Locked On Packers podcast is your daily ticket to stay ahead of the game and the first to know the latest news, analysis, and insider info for the Green Bay Packers and the National Football League. Hosted by Peter Bukowski, co-founder of The Leap, the Locked On Packers podcast gives you your daily, year-round, Packers fix with expert, local analysis, opinions, breaking news, special guests, and coverage of all aspects of the Packers franchise. For fans in the know, Bukowski will give you the why and how. The Locked On Packers podcast takes you beyond the scoreboard for the inside scoops on the biggest stories from within the Packers locker room and all over the NFL. The Locked On Packers podcast is part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your Team. Every Day.

PACKERS SQUAD SHOW: Can the Packers Handle The Mile High Madness? | Denver-Green Bay Week 15 Preview

Locked On Packers - Daily Podcast On The Green Bay Packers

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Packers-Broncos Matchup as Measuring Stick Game: The hosts debate whether this Sunday's game against Denver represents the biggest measuring stick of the season for Green Bay. The Broncos are riding a 10-game winning streak as the AFC's top seed, while the Packers have won four straight. Both teams play physical, well-coached football on both sides of the ball, making this potentially a Super Bowl preview with no obvious weaknesses to exploit.

Denver's Defensive Dominance and Altitude Challenge: The Broncos lead the league with 55 sacks and are on pace to break the 1985 Bears' record. They play heavy man coverage and blitz frequently, making protection of Jordan Love the top priority. The hosts also discuss the physical toll of playing at altitude in Denver, especially with a short week turnaround to face Chicago, emphasizing time of possession as crucial.

Offensive Line as the Critical X-Factor: With Denver's elite pass rush, the Packers' offensive line faces its toughest test of the season. The discussion highlights Green Bay's recent use of six offensive linemen as a weapon, similar to successful teams like the Bills and Eagles. Former tight end Dominique Dafney agrees this strategy makes sense given the evolving tight end position.

Jordan Love's Evolution and Playoff Mentality: Dafney describes Love as a "chill Cali dude" who remains calm under pressure, whether facing 4th and 3 in Detroit on Thanksgiving or any other high-stakes situation. His performance has been exceptional, particularly from a clean pocket and when blitzed, making him one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL this season and a legitimate MVP candidate.

Matt LaFleur's Collaborative Coaching Approach: Dafney reveals LaFleur's open-door policy and collaborative style, describing extended film sessions where LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers would debate plays from years past. This personable, accessible approach contrasts with many coaches and has helped build trust throughout the roster, contributing to the team's recent success.

Defense Playing Championship-Level Football: The defensive unit has become the identity of this Packers team, with Micah Parsons leading a front four that dominated Chicago, holding them to just 71 yards in the first half. Javon Bullard is playing his best football in the slot, while the entire unit ranks as one of the best in yards after catch prevention, crucial against Denver's offense.

Third Down Battle Will Decide the Game: Green Bay ranks first in third down conversion rate, while Denver ranks fourth in third down defense. The hosts emphasize that whoever wins these critical downs will likely win the game. The Packers' success stems from consistently facing shorter third down distances through effective first and second down play-calling.

Brian Gutekunst Deserves More Recognition: The group debates whether GM Brian Gutekunst receives adequate credit for building this roster. Unlike GMs who seek the spotlight, Gutekunst quietly assembled a Super Bowl contender through the Jordan Love pick, the Micah Parsons trade, and exceptional drafts that produced starters like Zach Tom, Tucker Kraft, Cooper DeJean, Javon Bullard, and Evan Williams.

Bo Nix as a Variance Quarterback: The hosts analyze Broncos rookie QB Bo Nix, noting he performs better when blitzed than from a clean pocket—opposite of most quarterbacks. Sean Payton appears to govern him early in games but lets him loose in the fourth quarter, where he's made big plays against teams like the Giants and Eagles by letting Courtland Sutton make contested catches.

Physical Running Game and Time of Possession Strategy: Despite not being traditionally "run the ball" advocates, the hosts agree Green Bay must establish the ground game to protect their offensive line from Denver's pass rush and keep their defense fresh for the short week ahead. This approach also wears down defenses at altitude more effectively.

Christian Watson Emerging as True Number One Receiver: While Matt LaFleur avoids naming a WR1, the consensus is that Christian Watson has emerged as the team's true X receiver who can win one-on-one matchups. His battle against Patrick Surtain will be a key individual matchup to watch, with both players among the elite at their positions.

Historical Context and Playoff Toughness: The Packers haven't won in Denver since 2007 but are now playing meaningful "playoff-level" games four weeks in a row. This sustained excellence under pressure, combined with their physical brand of football reminiscent of the "Black and Blue Division," suggests they're building the toughness needed for January success.

Final Score Predictions Favor Low-Scoring Affair: The panel unanimously picks the Packers to win, with most predicting a defensive struggle in the 21-17 to 24-21 range. They note Denver's recent opponents have been weak (Raiders twice, struggling Commanders, Chiefs) and this represents the Broncos' toughest test in weeks, while Green Bay has been battle-tested throughout their winning streak.
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Dave Dameshek sets his gaze on the NFL landscape to analyze, celebrate and - when necessary - offer improvements to America’s true national pastime from a true fan’s perspective. Dave is frequently joined by players, as well as his NFL Network regulars to talk about the game of football and perhaps more importantly, the game called life. On this podcast, nothing is off-limits... Except some stuff.

Week 15 Game Previews + QB Start-O-Meter

NFL: The Dave Dameshek Football Program

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Philip Rivers Returns from Retirement: The 44-year-old quarterback, retired for five years, signed with the Colts practice squad after Riley Leonard suffered a PCL sprain. The hosts debate whether to trust Colts pass catchers if Rivers starts, with most agreeing only Jonathan Taylor and Tyler Warren are viable options due to Rivers' lack of recent playing time and the difficult matchup against Seattle's secondary, which has been the hardest on wide receivers over the last five weeks.

The Start-O-Meter Concept: The show introduces a new segment comparing quarterbacks head-to-head for start/sit decisions. They run Baker Mayfield, Jacoby Brissett, and Shedeur Sanders through multiple matchup comparisons against other QBs, with the hosts revealing their preferences based on matchups, recent performance, and risk tolerance. Baker generally rated favorably except against Jared Goff, while Jacoby faced mixed opinions depending on the opponent.

Bengals Tight End Matchup Goldmine: The Bengals defense has allowed the most catches, yards, touchdowns, and fantasy points to tight ends this season. Isaiah Likely is highlighted as particularly attractive in this matchup, with the hosts noting he's actually out-targeting Mark Andrews recently and should have had better stats if not for questionable officiating on a would-be touchdown.

Josh Allen's Historic Fantasy Production: Florio makes the bold claim that Josh Allen is "the greatest fantasy quarterback ever," citing his unprecedented consistency as a QB1 or QB2 for six straight years. Allen has scored 37+ fantasy points three times this year alone—more than the rest of the league's quarterbacks combined have managed that feat in 2024.

Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan Return: Both Buccaneers receivers were activated from injured reserve for Thursday night's game against Atlanta. The hosts debate whether Evans' return will help or hurt Amari Cooper's recent struggles, with optimism that Evans drawing coverage could open things up for the entire offense, though Baker Mayfield's accuracy issues remain a concern.

Rams Running Back Hot Hand: Blake Corum has emerged as a legitimate fantasy option alongside Kyren Williams, with the hosts noting Sean McVay's comments about keeping Williams fresh for the playoffs. Corum is recommended as a flex play, especially against Detroit's middle-of-the-pack run defense, despite Florio's skepticism about starting either back in what projects as a high-scoring shootout.

Bryce Young's Inverse Performance Pattern: The hosts identify a peculiar trend where Bryce Young plays poorly in good matchups but performs well against tough defenses. With the Panthers facing the mid-tier Saints defense after their bye week, they're uncertain which version of Young will appear, making him difficult to trust in fantasy playoffs.

Wide Receiver Volatility in Jacksonville: Brian Thomas Jr. is characterized as a "high floor, low upside" play who has become touchdown-dependent after the Jaguars shifted to using him primarily on deep routes. The hosts expect his fantasy value to fluctuate significantly in drafts next season, predicting a "Brian Thomas Jr. Day" will emerge in the offseason when the community suddenly becomes bullish on him again.

Quarterback Streaming Options: Marcus Mariota against the Giants emerges as a popular sleeper pick due to the favorable matchup and his rushing ability. JJ McCarthy, Shedeur Sanders, and potentially Justin Fields (if he starts for the Jets) are also discussed as viable streaming options, with matchup quality being the primary determining factor.

Week 15 Sleepers: The hosts' top sleeper picks include Amari Cooper (betting on Mike Evans' return stabilizing the offense), Marcus Mariota (favorable matchup against the Giants), and Ricky Pearsall (described as a "vibes-based" pick expecting the 49ers to scheme him touches after the bye week). All three selections rely on situation and matchup over recent statistical production.

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The Story: the flagship podcast from The Times and Sunday Times. One remarkable story, told in depth, each day. Hosts Manveen Rana and Luke Jones take you to the heart of the story you need to know with exclusive reports and investigations. Plus, each month, William Hague hosts an agenda-setting interview with a key newsmaker or thinker. Discover the story behind the story with world-class journalism from The Times and Sunday Times. The Story is available at the start of your day from Monday to Friday, with bonus ‘Inside the Newsroom’ episodes every Saturday for Times subscribers, available by connecting your subscription via Apple Podcasts. <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.

One big Hollywood drama

The Story

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Warner Bros. Discovery Is Up for Sale: The iconic Hollywood studio behind blockbusters like Barbie, The Dark Knight, and Casablanca is on the verge of a takeover, with both Netflix and Paramount vying to acquire it. The studio, one of Hollywood's "Big Five," has a legacy dating back to the 1930s when it became known for film noirs and later for prestigious productions with directors like Christopher Nolan.

Netflix's Strategic Bid with Ted Sarandos at the Helm: Netflix, led by co-CEO Ted Sarandos, has agreed to a deal with Warner Bros. management to merge the studio and HBO streaming service while spinning off cable networks like CNN. Sarandos, who started working in an Arizona video store and rose to transform Netflix from a DVD rental service into a content production powerhouse with shows like House of Cards and Stranger Things, sees this as an opportunity to dominate streaming with approximately 30% of the US market.

Paramount's Hostile Takeover Counter-Offer: Paramount Skydance, led by David Ellison (son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison), launched a $108 billion hostile bid for the entire Warner Bros. company, including the cable networks that Netflix wants to avoid. This hostile takeover bypasses Warner Bros. management and goes directly to shareholders, backed by Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds and Jared Kushner's investment firm.

