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The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time by Dr. John Bergsma. Ordinary Weekday First Reading: Romans 15: 14-21 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 98: 1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4 Alleluia: First John 2: 5 Gospel: Luke 16: 1-8 Learn more about the Mass at www.stpaulcenter.com Bible Across America is a new FREE Scripture study initiative that brings Catholics together to read and study God's Word from the heart of the Church. Join Dr. Shane Owens—Associate Professor of Theology at Franciscan University—together with Fr. Boniface Hicks, Alex Jones, Katie McGrady, and Heather Khym for our Advent Bible Across America study. Sign up to join the movement today at www.stpaulcenter.com/america
Christine Riccio & Natasha Polis talk all things nerdy in the book, tv, movie, pop culture, fandoms, and how they integrate into their adult lives. Today's they're talking Frankenstein inspired films and tv — and comparing/contrasting the themes highlighted in those stories to Netflix's new Guillermo del Toro's gorgeous new Frankenstein film. If you haven't seen it yet, it's streaming now, but they will warn you before any spoilers come about. PLUS today they chat: their 3 year anniversary, a Red White & Royal Blue sequel, American Horror story's casting for season 13, Regretting You, Love is Blind, Percy Jackson, and more. Today in Fangirl Tea Time: Join Christine and Natasha for more stories about their recent life escapades. Support the pod by joining the Forking Fangirls Patreon community: http://patreon.com/thoseforkingfangirls MAIN DISCUSSION STARTS AT 38:00 fangirl teatime starts at: 2:08:00 Follow the visual show on our Youtube: http://youtube.com/@thoseforkingfangirls Preorder Christine's new book THIRTY, FLIRTY, & FOREVER ALONE: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1662532156 THE THIRTY FLIRTY AND FOREVER ALONE BOOK TOUR: Collingswood, New Jersey / Philly area - January 7th Kiss & Tale Romance Bookshop - 6pm in conversation with Hannah Nicole Maeher TICKETS: https://kisstalebookshop.com/events/3873820260107 Memphis, TN - January 9th Novel Memphis - 6pm in conversation with Kelsey Impicciche 387 Perkins Ext., Memphis, TN 38117 RSVP: https://novelmemphis.com/event/2026-01-09/christine-riccio-w-kelsey-impicciche-thirty-flirty-and-forever-alone Austin, TX - January 11th Lark & Owl Booksellers - 7pm 205 6th St Suite 101, Georgetown, TX 78626 TICKETS: https://www.larkandowlbooksellers.com/products/christine-riccio-author-event-thirty-flirty-and-forever-alone JANUARY - 14 - Culver City, CA The Ripped Bodice - 7pm in conversation with Olivie Blake/Alexene Farol Follmuth 3806 Main St, Culver City, CA 90232 TICKETS: https://www.therippedbodice.com/events-and-tickets Add Thirty Flirty & Forever Alone on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/230393104-thirty-flirty-and-forever-alone Check out Natasha's sewing classes: https://www.natashapolis.com/ Join our patron to get 10 dollars off the classes! Website: https://thoseforkingfangirls.com/ Email us feedback: thoseforkingfangirls@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thoseforkingfangirls/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/forkfangirlspod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thoseforkingfangirls Get Christine's novel Attached at the Hip: https://a.co/d/grmPeVy Check out the Selkie Collection and get 10% off your order with code TASHAPOLIS https://selkiecollection.com/collections/all
Full Text of ReadingsFriday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 489The Saint of the day is Saint DidacusSaint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media
In this upcoming episode of The Rumors Are True Podcast, host Jeremy Alan Gould welcomes Michael Williams, frontman of the legendary metal band The Agony Scene, and R.R. Williams for a deep, wide-ranging conversation about music, purpose, and personal evolution. The two guests open up about their early influences, the defining moments that shaped their creative identities, and the struggles that come with staying true to yourself in a constantly shifting music landscape.Michael shares stories from The Agony Scene's early days—how the band rose out of the Oklahoma metal and hardcore scene, the challenges of maintaining creative chemistry after years apart, and what it's been like to reconnect with fans who've grown alongside the band. R.R. Williams adds his own perspective on the underground community, discussing the emotional weight of performing, the grind of touring life, and the balance between ambition, art, and faith. Together, they reflect on how their personal experiences—on and off the stage—have shaped not only their sound but also their outlook on life.Throughout the episode, the conversation moves between laughter and honesty, touching on topics like burnout, reinvention, collaboration, and what it means to evolve without losing the spark that started it all. The guests also tease what's next—new creative projects, renewed energy, and a shared desire to keep pushing boundaries in their respective work.Authentic, passionate, and unfiltered, this episode captures the heart of what The Rumors Are True Podcast is all about: the real stories behind the music, told by the people who live it every day. Whether you're a die-hard fan of The Agony Scene, a musician searching for inspiration, or just someone who loves hearing about the grit and grace behind creativity, this conversation will leave you inspired and ready to turn the volume up.Produced by Wesley Hill @thebigwesArtwork by Jared Chase Bowser @jaredchasebowserMusic by Brian Jerin R.I.P.
Thirty-one-year-old Allison Feldman was found dead in her Scottsdale, Arizona home in 2015. Ten years later, after a slew of delays over DNA, a man is finally on trial for her murder. In Illinois, a man and his parents were convicted of murdering his ex-wife in the ‘90s. He says new DNA evidence could exonerate the whole family. Plus, a new documentary looks for answers in the 2014 case of missing 8-year-old Relisha Rudd. Find out more about the cases covered each week here: www.datelinetruecrimeweekly.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time by Mr. Rob Corzine. Ordinary Weekday First Reading: Romans 14: 7-12 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 27: 1bcde, 4, 13-14 Alleluia: Matthew 11: 28 Gospel: Luke 15: 1-10 Learn more about the Mass at www.stpaulcenter.com Join Dr. Shane Owens—Associate Professor of Theology at Franciscan University—together with Fr. Boniface Hicks, Alex Jones, Katie McGrady, and Heather Khym for our Advent Bible Across America study. Sign up to join the movement today at www.stpaulcenter.com/america
Full Text of ReadingsThursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 488The Saint of the day is Saint Nicholas Tavelic and CompanionsSaint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media
Thirty-one-year-old Allison Feldman was found dead in her Scottsdale, Arizona home in 2015. Ten years later, after a slew of delays over DNA, a man is finally on trial for her murder. In Illinois, a man and his parents were convicted of murdering his ex-wife in the ‘90s. He says new DNA evidence could exonerate the whole family. Plus, a new documentary looks for answers in the 2014 case of missing 8-year-old Relisha Rudd. Find out more about the cases covered each week here: www.datelinetruecrimeweekly.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time by Mr. Rob Corzine. Ordinary Weekday First Reading: Romans 14: 7-12 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 27: 1bcde, 4, 13-14 Alleluia: Matthew 11: 28 Gospel: Luke 15: 1-10 Learn more about the Mass at www.stpaulcenter.com Join Dr. Shane Owens—Associate Professor of Theology at Franciscan University—together with Fr. Boniface Hicks, Alex Jones, Katie McGrady, and Heather Khym for our Advent Bible Across America study. Sign up to join the movement today at www.stpaulcenter.com/america
Thirty-one people have been involved in a crash between a bus and a car in the Rotorua suburb of Owhata last night. Lauren Crimp reports.
Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary TimeLuke 15:1-10The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,"This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Wednesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time by Dr. John Bergsma. Ordinary Weekday First Reading: Romans 13: 8-10 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 112: 1b-2, 4-5, 9 Alleluia: First Peter 4: 14 Gospel: Luke 14: 25-33 Learn more about the Mass at www.stpaulcenter.com Join Dr. Shane Owens—Associate Professor of Theology at Franciscan University—together with Fr. Boniface Hicks, Alex Jones, Katie McGrady, and Heather Khym for our Advent Bible Across America study, beginning November 5. Sign up to join the movement today at www.stpaulcenter.com/america
Full Text of ReadingsWednesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 487The Saint of the day is Saint Peter ChrysologusSaint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media
When the #MeToo movement encouraged women to speak their truths, former nurse Stephanie Maley felt a deep stirring to finally release the story she had carried for decades—one shaped by abandonment, sexual abuse, and the quiet survival that followed.In this moving conversation with Lizbeth Meredith, Stephanie shares how writing her memoir No Longer That Girl: Retracing the Scars of the Past and Present became a pathway to healing and self‑forgiveness.Together, they explore the courage it takes to revisit childhood wounds, how COVID and isolation forced her to confront unresolved pain, and why sharing stories matters for every survivor who has been told to stay quiet.
The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Wednesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time by Dr. John Bergsma. Ordinary Weekday First Reading: Romans 13: 8-10 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 112: 1b-2, 4-5, 9 Alleluia: First Peter 4: 14 Gospel: Luke 14: 25-33 Learn more about the Mass at www.stpaulcenter.com Join Dr. Shane Owens—Associate Professor of Theology at Franciscan University—together with Fr. Boniface Hicks, Alex Jones, Katie McGrady, and Heather Khym for our Advent Bible Across America study, beginning November 5. Sign up to join the movement today at www.stpaulcenter.com/america
Wednesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary TimeLuke 14:25-33Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,and he turned and addressed them,"If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,wife and children, brothers and sisters,and even his own life,he cannot be my disciple.Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after mecannot be my disciple."
