Podcasts about Swedish

In July 1985, music legends Mick Jagger and David Bowie were asked to perform a duet with a twist at Live Aid, the biggest concert in pop history. Utilising the latest satellite technology, Mick would perform on the US stage in Philadelphia, while David would perform on the UK stage at Wembley Stadium. As the technical issues were being discussed, it soon became obvious that a half-second delay in the link between cities would prevent the live performance from happening, so a recording was planned instead. A short list of songs was discussed before the duo finally settled on the Motown classic Dancing in the Street. Live Aid press officer Bernard Doherty tells Des Shaw how the duet and video were recorded in just 18 hours and became a highlight of the benefit concert on 13 July 1985. A Zinc Media production.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic' and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy's Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they've had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America's occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.(Photo: Mick Jagger and David Bowie performing Dancing In The Street. Credit: Getty Images)

Listener Dickson Mukisa from Uganda has been gazing up at the stars. But he's not making wishes. He wants to know whether we can harness their energy, in the same way we do with our OWN star – the sun. After all, they may seem small and twinkly to us, but each one is a gigantic flaming ball of energy, with a power outputs averaging around 40 quadrillion kilowatt-hours per year – EACH! With somewhere between 100 and 400 BILLION stars in our own galaxy alone, that's a lot of power! Can we get ‘solar power' from stars that are such a long way away from earth? And what might we use it for? Alex Lathbridge heads to the University College London Observatory, to peer through the eyepiece of an enormous telescope and see some stars for himself. Professor Steve Fossey explains just how much of the light energy of the stars reaches us on earth. In other words, how BRIGHT they are. Once the starlight reaches earth of course, we have to capture it. Could traditional solar panels do the job? Alex meets Professor Henry Snaith from the University of Oxford, to find out about the future of photovoltaic technology, and why it could all be heading out to space. Once in space, things start getting weird! What if we made an enormous fleet of solar panels, and put them all into orbit around a star, soaking up every last drop of that precious energy? That might sound like science fiction, but the idea has been around for decades. It's called a Dyson Sphere, or Dyson Swarm. Swedish researcher at the Insitute for Future Studies, Anders Sandberg explains how we might be able to build one around a neighbouring star... in around 10,000 years or so. But maybe it's not all about light. Finally, Alex explores the mysterious, invisible energy of the ‘solar wind', with Pekka Janhunen, Finnish physicist and inventor of the “E-Sail”, which might be able to harness the power of the stellar wind, too. Presenter: Alex Lathbridge Producer: Emily Knight Series Producer: Ben Motley(Image: Astronomer looking at the starry skies with a telescope. Credit: m-gucci via Getty Images)

The boys-only episode talks about layoffs sweeping through top Swedish studios before diving into yet another round of Xbox layoffs. In this episode, we also cover Apple's ongoing cat-and-mouse game with the EU's DMA rules and unpack the critical difference between private equity and venture capital in gaming. The crew analyzes the early flop of Marvel Mystic Mayhem before talking about how Splitgate 2 is already struggling to justify its existence.02:36 Sweden's Gaming Industry Layoffs05:22 Gamescom Events Preview06:13 Microsoft Layoffs and Xbox Strategy13:29 Apple's Response to the DMA21:59 Private Equity vs. Venture Capital in Gaming32:41 Eve Online: Myth vs. Reality34:02 Uma Musume Pretty Derby's US Launch36:42 Marvel Mystic Mayhem's Struggles42:55 Rainbow Six Siege: A Decade of Success47:47 Splitgate 2: The Rise and Fall56:25 The Harsh Realities of the Gaming Market01:00:58 Up Next

Hannes Mogensen took the Swedish team to the gold medal on the JWOC relay after a really drama against Loic Berger - and Switzerland - on the last leg.He tells about how he felt when doing a beginner mistake at the arena passage, then turning that in to a win on the last part of the course!To get the best orienteering equipment, go to Noname webshop: https://webshop.nonamesport.com/en/with the code: "IvarNat20", you will get 20% off!To get the premium at Livelox, use: "2XIVAR" (both capital letter and small caps works)To get the best orienteering trainings, check out: O-Portugal.ptShoes for running on trails, flat and terrain:https://scantrade.no/merker/scott-l%C3%B8p/sko

Judging by how often US President Donald Trump has repeated the slogan “Drill, baby, drill”, you might think he coined it. But the phrase actually dates back to 2008. It was at the Republican National Convention that former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele first used it, arguing the United States needed to become energy independent. The slogan, the result of what Michael describes as a late-night epiphany, quickly entered the mainstream of American politics - adopted by a range of politicians in the years that followed. He shares his memories of that moment with Marco Silva.This programme contains archive from: C-SPAN, PBS Newshour, Fox News, and CNN.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic' and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy's Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they've had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America's occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.(Photo: Michael Steele. Credit: Getty Images)

Roster changes hit the scene! Analyzing all the moves that have happened and are yet to happen, including makazze to NAVI (for who?), zweih to Spirit, Perfecto to VP, and more in addition to season breakdown.➡️ Follow us for updates:   / hltvconfirmed  

On 1 July 2015, a much-loved lion was killed in Zimbabwe by an American trophy hunter.Black-maned Cecil was one of the star attractions at Hwange National Park. He was baited outside the park and shot with a bow.American dentist Walter Palmer, who reportedly paid a local guide $50,000 to shoot Cecil, was widely condemned. He said he didn't know Cecil was a known local favourite and had relied on the expertise of a local professional guide to carry out a legal hunt.He was cleared of any wrongdoing but the killing became international news and sparked a global debate about trophy hunting and its role in conservation.Prof Andrew Loveridge, who had been tracking Cecil for the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, tells Vicky Farncombe about the moment he was told the lion had died.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic' and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy's Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they've had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America's occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.(Photo: Cecil the lion. Credit: Brent Stapelkamp)

In the summer of 1946, the skies over Scandinavia were alive with unexplained activity. Strange lights and cigar-shaped objects had been seen darting across the sky, often moving too fast and too precisely to be dismissed as meteors. They came without sound, left no debris, and vanished before they could be traced.But in the Swedish town of Ängelholm, just as that wave of sightings was peaking, something else happened, something far more direct.A man claimed he didn't just see a strange object flying overhead. He said it landed. He said he approached it. And he said the encounter was unlike anything he had ever experienced before or since.Brief Encounters is a tightly produced, narrative podcast that dives headfirst into the world of UFO sightings, the paranormal, cryptids, myths, and unexplained legends. From ancient sky wars to modern close encounters, each episode takes listeners on a journey through some of the most mysterious and compelling cases in human history. Whether it's a well-documented military sighting or an eerie village legend whispered across generations, Brief Encounters delivers each story with atmosphere, depth, and cinematic storytelling. Episodes are short and binge-worthy perfect for curious minds on the go. In just 5 to 10 minutes, listeners are pulled into carefully researched accounts that blend historical context, eyewitness testimony, and chilling details. The series moves between eras and continents, uncovering not only the famous cases you've heard of, but also the forgotten incidents that deserve a closer look. Each story is treated with respect, skepticism, and wonder offering both seasoned enthusiasts and casual listeners something fresh to consider. Whether it's a 15th-century sky battle over Europe, a cryptid sighting in a remote forest, or a modern-day abduction report from rural America, Brief Encounters is your guide through the shadows of our world and the stories that refuse to be explained.UFO Chronicles Podcast can be found on all podcast players and on the website: https://ufochroniclespodcast.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/ufo-chronicles-podcast--3395068/support.

Have you ever looked around your house, or in your closet, and wondered where did all that shtuff come from? Most of us have acquired a lot of shtuff over our lifetime, some are precious keepsakes, but the majority of our worldly possessions are just things.Have you ever wondered what would happen to all that shtuff if your children, relatives, or friends were responsible for disposing it? Research tells us our kids don't want our shtuff, and the burden of disposing someone's worldly possessions is a practical, psychological, and emotional journey not for the faint of heart.Please join us as we discuss the book, The Swedish Art of Death Cleaning, and how to spare our loved ones of that burden.

Today we'll be talking about outrage in Thailand over alleged coup rhetoric at a recent rally, an Australian tourist causing a rampage in Pattaya, and a little later, a Thai mother's desperate plea for police to arrest her drug-addicted son.

SEGMENTS00:00 Taste of the episode 01:52 Introduction to Greg Dingizian 04:22 How intentional was Greg's success? 06:07 Where the name “Agharta” came from 07:18 How Armenian roots influenced Greg 08:52 What Armenian and Swedish cultures can learn from each other 10:33 Suffering, grace and victimhood 12:40 Creating life experience from inside out 14:29 Gyurjieff and the mental prisons we cannot escape 14:52 Seeing through illusions 17:17 The illusion of “getting there” with money 18:28 Many ways spiritual understanding can evolve 23:41 Greg warns: too much focus on the external 26:58 How to set business goals 29:51 Finding qualified critics and idea meritocracy 31:31 Find what feels like play to you, but seems like work to others 34:05 Taking daring action and what prevents it 37:06 The role of mentors and how to find them 39:15 “Going to get it” vs “allowing it to come to you” 39:58 Mutual factors behind Esabelle and Greg's success 42:32 “Who am I”? 44:28 Techniques, thoughts, emotions 46:21 Emptying the mind 48:24 Intuition and not following conventions 49:51 Transcending the intellect and touching wisdom 50:47 The most demanded skill in 10 years52:14 Artificial intelligence 53:54 Bigger shifts to come 55:53 Hope for a global awakening 58:22 Word association game with Greg (from politics to meditation) 01:00:15 Reminder: just chop wood and carry water--My podcast guest is what some might call a "hippie billionaire," a man who attributes his success to quieting the mind, meditation, intuition and taking daring action inspired by stillness.While in Malmö, I had the chance to interview Greg Dingizian, a visionary Swedish-Armenian investor and one of our nation's most affluent sons.Greg is behind some of Sweden's most significant real estate deals, including Victoria Park, a company he helped build and later sold in a landmark acquisition valued at nearly €1 billion.The real reason I wanted to interview Greg is the source of his success - accessing the stillness within, as he attributes it, in very simple terms. For example, he shares how the idea for Victoria came "as a download" when he was swimming.Greg says mindfulness and meditation gave him his life back, which is why he donated 6 million SEK to Malmö University, to fund research on mindfulness. We covered a lot in an hour: → the illusions he had to give up to become what he has, → his techniques and core principles, → AI, → Armenia, Sweden and being an immigrant,→ mentorship, money and company culture,→ compassion, forgiveness and suffering, → finding critics, intuition and transcending the intellect, → meditation on "I am," → what Greg hopes for and anticipates: a global awakening and the collapse of dominant structures.Greg is also the founder of "Bridge to Armenia," now led by his sister, Ezabelle Dingizian, the former Deputy Speaker of the Swedish Parliament. I just loved co-creating this episode. It was honest. Joyful. Deep. I think you'll feel it too.Thank you for tuning in, prioritizing your self-realization and listening beyond the word.Razmik#podcast #mentalhealth #success #GregDingizian #consciousleadership #meditation #Armenia #Sweden #mindfulness #coaching #marketing #money #productivity #entrepreneurship #personalgrowth #spiritualbusiness #business

The iPhone production demans plenty of rare resources, but the product lifespan is often cut short because of minor deficiencies, which lead to tons of unnecessary e-waste and carbon emissions. The Finnish company Swappie aims to give iPhones a second or third chance in the hands of consumers. After nine years of operations, it has over 700 employees and operates on 11 different markets. So how do you scale a circular business model with the use of trust, storytelling, AI and automation? Let's find out. This conversation took place on stage at Norrsken House in Stockholm as part of an event on circular economy. Also make sure to check out the whitepaper that Karin refers to in the episode. Podcast host: Christian von Essen // Learn more at hejaframtiden.se and sign up for the Swedish newsletter on Substack.

Fluent Fiction - Swedish: Secrets Unveiled: Midsommar's Journalistic Quest for Truth Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sv/episode/2025-06-30-22-34-02-sv Story Transcript:Sv: Solen sken över Stockholm den där sommarkvällen på Midsommar.En: The sun shone over Stockholm that summer evening on Midsommar.Sv: Blommor prydde staden, och ljudet av skratt och musik hördes överallt.En: Flowers adorned the city, and the sound of laughter and music was heard everywhere.Sv: Men inne i den stora konferenshallen var stämningen mer spänd.En: But inside the large conference hall, the atmosphere was more tense.Sv: Internationella delegater hade samlats till det prestigefyllda toppmötet.En: International delegates had gathered for the prestigious summit.Sv: Bland dem, gömda i folkmassan, fanns Emil och Astrid, två av journalistvärldens detektiver för de närmaste dagarna.En: Among them, hidden in the crowd, were Emil and Astrid, two of the journalistic detectives for the coming days.Sv: Emil, med sin erfarenhet och skarpa observation, hade en känsla för när något var fel.En: Emil, with his experience and sharp observation, had a sense for when something was wrong.Sv: Astrid, ivrig och full av energi, sökte ständigt efter sitt stora genombrott.En: Astrid, eager and full of energy, was constantly searching for her big breakthrough.Sv: De hade fått nys om en potentiell skandal kring en av nyckeltalarna, en man med mycket makt och inflytande.En: They had caught wind of a potential scandal surrounding one of the keynote speakers, a man with a lot of power and influence.Sv: "Vi måste vara försiktiga", viskade Emil medan de promenerade genom de gyllene korridorerna.En: "We must be careful," Emil whispered as they walked through the golden corridors.Sv: "Vi kan inte publicera något utan bevis."En: "We can't publish anything without proof."Sv: Astrid nickade, men hennes ögon lyste av ambition.En: Astrid nodded, but her eyes shone with ambition.Sv: "Om vi får det här rätt, kan det bli stort.En: "If we get this right, it can be big.Sv: Jag kan inte missa den här chansen, Emil."En: I can't miss this chance, Emil."Sv: Timmarna gick.En: Hours passed.Sv: De frågade ut flera deltagare och undersökte noggrant ryktena.En: They interrogated several participants and thoroughly investigated the rumors.Sv: Emil kände nervositeten stiga men höll sig lugn.En: Emil felt the nervousness rise but remained calm.Sv: Astrid visade sin talang för att ställa rätt frågor.En: Astrid displayed her talent for asking the right questions.Sv: De arbetade tillsammans, trots deras olika perspektiv.En: They worked together, despite their different perspectives.Sv: Snart hade de tillräckligt med information för att konfrontera talaren.En: Soon they had enough information to confront the speaker.Sv: Den avgörande stunden var inne, och de gick mot hans hotellrum.En: The critical moment was at hand, and they headed to his hotel room.Sv: Emil knackade försiktigt på dörren.En: Emil knocked gently on the door.Sv: Talaren öppnade, hans ansikte blev blekt när han såg deras allvarliga uttryck.En: The speaker opened, his face turning pale when he saw their serious expressions.Sv: "Vad vill ni?"En: "What do you want?"Sv: "Vi har bevis för oegentligheter", sade Astrid, rösten i en blandning av säkerhet och oro.En: "We have evidence of irregularities," said Astrid, her voice a mix of confidence and concern.Sv: Emil höll fram dokumenten med bevisen de samlat.En: Emil held out the documents with the evidence they had gathered.Sv: Det blev en tyst konfrontation, fylld med spänning.En: It was a silent confrontation, filled with tension.Sv: Talaren vek sig under pressen och erkände till slut sina fel.En: The speaker crumbled under the pressure and eventually admitted his faults.Sv: Skandalen var nu ett faktum.En: The scandal was now a fact.Sv: Samma kväll publicerade Emil och Astrid artikeln tillsammans.En: That same evening, Emil and Astrid published the article together.Sv: De hade avslöjat skandalen utan att falla i frestelsen för genvägar.En: They had exposed the scandal without falling into the temptation of shortcuts.Sv: Emil lärde sig att uppskatta Astrids energi och intuition.En: Emil learned to appreciate Astrid's energy and intuition.Sv: Astrid, i sin tur, förstod värdet av ärlighet och samarbete.En: Astrid, in turn, understood the value of honesty and collaboration.Sv: När de senare gick genom Stockholms gator, med midsommarsång ekandes i natten, visste de att de hade gjort det rätta.En: As they later walked through the streets of Stockholm, with the midsommar song echoing in the night, they knew they had done the right thing.Sv: Deras berättelse viskades bland deltagarna, och toppmötet förändrades för alltid.En: Their story was whispered among the participants, and the summit was changed forever.Sv: Kartan må ha varit full av hinder, men tillsammans hade de navigerat den till framgång.En: The map may have been full of obstacles, but together they had navigated it to success.Sv: Det var en midsommar de aldrig skulle glömma.En: It was a Midsommar they would never forget. Vocabulary Words:adorned: pryddetense: spändprestigious: prestigefylldadetectives: detektiverobservation: observationsharp: skarpaambition: ambitionpotential: potentiellscandal: skandalinfluence: inflytandecorridors: korridorernaevidence: bevisinterrogate: frågade utrumors: ryktenanervousness: nervositetenconfront: konfronteracritical: avgörandepale: blektirregularities: oegentligheterconfidence: säkerhetconcern: oroconfrontation: konfrontationpressure: pressenadmitted: erkändefaults: feltemptation: frestelsenshortcuts: genvägarcollaboration: samarbeteechoing: ekandesnavigate: navigerat

While visiting friends in Uruguay, British teacher Tom Michell saw a penguin covered in oil and tar on a beach. Tom cleaned the bird as best he could and then tried to release it. The penguin refused to return to the wild, it just followed Tom around. So he took it home, smuggling the animal across the border into Argentina where he lived and worked at a boarding school. The penguin became a part of his life, and the school's life - with a remarkable influence on everyone who came into contact with it.Later Tom entertained his children, friends and family with tales of the penguin. He put those stories into a bestselling book, The Penguin Lessons, now the subject of a film starring British comedian Steve Coogan.Lives Less Ordinary is a podcast from the BBC World Service that brings you the most incredible true stories from around the world. Step into someone else's life and expect the unexpected.    Each episode a guest shares their most dramatic, moving, personal story. Listen for unbelievable twists, mysteries uncovered, and inspiring journeys - spanning the entire human experience. These are stories that stay with you.    Our guests come from every corner of the globe: from Burundi to Beverly Hills, New Zealand to North Korea, Rajasthan to Rio. And their stories can be about anything: tales of survival, humour or resilience. From the mind-blowing account of the Japanese man trapped in his own reality TV show, to the Swedish women rescued from lions by a tin of spam. It's life's wild side, in stereo. Lives Less Ordinary is brought to you by the team behind Outlook, the home of true life storytelling on BBC World Service radio for nearly 60 years.   Got a story to tell? Send an email to liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or message us via WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784Presenter: Asya Fouks Producer: Hetal BapodraYou can read our privacy notice here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5YD3hBqmw26B8WMHt6GkQxG/lives-less-ordinary-privacy-notice

Send us a textIn this week's Journal Club, Ben and Daphna unpack a series of recent studies exploring outcomes in neonatology—from long-term mortality after severe neonatal morbidity to short-term feeding strategies in preterm infants.They open with a large population-based Swedish study showing that infants who experience severe neonatal morbidities face elevated mortality risks well into adolescence—especially those with neurological complications. The discussion highlights how early-life diagnoses carry weight far beyond the NICU, and how long-term support systems may not be fully equipped to manage that risk.Next, the hosts examine a small German crossover trial on prone positioning, revealing that even simple changes in posture may cut hypoxemic episodes in half. They follow this with a randomized trial comparing dopamine and norepinephrine for neonatal septic shock, a data-heavy look at the nuanced physiology behind first-line interventions.The episode rounds out with studies on cold milk for feeding dysphagia, late-onset sepsis risk with hydrocortisone, the impact of tele-neonatology on cooling time in HIE, and a new meta-analysis on kangaroo care's role in reducing infection.It's a pragmatic, fast-paced overview of recent literature shaping how we care for vulnerable newborns. As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below. Enjoy!

Psalm 90,Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.3 You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!”4 For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.5 You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning:6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.7 For we are brought to an end by your anger; by your wrath we are dismayed.8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.9 For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh.10 The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty;yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.11 Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you?12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.13 Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants!14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil.16 Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands! Admiral Jim Stockdale was one of the most highly decorated officers in the history of the Navy — some of you have heard of him before. He was a fighter pilot in the Vietnam War and he's most famous for an ordeal that began on September 9, 1965. He took off in his A-4 Skyhawk for a normal mission, but this time, on his way back, he got shot down, ejected from his plane, and landed in a village where he was captured by the enemy. They held him as a prisoner of war from 1965 to 1973 — he was kept in solitary confinement for four years, in leg irons for two years, and he was physically tortured at least 15 times.And he survived. He was later released and obviously everybody was fascinated by his story. Stockdale wrote a couple of books about his experience, but he was made most popular by a business book that includes an interview with him. In that book, the author asked him, How'd you do it? How'd you make it through that time?And Stockdale said here's the key:“You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end […] with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality […].”In other words, you must hold together brutal facts and prevailing hope. This has become known as the “Stockdale Paradox” — or we could just call it the message of Psalm 90.Stockdale's answer is what we find in this psalm, which is relevant to all of us, because Psalm 90 is about life in a fallen world. The question behind this psalm is: How do you make it here? How do you do really live in this world? — that's the question. Anybody interested in that?! And this psalm shows us how in two parts: Verses 1–11 is You face the brutal facts.Verses 12–17 is You remember our prevailing hope.That's what we're gonna look at this morning. Father in heaven, thank you for your ancient words! And thank you for your Holy Spirit who is with us now. Speak to us, this morning, we pray, in Jesus's name, amen. Facing the Brutal Facts (verses 1–11)There are at least three ‘brutal' facts here, and as we look at them, I want us to think of these as facts that we would tell ourselves. So I'm gonna say them as things that you would say to yourself — #1 is this … if you want to make it in this world, face the fact that…1. God is God.Psalm 90 starts here:“Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.”Verse 1 shows us right away that Moses is looking up! He starts with “Lord, you” — which means he's reading his situation in light of the Lord. This is a prayer of faith. And so whatever else he might say in this psalm, we know first that he's saying it to God — he's bringing it to God. And he knows God. Verse 2:“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”God is God. And God didn't just start to be God yesterday, but he has always been God. He was God before there was anything else. Before the mountains of the earth — before even the earth itself — God was who he is. He's bigger than us; he's older than us, and he's in control. We don't need to say anything about ourselves until we first understand this: It's not our world that God is part of, but it's his world that we're part of it. It's not that we fit him into our plans, but we exist for his purposes. It's not our story that he serves, but it's his story that we find ourselves in.So before you get stuck in your own head — or if you need to get unstuck — remind yourself that God is God. I think Psalm 90:2 is a great verse to memorize. It's the foundational, barest fact of all facts. God is God!We start there. We say that to ourselves. And then, soon enough, we get to ourselves and we realize that if God is God, we are not God. We are creatures. We are created. We're made. We are not from everlasting to everlasting, but instead we're time-bound.One of the interesting things of this psalm is the prevalence of time language. Just listen to all these words used: Generations, years, morning, evening, days. These words show up 15 different times in 17 verses. And what they're doing is they're forming the confines in which we live. When it comes to us, there's a beginning and an end to our lives here …And that brings us to the second brutal fact. Face the fact that…2. You will die. This is where Moses goes next, in verse 3. He's says to God, You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!”And this sounds like Genesis 3:19. The mention of dust alongside the allusion to death takes us back to the Garden of Eden and the curse of sin, and that helps make sense of Moses as the author of this psalm. Moses, perhaps more than anybody, was well acquainted with the brutal facts of the human condition. He wrote the first five books of the Old Testament, including this quote from Genesis — so he knew the story well! He knew everything from the creation of man to the fall of man to how the reality of sin played itself out in the idolatry and rebellion of the people of Israel. Moses wrote the origin story, and he had a front row seat to its implications.And Moses knew that death was the consequence of sin.That's something we don't tend to think about. We know death is certain, but we don't usually connect it to the curse. We don't think when someone dies: This person died because of God's judgment on sin. But that's where Moses goes! Look at verse 7:“For we are brought to an end by your anger; by your wrath we are dismayed. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.”Verse 11:“Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you?”Moses connects the dots between God's judgment and death, and he leads us to do the same. That's the point of this rhetorical question in verse 11. He says Consider this! Think about this — because you probably haven't!Do you realize how effective God's curse on sin has been? God meant what he said when he told Adam in Genesis 2:17,“You shall surely die.”And for thousands of years, for billions and billions of people — for 110 people around the world every minute of every day — God has proven what he said. Every funeral you ever been to. Every loss in your life. Every graveyard you see with rows and rows of tombstones. They all testify to at least one fact: death is the curse of sin that God said it would be — Genesis 3:19, “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.” That is the only reason people die! Because God said that's what sin would bring. Because that's the judgment of God that sin would cost — God has never stopped paying that out. There is no escape.And for most of history, humans have been more in touch with their mortality than we are today.Today, as a society at large, we prefer to distract ourselves from it or numb ourselves to it. But that wasn't the case even 100 years ago.This Spring, Melissa and I were looking around at an antique shop, and I found this old framed print called “The Ages of Man.” It's an illustration of a man in eleven stages of life. At the center of it, there's the Garden of Eden and Adam eating the fruit — the fall of man which brought the curse — and then over to the left there's a stair climb up to a peak, and then a decline — it's goes up and then down, from cradle to grave. It's a visual reminder that you're gonna die.So I bought it … and brought it home, and put it in my study. And as I researched it, come to find out, there were countless prints like this, or iterations of it, that started circulating in the 16th century in the Western world. This particular one was published in 1906, but there are thousands and thousands of them in several different languages, and people used to have these prints hanging up in their homes and they'd see it everyday. We can hardly even think about our mortality. But brothers and sisters, friends, Psalm 90 is clear. You're going to die. Face it. Now to #3 … if you want to make it in this world, face the fact that…3. Life is hard. In case you thought death was the worst part, think again. The worst part, the brutalist fact, is that life is hard. And it's hard in part because it's so brief. That's the real contrast between God and us in Psalm 90. He is from everlasting to everlasting, and us … well … we get swept away with the rain. We're like a dream. We're like grass that's renewed in the morning, but then by evening, it's gone. Verse 9: our years come to an end like a sigh. Sigh — and we're gone.To really bring this point down for us, Moses gives a number in verse 10: Seventy years. That's the average. And this is fascinating. Think about this. Moses wrote this thousands of years ago — and there are different life expectancies in different parts of the world and there's been a little variance the past 200 years, but, altogether, 70 is about the average! Moses is right, and he's been right for a long time. Now, for some, Moses says, you might get to eighty. But you're talking that's an elite league.But 70–80 has been the standard life expectancy for most of human history — that's fascinating. Back before the flood, people lived a lot longer (I think that's the reference in verse 4). Kenan lived 910 years; Methuselah lived 969 years — that's a good run, but even that is like nothing before God. Methuselah's life to God is like yesterday afternoon. Yesterday afternoon! — that's a thousand years to God, so what about for 80 years? 70? Your life?It's a passing shadow. A vapor. And of that little vapor, that teeny little span, verse 10 says, is “but toil and trouble.”Wait, are we in Ecclesiastes? This sounds like Job on the worst day of his life (see Job 14:1–2)!No, we're in the psalms, and Psalm 90 is true. In that illustration of the stages of life — that picture now in my study — there's a caption beneath each decade that describes the decade, and the older the man gets, the bleaker the caption is (I had to use Google translate because it's in Swedish). But the caption under age 90 says, “At 90 years old, lame and bent, he has lost all memory of the joys of life.”It's kinda sad, but it's true to life under the curse. It's Psalm 90. And we need it. Now, of course, we can push back on all of this with some legitimate “whattabouts” — Whattabout this? Whattabout that? There are many blessings in this life! God's mercy is more! Amen! … but through verse 11, we need to hear Psalm 90 as it is. We find here the brutal facts about life in this world:God is God (not you).You're going to die.The brief time you have here is hard. Stockdale would say you gotta face the facts. Hold it here.But that's not the ending. Brutal facts are met with prevailing hope, and we find that in verse 12–17. Remember Our Prevailing Hope (verses 12–17)Verses 12–17 are six verses of petitions. Each verse is Moses asking God to do something surrounded by the background of these brutal facts. And we see two things here about hope.First, we see what hope does. How it drives Moses to pray a certain way.But secondly, and I think most important, we need to know what the hope actually is.We'll start with the is.What Hope IsIt's verses 13–14, and these are two verses I want to make sure you see. So everybody, do what you can to look at verse 13. Find verse 13.Moses prays: “13 Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants! 14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.”And the keyword here is “morning” in verse 14. It's the third time it's used in the psalm. Before I explain it, let me tell you first how I've always read this verse: I've understood it to mean that the way to rejoice and be glad all your days is to start each day, to spend each morning, getting your heart happy in Jesus.Meditate on the word of God, remember the love of God — private worship every morning. If you do that every morning, your days will be glad.That's how I've read Psalm 90:14, and that's been my practice, and guess what? I think it's true!I encourage all of you to start each morning in the word of God — be satisfied with the steadfast love of God! And, at the same time, I don't think that's what this verse is saying … because the word “morning” here is not referring to the literal morning.When “morning” is used in verses 5–6, it's symbolic of the earlier years of a person's life — it's the ascending stairs. When “morning” is used here in verse 14, it's symbolic of the new day of resurrected life. It's the reality of God doing what Moses prays in verse 13. Return, God! Come back! Fulfill your promises! Restore your people! Make all things new!In other words, “morning” in verse 14 is talking about heaven — the eternal morning.Moses is saying: if we can be satisfied with God's steadfast love in heaven — if that's our future, if God does that — then all our days here, on the way to that future, can have joy and gladness. Because we know that whatever happens here, the best yet to come! Whatever happens here, the worst thing is never the last thing. We have a future! We have a future with God! That's our hope. That's what the “morning” is referring to, and this starts to make sense. The petitions here demand this.In verse 15, Moses prays,“Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us …”He's saying, For as much time as it's been hard here, give us that same amount of joy! But look, if life itself is hard, if all of life is “toil and trouble” (which is what verses 1–11 tell us) then verse 15 requires another life.Moses is asking for a new life — that's the hope of heaven. The prevailing hope of Psalm 90 is a new heavens and new earth where we will be with God, in his fullness of joy, where at his right hand are pleasures forevermore.That's what the hope is, and now what does the hope do?What Hope DoesTwo things: work and wisdom.First, the hope of heaven means our work matters.Verse 17, Moses says:“Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!”Now this is saying a lot! It means that the brutal facts of verses 1–11 are not meant to make us despair, but to make us sober. The reality of our creatureliness, the certainty of death, the brevity and hardships of life — none of those things mean that life here has no meaning if heaven is real.If this world is all we have, then sure, “Let us eat, drink, and be merry — Blah to everything!” But if heaven is real, if we have a future with God, and our lives here are consequential to that future, then our work here matters. We have things to do, and we should do them. We plant and grow and harvest and share. We design and build and steward and multiply. We are blessed to bless, saved to serve, given to that we might give. And we should be steadfast in these things, immovable, always abounding in this work because we know that because heaven is real, our work here is not in vain (see 1 Corinthians 15:58).Our work matters.Second, the hope of heaven means we need wisdom.This is verse 12: “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”Now, what I'm about to say is going to be so plain and simple you're gonna be like “Duh!” Here it is: If heaven is real, and your life here matters, then it's wise to know your life here is brief.This is starting with the end in mind. Start with heaven. That's our future, church. Jesus is real and he has gone to prepare a place for us, and he's going to come again and take us to himself that where he is we may be also. Jesus said that! Heaven is as real as Jesus is!And then, you mean to tell me that my life in this world has meaning for that?! My life has consequence for that? God can use my life here to impact heaven?Sign me up! — How much time do I have?!Not a lot of time. Limited time. Your days are numbered. Now what effect does that have? It gives us wisdom. It gives us wisdom to make the most of the time we have.I have another little framed picture in my study. Melissa's late grandmother gave it to me (and I think it also came from an antique shop). But it says, Just one life, 'twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last.Josiah Bennett exhorted us with these words a few weeks ago. This is how we want to live. It's how I'm trying to live!We recognize the brevity of life here, and we do it full of the hope of heaven, the realness of Jesus, at the center of our minds and hearts — hold those two things together … heaven is real and life here is short … wisdom!This is our prevailing hope: Heaven is real. So our work matters and we need wisdom. So says Moses in Psalm 90 … face the brutal facts; remember our prevailing hope — which is not just a strategy for survival, this is how we thrive. This is not merely about how to make it in this world, but it's how to have joy and gladness all our days even amid the sorrows.Father, would you do that?This now brings us to the Table.The TableOne thing I want to make clear this morning is that the hope that Moses talks about here, and our hope, is not abstract, but it's personal. There's no doubt in the Psalm, anytime there's language about God returning, or the restoration of God's people, it's always pointing to the Messiah. Jesus is the person of our hope. Jesus himself says, in Revelation 22,“I am the root and descendant of David, the bright morning star” (Revelation 22:16).He is the one we hope in. He is what makes heaven heaven. We look to him this morning, and I want to invite you to do that. If you've never put your faith in Jesus, you're stuck in verses 1–11. Without Jesus, there is no hope. But you can have hope this morning. Come to Jesus. Ask him to save you. Make Jesus your hope. And for those of us who have done that — if you've trusted in Jesus — at this table we remember him and give him thanks! We want his glory to be magnified.

Fluent Fiction - Swedish: Conquering Midsummer Anxiety: Sven's Path to Confidence Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sv/episode/2025-06-29-22-34-02-sv Story Transcript:Sv: På det stora kontoret i centrala Stockholm, där höga fönster släppte in det varma ljuset från en strålande sommardag, satt Sven.En: In the large office in central Stockholm, where tall windows let in the warm light of a brilliant summer day, sat Sven.Sv: Han var en av de många anställda vid det öppen-planskontoret som arbetade hårt, men med en tyngd av oro i sitt hjärta.En: He was one of the many employees at the open-plan office working hard, but with a weight of worry in his heart.Sv: Det var midsommarvecka, och medan staden utanför förberedde sig för festligheterna, kände Sven bara en stigande stress.En: It was midsummer week, and while the city outside prepared for the festivities, Sven felt only rising stress.Sv: Han hade länge förberett en projektidé som han skulle presentera under dagens kontorspresentation.En: He had long prepared a project idea that he would present during the day's office presentation.Sv: Detta var hans chans att visa alla, speciellt sin chef och den krävande Anna, vad han verkligen gick för.En: This was his chance to show everyone, especially his boss and the demanding Anna, what he was really capable of.Sv: Sven kastade en nervös blick mot klockan.En: Sven cast a nervous glance at the clock.Sv: Presentationen skulle börja om en timme.En: The presentation would begin in an hour.Sv: Hans händer var klibbiga av svett, och det kändes som om hans hjärta slog för fort.En: His hands were sticky with sweat, and it felt as if his heart was beating too fast.Sv: Desperat att hitta en lösning på sin stigande ångest, begav han sig till pausrum.En: Desperate to find a solution to his mounting anxiety, he headed to the break room.Sv: Det lilla rummet var tyst, fyllt med mjuka fåtöljer och ett lugnande ljus.En: The small room was quiet, filled with soft armchairs and calming light.Sv: Där stötte Sven på Oskar, en vänlig kollega han litade på.En: There Sven met Oskar, a friendly colleague he trusted.Sv: "Oskar, jag vet inte om jag kan göra det här," erkände Sven tyst.En: "Oskar, I don't know if I can do this," admitted Sven quietly.Sv: Oskar gav honom ett uppmuntrande leende.En: Oskar gave him an encouraging smile.Sv: "Du har jobbat hårt för detta, Sven.En: "You've worked hard for this, Sven.Sv: Du kan mer än du tror.En: You're capable of more than you think.Sv: Andas in, räkna till fyra, håll andan, och släpp långsamt ut.En: Breathe in, count to four, hold your breath, and slowly release.Sv: Det hjälper."En: It helps."Sv: Sven lyssnade noga och använde övningen.En: Sven listened carefully and used the exercise.Sv: Efter en stund kände han sig något lugnare.En: After a while, he felt somewhat calmer.Sv: Oskar stannade vid hans sida och erbjöd fortsatt stöd.En: Oskar stayed by his side and offered ongoing support.Sv: "Om du behöver, titta bara på mig under presentationen.En: "If you need, just look at me during the presentation.Sv: Jag finns här."En: I'm here for you."Sv: Tiden närmade sig.En: The time approached.Sv: Med en sista djup inandning gick Sven mot mötesrummet.En: With one last deep breath, Sven walked toward the meeting room.Sv: Kollegorna hade redan samlats, och Anna satt där med en kritisk blick.En: Colleagues had already gathered, and Anna sat there with a critical gaze.Sv: Det var som om hela kontoret höll andan när det var Svens tur att presentera.En: It was as if the whole office was holding its breath when it was Sven's turn to present.Sv: Sven kände ångesten svepa över honom, men han mindes Oskars ord och sitt rigorösa arbete.En: Sven felt anxiety sweep over him, but he remembered Oskar's words and his rigorous work.Sv: Hans röst skälvde först, men sakta blev den starkare.En: His voice trembled at first, but it slowly grew stronger.Sv: Med varje punkt han presenterade såg han Oskars uppmuntrande nick, och hans chef verkade imponerad.En: With every point he presented, he saw Oskar's encouraging nod, and his boss seemed impressed.Sv: Miljön blev plötsligt mer mottaglig.En: The environment suddenly became more receptive.Sv: Till och med Anna gav ett erkännande leende i slutet.En: Even Anna gave an acknowledging smile at the end.Sv: När han avslutade pitchpresentationen, kände han ett skönt lugn över sig.En: As he concluded the pitch presentation, he felt a comfortable calm wash over him.Sv: Chefen och kollegorna applåderade hans idéer, och för första gången kände Sven att han hade bevisat sitt värde.En: The boss and colleagues applauded his ideas, and for the first time, Sven felt he had proven his worth.Sv: Dagen led mot sitt slut, solen sänkte sig över staden.En: The day drew to a close, the sun setting over the city.Sv: Sven insåg att hans förmåga inte bara låg i hans arbete utan också i hans styrka att hantera sin ångest.En: Sven realized that his ability lay not only in his work but also in his strength to manage his anxiety.Sv: Med nyvunnet självförtroende bestämde han sig för att fortsätta arbeta med sin mentala hälsa och välbefinnande.En: With newfound confidence, he decided to continue working on his mental health and well-being.Sv: Denna midsommar var annorlunda; den markerade inte bara sommarens mittpunkt utan också en början på Svens nya resa mot självsäkerhet.En: This midsummer was different; it marked not just the midpoint of summer but also the beginning of Sven's new journey toward self-assurance. Vocabulary Words:brilliant: strålandeemployees: anställdapresent: presenteracapable: kapabelnervous: nervössolution: lösninganxiety: ångestcalming: lugnandeencouraging: uppmuntrandebreath: inandningrelease: släppsomewhat: någotsupport: stödcritical: kritiskreceptive: mottagligacknowledging: erkännandecomfortable: sköncalm: lugnaapplauded: applåderadeproven: bevisatworth: värdeconfidence: självförtroendewell-being: välbefinnandemanage: hanterastrength: styrkafestivities: festligheternadesperate: desperatexercise: övningenongoing: fortsattrealized: insåg

Who's been selling their Southern Copper shares? Find out on this week's PlayingFTSE Show!It's the end of Q2, so it's time to check back in on portfolios. That means Steve D, Steve W, the Britbox, and the Eurobox, but who's been outperforming what?Steve D was having a quiet time of things in Q2. But then that all changed later on in the piece. With over £2,000 in cash, is Thermo Fisher Scientific on the buy list? Or are there better opportunities to add to his existing investments?Steve W's Q2 got off to a roaring start on the buying front as Liberation Day crashed the stock market. But most of his buying has been in one particular FTSE 100 stock. It's been a FTSE 250 name, though, that has been keeping his portfolio afloat for the last six months. And with share prices recovering, he's got an eye on a sell…The Britbox has had a mixed few months. And there have been a few high-profile fallers that have been putting pressure on the overall portfolio.The big question is what to do about it, which gives the Steves a question. With a lot of ideas about stocks to buy, what should they sell to make way?The Eurobox has made a roaring start to life. Strong performances from Dino Polska and Euronext have caused the overall portfolio to climb.Steve W has a few names in mind for potential additions. But a handful of Swedish conglomerates are out of the question for an unusual reason…Only on this week's PlayingFTSE Podcast!► Get a free share!This show is sponsored by Trading 212! To get free fractional shares worth up to 100 EUR / GBP, you can open an account with Trading 212 through this link https://www.trading212.com/Jdsfj/FTSE. Terms apply.When investing, your capital is at risk and you may get back less than invested.Past performance doesn't guarantee future results.► Get 15% OFF Fiscal.ai:Huge thanks to our sponsor, Fiscal.ai, the best investing toolkit we've discovered! Get 15% off your subscription with code below and unlock powerful tools to analyze stocks, discover hidden gems, and build income streams. Check them out at Fiscal.ai!https://fiscal.ai/?via=steve► Follow Us On Substack:https://playingftse.substack.com/► Support the show:Appreciate the show and want to offer your support? You could always buy us a coffee at: https://ko-fi.com/playingftse(All proceeds reinvested into the show and not to coffee!)There are many ways to help support the show, liking, commenting and sharing our episodes with friends! You can also check out our clothing merch store: https://playingftse.teemill.com/We get a small cut of anything you buy which will be reinvested back into the show...► Timestamps:0:00 INTRO & OUR WEEKS4:27 STEVE D'S PORTFOLIO23:29 STEVE W PORTFOLIO40:27 BRITBOX UPDATE52:52 EUROBOX UPDATE► Show Notes:What's been going on in the financial world and why should anyone care? Find out as we dive into the latest news and try to figure out what any of it means. We talk about stocks, markets, politics, and loads of other things in a way that's accessible, light-hearted and (we hope) entertaining. For the people who know nothing, by the people who know even less. Enjoy► Wanna get in contact?Got a question for us? Drop it in the comments below or reach out to us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/playingftseshow Or on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playing_ftse/► Enquiries: Please email - playingftsepodcast@gmail(dot)com► Disclaimer: This information is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always consult with a qualified financial professional before making any investment decisions.

Hosts Josh and Jamie and special returning guest Noah Kulwin (of Blowback) discuss international crime action-thrillers (featuring insane helicopter stunts!) with a double feature of Swedish filmmaker Bo Widerberg's gritty 70s police corruption procedural with a surprisingly stunt-heavy finale MAN ON THE ROOF (1976) + Hong Kong filmmaker Johnny Mak's bleak and ugly heist-gone-wrong thriller that doubles as a grim time capsule of the socioeconomic conditions of 80s Hong Kong LONG ARM THE LAW (1984). Next week's episode is a patron-exclusive bonus episode on THE LOST WORLD (1925) + JURASSIC PARK (1993), you can get access to that episode (and all past + future bonus episodes) by subscribing to our $5 tier on Patreon: www.patreon.com/sleazoidspodcast Intro // 00:00-13:00 MAN ON THE ROOF // 13:00-1:00:00 LONG ARM THE LAW // 1:00:00-2:00:43 Outro // 2:00:43-2:03:36 MERCH: www.teepublic.com/stores/sleazoids?ref_id=17667 WEBSITE: www.sleazoidspodcast.com/ Pod Twitter: twitter.com/sleazoidspod Pod Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/SLEAZOIDS/ Josh's Twitter: twitter.com/thejoshl Josh's Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/thejoshl Jamie's Twitter: twitter.com/jamiemilleracas Jamie's Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/jamiemiller

Gene and cohost Tim Swartz feature Fred Andersson, a renowned researcher, television freelancer, author, and podcaster from Sweden. With a focus on high strangeness, the paranormal, and UFOs, he has carved a niche for himself as an out-of-the-box thinker and explorer of the weird. In 2023 “Northern Lights: High Strangeness in Sweden,” was published, which is the first book written in English entirely devoted to the subject of high strangeness, UFOs, and other mysteries in Sweden. Fred has worked on UFO-Mysteriet, the first Swedish documentary series on the UFO phenomenon, and, in the fall of 2025, will see the release of a new series about hauntings and other strange things around in Sweden. He's currently researching conspiracy theories for an upcoming television project and is researching a unique form of historical ghostly mass hysteria.While Sweden is known as a secular, rational country, where stories of the paranormal are considered something of the past, the truth is quite the opposite. According to Fred, the country has a long history of weirdness, unexplained observations, and eerie encounters, often connected to the countryside, desolate roads, and empty fields. From gnomes, elves, and trolls of the past to UFOs and aliens in modern times, are they perhaps all connected, just different perceptions of the same underlying phenomenon? And what about sightings of purported werewolves? His website: fred-andersson.medium.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-paracast-the-gold-standard-of-paranormal-radio--6203433/support.

When Iron Maiden announced they'd be doing the Run For Your Lives Tour in 2025-26, The Wolf & Action Jackson knew they would have to go see a couple of shows. And when there were only European dates announced for 2025, they knew they needed to dust off their passports because there was no way they would be able to wait 2 years to see the boys on what could be their biggest and best (perhaps last?) greatest hits tour ever. So they chose Stockholm as their European venue because 1) They'd never been to Sweden and 2) Iron Maiden played 2 nights there. Plus the Wolf Cub had been promised by her father that he'd take her to see Maiden in Europe once she was old enough (but was she? Swedish authorities didn't think so but we came up with a work-around). Stockholm was an enchanting land full of beautiful people and a packed house full of Iron Maiden fans for 2 nights of heavy metal classics. We were revved up by Lzzy Hale and Halestorm who held their own on the stage and then treated to the best setlist The Wolf has seen in 30 years of seeing the band live. As The Wolf marked his 9th and 10th IM shows, they were the first without Nicko McBrain on the drums as the band introduced Simon Dawson to the family (though most knew him from Steve Harris' side project British Lion). Besides the Eddies who came out to have fun with the band, the real show was the new video screen behind the stage and on the amplifiers. It set the backdrop for the song like showing the Eiffel Tower during Murders in the Rue Morgue or a creepy graveyard for Fear of the Dark. But they also created some more interactive movies for epics like Rhime of the Ancient Mariner and Hallowed Be Thy Name. While the boys played lights out, the screen enhanced the experience and understanding of the lyrics for folks from the front row to the back of the house. Two truly magic nights in Stockholm which only left us wondering when (and where) would we see our heavy metal heroes again. Check out our new website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ugly American Werewolf in London Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LInkTree⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.pantheonpodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fluent Fiction - Swedish: Blossoms of Belonging: Lars' Journey at Midsummer's Eve Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sv/episode/2025-06-28-22-34-02-sv Story Transcript:Sv: Solens strålar sträckte sig över blomsterfarmen.En: The sun's rays stretched across the flower farm.Sv: Blommorna blommade i alla tänkbara färger, och luften var fylld med doften av sommar.En: The flowers bloomed in every imaginable color, and the air was filled with the scent of summer.Sv: Det var Midsommar, och människor samlades för att fira.En: It was Midsommar, and people gathered to celebrate.Sv: På ett bord låg smultronen, glänsande röda i solskenet, och bredvid, buketter av vilda blommor bundna med kärlek.En: On a table lay the wild strawberries, glistening red in the sunshine, and next to them, bouquets of wildflowers lovingly bound.Sv: Lars stod vid kanten av folkmassan.En: Lars stood at the edge of the crowd.Sv: Han kände sig alltid lite vilsen på sådana här tillställningar.En: He always felt a little lost at events like this.Sv: Traditionerna verkade så viktiga för alla andra, men Lars förstod inte meningen med dem.En: The traditions seemed so important to everyone else, but Lars didn't understand their meaning.Sv: Han såg Anna och Emil binda blommor till midsommarstången.En: He saw Anna and Emil tying flowers to the maypole.Sv: De skrattade och pratade glatt medan de arbetade.En: They laughed and chatted happily as they worked.Sv: "Lars, kom och hjälp oss!"En: "Lars, come and help us!"Sv: ropade Anna och vinkade åt honom.En: called Anna, waving at him.Sv: Lars kände en tvekan, men gick fram till dem.En: Lars felt a hesitation but walked over to them.Sv: "Du kan binda blommor med Emil," sa Anna uppmuntrande.En: "You can tie flowers with Emil," said Anna encouragingly.Sv: Med händerna fulla av blommor började Lars arbeta bredvid Emil.En: With hands full of flowers, Lars began working next to Emil.Sv: "Vet du varför vi gör detta?"En: "Do you know why we do this?"Sv: frågade Emil och log.En: asked Emil, smiling.Sv: Lars skakade på huvudet.En: Lars shook his head.Sv: "Det handlar om att fira livet, solen och sommaren," fortsatte Emil.En: "It's about celebrating life, the sun, and summer," Emil continued.Sv: "Det är en gammal tradition."En: "It's an old tradition."Sv: Lars lyssnade intresserat medan han hjälpte till.En: Lars listened intently while he helped.Sv: Efter att midsommarstången var klädd restes den mitt i ängen.En: After the maypole was dressed, it was raised in the middle of the meadow.Sv: Alla samlades för att dansa.En: Everyone gathered to dance.Sv: Timmen kom för den traditionella dansen, och Lars var fortfarande osäker.En: The time came for the traditional dance, and Lars was still uncertain.Sv: Men Emil och Anna drog med honom in i ringen av dansare.En: But Emil and Anna pulled him into the ring of dancers.Sv: Till en början kände Lars sig stel och besvärad.En: At first, Lars felt stiff and awkward.Sv: Men snart, i röran av skratt och glada rop, kände han något förändras.En: But soon, amidst the chaos of laughter and joyful shouts, he felt something change.Sv: Han kände en värme inombords, en djup förbindelse med människorna omkring honom och marken de stod på.En: He felt a warmth inside, a deep connection to the people around him and the ground they stood on.Sv: Det var som om han förstod essensen av traditionen för första gången.En: It was as if he understood the essence of the tradition for the first time.Sv: Efter dansen stod Lars ensam och tittade mot midsommarsolen som sakta började sjunka.En: After the dance, Lars stood alone, looking toward the Midsommar sun, which was slowly beginning to set.Sv: Hans tidigare skepsis hade smält bort.En: His earlier skepticism had melted away.Sv: Han förstod nu att traditioner bar på en betydelse som gick djupare än han tidigare trott.En: He now understood that traditions carried a meaning that was deeper than he had previously thought.Sv: De knöt samman människor och gav en känsla av tillhörighet.En: They connected people and provided a sense of belonging.Sv: När natten föll, fylldes Lars med tacksamhet.En: As night fell, Lars was filled with gratitude.Sv: Han såg på Anna och Emil och kände en ny sorts frid.En: He looked at Anna and Emil and felt a new kind of peace.Sv: Midsommaren på blomsterfarmen hade förändrat honom.En: Midsommar at the flower farm had changed him.Sv: Han hade funnit en plats för sig själv i traditionens hjärta, bland människor som brydde sig.En: He had found a place for himself in the heart of the tradition, among people who cared. Vocabulary Words:rays: strålarstretched: sträckte sigimaginable: tänkbarawildflowers: vilda blommorbouquets: buketterglistening: glänsandeedge: kantgathered: samladeshesitation: tvekanencouragingly: uppmuntrandeintently: intresseratmeadow: ängstiff: stelawkward: besväradchaos: röraconnection: förbindelseessence: essensenskepticism: skepsisbelonging: tillhörighetgratitude: tacksamhetpeace: fridchanged: förändratheart: hjärtastood: stodlost: vilsentradition: traditionchatting: pratadehesitation: tvekansmiling: logbelonging: tillhörighet

Between 1945 and 1952, ‘happiness trains' transported 70,000 children from southern to northern Italy to live with wealthier families.It was a scheme organised by the Union of Italian Women and the Italian Communist Party in an attempt to make the lives of southern Italian children better.Ten-year-old Bianca D'Aniello was one of the passengers to travel from Salerno in the south to Mestre in the north where she was looked after by a family with more resources.Bianca's life in Mestre was miserable because of Italy's fascist regime and the devastation her city faced in the wake of World War Two. Her journey was nerve-racking as she jumped on a train for the first time saying goodbye to her mum and siblings. What she didn't realise was what life had in store for her in her new life.Bianca speaks to Natasha Fernandes about how that ‘happiness train' changed her life forever. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic' and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy's Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they've had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America's occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.(Photo: Children on board an Italian 'happiness train' kiss and wave goodbye to their parents. Credit: Instituto Storico Modena)

Let's talk about why speed work is essential to getting faster. Speed workouts are designed to increase your running efficiency, improve your VO2 max (which is your aerobic capacity), and train your body to run faster while using less energy.The goal isn't just to get faster during speed workouts, but to make you a stronger, more efficient runner across all distances. So, even if you're training for a marathon, incorporating speed work will help you maintain a faster pace on race day.

discover effective strategies and tips for learning Swedish

Fluent Fiction - Swedish: Unearthing Friendship: A Midsummer's Sanctuary Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sv/episode/2025-06-27-22-34-01-sv Story Transcript:Sv: Det var en varm sommardag utanför den gamla underjordiska bunkern.En: It was a warm summer day outside the old underground bunker.Sv: Erik hade tagit sig in med en bestämd blick och en lampa i handen.En: Erik had made his way in with a determined look and a flashlight in hand.Sv: Det var dags att förbereda för Midsommarfesten.En: It was time to prepare for the Midsummer party.Sv: Hans hjärta bultade i bröstet.En: His heart pounded in his chest.Sv: Allt behövde vara perfekt.En: Everything needed to be perfect.Sv: Midsommar var speciell.En: Midsummer was special.Sv: Bunkern var stor och sval.En: The bunker was large and cool.Sv: Hyllor fyllda med konserver, staplar av lådor, och dammiga hörn.En: Shelves filled with canned goods, stacks of boxes, and dusty corners.Sv: Erik visste att dekorationerna fanns där någonstans.En: Erik knew that the decorations were there somewhere.Sv: Han lade lampan på en hög med gamla böcker och började leta.En: He placed the flashlight on a pile of old books and began searching.Sv: Erik gick försiktigt mellan högarna.En: Erik walked carefully between the piles.Sv: "Var är den där lådan?"En: "Where is that box?"Sv: mumlade han för sig själv.En: he murmured to himself.Sv: Han kände pressen.En: He felt the pressure.Sv: Lena skulle också vara med på festen och Erik ville imponera på henne.En: Lena would also be at the party, and Erik wanted to impress her.Sv: Han var noggrann med allt.En: He was meticulous about everything.Sv: Efter flera timmars letande och utan resultat började Eriks mod falna.En: After several hours of searching with no results, Erik's courage began to fade.Sv: Bunkern verkade bara bli större och mer kaotisk.En: The bunker seemed only bigger and more chaotic.Sv: Det var dags att tänka om.En: It was time to rethink.Sv: Han suckade och lutade sig mot en gammal stol.En: He sighed and leaned against an old chair.Sv: "Jag behöver hjälp," sa han tyst.En: "I need help," he said quietly.Sv: Trots sin stolthet var det rätt val.En: Despite his pride, it was the right choice.Sv: Erik gick tillbaka upp och hittade Lena och Nils.En: Erik went back up and found Lena and Nils.Sv: "Kan ni hjälpa mig leta?"En: "Can you help me look?"Sv: frågade han trevande.En: he asked hesitantly.Sv: Lena log varmt.En: Lena smiled warmly.Sv: "Självklart, Erik.En: "Of course, Erik.Sv: Vi hittar den tillsammans!"En: We will find it together!"Sv: Nils nickade och de tre gick ner i bunkern.En: Nils nodded, and the three of them went down into the bunker.Sv: De började från början, tillsammans.En: They started from the beginning, together.Sv: Lena var noggrann och metodisk, Nils stark och snabb.En: Lena was thorough and methodical, Nils strong and fast.Sv: Med deras hjälp gick det mycket lättare.En: With their help, it became much easier.Sv: Självklart, det var Lena som ropade till sist: "Här är den!"En: Of course, it was Lena who shouted at last: "Here it is!"Sv: Bakom en hög av dammiga lådor med märkningen "vintersaker" låg midsommarlådan.En: Behind a pile of dusty boxes marked "winter items" lay the Midsummer box.Sv: Erik kände en våg av lättnad och tacksamhet.En: Erik felt a wave of relief and gratitude.Sv: Tillsammans bar de lådan upp och började pynta för festen.En: Together, they carried the box up and began decorating for the party.Sv: Blommor, girlanger, och kransar fyllde snabbt trädgården.En: Flowers, garlands, and wreaths quickly filled the garden.Sv: Doften av sommar spred sig.En: The scent of summer spread.Sv: Erik kände sig glad.En: Erik felt happy.Sv: Han insåg att ensam inte alltid är bäst.En: He realized that being alone is not always best.Sv: Tillsammans kan man nå långt.En: Together, you can achieve a lot.Sv: När natten föll och lanternorna lyste mjukt över firandet, kunde Erik se att allt var perfekt.En: When night fell and the lanterns glowed softly over the celebration, Erik could see that everything was perfect.Sv: Festen blev en succé, alla var glada.En: The party was a success, and everyone was happy.Sv: Och Erik, han visste att han hade fått starka vänner vid sin sida.En: And Erik, he knew he had gained strong friends by his side.Sv: Det var en Midsommar att minnas.En: It was a Midsummer to remember. Vocabulary Words:bunker: bunkerndetermined: bestämdflashlight: lampapounded: bultadecool: svalshelves: hyllorcanned goods: konserverdusty: dammigameticulous: noggranncourage: modfade: falanchaotic: kaotiskleaned: lutadehesitantly: trevandethorough: noggrannmethodical: metodiskshouted: ropaderelief: lättnadgratitude: tacksamhetgarlands: girlangerwreaths: kransarscent: doftlanterns: lanternornaglowed: lystecelebration: firandetstrong: starksuccess: succéremember: minnasimpress: imponeraachievement: nåd

When the Medellin Metro opened in 1995, the Colombian city had recently been called the “murder capital of the world” due to the high homicide rate caused by Pablo Escobar's drug wars. The network has grown to include a large cable car network which stretches to the neighbourhoods built into the sides of mountains that surround Medellin. It has helped transform the city into a tourist hot-spot – something unimaginable 30 years ago. Tim O'Callaghan has been speaking to Tomas Andreas Elejalde, who is the general manager of the Metro. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic' and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy's Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they've had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America's occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.(Photo: The metro cable above the city of Medellin. Credit: RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP via Getty Images)

When Iron Maiden announced they'd be doing the Run For Your Lives Tour in 2025-26, The Wolf & Action Jackson knew they would have to go see a couple of shows. And when there were only European dates announced for 2025, they knew they needed to dust off their passports because there was no way they would be able to wait 2 years to see the boys on what could be their biggest and best (perhaps last?) greatest hits tour ever. So they chose Stockholm as their European venue because 1) They'd never been to Sweden and 2) Iron Maiden played 2 nights there. Plus the Wolf Cub had been promised by her father that he'd take her to see Maiden in Europe once she was old enough (but was she? Swedish authorities didn't think so but we came up with a work-around). Stockholm was an enchanting land full of beautiful people and a packed house full of Iron Maiden fans for 2 nights of heavy metal classics. We were revved up by Lzzy Hale and Halestorm who held their own on the stage and then treated to the best setlist The Wolf has seen in 30 years of seeing the band live. As The Wolf marked his 9th and 10th IM shows, they were the first without Nicko McBrain on the drums as the band introduced Simon Dawson to the family (though most knew him from Steve Harris' side project British Lion). Besides the Eddies who came out to have fun with the band, the real show was the new video screen behind the stage and on the amplifiers. It set the backdrop for the song like showing the Eiffel Tower during Murders in the Rue Morgue or a creepy graveyard for Fear of the Dark. But they also created some more interactive movies for epics like Rhime of the Ancient Mariner and Hallowed Be Thy Name. While the boys played lights out, the screen enhanced the experience and understanding of the lyrics for folks from the front row to the back of the house. Two truly magic nights in Stockholm which only left us wondering when (and where) would we see our heavy metal heroes again. Check out our new website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ugly American Werewolf in London Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LInkTree⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.pantheonpodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Want to grow your fashion brand? Apply for a FREE one-on-one coaching call with us: https://calendly.com/estebanjulian/advanced-brand-coaching-call If you don't know ATP, ATP is a very successful Swedish fashion brand that was built with actual strategy. They started with a single product. No outside capital. No hype. Just a clear idea, a defined customer, and the discipline to stay focused. Myla also spent years behind some of Sweden's biggest fashion brands like Filipa K and TOTEME before launching ATP, and what she shares in this conversation is a clear blue for how to build something that actually lasts. We talked about how to define product DNA, how to grow without losing your identity, what real sustainability looks like in practice—not marketing—and why focus is the most underused tool in this industry.

Fluent Fiction - Swedish: Midsommar Mishaps: A Maypole Adventure in Swedish Style Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sv/episode/2025-06-26-22-34-02-sv Story Transcript:Sv: Solen sken varmt över den lilla svenska byn vid sjön.En: The sun shone warmly over the small Swedish village by the lake.Sv: Det var Midsommar och alla i byn var förväntansfulla.En: It was Midsommar and everyone in the village was filled with anticipation.Sv: Blommor i alla färger prydde borden och långa träbänkar stod redo för en festlig dag.En: Flowers in all colors adorned the tables, and long wooden benches stood ready for a festive day.Sv: Mitt på byns grönområde, just bredvid den glittrande sjön, kämpade Lars och Hanna med att resa midsommarstången.En: In the middle of the village green, right next to the sparkling lake, Lars and Hanna struggled to raise the maypole.Sv: Lars, alltid entusiastisk över traditioner, hade bjudit in Hanna från Stockholm.En: Lars, always enthusiastic about traditions, had invited Hanna from Stockholm.Sv: Hon var nyfiken på att uppleva den svenska landsbygdens charm.En: She was curious to experience the charm of the Swedish countryside.Sv: Men att få upp midsommarstången visade sig vara svårare än förväntat.En: But getting the maypole up turned out to be harder than expected.Sv: "Vi måste bara få repen rätt," sa Lars och försökte hiva den stora pålen till rätt position.En: "We just need to get the ropes right," said Lars, trying to hoist the large pole into the correct position.Sv: Hanna tittade på honom med ett leende och sa, "Kanske skulle vi prova en tutorial?En: Hanna looked at him with a smile and said, "Maybe we should try a tutorial?Sv: Jag kan fixa det om vi blir moderna en stund."En: I can work with that if we go modern for a moment."Sv: Trots sina goda avsikter lyckades Lars få stången att falla om och om igen.En: Despite his good intentions, Lars managed to make the pole fall over and over again.Sv: Med repen trasslade och jord överallt, blev byborna lite oroliga.En: With tangled ropes and dirt everywhere, the villagers became a bit anxious.Sv: Festligheterna kunde inte börja förrän stången stod upprätt.En: The festivities couldn't start until the pole stood upright.Sv: Hanna, med lugnet av en sann Stockholmsbo, föreslog att hon skulle ta hjälp av sin telefon.En: Hanna, with the calmness of a true Stockholm resident, suggested using her phone for help.Sv: Tillsammans satte de sig ner och följde instruktionerna i en YouTube-video.En: Together, they sat down and followed instructions in a YouTube video.Sv: De skrattade åt instruktionerna som var fyllda med både tips och humoristiska fel.En: They laughed at the instructions filled with both tips and humorous mistakes.Sv: Precis när de var redo för ett nytt försök höll hela byn andan.En: Just as they were ready for a new attempt, the entire village held its breath.Sv: "Om vi misslyckas nu, får jag tänka om min karriärplan," skojade Hanna och lättade stämningen.En: "If we fail now, I'll have to rethink my career plans," joked Hanna, lightening the mood.Sv: Hon och Lars arbetade harmoniskt, och med en sista kraftansträngning reste sig midsommarstången stolt över byns gröna.En: She and Lars worked harmoniously, and with one last effort, the maypole proudly rose above the village green.Sv: Jublet ekade över sjön när byn samlades runt den resliga stången.En: Cheers echoed over the lake as the village gathered around the towering pole.Sv: Lars och Hanna gav varandra en triumferande high-five.En: Lars and Hanna gave each other a triumphant high-five.Sv: "Tack för hjälpen," sa Lars med en tacksam blick.En: "Thanks for the help," said Lars with a grateful look.Sv: "Ibland behövs det en stadsbo för att få landsbygden att blomstra."En: "Sometimes it takes a city person to make the countryside flourish."Sv: Hanna kände sig varm inombords.En: Hanna felt warm inside.Sv: Trots sin annorlunda bakgrund hade hon bevisat för sig själv att hon hörde hemma även i dessa traditionella festligheter.En: Despite her different background, she had proven to herself that she belonged even in these traditional festivities.Sv: Lars, i sin tur, lärde sig att det ibland är helt okej att be om hjälp.En: Lars, in turn, learned that it's sometimes perfectly okay to ask for help.Sv: Med midsommarstången uppe och festen i full gång, dansade byborna medan skratten och glädjen fyllde luften.En: With the maypole up and the party in full swing, the villagers danced while laughter and joy filled the air.Sv: Solen började sakta sjunka bakom horisonten, och ännu en magisk svensk midsommarnatt tog vid.En: The sun slowly began to set behind the horizon, and yet another magical Swedish midsummer night commenced. Vocabulary Words:lake: sjönanticipation: förväntansfullaadorned: pryddebenches: träbänkarsparkling: glittrandestruggled: kämpadetraditions: traditionercountryside: landsbygdhoist: hivatutorial: tutorialintentions: avsiktertangled: trassladeupright: upprättcalmness: lugnetinstructions: instruktionernaattempt: försöktriumphant: triumferandeflourish: blomstrafestivities: festligheternaproved: bevisathorizon: horisontencommenced: tog vidfeast: festhumorous: humoristiskagathered: samladesharmoniously: harmoniskttrue: sannproudly: stoltgrateful: tacksamlaugh: skrattade

In June 1968, Senator Robert Kennedy was killed during his campaign for the American presidency.There was nationwide mourning with huge crowds lining the tracks for his funeral train, as it travelled from New York to Washington DC. In 2012, Simon Watts spoke to Kennedy's former press secretary Frank Mankiewicz and to his former bodyguard Rosey Grier. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic' and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy's Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they've had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America's occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.(Photo: Robert Kennedy funeral train. Credit: Getty Images)

It's been more than 25 years since the Swedish hardcore punk band Refused released their seminal album, “The Shape of Punk to Come.” Their most famous song from that album, “New Noise,” has been called a political anthem and a protest song. It's been used in the Palme d'Or'-winning film “Triangle of Sadness” as well as in the hit show “The Bear.” Last year, frontman Dennis Lyxzén of Refused joined Tom Power to tell us how “New Noise” became a global hit after the band had already called it quits.

Worn and weary, the Wizard enters the final stage of the quest, letting go of all he thought he once knew and opening himself up to even greater uncertainty as he encounters the mysterious Tom10, a one-eyed gnome masquerading as a Swedish graffiti artist. Tune into Tom10's vibrations at: https://www.instagram.com/eyegnome/ Follow along with the Wizard's quest adventures and get more magical bonus content by joining the ritual at: www.patreon.com/thispodcastisaritual

Fluent Fiction - Swedish: Braving the Arctic: A Researcher's Courage Amidst the Storm Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/sv/episode/2025-06-25-22-34-02-sv Story Transcript:Sv: Midnattssolen lyste över den arktiska tundran.En: The midnight sun shone over the Arctic tundra.Sv: Det var mitt i sommaren, men vinden var kall och stark.En: It was the middle of summer, but the wind was cold and strong.Sv: Elof, Jonna och Sven hade satt upp sitt läger nära en grupp renar.En: Elof, Jonna, and Sven had set up their camp near a group of reindeer.Sv: De var en del av en forskningsgrupp som studerade renarnas vandringar.En: They were part of a research group studying the reindeer's migrations.Sv: Elof var ivrig.En: Elof was eager.Sv: Han ville bevisa sin teori om varför renarna valde vissa rutter.En: He wanted to prove his theory about why the reindeer chose certain routes.Sv: De hade förberett sig noggrant för denna expedition.En: They had prepared thoroughly for this expedition.Sv: Men ingen hade väntat sig ovädret.En: But no one had expected the storm.Sv: Plötsligt svepte en snöstorm in över tundran.En: Suddenly, a snowstorm swept over the tundra.Sv: Kommunikationen med baslägret bröts.En: Communication with the base camp was cut off.Sv: Snön föll tät, och vinden ylade likt en varg i natten.En: Snow fell densely, and the wind howled like a wolf in the night.Sv: Trots faran hade Elof ett mål i sikte.En: Despite the danger, Elof had a goal in sight.Sv: Han bestämde sig för att försöka reparera utrustningen som stormen hade skadat.En: He decided to attempt to repair the equipment that the storm had damaged.Sv: Jonna och Sven såg honom i ögonen.En: Jonna and Sven looked him in the eye.Sv: "Det är för farligt", sade Sven.En: "It's too dangerous," said Sven.Sv: "Men vi behöver datan", svarade Elof.En: "But we need the data," replied Elof.Sv: Sven suckade.En: Sven sighed.Sv: Han visste att de tog en risk.En: He knew they were taking a risk.Sv: Elof klädde sig i tjocka vinterkläder.En: Elof dressed in thick winter clothes.Sv: Han kämpade mot stormens krafter.En: He battled against the forces of the storm.Sv: Snön stack i ansiktet, och sikten var nästan noll.En: The snow stung his face, and visibility was almost zero.Sv: Men Elof var beslutsam.En: But Elof was determined.Sv: Han följde spåren i snön tillbaka till utrustningen.En: He followed the tracks in the snow back to the equipment.Sv: Varje steg krävde styrka och mod.En: Every step required strength and courage.Sv: Timmarna gick långsamt.En: The hours passed slowly.Sv: Stormen avtog lite, och Elof kunde se utrustningen framför sig.En: The storm subsided a bit, and Elof could see the equipment in front of him.Sv: Han arbetade snabbt, händerna var stela av kölden.En: He worked quickly, his hands stiff with cold.Sv: Till slut hörde han ett svagt brus i radion.En: Finally, he heard a faint noise on the radio.Sv: Han log.En: He smiled.Sv: Det betydde att kommunikationen fungerade igen.En: It meant that communication was working again.Sv: Tillbaka i tältet väntade Jonna och Sven nervöst.En: Back in the tent, Jonna and Sven waited nervously.Sv: När Elof kom tillbaka, såg de glädjen i hans ögon.En: When Elof returned, they saw the joy in his eyes.Sv: "Vi klarade det", sade han med ett stort leende.En: "We did it," he said with a big smile.Sv: Elof delade de nya insikterna från datan.En: Elof shared the new insights from the data.Sv: Hans hypotes hade bekräftats.En: His hypothesis had been confirmed.Sv: När stormen slutligen drog vidare, kände Elof en ny respekt för naturen.En: When the storm finally moved on, Elof felt a new respect for nature.Sv: Han förstod nu att no matter how well-prepared one is, nature always holds the final card.En: He understood now that no matter how well-prepared one is, nature always holds the final card.Sv: Vikten av laget och säkerheten hade blivit tydlig för honom.En: The importance of the team and safety had become clear to him.Sv: Tillsammans firade de en liten midsommarfest i tältet, med glädje att se fram emot den kommande forskningen.En: Together, they celebrated a small Midsummer party in the tent, with joy looking forward to the upcoming research. Vocabulary Words:midnight: midnatttundra: tundranmigration: vandringareager: ivrighypothesis: hypotesexpedition: expeditionunexpected: oväntatblizzard: snöstormintently: nogaequipment: utrustningdangerous: farligtrisk: riskvisibility: siktcourage: modsubsided: avtogsperseverance: beslutsamhetcommunication: kommunikationstiff: stelinsight: insikterconfirmed: bekräftatrespect: respektprepared: förbereddteam: lagetsafety: säkerhetcelebrate: firaparty: festupcoming: kommandedata: datastorm: oväderattempt: försök

On 11 September 1951, the 9.55am train from Prague to Aš, in Communist Czechoslovakia was hijacked and driven to freedom in West Germany. One hundred and eleven people were on board and 34 of them never returned, starting new lives on the other side of the Iron Curtain.The remaining 77 returned to Czechoslovakia to face state security, the Státní bezpečnost, and many were jailed.Rachel Naylor uses an archive interview with Karel Ruml, one of the hijackers, who went on to move to the United States.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic' and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy's Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they've had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America's occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.(Photo: A steam train in Czechoslovakia in 1960. Credit: Alamy)

LynnAnne Vesper has been a canoe guide for over 20 years. She also speaks French and Swedish, is a Fur Trade history buff, and on her days off enjoys what she calls "Extreme Day Trips" in the Boundary Waters. LynnAnne has been steering canoes since she was 10 and last year she completed a "dream" canoe trip of the Border Route, along with a group of women representing six generations from their 20s to their 70s, including her mother Bonnie, who was 79 when they made the trip.

NDP is back from break with a Quick Cut, where today we'll be discussing a very special album by Swedish duo Studio, entitled "West Coast," focusing on its unique history, the album dating back to 2006, its resurgence as of late, tracklist, musicality, and eventual legacy, begging the question: why didn't this album become a global phenomenon?Thank you for listening.Please consider supporting us with a donation - @novodeproductions on paypal⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Support our colleagues at:Philipchurch.comAlexandra-parsons.comCheck out more at www.novodeproductions.com, follow us @_novo_de, @aotb.podcast, @aotbpodcast, and if you'd like to be on the show, you can contact us at novodeproductions@gmail.com.This Episode is also brought to you by:Novel "Til the Bitter [End]emic" - Available now on Amazon. Til The Bitter [End]emic is a novel about discovery; about what we do, who we become, and what we realize is truly important when we're faced with insurmountable odds, the same kind that makes us face our own mortality.Short story - "Cancel Culture Lotto" - available now on Amazon.Zencastr - our go-to tool to record our podcast with multiple guests remotely. With Zencastr, you can record separate audio and video tracks, and it's all backed up on a secured cloud so you never lose your hard work. It's reliable, easy to use, and there's nothing to download. So go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠zencastr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use promo code: artofthebeholder, and get 30% off your first three months with a PRO account. So create your ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ today! #madeonzencastr⁠⁠⁠⁠.Note: Only the intro music is by A-CO; all other music or sound effects is stock from various outlets. Main resource for background information: wikipedia.com.

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For those who haven't heard the announcement I posted, songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the second part of a two-episode look at the song “Who Knows Where The Time Goes?” by Fairport Convention, and the intertwining careers of Joe Boyd, Sandy Denny, and Richard Thompson. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a forty-one-minute bonus episode available, on Judy Collins’ version of this song. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by editing, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Erratum For about an hour this was uploaded with the wrong Elton John clip in place of “Saturday Sun”. This has now been fixed. Resources Because of the increasing problems with Mixcloud’s restrictions, I have decided to start sharing streaming playlists of the songs used in episodes instead of Mixcloud ones. This Tunemymusic link will let you listen to the playlist I created on your streaming platform of choice — however please note that not all the songs excerpted are currently available on streaming. The songs missing from the Tidal version are “Shanten Bells” by the Ian Campbell Folk Group, “Tom’s Gone to Hilo” by A.L. Lloyd, two by Paul McNeill and Linda Peters, three by Elton John & Linda Peters, “What Will I Do With Tomorrow” by Sandy Denny and “You Never Know” by Charlie Drake, but the other fifty-nine are there. Other songs may be missing from other services. The main books I used on Fairport Convention as a whole were Patrick Humphries' Meet On The Ledge, Clinton Heylin's What We Did Instead of Holidays, and Kevan Furbank's Fairport Convention on Track. Rob Young's Electric Eden is the most important book on the British folk-rock movement. Information on Richard Thompson comes from Patrick Humphries' Richard Thompson: Strange Affair and Thompson's own autobiography Beeswing.  Information on Sandy Denny comes from Clinton Heylin's No More Sad Refrains and Mick Houghton's I've Always Kept a Unicorn. I also used Joe Boyd's autobiography White Bicycles and Chris Blackwell's The Islander.  And this three-CD set is the best introduction to Fairport's music currently in print. Transcript Before we begin, this episode contains reference to alcohol and cocaine abuse and medical neglect leading to death. It also starts with some discussion of the fatal car accident that ended last episode. There’s also some mention of child neglect and spousal violence. If that’s likely to upset you, you might want to skip this episode or read the transcript. One of the inspirations for this podcast when I started it back in 2018 was a project by Richard Thompson, which appears (like many things in Thompson’s life) to have started out of sheer bloody-mindedness. In 1999 Playboy magazine asked various people to list their “songs of the Millennium”, and most of them, understanding the brief, chose a handful of songs from the latter half of the twentieth century. But Thompson determined that he was going to list his favourite songs *of the millennium*. He didn’t quite manage that, but he did cover seven hundred and forty years, and when Playboy chose not to publish it, he decided to turn it into a touring show, in which he covered all his favourite songs from “Sumer Is Icumen In” from 1260: [Excerpt: Richard Thompson, “Sumer is Icumen In”] Through numerous traditional folk songs, union songs like “Blackleg Miner”, pieces by early-modern composers, Victorian and Edwardian music hall songs, and songs by the Beatles, the Ink Spots, the Kinks, and the Who, all the way to “Oops! I Did It Again”: [Excerpt: Richard Thompson, “Oops! I Did it Again”] And to finish the show, and to show how all this music actually ties together, he would play what he described as a “medieval tune from Brittany”, “Marry, Ageyn Hic Hev Donne Yt”: [Excerpt: Richard Thompson, “Marry, Ageyn Hic Hev Donne Yt”] We have said many times in this podcast that there is no first anything, but there’s a reason that Liege and Lief, Fairport Convention’s third album of 1969, and the album other than Unhalfbricking on which their reputation largely rests, was advertised with the slogan “The first (literally) British folk rock album ever”. Folk-rock, as the term had come to be known, and as it is still usually used today, had very little to do with traditional folk music. Rather, the records of bands like The Byrds or Simon and Garfunkel were essentially taking the sounds of British beat groups of the early sixties, particularly the Searchers, and applying those sounds to material by contemporary singer-songwriters. People like Paul Simon and Bob Dylan had come up through folk clubs, and their songs were called folk music because of that, but they weren’t what folk music had meant up to that point — songs that had been collected after being handed down through the folk process, changed by each individual singer, with no single identifiable author. They were authored songs by very idiosyncratic writers. But over their last few albums, Fairport Convention had done one or two tracks per album that weren’t like that, that were instead recordings of traditional folk songs, but arranged with rock instrumentation. They were not necessarily the first band to try traditional folk music with electric instruments — around the same time that Fairport started experimenting with the idea, so did an Irish band named Sweeney’s Men, who brought in a young electric guitarist named Henry McCullough briefly. But they do seem to have been the first to have fully embraced the idea. They had done so to an extent with “A Sailor’s Life” on Unhalfbricking, but now they were going to go much further: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Matty Groves” (from about 4:30)] There had been some doubt as to whether Fairport Convention would even continue to exist — by the time Unhalfbricking, their second album of the year, was released, they had been through the terrible car accident that had killed Martin Lamble, the band’s drummer, and Jeannie Franklyn, Richard Thompson’s girlfriend. Most of the rest of the band had been seriously injured, and they had made a conscious decision not to discuss the future of the band until they were all out of hospital. Ashley Hutchings was hospitalised the longest, and Simon Nicol, Richard Thompson, and Sandy Denny, the other three surviving members of the band, flew over to LA with their producer and manager, Joe Boyd, to recuperate there and get to know the American music scene. When they came back, the group all met up in the flat belonging to Denny’s boyfriend Trevor Lucas, and decided that they were going to continue the band. They made a few decisions then — they needed a new drummer, and as well as a drummer they wanted to get in Dave Swarbrick. Swarbrick had played violin on several tracks on Unhalfbricking as a session player, and they had all been thrilled to work with him. Swarbrick was one of the most experienced musicians on the British folk circuit. He had started out in the fifties playing guitar with Beryl Marriott’s Ceilidh Band before switching to fiddle, and in 1963, long before Fairport had formed, he had already appeared on TV with the Ian Campbell Folk Group, led by Ian Campbell, the father of Ali and Robin Campbell, later of UB40: [Excerpt: The Ian Campbell Folk Group, “Shanten Bells (medley on Hullaballoo!)”] He’d sung with Ewan MacColl and A.L. Lloyd: [Excerpt: A.L. Lloyd, “Tom’s Gone to Hilo” ] And he’d formed his hugely successful duo with Martin Carthy, releasing records like “Byker Hill” which are often considered among the best British folk music of all time: [Excerpt: Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick, “Byker Hill”] By the time Fairport had invited him to play on Unhalfbricking, Swarbrick had already performed on twenty albums as a core band member, plus dozens more EPs, singles, and odd tracks on compilations. They had no reason to think they could actually get him to join their band. But they had three advantages. The first was that Swarbrick was sick of the traditional folk scene at the time, saying later “I didn’t like seven-eighths of the people involved in it, and it was extremely opportune to leave. I was suddenly presented with the possibilities of exploring the dramatic content of the songs to the full.” The second was that he was hugely excited to be playing with Richard Thompson, who was one of the most innovative guitarists of his generation, and Martin Carthy remembers him raving about Thompson after their initial sessions. (Carthy himself was and is no slouch on the guitar of course, and there was even talk of getting him to join the band at this point, though they decided against it — much to the relief of rhythm guitarist Simon Nicol, who is a perfectly fine player himself but didn’t want to be outclassed by *two* of the best guitarists in Britain at the same time). And the third was that Joe Boyd told him that Fairport were doing so well — they had a single just about to hit the charts with “Si Tu Dois Partir” — that he would only have to play a dozen gigs with Fairport in order to retire. As it turned out, Swarbrick would play with the group for a decade, and would never retire — I saw him on his last tour in 2015, only eight months before he died. The drummer the group picked was also a far more experienced musician than any of the rest, though in a very different genre. Dave Mattacks had no knowledge at all of the kind of music they played, having previously been a player in dance bands. When asked by Hutchings if he wanted to join the band, Mattacks’ response was “I don’t know anything about the music. I don’t understand it… I can’t tell one tune from another, they all sound the same… but if you want me to join the group, fine, because I really like it. I’m enjoying myself musically.” Mattacks brought a new level of professionalism to the band, thanks to his different background. Nicol said of him later “He was dilligent, clean, used to taking three white shirts to a gig… The application he could bring to his playing was amazing. With us, you only played well when you were feeling well.” This distinction applied to his playing as well. Nicol would later describe the difference between Mattacks’ drumming and Lamble’s by saying “Martin’s strength was as an imaginative drummer. DM came in with a strongly developed sense of rhythm, through keeping a big band of drunken saxophone players in order. A great time-keeper.” With this new line-up and a new sense of purpose, the group did as many of their contemporaries were doing and “got their heads together in the country”. Joe Boyd rented the group a mansion, Farley House, in Farley Chamberlayne, Hampshire, and they stayed there together for three months. At the start, the group seem to have thought that they were going to make another record like Unhalfbricking, with some originals, some songs by American songwriters, and a few traditional songs. Even after their stay in Farley Chamberlayne, in fact, they recorded a few of the American songs they’d rehearsed at the start of the process, Richard Farina’s “Quiet Joys of Brotherhood” and Bob Dylan and Roger McGuinn’s “Ballad of Easy Rider”: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Ballad of Easy Rider”] Indeed, the whole idea of “getting our heads together in the country” (as the cliche quickly became in the late sixties as half of the bands in Britain went through much the same kind of process as Fairport were doing — but usually for reasons more to do with drug burnout or trend following than recovering from serious life-changing trauma) seems to have been inspired by Bob Dylan and the Band getting together in Big Pink. But very quickly they decided to follow the lead of Ashley Hutchings, who had had something of a Damascene conversion to the cause of traditional English folk music. They were listening mostly to Music From Big Pink by the Band, and to the first album by Sweeney’s Men: [Excerpt: Sweeney’s Men, “The Handsome Cabin Boy”] And they decided that they were going to make something that was as English as those records were North American and Irish (though in the event there were also a few Scottish songs included on the record). Hutchings in particular was becoming something of a scholar of traditional music, regularly visiting Cecil Sharp House and having long conversations with A.L. Lloyd, discovering versions of different traditional songs he’d never encountered before. This was both amusing and bemusing Sandy Denny, who had joined a rock group in part to get away from traditional music; but she was comfortable singing the material, and knew a lot of it and could make a lot of suggestions herself. Swarbrick obviously knew the repertoire intimately, and Nicol was amenable, while Mattacks was utterly clueless about the folk tradition at this point but knew this was the music he wanted to make. Thompson knew very little about traditional music, and of all the band members except Denny he was the one who has shown the least interest in the genre in his subsequent career — but as we heard at the beginning, showing the least interest in the genre is a relative thing, and while Thompson was not hugely familiar with the genre, he *was* able to work with it, and was also more than capable of writing songs that fit in with the genre. Of the eleven songs on the album, which was titled Liege and Lief (which means, roughly, Lord and Loyalty), there were no cover versions of singer-songwriters. Eight were traditional songs, and three were originals, all written in the style of traditional songs. The album opened with “Come All Ye”, an introduction written by Denny and Hutchings (the only time the two would ever write together): [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Come All Ye”] The other two originals were songs where Thompson had written new lyrics to traditional melodies. On “Crazy Man Michael”, Swarbrick had said to Thompson that the tune to which he had set his new words was weaker than the lyrics, to which Thompson had replied that if Swarbrick felt that way he should feel free to write a new melody. He did, and it became the first of the small number of Thompson/Swarbrick collaborations: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Crazy Man Michael”] Thompson and Swarbrick would become a brief songwriting team, but as much as anything else it was down to proximity — the two respected each other as musicians, but never got on very well. In 1981 Swarbrick would say “Richard and I never got on in the early days of FC… we thought we did, but we never did. We composed some bloody good songs together, but it was purely on a basis of “you write that and I’ll write this, and we’ll put it together.” But we never sat down and had real good chats.” The third original on the album, and by far the most affecting, is another song where Thompson put lyrics to a traditional tune. In this case he thought he was putting the lyrics to the tune of “Willie O'Winsbury”, but he was basing it on a recording by Sweeney’s Men. The problem was that Sweeney’s Men had accidentally sung the lyrics of “Willie O'Winsbury'” to the tune of a totally different song, “Fause Foodrage”: [Excerpt: Sweeney’s Men, “Willie O’Winsbury”] Thompson took that melody, and set to it lyrics about loss and separation. Thompson has never been one to discuss the meanings of his lyrics in any great detail, and in the case of this one has said “I really don't know what it means. This song came out of a dream, and I pretty much wrote it as I dreamt it (it was the sixties), and didn't spend very long analyzing it. So interpret as you wish – or replace with your own lines.” But in the context of the traffic accident that had killed his tailor girlfriend and a bandmate, and injured most of his other bandmates, the lyrics about lonely travellers, the winding road, bruised and beaten sons, saying goodbye, and never cutting cloth, seem fairly self-explanatory: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Farewell, Farewell”] The rest of the album, though, was taken up by traditional tunes. There was a long medley of four different fiddle reels; a version of “Reynardine” (a song about a seductive man — or is he a fox? Or perhaps both — which had been recorded by Swarbrick and Carthy on their most recent album); a 19th century song about a deserter saved from the firing squad by Prince Albert; and a long take on “Tam Lin”, one of the most famous pieces in the Scottish folk music canon, a song that has been adapted in different ways by everyone from the experimental noise band Current 93 to the dub poet Benjamin Zephaniah to the comics writer Grant Morrison: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Tam Lin”] And “Matty Groves”, a song about a man killing his cheating wife and her lover, which actually has a surprisingly similar story to that of “1921” from another great concept album from that year, the Who’s Tommy. “Matty Groves” became an excuse for long solos and shows of instrumental virtuosity: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Matty Groves”] The album was recorded in September 1969, after their return from their break in the country and a triumphal performance at the Royal Festival Hall, headlining over fellow Witchseason artists John and Beverly Martyn and Nick Drake. It became a classic of the traditional folk genre — arguably *the* classic of the traditional folk genre. In 2007 BBC Radio 2’s Folk Music Awards gave it an award for most influential folk album of all time, and while such things are hard to measure, I doubt there’s anyone with even the most cursory knowledge of British folk and folk-rock music who would not at least consider that a reasonable claim. But once again, by the time the album came out in November, the band had changed lineups yet again. There was a fundamental split in the band – on one side were Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson, whose stance was, roughly, that Liege and Lief was a great experiment and a fun thing to do once, but really the band had two first-rate songwriters in themselves, and that they should be concentrating on their own new material, not doing these old songs, good as they were. They wanted to take the form of the traditional songs and use that form for new material — they wanted to make British folk-rock, but with the emphasis on the rock side of things. Hutchings, on the other hand, was equally sure that he wanted to make traditional music and go further down the rabbit hole of antiquity. With the zeal of the convert he had gone in a couple of years from being the leader of a band who were labelled “the British Jefferson Airplane” to becoming a serious scholar of traditional folk music. Denny was tired of touring, as well — she wanted to spend more time at home with Trevor Lucas, who was sleeping with other women when she was away and making her insecure. When the time came for the group to go on a tour of Denmark, Denny decided she couldn’t make it, and Hutchings was jubilant — he decided he was going to get A.L. Lloyd into the band in her place and become a *real* folk group. Then Denny reconsidered, and Hutchings was crushed. He realised that while he had always been the leader, he wasn’t going to be able to lead the band any further in the traditionalist direction, and quit the group — but not before he was delegated by the other band members to fire Denny. Until the publication of Richard Thompson’s autobiography in 2022, every book on the group or its members said that Denny quit the band again, which was presumably a polite fiction that the band agreed, but according to Thompson “Before we flew home, we decided to fire Sandy. I don't remember who asked her to leave – it was probably Ashley, who usually did the dirty work. She was reportedly shocked that we would take that step. She may have been fragile beneath the confident facade, but she still knew her worth.” Thompson goes on to explain that the reasons for kicking her out were that “I suppose we felt that in her mind she had already left” and that “We were probably suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, though there wasn't a name for it back then.” They had considered inviting Trevor Lucas to join the band to make Denny more comfortable, but came to the (probably correct) conclusion that while he was someone they got on well with personally, he would be another big ego in a band that already had several, and that being around Denny and Lucas’ volatile relationship would, in Thompson’s phrasing, “have not always given one a feeling of peace and stability.” Hutchings originally decided he was going to join Sweeney’s Men, but that group were falling apart, and their first rehearsal with Hutchings would also be their last as a group, with only Hutchings and guitarist and mandolin player Terry Woods left in the band. They added Woods’ wife Gay, and another couple, Tim Hart and Maddy Prior, and formed a group called Steeleye Span, a name given them by Martin Carthy. That group, like Fairport, went to “get their heads together in the country” for three months and recorded an album of electric versions of traditional songs, Hark the Village Wait, on which Mattacks and another drummer, Gerry Conway, guested as Steeleye Span didn’t at the time have their own drummer: [Excerpt: Steeleye Span, “Blackleg Miner”] Steeleye Span would go on to have a moderately successful chart career in the seventies, but by that time most of the original lineup, including Hutchings, had left — Hutchings stayed with them for a few albums, then went on to form the first of a series of bands, all called the Albion Band or variations on that name, which continue to this day. And this is something that needs to be pointed out at this point — it is impossible to follow every single individual in this narrative as they move between bands. There is enough material in the history of the British folk-rock scene that someone could do a 500 Songs-style podcast just on that, and every time someone left Fairport, or Steeleye Span, or the Albion Band, or Matthews’ Southern Comfort, or any of the other bands we have mentioned or will mention, they would go off and form another band which would then fission, and some of its members would often join one of those other bands. There was a point in the mid-1970s where the Albion Band had two original members of Fairport Convention while Fairport Convention had none. So just in order to keep the narrative anything like wieldy, I’m going to keep the narrative concentrated on the two figures from Fairport — Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson — whose work outside the group has had the most influence on the wider world of rock music more broadly, and only deal with the other members when, as they often did, their careers intersected with those two. That doesn’t mean the other members are not themselves hugely important musicians, just that their importance has been primarily to the folk side of the folk-rock genre, and so somewhat outside the scope of this podcast. While Hutchings decided to form a band that would allow him to go deeper and deeper into traditional folk music, Sandy Denny’s next venture was rather different. For a long time she had been writing far more songs than she had ever played for her bandmates, like “Nothing More”, a song that many have suggested is about Thompson: [Excerpt: Fotheringay, “Nothing More”] When Joe Boyd heard that Denny was leaving Fairport Convention, he was at first elated. Fairport’s records were being distributed by A&M in the US at that point, but Island Records was in the process of opening up a new US subsidiary which would then release all future Fairport product — *but*, as far as A&M were concerned, Sandy Denny *was* Fairport Convention. They were only interested in her. Boyd, on the other hand, loved Denny’s work intensely, but from his point of view *Richard Thompson* was Fairport Convention. If he could get Denny signed directly to A&M as a solo artist before Island started its US operations, Witchseason could get a huge advance on her first solo record, while Fairport could continue making records for Island — he’d have two lucrative acts, on different labels. Boyd went over and spoke to A&M and got an agreement in principle that they would give Denny a forty-thousand-dollar advance on her first solo album — twice what they were paying for Fairport albums. The problem was that Denny didn’t want to be a solo act. She wanted to be the lead singer of a band. She gave many reasons for this — the one she gave to many journalists was that she had seen a Judy Collins show and been impressed, but noticed that Collins’ band were definitely a “backing group”, and as she put it “But that's all they were – a backing group. I suddenly thought, If you're playing together on a stage you might as well be TOGETHER.” Most other people in her life, though, say that the main reason for her wanting to be in a band was her desire to be with her boyfriend, Trevor Lucas. Partly this was due to a genuine desire to spend more time with someone with whom she was very much in love, partly it was a fear that he would cheat on her if she was away from him for long periods of time, and part of it seems to have been Lucas’ dislike of being *too* overshadowed by his talented girlfriend — he didn’t mind acknowledging that she was a major talent, but he wanted to be thought of as at least a minor one. So instead of going solo, Denny formed Fotheringay, named after the song she had written for Fairport. This new band consisted at first of Denny on vocals and occasional piano, Lucas on vocals and rhythm guitar, and Lucas’ old Eclection bandmate Gerry Conway on drums. For a lead guitarist, they asked Richard Thompson who the best guitarist in Britain was, and he told them Albert Lee. Lee in turn brought in bass player Pat Donaldson, but this lineup of the band barely survived a fortnight. Lee *was* arguably the best guitarist in Britain, certainly a reasonable candidate if you could ever have a singular best (as indeed was Thompson himself), but he was the best *country* guitarist in Britain, and his style simply didn’t fit with Fotheringay’s folk-influenced songs. He was replaced by American guitarist Jerry Donahue, who was not anything like as proficient as Lee, but who was still very good, and fit the band’s style much better. The new group rehearsed together for a few weeks, did a quick tour, and then went into the recording studio to record their debut, self-titled, album. Joe Boyd produced the album, but admitted himself that he only paid attention to those songs he considered worthwhile — the album contained one song by Lucas, “The Ballad of Ned Kelly”, and two cover versions of American singer-songwriter material with Lucas singing lead. But everyone knew that the songs that actually *mattered* were Sandy Denny’s, and Boyd was far more interested in them, particularly the songs “The Sea” and “The Pond and the Stream”: [Excerpt: Fotheringay, “The Pond and the Stream”] Fotheringay almost immediately hit financial problems, though. While other Witchseason acts were used to touring on the cheap, all packed together in the back of a Transit van with inexpensive equipment, Trevor Lucas had ambitions of being a rock star and wanted to put together a touring production to match, with expensive transport and equipment, including a speaker system that got nicknamed “Stonehenge” — but at the same time, Denny was unhappy being on the road, and didn’t play many gigs. As well as the band itself, the Fotheringay album also featured backing vocals from a couple of other people, including Denny’s friend Linda Peters. Peters was another singer from the folk clubs, and a good one, though less well-known than Denny — at this point she had only released a couple of singles, and those singles seemed to have been as much as anything else released as a novelty. The first of those, a version of Dylan’s “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” had been released as by “Paul McNeill and Linda Peters”: [Excerpt: Paul McNeill and Linda Peters, “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”] But their second single, a version of John D. Loudermilk’s “You’re Taking My Bag”, was released on the tiny Page One label, owned by Larry Page, and was released under the name “Paul and Linda”, clearly with the intent of confusing particularly gullible members of the record-buying public into thinking this was the McCartneys: [Excerpt: Paul and Linda, “You’re Taking My Bag”] Peters was though more financially successful than almost anyone else in this story, as she was making a great deal of money as a session singer. She actually did another session involving most of Fotheringay around this time. Witchseason had a number of excellent songwriters on its roster, and had had some success getting covers by people like Judy Collins, but Joe Boyd thought that they might possibly do better at getting cover versions if they were performed in less idiosyncratic arrangements. Donahue, Donaldson, and Conway went into the studio to record backing tracks, and vocals were added by Peters and another session singer, who according to some sources also provided piano. They cut songs by Mike Heron of the Incredible String Band: [Excerpt: Linda Peters, “You Get Brighter”] Ed Carter, formerly of The New Nadir but by this time firmly ensconced in the Beach Boys’ touring band where he would remain for the next quarter-century: [Excerpt: Linda Peters, “I Don’t Mind”] John and Beverly Martyn, and Nick Drake: [Excerpt: Elton John, “Saturday Sun”] There are different lineups of musicians credited for those sessions in different sources, but I tend to believe that it’s mostly Fotheringay for the simple reason that Donahue says it was him, Donaldson and Conway who talked Lucas and Denny into the mistake that destroyed Fotheringay because of these sessions. Fotheringay were in financial trouble already, spending far more money than they were bringing in, but their album made the top twenty and they were getting respect both from critics and from the public — in September, Sandy Denny was voted best British female singer by the readers of Melody Maker in their annual poll, which led to shocked headlines in the tabloids about how this “unknown” could have beaten such big names as Dusty Springfield and Cilla Black. Only a couple of weeks after that, they were due to headline at the Albert Hall. It should have been a triumph. But Donahue, Donaldson, and Conway had asked that singing pianist to be their support act. As Donahue said later “That was a terrible miscast. It was our fault. He asked if [he] could do it. Actually Pat, Gerry and I had to talk Sandy and Trevor into [it]… We'd done these demos and the way he was playing – he was a wonderful piano player – he was sensitive enough. We knew very little about his stage-show. We thought he'd be a really good opener for us.” Unfortunately, Elton John was rather *too* good. As Donahue continued “we had no idea what he had in mind, that he was going to do the most incredible rock & roll show ever. He pretty much blew us off the stage before we even got on the stage.” To make matters worse, Fotheringay’s set, which was mostly comprised of new material, was underrehearsed and sloppy, and from that point on no matter what they did people were counting the hours until the band split up. They struggled along for a while though, and started working on a second record, with Boyd again producing, though as Boyd later said “I probably shouldn't have been producing the record. My lack of respect for the group was clear, and couldn't have helped the atmosphere. We'd put out a record that had sold disappointingly, A&M was unhappy. Sandy's tracks on the first record are among the best things she ever did – the rest of it, who cares? And the artwork, Trevor's sister, was terrible. It would have been one thing if I'd been unhappy with it and it sold, and the group was working all the time, making money, but that wasn't the case … I knew what Sandy was capable of, and it was very upsetting to me.” The record would not be released for thirty-eight years: [Excerpt: Fotheringay, “Wild Mountain Thyme”] Witchseason was going badly into debt. Given all the fissioning of bands that we’ve already been talking about, Boyd had been stretched thin — he produced sixteen albums in 1970, and almost all of them lost money for the company. And he was getting more and more disillusioned with the people he was producing. He loved Beverly Martyn’s work, but had little time for her abusive husband John, who was dominating her recording and life more and more and would soon become a solo artist while making her stay at home (and stealing her ideas without giving her songwriting credit). The Incredible String Band were great, but they had recently converted to Scientology, which Boyd found annoying, and while he was working with all sorts of exciting artists like Vashti Bunyan and Nico, he was finding himself less and less important to the artists he mentored. Fairport Convention were a good example of this. After Denny and Hutchings had left the group, they’d decided to carry on as an electric folk group, performing an equal mix of originals by the Swarbrick and Thompson songwriting team and arrangements of traditional songs. The group were now far enough away from the “British Jefferson Airplane” label that they decided they didn’t need a female vocalist — and more realistically, while they’d been able to replace Judy Dyble, nobody was going to replace Sandy Denny. Though it’s rather surprising when one considers Thompson’s subsequent career that nobody seems to have thought of bringing in Denny’s friend Linda Peters, who was dating Joe Boyd at the time (as Denny had been before she met Lucas) as Denny’s replacement. Instead, they decided that Swarbrick and Thompson were going to share the vocals between them. They did, though, need a bass player to replace Hutchings. Swarbrick wanted to bring in Dave Pegg, with whom he had played in the Ian Campbell Folk Group, but the other band members initially thought the idea was a bad one. At the time, while they respected Swarbrick as a musician, they didn’t think he fully understood rock and roll yet, and they thought the idea of getting in a folkie who had played double bass rather than an electric rock bassist ridiculous. But they auditioned him to mollify Swarbrick, and found that he was exactly what they needed. As Joe Boyd later said “All those bass lines were great, Ashley invented them all, but he never could play them that well. He thought of them, but he was technically not a terrific bass player. He was a very inventive, melodic, bass player, but not a very powerful one technically. But having had the part explained to him once, Pegg was playing it better than Ashley had ever played it… In some rock bands, I think, ultimately, the bands that sound great, you can generally trace it to the bass player… it was at that point they became a great band, when they had Pegg.” The new lineup of Fairport decided to move in together, and found a former pub called the Angel, into which all the band members moved, along with their partners and children (Thompson was the only one who was single at this point) and their roadies. The group lived together quite happily, and one gets the impression that this was the period when they were most comfortable with each other, even though by this point they were a disparate group with disparate tastes, in music as in everything else. Several people have said that the only music all the band members could agree they liked at this point was the first two albums by The Band. With the departure of Hutchings from the band, Swarbrick and Thompson, as the strongest personalities and soloists, became in effect the joint leaders of the group, and they became collaborators as songwriters, trying to write new songs that were inspired by traditional music. Thompson described the process as “let’s take one line of this reel and slow it down and move it up a minor third and see what that does to it; let’s take one line of this ballad and make a whole song out of it. Chopping up the tradition to find new things to do… like a collage.” Generally speaking, Swarbrick and Thompson would sit by the fire and Swarbrick would play a melody he’d been working on, the two would work on it for a while, and Thompson would then go away and write the lyrics. This is how the two came up with songs like the nine-minute “Sloth”, a highlight of the next album, Full House, and one that would remain in Fairport’s live set for much of their career: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Sloth”] “Sloth” was titled that way because Thompson and Swarbrick were working on two tunes, a slow one and a fast one, and they jokingly named them “Sloth” and “Fasth”, but the latter got renamed to “Walk Awhile”, while “Sloth” kept its working title. But by this point, Boyd and Thompson were having a lot of conflict in the studio. Boyd was never the most technical of producers — he was one of those producers whose job is to gently guide the artists in the studio and create a space for the music to flourish, rather than the Joe Meek type with an intimate technical knowledge of the studio — and as the artists he was working with gained confidence in their own work they felt they had less and less need of him. During the making of the Full House album, Thompson and Boyd, according to Boyd, clashed on everything — every time Boyd thought Thompson had done a good solo, Thompson would say to erase it and let him have another go, while every time Boyd thought Thompson could do better, Thompson would say that was the take to keep. One of their biggest clashes was over Thompson’s song “Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman”, which was originally intended for release on the album, and is included in current reissues of it: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman”] Thompson had written that song inspired by what he thought was the unjust treatment of Alex Bramham, the driver in Fairport’s fatal car crash, by the courts — Bramham had been given a prison sentence of a few months for dangerous driving, while the group members thought he had not been at fault. Boyd thought it was one of the best things recorded for the album, but Thompson wasn’t happy with his vocal — there was one note at the top of the melody that he couldn’t quite hit — and insisted it be kept off the record, even though that meant it would be a shorter album than normal. He did this at such a late stage that early copies of the album actually had the title printed on the sleeve, but then blacked out. He now says in his autobiography “I could have persevered, double-tracked the voice, warmed up for longer – anything. It was a good track, and the record was lacking without it. When the album was re-released, the track was restored with a more confident vocal, and it has stayed there ever since.” During the sessions for Full House the group also recorded one non-album single, Thompson and Swarbrick’s “Now Be Thankful”: [Excerpt, Fairport Convention, “Now Be Thankful”] The B-side to that was a medley of two traditional tunes plus a Swarbrick original, but was given the deliberately ridiculous title “Sir B. McKenzie’s Daughter’s Lament For The 77th Mounted Lancers Retreat From The Straits Of Loch Knombe, In The Year Of Our Lord 1727, On The Occasion Of The Announcement Of Her Marriage To The Laird Of Kinleakie”: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Sir B. McKenzie’s Daughter’s Lament For The 77th Mounted Lancers Retreat From The Straits Of Loch Knombe, In The Year Of Our Lord 1727, On The Occasion Of The Announcement Of Her Marriage To The Laird Of Kinleakie”] The B. McKenzie in the title was a reference to the comic-strip character Barry McKenzie, a stereotype drunk Australian created for Private Eye magazine by the comedian Barry Humphries (later to become better known for his Dame Edna Everage character) but the title was chosen for one reason only — to get into the Guinness Book of Records for the song with the longest title. Which they did, though they were later displaced by the industrial band Test Dept, and their song “Long Live British Democracy Which Flourishes and Is Constantly Perfected Under the Immaculate Guidance of the Great, Honourable, Generous and Correct Margaret Hilda Thatcher. She Is the Blue Sky in the Hearts of All Nations. Our People Pay Homage and Bow in Deep Respect and Gratitude to Her. The Milk of Human Kindness”. Full House got excellent reviews in the music press, with Rolling Stone saying “The music shows that England has finally gotten her own equivalent to The Band… By calling Fairport an English equivalent of the Band, I meant that they have soaked up enough of the tradition of their countryfolk that it begins to show all over, while they maintain their roots in rock.” Off the back of this, the group went on their first US tour, culminating in a series of shows at the Troubadour in LA, on the same bill as Rick Nelson, which were recorded and later released as a live album: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Sloth (live)”] The Troubadour was one of the hippest venues at the time, and over their residency there the group got seen by many celebrities, some of whom joined them on stage. The first was Linda Ronstadt, who initially demurred, saying she didn’t know any of their songs. On being told they knew all of hers, she joined in with a rendition of “Silver Threads and Golden Needles”. Thompson was later asked to join Ronstadt’s backing band, who would go on to become the Eagles, but he said later of this offer “I would have hated it. I’d have hated being on the road with four or five miserable Americans — they always seem miserable. And if you see them now, they still look miserable on stage — like they don’t want to be there and they don’t like each other.” The group were also joined on stage at the Troubadour on one memorable night by some former bandmates of Pegg’s. Before joining the Ian Campbell Folk Group, Pegg had played around the Birmingham beat scene, and had been in bands with John Bonham and Robert Plant, who turned up to the Troubadour with their Led Zeppelin bandmate Jimmy Page (reports differ on whether the fourth member of Zeppelin, John Paul Jones, also came along). They all got up on stage together and jammed on songs like “Hey Joe”, “Louie Louie”, and various old Elvis tunes. The show was recorded, and the tapes are apparently still in the possession of Joe Boyd, who has said he refuses to release them in case he is murdered by the ghost of Peter Grant. According to Thompson, that night ended in a three-way drinking contest between Pegg, Bonham, and Janis Joplin, and it’s testament to how strong the drinking culture is around Fairport and the British folk scene in general that Pegg outdrank both of them. According to Thompson, Bonham was found naked by a swimming pool two days later, having missed two gigs. For all their hard rock image, Led Zeppelin were admirers of a lot of the British folk and folk-rock scene, and a few months later Sandy Denny would become the only outside vocalist ever to appear on a Led Zeppelin record when she duetted with Plant on “The Battle of Evermore” on the group’s fourth album: [Excerpt: Led Zeppelin, “The Battle of Evermore”] Denny would never actually get paid for her appearance on one of the best-selling albums of all time. That was, incidentally, not the only session that Denny was involved in around this time — she also sang on the soundtrack to a soft porn film titled Swedish Fly Girls, whose soundtrack was produced by Manfred Mann: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “What Will I Do With Tomorrow?”] Shortly after Fairport’s trip to America, Joe Boyd decided he was giving up on Witchseason. The company was now losing money, and he was finding himself having to produce work for more and more acts as the various bands fissioned. The only ones he really cared about were Richard Thompson, who he was finding it more and more difficult to work with, Nick Drake, who wanted to do his next album with just an acoustic guitar anyway, Sandy Denny, who he felt was wasting her talents in Fotheringay, and Mike Heron of the Incredible String Band, who was more distant since his conversion to Scientology. Boyd did make some attempts to keep the company going. On a trip to Sweden, he negotiated an agreement with the manager and publisher of a Swedish band whose songs he’d found intriguing, the Hep Stars. Boyd was going to publish their songs in the UK, and in return that publisher, Stig Anderson, would get the rights to Witchseason’s catalogue in Scandinavia — a straight swap, with no money changing hands. But before Boyd could get round to signing the paperwork, he got a better offer from Mo Ostin of Warners — Ostin wanted Boyd to come over to LA and head up Warners’ new film music department. Boyd sold Witchseason to Island Records and moved to LA with his fiancee Linda Peters, spending the next few years working on music for films like Deliverance and A Clockwork Orange, as well as making his own documentary about Jimi Hendrix, and thus missed out on getting the UK publishing rights for ABBA, and all the income that would have brought him, for no money. And it was that decision that led to the breakup of Fotheringay. Just before Christmas 1970, Fotheringay were having a difficult session, recording the track “John the Gun”: [Excerpt: Fotheringay, “John the Gun”] Boyd got frustrated and kicked everyone out of the session, and went for a meal and several drinks with Denny. He kept insisting that she should dump the band and just go solo, and then something happened that the two of them would always describe differently. She asked him if he would continue to produce her records if she went solo, and he said he would. According to Boyd’s recollection of the events, he meant that he would fly back from California at some point to produce her records. According to Denny, he told her that if she went solo he would stay in Britain and not take the job in LA. This miscommunication was only discovered after Denny told the rest of Fotheringay after the Christmas break that she was splitting the band. Jerry Donahue has described that as the worst moment of his life, and Denny felt very guilty about breaking up a band with some of her closest friends in — and then when Boyd went over to the US anyway she felt a profound betrayal. Two days before Fotheringay’s final concert, in January 1971, Sandy Denny signed a solo deal with Island records, but her first solo album would not end up produced by Joe Boyd. Instead, The North Star Grassman and the Ravens was co-produced by Denny, John Wood — the engineer who had worked with Boyd on pretty much everything he’d produced, and Richard Thompson, who had just quit Fairport Convention, though he continued living with them at the Angel, at least until a truck crashed into the building in February 1971, destroying its entire front wall and forcing them to relocate. The songs chosen for The North Star Grassman and the Ravens reflected the kind of choices Denny would make on her future albums, and her eclectic taste in music. There was, of course, the obligatory Dylan cover, and the traditional folk ballad “Blackwaterside”, but there was also a cover version of Brenda Lee’s “Let’s Jump the Broomstick”: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “Let’s Jump the Broomstick”] Most of the album, though, was made up of originals about various people in Denny’s life, like “Next Time Around”, about her ex-boyfriend Jackson C Frank: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “Next Time Around”] The album made the top forty in the UK — Denny’s only solo album to do so — and led to her once again winning the “best female singer” award in Melody Maker’s readers’ poll that year — the male singer award was won by Rod Stewart. Both Stewart and Denny appeared the next year on the London Symphony Orchestra’s all-star version of The Who’s Tommy, which had originally been intended as a vehicle for Stewart before Roger Daltrey got involved. Stewart’s role was reduced to a single song, “Pinball Wizard”, while Denny sang on “It’s a Boy”: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “It’s a Boy”] While Fotheringay had split up, all the band members play on The North Star Grassman and the Ravens. Guitarists Donahue and Lucas only play on a couple of the tracks, with Richard Thompson playing most of the guitar on the record. But Fotheringay’s rhythm section of Pat Donaldson and Gerry Conway play on almost every track. Another musician on the album, Ian Whiteman, would possibly have a profound effect on the future direction of Richard Thompson’s career and life. Whiteman was the former keyboard player for the mod band The Action, having joined them just before they became the blues-rock band Mighty Baby. But Mighty Baby had split up when all of the band except the lead singer had converted to Islam. Richard Thompson was on his own spiritual journey at this point, and became a Sufi – the same branch of Islam as Whiteman – soon after the session, though Thompson has said that his conversion was independent of Whiteman’s. The two did become very close and work together a lot in the mid-seventies though. Thompson had supposedly left Fairport because he was writing material that wasn’t suited to the band, but he spent more than a year after quitting the group working on sessions rather than doing anything with his own material, and these sessions tended to involve the same core group of musicians. One of the more unusual was a folk-rock supergroup called The Bunch, put together by Trevor Lucas. Richard Branson had recently bought a recording studio, and wanted a band to test it out before opening it up for commercial customers, so with this free studio time Lucas decided to record a set of fifties rock and roll covers. He gathered together Thompson, Denny, Whiteman, Ashley Hutchings, Dave Mattacks, Pat Donaldson, Gerry Conway, pianist Tony Cox, the horn section that would later form the core of the Average White Band, and Linda Peters, who had now split up with Joe Boyd and returned to the UK, and who had started dating Thompson. They recorded an album of covers of songs by Jerry Lee Lewis, the Everly Brothers, Johnny Otis and others: [Excerpt: The Bunch, “Willie and the Hand Jive”] The early seventies was a hugely productive time for this group of musicians, as they all continued playing on each other’s projects. One notable album was No Roses by Shirley Collins, which featured Thompson, Mattacks, Whiteman, Simon Nicol, Lal and Mike Waterson, and Ashley Hutchings, who was at that point married to Collins, as well as some more unusual musicians like the free jazz saxophonist Lol Coxhill: [Excerpt: Shirley Collins and the Albion Country Band, “Claudy Banks”] Collins was at the time the most respected female singer in British traditional music, and already had a substantial career including a series of important records made with her sister Dolly, work with guitarists like Davey Graham, and time spent in the 1950s collecting folk songs in the Southern US with her then partner Alan Lomax – according to Collins she did much of the actual work, but Lomax only mentioned her in a single sentence in his book on this work. Some of the same group of musicians went on to work on an album of traditional Morris dancing tunes, titled Morris On, credited to “Ashley Hutchings, Richard Thompson, Dave Mattacks, John Kirkpatrick and Barry Dransfield”, with Collins singing lead on two tracks: [Excerpt: Ashley Hutchings, Richard Thompson, Dave Mattacks, John Kirkpatrick and Barry Dransfield with Shirley Collins, “The Willow Tree”] Thompson thought that that album was the best of the various side projects he was involved in at the time, comparing it favourably to Rock On, which he thought was rather slight, saying later “Conceptually, Fairport, Ashley and myself and Sandy were developing a more fragile style of music that nobody else was particularly interested in, a British Folk Rock idea that had a logical development to it, although we all presented it our own way. Morris On was rather more true to what we were doing. Rock On was rather a retro step. I'm not sure it was lasting enough as a record but Sandy did sing really well on the Buddy Holly songs.” Hutchings used the musicians on No Roses and Morris On as the basis for his band the Albion Band, which continues to this day. Simon Nicol and Dave Mattacks both quit Fairport to join the Albion Band, though Mattacks soon returned. Nicol would not return to Fairport for several years, though, and for a long period in the mid-seventies Fairport Convention had no original members. Unfortunately, while Collins was involved in the Albion Band early on, she and Hutchings ended up divorcing, and the stress from the divorce led to Collins developing spasmodic dysphonia, a stress-related illness which makes it impossible for the sufferer to sing. She did eventually regain her vocal ability, but between 1978 and 2016 she was unable to perform at all, and lost decades of her career. Richard Thompson occasionally performed with the Albion Band early on, but he was getting stretched a little thin with all these sessions. Linda Peters said later of him “When I came back from America, he was working in Sandy’s band, and doing sessions by the score. Always with Pat Donaldson and Dave Mattacks. Richard would turn up with his guitar, one day he went along to do a session with one of those folkie lady singers — and there were Pat and DM. They all cracked. Richard smashed his amp and said “Right! No more sessions!” In 1972 he got round to releasing his first solo album, Henry the Human Fly, which featured guest appearances by Linda Peters and Sandy Denny among others: [Excerpt: Richard Thompson, “The Angels Took My Racehorse Away”] Unfortunately, while that album has later become regarded as one of the classics of its genre, at the time it was absolutely slated by the music press. The review in Melody Maker, for example, read in part “Some of Richard Thompson’s ideas sound great – which is really the saving grace of this album, because most of the music doesn’t. The tragedy is that Thompson’s “British rock music” is such an unconvincing concoction… Even the songs that do integrate rock and traditional styles of electric guitar rhythms and accordion and fiddle decoration – and also include explicit, meaningful lyrics are marred by bottle-up vocals, uninspiring guitar phrases and a general lack of conviction in performance.” Henry the Human Fly was released in the US by Warners, who had a reciprocal licensing deal with Island (and for whom Joe Boyd was working at the time, which may have had something to do with that) but according to Thompson it became the lowest-selling record that Warners ever put out (though I’ve also seen that claim made about Van Dyke Parks’ Song Cycle, another album that has later been rediscovered). Thompson was hugely depressed by this reaction, and blamed his own singing. Happily, though, by this point he and Linda had become a couple — they would marry in 1972 — and they started playing folk clubs as a duo, or sometimes in a trio with Simon Nicol. Thompson was also playing with Sandy Denny’s backing band at this point, and played on every track on her second solo album, Sandy. This album was meant to be her big commercial breakthrough, with a glamorous cover photo by David Bailey, and with a more American sound, including steel guitar by Sneaky Pete Kleinow of the Flying Burrito Brothers (whose overdubs were supervised in LA by Joe Boyd): [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “Tomorrow is a Long Time”] The album was given a big marketing push by Island, and “Listen, Listen” was made single of the week on the Radio 1 Breakfast show: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “Listen, Listen”] But it did even worse than the previous album, sending her into something of a depression. Linda Thompson (as the former Linda Peters now was) said of this period “After the Sandy album, it got her down that her popularity didn't suddenly increase in leaps and bounds, and that was the start of her really fretting about the way her career was going. Things only escalated after that. People like me or Martin Carthy or Norma Waterson would think, ‘What are you on about? This is folk music.'” After Sandy’s release, Denny realised she could no longer afford to tour with a band, and so went back to performing just acoustically or on piano. The only new music to be released by either of these ex-members of Fairport Convention in 1973 was, oddly, on an album by the band they were no longer members of. After Thompson had left Fairport, the group had managed to release two whole albums with the same lineup — Swarbrick, Nicol, Pegg, and Mattacks. But then Nicol and Mattacks had both quit the band to join the Albion Band with their former bandmate Ashley Hutchings, leading to a situation where the Albion Band had two original members of Fairport plus their longtime drummer while Fairport Convention itself had no original members and was down to just Swarbrick and Pegg. Needing to fulfil their contracts, they then recruited three former members of Fotheringay — Lucas on vocals and rhythm guitar, Donahue on lead guitar, and Conway on drums. Conway was only a session player at the time, and Mattacks soon returned to the band, but Lucas and Donahue became full-time members. This new lineup of Fairport Convention released two albums in 1973, widely regarded as the group’s most inconsistent records, and on the title track of the first, “Rosie”, Richard Thompson guested on guitar, with Sandy Denny and Linda Thompson on backing vocals: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Rosie”] Neither Sandy Denny nor Richard Thompson released a record themselves in 1973, but in neither case was this through the artists’ choice. The record industry was changing in the early 1970s, as we’ll see in later episodes, and was less inclined to throw good money after bad in the pursuit of art. Island Records prided itself on being a home for great artists, but it was still a business, and needed to make money. We’ll talk about the OPEC oil crisis and its effect on the music industry much more when the podcast gets to 1973, but in brief, the production of oil by the US peaked in 1970 and started to decrease, leading to them importing more and more oil from the Middle East. As a result of this, oil prices rose slowly between 1971 and 1973, then very quickly towards the end of 1973 as a result of the Arab-Israeli conflict that year. As vinyl is made of oil, suddenly producing records became much more expensive, and in this period a lot of labels decided not to release already-completed albums, until what they hoped would be a brief period of shortages passed. Both Denny and Thompson recorded albums at this point that got put to one side by Island. In the case of Thompson, it was the first album by Richard and Linda as a duo, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight: [Excerpt: Richard and Linda Thompson, “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight”] Today, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, and as one of the two masterpieces that bookended Richard and Linda’s career as a duo and their marriage. But when they recorded the album, full of Richard’s dark songs, it was the opposite of commercial. Even a song that’s more or less a boy-girl song, like “Has He Got a Friend for Me?” has lyrics like “He wouldn’t notice me passing by/I could be in the gutter, or dangling down from a tree” [Excerpt: Richard and Linda Thompson, “Has He got a Friend For Me?”] While something like “The Calvary Cross” is oblique and haunted, and seems to cast a pall over the entire album: [Excerpt: Richard and Linda Thompson, “The Calvary Cross”] The album itself had been cheap to make — it had been recorded in only a week, with Thompson bringing in musicians he knew well and had worked with a lot previously to cut the tracks as-live in only a handful of takes — but Island didn’t think it was worth releasing. The record stayed on the shelf for nearly a year after recording, until Island got a new head of A&R, Richard Williams. Williams said of the album’s release “Muff Winwood had been doing A&R, but he was more interested in production… I had a conversation with Muff as soon as I got there, and he said there are a few hangovers, some outstanding problems. And one of them was Richard Thompson. He said there’s this album we gave him the money to make — which was I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight — and nobody’s very interested in it. Henry the Human Fly had been a bit of a commercial disappointment, and although Island was altruistic and independent and known for only recording good stuff, success was important… Either a record had to do well or somebody had to believe in it a lot. And it seemed as if neither of those things were true at that point of Richard.” Williams, though, was hugely impressed when he listened to the album. He compared Richard Thompson’s guitar playing to John Coltrane’s sax, and called Thompson “the folk poet of the rainy streets”, but also said “Linda brightened it, made it more commercial. and I thought that “Bright Lights” itself seemed a really commercial song.” The rest of the management at Island got caught up in Williams’ enthusiasm, and even decided to release the title track as a single: [Excerpt: Richard and Linda Thompson, “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight”] Neither single nor album charted — indeed it would not be until 1991 that Richard Thompson would make a record that made the top forty in the UK — but the album got enough critical respect that Richard and Linda released two albums the year after. The first of these, Hokey Pokey, is a much more upbeat record than their previous one — Richard Thompson has called it “quite a music-hall influenced record” and cited the influence of George Formby and Harry Lauder. For once, the claim of music hall influence is audible in the music. Usually when a British musician is claimed to have a music ha

Day 1,216.Today, we discuss the ramifications of the historic American strike on Iran's nuclear sites, and how we should read Tehran's Foreign Minister's scramble to Moscow. Plus we feature a special dispatch from Gotland, Sweden, to meet the Armed Forces' newest outfit protecting Europe's strategic Baltic outpost from Russia.Contributors:Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.Venetia Rainey (Co-host Battle Lines podcast). @venetiarainey on X.Content Referenced:The tiny Swedish island regiment tasked with protecting Europe from Russia (Venetia Rainey in The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/06/17/the-tiny-swedish-island-regiment-tasked-protecting-europe/ Our sister podcast Battle Lines, covering wider geopolitical affairs, including Iran:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/05/14/battle-lines-foreign-policy-geopolitics-conflict-podcast/ Spain exempt from Nato's 5pc spending target (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/06/22/spain-exempt-from-nato-five-percent-spending-target-gdp/ 'My husband is free' — Belarus opposition leader Siarhei Tsikhanouski freed after US envoy visits Minsk (The Kyiv Independent):https://kyivindependent.com/in-highest-level-visit-in-years-lukashenko-meets-us-envoy-kellogg-in-minsk/?mc_cid=bdc69312ea&mc_eid=08d0680a95 Putin spies an opportunity in Trump's attack on Iran (The Spectator):https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/putin-spies-an-opportunity-in-trumps-attack-on-iran/SIGN UP TO THE NEW ‘UKRAINE: THE LATEST' WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:https://secure.telegraph.co.uk/customer/secure/newsletter/ukraine/ Each week, Dom Nicholls and Francis Dearnley answer your questions, provide recommended reading, and give exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights – plus maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons to complement our daily reporting. It's free for everyone, including non-subscribers.Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is an encore release of an earlier podcast episode.Norwegian Crown Princess Martha was born in Sweden, but Swedish actor Sofia Helin didn't know her story until she signed on to play the quiet Royal in Atlantic Crossing. But after coming on board the miniseries, Helin helped shape the story of the little-known Princess, bringing a surprising light to her powerful story. Helin talks royalty, FDR, and Saga Noren of Broen in a new interview.

