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A new book is just one of multidisciplinary artist Cannupa Hanska Luger's (Mandan, Hidatsa, & Arikara and Lakota) many current creative projects. He's the 2025 artist-in-residence for Verbier 3-D Foundation, a contemporary art non-profit in Switzerland. He has new work that is part of an augmented reality exhibition with other Indigenous artists at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing. He has a public sculpture installation at the University of Massachusetts Boston. And he designed a terrifying sports mascot costume for the Jordan Peele horror film, “Him.” His new hybrid art book and graphic novel, “Surviva: A Future Ancestral Field Guide,” is a creative take on the Indigenous knowledge necessary for survival in a post-colonial future. We'll hear from Luger about his creative drive and the message thread throughout all his acclaimed work.
SHOW SCHEDULE 10-15--25 CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR 1964 ATLANTIC CITYCONVENTION HALL THE SHOW BEGINS IN THE DOUBTS ABOUT CONGRESS.... 10-15--25 FIRST HOUR 9-915 HEADLINE: Obamacare Subsidies Trigger Government Shutdown Debate GUEST NAME: Michael Toth SUMMARY: Michael Toth explains that the current government shutdown debate centers on extending two expensive Biden-era Obamacare subsidies. These changes allow individuals earning over 400% of the federal poverty line to receive subsidies and provide 100% coverage for the near-poor. The original Obamacare cross-subsidy structure failed because young, healthy individuals found premiums too high. Toth advocates deregulation, such as allowing insurance companies to charge lower, risk-adjusted rates and enabling single business owners to use Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs) for cheaper coverage. 915-930 HEADLINE: Obamacare Subsidies Trigger Government Shutdown Debate GUEST NAME: Michael Toth SUMMARY: Michael Toth explains that the current government shutdown debate centers on extending two expensive Biden-era Obamacare subsidies. These changes allow individuals earning over 400% of the federal poverty line to receive subsidies and provide 100% coverage for the near-poor. The original Obamacare cross-subsidy structure failed because young, healthy individuals found premiums too high. Toth advocates deregulation, such as allowing insurance companies to charge lower, risk-adjusted rates and enabling single business owners to use Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs) for cheaper coverage. 930-945 HEADLINE: Hamas, Hostages, and Middle East Turmoil: Challenges to the Trump Ceasefire Plan GUEST NAME:Jonathan Schanzer SUMMARY: Jonathan Schanzer discusses complications in the Trump ceasefire plan, including Hamas delaying the return of deceased hostages to maintain leverage. The released prisoners, including potential Hamas leaders, raise concerns about where the organization's center of gravity will shift if they are deported to places like Turkey or Qatar. Schanzer views Turkey, an autocratic supporter of Hamas, as a problematic guarantor of the ceasefire. Internationally, Iran continues its nuclear program despite snapback sanctions, and al-Sharaa is meeting with Putin regarding Russian assets in Syria. 945-1000 HEADLINE: Hamas, Hostages, and Middle East Turmoil: Challenges to the Trump Ceasefire Plan GUEST NAME:Jonathan Schanzer SUMMARY: Jonathan Schanzer discusses complications in the Trump ceasefire plan, including Hamas delaying the return of deceased hostages to maintain leverage. The released prisoners, including potential Hamas leaders, raise concerns about where the organization's center of gravity will shift if they are deported to places like Turkey or Qatar. Schanzer views Turkey, an autocratic supporter of Hamas, as a problematic guarantor of the ceasefire. Internationally, Iran continues its nuclear program despite snapback sanctions, and al-Sharaa is meeting with Putin regarding Russian assets in Syria. SECOND HOUR 10-1015 HEADLINE: China's Predicament in the Middle East and Domestic Economic Instability GUEST NAME: General Blaine Holt SUMMARY: General Blaine Holt analyzes China's strategic challenges, noting Beijing is concerned about losing access to critical oil and gas resources as US leadership advances the Abraham Accords. China's previous regional deals, like the Saudi-Iran agreement, lacked substance compared to US business commitments. Holt suggests internal pressures might lead Iran toward the Accords. Domestically, China faces accelerating deflation and uncertainty regarding Xi Jinping's leadership due to four competing factions before the fourth plenum. 1015-1030 HEADLINE: South Korea's Descent into Authoritarianism and Persecution of Opposition GUEST NAME: Morse Tan SUMMARY: Morse Tan argues that South Korea is moving toward a "rising communist dictatorship" that oppresses political and religious figures. The indictment of the Unification Church leader and the targeting of the rightful President Yoon exemplify this trend. This persecution serves as an intimidation campaign, demonstrating the regime's disregard for the populace. Tan recommends the US implement active measures, including sanctions relating to a coup d'état and visa sanctions, while also pressing for greater military cooperation. 1030-1045 HEADLINE: Russian War Economy Stalls as Oil Prices Decline and Sanctions Bite GUEST NAME: Michael Bernstam SUMMARY: Michael Bernstam reports that the Russian economy is struggling as global oil prices decline and sanctions increase transportation costs, leading to a $13 to $14 per barrel discount on Russian oil. The "military Keynesianism" economy is exhausted, resulting in staff cuts across industrial sectors. Forecasts indicate contraction in late 2025 and 2026, with the IMF lowering its growth projection for 2025 to 0.6%. Russia is avoiding sanctions by routing payments through neighbors like Kyrgyzstan, who have become major financial hubs. 1045-1100 HEADLINE: Lessons from the Swiss National Bank: Risk-Taking, Exchange Rates, and Fiscal Responsibility GUEST NAME: John Cochrane SUMMARY: Economist John Cochrane analyzes the Swiss National Bank (SNB), noting it differs greatly from the US Federal Reserve by investing heavily in foreign stocks and bonds to manage the Swiss franc's exchange rate. The SNB's massive balance sheet carries risks accepted by Swiss taxpayers and the Cantons. Switzerland, being fiscally responsible (running no budget deficits), finds central banking easier. Cochrane advises that the US Fed should not be buying stocks or venturing into fiscal policy. THIRD HOUR 1100-1115 HEADLINE: China Retaliates Against Dutch Chipmaker Seizure Amid European Fragmentation GUEST NAME:Theresa Fallon SUMMARY: Theresa Fallon discusses China imposing export controls on Nexperia after the Dutch government seized control of the chipmaker, which was owned by China's Wingtech. The Dutch acted due to fears the Chinese owner would strip the technology and equipment, despite Nexperia producing low-quality chips for cars. Fallon notes Europe needs a better chip policy but struggles to speak with one voice, as fragmented policy allows China to drive wedges and weaken the EU. 1115-1130 HEADLINE: China's Economic Slowdown, Deflation, and the Spectre of Japanification GUEST NAME: Andrew Collier SUMMARY: Andrew Collier discusses China's economic woes, characterized by persistent deflation, with the CPI down 0.3% (6 out of 9 months in the red) and the PPI down for 36 straight months. This environment raises concerns about "Japanification"—a multi-decade slowdown after a property crash. Major structural changes to stimulate consumer consumption are unlikely at the upcoming Communist Party plenum, as the system favors state investment. The property market collapse means foreign investment is leaving, and Collier suggests the economy may not bottom until 2027 or 2028. 1130-1145 HEADLINE: SpaceX Starship Success, Private Space Dominance, and Government Inaction GUEST NAME: Bob Zimmerman SUMMARY: Bob Zimmerman describes SpaceX's Starship Super Heavy 11th test flight as "remarkable," highlighting successful booster reuse and controlled re-entry despite missing tiles. He asserts that private enterprise, like SpaceX, runs the "real American space program" aimed at Mars colonization, outpacing government efforts. In contrast, European projects like Callisto, proposed in 2015, demonstrate government "inaction." JPL is also laying off staff following the cancellation of the Mars sample return project, forcing organizations like Lowell Observatory to seek private funding. 1145-1200 HEADLINE: SpaceX Starship Success, Private Space Dominance, and Government Inaction GUEST NAME: Bob Zimmerman SUMMARY: Bob Zimmerman describes SpaceX's Starship Super Heavy 11th test flight as "remarkable," highlighting successful booster reuse and controlled re-entry despite missing tiles. He asserts that private enterprise, like SpaceX, runs the "real American space program" aimed at Mars colonization, outpacing government efforts. In contrast, European projects like Callisto, proposed in 2015, demonstrate government "inaction." JPL is also laying off staff following the cancellation of the Mars sample return project, forcing organizations like Lowell Observatory to seek private funding. FOURTH HOUR 12-1215 HEADLINE: Commodity Market Trends and UK's Lack of Risk Appetite for AI Innovation GUEST NAME: Simon Constable SUMMARY: Simon Constable notes that data center expansion for AI is increasing prices for copper (up 15%) and steel (up 14%). He points out that the UK lags significantly behind the US in building new AI data centers (170 vs. 5,000+) due to a lack of risk appetite, insufficient wealth, and poor marketing of new ideas. Separately, Constable discusses the collapse of a UK China spying trial because the prior government failed to officially classify China as a national security threat during the alleged offenses. 1215-1230 HEADLINE: Commodity Market Trends and UK's Lack of Risk Appetite for AI Innovation GUEST NAME: Simon Constable SUMMARY: Simon Constable notes that data center expansion for AI is increasing prices for copper (up 15%) and steel (up 14%). He points out that the UK lags significantly behind the US in building new AI data centers (170 vs. 5,000+) due to a lack of risk appetite, insufficient wealth, and poor marketing of new ideas. Separately, Constable discusses the collapse of a UK China spying trial because the prior government failed to officially classify China as a national security threat during the alleged offenses. 1230-1245 HEADLINE: AI Regulation Debate: Premature Laws vs. Emerging Norms GUEST NAME: Kevin Frazier SUMMARY: Kevin Frazier critiques the legislative rush to regulate AI, arguing that developing norms might be more effective than premature laws. He notes that bills like California's AB 1047, which demands factual accuracy, fundamentally misunderstand AI's generative nature. Imposing vague standards, as seen in New York's RAISE Act, risks chilling innovation and preventing widespread benefits, like affordable legal or therapy tools. Frazier emphasizes that AI policy should be grounded in empirical data rather than speculative fears. 1245-100 AM HEADLINE: AI Regulation Debate: Premature Laws vs. Emerging Norms GUEST NAME: Kevin Frazier SUMMARY: Kevin Frazier critiques the legislative rush to regulate AI, arguing that developing norms might be more effective than premature laws. He notes that bills like California's AB 1047, which demands factual accuracy, fundamentally misunderstand AI's generative nature. Imposing vague standards, as seen in New York's RAISE Act, risks chilling innovation and preventing widespread benefits, like affordable legal or therapy tools. Frazier emphasizes that AI policy should be grounded in empirical data rather than speculative fears.
HEADLINE: Lessons from the Swiss National Bank: Risk-Taking, Exchange Rates, and Fiscal Responsibility GUEST NAME: John Cochrane SUMMARY: Economist John Cochrane analyzes the Swiss National Bank (SNB), noting it differs greatly from the US Federal Reserve by investing heavily in foreign stocks and bonds to manage the Swiss franc's exchange rate. The SNB's massive balance sheet carries risks accepted by Swiss taxpayers and the Cantons. Switzerland, being fiscally responsible (running no budget deficits), finds central banking easier. Cochrane advises that the US Fed should not be buying stocks or venturing into fiscal policy. 1890 SWISS
He was born in Ireland to wealthy parents, who sent him to be educated at the Monastery of Bangor. There he embraced the ascetical life and became a monk. He was one of the twelve monks who traveled with his spiritual father St Columbanus (November 23) as missionaries to Gaul. In time some of the group traveled into pagan lands, up the Rhine river to Lake Zurich. The monks settled on Lake Constance around a chapel dedicated to St Aurelia, which had been taken by the pagans as a shrine; they cleansed and reconsecrated the chapel, which became the center of their new monastery. Saint Gall lived as a hermit, serving the brethren by making nets and catching fish. In 612 St Columbanus went on to Italy with most of his disciples, leaving St Gall and a few others to continue their life. When St Gall delivered Frideburga, the daughter of a local duke, from a demon, he offered the saint a tract of land on the shores of Lake Constance; here was founded the monastery that in later times bore St Gall's name. At various times, the holy Gall refused calls to become a bishop, or to take over the abbacy of the great monastery at Luxeuil. To all such requests he answered that he would rather serve than command. He continued living in his isolated monastic community until he reposed in peace in 640, at the age of ninety-nine. In later years, and continuing well into the middle ages, the Monastery of St Gall became famed for the holiness of its monks and for its library.
John Ghanim was born and raised in Yemen, in a conservative Muslim family and community. While on his pilgrimage to Mecca, John began to have doubts about Islam. Afraid of what his family would think, he kept those doubts secret, but he was convinced that Islam is not real. John fled the war in Yemen to a refugee camp in Europe, where he met Christians for the first time. John came to Christ, and he shares that story in this episode.John's websiteJohn's Ministry SiteInvestigating Islam with Jay SmithUnveiling Islam with David WoodSpecial thanks to Credo Schloss Unspunnen for the filming location and hospitality. This episode was recorded at the Kingdom Connect Conference in Switzerland; find more information at https://kingdomconnecteurope.org.This is the 289th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.
Nestlé is the world's largest packaged food and drink company, but after a turbulent period it has announced plans to cut 16,000 jobs over the next two years. But after selling its water division for €5bn earlier this year, will it lead to the Swiss conglomerate slimming down further? Andrew Peach finds out why the US Chamber of Commerce is trying to stop the Trump administration charging businesses US$100,000 for each foreign skilled worker visa. Elsewhere, Japan is known for its political stability, but amid numerous economic challenges, could a new prime minister be the answer to its problems? And what's all the fuss about with Microsoft's first-ever handheld Xbox console? The latest business and finance news from around the world, on the BBC. (Picture: The Nestlé logo is seen during the opening of the 151st Annual General Meeting of Nestlé in Lausanne, Switzerland on 12th April, 2018. Credit: Reuters / Pierre Albouy.)
Since the implementation of EU MDR 2017/745, clinical evidence has become one of the biggest challenges for medical device manufacturers — and a major source of Notified Body nonconformities. This episode breaks down the root causes behind failed submissions and offers a practical framework to fix them: Understanding the shift from MDD to MDR (Article 61 & Annex XIV) Why weak Clinical Evaluation Plans (CEPs) lead to rejection How to generate and analyze real, device-specific clinical data Integrating Post-Market Clinical Follow-up (PMCF) into your PMS system Maintaining a “living” Clinical Evaluation Report across the device lifecycle
Can Yoga be real in the corporate world? Can we live from the natural state while moving through meetings, deadlines, and the everyday push of professional life? In this conversation with my good friend and dedicated practitioner Maartje Hesseling, we speak about what happens when Yoga becomes a daily reality. Maartje lives in Switzerland and works at a high level in the corporate world, but over the last three years, she has quietly come into a steady rhythm of practice. We talk about how that shift has changed her life, not by chasing self-improvement, but by staying close to what she actually is. This one is for anyone who has felt torn between their inner life and the world of work. Maartje shares from her own experience, and her clarity and honesty really shine. Key Takeaways Yoga as Daily Relationship – Yoga becomes sustainable when it's not a self-improvement project, but a daily pleasure and relationship with life. Drop the Drive – The subtle pressure to always get better is deeply ingrained, but it's not necessary. It's not helpful. Corporate Compassion – When we're intimate with our own life, we relate with respect and clarity to everyone around us, even when things are tough at work. Inclusion as Yoga – True inclusion at work begins by truly seeing each person, their presence, their gifts, and being in relationship with them. No Conflict Needed – Yoga in the workplace isn't about turning anyone into a spiritual person. It's about being human together and making space for wellbeing. Start With Practice – The clarity, confidence, and connection we long for don't come from a strategy. They come from simply showing up in our practice. Links & Resources You are the beauty. You are the intelligence. You are already in perfect harmony with life. You don't need to seek it. You need only participate in it. Learn more and access the course at https://www.heartofyoga.com Support the Heart of Yoga Foundation. This podcast is sustained by your donations.
Marc Stöckli is an entrepreneur, board member, and investor based in Switzerland. He co-founded and led Totemo AG, a leading cybersecurity company, for over two decades before its successful sale. Marc also served as Global Chair of the Entrepreneurs' Organization, guiding strategy and governance for 20,000 members worldwide. He is the author of the forthcoming book Make Boards Work, which helps entrepreneurs turn their boards into powerful assets for growth. In this episode… Most entrepreneurs know they need a board, but few know how to make it truly work for them. Too often, boards feel like a legal requirement instead of a strategic advantage. So how can business leaders transform their boards into powerful catalysts for growth and innovation? According to Marc Stöckli, a global leadership expert and board strategist, the key lies in redefining how boards function — from ego-driven oversight to collaborative, high-performing teams. He highlights that effective boards depend on trust, structure, and curiosity over judgment. By aligning strategy, behavior, and clear communication, boards can move from passive to pivotal and unlock better decision-making, stronger leadership, and sustainable business results. Tune in to this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast as John Corcoran talks with Marc Stöckli about how to make boards work as strategic assets. They discuss lessons from Marc's entrepreneurial journey, the principles of great board governance, and how to overcome ego and conflict in the boardroom. Marc also shares how his “18 Summers” philosophy helps leaders build stronger family relationships alongside business success.
Hannah Spier is a Norwegian-born medical doctor trained in Psychiatry in Norway and Switzerland, with a degree in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy from the University of Zurich. Now based in Zurich with her husband and three children, she launched the Psychobabble publication and podcast in October 2022 to challenge postmodern influences and feminism, in particular, in the mental health field. Dr. Hannah Spier discusses the impact of modern feminism on mental health, exploring how societal expectations influence women's lives and psychological well-being. She shares her personal journey and professional insights, challenging conventional narratives and offering a fresh perspective on identity and fulfillment. Link: YouTube: @psychobabblewithspier Website: https://substack.com/@UCZlHNlu2CVjcPy9sA8iBHkQ 00:00 - Introduction to Mental Health and Feminism 06:04 - The Young Woman's Journey: Education and Emotional Needs 13:29 - The Careerist Feminine 21:11 - Personal Transformation: A Shift in Priorities 29:53 - Importance of Family Hierarchy 33:29 - The 30-Something Woman: Burnout and Life Choices 38:12 - The Impact of the Sexual Revolution 43:16 - Navigating Relationships and Commitment 52:03 - The Pain of Unfulfilled Motherhood 01:02:10 - IVF Ministries Playlist on Ruth Institute YouTube Channel 01:02:46 - Challenges of Working Mothers 01:10:31 - Is Divorce Avoidable? 01:16:23 - Understanding Feminism in Modern Context 01:23:56 - The Early Influences of Feminism on Girls 01:35:47 - The Role of Cooperation in Society 01:39:31 - Where to find Hannah Spier Subscribe to our newsletter to get this amazing report: Refuting the Top 5 Gay Myths https://ruthinstitute.org/refute-the-top-five-myths/ Have a question or a comment? Leave it in the comments, and we'll get back to you! Watch the full episode, uncensored, on Rumble: https://rumble.com/user/Theruthinstitute Subscribe to our YouTube playlist: @RuthInstitute Follow us on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/theruthinstitute https://twitter.com/RuthInstitute https://www.facebook.com/TheRuthInstitute/ https://theruthinstitute.locals.com/newsfeed Press: NC Register: https://www.ncregister.com/author/jennifer-roback-morse Catholic Answers: https://www.catholic.com/profile/jennifer-roback-morse The Stream: https://stream.org/author/jennifer-roback-morse/ Crisis Magazine: https://crisismagazine.com/author/jennifer-roeback-morse Father Sullins' Reports on Clergy Sexual Abuse: https://ruthinstitute.org/resource-centers/father-sullins-research/ Buy Dr. Morse's Books: The Sexual State: https://ruthinstitute.org/product/the-sexual-state-2/ Love and Economics: https://ruthinstitute.org/product/love-and-economics-it-takes-a-family-to-raise-a-village/ Smart Sex: https://ruthinstitute.org/product/smart-sex-finding-life-long-love-in-a-hook-up-world/ 101 Tips for a Happier Marriage: https://ruthinstitute.org/product/101-tips-for-a-happier-marriage/ 101 Tips for Marrying the Right Person: https://ruthinstitute.org/product/101-tips-for-marrying-the-right-person/ Listen to our podcast: Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ruth-institute-podcast/id309797947 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1t7mWLRHjrCqNjsbH7zXv1 Subscribe to our newsletter to get this amazing report: Refuting the Top 5 Gay Myths https://ruthinstitute.org/refute-the-top-five-myths/ Get the full interview by joining us for exclusive, uncensored content on Locals: https://theruthinstitute.locals.com/support
On this episode of the Hockey IQ podcast, we sit down with professional hockey player, Alina Muller of Switzerland.A few areas on this episode we discuss:Value of pushing yourself, choosing hard, and seeing what good looks likeImportance of off-ice work and time away from hockeyWinning Broze Medal at the Olympics at age 15Training shooting by what actually is realisticPractice habitsPreparation for performance... mentally and physicallyWorking with mental performance coachesImportance of play away from the puckCheck out Hockey's Arsenal all over the web:Twitter @HockeysArsenal (@CoachRevak for Greg)Hockey IQ Podcast Spotify or Apple Podcasts or on our websiteYouTube @HockeysArsenalFacebook @HockeysArsenalNewsletter HockeysArsenal.Substack.Com
Switzerland has something for everyone, but figuring out how to fit it all in when you're traveling with family can get tricky. From mountain adventures to quiet lake days, it's all about finding the right balance for every age and interest.In this episode, I'm joined by Samantha Russell, who shares how she crafted the ultimate family vacation that blended outdoor adventure, relaxation, and unforgettable cultural experiences across Switzerland.From gliding through the skies with paragliding Switzerland to, Samantha walks us through her 10-day itinerary that included alpine villages, lakeside strolls, one of the best hikes in Switzerland and some of the most beautiful scenic train rides in the country. Her family explored destinations like Wengen, Lucerne, and Lugano, making the most of every moment thanks to thoughtful itinerary planning and flexible travel options using the Swiss rail pass.We also dive into how her group celebrated Swiss National Day, made the most of a rainy day with Lucerne sightseeing, and tackled multi-generational needs with ease. If you're dreaming of a vacation in Switzerland filled with playground stops, relaxing lake views, and memorable moments paragliding, Switzerland offers all this and more.Whether you're looking for Switzerland travel tips or ideas for hiking in Switzerland with kids in tow, this episode is packed with real-life inspiration that will help you plan an unforgettable family escape. Safe travels,Carolyn
This episode is brought to you by Villa Carina Apartments in beautiful Bonaire. In this episode, we dive into the world of parawings with Matt On Foil, a dedicated watersports enthusiast and content creator from Switzerland. Broadcasting from opposite sides of the globe, Matt joins us to share his meticulous testing process, honest reviews, and insights from the hyper-competitive watersports industry. From the F-One Frigate to the Gong Lowkite Plus, Matt walks us through his comprehensive para wing comparison, offering a candid look at what works, what doesn't, and the challenges of staying unbiased.Parawing Rankings: Matt unveils his detailed infographic, ranking 18 parawings based on metrics like bar weight, bridle length, pre-flight behavior, pumpability, and upwind performance. The F-One Frigate takes the top spot, while the Gong Lowkite Plus impresses as a budget-friendly standout. Matt explains why some wings, like the FlySurfer Pow, shine in specific conditions but require skill to master.Testing Challenges: Matt shares the behind-the-scenes effort of measuring and testing parawings, from weighing canopies at a local shop to battling inconsistent wind at Lake Silvaplana. He discusses the difficulty of giving honest feedback, especially when brands provide free gear or personal support, and the importance of staying authentic for the community.Gear Evolution: From depowering innovations to material durability concerns, Matt and Luc explore how parawings are evolving. Matt questions whether ultra-light canopies are worth the trade-offs and highlights unique designs like the 777 PT Skin's integrated harness system.Safety and Accessibility: The duo discusses the physical demands of parawinging, cautioning beginners about the learning curve and potential risks, especially for those with prior injuries. They look ahead to future innovations that could make pair wings more accessible and user-friendly.Follow Matt - https://www.instagram.com/mattonfoil/
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.theflyingfrisby.comTwo items on the agenda today.First, my interview with Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster for Triggernometry has been released. Here it is on YouTube, Spotify and Apple PodcastsSecond, using a different methodology to that which I used in Secret History of Gold (have you read it yet?), I am going to estimate China's gold reserves.I was planning to take a look at top silver pick, Sierra Madre Gold and Silver (TSX-V:SM) today, after my meeting with CEO Alex Langer last week, but I will leave that till tomorrow now, meaning you get an extra piece this week you lucky things.China's Hidden Gold Empire: How Much Does Beijing Really Hold?I regard this as one of the most important subjects in geo-politics, which is why I repeatedly come back to it.It doesn't matter if you issue the global reserve currency, if you don't make anything you are in the doo-doo, and this is something the Trump administration is attempting to address with tariffs, a weaker dollar and, more subtly, the managed decline of the US dollar as global reserve currency. It's all part of Triffin's Dilemma. As a result, neutral gold's role as global reserve asset is re-surging.History's “golden” rule will soon apply again: he who has the gold makes the rules. (If you are interested in the origins of the phrase by the way, it's all here).This different methodology only came to me overnight, and I don't know what the conclusion will be yet, though I suspect it will arrive at a figure which is more conservative than what I have argued previously. Here we go.Here, for context, are world central bank holdings, as officially stated.My argument has long been that China has considerably more than the 2,300 tonnes it says it does.The People's Bank of China (PBOC), by the way, is the main custodian, but other state entities, such as China Investment Corporation (the sovereign wealth fund), State Administration of Foreign Exchange and the army also own gold.Remember China is the world's largest importer of gold, the largest consumer and the largest producer. it's been that since 2007 when it overtook South Africa.I am going to use round numbers, as they are more digestible, and when there is a spread - eg 500-1,000 tonnes, take the middle number, ie 750 tonnes.It is impossible to know just how much gold China has imported, because so many transactions are private, particularly those which go through London, Switzerland or Dubai. The Hong Kong gold is better disclosed.However, most - though not all - of the gold which goes to China goes through the Shanghai Gold Exchange (SGE). SGE withdrawals from 2007 to mid 2025 total 29,500-30,000 tonnes, based on aggregated data from the Shanghai Gold Exchange (SGE) and World Gold Council (WGC) reports.However, the SGE is just a flow metric. It does not represent total consumption. Some of that gold which passes through will have been double counted, either as a result of re-selling and re-cycling, or because of China's booming money-laundering business and the circular trade with Hong Kong. Estimates for double-counting range from 10% (World Gold Council) to 30% (analyst Koos Jansen). Let's take the middle 20% figure - 6,000 tonnes - and that leaves us with 23,250 tonnes of SGE gold.Undisclosed goldThe PBOC likes 400oz bars, as traded in London, and these do not trade on the SGE, which uses smaller kilo bars, 3kg or 12.5kg bars. 400oz is about 12.4kg by the way. So a lot of those London imports will not go through the SGE, and so are in addition to the numbers above.Analysts mostly concur that, while reported imports via London, Switzerland and Dubai total 3,500-4,500 tonnes, another 2,000-3,000 tonnes (mostly post-2009, accelerating since 2022) have gone unreported.2,500 tonnes is the middle figure, then. Add that to the 23,250 tonnes of SGE and our total is now 25,750 tonnes.If you live in a Third World country, such as the UK, I urge you to own gold or silver. The bullion dealer I recommend is The Pure Gold Company. Pricing is competitive, quality of service is high. They deliver to the UK, the US, Canada and Europe or you can store your gold with them. More here.Chinese gold productionAround 55% of Chinese gold production is state owned, and this century China has mined roughly 7,500 tonnes.70-80% of Chinese production is sold through the Shanghai Gold Exchange (SGE) - so we have already counted that - the other 20-30% goes to the state.Using estimates from the mid-range. 25% of those 7,500 tonnes, therefore - 1,875 tonnes - has gone to the state. The rest has been sold through the SGE.Add 1,875 tonnes to the total and we are at 27,625 tonnes.By the way, I have not included overseas Chinese gold production, of which there is a lot. Some of this product is sold on international markets and never actually reaches China. But what does reach China gets sold through the SGE and so has already been counted.Finally, we have to add in gold held in China, whether as bullion or jewellery, prior to 2000. The World Gold Council estimates a figure of 2,500 tonnes in privately-held jewellery. Added to domestic mining and official reserves, you get a figure of around 4,000 tonnes.This brings our grand total to 31,625 tonnes of gold in China.Putting it all togetherPreviously, I have argued that 50% of that gold would go to the state. That would mean roughly 16,000 tonnes. Almost twice as much as the US's reported 8,100 tonnes! When audit?My thinking has changed.
