloody civil war.To stop the Empire of Japan's rise, the US had attempted to cripple the Japanese economy before the Empire could harvest their just-acquired Asian natural resources. In response, Japan had thrown its soldiers and sailors into a futile effort against the British Empire, the United States and China and lost.With Imperial Japan crushed and the Soviet Union preoccupied in Europe, China had risen. The irresistible force of China's rapidly increasing population, natural resources exploitation and extensive land mass took hold. Japan couldn't compete in a 'fair' fight. Since 1945, the Japanese government had lived with the fear of aggression from Russia and/or China aimed their way.The US felt the same way, or they had. The fear produced by the broad acceptance of 'Only-One-Shall-Rule-Asia' had led to the Korean War, the half-century cease-fire along the Demilitarized Zone in Korea and the Vietnamese Civil War. The Communists in China and Russia had feuded until the Soviet Union collapsed under its own economic inadequacies.A reborn Russia, even with the ultra-nationalist Putin at the helm, couldn't stop China's growing domination. Asia was China's for the taking, until the Khanate rose up like some desert mirage in the Western Steppe, one that turned into the Mother of All Storms. So now, miraculously, the dominion of Asia was up for grabs once more.Japan could not overcome China; that was a given. The Dragon had more people, more resources and an almost three-fold larger economy. Given a decade, the PRC would grind the Khanate down. Once more it was the tyranny of numbers. Even India, Taiwan and Vietnam could only slow down the inevitable.India's subpar economic output marginalized the power of their citizenry. Taiwan had the proportional economy, but not nearly enough people. Vietnam had neither and had always had a rough time defending themselves, much less been successful confronting powers beyond her homeland. Putin's Mother Russia had a host of other problems, internal and external, so she had already contributed as much as Putin dared.Until Thursday morning, Tokyo Time, the undeniable Destiny of Asia remained in the hands of those men in Beijing. The dominoes were falling in a way those rulers had not foreseen and now fumed over. But on Wednesday night, there was no industrial power (with the population to back it up) which could threaten the People's Republic of China.Europe and the US wouldn't intervene. Much like the leadership in Japan, the Communist Chinese Politburo believed Putin had wagered as much as dared. No other nation on Earth mattered. Japan? That was laughable. Their Constitution bound the hands off their military behind their backs with a pledge of eternal pacifism.The Chinese weren't blind to the 250,000 men and women of the Japanese Self Defense Force. Without the political will, those troops might have well have been in Brazil. A hostile Brazil was actually a greater worry because Brazil was the powerhouse of South America, a G-8 economy and hungered for a Permanent Seat on the UN Security Council. The PRC was dedicated to denying their desire as it would have diluted the PRC's burgeoning diplomatic power.Japan? Ha.Thursday morning, in what was essentially an undetected (by anyone except the Ninja and JIKIT) coup d' tat, pacifism was sacrificed on the Altar of Nationalism. Article 96's demise was pre-ordained. A poll taken on July 1st, 42% of Japanese felt positively about the repeal of Article 96 while 46% opposed it.The same agency took a new poll on August 28th. The economic-political situation of Japan was going through a titanic tidal shift. If Buddhism moved you toward devout pacifist, the Khanate had liberated Tibet and was clearly withdrawing as the UN troops' boots hit the ground.If you were a Nationalist of any kind, you were seeing a whole lot more people at your rallies, accessing your websites and signing up to join your formerly fringe parties. If you were a Socialist, you were scared. Why? The PRC was in the process of nationalizing all of Japan's (and South Korea's and Taiwan's) business interests in China, for the 'Duration of the Emergency', or so they said.That meant plenty of Japanese workers were losing their jobs and looking to blame someone. You couldn't blame the centrist LDP. The LDP had been working alongside the Japanese Communist Party for months. They had done nothing wrong and had worked tirelessly for a peaceful diplomatic solution. It was their 'comrades' in China, their Marxist confederates, who were costing the hard-working Japanese workers their jobs.If you were in the Establishment, all of the above worried the crap out of you. Japan's economy had been limping along at barely-positive growth for a decade. Your aging population needed more and more from their public services and, worst of all, you had nothing in your political and economic tool box to escape the obvious oncoming national catastrophe.The possibility of a Global Recession loomed on the horizon, if they were lucky. Highly respected economists in Japan and elsewhere were examining all the key indicators over the past three months and were suggesting hording as a viable policy for middle class households to consider. If you were in the Developing World, worse was heading your way.The word being bandied about on those esteemed academic internet websites wasn't 'recession', it was depression. Global prosperity thrived on nations investing in both their own economy and the economies of other nations. The governments representing a third of the World's population were not investing in their economies.Unless you were a war profiteer, you could expect fewer consumer goods on the shelves; and what was there would cost more. Your income wasn't going up; your expenses were. If you were an Atheistic homeowner in the Western World with a secured 3.25% fixed rate home loan, you took up religion. The prime interest rate would be racing for the 20% mark and that was only if your economy was stable.If you lived in a country in the Developing World, your trade goods didn't compete with those created in the G-20. Your competition was with other Developing World businesses and the prize was the pocketbooks of those consumers in the G-20, which was a shrinking purse.It wasn't like you were being paid all that much to begin with; and now those once poor-paying, but at least plentiful, jobs were drying up. You needed your government to help you out. It wasn't like those governments could raise money by taxing the unemployed and under-employed. They didn't have money. And the rich in most of those same nations had a long and successful legacy of avoiding paying.Those growing economies had a few tried and tested 'solutions' for getting their countries through these rough stretches.The IMF? 'We are out to make 'positive' capital investments and your economic outlook doesn't look promising. We suggest 'austerity'.'The BRICS? Since India and China were basically in an undeclared state of war: 'we won't be loaning anyone anything for a while.'The BIS? 'As soon as the People' Bank of China, the Reserve Bank of India, the Central Bank of Ireland, the Bank of Israel and the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey get back to us about their sudden, serious lack of transparency, we'll call you back.'World Bank? Holy Shit! 'The world's going down the toilet, we will do what we can.'F Y I, I (as in Cáel) had been wrong. The 6 Elders of the Ninja families didn't talk to Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzō Awbee. They talked with another, far more immediately important man. So sue me (Cáel) for not knowing the inner workings of various world governments, and creatively interpreting events surrounding all those people I (Cáel) didn't. I'm a freaking Liberal Arts major with a fertile imagination, not a superspy, or even a competent Intelligence Analyst!}The Japanese government had appealed to the U.S., U.N., P.R.C., A.S.E.A.N., India; and (through back channels aka JIKIT) the Khanate for an end to this madness; all with typical results:The U.S.A: We are working on it (without letting them know what precisely they were working on)Japan: Well, do something fast. Our Government Bonds are about to be more useful as wallpaper.The U.N.: We are working on it (with their long-established tradition of not doing anything until the crisis had passed)Japan: You are preparing to pass a Resolution to move this matter from the First Committee to the Fourth Committee, gee, thanks guys. Will they be meeting sometime before Christmas?The PRC: We are too busy right now, so shut up, keep the trade lanes open, and was that your submarine we detected sneaking into our territorial waters?Japan: What? What do you mean you are 'too busy?' You are one of our biggest trading partners, your economy is going down the toilet, and, No! That was not our submarine in your territorial waters. That accusation is absurd.(Note from Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzō Awbee, to Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano, head of the JMSDF {the de facto Japanese Navy}), The PRC has made this outrageous claim that one of our submarines has been sneaking around their territorial waters. There is no truth to that rumor, right?Kawano: Which time?Prime Minister: Oh My God! What have you people been doing and why is this the first time I'm hearing about it?Kawano: Sir, if you are just now getting around to asking us, you don't want to know.Prime Minister: What do you mean 'I don't want to know?' I'm the head of the damn government and, you are right. Fine. There is no way I'm going back to the Chinese Ambassador and apologizing for any this. Is there any way this can come back to screw us over?Kawano: With all these US and British submarines helping us out, not very likely, Prime Minister.Prime Minister: Oh, very good. You are correct, I don't want to know what you 'haven't' been doing. I am ordering you to destroy all transcripts and recordings of this conversation.Kawano: It has been my distinct honor not having this conversation with you, Prime Minister. Sayōnara.ASEAN, What do you expect us to do about this? Have you seen the unimpressive combined sizes of our members' air forces and navies? Did you see the smack-down the Khanate has inflicted on the PLAN's South China Sea Fleet?Besides, the PRC is claiming that the Khanate launched covert attacks against the Parcels and Spratly islands which originated from Indonesian and Filipino waters. We are investigating the issue. If you are asking us for help, you are truly screwed. Don't call us. We will call you.Japan, {muttering} Investigating the attacks that came from your territory, bullshit! You are covering your own asses, damn it!(Note from Prime Minister, Shinzō Awbee, to Shotaro Yachi, Japanese National Security Advisor), I've heard an ugly rumor that the Khanate has forces secreted in the Philippines and Indonesia. Do you happen to know anything about it?Yachi: Yes Sir. We had advance notice of the organization, composition and destination of those forces.Awbee (while muttering 'no one tells me anything anymore'): What the! Would you please tell me what is going on.Yachi: We have made critical steps toward future alliances which will guarantee Japanese security for decades to come.Awbee What does that mean, and since when have you been creating and implementing foreign policy? We have a Minister for that, in case you somehow over-looked him at the last cabinet meeting. Wait! Does he know about this too?Yachi: No Sir, Foreign Minister Kishida is currently unaware of the Kinkyū tokushu sakusen tasukufōsu (Emergency Special Operations Task Force). Admiral Katsutoshi knows the basics of our operational policy, since we need to borrow some of his assets from time to time. Director-General Kitada (of the Public Security Intelligence Agency) and key personnel from the Foreign Ministry's Intelligence & Analysis Service and Security Bureau make up the majority of the task force's operatives.Awbee: What have you been doing?Yachi: You don't want to know, Mr. Prime Minister. It would make things, awkward.Awbee: 'You don't want to know', of course, I don't. I'm only the elected head of this government. Why would I possibly want to know what acts of espionage and war my deputies are executing?Yachi: I am glad we are on the same page, Sir. Will there be anything else?Awbee: No, wait. Do you have any intelligence on what the Khanate is up to?Yachi: Yes Sir. Is there anything in particular you want to know?Analysis Services: Can you contact someone in their leadership willing to discuss regional affairs?Yachi: I can put you in touch with the Great Khan himself if necessary.AS: What!Yachi: Sir, I would hardly be acting in our nation's best interests if I couldn't divine the intentions of the key players on the stage. Shall I initiate the necessary communications to facilitate that level of clandestine diplomatic contact?AS: No. Yes. No, I need to think about this. Hmm, have you been conducting any domestic espionage missions?Yachi: You don't want me to answer that, Sir.Awbee: of course I don't, I'm only the damn Prime Minister. Shotaro, I'm still Prime Minister, aren't I?Yachi: Yes Sir. We have been working overtime to ensure that. We've foiled two enemy assassination attempts and one attempted kidnapping so far. We remain vigilant.AS: How come this is the first I'm hearing about it? Is the head of my security in on this conspiracy of yours too?Yachi: No Sir. These particular guardians wish to avoid notoriety at all costs.Awbee: Okay. Good to know. Ah, keep up the good work and destroy any trace of this conversation.Yachi: Way ahead of you, Sir. Have a good night.India, Yes, we are more than willing to work with you toward regional stability. Care to acknowledge the Khanate's legitimacy first? We'd really appreciate it. Sure, get back to us when you've done that. Until then, the South China Sea Awaits! Yes, we plan to keep what we've earned. Later now. We think there is going to be further instability in Southeast Asia.Japan, Ya think? It is your damn warships sailing around the freaking South China Sea enforcing your utterly un-secret alliance with the Khanate. Why are you doing this to us? What have we ever done to you?The Khanate, We are not out to damage your national interests. We apologize, but there is now way we will call off this war with the Communist Chinese. It is them, or us, to the death. We have already received and agreed to your request to allow all Japanese flagged ships safe transit through the South China Sea. We really wish to be your friends this time, to make up for those two invasion attempts seven hundred years ago.(Note from  Prime Minister to Self) Great. The only reasonable people who aren't out to kick me in the nuts are also the ones I can't acknowledge talking to. I've got to do something a

