Remember a hallmark card when you carry enough to send the very best. Chosen by one of the world's best known authors, they distinguish novelists, Mr. James Hilton. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This is James Hilton. Tonight on our hallmark playhouse, we dramatize the early life of one of America's greatest presidents and one of the great men of all time, Abraham Lincoln. And to help us, we have used Irving Batchelor's fine book, A Man for the Ages. The lives of very great men become legends long before the historian can tell them, and so it was with Lincoln. The people he had met and known remembered so many things he said, even in his youth. Almost as if they sensed the destiny that lay ahead. Some of these stories we tell tonight. Stories that add up to the total picture of a man who was, if ever the term, deserved to be used at truly human being. To play the exacting role of Abraham Lincoln, we have chosen that fine actor, Joseph Cotton. And now a word about hallmark cards from Frank Goss. Before we begin the first act of Irving Batchelor's A Man for the Ages. For every occasion important to your friends and loved ones, there are hallmark cards to carry your thoughts across the miles, across the years, often merely across the way. That's important in these fast-moving days when families and friends are separated on short notice. When a word of thoughtfulness can mean so much. On special days and every day, a hallmark card says what you want to say, the way you want to say it. And identifying hallmark on the back as always says you cared enough to send the very best. Now hallmark playhouse presenting Irving Batchelor's A Man for the Ages, starring Joseph Cotton. Lincoln's birthday so close, we would like to remember him in his early years when he was a country storekeeper, a small town postmaster, a youth in love. We shall put that story together from the lips of his friends, the people who knew him and lived with him and loved him. We shall hark back more than a century ago and try to catch their voices. The name is Josiah Taylor. We come with a new sailor miller knowing a wagon. And it was Abe who helped us build a cabin. It was Abe who taught me he can talk loud and whisper. Oh, he was an understanding man. What are you looking so unhappy about, Joe? It's McGurl, Abe. She's run off and married another fellow. And it feels as if the world's coming to an end. Come here, Joe. I want to tell you about something that happened to me once on the Illinois River. Our boat got caught in the rapids and the captain had to keep her headed just so we'd have gone on the rocks. Suddenly a little boy dropped his apple overboard and began to holler. He wanted to have the boat stop. For a minute, that boy thought his apple was the biggest thing in the world. What's that got to do with me, Abe? We're all a good deal like that boy. We keep dropping our apples and calling for the boat to stop. Soon we find out that there are many apples in the world as good as that one. The important thing is to keep going ahead. But why? What's the point of it? Got a feeling, Joe, that the world has something big in it for every one of us if we can only find it. I pray God every day that He will help me to find my work, the thing I can do better than anything else. I expect it'll be a hard and dangerous search and more than likely I'll drop some apples along the way, but I'm not going to lose sight of the main purpose. Thanks, Abe. I feel better now. I feel a whole lot better. He was like my son and he was like my father. For homeliness, I'd match him against the world. I never saw anybody so long between joints. Don't hardly see how he could tell when his feet got cold. Our name is Rutledge. We run the cabin in New Salem. And Abe used to come call on our daughter. Is Mrs. Anne at home, Mrs. Rutledge? I'm afraid not, Abe. She's out walking with Mr. McNeil. Oh, Abe, I want you to know that I'm on your side. I've told Anne I wish I had you for a son-in-law. That's very generous of you, ma'am, but you've got to be careful. A son-in-law is a curious kind of property. You know, if you have a horse that's tricky and dangerous and worth less than nothing, you can give him away or kill him. But if you have a son-in-law that's worthless, nobody else will have him and it's against the Lord to kill him. Well, your mind is well known right off. Anne's decided to marry John McNeil. Oh, now I've hurt you about telling you. No, no, ma'am. I guess I just dropped a map over in the floodwaters. How's that, Abe? Now I'm yelling for the boat to stop. In New Salem, I think he had the most difficult job any postmaster ever had. You see, John McNeil went east promising to come back and Mary Anne had to come to Miss Rutledge with empty hands. Abe, Abe, is there anything for me today? I'm afraid not, Anne. There'll be one next mail if I have to write it myself. You're much too beautiful to dim up your eyes that way. I'm sorry, Anne, that I have to help out making you so miserable. Seems like I'm the head of the hammer that keeps hitting you so hard, but the handle is in the other hand. You haven't had any word from him at all? No, not for months and months. Oh, Abe, I've got to tell you something. Before he left, he told me his name wasn't really McNeil, but McNamar. And when I told my pa and ma, they said nobody but a criminal would live with a false name. They say he probably has a wife in the east. We mustn't condemn him without a knowledge of all the facts. I don't think you'll come back, Abe, but I'm not going to cry anymore. I don't think I have any tears left. I'm going to give him up. Oh, Anne, maybe the times come for me to say a sort of speech. One I would have said to you a long time ago, but I couldn't make myself believe I was good enough for you. I love you so much that if you can only be happy with John McNamar, I'll pray to God that he may turn out to be a good and faithful man and come back and keep his promise. Oh, Abe, I made up my mind that all men were bad, but my father, I was wrong. I'd forgotten about you. Men are mostly good, but it's very easy to misunderstand them. And if you'd give me a chance, I'd do my best to bring back the joy of the old days. Sometimes I think I can see my way far ahead, and those years look good. Because you, Anne, are always walking beside me. You can hear the air shake with the whir of their wings. Going south is a sign of bad weather. Best go inside. Wind's coming up. Yes, Anne. Anne, did you hear any of the things I said? Do you think you can put up with me? If you want me to, I'll marry you, Abe. I can't say that I truly love you, but I want to love you. I wish I could tell you how I feel. Maybe I can show you someday, but I'll never be able to tell you. Words are good enough for politics and even for religion, but not for the feeling I have about you. Only in my life will I try to express it. My name's Kelso. I saw Abe every day, with Shakespeare or Luke or Blackstone. I remember going into the store and I'd say to him, Abe, when you don't have a customer, why don't you take a little time off? Well, I'll tell you, Kelso, it's just too blame, much work doing nothing. What do you have? Sack of sugar and a two-cent stamp. What's this you're reading? Kirkham, rhetoric, grammar. Got to learn to talk and write simple until the point. I've got a feeling that it's like playing. You have anything to say or write, head straight across the field and keep your eye on the pharaoh. Then comes the sewing. It's a handsome sight watching the saw stride across the field in his blue jeans.  Well, I guess it's the same way with talk and writing. You put on frills and you just sound plain silly. You know, years later, I stood on a patch of earth in Gettysburg and I listened to Abe Lincoln make a speech. As the words came out, I knew my old friend was going straight across the field with his eyes on the pharaoh. I could see the bucket hanging on his elbow and the good seed flying far and wide. He was strong. When I first met him, I put out my hand and I said, I'm Samson Trailer, heading west. I'm pleased to know you. And when his big hand got older mine, I kind of felt his temper. I said to myself, here's a man that it'd be hard to tip over in a rattle. He was the strongest man I ever knew and the most gentle. We got mighty friendly, especially when we fought together in the war against the Black Hawk Indians. I often think of going back home with Abe, back to New Salem. Abe going back to Ann Rutledge the way he talked to me. Watching the stars always makes me think, Sam. What about Abe? About home. It ever occurred to you, Sam, that every living creature has its home. Most of them turn toward it when the day wanes. Call of home is the one voice heard and respected all the way down the line of life. I never lie down in the darkness without thinking of home. Where is home to you, Abe? Kentucky where he was born, New Salem? Where Ann is. That's home. I reckon there must be another home somewhere to go after we've broke the last camp here. The kind of birds compass to help us find it. Maybe it's up there among the stars. I call you a great man. Oh, Sam.  How many legs has a dog, five? No. No, I'll call Abe. Abe, you could be anything president of the United States. I met a little boy once he said he wanted to be president and I told him that was fine. Now all he needed was a consent of the United States. Sam, what if I tried for something like... well, like standing down for the state legislature? I think it would be fine. Ann would like it. Make Ann proud of me. Do it, Mr. Lincoln. What do you call me that for? Since when am I mister to you, Sam? What did I ever do to deserve such a lack of respect? I don't know, Abe.  