Podcasts about University of London

Kelly M. Kapic (PhD, King's College, University of London) is a professor of theological studies at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, where he has taught for twenty years. He is an award-winning author or editor of more than fifteen books, including You're Only Human and Embodied Hope, which each won a Christianity Today Book Award. Kapic, a popular speaker, has been featured in Christianity Today and The Gospel Coalition, has worked on research teams funded by the John Templeton Foundation, and contributes to the Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care and various other journals.

*This is the Free Content version of my interview with Dr. Mariano Villalba. To access the full interview, please consider becoming a paid Patreon member; alternatively, this episode is also available for a one-time purchase here on Patreon (under 'Shop' tab). www.patreon.com/RejectedReligion My guest this month is Dr. Mariano Villalba. Mariano is a postdoctoral fellow in Spirituality and the Arts, in collaboration with the Giorgio Cini Foundation in Venice, the History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents at the University of Amsterdam, and the Warburg Institute at the University of London.Mariano specializes in esotericism in Colonial America, contemporary Latin America, and early modern Spain. He completed a joint PhD in religious studies at the University of Lausanne and the French l'École Pratique des Hautes Études- Paris Sciences & Letters University.Mariano serves as the editor in chief of Melancolia, an annual journal dedicated to the study of esotericism in Latin America. His methodology combines a global history perspective on Colonial America with a decolonial approach, intersecting themes of race, gender, and imperialism to analyze modern occultism in Latin America. His new research project will focus on “Occult Movements and Mexican Mural Art: What Role Did Occult Movements Play in Mexican Mural Art During the Interwar Period?”In this episode, Mariano and I explore his groundbreaking research into the overlooked women of the Mexican muralist movement. Building on his earlier work, Mariano dives into the rich, complex history of Mexican muralism—an artistic revolution born from post-revolutionary ideals and dominated by the towering figures of “Los Tres Grandes.”But beyond the celebrated murals of Rivera, Orozco, and Siqueiros lies a hidden narrative: the women artists whose contributions were marginalized or erased. Mariano introduces us to several of these remarkable figures, focusing in particular on María Izquierdo and Sofía Bassi. He shares insights into their lives, artistic themes, and the esoteric influences that shaped their work, while unpacking why their legacies remain in the shadows compared to contemporaries like Frida Kahlo and Leonora Carrington.This episode is a compelling journey into art history, gender politics, and the mystical dimensions of creativity. Dr. Villalba also discusses the goals of his current project and how listeners can engage with the research on his online platform.An editing correction: Just a note to correct a mistake made during the interview: In the discussion about Frieda Kahlo's parents (a German father and a Mexican mother), Mariano mistakenly states that (María) Izquierdo was the daughter instead of Kahlo. There was a slight mix-up here as Mariano was comparing Frieda Kahlo and María Izquierdo. So please be aware of this when listening.PROGRAM NOTESMariano Villalba | Center for the Study of World ReligionsOccult Mexican art | Explore the Occult in Mexican visual artAbout Gender & Visual Arts | Discover Women's Insight — Occult Mexican artAbout Esotericism & Muralism | Explore Mexican Art — Occult Mexican artMuralism and Mexican Identity: Rediscovering the Esoteric Visions of Post-Revolution Female Artists: Q&A with Mariano Villalba | Center for the Study of World ReligionsOccult Movements and Mexican Mural Art | Center for the Study of World ReligionsThe Visionary World of Sofía Bassi | Center for the Study of World ReligionsFundación | Sofia BassiEsotericism, Gender, and the Legacy of a Mexican Artist | Center for the Study of World ReligionsMariano Villalba - Harvard University Music and Editing: Daniel P. SheaEnd Production: Stephanie Shea

British historian John Whelpton, who holds a PhD in Nepali political history from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, first visited Nepal in the 1970s. Since then, he has been actively involved in researching Nepali history and other academic activities. Whelpton, who is also the author of books such as ‘Jang Bahadur in Europe' and ‘A History of Nepal', was recently honoured by the Nepal government with the ‘Itihas Shiromani Baburam Acharya National Award' for his significant contribution to the field of Nepalese history. Nepal correspondent Girish Subedi spoke with John Whelpton, focusing on the transformations in Nepali society from the time of Jung Bahadur's visit to Britain to the present day, and the policies adopted by the parties after the declaration of the republic. - ब्रिटेनको युनिभर्सिटी अफ लन्डन अन्तर्गतको स्कुल अफ ओरियन्टल एन्ड अफ्रिकन स्टडिजबाट नेपालको राजनीतिक इतिहासमा विद्यावारिधि गरेका ब्रिटिश इतिहासकार जन् ह्वेल्प्टन् सन् १९७० को दशकमा पहिलो पटक नेपाल पुगेका थिए। त्यस यता भने उनी नेपालको इतिहास अनुसन्धान गर्ने लगायतका शैक्षिक गतिविधिमा सक्रिय रहँदै आएका छन्। ‘जङ्गबहादुर इन युरोप' र ‘अ हिस्ट्री अफ नेपाल' जस्ता किताबका लेखक पनि रहेका ह्वेल्पटन्‌लाई नेपाल सरकारले हालसालै नेपाली इतिहासको क्षेत्रमा उल्लेखनीय योगदान पुर्‍याएको भन्दै ‘इतिहास शिरोमणि बाबुराम आचार्य पुरस्कार'द्वारा सम्मानित गरेको छ। जङ्गबहादुरको बेलायत यात्राको बेलादेखि आधुनिक नेपालको समयसम्ममा जातपातलाई लिएर नेपाली समाजमा भएका रूपान्तरणका कुरा र गणतन्त्र घोषणा पछि पार्टीहरूले लिएको नीतिहरूलाई केन्द्रविन्दुमा राखेर नेपाल संवाददाता गिरिश सुवेदीले जन् ह्वेल्पटन्‌सँग गर्नुभएको कुराकानी सुन्नुहोस्।

Marianne Lewis is dean of the University of Cincinnati College of Business, and she previously served as dean of Bayes Business School at City, University of London. Marianne researches organizational paradoxes, including the tensions surrounding leadership and innovation. She has been recognized among the world's most-cited researchers in her field, having won numerous academic awards, and her work also appears in media outlets, such as Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Newsweek. Her latest book, Both/And Thinking is published by Harvard Business School Press. In this episode we discuss the following: I love Marianne's insight that the best leaders are not tough or kind, but rather both.  Toughness and kindness are not opposite ends of a spectrum but rather two sides of the same coin. And any leader who pushes too hard on one, while ignoring the other, will not reach their potential. And I thought it was especially interesting to hear about the creative geniuses who also appreciated tension and paradoxes: motion vs rest, particle vs wave, harmony vs discord, light vs. dark, life vs death. The magic is in the tension. When it comes to leadership the best leaders are both tough and kind. Connect on Social Media: X: https://twitter.com/nate_meikle LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemeikle/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_meikle/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nate.meikle