Hereinspaziert ins Feuilleton: Der German Brainrot macht auch vor diesem Podcast nicht Halt. Während Kira die lang ersehnte Antwort auf ihre Mehrkomponenten-Joghurt-Suche gar nicht schmeckt, wird trotzdem gefeiert – mit Celebrations! Ob Bounty es in die finale Auswahl schafft, wird diese Folge zeigen.

Welcome back to the Manor!  Jody sent a meme to James about why hot wing restaurants are always sports themed and not nerd themed.  What would it take to make a nerd wing place work?  Probably more than we've thought about here, but we talked about it any way!  Feel free to use our ideas... for recognition. Snicker snicker. Pour yourself a pint and cook yourself up a plate of wings and enjoy! Get in touch with us at Podbean: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-4pksr-a17e1a Or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twinterrorsmacabremanormeadmetalmayhe/ Or on twitter: @Terrors_Manor On Instagram: @macabremanormeadmetalmayhem

In this episode of the Breaking Barriers Podcast, host Gary Bontrager sits down with Mike Fornash to take a deep dive into the rich history of tractor pulling, the legacy of Mike's father, Jerry Fornash, and how the sport has evolved over the years. Recorded in the nostalgic Ginko Garage, this conversation highlights the grassroots passion for tractor pulling and the strong community ties formed through decades of competition. Mike shares fascinating stories about his father's journey from farming in West Chester, Iowa, to becoming a well-respected name in the tractor pulling circuit. From tinkering with farm tractors to building custom modified machines like "Lurch," the Fornash family's ingenuity and determination left a lasting impact on the sport. The discussion also explores the camaraderie among local pullers, the evolution of tractor modifications, and how family traditions were woven into every aspect of their journey. With stories of road trips to competitions, early engineering hacks, and the iconic "Snicker" nickname, this episode captures the spirit of perseverance, innovation, and legacy. Whether you're a motorsports enthusiast or someone who appreciates tales of family and tradition, this episode will inspire you to reflect on your own passions and the barriers you've broken along the way.

All the time, Jesus the Messiah, the one born King of the Jews and of the entire universe for that matter, lay helpless as a baby born to a poor unimportant family, lying in obscurity, literally just a few miles away from Jerusalem. And however tempting it might be to look at Herod, and the Magi, and Snicker, and comment, like the emperor that wasn't wearing any clothes. Probably better, is to see ourselves in this meeting. This meeting between these fake kings. You see, our whole society is like that. People trying to impress each other, with their money, with their degrees, with their accomplishments, their sports team affiliations, how well their portfolio is doing, how attractive their boyfriend or girlfriend is, how smart their children are. And us religious people, we're probably worse of all. Constantly trying to pretend that we are better than we actually are. That we know more than we know. That we are certain, more than we are actually certain. We are half breeds and frauds pretending to be kings. The good news of course is that we don't have to live that way.

What if you could only pick one game for each console - one game that would most represent that console? Would you pick the best game for the system? Would you pick a launch title that set the stage for the console? Would you choose a late release that showcased what the system was capable of? Would your decisions change if these games would be put in a box for aliens to open up 2000 years from now? Well if you're wondering why I'm asking all these questions, it's because that's what this episode is all about! We run through all the major consoles and decide as a group on one game per system that we feel tells the story of that console best. Some systems lend themselves naturally to one game, but others are a bit tricky. So grab your headphones and some Snicker's Ice Cream Bars™, and join us on this journey to fill up our gaming time capsule!

We present for your edification a very nice Halloween-ish themed crossword to get us mentally prepared for the big day tomorrow! We weren't scared, though, as we were in the capable hands of John M. Kauffman, adeptly supervised by Joel Fagliano. Deets within, so have a listen, and let us know what you think!Show note imagery: Any Given Sunday, a 1999 Oliver Stone flick with a small armada of famous actors.We love feedback! Send us a text...Contact Info:We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com.Also, we're on FaceBook, so feel free to drop by there and strike up a conversation!