If I'm elected, I want you fellas to promise not to throw me over with a mister. I'm on the same level that you are and I intend to stay there. The wise man keeps his feet on the ground and lifts his mind as high as possible and there high he lifts it. The more respect you'll have for the common folk. I reckon your common always will be. You know something, Sam. I think God must love the common people. He made so many of them. Just a moment, we'll return to the second act of a man for the ages, starring Joseph Cotton. February is sometimes called the month of hearts and birthdays. Even though the heart is traditionally the sign of Valentine's Day, it could well be used in symbolizing any of the great men born in this month. Lincoln, Washington, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Frederick Chopin, Thomas Edison, and many others. For when you think about it, there was one quality they all had in common. That was an underlying love of their fellow men and the ability to express it in great and good deeds. While special abilities are gifts to only a few of us, we all have an inherent capacity for kindness and love. And this quality can be nourished and increased with marked benefits to the whole world. The makers of hallmark cards are proud that their product can only be used in nourishing and increasing this quality. And that, in their way, the greeting cards you send are really an expression of man's kindness to man. Now back to James Hilton and the second act of a man for the ages, starring Joseph Cotton. We're about Abe Lincoln's young years in New Salem, Illinois, from the lips of the people who lived and worked with him. The whole spirit of America seemed to be in this young storekeeper and reader of books. And these were the years when that life was flowing toward manhood. Listen to their voices, the people whose hearts he touched, who shook his hand, who felt the warmth of his wisdom. I knew Abe. My name is Eli Friedenberg. In the old days, I carried a pack on my back, selling my goods from house to house, from farm to farm. But when I met Abe walking along the road, my pack felt lighter on my back, just from talking to him. I guess Abe did that all his life with anyone who carried a burden on his back. And when finally I opened my own store, he was one of my first customers. And it was his first store's food. Well, that feels fine, Eli. For a man who's going to represent the people at the legislature, it has to be the best, the very best. And I'm afraid the trousers are well just a little short. And it's fair to blame the trousers, Eli. My legs are so blame-long that next time I'll have them made to measure with a 10-foot pole instead of a yard stand. It's not what I would call an elegant suit. The fact is, Eli elegance and I wouldn't get along well together. Abe, go. Go, Abe. Stand up in the assembly hall and say beautiful words. Like a prophet from the Bible. It's a powerful lot of work to do, Eli. I hear they want to put through a bill to endorse slavery. That would be like putting a stamp of approval on Nero or Judas or Caligula. It's like I said, from the Bible. Forty years they wandered in the desert to the Promised Land, away from the land of bondage. It's not right, is it, Abe? But some men should be masters and some should be slaves. I often think, Eli, that if God intended some men to do all the work in no easy, He would have made some men with all hands and no mouth. Him on the day of his deepest sorrow. I'm Dr. Allen. It was I who called him home. Home to New Salem. Home where Anne was, Dr. Allen. Must give me some hope. I'm sorry, Abe. It's some kind of fever in the brain, and we don't know enough to do anything about it. Can I see her? I think seeing you will be better than any medicine I can give her. Go in, Abe. Is that you, Abe? Yes, there.  I don't want you to grieve for me, Abe.  Don't talk that way, Anne. You're going to get well. I'll never do anything, not anything, if you're not with me.  Always and always. Abe, I'm so warm, so very warm. Think of coolness, Anne. Remember our walks down by the Sangramon, the breeze coming off the river and the sparrows dipping their wings. I remember you taught me grammar there on the river bank. That ragged old book, almost ready to give up. There's one thing I don't understand. How can one adverb modify? And you gave me a lovely example. One adverb modifies another as in, I love you very dearly. So, Anne, you mustn't leave me. I'm no good at all without you.  And if he's willing, I'll be there walking beside you. Oh, listen, Abe, the birds. I hear the rush of their wings. It's such a lovely sound. You told me once it meant bad weather, but... Anne, you mustn't talk anymore. Abraham Lincoln? And he belonged... To Lillum was surely troubled. He wandered out in the woods and up in the prairies along. Many of us were feared he'd lose his reason. But at last, he came back. And all of us were there to meet him. I'm finally concerned, Sam, but you shouldn't have worried about me. Where have you been, Anne? Maybe I'm like a deer that's been hurt. I wanted to be alone and look at the stars. I had a lot of thinking to do, a job of work that every man must do for himself. I got the brush cleared away at last so I can see through. We're glad you've come home. Thank you, ma'am. I'm not sure exactly where home is now, but I'll find it one day. Right now I'm... Where are you going? Go back to the legislature. Anything important happening there, Abe? Far as I know Kelso, only piddling little bills up to now. As you know, I'm not much of a hand at hunting squirrels, but wait till I see a bear. But when the session's over, Abe, you aren't coming back to New Salem. Oh, Sam, I'm forgetting to move on. Maybe to Springfield, maybe further. Springfield's growing up, they tell me. Maybe I'll study the law and see if I can't wrestle with a few injustices. We'll miss you, Abraham Lincoln.  But I made a kind of promise to move ahead and do the work I was able to do. I figured democracy has much ground to win. For my part, I believe that the Declaration of Independence is a practical document. My ambition is to see its truth accepted everywhere. Its principles are second only to the law of Moses. Well, well, I better stop. Speechmaking's a bad habit to get into. They say Chicago up by the lake is, pardon that, going to be a big city. Going to be a big country. There's no time for anybody to sit on his hands and feel sorry for himself. We've got to keep going ahead. That's important. Goodbye, my friends. Goodbye, Mr. Lincoln. God love you. Thank you, ma'am. God love you all. There are good many miles ahead and sometimes you can't always see what lies just beyond the turn of the road. God's help in your prayers. Perhaps we'll find the way together. Joseph Cotton and James Hilton will return in a moment. They're telling the story of the young man who came up to a salesperson and said, haven't you any other valentines? I don't want to propose. I just want to say hello. I don't know where the young man looked, but just today in a store that features hallmark cards, I remarked on the variety of hallmark valentines displayed. Of course, there are some for sweethearts, as delicate and lovely as an old-fashioned waltz. But there are lots of others, too. Valentines for friends near and far, just to let them know you're thinking of them. Valentines for all the family. Like an extra hug for a mother or a compliment for dad, they bring a special glow to the heart and tell the folks you're proud of them. Then there are those wonderfully gay hallmark valentines for children. There's a big selection to send to children, and the hallmark make your own valentine kits for children to make and send to their friends. You might say there's a hallmark valentine for every person who answers this description. Those who are in love with life and those who are young in heart. And of course, sending a valentine with that familiar hallmark on the back not only shows your good taste, but tells the receiver that with valentines and other cards, you'll carry enough to send the very best. Here again is James Hilton. That was an excellent performance, Joseph Cotton. You were an inspiring Lincoln. I feel I should thank the makers of hallmark cards. Jimmy, I've always wanted to play Lincoln. Trying to interpret his great spirit is certainly a challenge to any actor. And I'd say you met the challenge admirably, Joe. While I'm here, I'd like to thank you. Thank you, folks, for reminding us all of the importance of writing to the boys in service. That's a challenge we can all meet. Now, what have you planned for the hallmark playhouse next week, Jimmy? Next week we shall present a modern version of one of the most delightful stories ever told, Cinderella. And as our guest, one of Hollywood's best-loved actresses, Judy Gallow. That sounds like a most happy combination. Judy's a fine performer, not only as a singer, but as an actress. And she'll be doing both for you on the hallmark playhouse next week, Joe. And then it will be Jimmy. Good night. Good night, Joseph Cotton, and thanks again. Our hallmark playhouse is every Thursday. Our director-producer is Bill Gay. Our music is composed and conducted by Lynn Murray. And our story tonight was dramatized by Lawrence and Lee. Until next Thursday then, this is James Hilton saying, good night. Only in stores that have been carefully selected to give you expert and friendly service. Remember hallmark cards when you carry enough to send the very best. Joseph Cotton can currently be seen in the Hal Wallace production for Paramount. September Affair. The part of Anne Rutledge tonight was played by Barbara Eiler. Ted DeCorsi was Samson Trailer. And Jane Avello, Eli. This is Frank Ross saying good night to you all until next week at the same time when hallmark playhouse returns to present Judy Garland in Cinderella. And the week following, on Washington's birthday, Maxwell Anderson's Valley Ports. And the week after that, Washington's Mature Bowl Care. Starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. On the Hallmark Playhouse. KMV3, Kansas City, Missouri.


Hey guys, I'm Sally Beecham here at the Collabron Golf Center here to tell you all about the first tea of Columbia spring programming. We're super excited that the sun is out and that it's finally springtime and we can dust off those clubs and get started. We're really excited to have three locations this spring. We are still seeing kids starting at age five all the way up through high school all the way through 18. We have locations here at the Collabron Golf Center which is downtown, centrally located. We added Cobblestone Park and Blythewood this past fall so they're on board again. Then we're super excited to be out at Fort Jackson for our military families. We group our five and six year olds, our Pee Wees, together. That class we're really starting to introduce to sport. They use a lot of different games that they're already familiar with so it's just making it fun. Once our kids turn seven, everybody starts at the beginner level which is our player group and whether you're seven or nine, everybody starts there and then we move up or transition based on skill level at that point. So it's kind of like we tell our parents it's kind of like karate. Everybody starts at the same level and then as you meet the certification requirements and the attendance requirements you can move up through the program. It's not a huge commitment of time nor money so it's a great way to try something. You don't have to go out and buy cleats or pads or anything. We provide all the clubs. We provide everything that a kid would need. Golf teaches you patience, it teaches you perseverance, sportsmanship, judgment, all of those things that can be used obviously on the course but also off the course at home and at school and it's our goal to bridge that gap or to make that bridge between what it's like to use it on the golf course as well as at home. It doesn't matter where you're from. We have scholarships so everybody gets to participate. There's no reason that any family should feel like golf not for me. We introduce it to kids who are from golfing families or from kids who parents have never seen a golf club let alone picked one up. So it's a great place to start and to really grow the love of the game.