Just back from the tour of the longevity world! In this episode, we discuss my recent travels to two major conferences: the high-end Longevity Investors Conference in Gstaad, Switzerland, and the academic GJAM Conference in Jena, Germany.We unpack the stark contrasts between these two worlds, from the venues and treatment of attendees to the fundamental divides in how people perceive and practice "longevity." I share my key takeaways on the growing chasm between real science and snake oil, the "apologist" perspective, and why I believe the term "Longevity Medicine" is already developing a bad reputation.We also cover:The ethical problem with using biological age clocks in clinical practice today.My experience going through the comprehensive health assessment at the Years Clinic in Berlin.Surprising VO2 Max results and a hilarious (and slightly alarming) story about getting a full-body MRI in Germany.The disconnect between academic geroscience and the biohacking community.My thoughts on the future of validated biomarkers.Timestamps:00:00:00 - Introduction & Travel Regrets00:02:11 - Rapid-Fire Health Check: Diet, Exercise, Sleep00:04:37 - Trip Overview: Longevity Investors Conference, Gstaad00:07:08 - The "Dark Side" of Longevity & Snake Oil00:09:08 - The Three Camps in Longevity00:13:39 - Upcoming Episodes: Jamie Justice & Brad Stanfield00:14:05 - The Problem with Biological Age Clocks00:17:55 - The Most Promising "Biological Age" Test (LINH2)00:19:26 - Key Takeaways from the Investors Conference00:20:53 - Longevity vs. Gym Bro Experimentation00:27:45 - Arrival at the Academic GJAM Conference, Jena00:31:07 - Stark Contrast: Academia vs. Investors00:33:15 - The Slow Pace of Academic Science00:34:03 - The Academic & Biohacker Disconnect00:36:23 - The "Longevity Celebrity" Phenomenon00:42:55 - Berlin & The Years Clinic00:44:54 - "Scientific Healthspan" vs. "Longevity Medicine"00:45:38 - The MRI Story in Berlin00:47:53 - VO2 Max & Health Data Results00:50:05 - Germany's Ban on Preventative DEXA Scans00:53:16 - Preview of Upcoming TravelDISCLAIMER: The information provided on the Optispan podcast is intended solely for general educational purposes and is not meant to be, nor should it be construed as, personalized medical advice. No doctor-patient relationship is established by your use of this channel. The information and materials presented are for informational purposes only and are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We strongly advise that you consult with a licensed healthcare professional for all matters concerning your health, especially before undertaking any changes based on content provided by this channel. The hosts and guests on this channel are not liable for any direct, indirect, or other damages or adverse effects that may arise from the application of the information discussed. Medical knowledge is constantly evolving; therefore, the information provided should be verified against current medical standards and practices.More places to find us:Twitter: https://x.com/Optispan_IncTwitter: https://x.com/mkaeberlein Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/optispan/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/optispan_/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@optispanhttps://www.optispan.life/
There are almost 250,000 Chinese students in the U.S. this fall. That's a 36% drop from the 2017 peak. For Chinese students still wanting to study abroad, America remains the top destination, but geopolitics, safety concerns, and persistent inflation are making the U.S. a less attractive place to receive a higher education. And later, Switzerland is facing 39% tariffs from the U.S. How are businesses there faring?
There are almost 250,000 Chinese students in the U.S. this fall. That's a 36% drop from the 2017 peak. For Chinese students still wanting to study abroad, America remains the top destination, but geopolitics, safety concerns, and persistent inflation are making the U.S. a less attractive place to receive a higher education. And later, Switzerland is facing 39% tariffs from the U.S. How are businesses there faring?
Daniel and Adam kick off with late-start jokes and “10/10” chatter, then dive into cake economics: Zach's plan for a pricey Cake Bake Shop “Meet Santa” dinner (three courses, cocktails, photo, gift) gets the thumbs-up. Daniel recounts Big Fatty's 14-second “lost episode” and teases Adam about Big Brother spoilers, lobs love at Critical Role's new campaign, and laments not being able to dish on Strange New Worlds yet. A long catch-up follows: Adam's brutal illness (two weeks, 17 pounds lost) and the truly cursed lab quest—freezing and chilling stool samples at home—followed by Daniel's syphilis treatment saga (penicillin shortages, $1,700 quote, doxycycline workaround), an unwanted no-show fee, and the Drury Hotel refund survey cherry on top.Contact arrives with a flood of voicemails for the Celebrity Death Phone (callers insist “Giorgio Armani, 91” among others), plus a chewing-gum-behind-the-ear query and HOA confusion from abroad. Daniel explains why HOAs are ubiquitous in U.S. suburbs, including the uglier history; Adam shares how that plays out for his partner while Daniel compares fees across neighborhoods. The hosts shout out Level 13 and especially Brian for valiantly stirring Discord conversation.They spin up the Technology sting to answer Brian's LLM prompt question: Daniel shares his “checklist, revise, validate” instruction pattern and suggests asking the model to draft stricter prompts that don't blow smoke. Instead of The News Game, Adam runs a speed-round trivia burst (Back to the Future aliens, New Orleans Square, etc.). Adam closes with Switzerland highlights—Zurich chocolate, Lucerne, Grindelwald in the mist, panoramic trains, Interlaken lake cruise—plus high drama: leaving a bag with his passport on a train, scrambling for an emergency passport in Bern, then miraculously getting the bag (and Ray-Bans) back after returning home.Email: Contact@MixMinusPodcast.comVoice/SMS: 707-613-3284
In this episode, Mary O'Carroll sits down with Rachel St. Peter, General Counsel at Nestlé Health Sciences US, to unpack a bold career move: stepping into legal ops mid-career to grow beyond the “good lawyer” baseline. From leading global transformation out of Switzerland to reshaping her executive presence and business fluency, Rachel explains how ops experience changed her leadership—and her trajectory. They also dig into the future of in-house legal: AI realities, law firm pricing shakeups, and what the next generation of GCs must bring to the table. In this episode: Why being a great lawyer isn't enough—and what Rachel did about it How a legal ops role built her executive presence and changed her leadership style What she's doing differently as GC—from tech tips in team meetings to smarter firm scoping The shift from client-service thinking to true cross-functional business partnership How law firm billing must evolve alongside AI adoption—and what real transparency looks like Advice for anyone considering a strategic detour: when to take the lateral move and why If you're thinking about how to future-proof your legal career—or how to lead with more impact—this episode will challenge the way you think about roles, risk, and reinvention. Follow Mary on LinkedIn Rate and review on Apple Podcasts
BIO:The Reverend Dr. Starlette Thomas is a poet, practical theologian, and itinerant prophet for a coming undivided “kin-dom.” She is the director of The Raceless Gospel Initiative, named for her work and witness and an associate editor at Good Faith Media. Starlette regularly writes on the sociopolitical construct of race and its longstanding membership in the North American church. Her writings have been featured in Sojourners, Red Letter Christians, Free Black Thought, Word & Way, Plough, Baptist News Global and Nurturing Faith Journal among others. She is a frequent guest on podcasts and has her own. The Raceless Gospel podcast takes her listeners to a virtual church service where she and her guests tackle that taboo trinity— race, religion, and politics. Starlette is also an activist who bears witness against police brutality and most recently the cultural erasure of the Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C. It was erected in memory of the 2020 protests that brought the world together through this shared declaration of somebodiness after the gruesome murder of George Perry Floyd, Jr. Her act of resistance caught the attention of the Associated Press. An image of her reclaiming the rubble went viral and in May, she was featured in a CNN article.Starlette has spoken before the World Council of Churches North America and the United Methodist Church's Council of Bishops on the color- coded caste system of race and its abolition. She has also authored and presented papers to the members of the Baptist World Alliance in Zurich, Switzerland and Nassau, Bahamas to this end. She has cast a vision for the future of religion at the National Museum of African American History and Culture's “Forward Conference: Religions Envisioning Change.” Her paper was titled “Press Forward: A Raceless Gospel for Ex- Colored People Who Have Lost Faith in White Supremacy.” She has lectured at The Queen's Foundation in Birmingham, U.K. on a baptismal pedagogy for antiracist theological education, leadership and ministries. Starlette's research interests have been supported by the Louisville Institute and the Lilly Foundation. Examining the work of the Reverend Dr. Clarence Jordan, whose farm turned “demonstration plot” in Americus, Georgia refused to agree to the social arrangements of segregation because of his Christian convictions, Starlette now takes this dirt to the church. Her thesis is titled, “Afraid of Koinonia: How life on this farm reveals the fear of Christian community.” A full circle moment, she was recently invited to write the introduction to Jordan's newest collection of writings, The Inconvenient Gospel: A Southern Prophet Tackles War, Wealth, Race and Religion.Starlette is a member of the Christian Community Development Association, the Peace & Justice Studies Association, and the Koinonia Advisory Council. A womanist in ministry, she has served as a pastor as well as a denominational leader. An unrepentant academician and bibliophile, Starlette holds degrees from Buffalo State College, Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School and Wesley Theological Seminary. Last year, she was awarded an honorary doctorate in Sacred Theology for her work and witness as a public theologian from Wayland Baptist Theological Seminary. She is the author of "Take Me to the Water": The Raceless Gospel as Baptismal Pedagogy for a Desegregated Church and a contributing author of the book Faith Forward: A Dialogue on Children, Youth & a New Kind of Christianity. JennyI was just saying that I've been thinking a lot about the distinction between Christianity and Christian supremacy and Christian nationalism, and I have been researching Christian nationalism for probably about five or six years now. And one of my introductions to the concept of it was a book that's based on a documentary that's based on a book called Constantine Sword. And it talked about how prior to Constantine, Christians had the image of fish and life and fertility, and that is what they lived by. And then Constantine supposedly had this vision of a cross and it said, with this sign, you shall reign. And he married the church and the state. And ever since then, there's been this snowball effect of Christian empire through the Crusades, through manifest destiny, through all of these things that we're seeing play out in the United States now that aren't new. But I think there's something new about how it's playing out right now.Danielle (02:15):I was thinking about the doctrine of discovery and how that was the creation of that legal framework and ideology to justify the seizure of indigenous lands and the subjugation of indigenous peoples. And just how part of that doctrine you have to necessarily make the quote, humans that exist there, you have to make them vacant. Or even though they're a body, you have to see them as internally maybe empty or lacking or less. And that really becomes this frame. Well, a repeated frame.Jenny (03:08):Yep. Yeah. Yeah. And it feels like that's so much source to that when that dehumanization is ordained by God. If God is saying these people who we're not even going to look at as people, we're going to look at as objects, how do we get out of that?Danielle (03:39):I don't know. Well, definitely still in it. You can hear folks like Charlie Kirk talk about it and unabashedly, unashamedly turning point USA talk about doctrine of discovery brings me currently to these fishing boats that have been jetting around Venezuela. And regardless of what they're doing, the idea that you could just kill them regardless of international law, regardless of the United States law, which supposedly we have the right to a process, the right to due process, the right to show up in a court and we're presumed innocent. But this doctrine applies to people manifest destiny, this doctrine of discovery. It applies to others that we don't see as human and therefore can snuff out life. And I think now they're saying on that first boat, I think they've blown up four boats total. And on the first boat, one of the ladies is speaking out, saying they were out fishing and the size of the boat. I think that's where you get into reality. The size of the boat doesn't indicate a large drug seizure anyway. It's outside reality. And again, what do you do if they're smuggling humans? Did you just destroy all that human life? Or maybe they're just fishing. So I guess that doctrine and that destiny, it covers all of these immoral acts, it kind of washes them clean. And I guess that talking about Constantine, it feels like the empire needed a way to do that, to absolve themselves.Danielle (05:40):I know it gives me both comfort and makes me feel depressed when I think about people in 300 ad being, they're freaking throwing people into the lion's den again and people are cheering. And I have to believe that there were humans at that time that saw the barbarism for what it was. And that gives me hope that there have always been a few people in a system of tyranny and oppression that are like, what the heck is going on? And it makes me feel like, ugh. When does that get to be more than just the few people in a society kind of society? Or what does a society need to not need such violence? Because I think it's so baked in now to these white and Christian supremacy, and I don't know, in my mind, I don't think I can separate white supremacy from Christian supremacy because even before White was used as a legal term to own people and be able to vote, the legal term was Christian. And then when enslaved folks started converting to Christianity, they pivoted and said, well, no, not all Christians. It has to be white Christians. And so I think white supremacy was birthed out of a long history of Christian supremacy.Danielle (07:21):Yeah, it's weird. I remember growing up, and maybe you had this experience too, I remember when Schindler's List hit the theaters and you were probably too young, but Schindler's listed the theaters, and I remember sitting in a living room and having to convince my parents of why I wanted to see it. And I think I was 16, I don't remember. I was young and it was rated R and of course that was against our values to see rated R movies. But I really wanted to see this movie. And I talked and talked and talked and got to see this movie if anybody's watched Schindler's List, it's a story of a man who is out to make money, sees this opportunity to get free labor basically as part of the Nazi regime. And so he starts making trades to access free labor, meanwhile, still has women, enjoys a fine life, goes to church, has a pseudo faith, and as time goes along, I'm shortening the story, but he gets this accountant who he discovers he loves because his accountant makes him rich. He makes him rich off the labor. But the accountant is thinking, how do I save more lives and get them into this business with Schindler? Well, eventually they get captured, they get found out. All these things happen, right, that we know. And it becomes clear to Schindler that they're exterminating, they're wiping out an entire population.(09:01):I guess I come to that and just think about, as a young child, I remember watching that thinking, there's no way this would ever happen again because there's film, there's documentation. At the time, there were people alive from the Great war, the greatest generation like my grandfather who fought in World War ii. There were other people, we had the live stories. But now just a decade, 12, 13 years removed, it hasn't actually been that long. And the memory of watching a movie like Schindler's List, the impact of seeing what it costs a soul to take the life of other souls like that, that feels so far removed now. And that's what the malaise of the doctrine of Discovery and manifest destiny, I think have been doing since Constantine and Christianity. They've been able to wipe the memory, the historical memory of the evil done with their blessing.(10:06):And I feel like even this huge thing like the Holocaust, the memories being wiped, you can almost feel it. And in fact, people are saying, I don't know if they actually did that. I don't know if they killed all these Jewish peoples. Now you hear more denial even of the Holocaust now that those storytellers aren't passed on to the next life. So I think we are watching in real time how Christianity and Constantine were able to just wipe use empire to wipe the memory of the people so they can continue to gain riches or continue to commit atrocities without impunity just at any level. I guess that's what comes to mind.Jenny (10:55):Yeah, it makes me think of, I saw this video yesterday and I can't remember what representative it was in a hearing and she had written down a long speech or something that she was going to give, and then she heard during the trial the case what was happening was someone shared that there have been children whose parents have been abducted and disappeared because the children were asked at school, are your parents undocumented? And she said, I can't share what I had prepared because I'm caught with that because my grandfather was killed in the Holocaust because his children were asked at school, are your parents Jewish?(11:53):And my aunt took that guilt with her to her grave. And the amount of intergenerational transgenerational trauma that is happening right now, that never again is now what we are doing to families, what we are doing to people, what we are doing to children, the atrocities that are taking place in our country. Yeah, it's here. And I think it's that malaise has come over not only the past, but even current. I think people don't even know how to sit with the reality of the horror of what's happening. And so they just dissociate and they just check out and they don't engage the substance of what's happening.Danielle (13:08):Yeah. I tell a friend sometimes when I talk to her, I just say, I need you to tap in. Can you just tap in? Can you just carry the conversation or can you just understand? And I don't mean understand, believe a story. I mean feel the story. It's one thing to say the words, but it's another thing to feel them. And I think Constantine is a brilliant guy. He took a peaceful religion. He took a peaceful faith practice, people that literally the prior guy was throwing to the lions for sport. He took a people that had been mocked, a religious group that had been mocked, and he elevated them and then reunified them with that sword that you're talking about. And so what did those Christians have to give up then to marry themselves to empire? I don't know, but it seems like they kind of effed us over for eternity, right?Jenny (14:12):Yeah. Well, and I think that that's part of it. I think part of the malaise is the infatuation with eternity and with heaven. And I know for myself, when I was a missionary for many years, I didn't care about my body because this body, this light and momentary suffering paled in comparison to what was awaiting me. And so no matter what happened, it was a means to an end to spend eternity with Jesus. And so I think of empathy as us being able to feel something of ourselves in someone else. If I don't have grief and joy and sorrow and value for this body, I'm certainly not going to have it for other bodies. And I think the disembodiment of white Christian supremacy is what enables bodies to just tolerate and not consider the brutality of what we're seeing in the United States. What we're seeing in Congo, what we're seeing in Palestine, what we're seeing everywhere is still this sense of, oh, the ends are going to justify the means we're all going to, at least I'll be in heaven and everyone else can kind of figure out what they're going to do.I don't know, man. Yeah, maybe. I guess when you think about Christian nationalism versus maybe a more authentic faith, what separates them for youAbiding by the example that Jesus gave or not. I mean, Jesus was killed by the state because he had some very unpopular things to say about the state and the way in which he lived was very much like, how do I see those who are most oppressed and align myself with them? Whereas Christian nationalism is how do I see those who have the most power and align myselves with them?(16:48):And I think it is a question of alignment and orientation. And at the end of the day, who am I going to stand with even knowing and probably knowing that that may be to the detriment of my own body, but I do that not out of a sense of martyrdom, but out of a sense of integrity. I refuse. I think I really believe Jesus' words when he said, what good is it for a man to gain the world and lose his soul? And at the end of the day, what I'm fighting for is my own soul, and I don't want to give that up.Danielle (17:31):Hey, starlet, we're on to not giving up our souls to power.The Reverend Dr.Rev. Dr. Starlette (17:47):I'm sorry I'm jumping from one call to the next. I do apologize for my tardiness now, where were we?Danielle (17:53):We got on the subject of Constantine and how he married the sword with Christianity when it had been fish and fertile ground and et cetera, et cetera. Yeah, that's where we started. Yeah, that's where we started.Starlette (18:12):I'm going to get in where I fit in. Y'all keep going.Danielle (18:14):You get in. Yeah, you get in. I guess Jenny, for me and for you, starlet, the deep erasure of any sort of resemblance of I have to look back and I have to be willing to interrogate, I think, which is what a lot of people don't want to do. I grew up in a really conservative evangelical family and a household, and I have to interrogate, well, one, why did my mom get into that? Because Mexican, and number two, I watched so slowly as there was a celebration. I think it was after Bill Clinton had this Monica Lewinsky thing and all of this stuff happened. My Latino relatives were like, wait a minute, we don't like that. We don't like that. That doesn't match our values. And I remember this celebration of maybe now they're going to become Christians. I remember thinking that as a child, because for them to be a Democrat in my household and for them to hold different values around social issues meant that they weren't necessarily saved in my house and my way because they hadn't fully bought into empire in the way I know Jenny muted herself.(19:31):They hadn't fully bought into empire. And I slowly watched those family members in California kind of give way to conservatism the things that beckoned it. And honestly, a lot of it was married to religion and to what is going on today and not standing up for justice, not standing up for civil rights. I watched the movement go over, and it feels like at the expense of the memory of my grandfather and my great-grandfather who despised religion in some ways, my grandfather did not like going to church because he thought people were fake. He didn't believe them, and he didn't see what church had to do with being saved anyway. And so I think about him a lot and I think, oh, I got to hold onto that a little bit in the face of empire. But yeah, my mind just went off on that rabbit trail.Starlette (20:38):Oh, it's quite all right. My grandfather had similar convictions. My grandmother took the children to church with her and he stayed back. And after a while, the children were to decide that they didn't want to go anymore. And I remember him saying, that's enough. That's enough. You've done enough. They've heard enough. Don't make them go. But I think he drew some of the same conclusions, and I hold those as well, but I didn't grow up in a household where politics was even discussed. Folks were rapture ready, as they say, because they were kingdom minded is what they say now. And so there was no discussion of what was going on on the ground. They were really out of touch with, I'm sending right now. They were out of touch with reality. I have on pants, I have on full makeup, I have on earrings. I'm not dressed modestly in any way, shape, fashion or form.(21:23):It was a very externalized, visible, able to be observed kind of spirituality. And so I enter the spaces back at home and it's like going into a different world. I had to step back a bit and oftentimes I just don't say anything. I just let the room have it because you can't, in my experience, you can't talk 'em out of it. They have this future orientation where they live with their feet off the ground because Jesus is just around the corner. He's right in that next cloud. He's coming, and so none of this matters. And so that affected their political participation and discussion. There was certainly very minor activism, so I wasn't prepared by family members to show up in the streets like I do now. I feel sincerely called. I feel like it's a work of the spirit that I know where to put my feet at all, but I certainly resonate with what you would call a rant that led you down to a rabbit hole because it led me to a story about my grandfather, so I thank you for that. They were both right by the way,Danielle (22:23):I think so he had it right. He would sit in the very back of church sometimes to please my grandmother and to please my family, and he didn't have a cell phone, but he would sit there and go to sleep. He would take a nap. And I have to think of that now as resistance. And as a kid I was like, why does he do that? But his body didn't want to take it in.Starlette (22:47):That's rest as resistance from the Nat Bishop, Trisha Hersey, rest as act of defiance, rest as reparations and taking back my time that you're stealing from me by having me sit in the service. I see that.Danielle (23:02):I mean, Jenny, it seems like Constantine, he knew what to do. He gets Christians on his side, they knew how to gather organically. He then gets this mass megaphone for whatever he wants, right?Jenny (23:21):Yeah. I think about Adrian Marie Brown talks a lot about fractals and how what happens on a smaller scale is going to be replicated on larger scales. And so even though there's some sense of disjoint with denominations, I think generally in the United States, there is some common threads of that manifest destiny that have still found its way into these places of congregating. And so you're having these training wheels really even within to break it down into the nuclear family that James Dobson wanted everyone to focus on was a very, very narrow white, patriarchal Christian family. And so if you rehearse this on these smaller scales, then you can rehearse it in your community, then you can rehearse it, and it just bubbles and bubbles and balloons out into what we're seeing happen, I think.Yeah, the nuclear family and then the youth movements, let us, give us your youth, give us your kids. Send us your kids and your youth to our camps.Jenny (24:46):Great. I grew up in Colorado and I was probably 10 or 11 when the Columbine shooting happened, and I remember that very viscerally. And the immediate conversation was not how do we protect kids in school? It was glorifying this one girl that maybe or maybe did not say yes when the shooters asked, do you still believe in God? And within a year her mom published a book about it. And that was the thing was let's use this to glorify martyrdom. And I think it is different. These were victims in school and I think any victim of the shooting is horrifying. And I think we're seeing a similar level of that martyrdom frenzy with Charlie Kirk right now. And what we're not talking about is how do we create a safer society? What we're talking about, I'm saying, but I dunno. What I'm hearing of the white Christian communities is how are we glorifying Charlie Kirk as a martyr and what power that wields when we have someone that we can call a martyr?Starlette (26:27):No, I just got triggered as soon as you said his name.