ANTIC Episode 111 - “Is Kay Really Funny, or is it Just a Courtesy Snicker?” In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast… We go over the ABBUC Software Contest winners, we cover PRGE, Kay accelerates his interview publishing schedule, and we ask the question: Is Kay really funny, or are Randy's snickers simply courtesy?  You decide … READY! Recurring Links  Floppy Days Podcast  AtariArchives.org  AtariMagazines.com  Kay's Book “Terrible Nerd”  New Atari books scans at archive.org  ANTIC feedback at AtariAge  Atari interview discussion thread on AtariAge  Interview index: here  ANTIC Facebook Page  AHCS  Eaten By a Grue  Next Without For  What we've been up to PRGE - https://www.retrogamingexpo.com/  Priming the Pump: How TRS-80 Enthusiasts Helped Spark the PC Revolution by David and Theresa Welsh - https://amzn.to/40l4vv1 (sponsored link)  Recent Interviews ANTIC Interview 439 - Making Modern Atari Hardware  ANTIC Interview 440 - Ed Sabo, UltraBASIC  ANTIC Interview 441 - Nick Kennedy, Atari Morse Code Keyer  News ABBUC 2024 Software Contest: https://www.atariteca.net.pe/2024/10/ruff-in-trouble-ganador-del-abbuc-2024.html  https://abbuc.de/2024/10/ergebnis-abbuc-softwarewettbewerb-2024-result-abbuc-software-competition-2024/  ABBUC Magazines -  https://abbuc.de  4th ATASCII Compo 2024 - Presentation Pre-Launch for Clear Case for 800XL has begun: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/seethruit/injection-molded-clear-case-for-atari-800xl-computer/ https://forums.atariage.com/topic/373926-pre-launch-for-clear-case-for-800xl-has-begun/  Bouncy World Server Available - https://www.atariorbit.org/2024/09/27/bouncy-world-server-available/  Replacement cartridge slot - Screaming at the Radio - https://forums.atariage.com/topic/373896-replacement-cartridge-slot/  Mastertronic Collectors Archive - Atari (8-Bit) Mastertronic Checklist - https://mastertronic.co.uk/atari-mastertronic-checklist/  Upcoming Shows Retro Computer Festival 2024 - November 9-10 - Centre for Computing History, Cambridge, England - https://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/72253/Retro-Computer-Festival-2024-Saturday-9th-November/  Silly Venture WE (Winter Edition) - Dec. 5-8 - Gdansk, Poland - https://www.demoparty.net/silly-venture/silly-venture-2024-we  Event page on Floppy Days Website - https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSeLsg4hf5KZKtpxwUQgacCIsqeIdQeZniq3yE881wOCCYskpLVs5OO1PZLqRRF2t5fUUiaKByqQrgA/pub  YouTube Videos Atari XL/XE -=Go! Tony Go!=- - Saberman RetroNews - Atari XL/XE -=Go! Tony Go!=-  LIVE from PRGE 2024 Day 1: AtariAge New Releases & WIP - ZeroPage Homebrew - LIVE from PRGE 2024 Day 1: AtariAge New Releases & WIP (FIXED!)  Videos of the ABBUC winners, such as: Atari XL/XE -=Eat Me!=- ABBUC Software Contest 2024 - Saberman RetroNews - Atari XL/XE -=Eat Me!=- ABBUC Software Contest 2024  1K Rainbox - Saberman RetroNews - Atari XL/XE -=1K RainBox=- ABBUC Software Contest 2024  My Atari 800 prints out the news and weather every morning! - Sascha Segan - My Atari 800 prints out the news and weather every morning! New at Archive.org  https://archive.org/details/horten-computer-welt-11-85-preise/ https://archive.org/details/brace-bits-vol-3-no-1/BraceBits%20vol1%20no4/ https://archive.org/details/@allan52?query=portland Github https://github.com/marktmiller/atari-8-bit-forth-projects/tree/main/fig-forth1.1/FP%20library https://github.com/ivop/saprtools

In this kick-off episode to Sign of Chaos, we'll frame up the conditions under which Zelazny wrote this 8th Amber book, the commercialization of the franchise, and my general take on the book. Then we'll dive in and cover both chapters 1 and 2, including the Alice in Wonderland scene, and the deeper introduction to Mandor.

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-state-of-middle-grade.html I love middle grade books! But what defines a middle grade book? What are the challenges to publishing for this age group? What is the state of middle grade literature today? To learn more, I invited 2 experts on the genre: ~ Librarian Karen Jensen, author of "Treatise on the State of Middle Grade and Young Adult Publishing Today" and creator of the Teen Librarian Toolbox blog on School Library Journal's website ~ Chris Baron, author of Jewish middle grade fiction and founding member of the Facebook group For the Love of Middle Grade LEARN MORE: Transcript of the episode Chris Baron's website Chris's books: All of Me | The Magical Imperfect | The Gray | The Secret of the Dragon Gems | On All Other Nights Teen Librarian Toolbox's "Mind the Middle" Project Karen's Treatise on the State of MG and YA Publishing Today Author support groups: For the Love of Middle Grade | Mighty Middle Grade Authors | Middle Grade Authorcade Evaluating Jewish Representation in Children's Literature: A Guide for Libraries Authors promoting middle grade: Rick Riordan Presents | Dav Pilkey's Little Free Libraries | James Patterson's imprint | Ambassador for Young People's Literature Jason Reynolds Karen's middle grade reading recommendation: A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd Chris's middle grade reading recommendation: Tale of the Flying Forest by R.M. Romero Podcast recommendation: Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong  