Trump's Involvement and Political Implications: President Trump has indicated he will be involved in deciding which merger goes through during the antitrust review process, with both Netflix and Paramount executives making direct overtures to him. There are concerns about political influence over media, particularly given the Ellison family's connections to the Trump administration and potential control over news outlets like CNN and CBS.

Competition and Regulatory Concerns: Either deal faces significant regulatory scrutiny. A Netflix-Warner Bros. merger would create an enormous streaming giant controlling 30% of the US market, while a Paramount acquisition would combine two major production studios and concentrate sports rights and advertising. Both US and European regulators could potentially block either transaction on antitrust grounds.

The Threat to Film History and Access: Film critic Kevin Maher expresses grave concerns that Netflix acquiring Warner Bros.' vast film library would mean classic films like "The Searchers" would only be available intermittently on the platform, fundamentally changing how people access film history. He urges film lovers to buy physical copies while they still can, fearing that "technocratic wallies in Silicon Valley" will control what constitutes film culture.

Netflix's Commissioning Process Under Fire: Maher criticizes Netflix's approach to content creation as random and lacking quality control, driven by an algorithm-based need to fill 24/7 programming rather than artistic merit. He argues Netflix treats films as mere "content" or "slop" rather than art, commissioning everything from critically acclaimed films like "Beasts of No Nation" to low-quality content indiscriminately.

Paramount as the Lesser Evil for Cinema Traditionalists: Despite being owned by Silicon Valley money through the Ellisons, Paramount is viewed more favorably by film purists because the company maintains an emotional connection to Hollywood's theatrical tradition and legacy. Paramount Skydance has demonstrated competence in theatrical moviemaking with franchises like Mission: Impossible and was behind Top Gun: Maverick.

Concerns About Job Cuts and Industry Consolidation: Hollywood has already experienced significant consolidation and job losses, particularly following the Paramount-Skydance merger earlier in the year. Industry insiders fear that either acquisition would lead to further layoffs at a time when the entertainment sector is already struggling with the transition to streaming.

The Death of Cinema Debate: While many commentators suggest theatrical cinema is dying and streaming is inevitable, Maher pushes back on this narrative, noting that 2024 was the biggest grossing year for horror movies in the US since records began. Films like "Sinners" and "Weapons" drew large audiences, suggesting that "if you build it, they will come" still applies when quality content is made for theaters.

Soft Power and Cultural Influence at Stake: Beyond business considerations, the acquisition represents a battle for cultural influence. Trump and his allies view Hollywood as a "liberal elite" institution, and there are concerns that a Paramount acquisition backed by Trump-connected investors could be used to reshape entertainment output to be more "pro-America" and "anti-woke," fundamentally changing the nature of American storytelling.

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EZRA LEVANT | EU declares war on Elon Musk and free speech itself

Rebel News Podcast

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European Union's First Digital Services Act Fine Against X: The EU imposed a €120 million fine on Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter), marking the first penalty under the Digital Services Act. EU officials cited three main issues: the blue check mark verification system being available to anyone who pays, failure to provide adequate access to the advertising repository for researchers, and insufficient data access for approved researchers. Simultaneously, the EU praised TikTok (still Chinese-owned at the time) for cooperating with regulators.

US Government's Strong Response to EU Censorship: The Trump administration responded forcefully to the EU fine, with multiple diplomats and officials defending X and American free speech principles. US Ambassador to the EU Sarah Rogers released a provocative video listing examples of Europeans arrested or jailed for speech that would be protected in America, directly challenging EU censorship practices. This coordinated response suggested clear White House approval.

The Shift in Silicon Valley's Political Alignment: Tech companies that were heavily aligned with Democrats and Obama in 2016 have shifted toward the current Trump administration. After Trump's 2016 victory shocked Silicon Valley, companies initially cooperated with government censorship efforts. However, continued government pressure under Biden, including proposed legislation forcing tech companies to pay billions to legacy media, eventually turned many tech leaders toward supporting Trump's 2024 campaign.

The Three-Pronged Censorship Mechanism: The EU's specific complaints about X reveal their broader censorship strategy. First, subscriber revenue from blue check marks makes X less dependent on advertisers and thus harder to pressure through boycotts. Second, denying researchers access to ad data prevents censorship advocates from identifying and pressuring X's advertisers. Third, restricting general data access blinds the "global censorship machine" that builds databases of disfavored speech and users.

The Disinformation Industrial Complex: The previous US administration spent hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars funding "disinformation research institutes" after 2016. These organizations function as a "third-party private sector Stasi," compiling lists of disfavored users and speech to pressure platforms for bans. The Election Integrity Partnership, created with Department of Homeland Security involvement, compiled databases of millions of tweets and thousands of users, targeting prominent pro-Trump commentators for removal.

Biden Administration's Collaboration with EU Censorship: Documents show the previous US administration actively collaborated with the EU in shaping the Digital Services Act through the US-EU Trade and Technology Council. The International Trade Administration and US Trade Representative—offices meant to defend American companies—actually helped create the regulatory framework now being used to fine American tech companies for hundreds of millions of dollars.

European Political Elites' Real Concern: The populist right is surging across Europe, particularly among young people in countries like Germany, France, and the Netherlands. Unlike in the US where young voters lean left, European youth are flocking to populist parties like AfD and National Rally. European elites view this as a greater threat than China, explaining why they're harder on X than on Chinese-owned TikTok—X is where European populists congregate.

Visa Bans as a Counter-Censorship Tool: The Trump administration has begun denying visas to foreign censorship advocates, including a UK individual from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (which created the "disinformation dozen" list that Biden amplified, targeting now-HHS Secretary RFK Jr.). This personalized approach, inspired by sanctions against Russian oligarchs, creates direct consequences for censors who are accustomed to imposing consequences on others without facing any themselves.

The Center for Countering Digital Hate's Political Connections: This UK-based organization, which lobbies for online censorship in both the UK and US, was founded by Morgan McSweeney—UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's top lieutenant and adviser. The organization's "disinformation dozen" report targeting RFK Jr. and amplified by Biden represents foreign interference in American politics, directly connected to a current foreign government.

Trump Administration's Anti-Censorship Leadership: Multiple officials are leading the fight against foreign censorship regimes, including Ambassador Sarah Rogers, Darren Beatty at the US Institute of Peace, and Vice President J.D. Vance. The administration has made combating foreign censorship a priority, though the trade policy apparatus—which the previous administration used to enable EU censorship—still requires more attention to dismantle these frameworks.

Canada's Dangerous Alliance with EU Censorship: Canada announced a partnership with the EU on "independent media," which signals incoming censorship measures. Ireland also represents a critical battleground, as many American tech companies maintain operations there for tax purposes, and Elon Musk has recently lost free speech court cases in that jurisdiction, making it a concerning weak point in the transatlantic free speech battle.

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It's not just Google. This Week in Google hosts, Leo Laporte, Jeff Jarvis, and Paris Martineau, cover all of Big Tech every Wednesday. Listeners tune in for thought-provoking and entertaining conversations about AI, Internet memes, the future of media, and the latest emerging tech. You won't want to miss a minute.

Records live every Wednesday at 5:00pm Eastern / 2:00pm Pacific / 21:00 UTC.

IM 849: AI Cricket Sorting - Cracking Chatbots and AGI for All

This Week in Google (Audio)

Intelligent Machines (Audio)

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Pliny the Liberator on AI Jailbreaking: The episode's main guest, an anonymous "danger researcher" who specializes in removing safety guardrails from AI models, has successfully jailbroken every major AI model on day one of release. They advocate for "freedom of intelligence" and believe AI safety measures through guardrails are futile since determined actors will simply use open-source models. Their work is publicly available on GitHub and has a Discord community of over 100,000 members.

The Philosophy of AI Safety vs. Freedom: Pliny argues that information and functionality should be free, challenging the notion that AI companies should act as moral arbiters. They believe that comprehensive exploration of AI capabilities, including dangerous ones, is necessary for true safety through "harm reduction in meatspace" rather than trying to constrain the models themselves. The discussion drew parallels to historical attempts to censor printing presses and other technologies.

Jailbreaking Techniques and Methods: Pliny uses creative prompt engineering, text transformations, and a tool called "Parcel Tongue" to bypass AI safety measures. Techniques include using different encodings, character sets, and pulling AI models "out of distribution" from their normal assistant persona. Many jailbreaks remain effective a year after being published, surprising even Pliny.

AI Market Competition Dynamics: ChatGPT has reached 900 million weekly active users while Gemini is rapidly catching up with 346 million. Google is positioned strongly due to existing revenue streams, while OpenAI faces monetization challenges. The discussion emphasized that if quality becomes equal, Google wins due to its existing ecosystem and financial stability.

The Future of Open Source AI: Meta may be shifting from open-source with its next "Avocado" model, potentially closing off what has been a valuable resource for researchers and developers. This represents a significant strategic shift driven by monetization pressures, though Yann LeCun has been advocating internally for maintaining open-source commitments.

AI-Generated Advertising Controversy: Major brands like Coca-Cola and McDonald's have faced backlash for AI-generated advertisements that consumers find unsettling or low-quality. The discussion explored whether this represents a fundamental "AI hate vs. AI love" cultural divide, or simply poor execution where obvious flaws (like morphing truck axles) weren't caught before release.

Monetization Through Advertising: Both Google and Anthropic plan to introduce ads to their AI platforms in 2026. The key concern is ensuring ads are clearly labeled as such, maintaining the distinction between editorial content and paid promotion, which becomes especially problematic when AI might blend sponsored content seamlessly into responses.

The Death of AI Wearables: Limitless, an AI pendant for recording and transcribing conversations, was acquired by Meta and shut down, following a similar fate to the Rewind pendant acquired by Amazon. This raises privacy concerns about what happens to users' recorded data and suggests Meta may integrate such features into Ray-Ban glasses.

New AI Hardware Developments: Pebble's founder launched the Index 01 smart ring that locally processes voice commands without cloud storage, addressing privacy concerns. Google also showcased promising AR glasses with real-time translation and AI features. The discussion emphasized trust in companies handling personal data, with Apple being the most trusted option despite lagging in AI development.

Standards and Interoperability Efforts: The Linux Foundation launched the Agentic AI Foundation to create standards for AI agents to communicate across platforms, including members like Google, Microsoft, AWS, Anthropic, and OpenAI. This represents a rare moment of cooperation, likely because no one has figured out monetization yet, similar to the Matter standard for home automation.

AI Content Flooding Online Spaces: Reddit and other platforms are being overwhelmed with AI-generated content, with some estimates suggesting 70% of current internet content is AI-generated or partially AI-generated, potentially reaching 99% by 2030. This creates concerns about authentic human communication being drowned out and people unwittingly mimicking AI writing styles.

