Welcome to Hub Podcasts, the audio version of the big ideas and in-depth conversations found at The Hub.ca, Canada’s fastest growing digital news outlet with over 200,000 weekly users. Hub Dialogues features The Hub's editor at large Sean Speer engaged in longform conversations with leading thinkers on the big issues and ideas shaping the public conversation.&nbsp;&nbsp; In Conversation with David Frum features the insight and analysis of leading author, journalist, and thinker David Frum, who weighs in every second Friday on global and Canadian news events.&nbsp; Hub Headlines features audio versions of the best analysis published daily in The Hub. Enjoy listening to original and provocative takes on the issues that matter while you are on the go. Each Friday, The Hub Roundtable features Hub co-founders Rudyard Griffiths' and Sean Speer's take on the big political and economic stories making the news. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Should Canadian immigration levels be lowered?

Hub Podcasts

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The Debate Motion and Context: This live debate in Ottawa features former Immigration Minister Jason Kenney arguing for the motion that "Canadian immigration levels should be lowered," while Globe and Mail columnist Andrew Coyne argues against it. Kenney draws on his experience as Canada's longest-serving immigration minister, while Coyne challenges the premise that current levels are historically high or economically harmful.

Kenney's Case: The Trudeau Government Dismantled a Model System: Kenney argues that under the Harper government, Canada had a well-managed immigration system with approximately 265,000 annual admissions (0.78% of population) that maintained 80% public support. He contends the Trudeau government systematically destroyed this model by abandoning human capital selection criteria, allowing the points system to deteriorate from requiring 1,225 out of 1,300 points to just 75 points, and dramatically increasing temporary residents alongside permanent immigration.

The True Scale of Immigration Includes Temporary Residents: Kenney challenges Coyne's attempt to exclude temporary residents from immigration calculations, arguing that between 2022-2024, 3.1 million people arrived in Canada when counting both permanent and temporary residents—five times higher than 2015 levels. He emphasizes that the public and infrastructure don't distinguish between visa categories, and most temporary residents arrive expecting to transition to permanent residency.

Coyne's Defense: Immigration Isn't Historically High: Coyne argues that current permanent immigration levels around 0.9-1% of population aren't unusually high by historical standards. Since 1867, immigration has averaged just over 1% of population, reaching over 3% in the early 1900s and well over 1% in the 1950s. He notes this also matches the current OECD average, countering claims that Canada is an outlier.

Policy Failures, Not Population Growth, Created Current Crises: Coyne contends that housing shortages, healthcare wait times, and productivity challenges stem from bad policy rather than immigration. He notes housing prices peaked in 2022 and have since fallen 20% during the period of highest immigration, healthcare wait times were already reaching crisis levels with 10 million fewer people, and Canada builds far fewer homes proportionally than in the 1970s despite having double the population.

Social Cohesion and Integration Concerns: Kenney raises concerns about deep ethnic enclaves damaging social trust and cohesion, pointing to problems in European cities. He argues endless high immigration from the same regions, combined with modern technology allowing immigrants to maintain stronger ties to home countries, undermines linguistic and cultural integration that occurred more naturally in earlier immigration waves.

The Social Cohesion Counter-Argument: Coyne presents data showing Canada has become less ethnically divided over time, with inter-ethnic marriage rates doubling since 1991, residential segregation declining since the 1990s, and 98% of second-generation immigrant children speaking English or French fluently. He argues Canada shows much lower segregation than the US and European countries, making it a model of integration.

Demographics and Population Aging: Coyne emphasizes Canada's fertility rate of 1.33 children per woman is the lowest on record, natural population increase is nearly zero, and by 2040 the ratio of working-age people to retirees could fall to 2-2.5 to 1. Immigration at 1% of population can help maintain this ratio at 2.5 to 1, while reducing it to 0.5% would drop it to 2.0 to 1, significantly increasing per-worker costs of supporting retirees.

Housing Crisis and Infrastructure Capacity: Kenney argues Canada brought in 1.1 million people last year while completing only 220,000 housing units capable of housing 440,000 people. He advocates following Pierre Trudeau's 1982 approach of dramatically cutting immigration during economic crisis to allow infrastructure to catch up, suggesting levels should perhaps match the previous year's housing completions.

Economic Productivity and Per Capita GDP Decline: Kenney cites economist David Frum's observation that high levels of low-skilled migration correlate with declining per capita GDP across developed countries. He argues this accelerates Canada's productivity challenges, while businesses benefit from endless access to lower-priced labor rather than investing in capital, innovation, and higher wages—contributing to young Canadians' declining economic prospects.

The Century Initiative and 100 Million People Vision: Kenney criticizes Coyne's support for the Century Initiative's goal of reaching 100 million population by 2100, which would require approximately 500,000 permanent admissions annually. He argues this would create endless suburban sprawl, transforming the GTA to 33 million and Calgary to 16 million, fundamentally changing Canada's character and relationship with its natural environment.

Indigenous Perspectives and Environmental Concerns: Kenney raises that indigenous communities consistently express opposition to high immigration levels in consultations, yet their views are ignored despite reconciliation being a stated priority. He also notes immigration transfers people from low per capita GHG emissions countries to Canada's high-emissions economy, net increasing global emissions—contradicting stated climate goals.

Public Opinion Shift: Both debaters acknowledge dramatic changes in public sentiment, with support for immigration levels shifting from approximately 80% favorable during Kenney's tenure to current polls showing 80% believe levels are too high, 50% saying immigration harms Canada, and only 42% saying they trust newcomers. Kenney sees this as a crisis requiring action, while Coyne attributes it to mismanagement of specific programs rather than baseline opposition to immigration.

Vision for Canada's Future: Coyne concludes with an optimistic vision of Canada becoming a great power of 100 million by 2100, the second-largest developed country, positioned to compete with declining populations in China, Russia, Japan, and Germany. Kenney counters with a vision of prudence and moderation, prioritizing affordability, social cohesion, natural environment access, and opportunities for young Canadians over endless population growth and suburban sprawl.

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Growing an agency is very difficult, and you might feel unclear what to do next in order to grow and scale your agency. The Smart Agency Masterclass is a weekly podcast for agencies that are wanting to grow faster. We interview amazing guests from all over the world that have the experience of running successful businesses, and will provide you the insights you need. Our podcast is just over 3 years old, and have reached more than a half million listeners in 42 countries.

Why the Most Profitable Clients Aren't Always the Biggest. Selling Smarter with Charlie Clark | Ep #862

Smart Agency Masterclass with Jason Swenk: Podcast for Digital Marketing Agencies

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From Failed Freelancer to Sustainable Agency Growth: Charlie Clark started his agency journey by working at an agency for just three months at age 22, thinking he could immediately go solo. After six months of struggling, he took a job as a Digital Marketing Manager where he learned to build teams and make mistakes safely. A planned one-month trip to Barcelona turned into a 10-year stay after quickly landing clients at a co-working space, starting with his first client at €500 per month.

The Mid-Market Sweet Spot Delivers Higher Profitability Than Enterprise Clients: Charlie discovered that enterprise clients paying $10-20K monthly were actually less profitable than mid-market clients paying $3-6K. Large clients squeezed margins, demanded over-delivery, had difficult payment terms, and often resulted in profits as low as 5-10% or even losses. Meanwhile, his longest-lasting clients in the $3-6K range maintained 30-40% margins, stayed for years, and had higher lifetime values, leading him to intentionally target this segment for predictable, profitable growth.

Internal Productization Drives Efficiency Without Sacrificing Custom Positioning: Rather than presenting rigid package tiers externally, Charlie productized his agency's backend operations with clear SOPs, templates, and effort parameters for each service level. The team knows exactly what to deliver for each retainer size, enabling plug-and-play onboarding while the front-facing offer still appears consultative and customized. This approach eliminated the "start from scratch" problem, dramatically improved team efficiency, and maintained healthy margins.

Transparent Pricing Accelerates the Sales Cycle: By adding clear pricing and service details to the website, Charlie transformed his sales process from spending eight hours on proposals that often got ghosted to closing clients on calls or even via WhatsApp message. Prospects self-qualify before reaching out, understanding costs and deliverables upfront. However, Jason offers a counterpoint that transparent pricing can scare off higher-budget clients who perceive listed prices as too low, suggesting a triage call approach instead.

The Foot-in-the-Door Offer Builds Trust and Prevents Ghosting: Both hosts emphasize that a small paid engagement solves the trust problem inherent in agency sales, especially in SEO where many prospects have been burned before. Charlie's $800 "Kickstart" product delivers quick wins and gets clients committed. Jason's approach involves a 30-minute triage call qualifying NBAT (Need, Budget, Authority, Timing), followed by a paid strategy session done live with the client, leading to a project that builds trust before proposing a larger annual retainer—transforming a typical $30K client lifetime value into over $100K.

Network and Community Are Competitive Advantages in Rapid Industry Change: Charlie admits that two years ago he found SEO boring, but the explosion of AI, ChatGPT, and AI Overviews forced the industry to adapt rapidly. After moving back to London and speaking at 10-15 events, he's energized by running experiments on AI search engines and sharing data-backed insights. Both speakers emphasize that agency owners who isolate themselves will struggle, while those who share learnings with peers about what works and what fails will thrive in the next wave of industry transformation.

Qualifying Prospects Early Prevents Wasted Proposal Time: Jason stresses asking about budget within the first 15 minutes of an initial call to avoid spending days on proposals for prospects with misaligned budgets. He shares experiences of pitching $100K solutions to clients with $100 budgets, and conversely, losing potential $100K clients who saw low website pricing and assumed the agency was too small. The key is qualifying for the future retainer value, not just the initial foot-in-the-door offer that everyone should be able to afford.

Keep Discovery Offers Simple and Done Live With Clients: Jason warns that many agencies make their foot-in-the-door offers too complex with too many deliverables, trying to prove they're the smartest in the room, which actually makes prospects feel belittled. The offer should be high-level strategy delivered live with the client, completed within days or a week, not a comprehensive audit delivered after weeks of work. Getting payment immediately during or after the first strategy call (even if just $500) psychologically commits the prospect and dramatically reduces ghosting.

