Podcasts about Southeast Asia

Click the post for details on this episode! Welcome back to Open House! Randy Seidman here, coming to you from Thailand with another two hours of the grooviest beats. Happy holidays to you all of my listeners around the world, I'm wishing you the best for 2026. Amazing times this past month at BOHO in Pattaya and Baccarat in Bangkok, thank you to everyone who made it out. This week I'm playing the mighty Jungle Experience in Koh Phangan, and then Mustache in Bangkok January 30th. Today's episode is a special one with some of my favorite tunes in the first hour, followed by an exclusive session with the versatile South East Asian slayer, TNZ. For now, turn it up. Randy Seidman's Website Randy Seidman's SoundCloud Randy Seidman's Beatport Randy Seidman's Spotify Randy Seidman's Facebook Randy Seidman's Twitter Randy Seidman's Track List: 01. Jerome Robins, Karsten Sollors - Don't Stop The Music (Original Mix) [Randy Edit] 02. Noah Devega 'Rock to the Rhythm' (Randy's 'Bad Boy BKK' Edit] 03. Zurra - Pow! (Extended Mix) [Randy Edit] 04. Jorge Montia, Joe Red & Jose Ponce - Dark Valley (Original Mix) [Randy REdit] 05. Angel Heredia - Sing Ha He (Original Mix) [Randy Edit] 06. Angel Heredia - Zurek (Original Mix) [Randy Edit] 07. Angel Heredia - Atlas (Original Mix) [Randy Edit] 08. Angel Heredia - Unknow (Original Mix) [Randy Edit] 09. Siwell, Lucky Vegas - Count On You [Randy Edit] 10. TAI, Son Of 8 - In & Out (Earth n Days Remix) [Randy Edit] 11. Yvvan Back, Helvig - Dream Of You [Randy's 'So Many Times' Edit] 12. Tiesto, Poppy Baskcomb - Drifting (KREAM Remix) 13. Steve Angello - Tivoli (KREAM) [Randy Edit] 14. Kryder, Natalie Shay - Rapture [Randy Edit] 15. Caelu, OutFlux, HYPERS - Afterlife (feat._Caelu) (Extended Mix) [Randy Edit] 16. Thomaz Krauze - I'm Still Standing Feat. Stee Downes (Going Deeper Remix) [Randy Edit] I hope you enjoyed the first hour with some of my top recent tunes. Up next is a special exclusive session with the talented and versatile rising star out of South East Asia, TNZ. I had the pleasure of playing with TNZ at my recent show in Pattaya, and we ended up closing out the night together with a special B2B. I was very impressed by her skills, and I think you will be too! With residencies at Thailand's top spots, and stage time at the best clubs around Asia, TNZ is making her mark on the Asian dance music scene. She commands respect for her well-crafted mixes that range from House to Techno, and today she is here just for you. For the next hour, TNZ is in the mix. TNZ's Instagram TNZ's Linker.ee TNZ's MixClloud TNZ's Track List: 01. Haffenfold - Day & Age (Original Mix) 02. Franc Fala, Benja (NL) - Colombian Shipment (Original Mix) 03. Doruk (TR) - Bounce (Original Mix) 04. Angels Noise - Huracan (Original Mix) 05. Max Styler, Deomid - Every Night (Original Mix) 06. Jon.K - Wimbo (Original Mix) 07. Para Noir - One More Track (Extended Mix) 08. Stefano Mapo - Fuego (Original Mix) 09. Zac, Undercode - Hold Me Closer (Extended Mix) 10. Hidden Empire - Turn It Up (Extended Mix) 11. Landau, Silver Panda - Take No More (Extended Mix) 12. Rozenbergg - Title Doesn't Matter (Original Mix) 13. Clim - Feyko (Original Mix) 14. Contenance - Kush Coma (Extended Mix) 15. Artique - Out Of Mind (Original Mix) 16. Lena Storm - Shukr (Original Mix) Randy Seidman · Open House 251 w/Randy Seidman + TNZ [Jan. 2026]

This week, the boys drink some whiskey and head to 1960 to discuss the less famous slasher movie of the year, “Peeping Tom”! Directed by Michael Powell, this film was a major inspiration for Martin Scorsese and a terror to the people of England, leading to its removal from theaters after only 5 days. Unlike “Psycho”, it was subsequently banned from many other countries… yet today, this movie feels like a tone poem of modern culture. We give you a 1960 year-in-review and discuss. linktr.ee/theloveofcinema - Check out our YouTube page!  Our phone number is 646-484-9298. It accepts texts or voice messages.  0:00 Intro; 18:55 1960 Year in Review; 46:50 Films of 1960: “Peeping Tom”; 1:20:49 What You Been Watching?; 1:36:12 Next Week's Episode Teaser Additional Cast/Crew: Leo Marks, Albert Fennell, Otto Heller, Karlheinz Böhm, Anna Massey, Moira Shearer, Maxine Audley, Brenda Bruce, Miles Malleson, Esmond Knight, Martin Miller, Michael Goodliffe, Jack Watson, Shirley Anne Field, Pamela Green, Derek Cianfrance, Timotheé Chalamet, Channing Tatum, Liam Neeson, Akiva Schaffer, Joel Edgerton, Kerry Condon, William H. Macy.  Hosts: Dave Green, Jeff Ostermueller, John Say Edited & Produced by Dave Green. Beer Sponsor: Carlos Barrozo Music Sponsor: Dasein Dasein on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ 
Dasein on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dasein/1637517407 Recommendations: Train Dreams, Stranger Things Finale, Stranger Things Season 5, The Naked Gun, Wicked: For Good, Caught Stealing, Fallout, Roofman, Additional Tags: Gordon Ramsay, Thelma Schoonmaker, Stephen King's It, The Tenant, Rosemary's Baby, The Pianist, Cul-de-Sac, AI, The New York City Marathon, Apartments, Tenants, Rent Prices, Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa, Amazon, Robotics, AMC, IMAX Issues, Tron, The Dallas Cowboys, Short-term memory loss, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Netflix, AMC Times Square, Tom Cruise, George Clooney, MGM, Amazon Prime, Marvel, Sony, Conclave, Here, Venom: The Last Dance, Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz, Oscars, Academy Awards, BFI, BAFTA, BAFTAS, British Cinema. England, Vienna, Leopoldstadt, The Golden Globes, Past Lives, Apple Podcasts, West Side Story, Adelaide, Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Melbourne, The British, England, The SEC, Ronald Reagan, Stock Buybacks, Marvel, MCU, DCEU, Film, Movies, Southeast Asia, The Phillippines, Vietnam, America, The US, Academy Awards, WGA Strike, SAG-AFTRA, SAG Strike, Peter Weir, Jidaigeki, chambara movies, sword fight, samurai, ronin, Meiji Restoration, plague, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, casket maker, Seven Samurai, Roshomon, Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood, Stellan Skarsgard, the matt and mark movie show.The Southern District's Waratah Championship, Night of a Thousand Stars, The Pan Pacific Grand Prix (The Pan Pacifics), Jeff Bezos, Rupert Murdoch, Larry Ellison, David Ellison, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg.     

Watch the video version of this podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg0isLOwvAA Our two new books... STORY QUESTIONS: How To Unlock Your Story One Question At A Time - https://payhip.com/b/ZTvq9 and 17 Steps To Writing A Great Main Character - https://payhip.com/b/kCZGd Andrés Taboada was born in Perú, where he stayed until a scholarship sent him off to finish high school in Germany. After receiving a B.S. in Biology from Cal State Long Beach and teaching in Southeast Asia, he moved back to Miami for a Master's in International Education. While in grad school, he became a standup comedian. Andrés won the award for Best Comedic Actor at Miami WebFest and was a finalist at the World Series of Comedy. He then turned his focus towards Alta California, a bilingual dramedy, which he wrote, produced, directed, and starred in as “Perucho,” the hotel clerk. As the director of Alta California, Andrés won the award of Best Directorial Debut at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. Alta California recently had a sold-out screening at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood, California as part of the 27th annual Dances With Films. MORE VIDEOS WITH ANDRES TABOADA https://tinyurl.com/bdf82c44 WATCH 'ATLA CALIFORNIA' - The Full Movie • ALTA CALIFORNIA (2025) | Feature Film CONNECT WITH ANDRES TABOADA https://www.altamovie.com https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10841273 / altamovie / altacaliforniamovie https://x.com/andreswhat / andreswhat_ SUBSCRIBE TO THE FILM COURAGE YOUTUBE CHANNEL http://bit.ly/18DPN37 SUPPORT FILM COURAGE BY BECOMING A MEMBER https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs8o1mdWAfefJkdBg632_tg/join SUPPORT FILM COURAGE BY BECOMING A PATRON https://www.patreon.com/filmcourage ►BOOKS WE RECOMMEND: STORY QUESTIONS: How To Unlock Your Story One Question At A Time https://payhip.com/b/ZTvq9 THE NUTSHELL TECHNIQUE: Crack the Secret of Successful Screenwriting https://amzn.to/2X3Vx5F THE STORY SOLUTION: 23 Actions All Great Heroes Must Take http://amzn.to/2gYsuMf SAVE THE CAT! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need https://amzn.to/3dNg2HQ THE ANATOMY OF STORY: 22 Steps To Becoming A Master Storyteller http://amzn.to/2h6W3va THE ART OF DRAMATIC WRITING - Lajos Egri https://amzn.to/3jh3b5f ON WRITING: A Memoir of the Craft https://amzn.to/3XgPtCN THE WAR OF ART: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles http://amzn.to/1KeW9ob ►FILMMAKER STARTER KIT BLACKMAGIC Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K - https://amzn.to/4gDU0s9 ZOOM H4essential 4-Track Handy Recorder - https://amzn.to/3TIon6X SENNHEISER Professional Shotgun Microphone - https://amzn.to/3TEnLiE NEEWER CB300B 320W LED Video Light - https://amzn.to/3XEMK6F NEEWER 160 LED CN-160 Dimmable Ultra High Power - https://amzn.to/3XX57VK ►WE USE THIS CAMERA (B&H) – https://buff.ly/3rWqrra ►WE USE THIS SOUND RECORDER (AMAZON) – http://amzn.to/2tbFlM9 *Disclaimer: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, we'll receive a small commission. This helps support the channel and allows us to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for your support!

Today's guest is Steve Mann, a global entrepreneur, philanthropist, and mentor whose life work centers on one powerful truth: stories shape who we become.   Steve has lived and worked across the world, from Africa to Southeast Asia, founding businesses, supporting charitable foundations, and learning firsthand that wisdom isn't meant to be stored… it's meant to be shared.   He believes storytelling is one of the most powerful tools we have to create connection, pass down values, and build a legacy that lasts far beyond us. His new book, Stories That Shape Us, is a practical guide for parents, grandparents, and mentors who want to strengthen relationships and pass down wisdom, joy, and love to the next generation.   Steve Mann reminds us that stories are how wisdom, values, and love survive generations. Your story matters more than you think.  

Well known concert pianist Kimball Gallagher has made a huge impact on the lives of countless young people through his global non profit "88 International" Kimball Gallagher recently wrapped a two-week U.S. tour with the Tunisia 88 Alumni Choir, a group of young musicians who helped build those clubs from the ground up to what eventually became 88 International. The tour moved through universities, community spaces, and cultural institutions along the East Coast, with collaborations at Yale, Princeton, Bowdoin, Duke, and others. Along the way, the choir shared the story of how a student-led movement grew into an international network, and the tour set the stage for what Kimball is building next. On April 13th, Kimball returns to Carnegie Hall for his first solo recital there in over a decade. The program will combine classical repertoire with music shaped by his experiences working with students across Africa and Asia, with members of the Tunisia88 Alumni Choir joining him on stage, bringing the exchange and energy of the tour back to one of the world's most iconic halls. Kimball's path also defies the traditional classical trajectory. Raised in Boston, he pushed back against a strict musical upbringing, rediscovered the piano on his own terms, and later studied at Rice and Juilliard. Early on, he questioned the narrow routes available to concert pianists and began experimenting with salon-style house concerts that emphasized connection over convention. His idea to fund a piano by asking 88 donors to sponsor 88 keys became a turning point, showing him how music could build community far beyond the concert hall. That experiment led to a seven-continent concert journey and eventually to the founding of 88 International. Supported by partners including the European Investment Bank, the German Federal Foreign Office, and the U.S. State Department, the organization has reached more than 200,000 students and helped spark programs across North Africa, West Africa, and Southeast Asia. With the Tunisia88 Alumni Choir's U.S. debut and his upcoming Carnegie Hall recital, Kimball is reconnecting his global work with his artistic roots. It's a full-circle moment for an artist who has spent the past two decades blurring the lines between performance and purpose. website www.kimballgallagher.com www.88international.org   social media www.instagram.com/kimball.gallagher www.instagram.com/88internationalmusic  YouTube Tunisia88 https://youtube.com/@tunisia88?si=vCabRnbVuxOKuL8q  About Music Matters with Darrell Craig Harris The Music Matters Podcast is hosted by Darrell Craig Harris, a globally published music journalist, professional musician, and Getty Images photographer. Music Matters is now available on Spotify, iTunes, Podbean, and more. Each week, Darrell interviews renowned artists, musicians, music journalists, and insiders from the music industry. Visit us at: www.MusicMattersPodcast.comFollow us on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/musicmattersdh For inquiries, contact: musicmatterspodcastshow@gmail.com Support our mission via PayPal: www.paypal.me/payDarrell  voice over intro by Nigel J. Farmer    

Episode 153 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, hosted by Angie Sparks with moderator Cameron Laufer, opens with a community “commiseration” post about painful travel mistakes. Member Ray shared losing 38,000 JetBlue points and cash after accidentally booking a non-refundable Blue Basic fare and missing the DOT cancellation window by just a few hours. This sparked stories from others about points and money lost due to rigid policies or simple stubbornness, reinforcing how unforgiving award travel rules can be. The hosts then covered key news, including the Venture X 100k offer ending January 5, the JetBlue–JAL partnership ending March 31, Chase Freedom/Flex Q1 5x categories, and a disappointing British Airways Avios devaluation that raises both award costs and fees.Angie and Cameron also shared recent card activity and trip updates. Angie is focusing on earning steady points into 2026, timing new applications like the Amex Brilliant, and planning future travel to Switzerland and possibly Australia in 2027. Cameron discussed recent redemptions in Southeast Asia that delivered strong value, progress on large bonuses, and upcoming family travel using Southwest Companion Pass benefits. The main discussion centered on a 2026 points forecast, including which cards they're interested in opening, which ones they plan to close or downgrade, and how shifting fees, benefits, and credit limits are shaping their strategies.The episode wrapped with award travel goals for 2026 and a practical tip of the week: don't let chasing small credits or minor wins consume disproportionate time and energy. Angie noted that some credits, like Instacart, may not be worth the effort, while Cameron echoed this with examples like phone credits. Overall, the episode balanced cautionary tales, forward-looking strategy, and a reminder to keep points and miles fun—and efficient—as 2026 approaches.Episode Links:Venture X Offer EndingJetBlue/JAL Partnership EndingChase Freedom Q1 CategoriesBritish Airways DevaluationWhere to Find Us The Award Travel 101 Facebook Community. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at 101@award.travel Buy your Award Travel 101 Merch here Reserve tickets to our Spring 2026 Meetup in Phoenix now. award.travel/phx2026 Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions! Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card! Technical note: Some user experience difficulty streaming the podcast while connected to a VPN. If you have difficulty, disconnect from your VPN.

