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2 episodes with southern india
2 episodes with southern india
3 episodes with southern india
3 episodes with southern india
4 episodes with southern india
2 episodes with southern india
5 episodes with southern india
3 episodes with southern india
4 episodes with southern india
Show notes: (0:00) Intro (1:18) Dr. Sheri's background and how books sparked her love for neuroscience (2:30) Writing Cutting a Path while training and raising kids (5:04) Meditation, yoga, stress, and staying calm under pressure (10:27) Gratitude, perspective, and finding meaning in hard moments (14:17) Taking risks and avoiding regret later in life (17:54) Simple brain health habits that matter (22:16) Why being sedentary can hurt brain health (23:31) Supplements, turmeric, resveratrol, and longevity (24:49) Food choices, protein, Mediterranean eating, and green tea (25:54) Yoga for spine health and safe movement after surgery (30:42) Dr. Dewan's children's book and tiger conservation (32:54) Charity surgery, global medicine, and giving back (35:46) AI, robotics, and the future of surgery (38:08) Full body scans, risks, benefits, and patient stress (42:08) Where to follow Dr. Sheri Dewan (42:37) Outro Who is Dr. Sheri Dewan? Dr. Sheri Dewan is a board-certified neurosurgeon, bestselling author, and Chair of Neurosurgery at Ascension Health, as well as a Clinical Professor at The Chicago Medical School. One of the relatively few board-certified women neurosurgeons in the United States, she was inspired in part by her mother's ruptured brain aneurysm and the life-saving care she received. Dr. Dewan is the author of Cutting a Path: The Power of Purpose, Discipline, and Determination, where she shares lessons on purpose, discipline, motherhood, and perseverance in medicine. Beyond surgery, she is involved in global health work, charity surgeries in Southern India, women's leadership in neurosurgery, and tiger conservation through her children's book project. Connect with Dr. Sheri Website: https://www.drsheridewan.com/ IG: http://instagram.com/drsheridewan Grab a copy: https://www.drsheridewan.com/order-books Links and Resources: Peak Performance Life Peak Performance on Facebook Peak Performance on Instagram
In the grand Season 2 finale, Ramjee Chandran takes a step back from the smoke of the Carnatic wars to look at the 243-year journey of Bangalore itself. From a quiet granite plateau granted to a minor chieftain named Kempe Gowda in 1537, to the formidable "military capital" of 1780, discover why this city became the ultimate prize in Southern India. This episode bridges the gap between the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire and the rise of the Mysorean military machine, setting the stage for the dramatic death of Hyder Ali and the high-stakes inheritance of Tipu Sultan. Key Details from the Script: The Long Arc: Season 2 spans 243 years, tracing the evolution of Bangalore from an empty plateau to the hub of a 90,000-man army. Geographic Defiance: Bangalore lacked a major river or natural harbor, yet it became essential because of its "strategic intentionality"—it was a city built by design, not by accident. The Military Machine: By 1780, the city hosted a massive arsenal at Taramandalapete, French hussars, and a sophisticated rocket corps that nearly broke the British East India Company. A Contested Prize: Every power in southern India—the Marathas, the Mughals, the British, and the Mysoreans—eventually decided they could not afford to leave Bangalore in anyone else's hands. The Secret of the Palanquin: The episode teases the start of Season 3: Hyder Ali is dead, but his ministers are keeping it a secret, transporting his body in a closed palanquin as if he were merely resting. Tipu's Inheritance: The season ends with Tipu Sultan inheriting a war and a set of enemies that will give him "no quarter and no time." We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Prestige Group, that makes this podcast possible. Follow The History Of Bangalore on social, here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyofbangalore/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HistoryOfBangalore Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistoryOfBLR YouTube: https://youtube.com/@HistoryOfBangalore?si=mnH3BsYfI4BUU234 iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1323-the-history-of-bangalore-163453722/ Follow Ramjee Chandran on Instagram and Twitter: @ramjeechandran The theme music for the show was composed by German-Indian Koln based percussionist, Ramesh Shotham. Ramjee Chandran's photos by Asha Thadani. RESEARCH AND SOURCES: All our episodes are based on published research and archive records. To request information about our sources, write to hob@explocity.com. Let us know if you are a researcher (either institutional or independent) and also provide some information about why you need this information. Researchers will get priority. We only have time to engage serious, academic queries so please understand if we do not respond to casual requests.
This week, we're heading back to Southern India with a replay of one of my favorite conversations—just as I'm about to land in India for the very first time (!!).In this episode, I'm joined by Sahana, a passionate travel blogger and food enthusiast from India. Sahana shares her deep connection to Indian cuisine, discussing how her family's love for food has shaped her appreciation for both home-cooked meals and the rich, diverse flavors of Indian street food. We dive into why some travelers find Indian cuisine overwhelming—covering spice levels, unique ingredients like cardamom and cinnamon, and cultural aspects such as eating with hands. Sahana gives us essential tips for finding authentic Indian food and how to avoid the dreaded Delhi belly! We also talk about traditional meals, how festivals like Ganesha Chaturthi are celebrated with elaborate dishes, and the intricate process of making beloved South Indian foods like dosa and chutney. If you're curious about what to eat in India, especially in Southern India, or looking for travel tips for India, this episode will satisfy your appetite for knowledge on Indian food and culture!Connect with Sahana: https://vacaywork.com/Email: sahana@vacaywork.comInstagramFacebookPinterest
Karnataka keeps talking about decentralizing tech beyond Bengaluru. Its neighbors are actually doing it.Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh are building tech cities from scratch—tier-2 clusters with land banks, fast-track approvals, and statutory bodies with real power. Major companies are choosing Visakhapatnam and Tirupati over Bengaluru now.The difference? Decision-making authority. Karnataka's development body is stuck in a promotional role while other states hand their institutions the teeth to actually execute. One state makes announcements. The others are laying fiber, clearing land, and signing deals.Southern India's tech map is being redrawn. Just not by the state that started it all.If you have any thoughts on this episode write to us at podcasts@the-ken.com with Daybreak in the subject line. You can also leave us a comment on our website or the YouTube channel here.Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India's first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive, deeply-reported, and analytical business stories.
Faiza has gone from Student to AI Engineer, developing valuable solutions for MicroYES and Finely Fettled clients. Her skills include AWS, Linux, and DevOps. She hails from Southern India and will complete her MSc in International Management at York St John University in early 2026. She is currently developing lead generation AI solutions for Finely Fettled and MicroYES clients.Summary of PodcastKey TakeawaysFaiza Khan's career progressed from student to AI Engineer via a structured path: internship → placement → full-time hire.Her role involves building AI agents (e.g., "Phone to Agent") and Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) to help clients get found in LLM answers, a critical shift from traditional SEO.The hiring process used Handshake, a university student-focused job platform, and video interviews, where key advice for students is to speak up, slow down, smile, and make eye contact.AI is shifting the workforce from manual research to higher-value roles like AI architecture, with low-code/no-code tools enabling non-technical entry.Faiza's Career ProgressionBackground: From Kadapa, Southern India, with a Bachelor of Commerce.Early Skill-Building: Completed a 6-month course in AWS, Linux, and DevOps in Bangalore while working in inside sales.UK Education: Choose York St John University for its placement year option, which Manchester Metropolitan lacks.Hiring Process:Platform: Found via Handshake, a university job platform.Video Interview: A key step where students answer AI-generated questions on camera.Career Path:Internship: Initial role at Finely Fettled and its brand MicroYES.Placement: Extended 9-month contract.Full-Time: Hired as an AI Engineer/Architect and Marketing Manager.AI in Business & MarketingMeclabsAI Platform: Faiza's work on this AI solutions platform includes:AI Agent Delivery Systems: Personalised agents, not generic chatbots.AI Workflows: Self-service tools, like a database query workflow on the https://finelyfettled.co.uk website."Phone to Agent": A new service for small businesses.An AI agent answers calls using the client's specific policies and pricing.Designed for natural conversation (e.g., "mm-hmm" confirmations, background noise).Rationale: Provides cost-effective, consistent phone support for busy professionals and small businesses.Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO):Rationale: Anticipates ChatGPT providing more answers than Google by early 2028, making AEO a critical marketing strategy.Goal: Structure website content to be found and cited in LLM answers.Execution: An AI agent guides clients through the process.The Value of Diversity: Kevin noted Faiza's value comes from her diverse perspective (age, gender, culture), which provides fresh insights.Advice for StudentsSet a Clear Goal: Define a career path and stay focused.Use University Resources: Actively leverage career services and platforms like...
In this podcast from 2015, Jennifer Williams speaks to Salma*, an Indian poet and crusader for women's rights. They talk about Salma's strength and bravery in the face of oppression, her commitment to writing and publishing under extremely challenging circumstances and even *gasp* the use of the ‘v' word in contemporary poetry! Salma was born in a small village in Southern India, and overcame many obstacles to publish her poetry and fiction, now recognised as an important contribution to Tamil writing. Salma came to Scotland as part of the Scottish Poetry Library's Commonwealth Poets United project. As part of the cultural programme surrounding the XX Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Poets United was an international exchange project between six Scottish poets and poets from six Commonwealth nations: Canada, India, Jamaica, New Zealand, Nigeria and South Africa. It established relationships between artists, organisations and communities through a culturally enriching poetry exchange. The project was supported by Creative Scotland and the British Council, and partnered by BBC Radio Scotland. *Rakkiaiah is an Indian Tamil writer, activist, and politician known by the pen name Salma and the nickname Rajathi, and often referred to as Rajathi Salma. Music by James Iremonger.
The impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss are felt in distinct and often unequal ways. The developing world is often hardest hit and has the least capacity to deal with the consequences of environmental degradation. Most notably it is often women who are hardest hit. In addition, the voices of women are often marginalised when discussing and dealing with these challenges. In this episode Brit - who is joined by Carla - speaks to Dr. Nadia Sitas who is from South Africa and works for The Climate and Development Knowledge Network. Brit also interviews Nita Shashidharan who is a researcher with the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment in Southern India. Nita talks of the experiences of women who are involved as researchers and scientists, and how gender is a consideration in how they go about their work. To find out more about IPBES, go to www.ipbes.net or follow us on social media @IPBES
Namratha Mohan @thetemplegirl poses a deeply personal question to Sadhguru – which temples hold a special place in his heart? Discover Sadhguru's insights on sacred spaces, the true purpose of pilgrimage, and his vision for Bharat's temples. For the very first time, Sadhguru rides to Kailash on a motorcycle – and you can ride along virtually. Follow Sadhguru's journey to Kailash on social media and download the Sadhguru App for exclusive content and wisdom during his epic ride to Mount Kailash. Set the context for a joyful, exuberant day with a short, powerful message from Sadhguru. Explore a range of subjects with Sadhguru, discover how every aspect of life can be a stepping stone, and learn to make the most of the potential that a human being embodies. Conscious Planet: https://www.consciousplanet.org Sadhguru App (Download): https://onelink.to/sadhguru__app Official Sadhguru Website: https://isha.sadhguru.org Sadhguru Exclusive: https://isha.sadhguru.org/in/en/sadhguru-exclusive Inner Engineering Link: isha.co/ieo-podcast Yogi, mystic and visionary, Sadhguru is a spiritual master with a difference. An arresting blend of profundity and pragmatism, his life and work serves as a reminder that yoga is a contemporary science, vitally relevant to our times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Namratha Mohan @thetemplegirl poses a deeply personal question to Sadhguru – which temples hold a special place in his heart? Discover Sadhguru's insights on sacred spaces, the true purpose of pilgrimage, and his vision for Bharat's temples. For the very first time, Sadhguru rides to Kailash on a motorcycle – and you can ride along virtually. Follow Sadhguru's journey to Kailash on social media and download the Sadhguru App for exclusive content and wisdom during his epic ride to Mount Kailash. Set the context for a joyful, exuberant day with a short, powerful message from Sadhguru. Explore a range of subjects with Sadhguru, discover how every aspect of life can be a stepping stone, and learn to make the most of the potential that a human being embodies. Conscious Planet: https://www.consciousplanet.org Sadhguru App (Download): https://onelink.to/sadhguru__app Official Sadhguru Website: https://isha.sadhguru.org Sadhguru Exclusive: https://isha.sadhguru.org/in/en/sadhguru-exclusive Inner Engineering Link: isha.co/ieo-podcast Yogi, mystic and visionary, Sadhguru is a spiritual master with a difference. An arresting blend of profundity and pragmatism, his life and work serves as a reminder that yoga is a contemporary science, vitally relevant to our times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Listen to JCO Global Oncology's Art of Global Oncology article, "Whispers After the Cure: Reflections on Marriage and Malignancy in India” by Dr. Vangipuram Harshil Sai, who is a fourth semester medical student at All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The article is followed by an interview with Harshil Sai and host Dr. Mikkael Sekeres. Sai shares his personal reflection of a visit which transformed into an education in silence, stigma, and the unseen aftermath of survivorship for young women in India. TRANSCRIPT Narrator: Whispers After the Cure: Reflections on Marriage and Malignancy in India, Vangipuram, Harshil Sai A Summer Afternoon and A Story That Stayed The summer break of my fourth semester of medical school offered a fleeting reprieve from the relentless immersion in textbooks and caffeine-fueled study sessions. I had envisioned a few weeks of rest—a pause from the algorithms of diagnosis and the grind of multiple-choice questions that had become my daily rhythm. But one humid afternoon altered that plan. I accompanied my mother—a senior medical oncologist—to her clinic in a Tier 2 city in Southern India. Over the years, I had seen her not just as a clinician but as a quiet force of empathy. She was one of those remarkable physicians who listened not just to symptoms but also to stories. Her practice was rooted in presence, and her calm resilience often made my academic anxieties seem trivial. I settled into a corner chair in the waiting area, where the air was tinged with antiseptic and that uncomfortable waiting room stillness—an alert hush between uncertainty and news. Patients waited in quiet constellations: a man turning the same page of a newspaper, a teenage girl watching her intravenous drip as if it held answers, and a couple clasping hands without meeting eyes. It was in this atmosphere of suspended quiet that Aarthi entered. She was a young woman whose presence was composed yet tentative. Her story would become a quiet inflection point in my understanding of medicine. She was 24 years old, embodying the aspirations tied to a recent engagement. A postgraduate in English literature and a practicing psychologist; she carried herself with a rare blend of intellect, poise, and cultural grace that, in the eyes of many families, made her a deeply desirable bride. Her sari was immaculately draped, her posture measured and calm, yet in the way her fingers intertwined and her eyes briefly lowered, there was a trace of vulnerability—a shadow of the turmoil she carried within. She came alone that day, stepping into the waiting room with a composed demeanor that only hinted at the weight she bore in silence. What began as a day to observe became the beginning of something far more enduring: a glimpse into how healing extends beyond treatment—and how survival, though silent, often speaks the loudest. The Diagnosis That Changed the Wedding The consultation was precipitated by a clinical presentation of persistent neck fullness, low-grade fevers, and drenching night sweats, which had prompted a fine-needle aspiration before her visit. The atmosphere in the room held an implicit gravity, suggesting a moment of significant change. My mother, with her characteristic composure, initiated a diagnostic process with a positron emission tomography-computed tomography and biopsy. As usual, her steady presence provided reassurance amid the uncertainty. A week later, the diagnosis of classic Hodgkin lymphoma, stage IIB, was confirmed. Rapid initiation of ABVD chemotherapy would provide an almost certain pathway to remission and an excellent prognosis. Yet, this clinical assurance did not extend to personal tranquility. Aarthi made a deliberate choice to share the diagnosis with her fiancé—a considerate and empathetic individual from a well-regarded family. Their wedding preparations were already underway with gold reserves secured and a vibrant WhatsApp group of 83 members chronicling the countdown to their big day. Shortly thereafter, a prolonged silence settled, eventually broken by a call from a family member—not the fiancé—indicating that the family had decided to terminate the engagement because of apprehensions about future stability. The union dissolved without public discord, leaving Aarthi to navigate the subsequent journey independently. As expected, 6 months of chemotherapy culminated in a clean scan. Her physical health was restored, but an emotional chasm remained, unrecorded by clinical metrics. Yet beneath that silence was a quiet resilience—a strength that carried her through each cycle of treatment with a resolve as steady as any celebrated elsewhere. The regrowth of her hair prompted a conscious decision to trim it shorter, seemingly an assertion of autonomy. Her discourse on the illness shifted to the third person, suggesting a psychological distancing. Her reactions to inquiries about the terminated engagement were guarded. She would yield only a restrained smile, which intimated a multifaceted emotional response. Her remission was certain, yet the world she stepped back into was layered with quiet hurdles—social, cultural, and unseen—barriers far more intricate than the disease itself. Survivorship Without A Map In the weeks that followed Aarthi's diagnosis, I began to notice a quiet but consistent pattern in the oncology clinic—one that extended beyond medical recovery into the unspoken social aftermath. Among young, unmarried women in India, survivorship often came with a parallel challenge of navigating shifts in how they were perceived, particularly as marriage prospects. In Indian families where marital status is closely tied to stability and future security, a woman with a cancer history, even after complete remission, somehow came to be quietly perceived as less suitable. Proposals that had once moved forward with confidence were paused or reconsidered after disclosure. In some cases, financial discussions came with requests for additional support framed as reassurance rather than rejection. These changes were seldom explicit. Yet, across time, they pointed to a deeper uncertainty—about how survivorship fits into the expectations of traditional life scripts. For women like Aarthi, the narrative shifted toward caution. There were subtle inquiries about reproductive potential or disease recurrence and private deliberations over disclosure during matrimonial discussions, even within educated circles. Meanwhile, my observation of the disparity in how survivorship was interpreted across genders in our country left a profound mark on me. A 31-year-old male investment banker who had recovered from testicular cancer was hailed in local media as a testament to fortitude. Male patients seemed to gain social capital from their cancer journeys. This suggested a cultural framework where female value was quietly reassessed, influencing their post-treatment identity through unstated societal perceptions. Digital Ghosting and the New Untouchability Within the digital landscape of curated profiles and algorithmic matchmaking, the reassessment of female survivorship acquired a new dimension. In one instance, a sustained exchange of text messages ended abruptly following the mention of cancer remission. The final message remained unanswered. This form of silent disengagement—subtle, unspoken, and devoid of confrontation—highlighted how virtual spaces can compound post-treatment vulnerability. Designed to foster connection, these platforms sometimes amplified social distance, introducing a modern form of invisibility. Similar to employment status or religion, a cancer history has become another addition to a checklist used to evaluate compatibility. When Medicine Ends, but Society Does Not Begin As a medical student, I felt a growing discomfort. Our curriculum equips us to manage treatment protocols and survival metrics but rarely prepares us for the intangible burdens that persist after cure. What captures the weight of a canceled engagement? What framework supports the quiet reconstruction of identity after remission? Aarthi's path, echoed by many others, revealed a dissonance that medicine alone could not resolve. The challenge was not solely the illness but the reality that she was now unqualified to return to her normal life. Medicine delivers clean scans and structured follow-up, but social reintegration is less defined. In that space between biological recovery and social acceptance, cancer survivors often stand at the edge of wholeness—clinically well but navigating a quieter uncertainty. A Different Ending Two years later, Aarthi's journey took a quiet turn. At a spiritual retreat in Bengaluru, she met an ear, nose, and throat resident who had lost his father to lung cancer. Their connection, shaped by shared experiences, evolved into a partnership grounded in empathy and mutual respect. They married the following year. Their invitation carried a brief but powerful line: “Cancer Survivor. Love Thriver. Come celebrate both.” Today, they comanage a private hospital in Hyderabad. Aarthi leads psycho-oncology services, whereas her partner performs surgeries. He often notes that her presence brings a calm to the clinic that no medication can replicate. Aarthi's journey continues to guide me as I progress through my medical training, reminding me that cure and closure often follow separate paths. Healing, I have come to understand, extends beyond the clinic. It often unfolds in quieter spaces where scans no longer guide us. The real curriculum in oncology lies not only in staging and response rates but in recognizing the many transitions—social, emotional, and cultural—that survivors must navigate long after treatment has concluded. Social stigma is often a second metastasis—undetectable by imaging but present in tone, hesitation, and traditions that quietly redefine survivorship. For many women of marriageable age, treatment marks not the end of struggle but the start of another kind of uncertainty. These survivors carry wounds that do not bleed. Yet, they persist, navigate, and redefine strength on their own terms. Aarthi's quiet resilience became a point of reckoning for me, not as a medical case, but as a guide. Her story is not one of illness alone, but of dignity quietly reclaimed. “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”—Khalil Gibran. Mikkael Sekeres: Welcome back to JCO's Cancer Stories: The Art of Oncology. This ASCO podcast features intimate narratives and perspectives from authors exploring their experiences in oncology. I'm your host, Mikkael Sekeres. I'm professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Hematology at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami. In oncology, we often focus on treatment and a way to find a cure. But what about the expectations and challenges a patient may face from their diagnosis, and even discrimination, especially in different cultures? Today, we're going to examine that space with Harshil Vangipuram, a medical student from India whose JCO Global Oncology article, "Whispers After the Cure: Reflections on Marriage and Malignancy in India," touches on this complexity after treatment. Harshil, thank you for contributing to JCO Global Oncology and for joining us to discuss your article. Harshil Vangipuram: Thank you for having me, Dr. Sekeres. I was raised by a family of oncologists, my mother being a senior medical oncologist and father a senior radiation oncologist. I had exposure to contrasting worlds, which were resource constrained and a cutting edge technology world. And I have unfulfilled curiosity, and I'm still learning, forming ideals. I also see patients as my teachers, so I think that might be helpful. Mikkael Sekeres: Thank you so much for a little bit of that background. So, tell us a little bit about your journey through life so far. Where were you born and where did you do your education? Harshil Vangipuram: I was born in a state called Gujarat in the western part of India. My father got transferred to the southern part of India, so I did my education there. That's it, yeah. Mikkael Sekeres: Okay. That's enough. You're not that old. You haven't had the sort of training and final job that a lot of us have gone through. So, what about your story as a writer? How did you first get interested in writing, and how long have you been writing reflective or narrative pieces? Harshil Vangipuram: I read some books from Indian authors and from foreign, too. And they actually inspired me how patient care was being seen around globally. I always used to carry a hand note. I used to write what I used to see in the clinical postings here at AIIMS. And actually, journaling started as a stress relief for me, and slowly, after hearing patients' stories, it almost became an obligation to write about them. Mikkael Sekeres: Obligation, you use that word, which is such an interesting one. How did writing become an obligation? What did you feel obliged to do when writing about some of the patients you were seeing for the first time? Harshil Vangipuram: Many of them were having struggles which were not seen by everybody. And I got astonished by their confidence and resilience in those situations. So, I thought that I should write about them so that everybody knows about it. And these social stigmas were never talked by anyone around them. So, I felt that if I could voice them, others might eventually know about them. So, that's pretty much the reason I wrote. Mikkael Sekeres: It's so interesting. The people we meet every single day, particularly in hematology oncology, bring such fascinating backgrounds to us, and they're backgrounds that may be unfamiliar to us. And I think that as doctors and writers, we do often feel obliged to tell their stories from the mountaintops, to let other people in on some of the aspects of life and medical care that they're going through and just how inspiring some of these patients can be. Harshil Vangipuram: Yeah, yeah, very true. Very true. Mikkael Sekeres: You mentioned that your mom is a medical oncologist. What kind of influence did she have on your decision to enter medicine and perhaps your own specialty one day? Harshil Vangipuram: Observing my mother practice influenced a lot, and she taught me that medicine is not only about treating a patient, but also listening to their problems. It may be more present in the room. The textbooks I read didn't capture live experiences. I always thought that stories will stay with people longer than actual survival curves. Writing filled that gap between what I studied and what I felt in the OPD. Mikkael Sekeres: It's a great phrase you just whipped out. Patients' stories will stay with us longer than survival curves. Can you tell us a little bit about where her clinic is located? You said in southern India. Can you describe the types of patients she sees? Harshil Vangipuram: It's a small town called Nellore in Andhra Pradesh state. The patients are, most of the time, from a rural population where decisions are mostly family-driven and there's a tight community surveillance and the stigmas are more overt, too. A few of them can be from urban population also, but they have subtler discriminations towards stigmas. Mikkael Sekeres: Can you explain a little further what you mean by decisions are often family-driven? Harshil Vangipuram: If we take marriage, it is often seen as an alliance between two families that are trying to increase their social value, their economic status, and respect in the society. In arranged marriages, for suppose, it's basically driven between these concepts. Mikkael Sekeres: I don't know if it's too personal to ask, but are your parents in an arranged marriage? Harshil Vangipuram: No, not at all. Mikkael Sekeres: So not all the marriages in the clinic are arranged marriages. Harshil Vangipuram: Yeah. Mikkael Sekeres: You know, when you said that decisions are family-driven, you mentioned that people are in arranged marriages. And I wanted to talk a little bit about the stigma you highlight in your essay. I'll talk about that in a second. I thought you were going to go down a route about medical decisions being family-driven, meaning people have to support their families, and getting medical care is costly and takes time away from work, and that sometimes influences decisions about treating cancer. What examples have you seen of that in shadowing your mom? Harshil Vangipuram: I have seen patients who have Hodgkin's lymphoma, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer, who were in the age of 25 to 35, who were getting married. Many of them actually got their engagements broken. And many of them got rejected at matrimonial apps. Many of them also had been told to increase the dowry that is given actually in the form of financial security. Mikkael Sekeres: In your essay, you describe a woman who is engaged and who has a new diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma. Can you talk a little bit about the process of getting engaged and marrying in southern India? Harshil Vangipuram: We have the arranged marriage, love marriage, and hybrid, which is kind of arranged and kind of in love. Mostly, these problems really occur in arranged marriages. In love marriages, we don't see that that often because both are understanding about themselves and their families. And both families actually accept them both. Mikkael Sekeres: What's the process of going through an arranged marriage? What happens? Harshil Vangipuram: It can be through parents, relatives, or any known ones or through peers. We just find a man or woman who has a similar caste, who has a good financial income, and people who are respected by the society. And obviously, both the families should have aligned interests for them to accept the marriage. Mikkael Sekeres: About how often are marriages arranged and how often are they love marriages in southern India where you live? Harshil Vangipuram: Almost 90% of the marriages are arranged here. Mikkael Sekeres: Wow. So, your parents were unusual then for having a love marriage. Harshil Vangipuram: Yeah. Mikkael Sekeres: In your essay, you write, and I'm going to quote you now, "Among young, unmarried women in India, survivorship often came with a parallel challenge of navigating shifts in how they were perceived, particularly as marriage prospects. In Indian families where marital status is closely tied to stability and future security, a woman with a cancer history, even after complete remission, somehow came to be quietly perceived as less suitable." Wow, that's a really moving statement. I'm curious, what stories have you seen where, in your words, women became less suitable as a marriage prospect? Harshil Vangipuram: For women, the most important thing in a marriage is, what do you call, a family honor, fertility, and economic status in the community. So, after a long dose of chemo, many people think that people become infertile. In India, basically, we have many misconceptions and stigmas. So, people obviously think that people who have got cancer can spread it to their children or are infertile and are often excluded out of the society as a marriage prospect. Mikkael Sekeres: Gosh, that must be devastating. Harshil Vangipuram: Yeah. Mikkael Sekeres: Does the same occur for men? So, is it also true that if a man has cancer, that he is perceived as less fertile, or it may be perceived that he can pass the cancer on to children? Harshil Vangipuram: Here, after a man beats cancer, they start to celebrate it, like they have achieved something, and it's not like that for a woman. Mikkael Sekeres: In your essay, you do write about a happy ending for one woman. Can you tell us about that? Harshil Vangipuram: Yeah, a cancer survivor obviously met her true love of life in Bengaluru, who was an ENT resident then. And his father died from lung cancer. So obviously, he knew what it felt to beat cancer. Mikkael Sekeres: Yeah, he'd been through it himself. And the irony, of course, is that most cancer treatments that we give do not lead to infertility, so it's a complete misperception. Harshil Vangipuram: Yeah. Mikkael Sekeres: Tell us about your future. What are the next steps for you in your training and what do you hope to specialize in and practice? Harshil Vangipuram: Actually, I'm working on another paper which involves financial toxicity after treatment and post treatment depression. I think it would be completed in another year. And after that, after my med school is completed, I think I'm going to pursue oncology or hematology as my branch of interest. Mikkael Sekeres: Wonderful. It's thrilling to hear that somebody who is as sensitive to his patients and both their medical needs and their needs outside of medicine will be entering our field. It'll be great to know that you'll be taking care of our future patients. Harshil Vangipuram: The pleasure is all mine, sir. Mikkael Sekeres: Harshil Vangipuram, I want to thank you for choosing JCO Cancer Stories: The Art of Oncology and for submitting your great piece, "Whispers After the Cure: Reflections on Marriage and Malignancy in India" to JCO Global Oncology. To our listeners, if you've enjoyed this episode, consider sharing it with a friend or colleague or leave us a review. Your feedback and support helps us continue to have these important conversations. If you're looking for more episodes, follow our show on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen, and explore more from ASCO at asco.org/podcasts. Until next time, this has been Mikkael Sekeres from the Sylvester Cancer Center, University of Miami. Have a good day. The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement. Show notes:Like, share and subscribe so you never miss an episode and leave a rating or review. Guest Bio:Dr Vangipuram Harshil Sai is a fourth semester medical student at All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Additional Reading Impact of Gender of the Child on Health Care–Seeking Behavior of Caregivers of Childhood Patients With Cancer: A Mixed-Methods Study | JCO Global Oncology
In this episode of The Thought SNOB Podcast, Paula shares how Ayurveda transformed her own health and well-being. Paula has discussed Ayurveda extensively on the show, but this episode is especially notable. She is joined by her Chopra Center mentor, Micole Noble, an ICF-certified Executive and Leadership Coach, Chopra Master Educator, and national board-certified health and wellness coach. The two explore how daily choices around food, sleep, relationships, and routines can shift the body and mind. Micole also offers insight into her upcoming 14-day Ayurvedic Adventure retreat to Southern India, giving listeners a chance to experience Ayurveda in action. Learn more about Micole's India Panchakarma (Detox) Retreat 2027 here: India Panchakarma (Detox) Retreat 2027 - Micole Noble.
The incident occurred in Tamil Nadu during a campaign rally called by actor and politician Vijay.
Around 15 years ago, the then UPA government had launched an all-out offensive (commonly known as ‘Operation Greenhunt') targeting the armed cadres of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) (also known as Naxalites) across the ‘Red Corridor' which consisted of Naxal-affected districts spanning Central and Eastern India and spilling into Southern India as well. According to reports at the time, Naxal cadres were active (to varying degrees) in at least 165 districts across this corridor which was also coterminous with the most backward, primarily tribal and the most resource rich parts of the country. The BJP government, which came to power in 2014, continued this policy of an all-out offensive against the Naxalites extending this to target the urban activists/ sympathisers of the CPI (Maoist) as well. There has been a marked decline in Naxalite activity since then with the number of affected districts falling to 70 in 2021 and newer reports suggesting that the Naxalite presence is restricted to fewer than 50 districts now. In a strong policy statement, Home Minister Amit stated that “Naxalism will be completely eliminated by 2026.” Human rights activists have questioned the state's all-out approach of using overwhelming force to quash Naxalism as this method is not addressing the fundamental grievances of the residents of these tribal parts which is of their displacement and exploitation of the rich natural resources by large corporations. Several Naxalites have surrendered over the past two decades but questions have also been raised on the efficacy and sincerity of the surrender policy. Karnataka was also impacted by the wave of Naxalism and, commencing in the 1980s, cadres were recruited for this cause in the State as well. In the 1990s, it seemed like the movement was spreading its base in Karnataka aggressively but a series of encounters including that of Saketh Rajan, the charismatic Naxal leader, in 2005, ensured that the movement did not become widespread in Karnataka. There was also intense churn among a section of the cadres of the CPI (Maoist) in Karnataka after this as well with one group exiting the party as it had ideological differences with the central leadership of the party. Over the two decades since that time, the Naxalite movement has ebbed in Karnataka with several Naxalites also surrendering. Early in 2025, with the “surrender” of the last group of Naxalites in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah declared the state to be Naxal-free. The Karnataka model presents a template of how Naxalism, in its violent form, can be ended. By all accounts, the Karnataka model is unique for the manner in which former Naxalites joined the mainstream of activism. The role of the mature civil society in Karnataka that played a crucial role in facilitating this process is also important. The discussion proposes to dwell on the trajectory of Naxalism in Karnataka from its inception in the 1980s till early 2025, and whether the state is willing to seriously engage with the grievances of marginalised people who became Naxals. Is the state empathetic to the concerns of the Naxalites who came overground? The discussion proposes to dwell on all these aspects while broadly focussing on the success of the Karnataka model of mainstreaming Left-Wing Extremists. In this episode of BIC Talks, K P Sripal, Noor Sridhar and Tara Rao will be in conversation with Vikhar Ahmed Sayeed . This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in Jun 2025. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.
Today I'm joined in conversation by Denali Sai Nalamalapu author of Holler: A Graphic Memoir of Rural Resistance.Inspired by Denali's powerful book about the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline in Appalachia we discuss what activism really looks like, and not the main stream media's portrayal of protests by those on the fringes and out of touch with society. Denali's book utilises raw imagery stripped bare from complicated language that opens up this conversation at a heart level to everyone, and brings to the fore the passion and love that drives people to stand up for what they believe in. Denali encourages us to use discernment to question the narratives we consume and to find the courage to advocate for ourself and our community, and how this can take many different forms, but importantly simply allows you to embrace your existing skills and passions.Alongside this call to action we acknowledge the resilience needed to hold the grief and hopelessness whilst balancing a belief in an alternative hopeful vision for the future and how community is both our biggest driving force and greatest asset as we embrace the stubbornness to take on what on the surface seems insurmountable. Learn more about DenaliDenali Sai Nalamalapu (They/Them) is the author of Holler, a climate organizer and comic artist living in Southwest Virginia, originally from Southern Maine and Southern India. Denali's work uplifts the voices of those most impacted by climate change – rural, queer, and communities of color – through vibrant, engaging, and accessible illustrations and writing. Denali studied English Literature at Bates College and completed a Fulbright grant in Malaysia. Denali has worked as a climate communicator and organizer since 2019.Holler is a spectacular blend of graphic memoir and climate activism, using contemporary visceral storytelling to highlight the lives of six frontline resisters to the Mountain Valley Pipeline in Appalachia. Drawing from original interviews with Denali, Holler introduces readers to a teacher, a single mother, a nurse, an organizer, a photographer, and a seed keeper, who became activists as the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which spans approximately 300 miles from northwestern West Virginia to southern Virginia, threatened their homes, their livelihoods, their community.These are the stories of everyday resistance, while each person has their own motivation and methods, they share a love for the land and a desire to preserve it. Denali themselves poignantly illustrates both their own experiences with climate anxiety and grief and the ways that finding community has galvanized them in their environmental work.A deeply moving story about change, hope, and humanity, Holler is an invitation to readers everywhere searching for their own path to activism: sending the message that no matter how small your action is, it's impactful.Website: https://denali-sai.com/Instagram: @Denali_SaiBlueSky: @denalisai.bsky.socialSupport the showThank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world. More information about the Podcast & our host Fiona MacKay: Fiona Mackay Photography WebsiteConnect with us & join the conversation on social media:Instagram @FionaMacKayPhotographyFacebook @FionaMacKayPhotographyTwitter @FiMacKay
Chef Vinay Kumar shows us how to prepare Kerala Jackfruit Curry: Chakka Aviyal. "Chakka" means jackfruit in Malayalam, a language spoken in Kerala, and "Aviyal" is a popular curry dish from Kerala. Chef Vinay prepares his recipe at Coconut Lagoon at CGH Experience Hotels in Kumarakom, India. This dish reflects the vibrant plant-forward culinary traditions of the Kuttanad region in Southern India. Watch the full documentary and find recipes here! https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/india
Just outside of Fort Kochi, in the southern state of Kerala, India, cooking school teacher, Nimmy Paul, shows us how to prepare eggplant molee. Nimmy Paul teaches cooking classes from her home, specializing in the distinctive cuisine of Kerala and her Syrian Christian community. A molee is a creamy, coconut-based stew, originating from the Kerala region of Southern India, typically featuring a blend of spices, coconut milk, curry leaves. In this flavorful vegan dish, she simmers together whole black peppercorns, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, garlic, ginger, chili, eggplant, tomatoes and coconut cream. Watch the full documentary and find recipes here! https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/india
Much of the research into the historical acoustics of worship spaces has focused on Christian churches or Islamic mosques. However, little is known about the acoustic history of Hindu worship spaces, despite Hinduism being the third largest religion in the world. Shashank Aswathanarayana and Braxton Boren (American University) share their efforts to fill this knowledge gap by studying the acoustics in Hindu temples from the 8th and 15th centuries. Associated paper: Shashank Aswathanarayana and Braxton Boren. "Acoustic analysis of two Hindu temples in Southern India." JASA Express Letters 5, 031601 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0036033.Read more from JASA Express Letters. Learn more about Acoustical Society of America Publications Music: Min 2019 by minwbu from Pixabay.
This week on Finding the Throughline I'm talking with Denali Sai Nalamalapu, a climate organizer, comic artist, and a writer who brought these three strands of their life together in their brand new book, “Holler: A Graphic Memoir of Rural Resistance, which tells the story of six frontline resistors to the Mountain Valley pipeline in Appalachia. Denali is from Southern Maine and Southern India and currently lives in Southwest Virginia. In this episode, we cover: - Landing on the genre that combines multiple threads from your life- Combining climate activism, communication skills, and a love of comics- Making climate activism relevant to regular folks who are busy living their lives- Denali's two favorite hiking trails- Embracing the power of being stubborn- The morning routine that helps Denali prioritize time for creative work Connect with Denali on Instagram @denalisai or at danali-sai.com. For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com. Thank you for listening! And thanks to this week's sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What is is like to go cycle touring in India? Well this week listener Ted Eliason shares what it was like during one day of his incredible 82,300km+ adventure cycling around the world. Ted is taking us to Southern India and a transformative experience which occured for him there while visiting one of the temples there.You can follow Ted via his instagram account - @bikingthebluemarbleSupport the showBuy me a coffee and help support the show!Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideWebsite: Seek Travel RideFacebook - Seek Travel Ride Sign up to the Seek Travel Ride Newsletter Leave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music Thank you to RedShift Sports for supporting the show! - Check them out here
Our greatest living nature writer, Robert Macfarlane shares with Horatio Clare a single, transformative idea: are rivers alive? Robert Macfarlane is both the author of prize-winning bestsellers including Underland, Landmarks, and The Old Ways, and an artistic polymath whose collaborators include many of the most distinguished artists, musicians, and poets of our time, including Olafur Eliasson, Johnny Flynn, and Jackie Morris. Inspired by the activists, artists and lawmakers of the young ‘Rights of Nature' movement, Macfarlane takes us on an exhilarating exploration of the past, present and futures of this ancient, urgent concept. Transporting us from the miraculous cloud-forests of Northern Ecuador to the wounded rivers and lagoons of Southern India; and from north-eastern Quebec, where a spectacular wild river – the Mutehekau or Magpie – is being defended from death by damming in a riverrights campaign, to the fragile chalk stream that rises a mile from his house and flows through his years and days, this is a magical and radical listen that will make you rethink what you think you know about rivers and about the nature of life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Wrapping up loose ends and moving forward.Book 3 in 18 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.Love is like a crossbow quiver. You only have so many bolts to shoot before it runs outThere was a long pause. Pamela took another long breath then an impish grin came to her lips."With your luck you'll get those, then end up in the Artic," she scoffed."Not the Antarctic? I've got a soft spot in my dreams for penguins.""Nope. You get to be chased by polar bears," she nudged me. I nudged her back playfully. She gave me a Charlie horse."Ow!" I yipped. The two SD chicks from the front of the plane looked back our way. I didn't care about their misconceptions. My muscles needed some self-massages."I was pretty scared," I whispered to Pamela."Good for you. You were also pretty lucky and I'm sure pretty pissed with your 'Albanian' attackers," she replied quietly. "I missed you too."I liked the way she read my mind about that. I would have liked it some more if I hadn't glanced to my other side, then fallen straight to sleep.{1 pm, Monday, August 25th ~ 14 Days to go}On Tuesday night, Aya got one of her wishes fulfilled ~ sorta. I slept in Caitlyn Ruger's bed and I wasn't alone. The Sandman had dropped a Scottish sand trap sized load of sand on me and there was more than enough spillover to flatten little Aya too. Because I lived among Amazons, Caitlyn woke me up at 5:45 in the A M and only so much lollygagging was allowed.Aya got to sleep for fifteen whole minutes more than I did. She hugged me and kissed my cheek (which amused her three Fatal Squirt compatriots to no end) while I stuffed away my breakfast. Desiree showed up to take me to work minutes later. While Aya showed off her battle scar to the pre-caste Amazons and her Aunt D. (they had not been awake when we showed up the previous evening), I was chided for being late for weapons practice.Yes. Life and death battle successes meant nothing to the Amazons. If you had a spare moment you had better be training, or working out your mind and/or body. We had no 'weekends', though we did get an quarter day off in celebration for the religious festivals based on the sacred days of the various matron Goddesses. A full day off didn't happen.7:00 AM saw me with the intern group, just as if nothing had happened to change our relationship over the past two months. Oh, we were different. They teased me about my sunburn and wanted to see my latest scars. I couldn't work with Buffy anymore, since I was her spiritual leader. Due to my 'high risk' status, Desiree was the only other Amazon Katrina trusted me with, so I got to get beaten at her hands for the last three days of the week.To be fair, I teased Desiree incessantly. I made her smile when she thought I was doubled over in pain on multiple occasions. Beyond that seven-to-five schedule, I exercised after work until six and then managed to bike home in a manner that avoided the paparazzi.I was easy to track outside of the building by the members of the press (who thought I was still somehow newsworthy) and despite my persistent desire to not talk to any of them. Felix had 'vanished', so I was the only man left. What had happened to him? Katrina allowed me to take a glance. He was at an Epona Wyoming freehold training for the Great Hunt and reveling in his 'lone man in a household of twenty-two single women' status.Unlike the three other members of our 'first class', Felix got to choose his re-location location and communicated with me daily because he wanted us to create a battle plan for the upcoming Hunt. It was official; it was going to be a two man vs. thirty Amazons affair and there was no rule that we couldn't work together though only two Amazons could win by capturing us and holding onto us until sunset on Sunday, September 14th.No one except Krasimira, the Keeper of Records, knew what terrain we would be hunted on so we could expect anything from swamps to mountain ranges. The Amazons were in the same boat. Already the House heads had volunteered one member for the Hunt. The ancestors would be consulted for the half who would actually participate. Krasimira had also added her own twists.House Ishara couldn't compete because technically, I was already their participant. With 52 houses halved, that equaled 26. The final four? Runners. If a runner won, the Keeper would consult the ancestors to see which house they would automatically be inducted into. Eight runners were nominated by the department heads and four of those would be chosen by the Augurs as well.In a normal organization it would have been thought that Krasimira was abusing her station since there was no High Priestess to oppose her decisions. Not in the Amazons. No. She consulted the Augurs and the Augurs worked the will of the Ancestors and that was that. No Augur would lie about the sacred communications imparted to them. That was inconceivable sacrilege.What that did mean was that at sunset on Thursday, September 11th, Felix and I would be inserted with a knife, map and clothing into the hunting zone. When the sun rose on Friday morning, the thirty Amazons would be put into the zone. No Amazon could attack another unless they, or their targets, 'possessed' a man. They could team up but only two could win. It was promising to be a great 'get to know your buddies at work' moment for all of us,What was Felix getting out of this besides his freedom? (His freedom was no longer in danger. House Epona would protect him.) No, for Felix, if he survived free until the sun set on Sunday, he would become a Runner. If he lost, he would have to spend another year as an intern. This convinced me that Felix was totally dedicated to avoiding capture. I was good with that.Meanwhile for me, it was Brooke Wednesday night, Oneida on Thursday and Timothy and Odette going clubbing with me on Friday night. Saturday was my first House Ishara group activity. We gathered in the early morning at Doebridge, me with a hangover and Buffy giving me crap at every opportunity. Fortunately the rest of my 'sisters' treated me with a great deal more reverence.Now they all knew about my Summer Camp role, Romania and my kidnapping. Even in their 'man-hating' ideology, I was the exception to the rule ~ I was reliable, dedicated, smart, lethal and worthy of their trust and respect. On the council front, Buffy hinted to me that there was a way around the deadlock for who would be foisted onto the Regency Triumvirate, but she refused to tell me what it was. That was a cause for concern.Sunday, I worked with JIKIT, did some Amazon diplomatic stuff and discovered Desiree was my new bodyguard. Katrina thought a full SD team would be cumbersome and my best bet was to remain unconventional and mobile. I agreed because it allowed me to play the field a little more. Speaking of playing the field,This bright Monday afternoon, I was standing in a hangar at Stewart International Airport waiting on my fiancée, Hana Sulkanen. She had flown from Tibet to London with the Dali Lama. That exalted individual had passed on the mantle of national leadership to the Tibetan Constitutional Committee and left the country with the stern decision that the country would move forward toward democracy and not backwards toward theocracy.Now he was playing the role of goodwill ambassador, encouraging the Tibetan Diaspora to spend a few months to a year back in their homeland to help rebuild and teach. He also was rallying support for Tibetan recognition and financial support. Already the UN had voted to send a small international group to establish border security against both the Khanate and the PRC.With the PRC treaty-obliged by the ceasefire to not oppose Tibetan freedom, the UN acted rapidly. The UN Tibet Force(UNTFOR) combat elements consisted of the UK (+ Gurkha), Chilean, French (+ French Foreign Legion), Germany, India, Italy, Romania, Spanish and Thailand each sending one battalion each. Algeria, Denmark, Chile, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Canada, Cameroon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Brazil agreed to make smaller contributions. The USAF would supply a serious level of logistics support for the mission.The UN also created the UN Tibetan Training Force (UNTTFOR) which provided a structure for giving access by Tibetan forces to German, Italian, Chilean and Romanian bases to train to E U standards over a five month period. The Khanate provided gobs of captured Chinese hardware to the creation of a tiny Tibetan Armed Forces, easing worries about adequately equipping the troops once they were trained.The Dali Lama was simultaneously arriving at JFK to public fanfare in order to thank the UN personally on behalf of the nation he loved. Hana was able to finally shed the limelight and was coming into a secure National Guard facility to finally take a step back to a 'normal' lifestyle. The last bit of oddity: the hangars used by the Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 452 of the Marine Corps Reserve was courtesy of JIKIT. No press was allowed, or expected.It was an odd grouping of us. Jormo Sulkanen (Hana's father), his chauffeur and Hana's daughter Annela were in one car. Hana was traveling with Libra and Ms. Meacham, so they would need the limo he came in. My appearance was a simple moment for us to touch base in person, as opposed to over the internet, or mobile phone. The third group waiting was Sten Phillip M nnik (her ex-husband) and two unnamed associates.Sten was being a total jerk, which may have been due to me calling him Philip when we first met. Philip wasn't 'ethnic' enough for him, so he never used it. Because he hated it, Brennan (Hana's deceased step-brother) had used it constantly. I had overheard it and thus screwed up our first meeting. But Sten's current blistering hatred had two positive side effects: Jormo came over and stood by me, a suggestion of solidarity I hadn't expected, and since we were standing next to each other, we finally began the dialog that we needed if Hana was going to be family to both of us.We chatted about the thing that mattered most ~ Hana. He asked me if I had really hired a team of assassins to protect her, so I told him a little bit about the Ghost Tigers. He talked about how proud she was to be bringing peace to a suffering planet and I agreed that she looked spectacular doing so.Some things remained the same; I had set in motion the death of his youngest son who had paraded a raped lady in front of me. A bunch of other dilettantes had perished as well. Balancing that was the joy I brought to the child closest to his heart, his adopted daughter Hana. I also had proved to be my own brand of eccentric knight in tarnished armor. I meant well, and in Jormo's book that meant something.He also told me he would strangle me with my own intestines if I broke her heart. I looked him straight in the face and asked him how he felt about open marriages. He hit me. To be fair, I let him hit me. He didn't try to do me serious harm."Don't be an asshole," he grumbled."I'm not sure I know how?" I shrugged. I got another hard stare."She loves you," he said with surprising tenderness."I would rather face that typhoon again than break her heart. The thought of that scares me because I've never been all that good at romance," I confessed."That wasn't what I expected you to say," he harrumphed. "I recall those two ladies I first saw you with. Libra Chalmers and,""Brooke Lee," I said."Yes, her. Are you staying loyal?""She has never asked more than she thinks my current level of maturity can hope to achieve." He looked at me. "I'm discrete and mindful of her sensitivities.""You aren't trying to befriend me," he noted."I don't feel it is right to expect you to like me. I think we both know I'm supposed to be nice to you and you aren't going punch me again. I believe Hana would see thru any deception on our part."I paused. "I wouldn't mind us getting along. I'll try not to piss you off because that would be rude to you and cruel to her," I continued. "I'll never ask you to forgive me and I'll never feel like what I did was inherently unjustified. I am sorry that I caused you pain because I think you are a hard, courageous man, and she loves you.""That's her plane," he stated."Thank God," I muttered. And thank you Ishara. I was starting to blather. We remained thankfully silent until the plane had pulled into the hangar and the people started to deplane. The first out was a young woman with dark blonde hair and hunters glasses.No one else appeared until she had reached the bottom of the stairs and continued to look about for a moment. Hana came next, smiling at me, then her eyes were following Jormo as he moved to the car to retrieve little Annela. Libra followed with Ms. Meacham on her heels. Libra still wasn't used to playing the second fiddle/personal assistant. A short Mongolian fireplug of a man was the last passenger down the stairs. He looked like, a wolverine with his feral, primordial energy and general hostility.I imagined the girl was his apprentice and he was the prime assassin. That was how the Ghost Tigers operated. They were doing me a deep personal favor by putting aside their normal role as hunters to take up body-guarding duties. According to Addison, they had also managed to get their fair share of killing people of various persuasions. Not only had the Seven Pillars tried to take her out more than once, Chinese Intelligence and some criminal cartels had taken an active interest in her too.The young woman scanned from me to Desiree, then to Sten. She had a good eye for threat assessment. Jormo was partially concealed, but would rather die than put Hana at risk. I was the ally of the 9 Clans, and she probably thought she could take me in a quick-draw contest. Desiree? She left Desiree for her mentor to worry about."Ms. Sulkanen?" Sten's closer minion walked her way. The bodyguards got in the way instinctively. The man reached into his coat and nearly died. The women did a palm strike to his windpipe then grabbed his tie, yanking him to the hard concrete floor of the hangar.(Russian) "He has a piece of paper," she stated in a detached manner"Sten, what is the meaning of this?" Hana worried. I moved toward the woman.(Russian) "I am Cáel Nyilas. Let me help."She did more than that. She retreated from the downed man and put her body between Hana and Sten.I was schooled enough now to realize that was the deception. I hadn't seen the older man draw a gun but I knew he now had one out. It was down by his side and he was using his body to shield it from view."Are these the kind of people you want around our daughter," Sten asked haughtily. I had an inkling suspicion. I wasn't alone.Desiree pushed past me and attended to the downed man. She had him standing, patted him on the back and frisked all inside ten seconds."He's a process server," she commented to the group."What he is here to do is serve you with papers, Hana," Sten grew angrier. "You are an unfit mother and have developed an unsafe environment for her to grow up in.""What?" Hana growled. "You don't like the fact that I've finally moved on and found someone new. You don't care a damn thing about our daughter.""We will let a judge decide that. Right now I have an order of detention for Annela," he grinned wickedly."Ms. Sulkanen," the second of Sten's minions step forward more cautiously, "the Family Court in the State of New York has,"I laughed."Oh," Desiree looked my way then shared a sliver of a smile with me."There is nothing laughable, I assure you," the lawyer snapped."Really, what's your name?" I asked."Mr. Dornier, not that,""Where are we?""What does that matter?" then, "New York State.""Incorrect Dornier. You are on a Marine Corps base, dumbass. Look around you," I smirked."So? What does that mean?" Sten harangued us."This is federal property," I explained as I strode toward his car."Hey, what are you doing, I'm talking to you," Sten pursued me."Excuse me," I grinned. I flipped out my Amazon Honor Blade and slashed one of his tires."What?""Go for it," Hana simmered. "Touch Cáel and he will defend himself.""He has a knife," he countered. He didn't touch me. A second tire began to deflate. "That's assault with a deadly weapon.""It would be if he turned to face you, or anyone else," Desiree had her 'bored ~ don't press me' voice. "Right now he's being a vandal." She put her hand on the process server's shoulder and shoved him back toward Sten and Dornier. "You should know your jurisdictions, asshole," she told him."Hana, I will drive back with Cáel," Libra announced loudly. That was a cue for Hana to shoot me an apologetic look, which was odd, considering that even knowing me was putting her child custody at risk. It took me a second to realize what a bastard Sten could be. I also doubted he had three spare tires. I left one untouched as I headed for my car."Hana, I'll catch up with you after you talk with your lawyers," I called out. It was infuriating for me that this was her reception home. Sten had better be thanking his lucky stars we weren't alone or I would have pummeled his ass, and given him the nuclear wedgy of all times, jackalope."Let's go home," Libra tapped my arm. Desiree was watching Jormo's limo speed away. She didn't dawdle. The Marines would want their hangar back ASAP. We'd let them decide if they wanted to help Sten, or not. Desiree tossed me the keys. That was her way of telling me I need to blow of some steam, and not by getting frolic-ee with Libra on the hour long commute home.{11 pm, Monday, August 25th ~ 14 Days to go}{Late that night with Hana}"So, who was the guy who gave you this?" I looked over at Hana while running my hand over the silk scarf some lama in Lhasa had given her to give to me ~ a 'Thank You' gift for the liberation of his homeland and the aid package heading his peoples' way."I never got his name, but my translator said he had traveled for three days straight to be there for the celebration," she smiled warmly.I picked up my second gift and began to play with it. The object was a fascinating toy, all the more so because it was more than a child's plaything. It was a simple prayer wheel. I put the handle between my two palms and rubbed them back and forth, causing the two balls to beat against the drum heads."I think you find that thing more interesting than you do me," Hana pouted."Oh no you don't," I pounced on her. With one hand I tickled her while I placed my Tibetan gift aside. I didn't want us rolling over on it as we frolicked naked on her queen-sized bed. "You were a happy little camper ten minutes ago and you certainly drove your vigor home with this grand Lothario.""Eek!" she playfully tried to bat my hand aside. She began giggling hysterically.Even when I pulled away so that she could breathe, she kept snickering."What?" I worried. I had been ramping us up for a second round of sex. Round one had been 'comfort' sex, helping her compartmentalize her feelings for that bastard of an ex-husband and the threat he posed to her custodianship of her daughter, Annela.Those were emotions she'd deal with later. Fretting about them tonight, her first night back in the States, was counter-productive. She knew that, which was why she'd accepted my dinner invitation. We had now been seen in public together for the first time since she became famous; afterwards we had traveled back to her place. How serious was I about cheering her up? I'd brought a spare suit, biking clothes and my bike. I was planning to spend the night and make my way to work my usual way come sunrise."I," she gasped, "asked Libra how you "compared" in her experience, which seems to be extensive, as a lover on the way over. And after several, very long, I must say, seconds of introspection, she told me you were indescribable and incomparable. I've been trying to put my thoughts together since Rome and, why are you scowling?""That was rude of you two," I now play-pouted. "I like to think I'm 'thunderous', though 'stunning' will do in a pinch."Hana helpfully pinched me. "Ow!" I squalled. And back to tickling I went. I quickly showed her my 'sheet-fu' was superior to hers, which meant I tangled her up in her sheets before she realized she was helpless before me. Or so I bragged. Hana played helpless well."Oh please, Mr. World-Conquering Wombat," she pleaded. Wombat?"Wombat?" I questioned her. "How have I become an irascible furry marsupial?""Well Honey, you need a shave," she teased me. "You are a little furry.""Romantically that is called a five o'clock shadow," I protested."It scratches my thighs," she murmured.I had a remedy for that. Sliding down to her hip, I turned my palms toward me, interlaced my fingers and positioned my thumbs pointing up. My chin rested on my fingers and the thumbs covered the sides, so when I stuck my tongue into the three-sided void created, my hands, but none of my scruffiness, touched her intimate flesh. Once I had this technique in place, I rolled over her thigh and got to work."I find," she gasped, "that you have the answer to that conundrum down pat. It makes me, ah, think I'm not your, ah, first girl." My dedication to my erotic task (and the carnal reward that waited) kept me from responding. Besides, my upper lip was busy rolling back and forth over her clitoris. There I let the bristles of my oncoming moustache teasingly tickle her. I was pleased when the pleasure I caused quieted her and she settled down to running her fingers across my crown as she ramped herself up toward a climax. 'Not my first girl' indeed.Forty-five minutes later, I was coming back to her room from the kitchen with a glass of tomato juice for her and rice wine for me (she was out of beer). I heard a noise from Annela's room, so I deviated to make sure she was okay. I was in boxers, not totally naked. Annela was out like a light, caught up in some sort of childish dream. By the cherubic grin on her face, she was having a good one.She was another delicate female issue in my life. I had made her existence harder by just being me. Hana let me know that nothing 'bad' had better happen to her ex-husband, Sten. I couldn't beat him up, threaten him, or sic any of my Amazons on him. Stupidly, I had asked if using the CIA was okay. She'd banned all of JIKIT intervening as well, negating the use of the best pest removal people on the planet, the 9 Clans."You are going to have to get used to children making sounds while they sleep," Hana surprised me. "You'll learn to tell the dreams from the nightmare.""In spades, I'm going to have to learn that in spades," I nodded.{4 pm, Tuesday, August 26th ~ 13 Days to go}My schedule had remained steady. I had firearms practice at 6 am every morning, was in Katrina's office by 7 and working my cue by 7:15. According to my regular morning briefings, I continued to be a menace to the foundations of freedom, civilization and the terrestrial biosphere. It was wonderful to stand there side by side with my fellow New Hires.At lunch, around 11 o'clock, I had a brief get together with the other members of the Amazon diplomatic corps since I was still Chief Diplomat of the Host ~ we were a small unit. Daphne, who now worked with JIKIT, would give me a brief briefing on what the 'office' was up to in my name. I gladly kept my distance from their regularly scheduled mayhem. The truce in China didn't stop the Secret War from raging on and on.My three o'clock knife training with Pamela was slowly evolving into a greater study of human fighting philosophy and anatomy. I still studied the techniques of a larger single bladed hunting knife as well as the hilt-less, double bladed Amazon Honor Blade. Pamela promised me she'd start teaching me how to do the 'long-distance' and 'short'/snap throw for the blades. She made it look so easy.Pamela also began educating me on the basics and basis of the Amazon personal hand-to-hand fighting style. The eight points of emphasis in Amazon combat were: the finger, fist, elbow, shoulder, foot, heel, knee and hip. It encouraged channeling both your energies and the energy of your opponents by using fluid blows and throws. It also worked well with the close-in knife fighting Pamela was teaching me. Working with her once more did her as much good as me. We had come to feed off one another's moods, which was a good thing.Tuesday, walking to the elevator at the end of the session, the door opened to reveal Rachel talking to an SD chick I barely knew, Meridian."Oh, it is great to see you, Rachel," I enthusiastically stated. Her hesitation as she replied worried me."It is great to see you too, Cael Wakko Ishara," she responded softly, compassionately."Ladies, can you spare Rachel and I some private time," I asked Meridian and Pamela."Come on," Pamela addressed the SD Amazon, "we have tons of nothing to talk about.""As you wish, Ishara," Meridian answered. She looked to Rachel. She stepped off the elevator as Pamela stepped on. Away they went."I heard you were back in New York," I told her."I heard you were off of JIKIT for the time being.""I was running on fumes psychologically and my body wasn't too much better. Javiera gave me a week off. I go back Thursday.""That was the right move, Cáel," she said. "You've been stuck sweating both the small stuff and being caught up in the big picture. That is a humongous burden to bear for someone with your training and background.""I know, I'm not ready for where my life has taken me.""No one is, Cáel. You have training that has let you get this far when most of us would be lost. You carry that weight, plus you've had to work the physical side of the equation. I get to focus on you. You've had to focus on all of us."Rachel was being both honest and kind. I felt a sudden renewed kinship with my primary guardian."Thanks for that, Rachel, can I tell you a secret? Something you can't tell another soul. Something I've never told another living person?" I could tell Rachel. I couldn't tell Katrina because she was so close to Hayden. Pamela, Pamela had already prepared herself for a miserable afterlife and wouldn't have connected with my pain for another.Since she was my 'sister' in Ishara, I couldn't really confide in Buffy, but only an Amazon would understand my thoughts on the matter. It had to be Rachel."I cannot betray the Host, but you know that. What is it you wish to share?""Hayden lived life as an Anahit, yet lives forever in the Halls of the Isharans." Since that was now well known, Rachel knew that couldn't be the secret."When I was trying to induct her, Dot Ishara refused her entry. I thought she was challenging me and I was right.""I recall that she wouldn't accept Hayden, even though her death was righteous in the name of the Host. Has no one ever asked you what changed Ishara's mind? Not Buffy, or Helena?""Neither one ever asked. I think it was because they sensed I didn't want to talk about it, nor insult them by not opening up. Ishara refused Hayden because of me. I was refusing to accept my place in the Host. I kept playing, pretending, I was not really one of you. I kept thinking I could divorce myself from the evil we did because I was special.""But you weren't special in the way I think you are using the word," she nodded. "You were chosen by the Ancestors to be one of us, man, or not.""Yeah. I stupidly put my life on the line because I wanted to be the 'good guy'. I've always wanted to be the 'good guy', even when I hurt people. I'd tell the girl it was my fault, yet I excused that behavior by thinking that I hadn't meant to hurt anyone, so I was okay. I have never blamed myself for any of the shit I caused.""That has always been a rather annoying quality of yours," she noted."When I was on the roof of Havenstone, daring Ishara with my life on the line, that's when I felt it. I owed and owned my Amazon heritage in that moment. I finally blamed myself for something, for not accepting sacrifices were being made for me and I was dishonoring every one of you by denying their purpose.""You are Ishara," Rachel stated firmly. That was her entire argument."I had to believe that. I had to believe I was nothing more than one Amazon in a long line of Amazons dating back to that first night of betrayal. I had to realize I was one of many, not someone special, with special rules. I wasn't getting to be the good guy, or even the bad guy. I was just, an Amazon. One more Ishara among the hundreds that stood in my place.""And it took that moment for you to realize what most Amazons know from the age of five," Rachel stroked my cheek. "It is easy for us to forget your bravery comes from a place that is uniquely you and you didn't grow up around the fires with tales of our mothers, grandmothers and all those who have come before. We see our honor is gold and sing the songs in the First Tongue. We live as Amazons.""I wanted you to know because," I faltered at the last memory."Charlotte. You want to make peace with me about Charlotte," she touched my cheek yet again. "Cáel, I told her mother and daughter about how she died. They want to meet Vincent when he is feeling better. They want to talk to you. They worry about you not understanding that Charlotte lives and will live on until the Sun dies and the stars burn out.""Charlotte was in the Warband that killed Ajax the Unconquered, Cáel. She fell on that ridge, looking down on Ishara's triumph over Ajax and her spirit took the news of that victory to the next life. She is a welcome exemplar to House Ska i. She will be remembered in the lists of the Security Detail, our Warrior Elite. Charlotte was my friend and I didn't wish her to die, but war is what we do. And she buried her enemies and saved our lives."Ska i was a j tunn and the Nordic goddess associated with bow-hunting, skiing, winter, and mountains. I had known her house. The SD didn't talk about their families much because of their devotion to the craft of war, so I had never known her mother was still alive, or that she had a daughter."She did much more than die, Cáel. She killed men so that when you finished with Ajax, none of them, left on that field, could avenge him," she added."I hadn't looked at it that way," I confessed. "I'd like to meet her family. You said she has a daughter. I didn't know.""You didn't need the distraction. We all knew you would have only done incredibly stupid things trying to keep us alive. If it helps, she is five and cried freely, deeply and long. Her mother is fifty-two and runs a freehold in Saskatchewan. She'll be around for a long time, trust me."Charlotte's mother had to be one tough D O B (daughter of a bitch) to see sixty. I did know she was the second of five daughters, with the middle one being in the Ska i House Guard."I am doing something for, well, for me, but for Charlotte too. Sakuniyas is leading seventeen House Isharans and two ladies from MI-6 in West Africa.""I'd heard about that," she smiled. "Charlotte's Fist." Four (the core of any war band) was a sacred number to the Amazons, as was five (the number of digits) so twenty was a classic warrior unit. It was also the number of the original houses. Normally these groups were referred to by their leader's name, but I wanted the Condotteiri to know they'd killed the wrong Amazon and Sakuniyas agreed to the naming convention.The Condos had sent Ajax to Hungary and Romania to kill me. Charlotte had died stopping them, but this was not a matter of revenge. This honored her and was a request for her to watch over those who sought inspiration from her when they went into battle. West-Central Africa was one of the three Amazon Homeland (Eastern Europe and Southern India being the other two) and was where the war was heating up.JIKIT (Joint International Khanate Interim Taskforce) became involved when the Condos and Coils of the Serpent (one of the 9 Assassin Clans) began killing local civilian and military leaders. The Condos did it to spread chaos for them to use as a smoke screen behind which they could hide the large numbers of mercenaries in the area hunting down the Amazons. The Coils attacked any official that was on the Condo's payroll.As the body count began to rise, the US and UK began having 'normal' covert agencies investigate the killings, yet they remained blind to the reasons behind the actions. It wasn't until a whole Condo 'training camp' ended up being extinguished that they realized there was a third player in the game (as opposed to the governments and the rogue mercenaries).The Coils of the Serpent were one step ahead of the intelligence agencies. And that allowed the Amazons to hunt down the Condos. We in JIKIT had estimated it was roughly 15,000 Condotteiri foot soldiers (consisting of mercs, local paramilitaries and the occasional regular army commander) versus the roughly 3000 Amazons and 1000 members of the 9 Clans. The Golden Mare was asking for Havenstone and the Freeholds in North and South America to raise up 'fists' to join the struggle in Africa. In Belize they would be trained for two months to ten weeks in jungle warfare before heading over."Are your people going to be ready?" Rachel inquired."We have done well in Japan," I replied. "The former 'Runners' actually do better moving through urbanized society than their Old School Amazon sisters.""I heard they are more prone to taking orders from the Ninja," she looked me in the eyes."I told them to. This is the Ninja's war and we serve them best by doing what we do best ~ taking the fight to the Seven Pillars when they expose themselves," I clarified. "And you got me off talking about Charlotte," I realized a second later."A long period of mourning is not our way, Cáel," she confided. "You were our friend, but you were our mission first and foremost. That hasn't changed.""Are you going to," I began to say 'remain my bodyguard'."Yes. I have a dozen House Guard members expressing a desire to join the Security Detail and be our new electronics expert. Eight of those I'm giving serious consideration to.""The other four?" I asked."Three are too young and are too interested in you for my taste. One is too old and a rather odd individual.""I like odd.""I will reconsider her then," she allowed."Are you saying that to make me happy?""No," Rachel grinned. "I admire your instincts. Do you know how soon you will be needing us?""I'm going to stay in town until the Great Hunt. After my stupendous victory, I'll see if I can get to Brazil, so mid-September.""It will take longer to integrate a member ~ the last week of November," she bargained. I really wasn't in the mood to argue. I was too much the boy who was glad to see his primary guardian standing before him. Pamela was by far the most loving and lethal one of the pack. Rachel was my rock. She kept me alive and I helped give her something to live for, even if it was a flawed 'me'."And Wakko, you don't need to give me a piece of your soul to replace Charlotte. What is hers is hers and what is ours is ours. I'll always miss her and I'm okay with that. She was a good friend and a proud compatriot and I loved her. I never had any sisters of the flesh. Mona, Tiger Lily and Charlotte have been the only real family I've had. I will find another sister and I can now accept that.""Is it alright if I still miss her?" I pondered."Of course, Ishara. Will you still be capable of taking my orders when required?""Yes. If I started ignoring your advice, I wouldn't have been worthy of leading someone like Charlotte into battle. I can honor her by letting you do your job.""Thank you. I still worry about you trying to save everyone, but now I'll worry a little less," she confessed."I still plan to do crazy stuff, hey, do you have a daughter?""No.""Want one?""I'm in the final drawing of lots for the Great Hunt," she smiled once more."You could just ask.""My way is more fun. This way I'll be sure you'll obey," she let her eyes sparkle with a mirthful fire."Don't think I'll go easy on you. I plan to win," I pledged."Of course not. Why would you change now?""I'd rather you bust my balls than mock me?" I pouted. "Instead of spending a moving moment, you are cheering me up.""It is my job to look after you, even now," she stroked my neck affectionately."Especially now," I added as I hit the elevator button."Let's catch up with the others. I need to tell Meridian that she's back in the running.""Oh, that is fortunate," I grinned. "Oh, we'll start our mission to Brazil on Thursday, February 12th.""Is there a significance of that date?"I laughed. I put an arm around her shoulder as the doors opened. There were two others Havenstone ladies onboard."Carnival in Rio de Janeiro!" I exulted. "Half a million tourists a day. Two million Brazilians. Everyone wears a mask. What's not to love?""You are so fortunate you waited until you had witnesses around," Rachel groused."Desiree says it's bad for my prestige to be beaten in public," I chortled. "I'm glad you agree.""Maybe we can spar on the mats today when you get off work?""Oh, I'd like to see that," one of the other Amazons remarked. "Weapons or hand-to-hand?""I'll let him use a weapon. I'll use my hands. I want him to think he has a chance," Rachel declared. My arm was still around her shoulder, so I knew she wasn't really pissed."Didn't you kill Ajax?" the other one noted."He tripped over his shoelaces and impaled himself on his own sword," I sighed dramatically.Since the two women looked at one another, then to Rachel, I knew I'd told the lie well."Cáel had an ally shoot a grenade overhead, Ajax died in the confusion, so whatever blow killed him is irrelevant. Cáel beat Ajax with his mind before a single blow was landed. He made his foe fight his battle and that was how Wakko Ishara won," Rachel responded."Like an Amazon," the first one nodded."With balls," I added."An Amazon with balls? I guess you are, but I don't think the testes mattered in that you beat our foe in a matter your ancestors can be proud of," the second one said."Well said," Rachel nodded."Thank you," I shook her hand. "I'm Cáel Wakko Ishara aka Nyilas.""Oh, I'm Wynona of Allatu," she answered. She shook my hand, I ran a finger over her pulse and got her to blush slightly. Allatu was the Goddess of the Underworld in Canaanite mythology and one of the First Houses."Behave," Rachel whispered."Not likely," I whispered back."Did I say something wrong?" Wynona worried."No. Rachel is my moral guardian. So, do you want to go fishing, I mean swimming tomorrow after work, say 5:15?" I inquired."Sure," her smile broadened. "I excel in the water.""Good, maybe you can teach me a thing or two," I answered. The door opened at the lobby and there stood Desiree."Here," Rachel shoved me out the door. "Take him before he fishes himself into more trouble.""I understand," Desiree grumbled. "Come on fisherman. Financial Investigations is working late tonight and we need to pick up Italian food for twenty-two.""Lead and I shall follow," I proclaimed."Why do you call him the 'Fisherman'," Wynona asked Rachel."Fish, barrel, I'll explain it to you on the way to the garage," Rachel sighed. The doors shut and off we all went.{7:10 pm, Wednesday, August 27th ~ 12 Days to go}"Will you still be having dinner with us once you return back to JIKIT?" Europa asked as Lorraine passed me some Cajun rice."Every Monday and Wednesday night and on Fridays early," I grinned."We are going to be spending some time in Doebridge over the Labor Day weekend," Europa griped. "Do you want to come with us and save Aya from retelling her ordeal to yet another band of pre-Amazons?""Aya, do you want me to run interference for you?" I asked."No," she smiled. "I want you to train for the Great Hunt. Aunt Katrina says Elsa is virtually a guarantee to be one of the thirty.""Ugh," I groaned. "That's the cherry on the top of a rather bizarre day.""Was today bad?" Loraine asked."Let me see, for starters I got to use a variety of weird weapons for firearms practice. I had a feeling I was part of a round-robin, the way they rotated their assistance to me. In the elevator, I was with Brielle and her buddy when we had a security drill. The elevator cut off, but the air handler went into overdrive, dropping the temperature. After a quick democratic vote, I lost my shirt to an impromptu fire to stay warm, alive," I chuckled. "Then we cuddled together for warmth. I was about to lose my undershirt and pants when the alert ended.""Security alerts last less than fifteen minutes," Caitlyn noted. "I doubt you were in any danger of freezing to death.""Brielle was under the impression security alerts could last hours, despite my questionable knowledge otherwise from the handbook I'd read. Since she had the seniority, I thought she knew better.""So now you are shirtless," Europe smirked."I had a spare shirt stashed in Katrina's office, but I was required to change during the meeting because we were running late. Oh, and yesterday I forgot to feed some genetically superior white rats at one of our labs. Apparently they gnawed through their cages, broke out and now are in the Manhattan underworld, plotting a rodent rebellion," I related."Oh, that was my idea," Loraine perked up."Do you sit around the table with Katrina thinking up this kind of crap!" I protested."Occasionally," Caitlyn admitted. "Most of those are pure Katrina though.""Glad to know my misery is a family bonding experience.""You should be glad to know we care about you," Europa beamed."Yeah, I'll remember that and once you are casted I'm going to absolutely abuse my authority in some serious payback," I faux-glared at her."I promise you we will make it fun," Aya pledged."You would betray your own sisters?" Caitlyn questioned."Sisters are sisters, Mother, but boon companions are for life," Aya countered."That's cool, Mom," Europa snorted. "We'll always be taller than Aya, and faster.""Only more proof she'll be smarter," Caitlyn shook her head. "So Cáel what happened next?""What makes you think the rest of my day wasn't mundane and boring?""According to Katrina, you are the best stress reliever at Havenstone since they put in the Jacuzzis. With it being open season on you today, I figured your day was one misadventure after another," Caitlyn smiled warmly."Fine, I had to go to Financial Investigations to discuss my expense account in Europe.""That doesn't sound all that exciting," Loraine said."We were in the pool swimming in the classic Amazon style, I swear, sometime I think I should go to work wearing nothing but a trench coat and a smile," I grouched."Did you make any babies?" Aya chirped."No, I can't have that kind of fun with any employees for another twelve more days. Anyway, they were quite cross with me not using their services and let me know for an hour and, thirty-six minutes. After that I had to get a reference physical.""You are as healthy as a horse," Europa neighed."Funny Epona," I sniffed indignantly. "You are a load of laughs, filly. After I had been turned into a prune they made me undress again. There was some nonsense about all the combat I had been in had made me shorter and given me muscle constriction.""That is a good one," Aya nodded. "I'm glad they were being as creative as you are, Atta.""Who is to say that I'm not being the creative one here?" I winked at her."Were your muscles 'constricted'?" Loraine snickered. Europa gave her a thumbs up for joining on the fun."Nope, all my reflexes are in working order and I can still salute on demand," I smiled. "Which was good because after that, I worked through lunch with Acquisitions discussing Khanate plans for Siberia." There was a pause."What was so horrid about that?" Loraine inquired, as if I had been tortured up until that point."We had to do the whole three hour routine on the practice mats. I was pinned grappled and I had something that was strangely reminiscent of a titty-snuggle. I mean, all that skin-tight clothing, close contact and sweaty bodies was murder on my concentration," I confessed."We aren't going to be investing in Siberia, are we?" Aya winked at me."I don't know. I spent three hours saying "I don't know" and "I haven't a clue.""You are good at that," Europa jibed. I flicked a pea at her, bouncing it off her chin. She was getting ready for a spaghetti & meatball counterattack when Caitlyn's cough brought her up short."He is the Head of House Ishara. He can act that way. You are Epona and we are better behaved."Europa stuck her tongue at me, I returned the gesture and this time Caitlyn's cough was aimed at me. She followed that up by rubbing her foot along my shin. I smiled at her, then caught Aya smiling at the both of us. Then I recalled Aya had set the table, damn it."I'll get us dessert," Aya beamed happiness my way. I was thinking about dessert alright, damn that girl.{Rhada Revisited}"I'm home gang," I exhaled. "Ready to go out?" and was promptly shot with a Nerf gun. "What did I do this time?"Timothy and Odette were getting off the sofa. Odette was taking aim while Timothy left his single-shot where he'd been sitting."We are going out. You are not," Timothy grinned. "You have company in the bedroom.""Man, I was looking forward to," then Odette shot me in the stomach with her six shot nerf repeater."You have company," Odette emphasized the 'company' part. To me this implied someone who I couldn't seduce with a few words, maybe get busy for half an hour then go out partying. That could only mean,I opened my door and there lay Rhada, completely naked, hogtied and bound. She had even been gagged. Her look of hate and loathing turned to, something else; part fear and part heartsick yearning. Could Timothy and Odette, really just Timothy, I loved Odette but she had the combat skills of a Tribble. Could Timothy defeat Rhada so thoroughly that she could be so bound?Not likely. I'd been neglecting her, What with being kidnapped, running off to Europe and generally doing my job, I'd neglected her well-defined physique, olive skin and athletic curves. I'd been a fool for letting her waste away while I'd been 'not' earning a paycheck. Hell, I was working too much. I'd played around in college and still managed to graduate with good grades, and it wasn't like I had been hired for my brains."Oh, I've been missing this," I relished her helplessness while rubbing my palms together."Mumph," Rhada protested. It was hard for her to move her body. Her legs were bound above the knee to her shins while her ankles were lashed together and then to the top of her thighs.Her elbows and wrists were tied behind her back, wrists to wrist. The ropes securing her arms crisscrossed above and below her breasts and looped around her neck. She looked tightly secured. A bit too secured. I couldn't see how to un-hog-tie her."Don't you dare go anywhere," I warned Rhada then backed out of the room hurriedly."I suggested the ass plug!" Odette smiled as I turned around. I'd missed that given the shapeliness of her buttock,"I color-coded the ends of the ropes for you. Pull the yellow, then green and then pink and she'll come undone just fine. I put some ointment by the bedside for after. It will help numb the burn and promotes healing without scarring," Timothy patted me on the shoulder. "Now that you've b
Send us a textIn this episode we are joined by Gary Bartelings, a supporter of the Pan Am Museum and founder and managing director of Bartelings, a company dedicated to unique travel experiences by private jet. We also welcome back to the program our good friend Becky Sprecher. She has been a frequent guest and contributor to this podcast. Becky brings great history to this episode about the flying boats of 1930s and the insight into Pan Am's legendary passenger service. From June 16, 2025 to June 28, 2025, Pan Am returns to the sky for an exclusive journey for 50 intrepid voyagers aboard a luxurious and modern private 757 aircraft with Pan Am livery! This exclusive trip, called Tracing the Transatlantic, will follow some of Pan Am's original flying boat routes across the Atlantic Ocean with stops in New York, Bermuda, Lisbon, Marseille, London and Foynes. For more information, visit criteriontravel.com/panam Founded in 2015, Bartelings was incorporated to provide discerning travel companies access to extensive expertise and knowledge to create incredible and exclusive trips for customers. Their aim is to create unique experiences throughout the world allowing guests to connect with other cultures, visit incredible sights –both natural and man-made– and to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of the world we all inhabit.Our guest Gary Bartelings grew up in the Netherlands. His original career plan was to study at the Hotel School, however, he changed his mind and wanted to broaden his education to tourism. Gary started his travel career in 1987 with Qantas Airways in Amsterdam after completing his education. During his career he has been involved in everything from telephone sales to aircraft dispatch, brochure production to contract negotiation, crisis management to tour managing, public speaking to PR relationships and so on.Having had the privilege to travel extensively around the world he believes there is no better way to connect people and cultures than through understanding, acceptance and respect. The best way to achieve that is to travel, to visit, to interact, to learn. Gary has a passion for travel in all it shapes and forms, he has explored Asia donning a backpack, drove a classic car through Southern India to raise money for charity and at the other end of the scale visited famous monuments of humanity traveling by private jet and each experience strengthens his appreciation of the world we live in. Support the show Visit Us for more Pan Am History! Support the Podcast! Donate to the Museum! Visit The Hangar online store for Pan Am gear! Become a Member! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!A very special thanks to Mr. Adam Aron, Chairman and CEO of AMC and president of the Pan Am Historical Foundation and Pan Am Brands for their continued and unwavering support!
