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Episode Summary This week on Live Like the World is Dying, we have a re-air of the first episode of Live Like the World is Dying, an interview with Kitty Stryker about Anarchist Prepping. Kitty Stryker can be found on twitter at @kittystryker and at http://kittystryker.com/ Margaret Killjoy can be found on twitter at @magpiekilljoy and at http://www.birdsbeforethestorm.net/ Publisher Info This show is published by Strangers in A Tangled Wilderness. We can be found at www.tangledwilderness.org, or on Twitter @TangledWild and Instagram @Tangled_Wilderness and Blue Sky @tangledwilderness.bsky.social You can support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/strangersinatangledwilderness Transcript The following transcript was provided by a comrade who wants to help us make this show more accessible: S01E01 Kitty Stryker on Anarchist Prepping Live Like The World Is Dying #0:00:00.0# (Introductory music) #0:00:15.1# Margaret Killjoy: Hello and welcome to Live Like The World Is Dying; a podcast that explores life when it feels like the end times. I say "when it feels like the end times", and I'm gonna get into this more throughout various episodes of the podcast, because of course, the world is always ending. It's always changing the status quo. Always shakes and changes, collapses, rebuilds, all of these things. So sometimes people roll their eyes when you talk about the world ending. And sometimes that makes sense, the world has ended in a lot of different ways. But... It sure feels like the world is ending right now to me and to... Maybe to you and maybe it will, maybe it won't. Obviously what it means for the world to end is a subjective thing. But it's a... It's a stress factor to say the least, on a lot of people's lives right now. Thinking about climate change and thinking about the... The rise of global fascism. So this is a podcast that's gonna explore... Well, how we can live while we feel like the world is dying. For myself and for this podcast I've found that I focus on four different priorities. I focus on living like the world is going to end and that I might not survive, living like the world is going to end and I can try to survive, living like we can prevent the end of the world, and of course, living like maybe the world isn't ending after all. So basically hedonism, prepping, revolution, and not burning all your bridges because... Who knows, the status quo might linger on after all. With this podcast I'm probably going to focus on the middle two of these priorities. I'm gonna focus on prepping and revolution. And I'm going to do that because... Well, I've always sort of wanted there to be more information and more... More going on about anarchist and leftist prepping. Because most of the prepping world is of course steeped in... Not just like right-wing politics, but also right-wing values and individualistic values and of course as an anarchist I believe in the balance between the individual and the community and because of that I don't believe in individualistic survival. I don't believe that the bunker mentality, which we're going to talk a lot of shit on in this podcast over the next couple episodes, is appropriate to most... To most threat models. So I'll be your host, but for the most part I'm going to interview people who know a lot more about a lot of this stuff than me. As for me, I am a prepper I suppose on some level. I keep a small stockpile food. Dried food in 5 gallon buckets in case there's an interruption in... Well, food supplies. I make sure I know where water filtration is. I also keep a to-go bag and... At my house. And I keep another one in my car that's much smaller. Neither of these are a particularly elaborate. They're... They're fairly simple things I put together. And that's... That's more for my own mental welfare than it is like any immediate expectation of crisis. And I also... I live off grid. Which is not something that I'm gonna specifically advocate that anyone else do. I actually live off grid because it just sort of meets my needs here and now in terms of how I like to live. I live about half an hour away from a small city in a cabin I built myself in the woods because I like doing that. I like living that way. I'm an anarchist and that's going to certainly bleed over into the content of this show. I believe in a world without course of hierarchies like the state or capitalism or white supremacy or heteronormativity or... Or any of the intersecting oppressions and hierarchies that rule the world that shouldn't. And so of course, a lot of my... I tell you this because I want you to know my biases because I want you to come to your own conclusions. I have a bias against state and federal aid. I tend to find it to be wildly inefficient. I'm far more interested in creating a society based on mutual aid. And so... And I find agency to be wildly important. I find it very important for us to encourage each other to have agency and so I'm interested in disaster relief or crisis preparation or whatever, that maximizes individual agency, that maximize community agency and... Yeah, that's what's interesting to me so that's what I'm going to be focusing on more. This first episode, our guest is Kitty Stryker who I can let introduce herself. Thanks so much for listening. #0:05:01.9# (Musical transition) #0:05:06.5# Margaret: So today our guest is Kitty Stryker. Well actually, do you want to introduce yourself with your name and pronouns and kind of any political or organizational affiliation you feel like shouting out. #0:05:21.4# Kitty Stryker: Sure. I'm Kitty Stryker, I use she/her pronouns. I'm a... I identify myself as a leftist doomsday prepper. But I'm more of a like... Emergency prepper, street medic. I work with Struggle Of Circus, which is a of bunches of leftists and other sort of radical political groups and a bunch of juggalos coming together to help out at protests and usually do medic related stuff but also be kind of a meat wall around marginalized communities. I identify as an anarchist and... Yeah, I guess I just found it really interesting that when I was looking for communities of leftist to talk to about prepping, there wasn't anything there. #0:06:15.5# Margaret: Yeah that was... I think we ended up kind of finding each other through a similar... I don't actually remember how we first ended up talking about it. Maybe you do. But we've been, for anyone who's listening, Kitty and I have been talking vaguely about how we needed to do something about this... This lack of... #0:06:34.2# Kitty: Lack of information, yeah. #0:06:35.9# Margaret: Yeah. Because so much of the information that's out there about prepping is not really applicable, well, to anyone realistically. But certainly not necessarily applicable to people whose ideology isn't "fuck you, I've got mine", you know? So... #0:06:53.5# Kitty: Right and I think... And it could be actively hostile in forums and stuff. Like places that you wanna go to ask for information and ask for advice become really hostile when people are talking about how much they want to kill antifa or of like... "I can't wait til the race war". It's not really a very comfortable place to ask questions about fortifications. #0:07:19.5# Margaret: Yeah. That makes sense. So why don't we start by kind of talking about the general conception of preparedness and kind of what is leftist or anarchist prepping or preparedness. As... At least as you can conceive it. #0:07:37.7# Kitty: Sure, well, so for me I grew up with parents who are sort of like... Suburban homesteader types, with a mixture of prepping. But are also hoarders so while they have everything you would need in an apocalypse you also wouldn't necessarily be able to find it. So I kinda grew up with the hoarding tendency that they think comes with a lot of prepping. You wanna have lots of things that seemed very important. But also this desire to try to make it organized and make it easily accessible. I realized fairly quickly that while I'm more of a stay-in-place kind of prepper and sort of emergency preparedness person, I also will potentially need to be able to put what I need a backpack and carry it with me. At least for a mile or two depending on the emergency and if I have so much stuff that I can't practically do that without a car, it's not really going to be that useful. I live in earthquake country so I just have to anticipate the roads are going to be kind of a mess. So that was sort of where I came from, was this not very political, camping and also very pagan, getting in touch with earth kind of thing. Like my parents beehives that drives all of their neighbors off the wall. They hate it. #0:09:12.7# Margaret: That's interesting. I've only a couple times been around this, yeah, suburban homesteading idea where you have access to a little bit of land. Not necessarily so much privacy, not so much... Place where you can keep your bees. #0:09:24.5# Kitty: Nope, no privacy. Everyone in my neighborhood is like, "That's the witch house. You can tell because there's thirteen sacred trees in the front lawn. And her dad goes outside and scythes the lawn." #0:09:38.1# Margaret: Wow. #0:09:39.7# Kitty: I don't think he's actually even done that in years so I think it's just an overgrown tangle at this point. #0:09:45.9# Margaret: Well that's even more fun. #0:09:46.7# Kitty: But we have like... We have a pond in there. There's a little herb garden, a veggie garden. We have a crow feeder. It's... It's elaborate. #0:09:56.8# Margaret: I'm imagining this on like a quarter acre, half acre. Is that..? #0:10:00.5# Kitty: Yeah. Yeah, pretty much. With manicured lawns right next to us on either side. #0:10:08.5# Margaret: Well, that's a... #0:10:09.1# Kitty: Really... That's where I was raised. I think that explains a lot. #0:10:13.7# Margaret: Okay. It's an interesting metaphor for being the one person who's... You know, either prepping or being a hoarder. #0:10:22.4# Kitty: I've been the one person for a while. Yeah. But I think that that's in such staunch contrast to doomsday preppers which is what most people think of when they think of prepping. They think of like, "Oh, that's those rednecks in the middle of the really rural areas with their bunker and their nine million guns and their giant water containers." And they're, you know, being completely convinced that there's going to a nuclear war or there's going to be... I don't know. What are some of the other disasters that they're always prepared for? Well, I mean like, definitely race wars. Definitely one of the things. #0:11:09.1# Margaret: Yeah, I mean and that's kind of the... I feel like that's the tell between whether you're talking to a racist prepper or a... Well, obviously if someone's talking about a race war they're clearly racist. But... You know, there's a tell of whether or not they're obsessed with like the... The boogaloo or if they're obsessed with... You know, the possibility of invasion or... System collapse in general. #0:11:32.3# Kitty: Right, right. And like what system collapse looks like. Like what are they actually afraid of, I think is very telling. A lot of times you'll see people say, "Oh, I'm afraid that people are going to come and murder my family for my resources because my resources are so awesome that everyone for miles around is going want to come and murder me." Which, first of all, if that was true I would not be saying it on the internet. That just seems like a bad idea. That's... My boyfriend and I watch doomsday preppers and talk about how we would raid their bunkers because they show us everything. And that just seems very shortsighted, if that is indeed what you are worried about. #0:12:22.2# Margaret: Right, as compared to just kind of showing off and being excited about... Like kind of nerding out about gear... #0:12:27.6# Kitty: I think it's like... Yeah, it's like nerding out and they think it's more of a threat than it is. I don't know. I think... I think it speaks to a desire for conflict that I don't personally have. I don't want to have to use my apartment complex to snipe people. I just don't want to do that. I just wanna be able to grow a garden using a discarded... Shoe organizer from the broken down Ross down the street. That's my type of prepping, rather than preparing for endless violence. #0:13:10.4# Margaret: Yeah, there's kind of a... I feel like one of the main myths or concepts that I'm trying to get across with this podcast... Not a myth I'm trying to get across this, prove that something is a myth, is the bunker mentality is the "I've got mine, fuck you" mentality, that is so common in prepping circles and it's... It's really off-putting because... I mean, even... Even from a pure self-interest point of view it just seems so dumb. So you hole up with your five closest friends in the middle of the woods during the apocalypse, and that's like all fine and good until your appendix bursts and you forget that you're not a surgeon and that your brother isn't a surgeon, you know? And... #0:13:56.0# Kitty: Well you just need more useful friends. #0:13:57.9# Margaret: Well, sure but... #0:13:58.7# Kitty: That's what I did. #0:13:59.2# Margaret: But what if you are the surgeon, right? And then your appendix bursts. #0:14:02.4# Kitty: Well, yeah. Then... Yeah. Then... Then... Well, then you just die. I mean, that's the thing. I think that they... They're so afraid of violence coming from other people that they don't... A, think of the violence that could happen amongst themselves which is kind of inevitable if you're locked in a bunker together. And there's... Especially if there's power dynamics in place and stress, then I feel like there's gonna be some abusive dynamics that come out of that. So if you're not prepared for that, it doesn't really matter how good your resources are. And there's... So that's just even within your unit, and then never mind if you're then expanding out to like... Do you know how to do literally everything in the world? Because you're probably going to help. It's the same as the idea about currency. Everyone's so keen on like... Oh yeah, make sure that you have currency. Make sure you silver buried in your yard. Like... What are you going to do with that, really? Like... I mean... It's cool, I guess. But unless you're going to use that as a brick... I don't understand. #0:15:12.3# Margaret: Well I guess it gets into... In some ways, I think the apocalypse... People who think too much about the apocalypse, whether on they're on the left or on the right, or just bored centrists or moderates or whatever, I think that people are thinking about and imagining clean slates and imagining about how they would like to act and what kind of societies they would like to create, what kind of dynamics they'd like to create. So it's really easy for someone who, say of a libertarian mindset, to be like "Well, of course gold is what matters because we're all going to trade resources. There's definitely going to be market economics after the apocalypse because we're going to institute market... Economics. And then maybe like... Those of us that are like, "Wow, the market's a dumb thing and isn't really particularly interesting to me at all." Like, yeah I have a really hard time imagining that I'm going to be doing much... Even bartering after the apocalypse. Like, I'm... I'm either like rolling with people and sharing shit or I'm keeping shit to myself but like... I'm not gonna be like, "Well, these three bullets are worth that tourniquet," or whatever, you know? At least that's my conception of it. That's when... When I like to imagine the end of the world, which is not actually something I like imagining anymore, but I'm imagining something that is closer to the ideological interest that I have. Which is maybe a fault of mine, maybe that's a blind spot of mine. #0:16:39.5# Kitty: Well, I don't think that's... I don't think it's necessarily a fault. I mean, like one thing that I think when... You know, I have a group friends that we talk about this stuff a lot amongst ourselves. Especially because we're within bicycling distance from each other, so we're sort of like, "Okay, if there is an emergency, we're pretty sure that we could get to each other." But we all have... Slightly different ideas of what we would like to see happen which means we also have a different... Like different ideals and different areas of expertise. And I think that that is actually super helpful. I don't know that I would want to be in a group that everybody thinks the same way, as long as you think cooperatively versus competitively. And for me that's what's important. I don't really care how we get to cooperative instead of competitive, but that's what I want. #0:17:33.5# Margaret: Yeah, that makes sense. So, look, I want to talk more about... Okay, one of the things I really like about prepping in general is that it can be very practical. It's not, it's... Obviously a lot of it is not practical at all. But like... But to take this conversation practically for a minute... Like, what you do... Not necessarily... Both in terms of things that you keep around, but also what are your plans? You talked about bicycling to meet up with your friends. What is... What kind of preparedness do you personally practice? #0:18:05.4# Kitty: So my boyfriend and I talk a lot about what our plans are. Pretty much every three months or so. And we're mostly... And ust to give some context, we're mostly prepping for an earthquake, for a big earthquake, because that's the most likely thing to happen here. I guess there's some possibilities that will end up having a bunch of neo-nazis coming and terrorizing us but I think they've gotten tired of Berkeley and have moved to Portland instead so... We're probably fine for now. So we talk a little bit about what are the risks that are current, what are the resources that are currently around? Maybe... We've been talking about creating a map, like actually getting a map and write, marking down important things that we might want to know where they are when you don't have Google Maps for example. So stuff like that is really important. Like the sort of... Preparing... For immediate needs and also for where you are going to be able to get resources. What area is around that could conceivably be turned into a garden if need be. Which we're actually lucky, we have a park really close by. And we also make a point to know our neighbors. Both our housed and houseless neighbors. So having good relationships with them is really helpful and like giving them ideas of how to be prepared so that we're not overwhelming ourselves trying to take care of them as well as ourselves. So you're trying to match up add the younger folks with older folks or able-bodied folks with people with disabilities so that way there's... It's easier for people to mobilize and so that we know who in our area is going to need help. So that's some of the community planning stuff that's not even focused on my group of hyper-focused friends but just making my environment less chaotic. And so that's sort of like... And again, like a garden, it takes some pruning and some cultivating and a little bit of upkeep but I feel reasonably confident that my neighbors are going to be able to handle themselves. Which is my first big concern because then I can start worrying about things like, what do I personally actually need? One thing that is kind of difficult, I live in an apartment and we don't have a huge amount of space. So I can't have buckets and buckets of freeze-dried food. We do tend to have a lot of canned food, we do tend to have a lot of nuts and dried fruit and stuff like that around so that helps a little bit. It makes it easier for us to find stuff in rubble that we can eat. We also have a... A dresser that we put our prepper stuff in and it's sorted with medic supplies in the first two drawers because that's sort of my specialty... That's my area focus. And then we have sort of more general supplies, so that's where we have LifeStraws and we have bandanas and we have masks for filtering out smoke or disease. We have lots and lots of gloves, we have... Water filtering tablets, we have a bunch different kinds of fire starters. So we sort of put together a compendium of things that we felt would be useful. And then what's probably the least practical thing is my... In the main living room I have a hatchet, I have a walking stick, I have my camping stuff. So it's not all condensed in one place but I have... I do have a spare tent at my partner's house and I have a medic bag. A fully packed medic go-bag that I take to protests in the trunk of my car. So that way I can... I have one medic bag in the house, I have one in the car, and I usually have one at my partner's house. Sometimes I have one at my local bar too but that's the one that usually get used if I go to a protest 'cause that's near downtown. But just having pockets stuff... And then I have a storage unit downtown as well. So I figured it might be more difficult to get into my storage unit but at least it's underground and that would be not a bad place to have some stuff that I don't need immediately but might want down the line, yeah. So... But it's sort of a pack rat... Pack ratty, squirrel type prepping. Of burying little caches... #0:23:27.8# Margaret: I'm impressed because you're... Yeah, you're managing to successfully do in an urban environment what... Well... Something I associate more with the rural environments of... You know, one of the things that I was realizing... #0:23:41.1# Kitty: It's harder. It's harder, but it's only harder if you care about being the only person who can get to it. And I don't really care so much about that. I just wanna have access to it. I'm... Because, for me, I'm someone who... I saw a guy on a scooter get hit by car. I was so glad I had that medic kit on me so that I could actually help him out. And immediately help him out. I'm so glad I had that expertise. So... And actually that's one thing that I also have is a first aid book because, again, I don't know how to do everything. But if I have a book, I can probably figure out how to do most things safely. So... #0:24:26.7# Margaret: What's the book? #0:24:29.4# Kitty: It's an old field manual medic guide, I forget what era. But I prefer to try to go for stuff that's military because... Or serious environmental wilderness strategy guides because then they're not focused on you having access to a full hospital. It's not ideal conditions. Sometimes first aid advice is like, "Oh well just call an ambulance" and it's like well that's not really practical in the sort of situations I'm preparing for so I prefer to look at older stuff. And then take newer knowledge and pack that on top. But knowing how to do some of these things when you don't have electricity, a lot of modern medicine depends on electricity, depends on you having access to different kinds of medications and solutions that might not have. So I think it's kind of... I don't... Until I have to do it in practice I don't know how useful it actually will be. But I'm interested in learning how have people prevented disease... In wartime, in... A forest in the middle of nowhere versus what you you would get trained necessarily if you're getting CPR training for your work. #0:26:08.8# Margaret: Have you taken the wilderness first responder course or anything like that? #0:26:12.4# Kitty: I want to so badly. I'm hoping that I can save up for it or have somebody gift it to me. But that is on my list of, oh my god I would... That be so dreamy. But... I really... I just also am just also am obsessed with medical stuff. I guess that's... That's one thing I would really recommend for people curious about prepping. I would say while it is nice to be able to have information about a bunch of different areas, find the thing that you're really interested and nerd out on that. One of my friends is really, really into finding plants and urban foraging. So that's her area of expertise. It's like, oh, she can tell you every plant you can eat within two miles of your house. And that would be really useful, it's not necessarily something that my brain can hold onto... As easily as medicine stuff. My partner is really good with weapons and... Building shelters. It's not really my area so it's nice to have somebody who can teach me just enough but also has a lot more expertise. #0:27:29.4# Margaret: Yeah, that's something that I... I think about a lot in terms of even just the world I wanna live in. I'm really excited about the idea where we... Instead of having a generalism versus specialization kind of argument, it's another bullshit false dichotomy, probably we should all as much as we can generalize as broadly as we can and then pick the things that stand out to us to specialize in. Like, I don't need to know how to do surgery but I should probably know first... Literal first aid. Like first response... Like there have been a number times in my life where I've... I'm incredibly squeamish, I hate medical things, I hate thinking about it the way that like... Like someone showed me how to use a tourniquet and... You know, I disassociated in order to learn. Because the concept of thinking about like... Arterial bleeding doesn't work for me. But I know that I need to know how to do that so I learn pretty much by disassociating and then kind of when things happen I like disassociate again and then deal with it. #0:28:34.6# Kitty: Yeah, I mean there's some practicality to that. When I was doing medical work at protests I really underestimated how traumatized I was until months later... When I was like, "Wow, I just didn't have feelings for a while." It's a lot and I'm... I love... See, I'm not squeamish at all about that stuff but I'm impatient so like building structures is not my thing. It's like, I could learn how to do it but I don't even put up the tent when I go camping if I can avoid it. So... Knowing that I have a good solid group of people around me who are really excited to do that stuff allows us to do the thing we're excited about but also in case something happens to that person, we know how to do it we just don't like it. #0:29:26.1# Margaret: Yeah. Or at least have a... Can do a rougher version of it, you know? Can do a... I had a... I was just talking to a friend about all of this. I actually don't remember if it's... I'm recordings these interviews out of order from how they're going to play. So I was talking to a friend of mine who's a... A medical professional and he was talking about how in a crisis situation if you have two people, maybe what you want is a nurse and a world class generalist, you know? As like the two people that you need. #0:29:58.8# Kitty: Pretty much. I think having a medic... Like I think everyone should have basic medical training, just basic shit, because that way anybody can do an emergency... Like, okay, "I can put gauze on this and stop the bleeding." That's what I need from people. And every time I go to a protest, people are asking what they could do to help and I'm like, "Just do that. Just do that, only." And help people with sprained ankles and keep them hydrated. 'Cause if you can do all of that then I can focus on stitching someone's head together. That's what I need to be able to be focused on because I'm not the squeamish one. So... Yeah, I think that helps a lot. Also coming up with things for you to do, that gets ignored a lot on prepper forums. At least the ones I've been on. They talk a lot about like, you know, "Okay, you've gotta have all of this foraging skills and you gotta have shelter building and you gotta have all these supplies in order to make all of this stuff," but there are no downtime options. And you're gonna have downtime sometimes. Like you're gonna get sick eventually, if nothing else. So make sure you have stuff to keep your mind busy during those times. 