Over the past three decades, Vietnam's economy has undergone a significant transformation. From the early post–Đổi Mới years, the country has evolved into a strategic destination for foreign direct investment, an increasingly important manufacturing base, and one of Asia's most dynamic growth markets.In this episode, Vietcetera speaks with Dr. Khongkiat Opas Wongkarn, Founder and CEO of Asia Plus Group, who brings decades of leadership and investment experience across Southeast Asia, including deep, long-term engagement with Vietnam through multiple economic cycles. His career spans periods of volatility, expansion, and structural transition—informing how institutional leaders assess risk, capital allocation, and long-term value creation.The conversation goes beyond headline growth to examine the structural challenges accompanying Vietnam's rapid development, including rising costs, housing affordability, and widening income gaps. This episode offers strategic insights for investors, executives, and policymakers seeking to understand Vietnam's growth trajectory, long-term fundamentals, and the principles that underpin sustainable leadership and investment.___Listen to this episode on YoutubeAnd explore many amazing articles about the pioneers at: https://vietcetera.com/vn/bo-suu-tap/vietnam-innovatorFeel free to leave any questions or invitations for business cooperation at hello@vni-digest.com

Today my guest is Snigdha Poonam who is a journalist and writer. She is the author of the new book Scamlands and also the author of the 2018 award winning book Dreamers: How Young Indians Are Changing Their World. We talked about the scam industrial complex in different states like Jharkhand,  Assam and Tamil Nadu in India, the interaction between the scam economy and the formal economy, the transnational scams in China and Cambodia and how they are connected to India, the aspirations and traumas of the scam work force and much more.  Recorded November 17th, 2025. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Learn more about The 1991 Fellowship. Connect with Ideas of India Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Follow Snigdha on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox. Timestamps (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:13) - The Scam-Industrial Complex (00:03:48) - On Jamtara and the Economics of Joining a Scam (00:09:12) - The Moral Logic of Scamming (00:13:31) - How the State Enables the Scam Economy (00:15:54) - Inside Assam's Paperwork and Insurance Scams (00:23:04) - The Politics of Legibility in Assam (00:32:47) - Women in the Scam Economy (00:38:32) - How Scammers Get Trapped Inside the System (00:46:18) - From Local Scams to Transnational Cybercrime (00:52:18) - Scam Slavery in Southeast Asia (01:02:15) - Reporting on the Shadow Economy (01:10:49) - Starting the Story (01:16:54) - From Aspiration to Desperation (01:21:56) - Closing Reflections (01:27:08) - Outro

RAF Liberator bombing operations in India, Burma, and Thailand remain one of the least explored air campaigns of the Second World War. Flying long-range missions from Bengal, RAF crews attacked Japanese targets across Southeast Asia, including the infamous Thailand-Burma Railway, under demanding and often dangerous conditions. In this episode of the WW2 Podcast, I am talking to historian Matt Poole, author of Far East RAF Liberators: Roy Andrews and 215 Squadron. Together, we explore this campaign through the experiences of Roy Andrews, a Royal Australian Air Force wireless operator and air gunner who flew with RAF 215 Squadron on B-24 Liberator bombers during the final months of the war. Between October 1944 and April 1945, Roy Andrews flew bombing, strafing, and air-sea rescue missions over Burma and Thailand. By viewing the wider RAF air war through the lens of one airman, this episode examines long-range Liberator operations, low-level attacks, and daily life on a forward airfield in India, offering a personal perspective on an often overlooked chapter of the Second World War.   patreon.com/ww2podcast  

In The Plant-Forward Kitchen: Southeast Asia, we explore the bold, aromatic cuisines of Vietnam and Thailand — where plant-forward traditions are deeply rooted in everyday meals. Southeast Asian cuisine has long embraced plant-forward principles, drawing from its Buddhist roots that promote compassion for all living beings and encourage followers to adopt an occasional or ongoing vegetarian diet. In this series, we cook vegetarian pho with Buddhist monk, Nguyen Dzoan Cam Van, and we sample a family-style spread of vegetarian offerings at Buddhist Vĩnh Nghiêm Pagoda Temple Restaurant. We make some Vietnamese classics, such as Vietnamese Lemongrass Tofu, with Chef Mai Pham of Lemon Grass Restaurant. At the Michelin-starred Vietnam House Chef/Owner Luke Nguyen shows us his take on a vegetarian pork belly salad. In Thailand, renowned chef and television presenter, Ian Kittichai gives us a whirlwind tour of Thai curries. Finally, we head to Michelin-starred Bo.Lan Restaurant in Bangkok, where Chefs Bo Songvisava and Dylan Jones make an eggplant relish, and discuss the importance of championing local farmers. Watch the full series at: https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/southeast-asia  

Donate (no account necessary) | Subscribe (account required) Join Bryan Dean Wright, former CIA Operations Officer, as he dives into today's top stories shaping America and the world. In this New Year's Eve Headline Brief of The Wright Report, Bryan delivers major economic updates, exposes collapsing green energy narratives, explains the White House's aggressive new asylum strategy, and revisits the explosive Somali fraud scandal in Minnesota that is now dominating national politics. He closes with a reflection on truth, power, and why elites work so hard to stop Americans from asking hard questions. Good News for Your Wallet: Pending home sales jumped 3.3 percent in November, the strongest showing in three years, driven by rising wages and lower mortgage rates. Rents are falling across most major cities, creating the most renter-friendly market in at least a decade. HUD data shows that two-thirds of rental demand came from the foreign-born, meaning deportations and self deportations are directly increasing housing supply and lowering prices for native born Americans. The Cheap Labor Myth Collapses: After more than two and a half million illegal migrants have left the country, GDP and wages are rising while rents and crime fall. Bryan argues Americans were lied to for decades by elites who claimed cheap foreign labor was necessary. The data now shows the opposite, and he calls the moment revolutionary. Green Energy Reality Check: China's renewable energy boom is largely a mirage, with many wind and solar projects never connected to the grid. Beijing is simultaneously expanding coal plants across Southeast Asia. Global wind speeds and solar efficiency are declining, and Japan is restricting solar farms for environmental and aesthetic reasons. Bryan says the global green movement is now in retreat. Trump's New Asylum Strategy: The White House is canceling large numbers of asylum claims and sending others to third countries like South Sudan or Palau while cases are reviewed. The administration says most asylum claims are fraudulent and designed to exploit loopholes. Democrats accuse Trump of abandoning human rights. DOJ Targets DEI Programs: The Justice Department is using the False Claims Act to pressure federal contractors to dismantle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs. Companies must either eliminate DEI or face massive fines for defrauding the government. Universities Face a Financial Shake-Up: The Trump administration wants universities and venture capital firms to share profits from taxpayer-funded research. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is pushing for equity stakes or cash returns when patents are commercialized. Elon Musk Enters the Midterm Fight: Despite past clashes with Republicans, Elon Musk says he will spend hundreds of millions of dollars to help the GOP keep Congress. He cites fears of Democrat censorship, economic control, and what he calls ideological extremism. Minnesota's Somali Fraud Scandal Explodes: Federal investigators say Somali-run nonprofits defrauded taxpayers of at least nine billion dollars through fake daycares, autism services, food programs, and Medicaid scams. Money funded luxury lifestyles, Islamist terror groups, and Democratic campaigns. Governor Tim Walz halted earlier investigations after activists accused the state of racism. A Somali academic told the New York Times that fraud is culturally encouraged, a statement Walz has avoided addressing. Bryan explains why Elon Musk now calls the governor "Traitor Tim." A New Year's Reflection: Bryan closes by urging listeners to reject elite deflections and keep demanding the truth. He argues that the real battle ahead is not left versus right, but truth versus lies, and promises that this podcast will continue to challenge power with facts, logic, and reason in the year ahead.   "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:32     Keywords: pending home sales rent decline deportations, cheap labor myth wages GDP, China coal expansion fake green energy, Trump asylum third country policy, DOJ False Claims Act DEI, university patent profit sharing Lutnick, Elon Musk GOP midterms funding, Minnesota Somali fraud nine billion dollars, Tim Walz investigation, al Shabaab terror funding

Jinky Panganiban serves as Professor of Practice at the University of Oregon's Sports Product Management Program, founder of 1969Blue Consulting, and founding member of Oregon Sports Angels. She is a former Vice President and General Manager at Nike with over 20 years of global executive experience. She led multibillion-dollar businesses across Asia Pacific, North America, Latin America, and Europe. In this episode, Jinky reveals why "fitting in" kills leadership potential and how your cultural background becomes your superpower in global business. Jinky explains how the sports product industry has built intentional leadership development by translating a shared mission to fit local cultures instead of forcing one uniform way while maintaining a unified mission. She addresses the volatile state of global trade by emphasizing curiosity and critical thinking as essential skills for the next generation. Jinky argues that despite rising nationalism and tariff threats, consumers are already voting for a borderless world through their digital behavior and content consumption. In this episode, you'll discover how to leverage your cultural background as a superpower, build high-performing global teams, and lead with authenticity in an increasingly connected world. Find The Leadership Podcast episode 492 on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts! Watch this Episode on YouTube | Jinky Panganiban on Stop Fitting In https://bit.ly/TLP-492 Key Takeaways [04:09] Jinky describes how she started at Nike through a blind ad in Manila and was handpicked to help build Southeast Asia operations. [06:26] Jinky reveals how three white male mentors helped her realize her cultural background was her superpower. [09:47] Jinky explains that great leadership starts with being—knowing who you are and what you stand for—not just the doing of checking off deliverables and performance goals. [12:51] Jinky distinguishes influence from selling. [13:42] Jinky describes how SPM deliberately keeps students in the same project teams for 18 months because leadership is formed in the messy middle when deadlines are tight and not everybody agrees. [17:12] Jinky explains the collective industry commitment to raising next-generation leaders who will progress the culture. [20:32] Jinky demonstrates how global brands must translate their message locally. [25:17] Jinky shares how mentor Kate Delhagen gave her courage to leave corporate and explore angel investing. [28:58] Jinky describes her current advisory work with startup brands where she's both business advisor and biggest cheerleader, modeling what Kate did for her. [31:04] Jinky argues that despite borders and tariffs, the next generation of consumers already thinks globally through social media and digital platforms, celebrating differences rather than fearing them. [34:09] Jinky emphasizes that curiosity combined with critical thinking—vetting sources and asking why—is essential for navigating today's information-saturated world. [37:26] Jinky encourages everyone to celebrate where they've come from because there's only one of you, and you can't be more original than that—your background is your competitive advantage. [ ] And remember… "To be one, to be united, is a great thing, but to respect the right to be different is maybe even greater." – Bono Quotable Quotes "There's only one of you, so you can't be more original than that." "My cultural background and where I came from and all of my lived experience actually isn't something that I should shy away from or even be embarrassed about, but actually use it to my advantage and actually leverage it." "Great leadership starts with being. It's knowing who you are, what you stand for, and how you show up, especially when no one's watching." "We believe that leadership is formed in the messy middle. You know, when the deadlines are tight, the tempers are like rising and then not everybody's agreeing, but then you still have a deadline to hit." "Global doesn't mean uniform. The best teams share common purpose but express it in ways that feel very local." "Even if we put borders around things, the consumers will vote anyway to go beyond borders. Ideas, innovation, their talent, creativity, I don't think it carries a passport." "Human leadership never goes out of style." "Learn to lead yourself first. Build credibility, make sure that you practice empathy, and then lead through action and not titles." "If you don't know how to work in teams, you cannot work in the industry." "It's not so much exporting the culture, it's about translating it so that it works for everybody." "Cultural intelligence or cultural fluency is really critical because I've seen how that has become the one skill that could bridge global teams and communicate even beyond language." "Making sure that you find sources that are credible. Not just take things face value. Critical thinking is also something that's really important to ask the question why." "Culture, whether that's country culture or community culture, it's something to leverage, and it could always be a superpower for you." "We want to make sure that we leave this place better than we found it." Resources Mentioned The Leadership Podcast | theleadershippodcast.com Sponsored by | www.darley.com Rafti Advisors. LLC | www.raftiadvisors.com Self-Reliant Leadership. LLC | selfreliantleadership.com Jinky Panganiban LinkedIn | http://linkedin.com/in/jinky-panganiban

The people you meet on the road can become confidants, lifelines, or, in some cases,  the most dangerous variables of all.  Melissa Rodway has spent years listening to - and living - those stories.   She's recorded more than 180 adventure travel podcast episodes, and sat across from travelers and survivors as they unpack experiences that were thrilling, disorienting, and sometimes deeply unsettling.  Her debut book, The People You Meet, follows her own backpacking journey through Southeast Asia - a search for connection that reveals how easily strangers can reshape our paths, blur boundaries, and pull us into narratives we never meant to enter.  Today, we're talking about the thin line between connection and danger, the unpredictability of human encounters, and how travel can quietly set the stage for stories that feel less like adventure and more like a case file. Melissa Rodway IG: https://www.instagram.com/fly_travel_media Melissa Rodway Website: https://flyrodway.com/ Buy The People We Meet on Amazon:   https://a.co/d/1HVmiBq Do you have a story to share? Send your email to lasttrippodcast@gmail.com We're on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheLastTripPodcast Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thelasttripcrimepod/ And join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheLastTripPodcast Theme Music by Roger Allen Dexter

Show Notes:In this deeply reflective episode of The Human Experience, host Jennifer Peterkin visits lifelong New Yorker Tony Stewart, who shares an intimate story of love, creativity, and grief. Tony recounts meeting his wife, Lynn Kotula—an accomplished painter—and building a life together rooted in art, exploration, and storytelling. He opens up about Lynn’s cancer diagnosis, the emotional and practical realities of caregiving, and the profound ways illness reshapes relationships. Through honesty and vulnerability, Tony reflects on grief, resilience, and how sharing personal stories—through writing and community—can become a powerful tool for healing and connection in the aftermath of loss. ⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of serious illness, caregiving, and grief. Listener discretion is advised.     Key Takeaways:● The podcast’s mission centers on courage, vulnerability, and the power of personal storytelling.● Tony shares his life story and relationship with his wife, Lynn, and their shared experiences in New York City.● Reflections on city life versus country life and how place shapes identity.● The story of how Tony and Lynn met, including their age difference and creative partnership.● Lynn’s career as an artist and the challenges she faced in the art world.● Tony’s background in filmmaking and software development at the intersection of creativity and technology.● The impact of Lynn’s cancer diagnosis on their marriage and daily life.● Using CaringBridge to communicate updates and maintain social connection during illness.● The emotional toll of caregiving and the importance of honest communication.● Storytelling as a means of processing grief and fostering understanding.     Interview recorded in New York City.     Tony Stewart’s Bio:Tony Stewart has led a multifaceted career spanning film, technology, and storytelling. He has made award-winning films for colleges and universities, written software praised by The New York Times and The New York Daily News, designed a grants-management system used by three of the world’s five largest charities, and led the development of an international standard for advertising transaction messaging. Tony is the author of the memoir Carrying the Tiger, which won two Gold Medals at the 2025 Global Book Awards. Inspired by the healing process of writing his memoir, Tony studied with David Kessler and is now a Certified Grief Educator. He and his late wife, painter Lynn Kotula, traveled extensively through India and Southeast Asia, embracing local cultures, food, and life off the beaten path. Today, Tony continues to share stories that explore love, loss, and resilience.     Connect with Tony Stewart:

What went wrong with Burma's democratic experiment? How are we to understand the country's turbulent politics in the wake of the 2021 coup? In this conversation with Duncan McCargo, Amitav Acharya talks about his new book on Burma, which draws extensively on communications with young activists he refers to as “thought warriors”. He also discusses the challenges of researching a closed country, and why he decided to write a crossover book that he hopes will reach beyond the usual academic audiences. A decade ago, Burma was full of light and hope. Today, it has descended into darkness and despair. The once promising political and opening up of the country has been set back, possibly for a long time. How did this happen? Why? Many outside observers were surprised by the latest developments, but in some ways they were rather predictable. For those watching Burma the February 2021 coup was in the making for some time.  Tragic Nation: Burma--Why and How Democracy Failed (Penguin Random House, 2023) provides a timely and insightful account of the political situation in Burma, assessing why the country experienced the coup, what are the implications for the people of Burma and the Southeast Asian region, and what role the international community can play to prevent Burma becoming a failed state. Amitav Acharya is a distinguished professor and the UNESCO Chair in Transnational Challenges and Governance, School of International Service, American University, Washington, DC. His writings on Southeast Asia include Whose Ideas Matter: Agency and Power in Asian Regionalism (Cornell, 2009). Duncan McCargo is director of the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies and a professor of political science at the University of Copenhagen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In this episode, Adam Torres interviews Douglas Smith, Global Head of Public Affairs & Managing Director (MENA) at The Nuclear Company, about insights from the Milken Middle East & Africa Summit and how fleet-scale nuclear projects—supported by deep construction expertise and AI—can expand reliable baseload power while strengthening long-term economic and national security. This interview is part of our Milken Coverage Series. Big thank you to Milken Institute! About Douglas Smith Dynamic leader with a proven track record of building winning operations that deliver within the private and public sectors. Brings more than 25 years of experience managing government and private sector organizations that have excelled in advocacy, coalition building, new business development, communications, public policy and corporate social responsibility efforts in the U.S. and around the world. A frequent public speaker as well as on air expert on numerous networks including CNN, Fox News and MSNBC The Nuclear Company, which is leading fleet-scale deployment of nuclear power across America and pioneering the modernization of nuclear construction, today announced the hiring of The Honorable Douglas A. Smith, former Assistant Secretary for the Private Sector at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. As Global Head of Public Affairs and Managing Director for the Middle East, he will oversee The Nuclear Company's international public affairs and business engagements with a particular focus on the Middle East and Southeast Asia. In this role, he will lead The Nuclear Company's growing presence in those regions, which are rapidly investing in nuclear power as a cornerstone of long-term energy security and decarbonization. About The Nuclear Company The Nuclear Company, which is leading fleet-scale deployment of nuclear power across America and pioneering the modernization of nuclear construction, today announced the hiring of The Honorable Douglas A. Smith, former Assistant Secretary for the Private Sector at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. As Global Head of Public Affairs and Managing Director for the Middle East, he will oversee The Nuclear Company's international public affairs and business engagements with a particular focus on the Middle East and Southeast Asia. In this role, he will lead The Nuclear Company's growing presence in those regions, which are rapidly investing in nuclear power as a cornerstone of long-term energy security and decarbonization. This interview is part of our AFM 2025 Series. Big thank you to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠American Film Market⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ! Follow Adam on Instagram at ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/askadamtorres/⁠⁠⁠ for up to date information on book releases and tour schedule. Apply to be a guest on our podcast: ⁠⁠⁠https://missionmatters.lpages.co/podcastguest/⁠⁠⁠ Visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠https://missionmatters.com/⁠⁠⁠ More FREE content from Mission Matters here: ⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/missionmattersmedia⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What went wrong with Burma's democratic experiment? How are we to understand the country's turbulent politics in the wake of the 2021 coup? In this conversation with Duncan McCargo, Amitav Acharya talks about his new book on Burma, which draws extensively on communications with young activists he refers to as “thought warriors”. He also discusses the challenges of researching a closed country, and why he decided to write a crossover book that he hopes will reach beyond the usual academic audiences. A decade ago, Burma was full of light and hope. Today, it has descended into darkness and despair. The once promising political and opening up of the country has been set back, possibly for a long time. How did this happen? Why? Many outside observers were surprised by the latest developments, but in some ways they were rather predictable. For those watching Burma the February 2021 coup was in the making for some time.  Tragic Nation: Burma--Why and How Democracy Failed (Penguin Random House, 2023) provides a timely and insightful account of the political situation in Burma, assessing why the country experienced the coup, what are the implications for the people of Burma and the Southeast Asian region, and what role the international community can play to prevent Burma becoming a failed state. Amitav Acharya is a distinguished professor and the UNESCO Chair in Transnational Challenges and Governance, School of International Service, American University, Washington, DC. His writings on Southeast Asia include Whose Ideas Matter: Agency and Power in Asian Regionalism (Cornell, 2009). Duncan McCargo is director of the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies and a professor of political science at the University of Copenhagen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