So, as of today, the 400-plus page Mueller report has been released, although Attorney General William Barr has left large portions of it redacted, and when I say he's left large portions of it redacted, I mean, there are literally pages that are fully blacked out because the information would supposedly cause harm to an ongoing manner. I don't really buy it, and I think it's really comical, but with that being said, even in spite of all of the redactions, there is still information in this report that we can extract out that I think is really important and, for the most part, devastating to Donald Trump, because as we initially were told, this doesn't fully exonerate Donald Trump, and that's certainly the case based on what we know about it thus far, based on what articles have been written and what I've read, but this actually includes information that could potentially be devastating. How devastating? That's an open question because there's an argument to be made that there's enough details in here that provides House Democrats with evidence that Trump on numerous occasions tried to obstruct justice, that they actually could pursue impeachment because of this. So this is big. Now, I want to share a Vox article with you that highlights 10 instances where President Donald Trump potentially tried to obstruct justice. This includes asking James Comey to let Michael Flynn go. Trump's reaction to the Russia investigation, primarily his anger that Jeff Sessions recused himself, the firing of James Comey, obviously, Mueller's appointment and efforts to oust him, efforts to curtail the Russia investigation, attempts to stop the public from seeing the evidence. Trump trying to get Jeff Sessions to take back control of the investigation. Trump telling Don McGahn to deny that the president had wanted the special counsel removed. Trump's team asking Flynn for a quote heads up on information and commending Paul Manafort for not quote flipping. The president's changing behavior towards Michael Cohen, particularly Trump's team coaching him to quote stay on message. So these are all, I think, evidence of criminality. Now whether or not this legally would prove that Donald Trump is guilty, that's an open question. But do Democrats in the House have enough in this report to pursue impeachment? I think the answer is yes. And Mehdi Hassan of the Intercept makes a pretty strong argument as to why that's the case. This is his message to Democrats quote, you have access to the report itself. And even the lightly redacted 448 pages provide you with a clear and detailed roadmap for impeaching Donald Trump in line with Article 2, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution. The president, vice president, and all civil officers of the United States shall be removed from office on impeachment for and conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. Listen to special counsel Robert Mueller with respect to whether the president can be found to have obstructed justice by exercising his powers under Article 2 of the Constitution. We concluded that Congress has authority to prohibit a president's corrupt use of his authority in order to protect the integrity of the administration of justice, he writes, adding the conclusion that Congress may apply the obstruction laws to the president's corrupt exercise of the powers of office, accords with our constitutional system of checks and balances, and the principle that no person is above the law. Without that, the special counsel, who listed 10 instances of potential obstruction of justice in his report and refused to quote exonerate the president, placed the decision firmly in your court. This is the impeachment referral you claimed you were waiting for. Trump, in Mueller's view, may not have committed an underlying crime in relation to Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, but this is frankly irrelevant to the case for impeachment. So basically to reiterate the point that Mehdi Hasan is making here, just because there's no collusion does not mean that there was no obstruction. And in fact, a key takeaway, which I think is probably the most important takeaway from this report thus far, reads, quote, if we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the president clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state, based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, we are unable to reach that judgment. So that's really big. So just as a matter of the legality and whether or not House Democrats can pursue impeachment, can they do that? Absolutely. I think that they have more than enough in this Mueller report, which kind of gives you an indication as to why Trump and Republicans were trying to delay the release of this report and even potentially block it. It's because it is damaging to the president. I was not expecting collusion. I expected something and I kind of feel vindicated now because this does prove that there's something there. It wasn't like there was no there there. This investigation in and of itself was important.  He acquired his wealth by committing a tax scheme that allowed his father to hide away money so it wouldn't be taxed when he passed it on to his kids. So Donald Trump is a career criminal and I'm really not surprised. Now let me just pose this question here. In the event we weren't talking about Donald Trump and Robert Mueller was investigating some random Joe, is it likely that this would have been enough here to indict him and put him away? It's very possible because let me remind you, we live in a two-tiered justice system where wealthy, powerful people like the president are able to get away with crimes. But a normal individual, if there were this many instances of potentially obstructing justice, would that normal peasant get away with it? Unquestionably not. Now there are separate questions that people tend to bring up when we're talking about the prospect of impeachment. Should Democrats pursue this politically? Is this something that would serve them strategically? And whether or not it behooves them to pursue impeachment? The question as to whether or not they have a case, I think it's been answered here. They absolutely do. And I've always remained firmly in the camp that even if politically speaking, it may not necessarily be the best decision to try to impeach Donald Trump because I think this will kind of create this rally around Trump effect, kind of like a spin on the rally around the flag effect. And it will get his base ramped up. But with that being said, I think that it seems immoral to not pursue him just because of the political ramifications that may or may not come to fruition.  So that's my take on it. And based on that, I think that impeachment is something that Democrats should pursue, but Nancy Pelosi has stated before, not really going to be on the table. So do I think this will lead anywhere? Probably not. But with that being said, I think it's important that the American people know what happened here. There are numerous instances where Donald Trump potentially obstructed justice. And I say potentially, even if I'm convinced that he did because we don't know if that is legally provable. So that's why there's the potential there. But for the most part, we know what he was trying to do. You don't have to be extra charitable here. He wanted to shut down this investigation. So I'll leave that there. One last thing I want to share, something on page 290 that I found really interesting. Quote, when Sessions told the president that a special counsel had been appointed, the president slumped back in his chair and said, oh, my God, this is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I'm fucked. The president became angry and lambasted the attorney general for his decision to recuse from the investigation, stating, how could you let this happen, Jeff? This is the worst thing that ever happened to me. Damn. So now we know why Donald Trump, you know, tried to shut down the Mueller investigation. Do I think he was worried about collusion? No, because as I predicted, there was no collusion. But the firing of James Comey, if I did what Trump did, I would be shitting my pants. The corrupt business dealings that we know he has, the conflicts of interest that his business has posed, I'd be shitting my pants if I were him. So it seems like he was at least smart enough to realize the gravity of the situation there. And after he just vetoed the bill that would withdraw U.S. support to military, to Saudi's military incursion in Yemen, which I think is tantamount to literal genocide, it makes me feel a little bit happy to see him or to hear that he was worrying here. I don't take pleasure in human suffering, even mental distress, but this is someone who's a monster. Donald Trump is a morally reprehensible human being and really, I don't think he has any morals. I just think that he is an amoral individual who's purely driven by self-interest. I mean, we're all driven by self-interest as human beings, but we also have other considerations. We have morality. We have the potential impact of our actions on others. I genuinely believe that Donald Trump doesn't have that. He may literally be a sociopath. So that's basically, I think, the crux so far of what we found. Again, this is a very, very long report and I expect to see more little tidbits pop up, but I'm excited to kind of dig in and read a little bit more here because this is fascinating to me and I hope that other people will take the time to read the direct report and not just other secondhand analyses, but with that being said, we all have lives, 449 pages. Jesus Christ, that's a lot. So this really is a bombshell. It's devastating to Trump, in my view. And yeah, whether or not Democrats want to do anything, the ball's in their court. It's just a matter of if they want to act. We'll see.


President Mahmoud Buhari has endorsed the Presidential Candidate C of the APC, Presidential Candidate Bola Tinobu. The President asked the huge crowd in Boughty State to vote massively for Tinobu to emerge President in next month's election.


The stability of aircraft components made from composite materials is highly dependent on the presence of delaminations. Delaminations can cause rapid reduction in structural stiffness, leading to catastrophic failure if not detected early enough. This paper presents a sensitivity analysis of a typical aerospace reinforced panel with a circular delamination representing an impact damage event. Various configurations were analyzed, including different radii and positions along the thickness of the delamination. Additionally, some geometric parameters of the panel were modified to assess how the buckling load and the propagation of interlaminar damage evolved. This article was authored by Annie Yellow Riccio, Rosana Castaldo, Conchetta Palumbo, and others.


Among people with disability, I must say, the visually impaired surface a lot of setback because very often they're excluded, not enough provision is made for their education, you know, and they don't have access to assistive technologies, which is available now. So in my own country, I found that and therefore we decided to have a special program to support a person with visual impairment in education. We gave them assistive devices, be it laptop with the right software, be it smartphone, be it smart cane and a set of gadgets, plus also training an empire and accompaniment so that they can manage on their own. I must say this has given them new hope and we intend to intensify now the work more with the collaboration that I intend to have with Commonwealth of Learning. You know in 2011, I retired and there was a strong desire for me to do something different from what I've done and there came my inner voice, so to say telling me, after you've done so much in life, it's time for you to give back and I felt that there was a sense of gratitude I had to life and I had to give back. So I created Global Ringo Foundation as a channel which will help me to touch the lives of those people who are in the most vulnerable group and I chose specifically person with disability and therefore the mission has been for the past eight years now to concentrate our effort to accompany a person with disabilities in various ways so that they are empowered, they have their dignity and they are also independent. We should realize that in the world today almost 15% of the population suffers from some disability which is huge, you know, almost one billion. So we cannot be insensitive to that situation and any organization serving the world cannot stay away from this issue of serving person with disability. They are part of the population, they have the legitimate right and they also have a lot of potential and we need to look at them, not at the disability, look at the abilities within them and here I would like to call Robert Hansen, he says, I choose not to put this in my ability, you know, so and this is a big potential and that's why I felt that Commandments of Learning cannot be out of it. Commandments of Learning has to take a lead and it's not doing something new totally, it's using all the resources that developed over so many years to serve education development in so many countries and reorganize them, reformat them so that they are accessible to the person with disability, at least in the commonwealth countries. The good thing now is that we have an international convention, we have the United Nations Convention on the Right to Person with Disabilities which has been endorsed by the whole world. So this is a framework. So you know that we start from nowhere, you know. So this is a framework and many organizations and many countries have been working within the framework of this convention and they developed their own strategy in their line of activities and they've done a lot of progress in that area. So it's not difficult now, I would say the framework should be the UNCRPD and then each organization will have to look what are its activities, how can those activities, the program that they've developed over the years, how can they be made adaptable, accessible to persons with disability and call has a lot to share in that domain. I think one very important one in the modern world now is web accessibility and that should be one main mission. The second one will be to develop all the material that you have to make them in accessible format. A blind person cannot go on your website and benefit, so you have to adapt that. And there are technologies available to do that now. And the third thing is providing regular support to the student community to your beneficiaries. Facilitate them to have the access. So I believe these are the three main considerations that would greatly help an organization to offer its services inclusively.