Food companies market their products in a great many ways. Connecting their brands and products to sports and major sporting events is one such way and is drawing a lot of attention now. The reason is that the Summer Olympics are underway, which trains attention on the relationship between the International Olympic Committee and its longest running sponsor. Coca Cola has been a sponsor of every Olympics since 1928. So, it's intuitively obvious why sponsorships would be important to the Olympics because They get lots of money in the door and it's reliable. It's been happening since 1928. But let's talk about why this relationship is so important to companies, Coca Cola in particular, and what the public health impact of that might be. Today's guest, Dr. Marie Bragg, has contributed some of the key studies on this topic. She is Assistant professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, where she also serves as director of diversity initiatives. She holds an affiliate faculty appointment in the marketing department at the NYU Stern School of business; directs the NYU food environment and policy research coalition; and she's also a Food Leaders Fellow at the Aspen Institute. Interview Summary It's really nice to talk to you about this because it's an important issue and not a lot of science has been done on this over the years and you've contributed a lot of it. Let's talk about the issue of sports marketing and can you tell us a little bit more about what that is broadly and what's, what are some of the forms it takes? You just mentioned one of the main areas of sports marketing with sports sponsorships. And so that's where a company like Coca Cola partners with an organization like the Olympics. And really is paying for the rights to have that famous Coca Cola logo or its products to appear at sporting events or in commercials that are involving the Olympics. In terms of how much of it there is we know, for example, the world cup is one of the most watched sporting events in the world, along with things like the Olympics. The world cup, for example, has 5 million viewers. And so that's a lot of exposure for these brands, but it's not Sports sponsorship partnerships like that, there's athlete endorsements, and those dates back as far as to 1934, as one example, when baseball player Lou Gehrig first appeared on the box of Wheaties cereals. There's a special place that athletes have always had in our society, and I think it comes through with these sorts of partnerships. But if we fast forward to today, our lab has even seen these kinds of partnerships appear in video games. And so, Nintendo had M&M's a race car game a few years back, and NFL Madden, which is a popular video game even has things like the Snickers player of the game appear within the video game, just like real NFL games. What this means is that these pictures of brands and products are peppered throughout kids experiences when they're playing video games. And then finally, if, and probably for anyone who's, been in a supermarket, when there's a major sporting event going on, like the Super Bowl or March Madness, it appears on products too in supermarkets. It's peppered throughout our everyday experience in ways we might not always see or appreciate if we're not paying attention. Marie, I like to do sports trivia with some friends of mine, and you've just given me a great question about Lou Gehrig and the Wheaties box in the 1930s. So that's a nice benefit of this podcast. So aside from that, why sports? I mean, companies could attach themselves to lots of different things, but why did they choose sports and why is that such a valuable connection for them? One factor ties back into what we were saying about visibility. If there are millions of people watching a sport event, it means that there's a lot of time for brands to be able to have high visibility for whatever they're endorsing or sponsoring in that moment. On another level, I think on a deeper level, our society has a special relationship with sports and professional athletes. Professional athletes are their own sort of unique category of celebrities that people love to follow and admire. That means that when a brand associates themselves with a sports organization like the Olympics or a professional athlete, they're buying into a special idea of what it means to be cool, to be fun, and to feel good about to feel good about the brand because when people are watching sports, they're excited. If we think of other categories of life where there are maybe a high number of viewers to a specific televised event, like a presidential debate, that we don't see a lot of sponsorships around that. And maybe it doesn't evoke the same feelings that a sporting event does. I'm expecting that this kind of relationship or attachments or symbolism of the sponsorship of sports might be especially powerful for children. I know if you ask kids what they want to be when they grow up, a lot of them will say they want to be a baseball player or basketball player, football player, something like that. Does that make sense? I remember reading an article once that said, a dad was playing catch with his kid, and had spent all these hours with his kid working on pitching. And the dad made the point in the article, my kid doesn't want to grow up and be me as a baseball player. He wants to grow up and be ARod. And so, this idea that we can spend all the time that we want with our kids and they still hold these celebrity athletes on such a pedestal is something that I think ties into why this is valuable for companies. It's kids who are engaged in sports or attending sporting events who are the next generation of consumers for these products. If they can get the attention and the brand loyalty of these children early on in these positive, exciting environments, it helps them secure the next generation of purchasers. We'll talk about how important brand loyalty is in a minute, but let's talk about how valuable these connections are to the company. I guess one indication of that is how much a company like Coca Cola is willing to pay to be a sponsor of something like the Olympics. What kind of numbers do you know about in that context? The companies don't usually disclose the exact numbers, but in 2008, NPR published an article that estimated that Coca Cola spent about 70 million to sponsor the Beijing Olympics. If we think about it, that's stunning given sponsoring an event is just one part of their massive advertising machine. More recently the Wall Street Journal estimated that Coca-Cola and a really large dairy company in China partnered and spent a combined, estimated $2 billion with a B, $2 billion for a 12-year Olympic sponsorship deal that will run through 2032. It's really incredible to think about that as just one slice of what they're doing, but with such a massive amount of money attached to it. It really sort of begs the question what they are get out of it and what do they see as the value. I know there are branding opportunities, and again, we'll come back to that in a minute, but there's also sort of this goodwill part of it, isn't there. The Olympics are a great thing. No reason to question that. The fact that a company like Coca Cola would sponsor a good thing probably gives them a good company glow, doesn't it? My colleague Bridget Kelly in Australia did a study on this topic of sort of the glow that sponsorship produces. In her study, she showed that about 68 percent of kids in the sample could remember the sports sponsor and thought the sponsors were cool and generous. And they wanted to sort of pay back the favor by purchasing the products of that sponsor. There is something really special to to that relationship in the minds of kids. Wow. That's an impressive finding. So, speaking of findings, you've done some research on these sports sponsorships yourself. Can you tell us a little bit about what you've done and what you found? Some of our work in this area has documented how food and beverage companies associate themselves with sports on the sponsorship side. Athletes and supermarkets with product partnerships. And in one of our studies that tied into sports sponsorships, we looked at the 10 major sports organizations that had a lot of viewers. So, things like the NFL, the NBA, and then we wanted to categorize what kinds of groupings, the sponsors belonged to an automotive brand. Ford motors was one of the largest categories. But food wasn't very far behind. We saw about 19 percent of sponsors were associated with food and beverage brands, and it was for mostly unhealthy items. In the sports sponsorships, we're not. Seeing a lot of water being featured. It's a lot of sugary beverages you know, chips and things like that. We're not seeing much fresh fruit. And then when we did the same thing with athlete endorsements, one of the things that stood out about that study, which looked at a hundred athletes to get a sense of what are they endorsing and how healthy is this stuff and how much are people seeing it. The most striking finding for me from that study was that 93 percent of the beverages that were endorsed by professional athletes were sugary drinks. And we know that athletes need to drink a lot of water to sort of fuel themselves. And maybe sometimes they do need some sort of sports drinks for long workout days, but we saw a lot of sodas in the mix too and the other thing is that most kids don't need lots of sports drinks in their diet, but that's what is sort of being promoted through these through these endorsements, and so that really stood out to me about that study. We also in a couple of these studies found that young people are often seeing more ads for this than adults. It's not even though it may be sort of targeting general audiences. A lot of times young people are really seeing a lot of these, including the forms of ads that pop up on YouTube because we know kids are really into social media. It's really across the board of all of our research. We find mostly unhealthy products being promoted through these partnerships with sports. I remember back over the years that this issue comes up in the press occasionally and athletes get called out, specific athletes will sometimes get called out for promoting these kinds of foods. And, and I remember there being a couple of cases, although I don't remember the names of the athletes involved, where they've refused to do this kind of thing and they've made public statements about that. What's your recollection about that? We were really excited one time with our athlete endorsement study that came out a couple of years later. Brita water filters issued a press release and I remember getting a lot of messages about it telling me to go and look at what was posted online. Brita had cited our study that most beverages promoted by athletes are sugary beverages. And that's why we're so excited to partner with Steph Curry to promote Brita water filters. I framed that press release and shared it with all our team members who worked on those projects because it was an example of choosing a healthy beverage over some of these sugary drinks that are so commonly promoted. So maybe there will come a day when LeBron James or athletes like that start advertising cucumbers or radishes or something. And I wish cucumber producers had the same budgets as these sugary drink brands because it's really hard for some of the healthy stuff to compete with some of these major fast food and sugary drink companies. For sure. Let's talk about the issue of branding, why a company like Coca Cola wants its brand image, that famous Coke logo out there in front of as many eyes as possible. Give me just a minute if you will. And I'd like to describe something that I've heard. Sort of observed over the years. It's my anecdotal impression that if you ask random people, are you a Coke or a Pepsi person? You'll get an immediate and definitive response. People know whether they're a Coke or a Pepsi person. But if you do research, you find that people can't very often tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi. And, going back as, as long as 1949, there are scientists who have done these kinds of studies on whether consumers can distinguish those two beverages, doing blind taste tests. A typical finding is that people aren't any more accurate than chance. And there was a fascinating brain scan study done much more recently, of course. When Coke and Pepsi were given to people and they didn't know which they were receiving, the brain scan showed similar brain activity for the two beverages, again, suggesting that people can't distinguish the difference. But when people knew they were drinking either Coke or Pepsi, there was a brain activity advantage. For Coca Cola, which of course is all about more marketing, bigger company, that kind of thing, I'm assuming. So based on this, it looked like Coke hadn't won the taste war, but the branding war. So why in the heck would people feel so strongly that they can tell the difference between these beverages when they probably can't? Now my own two-bit theory on this is that no one wants to feel like they're a pawn of marketing. So, it'd be hard to admit that they favor one brand over another because then they would feel manipulated. They must believe in their own minds there's an objective difference. My theorizing aside, tell us about the power of a brand as opposed to a product and how the Olympics is such a golden opportunity for the Coca Cola brand. When we think about a brand, it's really a combination of feelings, ideas, and the emotions that we tie into what it means to be part of that brand. And as people, and especially as young people, for let's say teenagers, they're in an identity development stage where it's important for them to be adopting brands that are important to them, in part to distinguish themselves from their parents, to fit in with peers, and to start to have a sense of who they are as a person. And one of the ways to do that is to associate with what you like for music, but another piece is brand. So, are you a Coca Cola or a Pepsi person? A Nike or Adidas person. That comes with all sorts of adjectives about what it means to be on one side or the other. When we think about Coca Cola as a brand linking up with the Olympics, it's an opportunity to potentially borrow, not only get their brand out there, but potentially borrow from the brand of the Olympics as well. In our field, there's something called brand image transfer. This is the idea that when two companies or organizations partner together, the brand feelings we have about one might bleed over into the other and vice versa. It's one of the things that's always fascinated me about this topic, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it too, is this idea that the sports may have a sort of health piece to their brand identity. So, the Olympics have people at the peak of their, their sport. And my question has always been, what does that do to the way people feel about Coke in terms of its healthfulness? And is there some brand image transfer that's happening back and forth that's particularly beneficial for Coca Cola because of the health component? You reminded me of something. Tell me if you think this is an interesting parallel. When I was a boy in public high school growing up in Indiana, I don't think there were any soft drink machines in my school, maybe one in the teacher's lounge or something that I never saw, of course, but there wasn't much. And then when my son, many decades later, was a student in a school, public high school in Connecticut, he and I walked around the school and counted the number of soft drink machines, and he was of course embarrassed to be walking around the school with his dad. But aside from that, I think we found something like 13 or 14 or 15 machines. I don't remember the exact number, but it was striking. And I've heard people speculate that the companies don't care that much about what's being sold in those machines because. It's not a huge profit center for them and they must split the profits with the school somehow, but it's all about the branding. And even the students who aren't buying anything from the machines walk past them probably many times a day. So, what's getting imprinted doesn't have much to do potentially with. A specific type of product, but it's just that company's main image. Does that make sense? And why those school sponsorships have been so important? It does, and it's really, there's really an emphasis on wanting a sort of 360 level of involvement in young people's lives because if a brand can get themselves in front of kids at school, at a sporting event, in a movie, in a video game, on social media, they're immersing themselves in a way that allows the brand to keep itself top of mind. And that's what starts to get people to be aware of it, build brand loyalty, reach for the product because it's, they, with so many ads, the ads are all competing for attention but being immersed in schools is just one aspect of that idea of having involvement in as many areas of kids' lives as possible. I think in addition to all the machines, there were tables outside that had. Coca Cola umbrellas, and then the football stadium had a scoreboard that had Coca Cola that featured prominently on it. It was like complete corporate capture. It was amazing how many exposures the typical student in that high school in Brantford, Connecticut would have had. And that's just in school. I mean, think about all the other things added to that. That's amazing, isn't it? One of the things that interested me about this work was because when I played soccer and ran cross country and track as a kid, everything. There were so many instances where everything was sponsored. There were so many instances where unhealthy food products were linked with sport. So, we were the Snicker state champions of the state of Florida for soccer. I was a Wendy's high school nominee, not a winner. Let's be clear. And every brand. I have so many patches at home with fast food or sugary drink logos on them, right alongside. And then probably not coincidentally, I remember when I was a young kid, and we were painting a piece of wood in the backyard. And I drew the Coca Cola logo with a soccer ball and a basketball next to it. Looking back, first, what an odd kid I must have been to draw Coca Cola's logo, but to your point, I was really immersed in it and Coke was top of mind. The kind of sports sponsorships that you talked about being exposed to when you were young. That kind of thing's happening outside the U.S. a lot too, isn't it? It is. So, the sports sponsorship outside the U.S. – one of the big ones that comes to mind if McDonald's sponsorship of the World Cup. We see a lot of international presence with brands, whether it's through social media, and the way they sort of take local culture and tailor it to sports marketing. I remember being on a trip to Trinidad with my family. My mom's family is from Trinidad. And there was a Coca Cola bottling plant, I think it was. And alongside the perimeter was a painted fence and it had the Coca Cola logo and the Trinny flag and then a painting of a soccer ball and steel drums. So, there was this infusion of the culture alongside the Coca Cola logo. And that really, I think, accelerated my interest in understanding how these brands are capitalizing on the good feelings that people have towards their own culture. It can be challenging to do anything about this and challenging, especially you regulate advertising in the U.S. because of protections provided for commercial speech through the first amendment. What can be done about the ads promoted through these unhealthy sports sponsorships? One of the things I think we need more research on is the extent to which these kinds of ads might be contributing to a sort of misunderstanding about the health profiles of products. And so, I think that would help us better understand for kids, do they start to really think that some of these sugary drink products are healthier than water, for example. That's just a random example but I think that will help us understand what's at stake when it comes to the impression that it's making on young people. And there's a little bit of work in this area, but more is needed. And then I think too about how as a society, there's policy regulations to it too, but that's very hard to do because of commercial speech protections. I will say one of our colleagues Nick Freudenberg has talked about how we should have an open mind with whether there's a possibility to move the needle on commercial speech protections. And so that's something I'd love to keep exploring with people on what that could look like it, and if it was possible to any extent. And then the other thing that's always been on my mind is the idea that for some products being associated with and became a public relations liability. If we think about the way professional athletes used to endorse tobacco products and would be standing in their uniform with a cigarette in their mouth. Then that sort of became uncool. Not good for their brand. Not good for their look, and they moved away from it. Will the same thing happen to sugary drinks and junk food partnerships. And I think sometimes we see glimmers of that. There was the famous video, years ago after a soccer game, when one of the world's most famous soccer players pushed away a sugary beverage and said agua in response. And it affected the market shares at that moment. I think there are instances like that, that we can think about in terms of getting some momentum behind the way athletes themselves identify with these products. In that context, do you think parents could be an important advocacy voice? Let's just say that parents rose up and said to the local high school, we don't want Coca Cola stuff blasted all over our school. And they're pushing that. Coca Cola retains the right, because of the First Amendment to market its products, but local schools would have the right not to sign contracts and therefore deprive the company of those kind of marketing opportunities. Do you think parents might ever feel mobilized enough incensed enough to do something like that? I think parents are a key factor in this issue of sports marketing to kids because companies care a lot about what parents think. Even though kids have a ton of pester power, where they nag their parents to purchase things, parents are also in many cases, especially for young kids, the gatekeepers of all these purchases. Companies know not to make parents too angry about something because of the risk of not purchasing their products. I think if parents got vocal about it, whether it's on social media or by getting involved in petitions that might be going around that's one way to get companies to start paying attention to these things because I think it getting them out of schools, for example, seems to me to be a common sense start to it and but many parents might not be thinking of this in the way, that how deeply it might be affecting their diet, their kids diets. Bio Dr. Marie Bragg is an Assistant Professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine where she also serves as the Director of Diversity Initiatives. She holds an affiliate faculty appointment in the Marketing Department at the NYU Stern School of Business, and directs the NYU Food Environment and Policy Research Coalition, which includes 56 faculty who study food and sustainability across 14 departments in 8 schools at NYU. Dr. Bragg's research examines unhealthy food marketing practices that target youth and communities of color. Her current NIH-funded grants assess how advertising on social media affects the preferences and food choices of adolescents. Dr. Bragg is a Food Leaders Fellow at the Aspen Institute, and has testified on three public policies in New York City that aimed to create a healthier food environment. Since 2008, she has mentored more than 100 students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty members. Dr. Bragg earned her PhD in clinical psychology from Yale University.