A new lawsuit is questioning the “microwave safe” and “freezer safe” claims of Ziploc plastic bags. The lawsuit against S.C. Johnson alleged that these claims for its Ziploc brand products are misleading, and that these uses of the products increase risk of exposure to microplastics. MARS: RESTORING ASIA'S CORAL REEFS FOR MARINE CONSERVATION Mars sustainable solutions has led one of the largest single coral restoration efforts to date in the Spermonde Archipelago, Sulawesi. The project, known as 'the big build', saw partners from government, NGOS, business and local communities work side by side to install a 2,500m² reef and outplant 30,000 corals in the heart of the coral triangle, a nature-rich area of tropical waters in Southeast Asia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Myanmar remains one of Southeast Asia's most enigmatic destinations, a country where golden pagodas pierce morning mists and ancient kingdoms whisper through temple ruins. Despite recent political upheaval that has cast shadows over this remarkable nation, its cultural treasures endure – from the floating gardens of Inle Lake to Bagan's temple-studded plains. Visiting requires careful consideration of current conditions, but for those who venture here, Myanmar offers glimpses of a world largely untouched by mass tourism.Love the pod? Get the guide! Out with each new podcast, we publish a guide to the country. Buy the TrodPod guide to Myanmar for just $3: https://www.patreon.com/c/trodpod/shop. Better yet, become a TrodPod member for just $5 a month and access TrodPod guides to every country in the world, released weekly with each new podcast episode! Sign up now: https://www.patreon.com/trodpod/membershipThanks for all your support!TrodPod is Murray Garrard and Elle Keymer. Sound editing by Leo Audio Productions. Design and marketing by GPS: Garrard Powell Solutions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new lawsuit is questioning the “microwave safe” and “freezer safe” claims of Ziploc plastic bags. The lawsuit against S.C. Johnson alleged that these claims for its Ziploc brand products are misleading, and that these uses of the products increase risk of exposure to microplastics. MARS: RESTORING ASIA'S CORAL REEFS FOR MARINE CONSERVATION Mars sustainable solutions has led one of the largest single coral restoration efforts to date in the Spermonde Archipelago, Sulawesi. The project, known as 'the big build', saw partners from government, NGOS, business and local communities work side by side to install a 2,500m² reef and outplant 30,000 corals in the heart of the coral triangle, a nature-rich area of tropical waters in Southeast Asia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Being a trusted adviser to our affluent clients for over two decades, our wealth management philosophy, making ikigai decisions before money decisions, is rooted in our experience of managing over S$1 billion worth of our clients' hard-earned assets.In this week's Money Wisdom episode, and our final episode of 2025, our co-host Isaac chats with Chris about his latest Business Times' article titled 'What Did My Money Really Buy This Year?' They reflect on how society often measures wealth through investment returns, while the return on life, such as contentment, values and meaning, is harder to quantify.Chris shares personal reflections on spending with intention, from a $10,000 anniversary dinner that brought immeasurable joy, to viewing health, relationships and mind space as assets on a personal life balance sheet. With a few days left in the year, we hope this conversation encourages you to pause, reflect, and remember that it is not too late to realign your choices and change your trajectory for 2026.You can also read Chris' Business Times article that was discussed in this episode here.The book that was discussed in the podcast was Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Dr Peter Attia.Music courtesy of ItsWatR.The host of this episode, Isaac Ong, is a Client Adviser at Providend, the first fee-only wealth advisory firm in Southeast Asia and a leading wealth advisory firm in Asia.The full list of Providend's Money Wisdom podcast episodes from Season 4 can be found here.Did you know that our Providend's Money Wisdom podcast is now available in video format on YouTube? Follow us on our YouTube channel for new episode on Thursday at 8pm.Mentioned in this episode:Download our RetireWell™ eBook Today!Our popular RetireWell™ eBook has been updated! RetireWell™ is a methodology that Providend has developed to design a retirement income plan that will provide you with a safe and reliable stream of income for the rest of your life. Check out the link here to download a complimentary copy of the full eBook today: https://providend.com/publications/#retirewell

Want to bring your whole district together with one simple tool? ClassDojo for Districts makes it easy to engage families and strengthen school communities—at every level. It's the number one communication app trusted by millions of K-12 teachers, now with district-wide oversight and controls. From Pre-K to high school, ClassDojo connects your schools and families in one seamless place. Learn more at classdojo.com/districts. AI is everywhere in education but what if our fear of it isn't new at all? In this episode, I'm joined by Brett Salakas from down under. He delivers one of the most unexpected AI metaphors you'll ever hear: Frankenstein. This conversation connects AI, educational change, and human fear in a way that will completely shift how you think about innovation in schools. We unpack why every major tech revolution follows the same pattern, why "Luddites" weren't villains, and what educators can learn from a 200-year-old novel about embracing change without losing our humanity. Oh and yes…Buc-ee's, poetry slams, beaver onesies, and brisket sandwiches all make an appearance. If you're wrestling with AI implementation, staff resistance, or your own uncertainty, this episode will give you clarity, perspective, and a few laughs along the way. Buen provecho! Connect With Gabriel Carrillo EdTech Bites Website: https://edtechbites.com EdTech Bites On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/edtechbites.bsky.social EdTech Bites Instagram: https://instagram.com/edtechbites EdTech Bites X: https://twitter.com/edtechbites EdTech Bites Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/edtechbites EdTech Bites On TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@edtechbites EdTech Bites YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@edtechbites About Brett Salakas Brett Salakas, the HP Education Ambassador, is an international keynote speaker, the best-selling author of 'A MAMMOTH Lesson', the founder of #aussieED (the largest online network of teachers in Australia) and the co-founder of the ED Poets Society. Currently, he is identified by Linkedin as a TOP VOICE (top 1% worldwide) in K-12 Education. Brett was awarded with the NSWICTE and ISTE 'Making 'IT' Happen award in 2024, was recently identified by the District Administration Leadership Institute as one of the top 100 most influential leaders in education globally (the only Australian named on the list) and he was named the Most Influential Educator in Australia for 2024 by The Educator magazine. Brett is a teacher and experienced school leader who, over the past 26 years, has taught in South East Asia and Australia. He is passionately committed to turning educational theory into real classroom practice. Brett is all about CONNECTION, COLLABORATION and INSPIRATION.‍ Connect With Brett Salakas Brett On X: https://x.com/MRsalakas Brett On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/salakas/ Brett on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brett.salakas  

Today's conversation is with Ollie Ollerton.Ollie is a former UK Special Forces (SBS) operator who served on high-risk operations across Iraq and Southeast Asia, including covert counter-narcotics and counter-terror missions. He's also a bestselling author, the founder of BREAK-POINT performance training, and a familiar face to many as one of the lead instructors on SAS: Who Dares Wins.This conversation goes far beyond the TV persona.This is a raw, grounded conversation about pressure, responsibility, and learning how to live a good, free life.Expect to learn: • What Ollie means by a true “breakpoint” and how finding a second wind under pressure applies far beyond the military • How a traumatic childhood experience shaped Ollie's life for many years • Why you must always be willing to explore new levels • The real reason so many people feel stuck right now & what to do next • The mindset scripts Ollie uses to live a good life • How emotional control is developed under chaos — and what that looks like in relationships and business • The moment Ollie realised the “military version” of himself wasn't sustainable in everyday life • What he had to leave behind to grow into his next chapter and why what got you here won't get you there • Why he chose to move to Dubai and what that change has unlocked personally and professionally • The tolerant nature of Dubai while maintaning strictnessThis episode is about resilience without bravado, strength in mind and body, and learning how to live freely.Invest with Fink using CAMBRO - https://fink.money/academy/ Get my LinkedIn Guide - https://click.convertkit-mail2.com/qdux4r4dq8u7h4dxgxvalh89p0rkkb4h86ng9/08hwh9h22xp4z6tl/aHR0cHM6Ly9jb2xjYW1icm8ua2l0LmNvbS9wcm9kdWN0cy9saW5rZWQtaW4tcGVyc29uYWwtYnJhbmQtZm9yLXNlbGxpbmc=Shop Notox Skincare using COL15 - https://www.notoxskincare.co/ Connect with Ollie:Instagram: www.instagram.com/ollie.ollerton Website: https://ollieollerton.comConnect with Col:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/col.cambro Email List: https://colcambro.kit.com/30bde23b0c Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ColCampbell 

Last week, we began a look back on some of the most moving moments on The Voice of the Martyrs Radio in 2025. This week, we continue to remember: Nathan and his friends were arrested doing street evangelism in the Middle East. He'll share his experience in prison, the power of faithful friends, and how the Lord revealed the day of their release. Brother Miguel from Peru will share where his passion for serving persecuted Christians began and how God gave him a hunger to know more, pray, and share their powerful stories with more people through radio and TV. Michael & Mona share what it looks like to be a Christian in North Africa, where they are often treated as second-class citizens. Yet Mona says she loves the Muslim people who are victims of a false religion. Kevin works among people trapped in fear-based animistic practices in Southeast Asia. He'll share how gospel workers combat that fear with the love of Christ. Hana Menghisteab returned to tell how sharing her story for the first time on VOM Radio in 2024 was a breakthrough, helping her acknowledge deep wounds and opening her heart to God's healing touch. Dr. Yousaf Sadiq told us about growing up in a Christian family in Pakistan and how God ministered to him through Psalms sung in the Punjabi language. Brother Samuel grew up in a Muslim family in Malaysia. He first heard the gospel helping translate the JESUS film. Today, he faces persecution as he tries to change his government-issued ID card to reflect his faith in Christ. Susanna Koh, wife of abducted Pastor Raymond Koh, shares how she trusts the Lord despite the unknown, and how God asked her to put feet to her forgiveness. Sister Neda grew up as a Muslim in Iran. On the outside she appeared to have it all, yet inside she was broken. Listen to hear how she called out to God and He answered. After hearing these brief excerpts, you'll want to listen to the entire conversations with each of these guests. Click the links below or listen in the VOM APP. Brother Nathan, gospel worker with YWAM in the Middle East Miguel Angel Angeles, Executive Director of Bethel Radio & TV in Peru Michael & Mona, Christian leaders from Egypt working across North Africa Brother Kevin serves as a gospel worker and church planter in Asia Hana Menghisteab, the daughter of imprisoned Eritrean pastor, Dr. Tecleab Menghisteab, who has been in prison for over twenty years. Dr. Yousaf Sadiq grew up in Pakistan and is now a professor at Wheaton College and co-leader of the Lausanne Persecuted Church Initiative. Brother Samuel grew up Muslim and now faces persecution in Malaysia for his faith in Christ. Susanna Koh, Pastor Raymond Koh's wife, continues to go to court for his release Sister Neda, serves persecuted Christians in Iran through Iran Alive Ministries We thank the Lord for allowing VOM Radio to encourage and challenge listeners all over the world this year. Thank you for listening and praying for our persecuted family in restricted nations and hostile areas around the world during 2025! We'd love to hear from you! Let us know what conversation in 2025 most inspired your faith or equipped you to pray. You can also give online to support persecuted Christians through the work of The Voice of the Martyrs. Join us in 2026 for another year of testimonies about what God is doing in and through our persecuted brothers and sisters and hear how you can pray specifically for them throughout the year!

The world is building data centers, identity rails, and AI policy stacks at a speed that makes 2026 feel closer than it is. In this conversation, Rajesh Natarajan, Global Chief Technology Officer at Gorilla Technology Group, explains what it takes to engineer platforms that remain reliable, secure, and sovereign-ready for decades, especially when infrastructure must operate outside the safety net of constant cloud connectivity. Raj talks about quantum-safe networking as a current risk, not a future headline. Adversaries are capturing encrypted traffic today, betting on decrypting it later, and retrofitting quantum-safe architecture into national platforms mid-lifecycle is an expensive mistake waiting to happen. He also highlights the regional nature of AI infrastructure, Southeast Asia prioritizing sovereignty, speed, and efficiency, Europe leaning on regulation and telemetry, and the U.S. betting on raw cluster scale and throughput. Sustainability at Gorilla isn't a marketing headline, it's an engineering requirement. If a system can't prove its environmental impact using telemetry like workload-level PUE, it isn't labeled sustainable internally. Gorilla applies the same rigor to IoT insight per unit of energy, device lifecycles, and edge-level intelligence placement, minimizing data centralization without operational justification. This episode offers marketers, founders, and technology leaders a rare chance to understand what national-scale resilience looks like when platform alignment breaks first, not technology. Remembering that decisions must be reversible, explicit, and measurable is the foundation of how Gorilla is designing systems that can evolve without forcing rushed compromises when uncertainty becomes reality. Useful links: Connect with Dr Rajesh Natarajan Gorilla website Tech Talks Daily is Sponsored by Denodo  

WATCH THE FULL FILM HEREIn the classic 19th century Jules Verne novel, “Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours,” eccentric Brit Phileas Fogg and his French valet, Passepartout, wager they can circumnavigate the world in 80 days. That nearly three-month time table would have been a walk in the park for the Vancouver-based content team at YouTube motorcycle sensation “FortNine.”Ryan Kluftinger, Connor Bondlow, and Edwin El Bainou set out to ride across America, Europe, India, Southeast Asia, Australia, and then back through Alaska, the carrot being the current world record of 19 days and change, all while filming their every move. Their motorcycles of choice for this ultimate “Iron Butt” adventure? A pair of Ducati Multistrada V4 Rallys.While Kluftinger describes their global lap as “the greatest ride of my life,” the two-plus-week excursion (no spoilers!) wasn't without moments of undeniable reality. “What we were doing was fun and exciting,” he says, “and suddenly you remember the danger associated with it.” “Yalla Habibi!” premiered at the Rio Theater in Vancouver on December 22. Watch the trailer, or jump into the full film! Connect with Us:Website: www.driventoridepodcast.comInstagram: www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcastFacebook: www.facebook.com/driventorideEmail:hello@driventoridepodcast.com

A deep dive into Ajai Puri's leadership journey across FMCG, media, and telecom—uncovering his principles on humility, people-centric leadership, building high-performing teams, and shaping ethical cultures. From Airtel's rise to his impact as a mentor and board member, Ajai shares timeless lessons and his commitment to giving back through SVP.00:35- About Ajai PuriAjai is the Ex-Chief Operating Officer of Bharti Airtel India and Southeast Asia. He has been the longest serving member of the Airtel management board, and he has served as the chairman of the cellular operators Association India during 2020 to 2022.

In this unfiltered episode One Night in Bangkok, we sit down with David Bond for one of the most controversial and fascinating conversations we've recorded. Known as a travel vlogger, dating coach, and one of the most polarizing figures ever associated with Thailand's expat scene, David shares the full story behind his rise, backlash, and evolution over the last decade.We dive deep into how David went from a quiet IT job in California to going viral across Southeast Asia, building massive audiences on YouTube, and becoming both famous and infamous in Bangkok. We talk about meeting women abroad, the psychology of dating apps vs real-world interactions, running Instagram and Facebook ads to meet women, navigating online hate and media scandals, nomad life in Thailand, SE Asia, and South America, and how his views on dating have changed after becoming a father.This episode also explores larger themes around expat life, cultural misunderstandings, social media fame, money, relationships, and the hard lessons many men learn when moving to Southeast Asia. Whether you agree or disagree with David's perspectives, this is an honest conversation that pulls back the curtain on modern dating, internet fame, and life abroad.

EV manufacturing growth, industrial digitalisation and sustainability priorities are elevating Tanjong Malim's profile in Malaysia and Southeast Asia's data centre planning. Five located plots at Sungai Samak Estate present developers an opportunity to establish integrated, next generation data centres within an emerging high-technology manufacturing ecosystem. Sungai Samak Estate City: Kuala Lumpur Address: 2 Jalan Sempurna off Jalan Gombak Website: https://sgsamak.com

In this special year-end edition of The China in Africa Podcast, Eric, Cobus, and Géraud look back on the top stories of 2025 and look ahead to the key trend to watch in 2026. 

In this special year-end edition of The China-Global South Podcast, Eric, Cobus, and Géraud look back on the top stories of 2025 and look ahead to the key trend to watch in 2026. 