The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Tuesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time by Dr. Shane Owens. Charles Borromeo, Bishop Obligatory Memorial First Reading: Romans 12: 5-16ab Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 131: 1bcde, 2, 3 Alleluia: Matthew 11: 28 Gospel: Luke 14: 15-24 Learn more about the Mass at www.stpaulcenter.com Bible Across America is a new FREE Scripture study initiative that brings Catholics together to read and study God's Word from the heart of the Church. Join Dr. Shane Owens—Associate Professor of Theology at Franciscan University—together with Fr. Boniface Hicks, Alex Jones, Katie McGrady, and Heather Khym for our Advent Bible Across America study. Sign up to join the movement today at www.stpaulcenter.com/america
Thirty years ago this November, a brand new James Bond took the world by storm and he was played by Pierce Brosnan. Only eight years after the former television star of "Remington Steele" was initially set to take on the role but then couldn't because of unexpected issues with his former network, a man who seemed born to play 007 was finally able to take on the role. And this time around, Bond had a new actress playing his boss M, none other than Oscar-winner Dame Judi Dench. Not only that, but also some promising new villains played by Sean Bean (Fellowship of the Ring, The Martian, Game of Thrones) and Famke Janssen (X-Men, Rounders). AND a brand new director from New Zealand who cut his teeth on British television, Martin Campbell (The Mask of Zorro, Green Lantern, Casino Royale) helming his first big budget feature film for the first time. And everybody loved it? Let's head back to the mid '90's for the first post-Cold War reboot of one of the most enduring franchises in cinema history..... Host: Geoff GershonEdited By Ella GershonProducer: Marlene Gershon Send us a textSupport the showhttps://livingforthecinema.com/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Living-for-the-Cinema-Podcast-101167838847578Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/livingforthecinema/Letterboxd:https://letterboxd.com/Living4Cinema/
The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Tuesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time by Dr. Shane Owens. Charles Borromeo, Bishop Obligatory Memorial First Reading: Romans 12: 5-16ab Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 131: 1bcde, 2, 3 Alleluia: Matthew 11: 28 Gospel: Luke 14: 15-24 Learn more about the Mass at www.stpaulcenter.com Bible Across America is a new FREE Scripture study initiative that brings Catholics together to read and study God's Word from the heart of the Church. Join Dr. Shane Owens—Associate Professor of Theology at Franciscan University—together with Fr. Boniface Hicks, Alex Jones, Katie McGrady, and Heather Khym for our Advent Bible Across America study. Sign up to join the movement today at www.stpaulcenter.com/america
Thirty years after the first World Social Summit in Copenhagen, global leaders have reconvened in Doha to assess progress and chart a path forward on poverty eradication and social development.Over the past three decades, 1.5 billion people have been lifted out of poverty, and global life expectancy has increased by nearly seven years.However, significant challenges remain, with an estimated 800 million people still living in extreme poverty, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).Speaking on the role of the UN and on the actions that governments must take to make social development more resilient and sustainable, UNDP's acting administrator Haoling Xu underscored the importance of rebuilding global trust and solidarity.He spoke to UN News' Abdelmonem Makki following the political declaration adoption at the World Summit for Social Development on Tuesday.UN News continues to provide on-the-ground coverage from Doha.
The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Monday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time by Dr. Scott Hahn. Ordinary Weekday/ Martin De Porres, Religious First Reading: Romans 11: 29-36 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 69: 30-31, 33-34, 36 Alleluia: John 8: 31b-32 Gospel: Luke 14: 12-14 Learn more about the Mass at www.stpaulcenter.com
Full Text of ReadingsMonday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 485The Saint of the day is Saint Martin de PorresSaint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media
The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Monday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time by Dr. Scott Hahn. Ordinary Weekday/ Martin De Porres, Religious First Reading: Romans 11: 29-36 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 69: 30-31, 33-34, 36 Alleluia: John 8: 31b-32 Gospel: Luke 14: 12-14 Learn more about the Mass at www.stpaulcenter.com
Monday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary TimeLuke 14:12-14"Rather, when you hold a banquet,invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
In this episode, we take another dive into current human culture and explore...the news! Brynn Anderson and I take a look at some of the strange, wild, and unreal stories that have popped up on Earth's news feed recently. This episode features: The 3I/Atlas Comet, Thirty years of Exo-Planet Discovery, Strange Water from Space, Robotic Surrogate Mothers, Lab Grown Leather, AI Pregnancies, Memory Based Time Travel, and so much more... As we listen together we talk about each article.. Listen In!Brynn Anderson Bio:Life long lover of all things nature, Brynn Anderson has been studying herbs for over 27 years...Her natural mindset has led her to a life of herbology, and a life of teaching. She operates the company 'Vital Force Herbs' an organic herbalism company based in Portland, OR.All the products Brynn creates are made with ingredients grown in her own organic garden.Brynn's service is rooted in providing an outlet for the plant spirit to assist all life on Earth.www.vitalforceherbs.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 2717 - Vinnie Tortorich and Chris Shaffer welcome call-in guests to discuss addiction to sweets and when you lie to yourself about what affects you. https://vinnietortorich.com/2025/10/when-you-lie-to-yourself-episode-2717 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS Pure Vitamin Club Pure Coffee Club NSNG® Foods VILLA CAPPELLI EAT HAPPY KITCHEN YOU CAN WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE - @FitnessConfidential Podcast When You Lie to Yourself Jane is the first guest. (4:00) She discovered Vinnie when he was on the Mike Rowe show for the first time. She feels like her body has stalled, and Vinnie shares a suggestion. Thirty days no sugar. The focus needs to get away from the sweet addiction. Dave is the second call-in guest. (21:00) Dave lost his family business during the COVID lockdown. His work now requires delivery, and he gives Vinnie a shout-out for UltraSalt. (25:00) Dave shares his background and his question. (29:00) He's gotten off statins, but he still occasionally indulges in treats like chocolate and ice cream He understands what he's doing; however, Vinnie advises him that if he wants to continue losing weight, the treats have to occur less frequently than they currently do. (33:30) After having technical difficulties, Jane is back. (50:00) Vinnie advises her to stay away from anything sweet, including berries, for 30 days. The goal is to train her brain not to crave sweets. Jane is a member of the NSNG® VIP group and mentions that she is always learning new information and receiving support that she finds helpful. (52:30) If you are interested in the NSNG® VIP group, it will be reopening soon. But you can get on the wait list -https://vinnietortorich.com/vip/ More News If you are interested in the NSNG® VIP group, it will be reopening soon. But you can get on the wait list -https://vinnietortorich.com/vip/ Don't forget to check out Serena Scott Thomas on Days of Our Lives on the Peacock channel. "Dirty Keto" is available on Amazon! You can purchase or rent it here.https://amzn.to/4d9agj1 Please make sure to watch, rate, and review it! Eat Happy Italian, Anna's next cookbook, is available! You can go to https://eathappyitalian.com You can order it from Vinnie's Book Club. https://amzn.to/3ucIXm Anna's recipes are in her cookbooks, website, and Substack–they will spice up your day! https://annavocino.substack.com/ Don't forget you can invest in Anna's Eat Happy Kitchen through StartEngine. Details are at Eat Happy Kitchen. https://eathappykitchen.com/ PURCHASE DIRTY KETO (2024) The documentary launched in August 2024! Order it TODAY! This is Vinnie's fourth documentary in just over five years. Visit my new Documentaries HQ to find my films everywhere: https://vinnietortorich.com/documentaries Then, please share my fact-based, health-focused documentary series with your friends and family. Additionally, the more views it receives, the better it ranks, so please watch it again with a new friend! REVIEWS: Please submit your REVIEW after you watch my films. Your positive REVIEW does matter! PURCHASE BEYOND IMPOSSIBLE (2022) Visit my new Documentaries HQ to find my films everywhere: https://vinnietortorich.com/documentaries REVIEWS: Please submit your REVIEW after you watch my films. Your positive REVIEW does matter! FAT: A DOCUMENTARY 2 (2021) Visit my new Documentaries HQ to find my films everywhere: https://vinnietortorich.com/documentaries FAT: A DOCUMENTARY (2019) Visit my new Documentaries HQ to find my films everywhere: https://vinnietortorich.com/documentaries