Wild Elephants & Coffee Plantations: A Journey Through Karnataka with David BrodieIn This Episode:David and I were invited by KITE Expo to attend Bangalore, a three-day event celebrating and promoting tourism in Karnataka. Before the event, we were invited on a four-night/five-day FAM tour to see the area's Wildlife and Coffee. Here is what to expect in the episode.Get ready for an epic adventure through Southern India, where ancient history meets breathtaking landscapes and wildlife thrives in lush national parks!
Welcome to Classic Skeptic Metaphysicians! We're re-releasing some of our back catalog so that these gems can be re-discovered!This week: Theres an Ancient Manuscript about YOU in a Library in India_ Indian Palm Leaf Reading3,000 years ago, enlightened sages gained the power of clairvoyance. These Maharishis used their divine powers to look into the future and predict the lives of millions of people. Their insights were put down on dried Palm Leaves. Your Palm Leaf was written specifically for you to answer your most important questions about your life: Karma, Obstacles, Children, Destiny, Partnership, Career and Health. On this episode, our guest shares the secrets behind this jaw-dropping, little-known modality that you just HAVE to know about! When Dr. Q Moayad, a white Austrian, discovers Indian palm leaf reading, otherwise known as Nadi Astrology, as a way to heal himself, he embarks on a transformative journey to uncover ancient secrets and bring the powerful modality to the West, only to discover the challenging truth of its complicated journey.Dr. Q Moayad was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 19, an experience that propelled him on a spiritual journey to understand the unknown. After struggling with his health for years, he encountered Indian Palm Leaf Reading and was deeply intrigued. Despite the complexity of the system and difficulty of finding an authentic reader, he eventually created an institute to bring the practice to the West. He now works to not only help people through readings, but also to support an orphanage in Southern India.Guest Info: (Note: this is a re-broadcast and the links may no longer be active)Website: https://indianpalmleafreading.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/indianpalmleafreadingFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/IndianPalmLeafReadingYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/IndianPalmLeafReadingInstituteConnect With the Skeptic Metaphysicians:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skepticmetaphysician_podcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkepticMetaphysicianYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SkepticMetaphysiciansTwitter: https://twitter.com/WillRodriguezFlWebsite: https://www.skepticmetaphysician.com
Today's crossword was a great mental workout, replete with fine, fabulously deceptive clues -- just the kind that you hope for on a Friday.For example, we had 36A, A real no-name, ANON (of course!); 32A, Darkens in the light, say, TANS (how enlightening); and 49A, Buttery topping for paratha, GHEE (oh, gee
Matthew Edgerton is using personal life experiences and work background to help an aging population find their tribe and grow older with gusto. In this conversation with Gail Zugerman, he shares how he interviewed all types of people, from the aging in independent living to their caregivers and family members, to create his business model called Cogensus. Matthew sheds light on the lack of stimulation among older people and how he strives to determine the best way to get them engaged in life. He also explains how Cogensus uses AI in creating family memoirs that will give people a purpose and something to add to their legacy. — Watch the episode here Listen to the podcast here Finding Your Tribe In The Digital Age With Matthew Edgerton Our guest is an enterprising man from California who has been shaped by life experiences to leave the world a better place by helping people as they grow older. His name is Matthew Edgerton, and he's launching a company in 2025 called Cogensus, which he has created through his background of being a thought leader in the areas of artificial intelligence, innovation strategy, and product development. Prior to his latest endeavor, Cogensus, Matthew led the global strategy and GTM for the communication and media division of Accenture, Microsoft's cloud-first practice. Matthew has so much to tell us about how he got to where he is, so I'd like to welcome him to the show. Welcome, Matthew. Gail, thanks for having me. How Matthew's Experiences Shaped Cogensus You told me you're shaped by your personal experiences. Let's start there. Can you tell our readers how this played into you starting your own company called Cogensus? Great name, by the way. Thank you. The personal experience I referenced was the particular passing of my grandfather. When I was a little guy, I spent a lot of time with my granddad. He watched me a lot from the ages of 1 to 11, when he passed away. My grandpa, I learned later in life, was a pretty exemplary guy. He went through a lot of interesting life experiences. Growing up with him in the context of being his grandchild, I was not exposed to any of that because there are a lot of adult topics you just can't talk to a child about. I understand totally. When I was in my late twenties, I one day stumbled upon his online obituary, and it referenced a couple of things that I didn't know. I went on a research journey of my own to learn more about my grandpa. I learned that he joined World War II at seventeen. He fought and served and got a Purple Heart and a Silver Star. He came back and tried to commit suicide and then survived. A lot of intense life experiences. It's a shame that we don't have more clarity and depth on what happened there. That colored my experience. In the age of AI, I thought that a lot of people are going to be getting older. It'll be a real shame if their combined histories pass away without being saved in some form or fashion. That was one of the personal experiences that caused me to move in this direction. This is somewhat professional, but in 2022, I helped the United Nations. I wrote some climate standards for them. You can find it under the ITU group. Effectively, they have these things called SDGs, which are Sustainable Development Goals. There's a big focus on both preserving the histories of the world. That could be all kinds of different communities, including indigenous folks, all the way up to helping the world as it ages. That was where I first got exposed to this broader problem about, I'll call it the aging world that we live in. We are going to be entering a time where we have a lot more people over the age of 60 than under it. That causes a whole bunch of both societal as well as localized changes that need to occur. By taking that into account and trying to be a positive person and leave a positive impact, and then my own personal experiences. That is what shaped Cogensus effectively. Importance Of Social Connections And Combating Loneliness There is a lot of talk about the importance of social connections and how it becomes increasingly important as we grow older to maintain and create new connections. Can you talk to our readers about social isolation versus loneliness versus social connectedness? There are three interrelated but distinct concepts, and we flirt with all of them as people of the world, at any age. Firstly, loneliness is a broader construct. Loneliness is defined in a whole bunch of different ways, but in a very simple way, it's you feel alone. Whether or not you are physically alone. For example, you feel isolated to some degree. You don't feel connected with people next to you. Loneliness can be defined in many different ways. But simply put, it is the feeling of being alone, whether or not you are physically alone. It's those whole host of negative feelings that when someone says, “I am lonely,” they could be surrounded by people in a physical sense but feel no relation to them. Typically, loneliness is defined as the interrelated experience between you and I and other people. That feeling is interpersonal. Social isolation is the act of being isolated. That could be a physical or circumstantial situation where you yourself are alone. When you are in a room by yourself, you are isolated. That can also take place, meaning that you are more isolated from a community, because maybe you live in a rural setting, or maybe, as a lot have happened, unfortunately, people pass away near to you. You become isolated within your localized group. That's social isolation. Social connectedness is a psychology concept, which is the specific measurement to some degree of your social network. Social network does not mean social media. Social network means I have two best friends. I have three acquaintances. I have one family member. Those are your relationships. The degree to which you feel connected with those people is social connectedness. For example, there's a lot of research better understanding social connectedness, because people who score very low on that scale tend to have problems with social isolation as well as the feeling of loneliness. These three things are now being recognized as health drivers to some degree. They can improve your recovery for something or your chances of readmission for something. These heavily influence those factors. They also, for example, things like cognitive decline, dementia, and a number of other cognitive conditions. If you are socially isolated, you're effectively not as engaged with some of those verbal processing things. Those can cause those conditions to speed up in their severity. That's why it's very important to focus on these concepts, especially as we age, because we become more exposed to some of these realities of the aging body. Do you think that people who are naturally introverted or say they don't need to be around people all the time, or maybe just have a few close friends and that's it? Do they suffer more health-wise than other people? It's interesting because they could be more isolated if we're talking about social isolation, but they could be less lonely. What they find with the loneliness component is that, I'll call it the feelings perspective. Social isolation becomes a problem when you think about access to healthcare or access to emergency contacts. That's why it's good to live in or near a community potentially just for the physical location of people. However, you could live remote and not be lonely at all. You could have a very high degree of social connectedness because a lot of that is self-reporting. You could say, “I feel very connected to my sister who lives across the country. We talk every day.” You might not have those negative perceptions. That's one of the things that I feel social media has been very negative for the world over. In many cases, it can magnify this perception of you feeling alone. Whether or not you're surrounded by people that may have an interest in engaging with you. I would say, an introvert might be better prepared for some of those concepts, versus an extrovert that derives a sense of purpose or activity from the relationship with other people. Understanding The Social Determinants Of Health Tell us, what are the social determinants of health? Social determinants of health are a concept that have been talked about since 2021, which was when they first made their prime-time appearance. They effectively are non-medical-related factors that influence health outcomes. This is a very broad category. It could be everything from your income to your political outlook to the country you live in. There's a whole bunch of different things. I believe there are about 14 to 20, and they're quite easy to find, the list of SDOH. That's the acronym for it. Is there some level of importance between them? Effectively, what they're finding is that within those SDOH categories, there's a fair degree of causation or correlation. Depending on how you look at it, to health outcomes meaning some of those are very impactful. For example, loneliness and social isolation are SDOH. As of 2025, now the health community in the United States, the NCQA, which is a regulatory body as far as healthcare reimbursers and payers and things of that nature. They've now formally recognized it in their care standards that hospitals need to collect this. What they're finding is that people suffering from unrelated conditions, like cardiac readmission or broken arms or legs or limbs. Depending on your standing within these other categories, your chances of improving can heavily go up or down. What they're finding is those are factors that are both very important from an individual health perspective as well as what they call health economics, which is hospitals knowing if this person might come back. It's very important to understand those as people who are caring for others. You could say clinicians, caregivers, or whatever, because those are now on the minds of healthcare professionals. For us as individuals, it's always interesting to take a look at those SDOHs and just see how you stand because a lot of that is how you feel about those. Where do you stand? I'm doing okay. Again, when I say where you stand, it's how you feel about the categories. For example, we could look at the country you live in as an SDOH, geographic location. For example, just by being in the United States. I benefit from some of the United States infrastructures, whereas that might not apply to someone who lives in a remote province in Southern India or Africa. They don't have access to clean drinking water, for example. Maybe looking at something like education. That's an SDOH. There's a whole bunch of stuff. It's effectively where you slot in with these categories. You could argue that a lot of first-world nations will automatically score higher on those things than someone from a more remote, impoverished area. Finding Your Tribe Vs. Shouting Into The Void Of Social Media You also speak about finding your tribe versus shouting into the void of social media, which I find fascinating. Can you describe to us exactly what you mean by that? This is just my words, truthfully. What I mean by that is, if we think about humans broadly and what it means to be connected and supported by your familial or friend ecosystem. I believe that the human brain can only deal with about 50 to 75 connections before we start dropping them. This is a number I read a long time ago. What that means is, you can only maintain so many relationships. Where you invest that time, it gets dividends back to you from feeling recognized and validated as a person, or if it's wasted energy. I believe that in the world we now live in, we have moved away from what I would call a healthier path or a healthier outlook to community management. For example, not too in the distant past, your community was the people who were physically near you. You had some level of interaction with your family members and you could identify with certain things like, “We mostly agree on that or this or that.” Those relationships may be more fruitful from a management perspective because you will get something more out of those, versus what a lot of people have now been conditioned to and are being conditioned to do is focus their energy outward into the broader social community world. This could be someone on the other side of the world, which you could have something in common with them. The chances of them hanging out with you on a day-to-day basis are very limited. That energy may be going wasted. When we look at things like social connectedness and social isolation, there's some degree of benefit that comes derived from creating a more localized community. When I say your tribe, back in the day, many years ago. People who live in the blue zones. That's one of the main criteria, their tribe or their community around them. I see them every day. An interesting fun fact is my grandmother-in-law. My wife's grandmother, lives in Taiwan. She's 105 and she's surrounded by family members. As anyone can guess, 105 is pretty old. It's one of those things where if you look at her lifestyle, it's very blue zone-ish. She tends to make all her own food at home. She's got her eight children who take care of her. She's highly supported. She's in a localized area and surrounded by her tribe. All those things are very important. For someone who, let's say, moved away from their family to a remote area. They never took the time to integrate with the locals. Their community might be a country away and have no localized community. They are very likely to feel isolated in some form or fashion, whether it be socially or physically. Those become very important for aging with Gusto, as you speak, that you can get out and do things with your communities. The last thing I'll say about that is it's always important to cultivate a new community where you go. I think a lot of people get stuck with, “I have these friends from high school,” that's it. That is very detrimental for aging in place or aging with a better health outcome. It is always important to cultivate a new community wherever you go. Many people get stuck in their past, which has been detrimental for aging with a better health outcome. As somebody who moved to a totally new part of the country with my husband, I feel a community, which is what we wanted to do. It does take some time to find your friends and to learn who people are and what people are who you want to be friends with. It takes some time. It's important for people to know that it's a process, and it's worth doing that. It's hard. I think everyone recognizes it's harder to make friends as you get older just because there's a lot more there. With your children, it's as simple as, “I have this ball. Would you like to play with me?” The other kid goes, “Yes.” As an adult, you have a lot more accumulated things. I don't want to call them baggage because it's not the right word, but history and memories. That process becomes a little bit more tentative, but it is very important to put some level of effort into it because things happen in life. It's good to have people around you. How Aging And Social Connections Will Evolve In The Future We touched on this a little bit earlier, older people in particular, often have trouble maintaining connections because their friends or family members may pass away, move away, or lose their hearing. How do you see this changing in the future? There's two ways to look at this. There's a pessimistic outlook and an optimistic outlook. I'll give a little of both. The pessimistic outlook is if you look at the world's population, and I just use this broadly. We have a lot of folks getting older or living longer. They're not having as many children. Their children are not having as many children. This is pretty consistent across a lot of first- and second-world economies in the world. Some places are hit very badly. For example, Asia has a huge problem with this. The US is tracking a little bit behind, but still going in that direction. I think it's by 2050, about 20% of the population will be over 65, which is a dramatic number when you think about historical context. What that means is there are going to be a lot more people passing away. At the same time, there are going to be a lot more people aging in similar circumstances. That gives them the capability to form friendships in a more like-to-like comparison, potentially. People around you are experiencing a similar transition, a similar journey in life. There will be something you could identify and be friends with. As we go a couple of generations forward, I think the younger generations may have a bigger problem. The biggest takeaway from that is you need to keep an open spirit. This is a problem that I find. This is one of my personal critiques of social media broadly. Social media effectively finds what causes us to have a strong emotional reaction. Oftentimes, that's negative, and it seeks to magnify those things because they're looking for engagement. At the end of the day, how they get paid is when you click the link and you spend time in the whatever. It could be the news, an article, or videos. It doesn't matter. Those topics are not often good for you. We have much more negative content output than positive because negative just moves faster. People like to rage to themselves. That mindset is very negative because it causes a closing effect. You effectively close yourself off from new experiences and new people. By doing that, you're only harming yourself. It's a personal thing we all have to take some level of responsibility for. The best advice is you've got to keep an open mind and remember that we're not so different across age brackets, ethnicities, all of the above. Ways To Combat Loneliness And Isolation In Older Adults Aside from maybe living in a closely knit community, how can loneliness and isolation be abated for older people? What are some other ways that people can not be lonely and not feel the social isolation? Social isolation is the trickier one because isolation is generally physical. When it is social and physical, it's out. With feeling lonely, it's about understanding your connections. For example, it's very easy for us to lose touch with someone and think, “I won't call them. It's been fifteen years. There's no reason for me to call,” even if you were very close with them. The easiest thing you can do is figure out people that you used to enjoy company with. If there wasn't some horrible schism or chasm that caused you to break apart, reach out to them because they very likely may be thinking the same thing. It takes some level of faith to reach out to someone. Secondarily, this is something that we're looking to assist in our platform. We're going to help by building out effectively these personalized social connection charts that allow you to take an impetus forward and go connect with people that you would like to. Not through our platform, because we're not social media. We're just going to give you, “This is what we view based on what you tell us.” That's one. The last part of this, which is interesting because it sits right next to these things, is purpose. One of the key things about Blue Zone people and people who tend to live a long time is they have a very clear purpose in life. It's something they like, it's something they do and they talk to. It could be a whole bunch of things, but finding your purpose to some degree, the reason to get up and do something every day is what will keep you getting up and doing something every day. People who tend to live a long time typically have a very clear purpose in life. Role Of Technology In Fighting Loneliness And Aging It's so true. Aside from social media, what do you see as the role of technology in loneliness and getting older? I think in many ways, outside of a couple of things in tech, that process is going to get a lot better. For example, with Cogensus. We are specifically building our platform to tackle some of those aspects, but what we're seeing is now with wearables and much more advanced data analytics and proactive monitoring, people who traditionally would have been a victim of a health event in an isolated context have now a way to reach out or they're being monitored. We have a much more eyes-on and hands-on approach, where in the past we just didn't. It wasn't uncommon to hear someone who lived in a remote countryside was found two weeks later having passed away from an event. Nobody knew. With now the advent of wearables and their mass scale, it's very easy. The watch you wear every day that tells your time. It could very easily check your heart rate and look for blood sugar. There's a whole bunch of different things. Once we start to get into this aspect of what we're looking at, which is your mental frame of mind, we are entering a new era of how we can better care for someone in this capacity meaning we can start to monitor how you're feeling in a very altruistic way. When you start to express negativity about your circumstances, in theory in the future, there could be some intervention event where we go, “We recognize you're at risk for blank. You may want to do this.” It's not a mandate. It's something purely for your own benefit. I think it's very positive overall. What about artificial intelligence? How do you see that impacting the aging population? Artificial intelligence is one of those