North Korea has criticized the recent termination of a pact between the United States and South Korea that kept the development of South Korea's ballistic missiles calling it a sign of Washington's shameful double-dilling. South Korean President Moon Jae-in announced the abolishment of the joint missiles guidelines that had limited the country's development of ballistic missiles to a range of 800 kilometers after his first summit with US President Joe Biden earlier this month. North Korea's official KCNA news agency carried an article by Kim Myung-ho, who described it as an international affairs critic to accuse the United States of applying a double standard as it sought to ban Pyongyang from developing ballistic missiles. North Korea's official KCNA news agency carried an article by Kim Myung-ho, who described it as an international affairs critic to accuse the United States of applying a double standard as it sought to ban Pyongyang from developing ballistic missiles to a range of 800 kilometers after his first summit with US President Moon Jae-in. North Korea's official KCNA news agency carried an article by Kim Myung-ho, who described it as an international affairs critic to accuse the United States of applying a double standard


to show and no better day than to start that today. I'm Angela Madden and I'm joined by Corey Langford and we are your hosts for Hope Today. Today, Corey, I think we have a phenomenal show prepared and I think our guests, our hosts, our audience, all of us are gonna just glean a whole lot from today's interview. Yes, Angela, this is gonna get really into some deep questions and some mysteries that a lot of the church has been experiencing, especially when it comes to spiritual gifting. And who am I? What am I supposed to be doing for the kingdom? How is God using me? And have I been utilizing that and governing that and stewarding that correctly? Has somebody maybe said something about my personality that isn't accurate to what God really wants me to do? And that's something I think a lot of people are in the wrong positions because somebody out of ignorance, and a lot of times even scriptural ignorance, as I was reading through this book, Andy Reese's new book, The Spiritual Gifts Blueprint, which is phenomenal. He'll be joining us soon. This wonderful book really scripturally goes into and breaks down how we come to the foundation or understanding of this book. So I'm excited. I know you have all kinds of spiritual gifts. Girl, listen, listen, I feel like truly the question of spiritual gifts and purpose, that's always at the forefront of our conversations. That's always what we're thinking about. And I'm excited to kind of discuss and figure out how is it that we can discover our own spiritual gifts? And how does this help us to navigate our life and to know if we're operating in our purpose, our God-given purpose? Right, exactly. Because one thing that Andy talks about in the book is the misconception and understanding of personality versus the actual gift. So a lot of times people can feel like, hey, I have this personality, therefore I'm this kind of gifting. And that's not always the case. So we're gonna go into that a little bit more. So listen, I have a question for you.  After all, God has gifted each of us with many talents and a purpose for our lives. But for many of us, finding that purpose and living it out can be a real challenge. Founder and president of Freedom Prayer, Andy Reese is our next guest and he's written a book called The Spiritual Gifts Blueprint. He joins us now to help us better understand how we can determine our spiritual gifting and live out our plans God has for us. Andy, welcome to Hope Today. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it, Cory and Angela. Thank you, it's an honor to be here. Absolutely. Listen, for the time we have, we have to get into this book. We have some wonderful questions for you. But first, first to start it off, listen. The Burning Plane. That introduction about how God spoke to you. Listen, can you talk about that first experience that was the initial prompt to God bringing you into this world of understanding spiritual gifts? Talk about the Burning Plane. Sure, sure. I was being a young, I was a young elder which was an oxymoron, but I was a moron to say yes to being an elder at 32. And I was getting on a small plane, a twin prop so you know it was a lot of years ago. And I was basically being a brat with God. I said, what am I supposed to do? I've been invited to go full-time ministry in a church, but my engineering career is just taking off and I love doing that. And I said, I need answers.  And we got on this airplane and we're going along and God began to share Ephesians 2-10 with me. I'm His workmanship. I'm created in Christ Jesus for good works. The Father's prepared those beforehand. Your job is easy, just walk in those works. And I'm like, but, but, but you know, I had all the butts and all of a sudden the woman across the aisle yells, the plane is on fire, the plane is on fire. And of course we, I looked out the window across the aisle and of course my whole side of the plane leaned to her side of the plane. So the whole plane went, you know, like that. And sure enough, there was flame shooting out of the engine and people were screaming and crying.  And you don't want the captain to say that at a time like this. So anyway, God said to me, I have a book written about you too. I was bitchy because Jesus had a whole book. It was easy for him to know what he's doing. And he said, I have a book written about you too, but I wouldn't tell you because you'd go do it. I want to do it with you.  And I was just like, and not get hurt either, right? You know, it's just that thing, well, we landed in flames and everything. And I sat on the runway and God literally laid out the framework for this book while I sat on the edge of the runway so many years ago. And I slowly put it together and taught it for a number of years in different settings. A lot of Lipscomb kids, probably two or 300 Lipscomb kids were taught it. And in each case, their homework was to tell me how it went. And in each case, they said, I know who I am. This is crazy. Why is this so easy? You can help me find my spiritual gifting with the two questions. Oh my gosh. So anyway, so that's been fun. Wow. So this traumatic experience on this plane, you already have an argument with God getting on to the plane and then boom, this moment happens and God tells you, don't worry, I got a book written about you.  So it's like, he's not worried about that at all.  So let's get into this. What are these two primary questions that are so, so invigorating to for people to know who they are in Christ? Sure. Well, let me just say briefly that we have taken various, what we call gift lists in our ignorance and lump them all together into this big pot. And it's like having a shelf with food and cleaning products and clothing. And we've just put everything on the same shelf.  But anyway, it goes to the Corinthians. Look guys, you've got it wrong. And he then separates the things we call spiritual gifts onto four separate shelves. He says there is a, and it's an interesting Greek word I don't have time to get into, but there's a distribution of charisma gifts. And those are the seven in Romans 12. Those are the who you are. There's a distribution of ministries, what you do with who you are. And that's totally described in Ephesians four. Jesus laid out, he is, and one Jesus, he says, just distribution of gifts, one spirit, ministries, one Jesus, distributions of energize, it's causing things to work together, one father. And oh, by the way, the stuff you're all concerned about, tongues, prophecy, those things, never called spiritual gifts in scripture, not even once. Oh my gosh.  When you get stuck, I'll give you a word of knowledge. I'll give you tongue, I'll give you what you need to do what you need. And when you put them on the right shelves, everything becomes easy. Everything becomes straightforward. And so the question you asked was, what are the two questions you asked? Well, there's three speaking gifts and three serving gifts. So with two questions, you can throw yourself into the speaking or serving box. So question one is, and you gotta kind of play act it out here, but question one is, so the city council also has somebody come and talk at Nashville, 40 council people, blah, blah, blah. They haven't come on Friday. It's Wednesday, the person on Friday canceled. Would you be willing to give a talk on something interesting to the council on Friday? Now, if your first thought is, no, no, not only no, but H no, I'm not gonna do that. And all your friends say it'll ruin your life. Then your primary gifting is in the serving area, not in the speaking area. But even with some nervousness, you go, I could do that. And your friends say, yeah, let's make sure it's really good. Then your primary gifting area is in the speaking. Then you just begin to focus there and there's three serving, one who serves, one who gives, and one who shows mercy. There's three speaking, prophecy, teaching, and encouragement. And you have an arc. If you look at the back of the book, you'll see a circle there that lays all that out. There's a little colored circle and you have an arc in that circle. And as you begin to say, Jesus, what do you want me to do? Varieties of ministries, I want Jesus. Jesus, what would you like me to do? You naturally, supernaturally, begin to walk with Jesus into the fullness of your gifting. And it comes from experience, not taking a test. Because you are so unique, no test can give you what experience with Jesus can give you. And when you're using your gifting in the ministry Jesus has for you, the Father causes all things to work together for good because you love Him. And you're called according to His purpose. What's His purpose? Using your gifting in the ministry Jesus has for you. It's simple, you know? And when you see it that way, you go, oh, this is conceptually incredibly easy. I can do this. And that's what all the students said. They said, I can do this. Wow. So that's how it came about. That is so profound, Andy, in its simplicity. And I think that is gonna help so many people. You mentioned about Paul talking about the gifts and how he tells us to earnestly seek these things, you know? And when I hear that, I think of discernment or words of knowledge. But you said those are available to us at any time. Can you explain to us, if I'm a person and I just heard what you said, and I think, okay, well, I'm a serving. I've got that serving gift. And I know that it's mercy, okay? What does it look like in those moments to ask and receive one of those gifts? Give us an example. Okay, so I'm not exactly sure of your question, but let's say the person says, I know that my primary area is one who shows mercy. That, you know, my friends would say, oh yeah, that describes you to a T. So now I'm in a, there's been a tornado ripped through downtown Nashville. And I'm helping people, I'm comforting them. I'm saying, this is gonna be okay and I'll help you get help and all that. And I'm not sure what to say. I'm not sure, and all of a sudden, I'm saying things that are better than I could ever say them. And God is giving me words of knowledge. I say, you seem very, very distraught. Are you missing something? Did you lose something? And it's, oh, I lost my, you know, I lost my jewelry box. And you say, let's look for it. And somehow you know where to look. And those are the power tools that God uses because you need power tools. You need tongues, you need prophecy, you need interpretation of tongues. Those are the three basic power tools. You need words of knowledge, words of wisdom. And, oh, what's the other one? Well, anyway, I have to just space it out. Words of knowledge, words of wisdom and the other speaking one. And then you need faith, healing and miracles. So the top categories, you change the laws of nature. The second category is you know something you shouldn't know, but you know it. The bottom category is you're saying things that are better than you could ever say them. And tongues is the basic starter set and prophecy. You see in the book of Acts, when the spirit fell, they began to speak in tongues. Because tongues flows out of my spirit, bypasses my mind and out into the world. Jesus says, out of your belly will flow rivers of living water, by this he spoke of the spirit. Tongues is an expression of that river. And it teaches your mind to be the steward, not the master. Your spirit is the master.  But we as Christians, we make our mind the master. Exegesis and hermeneutics become the master. And Paul calls those people psychicos Christians, psychological mind Christians. He says, no, you need to be a pneumaticos Christian, a spiritual Christian. And Paul in 1 Corinthians 12 says concerning pneumaticos, the same word he used when he says, this is the kind of Christian you should be. Here's the structure that you live in. So it gets crazy interesting when you see that. Wow, Andy, this is really deep in there. And I know it's not enough time to really, really take it all in, but I wanted to ask this. You had broken down some things because you had said something and quote, you said the church has a problem that got between God's probable intent and our actual spiritual gifts. And you had broken down the different categories of denominations. And some, if you're in this denomination, they don't really believe this heavily in prophecy and speaking of tongues. And you're over here, they believe in a different aspect. So for the viewer who's listening at home right now, how do they begin to approach through a God intended spiritual perspective, how to begin to let God say, this is who you are versus someone else or versus falling into their personality strength, but who God really sees them to be? Yeah, and personal and gifting normally don't conflict.  Your gifting has to flow out of your spirit.  And so you train your mind to discern the flow of the spirit, to understand it. And you're gonna make mistakes. You just get another take. God doesn't care about mistakes. God cares about your heart, your willingness to say, God, I'll go where you send me to go. I'll say what you want me to say.  I'll make mistakes. Thank you, God, that you don't count those against me.  Good job, you are so brave. And that's what God does to us when we just say, I feel like I might should say this. We don't have to understand the manifestations. And remember the 12 things in Romans, in First Corinthians 12, or the nine things are called manifestations of the spirit. Never called gifts, the church has it wrong. And so we've got to go back and read it 10 times ago. Okay, the gifts are in Romans 12. Paul lays them out, he calls them Charisma, uses the word. The word Charisma is never once used to describe the things we call, the things Charismatics do. It's kind of funny.  This goes on this shelf. This is on the manifestation shelf. This is the gift shelf. This is the Ephesians four. Those are never called gifts either, not Charisma, they're called Doma. Gifts, the measure of Jesus is really what they are. Jesus measured himself out to you, Metron in Ephesians four. And that's my ministry in Jesus. And then the father says, okay, you're doing the things you call to do. Watch what I make happen. You suddenly, you look at the airport where they have that moving sidewalk. And people on those sidewalks aren't walking faster, but they're moving faster. And that's how your life begins to look when you understand you're gifting and you say, Jesus, I'll do what you asked me to do. Not the thing some friend told me I'm good at. Not the thing my gift, my personality told me I'm good at. Jesus, I'm gonna say yes to the things and there will be some uncertainty, right?  There's uncertainty, but there's never risk. And those are two very different words. Wow. Andy, this has been incredible. Listen, what I want you to do for the viewers right now, those who are struggling with understanding who they are, can you just briefly pray for them right now, hear live so they can invite the audience? Yes, yes, yes. Father God, oh, Papa, it is your good pleasure to give us the kingdom. It is your good pleasure for us to know our gifting and to walk in it. You cause all things to work together for good. Why, because you love us. You love us with a desperate, intense love. We cannot, if our heart wants to obey you, we cannot mess up bad enough for you to take even an inch step away from us. So Father, I ask that you would encourage the listeners now to say, I am gifted, I am. And it's easy to find. It's like Easter eggs that are hidden for me, not from me. It's easy to find the things Jesus has for me. And God, my only response is to say, yes, I'll be alert. And each morning I'll say, God, today, I'll follow you. Thank you, Papa, you love us. Amen. Thank you so much, Andy, for taking the time to be with us today. It has been a blessing to have you here with us today. Thank you again. Thank you. Thank you and bye everybody. Absolutely, listen. Now, let's check in with Sydney and see what she has coming up on this week's edition of The Glory Hour. Hey, family, coming this Wednesday on The Glory Hour, you don't wanna miss it. We're talking about the truth and reality behind Jesus' resurrection. Professor and public defender of the faith, Dr. Mike Lacona, he's gonna break down the evidence for Christianity and even share his personal story of how he even doubted in the midst of his research. You don't wanna miss that. And have you heard about this? Is Russell Brand becoming a Christian? The viral video showing the comedic actor's spiritual exploration for Jesus and the cross. We're gonna take a look at that and talk about it. And I wanna ask you this, are you one of those that consider yourselves a religious nun? Well, we're gonna take a look at a new study finding out what atheists and agnostics really believe. So join me for The Glory Hour Wednesday at 3 p.m. streaming all day on Wednesday. Cornerstone Tells Network's YouTube page. You don't wanna miss it. So be sure to subscribe to The Glory Hour podcast that is exclusively, the whole full version, exclusively on YouTube. I'll see you there. Thank you, Sidney. Be sure you catch episodes of The Glory Hour on Cornerstone's YouTube page and its debut on television will take place this Saturday at 11 p.m. right here on Cornerstone Television. I love seeing Sidney step into the more that God has for her. But do you know that God has more for you too? Today's scripture comes to us from Ephesians 2 verse 10. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. You know, Corey, I love this scripture and I love all scripture, right? It's truth. But I love this scripture because it tells me that we were created in his workmanship and he's a good worker. He's a professional at this, right? And he prepared good works for us beforehand so we could walk in them. I know you have so many different giftings and you've walked this journey and are going through different, even elements of discovering your talents, Corey. What would you say if there's someone who's watching and they're like, I don't know what I'm purpose to do, how would you encourage them to just go for what they see now? What I love about that particular scripture is he talks about there are gifts that God knew beforehand. So that's stuff that God has already placed in you.  I understand you. And so there are aspects of God that he will push us to places knowing what's already in us, kind of like the mama bird kicks out baby birds. She knows you can fly. She knows that you just need a level of pressure to be able to do purpose. And sometimes the thing that we're afraid of God is pushing you into because even in panic, they start to, wait a minute, wait a minute, I didn't realize that.  But he began to idolize his issue. He began to idolize his struggle and say, wait, wait, wait, God, wait, wait, wait. I don't think you really fully read my resume. I think you misunderstood that I have a stuttering problem and you're asking me to do something that I'm insecure about.  You're offending, like a lot of times we offend God when we begin to tell him more about ourselves than how he feels about us. Like as if he's surprised. Surprise God, do I have these struggles that I deal with? And you know, sometimes I get fearful and I have panic attacks. He's like, I know you, but in his presence is the fullness of joy. In his presence brings a level of confidence. And if you've ever been in the presence of God and God is moving to Angela, I know that you get into the presence of God. You may walk in dealing with some kind of insecurities, but the presence of God brings a confidence on a surety and an authority to walk in that mantle. Tell me about some times that God has like accelerated your ministry. Yeah, you know, I think, like you said, I think there are always these moments where there's trepidation and fear. And you see like, man, I am so not qualified. Look at my history, look what I struggle with. But that's why his word came to encourage us that he through Christ Jesus created you for good works and myself, you know, there have been so many moments that I've been afraid to step into the gifts that I see on my life or explore where it is that the Lord's opened up doors for me. But I rest assured that it's his work through Christ Jesus that he prepared before I was ever formed.   I don't think anything great could be for me. Can I tell you, there's nothing further from the truth. Ephesians here tells us that you were created for good works, not through your own efforts, not by your own doing, but through Christ Jesus. And he has a plan and a purpose for you to prosper you and to bring you into good and beautiful, wide open spaces. So today we encourage you, if you need prayer, if you're struggling to find your purpose or maybe even just finding and navigating your way with Jesus, we encourage you to call the prayer line here at CTVN at 1-888-665-4483.  Oh my goodness, that is so powerful. And as you were speaking, I felt like I heard the Lord saying that there has been a battle for your voice. There has been a battle. It reminds me of the Little Mermaid. I went to the original Little Mermaid when she had such a voice and she was a princess in the kingdom, but she wanted another life, but the price was her voice because the voice was the gift, the ability to communicate. And I feel that for many of you, there have been people that you love who have tried to define you which has paralyzed your voice. It might have been your mother, it might have been your father, a friend, a relationship that no longer exists yet. And because of that, you have associated an identity with yourself and said, well, that's just not who I am. Who told you that and who put that in you? So what the spirit of the Lord begins to do is it begins to eradicate false voices that have come into your life. There are demonic entities that attack certain mantles when there is a mantle over your life to go forth. Trust and believe, if God has given you a prophetic mantle or he's given you a specific manifestation of the Holy Spirit gifting, the enemy's gonna try to sabotage that and paralyze your progress with insecurity. But what all of us have to do here at the station, here all over the world, we have to surrender the idols of our struggle that make and dictate to us to say, God, you can't use me, I've done too much, I've messed up, I've been through a divorce, I've lied, I've cheated, I am not appropriate, I am not worthy, I am not enough. All of that eradicates because, God is saying this, I am the enough. That's literally why he told Moses. What do I tell him? What do I tell him? Tell them that I am sent you. He didn't say I am the provider, I am the protector, I am the fighter. He said no, I am everything you need. I am dot, dot, dot, whatever you need. I am your confidence. I am your courage. I am the spirit. I am that what you need the most. Lean into God, more than anything.  Bless you, have a wonderful week.


And we're talking today about how do we stop at two degrees. That'll of course be the climate, the mission being to prevent the global climate from warming more than two degrees. I have an extremely distinguished panel with me here today. We have Governor Jay Inslee of the State of Washington in the United States. We have Cristiana Figueiras, the convener of Mission 2020, whose mission it is to obtain peak emissions of carbon by 2020 and who is responsible for convening the United Nations Agreement in Paris around climate mitigation and prevention. And Ficus Tisbestma, who is CEO of Royal DSM. Good afternoon everybody. I'm going to ask you Cristiana. With the United States potentially extracting itself from the Paris Climate Accord, does the world have any hope to keep a mission warming to two degrees? Well, first of all, slight correction, important correction. Important, slight but important. The target of the Paris Agreement is not to keep us to two degrees, it's to keep us well below two degrees. Just so that we can keep, you know, that's an exceedingly important. And in fact, to strive toward 1.5 degrees. Correct. So just to, you know, know what, and the reason for that, actually it's a very important reason, right? Because if we go into a world that warms more than two degrees, the insurance industry has warned us that that is a world that is systemically uninsurable because of the destruction that would be cast upon us. So that's why we have to stay well below two degrees. We do not want to endanger the global economy. So what does the US government do? Well, on our current path, we are likely to meet those targets. No, we're not because the Paris Agreement never aspired to meet it with the first harvest of efforts, okay? So if you think of it, you know, we have a harvest of efforts, just like you have a harvest of grapes for the vintage of that year. The vintage that we have of 2015 was never meant to keep us under two degrees. It was meant to be the first effort. And within five years, which starts actually now at the end of this year, all countries need to come together again to figure out what have they done? What has the private sector been able to contribute? What policies contribute? Where has technology moved? Where has finance shifted? And therefore, because of increased confidence, where can we go next? So the Paris Agreement will keep us well below two degrees if we keep to that pace of increasing ambition every five years. Two-year question about the United States. Yes. Three things that I wanted to say. Number one, it is not at all clear whether the United States will actually withdraw because irony has it that the United States, from a legal perspective, politically they can of course do whatever they wish. But from a legal perspective, the first day that they would be able to withdraw is the 6th of November of 2020, which is three days after the next US election. So we don't know what they're going to do on the 6th of November of 2020. Secondly, the question is the current political position of the White House, does that impact what the United States said that they would do under the Paris Agreement too early to tell? Because the fact is we don't know what the numbers are going to add up. What is fantastic is the reaction that we have had, and we'll hear more details I'm sure from the governor, that we have had from nine states, 300 cities, 1,000 corporations in the United States call them the real economy versus the politics, the real economy that is actually moving with the carbonization because they know that it's good for them. And the third point that I want to make is does the intended withdrawal or the political withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Agreement affect the world's efforts? And to that I have to say frankly, no. Because I have not seen one country of all of the other 194 countries who has now said, okay, because the United States is not doing its bit, then we're going to go out. In part because of the response of the real economy of the United States, but also in part because they understand that it's good for them. China and India have already surpassed what they said that they were going to do under the Paris targets. Not because they want to save the planet, because it's good for their economy. Good economics, and to that end, that's what you're finding in Washington state. That the state is, that actors in the state cities and others are prepared to make changes based on economics rather than politics. Very much so because what we have learned is that acting to develop a clean energy economy actually enhances your economic productivity. And that makes sense because at least in my state, which is a technologically adept innovative state, every time there is an economic transformation, we have grown our economy. When we went from propeller planes to jets, we grew our economy. When we went from an analog system to a digital system and software, we grew our economy. And now we're going to decarbonize our economy. And that's when my state does well, because we developed these new technologies. So in my state, CNBC just listed my state as the best place to do business in the United States. And one of the reasons is because we are developing our clean energy economy like crazy. We have 90,000 jobs in my state and growing twice as fast in the clean energy economy. Jobs in the clean energy economy are growing twice as fast as the rest of our economy. And it's because we have made investments in companies that are on the cutting edge. We have the Western Hemisphere's largest manufacturer of carbon fiber that goes into electric cars. We have the largest vanadium flow battery in the world that allows to integrate renewable energy to the grid. We're making great solar panels in Billingham, Washington. So you can't turn over a rock in my state without finding a job creating industry that is created that's going to help solve this problem. So it's a positive thing for your economy. And it's not an accident that the best economic locations of growth in the United States are those who are part of this alliance that Cristiana talked about. So the day after President Trump made his statement about Paris, within a day we'd stood up an organization called the United States Climate Alliance. So we have an alliance of 14 states in one territory. We are committed to the parents' agreements. We are all acting in our own way to do that. And we would be the third largest economy of the world if our 14 states were one nation. Now I am not suggesting that those states become a separate nation. But we are acting, and it's not slowing us down. So actually the message of Davos, I think, is that President Trump has been a one-man parade with no one behind him. Because no one has followed him out of the Paris Agreement. Actually, we've had three Republican governors join us rather than his retrograde effort to deny science. So the momentum is very much to continue this effort that came out of the Paris Agreement and well that it is. So we're very optimistic about what we're doing in our state. And the same is true of many in the corporate world. Is that not science to see best man? Right, well let's turn to the people who cause the emission, the private sector to a large degree, or the consumers of our products. And I hope we don't need to discuss the reasons why we need to address climate change. I hope it's so obvious, the science and the issues we see already today, the people suffered today. So if we don't go into the topic of the climate skeptical people, why do we need to address? We'll go immediately to how do we solve it? Then we say we need to do three things as a private sector. We need to reduce our own emissions. We need to enable the whole supply chain to do better. And we need to advocate. Reduce our own emission set targets, science-based. We have a carbon budget. We need to be at the peak, ultimately, in 2020, 2050 neutral. That means you need to have absolute reduction targets as the private sector. Secondly, enable, try to develop new innovations, make cars more lightweight. So let's see you too, boosting the output of solar panels. Or let's not forget the agricultural sector, developing new feed ingredients we just did, reducing the emissions of cows. We call them clean cows. So those kind of things enable is also a possibility. And of course, then advocate. Advocate, be strong. We have now 81 companies, big multinational companies joining us in the way of climate leaders who advocate clearly putting a price on carbon to stimulate all to take really tough measures. And having a financial economic incentive to do that, including, by the way, the investors who invest in their companies. And I think it is important to reduce our own emissions and enable and to put effort in innovation. And I think this just makes good business sense to future proof your company. 10 years ago, I was questioned, is it making profit or doing well for the world? Today, 10 years later, we can show those two things can go hand in hand, at least in our company. I'm sure if you sit here in 10 years from now, if as a company you did not address those things, you don't make profit anymore. And your investors will find that out. So it makes sense and the world is changing. So we've got a panel here of climate optimists from the global level, from the multinational level and the local level. We've actually reached out to the great global public through our social media channels. And I've got some questions here that I'll put to our panelists. If anybody in the audience would like to ask a question, let me know and I will come to you in a minute. This is a question for you, Christiana. And it comes from Kendall Tyson in Chicago in the United States. What solutions are you working towards to solve the issue of air pollution and what innovative projects have you seen that provide people with clean and safe energy? Well, it's interesting because air pollution actually is one part of the problem. It's not everything. If you look at fossil fuels which have caused global warming and climate change, it is the same burning of those fossil fuels that cause air pollution. But it's two different types of pollution. One is the local pollution, the local particulates that come out of the burning of fossil fuel from our cars, from our factories, et cetera, which is causing harm to the respiratory system of humans, which is why we need to move beyond that. And the same burning of the same fossil fuels is what's causing global pollution, which is different particulates, different gases, which is what's causing climate change. But the source is the same. So whether you're interested in your own personal health, in your public health, if you're a political leader, or if you're in the medical system, or whether you're interested in the planetary health, it's the same problem. It is putting the fossil fuel industry, thank them truly because much of what we're enjoying today is thanks to the fossil fuel industry. So thank them for what they did in the past century, but then just like any other little old lady, put them to retirement. It is time to retire the fossil fuel industry as a whole and move toward the cleaner fuels of this century. So everything under the Paris Agreement, actually, and everything that is being done by the local governments, by state governments, by corporates is actually moving us slowly, but surely, not fast enough, away from fossil fuels, which has been the bedrock of our society, into cleaner fuels that will allow us to continue our economic development, very important, but without the toxic effects from fossil fuels. Fika, what would you say are the... When you're making decisions on behalf of your corporation, what are the most important incentives that factor in your mind when you're thinking about making climate decisions that are climate-related? It's what I said, by the way. I can build on what Christiana was saying about putting them into retirements and she called even the fossil industry the black croc or something like that. What did you say? Like a little old lady. Like a little old lady. Thank her and put her in retirement. Right. And why should we or could we put them into retirement? Because there are better alternatives today. Cheaper. It is a little bit the analogy with the Stone Age. I mean, why did we move out of the Stone Age? Not because we were short of stones, but there were better alternatives. And it's not that we are short of coal, to be honest, in the world, but there are better alternatives. Or gas or oil. Or gas or oil. There are better alternatives. And that is exactly what we take into consideration with our decisions. There are better alternatives to the future. There will come a price on carbon. China just started with it. Europe just withdrawing the allowances. The Americas, including Washington, are linking their systems. If you as a company do not see the writing on the wall, do not see that you need to address this. Just from an economic perspective, you have a responsibility, I believe also. But if you say it goes beyond my responsibility as a global citizen, I just take economic decisions. Imagine you do that. I go further. But imagine that it makes good business sense to address your business in such a way you become climate proof. You reduce your own emissions because you will pay for it. You develop products which help this world to make a step forward because you will make money of that. The new climate economy report showed clearly that we can show economic growth. We don't have to go back to old history. We can show economic growth by addressing climate change. So for me, it just makes good business sense. We transformed our company. By the way, 115 years ago, we started as a coal mining company. Hardly dare to say it. But that's our history. 115 years ago. Now, already 60, 50 years ago, we changed into a chemical company. Now, 15 years ago, we changed into a life science and material science company, which we are today. So you need to adjust in order to survive. I'm a biologist. Darwin taught us. Those who will survive will those who adapt. And that's true on the local level as well. I've got a question here from Karthik in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Karthik asks, there's a surge in the production and consumption of electric cars, but electric cars take electricity and electricity burns fossil fuels. Isn't that going to be more harmful than if we just stuck with the good old petrol vehicles? Appreciate the question. The answer is no. Even with the same mix of generating capacity in your grid, electric cars can be at least marginally better as far as a CO2 net life cycle. Not much, but a little bit. But as the question indicates, the real success of electric cars are when we can clean up our grid and when we can have sources of electricity that are not CO2 sources. Now, that is well within our possibility. Today in my state, over three-quarters of our grid comes from non-CO2 emitting sources, over three-quarters. So we have a capacity to do that. Now, we're blessed with hydroelectric in my part of the world. So that's one of the reasons. But what we are finding is that we can rapidly move away from fossil fuels even for that remaining percentage. And our utilities are finding ways to do that as well. So we are closing our only remaining coal-fired plant in the state of Washington. We are moving off of coal-based electricity that otherwise would go into cars that comes from other states. And here in Davos, it's interesting in the last 24 hours I've talked to three companies that are very interested in starting some solar power plants and building electric ferries in Washington state. So it's interesting from Davos we're finding people who see a business case for cleaning up my grid even for the small part that still is based on fossil fuels. So the rapidity of this is quite amazing. We've had a 90% reduction in the cost of photovoltaic solar in the last eight to nine years. We have 90,000 people in my state now working in these clean energy sources to make the grid clean so the electricity is virtually clean when we do put it into our electric car. So there's every reason to be optimistic about this. And as I've said, my state is not the only state that is achieving success in this regard. By the way, we even have three Republican governors in our coalition who are trying to clean up their grids as well. And the reason I point this out is electric cars are a future because we have public policy leaders to understand we're going to clean up our grid so those electric cars can be very clean.  The chemistry improvements that are being are just amazing. So we ought to be optimistic about electric cars. In fact, I just have an electric car that was going to be delivered tomorrow. I'm buying it used because I'm very sort of Scottish on this. But they delivered the wrong car. So we'll be back next week with an electric car. So what I'm hearing is there are a ton of, you know, there are existing economic incentives to make this shift by your own admission earlier. I think you're also hearing very interesting from the governor is that those jurisdictions, in this case the state, that put in place these policies actually attract investment. It's not that, you know, at this point, you don't no longer have to go and look for it. Those companies that are in this new economy will very quickly flock toward those jurisdictions that have the policies that are providing these incentives. And those jurisdictions will be providing more employment, better air, better health, better energy security. So, you know, it's not just that the renewable energy is a better investment against fossil fuel. It's actually that there is economic, for the entire economy, there is benefit for moving into the cleaner technologies. And if I may add something, what we are finding is that when you have policies that inspire people getting access to electric cars and solar panels and more insulation, it attracts the manufacturers and the producer because they want to be close to their customer and they want to have a market brand that is associated with a sustainable approach as you do. And that's a market benefit. So good behavior attracts good investment. That's what we learn in the state of Washington. And in addition, I tell you, the investors slowly, slowly, but they are getting it. More and more pension funds, more and more investors, more and more insurance companies want also to future-proof their investment. And they also scared if they have invested in the wrong things that over time they will be hurt. So they see also the writing on the wall and they want to be invested in the right things. And therefore, those kinds of initiatives attract new investors. And that's good. You said earlier that at current rates, we are not on track to meet the Paris climate accords objective of well less than two degrees. What do we have to do now, next year, and 2020 to meet your mission of peak admissions? Well, now, there is a challenge. There is a challenge because the fact is that the science of climate change has advanced even since 2015. And we were not aware in 2015 or 2014 when we were moving toward the Paris Agreement of how precipitous the change or the moment in time is upon us when we will actually decide as a society, can we bring climate change into control or not? And the fact is that that has now been pinpointed to be the year 2020. So within two years, or three if you count the end of 2020, we have to have been at the point as a global society that we have to reverse the trend that is currently still going up despite all of our optimism, everything that we're saying, we are not at the critical mass of reversing the global trend. We're in the transition period but we're not reversing the trend. So we have to within maximum three years reverse that trend and not just flatten out our emissions but actually begin a pretty rapid descent so that by 2050 we will be at a net zero economy. A big challenge. So, how? How? Well, first of all, we are on track to have 23% of energy on the global grid be renewable by 2020. Close but no cigar. We needed to be actually 30%. We are mobilizing capital. We are currently coming up to $400 billion being invested every year globally into clean technologies. Okay, but we need to move it to $1 trillion. We are, we have had on transportation, we have had over the past three to four months the announcements of seven major companies in China, in Europe and in the United States that they're moving toward the post internal combustion engine, toward electricity, electric vehicles and each of them have given their dates very good but we would have to be seriously on track where every major city of the world currently we have only a few but every major city of the world has to have had the policy already in place by 2020 that they're going to actually start either living attacks or prohibiting the use of polluting cars. To give you just a few examples of the many different areas in which we need much more speed. On all of them we have traction. On all of them we're moving in the right direction. It's the speed and scale that is a problem. So there's a gap of 7% between where we need to be on energy, on electricity we need another $600 billion in investment in clean... Did you bring your chat book? I'm ticking off the boxes here. So the question is, you can do what you can in Washington State. Give us a couple of examples of what you are doing to help close these gaps. So as we speak we are attempting to pass America's first carbon tax which will create a price signal to spur investment and will also importantly create about a $3 billion investment fund in my state over a biennium so that we can help consumers get access to the electric cars so we can help businesses get access to new efficiencies to reduce CO2 emissions so that we can help people in insulating their homes so we don't waste energy and make additional investments in our incredible research institutes so we can train people in the new businesses and clean energy. So we're excited about that. I'm two weeks into my legislative session and we hope we can achieve it. We are also looking at avenues to have a low carbon fuel standard as a potential alternative to carbon tax or an additional one which will essentially require the industry to give us cleaner fuels and it's been very effective in California and thank you very much under Kate Brown's tremendous leadership we have two great Governor Browns in Oregon and California. We are looking at essentially a clean fuels mandate for the grid so that any future generating capacity would need to be renewable we're also looking for additional incentives for electric car usage so we have multiple avenues all of these make sense we're starting with a carbon charge because we believe it's the most flexible in a regulatory approach would have a price signal and then they would have the flexibility of how to make the investments to actually improve CO2 so we hope that we are successful if anyone knows the legislator in Washington State you feel free to share your viewpoints with them you have a First Amendment right in America to do so and I will defend you if you would like to do so. Very good. Here you see how the private and the public sector can work hand in hand together I mean as a private sector rightly so we do not make legislation that is up to the public sector but as a private sector we are a very simple sector we react quite instinctively on financial incentives even in your sleep that counts for all my colleagues and I dream about other things but nevertheless putting a price on carbon which is now happening in the Americas Chile, Peru, Mexico, Canada and of the country in between Washington and California Europe, China they all put a price on carbon right now and the investors and the private sector is reacting very simple if there is a financial incentive to reduce my own emissions if there is a financial incentive to do more innovations in this field and they will do that investors will come and companies will come so it is happening and it will happen and therefore the most important is I think to put a price on carbon and if it's happening globally there is also no carbon leakage of transformation of businesses move from one area to another area because you will be biting always whatever happens and in the sectors I would say look to energy look to traffic providers so to say but I mentioned already let's not forget 18% of our total emissions our agriculture and that maybe has to do with our meat consumption but also how we treat our cows and like I said I don't know how the cows look to regulations about themselves and how they look their own feed but there are solutions clean cows this is Davos so we keep things on time here the number of climate skeptics on this panel is clearly none we know however that there is at least one in the congress hall at the moment but the message from this panel is it might not matter thank you for being with us until now goodbye thank you you might not matter


People look to me, particularly in times of need, and I take it seriously that I can provide security and safety to people when they hear and listen to me. I was the only mother to ever get to Assistant Commissioner of Police in 150 years. The fourth woman and the only mother. As a woman who's so senior, there are not many of us around. You cannot be what you cannot see.


Hello, hello, writers! I'm Christine Kiefer, author of fantasy fiction and creative writing resources, and you are listening to the Well-Sturried podcast, where I share insights, encouragement, and actionable advice designed to help you craft sensational novels and build your best writing life, always in 30 minutes or less, so you can get back to writing, of course. Ready for the show? Let's get talking! Hello again, writers, and welcome or welcome back to the Well-Sturried podcast. I'm your host, Christine Kiefer, and today is October 12th, 2020. In today's episode, I am overhauling an article that I originally wrote on July 9th, 2015. I then recorded and published the corresponding podcast episode for this article on March 26th, 2018, but like I said, today I am giving this article and episode an overhaul, and I'm excited to share this newly updated version with you. Today's episode is titled, How to Develop Your Story Idea in 11 Simple Steps. If you'd like to read along as you listen in or check out all of the many links to additional articles and episodes that I've included in today's transcript, then simply visit www.well-sturried.com-develop. Now, let's dive in. There is an exciting new story idea stuck in your head, but how can you expand that idea into a well-developed story you're ready to write? The answer to this question depends on your personal approach to the pre-writing process. Some writers, called plotters, prefer to develop their stories in intricate detail before putting pen to paper. Pancers, on the other hand, often complete very few pre-writing tasks before drafting, preferring to write by the seat of their pants or discover their stories as they write. Many other writers fall somewhere between these two extremes. If you've found your way to this episode of the podcast, then you're likely interested in developing your story idea to some degree before drafting. If so, you're in luck. Today I'm breaking down 11 foundational steps writers can take to bring their stories to life before hitting the blank page. Step number one, write it down. Have an idea that's been swirling around in your head? Though we aren't likely to forget our best and most thrilling story ideas, it's nevertheless important to write your idea down ASAP. It's all too easy to let the fruits of our imaginations grow fuzzy in our minds, and all the easier to whip up something magical when we make our ideas manifest on paper. Step number two, tease it out. The ease and excitement with which you can expand a new story idea is a sure sign of its potential, but don't wait around for the muse to strike. Take time now to explore and expand your idea. Can you spin that flash of a scene into the beginnings of a plot? Get some flesh on the bones of that character that came to mind. Find a way to add a little depth and movement to that setting you envisioned. Now's the time to dive deep into your creative sandbox, my friend. Step number three, identify the key players. Character lives at the heart of every story. It's the main character's actions that drive the plot, their motivations that lend meaning to the story, and the trials and tribulation they experience that keeps readers turning pages. As you work to tease out your story idea, search for your key players, the protagonists and antagonists who will create your story's central conflict. Begin to develop these characters in earnest, exploring key characterization elements such as their personality, appearance, voice, backstory, flaws, and false beliefs. This is a good time for me to remind you that there are links to additional articles and episodes exploring each of these topics in today's episode transcript at well-storied.com slash develop. Step number four, define your stories G and C. With your key players on the field, it's time for the games or rather your plot to begin. It's okay if you'd rather discover your story's events as you draft, but to ensure you won't run into any dead-end plotlines or lack of direction along the way, take time now to establish your story's G and C. Ask, goal, what do my key players want? Motivation, why do they want it? And conflict, what's stopping them from getting it? Goal, motivation, conflict, G and C. With your story's G and C in place, you'll have established a strong foundation for your plot. Allow your character's goals and motivations to drive their actions and additional conflict will arise naturally, allowing you to develop and draft your story's events with ease. Step number five, paint your backdrop.  Now that you've established a strong foundation for your story, take a moment to explore where it will be set. Can you visualize your story's backdrop? How about the settings where many of your scenes will take place? If you're writing speculative fiction, then you may also wish to develop your story world at this point. Take time to define your world's geography, cultures, religions and other important facets of your fictional universe. Step number six, develop a premise. With your story's characters, conflict and setting becoming more realized by the moment, it's time to ensure that your story idea has true narrative potential by developing a premise. With narrative potential being the ability to sustain a full-length plot. Crafting this short statement, which distills the essence of your story into just one or two sentences, is vital, regardless of how much or little you plan to plot your story prior to drafting. If you can develop a simple, concise premise that hits each of the necessary story elements, then you can take the next step in your writing journey with confidence and a clear sense of direction. Again, be sure to check out the additional links in today's episode transcript for more on crafting your story's premise. Step number six, map out your major beats. With your premise in place, you can now, if you so choose, begin to map your story's major beats, that is, its events or turning points. Complete this step in as much detail as you see fit. If you're a plotter, then you may enjoy using the three-act story structure and one of my favorite outlining methods to plot your story. If you're a more free-spirited writer, then consider establishing the following six major beats, which can serve as landmark events to aim for in your drafting process. First up, the hook. This opening beat shows your protagonist experiencing an everyday conflict that highlights some flaw in their world or within themselves. Next, the inciting incident. This early event changes everything for your protagonist, providing them with an opportunity or forcing them to address the external or internal flaw the hook identified. Third, the first plot point. It's during this event that your protagonist's journey truly gets underway, whether by choice or circumstance, they're now chasing their goal in earnest. One thing to note is that sometimes the inciting incident and the first plot point are the same event. Next, we have the midpoint. Roughly halfway through your story, a momentous event changes your character's perspective on their journey, often reinforcing their commitment to their goal, highlighting what's at stake should the antagonists succeed, and or opening their eyes to the consequences of their own fears, flaws, or false beliefs. Fifth, we have the climactic sequence. This intense conflict serves as the finale of your story, in which your protagonist achieves their goal and or overcomes the antagonist. And finally, the resolution. This scene or short series of events concludes your protagonist's journey, addressing the consequences of their experiences and establishing their new normal. Step number seven, identify your story's internal arcs. Conflict breeds external and internal consequences. If you haven't already, take a moment to establish the major internal obstacle that will complicate your protagonist's journey. Is there a particular fear, flaw, or false belief that will hinder their ability to achieve their goal or overcome the antagonist? How might this internal roadblock impact their actions and reactions throughout their journey? This inner obstacle will serve as the foundation of your protagonist's character arc, the internal sequence of events they'll experience. Determining whether this sequence will be positive, negative, or static in nature can help clarify the direction of your story as you develop or draft it. Step number nine, determine your story's themes. Literary themes aren't just for English class. In fact, a theme is nothing more than a topic a story explores, and most themes arise naturally from the events of the story's plot and character arcs. The messages that readers might derive from these arcs are called thematic statements, and it's these statements that lend a story meaning. Establishing your story's themes and thematic statements before drafting can help ensure your character's journeys will pack a powerful emotional punch from the start. On to step number ten, developing your secondary cast. With all the major aspects of your story in place, it's now time to add a little depth and complexity to your narrative, beginning with your cast of characters. Unless your key players are living in a bubble, they're going to have strong relationships that impact their journeys. Take time now to explore the nature of these relationships and how they lend value to your story. If you can remove a character without impacting the plot you've developed, then they likely don't serve enough purpose to deserve a place in your story. Also, make sure to develop your secondary characters fully. There's no reason your key players should spend their scenes interacting with cardboard cutouts and caricatures. Finally, step number eleven, develop essential subplots. Subplots are secondary plotlines that lend complexity to a narrative. Rather than existing for complexity's sake alone, good subplots arise from your key player's secondary goals, when applicable, and the goals and motivations that drive your secondary characters. Despite their secondary nature, good subplots play an integral role in a story's core conflict, complicating the protagonist's external and internal journeys. If you can remove a subplot from your story without impacting the central narrative, then that subplot is likely more fluff than integral storyline. Ensure you develop powerful subplots that lend complexity to your key character's journeys, and you can't go wrong. Congratulations, Raider. In completing these eleven steps, you've taken that tiny seed of a story idea and nurtured it into a well-developed narrative, one with compelling characters, immersive settings, and powerful themes. Oh, and a gripping plot, too. If you're looking for additional guidance as you work through the pre-writing process, then you're going to love the insights and guided activities included in our well-storied workbooks, the pre-write project, world-building warrior, and crafting incredible characters. If you'd like to learn more about each of these workbooks and download your copies today, simply visit well-storied.com slash books. Thank you for listening to today's episode of The Podcast Writer. I hope you found it helpful to your writing journey. If so, make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a new episode and to give the podcast a quick rating or review. Doing so goes a long way toward helping the podcast reach new writers and lets me know that you're enjoying what I'm creating. You can also give me a shout-out directly on Instagram at christen underscore keeper. For additional guidance as you work to craft sensational novels and build your best writing life, be sure to head on over to www.well-storied.com where I share blog posts, workbooks, e-courses, and other helpful resources for writers. Again, that's W-E-L-L-S-T-O-R-I-E-D dot com. Thank you again for tuning into today's episode, my friend. Until next time, happy writing!