Top Headlines: welivesecurity.com | LongNosedGoblin tries to sniff out governmental affairs in Southeast Asia and Japan: https://www.welivesecurity.com/en/eset-research/longnosedgoblin-tries-sniff-out-governmental-affairs-southeast-asia-japan/ Resecurity | DIG AI: Uncensored Darknet AI Assistant at the Service of Criminals and Terrorists: https://www.resecurity.com/blog/article/dig-ai-uncensored-darknet-ai-assistant-at-the-service-of-criminals-and-terrorists?&web_view=true koi.ai | NPM Package With 56K Downloads Caught Stealing WhatsApp Messages: https://www.koi.ai/blog/npm-package-with-56k-downloads-malware-stealing-whatsapp-messages zscaler.com | Zscaler Threat Hunting Catches Evasive SideWinder APT Campaign: https://www.zscaler.com/blogs/security-research/zscaler-threat-hunting-catches-evasive-sidewinder-apt-campaign?&web_view=true ---------- Stay in Touch! Twitter: https://twitter.com/Intel471Inc LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intel-471/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIL4ElcM6oLd3n36hM4_wkg Discord: https://discord.gg/DR4mcW4zBr Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Intel471Inc/

Eden Grinshpan is a TV food personality, author of the bestselling cookbook Eating Out Loud, and the creator of the vibrant online platform Eden Eats. Known for her relatability, raw sincerity, playful goofiness, and bold, veg-forward cooking, Eden brings joy and flavor to everything she touches. She earned her culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu in London before eating and adventuring her way across Europe, India, Southeast Asia, and Israel, where she spent summers growing up. Her passion for travel and food led to her breakout Cooking Channel series Eden Eats, which she both produced and hosted. She later went on to host Log On & Eat with Eden Grinshpan and serve as host of Top Chef Canada.Eden currently splits her time between New York and Toronto with her husband, Ido, and their two daughters, Ayv and Romi.Her latest cookbook, TAHINI BABY, is a joyful celebration of Middle Eastern– and Mediterranean-inspired, veg-forward cooking. Bursting with fresh flavors, approachable recipes, and Eden's signature flair, TAHINI BABY makes it easy—and fun—to cook like an It-girl in your own kitchen. From noshes and brunch staples to bold veggie mains and next-level sides, plus vibrant condiments, dips, and pickles, Eden invites everyone to roll up their sleeves, get a little messy, and fall in love with food all over again.We discuss: How Eden sets healthy boundaries with technology and social media to protect her well-being and stay present with her familyThe behind-the-scenes journey of writing her second cookbook, Tahini Baby, and why tahini and sesame seeds are the ultimate flavor enhancersEden's approach to balancing motherhood, marriage, and a thriving culinary career, with grace, humor, and honestyTips for bringing big flavor to every dish using fresh summer produce, pantry staples, and Eden's favorite condimentsReal talk about meal prep, and Eden's favorite ways to keep cooking exciting and stress-freeFollow Eden Grinshpan on Instagram: @edeneatsOrder Tahini Baby: https://www.tahinibabybook.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAae2Q7rqrlp4teTHsLsH0if-JDpr6HReqHWj98QUiOtUsjLDIZE6v5ODkorWUg_aem_o1lGkeiglIKDBU_W6TrpAwLearn more about High Vibration Living with Chef Whitney Aronoff onwww.StarseedKitchen.com Get 10% off your order of Chef Whitney's organic spices with codeSTARSEED on www.starseedkitchen.com Follow Chef Whitney Aronoff on Instagram at @whitneyaronoff and@starseedkitchen

Welcome back to another EUVC Podcast, where we explore the lessons, frameworks, and insights shaping venture ecosystems across the globe.In this special Southeast Asia edition this week, David Cruz e Silva from EUVC and Ambika from Circle Capital sit down with Binh Tran from AVV (Ascend Vietnam Ventures) - a VC firm headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City, backing tech founders across Vietnam, Southeast Asia, and the U.S.A serial founder turned VC, Binh sold his first company Klout for $200M in 2014 before launching 500 Startups Vietnam and later AVV, which has now backed about 500 startups, including unicorns Turing, Skymavis, and ApplyBoard.Together, they unpack Vietnam's ecosystem growth, power-law returns in emerging markets, government catalysts, and how to back founders with both grit and global ambition.

"Public markets are behaving more like private markets. Private markets want to behave more like public markets. So actually, they're just one market.What's not the same is the level of research, information, data disclosure. Correct. That's the only difference. It's this information gap that, to us, is the single biggest opportunity now.We think over the course of the next five to 10 years, there'll be more trading venues, more liquidity providers, more market makers, more investor types—all of that. And I think what Smartkarma has always done is be the information flow for part of capital markets.In fact, that sort of 74 billion number, I think, is quite conservative. I've seen other estimates that are close to 120 billion. So it depends on what you see as sort of growth and what you see beyond. But regardless, I think it's very large numbers, and the ratio of exit to invested capital is extremely low. A 50 billion hole is a pretty big hole." - Raghav Kapoor, CEO of SmartkarmaRaghav Kapoor, CEO & co-founder of Smartkarma, joined us for a conversation on the launch of PvtIQ and the structural transformation of Asia's private markets. Drawing from his experience building Smartkarma's independent research platform, Raghav explained how client demand for pre-IPO coverage led to creating PvtIQ, an intelligence platform designed to bridge the critical information gap in Southeast Asia's private markets. We discussed the striking imbalance where $74 billion has been invested into the region's tech ecosystem but only $23 billion has been returned through exits, highlighting the urgent need for better data infrastructure and price discovery. Raghav shared unique insights on how families dominate the region's investment landscape, why private and public markets are converging into one, and his vision for PvtIQ to become the intelligence backbone supporting companies, investors, and regulators in bringing more transparency and efficiency to Asia's rapidly evolving private market ecosystem.Episode Highlights:[00:00] Quote of the Day by Raghav Kapoor[00:57]] Smartkarma launches PvtIQ for Asia's private markets[03:11]] Investors requesting coverage three years before IPO[04:08]] Supporting MAS equity market development program[05:24]] Singapore's public markets languished despite private growth[06:13]] Path from fundraising to public listing explained[08:37]] $74 billion invested, only $23 billion exits[09:45]] Companies need support to achieve IPO readiness[11:00]] Capital chasing deals shifted to improving disclosure[11:57]] Southeast Asia's extreme market fragmentation challenges[13:23]] Families dominate and influence Southeast Asian markets[14:38]] Lack of data creates serious structural challenges[19:01]] Private market investors transitioning from momentum investing[20:18]] Digital banks provide disclosure model for research[21:24]] Late stage private rounds resemble public IPOs[23:26]] Liquidity without information is just volatility[24:06]] Private and public markets converging into one[25:30]] Information gap is the single biggest opportunity[27:00]] Private market research TAM already $8 billion[28:57]] What great looks like: intelligence backbone for Asia's private markets[30:57]] ClosingProfile: Raghav Kapoor, CEO and co-founder, SmartkarmaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ragkap/Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. The proper credits for the intro and end music are "Energetic Sports Drive." G. Thomas Craig mixed and edited the episode in both video and audio format. Recorded in Poddster Singapore

Today we'll be talking about new rules prohibiting alcohol sales to already intoxicated customers, regional earthquake activity rattling Southeast Asia, and a little later foreigners behaving badly in sexual encounters and food eating contests, PLUS exactly where does Bangkok lie on the world's most visited travel destinations.

Trump signs the National Defense Authorization Act for 2026. Danish intelligence officials accuse Russia of orchestrating cyberattacks against critical infrastructure.  LongNosedGoblin targets government institutions across Southeast Asia and Japan. A new Android botnet infects nearly two million devices. WatchGuard patches its Firebox firewalls. Amazon blocks more than 1,800 North Korean operatives from joining its workforce. CISA releases nine new Industrial Control Systems advisories. The U.S. Sentencing Commission seeks public input on deepfakes. Prosecutors indict 54 in a large-scale ATM jackpotting conspiracy. Our guest is Nitay Milner, CEO of Orion Security, discussing the issue with data leaking into AI tools, and how CISOs must prioritize DLP. Riot Games finds cheaters hiding in the BIOS. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you'll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn. CyberWire Guest Nitay Milner, CEO of Orion Security, discusses the issue with data leaking into AI tools, and how CISOs must prioritize DLP. Selected Reading Trump signs defense bill allocating millions for Cyber Command, mandating Pentagon phone security (The Record) Denmark blames Russia for destructive cyberattack on water utility (Bleeping Computer) New China-linked hacker group spies on governments in Southeast Asia, Japan (The Record) 'Kimwolf' Android Botnet Ensnares 1.8 Million Devices (SecurityWeek) New critical WatchGuard Firebox firewall flaw exploited in attacks (Bleeping Computer) Amazon blocked 1,800 suspected DPRK job applicants (The Register) CISA Releases Nine Industrial Control Systems Advisories (CISA.gov) U.S. Sentencing Commission seeks input on criminal penalties for deepfakes (CyberScoop) US Charges 54 in Massive ATM Jackpotting Conspiracy (Infosecurity Magazine) Riot Games found a motherboard security flaw that helps PC cheaters (The Verge) Share your feedback. What do you think about CyberWire Daily? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey. Thank you for helping us continue to improve our show. Want to hear your company in the show? N2K CyberWire helps you reach the industry's most influential leaders and operators, while building visibility, authority, and connectivity across the cybersecurity community. Learn more at sponsor.thecyberwire.com. The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Azgari Lipshy is a Business Launch Strategist helping others start or buy a service company. Through her Concierge Launch Program, she helps build brands across the United States, Bangladesh, and Southeast Asia. Along the way we discuss – the Journey (0:45), services offered (5:00), the medical transportation business (9:30), problems of a Woman Entrepreneur (10:30), born in Bangladesh (12:30), and "Start Early, Start Messy" (15:00). Interested in creating your own business? Reach out to Azgari @ Azgari.com This podcast is partnered with LukeLeaders1248, a nonprofit that provides scholarships for the children of military Veterans. Send a donation, large or small, through PayPal @LukeLeaders1248; Venmo @LukeLeaders1248; or our website @ www.lukeleaders1248.com. You can also donate your used vehicle @ this hyperlink – CARS donation to LL1248.  Music intro and outro from the creative brilliance of Kenny Kilgore. Lowriders and Beautiful Rainy Day.  

In this essential episode, Ray Powell and Jim Carouso welcome two returning guests and leading strategic thinkers: retired Australian Army Major General Mick Ryan, author of “The War for Ukraine: Strategy and Adaptation Under Fire,” and Zack Cooper, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and co-host of the Net Assessment Podcast. Together, they dissect the Trump administration's newly released National Security Strategy and its implications for U.S. alliances, Indo-Pacific security, and the evolving competition with China.​NSS Unveiled: Zack explains what the National Security Strategy (NSS) is - the connective tissue linking U.S. objectives to the ways and means of achieving them - while noting the internal contradictions and lack of central logic. Released with minimal fanfare in early December, this NSS marks a significant departure from conventional approaches to American global engagement.​Regional Winners and Losers: Mick offers his characteristically candid, “she'll be right, mate” assessment, arguing that while Europe faces a much more civilizational challenge under this strategy, Indo-Pacific allies like Australia, Japan, and Taiwan emerge relatively intact. The document maintains U.S. commitment to the defense of the first island chain, though the beleaguered Philippines notably goes unmentioned.​Spheres of Influence and Inconsistencies: The experts dissect the document's troubling embrace of spheres of influence - asserting U.S. primacy in the Americas while condemning Chinese ambitions in Asia. This contradiction, combined with transactional mercantilism replacing values-based alliances, signals a fundamental shift in American grand strategy.​The China Challenge: Both guests critique how the NSS reduces all of Asia to a China problem, ignoring critical issues in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. They explore China's aggressive response to Japanese Prime Minister Takeuchi's Taiwan comments and what Beijing's gray zone operations reveal about testing U.S. resolve.​Deterrence and Taiwan: Zack warns that U.S. strategy focuses too narrowly on preventing a Taiwan amphibious invasion while neglecting China's political warfare strategy. Mick emphasizes that Xi Jinping views Taiwan as a political problem, not primarily a military one, and may seek a grand bargain with President Trump.​Technology and National Security: The conversation addresses the controversial decision to allow Nvidia to sell advanced H200 chips to China, which both view as a significant national security mistake that undermines the technology competition goals in the NSS.Congressional Pushback: The recently released National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes provisions constraining troop withdrawals from South Korea and other guardrails, reflecting bipartisan congressional frustration with lack of Pentagon consultation.​Episode 118 provides indispensable analysis for understanding how U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy is developing under Trump 2.0, and why allies and adversaries alike are recalculating their positions in the world's most dynamic and consequential region.