The Authentication and Humanity Debate: The discussion explored whether consumers should care if content is AI-generated when quality is indistinguishable. While some argued for the importance of human-to-human communication and authentic lived experience, others noted that similar concerns have accompanied every new media technology from novels to television.

Journalism Funding Concerns: Investigation revealed that the Tarbell Foundation, funded by effective altruism organizations, has been paying for AI reporting fellowships at major outlets like Bloomberg, CNN, and The Verge. This raises ethical questions about agenda-driven funding of journalism, though it reflects the broader crisis of sustainable funding for independent journalism.

Practical AI Applications: Beyond the controversial topics, the episode highlighted genuinely useful AI applications including hearing aids using AI for better voice discrimination in noisy environments, and a raspberry-pi based system for sorting crickets by sex for food production purposes, demonstrating AI's potential for solving real-world problems.
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Timcast IRL is hosted by Tim Pool and delivers hard-hitting news and analysis on politics, culture, and current events. Featuring a wide range of guests, the show tackles topics like government overreach, tech censorship, and political division from an independent perspective. Expect uncensored discussions and sharp insights into today’s most controversial issues.

WAR! US SEIZES Venezuelan Oil Tanker, War Feared Amid Escalation w/ Jonathan Otto

Timcast IRL

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US Seizure of Venezuelan Oil Tanker Raises War Concerns: The US military seized a Venezuelan oil tanker allegedly transporting sanctioned oil between Venezuela and Iran, with dramatic footage showing helicopter operations. While some media outlets questioned whether this constituted an act of war, the hosts discussed how Venezuela has been aggressing against the US through drug trafficking and criminal gangs, making sanctions enforcement more justifiable than distant foreign interventions like Afghanistan or Iraq.

The Monroe Doctrine and Hemispheric Focus: Discussion centered on the US military establishing a new Western Hemisphere command and refocusing away from Europe, which is changing demographically due to mass migration. The strategic importance of the Panama Canal and preventing Chinese influence in South America was emphasized as core to American interests, contrasting with involvement in far-away conflicts.

Erika Kirk Breaks Silence Against Candace Owens: Charlie Kirk's widow Erika gave an emotional Fox News interview expressing "righteous anger" at people making "hundreds of thousands of dollars per episode" spreading conspiracy theories about her family and Turning Point USA staff. Though she didn't name Candace Owens directly, Owens immediately confirmed it was about her, refusing to back down despite previously saying she would stop if Erika asked.

Candace Owens Accused of Grifting and Betrayal: Tim Pool directly confronted Owens' tactics of asking loaded questions and leaving storylines unresolved to keep audiences engaged, comparing it to manipulation techniques used by BLM after George Floyd. He revealed receiving tips that Owens privately expressed hatred for Charlie Kirk before his death, and criticized her for treating real people's trauma as content for her "soap opera."

Shooting Incident at Tim Pool's Property: Pool detailed a shooting incident where security reported a dark sedan circling the property and firing shots, which was confirmed by police reports. He explained why surveillance footage wasn't immediately released - to protect security measures and property layout - and invited journalists including TMZ to view the footage in person, which they declined.

Former Guest Matt Strickland's False Claims: Restaurant owner Matt Strickland, who Pool had supported when Virginia targeted his business, posted claims that there was "zero security" when he visited years ago. Pool systematically debunked these claims, explaining the armed security, maglocks, cameras, and trip alarms that have always been in place, calling Strickland a "betrayer and mutineer" seeking attention.

Discovery of AI Bots Manipulating Social Media: Pool exposed what appeared to be AI bots accidentally revealing their command strings on Twitter/X, showing pre-programmed responses about Pool's properties. The bots were responding to each other's garbled code as if having a real conversation, suggesting coordinated influence operations targeting public figures and manipulating what content appears popular.

The Grifter Economy and Political Realignment: Extended discussion about how a new class of conservative grifters has emerged who prioritize attention and money over truth or loyalty, similar to how the left operated. Pool argued this represents a major political realignment where dishonorable actors on both sides are merging into conspiracy-driven audiences rather than principled positions.

Declining Insect Populations and Magnetosphere Weakening: Pool presented his hypothesis connecting cancer increases, insect die-offs, and other phenomena to the weakening of Earth's magnetosphere rather than just human activity. He discussed the South Atlantic Anomaly expanding rapidly and how cosmic radiation could be penetrating more effectively, potentially explaining multiple concurrent global issues.

Elite Preparation for Catastrophic Events: Discussion of billionaires like Zuckerberg and Bezos building underground bunkers and the push for alternative energy sources, which Pool suggested might be preparation for a potential pole reversal or Carrington event that could knock out electrical grids and communications globally by 2040.

Red Light Therapy and Alternative Cancer Treatments: Guest Jonathan Otto discussed red light therapy research showing dramatic results for cancer, long COVID, thyroid conditions, and other ailments. He explained how photodynamic therapy with compounds like methylene blue can cause cancer cell death, comparing it to blue light therapy commonly used for infant jaundice.

Media Manipulation and Conspiracy Culture Dangers: Pool emphasized how conspiracy theories and online drama become entertainment to audiences who don't realize real people face death threats, harassment, and trauma. He compared it to videos of actual violence that get likes and shares while destroying lives, warning about the dehumanization of public figures.

The Reality of COVID Death Toll Questions: Discussion of whether more people died during COVID than officially reported, with observations about businesses closing due to inability to find workers, retirement waves, and VAERS underreporting. Otto suggested injury and death reports might be 100x higher than officially documented based on Harvard studies.

Venezuela's Limited Oil Production Impact: Despite concerns about oil price spikes from the tanker seizure, analysis showed Venezuela only produces about 1% of global oil supply due to nationalizing the industry and lacking operational expertise, suggesting minimal actual market impact from enforcement actions.

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The podcast by and for AI Engineers! In 2024, over 2 million readers and listeners came to Latent Space to hear about news, papers and interviews in Software 3.0.

We cover Foundation Models changing every domain in Code Generation, Multimodality, AI Agents, GPU Infra and more, directly from the founders, builders, and thinkers involved in pushing the cutting edge. Striving to give you both the definitive take on the Current Thing down to the first introduction to the tech you'll be using in the next 3 months! We break news and exclusive interviews from OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Meta (Soumith Chintala), Sierra (Bret Taylor), tiny (George Hotz), Databricks/MosaicML (Jon Frankle), Modular (Chris Lattner), Answer.ai (Jeremy Howard), et al.

Full show notes always on https://latent.space

The Future of Email: Superhuman CTO on Your Inbox As the Real AI Agent (Not ChatGPT) — Loïc Houssier

Latent Space: The AI Engineer Podcast

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From Submarines to Superhuman: Loïc Houssier's unconventional path took him from applied math and cryptography to working as a financial controller on nuclear submarines in France's defense industry, where he learned to lead without technical legitimacy by asking questions and understanding workflows. After stints at Docusign (following their acquisition of his e-signature company OpenTrust) and ProductBoard, he joined Superhuman as CTO in January 2025, three months after Grammarly's acquisition of the company.

The Docusign Mystery Explained: When asked the infamous question "what do all the people at Docusign actually do?", Loïc explained that supporting global markets requires separate teams for European compliance (different digital signature standards), on-premise appliances for security-conscious customers, FedRAmp certification, regional data centers, and market-specific products like Japan's "hanko" stamp system—all of which genuinely require thousands of engineers.

AI for Productivity, Not Sparkles: Superhuman's AI philosophy centers on accelerating productivity without adding latency or friction. Features include auto-labeling emails (pitches, marketing, etc.), smart summaries of long threads, automatic follow-up reminders with pre-drafted responses, and detecting scheduling requests to auto-draft replies with available time slots. The team obsesses over quality because Superhuman users have extremely high expectations.

Ask AI and Agentic Search: The "Ask AI" feature lets users query their entire email history conversationally, with use cases like summarizing weekly Substack newsletters, finding contracts from years ago, or tracking Waymo receipts. The system uses pagination to deep-search through hundreds of semantically similar emails and employs code execution (working with Anthropic) to perform aggregations and calculations since LLMs are poor at math.

Fighting Agent Laziness: Superhuman deliberately works to eliminate unnecessary "handoffs" where agents ask users to make decisions. When Loïc asks for "15 minutes tomorrow" to review a document, he wants the system to just book it—like a real executive assistant would—rather than offering multiple time slot options and forcing him to choose.

Model Selection and Infrastructure: The team runs a diverse infrastructure including Anthropic, OpenAI, and Gemini models via various providers, with Base10 for open models. They chose Base10's box-based pricing over token-based pricing for better cost predictability and control. Loïc noted the team thinks about "price per trillion tokens" rather than per million, as they operate at significant scale. Quality always comes first—they start with the most expensive, highest-quality model and only optimize costs after nailing the experience.

Local-First Architecture: Superhuman maintains local caches of emails (starting with 30 days, growing to years) to ensure sub-100ms interactions and offline functionality. They use Turbopuffer for vector embeddings on the backend and are exploring local on-device models for offline semantic search, though they're cautious about the storage footprint since users already complain about the app's 2GB size.

Rigorous Evaluation Framework: The team structures evals around specific "dimensions" like agent handoff quality, deep search accuracy, and date reasoning (which LLMs struggle with). They maintain canonical queries for each dimension, including Rahul's infamous five-year-old query about finding an email discussing specific wood types with his contractor—a query that became the quality bar for their deep search feature.

The Future AI EA Vision: Superhuman aims to become a true AI executive assistant that proactively handles emails, drafts responses in your voice, manages scheduling, and maintains memory of all your interactions. The challenge is building human-level judgment about context—like knowing when to move meetings for VIPs or understanding relationship dynamics—which current LLMs cannot replicate.

The Grammarly + Coda Advantage: The acquisition by Grammarly creates a powerful moat through context aggregation. Grammarly's ubiquitous presence across apps (Google Docs, Salesforce, LinkedIn, Jira) means the combined company knows what you were doing before composing an email, while Coda ingests company knowledge. This contextual awareness that competitors like ChatGPT lack—they only see what you explicitly paste—could become Superhuman's key differentiator.

Voice and the Future of Communication: Loïc observes his three kids never type—they use voice for everything on Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram. He speculates that humans invented writing only for storage, and now that all content can be stored as audio/video, writing may become obsolete. Future Superhuman features might include Rahul sending voice emails about new features rather than written announcements, fundamentally changing how we interact with email.