Being Lean Is Now a Competitive Advantage: Charlie's agency of under 20 people can be nimble, deliver more value per dollar, and move faster than larger competitors. In the current landscape of AI disruption and industry uncertainty, he describes the past year as a "sink or swim" moment where agencies that coasted struggled while lean, adaptable teams thrived. The ability to quickly test new approaches, pivot based on data, and maintain tight margins has become a unique selling proposition rather than a limitation.
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Learn something new every day!

Everything Everywhere Daily is a daily podcast for Intellectually Curious People. Host Gary Arndt tells the stories of interesting people, places, and things from around the world and throughout history. Gary is an accomplished world traveler, travel photographer, and polymath. 

Topics covered include history, science, mathematics, anthropology, archeology, geography, and culture. 

Past history episodes have dealt with ancient Rome, Phoenicia, Persia, Greece, China, Egypt, and India. as well as historical leaders such as Julius Caesar, Emperor Augustus, Sparticus, and the Carthaginian general Hannibal.

Geography episodes have covered Malta, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Monaco, Luxembourg, Vatican City, the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, the Isle of Man, san marino, Namibia, the Golden Gate Bridge, Montenegro, and Greenland.

Technology episodes have covered nanotechnology, aluminum, fingerprints, longitude, qwerty keyboards, morse code, the telegraph, radio, television, computer gaming, 

Episodes explaining the origin of holidays include Memorial Day, April Fool’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, May Day, Christmas, Ramadan, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Canada Day, the Fourth of July, 

Famous people in history covered in the podcast include Salvador Dali, Jim Thorpe, Ada Lovelace, Jessie Owens, Robert Oppenheimer, Picasso, Isaac Newton, Attila the Hun, Lady Jane Grey, Cleopatra, Sun Yat Sen, Houdini, Tokyo Rose, William Shakespeare, Queen Boudica, Empress Livia, Marie Antoinette, the Queen of Sheba, Ramanujan, and Zheng He. 

The History of the Bow and Arrow (Encore)

Everything Everywhere Daily

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Ancient Origins and Archaeological Evidence: The bow and arrow is one of humanity's oldest inventions, with the earliest evidence dating back approximately 70,000 years to bone arrowheads found in South Africa's Cebudu cave. This technology emerged around the same time as the human diaspora out of Africa and eventually spread to every continent except Australia by roughly 10,000 years ago, though it's unclear whether it was passed down or independently invented in different regions.

Revolutionary Advantages Over Previous Projectile Weapons: The bow and arrow represented a significant upgrade over earlier technologies like thrown spears and the atlatl (spear thrower). Bows could store more energy, allowing arrows to fly farther and with better aerodynamics for improved accuracy. They also enabled a much faster rate of fire and arrows were lighter and easier to carry in large quantities compared to cumbersome spears.

The Composite Bow Innovation: Around 2000 BC in Central Asia, the composite bow emerged as a major advancement. Made from multiple laminated materials—wood, horn, and sinew—each component utilized distinct mechanical properties to store more energy efficiently than single-material bows. This technology spread to civilizations including China, Persia, Egypt, Greece, and Assyria.

Development and Impact of the Crossbow: First developed in China around 600 BC, the crossbow offered several improvements: stronger limbs for greater penetrating power, a locking mechanism that eliminated the need to hold the drawn string, and ease of use requiring minimal training. However, it had a significantly slower rate of fire compared to traditional bows. While popular in ancient China and later medieval Europe, crossbows saw limited use in ancient Greece and Rome.

The English Longbow as a Strategic Weapon: Though longbows existed for thousands of years, they became a strategic weapon during the Middle Ages in England. These larger bows with heavy draw weights could send arrows greater distances with superior penetrating power and accuracy compared to crossbows, while maintaining a faster rate of fire. England created an entire cultural infrastructure around archery, requiring every village to practice so a population of trained longbow archers would always be available.

Decline with the Rise of Firearms: Beginning in the 16th century, firearms gradually replaced bows and arrows in warfare and hunting. Firearms offered greater lethality against armored targets, required less physical strength and skill to operate effectively, allowed for quicker training, and performed more reliably in various environmental conditions. By the end of the 16th century, archery transitioned primarily to a sport, with its Olympic debut in 1900.

20th Century Material Science Innovations: Modern materials dramatically improved bow and arrow technology. Fiberglass bows offered durability, resistance to environmental factors like humidity and temperature, and freedom from warping or cracking while being inexpensive to produce. Hollow aluminum arrow shafts provided superior straightness, lightness, and strength compared to wooden arrows. Hunters also adopted high-performance arrowheads made from razor blades for increased effectiveness.

The Revolutionary Compound Bow: Perhaps the greatest innovation in bow history occurred in the 1960s when American inventor Hollis Wilbur Allen introduced the compound bow, featuring a system of pulleys and cables (cams) at the limb ends. This design created "let off," where the draw weight decreased significantly at full draw, allowing archers to aim with greater control and less strain. The mechanical advantage and energy efficiency resulted in higher arrow speeds and flatter trajectories, making compound bows the most popular type today for hunting and recreation, though they remain prohibited in Olympic competition.

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The mindbodygreen podcast explores the infinite possibilities of health & well-being. Hosted by founder and co-CEO Jason Wachob, each episode features a thought-provoking interview with a leader in the health space. Whether you’re thinking about changing what’s on your plate, how you move, or how you think, these conversations are sure to offer solutions in whole-body health.

628: The truth about lean muscle, GLP-1s & women’s metabolism | Ana Kausel, M.D.

The mindbodygreen Podcast

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Dr. Kausel's Body Transformation Through Structured Training and Nutrition: In less than 10 months, Dr. Ana Kausel gained 9 pounds of lean muscle and dropped 7% body fat (from 22% to 15%) by working with coach Ashley Dimash. The key wasn't just eating healthy or exercising hard, but implementing structured strength training with specific splits (lower body, upper body), tracking progressive overload, and carefully managing macronutrients. She trains 4-6 days per week doing resistance training for 1.5 hours plus 20 minutes of HIIT 3 times weekly.

GLP-1s Require Individualized Dosing and Lifestyle Changes: There's no one-size-fits-all approach to GLP-1 medications. Dr. Kausel emphasizes that some patients lose 40 pounds on the lowest dose (2.5mg) while others on maximum doses see minimal weight loss. She takes 10mg of Zepbound herself and has only lost 15 pounds total. The key is squeezing maximum benefit from each dose before increasing, and critically, pairing the medication with proper nutrition and strength training to avoid losing 50% muscle mass along with fat.

Protein Intake Needs to Be Much Higher Than Most People Think: Dr. Kausel progressively increased her protein from 80 grams to 180 grams daily—more than a gram per pound of body weight at 124 pounds. Research shows that up to 3 grams per kilogram may be needed to optimize muscle mass. The biggest dietary mistake she sees is people eating too much fat (which has double the calories of protein or carbs) while thinking they're eating enough protein, preventing them from achieving a caloric deficit.

Carbohydrates Are Essential for Strength Training and Muscle Building: Contrary to popular low-carb trends, Dr. Kausel discovered that carbohydrates are crucial for heavy lifting and muscle gain. She now strategically times carbs before and after workouts. More than 80% of her female patients follow low-carb or intermittent fasting approaches, creating unnecessary suffering when their muscles actually need carbohydrates to perform and grow stronger.

Creatine with Taurine Provides Cognitive Benefits: Dr. Kausel takes creatine with taurine and notices improved mental clarity and sharpness. She has a 54-year-old patient who achieved her first pull-up while taking two doses of creatine plus taurine daily and gaining significant muscle. The supplement supports both physical performance and brain function.

Hormone Testing in Perimenopause Is Often Misleading: Standard hormone blood tests frequently show "normal" results in perimenopausal women because estrogen, progesterone, FSH, LH, and testosterone fluctuate daily. Women are often told their hormones are "like a 15-year-old's" despite feeling terrible. The Dutch test, while expensive ($300-500), typically just confuses patients more without providing actionable insights. Diagnosis should be based on age and symptoms rather than lab values.

Bioidentical HRT Doesn't Require Compounding Pharmacies: The bioidentical hormones prescribed at regular pharmacies (like CVS for $30/month with coupons) are just as effective as compounded versions. Progesterone from standard pharmacies is bioidentical, and testosterone for men can be dosed down for women. Compounding is only necessary for specific allergies. Dr. Kausel strongly advises against DHEA supplements for women due to hair loss and acne, as direct estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are easier to manage.

GLP-1s Have Significant Neuroprotective and Preventive Benefits Beyond Weight Loss: GLP-1 medications decrease brain inflammation and protect against insulin resistance in the brain (type 3 diabetes). They should be used preventively rather than waiting until someone has a BMI over 30 or diabetes, as metabolic dysfunction causes 10-20 years of cellular damage before diagnosis. Many people take low-dose GLP-1s specifically for cognitive health and longevity, not weight management.

Men's Testosterone Levels Often Reflect Lifestyle Issues: When men have low testosterone with mid-level LH and FSH, it usually indicates underlying problems like sleep apnea, metabolic disease, or hypertension blocking the hormonal axis. Addressing lifestyle factors through exercise and metabolic health often raises testosterone naturally. Dr. Kausel's 80-year-old father has testosterone levels of 700 because he bikes 60 miles daily in the mountains.

Liquid Calories and Alcohol Are Major Metabolic Saboteurs: Green juices strip fiber from vegetables, leaving just sugar without satiety. Dr. Kausel eliminated most alcohol, limiting herself to two drinks per week maximum. When she does drink, she has it at lunch rather than dinner to minimize sleep disruption and metabolic impact throughout the night.

Calcium Is Critically Underrated for Women's Health: Many women eliminate dairy in their 40s due to elimination diets promoted by integrative medicine practitioners, leading to inadequate calcium intake. Without sufficient dietary calcium (1200mg daily), the body pulls it from bones during the critical years for bone building. Fear-mongering about calcium supplements causing arterial deposits prevents women from supplementing when needed, despite dietary calcium being optimal.