Bridge Method: Build Your Dream Life Without Burning Everything Down October 31, 2025 | Episode 5215 Host: Scott Smith Episode Description Ever feel stuck where you are but terrified to make a move because you might lose everything? You're not alone. Scott's seen it happen too many times. People so desperate to build their dream life that they torch their current one. Credit cards maxed out. Relationships destroyed. All because they didn't have a plan. The Bridge Method changes that. It's about getting from here to there without burning down your house in the process. Scott breaks down the three foundations you need before you make any big move. And yeah, the first one isn't sexy at all. But it's the only way this works. What happened when he stood at the Hoover Dam in 2008 changed how he coaches forever. Featured Story You ever been so ready to change something that you'd do anything to make it happen? Scott's had clients lie straight to his face about it. They want the coaching. They want the change. So they say everything's fine financially. Then six months later? Thirty grand in credit card debt. All to pay for something that was supposed to make their life better. That's when it hit him. Standing at the Hoover Dam years ago, watching them build a bridge across that massive gap. Two solid foundations on either side. And a carefully constructed span connecting them. Your life works the same way. You can't just leap across the canyon and hope you make it. You need foundations. You need a plan. You need to build the bridge first. Important Points Why building a "peaceful base" where you are right now is the unsexy first step that prevents you from crashing everything later. The nursing career story that shows how to map your future foundation before you quit your current job or go into debt for change. Why most people spend all their time dreaming about the future or stressing about today but never build the actual bridge between them. Memorable Quotes "I have seen a lot of folks so anxious to go someplace else and do something else that they crash everything today to get there." "We need to build a foundation for where you are today. Your foundation is a peaceful base." "You're going to do this anyway. You're from here and you're going to go there. In between, you got to figure out how to get there. Scott's Three-Step Approach 1. Fortify your current foundation first—take away the stress, make sure you can pay your bills, get your goals aligned, and create a peaceful base before you try to go anywhere. 2. Define your future foundation clearly—know exactly what it's going to take to get there (certifications, training, costs, timeline) so you're building toward something specific. 3. Build the bridge span with a realistic plan—map out how you'll pay for it, how long it will take, and the hundred little things you need to figure out without messing up your peaceful base. Chapters 00:00 Why Scott's Wife Gets More Instagram Likes Than He Does 01:29 The Bridge Method Origin Story at Hoover Dam 04:32 Step One: Build Your Peaceful Base First 05:27 Step Two: Design Your Future Foundation 09:13 Step Three: Cross the Bridge Without Falling Off Connect With Me Search for The Daily Boost on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Email: support@motivationtomove.com Main Website: https://motivationtomove.com YouTube: https://youtube.com/dailyboostpodcast Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/motivationtomove Facebook Group: https://dailyboostpodcast.com/facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Christine Riccio & Natasha Polis talk all things nerdy in the book, tv, movie, pop culture, fandoms, and how they integrate into their adult lives. Today's they're talking HALLOWEEN and how their perspective on it has shifted now that cosplay is a big part of their lives. Today they have special guest and professional cosplay queen Lauren Does Cosplay!! They chat Halloweens past, cosplay triumphs, plus they discuss Star Wars news, Fallout, the new Bruce Springsteen movie, Die My Love, and more! Today in Fangirl Tea Time: Join Christine and Natasha for more stories about their recent life escapades. Support the pod by joining the Forking Fangirls Patreon community: http://patreon.com/thoseforkingfangirls MAIN DISCUSSION STARTS AT 57:46 fangirl teatime starts at: 1:48:30 Follow the visual show on our Youtube: http://youtube.com/@thoseforkingfangirls FIND LAUREN ON THE INTERWEBS: TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauren.does.cosplay?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurendoescosplay/ Preorder Christine's new book THIRTY, FLIRTY, & FOREVER ALONE: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1662532156 THE THIRTY FLIRTY AND FOREVER ALONE BOOK TOUR: NYC - JANUARY 6TH *buffering* Collingswood, New Jersey / Philly area - January 7th Kiss & Tale Romance Bookshop - 6pm in conversation with Hannah Nicole Maeher TICKETS: https://kisstalebookshop.com/events/3873820260107 Memphis, TN - January 9th Novel Memphis - 6pm in conversation with Kelsey Impicciche 387 Perkins Ext., Memphis, TN 38117 RSVP: https://novelmemphis.com/event/2026-01-09/christine-riccio-w-kelsey-impicciche-thirty-flirty-and-forever-alone Austin, TX - January 11th Lark & Owl Booksellers - 7pm 205 6th St Suite 101, Georgetown, TX 78626 TICKETS: https://www.larkandowlbooksellers.com/products/christine-riccio-author-event-thirty-flirty-and-forever-alone JANUARY - 14 - Culver City, CA The Ripped Bodice - 7pm in conversation with Olivie Blake/Alexene Farol Follmuth 3806 Main St, Culver City, CA 90232 TICKETS: https://www.therippedbodice.com/events-and-tickets Add Thirty Flirty & Forever Alone on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/230393104-thirty-flirty-and-forever-alone Check out Natasha's sewing classes: https://www.natashapolis.com/ Join our patron to get 10 dollars off the classes! Website: https://thoseforkingfangirls.com/ Email us feedback: thoseforkingfangirls@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thoseforkingfangirls/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/forkfangirlspod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thoseforkingfangirls Get Christine's novel Attached at the Hip: https://a.co/d/grmPeVy Check out the Selkie Collection and get 10% off your order with code TASHAPOLIS https://selkiecollection.com/collections/all
In this podcast episode, host Michelle Frechette chats with developer Mark Westguard about the new Image Roulette plugin, which randomizes images on WordPress sites while keeping alt text and captions for accessibility. The plugin was inspired by Michelle's need to display randomized Speed Networking conversation cards.They demonstrate how it works, discuss potential eCommerce uses, and share experiences using AI tools like Claude to speed up development. The episode also highlights collaboration, creativity, and fun within the WordPress community.Top Takeaways:Image Roulette Plugin: Michelle's accessibility challenge inspired Mark to create a plugin that randomizes images while preserving alt text and captions. Within hours, he developed a fully functional prototype that later became a public WordPress plugin.Accessibility at the Core: The plugin automatically uses each image's existing media library fields (alt text, title, caption), ensuring accessibility is built-in rather than an afterthought — aligning with WordPress's broader emphasis on inclusive design.Simplicity and Versatility: Image Roulette works via both a Gutenberg block and a shortcode, making it compatible with different site builders. It's ideal not only for random prompts but also for creative and commercial applications, such as eCommerce product showcases.Mentioned In The Show:MooImage RouletteInsta WPClaudeCursorAngieWP World
SCRIPTWRITING TALK AND MORE! Welcome To Plotpoints Podcast! Mark Sevi Show Notes October 31, 2025 Episode #321 This is Plotpoints Podcast! www.plotpoints.com With Co-Host Christopher Stires GO HERE FOR INFO ON SCRIPTWRITING CLASSES and SEMINARS SHAMELESS PROMOS: Final Draft – Articles by Mark Sevi for Final Draft and JUST RELEASED! CURIOUS? CONFUSED? CONFOUNDED? Scriptwriting can be all that and more. Thankfully, there are ways to make the process of putting a script together easier. This book is one of those tools. Thirty years of professional writing experience has gone into making the writing of a script direct and simpler. Professional writer and writing teacher Mark Sevi presents a step-by-step way to get started and finish your script. On Amazon, Ebook or Paperback
Charlie never went to college, but that didn’t mean he hated education. Hillsdale’s Larry Arnn talks about Charlie’s lifelong pursuit of knowledge and true wisdom that went far beyond the classroom. Plus, what should Gen Z know about Venezuela and the East Wing of the White House? Thirty-something Blake fields the queries of the show’s twenty-something cast members Daisy and Danny.Support the show: http://www.charliekirk.com/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode 1 - Judas - "Villains of the Early Church: And How They Made Us Better Christians" In this episode, Mike Aquilina and Kris McGregor discuss the "mystery of Judas." An excerpt from Villains of the Early Church: What happened to Judas? Was it simple greed that snapped him? That seems unlikely. Thirty pieces of silver was a good bit of money, but Judas was doing all right with his embezzling racket. The Gospels don't tell us his motivation most likely because their writers just didn't know. It was a mystery to them as it is to us. And a lot of the Christian legends that later grew up about Judas seem like popular attempts to psychoanalyze him. Judas was also present for the Last Supper, having a miserable time as Jesus told the disciples that one of them would betray him: “The Son of man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born” (Matthew 26:24). John tells us that the disciple whom Jesus loved—John himself—asked Jesus who the betrayer would be. “It is he to whom I shall give this morsel when I have dipped it,” Jesus responded, and then dipped the morsel and handed it to Judas. Yet the others still didn't understand what Jesus meant when he said to Judas, “What you are going to do, do quickly” (John 13:26–27). Was he sending Judas out to buy more food? Or to make a donation to the poor from the money box? “So, after receiving the morsel, he immediately went out,” John says, adding the significant detail “and it was night.” Judas walked out of the Last Supper and into the very symbolic darkness (John 13:30). But he knew where to look for Jesus when he came with the police. Judas and the rest of the disciples had often been with Jesus in that pleasant park across the Kidron Valley, the garden of Gethsemane (see John 18:2; Mark 14:32). That was where Judas led the soldiers to arrest Jesus. The post VEC1 – Judas – Villains of the Early Church with Mike Aquilina – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.
Text usOn Night 30 of the Anthology of Horror Halloween Special, we exhume something ancient, something sealed away for a reason. Written by Tenac, “The Black Sarcophagus” drags listeners into the world of cursed relics, buried secrets, and the arrogance of those who disturb the dead. Inspired by the pulpy charm of old adventure-horror tales and the timeless dread of what lies beneath the sand, this story reminds us that some doors were never meant to be opened.Thirty nights deep into the Halloween special, the line between fascination and fear grows thinner than ever—and what's found inside The Black Sarcophagus may be better left forgotten.Credits:Story: “The Black Sarcophagus” by TenacNarration: Spring Heeled Jack (Anthony Landis)Produced by: Mickie EberzMusic by: EmpressClosing Song: “Wayfaring Stranger” (Traditional, performed by Empress)Support the showDemented Darkness https://open.spotify.com/show/2ausD083OiTmVycCKpapQ8Dark Side of the Nerd https://open.spotify.com/show/6cwN3N3iifSVbddNRsXRTuFoxhound43 https://rumble.com/user/Foxhound43
Welcome to Original Jurisdiction, the latest legal publication by me, David Lat. You can learn more about Original Jurisdiction by reading its About page, and you can email me at davidlat@substack.com. This is a reader-supported publication; you can subscribe by clicking here.Yesterday, Southern California Edison (SCE), the utility whose power lines may have started the devastating Eaton Fire, announced its Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program. Under the program, people affected by the fire can receive hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in compensation, in a matter of months rather than years—but in exchange, they must give up their right to sue.It should come as no surprise that SCE, in designing the program, sought the help of Kenneth Feinberg. For more than 40 years, often in the wake of tragedy or disaster, Feinberg has helped mediate and resolve seemingly intractable crises. He's most well-known for how he and his colleague Camille Biros designed and administered the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. But he has worked on many other headline-making matters over the years, including the Agent Orange product liability litigation, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Trust, the multidistrict litigation involving Monsanto's Roundup weed killer—and now, of course, the Eaton Fire.How did Ken develop such a fascinating and unique practice? What is the most difficult aspect of administering these giant compensation funds? Do these funds represent the wave of the future, as an alternative to (increasingly expensive) litigation? Having just turned 80, does he have any plans to retire?Last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ken—the day after his 80th birthday—and we covered all these topics. The result is what I found to be one of the most moving conversations I've ever had on this podcast.Thanks to Ken Feinberg for joining me—and, of course, for his many years of service as America's go-to mediator in times of crisis.Show Notes:* Kenneth Feinberg bio, Wikipedia* Kenneth Feinberg profile, Chambers and Partners* L.A. Fire Victims Face a Choice, by Jill Cowan for The New York TimesPrefer reading to listening? For paid subscribers, a transcript of the entire episode appears below.Sponsored by:NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com.Three quick notes about this transcript. First, it has been cleaned up from the audio in ways that don't alter substance—e.g., by deleting verbal filler or adding a word here or there to clarify meaning. Second, my interviewee has not reviewed this transcript, and any errors are mine. Third, because of length constraints, this newsletter may be truncated in email; to view the entire post, simply click on “View entire message” in your email app.David Lat: Welcome to the Original Jurisdiction podcast. I'm your host, David Lat, author of a Substack newsletter about law and the legal profession also named Original Jurisdiction, which you can read and subscribe to at davidlat.substack.com. You're listening to the eighty-fourth episode of this podcast, recorded on Friday, October 24.Thanks to this podcast's sponsor, NexFirm. NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com. Want to know who the guest will be for the next Original Jurisdiction podcast? Follow NexFirm on LinkedIn for a preview.I like to think that I've produced some good podcast episodes over the past three-plus years, but I feel that this latest one is a standout. I'm hard-pressed to think of an interview that was more emotionally affecting to me than what you're about to hear.Kenneth Feinberg is a leading figure in the world of mediation and alternative dispute resolution. He is most well-known for having served as special master of the U.S. government's September 11th Victim Compensation Fund—and for me, as someone who was in New York City on September 11, I found his discussion of that work profoundly moving. But he has handled many major matters over the years, such as the Agent Orange product liability litigation to the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster Victim Compensation Fund. And he's working right now on a matter that's in the headlines: the California wildfires. Ken has been hired by Southern California Edison to help design a compensation program for victims of the 2025 Eaton fire. Ken has written about his fascinating work in two books: What Is Life Worth?: The Unprecedented Effort to Compensate the Victims of 9/11 and Who Gets What: Fair Compensation after Tragedy and Financial Upheaval. Without further ado, here's my conversation with Ken Feinberg.Ken, thank you so much for joining me.Ken Feinberg: Thank you very much; it's an honor to be here.DL: We are recording this shortly after your 80th birthday, so happy birthday!KF: Thank you very much.DL: Let's go back to your birth; let's start at the beginning. You grew up in Massachusetts, I believe.KF: That's right: Brockton, Massachusetts, about 20 miles south of Boston.DL: Your parents weren't lawyers. Tell us about what they did.KF: My parents were blue-collar workers from Massachusetts, second-generation immigrants. My father ran a wholesale tire distributorship, my mother was a bookkeeper, and we grew up in the 1940s and ‘50s, even the early ‘60s, in a town where there was great optimism, a very vibrant Jewish community, three different synagogues, a very optimistic time in American history—post-World War II, pre-Vietnam, and a time when communitarianism, working together to advance the collective good, was a prominent characteristic of Brockton, and most of the country, during the time that I was in elementary school and high school in Brockton.DL: Did the time in which you grow up shape or influence your decision to go into law?KF: Yes. More than law—the time growing up had a great impact on my decision to give back to the community from which I came. You've got to remember, when I was a teenager, the president of the United States was John F. Kennedy, and I'll never forget because it had a tremendous impact on me—President Kennedy reminding everybody that public service is a noble undertaking, government is not a dirty word, and especially his famous quote (or one of his many quotes), “Every individual can make a difference.” I never forgot that, and it had a personal impact on me and has had an impact on me throughout my life. [Ed. note: The quotation generally attributed to JFK is, “One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.” Whether he actually said these exact words is unclear, but it's certainly consistent with many other sentiments he expressed throughout his life.]DL: When you went to college at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, what did you study?KF: I studied history and political science. I was very interested in how individuals over the centuries change history, the theory of historians that great individuals articulate history and drive it in a certain direction—for good, like President Kennedy or Abraham Lincoln or George Washington, or for ill, like Adolf Hitler or Mussolini. And so it was history that I really delved into in my undergraduate years.DL: What led you then to turn to law school?KF: I always enjoyed acting on the stage—theater, comedies, musicals, dramas—and at the University of Massachusetts, I did quite a bit of that. In my senior year, I anticipated going to drama school at Yale, or some other academic master's program in theater. My father gave me very good advice. He said, “Ken, most actors end up waiting on restaurant tables in Manhattan, waiting for a big break that never comes. Why don't you turn your skills on the stage to a career in the courtroom, in litigation, talking to juries and convincing judges?” That was very sound advice from my father, and I ended up attending NYU Law School and having a career in the law.DL: Yes—and you recount that story in your book, and I just love that. It's really interesting to hear what parents think of our careers. But anyway, you did very well in law school, you were on the law review, and then your first job out of law school was something that we might expect out of someone who did well in law school.KF: Yes. I was a law clerk to the chief judge of New York State, Stanley Fuld, a very famous state jurist, and he had his chambers in New York City. For one week, every six or seven weeks, we would go to the state capitol in Albany to hear cases, and it was Judge Fuld who was my transition from law school to the practice of law.DL: I view clerking as a form of government service—and then you continued in service after that.KF: That's right. Remembering what my father had suggested, I then turned my attention to the courtroom and became an assistant United States attorney, a federal prosecutor, in New York City. I served as a prosecutor and as a trial lawyer for a little over three years. And then I had a wonderful opportunity to go to work for Senator Ted Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington and stayed with him for about five years.DL: You talk about this also in your books—you worked on a pretty diverse range of issues for the senator, right?KF: That's right. For the first three years I worked on his staff on the Senate Judiciary Committee, with some excellent colleagues—soon-to-be Supreme Court justice Stephen Breyer was with me, noted litigator David Boies was in the office—and for the first three years, it was law-related issues. Then in 1978, Senator Kennedy asked me to be his chief of staff, and once I went over and became his chief of staff, the issues of course mushroomed. He was running for president, so there were issues of education, health, international relations—a wide diversity of issues, very broad-based.DL: I recall that you didn't love the chief of staff's duties.KF: No. Operations or administration was not my priority. I loved substance, issues—whatever the issues were, trying to work out legislative compromises, trying to give back something in the way of legislation to the people. And internal operations and administration, I quickly discovered, was not my forte. It was not something that excited me.DL: Although it's interesting: what you are most well-known for is overseeing and administering these large funds and compensating victims of these horrific tragedies, and there's a huge amount of administration involved in that.KF: Yes, but I'm a very good delegator. In fact, if you look at the track record of my career in designing and administering these programs—9/11 or the Deepwater Horizon oil spill or the Patriots' Day Marathon bombings in Boston—I was indeed fortunate in all of those matters to have at my side, for over 40 years, Camille Biros. She's not a lawyer, but she's the nation's expert on designing, administering, and operating these programs, and as you delve into what I've done and haven't done, her expertise has been invaluable.DL: I would call Camille your secret weapon, except she's not secret. She's been profiled in The New York Times, and she's a well-known figure in her own right.KF: That is correct. She was just in the last few months named one of the 50 Women Over 50 that have had such an impact in the country—that list by Forbes that comes out every year. She's prominently featured in that magazine.DL: Shifting back to your career, where did you go after your time in the Senate?KF: I opened up a Washington office for a prominent New York law firm, and for the next decade or more, that was the center of my professional activity.DL: So that was Kaye Scholer, now Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer. What led you to go from your career in the public sector, where you spent a number of your years right out of law school, into so-called Biglaw?KF: Practicality and financial considerations. I had worked for over a decade in public service. I now had a wife, I had three young children, and it was time to give them financial security. And “Biglaw,” as you put it—Biglaw in Washington was lucrative, and it was something that gave me a financial base from which I could