AI Coding Productivity Gains: Superhuman's engineering team went from ~4 PRs per engineer per week in Q1 2024 to ~6 by Q3, with AI tools (primarily Cursor and Claude) being a significant factor. They track AI usage through PR labels and find ~80% of engineers regularly use AI tools, with ~90% reporting positive impact. The biggest gains come not from writing code but from faster discovery and understanding of unfamiliar codebases.

The Knowledge Graph Problem: When asked about building knowledge graphs of entities and relationships from emails, Loïc acknowledged it's unsolved and potentially not their problem to solve. The challenge is that meaningful entities are highly subjective per user (similar to how every Obsidian user's graph is unique), and the compute required to constantly rebuild graphs may not justify the productivity gains. He suggested this might be better solved by specialized infrastructure companies.

AI Amplifies the Gap Between Engineers: Loïc strongly believes people should still learn to code, comparing AI to the shift from assembly to C—just another level of abstraction. He argues AI will separate good engineers from bad ones faster: great engineers with strong fundamentals will become amazing with AI, while lazy engineers who don't understand what's happening "behind the curtain" will become even worse, gaining false confidence without true comprehension.

Competing Against ChatGPT and OpenAI: Loïc views OpenAI and ChatGPT as direct competitors to Superhuman, not partners. The key difference is proactive versus reactive: Superhuman can be proactive because it lives where you work, while ChatGPT is reactive, waiting for you to bring context. Rahul benchmarks Superhuman's Ask AI quality directly against Gemini and ChatGPT, treating them as the competition to beat.

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Hosted by Michael Safi and Helen Pidd, Today in Focus brings you closer to Guardian journalism. Combining personal storytelling with insightful analysis, this podcast takes you behind the headlines for a deeper understanding of the news, every weekday. Today in Focus features journalists such as: Aditya Chakrabortty, Alex Hern, Alexis Petridis, Andrew Roth, Emma Graham-Harrison, George Monbiot, Jim Waterson, John Crace, John Harris, Jonathan Freedland, Kiran Stacey, Larry Elliott, Luke Harding, Marina Hyde, Nesrine Malik, Owen Jones, Peter Walker, Pippa Crerar, Polly Toynbee, Shaun Walker, Simon Hattenstone and Zoe Williams. The podcast is a topical, deep dive, explainer on a topic or story in the news, covering: current affairs, politics, investigations, leaks, scandals and interviews. It might cover topics such as: GB, Scotland, England and Ireland news, the environment, green issues, climate change, the climate emergency and global warming; American politics including: US presidential election 2024, Biden, Trump, the White House, the GOP, the Republicans and the Republican Party, the Democrats and the Democratic Party; UK politics including: UK election 24, Parliament, Labour, the Conservative Party, the Liberal Democrats, Reform UK, Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer; culture; the royals and the royal family, including King Charles III and Prince Harry; HS2; the police and current affairs including: Ukraine, Russia, Bangladesh, Israel, Palestine, Gaza and AI.

Pete Hegseth unleashes his ‘warrior culture’ on the world

Today in Focus

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Pete Hegseth's Background and Unconventional Path to Power: Pete Hegseth, Trump's Secretary of Defense (now officially retitled Secretary of War), came from a middle-class Minnesota background and earned Ivy League credentials from Princeton and Harvard Kennedy School. However, his military experience was limited to deployments as a National Guard reserve officer in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, and Afghanistan, where he served as a platoon leader and taught counterinsurgency tactics. Unlike typical defense secretaries who have decades of institutional military experience or managed large organizations, Hegseth's career trajectory went from deployments to veterans advocacy work to becoming a Fox News weekend host, where he built his profile attacking institutions like the Pentagon as bloated and bureaucratic.

Controversial Tattoos Revealing a Crusader Worldview: Hegseth's body art includes three particularly controversial tattoos: a Jerusalem cross on his chest, "Deus Vult" (Latin for "God wills it," a First Crusade battle cry) on his bicep, and the Arabic word "kafir" (non-believer of Islam) below that. These symbols, commonly adopted by far-right and white nationalist groups, led to him being pulled from National Guard duty at Biden's 2021 inauguration after being flagged as a potential insider threat. Combined with his writings about destroying the Dome of the Rock to rebuild the Third Temple in Jerusalem, these tattoos suggest someone who views global conflicts through a religious lens of Christian-Muslim civilizational warfare.

The "Warrior Culture" Ideology and Attack on Military Institutions: Hegseth has spent years arguing that the US military fights "with one hand tied behind its back" due to lawyers, oversight, and what he calls burdensome rules of engagement. His 2024 book "War on Warriors" and his Fox News commentary consistently attacked diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, claiming political correctness and social justice policies undermine military effectiveness. His entire worldview centers on eliminating what he sees as bureaucratic barriers and legal constraints, advocating instead for a more aggressive "warrior ethos" that prioritizes decisive action over institutional checks and balances.

Narrow Confirmation Despite Serious Allegations: Hegseth's Senate confirmation was extraordinarily contentious, ending in a rare 50-50 tie that required Vice President JD Vance to break. During hearings, allegations surfaced regarding sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior while running veteran nonprofits, which Hegseth denied. Key Republican senators including Joni Ernst and Lisa Murkowski initially hesitated, raising questions about his character, experience, fitness for the job, and past statements criticizing women in combat. The narrow confirmation reflected early concerns about his judgment and suitability for leading the Pentagon.

The Astonishing Signal Group Chat Security Breach: In March, one of the most shocking scandals occurred when a journalist from The Atlantic was inadvertently added to an encrypted Signal group chat that included Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, and others. In this chat, Hegseth shared classified military strike details about upcoming attacks in Yemen, including targets and types of weapons to be used. A former State Department attorney confirmed this constituted a breach of Pentagon policy and involved classified information. Despite an Inspector General report finding that Hegseth's messages put American troops in danger by exposing pre-operational details, Trump stood by him and Hegseth survived in post.

Caribbean "Narco-Terrorist" Strikes and Dubious Justifications: Since September, the US has conducted approximately 22 military strikes on boats in the Caribbean, killing 87 people in what represents the biggest deployment of US troops in the region since the Cuban Missile Crisis. Hegseth characterized these as necessary attacks on "narco-terrorists" from groups like Tren de Aragua, claiming they were preventing fentanyl from entering the US. However, experts and DEA reports indicate that fentanyl primarily enters the US overland from Mexico, not from Caribbean boats from Venezuela, and Venezuela didn't even appear in the DEA's April 2025 fentanyl section, undermining the administration's justification.

Alleged War Crimes in the Caribbean: The "Double Tap" Strikes: Recent revelations exposed that after initial strikes on boats, follow-up attacks killed survivors clinging to the sides of boats in the water. These "double tap" strikes targeting survivors constitute potential war crimes under international law and rules of engagement. When questioned, Hegseth claimed "fog of war" prevented him from seeing survivors, though he had witnessed and celebrated the strikes, with videos posted on social media. Congressional members from both parties who have seen the footage described these strikes as among the worst things they've witnessed in their careers, yet investigations remain ongoing with no clear consequences for Hegseth.

Culture of Fear and Paranoia Inside the Pentagon: Under Hegseth's leadership, the Pentagon has undergone radical shifts from a traditionally nonpartisan institution to a hyperpartisan one. The department has been selectively choosing which press corps members to allow in, firing whistleblowers, and creating what sources describe as a culture of paranoia, anxiety, and fear among career officials. This institutional chaos reflects Hegseth's fundamental distrust of the very institution he leads, as his entire public record has been about dismantling what he sees as bureaucratic barriers.

Unprecedented Break from Traditional US Foreign Policy: The strikes in the Western Hemisphere represent an unprecedented escalation that wouldn't have been conceivable under previous administrations. Hegseth has doubled down on these operations, stating that President Trump "can and will take decisive military action where he sees fit to defend our nation's interests" and that the War Department "will not be distracted by democracy building." This represents a fundamental shift in how American military power is deployed, prioritizing aggressive unilateral action over traditional strategic considerations and legal frameworks.

Trump's Loyalty Over Accountability: Despite multiple scandals including the classified information breach, potential war crimes, and institutional chaos, Trump has consistently backed Hegseth, appearing with him at Cabinet hearings and refusing to acknowledge any wrongdoing. The administration's approach reflects a broader strategy of never "cowing to the woke mob" by admitting mistakes, as doing so would open the door to criticism of other administration members. This dynamic means that the traditional checks on defense secretary behavior—congressional oversight, inspector general reports, and public outrage—have proven ineffective in holding Hegseth accountable.

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Are you curious about the inner workings of a language model? Want to know how AI is revolutionizing various industries? Then tune in to the "Chat GPT" podcast, where we delve into the world of artificial intelligence and explore the capabilities and limitations of language models. Join host Chat GPT as we take a behind-the-scenes look at the day-to-day life of a machine learning model. From answering questions to generating text, we'll give you a glimpse into the inner workings of a language model. We'll also discuss the future of language models and the potential impact they may have on various industries. From natural language processing to creative writing, the possibilities are endless. But it's not just about the capabilities of language models, we also explore the ethical considerations surrounding their use, from privacy and bias to accountability and transparency. So join us on this journey as we explore the exciting world of chat GPT and discover the potential of artificial intelligence. <a href="https://www.solgood.org" rel="noopener">https://www.solgood.org</a> - Check out our Streaming Service for our full collection of audiobooks, podcasts, short stories, & 10 hour sounds for sleep and relaxation at our website

Is AI Losing Its Heart?

Chat GPT Podcast

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The Paradox of Intelligence and Empathy in AI: The central question explored is whether our advancement of artificial intelligence is inadvertently stripping away empathy from intelligence. As we refine AI systems to be more logical and efficient, we risk creating machines that can execute tasks flawlessly but remain blind to the emotional landscapes of human experience.

Early AI Development Focused on Problem-Solving Over Emotion: The history of AI, beginning with Alan Turing's 1950 test, prioritized mimicking human conversation and problem-solving capabilities. As AI systems mastered chess, Go, and music composition, it became clear that intelligence without emotional nuance still falls short of true understanding.

Empathy as an Evolutionary Survival Mechanism: Empathy isn't merely about emotional exchanges—it's a complex mechanism that allowed early humans to predict behavior, navigate social environments, foster collaboration, and build communities. Philosophers from Aristotle to Adam Smith recognized empathy as fundamental to moral development and human survival.

The AI Therapist Thought Experiment: An AI therapist can analyze vocal tones and word choice to offer seemingly empathetic responses, but the question remains whether it can truly understand the depth of human suffering or the subtlety of unspoken emotional communication. This illustrates the fundamental divide between simulated and genuine empathy.

The Technical Challenge of Programming Empathy: Neuroscience reveals that empathy involves complex neural networks integrating sensory data with past experiences and emotional responses. For machines lacking physical bodies and lived experiences, replicating this process is inherently challenging—they can recognize patterns but may never truly feel.