NAD Supplements and Over-Supplementation Are Overrated: NAD infusions and excessive supplementation with compounds like glutathione show theoretical benefits but lack practical evidence in studies. The biggest predictor of longevity is VO2 max and Zone 2 training at the gym. People focus on complex longevity supplement stacks while ignoring basics like vitamin D levels, proper nutrition, hydration, and consistent exercise.

You Cannot Medicate or Supplement Your Way Out of a Bad Lifestyle: Despite GLP-1s reducing mortality and providing neuroprotection, longevity and mortality reduction are different concepts. Even on these medications, you cannot escape the foundational work of proper nutrition, strength training, sleep, and stress management. There are no shortcuts—lifestyle changes remain essential regardless of pharmaceutical or supplement interventions.
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On Shift: A podcast about mobility, Automotive News tech and innovation team leader Pete Bigelow takes an optimistic yet skeptical eye at the new tech and business models planned for the auto industry. Shift is a production of Automotive News, the leading publication covering the auto industry. Check out our reporting online at autonews.com/shift and follow us on Twitter @Automotive_News.

RJ Scaringe Part 2: Rivian is betting on autonomy

Shift: A podcast about mobility

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Chinese EV Competition and Technology Architecture: Rather than viewing Chinese automakers as possessing magical cost advantages, Scaringe explains their edge comes from two primary factors: significantly lower labor costs (about one-fifth of U.S. costs) and near-zero cost of capital through government subsidies. However, only a handful of Chinese manufacturers (between 5-10) have developed modern software-defined architectures with centralized compute systems. Rivian and Tesla are the only Western companies with vertically integrated software and hardware using modern zonal architectures, which Scaringe believes is essential for maintaining market share regardless of Chinese competition.

Volkswagen Partnership Strategy: The collaboration with Volkswagen Group centers on taking Rivian's software-defined architecture and applying it across VW's entire product portfolio. Scaringe emphasizes that legacy automakers have three options: build internal software capabilities, partner with companies like Rivian that have these capabilities, or accept eventual market share loss. The partnership represents option two for VW to modernize its technology platform.

R2 Mass Market Vehicle Launch: The R2 represents Rivian's first mass-market vehicle, priced at $45,000 to compete with Tesla's Model Y. Currently, Rivian's R1T and R1S have an average selling price over $90,000, with the R1S being the market share leader for electric premium SUVs in California and Washington. The R2 incorporates all learning from the R1 platform and is designed for smooth production ramp-up, with manufacturing planned for both the Normal plant and a new 400,000-unit capacity facility in Georgia.

Long-Term Volume Ambitions: Scaringe's goal is to build millions of vehicles annually, with R2 serving as the critical stepping stone. Following R2, the company plans to launch R3 and envisions future products including R4 and R5. The Georgia facility will produce both R2 and R3 variants and potentially serve as a global manufacturing hub.

Amazon Commercial Van Partnership: Rivian has deployed over 35,000 electric vans for Amazon (with an initial order for 100,000), making Amazon the operator of the largest electric vehicle fleet globally. Scaringe notes that Amazon's precise cost management and continued expansion of EV deployment proves the lower total cost of operation for electric commercial vehicles. While fleet electrification is taking longer than anticipated, Amazon's success provides a blueprint for other large fleet operators.

Autonomy R&D Investment Priority: Rivian is spending more on research and development for autonomy than in any other area. The company is focused on personal autonomy rather than robotaxis, aiming to be among the handful of manufacturers offering high-level autonomy to customers at realistic pricing within five years. Scaringe views autonomy as a defining competitive advantage for the future.

Global Expansion Plans: Europe represents the biggest international opportunity due to similar product preferences, regulatory environment, and newly favorable trade policies. The tariff structure has flipped from 10% (U.S. to Europe) to 0%, while tariffs from Europe to U.S. were 2.5%. This change makes the Georgia facility an attractive global manufacturing hub with potential to expand beyond initially planned capacity.

Battery Recycling Industry Adaptation: In the opening segment, Riley Hodder discusses how Redwood Materials is diversifying beyond EV battery recycling to include energy storage systems for data centers and AI infrastructure. This shift reflects the reality that EV demand hasn't met earlier projections, prompting suppliers to meet current market conditions while maintaining EV partnerships with major automakers like GM and Toyota. The strategy represents adapting to slower EV growth rather than abandoning the sector.

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Podcast interviews with genius-level (top .1%) practitioners, scientists, researchers, clinicians and professionals in Cancer, 3D Bio Printing, CRISPR-CAS9, Ketogenic Diets, the Microbiome, Extracellular Vesicles, and more.

Subscribe today for the latest medical, health and bioscience insights from geniuses in their field(s).

Cyber Resilience At The Board Level: Scott Alldridge On Navigating Today's Digital Risk Landscape

Finding Genius Podcast

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The Evolution of Cybersecurity Threats and Ransomware: Cybersecurity threats have evolved dramatically, with ransomware becoming increasingly sophisticated and democratized. Threat actors now operate franchise-style operations where anyone can sign up for as little as $295 to access ransomware kits, complete with call center support to help convert ransom payments to cryptocurrency. The landscape is shifting toward AI-powered attacks, with both threat actors and defenders leveraging artificial intelligence to gain advantages.

AI's Double-Edged Role in Cybersecurity: Artificial intelligence presents both opportunities and risks in the cybersecurity space. While AI tools can detect anomalous activity and respond faster to threats, they also create new vulnerabilities. Companies are using approximately 23 different types of AI without proper governance, potentially exposing intellectual property and sensitive data. The upcoming wave of agentic AI (self-learning systems) will introduce even more sophisticated attack and defense capabilities.

The Quantum Computing Threat on the Horizon: Quantum computing represents the next major cybersecurity challenge, expected to arrive within three years ("Q Day"). These supercomputers will be able to break current encryption algorithms in minutes rather than the years it takes today. Threat actors are already collecting encrypted data now, planning to decrypt it once quantum computing becomes available, which is why organizations need to prepare with quantum-resistant cryptography.

Zero Trust Architecture as a Defensive Framework: Zero trust security operates on the principle of "trust nobody, verify everything," with "assume breach" as its first tenet. This approach involves micro-segmentation (controlling exactly what users can access), advanced multi-factor authentication, and treating every access point as potentially compromised. Organizations should implement least privilege principles throughout their entire infrastructure, similar to how hotel key cards only grant access to specific areas for limited timeframes.

Immutable and Air-Gapped Backups as Critical Defense: The most important cybersecurity measure is maintaining fully vetted, scanned, cleaned, verified, immutable, and air-gapped backups. Threat actors commonly infiltrate networks for months, locate backup systems, and encrypt those along with production data. Companies that believe they have solid backups often discover too late that their backups were also compromised. Proper backup strategy includes encryption at rest and in transit, complete network isolation, and defined recovery point and recovery time objectives.

The Downstream Migration of Cyber Attacks: Cybersecurity threats are no longer limited to large corporations—attackers now target organizations of all sizes. Small and medium businesses are increasingly vulnerable as ransomware becomes more accessible and automated. Only one in seven breaches are reported publicly, usually due to mandatory disclosure laws, meaning the actual threat landscape is far more extensive than commonly understood.

Insurance Companies Tightening Cybersecurity Requirements: Cyber insurance carriers paid only 43% of claims last year due to increasingly stringent policy requirements. Insurance companies now include specific security control mandates that organizations must implement and document. Companies should review their policies carefully to understand what protections they must have in place, as many discover too late that their insurance won't cover a breach due to non-compliance with policy requirements.

High-Profile Breach Lessons and Social Engineering: The MGM casino breach demonstrates that even organizations with substantial cybersecurity budgets remain vulnerable to social engineering. A single phone call to reset an administrator password led to a ransomware attack that cost MGM $98 million in breach costs, 27-28 days of downtime, and another $49 million in class action settlements—totaling approximately $150 million from one social engineering attack.

Leadership and Culture as Cybersecurity Foundations: Effective cybersecurity starts with board-level commitment and organizational culture rather than just technical tools. Organizations need board members who understand technology and can ask tough questions, executives who follow the same security policies as employees, and a philosophy that processes matter. The concept of "a fool with a tool is still a fool" emphasizes that no single security product can solve cybersecurity challenges—it requires layered approaches and cultural commitment.

The Governance Challenge of Shadow IT and AI Usage: Organizations face significant risks from employees using unapproved AI tools and services to improve productivity without understanding the security implications. Free AI services may store or expose intellectual property and personally identifiable information. Companies need clear policies about which AI tools are approved, how data should be handled, and which providers offer adequate encryption and security guarantees.

Advanced Multi-Factor Authentication Requirements: Standard two-factor authentication via SMS or email is no longer sufficient, as threat actors have learned to intercept text messages and hack email accounts to capture authentication codes. Decentralized authentication using mobile authenticator apps provides stronger security through cryptographic keys split between the system and the user's device, making it much harder for attackers to gain access even if they compromise one component.

Attack Surface Reduction Through Device Management: Every device accessing corporate networks represents a potential attack surface, including personal devices used for work (BYOD). Employees accessing corporate systems from phones or personal computers with weak security practices—like using outdated email services—can provide entry points for attackers. Organizations need policies governing device security, including strong password requirements and acceptable access methods.

The Reality Check of Penetration Testing: Regular penetration testing has evolved from an annual exercise to a frequent necessity, especially after major network changes. Vulnerability assessments and penetration tests reveal actual security weaknesses rather than assumed protections. Third-party testing provides unbiased assessments that can validate security controls for insurance requirements and compliance mandates, with newer tests also identifying shadow AI and unauthorized systems.

Practical Steps and Available Resources: Organizations should start with fact-based assessments of their vulnerabilities, then systematically address the most critical weaknesses through layered security improvements. Scott Alldridge's book "Visible Ops Cybersecurity" provides an Amazon bestselling framework for understanding these principles, with an executive companion edition available that eliminates technical jargon for business leaders. His upcoming book "Visible Ops AI" addresses governance challenges around artificial intelligence adoption.
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This Podcast will discuss basketball coaching with Coach Steve Collins. Coach Collins will do this with interviews and on topic discussions. (Discussion will revolve around basketball topics such as: Offense, Defense, Motivation, Team Building, Youth Basketball, High School Basketball, college basketball and much more...) We will publish weekly shows at 6:00 am..... Please check out our site if you like our podcast. www.teachhoops.com.