What happens when curiosity, resilience, and storytelling collide over a lifetime of building something meaningful? In this episode, I welcome Nick Francis, founder and CEO of Casual Films, for a thoughtful conversation about leadership, presence, and what it takes to keep going when the work gets heavy. Nick's journey began with a stint at BBC News and a bold 9,000-mile rally from London to Mongolia in a Mini Cooper, a spirit of adventure that still fuels how he approaches business and life today. We talk about how that early experience shaped Casual into a global branded storytelling company with studios across five continents, and what it really means to lead a creative organization at scale. Nick shares insights from growing the company internationally, expanding into Southeast Asia, and staying grounded while producing hundreds of projects each year. Along the way, we explore why emotionally resonant storytelling matters, how trust and preparation beat panic, and why presence with family, health, and purpose keeps leaders steady in uncertain times. This conversation is about building an Unstoppable life by focusing on what matters most, using creativity to connect people, and choosing clarity and resilience in a world full of noise. Highlights: 00:01:30 – Learn how early challenges shape resilience and long-term drive. 00:06:20 – Discover why focusing on your role creates calm under pressure. 00:10:50 – Learn how to protect attention in a nonstop world. 00:18:25 – Understand what global growth teaches about leadership. 00:26:00 – Learn why leading with trust changes relationships. 00:45:55 – Discover how movement and presence restore clarity. About the Guest: Nick Francis is the founder and CEO of Casual, a global production group that blends human storytelling, business know-how, and creativity turbo-charged by AI. Named the UK's number one brand video production company for five years, Casual delivers nearly 1,000 projects annually for world-class brands like Adobe, Amazon, BMW, Hilton, HSBC, and P&G. The adventurous spirit behind its first production – a 9,000-mile journey from London to Mongolia in an old Mini – continues to drive Casual's growth across offices in London, New York, LA, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Sydney, Singapore, Hong Kong and Greater China. Nick previously worked for BBC News and is widely recognised for his expertise in video storytelling, brand building, and corporate communications. He is the founding director of the Casual Films Academy, a charity helping young filmmakers develop skills by producing films for charitable organisations. He is also the author of ‘The New Fire: Harness the Power of Video for Your Business' and a passionate advocate for emotionally resonant, behaviorally grounded storytelling. Nick lives in San Francisco, California, with his family. Ways to connect with Nick**:** Website: https://www.casualfilms.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@casual_global  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/casualglobal/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CasualFilms/  Nick's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickfrancisfilm/  Casual's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/casual-films-international/  Beyond Casual - LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=6924458968031395840 About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson  00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us. Michael Hingson  01:21 Well, hello everyone. I am your host, Mike hingson, that's kind of funny. We'll talk about that in a second, but this is unstoppable mindset. And our guest today is Nick Francis, and what we're going to talk about is the fact that people used to always ask me, well, they would call me Mr. Kingston, and it took me, as I just told Nick a master's degree in physics in 10 years to realize that if I said Mike hingson, that's why they said Mr. Kingston. So was either say Mike hingson or Michael hingson. Well, Michael hingson is a lot easier to say than Mike hingson, but I don't really care Mike or Michael, as long as it's not late for dinner. Whatever works. Yeah. Well, Nick, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're Nick Francis  02:04 here. Thanks, Mike. It's great to be here. Michael Hingson  02:08 So Nick is a marketing kind of guy. He's got a company called casual that we'll hear about. Originally from England, I believe, and now lives in San Francisco. We were talking about the weather in San Francisco, as opposed to down here in Victorville. A little bit earlier. We're going to have a heat wave today and and he doesn't have that up there, but you know, well, things, things change over time. But anyway, we're glad you're here. And thanks, Mike. Really looking forward to it. Tell us about the early Nick growing up and all that sort of stuff, just to get us started. Nick Francis  02:43 That's a good question. I grew up in London, in in Richmond, which is southwest London. It's a at the time, it wasn't anything like as kind of, it's become quite kind of shishi, I think back in the day, because it's on the west of London. The pollution from the city used to flow east and so, like all the kind of well to do people, in fact, there used to be a, there used to be a palace in Richmond. It's where Queen Elizabeth died, the first Queen Elizabeth, that is. And, yeah, you know, I grew up it was, you know, there's a lot of rugby played around there. I played rugby for my local rugby club from a very young age, and we went sailing on the south coast. It was, it was great, really. And then, you know, unfortunately, when I was 10 years old, my my dad died. He had had a very powerful job at the BBC, and then he ran the British Council, which is the overseas wing of the Arts Council, so promoting, I guess, British soft power around the world, going and opening art galleries and going to ballet in Moscow and all sorts. So he had an incredible life and worked incredibly hard. And you know, that has brought me all sorts of privileges, I think, when I was a kid. But, you know, unfortunately, age 10 that all ended. And you know, losing a parent at that age is such a sort of fundamental, kind of shaking of your foundations. You know, you when you're a kid, you feel like a, you're going to live forever, and B, the things that are happening around you are going to last forever. And so, you know, you know, my mom was amazing, of course, and, you know, and in time, I got a new stepdad, and all the rest of it. But you know, that kind of shaped a lot of my a lot of my youth, really. And, yeah, I mean, Grief is a funny thing, and it's funny the way it manifests itself as you grow. But yeah. So I grew up there. I went to school in the Midlands, near where my stepdad lived, and then University of Newcastle, which is up in the north of England, where it rains a lot. It's where it's where Newcastle Football Club is based. And you know is that is absolutely at the center of the city. So. So the city really comes alive there. And it was during that time that I discovered photography, and I wanted to be a war photographer, because I believe that was where life was lived at the kind of the real cutting edge. You know, you see the you see humanity in its in its most visceral and vivid color in terrible situations. And I kind of that seemed like an interesting thing to go to go and do. Michael Hingson  05:27 Well, what? So what did you major in in college in Newcastle? So I did Nick Francis  05:31 history and politics, and then I went did a course in television journalism, and ended up working at BBC News as a initially running on the floor. So I used to deliver the papers that you know, when you see people shuffling or not, they do it anymore, actually, because everything, everything's digital now digital, yeah, but when they were worried about the the auto cues going down, they we always had to make sure that they had the up to date script. And so I would be printing in, obviously, the, you know, because it's a three hour news show, the scripts constantly evolving, and so, you know, I was making sure they had the most up to date version in their hands. And it's, I don't know if you have spent any time around live TV Mike, but it's an incredibly humbling experience, like the power of it. You know, there's sort of two or 3 million people watching these two people who are sitting five feet in front of me, and the, you know, the sort of slightly kind of, there was an element of me that just wanted to jump in front of them and kind of go, ah. And, you know, never, ever work in live TV, ever again. But you know, anyway, I did that and ended up working as a producer, writing and developing, developing packets that would go out on the show, producing interviews and things. And, you know, I absolutely loved it. It was, it was a great time. But then I left to go and set up my company. Michael Hingson  06:56 I am amazed, even today, with with watching people on the news, and I've and I've been in a number of studios during live broadcasts and so on. But I'm amazed at how well, mostly, at least, I've been fortunate. Mostly, the people are able to read because they do have to read everything. It isn't like you're doing a lot of bad living in a studio. Obviously, if you are out with a story, out in the field, if you will, there, there may be more where you don't have a printed script to go by, but I'm amazed at the people in the studio, how much they are able to do by by reading it all completely. Nick Francis  07:37 It's, I mean, the whole experience is kind of, it's awe inspiring, really. And you know, when you first go into a Live, a live broadcast studio, and you see the complexity, and you know, they've got feeds coming in from all over the world, and you know, there's upwards of 100 people all working together to make it happen. And I remember talking to one of the directors at the time, and I was like, How on earth does this work? And he said, You know, it's simple. You everyone has a very specific job, and you know that as long as you do your bit of the job when it comes in front of you, then the show will go out. He said, where it falls over is when people start worrying about whether other people are going to are going to deliver on time or, you know, and so if you start worrying about what other people are doing, rather than just focusing on the thing you have to do, that's where it potentially falls over, Michael Hingson  08:29 which is a great object lesson anyway, to worry about and control and don't worry about the rest Nick Francis  08:36 for sure. Yeah, yeah, for sure. You know, it's almost a lesson for life. I mean, sorry, it is a lesson for life, and Michael Hingson  08:43 it's something that I talk a lot about in dealing with the World Trade Center and so on, and because it was a message I received, but I've been really preaching that for a long time. Don't worry about what you can't control, because all you're going to do is create fear and drive yourself Nick Francis  08:58 crazy, completely, completely. You know. You know what is it? Give me the, give me this. Give me the strength to change the things I can. Give me the give me the ability to let the things that I can't change slide but and the wisdom to know the difference. I'm absolutely mangling that, that saying, but, yeah, it's, it's true, you know. And I think, you know, it's so easy for us to in this kind of modern world where everything's so media, and we're constantly served up things that, you know, shock us, sadness, enrage us, you know, just to be able to step back and say, actually, you know what? These are things I can't really change. I'd have to just let them wash over me. Yeah, and just focus on the things that you really can change. Michael Hingson  09:46 It's okay to be aware of things, but you've got to separate the things you can control from the things that you can and we, unfortunately aren't taught that. Our parents don't teach us that because they were never taught it, and it's something. That, just as you say, slides by, and it's so unfortunate, because it helps to create such a level of fear about so many things in our in our psyche and in our world that we really shouldn't have to do Nick Francis  10:13 completely well. I think, you know, obviously, but you know, we've, we've spent hundreds, if not millions of years evolving to become humans, and then, you know, actually being aware of things beyond our own village has only been an evolution of the last, you know what, five, 600 years, yeah. And so we are just absolutely, fundamentally not able to cope with a world of such incredible stimulus that we live in now. Michael Hingson  10:43 Yeah, and it's only getting worse with all the social media, with all the different things that are happening and of course, and we're only working to develop more and more things to inundate us with more and more kinds of inputs. It's really unfortunate we just don't learn to separate ourselves very easily from all of that. Nick Francis  11:04 Yeah, well, you know, it's so interesting when you look at the development of VR headsets, and, you know, are we going to have, like, lenses in our eyes that kind of enable us to see computer screens while we're just walking down the road, you know? And you look at that and you think, well, actually, just a cell phone. I mean, cell phones are going to be gone fairly soon. I would imagine, you know, as a format, it's not something that's going to abide but the idea that we're going to create technology that's going to be more, that's going to take us away from being in the moment more rather than less, is kind of terrifying. Because, I would say already, even with, you know, the most basic technology that we have now, which is, you know, mind bending, compared to where we were even 20 years ago, you know, to think that we're only going to become more immersive is, you know, we really, really as a species, have to work out how we are going to be far better at stepping away from this stuff. And I, you know, I do, I wonder, with AI and technology whether there is, you know, there's a real backlash coming of people who do want to just unplug, yeah, Michael Hingson  12:13 well, it'll be interesting to see, and I hope that people will learn to do it. I know when I started hearing about AI, and one of the first things I heard was how kids would use it to write their papers, and it was a horrible thing, and they were trying to figure out ways so that teachers could tell us something was written by AI, as opposed to a student. And I almost immediately developed this opinion, no, let AI write the papers for students, but when the students turn in their paper, then take a day to in your class where you have every student come up and defend their paper, see who really knows it, you know. And what a great teaching opportunity and teaching moment to to get students also to learn to do public speaking and other things a little bit more than they do, but we haven't. That hasn't caught on, but I continue to preach it. Nick Francis  13:08 I think that's really smart, you know, as like aI exists, and I think to to pretend somehow that, you know, we can work without it is, you know, it's, it's, it's, yeah, I mean, it's like, well, saying, you know, we're just going to go back to Word processors or typewriters, which, you know, in which it weirdly, in their own time, people looked at and said, this is, you know, these, these are going to completely rot our minds. In fact, yeah, I think Plato said that was very against writing, because he believed it would mean no one could remember anything after that, you know. So it's, you know, it's just, it's an endless, endless evolution. But I think, you know, we have to work out how we incorporate into it, into our education system, for sure. Michael Hingson  13:57 Well, I remember being in in college and studying physics and so on. And one of the things that we were constantly told is, on tests, you can't bring calculators in, can't use calculators in class. Well, why not? Well, because you could cheat with that. Well, the reality is that the smart physicists realized that it's all about really learning the concepts more than the numbers. And yeah, that's great to to know how to do the math. But the the real issue is, do you know the physics, not just the math completely? Nick Francis  14:34 Yeah. And then how you know? How are the challenges that are being set such that you know, they really test your ability to use the calculator effectively, right? So how you know? How are you lifting the bar? And in a way, I think that's kind of what we have to do, what we have to do now, Michael Hingson  14:50 agreed, agreed. So you were in the news business and so on, and then, as you said, you left to start your own company. Why did you decide to do that? Nick Francis  14:59 Well, a friend of. Ryan and I from University had always talked about doing this rally from London to Mongolia. So, and you do it in an old car that you sort of look at, and you go, well, that's a bit rubbish. It has to have under a one liter engine. So it's tiny, it's cheap. The idea is it breaks down you have an adventure. And it was something we kind of talked about in passing and decided that would be a good thing to do. And then over time, you know, we started sending off. We you know, we applied, and then we started sending off for visas and things. And then before we knew it, we were like, gosh, so it looks like we're actually going to do this thing. But by then, you know, my job at the BBC was really taking off. And so I said, you know, let's do this, but let's make a documentary of it. So long story short, we ended up making a series of diary films for Expedia, which we uploaded onto their website. It was, you know, we were kind of pitching this around about 2005 we kind of did it in 2006 so it was kind of, you know, nobody had really heard of YouTube. The idea of making videos to go online was kind of unheard of because, you know, broadband was just kind of getting sorry. It wasn't unheard of, but it was, it was very, it was a very nascent industry. And so, yeah, we went and drove 9000 miles over five weeks. We spent a week sitting in various different repair yards and kind of break his yards in everywhere from Turkey to Siberia. And when we came back, it became clear that the internet was opening up as this incredible medium for video, and video is such a powerful way to share emotion with a dispersed audience. You know, not that I would have necessarily talked about it in that in those terms back then, but it really seemed like, you know, every every web page, every piece of corporate content, could have a video aspect to it. And so we came back and had a few fits and starts and did some, I mean, we, you know, we made a series of hotel videos where we were paid 50 quid a day to go and film hotels. And it was hot and it was hard work. And anyway, it was rough. But over time, you know, we started to win some more lucrative work. And, you know, really, the company grew from there. We won some awards, which helped us to kind of make a bit of a name for ourselves. And this was, there's been a real explosion in technology, kind of shortly after when we did this. So digital SLRs, so, you know, old kind of SLR cameras, you know, turned into digital cameras, which could then start to shoot video. And so it, there was a real explosion in high quality video produced by very small teams of people using the latest technology creatively. And that just felt like a good kind of kick off point for our business. But we just kind of because we got in in kind of 2006 we just sort of beat a wave that kind of started with digital SLRs, and then was kind of absolutely exploded when video cell phones came on the market, video smartphones. And yeah, you know, because we had these awards and we had some kind of fairly blue chip clients from a relatively early, early stage, we were able to grow the company. We then expanded to the US in kind of 2011 20 between 2011 2014 and then we were working with a lot of the big tech companies in California, so it felt like we should maybe kind of really invest in that. And so I moved out here with some of our team in 2018 at the beginning of 2018 and I've been here ever since, wow. Michael Hingson  18:44 So what is it? What was it like starting a business here, or bringing the business here, as opposed to what it was in England? Nick Francis  18:53 It's really interesting, because the creatively the UK is so strong, you know, like so many, you know, from the Beatles to Led Zeppelin to the Rolling Stones to, you know, and then on through, like all the kind of, you know, film and TV, you know, Brits are very good at kind of Creating, like, high level creative, but not necessarily always the best at kind of monetizing it, you know. I mean, some of those obviously have been fantastic successes, right? And so I think in the UK, we we take a lot longer over getting, getting to, like, the perfect creative output, whereas the US is far more focused on, you know, okay, we need this to to perform a task, and frankly, if we get it 80% done, then we're good, right? And so I think a lot of creative businesses in the UK look at the US and they go, gosh. Firstly, the streets are paved with gold. Like the commercial opportunity seems incredible, but actually creating. Tracking it is incredibly difficult, and I think it's because we sort of see the outputs in the wrong way. I think they're just the energy and the dynamism of the US economy is just, it's kind of awe inspiring. But you know, so many businesses try to expand here and kind of fall over themselves. And I think the number one thing is just, you have to have a founder who's willing to move to the US. Because I think Churchill said that we're two two countries divided by the same language. And I never fully understood what that meant until I moved here. I think what it what he really means by that is that we're so culturally different in the US versus the UK. And I think lots of Brits look at America and think, Well, you know, it's just the same. It's just a bit kind of bigger and a bit Brasher, you know, and it and actually, I think if people in the US spoke a completely different language, we would approach it as a different culture, which would then help us to understand it better. Yeah. So, yeah. I mean, it's been, it's been the most fabulous adventure to move here and to, you know, it's, it's hard sometimes, and California is a long way from home, but the energy and the optimism and the entrepreneurialism of it, coupled with just the natural beauty is just staggering. So we've made some of our closest friends in California, it's been absolutely fantastic. And across the US, it's been a fantastic adventure for us and our family. Michael Hingson  21:30 Yeah, I've had the opportunity to travel all over the US, and I hear negative comments about one place or another, like West Virginia, people eat nothing but fried food and all that. But the reality is, if you really take an overall look at it, the country has so much to offer, and I have yet to find a place that I didn't enjoy going to, and people I never enjoyed meeting, I really enjoy all of that, and it's great to meet people, and it's great to experience so much of this country. And I've taken that same posture to other places. I finally got to visit England last October, for the first time. You mentioned rugby earlier, the first time I was exposed to rugby was when I traveled to New Zealand in 2003 and found it pretty fascinating. And then also, I was listening to some rugby, rugby, rugby broadcast, and I tuned across the radio and suddenly found a cricket game that was a little bit slow for me. Yeah, cricket to be it's slow. Nick Francis  22:41 Yeah, fair enough. It's funny. Actually, we know what you're saying about travel. Like one of the amazing things about our Well, I kind of learned two sort of quite fundamentally philosophical things, I think, you know, or things about the about humans and the human condition. Firstly, like, you know, traveling across, you know, we left from London. We, like, drove down. We went through Belgium and France and Poland and Slovenia, Slovakia, Slovenia, like, all the way down Bulgaria, across Turkey into Georgia and Azerbaijan and across the Caspian Sea, and through Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, into Russia, and then down into Mongolia. When we finished, we were due north of Jakarta, right? So we drove, we drove a third of the way around the world. And the two things that taught me were, firstly that human people are good. You know, everywhere we went, people would invite us in to have meals, or they'd like fix our car for not unit for free. I mean, people were so kind everywhere we went. Yeah. And the other thing was, just, when we get on a plane and you fly from here to or you fly from London, say to we, frankly, you fly from London to Turkey, it feels unbelievably different. You know, you fly from London to China, and it's, you know, complete different culture. But what our journey towards us, because we drove, was that, you know, while we might not like to admit it, we're actually quite, you know, Brits are quite similar to the French, and the French actually are quite similar to the Belgians, and Belgians quite similar to the Germans. And, you know, and all the way through, actually, like we just saw a sort of slowly changing gradient of all the different cultures. And it really, you know, we are just one people, you know. So as much as we might feel that, you know, we're all we're all different, actually, when you see it, when you when you do a drive like that, you really, you really get to see how slowly the cultures shift and change. Another thing that's quite funny, actually, was just like, everywhere we went, we would be like, you know, we're driving to Turkey. They'd be like, Oh, God, you just drove through Bulgaria, you know, how is like, everything on your car not been stolen, you know, they're so dodgy that you Bulgarians are so dodgy. And then, you know, we'd get drive through the country, and they'd be like, you know, oh, you're going into Georgia, you know, gosh, what you go. Make, make sure everything's tied down on your car. They're so dodgy. And then you get into Georgia, and they're like, Oh my God, you've just very driven through Turkey this, like, everyone sort of had these, like, weird, yeah, kind of perceptions of their neighbors. And it was all nonsense, yeah, you know. Michael Hingson  25:15 And the reality is that, as you pointed out, people are good, you know, I think, I think politicians are the ones who so often mess it up for everyone, just because they've got agendas. And unfortunately, they teach everyone else to be suspicious of of each other, because, oh, this person clearly has a hidden agenda when it normally isn't necessarily true at all. Nick Francis  25:42 No, no, no, certainly not in my experience, anyway, not in my experience. But, you know, well, oh, go ahead. No, no. It's just, you know, it's, it is. It's, it is weird the way that happens, you know, well, they say, you know, if, if politicians fought wars rather than, rather than our young men and women, then there'd be a lot less of them. Yeah, so Well, Michael Hingson  26:06 there would be, well as I tell people, you know, I I've learned a lot from working with eight guy dogs and my wife's service dog, who we had for, oh, gosh, 14 years almost, and one of the things that I tell people is I absolutely do believe what people say, that dogs love unconditionally, unless they're just totally traumatized by something, but they don't trust unconditionally. The difference between dogs and people is that dogs are more open to trust because we've taught ourselves and have been taught by others, that everyone has their own hidden agenda. So we don't trust. We're not open to trust, which is so unfortunate because it affects the psyche of so many people in such a negative way. We get too suspicious of people, so it's a lot harder to earn trust. Nick Francis  27:02 Yeah, I mean, I've, I don't know, you know, like I've been, I've been very fortunate in my life, and I kind of always try to be, you know, open and trusting. And frankly, you know, I think if you're open and trusting with people, in my experience, you kind of, it comes back to you, you know, and maybe kind of looking for the best in everyone. You know, there are times where that's not ideal, but you know, I think you know, in the overwhelming majority of cases, you know, actually, you know, you treat people right? And you know what goes what goes around, comes around, absolutely. Michael Hingson  27:35 And I think that's so very true. There are some people who just are going to be different than that, but I think for the most part, if you show that you're open to trust people will want to trust you, as long as you're also willing to trust Nick Francis  27:51 them completely. Yeah, completely. Michael Hingson  27:54 So I think that that's the big thing we have to deal with. And I don't know, I hope that we, we will learn it. But I think that politicians are really the most guilty about teaching us. Why not to trust but that too, hopefully, will be something we deal with. Nick Francis  28:12 I think, you know, I think we have to, you know, it's, it's one of the tragedies of our age, I think, is that the, you know, we spent the 20th century, thinking that sex was the kind of ultimate sales tool. And then it took algorithms to for us to realize that actually anger and resentment are the most powerful sales tools, which is, you know, it's a it's something which, in time, we will work out, right? And I think the problem is that, at the minute, these tech businesses are in such insane ascendancy, and they're so wealthy that it's very hard to regulate them. And I think in time, what will happen is, you know, they'll start to lose some of that luster and some of that insane scale and that power, and then, you know, then regulation will come in. But you know whether or not, we'll see maybe, hopefully our civilization will still be around to see that. Michael Hingson  29:04 No, there is that, or maybe the Vulcans will show up and show us a better way. But you know, Nick Francis  29:11 oh, you know, I'm, I'm kind of endlessly optimistic. I think, you know, we are. We're building towards a very positive future. I think so. Yeah, it's just, you know, get always bumps along the way, yeah. Michael Hingson  29:24 So you named your company casual. Why did you do that? Or how did that come about? Nick Francis  29:30 It's a slightly weird name for something, you know, we work with, kind of, you know, global blue chip businesses. And, you know, casual is kind of the last thing that you would want to associate with, a, with a, with any kind of services business that works in that sphere. I think, you know, we, the completely honest answer is that the journalism course I did was television, current affairs journalism, so it's called TV cadge, and so we, when we made a film for a local charity as part of that course. Course, we were asked to name our company, and we just said, well, cash, cash casual, casual films. So we called it casual films. And then when my friend and I set the company up, kind of formally, to do the Mongol Rally, we, you know, we had this name, you know, the company, the film that we'd made for the charity, had gone down really well. It had been played at BAFTA in London. And so we thought, well, you know, we should just, you know, hang on to that name. And it didn't, you know, at the time, it didn't really seem too much of an issue. It was only funny. It was coming to the US, where I think people are a bit more literal, and they were a bit like, well, casual. Like, why casual, you know. And I remember being on a shoot once. And, you know, obviously, kind of some filmmakers can be a little casual themselves, not necessarily in the work, but in the way they present themselves, right? And I remember sitting down, we were interviewing this CEO, and he said, who, you know, who are you? Oh, we're casual films. He's like, Oh, is that why that guy's got ripped jeans? Is it? And I just thought, Damn, you know, we really left ourselves open to that. There was also, there was a time one of our early competitors was called Agile films. And so, you know, I remember talking to one of our clients who said, you know, it's casual, you know, when I have to put together a little document to say, you know, which, which supplier we should choose, and when I lay it on my boss's desk, and one says casual films, and one says agile films, it's like those guys are landing the first punch. But anyway, we, you know, we, what we say now is like, you know, we take a complex process and make it casual. You know, filmmaking, particularly for like, large, complex organizations where you've got lots of different stakeholders, can be very complicated. And so, yeah, we sort of say, you know, we'll take a lot of that stress off, off our clients. So that's kind of the rationale, you know, that we've arrived with, arrived at having spoken to lots of our clients about the role that we play for them. So, you know, there's a kind of positive spin on it, I guess, but I don't know. I don't know whether I'd necessarily call it casual again. I don't know if I'm supposed to say that or not, but, oh, Michael Hingson  32:00 it's unique, you know? So, yeah, I think there's a lot of merit to it. It's a unique name, and it interests people. I know, for me, one of the things that I do is I have a way of doing this. I put all of my business cards in Braille, so the printed business cards have Braille on them, right? Same thing. It's unique completely. Nick Francis  32:22 And you listen, you know what look your name is an empty box that you fill with your identity. They say, right? And casual is actually, it's something we've grown into. And you know it's we've been going for nearly 20 years. In fact, funny enough for the end of this year is the 20th anniversary of that first film we made for the for the charity. And then next summer will be our 20th anniversary, which is, you know, it's, it's both been incredibly short and incredibly long, you know, I think, like any kind of experience in life, and it's been some of the hardest kind of times of my entire life, and some of the best as well. So, you know, it's, it is what it is, but you know, casual is who we are, right? I would never check, you know? I'd never change it. Michael Hingson  33:09 Now, no, of course not, yeah. So is the actual name casual films, or just casual? Nick Francis  33:13 So it was casual films, but then everyone calls us casual anyway, and I think, like as an organization, we probably need to be a bit more agnostic about the outcome. Michael Hingson  33:22 Well, the reason I asked, in part was, is there really any filming going on anymore? Nick Francis  33:28 Well, that's a very that's a very good question. But have we actually ever made a celluloid film? And I think the answer is probably no. We used to, back in the day, we used to make, like, super eight films, which were films, I think, you know, video, you know, ultimately, if you're going to be really pedantic about it, it's like, well, video is a digital, digital delivery. And so basically, every film we make is, is a video. But there is a certain cachet to the you know, because our films are loved and crafted, you know, for good or ill, you know, I think to call them, you know, they are films because, because of the, you know, the care that's put into them. But it's not, it's, it's not celluloid. No, that's okay, yeah, well, Michael Hingson  34:16 and I know that, like with vinyl records, there is a lot of work being done to preserve and capture what's on cellular film. And so there's a lot of work that I'm sure that's being done to digitize a lot of the old films. And when you do that, then you can also go back and remaster and hopefully in a positive way, and I'm not sure if that always happens, but in a positive way, enhance them Nick Francis  34:44 completely, completely and, you know, it's, you know, it's interesting talking about, like, you know, people wanting to step back. You know, obviously vinyl is having an absolute as having a moment right now. In fact, I just, I just bought a new stylist for my for my record. Play yesterday. It sounded incredible as a joy. This gave me the sound quality of this new style. It's fantastic. You know, beyond that, you know, running a company, you know, we're in nine offices all over the world. We produce nearly 1000 projects a year. So, you know, it's a company. It's an incredibly complicated company. It's a very fun and exciting company. I love the fact that we make these beautifully creative films. But, you know, it's a bit, I wouldn't say it's like, I don't know, you don't get many MBAs coming out of business school saying, hey, I want to set up a video production company. But, you know, it's been, it's been wonderful, but it's also been stressful. And so, you know, I've, I've always been interested in pottery and ceramics and making stuff with my hands. When I was a kid, I used to make jewelry, and I used to go and sell it in nightclubs, which is kind of weird, but, you know, it paid for my beers. And then whatever works, I say kid. I was 18. I was, I was of age, but of age in the UK anyway. But now, you know, over the last few 18 months or so, I've started make, doing my own ceramics. So, you know, I make vases and and pictures and kind of all sorts of stuff out of clay. And it's just, it's just to be to unplug and just to go and, you know, make things with mud with your hands. It's just the most unbelievably kind of grounding experience. Michael Hingson  36:26 Yeah, I hear you, yeah. One of the things that I like to do is, and I don't get to do it as much as I would like, but I am involved with organizations like the radio enthusiasts of Puget Sound, which, every year, does recreations of old radio shows. And so we get the scripts we we we have several blind people who are involved in we actually go off and recreate some of the old shows, which is really a lot of fun, Nick Francis  36:54 I bet, yeah, yeah, sort of you know that connection to the past is, is, yeah, it's great radio. Radio is amazing. Michael Hingson  37:03 Anyway, what we have to do is to train some of the people who have not had exposure to old radio. We need to train them as to how to really use their voices to convey like the people who performed in radio, whatever they're doing, because too many people don't really necessarily know how to do that well. And it is, it is something that we're going to work on trying to find ways to get people really trained. And one of the ways, of course, is you got to listen to the old show. So one of the things we're getting more and more people to do when we do recreations is to go back and listen to the original show. Well, they say, Well, but, but that's just the way they did it. That's not necessarily the way it should be done. And the response is, no, that's not really true. The way they did it sounded natural, and the way you are doing it doesn't and there's reality that you need to really learn how to to use your voice to convey well, and the only way to do it is to listen to the experts who did it. Nick Francis  38:06 Yeah, well, it's, you know, it's amazing. The, you know, when the BBC was founded, all the news readers and anyone who appeared on on the radio to to present or perform, had to wear like black tie, like a tuxedo, because it was, you know, they're broadcasting to the nation, so they had to, you know, they had to be dressed appropriately, right, which is kind of amazing. And, you know, it's interesting how you know, when you, when you change your dress, when you change the way you're sitting, it does completely change the way that you project yourself, yeah, Michael Hingson  38:43 it makes sense, yeah, well, and I always enjoyed some of the old BBC radio shows, like the Goon Show, and completely some of those are so much fun. Nick Francis  38:54 Oh, great, yeah, I don't think they were wearing tuxedo. It's tuxedos. They would Michael Hingson  38:59 have been embarrassed. Yeah, right, right. Can you imagine Peter Sellers in a in a tux? It just isn't going to happen. Nick Francis  39:06 No, right, right. But yeah, no, it's so powerful. You know, they say radio is better than TV because the pictures are better. Michael Hingson  39:15 I agree. Yeah, sure, yeah. Well, you know, I I don't think this is quite the way he said it, but Fred Allen, the old radio comedian, once said they call television the new medium, because that's as good as it's ever going Nick Francis  39:28 to get. Yeah, right, right, yeah. Michael Hingson  39:32 I think there's truth to it. Whether that's exactly the way he said it or not, there's truth to that, yeah, but there's also a lot of good stuff on TV, so it's okay. Nick Francis  39:41 Well, it's so interesting. Because, you know, when you look at the it's never been more easy to create your own content, yeah, and so, you know, and like, in a way, TV, you know, he's not wrong in that, because it suddenly opened up this, this huge medium for people just to just create. Right? And, you know, and I think, like so many people, create without thinking, and, you know, and certainly in our kind of, in the in the world that we're living in now with AI production, making production so much more accessible, actually taking the time as a human being just to really think about, you know, who are the audience, what are the things that are going to what are going to kind of resonate with them? You know? Actually, I think one of the risks with AI, and not just AI, but just like production being so accessible, is that you can kind of shoot first and kind of think about it afterwards, and, you know, and that's never good. That's always going to be medium. It's medium at best, frankly. Yeah, so yeah, to create really great stuff takes time, you know, yeah, to think about it. Yeah, for sure, yeah. Michael Hingson  40:50 Well, you know, our podcast is called unstoppable mindset. What do you think that unstoppable mindset really means to you as a practical thing and not just a buzzword. Because so many people talk about the kinds of buzzwords I hear all the time are amazing. That's unstoppable, but it's really a lot more than a buzzword. It goes back to what you think, I think. But what do you think? Nick Francis  41:15 I think it's something that is is buried deep inside you. You know, I'd say the simple answer is, is just resilience. You know, it's, it's been rough. I write anyone running a small business or a medium sized business at the minute, you know, there's been some tough times over the last, kind of 1824, months or so. And, you know, I was talking to a friend of mine who she sold out of her business. And she's like, you know, how are things? I was like, you know, it's, it's, it's tough, you know, we're getting through it, you know, we're changing a lot of things, you know, we're like, we're definitely making the business better, but it's hard. And she's like, Listen, you know, when three years before I sold my company, I was at rock bottom. It was, I genuinely thought it was so stressful. I was crushed by it, but I just kept going. And she's just like, just keep going. And the only difference between success and failure is that resilience and just getting up every day and you just keep, keep throwing stuff at the wall, keep trying new things, keep working and trying to be better. I think, you know, it's funny when you look at entrepreneurs, I'm a member of a mentoring group, and I hope I'm not talking out of school here, but you know, there's 15 entrepreneurs, you know, varying sizes of business, doing all sorts, you know, across all sorts of different industries. And if you sat on the wall, if you were fly on the wall, and you sit and look at these people on a kind of week, month to month basis, and they all present on how their businesses are going. You go, this is this being an entrepreneur does not look like a uniformly fun thing, you know, the sort of the stress and just, you know, people crying and stuff, and you're like, gosh, you know, it's so it's, it's, it's hard, and yet, you know, it's people just keep coming back to it. And yet, I think it's because of that struggle that you have to kind of have something in built in you, that you're sort of, you're there to prove something. And I, you know, I've thought a lot about this, and I wonder whether, kind of, the death of my father at such a young age kind of gave me this incredible fire to seek His affirmation, you know. And unfortunately, obviously, the tragedy of that is like, you know, the one person who would never give me affirmation is my dad. And yet, you know, I get up every day, you know, to have early morning calls with the UK or with Singapore or wherever. And you know, you just just keep on, keeping on. And I think that's probably what and knowing I will never quit, you know, like, even from the earliest days of casual, when we were just, like a couple of people, and we were just, you know, kids doing our very best, I always knew the company was going to be a success act. Like, just a core belief that I was like, this is going to work. This is going to be a success. I didn't necessarily know what that success would look like. I just but I did know that, like, whatever it took, we would map, we'd map our way towards that figure it out. We'd figure it out. And I think, you know, there's probably something unstoppable. I don't know, I don't want to sound immodest, but I think there's probably something in that that you're just like, I am just gonna keep keep on, keeping on. Michael Hingson  44:22 Do you think that resilience and unstoppability are things that can be taught, or is it just something that's built into you, and either you have it or you don't? Nick Francis  44:31 I think it's something that probably, it's definitely something that can be learned, for sure, you know. And there are obviously ways that it can there's obviously ways it can be taught. You know, I was, I spent some time in the reserve, like the Army Reserve in the UK, and I just, you know, a lot of that is about teaching you just how much further you can go. I think what it taught me was it was so. So hard. I mean, honestly, some of the stuff we did in our training was, like, you know, it's just raining and raining and raining and, like, because all your kits soaking wet is weighs twice what it did before, and you just, you know, sleeping maybe, you know, an hour or two a night, and, you know, and there wasn't even anyone shooting at us, right? So, you know, like the worst bit wasn't even happening. But like, and like, in a sense, I think, you know, that's what they're trying to do, that, you know, they say, you know, train hard and fight easy. But I remember sort of sitting there, and I was just exhausted, and I just genuinely, I was just thought, you know, what if they tell me to go now, I just, I can't. I literally, I can't, I can't do it. Can't do it. And then they're like, right, lads, put your packs on. Let's go and just put your pack on. Off you go, you know, like, this sort of, the idea of not, like, I was never going to quit, just never, never, ever, you know, and like I'd physically, if I physically, like, literally, my physical being couldn't stand up, you know, I then that was be, that would be, you know, if I was kind of, like literally incapacitated. And I think what that taught me actually, was that, you know, you have what you believe you can do, like you have your sort of, you have your sort of physical envelope, but like that is only a third or a quarter of what you can actually achieve, right, you know. And I think what that, what the that kind of training is about, and you know, you can do it in marathon training. You can do it in all sorts of different, you know, even, frankly, meditate. You know, you train your mind to meditate for, you know, an hour, 90 minutes plus. You know, you're still doing the same. You know, there's a, there's an elasticity within your brain where you can teach yourself that your envelope is so much larger. Yeah. So, yeah, you know, like, is casual going to be a success? Like, I'm good, you know, I'm literally, I won't I won't stop until it is Michael Hingson  46:52 right, and then why stop? Exactly, exactly you continue to progress and move forward. Well, you know, when everything feels uncertain, whether it's the markets or whatever, what do you do or what's your process for finding clarity? Nick Francis  47:10 I think a lot of it is in having structured time away. I say structured. You build it into your calendar, but like, but it's unstructured. So, you know, I take a lot of solace in being physically fit. You know, I think if you're, if you feel physically fit, then you feel mentally far more able to deal with things. I certainly when I'm if I'm unfit and if I've been working too much and I haven't been finding the time to exercise. You know, I feel like the problems we have to face just loom so much larger. So, you know, I, I'll book out. I, you know, I work with a fan. I'm lucky enough to have a fantastic assistant who, you know, we book in my my exercise for each week, and it's almost the first thing that goes in the calendar. I do that because I can't be the business my my I can't be the leader my business requires. And it finally happened. It was a few years ago I kind of, like, the whole thing just got really big on me, and it just, you know, and I'm kind of, like, being crushed by it. And I just thought, you know what? Like, I can't, I can't fit other people's face mask, without my face mask being fit, fitted first. Like, in order to be the business my business, I keep saying that to be the lead in my business requires I have to be physically fit. So I have to look after myself first. And so consequently, like, you know, your exercise shouldn't be something just get squeezed in when you find when you have time, because, you know, if you've got family and you know, other things happening, like, you know, just will be squeezed out. So anyway, that goes in. First, I'll go for a bike ride on a Friday afternoon, you know, I'll often listen to a business book and just kind of process things. And it's amazing how often, you know, I'll just go for a run and, like, these things that have been kind of nagging away in the back of my mind, just suddenly I find clarity in them. So I try to exercise, like, five times a week. I mean, that's obviously more than most people can can manage, but you know that that really helps. And then kind of things, like the ceramics is very useful. And then, you know, I'm lucky. I think it's also just so important just to appreciate the things that you already have. You know, I think one of the most important lessons I learned last year was this idea that, you know, here is the only there. You know, everyone's working towards this kind of, like, big, you know, it's like, oh, you know, when I get to there, then everything's going to be okay, you know. And actually, you know, if you think about like, you know, and what did you want to achieve when you left college? Like, what was the salary band that you want? That you wanted to achieve? Right? A lot of people, you know, by the time you hit 4050, you've blown way through that, right? And yet you're still chasing the receding Summit, yeah, you know. And so actually, like, wherever we're trying to head to, we're already there, because once you get there, there's going to be another there that you're trying to. Head to right? So, so, you know, it's just taking a moment to be like, you know, God, I'm so lucky to have what I have. And, you know, I'm living in, we're living in the good old days, like right now, right? Michael Hingson  50:11 And the reality is that we're doing the same things and having the same discussions, to a large degree, that people did 50, 100 200 years ago. As you pointed out earlier, the fact is that we're, we're just having the same discussions about whether this works, or whether that works, or anything else. But it's all the same, Nick Francis  50:33 right, you know. And you kind of think, oh, you know, if I just, just, like, you know, if we just open up these new offices, or if we can just, you know, I think, like, look, if I, if I'd looked at casual when we started it as it is now, I would have just been like, absolute. My mind would have exploded, right? You know, if you look at what we've achieved, and yet, I kind of, you know, it's quite hard sometimes to look at it and just be like, Oh yeah, but we're only just starting. Like, there's so much more to go. I can see so much further work, that we need so many more things, that we need to do, so many more things that we could do. And actually, you know, they say, you know, I'm lucky enough to have two healthy, wonderful little girls. And you know, I think a lot of bread winners Look at, look at love being provision, and the idea that, you know, you have to be there to provide for them. And actually, the the truest form of love is presence, right? And just being there for them, and like, you know, not being distracted and kind of putting putting things aside, you know, not jumping on your emails or your Slack messages or whatever first thing in the morning, you know. And I, you know, I'm not. I'm guilty, like, I'm not, you know, I'm not one of these people who have this kind of crazy kind of morning routine where, like, you know, I'm incredibly disciplined about that because, you know, and I should be more. But like, you know, this stuff, one of the, one of the things about having a 24 hour business with people working all over the world is there's always things that I need to respond to. There's always kind of interesting things happening. And so just like making sure that I catch myself every so often to be like, I'm just going to be here now and I'm going to be with them, and I'm going to listen to what they're saying, and I'm going to respond appropriately, and, you know, I'm going to play a game with them, or whatever. That's true love. You know? Michael Hingson  52:14 Well, there's a lot of merit to the whole concept of unplugging and taking time and living in the moment. One of the things that we talked about in my book live like a guide dog, that we published last year, and it's all about lessons I've learned about leadership and teamwork and preparedness from eight guide dogs and my wife's service dog. One of the things that I learned along the way is the whole concept of living in the moment when I was in the World Trade Center with my fifth guide dog, Roselle. We got home, and I was going to take her outside to go visit the bathroom, but as soon as I took the harness off, she shot off, grabbed her favorite tug bone and started playing tug of war with my retired guide dog. Asked the veterinarians about him the next day, the people at Guide Dogs for the Blind, and they said, Well, did anything threaten her? And I said, No. And they said, there's your answer. The reality is, dogs live in the moment when it was over. It was over. And yeah, right lesson to learn. Nick Francis  53:15 I mean, amazing, absolutely amazing. You must have taken a lot of strength from that. Michael Hingson  53:20 Oh, I think it was, it was great. It, you know, I can look back at my life and look at so many things that have happened, things that I did. I never thought that I would become a public speaker, but I learned in so many ways the art of speaking and being relaxed at speaking in a in a public setting, that when suddenly I was confronted with the opportunity to do it, it just seemed like the natural thing to do. Nick Francis  53:46 Yeah, it's funny, because I think isn't public speaking the number one fear. It is. It's the most fit. It's the most feared thing for the most people. Michael Hingson  53:57 And the reality is going back to something that we talked about before. The reality is, audiences want you to succeed, unless you're a jerk and you project that, audiences want to hear what you have to say. They want you to be successful. There's really nothing to be afraid of but, but you're right. It is the number one fear, and I've never understood that. I mean, I guess I can intellectually understand it, but internally, I don't. The first time I was asked to speak after the World Trade Center attacks, a pastor called me up and he said, we're going to we're going to have a service outside for all the people who we lost in New Jersey and and that we would like you to come and speak. Take a few minutes. And I said, Sure. And then I asked him, How many people many people were going to be at the service? He said, 6000 that was, that was my first speech. Nick Francis  54:49 Yeah, wow. But it didn't bother me, you know, no, I bet Michael Hingson  54:54 you do the best you can, and you try to improve, and so on. But, but it is true that so many people. Are public speaking, and there's no reason to what Nick Francis  55:03 did that whole experience teach you? Michael Hingson  55:06 Well, one of the things that taught me was, don't worry about the things that you can't control. It also taught me that, in reality, any of us can be confronted with unexpected things at any time, and the question is, how well do we prepare to deal with it? So for me, for example, and it took me years after September 11 to recognize this, but one of the things that that happened when the building was hit, and Neither I, nor anyone on my side of the building really knew what happened. People say all the time, well, you didn't know because you couldn't see it. Well, excuse me, it hit 18 floors above us on the other side of the building. And the last time I checked X ray vision was fictitious, so nobody knew. But did the building shake? Oh, it tipped. Because tall buildings like that are flexible. And if you go to any tall building, in reality, they're made to buffet in wind storms and so on, and in fact, they're made to possibly be struck by an airplane, although no one ever expected that somebody would deliberately take a fully loaded jet aircraft and crash it into a tower, because it wasn't the plane hitting the tower as such that destroyed both of them. It was the exploding jet fuel that destroyed so much more infrastructure caused the buildings to collapse. But in reality, for me, I had done a lot of preparation ahead of time, not even thinking that there would be an emergency, but thinking about I need to really know all I can about the building, because I've got to be the leader of my office, and I should know all of that. I should know what to do in an emergency. I should know how to take people to lunch and where to go and all that. And by learning all of that, as I learned many and discovered many years later, it created a mindset that kicked in when the World Trade Center was struck, and in fact, we didn't know until after both towers had collapsed, and I called my wife. We I talked with her just before we evacuated, and the media hadn't even gotten the story yet, but I never got a chance to talk with her until after both buildings had collapsed, and then I was able to get through and she's the first one that told us how the two buildings had been hit by hijacked aircraft. But the mindset had kicked in that said, You know what to do, do it and that. And again, I didn't really think about that until much later, but that's something that is a lesson we all could learn. We shouldn't rely on just watching signs to know what to do, no to go in an emergency. We should really know it, because the knowledge, rather than just having information, the true intellectual knowledge that we internalize, makes such a big difference. Nick Francis  57:46 Do you think it was the fact that you were blind that made you so much more keen to know the way out that kind of that really helped you to understand that at the time? Michael Hingson  57:56 Well, what I think is being blind and growing up in an environment where so many things could be unexpected, for me, it was important to know so, for example, when I would go somewhere to meet a customer, I would spend time, ahead of time, learning how to get around, learning how to get to where they were and and learning what what the process was, because we didn't have Google Maps and we didn't have all the intellectual and and technological things that we have today. Well intellectual we did with the technology we didn't have. So today it's easier, but still, I want to know what to do. I want to really have the answers, and then I can can more easily and more effectively deal with what I need to deal with and react. So I'm sure that blindness played a part in all of that, because if I hadn't learned how to do the things that I did and know the things that I knew, then it would have been a totally different ball game, and so sure, I'm sure, I'm certain that blindness had something to do with it, but I also know that, that the fact is, what I learned is the same kinds of things that everyone should learn, and we shouldn't rely on just the signs, because what if the building were full of smoke, then what would you do? Right? And I've had examples of that since I was at a safety council meeting once where there was somebody from an electric company in Missouri who said, you know, we've wondered for years, what do we do if there's a fire in the generator room, in the basement, In the generator room, how do people get out? And he and I actually worked on it, and they developed a way where people could have a path that they could follow with their feet to get them out. But the but the reality is that what people first need to learn is eyesight is not the only game in town. Yeah, right. Mean, it's so important to really learn that, but people, people don't, and we take too many things for granted, which is, which is really so unfortunate, because we really should do a li

