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Quy chế cho sinh viên vay tiền để đóng học phí và trang trải các khoản ăn ở trong ba năm đại học đang gặp khủng hoảng vì tiền nợ của hàng triệu cựu sinh viên nay lên tới con số nhiều tỷ bảng. Quốc hội Anh đã phải mở cuộc điều tra để xem các công ty tín dụng học phí (student loan companies) có thu lãi suất quá cao từ người tốt nghiệp đại học phải trả góp hay không. Thông tín viên Nguyễn Giang, hiện là nghiên cứu sinh ở ĐH City St George's, University of London theo dõi chủ đề này đã lâu, trước hết, điểm sơ qua tình trạng cho vay tiền để trả học phí, rồi trả nợ dần sau khi có bằng cử nhân ở Anh hiện nay ra sao: TT. Nguyễn Giang: Báo chí Anh vào tuần thứ nhì của tháng 3/2026 đã đồng loạt đưa tin về một số liệu được công bố nói rằng có tới 2,8 triệu cựu sinh viên tại Anh (đại học, thạc sĩ) đã nợ chừng £50.000 mỗi người, với một cá nhân nợ kỷ lục, 314.256 bảng Anh tương đương 421 nghìn USD. Trên cả nước, thống kê Quốc hội nêu ra cho thấy núi nợ tiền cho sinh viên vay, còn gọi là “student loan”, đã lên tới gần 300 tỷ bảng sau nhiều thập niên. Điều đáng nói, đây là các khoản chưa trả được. Số tiền lãi họ phải trả đã lên tới 15 tỷ bảng. Quốc hội Anh đang điều tra xem hệ thống cho sinh viên vay tiền như hiện nay, so với ý tưởng ban đầu, hơn 20 năm trước, có bị biến tướng đi hay không. Các báo nói, hồi tiền học chỉ có 1-3 nghìn bảng/năm thì tiền cho vay hay trợ cấp không đáng bao nhiêu, nhưng nay thì nó đã thành một loại tiền cho vay nặng lãi. Anh có thể nhắc đôi nét về quy chế cho vay để người trẻ ở Anh có thể học đại học được hình thành ra sao? Vì sao đến nay lại là vấn đề? Nói về nguồn gốc của hệ thống này thì từ thời Tony Blair làm thủ tướng Anh, đảng Lao động, với các khẩu hiệu cấp tiến, đề cao bình đẳng cơ hội, đã quyết định mở rộng quyền nhận tiền vay của chính phủ để sinh viên có thể trả học phí. Khi đó, sáng kiến này nhắm tới mục tiêu cao hơn là phổ cập đại học ở Anh. Cùng lúc, Anh quốc muốn thị trường hóa hệ thống đại học để tăng tính cạnh tranh. Đây là hai tiêu chí ban đầu tưởng là phù hợp, không đối chọi nhau, nhưng tới này thì mới rõ là có mâu thuẫn. Cụ thể hơn, trên thực tế, trước đó, từ năm 1990 công ty “Student Loan”đã được lập ra và được Chính phủ Anh bảo trợ, để cấp trợ cấp sinh hoạt cho sinh viên ở Anh. Chỉ những em nào không có tiền trợ cấp từ gia đình (vì thu nhập thấp) thì mới được nhận. Đến năm 1998 thì Luật Giáo dục Đại học cho phép các đại học thu phí 1000 bảng Anh/năm với mỗi sinh viên và bỏ các khoản trợ cấp (grant). Thay vào đó, sinh viên được quyền vay tiền trả góp, hệt như mua bất động sản, để trả học phí. Tới năm 2006, học phí ở Anh tăng lên 3.000 bảng/năm/một sinh viên. Và để điều chỉnh lại thì người ta bỏ quy chế tiền cho vay “như vay tín dụng địa ốc” (mortgage) mà chuyển thành một hệ thống phức tạp hơn, có chọn lọc. Tùy vào thu nhập của cha mẹ mà con cái họ là sinh viên sẽ được nhận tiền vay để chi vào: học phí, tiền ăn ở hoặc cả hai. Câu chuyện ở đây là giá sinh hoạt tăng nhanh ở Anh, nay lên tới chừng 6000 bảng/năm, và học phí cũng năm nay lên tới gần 10 nghìn bảng/năm. Vì thế, các khoản cho vay này cộng lại cho một năm học, với sinh viên nội địa Anh cũng khoảng 15-16 nghìn bảng, tương đương 20 nghìn USD. Ba năm học để lấy tấm bằng cử nhân là 60 nghìn USD. Sau khi tốt nghiệp, các em phải trả cả gốc lẫn lãi, mà lãi suất thì từ 6-9%/năm, cao hơn cả tiền vay mua nhà trả góp. Tạo ra các khoảng nợ lớn cho mỗi cá nhân. Với cả nước thì một thống kê của Quốc hội Anh năm 2025 cho thấy con số tổng nợ của nhiều thế hệ sinh viên ở Anh là 292 tỷ bảng, tương đương 389 tỷ USD, cao hơn GDP của một số nước. Tác động kinh tế-xã hội của các khoản ‘nợ học phí' này ra sao với nước Anh? Đầu tiên, mức nợ này là gánh nặng cho nhà nước vì Chính phủ Anh là bên bảo đảm cho các khoản nợ đó. Sinh viên ra trường không có việc làm hoặc làm chưa đủ lương ở mức nhất định thì họ chưa phải trả nợ. Sau 30 năm mà vẫn không trả nợ được thì chính quyền sẽ xóa nợ cho họ. Vấn đề là khi đó, việc xóa nợ chính là làm thâm hụt ngân sách nhà nước chứ không đơn giản là muốn xóa thì xóa. Thứ hai, từ góc độ sinh viên mới ra trường thì thị trường việc làm ở Anh ngày càng khó khăn. Thống kê quý III/2025 cho thấy số thất nghiệp trong giới trẻ dưới 24 tuổi đang ở mức cao, 15,9%. Kể cả khi tiền học phí (tuition) không tăng nữa do bị ấn định bởi chính phủ ở mức gần 10 nghìn bảng cho sinh viên nội địa những năm qua), chi phí ăn ở (maintenance loan) tăng lên quá 6 nghìn/năm, tiền đi lại tàu xe cũng tăng. Nên dù chỉ vay các khoản đó cộng lại, các em sẽ vẫn mắc nợ lớn sau khi tốt nghiệp. Thế nhưng nếu bỏ quy chế cho vay tiền trả góp để học đại học thì hàng trăm nghìn công dân Anh trẻ tuổi sẽ không có cơ hội học đại học. Vì vấn đề mang tính cấu trúc của hệ thống giáo dục - học phí đại học ở Anh cao hơn nhiều so với ở các nước thuộc Liên minh châu Âu, nên ai vay thì sẽ mắc nợ lớn và gần như suốt đời. Đang có một thế hệ không thể mua nhà. Các số liệu tháng 3/2026 nói trước đây, tuổi ở Anh của người mua căn hộ, ngôi nhà đầu tiên (bằng tiền vay trả góp) là 29. Tức là sau khi có bằng cử nhân, đi làm 6-7 năm là có thể mua nhà. Còn nay, tuổi đó đẩy lên 34, tức là ai may mắn có việc làm thì 10-11 năm sau mới có thể tiết kiệm đủ khoản tiền thế chấp và có hợp đồng lao động tốt để mua nhà. Tiền nợ “student loan” đóng vai trò quan trọng trong việc trả vốn lẫn lãi hàng tháng, người trẻ có việc làm, có còn bao nhiêu để tiết kiệm rồi mua nhà hay không? Chính phủ Anh có biện pháp gì chưa ? Quốc hội vừa mở cuộc điều tra. Vào ngày 12/03/2026, Chủ tịch Ủy ban Ngân khố (Treasury Committee) của Hạ viện, bà Meg Hillier, cho biết: "Cuộc điều tra là để tìm hiểu xem các mục tiêu của quy chế cho vay này có công bằng (fairness) hay không, hay là nó đang bất công bằng cách nào đó đối với người đã tốt nghiệp đại học". Một trong những đối tượng của cuộc điều tra là tiền cho vay gọi là Plan 2 (Kế hoạch số 2), áp dụng vào giai đoạn 2012 và 2023, với số sinh viên, cựu sinh viên nay mắc nợ là 5,8 triệu người. Bộ trưởng Tài chính Rachel Reeves nêu ra một số điều chỉnh như đóng băng ngưỡng lương mà người học xong đại học có được khi đi làm ở mức thấp £29.385 bảng/năm từ năm 2027. Nhưng điều này cũng bị chỉ trích. Các vấn đề khác liên quan? Cũng nhân việc này, báo chí nói về nạn người nước ngoài như công dân Rumani định cư ở Anh sau Brexit bị cho là chiếm đa số trong số “vụ lừa đảo vay tiền ‘student loan' rồi trốn, không học và cũng không ở lại Anh nữa”. Số liệu từ báo chí nói trong giai đoạn 2019/2020 có chừng 25 nghìn công dân Rumani vay tiền học đại học, thì điều này khá bình thường, tương đương chừng 19 nghìn công dân Ba Lan ở Anh vay tiền học. Vì họ là công dân EU có thẻ định cư ở Anh thì được tính như sinh viên nội địa. Nhưng giai đoạn 2023/24 đột nhiên có tới 78.325 người Rumani vay tiền học, và cuộc điều tra của báo Telegraph nói có khá nhiều trường hợp họ ghi danh vào một trường nào đó, nhận tiền nhà nước cho vay, rồi bỏ học hoặc về nước của họ sống. Đây là vấn đề mang tính hình sự, nhưng nó cũng nói lên một thực tế là việc cho vay quá dễ dãi, kiểm soát nhiều lỗ hổng. Vì sao người nước ngoài ở Anh vẫn có thể vay tiền để học đại học? Người Việt Nam có quyền đó không? Không phải tất cả các công dân ngoại quốc ở Anh có quyền đó, chỉ có công dân khối EU đã định cư ở Anh và phải sống ở Anh tối thiểu là 3 năm trước khi nộp đơn xin vay tiền học phí. Đây là ưu tiên cho công dân EU sau Hiệp định Brexit (2021). Những công dân EU khác không đạt được tiêu chuẩn này thì không được. Công dân các nước ngoài EU như Việt Nam thì lại càng không được, trừ khi họ có thẻ định cư ở Anh. Tôi xin nói tiếp về câu chuyện hiện nay ở Anh còn điều gì nữa. Với sinh viên ở Anh thì còn một vấn đề nữa là ngôn từ. Các công ty cho vay tiền học từng quảng cáo hợp đồng “không khác gì hợp đồng mua điện thoại 30 tháng” và né tránh câu chữ về nợ nần. Họ quảng cáo khá nhiều trên mạng xã hội. Tôi cũng thấy, nói như thể đây là khoản từ thiện, ai ở Anh có giấy tờ định cư, có quốc tịch là được “hưởng quyền lợi” đó, được vay tới 24 nghìn bảng để có tấm bằng đại học. Thực tế thì đây là khoản nợ bạn phải trả với lãi suất rất cao. Giới trẻ cần được giáo dục để không ký tiền vay một cách dễ dàng rồi mắc nợ. Xin nói là ai đã vay mà bỏ học, bị đuổi học thì cũng vẫn phải trả nợ. Vấn đề sẽ đi về đâu? Chính phủ Anh có giải pháp hay chưa và nếu có thì đi theo hướng nào? Hiện nay trong Nghị viện Anh, Đảng LibDem đề xuất bỏ cách đóng băng ngưỡng phải trả tiền vay, hiện bị khóa ở mức thấp £29,385 bảng/năm – ai có thu nhập đạt ngưỡng này là phải trả góp tiền đó. Nếu để ngưỡng này tăng theo lạm phát, thì những ai thu nhập cao hơn mới phải trả, giảm sức ép nợ nần. Ngoài ra, có sáng kiến yêu cầu đổi tên “student loan” (tiền cho sinh viên vay) thành “graduate tax” (thuế đại học), để ai cũng thấy là có trách nhiệm. Có tiếng nói đòi cắt giảm phần trăm lãi suất hiện ở mức 6,2% đến 8–9%/năm, rất cao. Có ý kiến nói Chính phủ cần lập ra quỹ cứu trợ “ân xá” tiền học, trả thay sinh viên một phần. Hiện chưa rõ Bộ Tài chính có muốn như vậy không. Vấn đề rất là lớn, và chưa biết có giải pháp nào khả thi không trong những năm tới. Còn trong những tháng tới thì tôi tin là khó. Chỉ trong tháng 5-6 này, các học sinh tốt nghiệp phổ thông đã ghi danh vào đại học từ mùa thu năm nay rồi. Rồi sau hè là các em vào niên khóa đầu tiên, bằng tiền vay như các thế hệ đi trước. Tức là quy trình sẽ cứ chạy tiếp như vậy. Không có thay đổi chính sách nào kịp trong vòng 1-2 tháng. Có lẽ phải sang năm hoặc sau nữa mới có điều chỉnh chính sách này.
The story of William Tyndale and Cardinal Wolsey is a fascinating tale of spies and espionage. Tyndale was a wanted man – working in exile to complete his translation of the New Testament. In order to supress his work, Henry VIII and Cardinal Wolsey dispatched a diplomat-spy to make sure Tyndale's writings were never imported to England. Yet Tyndale and his contacts found ways to smuggle his New Testament into England anyway, all whilst Wolsey's man was on their trail. Charlotte Gauthier unravels this daring cat-and-mouse game, which culminates in Tyndale's betrayal and death in 1536. Dr Charlotte Gauthier is an historian of religious conflict and diplomacy with a PhD from Royal Holloway, University of London. She is Assistant Director of Discipleship for Southwark Diocese and a Visiting Tutor at St Augustine's College of Theology and City St George's, University of London. Charlotte has written numerous articles on history and ideas for leading publications, and has appeared on television, radio, and podcasts.
A newly qualified doctor Charlotte Buttercase, has said she was subjected to repeated sexual harassment and intimidation while studying medicine at the University of Manchester. 32 other female students have now come forward to report similar abuse. Charlotte tells Nuala McGovern why she has waived her right to anonymity and written an open letter to the university to request a formal review of sexism within the School of Medical Sciences. More than 1000 women have added their signatures. Sprinter Hannah Brier holds the Welsh 100m record, and last week became the fastest Welsh woman of all time. She broke her country's long-standing 200m record running it at 22.79 seconds at the Stratford Speed Grand Prix in London. But that time was just a few days after the Team Wales deadline for selection for this summer's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She explains to Nuala how missing out on the chance to compete at the games pushed her to prove herself all over again. Is Marilyn Monroe still a name that needs no introduction? Fans were marking her 100th birthday yesterday so we ask why her legacy still endures almost 64 years after her death and what she means to women today. Nuala is joined by Ellen E Jones, a film critic and the presenter of a new radio documentary on BBC Sounds called 'Bombshell: Five Faces of Marilyn Monroe', and Sarah Churchwell, professor of American Literature at the University of London and the author of 'The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe'.Tenderness and Rage, and the juxtaposition of these contrasting emotions is at the heart of a new exhibition at the Wellcome Collection. It explores the history of HIV from the AIDS epidemic of the 80s and 90s to today. We see stories of protest and of tender care through photography, film and objects belonging to those who faced these illnesses when so little was known about how to treat or survive them. Angelina Namiba was one of them. She was diagnosed with HIV in 1993, and at first, thought it was a death sentence. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Helen Fitzhenry
In this episode of Performers Happiness in the Arts (PHARTS), host Dr. Jenna Kantor, PT, DPT, performer and dance medicine specialist, takes you behind the curtain of one of the most common — and emotionally challenging — injuries in the performing arts: the ankle fracture. From the heartbreaking “crack” mid-performance to the long road back to dancing, singing, and acting at full strength, Jenna dives into the science, the rehab, and the artistry of recovery. You'll learn: ✨ Why dancers, singers, and actors are all at risk for ankle fractures
The human brain works very hard behind the scenes even in the most mundane aspects of daily life, like enjoying a nice day or determining the meaning of chit-chat with a friend. Ferreting out the basis and structures of our brain's labor is the domain of Daniel Yon, a psychologist and neuroscientists and director of the Uncertainty Lab at Birkbeck, University of London. In this Social Science Bites podcast, Yon - author of the 2025 book A Trick of the Mind: How the Brain Invents Your Reality -- details for interviewer David Edmonds why he feels that just as science itself represents a solid - but not "bullet-proof" way of interpreting the natural world, science also well describes how the brain itself does the same. "I think that at the heart of what I think science and the brain share is this preoccupation with building theories and models based on the data that you've gathered and using those theories to make sense of the world around you. That's a very powerful way to make sense of things," he explains, before adding the caveat, "but it also means that once you start to build your theories and paradigms, they can become the filter and the lens through which everything else gets seen." Yon's scholarship has earned him a number of honors, such as the Experimental Psychology Society's EPS Prize and the Janet Taylor Spence Award from the Association for Psychological Science. He has also been named a Rising Star by the Cognitive Neuroscience Society and received a mid-career fellowship by the British Academy.
On this month's 21andsensory Podcast* I have Nathan Dunne as my special guest. Nathan was born in Brisbane, Australia and grew up in India. After graduating from the University of Sydney with the University Medal, he studied art history at Cambridge University and received a PhD from Birkbeck College, University of London. He has lectured at Harvard and Yale, and also worked for several years at Tate Modern. As a journalist and critic, he has contributed to many publications, including The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, The Guardian, Slate and Artforum. Nathan is the author of 'When Nothing Feels Real', a memoir about depersonalisation which was published in June 2025. We have a really interesting chat about DPDR (depersonalisation and derealisation) and the onset for Nathan and how he has experienced it and Nathan and how he has experienced it and was diagnosed. We also discuss my own experiences and diagnosis of DPDR and how it affects me, then mention the great work that Unreal Charity do!*trigger warning for content covering self harm and mental health strugglesNathans links:Nathan's website and book: ‘When Nothing Feels Real' (https://www.nathandunne.com/)Nathan's Guardian Article: 'I was enjoying a midnight swim. Then my girlfriend kissed me – and the nightmare began' (https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/jun/08/i-was-enjoying-a-midnight-swim-then-my-girlfriend-kissed-me-and-the-nightmare-began)Nathan's Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/nathanadunne/)Mentioned:Unreal Charity (UK based) (https://www.unrealcharity.com/)What is DPDR? (https://www.unrealcharity.com/what-is-dpdr)Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) information: https://emdrassociation.org.uk/Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) information https://www.unrealcharity.com/treatment-care)Maudsley Clinic Information (UK based) NHS South London and Maudsley (https://slam.nhs.uk/dissociative-disorders)Unreal charity blog (https://www.unrealcharity.com/blog)Joe's Wilkins video of a clinic walkthrough: The Maudsley Depersonalisation Disorder Service: Q&A With Dr Claudia Hallett (https://youtu.be/5xvC-o5tnpM?si=sJ3Wo2S3L1Oe0Z2G)Emily's links:Emily's blog link to her experiences of DPDR, including her illustration: https://www.unrealcharity.com/blog/emilys-story-coming-to-terms-with-dpdr-ezjgz-cxwb2-lrp2x-4j56w-5ezjj)
How can games be part of the struggle against fascism? Guests: Mark Bray (author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook) Marijam Did (author of Everything to Play For: How Video Games Are Changing the World) On 19 May 2026, Games Transformed (a festival for radical games and play) hosted an online event exploring What can games contribute to antifascist struggles? How can game designers think about antifascism? The event supported Games Transformed's 2026 game jam 'Smash the Fash' where digital and analog game-makers are invited to submit games and game ideas. At this free online event, Briar Dickey and Max Haiven interviewed the guests, and passed along questions from the audience. This event was supported by RiVAL: The ReImagining Value Action Lab. Mark Bray Mark Bray is a historian of Modern Europe at Rutgers University focusing on themes of radicalism, political violence, and, more recently, scams. He is the author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook and The Anarchist Inquisition: Assassins, Activists and Martyrs in Spain and France among other works. Marijam Didžgalvytė is a Lithuanian-Tatar games industry critic dissecting the intersection between videogames and IRL politics. Her work has been published by the Guardian, VICE, GamesIndustry.biz, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung and others. Marijam was a Lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London, and is currently a Senior Marketing Executive at a Bafta-winning videogames studio. In the past, Marijam served as the Chair of Communications Committee for Game Workers Unite International - an organisation that assisted the global push for unionisation in the videogames industry; she also co-founded GWU UK - the first legal trade union that has come out of the movement. She is an author of Everything To Play For: How Videogames Are Changing The World published by Verso Books in 2024 with 8 translations.
Join our hosts for Monday's show where we will be discussing: 'Britain's Broken classrooms' and 'Does Islam have an antisemitism problem? ' Britain's Broken classrooms Across the UK, thousands of students are learning in environments that are quite literally falling apart. Join us as we explore how years of financial strain have impacted schools and what it means for students and teachers. Does Islam have an antisemitism problem? Is Islam really at odds with Judaism or is that just the story we've been told? Join us as we cut through the noise and dig into the real relationship between two of the world's oldest faiths. From shared prophets and common roots to centuries of living side by side, there's a lot more overlap than you might think. So where does the idea of conflict come from? Guests: Dr Amina Shareef - Assistant Professor in Education at Goldsmiths, University of London. Farrukh Tahir- Imam of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Canada. Ellie Harris - Head of Children and Young People's Policy and Principal Research Fellow for IPPR (Institute for Public Policy Research) Producers: Sabiha Tariq and Dania Nasir
On this episode of CounterPunch Radio, Erik Wallenberg and Joshua Frank sit down with Gilbert Achcar to discuss Israel, Palestine, Iran, Lebanon, and the most botched US war ever. Gilbert Achcar is Emeritus Professor at SOAS, University of London. He is the author of many books, most recently, The Gaza Catastrophe: The Genocide in World-Historical Perspective. The post The Most Botched Imperial War w/ Gilbert Achcar appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
The links between food and philosophy, ideas about experimentation, taste and how food and traditions become part of our identity are explored by Matthew Sweet in Radio 4's round-table discussion programme. His guests are:Author John Lanchester, who writes restaurant reviews and whose latest novel is called Look What You Made Me DoFood writer Felicity Cloake, who writes a Cook the Perfect column for The Guardian newspaper and has published books called Red Sauce, Brown Sauce: A British Breakfast Odyssey, Peach Street to Lobster Lane: Coast to Coast in Search of Real American Cuisine and now her debut novel The Underdog.Professor Barry Smith, director of the Institute of Philosophy at the University of London's School of Advanced StudyPhilosopher Suki Finn, whose book What's in a Donut Hole? uses food to explore classic philosophical puzzlesAuthor Samantha Ellis, whose book Chopping Onions on My Heart is a memoir about Iraqi Jewish food, language and cultureProducer: Eliane Glaser
The month Javier Milei took over as president of Argentina in December 2023, monthly inflation was 25.5%. The annual rate for that year was 211%. Now, it's plummeted to 32% – still very high, but more stable.Milei, a right-wing populist famous for wielding a chainsaw on stage to make a point about fiscal conservatism, made cutting inflation a central part of his campaign.And yet economists like Can Cinar from City St George's, University of London, warn that Milei's battle against inflation is more of a mirage, than a miracle. In this episode, Cinar explains how Milei's government managed to cut inflation by deliberately suppressing people's wages, and the stark impact these policies are having on Argentinians.This episode was written and produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware with production assistance from Katie Flood. Mixing by Eleanor Brezzi and theme music by Neeta Sarl. Read the full credits for this episode and sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation, an independent, not-for-profit news organisation.Kemi Badenoch says she wants to be Britain's Javier Milei – but is the Argentinian president a model to follow?What's inflation – and how exactly do we measure it?Javier Milei's victory in Argentina's midterm elections is also a win for TrumpCurrency controls and debt in Argentina: the stakes are high if Milei's latest economic gamble doesn't pay offJavier Milei's inflation ‘miracle' in Argentina is a warning to the world, not a blueprintMentioned in this episode:Voices of the South
At the start of the 16th century London was still recognisably medieval, crowded within its walls, dominated by churches and monasteries and deeply tied to Catholic Europe. By the end of Henry VIII's reign, much of that world had vanished. The Reformation not only changed the religious practices of its inhabitants, it brought a widespread transfer of property that reshaped the character and activity of the city and turned it into a theatre of power, punishment and debate. Rosemary is joined by Vanessa Harding, emerita professor of London history at Birkbeck, University of London, to look at the events that transformed London into a commercially expanding and ideologically contested Protestant capital under the Tudors, from the arrival of Caxton's printing press in Westminster and the beginnings of an aristocratic West End to Mary I's brutal attempt to restore Catholic England. Reading by Duncan Wilkins Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen in full, and to all our other Close Readings series, sign up: Apple Podcasts: https://lrb.me/applesignuplr Other podcast apps: https://lrb.me/scsignuplr Read more in the LRB: Hilary Mantel on England under Mary I: https://lrb.me/lrep504 Lucy Wooding on Henry VIII and the merchants: https://lrb.me/lrep502 Patrick Collinson on Henry VIII's Reformation: https://lrb.me/lrep503 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Misha Glenny and guests discuss the work of Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972), the graphic artist and printmaker best known for his impossible buildings, paradoxical perspectives, and repeating geometric patterns. Born in Leeuwarden and trained as a printmaker, Escher visited the Alhambra in Granada and found inspiration in the tessellating shapes of Islamic art. Through his career he went on to create some of the most famous images of the twentieth century and has been called a one-man art movement. After his work was exhibited in a 1954 conference, Escher's work also caught the eye of mathematicians who appreciated his intuitive geometric precision. Escher was influenced by their work, and they were influenced by his – despite Escher never thinking he was actually very good at maths himself. WithMarcus du Sautoy Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science, Professor of Mathematics and Fellow of New College, University of Oxford Sarah Hart Professor Emerita of Mathematics and Fellow of Birkbeck, University of London, and Fellow of Gresham College And Judith Kadee Exhibitions project manager and public programme curator at Hague Historical Museum Producer: Martha OwenReading list:Marcus du Sautoy, Blueprints: How Mathematics Shapes Creativity (Fourth Estate, 2025)Marcus du Sautoy, Finding Moonshine: A Mathematician's Journey Into Symmetry (Harper Perennial, 2009)Bruno Ernst, The Magic Mirror of M.C. Escher (Taschen, 2007)M.C. Escher, M.C. Escher: The Graphic Work (Taschen America Llc, 1992)Miranda Fellows, The Life and Works of Escher (Siena,1996)Frederico Giudiceandrea, Escher op reis or Escher's Journey (Publisher Wbooks, 2018, in Dutch)Sarah Hart, Once Upon a Prime: The Wondrous Connections Between Mathematics and Literature (Flatiron Books, 2023)Douglas Hofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid (first published 1979; Basic Books, 1999)Siobhan Roberts, King of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, The Man Who Saved Geometry (Profile Books, 2007)Claudio Salsi, Paolo Branca and Claudio Bartocci (eds.), M.C. Escher. Tra arte e scienza. Catalogo della mostra (24 Ore Cultura, 2025, in Italian)Doris Schattschneider, “The Mathematical Side of M.C. Escher” (Notices of the American Mathematical Society, Vol. 57, 6, 2010)Doris Schattschneider, M.C. Escher: Visions of Symmetry (Thames and Hudson Ltd, 2004)Wouter van Reek, Nadir & Zenith in the World of Escher (Leopold, 2019)In Our Time is a BBC Studios productionSpanning history, religion, culture, science and philosophy, In Our Time from BBC Radio 4 is essential listening for the intellectually curious. In each episode, host Misha Glenny and expert guests explore the characters, events and discoveries that have shaped our world.
On April 29th in London, an attacker stabbed a Muslim acquaintance before traveling to the largely Jewish neighborhood of Golders Green and stabbing two Jewish men at random. This was only the latest in a string of attacks on Jews, synagogues, or other communal infrastructure in the UK since mid-March; other instances have included arson attacks on three synagogues as well as Hatzola ambulances. The British Jewish community—already on edge since the Yom Kippur attack on a Manchester synagogue that killed two and injured three—is in a state of rising alarm. Predictably, Jewish communal leaders, politicians, and the police have baselessly sought to tie the attacks to the Palestine solidarity movement, justifying crackdowns in civil liberties and proposing increased police budgets.The backdrop to these attacks is a local election cycle in which the two major parties, Conservative and Labour, lost substantial ground to tertiary parties on their wings: Reform on the right, and the Green Party on the left. Though newly elected members of the Reform Party include avowed racists and Holocaust deniers, much of the media attention has been on candidates whom the Green Party has removed from contention because of charges of antisemitism. There is particular focus on the head of the Green Party, 43-year-old Zack Polanski, whose Jewish identity and pro-Palestine stance has shattered some of the received wisdom about who British Jews are, announcing a new era in UK Jewish left politics.To discuss the London attacks and their political fallout, Arielle Angel speaks with Brendan McGeever, co-director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Study of Antisemitism at the University of London, and Em Hilton, co-founder of Na'amod, an organization of British Jews opposing Israeli occupation and apartheid. They parse what we do and don't know about these attacks, and critique the government's response, which casts Jews as special wards of the state at the expense of civil liberties and the safety of other minority groups.Thanks to Jesse Brenneman for editing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”Articles Mentioned and Further ReadingBrendan McGeever in the Jewish Currents newsletterJewish Policy Research survey on UK Jews' feelings about antisemitism, UK Jewish voters voting Green, and UK Jewish identification with Zionism“The present crisis,” editors of Vashti “Good Jews, Bad Jews,” Barnaby Raine interviewed by Gavin Jacobson, Equator“The difficult truth about antisemitism in the UK,” Brendan McGeever, Ben Gidley, David Feldman, Prospect“Anti-terrorist programme Prevent ‘outdated and inadequately prepared', report finds,” Rajeev Syal, The GuardianDavid Cameron's 2015 speech at the Community Security Trust Keir Starmer echoing Enoch Powell“U.K. Vows Crackdown on Pro-Palestinian Protests After Latest Antisemitic Attack,” David Luhnow, Wall Street Journal“Five members of biggest British Jewish body suspended after Israel criticisms,” Harriet Sherwood, The Guardian“Processing the Attack at Bondi Beach,” On the Nose, Jewish CurrentsAshok Kumar on Julia Hartley-Brewer“Over 2,000 U.K. Jews Sign Petition Against Nigel Farage Attending Antisemitism Rally,” Hagar Shezaf, Haaretz“How Palestine Action put the justice system on trial,” Rikki Blue, Declassified UK “Zack Polanski's Jewish identity is being erased because he is leftwing,” Owen Jones, The GuardianZack Polanski on Sky News“Green Party candidate arrested over antisemitic social media posts,” Athena...
In this conversation with Samer Jaber who offers reflections on understanding this global moment of Palestine solidarity organizing as connected to an intergenerational arc of grassroots Palestine organizing for justice in occupied Palestine. Samer is a researcher, activist and columnist for Al Jazeera English, find his columns here: https://www.aljazeera.com/author/samer_jaber_201472911611970485 Samer B Jaber is a PhD researcher specialising in political economy at Royal Holloway, University of London. He is also a fellow with the Council for At-Risk Academics (CARA). He focuses on the Arab world and the Middle East region. The music track is Passage by Anarchist Mountains. Free City Radio is hosted and produced by Stefan Christoff and broadcasts on: CKUT 90.3 FM in Montreal - Wednesdays at 11am CJLO 1690 AM in Montreal - Thursdays 8am CKUW 95.9 FM in Winnipeg - Tuesdays 8am, Fridays 1:30pm CFRC 101.9 FM in Kingston - Wednesdays 11:30am CFUV 101.9 FM in Victoria - Saturdays 7am Met Radio 1280 AM in Toronto - Fridays at 5:30am CKCU 93.1 FM in Ottawa - Tuesdays at 2pm CJSF 90.1 FM in Vancouver - Tuesdays at 4pm CHMA 106.9 FM in Sackville, New Brunswick - Tuesdays at 10am
Newton saw in the human hand proof of the divine; Darwin saw a key to our species' success. Many others, too, have described the hand in hyperbolic terms, as a paragon of design, a cornerstone of human uniqueness, an engine of our achievements. But what makes the human hand so powerful? Is it the proportions of the fingers? Is it the opposability of the thumb? Or, could it be none of this? Could it be that the real power of our hands lies—not in the physical design—but elsewhere, out of sight? My guest today is Dr. Matt Longo. Matt is Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at Birkbeck, University of London. He's the author of the recent book, The Invisible Hand, a wide-ranging tour of the human hand and how it's geared into the brain. Here, Matt and I talk about the difference between the "visible hand"—that is, its physical structure—and the "invisible hand"—its representation in the brain. We consider the evolution of the visible hand and whether there really is anything truly distinctive or impressive about it. We talk about the biology of touch. We tour the invisible hand, discussing how—through cortical magnification—the hand becomes over-represented in the brain's sensory maps. We catalogue a fews ways that the hands can go awry. And we talk about whether we should feel any nostalgia for all the hand-based activities and crafts that we're losing. Along the way, we also touch on star-nosed moles and raccoons; tetrapods and the primitive archetype; hand dominance; the parallel between a horse's knee and a human's wrist; tool use, plasticity and abstraction; homunculi; the rubber-hand illusion; supernumerary fingers; the Third Thumb project; and the question of what it might unlock if dolphins had hands. Alright, friends, this is a fun one. On to my interview with Dr. Matt Longo! Notes 3:00 – For discussion of the many traits and behaviors that have been proposed as uniquely human, see our earlier audio essay. 5:00 – For an example of the "if only dolphins had hands" thought experiment, see here. 8:00 – See The Principles of Anatomy as Seen in the Hand by Frederic Wood Jones. 10:30 – Dr. Longo's book, The Invisible Hand, is available open access here. 16:00 – For discussion of how—in horses and other species—the five digits have been reduced or otherwise tweaked over evolution, see here. For an image showing examples of homology between the human forelimb and the forelimbs of other creatures, see here. 19:00 – For a brief discussion of "thumb opposability" see here. For an influential discussion of hand morphology and human hand grips, see work by Mary Marzke here. 30:00 – For our earlier episode on the brain's many maps, see here. 34:00 – For a discussion of Penfield's work and the idea of a "homunculus" in the brain, see here. 42:00 – For an illustration of a "homunculus" with big lips and hands, see here. 44:30 – For more on the star-nosed mole and its distinctive appendage, see here. 49:00 – For the report that first coined the term "numbsense," see here. For recent work on "anarchic hand," see here. For more on phantom limbs, see here. For a classic study of the "rubber hand illusion" see here. 59:30 – For a discussion of hand-dominance across primate species, see here. 1:03:00 – More on the "Third Thumb" project. 1:06:00 – A classic case of "motor equivalance" is seen in handwriting. Recommendations Marco Catani, 'A little man of some importance' Tracy Kivell, 'Evidence in hand: Recent discoveries and the early evolution of human manual manipulation' Hands, by John Napier Many Minds is a project of the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute, which is made possible by a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation to Indiana University. The show is hosted and produced by Kensy Cooperrider, with help from Assistant Producer Urte Laukaityte and with creative support from DISI Directors Erica Cartmill and Jacob Foster. Our artwork is by Ben Oldroyd. Subscribe to Many Minds on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also now subscribe to the Many Minds newsletter here! We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Feel free to email us at: manymindspodcast@gmail.com. For updates about the show, visit our website or follow us on Bluesky (@manymindspod.bsky.social).
Boats passing, waves lapping along the sides of buildings in the city of canals… and I am sitting outside the Icelandic Pavilion, peeking into the Pocket Universe created by artist Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir. For this Biennale Exclusive episode, I speak to Ásta about her work and the exhibition she created for this year's Venice Biennale In Minor Keys, but I also got to speak to Cecilie Ragnheiðardóttir Gaihede, the Director of the Icelandic Art Centre, and the co-curator of Pocket Unviverse, Margrét Áskelsdóttir. I ask them about their roles, what the experience has been like to put together a national pavilion for an international stage, why it's important to participate in the Venice Biennale as a nation, and so much more.- - - - - If you love what we do, support ALL ABOUT ART on PATREON! https://www.patreon.com/allaboutartKeep up to date on Instagram @allaboutartpodcast 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.SOCIALS: Instagram @alexandrasteinacker https://www.instagram.com/alexandrasteinackerand LinkedIn at Alexandra Steinacker-Clark https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-steinacker/COVER ART: Lisa Schrofner a.k.a Liser https://www.liser-art.com/ and Luca Laurence https://www.graffitikunst.at/
Saskia Wheeler is a strategist and researcher working at the intersection of neuroscience and design, translating cognitive and sensory science into frameworks that guide how creative work is felt and experienced. For the past six years, she has worked with designers, agencies and hospitality brands to help them close the gap between the experience they intend to create and the one people actually feel. Saskia studied philosophy at Trinity College Dublin before completing a Master's in Neuroaesthetics at Goldsmiths, University of London.In this episode of Out of the Clouds, Saskia tells Anne about her upbringing in a creative London household (her mother was an art director who often had photographers living in the family home) and how she developed an early sensitivity to the way art and design bring atmosphere and meaning to everyday environments. Drawn to questions of consciousness and perception, she explains what led her from philosophy to neuroaesthetics, and why she felt she could not go further into questions of consciousness without first understanding the brain.Saskia and Anne discuss what neuroaesthetics actually is: the scientific study of how art, design, music and architecture measurably change our brains and bodies. Still a relatively young field, it draws on rigorous research to show that beauty and aesthetic experience are not decorative concerns but deeply embedded in how we evolved. The most surprising thing Saskia has learned in the field: just how deeply wired we are to respond to beauty.She also shares an insight that sits at the crossroads of philosophy and neuroscience and that has stayed with her since her studies: that lived experience is not simply made up of what we perceive in the present moment. It is co-created by our past memories, which don't merely inform the present but actually shape and in part create it. This is why two people can occupy the same space and have entirely different experiences of it, and why, Saskia reflects, understanding this has given her more compassion for herself and others.Saskia and Anne discuss the applications of neuroarchitecture and design, and what the research tells us about what makes spaces feel good to be in. Saskia identifies three things people value most: homeness (warmth and comfort), coherence (how well the space meets expectations and guides movement through it) and fascination (how much it surprises and interests). She also makes the case for touch as the most underestimated sense when it comes to comfort, linked to the neurochemical oxytocin and the experience of trust, and explains why this extends beyond physical contact with other people to the materials we come into contact with in our environments.Creativity is also an emerging area within neuroaesthetics, and Saskia speaks about it as an increasingly recognised fifth pillar of health and wellbeing, alongside exercise, sleep, nutrition and social connection. What she says here is worth sitting with: the benefits of creativity come from the expression and the doing, rather than the output. The inner critic is so often the biggest obstacle, because creativity has long been tied to being good at something rather than simply doing it. Anne and Saskia also share a practice: both are devoted morning pages writers.The conversation also touches on cognitive load and clutter (including research suggesting that disorganisation in our environments creates low-level vigilance even when we are not consciously aware of it), biophilic design, the science of lighting, and Anne's own plans for Le Trente, a social learning studio she is developing in Geneva.A rich exchange with a thinker who is quietly changing how the built world gets made. Happy listening!Selected links Connect with Saskia:Saskia Wheeler on Instagram: @neuro.aestheticWebsite: https://www.saskiawheeler.co.uk/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saskiawheeler/Visit our website: https://outoftheclouds.com/Subscribe to Anne's newsletter The Mettā View: https://annevmuhlethaler.com/the-metta-viewFollow Anne on IG: https://www.instagram.com/annvi/BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/annvi.bsky.socialLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-v-muhlethaler Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Chris Murray is joined by economist John Phelan to break down the ongoing migration trend from “blue states” to “red states.” Phelan, a graduate of Birkbeck College, University of London and the London School of Economics, brings a mix of academic insight and real-world experience, including a decade in finance and time with Capital Economics. The conversation dives into why Americans are relocating in large numbers, with a focus on economic factors like taxes, cost of living, and government regulation. Phelan explains how policy differences between states are shaping these migration patterns—and what it could mean for local economies and future political landscapes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The history of medieval Britain through twelve remarkable illuminated manuscripts. Illumino: A History of Medieval Britain in Twelve Illuminated Manuscripts (Reaktion, 2025) explores the history of medieval Britain through the biographies of twelve remarkable illuminated manuscripts and of their creators and owners. The manuscripts each serve as portals into these lives and as springboards into the era of their production. For illuminated manuscripts are among the most intricate and fascinating forms of evidence for the Middle Ages, blending the fruits of human intellect – the arts, the sciences, politics, philosophy and faith – with the materiality of their production. By undertaking the detective work needed to determine the nature of each project and the underlying human-interest stories, this book reveals their manifold social, economic and cultural contexts and charts the exchange of ideas, techniques and materials over time and space. Featuring more than a hundred beautiful illustrations, this is a unique and accessible introduction to Britain's history, art history and book history across a thousand years. Michelle P. Brown is Professor Emerita of Medieval Manuscript Studies at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, and was formerly Curator of Illuminated Manuscripts at the British Library. Her books include Bede and the Theory of Everything (Reaktion, 2023). Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: here 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
The history of medieval Britain through twelve remarkable illuminated manuscripts. Illumino: A History of Medieval Britain in Twelve Illuminated Manuscripts (Reaktion, 2025) explores the history of medieval Britain through the biographies of twelve remarkable illuminated manuscripts and of their creators and owners. The manuscripts each serve as portals into these lives and as springboards into the era of their production. For illuminated manuscripts are among the most intricate and fascinating forms of evidence for the Middle Ages, blending the fruits of human intellect – the arts, the sciences, politics, philosophy and faith – with the materiality of their production. By undertaking the detective work needed to determine the nature of each project and the underlying human-interest stories, this book reveals their manifold social, economic and cultural contexts and charts the exchange of ideas, techniques and materials over time and space. Featuring more than a hundred beautiful illustrations, this is a unique and accessible introduction to Britain's history, art history and book history across a thousand years. Michelle P. Brown is Professor Emerita of Medieval Manuscript Studies at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, and was formerly Curator of Illuminated Manuscripts at the British Library. Her books include Bede and the Theory of Everything (Reaktion, 2023). Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history
The history of medieval Britain through twelve remarkable illuminated manuscripts. Illumino: A History of Medieval Britain in Twelve Illuminated Manuscripts (Reaktion, 2025) explores the history of medieval Britain through the biographies of twelve remarkable illuminated manuscripts and of their creators and owners. The manuscripts each serve as portals into these lives and as springboards into the era of their production. For illuminated manuscripts are among the most intricate and fascinating forms of evidence for the Middle Ages, blending the fruits of human intellect – the arts, the sciences, politics, philosophy and faith – with the materiality of their production. By undertaking the detective work needed to determine the nature of each project and the underlying human-interest stories, this book reveals their manifold social, economic and cultural contexts and charts the exchange of ideas, techniques and materials over time and space. Featuring more than a hundred beautiful illustrations, this is a unique and accessible introduction to Britain's history, art history and book history across a thousand years. Michelle P. Brown is Professor Emerita of Medieval Manuscript Studies at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, and was formerly Curator of Illuminated Manuscripts at the British Library. Her books include Bede and the Theory of Everything (Reaktion, 2023). Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The history of medieval Britain through twelve remarkable illuminated manuscripts. Illumino: A History of Medieval Britain in Twelve Illuminated Manuscripts (Reaktion, 2025) explores the history of medieval Britain through the biographies of twelve remarkable illuminated manuscripts and of their creators and owners. The manuscripts each serve as portals into these lives and as springboards into the era of their production. For illuminated manuscripts are among the most intricate and fascinating forms of evidence for the Middle Ages, blending the fruits of human intellect – the arts, the sciences, politics, philosophy and faith – with the materiality of their production. By undertaking the detective work needed to determine the nature of each project and the underlying human-interest stories, this book reveals their manifold social, economic and cultural contexts and charts the exchange of ideas, techniques and materials over time and space. Featuring more than a hundred beautiful illustrations, this is a unique and accessible introduction to Britain's history, art history and book history across a thousand years. Michelle P. Brown is Professor Emerita of Medieval Manuscript Studies at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, and was formerly Curator of Illuminated Manuscripts at the British Library. Her books include Bede and the Theory of Everything (Reaktion, 2023). Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/british-studies
The history of medieval Britain through twelve remarkable illuminated manuscripts. Illumino: A History of Medieval Britain in Twelve Illuminated Manuscripts (Reaktion, 2025) explores the history of medieval Britain through the biographies of twelve remarkable illuminated manuscripts and of their creators and owners. The manuscripts each serve as portals into these lives and as springboards into the era of their production. For illuminated manuscripts are among the most intricate and fascinating forms of evidence for the Middle Ages, blending the fruits of human intellect – the arts, the sciences, politics, philosophy and faith – with the materiality of their production. By undertaking the detective work needed to determine the nature of each project and the underlying human-interest stories, this book reveals their manifold social, economic and cultural contexts and charts the exchange of ideas, techniques and materials over time and space. Featuring more than a hundred beautiful illustrations, this is a unique and accessible introduction to Britain's history, art history and book history across a thousand years. Michelle P. Brown is Professor Emerita of Medieval Manuscript Studies at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, and was formerly Curator of Illuminated Manuscripts at the British Library. Her books include Bede and the Theory of Everything (Reaktion, 2023). Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/book-of-the-day
Bright on Buddhism - Śrīmālādevī Siṃhanāda Sūtra - Part 1 - Chapters 1-5Join us as we read and discuss Chapters 1-5 of the Diana Paul translation of the Śrīmālādevī Siṃhanāda SūtraBarber, Anthony W. (2009), Buddhism in the Krishna River Valley of Andhra, NY: State Univ of New YorkBrown, Brian Edward (1994), The Buddha Nature. A Study of the Tathagatagarbha and Alayavijnana, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass PublishersHodge, Stephen (2006), "On the Eschatology of the Mahaparinirvana Sutra and Related Matters". (PDF), lecture delivered at the University of London, SOASMcRae, John; Paul, Diana (2004), The Sutra of Queen Śrīmālā of the Lion's Roar and the Vimalakīrti Sutra (PDF), Berkeley, CA: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, ISBN 1886439311, archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-28, retrieved 2017-05-06Tola, Fernando; Dragonetti, Carmen (2004), Being As Consciousness: Yogācāra Philosophy of Buddhism, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 8120819675Wayman, Alex and Hideko (1990), The Lion's roar of Queen Srimala, New York: Columbia University Press_________________________________If you like our show and would like to support us, we encourage you to give your money or resources to a worthy cause. We can get through this. Our strongest weapon is solidarity. Stay strong and help where you can. Thank you.Do you have a question about Buddhism that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by emailing us at Bright.On.Buddhism@gmail.com.Credits:Nick Bright: Script, Cover Art, Music, Voice of Hearer, Co-HostProven Paradox: Editing, mixing and mastering, social media, Voice of Hermit, Co-Host
Professor Chris French is back and once again, we opened the parapsychology door for an hour plus diving into the science of weird shit (the title of his book). Chris is a British psychologist and Professor Emeritus at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he founded and led the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit. His work focuses on understanding paranormal beliefs and unusual experiences - why people believe in ghosts, psychics, UFOs, and other extraordinary claims - through the lens of psychology rather than the supernatural.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This podcast is about testing the limits of fairness. It's about taking to heart the meaning behind "Beyond the Pale" — a phrase referring to ideas that are so outrageous it's impossible to deal with them in reasonable terms. Follow IDEAS producer Tom Howell as he covers uncomfortable terrain. When the time for ‘open-mindedness' stops and prejudices become — possibly — a good thing. *This is the final episode in a series tackling the implications of bias. It originally aired on on June 8, 2022.Guests in this episode:Eduardo Mendieta is a philosophy professor at Pennsylvania State University. He edited the final book by Richard Rorty, Pragmatism as Anti-Authoritarianism.Barbara Kay is a columnist at The National Post and The Epoch Times.Misha Glouberman is co-author (with Sheila Heti) of The Chairs Are Where the People Go. He runs a negotiation course called How to Talk to People About Things.Rahim Mohamed is a freelance writer and college instructor at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. His opinion columns are published in the online newsletter, The Line.Anne-Marie Pham is an executive director of the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion.Michael Bacon is a political theorist at Royal Holloway, University of London. His books include Pragmatism: An Introduction.Martin Zibauer is from the Cosburn Park Lawn Bowling Club in Toronto, Ontario.
Why and how did Labour win the 2024 election? In The British General Election of 2024 Robert Ford, a Professor of Politics at the University of Manchester, Tim Bale, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary, University of London, Will Jennings, Professor of Politics at the University of Southampton, and Paula Surridge, Professor of Politics at the University of Bristol present a detailed analysis of the context, campaign and election result. Part of a long running series of books that offer definitive accounts of British elections, the book uses a range of methods, including examining of social, print and televisual media, fieldwork with individuals from the key political parties, and deep psephological analysis to both describe and explain the 2024 result. As accessible and engaging as it as academically rigorous, the book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand contemporary politics. 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
Why and how did Labour win the 2024 election? In The British General Election of 2024 Robert Ford, a Professor of Politics at the University of Manchester, Tim Bale, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary, University of London, Will Jennings, Professor of Politics at the University of Southampton, and Paula Surridge, Professor of Politics at the University of Bristol present a detailed analysis of the context, campaign and election result. Part of a long running series of books that offer definitive accounts of British elections, the book uses a range of methods, including examining of social, print and televisual media, fieldwork with individuals from the key political parties, and deep psephological analysis to both describe and explain the 2024 result. As accessible and engaging as it as academically rigorous, the book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand contemporary politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science
Why and how did Labour win the 2024 election? In The British General Election of 2024 Robert Ford, a Professor of Politics at the University of Manchester, Tim Bale, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary, University of London, Will Jennings, Professor of Politics at the University of Southampton, and Paula Surridge, Professor of Politics at the University of Bristol present a detailed analysis of the context, campaign and election result. Part of a long running series of books that offer definitive accounts of British elections, the book uses a range of methods, including examining of social, print and televisual media, fieldwork with individuals from the key political parties, and deep psephological analysis to both describe and explain the 2024 result. As accessible and engaging as it as academically rigorous, the book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand contemporary politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/european-studies
Why and how did Labour win the 2024 election? In The British General Election of 2024 Robert Ford, a Professor of Politics at the University of Manchester, Tim Bale, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary, University of London, Will Jennings, Professor of Politics at the University of Southampton, and Paula Surridge, Professor of Politics at the University of Bristol present a detailed analysis of the context, campaign and election result. Part of a long running series of books that offer definitive accounts of British elections, the book uses a range of methods, including examining of social, print and televisual media, fieldwork with individuals from the key political parties, and deep psephological analysis to both describe and explain the 2024 result. As accessible and engaging as it as academically rigorous, the book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand contemporary politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/british-studies
1 Hour and 52 MinutesPG-13Dr. J. Otto Pohl received his PhD in History from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He has taught at the American University Iraq Sulaimani, University of Ghana, and American University of Central Asia. He is the author of Ethnic Cleansing in the USSR, 1937–1949 (Greenwood, 1999), The Stalinist Penal System (McFarland & Co., 1997), and The Years of Great Silence The Deportation, Special Settlement, and Mobilization into the Labor Army of Ethnic Germans in the USSR, 1941–1955 (Columbia University Press, 2022). His articles have appeared in, among other journals, The Russian Review, Journal of Genocide Research, Human Rights Review, and Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism.This is a combination of two episodes:Episode 1062: Who Was the Most Persecuted Group Under the Soviet Regime? w/ J. Otto PohlEpisode 1166: An Overview of the Soviet Regime Pre- and Post-War w/ J. Otto PohlThe Years of Great SilenceDr. Pohl's SubstackDr. Pohl's PatreonDr. Pohl's TwitterPete and Thomas777 'At the Movies'Support Pete on His WebsitePete's PatreonPete's Substack Pete's SubscribestarPete's GUMROADPete's VenmoPete's Buy Me a CoffeePete on FacebookPete on TwitterBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-pete-quinones-show--6071361/support.
From spiritual cleanliness to purity spirals: Matthew Sweet is joined by guests including David Aaronovitch; Catherine Coldstream, author of Cloistered – My Years as a Nun; Linda Woodhead, Professor of the Sociology of Religion at King's College, University of London; Izabella Scott, author of The Bed Trick; and Louise Brangan, author of The Fallen: The Magdalene Laundries and Ireland's Legacy of Silence. They'll be discussing ideas of purity in political ideology, religion, anthropology and the experiences of teenage girls.Producer Luke Mulhall
Unerlaubter Sex, Amtsmissbrauch, Geheimnisverrat: Der Epstein-Skandal bringt die britische Monarchie ins Wanken. Aber auch die Königshäuser in Norwegen oder Spanien machen und machten durch Affären von sich reden. Die Königinnen und Könige haben kaum politische Macht und kosten die Steuerzahler viel Geld. Sind die Royals das wert? Wozu brauchen Demokratien überhaupt Könige und Fürsten? Und was, wenn es sie nicht mehr gäbe? Marion Theis diskutiert mit Prof. Dr. Luc Heuschling – Staatsrechtler, Universität Luxemburg; PD Dr. Karina Urbach –Historikerin, Autorin, University of London; Prof. Dr. Reimut Zohlnhöfer –Politikwissenschaftler, Universität Heidelberg
In this episode of Guerrilla History, we bring back our friend and comrade, Sarah Jilani (whom you will remember from our episode Subjectivity and Decolonization in the Post-Independence Novel and Film) to discuss one of our favorite topics - Fanon. Specifically here, we are talking about two articles that Sarah wrote, the first being Fanon's psycho-politics of decolonisation, a fascinating scholarly article that came out in the Review of African Political Economy (ROAPE). We then talk about a ROAPE blog piece that Sarah cowrote titled Fanon, Gaza and the anxieties of empire which was a response to members of the British government and diplomatic corps denigrating Fanon and even calling out Sarah by name in doing so. A really fascinating discussion, and the articles are really great too so be sure to check them out! Sarah Jilani is a Lecturer in English at City, University of London. She is the author of several articles on postcolonial literatures and film that have appeared in Textual Practice, Interventions, and Journal of Commonwealth Literature, amongst others, and a widely published culture journalist. Be sure to check out her book Decolonisation in the Post-Independence Novel and Film and her show The Global Gaze. Keep up to date with Sarah by checking out her website for more of her work, and follow her on twitter @sarahjilani. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory
Welcome back to A History of Christian Theology! In this episode, Chad sits down with Dr. Kelly M. Kapic, Professor of Theological Studies at Covenant College, to discuss his award-winning book Christian Life, published by Zondervan Academic as part of the New Studies in Dogmatics series.What does it actually mean to live as a Christian? Although the phrase "Christian life" is used constantly in churches and classrooms, its theological foundation often goes unexamined. Dr. Kapic argues that the Christian life is, first and foremost, a response to the love of the triune God — flowing from God toward us and drawing us back into communion with him. Central to his account is the incarnate Son, who loved the Father for us, weaving our fragmented prayers and imperfect devotion into his own perfect faithfulness.Chad and Dr. Kapic explore the theological foundations of Christian living, the role of the church and corporate worship in shaping the believer, and what it means to be united to Christ by the Spirit. It's a rich, accessible conversation at the intersection of systematic theology and everyday faith.Dr. Kapic holds a PhD in Systematic and Historical Theology from King's College, University of London, and has authored or edited over fifteen books. Christian Life received the 2025 Award of Distinction from The Gospel Coalition and an Honorable Mention from the Southwestern Journal of Theology.
What happens when you trust your talent before anyone else does? I had the pleasure of speaking with Spider Saloff, a jazz vocalist and performer whose journey shows what it means to truly create your own path. From secretly rehearsing as a teenager to performing for the Gershwin family and building a career in jazz and cabaret, Spider shares how taking risks, following curiosity, and trusting your instincts can open unexpected doors. We also explore her resilience through personal challenges, including overcoming an abusive relationship and rebuilding her life from nothing. You will hear how music, creativity, and lifelong learning became her anchors, and why choosing your own direction can lead to a life that is both meaningful and unstoppable. Highlights: 00:10 – Discover how a passion for music at a young age can shape an entire life path 02:04 – Learn how early opportunities and saying yes can open unexpected doors 10:00 – Understand why creating your own opportunities can redefine your career 16:20 – Hear how taking bold action led to a life-changing connection with the Gershwin family 30:00 – Discover how one decision can completely change where your life and career unfold 44:44 – Learn what it takes to break free from hardship and rebuild your life with resilience Bottom of Form About the Guest: What does it take to build a lasting career in music and performance? Spider Saloff has done exactly that, earning recognition as a multi-award-winning vocalist and entertainer known for her powerful voice, wide range, and captivating stage presence. Born in Philadelphia and raised in New Jersey, she began her journey in theater at a young age, studying acting at Rowan University and the University of London. Her early career in musical theater included more than 25 major roles, but everything shifted when she discovered her passion for jazz. That move led her to work with top musicians, gain critical acclaim, and begin touring both nationally and internationally. Over time, Spider became one of the most respected interpreters of the American Songbook, known for blending deep emotion with humor in her performances. Her connection with the Gershwin family helped launch signature shows like her tribute to George Gershwin, which has been performed around the world. She has also created tributes to icons like Cole Porter and Irving Berlin, performed at major venues and festivals globally, and hosted the syndicated radio series Words and Music. Beyond the stage, she is a teacher, writer, and creator who helps others find their unique voice, continuing to inspire audiences and students alike through a career built on passion, creativity, and authenticity. Ways to connect with Spider: Website: https://spidersaloff.com LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/spiderjazz Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spidie.saloff Twitter (@spidersaloff): https://x.com/spidersaloff?s=21&t=XIFFgGFn7E5Hd_8J8Rexfg Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6gKiYyeoZyxZTAI2EpGWbU?si=WudPV-CUQPmMThTtV508Og YouTube (@TheMartinicat): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTLI-Gd51JdcMT0FVvvD9lA YouTube, “When You See Me”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTbO1FWrje4 Instagram (@spider.jazz): https://www.instagram.com/spider.jazz/ About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson 00:04 What if the biggest thing holding you back isn't what's in front of you, but rather what you believe Welcome to unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. I'm your host. Michael hingson, speaker, author and advocate for inclusion and possibilities. This podcast explores how the beliefs we carry shape the way we live, lead and connect with others. Each week, I talk with people who challenge assumptions, face adversity head on and show what's possible when we choose curiosity over fear, together, we focus on mindset resilience and the small shifts that lead to meaningful change. Let's get started. Hi everyone, and I want to welcome you to another episode of unstoppable mindset, and we have an unstoppable mindseted, oriented sort of person today. Spider Saloff. Spider is a vocalist. She's a comedian. She is in Chicago, as I recall, but she has been to a variety of places. She is a very highly acclaimed vocalist, a singer. She sings and deals with a lot of the songs that I like, like the Great American Songbook, Gershwin, Irving, Berlin and other things like that. And she has a lot of accolades that come from any number of famous people who you've probably heard of. And so in the course of the next hour or so, I'm sure we're going to hear about a bunch of that. But for now, spider, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're really glad Spider Saloff 01:49 you're here. Well, I'm happy to be here. Thank you for inviting me. Michael Hingson 01:53 Well, you are, you are most welcome. So how did you get into doing, acting, singing and all the other things that you do. Spider Saloff 02:04 Well, it started when I was a kid. I always loved music, and you know, it was so in love with the arts. But when I was 14, I came home and told my parents that I could get them tickets to the high school variety show. And they said, What? And I told them, I'm in it. I'm going to be in it. And they said, well, doing what? And I said, singing. And they were they were shocked, and I didn't tell them. I used to rehearse at my girlfriend's home because her family was all over it. They thought I was wonderful, and I knew my family would tell me that I couldn't do it so because it's just too foreign and too scary to them. So I ended up performing at this variety show, and my my parents were absolutely shocked, and one thing led to another. And then I met a theater director who worked at my school, and he came, he was a professional guy from New York that they hired to come in to do a musical, and I was in it. And I ended up getting the opportunity to be in a summer stock company and my parents let me go, which was amazing. I think they were just relieved to get me out of the house for the summer, but whatever it takes, but I certainly learned a lot, and I was very young for that experience, but it was, it was so, so worth it. And then after I finished high school, I went to college for theater. Now, your parents are from Russia. Oh, no, no, no, no, they're descend. My father's descendants are from Russia. That's where the name is from. But they are, I think I am about 11 different nationalities. So it's we're real much we are real much of the world. Well, there you go, yeah. Michael Hingson 04:05 So now we need to just clone that combination, since obviously you sing, well, we need to get that in other people, just just, you know, just a thought, you know, Spider Saloff 04:16 sounds good. Sounds dangerous to me. Michael Hingson 04:18 Actually, I know it's either that or we're gonna Spider Saloff 04:21 have to get more, more of one than more than one of Michael Hingson 04:24 me, more than one spider? No, we can't have that. Well, either that or we get AI to to imitate you. But we don't want to do we don't want to do that either, scary stuff. 04:35 Yeah, yeah, it is. Michael Hingson 04:36 Well, so how did you encounter and come up with the name spider. Spider Saloff 04:44 I did not choose it. I, you know, I never thought that my real name made any sense from the time I was a child, it's, I'm like, that doesn't make sense. And then I got the nickname when I was in college, because I have, I'm. Really a small person, but I have very long arms and legs, and it was a nickname, and it just stuck with me. And then finally I surrendered to it as a professional name, and people don't forget it. They may not like me, but they don't forget the name. And then it just stuck. And it's been that way ever since, how could Michael Hingson 05:20 somebody not like you? Spider Saloff 05:23 Well, I don't know. I'm sure there's somebody out there. I would love to thank everyone. Just endorse me, but Michael Hingson 05:31 we'll see. Well, yeah, I mean, it'll all go so where did you go to college? Spider Saloff 05:37 I went to a college that doesn't exist anymore, actually, now it is Rowan University. It's in New Jersey, outside of Philadelphia, and it became Rowan University when it got the largest private donation in history. But it was a state college called Glassboro State College, and it was a fine arts school at the time. There were several of my friends, including the conductor for the Lion King and Broadway people, all went to school there, and now it has no arts program at all. But part of our program, I did get to study at University of London too. So that was really exceptional. And it was so wonderful, a wonderful school, great opportunity. You know, it's, it was outside of Philadelphia, close to New York, and now it's an engineering school. For the most part. There isn't, there are no fine arts there at all. Well, that's too bad. But, well, yeah, I know, but somebody's got to do the engineering, Michael Hingson 06:39 I guess. I Well, there's truth to that too. Now, have you seen THE LION KING LIVE on Broadway? I have Spider Saloff 06:46 never seen it, and it's never seen it. I gotta see it. I've got to see it. I it just never happened. I kept intending to go and I never saw it. And I know people that played for it as well. 06:59 You've seen the movie. No, you haven't seen the movie Spider Saloff 07:02 either, anything Lion King. My goodness, I know I better. That's one of my goals. By the end of the year, let me see if I can see it. Michael Hingson 07:10 Well, I'll tell you my lion king story. A my brother in law knew someone who knew some of the actors in Lion King, and he and his wife and their little girl, who at the time was like three or four, were coming through New Jersey, where we lived in Westfield, and we all arranged to go see The Lion King. It was a Wednesday afternoon. It was a matinee, and near the beginning when scar, the bad guy meets the hyenas, who he works with, they all come on, they come on stage and they're growling and all sorts of things like that. Well, in the theater, the hyenas come from the back of the theater, down the stairs, and they walk past everyone growling and making all these noises? Well, my wife was in a wheelchair her whole life. She was a t3 paraplegic, and when one of the hyenas came up next to her, because we were able to arrange for an accessible seat, which was right on the aisle, this hyena comes up right next to her and goes, you've never seen a woman who is totally paralyzed suddenly literally jump up and almost walk out of the theater. It was amazing. She he shocked her completely. But it was so much fun. And of course, Alanya, the little girl, was just there with these big, huge eyes over all of this. But what Karen, my wife, told me later was that what was interesting about it was that when she was obviously watching all of this, and she said, You got totally used to the the puppets being the animals they were. They didn't you. They didn't even look like puppets anymore. They were just the animals. Spider Saloff 09:05 And that's exactly what I've heard about it, that it's like, it was fascinating. You're completely swept away with it. Michael Hingson 09:10 Yeah, wow. So, so it's cool, but, yeah, you gotta, you gotta go see The Lion King. It is absolutely worth it. The music is wonderful and all that. Wow. So we got to see it on Broadway, which was cool. Well, so you, so you went to college, and then what did you do? Spider Saloff 09:32 Well, when I got out of college, I, you know, was doing theater, but I ended up in musicals because I sang, and I really my training, my formal training, really is acting. I did not train as a singer. I just started singing naturally when I was a teenager, and then I just did a ton of musicals. I was in musicals like forever and but. I always loved jazz, and that was always in my back pocket. And then at one point, I really decided I wanted to pursue jazz while it was still in musical theater, because it was getting harder and harder to get roles, because they wanted, this is in the late 80s. They wanted you to be a dancer as well, and that was not going to happen for me. So I really thought, you know, I just, I want to check out the whole nightclub scene, you know, in Cabaret, where you could produce your own show. And so I started to really pick the minds of the guys in the pit band. And I talked to all these pit musicians, and they would tell me about, you know, places to go, and how they there were guys I met there that introduced me to other people, that helped me to do my first demo, and then started working in clubs. And then that really changed everything for me. Michael Hingson 11:01 So you got very much involved in doing a lot of Spider Saloff 11:04 jazz, yeah, jazz and cabaret, and it was all small clubs. But then that was what got me major press attention. And then I started touring with a show that I co wrote with a guy named Ricky ritzel, who's from New York, and we did a show called 1938 and that was my first recording as well. And then then just kept going from there, and that's how a lot of things happened, was really just deciding to do my own thing and create my own world of performance. So you're also Michael Hingson 11:45 known for doing something related in one way or another to comedy? Spider Saloff 11:50 Well, yeah, I've always done comedic roles, and I can't say I have ever done stand up, but I may be getting close to it, I'm not sure, but I always involve a lot of comedic monologs in everything I do. Like, if you see me at a jazz club, I will tell stories. And, you know, it's part of, part of who I am, is a lot of the comedy stuff. And, you know, crazy stories and telling stories about people, and, you know, doing imitations of people that I've met over the years and that kind of stuff. So it's, it is part of my whole persona on stage. Michael Hingson 12:33 What's your favorite musical that you've done? Boy, it's probably a toughy. Spider Saloff 12:40 I did so many, I have to say, Guys and Dolls. Okay, guys and dolls. I was Adelaide and Guys and Dolls, one of the best roles I've ever done. It was really a good choice for me, and and I, and I have to say I was in what, four productions of Fiddler on the Roof, and I've been two seidels, one Hava and fru masera, so but I love that show. I think it's magical. Michael Hingson 13:21 Just it is. Have you ever been in numb? I like Guys and Dolls, but my favorite, and it's just been that way for a long time. I don't know why was the music? Man, were you ever in the music? Spider Saloff 13:32 Man, I was, but there's no, there's no role in that for me. But I was one of the pick a little ladies. Oh, it is one of my favorite shows. Though, I think it's a masterpiece. I love love love music, man. I think it's just brilliant. Michael Hingson 13:48 You don't think you could have done you? Lily capecni shim you know, Spider Saloff 13:53 I was too young to do it at the time. Michael Hingson 13:54 Yeah. Well, like always, now there's always Marion, Spider Saloff 14:00 no, I don't have the soprano chops for that. They let me do it in Sutton Foster's keys. Well, I was thrilled that they took it down for her, because I could actually do it in those keys. That would be great. Michael Hingson 14:16 I saw it a couple of times on Broadway. Now I'm blanking out on the person it was in. Well, we saw it in, like, 2002 1001 and I'm trying to remember I'm blanking out on the person who played Marion. She actually ended up getting Lou Gehrig's disease and passed away. Spider Saloff 14:43 I don't know who. I don't know, which Michael Hingson 14:45 totally shocked us. Spider Saloff 14:46 I'm drawing a blank, I don't know. Michael Hingson 14:48 Yeah, I'm blanking out on her name. I may think of it, but, Oh, forgive us. She did a she did a great, a great job. But, yeah, but there's nobody like Robert Preston to play Harold Hill. And. Spider Saloff 15:00 Anyway, oh, that movie is so beautiful. I love that movie. Yeah, music, man is brilliant. It really is brilliant. Well, that Michael Hingson 15:10 goes back to, you know, Mr. Mr. Meredith. Meredith Wilson, Spider Saloff 15:18 yes, and I read, I read his book. Have you ever do you know of his book called he doesn't know the territory? Michael Hingson 15:27 No, I'll have to see if I Spider Saloff 15:28 can find writing and production of music. Man, I love, love. Love that book. And it's about all the trials of getting it produced and how he did. They did one of the opening one of the readings when they were trying to raise the money to do it. And moss Hart. Moss and Kitty Hart were there, and they hated it so much they walked out the middle of it. Opening Night, moss Hart was there, and he he saw, he saw Meredith Wilson in the lobby, and he shook his hand, and he said, he said, Great show. But you know what, you still haven't licked that book. Oh gosh, because he was an outsider. I mean, he wasn't part of the Broadway team. And no, the fact that he actually played with a John Philip Sousa, like, what, yeah, couch or something. It was real deal. Like, real real, like, old timey marching band stuff. Michael Hingson 16:35 Yeah, amazing. Well, then he also did The Unsinkable Molly Spider Saloff 16:39 Brown, yes, yes, another great show, yeah, not produced very often. But no, Michael Hingson 16:45 no, it's not. It's, it's sort of sad. Oh, well. But you, you've been very much involved with with a lot of jazz and so on. Tell us about meeting the Gershwin family and and your your involvement with Gershwin, which, you Spider Saloff 17:01 know, he, of course, magical. It was. It was truly a life changing event for me, my partner and I, Ricky ritzel And I had been doing 1938 and then we decided to write this show that was called Porgy and Bess, a cabaret concert, oh boy. And it was in New York, and a very powerful guy from ASCAP came to see it, and Michael kirker, and he came to see it, and he said, this show is brilliant. He goes, but you guys are going to get shut down by the Gershwin family, so you need to call them and see if they'll give you permission. So I had the phone number for Leopold godowsky, the third who is the nephew of George and Ira. His mother is Frankie Gershwin, who was George and IRA's younger sister, and I was a wreck. My hands were shaking, and I called him on the phone and and he was very polite. He just had this incredibly mannered guy, you know, it was really lovely. He goes, Well, you know, I don't see that we could allow Porgy and Bess be performed in a night club, and it wasn't like we were doing the show. We were just right. We were telling a story about how it was written and then just performing the songs as separate entities, but they were enfolding into the story. So I said, Would you would you want to comment? Would you want to see it? If we put it on a videotape, and he goes, Oh, I don't know. He goes, let me think about it. So then I called him back right away. I had the nerve to call him back again. I said, Well, would you come to see the show. He said, you know, what would you and your partner be willing to come and perform it at my home in Connecticut? There you go. And I'm like, What? What? So this whole thing got put together, and we went up to the Gershwins home in Connecticut. We met Leopold and his fabulous wife, Elaine, and they had, they said, we're having, we're having 40 close friends here for dinner. They were cooking dinner themselves, and it was this magical house in Connecticut. They had 40 industry people there. It was crazy. I mean, there were all these famous people there, and we were, we did like, as he called it, a 30 minute musicale. We did highlights from the show in their living room by the great. End piano, and I believe the piano had belonged to George, because Leopold is classical pianist as well. So we did the show, and then we all had dinner, and this friendship started. So what evolved was they, they did, let us do the show, but then my relationship continued with them, and when the Gershwin Centennial started in 1996 it was Iris 100th birthday, two years before George's. In 98 I became part of the centennial presentation, so I got to tour with my Gershwin concert under their brand, and also record my Gershwin album with their brand on it. And it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. And it was, it was a huge, you know, a huge mark in my career, and it opened a lot of doors for me. So wonderful, wonderful people. Michael Hingson 21:03 One of my favorite pieces of all times. Calling it a piece is probably not totally accurate. It's bigger than that, but one of my favorite things from classical music has always been Rhapsody in Blue. And I don't know why, but the very first time I heard it, I loved it, and I've enjoyed it ever since. I've heard the Boston Pops do it, you know, and and others do it. It's just one of those neat things I've just always loved. Spider Saloff 21:30 I'm getting chills just talking about it, because that was so groundbreaking at the time when Paul Whiteman had the contest right of who was going to be able to cross the borders of jazz and classical. And you know, who else was in that contest was Aaron Copland, oh my gosh, Eric Copeland, and he was always in competition with Gershwin, yeah, and Gershwin won and musically, that that changed the whole concept of jazz, I mean, to be accepted in a classical arena. It was really remarkable. What that what that piece did, like, amazing. Michael Hingson 22:18 I actually heard once the Paul Whiteman arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue was performed by a group I don't even recall where, but it was outside. It was a little different, but it still was just so neat to hear this. Spider Saloff 22:36 The first person to hear it, yep. I mean, Paul, my Paul Whiteman was incredible, though. I mean, what a what a groundbreaking person. He was artistically, right? Michael Hingson 22:48 Yeah, he, he did some amazing things, Spider Saloff 22:51 yeah, yeah, you know what I've got to mention. And I hope this doesn't make make our interview too dated. But last night, I saw the movie Blue Moon. That is about about Larry Hart. Oh, my God, I haven't seen that. I'm gonna have to. It just came out last week. Oh, okay, it's not gonna be very often. It's absolutely gorgeous, and Ethan Hawk plays Larry Hart. It it's it's beautiful and funny and heartbreaking, and it all the whole premise is Larry Hart has to go to opening night of Oklahoma, oh gosh, and how painful it is, and this whole cathartic thing he's going through. So the bulk of the entire it's more like, like a theater piece. The whole thing takes place at the bar at Sardi's when he's talking to the bartender and waiting for for Rogers and Hammerstein to show up. And it's, ah, Wowza, it's brilliant. It's brilliant. And talk about, I don't know how they ever got that produced, because it's definitely a movie that's not going to appeal to everybody, but boy, is it brilliant. Michael Hingson 24:14 Wow. Well, hopefully it will come out in some place where I can can watch it up here, and that'll be cool, yeah, Spider Saloff 24:22 and I think it's probably going to go to streaming pretty soon, I'm sure, yeah. So you'll have a lot of opportunities. But I really was happy to go to the theater and see it. But wow, and people in the audience were laughing at all the jokes they were getting, all the sly, Sly comments of Larry Hart, like, wow, witty, witty, witty, just brilliant, just brilliant. Michael Hingson 24:51 Well, your whole Gershwin relationship, obviously, is pretty significant. You even did some Gershwin concert. In Russia, Spider Saloff 25:02 yes, yes. That was why I went to Russia. They were having a Gershwin Centennial in St Petersburg in 1998 because that is the, that is the origins of the Gershwin family. They are from St Petersburg. And so I was hired with my pianist to go to St Petersburg. And do we? Did we were there for seven days, and I think we did like five concerts, and it was amazing to be there, because this was when Russia was getting good. This was, like the good part, and still was scary. It was scary. We stayed in this really creepy hotel that was like a government hotel, and the rooms were bugged. And then when the hallways there were padded walls, like where they could pull these panels out, and there was all kinds of wiring in there, bugging and strange stuff. The concert hall was absolutely magical. It was an old concert hall, and people went crazy, and when I sang the song vodka, which is an oddity, by Gershwin, by way, herbert stothard, Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein and George Gershwin wrote this crazy song called vodka. And when I did the song, people stood on their chairs and screamed, the Russians just loved, loved, loved the concert, the audiences couldn't have been better, and the people that ran the organization couldn't have been weirder. It was, it was very strange. And when we went to leave, the guy that booked us and me and my pianist, they they took our passports, and we had to go to a little room where they said that we our visas were expired and and we had to pay money to get out of there, and they were mad at the guy that was our manager, because he sassed them. And anyway, we had to wait. We were afraid we're going to miss the plane. And then finally, they came out with, like a little, a little tape from an adding machine, and they, they said, you have to pay $58.23 American. So they charged us this $58 and we paid it and ran to get on the plane and and I'm like, I was never so scared in my life. I didn't know what they were going to do, but it was an experience, and it was thrilling and beautiful. But don't think I'm going back to Russia, not in the near term. Yeah. Oh, and then that's when all these people said, my name is sell off. You are my cousin. I come home with you like there were so many people with my name, because in this country, there aren't that many. Aren't that many sell offs. My family is pretty small, and occasionally I'll meet us a sell off. But they're usually, they're usually rabbis, or it's like there aren't that many of us out there, but it was, it was an amazing experience. Loved it. Michael Hingson 28:28 Now, did you when you were over there, sing any of the songs or anything in Russian, or did that matter? Spider Saloff 28:34 Oh no, oh no, let's didn't do that, huh? I'm not. No, I, you know, I'm good at doing accents, and sometimes I will learn to say, like I would learn a little bit of French to get by, but then they would start asking me questions, and I didn't know what they were saying, and then they thought I was just being a jerk, you know, I'm pretending I don't understand them or something. But it was, No, I don't speak. I can barely handle English, but I didn't know whether you might have Michael Hingson 29:05 tried to learn one of the songs just for fun. Spider Saloff 29:08 There wasn't time. This went together so fast. I think we only had, like, two weeks notice. They had rushed the visas and, you know, we had, we had passports in order, but it was a lot of legal red tape. Michael Hingson 29:25 But that's why it cost $58.33 to get out. I don't know, very crazy one of those things. Oh, yeah. Well, well, at least it was affordable. Spider Saloff 29:41 Well, it will, and it was exciting. I mean, everything was paid for. But, oh, this was another weird thing they paid. They paid us in cash, American dollars, and I needed to hide, I had to hide it in my boot. I put it in. Hide the soul of my boot when I'm okay, wow, yeah, it was, it was creepy all the way down the line. It was very strange. Oh, well, yeah, things happen. 30:11 Things happen. Yeah, I was, Spider Saloff 30:12 I'm very, very, very fortunate that I got, got to do it, yeah? Michael Hingson 30:19 So obviously a wonderful memory. And yeah, oh yeah, one of those things that you'll you'll always treasure. You bet. Well, so when did you move to Chicago? Spider Saloff 30:32 Oh, well, when? When I started to get get my feet wet in New York, in the nightclub scene and the jazz scene, I got some really fabulous reviews, including the New York Times. And there was a guy from Chicago who I met through the great Julie Wilson, and his name was Bill Allen, and he was partners with Bobby Short, and he opened this really crazy club in Chicago, very famous, called the Gold Star sardine bar. And both Liza Minnelli had played there the Basie band. He squeezed the Basie band in there, but it was this tiny little place right in downtown Chicago, and it was really wild. And a lot of people had played there. Tony Bennett had played there, and Liza and I kind of was courting the room. I kept talking to him. He had he had found my press kit. Think he had been sent three different press kits, and we don't know which one he opened, and he called me, and we kept this ongoing conversation about coming out to do performance there, and then finally, he decided to bring me out for New Year's Eve, and my husband and I flew out, and it was just we were we had a couple of friends here in Chicago that we visited, but we didn't know anybody here. I'd never been to Chicago, you know, but it was magical. And then he said, Well, I'm going to have you back. I'm going to have you back. And then I didn't hear from him. And finally, the following September, he asked if I could come and play for a month, and I had almost no warning, because he was very impulsive and really crazy. So he asked me to come out for a month, and I did. They put me up in a hotel, and I played with the musicians. Were magical. People were so great. And so I played for a month, and then he said, you know, what would you think about about moving here? And my husband and I were both excited about it. Then we didn't hear anything from him. And then right after So, the first week of February the following year, he calls me up and said, Could you move here? And I'm like, I guess so. Why he goes, Well, I'll book you here for a year, and we'll arrange to get an apartment. And can you start like next week? Oh, gosh, ah, so I did it. I came out, and then my husband came out. We took a sublet on an apartment right downtown in Chicago, sight unseen. We moved here with our cat, and the rest was history. I ended up having the best nobody has a gig for a year, yeah, and and hired partially by the only person that had a gig forever, who was Bobby Short. So because I had met Bobby Short in New York, and he kind of gave bill the okay, you know, he liked me. And then I, I met Tony Bennett there, and Liza interrupted my show one night and crawled on to the over the balcony, onto the stage. And it was magical. There were lines around the block and and I got, I was courted by the press in Chicago like you wouldn't believe. I mean, it was magical. So when my run was up there, I started working at other clubs, and also I started touring at concert tours of my shows, like the Gershwin show, and started to tour. So it just became another life for me. But I'm, I'm in Chicago forever. As far as I'm concerned. I adore it here. I just love it. Michael Hingson 34:45 So when did you move there? Spider Saloff 34:47 The beginning of 92 Michael Hingson 34:49 Okay, all right, so when Liza, when Liza invaded the stage? Did you guys sing together? Spider Saloff 34:55 No, this is what happened. I had met Liza. Yeah, well, I was still living in New York, and I was friends with Billy Stritch, who was liza's musical director. So he was a friend of mine, and he introduced me to Liza, and because she was he was conducting a bit that big show she did at Radio City Music Hall that was a tribute to Vincent Minnelli. Right? She did this spectacular show at Radio City, and Billy was musical directing, and that's when they really became partners. And he introduced me to Liza, and she was just a doll, one of the nicest, coolest people in show business. So I met her, and she was really kind to me, very friendly, very sweet. And so they were playing at the Chicago theater. Liza was doing her one woman show, and it was closing this particular Saturday that I was at the Gold Star, and I had sent Billy a note to to, you know, come by when they're we're done. So I'm doing the second set. And then crazy Bill Allen at the break. He goes, he goes, Okay, people are going to come in here. Joe Pesci is going to come in and and he's going to come up and meet you. And I'm like, Joe Pesci. Joe Pesci was doing a movie here, and his double, his gangster double, used to come in and see me at the gold star. So anyway, the break comes, I'm on stage, and all of a sudden the door opens, and they come in, and it's, it was Billy and Liza and Joe Pesci. And Joe Pesci comes up on stage with Billy and my band kind of crawls off the stage, because by now, there are, there's about, I don't know, 200 people packed in a 70 person room, and their people are coming out of the woodwork. They're like, sitting on top of the bar, and I can't even get off the stage. And Joe Pesci. Pesci leans down, he's like, hey, hey, honey, my my double. He thinks you're great. He goes, Yeah, we're gonna do some songs now. And I'm like, okay, so I sat there, and Billy came up and played. The bass player was there with them. Joe Pesci got up and sang. He was adorable. And then Liza is sitting right by this. They called it the opera box. There was a big, like private table that was right next to the stage. She crawls over the bar onto the stage, and people are just screaming. It was absolutely nuts. And she did like three songs, and she was losing her voice. She had just done a killer thing at the Chicago theater, and she was really, like, raspy. Did it anyway? And she ended with New York, New York, and people were like, screaming. It was just bonkers. It was bonkers. And so that's what the Gold Star was like. It was just a crazy place, and you didn't know who was going to come in the door, who was going to interrupt your show? You just, you just didn't know. Michael Hingson 38:24 Yeah. And they even had the Count Basie orchestra there, and that was, how'd they fit him? How'd they Spider Saloff 38:30 fit him in? Couldn't fit them. It was like a publicity stunt, yeah, and the band was all stuffed in there, and there were a few people that could get in the room, but people were standing in the hallway to hear Pacey pants. This is way before my time. Yeah, it was like in the early 80s, when they opened and they were way crazier then, then when, when I came, Michael Hingson 38:53 you settled them down. Did Spider Saloff 38:55 you No? No, but they, they, they, well, I was there for a year, and then the following year, I went back a few times on Saturdays, and then Bill told Jeremy Conn and I that we were going to be the regular actor because they were always on the verge of closing. They wouldn't have any liquor, and somebody would be coming in the back door with liquor because they didn't pay their liquor bill. And it was, he was in a lawsuit. And anyway, they told us that he goes, Yeah, yeah. Call me on Tuesday and we're gonna we're getting all the details straight. Now. You guys are going to be regular. Here Tuesday came and there were chains on the door. Oh, gosh. And that was the end of it. It ended, and it was a magical time, but there were a lot of problems, a lot of legal problems going on. Michael Hingson 39:50 I met Liza Minnelli once. That was the second or third time I was interviewed by Larry King, and she was now. She was going to perform on the show as well, but it was after September 11, and so I got, I got to meet her, and that was about it, but I did get to meet her, which was fun. Exciting. It was fun. How exciting. And every time we walked out after the interviews, there were lots of photographers outside. Everyone was taking pictures, and we had to put up with all that, but I guess it provided a lot of visibility, but it was kind of fun to be able to do that. Spider Saloff 40:34 How cool. I never met Larry King. I knew a lot of people were on his show. But well, how exciting that you did it twice? Michael Hingson 40:43 Well, actually we there were five interviews with Larry. The first one was right after September 11. It was on the 14th. And then there was another one. There was either one or two more. I think there was one more in November of 2001 and then on the anniversary, in 2002 was the third. But there there were five altogether, and during one of them, and I think it was the one on the anniversary or in 2002 but I have to go back and see if I can research it. But anyway, Hillary, Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer were, were there? Lisa Beamer, Todd Beamer, his wife Todd's the guy who said, let's roll on flight 93 when they took over the plane again and got it in a crash in Shanksville. Wow, and and Queen. Nor was there. So who I'm sorry, Queen nor from? Who is the queen of Jordan? Oh, wow. And she and she and Roselle had a thing for a while. Roselle was my guide dog at the time, so they visited. It was kind of fun. Oh, wow. But, yeah, it was, it was interesting. But as I say, then we, we did meet Liza briefly, and that was kind of fun. She said she's Spider Saloff 42:09 a doll, yeah, doll. Oh, yeah. What a great person, yeah. Michael Hingson 42:13 Well, so I was looking at all the things that you sent me, and I noticed Tony Bennett. I got to meet Tony Bennett once we were on Regis and Kelly live in November of 2001 and I was sitting there, and I heard that Tony Bennett was going to be on the show. And suddenly he comes over and he says, Hey, I'm Tony Bennett. Good to meet you. I've heard about you. So we chatted for a while, and he and Roselle had a thing too, and he and Roselle had a thing too. Spider Saloff 42:45 So that was good. Oh, that Roselle. Oh, but yeah, I met him at the Gold Star, and he because he had played there several times, you know, as a future act. And he was doing, he was in. He was in town to do something. Maybe it was at the Chicago theater as well, but he came in, hanging out in his in his white dinner jacket, absolutely charming. And he sat down and talked to me between sets. It's like talking to your uncle, like he's like, Yeah, what do you think of this weather here in Chicago, and it was like just the friendliest, most laid back, cool guy and and I've seen him perform several times. I adored him. Michael Hingson 43:32 I regret I never got to see him live other than hearing him do, other than hearing him on regents and Kelly, he did a New York state of mind. Spider Saloff 43:41 Oh, cool. Very cool, Michael Hingson 43:43 wow, very soft spoken guy. But when he can sing, he can he could Bell it, Bell it out, Spider Saloff 43:49 and he and he sang the same forever, like, that's my my idols are. I want to sound the same forever, and I have the two, the two, the two most remarkable preserved voices were Ella Fitzgerald and Mel Tormey, both of them, they had chops forever like that. They they were just very, very careful and smart about the way they use their voices. Michael Hingson 44:18 Yeah. Johnny Mathis lasted a long time. I don't know what he sounds like. Spider Saloff 44:24 He just sounded the same forever. Yeah, killer, woo hoo, wow. And I never got to see him live, but I know people that did, and I mean, not that long ago, and they were blown away. Like, just Yeah, killer, yep, Michael Hingson 44:43 amazing, another amazing guy. Well, so have you ever had any any real kind of challenges and sort of negative things that have happened to you in your life? You've obviously been very successful. And all that. But, you know, unstoppability oftentimes happens when you have a challenge. Spider Saloff 45:05 Oh yes, well, you know, small things, challenges. I mean, like the worst, though, was when I was very young, a young actress, I got swept away by a guy that was a director. He was 10 years older than me, and I ended up in a really terrible abusive relationship for years, and didn't know how to get out, and I did. I ended up doing a six part. I have a YouTube channel, and this was two years ago. I did a six part series called learning to love you, and it was the very subject of what happens in abusive relationships and why people stay and why they are convinced that they can't live without the person. They're convinced that they're powerless. They are told they have to depend on this person, and they're very afraid. And I I was so lucky to break away from there and get out. And when I got out. I mean, I this guy completely left me with no money, no home, no job, and I was so ashamed to tell my family. I didn't tell them till months after it had happened, and I went, you know, trying to get trying to get more work as an actress. I worked as a bartender in a comedy club, and I did that's what I had a lot of comedian friends because of that era, and my friends, and eventually my family, really helped me to get out of it. But I had to get I had to be independent through the whole thing, I my first place I ever I was homeless for six months, and I would go around on busses going between wherever and Atlantic City because the casinos were there. So I could get a free ride to Atlantic City and then get a free bus back to New York. I could get a bus back to Philadelphia. I could go around on these busses and just stay at people's houses a couple of nights a week, and not having a place to live, it was horrible. So when I finally moved somewhere, I moved in with an actor friend of mine who had just got out of his abusive relationship, and I slept on the floor of an attic for like, the first six months that I was living on my own, and I was so grateful to have that floor and and I just kept saying every night before I went To bed, it it gets better from here. It's going up, it's going up, and it did. It did. It was it's remarkable. It's remarkable. Michael Hingson 48:09 What? What did you learn from that relationship? Spider Saloff 48:14 Beware of predators. I really never, never lose sight that you're the person in charge. Yeah, you are the person in charge of your life, and you're the only one that's allowed to do that. And you don't, you don't bend to anybody that's asking you to do anything too far. You just, you have to be very skeptical about, you know, who's getting close to you? And I was married long after that, I was married to my husband, and he passed away, oh, 16 years ago, and but there's been, there's been a lot of strange loss and and trauma. But I I am blessed with resilience, and I have to say, the thing that keeps me steady music, music and beauty and art can carry me through anything, and I'm surrounded by that and the best, best, best friends in the world. Oh, man, and my family and my friends are amazing, and I'm very, very fortunate, very fortunate. Michael Hingson 49:32 How long were you married? Before he passed away, Spider Saloff 49:35 we would have been married 17 years. Oh, my wife, Michael Hingson 49:41 my wife. My wife and I were married 40 years. She passed away in November of 2022 lot. Well. Thank you. I appreciate that. And I I always say when I when I tell that to anybody that she's watching from somewhere, and if I misbehave, I'm going to hear about it, so I don't even. Chase the girls. I also point out that they're not chasing me, so it's okay, but, but, but, you know, so many wonderful memories after 40 years, and people say, Well, are you going to move on? And I say, No, I'll never move on. I'll move forward, but I won't move on. I don't want to forget, but I'll move forward. Spider Saloff 50:20 That's an interesting twist of words there. Yeah, no. I mean, I have moved my life has become, actually, way, way better since my husband passed. I was dealing with a lot, and he was, he was dealing with severe mental illness, and it was very it was very hard near the end, my life is beautiful now. And I, I'm just, I feel like everything is new all the time. And I, I don't really have any close relationships, in romantic relationships. I tried a couple since he passed, but I don't, I don't think I'm good at it. I do better on my own. I'm much better on my own. Michael Hingson 51:18 Yeah, yeah. I know what I know what you mean. And as I said, it'll be three years in two weeks for me and I, when we got married, we had both lived alone. And when she was when she passed, it wasn't totally all of a sudden. So I I had some time to prepare. But it it has worked out pretty well. And so now I have a dog and a cat who keep me honest. The cat especially, oh, we have a cat. Her name is stitch, and she likes to be petted while she eats, and she'll yell at me until I come and pet her while she's eating and what. And when I travel somewhere to speak and I come home, I hear about it for quite a while. How could I ever do that? But she's not left alone. You know, I've got somebody who comes in. She has to give me what for? Well, she does. That's her obligation. Just ask her, absolutely, yeah. And how come you took that dog with you and not me? It's a guide dog. Spider Saloff 52:20 So this is not fair, yeah. Michael Hingson 52:24 Well, the other side of it is, I don't want her to ever get the idea that she can go out of the house. She She developed, on her own, a fear of going outside we she went out into our garage once when we first moved in here, and I kept calling her, she wouldn't come in, so I turned the lights off and I closed the door, and 10 seconds later, she's at the door wanting in, and so she doesn't try to go out. So I really feel blessed that she Spider Saloff 52:49 Yeah, that's good, yeah, yeah, yeah. I had a cat that never wanted to go near the door either, because he had been an alley cat. Everything outside that door was the alley going back there. Yeah, he also was a, he was a big fat house cat. Like, just wanted to lay around and luxuriate and eat and, you know he was, he was really a sweetie. I don't have pets anymore because I'm I leave too often? Michael Hingson 53:21 Yeah, you travel a lot. Well, a lot we at least I have people to help take care of stitch when I'm not here. So it does work out. Yeah, so do you so with all the things that you've been doing and singing and so on, do you teach voice to people? Spider Saloff 53:40 I do. I've taught at a school I didn't start teaching till I moved to Chicago, and this guy named David bloom, he's kind of a Chicago icon. He's had a jazz school in Chicago for years, and he asked me to teach at the school about a year after I moved to Chicago, and I said, I don't know how to teach. He said, Yes, you do. You just teach what you know. And I started teaching. And then I did courses there for a long time. I met a lot of people, and I've had wonderful students, and I still work there on occasion when we have a course. But I teach privately now, and I am. I just love it so much. I mean, I learned so much from my students all the time. You know, they're, they're just amazing, and they're all different, all different voices, all different age groups, all different reasons why they want to sing. But it's, it's one of the joys of my life. Students, they're fantastic. And I adore teaching voice. And I really a coach, you know, I teach performance and coaching, and it's not so much technique. I do some technique, but mostly it's working with. What, what the singer has to offer. Michael Hingson 55:03 I like the way you put it though that you learn so much from students. I think the day we stop learning, the day we become useless, we we always need to learn, learning, and life is all about learning, every Spider Saloff 55:15 day, learning, you bet it's exciting. It keeps you ticking. Michael Hingson 55:21 It does. It's so much fun. And it's, you know, like the internet, I regard it as an as a wonderful treasure trove. There's always neat stuff to learn. So I don't worry about the so called dark web and all that. You know, I didn't know that I would Spider Saloff 55:35 learn as much as I did about, you know, the internet and and the things covid really well. I always, always had a website. I had a guy that became my webmaster, that heard me radio and like there were all. I always was connected with it. But to the extent that I learned how to produce videos that all happened during covid, I really thought I was never going to be performing again live. I you didn't know, you know, that talk, you know, it was just so such a weird world. All of a sudden it was but learning to adapt. That was what we all learned from covid, was adapting and being open to new experiences. You know, that was a major, major factor of the whole thing. Michael Hingson 56:23 And living alone, you have to cook your own food. Spider Saloff 56:25 And like I've always, cooked my own food. Oh, my God, do I love to cook. Yeah, every day for myself. I love cooking and throwing parties. I must be Michael Hingson 56:35 a little bit lazy. I enjoy cooking. But when Karen was here. We shared the responsibility, and it's it's a lot to cook for one person, so I don't do as much of it as I used to, but I don't suffer. I will Spider Saloff 56:50 point that out you guys suffer, no, but I probably I cook for myself. Every day I cook. Almost everything I eat, I don't cook for myself is when somebody magically takes me to dinner or I go to somebody's house. I've got a lot of friends, so I get to eat at other people's houses and go out to restaurants, but I do and look forward to cooking for myself. I just can't wait to see what am I gonna have today, like I get excited about it. You know, it's a joy for me. Michael Hingson 57:23 I cook more easy meals, but I also do my own cooking. I mean, I don't go out very often, and that's fine. Yeah, I enjoy being home. I enjoy being home with a puppy and a kitty and listening to the radio and all that sort of stuff. So I hear you fabulous, fabulous. So you did some work on on radio series. Spider Saloff 57:45 Oh, yes, one of the, actually, the very first pianist that I worked with at the Gold Star sardine bar is a guy named Brad Williams. And we've been friends for years, and then at one point, this, this this guy that was a big fan of mine, Bill Sheldon. He was an old way, older fellow. The three of us created a radio series that's called Words and Music, that's about the American Songbook, and we were on the air for two and a half years. We were on we were part of NPR, and we were syndicated internationally, all through our classical station here in Chicago, W FMT, and it was the most challenging but wonderful time to crank those shows out. We never worked so hard as we did for that show, but those are still out there, you know. And we the copies of that show are available on CD. People can purchase them, and you can learn about that on my website too. Michael Hingson 58:49 I have been collecting old radio shows since 19 Well, let's see, probably 1968 and I've collected a bunch, and I'm also part of the radio enthusiast of Puget Sound, so we recreate programs every year. So I wasn't able, I wasn't able to be at the one that they did up in Washington State in September, because I was speaking somewhere. But there's going to be another one around. Well at Christmas, it's actually going to be the fifth, fourth, fifth and sixth. I think it is. Of December, we're going to recreate something like 12 or 13 different shows, and that's a lot of fun. Spider Saloff 59:34 Wowza, what are the shows like? What is it comprised of performance or recordings or what? Michael Hingson 59:42 No, no, we're actually going to perform live up in Washington, and people are invited to come and be in the audience, and they'll also be broadcast on yesterday usa.com and yesterday usa.net whichever you go to yesterday, USA is a, is a network. It's, it's got a red net. Work in a blue network, just like NBC used to have, and they play old radio shows and a lot of interviews with people. So there's still some old radio actors who will be there as part of it, Carolyn Grimes, who played Zuzu and it's a wonderful life will be there, and Beverly Washburn, who was on the Jack Benny show, and and there'll be other people, and it's kind of neat. And Larry Albert, who will be doing some of the voices, and who's was Harry Niles for years, and still is, I guess, on NPR and and so on. But it's really fun. Spider Saloff 1:00:39 That's excellent. What a blast. Yeah, it is, wow. Well, have a happy holidays with that. Michael Hingson 1:00:46 And yeah, well, I want to thank you for being here. How do people reach out to you, if they'd like to, to reach out, or if you Spider Saloff 1:00:54 want them to my website, spider jazz, calm, and you can find everything and too much information about me, and then, and if you want to get in touch with me directly, write to my email address. Spider jazz@gmail.com makes it easy. And maybe you can take private lessons, because I teach on Zoom. Ah, there you go. Me how. Yeah, cool. Michael Hingson 1:01:20 Well, thank you for being here, and I want to thank you all for listening today and watching whichever you do or both. Love to hear your thoughts about our conversation. Feel free to email me. Michael H, i@accessibe.com that's m, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, i, b, e.com, wherever you're monitoring us today, please give us a five star rating, and please give us a review. We love your reviews. We appreciate your input. If you can think of anyone who you think ought to be a guest, and if you listening out there want to be a guest, please reach out to me. We're always looking for more people to come on the podcast. We met spider through someone else who has been on the the podcast as well. And spider, if you know anyone who want who you think ought to be a guest, yep, love to hear from you. I got some ideas, cool. Well, I want to once again. Thank you for being here. This has been absolutely fun. Spider Saloff 1:02:16 Thank you, Michael, what a blast. I'll be talking to you soon. Michael Hingson 1:02:24 Thank you for being here with me on unstoppable mindset. I hope today's conversation left you with a fresh perspective, a new insight, or at least something worth thinking about if you're ready to go deeper into the ideas that shape how we see ourselves and others, I have a free gift for you. Head over to Michael hinkson.com and download my free ebook, blinded by fear. It explores the invisible beliefs that hold us back and shows you how to reframe them so you can move forward with clarity and confidence. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, leave a review and share this show with someone who can use a reminder that growth starts with mindset. When people think differently, we all move forward together. Thanks again for listening. Keep learning, keep questioning and keep choosing to live with an unstoppable mindset you.
Fronts + Fault Lines, is a new podcast on Palestine Deep Dive developed by the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), an organisation of Palestinian and Arab youth in diaspora struggling for the liberation of our land and people.Hosted by, Jeanine and Nihal, organisers with PYM in Britain - this new podcast series in collaboration with the Palestinian Youth Movement, offering sharp analysis on the Arab and Iranian region and what it means for us in Britain.Support us by becoming a paid subscriber from as little as £1 a month. Your support helps us build independent Palestinian-led media in a world which has never needed it more urgently:https://donorbox.org/support-palestine-deepdiveIn this episode, they are joined by Nathaniel George, lecturer in Politics and the Middle East at SOAS, University of London, whose work focuses on Lebanese politics, Hezbollah, and the regional dimensions of the Palestinian struggle. They'll be discussing the escalating destruction in Lebanon — how the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel is unfolding in the context of a wider regional war, what it tells us about the limits and possibilities of armed resistance, and what the future of Lebanon looks like inside an order that is being remade by force.This content is provided for educational and journalistic purposes only. References to proscribed organisations are made solely within the scope of analysis and reporting.Music by: oxhyoxhy.xyzFollow us:https://x.com/PDeepDivehttps://www.instagram.com/palestinedeepdive/https://www.facebook.com/palestinedeepdive
Don't Quill the Messenger : Revealing the Truth of Shakespeare Authorship
Steven welcomes Professor Eric Heinze, professor of law & humanities, as well as executive director of the Centre for Law, Democracy, and Society; School of Law | Queen Mary, University of London. Together, they discuss Eric's work on "The Comedy of Errors" and concepts of justice within the works of Shakespeare. Support the show by picking up official Don't Quill the Messenger merchandise at www.dontquillthepodcast.com and becoming a Patron at http://www.patreon.com/dontquillthemessenger Made possible by Patrons: Clare Jaget, Courtney L, David Neufer, Deduce, Earl Showerman, Edward Henke, Ellen Swanson, Frank Lawler, Garrett Jackson, Heidi, James Warren, Jen Swan, John Creider, John Eddings, Jon Foss, Kara Elizabeth Martin, Michael Hannigan, Neal Riesterer, Patricia Carrelli, quizzi, Richard Wood, Sandi Boney, Sheila Kethley, Stephen Hopkins, Teacher Mallory, Tim Norman, Tim Price, Vanessa Lops, Yvonne Don't Quill the Messenger is a part of the Dragon Wagon Radio independent podcast network. For more great podcasts visit www.dragonwagonradio.com
The week marks one month since the United States and Israel attacked Iran. We take a look at the impact the resulting war has had on the women and children of the country. Krupa Padhy is joined by BBC Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet and Ghoncheh Habibiazad, Senior Reporter from BBC News Persian.Recurrent miscarriage is when you experience more than two or three pregnancy losses, and it affects around one in 100 women. A device designed to offer more care and dignity during miscarriage, and that could aid greater understanding, is now being used in 28 hospitals across the UK. Engineer Laura Corcoran created a miscarriage collection cradle after she suffered the loss of her third pregnancy. She is calling for a wider roll-out of the device. Laura speaks to Krupha, along with Siobhan Quenby, Professor of Obstetrics at the University of Warwick.A new exhibition at Kensington Palace is celebrating the 150th birthday of Princess Sophia Duleep Singh – the Punjabi princess and suffragette. The Last Princesses of Punjab exhibition explores her life and five other women who shaped her. Krupha talks to the curator Polly Putnam and journalist and Radio 4 presenter Anita Anand, author of Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary.Another chance to hear our interview with Janet Willoner, known as the tree growing granny. Janet has grown more than 4,000 trees in her garden. She forages for seeds, grows them, and they eventually grow in forests in her local area of North Yorkshire. Zoom bombing involves crashing into a meeting and taking it over - more often than not showing shocking content including pornography. Businesswoman Lou Robey was holding a meeting on International Women's Day when it was zoom bombed. Lou has put out a call for action for media platforms and the wider community to act. She and Gina Neff, Professor of Responsible AI at Queen Mary, University of London join Krupha to discuss.
Was there really a boom in sex trafficking at the end of the 19th century? What was 'white slavery'? And how often did the traffickers get caught?Kate is joined by Dr Julia Laite for this episode. Julia is a historian at Birkbeck, University of London, and the author of 'The Disappearance of Lydia Harvey'.This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Foucault and Liberal Political Economy: Power, Knowledge, and Freedom by Mark Pennington This highly original and innovative book is the first to comprehensively engage the ideas of the French social theorist and philosopher Michel Foucault from within the tradition of liberal political economy. Divided into two parts the book commences by demonstrating important commonalities between Foucault's ideas and those of a neglected 'post-modern' stream in liberal political and economic thought. These ideas draw on a social theory emphasising a culturally situated individualism; a philosophy of science highly critical of socio-economic 'scientism' and 'expert rule'; and an understanding of freedom as an open-ended process of 'self-creation' in the face of cultural power relations—a freedom threatened by alignments between state power and more decentred manifestations of power.Part two combines the tools of Foucault's critical social theory with those of a post-modern liberalism to problematise four separate though overlapping 'bio-political' or 'pastoral' dispositifs in contemporary liberal societies focused on social justice, public health, ecological sustainability, and law and order. Where the Foucauldian and the post-modern liberal approaches suggest that freedom requires a cultural and economic 'creative destruction' that destabilises existing modes of thought and ways of being, the pastoral dispositifs that seek to 'monitor and correct' multiple pattern anomalies are shown to stifle the space for that creative freedom.Though the book does not engage the question of whether Foucault himself moved towards endorsing liberal political economy, it throws considerable light on how key Foucauldian concerns may be addressed within the liberal tradition, and why Foucauldians may have reason to embrace a reconstituted or post-modern liberalism Mark Pennington has been Professor of Political Economy and Public Policy in the Department of Political Economy, King's College, University of London, since 2012, and is currently Director of the Centre for the Study of Governance and Society. Prior to King's he taught for twelve years in the Department of Politics and International Studies at Queen Mary, University of London. He has a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/a48266/videos 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
Cornell Veterinary School is well established as one of the best veterinary schools in the world, renowned for specialties like wildlife, infectious diseases, and equine practice. A quick search of data shows that Cornell's vet school was ranked #1 from 2000 (no data before this) until 2015. Currently, it is ranked #2 in America (behind the University of California, Davis) and #3 in the world (behind the Royal Veterinary College, University of London, and UC Davis). Being accepted into their program was not only an honor, but also a miracle: one of only 80 people accepted in 1980. I tried not to sleep through my classes. When I graduated, I set up my equine practice 15 miles from the school, which allowed me to use it as my referral hospital. One afternoon in 1991, I sent in a colic I considered surgical. The resident veterinarian performed a rectal exam and confirmed the presence of a displaced bowel. But, instead of agreeing with the surgical treatment, he said, "I think this is one of those new colics I just read about!" My look of surprise went unnoticed as he continued with the description of a nephrosplenic ligament entrapment, a new form of colic recently reported in a veterinary journal. And while the first report of this colic was in 1902 in Hungary, it was not until 1991 that a JAVMA (Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association) article reported it, making it widely known among veterinarians. Now, I often hear clients mention that their horse recently suffered from a nephrosplenic ligament entrapment colic. The pattern of current ailments of horses not mentioned in my 1984 veterinary textbooks invites the question of why. This podcast covers these "new" diseases and stimulates us to ask what has changed in the care of horses to cause them.
The original Assassin's Creed game focuses on the Assassins' efforts to bring down the Templars during the Third Crusade from 1189-1192. He encounters real figures from history, including Templar Grand Masters and Christian kings. One person who doesn't appear as a character is the Muslim leader, Saladin. Nevertheless his presence - and his legend - is felt.The first Sultan of both Egypt and Syria, Saladin pushed back against the Christian Crusader Kingdoms and retook Jerusalem. His success led to the Third Crusade. He's the reason Richard the Lionheart was in the Holy Land, and he was the sworn enemy of the Templars. To find out more about Saladin's rise to power and his astonishing successes, I'm joined by the wonderful Professor Jonathan Phillips from Royal Holloway, University of London. He explains how Saladin rose to power, and may not have been as accomplished as his legendary reputation suggests.Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. Watch these interviews and exclusive videos on our YouTube channel.Hosted by: Matt LewisEdited by: Michael McDaidProduced by: Robin McConnell, Matt LewisSenior Producer: Anne-Marie LuffProduction Manager: Beth DonaldsonExecutive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen BennettMusic:City of Jerusalem by Jesper KydMeditation Begins by Jesper KydMeditation of the Assassin by Jesper KydIf you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. Take part in our listener survey here.Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at echoes-of-history@historyhit.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Foucault and Liberal Political Economy: Power, Knowledge, and Freedom by Mark Pennington This highly original and innovative book is the first to comprehensively engage the ideas of the French social theorist and philosopher Michel Foucault from within the tradition of liberal political economy. Divided into two parts the book commences by demonstrating important commonalities between Foucault's ideas and those of a neglected 'post-modern' stream in liberal political and economic thought. These ideas draw on a social theory emphasising a culturally situated individualism; a philosophy of science highly critical of socio-economic 'scientism' and 'expert rule'; and an understanding of freedom as an open-ended process of 'self-creation' in the face of cultural power relations—a freedom threatened by alignments between state power and more decentred manifestations of power.Part two combines the tools of Foucault's critical social theory with those of a post-modern liberalism to problematise four separate though overlapping 'bio-political' or 'pastoral' dispositifs in contemporary liberal societies focused on social justice, public health, ecological sustainability, and law and order. Where the Foucauldian and the post-modern liberal approaches suggest that freedom requires a cultural and economic 'creative destruction' that destabilises existing modes of thought and ways of being, the pastoral dispositifs that seek to 'monitor and correct' multiple pattern anomalies are shown to stifle the space for that creative freedom.Though the book does not engage the question of whether Foucault himself moved towards endorsing liberal political economy, it throws considerable light on how key Foucauldian concerns may be addressed within the liberal tradition, and why Foucauldians may have reason to embrace a reconstituted or post-modern liberalism Mark Pennington has been Professor of Political Economy and Public Policy in the Department of Political Economy, King's College, University of London, since 2012, and is currently Director of the Centre for the Study of Governance and Society. Prior to King's he taught for twelve years in the Department of Politics and International Studies at Queen Mary, University of London. He has a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/a48266/videos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science
Why fifty years of changemaking and reform haven't fixed Congress—and what that reveals about American democracy. Congress, the central democratic institution in the United States, is hanging on by a thread. On January 6, 2021, a violent attack on the Capitol Building left five people dead, and threats and attacks against politicians are on the rise. In Stuck: How Money, Media, and Violence Prevent Change in Congress (JHU Press, 2026), Maya Kornberg chronicles the efforts of congressional reformers over the last fifty years and documents the mounting forces that have kept their reforms from creating meaningful change. The "Watergate babies" of 1974, the Contract with America conservatives of 1994, and the historic 2018 class fueled by backlash to Donald Trump all represent younger, more diverse, and less entrenched members who arrived in Washington energized and idealistic. Kornberg reveals the ways Congress has become increasingly inhospitable to change. Political violence, astronomical campaign costs, relentless fundraising demands, shrinking staff, and centralized party leadership all constrain the ability of new members to legislate and represent their constituents. Social media, while offering new platforms for political expression, has also heightened harassment and fed a performative culture that rewards spectacle over substance. Bolstered by dozens of interviews, congressional records, and the voices of lawmakers past and present—including Henry Waxman, Toby Moffett, Phil English, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Lauren Underwood—Stuck offers a sobering portrait of a legislative body paralyzed by its own internal dynamics. Kornberg outlines tangible reforms that could restore Congress's capacity to function and amplify the power of its newest members. At a time when Americans are losing faith in democracy's most representative institution, Stuck makes the case for how it could be saved. Host Ursula Hackett is Reader in Politics at Royal Holloway, University of London, where she specialises in the study of public policymaking and litigation in the US. A former British Academy Mid-Career Fellow, she is the author of the award-winning book,America's Voucher Politics: How Elites Learned to Hide the State (Cambridge University Press, 2020). Maya Kornberg is Senior Fellow and Manager in the Elections and Government program at the NYU Brennan Center for Justice. Her first book Inside Congressional Committees: Function and Dysfunction in the Legislative Process (Columbia University Press, 2023) was shortlisted for the 2025 WJM Mackenzie Book Prize. 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
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is media, culture and creative industries lecturer Sarah Jilani. We start in 1954 with the Japanese film Seven Samurai which is widely considered to be one of world cinema's most influential films. Then, we hear about the 2006 Hindi film Rang de Basanti which broke box-office records and inspired thousands of young Indians to march for justice. We delve into the BBC Archives to hear from director Leni Riefenstahl about one of the most controversial propaganda movies ever made, Triumph of the Will, which was filmed at the Nazis' Nuremberg rally in 1934. Next, we hear about the challenges of making the Hollywood 1942 classic, Casablanca, from the late son and nephew of the screenwriters. Finally, the story of the Spanish language fantasy, Pan's Labyrinth, which took the world by storm in 2006. Contributors: Hisao Kurosawa - movie producer, head of the Kurosawa Production Company and son of Seven Samurai director Akira Kurosawa. Sarah Jilani - a Lecturer in the Department of Media, Culture and Creative Industries, City St George's, University of London. Kamlesh Pandey - screenwriter. Leni Riefenstahl - film maker (from BBC Archive). Leslie Epstein - the late son and nephew of screenwriters Julius and Philip Epstein respectively. Ivana Baquero - actress. (Photo: Ingrid Bergman with Humphrey Bogart in a still from Casablanca. Credit: Universal History Archive/Getty Images)
In order to better understand why racism still exists, it helps to study it like a science. Keon West, social psychologist at Goldsmiths at the University of London, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his rigorous research into racist beliefs, the results of social experiments that show how far we've moved the mark since the Civil Rights era and what we can definitively say about prejudice today. His book is “The Science of Racism: Everything You Need to Know but Probably Don't—Yet.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Most of us have taken a hit to the head at some point — a fall, a collision, a stray ball — and brushed it off as no big deal. But what if those “minor” impacts aren't so minor? Even seemingly harmless head injuries may have longer-term effects that we rarely consider. Source: Dr. Daniel Amen author of Change Your Brain, Change Your Life https://amzn.to/3P3Dtld Every day you negotiate — at work, at home, with friends, with strangers. Most of us think conflict is something to avoid or win. But according to William Ury, one of the world's leading authorities on negotiation who has advised the White House, the Pentagon, and major corporations, there is a far more powerful approach. Listen as he reveals how to turn confrontation into collaboration and why the way you frame a dispute often determines its outcome. William is author of the book Possible: How We Survive (and Thrive) in an Age of Conflict (https://amzn.to/3T7issl), Swearing is supposed to be rude, shocking, even offensive. Yet it's everywhere — in conversations, on television, online. So why does profanity still pack a punch? And could it actually serve a purpose? Rebecca Roache, senior lecturer in philosophy at Royal Holloway, University of London and author of For F*ck's Sake: Why Swearing is Shocking, Rude, and Fun (https://amzn.to/48DxH0t), explains why taboo words are so powerful, how they've evolved, and what they reveal about emotion, culture, and connection. If you want to dramatically lower your child's risk of serious trouble later in life, you might look closely at how much time they spend doing one very common, everyday activity. It seems harmless. It's easy. And it's everywhere. But the long-term consequences may surprise you. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2280397/Can-letting-children-watch-TV-turn-criminals.html PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS QUINCE: Refresh your wardrobe with Quince! Go to https://Quince.dom/sysk for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! HIMS: For simple, online access to personalized and affordable care for Hair Loss, ED, Weight Loss, and more, visit https://Hims.com/SOMETHING for your free online visit! SHOPIFY: Sign up for your $1 per month trail and start selling today at https://Shopify.com/sysk DELL: Dell Tech Days are here. Enjoy huge deals on PCs like the Dell 14 Plus with Intel® Core™ Ultra processors. Visit https://Dell.com/deals PLANET VISIONARIES: We love the Planet Visionaries podcast, so listen on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you're listening to this podcast! In partnership with The Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For decades, developmental psychologist Jay Belsky has focused on one of the biggest questions in human development: how do early experiences shape the lives we go on to live? In this conversation with Michael Shermer, he explains why childhood adversity can leave deep marks, why some children are far more affected by experience than others, and why averages often hide the most important part of the story. Belsky revisits the old nature-versus-nurture debate, but pushes past the usual framing. His argument is not that childhood determines everything in some simple, uniform way. It's that children differ in how developmentally "plastic" they are. The same divorce, the same stress, the same family conflict, or the same support can have very different effects depending on the child. The discussion moves through attachment theory, father absence, family conflict, puberty, epigenetics, and the evolutionary logic of development. Belsky also returns to one of his central ideas: the children who are most vulnerable under harsh conditions may also be the ones most likely to flourish when conditions improve. That insight has major implications for how we think about parenting, intervention, and social policy. Jay Belsky is a developmental psychologist and one of the field's most influential and highly cited researchers. Over a four-decade career at Penn State, the University of London, and UC Davis, he studied how early-life experience shapes attachment, family relationships, and child development. His new book is The Nature of Nurture: Rethinking How Childhood Adversity Shapes Development.