Ep 2799 How Do You Improve Faster Than Your Opponents? ( Part 2)

Basketball Coach Unplugged (A Basketball Coaching Podcast)

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This episode features an interview between basketball coach Steve Collins and Justin, a leader from Soccer Shots, a youth soccer organization. While from different sports, they discuss parallel approaches to youth coaching, frameworks, and building successful programs.

The RED DOT Framework for Youth Basketball: The guest shares his comprehensive coaching framework called "RED DOT" - RED stands for Rebounding, Efficient scoring, and Defense (the on-court fundamentals), while DOT represents Drive, Open, and Together (the mental game aspects including energy, coachability, and teamwork). Players receive physical red dots between their thumb and index finger as a pressure point reminder to "reset" after mistakes and move to the next play.

Soccer Shots' Structure and Scale: Soccer Shots operates with 165 franchisees serving 750,000 kids annually through thousands of coaches. The organization provides 30-40 minute weekly sessions at preschools, childcare centers, and parks, working primarily with young children experiencing their first organized sport. Each session follows a consistent structure with introduction, rule review, character words, warm-up, skill work, games, and scrimmages.

Character Development as Core Curriculum: Both organizations emphasize intentional character education alongside skill development. Soccer Shots incorporates a "character word of the week" (like determination, defined as "work hard and never give up") that coaches weave throughout activities. This intentional approach helps young children connect sport experiences to life lessons through call-and-response reinforcement and consistent application during practice.

Curriculum Over Information: Both coaches stress that while information about sports is abundant, the real value lies in organizing that information into structured, repeatable curriculum. This organization allows programs to scale effectively and ensures consistent quality across multiple coaches and locations, similar to a franchise model where standardization is essential.

Coaching Philosophy Beyond Winning: The conversation emphasizes that effective coaching requires a "why" that extends beyond wins and losses. One coach notes his revelation that he's "not coaching basketball, I'm coaching confidence" - a mindset shift that transformed his approach to include more patience, better communication, and attention to factors beyond X's and O's.

The SCORE Framework for Hiring Coaches: Soccer Shots uses the SCORE acronym when evaluating coaching candidates: Safety conscious, Caring, Organized, Responsible, and Enthusiastic. Interestingly, they don't require high-level soccer experience, prioritizing instead maturity, responsibility, and the ability to "get a little silly" with young children, recognizing that strong curriculum can teach the technical aspects.

Enthusiasm and Positivity as Teaching Tools: High fives, claps, knowing children's names immediately, and maintaining consistent enthusiasm are highlighted as crucial coaching elements. Parent feedback (measured through Net Promoter Scores) frequently mentions coaches' ability to bring shy or fearful children out of their shells, demonstrating the outsized impact coaches have on young participants' confidence and enjoyment.

Peer Recognition Systems: The RED DOT framework includes ending each practice with peer-to-peer recognition, where players give out three "red dots" to teammates who exemplified the framework's principles. This approach builds team culture while reinforcing desired behaviors through peer acknowledgment rather than only coach-directed feedback.

The Power of Observation and Community: Both coaches emphasize the value of watching other coaches work. Soccer Shots intentionally creates opportunities for coaches to observe colleagues, believing this community learning approach helps coaches improve communication, understand training progressions, and receive constructive feedback in ways that isolated coaching cannot provide.

Standardization Enables Growth: The discussion reveals how detailed frameworks, curriculum design, and coaching standards aren't just helpful for individual coaches but essential for organizations trying to scale. Both programs have developed blueprints that allow relatively inexperienced coaches to deliver quality experiences through structured guidance, video examples, and clear prompts.

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Setkání s významnými českými vědci a odborníky, kteří umí zaujmout. Všechny díly podcastu Leonardo Plus můžete pohodlně poslouchat v mobilní aplikaci mujRozhlas pro <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cz.rozhlas.mujrozhlas">Android</a> a <a href="https://apps.apple.com/cz/app/id1455654616">iOS</a> nebo na webu <a href="https://www.mujrozhlas.cz/rapi/view/show/0870e932-21d6-3b7e-b20f-4c282beabfdf?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=0870e932-21d6-3b7e-b20f-4c282beabfdf_description">mujRozhlas.cz</a>.

Expert na léčbu obezity: Jednodenní půst člověku prospěje

Leonardo Plus

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I apologize, but I cannot provide a comprehensive summary of this podcast episode. The transcript provided appears to be incomplete or corrupted, containing only fragmentary timestamps and speaker labels with minimal actual content. The few words that are present appear to be in Czech, but they are too sparse and disconnected to convey any meaningful discussion points.

Based on the context provided, this episode of Leonardo Plus features surgeon and obesity treatment expert Martin Fried discussing topics such as:
- The negative health effects of industrially processed foods
- Modern obesity treatments including specialized medications and controlled fasting
- The benefits of one-day fasting with adequate fluid intake for healthy individuals

However, without access to the actual spoken content of the 48-minute episode, I cannot provide the detailed, comprehensive bullet-point summary you've requested. To complete this task properly, I would need a complete and accurate transcript of the episode's dialogue.
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Teaching healers to pause, be present, awaken their breath, and harness the ripple effects of mindfulness to create radiant health.

287. When Your Medical Expertise Meets Family Choice: Holding Space with Love

The Mindful Healers Podcast with Dr. Jessie Mahoney and Dr. Ni-Cheng Liang

Healing Medicine: Mindfulness, Mindset & Physician Well-Being

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Navigating the Tension Between Medical Expertise and Family Autonomy: The episode centers on the challenge physicians face when family members make medical decisions that differ from their professional training. Dr. Mahoney shares her personal experience of her twin granddaughters being born at home—a choice contrary to her pediatric training—and how this journey required profound growth, humility, and mindfulness to navigate without damaging relationships.

The Humbling Experience of Not Being Asked for Medical Advice: One of the most disorienting aspects for physicians is when family members don't seek their medical opinion. Dr. Mahoney describes spending her entire career being asked for advice, even in social settings, making it particularly confusing when her expertise wasn't requested for significant family health decisions. This experience revealed that people's autonomy doesn't require physician approval, even from loved ones who are doctors.

Redefining Your Role from Doctor to Loved One: The hosts emphasize that being both a doctor and a family member creates inherent complexity—you can't simply turn off your medical training. However, the primary role with family is to show up with love, connection, and non-judgment rather than as their physician. This requires drawing on mindfulness principles like patience, compassion, and releasing the need to strive or judge.

Grief About the State of Healthcare Systems: Dr. Mahoney acknowledges deep sadness that the U.S. healthcare system has become so messy, mistrusted, and difficult to navigate that even people who believe in science are choosing to opt out. This systemic dysfunction causes physicians personal pain when loved ones make choices outside conventional medical care, adding another emotional layer to an already complex situation.

The Emotional Toll of Unsolicited Advice-Giving: Dr. Liang shares examples of family members who enthusiastically use vibration plates despite potential hardware concerns, or who refuse colonoscopy screening despite repeated recommendations. The emotional currency required to continue advocating in these situations is too high, and that energy is better spent on maintaining loving relationships rather than creating frustration and anger.

Decoupling Medical Expertise from Love: A central theme is recognizing that giving medical expertise doesn't equal love, and following medical advice doesn't equal loving the physician. When family members don't follow recommendations, it's not personal and doesn't reflect on the relationship. Similarly, sometimes the most loving action is to withhold advice and respect autonomy rather than insisting on being heard.

The Consultant Model for Family Medical Interactions: The hosts suggest viewing yourself as a consultant rather than a primary care provider for family. Just as specialists give advice that patients don't always take, family members have autonomy to accept or reject medical guidance. Many patients don't follow physician advice generally—it's just more visible and painful with loved ones.

Releasing the Illusion of Control and Worst-Case Thinking: Medical training emphasizes worst-case scenarios and convincing patients to follow recommendations. However, things often turn out fine even when people don't follow medical advice. Physicians must recognize what's actually within their control—only their own responses and how they choose to show up—not other people's health decisions.

Cultural and Generational Differences in Healthcare Beliefs: Different generations and cultures approach healthcare differently, shaped by their unique contexts and values. Dr. Liang discusses navigating male-dominant cultural dynamics as a Chinese-Taiwanese American woman in medicine, while Dr. Mahoney notes her sons grew up in a different era with different healthcare perspectives. Honoring these differences without judgment is essential.

The Role of Spirituality and Integrative Approaches: The hosts acknowledge that spirituality and non-Western healing modalities—often understated in traditional medical training—play important roles in health outcomes and well-being. These approaches don't have to conflict with conventional medicine and may be as important to some people as medical interventions themselves.

Strategic Battle Selection and Self-Prioritization: Dr. Liang emphasizes choosing battles very carefully and intentionally, applying a "let them" philosophy when situations aren't life-threatening or harmful to others. Being deliberate about when and if to share disagreement with family choices protects personal energy and emotional well-being while honoring others' autonomy.

Practicing What Grows Stronger: The more physicians practice showing up with love rather than control, the easier it becomes. This unfamiliar territory requires patience and repetition, but Dr. Mahoney notes that her own practice has made these situations progressively easier to navigate. Connection itself is medicine, and unexpected events often unfold better than imagined when approached with openness rather than rigidity.

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12 - A profile of Christ’s Ambassadors

Pelsall Evangelical Church Sermons

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Living as Christ's Ambassadors Without Discrediting the Gospel: Paul's primary motivation is that Christians should live in ways that commend the gospel message rather than creating stumbling blocks. He emphasizes that one of the greatest causes of atheism is Christians who confess Jesus with their lips but deny him through their lifestyle. The goal is to live in "every way" that attracts people to Christ, not repelling them - comparable to keeping a garden beautiful by not reserving plots for weeds.