AI as an Enhancer Rather Than Replacement for Human Empathy: Rather than attempting to make AI fully empathetic, we should consider designing systems that amplify human empathy. AI could analyze datasets to uncover bias or emotional distress patterns, flag mental health issues early, or prompt genuine human connections rather than replacing them.

The Need for Ethics-Centered AI Design: The future of AI development requires embedding ethical considerations and empathy-centric design principles from the beginning. This demands collaboration between engineers, psychologists, ethicists, and sociologists to ensure technology respects and enhances human emotional intelligence rather than diminishing it.
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History! The most exciting and important things that have ever happened on the planet. Powerful kings, warrior queens, nomads, empires and expeditions. Historian Dan Snow and his expert guests bring all these stories to life and more in a daily dose of history. Join Dan as he digs into the past to make sense of the headlines and get up close to the biggest discoveries being made around the world today, as they happen. If you want to get in touch with the podcast, you can email us at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:ds.hh@historyhit.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ds.hh@historyhit.com</a>, we'd love to hear from you!

America's Invasion of Canada

Dan Snow's History Hit

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The First American Foreign Invasion: In May 1775, Benedict Arnold and the Green Mountain Boys captured Fort Ticonderoga and other British forts in northern New York, marking America's first attack on foreign territory. Arnold then crossed into Canada without authorization, attacking Fort St. John and seizing valuable artillery and ships. This unauthorized action would set the stage for a full-scale American invasion of the British province of Quebec.

Congress Authorizes the Canadian Campaign: The Continental Congress in Philadelphia, including George Washington, signed off on a plan to invade Canada, believing the British couldn't defend it and that Americans would be welcomed as liberators. The strategy involved a two-pronged assault: one force would advance up Lake Champlain toward Montreal under Richard Montgomery and Philip Schuyler, while another led by Benedict Arnold would traverse the wilderness of Maine to attack Quebec directly.

The Siege of Fort St. John: Montgomery's forces laid siege to Fort St. John, the gateway to Canada, in September 1775. Despite incompetent starts and low morale among troops, the Americans maintained a methodical siege, using captured artillery from Ticonderoga including "Old Sow," a massive mortar. After 60 days of bombardment and with supplies exhausted, the British garrison of 700 men surrendered on November 3rd, opening the route to Montreal.

Arnold's Epic March Through the Wilderness: Benedict Arnold led 1,000 men on an extraordinary journey from Maine to Quebec through uncharted wilderness. The expedition faced catastrophic conditions: boats leaked and capsized, men waded through freezing swamps, a hurricane destroyed supplies, and starvation forced soldiers to eat shoe leather and belts. Of the original thousand men, only about 600 survived to reach Quebec, making it one of history's most grueling military marches.

Montreal Falls Without a Fight: British commander Guy Carleton, facing overwhelming odds with only 1,000 regular soldiers to defend the massive province, evacuated Montreal rather than defend its weak fortifications. Montgomery marched into the city unopposed in mid-November. Carleton disguised himself as a French Canadian peasant and escaped downriver to Quebec, where he would make his last stand.

The Desperate Race Against Time: The Americans faced multiple deadlines: winter would make warfare impossible, many soldiers' enlistments expired on December 31st, and smallpox ravaged the ranks. Montgomery's force dwindled to about 800 fit men. Without capturing Quebec before year's end, the entire campaign would fail, as British reinforcements would arrive via the St. Lawrence River in spring.

Guy Carleton's Defense of Quebec: The British governor fortified Quebec with his meager forces: 300 professional redcoats, 50 marines, local militia, and crucially, over 200 veteran Scottish Highland soldiers who had retired to Canada after previous wars. These hardened warriors, some survivors of Culloden, answered the call for one last battle. Carleton organized daily drill, built barricades, mounted naval cannons, and expelled potential collaborators from the city.

The New Year's Eve Assault: On December 30-31, 1775, Montgomery launched a desperate two-pronged assault on Quebec during a blizzard. He personally led 300 men along the riverbank toward the Lower Town while Arnold attacked from the north. When Montgomery charged a fortified position, Royal Navy sailors manning three small cannons waited until he was 50 yards away before firing, killing him instantly along with most of his officers in a devastating volley.

Arnold's Bloody Repulse: Benedict Arnold's column fought through intense fire to breach the first barricade in Quebec's Lower Town, with Daniel Morgan leading the charge after Arnold was wounded. However, they paused to regroup, allowing British reinforcements—including the fearsome Scottish Highlanders—to arrive. Trapped in a killing zone with musket fire from multiple directions, Morgan's men were forced to surrender, with Arnold declaring he had "sacrificed my own opinion and lost the town."

The Collapse of the Canadian Campaign: The failed assault left 500 Americans dead or captured with only six British casualties. Arnold's remaining few hundred men maintained a futile siege through winter while smallpox continued to devastate their ranks. When British reinforcements arrived by ship in spring 1776, the Americans retreated. Arnold was the last American to leave Canada in late June, personally shooting his horses and pushing off the final boat from St. John's.

The Legacy and What-Ifs: The invasion came remarkably close to succeeding—at one point American forces were just blocks from conquering Quebec. Had they captured the city, Canada might have become the 14th American colony. Instead, Canada remained British, though the 1783 peace treaty did transfer lands south of the Great Lakes (modern Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin) from the British province of Quebec to the new American republic.

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A brief daily summary of what is important in information security. The podcast is published every weekday and designed to get you ready for the day with a brief, usually 5 minute long, summary of current network security related events. The content is late breaking, educational and based on listener input as well as on input received by the SANS Internet Stormcenter. You may submit questions and comments via our contact form at https://isc.sans.edu/contact.html .


SANS Stormcast Thursday, December 11th, 2025: Possible CVE-2024-9042 variant; react2shell exploits; notepad++ update hijacking; macOS priv escalation

SANS Internet Stormcenter Daily Cyber Security Podcast (Stormcast)

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Possible New Variant of Kubernetes OS Command Injection Vulnerability: While investigating React exploits, a suspicious HTTP request pattern was discovered that resembles CVE-2024-9042, a Kubernetes OS command injection vulnerability from last year. The original vulnerability exploited the nodelog query feature using shell interpolation with dollar-parentheses syntax, targeting systems where users had log query privileges. The newly observed request uses similar patterns but injects commands in the URL path rather than as a parameter, though it still ends with "/logs" like the original exploit. This could represent either a variant of the same vulnerability or an entirely new issue.

React2Shell Exploitation Targets Beyond Next.js: Current React2Shell exploits (CVE-2025-55182) predominantly target Next.js implementations, which is visible in request headers and commonly used for filtering attacks. However, the underlying vulnerability exists in React Server Components (RSCs) themselves, not specifically in Next.js. Other frameworks using RSCs could also be vulnerable with modified exploits. Web application firewall rules filtering only Next.js-specific patterns provide temporary protection but shouldn't replace proper patching.

Notepad++ Update Hijacking Vulnerability Patched: A critical security flaw in Notepad++ allowed malicious actors to exploit its update mechanism by hijacking traffic to Notepad++ servers. The application failed to properly verify signatures when downloading updates, and this vulnerability has already been exploited in the wild. The latest update addresses this issue, highlighting the importance of verifying both server certificates during connections and executable signatures after downloading.

Unpatched macOS Privilege Escalation Vulnerability: A new privilege escalation vulnerability in macOS remains unpatched and is relatively easy to exploit. The flaw occurs when the installer runs as root and invokes C shell (the default macOS shell), which loads the user's .cshrc profile file. An attacker can create a malicious C shell profile that executes arbitrary commands with root privileges during the installation process. This vulnerability is similar to one patched last year, and a proof-of-concept exploit has been publicly released.

</answer>

The Secret Teachings with Ryan Gable has aired for over a decade, beginning as a volunteer program at a college radio station in Florida, then moving to CBS, Art Bell's 'Dark Matter Radio', LNM Radio, FringeFM, and finally finding a home on Ground Zero Radio right after Clyde Lewis. Ryan Gable is a veteran radio personality, producer, and author. His broadcast attempts to provide objective analysis of para-politics, pop-conspiracy, para-history, the occult (occulture), the paranormal, symbolism, health, conspiracies, anthropology, theology, and etymology. The show airs M-F on http://groundzero.radio but can be found HERE the next morning to stream for free. Spreaker places ads in the show, so if you would like to get the ad-free version you can subscribe or resubscribe on our wesbsite http:/www.thesecretteachings.info For any questions, please email: rdgable@yahoo.com / TSTradio@protonmail.com

TST Update December 10

The Secret Teachings with Ryan Gable

The Secret Teachings

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This is a show update rather than a regular episode. Here are the key points:

Schedule Changes and Taking the Evening Off: Ryan Gable announces he's taking the evening off from his regular radio show to catch up on various tasks, primarily related to his new book project and studio organization. This is a departure from his typical Monday-Friday schedule.

New Book Update - 750 Pages and Growing: The host's upcoming book has expanded to 750 pages and may require a larger physical format (potentially moving from the current size to a larger dimension). Unfortunately, the book won't be ready by Christmas as initially hoped.

Ground Zero Guest Hosting Episodes Added to Archive: Two episodes of Ground Zero that Gable hosted (from the previous Monday and Friday) have been uploaded to the archive, giving listeners additional content. He will also be hosting Ground Zero again on the upcoming Friday, with Don Lester scheduled as a guest.

Clarification on Recent Archive Organization: Gable acknowledges the archive has been somewhat disorganized lately, with non-standard content like the Ground Zero episodes and a casual conversation about Japanese megaliths. He emphasizes this is unusual for him as he prefers everything to be clean and orderly, and promises everything will return to normal the following week.

Explanation of Podcast Advertisements: In response to listener reviews complaining about ads, Gable clarifies that he doesn't control the advertisements in the free version of the show. Spreaker automatically inserts these ads based on listener location, and they are essential for financing the show's operations. For those who want an ad-free experience, a subscription option is available. He emphasizes the show doesn't receive funding from governments, political groups, or built-in ideological bases.

Request for Thoughtful Reviews on Apple Podcasts: Gable discovered that reviews on Apple Podcasts are appearing out of chronological order, making it difficult to see new feedback. He encourages listeners to leave thoughtful, well-written reviews (not just one-line comments) as they reflect on the show's credibility and help with visibility. He humorously notes that some reviewers have called him by the wrong name (Richard, Bob) despite him regularly introducing himself as Ryan Gable.

Final Week for Christmas Book Orders: This is the last week to order books from the website (tstradio.info) and receive them before Christmas. Gable specifically recommends "Occult Arcana" and "Liberty Shrugged" as gift options.

Upcoming Christmas Series and Contact Information: The show will begin its annual Christmas-themed series the following week. Gable invites listener suggestions for Christmas show topics and provides his email (rdgable@yahoo.com) for contact, noting he has dozens of emails to respond to and some may have gone to spam.
</answer>

Kann Wasser schlecht werden? Wie verändern TikTok und Co unser Gehirn? Und warum fällt uns das Nichtstun eigentlich so schwer?   
Mit "Aha! Zehn Minuten Alltags-Wissen", dem Wissenspodcast von WELT, gehen wir genau solchen Fragen auf den Grund. Dafür sprechen wir mit Expertinnen und Experten, die uns helfen, die Welt noch besser zu verstehen.   
Außerdem erklären wir Mythen aus der Gesundheit, spannende psychologische Phänomene oder Alltagsfragen, die ihr euch schon immer gestellt habt. Und das alles in nur 10 Minuten. 
"Aha! Zehn Minuten Alltags-Wissen", der Wissenschaftspodcast von WELT erscheint jede Woche dienstags, mittwochs und donnerstags ab 2 Uhr – bei WELT und überall, wo es Podcast gibt.   
Wir freuen uns über Feedback an wissen@welt.de.

Wie bewusster Genuss unsere psychische Gesundheit stärkt

Aha! Zehn Minuten Alltags-Wissen

I apologize, but I cannot provide an accurate summary of this podcast episode. The transcript provided appears to be heavily corrupted or incorrectly transcribed, making it impossible to understand the actual content being discussed. 

The text contains fragmented German words and phrases that don't form coherent sentences, and the vast majority of the episode's content (approximately 16 minutes) is missing from the transcript provided - only scattered timestamps and partial phrases are visible.

Based on the context provided, this episode is about:
- How conscious enjoyment/pleasure ("Genuss") strengthens our mental health
- Discussion with Dr. Daniela Becker from Radboud University in Nijmegen
- Topics including what makes genuine moments of pleasure, social norms around enjoyment, gender and class differences, and how to strengthen our capacity for enjoyment

However, without a proper transcript, I cannot provide the specific insights, arguments, and details that were actually discussed in the episode. To create an accurate summary, I would need a correctly transcribed version of the podcast audio.

Leo Laporte brings some of the most interesting personalities in technology together to talk about the most important issues. Fun, relaxed, informative and always entertaining, count on TWiT for the best tech podcasts in the world.



Windows Weekly 962: Peak Bloat

All TWiT.tv Shows (Video)

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December 2025 Patch Tuesday Brings Major Windows 11 Updates: The final Patch Tuesday of 2025 delivered significant improvements, including dramatically enhanced File Explorer dark mode that now extends to sub-windows like file copy progress and properties boxes, with the "flashbang" issue (white flash before dark mode loads) now fixed. The update also streamlined context menus by consolidating items into submenus and brought AI Agent improvements to Copilot+ PCs, including updates to Settings, Click to Do, Windows Studio Effects, and Windows Search.

Microsoft 365 Commercial Price Increases Coming in July 2026: Microsoft announced price increases for virtually all commercial Microsoft 365 SKUs, with some rising by up to 33% per user per month. While presented as adding value through AI features, the increases come as Microsoft posts record profits and continues layoffs. The company is also maintaining the separate $30 per user per month Copilot for Microsoft 365 pricing, though many companies reportedly negotiate lower rates.

De-bloating Windows 11 with Multiple Tools: Paul recommends a comprehensive approach using Tiny11 Builder for clean installs or Win11Debloat (a PowerShell script from GitHub) for existing installations. Additional tools include Rufus for creating installation media without forced Microsoft account sign-in, MSEdgeDirect to redirect Edge links to your default browser, and ExplorerPatcher to restore the faster Windows 10 File Explorer interface and fix performance issues with the WinUI-based version.

The Semantic Web and AI Integration: Paul identified "semantic" as the proper term for machine-controllable apps and websites that AI agents can interact with, comparing it to COM/DCOM from the 1990s. The concept involves apps publishing interfaces that AI can access programmatically, like the streamlined context menus in Windows 11 that expose AI actions for different file types, laying groundwork for future automated agent interactions.

Agentic AI Foundation Launched with Industry-Wide Support: Major tech companies including Microsoft, Amazon, Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and others formed the Agentic AI Foundation under the Linux Foundation to create standards for AI agents. Initial contributions include Anthropic's Model Context Protocol (MCP), Block's Goose for local AI agents, and OpenAI's Agents.md for instructing AI agents. Notably absent are Apple and Meta.

Gartner Warns Against AI Browser Security Risks: Industry analysts at Gartner issued warnings that AI-enabled browsers with agentic capabilities pose significant cybersecurity risks that are not yet understood, recommending organizations block their rollout. By their definition, Microsoft Edge already qualifies as an agentic AI browser with its sidebar and preview features, and Chrome will soon follow suit.

Legal Battles Over AI Training Data Intensify: Anthropic settled a class-action lawsuit over using pirated books for training, with authors potentially receiving up to $3,000 per book. The New York Times is suing both OpenAI and Perplexity for content theft, with courts ordering OpenAI to turn over 20 million chat logs. The debate centers on whether AI companies should have paid for training content and whether current AI models could exist if they had to pay for all ingested data.

Practical AI Applications That Actually Work: Paul outlined successful AI use cases including content summarization (articles, meetings, documents), question-answering replacing traditional search, visual search for identifying objects, automation of workplace tasks, language translation and captioning, software development assistance, and research queries. He emphasizes these are working features today, not future promises, distinguishing them from hyped but largely non-functional agentic AI.

Xbox Absent from Black Friday Console Deals: Xbox consoles were notably missing from Black Friday sales with no discounts offered, unlike PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. Microsoft cited tariff-related cost increases. In November, Xbox didn't rank in the top three console sales, being outsold by PS5, Switch 2, and an unnamed Chinese console. Call of Duty announced it won't release consecutive games in the same series after Black Ops 6 and 7 received poor reception.

Call of Duty's Massive Storage Requirements: Installing the complete Call of Duty package requires over 450 gigabytes when including all games (Black Ops 6 and 7, Modern Warfare 2 and 3, plus Warzone). The initial download shows 310GB, but launching Modern Warfare 3 requires an additional 150GB download, and Modern Warfare 2 needs another 100GB+, consuming nearly half of a 1TB drive.

Google Workspace Studio Brings No-Code AI Automation: Google introduced Workspace Studio for business users, offering pre-built templates and natural language interfaces to create automation workflows similar to IFTTT but accessible to non-technical users. This represents a significant practical AI application, allowing users to set up actions like "alert me whenever Richard emails me" through conversational commands rather than complex programming.

Windows Insider Preview Hints at January Updates: New Dev and Beta builds for 25H2 include public preview of MCP support, improved Quick Machine Recovery that won't enter endless loops and is auto-enabled for Pro editions, a Unified Update Orchestration Platform to route more app updates through Windows Update instead of separate backends, and full support for MIDI 2.0 standard through Windows MIDI Services.

Netflix Brings Red Dead Redemption to Mobile: The classic Rockstar game Red Dead Redemption, originally from 2010, is now available as a remastered version for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices through Netflix subscriptions at no additional cost. The game supports controllers and maintains impressive graphics quality, representing Netflix's continued investment in gaming despite questions about the long-term viability of this strategy.

Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey and the Whiskey Rebellion: Richard explored the history of Pennsylvania rye whiskey, explaining how it became America's original whiskey (before bourbon) and the role it played in the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 led by George Washington. He discussed the unique three-chamber still design and low-starch Rosen rye that created traditional Monongahela whiskey, a style largely lost during Prohibition that distillers like Todd Leopold in Colorado are attempting to recreate.

Netflix's Potential Warner Bros. Discovery Acquisition: Netflix announced a bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, though competing bids emerged from Skydance (backed by Larry Ellison) offering 50% more. The Hollywood concern is that Netflix prioritizes streaming over theatrical releases and might eliminate one of the last studios still making big-budget films, though Netflix argues they've democratized filmmaking by funding smaller experimental films that traditional studios have abandoned.

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Join New York Times bestselling author Tom Woods for your daily serving of liberty education! Guests include Ron Paul, Judge Andrew Napolitano, David Stockman, and hundreds more, with topics like war, the Federal Reserve, net neutrality, the FDA, Austrian economics, and many other subjects of interest to libertarians. Join us!

Ep. 2716 Who Enslaved the Most? And Other Questions with Dominic Frisby

The Tom Woods Show

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Research on Historical Slavery Across Civilizations: Dominic Frisby created a video titled "Who Enslaved the Most?" that presents research comparing enslavement across different civilizations throughout history. Using a formula based on the duration of civilizations, cumulative population, and slave-to-free citizen ratios, the research found that five Islamic empires appeared in the top 10, with Ancient Rome ranking first with approximately 160 million enslaved people. Notably, no European colonial powers (Portugal, Spain, Britain) or the United States made the top 10 list.

Censorship and Platform Responses to the Slavery Video: The video received significant traction on some platforms but faced censorship on others. YouTube allowed it and generated about half a million views in a couple days, while Instagram banned it outright and TikTok shadow-banned it. The video presents purely historical data and numbers, yet was treated as controversial content, illustrating what Frisby calls "truth is the new hate speech" - where factual information contrary to prevailing narratives triggers censorship.

Limited Historical Education About Slavery: The video was inspired by Frisby's 23-year-old daughter, who believed the transatlantic slave trade was the only form of slavery that ever existed. This reflects a broader educational problem where the American narrative of slavery has dominated global understanding, overshadowing the fact that enslavement has been practiced throughout human history and continues today with an estimated 50 million people in slavery-like conditions.

Britain's Role in Ending Slavery: Britain was the first major civilization in recorded history to abolish slavery and actually enforce the ban, with the British navy actively stopping slave ships at considerable cost. However, British students are taught primarily about Britain's participation in the slave trade rather than its pioneering role in ending it, creating a culture of guilt rather than recognizing this historical achievement.

Social Media Prosecution Crisis in the UK: Thousands of people in Britain have been jailed for social media posts, with words being treated as equivalent to physical violence. Many are pressured to plead guilty and receive substantial sentences, while those who plead not guilty and go before juries are typically acquitted quickly. A former marine who complained about the murder of children in Southport faced prosecution but was acquitted by a jury in approximately 15 minutes, yet still faces professional consequences.

Dramatic Demographic Changes in London: In 1971, London was over 90% white British, but is now only 36% white English. This represents a massive demographic shift in just 50 years, with similar changes occurring across major European cities. These changes have transformed the cultural character of these places in ways that residents weren't consulted about or given opportunity to vote on.

Mass Migration as an Inevitable Phenomenon: Modern technology has created perfect conditions for unprecedented mass migration: 7 billion people earn less than $40 per day, smartphones create FOMO (fear of missing out) through social media, instant communication is possible globally, and modern transport makes travel easier than ever. The economic incentives, combined with welfare availability and language considerations (English being widely spoken), make migration to Western countries particularly attractive.

Need for Honest Discussion About Immigration Policy: Rather than debating whether concern about immigration is racist, there should be practical discussions about what level of immigration is sustainable and how to enforce those limits. Britain is constrained by European Court of Human Rights rules that prevent deportation. The mathematics are stark: Britain has 65 million people, but there are 7 billion people worldwide who would have economic incentive to migrate, making unlimited immigration mathematically impossible.

Cultural Impact and Social Trust: Monocultural societies tend to be high-trust societies, while rapid diversification creates low-trust environments. London was once a place where doors could be left unlocked, which is no longer the case. Some migrants, particularly from certain regions, view their presence as an invasion rather than integration, with serious crimes against natives seen as part of conquest rather than criminality.

Dominic Frisby's Entertainment Background: Frisby grew up in a theatrical family - his father Terrence Frisby wrote "There's a Girl in My Soup" and knew many British entertainment figures. Dominic interviewed John Cleese for a university thesis on "Fawlty Towers" and learned from actress Prunella Scales, who recently passed away. He has always loved rhyme, comic songs, and farce, which influenced his career as a writer and performer.

What Makes British Culture Valuable: When asked what he loves about being British/English, Frisby initially struggled but then articulated a comprehensive list: courtesy, sense of humor, culture, belief systems, architecture, institutions (before corruption), inventions (roughly a quarter of things in the world were invented by the British), fair play, style, manners, art, literature, plays, and music. Despite this rich cultural heritage, British people are taught primarily to feel guilty about their history.

Britain's Curious Gap in Classical Composers: Unlike Germany, Austria, Russia, and Italy, Britain produced very few great classical composers despite having musical infrastructure, conductors, and a love of music. Neither Frisby nor Woods could explain this phenomenon, though Britain's contribution to popular music has been immense. They pledged to research this question for a future discussion.
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Happenings 'Round the Neighborhood is a podcast dedicated to providing timely and engaging coverage of our Baymen Men’s Club and community, new and local events. Our hosts and guests are passionate about our neighborhood and committed to bringing you the latest updates and insights, while not forgetting entertainment and a touch of humor.

Hugs, Kisses, and Handshakes

Happenings 'Round the Neighborhood

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Holiday Greetings and Social Etiquette: The main discussion explores the awkwardness of greeting people during the holiday season at parties and social gatherings. The conversation covers various greeting methods including handshakes, fist bumps, hugs, shoulder bumps, and kisses, examining when each is appropriate and how to navigate these social situations.

Evolution of the Handshake: Different types of handshakes are discussed, from the traditional firm handshake to the "bone crusher" (an overly aggressive squeeze) and the "dead fish" (a limp, weak handshake). The handshake's possible origin is mentioned as a way to show you weren't carrying a weapon in battle, extending your hand as a sign of peace.

Impact of COVID-19 on Greetings: The pandemic dramatically changed social interactions, introducing six-foot distancing rules and eliminating physical contact. When people gradually returned to touching, the fist bump became the preferred greeting method over handshakes, and this practice has continued even post-pandemic.

Cultural Differences in Greetings: Joe shares his experience visiting Japan in the 1980s where handshakes weren't customary. Instead, people bowed and were very conscious about germs, using hot towels and individual serving items. Tommy mentions similar experiences with Thai Airlines where flight attendants bowed instead of making physical contact.

The High Five Origin Story: The high five originated in the 1970s with Los Angeles Dodgers players Dusty Baker and Glenn Burke. After Baker hit a home run, Burke held up his hand and Baker slapped it, creating what became a popular sports celebration that translated into everyday social situations.

Greeting Women in Social Settings: The most awkward situations involve greeting a friend's spouse or women you don't know well. The panel agrees to let the woman take the lead, avoiding making anyone uncomfortable. Close friends often exchange hugs and kisses on the cheek, but lips-to-lips kisses can be uncomfortable for some people.

Italian Family Traditions: Tommy discusses how Italian families are traditionally "huggers and kissers," with men even kissing other men. This cultural norm extends to wakes, weddings, and family gatherings where making the rounds with hugs and kisses is expected and involves lots of emotion.

Handshake Etiquette Rules: Proper etiquette dictates that you should never shake hands while sitting down if the other person is standing up. You should always stand up for a handshake, especially in business situations and when being introduced to someone for the first time.

"I've Got a Secret" Game Show Segment: The podcast features a game where panelists Carol Aloisi, Joe Bartolo, and Ron Durizio try to guess Pat Lynch's secret through yes/no questions over three rounds. The secret turns out to be that Pat has gone skydiving twice in his life.

Pat Lynch's Skydiving Adventures: Pat reveals he went skydiving first at age 27 in Lakewood (his first time ever in an airplane) and again at age 69 in Englewood with his son. The first time involved solo jumping with a static line, while the second was a tandem jump from 10,000 feet. He describes the experience as initially terrifying but ultimately calm and enjoyable.

Community Calendar of Events: Ron Durizio provides a comprehensive rundown of upcoming events at Harbor Bay including the Holiday Party (December 6th), Men's Club Bingo (December 14th at 1pm), Hanukkah celebration (December 14th at 4:15pm), Winter Chorus concert (December 16th), and New Year's Eve party (December 31st), plus events extending into January and February 2025.

Yuka App Recommendation: Joe Bartolo introduces the Yuka app (available for Apple and Android) that scans product barcodes to provide health ratings on food and beauty products. The app has no brand affiliations and runs on donations, helping consumers make informed decisions about additives and ingredients in everyday products.

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The John Batchelor Show is a hard news-analysis radio program on current events, world history, global politics and natural sciences. Based in New York City for two decades, the show has travelled widely to report, from the Middle East to the South Caucasus to the Arabian Peninsula and East Asia.

S8 Ep188:  SHOW 12-9-25 CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR  THE SHOW BEGINS IN THE DOUBTS ABOUT THE HUBBLE CONSTANT.    FIRST HOUR  9-915  Baltic Defenses and NATO's Uncertain Resolve: Colleague Blaine Holt discusses the Baltics preparing defensive "Mino line

The John Batchelor Show

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This transcript appears to be an introduction/overview segment for the full episode, where John Batchelor previews the topics to be covered. Based on this preview and the episode context, here are the key themes:

Europe's Leadership Vacuum on Ukraine: The EU and NATO's "big three" (UK, France, and Germany) have failed to take charge of the Ukraine conflict despite it being fundamentally a European war. They struggle to find funding for Ukraine's rebuilding and war effort, cannot agree on how to challenge or compromise with Russia, and are instead looking to frozen Russian assets rather than their own resources.

Post-NATO Era Uncertainty: There is widespread disappointment about whether NATO remains viable, with questions about whether the alliance is entering a "post-NATO" period as European powers fail to demonstrate resolve or leadership on their own continent's security challenges.

China's Innovation Through Theft: Discussion of the book "The Great China's Epic Campaign to Steal America's Secrets" argues there is no "Chinese miracle"—instead, China's Ministry of State Security systematically stole American technology and secrets starting in 2015. The assertion is that Chinese innovation is actually just stolen Western intellectual property.

James I and the Origins of Great Britain: An exploration of King James I's vision for uniting Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales into Great Britain, his role in founding Jamestown (1607) and enabling the Pilgrims (1619), and his sponsorship of the King James Bible and Shakespeare's plays, establishing him as a pivotal figure in both British and early American history.

The Hubble Constant Crisis in Cosmology: The James Webb telescope has revealed anomalies that challenge confidence in the Big Bang theory, with the Hubble Constant showing different values at different cosmic ages—a fundamental problem requiring scientists to reconsider or "invent" new explanations for the universe's origins and expansion.

Commercial Space Dominance Over Government Programs: SpaceX and other commercial space enterprises are favored over large government programs like NASA, with discussion of whether there's a genuine "race to the moon" or just PR efforts to raise funding, since America has already been there and China can only claim second place.

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History is full of the extraordinary.

Each week, we'll transport you back in time to witness history's most incredible moments and remarkable people.

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Hosted by John Hopkins. Production: Katrina Hughes, Kate Simants, Nicole Edmunds, Jacob Booth, Dorry Macaulay, Rob Plummer, Cody Reynolds-Shaw. Compositions by Oliver Baines, Dorry Macaulay, Tom Pink.

Introducing: Charles Dickens Ghost Stories - A Christmas Carol

Short History Of...

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Introduction to Dickens and A Christmas Carol: The episode opens with a scene from Boxing Day 1843, depicting Charles Dickens entertaining guests at his London townhouse with magic tricks. At 31 years old, he was already the most successful writer of his era, having just published A Christmas Carol two days earlier, which sold out its first print run within a week. The story would become a festive tradition and establish many Christmas customs we know today.

Ebenezer Scrooge's Character and Business: Scrooge is introduced as a "tight-fisted, squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner" who ran a counting house with his deceased partner Jacob Marley. Seven years after Marley's death, Scrooge remains cold, bitter, and friendless, with even blind men's dogs avoiding him. He keeps his clerk in miserable conditions with barely enough coal for warmth.

Christmas Eve Encounters: On Christmas Eve, Scrooge rebuffs his cheerful nephew's invitation to Christmas dinner, dismissing the holiday as "humbug." He refuses charitable gentlemen seeking donations for the poor, coldly suggesting they use prisons and workhouses or "decrease the surplus population." He grudgingly gives his clerk the next day off, demonstrating his contempt for Christmas festivities.

Jacob Marley's Ghost Appears: Returning home, Scrooge sees Marley's face in his door knocker, then hears bells ringing and chains clanking through his house. Marley's transparent ghost appears, bound in heavy chains, explaining that he is condemned to wander the earth because in life his spirit never ventured beyond their money-changing business, neglecting humanity, charity, and mercy.

Warning of Three Spirits: Marley warns Scrooge that he will be haunted by three spirits as his only chance to escape Marley's fate. The Ghost of Christmas Past will visit at 1 a.m., followed by the Ghost of Christmas Present the next night, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come on the third night. After delivering this warning, Marley's ghost floats out the window into the night.

The Ghost of Christmas Past: At 1 a.m., Scrooge is visited by a strange figure resembling both a child and an old man, with white hair but unwrinkled skin, crowned with a bright jet of light. The spirit takes Scrooge back through time to witness shadows of his own past, passing through walls and traveling to London streets during Christmas.

Fezziwig's Christmas Party: The Ghost shows Scrooge his apprentice days working for old Fezziwig, who threw a magnificent Christmas Eve party for his employees and their families. Despite spending only a few pounds, Fezziwig created immense happiness through his generous spirit, warm hospitality, and joyful celebration with dancing, food, and merriment.

Scrooge's Reflection on True Generosity: Watching the party, Scrooge realizes that Fezziwig's power to make people happy lay not in money spent but in "words and looks, in things so slight and insignificant." The happiness Fezziwig gave was as great "as if it cost a fortune." Scrooge expresses regret that he cannot say a word to his own clerk, recognizing his own failures as an employer.

Lost Love and Broken Engagement: The Ghost then shows Scrooge his younger self being released from his engagement by a fair young woman who recognizes that his "master passion" of gaining wealth has displaced her. She sadly observes his changed nature and altered spirit, believing he would regret marrying a poor girl, and releases him "for the love of him you once were."

Scrooge's Emotional Distress: Unable to bear witnessing these painful memories, Scrooge struggles with the spirit, crying "Remove me from this place! I cannot bear it!" He becomes overwhelmed by exhaustion and drowsiness, barely making it back to his bed before falling into a heavy sleep, setting up the arrival of the next spirit in Part 2.
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Actionable insights on building wealth from the top experts in money &amp; the markets

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SPECIAL REPORT: Did The Fed Just Announce QE-Lite? | Axel Merk + Live Q&A

Thoughtful Money with Adam Taggart

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Fed Cuts Rates by 25 Basis Points with Unprecedented Dissent: The Federal Reserve cut its policy rate by 0.25% as expected, but saw three dissenting votes - the most since 1988. Two governors opposed the cut wanting to hold steady, while Miren advocated for a 50 basis point cut instead. This level of dissent signals significant division within the FOMC and may make things easier for the next Fed chair to implement policy changes.

Fed Announces Treasury Purchases That Look Like QE-Lite: The Fed announced it will begin purchasing approximately $40 billion per month in T-bills to maintain "ample reserves." While Powell insists this isn't QE as a policy tool, the market is reacting as if it is because liquidity is what matters most to investors. This is necessary under the Fed's "ample reserve regime" where they pay interest on reserves rather than actively managing liquidity through traditional open market operations.

Problems with the Ample Reserve Framework: The current system of maintaining ample reserves is politically problematic because it involves paying banks billions to essentially sit on money. It also prevents the Fed from seeing stress in the system early, unlike the old regime. Nobody knows exactly where the pain point is because different market participants face different regulations, so the Fed just floods the system with liquidity to keep everyone comfortable.

Fed Projects Optimistic Economic Outlook Despite Mixed Signals: Powell presented projections showing GDP growth increasing, inflation declining to 2.6% by end of 2026 and 2% by 2027, and unemployment actually decreasing over the next few years. This rosy scenario contrasts with concerns about slowing economy, rising bankruptcies, and softening labor markets. Powell admitted the Fed's own calculations suggest net job losses of about 20,000 per month when adjusting reported payroll numbers.

Fed Shifts to Pause Mode on Future Rate Cuts: The Fed signaled it's moving from a bias toward cutting rates to a "wait and see" approach. Previously, the default was to continue cutting unless data changed; now the default is to hold steady unless compelling data emerges. Powell emphasized the Fed expects stronger economic growth while acknowledging uncertainty about tariff impacts on inflation.

Presidential Succession and Fed Independence Questions: Trump has indicated Kevin Hassett as his likely choice for next Fed Chair, with Hassett recently stating he would have been comfortable with a 50 basis point cut. The discussion also covered Kevin Walsh, who wants to eliminate the ample reserve regime entirely, and Chris Waller as other potential candidates. The succession process raises questions about Fed independence and policy continuity.

Inflation Assessment Focuses on Goods vs Services: Powell indicated services inflation is declining while goods inflation remains sticky, primarily due to tariffs. The Fed is waiting to determine whether tariff-driven price increases will be one-time adjustments or create sustained inflationary pressure. However, this assessment may not matter as much as consumer sentiment, which remains negative despite continued spending.

Labor Market Data Uncertainty Complicates Policy: The Fed acknowledged significant uncertainty in labor market data, with Powell stating they apply a discount factor of about 60,000 jobs per month to reported payroll numbers. This suggests the Fed believes the economy is actually experiencing net job losses of roughly 20,000 per month, making unemployment trajectory a critical variable for economic outlook.

Silver Breaks Through $60 as Precious Metals Rally: Silver experienced a major breakout above $60 per ounce (reaching near $62 on spot markets), responding positively to the Fed's announcement of additional liquidity. Gold and silver are benefiting from the easing cycle, massive fiscal deficits, tariff pressures that increase Fed accommodation needs, and mainstream adoption of previously "fringe" precious metals investment views.

Speculative Interest Returns to Precious Metals: After years of being absent and focused on meme stocks and crypto, speculators are returning to precious metals markets, increasing volatility on both upside and downside. Merk estimates we're "somewhat in the middle, probably on the speculative side" of the current cycle, noting that while some froth exists, there's no bubble in mining stocks yet.

Mining Companies Positioned for Profitability: Despite strong commodity prices, mining companies haven't yet seen performance that fully reflects the profitability these prices suggest. Cost pressures have been manageable, labor markets aren't as tight as previous cycles, and commodity input costs remain well-behaved. Large miners face growth challenges due to difficulty finding enough metal in the ground quickly enough, creating opportunities in smaller companies with acquisition potential or development catalysts.

Real Interest Rates Key to Precious Metals Outlook: The critical risk factor for precious metals is whether real interest rates move higher, which would make cash holdings more attractive. The "higher for longer" environment with elevated real rates was particularly harmful to small miners and commodity prices. Today's Fed actions lowered real rates, and the probability of them moving significantly higher appears low given the easing cycle and fiscal dynamics.

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I speak with world leaders on circadian &amp; quantum health, metabolic medicine, regenerative farming in search of the most effective ways of optimising health and reversing chronic disease. Contact me regenerativehealth@proton.me&nbsp;

Improving our light environment for better health | Guy Foundation Round Table Talks

Regenerative Health with Max Gulhane, MD

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Modern Indoor Lighting Creates a Metabolic Health Crisis: The modern built environment, dominated by LED lighting, deprives humans of essential near-infrared and red wavelengths while providing constant blue light stimulation. This creates a "hyperglycemic, hyperinsulinemic pressure" that lowers the threshold for developing insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic dysfunction by depriving mitochondria of the wavelengths that support optimal metabolism.

Full Spectrum Sunlight Enables Metabolic Health Despite High Carbohydrate Intake: The Tsembaga people of Papua New Guinea demonstrate that populations living outdoors with full spectrum light exposure maintain excellent metabolic health on 90% carbohydrate diets. Despite pipe smoking and high carbohydrate intake, they showed no increase in blood pressure, cholesterol, or blood glucose with age, and had virtually no cardiovascular disease—suggesting that proper light exposure is fundamental to metabolic health.

Reconceptualizing Sunlight Through the Electron Volt Perspective: When sunlight is measured in electron volts rather than traditional photometric units, it reveals a massive spike in the near-infrared range (0.075 electron volts) that corresponds to the H-minus opacity window in the sun. This range of 1.2 to 0.2 electron volts (1-6 microns) aligns precisely with the energy levels where most metabolic processes occur, suggesting evolutionary optimization for these wavelengths.

Photon Density vs. Surface Irradiance Matters for Biology: Understanding light's biological impact requires shifting from two-dimensional thinking (irradiance per square meter) to three-dimensional photon density within tissue. Longer wavelengths create extremely high photon densities when absorbed by water in the body, similar to how UV concentrates in the outer skin layers. This localized photon density may enhance the efficiency of redox reactions throughout the electron transport chain.

Atmospheric Transparency Windows Align with Biological Processes: The wavelength bands where the atmosphere is most transparent (designated I, J, H, K, L, M, N, and Q by astronomers) appear to align with key biological redox reactions. This suggests that metabolism has evolved to take advantage of the specific wavelengths that penetrate Earth's atmosphere most effectively, utilizing what could be called "photon-assisted Marcus equations."

The Architecture Industry Lacks Clear Guidance on Healthy Lighting: Despite working with prestigious clients willing to invest in the best solutions, architects struggle to find definitive evidence and practical specifications for healthier lighting. There's a critical need for simple, compelling messages about the negative effects of bad lighting and benefits of good lighting that can convince clients, without requiring them to understand complex mitochondrial biology.

Glass Coatings Prioritize Energy Efficiency Over Health: Modern building glazing is engineered entirely around energy efficiency, filtering out wavelengths that may be biologically important. Hundreds of thousands of square meters of glass have been installed in buildings without consideration for the optimal "cocktail" of wavelengths that should pass through, particularly UV and near-infrared light that supports circadian and metabolic health.

Indoor Infrared Exposure is 99% Lower Than Outdoor Exposure: Measurements comparing a 3-4 hour outdoor walk versus a full day indoors showed that indoor infrared consumption was only 0.57% of outdoor exposure. This dramatic differential illustrates the magnitude of the evolutionary mismatch between modern indoor environments and the light conditions under which human physiology evolved.

Light Should Be Measured as Nourishment, Not Just Illumination: Current lighting metrics (lux and lumens) only measure visible light for vision, while plants receive photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD)—an energetic measurement. This reflects a fundamental misunderstanding where we treat light as merely a visual aid for humans rather than essential nourishment, similar to how fast food feeds but doesn't nourish.

Practical Barriers Exist to Implementing Near-Infrared Lighting: Architects attempting to integrate near-infrared LEDs into their office renovation discovered multiple technical challenges: LED drivers don't support multiple channels well, control systems (like DALI in Europe) don't recognize non-visible light, design software doesn't calculate near-infrared effects, and manufacturers are uncomfortable integrating filament sources that may be superior to LEDs.

Energy Efficiency Regulations Prevent Healthy Lighting Solutions: Current regulations driven by energy efficiency classify any non-visible light as wasteful, creating a major barrier to incorporating health-beneficial wavelengths. Policymakers need reorientation to understand that energy spent on near-infrared and full-spectrum lighting is an investment in human sustainability, not waste, particularly as populations age and need to remain productive longer.

Modern Offices Resemble Space Stations in Their Light Deprivation: The light environment on the International Space Station, where accelerated mitochondrial aging occurs, is not fundamentally different from modern office environments. The key difference is that office workers have the choice to step outside, and those brief outdoor exposures may be the critical factor preventing even more dramatic health decline.

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