PURANA Media is an annual, peer-reviewed, open access journal focused on modes of cultural production encompassed by the term purāṇa (a Sanskrit word designating things 'ancient' or 'primordial'). Populated by deities, sages, and a host of other more-than-human agents, the purāṇic past has been disseminated through a wide range of media and forms of embodied knowledge. As an authoritative discourse, purāṇa has been integral to the shaping of history and cultural memory in early South and Southeast Asia. In the contemporary world this discourse continues to (re)create the past as a social, political, and affective force. The journal approaches purāṇa as a way of worldmaking that uses memories of a distant past to meaningfully anchor the relative present and envision a future possible. PURANA Media adopts a broad methodological and regional scope. The journal integrates scholarship on primary historical sources (textual, visual, and material) and their contexts, critical reflections on heritage-making and museum studies, as well as contributions in art, design, photography, and other media. Open Access: here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Watch The X22 Report On Video No videos found (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:17532056201798502,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-9437-3289"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");pt> Click On Picture To See Larger Picture Trump is putting all the pieces together for the new economic system. Gas prices are dropping like a rock. Silver prices are now higher than oil prices. Trump is building a smelting factory in TN to compete against China. The Fed is buying the debt which will destroy the Fed. Is Trump working with Jamie Dimon? The [DS] is losing control, evidence is being dripped out against the [DS]. News is being released against them so they are attacking like a wild animal. The infiltration in this country and other countries was directed by the same [DS] players. They will use this to create chaos WW. Trump knows playbook, meanwhile Trump is dismantling their system world wide. Never interfere with an enemy while they are in the process of destroying themselves. Be prepared. Economy (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:18510697282300316,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-8599-9832"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs"); https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/2000567788856119385?s=20 https://twitter.com/KobeissiLetter/status/2000582117294846292?s=20   in mid-2022. Since then, silver prices have surged +206% while oil prices have dropped -44%. WTI Crude is now on track for its worst year since the 2020 pandemic decline, down -20%, while silver is on its best annual performance since 1979, up +115%. We are witnessing a major macroeconomic shift. https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2000622821697822926?s=20   some stake in the venture. The list includes: Gallium, Germanium, Indium. Antimony, Copper, Silver, Gold, and Zinc. This will be CRITICAL for producing things at home without relying on China, including defense systems and semiconductors. THIS IS HUGE!   https://twitter.com/profstonge/status/2000543866047308139?s=20 https://twitter.com/JoeLang51440671/status/2000587776232739114?s=20  years. They have been directly involved in all kinds of money laundering operations from major drug trafficking to pedophile blackmail rings like Epstein. They have done ALL of this KNOWINGLY. When you KNOWINGLY commit these types of crimes, you are participating in a massive “conspiracy.” Do you see the vulnerability? Hillary was never supposed to lose. Trump became the most powerful man on the planet, the moment he was sworn in as president back in 2017. Trump instantly became a threat to the entire corrupt system and had the military behind him. He took control of the most powerful central bank in the world and also controlled the world's reserve currency. He also controlled the DOJ. Jamie Dimon was vulnerable. But was he “leveraged” by Trump? I believe the answer is yes and the timeline of events proves it. In 2019, precious metals traders at JPM were convicted of manipulating the metals prices by “spoofing.” They would place fake orders, with no intention of taking delivery. JPM was FORCED to pay a fine of almost a billion dollars. That was the moment JPM was captured. And what has happened recently? Jamie Dimon just announced, that for the first time in its history, they have dumped their SILVER shorts and have gone long on SILVER. JPM is the largest holder of physical SILVER in the world at 750 million ounces. That is KEY. That 750 million ounces of SILVER are subject to Trump's Executive Order signed back in December of 2017, that was renewed each year of Biden's presidency. That's not a coincidence. I believe that 750 million ounces of SILVER are going to be the new U.S. Strategic SILVER Reserve. But here's what's interesting and indicates that JPM is now a tool in Trump's hand, taking down the global banking cabal. The SILVER and Gold prices are controlled by two entities. The big bullion banks associated with the LBMA (London Bullion Market Association), which sets the “spot” price of “physical SILVER” in London and the COMEX on Wall Street, that sets the “paper SILVER” price for futures trading. It's a massive derivative market used to manipulate the price, where the same physical SILVER is traded at hundreds of times its worth because most transactions NEVER demand delivery. A truly “fractional” system rampant with fraud. But suddenly something changed on the COMEX. There was a massive increase in demand for physical delivery of SILVER, instead of taking “cash.” Someone was now beginning to hoard physical SILVER. That FORCED the bullion banks in London, to start emptying their vaults and shipping large amounts of SILVER to New York vaults at the COMEX. Guess who owns the largest SILVER vault on COMEX? None other than JPM. And now we know that they were the one demanding physical delivery of SILVER as they were unloading ALL their paper contracts and hoarding physical SILVER. We have watched for months, the flow of physical SILVER leave London and head to New York. The days of the bullion banks controlling the SILVER price are over and their vaults have been emptied, which FORCED them to buy SILVER and drive the price higher. JPM, who had been in cahoots with LBMA forever, just cut the legs out from under them and caused those bullion banks to take heavy losses from their SILVER shorts. JPM trapped LBMA by demanding huge leasing rates for their SILVER supply. That FORCED them to purchase SILVER in order to fulfill orders. That's what helped to end the manipulation of the SILVER price, as JPM went fully long for the very first time. We are just finding out now, that JPM is the bank that caused all the panic at LBMA and ENDED the manipulation of SILVER. We own the most Gold and the most SILVER. Ready for a RESET Political/Rights https://twitter.com/sircalebhammer/status/2000400581316460778?s=20 https://twitter.com/mtracey/status/2000593491089559998?s=20 Just In: Rob Reiner's Son Arrested and Charged in Grisly Murder of Parents Rob Reiner's son, Nick, was arrested on Monday in connection with the murder of the Hollywood director and his wife, Michelle, and booked on $4 million bail. Reiner was open about his son Nick's drug addiction and made a movie about the family's experience with his drug problem. According to The New York Post, Nick Reiner has been charged with murder. The couple's daughter, Romy, found the couple in their home with their throats slashed. The New York Post reported: Source: thegatewaypundit.com https://twitter.com/BreitbartNews/status/2000563249616712181?s=20   with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump Administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness, and with the Golden Age of America upon us, perhaps like never before. May Rob and Michele rest in peace! https://twitter.com/MikeBenzCyber/status/1700845324942925921?s=20 Reiner said jack after the attempted assassination on Trump. Trump was honest, but still called it “sad” and said “rest in peace.” Did he need to say the other things? Probably not. But why does he have to be nice with the absolute vile shit these people have said? https://twitter.com/amuse/status/2000363854849507441?s=20 https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/2000377216736334189?s=20 https://twitter.com/catturd2/status/2000174373676925123?s=20 One was banned for rejecting a deadly vaccine. The other was imported despite having a deadly ideology. https://twitter.com/ColonelTowner/status/2000517544084488656?s=20   why would anyone do that? That's simple, they want you either dead bc they view you as a useless eater or controlled using fear and psychological operations which equals terror attacks. Insert terrorist here. Operation Gladio proved beyond any doubt you own government will kill you whenever the fuck they want and don't give a shit about the blown back, especially when they own all the guns. Which is a primary goal of the US false flags so they can take ours. It worked so well everywhere else even in New Zealand. But not here. It will never work here and that really pisses them off. Plan accordingly. https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/2000629428838166644?s=20   ISIS hotspot in the Philippines just weeks before the deadly attack. The 2 traveled alone to Southeast Asia, raising major red flags for authorities now investigating possible overseas radicalization. Intelligence sources say the region they visited is linked to ISIS training camps, calling it “a well-trodden path for Islamic State” operatives since 2019. Naveed Akram had been on ASIO's radar since 2019 but was not previously deemed an immediate threat. Officials are now probing whether the suspects were influenced or trained during their time abroad before returning to commit one of Australia's deadliest terror attacks in years. Source: The Daily Telegraph, NY Post https://twitter.com/mrddmia/status/2000432832557289749?s=20 https://twitter.com/nypost/status/2000549271657996678?s=20 https://twitter.com/CynicalPublius/status/2000610717016449275?s=20   blocks, so the jihadists murder Jews with machetes; Then you ban machetes, so the jihadists murder Jews with kitchen knives; Then you ban kitchen knives, so the jihadists murders Jews with large rocks; Then you ban large rocks…. ————————— You seem to be missing the constant component to these crimes, and it ain’t the weapon. https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/2000529088046625122?s=20 https://twitter.com/DC_Draino/status/2000569974755311679?s=20 https://twitter.com/TimOnPoint/status/2000552644402618629?s=20 Brown University has almost 1,000 cameras across campus. No footage. No information. Nothing. – The shooter seemed to have targeted the Vice President of the Republican Club – Person of interest has been released, shooter is still at large. Just wow.They do have a tips line, so why not show the person so people can identify him/her. https://twitter.com/CynicalPublius/status/2000424946816925931?s=20 https://twitter.com/C_3C_3/status/2000413597198123046?s=20 https://twitter.com/C_3C_3/status/2000582226497389052?s=20  , law enforcement recovered two firearms—a revolver and a Glock handgun (described in some accounts as a 9mm with a laser sight)—from the hotel room at the Hampton Inn in Coventry, Rhode Island, where person of interest Benjamin Erickson was detained in connection with the Brown University shooting.  Authorities are investigating whether these weapons are linked to the incident, which killed two students and injured nine others on December 14, 2025.  Erickson was later released as the evidence reportedly shifted in another direction, and the manhunt for the shooter continues. https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/2000589113380987097?s=20   pro-Palestinian, anti-law-enforcement, and anti-government ideology. They were allegedly planning coordinated IED bombing attacks on New Year’s Eve, targeting five separate locations across Los Angeles. In the days since, @FBINewOrleans arrested an additional FIFTH individual believed to be linked to this radical TILF subgroup – also allegedly planning a separate violent attack. Outstanding work by our investigators and law enforcement partners @TheJusticeDept . Their work undoubtedly saved countless lives. @FBILosAngeles will hold a press conference later today to share additional details.  The four defendants named in the complaint are Audrey Illeene Carroll, 30, Zachary Aaron Page, 32, Dante Gaffield, 24, and 41-year-old Tina Lai. According to a sworn statement in support of the complaint, Carroll in November presented an eight-page handwritten document to a paid confidential source titled “Operation Midnight Sun” which described a bomb plot. Carroll and Page later allegedly recruited the other two defendants to help carry out the plan, which included them “acquiring bomb-making materials and traveling to a remote location in the Mojave Desert to construct and detonate test explosive devices on December 12, 2025,” the sworn statement alleges.  https://twitter.com/nypost/status/2000627062529228902?s=20 https://twitter.com/WarClandestine/status/2000616790175461455?s=20 https://twitter.com/RamboAndFrens/status/2000614500563918985?s=20 https://twitter.com/TonySeruga/status/2000645622987473142?s=20  the digital director for California Governor Gavin Newsom, a role she has held since around June 2024, leading a small team of three that handles graphic design, social media strategy, and rapid-response content across platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Threads, TikTok, and Bluesky. She is directly responsible for managing and overseeing Newsom’s social media presence. DOGE Geopolitical https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/2000344607218127143?s=20 José Antonio Kast is very much onboard with Donald Trump. He has repeatedly expressed admiration for Trump’s policies, congratulated him on his election victories, and aligned his own agenda with Trump-style approaches to issues like immigration, crime, and economic incentives. For instance, Kast has publicly wished Trump success in his presidency for the benefit of Chile, Latin America, and the world @joseantoniokast , praised Trump’s ideas on expediting approvals for major investments @joseantoniokast , and endorsed Trump’s tough stance on deportations and sanctions against countries that refuse to accept their nationals back @joseantoniokast . He also condemned the 2024 assassination attempt on Trump and highlighted the loss of life among Trump’s supporters Maria Corina Machado Says Hundreds Of Thousands Venezuelans Will Return Home Once Maduro Goes Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate María Corina Machado believes “hundreds of thousands” of Venezuelans will return to their country from all over the world once the socialist Maduro regime goes. “The day Maduro goes, you will see tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants coming back home from the United States and all over the world,” Machado on Sunday told CBS News. “I mean, our diaspora is desperate to go back to Venezuela. So even from that perspective, it is a win, win situation to have democracy in Venezuela.” Machado arrived in Oslo, Norway last week to receive the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize after spending over a year in hiding facing threats of arrest by the Maduro regime.  Hours later, she confirmed that the Trump administration helped her escape from Venezuela. source: breitbart.com War/Peace https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/2000607318229286957?s=20 [DS] Agenda https://twitter.com/amuse/status/2000559689873166522?s=20 https://twitter.com/WallStreetApes/status/2000353004281794978?s=20  a perception that I’m quoting now, that forcefully tackling this issue would cause political backlash from the Somali community, which is a core voting block for Democrats” Seriously, how are Democrats not getting raided and thrown in prison https://twitter.com/AwakenedOutlaw/status/2000632685178626084?s=20   Democrat Money Laundering Discovered – Names include Gretchen Whitmer, Jon Ossoff and Cory Booker “It now appears that the six lawmakers have been found to have been heavily involved in money laundering. Investigative Reporter/Citizen Journalist, Bob Cushman, has just released an FEC data analysis that strongly suggests that Mark Kelly, Elissa Slotkin, Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio, Chrissy Houlahan and Maggie Goodlander have been recipients of illegally laundered campaign funds. In the initial investigation, Cushman cites 22 Smurf examples that have “allegedly” contributed almost three million dollars in more than 95,000 separate donations to Democratic coffers. All six members of the Seditious Six have received funds from one or more of these “smurfs” President Trump's Plan New memos show how corruption probe into Clinton Foundation was killed: ‘We were told NO by FBI HQ' Drip, drip, drip: A newly-declassified timeline exposes how the FBI’s investigation of the Clinton Foundation was hamstrung by DOJ leaders while the inquiry into Trump-Russia collusion hoax marched forward. This isn’t the first tranche of evidence pointing to political interference. Atop Republican senator has provided Just the News a timeline written by FBI investigators laying out the repeated political obstruction those agents faced from their own bosses and the Justice Department during the 2016 election and beyond as they probed whether Hillary Clinton engaged in a pay-to-play corruption scheme involving her family foundation. “Field agents were frustrated. But HQ would not let it go forward,” the newly-released and lengthy investigative timeline reveals. “We were trying to explore the [Clinton] Foundation, and we were told ‘NO' by FBI HQ.” Not the first timeline showing interference “Shut it down!” then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates is quoted as demanding in the shorter timeline of the politicized barriers that agents in New York City, Little Rock, Ark., and Washington D.C. reported. The shorter timeline — written by a DOJ lawyer assigned to the FBI under former bureau Director James Comey — was secured by top aides to Patel and was obtained by Just the News earlier this year. The newly-released and longer timeline was handed over to Grassley's office by the FBI along with a host of corroborating internal emails and was recently provided to Just the News. Agents struggled for years to investigate Clinton Foundation The longer timeline indicated that questions about the Clinton Foundation's potential criminality were raised as early as April 2010, when there was a “consensually-monitored call between [Redacted] Sant Singh Chatwal” during which there was a “description of conversations with foreign donors (Amar Singh, Lakshmi Mittal, Deepak Chopra, Praful Patel, Subhash Chandra) about giving to HRC.” McCabe stops the Clinton Foundation investigation from moving forward in 2016 The shorter timeline revealed that as early as February 2016, the Justice Department “indicated they would not be supportive of an FBI investigation.” The shorter timeline also shows that, in mid-February 2016, McCabe ordered that “no overt investigative steps” were allowed to be taken in the Clinton Foundation investigation “without his approval” — a command he allegedly repeated numerous times over the coming months. John Huber, Uranium One, and the continued stalling of the CF inquiry The Hill had reported in October 2017 that “before the Obama administration approved a controversial deal in 2010 giving Moscow control of a large swath of American uranium, the FBI had gathered substantial evidence that Russian nuclear industry officials were engaged in bribery, kickbacks, extortion and money laundering designed to grow Vladimir Putin's atomic energy business inside the United States.” The Hill said that “federal agents used a confidential U.S. witness working inside the Russian nuclear industry to gather extensive financial records, make secret recordings and intercept emails as early as 2009 that showed Moscow had compromised an American uranium trucking firm with bribes and kickbacks in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.” “They also obtained an eyewitness account — backed by documents — indicating Russian nuclear officials had routed millions of dollars to the U.S. designed to benefit former President Bill Clinton's charitable foundation during the time Secretary of State Hillary Clinton served on a government body that provided a favorable decision to Moscow,” The Hill reported. Source: justthenews.com https://twitter.com/WarClandestine/status/2000621732932039106?s=20  solved by asking nicely. Unprecedented circumstances require unprecedented action. It's time for Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act, deploy the US MIL to every city in America, safeguard the public, completely uproot the Left-wing terrorist network, deport the illegals, secure elections, arrest the traitors who are responsible for all this, and save the Republic. https://twitter.com/drawandstrike/status/2000020569731809454?s=20   known as ‘The Federal Judiciary’ and the ‘The United States Congress’ to become actual America First branches of the federal government. This is not as easy as I make it sound just typing that out. It’s been a hard slog for Trump and his Dream Team Cabinet to get the Executive Branch where it now is after 11 months. We’re almost to the point the Insurrection Act can be invoked and most of the US Congress and a significant part of the federal judiciary can be arrested and replaced. 2026 is going to be quite awesome. https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2000686487352877517?s=20 https://twitter.com/MJTruthUltra/status/2000666864020808164?s=20 https://twitter.com/AwakenedOutlaw/status/2000329752251654517?s=20  . Oh, and note how matters regarding Tina Peters is coming to a head in parallel. Do you think that’s just happenstance? (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:13499335648425062,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-7164-1323"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="//cdn2.customads.co/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");