McAnally's Pubcast - A Dresden Files PodcastHere we discuss Chapter 11 in which we annoy Jes with orations of the Jabberwocky and then cry for all the sad wizard orphans.Dead Beat Chapter 11 Summary:Harry goes home to Thomas and Butters. Thomas seems unsettled but won't open up. Harry starts to read Erlking but falls asleep and enters a dreamscape where his Father Malcolm speaks with him.Find Us Elsewhere:Do you want to follow up with us for even more Dresden? We're all over the internet - you can email us at pubcast@freeflowrambling.com, or you can track us down at Facebook, Instagram, Discord, X (formerly known as Twitter), Reddit, our Dresden Files website, or our parent website. If you want hypnotic visuals with your podcast, you can find us at YouTube. Not enough? Why not show your support by clicking here and donating or joining us on our Patreon. Also, if you're in the market for some merch, you can click here. If you still aren't satisfied, click here and tell us all about it!

It's not Christmas yet, but Paul Scheer is gifting us with his cart and his new memoir, “Joyful Recollections of Trauma.” Paul sits down with the Aunties for a heart-to-heart like you've never heard before. They talk about his childhood, especially looking back as a parent of two, and how we learn to navigate relationships with our own parents into adulthood. It's a conversation that shows laughter is not too far behind a good cry. Plus, as one third of How Did This Get Made?, Paul unpacks on co-host Jason Mantzoukas' cube philosophy.  We want to hear from you! Drop us a message on Speakpipe. Subscribe to the Add to Cart newsletter for juicy extras. Please note, Add To Cart contains mature themes and may not be appropriate for all listeners.  To see all products mentioned in this episode, head to @addtocartpod on Instagram. To purchase any of the products, see below.  Joyful Recollections of Trauma is the Auntie Book Club pick for May…and maybe the whole year? Paul also suggests Libro.fm for audiobooks and Bookshop.org to support independent bookstores  The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 Vlogging Camera is the size of a Snicker's bar EPICKA Universal Travel Adapter is a must-buy for travel season Hi-fi RUSH is for the cool indie gamers The Hefty Shrink-Pak Vacuum Storage Bags will make you a compression packing convert Listen to How Did This Get Made? for more Paul, Jason and June Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.  Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.  Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsorsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode we are joined by the beautiful and exotic Yanni Maj. Yanni Maj shares how a man did probably the most freakiest thing we have ever heard on this show, how her and an ex-boyfriend had a wild experience on his mother's grave, having to find custom bra sizes, and so much more. GET YOUR POPCORN READY...IT'S FRIDAY BABY!This show is powered by @BlankitMedia and is available on all streaming platforms. FOR THE UNCENSORED VERSION OF THIS SHOW JOIN OUR PATREON!https://linktr.ee/everydayisfridayshowConnect with Everyday is Friday ShowFollow Us On All Socials: http://patreon.com/everydayisfridayshow  http://instagram.com/everydayisfridayshow    http://facebook.com/everydayisfridayshow  http://tiktok.com/@everydayisfridayshowhttp://twitter.com/edifshow  Follow Your Favorite Hosts:Robiiiworld http://instagram.com/robiiiworldTeddy2Stupid http://instagram.com/teddy2stupidFollow Our Special Guests:Yanni Maj  http://instagram.com/yanni.maj

Listen to Bo Snerdley's Rush Hour from Thursday, January 18th, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to Bo Snerdley's Rush Hour from Thursday, January 18th, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Snicker-snack!

Hour 1 of the Friday edition of The Armstrong & Getty Show features... The verdict in the SBF trial... Clips of the Week...Mailbag... A new era for war... Katie Green News Machine!  Stupid Should Hurt: https://www.armstrongandgetty.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hour 1 of the Friday edition of The Armstrong & Getty Show features: The verdict in the SBF trial Clips of the Week...Mailbag A new era for war Katie Green News Machine!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hour 1 of the Friday edition of The Armstrong & Getty Show features: The verdict in the SBF trial Clips of the Week...Mailbag A new era for war Katie Green News Machine!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

‘The Full Go' returns as there's trade news to break down. Jason talks with the Washington Post's Commanders beat reporter Sam Fortier about what the Bears are getting Montez Sweat. What does Sweat like to be called? What is Sweat's play style and why is Washington trading him? Jason and Sam break it all down for you (1:15). After that, Jason and AB recap the Bears game and the positives and negatives for Tyson Bagent on Sunday. How will Montez Sweat impact the Bears pass rush? AB and Jason get into that and all things Bears as they gear up for the second half of the season (18:13). To wrap the pod, Jason gives his take on the James Harden trade and how it affects the Bulls. Could DeRozan be on the move if the Bulls continue on a downward trajectory? Jason gives you some Bulls talk (1:01:20).  The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please check out theringer.com/RG to find out more, or listen to the end of the episode for additional details. Host: Jason Goff Guests: Sam Fortier, Alex Brown Producers: Steve Ceruti, Tony Gill, Chris Sutton, and Kyle Williams Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With Halloween on the horizon, you would think we would want to be extra *sweet*. But instead, we are getting SOUR AND SALTY about the worst things you can get in your trick-or-treating bag (which was a pillowcase, if you were hardcore).  So get ready for a WHOPPER of an episode, where you will laugh and SNICKER...and a daily dance that will have you RAISIN the roof. LOVE YA GHOULIES!!!!!

Snicker if you must, because that's an understandable reaction to an annual tradition in Northwest Indiana. At the Pierogi Drop every New Year's Eve in the city of Whiting, a 10-foot tall version of the dumpling associated with Polish cuisine is dropped into a boiling cooking pot at the stroke of midnight. And in the summer, the Pierogi Fest in Whiting sometimes draws more than 350,000 enthusiasts. Also in Lake County, a historic former courthouse in Crown Point was known for decades as a "marriage mill". Hollywood celebrities like silent movie star Rudolph Valentino, sports icons such as Muhammad Ali and Joe DiMaggio and other notables trekked to Crown Point for speedy weddings. No waiting periods, residency requirements or blood tests were required then. Now known as the Old Lake County Courthouse, the former "marriage mill" structure, which was built in 1878, is a tourist destination that houses a museum and distinctive retailers, including antique shops as well as merchants who sell vinyl records and vintage clothes. The clothes won't be needed at two rival clubs, one of which dates to the 1930s in the city of Roselawn. The Sun Aura Club (which has had several names during its colorful history) and the Ponderosa Sun Club are nudist colonies. A third such club also flourishes in Northwest Indiana: The Lake O' The Woods Nudist Colony can be found in Valparaiso.

I unintentionally go on a cooking strike and ponder whether or not Snicker-doodles are considered retro? PLUS, we visit the International African American Museum and it. is. incredible. Go check out Fletcher Williams iii solo exhibition “When it Rains it Shines” (and the entire museum!!!) nowwwww.

Friday! Labor Day Weekend! If Wisconsin is known for cheddar heads....well what kinda head would Florida be. Woke news of course! Embers only with an absolute delight of a cigar. Main topic- When do you interject yourself into someones elses life? Full stop, who was the weirdest? Rauce Thoughts about getting Jim to open up....Spoiler warning...he doesn't

Let's see if this week's title makes it through.  The craziness of Marty Jannetty's DSOTR mixed with the attitude era.  Also this week:   - News - This week in WWE, NJPW, and AEW - Bring it to the Table - This week in the Monday Night Wars - Movie of the Week: Mystic River

On today's episode. Jason is joined by the hosts of the “Dropouts” podcast, Zach Justice and Jared Bailey along with Brandon and Jess. The group discusses Zach's weird upbringing and many wild stories, including his interaction with the KKK. Jared tells the group about how his father was hand selected out of a catalog and the one time he used a Snicker's wrapper to wrap “something else up.” Zach and Jared share the crazy story of how they met and started their podcast. Lastly, the group discusses what's been going on romantically between Zach and Jess. Follow Jason: Instagram: @jasonnash Twitter: @jasonnash TikTok: @jasonnash To watch the podcast on YouTube: Jason's Channel Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast for free wherever you're listening or by using this link: https://bit.ly/AllGoodThingsPodcast If you like the show, telling a friend about it would be amazing! You can text, email, Tweet, or send this link to a friend: https://bit.ly/AllGoodThingsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join Paddy Gilmore, founder of Studio Gilmore, The Humor Consultancy, in this insightful podcast episode as he shares his expertise on incorporating humor into branding. With 23 years of advertising experience and a Master's degree in humor research, Paddy provides valuable insights on when and how to effectively use humor to drive brand success. From the impact of Snicker's iconic campaign to leveraging humor in B2B brands, this episode covers the psychology behind humor, avoiding pitfalls, successful campaigns, leveraging brand assets, and finding humor inspiration. Paddy also discusses the role of "cancel culture" and presents a fascinating case study on how Getty Images revitalized its brand perception through humorous campaigns. Tune in for an informative exploration of humor in branding!We talk about:[0:00] Intro[1:57] Paddy's journey to humor in branding[2:58] The impact of Snicker's ‘you're not you when you're hungry' campaign[3:55] Humor in B2B brands[5:15] How entrepreneurs can leverage humor in their business[6:26] Psychology behind humor[7:39] When should we apply humor to our brands?[8:29] Avoiding humor pitfalls[11:14] Successful humor campaign[13:27] Leverage distinctive brand assets[14:50] Subjectivity in humor[16:53] Humor inspiration for brands[18:47] ‘Cancel culture' in marketing and ads[20:18] Revitalizing Brand Perception through Humorous Campaigns: Getty Images[22:08] Where to find Paddy[23:06] Three things you should know about humorConnect with Paddy Gilmore here:https://www.studiogilmore.com/Twitter: @mrpaddygilmoreMentions:D&AD: The Copy BookConnect with Kaye here:Brand Personality Quiz: https://www.kayeputnam.com/brandality-quiz/https://www.youtube.com/user/marketingkayehttps://www.facebook.com/marketingkaye/https://www.kayeputnam.com/https://www.kayeputnam.com/brand-clarity-collective/

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We all know furries, in both senses of the term. For all the good and the bad, it is a community of no small repute. Which is why it stands to reason they write a bunch of poetry! That's right, you thought this was just some ho-hum furry episode? Think again! The auteurs at furaffinity.net […]

In our first episode of 2023 we kick start the year with five more of your favourites. On what you never knew we look at Snicker Bars, or as they used to be called Marathon Bars and tell you just why that is. We have a you did what which tells you all about what Johnny Depp did before he became the pirates of a Caribbean star he is today. None of your business has a a jaw dropping story about Antoine Griezmann, Website for sore eyes takes a look at a website called Eat This Much to help you kick start your New Year's resolutions in the best way possible and we also have a brand new section of the show, name of thrones in which we find out how company's came up with their names. This weeks is Apple and as they say as Apple a day keeps the doctor away so Make sure to check it out. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/david-w-byrne/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/david-w-byrne/support

In this episode, Jeremy shares his perspectives on overcoming trials and tribulations, staying disciplined to achieve the final goal, and how he was able to turn his life around by walking with God. 13:45 - Do you prefer riding in Uber or Lyft?  18:35 - Origin of Jeremy's story.   30:42 - “Don't be conceited in your own sin.” Your shortcomings are never shameful to God. He can and will use your situations for his glory! 41:30 - Jeremy Shares his story  of what it took mentally, spiritually and physically to abstain from his wife. He was able to draw nearer to God as a result of walking in uncomfortableness.  1:03:04 - What sacrifices or challenges will you need to endure to keep walking in success? 1:06:29 - Announcement of collaboration with Jeremy Anderson, Inky Johnson, an Eric Thomas for the Next Level Speakers Academy. Checkout Next Level Speakers Academy to get the cheat-code and the most practical step-by-step formula to clarify your message, market your message and monetize your message to book speaking opportunities from $5k to $20k; from $20k to $100k; and make 6-7 figures per year. Visit https://www.nextlevelspeakersacademy.com/course-intro to learn more Marriage Takeaways Make love to your spouses mind, spirit, and heart! Deal with Gods daughter or son how God deals with you.  Walk in the spirit and seek God for direction in your life.  Takeaways  Spend time with God in order to stay saturated with the Holy Spirit.  Endure hardships in seasons that will develop great fruit in your life.  Don't compare your life to other people without grasping the concepts that made them successful.  People will pay you for what you can overcome. Spend time developing and crafting your story before presenting it to companies.  Questions 1) What needs to be mastered in your life? 2) Are you willing to sacrifice and be uncomfortable to progress to new heights in your life?  Listener Perks Organifi Is giving our listeners up to 20% off of their order! Just go to www.organifi.com/success. Support your journey from sunrise to sunset with fan-favorite superfoods backed by science to replenish micronutrients, support energy and balance hormones from am to pm with our customer favorites. Rocket Money helps track all of your expenses when it comes to monthly subscriptions. Their purpose is to make you aware of your subscriptions that you may or may not be using. Save money an avoid possibly being double charged by heading over RocketMoney.com/S2S  Chime offers help in your financial journey by building your credit history. You can sign up with no annual fees, interest, nor will it affect your credit score. Head over to chime.com/SUCCESS to sign up to receive a secured visa credit card with fee free draft up to a $200. BABBEL is an app that makes learning a new language fun & easy with no artificial lesson plans! Make your way over to www.babbel.com/SUCCESS to receive up to 55% off of your subscription. Enjoy the perks of lessons, podcast & live classes, and 14 languages to choose from. There's also a Twenty day money back guarantee!

Theology is life. Here's a dose of Biblical teaching and reflection from Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller of St Paul and Jesus Deaf Lutheran Churches in Austin, TX. Today's question is about... How the Devil mocks the truth. Links: Support Deaf Missions in central Texas: http://www.wolfmueller.co/deaf The bookstore (where almost everything is free): http://www.wolfmueller.co/books/ To sign up for Pastor Wolfmueller's free weekly email of theological awesomeness called "Wednesday What-Not", visit http://www.wolfmueller.co/Wednesday. (Every month we give away a free book to a subscriber!) All the theological awesomeness ends up on the website: http://www.wolfmueller.co --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sunday-drive-home/message

This episode is about social media at the intersection of science, nature, conservation, and nonprofit work. More specifically it's about Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and a state agency that has leveraged social media beautifully as a way to get their word out. Our guest is Rachel Terlep, Social Media Manager for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (Twitter / Instagram / Facebook). Note: We had this conversation about four hours before Twitter entered a state of crazy flux on November 17, 2022. Here are some DNR hits: “Live, laugh, lay eggs and die.” (on salmon spawning) “Every time you leave dog poop on the trail you're denying trash cans essential nutrients to fatten up for winter. Heartbreaking.” “Resect our lands or catch these hands.” Here's the Snicker's bar post I reference in the episode. SUPPORT THE CREATION OF THIS SHOW: seadocsociety.org/donate Rate, review and share the podcast to spread the word. Free newsletter: seadocsociety.org/newsletter. Instagram: Instagram.com/seadocsociety Twitter: twitter.com/seadocsociety Facebook: facebook.com/seadocsociety

A fabulous Tuesday crossword by Sandy Ganzell - the theme a delight, the rest of the clues nothing to SNEEze about! We have all the deets inside, so a) subscribe, b) download, c) enjoy, d) tell all your friends!Contact Info:We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com.Also, we're on FaceBook, so feel free to drop by there and strike up a conversation!

Have you ever asked yourself this? What value am I bringing to this conversation today?  Hey, Team welcome back to Lead Thru Values. This podcast exists to help you ensure that every person on your team has the skills, knowledge and confidence to do their job exceptionally well. And today's podcast is a new, short form version that I'm calling Lessons From The Training Room, where I share a powerful real-world leadership examples with you from my work with executives, business owners and managers. Today's topic is reflective… it's designed to cause you think about the impact you're making today. Because there are a lot of people in leadership roles out there who are just going through the motions… just checking the boxes… just trying to make it through the day and through the week. But if you have the burden of leadership… and yes, I specifically said burden — not privilege — then this might hit home for you, or for others on your team. So go and teach it. Before you send that next email… Before you have your next 1:1 with a team member… Before you start your next team meeting… Pause long enough and ask yourself this IMPACTFUL question: What value am I bringing to this conversation? Truly, this 5-second “Snicker's moment” might be the difference between: A misunderstanding or clearly communicated action steps; A disengaged, unmotivated employee or an engaged, motivated employee; A missed opportunity to listen or a new idea that will save your company thousands of dollars (or more!); Giving the impression the person(s) on the other side of the conversation are just part of a machine, or showing them their value and your appreciation of it.  Again, ask yourself, “What value am I bringing to this conversation?” And before you tell yourself, “I got this!” maybe you want to slow down and consider what questions you can ask to learn… instead of what items you want to tell. If you're serious about building a competitive edge over your competition, you'll need a system that ensures the right conversations are happening between managers and employees. Because… Conversations create clarity.  Clarity produces action.  Action drives results.  If you want to learn more about how to guarantee the right conversations are happening in your company, I invite you to pick up the phone and call me directly at 319-929-2604 for a free, no obligation conversation. I'm James Mayhew and I'll catch you next time on LTV. 

Witches, Superman's, Zombies, and some bizarre costume that you can't figure out what it is... all ding-donging their way through the neighborhoods.  But how did this happen.  Did Hershey's and dentists get together and create this plot?  You can easily find out in just twenty minutes.  Just enough time to down a couple of Snicker's bars and a peanut butter cup or two.Thanks for listening and if you have any comments, please feel free to email me at doug@20minutespodcast.com. If you want to stay informed of when a new episode launches, follow me on Instagram at @20MYNGB.Support the showThanks for listening, and if you would like to help keep the show going, visit buymeacoffee.com/20minutes. It's up to you. No pressure if you don't. I'll still be here.