In 1949, the Gratitude Train arrived in the United States, made up of 49 wagons filled with thousands of gifts from France.The convoy was a thank-you to American families who'd sent food and supplies across the Atlantic, via a ‘friendship train' in the aftermath of World War Two.It was the idea of a French railworker called Andre Picard. In the same spirit as the friendship train, he asked families across France to make donations.The response was 52,000 gifts that filled 49 rail wagons or ‘boxcars', one for each US state, and to be distributed to American families. Some donations were valuable; a carriage used by King Louis XV. Others were handmade; a knitted scarf or a child's painting.June Cutchins tells Jane Wilkinson about the treasure her family received from the Florida boxcar.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic' and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy's Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they've had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America's occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.(Photo: Gratitude train boxcar unloaded in New York, 1949. Credit: Bettmann/Getty Images)

A round-up of the main headlines in Sweden on June 23rd, 2025. You can hear more reports on our homepage www.radiosweden.se, or in the app Sveriges Radio Play. Presenter/Producer: Kris Boswell.

From July 14, 2023: The NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, just wrapped up, and the big news is that Sweden is in, and Ukraine is not. Eric Adamson of the Atlantic Council and the Swedish Defense Association is a Swedish defense policy analyst who observed the NATO summit.He joined Lawfare Editor-in-Chief Benjamin Wittes to discuss the two big things that happened: the Swedish resolution of the dispute with Turkey that impeded Swedish NATO accession until now, and the frustrating failure of NATO to set a path for Ukrainian NATO membership. They talked about the dispute between Sweden and Turkey and the nuanced manner in which it was resolved, about whether the Ukrainians are being too demanding and should be more grateful for Western support, and the specific areas in which Sweden will contribute to NATO's capabilities.To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this heartfelt episode, I reconnect with the radiant Reeta Pohjonen, who shares the inspiring next chapter of her path from launching the Academy of Transformative Homeopathy to co-creating the Sacred Source School with Janey Lavelle. We explore the deeper layers of homeopathy as both a healing modality and a path of personal transformation, and Reeta offers a glimpse into her powerful graduation retreats infused with women's circles, cacao ceremonies, and soul-led teachings. She also takes us to Sicily, where she has rooted herself on a sacred piece of land that now serves as a hub for remedy-making, retreats, and deep ancestral healing. With stories of synchronicity, ceremony, and sisterhood, this conversation is a beautiful reminder of the magic that unfolds when we listen to the call of the heart. Episode Highlights: 04:07 - This Isn't Your Average Graduation—And That's the Point 07:06 - Transitioning to the Academy of Transformative Homeopathy 11:02 - An inside look at the school's flexible learning framework 15:26 - The Feminine Way of Learning 18:02 - The Remedy That Awakens the Feminine Soul 26:22 - The Sacred Alchemy of Trituration 30:15 - Janie Lavelle Joins the Conversation 31:01 - How Sicily Became a Sacred Site for Women's Work 39:22 - An unexpected meeting with the Guardian of Lamanna 45:24 - Connection to Ash Trees and Their Symbolism 56:36 - A Womb-Led Journey to Sicily About my Guests: Reeta Pohjonen carries a rich tapestry of experiences shaped by her roots in Kemi and her upbringing in Africa. A devoted mother of three and an angel child, she has embraced the beauty of water births. As the principal of Homeopathy School Helsinki, Reeta is a passionate homeopath, vital shiatsu therapist, mama yoga instructor, 3P facilitator, and astrologer, dedicated to the service of the Holy Feminine. Her work focuses on childbirth, women's well-being, and mental health, particularly for young people. Inspired by Kabbalah, ceremonial life, and the wonders of nature, Reeta's interests span from alkalized living water and juicing to sailing and Argentine tango. With a dream of a home in southern Italy, she continues to explore life's beauty through heartfelt connections and artistic expression. Janey Lavelle is a mother of four home-birthed children, an intuitive healer, and a passionate advocate for women's wellness. Originally from New Zealand and now rooted in the wild beauty of Easkey, Co. Sligo, Janey has spent over 15 years working in the field of Energy Medicine. Her work focuses on supporting women, babies, and children through pregnancy, birth, matrescence, hormonal imbalances, and emotional healing. Blending ancient wisdom with modern science, she offers a unique approach that integrates homeopathy, massage therapies (Swedish, Ayurvedic, and Aromatherapy), Reiki, and energy alchemy. Janey runs a healing space and homeopathic emporium in Inishcrone and teaches homeopathy at the Helsinki School of Homeopathy in Finland. She also leads Reiki initiations in Ireland and has deeply immersed herself in the art of trituration, co-creating remedies such as Irish Raven, Sea Eagle, and Maria Magdalena. A recent pilgrimage to the Cave of Maria Magdalena in France marked a profound spiritual initiation in her journey, further anchoring her devotion to feminine healing and sacred medicine. Find out more about Reeta Website: https://www.reetapohjonen.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reetapohjonenhomeopathy/ Follow Sacred Source School on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sacredsourceschool/ To learn more about The Academy of Transformative Homeopathy https://www.athacademy.fi/ Find out more about Janey Website: https://sageandseer.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sage.and.seer/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sageandseer If you would like to support the Homeopathy Hangout Podcast, please consider making a donation by visiting www.EugenieKruger.com and click the DONATE button at the top of the site. Every donation about $10 will receive a shout-out on a future episode. Join my Homeopathy Hangout Podcast Facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HelloHomies Follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/eugeniekrugerhomeopathy/ Here is the link to my free 30-minute Homeopathy@Home online course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqBUpxO4pZQ&t=438s Upon completion of the course - and if you live in Australia - you can join my Facebook group for free acute advice (you'll need to answer a couple of questions about the course upon request to join): www.facebook.com/groups/eughom

It's 50 years since the original Jaws film was released in cinemas across America. The movie premiered on 20 June 1975. Directed by a young Steven Spielberg, who was relatively unknown at the time, it was considered Hollywood's pioneering summer blockbuster. The thriller broke records by becoming the first movie to gross over $100 million at the US box office and made millions of people afraid to go into the water. Carl Gottlieb, who co-wrote the screenplay, looks back at guiding the chaotic production into cinematic history. Produced and presented by Megan Jones. With movie excerpts from the 1975 film which was a Universal Picture, a Zanuck/Brown production and directed by Steven Spielberg. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic' and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy's Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they've had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America's occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.(Photo: A scene from the movie. Credit: Screen Archives/Getty Images)

After the death of Karl XII, Swedish monarchs lost almost all their power. Instead, the Riksdag asserted itself as the most influential body in Swedish political life. Among bribes, personal vendettas and dreams of reestablishing the empire, two political parties emerged.

On 28 June 1919, in the Palace of Versailles in Paris the signing of the Treaty of Versailles took place. It was a peace agreement that marked the end of World War One.The terms of the treaty punished Germany for their involvement in starting the war. British journalist, William Norman Ewer attended the signing. He told his story to the BBC World Service in 1967. He recalls the moment of the signing and the treatment of the German delegates in this fascinating account.Produced and presented by Gill Kearsley. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic' and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy's Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they've had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America's occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.(Photo: Treaty of Versailles is signed by Prime Minister Clemenceau. Credit: Photo12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

On 18 June 1964, black and white protesters jumped into a ‘whites only' swimming pool at a motel in St Augustine, in Florida.Photos of the Monson Motor Lodge manager, James Brock, pouring cleaning acid into the pool to get them out, made global headlines.The following day, the Civil Rights Act - a landmark bill to end discrimination which had been stalling in the Senate – was finally passed.Using archive interviews with two of the swimming activists, JT Johnson and Mimi Jones, Vicky Farncombe looks back at this crucial moment in the civil rights movement.This programme includes outdated and offensive language.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic' and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy's Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they've had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America's occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.(Photo: Monson Motor Lodge manager, James Brock, pouring cleaning acid into the pool. Credit: Getty Images)

Two political scientists look back at a deadly pandemic and ask, "could we have done even less?"Where to find us: Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:Lawrence Wright's “The Plague Year”The 2019 WHO report                30‐day mortality following COVID‐19COVID-19: examining the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventionsPolicy Interventions, Social Distancing, and SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in the United StatesWhat we can learn from SwedenA review of the Swedish policy response to COVID-19How Sweden approached the COVID‐19 pandemicThe first eight months of Sweden's COVID‐19 strategyThe Swedish COVID-19 Response Is a DisasterExcess mortality in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic Comparing drivers of pandemic economic decline 2020How Sweden approached the COVID-19 pandemicComparisons of all-cause mortality between European countries and regionsJonathan Howard's “We Want Them Infected.”Deaths: Leading Causes for 2021Stay-at-home orders associate with subsequent decreases in COVID-19 cases and fatalities in the United States Did the Timing of State Mandated Lockdown Affect the Spread of COVID-19? US State Restrictions and Excess COVID-19 Pandemic DeathsThanks to Mindseye for our theme song!