Brown Penny, a charming poem by William Butler Yeats, is a favorite of mine. In this poem Yeats contemplates love. My favorite part of this poem is the line, “I am looped in the loops of her hair.” I imagine someone ensnared much like Mowgli was ensnared by Kaa in the Jungle Book.
Byzantium And The Crusades - Manzikert 1071 Episode 2 The Crisis of Byzantium
This podcast series is about the Battle of Manzikert. With excerpts taken from the Byzantine World War by Nick Holmes, it tries to unravel what really happened at Manzikert, a battle that changed history. In the second episode in the series, we look at the challenges that faced Byzantium in the eleventh century, as hordes of new barbarian invaders appeared on its borders and it struggled to maintain the professional army that had kept it safe in previous centuries.
Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War, my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.
Unexpected Elements - The impossibility of social distancing and even handwashing in crowded refugee camps
Massively over crowded Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos has seen numbers grow from 5 to 20 thousand in a matter of months. Hundreds of people share taps and toilets, there is little chance to implement measures designed to stop the spread of covid 19. So far the camp has not been hit by the epidemic, but aid agencies fear for the most vulnerable in the camp.
Covid 19 jumped from bats to humans, possibly via another wild animal. A study of zoonotic diseases has identified many other viruses that could do the same.
The skies are clearer, levels of pollution from traffic have dropped by up to 50 percent but how long will cleaner air remain?
And Comet Borisov makes a spectacular exit.
Listener Keith from Lincolnshire wants to know how to reduce stress as he is under extreme pressure as a firefighter. Not only does he have to cope with the stress of responding to emergency situations but he has to do it while wearing challenging breathing equipment. We all experience times of stress, especially given the current situation, our chest starts to feel tight and our breathing becomes shallow. Claudia Hammond – presenter of BBC World Service programme Health Check – explains steps we can take to protect our mental health during this pandemic. How should we alter our breathing to manage stress? Presenter Anand Jagatia speaks to breathing experts to find techniques to help listener Keith, and everyone else.
(Image: Moria refugee camp, Lesvos, Greece. Credit: Getty Images)
CoinDesk Podcast Network - ANNA: Making Sense of the SEC’s Case Against Telegram
Telegram, the popular messaging app, has big plans for its blockchain Telegram Open Network, or TON. It also had one of the biggest token sales in history, followed by a huge legal fight over it.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) sued the company to stop its $1.7 billion private token sale, saying the future tokens for TON, called grams, are unregistered securities. Telegram argued grams were a commodity. A federal court judge in New York issued a preliminary injunction agreeing with the SEC, blocking Telegram from issuing tokens.
The court battle has been an interesting one, as is the ruling of the judge. Together with two experienced attorneys, Gabriel Shapiro of BSV Law and Phillip Moustakis of Seward & Kissel, we’re unpacking this process, which is likely to set a precedent for other token sales structured as SAFT, or simple agreement for future tokens – starting with Kik and potentially followed by many more.
- SAFTs used to be a popular form of fundraising in crypto – What went wrong for Telegram?
- Is there still a chance an ambitious proof-of-stake blockchain will still get launched?
- Is there still a safe way to raise money via a token sale or not?
- What are the remaining options for Telegram – and for its investors?
See also:
Judge Halts Telegram Token Issuance in Injunction Requested by SEC
Telegram Hopes It Can Still Sell Tokens to Non-US Investors After Court Ruling
Blockchain Association Says Court ‘Erred’ With Decision to Block Telegram’s Token Issuance
Digital Chamber Asks Court to Draw Line Between Investment Contracts and Assets in Telegram Case
Andreessen Horowitz: “Reading Between the Lines: SEC, Telegram, and Rule 144”
SEC Settles Securities Registration Charges Against 2 ICO Startups
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Serious Inquiries Only - SIO236: Honestly Evaluating the Biden Accusation
Joe Biden has been accused of sexual assault by Tara Reade, with the alleged incident taking place in 1993 when she worked for him. In my opinion, there has been a tremendous amount of bad faith in how this has been talked about my many outlets. This story has consumed my brain and I haven't been able to think of anything else for a few days, so I have just felt I had to do my best to lend an objective voice to a very charged topic. I know I'm just another privileged dude opining, but I believe I've shown that I take accusations very seriously and am willing to kill my heroes. With all that in mind, what follows is likely convoluted and circuitous, but that's because my feelings on this have been all over the place. I hope you find it useful.
Here are the links I reference: Jezebel; Salon, Current Affairs Robinson Piece; Tara Reade Transcript on Current Affairs; Krassensteins Medium; Reade's Medium post; Lucy Flores's Accusation
Consider This from NPR - Q & A: Masks, Unemployment Aid, And Recovering From COVID-19
Public health experts and NPR journalists answer listener questions on 'The National Conversation with All Things Considered,' NPR's nightly radio show about the coronavirus crisis. Excerpted here:
- Dr. Abraar Karan on wearing masks
- Dr. Lucy McBride on what to do if someone is recovering from the coronavirus at home
- NPR's Scott Horsley on unemployment relief and how to get it
We'll return with a regular episode of Coronavirus Daily on Monday.
This episode was recorded and published as part of this podcast's former 'Coronavirus Daily' format.
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- Dr. Abraar Karan on wearing masks
- Dr. Lucy McBride on what to do if someone is recovering from the coronavirus at home
- NPR's Scott Horsley on unemployment relief and how to get it
We'll return with a regular episode of Coronavirus Daily on Monday.
This episode was recorded and published as part of this podcast's former 'Coronavirus Daily' format.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
More or Less: Behind the Stats - Should you wear a face mask?
Do face masks stop you getting coronavirus? You might instinctively think that covering your mouth and nose with cloth must offer protection from Covid-19. And some health authorities around the world say people should make their own masks. But expert opinion is divided. Tim Harford and Ruth Alexander unpick the arguments.
The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe - The Skeptics Guide #770 – Apr 11 2020
Interview with Kevin Peter Hand; COVID-19 Update; What's The Word: Fomite; News Items: 5G and COVID-19, The TP Hubbub, Mining Space, Comet Atlas; Who's That Noisy; Science or Fiction
CoinDesk Podcast Network - RESEARCH: How Miners are Preparing for Lower Block Rewards
How are bitcoin (BTC) miners strategizing for the upcoming halving event in which block reward subsidies will be cut by 50 percent? On this week’s episode of “Bitcoin Halving 2020: Miner Perspectives,” Kristy-Leigh Minehan and Pavel Moravec give an in-depth explanation of what miners are doing to maximize profits and increase operational efficiency.
Since October, Minehan explains, bitcoin mining farms have been getting on “the upgrade train” and purchasing state-of-the-art ASIC machines such as the Antminer S17 and S19. Moravec says bitcoin miners have also been looking at creative ways to cut electricity costs by leveraging surplus energy from certain cities’ power grids.
What started primarily as a hobby in 2009 has flourished over the years, gained broader adoption and ultimately evolved into a new, professional industry.
“We’ve gotten to a point in bitcoin’s history where the government is paying attention and has started to realize bitcoin isn’t going away. Mining is not going away. And it’s in their best interest to start working with ... miners,” Minehan said.
Teaming up with local governments and utility providers is another miner strategy both Minehan and Moravec have seen on the increase in recent years. This is why Minehan believes even the geographic distribution of miners, which was discussed in depth in an earlier podcast episode, may further diversify in future to regions such as North America and Europe.
To download or stream this episode, you can go to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Stitcher, RadioPublica or RSS. For early access to future episodes, be sure to click subscribe on these channels.
For more information about the bitcoin halving, CoinDesk Research recently published a 30-page explainer report on these events, which features additional commentary from Minehan, Moravec and other mining industry experts. The report is free to download on the CoinDesk website.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts - Why, Wisconsin?
Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Marc Elias, chair of Perkins Coie’s Political Law Group, he represents the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. Together, they reconstruct how the Supreme Court stepped into Wisconsin’s April election, and what the path to that decision—and the fallout from it—can teach us ahead of November.
In the Slate Plus segment, Mark Joseph Stern talks about Mitch McConnell’s continued campaign to stack the judiciary, the dissonance between conservative positions on election law and reproductive rights in the time of COVID, and the piece he wishes he and Dahlia had written together this week, but didn’t. Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.
Podcast production by Sara Burningham.
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