Episode 4: The Joy of Magical Realism with Natalie Lloyd [10/18/22] Follow the Joyful Learning Podcast on: Twitter Instagram Facebook Episode Summary: Melissa Thom is in conversation with New York Times Bestselling middle grade author, Natalie Lloyd about her latest book Hummingbird, a special teacher who helped Natalie get through tough moments as a kid, disability representation in children's lit, and 80s/90s nostalgia! Guest Bio: Natalie Lloyd is the New York Times Bestselling Author of novels for young readers (and the young at heart). Her first novel, A Snicker of Magic (2014), was an ALA Notable Book, a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, a top 10 Kids Indie Next Pick and an NPR, iBooks and Parents Magazine best book of the year for children. The book has been optioned for television by Sony Tristar. Natalie's other novels include The Key to Extraordinary, The Problim Children series, Over the Moon and Silverswift. Hummingbird, her seventh (and most personal) novel for kids, was published in August 2022 and has received starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly, Booklist, BookPage and Shelf Awareness. Natalie writes in the shadows beside a sunny window in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She loves adventuring with her husband, Justin, and their dogs. Episode Resources: Connect with podcast host, Melissa Thom: Twitter  Instagram Website  Connect with podcast co-producer, Carrie Seiden: Twitter  Connect with podcast guest, Natalie Lloyd: Twitter Web Facebook Instagram Link to Tweet about Natalie's 3rd Grade Experience Link to photo of Melissa with Heart shaped glasses Books Mentioned Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen Roll With It by Jamie Sumner The First Thing About You by Chaz Hayden Poet Mary Oliver

When Annie's husband suffered a massive cerebellar stroke, her world changed. Through a series of small miracles, she found two mantras to live by through his very long recovery: “Stronger Every Day” & “I Can Do Hard Things.” Episode Discussion PointsWhy reading the "Drama in Real Life" from the Reader's Digest helped prepare her for her own challenges. The story of how her husband suffered a massive cerebellar stroke, but since it is so uncommon and the symptoms don't match a regular stroke, it often goes misdiagnosed. Being misdiagnosed because the CT scan couldn't see the cerebellar stroke, and he was diagnosed with vertigo Being misdiagnosed again with Viral Ear Infection Her prayer of pleading to God to help her know what to do Ended up being diagnosed with the Cerebellar Stroke and Hydrocephalus (and he was hours away from death unless they did surgery to relieve the pressure). Make time to ugly cry and grieve because of the change. She felt a tremendous peace and she felt like Darryl's mother was there, “I am very aware of everything going on and I will be with Daryl." How she remembered a talk called “I Can Do Hard Things” and she took 3 pieces of paper and wrote, "I can do hard things,” which became her mantra. Daryl's grim and not very promising prognosis Feeling guilty that her husband was alive when so many others in the stroke unit were dying. But getting a warm reassurance from God that just like He was there with her in her story, He was with the others and knew the details of their story too and He was in control. She was not responsible for anyone else or their story. God has that figured out. He stayed at the hospital for a long time, and then went to a rehab center. As a caregiver, Annie learned how important it was for her to take care of herself—get herself a Coke and a Snicker's Bar and hang out at the chapel and it brought her peace. It is okay to take some time off as a caregiver. The nurse whispered in her ear, “Stronger every day,” which she also added to her mantras. The rehab and how hard it was when he couldn't even brush his teeth. Be willing to look for miracles every day—and speaking them out loud. The beautiful visual image of taking your burdens and pinning them to Jesus' cross, because He has already bourne them. Annie knew faith was important, and love/charity was important, but she always wondered about hope. Hope became so critical while Daryl recovered—and how even though he had hopes and dreams about his recovery, “only the Lord knows” and Christ became the focus of his hope. Physically and emotionally turning the outcome over to God Turning ashes into a something beautiful. How her sharing her story online and always ending with “Stronger every day,” and “I can do hard things,” has helped so many people. Remember to have grace for other people when you see them around you. We have angels all around us (family members who have passed on), but we have to “see” His hand through them.  Ask God to help you see the little miracles. Things that bring Annie PeaceListening to talks or sermons first Exercising Keeping things clean and simple in her home, so she can feel peace there Listening to peaceful or fun music Prayer: Talk to God all day long, and thank Him out-loud (gratitude) Cerebellar Stroke SymptomsEyeballs flicking back and forth in head Dizziness Vomiting Headache Hard to speak Hard to walk, poor coordination (often leaning to the side they had the stroke on). Can't remember Cerebellar stroke comprise only 10% of strokes. Victims are often misdiagnosed, and although the stroke doesn't kill them, the hydrocephalus (swelling in their brain) does, unless it is diagnosed correctly quickly.   Bible VersePhillipians 4 :13 - I can do all (hard) things through Christ who strengthens me.  John 14: 26-27- Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

The Great Zaniac Exodus of 2022 continues! If you like the show, please consider joining the Patreon to fill the spots left since The GZE. Your $5 or $10 donation gets you access to over 15 hours of weekly content ON TOP of what I post on the FREE platform.Try the fitness app I use, FOR FREE! Get in shape with THE fitness app everyone is talking about. Try Fitbod FREE and get 25% off when you sign up. Click hereHere's what happened on the full show available on my Patreon.1 – 0:00:00 – Cold as balls. Mystery interview. Gospel singer Kim Burrell does not love gay people. Awkwardness at Eric's church.2 – 0:13:46 – Eric finally fixes the marker problem; thanks to Ben. Megyn Kelly has a new job. Shoot the donkey, ramp up the fight. Tony wants to talk Lions.3 – 0:24:44 – Clues and Categories.4 – 0:36:24 – China smog. Sports updates.5 – 0:48:02 – Kenney calls in to slow show down. Sledding party at a cemetery.6 – 0:57:42 – Busy body Lady wants to change Meijer checkout. Eric has new moves for Diana. Biff calls in to gripe.7 – 1:13:58 – Erica calls in; bent out of shape over nothing. In addition to kids, Julius hates old people too. The pistol packing Grandma. Eric outnumbered again. Sports updates.8 – 1:32:11 – Highways are F'd this morning. Kyle calls in. Trojan ad ruffled feathers. Rob calls in with good point. Caller Andy stuck in a gumball machine; interrupted by Julius glee at falling dresser on kids. Callers getting stuck. Jackie stuck back in the day.9 – 1:53:36 – Superfly Snuka either is crazy or dying.10 – 2:02:31 – Andrea calls in. Bad first week for dude. Pedokyle reference. Sports updates. Drunken darts lead to darts in neck & forehead. Cemetery No-Nos.11 – 2:16:02 – Car show in the snow. 5 small ways to be healthier this year.12 – 2:24:58 – Eric can't stop getting locked out. Update to dog story from yesterday; owner is now in trouble. Snicker over a blue ball.13 – 2:34:55 – 10 minutes with Huge.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-eric-zane-show-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We begin this week's episode with Matt talking about a loss of confidence and melted Snicker's bars. Andrea is trying out 27.5+ tires on her Spot Rocker and has some thoughts. This leads to Kenny and Matt worshipping the ground the Maxxis Rekon rolls on (and some big tire prices). Listener Questions: Mullet an SB5? Tubolitos Tire inserts (again) Athlete injuries

Rob Cesternino and Danny Bryson are thrilled to announce the return of Tyson Apostol to talk about vascular Snicker bars and all the most outrageous news from the fourth week of April! The post Vascular Snickers Bars are News AF – April 26, 2022 appeared first on RobHasAwebsite.com.

Rob Cesternino and Danny Bryson are thrilled to announce the return of Tyson Apostol to talk about vascular Snicker bars and all the most outrageous news from the fourth week of April! The post Vascular Snickers Bars are News AF – April 26, 2022 appeared first on RobHasAwebsite.com.

This week Muñoz is solo and unhinged as he explores the hottest and craziest food news out there! From Drag Tacos to people comparing Snickers to D!*k veins he leaves no stone unturned. So, grab some McDonald's pocket cheese and tune into the dulcet tones of Muñoz!Mouth Merch is where you go from fan to super fan!Send Muñoz some love on Instagram & Twitter @inyomouthpodSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join gotn3xt hosts (T, Joe and YG) for episode 36. The lads discuss the recent slump of Netflix and their loss of 200,000 subscribers, results of this change and how the platform will attack profile sharing in the future. Gotn3xt covers controversy between Snicker's bars and the removal of the original dick vein on the bar. They debate the top chocolate bars. Also the anticipated script for "Shoot it Like Curry" is discussed... stay tuned. There is also some commentary on the English Premier League. Listen in to this lively and upbeat Chicago podcast with a twist, as our hosts enjoy their riveting conversations

Join Eric, @TimAndrewsHere, @Autopritts, @JaredYamamoto, @EnglishNick, and Greg as they chat about airplane unmasking, Snicker veins, annoying positivity, and much more! “Brought to you by Findlay Roofing”