Donate (no account necessary) | Subscribe (account required) Federal authorities stop a near-miss terror attack in California after arresting members of a far-left extremist group plotting New Year's Eve bombings in Southern California. New details also raise serious questions about the FBI's handling of the January 6 pipe bomber case, as investigators confirm key cellphone data was always available but left unanalyzed for years. In Washington, DC's police chief resigns amid revelations that crime data was deliberately manipulated, fueling broader concerns about the reliability of national crime statistics. On the economic front, President Trump defends his "Golden Age" message as new labor and inflation data approach. Wages continue to outpace inflation, rents and gas prices fall, and a major 7.4 billion dollar smelter project in Tennessee promises to reduce America's reliance on China for critical minerals. Democrats, meanwhile, signal plans to campaign on affordability fears and AI-driven job anxiety, even as Republicans quietly work to elevate the most left-wing Democratic candidates ahead of future elections. Abroad, Australia reels from the deadliest terror attack in decades as leaders debate gun control versus confronting radical Islam. Mexico agrees to release overdue water to Texas after tariff threats, while the US expands a militarized buffer along the southern border. Chile elects a hard-right president amid a regional political shift, ransom payments strengthen al-Qaeda in Africa, peace deals collapse in Congo and Southeast Asia, and new medical research offers early cancer detection and improved dental health for children.    "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:32     Keywords: California terror plot, left-wing extremism, Turtle Island Liberation Front, January 6 pipe bomber, FBI cellphone data, DC crime statistics scandal, Trump economy, critical minerals smelter Tennessee, Australia terror attack, Mexico water treaty, southern border militarization, Chile election, al-Qaeda ransom Mali, Congo conflict, Cambodia Thailand tensions, early cancer blood test, vitamin D pregnancy