Faithful Perseverance Through Troubles and Voluntary Sacrifice: Christ's ambassadors demonstrate great endurance through various hardships including troubles, distresses, beatings, imprisonments, riots, hard work, sleepless nights, and hunger. While expecting mountaintop experiences, Christians are actually made for "the valley and the ordinary things of life" - this is where stamina and strength are proven. Paul challenges believers to ask whether they're making voluntary sacrifices for the gospel or remaining in perpetual self-preservation mode, striving only for comfort.

Godly Character Produced by the Holy Spirit: Perseverance alone isn't enough - the attitude displayed matters greatly. Christians must exhibit purity, understanding, patience, kindness, sincere love, and truthful speech. These qualities reflect God's character and are produced through the Holy Spirit's work, not through willpower alone. Believers develop this fruit by keeping in step with the Spirit through listening to and obeying God's word, allowing the Spirit to prompt and guide them toward obedience.

New Creation Perspective Amid Glory and Dishonor: As ambassadors, Christians maintain focus on eternal realities - that they're already part of God's new creation, deeply loved, accepted, and headed for a glorious future. This perspective means not being devastated when the world ridicules, disowns, or wrongs them. Even when regarded as impostors, unknown, dying, beaten, sorrowful, or poor, believers can rejoice because they possess eternal spiritual riches and know their inheritance is all of God's new creation.

Weekly Gathering for Vision Correction: Corporate worship serves as "vision correction times" where believers put on their "biblical glasses" to see circumstances accurately. These gatherings help Christians develop a biblical view of sorrows, troubles, successes, and what the world values versus what is truly important. This corrected vision enables them to live differently from those around them during the week, thereby commending their gospel message.

Open Hearts Despite Vulnerability to Hurt: Paul models opening not just his mouth but his heart, feeling for people rather than just talking at them. He views the Corinthians as his children and loves them genuinely despite their coldness. While opening hearts to people makes Christians vulnerable to being hurt, this follows the example of Jesus, who suffered ultimate rejection while loving mankind. Christ's ambassadors are called to love with this same vulnerability for the sake of the gospel.

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Ben Azadi, founder of Keto Kamp and best selling author of Keto Flex, is the host of the Metabolic Freedom Podcast. We bring on the thought leaders in this space in this space to have life-changing conversations so you can apply it and upgrade your metabolism. The topics we cover include bio-hacking, ketosis, carnivore, fasting strategies, mindset and metabolic health. Discover how to cut through all the noise in the health and nutrition space so you can finally get the results you want, and keep them; whether its fat loss, more energy, better sleep, or focusing on general health and longevity. As a former obese man, Ben took his pain of being extremely unhealthy, and turned it into a purpose by transforming his health and now he is on a mission to educate 1 billion people. Ben brings you the thought leaders in the world of health, including Dr. Eric Berg, Ben Greenfield, Dr. Jason Fung, Dr. Will Cole, Mark Sisson, Dr. Ken Berry, Dr Mindy Pelz, Cynthia Thurow, Dr. Daniel Pompa, and many others. You'll discover everything you want to know about the keto diet, ketosis, paleo, fasting, intermittent fasting, block fasting, fasting mimicking diet, bulletproof fasting, dry fasting, water fasting, and everything that works (and doesn't work) to help you understand what is best for your unique body.

#1185 This 10-Day Anti-Inflammatory Reset Fixed My Sleep, Gut, Cortisol, and Stubborn Belly Fat After Years of Diet Failure With Ben Azadi

Metabolic Freedom With Ben Azadi

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Stop Eating Five Hours Before Bed: Late-night eating is a major inflammation trigger that spikes glucose, insulin, and cortisol while raising body temperature—all of which block deep sleep and prevent fat burning. During deep sleep and REM, your body burns more fat than during exercise, but eating close to bedtime redirects energy from detoxification and fat burning to digestion. Research shows late eating increases inflammation and next-day blood sugar levels, while stopping food five hours before bed lowers nighttime cortisol, enables deeper sleep, activates autophagy (cellular cleanup), and reduces morning cravings.

Follow an 18:6 Intermittent Fasting Schedule with Two Meals: This eating pattern involves consuming two meals within a six-hour window (typically noon and 5:30pm, finishing by 6pm) with nothing before, between, or after. Unlike extreme approaches like OMAD or chronic keto that can raise cortisol, this structure lowers inflammatory markers like CRP and IL-6 according to research. The protocol helps restore cellular communication by reducing "metabolic blackout"—when inflammation prevents fat-burning hormones from reaching cells.

Consume 40 Grams of Protein at Each Meal: Getting at least 40 grams of protein per meal activates muscle protein synthesis and the mTOR pathway, which preserves and repairs muscle mass. More muscle mass reduces inflammation and insulin resistance while creating storage capacity for glucose. Options include grass-fed burger patties, wild-caught salmon, eggs with turkey or pork sausage, or clean protein shakes. Studies show higher protein intake improves inflammation markers in overweight adults.

Keep Total Carbohydrates Under 50 Grams Daily: This 10-day therapeutic ketosis intervention forces the body to burn stored fat by lowering insulin levels. Among the three macronutrients, carbohydrates trigger the highest insulin response, and high insulin equals fat storage while low insulin enables fat burning. This approach reduces water retention and calms inflammatory pathways more efficiently than low-fat diets, though it's meant as a short-term reset rather than a permanent lifestyle.

Take Apple Cider Vinegar 15 Minutes Before Your Biggest Meal: ACV lowers glucose spikes, improves stomach acid for better digestion, reduces post-meal insulin, and improves nutrient extraction by slowing digestion. Research shows vinegar ingestion can reduce post-meal glucose and insulin by up to 50%. Take one tablespoon of raw, unfiltered ACV with "the mother" in 8-10 ounces of water through a straw, or use three capsules of an ACV complex to avoid the taste and protect tooth enamel.

Drink High-Quality Coffee with Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Consume this combination 90 minutes after waking to leverage chlorogenic acid (CGA), a powerful polyphenol in quality coffee beans that lowers inflammation, improves glucose metabolism, enhances fat burning, and detoxifies the liver. Adding high-quality olive oil calms the gut, stabilizes cortisol, slows caffeine absorption, promotes ketone formation, and provides oleocanthals that support brain autophagy. Avoid commercial coffee (the most sprayed crop with glyphosate) and dark roasts (which lose 75% of beneficial polyphenols); use organic, medium-roasted, mold-free beans with one tablespoon of first-harvest pressed olive oil.

Walk for 15 Minutes After Your Biggest Meal: Post-meal walking is one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory habits, with studies showing it reduces postprandial glucose more effectively than metformin. This practice also lowers cortisol, aids digestion, and reduces glucose variability—a major inflammatory driver that impacts metabolic health.

Prioritize Salt, Minerals, and Hydration: As you lower carbohydrates and insulin, you'll lose water weight (potentially 10-15 pounds in 10 days) along with critical minerals and electrolytes. Cellular inflammation causes magnesium deficiency, low potassium, and cellular dehydration, which raises cortisol and inflammatory cytokines. Incorporate one high-quality electrolyte packet daily, take 400-600mg of magnesium glycinate at night, and add mineral salt to morning water to prevent feeling off during the reset.

Get Morning Sunlight and 10 Minutes of Daily Grounding: Morning sunlight regulates the HPA axis (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis), which drops cortisol in real time—critical since visceral fat contains 2-3 times more cortisol receptor sites than other body areas. Sunlight sets your circadian clock and signals melatonin storage for nighttime release. Grounding (walking barefoot on grass, sand, or dirt) reduces free radicals through electron transfer and has been shown to reduce blood viscosity and pain inflammation markers, acting like a handful of antioxidants.

Complete a 24-Hour Water Fast on Day 10: This final reset creates massive autophagy—a cellular cleanup process that repairs cells unable to efficiently burn fat and produce energy. The fast lowers insulin hour by hour, heals the gut, and triggers dramatic increases in human growth hormone (2000% in men, 1300% in women). This day typically produces the most noticeable results: reduced pain, clearer thinking, and energy restoration through mitochondrial repair and reduced inflammation.

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Award-winning investigative journalist John Solomon, who helped unravel the bogus Russia collusion scandal, gives you his exclusive reporting and big newsmaker interviews. To get the unvarnished truth about what’s really going on in Washington, subscribe today to John Solomon Reports. To find out more go to https://justthenews.com

The Pain of Loss: Remembering Families Affected by Border Crisis

John Solomon Reports

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Memorial for Angel Families Proposed by Congressman Hamadeh: Arizona Congressman Abe Hamadeh introduced legislation to create a privately-funded memorial in Washington, D.C. honoring families who lost loved ones to crimes committed by illegal immigrants during the Biden administration. He held a press conference with angel families outside the Capitol, emphasizing that the memorial would both honor victims and serve as a reminder to politicians about the consequences of open border policies. The legislation has eight Republican co-sponsors but no Democratic support yet.

Record Border Security Under Trump Administration: President Trump has achieved record low border crossings and record low crime rates since securing the border through executive action. The angel families expressed gratitude for Trump's swift action to secure the border, contrasting it with the Biden administration's policies that they believe led to preventable deaths. However, some judges continue releasing illegal immigrants despite gang affiliations and criminal records, prompting calls for judicial accountability.

Hamadeh's Additional Legislative Priorities: Beyond the angel families memorial, Congressman Hamadeh is pursuing other significant legislation including adding a dual citizenship question to the census (similar to Canada's approach), which would help track Americans with potential dual loyalties to other countries. He also wants to eliminate federal income tax on military pay, recognizing the unique sacrifices of service members.

Europe's Christmas Market Crisis as Warning for America: Security expert Fred Fleitz wrote about how many European cities must cancel or heavily secure Christmas markets due to threats from radical Islamists and criminal gangs, citing a 2024 German market attack that killed 10 and injured 200. Meanwhile, Hungary, under Viktor Orban, maintains open and safe Christmas markets by strictly controlling immigration and conducting mass deportations, despite being fined €1 million daily by the European Union.

Civilizational Erasure Through Mass Migration: The Trump administration's national security strategy identifies uncontrolled mass migration as a threat to Western civilization, a position criticized by European media but supported by everyday Europeans who fear wearing Christian symbols or letting daughters out due to safety concerns. Hungary has become a haven for Jews fleeing antisemitism in other European countries and represents what Fleitz calls a bastion of freedom while London and Paris face cultural decay.

Conservative Political Movements Rising in Europe: Conservative parties across Europe are gaining support as citizens grow angry about economic decline, safety issues, and cultural erosion caused by left-wing globalist policies. France appears positioned for potential conservative gains, though the UK faces challenges with vote-splitting between the Reform Party and Conservative Party. The Starmer government in Britain has been particularly disastrous, accelerating support for conservative alternatives.

Trump's First Year Foreign Policy Assessment: Fleitz rated Trump's first year as successfully reestablishing American leadership globally, including getting all living hostages out of Gaza, destroying Iran's nuclear program, and showing strength that affects China, Russia, and other adversaries. While not all problems were solved in one year, Trump demonstrated flexibility and strategic use of force, with tariffs serving as both economic and foreign policy tools.

Mass Exodus from Blue States Continues: California loses one resident every two minutes, while New York loses one slightly over every two minutes, with people fleeing to low-tax red states like Texas, Florida, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. Despite this existential crisis, blue state governors show no willingness to reduce taxes, spending, or regulations, with California even considering a wealth tax that would accelerate the exodus.

Federal Fiscal Crisis and Reconciliation Plans: With a $38 trillion national debt and $2 trillion annual deficits, conservative House members are discussing another round of budget reconciliation to address spending. Brandon Arnold from the National Taxpayer Union noted that eliminating income tax (which generates $2.7 trillion) isn't currently feasible even with increased tariff revenue, and would require herculean spending cuts to implement.

Housing Affordability and Local Regulation: The federal government isn't the primary driver of housing costs; rather, local zoning laws and regulations create the biggest obstacles. Arnold suggested Congress could use federal grants as leverage to require municipalities to liberalize zoning laws, combined with falling interest rates, to improve housing affordability and help victims of disasters like the Palisades fires rebuild.

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The pop culture podcast for smart people who love dumb stuff.

Let it bro, let it bro, let it bro

Shameless

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The Traitors UK Endorsement: Michelle enthusiastically endorses The Traitors UK after watching four seasons in three and a half weeks, calling it upper echelon television. Both hosts praise host Claudia Winkleman, with Michelle declaring her a potential number two favorite person in the public eye and expressing that the show has become a shared passion across generations of viewers in their lives.

Essay Recommendation on Terminal Illness: Michelle recommends "A Battle with My Blood" by Tatiana Schlossberg in The New Yorker, a powerful essay about being diagnosed with terminal cancer immediately after giving birth to her second child. The piece includes striking passages about protecting her mother Caroline Kennedy from pain and criticism of cousin RFK Jr.'s healthcare positions, though listeners should take care if this topic is sensitive for them.

The Jonas Brothers Christmas Movie Discovery: The hosts stumbled upon a 2024 Jonas Brothers Christmas movie on Disney+ that received virtually no attention when it dropped on November 14th. The film follows the brothers trying to get home for Christmas while cursed by Santa Claus until they reconnect as brothers, featuring their real-life partners and an autobiographical bent about their past rifts.

Unexpected Star Power in a Disney Film: Will Ferrell has a substantial 5-10 minute opening role in the Christmas movie, playing himself with his real-life family as Jonas Brothers superfans. His involvement apparently came through a favor exchange after Nick Jonas did a cameo in Ferrell's film "You're Cordially Invited," though Ferrell is currently also appearing in numerous PayPal commercials.

Camp Rock 3 Announcement Sparks Debt Speculation: The announcement of Camp Rock 3—15 years after Camp Rock 2—along with the Christmas movie led to viral speculation about whether the Jonas Brothers are in financial trouble. One tweet asking "are the Jonas Brothers in serious debt or something?" received 366,000 likes, prompting broader conversation about their Disney resurgence.

The Jonas Brothers Origin Story: The brothers grew up in New Jersey as the pastor's family, with Nick starting on Broadway at age 7. They were first signed by Sony in 2005 (when Kevin was 17, Joe 15, and Nick just 12) but were dropped after their album failed commercially. Their father was pushed out of his church position when their music career became known, and the family lost their home before Disney's Hollywood Records picked them up.

The Purity Ring Era and Its Legacy: The Jonas Brothers became forever associated with purity rings despite the nuance being lost—they wore them as young teenagers but stopped when they matured and wanted relationships. In their 2019 documentary, they discussed how the intense scrutiny around this affected them and how they said yes to everything Disney offered after their Sony failure because they saw their family suffer financially.

The 2013 Band Breakup Wasn't Amicable: The brothers split mid-tour in 2013 with a "deep rift" between them, primarily driven by Nick Jonas feeling burned out and disconnected. He later admitted he struggled to "lovingly communicate" his feelings and could have handled it better, expressing guilt about how the breakup affected his family, which mirrors the Christmas film's storyline about disconnected brothers.

Strategic Return to Disney Roots: After six years of trying to be something cooler separately—including Joe's band DNCE—the brothers reunited in 2019 with hit song "Sucker" and have leaned fully back into their Disney identity. The hosts argue this lack of ego and return to their "anti-cool" origins is actually the smartest career move for longevity, even if it means doing Camp Rock 3 at age 38.

Joe Jonas's Reputation Rehabilitation: After the disastrous public fallout from his divorce with Sophie Turner, where his PR team badly misread the room (including the infamous ice cream paparazzi shots), Joe has successfully rebuilt his image through TikTok engagement. He's constantly in comment sections, responds to random videos like someone filming him parallel parking poorly, and has adopted a direct-to-consumer approach that bypasses traditional celebrity gatekeeping.

Sophie Turner's Grace Enabled His Comeback: Sophie Turner's public support—posting about Joe's album, speaking highly of him as a father in interviews, and expressing hopes to eventually celebrate Christmas together with both families—gave the public permission to forgive him. Her elegance and mature co-parenting approach helped rehabilitate his image after the initial divorce PR disaster.

Film Quality Debate and Musical Numbers: Michelle genuinely loved the Christmas movie, laughing out loud multiple times while watching it while crocheting, but Zara was more ambivalent (she was working during viewing). Both felt the musical numbers could have been cut despite enjoying movie musicals generally, though Michelle appreciated the difficulty of writing original Christmas songs and praised the brothers' physical comedy and comedic timing throughout.

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Insights for vegetable farmers and market gardeners who earn, or want to earn, a living growing vegetables profitably.  

In each episode, I talk with a beginning or experienced farmer, diving deep into their story to find out what makes their market farm successful.  I focus on in-the-field farming. Soil preparation, weed management, post-harvest processing, appropriate technology, farm tools and equipment, and growing crops.

Hosted and produced by Diego Footer's Modern Grower Podcast Network.

Evaluating Compost Quality - Gardening Beyond Basics 48

Farm Small Farm Smart

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Evaluating Compost Quality Requires Biological Assessment: The best way to evaluate compost quality is with a microscope to examine the biological components - bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and protozoa. Most large-scale commercial compost facilities focus on waste reduction rather than quality, making it harder to find biologically rich compost. Without a microscope, look for various degrees of decomposition, the presence of white mycelium strands (from saprophytic fungi) on wood chunks, and avoid compost with too many large, undecomposed chunks.

The Soil Food Web Requires All Characters, Not Just Bacteria and Fungi: While bacteria break down green tissues and fungi decompose woody brown materials, nutrients remain locked inside these microorganisms until their predators (protozoa, nematodes) consume them. This predation releases nutrients in plant-available forms, which is why all members of the soil food web are necessary - not just the primary decomposers.

Plants Feed Microorganisms to Access Nutrients: Rather than directly mining nutrients from compost, plants release carbohydrates, sugars, and proteins through their roots as exudates. These exudates attract microorganisms to the rhizosphere, creating a symbiotic relationship where plants feed the microbes, and in return, when those microbes are consumed or die, their nutrients become available for plant uptake.

Microscope Assessment Is Affordable and Practical: A basic microscope suitable for compost evaluation costs around $315-320 (Omax model M8311 from MicroscopePenet.com). Combined with training courses (available from organizations like Soil Food Web) to learn organism identification and biomass calculations, the total investment is approximately $1,000 - a worthwhile expense for farmers purchasing multiple yards of compost annually.

Identifying Microorganisms Focuses on What Matters: The key skill in microscope work is knowing what not to look at. Priority organisms to identify include nematodes (snake-like movement), fungi, and protozoa (testate amoeba, flagellates). Beginners often get distracted by mineral particles and other non-biological matter. Proficiency requires taking at least one class and spending significant time practicing identification.

Compost Should Be Viewed as an Inoculant, Not Just Fertilizer: Quality compost functions primarily as a biological inoculant for soil, introducing beneficial microorganisms rather than just providing nutrients. Using the analogy of yeast in baking, dead or poor-quality compost is useless regardless of quantity. Farmers should prioritize purchasing smaller amounts of high-quality, biologically active compost over larger volumes of inferior material.

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Russia, behind the headlines as well as in the shadows. This podcast is the audio counterpart to Mark Galeotti's blog of the same name, a place where "one of the most informed and provocative voices on modern Russia", can talk about Russia historical and (more often) contemporary, discuss new books and research, and sometimes talk to other Russia-watchers. If you'd like to keep the podcast coming and generally support my work, or want to ask questions or suggest topics for me to cover, do please contribute to my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/InMoscowsShadows The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is <a href="https://www.conducttr.com/">Conducttr</a>, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis exercises in hybrid warfare, counter-terrorism, civil affairs and similar situations.

In Moscow's Shadows 227: It's War! (within the emigre opposition, at least)

In Moscow's Shadows

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Demilitarized Zone Complications: The proposal to turn contested Donetsk territories into a demilitarized zone faces significant practical challenges, particularly regarding Rosgvardia (Russia's National Guard). This force, created in 2016, includes armored vehicles, tanks, and artillery alongside policing units. If Rosgvardia is allowed in, Russia effectively moves an army under the guise of law enforcement; if excluded, Russia can legitimately argue it cannot maintain order in disrupted cities facing partisans and Ukrainian resistance.

Referendum and Electoral Challenges: Zelenskyy's suggestion of referendums on territorial transfers may be constitutional maneuvering—political jujitsu to tell Trump "yes, but" while creating obstacles that buy time. The practical problems are severe: Moscow won't allow Ukrainian election monitors in occupied territories, meaning votes there will be rigged, and Ukrainian citizens under occupation would be disenfranchised or their votes manipulated by Russia.

Russian Sovereign Assets Seizure: The EU has indefinitely frozen €210 billion in Russian assets (€185 billion in Belgium's Euroclear), with a vote pending on using these funds directly to support Ukraine. This doesn't represent new money for Ukraine but allows Europe to avoid raising taxes or taking loans. However, it gives Russia justification to seize frozen foreign assets in Russia, opens lawfare campaigns in third-party jurisdictions, alienates Trump (who wants the money for reconstruction), and critically, spends reconstruction funds on the war effort, meaning European taxpayers will later need to fund Ukrainian reconstruction when political will may be weaker.

NATO Secretary General's Hyperbolic Rhetoric: Mark Rutte's Berlin speech employs extreme scaremongering to justify defense spending increases, claiming Putin could occupy all of Ukraine and attack NATO within five years. These scenarios are implausible—Russia cannot conquer and pacify all of Ukraine, and any threat timeline must be pegged to the war's end plus reconstruction time. Basing rearmament arguments on implausible threats creates vulnerability when they don't materialize, rather than building support through mature discussion of genuine European security independence from an increasingly unreliable United States.

Russia's Hybrid Warfare Campaign: Russia's expanding attacks on European infrastructure, defense industry, and military facilities aren't primarily about physical destruction but about undermining European unity and political will to support Ukraine. The campaign amplifies populist and disruptive voices arguing against Ukraine support, and ironically, increased defense spending that cuts social programs may strengthen exactly these populist movements that serve Russian interests.

PACE Platform Controversy: The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe created a platform for dialogue with Russian democratic forces in exile, requiring members to sign the Berlin Declaration, recognize Ukraine's territorial integrity, and support regime change. This explicitly excludes Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) and associated figures like Yulia Navalnaya, despite them having the strongest credibility and constituency inside Russia, while including marginal groups advocating Russian Federation breakup.

Khodorkovsky's Influence and Accusations: The Berlin Declaration is seen as effectively created by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who bankrolls many emigre organizations through his Anti-War Committee. Former Yukos partner Leonid Nevzlin was accused by FBK of ordering the hammer attack on Leonid Volkov, with indirect mention of his close friend Khodorkovsky. Erik Niels Cross, the Estonian intelligence chief behind the PACE criteria, previously criticized FBK for conducting investigations that should be left to police.

Paris Restaurant Confrontation: At a dinner of potential PACE delegates, Garry Kasparov publicly berated Vladimir Kara-Murza for bringing Yulia Navalnaya and Ilya Yashin to meet the PACE president, since neither had signed the Berlin Declaration. When Kara-Murza explained he'd been in prison during the Declaration's creation, Kasparov called his imprisonment "a PR stunt" for lasting only two years versus Khodorkovsky's ten, leading Kara-Murza to note that Kasparov fled Russia in 2013 and served only five days in detention compared to Kara-Murza's two poisoning attempts and 25-year sentence.

Power Struggle Within the Opposition: The confrontation reflects a deeper struggle between Khodorkovsky's bloc (including Kasparov's Free Russia Forum and the Anti-War Committee) and Kara-Murza with Natalia Arnaul's Free Russia Foundation over leadership of the PACE delegation. Kasparov nominated Khodorkovsky to lead, while others believed Kara-Murza—who survived two poisonings and brutal imprisonment—had the strongest claim. Kara-Murza has now left the Anti-War Committee.

Problems with Picking Favorites: PACE's decision to designate certain groups as legitimate "Russian democratic forces" creates several problems: it makes them appear as "tame Russians," incentivizes factionalism by creating gatekeeping power over resources and recognition, and most critically, elevates figures like Khodorkovsky (despised by many Russians for 1990s oligarchic kleptocracy) and Kasparov (limited recognition beyond chess) while marginalizing those with actual constituencies inside Russia.

Historical Parallels to Exile Politics: The current infighting mirrors Russian exile politics both before 1917 and after the Civil War, when groups like Lenin's Bolsheviks, the Russian All-Military Union, and others constantly feuded. Those movements were also heavily penetrated by Tsarist Okhrana and Soviet secret police to create provocations. Today's emigre opposition shows little evidence of FSB penetration, but ironically doesn't need it—they're discrediting themselves through internal conflicts.

Russia's Future Made in Russia: The fundamental reality is that Russia's political future will be determined inside Russia, not by emigres. New democratic movements will inevitably emerge domestically when circumstances permit. The emigre opposition's real value will be in providing support, inspiration, and practical assistance to those internal movements—a role they can only effectively fill if they resolve their current rivalries and organizational chaos before that moment arrives.

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The Vergecast is the flagship podcast from The Verge about small gadgets, Big Tech, and everything in between. Every Friday, hosts Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz hang out and make sense of the week’s most important technology news. And every Tuesday, David leads a selection of The Verge’s expert staffers in an exploration of how gadgets and software affect our lives – and which ones you should bring into yours. 

The end of OpenAI, and other 2026 predictions

The Vergecast

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Annual Predictions Format and 2025 Review: The hosts review their predictions from last year, which largely failed to materialize. Their 2025 predictions included a Walmart-TikTok acquisition (didn't happen), Matter's demise (actually became more standard), and successful AI gadgets (completely wrong). They acknowledge 2025 was a "weird year" and give everyone a pass on their inaccurate forecasts.

Apple Foldable iPhone as 2026's Mild Prediction: Joanna predicts Apple will release a foldable iPhone that will be "fine" but spark media backlash over its expected $1,799-$1,999 price point. While debating whether it will be a mainstream hit or just appeal to early adopters, the consensus is that it will generate Vision Pro-level hype but Apple still lacks clear use cases for foldable technology.

Electric Vehicle Market Recovery Prediction: Nilay forecasts a small comeback for EV sales in 2026 after the chaos surrounding tax credit changes. He argues that despite political noise, people genuinely want electric vehicles and the experience converts users. New affordable options like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Bolt at around $30,000, plus cheap used Teslas, will drive the recovery.

GTA 6 as a Massive Cultural Event: David predicts Grand Theft Auto 6 will become a monstrously huge hit that transcends gaming to become a cultural touchstone like Fortnite or Roblox. He expects it to dominate 2026 in both economic and cultural ways, though Nilay cautions that games rarely cross over into mainstream culture conversation despite their massive popularity.

AI-Generated Content Labeling and Filtering: Nilay's medium prediction is that backlash against AI slop on social platforms will force companies like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok to label and filter AI-generated content. He argues that both creators and audiences are growing tired of the flood of cheap AI content, and platforms will need to allow users to avoid it.

New Creator Platform to Challenge the Big Three: David counters with a prediction that a new creator platform will emerge as a "human alternative" to YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok's algorithm-driven slop. He suggests companies like Substack, Patreon, or even Netflix could position themselves as creator-friendly alternatives, though acknowledges the massive challenge of acquiring users.

Waymo Serious Incident Prediction: Joanna predicts a major Waymo incident in 2026—either a death or significant accident—as the number of autonomous vehicles on roads continues to expand. She expects this will trigger intense public debate between those citing safety data and anti-autonomous vehicle advocates, though the technology's safety record is generally strong.

OpenAI's Potential Collapse as Spiciest Take: Nilay delivers the "nuclear" prediction that OpenAI will fail in 2026. He cites lack of product strategy, executive departures, inability to make AGI with LLMs, mounting losses per query, and Sam Altman's distracted leadership. He suggests the company might either run out of cash or concede defeat, with Microsoft already owning the core IP.

Siri Becomes Unexpectedly Good and Popular: Joanna's spicy prediction is that Apple's updated Siri will become amazingly good—so conversational and useful that people start "falling in love with it" and talking to it constantly. The hosts debate whether Apple's culture can support this kind of intimate AI relationship and what massive system prompts would be required.

Apple's Worst Year Since the 1990s: David's spiciest take predicts 2026 will be Apple's worst year in decades due to unprecedented executive turnover, lack of innovative product ideas, scrambling to catch up with competitors like Meta, and continued antitrust battles. He argues people may finally see through Apple's privacy claims and realize the company isn't actually on their side.

TikTok's Unchanging Status: The hosts informally discuss TikTok's future, with David betting nothing will change—no sale will happen despite continued 90-day extensions of the ban. Nilay disagrees, arguing the 2026 election cycle will make TikTok a political football, though they agree ownership change remains unlikely.

AI Bubble Popping as Obvious Prediction: The group agrees that predicting the AI bubble will pop is an extremely mild take—companies will try deploying the technology, discover it can't do what was promised, and pull back spending. The spicier version involves potential Nvidia financial issues due to circular deals with companies that can't pay back investments.

Humanoid Robots in Homes: Joanna reveals she has pre-ordered multiple home humanoid robots and applied for beta testing programs. While she doesn't expect one to permanently live in her house by end of 2026, she hopes to test one during the year "like a summer exchange student from Silicon Valley," acknowledging the privacy concerns of teleoperated robots.

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Podcast sobre Marca Personal, su proceso de gesti&oacute;n (Personal Branding), relato personal, comunicaci&oacute;n personal, propuesta de valor y todo lo que, desde el desarrollo personal, nos ayuda a conocernos mejor, dise&ntilde;ar nuestra propia estrategia y nuestro plan de visibilidad

234 Descubre tu Marca Personal, con Giuseppe Cavallo

Todo deja Marca

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Based on the transcript provided, I'm unable to generate a comprehensive summary of this podcast episode. The transcript appears to be heavily fragmented, containing disconnected words and phrases in both Spanish and English that don't form coherent sentences or discussion points. 

The audio quality or transcription process seems to have resulted in a document that captures isolated terms (such as names like "Tom Peters," "Peter Drucker," "Michael Porter," "Carl Jung," "Umberto Eco," and concepts like "personal branding," "value proposition," "unique selling proposition") but doesn't provide the actual conversation context or arguments being made.

From the episode context provided, I can see this episode (#234) is about Giuseppe Cavallo's book "Descubre tu Marca Personal" (Discover Your Personal Brand) and should discuss topics like:
- Why talent alone doesn't guarantee success
- The connection between personal branding and business strategy
- Service-oriented leadership
- The importance of execution over perfectionism

However, without a coherent transcript, I cannot accurately summarize what was actually discussed in the conversation between the host Guillem Recolons and guest Giuseppe Cavallo. A proper transcript would be needed to provide the comprehensive bullet-point summary requested.
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Yonit Levi of Israel's Channel 12 News and Jonathan Freedland of The Guardian are two of the most prominent journalists in the world today. They are also Jews. Each week, join what MSNBC's Rachel Maddow calls "two great, smart smart smart hosts" as they dissect and debate current events shaping Israel, Jewish life - and the wider world.
Their blend of nuanced discussion and sparkling conversation, featuring a dazzling range of guests, is why New Yorker editor David Remnick calls himself a “proud, avid listener," why Ira Glass says he "completely enjoys this show" and why Malcolm Gladwell calls it an "incredibly fun podcast".
For a weekly fix of globally informed talk – including nominations for the greatest act of chutzpah and outstanding mensch of the previous seven days – there’s only one destination. Make every Friday morning Unholy.

Emergency update: Terror attack in Sydney - with Nomi Kaltmann

Unholy: Two Jews on the News

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Deadly Terror Attack on Sydney's Bondi Beach: A coordinated shooting targeted a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, killing at least 11-12 people and injuring approximately 29 others. Two gunmen deliberately attacked the Jewish community gathering on the first night of Hanukkah, using firearms and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). This represents the first mass shooting in Australia since 1996, when the country implemented strict gun control laws following the Port Arthur massacre.

Rabbi Eli Schlanger Identified Among the Victims: Chabad Rabbi Eli Schlanger, a father of five and secretary of the Beth Din, was killed at the Hanukkah by the Sea event that his family's organization ran. He was known for community outreach work, including visiting prisoners, supporting Russian Jewish immigrants, and setting up sukkahs in impoverished areas. His death is particularly devastating as he was murdered at his own community event meant to spread light during Hanukkah.

Community Shock and Security Failures: The attack has deeply shaken both the Jewish community and broader Australian society, particularly given the rarity of gun violence in the country. The coordinated nature of the attack, involving multiple gunmen and explosives, raises serious questions about security failures, especially since police and community security groups were already present at the event. The magnitude of casualties in what should have been a well-secured public event has prompted concerns about whether the Jewish community can safely hold open celebrations.

Rising Antisemitism Since October 7th: Australian Jews have been experiencing escalating antisemitic incidents for two years since October 7th, including arson attacks on synagogues, graffiti on Jewish businesses and bakeries, and threats. The community has repeatedly warned the Australian government that they don't feel safe, but many Jews feel the response has been "wishy washy" and ineffective. The Australian government previously determined that at least two antisemitic attacks, including the torching of Melbourne's Adass Israel Synagogue, were orchestrated by Iran.

Calls for Zero Tolerance Approach: Nomi Kaltmann argues that Australia needs to adopt the same zero-tolerance approach to antisemitism that it applied to COVID violations, with immediate and severe consequences for hate speech and incitement. The Jewish community feels that the government's slow, inadequate response to rising antisemitism has created conditions for this tragedy. Despite the Labor government's recent election victory with a large majority, Jews are questioning whether they have a future in Australia if protection doesn't dramatically improve.

Impact on Jewish Life and Identity: The attack forces Australian Jews to confront an impossible choice: either retreat behind security barriers and give up public expressions of Jewish life, or continue living openly while accepting increased risk. Unlike other Australians, Jewish children attend schools with armed guards, barbed wire, and bomb-proof doors, and synagogues have airlocking security systems. The prospect of canceling future public Hanukkah celebrations represents a fundamental loss of freedom to live as visible Jews in Australian society.

Potential Iranian Connection Under Investigation: Given the Australian government's previous attribution of antisemitic attacks to Iran, and Iran's promise of retaliation following confrontations with Israel and the U.S., there is speculation that this attack may be an Iranian operation. The coordinated, sophisticated nature of the assault supports this theory. Australia has historically relied on Israeli intelligence for counterterrorism, including a previous thwarted airline bombing plot, making cooperation between the two countries crucial despite recent diplomatic tensions over Australia's recognition of Palestine.
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Providing value to our clients and producers with a variety of interviews and farm related discussion from a grower and marketer perspective.

#734 - Trending Higher to End 2025?

The Ag View Pitch

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USDA Report Quality Concerns: The November 14th USDA report came with a disclaimer noting that due to government funding issues and shutdown, they lacked their normal resources and data sources when compiling the report. This raises significant questions about data accuracy and reliability at a critical time when farmers are making end-of-year marketing decisions, with the market erasing gains from the previous week following the report's release.

Marketing Discipline for Unsold Positions: Farmers who have little to nothing sold are in the most concerning position given current market volatility and weekly government reports creating uncertainty. The recommendation is to identify profitable price levels and execute sales rather than holding out for significantly higher prices, especially with South American production coming online soon.

Managing Increased Volatility: While volatility has returned to the market after months of narrow trading ranges (with December corn hovering around $4.20), farmers need to maintain emotional discipline. When markets rally 10-15 cents, producers should execute predetermined sales targets rather than continually raising price expectations, and avoid pulling offers when they're close to being hit.

Storage Costs Are Real Dollars: With corn sitting in bins for two months already, storage costs of 3-5 cents per month for corn and higher for soybeans represent real opportunity costs. Farmers need to factor these expenses into marketing decisions, as many have been burning these costs daily since harvest without considering the cumulative impact on profitability.

Limited Carry in the Market: Current carry in the market is approximately 4-5 cents per month on corn and 6-7 cents on beans, roughly equal to the cost of carry. This means farmers holding grain need to be bullish on either basis or futures for storage to make economic sense, as cash-to-cash sales favor immediate movement rather than delayed sales based purely on carry.

Post-Holiday Basis Pressure Expected: Local basis may face significant pressure after the first of the year as farmers who held back grain during harvest due to poor prices will need to move grain for cash flow and logistical reasons. Those using grain bags have timeline constraints and won't want to hold into summer, suggesting basis strength may have already peaked or will peak within the next 30 days.

December 2026 Corn Pricing Opportunities: At $4.70 on the December 2026 board, farmers can achieve $4.40-$4.50 cash corn at many locations for harvest-time bushels, which is 40-50 cents better than 2025 harvest prices. This represents pricing in the top 20% of where the contract has traded year-to-date and is within the top $0.10 of where December 2025 traded last year, making it an opportune time to establish a base layer of sales.

Technical Uptrend Still Intact: Despite recent report volatility, both corn and soybeans remain in solid uptrends from their August lows. The trend suggests layering in sales as markets move higher (for example, selling increments every 10 cents up on corn) rather than trying to time a perfect top, especially for producers with neutral to bearish fundamental outlooks.

November 2026 Soybean Sales Above $11: Current pricing above $11 for November 2026 soybeans represents approximately $1.00-$1.20 higher than 2025 harvest levels. Farmers should establish at least a base layer of forward sales at these levels, particularly for bushels that need to move at harvest, with pricing tools potentially available to achieve prices near $11.50.

Covering Variable Costs Strategy: Rather than focusing solely on percentage of production sold, farmers should identify their variable costs (fertilizer, seed, crop protection) and ensure forward sales cover these known expenses. This approach provides certainty for cash flow needs and establishes a foundation for profitability even with increased input prices for 2026.

Rotation Pressure Favoring Soybeans: Despite soybeans showing less profitability than corn (with the corn-to-bean ratio at 2.4), rotation requirements will likely force more soybean acres in 2026 following the increase in corn-on-corn planting in 2025. However, Brazil's continued expansion toward 170 million metric tons of soybean production presents a bearish long-term supply outlook.

Avoiding the Harvest Sale Trap: Farmers who are undersold and forced to move grain at harvest at poor prices find it psychologically difficult to make subsequent marketing decisions because they focus on "averaging up" their overall price. By locking in break-even or profitable sales for harvest-delivery bushels now, producers maintain better staying power and flexibility to capture rallies later without feeling compelled to wait for unrealistic price recoveries.

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A daily news podcast, The Briefing gives you the latest headlines, discussion and explainer interviews, all in under 20 minutes. Bringing you the news you need to know at 6am and 3pm Monday to Friday, and profiles across the weekend, The Briefing is Australia's go-to news podcast for your commute, coffee or exercise.
Hosted by a cast of rotating journalists including Sacha Barbour-Gatt, Katrina Blowers, Antoinette Lattouf, and Bension Siebert.

BREAKING: Mass shooting at Bondi Beach

The Briefing

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Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach: Two gunmen opened fire on Sydney's Bondi Beach shortly before 7pm on Sunday, December 14th, firing approximately 40 to 50 shots from high-powered weapons over a period of two to three minutes. The attack resulted in multiple fatalities and sent hundreds of panicked beachgoers fleeing from the packed beach.

Gunmen Neutralized by Police and Bystanders: One of the shooters was shot dead by police while the other was arrested. The two men, dressed in black, fired from a nearby footbridge for up to 10 minutes. A bystander was observed tackling and disarming one of the gunmen during the attack.

Potential Explosive Device at Scene: Police were actively working to disarm an explosive device found at the scene at the time of the recording, adding another dangerous dimension to the emergency response.

Possible Targeted Attack on Jewish Celebration: A Hanukkah celebration was taking place on the beach when the shooting occurred. Police are investigating whether this Jewish festival gathering may have been the intended target of the attack, particularly given the timing during the Festival of Lights celebration.

Casualties and Emergency Response: New South Wales Ambulance transported 16 patients to hospital with unknown conditions at the time of recording. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese released a statement urging the public to follow police instructions, and authorities ordered people to avoid the area while those already in Bondi were instructed to shelter in place.
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