very clear double-edged swords. Artificial intelligence has the capacity to do a lot of good stuff, but in many cases, it will be positioned to do not-so-good stuff. I don't necessarily think the people designing it are evil. It's more just a perspective of they're looking for certain milestones or, as I said, engagement points. Those might not always be rooted in what's best for you. For example, one of the key things to watch out for in a number of the AI platforms coming out is what they call unhealthy attachments. We're getting into an age where they can very clearly simulate an avatar that looks identical to you and me. Artificial intelligence is one of those clear double-edged swords. It has the capacity to do a lot of good. But in many cases, it can be positioned to do otherwise. I was going to ask you next about robots. How do you feel about robots? I know that people who are older, there are dogs or robotic dogs to help, which I thought was clever. The robots are far less concerning than some of these digital avatars. The reason I say that is, if someone is older and someone grew up in a very different time. Potentially, they have early stages of cognitive decline of some form or fashion. They might not understand that they're talking to someone that isn't real when it looks just like you and me on a health application. By the way, in the New York Times, there was a long story about a woman who was married who got involved. I don't know whether it was an avatar, but it was some artificial man online. She's having a real relationship with. Did you hear about that? It was very bizarre. I didn't hear about that one in particular, but that's not uncommon. That's probably my biggest. For example, within Cogensus, we do not, at this time, use realistic avatars on purpose. We have a very strong MD psychiatric bend in our technology. We use cartoon avatars on purpose because our intention is not to remove humans from the equation. Whereas a lot of applications of AI are what I call siloing applications. They're designed to appeal to you and specifically you and zone in so deeply that you get very attached to it. From a perspective of how we expand social communities and keep you healthy in these outcomes, that is the worst thing you could do. How Cogensus Can Help People Age With Gusto Tell our readers more about Cogensus. I want to know more about and understand this business that you're launching. How is it going to help people age more healthfully and with Gusto? Our platform is effectively three pillars. These pillars were created based on a lot of field research that I did. Before I launched this company, I went out and interviewed and spoke with a number of people across a whole bunch of different positions. These would be people in active in different kinds of care homes. These could be totally independent senior living. These could be people who still live in their own home and apartment, like no problem. They're not in any community. The people in memory care and a whole bunch of things. The caregivers that worked with them, clinicians that supported them, and their family members. I spoke with a lot of people. There were three things that jumped out to us as being very important. First and foremost, people experiencing loneliness and social isolation are not stimulated on a verbal activity basis on a day-to-day. What happens is they reach out to everyone around them. That could be things as well. To your point, they could start talking with an online chat app. They could reach out to customer service. That's from a deficit of activity. The first part of Cogensus is we have an AI-supported journaling feedback engine. Effectively, you can engage with this as if you were talking with you and me. Its function is not to guide you in any particular direction, but rather engage you in communication that stimulates where you want to go with it. The idea being, you talk about how you're feeling. You can talk about any event. You can just talk. It will engage with you as if you were talking with someone who was getting to know you. Over time, it will get to know you better. What we do with that is we take those conversations, and we extract indicators around verbal, memory, and mood. Those are the three. We're looking for indicators about how you're doing. Those are, when you allow them, shared with your provider. This could be a caregiver, a doctor, or whoever. It has to be a medical professional of some form or fashion. That's the key part. We're looking for things like, are you starting to mix up words? Are you misremembering things? Are you just sad? There's a whole bunch. A perfect use case for this is the loss of a spouse. This person can be perfectly, physically, and mentally able, but losing a spouse is a very traumatic activity. Especially with regards to social connectivity like you're connected to your spouse very deeply and typically. That puts you at risk for other comorbidities. It's very common for people to pass away after their spouse goes. We want to look at that. We want to make sure that you aren't at risk for negative health outcomes. Those insights are given to your doctor. The last part, which is a personal interest of mine, but also mirrors back to my broader career, is we give the user and the elderly person, the ability to take those conversations and create pictorial and textual memoirs. They can create memory books about their existence. We AI support that so you can make cool imagery and book entries and all kinds of stuff. Over time, those get packaged. You have this very robust living history of what you want to share. It's not trying to create you. There are a couple of AI platforms that say, “Give us all your stuff. We'll recreate you as an avatar.” That's not our goal. Do you do that by using photos they share with you or asking questions of them? How does that work? As I said, when you speak with the AI platform, let's say you want to talk about your dog, Shirley. You can tell the story about your dog and it will engage with you as if it's a normal person saying, “Tell me more about your dog. What kind of dog?” The point of that is for you to be able to recollect and say, “Create a memory of my dog, Shirley.” It will give you different options. You can create a pretty realistic version of your dog, Shirley. You can do that with a sample text effectively to make your book. The reason for this piece of the platform is that one of the biggest things that was called out between family members and people living in communities or by themselves or whatever, was the lack of communication transparency between the family members. If you're remotely far, again, you could be isolated but not lonely. We can solve or start to solve some of that, which is, family members want to be able to better engage with their aging relatives in some way. They feel very guilty, traditionally, about having to put them somewhere. The person being moved or transitioning in life is very shocken up. It's hard and chaotic. This gives them a way to collaborate on these memories and create these shared family memoirs. The idea being, one of the most important things as someone ages is to know that your life made a difference. The biggest way to do that is to know about the impact you made on yourself and others. You can create that now in our platform. It sounds like not only are you giving people a purpose, but then you're creating a bit of a legacy for them too. That was a big part for me because, again, this calls back to my grandpa. If he had this tool, it would be very impactful for he would have created a cool book. Unfortunately, we lost my mother-in-law. She passed away early from cancer. It was very clear as she dealt with the disease how important it was for her to share certain memories and pass on history. Without a tool like this, which is a problem a lot of people are facing. It's not just us. Everyone has a story or two about this. It's very hard to capture all those memories in a singular instance, especially when you're engaging in long-term care of some sort. Those memories are typically 30 seconds to a minute shared in passing and they're gone. Without a tool that can quickly capture those and then later help you import and create those. They go into the ether. That's why that function, of all the functions is the most important to me from what I call a social good perspective. Matthew, it sounds like you've done something good here in creating Cogensus. I would like to let our readers know how to reach you or how to learn more about Cogensus, more than we could share in this short episode. We are trying. We're building something that we believe will be impactful for the world over. It's as simple as going to www.Cogensus.com. That's how you get there. You could reach out to us through the website. Our intention is to go live with the product for our early test in August of 2025. We hope after that, you will start to see it in the market. At that point in time, we are also working with insurance companies to allow this to be reimbursable. Our goal is to make this available to as many people as possible out the gate. Our current model is that we sell through healthcare institutions and senior care communities. Once we're live, you could get that, ask your providers to look into what we're doing and then they can help procure that for you. Thank you, Matthew. This has been a great episode, and thank you for reading this show. If you'd like to learn more about our show, please go to www.GrowingOlderWithGusto.com or check out our YouTube channel. Remember to stay curious and stay connected. Thank you, Gail. Important Links ITU Matthew Edgerton on LinkedIn Cogensus Gail Zugerman on LinkedIn Growing Older with Gusto Growing Older with Gusto on YouTube About Matthew Edgerton Matthew had 15 years experience as a leader of Global Strategy and GTM for Comms & Media Division of Accenture's Microsoft's Cloud First Practice.
In this "Ask the Expert" episode titled, "Women's Health within Neuroimmunology," Dr. Sonia Singh joined Krissy Dilger of SRNA to share women's health concerns within the context of neuroimmunology, focusing on issues like fertility and pregnancy for those with rare neuroimmune disorders [00:01:20]. Dr. Singh discussed how certain conditions, such as neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and autoimmune encephalitis, and medications could impact fertility [00:03:45]. They also explored the increased risks of relapse during and after pregnancy and the importance of coordinated care between neurologists and obstetricians [00:07:10]. Dr. Singh emphasized the importance of teamwork during pregnancy to ensure optimal outcomes for both mother and child [00:21:45]. Sonia Kaur Singh, MD is a Neurologist and Assistant Professor of Neurology at Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Charleston who specializes in Neuroimmunology. Dr. Singh obtained her medical degree from Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore in Southern India. After graduation, she worked with dementia specialists in India studying dementia in culturally and linguistically diverse populations. She completed her neurology residency at University of Texas Health Science Center Houston (UTHealth Houston) in the Texas Medical Center. During residency, she was involved with innovative learning strategies including a structural competency curriculum and graduated with the prestigious Frank Yatsu Award for Excellence in Clinical Neurology. After residency, she completed a one-year fellowship in Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology from UTHealth Houston where she was actively involved in medical education and clinical trials. Dr. Singh has a special interest in women's health and cognition in neuroimmune conditions.
Subscribe to Grand Tamasha on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or your favorite podcast app. I spoke with Deepika Padmanabhan, who's a PhD candidate in political science at Yale University. Her research focuses on nationalism, language and self-determination with a regional focus in South Asia. We discussed her job market paper, everyday imposition language promotion as a nation building strategy in Southern India. We talked about how the exposure to dominant national languages like English and Hindi impacts the identity of subnational regional speakers in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the politics of language in South Asia, the instrumental versus symbolic characteristics of regional languages and much more. Recorded September 11th, 2024. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Connect with Ideas of India Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Follow Deepika on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox. Timestamps (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:08) - Grand Tamasha (00:02:47) - Linguistic Diversity and National Identity (00:03:55) - History and Politics of Multilingualism in India (00:06:20) - Language as a Nation-Building Tool with Putative Effects (00:08:53) - Experiencing the Hierarchy of National and Subnational Identities Through Language (00:11:51) - Observing the Discriminatory Effects of Linguistic Imposition (00:15:37) - Bilingualism or Diglossia (00:18:03) - Differences in the Political and Economic Valences of Hindi and English (00:21:18) - Migration and Language Politics (00:22:35) - Linguistic Pluralism in Relation to National Identity and Growing Nativism (00:25:39) - Hindi as the Site of Political and Economic Tensions (00:30:45) - Dialects of Local Languages Provoking a Subnational Identity (00:34:26) - A Linguistic Origin Story (00:38:33) - Politics in Tamil Film (00:43:20) - The Future of Linguistic Diversity with Advancements in Technology (00:45:15) - Outro
In this episode, I'm joined by Sahana, a passionate travel blogger and food enthusiast from India. Sahana shares her deep connection to Indian cuisine, discussing how her family's love for food has shaped her appreciation for both home-cooked meals and the rich, diverse flavors of Indian street food. We dive into why some travelers find Indian cuisine overwhelming—covering spice levels, unique ingredients like cardamom and cinnamon, and cultural aspects such as eating with hands. Sahana gives us essential tips for finding authentic Indian food and how to avoid the dreaded Delhi belly! We also talk about traditional meals, how festivals like Ganesha Chaturthi are celebrated with elaborate dishes, and the intricate process of making beloved South Indian foods like dosa and chutney. If you're curious about what to eat in India, especially in Southern India, or looking for travel tips for India, this episode will satisfy your appetite for knowledge on Indian food and culture! Connect with Sahana: https://vacaywork.com/ Email: sahana@vacaywork.com Instagram Facebook Pinterest Sign up for the newsletter!! Each month I'll be sending out a newsletter with insider tips Sign up HERE! ***Looking to experience the flavors we've explored firsthand? Skip the stress of travel planning and work with a trusted professional to take care of all of that for you! Travel Trails specializes in crafting unforgettable travel experiences tailored to your taste for adventure. Don't miss out on tasting these delicious dishes because you don't have the time to plan. Visit https://travel-trails.com/ to learn more and follow @TastyTrailsTravelPod and @Travel.Trails___ on Instagram to stay up to date on episodes and all things food & travel
In which your psychic friend and faithful deejay, hosts a private freakoff of the sonic variety. Choice cuts from The Soft Boys, Oran Cogan, Prince Fatty, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Ethel Ann-Powell, Tha Lazuras Project, and so many more. Plus, private press 1970's country gospel, Carnatic music from Southern India, garage rock circa 1960-something, etc., etc., etc.Giving you what the algorithms won't since 2020.
While in the West the legends of King Arthur were being born, a Buddhist tantric magician of immense magical powers - Vajrabodhi - was enshrining himself as the Merlin of first India, and then China. Undeniably one of the most extraordinary characters of the 8th century, Vajrabodhi would play a crucial role in transporting Buddhism to the Chinese court, along with Indian scholarship. After being sent there on an important embassy by his cousin, a mighty Pallava king of Southern India, Vajrabodhi embarked upon a colourful odyssey to rival those of antiquity, meeting, as he went, a young boy who would later become his loyal companion and a powerful sorcerer in his own right; Amoghavajra. Together they were alleged to have sent rain dragons to cure droughts, and concocted spells or mantras capable of destroying the invading hordes of Islam and the Tibetans. What then is the truth of these exceptional monks and their purported “magic”? Did they really conquer rampaging armies and even master the elements? Join William and Anita as they discuss Vajrabodhi, the Buddhist magician of India, and his sorcerer's apprentice. From wizards, spells, and rain dragons, to invading armies, and the secrets of the previously unexplainable Borobudur… To fill out the survey: survey.empirepoduk.com To buy William's book: https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producers: Anouska Lewis and Tabby Syrett Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Visit Whole Truth Foods and use CODE: DESI20 to get 20% off your order. https://thewholetruthfoods.com Murder is a horrendous violation of a fundamental right— a right to live. A right to experience the joys of being alive, whether those be falling in love, getting your dream job or something as simple as eating your favorite meal. Murder strips you of existence. But some murders and some murderers go down in history not just because they stripped someone of that right but because of how they stripped someone of that right. Because of how many people they stripped of that right. One such murderer was roaming the dark and quiet highways of Southern India in the late 2000s. This is the story of those highways, of that murderer. This is the story of Psycho Shankar. For extra episodes, early access, silly bloopers, subscribe at: https://www.patreon.com/thedesistudios or join our YouTube family https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbfV0YvrxWMq3h0hmo13Jg/join To buy Desi Studios merch, visit: https://kadakmerch.com/collections/desi-studios For fastest updates, follow our socials at: https://www.instagram.com/desicrime/ Want our content in video formats instead? Head over to YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thedesistudios?si=HBkPuoi3bFxx46tU Love horror content too? Subscribe to The Bhootbusters Podcast: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bhootbusters-podcast/id1728625464 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3I4KvQugyBJIjf69WlJvVh?si=Leb_m209R8exHTqlJlXcKQ Amazon: https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/564ff27d-d49f-443b-9fa1-318fab5630aa/the-bhootbusters-podcast Aryaan: https://www.instagram.com/aryaanmisra/ Aishwarya: https://www.instagram.com/aishwaryasinghs/
In this episode of the Finding Harmony Podcast, Harmony and Russell reconnect with their Sanskrit and chanting teacher, Dr. M.A. Jayashree, who has spent a lifetime immersed in the study and teaching of ancient yogic wisdom. This insightful conversation dives deep into the transformative power of Sanskrit sounds in yoga practice, exploring how these sacred vibrations can influence spiritual growth and inner transformation. Join us as we discuss the significance of mantra, the role of chanting in traditional yogic practices, and how these ancient sounds can be a pathway to deeper spiritual awareness. Our guest shares her personal journey of growing up in India, her experience as a woman studying and teaching Sanskrit, and the profound impact that chanting has had on her life and the lives of her students. Key Topics: The Significance of Saraswati: Our guest explains the meaning behind the Saraswati chant, detailing the symbolism of the goddess of knowledge and her importance in spiritual practice. Growing Up with Yoga and Sanskrit: Learn about our guest's early life in India, where yoga and Sanskrit were integral parts of her upbringing, and how this cultural foundation influenced her spiritual journey. The Power of Chanting: Discover the vibrational power of Sanskrit mantras and how they can transform the mind, body, and spirit. Our guest delves into the science behind these sounds and their role in yogic practices. Education and Tradition: A discussion on the importance of education in traditional Indian families, particularly the role of women in preserving and passing on spiritual knowledge. Balancing Family and Education: Our guest shares her personal challenges and triumphs as she pursued higher education in Sanskrit while managing the responsibilities of family life. The Essence of True Education: Explore the difference between knowledge (Jnana) and wisdom (Vidya), and how true education goes beyond mere information to cultivate a cultured and compassionate mind. Spiritual Practice Through Chanting: Understand how chanting serves as a spiritual practice, akin to pranayama, and how it can lead to a meditative state by focusing the mind and controlling the breath. Jayashree Anandampillai Dr. M.A. Jayashree is a retired Professor of Sanskrit, currently the director of Anantha Research foundation, Mysore, an institution engaged in foundational research work in the field of ancient sciences of India and also in the field of Sanskrit and Indian culture. She holds a doctorate degree in Sanskrit from Bangalore University on the topic, “Concept of Mind in Indian philosophy” completed under the guidance of Prof K. T. Pandurangi. She has many books, monographs and papers to her credit in the fields of Sanskrit, Ancient Sciences, Indian history, Culture, Music and so on. She holds a vidvat (master) degree in Carnatic classical music and is a Performing Musician. She is an accomplished artist in Mysore school of painting. She is the Vidwatpramukh for ItihasaSankalanaSamiti, Karnataka chapter. She has a large following of overseas students to learn Yoga Sutras of Maharshi Patanjali and Srimad Bhagavadgita. She has conducted many workshops on chanting of Yoga Sutras and Bhagavad Gita, given lectures on Yoga Philosophy and taught Sanskrit in an easy way in many parts of the world like Hong Kong, Thailand, America & Europe. She has also given several sessions in the “Evolution – Asia Yoga Conference ” in Hong Kong for 3 consecutive years. She has produced many CDs and books as learning aids in the traditional method of oral chanting in the name ‘Srutiparampara' Dr. M.A. JAYASHREE is from from Mysore, Karnataka, in Southern India. She was born and brought up in a traditional Indian brahman family environment. After starting her studies in the scientific field, she became more and more involved in the understanding of Indian philosophy and scriptures. This led her to achieve a deep knowledge of both Yoga and Sanskrit, which she speaks fluently. Dr. M.A. JAYASHREE took her PhD in Sanskrit, of which she has become a popular teacher by working in several educational institutions of Mysore (College and University) alongside her private tuition to Yoga students. She has also studied the traditional Indian music system, and her wonderful voice has allowed her to become a recognized singer. She has featured several CDs on Veda, Yoga Sutra, Sloka and Sanscrit poems. Dr. M.A. Jayashree, along with her brother Prof. M.A. Narasimhan are the founders of the Anantha Research Foundation, Sanskrit & Yoga Research Foundation, Mysore, whose purpose is to bring the wisdom of traditional Indian teachings to contemporary students all over the world. Links to chanting: https://open.spotify.com/track/28Pax7cpc8H1vUMrabDLHJ https://open.spotify.com/album/54d1Oqhs1v2SyCmWXinXPi?uid=ab9a130b86bada14a636&uri=spotify%3Atrack%3A28Pax7cpc8H1vUMrabDLHJ Connect with Us (We love to hear from you!) Harmony Slater's Website: http://harmonyslater.com Finding Harmony Community https://harmonyslater.com/harmony-slater-coaching Find Harmony on Instagram Follow the Finding Harmony Podcast on IG Two Minute Breathwork Session Yoga Gives Back Fundraiser
AP correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports survivors are extracted across a raging torrent as rescues continue after deadly India landslides.
