Sarina and I both love these episodes where we, two certified nerds, get to hang out with likeminded individuals and dish. This week, we are going to talk about one of Jess’ most niggling worries: what does it mean to a publisher and an author to “earn out” a book advance and what does it mean to both if that never happens?

Send us a text Now in a nutshell, the history of Halloween and how it developed can be described in a few sentences. You see, Halloween originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of summer and the harvest, and the beginning of the dark, cold winter. The Celts believed that on the night of October 31st, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred, allowing spirits to return to Earth. They would light bonfires and wear costum...

Pigs are stolen. Gooses killed, gutted, de-feathered, roasted over spits and eaten by drifters. And, evidently, dogs are wounded. Idaville’s an odd place. Can Mike crack the case?! Listen to the complete 280 Mysteries archive on our Patreon! patreon.com/372pages

Never before have we been presented with the prospect of redesigning business at scale to create a more sustainable future for our planet and the people who inhabit it. As we pass the midpoint of the Sustainable Development Goals (2015–2030), the world has changed. There is not only more progress and policy but also more disagreement on the way forward. The bottom line is that the shared goals developed in 2015 will not be met, global warming will likely exceed targets, and the collective challenge

During the Great Depression, the proliferation of local taxpayers’ associations was dramatic and unprecedented. The justly concerned members of these organizations examined the operations of state, city, and county governments, then pressed local officials for operational and fiscal reforms. These associations aimed to reduce the cost of state and local governments to make operations more efficient and less expensive."Mr. Taxpayer versus Mr. Tax Spender": Taxpayers’ Associations, Pocketbook

A szlovén szerző kisprózái elsősorban a turizmus és a migráció tapasztalatait állítják szembe egymással. A történetekben minduntalan az otthonosság és az idegenség, a beilleszkedni és a kitaszítani akarás, a hovatartozás és a kirekesztés érzései találkoznak, amelyek a mi és a mások közötti különbségből, távolságból fakadnak. A töredékesség élményét keltő, mozaikszerűen egymásba illeszkedő írások látszólag a felszínen zajló történéseket - egy menekülttábor hétköznapi gondjait vagy épp a tömegturizmus

The Multi-Geographic War on Drugs and Latin American Politics Guest: Professor Evan Ellis Professor Evan Ellis details the complex, multi-geographic war on drugs, noting the Department of Defense is leading strikes against designated terrorist groups, including Venezuela's Cartel de Los Soles. The deployment of the USS Gerald Ford Battle Group to the Caribbean raises speculation about potential land strikes against criminal leadership in Venezuela, though this carries considerable geopolitical

The Multi-Geographic War on Drugs and Latin American Politics Guest: Professor Evan Ellis Professor Evan Ellis details the complex, multi-geographic war on drugs, noting the Department of Defense is leading strikes against designated terrorist groups, including Venezuela's Cartel de Los Soles. The deployment of the USS Gerald Ford Battle Group to the Caribbean raises speculation about potential land strikes against criminal leadership in Venezuela, though this carries considerable geopolitical

The Multi-Geographic War on Drugs and Latin American Politics Guest: Professor Evan Ellis Professor Evan Ellis details the complex, multi-geographic war on drugs, noting the Department of Defense is leading strikes against designated terrorist groups, including Venezuela's Cartel de Los Soles. The deployment of the USS Gerald Ford Battle Group to the Caribbean raises speculation about potential land strikes against criminal leadership in Venezuela, though this carries considerable geopolitical

The Multi-Geographic War on Drugs and Latin American Politics Guest: Professor Evan Ellis Professor Evan Ellis details the complex, multi-geographic war on drugs, noting the Department of Defense is leading strikes against designated terrorist groups, including Venezuela's Cartel de Los Soles. The deployment of the USS Gerald Ford Battle Group to the Caribbean raises speculation about potential land strikes against criminal leadership in Venezuela, though this carries considerable geopolitical