Dhruv Agrawal is CEO and president of Aether Biomedical. Discover Dhruv's unique journey from studying medicine in New Delhi to creating life-changing bionic limbs. Under his leadership, Aether Biomedical has achieved significant milestones, including CE certification and FDA registration for its Zeus V1 bionic limb. Dhruv shares his personal story of transitioning from medical school to MedTech innovation, the obstacles faced and lessons learned as a young entrepreneur, and the hope and inspiration of seeing Aether's prosthetics transform lives, especially in war-torn regions.   Guest links: https://www.aetherbiomedical.com | https://www.linkedin.com/company/aether-biomedical | https://www.instagram.com/aether_biomedical/  Charity supported: ASPCA Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com.  PRODUCTION CREDITS Host & Editor: Lindsey Dinneen Producer: Velentium Medical   EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 061 - Dhruv Agrawal Dhruv Agrawal [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello, and welcome back to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host, Lindsey, and today I'm excited to introduce you to my guest, Dhruv Agrawal. Dhruv is the CEO and president of the management board of Aither Biomedical. He studied medicine in New Delhi before dropping out to pursue a bachelor's in business management. He also has a postgraduate diploma in Medical Device Development Regulatory Affairs from University of California Irvine, and a Master's in Data Science from the University of London. Under his leadership, Aither Biomedical has achieved CE certification and FDA registration for the Zeus V1 bionic limb, and established distribution across nine European countries, the US, and India. Additionally, Aither has raised over 12.5 million US dollars in private capital from leading VCs and has been a part of multiple European grants and research programs for an additional 6.5 million US dollars in non-dilutive capital. All right. Well, thank you so much for being here. Welcome to the show. I'm so excited to speak with you today. [00:01:49] Dhruv Agrawal: it's a pleasure to be here, Lindsey. Thank you so much for inviting me. [00:01:52] Lindsey Dinneen: Of course, of course. Well, I would love, if you wouldn't mind just starting by sharing a little bit about yourself and your background and what led you to Med Tech. [00:02:02] Dhruv Agrawal: Yeah, absolutely. So I'm Dhruv Agrawal. I'm the CEO of Aither Biomedical. We are a company based out of Poznan in Poland, so on the western part of Poland. It's a little bit chilly here. As a company, we are a team of about 55 people right now, currently present in the US, Europe, Middle East, as well as India. And we focus on making bionic hands for upper limb amputees. [00:02:25] Lindsey Dinneen: Amazing. Yes. So I wanna get into everything amazing that your company does, but going back for just a little bit, in your own personal history, can you share a little bit about maybe growing up and what experiences led you to think, "Hey, in the future, maybe I wanna do X, Y, and Z." [00:02:43] Dhruv Agrawal: Mm-hmm. So first of all, entrepreneurship was never a plan for me. I didn't even knew that there was a thing called an entrepreneur until I was easily into high school. Both my parents are doctors. My dad's a pediatrician, mom's a gynecologist, and as it happens in India, if your parents are doctors, you kind of know that you have to become a doctor as well. So I went to the coaching classes to pre, to prepare for medical entrance examinations. I actually met my co-founder there about 10 years ago. We both got into medical school. I was generally comfortable with medicine, you know, growing up in a hospital with doctor parents around. So I was generally comfortable in a clinical setting, but I realized that I was much more interested in the technological aspect of medicine rather than the clinical aspect of it. And that was when I was getting into the second year of my university. And luckily my dad, for my 18th birthday, bought me a 3D printer, like a very simple 3D printer from China as my 18th birthday gift. 'cause I was really wanting to get into that world. And that's where the story begins. So even till today, my dad jokingly says that that's the worst gift he has ever bought for me, because that made me drop out of medical school. [00:03:57] Lindsey Dinneen: Oh no. Okay, so you were given this gift and you started, I imagine, tinkering with it, learning how to use it. So tell me about that. [00:04:06] Dhruv Agrawal: Yeah, the thing with my co-founder as well, even though we went to the same medical university, we were not really friends in the first year. We were just colleagues. But when I got this 3D printer, it was like one of those things that you assemble, you get a kit and you assemble. And I was asking around people in my university and they were like, "Come on, what are you doing? Like, I don't wanna come to your apartment to assemble a 3D printer." And my co-founder was the first one who said yes to coming down and assembling that printer with me. So that's how our friendship essentially started in the university, even though we had known each other for three years by that point. And then we started, of course, by very basic things like printing mobile phone covers and key chains and we were just in awe with the fact that I have something in my room, in a studio apartment, where I can just build physical things, right? And this was back in 2018, so 3D printer was not such a consumer product where, you know, if it was of course used in industry, but it was not something that you would imagine having at your home, at least not in India. And then we actually found out that there's a society called Enable, which is an NGO that makes very simple basic prosthetic designs for kids. So we started by printing those and started going to some amputee clinics around and trialing that out with patients, just purely out of technical curiosity. We didn't really had a draw towards amputation, so to speak. We were more driven by the technical curiosity of, you know, it sounds interesting to make a prostatic hand. So that was the beginning. And then slowly, slowly things happened very organically that we went from wanting to 3D print basic things to starting a biomedical innovation club in our university, to incorporating a company in India, then to coming all the way over to Poland and now having 55 people. [00:05:49] Lindsey Dinneen: Holy cow. That's an amazing story. Thank you for sharing about that. So, okay, so, so you started off with this curiosity, like, "Hey, let's see what we could do with this printer and, and how we can make it work for people." And I love that your initial pull with it was to actually provide something that does help people. So that's obviously a core value, something that you hold very dear. So can you speak a little bit more, did you have sort of any personal experience or within your family or what led you to say, "You know what, hey, I've got this really cool tool at my disposal. Let me start using it by actually doing something that helps others." [00:06:27] Dhruv Agrawal: I mean, the honest answer, I would love to say I had some personal experience, but the honest answer is no, not, not really. I don't have one of those stories where I can tell you that, like I met an amputee 15 years ago, 20 years ago, and have had that motivation for that time. It was just pure technical curiosity to begin with. But of course, as we started building basic devices and giving it out to people and seeing the response of what a very simple, you know, $50 thing can do for a person who's missing a limb in an impoverished family in a village in India, that's a very powerful thing. So at that point, we realized that we started getting more and more close to upper limb amputation as a field, as a clinical specialty within itself. Of course, both me and my co-founder coming from medical school growing up in family of medicals, we've always had it in our heart to work in the clinical side of things. We've always liked working around, helping people get healthier and better. But amputation specifically was an area that we were very lucky that we found as an area of interest that developed within the both of us. [00:07:31] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, of course. Okay, so, so you started printing these limbs, and then you realized, "Oh my goodness, there's such a need for this. There's so much opportunity here to really help people." So, so tell me a little bit about the evolution over time of how you have made it better and better, more technologically advanced, more ergonomic, all the things that go into that. Can you speak a little bit to that learning curve and process? [00:07:56] Dhruv Agrawal: Mm-hmm. Yeah, it was a very long learning curve because not only did, me and my co-founder had zero background in business. We were 18-year-old, 19-year-old kids, right? We were just teenagers and we really had no idea what we wanted to do. And not only that, we also were not engineers, so we didn't have any engineering experience or expertise either. So everything that we did in the very beginning, at least, was self-taught. I just knew I had an inclination towards electronics and programming. My co-founder was much more towards mechanical CAD design and things like that. So we started learning these courses for free on edX and Coursera and all these, you know, MOOC platforms. And that's how we built up the very first prototype of the product by getting some small grants here and there in India. Of course, the situation is very different right now. We have R&D team of 30 people, very experienced, a few PhDs here and there. So I don't really design anymore in my day-to-day life, but that's how we started. And same was the side of the journey of coming from India to Poland. Again, that was not something that was planned at all. We had no experience in business. We had no experience in raising funding or raising money and things like that. We just learned on the go, applied to over a hundred different programs 'cause most of the investors said no to us back then in 2018 to funding 'cause why would they say yes? And we looked at like, "Okay, can we get some grants and things like that?" Applied to over a hundred programs. Luckily got selected in this program in Poland, which was like a $50,000 program back in 2018 and decided, "Yeah, let's try that place out." And came to Poland. I literally came with a backpack with stuff for two months 'cause there was a plan, come for the grant, stay for two months, go back to my family in India, and it's been seven years since then. [00:09:44] Lindsey Dinneen: Oh, there you go. Oh my goodness. That's great. So Poland, and you get along it sounds like just fine. Excellent. Excellent. Okay, so, I really appreciate you sharing about, especially, you were both so young and but so eager. It sounds like just, "Yes, let's learn, let's develop the skills that we need to along the way." I would imagine though, coming into it, perhaps that young and not having as much business experience, or, or any really in, in the past, I-- something that I really admired when I was kind of looking through your LinkedIn profile was when you post, a lot of times you share stories about areas that, that may be considered I, I guess mistakes or stumbling blocks or things that, that you've overcome on your path. And I would love if you would share maybe just a couple of things that come to mind, as an early founder, because your story is amazing and unique, but there are lots of other founders too who find themselves in similar situations where they're like, "Whoof, I've got this great idea. I know what I want, but here's maybe what I should look out for to avoid." could you share a little bit about that? [00:10:49] Dhruv Agrawal: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, the first thing is mistakes are unavoidable, right? it doesn't matter whether you're coming from a background of a medical school dropout, or if you have 10, 15, 20 years of corporate experience and things like that. 'Cause I do find myself thinking a lot about, you know, wouldn't it have been better if I would've graduated and then did a MBA and then started a company? Yes, it might have been better, but the things that I deal with in my day-to-day life in the startup, I don't think this is taught anywhere. So the first and foremost thing, which is of importance, is that mistakes are unavoidable. It's okay to make mistakes. The biggest learning that I have is mistakes are unavoidable, but it's up to you to be decisive enough to pivot as quickly as possible. So don't look back at the mistakes that we have made, because one of the worst things that we have done in this company, or where we have failed the most, or where we have seen that like, "Ah, this is where we could have done things better," are not about making a wrong decision. They were just about being indecisive and being in a dilemma for a long, long time. It would've been far better if we would've made certain decisions quickly, gotten feedback and quickly pivoted, instead of just being in a dilemma and trying to balance two sides for a long time period. An example of that would be when we launched the first version of our product into the market, we realized that we had made some errors from the point of view of what should be the feature set in this product. And so, for example, the product was available only in a medium size hand in terms of the dimensions, but majority of the market is for a small size hand. So at that point we couldn't really just miniaturize things because there's a physical limitation. So at that point we had to make a decision of do we scrap this thing completely and build a new hand from scratch that starts with a small hand and then has a medium sized option as a grow up? Or do we continue to work on the medium sized hand, and then launch a small sized hand separately? Finally, we decided to do the second option. But looking back again, I, I don't think it would've been better or worse either way. I think both of these options are fair. It's just the fact that we spent over nine months going back and forth between, "Okay, let's continue putting our efforts in energy into the medium sized that we have right now" versus, "Okay, this month we are now suddenly feeling, ah, that's not gonna work out. Let's start building the second version." So that dilemma of indecision is probably the worst thing that you can do. Just make a decision, own up to it, move on. If it works out, great, if it not, if it doesn't work out, you're gonna have learnings and you'll be stronger at the end of the day. So that's, I would be an I would say would be an example of one of the key errors that we made. [00:13:23] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Well, thank you for being willing to share that, and that's such valuable advice and feedback. And so, as you recognize this and go, "Okay, so that didn't work as planned, or in the way that I would prefer," what did you end up deciding? How do you go now, moving forward, when you are in a position of "I have a major decision to make. I feel like both options have value and merit." How do you end up deciding, "Okay, I I'm not gonna leave this just in this hazy middle ground, I'm gonna make a decision." How do you go about that now differently? [00:13:54] Dhruv Agrawal: I think the first and foremost thing that entrepreneurs, or anybody who wants to build a new product, or anybody who just wants to build something new, is be very, very, very honest with yourself about, "Am I solving a real problem?" As founders, as creators, as developers, it is so easy to go into that mindset of you find a problem that you can relate to or you somehow think that this is a real problem. It doesn't matter what feedback you're going to get. You're going to convert that feedback, or create a narrative or story from that feedback, that is going to align with the impression that you have built in your own head about what the real problem is. So one thing that we really do right now is just focus on problem market fit at the very early stages of launching a new software, building a new product, building the next version of the hand, or whatever else we do is really try to question, "Are we solving a real problem?" And in a completely unbiased manner, "Do people agree with me that I am solving a real problem?" So that's what I would say would be a primary thing that we do differently right now. Of course at this point, we start getting users involved much earlier into our development process. That is something that we did not do in the past, and hence the surprise that we got at that point. So we start involving users, different stakeholders, and things like that much earlier, but at the same time, I would say that it's not to say that I would penalize myself for the historical decisions that I took. We did the best that we could potentially with the resources that were available at that point. Now we have much more resources so we can do all these things. So don't feel pressured to do everything on day one. You know, start with something, move forward and build that maturity as you grow. [00:15:38] Lindsey Dinneen: Oh, I love that. That's excellent advice. Thank you for sharing. Yeah, so you know that's a great segue and I love the fact that you were talking about the end user and the importance. And it's so funny because of course, ultimately your goal is to help these end users and improve their quality of life and whatnot. But to your point, it does get easy to get so bogged down in the details of what you're creating and innovating that perhaps you forget sort of the bigger picture at times. So, speaking of these end users, can you share any stories that might stand out to you as really reinforcing to you that, "Hey, gosh, I am in the right industry, doing the right thing at the right time." [00:16:17] Dhruv Agrawal: Yeah, no, absolutely. So we have had many phenomenal end users that have reiterated our belief in the product that we are building, the problems that we are solving, the company, and the organization that we are building as a whole. I mean, generally speaking, patients change their devices every three to five years, and that's really our entry point of getting a device into the hands of the patients. But even with those, a patient is using another prosthetic device, they start using ours, they will see a step change in the functionality, and that's always empowering. But the most interesting stories are where we have really seen patients who, for example, congenital amputees tried a prosthetic device 10 years ago, 15 years ago, and then made a decision to live their life without any prosthetic device. So got used to a life for 15, 20, 25 years of living a life without a prosthetic device, just with an amputated limb or a limb difference. And then, we come in with our product, they see it, they use it, and they are ready to adopt that again. And that's a much powerful validation for us because somebody who has used a device, looked at all the advancements over the last two decades, decided actively decided to not use any of those advancements, and looks at our product and says, "Ah, this really solves the problems that I was waiting for someone to solve for the last two decades." Like we had this situation with a very famous Polish guy, Marek Kamiński, who is the youngest Polish person to go to both poles, North Pole and the South Pole, and he's a bilateral amputee on legs and he has a unilateral amputation to one arm. He has not used a prosthetic device in, I think 15 or 20 years, something like that. So for a very long timeframe. He met with an ambassador of ours and was finally convinced after 15 long years to give another try. And we fitted him over three months ago and he's been performing phenomenally with the device and he's so happy with that. So those are the moments that really give us more confidence or give us a boost of confidence in the product that we are building and the company that we are building. [00:18:19] Lindsey Dinneen: That's incredible. Wow. What a story. Yeah, and I love hearing those kinds of stories and that just to reinforce, " Hey, you really are making a difference." And I'm sure that helps on the days that are a little bit harder, a little trickier, you know, it helps to have that to hold onto, so you know your impact goes so far beyond even the places that you've mentioned before. I was reading about how you've worked with the Open Dialogue Foundation and there's been some work in Ukraine, and I'm wondering if you could share a little bit about perhaps that collaboration, and or some of the other exciting collaborations you have going on with these amazing organizations all over the world. [00:18:54] Dhruv Agrawal: Absolutely. I mean, the work that we do in Ukraine is something which is very close to our heart and what you just mentioned a moment ago, it's exactly that type of work that keeps us going on the hardest of days. I have so many amazing stories from the patients who have been fitted with our device 'cause at this point in the last year or so, we have already fitted over a hundred patients with our bionic hands in Ukraine. We primarily work with Superhumans, which is NGO based out of Kyiv, a great place, really the mecca for prosthetics at this point, I would say. They're doing a phenomenal job of getting these patients in, rehabilitating them, fitting them with our device and then training them on how to use the device. In fact, even supporting them in the post rehabilitation, acquainting them to back to the real world as well. And we send teams of doctors from the US, from Poland, to Ukraine to actually fit these devices to patients. And we have had a lot of success stories come out of it. We have people who have amputations, even at the level of shoulder who are amputated all the way up to the shoulder or four quarter amputation, and they are successfully able to live a independent life with our device. I think the best story that I've had, or the part that really made me tear up, was when one of the soldiers got fitted with our device and his really, really big wish was to be able to do the first, to dance with his wife, with both hands. And I got to see that and it was, it was the most amazing feeling ever. [00:20:20] Lindsey Dinneen: Oh my goodness. Yes. I don't know how you couldn't just have the waterfall start with that kind of story. That's incredible. Thank you for sharing about that. So, as you look toward the company's future and your own, what are you excited about moving forward? [00:20:34] Dhruv Agrawal: I mean, we are currently in the process of getting a new version of our hand in the market, which has all the learnings of the last four years or so. So we are definitely really excited about that. You have to keep in mind when we launched the first product, we didn't even have enough money to-- because prosthetics are expensive-- so we didn't really have had enough money to buy our competitor devices, or the devices from the past to look around to see, touch, feel, how they are built. Everything that we built was purely out of our imagination and based on what we could find on the internet. And, you know, go visit a doctor who fits these devices, have that 10, 15 minutes to look around that device, and so on and so on. I mean, four years later, now we have the experience of fitting close to seven, 800 patients with our device. All that feedback that has gone into the next version product that we are gonna be building. So very excited about that. We continue to develop the software platform, so we are not just a company that is focused on providing a device to the patient, but we provide an entire software platform that's like a digital twin for the patient. So it supports the patients throughout their end-to-end journey. Because it's not just about giving a device to the patient, but it's all about can we improve their quality of life? Can the patient pick up a glass of water? Can he tie his shoelaces? Can he water a plant? Can he do the activities that he really wants to do? And from that perspective, the software platform that we continue to build focuses on things like adherence, occupational therapy, physical therapy, monitoring of the usage of the device. Because the thing in prosthetics industry is, the day you give the device to the patient is not the day you have won the battle. That's the day the battle actually begins, 'cause now it's all about making sure that you deliver on the promise of helping him get better quality of life. [00:22:20] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Yeah. I'm sure that's an exciting challenge, but it's a continually evolving challenge too. And there's probably variations, I would imagine, on people embracing the technology a little bit differently and how you handle all that. Yeah. Excellent. Well that is a very exciting future and it's so much fun to hear about, and you know, you've had a great career so far. I'm sure it's wildly different than what you may have imagined as a kid. But what a cool gift that you're bringing to the world. You've been recognized quite a bit. You're 30 under 30 for Europe, and you've been involved in lots of different cool organizations. You've been a TEDx speaker. What are some of those moments like, have they been surreal? Is it just like, "Oh, thank you." Just confirmation that, hey, you are on the right tracker. What are those kinds of moments like for you? [00:23:08] Dhruv Agrawal: I mean, definitely the first round of funding that we raised in Poland was was a huge check mark for us, because it's that moment at which you realize, "Ah, somebody wants to give me money and somebody wants to give me a quarter of a million dollars." I've never seen that much money together on a single bank account or in any way, shape or form, right? I come from a normal middle class family. We don't have that. So, that was definitely the first micro checkpoint, let's say. I mean, both the things that you mentioned, the TEDx thing, the Forbes 30 Under 30 thing, coming from a background in India where these things are really important, although they're not so important for me as a person, but they're much more important for some reason to my parents and to society. It is a different place. We put a lot of emphasis on these types of things. So from six, seven years ago, looking at these lists coming out or looking at, "Oh, this cool guy spoke on a TEDx talk, sending him an email about, 'Do you want to be an advisor in my company? I'll give you 5% shares,'" and so on and so on, to actually doing those things by yourself, that's definitely pretty well as well. But again, at the end of the day, there is nothing better than seeing a new patient get fitted with the hand, seeing the reaction of their family members. They have a daughter, they have a son who they hold their hand for the first time. They hug their wife. I mean, just, just being around amputees and patients who use your device, something that you built and that helps them get better at their daily life, that's, I would say, the most rewarding thing ever. [00:24:39] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, of course. That's, that's wonderful. Yeah. So, oh my goodness, this is so great and very inspirational, but pivoting the conversation a little bit just for fun. Imagine that you were to be offered a million dollars-- speaking of those wonderful sums of money-- to teach a masterclass on anything you want. It can be something within your industry, but doesn't have to be, what would you choose to teach? [00:25:03] Dhruv Agrawal: I have two topics in mind. One is I would probably teach a masterclass on pitching, especially for first time founders. I think that is something which I'm good at, and we have obviously raised a pretty decent amount of capital up 'till now. So that would be the one thing that I would say. So kind of a combination of pitching and starting a startup for the first time, especially in the field of hardware, medical devices, things like that. And the second thing that I would really like to talk about is just probably trying to put my thoughts together and making a masterclass on how to never give up, because I think that that's a very underrated quality. But that's a very important quality. There have been complex times in the history of our company where we have felt that like, "Ah, this might be it." But it's all about what you do in those moments and how you go beyond those. I think it's all about that. [00:25:47] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, absolutely. And how do you wish to be remembered after you leave this world? [00:25:53] Dhruv Agrawal: Just as a positive change maker. I really would like all these patients that we are helping and giving these devices to. I, I just want to be a small part of their lives. Just as I was part of the life of the veteran who got married, I, I just wanna ha have those small moments club together amongst these different individuals that we are privileged to work with. [00:26:13] Lindsey Dinneen: Hmm. Yes, of course. Wonderful. And then final question, what is one thing that makes you smile every time you see or think about it? [00:26:22] Dhruv Agrawal: Oh, that's very simple. Patients getting fitted with our device. Today we see a patient getting fitted with our device, and that smile on their face and things like that. And, you know, that's even much bigger, much more interesting in Ukraine because many times when you go to these hospitals, and when I go to these hospitals in Ukraine, you have to understand that these people have gone through a lot. These soldiers who are putting their body on the line for their country. There, of course, there's a certain sort of low morale that they have when they're amputated and when they're in these hospitals and things like that where they don't really think that there is ever a possibility for them to regain something back. And you go in there and you show them a bionic hand, and they're not sure if this thing works, and you put the electrodes on them and they open the hand or close it for the first time, and then you suddenly see those expressions change from like, "Ah, what has happened to me?" to, "Oh, what can I achieve?" That is also an amazing feeling. [00:27:16] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Oh, I love that. What an amazing gift to be able to help somebody bridge that gap and witness it. How cool is that? Oh, well, I think this is incredible. I am so grateful for you and your co-founder for starting this company and just being able to give so many people hope and new life, really, just a new way of experiencing life. So thank you for all of the incredible work you're doing. I'm so excited to continue to follow your work, support your work, as I'm sure all of our listeners are as well. So, gosh, I just really appreciate you sharing all of your advice and stories and wisdom with us. So thanks again so much for being here. [00:27:55] Dhruv Agrawal: Of course, Lindsey, thank so much for having me. [00:27:56] Lindsey Dinneen: Of course, of course. And we are honored to be making a donation on your behalf as a thank you for your time today to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which is dedicated to preventing animal cruelty in the United States. We really appreciate you choosing that organization to support and thank you just again, so very much for your time here today. I just wish you continued success as you work to change lives for a better world. And thank you also so much to our listeners, and if you're feeling as inspired as I am right now, I'd love it if you share this episode with a colleague or two and we'll catch you next time. [00:28:43] Ben Trombold: The Leading Difference is brought to you by Velentium. Velentium is a full-service CDMO with 100% in-house capability to design, develop, and manufacture medical devices from class two wearables to class three active implantable medical devices. Velentium specializes in active implantables, leads, programmers, and accessories across a wide range of indications, such as neuromodulation, deep brain stimulation, cardiac management, and diabetes management. Velentium's core competencies include electrical, firmware, and mechanical design, mobile apps, embedded cybersecurity, human factors and usability, automated test systems, systems engineering, and contract manufacturing. Velentium works with clients worldwide, from startups seeking funding to established Fortune 100 companies. Visit velentium.com to explore your next step in medical device development.

Lijia Zhang is a Chinese-born writer, journalist, socialcommentator, and public speaker who famously transformed her life after being pulled from school at age 16 to work in a rocket factory producing intercontinental missiles. During that decade of labor, she taught herself English and nurtured dreams of becoming a writer. In the early 1990s, she movedto the UK to study journalism and later earned a master's increative writing from Goldsmiths, University of London. Known for writing in English, she has contributed commentary to international outlets like TheGuardian, The New York Times, Newsweek, and the South China Morning.Her bestselling memoir Socialism Is Great!:A Worker's Memoir of the New China (published in the U.S. in 2008/2009) traces her personal transformation against the backdrop of China's economic reform era and has been translated into multiple languages.#LivingToBE #LijiaZhang #AuthorInterview #WomenWhoInspire #FromFactoryToFreedom #EastMeetsWest #LiveOnPurposeHighlights of this Episode:- How Adversity Can Lead to Success- Never Giving Up - Personal and External Transformation in China Books by Lijia Zhang:- Socialism is Great! A Worker's Memoir of the New China- Lotus - a novel on the plight of migrant women in Shenzhen's sex trade.