AP correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports landslides caused by heavy rains kill around 50 and bury many others in southern India.
As co-founder of SkratchLabs and co-author of the FeedZone cookbooks, Chef Biju Thomas has played a major role in how cyclists fuel themselves. He and his family emigrated from a rural part of Southern India to Colorado when he was 10. As a teenager, he fell in love with cycling right around the time he started working in restaurants, and dreamed of combining his two passions. Decades later, he's done just that, cooking for top cyclists, authoring cookbooks that have changed the way the cycling industry thinks about fueling, and starring in his own TV show for Outside. Payson caught up with Biju in Bentonville earlier this month to talk about moving to the U.S. as a kid, falling in love with cycling after the 1984 L.A. Olympics, and finding a kindred spirit in future business partner Allen Lim. You can follow Biju at @bijuthechef on Instagram or find out more about his latest projects at chefbiju.com.Instagram: @theadventurestacheYouTube: Payson McElveen
AP correspondent Karen Chammas reports on the deaths of over 30 people in southern India from tainted liquor.
Send us a Text Message.Get ready for a heartening journey of faith and inspiration as we welcome Andrew Lombardo from the Mission Church. He introduces us to Bishop Thomas Junior, who has been transforming lives in Tenali, India, through his impactful ministry. You'll hear about the incredible legacy of Bishop Thomas Junior's father, who dedicated 52 years to preaching the gospel, and how this mission has blossomed into a powerful movement that runs 14 children's homes and supports leprosy patients while managing 250 pastors across a 500-mile radius.Discover the diverse challenges and triumphs faced by this ministry in Southern India, where the message of Jesus is spreading through miraculous healings and committed outreach. We explore the varied responses to Christianity in India, including occasional persecution, and discuss how these communities rely on divine intervention much more than the often self-sufficient approach seen in the United States. This segment offers a profound reflection on faith's role in both spiritual and practical aspects of life.Lastly, we highlight the importance of addressing physical needs before sharing the gospel, revealing God's love through tangible acts of kindness. Learn how you can support these noble evangelistic efforts and make a difference in the lives of those in need. We close with a heartfelt prayer for all our listeners, invoking God's blessings, healing, and guidance, and reminding everyone of the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Join us for an episode brimming with faith, purpose, and the global impact of Jesus' message.If you would like to share your story, click this link: https://thepromoter.org/story/ Thanks for Listening, and subscribe to hear a new episode each week!
In this inspiring episode of The Glioblastoma AKA GBM Podcast, we're joined by Dr. Sheri Dewan, a trailblazer among the elite group of female neurosurgeons. With a career that spans across continents and cultures, Dr. Dewan brings her unique perspective to some of the most complex neurosurgical challenges. She discusses her groundbreaking new book, "Cutting a Path," her dedication to global healthcare, and her experiences with charity surgery in Southern India. Additionally, Dr. Dewan delves into medical intricacies and advanced surgical techniques that have never before been discussed on our show. Join us as we explore the intersection of gender, innovation, and compassion in the field of neurosurgery with one of its most dynamic practitioners. Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussions on surgical procedures and medical conditions. For more information and support resources, visit GBMResearch.org. To purchase Cutting a Path: The Power of Purpose, Discipline, and Determination, visit: https://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Path-Purpose-Discipline-Determination/dp/161254620X. Episode Sponsor: Novocure. Visit https://www.novocure.com/ to learn more. Disclaimer: The content discussed on The Glioblastoma AKA GBM Podcast is based on personal stories and experiences. It is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with healthcare professionals for medical guidance and treatment options.
In tonight's Sleep Hypnosis with Jessica, we're going on a visualisation trip to Kerala, where Jessica recently visited. It's an area of Southern India, rich with elephants, coconut palms and banana trees...so, basically, it's beautiful. Let Jessica take you there tonight, and get that rest you've been dreaming of. As always, tonight's episode will start with a relaxing introduction from Jessica, before we sink into tonight's Sleep Hypnosis. Want more Sleep Magic? Join Sleep Magic Premium ✨ Enjoy 2 bonus episodes a month plus all episodes ad-free, access to Jessica's complete back catalog of over 60 episodes, and show your support to Jessica. To Subscribe
Lichen is a strange presence on this planet. Traditionally, scientists have understood lichen as a new organism formed through symbiosis between a fungus and an algae. But the science is evolving. It seems that there may be more than one species of fungus involved in this symbiosis, and some scientists have suggested that lichen could be described as both an ecosystem and an organism. Lichen may even be immortal, in some sense of the word.In lichen, the poet Forrest Gander finds both the mystery of the forest and a rich metaphor for our symbiosis with one another and with the planet, for the relationship between the dead and the living, and for how our relationships with others change us indelibly. In his poem, “Forest,” lichen are a sensual presence, even erotic, living in relationship to the other beings around them. They resemble us, strangely, despite our dramatic differences.The words of the poem teem with life, like the forest they explore, and Forrest's marvelous reading of the poem adds a panoply of meanings and feelings through his annunciation, his breaths, his breaks. It's phenomenal.This poem, and his work more broadly, is about nothing less that who we are on this Earth and how we live—how we thrive—in relationship.Forrest Gander writes poetry, novels, essays, and translations. He is the recipient of many awards and honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Pulitzer Prize in poetry for his book, Be With. As an undergraduate, like me, he studied geology, which became foundational to his engagement with ecological ethics and poetics.Forrest often collaborates with other artists on books and exhibitions, including a project with the photographer Sally Mann. His latest book of poetry is a collaboration with the photographer Jack Shear, called Knot (spelled with a “k”). He recently collaborated with artist Ashwini Bhat on an exhibition at the Shoshana Wayne Gallery in Los Angeles, called “In Your Arms I'm Radiant.”His poem, “Forest,” is from his 2021 collection of poems, Twice Alive.Forrest has taught at Harvard University and Brown University. He spoke to me from his home in Northern California, where he now lives.This episode of Chrysalis is part of the Chrysalis Poets series, which focuses on a single poems from poets who confront ecological issues in their work.You can listen on Substack, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast platforms.Please rate, review, and share to help us spread the word!Forrest GanderBorn in the Mojave Desert in Barstow, California, Forrest Gander grew up in Virginia. He spend significant years in San Francisco, Dolores Hidalgo (Mexico), Eureka Springs, and Providence. With the late poet CD Wright, he has a son, the artist Brecht Wright Gander. Forrest holds degrees in both Geology and English literature. He lives now in Northern California with his wife, the artist Ashwini Bhat. Gander's book Be With was awarded the 2019 Pulitzer Prize. Concerned with the way we are revised and translated in encounters with the foreign, his book Core Samples from the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Gander has collaborated frequently with other artists including photographers Sally Mann, Graciela Iturbide, Raymond Meeks, and Lucas Foglia, glass artist Michael Rogers, ceramic artists Rick Hirsch and Ashwini Bhat, artists Ann Hamilton, Tjibbe Hooghiemstra, dancers Eiko & Koma, and musicians Vic Chesnutt and Brady Earnhart, among others. The author of numerous other books of poetry, including Redstart: An Ecological Poetics and Science & Steepleflower, Gander also writes novels (As a Friend; The Trace), essays (A Faithful Existence) and translates. Recent translations include It Must Be a Misunderstanding by Coral Bracho, Names and Rivers by Shuri Kido, and Then Come Back: the Lost Neruda Poems. His most recent anthologies are Pinholes in the Night: Essential Poems from Latin American (selected by Raúl Zurita) and Panic Cure: Poems from Spain for the 21st Century.Gander's books have been translated and published in more than a dozen other languages. He is a United States Artists Rockefeller Fellow and has received fellowships from The National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim, Whiting, and Howard Foundations. In 2011, he was awarded the Library of Congress Witter Bynner Fellowship. Gander was the Briggs-Copeland poet at Harvard University before becoming The Adele Kellenberg Seaver Professor of Literary Arts and Comparative Literature at Brown University where he taught courses such as Poetry & Ethics, EcoPoetics, Latin American Death Trip, and Translation Theory & Practice. He is an Emeritus Chancellor for the Academy for the Academy of American Poets and is an elected member of The Academy of Arts & Sciences.Gander co-edited Lost Roads Publishers with CD Wright for twenty years, soliciting, editing, and publishing books by more than thirty writers, including Michael Harper, Kamau Brathwaite, Arthur Sze, Fanny Howe, Frances Mayes, Steve Stern, Zuleyka Benitez, and René Char.“Forest”By Forrest GanderErogenous zones in oaks slung with stoles of lace lichen the sun's rays spilling through leaves in broken packets a force call it nighttime thrusts mushrooms up from their lair of spawn mycelial loam the whiff of port they pop into un- trammeled air with the sort of gasp that follows a fine chess move like memories are they? or punctuation? was it something the earth said to provoke our response tasking us to recall an evolutionary course our long ago initation into the one- among-others and within my newborn noticing have you popped up beside me love or were you here from the start a swarm of meaning and decay still gripping the underworld both of us half-buried holding fast if briefly to a swelling vastness while our coupling begins to register in the already awake compendium that offers to take us in you take me in and abundance floods us floats us out we fill each with the other all morning breaks as birdsong over us who rise to the surface so our faces might be sprungRecommended Readings & MediaForrest Gander reading his poem “Unto Ourselves” from Twice Alive.TranscriptIntroJohn FiegeLichen is a strange presence on this planet. Traditionally, scientists have understood lichen as a new organism formed through symbiosis between a fungus and an algae. But the science is evolving. It seems there may be more than one species of fungus involved in this symbiosis. And some scientists have suggested that lichen, and could be described as both an ecosystem and an organism. Lichen may even be immortal in some sense of the word. In lichen, the poet Forrest Gander finds both the mystery of the forest and a rich metaphor for our symbiosis with one another and with the planet, for the relationship between the dead and the living, and for how our relationships with others change us indelibly. In his poem, "Forest," lichen are an essential presence, even erotic, living in relationship to the other beings around them. They resemble us strangely, despite our dramatic differences. The words of the poem teem with life, like the forest they explore, and Forrest's marvelous reading of the poem as a panoply of meanings and feelings through his enunciation—his breaths, his breaks; it's phenomenal. This poem in his work, more broadly, is about nothing less than who we are on this earth, and how we live; how we thrive in relationship. I'm John Fiege, and this episode of Chrysalis is part of the Chrysalis Poets series. Forrest Gander writes poetry, novels, essays, and translations. He is the recipient of many awards and honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Pulitzer Prize in poetry for his book Be With. Forrest often collaborates with other artists on books and exhibitions, including a project with a photographer Sally Mann. His latest book of poetry is a collaboration with a photographer Jack Scheer called Knot. He recently collaborated with artist Ashwini Bhat on an exhibition at the Shoshana Wayne Gallery in Los Angeles, called In Your Arms I'm Radiant. His poem, "Forest," is from his 2021 collection of poems, Twice Alive. Forrest has taught at Harvard University and Brown University. He spoke to me from his home in Northern California, where he now lives. Here is Forrest Gander reading his poem "Forest."PoemForrest Gander“Forest”Erogenous zones in oaks slung with stoles of lace lichen the sun's rays spilling through leaves in broken packets a force call it nighttime thrusts mushrooms up from their lair of spawn mycelial loam the whiff of port they pop into un- trammeled air with the sort of gasp that follows a fine chess move like memories are they? or punctuation? was it something the earth said to provoke our response tasking us to recall an evolutionary course our long ago initation into the one- among-others and within my newborn noticing have you popped up beside me love or were you here from the start a swarm of meaning and decay still gripping the underworld both of us half-buried holding fast if briefly to a swelling vastness while our coupling begins to register in the already awake compendium that offers to take us in you take me in and abundance floods us floats us out we fill each with the other all morning breaks as birdsong over us who rise to the surface so our faces might be sprungConversationJohn FiegeThank you. It's so wonderful hearing you read it, the intonation and the flow of the words and your emphasis is just like completely new hearing you read it, rather than just reading it myself. I want to start with the sexual imagery. You begin with "erogenous zones in oaks, slung with stoles of lace lichen." And that last line, "stoles of lace lichen the," that was one of the things that jumped out to me, is the is at the end of the line there. And you read it as if it was the end of the line rather than pausing and using it as part of the next stanza. But in addition to these, this erogenous zone, you've got thrusting mushrooms in a layer of spawn, and sexual imagery doesn't often accompany decomposition, and decomposers like lichen and in fungi, but this combination brings a strong sense of the interconnectedness of life and death of reproduction and decomposition. And so this is the cyclical world we live in, even though we're often myopically or delusionally, focused on some kind of progressive, linear, supernaturally immortal view of our lives. How are you imagining the reader encountering the beginning of this poem, and its images of sexually charged decomposition?Forrest GanderI'm, uh, trying to connect decomposition and eros, or the merging of more than one species, one individual, into a community. And I'm trying to use a syntax, which you notice, that also doesn't easily separate itself into clear, discrete sentences, but seems to be connected at both ends. And the sense is for us to lose our security in reading our feeling that we dominate the reading that we can figure it out quickly and divide it up into these parcels, and instead, create a kind of reading experience that mimics the kind of experience that we actually live, where everything is connected, and, and where the erotic and the decomposing are involved in the same processes.John FiegeYeah, and thanks to Governor Jerry Brown, lace lichen is now the official California state lichen making...Forrest Gander(Chuckles) Isn't that great? John Fiege...making California the first state to recognize a lichen as a state symbol. And the poem, like you were saying, how the syntax is mimicking the organic world. Visually, the line breaks and the varied intended indentations appear as local lace lichen itself. Can you talk about your relationship with lichen?Forrest GanderYes. You know, I think like you think, which is why you're doing these podcasts, that we're in an exigent historical moment where the environment is rapidly changing, and species are rapidly disappearing. And we've been hearing about this for decades without really responding in a sufficient way to the exigency of our situation. So I'm trying to find models of, instead of just heaping on more climate information horror, I'm trying to find models of other ways of thinking about our relationship with the world. And one, since I have a background in science—I have a degree in geology—is a scientific one. And I worked with a mycologist, named Anne Pringle, who taught me to see fungus and lichen in places where I hadn't been seeing them before. And it turns out lichen covers about 92% of the world you can find lichen in. And despite that, most people know what it is. They've seen, like on rocks, green, brown, little spots. It turns out, scientists don't really know what lichen is.John FiegeIt's cool to find something that scientists don't feel like they know that much about.Forrest GanderIt is! And yet, it seems like there's more more of those things that we don't really know that we can't measure, that we can't feel like we are in control of it all. And lichen is these two—more actually, it's not just an algae and cyanobacteria, or Sienna bacteria and fungus that get together it there's more organisms that are involved that come together, and are transformed completely and can't go back to what they were. And they formed this new organism that acts completely differently. And we're not so different from that, that our own bodies are full of other organisms, and even our DNA contains DNA of parasites that long ago became incorporated into our system. So lichen gives us a way of thinking about the mutualities that our lives are really made of.John FiegeYeah, and this poem, "Forest," is part of that collection, Twice Alive, where you have "Post-Fire Forest" and other poems related to wildfire and the aftermath of them, and that collection follows on the heels of your previous collection, Be With, which, you know this moving series of eulogistic poems to your late wife. It seems that Be With wrestles with and processes personal grief, while "Twice Alive" adds the element of ecological trauma. How are those two realms of trauma-related phenomena—the personal and the ecological? And how do they play out in the poem?Forrest GanderThe poems of "Be With”… they are so personally painful to me, I couldn't even read from the book after I published it. I think I read twice and then stopped reading from it. And one, as Albert Camus says, you can't live on in a grief or depression that's so terrible that it doesn't leave you with any openings. And so I wanted to find positive things to write about. But we're living during an ecological crisis. So I'm, and I've been writing about that crisis through really most of my adult life. But I wanted to find positive ways of reimagining our relationship with the world and maybe with death also. Because in lichen, and in the metaphor of like, and work, to two or more things come together and are transformed. I thought of human intimacy and the way that my relationship, my close relationships, I'm transformed in those relationships, I become something else. And that thing, which is welded in love, has a durability, and lasts. And in the same way, scientists—some scientists are saying that our whole idea of death comes out of our mammalian orientation. And that may be because some things don't die, and have theoretical immortality, and lichen, given enough nutrients, may be one of those things.John FiegeThat's amazing. How does it make you feel to think about the possibility that there's something that actually has some kind of immortality?Forrest GanderHow does it make us feel? I think it checks what we have always thought we've known. And it checks our instinctual perspective. And that kind of check, I think, is really helpful in terms of how we begin to reimagine our place in a world of other species that are completely different from us, and yet, share so much DNA.John FiegeCan you tell me about the Sangam literary traditions that you've referenced as an important element of your recent work in Eco-poetry?Forrest GanderSure! What brought me to Sangam was looking for other models of relationships between the human and the nonhuman. And it turns out that, you know, 2000 years ago, in Southern India, there was a blossoming of literature, which came to be called Sangam, which means convergence, and that one of the two styles of that poetry, which is called Akam, it was considered not only unethical but impossible to write about human emotions, as though they were independent of the landscape around us, which affects our perceptions. And, it impacts how and what we feel. And so, using that model for poems and finding that the same five landscapes that come up in the Sangam poems are the same five landscapes that one can find in California, where I live, I used those Sangam poems as a kind of model for writing poems that expressed that mutuality of, of the human and the nonhuman in the five landscapes of California in my home.John Fiegeisn't that so satisfying on so many levels to be able to look so far back in history? And to see people encountering the world in ways that are so resonant with the ways you are, we are encountering the world today in a completely different part of the planet, even? It's kind of amazing.Forrest GanderIt is! And yeah, I think it's what we will find everywhere that, you know, the Native Americans in what we now called the United States. They didn't think that these European invaders would last very long because the European invaders hadn't lived for thousands of years, with animals and plants of this continent. And so they thought we would fail. And we have failed, we've failed to live in a way that takes into account our interdependence with the nonhuman world.John FiegeWell, jumping back into the poem, your word choices and juxtapositions and the sounds, and the rhythms of the words in the poem are so powerful. Here's a section that begins at the end of a stanza and carries on to the next, "a force call it nighttime thrusts mushrooms up from their lair." I like this idea of nighttime as a force that has the power to push things up out of the earth. And nighttime is when we rest, but also maybe when we have sex, or maybe when we don't have sex often enough. But how is nighttime of force for you?Forrest GanderBecause there are so many processes, especially plant processes, that take place after the sun goes down. And that often, we're not thinking about night being a reenergizing process for other species. And also, I'm connecting nighttime, and that darkness with the half-buried to the things that go on in the dark, the things that go on underground.John FiegeRight! Well, here's another section I'd like to dig into. If you don't mind me reading, I feel bad reading your poem as you read it so beautifully, but just to go through it again. Like memories, are they or punctuation? Was it something the earth said to provoke a response, tasking us to recall an evolutionary course, our long-ago initiation into the one among others? So in this section of the poem, you shift from third person into first person plural, and we don't exactly know what the 'we' or the 'us' is, but I'm imagining it to be our species collectively speaking with the earth here. I personified a personified Earth. And each of us is merely one among others, one person among other people, but also humans are just one among many other species on the earth. So what's going on here, with the earth being provocative, the shift to first person plural, and to us thinking about our evolutionary course?Forrest GanderSo I'm thinking of mushrooms as kind of exclamation marks that come up and call our attention to the nonhuman, and also how memories are like that, that they pop up from the darkness of our mind into our conscious mind. And that, what they remind us of, what any contact with a nonhuman reminds us of, is our involvement with them; our long ago initiated