Podcasts about suffice

Does he bend or clink?The Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button has picked another indie title for this episode. Developed and published by Scotland-based Stormcloud Games, this platformer has players building the literal platforms they need to proceed. The protagonist is a retro robot named UM-13 that's definitely not an orange reskin of a similar robot from another animated IP. Suffice to say, Tom and Chris had not heard of this game before it was chosen, and we're guessing you haven't either. At this point, our dynamic duo have each spent an hour solving puzzles and platforming their way through levels styled after graphic novels and they are ready to give you their (comic)book report. Will they decide it is a hidden gem or a pile of scrap that's not even worth the salvage? Hit play to find out!What do you think? Let us know!Check out all our links here:https://linktr.ee/tc1h1dThanks for taking this ride with us :-)

Microsoft filed a patent for in-game advertising. Examples include: before or after a multiplayer match, after a major boss fight or story beat, or as a way to earn game time on cloud services. Suffice to say Xbox will not be recovering its reputation any time soon. And if this idea makes them money? Sony will follow soon after. In this one instance though, we may have a hero... Nintendo. Let's talk about why.

SlapperCast Episode 396: "Neigh Means No" In this episode, you get to meet fiddler Emilio Arredondo, an old friend of ours who jumped in pretty much at the last minute to cover for keyboardist/guitarist Dave Hitchcock, who was originally going to play with us in ScotFest this past weekend. When we learned that Dave was scheduled for brain surgery (literally less than two weeks ago), Patrick called Emilio, who jumped at the opportunity. We had one rehearsal (which wasn't even a full band rehearsal), and then we were off. Suffice it to say, Emilio knocked it out of the park, and we will be playing with him again this coming weekend in Lewisville and Richmond! We hope to see you all there. PLUS: backstage interviews with SASSANACHS, Preston and Aaron of Harmony Sound Design, and Scottish comedian Gary Sansome (https://www.instagram.com/sansomegary/), who was serving as one of the MCs that weekend. Show dates Blaggards.com Facebook Bandsintown Follow us on social media YouTube Facebook Twitter Instagram Become a Patron Join Blaggards on Patreon for bonus podcast content, live tracks, rough mixes, and other exclusives. Rate us Rate and review SlapperCast on iTunes Questions? If you have questions for a future Q&A episode, leave a comment on Patreon, or tweet them to us with the hashtag #slappercast.

Send us Fan MailOn the podcast this time, Steven and Sean are making a deal with the Thanapod! We watched the 2022 short film from David Fincher, Love, Death & Robots: Bad Travelling.It must have been hard enough to be a crew member on an old wooden boat sailing the Seven Seas, but when you throw a murderous new captain and a bloodthirsty giant crab monster in the mix?Suffice it to say, makes modern life seem not all that bad. I rarely have to worry about being eaten by crustaceans these days. Enjoy this week's harrowing short film from Netflix's excellent short film anthology series!(Recorded on June 29, 2026)Links to Stuff We Mentioned:Love, Death & Robots: Bad Travelling - The Movie Database (TMDB)Around the World in 80 Days (1956) — The Movie Database (TMDB)The Adventures of Cliff Booth (2026) — The Movie Database (TMDB)Alien³ (1992) — 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

We all know that social media has been proven to contribute to poor mental health. I won't list the majority of ailments that it reportedly brings about or worsens. Suffice it to say, it's not good. To that end I limit my time with it, mainly Instagram. today I talk about a way that it adds to your level of uneasiness that might not be that apparent. But I also have a way to make things better. Become a super-fan of ZEN commuter and 5 Minute mojo and receive bonuses exclusively for Patreon subscribers. THANKS FOR LISTENING! Thanks again for listening to the show! If it has helped you in any way, please share it using the social media buttons you see on the page. Also, reviews for the podcast on iTunes are extremely helpful, they help it reach a wider audience.  The more positive reviews the higher in the rankings it goes.  Of course that means more peace in the world.  So please let me know what you think.  I read ever one of them. If you have an idea for a topic or just want to say hey, drop me an email. The best part of producing ZEN commuter and 5 Minute Mojo is talking with listeners.  Don't be shy.  Drop me a line. 

With the 10th anniversary of American Elm this year, I recently started contemplating the idea of a remix/remaster with not only some new material that never made it on the first release, but also some video footage since I release no visual representation of the album at the time. While I was digging through hard drives this week on the hunt for all that old material, I came across a duo album I made in 2018 with guitarist Gabriel Santiago that never saw the light of day. Despite the performances being great on the session, there were some technical issues with the audio files that left me pretty deflated at the time and convinced I could never release the material. I chalked it up to bad luck and tried to forget about it and move on. It turns out, not all the audio files were ruined, and even those that had some nosie on them may well be salvageable in today's technologically advanced framework that we edit music in. Suffice to say, the files have been sent off to Juan Pablo in Argentina, and there's a good chance a new album will be popping up in the not-to-distant future. Elsewhere in the episode, I talk about:• The possible tenth-anniversary edition of American Elm• How these discoveries could result in two more releases before the end of 2026• Why I rarely listen to my albums once they're finished• The danger of becoming attached to your most popular work• What I'm learning from teaching private lessons again• Potentially releasing more footage from the Quiet Places sessions with Peter Erskine and Nir Felder• My completely unprepared first encounter with the Chase Bliss Bad Mood pedal• Producing and encouraging other artists not to leave important music buried• Building a future around fewer, but far more meaningful, live performancesUltimately, this episode is about getting out of my own way: becoming less attached to imperfections, more comfortable with vulnerability, and more willing to let the work exist.Because sometimes the difference between an abandoned recording and a beautiful album is eight years, better technology, and a little more perspective.LINKSPrivate one-on-one lessonsListen to Quiet PlacesMusic, books, and educational materialWatch the podcast on YouTube Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe

God's Word talks about the harvest of righteousness – and if you've ever lived in a farming community you'll know that harvest time is a time of huge celebration. So this harvest of righteousness – it's not just empty words, it's a big deal.   The Fruit of Righteousness One of the things that we do in this world – particularly, let me say, in the West – is that we get hooked on junk food. Pretty much, most people need three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Some don't get that of course, and others skip meals because they're too busy to eat. And in between meals we like to have little snacks and often the snacks we consume can be our undoing. Instead of healthy snack of a banana or an apple or an orange, we go for the chocolate bar or the doughnut or the packet of chips or something equally unhealthy. Of course, one of those every now and then, no problem but if those are the things that we snack on most of the time, they are going to make us sick and tired, literally. I've done that a few times in my life and each time I have eventually come to my senses and replaced those unhealthy snacks with healthy ones, well, at first it seemed like a real burden to give up the junk food snacks, but within a day or two, here's what happens: 1. What I found is that I rediscover how wonderful fruit tastes: a sweet mandarin, a juicy orange, a crisp apple, a ripe banana. They are fantastic. What a surprise! 2. Within just a few days, I am feeling much healthier: more energy, more alert, a spring in my step. The fruit, as it turns out, is good for us in so many different ways. Last week on the programme we were chatting about reaping the harvest of righteousness and we saw that God's righteousness is two things: it's both bad news and good news. Bad news because He is righteousness and we are not and eventually that brings His wrath crashing down on our heads and good news because He knows that, which is why He sent us Jesus Christ His Son to save us. Now we are going to talk about the bad news and the good news a bit more next week on the programme but right now we are going to look at the fruit, good, healthy, life-giving fruit. As I mentioned just earlier, making the transition from bad eating habits to good eating habits, at the time always seems … well, it feels like we are making a sacrifice, giving up the sweet chocolate bars and the fatty chips. It's never fun making that choice and starting on the journey towards healthy eating. But not only is the fruit really, really nice, it yields fruit in our life. We feel better; we have more energy, right? We know that and it's the same with sin and righteousness. When we are addicted to some sin – we all have one or two sins that we are predisposed to – it seems like such a sacrifice giving them up, it really does, even though they are not good for us; even though they are hurting us. And often times God helps us by sending us through a rough patch; by disappointing us, so that we can learn for ourselves the impact that our sin is having so that we can feel the pain and have the opportunity to let go of the sin and turn back to Him. Have a listen to what the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament has to say about this. Hebrews chapter 12, beginning at verse 5. If you have a Bible come there with me. He writes: And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as children— 'My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, or lose heart when you are punished by him; for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and he chastises every child whom he accepts.' Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline? If you do not have that discipline, in which all children share, then you are illegitimate and not his children. Moreover, when we had human parents to discipline us, we respected them. Should we not be even more willing to be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share his holiness. Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed." You know what he is saying? No pain, no gain, right? And in a sense, that's what is going on here. So often, we're travelling through tough times and we don't take the time to read the signs. We squeal in pain, "Oh God, why is this happening to me?" and we don't stop to hear His answer. Often times the reason it's happening because God is at work in our lives and leaving the sin behind is hard, our flesh is addicted to it. It's like a heroin addict leaving the drug behind. It's hard, it hurts. And God lets it happen to us because He loves us; because He knows that the peaceful fruit of righteousness is so worth the effort and the pain. Can we just talk about that fruit for a moment? Can we talk about the harvest; the gain that comes out of the pain? Because it's like the real fruit that I was talking about before – it is fantastic. When we are wallowing around in our sin, well, you know, that affects our lives. Someone who is living constantly in sin of anger is going to have a rotten life, right? Someone who is labouring under the yoke of unforgiveness is going to have a rotten life. Someone who hasn't learned to sacrifice and to love is having unhealthy, tragic relationships. The list of cause and effect goes on! And most times we don't even notice them. We don't stop to think about the sin – the cause – and the effect that it's having on our lives. I use this word "sin" deliberately, as much as it jars with many people because it's what God calls our rebellion. It means literally to "miss the mark; to miss the whole point; to miss out on our share". And that's what we are doing when we are rebelling against God. We are missing out on the goodness, just like when we are stuffing our faces full of unhealthy food, we are missing out on energy and well-being that should be going on in our lives. But when we allow God's discipline – through the difficult and often painful circumstances we are travelling through – be the tool that helps us let go of the sin; the tool that shows us the pain and helps us to the heart decision of letting go and turning back to Him, then here's what's going to happen: just like giving up junk food snacks, it's not going to be a pleasant start. It always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time but the peaceful fruit of righteousness, well, it's kind of like that sense of well-being and vibrancy and energy that we get when we ditch the junk food in favour of the good stuff – the fruit. I just want to encourage you that sometimes the tough patches are God's polishing cloth in our lives. And the sin He's putting His finger on right now is actually ruining our lives. It's robbing you and me of the peaceful fruit of righteousness that He wants us to live in day by day. So we can struggle and squirm and fight God. The problem is, the longer we do that, the longer He will keep us in that uncomfortable place. Or we can go to Him, ask Him to show us what He is doing and let go of that sin quickly. Yes, even though it never seems pleasant at the time, more likely painful and the sooner we get with His plan; the sooner we will be living in the peaceful fruit of righteousness. What do you think?   The Harvest of Righteousness I remember when I was in my last year of High School – quite a few years ago now – I travelled to a country town to teach the clarinet at a music camp during the school holidays. And I had the opportunity to stay for a week on a farm. Now, this was a large property and they farmed many thousands of sheep – thousands of them. It was quite an experience for a young guy because I'm a city boy. I had spent all my time growing up in an industrial city so I had never really thought too much about, well, where things come from – milk, after all, came in bottles, eggs come in cartons, meat comes from the butchers and so on. You don't really think too much about it when you live in the city, so spending this week on the sheep farm was the most amazing experience. We had the opportunity to help dip the sheep, so you had to pick them up and throw them down the shoot so they ended up in a trough full of sheep dip – it was back breaking work. And for a lad who had never really thought too much about where lamb chops came from, other than from the butchers, it was a real eye opener. Farming is hard work. Ever since then I have had the greatest respect for farmers. And not only is it hard work but pretty much they only get their income once or twice a year. And that happens when they take what they have grown - whether that be a crop like wheat or sheep or cattle for slaughter or wool for clothing – when they take what they have grown to market. It happens at harvest time. But of course there are many things that can interrupt the harvest: drought, flood, fire, a plague of locusts, diseases in animals. And even when there is a bumper crop, often as a result of the abundance, the prices the farmer gets at market are going to plummet. So it's a tough life and that week on the sheep farm has given me a deep, abiding respect for farmers and their families. But there is something else, another lasting legacy that this week on the farm, as a young lad, has left with me and that's an appreciation of the tough reality of farming on one hand and the sense of jubilation of a successful harvest on the other. See we city slickers hear this word "harvest" and it really doesn't mean too much to us. It kind of washes by. But harvest time is the culmination of the farmer's work. It's the time of reaping the reward. A successful harvest brings great joy and a sense of accomplishment and relief and safety and provision, not just for the farming families, but in fact, for the whole community. That's what "harvest" means, so when the Bible talks about "harvest" that's the sense of what's going on. And remember back then in the first century, there was no welfare or Government assistance or anything like that. If the harvest failed, people starved and it's still like that in many parts of the world today. Suffice to say, what I am trying to get to here, is the fact that the 'harvest' is a big deal – it's a huge deal. If you live in a rural community, you already know that but it's not something that's necessarily that obvious to us city slickers. So when the Apostle Paul writes to his dear friends in Philippi about this harvest of righteousness, he is saying something big. Philippians chapter 1, beginning at verse 9: And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and the praise of God. Interesting that he begins his point about this harvest of righteousness with a four letter word "love"! His prayer for his dear friends in Philippi is that their love would overflow more and more because it's in this flood-tide of God's love, which works its way out in our love for one another, that we gain the knowledge and develop the insight to know what God's best is for us. And living out His best isn't always the easiest thing to do, as we have seen over the course of these last few weeks. Living out God's best requires sacrifice and it hurts a lot of times but when our heart is soaked in God's love; when lives are about overflowing more and more with the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ, then in that place, with that humility, with that surrender and sacrifice, we gain the knowledge of God and the insights of God which transform us into His image which help us to live out the righteousness we already have; the right standing we have with Him because of our faith in Jesus who died to pay for our sin and rose again to give us a brand new life; an abundant life; an eternal life. And friends, that is the thing: the love of God at work in us, that produces what? It produces the harvest – big word that – the harvest of righteousness, which comes to us through Jesus and brings glory and praise and honour to God. When Jesus was asked, "What's the most important commandment of all?" He answered Luke chapter 10, verse 27: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbour as yourself. Love is the most important thing of all. As Paul wrote some years on, in Romans chapter 13, verse 10: Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. We have kind of been conditioned to believe that love is all about romance and feeling good and … well, sure, those are a couple of aspects of love but that's not the sort of love that both of these passages talk about. The original Greek word for "love" here is "agape", which means "unconditional love" – faithful love that never ends and never fails – the sort of love that costs us a lot and often appears to deliver very little at the time. It's that sort of love and it doesn't matter how talented or gifted we are, if we don't have this sort of love, then in God's eyes we are nothing but a noisy gong or a clanging symbol. Gifts and abilities and talents without this sacrificial faithful love, are completely worthless. That's what it says in First Corinthians chapter 13. Now I know in my own life there have been times that have been so trying and testing, when people have been difficult and unhelpful and hurtful – those times and those places never feel good and yet it is in those times and places that the Word of God has done its greatest work in me. I thank God that early on in my walk with Him, He established in me a pattern of regular Bible reading because it's in those difficult periods that God's Word has done His greatest and mightiest works in me. And it's still like that today. Friends, in the most difficult times of our lives we can experience this harvest of righteousness, or as it is written elsewhere in the Book of Hebrews, "the peaceful fruit of righteousness", because as we persist in doing good; in honouring God; in living out the relationship and right standing – that righteousness, purchased for us by Jesus as He took the punishment of our sin on Himself on that cross – as we live that out we discover God Himself. Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God. Matthew chapter 5, verse 8. And that, my friend, is exactly what happens. God draws us ever nearer to Him through the righteousness that He imparted to us through Jesus and the righteousness that He now brings to life in our new lives in Christ. The righteousness that we live out, little by little, He restores us back into His image through the trials of life. That's the harvest – God Himself, and like every harvest, it's a big deal. I mean really!   Where Do You Get It? I hope that as we have been chatting today, it's starting to sink in that it's all about the harvest; it's all about the fruit. God didn't just send Jesus to save us from an eternity separated from Him, He also sent His Son to buy us a new life, here and now. Now I know so many people who believe in Jesus but aren't growing into that new life. I was speaking with someone recently who had been involved in a large survey across a major denomination of God's church and one of the questions that people had been asked was whether, given their involvement in this church, they felt that they were growing spiritually. You know what? Only thirty percent answered "yes" – the rest, seventy percent, answered "no". So here I am, rabbiting on about a new life, the fruit of righteousness, the harvest of righteousness but you have to ask yourself, if that's what God's Word says; if that's what God promises, where do you get it? How do you and I reap the harvest and become part of the thirty percent, rather that the seventy percent who don't? My favourite Psalm, well, it's hard to have just one favourite Psalm, isn't it? But my FAVOURITE Psalm is Psalm number 1. Have a listen with me because it's about growing fruit, Psalm 1, verse 1. If you have a Bible, come there with me: Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked or take the path that sinners tread or sit in the seat of scoffers but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams, which yield their fruit in season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper. I love this because it's a piece of wisdom on how to bear fruit. It's a piece of wisdom on how to succeed - not in the world's sense, but in God's sense. It's a piece of wisdom to stop us from withering under the heat and pressures of life. What's the Psalmist saying? Let's get a grip! Keep living out your old life; this life of sin and it ain't going to work out so well. In the second part of the Psalm which we haven't read so far, it says exactly that. But you want to be happy and blessed? Then don't do that old stuff. Don't go and "follow the advice of the wicked or take the path that sinners tread or sit in the seat of scoffers" – don't do that! Instead, delight yourself in the Word of God. Meditate on what God has to say, day and night. And when you do that, you know what it's like? It's like a tree being planted right next to a waterway. In fact, the word that used there for "streams of water" literally means "an irrigation channel" – a stream of water that's deliberately been put there to help the tree to grow good fruit. It's like planting yourself next to one of those. Meditate on what God has to say, day and night and you are going to flourish – you are going to bear fruit; you are not going to wither and die when it gets too hot out there. The Word of God is like clean, living, fresh water – drink that in. Be planted right next to that and you won't be able to help it. You are just going to bear fruit in season. The Apostle Paul reiterates that in his letter to the Colossians in the New Testament. Colossians chapter 1, beginning at verse 9. He says this: For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. Do you see that? Fruit is linked to knowledge: knowing God, knowing His truth, knowing Him deeply. And it only comes through the Word of God, drinking it in; letting the fresh, living water of His Spirit and His Word fill us, so that we grow – not like the majority of Christians who aren't growing – that we grow and bear fruit for God's glory. It only happens when we grow in our knowledge of God. It does not happen when we wander out there in the wilderness; when we are happy to follow the advice of the wicked or take the path the sinner treads or sit in the seat of scoffers. Do you see what an anathema that is to God? Do you see how opposite that is to the knowledge of God? Whenever the Bible talks about knowing God, be it in the Old Testament or the New Testament, whenever it talks about that, it doesn't talk about head knowledge, it talks about knowing God; the fruit is linked to knowing God. The fruit comes from putting our roots deep down in that living water – the Spirit of God and the Word of God – and drinking that in. That's what happens when we grow in our knowledge of God – we bear fruit. Not academic knowledge, not head knowledge, not dry knowledge, not the sort of knowledge that helps you pass an exam – it's a relational knowledge; a deep intimate life knowledge of God that causes us to bear fruit, friend and that's where we get it. Not by working harder, not by trying to fulfil a whole bunch of rules, not by anything else, except developing a dynamic relationship with Jesus and we do that through His Spirit and His Word. That's where we get the fruit. That's where we get the harvest of righteousness. And that's why some people are growing spiritually and bearing fruit and others aren't because some have a deep relationship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit and His Word and others don't. It's pretty simple really. It's not rocket science. And the choice there ... the choice is for each one of us. Friend, so many Christians go to church; they listen to the sermon, they come home and they never think about it, they never open their Bible and they wonder why their lives aren't bearing fruit. Friend, the choice is for each one of us. It's up to me in my life and let me be really clear; it's up to you in your life.

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

What happens when a historical film tries to explain Anthony Bourdain before he became Anthony Bourdain? This week on Moving Histories, John , Robert Burgoyne, and Kim discuss Matt Johnson's Tony and how the film to explores history, memory, place, and, of course, food. We also ask a more fundamental question: does Tony actually illuminate the person Bourdain became, or does knowing that person make the film seem more meaningful than it really is? Suffice it to say, the three of us have some thoughts.

In this episode of The Lore Lads, released now but filmed near the end of February, the boys successfully predict the war. That, and we discuss the use of aliens as a distraction tactic, their actual liklihood of existence, and what that means for Christianity, along with a general debrief on the last episode of Weird Bible (if you haven't checked that out yet). Suffice is to say, things were in fact said in this episode. Welcome back to The Lore Lads... 0:00:00 - Moon Bears 0:03:05 - Iran and a History of Modern Middle Eastern Conflicts 0:13:44 - Aliens 0:15:49 - Vintage Story vs Minecraft 0:19:11 - Spore and Aliens 0:26:22 - Christianity and Aliens0:29:08 - Thornbury's Experience with Archangel Gabriel 0:35:28 - Death and Astral Projection 0:39:23 - Weird Bible Debrief 0:49:23 - Souls 0:52:37 - Zoroastrianism 1:04:52 - Iran and Christianity 1:14:55 - Free Will

F1 driver sackings rarely start with the announcement...Climb the ladder with me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/lawvsF1 teams rarely announce a driver's seat is in danger...let's talk about it! Pierre Gasly was publicly backed before Red Bull dropped him and Alex Albon was suddenly being asked to “retain” a seat he already had. Nyck de Vries had Daniel Ricciardo waiting in the wings...as you can tell, Red Bull gave me plenty of material!Suffice to say, drivers have to focus not only on their own performance...but who is readily available within the wider Formula One space. The Warning Signs Before an F1 Driver Gets Sackedhttps://youtu.be/EYjII_z4F9c#f1 #formula1 #f1drivers #f1analysis #f1explained #f1sillyseason #redbullracing #motorsport Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In his letters to Timothy, Paul talked about people with itching ears who would pursue myths and fables as they strayed from sound teaching. Have you ever had someone from the legalistic side of the fence make the accusation it is a reference to those 'hyper-grace radicals?' So ... who are these people Paul mentions with mosquito bites on their ears? :) Suffice it to say that it wasn't people who embraced unlimited and overflowing grace—but some might be surprised to discover it was quite the opposite. YouTube Episode: https://youtu.be/b5TdeeX2EKI --Available on Amazon - "Clash of The Covenants: Escaping Religious Bondage Through the Grace Guarantee" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0713ZSKY7

We continue to look at the life and times of Uno no Sarara, aka Jito Tenno, female sovereign ruling in her own right.  We look at some of the places she traveled to as sovereign and, ultimately, what she did to ensure that her grandson would succeed her. For more, check our podcast blog page:  https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-154 Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this is episode 154: Queen Uno no Sarara, Part II   Light drifted in from outside the grand audience hall.  It filtered through barred windows and screens, and glinted off of bright gold and bronze accents, as well as the polished stone floor.  Upon a raised dais, surrounded by curtains, sat the tennou, arrayed in all of his youthful majesty.  Before him were princes and high ranking nobles, dressed in their finest court clothing.  Rich brocades of silk and black gauze hats only added to the pomp and circumstance of the moment. The nobles bowed and brought out a small tray.  Upon it were seventeen scrolls, freshly made, representing the latest updates to the laws and punishments of the land.  The nobles presented the work they had overseen, the culmination of a year's effort to further bring into line the organization of the state.  Off to the side, behind a screen of her own, Uno no Sarara watched the proceedings.  She thought back on all that had happened to bring them to this point.  This glittering hall was a far cry from the plain wooden structures of the old Kiyomihara palace.  And while she had never visited them, she could only imagine that this must rival the courts on the continent.  Everything that she and her husband had worked and fought for—all of the battles  they had fought, and all of the friends and children they had lost—she watched as it all came to fruition. The court was never going to be entirely peaceful—there would always be those striving for wealth and power, however they could attain it—but at this moment she no doubt felt as confident as she ever had that her efforts hadn't been for naught.  No matter what happened from here, the State, and her line, would continue.   So let's recap: We started with Part I of Uno no Sarara's reign back in episode 152, and then last episode we took a bit of a detour to go more in depth on the history of Ise and of the worship of Amaterasu more generally.  We talked about how there is good reason to believe that Ise shrine's prominence—and even many of the stories about Amaterasu and her importance in the story of the royal family—were either created or at least emphasized during the reigns of Ohoama and Uno no Sarara.  We ended with a discussion of the Jingikan, the newly created government organization developed to deal with so-called "Kami Matters", formally bringing the administration various shrines under the administration of the State.  Specifically it seems to have focused on State sponsored rituals.  I have no doubt that they took charge of the rituals at court itself, and they were likely involved in the worship at Ise Shrine, as well as the shrines of Tatsuta and Hirose.  On the other hand, as with the spread of Buddhist temples, direct State control was likely limited, at least at this stage, likely focused on the most influential institutions. This episode I want to continue with Uno no Sarara's reign.  She continued to make her mark on the court, tweaking how things worked, especially around the concept of rank.  And then there were her various travels.  These were mostly to her palace in Yoshino, but several other journeys, including a tour of the land of Kii—modern Wakayama prefecture—as well as a visit to her half-sister, Royal Princess Asuka. For all of that, however, the entry in the Nihon Shoki ends with what was perhaps one of the most direct and unique things she did:  Ensuring a smooth transition of power to her grandchild, Prince Karu. And while in this episode we'll (spoiler alert) cover both this power transition and Uno no Sarara's eventual death, we won't be done with her reign and its impact after this episode.  After all, there is still a lot going on around this time, and multiple different threads to pull on.  I expect several more episodes to cover things, such as the creation of hunting and fishing preserves, Buddhist merit-making, crime and punishment, and more.  There are also a few more people to talk about, such as Kakinomoto no Hitormaro, the court poet, and Fujiwara no Fubito and the establishment of the Fujiwara family as we know it.    So let's take a look at Uno no Sarara and what she was up to. She was still very much putting her stamp on things, tweaking the codes and making edicts.  One of the more impactful edicts would seem to be one where she had the government officials and people of the Home provinces all divided into nine classes.  This seems to be introducing yet another rank system, though this one is a bit more technical than the ones that came before. For one thing, it divided everyone up into nine ranks.  To do this, the court were going to take a look at a period of up to 6 years for those who already had rank and up to 7 years for those who did not.  The court—presumably court appointed judges—would use that period to evaluate individuals and slot them into a new system of nine classes.  Those in the first four classes would be given cap-rank based on their individual merits, the services that they had performed, and the importance of their house.  There isn't really a mention about the other five classes, but as they were theoretically the lower classes of society, it may not have been quite so pertinent.  BTW, of the three things that they were using to determine cap-rank, that last one, the importance of the individual's house, strikes me as the nod to the fact that the Japanese had not yet gotten away from the idea of "kabane" type hierarchy.  Granted, it isn't like family was unimportant in the Tang court, the Japanese were just being much more blatant and direct about it. Once everyone was properly sorted into the appropriate cap-rank, new edicts were issued on the official court clothing, which we discussed in Episode 150, and if you check out the blogpost you should be able to see what that looked like. I would note that the cap-rank system would eventually go away and be replaced by a rank system also based on 9 ranks, which then were broken up into upper and lower and junior and senior, so very similar to what we see with cap-rank, with some slight changes.  Uno no Sarara continued to make tweaks to the system, while working on the various large scale projects of the reign.  She wasn't exactly a homebody, however.  As she did all of this, she was regularly taking trips away from the capital. For example, between 689 and 697 she took at least 30 trips to visit Yoshino, sometimes taking as many as five trips in a year.  These were often short—a couple of days and then back to the grind of the court.  However, that's all that we get.  Based on the dates, we can at least make a few inferences.  For one, she was going down in all seasons, so she really must have enjoyed it, and it doesn't seem like it was attached to any particular official date or ritual.  Perhaps it just got her away from the pressure of official life. Some of her travel appear to have been work trips.  Her travel to Ise, which we talked about in the previous episodes, as well as things like traveling to visit the Castle of Takayasu and also to inspect horses at the embankment of Wani-no-kami.  Those appear to have been both trips where she was keeping an eye on things. Other trips, however, provide fewer details.  Mostly we know where she went.  This included trips to Hatsuse, Kii, Takamiya, and Yonabari, in Uda.  We are also told she ascended the Peak of Tou no Mine and later that she made another journey out to the Futatsuki Palace—presumably at the same place.  And we also have a trip out to the country-house of Royal Princess Asuka. Now Hatsuse, Kii, and Uda are all places we've previously talked about.  They are all on the Kii peninsula.  Hatsuse—or Hase—and Yonabari, in Uda, are both due east of modern Sakurai, following the Yamato upriver and then branching off to the aptly named Yonabari river.  These areas are well-referenced in the rest of the Nihon Shoki.  "Kii" is a bit more ambiguous.  Kii refers to the entire land of Kii, or Kii no Kuni—by the way, if you are familiar with the Japanese bookseller "Ki-no-kuni-ya", that name directly references the land of Kii as the family who started it were from Wakayama in Kii, where they served under the Kishu—or Kii—branch of the Tokugawa family during the Edo period.  That said, there were others who also used the name "Kinokuni" as a locative name as well, and you will occasionally see it here or there, even outside of the famous bookstore. The land of Kii is basically all of the southern Kii peninsula.  On the west side, it starts at roughly Wakayama, and includes the mountainous regions south of the Nara basin, wrapping around to the east side of the peninsula, to just south of Ise.  Today it is split between Wakayama prefecture and parts of Mie prefecture, including the towns of Kihoku—literally "Northern Kii"—and Taiki—"Big Kii".  Today, "Taiki" is part of the Watarai district, Watarai being the name of the location where Ise shrine was located.  So you can see that Kii basically included everything from one side of the peninsula to the other. Most of the time, though, I would generally assume that travel to Kii is a reference to the nearby area of Wakayama, especially as there are other references to that area in the form of hunting and fishing restrictions, which we'll discuss more fully in a later episode. This particular trip to Kii sounds like it was a bit of a longer trip, incorporating several locations.  We know that it took roughly eleven days—about a week and a half.  That's enough time to do quite a bit of sightseeing.  In fact, shortly before leaving, Uno no Sarara says that she is going on a "tour" of the land of Kii, and as such the land-tax and poll-tax for Kii would not be collected for a year, since, instead, they were expected to support her visit so that she could travel in appropriate style and so that temporary palaces could be made available for her use.  Kii is an interesting place for Uno no Sarara to visit.  It is mentioned occasionally throughout the chronicles, and its position puts it squarely in Yamato's sphere of influence.  At the same time, its mountainous nature means that it was never quite as populated as regions like the Nara basin or the Kawachi plains, where the large, flat areas were better suited to wet rice paddy agriculture.  In Kii, there are only a few areas really suitable for supporting large populations through agriculture alone, and even today the mountains make travel and construction in the area more difficult, so you don't have the highly concentrated population centers as in other regions.  The area around modern Wakayama city provides some of the best land for agriculture, with some other coastal regions as well. But it is mountains that Kii is known for, and the mountains often have spiritual significance.  Mt. Koya, or Koyasan, would be found in 805 as the center of Shingon Buddhism, but well before that you have the Kumano shrines, also known as the Kumano Sanzan—the three mountains of Kumano. There is a lot of evidence that worship at the three mountains of Kumano was heavily influenced by Buddhism and Buddhist traditions, but that this was a later influence on areas that were already important spiritual sites well before Buddhism arrived in the archipelago.  The exact nature of worship is debated, but the area was important, with "Kumano" once treated as its own land, overseen by the Kumano Kuni no Miyatsuko.  The deities of Kumano and the area more generally features in the Nihon Shoki in the legendary stories of Iware Biko, aka Jimmu Tenno. The Kumano shrines are, ultimately, a series of shrines in the Kumano region, roughly 20-40 kilometers from each other.  There are three main shrines—Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Hayatama Taisha, and Kumano Nachi Taisha—known as the three mountains.  There are numerous other shrines as well.  There are three main deities worshipped, but then also another nine that are considered important as well, for at least twelve kami.  The three main kami – Kumano Musubi no Ohokami, Hayatama no Ohokami, and Ketsumi Mikoto Ohokami – are also considered to be manifestations of Izanami, Izanagi, and Susano'o.  Izanami and Izanagi are famously the progenitor kami of the archipelago, while Susano'o is the storm and ocean deity said to be the rambunctious and troublesome brother to Amaterasu Ohokami.   It is quite likely that the connection with these other kami—who feature prominently in the later stories, was actually a later addition.  Similarly, around the 9th century, the Kumano shrines were heavily influenced by Buddhism, which often co-opted indigenous kami worship by associating the native kami with incarnations of Buddhist figures.  In this case:  Thousand-armed Kannon, Yakushi—or the Medicine—Buddha, and Amithabha.  I must say that associating Amithaba—or Amida—with Susano'o seems like a bold move.  The deity who tossed a backwards flayed colt into Amaterasu's weaving hut is also the Buddha who made the promise that all who call on his name would find their way to the western pure land? I guess. Together, the kami of Kumano are known as the Kumano Gongen, and there is a pilgrimage trail, even today, that leads between the various shrines and peaks, as well as various temple complexes in the area. There is one other interesting connection with Kumano shrines, and that is the fact that there is a Kumano Taisha up in the Izumo region.  Today, they claim that despite the names being identical, there are no actual ties between Kumano Taisha and the Kumano Sanzan.  The Kumano Taisha of Izumo is actually considered the Ichinomiya, or most important shrine, of Izumo—even more important than the famous Izumo shrine, itself.  It lies 30 minutes south of modern Matsue, and enshrines a kami known as Kushi-mikenu-no-Mikoto, said to be another name for none other than the famous Susano'o. Kumano Taisha claims to have been first mentioned in the Nihon Shoki back in the time of Takara Hime, aka Saimei Tennou, in an entry from 659, though that entry simply states that the Izumo no Miyatsuko was to repair the shrine of the "Itsuki" kami, and doesn't specifically mention Kumano Taisha by name.  There is an entry attributed to the Izumo fudoki, which claims a shrine was located on Mt. Kumano, identified with modern day Tenguyama.  And then, Kumano Taisha appears in the Engi Shiki in the 10th century.  Suffice it to say, there are many different ways that this can be interpreted. Scholars have attempted to look into the potential connections between Kumano Taisha in Izumo and the Kumano Gongen of Wakayama, but it does not appear that there is a fully formed consensus.  I would note that we certainly see various important worship centers branching out throughout the archipelago, setting up branches elsewhere, and we also see the association of various local kami with other, more famous kami, making the claim that they are simply another name for the same entity.  This would appear to be one way to bring different groups into communion with each other, as it were, and helping to gloss over the potential difficulties found in diverse belief and worship practices. As a side note, there is at least one other Kumano Taisha of note, found up in the Tohoku region.  It claims to be the "Ise of Tohoku", with a focus on Izanami and Izanagi.  It seems to claim a founding around the early 9th century at the Tenno's request.  Given that, I think we can ignore it for our current discussion. To bring this all back around, it is unclear if Uno no Sarara's tour of Wakayama included the Kumano shrines at this time.  Certainly Kumano would play an important role in the legends and stories that the court was putting together, but what structures were in place at this point in the story are unclear.  Her tour may have focused much more on the area around modern Wakayama.  Her tour of the area took a total of eleven days, which is more than enough time to have seen a fair bit of the area, and certainly would have been enough time to get down to the Kumano region, but we don't have any clear details that I see to say exactly what happened. Still, I do find it interesting to look at the juxtaposition of the Kumano shrine story with that of Ise.  Both took on some aspects of the official stories of the founding of Japan and appear to have been important shrines for the court to some extent, and both the trip to Ise and the trip to Kumano were events such that local taxes were commuted for a time to help pay for the royal visit. But whereas Ise would go on to reject the merging of Buddhism with local kami worship, Kumano appears to have embraced it.  Kumano worship took on a highly syncretic character, with Buddhism and Kami worship becoming inextricably intertwined, maintaining that character even today, despite numerous historical attempts to extricate the two from each other. Ultimately, Ise shrine would take pride of place as the national shrine of the royal family, but I can't help but wonder what would have happened if Kumano had been more ascendant. Getting back to our discussion of Uno no Sarara's various peregrinations:  we also have what appear to be two trips up to Tou-no-mine—the modern pronunciation for the name which Aston transliterates as "Tamu no Mine".  This is the peak where, about forty years earlier, Takara Hime is said to have built a circular enclosure and called "Futa-tsuki" or two "Tsuki" trees palace.  It was also known as "Ama-tsu-miya", the Heavenly Palace.  The modern Tou-no-mine is a mountain to the southeast of Asuka, however, there is also a theory that the Tou-no-mine and Futa-tsuki palace were actually on a small hill just due east of the Kiyomihara palace site.  This is where we find walls, the Sakafune-ishi stone, and other examples of work from the time when the Futa-tsuki palace would have been built. That said, to get to Tou-no-mine, we are told it was a two day trip—one day out and one day back.  That said, it wouldn't have all been spent traveling.  In fact, Tou-no-mine, today, is under two hours walking distance.  The site by the palace is much closer, and the entry for going to the Futatsuski is only mentioned on a single day.  So none of that is particularly helpful, in my opinion.  Ultimately, we know that it was a location near Asuka and that it was associated with Takara Hime, the last female sovereign in her own right—even though her reign was arguably run largely by her son, Crown Prince Naka no Oe. Speaking of whom, Naka no Oe was not only the father of Uno no Sarara, but also of Royal Princess Asuka.  So when Uno no Sarara went to Asuka's country house, also known as the Denso or Tadokoro, she was actually going to pay a visit on her own half-sister.  By the way, "country-house" is the Aston translation.  A more direct translation might be something like "Field Place".  It was a private estate belonging to powerful families, such as the local elites—or in this case the royal family.  It is a rare glimpse into the living conditions of those royal princes and princesses who were not resident in the palace itself.  I do find it interesting that it specifically identifies the royal princess and not some male relative or husband—and Uno no Sarara isn't really noted as visiting a lot of family members all over the place.  I've seen a suggestion that Asuka may have been married to Prince Osakabe, one of Temmu's sons, but if so it is interesting that Uno no Sarara goes to visit *her* house and not *his* house. Princess Asuka is not mentioned much, but given this and a few other things—including being mentioned in the Man'yoshu in connection with a poem by the famous Kakinomoto no Hitomaro—she seemed to be someone important, even though we don't have a lot of information on what that looked like at the time. And with that, we've covered most of Uno no Sarara's travels.  We discussed her near-constant trips to Yoshino, then there were official visits to inspect the fortifications and horses.  Granted, that latter duty was also done just at the palace, in Asuka, so it wasn't necessarily terribly special.  There was her expedition to Ise, which we discussed in a previous episode, and then down to tour the land of Kii.  There were short jaunts out to Hatsuse and Yonabari.  And the largely unexplained visits to Tou-no-mine and the enigmatic Futa-tsuki palace.  Finally, there was a note about her calling on her half-sister, Princess Asuka. So that was what Uno no Sarara was doing when she wasn't at the court.  Otherwise, whether it was in the Asuka Kiyomihara palace or in the new Fujiwara Palace, she was dealing with the business of the state.  Much of what is recorded are fairly common things—banquets, archery competitions, and similar events that are interesting in aggregate, perhaps, but maybe not so helpful in figuring out the larger trends that were occurring at the time.  There were edicts and changes, but we can talk about those separately.  There were natural disasters, as well. Overall, she spent eleven years on the throne, from 686 to 697.  In that time, she finished much of the work started by her husband, put her own stamp on the new government, and, perhaps most importantly, she set up her grandson for success.  It is worth nothing that Uno no Sarara's posthumous regnal name is Jitou Tennou, and while that was probably not something she chose for herself, it may give us some insight into how the Chroniclers viewed her.  Remember that the brothers, Naka no Oe and Ohoama, were given the names "Tenji" and "Temmu", respectively.  Tenji is "Heavenly Wisdom", and he is counted as the brains behind the Great Change, the Taika reforms, and much of the shape that the state took from 645 onwards.  Temmu is something like "Heavenly Warrior".  The victor of the Jinshin no Ran was remembered for his military strategy, even though that was really only a small part of his overall reign.  The characters of Jitou's posthumous title are two characters.  The first, "Ji", means "to hold" or "to have".  The other character is "tou" and generally means "relationship" or "to control".  It can also refer to unification. This is often considered to mean that her role was seen as continuing to hold the throne and continue the work of her husband and his line, his progeny.  In this case, that means strengthening the state that Ohoama had built, following through on his national projects, and ultimately ensuring that the throne passed seamlessly to Ohoama's grandson, ensuring that his line would continue.  Of course, it probably should be noted that of course it was also her own bloodline that she was continuing as well, something that would become important in later years. And it is easy for us to look at this as simply editorializing by the Chroniclers, who were, after all, trying to craft a national narrative as well as record the history.  In many ways the use of these posthumous titles allowed them to do that—to summarize an entire reign into something that could be easily remembered.  And yet, based on the actions that she has taken, there certainly seems to be something to this description of Uno no Sarara and her motivations. We saw, early on, how she cleared the way for her own son, Crown Prince Kusakabe, getting rid of his potential rival for the throne, Prince Ohotsu, and thus potentially averting another conflict at the start of the reign.  But then Kusakabe died, leaving her with his young son, and while placing a young infant on the throne might have become a thing in later centuries, that precedent had not quite been set just yet.  Even as it was, Uno no Sarara likely had some concept that she could not know how many years she would get.  A decade on the throne was nothing to sneeze at, and many sovereigns had much less.  And so, beyond setting up the structure of government that her grandson would inherit, she also had a few more things to ensure.  She would want him to be old enough to be taken seriously, and she would need to make sure that there were no other claimants that could complicate matters.  There was only one other serious candidate that fit that description, and that was Prince Takechi. Remember, Prince Takechi was Ohoama's eldest son.  He was also a maternal descendant of the Munakata, meaning that he didn't have the double-royal imprimatur that was presumably required to take the throne as the sovereign.  And yet, Uno no Sarara was no doubt savvy enough to understand that those kinds of traditions changed quickly and easily in the past, as long as one had the right political backing. At the same time, Uno no Sarara appears to have leaned heavily on Prince Takechi's support.  It was a risk, but his support for her efforts would help her do what she needed to do.  Not only that, but if anything did happen to the young Prince Karu, Prince Takechi was the next in line.  He was also the Dajou Daijin—the most powerful court position short of Uno no Sarara herself.  For many reasons, it would have been difficult if the Queen felt she needed to take him out of the picture. Perhaps then it was fortuitous that in 696 the issue resolved itself, when Royal Prince Takechi passed away. This was no doubt a sad event, and yet it also may have set things in motion.  Prince Karu had been born in 683, so he was fourteen years old—still quite young, but old enough.  He was also surrounded by supporters, including his own mother, widow to the late Prince Kusakabe, Royal Princess Abe. While it isn't mentioned in the Nihon Shoki, we get a glimpse of how all this was planned in the Kaifuso, published in 751.  There, in an entry for Prince Kadono, a son of Prince Ohotomo, we are told that after Prince Takechi's death, Prince Kadono met with Uno no Sarara and others and suggested a course of action.  He encourage Uno no Sarara to pass on the kingdom to Prince Karu, despite his youth.  If true, this is quite the statement from someone whose own father was killed in the Jinshin no Ran, which brought Ohoama and Uno no Sarara to power in the first place.  It appears as though she heeded his advice, setting up what would come next over the following year. And so it is from the year after Prince Takechi's death that we start to really see entries focused on Prince Karu.  In the second month of 697, for instance, we see that Tahema no Mabito no Kunimi was appointed to be Prince Karu's tutor.  Likewise we see Michi no Mabito no Atomi and Kose no Ason no Ahamochi appointed as director and assistant director of the Spring Palace—the palace for the Crown Prince, the Heir Apparent.  Interestingly, Aston notes that the Nihon Shoki never actually gives an entry for when Prince Karu was named Heir Apparent—it just seems to be assumed. Ten days after the new directors were appointed, a public great-congregation was held at the Crown Prince's palace—here called the Eastern Palace, and I'll admit I'm not sure if "Eastern Palace" and "Spring Palace" were different names for the same place or what.  I assume these were all part of the newly built Fujiwara Palace, though the most important part is the implications for Prince Karu.  He was being introduced to the court, it seems, with a large congregation at his residence where the court would be expected to acknowledge his position as the crown prince and heir apparent. Three months later, we are told that Uno no Sarara grew ill.  The Ministers and various government officials made votive images of the Buddha in an attempt to make merit and help her to recover.  While she would recover from whatever illness she experienced, I suspect that this was something of a wake-up call.  Uno no Sarara was in her early 50s, and she wasn't getting any younger.  She also lived at a time where she had to realize that many others hadn't made it as far, and perhaps her illness made her realize that if she was going to do something, she had better do it sooner, rather than later.  And so, just a little more than a month later, on the first day of the 8th month, Uno no Sarara abdicated the throne in favor of her grandchild, Prince Karu, soon to become the next Tennou. This isn't the first time we've seen an abdication in the history of Yamato, but it is perhaps the first time we've seen it quite like this.  When Takara Hime abdicated, I think we can agree that it was largely under duress.  She had just seen her son lead a bloody coup against the most powerful court nobles, and that really does seem to have shaken her.  No such bloody struggle was happening here, however.  In fact, there is plenty to suggest that avoiding a bloody struggle was exactly Uno no Sarara's point.  By overseeing Prince Karu's ascension while she was still around, Queen Uno no Sarara maintained significant control over the process. Part of this rested on the fact that when she retired from the position of Tennou she didn't just become some commoner or retreat to the position of Queen Mother or Dowager Queen or something similar.  Instead, she took on a new titled:  Retired Sovereign, or Dajou-Tennou.  Technically this means that her own title was something like "Greater Sovereign", compared to Karu's "sovereign".  This position was new, and may not have even been fully formed at the time of the initial abdication.  Unlike when Takara Hime abdicated, effectively acknowledging that she wasn't actually in charge, Uno no Sarara was planning to remain an active force in government.  Her grandson would be set up as the formal sovereign, or Tennou.  He would be responsible for the rituals and ensuring everything was properly carried out, but his mother, the Dajou-Tennou, would have a tremendous amount of clout and control. By all accounts, this abdication and creation of the "Dajou-Tennou" position really does seem to have been specifically set up for this occasion, to ensure the smooth transition of power.  This way, when Uno no Sarara eventually did pass away, there would be no question about who was seated on the throne.  Given everything she had witnessed—from stories about her how her own father had come to power as well as the events of the Jinshin no Ran and then everything that happened in the aftermath of her own husband's death—I can understand why Uno no Sarara would have been pre-occupied with the idea of ensuring a smooth transition to the next sovereign.  She likely could not foresee how this new position would be used in the future, and yet it would become something of a staple in the politics of the Japanese court. Initially, retired sovereigns were typically doing so for reasons similar to Uno no Sarara—to ensure a smooth transition of power from one to the other and to ensure that the next tennou could be established to avoid instability.  However, it would become something even more.  After all, why wait until your heir is actually ready?  If you are going to be running things, anyway, why not remove yourself from the tedium of ritual while retaining your authority?  And in later centuries we see the tennou retiring younger, leaving younger and younger heirs to hold the actual throne.  There would also be a certain Buddhist aspect to it as well, allowing the retired tennou to be seen as a kind of Golden Wheel Turning Sovereign who was theoretically beyond the material cares of the day to day.  The retired sovereigns would be referred to as "In", which is likely a reference to the suffix given to their compounds, rather than the common "Miya" or "Gu".  And so the government under these retired sovereigns would become known as the Insei, or government by cloistered sovereigns, but that system was still in the future.  For now, we are just seeing the seeds of what was to come, eventually. To understand this later phase of Uno no Sarara's life, we need to take our first few steps into a new source:  The Shoku Nihongi.  The Nihon Shoki ceases to describe anything after Uno no Sarara's abdication, and the official history of Prince Karu's reign—known to us as Monmu Tennou—is taken up by the Shoku Nihongi.  This is literally the continued Japanese history, and we'll talk about it in depth at some point.  For now, I would note that it was compiled in 797 – so literally a century after the last entry in the Nihon Shoki.  That said, it likely had much better records to go off of compared to the Nihon Shoki, though it was still likely compiled with a view that was still quite friendly towards the royal family and the position of the Tennou. And so, when Uno no Sarara largely disappears from the narrative, I don't know that we should assume that she had truly gone completely hands off.  After all, with everything we've seen, do we think that this is a woman who would just hand the reins over to a fourteen or fifteen year old boy?  And yet the first time she appears is in 701, when she is making a trip to her favorite vacation spot:  the Palace at Yoshino.  That said, there were some pretty big events that happened during this period, after her abdication and assumption of the title of Dajou-Tennou.  The biggest was the creation of the Taihou Code.  Once again, this will need a fuller treatment, but the Taihou Code was an update to the Kiyomihara code.  The Asuka-Kiyomihara code was 22 volumes, and focused on  the laws, the "ryou", but not necessarily the punishments, or "ritsu".  In contrast the Taihou code was 6 volumes of "ritsu" and 11 volumes of "ryou", for 17 volumes in total.  Unfortunately, we mostly have scraps of indications here and there, and the codes that came afterwards, which were each based on what came before.  For instance, we do know that they completely overhauled the rank system yet again.  Unlike the Kiyomihara  code, which took years to develop, the compilation of the Taiho code is ordered in 700 and completed by 701—likely because it was really more of an update and a compilation of what was already on the books. This was perhaps the most significant thing that happened while Uno no Sarara was still available to exert her influence.  Karu was still only about 19 years old at this point.  He would turn 20 the following year, 702.  That same year, Uno no Sarara would travel all the way out to Mikawa no Kuni, which is the eastern half of the modern prefecture of Aichi.  The royal procession, which started in the 10th month of 702, then made its way back through Owari a month later, and from there up to Mino, and then down to Ise and back through Iga.  The royal procession is first recorded on the 10th day of the 10th month and returned on the 25th day of the 11th month—a round-trip time of roughly 45 days.  Throughout we are told that various ranks and awards were given out to important individuals at each stop. Unfortunately, that trip may have taken a toll.  A few weeks later, on the 13th day of the 12th month, Uno no Sarara grew ill.  There was a great amnesty pronounced throughout the realm, and one hundred men took Buddhist vows on her behalf.  They even read the Sutra of Golden Light in the Home Provinces.  Alas, it was all to no avail.  Uno no Sarara passed away on the 22nd day of the 12th month—or January 13th in 703.  It was roughly six years from her abdication.  She would have died with at least some knowledge that the realm was largely in order.  Her grandson was on the  throne and had been ruling for the past six years.  He had attained the age of majority, and things seemed relatively stable.  There was even a new, grand, permanent capital city, just like on the continent. But that closes out the life of Uno no Sarara.  She lived in interesting times, experienced tremendous fortune and misfortune, and she put her indelible stamp on the state of Yamato and thus the future of Japan.  There is still more to go over in this period—we have interactions with the Emishi, updates to society, and various impacts to Buddhism.  We'll also take a look at some more important people from this period, including Kakinomoto no Hitomaru, the famous poet, and the poems of the Man'yoshu, and Fujiwara no Fubito, the son of Nakatomi no Kamatari and the one largely responsible for making the Fujiwara house the most influential house in the entire court. Until then 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.

The best thing about participating or even just attending an all-Ford car show hosted by an established Mustang club is easily the wide variety of great cars you'll find there. Unlike the hit-or-miss nature of seeing “oh-wow!” cars at casual cruise-ins or cars & coffee events, the annual shows that are hosted each year by longstanding Mustang clubs will always reveal some amazing rides on the show field.That's not just some AI-assisted uneducated opinion. Your podcast hosts John Clor and Mike Rey are speaking from years of experience in the hobby. John's 20 years of managing Ford's Club Connect program had him on the road working car shows for some two-dozen or more weekends per year. Mike's 20 years at the helm of the Mustang Owner's Club of SouthEastern Michigan – one of America's biggest and most-active Mustang clubs – had him managing the yearly “Mustang Memories” show that three times had surpassed an amazing 1,000 entries. Suffice to say, this duo has seen a TON of show cars over the years! So for this episode, we thought it'd be fun if we invited all of our viewers and listeners to walk along with us during a recent big Mustang show to see if you can guess what our choice was for our favorite car on display. Better still, if you stick around to the end of the video, we'll even interview the owner – because Everyone Has a Mustang Story!Join us as we tour the 50th Anniversary Show at Krieger Ford in Columbus, Ohio, hosted by the Mustang Club Ohio back in mid-May. This show had it all – 25 Mustang, Ford car and truck judged classes, goodie bags for the first 100 pre-registered attendees, Best of Class awards, Awards of Excellence, and Special Awards (100), a pedal car reunion, a Youth Program that both Mike and John got to speak to as they enjoyed a model car contest, design contest, and a real-world Mustang “experience.” Plus there was a disc jockey, special guests, 50-50 and theme basket raffles, along with the Ford Merchandise Trailer and onsite food trucks. And oh -- like so many Mustang clubs, event proceeds went to benefit multiple local charities!

You can call J.K. Simmons a character actor, a sometime bad guy, sometime leading man, or an Academy award winner. Suffice it to say he's packed a lot into his 200+ screen credits and he didn't even get started until his late 30s! He joins Josh to talk about his return to TV with THE WESTIES, his iconic roles in SPIDER-MAN, the DCU, JUNO, WHIPLASH, and so much more. SUPPORT THE SHOW BY SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS! Rula -- Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.rula.com/happy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ #rulapod Quince -- Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quince.com/HAPPYSAD ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for free shipping and 365-day returns. Limited Time Offer–Get Huel today with my exclusive offer of 15% OFF online with my code happy15 at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://huel.com/happy15.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ New Customers Only. Thank you to Huel for partnering and supporting our show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How often are you saying “no” when they want to connect, when they want to do something, when they ask for attention or time together?

Monday Mini today where we look at a comment, and then a question, from wolfpacker Darren.Darren has an observation, specifically for Mark, about the 'gimme' conversation of recent weeks. Suffice to say that Darren has a different view to Mark, and it is causing trouble for Mark at his club. After the fun and games of watching Mark squirm, we move onto the question Darren has for Nick and Mark - which is on how long should you use a golf ball prior to replacing it. Is it different in social v competition/pennant? How often did the boys swap out their balls on tour? And is the benefit of a new ball real, or is it more a mental benefit (or both). We then move onto how often the boys would replace gloves when they were on tour. And back to balls - one thing for pros, but for normys like most of us, how often would Nick and Mark recommend we swap out our balls?A fun Monday Mini today on Talk Birdie To Me!We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Something has happened.... It's something that we've all been waiting for and it's definitely for the best that it's happened. BUT WHAT IS IT?! Suffice to say that both Joanne and Vogue are equally pleased. There's a lot to discuss, with Vogue's research on psilocybin and Joanne's latest house challenge...My Therapist Ghosted Me is a Global Production.Tickets for Joanne's tour Pinotphile are now LIVE: www.joannemcnally.comIf you'd like to get in touch, you can send an email to hello@MTGMpod.comPlease review Global's Privacy Policy: https://global.com/legal/privacy-policy/For merch, tour dates and more visit: www.mytherapistghostedme.comThis episode contains explicit language and adult themes that may not be suitable for all listeners.

The specifications of the Steam Machine have been confirmed along with the prices for both models, with and without a controller. Suffice it to say, the announcement has generated some controversy! This week, we're breaking down everything that we know about the Steam Machine, from specs to potential to value for money. We also join the community in discussing whether we'll be picking one up in light of the power and price. The post NLSC Podcast #637: The Steam Machine Price Controversy appeared first on NLSC.

Kilian Jornet is the greatest trail and mountain runner of all time. He joins the show coming off a 3rd place finish at last year's event, certainly questing for a victory in this year's edition. He is the 2011 champion of Western States and debuted here in 2010 - the famous “Unbreakable” edition where he dueled with Geoff Roes and Anton Krupicka all day before landing on the podium in 3rd. Suffice it to say, Kilian has a storied history at this race. It's not that often we get the privilege to speak with Kilian, so we also used this opportunity to have a broader conversation getting his insights on various state of sport topics. Hope you enjoy. Partners:Precision Fuel and Hydration - use code SINGLETRACK at checkout for 15% off your next orderNorda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever madeRaide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains Support the show

LESSON 169By Grace I Live. By Grace I Am Released.Grace is an aspect of the Love of God which is most like the state prevailing in the unity of truth. It is the world's most lofty aspiration, for it leads beyond the world entirely. It is past learning, yet the goal of learning, for grace cannot come until the mind prepares itself for true acceptance. Grace becomes inevitable instantly in those who have prepared a table where it can be gently laid and willingly received; an altar clean and holy for the gift.Grace is acceptance of the Love of God within a world of seeming hate and fear. By grace alone the hate and fear are gone, for grace presents a state so opposite to everything the world contains, that those whose minds are lighted by the gift of grace can not believe the world of fear is real.Grace is not learned. The final step must go beyond all learning. Grace is not the goal this course aspires to attain. Yet we prepare for grace in that an open mind can hear the Call to waken. It is not shut tight against God's Voice. It has become aware that there are things it does not know, and thus is ready to accept a state completely different from experience with which it is familiarly at home.We have perhaps appeared to contradict our statement that the revelation of the Father and the Son as one has been already set. But we have also said the mind determines when that time will be, and has determined it. And yet we urge you to bear witness to the Word of God to hasten the experience of truth, and speed its advent into every mind that recognizes truth's effects on you.Oneness is simply the idea God is. And in His Being, He encompasses all things. No mind holds anything but Him. We say “God is,” and then we cease to speak, for in that knowledge words are meaningless. There are no lips to speak them, and no part of mind sufficiently distinct to feel that it is now aware of something not itself. It has united with its Source. And like its Source Itself, it merely is.We cannot speak nor write nor even think of this at all. It comes to every mind when total recognition that its will is God's has been completely given and received completely. It returns the mind into the endless present, where the past and future cannot be conceived. It lies beyond salvation; past all thought of time, forgiveness and the holy face of Christ. The Son of God has merely disappeared into his Father, as his Father has in him. The world has never been at all. Eternity remains a constant state.This is beyond experience we try to hasten. Yet forgiveness, taught and learned, brings with it the experiences which bear witness that the time the mind itself determined to abandon all but this is now at hand. We do not hasten it, in that what you will offer was concealed from Him Who teaches what forgiveness means.All learning was already in His Mind, accomplished and complete. He recognized all that time holds, and gave it to all minds that each one might determine, from a point where time was ended, when it is released to revelation and eternity. We have repeated several times before that you but make a journey that is done.For oneness must be here. Whatever time the mind has set for revelation is entirely irrelevant to what must be a constant state, forever as it always was; forever to remain as it is now. We merely take the part assigned long since, and fully recognized as perfectly fulfilled by Him Who wrote salvation's script in His Creator's Name, and in the Name of His Creator's Son.There is no need to further clarify what no one in the world can understand. When revelation of your oneness comes, it will be known and fully understood. Now we have work to do, for those in time can speak of things beyond, and listen to words which explain what is to come is past already. Yet what meaning can the words convey to those who count the hours still, and rise and work and go to sleep by them?Suffice it, then, that you have work to do to play your part. The ending must remain obscure to you until your part is done. It does not matter. For your part is still what all the rest depends on. As you take the role assigned to you, salvation comes a little nearer each uncertain heart that does not beat as yet in tune with God.Forgiveness is the central theme that runs throughout salvation, holding all its parts in meaningful relationships, the course it runs directed and its outcome sure. And now we ask for grace, the final gift salvation can bestow. Experience that grace provides will end in time, for grace foreshadows Heaven, yet does not replace the thought of time but for a little while.The interval suffices. It is here that miracles are laid; to be returned by you from holy instants you receive, through grace in your experience, to all who see the light that lingers in your face. What is the face of Christ but his who went a moment into timelessness, and brought a clear reflection of the unity he felt an instant back to bless the world? How could you finally attain to it forever, while a part of you remains outside, unknowing, unawakened, and in need of you as witness to the truth?Be grateful to return, as you were glad to go an instant, and accept the gifts that grace provided you. You carry them back to yourself. And revelation stands not far behind. Its coming is ensured. We ask for grace, and for experience that comes from grace. We welcome the release it offers everyone. We do not ask for the unaskable. We do not look beyond what grace can give. For this we can give in the grace that has been given us.Our learning goal today does not exceed this prayer. Yet in the world, what could be more than what we ask this day of Him Who gives the grace we ask, as it was given Him?By grace I live. By grace I am released.By grace I give. By grace I will release.- Jesus Christ in ACIM

Discover the versatile and distinctly Moroccan product of Argan Oil in this episode of Destination Morocco podcast, 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.But we also talk about how to find authentic argan oil, because there are a lot of fake rip offs. 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.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 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. 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.You can also watch the video version of this episode on our YouTube channel here: "How to Find Authentic Argan Oil in Morocco" Join me for an 8-Day Boutique Moroccan Experience!https://trips.destinationsmorocco.com/Morocco-2026Step inside the hidden Morocco on this first-of-its-kind, 12-spot journey, hosted personally by Azdean.November 8-15, 2026, $1995 USD Per PersonBook Your Spot Today! Learn more about Azdean and Destination Morocco.

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This Friday and Shabbat is the holiday of Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, also known as Hag Ha-biqqurim, the pilgrimage of first fruits and z'man matan torateinu, the season of the giving of the Torah. As Jeremy explained the midrash, the rabbis were sensitive to the notion of the giving of the Torah, developing the idea that the Torah was not received until the time of Esther and Mordecai. You will have to listen to the show to find out how we unpacked this! Suffice it to say, our focus was on Shavuot; even though the Ten Commandments figured in our discussion, that passage is read on Friday. We did not get to the Torah Reading for Shabbat, which we last heard on the last day of Pesah. Hag Same'ah and Shabbat Shalom!

On this episode El and B-Eazy discuss a recent racially charged viral video, they revisit the Stefon Diggs case, they talk TV and more. Email:djblazeshow@gmail.com

https://vimeo.com/1185354118?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci The conversation in today's episode is so vast and deep and complex that it almost does it a disservice to try to summarize it here in this little intro. Suffice it to say, that this conversation with Curtrice Goddard is transformational, alchemical and it's all about embodying unity, not just talking about it, thinking about it, but embodying it from every single body. And every single body has a unique experience based on a unique ancestral history, based on unique conditioning and so it's not gonna look the same for everybody but it's an important conversation. If you remember, Curtrice has been on the show before. She's a teacher of Consciousness and Cultural Wellness Strategist. She sits at the intersection of wellness, leadership and collective healing and she always has so many amazing things to share to help us transcend the game and this conversation is powerful! Curtrice R. Goddard is a Spiritual Leadership Practitioner, Holistic Wellness Strategist, and Embodied Rights Relations Educator with over sixteen years of study and practice in holistic medicine, energy work and spiritual initiation. Her life's work is a sacred calling to guide individuals and communities through a revolutionary journey of awakening. Curtrice Goddard is also the Founder of Transcendence Global Institute where you can learn how to Transcend the Game through her wellness coaching program. Or sign up for a 21 day course in INNERWealth Leadership or choose her Sacred Activism, eight week mentorship program designed for healing the collective wound, expanding consciousness and leading with sacred guidance from the transmission of consciousness. Watch or listen to the show for practical ways to heal the wounds of scarcity within you and build a foundation for liberation based on wealth consciousness. You’re Invited! LEARN MORE: Holy Fire Sacred Activism https://www.curtricegoddard.com/holy-fire-spiritual-leaders WATCH: Releasing the Whiteness Matrix https://youtu.be/mwgzsH0i3Og WATCH: Enlightened Humans https://youtu.be/KoiPJFzT_H4   CURTRICE GODDARD BIO Curtrice R. Goddard is a Teacher of Consciousness and Cultural Wellness Strategist whose work sits at the intersection of wellness, leadership, and collective healing. She supports individuals, organizations, and communities in moving from survival to sovereignty, and from separation to repair. Her practice includes coaching, mentorship, and sacred guidance, all rooted in the transmission of consciousness as the foundational tool for transformation. With over sixteen years of training in Holistic Medicine, energy medicine, and spiritual development, Curtrice has held space for Black women leaders, Whyte spiritual leaders, and organizations navigating deep cultural change. She is the founder of Transcend The Game™ and is currently building an institute to house her body of work in Wellness, INNERWealth Leadership, and Sacred Activism. LINKS Website: https://www.curtricegoddard.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/expanSHEn Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curtricegoddard/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/curtrice-r-goddard-37542121/   YOUR GUIDE TO SOUL NECTAR: KERRI HUMMINGBIRD Kerri Hummingbird, Medicine Woman, Mother and Mentor, is the Founder of Inner Medicine Training, a Mystery School that shares potent ancient traditions from the Andes and Himalayas for owning your wisdom and living your purpose. She is the #1 international best-selling author of “Inner Medicine: Becoming One with Mother Earth for the Survival of Humanity”, “Love Is Fierce: Healing the Mother Wound”, “The Second Wave: Transcending the Human Drama” (on the int'l bestseller charts for over 6 years) and the award-winning best-selling book “Awakening To Me: One Woman's Journey To Self Love” which describes the early years of her spiritual awakening. As the host of Soul Nectar Show, Ms. Hummingbird inspires people to lead their lives wide awake with an authenticity, passion and purpose that positively impacts others. As a healer and mentor, she catalyzes mind-shifts that transform life challenges into gifts of wisdom. If you are wondering what the heck is going on, the answer is simple. We are in the process of a massive shift in consciousness that can most aptly be described as the metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly. As a medicine woman, I guide you to the next deepest understanding and embodiment of yourself as a spiritual being. Whether you receive a shamanic healing session, participate in the Reinvent Yourself Training program, or join us for Inner Medicine Training, one thing is certain: you will connect more deeply with your true self and learn to navigate the changes in your life from an empowered space within. SCHEDULE A FREE DISCOVERY SESSION: https://tinyurl.com/SoulNectarChat JOIN SOUL NECTAR TRIBE! https://kerrihummingbird.com/membership In Soul Nectar Tribe, we are joining forces to influence a new conversation on the planet…one that respects and honors all of life and looks forward seven generations to ensure the consequences of our actions are what we choose to create for our descendents. When we join our sparks together in community and comraderie, we become a powerful beacon of light and hope. FREE GIFTS! 1. Receive the free Reinvent Yourself ebook and guided meditations at http://www.kerrihummingbird.com/gift 2. Receive the Second Wave Guided Meditation Pack for free at http://www.thesecondwave.media LINKS FOR KERRI HUMMINGBIRD Website: www.kerrihummingbird.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kerri.hummingbird.sami Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kerri.hummingbird/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soulnectarshow LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerrihummingbird/

Read the full shownotes on Dr. Aimee's website: click here. Do you think you can put botox in your ovaries? You know, plump up those older eggs to regain their youthfulness? Nope, sorry. Not possible. Or have you thought that because you can take a youthful looking selfie, and feel great, that your fertility must be picture perfect too? Nope, sorry. Good selfies don't equal good fertility. But you're not dumb. You know that. But there may be some tricky information out there that you're not entirely sure if it's true. Fertility isn't surface level. It's not skin-deep. It's biology. It's what's deep inside, and yet impacted by what's outside of you too. Suffice to say, it can be complex. Which is why I'm here. I'm certainly a fertility doctor with over a decade of training and advanced degrees that have gotten me to the point where I finally know how to make a baby. And I want to share what I know with all of you. My Book, The Egg Whisperer Way comes out in Summer of 2026. Click here to order your copy. Do you have questions about IVF?Click here to join Dr. Aimee for The IVF Class. The next live class call is on Monday, May 18, 2026 at 4pm PST, where Dr. Aimee will explain IVF and there will be time to ask her your questions live on Zoom. Click to find The Egg Whisperer Show podcast on your favorite podcasting app.   Watch videos of Dr. Aimee answer Ask the Egg Whisperer Questions on YouTube.  Sign up for The Egg Whisperer newsletter to get updates  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.

The third and fourth episodes of the latest Star Wars series were released earlier this week, and I wanted to share some thoughts on the latest developments in this story. Suffice it to say that I thought these episodes were brilliant, so join me as I share my thoughts. May the Force be with you!

Send us Fan MailWe're thrilled to bring filmmaker Kevin Hartford on the pod for some drama about the new Zendaya and Robert Pattinson joint THE DRAMA. Suffice it to say, we don't all see eye-to-eye on this one, but that's what makes this country great. Warning: The advertising has been trying to keep the premise of this movie a secret, and it's discussed in depth on this episode.

The most dramatic, historic episode of Escaping Reality in Survivor history. The Survivor Podcast community will be forever changed after today. The content of this podcast will cause the entire Survivor world to pause and take notice ... Suffice it to say .. we have thoughts on the Blood Moon twist, among all the other moments of Survivor Season 50 Episode 6. This HISTORIC episode of Survivor warranted some EPIC in depth discussion. But, then again, we do that every week! Be sure to give us a follow on Instagram @EscapingRealityPod and on Tik Tok @EscRealityPod --  If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe & leave us a rating/review on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify! Make sure to tell your friends about the pod so they can join you (and us) on our journey through reality competition shows.And as always, thanks for listening and thanks for Escaping Reality with us!

https://mattaxton.comBioIf you live in the United States, there's a good chance that Matt Axton and his band, Badmoon,will be coming to a town near you. That is a very good thing.Axton's group delivers a sound that is equal parts classic rock, country, rock & roll, and soul. Inother words, as Axton puts it: “Americana with a capital A.” With 200+ shows performed lastyear, and a full slate on deck for 2026, they might be the hardest working band in the genre.Now comes the release of Axton's newest EP, Same Old Story. Recorded in Los Angeles aticonic Sunset Sound, it features five songs combining funk, soul, and country and is availableon streaming platforms and on vinyl.“Muscle Chops” is the lead single. An opening funky rhythm guitar intro leads into aguitar/bass/drums/organ riff that sounds tighter than a brand new pair of cowboy boots. Axton'sbaritone voice is a deep growl.You got some voodoo on your mojoYou got something funky up on your soulA Hammond-B3 organ solo comes on like Al Kooper after the second chorus, fingers dancingand building to a climax, followed by Taylor Kropp's screaming lead guitar in the middle eight.This is a band fully prepared to rock the house.That Axton leads a band of killer musicians is not a surprise to anyone who has followed thesinger-songwriter's career. His family's musical pedigree is untouchable. Grandma Mae BorenAxton helped discover Elvis Presley and co-wrote the million-selling “Heartbreak Hotel,” movingto Nashville where she helped launch the careers of titans like Willie Nelson and Garth Brooks.His father, Hoyt Axton, was an entertainment icon penning hits for the Kingston Trio, Three DogNight, Steppenwolf, and Ringo Starr. His mother is also a professional musician, and whenHoyt's band toured the country it was a family affair. Matt says, “Mom had me sitting on thepiano since I was a baby.”Suffice it to say that Matt Axton grew up steeped in music, but that doesn't mean he takes hardwork for granted. He says, “I come from a legacy family, but you still have to walk the walk.”Walk the walk he does. He started playing the guitar seriously in college following an injury thatended a college athletic career. Since then, Axton has written over 350 songs. A few of theseare likely to appear on an upcoming full-length album, planned for a week-long recordingsession later this year in Tulsa.Axton and Badmoon have just completed a West Coast tour, and are soon to hit the road againfor Oklahoma for a residency at The Colony and a week-long recording session. April kicks off aswing up into the Mountain West, including Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Washington, andOregon. In August and September the band goes to Nashville and the Northeast.If it sounds like a busy schedule, there's more: Axton also runs the monthly Americana Joyconcert series in Los Angeles and the annual Tahoe Joy music festival in his home town ofTahoe City. But there's no rest for the wicked, nor for musicians trying to improve the world byspreading mountain soul rock and roll from coast to coast, one listener at a time.Axton says, “Making any kind of impact in the world — making it a little better, a little better-sounding — that's the dream.”Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/creator-to-creators-with-meosha-bean--4460322/support.

Dan is here. And he is talking about Episode 3 of Spectreman, which has several different titles. Suffice it to say, this episode has a lot of blue gunk and a giant lizard. Plus, Rita gets kidnapped! Listen now...

Send us Fan MailOn the podcast this time, Steven and Sean are just trying to get even a little bit ahead in this life for once. We watched the 2019 film from Bong Joon Ho, Parasite.Who's really to say that the Kim family is wrong to do everything they did to the Park family in this movie? I'm certainly not advocating for any of the violence depicted here, but man, people gotta eat.At the very least, nobody should have to live in a home that fills with sewage whenever there's a particularly bad storm. That's demeaning as hell! Suffice it to say, this move is great and eat the rich.(Recorded on February 02, 2026)Links to Stuff We Mentioned:Parasite - The Movie Database (TMDB)Parasite trailer - YouTubeParasite (2019) — The Movie Database (TMDB)Song Kang-ho — The Movie Database (TMDB)Jang Hye-jin — The Movie Database (TMDB)Lee Sun-kyun — The Movie Database (TMDB)Cho Yeo-jeong — The Movie Database (TMDB)Choi Woo-shik — The Movie Database (TMDB)Park So-dam — The Movie Database (TMDB)Lee Jung-eun — The Movie Database (TMDB)Park Myung-hoon — The Movie Database (TMDB)Hyun Seung-min — 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

Well listeners, today's show is bit of a head-scratcher to explain. Suffice to say, David tells Joe about a handsome and very self-assured man that he recently saw at his local farm shop, which somehow leads to Joe telling David about his neighbour's military-style camper van. Plus, they both analyse why Joe is so bad at being tidy and David convinces him to clean up his office. So, pretty much Chatabix business as usual really. FOR ALL THINGS CHATABIX'Y FOLLOW/SUBSCRIBE/CONTACT:   ⁠YouTube⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠TikTok⁠ ⁠Patreon⁠ ⁠Merch⁠ Email us at chatabix@yahoo.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send a textWelcome to Episode 245 -- No Right To Vote!  The United States Congress has passed the S.A.V.E Act -- otherwise referred to as the Protect Voting Act. The Boys have reviewed the details of the controversial bill and are bringing you what you need to know in this week's Midsection.Conceptually it may all make sense -- and the talking points by it's supporters will have you believe it's about protecting election integrity and being sure non-citizens (read illegals) (and the dissenters) do not vote.  After looking into the bill, The Boys have found this bill is full of challenges to basic voting right among US citizens.  What are those challenges?   Who is affected by the proposed rules?  Also what about the timing? You'll get what you need to know and what you can and need to do about this dangerous and illegal bill.  Suffice it to say -- you gotta fight for your right (and the rights of everyone) to VOTE!!Kicking things off this week in The Tea Party, Casey and Mark are discussing some of the scoring at the Winter Olympics this year and the trash scoring that seems to happen season after season. In Trash Talk this week include the Scarecrow From Hell embarrasses herself not just with her terrible hair but her abhorrent behavior during a Congressional hearing; Jill Zarin is bac... wait -- just kidding, she's fired; and a new movie announces AI casting to bring a tubber back to the silver screen.All of this and recommendations too??  You betcha!  With all of this tea and discourse, you're gonna want a fresh diaper and a full glass of a tasty port vintage.  So grab yourself both and pull up a seat to the table with your GBFFs.  It's time to paint!=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-Let The Boys of Painted Trash know your thoughts on this week's topics and episode! What street festivals do you attend? Do you like street fests? What is your favorite festival??Have a topic idea or story you recommend for Trash Talk, be sure to send it in to our email or through the "contact us" on our website.Follow us on:Instagram: instragram.com/paintedtrashpodTwitter: twitter.com/paintedtrashpodFacebook: facebookcom/paintedtrashpodcastDon't forget to click Subscribe and/or Follow and leave us a review!email: paintedtrashpodcast@gmail.comweb: www.paintedtrashpodcast.com

From Amy:My friend Jillian Rae has done this thing twice while we've posed for a photo, once at her album launch, once at my book launch: Jillian points to me and makes a face as if she can't believe her luck to have encountered me personally. And yet, Jillian is a bonafide rockstar.I use that term rockstar broadly, because Jillian refuses to fit into a clear genre. She plays at venues all over town, in many roles, with a wide range of musicians, and she's kinda famous in China.So then who am I in this picture? I am Jillian's former student who dabbled with violin lessons when my kids were young. Here I thought I was learning an instrument I admired, as a mom who needed creative escape from my real life. Jillian wasn't a rockstar YET when I met her. I remember clearly when she texted that she was appearing onstage at Prince's beloved First Avenue in Minneapolis, and we should get our butts over there. That first performance, Jillian played backup fiddle for a headliner whose name I no longer remember. I have no idea how often she's played at First Avenue since. I don't even know how many of Jillians shows I've attended or how often I've heard her on The Current, our local MPR music station.To me, Jillian Rae is the person who first convinced me to drive in to Minneapolis regularly on weekdays. When my kids and I were taking violin lessons from her in one of those suburbs, Jillian co-founded the Music Lab in a walk-up near Lake Nokomis. Suffice it to say, I wouldn't have chosen that neighborhood for my kids' music lessons, forty-five minutes from home in rush hour. But Jillian has vision like nobody's business.During our lessons, we talked about Jillian's work and her career... and my aspirations to be a real writer and whatever the dream was that I'm living now. I've honestly translated so much of what Jillian taught me into my business, because every time I showed up in her private studio (never having practiced, because that was part of my deal with her, though I did learn some fiddle tunes decently well, and even Pachelbel's canon) I got to be the feral Gen X child I once was, learning from my friend Jillian to see my creative gifts through the eyes of a Millennial. I have long understood that were it not for Jillian, I would never have understood what being a real-life creative looks like for me. When I think about this podcast (this episode and more broadly), I understand that not everyone can meet my friend Jillian personally, or other real-life creatives like her that I encounter ongoing. And that did start for me in Minneapolis. Since then, I've made a practice of talking and writing about Minneapolis, so much so that many people think I live there. I do not. Or shall I say, that's not where my house is. And yet.All my lineage travels directly through Minneapolis, on all sides. So you weren't entirely wrong if you thought I was from there.Indeed I was born in a Minneapolis hospital building that is currently occupied by the federal government, so I hear from reliable sources. Throughout my childhood, I visited the city with family for special occasions.But I know the city best as a grown-up.If you don't know a city that well, and have no reason to go there, it's easy to believe horror stories that the media serves you and forget the everyday people who live there. In the years since Ronald Reagan eliminated the fairness doctrine (that said you can't publish lies) media corporations have made it their business to further exacerbate bias, divide us with scary demographics, and consolidate profits. That's the false narrative that Minneapolis is actively refusing, and many of us in the Twin Cities Metro and Greater Minnesota recognize, though some white Minnesotans believe they aren't safe in the city. Which didn't happen by accident. Deliberate semantics games misrepresent one big idea: THESE PEOPLE ARE OUR NEIGHBORS.And as I see it nowadays, my neighbors. That's a pretty good thing.I love to drive the long way home from Minneapolis, one neighborhood into the next, one suburb into the next, awash in memories, never using a freeway until the bridge across the river. That's how well I know the city these days. I know all the places you've heard about in the news.But when I want to talk about what life's been like in Minneapolis I defer to people who inhabit these neighborhoods.That's why I invited Jillian Rae to speak to her own, lived experiences.It's going to take a long time to heal from the willful damage inflicted by ICE and this administration. You need to know that it's still going on. Furthermore, I don't see how a "kinder, gentler" (more stealthy for optics) invasion is going to stop all the harm being done. Intentionally.Jillian's graciously allowing me to share her new single, "Fuck ICE," at the end of this episode. You can purchase the salty or the sanitized version to support Twin Cities people. Pretty sure that song title clarifies where she stands. Jillian's one of my heroes AND a dear friend.At the beginning of the episode, we reference Jillian's single "Silence," a precursor to "Fuck Ice" in many ways. Watch the video here.Which makes me realize one more connection: If I didn't know so many beloved people and places in Minneapolis personally, I don't know what I'd be thinking right now. Maybe I'd think these people were heroes, but their struggles aren't mine. That they are somehow separate from me. Instead, I am finding plenty of ways to fight the good fight where I am. I'm asking you to think about how you can address evil, in solidarity, where you are too. Because make no mistake, this does affect you. Even if the connections are being obscured. You need to see them.Please listen. And then take one simple step you can take to speak up. And the next. And the next. Travel safely, dear friends.Love, Amy About Jillian Rae:Lauded as a “triple threat on vocals, fiddle, and composition” (Star Tribune), Jillian Rae is a fiercely unique spirit who cares more about making authentic music than about conforming to expectations. The Minneapolis-based, classically trained violinist has made a name for herself as a top-notch fiddler and a singer with a powerful stage presence. Heading up her own critically acclaimed band, she performs an original mix of Americana, rock, and pop. She also performs regularly with her traditional folk band Corpse Reviver and has toured extensively, backing up Grammy-winning acts like The Okee Dokee Brothers. Jillian is an in-demand producer and session player, known for her soaring string orchestrations, arrangements, and fiddle parts. Along with her partner/co-producer Eric Martin, she operates The Clubhouse Recording Studio, where they produce Jillian's music as well. As a music educator, she has kept a studio of private students for more than two decades.Jillian is available for live performance, virtual streams, recording, and production work. All inquiries can be made at booking@jillianraemusic.com.Get Jillian's single and support Twin Cities mutual aid organizations at https://jillianraemusic.bandcamp.com/album/fuck-ice. Amy Hallberg is the author of Tiny Altars: A Midlife Revival and German Awakening: Tales from an American Life. She is the host of Courageous Wordsmith Podcast and founder of Courageous Wordsmith Circle for Real-Life Writers. As an editor and writing mentor, Amy guides writers through their narrative journeys—from inklings to beautiful works, specifically podcasts and books. A lifelong Minnesotan and mother of grown twins, Amy lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and two cats. Get Amy's Books and Audiobooks

ORIGINAL AIR DATE: AUG 8, 2010On this episode of Fringe Flashback, from the VFTB archives, Derek Gilbert interviews Chad Miles, co-host of the Bruce Collins Show.The Bruce Collins Show with Bruce Collins (founder of the Fringe Radio Network) with co-host Chad Miles, is relaunching on FRINGE RADIO NETWORK in 2026! Stay tuned for more episodes of the Bruce Collins Show!Show Notes:FROM ARMY intelligence to the leading edge of the tech industry, Chad Miles is a man who's mind is always engaged. He's a former contributing editor for Defense Watch Magazine and former contributor to The Michigan Journal . As a political blogger he has written regularly for Right Michigan , Tech Republican , Hip Hop Republican , and The Michigan Minority Report .In 2006, he jumped into the political arena himself as a long-shot Republican challenger to long-time Congressman John Conyers (D-Mich.). Suffice it to say that Rep. Conyers still holds the office he's occupied since 1964.  After he accepted Jesus Christ, Chad began thinking about how to serve. The result is www.HearkenTheWatchmen.com , a site that brings together a group of excellent, out-of-the-box thinkers and writers on politics, prophecy and the paranormal, including Dr. Chuck Missler, Dr. Chuck Baldwin, Dr. Stephen Yulish, and L.A. Marzulli. Oh, yeah — Derek, too.

And the Starfleet Academy train (shuttlepod?) keeps on rolling (flying?) as we jump in to talk about Episodes 4 and 5, "Vox in Excelso" and "Series Acclimation Mil," aka the one with the Klingons and the one with... well, that's a spoiler, actually.Suffice to say, you do NOT want to miss this episode of TR3, as special guest star Ken Reilly from TrekCore returns to dig in on a wormhole-sized Trek event. So cook up some gumbo, put on your Niners uniform, and listen now!

London Case - Not about Truth and AccountabilityIn May 2022 a civil case was launched against me in England. The civil trial will begin on 9 March in London, and conclude on St Patrick's Day.There are some aspects of the case I can comment on and others I cannot at this time. Suffice to say that this is an unorthodox claim against me about events which occurred 29 and 53 years ago. In short, three Claimants, seek to hold me personally liable for three bombings committed by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in March 1973 (at the Old Bailey), in February 1996 (at London Docklands) and in June 1996 (at the Manchester Arndale Shopping Centre).Many innocent people were seriously hurt, three were killed in the bombings. The Claimants were injured and have suffered as a result. They deserve nothing but sympathy for what they have gone through. So do all those who were killed or injured in the conflict. And their families.  I regret all the deaths and injuries.People are entitled to use the law. However, this case is brought decades after these incidents and decades after the Good Friday Agreement brought peace to us all.   I anticipate, from public statements made by the Claimants' solicitors, that a number of former British Army, and RUC/PSNI witnesses will give hearsay evidence that because I was a senior republican during the conflict I must be responsible for these specific events.Stand-up to a Genocidal BullyAs the world ponders the implications of US President Trump's talk of an ‘armada' heading for Iran; or his latest threat of tariffs against Canada; or his ongoing threats against Cuba, Greenland and Europe; the so-called ceasefire in the Gaza Strip which he brokered in October has been breached over 1300 times by the Israeli apartheid regime. 509 Palestinians have been killed.In just one morning last week, Israeli attacks on Gaza City and Khan Younis left 31 Palestinians, including six children, dead. The limited medical facilities were overwhelmed with the dead and wounded.Streets of MinneapolisI have been very fortunate over the years to see Bruce Springsteen live. The concerts and the music are amazing. The Boss's lyrics are sharp and he is unafraid to sing about the politics that anger and outrage him. ‘Born in the USA' is an anthem against the War in Vietnam. ‘Streets of Philadelphia' highlighted the aids crisis.Last week he turned his ire on the behaviour of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE )agents.Springsteen dedicated the song – Streets of Minneapolis - to the “people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbours and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good”. Well done Bruce. 

There is so much going on in the world right now, that Sam and I aren't even going to attempt feigning blissful ignorance. Suffice to say that certain patterns in history repeat. Empires may rise and fall, and while it is frequently the so-called “small” lives that suffer and bear the burden of humanity's hubris, it is those same small lives that pick up the pieces, one by one, to survive, to make, and to renew another day.Please enjoy what we think is a timely episode—Warren Beatty's magnum opus, Reds. Episode links: Emma Goldman “An exceedingly dangerous woman” https://youtu.be/BviTcbeRz8o?si=N26oNL-FIOCHhsaM Jerzy Kosinski's fall from grace: Investigating a literary smear campaign https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2023/11/jerzy-kosinski-fall-from-graceRed Milwaukee: America's socialist experiment https://youtu.be/h8EmRZ3n9LQ?si=20VbHLlO3oT0bpj1The Farmer Labor Movement: a Minnesota Story https://youtu.be/0jZi1BvK3-A?si=ergV62tJsiFpeq7zWhat is Anarchism? https://youtu.be/5Ocv71Nt-Lo?si=sxJwcigc_jriKbjR The Mischief of George Plimpton The Mischief of George Plimpton https://medium.com/@andrewszanton/the-mischief-of-george-plimpton-106b85b2abfe

Today's episode is a special treat featuring the return of a listener-favorite guest who happens to be one of my favorite people, too.

suffice the ageing man as once the growing boy - #4417 (97R38 pc 119 left) by chair house 260117.mp3suffice the ageing man as once the growing boy■ＰＳ１：今日はお昼は近くの中華料理屋さん。私はいつも食べるものは決まっています。まあ美味しくて良かったです。最近ずっと行ってなかったのですが、結構繁盛していて良かったです。近くに商業施設..

This is a preview of a premium episode from the Patreon feed, TIYA After Dark! Head to patreon.com/thisisyourafterlife to hear this full episode and all the others for just $5 a month.I got to talk about my favorite movie with the hosts of my favorite podcast! My guests this week, Pod Casty for Me's Jake Serwin and Ian Rhine, have not appeared on the main feed. YET! But I couldn't resist easing them into the TIYA universe with a talk about a movie I first saw in the fall of 2024 that has since become one of my all-time favorites: William Peter Blatty's Exorcist III! This is the most excited I've been to release an episode since relaunching the podcast, and that is really saying something. This is a wonderful conversation about faith, art, politics, and horror, on screen and in life, wrapped in a blanket of hating on Pete Holmes. Suffice it to say, you don't need to have seen the movie to enjoy this ep! But just FYI, it does spoil plot. I can't say E3 has edged out Bad Santa as my favorite movie ever, but I was not exaggerating when I said Pod Casty for Me is my favorite podcast. If you dig This Is Your Afterlife and want a podcast with a similar worldview but not similar subject matter, you should check out Jake and Ian's show. I hope you join the Patreon to hear the whole two and a half hour episode, and I'm even offering it as a standalone release over there for $3. If not, enjoy this meatier than usual preview.Follow Pod Casty for Me:https://www.podcastyforme.comhttps://www.patreon.com/PodCastyForMehttps://twitter.com/podcastyformehttps://www.instagram.com/podcastyformehttps://www.youtube.com/@podcastyformeFollow/contact This Is Your Afterlife:https://thisisyourafterlife.comhttps://www.instagram.com/thisisyourafterlifethisisyourafterlifepodcast@gmail.comMusic by TIYA house band Lake Mary:https://lakemary.bandcamp.comhttps://www.instagram.com/chaz.prymekArtwork by Matt Sage:https://www.instagram.com/matthewjsage

Johannes Roberts' Primate answers a very important question: "What if Halloween, but instead of Michael Myers, it was a killer chimp?" It's C-oo-oo-ahh-ahh-jo, 100%. All creature, all feature. Suffice it to say, Roberts' relentlessly gory animal-attack flick sounds more like a "Donato Movie," and yet, Certified Forgotten's keeping the new year in agreeable spirits. Tune in to hear Donato and co-host Matthew Monagle share their thoughts on a fun-filled start to 2026's horror canon, because this one goes ... bananas! (Don't blame Monagle for the wordplay, Donato's got this write-up.)

Wow! That's all Stigall can say about the surgical strike in Venezuela over the weekend. Social media followers and Harrumphers got to hear a bit of his thoughts over the weekend, but today he dives deep with a fantastic slate of guests to unpack the specifics from a military and diplomatic perspective. And yes, the politics of it, too. Brietbart's National Security Editor John Hayward and former Trump Deputy National Security Advisor Victoria Coates explain the why and the what's next for not only Venezuela - but the larger global stage including Iran that's looking precarious at best. Monday's with Maguire returns with the politics of the move that has some Republicans claiming this is not an America First move. And former veteran now Senator Dave McCormick experienced first hand his own participation in an operation similar to this one back in 1989. Suffice it to say, the politics of the day were far different and the Democrats were, too. More on the Minnesota scandal that has Tim Walz bowing out of the governor's race and Stigall opens up on some time around the house during vacation and what is specifically special about today. -For more info visit the official website: https://chrisstigall.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisstigallshow/Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisStigallFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/chris.stigall/Listen on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/StigallPodListen on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/StigallShowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s time for a change. Since I started my handmade business, Epheriell, in 2008, the world has changed so much. I have changed so much. In 2008 I was a 27 year old tuition centre manager, living with my English boyfriend in the Brisbane suburbs, and I started making jewellery in my spare time to fulfil a creative urge I had neglected for years. When I started Epheriell as a hobby business, I had zero idea that I would be here, talking to you, almost 18 years later, after having built a number of different businesses – all in the realm of the handmade sphere – and having turned over almost two million dollars from those businesses in those years. Wow. I’ve never pulled that number up before! It’s a bit overwhelming to think I managed to create products with my own two hands and one brain, and have been able to make a living from them for all this time. But. The world has changed. I have changed. And it’s time for me to move on. So, as of June 2026, I’ll be retiring from handmade business education, and I’ll be putting Epheriell on indefinite sabbatical. What will I do next? I don’t actually know yet. But we’ve finally reached a point where we are in the financial position to allow me to take a sabbatical where I will have the space to rest, reflect, get the dosage of my MHT right (😆), and decide what’s next for me. I’ve officially reached middle age this year – I keep joking about the fact that I got my first reading glasses and my MHT prescription in the same week! I turn 45 in 2026, and like the elder millennial that I am, I have been obsessed with the internet since I first dove into the world of message boards, IRC, fandom, Geocities, Altavista and Ask Jeeves when I was a fresh-faced 15-year-old in 1996. Did you know, I made my very first website (on Geocities, of course) back in 1996 or 97 – and it was an X-Files fan site? It was pretty popular too! Though of course, the internet was a much, much smaller place back then. Since then, I’ve launched various blogs, started various businesses, worked for other people’s online businesses, been an affiliate, run a podcast, various YouTube channels, sold jewellery under 2 different brands, sold ads on my own site, launched a membership, sold ebooks and ecourses… I’ve tried all sorts of things and made money online in myriad ways since making that very first website (which, of course, made me zero dollars, but my nerdy friends thought it was cool, so…). Suffice it to say,  I’ve been here for a long time. 30 years! I always dreamt of making a living from the internet, and it took me about 12 years to finally crack how to do it properly – which started when I stumbled on Etsy back in 2008 and opened that first shop. It has been an amazing journey, and I have loved so much about it. It has enabled me and Nick to live a life we love. To live in a place we adore. To have so much freedom of time, to travel regularly to visit friends and family overseas, and to live a low-stress life. But I’m ready to move on. I’m also ready to take a break from the internet. I have slowly faded away from most social media over the last few years. I have no interest in instagram any more. I pretty much only use Facebook to find events to attend IRL. Threads I have been enjoying, because it felt like a breath of fresh air to actually talk WITH people again, but even that is growing thin for me right now. Don’t even get me started on TikTok (ugh). I have been putting myself and my face and my life out there on the internet since my early 20s. But as I get older, and the changes in the online world loom, I feel the need to take a step back and just be again, without sharing things publicly with the world. It’s time for retreat, recalibration, and reflection. To decide what I want to do with this next phase of my life. And to do that, I’m stepping away for a time. Does that mean I’ll never come back online? Not at all! I might decide to start up my YouTube again. Or to launch something totally new. And it doesn’t mean I’m disappearing today. But I am aiming to be on sabbatical by the winter solstice here in Australia, which is June 21st, 2026. Why am I telling you so early? Because I’m going to offer a bunch of things for the last time, and it felt disingenuous to do so without being upfront about it. I’ve always tried my best to be honest and keep firm grip on my integrity in a space where that seems to be increasingly rare. I want you to know what’s happening, and why, so you can prepare and be aware – and if you so choose, to take advantage of my offers with full knowledge. If you are in my community, or are one of my students, Thriver Circle members, or Epheriell customers, here’s the timeline of exactly what’s happening. Timeline December 2025 Thriver Circle final launch – December 29th till January 7th. If you join at this time, I will unlock the full Your Year to Thrive course, so you will have just under 6 months to work through it at your own pace during this time (which does mean doing 2 lessons a week instead of 1 should you want to). You will have full access to all other courses and workshops, and I will still be running 2 live calls each month until the end of May, and I’ll be active in the FB group community. February 2026 Set Up Shop runs for the final time – February 9th till March 10th. April 2026 I will offer shop critiques until April 6th, then they will no longer be available. May 2026 I will offer the Wholesale Know-How course until May 4th, after which it will no longer be available. June 2026 The Thriver Circle will close forever on June 8th, 2026. Members will no longer have access to any aspect of the Circle, including the FB group, courses, workshops, podcasts. All memberships will be cancelled and all payments will be stopped by this date at the latest. I encourage members to cancel their membership when their May payment is deducted, as you will then stay an active member until the shut-down should you so wish. I will archiving all my social media – bar YouTube (I’m leaving all my free videos up) in June. Epheriell will be placed on sabbatical on June 8th, 2026. This will give us time to process any final orders by the time I take sabbatical. (I’m not ruling out opening Epheriell again in the future, but it will be a long while – probably at least 18 months – until I do so – unless Nick decides he wants to run it without my input, but he’s gotten himself a good permanent part-time government job so that will probably keep him busy enough!). On June 21st I will hopefully be done with all the work to wrap up the businesses, and will be stepping away from all social media for at least 6 months and taking a sabbatical from work and the online world.  I’m not going to lie, I am simultaneously elated and terrified to take this step. I’ve been feeling the urge to move on for a while now, but the circumstances were not in alignment until now, and I know that if I don’t take advantage of this opportunity, I will regret it immensely. I’m excited to take my first real break from paid work since I was 16, and I’m so thankful to Nick for joyfully supporting me in this choice. I want to take a moment to thank him, publicly, for all the work he has put in since this all began back in 2008. Not only in the business – of which he has been an employee for over a decade now (and let’s be honest, an unpaid helper before that) – but in our life together. He has been unfailing in his support – both emotional and practical – from day 1. He has been the main home manager – taking care of the fundamentals of life like cooking, cleaning, shopping, mowing, repairs… all of those ‘mundane’ things that most women have bear the mental load of, even when they are working as well. He’s freed me up to manage and run the businesses – and we have assisted each other in our respective spheres all this time. It’s going to be quite the dynamic shift as he goes ‘to work’ (even though he’ll still be mostly working from home, thankfully!) and I take on more of the domestic load for the first time in our relationship. I couldn’t have a more supportive partner in business and life, and I am so grateful every day that we chose to travel through life together. Thank you so much, Nick, for all that you are and all that you do. I love you, and I couldn’t have done this without you. So – I’m not going anywhere just yet, but I wanted you all to know what 2026 has in store. I will still be here, enthusiastically running my businesses and helping you for the first half of 2026, and I will treasure the chance to work in this space – and with you – for these last few months. It’s been an amazing career, and it wouldn’t exist without you. I want to say thank you to YOU. To the 6,000+ people who’ve bought a piece of Epheriell jewellery. Thank you for trusting us to make a treasured piece of jewellery. Particularly those of you for whom we’ve made wedding rings. Every one has been special and we’ve been honoured to make it for you. To every person who’s read my blog posts, my emails, listened to my podcast, or watched a YouTube video – I hope something I said has helped you! I have put so much free content out there over the years that honestly, you could have built your whole business using just that (and I know people who have, because they’ve told me!). But, most deeply, I want to say thank you to the thousands of past and present students who have paid me actual money to teach and help you grow your businesses: all I can hope for is that I haven’t let you down. I hope what I shared made a difference, I hope it was valuable, and I hope that you continue to chase your dreams, whatever they may be. I have always loved the handmade community – there are still so many genuine, creative, wonderful people making things with their hands and hearts. And in this ever-more-digital and fast-everything world we live in, I think handmade has more value than ever. May you all continue to add your unique beauty to the world. Now I’m going to sign off before I make myself cry. Keep Thriving, Jess The Thriver Circle is open now, for the last time. Join Now Then and Now Nick and I in 2008, at the housewarming for our first rental together. This is where I started Epheriell. I made the seaglass necklace I’m wearing – some of my early jewellery incorporated seaglass found at my local beach. Nick and I in 2025, in Dubrovnik. We were on one of our month-long overseas trips, visiting family and friends in England and Croatia. Listen or Watch 

Hi all and welcome to your first Signs & Wonders episode...courtesy of me, who has quite a tale to tell from this last week. Suffice it to say, I got to peek behind the curtain of the universe (yet again) and witness how the Universe has my back, magic is real and I'm in love with all of it! If you have your own tale to tell, please call the hotline at: (209) 498-7501! (yes, please call the hell out of it!) The idea is that we all experience these events, events that stop us in our tracks and absolutely declare that this Universe is full of magic and mystery! So go ahead and share with the class, call the number above!

This week, it's raw, real, and straight from the crowd. I'm sharing live recordings from IrishFest Atlanta, plus a couple gems listeners sent in. You'll hear chatter, claps, and the kind of energy you only get in the moment. Hit play and come hang out at the festival with me. Sundials, Heather Dale, Celtic Brew, Olivia Bradley, Kira Doppel, Sarah Ling, Kathleen O'Donohoe, May Will Bloom, Irish Brothers, The Muckers, Fialla This week on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast #738  -  -  Subscribe now! GET CELTIC MUSIC NEWS IN YOUR INBOX The Celtic Music Magazine is a quick and easy way to plug yourself into more great Celtic culture. Enjoy seven weekly news items with what's happening with Celtic music and culture online. Subscribe now and get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free. VOTE IN THE CELTIC TOP 20 FOR 2025 This is our way of finding the best songs and artists each year. You can vote for as many songs and tunes that inspire you in each episode. Your vote helps me create this year's Best Celtic music of 2025 episode. You have until December 4 to vote for this episode. Vote Now! You can follow our playlist on YouTube to listen to those top voted tracks as they are added every 2 - 3 weeks. THIS WEEK IN CELTIC MUSIC 0:12 - Sundials "Star of the County Down" from Live Recording 3:52 - Heather Dale STORY OF LISTENING 6:09 - WELCOME 8:39 - Celtic Brew "Dominic's Farewell to Cashel / Contentment is Wealth" from live recording at IrishFest Atlanta 10:25 - Olivia Bradley "My Match It Is Made" from live recording at IrishFest Atlanta 14:19 - Kira Doppel and Sarah Ling "Broken Pledge Set" from live recording at IrishFest Atlanta 18:43 - Kathleen O'Donohoe "Castle Dromore" from live recording at IrishFest Atlanta 21:39 - FEEDBACK 21:57 - HEATHER DALE ON FEEDBACK That was part of an interview that I did with Heather Dale a while back. Suffice it to say… I want your feedback for the new year. If you have questions or comments. If you have your own story to share, I'd love to hear it and share it with our listeners. Feel free to send an audio file, if you like. Or just email me follow@bestcelticmusic 27:19 - May Will Bloom "Gypsy Rover" from live recording at IrishFest Atlanta 30:25 - Irish Brothers "Brennan on the Moor" from live recording at IrishFest Atlanta 33:03 - The Muckers "The Crash" from live recording at IrishFest Atlanta 36:40 - THANKS 38:26 - STORY OF HEROES OF OUR TIME and ONE OF US One of my family's favorite songs by Heather Dale is the song "One of Us". She talks about it. 45:12 - Heather Dale "One of Us" from Imagineer 48:32 - STORY OF LEAF 53:02 - Heather Dale "Leaf" from Sphere 56:54 - CLOSING 57:48 - Fialla "Not a Doctor" from live recording 1:02:42 - CREDITS Support for this program comes from Cascadia Cross Border Law Group, Creating Transparent Borders for more than twenty five years, serving Alaska and the world. Find out more at   www.CascadiaLawAlaska.com Support for this program comes from Hank Woodward. Support for this program comes from Dr. Annie Lorkowski of Centennial Animal Hospital in Corona, California. Support for this program comes from International speaker, Joseph Dumond, teaching the ancient roots of the Gaelic people. Learn more about their origins at Sightedmoon.com The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was produced by Marc Gunn, The Celtfather and our Patrons on Patreon. The show was edited by Mitchell Petersen with Graphics by Miranda Nelson Designs. Visit our website to follow the show. You'll find links to all of the artists played in this episode. Todd Wiley is the editor of the Celtic Music Magazine. Subscribe to get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free. Plus, you'll get 7 weekly news items about what's happening with Celtic music and culture online. Best of all, you will connect with your Celtic heritage. Please tell one friend about this podcast. Word of mouth is the absolute best way to support any creative endeavor. Finally, remember. Clean energy isn't just good for the planet, it's good for your wallet. Solar and wind are now the cheapest power sources in history. But too many politicians would rather protect billionaires than help working families save on their bills. Real change starts when we stop allowing the ultra - rich to write our energy policy and run our government. Let's choose affordable, renewable power. Clean energy means lower costs, more freedom, and a planet that can actually breathe. Promote Celtic culture through music at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/. WELCOME THE IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODCAST * Helping you celebrate Celtic culture through music. I am Marc Gunn. I'm a Celtic musician and also host of Pub Songs & Stories. Every song has a story, every episode is a toast to Celtic and folk songwriters. Discover the stories behind the songs from the heart of the Celtic pub scene. This podcast is for fans of all kinds of Celtic music. We are here to build a diverse Celtic community and help the incredible artists who so generously share their music with you. If you hear music you love, please email artists to let them know you heard them on the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast. Musicians depend on your generosity to release new music. So please find a way to support them. Buy a CD, Album Pin, Shirt, Digital Download, or join their community on Patreon. You can find a link to all of the artists in the shownotes, along with show times, when you visit our website at celticmusicpodcast.com. Email follow@bestcelticmusic to learn how to subscribe to the podcast and you will get a free music - only episode. You'll also learn how to get your band played on the podcast. Bands don't need to send in music, and you will get a free eBook called Celtic Musicians Guide to Digital Music. It's 100% free. Again email follow@bestcelticmusic I have an interesting show for you today as we wait for the results of the Celtic Top 20 and we finish our annual Celtic Christmas episode. First, I reached out to Celtic musicians on the show and asked for them to email audio recordings of live performances they did. I had only a couple responses. In fact, the first artist you heard today was… But I also recorded a bunch of performances at IrishFest Atlanta this year. I got permission to use many of those recordings for this special episode. These are live, raw recordings that I made in the audience. So you'll hear people chatting and weird sounds throughout. But we did our best to get you some of the best recordings from this show. If you have a live recording you made, send it to me. Because I would like to do this again next year. Finally, I found pieces of an interview I did with Heather Dale a couple years back. I'm slipping those recordings, along with some of her music and the stories behind the songs. THANK YOU PATRONS OF THE PODCAST! Because of generous patrons like you, the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast releases new episodes nearly every single week. Your support doesn't just fund the show—it fuels a movement. It helps us share the magic of Celtic music with thousands of new listeners and grow a global community of music lovers. Your contributions pay for everything behind the scenes: audio engineering, stunning graphics, weekly issues of the Celtic Music Magazine, show promotion, and—most importantly—buying the music we feature from indie Celtic artists. And if you're not yet a patron? You're missing out! Patrons get: Early access to episodes Music - only editions Free MP3 downloads Exclusive stories and artist interviews A vote in the Celtic Top 20 Join us today and help keep the music alive, vibrant, and independent.

Few, if any, know new Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding better than John Cox. The pair have been friends since Golding was 18-years-old. Cox was with Golding at Delta State. He was a sounding board if Golding needed it during one of the most chaotic coaching exits in college football history. Suffice to say, Golding has Cox's full support and belief. The No. 6-ranked Rebels (11-1) are off this week but return to practice on Monday to prepare for the postseason. Ole Miss is poised to host a first-round College Football Playoff game in two weeks.Our Sponsors:* Check out FRE and use my code LISTEN20 for a great deal: https://frepouch.com* Check out Underdog Fantasy and use my code CHAMPIONS for a great deal: https://underdogfantasy.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Mason writes "I'm not quite sure how to start this other than with my first encounter. In the summer of 2013 or 2014, I went camping with my friend Perry and his father in upstate New York, we lived in Saranac Lake, which is 15 minutes down the road from Lake Placid where the 1980 miracle on ice occurred. Upstate New York is nothing like the city that the state is most famously known for, its mountainous, and covered in forests, and is also home to the Adirondack state park, where our little town was nestled. We had gone with his nearly estranged father to a camping ground near a lake, which one I cannot remember, as the area is littered with them. What I do remember however is Perry's father had stopped us setting up camp to tell us a scary story, ironically enough about Sasquatch. He told us a story about it taking food and attacking campers, but the two of us both teenagers, blew off his story. I for one have always had an interest in Bigfoot, but growing up, every adult in my life had talked down to me or made fun of this interest, causing me to in a sense disengage from them when they attempted to talk shop with me.  This camp ground was large, and had over 20 slots, and his father had splurged in an attempt to reconcile with Perry, opting to rent a site next to the lake. Between our campsite and every other was about 100 feet of thick woods, to allow privacy between the families camping. At the time I believe it was us, and two other families as it was nearing the end of summer, and they were a few sites away from us. The camping was fun, and nothing too exciting occurred other than the three of us learning to set up an over complicated bass pro tent for a small family. At around 10 o'clock that night give or take an hour we had been sitting around our campfire when Perry's father's demeanor changed. For most of this day we had all three been very excited and having fun, but at this point in the night he seemed to suddenly become very serious. He got us to clean up our campsite and pack up everything aside from a large cooler he had brought along. Then he had ushered us into the tent. Perry and I, both being 13 or 14, were still awake, laughing over dumb jokes and attempting not to wake Perry's father when we began to hear walking. At this time I had not been as well versed of the sounds of the woods as I would become later in life, but even then I could distinguish the sound of bipedal walking, especially when it sounded heavy. We heard something begin to approach our campsite, and at first I had wondered if it were a loon or heron which were all over the lake during the day. This however was quickly disproven when it approached our tent. Perry's face suddenly became filled with fear, fear which matched the sudden sinking feeling growing in my chest and stomach. I had turned slightly to my left, onto my back, as I was closest to the side this unknown had approached, and something inside me demanded I not have my back to whatever this was. We sat there for what felt like forever, but could only have been a minute, when the side of the tent began to push in slowly, what was pushing it in has never left me. What I can only describe as a poorly outlined hand had pushed in the side of the tent. The tent wall had bulged inwards a good five or six inches and was starting to stretch as far inward as it could before the tent began to bend. The hand itself reminded me of my fathers hand, he is a man of 6 feet and over 250 pounds, and had hands that remind me of the cartoon character wreck it Ralph, or more accurately like a baseball glove. What shocked me most of all was that this hand seemed to be double or triple the size of my father's hands.  I believe if it were not for what happened next, it may have kept moving its hand further. Perry's father actively spoke in his sleep, a quirk of his that I at the time did not know. He had said something quiet, but just loud enough that it caused this hand to pull away. It was at this moment that the air began to feel electrified, like we had done something wrong, and the fear in my body then and even now rewriting this spiked. The woods had gone deadly silent, the only sound we could hear was the water from the lake make ten feet from our tent.  We froze, Perry and I had lain as flat as possible to avoid bringing attention to ourselves, and were doing our best to slow our breathing, to keep quiet. Perry's father however had mumbled something else, and Perry decided he would attempt to wake him. It half worked, as his father seemed to hear Perry whispering to him, because the next thing I knew his father chuckled and said "You're trying to scare me for the story aren't you? Not gonna work" and moments later, his father was once again asleep. As he spoke, we heard and felt the steps from earlier walk away from us, further into our campsite. We had pitched our tent on the edge of the site because a large picnic table sat in the center, this table is where we left our cooler. I mention this because you could hear the wood suddenly creaking as if something heavy was leaned on it or sat on it. Following this was the sound of the cooler opening, and the sound of plastic bags and cans being sorted through.  Perry and I held our breath, terrified. At the time I refused to believe it was Bigfoot, because I did not want what was happening to ruin my enjoyment of the subject.  We listened to it for quite some time, I believe four or five minutes, rummaging through the cooler, before we heard the cooler close, and the steps begin to move away. The next thing we heard was something entering the water, and the sound of something swimming away.  We stayed awake after that, or more accurately I did, Perry eventually got to sleep, I can only imagine he was exhausted from the terror we had felt. I, in my infinite wisdom of a brazen 13 or 14 year old, waited for sunrise to exit the tent, where I found our cooler still on the table but moved, and many of the items we had brought in the cooler strewn about the site. I did not see tracks, as the ground here was too hard, but what I did notice was that the cooler felt oily on the handles, like someone who had washed their hands in seed oils had touched it, or someone who had done an oil change had just manhandled the cooler. It also smelled slightly of mildew, or more accurately it smelled like stale air.  When Perry woke and so did his father, Perry apparently had decided to not talk about what had happened, and his father thought I was trying to scare him for as he put it "payback for yesterdays story". Suffice to say, I had grown a pair of eyes in the back of my head that night, which would keep me aware in the woods for years to come. My second encounter is extremely brief, and at the time I was convinced by my mother that it was simply foxes attempting to mate. For you if you want to see where this one occurred, we lived at  220 Riverside Drive, Saranac Lake New York. Down the road from my old home was thick woods that went on fire miles, which are still there. My home was just up the road from it. I know this had occurred in 2014 because my father had given me an IPad he no longer wanted for my birthday which was in March of that year. I had been up late watching YouTube, and enjoying some pirated shows on the site, and when I say late I mean 1 or 2 AM late.  I had always been spooked by sounds I'd never heard before, but never as afraid as what this would do to me.  I had just decided I needed to sleep when my dog Lakota, a Keeshond I just recently adopted began to whine. His cage was in my room. For context, this home was three stories tall, but built on an a steep hill. We had gotten this home from a family friend who had been building it for himself, but decided he didn't want it when he found a "better property". My room was on the "ground floor". I put this in quotations because my room and the entire left half of the ground floor sat 10 feet above the driveway. The driveway, was about 40 or 50 feet long, extending past our house to a garage which is built into the hill, the hill itself was covered in thick woods and it was maybe 70 feet between our house and the people behind it. The driveway itself also opened a path up behind the garage, up into the woods.  So my room is about 10 feet above the driveway, but directly beside it, and I have a single window here. I had the window partly cracked, and my room was pretty quiet, I was trying not to wake my mother upstairs because her room was directly above mine and she could be very upset if I was too loud and woke her up. I was relaxed and enjoying myself as I had said before when a sound I can only describe as a bloody scream exploded up from the driveway. It was both deep and high pitched, and vibrated the glass in the windows, my TV and my entire body. I was instantly overcome with the deepest fear I have ever felt, and I threw the iPad down. Normally if I heard something that scared me I would just close the window and my bedroom door and hide under the covers, but this filled me with so much terror I threw my iPad, left my dog behind and went running into the hall. As soon as I made it into the hall, I could hear something in the distance answer back. I too began screaming, only instead of a guttural two toned shrieking I began screaming for my mother. She came rushing down the stairs, I can only assume she too was awoken by these sounds. She however was angry with me. According to her that was foxes sending out a mating call. I had told her I don't believe her and her response still sticks with me as an oddly funny reaction to such a terrifying moment. "What do you want me to do? Go outside and shoot it? I'm not doing that!"  I believe my panic had sent the screamer away from our home, because I never heard that sound again after the initial scream and answer from down the road.  For years I just accepted my mother's reality, because I didn't know what else it could be, until I was listening to your show. I'm not sure what episode it was but I know the sound. The moment I heard it I had a full blown panic attack, and was brought right back to that night. Every time I hear that sound I go back, not as panicked as before thankfully, but that sound will haunt me for the rest of my life. It is only thanks to you that I know what it was now. The audio I think of sounds feminine almost, like a banshee almost, and is followed by a deep call at the end. I believe it may have been on a recent episode. Now for my final encounter or rather what I'd refer to as the most terrifying 3 months of my life.  I moved to Virginia in 2016, and have lived here since then. It was last year, 2024, when I had lost my job in retail. I had lost my grandmother who had been there my whole life, she had been there for me when I lost my sister in 2009 and even been there holding one of my mothers legs when I was born. This loss had hit me hard and I had lost the passion I had for my job and most things around me. It had been my spouse Lynn's suggestion that I go into something new, something that got me outside, to help me find my passion for work again. So I applied to FedEX Ground in Winchester Virginia, and to my delight I got the job fairly quickly. I was trained, and put into my own truck within a month and a half of getting the gig. My route was Luray Virginia, specifically the area around Highway US-211 East, called Fairview. This area is mostly hills, woods, farms, pastures, and creeks. This is about as rural as you can get, internet vanishes here, your phone loses signal, and most people you speak to is related to five others here. I loved my route, except for three places on it. To start was Piney Mountain Road. Piney Mountain goes up to a small paved circle where houses have mailboxes. The houses these boxes belong to were each up a steep mountain whose roads were carved out of the mud and dirt between trees, and every driveway was a challenge: the worst of all was at the top of the mountain, where a house had an inclined driveway. This driveway had no good turn arounds aside from a small patch of dirt that sat precariously over a small drop of about 70 feet onto a slope with a slight incline of 80°. I would have to do an eleven point turn to turn my vehicle around and then pray to god my brakes didn't give out as I delivered these peoples packages. Well the more I delivered to them, the more I felt like someone was going to come out of the woods and attack me in the truck.  Every time I delivered to this home I was filled with dread to the point I once just left their boxes in the driveway and nearly killed myself flying down the mountain. There was one night however, when I was out extremely late delivering, that I arrived at the paved circle at the bottom of the mountain, and decided I was never driving up there again. I parked and was on the phone with my spouse, with an earbud in one ear. I was delivering to the only house at the bottom before I was to go up the mountain, when I began to hear nearly every sound I've ever heard you play on the podcast start up that mountain, I heard arguing samurai chatter, I heard howling, screaming, I heard branches and trees being torn apart, and I flew into my truck, leaving their packages in a drop box that belonged their neighbors and I left in tears. Next, would be Morning Star Road or as google calls it "Jewell Hollow Road." Not much happened here aside from two things. I saw a distant figure up on a hill one day for maybe a moment that was man shaped and black, and an old woman who told me and I quote her directly "the boogers don't like you speeding around here." To finish out I would have to drive up a road directly behind the Shenandoah national park HQ, East Rocky Branch. This road went far back into the woods, surround by it really, on the right side of the road was a 10 foot drop into a ditch with a river at the center, and on the left was a hill connected to a small mountain. I drove this entire road, delivering boxes to every house, except for the ones at the ends. Every time I would drive down this road I would get an odd feeling, like I was being watched. I had chalked it up to paranoia; because I had been listening to your shows episodes I'd downloaded on the app, I just had become a true member and not an Apple podcast listener anymore. For months I was just calling it paranoia, denying the occasional stick break, the woods going silent, or the feeling of being watched. There was even a point when I had gone a different road this occurred so I assumed I had just begun overthinking, until the last two months I worked for FedEX. I had a house I delivered to at the end, which had a large cleared yard with trees surrounding it. There was a large opening about maybe 40 feet wide that looked all the way to a small waterfall about 200 feet from where I'd park in their gravel driveway. I had met the family who lived here a few times, and the father was a good 6'5 maybe 6'6. This is important because I would often see the father about halfway back towards this waterfall, and he would stand beside a tree in this clear view in order to talk with me as I delivered packages, mainly to tell me where to place them. It was November, and I was arriving in their driveway on a day they must not have been home, because their car that usually blocked me from doing an easy turn around in this driveway was gone. So I parked sideways in the driveway, and began to take their package out. I hadn't noticed it yet, but the woods were silent aside from the occasional gust of wind. The package was quite heavy; and I had been spouting some expletives as I was not in the best of shape, but I eventually got it on their porch. Once I did, I turned around and looked back in the clearing. What I saw fills me with dread to this day. "