Step into a treasure trove of rare stories, photos, and audio clips as Bill Scherkenbach shares his decades with Dr. Deming. From boardrooms to sleigh rides, discover the moments, minds, and memories that shaped modern quality thinking, told by someone who lived it. A powerful blend of insight, humor, and history you won't want to miss. (You can see the slides from the podcast here.) TRANSCRIPT 0:00:02.4 Andrew Stotz: My name is Andrew Stotz, and I'll be your host as we dive deeper into the teachings of Dr. W. Edwards Deming. Today, I'm continuing my discussion with Bill Scherkenbach, a dedicated protégé of Dr. Deming since 1972. Bill met with Dr. Deming more than a thousand times and later led statistical methods and process improvement at Ford and GM at Deming's recommendation. He authored 'The Deming Route to Quality and Productivity' at Deming's behest and at 79 is still championing his mentor's message. Learn, have fun, and make a difference. Bill, take it away.   0:00:41.2 Bill Scherkenbach: Well, thank you. Thank you, Andrew. It's an honor to be asked back. Many places don't.   0:00:48.7 Andrew Stotz: I really enjoyed our first discussion, and particularly towards the end of it, it got a little personal and emotional, and I appreciate that you shared your journey. That was amazing.   0:01:00.9 Bill Scherkenbach: Thank you. Thank you. It is personal.   0:01:05.2 Andrew Stotz: Yeah.   0:01:05.4 Bill Scherkenbach: But today, along that wavelength, I brought some pictures or photos and letters and audios of my association with Dr. Deming. So, if you might bring them up, we can start the commenting.   0:01:27.9 Andrew Stotz: Wonderful. Well, hopefully you see a screen now up.   0:01:34.8 Bill Scherkenbach: Yes. Yep.   0:01:35.8 Andrew Stotz: Okay. And for the audience, just to let you know, for the listeners, we're going to show these and I'll try to explain a little bit about what we're talking about because you're not going to be able to see the pictures. But the first thing is the title is An Insider's View of Deming. Learn, have fun, make a difference. And we see a great picture on the left-hand side, and then I threw in a picture of a Lincoln Continental, which we're going to talk about later, which is kind of fun. But maybe you can take it from there, Bill.   0:02:07.2 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah. Well, we can talk a little bit later on on that, but this is a picture of me and my wife, Mary Ellen, with Dr. Deming having fun. We were at a restaurant in Northville called Elizabeth's, and it's something that he enjoyed to do just about every evening.   0:02:31.3 Andrew Stotz: Great. Well, what a kickoff. So let's go to the next one. And you guys all look great in that photo.   0:02:38.2 Bill Scherkenbach: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. This is a letter that I received from Dr. Deming back in May of '85, auspicious because the letter dated 13 May, that's my birthday. But for those who cannot read it, should I read the letter for you?   0:03:05.2 Andrew Stotz: Either you or I can read it for you. You tell me.   0:03:08.3 Bill Scherkenbach: Okay. Well, yeah. Why don't you read it?   0:03:10.9 Andrew Stotz: Okay. So, the letter is addressed to a particular person. It says, this is written by Dr. Deming, this acknowledges your kind letter of the 29th April. He that depends solely on statistical process control will be out of a job in three years. The record is clear, the record is clean, no exceptions. A whole program of improvement of quality and productivity is necessary, and it requires that top management learn what their job is. No part of the program will by itself suffice. Your letter does not describe your program, hence comment is difficult. I am happy to learn that Bill Scherkenbach will work with you. His achievements are renowned. He is excelled by nobody. I am sure that you will follow his guidance, not only while he is there with you, but from that then on out. I send best wishes and remain yours sincerely, W. Edwards Deming.   0:04:19.2 Bill Scherkenbach: Yes. I did spend a week with this organization, and as Deming said, and in many, many cases, the local management or local part of the organization get very enthusiastic, but the top management did not buy in. And so very little happened there, unfortunately.   0:04:53.9 Andrew Stotz: Yeah. And I missed that the top right-hand corner in handwritten, it says Portland, 20 May 1985. Dear Bill, I neglected to hand this to you in San Francisco, W. E. D.   0:05:08.1 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah. We went to, we. Dr. Deming and I were in San Francisco to meet with Shoichiro Toyoda and his wife. It was a social call. Shoichiro was in town. I don't know where his brother Tatsuro was. Tatsuro headed up NUMI, but Shoichiro was head of it all and was in the US. And wanted to just have a dinner with Dr. Deming. I'm embarrassingly cloudy. We met in a hotel and I can't tell you which one, but it was a nice, relaxing dinner. The English was a bit stilted, but Soichiro wanted to have a dinner with Dr. Deming and to express his appreciation.    0:06:31.3 Andrew Stotz: And he was a titan of industry at the time and in 1985 was really making a beachhead and a real expansion into the US market. Why did he want to meet with Dr. Deming? What was the connection there? Maybe for those that don't know.   0:06:55.2 Bill Scherkenbach: He was in town and Deming was nearby in town and just wanted to express his appreciation. I guess, Tatsuro, his brother wasn't there, and Tatsuro headed up NUMI, the partnership between GM and Toyota. But Shoichiro was there and just wanted to express appreciation.   0:07:35.1 Andrew Stotz: Great. Okay. So shall we continue on?   0:07:40.0 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah. We have a Where is Quality Made? Famous talking from Dr. Deming, and hopefully the audio translates well.   0:07:55.3 Andrew Stotz: Yes, we'll see. Let's go.   0:07:59.5 Speaker 3: Where is quality made, Andrew, in the top management? The quality of the output of a company cannot be better unless quality is directed at the top. The people in the plant and in the service organization can only produce and test the design a product and service prescribed and designed by the management. Job security and job are dependent on management's foresight to design a product and service to entice customers and build a market.   0:08:31.6 Andrew Stotz: So where did that come from? And tell us more about that.   0:08:36.2 Bill Scherkenbach: Well, I'm not exactly sure which particular seminar or meeting that was, but over the years I have, have, we've made a number of audio recordings and videos of Dr. Deming in his meetings. And so we're looking to get them to the Deming Institute so they can process them and distribute.    0:09:11.8 Andrew Stotz: And why is this so important? He's talking about quality is made at the top where we can see many people think that quality is made by the worker. Do your best. Quality is your responsibility. Tell us more about why you wanted to talk about this.   0:09:32.9 Bill Scherkenbach: Well, it's a common, it's a common, very common mistake. He learned back in 1950, and I think I mentioned it in our first talk, that he gave a number of courses at Stanford during the war and people learned SPC. But when the war was over, over here, because management didn't buy in, nothing really happened. And he learned in his visit in 1950 when he was able, as we said, Mr. Koyanagi was able to get a meeting, a number of seminars done with top management in Japan after the war. And he thought that that, he saw that that actually did make a difference, that management was absolutely key. And in every one of his seminars, he would make, he would make  this point, that quality is made at the top.   0:10:54.0 Andrew Stotz: And what was interesting is that, of course, the Japanese senior management, were very receptive. It's many times the case that Deming may have interacted with some senior management at the top of a company, but they weren't receptive or willing to implement what he's talking about.   0:11:12.6 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah. I think I mentioned last time that you need maybe a significant physical or logical or emotional event. And Ford lost a few billion dollars and was then looking, is there a better way? Japan lost a war, and the tradition over there is to perhaps listen to the conqueror. But MacArthur was very astute, my understanding, that you're not going to go in and replace the emperor and really mix the place up from what their culture is, which is very, very, very astute, in my opinion.   0:12:11.4 Andrew Stotz: Okay. So let's continue. And we see a document now up on the screen and a diagram. And maybe you can explain this one.   0:12:24.8 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah. This is one of the foils, as he called them, that he wrote on his lantern, which is the overhead projector for all the young people. And making another very, very important point. And that is, he's quoting John Tukey, "the more you know what's wrong with a figure, the more useful it becomes." And he also, at various times, would, would, would talk about George Gallup. And Gallup was his friend. And George Gallup would say that unless you've gone through the slogging of collecting data, you shouldn't be too quickly using data or analyzing data. Because if you go to collect it, you know that some people just aren't there. And this is primarily survey stuff that Gallup was talking about. But Tukey was talking about anything. And Deming, along the way, with his learnings from Shewhart, what I've developed is based on Deming's questions come from theory, created a theory, question, data, action cycle, similar to a PDSA. And so that you need to know what the question was before you can use the data. And Dr. Deming's example was you can't use manganese dioxide for just anything. If it's really, really critical work, then you need to know what's in it that could contaminate it or interact with the other chemicals that you're trying to mix it with. Hugely important in chemistry, hugely important anywhere. And he talked, yes, we do have some audio from Dr. Deming talking about another analogy, on I can't even wash the table unless you tell me what you're going to use it for.   0:15:24.0 Andrew Stotz: I remember watching a video of this with him, with Robert Reich, I think it was, being interviewed. And it was such an impactful thing because I always thought you just tell people what to do and they go do it. And so let's listen to the audio. I'm going to play it now. One second.   0:15:42.6 Speaker 3: I can teach you how to wash a table, teach you how to rub, scrub, use brushes, rags. I'd be pretty good at it. But you know, I could not wash this table suppose you told me my job is to wash this table. I have no idea what you mean. There's no meaning to that. You must tell me what you're going to use the table for. I want to see a flow diagram, work moving. Here I am. My job is to wash this table. I do not understand what you mean. Wash this table. There's no meaning to that. I must know what you're going to use the table for, the next stage. What happened to the table, next stage, in the flow diagram? You want to put books on it? Well, it's clean enough for that now. To wash the table, I just go through it from just here, make a look at it. If I work a little, good enough. If I clean enough to eat off of it, well, it's good enough now. Or use it for an operating table? Oh, totally different now. Totally different. Now I scrub it with scalding water, top, bottom, legs, several times. I scrub the floor underneath for some radius. If I don't know the next stage, I cannot wash the table.   0:17:28.8 Andrew Stotz: Tell us your thoughts on that.   0:17:31.5 Bill Scherkenbach: Yep. Yep. Well, again, my theory, question, data, action cycle, if you're asking a question, you, you, if you can, and there are some confidential considerations, but if you can, you need to tell the people who are trying to answer the question what you're going to do with it. And so if you want the table washed, tell them you're going to just eat off of it or assemble microchips on it. If you, so that's the responsibility of the manager or anyone who is asking the question. So if you want to improve your questions, you got to go back up and think of, well, what's my underlying theory for the question? If this, then that, that prompts a question and the circle continues. And if you, the only reason to collect data is to take action. Both Eastern and Western philosophers absolutely have said that for centuries.   0:18:55.2 Andrew Stotz: Yeah. What's interesting, I didn't hear him say it in any other cases when he was talking about the next stage. I did hear him say before, like, what's it going to be used for? But you could hear when he's talking about the next stage, it's saying to me, that's saying the responsibility of management is looking at the overall system and communicating that and managing that, not trying to, you know, just give some blind instruction to one group, one team, one person without thinking about how it all interacts.   0:19:29.9 Bill Scherkenbach: Absolutely. Absolutely. But in the local aspect of, well, some question answers are not so local, but it's what the question asker's responsibility to let the people know what they're going to use the data for.   0:19:51.9 Andrew Stotz: Yep. Great lesson. All right. So now I've got a interesting picture up on the screen here. We have Dr. Deming and there's John Turkey, Tukey how do you say his last name?   0:20:05.6 Bill Scherkenbach: John Tukey, T-U-K-E-Y, yep. George Box and Sir David Cox. Anyone in the statistics arena knows them. We also had Stu Hunter and I believe John Hunter was there. They're not in the picture. I took the picture. But we were at Meadowbrook, which is, which is, on the old Dodge estate where Oakland University is near Detroit. And had a, we called the meeting to discuss the importance and the various perspectives of enumerative and analytic. Now, each of these men, Box, Tukey, and Cox, and all of them, all of us in the university, quite honestly, were brought up with enumerative methods. And so your standard distributional stuff and T-tests and whatever. And Deming and Tukey realized the importance of being able to not just take action on the sample, but the cause system, the system that caused the sample, or the process term, in process terms. So yeah, John Tukey was strangely enough, well, not strangely enough, but came up with a graphical method to look at data called the box and whiskers plot, with George Box standing next to him, but it's not that George didn't shave. But Tukey, very, very well known for graphical methods.   0:22:24.2 Bill Scherkenbach: George, well known for experimental methods. One of the Box, Hunter and Hunter book on statistical design of experiments is legendary. And Sir David Cox, logistic regression, which is hugely, strangely, well, not strangely enough, but huge nowadays, very important in AI, in how you would be looking to teach or have your model learn what it is that you would like them to learn to look for. So each of these gentlemen, very, very much a pinnacle of the statistical career. We were very, in a large company like Ford, we were very lucky to be able to make big meetings like this, or meetings with very influential people happen.   0:23:38.9 Andrew Stotz: Yeah. That's got to be amazing because I think when most of us listen to Dr. Deming and all that, we get a lot of what he says. But I would say that the statistical aspect and his depth of statistical knowledge is what many people, you know, it's hard for many Deming followers to deeply connect with that. And I think even myself, having, you know, read everything, listened to him, learned as much as I can, the best that I probably come up with is the idea that once I started understanding variation, one of the things I started realizing is that it's everywhere and it's in everything. And I didn't understand...   0:24:27.3 Bill Scherkenbach: Well, I still have the cartoon of a popcorn maker that was very surprised when he said, "They all popped at once." And his popcorn stand has blown up. So yeah, variation is everywhere, a lot or a little. And the thing is that you need to be able to take appropriate action. Sometime, I can remember, I can remember Bob Stemple asking me, "What did I think of the Shainin methods, Dorian Shainin, and technical approach?" And I wrote back to him and I said, "It's no better or worse than any of the other methods we don't use here at GM." The point is, all of these methods are better than Bop-A-Mole. And one of the things, well, one of the things that concerns me is that in these tool areas, and Deming's counsel to me long ago was he remembers the fights that the technical people, the statisticians in the quality profession, would have over which one is a tenth of a percent better or more effective doing this and that. And they would publicly argue, and Deming said, "Stop. It confuses management because they don't have a clue and they're staying away from all forms of quality." So, you, and I don't know the solution in this day and age where everyone is connected. But all of these methods have their strengths and weaknesses, but you have to have the savvy to figure out which one to use to help you improve. All of, each of these four were great teachers, and I have a comment from Dr. Deming on that.   0:27:11.7 Andrew Stotz: And just in wrapping this up, it's like, I think one of the things that you realize when you see this one and what you're talking about, what I realize is what a powerhouse Dr. Deming was in the area of statistics. And in some ways, it's kind of like seeing a rock star that you love to listen to and that rock star is great. And then one day on a Sunday, you go to the church and you see he's a reverend and a very solemn man who is a very, very devout devotee of Christianity and something. In some ways, that's the way I feel when I look at this, like, wow, just the roots of the depth of that is so fascinating.   0:28:03.2 Bill Scherkenbach: As you mentioned that, I'm thinking back, we were in Iowa and one of the professors there, and I forget his name, but you're right. Deming was held in awe and he was riding in the backseat. I'm driving and this professor is beside me and Dr. Deming said something and I said, how do you know? And the guy thought the world was going to come to an end that I dared ask the master, how did he know? Well, it, it, it ended up fine.   0:28:52.9 Andrew Stotz: That was the question he was trying to teach you to ask.   0:28:55.3 Bill Scherkenbach: Absolutely. You don't accept it at face value.   0:29:02.2 Andrew Stotz: So we got this other slide now. It says, what do you mean by a good teacher? Maybe you want to set this up and then I'll play the audio.   0:29:10.7 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah. This was one of his favorite stories when he studied under Ronald Fisher, who is the big godfather of statistics, well, relatively modern stuff. So, Fisher was there at University College, as Deming will describe, and Deming wanted to know, and this is where a number of you will have recognized, he wanted to know what great minds were thinking about.   0:29:56.7 Andrew Stotz: All right. I'm going to play the clip right now.   0:30:00.2 Speaker 3: What do you mean by a good teacher? I taught with a man, head of a department. The whole 150 students spellbound him, teaching him what is wrong. And they loved it. What do you mean by a good teacher? Holding students spellbound around him. What do you mean teaching them something? I've had a number of great teachers. One was Professor Ronald Picker, University of London, University College I should say, part of the University of London. In London, 1936, no teaching could be worse. A lovable man, if you tried to work with him, could not read his writing, could stand in the way of it, room was dark and cold, he couldn't help the cold, maybe he could have put some light in the room, make mistakes, Professor Paul Ryder in the front row always helped him out. He'd come in with a piece of paper in his hand the ink not yet dry, talk about it. Wonder why the room was full of people from all over the world. I was one of them. Made a long trip, at my own expense, to learn, and we learned. We learned what that great mind was thinking about, what to him were great or important problems today.   0:31:45.9 Speaker 3: And we saw the methods that he used for solutions. We saw what this great mind was thinking about. His influence will be known the world over for a long, long time. He would rated zero by most people that rate teachers. Another teacher that I had was Ernest Crown at Yale, very poor teacher. We'd get together afterwards, some of us, and try to figure out what he was teaching us. He was not even charismatic the way Ronald Fisher was, but we learned. We learned what that great mind was thinking about, what he thought was the problem. We learned about perturbation. His work on lunar theory will be a classic for generations. We learned. Worst teacher there could be, but we learned.   0:32:49.0 Andrew Stotz: Wow. Tell us more about that.   0:32:53.6 Bill Scherkenbach: Well, he also had a similar story because, from great teachers at NYU, and that's where I first met him and learned from him. He was my teacher, but NYU had a, they had nominations for great teachers. And Deming was able to convince, and I forget who was the, Ernest Kurnow was the dean, and he convinced the dean to wait 10 years before you survey any of the students. And the question was, did any teacher you have really make a difference in your life? And he was able to get that done or get that process agreed to, and it was for the better because in, and I don't want to... I mean, every generation has said this new generation is going to hell in a handbasket, I mean, that for forever. That's nothing new. But what's popular, it's great to be entertained, and as he said, teaching what is wrong. And so did someone make a difference in your life? And not surprisingly, Deming was one of the people selected as a great teacher from NYU Graduate Business School.   0:35:15.4 Andrew Stotz: So that's your review after 50 years after the course, huh?   0:35:21.6 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah.   0:35:24.5 Andrew Stotz: Yeah. And so the point is that, let's separate popularity from original thinking. And also he highlighted the idea that some teachers may not come across very organized, very polished. They may need assistance to help them clarify what they're trying to get across. But just because they're kind of a mess in that way, doesn't mean they're not thinking very deeply. In fact, it may be a sign that they're thinking very deeply about it.   0:36:01.9 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah. Now, again, remember, and I know it's a broad brush, but Deming was eminently logical. Crosby would have loved it. Wine and cheese parties showed Juran more physical. And so I think Deming's preferences there, the key to his statement is teaching what was wrong. Some people get excited in class for a variety of reasons, but the key is what are you teaching? The method depends on the ability of the teacher to connect to the students and actually teach. So it gets you back to physical, logical, and emotional. But for Deming, Fisher struck a chord with him.   0:37:09.9 Andrew Stotz: Yeah. And I think for the listener, the viewer, think about some teacher that really made an impact on you. And it could be that there was a teacher that was able to connect with you emotionally.   0:37:25.2 Bill Scherkenbach: Absolutely.   0:37:26.7 Andrew Stotz: So there's different ways. But I think of Dr. Deming wasn't a teacher of mine in university, but at the age of 24 to learn from him was definitely a teacher that left me with the most to think about. And I would say there was one other teacher, a guy named Greg Florence that was at Long Beach City College who taught me argumentation and debate. And he also really encouraged me to join the debate team, which I really couldn't because I didn't have time because I didn't have money and I had to work. But he really saw something in me, and now I love to teach debate and helping young people construct arguments. And so for all of us, I think this idea of what do you mean by a good teacher is a great discussion. So, love it. Love it. Well, we got another picture now. Speaking of teaching, the City University of New York is in the backdrop. Maybe you can set this one up.   0:38:27.0 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah. This was a one-day, maybe one and a half with some pre-work, but essentially a one-day meeting in New York that was able to gather some of the top educators in the US, the head of the schools in California. There were some folks from Chicago. We had, as I mentioned, Albert Shanker, who was head of the American Federation of Teachers, was sitting right beside me. Other teacher organizations and education organizations. And we got together for a very meaningful thing. We got together to try and determine what is the aim of education in America. And it turned out that everyone was looking for their mic time, and we couldn't even agree on an aim for education in America. And if you can't agree on an aim, your system is everyone doing their best, and it's all, there's not too much progress, except locally or suboptimally.   0:40:02.3 Andrew Stotz: Yeah. That's a good illustration of the concept of best efforts. Dr. Deming often talked about best efforts. And here you're saying, without an aim, everybody's going to just go in their own direction. And it reminds me of a story I tell people in relation to management, which was that I had a really great boss many years ago in the field of finance research in the stock market. He was very brilliant, and he hired really good analysts. I was surrounded by the best. But he never once really brought us together to say, this is our aim. And so what ended up happening was that each person did their best, which was very good as an individual, but as a group, we never were able to really make an impact. And I explain that to my students nowadays, that I believe it's because he didn't set an aim and bring us together for that.   0:41:09.1 Bill Scherkenbach: Now, one of the, I mean, one of the things Deming very predictably talked about, as I recall, is the grades and gold stars, which were part of his forces of destruction. And the education is the way we approach education here was part of that, even before people get to get beat further down by corporate and other organizational stuff. And the grading and gold stars, I don't know how much that was, that criticism was appreciated. But everyone had a chance to talk. And in my opinion, not too many people listened.   0:42:09.3 Andrew Stotz: Now, the next one is titled Mongolian Rat. What the heck, Bill?   0:42:17.1 Bill Scherkenbach: Well, this is part of teaching what good teaching would be. You've got to listen. It's one of my favorite stories of his.   0:42:30.3 Andrew Stotz: Well, let's roll the tape.   0:42:33.3 Speaker 3: I met a professor in New York. He was a surgeon, professor of surgery. He did gave out some marble, had plenty. One student in the class, he told them describe the surgical procedure on the jaw in which a certain breed of Mongolian wrap was very helpful. The rat, the flesh right down the bone cleaner than a surgeon could do it. Very important wrap. Describe it in details to the listeners and students. On examination, one, the question was to describe the surgical procedure by use of the Mongolian rat. Plenty of students gave him back the same marbles that he doled out. He described it in exactly the same words that he described it. He flunked them all, all the time. One of them said, my dear professor, I have searched the literature. I've inquired around in hospitals and other teachers, I can find no trace of any such procedure. I think that you were loading us. He laughed. He had to take a new examination. He gave them back the same marbles he doled out to them. He wanted to think.   0:43:55.0 Andrew Stotz: Marbles. I haven't heard that expression. Tell us a little bit more about what you want us to take from this.   0:44:02.6 Bill Scherkenbach: Well, I think it's pretty self-explanatory. His comment on education that teachers are handing out marbles and pieces of information, not necessarily knowledge, and the testing, you're expected to give them back what the teacher said instead of how can you process it and put it in the context of other things, as well as, I mean, maybe not in the early grades, but in the later ones, you need to be able to look at various perspectives to see who has this opinion and that opinion. And unfortunately, today, that discourse is nicely shut down.   0:45:07.3 Andrew Stotz: At first, when I heard him saying marbles, I thought he was kind of using marbles as a way of kind of saying pulling their legs, but now I understand that he was trying to say that he's giving something and then the students give it back.   0:45:24.1 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.   0:45:26.0 Andrew Stotz: Okay. Mongolian rats.   0:45:31.0 Bill Scherkenbach: Yep. Yep. So we go from learning to having fun, and here's a picture of our statistical methods office at Ford.   0:45:48.1 Andrew Stotz: And you're sitting in a sleigh? Is that what's happening there?   0:45:50.0 Bill Scherkenbach: We're sitting in a sleigh, yes, at Greenfield Village, which is where the Henry Ford Museum is, and it happened to snow, so we've got the, we've got the horse-drawn sleigh, and I was listening to your first interview of me, and I want to deeply apologize. It's Harry Artinian, and so from the left, you've got Ed Baker and Bill Craft and Pete Jessup, Harry Artinian, Narendra Sheth, Dr. Deming, Debbie Rawlings, Ann Evans, my secretary, uh ooooh, and the gentleman who worked with Jim Bakken, and then me. So, we were working and decided to have a good lunch.   0:46:58.5 Andrew Stotz: And it's a horse-drawn sleigh. And I wasn't sure if you were pulling our leg here because you said, I'm second from the far right. First from the far right, to me, looks like the horse.   0:47:09.0 Bill Scherkenbach: Yes. That's the horse's ass. Yep.   0:47:14.6 Andrew Stotz: That's a big one.   0:47:16.1 Bill Scherkenbach: It is what it is.   0:47:18.7 Andrew Stotz: Yep. Okay. Next one. Who's Sylvester?   0:47:22.3 Bill Scherkenbach: Sylvester is my son's cat. And this is one of the times Dr. Deming was in my home. And he sat down in my office at my home. And Sylvester saw a good lap and he jumped up on it and took it. And as I said, I couldn't tell who was purring louder. They both were content.   0:47:52.7 Andrew Stotz: Yeah. That looks beautiful.   0:47:55.4 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah. It was very, very peaceful. Another fun thing, after a long day of work at Ford, we would go to Luigi's restaurant in Dearborn. I think there was a Dearborn Marriott, a big hotel. I don't know if it's there now. But that's Larry Moore, director of quality, next to Dr. Deming and me. I had a mustache back then.   0:48:30.4 Andrew Stotz: Yes. And we all loved soft serve ice cream.   0:48:34.0 Bill Scherkenbach: Soft serve ice cream. Yep.   0:48:38.0 Andrew Stotz: Yep. All right. Star-Spangled Banner.   0:48:40.9 Bill Scherkenbach: Yep. Now we're at one of my earlier houses in Northville. And Dr. Deming had written a new tune for the Star-Spangled Banner because it was an old English drinking song, Anna, the what? The Anacrocronistic Society. And he thought it was just too bawdy. I mean, you're an unsingable, except if you're drinking. So he rewrote the music for the Star-Spangled Banner. I have a copy of it here. But he, my son Matthew, my oldest son Matthew, we had just gotten one of those first Macs from Apple, Macintosh. And it had a very elementary music thing. So he put the notes that Deming had handwritten. And we put it in there and it played the tune. And so Deming was playing on our piano the Star-Spangled Banner.   0:50:04.7 Andrew Stotz: So he had a musical talent.   0:50:10.8 Bill Scherkenbach: Oh, yeah. He was a very serious study of, a student of music. Very much so. He wrote a complete Mass. He was a high church Episcopalian. And he wrote a complete Mass of the Holy Spirit with all parts. So, very much a student of music.   0:50:41.8 Andrew Stotz: And how did his religious beliefs, like Episcopalian, as you mentioned, how did that come across? Was he a person who talked about that? Was he a person that didn't talk about that? Like, how did that come across?   0:50:59.2 Bill Scherkenbach: It was more of a private thing. But then again, on every one of his books, he would begin a chapter with some quotation from different books. And many of them were from the Bible. I can remember one time in London, I'm Catholic, and so we were celebrating the St. Peter and Paul that Sunday. But he was in London and he was at St. Paul's and they weren't giving Peter any traction. But he looked up and he said, yep, you're right. It was both of those saint days.   0:51:58.3 Andrew Stotz: All right. Next one, Drive Out Fear.   0:52:01.8 Bill Scherkenbach: Oh, yeah. This was Professor Arnold. And we were having lunch in the Ford dining room, one of the Ford dining rooms. And Dr. Deming wasn't too happy of what Professor Arnold was talking about. And Professor Arnold didn't look too happy either. So, I framed the picture and put Drive Out Fear underneath it and hung it in my office. And Deming came and looked at it and smiled.   0:52:46.5 Andrew Stotz: And what was the background on Professor Arnold? And in this case, did they have opposing views or was it a particular thing or what was it that was...   0:52:58.4 Bill Scherkenbach: I don't remember the particular conversation, but Professor Arnold was head of the statistics department at Oakland University. And Ford had an agreement with Oakland University that we established a master's degree in statistics, according to Dr. Deming's viewpoint on enumerative and analytic. And no, he was very, very capable gentleman. I mean, one of the things Dr. Deming mentioned to me is if the two of us agreed all the time, one of us is redundant. So there were always discussions. This is just a snapshot in time.   0:53:52.3 Andrew Stotz: I love that quote, that one of us is redundant. That's powerful, powerful.   0:53:59.4 Bill Scherkenbach: Absolutely. Yep. This is another having fun after learning in... There were a number of restaurants we went to. He particularly liked Elizabeth's,   0:54:16.1 Andrew Stotz: And how was their relationship? How did he treat your lovely wife?   0:54:22.5 Bill Scherkenbach: Oh, I mean, very lovingly. I mean, I don't know how to describe it, but one of the family.   0:54:36.2 Andrew Stotz: Yeah. He seemed from my observation, like a true gentleman.   0:54:42.5 Bill Scherkenbach: Absolutely. Absolutely.   0:54:46.0 Andrew Stotz: Well, here we come to the Lincoln that we started off with. This is a great picture too.   0:54:51.4 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah. That's a picture I had. It wasn't a Hasselblad, but it was a two and a quarter frame. And I had black and white film in it, but this is one of a number of pictures I took of him at the Cosmos Club. I think it was a very good picture. And in any event, it was blending learning and having fun.   0:55:19.7 Andrew Stotz: Yeah. And the Cosmos Club was near his house?   0:55:22.5 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah. Well, it was depending on who drove. I mean, it was just, it was down a few blocks and then a number of blocks on Massachusetts Avenue. I enjoyed the drive from his house because you'd pass the Naval Observatory, which for years was the home of the chief of naval operations here. But a few decades, a few, I don't know how long ago, the vice president pulled rank on him. And so the Naval Observatory, beautiful, beautiful old house. So, the vice president lives there now. And a lot of people think Massachusetts Avenue in that area is Embassy Row. So you're passing a number of embassies on the way. And the Cosmos Club, anyone can look up. I mean, it's by invitation, members only, and Nobel laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners and a very distinguished membership, let's say.   0:56:39.3 Andrew Stotz: Here was another one, Making a Difference with Don Peterson.   0:56:43.0 Bill Scherkenbach: Yep. Yep. We're, we're, this is one of the meetings we had with Don. And it wasn't this meeting, but we were in one of them. Okay. You have it on the right there. That we periodically would have, Dr. Deming and I would have breakfast with Jim Bakken in what was known as the Penthouse at Ford. There are 12 floors, and then there was the 13th and 14th, which were private quarters, essentially. And so we were having breakfast one morning and finishing breakfast, and I'm walking a little bit ahead, and I run ahead and press the elevator button to go down one floor, and the door opens, and there's Henry Ford II in cowboy belt buckle and boots, no hat. He's going to a board meeting, he says, and Jim shied away, said, "Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Ford." He said, "Shut up, Jim, get in here." And so we got in the elevator, and it was the small elevator. And so we're back to back, belly to belly, and Jim introduces Dr. Deming to Mr. Ford, and Ford said, "I've heard of you, Dr. Deming. God, we really need your help." And Deming had the presence of saying, "I heard of you too, Mr. Ford." It was the longest one-floor elevator ride I've ever had in my life.   0:58:49.1 Andrew Stotz: That's fascinating. All right. Next one, talking with workers.   0:58:54.1 Bill Scherkenbach: Yep. Yep. He made it a point. And this is a fine line, because you want to be able to have workers say, how, how, are they able to take pride in their work? And are there any problems and all of that? But you don't want to be in a position of then going to management and telling them because of fear in the organization. So, Dr. Deming was very good at listening and getting people to talk about their jobs and their ability to take joy and, well, pride in their work. So we had many, many meetings, different places. And this next one is with the Ford Batavia plant, I think.   1:00:01.2 Andrew Stotz: Yep.   1:00:02.4 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah. We're riding on the tractors and having a good time.   1:00:11.3 Andrew Stotz: Who's driving?   1:00:14.2 Bill Scherkenbach: The plant manager, Ron Kaseya, was driving.   1:00:16.9 Andrew Stotz: Okay.   1:00:17.9 Bill Scherkenbach: And so I absolutely do not recall what we were laughing at, but we were having a good time. And the Batavia transaxle plant, a number of people will recognize as where Ford, it really made the point that doing better than spec is really what the job is. And it's a very powerful video that's been out there and people would recognize it as well, because we were producing the exact same transaxle in Mazda. And Mazda was influenced a lot of by Genichi Taguchi and looked to reduce variation around the nominal and not just be happy that we made spec. And John Betty, who was head up of powertrain operations and then went to the Department of Defense as assistant secretary of defense for procurement, I think, because of the quality expertise. Betty is in the front of the video saying he's absolutely convinced that this is a superior way to look at manufacturing, to look at the management of any process. You want to get your customers to brag, not just not complain.   1:02:10.3 Andrew Stotz: Yeah. Courage.   1:02:11.8 Bill Scherkenbach: And all of this takes courage. And especially in his seminars in London say, the Brits had the advantage. You guys can take courage every day. We can't get that in the US anymore. Or it's very rare to be able to buy it here.   1:02:36.3 Andrew Stotz: For the listeners, there's a logo of the John Courage beer, premium beer.   1:02:45.7 Bill Scherkenbach: Yes. Yes. It's an amber pills.   1:02:49.8 Andrew Stotz: Okay.   1:02:52.4 Bill Scherkenbach: And last but not least, well, not last, but we're looking for, and I ran across this quote from Yogi Berra, and it's very applicable right now. And Yogi Berra said, I never said... Well, what did he say?   1:03:19.2 Andrew Stotz: Never said most of the things I said.   1:03:21.4 Bill Scherkenbach: Most of the things I could have said. I never said most of the things I said. Yeah. And every day online, I see people saying Dr. Deming said this, and he said that. And if he did, I've never heard him say it. And not that I've heard him say everything. But if he did say something like, if it's not measurable, you can't manage it. He would have followed it with, that's not right. The unknown and unknowable. And so you've got a lot of people misunderstanding what Dr. Deming said. And you've got to go with, I never said most of the things that I said.   1:04:24.0 Andrew Stotz: Well, that's the great thing about this discussion is that we're getting it from the horse's mouth, someone that was there listening and being a part of it.   1:04:32.1 Bill Scherkenbach: Well, I'm glad you saw the other end of the horse.   1:04:37.5 Andrew Stotz: Yeah. So, I'm going to close out this by just sharing a little personal connection. And that is, I'm showing a picture of me in my 1963 suicide door Lincoln Continental, which I owned for 10 years in beautiful Bangkok, Thailand. And much like being kind of wild taking a ride to the Cosmos Club with Dr. Deming driving his Lincoln Continental, you could imagine how odd it looked seeing this American guy driving this 1963 Lincoln Continental on the streets of Bangkok. But I just thought I would share that just to have some fun. So, yeah.   1:05:14.3 Bill Scherkenbach: That's beautiful. Absolutely. Yeah. I didn't think the streets were that wide.   1:05:22.1 Andrew Stotz: It gets stuck in traffic, that's for sure. But wow, there's so many things that we covered. I mean, I just really, really enjoyed that trip down memory lane. Is there anything you want to share to wrap it up?   1:05:36.1 Bill Scherkenbach: No. As I said, our last conversation, we've just scratched the surface. There's so much, so much more to talk about and preserve, I think.   1:05:48.9 Andrew Stotz: Yeah. Well, I really enjoyed it.   1:05:52.1 Bill Scherkenbach: I have done my best.   1:05:53.6 Andrew Stotz: Yes, you have. You have. I've enjoyed it, and I'm sure the listeners and the viewers will enjoy it too. So, on behalf of everyone at the Deming Institute, I just want to thank you for taking the time to pull that together and to walk us through it. And for listeners out there, remember to go to Deming.org to continue your journey. And of course, go to LinkedIn to find Bill and reach out and share your interpretations of what we went through. And maybe you have a story that you'd like to share also. So, this is your host, Andrew Stotz, and I'm going to leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Dr. Deming. And that is, “people are entitled to joy in work."

Emmanuel Daniel is a global thought leader, author, and advisor on the future of finance, geopolitics, and their impact on business and society. He was named a top 10 global influencer on the Fintech Power50 list in 2021 and 2022, and is the founder of TAB Global, which operates platforms like The Asian Banker, Wealth and Society, and TABInsights. Emmanuel works closely with corporate and government leaders, advising on strategy and facilitating high-level planning workshops around the world. His book, The Great Transition: The Personalization of Finance is Here (2022), explores how technologies such as blockchain, crypto, and gaming are reshaping finance. Featuring forewords by former Congressman Barney Frank and financial innovator Richard Sandor, the book provides a roadmap for disruptors in the financial industry. Emmanuel is also a frequent commentator on BBC, CNBC, and Bloomberg, and was awarded the Citibank Excellence in Business Journalism Award for Asia in 1999. With a legal background and degrees from the National University of Singapore, University of London, and studies at Columbia University, Emmanuel brings a global perspective to his work. A former member of the Entrepreneurs' Organization and an avid model train enthusiast, he has traveled to over 130 countries and splits his time between Singapore, Beijing, and New York while working on his next book, The Winning Civilization.   During the show we discussed: What's happening with crypto and stable coins How stable coins impact the US dollar What the Genius Act means for you New crypto giants emerging from stable coin growth Why the US central bank won't regulate crypto' What to know about alt coins and staying safe Credit profiling through business transactions New credit scoring methods for businesses What's changing in peer-to-peer lending Digital data now used in lending decisions Lenders using lifestyle data to qualify you How friends, shopping times, and habits affect borrowing   Resources: https://www.emmanueldaniel.com/  

In this episode from January 2025, Ian Sample speaks to Keon West, a professor of social psychology at the University of London, whose new book explores what science can reveal about racism, the inventive methods scientists have used to study it and the scientifically proven ways of tackling racism and discrimination. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Today's discussion comes from our 2025 Annual Conference, The Rise of AI and Automation. For the next 6 weeks, we'll feature a series of panel discussions from our conference. Today's episode is part of our panel “AI and Labor: Disruption, Disempowerment, or Empowerment”, and will be followed by 3 panels on AI Ethics; Practical Applications of AI; and concludes with AI and Inequality.Today's discussion is led by our keynote speaker, Mr. Fred Harrison, and was recorded in June of 2025.Mr. Harrison received his bachelor's from Oxford University and his master's from the University of London. He is a veteran journalist who has served in multiple news agencies such as The People and Wellington Journal. In 1988, he became the Research Director of the Land Research Trust, London, and has advised several corporations and international governments on tax and economic policy. Fred emphasizes the housing market and its interaction with the economy as a whole. He is the author of many books, including The Corruption of Economics, The Power in the Land, and A Philosophy for a Fair Society, all of which critique mainstream economic thinking.Fred joined the Henry George School to discuss robotics, how we justify automation economically, and why recreating the physical world in the metaverse is problematic.To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

Charles de Gaulle is one of the greatest figures of twentieth century history. If Sir Winston Churchill was (in the words of Harold Macmillan) the "greatest Englishman In history", then Charles de Gaulle was without a doubt, the greatest Frenchman since Napoleon Bonaparte. Why so? In the early summer of 1940, when France was overrun by German troops, one junior general who had fought in the trenches in Verdun refused to accept defeat. He fled to London, where he took to the radio to address his compatriots back home. “Whatever happens,” he said, “the flame of French resistance must not be extinguished and will not be extinguished.” At that moment, Charles de Gaulle entered history. For the rest of the war, de Gaulle insisted he and his Free French movement were the true embodiment of France. Through sheer force of his personality and the grandeur of his vision of France, he inspired French men and women to risk their lives to resist the Nazi occupation. Usually proud and aloof, but almost always confident in his own leadership, he quarreled violently with Churchill, Roosevelt and many of his own countrymen. Yet they knew they would need his help to rebuild a shattered France. Thanks to de Gaulle, France was recognized as one of the victorious Allies when Germany was finally defeated. Then, as President of the Fifth Republic, he brought France back from the brink of a civil war over the war in Algeria. And, made the difficult decision to end the self-same war. Thereafter he challenged American hegemony, took France out of NATO, and twice vetoed British entry into the European Community in his pursuit of what he called “a certain idea of France.” Julian Jackson, Professor of History at Queen Mary College, University of London, past winner of the Wolfson History Prize and the winner in 2018 of the Paris Book Award for his book on De Gaulle--De Gaulle (Harvard University Press, 2018)--has written a magnificent biography, the first major reconsideration in over twenty years. Drawing on the extensive resources of the recently opened de Gaulle archives, Jackson reveals the conservative roots of de Gaulle's intellectual formation and upbringing, sheds new light on his relationship with Churchill, and shows how de Gaulle confronted riots at home and violent independence movements abroad from the Middle East to Vietnam. No previous biography has so vividly depicted this towering figure whose legacy remains evident in present-day France. In short Professor Jackson has written a superb book, which in every way possible is a glittering ornament in the biographical art. Charles Coutinho holds a doctorate in history from New York University. Where he studied with Tony Judt, Stewart Stehlin and McGeorge Bundy. His Ph. D. dissertation was on Anglo-American relations in the run-up to the Suez Crisis of 1956. His area of specialization is 19th and 20th-century European, American diplomatic and political history. It you have a recent title to suggest for a podcast, please send an e-mail to Charlescoutinho@aol.com.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/military-history

#thesubstance #thelastshowgirl #truecrimecommunity #newseries Treat Mitch to a Coffee buymeacoffee.com/aesthetepodcastFor this inaugural edition of our new series “Travels With The Dark” we are blessed to have a return guest, painter Alexandra Carter. We will do a joyous deepest dive into the movie s“The Last Showgirl” and "The Substance" more on this episode. More on this special , new series we are offering, here:The nature of art and culture reception and evaluation can be as volatile and powerful as the IPO or the stock market. Here at “Journey of An Aesthete Podcast” we are more interested in appreciation and understanding than anything else.It is always the most joyous occasion when I have the fortune to discuss movies - or anything else - with our guest painter Alexandra Carter. We were both so impressed and enriched by two releases from last year, Gia Coppola's The Last Showgirl and Coralie Fargeat's The Substance, that we devoted two hours in this episode to discussing them. As is inevitably the case we covered many topics, including personal travels and the Burlesque community in Las Vegas, as well as political and social matters. We hope you enjoy this one as much as we did.Alexandra's notes on this episode:These two films explore aging, identity, and societal expectations of women in strikingly different but complementary ways. The Last Showgirl spoke to me personally, having spent time in Las Vegas—especially within the burlesque and showgirl community during an artist residency. Its characters and setting felt deeply authentic, with Las Vegas itself becoming a living, breathing presence. Both films touch on themes of loss, delusion, and the erasure of women as they age. While The Substance delivers a visceral, maximalist critique through body horror, The Last Showgirl offers a more intimate, melancholic take on similar ideas.Alexandra's Bio Alexandra Carter (b. 1985, Boston, MA) is a San Diego–based artist whose paintings explore themes of fertility, maternity, and transformation, often drawing on her upbringing on a cranberry farm in Massachusetts. She holds an MFA from Goldsmiths, University of London (2015), and a BA from Rhodes College (2009). Her recent solo exhibitions include the Middle Room and Luna Anaïs Gallery (both Los Angeles), Rogers Gallery (Las Vegas), the University of Minnesota (St. Paul), and Oolong Gallery (San Diego), with additional solo shows at Fusion Gallery (Turin, Italy), Southfork (Memphis), Proyecto'ace Foundation (Buenos Aires), and the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. Carter has participated in numerous residencies, including the Kone Foundation's Saari Residence (Finland), KulturKontakt Austria (Vienna), Rogers Art Loft (Las Vegas), Qwatz (Rome), Vice~Versa Foundation (Goa, India), the Kentucky Foundation for Women (Prospect, KY), and Graniti Murales (Sicily).Alexandra's Socialswww.alexandra-carter.com@alexandracarterstudio#giacoppola #demimoore #pamelaanderson #feminism #biology #reproduction #sexuality #wellness #health #bodyhorror #gothic #horror #fitness #aerobics #exercise #nature #culture #media #internet #socialmedia #internet #politics #jamieleecurtis #playboy #cinema #theatre #panting #portraitpainting #mother #children #maternity Series title: Travels With the Dark: Stories from humans in the “Limit- Experience”This “special” episode is the first in what promises to be a series concerning real occurrences of human beings when they are brought into or more aptly, up against “limit-experience”, a phrase from French and German philosophers that attempts to describe in the most general way what human beings undergo when they are thrust into situations that push them to their limits and conditions of maximum intensity. While originally this was intended to be a series in the “True Crime” genre I wondered to myself if subject and theme could extended outward.It might not even only encompass the most negative aspect of human experience.

Amy is joined by Dr. Marina Warner to revisit her book, Alone of All Her Sex, getting expert insight into the history of the Virgin Mary, her evolution and multitude of meanings, unrealistic religious standards, and what it takes for a woman to become a myth.Donate to Breaking Down PatriarchyMarina Warner is an English historian, mythographer, art critic, novelist and short story writer. She is best known for her many award-winning non-fiction books relating to feminism and myth. She has written for many publications, including The London Review of Books, the Sunday Times, and Vogue. She is also a Professor of English and Creative Writing at Birkbeck, University of London. In 2017, she was elected president of the Royal Society of Literature, the first time the role has been held by a woman since the founding of the Royal Society of Literature in 1820. She is also a Distinguished Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford.

If you would like to buy lifetime access to the 31 sessions from the 2025 Neurodiverse Love Conference click here and use code Podcast50 to get $50 off the conference price.Also, to learn more about the other resources Mona has available you can check out her website.____________________________________________________________During this session from the 2025 Neurodiverse Love Conference Michelle Garnett and Tony Attwood share ways in which couples can embrace neurodiversity in their relationship.  More specifically they will address: understanding neurodiversity, enhancing communication, celebrating strengths, and creating coping strategies together.With a remarkable career spanning five decades, Professor Tony Attwood is one of the world's foremost specialists on Autism. He holds an Honor's degree in Psychology from the University of Hull, a Master's degree in clinical psychology from the University of Surrey, and a PhD from the University of London. Currently serving as an adjunct Professor at Griffith University in Queensland, Tony's impact has enriched the global understanding of autism.Alongside Dr. Michelle Garnett, Tony co-founded Attwood & Garnett Events in 2019, driven by the shared goal of enhancing autism awareness and understanding. Their shared vision seeks to reshape the narrative surrounding autism to create a world where autism is embraced, and the diverse strengths, talents, and perspectives of autistic individuals are celebrated. This transformative narrative fosters a more inclusive and accepting society, benefitting all its members.  Renowned for his extensive contributions to understanding Asperger's Syndrome, now commonly referred to as autism, Tony has authored numerous publications on the subject. His seminal book, Asperger's Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals debuted in 1998, resonated globally and has since found its voice in over 25 languages, making his insights accessible across cultures and continents.  With a dedicated commitment to practical application, he has run a private practice for 30 years, only recently closing his books due to a long waiting list. Beyond his clinical work, he dedicates significant time to travel, sharing insights and knowledge through workshops and seminars across national and international platforms.Dr. Michelle Garnett is a clinical psychologist with more than 30 years specializing in autism. In 2005, she founded Minds & Hearts, a clinic specializing in autism, where she served as Clinical & Managing Director for 14 years until 2019. Alongside Tony Attwood she co-founded Attwood & Garnett Events in 2019.In addition to her extensive private practice, Michelle has significantly contributed to autism research, authored influential books, and engaged in impactful speaking engagements. Her peer-reviewed research has informed our understanding of early autism identification, the female autism profile, and the link between mental health and positive outcomes in autistic individuals. She has co-authored six respected books on autism, including the influential Spectrum Women: Walking to the Beat of Autism (2018) with Barb Cook, a seminal work on the female autism experience. Her recent books, Having Fun with Feelings on the Autism Spectrum and Ten Steps to Reducing Your Child's Anxiety on the Autism Spectrum offer invaluable guidance to parents of young autistic children.Michelle is a sought-after presence in academic circles, presenting as a keynote speaker at conferences and conducting workshops, seminars, and training sessions on autism across Australia, the UK, and Europe. Her influence extends to universities, autism organizations, government, and non-governmental bodies, solidifying her reputation as a prominent figure in the autism field. Michelle is autistic and has ADHD, late diagnosed. To learn more about the workshops and other resources Michelle and Tony have available you can check out their website https://attwoodandgarnettevents.com/

What comes to mind when you imagine the future of humanity? Could a computer make your mind more efficient? Enhance your cognition? Or cure a disorder you've been grappling with all your life? CrowdScience listener Mariana from Mexico hopes that one day technology will be able to help improve our brains.  Presenter Alex Lathbridge seeks out some of these brain boosters, exploring emerging technologies in deep brain stimulation at City St George's University of London in the UK. Professor Francesca Morgante and Dr Lucia Ricciard explain how they're using technology to treat Parkinson's. And could brain technology help with even the most enigmatic elements of our minds? Dr Robert Hampson at Wake Forest University in the USA takes us through his research in restoring memory impairment.   Along the way we interrogate the ethical implications of the breakneck speed of progress in brain augmentation research with researcher Anders Sandberg from the Institute of Future Studies in Sweden.    Presenter: Alex Lathbridge  Producer: Emily Bird  Series Producer: Ben Motley

This week, Henry Somers-Hall joined us to discuss Year Zero: Faciality from A Thousand Plateaus. Henry is a professor in philosophy at Royal Holloway, University of London, and this is his third appearance on the show. A Thousand Plateaus Playlist: https://soundcloud.com/podcast-co-coopercherry/sets/a-thousand-plateaus?si=9f09bd317a0e446585a3451be4ff2822&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing Henry's website: https://henrysomershall.net/ Prior Episodes: https://soundcloud.com/podcast-co-coopercherry/henry-somers-hall-treatise-on-nomadology-the-war-machine?si=255e6923b6c44c8583192ecff8776378&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing https://soundcloud.com/podcast-co-coopercherry/henry-somers-hall-deleuze-difference-and-repetition?si=38c70cc79a744059b8fc1a0c427998b4&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/muhh Twitter: @unconscioushh

Charles de Gaulle is one of the greatest figures of twentieth century history. If Sir Winston Churchill was (in the words of Harold Macmillan) the "greatest Englishman In history", then Charles de Gaulle was without a doubt, the greatest Frenchman since Napoleon Bonaparte. Why so? In the early summer of 1940, when France was overrun by German troops, one junior general who had fought in the trenches in Verdun refused to accept defeat. He fled to London, where he took to the radio to address his compatriots back home. “Whatever happens,” he said, “the flame of French resistance must not be extinguished and will not be extinguished.” At that moment, Charles de Gaulle entered history. For the rest of the war, de Gaulle insisted he and his Free French movement were the true embodiment of France. Through sheer force of his personality and the grandeur of his vision of France, he inspired French men and women to risk their lives to resist the Nazi occupation. Usually proud and aloof, but almost always confident in his own leadership, he quarreled violently with Churchill, Roosevelt and many of his own countrymen. Yet they knew they would need his help to rebuild a shattered France. Thanks to de Gaulle, France was recognized as one of the victorious Allies when Germany was finally defeated. Then, as President of the Fifth Republic, he brought France back from the brink of a civil war over the war in Algeria. And, made the difficult decision to end the self-same war. Thereafter he challenged American hegemony, took France out of NATO, and twice vetoed British entry into the European Community in his pursuit of what he called “a certain idea of France.” Julian Jackson, Professor of History at Queen Mary College, University of London, past winner of the Wolfson History Prize and the winner in 2018 of the Paris Book Award for his book on De Gaulle--De Gaulle (Harvard University Press, 2018)--has written a magnificent biography, the first major reconsideration in over twenty years. Drawing on the extensive resources of the recently opened de Gaulle archives, Jackson reveals the conservative roots of de Gaulle's intellectual formation and upbringing, sheds new light on his relationship with Churchill, and shows how de Gaulle confronted riots at home and violent independence movements abroad from the Middle East to Vietnam. No previous biography has so vividly depicted this towering figure whose legacy remains evident in present-day France. In short Professor Jackson has written a superb book, which in every way possible is a glittering ornament in the biographical art. Charles Coutinho holds a doctorate in history from New York University. Where he studied with Tony Judt, Stewart Stehlin and McGeorge Bundy. His Ph. D. dissertation was on Anglo-American relations in the run-up to the Suez Crisis of 1956. His area of specialization is 19th and 20th-century European, American diplomatic and political history. It you have a recent title to suggest for a podcast, please send an e-mail to Charlescoutinho@aol.com.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Charles de Gaulle is one of the greatest figures of twentieth century history. If Sir Winston Churchill was (in the words of Harold Macmillan) the "greatest Englishman In history", then Charles de Gaulle was without a doubt, the greatest Frenchman since Napoleon Bonaparte. Why so? In the early summer of 1940, when France was overrun by German troops, one junior general who had fought in the trenches in Verdun refused to accept defeat. He fled to London, where he took to the radio to address his compatriots back home. “Whatever happens,” he said, “the flame of French resistance must not be extinguished and will not be extinguished.” At that moment, Charles de Gaulle entered history. For the rest of the war, de Gaulle insisted he and his Free French movement were the true embodiment of France. Through sheer force of his personality and the grandeur of his vision of France, he inspired French men and women to risk their lives to resist the Nazi occupation. Usually proud and aloof, but almost always confident in his own leadership, he quarreled violently with Churchill, Roosevelt and many of his own countrymen. Yet they knew they would need his help to rebuild a shattered France. Thanks to de Gaulle, France was recognized as one of the victorious Allies when Germany was finally defeated. Then, as President of the Fifth Republic, he brought France back from the brink of a civil war over the war in Algeria. And, made the difficult decision to end the self-same war. Thereafter he challenged American hegemony, took France out of NATO, and twice vetoed British entry into the European Community in his pursuit of what he called “a certain idea of France.” Julian Jackson, Professor of History at Queen Mary College, University of London, past winner of the Wolfson History Prize and the winner in 2018 of the Paris Book Award for his book on De Gaulle--De Gaulle (Harvard University Press, 2018)--has written a magnificent biography, the first major reconsideration in over twenty years. Drawing on the extensive resources of the recently opened de Gaulle archives, Jackson reveals the conservative roots of de Gaulle's intellectual formation and upbringing, sheds new light on his relationship with Churchill, and shows how de Gaulle confronted riots at home and violent independence movements abroad from the Middle East to Vietnam. No previous biography has so vividly depicted this towering figure whose legacy remains evident in present-day France. In short Professor Jackson has written a superb book, which in every way possible is a glittering ornament in the biographical art. Charles Coutinho holds a doctorate in history from New York University. Where he studied with Tony Judt, Stewart Stehlin and McGeorge Bundy. His Ph. D. dissertation was on Anglo-American relations in the run-up to the Suez Crisis of 1956. His area of specialization is 19th and 20th-century European, American diplomatic and political history. It you have a recent title to suggest for a podcast, please send an e-mail to Charlescoutinho@aol.com.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

Charles de Gaulle is one of the greatest figures of twentieth century history. If Sir Winston Churchill was (in the words of Harold Macmillan) the "greatest Englishman In history", then Charles de Gaulle was without a doubt, the greatest Frenchman since Napoleon Bonaparte. Why so? In the early summer of 1940, when France was overrun by German troops, one junior general who had fought in the trenches in Verdun refused to accept defeat. He fled to London, where he took to the radio to address his compatriots back home. “Whatever happens,” he said, “the flame of French resistance must not be extinguished and will not be extinguished.” At that moment, Charles de Gaulle entered history. For the rest of the war, de Gaulle insisted he and his Free French movement were the true embodiment of France. Through sheer force of his personality and the grandeur of his vision of France, he inspired French men and women to risk their lives to resist the Nazi occupation. Usually proud and aloof, but almost always confident in his own leadership, he quarreled violently with Churchill, Roosevelt and many of his own countrymen. Yet they knew they would need his help to rebuild a shattered France. Thanks to de Gaulle, France was recognized as one of the victorious Allies when Germany was finally defeated. Then, as President of the Fifth Republic, he brought France back from the brink of a civil war over the war in Algeria. And, made the difficult decision to end the self-same war. Thereafter he challenged American hegemony, took France out of NATO, and twice vetoed British entry into the European Community in his pursuit of what he called “a certain idea of France.” Julian Jackson, Professor of History at Queen Mary College, University of London, past winner of the Wolfson History Prize and the winner in 2018 of the Paris Book Award for his book on De Gaulle--De Gaulle (Harvard University Press, 2018)--has written a magnificent biography, the first major reconsideration in over twenty years. Drawing on the extensive resources of the recently opened de Gaulle archives, Jackson reveals the conservative roots of de Gaulle's intellectual formation and upbringing, sheds new light on his relationship with Churchill, and shows how de Gaulle confronted riots at home and violent independence movements abroad from the Middle East to Vietnam. No previous biography has so vividly depicted this towering figure whose legacy remains evident in present-day France. In short Professor Jackson has written a superb book, which in every way possible is a glittering ornament in the biographical art. Charles Coutinho holds a doctorate in history from New York University. Where he studied with Tony Judt, Stewart Stehlin and McGeorge Bundy. His Ph. D. dissertation was on Anglo-American relations in the run-up to the Suez Crisis of 1956. His area of specialization is 19th and 20th-century European, American diplomatic and political history. It you have a recent title to suggest for a podcast, please send an e-mail to Charlescoutinho@aol.com.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/european-studies

Charles de Gaulle is one of the greatest figures of twentieth century history. If Sir Winston Churchill was (in the words of Harold Macmillan) the "greatest Englishman In history", then Charles de Gaulle was without a doubt, the greatest Frenchman since Napoleon Bonaparte. Why so? In the early summer of 1940, when France was overrun by German troops, one junior general who had fought in the trenches in Verdun refused to accept defeat. He fled to London, where he took to the radio to address his compatriots back home. “Whatever happens,” he said, “the flame of French resistance must not be extinguished and will not be extinguished.” At that moment, Charles de Gaulle entered history. For the rest of the war, de Gaulle insisted he and his Free French movement were the true embodiment of France. Through sheer force of his personality and the grandeur of his vision of France, he inspired French men and women to risk their lives to resist the Nazi occupation. Usually proud and aloof, but almost always confident in his own leadership, he quarreled violently with Churchill, Roosevelt and many of his own countrymen. Yet they knew they would need his help to rebuild a shattered France. Thanks to de Gaulle, France was recognized as one of the victorious Allies when Germany was finally defeated. Then, as President of the Fifth Republic, he brought France back from the brink of a civil war over the war in Algeria. And, made the difficult decision to end the self-same war. Thereafter he challenged American hegemony, took France out of NATO, and twice vetoed British entry into the European Community in his pursuit of what he called “a certain idea of France.” Julian Jackson, Professor of History at Queen Mary College, University of London, past winner of the Wolfson History Prize and the winner in 2018 of the Paris Book Award for his book on De Gaulle--De Gaulle (Harvard University Press, 2018)--has written a magnificent biography, the first major reconsideration in over twenty years. Drawing on the extensive resources of the recently opened de Gaulle archives, Jackson reveals the conservative roots of de Gaulle's intellectual formation and upbringing, sheds new light on his relationship with Churchill, and shows how de Gaulle confronted riots at home and violent independence movements abroad from the Middle East to Vietnam. No previous biography has so vividly depicted this towering figure whose legacy remains evident in present-day France. In short Professor Jackson has written a superb book, which in every way possible is a glittering ornament in the biographical art. Charles Coutinho holds a doctorate in history from New York University. Where he studied with Tony Judt, Stewart Stehlin and McGeorge Bundy. His Ph. D. dissertation was on Anglo-American relations in the run-up to the Suez Crisis of 1956. His area of specialization is 19th and 20th-century European, American diplomatic and political history. It you have a recent title to suggest for a podcast, please send an e-mail to Charlescoutinho@aol.com.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/french-studies

Charles de Gaulle is one of the greatest figures of twentieth century history. If Sir Winston Churchill was (in the words of Harold Macmillan) the "greatest Englishman In history", then Charles de Gaulle was without a doubt, the greatest Frenchman since Napoleon Bonaparte. Why so? In the early summer of 1940, when France was overrun by German troops, one junior general who had fought in the trenches in Verdun refused to accept defeat. He fled to London, where he took to the radio to address his compatriots back home. “Whatever happens,” he said, “the flame of French resistance must not be extinguished and will not be extinguished.” At that moment, Charles de Gaulle entered history. For the rest of the war, de Gaulle insisted he and his Free French movement were the true embodiment of France. Through sheer force of his personality and the grandeur of his vision of France, he inspired French men and women to risk their lives to resist the Nazi occupation. Usually proud and aloof, but almost always confident in his own leadership, he quarreled violently with Churchill, Roosevelt and many of his own countrymen. Yet they knew they would need his help to rebuild a shattered France. Thanks to de Gaulle, France was recognized as one of the victorious Allies when Germany was finally defeated. Then, as President of the Fifth Republic, he brought France back from the brink of a civil war over the war in Algeria. And, made the difficult decision to end the self-same war. Thereafter he challenged American hegemony, took France out of NATO, and twice vetoed British entry into the European Community in his pursuit of what he called “a certain idea of France.” Julian Jackson, Professor of History at Queen Mary College, University of London, past winner of the Wolfson History Prize and the winner in 2018 of the Paris Book Award for his book on De Gaulle--De Gaulle (Harvard University Press, 2018)--has written a magnificent biography, the first major reconsideration in over twenty years. Drawing on the extensive resources of the recently opened de Gaulle archives, Jackson reveals the conservative roots of de Gaulle's intellectual formation and upbringing, sheds new light on his relationship with Churchill, and shows how de Gaulle confronted riots at home and violent independence movements abroad from the Middle East to Vietnam. No previous biography has so vividly depicted this towering figure whose legacy remains evident in present-day France. In short Professor Jackson has written a superb book, which in every way possible is a glittering ornament in the biographical art. Charles Coutinho holds a doctorate in history from New York University. Where he studied with Tony Judt, Stewart Stehlin and McGeorge Bundy. His Ph. D. dissertation was on Anglo-American relations in the run-up to the Suez Crisis of 1956. His area of specialization is 19th and 20th-century European, American diplomatic and political history. It you have a recent title to suggest for a podcast, please send an e-mail to Charlescoutinho@aol.com.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep 255 is loose! And it's time to gather around the table and see if we can hear any knocks or clicks from the other side...Who were the Fox Sisters? How did they become so famous? And what was up with their toes?The secret ingredient is...a fox!Get cocktails, poisoning stories and historical true crime tales every week by following and subscribing to The Poisoners' Cabinet wherever you get your podcasts. Find us and our cocktails at www.thepoisonerscabinet.com Join us Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepoisonerscabinet Find us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thepoisonerscabinet Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepoisonerscabinet/ Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePoisonersCabinet Listen on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThePoisonersCabinet Sources this week include Talking To The Dead by Barbara Weisberg, Kathryn Troy's Race, Gender and Ghosts in American Spiritualism, the Smithsonian, History Today, Jstor, The Paris Review, Newman Mentalist, University of London and United by Pop. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reema Mitra is the VP Group Director and Interim Head of Social Strategy at Digitas, where she leads national strategy across clients and capabilities. Known for scaling brands through culture-forward, insight-led creativity, she has spent the last two decades guiding beauty-focused CPG giants, tech brands and entertainment companies through digital transformation. Reema's background spans both agency and in-house leadership, including VP roles at EssenceMediacom (Google) and TodayTix, and Head of Social at HUGE NY. She's helmed award-winning work like Dove's Real Beauty Sketches at Edelman and Webby-recognized campaigns at TodayTix. Passionate about social impact and all things futures, she's especially focused on where the influencer and creator economy is headed. Reema holds a master's in Innovation from Goldsmiths, University of London, and lives in Brooklyn with her fiancée, their charismatic mutt Crumpet, and rambunctious kitten Nero.

Episode 76 of ‘All About Art': Mindfulness & Spirituality in Art Curation & Advising with Sneha Shah, Founder of CuratyWelcome to another episode of All About Art! In this episode, I sat down with Sneha Shah, Mumbai and London based entrepreneur and Founder of Curaty - an art advisory firm that offers bespoke curatorial services, art experiences, and rental and advisory for art across the U.K. and India.I ask Sneha about how she started her business, and what it means to run a company that builds on the philosophy of mindfulness and spirituality in art curation and collecting. We cover many bases, speaking about how her company has grown in the last 6 years - and what it was like in the beginning as an entrepreneur versus now. We discuss her work in South Asia and how it differs from her work in London, and so much more more. Thank you Sneha for coming on the podcast! You can follow Sneha on Instagram here: www.instagram.com/snehashah.artAnd check out Curaty here: https://curaty.co/Plus, if you want to hear more from Sneha, tune in to her podcast Power Of Art here: https://open.spotify.com/show/3vKYCqt274lqUF48z05din?si=b112fb17dcac4249You can read the interview in Metal Magazine here: https://metalmagazine.eu/en/post/curaty-by-sneha-shah-luxury-meets-spirituality-art-and-wellbeingYOU CAN SUPPORT ALL ABOUT ART ON PATREON HERE: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/allaboutart⁠FOLLOW ALL ABOUT ART ON INSTAGRAM HERE: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/allaboutartpodcast/⁠ ABOUT THE HOST:I am an Austrian-American art historian, curator, and writer. I obtained my BA in History of Art at University College London and my MA in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy at Goldsmiths, University of London. My specializations are in contemporary art and the contemporary art market along with accessibility, engagement, and the demystification of the professional art sector.Here are links to my social media, feel free to reach out:Instagram⁠ @alexandrasteinacker   ⁠Twitter ⁠@alex_steinacker⁠and LinkedIn at ⁠Alexandra Steinacker-Clark⁠This episode is produced at Synergy https://synergy.tech/the-clubhouse/the-podcast-studio/ COVER ART: Lisa Schrofner a.k.a Liser⁠ ⁠⁠www.liser-art.com⁠ and Luca Laurence www.lucalaurence.com Episode Production: Paul Zschornack

Paris Marx is joined by Dan McQuillan to discuss the global push by governments to rapidly adopt AI at all costs and how citizens can critically rethink our dependence on these technologies while imagining a collective future that benefits everyone.Dan McQuillan is a lecturer at Goldsmiths College, University of London and the author of Resisting AI.Tech Won't Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon.The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson.Also mentioned in this episode:Dan recently gave a talk about decomputing as resistance and published the text on his website.The UK Labour Government is going all in on data centre development, while planning for future water shortages.Academic institutions are rapidly adopting AI technologies, with a little help from industry leaders.The GKN Factory Collective offers an inspiring example of collective action.Support the show

Paris Marx is joined by Dan McQuillan to discuss the political push by global governments towards rapid AI adoption at all costs, and how citizens can critically rethink not only our dependence on these technologies, but imagine a collective future that benefits everyone.Dan McQuillan is a lecturer at Goldsmiths College, University of London and the author of Resisting AI.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Author, historian and former British Foreign Office official Tim Willasey-Wilsey tells the incredible story of Wilhelm Von De Ropp - the high-born chameleon who had Hitler's ear in the build-up to WW2. But unbeknownst to the Nazis, 'Bill' was MI6's man on the inside, passing on information that would help Britain to win the war... From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Joe Foley. Tim Willasey-Wilsey is Visiting Professor at Kings College, University of London, and the author of The Spy and the Devil . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Sarah Knight chats to Professor Susannah Quinsee, Professor Baba Sheba and Dr Julie Voce from City St George's, University of London about the latest updates on the university's digital transformation. The group reflect on the university's digital transformation journey, which has been driven by strategic leadership and supported by foundational IT projects, AI integration, and a commitment to enhancing the student experience through digital tools and analytics. The discussion covers their participation in Jisc's digital transformation pilot, in which they focused on organisational digital culture and the importance of senior management support to embed ‘people focus' into ongoing digital change programmes. The team also discuss the importance of student engagement, digital upskilling for staff and students, and how to take forward inclusive curriculum design. Show notes: Visit the City St George's, University of London website Access the City St George's, University of London digital transformation microsite Learn more about our digital transformation toolkit Discover the ‘How to approach digital transformation in higher education' report and case studies Read City St George's, University of London case study (pdf) View the video case study Join our senior leaders working group for digital transformation Subscribe to Headlines - our newsletter which has all the latest edtech news, guidance and events tailored to you

"The division of the world is creating a conflict of interest." -MasaIn this episode, Dr Espen and Masa Mezaki explore the intricate balance between achieving financial success and living a spiritually fulfilling life. Masa shares his journey from a high-powered finance career to a decade of global travel and spiritual exploration, ultimately leading him to create a renewable energy business that benefits local communities. The discussion emphasizes the importance of happiness through service, the interconnectedness of humanity, and the need for a unified approach to global challenges.About our guest:Graduated from the Faculty of Commerce, Keio University in Japan. Master of Social Anthropology from London School of Economics (LSE), University of London, and was an interest rate derivative trader for Merrill Lynch working in Tokyo, New York and London. After leaving Merrill Lynch, travelled to more than 100 countries around the world for nearly 10 years. In 2012, set up Japan Megasolar Inc. to achieve grid parity with photovoltaic power generation. Looking to the development of renewable energy business, changed the company name to GPSS Holdings Inc. in April 2017. Also conducts educational activities for dissemination of renewable energy information through various media.

Welcome to the latest episode of The Next Page, where we explore the fascinating domain of "well-beingology" with Roberto De Vogli, Associate Professor at the University of Padua and Visiting Professor at the University of London. Roberto de Vogli delves into the social determinants of health to uncover how a transdisciplinary approach can enhance our understanding of well-being. Throughout the episode, we explore how well-being extends beyond health, addressing the complex interplay of factors including socioeconomic conditions, political contexts, and environmental influences. Discover how these elements are biologically embedded in our lives, impacting not only our present but also the future. De Vogli also illuminates the evolving challenges posed by climate change, highlighting the necessity for a cooperative, global approach to safeguard future generations. Gain insights into the concept of a well-being economy and the promise it holds for sustainable development. Join us for this enlightening conversation as we seek to redefine the pursuit of happiness in a world facing unprecedented challenges and explore the potential pathways towards a positive social transformation.   Resources: Ask a Librarian! De Vogli, R. (2013). Progress or Collapse: The Crises of Market Greed. Routledge.  De Vogli, R. (2024). Managing and Preventing Pandemics: Lessons From COVID-19 (1st ed.). Routledge. De Vogli, R., (2025) Selective Empathy: The West Through the Gaze of Gaza. Studies in Critical Social Sciences, Volume: 348. Brill. Not yet published. Fioramonti, L., Coscieme, L., Costanza, R., Kubiszewski, I., Trebeck, K., Wallis, S., ... & De Vogli, R. (2022). Wellbeing economy: an effective paradigm to mainstream post-growth policies?. Ecological Economics, 192, 107261. Simms, A. (2013). Cancel the apocalypse: The new path to prosperity. Hachette UK. Newell, P., & Simms, A. (2020). How Did We Do That? Histories and Political Economies of Rapid and Just Transitions. New Political Economy, 26(6), 907–922.   Where to listen to this episode  Apple podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-page/id1469021154 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/10fp8ROoVdve0el88KyFLy YouTube: https://youtu.be/ Content    Guest: Roberto De Vogli Host, production and editing: Amy Smith, UN Library & Archives Geneva Recorded online with apologies for the sound quality Recorded & produced at the United Nations Library & Archives Geneva 

This is the fourth lecture from the Gresham Festival of Musical Ideas.https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/series/musical-ideas-2025Professors Sarah Hart and Milton Mermikides reveal the deep connections between music and mathematics. Whether that's the Euclidean rhythms that shape funky grooves, the set theory that maps every possible chord, or a live rendering of the geometric elegance of Gresham Professor Iannis Xenakis's algorithmic compositions, this event will reveal how maths can help explain – and even inspire – the richness of musical experience.This lecture was recorded by Milton Mermikides and Sarah Hart on 29th June 2025 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London.Sarah Hart was the first woman Professor of Geometry at Gresham College, and Acting Provost between March and October 2025. She is also Professor Emerita of Mathematics at Birkbeck, University of London. Milton Mermikides  is Gresham Professor of Music.He is Associate Professor in Music at the University of Surrey, Professor of Guitar at the Royal College of Music and Deputy Director of the International Guitar Research Centre.The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website:https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/maths-music-and-music-mathsGresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham College's mission, please consider making a donation: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-today Website:  https://gresham.ac.ukX: https://x.com/GreshamCollegeFacebook: https://facebook.com/greshamcollegeInstagram: https://instagram.com/greshamcollegeBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/greshamcollege.bsky.social TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greshamcollegeSupport Us: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-todaySupport the show

Today's discussion comes from our 2025 Annual Conference, The Rise of AI and Automation. For the next 8 weeks, we'll feature a series of panel discussions from our Annual Conference. We'll begin with our keynote address from Ed Harrison, followed by 4 talks on AI and Labor; AI Ethics; Practical Applications of AI, and finish with AI and Inequality.Today's discussion is the beginning of our Annual Conference content, featuring our keynote speaker, Fred Harrison.Mr. Harrison received his bachelor's from Oxford University and his master's from the University of London. He is a veteran journalist who has served in multiple news agencies such as The People and Wellington Journal. In 1988, he became the Research Director of the Land Research Trust, London, and has advised several corporations and international governments on tax and economic policy. Fred places an emphasis on the housing market and its interaction with the economy as a whole. He is the author of many books, including The Corruption of Economics, The Power in the Land, and A Philosophy for a Fair Society, all of which critique mainstream economic thinking.Together, we discussed Big Tech's lobbying, the metaverse, and rent seeking.To check out more of our content, including our research and policy tools, visit our website: https://www.hgsss.org/

This week's show features stories from Radio Deutsche-Welle, France 24, NHK Japan, and Radio Havana Cuba. http://youthspeaksout.net/swr250718.mp3 (29:00) From GERMANY- The death toll in Gaza as presented by the Hamas Ministry of Health is often reported with disclaimers in the western media suggesting they are exaggerated. Recent research from the University of London, led by Professor Michael Spagat, says the Hamas figures are short by 40%, meaning that the current death toll of Gazans is 100,000, or 4% of the entire population. Britain and France have agreed to coordinate their nuclear weapons without US involvement. This pact, known as the Northwood Declaration, is discussed by Scottish Professor Phillips O'Brien- he describes the pact as a decoupling from the US without saying it. From FRANCE- First a press review about the announcement by French President Macron that to be free we must be feared and a large increase in military spending. A press review on the 30th anniversary of the massacre of 8000 muslim men and boys in Srebrenica by Serbian forces during the Bosnian war. International comments after Israel dropped nearly 500 bombs on Syria, including Damascus, as punishment for battling with Druze forces who are Israeli allies. From JAPAN- Japanese electronics firm Panasonic opened a $4 billion plant in Kansas building batteries for electric vehicles. Australian PM Anthony Albanese met with Chinese President Xi during a 6 day visit to the country- they agreed to treat each other equally, though they critiqued each others large military exercises. A new law banning children under 16 from using social media in Australia comes into effect in December. From CUBA- 30 countries are meeting at a summit in Colombia to find a way to stop the war on Gaza- the collection of countries is called the Hague Group and were addressed by Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur for Occupied Palestine. A new Freedom Flotilla has left Italy to try to bring aid to Palestine- the crew includes a trade unionist from the US and several Parliamentarians. Available in 3 forms- (new) HIGHEST QUALITY (160kb)(33MB), broadcast quality (13MB), and quickdownload or streaming form (6MB) (28:59) Links at outfarpress.com/shortwave.shtml PODCAST!!!- https://feed.podbean.com/outFarpress/feed.xml (160kb Highest Quality) Website Page- < http://www.outfarpress.com/shortwave.shtml ¡FurthuR! Dan Roberts "War itself is, of course, a form of madness. It is hardly a civilized pursuit. It is amazing how we spend so much time inventing devices to kill each other and so little time working on how to achieve peace." -- Walter Cronkite Dan Roberts Shortwave Report- www.outfarpress.com YouthSpeaksOut!- www.youthspeaksout.net

Giorgio Ghiberti"John Florio. La vita d'un italiano nell'Inghilterra di Shakespeare"Frances A. YatesCasa dei Libri Edizioniwww.casadeilibri.comJohn Florio è noto ancora oggi per la sua grande traduzione in inglese degli Essays di Montaigne. Per i suoi contemporanei, era una delle figure più prominenti dei circoli letterari e sociali dell'epoca. Attraverso la ricostruzione della vita e del carattere di Florio, il testo di Frances Yates del 1934 fa luce sulla controversa questione delle sue relazioni con Shakespeare.Frances A. Yates, Scelse di studiare “storiografia interdisciplinare” e per più di quarant'anni fu legata al Warburg Institute della University of London, rivestendo anche incarichi di docenza. Gran parte del suo lavoro si è concentrato su neoplatonismo, filosofia e occultismo nel Rinascimento. Le sue opere principali, come Giordano Bruno e la tradizione ermetica o l'Arte della memoria, si concentrano sul ruolo centrale svolto dalla magia, dalla tradizione ermetica e dalla cabala nella scienza e nella filosofia nel Rinascimento. Oltre che di Giordano Bruno e Raimondo Lullo, si è occupata anche di Giovanni Florio, William Shakespeare e di storia della tradizione mnemotecnica da Simonide a Gottfried Leibniz. Insignita nel 1972 con il rango di Officer dell'Ordine dell'Impero Britannico, nel 1977 fu elevata al rango di Dama (Dame).Nel 2008 è uscita Frances Yates and the Hermetic Tradition, la prima biografia di Frances Yates, a cura di Marjorie G. Jones, tradotta in italiano da Andrea Damascelli per Casadei Libri nel 2014 con il titolo Frances Yates e la tradizione ermetica.Il merito di questo lavoro di riscoperta italiana va anche a Giorgio Ghiberti, curatore e traduttore d'eccezione, già noto per le sue splendide versioni di poeti come Baudelaire, Pessoa, Dickinson e Eliot. Ghiberti, nato a Ravenna nel 1952, porta nella sua traduzione tutta la sensibilità di chi conosce profondamente il valore della parola poetica e narrativa.IL POSTO DELLE PAROLEascoltare fa pensarewww.ilpostodelleparole.itDiventa un supporter di questo podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/il-posto-delle-parole--1487855/support.

In Episode 226 of Growing Pains with Nicholas Flores, Gianna Eckhardt, Professor of Marketing at King's Business School, King's College London, and Vice Dean Engagement and Executive Education, and Alex Atanasova, Assistant Professor / Lecturer in Marketing at Bayes Business School, City St George's University of London, unpack digital nomadism, from its roots in Tim Ferriss's The 4-Hour Workweek to its explosion during COVID. They debunk the Instagram myth of beachside laptops, highlighting the hustle, community, and economic necessity driving this lifestyle. With AI threatening freelance jobs, they explore the future for nomads. Harvard Business Review (https://hbr.org/2024/02/the-new-reality-of-digital-nomads), Nomadland review (https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/mgdr/vol6/iss1/2/).   07/01/2025

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with Patrick McGee, author of the best-selling book Apple in China, who tells a riveting story about how Apple almost single-handedly built the advanced electronics industry in China only to find itself trapped in a relationship with an authoritarian state making ever-increasing demands, and giving Beijing power that could be weaponized. Even though China's immense domestic market is hard to resist, this is a cautionary tale for listeners thinking about doing business in China and helps explain how China made progress competing against American tech companies so quickly.   Patrick was the Financial Times' principal Apple reporter from 2019 to 2023, where he won a San Francisco Press Club Award for his coverage. He joined the newspaper in 2013, in Hong Kong, before reporting from Germany and California. Previously, he was a bond reporter at The Wall Street Journal. He has a master's degree in global diplomacy from SOAS at the University of London, and a degree in religious studies from the University of Toronto.  Listen to THE MENTORS RADIO podcast anywhere, any time, on any platform, including Spotify and Apple, just click here! SHOW NOTES: PATRICK McGEE: BIO: https://patrick-mcgee.com/#card-8xuph49kjpjo2xo BOOK: Apple in China: The Capture of the World's Greatest Company, by Patrick McGee WEBSITE: https://patrick-mcgee.com/

In this episode we're taking a step back in time to explore a fascinating question—when did we start having 'clutter' in our homes, and why did it become a problem? We're joined by Professor Jane Hamlett, a leading expert in the history of the British home and domestic life. Jane is a Professor of Modern British History at Royal Holloway, University of London, and her research shines a light on how our homes—and our relationships with the things inside them—have evolved. Whether you're a minimalist or a maximalist, this episode is packed with insights into how clutter has always told a deeper story about our homes, our identities, and our society." Episode 331 Breaking through your “just in case” mindset Episode 311 How to declutter when everything in your home feels sentimental Episode 190 When does a collection become clutter? About the Declutter Hub Podcast We're Ingrid and Lesley and are super excited you're here! If you're sick to the back teeth of clutter dictating your home life then we are here to help you get control back and spend your valuable time doing the things you want and not shuffling piles of stuff around 24/7. We have been decluttering and organising homes face to face and online for over 28 years together and have helped thousands of members and clients to regain the home of their dreams. We have a passion for people, practicality, and piles of paper and love nothing better than to carve out solutions for anyone overwhelmed with clutter. If that's you, you're in the right place. Our podcast is packed with actionable tips, inspiration and motivation to get your decluttering done. We believe decluttering is all about emotions first, stuff second. Tune in, subscribe and enjoy! New episodes every Friday. Want more? We have so many ways that you can reach out to us for additional support on your decluttering journey. Free Facebook Group - for community, info and support - The Declutter Hub Community - emotions based decluttering. Instagram - daily reels and posts with decluttering hints and tips - @declutterhub Website - the best place to get access to all our free content - https://declutterhub.com/mp Membership - this is the best place to take your decluttering to the next level https://members.declutterhub.com/mp Book - you can order a copy of Reset Your Home, Unpack your emotions and your clutter, step by step here https://declutterhub.com/book/ Support - if you want signposting in the right direction support@declutterhub.com Can you spare 5 minutes of your day to leave us a review? Your reviews mean the podcast can be found more easily which will mean more people get the benefit of our decluttering advice. You can share a review on your chosen podcast player. Don't forget to hit follow or subscribe too. The Declutter Hub 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Live from Diriyah Art Futures in Riyadh, we're joined by Haytham Nawar, the director of Diriyah Art Futures, and Ala Younis who co-curated its latest exhibition, which delves into the New Media Art scene in the Arab world. They explore the lack of recognition for Arab names in global media art history, discuss the significance of the word "archeology" in the exhibition's subtitle "Maknana: An Archaeology of New Media Art in the Arab World", and highlight contributions by artists like Lucien Samaha, the first person to click a digital image. The conversation also covers the generational and geographical aspects of New Media Art in the Arab world, and the challenges of curating such an exhibition. The episode provides an in-depth look at the themes, artists, and historical context behind the pioneering Diriyah Art Futures project. 00:00 Introduction 01:47 Exploring the Exhibition's Themes and Research04:30 Historical Context and Artist Contributions10:43 Curatorial Approach and Challenges27:31 Defining the Arab World in Art30:48 Misunderstood and Favorite Art Pieces31:23 Curatorial Challenges and Artwork Highlights33:58 More Artworks and Multiple Interpretations39:03 The Role of New Media in Telling the Arab World's Story41:46 Audience Questions and Curatorial Insights49:54 Gender Balance and Artist Selection Criteria51:50 New Media Art and Public Sphere59:11 Future Iterations and Ongoing Research Ala Younis is an artist, with curatorial, film and publishing projects. Using objects, film and printed matter, she often seeks instances where historical and political events collapse into personal ones. She holds a BSc in Architecture from University of Jordan and MRes in Visual Cultures from Goldsmiths, University of London. She co-curated Diriyah Art Futures' exhibition "Maknana: An Archaeology of New Media Art in the Arab World."Connect with Ala Younis

A very confused and agitated Donald Trump was asked by reporters this week if he was moving the tariff deadline from July 9th to August 1st, and he had no idea what the reporter was talking about. Instead of answering about the deadline - which he clearly did not know was being moved - Trump fumbled around and said that there will be tariffs, which made no sense at all. Eventually, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had to step in and answer the question to save Trump even more embarrassment. Donald Trump threatened even more tariffs against countries that he's apparently angry at to start the week, and those countries were not intimidated at all by his threats. In fact, the BRICS countries that Trump is now threatening are openly mocking him and calling for a new global economic system that is NOT dependent on the US dollar. Trump is about to destroy America's standing in the world forever.Right wing media company Newsmax has decided to step in and attempt to save Donald Trump's failing media company. Specifically, Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy announced that his company was going to be partnering with Trump's streaming platform, Truth+, and they will now be offering up their shows for the platform. That's still a very pathetic business model that doesn't provide subscribers with shows that they can't already get somewhere else, most of the time for free. A new psychological study has been released by the University of London, and in the study the researchers created a new term to explain the mental disorders of both Donald Trump and his entire MAGA base. The researchers say that these people all suffer from a severe case of victimhood, but their version is slightly different. The lead author says that Trump and his followers suffer from a "VictimCOULD" complex, which allows them to get people on their side and cheer for oppression and the destruction of things that are actually good. Text and and let us know your thoughts on today's stories!Subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay up to date on all of Farron's content: https://www.youtube.com/FarronBalancedFollow Farron on social media! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FarronBalanced Twitter: https://twitter.com/farronbalanced Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farronbalanced TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@farronbalanced?lang=en

Brazil's Zebu cattle, or “supercows” are bred for size, strength, and meat quality. Every year the animals are showcased at ExpoZebu, Brazil's premier cattle fair. These animals are preened, pampered, and prized, before being sold for millions for their genetic material. Zebu cattle were not always part of Brazil's landscape. After being imported from India in the late 19th century, farmers found their resilience to heat, pests, and poor pasture made them ideal for Brazil's expanding cattle frontier. Thanks to decades of selective breeding and low-cost pasture-based farming, Brazil is now the world's largest beef exporter, and demand is only rising. Despite its economic success and domestic popularity, Brazil's beef has a significant environmental cost due to its emissions and links to deforestation. However, their genetic material has the potential to be used around the world to make cattle more resilient to climate change. Contributors: Carolina Arantes, Photojournalist, France Dr. Oscar Broughton, Teaching Fellow and historian at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, UK Dr Cassio Brauner, Associate Professor in Beef Cattle Production Systems, Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil Dr Marcos Barozzo, Assistant Professor of Economics, DePaul University, Chicago, USPresenter: David Baker Producer: Louise Clarke Researcher: Maeve Schaffer Editor: Tara McDermott Technical Producer: Craig Boardman Production co-ordinator: Tammy Snow

Laurie Taylor talks to Simon Jarrett, Research Fellow at Birkbeck, University of London, about the social history of people with learning disabilities, from 1700 to the present days. Using evidence from civil and criminal court-rooms, joke books, slang dictionaries, novels, art and caricature, he explores the explosive intermingling of ideas about intelligence and race, while bringing into sharp focus the lives of people often seen as the most marginalised in society. They're joined by Magdalena Mikulak, a Research Fellow in Health at Lancaster University who has researched the way the term ‘behaviours that challenge others' which are attributed to 20% of those with learning disabilities, can stigmatise and exclude people from society,Producer: Jayne Egerton

Get ready for a thoughtful and down-to-earth conversation with our host, Cathleen O'Sullivan and guest is Michael Frantl, Global Lead for Culture, Engagement, and Performance Solutions at Novo Nordisk about what really shapes strong leadership and why culture matters more than ever. With a career that's taken him across the US, UK, and Scandinavia, Michael shares his real-world experience of building workplace cultures that go beyond posters and buzzwords.   Together, they talk about leading with trust, creating space for belonging, and the small, everyday actions that bring values to life. Michael also reflects on the role of optimism, why control doesn't build connection, and how to make culture feel genuine wherever you work. If you're building a team, leading change, or just trying to show up more intentionally, this episode is for you.   Episode Timeline:  00:00 Introduction 04:36 Life since we last met: moves, parenthood, and big shifts 06:03 Taking the leap, moving to Denmark and starting fresh 10:50 Balancing positivity and reality in leadership 14:09 From rush to reflection: Building quiet moments Into busy days 19:48 Lessons from the family construction business 30:58 Listening to understand: what philosophy taught me about dialogue 39:09 Building workplaces that support people and results 52:06 The power of focus and consistency in culture work 01:03:26 Practical steps for organizations tobBring values to life Key Takeaways: Culture is about what you do every day: Michael and Cathleen stress that company culture isn't just about posters or slogans. It's about how people act and interact every day.    Positivity Matters, but keep it real: Michael talks about finding joy in small moments and connecting with others, but also warns against ignoring challenges.  Leading with intention and space: Move away from micromanaging to truly supporting people. Listening, clear communication, and giving teams room to grow are key.  About Michal Frantl: Michael is a Global Culture, Engagement, & Performance Solutions Lead at Novo Nordisk, based in Copenhagen Denmark. He is an experienced people and culture professional with a focus on culture building and measurement, leadership development/coaching, and employee engagement who has worked across international offices both in house and as an external consultant.   Originally from Wisconsin in the US, he has lived in the US, UK, Sweden, Italy, and Denmark and has a Masters degree in Organizational Behaviour from Birkbeck, University of London. Connect with Michael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelfrantl/   Connect: 
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In this special episode, Robinson and Karl Zheng Wang co-host at the Yale US-China Forum. Return guests from the show include Slavoj Žižek, Richard Wolff, and Yascha Mounk. Slavoj Žižek is international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities at the University of London, visiting professor at New York University, and a senior researcher at the University of Ljubljana's Department of Philosophy. Richard Wolff is Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting professor at The New School, where he works on economics in the Marxist tradition. Yascha Mounk is a Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University. He is also a Contributing Editor at the Atlantic, a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and the host of The Good Fight podcast. Yannis Varoufakis is a Greek economist and politician, and current Secretary-General of the Democracy in Europe Movement 2025. Robin Visser is Professor in the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she researches modern Chinese and Sinophone literatures, urban cultural studies, and environmental studies. Pei Wang is Professor in the Chinese History and Culture Program at the University of Hong Kong, where she specializes in comparative philosophy, psychoanalysis, and more. Daniel Mattingly is Professor in the Department of Political Science at Yale University, where he studies the domestic and international politics of authoritarian regimes, with a focus on China.  OUTLINE00:00:00 Introduction00:01:46 The Future of Europe and China00:10:40 There Is No Such Thing as Trade Wars, They Are All Class Wars00:15:50 How Wall Street's Failures Fueled the Rise of Tech00:20:02 Why Is There a New Cold War Between the US and China?00:27:18 Why the United States Is Abandoning Democracy and Why China is Yannis Varoufakis's Only Hope00:29:26 Richard Wolff to Yannis Varoufakis: Are We Heading Toward Nuclear War with China?00:35:58 How Class WARFARE Shaped the World Superpowers CLIP00:41:01 Is China Capitalism's Final Form?00:52:03 Is There Any Way that China and the United Stated Could Avert Conflict?00:59:16 Varoufakis to Wolff: Is a Tariff Hail Mary Trump's Only Remaining Option?01:03:39 Daniel Mattingly on China's Sociopolitical Organization01:08:39 How Does Xi Jinping Talk About Socialism?01:13:47 Yascha Mounk on US-China Competition01:22:36 Philosophy, Socialism, and Capitalism01:48:40 Pei Wang on the Hero and Father in US-China Competition01:54:31 Hero and Father Archetypes in PoliticsRobinson's Website: http://robinsonerhardt.comRobinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University.

The Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is turning 90 and has confirmed - after years of uncertainty - that he will have a successor after his death and will not chose to end the line.  In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the Dalai Lama is reincarnated after they die. Monks search, select, and school a successor – usually a child. The current Dalai Lama was recognised at the age of two. He and an estimated 150,000 Tibetans now live in exile in India, and other countries, after China annexed Tibet decades ago.  And that makes who the next Dalai Lama is, a concern of China's.  Joining Matt Barbett is Professor Robert Barnett, who founded the Modern Tibetan Studies Program at Columbia University and is now at University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). He has also met the Dalai Lama several times. Producers: Soila Apparicio and Emma Rae Woodhouse Editor: Wendy Parker 

Coincidences may seem like random occurrences to many of us – but not to a mathematician. Sarah Hart is professor of geometry at Gresham College and professor emerita of mathematics at Birkbeck, University of London. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why we so often look for coincidences in our lives — and why that's a mathematically futile endeavor — why the blind luck behind lottery wins might not be so blind after all, and why revealing this magic with numbers makes the phenomenon all the more interesting. Her article, “The surprising maths that explains why coincidences are so common,” was published in New Scientist.This episode originally aired January 15th, 2025. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Liberals, particularly classical liberals and libertarians, have too narrow a view of power. They focus on government force, or the threat of government force, and ignore all the other ways power is exercised in society. And the way classical liberals and libertarians imagine the fully autonomous self is at odds with our deep cultural embeddedness and the social construction of our identities, our ways of seeing, and the concepts through which we come to understand ourselves and the world.That's the argument my guest sets out in his new book, which asks classical liberals and libertarians to take seriously the analysis of power, knowledge, and identify set out by the French theorist Michel Foucault. And, as Mark Pennington further argues in Foucault and Liberal Political Economy: Power, Knowledge, and Freedom, taking Foucault seriously strengthens the foundations of liberalism and makes it better able to respond to illiberal critiques.Pennington is Professor of Political Economy and Public Policy in the Department of Political Economy, King's College, University of London, and is Director of the Centre for the Study of Governance and Society.We discuss Foucault's ideas, and introduce them for listeners who know nothing about his theories. And we show how they can point to liberal conclusions, including individual rights and a free market economy. Mark's book is the book I've been wanting someone to write a long time, and it not only doesn't disappoint but is, I think, one of the most import books in the liberal tradition in decades.Join the ReImagining Liberty community and discuss this episode with your fellow listeners.Support the show and get episodes ad-free.Produced by Landry Ayres. Podcast art by Sergio R. M. Duarte. Music by Kevin MacLeod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a special edition of Minnesota Now, we dedicate the full hour to a conversation with Keon West. He is the author of the book released this year called "The Science of Racism: Everything You Need to Know but Probably Don't — Yet." The book lays out decades of scientific research about racism and its consequences, as well as efforts to address racial inequality. Now a social psychology professor at the University of London, West spent an earlier phase of his academic career in St. Paul. He attended Macalester College and graduated in 2006. MPR News host Nina Moini recently talked with West at the school's alumni weekend.

In 1710, the British Parliament passed a piece of legislation entitled An Act for the Encouragement of Learning. It became known as the Statute of Anne, and it was the world's first copyright law. Copyright protects and regulates a piece of work - whether that's a book, a painting, a piece of music or a software programme. It emerged as a way of balancing the interests of authors, artists, publishers, and the public in the context of evolving technologies and the rise of mechanical reproduction. Writers and artists such as Alexander Pope, William Hogarth and Charles Dickens became involved in heated debates about ownership and originality that continue to this day - especially with the emergence of artificial intelligence. With:Lionel Bently, Herchel Smith Professor of Intellectual Property Law at the University of CambridgeWill Slauter, Professor of History at Sorbonne University, ParisKatie McGettigan, Senior Lecturer in American Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London. Producer: Eliane GlaserReading list:Isabella Alexander, Copyright Law and the Public Interest in the Nineteenth Century (Hart Publishing, 2010)Isabella Alexander and H. Tomás Gómez-Arostegui (eds), Research Handbook on the History of Copyright Law (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2016)David Bellos and Alexandre Montagu, Who Owns this Sentence? A History of Copyrights and Wrongs (Mountain Leopard Press, 2024)Oren Bracha, Owning Ideas: The Intellectual Origins of American Intellectual Property, 1790-1909 (Cambridge University Press, 2016)Elena Cooper, Art and Modern Copyright: The Contested Image (Cambridge University Press, 2018)Ronan Deazley, On the Origin of the Right to Copy: Charting the Movement of Copyright Law in Eighteenth Century Britain, 1695–1775 (Hart Publishing, 2004)Ronan Deazley, Rethinking Copyright: History, Theory, Language (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2006)Ronan Deazley, Martin Kretschmer and Lionel Bently (eds.), Privilege and Property: Essays on the History of Copyright (Open Book Publishers, 2010)Marie-Stéphanie Delamaire and Will Slauter (eds.), Circulation and Control: Artistic Culture and Intellectual Property in the Nineteenth Century (Open Book Publishers, 2021) Melissa Homestead, American Women Authors and Literary Property, 1822-1869 (Cambridge University Press, 2005)Adrian Johns, Piracy: The Intellectual Property Wars from Gutenberg to Gates (University of Chicago Press, 2009)Meredith L. McGill, American Literature and the Culture of Reprinting, 1834-1853 (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002)Mark Rose, Authors and Owners: The Invention of Copyright (Harvard University Press, 1993)Mark Rose, Authors in Court: Scenes from the Theater of Copyright (Harvard University Press, 2018)Catherine Seville, Internationalisation of Copyright: Books, Buccaneers and the Black Flag in the Nineteenth Century (Cambridge University Press, 2006)Brad Sherman and Lionel Bently, The Making of Modern Intellectual Property Law (Cambridge University Press, 1999)Will Slauter, Who Owns the News? A History of Copyright (Stanford University Press, 2019)Robert Spoo, Without Copyrights: Piracy, Publishing and the Public Domain (Oxford University Press, 2013)In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio production

Kelly M. Kapic (PhD, King's College, University of London) is a professor of theological studies at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. He is an author or editor of more than fifteen books, including You're Only Human, Embodied Hope, which each won a Christianity Today Book of the Year Award, and the recently released You Were Never Meant to Do it All. Join the Theology in the Raw community for as little as $5/month to get access to premium content at patreon.com/theologyintheraw  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Richard Barkham joined CBRE in 2014 as Global Chief Economist and in 2018 he was appointed Senior Economic Advisor. He is based in Dallas and leads a team of 600 researchers worldwide. He holds a PhD in Economics and is the author of two books and numerous academic publications. On apart-time basis he is Senior Fellow and Lecturer in Real Estate at Harvard University and Professor of the Practice at University of North Carolina. He is a Chartered Surveyor, Counsellor of Real Estate and Honorary Professor of the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction at The University of London. Connect with Richard: