Podcasts about transcript audio

Welcome back to another Soul Driven Podcast!In today's episode, I dove into the Akashic Records to get a spiritual perspective on what's happening in US politics and current events. What came through was a powerful message about the dismantling of outdated systems – politically, economically, and socially. Economic shifts are coming, and we also got a glimpse into the self-serving intentions behind some policies and the influence of unseen powers. Ultimately, the message was clear: reclaim your power, build community, and navigate these times with awareness and self-responsibility.In this episode, I cover responses from the Akashic Records to these five questions:* What do we most need to know about US politics right now?* Since 2025 started, it's felt like everything in the US has begun unraveling at lightning speed — what is happening?* Do Americans need to be worried about our economy in 2025?* If so, how can we best handle the upheaval?* What can you share about the intentions of those who are making decisions about US policies?* How can we best navigate these times? **Transcript & Audio to come soon! I'm excited to hear how this episode resonates with you! Let me know in the comments below :))CONNECT ONLINEInstagram https://www.instagram.com/ahnahendrixYouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5fsN8oqu8Ib8IcvpYZA4jQAPRIL Events & Offerings* Join the Soul Driven Collective (SDC) https://substack.com/@souldrivencollective* APRIL Events:* 4/9 Akashic Guidance Circle 7pm EST* 4/24 Akashic Restoration GROUP Session: 7pm EST* LINK: https://ahnahendrix.as.me/?appointmentType=76240776* Access the Akashic Records: Self Study Course: https://ahnahendrix.com/access-the-akashic-records-self-study-course/ Get full access to The Soul Driven Collective at souldrivencollective.substack.com/subscribe

