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Keith discusses the rising cost of the American dream, now estimated at $5 million, due to inflation and housing prices.  He highlights the affordable housing crisis, with more Americans living in RVs and homelessness up 18% since last year.  The NAR's "Best Week" report highlights the benefits of buying during this time, including lower prices and more favorable terms. Resources: IMPORTANT: GRE mobile app listeners - Switch to listening to the podcast on the  Apple Podcasts or Spotify app, as the dedicated GRE mobile app will be discontinued at the end of the month. Check out the free video course on real estate investing at getricheducation.com/course. Show Notes: GetRichEducation.com/575 For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREinvestmentcoach.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE  or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments.  For predictable 10-12% quarterly returns, visit FreedomFamilyInvestments.com/GRE or text  1-937-795-8989 to speak with a freedom coach Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search “how to leave an Apple Podcasts review”  For advertising inquiries, visit: GetRichEducation.com/ad Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— text ‘GRE' to 66866 Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation Complete episode transcript:   Keith Weinhold  0:01   welcome to GRE. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, the American dream now costs $5 million learn just what that will mean for you. The beauty of 50 year mortgages, then after 11 years, I share the most depressing thing I've ever said on the show today on get rich education.   Keith Weinhold  0:26   You know, most people think they're playing it safe with their liquid money, but they're actually losing savings accounts and bonds don't keep up when true inflation eats six or 7% of your wealth. Every single year, I invest my liquidity with FFI freedom family investments in their flagship program. Why fixed 10 to 12% returns have been predictable and paid quarterly. There's real world security backed by needs based real estate like affordable housing, Senior Living and health care. Ask about the freedom flagship program when you speak to a freedom coach there, and that's just one part of their family of products, they've got workshops, webinars and seminars designed to educate you before you invest. Start with as little as 25k and finally, get your money working as hard as you do. Get started at Freedom family investments.com/gre or send a text now it's 1-937-795-8989, yep, text their freedom coach, directly. Again, 1-937-795-8989,   Corey Coates  1:39   you're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world. This is get rich education.   Keith Weinhold  1:55   Welcome to GRE from Norwich, Connecticut to Norwich, North Dakota, and across 188 nations worldwide, you're listening to get rich education. I'm Keith Weinhold. You probably know me by now, but if you're new, I am an active member of the Forbes real estate Council. You can see my work in the USA Today. And of Paramount import, I am an active real estate investor. We're talking about America's top shaved mammal on a microphone here, but suffice it to say, this mammal has at least shaved just how can this slack jawed mammal persist in this environment? Well, I don't know, but I've been doing it here for more than 11 years now. More on that later. This is episode 575, and each episode's release is a bigger deal than releasing the Epstein files. Today is no exception, although today's show release will get fewer people in trouble than the release of the Epstein files. Speaking of people in trouble. It is the middle class. It's the average American and the average Canadian too, because it now costs $5 million to fuel the American dream. But yet, at the same time, hordes of people are now going the other direction, and they're getting poorer. The affordable housing crisis that we've talked about here seems to probably still have not reached its crescendo. Or perhaps, if you know music, it's the opposite a diminuendo. Things are getting to a low point. How bad is it? Getting well priced out of a permanent home. More and more Americans are living full time on RVs, not like nice, fancy RVs either. Beaters. 486,000 Americans are now estimated to live in RVs because they are out of options. And the more soul crushing part of this is that that number has more than doubled just since 2021 I've got two minutes of astonishing audio footage of this to share with you shortly about the RV living homelessness is up 18% Since last year, that figure is sourced by HUD. HUD has the best stat set on homelessness, and that's a problem that's increasingly visible in your own city, more likely than not. And you know, I have personally gotten into more than just surface level chats casually with food servers and baristas, just these quick chats with them. And you know what they divulge to me, that they're living in their car. Yeah, I'm not probing and asking about that sort of thing, but they just share that with me, yeah, food servers and baristas that I just met. They will often tell me that they're living in their car within five minutes of chatting with them, and when they do that, by the way, it also makes me wonder if they're trying to get me to feel bad for them, and they're freely telling me that just to get a tip from me. Well, today, mobile homes are even being coveted. I mean living in a trailer park that is affordable housing. We covered that on last week's show now the real estate company Redfin and Ipsos, they conducted a survey of more than 4000 US homeowners and renters, and they asked respondents about the struggle to afford housing. And it was astounding to learn that to string together a life where they have stable housing, how people are doing all these things, they're delaying having children, they're getting rid of their pets, and some are going through the discomfort of living with an ex spouse just to have affordable housing, as far as what is now almost half a million Americans living full time on RVs and growing since they can't afford a home. NBC covered this, and it is sad. Let's listen into just how squalid the living conditions are, quickly profiling two people as this reporter goes on their tiny RVs. I mean, as you listen to this, okay, keep reminding yourself, keep telling yourself this is America today. And as you'll see, this isn't even in a high cost part of the nation that we're about to profile here again, tell yourself this is America today. Well, this NBC field reporter gets shown the insides of two different RV units by two separate owners, each living by themselves, first a man and then a woman. This is about two minutes in length    Speaker 1  6:53   for Gus Francis. This is home a 20 year old camper he bought for $5,000 parked in an RV lot in Graysville, Tennessee, just north of Chattanooga. I got all my rosaries for protection everywhere. Books, books, books. now retired, he worked for decades as a commercial diver and hoped to live closer to his widowed mother, but when he sought a more conventional home, I just can't see how people with their normal job making 15 bucks an hour can afford an apartment without multiple roommates. Meals are made in the microwave, the stove unused for fear of a gas leak. Right next door is Debbie Williams. She sold her house in Kentucky to be closer to her grandchildren, but housing prices near Chattanooga increased by almost 50% since 2020 apartments are like about 1200 a month, but then you got your utilities to pay. This is permanent, plus it include is like 550 a month includes electric water, saving over everything. It includes everything. Debbie works nights, helping adults with disabilities, and says she likes her setup, even if the exercise bike doesn't fit inside. Okay? I like my shower. It's really nice. And then my bedroom, Debbie and Gus now among the nearly half a million people in the US living in RVs full time. I sometimes thought, Man, if I could have saved more money in the past. But what it was is, I don't blame myself, either, because I raised four kids with no child support, despite the tight quarters, plenty of room to build a community that matters. Ellison Barber, NBC News, Graysville, Tennessee   Keith Weinhold  8:46   gosh, cramped and modest conditions there again. Tell yourself this is America today, and see, here's the thing. From all outward signs, these two people profile. They're not substance abusers. They're not criminals that can't get a job. These are American workers that have been productive people throughout their lives. The first guy, Gus said he worked for decades as a commercial diver, and that part of Tennessee, it's not a place in the nation where the cost of living is exorbitant, either the crux of the problem here is not just the wave of inflation that started in 2021 the essence of it is the fact that inflation has outpaced wage growth. Will you ever get to having a $5 million net worth? Because that's what it takes to live the American dream today. Now, a while back, I told you how, if you amass $5 million really that's the number, that's the threshold where you could probably stop working and just invest such that you could live off it forever. But inflation. Changes that and it keeps upping that number. Well, since then, Investopedia recently came up with this $5 million price tag that's just for living the American dream in today's dollars. Let's look at what that really means, and then we'll add up the spending categories. This is really interesting. All right, the definition of the American dream. What that means is owning a home, raising two kids, retiring comfortably, and maybe throwing in an annual vacation or two. So a nice life, for sure, but nothing extravagant and okay, yes, there is this other angle of like, Money cannot buy the best things in life, and that's true. There's a lot to be said for that, but this is not a relationships in a dating show, okay? So that's why I'm covering the financial angle here, and later today, I'll tell you how much the typical American makes throughout their lifetime, which is much less than 5 million bucks. But to get to that exact $5 million total, which is the least that you now need in net worth, the estimated lifetime costs of eight milestones most often associated with a dream were added up by Investopedia. And now, of course, everyone's dream is different, and housing costs differ nationally. But, I mean, this is pretty reasonable. Here they are. This is how much it takes for each of them today. And I'm doing some rounding retirement, over $1.6 million that's what it takes now. Healthcare, 414k this is all spent over the course of your lifetime, a wedding 38k And I hope that is wedding singular, not weddings plural, owning a home, 957k raising two children and paying for college that costs. 876k and then owning a new car, that is another 900k Yeah, that sounds like a lot, but that will include costs of financing and insurance and depreciation on cars throughout your life, and then a yearly vacation is 180k throughout your life, and pets, 39k All Right. There it is. That is the $5 million total for the American dream. And again, that is only in today's dollars. Inflation will, of course, make all of these future costs run up. All right, housing is really the biggest part of the dream. I mean, second to retirement anyway, all right. Again, the lifetime cost of housing, like I said, is 957k just a year ago, it was 930k okay, well, the national median list price of a single family home is about 430k I guess that makes sense. Most people live in multiple homes throughout their lives. Well, the price per square foot is up 50% just since 2019 that is what is pricing people out. That is what is making people become your renter instead of a homeowner. Well, this $5 million required for the dream, that is why more people are homeless or more people are living in RVs. This means that the demand for the product that you're providing to the marketplace affordable housing, that demand is considerable, and that demand is durable, and the median lifetime earnings for one American with a bachelor's degree is only $2.8 million. All right, so that's just over half as much as it takes to live the dream. But here's what's appalling. Are you ready? Here we go. This could be the most depressing and concerning stat you've heard on this show, maybe one of the most depressing and concerning in your entire life when you really think this through. All right, now, what do you think of as sort of a model for someone that is stable? How about both married and a homeowner? I mean, yeah, they're two big markers, married and home ownership that is foundational stuff when your kids grow up to be adults, if they become married in a homeowner. I mean, come on, who would be disappointed with that? That would probably make you feel proud and fulfilled. I mean, the future of the nation that is children and stable household formation material, right there. Well, by age 30, how many people do you think are married in a homeowner today, and how has that changed over time? What do you think this is the percent of 30 year olds who are both married and homeowners in the US? Right back in 1950 it was 52%.  today Okay, it is just a quarter of that. Only 13% of American 30 year olds are married homeowners today. Gosh, is that appalling? Or what? I mean, it doesn't exactly give you hope for the future, since Owning a home is a key pillar of the American dream, then the best thing that our local, state and federal lawmakers can do is to make it easier to build new housing. That is one of the most depressing stats I gave in 11 years of doing the show, probably the most depressing another thing we can do is not protest or block new development, no nimbyism.    Keith Weinhold  15:45   Now, earlier this year, the White House announced that they are considering declaring a national housing emergency. In fact, you saw me put a link to that in the section of our newsletter that we call the five, though we haven't seen a national housing emergency declared yet. If we do it all, the motivation behind it is largely to make housing affordable. One piece that's been floated out there is the introduction of a 50 year mortgage so that way mortgage payments are spread out and made lower than they are with the most popular mortgage in America today, by far, the 30 year fixed rate mortgage. Now, I wouldn't say that a 50 year mortgage is eminent and is about to happen. We can't say that, but it could be creeping closer. I mean, a 40 year mortgage that is already more of a thing. You've got 40 year HUD loans and 40 year DSCR loans both already here for residential property. We do know that buyers buy property more so based on a payment than they do the overall price of the property. Now look, I'll tell you if I could somehow magically snap my fingers and convert all of my 30 year mortgage loans over to 50 year loans. Oh, I sure would. It would lower my payment and increase my cash flow. Yes, my debt would hang around longer and well, we're right back to, you guessed it, financially free beats debt free. Let's run that comparison on a 300k loan at 6% interest, a 30 year mortgage payment, that is 1800 bucks a month, but on a 50 year loan that would be just 1580 Yeah, $1,800 versus 1580 1580 Well, that is going to boost your cash flow by $220 a month on that property, just by going from a 30 year to a 50 Year at the same interest rate. So maybe not as much of a difference as you thought, but probably worth doing, at least in the mortgage world debt free. I mean that concept of debt free that makes most people, in exchange for that debt free condition, grind and toil and work overtime and lose family time and eat dirt for decades because inflation and all these other forces work against them. And yes, this is just with mortgage debt that I'm talking about here. Of course, some debt is bad, like unsecured, high interest rate credit cards or doing a buy now, pay later, plan on a pizza that you split into four payments. That's ridiculous. And those are the type of debts you've also got to pay yourself. That's not what we're talking about here. In fact, it gets even worse for the mortgage debt free person. That extra $220 you're paying by having a 30 year loan instead of a 50 year loan, that would mean you're accumulating more dollars in home, which are illiquid. And again, 50 year loans don't exist yet, but understanding this concept and this trade off helps you be a better investor. Look, a debt free person can still be broke in the short term if they have a meager income, and they can be broke in the long term if they are not leveraging assets and debt. Being debt free, that is like bragging that you quit the gym so that you'll never pull a muscle again. I mean, you're safe for now, but you're going to be weaker in the long run. Let's use a different example. Let's just run a different set of numbers. Let's say you've got a 400k mortgage at three and a half percent interest, though your monthly payment is 1796 on a 30 year fixed. Some people think, Oh, if I just throw an extra $1,000 a month at this, I'm going to be debt free years sooner. And the truth is, yes, you will save 90k in interest, and you are. Going to own the house outright earlier. But what's the opportunity cost if that same 1k a month went into investments earning even 7% annually, after 15 years, it grows to about 311k   Keith Weinhold  20:16   Well, that is more than three times the interest savings, which again, was only 90k so for some paying off the mortgage early feels like some sort of emotional win, but it is rarely the best financial win. I mean, that is like benching LeBron to save money on Gatorade. I mean, that is a bunch of nonsense. So debt free is the floor. Financially Free is the ceiling. I mean, do you know about those popular call in shows where people are advised to lower their standards, diminish their quality of life, not go on vacations in order to get debt free? Oh, dear. I mean, those shows have got to be screening their callers closely to ensure that no one savvy actually gets on the air. Somebody, hey, how about you? Why don't you get on the air? Get on that show. Ask them some tough questions about getting mortgage debt free. You tell them yeah. Tell them that your ROI on all that equity is zero because home values change regardless of equity positions. Tell them that a home is never paid off because you'll still owe property tax and maintenance and repairs and utilities and maybe insurance and an HOA. Tell them you lost the gift of inflation eating your debt while you sleep. Tell them mortgage interest is often tax deductible. Tell them that their leverage is gone, and all these facts, every one of those I just stated, they're now figuratively not just talking. They're yelling. They're screaming now, because markets of all types are at all time highs. So instead, if you had used those funds to pay off a property, they would have really missed out on earning big returns for years elsewhere, a steep opportunity cost. Suffice it to say, I would love to see the widespread adoption of 50 year mortgages, and I would use them. The other thing that would happen is that it would make home prices rise further, because more people can afford the lower payments to bid up the price. So actually, here's something that I'm wondering about with you. Did you ever have a paid off property, and then realize all of this, and then go and get new financing on it again. Have you ever done that? If you have that would be really interesting. Let us know if you've had a property in a paid off position, realized the vulnerability and the opportunity cost of having all that illiquid equity, and then you went and put debt back on it. Let us know at get rich education.com/contact. That's get rich education.com/contact. Like Ridge lending group knows this when I have chili ridge here, like she and I discussed, you even get the cash chunk out tax free. And here's what else is interesting about this. Just say you know how out in the world of real estate agents, where people are buying and selling property, well, whenever a buyer's agent knows that that listed property is owned by a seller that still has a mortgage on it, well the assumption is that the seller, well, they might be a little more motivated to sell since they have to make mortgage payments on that property that they might not even be occupying anymore. Well, that is backwards. In most cases, you should be more motivated to want to sell a property if it's paid off because you've got all that dead equity in it that needs to be released through that sale. So really, a listing agent should be thinking, this seller has got to sell this property with urgency, if for no other reason, because he or she has lots of equity in that property. That's how to think about it. The world has it 100% backwards. That mindset is 180 degrees from the truth coming up next.    Keith Weinhold  24:25   Did you know that this week? Yes, right here in mid October every year is historically the best week of the year to buy a home. Also, what's it like behind the scenes here on the microphone? I've got that and more straight ahead. I'm Keith Weinhold. You're listening to get rich education,    Keith Weinhold  24:44   if you're scrolling for quality real estate and finance info today, yeah, it can be a mess. You hit paywalls, pop ups, push alerts, Cookie banners. It's like the internet is playing defense against you. Not so fun. That's why it matters to get clean. Mean free content that actually adds no hype value to your life. This is the golden age of quality email newsletters, and I write every word of ours myself. It's got a dash of humor, it's direct, and it gets to the point because even the word abbreviation is too long, my letter takes less than three minutes to read, and it leaves you feeling sharp and in the know about real estate investing, this is paradigm shifting material, and when you start the letter, you'll also get my one hour fast real estate video, course, completely free as well. It's called the Don't quit your Daydream letter. It wires your mind for wealth, and it couldn't be simpler to get visit gre letter.com while it's fresh in your head, take a moment to do it now at gre letter.com Visit gre letter.com    Keith Weinhold  25:55   the same place where I get my own mortgage loans is where you can get yours Ridge lending group NMLS, 42056, they provided our listeners with more loans than anyone because they specialize in income properties. They help you build a long term plan for growing your real estate empire with leverage. Start your pre qual and even chat with President Caeli Ridge personally, while it's on your mind, start at Ridge lending group.com. That's Ridge lending group.com. Hi.   Russell Gray  26:29   This is Russell Gray, co host of the real estate guys radio show, and you're listening to get rich education with Keith Weinhold. Don't quit your Daydream.   Keith Weinhold  26:36   welcome back to get rich Education. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, there's a lot to look forward to in future months here on the show, new content from me, new prominent guests, the return of some favorite guests, a live event to tell you about and our annual home price forecast show, where I'll also reveal if last year's GRE home price prediction for this year came true or not. I have got to say I have nailed it to the exact percent a few years in a row now. But if you remember, before this year began, I forecast 5% national home price appreciation for this year. We will see how that turns out, but home prices are only up one or 2% year over year so far. Yes, not only do I make the forecast, I actually follow up with the previous years to check the accuracy. Don't you wish everyone did that? Well, it is October, and it's the month where you got to be ready to defend your love of candy corn and the same Americans complaining about inflation also bought a 40 foot skeleton for the front yard. Well, the best time to buy a home, historically, is this week this year. It happens to fall on October, 12 to 18th, as it turns out. Why would that be? It sounds kind of random, doesn't it? Well, the NAR recently reported on this, and this is what they give, a three word moniker, aptly named the best week. That's what they call it, the best week. Now, this applies more to primary residences into one to four unit investment property, but it's a little applicable to apartment buildings too, and this really helps you understand real estate buying, selling and consumer nature. Historically, this week offers the most favorable balance of market conditions for buyers. This is when inventory tends to be elevated. Prices typically dip below their seasonal peak. The buyer competition slows, and just the overall pace of the market becomes more manageable. Again, quote, unquote, the best week this seasonal shift every year, it's influenced by school schedules and even weather patterns. Housing activity typically ramps up in the spring. It peaks in the summer because a lot of families try to move while children are out of school and the desire to settle before the new academic year that's back when you've got the warmer weather and the longer daylight hours, and you got these curb appeal enhancements from Lush summer foliage that also makes spring and summer an ideal time for showings in inspections, that adds further momentum to the summer surge. These sort of things actually matter. But then the calendar shifts into fall, and demand naturally tapers off. Every year you got families with school age children that exit the market, and then the remaining inventory begins to linger longer, and prices respond by dipping below peak levels. And homes tend to stay on the market longer. This happens every year. That makes for conditions that benefit late season buyers. So listings tend to become more plentiful now each October inventory levels, they tend to peak in early fall, and that's why it's about the best time to buy. You have less competition from other buyers, home buyer shopping during again, what is called the best week, you should expect less competition. Properties tend to attract the most viewership per listing early in the spring, and that's when buyers trickle into the market before the inventory picks up. And then the summer ushers in both more homes and more shoppers, and that means that buyers face quite a bit of competition in the summer, so the best week that should offer more time for buyers to deliberate, and it can mean that sellers are more eager to compromise. And the numbers back that up historically that this is the peak week for price reductions. So what can you do if you're potentially in the market? You might want to hit up gre investmentcoach.com and have our coaches connect you with the right income property if that's the right move for you, and doing that is totally free. In fact, most listeners buy their first income property that way. In fact, if you had a good experience with a GRE investment coach, go ahead and tell a friend about it. Now, let's say that you had $1 back in the year 1995 so you've got a green dollar bill in your pocket 30 years ago. All right. Well, what would happen to your dollar if you saved it versus putting it in stocks versus putting it in real estate? What do you think would happen in each of those three scenarios? Let's do it. Let's compare well, because of inflation, your dollar would be worth less than 50 cents if you had saved it, yeah, it would have just 47 cents worth of purchasing power today. Instead, if you had put it in the s, p5, 100, your dollar would have seen some pretty significant growth. It would be worth $19 today. That's how stocks have performed over the past 30 years. But what about real estate? Well, there are so many ways to do it specifically. What if it were a rental property where real estate pays five ways, not just one or two like stock. What kind of return can you expect from real estate? Well, when you add up all five ways, just using historic norms like classic rates of appreciation and a four to one leverage ratio, you get 38% as a total rate of return in year one. And then that rate starts to fall because equity accumulates. And if you're not initiated on that, and it sounds like such a high flying number, you can see my free video course that teaches you this at get rich education.com/course, the most valuable free course you've ever taken in your life. At get rich education.com/course, let's just get conservative and say so many things go wrong with your property that we're going to round that 38% all the way down to 20% per year. Yes, if you're new here, those sound like ridiculous rates of return. Anyone that's listened here for a while instead has been enjoying those rates of return if you bought right? I mean, you have so much more time and money in your life now, but at 20% ROI, your $1 from 1995 would be worth $237 today. Wow, and again, if it were saved under a mattress, it would be worth less than 50 cents, and in the sp5 100, just 19 bucks. This is a simplified way to demonstrate that compound leverage beats compound interest. I mean real estate beats stocks by more than 12x right there and see that's the type of multiplier that you're probably going to need on your money. Since it already takes $5 million to live the American dream, you might very well need $25 million over the next few decades, while the 401 K was created around 1980 the Roth IRA created in 1998 and the GRE podcast was created on October 10, 2014, and I trust that it's had a more positive impact on your life than any of those other vehicles.   Keith Weinhold  34:56   This means that I've released weekly episodes here for. 11 years, never missing a week at all, 52 weeks a year, and we've never replayed an old show either. I am here for you. Integrity means doing what you say you're going to do. Vedran, our sound engineer, has been here with GRE for 11 years as well. That is the team, the duo, that's been bringing you this show. And also, I didn't even tell my team here at GRE this yet, so I guess they'll learn now, the platform business rate just ranked us and awarded get rich education the best of the year, 2025 as a real estate school. Yes, we learned that this award is based on outstanding reviews from real customers, not nominations or votes, but the best of the year award comes from feedback through listeners just like you. Thank you for that, and thanks business rate this show and real estate investing, they are the main things that I do, and I expect to be here for you well into the future. Now, it's sort of funny here, kind of a paradox on the show I talk about income production that's largely passive, yet producing this show at a high level for 11 years here on this side of the microphone is not passive. It is highly active. I got a reminder of this recently when a doctor buddy of mine said he considers starting a podcast on the side. Let me tell you what I shared with him that is probably a terrible idea to launch an ongoing podcast where you'll constantly carve out the time to produce high quality week after week. That is not a side gig. 99% of those scenarios fail. You've got to deliver great new content yourself. You've got to have a network of guests to compliment you. You got to perform research and then cross check your research, because you've got to publish real, true information. You need a reliable editing solution. You need some organizational skills. You're going to need to hire some skilled and specialized assistance in the real estate world. You've actually got to get out into the field and visit cities in person to corroborate your research on the ground and go to in person conferences. I mean, there's a lot to do, but I did tell my doctor friend, you know, the good news is that there are alternatives to starting a show. There are a couple of them. In fact, first, you can do a 10 episode mini series on your area of expertise, host it on YouTube or Spotify and then send that link to clients. Another thing you can do is get yourself booked as a guest on someone else's show, and you'll pay a podcast booking agent to do that one strong guest episode that could do more than 100 of your own episodes ever could. So that's my guidance. In case you know any thought leaders that considered doing that, and what things look like from my view back behind the mic, it is not passive income, although my investing mostly is and another thing, if I've hosted a past guest on the show, and I get feedback from you or other listeners that they're not looking out for your best interest, or they don't want to do the property rehabs that they promised. Well, they are not coming back onto the show. Instead, we move on. I am here to do good and connect you only with providers that are doing good. Another show related announcement, and if you listen here each week through the get rich education mobile app. This is really important if you're listening to me right now on our dedicated mobile app, the hosting platform terminates at the end of this month, so you're going to have to listen in a different way. Go to either the apple podcasts app or the Spotify app and search get rich education to keep listening that way, you'll keep learning, stay motivated and never miss an episode of my incomprehensibly slack jawed vocals, profligate and unrepentant. Again, if you're listening to me right now on our dedicated GRE mobile app, the hosting platform terminates at the end of this month, you'll have to listen in a different way. Go to either the apple podcasts app or the Spotify app and search. Get rich education inside those apps in order to keep listening after this month, until next week, I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, don't quit your daydream   Speaker 2  39:41   Nothing on this show should be considered specific, personal or professional advice. Please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own. Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. The host is operating on behalf of get rich, education and. Will see exclusively.   Keith Weinhold  40:09   The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth. Building, get richeducation.com.  