(26:31):Just now. I think grieving a white supremacist is terrifying. Normalizing racist rhetoric is horrifying. And so I look online in disbelief. I unfollowed and blocked hundreds of people on social media based on their comments about what I didn't agree with. Everything he said, got a lot of that. I'm just not interested. I think they needed a martyr for the race war that they're amping for, and I would like to be delivered from the delusion that is white body supremacy. It is all exhausting. I don't want to be a part of the racial imagination that he represents. It is not a new narrative. We are not better for it. And he's not a better person because he's died. The great Biggie Smalls has a song that says you're nobody until somebody kills you. And I think it's appropriate. Most people did not know who he was. He was a podcaster. I'm also looking kind of cross-eyed at his wife because that's not, I served as a pastor for more than a decade. This is not an expression of grief. There's nothing like anything I've seen for someone who was assassinated, which I disagree with.(28:00):I've just not seen widows take the helm of organizations and given passion speeches and make veil threats to audiences days before the, as we would say in my community, before the body has cooled before there is a funeral that you'll go down and take pictures. That could be arguably photo ops. It's all very disturbing to me. This is a different measure of grief. I wrote about it. I don't know what, I've never heard of a sixth stage of grief that includes fighting. We're not fighting over anybody's dead body. We're not even supposed to do it with Jesus. And so I just find it all strange that before the man is buried, you've already concocted a story wherein opposing forces are at each other's throats. And it's all this intergalactic battle between good and bad and wrong, up and down, white and black. It's too much.(28:51):I think white body supremacy has gotten out of hand and it's incredibly theatrical. And for persons who have pulled back from who've decent whiteness, who've de racialize themselves, it's foolishness. Just nobody wants to be involved in this. It's a waste of time. White body supremacy and racism are wastes of time. Trying to prove that I'm a human being or you're looking right at is a waste of time. And people just want to do other things, which is why African-Americans have decided to go to sleep, to take a break. We're not getting ready to spin our wheels again, to defend our humanity, to march for rights that are innate, to demand a dignity that comes with being human. It's just asinine.(29:40):I think you would be giving more credence to the statements themselves by responding. And so I'd rather save my breath and do my makeup instead because trying to defend the fact that I'm a glorious human being made in the image of God is a waste of time. Look at me. My face is beat. It testifies for me. Who are you? Just tell me that I don't look good and that God didn't touch me. I'm with the finger of love as the people say, do you see this beat? Let me fall back. So you done got me started and I blame you. It's your fault for the question. So no, that's my response to things like that. African-American people have to insulate themselves with their senses of ness because he didn't have a kind word to say about African-American people, whether a African-American pilot who is racialized as black or an African-American woman calling us ignorance saying, we're incompetence. If there's no way we could have had these positions, when African-American women are the most agreed, we're the most educated, how dare you? And you think, I'm going to prove that I'm going to point to degrees. No, I'll just keep talking. It will make itself obvious and evident.(30:45):Is there a question in that? Just let's get out of that. It triggers me so bad. Like, oh, that he gets a holiday and it took, how many years did it take for Martin Luther King Junior to get a holiday? Oh, okay. So that's what I mean. The absurdity of it all. You're naming streets after him hasn't been dead a year. You have children coloring in sheets, doing reports on him. Hasn't been a few months yet. We couldn't do that for Martin Luther King. We couldn't do that for Rosa Parks. We couldn't do that for any other leader, this one in particular, and right now, find that to beI just think it just takes a whole lot of delusion and pride to keep puffing yourself up and saying, you're better than other people. Shut up, pipe down. Or to assume that everybody wants to look like you or wants to be racialized as white. No, I'm very cool in who I'm, I don't want to change as the people say in every lifetime, and they use these racialized terms, and so I'll use them and every lifetime I want to come back as black. I don't apologize for my existence. I love it here. I don't want to be racialized as white. I'm cool. That's the delusion for me that you think everyone wants to look like. You think I would trade.(32:13):You think I would trade for that, and it looks great on you. I love what it's doing for you. But as for me in my house, we believe in melanin and we keep it real cute over here. I just don't have time. I think African-Americans minoritized and otherwise, communities should invest their time in each other and in ourselves as opposed to wasting our breath, debating people. We can't debate white supremacists. Anyway, I think I've talked about that the arguments are not rooted in reason. It's rooted in your dehumanization and equating you with three fifths of a human being who's in charge of measurements, the demonizing of whiteness. It's deeply problematic for me because it puts them in a space of creator. How can you say how much of a human being that's someone? This stuff is absurd. And so I've refuse to waste my breath, waste my life arguing with somebody who doesn't have the power, the authority.(33:05):You don't have the eyesight to tell me if I'm human or not. This is stupid. We're going to do our work and part of our work is going to sleep. We're taking naps, we're taking breaks, we're putting our feet up. I'm going to take a nap after this conversation. We're giving ourselves a break. We're hitting the snooze button while staying woke. There's a play there. But I think it's important that people who are attacked by white body supremacy, not give it their energy. Don't feed into the madness. Don't feed into the machine because it'll eat you alive. And I didn't get dressed for that. I didn't get on this call. Look at how I look for that. So that's what that brings up. Okay. It brings up the violence of white body supremacy, the absurdity of supremacy at all. The delusion of the racial imagination, reading a 17th century creation onto a 21st century. It's just all absurd to me that anyone would continue to walk around and say, I'm better than you. I'm better than you. And I'll prove it by killing you, lynching you, raping your people, stealing your people, enslaving your people. Oh, aren't you great? That's pretty great,Jenny (34:30):I think. Yeah, I think it is. I had a therapist once tell me, it's like you've had the opposite of a psychotic break because when that is your world and that's all, it's so easy to justify and it makes sense. And then as soon as you step out of it, you're like, what the what? And then it makes it that much harder to understand. And this is my own, we talked about this last week, but processing what is my own path in this of liberation and how do I engage people who are still in that world, who are still related to me, who are, and in a way that isn't exhausting for I'm okay being exhausted if it's going to actually bear something, if it's just me spinning my wheels, I don't actually see value in that. And for me, what began to put cracks in that was people challenging my sense of superiority and my sense of knowing what they should do with their bodies. Because essentially, I think a lot of how I grew up was similar maybe and different from how you were sharing Danielle, where it was like always vote Republican because they're going to be against abortion and they're going to be against gay marriage. And those were the two in my world that were the things that I was supposed to vote for no matter what. And now just seeing how far that no matter what is willing to go is really terrifying.Danielle (36:25):Yeah, I agree. Jenny. I mean, again, I keep talking about him, but he's so important to me. The idea that my great grandfather to escape religious oppression would literally walk 1,950 miles and would leave an oppressive system just in an attempt to get away. That walk has to mean something to me today. You can't forget. All of my family has to remember that he did a walk like that. How many of us have walked that far? I mean, I haven't ever walked that far in just one instance to escape something. And he was poor because he couldn't even pay for his mom's burial at the Catholic church. So he said, let me get out of this. And then of course he landed with the Methodist and he was back in the fire again. But I come back to him, and that's what people will do to get out of religious oppression. They will give it an effort and when they can. And so I think it's important to remember those stories. I'm off on my tangent again now because it feels so important. It's a good one.Starlette (37:42):I think it's important to highlight the walking away from, to putting one foot in front of the other, praying with your feet(37:51):That it's its own. You answer your own prayer by getting away from it. It is to say that he was done with it, and if no one else was going to move, he was going to move himself that he didn't wait for the change in the institution. Let's just change directions and get away from it. And I hate to even imagine what he was faced with and that he had to make that decision. And what propelled him to walk that long with that kind of energy to keep momentum and to create that amount of distance. So for me, it's very telling. I ran away at 12. I had had it, so I get it. This is the last time you're going to hit me.Not going to beat me out of my sleep. I knew that at 12. This is no place for me. So I admire people who get up in the dead of night, get up without a warning, make it up in their mind and said, that's the last time, or This is not what I'm going to do. This is not the way that I want to be, and I'm leaving. I admire him. Sounds like a hero. I think we should have a holiday.Danielle (38:44):And then imagine telling that. Then you're going to tell me that people like my grandfather are just in it. This is where it leaves reality for me and leaves Christianity that he's just in it to steal someone's job. This man worked the lemon fields and then as a side job in his retired years, moved up to Sacramento, took in people off death row at Folsom Prison, took 'em to his home and nursed them until they passed. So this is the kind a person that will walk 1,950 miles. They'll do a lot of good in the world, and we're telling people that they can't come here. That's the kind of people that are walking here. That's the kind of people that are coming here. They're coming here to do whatever they can. And then they're nurturing families. They're actually living out in their families what supposed Christians are saying they want to be. Because people in these two parent households and these white families, they're actually raising the kind of people that will shoot Charlie Kirk. It's not people like my grandfather that walked almost 2000 miles to form a better life and take care of people out of prisons. Those aren't the people forming children that are, you'reStarlette (40:02):Going to email for that. The deacons will you in the parking lot for that one. You you're going to get a nasty tweet for that one. Somebody's going to jump off in the comments and straighten you out at,Danielle (40:17):I can't help it. It's true. That's the reality. Someone that will put their feet and their faith to that kind of practice is not traveling just so they can assault someone or rob someone. I mean, yes, there are people that have done that, but there's so much intentionality about moving so far. It does not carry the weight of, can you imagine? Let me walk 2000 miles to Rob my neighbor. That doesn't make any sense.Starlette (40:46):Sounds like it's own kind of pilgrimage.Jenny (40:59):I have so many thoughts, but I think whiteness has just done such a number on people. And I'm hearing each of you and I'm thinking, I don't know that I could tell one story from any of my grandparents. I think that that is part of whiteness. And it's not that I didn't know them, but it's that the ways in which Transgenerational family lines are passed down are executed for people in considered white bodies where it's like my grandmother, I guess I can't tell some stories, but she went to Polish school and in the States and was part of a Polish community. And then very quickly on polls were grafted into whiteness so that they could partake in the GI Bill. And so that Polish heritage was then lost. And that was not that long ago, but it was a severing that happened. And some of my ancestors from England, that severing happened a long time ago where it's like, we are not going to tell the stories of our ancestors because that would actually reveal that this whole white thing is made up. And we actually have so much more to us than that. And so I feel like the social privilege that has come from that, but also the visceral grief of how I would want to know those stories of my ancestors that aren't there. Because in part of the way that whiteness operates,Starlette (42:59):I'm glad you told that story. Diane de Prima, she tells about that, about her parents giving up their Italian ness, giving up their heritage and being Italian at home and being white in public. So not changing their name, shortening their name, losing their accent, or dropping the accent. I'm glad that you said that. I think that's important. But like you said though, if you tell those stories and it shakes up the power dynamic for whiteness, it's like, oh, but there are books how the Irish became White, the Making of Whiteness working for Whiteness, read all the books by David Broer on Whiteness Studies. But I'm glad that you told us. I think it's important, and I love that you named it as a severing. Why did you choose that word in particular?Jenny (43:55):I had the privilege a few years ago of going to Poland and doing an ancestry trip. And weeks before I went, an extended cousin in the States had gotten connected with our fifth cousin in Poland. We share the fifth grandparents. And this cousin of mine took us around to the church where my fifth great grandparents got married and these just very visceral places. And I had never felt the land that my ancestors know in my body. And there was something really, really powerful of that. And so I think of severing as I have been cut off from that lineage and that heritage because of whiteness. And I feel very, very grateful for the ways in which that is beginning to heal and beginning to mend. And we can tell truer stories of our ancestry and where we come from and the practices of our people. And I think it is important to acknowledge the cost and the privilege that has come from that severing in order to get a job that was not reserved for people that weren't white. My family decided, okay, well we'll just play the part. We will take on that role of whiteness because that will then give us that class privilege and that socioeconomic privilege that reveals how much of a construct whitenessStarlette (45:50):A racial contract is what Charles W. Mills calls it, that there's a deal made in a back room somewhere that you'll trade your sense of self for another. And so that it doesn't, it just unravels all the ways in which white supremacy, white body supremacy, pos itself, oh, that we're better. I think people don't say anything because it unravels those lies, those tongue twisters that persons have spun over the centuries, that it's really just an agreement that we've decided that we'll make ourselves the majority so that we can bully everybody else. And nobody wants to be called that. Nobody wants to be labeled greedy. I'm just trying to provide for my family, but at what expense? At who else's expense. But I like to live in this neighborhood and I don't want to be stopped by police. But you're willing to sacrifice other people. And I think that's why it becomes problematic and troublesome because persons have to look at themselves.(46:41):White body supremacy doesn't offer that reflection. If it did, persons would see how monstrous it is that under the belly of the beast, seeing the underside of that would be my community. We know what it costs for other people to feel really, really important because that's what whiteness demands. In order to look down your nose on somebody, you got to stand on somebody's back. Meanwhile, our communities are teaching each other to stand. We stand on the shoulders of giants. It's very communal. It's a shared identity and way of being. Whereas whiteness demands allegiance by way of violence, violent taking and grabbing it is quite the undoing. We have a lot of work to do. But I am proud of you for telling that story.Danielle (47:30):I wanted to read this quote by Gloria, I don't know if you know her. Do you know her? She writes, the struggle is inner Chicano, Indio, American Indian, Molo, Mexicano, immigrant, Latino, Anglo and power working class Anglo black, Asian. Our psyches resemble the border towns and are populated by the same people. The struggle has always been inner and has played out in outer terrains. Awareness of our situation must come before interchanges and which in turn come before changes in society. Nothing happens in the real world unless it first happens in the images in our heads.(48:16):So Jenny, when you're talking, you had some image in your head before you went to Poland, before it became reality. You had some, it didn't start with just knowing your cousin or whatever it happened before that. Or for me being confronted and having to confront things with my husband about ways we've been complicit or engaged in almost like the word comes gerrymandering our own future. That's kind of how it felt sometimes Luis and I and how to become aware of that and take away those scales off our own eyes and then just sit in the reality, oh no, we're really here and this is where we're really at. And so where are we going to go from here? And starlet, you've talked from your own position. That's just what comes to mind. It's something that happens inside. I mean, she talks about head, I think more in feelings in my chest. That's where it happens for me. But yeah, that's what comes to mind.Starlette (49:48):With. I feel like crying because of what we've done to our bodies and the bodies of other people. And we still can't see ourselves not as fully belonging to each other, not as beloved, not as holy.It's deeply saddening that for all the time that we have here together for all the time that we'll share with each other, we'll spend much of it not seeing each other at all.Danielle (50:57):My mind's going back to, I think I might've shared this right before you joined Starla, where it was like, I really believe the words of Jesus that says, what good is it for someone to gain the world and lose their soul? And that's what I hear. And what I feel is this soul loss. And I don't know how to convince other people. And I don't know if that's the point that their soul is worth it, but I think I've, not that I do it perfectly, but I think I've gotten to the place where I'm like, I believe my interiority is worth more than what it would be traded in for.(51:45):And I think that will be a lifelong journey of trying to figure out how to wrestle with a system. I will always be implicated in because I am talking to you on a device that was made from cobalt, from Congo and wearing clothes that were made in other countries. And there's no way I can make any decision other than to just off myself immediately. And I'm not saying I'm doing that, but I'm saying the part of the wrestle is that this is, everything is unresolved. And how do I, like what you said, Danielle, what did you say? Can you tune into this conversation?Jenny (52:45):Yeah. And how do I keep tapping in even when it means engaging my own implication in this violence? It's easier to be like, oh, those people over there that are doing those things. And it's like, wait, now how do I stay situated and how I'm continually perpetuating it as well, and how do I try to figure out how to untangle myself in that? And I think that will be always I,Danielle (53:29):He says, the US Mexican border as like an open wound where the third world grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages again, the lifeblood of two worlds. Two worlds merging to form a third country, a border culture. Borders are set up to define the places that are safe and unsafe to distinguish us from them. A border is a dividing line, a narrow strip along a steep edge. A borderland is a vague and undetermined place created by the emotional residue of an unnatural boundary is it is in a constant state of transition. They're prohibited and forbidden arts inhabitants. And I think that as a Latina that really describes and mixed with who my father is and that side that I feel like I live like the border in me, it feels like it grates against me. So I hear you, Jenny, and I feel very like all the resonance, and I hear you star led, and I feel a lot of resonance there too. But to deny either thing would make me less human because I am human with both of those parts of me.(54:45):But also to engage them brings a lot of grief for both parts of me. And how does that mix together? It does feel like it's in a constant state of transition. And that's partly why Latinos, I think particularly Latino men bought into this lie of power and played along. And now they're getting shown that no, that part of you that's European, that part never counted at all. And so there is no way to buy into that racialized system. There's no way to put a down payment in and come out on the other side as human. As soon as we buy into it, we're less human. Yeah. Oh, Jenny has to go in a minute. Me too. But starlet, you're welcome to join us any Thursday. Okay.Speaker 1 (55:51):Afternoon. Bye. Thank you. Bye bye.Kitsap County & Washington State Crisis and Mental Health ResourcesIf you or someone else is in immediate danger, please call 911.This resource list provides crisis and mental health contacts for Kitsap County and across Washington State.Kitsap County / Local ResourcesResourceContact InfoWhat They OfferSalish Regional Crisis Line / Kitsap Mental Health 24/7 Crisis Call LinePhone: 1‑888‑910‑0416Website: https://www.kitsapmentalhealth.org/crisis-24-7-services/24/7 emotional support for suicide or mental health crises; mobile crisis outreach; connection to services.KMHS Youth Mobile Crisis Outreach TeamEmergencies via Salish Crisis Line: 1‑888‑910‑0416Website: https://sync.salishbehavioralhealth.org/youth-mobile-crisis-outreach-team/Crisis outreach for minors and youth experiencing behavioral health emergencies.Kitsap Mental Health Services (KMHS)Main: 360‑373‑5031; Toll‑free: 888‑816‑0488; TDD: 360‑478‑2715Website: https://www.kitsapmentalhealth.org/crisis-24-7-services/Outpatient, inpatient, crisis triage, substance use treatment, stabilization, behavioral health services.Kitsap County Suicide Prevention / “Need Help Now”Call the Salish Regional Crisis Line at 1‑888‑910‑0416Website: https://www.kitsap.gov/hs/Pages/Suicide-Prevention-Website.aspx24/7/365 emotional support; connects people to resources; suicide prevention assistance.Crisis Clinic of the PeninsulasPhone: 360‑479‑3033 or 1‑800‑843‑4793Website: https://www.bainbridgewa.gov/607/Mental-Health-ResourcesLocal crisis intervention services, referrals, and emotional support.NAMI Kitsap CountyWebsite: https://namikitsap.org/Peer support groups, education, and resources for individuals and families affected by mental illness.Statewide & National Crisis ResourcesResourceContact InfoWhat They Offer988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (WA‑988)Call or text 988; Website: https://wa988.org/Free, 24/7 support for suicidal thoughts, emotional distress, relationship problems, and substance concerns.Washington Recovery Help Line1‑866‑789‑1511Website: https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/injury-and-violence-prevention/suicide-prevention/hotline-text-and-chat-resourcesHelp for mental health, substance use, and problem gambling; 24/7 statewide support.WA Warm Line877‑500‑9276Website: https://www.crisisconnections.org/wa-warm-line/Peer-support line for emotional or mental health distress; support outside of crisis moments.Native & Strong Crisis LifelineDial 988 then press 4Website: https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/injury-and-violence-prevention/suicide-prevention/hotline-text-and-chat-resourcesCulturally relevant crisis counseling by Indigenous counselors.Additional Helpful Tools & Tips• Behavioral Health Services Access: Request assessments and access to outpatient, residential, or inpatient care through the Salish Behavioral Health Organization. Website: https://www.kitsap.gov/hs/Pages/SBHO-Get-Behaviroal-Health-Services.aspx• Deaf / Hard of Hearing: Use your preferred relay service (for example dial 711 then the appropriate number) to access crisis services.• Warning Signs & Risk Factors: If someone is talking about harming themselves, giving away possessions, expressing hopelessness, or showing extreme behavior changes, contact crisis resources immediately.Well, first I guess I would have to believe that there was or is an actual political dialogue taking place that I could potentially be a part of. And honestly, I'm not sure that I believe that. Well, first I guess I would have to believe that there was or is an actual political dialogue taking place that I could potentially be a part of. And honestly, I'm not sure that I believe that.
In this masterclass episode of Skin Anarchy, Dr. Ekta Yadav sits down with Dr. Julie Faitg, Senior Manager of Applied Research and Regulatory Affairs at Timeline, to uncover how mitochondrial science is transforming the future of skin longevity.Dr. Feitge challenges the familiar “powerhouse” analogy, instead calling mitochondria the “CEO of the cell.” Far from passive energy producers, these organelles orchestrate communication, repair, and renewal—directly influencing collagen production, elasticity, and cellular resilience. “If your mitochondria aren't healthy,” she explains, “the entire cascade of cellular function begins to falter.”Through vivid analogies, Dr. Feitge describes how mitochondria behave differently across tissues—fueling endurance in muscles, focus in the brain, and regeneration in the skin. This adaptability, she notes, is what makes them the foundation of both vitality and longevity.The conversation dives into mitochondrial resilience, the skin's ability to repair and recover from stress. Aging begins when this resilience declines, leading to diminished energy, slower renewal, and visible signs of fatigue.Dr. Faitgd highlights Timeline's breakthrough ingredient, Mitopure® (Urolithin A)—a clinically validated compound that triggers mitophagy, the process of recycling damaged mitochondria. In trials, topical Mitopure® improved collagen expression, hydration, and firmness while reducing inflammation and UV-induced stress.Developed in Switzerland under rigorous safety and precision standards, Timeline's skincare line redefines beauty as m—a shift from treating the surface to revitalizing the source.
For the people of 16th-century Europe, the sky was a place of divine mystery, not a battlefield for mortal men. But in 1566, the heavens over Basel, Switzerland, became just that, as hundreds of dark spheres waged a mysterious war before the eyes of the citizens below.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
As the third-quarter equity earnings season begins, we anticipate broadly supportive results, with a strong focus on the ongoing AI investment cycle and commentary from the hyperscalers. While revenue generation will be a key theme heading into 2026, significant execution risks remain despite the expansive opportunity set. Amid growing policy uncertainties in the United States, investors may find merit in diversifying portions of their equity exposure away from the US toward other markets, such as China, Switzerland, India, and Japan, where policy settings appear more favourable. In fixed income, listed corporate credit continues to look attractive, supported by tightening spreads and limited new supply. This episode is presented by Bhaskar Laxminarayan, Chief Investment Officer Asia and Middle East at Julius Baer.
The Platform Mix 579 features Gordon Ross, from Toronto, Canada. He's been DJing for over a decade and in that time has played all over the world from London, England to Switzerland and all over Canada. He put together an hour of his favorites and even included an edit pack for all the DJs that can be downloaded for free on my Patreon. Follow Gordon Ross on his socials to see all his upcoming gigs, subscribe to my Patreon to see full track lists from the mixes, take a look at my top tracks of the week and get a look into what I'm playing out in my sets. Now turn those speakers up and let's get into it with Gordon Ross' latest right here, on The Platform. Gordon Ross: https://www.instagram.com/gordonrossynr/ Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@theplatformmix Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/djdexmke Artwork by Michael Byers-Dent: https://www.instagram.com/byersdent/
Are we set for the closest WSL title race in recent history? Lianne Sanderson breaks down all the results from a huge weekend of WSL action after big wins for the big four. Uma Gurav also joins the show to look back on an intriguing first round of Champions League ties and to predict a shock WSL winner this season... Plus, Lianne has a special chat with former Arsenal defender Johan Djourou who reflects on his time at the club, as well as his role with the Swiss FA during Euro 2025. He tells us what the Euros has really meant for women's football in Switzerland. Heidi Smith, the author of Play On: From Adversity to Advantage Through 140 Years of Women's Soccer chats about her book and Croix Soto breaks down what life is like in the Northern Super League in Canada! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Lindsay Whorton - A New School Leadership Architecture: A Four-Level Framework for Reimagining Roles. This is episode 792 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Dr. Lindsay Whorton is proud to be a founding member of The Holdsworth Center. She helped design the Center's programming and has served as president since 2019. Under Lindsay's leadership, Holdsworth has grown from serving seven public school districts through its initial offering – the Holdsworth Partnership – to serving more than 1,900 leaders in 89 public school districts across several programs, all designed to build a bench of stronger superintendents and principals for Texas public schools. Lindsay's story with Holdsworth began in 2015, when Charles Butt, Chairman of H-E-B, tapped her to work with an organizing board designing the center's first programs. At the time, Lindsay was working as a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in Washington D.C. She officially joined The Holdsworth Center team shortly after its launch in January 2017. In her role as managing director of district support, Lindsay helped create and evolve Holdsworth's model for supporting partner districts to develop aspiring leaders, place them in leadership roles and support them as they progress along their leadership journey. Lindsay's dive into education research began in 2009, when she was named a Rhodes Scholar and went on to earn a master's degree in comparative social policy and a doctorate in social policy from Oxford University. During her time at Oxford, Lindsay spent a year at the University of Helsinki, where she was a Fulbright Scholar. She visited schools and classrooms to understand Finland's world-renowned teacher education system. In 2016, Routledge published her book Teachers Unions and Education Reform in Comparative Contexts, which examined the impact of teachers' unions on performance-related pay reform in Finland, Switzerland, Texas and Florida. A native of Independence, Missouri, Lindsay earned a bachelor's degree in secondary education and English from Drake University in Iowa, where she served as a captain of the women's basketball team. Lindsay helped lead the underdog team to a Cinderella finish in 2007 by winning the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship and was named the tournament's outstanding player and a First-Team Academic All-American. Our focus today is ... Lindsay's new book- A New School Leadership Architecture: A Four-Level Framework for Re-imagining Roles So much to learn and think about! Great conversation! Thanks for listening! Thanks for sharing! Before you go... You could help support this podcast by Buying Me A Coffee. Not really buying me something to drink but clicking on the link on my home page at https://stevenmiletto.com for Buy Me a Coffee or by going to this link Buy Me a Coffee. This would allow you to donate to help the show address the costs associated with producing the podcast from upgrading gear to the fees associated with producing the show. That would be cool. Thanks for thinking about it. Hey, I've got another favor...could you share the podcast with one of your friends, colleagues, and family members? Hmmm? What do you think? Thank you! You are AWESOME! Connect & Learn More: https://holdsworthcenter.org/ https://holdsworthcenter.org/board/dr-lindsay-whorton/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-holdsworth-center/ https://www.facebook.com/HoldsworthCenter https://www.instagram.com/holdsworthcenter/ https://x.com/holdsworthcentr?lang=en https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FGDTTGYM Length - 50:28
Switzerland has quietly built one of the world's most stable and trusted startup ecosystems.Thomas Dübendorfer, founder and president of SICTIC, Switzerland's largest angel investing network with over 500 members and more than 400 startups joins Neon show.Thomas talks about how Switzerland's startup scene has changed over the past decade from a cautious investor community to one that now has 58 unicorns across sectors like fintech, AI, crypto, and deeptech. He explains what Switzerland is doing in AI and commercial research, why a $900 billion economy still invests only $4 billion in startups, why most exits happen through acquisitions rather than IPOs, how Zurich and Bengaluru can build stronger startup ties and what India can learn from a country that builds quietly. Thomas also shares his own journey: leaving Google, building nine startups (three acquired), and backing over 40 founders as an angel investor. This episode is a rare inside look at how Switzerland, at the intersection of centuries-old wealth and technology, is building a strong innovation ecosystem.00:00 – Trailer01:07 – How has the Swiss startup ecosystem evolved over 12 years? 03:36 – Why a $900B economy draws only $4B in startup funding 04:35 – What is Switzerland known for around the world? 05:12 – The lesser-known Unicorns 07:12 – How can Zurich and Bengaluru build stronger startup ties? 10:39 – Swiss institutions that are built to last 11:24 – Building a strong nation among powerful neighbors 12:32 – Alfred Escher: The founder of ETH Zurich 12:57 – How Gotthard Tunnel shaped Swiss finance and engineering 13:49 – Top companies that define Switzerland today 16:15 – What is Switzerland doing in AI? 18:49 – What are the exit routes for Swiss startups: IPOs or acquisitions? 20:19 – Why Zurich has a high concentrations of family offices 22:44 – Where Switzerland stands in Europe's startup landscape 24:16 – Why build companies when you can just fund them? 27:26 – How Thomas chose his 40 angel investments 28:57 – What do the Swiss think about the Indian startup ecosystem?-------------India's talent has built the world's tech—now it's time to lead it.This mission goes beyond startups. It's about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.What is Neon Fund?We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that's done it before.Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we're doing it all at Neon.-------------Check us out on:Website: https://neon.fund/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShowwConnect with Siddhartha on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7-------------This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.Send us a text
We round out our extensive coverage of the 3rdEyeGirl era with Prince's last performance at Montreux Jazz Festival in 2013 - and ever - was a fun rock show that was 3rdEyeGirl heavy. Visit us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TMATSPodcast/Twitter… X… Twix: @TMATSPodcastEmail: TMATSPodcast@gmail.com
All the cool kids are talking about wines from Jura, but should you believe the hype? Well, when it comes to the red wine Trousseau, we say a resounding YES! If you have never heard about the Jura wine region in France, it's time to let you in on the secret so you can be part of the hip “in” crowd. And if you are a Pinot Noir or Gamay lover, we have a wine that we think is going to be a new go-to for you. Tucked away in a little corner of France between Burgundy and Switzerland is Jura, and one of the signature wines is Trousseau which is a fruity, elegant, juicy gem ready to be discovered. This is the perfect wine for our podcast listeners - delicious, under-the-radar, reasonably priced, and a wow-your-friends wine. Join us as we uncover the mystery! We also talk about an international wine scam in our Wine in the News this Week section, and we have another listener interview on the name for our wine tribe this week. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2020 Frederic Lornet Charles Rouget Cotes du Jura Trousseau, 2023 Domaine Ligier Arbois TrousseauSend us a Text Message and we'll respond in our next episode!Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we'd love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: https://thewinepairpodcast.com/Follow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com
In a recent speech to the UN, US president Donald Trump set out some remarkable figures on the proportion of inmates in European prisons who were foreign nationals.Citing statistics from the Council of Europe, he references Greece, Germany and Austria, as having rates around 50%.“In Switzerland, beautiful Switzerland,” he said “72% of the people in prisons are from outside of Switzerland.” These numbers are correct, but why are the percentages so high – particularly in Switzerland?Tim Harford speaks to Professor Marcelo Aebi, a criminologist from the University of Lausanne, who wrote the prisons report for the Council of Europe.If you've seen a number in the news you think we should take a look at, let us know: moreorless@bbc.co.ukPresenter: Tim Harford Producer: Tom Colls Sound mix: Rod Farquhar Editor: Richard Vadon
In this episode, previously recorded as a Wisdom Dharma Chat, host Daniel Aitken welcomes back Lama Alan Wallace to discuss the newest release, Śamatha and Vipaśyanā: An Anthology of Pith Instructions. Lama Alan trained for many years as a monk in Buddhist monasteries in India and Switzerland. He has taught Buddhist theory and practice in […] The post Lama Alan Wallace: Śamatha and Vipaśyanā: Part 1 (#217) appeared first on The Wisdom Experience.
A born silly goose, Kloie Louise (xe/xem/xyr) is a crafty creative and budding storyteller. Originally from Minneapolis, xe wrote a poorly reviewed and attended play for the Minnesota Fringe Festival at 19. Like the Sagittarius xe are, Kloie lived abroad in Turkey and Switzerland and traveled to many if not a pretentious amount of countries—but unfortunately can only speak English. From San Antonio to Memphis, Kloie has now landed in Chicago. Kloie is also a visual artist, painting a range of images from fat femmes to whimsical still lives. You can view xyr work on Instagram, at art festivals, and then maybe your home??? Bringing xyr unique pov and an unfortunately large amount of stories to tell, Kloie hopes to share experiences that help xem feel seen and connected to others. IG: k.k.louise linktr.ee/kloielouise The First Time is hosted by Jenn Sodini. Directed by Bobby Evers. Podcast produced by Jim Mulvaney. Recorded by Tony Baker.
Chef, author, and fashion icon Marcus Samuelsson joins Jaymee to talk about identity, style, and the journey that took him from Ethiopia to Sweden to New York. Marcus shares how his grandmother's handmade clothes and early sneaker love shaped his look, why Harlem feels like home, and the global experiences (France, Switzerland, Japan, Singapore) that taught him to mix discipline with street-food soul. Then it's competition time as Marcus previews his rare turn from judge to gladiator on Alex vs. America: Alex vs. Chopped Judges, facing Alex Guarnaschelli alongside Maneet Chauhan and Scott Conant. He breaks down how judging thousands of dishes informed his strategy under the clock, what people underestimate about Alex, and the camaraderie among long-time Chopped colleagues. Marcus also reflects on Bobby's Triple Threat, why competing keeps him sharp, and shares rapid-fire favorites… from bucket hats to a cocktail that blends sake, aquavit, champagne, and honey. Follow Food Network on Instagram: HERE Follow Jaymee Sire on Instagram: HERE Follow Marcus Samuelsson on Instagram: HERE Learn More about Bobby's Triple Threat : HERE Learn More About Alex vs. America: HERE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Atoms are the building blocks of our world. Many have been around since right after the Big Bang created the universe nearly 14 billion years ago. And if life on Earth is made of atoms that are from all the way back then... will those atoms keep existing forever? That's what CrowdScience Listener Rob in Australia would like to know. Caroline Steel investigates the immortality of atoms by travelling to CERN, the world's largest particle physics laboratory located along the border of France and Switzerland. There, theoretical physicist Matthew McCullough explains whether the smallest atoms can decay or survive the test of time. Physicist Marco van Leeuwen from Nikhef, the National Particle Physics Laboratory in the Netherlands, gives Caroline a behind-the-scenes tour of the ALICE experiment and the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. She learns how atoms are smashed at incredibly high speeds, and whether that might spell the end of an atom. And all life on earth is made up of atoms, but how does a collection of tiny particles become a living being? Astrobiologist Betül Kaçar from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, breaks down how life works from an atomic point of view. Presenter: Caroline Steel Producer: Imaan Moin Editor: Ben Motley (Photo: Hands cupping a glowing atom in the studio - stock photo. Credit: Paper Boat Creative via Getty Images)
In this episode of This Week in AML, John Byrne and Elliot Berman cover a wide range of developments in the financial crime and compliance landscape. They look at international enforcement actions, including record AML fines for UK law firms and Switzerland's updated typology report. The conversation spans topics such as life insurance vulnerabilities, cultural heritage protection, Rabobank's compliance-driven leadership shift, Iran's FATF ambitions, insider threat mitigation in Canada, and Nigeria's efforts to combat terrorist financing via crowdfunding. Domestically, they unpack major U.S. regulatory proposals, including redefining community banks, eliminating reputation risk as a supervisory focus, and evolving model risk management guidance.
Episode 141 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, hosted by Mike Zaccheo with Angie Sparks, opens with the “highlight post” about the demise of the popular Red Aviator “Sub for a SUB” card—long favored for its easy single-purchase American Airlines miles bonus. The news roundup covers major developments: the completion of the Hawaiian-Alaska merger and Alaska's award chart updates, elevated Chase Ink offers and limited-time Hilton Amex bonuses Angie also reviews several active transfer bonuses.In personal updates, Angie notes her Atmos bonus posting, Aviator annual-fee payments pending, a Hilton Surpass FNC spend met, and plans to downgrade her Ritz card. Mike reports no new activity since his Atmos and Citi Strata Elite bonuses. Angie also shares exciting travel news: booking saver business-class seats from Dallas to Istanbul via a Citi-to-Turkish transfer for her upcoming Switzerland trip, while Mike outlines firmed-up details for his 2026 Japan journey—Singapore's LAX-NRT fifth-freedom flight, five nights at Park Hyatt Tokyo using a suite upgrade, and a return on JAL booked through a Capital One transfer bonus.The main segment centers on Angie's family reunion and leaf-peeping trip through New England, where she splurged on Alaska First Class (75 k miles for four tickets) and balanced multiple travel-portal, Hilton, Marriott, and Hyatt redemptions worth $2.2 k in cash value. She leveraged credits across Capital One, Citi, and Amex for lodging, dining, and rental cars, plus AA lounge access. Her takeaway: though scenic, the trip involved excessive driving, heavy traffic, and limited dining availability. The “Tip of the Week” urges listeners to review unused credits before year-end.Links to Topics DiscussedAtmos Rewards Award Chart ChangesNo Fee Chase Ink Business Card OffersHilton Amex OffersCredit Card Transfer Bonuses SummaryWhere to Find Us The Free Award Travel 101 Community. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at 101@award.travel Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions! Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card! Technical note: Some user experience difficulty streaming the podcast while connected to a VPN. If you have difficulty, disconnect from your VPN.
EP166 Interview With Mark & Simon From Elinchrom UK I sit down with Mark Cheatham and Simon Burfoot from Elinchrom UK to talk about the two words that matter most when you work with light: accuracy and consistency. We dig into flash vs. continuous, shaping light (not just adding it), why reliable gear shortens your workflow, and Elinchrom's new LED 100 C—including evenly filling big softboxes and that handy internal battery. We also wander into AI: threats, tools, and why authenticity still carries the highest value. Links: Elinchrom UK store/info: https://elinchrom.co.uk/ LED 100 C product page: https://elinchrom.co.uk/elinchrom-led-100-c Rotalux Deep Octa / strips: https://elinchrom.co.uk/elinchrom-rotalux-deep-octabox-100cm-softbox/ My workshop dates: https://masteringportraitphotography.com/workshops-and-mentoring/ Transcript: Paul: as quite a lot of, you know, I've had a love affair with Elinchrom Lighting for the past 20 something years. In fact, I'm sitting with one of the original secondhand lights I bought from the Flash Center 21 years ago in London. And on top of that, you couldn't ask for a nicer set of guys in the UK to deal with. So I'm sitting here about to talk to Simon and Mark from Elinchrom uk. I'm Paul and this is the Mastering Portrait Photography podcast. Paul: So before we get any further, tell me a little bit about who you are, each of you and the team from Elinchrom UK Mark: After you, Simon. Simon: Thank you very much, mark. Mark: That's fine. Simon: I'm, Simon Burfoot. I have, been in the industry now for longer than I care to think. 35 years almost to the, to the day. Always been in the industry even before I left school because my father was a photographer and a lighting tutor, working for various manufacturers I was always into photography, and when he started the whole lighting journey. I got on it with him, and was learning from a very young age. Did my first wedding at 16 years old. Had a Saturday job which turned into a full-time job in a retail camera shop. By the time I was 18, I was managing my own camera shop, in a little town in the Cotswolds called Cirencester. My dad always told me that to be a photographic rep in the industry, you needed to see it from all angles, to get the experience. So I ended up, working in retail, moving over to a framing company. Finishing off in a prolab, hand printing, wedding photographers pictures, processing E6 and C41, hand correcting big prints for framing for, for customers, which was really interesting and I really enjoyed it. And then ended up working for a company called Leeds Photo Visual, I was a Southwest sales guy for them. Then I moved to KJP before it became, what we know now as Wex, and got all of the customers back that I'd stolen for them for Leeds. And then really sort of started my career progressing through, and then started to work with Elinchrom, on the lighting side. Used Elinchrom way before I started working with them. I like you a bit of a love affair. I'd used lots of different lights and, just loved the quality of the light that the Elinchrom system produced. And that's down to a number of factors that I could bore you with, but it's the quality of the gear, the consistency in terms of color, and exposure. Shooting film was very important to have that consistency because we didn't have Photoshop to help us out afterwards. It was a learning journey, but I, I hit my goal after being a wedding photographer and a portrait photographer in my spare time, working towards getting out on the road, meeting people and being involved in the industry, which I love. And I think it's something that I'm scared of leaving 'cause I dunno anything else. It's a wonderful industry. It has its quirks, its, downfalls at points, but actually it's a really good group of people and everyone kind of, gets on and we all love working with each other. So we're friends rather than colleagues. Paul: I hesitate to ask, given the length of that answer, to cut Simon: You did ask. Mark: I know. Paul: a short story Mark: was wondering if I was gonna get a go. Paul: I was waiting to get to end into the podcast and I was about to sign off. Mark: So, hi Mark Cheatham, sales director for Elinchrom uk this is where it gets a little bit scary because me and Simon have probably known each other for 10 years, yet our journeys in the industry are remarkably similar. I went to college, did photography, left college, went to work at commercial photographers and hand printers. I was a hand printer, mainly black and white, anything from six by four to eight foot by four foot panels, which are horrible when you're deving in a dish. But we did it. Paul: To the generation now, deving in a dish doesn't mean anything. Simon: No, it doesn't. Mark: And, and when you're doing a eight foot by four foot print and you've got it, you're wearing most of the chemistry. You went home stinking every night. I was working in retail. As a Saturday lad and then got promoted from the Saturday lad to the manager and went to run a camera shop in a little town in the Lake District called Kendall. I stayed there for nine years. I left there, went on the road working for a brand called Olympus, where I did 10 years, I moved to Pentax, which became Rico Pentax. I did 10 years there. I've been in the industry all my life. Like Simon, I love the industry. I did go out the industry for 18 months where I went into the wonderful world of high end commercial vr, selling to blue light military, that sort of thing. And then came back. One of the, original members of Elinchrom uk. I don't do as much photography as Simon I take photos every day, probably too many looking at my Apple storage. I do shoot and I like shooting now and again, but I'm not a constant shooter like you guys i'm not a professional shooter, but when you spent 30 odd years in the industry, and part of that, I basically run the, the medium format business for Pentax. So 645D, 645Z. Yeah, it was a great time. I love the industry and, everything about it. So, yeah, that's it Paul: Obviously both of you at some point put your heads together and decided Elinchrom UK was the future. What triggered that and why do you think gimme your sales pitch for Elinchrom for a moment and then we can discuss the various merits. Simon: The sales pitch for Elinchrom is fairly straightforward. It's a nice, affordable system that does exactly what most photographers would like. We sell a lot of our modifiers, so soft boxes and things like that to other users, of Prophoto, Broncolor. Anybody else? Because actually the quality of the light that comes out the front of our diffusion material and our specular surfaces on the soft boxes is, is a lot, lot more superior than, than most. A lot more superior. A lot more Mark: A lot more superior. Paul: more superior. Simon: I'm trying to Paul: Superior. Simon: It's superior. And I think Paul, you'll agree, Paul: it's a lot more, Simon: You've used different manufacturers over the years and, I think the quality of light speaks for itself. As a photographer I want consistency. Beautiful light and the effects that the Elinchrom system gives me, I've tried other soft boxes. If you want a big contrasty, not so kind light, then use a cheaper soft box. If I've got a big tattoo guy full of piercings you're gonna put some contrasty light to create some ambience. Maybe the system for that isn't good enough, but for your standard portrait photographer in a studio, I don't think you can beat the light. Mark: I think the two key words for Elinchrom products are accuracy and consistency. And that's what, as a portrait photographer, you should be striving for, you don't want your equipment to lengthen your workflow or make your job harder in post-production. If you're using Elinchrom lights with Elinchrom soft boxes or Elinchrom modifiers, you know that you're gonna get accuracy and consistency. Which generally makes your job easier. Paul: I think there's a bit that neither of you, I don't think you've quite covered, and it's the bit of the puzzle that makes you want to use whatever is the tool of your trade. I mean, I worked with musicians, I grew up around orchestras. Watching people who utterly adore the instrument that's in their hand. It makes 'em wanna play it. If you own the instrument that you love to play, whether it's a drum kit a trumpet a violin or a piano, you will play it and get the very best out of your talent with it. It's just a joy to pick it up and use it for all the little tiny things I think it's the bit you've missed in your descriptions of it is the utter passion that people that use it have for it. Mark: I think one of the things I learned from my time in retail, which was obviously going back, a long way, even before digital cameras One of the things I learned from retail, I was in retail long before digital cameras, retail was a busier time. People would come and genuinely ask for advice. So yes, someone would come in and what's the best camera for this? Or what's the best camera for that? Honestly there is still no answer to that. All the kit was good then all the kit is good now. You might get four or five different SLRs out. And the one they'd pick at the end was the one that they felt most comfortable with and had the best connection with. When you are using something every day, every other day, however it might be, it becomes part of you. I'm a F1 fan, if you love the world of F1, you know that an F1 car, the driver doesn't sit in an F1 car, they become part of the F1 car. When you are using the same equipment day in, day out, you don't have to think about what button to press, what dial to to turn. You do it. And that, I think that's the difference between using something you genuinely love and get on with and using something because that's what you've got. And maybe that's a difference you genuinely love and get on with Elinchrom lights. So yes, they're given amazing output and I know there's, little things that you'd love to see improved on them, but that's not the light output. Paul: But the thing is, I mean, I've never, I've never heard the F1 analogy, but it's not a bad one. When you talk about these drivers and their cars and you are right, they're sort of symbiotic, so let's talk a little bit about why we use flash. So from the photographers listening who are just setting out, and that's an awful lot of our audience. I think broadly speaking, there are two roads or three roads, if you include available light if you're a portrait photographer. So there's available light. There's continuous light, and then there's strobes flash or whatever you wanna call it. Of course, there's, hybrid modeling and all sorts of things, but those are broadly the three ways that you're gonna light your scene or your subject. Why flash? What is it about that instantaneous pulse of light from a xenon tube that so appealing to photographers? Simon: I think there's a few reasons. The available light is lovely if you can control it, and by that I mean knowing how to use your camera, and control the ambient light. My experience of using available light, if you do it wrong, it can be quite flat and uninteresting. If you've got a bright, hot, sunny day, it can be harder to control than if it's a nice overcast day. But then the overcast day will provide you with some nice soft, flat lighting. Continuous light is obviously got its uses and there's a lot of people out there using it because what they see is what they get. The way I look at continuous light is you are adding to the ambient light, adding more daylight to the daylight you've already got, which isn't a problem, but you need to control that light onto the subject to make the subject look more interesting. So a no shadow, a chin shadow to show that that subject is three dimensional. There are very big limitations with LED because generally it's very unshapable. By that I mean the light is a very linear light. Light travels in straight lines anyway, but with a flash, we can shape the light, and that's why there's different shapes and sizes of modifiers, but it's very difficult to shape correctly -an LED array, the flash for me, gives me creativity. So with my flash, I get a sharper image to start with. I can put the shadows and the light exactly where I want and use the edge of a massive soft box, rather than the center if I'm using a flash gun or a constant light. It allows me to choose how much or how little contrast I put through that light, to create different dynamics in the image. It allows me to be more creative. I can kill the ambient light with flash rather than adding to it. I can change how much ambient I bring into my flash exposure. I've got a lot more control, and I'm not talking about TTL, I'm talking about full manual control of using the modifier, the flash, and me telling the camera what I want it to do, rather than the camera telling me what it thinks is right. Which generally 99% of the time is wrong. It's given me a beautiful, average exposure, but if I wanted to kill the sun behind the subject, well it's not gonna do that. It's gonna give me an average of everything. Whereas Flash will just give me that extra opportunity to be a lot more creative and have a lot more control over my picture. I've got quite a big saying in my workshops. I think a decent flash image is an image where it looks like flash wasn't used. As a flash photographer, Paul, I expect you probably agree with me, anyone can take a flash image. The control of light is important because anybody can light an image, but to light the subject within the image and control the environmental constraints, is the key to it and the most technical part of it. Mark: You've got to take your camera off P for professional to do that. You've got to turn it off p for professional and get it in manual mode. And that gives you the control Paul: Well, you say that, We have to at some point. Address the fact that AI is not just coming, it's sitting here in our studios all the time, and we are only a heartbeat away from P for professional, meaning AI analyzed and creating magic. I don't doubt for a minute. I mean, right now you're right, but not Mark: Well, at some point it will be integrated into the camera Paul: Of course it will. Mark: If you use an iPhone or any other phone, you know, we are using AI as phone photographers, your snapshots. You take your kids, your dogs, whatever they are highly modified images. Paul: Yeah. But in a lot of the modern cameras, there's AI behind the scenes, for instance, on the focusing Mark: Yeah. Paul: While we've, we are on that, we were on that thread. Let's put us back on that thread for a second. What's coming down the line with, all lighting and camera craft with ai. What are you guys seeing that maybe we're not Simon: in terms of flash technology or light technology? Paul: Alright. I mean, so I mean there's, I guess there's two angles, isn't there? What are the lights gonna do that use ai? What are the controllers gonna do, that uses ai, but more importantly, how will it hold its own in a world where I can hit a button and say, I want rebrand lighting on that face. I can do that today. Mark: Yeah. Simon: I'm not sure the lighting industry is anywhere near producing anything that is gonna give what a piece of software can give, because there's a lot more factors involved. There's what size light it is, what position that light is in, how high that light is, how low that light is. And I think the software we've all heard and played with Evoto we were talking about earlier, I was very skeptical and dubious about it to start with as everybody would be. I'm a Photoshop Lightroom user, have been for, many years. And I did some editing, in EEvoto with my five free credits to start with, three edits in, I bought some credits because I thought, actually this is very, very good. I'll never use it for lighting i'd like to think I can get that right myself. However, if somebody gives you a, a very flat image of a family outside and say, well, could you make this better for me? Well, guess what? I can do whatever you like to it. Is it gonna attack the photographer that's trying to earn a living? I think there's always a need for people to take real photographs and family photographs. I think as photographers, we need to embrace it as an aid to speed up our workflow. I don't think it will fully take over the art of photography because it's a different thing. It's not your work. It's a computer generated AI piece of work in my head. Therefore, who's responsible for that image? Who owns the copyright to that image? We deal with photographers all the time who literally point a camera, take a picture and spend three hours editing it and tell everyone that, look at this. The software's really good and it's made you look good. I think AI is capable of doing that to an extent. In five years time, we'll look back at Evoto today and what it's producing and we'll think cracky. That was awful. It's like when you watch a high definition movie from the late 1990s, you look at it and it was amazing at the time, but you look at it now and you think, crikey, look at the quality of it. I dunno if we're that far ahead where we won't get to that point. The quality is there. I mean, how much better can you go than 4K, eight K minus, all that kind of stuff. I'm unsure, but I don't think the AI side of it. Is applicable to flash at this moment in time? I don't know. Mark: I think you're right. To look at the whole, photography in general. If you are a social photographer, family photographer, whatever it might be, you are genuinely capturing that moment in time that can't be replaced. If you are a product photographer, that's a different matter. I think there's more of a threat. I think I might be right in saying. I was looking, I think I saw it on, LinkedIn. There is a fashion brand in the UK at the moment that their entire catalog of clothing has been shot without models. When you look at it on the website, there's models in it. They shoot the clothing on mannequins and then everything else is AI generated they've been developing their own AI platform now for a number of years. Does the person care Who's buying a dress for 30 quid? Probably not, but if you are photographing somebody's wedding, graduation, some, you know, a genuine moment in someone's life, I think it'd be really wrong to use any sort of AI other than a little bit of post-production, which we know is now quite standard for many people in the industry. Paul: Yeah, the curiosity for me is I suspect as an industry, Guess just released a full AI model advert in, Vogue. Declared as AI generated an ai agency created it. Everything about it is ai. There's no real photography involved except in the learning side of it. And that's a logical extension of the fact we've been Photoshopping to such a degree that the end product no longer related to the input. And we've been doing that 25 years. I started on Photoshop version one, whatever that was, 30 years More than 33. So we've kind of worked our way into a corner where the only way out of it is to continue. There's no backtracking now. Mark: Yeah. Paul: I think the damage to the industry though, or the worry for the industry, I think you're both right. I think if you can feel it, touch it, be there, there will always be that importance. In fact, the provenance of authenticity. Is the high value ticket item now, Simon: Mm-hmm. Paul: because you, everything else is synthetic, you can trust nothing. We are literally probably months away from 90% of social media being generated by ai. AI is both the consumer and the generator of almost everything online Mark: Absolutely. Paul: Goodness knows where we go. You certainly can't trust anything you read. You can't trust anything you see, so authenticity, face-to-face will become, I think a high value item. Yeah. Mark: Yeah. Paul: I think one problem for us as an industry in terms of what the damage might be is that all those people that photograph nameless products or create books, you know, use photography and then compositing for, let's say a novel that's gone, stock libraries that's gone because they're faceless. Simon: Mm-hmm. Paul: there doesn't have to be authentic. A designer can type in half a dozen keywords. Into an AI engine and get what he needs. If he doesn't get what he needs, he does it again. All of those photographers who currently own Kit are gonna look around with what do we do now? And so for those of us who specialize in weddings and portraits and family events, our market stands every chance of being diluted, which has the knock on effect of all of us having to keep an eye on AI to stay ahead of all competitors, which has the next knock on effect, that we're all gonna lean into ai, which begs the question, what happens after Because that's what happened in the Photoshop world. You know, I'm kind of, I mean, genuinely cur, and this will be a running theme on the podcast forever, is kind of prodding it and taking barometer readings as to where are we going? Mark: Yeah. I mean, who's more at threat at the moment from this technology? Is it the photographer or is it the retouch? You know, we do forget that there are retouchers That is their, they're not photographers. Paul: I don't forget. They email me 3, 4, 5 times a day. Mark: a Simon: day, Mark: You know, a highly skilled retouch isn't cheap. They've honed their craft for many years using whatever software product they prefer to use. I think they're the ones at risk now more so than the photographer. And I think we sort of lose sight of that. Looking at it from a photographer's point of view, there is a whole industry behind photography that actually is being affected more so than you guys at the moment. Simon: Mm-hmm. Paul: Yeah, I think there's truth in that, but. It's not really important. Of course, it's really important to all of those people, but this is the digital revolution that we went through as film photographers, and probably what the Daguerreotype generators went through when Fox Tolbert invented the first transfer. Negative. You know, they are, there are always these epochs in our industry and it wipes out entire skillset. You know, I mean, when we went to digital before then, like you, I could dev in a tank. Yeah. You know, and really liked it. I like I see, I suspect I just like the solitude, Mark: the dark, Paul: red light in the dark Mark: yeah. Paul: Nobody will come in. Not now. Go away. Yeah. All that kind of stuff. But of course those skills have gone, has as, have access to the equipment. I think we're there again, this feels like to me a huge transition in the industry and for those who want to keep up, AI is the keeping up whether you like it or not. Mark: Yeah. And if you don't like it, we've seen it, we're in the middle of a massive resurgence in film photography, which is great for the industry, great for the retail industry, great for the film manufacturers, chemical manufacturers, everything. You know, simon, myself, you, you, we, we, our earliest photography, whether we were shooting with flash, natural light, we were film shooters and that planes back. And what digital did, from a camera point of view, is make it easier and more accessible for less skilled people. But it's true. You know, if you shot with a digital camera now that's got a dynamic range of 15 stops, you actually don't even need to have your exposure, that accurate Go and shoot with a slide film that's got dynamic range of less than one stop and see how good you are. It has made it easier. The technology, it will always make it. Easier, but it opens up new doors, it opens up new avenues to skilled people as well as unskilled people. If you want, I'm using the word unskilled again, I'm not being, a blanket phrase, but it's true. You can pick up a digital camera now and get results that same person shooting with a slide film 20 years ago would not get add software to that post-production, everything else. It's an industry that we've seen so many changes in over the 30 odd years that we've been in it, Simon: been Mark: continue Simon: at times. It exciting Mark: The dawn of digital photography to the masses. was amazing. I was working for Olympus at the time when digital really took off and for Olympus it was amazing. They made some amazing products. We did quite well out of it and people started enjoying photography that maybe hadn't enjoyed photography before. You know, people might laugh at, you know, you, you, you're at a wedding, you're shooting a really nice wedding pool and there's always a couple of guests there which have got equipment as good as yours. Better, better than yours. Yeah. Got Simon: jobs and they can afford it. Mark: They've got proper jobs. Their pitches aren't going to be as good as yours. They're the ones laughing at everyone shooting on their phone because they've spent six grand on their new. Camera. But if shooting on a phone gets people into photography and then next year they buy a camera and two years later they upgrade their camera and it gets them into the hobby of photography? That's great for everyone. Hobbyists are as essential, as professional photographers to the industry. In fact, to keep the manufacturers going, probably more so Simon: the hobbyists are a massive part. Even if they go out and spend six or seven or 8,000 pounds on a camera because they think it's gonna make them a better photographer. Who knows in two years time with the AI side, maybe it will. That old saying, Hey Mr, that's a nice camera. I bet it takes great pictures, may become true. We have people on the lighting courses, the workshops we run, the people I train and they're asking me, okay, what sessions are we gonna use? And I'm saying, okay, well we're gonna be a hundred ISO at 125th, F 5.6. Okay, well if I point my camera at the subject, it's telling me, yeah, but you need to put it onto manual. And you see the color drain out their faces. You've got a 6,000 pound camera and you've never taken it off 'P'. Mark: True story. Simon: And we see this all the time. It's like the whole TTL strobe manual flash system. The camera's telling you what it wants to show you, but that maybe is not what you want. There are people out there that will spend a fortune on equipment but actually you could take just as good a picture with a much smaller, cheaper device with an nice bit of glass on the front if you know what you're doing. And that goes back to what Mark was saying about shooting film and slide film and digital today. Paul: I, mean, you know, I don't want this to be an echo chamber, and so what I am really interested in though, is the way that AI will change what flash photography does. I'm curious as to where we are headed in that, specific vertical. How is AI going to help and influence our ability to create great lip photography using flash? Mark: I think, Paul: I love the fact the two guys side and looked at each other. Mark: I, Simon: it's a difficult question to answer. Mark: physical light, Simon: is a difficult question to answer because if you're Mark: talking about the physical delivery of light. Simon: Not gonna change. Mark: Now, The only thing I can even compare it to, if you think about how the light is delivered, is what's the nearest thing? What's gotta change? Modern headlamps on cars, going back to cars again, you know, a modern car are using these LED arrays and they will switch on and switch off different LEDs depending on the conditions in front of them. Anti dazzle, all this sort of stuff. You know, the modern expensive headlamp is an amazing technical piece of kit. It's not just one ball, but it's hundreds in some cases of little arrays. Will that come into flash? I don't know. Will you just be able to put a soft box in front of someone and it will shape the light in the future using a massive array. Right? I dunno it, Simon: there's been many companies tested these arrays, in terms of LED Flash, And I think to be honest, that's probably the nearest it's gonna get to an AI point of view is this LED Flash. Now there's an argument to say, what is flash if I walk into a living room and flick the light on, on off really quickly, is that a flash? Mark: No, that's a folock in Paul: me Mark: turn, big lights off. Paul: Yeah. Mark: So Simon: it, you, you might be able to get these arrays to flush on and off. But LED technology, in terms of how it works, it's quite slow. It's a diode, it takes a while for it to get to its correct brightness and it takes a while for it to turn off. To try and get an LED. To work as a flash. It, it's not an explosion in a gas field tube. It's a a, a lighter emitting diode that is, is coming on and turning off again. Will AI help that? Due to the nature of its design, I don't think it can. Mark: Me and s aren't invented an AI flash anytime soon by the looks of, we're Simon: it's very secret. Mark: We're just putting everyone off Paul, Simon: It's alright. Mark: just so they don't think Simon: Yeah, Mark: Oh, it's gonna be too much hard work and we'll sort it. Paul: It's definitely coming. I don't doubt for a minute that this is all coming because there's no one not looking at anything Simon: that makes perfect sense. Paul: Right now there's an explosion of invention because everybody's trying to find an angle on everything. Simon: Mm-hmm. Paul: The guys I feel the most for are the guys who spent millions, , on these big LED film backdrop walls. Simon: Yep. Mark: So you can Paul: a car onto a flight sim, rack, and then film the whole lot in front of an LED wall. Well, it was great. And there was a market for people filming those backdrops, and now of course that's all AI generated in the LED, but that's only today's technology. Tomorrow's is, you don't need the LED wall. That's here today. VEO3 and Flow already, I mean, I had to play with one the other day for one of our lighting diagrams and it animated the whole thing. Absolute genius. Simon: Mm-hmm. Paul: I still generated the original diagram. Mark: Yeah, Paul: Yeah, that's useful. There's some skill in there still for now, but, you gotta face the music that anything that isn't, I can touch it and prod it. AI's gonna do it. Mark: Absolutely. If you've ever seen the series Mandalorian go and watch the making of the Mandalorian and they are using those big LED walls, that is their backdrop. Yeah. And it's amazing how fast they shift from, you know, they can, they don't need to build a set. Yeah. They shift from scene to scene. Paul: Well, aI is now building the scenes. But tomorrow they won't need the LED wall. 'cause AI will put it in behind the actors. Mark: Yeah. Say after Paul: that you won't need the actors because they're being forced to sign away the rights so that AI can be used. And even those that are standing their ground and saying no, well, the actors saying Yes. Are the ones being hired. You know, in the end, AI is gonna touch all of it. And so I mean, it's things like, imagine walking into a studio. Let's ignore the LED thing for a minute, by the way, that's a temporary argument, Simon: I know you're talking about. Paul: about today's, Simon: You're about the. Mark: days Paul: LEDs, Simon: we're in, We're in very, very interesting times and. I'm excited for the future. I'm excited for the new generation of photographers that are coming in to see how they work with what happens. We've gone from fully analog to me selling IMACON drum scanners that were digitizing negatives and all the five four sheet almost a shoot of properties for an estate agent were all digitized on an hassle blood scanner. And then the digital camera comes out and you start using it. It was a Kodak camera, I think the first SLRI used, Paul: Yeah. Simon: and you get the results back and you think, oh my God, it looks like it's come out of a practica MTL five B. Mark: But Simon: then suddenly the technology just changes and changes and changes and suddenly it's running away with itself and where we are today. I mean, I, I didn't like digital to start with. It was too. It was too digital. It was too sharp. It didn't have the feel of film, but do you know what? We get used to it and the files that my digital mirrorless camera provide now and my Fuji GFX medium format are absolutely stunning. But the first thing I do is turn the sharpness down because they are generally over sharp. For a lovely, beautifully lit portrait or whatever that anybody takes, it just needs knocking back a bit. We were speaking about this earlier, I did some comparison edits from what I'd done manually in Photoshop to the Evoto. Do you know what the pre-selected edits are? Great. If you not the slider back from 10 to about six, you're there or thereabouts? More is not always good. Mark: I think when it comes to imagery in our daily lives, the one thing that drives what we expect to see is TV and most people's TVs, everything's turned up to a hundred. The color, the contrast, that was a bit of a shock originally from the film to digital, crossover. Everything went from being relatively natural to way over the top Just getting back to AI and how it's gonna affect people like you and people that we work with day to day. I don't think we should be worried about that. We should be worried about the images we see on the news, not what we're seeing, hanging on people's walls and how they're gonna be affected by ai. That generally does affect everyone's daily life. Paul: Yeah, Mark: Yeah. But what Paul: people now ask me, for instance, I've photographed a couple head shots yesterday, and the one person had not ironed her blouse. And her first question was, can we sort that out in post? So this is the knock on effect people are becoming aware of what's possible. What's that? Nothing. Know, and the, the smooth clothing button in Evoto will get me quite a long way down that road and saves somebody picking up an eye and randomly, it's not me, it's now actually more work for me 'cause I shouldn't have to do it. But, you know, this is my point about the knock on effect. Our worlds are different. So I didn't really intend this to be just a great sort of circular conversation about AI cars and, future technology. It was more, I dunno, we ended up down there anyway. Simon: We went down a rabbit hole. Mark: A Paul: rabbit hole. Yeah Mark: was quite an interesting one. Simon: And I'm sorry if you've wasted your entire journey to work and we Paul: Yeah. Simon: Alright. It wasn't intended to be like that. Paul: I think it's a debate that we need to be having and there needs to be more discussion about it. Certainly for anybody that has a voice in the industry and people are listening to it because right now it might be a toddler of a technology, but it's growing faster than people realize. There is now a point in the written word online where AI is generating more than real people are generating, and AI is learning that. So AI is reading its own output. That's now beginning to happen in imagery and film and music. Simon: Well, even in Google results, you type in anything to a Google search bar. When it comes back to the results, the first section at the top is the AI generated version. And you know what, it's generally Paul: Yep. Simon: good and Paul: turn off all the rest of it now. So it's only ai. Simon: Not quite brave enough for that yet. No, not me. Mark: In terms Paul: of SEO for instance, you now need to tune it for large language models. You need to be giving. Google the LLM information you want it to learn so that you become part of that section on a website. And it, you know, this is where we are and it's happening at such a speed, every day I am learning something new about something else that's arriving. And I think TV and film is probably slightly ahead of the photography industry Mark: Yeah. Paul: The pressures on the costs are so big, Simon: Yes. Paul: Whereas the cost differential, I'm predicting our costs will actually go up, not down. Whereas in TV and film, the cost will come down dramatically. Mark: Absolutely. Simon: They are a horrifically high level anyway. That's Paul: I'm not disputing that, but I watched a demo of some new stuff online recently and they had a talking head and they literally typed in relight that with a kiss light here, hairlight there, Rembrandt variation on the front. And they did it off a flat picture and they can move the lights around as if you are moving lights. Yes. And that's there today. So that's coming our way too. And I still think the people who understand how to see light will have an advantage because you'll know when you've typed these words in that you've got it about right. It doesn't change the fact that it's going to be increasingly synthetic. The moment in the middle of it is real. We may well be asked to relight things, re clothe things that's already happening. Simon: Yeah. Paul: We get, can you just fill in my hairline? That's a fairly common one. Just removing a mole. Or removing two inches round a waist. This, we've been doing that forever. Simon: Mm-hmm. Paul: And so now it'll be done with keyword generation rather than, photoshop necessarily. Simon: I think you'll always have the people that embrace this, we can't ignore it as you rightly say. It's not going away. It's gonna get bigger, it's gonna feature more in our lives. I think there's gonna be three sets of people. It's gonna be the people like us generally on a daily basis. We're photographers or we're artists. We enjoy what we do. I enjoy correctly lighting somebody with the correct modifier properties to match light quality to get the best look and feel and the ambience of that image. And I enjoy the process of putting that together and then seeing the end result afterwards. I suppose that makes me an artist in, in, in loose terms. I think, you know, as, as, as a photographer, we are artists. You've then got another generation that are finding shortcuts. They're doing some of the job with their camera. They're making their image from an AI point of view. Does that make up an artist? I suppose it still does because they're creating their own art, but they have no interest 'cause they have no enjoyment in making that picture as good as it can be before you even hit the shutter. And then I think you've got other people, and us to an extent where you do what you need to do, you enjoy the process, you look at the images, and then you just finely tune it with a bit of AI or Photoshop retouching so I think there are different sets of people that will use AI to their advantage or completely ignore it. Mark: Yeah. I think you're right. And I think it comes down, I'm going to use another analogy here, you, you know, let's say you enjoy cooking. If you enjoy cooking, you're creating something. What's the alternative? You get a microwave meal. Well, Paul Simon: and Sarah do. Mark: No. Paul: Sarah does. Simon: We can't afford waitress. Mark: You might spend months creating your perfect risotto. You've got it right. You love it. Everyone else loves it. You share it around all your friends. Brilliant. Or you go to Waitrose, you buy one, put it three minutes in the microwave and it's done. That's yer AI I Imagery, isn't it? It's a microwave meal. Paul: There's a lot of microwave meals out there. And not that many people cook their own stuff and certainly not as many as used to. And there's a lesson. Simon: Is, Mark: but also, Simon: things have become easier Mark: there Simon: you go. Mark: I think what we also forget in the photographic industry and take the industry as a whole, and this is something I've experienced in the, in the working for manufacturers in that photography itself is, is a, is a huge hobby. There's lots of hobbyist photographers, but there's actually more people that do photography as part of another hobby, birdwatching, aviation, all that sort of thing. Anything, you know, the photography isn't the hobby, it's the birds that are the hobby, but they take photographs of, it's the planes that are the hobby, but they take photographs. They're the ones that actually keep the industry going and then they expand into other industries. They come on one of our workshops. You know, that's something that we're still and Simon still Absolutely. And yourself, educating photographers to do it right, to practice using the gear the right way, but the theory of it and getting it right. If anything that brings more people into wanting to learn to cook better, Paul: you Mark: have more chefs rather than people using microwave meals. Education's just so important. And when it comes to lighting, I wasn't competent in using flash. I'm still not, but having sat through Simon's course and other people's courses now for hundreds of times, I can light a scene sometimes, people are still gonna be hungry for education. I think some wills, some won't. If you wanna go and get that microwave risotto go and microwave u risotto. But there's always gonna be people that wanna learn how to do it properly, wanna learn from scratch, wanna learn the art of it. Creators and in a creative industry, we've got to embrace those people and bring more people into it and ensure there's more people on that journey of learning and upskilling and trying to do it properly. Um, and yes, if they use whatever technology at whatever stage in their journey, if they're getting enjoyment from it, what's it matter? Paul: Excellent. Mark: What a fine Paul: concluding statement. If they got enjoyment outta it. Yeah. Whatever. Excellent. Thank you, Mark, for your summing up. Simon: In conclusion, Paul: did that just come out your nose? What on earth. Mark: What Paul: what you can't see, dear Listener is the fact that Mark just spat his water everywhere, laughing at Si. It's been an interesting podcast. Anyway, I'm gonna drag this back onto topic for fear of it dissolving into three blokes having a pint. Mark: I think we should go for one. Simon: I think, Paul: I think we should know as well. Having said that with this conversation, maybe not. I was gonna ask you a little bit about, 'cause we've talked about strobes and the beauty of strobes, but of course Elinchrom still is more than that, and you've just launched a new LED light, so I know you like Strobe Simon. Now talk about the continuous light that also Elinchrom is producing. Simon: We have launched the Elinchrom LED 100 C. Those familiar with our Elinchrom One and Three OCF camera Flash system. It's basically a smaller unit, but still uses the OCF adapter. Elinchrom have put a lot of time into this. They've been looking at LED technology for many years, and I've been to the factory in Switzerland and seen different LED arrays being tested. The problem we had with LEDs is every single LED was different and put out a different color temperature. We're now manufacturing LEDs in batches, where they can all be matched. They all come from the same serial number batch. And the different colors of LED as well, 15 years ago, blue LEDs weren't even possible. You couldn't make a blue LED every other color, but not blue for some unknown reason. They've got the colors right now, they've got full RGB spectrum, which is perfectly accurate a 95 or 97 CRI index light. It's a true hundred watts, of light as well. From tosin through to past daylight and fully controllable like the CRO flash system in very accurate nth degrees. The LED array in the front of the, the LEDA hundred is one of the first shapeable, fully shapeable, LED arrays that I've come across and I've looked at lots. By shapeable, I mean you put it into a soft box, of any size and it's not gonna give you a hotspot in the middle, or it's not gonna light the first 12 inches of the middle of the soft box and leave the rest dark. I remember when we got the first LD and Mark got it before me And he said, I've put it onto a 70 centimeter soft box. And he said, I've taken a picture to the front. Look at this. And it was perfectly even from edge to edge. When I got it, I stuck it onto a 1 3 5 centimeter soft box and did the same and was absolutely blown away by how even it was from edge to edge. When I got my light meter out, if you remember what one of those is, uh, it, uh, it gave me a third of a stop different from the center to the outside edge. Now for an LED, that's brilliant. I mean, that's decent for a flash, but for an LED it's generally unheard of. So you can make the LED as big as you like. It's got all the special effects that some of the cheaper Chinese ones have got because people use that kind of thing. Apparently I have no idea what for. But it sits on its own in a market where there are very cheap and cheerful LEDs, that kind of do a job. And very expensive high-end LEDs that do a completely different job for the photographer that's gone hybrid and does a bit of shooting, but does a bit of video work. So, going into a solicitor's or an accountant's office where they want head shots, but also want a bit of talking head video for the MD or the CEO explaining about his company on the website. It's perfect. You can up the ISO and use the modeling lamp in generally the threes, the fives, the ones that we've got, the LEDs are brilliant. But actually the LED 100 will give you all your modifier that you've taken with you, you can use those. It's very small and light, with its own built-in battery and it will give you a very nice low iso. Talking head interview with a lovely big light source. And I've proved the point of how well it works and how nice it is at the price point it sits in. But it is our first journey into it. There will be others come in and there'll be an app control for it. And I think from an LED point of view, you're gonna say, I would say this, but actually it's one of the nicer ones I've used. And when you get yours, you can tell people exactly the same. Paul: Trust me, I will. Simon: Yes. Mark: I think Paul: very excited about it. Mark: I think the beauty of it as well is it's got an inbuilt battery. It'll give you up to 45 minutes on a full charge. You can plug it in and run it off the mains directly through the USB socket as well. But it means it's a truly portable light source. 45 minutes at a hundred watt and it's rated at a hundred watt actual light output. It's seems far in excess of that. When you actually, Simon: we had a photographer the other day who used it and he's used to using sort of 3, 2 50, 300 watt LEDs and he said put them side by side at full power. They were virtually comparable. Paul: That is certainly true, or in my case by lots. Simon: I seem to be surrounded Paul: by Elinchrom kit, Which is all good. So for anybody who's interested in buying one of these things, where'd you get them? How much are they? Simon: The LED itself, the singlehead unit is 499 inc VAT. If you want one with a charger, which sounds ridiculous, but there's always people who say, well, I don't want the charger. You can have one with a charger for 50 quid extra. So 549. The twin kit is just less than a thousand quid with chargers. And it comes in a very nice portable carry bag to, to carry them around in. Um, and, uh, yeah, available from all good photographic retailers, and, Ellen crom.co uk. Paul: Very good. So just to remind you beautiful people listening to this podcast, we only ever feature people and products, at least like this one where I've said, put a sales pitch in because I use it. It's only ever been about what we use here at the studio. I hate the idea of just being a renta-voice. You it. Mark: bought it. Paul: Yeah. That's true. You guys sold it to me. Mark: Yeah, Simon: if I gave you anything you'd tell everyone it was great. So if you buy it, no, I've bought Paul: Yeah. And then became an ambassador for you. As with everything here, I put my money where my mouth is, we will use it. We do use it. I'm really interested in the little LED light because I could have done with that the other night. It would've been perfect for a very particular need. So yes, I can highly recommend Elinchrom Fives and Threes if you're on a different system. The Rotalux, system of modifier is the best on the planet. Quick to set up, quick to take down. More importantly, the light that comes off them is just beautiful, whether it's a Godox, whether it's on a ProPhoto, which it was for me, or whether if you've really got your common sense about you on the front of an Elinchrom. And on that happy note and back to where we started, which is about lighting, I'm gonna say thanks to the guys. They came to the studio to fix a problem but it's always lovely to have them as guests here. Thank you, mark. Thank you Simon. Most importantly, you Elinchrom for creating Kit is just an absolute joy to use. If you've enjoyed the podcast, please head over to all your other episodes. Please subscribe and whatever is your podcast, play of choice, whether it's iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, or a other. After you head, if you head across to masteringportraitphotography.com the spiritual home of this, particular, podcast, I will put in the show notes all the little bits of detail and where to get these things. I'll get some links off the guys as to where to look for the kit. Thank you both. I dunno when I'll be seeing you again. I suspect it will be the Convention in January if I know the way these things go. Simon: We're not gonna get invited back, are we? Mark: Probably not. Enough. Paul: And I'm gonna get a mop and clean up that water. You've just sprayed all over the floor. What is going on? Simon: wish we'd video. That was a funny sun Mark: I just didn't expect it and never usually that sort of funny and quick, Simon: It's the funniest thing I've ever seen. Paul: On that happy note, whatever else is going on in your lives, be kind to yourself. Take care.
At the fourth round of China-Switzerland Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue, the two countries have agreed to speed up the negotiations on upgrading their free trade agreement.
This week on the Like a Bigfoot Podcast we are back with Hannah Otto to chat about her recent accomplishments as an elite pro mountain biker!! Hannah shares stories from her FKT on the White Rim Trail and her incredible film "Chasing the Triple Crown". Then we talk about her recent experience racing the World Championship XCM in Switzerland along the mindset she has worked on to compete at such a high level. This episode is incredible and will inspire you to get out and chase after your own goals at your highest level!! Enjoy!! MORE FROM HANNAH: "Chasing the Triple Crown" Film from Competitive Cyclist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vohBABimUoU&t=781s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehannahotto/
The Chief Executive of JP Morgan Chase Jamie Dimon shares his views on AI, and whether he thinks the hype around it will continue. The German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz vows to do everything possible to counter EU rules banning the sale of new CO2 emitting cars after 2035. And we hear how Doanld Trumps tariffs pilicy is affecting Switzerland which is facing duties of some 39 per cent on its exports to the US. (Picture: Jamie Dimon. Credit; Shannon Stapleton Reuters)
It's been almost a year since we devoted an episode to listener questions, so we're diving into our stack of postcards and answering questions of all kinds. We talk about Eurovision-related media, Eurovision-related SOCIAL media, and who will be the first to win out of the Iceland/Malta/San Marino trifecta of small but mighty nations. Jeremy defends Arcade but has to be true to his Soldi, Dimitry once more goes to bat as Ballad Guy, and Oscar can barely work his computer.Vote for us in the Signal Award's Listener's Choice: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2025/shows/genre/musicOur How Did This Not Qualify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2DC3am05GWWrNhLrnGjVlTOur Not Good Enough for ESC, But Good Enough for Me 2025 playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3eGz94smJNXQOMNWbvjLkjThis week's companion playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5YLN5WtHzLj5yMl5H5ewpD The Eurovangelists are Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya and Dimitry Pompée.The theme was arranged and recorded by Cody McCorry and Faye Fadem, and the logo was designed by Tom Deja.Production support for this show was provided by the Maximum Fun network.The show is edited by Jeremy Bent with audio mixing help was courtesy of Shane O'Connell.Find Eurovangelists on social media as @eurovangelists on Instagram and @eurovangelists.com on Bluesky, or send us an email at eurovangelists@gmail.com. Head to https://maxfunstore.com/collections/eurovangelists for Eurovangelists merch. Also follow the Eurovangelists account on Spotify and check out our playlists of Eurovision hits, competitors in upcoming national finals, and companion playlists to every single episode, including this one!
The La Rentrée du DM 2025 conference brought together regulators, manufacturers, and industry experts to discuss the evolving landscape of European and global medical device regulation. Main themes included: Updates on EU MDR/IVDR and new regulatory initiatives in France Structured dialogue with Notified Bodies and the harmonization of technical documentation Post-market discontinuation and the importance of anticipation for patient safety Eco-design and sustainability, bridging healthcare and environmental responsibility Software and AI in clinical investigations, and the use of real-world data Global market access – EU vs US pathways and MDSAP recognition Technical deep dives into ISO 13485, biocompatibility, usability, and cybersecurity The consensus was clear: regulatory pressure is increasing, but collaboration, innovation, and anticipation remain the keys to success. Who is Monir El Azzouzi? Monir El Azzouzi is a Medical Device Expert specializing in Quality and Regulatory Affairs. After working for many years with big Healthcare companies, particularly Johnson and Johnson, he decided to create EasyMedicalDevice.com to help people better understand Medical Device Regulations worldwide. He has now created the consulting firm Easy Medical Device GmbH and developed many ways to deliver knowledge through videos, podcasts, online courses… His company also acts as Authorized Representative for the EU, UK, and Switzerland. Easy Medical Device becomes a one-stop shop for medical device manufacturers that need support on Quality and Regulatory Affairs. Links Site web larentreedudm: https://www.larentreedudm.com Linkedin poste: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/melazzouzi_medicaldevice-easymedicaldevice-regulatoryaffairs-activity-7381678647151112192-WQqX?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAADkVV4QBTohHEk1IW3vOF7GCRT4JjGn0ggQhttps://www.linkedin.com/posts/melazzouzi_medicaldevice-easymedicaldevice-regulatoryaffairs-activity-7381670070097297408-80sP?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAADkVV4QBTohHEk1IW3vOF7GCRT4JjGn0ggQ https://www.linkedin.com/posts/melazzouzi_medicaldevice-easymedicaldevice-regulatoryaffairs-activity-7381641922739609600-HXhq?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAADkVV4QBTohHEk1IW3vOF7GCRT4JjGn0ggQ https://www.linkedin.com/posts/melazzouzi_medicaldevice-easymedicaldevice-regulatoryaffairs-activity-7381639827718447104-SQs-?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAADkVV4QBTohHEk1IW3vOF7GCRT4JjGn0ggQ https://www.linkedin.com/posts/melazzouzi_medicaldevice-regulatoryaffairs-easymedicaldevice-activity-7381629520535060480-kJ0p?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAADkVV4QBTohHEk1IW3vOF7GCRT4JjGn0ggQ https://www.linkedin.com/posts/melazzouzi_medicaldevices-regulatoryaffairs-easymedicaldevice-activity-7381602405030711296-aHcv?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAADkVV4QBTohHEk1IW3vOF7GCRT4JjGn0ggQ Social Media to follow Monir El Azzouzi Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/melazzouzi Twitter: https://twitter.com/elazzouzim Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/easymedicaldevice Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/easymedicaldevice
“I didn't do stink finger until sophomore year…” Switzerland is known for a few things with holes in them, most notably their cheese (and quite possibly their chocolate). But the biggest hole Switzerland is known for (other than CERN) is the seemingly endless void between the last CORONER studio album (“Grin” in 1993) and their upcoming 2025 release “Dissonance Theory”, which makes the gap between Tool albums look like a couple of weeks by comparison. As one of the most technically progressive, avant-garde thrash bands in the entirety of Metal, CORONER are the kings of odd time signatures, unusual chord shapes, and mathematically challenging riffs that set them apart from the rest of the pack, and we're so glad they're finally back! Often called “the Rush of thrash metal”, most likely due to the incredible depth, musical complexity, and texture of music that a 3-piece band of their stature can deliver, CORONER doesn't sound like anyone else in the thrash metal canon. Discover the potentially dark traits shared by those with middle names who write in notebooks, understand the line of distinction between “a millionaire and a billionaire”, and find out why sex on Christmas Day ensures you'll be celebrating birthdays “on the same day as Russell” when you JOIN US as we go INSIDE THE METAL with the best roadies Celtic Frost ever had, featuring Switzerland's masters of techno thrash sorcery, CORONER. Visit www.metalnerdery.com/podcast for more on this episode Help Support Metal Nerdery https://www.patreon.com/metalnerderypodcast Leave us a Voicemail to be played on a future episode: 980-666-8182 Metal Nerdery Tees and Hoodies – metalnerdery.com/merch and kindly leave us a review and/or rating on your favorite Podcast app Follow us on the Socials: Facebook - Instagram - TikTok Email: metalnerdery@gmail.com Can't be LOUD Enough Playlist on Spotify Metal Nerdery Munchies on YouTube @metalnerderypodcast Show Notes: (00:01): “Okayyyy…Gurrrrl…” / “I saw something interesting in your refrigerator…”/ “#English is a stupid language…”/ #StewieASMR / “I thought I was the #guineapig…”/ “Blackberry and peanut butter…”/ #PBandJ / “Hold on…I'm not ready…”/ ***WARNING: #listenerdiscretionisadvised *** / “It's got a little after brr…”/ “Great big tongs on the end of it…”/ “Tomorrow night I'm working with the ‘special forces'…” / ***WELCOME BACK TO THE METAL NERDERY PODCAST!!!*** / “That's why they pay you18 figures a year…”/ #seniordiscounts / “Does that guy got a boat?”/ “You pulling down some good numbers?”/ “He's the one that spoke in class today…” / #dadjokesASMR / “Did y'all see my chalice?” / “Shout out to Chelsea…”/ #FronteraMexicanKitchen / “I guess everybody fucks on Christmas…and then everybody's born on the same day as Russell…”/ #CharlieBrownChristmas #HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas / “I'll talk to you on Boxing Day, how about that?”/ “Thailand? They've got ladyboys here, dude…” (10:23): “Apparently #serialkillers do a lot of #notebooking …”/ “That's a girls name…”/ Find out who's stage name initials are “AH”…” / ***PATREON SHOUTOUT!!!*** / ***PATREON US at patreon.com/metalnerderypodcast *** / ***WE'LL PLAY YOUR SHITTAH!!!*** / #Ravager / FROM US WITH HATE (from Tim) / EMAIL US at metalnerdery@gmail.com, SOCIAL MEDIA US at #YouTube, #Facebook, #Instagram and #TikTok / Find out how you know you're rich…/ “That sounds like #Death…”/ “Darius, if you're still out there…”/ ***VOICEMAIL US AT 980-666-8182!!!*** / “A couple of new listeners…two new recruits” “It might have been the Post and Post Jr…”/ #throatboxing (20:20): #TheDocket / ***METAL NERDERY PODCAST PRESENTS: CORONER – INSIDE THE METAL *** / “How crazy can the riffs be?”/ #Coroner / SYMMETRY (Dissonance Theory – 2025) / “It's got Latin in it…”/ “Iste ego sum”/ “He said ‘peek-a-boo'…”/ “They are kinda like the #RUSH of thrash…”/ “If you want a Swiss bank account, call these guys…” (26:34): R.I.P. (1987) / “Look at the logo, dude…”/ “Since they're a 3 piece…it's not like the singer has to go off the stage…”/ REBORN THROUGH HATE / “He's not playing with his dick!?”/ SPIRAL DREAM (lyrics by Tom G. Warrior) / #oough (30:48): Punishment For Decadence (1988) / “They've streamlined their album covers…”/ MASKED JACKAL / “The vocals just disappear on this one…”/ THE NEW BREED / “It got the #Newsted treatment…”/ #LarsASMR / “Let's fist, c'mon…” / “We're fisting, it's fine…don't make it weird…”/ PURPLE HAZE (Jimi Hendrix Experience) / “The ugly vocals…” (35:40): No More Color (1989) / “This is like when we all go back to black and white…”/ DIE BY MY HAND / “Hopefully they brought the vocals ‘back to the front'…”/ “That's Switzerland's contribution to the thrash canon…”/ READ MY SCARS / #TheClassicLineup / “Sounds like…a superhero with a cape…” (42:04): Mental Vortex (1991) / ***Check out our #Covers episode…”/ SEMTEX REVOLUTION / “They DO NOT sound like #Whitesnake…”/ #OoohMama / DIVINE STEP (CONSPECTU MORTIS) / #Latin for “In the face of death…”/ “Those riffs don't sound like anybody else…”/ “Coroner always had the weird chords like ‘what can your fingers do?'… / “I didn't do #stinkfinger until sophomore year I think…”/ #BlackDog / “You're looking at me longingly, and I don't like it…”/ I WANT YOU (SHE'S SO HEAVY) / #TheBeatles / “Do you miss it, dude?” (50:50): Grin (1993) / “This is even darker than the other ones…”/ #Aliens / INTERNAL CONFLICTS / “We've talked about this briefly…and it's only with CD's…the intro…if it's under 2 minutes, just make it part of the song…(On tapes it didn't really matter…)”/ “Their cheese has holes in it…their chocolate too, I think it has holes in it…Swiss chocolate doesn't have holes in it…if you get Swiss meat does it have holes in it?” / #differentcows / THE LETHARGIC AGE / “Got it…”/ GRIN (NAILS HURT) / “It's almost kind of industrial…”/ “They don't have it…” / #FuckingAmazon / “Do you think bands should do that?”/ “It's like a mish-mash quilt of music…”/ #DissonanceTheory / ***Let us know what YOU think about CORONER!!!*** / THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!!! / #untilthenext #outroreel
This week Jordan talks about his experiences with his parents' visit for Oktoberfest, the feelings he has about his upcoming stand-up comedy tour in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and what feedback has been like so far for his brand new book (all available in the show notes below).
This show has been flagged as Clean by the host. When Your Dentist Uses ChatControl Logic So there I am, sitting in the waiting room with a mildly annoying toothache. Nothing catastrophic, just one of those dull throbs that tells you something's going on in there that could turn nasty if ignored. The receptionist calls my name, and I walk into Dr. ChatControl's office. Dr. ChatControl greets me with a concerned expression. "I've reviewed your case," he says gravely, "and many others. Toothaches are a serious problem. Did you know that in 2023 alone, at least 101,988 people in Europe experienced dental pain? That's over 60% of all global dental complaints traced to this region." "Okay," I say. "But I just need you to look at this one tooth" "This is an epidemic," he interrupts. "And we can't just treat symptoms anymore. We need a comprehensive, mandatory risk assessment." Dr. ChatControl pulls out a 47-page questionnaire. "First, we assess the risk that your mouth might develop cavities, gum disease, or oral cancer," he explained. "This applies to everyone, regardless of whether they have symptoms." "But I have symptoms," I sigh. "That's why I'm here." "Exactly!" he says triumphantly. Which means you're high-risk. So we move to Phase Two: mitigation measures." He hands me a pamphlet titled Safety-by-Design for Oral Health . "From now on, you'll need to implement parental controls on your diet. Every candy will come with an age verification wrapper and user reporting mechanisms. so your teeth can flag potential problems, and verify your age before consuming any hard foods." "I'm 38," I retort. "Perfect," he replies. "That means you're old enough to consent to monitoring." "Now," Dr. ChatControl continues, "since your mitigation measures haven't been implemented yet because you just got here - I'm authorized to issue a detection order." He holds up an official-looking document with a judge's signature. "This allows me to scan not just the tooth that hurts, but your entire mouth. Also your sinuses. And your lymph nodes. And, just to be thorough, everyone in the waiting room." "Wait, what?" I blurt out. "It's targeted," he assures me. "We're only scanning high-risk areas—which, according to our independent EU Dental Centre, is every tooth, every patient, all the time." "But here's the clever part," Dr. ChatControl says, pulling out what looks like a tiny sander strapped to an airbrush. "Well, your enamel contains layers that currently block our view with regards to early detection of certain viruses. So we need to replace the enamel with an optimized layer that perfectly protects against currently known sugars and acids but allows our government approved detection equipment to inspect the content of your teeth." I' flabberghasted. "You want to weaken my enamel?" "Only slightly!" he said cheerfully. "Just enough so that our scanner can monitor what's happening inside your teeth at all times. Don't worry,the new enamel will still protect you from everything else." "How's that possible if you can penetrate it?", I continue, still cautious. "Well, factory approved candies, for example," he says. "Reputable candy manufacturers have agreed to respect the adapted enamel and not penetrate it. They've signed a treaty to use optimized sugars." "And the artisanal candies?" I asked. "Ah," he said, adjusting his glasses. "Well, those are obviously illegal! Those criminals don't tend to honor treaties. So yes, the adapted enamel will make your teeth more vulnerable to unauthorized cavity formation, bacterial attacks, and anyone who wants to exploit the fact that your natural protection has been replaced with a see-through version." "So you're making my teeth less secure," I repeat. "We're making them more observable," he corrects, with a slightly annoyed tone. "There's a difference. Your teeth will still be protected, just not from us. Or hostile foreign candy shops. Or those criminal artisanal real-sugar-nuts. But you have no business there anyway. But they definitely protect against harms from law-abiding candy!" "But... Over 500 leading dentists signed a letter saying this would create massive vulnerabilities", I point out. "Those dentists aren't thinking about long term dental hygiene." Dr. ChatControl sighs dismissively. "Besides, it's not a backdoor if we're replacing your front door with a tinted glass door given all our citizens are law abiding!" His tone gets sterner if he continues: "Let me say more, If you refuse to upgrade your enamel, we will consider you a risk of dental terrorism. This no longer is about only your teeth, you must know. If you choose to blatantly ignore your teeth, you are a threat to society!" "But... The whole reason I am here, is because I care about my teeth..." The docter holds up his machine and asks: "Do you want me to treat you or report you?" Oh, whatever, it seems everybody is doing this. I don't want to be the outcast crying wolf all the time. So I cave in. The procedure doesn't feel painful, so that's a relief. After completing the baseline scan, Dr. ChatControl frowns at the screen: "This is concerning," he says. "The system has flagged 8,412 potential cavities." "But I only have 32 teeth," I wimper. "The detection algorithm works on a probabilistic model," he explains. "Swiss dental authorities report that about 80% of automated cavity reports are false positives, so we'll need to investigate all of them." "That still means 1,682 of those threats are real", I sigh. "Which is still 1,682 too many!" Dr. ChatControl blurts. "Now, I'll need to drill exploratory holes in every tooth, in your gums, your tongue, and —just to be safe— your neighbor's mouth, because the system flagged them too when they walked past the waiting room." "This seems insane," I say. "The math is solid," he insists. "Even at 99.999% accuracy —which doesn't exist— we'd still generate 100,000 false dental alerts per day across Europe's 450 million people. But we can't let cavities win." While Dr. ChatControl explains his flawless system, I notice how the tooth that actually is hurting —the one I came in to fix— is starting to abscess. "Uh, Doctor," I say, pointing to the swelling. "We'll get to that after we finish scanning everyone," he says dismissively. "The important thing is that no cavity goes undetected, even if that means we spend all our time investigating healthy teeth." "But the actual problem is getting worse," I said. "That's because sophisticated cavities have learned to evade detection," Dr. ChatControl explains. "They change their appearance slightly —maybe grow on the back of the tooth instead of the front, or hide under existing fillings. Our algorithms can't catch those." "What about that letter from those 500 dentists? They also claim this detection method is technically infeasible." I try again. "They're just not thinking big enough", the doctor blocks my argument. "So here's the treatment plan," Dr. ChatControl says, "We're going to install a permanent scanning device in your jaw that monitors every tooth, 24/7, and reports any suspicious activity to a centralized EU Dental Database." "That sounds like a massive security risk," I said. "Not at all!" he replied. "The device is encrypted. Only our scanners can look behind your upgraded enamel. What leaves your tooth, is already encrypted. No other device than ours, can read the data, so your privacy is intact." "So what about those knock-offs you can buy on Ali Express?" I ask. "Oh, but they don't work reliably. And also: Why would hackers want access to your teeth?" he scoffed. "Although, now that I think about it, the device itself would make a high-value target for malicious actors, Als they could abuse them to learn how to make knock-off candy that doesn't get detected by the scanners. Things your natural enamel obviously protects against. But let's not dwell on that." "By the way," Dr. ChatControl adds casually, "EU politicians and government officials are exempt from this scanning requirement under 'professional dental secrecy.'" "So their teeth don't get monitored?" I ask. "Correct," he says. "Their oral health is a matter of public trust. Yours, however, requires constant surveillance." "That seems like a double standard," I say. "It's a two-tier system for a two-tier society," he replies pleasantly. "Now, shall we proceed with installing the jaw monitor?" By this point, my actual toothache is developing into a full-blown infection. The pain is excruciating. "Doctor, I need antibiotics and a root canal," I cry. "We don't do targeted treatments anymore," Dr. ChatControl says. "That's the old model. Now we focus on comprehensive, mandatory monitoring." "But I'm going to lose the tooth," I say. "Perhaps," he acknowledges. "But while we were scanning everyone in the waiting room, we found three people with slightly suspicious molars! They're perfectly healthy now, but they could develop cavities someday. That's three potential problems prevented!" "But my actual problem isn't being prevented," I point out. "It's getting worse." "Well yes," he admits. "But we've invested so much in the scanning infrastructure that we can't really afford to do traditional dentistry anymore. The system needs to justify itself, you understand." "This is insane," I repeat. "This is progress ," he corrects me. As I' left 'm leaving the office —untreated, in pain, and with a jaw full of surveillance equipment— I notice a sign on the door: "Signal Dental, Orthodontics Threema, and Proton Mouthcare have ceased operations in the EU due to incompatibility with mandatory scanning requirements." Apparently, the dentists who actually know how to fix teeth without installing spyware have all moved to Switzerland. Meanwhile, I hear the voice of Dr. ChatControl behind me in the waiting room, announcing to everyone: "We've successfully detected 6,847 potential cavities this week!" When someone asks what he means by potential, he quietly answers: "Only 11 were real, but that's 11 teeth saved!" The infection is still spreading and I'll probably loose my tooth after all because nobody actually is treating it. But at least the healthy ones are under constant surveillance. I made fun of it. But it's not funny. It's about wasting loads of money on a noble goal in all the wrong ways. But next week the vote will be cast in the EU. So it's high time to reach out to your MEP and ask their stance if they are undecided or worse - are in favor. Go to fightchatcontrol.eu if you live in Europe. Oh, and if you don't live in Europe... This will also impact you. Because weakened encryption in mainstream products will most certainly spread. Time to act Fight current Chat Control legislation: fightchatcontrol.eu References and Sources used Estonian Public Broadcasting. (2025, September 15). Experts: European Union's 'chat control' plan a blow to free speech. Privacy Guides explaining why it must be stopped Michel Portier, Lecturer at Hogeschool Arnhem and Nijmegen, MSc Cybersecurity and Patrick Breyer, former MEP Open Letter from 500+ Scientists and Cryptographers (2025, September 9). Open letter on the EU's proposed Child Sexual Abuse Regulation Joint statement Breyer, P. (2025, September 9). 'Danger to Democracy': 500+ Top Scientists Urge EU Governments to Reject 'Technically Infeasible' Chat Control. Breyer, P. (2025). Chat Control: The EU's CSAM scanner proposal. Private Internet Access. (2025). Chat Control, EU's Plan for Real-Time Mass Surveillance Takes a Dramatic Turn. European Digital Rights (EDRi). (2023, August). Fact-checking of top 9 claims made on the CSA Regulation. Internet Watch Foundation. (2024). 2024 Annual Insights and Data Report. European Commission. (2022, May 11). [Proposal for a Regulation laying down rules to prevent and combat child sexual abuse COM(2022) 209 final.]( https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX%3A52022PC0209 ) European Commission. (2023, December 19). Report on the implementation of Regulation (EU) 2021/1232 (temporary derogation/"Chat Control 1.0"). Anderson, R. (2022). Chat Control or Child Protection? Research paper . University of Cambridge. Computer Weekly. (2025, September 11). Chat Control: EU to decide on requirement for tech firms to scan encrypted messages. Multiple security researchers. (2021). Bugs in Our Pockets: The Risks of Client-Side Scanning . Salt Typhoon: Chinese hacking operation exploits US telecom backdoors . Provide feedback on this episode.
We head to Switzerland, a small but very successful country with a population of just 9 million.And now coping with some of US President Donald Trump's highest tariffs. In August the original threat of 31% tariffs was raised to 39%. Two months on, efforts to negotiate with Washington have proved fruitless and the Swiss economy, regularly ranked as the most competitive in the world, is starting to slow down. Produced and presented by Imogen Foulkes(Swiss watch brands, including Zenith and Hublot, in a shopping arcade in Geneva, Switzerland. Credit: Getty Images)
Ever wondered what it takes to bridge the worlds of punk, literature, rock climbing, and cinematic music videos? On this episode of Bringin' It Backwards, Adam sits down with Nik Leuthold of the band NONEXISTER for an honest conversation that pulls back the curtain on an extraordinary artistic journey. Growing up in Zurich with a feminist author as a mother, Nik was a published co-author by age 12, and soon found himself immersed in the gritty, heart-driven world of DIY punk and hardcore scenes. But his story didn't stop there—rock climbing and running a venue in the Spanish mountains followed, before returning to Switzerland to launch NONEXISTER and craft a debut album where every music video feels like a short film. Nik dives deep into how his literary upbringing shapes his songwriting, why collaborating openly sparks the best art, and the lengths the band goes to create jaw-dropping visuals—including a single-shot music video featuring a freediver holding her breath for four minutes. From writing fiction and theater to pushing boundaries in music and video, Nik's story is a testament to creative evolution and collaboration. If you're a musician, artist, or just love stories about pursuing creative dreams from every angle, this episode will leave you inspired—and might just change the way you think about what's possible as an artist. Listen in, and don't forget to subscribe to Bringin' It Backwards for more real conversations with the artists shaping the future of music.
The king of Berlin School EM music, Erwin Broers, is back with a fantastic update to his regular series. This fall update just may the best yet. I listened to this while biking home from work, unsure whether it would fit the activity. Oh man, it was perfect! It kept me pedaling and focused while exposing me to fresh electronic sounds. Here's what Erwin has to say about this set: "Another look at what's been happening on the Electronic/Berlin School/Synth Music spectrum over the last months. As might be expected, a variety of styles and vibes, so listen to the whole mix and I guarantee you'll find at least a few tracks to your liking. All music is from 2025 and from a wide variety of countries including Germany, England, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, the USA, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Poland and even Argentina! Click on the links below for more information on the artists and please consider purchasing the music you like!" ObukhovAudio https://obukhovaudio.bandcamp.com/album/atom-cassiopeia Brendan Pollard https://brendanpollard.bandcamp.com/album/the-coils-suite Cybernaum https://cybernaum.bandcamp.com/album/origo Ocralab https://ocralab.bandcamp.com/album/basic-ultraworlds Sundial Aeon https://beatspace-impactstudio.bandcamp.com/album/nebulosis Madis x Kebu https://madis.bandcamp.com/album/mentes-determinadas TaboTago https://tabotago.bandcamp.com/album/sessions-017-20250308-live-in-schwerin Fusion Of Elements https://fusionofelements.bandcamp.com/album/3mit-time-24-bit The Roswell Incident https://roswellincident.bandcamp.com/album/trapped-part-ii Mac Of BIOnighT https://macofbionight.bandcamp.com/album/radiance-unit-vol-01-classic-em-72 Pabellón Sintético https://cyclicaldreams.bandcamp.com/album/machine-for-living-cyd-0140 Sync24 https://sync24.bandcamp.com/album/hope Immediate Proximity https://radiomatrix.bandcamp.com/album/improx-starlit-rebellion Roman Ridder https://romanridder.bandcamp.com/album/synaptic-echoes Michael Brückner https://michaelbrueckner.bandcamp.com/album/arpreciated Starterra https://exospheremusic.bandcamp.com/album/phasepath Stephan Thelen & Markus Reuter https://stephanthelen.bandcamp.com/album/promise-of-a-better-world Thanks to Erwin for another great mix! Cheers! T R A C K L I S T : 0:00:00 ObukhovAudio - Silhouettes Of The Voices (Atom Cassiopeia) 0:10:26 Brendan Pollard - Embers (The Coils Suite) 0:17:28 Cybernaum - Origo (Origo) 0:26:15 Ocralab - Astrea (Basic Ultraworlds) 0:28:47 Sundial Aeon - Mistform (Nebulosis) 0:36:18 Madis x Kebu - Mentes Determinadas (Mentes Determinadas) 0:44:04 TaboTago - 20250308 Live In Schwerin Part 7 (Sessions 017 - 20250308 Live in Schwerin) 0:49:55 Fusion Of Elements - The Specious Present Awareness (3MIT-TIME) 0:53:39 The Roswell Incident - The Singularity Escapegate (Trapped Part II) 1:03:05 Mac Of BIOnighT - Radiance (Radiance Unit vol 01 - Classic EM 72) 1:11:31 Pabellón Sintético - Curutchet's House (Machine For Living) 1:16:49 Sync24 - Bioluminescent Creatures (Hope) 1:23:18 Immediate Proximity - Ferce (IMPROX - Starlit Rebellion) 1:26:35 Roman Ridder - Mind Mesh (Synaptic Echoes) 1:30:42 Michael Brückner - ARPreciation (ARPreciated) 1:37:55 Starterra - Silent Horizon [Digital Edition] (Phasepath) 1:42:15 Stephan Thelen & Markus Reuter - Clocks Go Down In Wonderland [2025 Remake] (Promise Of A Better World) 2:01:37 end
Part 2 of podcast guest Dr. Lauryn Brunclik (of She Slays the Day podcast fame) and her conversation with Kiera. In this follow-up to Becoming Business Savvy with a Clinician-First Mindset, the pair discusses seeking other revenue streams to obtain financial freedom. The chat includes fixing your pricing structure, living below your means, understanding the spender and saver mindsets, time management, and more. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:00) Hello, Dental A Team listeners, this is Kiera and welcome back to part two of my chat. If you liked part one, you are going to absolutely love this. I am so excited and I can't wait to dive right in. Kiera Dent (00:10) Lauryn, I'm very curious. Like you've talked about it at length. Like what do people do? Like what's the how, how do we get into this? How do we have multiple streams because agreed all eggs in one basket? gosh. It's, ⁓ to me, that's like just a ticking time bomb. Like one bad day, one bad patient, one bad procedure. Like it's just going to explode because you're sitting like you're sitting on the edge of fear all the time to where you are in like cortisol adrenaline, like you are pumping. And then what you do is you go into complete shutdown because you can't handle it anymore. So your body and your system literally like just shuts down on you. You become apathetic to life. Dr. Lauryn B (00:23) Mm-hmm. Kiera Dent (00:44) things aren't exciting for you anymore. You become very numb to walking through the world. And it's like, I feel like the world of color goes into very like gray. It's very subtle. It's like, it's, there's no, there's no life left. It's just, are living life, but you're not actually being and living day in, out. So what are some tacticals? Like I'm so curious. I love to hear that. Dr. Lauryn B (01:04) Well, so, I mean, ultimately what you have to, I'm no cashflow expert. My husband would like laugh, not, he wouldn't laugh. He'd just be like, what's she gonna say right now? So like cashflow will multiply the more you start putting your money to work, okay? So it's very, very, step one is simple. It's exactly what you said. You have to have cashflow coming from your clinic. Kiera Dent (01:14) okay. Dr. Lauryn B (01:33) You have to. Like, you need to spend less money than you are bringing in. Okay? Kiera Dent (01:42) Ooh, love that. Ding, ding. All right, great. Got it, team. Got it all. Dr. Lauryn B (01:45) Like, so it's it's simple. what did you say? Like you said, there's only three ways to make it happen. Like lower your overhead. Yep. Yep. See more people. Yep. Kiera Dent (01:50) There are, either cut your costs, increase what you're producing. like for how many patients you're seeing and or collections, because a lot of times you're producing enough, but we're not collecting the money that we're actually producing. that then costs, people are have no money. And I'm like, you have 500,000 sitting in your AR that's not collected. So you actually have money. You just have a broken system of how to collect it. And to your point, my husband said this very early on when I started that company, he said, I care, don't lose money. He was like, yeah, I'm not going to give you any rules, any parameters. He's like, just don't lose money because that's going to cause a lot of strain on us. And I thought about that a lot. It's like, ⁓ I guess that's a great, a great plan. Like it's really been a good thought for me. But it's like, if you are going to lose money on having a business, go be an associate for someone else. Like it's a hobby at that point. It's not a business. So I'm like, if you're not going to have your business make money for you, like truly no judgment. Dr. Lauryn B (02:24) Thanks, husband. Yes. Kiera Dent (02:44) go honestly be an associate, go work for someone else so you're taking home a paycheck. When owners are working for themselves and making less than they are as an associate, I'm like, we have a big problem here. And now you're mad because you got way more problems. You can't just clock in, clock out and leave for the day. And I'm like, that's actually not a business. That's a hobby. And it's a bad hobby. You have no freedom. No, it's delusional. No. Dr. Lauryn B (02:57) Mm-hmm. And they're like, but I have the freedom when I'm the owner. You don't have freedom? can't afford a vacation. what? You have no freedom. Kiera Dent (03:11) Stop lying to yourself just because you own a business. People are like, I wanted this texture, have more time. And I'm like, yeah, tell me how that's going for you. Probably not great. All right, so we gotta have a business that actually cash flows. Simple stuff. Dr. Lauryn B (03:16) How's that working for you? Yeah. Yes, so step one is very simple, but not is you have to fix the pricing structure, the collections, your payroll blow. You need to look at the profit margins of your clinic. Very easy, very difficult, but very easy. Kiera Dent (03:37) And they're industry specific too. I don't know how it is in chiropractic, but I know in like dentistry, we say right now, even with all the things like I want 30%, we're talking all things, fringe benefits, 401k. Like 30 % for payroll, 25 to 30 is about average. And we aim for, I don't know how it is in chiropractic, but I aim for a 50%, not including doctor pay, 50 % overhead in dental practices, 30 % of doctor pay, because I'm like, that's what you're gonna get paid as an associate. It's like, let's at least pay you that. Dr. Lauryn B (03:45) No, that's pretty yeah, that's pretty healthy. ⁓ Kiera Dent (04:04) And then hopefully we've got a 20 % profit, but that profit debt services click in and that's a real fun zone and taxes. Like I love it. No, you're not getting your W two people are not taking taxes out. You own this business. All that money comes to you. So do not get trapped in that like tax trap. but like, like that's a very simple formula and you look, what is my supplies? What are my rent? Like, what are all those things? And if you figure out the benchmarks, then you know, which one am I bleeding money on quickly fix that hole. So we stopped bleeding it again. It seems so hard. And you and I are on the other side of that equation saying, no, actually it's like real simple. You just look at it real quick, figure out what it is. You can build your practice to support whatever numbers you need, or we cut. Usually it's easier to increase production and collections than it is to cut. But a lot of people are just overspending in ridiculous ways that I'm like, no, no, no, no, no. Like I have a practice, I looked at their numbers. They shouldn't giggle. I did giggle, because I was shocked. They're like, here, we have no money. And I was like, all right, send me your P &L. Let's take a look at it. So I did. Year to date, they produced 528,000. So they're doing about 85,000 per month is what I calculated when I ran the numbers. But when I looked at their take-home pay, they're taking home, so it's 528. I'm super happy for them. Like don't, there's no judgment on that. They're taking home 250,000 of that 528 is going to the doctor, which again, I'm happy that they're taking home the money. But what's happening is the practice is not producing enough for that. They're running all their kids through it. They're running their cars through it. They're running everything through it, which again is not a bad thing. But if you don't have cash in your business to hire people, I was like, we're a little off on the percentages. Dr. Lauryn B (05:37) Yeah. One of my favorite things to teach people is because people are like, I just want to learn tax strategy. I want to learn tax strategy, tax strategy. And you're like, okay, here's the thing about tax strategy is you can only do tax strategy. Can't see I'm doing air quotes here. If you have money that you don't want to give the government, if you are spending Kiera Dent (05:47) you Mm-hmm. Air quotes, I see them. it. Dr. Lauryn B (06:06) much as you make and the government's like, yeah, you're good. You don't know anything. Like there's no strategy to be had. Strategy can only apply to profits. you know, like to money you've made. So, so that's where it's like, okay, I get that you really want tax strategy, but like you're, you don't need strategy yet. You just need to create more. Kiera Dent (06:09) There is no tech strategy. ⁓ That is a tech strategy. No. Yes. You just need money to then pay taxes on. Then we can talk about what it's gonna be. Yes. Dr. Lauryn B (06:37) Yes, then we can talk strategy. But yeah, so like that's where it starts. The next hard part, and this is where I kind of touched on like, we went into this career because we believed this career was gonna take care of us while we took care of other people. And so everybody's got a little different version of what that means. ⁓ What car they think they should be driving. Kiera Dent (06:42) That's a point. Ready. Dr. Lauryn B (07:06) once they have made it, what ⁓ their house situation should look like, how many vacations, their spouse, if they're buying their spouse, designer bags and things like that. Like we have in our head once we make it, what life will look like. And so after you fix your cashflow thing, the next thing is like, you gotta kind of continue to live below your means for a while. Because if all of a sudden you've fixed your profit margins and you have an extra $30,000 flowing into bank accounts a month that does not have a job, like, you're just like, we're gonna move into a bigger clinic, we're gonna hire another doctor, we're gonna do this. And all of a sudden that... Kiera Dent (07:58) Let's go! Dr. Lauryn B (08:04) that potential, but like you have to have money in excess to build wealth upon. If you fix the first problem, which is we don't have enough money, okay great, now you have enough money, and then instead of building wealth, you buy a Birkin, which I still keep sending my husband all of the memes and reels that like Birkins are apparently, you know, they are also appreciating, they're beating the S &P. So I'm just saying maybe a Birkin was a bad example because that would be an investment. ⁓ Kiera Dent (08:36) See? I why not? think there's a lot we could probably justify in the investment realm. Like it's fine. I'm here for it. Dr. Lauryn B (08:46) Right, right. But no, you know, if it's like one of those things where if you just lifestyle inflate after you fixed your cashflow issue, what's going to happen is, is you're going to still be, you're going to have like golden handcuffs where you're like, well, yeah, the clinic is bringing in 1.2 and like, yeah, I do keep 350 of that, but I still. like I'm paying off my student, because your student loan payment now is increasing and like this and like your mortgage and all of this stuff. And you're gonna, you have the potential if you're not careful to feel just as squeezed financially, even though you've gone to the next level of salary and income, but you can still feel that exact same financial scare. And so like that's another thing where it's like, okay, you have to figure out, the balance for you and your spouse because like my husband, ⁓ my husband is definitely, so this is from Garrett Gunderson. He's a really great financial wealth advisor. don't know if he's in your guys's world. Yes. Okay. Yes. So he was on my podcast and he was talking about how basically within all the Kiera Dent (09:53) I love him. Definitely. We love him. Dr. Lauryn B (10:04) that he's coached people through, there's basically, he used a different word, but right now I'll just call it the the saver and the spender. Okay. Now the spender tends to be the visionary, the CEO. It tends to be the person that's like taking the risks to build the things. They're like, we had a record year, we're reward ourselves, we're gonna do this, we're gonna do this, life is fun, this is great, this is like a... And then they often marry a ⁓ saver that is just like... I don't need all of that. I don't need another vacation. I don't need a fancier car. I don't need this. ⁓ And it can actually make them very uncomfortable that, you know, so my husband is, we'll call it saver. ⁓ And we go, I mean, our travel budget a year is insane. we should definitely be putting that towards crypto and like buying a duplex and like building more. But Kiera Dent (10:57) you. But why? But why? Dr. Lauryn B (11:04) If someone told me like, no, no, no, here's the plan. You get one trip a year and then we're gonna just like all of this money and then you can start around 45, like, know, and then at 50, it'll open up a little bit more. Like, I'd like, well, that's no fun. I don't want that. And so you have to figure out, because there's a ditch on both sides of the road, right? And so you have to figure out like, when do you want to retire? Kiera Dent (11:28) Mm-hmm. Dr. Lauryn B (11:33) Like what is that number? What is that freedom number? How much money do you need coming in in like passive investments? Like how much do you need your crypto portfolio to be doing? Like your real estate portfolio. What's that number of monthly income or annual income? And when do you want to get there by? And this is going to be so dependent on whoever you're talking to. if you're 50 and you're like, I want to get there by 55. and you're starting, not great. Like, yeah, okay, you know what? Your travel budget, you just need to not worry about that for five years. Like, you got some work to do. But like, if you're sitting here at 35 and you're like, I'd like to retire by 50, and like, I still wanna take our kids on some vacations, but I do think we should be, you know, then you just gotta pick where are you pinching pennies? Like, because you gotta pinch them somewhere. So like, maybe it's... not designer handbag season. Maybe it's not getting the newest vehicle. Maybe you'd rather live in a bigger house, but drive a more reasonable car. Whatever it is, maybe you have no problem giving up vacations, but you need that pool in your backyard. Again, there's a ditch on both sides. think that as this couple, you need to come together and figure out. that equation where even after you're getting some of these doctor luxuries that you've worked hard for, there's still money left over that is being invested wisely. Kiera Dent (13:13) love Lauryn that you talked about Garrett Gunderson and I love that there's the saver and the spender in every relationship because this happens like it's a real thing. ⁓ And I love that you talk about like, okay, one step one is like, you got to make money and you got to keep the money. So it's like, make the money and keep the money. I have like, okay, if we could just follow that. Jocko Willings, he's got a quote. This is like discipline equals freedom. And it sits in my kitchen, which I think is a very smart place to stick this sign. I see it all the time. And I'm like, that really is step one is like discipline on this. Dr. Lauryn B (13:28) Make the money, keep the money. Kiera Dent (13:43) And I think that there's like, one of our consultants, says, choose your hard. And I think about this, like both sides have a hard, like spending all the money has a hard of like being broke. Saving the money has the hard of you've got to actually put like parameters in place. So both have it. But for me, I'd rather sleep at night knowing I've got money in the bank rather than like sitting there wondering how I'm going to make payroll. Like to me, that's the hard I would rather choose. I would not rather not choose the other side. So I'm going to be disciplined there. And then, I really started working on and I heard at a conference about like just an easy way. Cause my husband, I'm the spender. He's the saver. And it's really thrilling for me because I felt annoyed. I felt like I was dragging him like an anchor. Like we were going on vacation. We're buying the cars and like, don't like cut my wind out of my sails. Like I was so angry about it. So we actually had to make a vision board of both of us. Like what are his dreams and what are my dreams? And we like co put it up on the wall. It literally sits in our bedroom. And it was one of the best things I ever did because he wasn't able to see what inspires me and what I'm excited about what what's important to me. And I was able to see what's important to him. We also figured out like what's our BAM, our bare ACE minimum as a couple and where we want that. And then when you're talking about like the savings, I really found this awesome principle where it's kind of like, ultimately, what does it actually cost you to get to financial freedom? And when I did this exercise and I do it with a lot of clients, you can actually break it down. like, what does that like, bougie, whatever life you want that to look like, what does that look like? What's your mortgage? What's your HOA? What's the internet? What's the utilities like? What's our groceries? What's our food bill? What's our children bill? Like how many cars do we have on this? And like literally build that out to what's like my highest end. And then you actually scale it back down to basically like, what's my security bucket? Like for me to just survive, like you said, like the monks, like what is it for me? Like scrap it all down. Let's go back to dental school. Let's go back to chiropractic school. Like when I was at my like most broke, but I could scrap like you guys, can top around and like a boss, like I know I could get through. So like, what is my like minimum amount? Then what I do, so basically taking that all the way up to my financial freedom, like where I've got money making money, it's a money making machine for me. And then how do I actually break that down? So I've got security, then I've got like growth, then I've got independence, and then I've got freedom. And then beyond that are like your prosperity and your legacy buckets. And so when I look at this, it's like, you basically just chunk it down. And what I mean, I'm such a nerd, I really am. I've like learned to fall in love. I like took that amount of like total dollars. Then I looked at like, how much money do I actually need to make? What tax bracket am I in? How much do I need like pre and post tax? Like again, total nerd side on my side. But then I was able to look and I'm like, okay, for this practice, I know that for them to be like, just baseline, they need to be making about a hundred grand a year. Like that's pre-tax. So we know like we're to take tax out. We can survive. That's like our security. Then our growth goes up to 202 post-tax. Then our independence is at like 553. Well, now I know my mile markers of what I need to do. And I also have those parameters. you said, where am I going to penny pinch? This does not mean that I don't have certain luxuries, but it means that I'm like, it's like a gradient and I'm able to see what I'm working towards. And I remember my CPA, he told me once he said, Kiera, it actually becomes a lot easier to make money. And like once you, like in a few years, once you've bought a few of the things that you really are looking for, and I was like, you're full of it. Like, I don't believe you for a second, but it's true. Like as you evolve. You buy the things you want, you get the house that you want, you get the car that you think you want, you get the designer bags, like it's not all overnight. And then you're like, wow, I have a decent amount because I've learned to make the money, save the money, not spend everything that I've got. I'm able to then plan for these purchases that I want. I love Profit First, Mike McAllags. He's like my fangirl central every time he's on the podcast. I like just love him so much, but I'm like, okay, then I have buckets. have my travel bucket. And you're right, Mike, my travel. Dr. Lauryn B (17:18) yeah. Sweep account. Sweep! ⁓ Kiera Dent (17:28) amount, that's something that fuels me. So we pump money into a travel fund, but we have those to where I now have budgets and our clients have budgets and you can have budgets. And it's not for me, clients have even told me that's more freeing than it is otherwise, because they actually know I can spend this money guilt free and go on the trip. can go and buy this car guilt free because I have the money. Dr. Lauryn B (17:46) Mm-hmm. And that's probably really helpful for your spouse too. A lot of times the saver spouse, like it's hard for them until there's like an act, like that's the permission they need of like, no, we ran the numbers and we like this amount of money was proportionally taken and it's there. It's only to be spent on this. And they're like, okay. Kiera Dent (17:52) Thanks. Yes. Yes. Okay. And then the spender feels good because they're not just blowing all the money. So it's on this like, it's a good balance, but I love it. Like it's very simple. And now I'm very curious, Lauryn, because you've talked about like not having your business as your only asset, like that's cash flowing for you. Once we've got a simple, we like make the money and we keep the money like check that off. Then we go into these like, I love the idea. There's a ditch on both sides of the road. So which one are we going to do? We figure out like, what do need today? What are my future like? Dr. Lauryn B (18:28) Mm-hmm. Kiera Dent (18:41) kind of nice purchases that I want to, how do I build up to these other ones that I can save for? What's my total number? Like I know my number for financial freedom is psychotic. When I look at that, it really is. I actually have it. Dr. Lauryn B (18:51) Is it really? Because I'm interested that you said that because most people when they do that exercise are kind of like, ⁓ it's surprising to them that it's actually not higher. like, so. Kiera Dent (19:12) Well, let me just clarify. Let me ask this for you, Lauryn. What I found is for me to hit like my security, my vitality, my independence. Like we're talking like pretty much up to freedom. I'm actually it's good. Like we're there, but my absolute freedom, like where I never have to work another day in my life for me, that number, that number is a little more extreme. That one, but like even looking at it now, cause when I told you, I'm like, it's psychotic. I just pulled the spreadsheet up. What's fun though is I built this. Dr. Lauryn B (19:30) ⁓ okay. Yeah. Okay, the like I quit number, the like. Kiera Dent (19:42) gosh, I like I should honestly look, I think I built this spreadsheet, I'm going to we're gonna hold everybody I know you're like on pins and needles, I'm just gonna scroll back to when I actually made this. It's on Google Sheets, you can go back to like when it was built. So I built this and I think this is really just telling for people I built this in 2022. So May 13 2022 at 1026 am is when I built it. We're now recording this in 2025. So we're only talking just over three years since I originally built it. I told you Lauryn that my number for absolute freedom, we're talking like I put it all because I have a jet in there. I have a charter jet. I have a private like I put all these things like it was just I have like I want to Dr. Lauryn B (20:17) You have a jet in there? Okay, well most people when they do the exercise the way I have them do it aren't putting jets in there. I love you, Kiera. Okay, we're gonna stay friends because I want on that jet. Kiera error. Kiera Dent (20:25) Like I'm telling you this is my absolute freedom. This is the absolute absolute like here is living this life I mean girl you can come cuz I just like I wanted to see like what does this look like and I want to have like I don't want to retire in a retirement home I want to live in a villa like I've got some pretty lofty things in this like we're talking I went for like Dr. Lauryn B (20:41) Right. Did you put the pilot costs in there too or does that just come with a jet? Kiera Dent (20:45) So my husband actually wants to be a pilot. So that's already like built in. So I've got like that. I also have friends that are pilots like, you know, yellow, we're gonna have that. Thank you, thank you. So on that, and I actually went through this, like I built it the first time, but we're talking three years. And I look at that to have that absolute freedom. The annual income pre-tax would be 4.6 million, which that can sound like an outlandish number. However, based on where the business is now, it's not that outlandish. And that was just a short. Dr. Lauryn B (20:49) Okay. Okay. Okay. The jet makes a little more sense now, but yeah, got it. No, it's doable. Kiera Dent (21:15) three year period where I'm like, I mean, we got a jet, I got play money. mean, guys in-house chef, live in nanny, we've got all the cars, I've got my Lambo, I've got chartered flights in there, like you name it. And I look at this and I often assess because Kiera three years ago wanted some of these things and Kiera today might look at that and be like, know, I actually don't want these things, but this is what I'd rather. I'd rather like buy a house for my parents or I'd rather do this, but you will shift and change. Dr. Lauryn B (21:16) And that's got a freaking jet in it. Kiera Dent (21:45) But it's so crazy because when I look at that, I'm like, all right. So I know if things get tight in the business, I know, all right, rock on. Like pre-tax, we need to make a hundred grand. Like easy. We can handle that. We can create that. We can figure that out. That's it. Again, just a math equation. But then when you look up and you scale up, it becomes so much more doable and realistic. And then for me, I don't know how you feel, Lauryn. It's like, now the number doesn't feel like, got it. I know actually like what I'm working towards. I know how I can now do the math equation. It's not like I have to make 500 million to be free. It's like, no, I need this money because it will now go into investments. It will go into other places. I know how much that's going to generate for me. I know how much it's going to estimate grow. And I don't know. It just is pretty magical. So I'm very curious. Like, what are your other revenue streams that you recommend when we're looking at this and we're building that financial freedom? We're looking at like, okay, I kind of am. I'm hoping that people listening to this podcast are putting like dots together. Like, okay, got it. Like make the money, keep the money. Dr. Lauryn B (22:17) Mm-hmm. Hmm. Kiera Dent (22:38) figure out how I'm gonna spend it, but not overspend it and still keep the money so I don't pinch on that side. Then I'm gonna look to see where I ultimately wanna get in my life. Now, like what are some other things like if we're there, how did you get it to where you weren't just reliant on your business anymore? Dr. Lauryn B (22:52) So first I will say that none of this is any tax or legal advice and you must talk to your CPA or whatever. Yeah, here's my little disclaimer. I am not an accountant or anything, a lawyer or anything like that. So right now, so I just interviewed someone on crypto. So I am really, really lucky that my husband, he's a very early adopter. And so Kiera Dent (22:58) This is true our little disclaimer there guys go talk to people that are not Dr. Lauryn B (23:21) We have been pretty involved in crypto for Kiera Dent (23:26) Which is why you said do crypto like all the things like I should be putting this in crypto not going on trips. I now get it. All right, go on. Dr. Lauryn B (23:33) So I just interviewed someone on my podcast who's like a crypto investor and like some of the predictions that the crypto people, the crypto people are saying about going to happen with crypto, what could happen with crypto in the next five years, 4.6 million would be easy. So like if our current crypto ⁓ Kiera Dent (23:55) Chump change, like truly, truly. Dr. Lauryn B (24:01) account like amount that we have invested did even a fraction of like what like we'd be we'd be pretty pretty pretty good even if that doesn't happen in five years if it like takes 10 so crypto for us Kiera Dent (24:08) Mm-hmm. Dr. Lauryn B (24:14) and like i said i just i knew that like that was the thing that for him but like i just really got i got off this interview and i was like how much did you invest last month we need double it we need to like and he's like yeah This is so exciting. Like I have been priceless. I've been really obsessed with a Cartier watch lately. Like a real like, and so I have was, I'm already Kiera Dent (24:28) That's where he'll spend there, Lauryn. Dr. Lauryn B (24:37) about my 2026 vision board because I'm in Enneagram three and we do weird like that. And so I I was like, I want to go to Switzerland and Kiera Dent (24:41) I love it. Dr. Lauryn B (24:46) want to to Switzerland and buy a Cartier watch. Cause that's where they're made. And like, and now I'm like, you know, maybe we should Kiera Dent (24:52) Yeah. Dr. Lauryn B (24:56) delay, that would be better put into crypto. And he's just like, this is the saver husband is just like, this is the greatest thing in the world. So anyway, so that's one bucket. ⁓ And you know, he spends a good amount of time each week, each day monitoring. So I won't even call that passive. I think that crypto can be a lot more passive depending on how you do it. I'm not going to get any deeper into the waters here because we are at my like limit of understanding of crypto. Kiera Dent (25:02) He's loving it. Okay, so crypto. Okay. Okay, perfect. Dr. Lauryn B (25:24) I know that you can very active in investing and there are ways that can be much more passive. ⁓ So real estate, obviously think that real estate is the secret of the wealthy for decades and decades and decades and it's not such a secret anymore. It comes with its own things. We both experienced 2007. I luckily had just gone into school, but there are people who lost their asses in 2007 with real estate. So not foolproof. Also, Kiera Dent (25:50) only. Dr. Lauryn B (25:54) not incredibly passive. We throw the word passive around way too much in this, but I will say where the majority currently and where we're like next year, how I'm getting to 3 million and this and that, a good percentage of it is very, very active in the personal brand coaching side of things. Kiera Dent (25:56) I would agree on that. You gotta have a lot of doors, lots of doors, lots of time. I agree. Dr. Lauryn B (26:22) I have built and have continued building. ⁓ so, you know, podcast, sure, that makes some money, but like where very actively, where I spend more time on than in my clinic is in the online space of coaching courses, programs, webinars, membership. And that's when you find, and here's the thing. is like every dentist listening, every chiropractor listening is like, okay, so I need to coach other dentists. I need to coach other chiropractors. And it's like, no, what I'm saying is, is online, there is a lot of money that can be made. It's not easier, but it's also not harder. It's its own hard. I just solved a different problem for someone. So I had the business that we solve this problem. And then I figured out a way. So we talked about the financial. Kiera Dent (27:05) Right. Dr. Lauryn B (27:18) freedom, but then I figured out the time freedom that I wasn't needed there all the time. So I could sit and go, what's another problem that I can sell a solution to? Kiera Dent (27:33) Okay, let's like pause there. I'm very curious. How did you get, how did you solve the time solution? Like guilt free, like walk me through. I know it's like a pile whole nother episodes. Like do it in like a chunk or probably close to time. Dr. Lauryn B (27:38) God, that's. Yeah, well, I mean, you ultimately, you pay for your time. So like, I am not collecting as much money from my clinic as I could if I was there doing the service. Like, that's just kind of obvious. ⁓ So I am paying for doctors that I wouldn't need a doctor. I could get rid of an entire doctor's salary if I just worked full time. Kiera Dent (27:59) Right. Dr. Lauryn B (28:10) I could also get rid of my amazing and well-paid director of ops. So this was a big game changer for us is so like, you may have a doctor on staff that's like your clinic director. You know, they're really in charge of like patient care, whatever, things like that. I recommend having a not office manager, a director of operations. Kiera Dent (28:25) Thank Dr. Lauryn B (28:39) Okay, like this is not an office manager. A lot of time your office manager is like by default, the person who's been with you the longest. Like we hired in a specific skillset that was going to be my eyes, ears, hands, feet, pretty much everything except my visionary brain. Kiera Dent (28:40) Nothing. and Dr. Lauryn B (29:03) She does HR meetings, she does hiring, she does firing, she monitors stats. I meet with her once a week and I get reports. I pay her pretty well. And like honestly, she needs another raise and so does my other doctor. Like, so this is what's hard. Kiera Dent (29:17) Yeah. So let's just break it down. I don't wanna know exactly what your Director of Operations gets paid, but let's give a range so people understand, because I think people don't realize what we're paying for that. So are we talking? Okay, perfect. And for some of you, might hear like, yes. And I would say that that, I would say it's probably 60 to 150 penny upon, for dentists, the size and practice, like I have seen that come through. So again, looking to see where it is. Dr. Lauryn B (29:27) Probably 60 to 90 grand. depending on your city and things like that. can. and especially like if you're running multiple clinics. Yeah. Kiera Dent (29:44) Yes. So when you said that though, when we were talking about the audacious number and we're like, Hey, 4.6, like it seems so, but you're like, it's really big. But I think if people were to hear that and think K 60 to 90, if I were to pay somebody 90, but not have to do all the meetings, not all the hiring, not all the firing, what is your time worth? Go to Dan Martell, buy back your time. He's one of my favorites. Like what is your dollar per hour when you're doing dentistry or when you're doing chiropractic? And could you hire that out? Like how many hours could you do or use your visionary brain to grow the business, grow other things? Well, yes, that's a great salary. It also, think when we put it with your time, I think a lot of people could see that on a balance sheet of a very good investment because I think time is one of your greatest assets. So again, I just want to highlight because a lot of people may think it's like 200. Dr. Lauryn B (30:26) Mm-hmm. Well, and I'm in a circle back. So, cause I said, there's like the two different reasons you're burning out. Although I've listed like 17 at this point. You you've got the person who just wants to care for people and they have to run a business. And then you've got the person who's like, I've solved this. So like, I don't remember who said it, but they basically said there's like two types of people. And this is a really great question to ask when you're hiring. It's one of my favorite questions. ⁓ Are you the type of person? Kiera Dent (30:39) Yeah Dr. Lauryn B (30:57) who wants to solve the same problem every day and get more efficient and faster and better at solving that puzzle, or are you a person who would rather have a brand new puzzle every day and figure out to solve that puzzle? There is no wrong answer here. You are not a less than person because people hear that and they go, oh. I wanna be the exciting person. And this is why so many people end up in entrepreneurship that shouldn't is because they hear the air quotes, right answer there. the exciting answer is I want a new puzzle. Most people are not psycho like if you that you're that person, when you're really, this is totally cool to be like a more efficient problem solving, like same puzzle. But that's what a business is. Kiera Dent (31:49) Yes. Dr. Lauryn B (31:50) after a certain point, you are solving the same problem. And so I literally couldn't. I couldn't, so like, yes, I could say like, well, I had the option of not spending that money on salary and just like stepping into my practice even more and being that director of ops and being that, I couldn't. I was done. At this point, this had been like 12 years. Like, this is really more more recent. I've been in practice 15 years. So it was really more like three years ago that I was like, I can't, I want to. And I feel like a bad person that I'm like, I can still be the visionary. I can still check in and I still love hands-on patience. Like, ⁓ but like we need to hand this baton to somebody better because I will die if I have to keep hiring and doing some of this stuff. Kiera Dent (32:47) You How did your team and doctors take that? Because I think people are so scared of like, well, why does Lauryn get to go have one or two days in the office and we're here five days? Like, did you have any of that backlash? Like, how did that go? Dr. Lauryn B (32:50) And so. they're continue, you know, like, yeah, your people are people are people. And we can't, we can't, as if I don't get, my husband has to talk me off a ledge, you know, once a month about like, can you believe, like, we, they're just humans who are also living their experience and wanting more money and like seeing you live abundantly and feeling feelings of jealousy. Like you can't cure anybody who says like they've cured jealousy. from their team culture, they are lying. So like feelings of jealousy and greed, these are natural human emotions that your staff is going to go through. And so, you know, I would say that more recently as we, because like we're talking about like, hey, the clinic numbers are not good enough for... Kiera Dent (33:36) Yeah Dr. Lauryn B (34:00) abundance and bonuses and raises. We've told you what we need the clinic numbers to be at in order for raises to happen. Kiera Dent (34:06) I hope everybody listening just heard how she was a CEO and she told them, these are what the numbers are. This is what we have to do. It's not, me give you bonuses and pay you more in hopes to get that number up there. Like rewind that, listen to that over and over and over again, because you have to have this team needs to see that. Otherwise, this is how you don't make the money and keep the money. You make the money and you pay more money and you're broke. Go on. Dr. Lauryn B (34:27) Yeah, and for the first, that's how I got to the worst, the best worst year of my life, you biggest revenue, but worst income was because we had been giving raises based on like effort and like they're working really hard. They deserve a raise. So an employee can deserve a raise, but there's not money to give them. So like we're simultaneously this year dealing with like, hey, I wanna give raises, but like it's gotta be here and we're close, but we're not there. They simultaneously see me just fucking killing it in the online space and spending, because also like in the personal brand, like I coach healthcare providers how to launch a personal brand. And so like I talk about like, hey, I got a $2,000 affiliate check. We invested $13,000 from crypto. If you go find me on Instagram @DrLaurynB, you will see like, My posts are about abundance and what a personal brand can do for you and how like the behind the scenes of like, yeah, we are, we're talking about diversifying income. Like this is how much our real portfolio made last month. People want to know that, but my staff sees that. And so they're like, well, she rich. Why is she trying to tell us she can't give us, why is it? And so, so like even literally this month. Kiera Dent (35:45) that we don't have money. because the business, the business. Dr. Lauryn B (35:52) We're in like calm, kind, one-to-one conversations having to be like, you know, but I will say my husband and I, like, this is like real life. These are conversations that literally happened like a week and a half ago where I came to my husband because prior the clinic was all the money. It was all the money. It was the biggest thing. It was really in the last two years that things switched. where it was like, now my clinic is like, when do we call my clinic my side gig? Because I'm literally making four times as much on this personal brand in digital space. ⁓ And so we realized that, Kiera Dent (36:20) Yeah. Mm-hmm. Dr. Lauryn B (36:32) there isn't money for raises that they want. There isn't money for bonuses. But can I, Lauryn Brunclik. who loves my employees, can I give them, can I shower them with birthday presents and anniversary presents and Christmas presents? Can I buy them lunch because they saved my ass because I came in late from a podcast recording or this or that? Yeah, because Lauryn can, like the personal, like we are fine. We are rich, great, this is great. But like my head was so like the only money from a business mind that we can spend is the money that's allowed. And it's like, no, no, no, no. Now we're entering a whole new ball field where it's like, you know what? I can, but it's not gonna come from bonuses and raises. Those come from clinic performance. And so we are kind of going like, okay, FYI, this isn't coming from chiropractic. This is coming from me. Kiera Dent (37:30) Right. Dr. Lauryn B (37:41) loving and appreciating all that you do in this clinic so that I can. So what does this look like? You take a week off and you go golf the greatest like golf whatever courses and like you just like have this bucket list thing. This looks like you showing acts of appreciation, bringing gifts, buying them dinner, like whatever it is like. showing appreciation for your staff that they are there so you can live your best life. They were there so you could leave early and go watch your kids dance recital. So like, although our natural instinct is to only show them that we appreciate them through raises and bonuses, and that's what they want. So like anytime you can do it. ⁓ Kiera Dent (38:38) I agree. I agree. I feel like both. Dr. Lauryn B (38:40) Sometimes you have to figure out more creative ways to show your appreciation to them that they are doing that so you can't. Kiera Dent (38:49) I love that. Wow. Lauryn, this is such a fun podcast. think like to put a pretty bow on this. What would you say if a doctor, your listeners, my listeners, if they're listening to this, what would you say would be like, wrap up takeaways from I mean, we have gone the gown. I love this. I felt like we were on the most random road trip of like we were going to this stop going to this one. Dr. Lauryn B (39:08) I'm not sure if we took this entire transcript and uploaded it to AI. It would be like, no, you guys are amazing. Here's your silver thread. Kiera Dent (39:17) That would be amazing. So what would you say would be kind of like key takeaways or things that maybe we didn't get to that you just feel like listeners, business owners, those running the day to day clinic, whether you want to be on whichever side of this burnout coin, if you want to be there and serve the patients but are sick of doing the business, if you're on the side of like, gosh, I like just want to run the business and do other things outside of this, like looking at the burnout, looking at the generations that we're going through. I mean, we went the gamut of from investments and passive income to appreciating your team as you as a person rather than the business. Like so many fun, different like ideas and aha moments. Any last thoughts you wanna add to put a pretty bow on today's podcast? Dr. Lauryn B (39:57) All well, that's a really hard question, but you're lucky I actually do have something to say. was like, oh God, okay. All right, so was listening to a podcast this morning. Simon Sinek had Arthur Brooks on, and Arthur Brooks is, I don't know, political science, behavioral science, I think behavioral science. And he just very briefly in the interview said that like, Kiera Dent (39:59) I know. Hey, good, good. Dr. Lauryn B (40:21) It's human nature that we go through a reinvention of our career and have to reinvent ourselves every seven to 12 years. And that's just, that's gonna happen. So from the time that you graduate high school until the time that you retire, you're going to need to reinvent yourself multiple times. And the more that you fight that, the more that you, you you're at that seven year itch or whatever, and instead of embracing reinvention, whatever that looks like for you, maybe you're bringing on new services into your clinic. like, it doesn't need to mean you need to lean out at that point, but you might just need a little, like, re-ignition, a reinvention of your brand. ⁓ The more that you fight that and go, I shouldn't feel this way, what's wrong with me? Like, like if you're sitting there broke and you're just stuck, in a place of instead of reinventing yourself into this wealthy, healthy doctor that you know you can be, but instead you're like, God, I'm 39. I don't have my shit together. I should be making more money. I should, like, the more you just sit in this, what's wrong with me? It's just gonna torture yourself. I truly believe that people, you know, let's say they get 12 years into their career. I believe that there are ⁓ too high of a percentage of people that literally just plan on embracing the suck the rest of their career instead of reinventing themselves for something joyful and abundant. And that just makes me so sad. So that's what I would say is my final thing is if you feel wherever you're at in your career, if you're feeling this, like this is your permission. It's not from me, it's from Arthur Brooks. He's some smart. Kiera Dent (42:17) Yeah. Dr. Lauryn B (42:18) Like you were smart enough to be on Simon Sinek, all right? He's giving you permission. This is not just a unique thing. This is human nature. And so figure it out. What does reinvention look like for you? ⁓ And just start doing the work. Kiera Dent (42:35) Lauryn, that was absolutely beautiful and I hope people listen. I hope they take action. They take advice. ⁓ Because I think what you just said is so freeing and so beautiful. So I really hope people don't just listen, but actually take action. So Lauryn, I love this today. It was so fun. How can people get in? It's a great time. I'm like when we in person, I guarantee you'll be someone we will be fast friends in real life. Like just loved having you on here today. How can people get connected with you? How can they see your Dr. Lauryn B (42:51) We should meet up in real life. Kiera Dent (43:03) life again, I believe like when we watch other people we become like them. So it's like, I want people like you. I want people that are abundant. I want people like this is what the podcast is for. This is why we bring people together. How can people get connected with you if they want to know more about you see what you're doing? How can they Dr. Lauryn B (43:07) Mm-hmm. yeah, and if you related to this, you'll love my Instagram, because this is everything that I talk about. So it's @DrLaurynB and Lauryn is with a Y. So ⁓ Instagram is definitely the place I hang out the most. Send me a DM if you listen to this. Like I am in my DMs all the time. And I would just, yeah, that's the best place. Kiera Dent (43:34) I love it. We are millennials. Instagram's our jam. We're not on Snapchat, all right? It's Instagram, okay? It's gonna be that way forever. But Lauryn, I loved it today. Thank you for joining me. Everyone here, I hope you picked up nuggets. I hope you take action. I hope you truly commit to living your best life. And as always, thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Dr. Lauryn B (43:37) This jam. Yeah.
Distinguishing Humane Nationalism from Pathological Ideologies Guest Name: Daniel Mahoney Summary:Nationalism must be distinguished from pathological forms like "blood and soil" ideology, which champions ethnic rooting and the subordination of others. Moderate, humane national loyalty is tied to self-government and common humanity, rejecting the path that leads to "zoological wars." Critics often unfairly conflate nationalism with isolationism or imperialism. 1916 SWITZERLAND