try and expand my different interests professionally. And that was the reason that for about 12 years I was in private practice for a major firm, Kaye Scholer.DL: And then tell us what happened next.KF: A great lesson in not planning too far ahead. In 1984, I got a call from a former clerk of Judge Fuld whom I knew from the clerk network: Judge Jack Weinstein, a nationally recognized jurist from Brooklyn, the Eastern District, and a federal judge. He had on his docket the Vietnam veterans' Agent Orange class action.You may recall that there were about 250,000 Vietnam veterans who came home claiming illness or injury or death due to the herbicide Agent Orange, which had been dropped by the U.S. Air Force in Vietnam to burn the foliage and vegetation where the Viet Cong enemy might be hiding. Those Vietnam veterans came home suffering terrible diseases, including cancer and chloracne (a sort of acne on the skin), and they brought a lawsuit. Judge Weinstein had the case. Weinstein realized that if that case went to trial, it could be 10 years before there'd be a result, with appeals and all of that.So he appointed me as mediator, called the “special master,” whose job it was to try and settle the case, all as a mediator. Well, after eight weeks of trying, we were successful. There was a master settlement totaling about $250 million—at the time, one of the largest tort verdicts in history. And that one case, front-page news around the nation, set me on a different track. Instead of remaining a Washington lawyer involved in regulatory and legislative matters, I became a mediator, an individual retained by the courts or by the parties to help resolve a case. And that was the beginning. That one Agent Orange case transformed my entire professional career and moved me in a different direction completely.DL: So you knew the late Judge Weinstein through Fuld alumni circles. What background did you have in mediation already, before you handled this gigantic case?KF: None. I told Judge Weinstein, “Judge, I never took a course in mediation at law school (there wasn't one then), and I don't know anything about bringing the parties together, trying to get them to settle.” He said, “I know you. I know your background. I've followed your career. You worked for Senator Kennedy. You are the perfect person.” And until the day I die, I'm beholden to Judge Weinstein for having faith in me to take this on.DL: And over the years, you actually worked on a number of matters at the request of Judge Weinstein.KF: A dozen. I worked on tobacco cases, on asbestos cases, on drug and medical device cases. I even worked for Judge Weinstein mediating the closing of the Shoreham nuclear plant on Long Island. I handled a wide range of cases where he called on me to act as his court-appointed mediator to resolve cases on his docket.DL: You've carved out a very unique and fascinating niche within the law, and I'm guessing that most people who meet you nowadays know who you are. But say you're in a foreign country or something, and some total stranger is chatting with you and asks what you do for a living. What would you say?KF: I would say I'm a lawyer, and I specialize in dispute resolution. It might be mediation, it might be arbitration, or it might even be negotiation, where somebody asks me to negotiate on their behalf. So I just tell people there is a growing field of law in the United States called ADR—alternative dispute resolution—and that it is, as you say, David, my niche, my focus when called upon.DL: And I think it's fair to say that you're one of the founding people in this field or early pioneers—or I don't know how you would describe it.KF: I think that's right. When I began with Agent Orange, there was no mediation to speak of. It certainly wasn't institutionalized; it wasn't streamlined. Today, in 2025, the American Bar Association has a special section on alternative dispute resolution, it's taught in every law school in the United States, there are thousands of mediators and arbitrators, and it's become a major leg in law school of different disciplines and specialties.DL: One question I often ask my guests is, “What is the matter you are most proud of?” Another question I often ask my guests is, “What is the hardest matter you've ever had to deal with?” Another question I often ask my guests is, “What is the matter that you're most well-known for?” And I feel in your case, the same matter is responsive to all three of those questions.KF: That's correct. The most difficult, the most challenging, the most rewarding matter, the one that's given me the most exposure, was the federal September 11 Victim Compensation Fund of 2001, when I was appointed by President George W. Bush and Attorney General John Ashcroft to implement, design, and administer a very unique federal law that had been enacted right after 9/11.DL: I got chills as you were just even stating that, very factually, because I was in New York on 9/11, and a lot of us remember the trauma and difficulty of that time. And you basically had to live with that and talk to hundreds, even thousands, of people—survivors, family members—for almost three years. And you did it pro bono. So let me ask you this: what were you thinking?KF: What triggered my interest was the law itself. Thirteen days after the attacks, Congress passed this law, unique in American history, setting up a no-fault administrator compensation system. Don't go to court. Those who volunteer—families of the dead, those who were physically injured at the World Trade Center or the Pentagon—you can voluntarily seek compensation from a taxpayer-funded law. Now, if you don't want it, you don't have to go. It's a voluntary program.The key will be whether the special master or the administrator will be able to convince people that it is a better avenue to pursue than a long, delayed, uncertain lawsuit. And based on my previous experience for the last 15 years, starting with Agent Orange and asbestos and these other tragedies, I volunteered. I went to Senator Kennedy and said, “What about this?” He said, “Leave it to me.” He called President Bush. He knew Attorney General John Ashcroft, who was his former colleague in the U.S. Senate, and he had great admiration for Senator Ashcroft. And so I was invited by the attorney general for an interview, and I told him I was interested. I told him I would only do it pro bono. You can't get paid for a job like this; it's patriotism. And he said, “Go for it.” And he turned out to be my biggest, strongest ally during the 33 months of the program.DL: Are you the managing partner of a boutique or midsize firm? If so, you know that your most important job is attracting and retaining top talent. It's not easy, especially if your benefits don't match up well with those of Biglaw firms or if your HR process feels “small time.” NexFirm has created an onboarding and benefits experience that rivals an Am Law 100 firm, so you can compete for the best talent at a price your firm can afford. Want to learn more? Contact NexFirm at 212-292-1002 or email betterbenefits@nexfirm.com.You talk about this in your books: you were recommended by a very prominent Democratic politician, and the administration at the time was Republican. George W. Bush was president, and John Ashcroft was the attorney general. Why wouldn't they have picked a Republican for this project?KF: Very good question. Senator Kennedy told both of them, “You better be careful here. This is a very, very uncertain program, with taxpayer money used to pay only certain victims. This could be a disaster. And you would be well-advised to pick someone who is not a prominent friend of yours, who is not perceived as just a Republican arm of the Justice Department or the White House. And I've got the perfect person. You couldn't pick a more opposite politician than my former chief of staff, Ken Feinberg. But look at what he's done.” And I think to Senator Kennedy's credit, and certainly to President Bush and to John Ashcroft's, they selected me.DL: As you would expect with a program of this size and complexity, there was controversy and certainly criticism over the years. But overall, looking back, I think people regard it widely as a huge success. Do you have a sense or an estimate of what percentage of people in the position to accept settlements through the program did that, rather than litigate? Because in accepting funds from the program, they did waive their right to bring all sorts of lawsuits.KF: That's correct. If you look at the statistics, if the statistics are a barometer of success, 5,300 applicants were eligible, because of death—about 2,950, somewhere in there—and the remaining claims were for physical injury. Of the 5,300, 97 percent voluntarily accepted the compensation. Only 94 people, 3 percent, opted out, and they all settled their cases five years later. There was never a trial on who was responsible in the law for 9/11. So if statistics are an indication—and I think they are a good indication—the program was a stunning success in accomplishing Congress's objective, which was diverting people voluntarily out of the court system.DL: Absolutely. And that's just a striking statistic. It was really successful in getting funds to families that needed it. They had lost breadwinners; they had lost loved ones. It was hugely successful, and it did not take a decade, as some of these cases involving just thousands of victims often do.I was struck by one thing you just said. You mentioned there was really no trial. And in reading your accounts of your work on this, it seemed almost like people viewed talking to you and your colleagues, Camille and others on this—I think they almost viewed that as their opportunity to be heard, since there wasn't a trial where they would get to testify.KF: That's correct. The primary reason for the success of the 9/11 Fund, and a valuable lesson for me thereafter, was this: give victims the opportunity to be heard, not only in public town-hall meetings where collectively people can vent, but in private, with doors closed. It's just the victim and Feinberg or his designee, Camille. We were the face of the government here. You can't get a meeting with the secretary of defense or the attorney general, the head of the Department of Justice. What you can get is an opportunity behind closed doors to express your anger, your frustration, your disappointment, your sense of uncertainty, with the government official responsible for cutting the checks. And that had an enormous difference in assuring the success of the program.DL: What would you say was the hardest aspect of your work on the Fund?KF: The hardest part of the 9/11 Fund, which I'll never recover from, was not calculating the value of a life. Judges and juries do that every day, David, in every court, in New Jersey and 49 other states. That is not a difficult assignment. What would the victim have earned over a work life? Add something for pain and suffering and emotional distress, and there's your check.The hardest part in any of these funds, starting with 9/11—the most difficult aspect, the challenge—is empathy, and your willingness to sit for over 900 separate hearings, me alone with family members or victims, to hear what they want to tell you, and to make that meeting, from their perspective, worthwhile and constructive. That's the hard part.DL: Did you find it sometimes difficult to remain emotionally composed? Or did you, after a while, develop a sort of thick skin?KF: You remain composed. You are a professional. You have a job to do, for the president of the United States. You can't start wailing and crying in the presence of somebody who was also wailing and crying, so you have to compose yourself. But I tell people who say, “Could I do what you did?” I say, “Sure. There are plenty of people in this country that can do what I did—if you can brace yourself for the emotional trauma that comes with meeting with victim after victim after victim and hearing their stories, which are...” You can't make them up. They're so heart-wrenching and so tragic.I'll give you one example. A lady came to see me, 26 years old, sobbing—one of hundreds of people I met with. “Mr. Feinberg, I lost my husband. He was a fireman at the World Trade Center. He died on 9/11. And he left me with our two children, six and four. Now, Mr. Feinberg, you've calculated and told me I'm going to receive $2.4 million, tax-free, from this 9/11 Fund. I want it in 30 days.”I said to Mrs. Jones, “This is public, taxpayer money. We have to go down to the U.S. Treasury. They've got to cut the checks; they've got to dot all the i's and cross all the t's. It may be 60 days or 90 days, but you'll get your money.”“No. Thirty days.”I said, “Mrs. Jones, why do you need the money in 30 days?”She said, “Why? I'll tell you why, Mr. Feinberg. I have terminal cancer. I have 10 weeks to live. My husband was going to survive me and take care of our two children. Now they're going to be orphans. I have got to get this money, find a guardian, make sure the money's safe, prepare for the kids' schooling. I don't have a lot of time. I need your help.”Well, we ran down to the U.S. Treasury and helped process the check in record time. We got her the money in 30 days—and eight weeks later, she died. Now when you hear story after story like this, you get some indication of the emotional pressure that builds and is debilitating, frankly. And we managed to get through it.DL: Wow. I got a little choked up just even hearing you tell that. Wow—I really don't know what to say.When you were working on the 9/11 Fund, did you have time for any other matters, or was this pretty much exclusively what you were working on for the 33 months?KF: Professionally, it was exclusive. Now what I did was, I stayed in my law firm, so I had a living. Other people in the firm were generating income for the firm; I wasn't on the dole. But it was exclusive. During the day, you are swamped with these individual requests, decisions that have to be made, checks that have to be cut. At night, I escaped: opera, orchestral concerts, chamber music, art museums—the height of civilization. During the day, in the depths of horror of civilization; at night, an escape, an opportunity to just enjoy the benefits of civilization. You better have a loving family, as I did, that stands behind you—because you never get over it, really.DL: That's such an important lesson, to actually have that time—because if you wanted to, you could have worked on this 24/7. But it is important to have some time to just clear your head or spend time with your family, especially just given what you were dealing with day-to-day.KF: That's right. And of course, during the day, we made a point of that as well. If we were holding hearings like the one I just explained, we'd take a one-hour break, go for a walk, go into Central Park or into downtown Washington, buy an ice cream cone, see the kids playing in playgrounds and laughing. You've got to let the steam out of the pressure cooker, or it'll kill you. And that was the most difficult part of the whole program. In all of these programs, that's the common denominator: emotional stress and unhappiness on the part of the victims.DL: One last question, before we turn to some other matters. There was also a very large logistical apparatus associated with this, right? For example, PricewaterhouseCoopers. It wasn't just you and Camille trying to deal with these thousands of survivors and claimants; you did have support.KF: That's right. Pricewaterhouse won the bid at the Justice Department. This is public: Pricewaterhouse, for something like around $100 million, put 450 people to work with us to help us process claims, appraise values, do the research. Pricewaterhouse was a tremendous ally and has gone on, since 9/11, to handle claims design and claims administration, as one of its many specialties. Emily Kent, Chuck Hacker, people like that we worked with for years, very much experts in these areas.DL: So after your work on the 9/11 Fund, you've worked on a number of these types of matters. Is there one that you would say ranks second in terms of complexity or difficulty or meaningfulness to you?KF: Yes. Deepwater Horizon in 2011, 2012—that oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico blew up and killed about, I don't know, 15 to 20 people in the explosion. But the real challenge in that program was how we received, in 16 months, about 1,250,000 claims for business interruption, business losses, property damage. We received over a million claims from 50 states. I think we got probably a dozen claims from New Jersey; I didn't know the oil had gotten to New Jersey. We received claims from 35 foreign countries. And the sheer volume of the disaster overwhelmed us. We had, at one point, something like 40,000 people—vendors—working for us. We had 35 offices throughout the Gulf of Mexico, from Galveston, Texas, all the way to Mobile Bay, Alabama. Nevertheless, in 16 months, on behalf of BP, Deepwater Horizon, we paid out all BP money, a little over $7 billion, to 550,000 eligible claimants. And that, I would say, other than 9/11, had the greatest impact and was the most satisfying.DL: You mentioned some claims coming from some pretty far-flung jurisdictions. In these programs, how much of a problem is fraud?KF: Not much. First of all, with death claims like 9/11 or the Boston Marathon bombings or the 20 first-graders who died in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, at the hands of a deranged gunmen—most of the time, in traumatic death and injury, you've got records. No one can beat the system; you have to have a death certificate. In 9/11, where are your military records, if you were at the Pentagon? Where are the airplane manifests? You've got to be on the manifest if you were flying on that plane.Now, the problem becomes more pronounced in something like BP, where you've got over a million claims, and you wonder, how many people can claim injury from this explosion? There we had an anti-fraud unit—Guidepost, Bart Schwartz's company—and they did a tremendous job of spot-checking claims. I think that out of over a million claims, there may have been 25,000 that were suspicious. And we sent those claims to the Justice Department, and they prosecuted a fair number of people. But it wasn't a huge problem. I think the fraud rate was something like 3 percent; that's nothing. So overall, we haven't found—and we have to be ever-vigilant, you're right—but we haven't found much in the way of fraud.DL: I'm glad to hear that, because it would really be very depressing to think that there were people trying to profiteer off these terrible disasters and tragedies. Speaking of continuing disasters and tragedies, turning to current events, you are now working with Southern California Edison in dealing with claims related to the Eaton Fire. And this is a pending matter, so of course you may have some limits in terms of what you can discuss, but what can you say in a general sense about this undertaking?KF: This is the Los Angeles wildfires that everybody knows about, from the last nine or ten months—the tremendous fire damage in Los Angeles. One of the fires, or one of the selected hubs of the fire, was the Eaton Fire. Southern California Edison, the utility involved in the litigation and finger-pointing, decided to set up, à la 9/11, a voluntary claims program. Not so much to deal with death—there were about 19 deaths, and a handful of physical injuries—but terrible fire damage, destroyed homes, damaged businesses, smoke and ash and soot, for miles in every direction. And the utility decided, its executive decided, “We want to do the right thing here. We may be held liable or we may not be held liable for the fire, but we think the right thing to do is nip in the bud this idea of extended litigation. Look at 9/11: only 94 people ended up suing. We want to set up a program.”They came to Camille and me. Over the last eight weeks, we've designed the program, and I think in the last week of October or the first week of November, you will see publicly, “Here is the protocol; here is the claim form. Please submit your claims, and we'll get them paid within 90 days.” And if history is an indicator, Camille and I think that the Eaton Fire Protocol will be a success, and the great bulk of the thousands of victims will voluntarily decide to come into the program. We'll see. [Ed. note: On Wednesday, a few days after Ken and I recorded this episode, Southern California Edison announced its Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program.]DL: That raises a question that I'm curious about. How would you describe the relationship between the work that you and Camille and your colleagues do and the traditional work of the courts, in terms of in-the-trenches litigation? Because I do wonder whether the growth in your field is perhaps related to some developments in litigation, in terms of litigation becoming more expensive over the decades (in a way that far outstrips inflation), more complicated, or more protracted. How would you characterize that relationship?KF: I would say that the programs that we design and administer—like 9/11, like BP, plus the Eaton wildfires—are an exception to the rule. Nobody should think that these programs that we have worked on are the wave of the future. They are not the wave of the future; they are isolated, unique examples, where a company—or in 9/11, the U.S. government—decides, “We ought to set up a special program where the courts aren't involved, certainly not directly.” In 9/11, they were prohibited to be involved, by statute; in some of these other programs, like BP, the courts have a relationship, but they don't interfere with the day-to-day administration of the program.And I think the American people have a lot of faith in the litigation system that you correctly point out can be uncertain, very inefficient, and very costly. But the American people, since the founding of the country, think, “You pick your lawyer, I'll pick my lawyer, and we'll have a judge and jury decide.” That's the American rule of law; I don't think it's going to change. But occasionally there is a groundswell of public pressure to come up with a program, or there'll be a company—like the utility, like BP—that decides to have a program.And I'll give you one other example: the Catholic Church confronted thousands of claims of sexual abuse by priests. It came to us, and we set up a program—just like 9/11, just like BP—where we invited, voluntarily, any minor—any minor from decades ago, now an adult—who had been abused by the church to come into this voluntary program. We paid out, I think, $700 million to $800 million, to victims in dioceses around the country. So there's another example—Camille did most of that—but these programs are all relatively rare. There are thousands of litigations every day, and nothing's going to change that.DL: I had a guest on a few weeks ago, Chris Seeger of Seeger Weiss, who does a lot of work in the mass-tort space. It's interesting: I feel that that space has evolved, and maybe in some ways it's more efficient than it used to be. They have these multi-district litigation panels, they have these bellwether trials, and then things often get settled, once people have a sense of the values. That system and your approach seem to have some similarities, in the sense that you're not individually trying each one of these cases, and you're having somebody with liability come forward and voluntarily pay out money, after some kind of negotiation.KF: Well, there's certainly negotiation in what Chris Seeger does; I'm not sure we have much negotiation. We say, “Here's the amount under the administrative scheme.” It's like in workers' compensation: here's the amount. You don't have to take it. There's nothing to really talk about, unless you have new evidence that we're not aware of. And those programs, when we do design them, seem to work very efficiently.Again, if you ask Camille Biros what was the toughest part of valuing individual claims of sexual-abuse directed at minors, she would say, “These hearings: we gave every person who wanted an opportunity to be heard.” And when they come to see Camille, they don't come to talk about money; they want validation for what they went through. “Believe me, will you? Ken, Camille, believe me.” And when Camille says, “We do believe you,” they immediately, or almost immediately, accept the compensation and sign a release: “I will not sue the Catholic diocese.”DL: So you mentioned there isn't really much negotiation, but you did talk in the book about these sort of “appeals.” You had these two tracks, “Appeals A” and “Appeals B.” Can you talk about that? Did you ever revisit what you had set as the award for a particular victim's family, after hearing from them in person?KF: Sure. Now, remember, those appeals came back to us, not to a court; there's no court involvement. But in 9/11, in BP, if somebody said, “You made a mistake—you didn't account for these profits or this revenue, or you didn't take into account this contract that my dead firefighter husband had that would've given him a lot more money”—of course, we'll revisit that. We invited that. But that's an internal appeals process. The people who calculated the value of the claim are the same people that are going to be looking at revisiting the claim. But again, that's due process, and that's something that we thought was important.DL: You and Camille have been doing this really important work for decades. Since this is, of course, shortly after your 80th birthday, I should ask: do you have future plans? You're tackling some of the most complicated matters, headline-making matters. Would you ever want to retire at some point?KF: I have no intention of retiring. I do agree that when you reach a certain pinnacle in what you've done, you do slow down. We are much more selective in what we do. I used to have maybe 15 mediations going on at once; now, we have one or two matters, like the Los Angeles wildfires. As long as I'm capable, as long as Camille's willing, we'll continue to do it, but we'll be very careful about what we select to do. We don't travel much. The Los Angeles wildfires was largely Zooms, going back and forth. And we're