'Cause watching "Alone" for example, I don't know if you've ever seen that one but they put these people by themselves in the middle of the... Was it Canadian wilderness I think for at least the first couple of seasons? And they have to do everything from scratch. They have some supplies on them and a good supply list. But they have to pick like... 1 of 10 items, or 10 different items out of a list of like... pre-approved 50 different things they can have. So have to do a lot of stuff by themselves. And almost every single time the thing that gets to them is just a lack of food and boredom. And if they can keep themselves busy, somehow, like making music or making art or building... Like adding decorations to their shelter, then the fact that they're hungry doesn't bother them so much. But if they don't have anything like that, they're not creative in any way, then the fact that they're hungry literally gnaws away at their brain. So I just think that's a really interesting aspect... Like thinking a lot about mental health in an emergency scenario because I think that gets ignored with a lot of right-wing prepping forums and stuff like that. #0:32:53.6# Margaret: Yeah. Yeah I wonder what... I feel like there's just the deck of card, is what's written about in all the things. #0:33:03.3# Kitty: Yeah, it's always recommended. Always have a deck of cards. #0:33:05.8# Margaret: Which is like... You can tell that they wrote that in the 50's or whatever, you know? #0:33:10.1# Kitty: Right, in that... Part of it's gonna be like, "Oh, like for gambling in order to entertain yourself if... Gambling with the no money that you have. I don't know. It's just... I would much prefer to have... I don't know, Codenames or something. Endless replayability. #0:33:31.2# Margaret: Yeah, I feel like there's a... #0:33:32.1# Kitty: I mean, but... #0:33:32.8# Margaret: Go ahead. #0:33:32.8# Kitty: Let's be honest, I'd be playing Dungeons & Dragons. In my tracker tent as an actual ranger. Playing Dungeons & Dragons. #0:33:45.2# Margaret: You wouldn't play... What's the opposite of it? The dragons play, they play... Humans and Houses? #0:33:51.3# Kitty: Oh, yeah, maybe that too. I don't know, mix them up. Mix them together. #0:33:56.3# Margaret: You'd have roleplaying about what would you do if apartments still existed or whatever? #0:34:00.4# Kitty: Yeah. #0:34:02.7# Margaret: I think that... #0:34:03.3# Kitty: I mean, I guess I don't... I'm not that scared of that. It would be uncomfortable and I'd probably hate it a lot. I'm a house cat. But, you know, I'm not that worried about it either. And I think part of it is because I just made being prepared, knowing where my go-bag is at all times just part of my day-to-day existence. So it's just muscle memory at this point. #0:34:32.8# Margaret: Yeah. Earlier in our pre-conversation, when we talked about what we might talk about, one of the things you brought up is the ableism that exists in a lot of prepping conversations and I was wondering if you wanted to talk more about that. #0:34:46.0# Kitty: Yeah, so I noticed that a lot of discussions on what your go-plan is involves being able to walk long distances. Presumably because they figure walking a long enough distance would get you to area of wilderness, that they feel would be more suitable. I... That is really impractical for a large number of people. People with small children are going to struggle with that. Elderly people are going to struggle with that. People with disabilities are going to struggle with that. Some people with disabilities aren't going to be able to do that. It won't even be just a struggle, it's just impossible. So I think the... We need more diverse resources and we need to talk seriously about how to make this accessible for people who aren't in their... Super hyper fit, in their 30's, ready to charge over a mountain. And in the bay area you could you could walk for eight hours and I don't know that you would find a bit of wilderness... So I don't think that's necessarily the most practical option for all people. #0:36:08.7# Margaret: it's funny to me that all this stuff about going to the wilderness because I live in... Not the wilderness but I very rurally. I live in a house that I built at the end of a... Beyond the end of a gravel road like every stupid stick of my fucking cabin I had to carry up a hill on my back. I actually started building it with a chronic injury and then managed to... Physical therapy my way... This isn't a... Statement about ableism, just the weird stupid shit of building this fucking cabin I live in. #0:36:40.6# Kitty: But looks really cool. #0:36:43.0# Margaret: But there's... Thanks, yeah, no I'm really proud of it and it's funny because actually it's a brilliant place to live during civilization. But if there were some kind of crisis, I would probably get my to-go bag or my car presumably but let's pretend like that's not an option for whatever reason, and I would walk to the city. Because the city is where people are and that is where we can keep each other safe. I think people have this conception of... That people are a danger and that's true, people are dangerous, right? But the wilderness is really fucking dangerous too. And... #0:37:23.7# Kitty: People really underestimate how dangerous the wilderness is. They underestimate how cold it is. The cold will kill you, the wet will kill you. #0:37:34.4# Margaret: Yeah and so getting to... I don't know for certain, it would really depend on the threat, but I would presumably go to a place of higher population so that we collectively can figure out what the fuck to do. And maybe the fact that I have access to certain resources by living on land can become useful to people. And that would be my hope. I could easily imagine a situation where you have, as part of your prepping, you would have... The rural... With rural living access to space. You don't necessarily have access to anything else but you often have access to space and... So you can store tractors and you can store strange devices... Like devices that have very odd and specialized purposes for building or something like that. But then again, the thing I'm slowly learning is that cities have all of those things too. It's just that not necessarily each individual is going to own them. Because not everyone lives on a farm. #0:38:36.4# Kitty: Right. The city owns it or the government owns it. But yeah, there's plenty of parking lots. #0:38:42.5# Margaret: Yeah, that's true. #0:38:45.8# Kitty: So... Yeah. I mean, like... Oh, god. I'm trying to remember what the name of the show was. So I... I watch a lot of prepping and wilderness survival based shows. Somewhat to remind myself that nature is dangerous and also because I find them very amusing. And there was one that was... It wasn't entirely clear if it was a reality show or if it was scripted or both. Pretty sure it was both, but they were in LA. And I forget what they had decided ... The LA one I don't think it was a disease. They had a different calamity happen each season. And in the first season they had a good variety of people. They had several mechanics, they had a couple of nurses and doctors. They had martial arts teachers. So they had a good cross-section of people. And they did decently well surviving in a big warehouse in LA and came up with some incredibly inventive weapons and things. I remember they created a flame thrower out of bits of an old car which was stunning to watch. But then the second season they were in New Orleans, in some of the areas that have been devastated by Katrina. And they had underestimated how swampy it was and how hard it was going to be to get food and how there were tons of snakes and alligators that we're going to kill you. And also that one had a disease element so every once in a while someone would get claimed by a contagious disease and they would just start disappearing. But the thing that really got to them I think is that they didn't have a very diverse group of people. They had a lot of schoolteachers and artists and that's great, that's important stuff, but if they don't have any trade skills as well, they're gonna drop like flies. So it's really important to take your creative energies and learn how to do something that can embrace that but also has a living purpose. #0:41:12.1# Margaret: Yeah. Yeah, as a generalist I think about that where most of my skills are graphic design and audio which is great when you want to start a podcast, if you have been doing electronic music for twenty years or whatever, you know? But I think I've really consciously been working on developing my skills that are not only on a computer, you know? For kind of this purpose. #0:41:39.1# Kitty: Well, hey. Electronic music and audio says to me, making ham radios. Practical and useful. There's always something there, it's just like finding what those things are. Though I will say this, the first season in the warehouse in LA they had a big issue with masculinity. #0:42:04.7# Margaret: I only watched the second season. #0:42:05.4# Kitty: Everybody was... #0:42:06.9# Margaret: I watched the one where they all... #0:42:07.5# Kitty: The first one is great. It's like all these male mechanics shouting at each other about how to fix something better and then this female mechanic just goes and does it. #0:42:16.8# Margaret: Yeah, that sounds like a perfect metaphor. #0:42:19.1# Kitty: And then they when they all brag about how proud that they came up with this idea and she just rolls her eyes and you're just like, "Yup, that's how it would be pretty much." And that said to me a lot about mediation. Knowing how to mediate, knowing your own triggers. Like knowing your own mental health stuff so that you can then navigate other people's mental health stuff. That's also super important. And easy for anybody to do. #0:42:44.9# Margaret: Yeah, yeah I think knowing different organization models. Like I think knowledge and facilitation is a really important skill. I think people basically pick whichever organizational model seems to be practical when the existing larger structure goes away. And I've been in spaces where we haven't been sure how we're going to organize ourselves and I'm surrounded by a bunch of non-anarchists and then I'm like, "Well here's this model where we're all equals but we still actually figure things out." And it just works as compared to I'm pretty sure if someone had been like, "Here's the model, I'm pretty much in charge." And maybe it'll be like some veneer of democracy where he'll be like, and I'm just going to use 'he' for this imaginary patriarch... #0:43:28.5# Kitty: I wonder why. #0:43:29.7# Margaret: He'll be like, "I'm in charge and the we can have a little vote about that if we wanna prove that I'm in charge," you know? And everyone will be like, "Well, he's the one who is offering to get shit done." And what... Of course what people fail to realize is that's like... We get shit done, collectively. Whether it's collectively we do it and someone is taking the credit by being up top, you know? Or whether we do it... So that's one of the things that I think about with prepping. How to... And I think that's maybe one of the things that right-wing preppers are afraid of is they're like... They don't have... The only people skills that they know is this hierarchical system. Well, I guess there's plenty of leftists who also only seem to know hierarchical systems. But... #0:44:13.2# Kitty: I mean it's a pretty... It's a pretty common system. That's why... That's why I kind of enjoy the, everybody gets to be an expert in their own thing so that nobody is super... Nobody can be too pleased with themselves. Keeps everybody humble, I think. #0:44:34.3# Margaret: Yeah. So the one other main question that I... Or thing that I kinda wanna hash out with you for this which is probably gonna be the first episode, everyone who's listening will know whether or not it's the first episode. It will be very embarrassing if this is the seventeenth episode, but... Maybe talk about different threat models. That's... How we we determine what we need, of course, is dependent on what we think is likely to happen and as there's no one-size-fits all. And so you say the primary threat model that you're working with is a natural disaster. Do you want to talk about that or do you want to talk about other threat models or... #0:45:12.8# Kitty: Sure. Well, I think... Okay, a great example is the things that I want for a earthquake is not necessarily what I would want in a tsunami, right? Those are very different natural disasters. As somebody who grew up in hurricane country-ish, you know, it was just really really wet. And having a dust mask would not have helped me in any way. But I would be at much more risk of getting trench foot so that would be like, waterpreoof boots would be way more important. So some of it's knowing your environment and being aware of what your environmental concerns ar. Like living in a city, asbestos is a big fundamental concern. So having dust masks is really important. I feel like I read once that most deaths aren't... In an earthquake, come from inhaling the debris. And that... That causes some of the worst injuries because there's just all of this dust everywhere and... I know that was definitely true with the fires. A lot of people have... Still have some... Some still have breathing problems now from the various fires that were going on in Northern California. So knowing what you need to be concerned about. Like with earthquakes, knowing that the roads might not be super useful to drive on. So having alternative plans for that knowing where your bike paths are. Knowing... If you have a wheelchair for example, maybe thinking of a way to add some tread on your wheelchair might be a practical option. I have a beach cruiser. It's not a racing bike by any means but it's heavy and it's easy to find the parts. And it's really easy to fix myself, that's why I chose that. So thinking about what you can actually do, I think is helpful in figuring out your... Your strategy. I know that I don't know enough about my car to be able to completely dismantle it. However, I do know somebody who does know enough about my car to do that. So I can bike to him and then have him do that. So coming up with those kind of like, "Okay, if this then this, if this then this" strategies helps me at least, I have a very ADHD brain. It helps me have a... A process to go through. Now in California, earthquakes are a big concern especially in this area but fire is also a big concern. And the way I would prepare for a fire versus an earthquake, I would be more concerned about my paperwork disappearing in a fire than an earthquake. Though to be completely honest I'm not that fussed about my paperwork in general. I don't think getting rid of paperwork is the worst plan. But that's not what the government wants to hear from me. So I have... I have some paperwork in a folder that's easy to access if I need to grab something go because my apartment is burning but I wouldn't be as... I wouldn't care much about that if it was an earthquake because in my consideration there would will be enough of a drastic interruption in services for an earthquake that I don't think that that would be an immediate need. #0:49:16.3# Margaret: Yeah and you wouldn't certainly be the only one who has lost their paperwork. 
#0:49:20.4# Kitty: Right, exactly. Exactly. And again, I think that we use paperwork as a penalty for so many people that... Maybe mucking up that system a little bit is a convenient little thing I can do on the side. So I... Yeah, I guess... And all of that is completely separate from thinking of having invaders come and try to take my apartment away from me or something. That... I usually strategise for that by thinking about what my plan are if the cops get even more out of control. #0:50:02.9# Margaret: Right. Like fascist takeovers is on my... On my threat model list, you know? #0:50:08.9# Kitty: Yeah, yeah, totally. And you know... The cops have been pretty shitty around here for quite a while, so... You know, it's been a slowly increasing... Plan. But I mean... For me, I'm not interested in trying to shoot my way through the cops. I have no problem with people who that is their plan, I think it's great that there are people who are inclined that way, but I'm gonna go full rogue. I'm sneaky. I'm going to go to the sewers. I'm not as... I'm not as interested in that kind of direct conflict. So my model for that... Or like my managements for that would be really, really different from natural disasters. And I kind of feel like that are all the things that might actually happen. I mean, I guess a meteor could hit but... Eh. The prepping I do for every other disaster would be fine for that probably. Or I'd be dead. And wouldn't care. So... How about you? What are your... What's your threat model? #0:51:23.0# Margaret: So I live on a floodplain. It's not supposed to be a floodplain but global warming has made it a floodplain. And the mountains... When I first moved to the mountains, I grew up in the foothills, and when I moved into the mountains it... It kind of blew my mind that flooding is a problem because in my mind I'm like, "Well, everything is high up" and actually flooding is at least as much of a problem in... Well, the flooding is a problem in a lot different places, you know hurricanes cause floods, but flash floods in the mountains are very real especially in an era of mountaintop removal mining. which is not immediate thing immediately around me but it certainly affects places within a couple hours of where I live in Appalachia. But, you know, storms... Like the weather patterns are just changing dramatically and by living in rurally I'm not as defended against that in some ways because there's not a large crew of people working to try and figure out how to make sure that the little place that I live is... Is safe. And so we have to do it to whatever... Because you're not supposed to mess with of waterways, we have to do it through the state and all that, but in the meantime our land floods. And so... It flooded a couple days ago and I had to go out and try and prevent it from getting worse through whatever means. And... And I actually had this moment, you're talking about paperwork, I started walking into this flood with my wallet in my pocket. And then eventually realized that that was a bad idea. My wallet does not need to be in my pocket. I'm not going to get asked for my papers or need to purchase anything while I'm walking into this flood and... And so it's a... So natural disaster is like the top... Climate change affecting everything is my top threat model where I live. But fascist takeover is on there and fascist takeover... Is a really different set of problems. #0:53:42.9# Kitty: Yeah. And it's different kind of... #0:53:43.8# Margaret: And a lot of it still comes down to knowing your neighbors. #0:53:46.1# Kitty: It's a different set of prepping as well. It's a totally different set skills. #0:53:50.8# Margaret: Yeah. And I mean there's... And one of the things I was thinking about is... The thing I was really... That I realized, a lot of my... I've spent a lot of my life living outdoors. I was a traveling anarchist living out of a backpack, and I was a forest defender and was a squatter and I lived in a van, and now I live in a cabin. Almost half my life I've lived out... Off grid, essentially. And I was thinking how when in February I'm waist and sometimes chest deep in water, I was thinking how glad I am that just kind of by default prefer certain types of practical clothes. It's funny 'cause I... Most of the time... I built my house wearing a dress. But when I'm like, "Okay it's rainy," and I put my puffy vest and my waders, my muck boots, and wool socks. And I wasn't nearly as concerned about hypothermia, which is a major problem in floods especially in February, just because I wasn't wearing much cotton. And it's funny like because I never think about my outdoors skills. Like how to start a fire with tinder and flint and steel and all that. That's not... I don't really see a version of the world where I'm living in the woods alone and hunting squirrels and whatever the fuck, you know? But there are gonna be moments where I might be like... Needing to not get hypothermia while I'm trying to clear up a dam that's forming or whatever. #0:55:26.9# Kitty: Yeah, yeah. Two pairs of wool socks should be on everyone's list in their go bag for sure. #0:55:34.3# Margaret: Yeah, I keep a second vest... #0:55:35.7# Kitty: And the more wool clothing you have the better. #0:55:39.4# Margaret: But what's funny is than I was thinking that through when you're talking about fires, I was thinking about California, I was like... Well, actually the same clothes that are really good in flood and maybe a tsunami are not good in fire. You don't want to wear synthetic in a fire situation. So... But over all... #0:56:00.1# Kitty: But you actually do wanna wear cotton. #0:56:02.6# Margaret: Yeah. Yeah... #0:56:05.0# Kitty: I remember I used to... I used to blacksmith with my dad and he would be like, "What are you wearing? That's really impractical for this." I'm like, "It's fine. It's cotton, it'll just roll right off. You can't catch fire in cotton." He was like, "That's not really true... But it's more true, I guess." #0:56:22.2# Margaret: It's better than polyester. #0:56:24.0# Kitty: Yes, certainly, yes. #0:56:25.3# Margaret: It's not going to melt into your skin. #0:56:27.9# Kitty: I have melted through so many skirts with some prep butts for sure. And I'm sort of learning at this point that that's... That's a concern. But yeah, I mean that's definitely an area of my prepping that I need to be better about. Is just having practical clothes. I don't have that much in the way of practical clothes that can fold up really small and actually keep me warm or keep me cool. #0:56:59.3# Margaret: Yeah. But sometimes people over... Overestimate the importance of this. I've definitely gone hiking in maxi skirts all time. And every time I go hiking with someone new in a maxi skirt they're like, "Margaret, do you wanna wear that?" And I'm like, "Are you fucking kidding me, I've been hiking in these skirts for the past fifteen years I know what the fuck I'm doing." Yeah, they might get caught and rip on things but whatever, you know? So there's a... There's a... I'm suddenly defensive about like, "Oh no, you don't need practical clothes." I don't know, maybe... Maybe we all need practical clothes. But maybe sometimes... #0:57:31.7# Kitty: You definitely need socks and I would recommend more than one pair of underwear. Probably cotton just for... #0:57:38.9# Margaret: But that's, yeah... #0:57:39.2# Kitty: Keeping your genitals fresh. But other then that... You can figure it out. I mean... But also clothes are not exactly in short supply either. There's a lot of trash fashion that we can pad up to make something acceptable. #0:58:01.8# Margaret: Well, in a lot of disaster areas people gather clothes to bring there and all the people there are like, "Why did you bring us fucking clothes. Bring us fucking clean water. What you doing?" #0:58:12.6# Kitty: Well they're bringing clothes because you can't burn them in India or China anymore, right? So it's like, "Oh, we'll give it to poor people." #0:58:22.1# Margaret: That way we get to feel better and clean out our closet, yeah #0:58:25.7# Kitty: Yup. I mean it's just... I guess that's another... That another threat, is just being buried under stuff. Just trash. Just being slowly buried alive under trash. #0:58:39.4# Margaret: Well that's the... That's the status quo problem, right? There's... If the world doesn't end and it keeps going the way it goes that's also kind of horrible. #0:58:49.7# Kitty: Yeah, yeah. Well, I guess actually another threat model that I think a lot about is disease. Disease is definitely a big concern. We... I live in a city where everyone is on top each other. So... A disease can spread incredibly quickly. I remembered there was a person who went to Berkeley Bowl who had the measles or something and they just quarantined Berkeley bowl. And I was like, "I'm not leaving the house for two weeks, just in case, who knows?" And that's even with having a vaccine. It's just... Knowing that when the electricity fails a lot of things like vaccines are going to become a lot more difficult, if not impossible... #0:59:43.0# Margaret: To acquire or whatever? #0:59:45.1# Kitty: And then... And then it's... Yeah, to acquire, keep them cold. To refrigerate medications, that's not going to be possible. So figuring out that is also something I try to be somewhat aware of. Having alternatives to medication, having alternatives to street drugs also. So knowing about... Knowing how to use Narcan. Knowing a little about... I don't even know how to pronounce that, I've only seen it read... Kratom? #1:00:23.5# Margaret: Kratom I think. #1:00:25.6# Kitty: Yeah, so that has been used by a bunch of my friends when they've been withdrawing from opiates. So having stuff that could work as an alternate... I've always packed some pot in my medic bag even though I don't smoke pot. Because it's so useful for so many different things... That it's worth just having it in there. And that's something that could be a real problem. A bunch of people withdrawing at once... Is a huge problem. A bunch of people getting sick at once is a huge problem. So having alternatives for that stuff is something that I'm looking a lot more into. #1:01:13.4# Margaret: Yeah, that's interesting that... I haven't thought about that. #1:01:16.3# Kitty: And that's what... #1:01:16.3# Margaret: The... Specifically withdrawing. #1:01:18.6# Kitty: That's just really something right-wing people don't think about that. I've noticed this. They're afraid of... Sorry, I forget the actual terminology, again ADHD brain, and I tend to call things... Like I called bars alcohol restaurants, that's just... How my brain works. But there's some doomsday thing that a lot of people are hype on... #1:01:39.4# Margaret: Coronavirus? #1:01:41.8# Kitty: About... No, no, no. I wish it was that, that would make much sense but no. They're just being racist and frantic about that while not thinking about the flu which kills a lot more people. But anyway... No. It's the... It's like a solar flare is going to knock out all of our electricity? #1:02:02.9# Margaret: Oh, 'cause then it'll EMP us or whatever? #1:02:05.4# Kitty: That's the one, yes. There's so many of them who are so focused on that but then they don't think about disease at all. And that just blows my mind because disease is way more likely. #1:02:19.9# Margaret: Yeah, people are bad at threat modeling. #1:02:21.0# Kitty: Within our lifetime we've seen multiple plagues. #1:02:25.0# Margaret: Yeah. I mean it's... #1:02:27.7# Kitty: It's just really surprising. #1:02:29.7# Margaret: I think some of it is about... I mean most of it's that people are bad at threat modeling. But I think some of it is like people... Enjoy certain types of threats. Like preparing for certain types of threats more than others. And also probably enjoy preparing like... For something that makes them feel like they have more agency instead of less agency, you know? If you're someone who... All of your skills are about non-electric things you can be really excited about the power grid going down. But I don't know. #1:03:02.8# Kitty: But I mean... That is... That is another area to think about when it comes to ableism, for example. A lot of diabetics aren't going to be able to get access to their medication. So figuring out how do you deal with that. And I don't think there... I don't know that I have answer to that, I don't know that anybody does. While that's for certain something that I would want to... Know more about. #1:03:28.0# Margaret: I think that's why we have to not... It's why the end of the world is bad. Like disaster is actually a really bad thing. Like people clearly get kind of hooked on it, right, because they suddenly have agency in their lives and they... You know, and... Everything I've ever read or talk to people about, like suicide goes down, like psychotic breaks go down, things like that during crisis. And it's... But it's still, at the end of the day, something that if we can avert it we should. And that's actually why... As much as climate change is going to affect things, there are going to be disasters, there's going to be interruptions in our society, if there's ways we can find to make sure that that doesn't kill so many people or ruin so many lives... Even if it ruins economic systems, maybe, you know... And of course as an anarchist I say this, maybe the solution is to ruin the existing economic system. Although ideally by transferring it over to a system that... You know... So that we still have access to the... The things we need in the meantime. Which is actually, it gets... I'm almost done with this rant. The whole... There's a threat that the whole like... There's a Durruti quote where during the Spanish Civil War... Someone asks him, "Well, what about all the destruction of this revolution?" And he's like, "Well, we're workers, we're not afraid of ruins. Why would we be afraid of ruins, we're the ones who built this city, we can build again." And I think about... Often people are like, well, and this is a tangent 'cause now I'm talking about anarchist society, people are like, "In an anarchist society, how would you have antibiotics?" I'd be like "Well, I don't know, how do we fucking have them now? We'll do that. Or maybe a different way, I don't know." And there's still people in the apocalypse, right? There's still a ton of people in disaster and we all know how to do stuff. And so even if like the electrical grid dies, that doesn't mean there's no power. It doesn't mean there's no hospital, even, you know? There's... Like even... We can... Fix these things and do these things and some of those are already prepared for that. #1:05:43.8# Kitty: Yeah. And I mean... And I think... I guess I would say that while it's good to be prepared, I also think it's important not to psyche yourself out. I think it's important to... Not get too excited about it. Because the fact is a lot of people, a lot of black and brown people especially, disabled people especially, will die. In any kind of disaster that you would want to prep for. That's just... That's how we structured our society and that is going to happen. So I think that that is something to be aware of before getting too thrilled about... The end of the world, right? So that you're kinda saying some really fucked up stuff at the same time. And frankly I don't know that I would survive a disaster like that. But I do know that I don't think I could do it by myself. I do think I could do it with community. And I think that that's why I'm so focus on community and mutual aid. I read A Paradise Built In Hell and it's this really interesting book that looks at different disasters and kind of has that... Isn't it interesting how a disaster happens and people come together and help each other even when everything has gone shit. And how... I think this was kinda the intention of the author of this book but she does seem to point out a lot... Isn't it also interesting how often the government steps in and tells them to stop doing that? So no, that is not okay. And will actually murder people to prevent them from helping each other. And I think that... That's something I'd consider as sort of a secondary threat model is... The government trying to prevent people from actually doing okay without them. It's like an ultimate abusive relationship. And figuring out how to deal with that... When you're being funneled into resources that are not ready to handle them. Yeah, so I mean, you know, it's a lot. #1:08:25.9# Margaret: Well this is a... This is a really good... This is going to be the first episode and... So I think we've covered a lot of... Thanks for helping me kind of... Almost like set up what this show will hopefully drill down more about and yeah, thanks so much for... Talking to me about all this stuff today. #1:08:46.8# Kitty: Yeah, thanks for having me. I'm glad we could kind of work out... Sort of, here's all of the issues for... Here's a selection of all of the issues. But wait, there's more. #1:08:58.8# Margaret: Yeah, no, exactly. #1:08:59.1# Kitty: I'm looking forward to seeing the series. It should be pretty cool. #1:09:03.7# Margaret: Cool. Alright, well... Thank you so much. #1:09:06.5# Kitty: Thank you. #1:09:08.0# (Musical transition) #1:09:11.7# Margaret: Thanks for listening to the first ever episode of Live Like The World Is Dying. If you enjoyed the podcast, please tell your friends. Tell iTunes, tell Apple podcasts, tell whatever platform you get your podcasts on that you liked the podcast by subscribing, by reviewing it, by rating it and all of those things. It actually makes a huge difference and I think it'll especially a huge difference for the first couple episodes of a podcast. If you'd like to see this podcast continue, you can support me on Patreon. I... I make most of my living through my Patreon which allows me to spend my time creating content and I'm wildly, wildly grateful that that's something that I get to do with my life. In particular, I would like to thank Chris and Nora and Hoss the dog, Willow, Kirk, Natalie, and Sam. Y'all really make this possible and I can't thank you enough. Alright, thanks so much. And join us next time. #1:10:10.0# (Outroductory music) This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-69f62d for 40% off for 4 months, and support Live Like the World is Dying.

You can enjoy exclusive and intense erotic audio by grabbing your copy of the Sensual Awakenings App on the Apple Store,or downloading the very unofficial and unapproved Android version from WyldeInBed.com In a world painted in shades of gray, Ashley finds herself trapped in a life dictated by expectations and monotony. Having ticked every box of "normalcy," she now stands on the precipice of a vibrant transformation, yearning to break free from the invisible chains that bind her. It's time to shed her old skin and embrace the wild, colorful life she's always dreamed of.As the walls of her prison begin to crumble, Ashley embarks on a journey of self-discovery, where she encounters unexpected passions and the intoxicating thrill of new love. But the path to liberation isn't straightforward. With her heart yearning for a connection deeper than friendship, she must navigate the complexities of desire and intimacy with those she thought she knew best. Will Ashley find the courage to embrace the unknown and surrender to the beauty of temptation? Or will she retreat back to her monochrome existence, forever wondering what could have been?

The portal is ready to be crossed... But is the Captain's Council ready to cross it? Buster sees Captain Jezriah's last moments. Max demands to be taken back. Ignis lives through her echo. Chozo sculpts the tear. • • • Patreon: patreon.com/ICastFireball20 Twitter / Instagram: @ICastFireball20 Facebook: @ICastFireball2020 Email: ICastFireball2020@gmail.com Donations: ko-fi.com/icastfireball20 • • • AUDIO CREDITS Mynoise.net Ambience made on the incredible Mynoise.net. If you're looking for customizable background sound while you're creating, or studying, or playing your own dnd campaign check out this site and consider donating because it's a great site.   Many sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com and https://pixabay.com/   Public domain sound effects used throughout   “Underwater Ambience” created by Asleep in Perfection on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dJDFGvkc1Y Patreon: asleepinperfection   Website: https://asleepinperfection.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/14JXr... Instagram: asleepinperfection   Twitter:  asleepinperfect   TikTok:  asleepinperfection     “The Pirate King” By Untold Journey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTVxFPhbAtk Composed by Jared Rehnquist ► This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.  You can find more info about this license here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/   “Solstice” By Ross Bugden https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yRIt5yS36s&list=PLMFmJLFhkDPG2tHFRin_Ecoqbg7kDxYr_&index=4 Please Consider Subscribing    "The Strangers" composed and produced by "Vivek Abhishek" Music link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_9rO7m-WHM SUBSCRIBE us on YOUTUBE: https://bit.ly/3qumnPH Follow on Facebook : https://bit.ly/33RWRtP Follow on Instagram : https://bit.ly/2ImU2JV   “Pirates out for Blood” By Miguel Johnson Patreon link if you wish to support me as an artist:   migueljohnsonmjmujsic   Music by me, Miguel Johnson "Pirates out for Blood (Remix)" Red Death - CMDR Aramus Taran/me Black Death - CMDR Gunjammin Police/Viper - CMDR Cole Kemper https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSZAMWmrczs   And as always a HUGE thank you to Hayden Allred for our amazing theme music!

Send us a textHow not to litigate your marriage like it's a podcast court. Memory misfires. Sleep disappears. Someone says “circle back” and a soul leaves a body. Embarrassment is declared a lifestyle. Cringe becomes courage in a novelty hat. No onions are harmed. Art appears. Strangers clap. Wellness culture smells like fish and asks too many questions. Listener messages arrive carrying thermostat wars, sacred mugs, and mysteries best left unsolved. If you enjoy funny relationship podcasts, surreal self-help, and watching adults cope in real time—this is for you. Follow. Share. Protect your intention like a raccoon guarding trash at midnight.Super Familiar with The Wilsons Find us on instagram at instagram.com/superfamiliarwiththewilsonsand on YoutubeContact us! familiarwilsons@gmail.com A Familiar Wilsons Production

Hello to you listening in Shah Alam, Malaysia!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.The beginning of a New Year can feel daunting. All those plans to kick start, days to fill, resolutions to keep, and more to do! There's no shame in admitting feeling a wee bit wobbly-legged about going forward in the face of wide open frontiers.  What to do? Gain some courage by reversing your Bucket List. Instead of a list of what is yet to be done, what about a list of what you've accomplished from the littlest things that you felt made a difference to the biggest things you never thought you would achieve. You might begin by asking yourself:What made me proud?What have I learned?How did I transform my thinking about strangers to compassion and kindness?Who revealed the meaning of true love to me?Where did I find the hope and resilience to face whatever came my way?When did I feel most content or fulfilled?What would I do all over again just for the joy of it?What did I long for as a child?  What have I created or, at least, not destroyed?Who have I lifted up?How have I defined my life?  What dreams came true? And, which was I happy to leave by the wayside?  What or whom did I fight for and why?When did I take time to play?  In my experience the Reverse Bucket List invites us to pay attention to what we've done, won, gained, lost, learned and kept on living no matter what. It's proof that over and over again we have stepped outside our comfort zone to strive for something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for! Give it a go. Reverse your Bucket List and shine a light on you. You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source. 

It is a thrill to welcome back my friend, three-time Tony-winning producer and investor Evan McGill, to The Jake's Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast!  Evan is also a Drama Desk Award and Drama League Award-winning theatrical and music producer whose work spans Broadway, the West End, and Australia. He is a member of the Broadway League and the founder of Evan McGill Productions, where he has played a pivotal role in shaping some of the most celebrated theatrical productions in recent years. ​ On Broadway, his producing credits include Parade (2023), The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window (2023), The Outsiders, and Sunset Blvd (2024), and he has held a stake in numerous other commercial productions. Across the pond, Evan is involved in the West End revivals of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express (2024) and Evita (2025), among others. In Australia, he has been involved with Hamilton, MJ, and Beetlejuice.In addition to his work on stage, Evan McGill has produced successful Broadway cast albums, including The Music Man: The 2022 Broadway Cast Recording and Funny Girl: New Broadway Cast Recording—both of which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Cast Albums chart. ​ In the world of entertainment finance, Evan McGill serves as a general partner at Tanninger Fund II, an SEC-registered investment vehicle that supports live entertainment ventures globally. His work has earned him three Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical for Parade at the 76th Tony Awards, Best Musical for The Outsiders at the 77th Tony Awards (in collaboration with Tanninger Entertainment), and Best Revival of a Musical for Sunset Blvd. at the 78th Tony Awards. He also received a Drama Desk Award for Parade and a Drama League Award as part of the producing team behind Sunset Blvd.  On this episode of The Jake's Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast, Evan McGill talked about his success with The Outsiders, why Sunset Blvd was a cultural phenomenon, and previewed both the latest North American tour of Monty Python's Spamalot and Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York). Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/jake-s-take-with-jacob-elyachar--4112003/support.

1 Peter 1:1-9

Pastor Luke talks about Joseph, Mary, and Jesus fleeing to Egypt after the Wise Men's visit. Scripture reading: Matthew 2:13-15. 19-25.

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Snowstorm Serendipity: How Strangers Became Allies Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2026-01-03-23-34-02-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 在那座大都市的高铁站，冬季的寒风让每位旅客都裹紧了外套。En: At the high-speed train station in that bustling metropolis, the winter wind made every traveler wrap their coats tightly.Zh: 人们在那里交错而过，脸上带着匆忙或无奈的神情。En: People were passing by each other with looks of haste or helplessness on their faces.Zh: 电子屏上的信息不断更新，显示更多的列车延误，这无疑让整个候车厅的气氛都增添了一丝紧张。En: The electronic screen's information constantly updated, showing more train delays, which undoubtedly added a touch of tension to the entire waiting area.Zh: 链是一位有抱负的女商人，她急需赶往另一个城市参加一个重要的商务会议。En: Lian is an ambitious businesswoman who urgently needed to get to another city for an important business meeting.Zh: 在去程的途中，她满心都是即将见到的合作伙伴和即将达成的协议。En: On her way, she was filled with thoughts of the partners she was about to meet and the agreements she was about to finalize.Zh: 可是，意外的暴风雪让她的计划泡汤。En: However, an unexpected snowstorm threw her plans into disarray.Zh: 坐在候车厅的长椅上，链看着不断被取消的列车信息，心里充满着焦急与无奈。En: Sitting on the bench in the waiting hall, Lian watched the endless cancellations of train information, filled with anxiety and helplessness.Zh: 此时，她偶然遇见了明，一个好奇心旺盛的大学生，正在背包旅游。En: At this time, she happened to meet Ming, a curious university student who was backpacking.Zh: 他刚刚在图书馆写完论文，正想着利用假期旅行。En: He had just finished writing a thesis at the library and was thinking of traveling during his vacation.Zh: 和他们同在这长椅上等待的还有卫，一位沉默的艺术家，正在寻找下一个灵感。En: Also waiting on this bench was Wei, a silent artist in search of the next inspiration.Zh: 链感到失落和烦躁，无奈之下主动与明和卫搭话。En: Lian felt lost and irritable, so she took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Ming and Wei.Zh: 她坦言自己的困境，并希望能一起想办法。En: She candidly shared her predicament and hoped they could think of a solution together.Zh: 明被链的故事吸引，兴致勃勃地提出可以一起查看本地交通的其他可能性。En: Ming, intrigued by Lian's story, eagerly suggested that they explore other local transportation options together.Zh: 卫则微笑着点头，他从未想到陌生人间的交流竟也如此有趣。En: Wei smiled and nodded, never having thought that interactions among strangers could be so interesting.Zh: 几人的对话中，暴风雪越发猛烈，广播里很快宣布所有晚间列车全部取消。En: During their conversation, the snowstorm grew fiercer, and the announcement soon declared the cancellation of all evening trains.Zh: 面对这种新情况，他们意识到必须团结合作，寻找其它方案。En: In the face of this new situation, they realized they must unite and cooperate to find alternative solutions.Zh: 经过几番讨论，明提到了一位本地的企业家，他知道对方正计划去链所要去的城市。En: After several discussions, Ming mentioned a local entrepreneur he knew, who was planning to go to the same city as Lian.Zh: 他们设法联系了那位企业家，此人正好有空位，并乐意共享行程。En: They managed to contact the entrepreneur, who happened to have a vacant seat and was willing to share the trip.Zh: 一路上，链得以展示其商业头脑和魅力，与这位企业家建立了良好的关系。En: Along the way, Lian was able to showcase her business acumen and charm, establishing a good relationship with the entrepreneur.Zh: 最后，通过这个意外的旅途，链不但抓住了新的商业机会，也收获了意外的友谊。En: In the end, through this unexpected journey, Lian not only seized new business opportunities but also gained unexpected friendships.Zh: 在这次经历中，她明白了适应与合作的重要性，也体会到了在人生旅途中有时需要敞开心扉，迎接意外的馈赠。En: Through this experience, she understood the importance of adaptability and cooperation, and realized that sometimes in the journey of life, it's necessary to open one's heart and embrace unexpected gifts.Zh: 大都市的高铁站已被抛在身后，链却带上了新的希望继续前行。En: The high-speed train station in the big city was left behind, but Lian carried new hope forward. Vocabulary Words:bustling: 繁忙的metropolis: 大都市helplessness: 无奈unabated: 不减embrace: 迎接entrepreneur: 企业家vacant: 空的predicament: 困境initiative: 主动acumen: 头脑cancellation: 取消disarray: 混乱irritable: 烦躁candidly: 坦言fiercer: 猛烈curious: 好奇thesis: 论文stranger: 陌生人adaptability: 适应cooperation: 合作intently: 认真broadcast: 广播realized: 意识到showcase: 展示establishing: 建立filled: 充满intrigued: 被吸引hastily: 匆忙aspiring: 有抱负unexpected: 意外的

Episode Summary On This Year in the Apocalypse, Miriam and Inmn talk about the shit show that was 2025 and how they think you the greatest weapon moving forward is hope and doing cool shit with your friends. Host Info Miriam can be found making funnies on the Strangers' Bluesky. Inmn can be found on Instagram @shadowtail.artificery. Publisher Info This show is published by Strangers in A Tangled Wilderness. We can be found at www.tangledwilderness.org, or on Twitter @TangledWild and Instagram @Tangled_Wilderness and Blue Sky @tangledwilderness.bsky.social You can support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/strangersinatangledwilderness This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-69f62d for 40% off for 4 months, and support Live Like the World is Dying.

Alpha Hour Exhortation - Episode 1176

Strangers, we are dark again this week, but please enjoy this episode from the vault, with a special added bonus. In the mid-1990s Michael Alig was king of New York City nightlife, ruling over a group of misfits known as the Club Kids. His parties made him the vanguard of shock-factor cool, inflating his ego and his drug problem, until it all went spiraling out of control. How do you know when the party's over? When someone ends up dead.

The guys talk about whether or not compliments from strangers creep them out.

The third hour of "Afternoon Drive" is joined by Audacy NFL insider Ross Tucker, the discussion of what a parting of ways would mean for the Browns and Kevin Stefanski and if compliments from strangers creep them out.

Send us a textThe wonderful Chanté Joseph, writer of the viral British Vogue piece, ‘Is Having A Boyfriend Embarrassing Now?' is back for Part 2 of our conversation. If you haven't already listened to Part 1, I highly recommend you go and do that first, and you're then going to want to come back and listen to this part, too!In this second half of our conversation, Chanté talks about how she's started being totally upfront with men she's dating, rather than holding back for fear of losing someone; she talks about a book called The Tragedy of Heterosexuality by Jane Ward, which has really transformed the way that Chanté thinks about relationships and dating; we also talk about polyamory and non-monogamy, the question of whether human beings are even built for long-term relationship, as well as 'Strangers In The City', an event series that Chanté started with her best friend which brings solo people together. 02:38 The Tragedy of Heterosexuality02:58 Polyamory and Non-Monogamy06:04 Emotional Dominance in Relationships11:39 Questioning Long-Term Relationships19:05 The Fear of Being Alone21:20 Cultural Perspectives on Singledom22:59 The Irony of Singledom for Women23:56 Scott Galloway and the Masculinity Crisis24:56 Encouraging Men to Step Up27:07 The Role of Community in Relationships29:22 Reflections on Societal Pressures34:19 Chanté's Personal Journey and Career Focus36:52 Strangers in the City: Chanté's Event SeriesRead Chanté's Vogue piece: https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/is-having-a-boyfriend-embarrassing-nowFollow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chantayyjayy/?hl=enBook a 'Strangers In The City' event: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/strangers-in-the-city-81942438803Follow Strangers In The City on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strangersinthecityevents/?hl=en Support the showBuy my book, SHINY HAPPY SINGLES (UK) / THRIVE SOLO (US & Canada) at: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/book Join my membership community for single women, Thrive Solo: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/thrivesolo Download my FREE PDF 'Top 10 Comebacks for the MostAnnoying Questions Single Women Get Asked' Go to: https://www.lucymeggeson.com/comebacks Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thrivesolowithlucymeggeson Join my private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870817913309222/?ref=share Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivesolowithlucymeggeson/ Email me: lucy@lucymeggeson.com And thank you so much for listening!

We’re bringing you something special this week in place of our usual daily show. Every day, we are making one of the stories that listeners loved this year free for everyone. Below is an excerpt from The Highlight by Vox on why Americans are moving in with strangers twice their age, written by Rachel Cohen and narrated by Jaime Lamchick for Apple News+.

And Then The Strangers Came To Play With Us Outside At NightBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/darkest-mysteries-online-the-strange-and-unusual-podcast-2025--5684156/support.Darkest Mysteries Online

You can enjoy exclusive and intense erotic audio by grabbing your copy of the Sensual Awakenings App on the Apple Store,or downloading the very unofficial and unapproved Android version from WyldeInBed.com Jane had always lived a 'normal life' until in desperation she responds to an online advert for an artists muse.She now finds herself on a tropical island, with money in the bank, and not a clue what is expected of her by the mysterious artist she has never even spoken to.What will she had to do to earn the money that is already in her account?In Island of Desires, disillusioned and yearning for more, Jane stumbles upon a mysterious advertisement promising an escape from her mundane life. The ad's allure is irresistible: a secluded desert island, far from the prying eyes of civilization, where one can truly discover themselves.Her curiosity piqued, Jane takes a leap of faith and soon finds herself stranded with a stranger whose intentions are as enigmatic as the island itself.The novel hinges on the tantalizing premise of exploring one's deepest creative urges and desires in an isolated paradise.Jane's journey begins with uncertainty but quickly transforms into a sensuous adventure as she and her mysterious companion delve into uncharted territories of intimacy and sexuality. With each passing day, the island becomes more than just a backdrop; it turns into a canvas for their passions and a crucible for their relationship.Every touch, every glance evokes a symphony of sensations, painting a vivid picture of their exotic surroundings.The salty breeze, the warm sand underfoot, the lush greenery—all become intertwined with their burgeoning romance. As they shed their inhibitions, they discover new facets of themselves, and the line between reality and fantasy blurs in the shimmering heat of the island sun.Jane's initial trepidation gives way to bold exploration as she learns to trust her instincts and embrace the unknown. The stranger, equally captivated by the raw beauty of their environment and Emma's unbridled spirit, reveals secrets that deepen their connection.Together, they create a world where sensuality reigns supreme, and every moment is charged with possibility.Island of Desires is a novel that beckons the adventurous spirit in all of us. It's a story of sensuality, discovery, and the intoxicating thrill of stepping into the unknown.The unique blend of an exotic locale, a mysterious companion, and the exploration of creative and carnal urges makes it an unforgettable read.Don't miss your chance to be swept away by this intoxicating tale of desire and discovery.Enjoy Island of Desires today and embark on a journey that will leave you breathless.

Fluent Fiction - Dutch: From Strangers to Friends: A New Year's Eve Connection Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/nl/episode/2025-12-28-08-38-20-nl Story Transcript:Nl: Forsyth Park lag onder een dunne laag winterse kou.En: Forsyth Park lay under a thin layer of winter chill.Nl: De eikenbomen stonden hoog, hun takken versierd met Spaanse mos.En: The oak trees stood tall, their branches adorned with Spanish moss.Nl: Het was een drukte van belang, mensen lachten en praatten, voorbereid op de viering van Oud en Nieuw.En: It was a bustle of activity, people laughing and talking, prepared for the New Year's Eve celebration.Nl: Zuidelijke gezelligheid vulde de lucht.En: Southern hospitality filled the air.Nl: Femke stopte en liet haar blik dwalen over het park.En: Femke stopped and let her gaze wander over the park.Nl: Ze dacht aan Nederland, aan thuis.En: She thought of Nederland, of home.Nl: Ze kende nog niet veel mensen in Savannah, en tijdens de feestdagen voelde ze zich extra eenzaam.En: She didn't know many people in Savannah yet, and during the holidays, she felt extra lonely.Nl: Toch wilde ze haar nieuwe leven omarmen en vriendschappen sluiten.En: Still, she wanted to embrace her new life and make friends.Nl: Haar ogen zochten in de menigte naar Joost, haar collega die met zijn familie in de stad was.En: Her eyes searched the crowd for Joost, her colleague who was in the city with his family.Nl: Joost stond onder een grote boom, zijn houding ontspannen maar afstandelijk.En: Joost stood under a large tree, his posture relaxed yet distant.Nl: Femke wilde dichterbij komen, maar aarzelde.En: Femke wanted to get closer but hesitated.Nl: Hoe kon ze met hem praten zonder dat het gek leek?En: How could she talk to him without it seeming awkward?Nl: Terwijl ze nadacht, gebeurde er iets onverwachts.En: As she pondered, something unexpected happened.Nl: Niet ver van Joost, viel Lars, een andere Nederlander in het park, plotseling op de grond.En: Not far from Joost, Lars, another Dutch person in the park, suddenly fell to the ground.Nl: Mensen stonden verstijfd van schrik.En: People froze in shock.Nl: Femke keek eerst rond, wachtend tot iemand iets zou doen.En: Femke looked around, waiting for someone to take action.Nl: Maar niemand bewoog.En: But no one moved.Nl: Ze herinnerde zich hoe haar vader haar had geleerd om te helpen als iemand in nood was.En: She remembered how her father had taught her to help when someone was in need.Nl: Femke ademde diep in en rende naar Lars toe.En: Femke took a deep breath and ran towards Lars.Nl: "Joost!"En: "Joost!"Nl: riep ze uit, haar stem licht trillend.En: she called out, her voice slightly trembling.Nl: Joost keek op, verrast door haar roep.En: Joost looked up, surprised by her call.Nl: Hij haastte zich naast haar.En: He hurried over to join her.Nl: Samen knielden ze bij Lars.En: Together, they knelt by Lars.Nl: Joost controleerde zijn pols, terwijl Femke haar sjaal onder Lars' hoofd legde.En: Joost checked his pulse, while Femke placed her scarf under Lars' head.Nl: "We moeten hulp bellen," zei Femke terwijl ze haar telefoon pakte.En: "We need to call for help," said Femke as she grabbed her phone.Nl: Joost knikte instemmend en belde de hulpdiensten.En: Joost nodded in agreement and called emergency services.Nl: De momenten voelden lang en gespannen, maar samen ondersteunden ze elkaar in hun actie.En: The moments felt long and tense, but they supported each other in their actions.Nl: Ze spraken niet veel, maar in die stilte was er een soort begrip.En: They didn't speak much, but in that silence, there was a kind of understanding.Nl: Lars kreunde zachtjes en opende zijn ogen.En: Lars groaned softly and opened his eyes.Nl: Femke glimlachte bemoedigend naar hem.En: Femke smiled encouragingly at him.Nl: "De ambulance is onderweg," zei Joost, terwijl hij zijn telefoon weer opborg.En: "The ambulance is on its way," said Joost, as he put his phone away.Nl: Femke knikte en bleef bij Lars, terwijl Joost zijn hand op Femkes schouder legde.En: Femke nodded and stayed with Lars, while Joost placed his hand on Femke's shoulder.Nl: Toen de ambulance arriveerde, konden Femke en Joost eindelijk ademen.En: When the ambulance arrived, Femke and Joost could finally breathe.Nl: Lars werd op een brancard gelegd, maar niet zonder eerst zijn dankbaarheid te uiten.En: Lars was placed on a stretcher, but not without first expressing his gratitude.Nl: "Jullie hebben me echt geholpen," zei hij zwakjes maar vastberaden.En: "You really helped me," he said weakly but determinedly.Nl: "Kom vanavond naar mijn Nieuwjaarsfeest.En: "Come to my New Year's party tonight.Nl: Jullie zijn allebei meer dan welkom."En: You are both more than welcome."Nl: Femke keek naar Joost en glimlachte.En: Femke looked at Joost and smiled.Nl: "Dat klinkt als een goed idee," antwoordde ze.En: "That sounds like a good idea," she replied.Nl: Joost leek ook opgelucht en knikte instemmend.En: Joost also seemed relieved and nodded in agreement.Nl: Na de hectiek van de middag vond Femke zichzelf met een nieuw gevoel van gemeenschap.En: After the hectic afternoon, Femke found herself with a new sense of community.Nl: Ze realiseerde zich dat vriendschap kon groeien op onverwachte momenten.En: She realized that friendship could grow at unexpected moments.Nl: En hoewel ze nog steeds haar thuisland miste, voelde ze zich nu een beetje meer thuis in Savannah, naast Joost.En: And although she still missed her homeland, she now felt a bit more at home in Savannah, beside Joost.Nl: De koude lucht in Forsyth Park was nog steeds fris, maar Femke's hart was warm.En: The cold air in Forsyth Park was still crisp, but Femke's heart was warm.Nl: Samen wandelden ze langzaam naar de uitgang van het park, de belofte van een nieuw begin en nieuwe vriendschappen in hun gedachten.En: Together, they slowly walked towards the park's exit, the promise of a new beginning and new friendships in their thoughts. Vocabulary Words:chill: kouadorned: versierdbustle: druktehospitality: gezelligheidgaze: blikwander: dwalenlonely: eenzaamembrace: omarmencrowd: menigteposture: houdingdistant: afstandelijkhesitate: aarzeldeawkward: gekpondered: nadachtunexpected: onverwachtsfroze: verstijfdtrembling: trillendgroaned: kreundeencouragingly: bemoedigendstretcher: brancardgrateful: dankbaarheiddeterminedly: vastberadenrelieved: opgeluchthectic: hectiekcommunity: gemeenschaprealized: realiseerdecrisp: frispromise: beloftebeginning: beginfriendships: vriendschappen

Movie reviews #57-1 (Pied Piper 1972) This be a rated G movie about the Black Death with an obviously stoned looking Donovan as the Pied Piper. surprising that Donovan never wrote a song called “get the cash up front”.2 (Watch out we're Mad 1974) Your decade under the influence crew has watched several Italian 70's films that had some good political and even queer representation, but they all also had horrible sexual assault of women scenes. Enter this film that does not have horrid assault, just two guys spending all their time together being frenemies and wanting 2 dune buggy's, that's it, annnnd we found it quite refreshing.
3 (Murder by death 1976) Peter Sellers and many other talented people star in this zany whodunnit, but Sellers plays an extremely racist character, soooooo just watch Clue!
4 (Amityville Horror 1979) The older brother from Goonies, Dad has great hair in this movie, in the beginning. As his demonic possession marches on his hair care routine goes right out the window. Better reporter, and superman's girlfriend is here too, and the whole thing would be fine if the damned priest she asked to cleanse their new house knew what he was doing.
5 (Strangers, the story of a mother and daughter 1979) Bette Davis and Gena Rowlands star in this serious but also campy rad made for tv movie about A Mother who don wanna talk and a Daughter who does, who will win.
6 (Brubaker 1980) Wow this has a great top four, Robert Redford, Yaphet Kotto, Jane Alexander, and the mighty Morgan Freeman in one of 2 movies he did that year where he is stuck in prison. This film is great and is about prison reform which it still desperately needs. Reform hmmmmm maybe revolution.
folks that's this batch of films and we will see ya next time. Please drop us a review, and thanks for listening.

And Then The Strangers Came To Play With Us Outside At NightBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/darkest-mysteries-online-the-strange-and-unusual-podcast-2025--5684156/support.Darkest Mysteries Online

Ian McEwan's latest novel, “What We Can Know,” is many things at once: It's a science fiction imagining of a future world devastated by climate catastrophe; it's a literary mystery about a scholar's search for a long-lost poem; it's a deep dive into complicated marriages; and it's a meditation on how the past lingers and how history morphs with time.“It's the best thing McEwan has written in ages,” our critic Dwight Garner wrote in his review. “It's a sophisticated entertainment of a high order.”In this episode of the Book Review Book Club, the host MJ Franklin discusses “What We Can Know” with his colleagues Sarah Lyall (who profiled McEwan for the Book Review this year) and Leah Greenblatt. You can follow along, and add your own comments to the discussion here.Other Books mentioned in this discussion:“Atonement,” “Saturday,” “On Chesil Beach,” “The Comfort of Strangers,” “The Cement Garden” and “Enduring Love,” by Ian McEwan“Fleishman Is in Trouble,” by Taffy Brodesser-Akner“Fates and Furies,” by Lauren Groff“Marston Meadows: A Corona for Prue,” by John Fuller“How the Word Is Passed,” by Clint Smith“The Stranger's Child,” “The Line of Beauty” and “Our Evenings,” by Alan HollinghurstWe would love to hear your thoughts about this episode, and about the Book Review's podcast in general. You can send them to books@nytimes.com. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Episode Summary This week on Live Like the World is Dying, Inmn and Miriam talk about regional gatherings, ways to frame them, and why the simple act of having them is a great way to build preparedness infrastructure and more resilient communities that are ready to respond to disasters of all kinds. Host Info Miriam can be found making funnies on the Strangers' Bluesky. Inmn can be found on Instagram @shadowtail.artificery. Publisher Info This show is published by Strangers in A Tangled Wilderness. We can be found at www.tangledwilderness.org, or on Twitter @TangledWild and Instagram @Tangled_Wilderness and Blue Sky @tangledwilderness.bsky.social You can support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/strangersinatangledwilderness This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-69f62d for 40% off for 4 months, and support Live Like the World is Dying.

A thirteen-year-old girl is shot and killed in North Carolina just days before Christmas, leaving a family shattered and three teenagers jailed, who were total strangers to the victim. A dozen men are arrested in New Jersey after police say they tried to meet a child for sex during “Operation Bad Santa.” Drew Nelson reports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wolf and Doc Miller push deeper into their escape, but they're not alone. Something is moving through the ceiling. The vents echo with metal scraping, screams, and gunshots.Meanwhile, Clarence and Silent Monday arrive at the Wayne Rehabilitation Centre, trying to get inside and speak to Doc before it's too late. One problem remains: the woman at the front desk. And she is not letting anyone through without an appointment... PLAY THE DUST WORLD RPG NOW:We've released the epic RPG Dust world and we want your help. Dust World PBTA is RPG Empire's sci-fi western game that's simple, fast, and Powered By The Apocalypse. Are you ready? Enter The Gun-Filled Lands Of An Obliterated Civilization. Play as gunslinging anime-inspired heroes on their mission to discover the truth behind the lost civilization and its technology.GET THE GUIDE NOW:https://www.therpgempire.com/shop/p/b2ck9ai8u8d7i6j5xs48oojt742uq2Dust world RPG Podcast is an actual play Role-playing podcast like the Adventure Zone Podcast or Critical Role. The setting is a sci-fi western a few hundred years after a great war burned the earth and a virus called white horse dissolved most organic matter into dust creating the wastelands.Dust World RPG is a Powered By The Apocalypse game. Dust World is a Tabletop Role-Playing game created by Paul Parnell Copywrite 2020. The setting was created by Paul Parnell and Michael Yatskar. The game was written by Paul-Thomas Parnell and Dumaresq de Pencier.OTHER PROJECTS FROM THE RPG EMPIRE:Strangers in the Pines: A Monster Of The Week actually play roleplaying podcast inspired by things like Gravity Falls, Stranger Things, and Fringe. It takes place in a small strange town called Pine Forge nestled in the Blackwood national park in Northeast Oregon, USA, and follows, the exploits of 3 unusual high school students as they try to unravel the mysteries of the Strangers in the Pines.https://www.therpgempire.com/strangers-in-the-pinesCONNECT WITH US:Join our Discord Server to chat with us and talk all things RPGs: https://discord.gg/2jnyGv9Follow and send us DMs on Instagram: @theRPGempireJoin the Empire!

Tune in to hear a bunch of naughty FEMALE confessions plus get Kathy's take on them. What kinds of naughty things are grown ups doing in their cars? Why blindfolded sex can be so super charged? And, can you get addicted to big d**** once you've had one? Tune in to find out pus hear from Angel (ep #399) a woman who had a naughty jerk off session in her car while she facetimed her secret lover, a woman who had a threesome that didn't go well and she's setting up another one, Casey (ep. #527) a woman who is in the lifestyle who enjoys driving around and picking up random strangers for blindfolded sex, a woman who is addicted to bbc and explains why as well, woman who got caught cheating and now her and her husband are opening up their married as well as a woman who wants to set up a threesome but has no clue how to go about it. Plus Kathy discusses car sex and how and why to can be super fun, her 3some with a lesbian, how and why most women are demisexual, how and why guys who are a five can get hot girls, how you can get addicted to big dicks and how it can ruin you, how getting in to the lifestyle as a quick fix is a recipe for disaster, why sex is so great in the beginning of a relationship and why it typically goes south, how to set up a threesome and why you shouldn't tell your friends you're going to have one, why it's so hard to find a unicorn plus a whole lot more. HOLIDAY REPEAT, originally aired 03/24 GET A COPY OF THE STRICTLY ANONYMOUS BOOK! Strictly Anonymous Confessions: Secret Sex Lives of Total Strangers. A bunch of short, super sexy, TRUE stories. GET YOUR COPY HERE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/4i7hBCd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To see HOT pics ANGELICA plus pics of my other female guests + hear anonymous confessions + get all the episodes early and AD FREE, join my Patreon! It's only $7 a month and you can cancel at any time. You can sign up here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/StrictlyAnonymousPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and when you join, I'll throw in a complimentary link to my private Discord! To join SDC and get a FREE Trial! click here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.sdc.com/?ref=37712⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or go to SDC.com and use my code 37712  Want to be on the show? Email me at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠strictlyanonymouspodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.strictlyanonymouspodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and click on "Be on the Show." Want to confess while remaining anonymous? Call the CONFESSIONS hotline at 347-420-3579. All voices are changed.  Sponsors: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.quince.com/strictlyanon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — For premium quality Quince clothing plus FREE shipping and 365 day returns! ⁠⁠https://vb.health⁠⁠ — To get 10% off DRIVE Boost by VB Health use code: STRICTLY ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://butterwellness.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — Use the code STRICTLY at checkout for 20% OFF your entire order⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://beducate.me/pd2540-anonymous⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠— Click here to take the quiz and  get your personalized roadmap to sexual happiness ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bluechew.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — Get 10% OFF your first month of Bluechew GOLD! Use code: STRICTLYANON⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://motorbunny.com/strictly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — Holiday Sale PLUS $50 off! Follow me! Instagram  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/strictanonymous/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/strictanonymous?lang=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.strictlyanonymouspodcast.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Everything else: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/Strictlyanonymouspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fluent Fiction - Hebrew: Stars and Strangers: A Desert Bond Under a New Sky Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/he/episode/2025-12-25-08-38-20-he Story Transcript:He: עוד לפני שמאורות הערב ירדו, אריאל פיסל את דרכו דרך המדבר הנגב.En: Before the lights of the evening descended, Ariel carved his way through the Negev Desert.He: צלם טבע, הוא חיפש את הצילום המושלם של שמי הלילה.En: A nature photographer, he was searching for the perfect shot of the night sky.He: היה חורף וקר, אך אור המדורות חימם את הזירה.En: It was winter and cold, but the light of the campfires warmed the scene.He: תמר ישבה עם הקבוצה.En: Tamar sat with the group.He: היא מורה, בחופש חורף, ומחפשת השראה.En: She is a teacher, on winter break, seeking inspiration.He: היא הגיעה למדבר בתקווה למצוא את השקט שהיא כה חיפשה.En: She came to the desert hoping to find the quiet she had been searching for.He: המדריך, נועם, היה נלהב.En: The guide, Noam, was enthusiastic.He: הוא סיפר על האסטרולוגיה וההיסטוריה של הכוכבים.En: He spoke about astrology and the history of the stars.He: השמיים היו מעוננים.En: The skies were cloudy.He: אריאל התאכזב, ואולי גם קצת העצב של החג חלחל בו.En: Ariel was disappointed, and perhaps the holiday sadness seeped into him a bit.He: חנוכה הגיע.En: Hanukkah had arrived.He: שמונה נרות דולקים, ולמרות האור, חש לבד.En: Eight candles were burning, and despite the light, he felt alone.He: תמר הבחינה בו.En: Tamar noticed him.He: היא עצמה הרגישה קצת בודדה, מחפשת חיבור שבעיר הגדולה לא מצאה.En: She herself felt a bit lonely, seeking a connection she couldn't find in the big city.He: הקבוצה הקשיבה לנועם, מדברת בקולות שקטים סביב המדורה.En: The group listened to Noam, speaking in soft voices around the campfire.He: פתאום, אריאל התקרב לתמר.En: Suddenly, Ariel approached Tamar.He: "בואי נעזוב את הקבוצה," הציע.En: "Let's leave the group," he suggested.He: תמר הססה לרגע, אך הוקסמה מהרעיון.En: Tamar hesitated for a moment but was enchanted by the idea.He: הם יצאו לחפש נקודת תצפית טובה יותר, רחוקים מהקבוצה והרעש.En: They went out to find a better vantage point, far from the group and the noise.He: הלכו יחד, בשקט, רק צעדי הנעליים על החול.En: They walked together, quietly, just the steps of their shoes on the sand.He: פתאום, העננים נסוגו, והשמיים התמלאו בכוכבים נוצצים.En: Suddenly, the clouds retreated, and the sky filled with sparkling stars.He: אריאל שלף את מצלמתו.En: Ariel pulled out his camera.He: הצילום היה מושלם.En: The shot was perfect.He: תמר הסתכלה לשמיים, חשה בערנות חדשה, ובחיבור הולך ונבנה ביניהם.En: Tamar looked at the sky, feeling a new alertness, and a connection growing between them.He: כשחזרו להתיישב עם הקבוצה, החליטו לשמור על הקשר החדש ביניהם בסוד.En: When they returned to sit with the group, they decided to keep their new connection a secret.He: ידעו שאין טעם להיחפז.En: They knew there was no point in rushing.He: לפני שנפרדו, אריאל העניק לתמר צילום של רגע הכוכבים, כסמל לזיכרון הלילה.En: Before they parted, Ariel gave Tamar a photograph of the starry moment, as a symbol of the night's memory.He: דרך החוויה הזאת, אריאל למד את הערך של לחלוק רגעים ולעיתים להיפתח לחברויות חדשות.En: Through this experience, Ariel learned the value of sharing moments and sometimes opening up to new friendships.He: תמר מצאה את ההשראה שחיפשה, וגילתה יופי בעולם וגם במערכת היחסים הנבנית בינה לבין אריאל.En: Tamar found the inspiration she was looking for and discovered beauty in the world and in the relationship building between her and Ariel.He: הרגש היה כמו אור הנרות של חנוכה, מחמם את הלב ומאיר מעל לכל ספק.En: The feeling was like the light of the Hanukkah candles, warming the heart and illuminating beyond any doubt.He: כשהכוכבים קרצו בשמי הלילה מעליהם, ידעו ששנתם תחלוף בקרוב, אבל החלום החדש רק מתחיל.En: As the stars twinkled in the night sky above them, they knew their year would soon pass, but the new dream was just beginning. Vocabulary Words:carved: פיסלvantage: נקודת תצפיתsparkling: נוצציםalertness: ערנותconnection: חיבורilluminating: מאירseeped: חלחלenchanted: הוקסמהapproached: התקרבhesitated: הססהtwinkled: קרצוtwinkled: קרצוparted: נפרדוsymbol: סמלcampfire: מדורהretreated: נסוגוsparkling: נוצציםinspiration: השראהenthusiastic: נלהבastrology: אסטרולוגיהdoubt: ספקcandles: נרותquiet: שקטsolitary: בודדwarmed: חימםlandscape: זירהseagull: שחףnarrative: סיפורholiday: חגascended: עלהBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fluent-fiction-hebrew--5818690/support.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Strangers! In this Christmas episode, Krista and Kurt are joined by beloved co-host Kory to answer questions that the lovely listeners sent in!  And, as always, a taste-test! We wish each and every one of you a wonderful Christmas and we hope that your holidays are filled with love and a little bit of strangeness!  

Andrew was the dateless, anxious guy who never approached women. Now, he gets numbers and dates—and after one especially bold effort, two strangers literally applauded him. In this live coaching session with dating coach Connell Barrett, Andrew breaks down the simple, practical strategies that changed everything. Andrew isn't a natural extrovert. He just did the work. And if he can do this, you can too.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS02:10: From Anxious to Approaching Women Anywhere35:55: The Daily Confidence Ritual that Changed Everything38:25: Exactly What Andrew Said to Her that Sparked an Instant Make-out43:47: The Exact Moment Andrew's Fear of Approaching Vanished46:42: What to Say When A Woman You're Dating Asks, “Are We Exclusive?”BOOK A FREE CALL WITH BESTSELLING AUTHOR CONNELL BARRETT TO LEARN IF 1-ON-1 COACHING IS RIGHT FOR YOU: DatingTransformation.comEMAIL CONNELL TO GET A FREE COPY OF HIS BOOK, “DATING SUCKS BUT YOU DON'T”: connell@datingtransformation.com

  ---- 1 - Aldous Harding - Party - I'm So Sorry 2 - Richmond Fontaine - The High Country - The Girl on the Logging Road 3 - Calcutá - Soon After Dawn - Eterno Retorno 4 - The Weather Station - Humanhood - Sewing  5 - The Weather Station - Humanhood - Aurora 6 - Nick Hakim & Roy Nathanson - Small Things - Waiting 7 - Strangers on a Bench - The Back of His Neck (Feat. Anna B Savage) 8 - Alabaster dePlume - To Cy & Lee: Instrumentals Vol. 1 - If You're Sure You Want To 9 - M83 - Resurrection (OST) - Resurrection 10 - Rosa Anschütz - Sabbatical - Poppies in Limelight 11 - LEYA - I Remember Nothing - Baited (Nailah Hunter Remix)  12 - Hilary Woods - Night CRIÚ - Faults 13 - Leonor Arnaut - Vida Cega 14 - Três Tristes Tigres - Arca - Água 15 - MaZela - Desgostos em Canções de Colo - Entre Amor e Ódio ---- 16 - Jana Horn -  Jana Horn - All in Bet 17 - Hayden Pedigo - I'll Be Waving as You Drive Away - I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away 18 - Bill Callahan - My Days of 58 - Lonely City 19 - Wednesday - Bleeds - The Way Love Goes 20 - Ganavya & Sam Amidon - Willow Street feat. Sam Gendel 21 - Kathryn Joseph - We Were Made Prey - DRAWN 22 - More Eaze -  Sentence Structure in The Country - Bad Friend 23 - Hildur Guðnadóttir - Where to From - Erindi 24 - Alan Sparhawk - Alan Sparhawk with Trampled by Turtles - Not Broken  25 - Samana - Lakeside Song 26 - Ichiko Aoba - Luminescent Creatures - Flag 27 - Afonso Sêrro - Piano Impromptus - 3 28 - Fer Isella - My Heart - Back To The Sea (Jamie Lidell Rmx) 29 - Dirk Maassen - EDEN III – The Rift - Distance 30 - The Lonely Bell - Time Beyond The Edges - Dancing Light Particles (feat. Karen Vogt) 31 - David Moore - Graze the Bell - Pointe Nimbus  32 - Tommy Barlow - Mustard Seeds - Ode to Gold

In this episode of SaaS Fuel, host Jeff Mains welcomes back Jason Friedman—entrepreneur, author, and customer experience expert. Jason shares his journey from theater and rock-and-roll roadie to building billion-dollar brands, and reveals how the principles of stagecraft and storytelling can transform SaaS businesses.The conversation dives deep into the “Kinetic Customer Formula,” the importance of designing intentional customer journeys, and why focusing on relationships and retention is the key to sustainable SaaS growth. Jason also discusses his upcoming book, “Addicted to Strangers,” and offers actionable advice for founders looking to create raving fans and reduce churn.Key Takeaways[0:45] – The power of stagecraft: How Jason's theater background shaped his approach to customer experience.[5:20] – Choreographing the audience's journey is as important in business as it is in theater.[13:20] – The “Kinetic Customer Formula”: Attitudes + Behaviors, multiplied by Momentum Boosters, minus Friction = Radical Results.[22:00] – Retention over acquisition: Why focusing on existing customers yields a “quadratic return.”[27:30] – The danger of being “addicted to strangers” and neglecting your current audience.[32:00] – The importance of mapping not just the customer journey, but also employee and partner journeys.[36:00] – Storytelling is embedded in every step of the customer experience, not just a surface-level tactic.[41:00] – Churn is a silent killer: For every customer who complains, 21 remain silent.[48:00] – Community and relationships are the future of SaaS in an AI-driven world.Tweetable Quotes“People don't move in steps—they move in stories. If you want to move people, help them create the stories that move them in the direction you want.” — Jason Friedman“Everything you do is for the audience. In business, everything is for the customer—but we often focus more on business needs than customer needs.” — Jason Friedman“There's a quadratic return on making the people who already bought from us happy. They become the best marketing.” — Jason Friedman“If you increase the return on audience success, the return on ad spend goes up. It can't not.” — Jason Friedman“A raving fan can become a raving lunatic in an instant. There's a thin line between love and hate.” — Jason FriedmanSaaS Leadership LessonsDesign with Intention: Map out the customer journey as meticulously as a director plans a show. Start with the end in mind and reverse-engineer the experience.Empathy is Key: Get into character—understand your customer's mindset, motivations, and obstacles.Retention to Acquisition: Focus on delighting and retaining current customers rather than constantly chasing new ones.Measure What Matters: Don't just look at churn percentages—track the actual number of customers lost and understand why.Guest Resourcesjason@cxformula.comwww.radicalinc.comwww.cxformula.comhttps://media.jasonfriedman.meJason Friedman's Upcoming Book: Addicted to Strangers – Get a free ebook copy when it launchesLinkedIn: Jason FriedmanEpisode Sponsor

Welcome back to We The GamerCast! It's time for more Sweet Hangs with Strangers from the Internet! This episode, Chris Johnston joins Sean and to discuss what its like to have all your stuff stolen, the importance of friendship, and LUMINES ARISE!Chris is a host on the PlayerOne Podcast and Product Manager at Enhance. Follow Chris on BlueSky:https://bsky.app/profile/superpac.bsky.social Please enjoy this episode of We The GamerCast. There is more to come very soon.★ LINKS ★► Get Exclusive Perks on our Patreon: https://patreon.com/carpoolgaming ► Join our amazing Discord community: https://discord.gg/eBKUyABg8U ► Get your Carpool Gaming merch: https://carpoolgaming.com/ ► Check us out on Twitch: https://twitch.tv/carpoolgaminglive ► Subscribe on YouTube: https://youtube.com/carpoolgaming ► Follow on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/carpoolgaming.comThanks so much to everyone who supports us on https://patreon.com/carpoolgaming★ ULTIMATE PRODUCERS ★Brendan Myers AKA The_WinterGamerJohnathan Brown: ⁠https://linktr.ee/pme.jib⁠★ PLATINUM PRODUCERS ★BennySmokin_JoeThe CaptainTim Paullin★ GOLD MEMBERS ★Adam KAnnaAwesomeDave1337Brad MooreBrian ReeseCecily CarrozzaDan & LumaDannohhEmily O'KelleyHambone JonnyJon32LauraLigerWoods330Mr GigglesPeje EPSteven KellerTechMike

On a special holiday episode of The Plug N Play Podcast, the guys talk about their favorite games of 2025.  Time Stamps Below!Plug N Play is a part of The Lookout Network - https://linktr.ee/lookoutonrncFollow us on X:AD - @1ADZLJay - @VersaceVegeta_Nick - @ImgInceptionTim -@iTimPolitePat - http://kick.com/reaperlomein0:00:30 - Intro0:03:00 - "Shoot and Ball" Gamers0:09:20 - Pokémon Legends: ZA0:29:30 - Destiny 2: Renegades0:41:50 - Monster Hunter Wilds0:46:30 - Pat's Favorite Games (Path of Exile 2, Warframe)0:51:30 -  Nick's Favorite Games (Persona 5 X, Donkey Kong Bananza, Mario Kart World)0:53:25 - Jay's Favorite Games ( Super Robot Wars Y, Ghosts of Yotei, Gundam SD G Generation Eternal, Godzilla 2014, Xenogears)1:03:00 - Tim's Favorite Games (Freedom Wars Remastered, Daemon x Machina Titanic Scion, Kirby Air Riders, Sonic Racing Crossworlds, Metroid Prime 4)1:06:00 - AD's Favorite Games( Persona 3 Reload, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 DLC, The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy, Pokémon Sleep)1:29:00 - Digimon Story: Time Stranger1:46:50 - Ending Segment - Games We're Playing Over The Holidays, Looking Forward To In 2026, Anime Stuff, etc.

Best-selling author Naomi Alderman answers your questions about the her first non-fiction book, how she feels about her writing being used to train AI models and whether there will a new series of ‘The Power' on Amazon Prime.And Naomi also reveals exciting new details about her latest novel, called ‘The Strangers', which is set to be released in September 2026. GET IN TOUCH: * WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480 * Email: radical@bbc.co.uk Amol Rajan is a presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. He is also the host of University Challenge on BBC One. Before that, Amol was media editor at the BBC and editor at The Independent.Radical with Amol Rajan is a Today Podcast. It was made by Lewis Vickers with Anna Budd. Digital production was by Gabriel Purcell-Davis. Technical production was by James Piper. The editor is Sam Bonham. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.

On a cold Christmas Eve in the hills of Andalusia, a young shepherd named Amara tends her flock alone—until, one by one, lost travelers find her fire. A story about the many ways we can meet the holidays, and how strangers can become, for a brief time, something more. Your support is the cornerstone that allows me to continue crafting tranquil stories and meditations for you. For less than the price of a cup of coffee, you'll unlock an oasis of over 500 ad-free Listen To Sleep episodes, including 8 subscriber-only full length sleepy audiobook classics like Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland. To pledge your support, visit⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://listentosleep.com/support⁠⁠ or subscribe right in Apple Podcasts and get a 7 day free trial. Want to change your story? Take the free Path Assessment at https://jointhecabin.org. In two minutes, you'll see your personalized journey and know exactly where to start. To join my email group and get a bunch of goodies, go to ⁠⁠https://erikireland.com Sleep well, friends.

Greetings strangers, queer and pleasant. Come hear another episode of our podcast. Starring Laura Kate Magnet-Dale & Jane Aerith Magnet-Dale. A couple of queer, trans ladies who enjoy being very very silly. In this episode: Pokémon Mega Dimensions DLC Horses Die Hard Misery and more. You can get early access to episodes of Q&PS over on patreon.com/stonedmonkeyradio Q&PS t-shirts available here: www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/79965780 www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/79965063 Also, if you'd like to pick up our book - based on the awful nonsense of Supremacy Software, it will be available again soon and an audiobook is currently being recorded.

Who we are is a function of where we are. Do you agree with that? Who you are depends on where you are. We're different people in different places, right? You're different in the board room than you are on vacation. You're different with your parents than you are with your kids. I'm different hanging out with Malcolm Gladwell in his West Village apartment than I am sitting in my basement as I type up a little note about it. That theme is one that we get to open up in this chapter of 3 Books with the one and only ​Malcolm Gladwell​. I flew down to New York and joined Malcolm at his place where we settled around a table surrounded by books. Top to bottom! Floor to ceiling! And, no big deal, all hardcovers. "This is a fraction of my books, I should say," he told me as we began the chat. We talk about raising nerds in a world forcing us into being average, how to find tribes where we truly fit in, who Malcolm thinks is the best non-fiction author alive, why thrillers are instructive, what Malcolm's biggest advice is for aspiring authors, and, of course, his 3 most formative books. It was a rare treat to sit down with Malcolm Gladwell in this classic chapter of 3 Books... 

Episode Summary This week on Live Like the World is Dying, James and Inmn talk about map and compass navigation and why it's a great skill to learn, as well as the importance of learning to get around without our phones and how we can change our relationship to the outdoors. Host Info James can be found on Twitter @JamesStout or on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/Jamesstout. Inmn can be found on Instagram @shadowtail.artificery. Publisher Info This show is published by Strangers in A Tangled Wilderness. We can be found at www.tangledwilderness.org, or on Twitter @TangledWild and Instagram @Tangled_Wilderness and Blue Sky @tangledwilderness.bsky.social You can support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/strangersinatangledwilderness This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-69f62d for 40% off for 4 months, and support Live Like the World is Dying.

Show Notes

Pick a controversial topic. Whether it's immigration, race, climate change, the role of religion, or the economy, many of our assumptions that we view as completely reasonable can seem whacky or wrong to others. This may well include very smart, thoughtful people, who've had very different life experiences than our own.Our guest for this episode is Chauncey Williams, a Democratic-leaning Braver Angels volunteer in Denver.He was shocked when Donald Trump was first elected President in 2016. But instead of retreating into his political silo, Chauncey began a unique project. On different occasions he set up a table with two chairs in local parks, and invited total strangers to have conversations about important public matters. “One of the important things I came to realize is that I walk into a lot of those conversations with a host of assumptions about folks that aren't always true,” Chauncey told us. “I've often been fascinated and humbled by realizing my own limitations in knowledge, and having that revealed,” he said. “I've had this happen on more than one occasion… As uncomfortable as it is, I also welcome it.”In our revealing interview Chauncey shares what he learned from his “chats in a park” project. We hear two audio extracts from his nuanced conversations— one with an outspoken conservative who challenged Chauncey on his views of drop boxes during elections, and another with a recent immigrant from Ecuador who explained what diversity meant to him and his family.Chauncey Williams lives in Colorado where he is involved with the Southern Front Range and Denver Alliances. This year, he helped launch a "Share Your Story" event to learn how others came to their views on specific political topics and on politics, generally. He is a member of Braver Angels Denver Alliance.“How Do We Fix It?” reports on the people, projects and ideas of Braver Angels, the cross-partisan citizen's movement that brings red, blue, and other Americans together in a working alliance. Braver Angels is building new ways for Americans to talk to one another, and act as courageous citizens. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello to you listening in Post Falls, Idaho!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Maybe it's true and maybe it isn't but once there was a soldier walking home from the war. He had been walking many days, sleeping rough, eating little, and was very hungry. He stumbled into a small village that looked worse than he felt but surely, he thought, someone could spare a bite to eat. He knocked at the first door he came to but the woman who answered his knock said ......How we treat each other, help each other, brings people together, makes food taste better, makes life better. Going into the coming days we will need each other like never before. We will need to feed each other with stone soups and nourishing stories.Story Prompt: Think of a time when you were nourished by someone or something that felt as magical as ..... stone soup! Write that story!  And share it out loud!  You're always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack, LinkedIn and now Pandora RadioStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved. 

Something massive passes through our solar system—and suddenly everyone has an opinion. Is it just another interstellar rock, or a clue that we're not alone? In this episode of The Gonzo Chronicles, we dive into the mystery of unexplained cosmic visitors, the real science behind alien speculation, and why the universe keeps humbling humanity. From AI-driven space exploration and Elon Musk's race to Mars, to the lingering doubts about the Moon landing and the truth behind the Van Allen radiation belts, this episode blends skepticism, science, and wonder. No tinfoil hats. No blind faith. Just uncomfortable questions and honest curiosity. Because the universe doesn't knock—it just passes by. #Aliens #UFOs #SpaceMystery #OuterSpace #Astrobiology #SpaceExploration #CosmicQuestions #ElonMusk

This week Elle and Vee discuss all the ways they've been exploring pleasure recently: including BDSM scenes with vibrators, flogging and five orgasms, achieving sub space, mushroom-fueled connection, cervical orgasms while pregnant, knife play, cock warming, and that very specific moment when you yawn on a dick and keep going anyway. Halloween Night BDSM Scene Gone Wrong: Vee and Mister A are stranded in a spooky AirBnB. (1:37)Pain/Pleasure Cycling: Vee has five orgasms during a BDSM scene with Mister A. (4:32)Sub Space: Vee finds surrender when she wears her collar. The difference between letting go and being objectified. (12:00) Psylocybin Sex: connective sex. (17:08)Cervical Orgasms and Third Trimester Sex: Elle stimulates her cervix, gets juicy and talks about which positions she can and can't do while she's super pregnant. (18:44)Hotel Ambience Hacks: How to set the mood and get the right mood lighting in your hotel room. (26:32)Knife Play Bondage Scene: Mister A uses bondage tape, a knife and a wand on Vee. The surprising upside to having an STI. (28:50)Knife Play with Strangers at the Nude Beach: Elle talks about the time she let a guy on a nude beach pretend to shave her pussy with a knife. (38:32) Cock Warming: WTF is cock warming? What's the point? (42:53)Gentle Face Fucking and Yawning During Blow Jobs: a gentler version of face fucking, and yawning due to air hunger during head. (45:22)Where to Find Us & How to Support the Show:

Don't Call Strangers Nicknames by Maine's Coast 93.1

Russell and Leslie meander through the 2025 podcast episodes and share some of their favorite moments. Watch the video of this episode on YouTube here. See all podcast episodes for 2025 here. Episodes referenced: David Brooks on Moral Courage for a Soulless Age Joni Eareckson Tada on When God Shows Up in the Breaking Molly Worthen on Being Spellbinding Michael Luo on Strangers in the Land Paul Kingsnorth on the Dark Powers Behind AI Christine Emba on the Fantasy of Porn's Harmlessness Jonathan Haidt's Newest Thoughts on Technology, Anxiety, and the War for Our Attention A Poet and a Preacher: A Conversation with David Whyte Beth Moore on All Manner of Good Things Beth Moore on Falling in Love with Ecclesiastes Sho Baraka on Matters of the Soul Post-2020 Recovering Christian Vocabulary: A Conversation with Stanley Hauerwas Tim Keller on Hope in Times in Fear (Re-air) Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Submit a question for the show at questions@russellmoore.com  Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Some thoughts on the fourth pillar of Personal Rewilding - Honoring the Wild Ancestors - and what that means in terms of how we relate to the natural world. Learn more about Personal Rewilding online at www.rhnaturereconnect.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-be-told-paranormal--3589860/support.

My Sister Isn't a Murderer... Is She?; Strangers on a Train; Dolls in the Trees; Scammer Scare; Is Santa the Hat Man?; and Deranged Parent ‘Prank'. Click here to submit your odd but true stories. Click here to sign up for our Patreon and receive hundreds of hours of bonus content. Click here to leave a review and tell us what you think of the show. Please consider supporting the companies that support us! -Listen to Twisted Tales on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And remember… reality is the real horror.  

He didn't believe in tunnels of light. He barely believed he'd make it through another shift. Asthma had always been a problem, but that afternoon in the meat processing plant, it became a death sentence. One leaking AC unit, one breath of coolant, and his world went black. The next thing he knew, he wasn't on the factory floor anymore. He was standing in a green, impossibly vivid field beside a wide, glassy river that split in two. To the right: churning storm clouds and lightning tearing into the ground. To the left: warm sun, rolling hills, and a peace he could feel in his bones. And then the picnic tables appeared… and so did the people. Family. Friends. Strangers. The dead. The living. Faces he knew and faces he would know years later. At the center of it all: his grandfather, calm as ever, laying out three choices—right, left… or back. How do you decide whether to move on to whatever waits beyond the banks, or race back into a life that had already stopped? Love real ghost stories? Don't just listen—join us on YouTube and be part of the largest community of real paranormal encounters anywhere. Subscribe now and never miss a chilling new story:

MS Now's Stephanie Ruhle is back on Independent Americans for the first time since March 2020, joining host Paul Rieckhoff to let it fly. She's candid, uninterrupted and going deep on Trump's unchecked power over the U.S. military, the runaway big business of youth sports, the affordability crisis, and why “kind is the new cool.” Paul opens with a rapid-fire rundown of Trump's Pennsylvania “affordability” speech, looming Fed rate cuts, Venezuela boat strikes and alleged war crimes, the Gang of Eight briefing, Admiral Holsey's sudden retirement, China and Russia's bomber patrols, Afghan allies left behind, and below-the-radar moves in Ukraine, Georgia, and Miami politics. Joining from Times Square, Stephanie is unplugged and talks candidly about news exhaustion, why tuning out is a dangerous privilege, and how independent and social media are reshaping how people—especially kids—stay informed. She shouts out the Pentagon press corps for refusing to sign away their independence and explains why Trump's attacks on journalists and his control of the military might be the most important story in the world. They dig into parenting in the Trump era, raising boys and a middle-school daughter amid misogyny and online cruelty, why empathy is a superpower, and how small acts—and her family tradition—can change someone's day—and your own. On youth sports, Stephanie unloads on the “insane” monetization of travel teams, showcases, and year-round club schedules that shut out working families while Paul describes what he's seeing as a youth coach watching rec sports get cannibalized. On the economy, she breaks down what Fed cuts really mean, why inflation and a K-shaped recovery are fueling anger, and how both parties are failing people at the grocery store, gas pump, and rent check—while calling out tariffs, farm aid politics, and the illusion of Trump as a populist fighter. They also go global on China's trillion-dollar trade surplus, Russia and Putin's “amazing year,” Trump's Ukraine “peace” timeline, and the risks of shifting U.S. focus away from the Pacific, before hitting Taylor and Travis, Diana Ross headlining New Year's Eve in Times Square at 81, and why Stephanie will never stand for hours in a corral without a bathroom. Because every episode of Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the most important news stories--and offers light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It's independent content for independent Americans. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans is your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope. The podcast that helps you stay ahead of the curve--and stay vigilant. -WATCH video of this episode on YouTube now. -WATCH Stephanie and Ali Velshi's “It's Happening” on YouTube. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers. And share yours.  -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the holidays.  -Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel - The OG of Weed and B Dorm.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media. Spotify • Apple Podcasts • Amazon Podcasts  Ways to watch: YouTube • Instagram  X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Ways to listen:Social channels: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Etiquette, manners, and beyond! In this episode, Nick and Leah answer listener questions about curbing phones at dinner, inviting near-strangers to baby showers, "participating" in hot air ballon trips, and much more. Please follow us! (We'd send you a hand-written thank you note if we could.)Have a question for us? Call or text (267) CALL-RBW or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ask.wyrbw.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠QUESTIONS FROM THE WILDERNESS:How should I deal with dinner guests who use their phone at the table?What should I do about my brother who doesn't get holiday gifts for my in-laws?If your birthday is close to Christmas, should you send two separate thank you notes for birthday and Christmas gifts?Do I have to invite my extended family to my baby shower?Should I get my real estate broker a Christmas gift?Bonkers: "Participating" in hot air balloon tripsTHINGS MENTIONED DURING THE SHOWLaser Tape MeasuresYOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO...⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support our show through Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe and rate us 5 stars on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Call, text, or email us your questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our official website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up for our newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy some fabulous official merchandise⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CREDITSHosts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nick Leighton⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leah Bonnema⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Producer & Editor: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nick Leighton⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theme Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rob Paravonian⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ADVERTISE ON OUR SHOW⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here for details⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TRANSCRIPT⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Episode 289See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.