Patrick Winn, award-winning American journalist who covers crime and illicit economies in Southeast Asia, sits down at CAMP to reveal the darkest secrets of the Wa Cartel. Patrick takes us deep into the mysterious Wa State, an unrecognised "country inside a country", to expose its origins, how it became a global drug hub, and the shadowy involvement of the CIA and DEA...WELCOME TO CAMP!

Greg and Ed discuss the long, strange and complex history between Thailand and Cambodia in an attempt to shed some light on the tragic current conflict. Greg begins with some early history. The majority of Southeast Asia was once part of the Khmer Empire based in Angkor. Eventually Thai kingdoms in Sukhothai and Ayutthaya achieved independence, but tension between the two powers was constant. In a complex maelstrom of alliance and conflict, each power borrowed, copied and outright stole selected cultural artifacts from each other, such that untangling the exact pedigree of multiple shared cultural touchstones can be difficult. Like many empires in history, the Khmer power began to wane in the face of territorial integrity, outside threats, inside warring, and eventually,  the rise of Thai kingdoms (as well as Viet ones), all of which led to the slow decline of Angkor. In the late 1800s, the Khmers sought the protection of France, who bullied Siam into ceding territory that would eventually become modern Cambodia. Japan played a similar role in World War II. After the war in Vietnam, radical communists took over Cambodia and destroyed many institutions of modernity, but their extreme nature led them to be invaded by Vietnam, who eventually installed Hun Sen as prime minister. When Vietnam faltered in the 80s and 90s, Cambodia turned to China as a patron.  When Thaksin Shinawatra, an outsider among the Thai elite, rose to power, he formed an unlikely bond with the Hun Sen clan in Cambodia. However, the recent Shinawatra foray into legalized casinos in Thailand was too much for the friendship, and Hun Sen betrayed Thaksin's daughter, leading to the downfall of her government. Both countries used the incident and long-gestating disputes over the border to stoke nationalist fervor, and provocations eventually led to all out conflict. Greg and Ed agree that while the two countries have clear issues to settle, the ongoing violence can only make matters worse, and diplomacy, with or without the help of Donald Trump, must prevail.  Note that this episode was recorded on December 10, so there may or may not have been important developments by the time you hear this.  

In 2018, Andrew Davie survived a ruptured brain aneurysm and hemorrhage. Now…he recently graduated with a clinical mental health counseling degree, practices as a Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor LGPC, consults for James Mason University about brain injury assessments, and, before her passing, cared for his mother while she had ALS. He learned how to turn a terrible situation into something good with the desire to help others who may be struggling. Andrew Davie has worked in theater, finance, and education. He taught English and creative writing at the middle, high school, and college levels for students with learning difficulties and ADHD. He taught English as a second language in the United States and abroad in Hong Kong. He has written short stories and novellas, co-hosts a music review show, and volunteers.  During the second year of his recovery, when the physical part tapered off and the emotional part began, he decided to publish a book that would somehow transform his life, and it didn't. But...that's not the end of the story.     Even though his ability to experience emotional connections was blunted, the thought of being in a romantic relationship and starting a family suddenly seemed impossible. But he persevered and became a success. His story will encourage and inspire you to succeed at every challenge. Remind yourself that even moving an inch a day is still progressing!   XXXX       Read His Book Series Here From Beyond: In the aftermath of the second opium war in Southeast Asia, Declan Malcolm, the newly elected captain, must navigate the treacherous high seas. Meanwhile, Civil War veterans Ridley and Dranoff are adjusting to post-reconstruction and become mercenaries for hire. Their paths cross by chance, but soon a celebration of good fortune turns into a fight against a supernatural foe. Further Beyond: Phineas O'Hanlon has spent the last few years of his life attempting to discover the cause of the reanimation. While reading over a journal from ancient Rome, O'Hanlon is visited by two law enforcement agents. As secrets are uncovered, can O'Hanlon discover the reason behind the resurrection of the deceased and move on with his life? Remote Beyond: On a small farm, four survivors of an apocalypse fend off the undead. As Tyler and his crew adjust to the new normal, the story covers ancient Rome, Norfolk, England, in the swinging '60s, Egypt in 524 B.C., and one of the original American colonies. But will the answer to the resurrection of the undead ever be discovered?   Connect with Andrew Here INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK X   YouTube    

Riding a motorcycle through Laos pushes both nerve and skill—potholes big enough to swallow a car, sudden water crossings, deep mud, and even the possibility of an elephant stepping onto the trail. A team from Rally for Rangers, led by Steve Zuschin, recently tackled these extreme conditions as they crossed Laos to deliver new motorcycles to frontline Rangers. The ride blended rugged, technical adventure motorcycling with a mission that supports the protection of threatened wilderness. Steve talks about why these demanding routes keep pulling him back and what it takes to ride some of the toughest terrain in Southeast Asia.

Washington Wednesday on the Obamacare subsidies, affordability, and federal health policy, World Tour on updates from Syria, Southeast Asia, Benin, and Germany; and Lee Strobel contemplates the supernatural. Plus, Janie B. Cheaney on when God is silent, a foiled contraband Christmas, and the Wednesday morning newsSupport The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donateAdditional support comes from Ridge Haven Camp in North Carolina and Iowa. Winter Camp starts December 29th. Registration open at ridgehaven.orgFrom His Words Abiding in You, a Podcast where listeners memorize Bible verses in each episode. His Words Abiding in You, on all podcast apps.And from I Witness: The Long Shore: A faith-based audio drama that brings history to life. iwitnesspod.com

The forgotten story of the Irishman forced to work on Japan's Railway of Death which inspired the film The Bridge over the River Kwai.In 1942 Britain suffered one of its worst defeats when Singapore fell to the Japanese Army. Tens of thousands were taken prisoner including the Dubliner Don Kennedy. This began a brutal ordeal. Don was forced to help build what became known as Japan's Railway of Death through the jungles of South East Asia.In this episode Don's son Fergus tells the remarkable story of how his father became involved in constructing the notorious River Kwai railway. Fergus shares how his father endured starvation, disease and brutality in the jungles of South East Asia.Fergus has published Don's story in his recent book From Ballybunion to the Kwai. You can get your copy here https://www.gillbooks.ie/history/history/ballybunion-to-the-river-kwaiSound by Kate Dunlea. Support the show at www.patreon.com/irishpodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: A covert meeting on American soil brings Israel and Qatar back into the same room for the first time in months. We'll explain what the Trump administration set in motion — and why it matters for Gaza's future. Later in the show — another Trump-brokered peace deal is under strain. Thailand has launched new airstrikes near the Cambodian border, raising fresh doubts about the ceasefire the White House helped negotiate. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President's Daily Brief by visiting https://PDBPremium.com.  Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief.  YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Nobl Travel: Protect your gear and travel smarter—NOBL's zipper-free carry-on is up to 58% off at https://NOBLTravel.com TriTails Premium Beef: Get 15% OFF the ‘I'll Be Home for Christmas' steak box. Order by Dec 14 at https://TriTailsBeef.com  Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices