Region comprising the westerly countries of Europe
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SCHEDUKE JBS 7-21-26Elizabeth Peek joins John Batchelor to discuss how rising gasoline prices act as a talisman for consumer sentiment and presidential approval. Despite low unemployment and rising real wages, the public remains fixated on energy costs. Peek criticizes Republican messaging and highlights the massive AI-driven investment boom currently occurring. (1)Elizabeth Peek discusses New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's inability to define the "working class." She argues the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) primarily represent white, college-educated liberals rather than manual laborers. They also discuss Kevin Warsh as a potential Fed chairman and the independence of interest rate decisions. (2)Peter Berkowitz examines Vice President JD Vance's views on restoring Christianity in America. Berkowitz highlights the ambiguity in Vance's stance regarding government involvement in religion. They contrast Vance's rhetoric with James Madison's historical opposition to state-funded religion, emphasizing the constitutional separation of church and state. (3)Ahmad Sharawi reports on Syria's interception of sophisticated Iranian weapons—including cruise missile components—destined for Hezbollah. The weapons were concealed in Iraqi oil tankers. This move is seen as Al-Shara's attempt to gain international trust and investment by demonstrating a commitment to containing Hezbollah's rearmament. (4)Mary Kissel discusses the ongoing conflict with Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. She argues there is no diplomatic overlap because Iran views nuclear weapons as essential for survival. Kissel notes the lack of a broad international coalition and warns that regional allies might seek accommodation with Tehran. (5)Mary Kissel turns to NATO's lack of unity regarding the Ukraine war. Kissel argues that while Eastern Europeannations feel the threat, Western Europe focuses on domestic politics. She highlights the emergence of a "new alliance" of Russia, Iran, and China, which poses a significant hybrid threat. (6)Joseph Sternberg analyzes China's struggling economy, noting that official growth targets are likely overstated. Facing a real estate crater and demographic decline, China is reverting to an export-heavy model. Unlike Japan's past recovery, China's adversarial stance makes trading partners less willing to absorb its gluts. (7)Joseph Sternberg discusses the transition to Prime Minister Andy Burnham in the UK. Burnham, who took office without an election mandate, faces a heavily taxed economy and bond market skepticism. Sternberg critiques Burnham's big-government agenda and resistance to market reforms, suggesting it may drive away wealth. (8)Gregory Copley evaluates Prime Minister Andy Burnham's new cabinet, specifically John Healey as Chancellor and Wes Streeting as Defense Secretary. While the government aims to boost defense spending and support Ukraine, Copley questions its legitimacy without a fresh mandate and notes a lack of long-term global strategic planning. (9)Gregory Copley covers the alienation of Canada under the Trump administration. Copley explains how Canada is diversifying its defense procurement—buying Swedish aircraft and Australian radar—rather than relying on the US. This shift threatens the NORAD partnership and results in billions of dollars lost for US aerospace industries. (10)Gregory Copley explores the "balance of ignorance," where declining literacy and social media lead to a loss of national identity. He argues that governments make poor strategic decisions because they no longer understand their own history or adversaries, citing the current US conflict with Iran as a primary example. (11)Gregory Copley explains King Charles III's role in forming Andy Burnham's government. The King's "blessing" provides constitutional legitimacy to the transition. Copley notes Burnham is the first practicing Roman Catholic Prime Minister and highlights the King's departure to Glasgow to open the Commonwealth Games. (12)Former Congressman Thaddeus McCotter discusses how rising gas prices and inflation hurt Republicans in swing states. They also examine the Trump administration's use of the Smoot-Hawley Act to threaten tariffs on Canada. McCotter views these as punitive measures that weaken the broader argument for necessary trade protections. (13)Thaddeus McCotter comments on a recent presidential address regarding the 2020 election. He argues that claiming the system is "rigged" is counterproductive for Republican turnout. McCotter suggests that voters care far more about the "price of gas" and groceries than relitigating past elections that the party lost. (14)John Batchelor and Peter Huessy review classic nuclear war films like Godzilla, On the Beach, and Dr. Strangelove. Huessy argues that while these films highlight the horrors of nuclear use, real-world focus has evolved toward deterrence and sophisticated safety systems designed to prevent accidental or unauthorized missile launches. (15)Peter Huessy continues the discussion of nuclear films like Fail Safe and The Day After. Huessy disputes claims that The Day After motivated Ronald Reagan's arms control efforts, noting Reagan was a committed advocate for nuclear reductions long before the movie's massive 1983 television broadcast. (16)Corrections applied silently: Ahmad Sharawi (4) and Thaddeus McCotter (13, 14) per the log.
Brilliance of the Seas transatlantic cruise review. Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas takes center stage this week as John shares his 23-night back-to-back cruise from Barcelona to Boston. The cruise combined an eight-night Western Europe sailing with a 15-night transatlantic cruise featuring Iceland, Greenland, Scotland, Portugal, Spain, and Atlantic Canadian maritimes. He discusses the ship's classic Radiance-class design, oceanview cabin, dining, entertainment, rough seas, and why Brilliance remains a favorite despite being more than 20 years old. Plus, hear what it's like to visit the Blue Lagoon, chase the Northern Lights, explore Greenland's remote villages, and whether a transatlantic cruise is worth adding to your bucket list. Share your thoughts: doug@cruiseradio.net Sponsor Cruise line protection is designed to help if you can't take your cruise. Third-party travel insurance helps protect you during the trip. Including medical care, delays, and unexpected issues. Compare plans and save up to 30% at TripInsurance.com. About Cruise Radio: Cruise Radio has been delivering cruise news, ship reviews, and money-saving tips weekly since 2009.
In an historic step that follows decades of divisiveness and years of negotiations, Gibraltar joins Europe’s border-free Schengen community. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It can be hard to get a clear picture, so our episode today is here to help: "How much do things cost in Morocco?"As much as there's the standard answer, "It depends," we go a little deeper than that and try to frame costs around certain standards and levels of service. Whether that means different types of accommodation, the cost of meals at sit-down restaurants, do desert camps vary greatly in price, how much are activities such as a Hot Air Balloon ride, and lots more.There are a couple of possible yet unrelated preconceptions about Morocco that we should address. For one, folks might think that Morocco is a budget travel destination akin to Thailand or El Salvador, where your dollar goes very far, decent accommodation is well under $100/night, and an amazing meal costs $5.Well, that's not the case in Morocco, our costs aren't quite that low! Secondly, costs in Morocco might simply seem unknown, with no real frame of reference. Maybe it's expensive, maybe it's not, how can you know, and what can you relate it to? And when you see the cost of something, are you getting the appropriate value for that cost?Morocco generally speaking fits in somewhere between the costs of Western Europe and Eastern Europe. Not quite as expensive as France or the UK, but not as inexpensive as maybe Albania or Poland. Similar prices to what we often see in North America, but also very good, and certainly unique value, whether it's in our distinct accommodation (riads) or our one-of-a-kind cuisine.So our goal here today is to help give you a frame of reference and ease the sticker shock that might come otherwise. And to therefore help you plan better, know what questions to ask and make an educated decision on budgeting for your trip!You can also watch the video version of this episode on our YouTube channel here: "Typical Travel Costs in Morocco" Join me for an 8-Day Boutique Moroccan Experience!https://trips.destinationsmorocco.com/Morocco-2026Step inside the hidden Morocco on this first-of-its-kind, 12-spot journey, hosted personally by Azdean.November 8-15, 2026, $1995 USD Per PersonBook Your Spot Today! Learn more about Azdean and Destination Morocco.
The July 15, 2026, edition of the Closing Market Report highlights the current agricultural commodity markets and upcoming weather patterns influencing crop production. Host Todd Gleason discusses a recent surge in wheat futures driven by supply fears following Russian military attacks on Ukrainian ports, particularly Odesa, shifting the focus away from traditional weather factors. In the ag market segment, Greg Johnson notes that Central Illinois crops are generally performing well, prompting farmers to hold out for stronger prices, though fund activity remains neutral to long. Additionally, the program details upcoming regional agricultural events, including University of Illinois Extension field days and webinars focused on soybean breeding and agricultural AI applications.The second half of the program transitions to regional and international ag weather with Drew Lerner from World Weather Inc.. Lerner breaks down the stressful but manageable heat impacts across the northern Corn Belt, noting that while the upper Missouri River Basin faces high temperatures and dryness, areas like the Red River Valley are insulated by recent heavy rainfall. The international segment details a severe and expanding drought in Western Europe, where central France and the UK face massive precipitation deficits threatening summer crops like sugar beets. Conversely, weather conditions remain favorable for crop maturation in the Black Sea region, making the current market volatility strictly a reflection of regional war developments rather than climate failures.01:21 Ag Markets with Greg Johnson, Total Grain Marketing 11:59 Ag Weather with Drew Lerner, World Weather Inc. ★ Support this podcast ★
The Israeli art restorer and spy Gabriel Allon is as real as George Smiley or Hercule Poirot. He even has his own Wikipedia page. The CNN special correspondent Jamie Gangel describes herself on X as a friend of Gabriel Allon before she gets around to mentioning her husband, the best-selling thriller writer Daniel Silva who, of course, is the creator of Allon. As with all successful literary inventions, of course, Silva is as much Allon as Allon is Silva. Silva-Allon. Amongst the most lucrative partnerships in contemporary fiction. Unsurprisingly, Silva still hasn't managed to kill off Allon. Twenty-six books into the series, the retired Mossad legend turned Venice art restorer is the truest fake spy in the business — a character so real that Silva, who seems to revel in his insularity, has to lock himself away from imagining how readers receive him. Or perhaps he's locking himself away from Allon. In Ransom, out today, a billionaire real estate baron asks Allon to find his vanished wife, the dazzling socialite Alice Winter — who has, of course, a darker life. Behind Silva's latest summer best-seller looms Russia's shadow war on Europe. That's the post-cold war cold war politics of Ransom. Unit 29155, the GRU's sabotage specialists, are hitting pipelines and flying drones over Copenhagen, an MI6 officer describes the Russians as feral animals, and Ransom's climax unfolds at an emergency Downing Street summit with Zelensky without the United States in the room. It's a terrifying narrative as real as Gabriel Allon. Five Takeaways • An Art Restorer Who Used to Be a Spy. Gabriel Allon was invented for one book — a 1999 novel inspired by the Camp David peace process, written like a demon in a cottage near Land's End — and was never meant to continue. Twenty-six books later, Silva has flipped the character's formula: once an operative whose cover was art restoration, Allon is now an art restorer who used to be a spy, formally retired and living in Venice. As for his age, Silva freezes time the way Christie froze Poirot: Allon is aging in reverse, quite intentionally, and Silva will write him for as long as people want to read him. • Russia's Shadow War on Europe. The serious spine of Ransom is the campaign of sabotage and subversion that Russia is waging against all of Western Europe — the GRU's Unit 29155 hitting pipelines, running hacking operations, and flying the drones that shut down Copenhagen Airport and pushed Denmark toward its highest state of alert. One MI6 officer tells Silva the Russians are acting like feral animals, and the worse the battlefield goes, the more aggressive the sabotage becomes. Silva has been here before: Moscow Rules put him ahead of the curve on Putin in 2008, and Allon's personal war with Putinism enters its latest round. • Writing an Israeli Hero After October 7. Allon is the old Israeli liberal establishment made flesh — secular, social-democratic, the Ashkenazi security elite whose surviving members now oppose the conduct of the war. Silva, an avowed two-stater, saw the change coming years before October 7: quoting his friend Richard Haass, this is not your parents' or grandparents' Israel. Allon, he insists, would never serve in a cabinet alongside far-right extremists like Ben-Gvir and Smotrich — and they wouldn't have him. What happened on October 7 was barbaric, Silva says, but this war has gone on far too long. • The Super Rich, With a Judgmental Eye. It's fun to write about the rich — the jets, the expensive toys, the glamour of Venice, Knightsbridge, and Ibiza — but Silva does it for a specific reason: to draw the contrast between how they live and how the rest of us live. A new global super elite is checking out from everyone else, he argues — unwilling to pay taxes, to educate the young, or to care for the sick — so Ransom balances the socialite's world against an encampment of homeless seasonal workers on Ibiza. Britain itself gets the same treatment: austerity, seven prime ministers in a decade, and shires where nobody is doing very well. • Pencils on the Floor. Silva calls himself a literary novelist masquerading as a thriller writer, and his working methods match the self-description: he lies on the floor and writes with pencils, keeping technology as far from the work as possible. AI appears in Ransom only because the plot demanded it — a proof-of-life photograph that has to be checked for deepfakery, in a world where even presidents fake pictures. The thought of asking AI to write for him prompts a simple question: what would be the point? A book a year since 1997, and book 27 began the day after this one was finished. About the Guest Daniel Silva is the award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-six Gabriel Allon novels, including The Kill Artist, Moscow Rules, Portrait of an Unknown Woman, A Death in Cornwall, and An Inside Job. His books are published in more than thirty countries. He lives in Florida with his wife, CNN special correspondent Jamie Gangel — who describes herself on X as a friend of Gabriel Allon before mentioning her husband. His new novel is Ransom (HarperCollins, July 14, 2026). References: • Ransom by Daniel Silva (HarperCollins, July 14, 2026) — book 26 of the Gabriel Allon series. James Patterson: “Silva can really write, the bastard.” • Moscow Rules (2008) — the novel Silva is proudest of, which put him ahead of the curve on Putin and began Allon's personal war with the Russian secret services. • The Kill Artist (2001) — Allon's first appearance, inspired by the Camp David peace process and written in a rented cottage near Land's End. • Unit 29155 — the real GRU sabotage unit behind the pipeline attacks, hacking operations, and drone incursions that drive the novel's plot, including the 2025 shutdown of Copenhagen Airport. • John le Carré — whose George Smiley, Silva concedes, needs no advice from Gabriel Allon, though the two would have got on had they met on Bywater Street. • Richard Haass — the foreign policy analyst and friend of Silva's whose line frames the Israel discussion: this is not your parents' or your grandparents' Israel any longer. About Keen On America Nobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States — hosting daily interviews about the history and future of this now venerable Republic. With nearly 3,000 episodes since the show launched on...
MouseChat.net – Disney, Universal, Orlando FL News & Reviews
This week on Mouse Chat, Sharpie takes us to Europe for a father-son high-school graduation trip through Spain and Portugal — a destination his oldest son picked as he heads off to study architecture. From Gaudí's Sagrada Família to a flamenco tablao, high-speed trains, beach towns, and Lisbon's tile shops, here's an honest trip report with real tips you can use to plan your own visit. What we cover this week: The route: flying Aer Lingus out of Pittsburgh with a 12-hour Dublin layover each way, then Barcelona (3 nights) → high-speed train to Madrid → train to Seville → local train to Cádiz → back to Seville → a flight to Lisbon, plus a day trip to Cascais. Barcelona: an 8-hour guided tour, an hour inside Sagrada Família (and why the light, the facades, and the windows are unlike any cathedral you've seen), the Gothic Quarter, a Picasso mural, Park Güell, the harbor cable car, neighborhood markets, and a breathtaking live flamenco show. Riding the rails: what first class on Spain's high-speed trains is really like (lounge, meal service, roomy seats) and the fields of sunflowers "as far as the eye can see" between Madrid and Seville. Madrid: a tuk-tuk tour on a 104°F record-heat day — including the AI-translation guide snafu — and how to roll with it when a tour doesn't go to plan. Cádiz: a relaxing beach-town break, a spa hotel with a full thermal suite and 75-minute massages for about $100 each, and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe. Lisbon & Cascais: the cleanest city of the trip, the designer-lined Avenida da Liberdade, a rooftop-pool hotel, hunting down handmade Portuguese pottery and antique tiles, and cliff divers at a beautiful beach town 40 minutes away. Real-world tips: Spain's excellent public transit, the current euro exchange rate (about $1.15 to €1), walking 75 miles over nine days, and Sharpie's planning method — book the big-ticket sights, then fill the gaps with finds along the way. Thinking about a trip like this? Sharpie plans Europe travel for Mouse Chat's travel agency, Pixie Vacations — free planning, no booking fees. Get a free, no-fee quote at https://pixievacations.com/get-a-quick-vacation-quote/ or call 678-815-1584. Prefer to see Spain and Portugal by ship? You can browse and book Mediterranean and Atlantic cruises through our online booking engine at https://cruise.pixievacations.com. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mousechat-net-family-travel-podcast-disney-universal/id395503030 | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1ujpZQKOnCuKcgArpnBQKQ. Questions or comments? Email comments@mousechat.net.
Did you know that Spain just dropped a massive ban on energy drinks, and it should raise concern for any U.S. brand prioritizing geographical expansion across Europe? If you're in Spain (and under the age of 16), you can no longer purchase energy drinks. While Lithuania started the trend in 2014, Spain became the first Western European country to enact age-of-sale laws on all energy drinks. Moreover, Spain also age-restricted any energy drink containing more than 32 milligrams of caffeine per 100 milliliters to those over 18 years-old. And although that concentration of caffeine is the industry standard for most energy drinks globally, some pundits fear Spain including an age restriction could spark copycat regulatory actions across Western Europe. But what do you think: is this a win for public health or government overstepping?
Sheryl Glick host of Healing From Within Interviews special guest Lawren Leo, author of Dragonflame: Tap Into Your Reservoir of Power Using Talismans, Manifestation, and Visualization. Lawren is an accomplished writer, editor and public speaker who will share his original thinking and direct us to use his system to develop and use three magical keys that will help unlock your personal power leading to helping achieve life goals and desires. Lawren has travelled extensively through Great Britain, Western Europe, North Africa and the Middle East studying esoteric philosophy, magical arts, alternative religion and giving readings. He has been practicing Wicca and studying Kabbalah for nearly three decades and owns a metaphysical shop called New Moon Books. Learn more about Sheryl here: http://www.sherylglick.com/
Brannagh Rattigan delivers the news on Trump's Patriot missile offer to Ukraine, wildfires ripping through Western Europe, and a New Jersey murder investigation still having no arrests after one month on 7/10/26.
The work of Rod Dreher has a consistent theme: doom. He believes the collapse of Christianity has ushered civilizational decline in Europe, that we've traded our humanity for comfort, and he worries that totalitarianism is around the corner for the United States. “I'm worried about Weimar America,” he tells me. “It may not be Hitler 2.0, it may not be Stalin 2.0. It might be something all American, but it's not going to be what we're used to.” It's best not to dismiss him; he's been right before. We discuss how we got here and the dangers that still lie ahead when we grant godlike powers to our technology. 0:00 - Intro 1:41 - The role of Christianity in Western society 12:26 - Free speech in Western Europe 17:40 - Immigration and de-Christianization 23:55 - Viktor Orbán's Hungary 34:50 - "Weimar America" and the coming crisis 46:45 - Dreher's personal journey 55:12 - Dark re-enchantment and A.I. as a "vector for the demonic" (A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Our reporter Karen Creed spoke to people at Bray Seafront in Co Wicklow this morning and Rachael spoke to Dr Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Green Bank, West Virginia is home to the world's largest fully steerable radio telescope. It's also the only town in the U.S. where cell phones and Wi-Fi are banned, so the telescope can listen for faint signals from across the Universe undisturbed. This week, we bring you a special conversation recorded after The Planetary Society's virtual screening of Small Town Universe, the documentary that follows the people whose lives are shaped by that place. Mat Kaplan, Planetary Society senior communications advisor, talks with filmmaker Katie Dellamaggiore and physicist Ellie White about making the film, the beauty and stakes of life at Green Bank, and the ongoing fight to keep the observatory funded. Before that, Kate Howells, public communications specialist, previews the total solar eclipse crossing parts of the Northern Hemisphere on August 12th, the first visible from Western Europe since 1999. And Bruce Betts, chief scientist, joins for What's Up, breaking down Hayabusa2's July 5th flyby of asteroid Torifune. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2026-small-town-universeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
U.S. President Donald Trump says the ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. is over. Both countries are trading fire again, in the worst clashes since the two countries signed an agreement to stop fighting last month.And: For cancer survivors, the lingering fear of recurrence never truly fades. A new technology is helping find the tiniest traces of cancer using basic blood work.Also: Weeks after tens of thousands of lives were shattered by the earthquakes that rocked Venezuela, the country's children face a fragile new reality. CBC is in Venezuela.Plus: Researchers get a look at Shackleton's last ship — the Quest, more details on charter boat tragedy in B.C., the heat is back in Western Europe, and more.
The July 8, 2026, edition of the *Closing Market Report* covered commodity market fluctuations, regional agricultural updates, and international weather conditions. Farm broadcaster Todd Gleason hosted the program, noting that while the final numbers from the CME Group were unavailable, grain markets faced downward pressure due to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, contrasting with a notable rise in crude oil prices. Greg Johnson of Total Grain Marketing discussed a 50% retracement on corn charts following the June crop report, outlining local crop conditions in Illinois and evaluating market dynamics like basis levels and Chinese export demand. The broadcast previewed four upcoming University of Illinois Extension and Crop Sciences field days across July, including events at the Orr Center, Heyworth, Monmouth, and Dixon Springs. Finally, Drew Lerner of World Weather Inc. provided an ag weather outlook, highlighting severe heat and moisture deficits hitting the northwestern Corn Belt and northern Plains, alongside extreme drought stress affecting crops across France and parts of Western Europe.00:58 Ag Markets with Greg Johnson, Total Grain Marketing08:56 Four Field Days to Close Out July12:11 Ag Weather with Drew Lerner, World Weather Inc. ★ Support this podcast ★
In this podcast, we will be talking about How To Stop Caring What Others Think About Your Status Or Finances from the philosophy of Fyodor Dostoevsky. Fyodor Dostoevsky was a 19th-century novelist and philosopher whose ideas helped shape the philosophy of existentialism.So with that in mind, here are 7 Ways To Stop Caring What Others Think About Your Status Or Finances from the philosophy of Fyodor Dostoevsky - 01. Money is just a tool, nothing more02. Reject the Illusion of "Financial Salvation"03. Financial hardship is just a situation04. Nobody is watching you05. Be Ordinary06. Drop your pride07. Practice "Active Love"I hope you enjoyed listening to this audio and hope these 7 Ways To Stop Caring What Others Think About Your Status Or Finances from the philosophy of Fyodor Dostoevsky will add value to your life. Fyodor Dostoevsky was a 19th century novelist and philosopher, considered by many to be one of the most influential authors in all of world literature. Born and raised in Tsarist Russia, Dostoevsky was heavily exposed to the misery and injustice characteristic of his time. Among his more marking experiences, he spent four years in a Siberian labour camp, went through compulsory military service in exile, and had to beg for money while in Western Europe due to his gambling addiction. And yet, despite his first-hand experience of misery and suffering, Dostoevsky remained hopeful and optimistic about what life is. He is considered to be one of the first writers to incorporate concepts of what we now know as existentialism. Dostoevsky's works revolve around a few major themes like the meaning of life, the constancy of suffering, the divide between rationality and emotion, spirituality, and the various sides of the human condition. Some of his well known novels and essays are Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, The Idiot, and Notes from the Underground. Through his novels and essays, Dostoevsky tried to make sense of the suffering and misery around him, attempting to find meaning and hope even in the bleakest of times. His work represents a deep dive into human suffering, the evil surrounding us, and the problems caused by moral corruption and in each of the universes he created, he gave ways to escape the apparent constant suffering and torment of his characters through moral virtue, love, compassion, and one's own sense of meaning. His writings were heavily influential for the existentialist current of philosophy, representing sources of inspiration for other consecrated authors like Friedrich Nietzsche and Jean-Paul Sartre.
Why did the potato blight begin in Belgium before it reached Ireland — and why has the Flemish famine of 1845, which killed tens of thousands and stunted a generation, been almost entirely forgotten while the Irish catastrophe became the defining tragedy of a nation? What destroyed the linen industry of Flanders before the blight even arrived, and how did that earlier catastrophe turn a regional food crisis into something far worse? And what does DNA sequencing of museum specimens from 1845 reveal about where the most consequential agricultural disaster in European history actually began?Join John and Patrick as they tell the story of Belgium and the last great peacetime famine in Western Europe — the linen crisis, the Arm Vlaanderen, and the tragedy that Belgium forgot...----------In Sponsorship with Cornell University: Dyson Cornell SC Johnson College of Business-----------Join the History of Fresh Produce Club for ad-free listening, bonus episodes, book discounts and access to an exclusive chatroom community.Support us!Share this episode with your friendsGive a 5-star ratingWrite a review-----------Subscribe to our biweekly newsletter here for extra stories related to recent episodes, book recommendations, a sneak peek of upcoming episodes and more.-----------Instagram, TikTok, Threads:@historyoffreshproduceEmail: historyoffreshproduce@gmail.com
Jim Roemer explains why a rapidly strengthening El Niño — paired with record heat baking Western Europe's corn crop — points toward a neutral-to-bearish summer for corn and soybeans, not a repeat of the historic 1983 Corn Belt drought.
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Savage argues that America and Western Europe face an existential "invasion" enabled by a complicit media and "internationalist" leadership, claiming mass immigration threatens national identity defined by his three themes: borders, language, and culture. He condemns multiculturalism, multilingual ballots, and cultural decay. He returns to his 2002 bestseller "The Savage Nation: Saving America from the Liberal Assault on Our Borders, Language, and Culture" that warned of chaos leading to tyranny and called for massive deportations. As we mark America's 250th Declaration of Independence, Savage urges listeners to be "soldiers" rather than "slaves."
This week we talk about air conditioners, pressure systems, and heat stress.We also discuss weather memes, climate change, and dirty grids.Recommended Book: Battle of the Linguist Mages by Scotto MooreTranscriptAn air conditioner, or AC, or maybe air con if you're in the UK, is a device that moves heat from one location to another. In doing so, it usually dehumidifies the air, as well, so it can rapidly cool a room or entire building by shifting both heat and humidity from that room or building, elsewhere—usually outside.This is basically the same technology used in refrigerators, a process called vapor compression allowing the device to circulate a substance called refrigerant using a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, and an expansion valve, which—and this is a very superficial explanation of what's happening—but these components take advantage of forced circulation and a phase-change between gas and liquid to transfer heat from the room you want to cool, or the inside of the refrigerator, and move that heat outside your building, or to the back and/or bottom of the fridge.This is a far more active mode of air conditioning, of cooling and dehumidifying the air, than has been used throughout history. Most early methods relied on passive approaches, including but not limited to architectural elements, the use of plants and optimization of air flow, or creating basement areas for things that needed to stay cool.Researchers have dabbled with more active methods of conditioning air for centuries, though, and several 19th century inventions served as precursors for the first iteration of modern ACs, some of which were used to create ice, which was useful unto itself, but could also be used to cool a room, if far less effectively and efficiently than an actual, holistic AC unit.In 1894, industrial-grade ammonia compressors, powered by electricity, made this category of device suitable for urban environments; previously they just were far too bulky and difficult to power for city use. By 1896, the Hungarian engineer who came up with this new riff on the theme, István Röck, was manufacturing what he called dry air cooling apparatuses for hospitals, theaters, and other large spaces.Just five years later, in 1901, an American inventor named Willis H Carrier developed what's widely considered to be the first modern electrical AC unit, selling the first one to a lithography company in New York, before patenting the term air conditioning in 1906. The first residential version of this device was installed in 1914, and in 1915 the Carrier Air Conditioning Company of America was formed—a business that still exists today.The impact of air conditioning, and this general technology category, as again, it's also used in modern refrigeration units, cannot be overstated. This tech didn't become widespread in the US, which is where it initially took off, in large part due to Carrier and other AC businesses' presence in the States, until the mid-20th century, and before that, before the 1950s, the state of Florida was technically occupied, but only just barely because of its extreme heat and humidity and abundance of mosquitos. The population of Florida in 1950 was about 2.7 million, and today it's about 23.5 million—that influx of people began after AC units became standard in buildings across the state, and the country. We've seen similar migrations as a result of too-hot places sudden becoming a lot more pleasant.Similarly, refrigeration enabled a boggling amount of change within the food and beverage industry, the chemicals and industrial materials industries, and the healthcare and life science industries, because before the advent of the cold chain—the system of refrigerated spaces, including boxes and trucks and planes and ships that allowed medicines and foods and other substances to stay cold from their origin to their end-consumer—it simply wasn't possible to sell or create or work with many of these products and materials.The distribution of this technology is not universal or equal, however, and in some cases that inequality, that lack of access to this technology in some spaces, is the result of choice, not inaccessibility. And that's what I'd like to talk about today: the spread, or lack thereof, of AC technologies and products, and how a recent heat wave in Europe may lead to more installations of this type of product across the continent.—Beginning in late-May of 2026, a series of severe heatwaves engulfed Europe, and especially Western Europe, breaking all sorts of temperature records and leading to a bunch of heat-related deaths.A recent meme gives a good sense of just how bad this heat wave has been.Back in 2014, as part of a campaign by the World Meteorological Organization, dozens of weather presenters from around the world were invited to record fictionalized weather reports from 2050, with the intention of giving people a sense of how global climate change might impact daily life even as soon as just 36 years in the future.One of these presenters, from France, gave a report of an imagined scenario in which a heat wave descended upon Europe, showing temperatures of 40 degrees celsius, which is about 104 degrees Fahrenheit, with some areas seeing temperatures as high as 43 C or 109.4 degrees F.This was generally considered to be a baffling, maybe even sci-fi sort of prediction at the time. But this clip has resurfaced and widely shared, as, just 12 years later, not 36, this recent heat wave has not just met, but in some cases surpassed that imagined, too-crazy-to-be-real European heat wave scenario.Across much of Western Europe, those temperatures milestones were hit, and in a few locations they were beat by as much as 20 degrees F.For a few days in France, temperatures were higher than in Las Vegas, Nevada and Phoenix, Arizona, coming within 2 degrees F of temperatures in famously too-hot Death Valley, California.All-time high temperature records were broken in Germany, and a handful of other countries are waiting to see if provisionally recorded high-temperatures they experienced hold up, to see if their own records will be broken. The UK recorded a temperature of 37.1 C (98.78 F), the Netherlands saw a top temperature of 39.4 C (nearly 103 F), Belgium hit 40 C (104 F), and Germany recorded 41.3 C (106.3 F)—all temperatures that are 5-12 C above seasonable averages, and this has led to all manner of infrastructural issues, as well.A nuclear power plant in Switzerland had to take both reactors off the grid because the temperature of the river that cools it got too hot, a Eurostar train broke down east of Brussels with about 400 people on board, and 3 people had to be taken to the hospital. A bunch of big public events were cancelled, hospitals were filled to the point of having to triage visitors, and, if these on-the-ground issues weren't enough, researchers in Switzerland have warned that almost all of the winter reserves built up on their glaciers are gone, which suggests the glaciers themselves will begin melting soon—something that usually doesn't start happening until August.This heat wave was the result of a potent heat dome, which is a pocket of high pressure that developed as a result of jet stream fluctuations that pulled hot air north, out of warmer portions of Africa. This type of high pressure pocket can then cause the heat it gathers to just sit there, unmoving, whereas typically it would be pushed around, causing it to disperse, and to thus not have such a significant impact on people and other life on the ground.Unfortunately, these sorts of disruptions to the previous climatic norm are becoming more common as the climate shifts, due to the accumulation of CO2 and other heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere. The regulating systems we've evolved with are changing because there's more overall energy, more heat, powering these systems across the planet, and that means we're no longer able to predict them as accurately, but also that some of these systems could fundamentally change or disappear, possibly in the near future.Events like this, which are currently rare, then, could soon become common. And meteorologists in Europe have warned, during this major heat wave, that this sort of event could be a regular thing, and soon, and could even last a lot longer; not a matter of days or weeks, but possibly spanning months at a time, without reprieve.That's not great news for a continent that, until now, has generally been pretty okay with its existing heat and weather infrastructure. Unlike the US and other countries that have some incredibly hot regions, leading to the widespread installation of AC units, only about 20% of homes across Europe have AC installed. As a result, as this heat wave descended on the area, trapping heat inside buildings that were constructed with cooler weather in mind, people have been unable to remain indoors, to work, to sleep; it's been miserable. And in some cases, deadly; the combination of heat and humidity making it more difficult for peoples' bodies to regulate heat via sweat, and that's led to an increase in heat stress on their bodies—which is just a miserable thing to deal with, but it also means a lot of people, including but not limited to the very young and very old, are more likely to die, their bodies simply incapable of handling that level of persistent temperature strain.Back in the summer of 2022, during another, less intense heat wave, more than 60,000 people died across Europe due to heat stress and related ailments. The numbers are still out on this more recent heat wave, but the stats are expected to be pretty grim, as in addition to the individual strain people in these afflicted areas are suffering, infrastructure tends to collapse in unprepared areas, hospitals not functioning or not functioning well, their machines and IT systems failing due to the heat, and the medical professionals working in these places suffering alongside everyone else, their bodies under constant heat stress, not getting enough sleep, and so on. There have already been a lot of reports of children dying of heat stress after being left in cars for short periods, and people drowning in large numbers, trying to cool off un-moderated bodies of water.The conversation that tends to bubble up in the wake of such incidents is representative of the larger conversation around climate change and its impacts.Air conditioning, and lower-powered, but just as effective heating and cooling options like heat pumps, which are basically ACs that work in both directions, but which tend to consume less energy than conventional AC units, these devices are amazing short-term solutions and help people survive and thrive in even the hottest, most humid and unwelcoming environments and climates.They also require, especially in the case of conventional ACs, a whole lot of power. And across much of the world right now, that means burning fossil fuels.The sad irony is that in powering these devices that are more necessary because of climate change impacts, people and institutions are contributing more to that large-scale problem, worsening the impacts of climate change, which then necessitates more artificial, power-hungry cooling.Experts continue to remind lawmakers and others in the position to make big-picture decisions on these sorts of matters that there are a lot of opportunities to reduce ground-level temperatures in passive, non-energy-hungry ways.Painting large surfaces brighter colors so more heat is reflected rather than absorbed, planting more trees and other greenery, installing solar panels, using passive building materials and architectural techniques to improve insulation and air flow; there's a lot of low-hanging fruit for areas that are becoming warmer, and which would otherwise require a lot more energy and fossil fuel burning just to keep life tolerable and survivable.Unfortunately, many of these options aren't widespread or even well-known, and the short-term solutions, like conventional AC units, are quick and effective, and a lot easier, currently at least, to install than superior options, like heat pumps.There's a good chance, then, than the most impacted areas will become even bigger contributors to the problems they're trying to solve; until larger-scale incentives, subsidies, and policies change that status quo, at least.Show Noteshttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/climate/europe-fastest-warming-continent.htmlhttps://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/jun/24/europe-heatwave-live-news-updates-uk-record-breaking-temperatures-italy-red-alerthttps://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/the-sad-inevitability-of-europes-heat-wave/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/27/climate/europe-heat-wave-nuclear-trains-infrastructure.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/weather/europe-heat-wave-temperatures.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/world/europe/europe-heat-climate-change-politics.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/world/europe/france-heat-alcohol-paris-ban.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/climate/europe-heat-wave-climate-change.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/world/europe/france-children-heat-cars-deaths.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/world/europe/heat-wave.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/arts/europe-museums-heat.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/weather/belgium-heat-wave-brussels.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/world/europe/paris-canal-swimming-heatwave-france.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/climate/europe-fastest-warming-continent.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_European_heatwaveshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_Kingdom_heatwaveshttps://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2026/06/25/french-tv-presenter-once-imagined-2050-heat-wave-did-france-reach-those-levels-this-week/https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/26/climate/european-heat-wave-impossible-global-warminghttps://www.cbsnews.com/news/europe-air-conditioning-deadly-heat-waves-more-common/https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/06/europe-air-conditioning/687711/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_conditioninghttps://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jun/25/hospitals-nhs-england-critical-incidents-machines-it-fail-extreme-heat This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe
A wave of antisemitic terror swept across Western Europe this spring — and one man appears to have been behind it all. This week, Yonit and Jonathan hear the full, remarkable story as they sit down with Jason Burke, The Guardian's international security correspondent and terrorism expert. He describes how a single Iraqi-Iranian dual national is accused of leveraging both social media and teenage criminals to orchestrate what looked like a series of scattered attacks but was, in fact, a coordinated proxy campaign. And they discuss the broader questions: has the long arm of Iranian terror been constrained at all by US-Israeli military action? Did October 7th represent a strategic break from Iran's usual playbook — or was it a tactical aberration? And as the 50th anniversary of the raid on Entebbe approaches, was that operation a turning point in the long history of global terrorism - and what can be done now to beat back the menace of terror? 00:00 Introduction to Jason Burke and His Work 02:23 Profile of Mohammed Bakr Saad, Al-Sadi 05:13 Al-Sadi's Operations and Recruitment Methods 07:50 The Arrest of Al-Sadi and His Plans in the US 12:42 Impact of Al-Sadi's Arrest on Terror Operations 15:26 October 7th: An Evolution or Aberration in Terrorism? 19:06 The Role of Qatar in Terror Financing 22:55 Countering Terrorism: Challenges and Strategies 26:05 The Significance of the Entebbe Raid 30:03 Convergence of Leftist and Islamist Terrorism 33:01 The Evolution of Terrorism and Its Future
Can the West still save itself—or is it already too late?In this video, I explain why I believe the greatest long-term threat facing Western democracies is the growing alliance between radical Islamist movements and the progressive Left. From Israel's frontline experience, I argue that protecting a nation's constitutional values, civic culture, and national identity is essential to preserving freedom.I discuss why governments should enforce existing laws against those who incite terrorism or advocate violent overthrow of democratic institutions, and why immigration and citizenship policies should be aligned with a country's constitutional principles and public safety.I also examine historical examples of religious and political change in regions such as the Middle East and ask what lessons they hold for freedom-loving countries today, including Western Europe and the USA. Whether you agree or disagree with my conclusions, these are questions I believe deserve serious discussion rather than dismissal.Israel has spent decades confronting jihadi Islam, whether Sunni or Shiite, including Hamas and Hezbollah. The lessons Israel has learned about national resilience, security, and identity are increasingly relevant to democracies across the West.The future belongs to nations that understand the threats they face, preserve confidence in their identity, uphold democratic values, and protect the freedoms they intend to pass on to future generations.Do you believe the West still has time to change course? Share your thoughts in the comments.
The war in Ukraine is very close to exploding into Europe, including the cities where your kids are taking a semester abroad. No one in the West seems to be paying any attention at all. A warning from Viktor Bout in Moscow. (00:00) The Escalation in Ukraine (15:27) What Is the Motive for a War With Russia? (26:05) Is This a Religious Conflict? Why Are Civilians Sent to the Frontlines? (31:27) Why Does Zelensky Not Want an Election? (50:08) How Many Have Died in This War? Viktor Bout is a Russian entrepreneur and public figure. He was born on January 13, 1967, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, which was then part of the USSR. After serving in the Soviet Army, he trained as a military interpreter specializing in Portuguese. He worked in his field in Mozambique, Southern Africa. Since 1992, he has been engaged in business activities related to intercontinental air transportation. In 2008, he was arrested and extradited to the United States, where he was held until 2022. With the assistance of the Russian diplomatic mission, he was returned to his homeland. He later became involved in public service and was elected as a deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Ulyanovsk Region. He is married and has a daughter. Paid partnerships with: Ethos: Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/TUCKER American Financing: NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.327% for well qualified borrowers. Call 800-685-5696 for details about credit costs and terms. Visit http://www.AmericanFinancing.net/Tucker. Defend: Enter code "Tucker" for 20% off your purchase at https://defendcellcam.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Context of White Supremacy hosts the Counter-Racist Weekly Review 06/27/26. This broadcast examines current events from across the globe to learn what's happening in all areas of people activity. We cultivate Counter-Racist Media Literacy by scrutinizing journalists' word choices and using logic to deconstruct what is reported as "news." We'll use these sessions to hone our use of terms as tools to reveal truth and neutralize Racists/White people. #ANTIBLACKNESS This week, we analyze the global enforcement of state policy, legal degradation, and targeted systemic terror: 1. The Supreme Court Strip of Immigrant Protections: We dissect the high court's decision to strip protections for Haitian and Syrian immigrants. We apply counter-racist logic to look past judicial jargon and reveal the deliberate legal vulnerability manufactured for non-white populations seeking refuge. 2. The Global Enforcement of Biological and Climate Control: We examine the corporate health risks of Roundup alongside the environmental toll of record-breaking heatwaves spanning Western Europe to Los Angeles's East Side. We deconstruct how the system concentrates toxic exposure and environmental degradation inside non-white sectors while corporate networks manage the fallout. 3. Legalized Injustice & State Abuse: We break down the Supreme Court blocking a Rastafari man's right to sue a Louisiana prison, a New Jersey music festival canceled over white supremacy ties, and the local devastation of a California library shooting. We decode the media's framing to reveal how the state shields its agents while suppressing non-white autonomy. #KohenWiley #NoHaitians #TheCOWS17Years Call: 720.716.7300 Code: 564943#
Audio Transcript Everyone, it is so good to be with you all. My name is Zeke Wetstein, and I've been here at Red Village for going on about seven years now. So my wife and I, we weren't married then, but started coming to Red Village in our first years of college at uw. And now Cassie, who's over there, and I are both on staff with InterVarsity at UW Madison, and we work with college students to help them to encounter Jesus and to learn what it means to follow Jesus with their whole lives in college and for the rest of their lives. So we help lots of Bible studies, lots of evangelism to take place on campus, but, like, right now, we're in the thick of summer, so all the college students are home. It's kind of hard to believe that we're already almost through with June. So happy late Father's Day to all the fathers in the room. I actually got to celebrate my first Father's Day last week, so baby Howie is over there now. I have celebrated Father's Day for my father before, don't worry, but it's my first time as a father. It's a joy to get to preach to you all this week and bring you the word. But first, I have a story for you. The Qing Dynasty ruled China beginning in the 1600s. And although it was still an empire by the 1800s, it was a shadow of what it once was. With the massive population growth, increased government corruption, famine, poverty, and many other woes, the once shining empire was beginning to crack. The west helped to further break down that empire. Western Europe wanted tea, silk and porcelain, but China yet had no need for any Western goods. So Britain found themselves pouring silver into China to get the things that they desired, but with nothing being bought from them in return. And any economist you could probably ask will about this too, could tell you that this economic plan is not going to work long term. So the British solution was to grow opium in British controlled India, smuggle it into China, and then have a naturally recurring demand through the opioid addiction that would ensue among the Chinese population. Now the British had a reliable means of regaining their silver in trade. The British would smuggle in opium, get paid, and then use that money to buy tea and silk and porcelain, the things that they wanted. China, however, saw the way that this influx of opium was socially destructive, draining the economy and corrupting their population. However, the Qing Dynasty tried to put a stop to the opium being brought in by the British. The British responded in full force, bringing in their navy to force the Qing Dynasty to sign a treaty putting the British in control of trade and of Hong Kong. Hudson Taylor was born in England in 1832, and although born into a Christian family, it is only when he turned 17 that he came back to faith and decided to follow Jesus with his life. He also felt God's call to go to China as a missionary. However, he wanted not only to bring the Gospel to the people of China, but to serve them as well. So he spent the next few years training to be a doctor. And so it was in 1853 that Hudson Taylor journeyed into China, and we must remember his context. He traveled to a country that received him as a foreigner, someone who was part of this opium crisis, part of the wars brought against them, part of the forced trade deals. He came into China being seen as a Westerner who had only selfish intentions and desired nothing good for China or for her people. He was also walking into a missionary culture that showed very little interest, care, or respect for Chinese culture. But this is how he engaged. For the first six years in China, he, like all the rest of the missionaries, dressed like Western Europeans and stayed only in the coastal cities. It was during this time that he fell into extreme loneliness and hardship. Hudson Taylor continued to use his skills as a doctor to help the people of China, but found his witness to be not bearing much fruit and felt totally isolated by the language and cultural barriers. In his deep loneliness, lack of missional fruit, and social ostracization by the Chinese people, he began to reflect on how he and the other missionaries had been engaging, or rather not engaging, with Chinese culture, and how the inland parts of China, which contained the majority of the population, were almost totally unreached by the Gospel. As he continued to struggle, he also became sick and eventually had to travel back to England in 1859, in the midst of the Second Opium War that was wreaking havoc on China. So we're going to leave our our story of Hudson Taylor and the Qing Dynasty here. For the moment, we're leaving him. He's a passionate follower of God who saw a people in need who were being oppressed by his own people. But his efforts to help them resulted in little fruit and in him being beaten down and worn out. So over the course of this summer, we have been studying the life of Moses. A few weeks ago, Aaron opened our series by showing us the end of Moses life. Aaron helped us to see who Moses would become. Moses as the leader of all of the people of Israel, leading them out of Egypt through the wilderness, helping to deliver God's law to them and bring them to the promised land. Wes then brought us the story of Moses birth. So we backed it up to the beginning. He helped to preach the story of God's hand in Moses early life. How God used faithful women to save Moses and bring him up in Pharaoh's own household. Will then gave us a double header. Preaching on Moses fleeing and then encountering God with the burning bush. So for those of you who are very familiar with the Prince of Egypt, this is all taking place after Moses races through the streets of Egypt on a chariot. As a teenager we didn't cover that passage in our sermon series. So Will helped us to see how Moses murdered an Egyptian in an effort to try and help his people, the Hebrews and then in fear ran away into the wilderness. God then met him through the burning bush, revealed himself to Moses and told Moses that he was chosen by God to be sent to to free the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt. Then two weeks ago we had Rob Fisher Premium Mitch is kind of like Rob Fisher, but with more stories and less ads. And he preached on God's equipping of Moses. He helped us to see every time Moses was nervous or anxious or had a reason he couldn't go, wasn't the guy God helped to prepare him and send him. Then the passage right before this one, which we didn't actually get to cover last week. So chapter four 18 through 31 is all about Moses return and this commissioning by God on Moses. So as we're leading into our passage today, what's going on is God is sending Moses back into Egypt. God is sending Moses to be the person to free his people from slavery and to bring them into the promised land. Right before our passage, Moses speaks to the elders of the people of Israel and shares the words and the signs that God gave to him to prove to his people that I am is bringing his people out of Egypt. And the people, the elders of Israel became excited and were on board with this escape plan. Very excited for what God is going to bring through Moses. So our full ark as we're leading into our passage, Moses birth and redemption. Then we see his fall and his fleeing from Egypt. We see his appointing by God, his equipping by God and then finally his commissioning as he is sent back into Egypt. Alright, so our passage for today is Exodus chapter 5. We'll be going through the entire chapter. You can follow along with me in your Bibles. Exodus 5:1 23. Afterward, Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh. Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness. But Pharaoh said, who is the Lord that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover I will not let Israel go. Then they said, the God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword. But the king of Egypt said to them, moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens. And Pharaoh said, behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens. The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks as in the past. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. But the number of bricks that they made in the past, you shall impose on them. You shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, let us go and offer sacrifices to our God. Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words. So the taskmasters and the foreman of the people went out and said to the people, thus says Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least. So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. The taskmasters were urgent, saying, complete your work, your daily task each day as when there was straw. And the foreman of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday as in the past? Then the four men of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, why do you treat your servants like this? No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, make bricks. And behold, your servants are beaten. But the fault is in your own people. But. But he said, you are idle. You are idle. That is why you say, let us go and sacrifice to the Lord. Go now and work. No straw will be given you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks. The foreman of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, you shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task. Each day they met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them as they came out from Pharaoh. And they said to them, the Lord look on you and judge. Because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants and have put a sword in their hand to kill us. Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me for? Since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people. And you have not delivered your people at all. Please pray with me. Jesus, we thank you for your word. We thank you for this story in the life of Moses. Please help give me words to speak. Please help give us hearts to receive the truth that you have for us in this passage. Jesus, we just pray that you would help us to be transformed by this word and to be encouraged as we are sent into the world from here. Jesus name. Amen. All right, so you can keep your Bibles open and follow along in the text as we work through this story today. So in our first two verses we see Moses and Aaron's first petition and then Pharaoh's response. There isn't much to their petition, but they do begin by proclaiming that it is the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent Moses. This isn't just the desires of men, but the desires of God. And the other main thing to note is Moses doesn't ask. His words, or rather what the Lord sends him to say, are a command to Pharaoh. Moses comes before one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful ruler in the world and demands that he let his slaves go free to worship the one true God. And I think it can be easy to overlook the courage of Moses here. This is great things faithfulness on his part. Pharaoh, however, looks at these two Hebrews and doesn't see or acknowledge that they come with the authority of God to command him. Instead, Pharaoh sees two pathetic men who belong to the race he has oppressed and enslaved. He mocks the Lord, shows none of the respect, honor or obedience due his name, and refuses to agree to the demand of the Lord that Moses brought before him. He treats the command of the Lord given to him as a request that he denies. Then in verse three, we see Moses reiterate their ask, but with a warning. And interestingly, Moses chooses to warn not of the judgment that God promised to bring upon Egypt. If Pharaoh refuses to listen, but warns of God's judgment on the Hebrews. And Pharaoh responds to this in full force. He first reprimands Moses and Aaron for taking the people away from their work. Probably referring to the way that Moses helped to rally the people with the words and signs God gave him. Then he doubles down. Not only does he send them back to their work, which seems to be brick making, but he makes their burden in enslavement worse, requiring them to find their own straw to make bricks, essentially doubling the work while requiring the same amount of output. You shall by no means reduce the number of bricks required in the past. Pharaoh then clarifies himself. He says that the reason that he is making the burden of the Hebrews heavier is because they are idle. Essentially, Pharaoh is saying that his slaves still have enough spirit in them to desire freedom. They still have enough spirit in them to desire to worship the Lord. And Pharaoh wants to crush that remaining spirit with his increased burden. And so what we see in the next few verses is probably exactly what Pharaoh hoped to accomplish among the people of Israel. First, the taskmasters, who are the Egyptian slave drivers, and the foreman, who are the Hebrews set to manage the other Hebrews. They proclaim Pharaoh's degree to the people. I will not give you straw. Go and get your straw yourselves, wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least. And so the people scattered, trying to accomplish their impossible task. Though the taskmasters urged, the Hebrew slaves were unable to complete this impossible task. And so the Israelite foremen were beaten and questioned about their failure. So the foreman then went to complain to Pharaoh. And Pharaoh helped to complete his plot to crush the Israelite hope for freedom. He puts the blame of their increased burden on the request of Moses and Aaron. So it's over the course of these first 19 verses that Pharaoh in his shrewdness has taken the excited and faithful worship filled Israelites who are yearning for freedom. And he makes them turn against the very people who God has used to promise to bring them that freedom. Pharaoh has successfully broken the Israelites and pitted them against Moses. Then in verses 20 and 21, the angry people of Israel confront Moses and Aaron. And in some ways they try to call down God's judgment on Moses for what has happened to the Israelites. They show their anger and most of all they show that they don't think this was part of God's will. They're condemning the actions of Moses and Aaron that they took to try and free the Israelites. And Moses doesn't respond to the complaints of the people against him, or at least not in what we see. But he turns to God and like Adam in the garden, he blames God for everything that has happened. He questions why he has been sent and accuses God for not fulfilling his promises. God why have you done evil to this people? Why did you make their burdens worse? Why did you send me on this stupid quest to do scary things just to make everyone hate me? God, you said you would free your people, but all you've done is make everything worse. If I knew you were just going to make my life and everybody else's life miserable, I never would have come. And that's where our passage ends for this week. It feels like kind of a strange way to end the story, and it's not a very happy ending. In fact, really, we're only looking at a partial story. We get to see the beginning and the conflict, but no real resolution. We begin our passage in a tough spot. We see an enslaved nation, but there's hope. But we're ending with a harshly enslaved nation with crushed spirits, internal turmoil and rejection, and anger towards God. Now, as those of you in the aforementioned group who have watched the Prince of Egypt know, things do turn around and they do eventually get out of Egypt. We will even begin to see this happen next week in Exodus chapter 6, where God responds to Moses statement and questioning of God. But for today, I want to spend some time to look at this partial narrative and see what we can learn from it. It's kind of this question of like, what if? What if this is where the story ended? What if God isn't going to keep his promises and now everything is just worse? So Marvel, the superhero movie making machine, released a show a few years ago called what if? Where they took stories of some of the favorite characters and put a what if twist on them, like what if Black Panther became Star Lord? Or what if basically everybody turned into zombies? It allowed them to explore the impacts of extreme possibilities and decisions on the Marvel Universe. And I think that it's a helpful way for us to examine this story arc in Exodus. Not what if Moses became a zombie? Or what if Moses became Captain Jerusalem? But what if this was the end of the story? What if this was more of how the story of our faith went? Just like how we see pieces of our story from today. In Hudson Taylor's life, we see pieces in another story. 2000 Years ago, Jesus was sent to an oppressed people. He came down to Earth being born in the likeness of men to a virgin name Mary. He was sent to a people oppressed by sin and by death to mankind. And he lived a perfect life. He began his ministry and he preached to the people. The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news. To the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. And the people responded with excitement, or at least many of them did. They followed him by the thousands, watching him perform miracles, cast out demons, heal the sick and crippled. They listened to him teach, and they watched him as he lived out his ministry for three years. But then the unimaginable happened. The tension and the threats against him reached a climax. And one of the men closest to him betrayed him. Another of his closest followers denied him three times. And he was handed over by the leaders of the very religion he claimed to be God of to pagans so they could murder him under false accusations. And so this Jesus of Nazareth was nailed to a cross, the worst, most humiliating form of capital punishment possible. And the accusation hurled against him. That sums up the question being asked by so many. Someone called out against him. He saved others. Let him save himself. If he is the Christ of God, his chosen one, if he really is the Son of God, he will save himself. If God is really at work in this man, if he is the Son of God, he surely won't die like this. But he did. Jesus died on the cross and was buried in the tomb. I'm sure Peter, James and John and the others were asking the same question Moses did in our passage today. Why have you allowed things to go this way? Why did you choose us and ask us to leave everything behind if it's just for things to end up like this? You came and you proclaimed freedom for all people who believe. But now you're dead and no one is free. And so here lies the greatest what if of the Christian faith, probably the greatest what if in all of history. What if that was the end of the story of Jesus? Well, then everything else, everything our lives as Christians are built on, is meaningless. We are wasting our lives following a man who couldn't even save himself. But that's not the case, for Jesus Christ has risen from the dead. He is alive. His plan wasn't to save himself from dying on the cross, but to die on the cross so we all could be saved from our slavery to sin and death. And he proved he had the authority to free us by not staying dead and by rising from the dead three days later. And this is such good news. As Christians, we believe in a God who keeps his promises, who has the power and authority to do everything that he says he will. Our God has Power over every other ruler, nation, spiritual power or false God. He demonstrated that in the story of Moses through the ten plagues he brought against Egypt, bringing about the freedom of Israel. He showed that by bringing them to the promised land. He showed that by David's rule as king, defeating all his enemies. He showed that by bringing the exiles back to Jerusalem in Ezra and Nehemiah. And most of all, he showed that in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. So that leaves us with the question that I hope everyone here who doesn't yet follow Jesus with their whole life will deeply consider. What if all of this is true? What if Jesus really is who he says he is? What if you say yes to following Jesus? Now get back to our passage. So what if Moses let the story end here in Exodus 5? What if he refused to believe that God was a God who fulfilled his promises and has power and authority over even the Pharaoh of Egypt, someone who considered himself to be a son of the gods? Well then Moses would not be the person God would use to set his people free. God would still accomplish his accomplish his plans and purposes how he wills. And if Moses let his story end in Exodus 5:23 where we left off today, his story might be over, but God's story would not have been. Even if Moses doesn't believe God is in control and has power and authority over all things, it is still true. We don't ever need to ask what if God doesn't answer his promises? Or what if God doesn't fulfill his plans and accomplish his purposes? Because we know he will and we know he does. We see that in Jesus and we see that all throughout the Bible. Moses continues to wrestle with this throughout his whole life and leadership. He continues to question God when things go wrong and to doubt. But he also grows in his trust and faithfulness. And every time he stops and asks what if of God, he still continues to choose to follow God. Aaron preached on the end of Moses life a few weeks ago and we know that although there were many bumps along the road, Moses story ended with him walking with God. Despite all the what ifs along along the way, in the end he is counted among the righteous. So let's loop back to our first story. Hudson Taylor we left him in a rough spot. Ministry was hard. Most of the nation of China was unreached by the Gospel. He wasn't accepted by the people of China and is now back in England recovering from severe illness. He probably asked the question, what if I don't go back? What if this is the end of my story. When he was 17, he strongly felt sent by God to the people of China. But now that reality is setting in, the what ifs feel a lot bigger and more tempting to give into. But he didn't. Well, in England, Taylor translated the New Testament into Chinese and founded cim, the China Inland Mission. An organization dedicated to recruiting missionaries to live like locals, travel inland and witness to unreached peoples in China. He then returned and in all the difficulty continued to trust in God. He wasn't trusting that God would make his life great or that he would have a comfortable and healthy life, but trusting that as a Christian he was sent by God to make disciples of all nations and that this is Jesus way of life and it is the best life. Taylor's wife died and he suffered many other hardships. But in each what if moment he pressed into his ministry. CIM continued to grow and reach more and more of the lost in the China. Proclaiming the gospel everywhere and seeing lives be transformed. CIM and Hudson faced much more persecution, the deaths of many missionaries and much opposition. And still the gospel went forth. In each moment of doubt, Hudson Taylor continued to say yes to Jesus invitation to be a witness to the lost. The way Hudson Taylor responded to the what ifs led to thousands of people becoming Christians in China. It led to the unreached peoples of inland China receiving the gospel. It led to missionaries living among the people they were witnessing to and the founding of an organization that completely changed the spiritual climate of China. CIM is now known as omf Overseas Missionary Fellowship and Organization. Organization that still exists today to bring the gospel to unreached peoples in all of East Asia. So what if Hudson Taylor had let his story end in England in 1859? Well, large parts of China would have been unreached with the gospel. God could still have used someone else. But Hudson's meant yes. Hudson saying yes in that what if meant that he got to be the one used by God to accomplish his purposes for that time in China. So it's great that Moses and Taylor were both faithful in their what if moments. But what does that look like for us anytime we find ourselves in a spot considering if some aspect of following Jesus is worth it. We are in a little what if moment and those add up that might be with areas of holiness. Gossiping with others because it's fun, everyone else is doing it. It helps you to engage and fit in with your friends. Really in that moment we're saying what if Jesus call to gossip isn't what's best? Or what if Jesus call to not be drunk or sexually pure or to love those who hate us isn't the best way to live, especially in a place like Madison. It's pretty easy to hate those we disagree with in today's culture. I think one of the ways that I wrestle with this a lot is with money. Cassie and I try to give generously, but it is so easy for me to not think about the money that God has given to us and how it could be used. We have the things that we give to and we put those things first. But I can easily become entitled to the rest of my money and not take a step back to think how I could use it for his kingdom. Instead of make some part of my house nicer or buy something I've been wanting for a while, I need to step back and ask what if God's desire for me to use my money for his kingdom is the better way to live and then decide if I'm actually going to live that out and figure out what that means. In times past when we have done this well, it's meant giving money we saved for a vacation to something better, or giving away cars that would have been nice to have or to sell, or using date money to take a friend we were trying to share Jesus with to a sports game. We still fail at this a lot and I often catch myself not believing that Jesus way is best and wanting to use the rest of my money for me. Another huge one for all of us is with our call to share the gospel. Hudson Taylor took this very seriously. So should we? It's really easy for me to let date nights with my wife or house projects or comfort or just my busyness in general get in the way of this one. What if Jesus didn't really mean for all of us to share the gospel? Or what if it's not going to do anything anyway? None of my friends or neighbors will ever believe they're too far gone. Jesus calls each and every one of us who call ourselves Christians to be ambassadors of his gospel to the people around us, and we need to actually live that out. When we seriously try to live out the full call of a Christian, we will be faced with difficulties and lots of what ifs. If you use your money missionally for God's kingdom, you will have less money to spend on yourself and you might find yourself asking what if this isn't better? If you really are trying to witness to your neighbors and the people around you, you might be in awkward situations. You might get anxious, you'll probably have people dislike you, and you'll definitely have less time to spend doing whatever you want to do. You'll definitely have less time to spend doing whatever you want to do if you're using it to love your neighbour well. And you'll probably ask, what if this isn't the best way to live? That's what Moses asked. Why did you ever send me? What if trying to go to Pharaoh isn't the best thing for your people? What if obeying you and speaking before Pharaoh wasn't a good decision? One thing that I can assure you, God's plan for Israel was far better than for them to remain in slavery. Jesus way is better. God keeps all his promises and as creator of all things, he has designed not only us, but the best way of life. And we should be faithful in those what ifs to follow him, even when we don't understand or experience it in a way that makes sense to us. So Moses was stuck in a what if at the end of our chapter. The Israelites are stuck in a what if at the end of our chapter. And then we'll resolve that next week. But for all of us, I have only one application point as we consider where we might be falling short in our what ifs in not living life fully in the truth that Jesus way of life is the best way and the only good way. So I want you to actually write down this question and in your car, on your way home or after church or at some point later today, I want you to discuss this question with your spouse or a Christian friend. Where am I not trusting that Jesus plan is best? Where am I not trusting that Jesus plan is best? And as you discuss that, I want you to decide like what are those what ifs that you're living in right now? And then decide on something to actually do about it. Over the next few weeks, we will get to see what Moses does. We'll get to see how Moses responds in these what ifs. Let us all as Red Village, trust Jesus and follow him in all of our what ifs Also. Please pray with me, dear Jesus, Heavenly Father, we thank you that you keep all your promises. God, we thank you that you have power and authority over all people, all rulers, all spiritual powers. Jesus, we thank you that we can trust you that you will fulfill all of your promises. We can trust you that your way of life is the best way. Jesus, please help us in our what ifs. Please help us as we're doubting that your way is the best way to press in. Lord, in our conversations, help to reveal the ways that we aren't trusting you and your plan for our lives. Help us to follow you more, to trust you more, and to live our lives more conformed to Jesus. Jesus, please bless these conversations and give us wisdom in how we should live. We thank you for your word and we thank you that we get to gather here this morning. Pray all these things, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, amen. The post Making Bricks Without Straw – Exodus 5: 1-23 appeared first on Red Village Church.
On this episode of The Willie Jackerson Experiment, we travel back over 1,200 years to explore the extraordinary life and legacy of Charlemagne, the King of the Franks who united much of Western Europe and laid the foundation for what would become the Holy Roman Empire. From his relentless military campaigns and Christmas Day coronation in A.D. 800 to the Carolingian Renaissance that helped preserve learning during the Middle Ages, we separate historical fact from legend and examine why Charlemagne is still remembered as the "Father of Europe."Was Charlemagne merely a conqueror, or was he a visionary ruler whose influence shaped European civilization for centuries? Join me as we dive into the battles, politics, religion, and remarkable achievements of one of history's most influential monarchs.
A crucial window has now closed in Venezuela. Aid groups say the first 72 hours are the most critical for finding survivors after a major earthquake. It's now believed Wednesday's twin quakes have killed more than 14-hundred people. Tens of thousands of people are still missing, and search and rescue workers are scrambling to save as many survivors as possible.Also: Temperatures continue to soar dangerously high across Europe. Cities and towns in France, The U.K., Belgium, Germany, and others all saw the mercury hit record highs for this time of the year. And the stifling heatwave that's blanketed Western Europe is now moving eastward.And: For the second weekend in a row, Central Alberta is being drenched with rain. A week ago, record amounts of rainfall, led to some towns and cities declaring states of emergency as waste-water systems became overwhelmed. Now, the rain is back, and the region is on its way to having the wettest June on record.Plus: U.S. - Iran tensions, Xenophobia in South Africa, Debating theatre etiquette, and more.
Werner Rügemer discusses his book "Fatal Friendship: First Phase: From World War I to II." From the book jacket: Rising US capitalism presented itself to the world with freedom, democracy, and prosperity. However, the practices of America First-genocide, labor exploitation, and warlike plunder of foreign property-were merely modernized.The First World War became the first major global business venture, making allies dependent. After the war, US corporations invested in Western Europe. Mussolini was showered with loans. US corporations supplied Franco and equipped the German Wehrmacht for a war against Russia.Support Sublation Mediahttps://patreon.com/dietsoap
A guide to restoring the ancient relationship between farming and magic• Explores how to reconnect with nature and use practical, nature-based magic for gardening and farming, fertility, and abundance• Examines Moon work, plant magic, forest deities, Earth energies, weather magic, the cosmology of ritual, and how to work with land spirits• Discusses folk magic traditions of North America and Western Europe, including the grimoire tradition, Western esotericism, alchemy, Kabbalah, and shamanism as well as Taoist principles and ReikiMagic and farming, in the minds of ancient people, were not separate realms of life, but both were woven inextricably into the way people lived. Through libations, prayers, hymns, dances, sacrifices, and rituals, ancient farmers connected to the sacred forces, the gods, nature spirits, and ancestors to make the crops grow, keep the herds healthy, the weather favorable, and release energies of fertility. These rural farmer priests and priestesses of the ancient past are the spiritual ancestors of today's cunning farmers.This book explores folk magic traditions of North America and Western Europe, including the grimoire tradition and the practices of witches and cunning folk for increased fertility. Todd draws on Western esotericism, Taoist principles, alchemy, Kabbalah, Reiki, and shamanism to show how to use practical, nature-based magic, just like our ancestors, for more abundant gardening and farming. He shows how to work with land spirits, including meeting the place spirit of your land—the genius loci. He also explores working with Earth and Moon energies, plant magic and forest deities, and ritual. Learn how to deepen your connection to elemental and celestial forces and explore the idea of rewilding the imagination to enhance your relationship with nature and the spirits that call it home.This book is not just a guide to farming, but to forging a relationship with the living land. It shows that we are surrounded by spiritual powers and, with their help, we can re-enchant and reconnect with the land that gives us life.Todd Elliott is a farmer, earth worker, Reiki master, Druid, and was certified as an Astrological Magician by Renaissance Astrology. A lifelong student of mythology, religion, spirituality, folklore, and esoterica, he lives, works, writes, and studies on a small ridgetop farm in north central Kentucky, where he and his family ethically raise vegetables, fruits, and livestock.https://substack.com/@thecunningfarmerBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/earth-ancients--2790919/support.
Ukraine has been intensifying attacks across Crimea as it attempts to cut off the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. The authorities have been forced to suspend fuel sales to the public.Also on the programme: hundreds of schools in the UK are closed as temperatures in Western Europe hit new highs; and why sperm whales use different dialects depending on where they swim in the Mediterranean Sea.(Photo: A satellite image shows burning oil storage tanks and smoke rising from the Crimea Bridge amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict Credit: Vantor/Reuters)
Record June temperatures have been recorded in several countries, with highs of 44C. As the continent swelters, workers struggle in the heat.Power failure in Russian occupied Crimea after more overnight drone raids by Ukraine.And prices for Grand Theft Auto 6 have been revealed.
Record June temperatures have been recorded in several countries, with highs of 44C. As the continent swelters, workers struggle in the heat.Power failure in Russian occupied Crimea after more overnight drone raids by Ukraine.And prices for Grand Theft Auto 6 have been revealed.
Western Europe is in the grip of a record-setting heatwave that has killed dozens of people. In Britain, the Met Office issued only the second extreme-heat weather warning in history. The heatwave is also moving into more northerly parts of the continent.
A heatwave across Western Europe has left tens of millions of people coping with record temperatures. France endured its hottest day since records began, with temperatures reaching 44.3C in Pissos, and it's estimated that nearly 100 million people will endure temperatures of over 35 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. Temperatures can feel particularly extreme in cities, where buildings trap heat and where there's often a lack of green spaces. In today's episode, BBC weather presenter Sarah Keith-Lucas explains why we're seeing more heatwaves. We also hear from people around the world about what it's like where they live. And several BBC reporters — Davide Ghiglione in Rome, Pierre-Antoine Denis in Nice, Makuochi Okafor in Lagos and our Chelsea Coates and William Lee Adams in London — explain how people in various cities are addressing rising temperatures.Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Chelsea Coates and William Lee Adams Editor: Verity Wilde
As a record-breaking heatwave continues in western Europe, the United Nations has warned that fossil fuels are driving a climate crisis. France has endured its hottest night in more than eighty years and temperatures are expected to climb above 41C. Spain, Italy, Germany and the UK are also sweltering. Also: the European Union issues single-day visas to a Taliban delegation to attend a migration meeting in Brussels, despite not recognising the government in Afghanistan; the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads to the Gulf for high-stakes talks with Arab allies; a major ransomware attack in Romania forces a hundred hospitals offline; Sri Lanka battles its worst dengue outbreak in years; a new study suggests people may be biologically ageing faster than previous generations, raising questions about a rise in early-onset cancers; and we look at the economic impact of Cape Verde's remarkable run at the mens football World Cup, as the tiny Atlantic island nation enjoys global attention.The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.ukPhoto: People cool off in the Trocadero Fountain next to the Eiffel Tower as temperatures rise during a heatwave affecting a large part of the country, in Paris, France, June 22, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Abdul Saboor
Western Europe is in the midst of a severe heat wave, with the temperature in Paris hovering close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. An estimated 45 people have already died in France as a result, many from drowning while trying to cool off. Also, a look at how Brexit continues to shape British politics a decade later. And, US funding cuts to South Africa could risk an HIV/AIDS rebound. Plus, a new type of shoe that keeps your feet cool and comfortable.Time is running out and we need your help to reach our goal before our 2:1 match ends! Give now. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Schools have closed in France. A nuclear power plant near Toulouse has been forced to switch off a reactor. Nuclear power plants cannot operate correctly without enough water of the right temperature to cool down reactors. When these temperatures climb too high, the reactors need to be shut down to avoid environmental damage caused by hot water being discharged into local water courses. Also on the programme: the newly discovered manuscript containing composition lessons by Mozart; and the continuing woes of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington DC.(Photo: Young people cool off in the Fontaine de l'Observatoire fountain as temperatures rise in Paris Credit: Reuters/Abdul Saboor)
Architectural Integrity in the Age of Algorithmic Code: Software Engineering and QA Governance with Konstantin KlyaginIn a recent episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur Podcast, host Josh Elledge sat down with Konstantin Klyagin, the Founder of Redwerk, to deconstruct the operational liabilities introduced by the rapid adoption of AI-assisted coding tools. Konstantin, a veteran software architect with more than two decades of global technology experience spanning Ukraine, Western Europe, and the United States, shares a critical perspective on why speed should never be mistaken for stability in software delivery. This conversation provides an essential, engineering-focused blueprint for mid-market founders, enterprise product owners, and technical leaders who want to leverage advanced software automation while aggressively protecting their products against technical debt, architectural breakdown, and security vulnerabilities.The Code Optimization Paradigm: Mitigating Technical Debt with Rigorous Quality AssuranceThe widespread corporate directive to accelerate release cycles through generative artificial intelligence has inadvertently created an environment where companies routinely exchange long-term structural stability for immediate development speed. Konstantin Klyagin cautions that while algorithmic coding tools are highly effective for rapid prototyping and generating initial Minimum Viable Products (MVPs), they frequently output thousands of lines of bloated, inefficient, and brittle syntax that lacks any context regarding an enterprise's scaling requirements. When product teams deploy this machine-generated code directly into production environments without strict human review, they inherit severe administrative and technical debt that complicates future software updates and compromises system security. True enterprise scalability is achieved not by handing over core development to complete automation, but by enforcing rigid software architecture guardrails and treating artificial intelligence strictly as a baseline productivity assistant overseen by seasoned human engineers.Transitioning an organization out of reactive code patching requires an absolute commitment to formal Quality Assurance (QA) governance rather than treating software testing as a post-development afterthought. Many founders commit the costly mistake of using their own end-user base as the primary line of bug discovery, which introduces significant friction into customer-facing operations and quietly erodes long-term brand equity. Real-world capital optimization demands that software organizations build sophisticated internal or external manual and automated testing pipelines to evaluate edge cases, business logic compliance, and real-time drop-off analytics long before new features hit the market. For instance, rather than accepting automated outputs at face value, professional engineering teams systematically refactor code lines—frequently condensing massive, AI-generated structures into a few dozen clean, optimized scripts—ensuring the application remains stable under high user loads and protects its core margins.Furthermore, maintaining a premium digital footprint in a highly competitive market demands that corporate leaders balance software innovation with deliberate strategic focus and lifestyle resilience. Drawing from his global journey and personal dedication to demanding outdoor sports like kite surfing, Konstantin highlights that clear executive decision-making relies heavily on maintaining cognitive agility outside the office. When a technology enterprise pairs an advanced, multi-model tech stack with a transparent workplace culture and external diagnostic assessments—such as comprehensive, unbiased software audits—it successfully insulates its bottom line against changing algorithmic trends. Ultimately, permanent industry authority belongs to the organizations that treat software engineering as a strict corporate discipline, balancing backend automation loops with definitive human oversight to predictably scale enterprise value.About Konstantin KlyaginKonstantin Klyagin is the Founder of Redwerk and a premier global technology strategist with over 21 years of specialized experience in software architecture and legacy system modernization. Having successfully scaled complex development structures for international government agencies and award-winning enterprise clients, Konstantin now advises mid-market companies on technical execution and product management. He is a passionate advocate for continuous technical education and high-accountability engineering standards within the global developer ecosystem.About RedwerkRedwerk is an elite, full-service software development agency and technical advisory firm specializing in product engineering, legacy maintenance, and professional quality assurance for mid-market businesses. Operating with a dedicated team of over 90 technical professionals, the company bridges the gap between high-level business goals and technical execution across diverse markets. Through structured implementation playbooks and specialized software bug audits, Redwerk enables organizations to eliminate technical debt and predictably scale their digital infrastructure.Links Mentioned in This EpisodeRedwerk Official Website: redwerk.comKonstantin Klyagin on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thekonstKey Episode HighlightsThe AI Bloat Trap: Understanding why over-reliance on generative coding tools introduces thousands of lines of brittle, unoptimized syntax into production environments.The Architecture Ownership Mandate: Why experienced human engineers must guide all core structural and scalability decisions independent of automated recommendations.The Failure of User-Led QA: Transitioning away from using your active client base as bug testers by installing internal manual and automated verification pipelines.Data-Driven Drop-Off Analytics: Utilizing behavioral tracking tools to precisely map user journeys and resolve technical bottlenecks within the application funnel.The Long-Tail Software Audit: Leveraging objective, third-party code reviews to identify hidden operational vulnerabilities and build credibility with investors.ConclusionThe conversation with Konstantin Klyagin reinforces that true software optimization is an intentional discipline built on clean engineering principles rather than automated volume. By standardizing internal corporate tech governance, enforcing rigorous human-in-the-loop quality assurance, and focusing ruthlessly on long-term architectural health, business leaders can transform a volatile software setup into a highly structured, self-sustaining corporate asset.More from The Thoughtful Entrepreneur
The Red Lady of Paviland.Friends, tonight I'm taking you to a place where the land falls away into the sea, where the wind howls across the cliffs of Gower and the waves whisper against ancient stone. Hidden there is a cave that kept its secret for more than 33,000 years.In the latest episode of The Time Between Times, we journey deep into Ice Age Wales to uncover the extraordinary story of the Red Lady of Paviland — one of the oldest ceremonial burials ever discovered in Western Europe.This is a story that has everything I love: mammoths wandering across frozen landscapes, ancient rituals lost to time, archaeological mysteries, and a remarkable discovery that challenged everything people thought they knew about the distant past.Who was the young man buried beneath a blanket of red ochre? Why was he laid to rest with such care? And what can his grave tell us about the beliefs, hopes and dreams of people who lived tens of thousands of years ago?It's a tale of wonder, mystery and deep human connection — a reminder that even across unimaginable stretches of time, the people of the past are never quite as distant as they seem.So pull up a chair by the fire, settle in, and join me as we step beyond history and into deep time itself.I can't wait for you to hear this one. Welcome… to The Time Between Times.www.welshstoryteller.comwww.ko-fi.com/owenstaton- Please buy me a Ko-fiwww.patreon.com/owenstaton7- Become a Patreon
Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz again as a new Middle East ceasefire fractures under fresh violence.An out-of-control wildfire near Lytton, B.C. has triggered urgent evacuation orders and shut down a major stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway.A brutal summer heatwave is gripping Western Europe as temperatures approach historic and deadly highs.Portugal's prime minister is expressing shock over a newly uncovered neo-Nazi terrorist plot targeting his home and over 100 public figures.Lawmakers from across Africa are pledging a coordinated crackdown on L-G-B-T-Q rights following a major "pro-family" summit.
In this fifth episode of The Cunning Farmer, Todd Elliott and I tromp-on through Chapter 5 (Moon Work) of his pivotal book, The Cunning Farmer: Agrarian Magical Practices, Mythology, and Folklore, discussing Lunar magic, Moon phases and Mansions, the worldview necessary to hold this, and how to integrate the Lunar Calendar into your agricultural practices....Learn more about our new podcast: The Language of Irish Mythology Podcast.Join the Unshod Substack (for free) and commune with us! Purchase The Cunning Farmer HERE.Learn more about Daniel's work HERE.The Cunning FarmerA guide to restoring the ancient relationship between farming and magicExplores how to reconnect with nature and use practical, nature-based magic for gardening and farming, fertility, and abundanceExamines Moon work, plant magic, forest deities, Earth energies, weather magic, the cosmology of ritual, and how to work with land spiritsDiscusses folk magic traditions of North America and Western Europe, including the grimoire tradition, Western esotericism, alchemy, Kabbalah, and shamanism as well as Taoist principles and ReikiMagic and farming, in the minds of ancient people, were not separate realms of life, but both were woven inextricably into the way people lived. Through libations, prayers, hymns, dances, sacrifices, and rituals, ancient farmers connected to the sacred forces, the gods, nature spirits, and ancestors to make the crops grow, keep the herds healthy, the weather favorable, and release energies of fertility. These rural farmer priests and priestesses of the ancient past are the spiritual ancestors of today's cunning farmers.This book explores folk magic traditions of North America and Western Europe, including the grimoire tradition and the practices of witches and cunning folk for increased fertility. Todd draws on Western esotericism, Taoist principles, alchemy, Kabbalah, Reiki, and shamanism to show how to use practical, nature-based magic, just like our ancestors, for more abundant gardening and farming. He shows how to work with land spirits, including meeting the place spirit of your land—the genius loci. He also explores working with Earth and Moon energies, plant magic and forest deities, and ritual. Learn how to deepen your connection to elemental and celestial forces and explore the idea of rewilding the imagination to enhance your relationship with nature and the spirits that call it home.
The forced migration into Western Europe and the United States is part of a much broader plan to destabilize and ultimately destroy the Western world. Cultural incompatibility seems to be the ultimate goal, and Don Jeffries has been writing about it for thirty years. From Somalia Learing Center scams in Minneapolis to hospice and homeless fraud in Los Angeles, it is becoming obvious that the American Dream has been hijacked by scammers, grifters, and pedophiles intent on ensuring America doesn't get another 250 years.---Guest: Don Jeffries Substack: I Protest | @djeffrieshttps://donaldjeffries.substack.com/---Macroaggressionswww.Macroaggressions.ioMerch StoreLink Tree Video ChannelsRumble | YouTube | BrighteonActivist PostNewsletter Sign UpAudiobooksHypocrazyThe Octopus of Global ControlSupport Our SponsorsReplace Your Mortgage: www.WipeOutYourMortgageNow.comGround Luxe Grounding MatsC60 Power | Promo Code: MACROChemical Free Body | Promo Code: MACROWise Wolf Gold & SilverLegalShield: www.DontGetPushedAround.comChristian Yordanov's Health ProgramThe Dollar VigilanteNesa's Hemp | Promo Code: MACROAugason Farms
Irenaeus lived at a time when the church was being attacked from the outside by persecution and from the inside by false teaching.In this episode of Kitchen Table Theology, Pastor Jeff and Tiffany look at the life of Irenaeus, one of the early church's most important defenders of the gospel. Connected closely to the apostles through Polycarp, Irenaeus helped preserve apostolic teaching, confront the rise of Gnosticism, and guide the church with both truth and grace.Chapters:01:00 Who Was Irenaeus?Irenaeus was one of the most important Christian leaders of the second century. Closely connected to the apostles through Polycarp, his life is bridge between the New Testament church and the generations that followed.02:00 Asia Minor and the Early ChurchAsia Minor, located in what is now modern-day Turkey, played a major role in early church history03:30 Irenaeus' Connection to the Apostle JohnThe Apostle John taught Polycarp, Polycarp taught Irenaeus, placing Irenaeus only one generation removed from an eyewitness of Jesus Christ.05:00 Irenaeus in LyonAfter studying briefly in Rome, Irenaeus moved to Lyon in Gaul, modern-day France. There, he joined the leadership of a growing Christian congregation in one of the most important cities in Western Europe.07:30 Persecution in LyonWhile Irenaeus was away in Rome, severe persecution broke out against the Christians in Lyon. Nearly 50 believers were martyred, including Blandina, Sanctus, and the elderly bishop Pothinus.11:00 Irenaeus Becomes Bishop of LyonAfter returning from Rome, Irenaeus was chosen to replace Pothinus as bishop of Lyon. For the next 25 years, he shepherded the church, trained leaders, sent missionaries, and strengthened scattered congregations throughout the region.12:30 What Was Gnosticism?Gnosticism was one of the greatest challenges facing the early church. Many Gnostics believed that physical matter was evil, denied that Jesus truly became human, and claimed to possess secret knowledge unavailable to ordinary Christians.16:30 Irenaeus and Against HeresiesIrenaeus' most famous work, Against Heresies, exposed the errors of Gnostic teaching and defended the faith handed down from the apostles. His writings helped explain Christian doctrine clearly and earned him the title “the father of Christian theology.” 18:30 The Quartodeciman ControversyAnother major issue during Irenaeus' lifetime involved the timing of Easter. Rather than allowing a calendar disagreement to divide the church, Irenaeus urged believers to maintain fellowship where the gospel itself was not at stake.22:30 What Irenaeus Teaches Christians TodayStay rooted in apostolic truth, guard the gospel carefully, and pursue unity whenever possible. “Irenaeus fought fiercely for essential doctrines while showing remarkable charity to others in secondary matters.” - Pastor Jeff Cranston
## Title **Memes, Migrants, and Mars: Elon Musk vs. Europe's Totalitarian Speech Laws** --- ## Description In this riveting segment, the hosts break down the collision between global capitalism and European speech crackdowns. The monologue begins with the highly anticipated SpaceX IPO, marveling at Elon Musk's unique financial resilience. Despite years of media predictions claiming he was "finished," public faith in his vision has pushed his net worth higher than ever, showing that investors prioritize his track record over traditional business metrics. However, the conversation quickly shifts to the severe legal threats Musk faces overseas. European nations—specifically the UK and Ireland—are threatening to arrest the tech billionaire for violating their restrictive Online Safety Acts. The controversy stems from Musk's refusal to remove a video of a horrific migrant attack in Ireland, exposing a political climate where criticizing migration policy or sharing government crime statistics online is treated as a criminal offense. The hosts detail a series of shocking escalation tactics from European leadership, including Keir Starmer's push for digital IDs to access the internet and algorithmic surveillance tools designed to scan and save private messages before they are encrypted. The segment concludes with a stark warning: under current free speech crackdowns, the world's most successful businessman would face immediate arrest if he stepped off a plane in Western Europe. --- ## Custom Labels Elon Musk, SpaceX IPO, Free speech, Europe speech laws, Keir Starmer, Digital ID, Online Safety Act, Ireland immigration, Tech censorship, Totalitarianism, Political commentary
At Infosecurity Europe in London, Pete Hannah, VP of Sales for Western Europe at Object First, joins Sean Martin to reframe a question many organizations still get wrong. The issue is not only how to keep ransomware out, but how quickly you can recover once it gets in. With Europe's regulatory landscape tightening, that distinction is becoming the difference between disruption and disaster. What does the UK Cyber Security and Resilience Bill actually demand? According to Pete Hannah, it reads less like a checklist and more like an operational resilience standard. It expects organizations to manage threats, prove they have tested their recovery plans, and treat resilience as a board-level responsibility with real financial penalties. More than ninety percent of the bill already applies in practice, so waiting for it to become law is a risk in itself. Why do backups matter so much? Because more than ninety percent of cyberattacks target them first. Pete Hannah explains that "immutable" has become a marketing word, and the meaningful test is whether anyone still holds the access to destroy protected data. Object First answers that with absolute immutability, independently tested, with zero destructive access for admins or compromised accounts. That protection is purpose-built for Veeam environments through the Ootbi appliance, the resilient bunker that stays standing even when every password is known and every other system is compromised. When recovery is guaranteed, teams stop worrying about whether they will recover and focus instead on how fast. How does a stretched IT team adopt this without adding overhead? Pete Hannah describes deployment as taking the appliance out of the box, racking it, connecting it, and pointing backups at it. For boards and CISOs under budget and resource pressure, simplicity is the selling point. It is easy to manage, easy to prove, and dependable when it matters. The proof is in the field. Pete Hannah shares stories of customers who survived worst-case scenarios because Object First was the only thing left standing, and one who tracked him down simply to say thank you. In an era where AI is accelerating attacks and a single compromised password has bankrupted companies, knowing you can recover is the new definition of good enough. This is a Brand Spotlight. A Brand Spotlight is a ~15 minute conversation designed to explore the guest, their company, and what makes their approach unique. Learn more: https://www.studioc60.com/creation#spotlight GUEST Pete Hannah, VP of Sales, Western Europe, Object First LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterhannah/ RESOURCES Learn more about Object First: https://objectfirst.com Ootbi by Object First (Out-of-the-Box Immutability): https://objectfirst.com Watch: Anthony Cusimano of Object First at RSAC Conference: https://youtu.be/LMWuZ_NH1lA Infosecurity Europe 2026 event coverage: https://www.itspmagazine.com/infosecurity-europe-2026-infosec-london-cybersecurity-event-coverage Are you interested in telling your story? ▶︎ Full Length Brand Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#full ▶︎ Brand Spotlight Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#spotlight ▶︎ Brand Highlight Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#highlight ▶︎ Get your own Brand Briefing at an upcoming event: https://www.studioc60.com/buy-brand-briefings KEYWORDS Pete Hannah, Object First, Ootbi, Sean Martin, brand story, brand marketing, marketing podcast, brand spotlight, immutable backup storage, ransomware recovery, Veeam backup, absolute immutability, Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, cyber resilience, data protection, operational resilience, backup and recovery, Infosecurity Europe 2026 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Savage warns that we are living through a more militant form of Islam today than we have seen in over 150 years. He examines the past to expose how a sect of Islam has emerged that is intolerant and into total subjugation and conquest. What can America learn from the fall of England, France, and Belgium to radical Muslim conquest? He argues that New York City Mayor Mamdani is the tip of the spear to the Muslim Brotherhood and he should not be dismissed as a friendly, benevolent character. Savage still holds onto hope that the more peaceful coalition of Muslims will prevail, but warns that Western Europe may serve as a warning signal to the United States.
Mary welcomes Thomas Littleton to this edition of SUFTT to talk about the descent into compromise over LGBTQ inclusion theology in conservative – yes, conservative – churches. Thomas Littleton is an ordained Southern Baptist minister and evangelist with over 4 1/2 decades on the streets of such places as New Orleans, Atlanta, and New York City (while in New York he worked with David Wilkerson’s Times Square Church, author of The Cross and the Switchblade). He has also done extensive outreach at America’s beaches, university campuses, and foreign fields of Eastern and Western Europe and Central and South America. He has a long history engaging the Arts and LGBT community through heading a Christian Arts based ministry in NW Georgia and worked on the front lines of the AIDS health crisis of the mid 80s and 90s. Littleton knows the origins, methods and goals of the LGBTQ activist movement and the faithful Biblical response for believers anchored in the power of the Gospel by the CROSS and resurrection of Jesus. We talk about his fight for truth over the last dozen years to hold high the standard of the gospel and the truth that can transform any sinner by the power of the Holy Spirit. Stand Up For The Truth Videos: https://rumble.com/user/CTRNOnline & https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgQQSvKiMcglId7oGc5c46A
The UK, Ireland, France, Spain, and Portugal shattered their May heat records last week. Scenes reminiscent of high summer arrived months early, across Western Europe. And like all extreme weather events, there was a human toll. Infrastructure under strain, health services stretched, and lives lost. But as records fell, the political conversation was moving in the other direction. Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair published a lengthy essay calling on the government to halt its net zero acceleration and prioritise cheap energy. Rory Stewart made a similar case on The Rest is Politics, invoking AI data centres and industrial competitiveness. Both are figures from the centre of British politics. Neither is a climate denier. So what's happening? This week, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Christiana Figueres sit with this dissonance. They ask what it means when hopelessness becomes self-sustaining, a cultural condition as much as a feeling. They ask whether grief, properly faced, might be what unlocks action rather than foreclosing it. And they look at the history of transformations that began long before success seemed likely.Is the real crisis not just the climate, but one of agency? And what does it take to act with conviction when outcomes are genuinely uncertain?Learn More:☀️ See Severe Weather Europe's recap of the historic heat dome across Europe
This episode unpacks how the Marshall Plan transformed postwar Western Europe and why security, allied cooperation, and forward thinking were the real keys to its enduring success. To mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. declaration of independence, CFR is dedicating a yearlong series of articles, videos, podcasts, events, and special projects that will reflect on two and a half centuries of U.S. foreign policy. Featuring bipartisan voices and expert contributors, the series explores the evolution of America's role in the world and the strategic challenges that lie ahead. Host: James M. Lindsay, Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR Guest: Benn Steil, Senior Fellow and Director of International Economics, CFR We Discuss: How the British Empire's rapid collapse in early 1947 forced the United States to assume responsibility for Western European security. What George Marshall's six weeks of negotiations in Moscow revealed about Soviet intentions in Germany and Western Europe. How Marshall deliberately crafted the plan's offer to include the Soviet Union while ensuring Soviet leader Joseph Stalin would reject it. How Congress, controlled by Republicans, was persuaded to support a massive foreign aid program from a Democratic administration. Whether the Marshall Plan's $13 billion actually explains Western Europe's economic recovery in the late 1940s. What role NATO played in making the Marshall Plan work, and why the French and British insisted on security guarantees before cooperating. Why security has to precede economic reconstruction—and what Afghanistan and Iraq reveal about ignoring that lesson. What Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.'s 1947 prediction about sustained alliances tells us about the stakes of U.S. foreign policy today. Mentioned on the Episode: The 10 Best and Worst Decisions in U.S. Foreign Policy, Council on Foreign Relations Benn Steil, The Marshall Plan: Dawn of the Cold War George Kennan's Long Telegram, February 22, 1946 “Sinews of Peace (‘Iron Curtain' Speech).” at Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri, March 5, 1946. Harry Truman, “The Truman Doctrine,” Address to Congress, March 12, 1947 George C. Marshall, Commencement Address at Harvard University June 5, 1947 For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President's Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/presidents-inbox/america-at-250-the-marshall-plan Opinions expressed on The President's Inbox are solely those of the host or guests, not of CFR, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.
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