In this week's episode, I celebrate the 200th episode of The Pulp Writer Show by asking readers which book of mine they read first. The episode also has a preview of the audiobook of GHOST IN THE VEILS as narrated by Hollis McCarthy. To commemorate the occasion this coupon code will get you 25% off EVERY SINGLE ITEM at my Payhip store: 200THEPISODE That's right, the coupon code will get you 25% off every single ebook or audiobook on my Payhip store, and it's good through May 20th, 2024. So if you're looking for something to read or listen to, we've got you covered! TRANSCRIPT Audio file Episode200.mp3 Transcript   00:00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 200 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is May the 10th, 2024 and today we are celebrating the 200th episode of this podcast by taking a look back at how people have found my books. We'll also close out the show with a preview of the upcoming Ghost in the Veils audiobook. First up, let's do Coupon of the Week. To celebrate the 200th episode of this podcast, we're going to have a special coupon code that will get you 25% off every single item at my Payhip store. That coupon code is 200THEPISODE, which is spelled 200THEPISODE and the coupon code and the link to my Payhip will be included in the show notes for this episode. That's right, the coupon code will give you 25% off every single ebook or audiobook on my Payhip store and is good through May 20th, 2024. So if you're looking for something to read or listen to, we have got you covered. Now let's have an update on current writing projects. The rough draft of Cloak of Titans is done, and I am about 2/3 of the way through the first editing pass. If all goes well, I am hoping to have that out before the end of May. I've also written a short story called Blood Walk and newsletter subscribers will get a free ebook copy of that short story when Cloak of Titans comes out. So this is an excellent time to sign up for my new release newsletter. You'll get 3 free epic fantasy novels when you do. Once Cloak of Titans is published, my next main project will be Shield of Darkness, which will hopefully come out towards the end of June or the start of July. I am also about 11,000 words into Half-Orc Paladin, the third Rivah book, and I will make that my main project after Shield of Darkness is done, so that book will probably come out before the end of this summer, if all goes well. 00:01:57 Main Topic/Question of the Week And our Question of the Week is also this week's main topic. It's a question that I can't answer myself, but I asked because I wanted to talk about it for this episode of the podcast, and the question is, which book of mine did you first read, and how did you come across it (since Cloak of Titans will be, I believe, my 152nd novel)? I expected a wide range of responses and we got them. Our first response is from Roman who says: first one was Demonsouled. I looked for free books when I downloaded the Kindle app for my new iPad and have read everything you've written since. I guess your plan of giving away the first book for free worked on me. That is why I give those books away for free. Our next response is from Dave, who says: I found Child of the Ghosts on BookBub. The title was intriguing. It was also free. I now have an extensive Jonathan Moeller collection on my Kindle Library. Our next response comes from Joachim, who says: Ghost Omnibus One and Ghost Exile Omnibus One were $0.99, so I purchased both. I continued with Ghost Exile, backfilling the Ghost stories later. You would not be able to answer your own question obviously, but would you be able to answer us the following question: what was the first fantasy book you published? That would been Demonsouled back in 2005, when it was traditionally published and later I got the rights back and self-published it for the first time in 2011 and then later made it free. Our next response is from Mark, who says: I found Child of the Ghosts on Kindle. Sam says Frostborn: The Gray Knight. I was looking for a new fantasy series to read after I finished the Codex Alera. Came across it while scrolling through Amazon and thought, huh, why not? Little did I know all these years later I would have an addiction to your novels. Well, there are worse problems to have. I agree very much. Our next response is from Tarun who says: read Child of the Ghosts first on the Kindle web app. Todd says: Child of the Ghosts. Caina is a great Ghost nightfighter. Mary says: Frostborn. I forget why. That seems entirely appropriate, because I wrote Frostborn 11 years ago now. Yes, eleven years ago now, because I wrote it in 2003, so I can barely remember writing it at this point, let alone how someone might come across it. Our next response is from Justin: Demonsouled. Free book offer. Steve says: Iron Hand. If I remember right, it came up as a suggestion on the Kindle app. Sara says: Frostborn. It was $0.99 and then after I finished that series, Child of the Ghosts on a 99 cent deal. Thuvia says: Thief Trap-finished it on September 14th, 2016. I don't recall how I found it, but maybe BookBub? I know the book covers amused me since they're nothing like how Nadia dresses. I have since changed the Cloak Games and Cloak Mage covers, but the original covers definitely did not reflect how Nadia dresses in the series. Our next response is from William, who says: Iron Hand, which I discovered through William King's blog when you posted your blog post on how to write and publish an ebook at no cost using free software. I remember that blog post. That got a lot of traction, especially because I've written an entire book, Silent Order: Eclipse Hand, in order to prove that point. Our next response is from Kermit, who says: the Ghost Omnibus. I was researching the next fantasy author I wanted to read because David Eddings had died. I came across your Ghosts series and decided to try it. Ann-Marie says: Child of the Ghosts. The title caught me. It was part of Kindle's recommendations for things I should try next. I was also getting off of a mystery genre binge so I wanted something different to dive into. I love Caina. She's so cool. Whoops, forgot to add Goodreads says I read it back in July 2017. Kevin says: the first books of yours were The Frostborn Omnibus One on the 21st of April 2017. I came across it on Amazon search while looking for stuff to read in the car whilst waiting for my son to come out of school. It was £0.99, so throw away money really and worth look. Since then I have, amongst others, read a further 103 books of yours to date. So it seems that making Frostborn Omnibus One $0.99 turned out to be a really good idea. Our next response is from Lee, who says: Frostborn the Gray Knight was the first ebook I picked up to read. I started because of the book description. Since then I have read almost every book you have published. Perry says: Demonsouled with the original public domain cover art (the best of the covers, in my opinion) searching for books to add to my Kobo. And I stumbled across Smashwords. I searched for free fantasy books, and your books were near the top of the results. This was just shortly after you started self-publishing. I originally grabbed a whole slew of your books there. I have since purchased and continue to buy your ebooks through Kobo. I get points for being a VIP plus a free book every year from a select list. All your short stories I buy on Kobo as well. Audiobooks I get through your Payhip store. Ah, that takes me way back because way back. In 2011 when I started self-publishing, I couldn't afford cover art of any kind, so what I had to do was look for classic artwork scenes that were in the public domain since you can reuse public domain art freely. You do in fact see a lot of traditionally published books that have old like Renaissance or Baroque paintings, for the cover. That was the original covers Demonsouled and Child of the Ghosts, public domain artwork from the 19th century. Our next response is from Lauren, who says: Child of the Ghosts on Smashwords, but I read primarily through Kindle these days. Nadia is my favorite, but I hope to use the Ghost and/or Demonsouled settings one day in our group's tabletop RPGs. Our next response is from Jesse, who says: Frostborn Omnibus One. I was sitting in an IHOP and I had just finished the last ebook in my queue. Google Books suggested it. It was a dollar for three and half books, so I figured why not? Still had half a plate of food to go. I have subsequently bought and read pretty much everything of yours is readily available and actively tracking all the series. Good stuff. I'm glad that worked out because that is one of the better stories I've ever heard of what happens in an IHOP. Our next comment is from Becca, who says: Demonsouled, when it first came out on Kindle. I can remember waiting eagerly for each book in the series. Still one of my favorites. Thank you for all the writing! Rhion says: Demonsouled. I just finished a bunch of Quantrell and Peloquin books and it popped up under suggested reading on KU. Since then, I've read quite literally your entire fiction bibliography, which is just ridiculous. Our next comment comes from Jonathan (a different Jonathan than me) and he says: first book I actually read was the Frostborn Omnibus, the first three books plus The First Quest all bundled into one. I got them on Google Play because I got a gift card for Christmas and I think the omnibus was on sale. So I couldn't resist getting four whole books for cheap, which of course led into the rest of the series and to Sevenfold Sword and to Mallison and to Dragontiarna. Mandy says: I read the Frostborn prequel and found it on the freebie list on Amazon at the time. I read everything released in that universe, as well as the Demonsouled series and am now working my way through the Ghosts series. Our next comment is from Randy, who says: Child of the Ghosts was my first. I was desperately searching for new authors and it was one of about a dozen free novels I picked up several years ago. Caina's story was so good I finished in one sitting. After I devoured what was available at the time for the Ghost books, I moved on to Frostborn. Then I found you also wrote science fiction. I've read all the different series to date and I haven't been found wanting yet. Well, not true. I'm always wanting the next book. That's why I'm working hard on the next book. Our next comment is from Martin who says: I started with the Gray Knight. I instantly loved it and the rest of the series, at least what was published at the time. When I ran out of them, I looked you up and read the Demonsouled books. After that, moved on to Caina and only recently I moved on to Nadia. I also find they have a lot of readability. Our next comment is from Lauren, who says: Child of the Ghosts, after the third book in the series was out. Found it when searching for a new read on Amazon. Was hooked from there. Marta says: I'm sure it was a Bookbub deal. I think it was the Frostborn Omnibus. Jacob says: The Gray Knight. Came across it after looking for a new series to read after I caught up on the Half-Orc series by David Dalglish. Barbara says: Demonsouled or Child of the Ghosts. It's been so long. I'm not sure which was first. Having been the one to write those books so long ago, I totally understand where she's coming from. Our next response is from Cheryl, who says: the first Ridmark Arban book. Can't remember the name, may have been The Gray Knight? That is entirely correct. It was, in fact Frostborn: The Gray Knight. Our next response is from JKM who says: the first Ghost book and I cannot remember where I came across it. John says Demonsouled on Kindle. Amazon suggested to me way, way back. I picked up a used printed copy I discovered at my local fantasy and science fiction store, Dark Carnival. Shortly afterwards gave it to my son, who enjoyed it as well. That is a deep cut, because Demonsouled was originally published in 2005 in hardback and very quickly went out of print. So I'm impressed that John managed to find one of those copies still floating out there in the used book market. Cathy says: Frostborn Omnibus One. I saw the $0.99 price and thought if I don't like it, I'm only out a dollar. Once I finished it, I started looking for other books by you and have read almost every series you've written. Michael says. I think it was Ghost in the Flames. It was early 2010s (2013 maybe?), and I just discovered the joy of self-published fantasy authors on the Kindle store. As soon as I read it, I was hooked. Bonnie says: Frostborn omnibus. It was cheap, looked interesting, so I gave it a try. Then Tower of Endless Worlds- totally hooked and now I have all the books! Michiel says: Demonsouled. It was free, so I gave it a go and started collecting everything you wrote since then. Jason says: I honestly can't remember. I think it might have been the first Caina omnibus with an Audible audiobook that I played in my car while driving to work. Then the second and I ran out of audiobooks, so I had to start reading them myself. Phillipe says: The very first Caina book, been hooked since. Susan says: Demonsouled. I was searching for something to read, and it sounded good. I have now read everything and am patiently waiting for more. Melinda says Child of the Ghosts. It was free and I was broke and bored. That is why I give away the free books: to entertain people who are broke and bored. Our next comment is from Juliana, who says: the first Ghosts book. Judy says: Child of the Ghosts. I was on Google Play and was recommended. Tom says: The Frostborn Omnibus One, on sale on Amazon. The rest is history. Justin says: The Gray Knight was a suggestion based on what I read on Apple Library. Ashley (who I believe is in fact engaged to Justin) says: My first book was also The Gray Knight and Justin was the reason I started reading this series. So thanks for the recommendations, Justin! James says: Demonsouled on Kindle way back when. It was free and a good name. I mean how Demonsouled isn't a band name yet, I have no idea. The rest, as they say, is many, many series later. I fully understand. Our next comment is from Juana who says: Frostborn: The Gray Knight. It was in a BookBub offering. Shandy says: I was in a book hangover and saw your Frostborn series on sale on Google Play Books. Omnibus got me and like 100 plus books later, safe to say I'm a fan. Beverly says: Demonsouled. It's been so long. I don't know what led me to get it. Most likely just window shopping for next read and I thought it'd be something I would enjoy. Andrew says Frostborn series. Suggested by Kindle. I've read most of what you've written since. Just can't get into Demonsouled, so don't know why. I've got those books. Just doesn't click. Christopher says: Demonsouled. I got the first book free on my Nook, like I found most of my favorite authors. I also read another one of the first book free ones at the same time, but I didn't like it. I don't remember something about a tower and magic. Then I read the Frostborn series. You were far enough into it that by the time I started I was playing catch up as you released books. I may have had to wait a week or two for the last book to come out. Then I started Cloak Games. That is still in my top three favorite series of all time. Probably top two with Spinward Fringe by Randolph Lalonde. I have read pretty much everything you've written by now. David says: Thief Trap. Found via Facebook ad. Venus says: Thief Trap. Found it doing a search for free urban fantasy on my Nook. So those are some of the first books of mine that people have read and the ways in which they found them. I think we can safely say that giving away the first book in your series for free turned out to be a very good idea. I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who has read any of my books as, as you probably guessed, have been doing this for a long time. Demonsouled was first published in April 2011 (for self-published, rather); it was initially published in hardback way back in May 2005. So I clearly have been doing this for a long time and I am very grateful to everyone who has read a book or listened to an audiobook or come along for the ride. I'm also very grateful to everyone who has listened to this podcast over 200 episodes. And here's to more interesting episodes in the future. So that is it for this week. Thank you for listening to The Pulp Writer Show. I hope you found the show useful. A reminder that you can listen to all the back episodes with transcripts (transcripts are available from Episode 140 onwards) on https://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe. Stay healthy and see you all next week. And now let's close out the show with a preview of the audio book of Ghost in the Veils, as excellently read by Hollis McCarthy: Caina gazed at the wrapped bundle in the back of the wagon. Thankfully, no blood had leaked from it. Though perhaps she shouldn't have worried. Only a few people in Malarae would have recognized the dark green liquid as blood. The wagon itself was nothing remarkable. A bit old and worn, though none of the planks had rotted and the wheels were in mostly good shape. A pair of placid draft horses pulled the vehicle, the animals well-accustomed to the noises and smells of the Imperial capital. The only thing unusual was the bundle resting in the back.It was almost the precise size and shape of the corpse of a grown man. To be fair, it was a corpse. Just not of a grown man. Or a grown woman. Or indeed anything human. Caina didn't know what it was, but she intended to find out. “Will there be anything else, Countess?” said her seneschal, a Saddaic man named Talzain. He wore the formal black clothes of a Nighmarian servant. Combined with his wan complexion, the outfit always made him look a bit corpselike. “No, thank you,” said Caina. “I should be back in time for dinner with Lord Kylon and Lady Kalliope.” “Yes,” said Talzain. He cleared his throat. “That ought to be…interesting.” “You have a gift for understatement,” said Caina. Kylon and Kalliope had their own errands in the city. When Kalliope had fled New Kyre with her children ahead of the Cult of Rhadamathar, she had taken some money and baggage with them, but she had been forced to leave it behind at the Wrecked Warship near the ocean harbor of Malarae. Fortunately, the innkeeper had kept all of Kalliope's baggage on hand. Partly because Anastasios was an honest man and partly because he feared the vengeance of Kalliope's father. Lysikas Stormblade had a formidable reputation, even among the Kyracians living in Malarae. So Kalliope had gone with some of Caina's servants to retrieve her baggage and buy such things as Nikarion and Zoe might need. Kylon himself was keeping watch over the twins. Caina suggested that he take them riding to see the city, and he agreed. The children, in awe of the father they had never known they had, had made no protest. Ardakh, Sethroza, and the other Cultists were still out there, but if they tried to attack the children in Kylon's presence, they would regret it bitterly.

https://vimeo.com/638397455 AWR SHOW 102321 Transcript: Audio automatically transcribed by SonixAWR SHOW 102321 Transcript: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors. Producer: Are you concerned about U.S. tax rates being raised by the Biden administration and how that will affect your retirement? Tune in [...]

Dr. Rusky, Board Certified Family Physician and certified in hospice and palliative care, has practiced in both urban and rural settings.  Today, he discusses the differences between home health care, palliative care and hospice.  He answers what resources palliative care provides in addition to the many services a person might already be receiving.  He mentions palcarenetwork.com, a resource to help select a palcare provider and assist with long term planning.  Ultimately, it is about whole-person care, ensuring mind, body and spirit are receiving the supports needed to help a person live with advanced disease or complex illness.  Tune in now for answers to questions you did not know you had about differing care and aging with altitude. Aging with Altitude is recorded in the Pikes Peak region with a focus on topics of aging interest across the country.  We talk about both the everyday and novel needs and approaches to age with altitude whether you're in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida or Leadville, Colorado.  The Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging is the producer.  Learn more at Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging. Transcript: Audio  00:00  You're listening to Studio 809. This is what community sounds like.    Cynthia Margiotta:  00:15  Hello, and thank you for listening to Aging with Altitude, a podcast series sponsored by the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments Area Agency on Aging that aims to highlight issues and resources that affect our older adults in our community. My name is Cynthia Margiotta and I'm here with Dr. Chris Ruskey. Dr. Ruskey is a board certified family physician, and is also certified in hospice and palliative medicine in the U.S, and by the Royal Society of Medicine of New Zealand and Australia. He has provided care in rural and urban settings in the U.S. and abroad, including a small group practice, assisted living, nursing facilities, and hospitals. He has served as medical advisor to home health and skilled rehabilitation services. For the past 16 years, Dr. Ruskey has dedicated his professional time to the fields of palliative medicine and hospice, serving as medical director for both community-based and hospital-based services. He has volunteered faculty for the education of medical students, nurse practitioners, and family medicine residents. In addition, Dr. Ruskey is involved in several community collaboratives to improve transitions in care and community understanding and best practices in the application of palliative care for our community. Today's podcast theme is supportive and palliative care. What is it? And how could it benefit me and my loved ones and my parents? Thank you, Dr. Ruskey, for being a part of this podcast. Now I have a few questions for you, if you don't mind, sir.     Dr. Ruskey:  02:03  No, that would be wonderful. Thank you for that introduction and for allowing me to participate in the podcast.    Cynthia Margiotta:  02:10   So, what is supportive and palliative care?     Dr. Ruskey:  02:13  Supportive and palliative care is whole person care, which is generally focused on symptom management such as pain, nausea, not sleeping well, or perhaps poor appetite. This may include care planning, such as advanced care planning, attention to mood, anxiety, depression, shoring up a person's supports and resources or addressing spiritual concerns. This whole person approach to care has been shown to improve a person's quality of life and function and they do better with whatever treatments they're receiving to treat their underlying disease. So for example, if the person is being treated for cancer, in order to best tolerate the treatment and benefit from the treatment of their cancer, they do better when their symptoms are well controlled like when they have good appetite, when they're not suffering from pain, when they're able to maximize their function. And you can see similar benefits for people who may be suffering from conditions such as heart failure, heart disease, neurologic disorders, and we can talk more about that later.     Cynthia Margiotta:  03:21  What are the differences between palliative care, home health, medical home health and hospice?     Dr. Ruskey:  03:28  I'm glad you asked Cynthia, people get very confused about these different services and how to best utilize them. Home health care generally focuses on short term goals, often for a specific medical issue, such as for a person returning home after surgery from a broken hip. And it uses skilled interventions to maximize independence. This would be things such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing, CNAs, and social workers. It requires that a person be homebound and the idea is to try to help get that person rehabilitated from whatever event led to their decline in health. Supportive and palliative care is ideally suited for patients with complex illness, such as advanced disease, multiple hospitalizations, that type of thing. It's a whole person approach to care, meaning it addresses mind, body, and spirit alongside the patient's regular care team. We visit people in a clinic, in a hospital, or in home settings. And this care could be provided at the same time as home health care. Hospice is kind of like palliative care, it's a whole person approach to care. It provides an entire range of palliative care type services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This includes a prescriber, usually a physician or nurse pactitioner, nursing care, social worker, chaplain, CNA, and sometimes a volunteer, and bereavement services. Hospice requires a limited life expectancy, usually less than six months. In order to get hospice care, a primary attending can continue providing care. Or you may have a prescriber from the hospice who helps provide most of the care or direct most of the care. Hospice care can usually not be provided at the same time as home health care.     Cynthia Margiotta:  05:39  So, home health care is generally designed to help get folks through an acute illness. Palliative care and hospice sounds similar in that they both take a whole person approach to care. Please clarify how to do these two services and how they differ, specifically.     Dr. Ruskey:  05:59  Yeah, you bet. This is confusing for a lot of people because, as you mentioned, palliative care and hospice both take a whole person approach to care. They both address mind, body and spirit but they do vary. I wish this was a video so I could diagram this out. But if you think of this as a picture, and you draw a big circle and that circle encompasses this whole person approach to care, again, mind, body, spirit. Palliative care is the big circle. And within that circle is a smaller circle, which would be hospice care. And hospice care is very specialized, it's a very specialized type of palliative care. It's  specifically designed to address the needs of people who appear to be in their last six months of life or so. Whereas palliative care, generally, could be for anybody who has a need in any one of these areas. Again, it could be a physical problems such as pain, and emotional difficulties, such as depression or anxiety, spiritual issues, such as wondering, you know, why is this happening to me, why now? Or maybe they need some additional supports to help them get through a difficult illness or time in their lives. In any case, palliative care can address all of those, but not necessarily for folks with limited life expectancy.    Cynthia Margiotta:  07:35  Do they have to have a doctor referral to get into palliative care then?    Dr. Ruskey:  07:40  Ideally, yes. We'll talk a little bit more about this later in our session. Ideally, palliative care is coordinated alongside a person's regular providers, be that a primary care provider or a specialist such as an oncologist (a cancer doctor) or a heart doctor. So ideally, the referral to palliative care comes from a person's regular care provider, and then there's close coordination of care between different services. We'll talk a little bit more about that later.    Cynthia Margiotta:  08:16  Alright, so supportive and palliative care works alongside other medical providers to help manage symptoms, emotional difficulties, spiritual challenges, and shores up the supports a person needs to help best manage their medical issues. Who qualifies for palliative care?     Dr. Ruskey:  08:37  Well, first of all, a person should have a palliative need. And again, that could be in any of those areas that we mentioned earlier. It could be a physical problem, pain, nausea, not sleeping well, it   could be an emotional difficulty, or spiritual distress, but some palliative need typically related to an underlying disease process, such as cancer, lung disease, heart disease, and the like. As resources dictate, programs may focus their efforts and resources on those with the greatest need. So in other words, most programs have a limited number of providers and resources so they can't take care of everybody who has a palliative need. And we'll talk about the difference between generalist palliative care and what I call specialist palliative care. But certainly, in the realm of specialist palliative and supportive care, anyone who's been in and out of the hospital several times within the past few months to the to a year, or perhaps a person who is suffering from cancer or heart condition that causes symptoms, which are difficult to manage. Those people would be ideally suited to be cared for by a palliative care service. Let's say that somebody has a troubling symptom, but they are otherwise doing okay, they haven't been in and out of the hospital, they don't have an illness that's necessarily going to advance rapidly over time. It may be that as a onetime consultation with a palliative care provider or palliative care team could help give some advice or direction to the regular providers. And then routine follow ups with a palliative care team might not be necessary. So for some people, palliative care will get involved and will follow over a long period of time with routine visits. And in other cases, it may just be a onetime consultation.    Cynthia Margiotta:  10:39  What are the most common medical conditions where palliative care might help address some of these aspects of a person's life? Who is faced with illness?     Dr. Ruskey  10:49  Yeah, so we talked about a few of these, including cancer, congestive heart failure, COPD. Other conditions that come to mind would be neurologic disorders, such as folks who have suffered from a stroke, Parkinson's disease, or ALS, which is also called Lou Gehrig's disease. It could be a person who suffers from diabetes and the complications of diabetes, which can be lots of different things including pain, digestive problems, kidney failure, could be somebody who suffers from renal disease, kidney disease, liver disease, or blood disorders such as sickle cell disease. Virtually any condition that impacts multiple areas of a person's life causes discomfort causes difficulties, emotionally, with you know, issues such as depression or anxiety, may disrupt normal relationships or work may cause increased need for additional services. And again, may ultimately lead to some feelings of you know, why me why now, what is the meaning of this, which are existential type concerns, any illness that that can affect all those different areas, is amenable to treatment by the specialized services provided by a palliative care service?    Cynthia Margiotta:  12:21  Where would I visit with supportive and palliative care provider? In a clinic hospital home nursing facility?     12:30  The answer is yes. Yes. So years ago, oh say 1020 years ago, it would have been difficult to find a palliative care provider in all these different settings. But the reality is there is more and more evidence that people benefit from these services across the spectrum of where they may live. There are clinics that have palliative care providers in them. Certainly not all do. But some specialized clinics such as oncology services, sometimes will have palliative care providers. Hospitals have palliative care providers, and palliative care providers oftentimes are willing to and able to visit patients in their home, whether that's a single family home, a nursing facility or an assisted living facility.    13:25  So, what specific types of treatment might a person receive in palliative care?    13:32  You bet. So yeah, our listeners are probably wondering, what does palliative care have to add to the type of care that I'm already receiving? So, in the first place, palliative care providers are taught and and have experience with careful listening and care planning around a client's goals, values, and preferences, and will include family or other supports as desired by the client. Secondly, it is a team approach to care. It's typically an interdisciplinary team, which means the different members of the team, which may include physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, counselors and chaplains, who all make up part of an ideal palliative care service, work together, put their heads together and all their experience together to help provide the best care for any one individual. That doesn't often happen in other systems of care. Special therapies include a skilled use of symptom management tool. These would be for issues such as pain, nausea, shortness of breath, etc. and palliative care providers are trained and have experience in utilizing lots of different medications or treatments, routes of administration that may not be commonly known or utilized in routine medical care. That can include regular medicines that a person might take by mouth, but also topical medicines, medicines that can be applied to the skin If a person's having difficulty swallowing, or if they have a localized problem. If that's oftentimes amenable to topical medications, it could include injections, and other interventions. Also, because there's a focus on a whole person, people who are involved in palliative care will use techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy to help people understand and best way to manage difficulties that they're having using guided imagery and life review. All of these elements help to enhance these various aspects of the whole person that we mentioned before. And lastly, and most importantly, palliative care providers are taught and emphasize in any plan of care that they develop coordination of care with other health care providers. And as you and I both know, that often just doesn't happen in the regular system of care.    Cynthia Margiotta:  16:17  Unfortunately… So how often are palliative care visits? How often do they visit with a person?    Dr. Ruskey:  16:25  So that is determined by an individual's need. So visits could be multiple times a week, or they might be once a month, best practices would dictate that there's timely follow up with particularly challenging circumstances, or after significant medication adjustments. Now that follow up might just be a phone call a day or two after prescribing a new medication to see how a person's getting along. But it might also involve a follow up visit if there's some complicated symptoms and a face-to-face visit is required. It depends on the program. And this would be one thing that I would encourage folks to think about if they are looking to console the palliative care service provider is to find out what the availability of that service is to have some flexibility in their visits depending on the needs of the patient.    Cynthia Margiotta:  17:19  Can a person get palliative care and home health care at the same time?    Dr. Ruskey:  17:24  Yes, as I mentioned before, a person can be getting what we would consider routine care that includes a regular physician office visits, being in and out of the hospital occasionally, home care services, those are all considered part of routine care, and palliative care can be provided right alongside those other providers, and oftentimes will help enhance that regular care and maybe even add to it because of the unique ability and interest in palliative care in helping to coordinate care.    Cynthia Margiotta:  18:03  What are the barriers to supportive and palliative care then?    Dr. Ruskey:  18:07  Yeah, good question. So probably the main barrier is that it's oftentimes unknown to clients or families. It might be something that they've heard of, but oftentimes, they don't exactly understand what it is or how it might be helpful to them. There are also misunderstandings around who is eligible and how to access the service. And that's not just from a consumer's perspective, even amongst healthcare professionals. Oftentimes, people don't understand what palliative care is, and how it can best be integrated with regular care to provide the best care for patients and families. One other thing I'd like to mention is, there are multiple providers with very different programs. In other words, there are in the Colorado Springs, you know, El Paso and Teller County area, for example, somewhere around 10 to 15 different providers who provide some form of palliative care. But those services can vary from a nurse who does visits and tries to incorporate some of the elements that we described in the services that they may help with, to what I would call a full spectrum palliative care service that includes a physician, nurse practitioner, nurse, chaplain, social worker, all coordinating care around a patient's needs. So programs can vary considerably. And that's another difference between home health or hospice, which have pretty prescribed benefits that they're expected to deliver to patients. Some families, palliative care can vary quite a bit. And it makes it a little challenging for folks to know which program to select.    Cynthia Margiotta:  20:07  So they should ask: "are you offering these services?" If that's what they want.     Dr. Ruskey:  20:15  Absolutely. And I have some tips to, you know, help folks out as they try to navigate that with that we can talk about in a little bit.    Cynthia Margiotta:  20:24  Is palliative care accepted by the medical community as a valuable part of care?    Dr. Ruskey:  20:31  Yeah, you bet. So, great question. And the answer to that is yes with the caveat being that sometimes these other providers don't exactly understand how it works. But I can give you several examples where palliative care has been definitively shown to be helpful in providing care. And that includes hospitals, integrated health care systems, oncology services, and also for the treatment of folks with COPD and congestive heart failure. Hospitals, for example, larger hospitals require that a palliative care service be available to patients and families. That's become a regulatory benchmark for hospitals for the past three to five years. Integrated health care systems, these would be HMOs, such as Kaiser, or the Gundersen clinic is a great example in Iowa. Integrated health care systems have long recognized that when we address people's health in a holistic manner, again, taking into consideration their values, their preferences, their goals, and crafting care around them in this multidisciplinary way, that people do better, and it costs less money, and they get the care that they want. So it's a win win win, that integrated health care systems have recognized for a long time. Again, oncology, there's some interesting examples of where they'll do a study. There was one study in particular, back in 2011, folks who were suffering from lung cancer, and not only did they do better symptom wise, and so they had less pain, they felt more in control during their oncology treatment, but they actually lived a little longer. Those who received palliative care services. And again, you can imagine if you're feeling better, you're eating better. People are listening to you, you feel a little more empowered, you're going to do better. So and there are similar examples for other conditions.    Cynthia Margiotta:  23:02  And that's what's important, to do better and feel better. How does a person sign up for palliative care?    Dr. Ruskey:  23:10  First of all, I would approach your regular providers for advice on whether they think palliative care would be beneficial to you, and which program they might refer you to. And if you are on the same page as your provider, then they can write a referral to palliative care services. Alternatively, you could find supportive and palliative care services online, ask friends, family, other resources, such as the Area Agency on Aging, and see if they have some suggestions, or can at least give you a list of services that you can get involved with. If you contact a palliative care service, they can also work with you to get in touch with your provider, either your primary care provider or whatever providers are most involved in helping take care of you, and coordinate and make sure that the provider also thinks it's a good idea to get you involved.    Cynthia Margiotta:  24:16  How do I select between the different supportive and palliative care providers available to me in El Paso County and Teller County?    Dr. Ruskey:  24:24  Yeah, I'm glad you asked. And I'd like to put a plug in for a group that has developed a website called the palcarenetwork.com. You can get online and just punch in palcarenetwork.com and there are many resources there for patients and families related to palliative care and advanced illness in general. So they'll find resources there for advanced care planning, description of what palliative care is and how it might benefit them. There's a outline of some of the questions some of the things to look for in a palliative care service. Some of the things that are mentioned on the website include asking about what services are available, or their staff from multiple disciplines who would be involved in your care if you want. Our team members board certified in palliative care? Does the team regularly meet to review challenging situations? How often do they meet? Does a palliative care board certified physician or nurse practitioner routinely attend these meetings? How does the service ensure seamless coordination of care with your regular health care providers? Does the service participate in community wide efforts to enhance care through the care continuum? In other words, are they involved making sure that services generally are better coordinated in the community? In the course of your care (this is maybe most important)  is the service truly centered on you as a whole person helping guide you and empowering you in a way that makes that takes into account your values, preferences and goals?    Cynthia Margiotta:  26:14  Thank you so much. Dr. Ruskey. It sounds like it's bringing it all together with our healthcare.    Dr. Ruskey:  26:20  Yeah, I think ideally it is and in in the world that we live in, where care is often disjointed and it seems like patients and families get tossed in the machine, it's nice to know that there are services and service providers such as they may find with palliative care.    Cynthia Margiotta:  26:41  And that's all we have time for today. Thank you so much for being here. Dr. Ruskey with the Aging with Altitude podcast series. Have a great day, everybody!    Audio  26:55  Before we go, I just want to give a nod to our good friends at Stargazers Theater and Event Center. That's a warm and welcome place for concerts, screenings, and community events. Check out the schedule at stargazerstheater.com 

PBF57: Repurpose Your Content To Grow Your AudienceBy Bill Griggs and Kingsley GrantPodcast By Friday Episode 57:Repurpose Your content to rapidly grow their audience, increase their influence and monetize your work ... Repurpose is defined as: 1. to find a new use for an idea, product, or building: 2. to use something for a different purpose to the one for which it was originally intended.Nobody can afford to spend money on advertisements that don't move the needle. Ads that don't convert, that don't do anything to help grow your business. You should only spend your money on ads that make a difference. And if you don't have an Ad budget to spend, there are other ways to achieve the same result. By putting out content in places where people see it, where people can react to it. and where people want to be involved with it. That is the most important reason for repurposing your content.You've got to go and try to see what works. You have to measure what is working, and then you make adjustments. There is no instant home run where you can say, "Well, I'm going to put everything out in Facebook, and life will be great, or I'm going to put everything out and Pinterest, and will life will be great, Or I'm going to go strictly with LinkedIn. And life will be great." You can't just do that. You have to actually try those things, and measure the results. Just having a Facebook tracking pixel on your page, or on in your episode, is not enough. You have to go in and you have to make some adjustments and settings inside of the Facebook ad manager so that it accurately tracks the results, not just that somebody's been to your page. That's a whole other episode, The ways we have used:Transcript Audio and Videodesignrr.ioCall To Action Request to be a part of our Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/podcastbyfridayPost a link to your original content and the link to where you repurposed it. We will critique your progress and share it with the group.Resources Mentioned:One Funnel Away Challenge - ClickFunnels http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/ofachallengeNote: *some of the links above are affiliate links. Podcast By Friday is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We are not given any free products, services or anything else in exchange for mentioning them on our site. The only consideration is in the form of affiliate commissions.Podcast by Friday is a show that helps people create their Minimal Viable Podcast (TM) by taking bold action to defeat procrastination and get their voices heard. One Funnel AwayOne Funnel Away Challenge - ClickFunnels http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/ofachallengeNote: *some of the links above are affiliate links. Podcast By Friday is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We are not given any free products, services or anything else in exchange for mentioning them on our site. The only consideration is in the form of affiliate commissions.Contact Information:Podcast by Friday is a show that helps people create their Minimal Viable Podcast (TM) by taking bold action to defeat procrastination and get their voices heard. Bill Griggs contact info:Twitter: @BillGriggsWebsites: http://podcastbyfriday.comhttp://cncroutertips.comKingsley Grant's Contact info:Twitter:@kingsleygrantWebsite: http://podcastbyfriday.comhttp://startabusinessonlinefromhome.comhttp://kingsleygrant.comWebsites MentionedOne Funnel Away Challenge http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/ofachallengeClickFunnels 14 Day Free Trial https://www.podcastbyfriday.com/freetrialWordpress Hosted http://www.wordpress.comWordpress Self Hosted http://wordpress.orgiTunes www.apple.com/itunes/Spreaker http://spreaker.comPodcast By Friday http://www.podcastbyfriday.comCNC Router Tips http://www.cncroutertips.comSmart Passive Income http://smartpassiveincome.comFacebook Group http://facebook.com/groups/podcastbyfridayAmazon Associates https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/homeBluehost http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/bluehostAudible http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/audibleYoutube http://youtube.comVodburner http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/vodburnerWP Profit Builder http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/builderThrive Global https://thriveglobal.com/Anchor FM https://anchor.fmMedium https://medium.com SHOW NOTES Mentioned:http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/19http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/20http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/21http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/22 http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/23http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/24 http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/25http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/26http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/27http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/28http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/29 http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/30

PBF57: Repurpose Your Content To Grow Your AudienceBy Bill Griggs and Kingsley GrantPodcast By Friday Episode 57:Repurpose Your content to rapidly grow their audience, increase their influence and monetize your work ... Repurpose is defined as: 1. to find a new use for an idea, product, or building: 2. to use something for a different purpose to the one for which it was originally intended.Nobody can afford to spend money on advertisements that don't move the needle. Ads that don't convert, that don't do anything to help grow your business. You should only spend your money on ads that make a difference. And if you don't have an Ad budget to spend, there are other ways to achieve the same result. By putting out content in places where people see it, where people can react to it. and where people want to be involved with it. That is the most important reason for repurposing your content.You've got to go and try to see what works. You have to measure what is working, and then you make adjustments. There is no instant home run where you can say, "Well, I'm going to put everything out in Facebook, and life will be great, or I'm going to put everything out and Pinterest, and will life will be great, Or I'm going to go strictly with LinkedIn. And life will be great." You can't just do that. You have to actually try those things, and measure the results. Just having a Facebook tracking pixel on your page, or on in your episode, is not enough. You have to go in and you have to make some adjustments and settings inside of the Facebook ad manager so that it accurately tracks the results, not just that somebody's been to your page. That's a whole other episode, The ways we have used:Transcript Audio and Videodesignrr.ioCall To Action Request to be a part of our Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/podcastbyfridayPost a link to your original content and the link to where you repurposed it. We will critique your progress and share it with the group.Resources Mentioned:One Funnel Away Challenge - ClickFunnels http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/ofachallengeNote: *some of the links above are affiliate links. Podcast By Friday is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We are not given any free products, services or anything else in exchange for mentioning them on our site. The only consideration is in the form of affiliate commissions.Podcast by Friday is a show that helps people create their Minimal Viable Podcast (TM) by taking bold action to defeat procrastination and get their voices heard. One Funnel AwayOne Funnel Away Challenge - ClickFunnels http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/ofachallengeNote: *some of the links above are affiliate links. Podcast By Friday is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We are not given any free products, services or anything else in exchange for mentioning them on our site. The only consideration is in the form of affiliate commissions.Contact Information:Podcast by Friday is a show that helps people create their Minimal Viable Podcast (TM) by taking bold action to defeat procrastination and get their voices heard. Bill Griggs contact info:Twitter: @BillGriggsWebsites: http://podcastbyfriday.comhttp://cncroutertips.comKingsley Grant's Contact info:Twitter:@kingsleygrantWebsite: http://podcastbyfriday.comhttp://startabusinessonlinefromhome.comhttp://kingsleygrant.comWebsites MentionedOne Funnel Away Challenge http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/ofachallengeClickFunnels 14 Day Free Trial https://www.podcastbyfriday.com/freetrialWordpress Hosted http://www.wordpress.comWordpress Self Hosted http://wordpress.orgiTunes www.apple.com/itunes/Spreaker http://spreaker.comPodcast By Friday http://www.podcastbyfriday.comCNC Router Tips http://www.cncroutertips.comSmart Passive Income http://smartpassiveincome.comFacebook Group http://facebook.com/groups/podcastbyfridayAmazon Associates https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/homeBluehost http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/bluehostAudible http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/audibleYoutube http://youtube.comVodburner http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/vodburnerWP Profit Builder http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/builderThrive Global https://thriveglobal.com/Anchor FM https://anchor.fmMedium https://medium.com SHOW NOTES Mentioned:http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/19http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/20http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/21http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/22 http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/23http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/24 http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/25http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/26http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/27http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/28http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/29 http://www.podcastbyfriday.com/30

Six presentations across South Africa in 10 days is about as intense a programme as I've had. But the message from Davos and afterwards was certainly heard: this remarkable country is on the mend and the smart money is already paying attention. We kicked off the post-Davos talks in Durban, and as tends to happen, the audience was settled a long time before the 6pm start. There was a flipboard in the room which, ahead of the formal proceedings, allowed me to informally share on the four quadrants of change which we must all progress through: Rejection; Resistance; Acceptance; Commitment. South Africa is changing. But as with any other change, each one of us moves through these quadrants at our own speed - the most fortunate have always been those who get to Commitment first and reap the rewards by adjusting their circumstances ahead of the crowd. Given the interaction both during and after these talks, information shared assisted some attendees in that process. Have a listen/read the transcript of the final presentation in Johannesburg last Thursday and perhaps you'll join them. - Alec Hogg

Many "assistive technologies" are under development. They could help people with disabilities to participate more fully in society. But what if we already had enough technology for a truly inclusive society? Source: © European Union - EP

The Commission's public consultation exercise on the simplification and modernisation of the Common Agricultural Policy closed on 2 May 2017. It received in excess of 320,000 online responses. The initial results of this exercise will be presented at a stakeholder event in July. As a prelude to these results, some key features of EU agriculture are outlined along with an overview on prospects for the main agricultural markets. A number of stakeholder organisations and think tanks have already issued their reflections on the future shape of EU agricultural policy. It is expected that the Commission will publish a communication towards the end of the year on the current performance of the CAP including potential policy options for the future.Source: © European Union - EP

Over 105 million young Europeans are part of national education systems at different levels. Our briefing reviews progress in reaching common objectives to address the most pressing concerns in EU education systems by 2020.Source: © European Union - EP

Located far from the European continent and with regional gross domestic product well below the EU average, the EU's outermost regions – the Azores, the Canary Islands, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Madeira, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion and Saint-Martin – face many challenges to development, owing to factors such as climate or economic dependence on a few products. A report on promoting cohesion and development in the outermost regions is due to be debated in Parliament's July session.Source: © European Union - EP

Culture as a tool of EU diplomacy aims at reinforcing cultural diversity, human rights, and social and economic cohesion based on cultural and creative industries as a driving force of growth. Yet, in the view of the European Parliament, EU action needs proper funding and a clearly-defined programme.Source: © European Union - EP

Many "assistive technologies" are under development. They could help people with disabilities to participate more fully in society. But what if we already had enough technology for a truly inclusive society? Source: © European Union - EP

The Commission's public consultation exercise on the simplification and modernisation of the Common Agricultural Policy closed on 2 May 2017. It received in excess of 320,000 online responses. The initial results of this exercise will be presented at a stakeholder event in July. As a prelude to these results, some key features of EU agriculture are outlined along with an overview on prospects for the main agricultural markets. A number of stakeholder organisations and think tanks have already issued their reflections on the future shape of EU agricultural policy. It is expected that the Commission will publish a communication towards the end of the year on the current performance of the CAP including potential policy options for the future.Source: © European Union - EP

Over 105 million young Europeans are part of national education systems at different levels. Our briefing reviews progress in reaching common objectives to address the most pressing concerns in EU education systems by 2020.Source: © European Union - EP

With citizens being painfully aware of the cost of hosting mega-sporting events, such as the football World Cup or the Olympic Games, state aid control in the area of sport has come to the fore. Read our briefing to find out what the European Commission has been doing recently.Source: © European Union - EP

Through advances in technology, big data has become a major asset and can open up numerous opportunities in all areas, but how can we use this in the context of health care and ensure it benefits everyone? Source: © European Union - EP

Through advances in technology, big data has become a major asset and can open up numerous opportunities in all areas, but how can we use this in the context of health care and ensure it benefits everyone? Source: © European Union - EP

In July 2015, the European Commission proposed a regulation on energy labelling that would replace and repeal the 2010 directive on the subject. The Parliament proposed a series of amendments in July 2016, setting the stage for interinstitutional 'trilogue' negotiations. An agreement was eventually reached in March 2017, and the agreed text is due to be voted in the June plenary.Source: © European Union - EP

There are thousands of types of plastics. Plastics production account for about about 6 % of global oil consumption, set to grow to 20 % by 2050. Half of the plastics waste collected and recycled is treated in the EU, while the other half is exported, mainly to China. It is estimated that 2 to 5% of plastics produced end up in oceans.15 to 30% of plastics entering the oceans are microplastics (mainly coming from laundering of synthetic textiles and abrasion of tyres while driving).Source: © European Union - EP

There are thousands of types of plastics. Plastics production account for about about 6 % of global oil consumption, set to grow to 20 % by 2050. Half of the plastics waste collected and recycled is treated in the EU, while the other half is exported, mainly to China. It is estimated that 2 to 5% of plastics produced end up in oceans.15 to 30% of plastics entering the oceans are microplastics (mainly coming from laundering of synthetic textiles and abrasion of tyres while driving).Source: © European Union - EP

With citizens being painfully aware of the cost of hosting mega-sporting events, such as the football World Cup or the Olympic Games, state aid control in the area of sport has come to the fore. Read our briefing to find out what the European Commission has been doing recently.Source: © European Union - EP

The partnership principle lies at the very heart of the EU’s cohesion policy. A process involving public authorities, economic and social partners, and civil society, partnership reinforces the legitimacy of EU policymaking and, by increasing ownership of the policy on the ground, can help to communicate the results of EU policies more effectively. A report on increasing engagement of partners and visibility in the performance of European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) is due to be debated in Parliament’s June plenary session.Source: © European Union - EP

Tourism is the third largest industry in the EU, and vital for employment, economic growth and regional development. Despite the impact of the economic crisis, tourism has benefited from growing numbers of visitors in recent years. Nonetheless, as this briefing shows, the industry faces a number of challenges, not least growing competition from destinations outside Europe. Although the European Commission has presented two communications on tourism in the past decade, EU competence in the field is shared with Member States, and tourism policy remains essentially at national level.Source: © European Union - EP

The European Parliament is to vote in plenary in May on new rules on cross-border portability, which would enable consumers to access their online subscriptions for content services when they travel across the EU and are temporarily outside their Member State of residence.Source: © European Union - EP

Tourism is the third largest industry in the EU, and vital for employment, economic growth and regional development. Despite the impact of the economic crisis, tourism has benefited from growing numbers of visitors in recent years. Nonetheless, as this briefing shows, the industry faces a number of challenges, not least growing competition from destinations outside Europe. Although the European Commission has presented two communications on tourism in the past decade, EU competence in the field is shared with Member States, and tourism policy remains essentially at national level.Source: © European Union - EP

Although the EU's emissions trading system (ETS) includes provision to cover CO2 emissions from all flights to and from airports in the EU, this was suspended pending the agreement of emissions-reduction measures applicable across the world. This was to prevent conflicts with major EU trading partners. As this briefing explains, the original suspension of the aviation sector from the ETS was to expire at the end of 2016. Although the International Civil Aviation Organization agreed on a global market-based measure for the sector in October 2016, this is not due to come into effect until 2021. The Parliament therefore has to vote on a Commission proposal to extend the suspension until then.Source: © European Union - EP

Although the EU's emissions trading system (ETS) includes provision to cover CO2 emissions from all flights to and from airports in the EU, this was suspended pending the agreement of emissions-reduction measures applicable across the world. This was to prevent conflicts with major EU trading partners. As this briefing explains, the original suspension of the aviation sector from the ETS was to expire at the end of 2016. Although the International Civil Aviation Organization agreed on a global market-based measure for the sector in October 2016, this is not due to come into effect until 2021. The Parliament therefore has to vote on a Commission proposal to extend the suspension until then.Source: © European Union - EP

Blockchain technology could shake up many aspects of our daily lives, from the currency we use to the purchases we make. But what is the impact on our social values, and what can policy-makers do about it? Source: © European Union - EP

Blockchain technology could shake up many aspects of our daily lives, from the currency we use to the purchases we make. But what is the impact on our social values, and what can policy-makers do about it? Source: © European Union - EP

As part of its action plan on the circular economy, the EU is aiming to give substance to a more efficient use of resources by reducing food waste and increasing food security. The European Parliament is due to vote in May 2017 on an own-initiative report proposing measures to cut the 88 million tonnes of edible food wasted annually in the EU by half by 2030.Source: © European Union - EP

Social enterprises combine social and environmental goals with entrepreneurial activity. To help them overcome challenges related to regulatory obstacles and difficulties in accessing funding, the EU is taking steps such as the Social Business Initiative, review of the regulation on the European Social Entrepreneurship Funds, tailor-made financing solutions, provisions facilitating access to public procurement, proposals for an EU social enterprise statute and developing methodologies for measuring social impact.Source: © European Union - EP

Social enterprises combine social and environmental goals with entrepreneurial activity. To help them overcome challenges related to regulatory obstacles and difficulties in accessing funding, the EU is taking steps such as the Social Business Initiative, review of the regulation on the European Social Entrepreneurship Funds, tailor-made financing solutions, provisions facilitating access to public procurement, proposals for an EU social enterprise statute and developing methodologies for measuring social impact.Source: © European Union - EP

Social enterprises combine social and environmental goals with entrepreneurial activity. To help them overcome challenges related to regulatory obstacles and difficulties in accessing funding, the EU is taking steps such as the Social Business Initiative, review of the regulation on the European Social Entrepreneurship Funds, tailor-made financing solutions, provisions facilitating access to public procurement, proposals for an EU social enterprise statute and developing methodologies for measuring social impact.Source: © European Union - EP

Will the efforts to combat rising CO2 level in the atmosphere lead us to re-discover wood as a primary material for the construction industry or as a source of renewable energy? Massive reforestation campaign could increase the supply and availability of wood for the economy of tomorrow. Reforestation could significantly contribute to carbon capture out of the atmosphere, and it could positively affect the regional and global climate. Source: © European Union - EP

Building on its Visa Liberalisation Dialogues, the European Commission is proposing to waive visa requirements for 45 million Ukrainian citizens. In parallel, the European Union (EU) has revised its visa suspension mechanism, reinforcing safeguards to apply to all visa liberalisation agreements.Source: © European Union - EP

Social enterprises combine social and environmental goals with entrepreneurial activity. To help them overcome challenges related to regulatory obstacles and difficulties in accessing funding, the EU is taking steps such as the Social Business Initiative, review of the regulation on the European Social Entrepreneurship Funds, tailor-made financing solutions, provisions facilitating access to public procurement, proposals for an EU social enterprise statute and developing methodologies for measuring social impact.Source: © European Union - EP

Will the efforts to combat rising CO2 level in the atmosphere lead us to re-discover wood as a primary material for the construction industry or as a source of renewable energy? Massive reforestation campaign could increase the supply and availability of wood for the economy of tomorrow. Reforestation could significantly contribute to carbon capture out of the atmosphere, and it could positively affect the regional and global climate. Source: © European Union - EP

Building on its Visa Liberalisation Dialogues, the European Commission is proposing to waive visa requirements for 45 million Ukrainian citizens. In parallel, the European Union (EU) has revised its visa suspension mechanism, reinforcing safeguards to apply to all visa liberalisation agreements.Source: © European Union - EP

The development of smart devices connected online and of big data practices, allowing unprecedented availability, sharing and automated use of data, brings both opportunities in terms of efficiency and improvement in our lives and risks for individuals’ fundamental rights.Think Tank - "At a glance" productSource: © European Union - EP

After lengthy interinstitutional negotiations concluded in a trilogue agreement with the Council, Parliament is due to adopt its first-reading position, during the March II part-session, on a proposed regulation laying down supply chain due diligence obligations for importers of tin, tantalum and tungsten, as well as their ores, and gold originating in conflict-affected areas. The proposed regulation seeks to break the link between certain armed conflicts and the illegal mining operations which sustain them, and to ensure responsible sourcing for European industries. Think Tank - "At a glance" productSource: © European Union - EP

The EU-NATO Joint Declaration adopted in the margins of the NATO Summit in Warsaw represents a clear milestone in bilateral cooperation to counter hybrid threats. This briefing provides an overview of the concrete proposals currently on the table and the progress on their implementation. Think Tank - "Briefing" product Source: © European Union - EP

The European Commission is proposing to set up an automated system that would gather information on visa-exempt travellers prior to their arrival to the Schengen border. The aim is to determine any irregular migration, security or public-health risks associated with those third-country nationals. The proposal follows similar models already existing in the USA, Canada and Australia, among others. Think Tank - "Briefing" product Source: © European Union - EP

The EU-NATO Joint Declaration adopted in the margins of the NATO Summit in Warsaw represents a clear milestone in bilateral cooperation to counter hybrid threats. This briefing provides an overview of the concrete proposals currently on the table and the progress on their implementation. Think Tank - "Briefing" product Source: © European Union - EP

The European Commission is proposing to set up an automated system that would gather information on visa-exempt travellers prior to their arrival to the Schengen border. The aim is to determine any irregular migration, security or public-health risks associated with those third-country nationals. The proposal follows similar models already existing in the USA, Canada and Australia, among others. Think Tank - "Briefing" product Source: © European Union - EP

Could introducing more precision agriculture in Europe allow us to obtain food resilience, while ensuring sustainability and jobs, and taking into account the EU’s wide agricultural diversity? Precision agriculture (PA), or precision farming, involves using technology to improve the ratio between agricultural output (usually food) and agricultural input (land, energy, water, fertilisers, pesticides, etc.). PA consists of using sensors to identify crop or livestock needs precisely (in space or time), and then intervening in a targeted way to maximise the productivity of each plant and animal, whilst minimising any waste of resources. Think Tank - "At a glance" product Source: © European Union - EP

Could introducing more precision agriculture in Europe allow us to obtain food resilience, while ensuring sustainability and jobs, and taking into account the EU's wide agricultural diversity? Precision agriculture (PA), or precision farming, involves using technology to improve the ratio between agricultural output (usually food) and agricultural input (land, energy, water, fertilisers, pesticides, etc.). PA consists of using sensors to identify crop or livestock needs precisely (in space or time), and then intervening in a targeted way to maximise the productivity of each plant and animal, whilst minimising any waste of resources. Think Tank - "At a glance" product Source: © European Union - EP

How can a third country access EU financial services markets? What is the difference between the passporting rights enjoyed by the Member States and the equivalence recognition of external frameworks? Source: © European Union - EP

This briefing provides insights into the objectives, priorities and measures of the EU Rural Development Policy 2014-2020 that can offer support to rural communities in the process of the integration of the migrants who settle in rural Europe. The projects launched by rural communities to assist the integration of migrants illustrate that integration is a two-way process with implications for both host communities and third-country nationals.Source: © European Union - EP

What options exist, especially in terms of new technologies, for reducing the carbon footprint of the livestock industry? How effective might they be, and what could be done to encourage their implementation? Source: © European Union - EP

In July 2015, the European Commission proposed a reform of the EU emissions trading system (ETS) for the 2021-2030 period. The proposed directive introduces tighter limits on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to achieve the EU's 2030 climate targets, while protecting energy-intensive industries from the risk of 'carbon leakage'. The Parliament is expected to vote on it during the February II session. Source: © European Union - EP

What options exist, especially in terms of new technologies, for reducing the carbon footprint of the livestock industry? How effective might they be, and what could be done to encourage their implementation? Source: © European Union - EP

The Legal Affairs Committee has tabled a report with recommendations to the Commission on the civil-law and ethical aspects of robotics. The report calls for EU legislation introducing a register of robots, setting up an EU Agency for Robotics and laying down principles of civil liability for damages caused by robots. Such legislation should be complemented by ethical codes of conduct.Source: © European Union - EP

This briefing provides insights into the objectives, priorities and measures of the EU Rural Development Policy 2014-2020 that can offer support to rural communities in the process of the integration of the migrants who settle in rural Europe. The projects launched by rural communities to assist the integration of migrants illustrate that integration is a two-way process with implications for both host communities and third-country nationals.Source: © European Union - EP

How can a third country access EU financial services markets? What is the difference between the passporting rights enjoyed by the Member States and the equivalence recognition of external frameworks? Source: © European Union - EP

Quantum mechanics is the physics of the small, and has some weird consequences, such as particles sometimes being in different places at once. These effects could be used to develop new technologies in the areas of sensing, cryptography, and computing. However, a lot of work remains to be done on developing useful devices, and their powerful new applications could have unintended consequences for society. Source: © European Union - EP

Quantum mechanics is the physics of the small, and has some weird consequences, such as particles sometimes being in different places at once. These effects could be used to develop new technologies in the areas of sensing, cryptography, and computing. However, a lot of work remains to be done on developing useful devices, and their powerful new applications could have unintended consequences for society. Source: © European Union - EP

What will be the relations between the EU and ACP countries after 2020? There is a lot to discuss and it might be difficult for all parties to find convergence of interests. Source: © European Union - EP

A number of major issues are set to colour the year 2017, some in ways that seem relatively clear already and others unpredictably. This in-depth analysis looks at 10 of the main issues likely to be on the table for EU policy-makers throughout 2017. Some are entirely internal concerns while others are global issues. And for some, the EU and its leaders will be able to make the running whereas they will have to find ways to react to some of the others, always with the underlying goal of protecting and supporting European citizens.Source: © European Union - EP

A number of major issues are set to colour the year 2017, some in ways that seem relatively clear already and others unpredictably. This in-depth analysis looks at 10 of the main issues likely to be on the table for EU policy-makers throughout 2017. Some are entirely internal concerns while others are global issues. And for some, the EU and its leaders will be able to make the running whereas they will have to find ways to react to some of the others, always with the underlying goal of protecting and supporting European citizens.Source: © European Union - EP

At the January plenary sitting, the European Parliament is due to elect its 30th President, to hold the office until the next European parliamentary elections, due in 2019. The President has an important and increasingly visible function in the EU institutional and international setting, mirroring the influential role of the Parliament as a shaper of EU policies and co-legislator.Source: © European Union - EP

The EU is committed to protect human rights in its external policy through its treaties. Since it is the largest world’s trade bloc, it is in a prime position to use the significant leverage provided by its commercial power for protecting and promoting human rights in third countries. Actually, all components of EU trade policy recognise respect of human rights as a fundamental principle. EU's free trade agreements integrate a human rights clause stipulating that respect for democracy, human rights and rule of law constitute an essential element of the agreement, whose breach can lead to its suspension. The unilateral trade preferences the EU grants to developing countries are conditional on the respect of core human rights and labour rights norms. Additional preferences are provided to developing countries that fully comply with relevant international conventions. Other unilateral measures ban trade in certain goods that can be used to violate human rights or whose production has been linked to conflict and massive human rights breaches. Source: © European Union - EP

What will be the relations between the EU and ACP countries after 2020? There is a lot to discuss and it might be difficult for all parties to find convergence of interests. Source: © European Union - EP

Jean Weissenberger. Deep-sea species and marine ecosystems are particularly sensitive to human activities. The European Parliament is now to finalise the adoption of a regulation aimed at sustainable deep-sea fishing activities, while freezing their zonal footprint and protecting vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems.Think Tank - "At a glance" productSource: © European Union - EP

James McEldowney. Over the years, the Common Agricultural Policy has been subject to several reforms. Often described as being incremental in nature, these reforms have progressively resulted in significant changes in both the orientation and architecture of the CAP.Source: © European Union - EP

Damiano Scordamaglia. The vote in plenary on the market pillar of the fourth railway package scheduled for December 2016 puts the spotlight on a set of policy measures to improve the competitiveness of EU rail and the quality of its services. Indeed, the measures on markets and governance aim to enhance the level playing field between operators, including for domestic operations, and cost-efficiency of rail services. Think Tank Topical DigestSource: © European Union - EP

Marketa Pape. To improve commercial efficiency and increase the financial transparency of the major EU seaports, the European Commission proposed a new regulation in 2013. Following agreement with the Council in trilogue the new regulation is now to be voted in plenary in December. In contrast to previous, rejected proposals on ports, this one will not affect Member States' social and employment rules.Think Tank - "At a glance" productSource: © European Union - EP

Christian Kurrer with James Tarlton. Electric cars are projected to become cheaper than equivalent gasoline cars by 2025, when accounting for their lower running costs. Their widespread adoption would be a big help for the EU in meeting its targets on greenhouse gas emissions and air quality. However, there could be challenges ahead for our electricity grid, the automobile industry, and our supply of lithium, which is currently important for the manufacture of batteries.Source : © European Union - EP

Christian Kurrer with James Tarlton. Electric cars are projected to become cheaper than equivalent gasoline cars by 2025, when accounting for their lower running costs. Their widespread adoption would be a big help for the EU in meeting its targets on greenhouse gas emissions and air quality. However, there could be challenges ahead for our electricity grid, the automobile industry, and our supply of lithium, which is currently important for the manufacture of batteries.Source : © European Union - EP

Damiano Scordamaglia. The vote in plenary on the market pillar of the fourth railway package scheduled for December 2016 puts the spotlight on a set of policy measures to improve the competitiveness of EU rail and the quality of its services. Indeed, the measures on markets and governance aim to enhance the level playing field between operators, including for domestic operations, and cost-efficiency of rail services. Think Tank Topical DigestSource: © European Union - EP

James McEldowney. Over the years, the Common Agricultural Policy has been subject to several reforms. Often described as being incremental in nature, these reforms have progressively resulted in significant changes in both the orientation and architecture of the CAP.Source: © European Union - EP

Lieve Van Woensel with Sarah McCormack.Will intelligent robots bring us benefits in relation to security and safety, or will the vulnerabilities within these systems mean that they cause more problems than they solve?Source : © European Union - EP

Laura Puccio (XPOL).The EU has been negotiating trade agreements since the 1970s, then as the European Communities. Over time it has diversified its trading partners, and is now negotiating trade agreements with partners from every continent. The content of trade agreements has also evolved as EU trade competences have developed. This briefing looks at how trade negotiations are conducted and concluded in the EU after the Lison treaty, and discusses some of the key issues in the current EU trade policy debate.Think Tank briefingSource: © European Union - EP

Laura Puccio (XPOL).The EU has been negotiating trade agreements since the 1970s, then as the European Communities. Over time it has diversified its trading partners, and is now negotiating trade agreements with partners from every continent. The content of trade agreements has also evolved as EU trade competences have developed. This briefing looks at how trade negotiations are conducted and concluded in the EU after the Lison treaty, and discusses some of the key issues in the current EU trade policy debate.Think Tank briefingSource: © European Union - EP

Wilhelm SCHOELLMANN (XPOL).EU-Canada negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) started in May 2009 and were declared concluded in September 2014. The agreement's overall aim is to increase flows of goods, services and investment to the benefit of both partners. For the EU, CETA represents the first comprehensive economic agreement with a highly industrialised Western economy. On 5 July 2016, the Commission made three proposals for a Council decision with respect to CETA: to sign the agreement, on provisional application, and on conclusion. The Council and Member States have had difficult discussions on the conditions under which CETA can be signed.Think Tank briefingSource: © European Union - EP

Wilhelm SCHOELLMANN (XPOL).EU-Canada negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) started in May 2009 and were declared concluded in September 2014. The agreement's overall aim is to increase flows of goods, services and investment to the benefit of both partners. For the EU, CETA represents the first comprehensive economic agreement with a highly industrialised Western economy. On 5 July 2016, the Commission made three proposals for a Council decision with respect to CETA: to sign the agreement, on provisional application, and on conclusion. The Council and Member States have had difficult discussions on the conditions under which CETA can be signed.Think Tank briefingSource: © European Union - EP

Monika Kiss (EPOL).Surveys reveal that 70 million adults have insufficient basic skills, which can lead to problems at individual and societal levels. The Skills Guarantee aims to encourage upskilling pathways at national level, with implementation and monitoring supported by the European Commission. The European Parliament highlights the importance of the involvement of social partners, the recognition of informal learning outcomes, the appropriate use of funds, synergies with other tools and more action at EU level.Think Tank - "At a glance" productSource: © European Union - EP

Lieve Van Woensel with Sarah McCormack.Will intelligent robots bring us benefits in relation to security and safety, or will the vulnerabilities within these systems mean that they cause more problems than they solve?Source : © European Union - EP

Didier Bourguignon (EPOL).Parliament and Council have agreed on new national ceilings for the emission of key air pollutants. This includes particulate matter (PM), which estimated to cause 400 000 premature deaths (and cost €330-940 bn) every year in the EU. The new targets would halve the number of premature deaths by 2030.Think Tank - "At a glance" productSource: © European Union - EP