course as an interdependent species, as a community in a community, that we are one among many others, as you say, and that if we forget that, then we don't take care of the earth because we don't recognize that it's part of taking care of ourselves. And for many human communities and cultures earlier, this was de rigueur, it was understood that, that we were involved. Our lives were educations in how to live with the world around us. But we've become so separated from that in our urban cultures that we need reminding.John FiegeRight, right. Well, and that reminds me of another section of the poem, we have this phrase "newborn noticing." So the stanza it's in is, "and within my newborn noticing, have you popped up beside me, my love? Or were you here from the start?" And I love this idea of newborn noticing it suggests that we're noticing a new, but also noticing, as a newborn does, like Lao says—‘newborn baby, unbiased, undistracted, nonjudgmental.' And this section feels like it touches on our deeply ingrained, anthropocentrism and ignorance of other species, and maybe how poetry can help us notice the world around us more fully, especially the other-than-human world. What is this 'newborn noticing' to you?Forrest GanderRight, I'm so glad you bring up Lao Tzu, also. Lao Tzu says, "Those who are not in constant awe; surely some great tragedy will befall them." And hear the 'newborn noticing,' again, that earlier passage you mentioned, that connects the punctuation to coming out of the ground of the mushrooms, to memories that come out of the darkness of our mind into our conscious mind. That's also the birth of something.John FiegeSo here's... oh, go ahead.Forrest GanderI just like that you've been, I mean, some people ask, you know, what can we do in this environmental crisis, and one of the things we can do is to try to have a chorus of not just scientists and biologists, but a chorus of artists and priests, and poets. And that's what you've been doing: putting together that chorus of responses to our crisis. And I think it's going to take the voices of a lot of people from a lot of different trajectories, to affect any kind of change. So I'm proud of what you're doing.John FiegeYeah, I totally agree. And I'm glad you notice and appreciate that (chuckles). You know, one thing I say all the time is, you know, our environmental discourse is dominated by science, economics, and policy. And those three things are all extremely important, and we have to keep on top of all of them. But it's leaving out the whole rest of the human experience. And if we are not all focused on this problem, and dealing with it in the ways that we know how, and the ways that we know how to interact with the world, we just... we can't get there because the problem is... it's so overwhelming as it is to leave it up to a small portion of the population to address is not sufficient,Forrest GanderRight? Or it would have changed already. And I think what art and poetry and literature can do is add a kind of an emotional and psychological approach to it, that can add it to the science, and can be more convincing,John FiegeRight? And not even just like, a way to convince people, but just a way to, to understand and feel the problem is so much beyond, you know, just a reason-based problem that you can solve or not, you know, but that it's part of who you are and what you value in the world and what you know, get you up out of bed every morning.Forrest GanderThat's beautifully put. Yeah, I agree with you.John FiegeWell, here here's another line I love from the poem, "A swarm of meaning and decay." And this goes back to that cyclical view of life and death; birth and decomposition. And it also brings in this concept of meaning—this thing that humans are obsessed with. Our perpetual question of why—what is the meaning of life? And so much of the foundation of our understanding of meaning is bound up in the perpetuation of life. And oftentimes, in the avoidance of death, despite the need for death to bring life. Can you talk more about this "swarm of meaning and decay?"Forrest GanderSo the "swarm of meaning and decay" comes just a moment after my "newborn noticing." And here, the poem merges the human—we don't really know for sure whether I'm talking about human beings, or I'm talking about other forms of life that are emerging from the underworld, like fungus, for instance. And in that merging of subjectivity and world, I'm trying to emphasize how the human life and the processes of the life—lives that aren't human—are completely related to each other. It's interesting to me that the kind of poetry that I write is sometimes categorized as eco-poetry, the idea of Eco-poetry is that there might be a way of writing in which human subjectivity and the non-human aren't so discrete from each other and that we might be able to show in writing, a different way of experiencing, or really, the real way of experiencing our relationships with otherness, which is that our subjectivities merge into otherness. That we're made of multiple creatures and were made by multiple interactions with the world. And I think that's what art has always done, is that it's expanded our way of thinking of the human.John FiegeDefinitely, definitely. Well, let me jump into the last two stanzas in the poem, which read, "And abundance floods us floats us out, we fill each with the other all morning breaks as songbird over us who rise to the surface, so our faces might be strong." And again, there's so much richness in this language. But to start off with, how does abundance, both flood us and float us?Forrest GanderWell, our lives are abundant; the world is abundant. And that sense of merging with another in intimacy, in love, and merging with the world is a sense of expanding. This, you know, the notion of the self, and that's an abundance, it's recognizing our collaborative relationship with otherness. And it floats us out of ourselves so that we're not locked into our own minds, our own singular psyches, we fill with each other. And then again, here, the syntax is working in two ways. We fill with each other, we fill with the other "all morning". And then we revise that as we, as we make that break. We fill with the other "all morning breaks as birdsong over us." And I'm thinking here about how human beings, Homo sapiens, from the start, almost all of human beings have experienced birdsong since we were born, since early in our lives. We've grown up with the songs of birds infused in our minds, in our hearing. And how much of a part of us birdsong is. We're rising to the surface like the mushrooms coming from underground to blossom so that our faces might be sprung. And here again, the human and the nonhuman? Am I talking about mushrooms here? Or am I talking about human beings? I'm purposely talking about both in a way that is perhaps indistinguishable.John FiegeAnd as you mentioned, the poem starts with the imagery of the mushrooms thrusting upward. And then, at the end here, it seems that the we in the poem rises to the surface. And the last line of the poem is, so our faces might be sprung. This sense of emergence comes to that most intimate thing—our faces—and this vague 'we' suddenly has a face. And we are like flowers or emergent mushrooms in the nighttime. Where does this poem leave you? And how do you think about where you'd like to leave the reader at the end?Forrest GanderI think in that uncertainty about where the human and where the non-human begins, I think that's the strategy of the poems, which is presenting not some romantic notion of our involvement with others, but I think a form of realism, it's recognizing that our involvement with otherness is entire, that were composed of otherness. So I think the feeling of what a mushroom is, is just the face, it's this little—fruited body, they call it—of an organism that's underground that we don't see at all. And, in a way, that's what our lives are also: this brief flourishing of the face of something that's connected to a body that's much larger than ours. And that ambiguous space is what I'm interested in, in thinking about.John FiegeAnd does that noticing or that knowledge calls us to do something? In particular, do you think?Forrest Gander 32:43Well, I don't want to turn the poem into a didacticism. But the poem presents a vision. And that vision can contribute to the way that we see ourselves in the world. And the way we see ourselves in the world forces us to make ethical decisions about how we are and what we do. So in, I want to provide a vision or share a vision. And I want readers to do with it what they feel called upon to do. There have been different ways that we've understood our relationship and our role in a living Earth, through time and in different cultures. And the worldview that we have now, which is using the Earth very transactional, can be changed. And that art can inspire us to imagine those kinds of changes. In some ways, we're like the yeast that gets put with grapes to make wine. The yeast, which is a fungus, eats the sugar, and it secretes basically alcohol. That's what where we get alcohol from, and it proliferates and proliferates, and keeps producing alcohol until at about 13%. The yeast kills itself it dies because it can't live with an alcohol content greater than that. And we're like that yeast on this earth. We're using up all of the resources, and we're proliferating, and pretty soon, there's not going to be room for us to live on the world will pollute ourselves out of existence, and the world will go on. It's just that we won't be part of it.John FiegeThat's a beautiful place to end; with yeast, and lichen, and erogenous zones. All swirling around together. Can you end by reading the poem once again?Forrest GanderSure. So, 'forest' is one of the five major landscapes that appear in the Sangam poems.[See poem as transcribed above]John FiegeForrest, thank you so much. This has been wonderful.Forrest GanderThanks a lot, John. I'm really pleased to be a part of your series and to be part of the chorus of voices that you're putting together.John FiegeAnd it's a beautiful voice that you've brought to it. OutroJohn FiegeThank you so much to Forrest Gander. Go to our website at chrysalispodcast.org, where you can read his poem "Forrest" and find our book and media recommendations. This episode was researched by Elena Cebulash and edited by Brody Mutschler and Sophia Chang. Music is by Daniel Rodriguez Vivas, mixing is by Juan Garcia. If you enjoyed my conversation with Forrest, please rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform. Contact me anytime at chrysalispodcast.org, where you can also support the project, subscribe to our newsletter, and join the conversation. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.chrysalispodcast.org
In this week's episode, both of our storytellers share tales that illuminate the transformative power of returning to their roots.Part 1: Gregor Posadas joins the army to pursue his dreams of becoming an engineer and fulfill his father's wish of “fixing” their home country of the Philippines.Part 2: After losing his father as a young child, Nandhu Balakrishnan feels compelled to use his school savings to buy a life saving drug for a patient at the hospital he's working at.Gregor Posadas is a Civil Engineering student and Undergraduate Research Assistant at Boise State University. He is currently set to graduate from his undergraduate studies by December 2023. Born and raised in the Philippines, he grew up with a strong interest and deep appreciation for science and engineering, thanks largely in part to the influence of his late father Dr. Roger Posadas - a former relativity physicist, professor, and chancellor of the University of the Philippines. Gregor is committed to learning about new technologies in water/wastewater treatment, sustainable infrastructure, and water resource systems in developing countries. He specializes in data analysis and environmental engineering. He is set to begin his masters studies at Boise State University in the Spring semester of 2024, immediately following his undergraduate graduation.Outside of his studies, Gregor also currently serves as a Combat Engineer in the United States Army Reserves. He enlisted in 2019, just eight months after moving from the Philippines to Idaho. Gregor also serves as a Graphic Designer and Marketing Delegate for the Boise State Martin Luther King Living Legacy Committee - Boise State's student agency in charge of organizing the annual MLK Day March in Boise, Idaho.With a unique upbringing and an diverse set of experiences, Gregor is an engineering student with many interesting stories to tell.Nandhu Balakrishnan works for Georgia Public Health Laboratory as Director of Microbiology. His job involves public health and community service. He was born and raised from Southern India. He completed my Master's and PhD in Medical Microbiology from India. In 2008, he migrated to United States and worked as post-doctoral fellow before he landed into a real stable job. His passion towards laboratory science has stemmed from his childhood and it has been a roller coaster throughout the years to climb to the pinnacle of success. He loves cooking with authentic spices and enjoys feeding people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this week's episode, both of our storytellers share tales that illuminate the transformative power of returning to their roots. Part 1: Gregor Posadas joins the army to pursue his dreams of becoming an engineer and fulfill his father's wish of “fixing” their home country of the Philippines. Part 2: After losing his father as a young child, Nanduh Balakrishnan feels compelled to use his school savings to buy a life saving drug for a patient at the hospital he's working at. Gregor Posadas is a Civil Engineering student and Undergraduate Research Assistant at Boise State University. He is currently set to graduate from his undergraduate studies by December 2023. Born and raised in the Philippines, he grew up with a strong interest and deep appreciation for science and engineering, thanks largely in part to the influence of his late father Dr. Roger Posadas - a former relativity physicist, professor, and chancellor of the University of the Philippines. Gregor is committed to learning about new technologies in water/wastewater treatment, sustainable infrastructure, and water resource systems in developing countries. He specializes in data analysis and environmental engineering. He is set to begin his masters studies at Boise State University in the Spring semester of 2024, immediately following his undergraduate graduation.Outside of his studies, Gregor also currently serves as a Combat Engineer in the United States Army Reserves. He enlisted in 2019, just eight months after moving from the Philippines to Idaho. Gregor also serves as a Graphic Designer and Marketing Delegate for the Boise State Martin Luther King Living Legacy Committee - Boise State's student agency in charge of organizing the annual MLK Day March in Boise, Idaho.With a unique upbringing and an diverse set of experiences, Gregor is an engineering student with many interesting stories to tell. Nandhu Balakrishnan works for Georgia Public Health Laboratory as Director of Microbiology. His job involves public health and community service. He was born and raised from Southern India. He completed my Master's and PhD in Medical Microbiology from India. In 2008, he migrated to United States and worked as post-doctoral fellow before he landed into a real stable job. His passion towards laboratory science has stemmed from his childhood and it has been a roller coaster throughout the years to climb to the pinnacle of success. He loves cooking with authentic spices and enjoys feeding people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In 2002 a well respected woman in Southern India died. 6 years later, her husband died in a similar manner. The family suffered 2 more deaths later in a shorter and shorter time span. There were also 2 more deaths in a connected family. Was this some kind of genetic silent killer or was this a serial killer in Southern India because they all did die after eating? All 6 of the bodies were exhumed as part of the investigation. What was found? Follow us on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Threads @GreetingsTAC, email us at GreetingsTAC@gmail.com, or leave us a voicemail at 915-317-6669 if you have a story to share with us. If you like the show, leave us a review, tell a friend, and subscribe!
My guest today is a game developer and founder of Visai Games. At the age of twelve he moved to Canada from Southern India, then, hoping to enter the games industry, studied Computer Science at the University of Toronto. After graduating, my guest took a programming job at the mobile games studio, Uken Games. In his spare time he and an artist friend started working on a project of their own, a narrative cooking game about an Indian mother who comes to Canada with her family in the 1980s. In the game, players cook various dishes and restore lost recipes, exploring the role that food can play in enabling immigrant families connect to their heritage. Venba launched in 2023 to widespread acclaim. The L.A. Times described it as “alternately heart-breaking and heart-warming.” Be attitude for gains. https://plus.acast.com/s/my-perfect-console. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Alastair Humphreys is an author and adventurer who has walked 600 miles across Southern India, ran an ultra marathon through the Sahara Desert, and hiked and rafted across Iceland. Alastair's newest wild idea is to embrace the concept of "microadventures," an adventure that is short, easily accessible, and affordable while still being fun, challenging, refreshing, and rewarding. Connect with Alastair: WebsiteInstagramOrder Alastair's new book, Local: A Search for Nearby Nature and WildnessThank you to our sponsors: Capital One: Check out the REI Co-op Mastercard program and learn about local REI Fund granteesBirkenstockCheck out:REI Re/SupplyOutside in 5REI Co-op Adventure Travel
My guest today is the founder of Hoppers - Karan Gokani. Combining his passion for cooking with his love of the country of Sri Lanka he has built a restaurant empire celebrating the food of Sri Lanka and Southern India. I went to Sri Lanka last year for the first time and completely fell in love with the food. I've been to Hoppers many times so I kind of knew what to expect but honestly it's just the most amazing country and the most delicious food so it was brilliant to hear from Karan about his love for it it too.I know I told you that this was going to just be a little short season for the month of February but already we have come to the last episode of this mini season – it's gone very quickly but fear not as we are already recording the next – so hopefully wont be too long to wait. Another reminder to any one listening – if you haven't yet subscribed to my newsletter Dinner Tonight, please do think about it. It's one easy weeknight recipe, often one pan, mostly 30 minutes or less and I look forwards to writing it every week and it's honestly amazing that there are so many people reading it. Over 22,000 of you now which is amazing but there's always room for more. https://dinnertonight.substack.com/I do hope you enjoy todays episode and thank you for listening. If you don't already, come and follow me on Instagram @desertislandishes and you can sign up for the newsletter and find a whole host of different recipes at www.desertislanddishes.co Thank you again to HG Walter our sponsor for this month of Desert Island Dishes, and thank you for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Joining us this week are three extraordinary experts who share their invaluable insights and wisdom. You will learn the power of mindfulness, meditation, and self-compassion as we explore techniques to unlock inner peace. Discover how to overcome mental obstacles and find clarity in the chaos of life. Tune in as we delve into the depths of self-discovery and embark on a path towards a more peaceful and balanced life. Don't miss this episode that promises to elevate your mental well-being and guide you on your journey to greatness.Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a globally recognized spiritual leader, humanitarian, and peacemaker, touching the lives of more than 450 million people worldwide. Born in Tamil Nadu, Southern India, Sri Sri was considered a gifted child. By age four, he could already recite the Bhagavad Gita, an ancient Sanskrit text. As a young boy, he studied Vedic literature with a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi. At seventeen, he had already graduated from college with a degree in Physics. He combines the ancient teachings of India with Western learning.Marianne Williamson is a renowned author, spiritual teacher, and political activist who has touched the lives of countless listeners with her wisdom and insights. In this enlightening conversation, you will learn about Marianne's journey to self-discovery and how she has harnessed the power of spirituality to make a positive impact on the world.Diego Perez is a meditator and #1 New York Times bestselling author who is widely known on social media through his pen name, Yung Pueblo. Online he has an audience of over 3 million people. He has sold over 1 million books worldwide that have been translated into over 25 languages. His writing focuses on the power of self-healing, creating healthy relationships, and the wisdom that comes when we truly work on knowing ourselves. Diego's fourth book, The Way Forward, will be released on October 10th, 2023.In this episode you will learnThe importance of meditating and how you tap into your meditative power.How to find spiritual abundance.How to begin feeling happy when you're overwhelmed with stress.Why it's crucial to find a higher purpose in your life.Why forgiveness is so important for bringing peace and abundance into your life.For more information go to www.lewishowes.com/1528For more Greatness text PODCAST to +1 (614) 350-3960FULL EPISODES:Grurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: https://link.chtbl.com/1216-podMarianne Williamson: https://link.chtbl.com/1358-podDiego Perez: https://link.chtbl.com/1512-pod
Mugdha Flores is proof of where your passion for science and the natural world can take you. From playing in tide pools as a child in Southern India, to mapping the undiscovered corners of the ocean, to surveying salmon as they make their long journey to the Pacific. For Mugdha, all her exploration has resulted in a deeper connection with the environment, and herself.Mugdha is a marine biologist turned science communicator championing community engagement and finding joy in the outdoors.This a series of interviews with some incredible humans who are featured in Women and Water - a new book from the team behind She Explores. We're taking the conversation off the page and into their relationship with water today. You'll hear from swimmers, surfers, paddlers, fishers, and more. Enjoy listening? Rate & Review She ExploresFeatured in this episode: Mugdha FloresShe Explores is Hosted & Produced by Gale StraubJoin the She Explores Podcast community on FacebookVisit She-Explores.com & Follow Us on InstagramResourcesMugdha FloresInstagram: @mugsie_bOrganizations and some subject matter mentioned on the episode:The Ocean Exploration Trust & Nautilus LiveMugdha's Essay on She-Explores.com about her time aboard the E/V NautilusMore About the Study of Fish or Ichthyology Learn about Kochi, IndiaOur new book, Women and WaterRate this podcastRavel MediaMusic is licensed via podcastmusic.com.
Sheri Dewan, MD is a full-time, board-certified neurosurgeon practicing in the metro Chicago area, affiliated with Northwestern Medicine. She is one of roughly two hundred board-certified women neurosurgeons in the United States. She completed her neurosurgery residency at Brown University and her graduate degree at Northwestern University. She is a proud board member of Women in Neurosurgery (WINS), the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Dr. Dewan donates her time performing charity surgery in Southern India and sits on multiple charity foundation boards. She is also currently studying business and finance at the University of Oxford Executive Education program in London, England. Dr. Dewan is trilingual and has lived in five countries. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, yoga, and spending time with her husband and three children. Resources: • Website:www.drsheridewan.com • Instagram: @drsheridewan Advertisers + Sponsors: • Shaman School: shamandurek.com/the-shaman-school • Lit Verified Store: shamandurek.com/lit-verified-shop Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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