Power Struggle Over NASA and the Moon Race Guests: Douglas Messier, David Livingston Douglas Messier discusses a power struggle over NASA, including acting administrator Shawn Duffy's interest in folding NASA into the Department of Transportation and his concern that the United States might lose the Moon Race 2.0 to China. Duffy has challenged SpaceX's contract for the Artemis 3 moon landing, aiming to accelerate lander development amid fears that dependence on the complex Starship/Superheavy

The US-China Tariff Truce and AI's Market Trajectory Guest: Chris Riegel Chris Riegel discusses the temporary US-China tariff truce and Nvidia's potential re-entry into the high-end AI chip market in China. He notes retailers are currently absorbing tariff costs but anticipate price spikes in the first quarter of 2026, despite offsets from reduced energy costs. Riegel affirms that artificial intelligence is "real" and economically transformational, though market aspects may prove "bubbly,"

AI as a Lifeline for US Energy and Russian Economic Collapse Guest: Michael Bernstein Michael Bernstein describes how artificial intelligence, which is highly electricity intensive, is providing a "lifeline" to US shale energy, especially natural gas production in Texas, by creating substantial new demand for power infrastructure. This new supply is also fundamentally transforming the European energy landscape, where Russian dominance has been eliminated. Simultaneously, sanctions are forcing major

Argentina's Economic Challenge: The Overvalued Peso Guest: Mary Anastasia O'Grady Mary Anastasia O'Grady discusses Argentine President Javier Milei's surprising electoral success but highlights the overvalued peso as his most significant challenge. The peso's artificial strength is maintained by US Treasury support through a $20 billion swap line and direct intervention, preventing investors from entering the market. O'Grady argues that Milei must allow the peso to float and eventually dollarize

Hamas Violates Ceasefire and Maintains Political Control Guest: Jonathan Conricus Jonathan Conricus states that Hamas is systematically violating the ceasefire, deliberately stalling the release of hostages' bodies to maintain political leverage against Israel. Hamas is internally working to settle scores and communicate that they are "here to stay" as a governing force. Conricus notes that the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian terrorists, including experienced operatives, significantly increases

Iran Rebuilds Nuclear Weapons Development Site Guest: David Albright David Albright reports on Iran rebuilding the Talagon 2 site, previously bombed by Israel and associated with nuclear weapons development, including testing components for explosive initiators. The reconstruction suggests Iran is making the facility harder to destroy. Iran's nuclear enrichment program appears temporarily "frozen," but the country is focusing on reconstituting its ballistic missile program using equipment sourced

US Middle East Policy Coordination and the Gaza Peace Plan Guest: Mike Wagenheim Mike Wagenheim characterizes US Middle East policy coordination as a functional division of labor focused on keeping the peace plan on track while accepting that ceasefire violations are inevitable. He notes Israel lacks meaningful leverage regarding the expanding roles of Turkey and Qatar in Gaza because Israel failed to provide a comprehensive "day after scenario." Qatar's ongoing financial support of Hamas remains

Hamas Delays Hostage Releases and Hezbollah-Iran Funding Guest: Sarit Zehavi Sarit Zehavi reports that Hamas is deliberately slowing hostage releases and breaking the ceasefire to regain control and avoid being dismantled, as promised by the agreement. She states that Hezbollah is primarily funded by Iran, while Hamas is largely funded by Qatar. Israel's new security strategy involves maintaining strategic buffer zones, including nine military positions in Syria and control of five hills in

The Constitution, the Militia, and Federal Overreach Guest: Rob Natelson Rob Natelson clarifies that the militia, or National Guard, is fundamentally a state force under gubernatorial command, though Congress can authorize the President to call it forth to execute federal laws, suppress insurrections, or repel invasions. Recent court cases concerning President Trump's use of the Guard to protect federal buildings hinged on whether its use was truly "necessary" under constitutional law. Natelson

Hazel Barkworth is creative consultant, who graduated from Oxford with an English Degree, and when she decided she'd try and write fiction... she went back to school. She enrolled in the Curtis Brown Creative Novel Writing Course, and published her debut, 'Heatstroke', to rave reviews in The Guardian and the Evening Standard.Hazel's newest novel is 'The Drownings'. It tells the story of Serena, who grew up dreaming of being an olympic swimmer. When a brutal training injury wrecks those chances, she