Where now for Micheál Martin?The decision by Fianna Fáil Presidential candidate Jim Gavin to withdraw from the contest means the race is now between Independent Catherine Connolly and Fine Gael's Heather Humphreys.But what of the man who asked Gavin to stand? Suffice to say I am not a supporter of Micheál Martin. There is nothing personal in this. I have seen at close quarters how he works and I am not impressed. How Fianna Fáil responds to this debacle which its leader landed it in will determine how it faces into the future. Because the process by which Jim Gavin became the Fianna Fail candidate says more about Fianna Fáil and how Micheál Martin runs it than anything else. No leader can ignore or disregard the views of grassroots or other activists. Diktat may keep a leader in place if he has the guile and resilience to survive. But for what purpose?  Especially for a party which is proclaims itself to be republican. Micheál's instinct will be to brazen it out. But he can only do that if the party lets him. And that risks the party completely losing its sense of itself.Mr. Martins negative approach to the Good Friday Agreement and the Unity Referendum it provides for amounts to a refusal to fulfil his obligations under the Good Friday Agreement, the Irish Constitution and Fianna Fáil's own aims and objectives.The Orange and the Green. Another friend of mine died last week. An Orangeman, Ian Milne. He was also an undertaker. I met Ian in 2003 in Dublin Castle when he spoke at The Forum for Peace and Reconciliation. I thought it was a very good initiative by him in an effort to find a resolution of the Drumcree stand-off caused when the Portadown Orangemen refused to accept a ruling by the Parades Commission preventing them from marching down Garvaghy Road. After the event we bumped into each other in the Men's Room. In those days Men's Rooms were the main venue for the many first informal off the record words between me and some unionists. I told him that Sinn Féin would talk to the Orange if that would be helpful.  Ian was very friendly although he was at pains to tell me that he wouldn't reveal at that time that he talked to me. Eventually we did do the meeting with some Portadown Orangemen. It was in Conway Mill and while it didn't resolve the issues it was a very worthwhile and informative discussion. It's good to talk. And to listen. Ian was also in dialogue with Seán Murray for over twenty years as part of their efforts to advance reconciliation. 

Despite both Jethro and Lindsay oversleeping, the boys put on their big-boy pants, guzzled some coffee, and jumped back into their audio saddles!  J.G. kicks things off with the story of a man who thought it smart to rob a bank. But what to wear while committing a felony? A question for the ages. Suffice to say, the gentleman made some unique choices that might have landed him a prize in a bad Drag Revue. (And he still got caught.) Then, Linds takes us to the town of Murray, Kentucky, where a local man nicknamed "Cowboy Cody” took it upon himself to show displeasure at being asked to leave a popular watering hole.  But why use a firearm when Mother Nature can provide so many other things to be used as a weapon? (Hint: it rhymes with “raccoon.”) Enjoy this week's dip in "The Shallow End!" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a special episode, Greg and Ed interview Kevin Maes in Kevin's own podcast studio on Rama IV. Kevin is a long-time expat in Thailand hailing from Belgium who became entangled in a very unfortunate crime drama and subsequently wrote a book about it called ‘Kingdom of Trials,' which is now available on Amazon. Kevin begins with his Thai ‘origin story,' how he ended up in the Land of Smiles, and more importantly, how and why he fell in love with it.  Unfortunately, he eventually was sucked into a drama involving his ex-wife's boyfriend that shockingly ended in the boyfriend's death. Kevin and another friend were charged with murder, and a years-long ordeal would ensue involving the ins and outs of the Thai justice system. Kevin recounts his fears step-by-step, including his shocking (but somewhat heartening) decision to return to Thailand to face the Thai justice process even though he had an opportunity to remain in Belgium safely for the rest of his life.  Suffice it to say, both the interview and the book are worth the interest of any expat or serious Thai-phile.  Don't forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the show as well as swag and other perks. We also sometimes post on Facebook, you can contact us on LINE and of course, head to our website (www.bangkokpodcast.com) to find out probably more info than you need to know.

Lisa Davidson is an ironworker with Local 377 San Francisco. Her team currently does ironwork on the Golden Gate Bridge. But we'll get to that. In this episode, S8 E3, meet and get to know Lisa. I first did that back in May at our Keep It Local art show at Babylon Burning (thanks, Mike and Judy!). Someone at the party that night approached me to let me know that there was a person there who works on the best bridge in the world (fact) and that I should meet them. I love when people really get me. Right away, I was drawn in by Lisa's warmth, charm, and sense of humor. And so we sat down outside in Fort Mason in early August and Lisa shared her life story. She was raised feeling like she had complete freedom. It was something Lisa didn't realize at the time, but looking back, it became clear to her. She was raised in Framingham, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston, in a liberal household. Her grandparents lived in Boston itself, and she loved visiting them when she was a kid. Her grandfather ran a tchotchke store in town called House of Hurwitz, and Lisa says that the place had a big influence on her outlook. It was located on the edge of what they call, to this day, the “Combat Zone” (think: red-light district). Her “wheelin' and dealin'” grandpa sold mylar balloons to the Boston Gardens for events held there. He told young Lisa that she could blow up balloons and that that could be her future. Lisa has a brother four years younger than she is. Her dad was an electrician. One of his clients was a lithograph press in Boston. He'd sometimes get paged for a job and have to leave his family, although Lisa now wonders whether he just wanted to get away from time to time. When she was a senior in high school, her parents divorced, despite being a very loving couple up to that point. She says her mom was “crazy in an I Love Lucy way. She was raised in the Fifties the way many young women at that time were, in a way that did its best to stifle any creativity. Suffice to say that her mom had fun decorating the house Lisa grew up in. Despite her and her family's Jewishness, Lisa revolted and wanted to go to Catholic school or just become a preppy L.L. Bean-type kid. She of course regrets rejecting the norms of her family nowadays. It was what it was. The family was more culturally Jewish than religious, though, something Lisa says was a huge influence on who she's become as an adult. She graduated high school and went to college at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. It wasn't Ivy League, but it was (and is) something of a preppy school. Where Lisa grew up, there was an expectation that kids would go to college, and so she went. It wasn't super far from home, but it wasn't close either. Her parents did suggest that Lisa maybe go to art school. But in her family, it was the kid dismissing that idea. “That's a not real school,” young Lisa told them. She liked sports. At Amherst, she joined the crew team. She liked the competition and how good of shape it got you in. She liked it, but it was a lot of pressure. She graduated, took a year off working odd jobs, then dove into art school. So next up was Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). She was surprised she got in, and even navigated a bit of impostor syndrome. Surprised by the school's acceptance of her and feeling somewhat intimidated by other artist students, Lisa ended up doing printmaking. Rather than aiming for a master's degree, she sought a second bachelor's. Her studies had her spending a lot of time in the school's foundry, where she discovered welding. She loved it. During her time back in Amherst, she'd heard of a guy who was going to Alaska. (Lisa and I go off-topic into our shared distaste for camping at this point in the conversation.) Back to the Alaska story, her mom was fully supportive and even took her shopping at an Army Navy store. She went there and worked in canneries through the summer between her junior and senior years at Amherst. While she was up north, doing jobs all over the state, she met folks from California. From the stories they told her, it became a place she wanted to go. But first, RISD. In Rhode Island, she met a guy from Danville in the East Bay. When his family learned of her interest in our state, they invited Lisa to spend a summer with them, which she did. And she and her friend came to The City as often as they could. After those few months, she knew that California—and specifically, The Bay—was for her. She needed to go back and finish that second round of college in Rhode Island, and she did. After that, Lisa “beelined it” back to Oakland. She found work in a prop shop making sculptures out of foam with a chainsaw. Check back this Thursday for Part 2 with Lisa Davidson. We recorded this podcast at Equator Coffee in Fort Mason in August 2025. Photography by Jeff Hunt

A new MP3 sermon from Christ Covenant Reformed Presbyterian is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: The Time Past May Suffice Us Subtitle: 1st Peter Speaker: Rev. Todd Ruddell Broadcaster: Christ Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Event: Sunday - AM Date: 9/28/2025 Bible: 1 Peter 4:1-6 Length: 58 min.

Ken Carman and Anthony Lima give and get perspectives on the Cleveland Guardians' 2025 season, and whether just earning a playoff spot is a sufficient accomplishment for the fanbase.

Send us a textOn the podcast this time, Steven and Sean are sailing into the sky with new friends. We watched the 1956 film from Albert Lamorisse, The Red Balloon.Suffice it to say, French school-age boys from the ‘50s appear to be amongst the worst punks to have ever lived. Who sees the joy that someone else gets from a harmless balloon and thinks, “I must destroy that”?Lucky for us, that balloon-befriender finds the happiness that was stolen from him. It's a lovely and timeless tale that we can all enjoy.(Recorded on July 21, 2025)Links to Stuff We Mentioned:The Red Balloon - The Movie Database (TMDB)The Red Balloon trailer - YouTubePascal Lamorisse — The Movie Database (TMDB)Antichrist (2009) — The Movie Database (TMDB)Up (2009) — The Movie Database (TMDB)American Beauty (1999) — The Movie Database (TMDB)Follow Us:Give us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts!Sean's Letterboxd profile!Steven's Letterboxd profile!Our Buzzsprout site!Our Instagram profile!Support the show

Welcome back to Black Hoodie Alchemy, folks! This time around, I have a solo episode diving deeply into something that has really saved me over my medical recovery this year: my nerd fandoms. And I do it all with the help of my friend and colleague, Eric Millar's beautifully written book: The Four Color Grimoire, taking the time to read the first five chapters.Comic books, video games, movies, television, and pop culture do something for us that is often hard to describe. Past the corporate mill that churns out sales according to data, these ideas often stem from the genuine and unique places within a creator's life, mind and spirit. Things like comic books and video games have long since been a lifeblood for unique story-telling that would not be given a chance in other medias. And when they get into real world-building, it becomes an even greater inspiration. Whether its Spider-Man, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars or Trek, Fallout, et cetera, these stories and lores and characters strike at archetypal components of our imagination and can help us connect with ourselves in new ways that other schools of thought or spiritual traditions might have trouble addressing properly. Nerd fandoms are unbound aside from the artistic spirit that creates them, and this not only gives them utility beyond our regular traditions, but separates them from those traditions. It would be improper to call superheroes modern analogues of old gods, because they represent a deeper human authenticity. Suffice it to say that in the same way that science fiction has helped inspire modern scientific advancements, other nerd fandoms provide such inspiration.I hope you dig the listen this week and thanks for tuning in.RELATED CONTENT:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠DIVE MANUAL AUDIOBOOK⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (narrated by Joe Rupe)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HUNT MANUAL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BHA LINKTREE w books, shorts, and much more⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠purchase Four Color GrimoireWE THE HALLOWED MEDIABHA episodes with Eric Millar:Existential FuryGarbage WizardryOG Comics and mysticism pt 1OG Comics and mysticism pt 2 (with Martin Ferretti)This week's featured music -- some fire nerd-culture-heavy boombap from some master musicians!Chances Are - The LiberatorsBatman vs Joker - Alex ArckModel Citizen - Babylon WarchildTalkin Durty to the Godz - Tainted Wisdom x Babylon Warchild

Wil is back on the program and is fresh off being banned by TT again. Suffice to say he's done with it. Let's get into it.

Wil is back on the program and is fresh off being banned by TT again. Suffice to say he's done with it. Let's get into it.

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Mishlei 17:1 - A Dry Piece of Bread vs. a House Filled with Meatטוֹב פַּת חֲרֵבָה וְשַׁלְוָה בָהּ, מִבַּיִת מָלֵא זִבְחֵי רִיב:Length: 1 hour 42 minutesSynopsis: This evening (9/8/25), in the first Monday Night Mishlei shiur of the 2025–2026 season, we began Chapter 17. The challenge was that I've given so many classes on so many pesukim in this chapter that I knew it would be hard to find chidushim (new ideas) I hadn't seen before. Thankfully, we had a powerhouse crew tonight, consisting of longtime Mishlei students alongside new faces, and we managed to come up with nine original interpretations, plus two more from the meforshim. Suffice it to say, it was a good haul, and we learned both great ideas and core Mishlei methodology! If you're looking to introduce someone to Mishlei, this shiur makes an excellent starting point!-----מקורות:משלי יז:אמצודת דודתרגום רס"גמלבי"םרבינו יונהזרחיה חןמשלי כב:יג; כה:יאאבות ב:ז-----The Torah Content for the month of September is sponsored by Meir Areman in loving memory of his grandmother, Esther Chasha bas Meir Gedalya, who recently passed away on the 25th of Av. Tehei nishmasah tzerurah b'tzror ha'chayim.My Zoom account has been sponsored for the entire year by Isaac and Aviva Lichter, with hakaras ha'tov to Hashem in honor of Navonah's first birthday: “We couldn't have known how much joy and wonder she'd bring into our lives. רבות מחשבות בלב איש, ועצת ה' היא תקום."-----If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.-----Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/YU Torah: yutorah.org/teachers/Rabbi-Matt-SchneeweissPatreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweissYouTube Channel: youtube.com/rabbischneeweissInstagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.comOld Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes): https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0HAmazon Wishlist:

Brian Saady - The Drug War: A Trillion Dollar Con GameThis three-book series, Rackets, presents the case for the legalization of drugs and gambling, along with the decriminalization of prostitution. It reveals the underlying corruption, hypocrisy, and abuses of power associated with the prohibition of these three vices.The war on drugs is a microcosm of far greater systemic problems with criminal justice and politics. This book shines a spotlight on the bureaucratic and corporate special interests that are fighting to keep this disastrous policy in place.That's a theme of this book series -- exposing “rackets.” It denounces crony capitalists and the government "racketeers," i.e. bureaucracies, which operate similarly to organized criminals by posing as the solution to problems caused by the government. Suffice it to say, these books will prove that our political and criminal justice systems, in many ways, are inadvertently designed to fail...like rackets.The Drug War: A Trillion Dollar Con Game stands out from the crowd in a genre that is flooded with quality work. It makes it abundantly clear that criminalizing drugs has been an abysmal failure. Furthermore, practical and evidence-based solutions are presented.However, what sets this book apart is that it strips away every disingenuous aspect of the war on drugs. It's the perfect antidote to decades of government propaganda. There are too many stunning revelations to list. You'll discover all of the ways in which in the war on drugs serves as a pretense for expanding government power and our military forces abroad. Also, several major corporations and government agencies have been complicit in flagrant drug trafficking without being held accountable.This is explosive subject matter and Brian Saady's writing provides compelling, definitive analysis that is backed by extensive academic research. You'll never look at the drug war, and many other issues, the same way as before.https://amzn.to/4ggAZMPBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.

At long last, Patrick returns to the show. Suffice it to say, but Patrick does not share Rey's opinion about Peacemaker. Meanwhile, Episode 3 of Season 2 of Peacemaker was all about the best dimension ever. Chris spends a lot of time in this Episode learning that the grass might actually be greener...but is everything as glorious as it would appear to be? The guys break things down for you as we near the halfway point of Season 2. Meanwhile, the Trailer Park takes a look at more creepy stuff with the latest trailers for Black Phone 2 , 28 Years Later, Bone Temple, and Marvel Zombies. The fellas also discuss the upcoming Amazon Prime documentary covering the life of John Candy and how long the guys think it will take for the movie to wreck them absolutely. The guys also get you caught up on the biggest stories in the Nerdosphere, including another studio suing Mid-Journey, a possible Muppet Show reunion, a well-known animation studio going by the wayside, a new Lara Croft, and whether we should be concerned over a delay being announced for Jordan Peele's follow-up to Nope. Lastly....the guys have been saying #2027 for 5 years now, and some announcements this week have 2027 shaping up to be absolutely massive for the Nerdosphere. Curious? Tune in and find out.Powered by RedCircle@AttitudeAgg@WrestlngRealist@itsReyCash@PCTunney@itsmedpp@ViolentAesop@TheMindlessPod@therealcplatt@ChairshotMedia@BandwagonNerdsPROWRESTLINGTEES.COM/TheChairshot - Makes a GREAT GIFT!!!About Bandwagon NerdsJoin Patrick O'Dowd, David Ungar, PC Tunney, Rey Cash, and DPP as they keep everyone up on all things nerd and maybe add some new nerds along the way. It's the Bandwagon Nerds Podcast!About Chairshot Radio NetworkChairshot Radio NetworkLaunched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you'll find!MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)THURSDAY - POD is WARFRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling PodcastSUNDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / The Front and Center Sports PodcastCHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALSAttitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)http://TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & FriendsPatrick O'Dowd's 5X5Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/chairshot-radio-network/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Samantha's New Toy.Based on a post by smalltitslovr, in 4 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Steamy Stories.of my thighs slide against each. I knew if Tristan didn't stop soon, I would have an entire other problem.Finally, Tristan stopped. He put the remote back on the bench, and stood up. "Well, I gotta head to class now," he said. "See you around, Samantha. Nice to meet you."I couldn't say anything, because I knew my voice would give away what I was feeling, so I simply nodded to him. Then he turned around and left.As soon as he was turned around, I grabbed the controller, and turned the knob all the way down, and finally, the buzzing stopped. As I caught my breath, I looked down. When Tristan was far enough away, I opened my legs a little, and assessed the situation.The denim material between my legs was completely soaked with my cunt juices. I was also now regretting choosing a pair of shorts that were so short. I could see the inside of my thighs were shiny.I started to wipe away what I could, but then I noticed some people approaching nearby. So, I grabbedA lesson on oral sex.Monday morning came, and it was time to go to ASE, once again. I got up, took a shower, then got dressed. Like usual, I knew it didn't really matter what I wore, because I would be naked in class anyhow. So, I pulled on a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt, not bothering with underwear. Then I grabbed my bag, and headed to class.I was running a little late, so I was nearly last to arrive. When I entered, I was greeted by the lovely sight of 11 naked students, sitting, waiting for class to start. I quickly pulled my shirt off, and saw the other three missing students (Alex, Eric, and Sofia) had just arrived as well. We all stripped, and soon Ms. Sharon came in, naked as usual."Hello everyone," she said. "I hope you had a good weekend. Everyone, please get with your partners."A couple minutes later, and I was seated next to Alex and Tony. Everyone else was seated with their partner(s) as well."Good. As we learned in our last class, the human body reacts to various stimuli. We demonstrated and observed this with sex toys. Today, we'll take this a step further, and move on to oral intercourse. Who can tell me what oral sex is?"Nobody else seemed eager to speak up, so I raised my hand."Yes, Samantha.""Well, oral sex is when one person uses their mouth to pleasure someone else.""Correct. There are three basic types of oral sex. Arguably the most common (although there's no real way to prove it) is fellatio, also known as giving head, or a blow job, among other names. This is when a person uses their mouth to suck on a male's cock. Let's go ahead and practice that now."Although this can be performed by males, we won't be covering homosexual intercourse for a few more classes. So, I will ask that all the females in the class please perform this act on your partners. Samantha, please do this for both Alex and Tony. Everyone, take special note of how much length you can take in your mouth, and try to take as much as you can. Also, guys, please don't cum just yet. I'll give you time for that in a little while."Ms. Sharon then turned to John and Eric, and got on her knees. With no hesitation, she grabbed John's cock, and put her lips around it, sliding it deep inside her mouth.Looking away, I turned to Alex and Tony. "Alright," I said. "Who's first?"They looked at each other, and both raised their hands. I smiled, and down on my knees. I moved closer, until I was between Tony's legs, which he had opened wide for me. His cock was only slightly hard, but as soon as I grabbed it, it grew quickly.I hesitated at first, because I hadn't ever tasted a guy's cock before, so I started by licking the tip. It tasted a little salty, but not too bad. Then I slowly put my lips around the tip, and slid it across my tongue. Inch by inch, I took his manhood into my mouth, until I felt the tip push against the back of my throat.Remembering Ms. Sharon's words, I pushed it further, until I felt myself start to gag. I knew it was possible to take more, but I couldn't make myself do it. I stopped at about four inches. Then, I slid it back out. Before removing it, though, I felt Tony's hand on the back of my head. He gently pushed me back down, and I didn't resist. Soon, with Tony's guidance, I was bobbing my head up and down on his cock. I sped up, and kept sucking on him. I felt him start to throb in my mouth, and I knew he was close to cumming. I wasn't ready for that, so I pulled his cock out, and leaned back."Thank you, Samantha," he said. His cock throbbed up and down, but I didn't see any cum.After taking a moment to catch my breath, I turned to Alex. "Your turn." I said, smiling up at him.I moved forward, until my head was between his thighs. His cock was in his hand, and it appeared he had been jacking off while watching my performance with Tony. He aimed his cock at my face. With no hesitation this time, I opened my mouth, and graciously accepted it. It was smaller than Tony's, but I still couldn't quite take the whole thing on the first thrust. On the second one however, I stopped when it hit my throat, and realized there was only about half an inch left, so I pushed myself, and took the tip down my throat, until I felt my lips touch his balls. Then I pulled back out. He thrust into me a few more times, then pulled all the way out.I reached up and cleaned a little bit of drool and pre-cum from my lips, then got up and sat back in my chair. Looking around, it looked like I was last to finish, and everyone had been watching me."Excellent job, everyone," said Ms. Sharon, with a smile. "I hope you all enjoyed that as much as I did."Now, the other type of oral sex is called cunnilingus; the act of orally pleasuring a woman. This is usually done by licking and sucking on the girl's labia, but can also involve sticking the tongue inside her. Guys, please practice this on your partners now."I turned back to the boys, and waited for their lead. They looked at each other and decided Alex should go first. As he moved closer, I leaned back, and spread my legs. He put his head down, and gave my cunt a long lick. Of course, by this time, I was very wet, so he got a good taste of my juices.Then he put his mouth in between my legs and started going at it. I lifted my legs up to give him a good angle. I noticed many of the girls around the room were in much the same position. Alex continued licking my cunt, then he sucked on my lips. After a few seconds of that, he pushed his tongue inside me, which felt amazing. Then he pulled his head away.Alex moved away, and Tony immediately took his place. There was only about 3 seconds between when Alex pulled his head away, and Tony put his lips on mine. I could immediately tell Tony had done this before. He immediately found my clit, and teased it with his tongue. Then he slowly slid his tongue down, until it was at my hole, and he started fucking me with it. I let my head fall back, and enjoyed it. He continued for about a minute, then pulled his head away.Once again, our group was last to finish, since there were three of us. Tony took his seat, then Ms. Sharon stood up."Good job, everyone," she said. "Now, there are many positions involving oral sex, but the one that comes up more than any other is the 69." She turned around and drew the number on the board. "It is named this, because the two bodies take this shape. One person lies down, and the other lies on top of them, facing the other way. What's unique about this position is it's one of the only ways that two partners can give and receive oral sex simultaneously."Now, I'd like each group to demonstrate this position. Guys lay on the floor on your back, and the girls will get on top of you."Alex laid down first. Once he was ready, I got on my knees, then straddled his face. He immediately started licking my cunt again. I let him go at it for a moment, enjoying it, and looked around.A few of the girls were facing the wrong direction, and couldn't figure out what they were doing wrong. Amy looked particularly perplexed, as she mounted her partner in a cowgirl position, with his cock pressed against her ass cheeks. I didn't get to see if she eventually figured it out, since I decided it was time to start sucking on Alex.I leaned forward, and I found that my mouth was at exactly the right spot to suck on his dick. So I did. As I sucked on him, he licked me and tongue-fucked me. After a good five minutes, Tony tapped me on the shoulder. I looked up, and realized I hadn't given him a turn yet. So, I got up, he laid down, and I took the same position again, but over Tony this time.Doing this position with Tony was much better, probably because I was already worked up. Also, his cock was bigger and tasted better. While I sucked on Tony, he ate me out, and it was amazing.After too short a time, I heard Ms. Sharon's say, "Alright everyone. That's enough. Please return to your seats."I reluctantly took Tony's cock out of my mouth, and stood up. A few moments later, we were all back in our seats."Excellent work everyone," Ms. Sharon said. "Now, I only have one activity left, and then you may all leave. But before we begin, I have a few things to say, in regards to future activities and assignments."First off, today will be our last class that does not involve full-on intercourse. That means that if you have not already lost your virginity, and would like to do so in your own way, I would advise you to do so before the next class."Secondly, beginning today, you will have a homework assignment given at the end of each class, based on that day's topic. A few guidelines for all of these assignments:"1. You must complete each assignment outside of class. Any activities in class may not be used for homework assignments."2. Each assignment will be graded simply upon completion. If you do the given activity, you get full credit. If you don't do it, you get a zero."3. Since I will not be there when you complete the assignment, you are required to submit proof of each assignment, in the form of photographs or videos."4. I will drop one homework grade. That means you have the choice to not complete any one assignment. Beyond that, if you don't complete the assignment, you get a zero. However, there will be many opportunities for extra credit, so if you feel uncomfortable doing more than one assignment, you may make up some of the points by complete additional tasks in other assignments."5. Most of the assignments will require someone else's participation. You may partner with any of your classmates, but only for one assignment each. So, if you complete this first assignment with one person, you may not complete a later one with that same person. You also have the option of completing the assignments with people outside of class, but you must get their written consent. I have forms for that in my office."Any questions about the homework?" Nobody raised their hands. "Alright. One last thing: there will be a final project for this class, but you don't need to worry about the details of that right now. I will explain it in the last few weeks of class."Alright, now on to today's final activity. First, we need to move all the chairs to the sides, so we have ample floor space." We moved chairs around, and soon we were all standing in the middle of the room. "Excellent. Now, everyone form a circle, with your group, with the girl on the left. Because the numbers don't quite work out, I'll ask that Tony and Eric sit outside the circle. In a little bit, you can switch with Alex and John."We took a few minutes to do this, but soon we were in a large circle. On my right was Alex, and to my left was Roberto."Alright, now I've looked for a name for what this is called, and the best I could find is a daisy chain. Everyone lie on the ground. Guys lie on your back, and girls on your knees. Your face should be between the legs of the person to your left. When you are in position, go ahead and start pleasuring your partner."Soon, we were all in position. I started sucking on Roberto's cock, and was slightly surprised when I felt Alex's mouth make contact with my cunt. We all sucked and licked each other, which caused many noises, including slurps and moans of pleasure.After a few minutes, Ms. Sharon had Tony and Alex (and Eric and John) switch places, so Tony was now sucking on my labia, while Alex watched. He took it upon himself to jack off.A few minutes more, and Ms. Sharon had us turn around. So now, I was sucking on Tony, and Roberto was fucking me with his tongue. She also said we were welcome to cum whenever we were ready, but we were to continue the daisy chain until she said to stop.Latoya was on the other side of Tony, being pleasured by him. Apparently she had done a good job before we turned around, because it didn't take long for Tony released his load. I felt a large spurt of cum shoot into the back of my throat. Since I wasn't expecting it yet, I gagged a little, but I followed Ms. Sharon's rule, and did not remove my mouth.For the next few minutes the room filled with the sounds of grunts and moans, as many of the guys, and a few of the girls came. Ms. Sharon had Tony get up and switch with Alex again. While they were switching, I swallowed Tony's load. I only had a few seconds to catch my breath, then Alex's cock was in my mouth again.The entire time, Roberto was slowly but surely bringing me closer to my orgasm, and it finally happened shortly after I started sucking on Alex. I moaned a little, then more, and finally I came hard, pushing my pelvis into Roberto's face, and my mouth further onto Alex's cock. It felt amazing! I hadn't cum in a few days, so this was a long time coming.I continued to moan through the whole thing, which must have felt good for Alex, because shortly after I started, he followed my lead. I felt his large load of cum fill my mouth. It was more cum than Tony had released. As soon as I felt he was done, I swallowed it all.We had both finished cumming, but we didn't stop pleasuring each other, or our partners. It appeared Ms. Sharon was waiting for each person to cum. A few minutes later, the last person (Barbara) had cum, and Ms. Sharon told us all we could stand up, and return to our seats.When we were all seated, she asked, "Did everyone enjoy that?" I looked around, and saw many nods, and more smiles. "Good. Now, that's all I had planned for today, but I need to give you your homework assignment."By the next class period, you must give oral sex to one person, and receive oral sex from a different person. I don't have any preference over whether your partners are the same sex or different. Remember, you may do your assignment with your classmates, but that counts them out for future assignments. Also, don't forget to get proof of the encounters."Everyone have a good day, and I'll see you next class period."With that we were dismissed. We all stood, got dressed, and walked out. On the way out, I started talking with Nicole. After a bit of discussion about the class, she said she was going to a dining hall, and asked if I wanted to join her."Nah, I'm not really hungry," I said, with a smile. She laughed, and we parted ways.On my walk back to my dorm room, I thought about the day's experience. Three guys had sucked on my cunt lips, fucked me with their tongues, and licked my clit. In exchange, I had sucked on each of their cocks, and swallowed two loads of cum. Quite an eventful morning.I also thought about who I'd complete the assignment with. After a little thought, I pulled my phone out and texted Nicole and asked her if she wanted to get her food to go, and join me in my room. Then I texted Alex as well.Suffice to say, the remainder of my day was fun. ;)Vaginal Intercourse."Hello again, class," Ms. Sharon said as she entered the classroom. "Long time, no see."We were all seated, and ready to learn. And by that, I mean we were naked, and horny. Last class, the teacher had alluded to what we'd be doing this class period. She had made a point to tell everyone that if they cared to lose their virginity outside of class, to do it before today, because it would involve intercourse.This wasn't a problem for me. I had lost mine to a good friend of mine in high school. I looked around and wondered if anyone else in the room was thinking about their first time too.I pulled myself away from that line of thought, and noticed I was already starting to get a little wet, just thinking about it. But it wasn't just the thought of my first time that had me excited. All around the room there were cushions on the floor. I could only assume what they were for, but I had a pretty good idea.Ms. Sharon took her spot at the front of the classroom, and put her bag down, turning to the class. "Alright, class. Today, we're in for a great time. I've already received everyone's homework from last class, either via my email or my drop box, so we'll jump straight into today's material. I'm going to need a male and female volunteer."She looked around at everyone, waiting for someone to raise their hand, but nobody did. I could tell everyone was excited about what was going to happen. I could visibly see it in some of the guys' laps. But I guess nobody wanted to be the first to go. Ms. Sharon sighed, and said, "Alright, then I'll have to resort back to the bag of volunteers"I had completely forgotten about the bag of volunteers. Back in the anatomy class, Ms. Sharon had created two bags with males and females, and said she'd use it if nobody volunteered for something. Those names that were removed from the bag would not be returned until everyone had been picked."If you all remember, the only two names we've removed from the bag have been Nicole and Filipe. In our toys class, all the girls got a chance to demonstrate one of the toys, including Nicole, so I won't be removing any new names from the girls bag. From the guy's bag, however, I've already taken the liberty of removing Tony's name, since he demoed the fleshlight, and none of the other guys demoed."So, first a girl." She reached her hand into one of the bags, and I felt my heart start pumping with anticipation. Would it be my name she picked? If it was, what would she ask me to do? She pulled out a piece of paper, and unfolded it. "Sofia, please come up here."I felt a little relieved, and a little disappointed. I looked over and saw the cute Latina girl lean her head forward in mock-defeat. Then she stood up, smiled, and walk to the front of the class. Her mid-sized tits, and beautiful ass jiggled the whole way.Ms. Sharon reached into the other bag and said, "And your lucky mate is; Kent!".The white boy practically jumped up out of his seat with excitement, which caused everyone else to laugh. Then he calmed himself down and walked to the front. His cock wasn't quite erect, but it definitely wasn't limp. I watched it sway back and forth as he walked past me."Alright, you two. You will be demonstrating sexual intercourse. I know you two probably already know what to do, but I'm going to walk you and your classmates through it anyways, just in case."Before we begin, we should discuss a few important things. Firstly, before you have sex with anyone, you should ask them if they have any STDs. It can be an awkward conversation, but it's better to be safe than sorry. A few weeks back, I assigned all of you the task of getting yourselves checked for STDs. All of you have completed that task, and turned in the medical report to me, and I'm happy to say that you are all clean."The other important thing to be sure of before having sex, is that you don't get pregnant. This is always a risk when having sex, but it can be mitigated by using condoms or birth control. Before today's class, I have asked all of the girls to get a prescription for birth control and start on it. Has anyone not done that?"Nobody raised their hands."Good. Since all of you are clean, and all of the girls are on birth control, the use of condoms is optional in class. However, if either partner would like to use them anyways, that is your choice. Either way, I would like to take a minute to demonstrate how to put one on, for your future reference."She reached into her bag, and pulled out a wrapped condom, and handed it to Sofia."In high school level sex-ed classes, they typically demonstrate this using a banana. Personally, I think the analogy is crude, but for under-age students I guess it suffices. However, in this class, we have a little more liberty, so we can demonstrate by putting it on a real live cock. Sofia, I will ask that you put this on Kent for me." Sofia took the condom, and stared at it, a little dumbstruck. Ms. Sharon waited a moment, but when Sofia didn't do anything, she suggested, "Maybe you should start by getting him hard."Sofia reached over and grabbed Kent's shaft and started stroking it. She was a little timid, but she knew what to do from previous classes. It seemed more like she had stage-fright than anything else. He was already semi-hard, and Sofia seemed to be good at hand-jobs, so it only took a moment for him to get fully erect."Good," said Ms. Sharon, when she was satisfied with the hardness of his cock. "Now, tear the condom wrapper open. Take care not to damage the condom." Sofia did as she was told, pulling the condom from the wrapper. "Great. Now, place it over the tip of Kent's penis, and roll it down." She did, and the rubber covered Kent's cock."Great. Now, do either of you want to leave that on?" Neither of them spoke up. "Alright, I'll take that as a no, so you can take it back off, Sofia." She pulled the condom off, and threw it away in a nearby trash can."Alright," said Ms. Sharon. "Now on to the good stuff. There are many positions you can have sex in, and in a later class we'll be covering many more, but today we're only going to demo one: the reverse cowgirl. I picked it because it's great for showing the penetration to an audience, which will be a perfect way for me to explain what is going on. So, Kent, please lie down on the table, with your legs pointing towards your classmates."Kent lied down, and his cock pointed straight up in the air."Perfect. Alright, now Sofia, you're going to get on top of the table, and straddle Kent, also facing your classmates. I'll help you get up there."Ms. Sharon pulled over an empty chair, and took Sofia's hand. Sofia stepped onto the chair, then the table, using Ms. Sharon's hand for balance. Sofia put her left foot over Kent, then lowered herself down to her knees, straddling Kent, with her cunt over his belly button."Great, Sofia," Ms. Sharon said. "Now, I want you to move forward until your cunt is right next to his cock." She slid forward a few inches, until Kent's cock was resting against her pelvis. From this position, I got a clear view of how deep he would go inside her. It was a good 5 inches at least."Good," Ms. Sharon continued, "Now we need to make sure you are both ready. For Kent, that means his cock should be hard. For you, Sofia, that means your cunt should be wet, and ready to take in Kent's cock. Let me check and make sure you two are ready."Ms. Sharon first grabbed Kent's cock. She stroked it a couple times, before smiling and saying, "That's great, Kent. You're cock is very hard." Then she slid her hand between Sofia's legs, and rubbed her cunt a little. "Sofia, your cunt is still a little dry. Kent, can you help me fix that? Just reach between her legs, and rub her cunt."Ms. Sharon left her hand there, and Kent reached around Sofia's body and added his. They both rubbed Sofia's cunt. I couldn't tell from where I was sitting, but after a little bit, it looked like Ms. Sharon stuck a finger or two inside Sofia.Finally, after a few minutes, Ms. Sharon pulled her hand out, Kent followed her lead, and Ms. Sharon said, "Alright. I think you're ready, Sofia. Whenever you're ready, you can start."I watched as Sofia did as she was told. She lifted herself up a little bit, and grabbed Kent's cock, lining it up with her entrance. Then she let herself slide down onto him. She let out a small sigh as Kent's cock impaled her. Then, without being asked, she started hopping up and down, and I saw his cock slide in and out of her, as her tits bounced up and down."Great, Sofia," said Ms. Sharon. "That's exactly right. Now Kent, in this position, you have a perfect angle to reach around and grab Sofia's tits. I'm sure she'd love it if you did that."Sofia smiled at the suggestion, and leaned back a little. Kent did as he was told, and reached around her body. He grabbed a hold of Sofia's large breasts and they stopped bouncing. Sofia kept fucking Kent, as he squeezed her tits, with her nipples between his index and middle fingers.The reverse cowgirl position was a great way for us to all see what was going on, but it also had a downside. After Sofia leaned back, a few thrusts later, and Kent's cock popped out of her. Ms. Sharon saw it happen, and without saying anything, she stepped forward, grabbed Kent's cock, and aimed it back at Sofia's cunt, and they were immediately back at it again.Ms. Sharon watched Sofia and Kent fuck for a few more seconds before turning to the class. "Alright, everyone. Take a good look. This is called vaginal penetration. It occurs when a man's penis enters a woman's vagina. It goes by many other names, such as sex, making love, fucking, intercourse, and many more. Call it what you will, but in my opinion, it's one of the most beautiful things in the world. Notice the look on both of their faces. They are enjoying every moment of this. And you can see Sofia's fluids running down Kent's cock. It's amazing."We all watched them continue for another minute or so. Ms. Sharon helped put Kent's cock back in Sofia a few times. Eventually, Ms. Sharon continued on to the next part of the class."Great. You two keep going," she said, as she turned back to the class. "Now, I want the rest of you to get with your partners and practice this. You can do it in whatever position you prefer, just as long as it involves vaginal intercourse. Darrell and Nicole, since your partners are occupied, you can partner with each other. John and Eric, get with other pairs today. I'm going to be going around and making sure everyone is doing it correctly, and helping anyone who has trouble. If anyone would like to use a condom, there's a pile of them here on my desk. Whenever each of you has an orgasm, you are free to leave. Just make sure you pick up a sheet from my desk detailing your homework assignment, which is due by the next class."There was a bit of a commotion in the room as everyone got up and moved to be with their partners. Tony and Alex came over to me. Surprisingly, they were both looking me in the eye, even though all three of us were completely naked, and about to get it on. I guess that's just how comfortable we were with each other."You ready for this?" Tony asked."Of course!" I said with a smile."Do you want to use a condom?" he asked. I shook my head. I was on the pill, so I had nothing to worry about. Plus, I much prefer going bareback. Skin on skin contact just feels better.Tony got down on a nearby cushion, and layed on his back, putting his hands behind his head. He was going to let me do all the work here. I was fine with that. It gave me more control. So, I got down on my knees, and straddled his thighs, facing his chest. Like a magnet, his hands were instantly on my tits.Ms. Sharon came over to us first. "Alright Samantha, scoot forward a little, and reach between your legs and find Tony's cock, and guide it in." I did, and it took me a moment, but I soon had my hand wrapped around his cock, which was rock hard. I pointed it at my cunt, and sat down. I couldn't help but let out a moan as I felt it slide deep inside me. I looked down and saw a smile on Tony's face.Ms. Sharon was behind me, watching Tony's cock as it slid inside. "Excellent! Now, enjoy the ride!" She stood and walked over to the next group.As I fucked Tony, I watched Ms. Sharon go around to the other groups. She mostly watched, but she gave a few tips here and there. Things like "try raising yourself a little higher" and "grab her tits". A couple groups had a bit of trouble getting started, so she lent a helping hand, getting the girl wet, or guiding the guy's cock into the girl's cunt.After about 10 minutes, Tony told me he was about to cum. Before I could even react, I felt a warmth inside me. I looked down, and saw his cum dripping out of my cunt. I smiled at him, and continued riding until he was spent, then got off and stood up. I felt the cum dripping down my inner thigh, but didn't pay it much mind."Alright, Alex, you ready?" I asked him. He nodded. "Condom?" He shook his head. Excellent.This time, it was my turn to be on bottom. I laid down on my back, and I immediately spread my legs as wide as they could go, showing my bald cunt to everyone who cared to look, which actually wasn't too many people. Almost everyone was preoccupied with their partners. Of course Alex and Tony looked, and I watched their faces as I felt Tony's cum drip out of me.Alex pulled himself out his trance, and knelt down between my legs. He lined his cock up with my hole, and pressed. It immediately slid in, since I was thoroughly lubricated. As he entered me, my moans joined the many others in the room.As my second partner fucked me, I laid my head back and enjoyed it, looking around at my other classmates. There was sex happening all around me. A few feet to my left, Latoya was riding Ken. On the other side of me, I saw Nicole on her knees, with Darrell behind her, thrusting. I looked towards the front of the classroom, and saw that Sofia and Kent were gone. They must have finished and left.As Alex fucked me, the number of people in the classroom dwindled. Each pair would finish, lay there for a bit, watching everyone else, get dressed, grab a homework sheet, and leave.After about 10 very amazing minutes, Alex whispered to me that he was close. I smiled and whispered back, "fill me up." He must have liked that because I immediately felt him unload into me. His thrusts slowed, and then he pulled out. I felt a whole new batch of cum drip out of me. I laid there a moment. I thought about finishing myself then and there, but that wasn't the focus of that day's activity, and the class period was almost over, so I figured I'd wait until later.Instead, I stood up. I looked around and saw that a few couples were still going at it, but almost everyone was gone. I walked over to my bag, and grabbed the outfit I was wearing earlier, which was just a gray, striped dress, and pulled it over my head. Then I went to the front and grabbed a homework sheet, put it in my bag, and left for home.On the way, I read the homework assignment sheet. It said: "Have vaginal sex with at least 3 different people. Try as many positions as you can. We'll be demoing them in a future class. Be sure to bring photographic proof of the assignment."If you're interested in extra credit, you will receive extra points if you participate in a threesome (or more), which involves double penetration (aka: two guys inserted into one girl at the same time)"Reading the assignment immediately got me wet again, and I couldn't help but rush up to my dorm room. Before the door was even closed, I was stripping out of the dress, and getting on my bed. I fingered myself, trying to cum for what seemed like hours, but was probably more like minutes, before giving up. It was no use. I needed some cock.Now was as good a time as any to finish my homework, so I grabbed my phone, and started thinking about who I wanted to study with.Based on a post by smalltitslovr for Literotica.

Geoff and Marie's Good Life: Part 6An Academy of Coitus.Marie's friends take turns to visit her and her husband.Based on posts by Only In My Mind, in 15 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.When we heard voices from the other bedroom we got up and followed the others downstairs. Marie and Jo were laughing together when we arrived in the kitchen, so lesbian love hadn't offended Jo too much. Marie looked at Kate as we entered. "Hi babe. How was it for you?"Kate smiled at her friend. "I just need to get laid so much. Now I feel so good that I can't find the words to describe it."Marie looked at me. "And what about you?""A gentleman never tells," I said. "Other than to compliment you on your choice of friends. I have enjoyed this evening immensely; but I'm wondering how you ladies would like to end it. Shall I take a quick shower while you pour me a glass of wine and decide?" And I left them to it.I was back downstairs in less than ten minutes, intrigued as to Jo and Kates' decision. Were they orgasmed out, did they want to play together or did they want to try a foursome?Marie passed me a glass of wine as I joined them. I took a sip as Marie explained that the girls couldn't decide what to do for the rest of the evening. She saw the look on my face and grinned at her friends. "Mr. Smarty Pants here obviously has some ideas." She turned to me. "Go on then. What are you thinking.""It might be better if I showed you," I suggested. I put my glass on the kitchen table and walked across to Jo. I kissed her firmly on the lips and then untied the belt on her dressing gown, allowing it to fall open. I reclaimed my wine glass and, after dipping my index finger into the ruby liquid, anointed her nipples with wine. I bent to lick it off as she stood, mesmerized, as her friends watched me."It's my belief that our Jo is a closet exhibitionist," I explained. "I think that she would enjoy an audience while I fuck her bent over the kitchen table."Jo didn't say anything but her pupils dilated even further and she licked her lips while Marie and Kate considered my words. "Is that true, Jo?" My wife purred as she approached her friend. "Do you really want Kate and I to watch while my husband fucks you over my kitchen table?"I saw a flush spread down Jo's neck down to the top of her chest. Fuck! She wasn't even this turned on while I was actually doing her!"You dirty, dirty girl." Now Kate had joined in. "I bet you even expect Marie to touch you while her husband's banging you. Is that right?"Jo was breathing heavily now. I stepped behind her and slipped the gown off her shoulders and cupped her tits as it fell to the floor. "I think that we all know what's going to happen now," I whispered in her ear. "Lean forwards with both hands on the table and don't move." I looked at the other two women. "Take your seats ladies. The show is about to start."Jo took a single step to reach the table and silently bent at the waist to lean against it. She still hadn't said a word. I stood behind her and slipped my hand between her thighs. I couldn't believe how wet she felt. "You've never done this before. Am I right?" She shook her head. ""How long have you wanted to be fucked senseless while other people have watched you?""I was on holiday in Amsterdam, before I met Patrick. There was a group of us and we got high and found a live sex show." Her voice was soft and wistful. "Everyone else thought it was a hoot but," she paused as she remembered that night. "But I watched that woman on the stage as her lover penetrated her and it was the most arousing sight I'd ever seen. I wanted to be her; to do that; to be so free."Now she sounded sad as she continued. "But life's not like that, is it? I didn't want to be a prostitute or a stripper: I just wanted to be able to do what she did, even just once."I slipped off my own dressing gown. "Will this do, Jo? It's only an audience of two, but they are going to sit and watch you being fucked. Two of your very closest friends are going to watch you take my cock. Will that do for a start? Then you can fantasize about doing it with a different audience next time."She had already come at least three times with me that evening and God alone knows what Marie had done to her, so she was already aroused when we started this game. I also had an agenda of my own that this was playing quite nicely towards. I glanced at Marie and Kate to see them staring at my cock as I placed it at Jo's entrance. Jo gasped as she realized that the game was about to get real.I slipped gradually inside her and used my hands on her hips to embed myself balls deep. Marie decided to help her friend's fantasy as I started to pump back and forth. "Look Kate. Look at how Geoff's cock is slipping in and out of Jo's cunt. Look how wet and shiny he is."Kate was genuinely excited too. "This is the first time that I've ever seen two people having sex in real life," she said, breathlessly. "This is so fucking hot. Jo you dirty bitch.""Is this what you wanted Jo?" I murmured in her ear. Two of your best friends watching while one of their husbands fucks you?""Oh, yes," she groaned. "I've wanted to do something like this for so long.""Ask Marie what it's like, watching you fucking her husband on her kitchen table," I told her."Is it, oh!" She gasped. "Marie. Is it hot watching; Oh!" Another gasp."It's beautiful, babe." Marie reassured her. "I can see his cock slipping in and out of you. It's really sexy. Maybe." My wife paused for effect. "Maybe another time you could let us watch him take you up your bum. Would you like that, you dirty girl?"Jo couldn't answer. It didn't take long before I could feel her internal muscles starting to grip as she approached her climax. She was making cute little moans in time to my thrusts and they were getting louder and more urgent every passing second. Eventually she threw her head back and cried out as she hit a massive orgasm. I kept on thrusting trying to fuck her through it, but she was spent. We helped her to a chair and left her to recover.I smiled and looked at Kate. "You next. Take up the position." Then I turned to Marie. "I don't know what you're grinning at. Line up next to her." The two women looked nonplussed for a moment, then hurried to take up position side by side in front of me. I stood for a moment wondering how this could be. Only a couple of months ago I was convinced that my wife had gone off sex, and off me. Then I had a bit of an episode when she was berating our daughter's sex life, and here we were; she and her friend are bent over the kitchen table presenting their naked backsides to me while a spent friend recovers from yet another orgasm as she watches. I was sure that there was a life lesson in there somewhere but, on the other hand, there were two naked ladies anxious to be serviced, so I decided to put existential angst on the back burner and make the most of it.I decided to take my wife first as she hadn't had any cock at all that evening, unless I counted one of the rubber ones from the naughty shop. Either way she sighed gratefully as I guided my cock into her lovely moist tunnel. "Hi honey. I'm home," I warbled as we moved together. I tried to keep count as I stroked into her. After ten, I dismounted. "I'm just popping next door," I explained as I pushed my cock into Kate. They both giggled. Ten strokes into Kate as I admired her shapely bum and then back to Marie. For the next ten minutes all you could have heard in the kitchen was the sound of my belly slapping into the buttocks of the two lovely women in front of me, punctuated by the moans as we all got closer.I was glad when Kate came first, as I was getting close myself and I really wanted to finish inside my wife. As it happened, I couldn't hold back and I spent my load into Marie before she was ready. Jo came to the rescue though, and while I was trying as hard as I could to keep going before my erection subsided, she knelt by my wife and started to rub Marie's clit. Marie was completely unprepared for it and only lasted a minute longer before she succumbed to the inevitable and gracefully collapsed onto the table giggling quietly to herself.That seemed to be an appropriate moment to bring the evening to a close, so Jo and Kate each retired to one of the en-suites for a shower before they got dressed and joined us back downstairs. It struck me that this should have felt really awkward, but it didn't; honestly. We all kissed, rather chastely under the circumstances and we wished them a safe journey home as they left together.I looked at Marie as we held hands at the door. "Well babe." I said. "Are we still a couple?"She cuddled up close. "Nothing that you did or said tonight made me anything but proud," she said. "I asked you to make my friends happy, and you did. I know that every time you make love to them you form an attachment. That's 'cos you're a big softie really; and I love you all the more for it. Let's go to bed. I want to hold you even if you can't make love again." As it happened, I could.On Thursday we had a bit of a lie in {that's married people talk for having morning sex) and then we had a light breakfast as Marie was meeting Jane for lunch. We chatted about the night before, but didn't break our promise to the girls to keep the intimate details private. I was reassured now that Marie seemed comfortable watching me have sex with her friends and I was relaxed about her lesbian quid pro quo. I admit that I was uneasy about something, though. Everything that I had been brought up to believe told me this was wrong. I was still troubled by this cultural indoctrination even though I had no logical explanation for why I was supposed to feel guilty for making two friends happy. Fuck it. I love my wife, and her friends deserve physical affection.Anyway, we changed the beds and put the soiled sheets in to wash then went to get the weekly shopping. After we'd packed everything away Marie went to meet Jane while I went to the pub for lunch. I'd decided I'd had a good workout the previous evening and deserved a treat.Marie was preparing a tagine for tea when I got home; just the two of us tonight, Colin had football practice. "Hello love," I said as I gave her a kiss. "How was your lunch date?""It was okay," Marie said thoughtfully. "Jane enjoys your flirting and she understands that I wasn't offended by her playing along. But." I wondered what was coming next. "But, I'm sorry Geoff," she said hurriedly. "She's just such an awful gossip. She told me things in confidence that I had no need to know, about people who'd be terribly embarrassed if they found out what she was saying about them. I tried to call her out on it but she doesn't seem to care."There's no way that I can invite her to meet the girls; She'd be forever pestering a solicitor, a nurse and a copper for juicy titbits, and I know your suspicions about Angie's;  activities. And if she ever found out about our language classes, it would be all over town in an hour."I was actually relieved. Yes, Jane was attractive and yes, she was young enough to be our daughter, but there was something comfortable about our arrangement with Marie's friends. Even now, I can't really explain it, but somehow it was okay for me to help my wife's friends, but screwing a friend of mine would cross a line. I think that I may be even more broken than I realized.On Friday Marie asked if it was okay if Angie stayed for the weekend. They had enjoyed our previous dance evening so much that they wanted to do it again, if I was willing. Was I ever! I rang to arrange for a taxi that evening and asked if Ken was free. He'd taken us the last time we went out together and I rather enjoyed his company. I have to admit that I was looking forward to finding out if my companions' behavior that night had any; repercussions in his own marital relations.That afternoon, I picked Colin up from school and we discussed his homework, population dynamics and how women's reproductive choices could affect prosperity and economic growth. It was interesting and we lost track of time until his gran called him for his tea. We sat with him and chatted while he ate. We'd decided to eat out later with Angie. Colin's ears pricked up when we explained why we weren't eating with him. "Oh," he said. "Will mum be acting all weird again on the way home then?"Marie explained to him that she and Angie were very good friends and loved each other very much. But his mum had misunderstood and thought that meant that Gran didn't love me anymore. She reassured Colin that she loved his grandad more than ever and we both wanted Angie to have people in her life that cared for her; so we were happy for her to come and stay and spend time with us both.Colin gave me a very thoughtful look before he went to finish his homework. Marie and I glanced meaningfully at each other, shrugged and went to get showered and changed.Angie arrived just after six, as I was on the phone to Linda. Angie dashed into the study to give Colin a hug while I called upstairs to tell Marie that Linda was on her way home from work and would be with us to collect Colin in quarter of an hour. Angie grabbed her case from near the door to go and get changed upstairs as Marie came down to meet her. Colin came out of the study to show me his homework, and he watched as the two friends met and gave each other a loving hug, and a passionate kiss."Oops," said Colin. "Good job Mum missed that. She'd have seriously got her knickers in a twist." We just grinned at each other and then went to sit in the kitchen so he could show me his work. It was a thoughtful piece that contrasted, in a thirteen year old's words, the importance of women to an economy and their lower status in too many societies. Open minded and empathetic, he was going to be a real catch when he grew up. That decided me: I needed to have a long chat with his mum.By the time Linda arrived we were all downstairs. The girls looked stunning. Marie was in a long dark blue dress with a scooped neck, showing her amazing cleavage. Angie was in a long burgundy dress with a split to mid-thigh. Their makeup was subtle but they glowed.Me? Really? Okay: I was in a blue two-piece suit, a shade darker than my wife's dress. I thought it would be nice to coordinate with both my girls so I put on a burgundy silk tie, with an Eldridge knot, to match Angie's dress. Smart brown shoes completed the ensemble, as though anyone would be looking at me!Linda followed the voices to the kitchen when she arrived. Marie and her friend were raiding my wine rack for a nice white to chill in time for our return home. "Wow! Mum, Angie, you both look amazing."My wife waited for a second, probably to see if there were any judgmental caveats to follow before she replied. "Thank you love. That's very nice of you to say so. Your Dad and I really enjoyed our last dance night with Angie, so we thought it would be nice to do it more often."Colin and I joined them in the kitchen as she was speaking and I stood between Marie and her friend with an arm around both of their waists. "Aren't I the luckiest man?" I gave Marie a peck on the cheek and then did the same to Angie. I looked squarely at Linda. "Two gorgeous women all to myself tonight." Linda flushed and I swear I heard Colin snort behind me.The three women went into the living room to chat, while Colin and I tried to find a nice wine for later. In the end, Colin chose a Pinot Grigio for us;  he said that he thought we might enjoy the white pear and lychee taste;  so we put a bottle in the fridge. Seeing as we were already in the kitchen, I took one of my 'special' tablets, making sure that Colin didn't see me. It was one thing telling Colin that Marie and I loved Auntie Angie: I wasn't about to explain that I was taking an erection enhancing drug so that I could have sex with them both all night!Anyway, Linda and Colin left without any drama just as our taxi pulled up. Marie went through her checklist for me. "Have you got your wallet, door keys, handkerchief?"I probably looked a bit insulted. "Yes dear," I sighed."Have you taken your tablet?" Marie asked. Angie gave me a look; at my groin."Yes dear.""Did you remember the condoms?" She fell about laughing. "Oh Geoff. The look on your face."I smiled. "Come on you daft bat. We're not getting any younger."The girls walked together towards the taxi and, as I locked up, I heard a squeal of joy from Angie. "Geoff! You complete genius. You got Ken to drive us." She all but skipped down the driveway and threw her arms around the poor man's neck. "Ken! You're my favorite cabbie. I'm so pleased to see you again." She demonstrated her sincerity by planting a big kiss on his mouth. I'm as certain as I can be that there was tongue involved.I looked at my wife. "I bet you're pleased to see Ken too." She nodded shyly. "I imagine he's your favorite cabbie as well." She just smiled. It seemed to be my night for sighing. "So go and show Ken how glad you are that he's our driver tonight." To her credit, she gave me a lovely hug first and then went to give Ken a big kiss. He also got the bonus of a lovely bosom pressed up against him, as well as a damn good look down a damn fine cleavage.We set off for the country hotel hosting the dinner dance, with me in the front with Ken and my two ladies plotting in the seat behind us. "Do you remember us Ken?" I asked."Vividly." He replied, apparently surprised that I should even have asked."You mentioned, as you dropped us off last time, something about your wife, er, may perhaps be going to benefit from the experience," I said, rather hesitantly.He looked both embarrassed and rather smug. "Er, well yes. She 'benefitted' twice that night and once again the next morning.""Oh, Ken!" Came a chorus from the rear seats."You naughty saucepot," said Angie. Ken smirked. "So did you do it up her bum?" Angie continued conversationally. It was fascinating watching his satisfied expression morph into a rictus of terror as he recalled how Angie had tormented me the first time that he drove us. "Well?" She persisted. "Do you sometimes go 'in' the 'out' door?""You know you're going to have to answer her, don't you?" I observed, as kindly as I could, when I saw his hesitation. "She's relentless, especially when she's interrogating someone about sex.""N, No," he stammered eventually. "We've never done that.""Me neither," she said wistfully. "She has." She meant Marie. "The luck bitch. Do you think Geoff would do me up the bum, if I ask him nicely?""Do women actually like that sort of thing?" He asked warily."Well I don't know, do I?" She was getting a little testy now. "I just admitted that I've never done it. You'll have to ask Mrs. Smuggy McSmugface here."Marie spared him having to ask. "It was an odd feeling," she volunteered cheerfully. "And it felt very naughty." She thought for a moment. "I did have a massive orgasm though. We're definitely going to do it again, but next time we'll prepare better, so that we can do it bareback." She sat back in her seat and looked fondly at her best friend. "I'm sure Geoff would love to do yours too. Shopping trip tomorrow? To get some enema kits?"Ken looked me helplessly. "Are they always like this?"I gave his question some serious thought. "Individually, no; together, sometimes but together with the prospect of sex; always!"I heard some more whispering behind me and I was sure one of the women murmured, "We'll keep that for the trip home." The dirty laughs that followed convinced me that they were on a hyper tonight and, I'm not sure if you'd noticed, they haven't had a drop to drink yet!We drove more or less in silence for the rest of the journey. It wasn't far. I knew the return trip was likely to be; challenging; but I didn't say anything to Ken. No need to alarm him prematurely after all.When we arrived at the hotel, the girls stayed in the back of the taxi until Ken realized that they were waiting for him to open the doors for them. Angie was sitting on the driver's side so he let her out first. I swear that I saw her rub her hand along the front of his trousers as she got out. She bobbed down and looked across to Marie, still sitting behind my seat, "I think Ken enjoyed our company."The poor man walked around to the passenger side and opened the door for Marie and stood to attention with a look of resignation on his face as Marie stepped out and 'accidentally' stroked his groin too. She grinned across the cab roof at her friend and said, "Perhaps we should talk about something else on the way home. Do tell us you'll be driving us back tonight, Ken.""Er, Yes Madam, The gentleman insisted.""Oh goody! We love our little chats," Marie beamed.I paid our fare, with a generous tip, and clapped him gently on the shoulder. "It's only a ten minute drive," I told him. "It probably won't be too bad. Probably."

It's another Throwback Thursday, where we dig into the vault and find gold from days gone by. Here, we're going to join Rich on what they used to call their Tuesday Morning Ad Clinic; a client with a Siding Company asks Rich to critique some neighborhood mailers they got from their manufacturer… and when Rich took a look, the mailers basically just said “we're in your neighborhood.” Suffice it to say, he wasn't thrilled with that, so he gave them some advice as to what might work better.

Show notes provided by Joe PelusoGathered from the four corners of the cosmos are assembled the world's four greatest podcasters! James! Chris! Richie! and Joe!, banded together to bring you the BIG Fourth Anniversary Episode! of The Secret Origins of Mint Condition!!"! (Cue the theme from The Super-Friends)   Dusting off Sherman's and Mr. Peabody's Way-Back Machine, the guys revisit the GREAT Batman v Superman debate from an era when Mint Condition had four walls. To say that this special episode dives deeply into the various eras of the two most iconic fictional characters in all of comics would be a gross understatement of epic proportions! Suffice it to say that this "return" shines new lights and perceptions on who exactly are Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent.   So much is discussed and disseminated in this episode, that itwould be a crime to reveal the contents and spoil your listeningenjoyment. And while the verbal repartee is measured and respectful, there are a few surprises contained herein that may shock and surprise.   And as we now enter year five, I know I speak for all the MintFaithful in publicly thanking James Louie for the creation of thiswonderful digital forum that has kept the spirit of Mint Condition Comics alive. Whoever thought that comic books and CBM's, Star Trek and Star Wars, Magic The Gathering and Pokemon, science fiction and fantasy--and yes--baseball and hockey could engender a universe worth of conversations that would ultimately spark into creation a loving family of friends who always dared to dream? Thanks, James.

It was the perfect way to begin The Big Year Podcast On the Road, Again, with discovery of a very rare bird, right here in my backyard, near Cambridge, Ontario.  A young birder by the name of Nathan Hood found a Spotted Redshank, a rare visitor lost on its way back from Eurasia.  Almost every birder I know in Ontario, from within 2 to 3 hours drive, has shown up to see this amazing rarity.  It's September 1, 2025 and I t's hard to believe summer's nearly over and that fall migration is really underway.  It certainly got started in a big way with this Spotted Redshank.  While I was there, I talked to a couple of birders, including Nathan Hood, who found the bird and a local Waterloo birder who lives close by.  He told me he's not a chaser but couldn't pass up seeing an incredible rarity, so close to home.  This is only the third or forth sighting of this bird in Ontario.  It was also a big deal for those birders doing doing Big years, including Ellen and Jerry Horak doing their Canada Big Year and Jude Szabo, on his Ontario Big Year.  They were there early in the morning, long before I arrived.  I was glad to have made it by late morning and get to see, photograph, record videos, and talk about this amazing bird with many of my birder friends.  But, before we head back out on the road, just a quick update on me.  And no, it's not about the bloody Wilson's Warbler.  I finally saw a juvenile at the Long Point Field Station on August 29, so we can finally put that one to rest.  However, about a week ago I was set upon by an angry, vicious mob of… Yellowjacket Wasps. These wasps are a predatory social species of wasps, recognized by their small size and black and yellow striped abdomen and painful venomous sting. The morning began, innocently enough.  Our neighbors were replacing their fence and Sue asked me to remove a birdhouse before the workers tore it down.  I trotted out with a screwdriver bit on my drill and proceeded to take the retched old bird house off the fence.  As I removed the second screw, the birdhouse fell to the ground.  What I didn't know was that instead of birds nesting in the house, it had become a Yellowjacket home.  They were not happy.  When I reached down to pick up the old bird house the enraged wasps attacked me.  I began yelping for help as my hands were repeatedly stung.  Wasps, unlike bees do not leave their barbed stinger in your skin, so they can sting you multiple times.  Once the first wasp stings you it releases a pheromone, alerting other wasps to engage in the attack.  I tried to run away from them, screaming, “Why are they after me?” as Sue tried to calm me, but I was, as the old saying goes, “running around like a chicken with its head cut off.”  Now the wasps were stinging my ankles through my socks as I was desperately trying to swat them off.  I probably got a bonus sting on my hand from that maneuver.  Finally, the wasps had made their point and went back to regroup with the others and find a new base of operations from which to strike.  I quickly took two Benadryl, and lay down, hoping that would work and I'd be better in a few hours.  No such luck.  Fifteen  years ago, I was bit by an ant in Florida and went into anaphylactic shock.  When returned home my doctor prescribed an EpiPen.  I've had to carry it with me at all times since then, getting a new one every 18 months or so.  And I had never needed to use it.   Many people, over time, forget to get fresh EpiPens or just figure if they haven't needed it in a decade, why bother with the expense.  My wasp attack is why.  Around 15 minutes after the battle ended, I started to feel swelling in my mouth.  Not good!  My throat felt like I had just eaten a big spoonful of peanut butter.  I reported my condition to Sue and she rightly said, “That's not good.”  It was time.   I was getting pretty agitated, as was the case first time this happened.  I warned Sue I was going to be a bit crazy.  Well, relative to how crazy I normally am.  I sent Sue to grab my EpiPen and she handed it to me.  I held it near my leg and froze.  I gently as possible told Sue she had better do it.  She did it.  After a sharp sting, no worse than anything the wasps did to me, the magical elixir began pumping through my veins and Sue went off to call the ambulance, with me chattering at her, impatiently from the other room. The fire department arrived first, followed by the paramedics.  They shot me full of Benadryl and off we went to Brantford General Hospital. After a brief assessment, I was brought quickly into a treatment room, since they would rather I not suffocate in their triage department in front of multiple witnesses.  I was taken care of by a very nice nurse, whom I assume worked their way through college waiting tables at Red Lobster, since every time I answered a question, they responded with “perfect,” as though I had picked the chef's favorite dish from the menu.  After a doctor was consulted, off screen, I was given the obligatory steroid injection,(lucky for me I am not scheduled to be competing in any sanctioned sporting event), and spent the rest of the day in my hospital bed, trying to sleep, but was continuously annoyed by one guy who was watching a video on his phone, with the volume loud enough to be heard throughout the room, another guy talking loudly on his phone right next to me, and the moaning guy on the other side, who screamed every time they tried to stick a needle in his arm. Suffice it to say, I survived yet another medical ordeal,(I have a standing reservation at the Brantford General Hospital emergency room), and I am slowly recovering.  The itchy, scratchy rash has finally gone away, and now its a matter of time before the wounds heal.   Enough about me.  So, let's now head out on the road, again.  Presented in no specific order, sit back, relax, don't let the wasps bite and enjoy the stories of some of the birders who were kind enough to let me distract them from the serious game of spot the warbler, during, mostly, Spring Migration.

Welcome back to the Woody Allen Retrospective Podcast for another episode of Woody Allen Adjacent!   This time around, Donald and James are diving into Jeffrey (1995), Paul Rudnick's adaptation of his own stage play — a gay romantic comedy that mixes humour, fear, and tenderness against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis.    It was another thoughtful conversation where we went a bit off script and had a mini extended chat on our first expereinces with queer cinema - as such we wanted to highlight and also recommend:   Chuck & Buck Philadelphia I Love You Phillip Morris But I'm A Cheerleader Brokeback Mountain Shortbus Dallas Buyers Club DICKS: THE MUSICAL    *We will update the list above as we remember more we wanted to spotlight!   Suffice to say we would love for you guys to jump in and leave a comment in our 'comment section video' >>> https://bit.ly/warpcom   _______________________________________________   For full cast details, user reviews, and more background on the film, check out:  

Holly shares her story this episode - and it was all I could do to let Holly just talk! I had so many questions, but I knew if I ruined the flow, I might not hear all that she has to share. And every single miracle emerged out of her being in a coma, in the hospital, for 70 days while having COVID. During that time when she was intubated and in another realm, she had experience after experience of deceased relatives visiting her, two NDE's (!!) and multiple other Divine interventions letting Holly know that her work was not done on this plane. Suffice it to say that she received a Divine mandate during those days and is now in the world making it come alive, and believe me when I say Holly is here to help all of us, and remind us all that life is full of mystery and miracles! To read up on Holly and her powerful work click here! To check out her books, click here! THANK YOU FOR LISTENING, AND IF YOU PLEASE, A RATING OR A REVIEW WOULD MAKE ME DANCE IN THE STREETS! Your bit of beauty is this, monsoon season is winding down here in New Mexico and we are seeing rainbows aplenty here in the high desert...so I found a gorgeous image of a double rainbow at this website! So be sure to check it out!

Holly shares her story this episode - and it was all I could do to let Holly just talk! I had so many questions, but I knew if I ruined the flow, I might not hear all that she has to share. And every single miracle emerged out of her being in a coma, in the hospital, for 70 days while having COVID. During that time when she was intubated and in another realm, she had experience after experience of deceased relatives visiting her, two NDE's (!!) and multiple other Divine interventions letting Holly know that her work was not done on this plane. Suffice it to say that she received a Divine mandate during those days and is now in the world making it come alive, and believe me when I say Holly is here to help all of us, and remind us all that life is full of mystery and miracles! To read up on Holly and her powerful work click here! To check out her books, click here! THANK YOU FOR LISTENING, AND IF YOU PLEASE, A RATING OR A REVIEW WOULD MAKE ME DANCE IN THE STREETS! Your bit of beauty is this, monsoon season is winding down here in New Mexico and we are seeing rainbows aplenty here in the high desert...so I found a gorgeous image of a double rainbow at this website! So be sure to check it out!

This was not the show we expected to be bringing you this week, but all of a sudden, during their “side project” (“The Art Life” with friend of show Jon Lawlor), Dean started holding court about the current box office smash Superman. Suffice it to say, Dean had THOUGHTS! So, we bring you what ensued, […]

Original Release Date: Monday 25 August 2025      Description:   This was not the show we expected to be bringing you this week, but all of a sudden, during their “side project” (“The Art Life” with friend of show Jon Lawlor), Dean started holding court about the current box office smash Superman. Suffice it to say, Dean had THOUGHTS! So, we bring you what ensued, a free-wheeling discussion not only of the James Gunn-directed blockbuster, but a discussion of DC comics' history, of the character's history, and of the lost art of behind-the-scenes documentary looks at the making of movies as promotional materials. Somehow, the conversation turns to Rob Zombie and his House of 1000 Corpses, to a “holy grail” of cinema for Phil that proved to be a guilty non-pleasure, Ashanti, and to Noah Hawley's new Alien: Earth television series. All that, plus the Stallone film Dean walked out of, the horrible movie Nic Cage's son starred in, why Iron Man turned out to be so good, the problem with reboots, and more!

Whether you're an egg donor now, if you're considering it, or you know someone that is — I'm glad you're here. Young women are donating eggs at the time they are most fertile, often times not realizing the implications of what that means. I've had patients come to me in their 40s without enough healthy eggs of their own to conceive. When they share with me that they themselves donated their young and healthy eggs in their 20s or 30s, but that none are available for them, I feel frustrated and sad for them. Frustrated enough that I'm doing something about it. Freeze & Share is a program that helps young egg donors save some eggs for themselves should they need them, while helping another family conceive when they can't on their own. Suffice to say, I don't want anyone to look back at their egg donation and wish they'd known more. Here is your chance — I want to give you all the information I have so that you're equipped with the knowledge to make the best decision for your personal situation. Read the full show notes on my site by clicking or tapping here.  Dr. Aimee Eyvazzadeh is one of America's most well known fertility doctors. Her success rate at baby-making is what gives future parents hope when all hope is lost. She pioneered the TUSHY Method and BALLS Method to decrease your time to pregnancy. Learn more about the TUSHY Method and find a wealth of fertility resources at www.draimee.org  where you can schedule a consultation. More ways to connect with Dr. Aimee: Subscribe to my YouTube channel for more fertility tips! Subscribe to the newsletter to get updatesFollow on Instagram

Welcome back to All One Song, a Neil Young podcast presented by Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions. All summer long, we're talking to some of our favorite musicians and writers about their favorite Neil Young song. Or at least one of their favorite Neil Young songs. This week, our All One Song guest is Ethan Miller. Ethan has been a longtime fixture in the underground, first coming to my attention back in the early aughts as the co-founder of the psych noise pioneers Comets on Fire. But Ethan is nothing if not prolific — he's played with an array of awesome bands over the years, from Howlin Rain to Feral Ohms to Odyssey Cult. Ethan was also one-fourth of Heron Oblivion with our previous guests Meg Baird and Charlie Saufley … and he's one-third of the Orcutt Shelley Miller trio, with another previous guest Steve Shelley. It's all a rich tapestry, right? At least when it comes to Neil Young. The upcoming — and totally amazing — Orcutt Shelley Miller record is being released on Ethan's own label Silver Current, which is one the most reliable purveyors of sweet sounds both new and old. In recent years, Silver Current has brought us excellent, bootleg-styled archival hauls from Sonic Youth, Galaxie 500 and Earthless, alongside fresh tunes from Magic Fig, Julie Beth Napolin, Growing and many more. Suffice it to say, the Silver Current insignia is a true trademark of quality. For his All One Song appearance, Ethan selected a terrific mid-90s deep cut — “Music Arcade.” This ghostly solo acoustic number showed up on the otherwise Crazy Horse-fueled Broken Arrow in 1996. It's an enigmatic meditation on loneliness that doesn't offer the listener any easy answers, like a comet in the sky. Looking for a digital music platform that feels more like a record shop? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Qobuz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is the high quality music streaming & download platform for music enthusiasts and audiophiles, offering unique editorial, exclusive artist interviews, expertly curated playlists, liner notes, and more. With Qobuz Club, subscribers can connect and share music discoveries with a community of fellow music lovers. And for those who like to own their music, the Qobuz Download Store lets you browse and download albums in Hi-Res and CD quality. Give ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Qobuz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ a try now with an extended 30-day free trial.

After graduation from Macalester College in St. Paul, Lawrence Perelman imagined a performing arts cable channel. So he earned an MBA at Columbia Business School and later founded Semantix Creative Group, a strategic advisory firm for performing artists and global performing arts institutions. As Semantix's CEO, Lawrence kept pitching his idea, and even discussed it with Carnegie Hall's Clive Gillinson. In December 2021, Lawrence, as co-founder, was part of the team that launched Carnegie Hall+, a premium subscription on-demand channel on the Apple TV app. As you'll hear in this episode, his parents always encouraged him to take risks: “You want to meet someone and accomplish something? Write them a letter.” That's maybe the most valuable lesson he learned: "...to put your heart out there and make a statement." So, in 1994, he wrote a letter to William F. Buckley Jr. to thank him for emboldening Soviet Jews to come to America, as his parents did. Suffice it to say that over the years, Buckley became a friend and mentor who changed the course of Lawrence's life "because he took time to answer my letter." This is a unique episode!

We've all heard this story before—giant fish man escapes secret laboratory, giant fish man takes up with unfulfilled housewife, fish man and housewife have deeply meaningful affair, lots of people die. Tale as old as time! Suffice it to say the characters in Mrs. Caliban have a very different reaction to a giant fish than the characters in Jaws. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/overdue and get on your way to being your best self.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on OverdueSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A version of this essay has been published by firstpost.com at https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/shadow-warrior-from-crisis-to-advantage-how-india-can-outplay-the-trump-tariff-gambit-13923031.htmlA simple summary of the recent brouhaha about President Trump's imposition of 25% tariffs on India as well as his comment on India's ‘dead economy' is the following from Shakespeare's Macbeth: “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”. Trump further imposed punitive tariffs totalling 50% on August 6th allegedly for India funding Russia's war machine via buying oil.As any negotiator knows, a good opening gambit is intended to set the stage for further parleys, so that you could arrive at a negotiated settlement that is acceptable to both parties. The opening gambit could well be a maximalist statement, or one's ‘dream outcome', the opposite of which is ‘the walkway point' beyond which you are simply not willing to make concessions. The usual outcome is somewhere in between these two positions or postures.Trump is both a tough negotiator, and prone to making broad statements from which he has no problem retreating later. It's down-and-dirty boardroom tactics that he's bringing to international trade. Therefore I think Indians don't need to get rattled. It's not the end of the world, and there will be climbdowns and adjustments. Think hard about the long term.I was on a panel discussion on this topic on TV just hours after Trump made his initial 25% announcement, and I mentioned an interplay between geo-politics and geo-economics. Trump is annoyed that his Ukraine-Russia play is not making much headway, and also that BRICS is making progress towards de-dollarization. India is caught in this crossfire (‘collateral damage') but the geo-economic facts on the ground are not favorable to Trump.I am in general agreement with Trump on his objectives of bringing manufacturing and investment back to the US, but I am not sure that he will succeed, and anyway his strong-arm tactics may backfire. I consider below what India should be prepared to do to turn adversity into opportunity.The anti-Thucydides Trap and the baleful influence of Whitehall on Deep StateWhat is remarkable, though, is that Trump 2.0 seems to be indistinguishable from the Deep State: I wondered last month if the Deep State had ‘turned' Trump. The main reason many people supported Trump in the first place was the damage the Deep State was wreaking on the US under the Obama-Biden regime. But it appears that the resourceful Deep State has now co-opted Trump for its agenda, and I can only speculate how.The net result is that there is the anti-Thucydides Trap: here is the incumbent power, the US, actively supporting the insurgent power, China, instead of suppressing it, as Graham Allison suggested as the historical pattern. It, in all fairness, did not start with Trump, but with Nixon in China in 1971. In 1985, the US trade deficit with China was $6 million. In 1986, $1.78 billion. In 1995, $35 billion.But it ballooned after China entered the WTO in 2001. $202 billion in 2005; $386 billion in 2022.In 2025, after threatening China with 150% tariffs, Trump retreated by postponing them; besides he has caved in to Chinese demands for Nvidia chips and for exemptions from Iran oil sanctions if I am not mistaken.All this can be explained by one word: leverage. China lured the US with the siren-song of the cost-leader ‘China price', tempting CEOs and Wall Street, who sleepwalked into surrender to the heft of the Chinese supply chain.Now China has cornered Trump via its monopoly over various things, the most obvious of which is rare earths. Trump really has no option but to give in to Chinese blackmail. That must make him furious: in addition to his inability to get Putin to listen to him, Xi is also ignoring him. Therefore, he will take out his frustrations on others, such as India, the EU, Japan, etc. Never mind that he's burning bridges with them.There's a Malayalam proverb that's relevant here: “angadiyil thottathinu ammayodu”. Meaning, you were humiliated in the marketplace, so you come home and take it out on your mother. This is quite likely what Trump is doing, because he believes India et al will not retaliate. In fact Japan and the EU did not retaliate, but gave in, also promising to invest large sums in the US. India could consider a different path: not active conflict, but not giving in either, because its equations with the US are different from those of the EU or Japan.Even the normally docile Japanese are beginning to notice.Beyond that, I suggested a couple of years ago that Deep State has a plan to enter into a condominium agreement with China, so that China gets Asia, and the US gets the Americas and the Pacific/Atlantic. This is exactly like the Vatican-brokered medieval division of the world between Spain and Portugal, and it probably will be equally bad for everyone else. And incidentally it makes the Quad infructuous, and deepens distrust of American motives.The Chinese are sure that they have achieved the condominium, or rather forced the Americans into it. Here is a headline from the Financial Express about their reaction to the tariffs: they are delighted that the principal obstacle in their quest for hegemony, a US-India military and economic alliance, is being blown up by Trump, and they lose no opportunity to deride India as not quite up to the mark, whereas they and the US have achieved a G2 detente.Two birds with one stone: gloat about the breakdown in the US-India relationship, and exhibit their racist disdain for India yet again.They laugh, but I bet India can do an end-run around them. As noted above, the G2 is a lot like the division of the world into Spanish and Portuguese spheres of influence in 1494. Well, that didn't end too well for either of them. They had their empires, which they looted for gold and slaves, but it made them fat, dumb and happy. The Dutch, English, and French capitalized on more dynamic economies, flexible colonial systems, and aggressive competition, overtaking the Iberian powers in global influence by the 17th century. This is a salutary historical parallel.I have long suspected that the US Deep State is being led by the nose by the malign Whitehall (the British Deep State): I call it the ‘master-blaster' syndrome. On August 6th, there was indirect confirmation of this in ex-British PM Boris Johnson's tweet about India. Let us remember he single-handedly ruined the chances of a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine War in 2022. Whitehall's mischief and meddling all over, if you read between the lines.Did I mention the British Special Force's views? Ah, Whitehall is getting a bit sloppy in its propaganda.Wait, so is India important (according to Whitehall) or unimportant (according to Trump)?Since I am very pro-American, I have a word of warning to Trump: you trust perfidious Albion at your peril. Their country is ruined, and they will not rest until they ruin yours too.I also wonder if there are British paw-prints in a recent and sudden spate of racist attacks on Indians in Ireland. A 6-year old girl was assaulted and kicked in the private parts. A nurse was gang-raped by a bunch of teenagers. Ireland has never been so racist against Indians (yes, I do remember the sad case of Savita Halappanavar, but that was religious bigotry more than racism). And I remember sudden spikes in anti-Indian attacks in Australia and Canada, both British vassals.There is no point in Indians whining about how the EU and America itself are buying more oil, palladium, rare earths, uranium etc. from Russia than India is. I am sorry to say this, but Western nations are known for hypocrisy. For example, exactly 80 years ago they dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, but not on Germany or Italy. Why? The answer is uncomfortable. Lovely post-facto rationalization, isn't it?Remember the late lamented British East India Company that raped and pillaged India?Applying the three winning strategies to geo-economicsAs a professor of business strategy and innovation, I emphasize to my students that there are three broad ways of gaining an advantage over others: 1. Be the cost leader, 2. Be the most customer-intimate player, 3. Innovate. The US as a nation is patently not playing the cost leader; it does have some customer intimacy, but it is shrinking; its strength is in innovation.If you look at comparative advantage, the US at one time had strengths in all three of the above. Because it had the scale of a large market (and its most obvious competitors in Europe were decimated by world wars) America did enjoy an ability to be cost-competitive, especially as the dollar is the global default reserve currency. It demonstrated this by pushing through the Plaza Accords, forcing the Japanese yen to appreciate, destroying their cost advantage.In terms of customer intimacy, the US is losing its edge. Take cars for example: Americans practically invented them, and dominated the business, but they are in headlong retreat now because they simply don't make cars that people want outside the US: Japanese, Koreans, Germans and now Chinese do. Why were Ford and GM forced to leave the India market? Their “world cars” are no good in value-conscious India and other emerging markets.Innovation, yes, has been an American strength. Iconic Americans like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Steve Jobs led the way in product and process innovation. US universities have produced idea after idea, and startups have ignited Silicon Valley. In fact Big Tech and aerospace/armaments are the biggest areas where the US leads these days.The armaments and aerospace tradeThat is pertinent because of two reasons: one is Trump's peevishness at India's purchase of weapons from Russia (even though that has come down from 70+% of imports to 36% according to SIPRI); two is the fact that there are significant services and intangible imports by India from the US, of for instance Big Tech services, even some routed through third countries like Ireland.Armaments and aerospace purchases from the US by India have gone up a lot: for example the Apache helicopters that arrived recently, the GE 404 engines ordered for India's indigenous fighter aircraft, Predator drones and P8-i Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft. I suspect Trump is intent on pushing India to buy F-35s, the $110-million dollar 5th generation fighters.Unfortunately, the F-35 has a spotty track record. There were two crashes recently, one in Albuquerque in May, and the other on July 31 in Fresno, and that's $220 million dollars gone. Besides, the spectacle of a hapless British-owned F-35B sitting, forlorn, in the rain, in Trivandrum airport for weeks, lent itself to trolls, who made it the butt of jokes. I suspect India has firmly rebuffed Trump on this front, which has led to his focus on Russian arms.There might be other pushbacks too. Personally, I think India does need more P-8i submarine hunter-killer aircraft to patrol the Bay of Bengal, but India is exerting its buyer power. There are rumors of pauses in orders for Javelin and Stryker missiles as well.On the civilian aerospace front, I am astonished that all the media stories about Air India 171 and the suspicion that Boeing and/or General Electric are at fault have disappeared without a trace. Why? There had been the big narrative push to blame the poor pilots, and now that there is more than reasonable doubt that these US MNCs are to blame, there is a media blackout?Allegations about poor manufacturing practices by Boeing in North Charleston, South Carolina by whistleblowers have been damaging for the company's brand: this is where the 787 Dreamliners are put together. It would not be surprising if there is a slew of cancellations of orders for Boeing aircraft, with customers moving to Airbus. Let us note Air India and Indigo have placed some very large, multi-billion dollar orders with Boeing that may be in jeopardy.India as a consuming economy, and the services trade is hugely in the US' favorMany observers have pointed out the obvious fact that India is not an export-oriented economy, unlike, say, Japan or China. It is more of a consuming economy with a large, growing and increasingly less frugal population, and therefore it is a target for exporters rather than a competitor for exporting countries. As such, the impact of these US tariffs on India will be somewhat muted, and there are alternative destinations for India's exports, if need be.While Trump has focused on merchandise trade and India's modest surplus there, it is likely that there is a massive services trade, which is in the US' favor. All those Big Tech firms, such as Microsoft, Meta, Google and so on run a surplus in the US' favor, which may not be immediately evident because they route their sales through third countries, e.g. Ireland.These are the figures from the US Trade Representative, and quite frankly I don't believe them: there are a lot of invisible services being sold to India, and the value of Indian data is ignored.In addition to the financial implications, there are national security concerns. Take the case of Microsoft's cloud offering, Azure, which arbitrarily turned off services to Indian oil retailer Nayara on the flimsy grounds that the latter had substantial investment from Russia's Rosneft. This is an example of jurisdictional over-reach by US companies, which has dire consequences. India has been lax about controlling Big Tech, and this has to change.India is Meta's largest customer base. Whatsapp is used for practically everything. Which means that Meta has access to enormous amounts of Indian customer data, for which India is not even enforcing local storage. This is true of all other Big Tech (see OpenAI's Sam Altman below): they are playing fast and loose with Indian data, which is not in India's interest at all.Data is the new oil, says The Economist magazine. So how much should Meta, OpenAI et al be paying for Indian data? Meta is worth trillions of dollars, OpenAI half a trillion. How much of that can be attributed to Indian data?There is at least one example of how India too can play the digital game: UPI. Despite ham-handed efforts to now handicap UPI with a fee (thank you, brilliant government bureaucrats, yes, go ahead and kill the goose that lays the golden eggs), it has become a contender in a field that has long been dominated by the American duopoly of Visa and Mastercard. In other words, India can scale up and compete.It is unfortunate that India has not built up its own Big Tech behind a firewall as has been done behind the Great Firewall of China. But it is not too late. Is it possible for India-based cloud service providers to replace US Big Tech like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure? Yes, there is at least one player in that market: Zoho.Second, what are the tariffs on Big Tech exports to India these days? What if India were to decide to impose a 50% tax on revenue generated in India through advertisement or through sales of services, mirroring the US's punitive taxes on Indian goods exports? Let me hasten to add that I am not suggesting this, it is merely a hypothetical argument.There could also be non-tariff barriers as China has implemented, but not India: data locality laws, forced use of local partners, data privacy laws like the EU's GDPR, anti-monopoly laws like the EU's Digital Markets Act, strict application of IPR laws like 3(k) that absolutely prohibits the patenting of software, and so on. India too can play legalistic games. This is a reason US agri-products do not pass muster: genetically modified seeds, and milk from cows fed with cattle feed from blood, offal and ground-up body parts.Similarly, in the ‘information' industry, India is likely to become the largest English-reading country in the world. I keep getting come-hither emails from the New York Times offering me $1 a month deals on their product: they want Indian customers. There are all these American media companies present in India, untrammelled by content controls or taxes. What if India were to give a choice to Bloomberg, Reuters, NYTimes, WaPo, NPR et al: 50% tax, or exit?This attack on peddlers of fake information and manufacturing consent I do suggest, and I have been suggesting for years. It would make no difference whatsoever to India if these media outlets were ejected, and they surely could cover India (well, basically what they do is to demean India) just as well from abroad. Out with them: good riddance to bad rubbish.What India needs to doI believe India needs to play the long game. It has to use its shatrubodha to realize that the US is not its enemy: in Chanakyan terms, the US is the Far Emperor. The enemy is China, or more precisely the Chinese Empire. Han China is just a rump on their south-eastern coast, but it is their conquered (and restive) colonies such as Tibet, Xinjiang, Manchuria and Inner Mongolia, that give them their current heft.But the historical trends are against China. It has in the past had stable governments for long periods, based on strong (and brutal) imperial power. Then comes the inevitable collapse, when the center falls apart, and there is absolute chaos. It is quite possible, given various trends, including demographic changes, that this may happen to China by 2050.On the other hand, (mostly thanks, I acknowledge, to China's manufacturing growth), the center of gravity of the world economy has been steadily shifting towards Asia. The momentum might swing towards India if China stumbles, but in any case the era of Atlantic dominance is probably gone for good. That was, of course, only a historical anomaly. Asia has always dominated: see Angus Maddison's magisterial history of the world economy, referred to below as well.I am reminded of the old story of the king berating his court poet for calling him “the new moon” and the emperor “the full moon”. The poet escaped being punished by pointing out that the new moon is waxing and the full moon is waning.This is the long game India has to keep in mind. Things are coming together for India to a great extent: in particular the demographic dividend, improved infrastructure, fiscal prudence, and the increasing centrality of the Indian Ocean as the locus of trade and commerce.India can attempt to gain competitive advantage in all three ways outlined above:* Cost-leadership. With a large market (assuming companies are willing to invest at scale), a low-cost labor force, and with a proven track-record of frugal innovation, India could well aim to be a cost-leader in selected areas of manufacturing. But this requires government intervention in loosening monetary policy and in reducing barriers to ease of doing business* Customer-intimacy. What works in highly value-conscious India could well work in other developing countries. For instance, the economic environment in ASEAN is largely similar to India's, and so Indian products should appeal to their residents; similarly with East Africa. Thus the Indian Ocean Rim with its huge (and in Africa's case, rapidly growing) population should be a natural fit for Indian products* Innovation. This is the hardest part, and it requires a new mindset in education and industry, to take risks and work at the bleeding edge of technology. In general, Indians have been content to replicate others' innovations at lower cost or do jugaad (which cannot scale up). To do real, disruptive innovation, first of all the services mindset should transition to a product mindset (sorry, Raghuram Rajan). Second, the quality of human capital must be improved. Third, there should be patient risk capital. Fourth, there should be entrepreneurs willing to try risky things. All of these are difficult, but doable.And what is the end point of this game? Leverage. The ability to compel others to buy from you.China has demonstrated this through its skill at being a cost-leader in industry after industry, often hollowing out entire nations through means both fair and foul. These means include far-sighted industrial policy including the acquisition of skills, technology, and raw materials, as well as hidden subsidies that support massive scaling, which ends up driving competing firms elsewhere out of business. India can learn a few lessons from them. One possible lesson is building capabilities, as David Teece of UC Berkeley suggested in 1997, that can span multiple products, sectors and even industries: the classic example is that of Nikon, whose optics strength helps it span industries such as photography, printing, and photolithography for chip manufacturing. Here is an interesting snapshot of China's capabilities today.2025 is, in a sense, a point of inflection for India just as the crisis in 1991 was. India had been content to plod along at the Nehruvian Rate of Growth of 2-3%, believing this was all it could achieve, as a ‘wounded civilization'. From that to a 6-7% growth rate is a leap, but it is not enough, nor is it testing the boundaries of what India can accomplish.1991 was the crisis that turned into an opportunity by accident. 2025 is a crisis that can be carefully and thoughtfully turned into an opportunity.The Idi Amin syndrome and the 1000 Talents program with AIThere is a key area where an American error may well be a windfall for India. This is based on the currently fashionable H1-B bashing which is really a race-bashing of Indians, and which has been taken up with gusto by certain MAGA folks. Once again, I suspect the baleful influence of Whitehall behind it, but whatever the reason, it looks like Indians are going to have a hard time settling down in the US.There are over a million Indians on H1-Bs, a large number of them software engineers, let us assume for convenience there are 250,000 of them. Given country caps of exactly 9800 a year, they have no realistic chance of getting a Green Card in the near future, and given the increasingly fraught nature of life there for brown people, they may leave the US, and possibly return to India..I call this the Idi Amin syndrome. In 1972, the dictator of Uganda went on a rampage against Indian-origin people in his country, and forcibly expelled 80,000 of them, because they were dominating the economy. There were unintended consequences: those who were ejected mostly went to the US and UK, and they have in many cases done well. But Uganda's economy virtually collapsed.That's a salutary experience. I am by no means saying that the US economy would collapse, but am pointing to the resilience of the Indians who were expelled. If, similarly, Trump forces a large number of Indians to return to India, that might well be a case of short-term pain and long-term gain: urvashi-shapam upakaram, as in the Malayalam phrase.Their return would be akin to what happened in China and Taiwan with their successful effort to attract their diaspora back. The Chinese program was called 1000 Talents, and they scoured the globe for academics and researchers of Chinese origin, and brought them back with attractive incentives and large budgets. They had a major role in energizing the Chinese economy.Similarly, Taiwan with Hsinchu University attracted high-quality talent, among which was the founder of TSMC, the globally dominant chip giant.And here is Trump offering to India on a platter at least 100,000 software engineers, especially at a time when generativeAI is decimating low-end jobs everywhere. They can work on some very compelling projects that could revolutionize Indian education, up-skilling and so on, and I am not at liberty to discuss them. Suffice to say that these could turbo-charge the Indian software industry and get it away from mundane, routine body-shopping type jobs.ConclusionThe Trump tariff tantrum is definitely a short-term problem for India, but it can be turned around, and turned into an opportunity, if only the country plays its cards right and focuses on building long-term comparative advantages and accepting the gift of a mis-step by Trump in geo-economics.In geo-politics, India and the US need each other to contain China, and so that part, being so obvious, will be taken care of more or less by default.Thus, overall, the old SWOT analysis: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. On balance, I am of the opinion that the threats contain in them the germs of opportunities. It is up to Indians to figure out how to take advantage of them. This is your game to win or lose, India!4150 words, 9 Aug 2025 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com/subscribe

Another day, another attempted distraction from the Epstein/Maxwell scandal. As Trump's presidency continues to be dragged down by the Epstein debacle and the favors he's doing for Epstein's convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, Attorney General Pam Bondi announces a bogus investigation into Barack Obama and his administration for investigating the connections between Trump and Russia in advance of the 2016 election.The harder Trump tries to distract from and coverup the Epstein files, the more he seems to alienate his base. Moreover, new reporting shows that congressional Republicans are ratcheting up their involvement in the Epstein matter by subpoenaing former Democratic AND Republican officials to testify about the Epstein investigation. Suffice it to say, this story seems to have real legs.For nightly live Law Talks, please join Glenn on Substack: glennkirschner.substack.comIf you're interested in supporting our all-volunteer efforts, you can become a Team Justice patron at: / glennkirschner If you'd like to support Glenn and buy Team Justice and Justice Matters merchandise visit:https://shop.spreadshirt.com/glennkir...Check out Glenn's website at https://glennkirschner.com/Follow Glenn on:Threads: https://www.threads.net/glennkirschner2Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glennkirschner2Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glennkirsch...Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/glennkirschn...TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/glennkirschner2See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Another day, another attempted distraction from the Epstein/Maxwell scandal. As Trump's presidency continues to be dragged down by the Epstein debacle and the favors he's doing for Epstein's convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, Attorney General Pam Bondi announces a bogus investigation into Barack Obama and his administration for investigating the connections between Trump and Russia in advance of the 2016 election.The harder Trump tries to distract from and coverup the Epstein files, the more he seems to alienate his base. Moreover, new reporting shows that congressional Republicans are ratcheting up their involvement in the Epstein matter by subpoenaing former Democratic AND Republican officials to testify about the Epstein investigation. Suffice it to say, this story seems to have real legs.For nightly live Law Talks, please join Glenn on Substack: glennkirschner.substack.comIf you're interested in supporting our all-volunteer efforts, you can become a Team Justice patron at: / glennkirschner If you'd like to support Glenn and buy Team Justice and Justice Matters merchandise visit:https://shop.spreadshirt.com/glennkir...Check out Glenn's website at https://glennkirschner.com/Follow Glenn on:Threads: https://www.threads.net/glennkirschner2Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glennkirschner2Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glennkirsch...Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/glennkirschn...TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/glennkirschner2See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On July 25, 2025 Isaac Caree released a podcast interview with Norman Gyamfi. Norman is a music industry executive and part owner of Maverick City Music. Suffice it to say, this conversation created a firestorm of controversy and conversation around Gospel Music, CCM, and the racial tension embedded within the music industry. We know these […] The post #366: The Truth About The Gospel Industry That Is Actually True with Rick Robinson appeared first on Beyond Sunday Worship.

Continuing our “August Monster Madness" we have an unusual science fiction radio drama titled "Student Body" from the X Minus One series, originally broadcast in 1956. This is a highly unusual monster story, not concerned so much with scares as venturing into the territory of wondrous curiosity. The story is about a colonial expedition to a planet called Glade, where the scientific team encounters a unique and rapidly evolving indigenous species. To tell you any more than that would go into spoilers, which would be unforgivable with this story. Suffice it to say, it asks “what if,” and what would you do if faced with the strange and the unknown. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Our Escape from Hammerland continues with one of the twistiest (and most twisted) psychological thrillers you'll ever see!Freddie Francis' 1963 film, Paranoiac, follows the wealthy and extremely dysfunctional Ashby siblings, Eleanor (Janette Scott) and Simon (Oliver Reed). They are weeks away from inheriting the family fortune, left to them after their parents' untimely death (and that of middle child, Antony, who took his own life out of grief). Eleanor begins seeing visions of Antony, back from the dead--which jeopardizes Simon's plans for claiming the all the Ashby money for himself. This premise is the springboard for a movie so packed with surprises that to summarize any further would risk bumbling through a minefield of spoilers.Suffice it to say, Ian and AC had a lot of fun diving into Paranoiac, which also boasts the talents of Hammer powerhouse screenwriter Jimmy Sangster and producer Anthony Hinds.In this spoiler-filled discussion, the guys examine all the goings-on of this short, tight masterwork--including a minor head-scratcher that keep it from being a note-perfect classic!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Paranoiac (1963) trailer.Order AC's books on essential and obscure horror movies, Horror 101 and Hidden Horror!Subscribe to AC's YouTube channel, Horror 101 with Dr. AC.Grab only what you can carry as we "Escape from Hammerland"! Hitch a ride with our entire 2024 series in the "Return to Hammerland" Playlist!It's not too late to catch up with our 2023 trip “Beyond Hammerland”!Check out 2022's year-long journey, "Son of Hammerland"!And watch the series that started it all: "Hammerland"As mentioned in the show, Hammer made a lot of black-and-white thrillers. Here are more films to catch up on, courtesy of AC!The Snorkel (1958)Stop Me Before I Kill (1960)Scream of Fear (1961)Maniac (1963)Paranoiac (1963)Nightmare (1964)The Nanny (1965)Hysteria (1965)Fanatic aka Die! Die! My Darling! (1965) (color)Crescendo (1970) (color)

Another night, another mission, another less than ideal landing. Our aviatrixes were able to fly - but at what cost? The next morning they must survey the damage done to their reputations, relationships and the airfield's local wild life. Suffice to say, their decisions may "haunt" them. Special thanks to Matti Wells, Kevin DiFazio, Matthew Kastner, Chloe Familton, Will Cloud, Justin - The DM's Guide, GM Ashowan, Nate Scott Jones and someone who wished to remain anonymous - for providing additional mission pool points or "biscuits" for us to use in times of great peril (and bad rolls).Want to support the folks in the cockpit who are making this show happen?Tip us on Kofi, and follow us on social media https://linktr.ee/wingwomenpodGeneral CW: War/Military Themes and Violence, Language and Suggestive Dialogue, Bombing NazisBombing/Gunfire SX: 2:57-3:20, 8:30-8:42, 9:00-9:06, 9:10-9:35 Mentions of detached limbs: 9:06-9:08, 20:04-20:13Dangerous plane landing 12:43-14:21 Reference to Named NPC Death (plane crash): 12:43-12:56Mouth noises: (brushing teeth, gargling, spitting) 22:38 - 22:50, 23:55 - 24:20Bullying (rumors, sexual in nature) 24:10 - 24:19, 25:40 - 26:22, 27:28 - 27:46, 45:30 - 47:42Animal Death (Killing for food): 29:20-30:45 Description of skinning animal: 31:03 - 31:31Description of bruise (black eye): 33:46- 33:50Discussions of assault (punching in the face): 34:00 - 34:19, 38:00-39:00Discussions of emotional eating/disordered eating: 35:15 - 35:55, 36:35 - 36:40Discussions of Misogyny 37:55 - 39:00Discussions of Unhealthy Mother/Daughter Relationship 41:20 - 41:30, 42:20-43:00Description and handing of firearms 48:00 - 48:19Horror/Ghost (Named NPC) 50:45 - 51:50 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's Extra Serving, NRN executive editor Alicia Kelso and managing editor Leigh Anne Zinsmeister discuss the beginnings of earnings season. Domino's numbers were better than we've come to expect from the pizza chain as they claw back market share. What's the secret, and can it continue? Next, they talk about Chipotle's earnings, which were grimmer: That brand saw a same-store sales decline for the second quarter in a row. But Alicia, our team's Chipotle expert, is more bothered by the traffic numbers. Can the chain turn things around? Then, they delve into the details of McDonald's beverage plan: The chain will roll out a test at more than 500 locations in September. In the wake of its short-lived CosMc's brand, McDonald's hopes to take its learnings and find more success in existing stores. Suffice to say that Alicia and Leigh Anne are very excited about the possibilities. Finally, tune in to a conversation between senior editor Ron Ruggless and City Barbeque's chief brand officer Annica Conrad, conducted at the National Restaurant Association Show. Don't forget to register for CREATE: The Event for Emerging Restaurateurs, where you can see Kevin Bacon live and learn from our Hot Concept Award winners.For more on these stories:Domino's belated stuffed crust and delivery investments drive 3.4% sales growthChipotle's CEO doesn't think the company gets enough credit for its value propositionMcDonald's plans September beverage test at more than 500 locations

Multitasking, or the art of juggling several tasks at once, is more common than ever before in the workplace. In 2022, a German think tank called Next Work Innovation released a study which showed that knowledge workers are interrupted on average every four minutes during the working day! In a past episode of Do You Really Know, we discussed how our brains manage to cope with multiple demands at once. Suffice to say: it's not easy! It can be really tricky to focus again after a distraction, and many workers believe interruptions negatively impact their productivity and well-being at work.  Why is it so important to know how to say no then? How can I learn to say no then? What if saying no is just too difficult? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: ⁠Could textertunism be damaging your friendships?⁠ ⁠What foods should you avoid to lose belly fat?⁠ ⁠How can I cut my summer holiday spending?⁠ A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. First Broadcast: 22/7/2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We should never stop learning – and in fly fishing especially, we're never done.   This week we hear from Packy Trotter a life long fly angler, guide and instructor who epitomises the spirit of teaching and learning in the sport. STANIC and APGAI qualified, Packy then travelled to the Catskills where he took the FFF certified and FFF masters qualifications becoming, at that time, only the second person in their history to pass both exams at the one session. Suffice to say, there's plenty we can learn from Packy Keep up to date with all the latest Ireland on the Fly on https://www.IrelandontheFly.com and get regular updates on https://Instagram.com/IrelandontheFly.

This episode we continue with the Jinshin War.  This episode we follow Prince Oama on his dramatic escape to the east:  From Yoshino he dashed through the mountains, through Iga and over to Ise.  In so doing he secured both Suzuka and Fuwa--areas that would be important chokepoints throughout Japan's history.   For more information, check out our blogpost at: https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-130 Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this is episode 130: Jinshin no Ran, Part II:  Gathering Stormclouds.   The soldier on watch was doing his best to keep alert.  The night shift was never pleasant duty, and it was even less pleasant out here in the mountains.  There were plenty of sounds in the night—birds and animals out in the darkness—but rarely was there much actual action.  At least the sky was clear, with only the occasional cloud. Guarding a post station was hardly the worst duty in the world. There was a decent amount of traffic: after all, they were along one of the major routes between Ise and Yamato.  But at night, well, who wanted to try and navigate the mountain roads?  That was a great way to fall into a river and drown, or get lost in the woods, unable to find your way back to civilization. It must have been a shock when he saw a light in the distance.  There were almost always a few fires somewhere in the village, but most of them were out or covered at this time of night, with the exception of the odd torch.  But this was something more.  At first the guard thought it was just his eyes playing tricks on him.  And then he wondered if it was some kind of mountain spirit—he'd heard of ghost parades that could come and take people in the night.  He shivered, and instinctively checked his own torch to ensure that it was burning well and bright.  Indeed it was. It took him a little time for his eyes to adjust again to the darkness, but now, sure enough, he saw the torches coming—and not just one, many of them, and he could now hear the faint metallic clank of metal on metal.  He then heard a faint sound like a tight rope being suddenly plucked.  It only just started to dawn on him what was happening when the first arrows started to rain down on his position. They were under attack!   Welcome back.  This episode we are continuing with our coverage of the Jinshin no Ran—the Jinshin War of 672—and if you haven't already, I highly recommend you start with episode 129, where we talk about some of the background for what was happening.  That said, let's do a quick recap to bring us up to speed on where we are.  And then we'll dive into an account of an absolutely unbelievable journey, which is impressive for multiple reasons, but mostly for the speed at which it was able to take place. So as you may recall, Naka no Oe, aka Tenji Tennou, passed away at the end of 671 after months of illness.  After falling ill, the Chronicles tell us that he offered the state to his younger brother, the Crown Prince, Prince Ohoama, but Ohoama was warned that it was a trap, and as such, he turned down the offer.  Instead, he retired from his position to become a monk, and left for Yoshino, taking half of his household with him.  With Ohoama retired, Naka no Oe's son, the 23 year old Prince Ohotomo, took the throne. After Naka no Oe's death, Ohotomo effectively ruled Yamato from the Ohotsu palace in Afumi, running things along with the ministers of the left and right, Soga no Akaye and Nakatomi no Kane, and other high ministers.  Though the Nihon Shoki does not acknowledge it, Ohotomo is thought to have been a formal sovereign, in deed if not in name, at this point.  Much later, he would be given the posthumous name of “Koubun Tennou”. It would seem that Ohotomo and the Afumi court had misgivings about Prince Ohoama's promise to retire from the world and not challenge the throne.  The Nihon Shoki recounts that they began to make subtle preparations for a conflict, including levying men to build Naka no Oe's tomb, but issuing them weapons instead of tools.  They also set up checkpoints along the road from the court in Ohotsu down to Asuka—the main route to where Ohoama was residing in Yoshino.  And then, finally, someone told Ohoama that they were no longer allowing Prince Ohoama's people to cross the Uji bridge to bring him and his household supplies. Prince Ohoama was not going to sit idly by while the Afumi court gathered up enough forces to claim he was doing something treasonous and then march on him in Yoshino.  And so he sent one of his trusted vassals to the east to seek support.  Meanwhile, he himself was making ready to move.  There was just one more thing before setting out:  seeing if he could get posting bells.  This was sparked by the words of one of his advisors, who suggested that they should be careful.  They did not have many soldiers in Yoshino, and they had already sent out a general like Woyori to start raising troops in the East.  At the same time, if the Afumi Court was also maneuvering, it was likely that they would have sent words to the various post stations to bar the roads and prevent any movement. As such, Prince Ohoama decided to send several messengers to ask for Posting Bells, so that Ohoama and his men could make use of the official horses at the various post stations, allowing them to travel much more quickly and freely.  However, it was not clear if such orders had come and, if they had, where the local government officiallys might place their loyalty. Of particular importance was the case of Prince Takasaka, who was in charge of the Okamoto Palace, and thus the governance of the ancient capital. He would be the one to grant posting bells if they were to receive them.  If he provided the bells, then Ohoama and his party could assume they would have little to no trouble making their way East. And so Prince Ohoama sent his evnoys to the Okamoto palace.The messengers requested posting bells, but Prince Takasaka refused to issue them.  This sent a clear message to Prince Ohoama:  the Afumi court had no intention of letting him and his household have free access to the roads, and the local officials in Asuka were not going to provide any support.  In fact, Prince Takasaka now knew that Ohoama planned to travel, and if he wanted to, Takasaka could likely raise troops to try and stop Ohoama from leaving.  At the very least he would no doubt be sending a swift horse to Ohotsu to inform the Afumi court.  Ohoama and his followers would have to hurry if they wanted to do anything. And so, on the 24th of the 6th month, the same day that he got word back about the posting bells,  Prince Ohoama made the decision to move.  He and his entourage left quickly—he didn't even let anyone saddle a horse for him or prepare his carriage.  He just started to head out on foot on a journey to the East – and keep in mind that everything I'm going to describe in the next few minutes happened over the course of one night, truly an epic journey for Ohoama and all of those with him..  The Chronicles lists about 20 men and over ten women who originally set out with Ohoama from Yoshino, including his wife, the Royal Princess Uno no Sarara, daughter of Naka no Oe.  She wasn't walking, however—she followed a little behind in a palanquin, or litter, carried on poles.  I do wonder if those carrying the palanquin are among those mentioned, or were they servants or even enslaved persons who weren't considered worthy of note. The path they traveled wound its way through the mountains.  Streams and rivers had carved channels and valleys into these mountains.  People had settled these areas, and created paths through the wilderness.  Now, the valleys were fairly well populated, with roads connecting the communities that had grown up in the nooks and hollers. These facilitated trade through the mountain communities and between the eastern and western sides of the Kii peninsula, but even still, it was difficult terrain.  Unlike roads in the flat plains, the width of the roads in the mountains would have been constrained by steep mountainsides and the natural twists and turns of the valleys.  There may have been rope or wooden bridges that they had to cross, as streams constantly flow down the hill sides to the river below.  This route would make it much easier to avoid any official Afumi forces that might have been sent out, as those would likely be sticking to the main roads, but there were still government outposts along the way.  If these outposts proved loyal to the Afumi court, they could raise the alarm and send a messenger on horseback, who could likely flee much more quickly than Ohoama's men could follow.  And if Afumi learned that Ohoama was on the move, they could quickly mobilize their forces, secure key strategic points, and Ohoama's mad rush would be for naught.   The path Ohoama chose would lead from Yoshino, through the valleys, up through Iga, and then over to Suzuka, in Ise—modern Mie prefecture.  The journey was long and it wasn't going to be easy, but they needed to move quickly. Speaking of which, since Ohoama was traveling on foot, one of his men, Agata no Inukahi no Ohotomo, gave Prince Ohoama his own horse to ride.  Oh, and in case you are wondering: There are a lot of people named “Ohotomo” in the narrative, not just the Prince, Ohoama's nephew and rival for the throne.  Sorry, it was apparently a somewhat popular name AND it was also a clan, or uji, name as well.  I'll try to distinguish some of them in the podcast blog page. The party hadn't traveled far when Ohoama's own carriage—or possibly a palanquin, like his wife's—showed up for him, so I assume Ohotomo got his horse back, but they were still constrained to the speed of their slowest member, and I doubt that the mountain roads were all that wide and flat—most likely just the opposite. The group journeyed upstream along the Tsuburo river and eventually made it to Aki, in the area of Uda, due east of Sakurai and Mt. Miwa.  Here they were overtaken by two men, known as Ohotomo no Muraji no Makuda and Kibumi no Muraji no Ohotomo, both hurrying on from the Yoshino Palace. Makuda had been at the Afumi court, but word was starting to spread there that there was going to be some kind of move against Prince Ohoama, so he and his brother, Ohotomo no Fukei, had feigned illness and returned to their home in the Asuka region.  Once there, Makuda had made straightaway for Yoshino, only to find that Ohoama was already on the move.  Ohotomo no Fukei, on the other hand, chose to stay in the area of Asuka and see what he could do there.  He was looking to see what kind of forces he could raise in the ancient capital region.  We'll learn more about him, later. It was also in Aki, apparently, where they met Hashi no Muraji no Mate, who was from the Department of the official rice fields.  Even though he was a government official, he was a supporter of Ohoama and his cause, and so he supplied Ohoama and his people with food for their journey. Just north of the Aki fields they came upon Kammura—thought to be near modern Kaguraoka—where the Yoshino forces conscripted 20 hunters into service, almost doubling their numbers, and now they at least had some weapons with them.  Prince Mino, and presumably his men, also joined forces with Ohoama and his party—their ranks were starting to grow. In Uda, they were no doubt glad of any assistance, and at the government offices in the village of Uda itself, they were also warmly welcomed.  There they found 50 pack-horses that were laden down with rice meant for the hot baths at Ise.  The rice was discarded and Ohoama commandeered the pack animals so that his forces could ride, rather than walk.  Nonetheless, it was still a long way to go.  Indeed, night was approaching by the time they reached Ohono—likely the modern area of Muro-ohono and Ohonoji, along the Uda river.  They didn't want to stop, but it could be treacherous trying to navigate in the mountains in the dark.  What they needed was a light source.  And so we are told that they pulled down some of the fences of nearby houses and created makeshift torches to light their way.  Thus they were able to continue on until they reached the town of Nabari at approximately midnight. Nabari was not quite so friendly.  It was the home of a post-station, which had a duty to report things to the Afumi court.  Ohoama and his men arrived with their torches and in the middle of the night they attacked and set fire to the post station.  One can only imagine how surprised those manning the station must have been.  Presumably Ohoama's party took any horses and provisions, both for their own use and so that they couldn't be used against them.  To those members of the village that were woken up and who came out to see what was going on, Ohoama's entourage proclaimed that Prince Ohoama was heading east and that people should join them.  More specifically we are told that he said that the “Sumera no Mikoto” was on his way to the East Country. I want to pause here a moment, because there are some that say that this was the first use of the term “Sumera no Mikoto”, or, as we more commonly read the characters today, “Tennou”.  At the very least we believe that the term “Tennou” may have first used in this time period—though I do wonder about it being used in this particular instance.  I'll come back to this at the end, but for now, let's get back to the story.  So Ohoama announced to the people that he, the sovereign—for he had declared himself as such—was heading to the Eastern lands, and he invited anyone who wished to join him.  Nobody took him up on his offer, however.  It must have sounded crazy.  Ohoama had swept in at midnight, his forces carrying torches, and had attacked the post station, the symbol of the government in their midst.  I imagine that the people wanted little to nothing to do with any further conflict if they could help it. Continuing on in the darkness, Ohoama and his party came to a river—probably the Nabari River.  The Chronicle refers to it as “Yokokawa”, a term that shows up multiple times, and means something like “side river” and I suspect it was just the name for a river that ran alongside the fields or something similar.  As they were crossing, a dark cloud spread across the night sky for over 10 rods—about 100 feet.  Ohoama kindled a light and took a look at a geomantic rule to determine what it could mean.  This “rule” was possibly a type of stick or even a kind of compass-like device with a square bottom and round top, indicating the heavens and the earth.  He announced to everyone that the cloud was an omen that the country would be divided into two parts but, ultimately, their side would win out. One can only imagine how tired and worn out everyone was at this point, but apparently this urged them onward.  They reached Iga, where once again, they attacked and set fire to the posting station. Now getting through Iga must have had Ohoama's head on a swivel.  After all, Prince Ohotomo's mother was apparently from that region – he was the Iga Royal Prince, after all - so it would be understandable if people were loyal to him.  Fortunately, for Ohoama, he had his local supporters as well.  In fact, Joan Piggot points out in “The Emergence of Japanese Kingship” that Ohoama may have had a surprising amount of support from the various local elites.  Remember that the policies that Naka no Oe and the court had put into place had given power to court appointed officials at the expense of the traditional local elites.  So it may have been that those traditional local elites were more inclined to assist Ohoama against the Afumi Court, while those appointed officials, such as those who were managing the post stations, were more likely to swing the other way, since their positions and their stipends were directly reliant on the court's good graces.  This seems to have been the case in this instance, around Nakayama, in Iga, where we are told that they met with local district governors who had heard that Ohoama was on the move and who had raised several hundred men in support of his cause.  Now their ranks really had grown—compared with the relatively small group that had first set out from Yoshino the previous day, there were now hundreds of men on the march. Ohoama's forces finally arrived at the plain of Tara, or Tarano, by dawn, and with the sun coming over the mountains they briefly stopped for a moment to catch their breath and eat something.  They had just marched through the night—a distance of approximately 70 kilometers, or 43 and a half miles.  That included stops to attack and set fire to two post stations along the way, and much of the journey early on was done on foot.  During that march, their ranks had grown tremendously.  This is an incredible feat, especially with much of it being accomplished at night. Let's also quickly discuss those extra troops that had come to his banner.  Remember that prior to this, Prince Ohoama had sent messengers ahead to Mino and Owari to try and raise forces in those areas.  They had likely traveled these same roadways, and told  any allies they had to prepare.  So while the forces were raised quickly, there were no doubt some logistics that went into it. After a brief rest, the army was back on their feet, heading to Yamaguchi—modern Tsuge city.  Here Ohoama was greeted by his son, Prince Takechi, who had come from Afumi down through Kafuka—modern Kouka, aka Kouga.  He had brought several other men of his own, and presumably soldiers as well. The entire party crossed Mt. Miyama and into Suzuka, in Ise, where they were joined by the provincial governor, Miyake no Muraji no Iwatoko; Deputy Governor, Miwa no Kimi no Kobuto, and the magistrate of the famous hot baths, Tanaka no Omi no Tarumaro, among others.  That same morning, they set a troop of 500 soldiers to guard the pass.  After all, it would do them no good to have a government force suddenly appear behind them.  Also, you may recall that Ohoama's request to his allies in Mino was to take the Fuwa pass, in the north—the area more popularly known today as Sekigahara.  So now, with both the Suzuka and Fuwa passes under Ohoama's control, his forces controlled access to the Eastern countries.  The only other viable route, at least if you didn't want to get lost in the mountains, was to take the road to the north, through Koshi, and that was going to be a slog around or over the Japan Alps. So a garrison was left as a rear guard, but the troops who were not staying to guard the pass continued, turning northwards.  By sunset on the 25th day of the 6th month of 672, they had reached the foot of Kahawa Hill.  Here, Ohoama's consort, Princess Uno no Sarara, asked if they could take a break.  She was not exactly used to this kind of travel, and even riding on a palanquin, she was exhausted and fatigued.  As they looked to the sky, though, it was clear that dark clouds were gathering.  So they cut their rest short and pushed on, hoping to make it to the government offices at Mie—likely meaning modern day Yokkaichi city. Sure enough, as they continued to march, the heavens opened with a thunderstorm pouring down on them.  The entire army was soaked to the bone.  Cold and wet, when they did get to the government center or Mie district, they deliberately set fire to an entire building just so that the troops could try to warm themselves a bit.  Those who had set out from Yoshino had marched over 122km, or 75 miles, including over 700 meters of elevation up and 800 meters down.  Checking a map of the route, it suggests that a person walking it, today, without any breaks, would take around 28 hours to complete the trip, and indeed, Ohoama's took roughly one and a half days.  That includes time for their assaults on the various post stations, and a brief rest at the Tara fields.  Now, granted, they had procured horses for parts of that, and many of the soldiers had not necessarily been there since the beginning, but it is still an incredible feat, when you think about it.  I'm honestly surprised that it doesn't get more of a mention in various historical contexts.  Then again, we are still well before the age of the Samurai, which is the period most martial historians typically examine. So that night, as they were settling in at the Mie government center following their amazing dash across the mountains, word came from forces at Suzuka:  Prince Yamabe and Prince Ishikawa had apparently come to offer their allegiance to Ohoama.  However, as they weren't known to the men, they were held at the Suzuka barrier until someone could verify.  Ohoama sent Michi no Atahe no Masubito to go fetch them and bring them to him. The following morning, Ohoama worshipped towards Amaterasu on the banks of a river in the district of Asake.  Thinking about it, I'm not sure if they meant that he worshipped south, in the direction of Ise Shrine, or if he worshipped east, the direction of the rising sun.  The exact direction doesn't entirely matter, but I think we will come back to this, as it would have consequences later on. Later, Masubito returned from his errand, catching back up to the army, which was continuing on its way.  It turns out that it was not Princes Yamabe and Ishikawa that Masubito had found at Suzuka, but instead  Ohoama's own son, Ohotsu, who had come along to join his father.  I presume he had been traveling under a false name in case he ran into men loyal to the Afumi court.  He was followed by a number of others, including a list of names which I am not going to go over here because it wouldn't mean all that much.  Suffice it to say that the Chroniclers were doing their best to make sure that various families were remembered for what they did. Now just as Prince Ohotsu was joining the main force, Murakami no Woyori arrived with word that 3,000 Mino troops were mobilized and currently blocking the Fuwa Road.  You may recall that Woyori was the one that Ohoama had sent to Mino for just that purpose, scouting out the lay of the land. Ohoama sent Prince Takechi ahead to Fuwa to organize the forces there.  Then he sent two others to mobilize troops along the Tokaido region, and two others were sent into the mountains to levy soldiers from the Tousando region.  As a quick reminder: the Tokaido was the eastern sea highway, while the Tousando, the Eastern Mountain Road, went through the middle of eastern Honshu, through the more mountainous regions.  Together, these two routes would have pulled from the most populous regions of the east. As for Ohoama, he took up residence at the government center in Kuwana, where he spent some time resting for a bit. Now just as Ohoama was building up his forces, so, too, was the Afumi court.  As soon as word made it to the capital that Ohoama was on the move, chaos ensued.  Many people fled the capital, some heading to the East, perhaps to join Ohoama, while others went to hide in the mountains and marshes until all the chaos was over and the dust settled.  The young Prince Ohotomo asked the ministers what he should do, and they recommended that he immediately set out with cavalry to pursue Ohoama and catch him before he could assemble too many troops.  However, he decided not to heed their advice, instead opting to assemble an army of his own, to add to the soldiers that had already been levied.  He sent Ina no Iwasuki, Fumi no Kusuri, and Wosaka no Ohomaro to the East country, while Hodzumi no Momotari, his younger brother, Ihoye, and Mononobe no Hiuga headed to the Yamato capital—which is to say Asuka.  Ohotomo also sent Saheki no Wotoko to Tsukushi and Kusu no Iwate to Kibi, all with orders to levy troops.  He gave Wotoko and Iwate special instructions, since there was some concern that neither Tsukushi nor Kibi would be compliant, as they both had been supported by Ohoama and may feel ties to him.  So if the leaders of either of those areas were to resist, Wotoko and Iwate were authorized to execute them for treason. As Iwasuki, Kusuri, and Ohomaro headed east, they traveled around Lake Biwa and were headed to the Fuwa pass, not knowing that it was already controlled by Ohoama's forces.  Iwasuki, however, was cautious.  He realized that they might be ambushed, and so he held back from the main group.  Sure enough, he was right:  Kusuri and Ohomaro were ambushed and captured, at which point Iwasuki fled, barely escaping. The following day, Prince Takechi sent a note to his father asking him to move closer to Fuwa, so that they could better communicate with the front line.  Ohoama headed out, but left Princess Uno in Kuwana, which was well situated between Fuwa and Suzuka, and was likely far enough from the front lines to ensure that it wouldn't be disrupted by skirmishes at the passes.  As Ohoama then traveled through Wohari, the governor, Chihisakobe no Muraji no Sabichi, also joined him with a force of 20,000 men.  Ohoama had them divided up and set them on roads to various places as needed. Ohoama finally reached Nogami, just on the eastern edge of modern Sekigahara.  This is near where Tokugawa Ieyasu would eventually make his first camp as well, at his fateful battle here just under a thousand years later.  At Nogami, Ohoama would set up his headquarters, Nogami no Miya, or the Nogami Palace.  Meanwhile, Prince Takechi would handle the troops in the main part of the area near the pass, known as Wazami.  As Ohoama reached Nogami, Takechi came to conference with him.  He noted that there had already been an altercation—they had taken prisoners, who claimed that they were actually headed east to raise troops for Ohoama, but given that they didn't know who they were AND that Iwasuki had fled back towards Ohotsu-kyo suggested that this was not exactly the case. Following that incident, and a fair amount of speechifying, Ohoama eventually placed Prince Takechi formally in charge of the army, presenting him the gift of a saddle-horse.  Takechi went back to his camp at Wazami.  That night, a severe thunderstorm broke out.  Ohoama prayed that if the kami favored his case, they would make the storm abate, and immediately the thunder and lightning stopped. The next day, on the 28th, Ohoama traveled over to Wazami to review the troops and check on the military arrangements, before returning back to Nogami.  He likewise went out the following day, issuing commands through Prince Takechi, and then returned again to Nogami. At this point, soldiers were likely on their way from the Eastern provinces and elsewhere.  On the one hand, they wanted to wait and make sure that they had all the troops they needed.  But on the other hand, they didn't want to wait too long.  The Afumi court was likewise building up its forces, and the longer they waited, the greater the chance that they could dig in and entrench themselves.  Something would have to happen, soon. But that something will have to wait for the next episode.    Before we finish, though, I do want to come back to something:  the title “Tenno”, or “Sumera no Mikoto”.  Up to this point, evidence suggests that the term used for the sovereign of Yamato was not “Tennou” as we know it today, but instead was the term “Oho-kimi”.  “Oho-kimi”, or basically the “Big Kimi”—something like the primary lord—was the one lord of lords of Yamato.  But that was probably something based on local concepts of governance.  With the introduction of new ideas of governance, many based on the Han and Tang dynasty models, we see a shift in the terminology. There are poems that come from the era of Naka no Oe—Tenji Tennou—that use terms like “Huang” (皇) and “Di” (帝)—“Kou” and “Tei” in Japanese.  These are imperial terms from the continent.  At some point, however, we see that they use “Tian” (天) and “Huang” (皇).  “Tianhuang” becomes “Tennou” (天皇) when read in Japanese, and it critically utilizes the character “Tian” for Heaven.  Interestingly, this does not appear to be a term that was ever commonly used for rulers in the area of modern China.  I seem to recall that it was used here and there, but not with any frequency.  There is some thought that it may have been pulled from a term for the north star, or pole star, which sometimes used the term, I suspect referring to that star as the Heavenly Ruler—the star that the heavens themselves were focused on. For a variety of reasons, we see a particular emphasis on Heaven, and on Amaterasu, in the decades following 672, and it is thought that this is all connected.  And so it is generally from some time here, in the late 7th century, that we can probably start to refer to the sovereigns as “Tennou”. Although, it is unclear to me if the authors of the Nihon Shoki pronounced it like this or not, later glosses given for the characters in Japanese is “Sumera no Mikoto”, the kun'yomi, or Japanese reading.  The problem is that the Nihon Shoki projects this term back to the very beginning of the narrative, with “Jimmu Tennou” being the first.  However, we have some evidence that the earlier term was, as as I said before, “Ohokimi”.  For many years, there was an idea that the term “Sumera no Mikoto” first appeared in the era of Toyomike Kashikiya Hime, aka Suiko Tennou, probably because that is when Buddhism and continental studies really seem to kick off.  However, there really is no evidence of its use then, and it seems that more scholars today place its use in the late 7th or early 8th century. So there is the possibility that this title was first used by Ohoama, as some claim, when he declared that the “Sumera no Mikoto” or “Tennou” was heading to the Eastern countries.  Of course, that could also just be dramatic license by the Chroniclers, who were less concerned with what, exactly, he said and more concerned with the meaning of it all.  We've also known them to swap out older terms for those in use in the 8th century, updating the narrative. Regardless, I think that about this time we can start to refer to the sovereigns of Yamato—and eventually Japan, or Nihon, another somewhat controversial term—as “Tennou”, or “Sumera no Mikoto”, from about this period.  I'll probably still use the term “sovereign” in general, and I'll try to avoid the term “imperial” for anything prior to the 19th century, when it became a standard English translation.  After all, Empires were the rage—Chinese, Ottoman, British, Austrian, French, Spanish, you name it.  Everyone had an empire, and so Japan, following that model, must also have been an “empire”.  Even today, it is officially the “Imperial Household” and that is the official translation. However, I want to be cautious about using that translation too early, however.  The institution of “Tennou”, while modeled on the Tang dynasty, took on its own character.  As such, I think that it is best to avoid the term for now, because it really was its own thing, and I don't want to conflate too many foreign concepts of “emperor” with the idea of the Japanese ruler. As for the term “Sumera no Mikoto”—it does not appear to me that the etymology of this term is clearly known.  One explanation is that “Sumera” is related to the word “Suberu”, to rule.  “Sumera” is also defined as meaning something precious, though I'm not sure if that meaning existed before its use to refer to the sovereign.  “Mikoto” is simply an honorific referring to the sovereign, meaning “royal” or “imperial”.  I suspect that the term “Tennou” came over first, and later it became glossed as “Sumera no Mikoto”, which may have been an earlier term, but we don't have any clear evidence.  Variations do appear in the Man'yoshu, the collection of ancient poems, so the concept was clearly around by the 8th century. Anyway, I think that's enough.  We'll probably talk about it more when we get to the rise of the worship of Amaterasu.  Until then, let's continue with our series on the Jinshin War. Next episode we will kick off with some of the actual fighting and campaigns in Afumi, Iga, and in Yamato.  Until then, thank you once again for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.

Mr & Mrs Whitehall had a wedding to go to this week, so how did they get that wrong? Suffice to say that they did! Plus, an update from DL Claire about those blasted pigeons and on that subject... Is that impulse buy owl working out for Mr Whitehall?JOIN THE WITTERING WHITEHALLS FOR THEIR BARELY (A)LIVE TOUR: https://thewitteringwhitehalls.co.uk/You can email your questions, thoughts or problems to TheWitteringWhitehalls@gmail.comOr, perhaps you'd like to send a WhatsApp message or Voice note? Why not?! Send them in to +447712147236This episode contains explicit language and adult themes that may not be suitable for all listeners.Please review Global's Privacy Policy: https://global.com/legal/privacy-policy/

Sent us text! We would love to hear from you! A visionary is defined as a person with original and innovative ideas about the future. The man known as Fred Smith of the Federal Express Corporation was that, and a whole lot more. Along with millions of people around the world, both of your wingmen owe much of their success and life fulfillment to this great man that not only created the organization that invented overnight express delivery but also helped connect commercial markets around the world with each other. The company now known as FedEx was actually a start-up company that barely survived, not that long ago. Following his service to America as a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot and Forward Air Controller during the Viet Nam war, Fred Smith began putting the pieces together of a fledgling operation that would in a short time, emerge as a global powerhouse that became inextricably tied to the U.S. as well as the global economy. This risk-taker managed to stay in business by actually winning a little money during a card game in Las Vegas. He took a leap of faith and put all of his fortune on the line to see his dreams come true. This titan of industry who both wingmen had the good fortune to interact with, asked nothing of his employees, other than to do their very best to satisfy the customer. The contributions this man has made to the United States and the rest of the world are too long to list here. Suffice it to say, he was a shining symbol of American innovation enhanced by technological achievement powered by a solid team. On the health front, for middle aged people there is good news. Once again, a particular pattern of exercise regimens has been proven to radically improve the heart condition of those who have been sedentary for an extended period. United States Navy carrier aviation has changed radically from its earliest days dating back to the year 1911. But throughout all of the technological innovations during the last century, the primary method of successfully landing aircraft on moving ships at sea is fundamentally the same; it involves the extended tail hook of an airplane snagging a metal wire that has been strung across the width of the flight deck to make it stop. Meet a wingman who sprang into action by using a technological innovation to save a child from drowning.

We recommend watching the video version of this episode on our YouTube channel, you can find it here:Where you can find genuine Argan oil, from an ethical source (YouTube)----Discover the versatile and distinctly Moroccan product of Argan Oil in today's conversation, recorded live at the Zin Cooperative, just outside of Essaouira.  Argan oil can be pressed into both edible or cosmetic use, and our guest Chiadma explains the different methods of production, and how they know which is which. Discarded shells of the nuts are given to the famous tree-climbing goats, whom you might otherwise see along the highway from Marrakech to Essaouira, climbing trees in search of their own supply!Argan trees particularly thrive in the dry, Mediterranean-style climate of Essaouira, Agadir and Taroudant (which we described recently in Episode 86). Which means sourcing your product from that region is a good start, but you still can't assume that it's the real deal. Chiadma shares a story of how, before she started working at the co-op, even she succumbed to a too-good-to-be-true sale. Suffice to say, the oil didn't last very long. Good, quality Argan products need a high percentage of oil, and Chiadma explains what to look for. The Zin Cooperative, like the rug cooperative we featured in Episode 79, provides much needed employment and community for local women, in a positive and supportive environment. Discover not only quality products, but an enterprise that had a meaningful impact on this rural area.  Do you dream of exploring the enchanting land of Morocco?Destination Morocco is your ultimate travel experience for those seeking luxury and adventure. We specialize in crafting bespoke itineraries tailored to your unique tastes and desires.If you're a discerning traveler who values an immersive, curated adventure, visit www.destinationsmorocco.com, and let us bring your dream Moroccan vacation to life.Learn more about Azdean and Destination Morocco.Explore our Private Tours and Small Group Tours!

The episode starts off with a rant about restaurants who only serve one slice of toast with a breakfast like what's the story there. And don't even get the lads started about the fact that your standard breakfast these days doesn't even include tea or coffee. The lads then talk about the weather as the theme and though they've been told in their research notes that Finland has been voted the happiest place to live for the 8th year in a row despite little hours of sunshine, they struggle to accept it as they don't know anyone from Finland and deduce that they must make a trip there to try the theory out for themselves.Sign up to the I'm Grand Mam Patreon for more stunning content: https://www.patreon.com/imgrandmam ✨ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pre-Order all of these books at my Bookshop page.It's that time of year, where I am graced with the presence of two of Horror's biggest and most esteemed advocates to talk about what books we're looking forward to in the next half-year. Becky Spratford is gearing up for a massive launch for her non-fiction essay book WHY I LOVE HORROR: Essays on Horror Literature - an excellent collection of 18 essays by the absolute pinnacle of contemporary horror writers. It comes out in September, and is an absolute must-read for anyone who cares about horror. It'll inspire you, you'll connect with it, and maybe you'll cry a little too. I did. Emily Hughes is likely still riding the high of her recent Bram Stoker Award win for Superior Achievement in Long Non-Fiction for her book HORROR FOR WEENIES. We're so excited for her and it's a well-earned honor. Suffice to say, I'm feeling some pressure to write my own award-winning, horror themed nonfiction book. On to the books! As we have done in the past, we each chose two books per month that we are looking forward to, and we took turns talking about them. However, November and December were a little thin, so we had to improvise and find other ways to fill the list! Which we did readily, because instead of 36 books on the list, there are something like 45? All certified bangers, I have to assume. Please enjoy this couple hours of a few folks getting together to share the love about some stories. We had a great time, I hope you do too.For the folks who prefer YouTube: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thearcparty.com/subscribe

Greg and Ed do a first for the the show, with a panel discussion with four guests! Why four? Well, everyone knows that cliche about Bangkok being a heaven for expat men, but we didn't know much about expat women. It stands to reason that one woman can't speak for all women, so we upped the game a bit. After some introductions, we get into the meat of the show, with a myriad of stories that show how complex, nuanced, and (depending on the person) important the issue is to a life well lived in the capital. Among many other things, the ladies discuss the differences between the attention they get back home and what they get in Bangkok, what it's like to date Thai men (and women), the quality of farang men in Thailand, and a host of other issues. There are also some hilarious(ly awful) Tinder stories, anecdotes about being approached on the street, issues that single moms have to deal with, discussion about western women who leave Thailand bitter and angry, and how Asian American women are treated in Thailand. Suffice it to say more than one can of worms are opened up in part one of a two-part mega interview. As always, the podcast will continue to be 100% funded by listeners just like you who get some special swag from us. And we'll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.

Everyone has gotten their shopping needs out of the way so it's time to figure out the rest of the evening. Havi suggests going to the Whispering Posts to see what establishments come recommended by the Qi locals. Suffice to say, the posts do not disappoint. Whispers are heard, fine dining is decided, and memories are experienced differently. Join us and Nehemiah, Smalren and Jhori listen. Music and SFX Credits: Intro - “Whispers of the Ancients” by Justin Longacre (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb91nye1bAWGc70VQevM5cA) “Brightly Fancy” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 “Master of the Feast” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 “Floating Cities” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 “Kalimba relaxation music” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 “Fluidscape” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 “Hypnothis” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 “Minstrel Guild” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 “Perspectives” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 “Private Reflection” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 “Mesmerizing Galaxy” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 “Walking Along” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 Dark Atmos 2 from Premium Beats Trailer Construction Light Version Outro - “The Monolith Speaks” by Justin Longacre (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb91nye1bAWGc70VQevM5cA)

There are people who have résumés we might call “diverse” or “wide-ranging.” And then there are people like Mike Huckabee who, at age 69, has seemingly crammed several lifetimes' worth of careers into one. He was a televangelist. He was governor of Arkansas for over a decade. He ran for president and won the Iowa caucuses. He hosted his own show on Fox News for seven years. He's written books on everything from Christmas to weight loss. And now he's America's ambassador to Israel. And he's filling that post at a moment when the longtime status quo in the region is being completely upended. Israel is inching closer to eradicating Hamas in Gaza—but the day-after plan is unclear. Iran is feared to be on the cusp of developing nuclear weapons, and Trump and Steve Witkoff are working hard on a renewed Iran nuclear deal. Arab countries like Saudi Arabia, and even Syria, could normalize relations with Israel. But Islamist terror groups are trying to derail any attempts at lasting peace. And American adversaries like China and Russia are trying to take advantage of any instability in the region. Suffice it to say, it's a time of great uncertainty. Meanwhile, Huckabee is in some way redefining what it means to be Israel's ambassador. He's been outspoken in criticizing inaccurate press accounts about the conflict, and he's been ardent in his support of the Jewish state. And while most ambassadors exist behind the scenes, Mike Huckabee has been in front of the cameras, making the case for Israel and its war with Hamas directly to Americans. It could even be argued that he's making a better case for Israel than the Israeli government itself. So today on Honestly, Ambassador Huckabee and I discuss all of that and more—the rise of antisemitism in the U.S. and the West more broadly, the future of America's involvement in the Middle East, and the fight between doves and hawks in Trump's 2.0 presidency. One final note: This interview ended abruptly. The ambassador took a call from Israel, and at 10 p.m., the rocket sirens blared and he had 90 seconds to get to the shelter. It's something normalized in Israeli life. Talk to any parents, and they'll talk about having to wake their kids up several times a week because of these sirens. But it also serves as a constant reminder of the persistent threat Israel faces—and not just from Hamas.  There were so many other great things I wanted to ask him about—particularly the right's antisemitism. But we'll have to have him back. The conversation is thought-provoking and timely, and I think you'll really enjoy it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Newsday Tuesday™ and Trump is on Capitol Hill trying to push his Big Beautiful Bill today. Sam and Emma will dig into what's in it and why. Suffice to say, when the dust settles, poor and working class people are sure to get the short end of the stick. Also, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem apparently has no idea what Habeas Corpus is, how it works or how it's invoked. In the Fun Half, we bask in the glow of Columbia University's president getting boo'ed and heckled during a graduation ceremony. John Stewart points out how Jake Tapper sat on some really important information about Joe Biden's mental acuity and the workings of his administration in order to sell it after the fact as a book. And finally, Sam has some more thoughts on Ezra Klein and the Abundance Agenda. Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Follow us on TikTok here!: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here!: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here!: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here!: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase! Check out today's sponsors: DeleteMe: Text MAJORITY to 64000 for 20% off your DeleteMe subscription Magic Spoon: Get 5 dollars off your next order at MagicSpoon.com/MAJORITYREPORT.   Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech @RussFinkelstein Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder – https://majorityreportradio.com/

Sam and Emma welcome Dropsite's Jeremy Scahill for the latest developments on the Trump administration's diplomatic push in the Middle East as well as Jeremy's recent interviews with senior leaders of Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas. It's the perfect context to understanding what might lie ahead for Gaza with the shifting Trump administration's relationship with Israel. Check out Jeremy's interview with Hamas official Osama Hamdan here: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/osama-hamdan-hamas-interview-podcast-gaza-israel  Also check out Jeremy's conversation about his reporting on the Palestinian resistance with his Dropsite colleagues: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/jeremy-scahill-interviews-hamas-gaza-yemen In the Fun Half, we look at how the Trump coalition is starting to fray over his break with Israel, but specifically on his willingness to accept a $400 million jet from Qatar. Suffice to say, Ben Shapiro is troubled by this latest development. Also, Bill Maher is STILL complaining about the satirical piece Larry David wrote about him. This time he tries to kvetch with Kill Tony, the king of offensive humor, who might be goofing on Maher as he simultaneously laments people comparing Trump to Hitler while also likening Hitler to Michael Jordan. Bill Maher is like the Lebron of not having self-awareness. Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Follow us on TikTok here!: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here!: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here!: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here!: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase! Check out today's sponsors: NUTRAFOL: Get $10 off your first month's subscription + free shipping at Nutrafol.com when you use promo code TMR10 Aura Frames: Exclusive $35-off Carver Mat at AuraFrames.com. Promo Code: MAJORITY Trust & Will: Get 20% off trustandwill.com/MAJORITY Smalls.com: For 50% off your first order, head to Smalls.com and use code MAJORITY Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech @RussFinkelstein Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder – https://majorityreportradio.com/