not going to administer that program. We had administered 9/11 and BP; we're trying to move away from that. It's very time-consuming and stressful. So we've accomplished a great deal over the last 50 years—but as long as we can do it, we'll continue to do it.DL: Do you have any junior colleagues who would take over what you and Camille have built?KF: We don't have junior colleagues. There's just the two of us and Cindy Sanzotta, our receptionist. But it's an interesting question: “Who's after Feinberg? Who's next in doing this?” I think there are thousands of people in this country who could do what we do. It is not rocket science. It really isn't. I'll tell you what's difficult: the emotion. If somebody wants to do what we do, you better brace yourself for the emotion, the anger, the frustration, the finger pointing. It goes with the territory. And if you don't have the psychological ability to handle this type of stress, stay away. But I'm sure somebody will be there, and no one's irreplaceable.DL: Well, I know I personally could not handle it. I worked when I was at a law firm on civil litigation over insurance proceeds related to the World Trade Center, and that was a very draining case, and I was very glad to no longer be on it. So I could not do what you and Camille do. But let me ask you, to end this section on a positive note: what would you say is the most rewarding or meaningful or satisfying aspect of the work that you do on these programs?KF: Giving back to the community. Public service. Helping the community heal. Not so much the individuals; the individuals are part of the community. “Every individual can make a difference.” I remember that every day, what John F. Kennedy said: government service is a noble undertaking. So what's most rewarding for me is that although I'm a private practitioner—I am no longer in government service, since my days with Senator Kennedy—I'd like to think that I performed a valuable service for the community, the resilience of the community, the charity exhibited by the community. And that gives me a great sense of self-satisfaction.DL: You absolutely have. It's been amazing, and I'm so grateful for you taking the time to join me.So now, onto our speed round. These are four questions that are standardized. My first question is, what do you like the least about the law? And this can either be the practice of law or law in a more abstract sense.KF: Uncertainty. What I don't like about the law is—and I guess maybe it's the flip side of the best way to get to a result—I don't like the uncertainty of the law. I don't like the fact that until the very end of the process, you don't know if your view and opinion will prevail. And I think losing control over your destiny in that regard is problematic.DL: My second question—and maybe we touched on this a little bit, when we talked about your father's opinions—what would you be if you were not a lawyer?KF: Probably an actor. As I say, I almost became an actor. And I still love theater and the movies and Broadway shows. If my father hadn't given me that advice, I was on the cusp of pursuing a career in the theater.DL: Have you dabbled in anything in your (probably limited) spare time—community theater, anything like that?KF: No, but I certainly have prioritized in my spare time classical music and the peace and optimism it brings to the listener. It's been an important part of my life.DL: My third question is, how much sleep do you get each night?KF: Well, it varies from program to program. I'd like to get seven hours. That's what my doctors tell me: “Ken, very important—more important than pills and exercise and diet—is sleep. Your body needs a minimum of seven hours.” Well, for me, seven hours is rare—it's more like six or even five, and during 9/11 or during Eaton wildfires, it might be more like four or five. And that's not enough, and that is a problem.DL: My last question is, any final words of wisdom, such as career advice or life advice, for my listeners?KF: Yes, I'll give you some career and life advice. It's very simple: don't plan too far ahead. People have this view—you may think you know what you want to do with your career. You may think you know what life holds for you. You don't know. If I've learned anything over the last decades, life has a way of changing the best-laid plans. These 9/11 husbands and wives said goodbye to their children, “we'll see you for dinner,” a perfunctory wave—and they never saw them again. Dust, not even a body. And the idea I tell law students—who say, ”I'm going to be a corporate lawyer,” or “I'm going to be a litigator”—I tell them, “You have no idea what your legal career will look like. Look at Feinberg; he never planned on this. He never thought, in his wildest dreams, that this would be his chosen avenue of the law.”My advice: enjoy the moment. Do what you like now. Don't worry too much about what you'll be doing two years, five years, 10 years, a lifetime ahead of you. It doesn't work that way. Everybody gets thrown curveballs, and that's advice I give to everybody.DL: Well, you did not plan out your career, but it has turned out wonderfully, and the country is better for it. Thank you, Ken, both for your work on all these matters over the years and for joining me today.KF: A privilege and an honor. Thanks, David.DL: Thanks so much to Ken for joining me—and, of course, for his decades of work resolving some of the thorniest disputes in the country, which is truly a form of public service.Thanks to NexFirm for sponsoring the Original Jurisdiction podcast. NexFirm has helped many attorneys to leave Biglaw and launch firms of their own. To explore this opportunity, please contact NexFirm at 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com to learn more.Thanks to Tommy Harron, my sound engineer here at Original Jurisdiction, and thanks to you, my listeners and readers. To connect with me, please email me at davidlat@substack.com, or find me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, at davidlat, and on Instagram and Threads at davidbenjaminlat.If you enjoyed today's episode, please rate, review, and subscribe. Please subscribe to the Original Jurisdiction newsletter if you don't already, over at davidlat.substack.com. This podcast is free, but it's made possible by paid subscriptions to the newsletter.The next episode should appear on or about Wednesday, November 12. Until then, may your thinking be original and your jurisdiction free of defects.Thanks for reading Original Jurisdiction, and thanks to my paid subscribers for making this publication possible. Subscribers get (1) access to Judicial Notice, my time-saving weekly roundup of the most notable news in the legal world; (2) additional stories reserved for paid subscribers; (3) transcripts of podcast interviews; and (4) the ability to comment on posts. You can email me at davidlat@substack.com with questions or comments, and you can share this post or subscribe using the buttons below. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidlat.substack.com/subscribe
Charlie never went to college, but that didn’t mean he hated education. Hillsdale’s Larry Arnn talks about Charlie’s lifelong pursuit of knowledge and true wisdom that went far beyond the classroom. Plus, what should Gen Z know about Venezuela and the East Wing of the White House? Thirty-something Blake fields the queries of the show’s twenty-something cast members Daisy and Danny.Support the show: http://www.charliekirk.com/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Thirty years after the United Nations first called for global action on climate change, progress remains painfully slow. Year after year, world leaders meet, make promises, and defer real solutions. Why? Because top-down global governance continues to fail in a world divided by power, politics, and inequality. In this episode, Linwood Pendleton, Global Coordinator of the Ocean Knowledge Action Network, argues that it's time to look elsewhere for answers. Drawing on his work with Indigenous academics, ocean scientists, and local communities around the world, he explains why true progress depends on wisdom from the ground up. Hope, he insists, lies not in endless summits—but in reconnecting with knowledge systems that already know how to live in balance with the planet.
Daily Gambit and Sydney Sweeney took center stage in Thirty Mile Zone.
The Salem Witch Trails were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused amidst mass panic, inexplicable mania, and collective hysteria. Thirty people were found guilty, nineteen of whom were executed by hanging (14 women and 5 men). Check out the YouTube version of this episode at https://youtu.be/i5GkNsqHsio which has accompanying visuals including maps, charts, timelines, photos, illustrations, and diagrams. History Unplugged podcast available at https://amzn.to/3YthqYx Witches & Witchcraft books at https://amzn.to/4555O2X Salem Witch Hunt books at https://amzn.to/44NsmnH ENJOY Ad-Free content, Bonus episodes, and Extra materials when joining our growing community on https://patreon.com/markvinet SUPPORT this channel by purchasing any product on Amazon using this FREE entry LINK https://amzn.to/3POlrUD (Amazon gives us credit at NO extra charge to you). Mark Vinet's TIMELINE video channel: https://youtube.com/c/TIMELINE_MarkVinet Mark's HISTORY OF NORTH AMERICA podcast: www.parthenonpodcast.com/history-of-north-america Website: https://markvinet.com/podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.vinet.9 X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/HistoricalJesu Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denarynovels Mark's books: https://amzn.to/3k8qrGM Audio credit: History Unplugged podcast with Scott Rank (Episode-Witches Weren't Burned During The Middle Ages, That Actually Happened in the Renaissance Period; 06jun2023) Salem Media, Parthenon Network. Audio excerpts reproduced under the Fair Use (Fair Dealings) Legal Doctrine for purposes such as criticism, comment, teaching, education, scholarship, research and news reporting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In a world grappling with growing inequalities, demographic shifts, and the fast pace of technological and environmental change, the Second World Summit for Social Development is bringing leaders together in Doha to talk and take action.Thirty years after the landmark Copenhagen Summit, the mission remains the same: to build a world where progress is measured not just in wealth, but in well-being, equality, and human dignity.Throughout the week, UN News will be on the ground in Doha, bringing you live updates, in-depth reporting, and exclusive interviews.Ahead of the Summit, UN News's Vibhu Mishra sat down with Bjørg Sandkjær, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination, to discuss the priorities and expectations for global social development.
A decision has been made by the rail regulator which could open the door for international trains stopping in Kent again.Eurostar services haven't called at Ashford or Ebbsfleet since the pandemic.Virgin Trains have now been given permission to use the Temple Mills depot in London - which is the first step in a process which would allow them to go through the Channel Tunnel.Hear reaction from Ashford MP Sojan Joseph, and Tudor Price who is the chief executive of the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce.Also in today's podcast, a Dartford tax driver is calling for tougher regulation, after claiming almost three-quarters of people working in the town are from other areas.Roger Clarke works at Bridge Cars and says he's seen business plummet since the pandemic.As part of Halloween celebration at Dover Castle, visitors will have the chance to give their deep dive into history a life-saving twist.English Heritage has teamed up with the NHS to hand out testing kits so people can find out their own blood type.And, the Medway Hospital Charity are using their 30th anniversary celebrations to raise money for more wheelchairs.The Thirty at 30 campaign has a goal of £30,000 to buy 30 chairs to meet a rise in demand. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The Ghosts of Harrenhal: A Song of Ice and Fire Podcast (ASOIAF)
Send us a textJon sends Val to Tormund Giantsbane with terms. In a shocking turn of events, Jon's advisers disagree with the plan. Simon and Mackelly would like to remind Jon, well his advisers actually, of what befell Janos Slynt, and why.Chapter Review:Lord Commander Jon Snow escorts Val through the Wall. She's headed north to find Tormund Giantsbane and offer him safe passage through the Wall if he'll follow the expected rules - don't kill everyone and help defend the Wall. She's confident that she'll find him, but less sure of how he'll receive the message. She wants Jon to look after the baby, whom she's dubbed Monster, as she's certain that Melisandre has seen through the baby-swap deceit.Back at the Wall, Jon's breakfast is disturbed by Bowen Marsh, Othell Yarwick, and Septon Cellador. They don't like to complain about everything, but the men are grumbling. They don't want Leathers as the new Master-at-Arms, nor Satin as Jon's steward. Jon doesn't care. They don't like Val's mission. Jon doesn't care. They don't think more Wildlings should be admitted. Jon doesn't care.They worry about Jon's (as yet unspoken) plans for Hardhome, a haunted town north of the Wall where it is rumored that the refugee free folk are amassing. Again Jon has to remind them that anyone who dies north of the Wall is going to come back to haunt them. They just don't get it.Characters/Places/Names/Events:Jon Snow - Bastard son of Ned Stark. Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.Val - Sister-in-law to Mance Rayder. Wrongly perceived as a princess by Stannis.Bowen Marsh - Lord Steward of the Night's Watch and oft-times critic of Jon Snow's decisions.Othell Yarwick - First Builder of the Night's Watch.Septon Cellador - Septon of Castle Black.Iron Emmet - Ranger of the Night's Watch and Master at Arms of Castle Black.Dolorous Edd - Brother of the Night's Watch and friend and steward to Jon Snow.Ghost - Jon's direwolf.Castle Black - Headquarters of the Night's Watch. Support the showSupport us: Buy us a Cup of Arbor Gold, or become a sustainer and receive cool perks Donate to our cause Use our exclusive URL for a free 30-day trial of Audible Buy or gift Marriott Bonvoy points through our affiliate link Rate and review us at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, podchaser.com, and elsewhere.Find us on social media: Discord Twitter @GhostsHarrenhal Facebook Instagram YouTube All Music credits to Ross Bugden:INSTAGRAM! : https://instagram.com/rossbugden/ (rossbugden) TWITTER! : https://twitter.com/RossBugden (@rossbugden) YOUTUBE! : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kthxycmF25M
Amazon didn't kill jobs — it rebranded erasure as “innovation” and taught us that efficiency is just empathy with the batteries drained. | Subscribe to The Recruiting Life newsletter at JimStroud.com to keep up with what's happening now and next in the world of work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A proud young exile meets a storm-working dwarf on a desolate Genoese shore — and in a single Faust-like bargain barters more than he understands. A metamorphosis so literal and so damning it cannot be untold. Or forgotten! Transformation by Mary Shelley. That's next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.The Lost Sci-Fi Weekly newsletter launches a few hours. If You're listening to this episode not long after its release it's not to late to get the very first issue. Click on the link in the description or visit LostSciFi.com.Newsletter - https://lostscifi.com/free/The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast is now the #1 Science Fiction Podcast in South Africa! That makes 30 countries where we've held the top spot. Thirty! Our little vintage sci-fi time machine is chart-topping across the planet.We never take this for granted. We would never hit milestones like this without YOU. Thank you for every play, every download, every share, every rating, every late-night session spent wandering alien moons and haunted laboratories with us.And here's our promise, the same one we've kept since day one: You will always get the absolute best vintage science fiction short stories — carefully chosen and passionately narrated.From South Africa to Singapore, from Romania to Brazil, from tiny islands to huge cities… We're honored to bring these forgotten gems back to life for you!We said we'd bring you Halloween fuel as we crept toward October 31st — and here we are, delivering on the threat. Today's tale is a seriously spooky relic from somewhere around 1830, give or take. That's roughly a dozen years after Mary Shelley dropped Frankenstein on the world… or about 195 years ago if you enjoy doing math in the dark.We can't swear to the publication date, the edition, or who first slid this across a printing press — but we can promise it has the right amount of ghost-season creepiness, Transformation by Mary Shelley…Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, They came to torment. They Came in Revenge. The Monsters Came by Night by Robert Silverberg. ☕ Buy Me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/scottsVDiscord - https://discord.gg/EXrY7UHTFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheLostSciFiPodcastTwitter - https://x.com/LostSciFiPodInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/lostscifiguy❤️ ❤️ Thanks to All Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee$200 Someone$100 Tony from the Future$75 James Van Maanenberg$50 MizzBassie, Anonymous Listener$25 Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener$15 Every Month Someone$15 Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener$10 Anonymous Listener$5 Every Month Eaten by a Grue$5 Denis Kalinin, Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous ListenerPlease participate in our podcast survey https://podcastsurvey.typeform.com/to/gNLcxQlk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Ball Boys are putting the slice in sliced and diced for a special Halloween episode. Paul is joined by OutLoud Sports' own Adam Laroche (@adamlaroche) and we cover the ghouls and goblins of the tour from Shagnhai to Basel. We talk about our favorite final girl moments, and review tennis terrors with “She Already Done Had Curses.” Plus we have some ideas on where the next Masters 1000 should really take place and how to drag up Wimbledon for week two. And our Lobsbians span everything from the No Kings March to butterfly nets to diss tracks.
Hey, what's going on, everybody?It's Monday, the 27th (I think? My calendar's buried somewhere under art supplies), and I'm feeling that post-Kickstarter glow. FWACATA #3 wrapped up strong — fully funded, stretch goals flying — and I'm buzzing. There's no better way to start a Monday than on a high note.Because here's the truth, man: life is highs and lows. That's it. That's the whole game. One day you're up, the next you're face-first in a puddle of ink, wondering if your printer hates you. But those dips? They're part of the rhythm.Your heart pumps, your lungs breathe, and your brain—well, your brain just wants you to survive. It's built to focus on the bad. That's not your fault. That's evolution being an overprotective mom. But the thing is, you can feed your brain. You choose what it focuses on. If you fill it with history, stories, good people, and perspective—you start seeing the patterns. Highs and lows. You start seeing that it's all part of something bigger.I've been making comics for thirty years now. (Yeah, I said it. Thirty.) Started in 1992 as a kid, mailing submissions out in the ‘90s, chasing that dream through art school, conventions, jobs, heartbreaks, and late nights. It's been a roller coaster. But the secret? The doing is the reward. Making comics is the dream. Nobody gives you a license. There's no “Comic Creator Police.” You're a comic book artist when you make comics. Boom. You're in.And I'm on a high right now, because it feels damn good to see readers come back for Issue #3. To see new people jump in. To see names I recognize from Issue #1 and #2 still showing up, still supporting, still believing. That's real. That's fuel.I've got FWACATA #4 halfway done, plus new Zombie Years pages in progress. I'm aiming for a February release, maybe a digital annual before that. The plan? Keep it quarterly, keep it sustainable, keep the hustle alive.And man, I've found a groove. My printer, Comics Wellspring, is killing it—top-notch work every time. I've got a formula that's finally clicking. So the goal now is just to keep going, refine, and level up.There's a new career move on the horizon in January that might change how I balance things, but that's okay. Change is part of the process. I'm not scared of lows—they just mean another high is coming.So if you're reading this, and you're in one of those valleys? Keep moving. Feed your brain. Jump off the cliff and build the parachute on the way down. That's the only way you ever fly.Thanks to everyone who backed the Kickstarter, supported on Patreon, shared the posts, or even just believed in this madness. You guys are the wind beneath my… wings? Winds beneath my wings? Eh, you know what I mean. You keep me going.Here's to the highs, the lows, and everything in between.Stay loud. Stay weird. Be Good. FWACATA!
This week marks episode 211 of the What Are We Doing Podcast, and I've officially hit the “too busy to breathe” point. I'm on a 12-day nonstop run of weddings, events, podcasts, and marketing chaos, all while trying to remember to eat something other than leftover mac and cheese. October? No days off. What are we doing?This episode kicks off with a PSA to brides, grooms, and anyone who plans to serve food to a crowd: hire Mission Barbecue. Forget the “mom-and-pop” caterers who promise love in every bite but deliver cold broccoli and chaos. Forget the fancy chefs who run out of oven space. You want food that tastes good, shows up on time, and doesn't need a miracle to stay warm? Mission Barbecue. That's it. End of debate.Then I move into the part of the weekend where my friend Kaisa got married. I DJ'd the wedding as my gift, and in return, her husband Paul gifted me a 1999 graded 8.5 holographic Gengar Pokémon card. We looked it up. Thirty thousand dollars. Thirty thousand. I cried in my car. You try keeping a straight face when someone hands you a $30k ghost Pokémon as a thank-you. What are we doing?After that came a trunk-or-treat event for local preschools, hundreds of kids, and a K-Pop Demon Hunter dance party. Because apparently, I don't know how to say no to anything in October.But before we can even think about Halloween, it's time for the annual Thanksgiving Meal Olympics. Aldi, Walmart, Costco, Giant, and Honey Baked Ham are all fighting for your turkey money. Aldi wants $40 to feed ten people. Costco says $199 for eight. Walmart undercuts them all with $38, but you have to cook everything yourself. Giant's claiming $20 but only if you've spent $400 already. And then there's Honey Baked Ham, where you pay for peace, quality, and not having to bake anything. Two minutes in the oven. Done. Best ham or turkey of your life. What are we doing?From there, we head straight into politics. Donald Trump has pardoned Binance CEO CZ after a $4 billion fraud settlement—right after CZ's company invested $2 billion in Trump's family crypto business, “World Liberty Financial.” Totally a coincidence, right? The man literally said money laundering isn't a crime. Then he tore down the East Wing of the White House to build a $350 million ballroom. Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, and half the Fortune 500 are helping pay for it. And when people asked about the construction, the White House released a slideshow including Clinton's scandal, Obama's “terrorist visitors,” and Hunter Biden's cocaine bag as part of “historical context.” What are we doing?And if that circus wasn't enough, the New York City mayoral debate turned into an SNL sketch. Candidates argued over parades. One said all parades matter. Another said he's too busy to attend. Someone asked if they'd create new parades. A third guy looked like he was being held hostage. Absolute chaos.We wrap the episode with the $20 million diamond heist at the Louvre. Some say it's real. Others think it's PR for “Now You See Me 3.” Either way, it's proof that someone in Paris didn't spring for $30 Wi-Fi cameras. If they want those diamonds back, they better call Nicolas Cage. What are we doing?Episode 211 is pure madness from start to finish: bad caterers, rare Pokémon, Trump's crypto pardons, Thanksgiving hacks, a mayoral debate about parades, and a diamond heist conspiracy.So before you go—hit the like button. Subscribe. Share the episode. Ninety-eight percent of you still haven't. It takes one click. Support the show. Help me survive another week of this circus we call life.What are we doing?
President Trump says declaration of war on drug cartels by Congress is not needed. Mr Trump said his government is just going to kill people smuggling drugs instead. Thirty-seven people have been killed so far, with no evidence provided that the boats were used for drugs-running. Also, the US Department of Defense publishes its "new generation" of approved journalists, after the mainstream media walked out in protest over stricter rules. Stars from the NBA are among those who've been arrested in an investigation into alleged illegal gambling. A record-breaking heat wave in 2023 left two vital coral species "functionally extinct" in Florida's vast Coral Reef, according to a new study. There are calls for Prince Andrew to travel to the US and testify about his links to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. There has been a drastic spike in the number of fishermen being killed at sea in South Korea. Trailblazing black ballerina Misty Copeland has retired from the American Ballet Theatre.The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk
Today's poem may be one of the most poem-y poems Nash ever wrote. Happy reading. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribe